Star Wolf Adventures : Galaxy War
(Version 1.2)
Chapter Twenty-Five :
The Three Spies
"I can handle it on my own, chief."
"No... This needs to be covered from as many different angles as possible. I'm sending two others in with you."
Dox made a face, but knew better than to argue with the Star Wolf captain.
"Who else is going?" he asked.
"One, Carlos Soldado, is an old acquaintance of mine," Wolf replied. "He has some military background, and has these kinds of missions down cold. And the other is Bartimaeus Uruk. He owes me one for sending us on that mission for SeaBee Emm." Wolf smirked. "He won't like it, but I guarantee he'll show up. And nobody... Nobody... Is better at stealth missions than he is."
"You're sure we can trust them to be in on the more secretive parts of all this?" Dox ventured.
"I don't trust many people, Doxxy," Wolf said, drumming his claws on the desk, "But I trust myself to know people pretty well. Bart owes me, and knows there could be a big payoff in this. Carlos wants the adrenaline rush, and of course, a pocketful of denari. And neither of them have double-crossed me in the past." He shrugged. "That's enough for me."
Dox didn't look happy about it, but he nodded.
"Whatever you say, chief," he murmured, heading for the door.
"Be ready to head out soon," Wolf called to him. "We need this information yesterday."
Dox chuckled, looking back.
"Just because my name's Paradox, doesn't mean I know anything about time travel," he said, grinning.
"Well, I guess you'll just have to fall back on your talent as a spy," Wolf countered with a smirk.
"Oh boy, we're doomed," Kay-Tee remarked, as he walked by the strategy room.
Dox shot him a dirty look, then strode away. To himself he murmured, "I have more than just my spy talents now, though... I've got something even better." His eyes shone red as he thought of his new powers, though he didn't realize it.
*****
Wolf was shaking hands with Carlos as Bartimaeus walked up to the door. Carlos had accepted a small bonus, and had happily agreed to accompany Dox on the mission. As Wolf had expected, he was excited at the prospect.
"This beats hauling spice any day," he said, grinning. "Thanks, Wolf."
"You're doing me the favor, kid," Wolf said. He noticed Bartimaeus at the door, and said, "Carlos, why don't you find Dox and introduce yourself... I have to speak with my associate here."
Carlos nodded, and headed out of the room. Bartimaeus took a chair and sat down, his eyes showing a wariness that betrayed his nerves somewhat.
"I thought you needed a job when you contacted me, but seeing this fancy ship, I'm not so sure," he remarked. "Why did you get in touch with me, Wolf?"
Wolf steepled his fingers in front of him, and chose his words carefully.
"You set up a mission that had unsatisfactory circumstances involved," he said slowly. "My crew and I were nearly killed, along with, I have to add, the inhabitants of a major solar system or two." He paused, and his eyes glinted. "I wasn't pleased with the situation at all, Bart."
Bartimaeus squirmed in his chair, ready to turn invisible and bolt at a moment's notice.
"Look, I never said it was going to be a cake-walk," he muttered. "And besides, I got no signs that there was anything out of the ordinary happening..."
"Emm was a psychotic would-be conqueror, backed by an equally psychotic robot lord, who attemped to detonate a star so he could reach the fifth dimension."
Bartimaeus blinked.
"Ah," was all he could say.
"But, I'm willing to let that all be forgotten," Wolf said, waving a hand casually. "If you'll do me a small favor."
"Err... Such as?"
"Joining two others working for me in gathering some information I need," Wolf replied.
Bart grimaced. Gathering information... He knew what that meant.
"You want me to spy on someone?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Who?"
"Andross."
Bart suddenly vanished from sight, using his special ability to do so. He barely cleared his chair, however, before Wolf had his pistol tucked under his invisible chin.
"Bart, Bart, Bart... You've pulled that trick one too many times for it to work on me," Wolf said, with a cold smile. "Now, sit back down, and reappear."
Bartimaeus grudgingly did so, sitting and reappearing simultaneously. When Wolf holstered his pistol, Bart glared and said, "If you think I'm going to go spy on Andross, you're out of your mind."
*****
"He's out of his mind."
"True... But he uses that to his advantage," Carlos said.
Bart just shook his head. How could he argue with that? Here he was, inside Carlos' ship, the Renegade, bound for Venom, completely against his wishes and better judgment. This wasn't what he wanted to be doing... At all.
"I hope you guys don't slow me down," Dox commented. "Being a spy comes naturally to me, of course, but having to carry you two is going to make this much more difficult."
Bartimaeus raised an eyebrow at Carlos, who just rolled his eyes... Wolf had told them that Dox talked a big game, and though he was good, he pretty much considered himself the best. Choosing to ignore the statement Dox had made, Carlos checked his coordinates, and then spoke.
"We're nearing Venom... We're bound for Venomia City, right?" he asked.
"That's right," Dox replied. "Right into the lion's den."
Bart shook his head again.
"This is borderline suicide," he grumbled. "Andross is powerful, and has eyes and ears everywhere... One slip-up, and we're dead."
"Better be on your toes, then," Dox said pompously.
Carlos hid a grin, and focused on making his way through the hazy atmosphere of Venom. Shortly thereafter, he was being contacted by the Venomia City Spaceport.
"State your ship name and business in Venomia City."
"This is the Renegade... My crew and I are here to purchase supplies for a freighter voyage," Carlos said into the comm link.
"Land in docking zone 17, berth 29."
"Roger that," Carlos replied. He switched off the comm, and said, "Here goes nothing."
*****
They split up soon after exiting the ship, each with a destination predetermined by Wolf. Carlos would be getting into Andross' engineering factories, to see what kind of weapons and ships he had in the works. Dox would be sneaking into a supply warehouse to examine cargo.
Bartimaeus was left with the most straight-forward, and therefore hardest, job... Get as close to Andross as possible, and try to learn something about his plans for the coming war. He was not pleased with the assignment, but he wasn't going to argue... For one thing, he needed that denari Wolf had promised him. And for another thing, he didn't want to tick off Wolf.
Getting past the guards at the entrance of his palace/fortress was fairly easy. Getting past the sensors deeper inside would be much more difficult. The first twenty minutes he learned nothing, because he was ducking, dodging, and waiting. It wasn't until he broke into the center of the palace that he learned the first interesting tidbit of information.
Being invisible, Bart was able to move close enough to two of Andross' scientists as they discussed a problem that had apparently formed.
"He's not going to like this," a stocky Anthro-Avian was saying. "And I'd bet my tail feathers we'll be blamed for this, as well."
"Don't worry, I have an escape plan, should things get bad," the thin human with him replied. "But you're right, Lord Andross will not be pleased. I can't imagine what happened... That stupid statue shouldn't have shorted out our equipment like that. It's like it was charged with energy or something."
"I heard the techs saying that Lord Andross thinks the idol has powers," the Anthro-Avian said, lowering his voice so much that Bart had to inch closer to hear him. "Dark powers... He thinks it will make him invincible."
"He's mad," the human said, quieter still. "I've never seen him this way."
"We're not actually seeing him at all," his friend reminded him.
"True... But I mean, the way he speaks to us over our comms... He sounds... Well, posessed. Like there's something else in control, besides his usual mad-but-brilliant mind."
"I wish this war wasn't even taking place," the Anthro-Avian said, shaking his head. "I have friends and family on some of the planets that are now marked as enemies..."
"Who doesn't?" the human said with a shrug. "Let's just do our jobs, get our pay, and keep our heads down... If things start to pop, I know a guy who can get us off this stinking planet quick."
"Good... Because I have a bad feeling things will start getting worse around here." He paused, then turned his beak to look right through Bart. "I also feel like we're being watched..."
"You're just paranoid."
As the two walked away, Bartimaeus smirked, and headed down another corridor, searching for Andross' inner sanctum.
*****
"You're new on the job?"
"Yeah."
"Thought so, didn't remember seeing you here before."
Carlos tried not to grin. Stealing a uniform had been a good idea.
"Can you catch me up on the numbers? How many of these ships, for one thing, are we cranking out a day?" he asked.
The engineer paused, checking his datacard.
"About five of the fighter ships a day," he said. "And one cruiser every two days. Why?"
"Just curious," Carlos replied. "So, how long has this rush for ships been going on?"
"About three months. Excuse me, I have to check on something."
Carlos mulled that over as he quickly fled the factory... Roughly 450 fighter ships, and 45 cruiser ships had been made, in the last three months. That was quite a fleet, and didn't even include how many Andross might have already had before that. And what about all the other planets that had sided with Andross?
The numbers would be staggering... And could mean only one thing... This wasn't going to be easy.
*****
Dox was in a dark corner of one of the storage warehouses, completely hemmed in by workers. They didn't know he was there, but he couldn't escape... And if he waited for them to quit working, then he'd be locked in along with the supplies. He needed a plan... Fast. He stiffened as he heard voices nearby.
"Did you hear what they were saying about that new crate that arrived?"
"Which one?"
"The one that the new Commander brought... That one, on the far wall. It's going to Lord Andross' quarters soon."
"Oh."
"They said it's got some kind of magic power source inside it... Dark magic at that."
"Really?"
"I've heard that Lord Andross has powers now... And some of the staff are calling him 'The Dark Lord'."
"Creepy..."
"Yeah... Come on, we better get that last skiff-load."
Dox stood stock still in the shadows, his mouth slightly hanging open. Andross was not only dabbling in dark magic, as Kain Frederick had told them, but he had a source of power... And the crate holding it was standing only feet away from the spy.
Suddenly, Dox spied something at the base of the wall to his left... A vent cover. He bent to examine it, and a smile broke out on his face. He had a way out after all... Now he could wait until the workers left and it didn't matter if they locked the door behind them. He needed the place to himself so he could take a look at the crate.
"All right, let's get that special crate to Lord Andross' quarters!" a voice rang out.
"Help me with the skiff..." another replied.
Dox stiffened.
"No!" he thought. "I need to look at that! Ah, crap!" But there was nothing he could do. The workers loaded the crate on a skiff, and quickly pushed it out of the warehouse.
"Go ahead and lock up," one of the workers said. "We're done for today."
Dox watched glumly as the doors were shut, and the locks activated. Shaking his head, he turned to the vent cover... At least he could get out.
*****
Bart was standing stock still, praying his heartbeat wasn't as loud as it seemed, hardly daring to draw a breath. He was invisible, of course, but he wasn't taking much comfort from it. Mere feet away from him stood Andross... Or what Andross had become, recently.
"Is this it?" Andross asked a worker, who had brought a crate on a skiff up to Andross' door.
"Y-yes, Lord Andross, it is."
"Put it over there."
The worker did his job as fast as he could, then practically ran out of the room. Bartimaeus didn't blame him, and had Andross not been inadvertantly blocking his way out, he would have fled as well.
Now, with the door shut, Andross headed for the crate. It took him only a moment to open it, and then unwrap the item inside it. Bart could see it was a golden statue of a man, with purple gems for eyes. Recollection vaguely stirred in the back of his mind... He'd heard of it before. The Golden Idol of... Someone. Wallaby? Washing Machine?
"Wannamakacasha..."
Bart smiled with relief... That would've ran him nuts trying to remember it. It then dawned on him that Andross had answered a question that he had only been thinking. He warily looked at the evil 'lord' before him, wondering if he could read minds. He finally decided that Andross had murmured the name while admiring the piece.
"With your power... My transformation will be complete..." Andross said quietly. "And then... I can drop the illusions... And take this galaxy as my own..."
Bartimaeus fought the urge to shudder... He hated to think how much more terrifying he would look after the 'transformation' had been completed. Suddenly, Andross turned and strode away, clutching the idol tightly. He disappeared deeper into his living quarters, and Bart realized that was his cue to leave.
He quickly headed for the door, inched it open, then squeezed out. He stepped gingerly between the two guards who had their backs to the door, and started down the hallway. He grinned... He was going to make it out fine.
Then, something fell on him from above... And the guards came running.
*****
"Where the heck am I?" Dox muttered, as he crawled through the vent shaft. "This thing has more twists and turns than a Venusian dancer." He smirked as he said it, uncomfortable as he was... He was picking up Wolf's penchant for using corny lines.
Finally he could take it no longer... He was exhausted from crawling on hands and knees through the cramped space. He laid out flat, trying to catch his breath. Then he blinked. He realized he was sprawled out on a vent grill that was facing downward. A creak caught his attention, and Dox looked to the right to see a bolt that was bending outward.
"Oh, crap."
With crack the bolt broke, and the grill snapped open, deposting Dox directly on top of someone. The person grunted in pain, and Dox quickly rolled to the side. He looked around him, eyes widening... There was no one there!
"But... I fell on someone!" he exclaimed.
Before his eyes a form flickered into view. Bartimaeus.
"Ohhhh... My head," he muttered.
Dox heard clattering footsteps, and saw two guards running right toward them! He grabbed Bart by the arm, hauling him to his feet, but his comrade was bigger than him, and couldn't keep his feet under him. Bart buckled to the floor, and Dox turned to face the oncoming guards.
One had outdistanced the other, and was only steps away. Dox pulled out the pin from it's hiding place, and squeezed it tightly. The change was instantaneous, and caused the lead guard to hesitate, eyes widening. Dox lunged forward, and swiped harshly with his crimson claws, easily dispatching the guard.
The other guard skidded to a stop, and fumbled for the blaster that was holstered at his hip. He was too far away to reach before he got a shot off, Dox knew, so he tried something else. Holding the pin tightly with one hand, he raised his free hand, palm facing forward, toward the guard.
Bart blinked his eyes, trying to clear his vision. He saw the guard raising his gun, and he saw Dox holding his hand out as if to stop the man. Then, a bright light shot out of Dox's palm, and impacted the guard. It lasted only a second, and then it was over. Dox stowed the pin away, and returned to his usual self... And both guards had disappeared. Completely.
"Let's go," Dox said, reaching to help Bart up. This time he was successful, and the two started down the hallway as fast as they could go.
"What happened back there?" Bart wanted to know.
"Later," Dox said dismissively, fighting the dizziness he now felt. He felt drained and weakened... But adrenaline kept him moving. He was powered by fear of being captured... Excitement to share the news he'd learned... And exhiliration at having used his powers successfully.
Bartimaeus kept shooting him glances... He was a little foggy, but he knew something weird had happened just then. Dox had changed... He'd made that man simply disappear.
Dox met his eyes, and could see the questions floating behind them.
"I'll explain after we get back on the ship," he said. "I just hope Carlos has it fired up and ready to go..."
As they rounded a corner, a dark figure loomed out of the shadows, causing them to skid to a halt.
"I think I'd be more of a help showing you a quicker way out of here," the person said, grinning. It was Carlos.
"&%$# it, don't scare me like that!" Dox exclaimed.
"Come on, let's not waste time," Bart said, starting forward again. "The sooner we're out of here the better..."
The others agreed, and they entered the passage that Carlos had stepped out of... Just as an alarm rang out.
_End of Chapter Twenty-Five_