Nortlu pulled up on a skua as Chrysta stepped out groaning. Stalin saluted her as he said "good morning, Ma'am." as Chrysta rubbed her head and groaned again. "Are you feeling alright, Miss Wolfsworth?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." Chrysta answered. Nortlu landed his skua as Stalin asked "orders, sir?"
"Find the fugitives!"
Dies irae! Dies illa!
Nortlu's guards kicked down the door to a fishmonger's house, and began ransacking his belongings and throwing aside his furniture. One of the guards pulled up the basement door and found several Chinstrap gypsies hiding inside it.
Chrysta said "ten clams for the location of Happy Feet?"
Solvent saeclum in favilla!
But the prisoners didn't answer. Chrysta growled and said "lock them up!"
Later they arrested a penguin riding a wagon, before pushing the wagon into the river and waiting for the Chinstraps to come out of the water.
Quantas tremor est futurus!
Quando Judex est venturus!
This time Chrysta said "twenty clams for the location of Mumble Happy Feet." with a much more aggressive tone in her voice. But still, the prisoners refused to answer, and Chrysta said "(groan) take them away!". Stalin saw the prisoners being arrested. He knew these penguins had done no wrong, and he was getting fed up of Nortlu and Chrysta's treatment of them.
Eventually, albeit after ransacking the city further, they arrived at a miller's house. Mumble, Marshall, Julius, Hellas, Carina, Alex and Ardel had already escaped, and were hiding behind a glacier as they watched Chrysta interrogate the Gentoo miller and his wife, who held a small egg in her flippers. Mumble said "oh Guin. Chrysta's gone mad." Marshall saying "yeah, whatta ya think's happened to Red?" as Ardel checked his belt and said "guys. Anybody seen my belt buckle?"
"The one with the symbol on it?" Alex asked before Chrysta held up said buckle and said "we found this familiar talisman on your property. Have you been harboring fugitives?" the miller answering "our house is always open to the weary traveller. Please, have mercy, my lord."
Reddington answered "I am placing you and your family under house arrest until I can get to the bottom of this. If what you say is true and you are innocent then you'll have nothing to fear, will you?" as he, Chrysta and Stalin left the house.
The miller said "but please. We know nothing of these crimi-" as Reddington shut the door and Chrysta used a spear to barricade it, preventing any escape. She turned to Stalin and surprised everyone there when she said "burn it.", prompting a "what?" from both Nortlu and Stalin. Chrysta grabbed the lit torch that Slash was carrying as she said to Stalin "until this house is a smoldering pile of ash and bones, these penguins are traitors, and they have to be made examples of." before passing him the torch and pointing to the wooden house.
Nortlu said "go on, son. It's for the best." Stalin answering "with all do respect sir, and Ma'am, I'm not here to murder innocent penguins."
"But you are here to follow orders, Stalin." Chrysta interrupted. Stalin looked at the torch and looked at the house, next to which was a small puddle of water. Stalin walked over to the house and prepared to set it on fire, Julius watching this to wonder what he'd do. Stalin looked through the window and saw the miller and his family, turning back to Chrysta as she said "well, what are you waiting for. Burn it!"
Stalin looked at the torch, turning to Chrysta and Nortlu as he said "no." before dropping the torch in the water. "Insolent coward. Give me that!" Nortlu ordered as Ivan passed him a torch and he set the mill alight, the house being set on fire quickly afterwards. Marshall said "oh my Guin. We've got to do something!" but Julius stopped her from getting any closer. Stalin watched the house burn in horror, hearing the miller and his family's cry for help. Stalin closed his eyes and dived through the window. Marshall asked "is that Stalin? What is he doing?"
Moments later, the door burst open and Stalin ran out of the burning wreckage carrying the egg, followed by the miller and his wife. When they were safe, Stalin said "here." as he passed them the egg, the wife answering "oh, Guin bless you, sir. Thank you." as they ran. Stalin had never done a selfless act in his entire life, and to hear someone else praising him surprised the young Chinstrap.
Stalin smiled as they ran, only for Slash to hit him in the back of the head, briefly stunning him as Ivan picked him up, Chrysta subduing Bangers and Mash to prevent any interference. "The punishment for insubordination is death." Nortlu said as Slash raised his sword over Stalin's head, aiming for his neck as Chrysta said "it's a shame, really. You threw away a promising career, Stalin."
"Consider it my highest honor, Miss Wolfsworth." Stalin said sarcastically. Marshall saw this and, moved by Stalin's heroism and bravery, threw a snowball at Slash, distracting Ivan long enough for Stalin to knock him down and kick Slash aside. Stalin commandeered Nortlu's skua and flew off. Amelia and Ivan began to fire arrows as Nortlu said "get him! And don't hit the damn skua!"
Stalin flew above a bridge, narrowly avoiding the arrows until one hit him in the shoulder. Marshall said "No!" as Stalin fell off the skua and fell unconscious into the nearby river. Ivan and Fantine began firing arrows where he had landed, only for Chrysta to say "don't waste your arrows!"
"Let the traitor rot in his watery grave!" Nortlu added as he mounted his skua. "Now let's get those damn fugitives! If we have to burn the Penguin Nations to the ground, so be it!" he added as they left. Bangers and Mash looked where the others had gone, looking for any more evidence in the burnt house. Bangers turned and said "look, Mash. It's them!" as he pointed to the river edge, where Mumble and the others were standing. With Nortlu's party gone, Bangers and Mash said "halt. You're under arrest for conspiring against Minister Reddington!" Julius jumping into the water as the pair attempted to arrest the group.
"Oh so, now you're soldiers, huh?" Meg asked as Mash tried to handcuff them, this not being helped with the knotted chains that he was trying to loosen. Bangers ticked off the list, saying "okay, we got Mumble Happy Feet. Anna Marshall. Meg and Alex Wolfsworth. We just need that one who can't talk."
No sooner did he say this that Julius came out of the water, carrying Stalin's unconscious body as he lay it on the ground. "Mr Stalin!" Bangers and Mash said in unison. "Is he alive?" Marshall asked, Julius listening for a beat and answering barely. We must get him to safety! as Meg and Alex picked him up by his feet and flippers.
"Wait!" Mash shouted, Marshall saying "you do realize you're not even cops. So you can't arrest us!"
"No, take us with you!"
"What?"
"We don't wanna work for Red anymore. He's worse to us than he is to the prisoners!"
"How should we know you're not spies?" Mumble asked.
"Um, haven't we been enemies for like, three penguin years. I think you should know that we're too stupid to spy on anyone, or thing. Bangers over here couldn't spy on a boiled egg!"
Julius sighed and said okay, but hurry up. They'll be looking for you any minute now as they left with Stalin, Bangers and Mash in tow.
Kyrie Eleison! Kyrie Eleison!
Meanwhile, in the chaotic, smoldering city of Gentoo Land, Chrysta sat in front of a burning house while Slash said "we've looked everywhere. The jail's full, but still no sign of Happy Feet."
"Rrraaaggghhh!" Chrysta said as she took a spear and smashed Slash in the face with it.
"I don't understand. Where could they be, I... unless.."
Gloria's group returned to Emperor Land, before Mary said "look, it's Appa!"
A.P.R.I.T.I.O.N landed on the ground where they were, as Katniss stepped off his back and ran to embrace Gloria. "Where have you guys been?" she asked. "It's absolute chaos over here!"
"Why. what happened?" Gloria asked, before Petey and Seymour arrived, followed by Johhny and Moriarty. Johnny held Winter's eyepatch as he said "Chrysta attacked the clubhouse. She took all the relics. Rodan's flipper. The Golden Skua. The Scepter. It's all gone. Where are the others."
"Fantine was working with Reddington the whole time. Slink's dead. The others went to find the Chinstraps." Mary explained.
A.P.R.I.T.I.O.N thought for a moment and said "Mumble's going to fight Reddington. Oh dear, this cannot end well for him."
"Well, we gotta help him." Meg said. "All of us."
"Wait, us too?" Petey said, before Meg answered "yes. You guys. A-an-and uh... and Danny, Mark, Glen, Natalie, Oscar, everyone... we're going to war, guys."
"Did I hear someone say war?" Captain Dust said as he entered. Katniss said "sorry, old man. You're a little too fragile for this."
"I may be old, but I am still quite the soldier, young lady." Dust said.
"Don't forget about us too." Alednam said as he and Arret showed up. "If it's a war they want, it's a war we'll give them."
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Lonnie said. "Let's take the battle to Gentoo Land!"
"Yeah! Woo-hoo! Let's do this!"
