X

Mission No. 31

Cerinia
CSS Justice

Immortal Game

X

Several hours later, a defeated Bill walked through the hydraulic doors and into the ship's bridge. He paused on the threshold, surprised to see 19 seated in the captain's chair – his chair – and not Ariki. Instead, the male Cerinian sat in an uncomfortable plastic chair across from her, a mountainous pile of weapons scattered about their feet. Ariki currently seemed to be rambling on about things to 19 that she tried her best to understand and/or care about.

The sight of Ariki giving up his much more comfortable seat to 19 caused Bill to stand stock still for a moment. But then several glimmers of light caught his eye, and he noticed thin needle-like shards floating precariously around his crew. In fact, every officer in the bridge was accompanied by one of the needles, which threatened to stab into their necks if they made even the slightest aggressive move. Nervously the soldiers glanced behind themselves at the hovering weapons, fearing at any second Ariki might grow angry or bored and skewer one of them through the neck. So in the meantime they sat frozen at their stations, not daring to move except to fulfill their duties monitoring and controlling the ship.

The doors hissed open behind Bill again, followed by the sound of rattling plates and a delicious scent.

"Ex-excuse me, Captain."

Bill jumped to the side and turned, allowing one of the ship's cooks to enter carrying a foldout stand and a platter of food. The cook nodded in salute and trundled past, approaching the captain's chair. When Ariki saw him nearing he glanced up at the ceiling, and Bill followed his gaze. Seemingly at random the steel bulkhead grew white hot, till a thin sliver of metal pulled free and morphed into the shape of a needle. Ariki looked back down, and the spike descended to hover behind the chef's neck, following him wherever he meant. As soon as the tip pricked the man's nape he tensed up, visibly sucking in a breath.

Nervously the cook cleared a place in the pile of guns, then set the stand and food tray in front of 19's seat.

"For the lady," he said, removing the polished lid from the food. He revealed some of the officers' special stock which they usually reserved for victory celebrations and holidays, though the fact that Ariki had pilfered his pantry couldn't concern Bill less in comparison to his other worries.

Ariki inhaled deeply. "Excellent meal, dear chef! It smells delicious." He dismissed the cook, following him all the way out of the bridge with the needle, at which point it clattered to the floor now that its target left. The doors closed, the sight of which gave Bill an odd feeling of déjà vu that he couldn't place.

When the chef was gone Ariki grabbed a fork and knife and began cutting pieces of steak free for 19. Bill cleared his throat impatiently and stepped closer. The Cerinian finally noticed and gestured him over.

"Ah, good to see you, Captain. Care to join us?"

The bulldog cleared his throat. "No thanks, I'm not hungry."

"Suit yourself." And he plopped a bite of steak into his mouth and began chewing it.

Bill blinked. "You…you said you weren't going to eat aboard the ship…?"

Ariki shrugged. "So I lied. I knew you wouldn't poison your 'precious asset' here if I requested food for her, and I figured she'd be generous enough to share it with me. And I must say…" He deposited another bite in his mouth and chewed, "This is the best food I've tasted in years."

The canid opened his mouth to retort but couldn't think of anything witty to say. He almost felt sorry for the ragged Cerinian, but then he remembered the violent ways in which he'd murdered his crew, as well as the threatening forest of needles he held against them now. 19 at least seemed happy. So instead he merely told him, "Enjoy it while you can. We'll reach the rendezvous point in about an hour."

Ariki swallowed and smacked his lips. "Mmm. Good news indeed. Perhaps the first thing I'll do in your system is rob a convenience store and fill up on snacks and candy. Most of the junk food left in stores spoiled after a year, but a few months ago I found this little yellow confectionery filled with whipped cream, and I kid you not it was still good. Before the apocalypse we always joked a treat with that many preservatives would stay fresh till archeologists dug up our remains thousands of years later. I guess there was some truth to it…"

Bill cleared his throat, watching the two Cerinians eat their meal together. 19 appeared to enjoy the steak, but was still wary of her dinner companion.

"Ariki…may I ask what you plan on doing when you reach Lylat?"

The blue-furred vulpine chewed thoughtfully. "Good question; I didn't really plan on making it this far. Leaving Cerinia for another planet seemed like such a pipe dream, neither myself nor Hime plotted that far ahead. Maybe if I wanted to play by the rules I could do fun little magic tricks in exchange for food, trick people into losing deceptively easy-sounding bets…perhaps make a name for myself and become a celebrity. I'd go on talk shows, I'd do live performances – maybe even become famous!…But that's out of the question, isn't it? I've already killed several soldiers, and governments like yours have no concept of nuance. No, I'm already an enemy – why play nice when from the start I'm branded the villain? I may as well have fun."

He set his knife and fork down, getting a far-away gleam in his eye.

"If I'm going to the underworld for my sins, I may as well go all-out, you know? I'd show up to town one day, steal a bunch of shit, and fly off into the wilderness with 19 in tow. We'd settle down somewhere, I'd construct a crude dwelling place, and we'd live like a king and queen in our own little slice of paradise. Once in awhile I'd descend from our bower to terrorize a new town, steal more food and amenities, maybe kidnap a few of the local women for fun – or seduce them with my irresistible charm…"

He winked at 19, who didn't notice; her eyes were on the silverware Ariki had set down. When she didn't acknowledge him he sighed and his tone turned somber again. "Do you know, Bill, what hell is really like?"

"Besides flying on a ship with you?"

"Hell is being- Oh-ho-ho, nice one! But no. Hell is being able to have anything you want: food, sweets, land, tail – whatever you want, whenever you want it. Only you have to take it. It's where everyone can take what they want, and they just so happen to want a piece of you. You realize you don't need anyone else; you can't stand being around them. That one fucker rubs your pelt the wrong way? Snap your fingers and there's a thousand miles between you and him. We had everything we wanted in our grasp, except for each other. So we separated and went our different ways until we lost track of our friends. We took what we wanted, but we couldn't give up anything in return."

He rubbed at his eyes tiredly; the sleepless night was weighing on him.

"Sometimes I wonder where my old mate ended up-"

His eyes suddenly widened and he slammed his hand down on the steak knife, causing all the silverware and plates on the table to rattle. 19 jumped; her gaze had been intently fixed on the knife all through his rambling monologue, yet Ariki hadn't noticed until now. Like Ariki, Bill realized she'd been trying to telekinetically lift it right from under the Cerinian's nose again. But after he caught her, 19 looked down at the floor in shame.

Scowling at 19 warily, Ariki lifted the knife and tried to cut more bites for himself, but his hands trembled too much. He laughed nervously, staring at his shaking palms; even the needles pressed against the necks of Bill's crew wavered dangerously.

"Now what was I saying again?" he asked, looking around. "I forget…probably nothing that would interest you. How about I let you watch us eat our meal in peace?"

X

The two Cerinians finished eating in silence, though Bill could feel the tension that remained between them. Nearly an hour passed, with the Justice on course to reach the rendezvous point in time or the scheduled opening. Outside the wrap-around window the black sand desert and horizon sank beneath them; the blue sky steadily darkening until stars appeared.

Ariki paced the deck in the meantime, his ragged cape swishing across the floor whenever he turned. His anxiousness seeped out into the surrounding crew, who continued to monitor the Justice's present course and systems while stealing glances at him. Their stares hadn't escaped the Cerinian, who suddenly came to a stop.

"Don't you all have like…spaceship things to do? I can't stand everyone gawking at me…" And he chose one unfortunate crewmember to bug his eyes out at. The officer flinched and went back to his monitor, avoiding Ariki's gaze along with everyone else.

The Cerinian snickered, then marched over to Bill, who stood resolutely by 19's side. The canine tensed upon his approach.

Ariki wrung his hands nervously. "Why are we flying so far out into space? Hasn't it been an hour yet? Where's the gate?"

"We're close," Bill promised.

Right on cue, one of the crewmen looked up from his station. "Sir, we've reached the rendezvous point. The radio communication gate is scheduled to open within the next five minutes."

Rather than emitting a relieved sigh, Bill felt his blood run cold, dismayed at the thought of releasing Ariki into the Lylat. But he didn't betray his concern. "Good. Hold her steady."

After the anticipated five minutes passed, a second crewmember called out, "Fluctuations in space-time detected. Gate is opening directly ahead of us and should be visible momentarily."

Ariki practically skipped across the deck, eager to get a look out the window. The brilliant white sun was just peeking over the blue horizon, casting blinding rays over the haloed planet. He squinted his eyes and searched the empty space in front of the ship.

Bill watched for the portal as well, though ever since arriving on Cerinia he hadn't once looked back. Up to this point he hadn't planned on returning to the Lylat System until they found Fox and Cerinian 28, but with Ariki holding his entire crew hostage he didn't have any choice. And he couldn't fail Pepper a third time…

The Cerinian's eyes lit up. "I see it!"

A small ripple of green energy appeared on the horizon. The emerald ring expanded in size, revealing a circular slice of stars that stood out from the celestial sky around it. The distorted area grew larger and larger until it was about the size of a house, at which point it stopped.

Ariki frowned. "…Is that it? It's much smaller than I anticipated. Your ship can't possibly fit through!"

"The gate only opens wide enough to allow radio signals to travel between us and the station on the other side. It requires a tremendous amount of energy to keep open, so the smaller the better. We'll send you through in a shuttle."

The Cerinian angrily pointed at the gate and looked back at Bill. "And give up my flying fortress? Nonsense! I demand you have them accommodate the whole ship!"

Bill tried to be patient. "Ariki, my superiors will be suspicious if we request passage for the entire Justice. They're less likely to be concerned about a single shuttle returning a few passengers. I have my mission to fulfill, remember? I'm not supposed to return until I find the kidnapped Cerinian."

Ariki gnashed his teeth, looking back and forth between Bill, the crew watching him, and out at the disappointingly-small gate. He stormed over to Bill and plunged into his mind, reading his thoughts like an open book. There wasn't much for the canid to hide; Ariki plainly knew his hatred for the Cerinian and his frustration at having to postpone the mission. He saw the fear Bill had of his superiors; he felt his concern about releasing a psychic into Lylat. And he knew of all the ways he'd plotted and failed to kill him. The shuttle didn't raise any warning signs.

When Ariki was satisfied Bill wasn't plotting anything, he released him. "Very well," he spat, "But you, Captain, are coming along with myself and 19 as a hostage. Understood?"

Bill crossed his arms. "If it'll make you leave, then yes." He narrowed his eyes at Ariki. "But I want you to know, as soon as you leave us behind, the Cornerian military will ceaselessly hunt you down wherever you may hide. Eventually they'll find you, and regardless of your powers, one time they'll get in a lucky shot, and that'll be the end of you."

Ariki glowered in response at Bill, but after a time he grinned. "Great. I could use a challenge for once. Now take us to the damn shuttle."

Bill turned and spoke to Fay, whose fists were clenched as she watched the exchange. "Lieutenant Spaniel, you're acting commander of the Justice while I'm gone. Understood?"

Fay stood up from her station and saluted. "Yes sir." But when her hand lowered and she fell silent, her burning stare spoke volumes more of her concern than words could.

"Great. Now that the order of succession has been established, let's disembark." Ariki took 19's hand and raised her from the captain's seat, then waited for Bill to lead the way. The canid left the bridge with the two of them in tow, furious but far from resigned to his fate. This was his last chance. He would kill Ariki if he himself had to die with him.

X

The next fifteen minutes passed by agonizingly slow. Bill escorted the two Cerinians to the hangar bay, where the crew had prepped a shuttle for takeoff. Ariki had Bill and 19 board first, ever paranoid, but after scanning the minds of as many of the nearby crew as he could, he felt satisfied and followed suit. It was a standard Cornerian troop transport shuttle, made up of two main compartments with a dividing door in between; the forward section not much more than a cockpit with seats for the pilot, co-pilot, and two others, and the aft section a much larger troop and cargo bay.

Bill moved to take the controls in the cockpit, but was surprised to see a ROB unit already seated in the pilot's chair.

Without swiveling its head back the unit said, "No need to pilot the ship, Captain; I will handle the controls."

Ariki poked his head curiously into the cabin behind Bill. "Saaaay, you even have robotic crew! Our robots never came close to this. But aren't you worried about an AI rebellion? You know, 'robots rise up!' and stuff?"

"We had one report of an AI going rogue during the last war," Bill answered, "but it was an experimental weapon prototype created by the enemy. This is a ROB unit; an automated crew robot. His processors come nowhere close to the sophistication necessary for sentience."

The unit's head pivoted to look at Ariki curiously. "Either I am unable to identify this passenger's dialect, or their accent is confusing my language processor. Could you please inform me of their specific language and regional accent?"

19 entered the cockpit behind them, curious about ROB as well.

Ariki frowned and stared at the robot, brow furrowing in concentration. "That's odd; I can't hear any thoughts coming from him…Oh wait, I'm so stupid! Of course I wouldn't, it's a robot. What did he say?"

"He said he couldn't understand you either," Bill explained. Then he turned back to ROB. "Don't worry about this passenger; you'll receive your orders from me. Now, take us out of the hangar."

"Roger, Captain," the ROB unit whirred. He turned back to the controls and started up the shuttle. The ship lurched as it rose off the ground, with the canid bracing himself on the back of the co-pilot's chair and the two Cerinians teetering slightly. 19 grabbed onto a seat while Ariki stubbornly stood alone, regaining his balance. Then the ship nosed outside the Justice's hangar bay and into Cerinia's geospace.

Bill addressed the robot again. "Fly us to the gate ahead. Be careful on your approach; any part of the ship that doesn't pass within the portal's circumference will be sheared off."

"Aye sir." Their automated pilot maneuvered the shuttle smoothly around the Justice's hull before pulling directly in front of the cruiser on an approach vector towards the gate. The portal between the stars shimmered almost imperceptibly, on occasion blurring the celestial sky beyond like ripples in a forest pool. And past the doorway…

Ariki rushed to the front of the cockpit, leaning out over the controls to get a closer look. His eyes seemed to sparkle in child-like wonder at the sight before him, reflecting the sapphire-blue crescent of Corneria visible below. His jaw even hung slightly agape, but he could speak unhindered with his thoughts regardless.

"That's Corneria?!" he asked in awe.

"It's my home planet," Bill answered. "I owe everything to it; I was born there. And when I joined the Flight Academy, I swore I'd lay down my life for it…"

The swirling white and grey clouds over deep blue seas enchanted Ariki like a fisherman's lure. "It's beautiful, and unspoiled. A whole other planet untouched by my destructive people, or poisoned by yours; a second Cerinia." He stared sideways at 19 with longing, who in turn seemed uneasy. "Our Cerinia…"

But where Ariki saw a breathtaking new world to inhabit, Bill saw visions of wastelands and burning cities; the Cerinia he feared it would become.

"You're afraid…"

Bill tensed, feeling Ariki's increased presence within his mind. The Cerinian turned to face him, icy cold stare penetrating to his deepest nerve. "You think I'll single-handedly destroy your precious home – just like you did mine. Is that it, Captain?" He lowered his voice and glared at Bill. "You would deserve it. You all do. Perhaps I'll never know what happened to Cerinia. I'll never know which military leaders or power-hungry politicians specifically are responsible. I'll never see their faces. I'll never know their names. But that's okay. When I make your planet mine, none of your people will ever see my face. And they damn well won't know my name, either."

The canine tensed. Instinctively he reached for the gun in his hip holster, but Ariki had already taken it hours earlier.

The Cerinian smiled wickedly, as if Bill were a silly child. "And still you entertain the impossibility of killing me. I love seeing your people squirm against the monsters you yourselves created. How's it feel being powerless, Bill? How does it feel being a captain who can't even kill a former sales clerk? I'm not proud of who I used to be. I come from nothing, but as long as I can grind you lower into the dirt with the stain of embarrassment I call my past, I don't really care."

Regardless of his taunts, Bill's mind continued to race for ideas. He could have the Justice open fire to obliterate the shuttle-

"Your crew would never sacrifice their captain or 19, who they need to complete their silly mission. Besides, I'd simply turn aside whatever they threw my way."

He could tell the ROB unit to crash the ship somewhere-

"I'd take control and drag us through the portal myself."

The muscles in Bill's fingers tensed, transforming them to quivering talons. He'd like nothing more than to-

"No, you'd never be able to strangle me, or even get within arm's reach before I remotely crushed your skull." He crossed his arms, smugly, like a chess grandmaster who had just cornered his opponent. "It's over, Bill. There's nothing more you can do. So why not admit it and just enjoy the ride?"

Sensing the tension between them, 19 got up and lay a calming hand on Bill's shoulder. The soldier looked back with a grimace, but then he saw her eyes; she couldn't speak his language, or transmit her thoughts like Ariki could, but those eyes pleaded with him to back down before he got hurt. Sighing, Bill took comfort in her simple touch. He relaxed his hands and tried to think about anything other than violently murdering their shared captor.

"Approaching gate, distance: 50 meters," ROB's synthesized voice spoke.

Ariki turned round, shifting his attention back to the glowing doorway. On the other side he could make out the sprawling donut-shaped space station that was Beltino's Orbital Gate. Together they saw the lanes of space traffic awaiting their turn to travel to the far corners of the Lylat, though from this distance they looked like caravan constellations of space-faring insects. Between their shuttle and the base, however, loomed three imposing military cruisers.

The Cerinian took a step back when he saw them, then crouched and spread his arms. Bill felt a rush of energy pass through him, and the space outside the window began to faintly waver as if distorted by rising heat.

"I've thrown up a barrier in case those ships try anything, or the Justice attempts to shoot us in the back. Just a precaution of course."

"Approaching gate, distance: 20 meters," ROB informed them. He approached the door at an agonizingly-slow pace, as Bill had cautioned him to do. But the moments dragged on, the seconds ticking away slower and slower as they drew nearer. As a result, Bill, 19, and Ariki all felt on edge.

A communications light blinked, indicating the ship was receiving a transmission. The filtered voice of Dr. Makepeace came through the cockpit's speakers.

"Ariki," she said, "I did my best to match wits with your raw power, but it was hardly even a contest. I wanted to at least thank you for a very enjoyable game. As someone who worked closely with Cerinians for over a decade, I can't help but feel a bit of sympathy for you. I hope you find a new, peaceful life for yourself and 19 wherever you go. So please, be free."

The doctor's well-wishes caught Bill by surprise, as well as Ariki, who, not being near Makepeace to read her mind, had to glean the meaning from the canine's instead. He spoke aloud in Cerinian as usual. "I know I can't translate my meaning to you from this distance, but if you can understand Cerinian, I thank you for your cooperation. And, if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't be disappointed to learn you completed your mission in the near future."

"Distance: 10 meters," ROB interrupted.

Makepeace spoke hurriedly now. "Bill, whatever happens from here on out, do not attempt to interfere. Let Ariki go. There's nothing we can do. I'm afraid this is checkmate."

For some reason that last word sounded ten-times louder in Bill's mind. It echoed incessantly and refused to leave his thoughts.

Then, it struck him like a lightning bolt.

One after another, almost faster than he could comprehend, a quick progression of images flashed through his head; him discussing something with Makepeace in the cargo hold; a holographic blueprint of the shuttle and warp gate; an odd-smelling, briny-tasting pill in his open palm; and finally a projector on the wall, with Makepeace sitting off to the side, speaking quietly while cloaked in darkness. Involuntarily he imagined a black and white chessboard rotating on the projector. His mind's eye zoomed in close, flying over the individual squares. They flashed by like streaks of paint on the road beneath a car. They filled his vision entirely with black, then white; black and white, black and white, black white black white-

And then it clicked. He didn't need to come up with a plan to kill Ariki.

He was already executing it.

"Distance to gate closed; now crossing into the Lylat System."

Bill ceased to think. All he did was act.

While Ariki was distracted by the view from the window, the canine wordlessly took ahold of 19's arm and pulled her backwards out of the cockpit and into the troop bay. Once there he jammed his fist into the button that closed the doors.

Ariki's ear twitched and he whirled around, suddenly suspicious now that they had left him alone. He stepped towards them but the doors closed in front of his feet.

Bill heard Ariki's voice in his mind as loud as ever, no matter that there were doors between them. "What are you trying to pull, Captain?!"

In an instant Bill realized he had acted too soon. He felt invisible fingers clamp down around his throat, choking him. He was dragged across the floor and against the other side of the door, watching Ariki through the window with fading vision as his throat began to collapse. He coughed and grasped at his neck, but once again his fingers found nothing physical to fight.

"BILL!" he heard 19 scream, then felt her desperate grip on his arm as she tried to pull him free from the door.

Then the threshold of the gate passed over them, and the cockpit half of the shuttle entered Lylat. Without warning the emerald circle shrunk around the ship, collapsing to an infinitesimal point before completely vanishing. The portal closed, sawing off the cockpit as cleanly as if it had been a 2-dimensional knife. ROB, the orbital gate, and Corneria all vanished, leaving only Ariki behind. The Cerinian's face contorted into a snarl as Bill's throat caved-

Then, all at once, the pressure vanished. Ariki's face morphed from the snarl to pure terror, seemingly frozen. Spherical droplets of blood began to fly from his back in every direction, wavering back and forth in zero gravity as the vacuum of space pulled them free. The force of the oxygen scattering from what little remained of the cloven cockpit pulled the Cerinian free from the door. His body floated out into space, turning slightly to reveal his back half was simply missing; cut cleanly away when the gate closed.

Bill collapsed to the shuttle's metal deck, gasping desperately for air. For a second he lay there on his back, staring up at 19's horrified face. While he struggled in futility to swallow, he wondered for a second if she would resent him for killing another Cerinian – this time right in front of her. Would she hate him now? Had she secretly been enamored by Ariki's promise of freedom? Did she feel guilty for betraying her own people, after everything had finally been revealed to her?

But 19 dismissed those fears completely. Snapping out of her terrified stupor, she sat down and raised Bill's head into her lap. Frantically she undid the buttons around his neck and ripped his collar open, better enabling him to breathe. Then for a few seconds Bill lay there, just trying to replenish his air supply. Thankfully it seemed easier and easier with each breath he managed, till his lungs found their usual gentle rhythm.

"Thank you," Bill coughed, looking up at her gratefully.

But 19 shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "Nīe, dangatō siekim, fi rekyū tashich."

Her meaning was lost on him, but her tone felt reassuring all the same.

Checkmate… Makepeace's last word came back to him again, continuing to reawaken a dearth of memories he'd forgotten he had. It was like waking up and trying to recall the dreams you had in reverse order, each surreal event a clue to remembering the one before it. After he'd left Fay and Makepeace hours prior, the doctor had sought him out again in private. They never stopped planning; he'd only forgotten it.

With a green flash the portal reopened a passage to Corneria, though Bill couldn't see through the window in the door because of his prone position. Momentarily his wrist unit buzzed and he answered it, once again hearing Makepeace's voice.

"Captain Grey, are you alright?!"

"I'm fine," Bill sighed. "Tell everyone Ariki is dead."

He heard Makepeace release a similar sigh of relief, followed by a throng of cheers the mic picked up in the background. "Then your plan was a success."

The canine's eyebrows raised. "My plan?"

"Of course. I merely told you I could block off your memories. You were the one who came up with Ariki's coup de grace. I must say, Captain, that was a very daring stunt you pulled. It appears when we set our minds to it, we work well together as a team."

Bill grinned, impressed with his past self's ingenuity. He found it hard to believe at first, but the more he concentrated the more memories he rediscovered; the memories Makepeace had cordoned off.

"I guess we do work well together – as long as we don't know we're working together."

The vixen chuckled. "Yes, an important distinction, isn't it?…Bill, the Gate has General Pepper on call. He wants to know what this ordeal was all about. Should I debrief him, or do you feel in a suitable condition to talk to him now?"

"It's alright Doctor, I'll take the call."

"As you wish. Patching him through to your PDU…"

In preparation, Bill sucked in a deep breath and sat up. 19 slung his arm around her shoulders and helped him stand. The Captain leaned against the door, resting the arm with his wrist unit on the frame beneath the window. He looked out, glad to see the gate traffic moving along as if it were business as usual.

"Bill, what in blazes is going on up there?! I was preparing to leave for a UPL conference when I got a call from the gate saying you had returned in a shuttle and requested very specific instructions."

"I'm sorry General," the bulldog started, "but the mission experienced a setback. We allowed a powerful Cerinian to board the ship and take command. We tried to stop him, but there was nothing we could do. Every move we made he easily countered. He…he was able to read our minds, allowing him to predict everything we did. I know it sounds hard to believe, but-"

"A Cerinian boarded your ship?!" Pepper exclaimed. "And you survived?! Bill, very rarely has anyone stood toe-to-toe with a psychic Cerinian and lived to tell of it, yet that's twice now that you have. How did you manage it?"

Bill felt relieved the General wasn't mad about his handling of the mission, or how he'd technically gotten the Justice into the whole situation by flying too close to the ground. He licked his lips and explained.

"Well sir, as I said he could read our minds. It was hard for us to come up with any plan that wouldn't further jeopardize the mission, let alone one that would work without him catching on. But Dr. Makepeace sought me out when we were alone. She explained she'd learned many psychological tactics – both as a therapist working with returning soldiers and as a scientist on the Cerinia project. Among those skills she learned hypnotherapy, as well as how to guard her thoughts from nosy Cerinians. She was perhaps the only person on the entire ship whose inner mind was safe from our unwanted hitchhiker. She said if we could brainstorm a plan together, she'd block off my memories of it via hypnosis until I needed to act."

"Marvelous woman, isn't she?" Pepper chuckled. "I hope this has proven to you how much of an asset she is for the mission."

"Indeed, she is sir." Bill continued, "Once we had a safe way to plan and execute a trap without the Cerinian finding out about it, I suggested we use the collapse of the gate portal to kill him. What inspired me was seeing a cargo transport sawed in half when we ordered the gate prematurely closed to stop McCloud's escape. The Cerinian effortlessly countered everything we threw at him; lasers, missiles, knives, guns – even poison. But I knew he would have no concept of how the gate worked, nor how to defend against it. I also knew he'd take myself as a hostage. When the gate first opened, Makepeace secretly radioed through, ordering the gate operators to close the portal on the head of the shuttle. Once we got close enough to the gate, she called our ship to tell me the trigger word, and, well, I simply acted according to her conditioning. I saved 19 by moving both of us out of the cockpit and killed the Cerinian by having the gate close around it. He revealed his weakness himself; he didn't know how to survive in space, or he wouldn't have needed the Justice to get off Cerinia."

"Remarkable thinking," Pepper marveled. "Well, let that be a valuable lesson to you. Never underestimate a Cerinian. How much time did you lose because of him?"

"Nearly a day, sir," Bill somberly admitted, "in addition to several of my pilots. I'm sorry, sir, I was too eager to prove myself to you. I risked too much…But I also have good news to report. 19 found a direct lead on 28. She sensed her presence on the outskirts of a desert. I think we'll have her within the next few days!"

"Well…it appears your dangerous gambit paid off! That is great news! Perhaps it was better that you ran into a Cerinian before #28 so you'd come better prepared. And I suppose an award is in order since you put your life on the line to protect your men and homeplanet. While we are all eager to recover Cerinian 28, I expect you are a bit stressed after the ordeal with the hijacker. If it would be helpful, I will give you clearance to dock for the rest of the day at the Gate before setting out again. What do you say to that, Captain?"

For a moment the shuttle hovered on the threshold of the gate, kept in place by the stabilizing thrusters – half in and half out of the Lylat System. The offer certainly sounded tempting to Bill's ears. It was weeks since they'd been back in the Lylat System; an entire month spent cooped up on the ship. He knew his men could use the break, as well as the chance to socialize with others besides the crew of the Justice and Husky and Bulldog units. But ultimately…

"Thank you sir. I appreciate your offer, but I think it would be best for me to decline. It's hard to rest knowing 28 is so close within our reach. I think everyone aboard the Justice is eager to finish the search as soon as possible. But, more importantly…there are some men we left behind; pilots who could still be alive, or at the very least, bodies we need to collect for burial. If there's any chance they could still be living, we need to check on them first."

"Understood, Captain; I admire your dedication. Godspeed, and may you have similar success during the rest of your mission. Pepper out!"

Bill turned and hugged 19, grateful for both of them to be alive. He was so scared of losing her to Ariki – perhaps more so than anyone else. He caught the Cerinian off-guard at first, who raised her hands to balance herself, then awkwardly returned the hug. Bill hoped she felt safe with him now…

His radio buzzed again, and this time Fay's voice came through, carrying a scolding bite. "Bill, I'm so glad you're alright! Makepeace filled us in on everything while you were talking with the General. I can't believe you tried anything so dangerous and stupid! You almost got yourself killed with a stunt like that!"

"Really Fay, it was the only way to-"

"Yeah-yeah, you can make excuses once we're back aboard the Justice. I'm coming for you now in another shuttle. It's a good thing the only person we lost was an impounded ROB unit…"

19 helped Bill to the rear of the transport shuttle, and sure enough they saw a second ship on its way to pick them up.

"Thanks for coming out here yourself Fay," Bill smiled stupidly. "Let's head back to the desert as fast as we can. There's still a chance Miyu's alive, and after we pick her up we can head straight for 28 – and Fox."

X

After Grimmer and his men finally left her apartment, Pukes remained tied to the chair, crying into the emptiness until she couldn't anymore. Because of the overdose of Corruption she seemed to drift in and out of her body, wandering the nearby streets as a phantom, looking for anyone to visit. Usually when she had a smaller dose she could attune her feelings to the emotions and thoughts of those around her; experiencing their struggles, their joys, their fears, and their hopes, and not feel so alone.

But today there was no one nearby to haunt. Everyone it seemed steered clear of the ramshackle apartment in the middle of the block; even her neighbors. They fled the streets and cowered inside their homes, fearing Grimmer's wrath. Such was becoming the norm under his gang's reign. For Pukes, the hours felt like an eternity in her current state. And when she finally found her soul returning to her body, she couldn't tear her arms free from the ropes that bound them. There was nothing to do but sit and ride out the rest of the trip in solitude.

Night fell over District 13. As soon as the sun set and there was nothing left to light the murky clouds, Falco and Katt made their walk to her apartment. Pukes had never felt so relieved to hear the sound of their voices calling her name. First their desperate knocks came at the front door, followed by muffled voices when she didn't answer. She felt confident they would figure out what had happened. And before the minute was out they went around to the back alley, where they didn't have to knock; the door was off its hinges.

"Pukes!" cried Katt as she rushed to her side, boots crushing glass and fragments of wood along the way.

The green-furred vixen wanted to cry, but there wasn't anything left; she merely felt numb. Falco stepped in and stared open-beaked at the damage wrought on her apartment, making the connection that his cook could have easily wound up in pieces along with the rest of the furniture. When the initial shock wore off he dashed to her side as well. Falco used a pocket knife to cut through her rope bindings while Katt slashed through them with her claws.

Finally when the vixen was free Katt threw her arms around her, and Pukes rested her head on her shoulder, grateful for the comforting embrace. It felt so good to finally be in the company of friends again, after the pills amplified how lonely and helpless she was that morning.

"It's alright Pukes, we're here," Katt whispered to her while rubbing her back. "No one else will hurt you now."

Still in shock Falco stuttered, "What…how did…what happened here?"

"It was Grimmer," Pukes finally managed to say. "He broke in without any warning and tied me up."

"Did they hurt you?!" Katt demanded. She pulled back and gently took the vixen's face in her hands, turning it different ways in the light to look for wounds. She sucked in a breath when she noticed a bruise forming beneath her eye.

"No – at least, they could have done much worse. But they didn't. They overdosed me on Corruption, then forced me to watch as they tore up the apartment…"

"Did Grimmer say anything to you?" Falco prodded.

"He said to tell you he knows the Free Birds are back, and he knows all about Corruption. He'll be ready whenever you want to face him on the streets in the open."

Falco rubbed his hands over his face, looking around the room with consternation. It was clear their cover had been blown, and the time for preparations was up. Either they'd go up against Grimmer's gang with what little resources they'd managed to cultivate, or flee District 13 entirely. Grimmer had spared the rest of the Free Birds after Falco left the first time. He'd given them a second chance; there wouldn't be a third.

While surveying the damage to the living room, Falco stopped, eyes fixated on something along the wall behind Pukes.

"Oh no…"

The vixen slowly turned her head to look. Her eyes traced along a coiling pattern of black paint streaked across the walls, punctuated with what looked like fins and scales. The coils grew thickest right before ending in a messy fish head, painted with a freakishly-wide jaw with teeth longer than fingers, and a wide, empty eye the size of a dinner plate.

It was the sign of the Black Dragonfish; the criminal syndicate that controlled District 13's underground, operating in the shadows the Bureau dared not touch. The Yin to the government's Yang.

"So it wasn't a rumor," Falco murmured. "Grimmer really does have their support…"

Katt let go of Pukes and stood up, pointing an accusatory finger at Falco. "I told you this was a bad idea from the start! Now will you listen to me?! Now that everything's beginning to crash down? Pukes could have been-"

Here she caught herself and glanced down at the green-furred vixen, whose ears were flattened dejectedly against her skull. She lowered her voice. "She could have been hurt – or much worse, if Grimmer didn't have his pride. You know the two of you approach the north end the same way; you treat it like a game! Only the stakes can never be high enough to satisfy you. How far will you go? When will you get your fill? Don't you realize how much you're endangering our lives?!"

Pukes closed her eyes and tilted her head down, expecting Falco to yell back at Katt and continue in a pointless shouting match like she so often found them in. Yet…his return fire never came. She looked back up at Falco in surprise; he had stood there the entire time, not meeting her or Katt's eyes, just staring down at the floor and taking the feline's scorn.

"You're right," he finally said when the silence began to drag on. "Pukes, I'm sorry for putting you in a position like this. I never meant to endanger you – I should have been here to protect you. It wasn't right leaving you on your own. I was too ambitious; too confident. I should've known our operation couldn't go on like this forever. It's my fault this happened to you."

He shuffled over the carpet of debris and stood in front of the window, staring blankly out at what Pukes could only assume was the last vestige of his fading dream. Maybe it was the lingering effects of Corruption, but she could tell what he was feeling right now; the weight of having to take on a rival gang, the criminal underworld, and the corrupt government all at once. Lifting this floating isle of garbage from its own cesspool of decay looked more impossible every day. But Falco wouldn't give up on his home.

Pukes finally rose from her chair, muscles and joints aching from being restrained and seated so long. She rolled her neck and stretched, shaking the soreness away before setting off around the house. She went downstairs, gathering up what little lab equipment and supplies escaped the wrath of Grimmer's gang. She returned upstairs, dumping the equipment into a duffel bag, then lifting a rug to reveal a hidden stash beneath the floorboards.

Katt looked at her funny. "…What are you doing?"

"I'm salvaging whatever's left of my tools and ingredients. You don't think I'd give this up, do you?"

Shocked, the feline put her hands on Pukes' shoulders. "Whoa, wait a minute. Are you kidding?! After what happened today you still want to continue this?"

"Katt, I don't think you understand. This is my life. I finally found something I believe in. Corruption's not just some recreational drug or a way for nobodies to escape the world. It's more than that; it connects people. It's bigger than the north end or District 13, or even all of Zoness – and just the fact that I have a hand in producing it makes my life feel worthwhile. For once I'm finally making a difference! I have something to be proud of, which is more than any other crummy cook here can say."

Falco turned back from the window. "Pukes…do you really mean that?"

"Of course. If it's alright with you two, I'd like to set my lab up in your garage. I want to keep making Corruption. I want to keep fighting alongside you, in my own way. And…" She clenched her fists, finally feeling anger boiling up inside. "I want revenge for what Grimmer did here, and this is the only way I know how. He just can't be allowed to rule the north end."

"You're…you're free to stay at my place," Katt began. "But…do you think it's such a good idea that we continue?"

"It's what we should have done from the beginning," Falco argued. "She'll be safer in the garage where we can protect her, and we won't have to smuggle ingredients and product back-and-forth to her apartment." He held his jacket open, revealing several bags of mushrooms to make his point – the ones they'd harvested the previous night.

"But Grimmer knows about us now!"

"Then it's time," Falco determined. "We'll come out in the open. Once I get a new bike, we'll meet them on the streets like Grimmer wants." He turned to glare defiantly at the head of the dragonfish painted on the wall. "And we'll show them they bet on the wrong horse in this race."