Chapter 8:
Over in Star Haven, Mario and his friends made a final check on their items while the Star Spirits extended their senses to see if there was any sign of Sephiroth. Mario looked around and saw the grim expressions on the faces of the friends that were present. He looked around and began to wonder if it was a good idea to not bring everyone to Star Haven for the almost inevitable clash with Sephiroth. Luigi, the Kongs, and even Peach had wanted to go with him and even go to fight Sephiroth should the silver-haired fighter be found but Mario had insisted that they stay at Peach's Castle to keep up appearances for the rest of the kingdom and also to protect Peach should Bowser make a second attempt on her while Mario and the others searched for Sephiroth. Also, should the worst happen and Mario fall, at least Luigi, the Kongs, and the allies not present at Star Haven would be able to pick up the pieces and hopefully finish off Sephiroth once and for all. Mario hoped that it did not come to that, though. At least Peach had gotten the word out for everyone to be on the lookout for a suspicious silver-haired human or any other suspicious activity so chances would be that if Sephiroth did show up it would not be without warning.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom, Securi T. stood at a console in his listening post, looking for any signs of activity coming from inside the Koopa Kingdom, for despite the losses the Koopas took in their last attack on Princess Peach's Castle, he knew that they had not given up their aspirations for capturing Peach. More importantly, though, was the fact that they had to be on the lookout for any evidence of this Sephiroth guy that Mario was so worried about. While Princess Peach had been the one to tell him to keep a lookout for this new human, something told the Director of Outer Defenses that there was more to the story than she had been saying. And if Mario was worried, then everyone else should be worried, too.
Rumors had quickly spread about how Mario was at Star Haven with most of his allies, leaving only Luigi and a token force of his friends to defend the castle, even after the assault by Bowser and the Koopa Troop. Even more important was the fact that Mario had been talking with Peach and the others telling them just how dangerous this Sephiroth guy was and that he had almost defeated Mario. This left the Toads under the command of Securi T. unnerved to say the least. If Mario was concerned, they should be terrified.
The Toads manning the listening post were hard at work at their stations, just as they were every other day, just as they had been the day Bowser had launched his attack on Princess Peach's Castle. They had been fortunate that the post had not been attacked during the previous assault on Peach's Castle. Still, they were ill at ease doing their duties as they hoped against hope that there would be nothing to report save for some suspicious activity coming from the Koopa Kingdom. Suspicious activity from the Koopa Kingdom, one of the Toads thought sarcastically. He never expected to see the day when they would welcome the Koopa Kingdom launching another attack rather than whatever was going on that had a hero like Mario so worried.
Securi T. examined the Toads as they went about their tasks and listened in for radio chatter or anything on radar. Going over to the radar operator, he said, "Anything?"
"Nothing, sir," the Toad answered.
Securi T. then went over the radio operators and asked the same thing. The response by the radio operators soon came in. "Nothing out of the ordinary so far, sir. So far, it's just propaganda pieces and music programs with a little bit of news."
"So nothing, then."
The Director sighed. It was not unlike the Koopas to not be planning major attacks after having gigantic setbacks like the one a few weeks ago. After the disastrous loss of Bowser's Castle and many forces in the Star Rod incident, it had been some time before Bowser launched another kidnapping attempt on Peach inside the Mushroom Kingdom. But when he was ready, he had come back at the Mushroom Kingdom with a vengeance and the attacks since then had not slowed down. He did not want to be caught off guard. And there was still this issue with this Sephiroth to be concerned about.
Going to the radar officers, he asked, "Anything in your sectors?"
"Nothing, sir," each officer answered, one after the other. "So far, everything is quiet. To quiet if you ask me," one of the officers added.
"Yeah," the Director of Outer Defenses agreed, nodding his head. Either way, there was little the Director and the officers could do save for continue to watch and listen for any suspicious activity.
Little did the Director or his subordinates know, though, that there was activity occurring near the border, near their very outpost no less. The SOLDIER Magikoopa, under the cloak of the invisibility spell he had cast before beginning his trip, flew over the outpost without the occupants having any idea that something was there. The SOLDIER Magikoopa, though, had sensed every single Toad inside the outpost, though, and was actually a little surprised to sense the presence of Securi T. inside. A part of him wanted to test his mettle against one of the few Toads that was able to put up something resembling a fight just to test out his powers a little further but he thought better of it. The last thing he and the others needed was Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom getting a heads up on the assault force that was going to Star Haven to acquire the Star Rod, and take out Mario in the process if the opportunity presented itself. The key here would be stealth. He wanted to go in, get the Star Rod, possibly kill Mario while the plumber was preoccupied with something else, and return to Bowser and Sephiroth. Failing all of that, he at least wanted to get the Star Rod for Bowser and Sephiroth.
A part of him began to wonder why he was beginning to add Sephiroth to his desires along with pleasing his king. It was merely a passing thought, though, and the Magikoopa shook it off just as quickly as it had come. Besides, if all went well, at the very least, Bowser would soon be a SOLDIER King Koopa as well and if things turned for the absolute best, Mario would be nothing but a bad memory for Bowser, the Koopas, and Sephiroth.
As he flew through the Mushroom Kingdom, the SOLDIER Magikoopa did not stop to gaze at the scenery or the towns and small cities that dotted the otherwise green plains and hills of the Mushroom Kingdom. He would have time to do that once Bowser had conquered the Mushroom Kingdom and the Mario Brothers were dead. All he did was focus on the mountain off in the distance that was a landmark that would lead to this ultimate destination: Star Haven.
Arriving close to the mountain he then flew straight up, rocketing high into the sky, soaring high above the mountain's summit. For a while, all he saw was the sky but eventually, off in the distance, he caught a faint glimmer. He grinned. His target was in sight. Extending his magical senses far enough and strongly enough that he could see Star Haven and identify whether or not anyone was standing out in the open on it, but not strongly enough to be detected by the Star Spirits, and thus, not strongly enough to be able to identify any of the inhabitants individually, he saw that there was activity going on. This was not unexpected, but he could swear that he saw inhabitants that, even at this distance, did not look like Star Spirits or Star Kids. He quickly pulled back his gaze and made a beeline towards Star Haven, hoping that he would not be detected through his invisibility spell.
Once he was in range of Star Haven and could get a good look at who was there with his own eyes, his eyes promptly went wide with both trepidation and excitement for he saw none other than Mario, accompanied by many of his allies. This was almost too good to be true. Despite the fact that Mario and his friends seemed to be discussing something, he felt that he and the others would not get a better chance to test out their new powers and inflict severe losses to his master's enemies. As such, he proceeded to launch his assault.
He immediately decloaked and fired a series of magical blasts at Mario and his allies, hoping to take some of them out or at least severely injure them before he summoned the rest of his allies. Fortunately, Mario and his allies managed to spot the SOLDIER Magikoopa before he attacked and Vivian was able to grab most of the allies and drag them into the shadows, while Lady Bow grabbed the others and managed to make them intangible, protecting them from the Magikoopa's blasts. The SOLDIER Magikoopa, though, grinned as Mario and the others faded into the shadows. This was the perfect opportunity to summon his allies, which he did. Raising his wand above his head, he swished it around a few times before bringing it down. Almost immediately, two additional SOLDIER Magikoopas and five SOLDIER Koopatrols appeared on the scene, just as Mario and his friends emerged from the shadows, the allies grimacing at the appearance of the Koopas.
The Koopas immediately went on the offensive, one of the SOLDIER Koopatrols charging towards Mario far faster than the plumber remembered the Koopatrols being able to move. Still, despite the enhancements of the Koopatrol, the plumber was faster and was able to evade the charge and draw his Ultra Hammer. The SOLDIER Koopatrol then ducked into his shell and began to spin, charging towards the plumber. However, before he could hit the plumber, the spinning shell of Koops struck him and knocked him off course, though the impact inflicted only minimal damage and the SOLDIER Koopatrol was quickly able to recover and emerge from his shell and turn to face the plumber and Koopa Troopa. The two grimaced. This Koopatrol was far tougher than they had anticipated.
The SOLDIER Koopatrol quickly rushed towards Mario and Koops once more, this time, the armored fighter tucked into his shell and began to spin as he charged his enemy. Mario was ready for this assault, though, and quickly smashed his Ultra Hammer into the ground, causing it to shake. The shaking caused the SOLDIER Koopatrol to go off course and veer right into one of the SOLDIER Magikoopas, who had been engaging Vivian and Bow. His spikes imbedded themselves into the robes of the Magikoopa but, surprisingly, did not pierce the SOLDIER Magikoopa's skin. Still, the impact alone was enough to daze the SOLDIER Magikoopa and at least bruise a rib.
Wasting no time, Mario drew out a Fire Flower and, becoming Fire Mario, tossed a barrage of fireballs at the SOLDIER Koopatrol and SOLDIER Magikoopa. The SOLDIER Koopatrol slowly emerged from his shell only to be struck by the massive barrage of fireballs. The increased defenses of the SOLDIER Koopatrol, however, allowed the soldier to endure the barrage with only minimal damage. The same could not be said for the SOLDIER Magikoopa, though, who took a few fireballs to the face and instantly began to ignite. The SOLDIER Koopatrol attempted to shield the Magikoopa from the fireballs by interposing himself between the plumber's fireball assault and the Magikoopa, but it was not enough. In addition, Kooper also plowed into the SOLDIER Magikoopa with Fire Shell, inflicting fatal damage to the SOLDIER Magikoopa and also incinerating the unfortunate minion.
The SOLDIER Koopatrol, however, would not let the death of his Magikoopa comrade go unavenged, though, as he proceeded to turn his attention towards Kooper. He proceeded to charge the Koopa Troopa, hoping to avenge the death of his companion. However, he failed to notice that Admiral Bobbery had mined the area with small time bombs that went off the moment the SOLDIER Koopatrol stepped on them. Shockingly, though, the explosions, alone were not enough to finish off the SOLDIER Koopatrol. It took another volley of fireballs from Fire Mario to finish off the SOLDIER Koopatrol. Eventually, though, the damage was too great and the smoking Koopatrol fell to the ground, dead. Mario made certain by rushing up to the Koopatrol, holding his Ultra Hammer high in the air and bringing it down onto his head and smashing it, making the fate of the SOLDIER Koopatrol certain. That left two SOLDIER Magikoopas and four remaining SOLDIER Koopatrols, each of who were engaging the rest of Mario's friends in Star Haven.
As for the others, they had their hands full dealing with the remaining SOLDIER Magikoopas and SOLDIER Koopatrols. Vivian rushed towards one of the SOLDIER Koopatrols to punch him using her Shade Fist when he deftly dodged her attack. He retaliated with a punch that came at the Shadow Siren far faster than she had expected considering her previous experience with Koopatrols. The fist connected with her midsection and sent her flying backwards. After traveling a few meters, though, she stopped her backwards momentum and got a hold of herself, allowing her to dodge the SOLDIER Koopatrol's follow up charge towards her. Moving to the side, she allowed the Koopatrol's momentum to carry him past her. She then rushed him and punched him using a charged Shade Fist. The fist made contact with the SOLDIER Koopatrol, but the punch barely fazed the Koopatrol. The Koopatrol turned and, lowering his head, rushed towards the Shadow Siren. Vivian barely managed to avoid taking a direct hit by retreating into the shadows, allowing the Koopatrol to rush past her.
Vivian was soon to receive help in the form of Koops and Bombette. The Koopa Troopa tucked into his shell and spun towards the SOLDIER Koopatrol as the Koopatrol turned to face Vivian, who had just come out of the shadows. Bombette, meanwhile, prepared to explode and, hopefully, take down the SOLDIER Koopatrol as well should he get past Koops. Koops bounced off of the chest of the Koopatrol, inflicting only minimal damage, while the Koopatrol charged the trio in front of him.
"Get back!" Bombette called as she lit her fuse and rushed towards the charging Koopatrol.
Koops and Vivian did as directed and backed away as Bombette stepped out before them, ready to intercept the Koopatrol, who was not slowing down in the slightest, despite the Bob-omb's lit fuse. The Koopatrol collided with Bombette and the pink Bob-omb detonated on contact. The explosion engulfed the SOLDIER Koopatrol and sent him sprawling backwards several feet and to the ground, though the Koopatrol was far from finished. Bombette quickly recovered from her detonation and looked on in stunned silence. While Koopatrols had survived her detonations before, they had always sustained significant damage in the process. This Koopatrol, however, looked to have taken only minor to moderate damage.
"What the…?" she stammered. "No standard Koopatrol can simply shrug off a detonation like that."
"I know," Vivian echoed. "These Koopatrols are a lot tougher than the ones we've faced before."
Koops grunted and decided that it was time to take more extreme measures to deal with these enhanced Koopatrols. Taking out a Thunder Bolt, he readied it and told the others, "After I attack, go to town on this Koopatrol."
"Wait," Bombette called. "Are you sure you want to use a Thunder Bolt against a mere Koopatrol? We were saving these items for dealing with Sephiroth."
"We don't have much choice here," Koops answered. "These Koopatrols are a lot stronger than before. For all we know, whatever was done to Sephiroth could have been done to them, too. We need to finish this now since who knows if, and/or when, Sephiroth will decide to pay us another visit."
The others did not argue with his logic and merely went to cover him as the SOLDIER Koopatrol went to charge him once more. Koops, however, was undeterred and held the lightning bolt and cloud high above his head. As he did so, a bolt of lighting rocketed down from the nearly cloudless sky and scored a direct hit on the Koopatrol. Despite the damage, the Koopatrol was still able to continue and charge into Koops, inflicting noticeable damage to the Koopa Troopa. Still, Koops' shell held firm and was not pierced by the spike on the Koopatrol's helmet. Wasting no time, Bombette followed up by charging the Koopatrol and detonating once more. This time, her detonation was sufficient to knock down and stun the SOLDIER Koopatrol, as well as inflict additional damage. Vivian then charged in and swung at the stunned Koopatrol with a fully charged Shade Fist. Her fist connected with the Koopatrol's head and ended him, for the fist was covered with a shadowy flame that burned the Koopatrol and while the Koopatrol did not catch fire, the physical trauma in addition to the burn was too much even for the enhanced Koopatrol to endure.
Meanwhile, the remaining SOLDIER Koopatrols and SOLDIER Magikoopas were making life tough for the other allies. Mario was currently engaged in a fight against a particularly tough SOLDIER Koopatrol. The spikes on the Koopatrol's helmet prevented the plumber from jumping on him, his most trusted move, and his armor and body proved to be more resistant to fireballs than he had remembered. He barely dodged the charge of the SOLDIER Koopatrol, deftly jumping to the side and retaliated with a barrage of fireballs. The fireballs scored direct hits on the SOLDIER Koopatrol, causing the armored Koopa to wince with the impacts, but the Koopatrol proved to be too resilient for the barrage to take him down. The Koopatrol turned to face Mario again, grinning. Still, Mario was beginning to notice some shortcomings in the Koopatrol. This newfound strength seemed to be new to the Koopatrol, for despite being fast, strong, and resilient, he was clumsy in how he was using his newfound strength, and especially his speed. They had not trained in the use of these new powers, which both gave the plumber some comfort as well as some trepidation. There was no doubt that Sephiroth was behind this, or was a significant part of these Koopas gaining their newfound strength, speed, and defense.
Mario gripped his hammer and prepared for the SOLDIER Koopatrol's assault. Once more, the SOLDIER Koopatrol charged towards the plumber. However, Mario was no slouch in reaction speed and could easily read the Koopatrol's moves, knowing that the Koopa was charging him with all his speed and would be hard-pressed to stop and turn on a dime. Deftly sidestepping the enhanced Koopatrol, Mario swung his hammer hard, scoring a direct hit on the back of the Koopatrol's shell. The impact stunned the Koopatrol and his momentum carried him to the side of a building, where he collided with it, head first, and imbedded his spike into the building's side. There, he attempted to pull himself out of the building, side, but was unable to do so without losing his helmet, so he took it off and then turned to face the plumber once more.
Not too far away, one of the SOLDIER Magikoopas, seeing that two of the Koopatrols and one of his own Magikoopa comrades had fallen, and another one was having trouble against Mario and was now without his helmet, decided to give the remaining Koopas some support. The Magikoopa immediately raised his wand and proceeded to cast a spell on himself and his allies. After swishing his wand, electrical sparks erupted from the bodies of the SOLDIER Magikoopas and SOLDIER Koopatrols. Mario and the others could only grimace. With the bodies of their enemies electrified, and their enemies already being unusually strong, this battle had just gotten a lot more difficult for the heroes. The Koopas all began to grin, thinking that they had this fight in the bag as they prepared to launch their next series of attacks on Mario and his allies. Still, Mario and the others were not without options.
Vivian soon stepped forward and told the others, "Stand back but be ready to strike soon."
The others gave subtle nods, knowing exactly what she was about to do. Before the Koopas could launch their attacks, Vivian twirled her index finger and performed her Fiery Jinx. The moment she twirled her finger, flames erupted from all of the Koopas present in the battle. The enhanced cognitive abilities of the Magikoopas allowed them to perceive their robes erupting into flames and allowed them to teleport out of their robes. The Koopatrols, however, were not so fortunate. Flames erupted from within their armor. The Koopatrol that had lost his helmet was immediately reduced to ashes while the others would soon join the first unfortunate Koopatrol but they would not go down without a fight. Fighting through the pain, they curled into their shells and proceeded to attempt to barrel into Mario and friends. Mario and his friends were fast enough to evade them, though.
As for the Magikoopas, they quickly examined the situation and realized that they were fighting a losing battle. Seeing their Koopatrol comrades erupting into flames, with one of them already being reduced to ashes, they quickly swished their wands to extinguish the flames and hopefully heal them in the process. The flames subsided and the Koopatrols fell to the floor, writhing in pain, but still alive. Still, the Magikoopas realized that the battle was unwinnable, for there was nothing to stop Vivian from using Fiery Jinx a second time. And if she did so, there would be no extinguishing the flames a second time since the Magikoopas would go up just as quickly as the injured Koopatrol had.
"Everyone, fall back and retreat!" one of the SOLDIER Magikoopas called. "We're not winning this fight."
"What?" one of the SOLDIER Koopatrols called, ignoring his pain and turning to face the Magikoopa, incredulous at the Magikoopa's declaration of defeat. "Are you serious?"
"This fight is far from over," the second SOLDIER Koopatrol echoed forcefully. "We can still win!"
"A Koopatrol was just incinerated by a Fiery Jinx and we've all taken noticeable damage from that Fiery Jinx," the Magikoopa countered. "And there's nothing stopping that Shadow Siren from doing it again and finishing us off." He then paused as he summoned the two SOLDIER Koopatrols to himself. "Remember what King Bowser told us. He can't afford to lose us since we're some of the few SOLDIER Koopas remaining," he said quietly, hoping that it was quiet enough for Mario and his friends to not hear him. He had failed.
"So Bowser did enhance those Koopas," Vivian told the others as they formed up to present a united front against the Koopas.
"Darn," the Magikoopa seethed as he heard Vivian's comment. He had just given away his secret. There was no way the battle would be won now that Mario and the others new what they were going up against. As such, there was only one thing left to do.
"We have to retreat," the SOLDIER Magikoopa said again. "This battle is lost. Besides, we have to report back to Bowser on what we learned and on the abilities of Mario and his allies."
The Koopatrols grumbled at the Magikoopas admission of defeat but they could not disagree. Mario and his allies had proven too difficult for them. Mario and his allies had adapted mid battle to the tactics and fighting abilities of the Magikoopas and Koopatrols and had proven too tough.
"Fine," the Koopatrols finally relented. "Let's go."
The Magikoopas nodded and raised his wand just as Vivian raised her index finger in order to cast another Fiery Jinx. However, before the Shadow Spirit could cast the fire spell, the Magikoopa swished his wand and he and the others teleported away from Star Haven. However, Mario and the others did not lower their guard in the slightest.
"Eyes open," Mario cautioned. "They may try to outflank us or attack us from behind."
The others nodded and formed a ring so that they had a three-hundred and sixty degree field of vision. They steeled themselves for another attack but the attack never came. After a few moments, the group collectively let out a sigh.
"That was one of the toughest fights I've ever been in," Goombella commented.
"Yeah," Kooper agreed. "Those Koopatrols were even nastier than I remember."
"They've been enhanced," Mario stated plainly. "They were fast and strong, just like Sephiroth."
"Then Bowser must have used Sephiroth's cells and blood to enhance the Koopas," the group heard Eldstar say from behind. The others turned to face the Star Spirit. "We have no choice now. We must go to the Koopa Kingdom and destroy Sephiroth and any other enhanced Koopas. I doubt that Bowser knows what the cells inside Sephiroth are really capable of and the danger they pose both to him and the rest of the world."
"What is the real danger posed by Sephiroth?" Vivian asked.
"Sephiroth carries Jenova cells inside of him," Eldstar answered. "After Sephiroth's appearance Skolar and Klevar did some further research into Jenova. Originally, it was a humanoid being that would invade a world and take over by spreading its cells among the people and animals, either killing them or turning them into monsters. Not only that, but Jenova could also take on the form of its victims, looking liked a deceased loved one, which would allow it to infiltrate worlds and spread itself further. Once it destroyed a world, it would use the world or a piece of it as a shell and travel throughout the cosmos to other worlds to infect them as well. However, from we can tell, Sephiroth's will subsumed Jenova's and now Sephiroth has all of its abilities, though all reports of Jenova vanished around five hundred years ago. Most of us believed that Jenova had finally been destroyed."
"Where was Jenova last seen?" Goombella asked.
"According to Skolar's research, it was last seen heading towards a solar system that had an inhabitable planet called Gaia," Eldstar answered. "According to the research, that sighting was made around the time that all further records of Jenova had ceased."
"So chances are that Sephiroth could be trying to get back to Gaia, assuming there could be Jenova cells there," Mario surmised.
"It would be worse than that," Eldstar stated ominously. "Our research indicates that there is something unique about Gaia. None of the research indicates what it could be but it does say that the planet is not like other planets. There is almost certainly something there that would aid Sephiroth in whatever he's planning on doing."
"Then we have to stop him from reaching Gaia," Goombella stated.
"Can he reach Gaia from here?" Kooper asked.
"There are only two potential ways he would be able to do so," Mario stated plainly. "He would either have to call a taxi ride from Dribble and Spitz or would have to…" Mario then gave a pause before his face went ashen, "or take over the Starship Mario I used to explore the galaxy a while back." He then turned to Eldstar and told him, "Contact Luigi immediately. Tell him that he needs to contact Wario so he can talk to Dribble and Spitz and also to potentially protect them. Have him take Sushie and Yoshi Kid with him so that if any of these enhanced Magikoopas or Koopatrols arrive they can fight them off. Tell him that if worse comes to worse that we'll have need of Dribble and Spitz's services."
"Got it," Eldstar stated.
"What do you want us to do?" Lakilester asked the plumber.
"We're going to Starship Mario, the plumber answered. "While it is in orbit, it is within reach of Bowser and his forces and is currently lightly defended."
"Thus a perfect target for Sephiroth," Admiral Bobbery concluded.
Mario gave a nod. He then looked to the others and told them, "We don't have any time to lose. We have to get to the Starship Mario immediately."
The group nodded and they made their final preparations. Eldstar gave Mario several power-ups, including two Cape Feathers. Mario grabbed the Cape Feather and a cape formed on his back while a Fire Flower appeared in his hand. Once the others were ready, Mario led the way as he rocketed into the air, followed closely by the rest of the group, Lakilester and Parakarry carrying the ground-bound allies as they rocketed into the air and made their way towards the Starship Mario.
Meanwhile, over on Starship Mario, Bowser had already boarded the planet-like ship, Sephiroth going to work to finish off the few Toads that functioned as the ship's crew and security. The former SOLDIER rushed one of the Toad guards that had been on the ship and punched him so hard that he went flying over the edge of the ship out of its gravity well and down to the ground below. Unfortunately for the other Toads, the guard dropped his spear, which the silver-haired fighter picked up and promptly stabbed another Toad in the chest. Lifting the Toad, he then flung the unfortunate Toad off the end of the spear, and off the Starship Mario. It did not take the former SOLDIER long to finish off the rest of the Toads and soon, it was just Sephiroth, Bowser, the SOLDIER Koopas and the SOLDIER Magikoopa and Koopatrol. Bowser and the others had looked on as Sephiroth had massacred the Toad crew. Bowser was growing a little concerned at how easily Sephiroth had killed them, not because of the former SOLDIER's power, but because of how casually he had done so. The others, however, were not concerned at all.
"Well, that was easier than expected," the SOLDIER Magikoopa commented as he looked around at the scene as Sephiroth had tossed the last Toad guard off the ship.
"And soon, the same thing will happen to Mario," the SOLDIER Koopatrol added, bringing a smile to the faces of everyone present, especially Bowser.
The former SOLDIER soon approached the group, the Toad guard's spear still in the hand of the silver-haired fighter, looking more like a small metallic toothpick than a spear. "The ship is clear of all hostiles," he reported seemingly in deference to Bowser and even Kamek, though there was a note in his voice that indicated that he was his own master.
"Great," Bowser exclaimed. He then drew out his wand and activated it, bellowing, "Kamek, the ship's clear. Start bringing over the new crew."
"Yes, Master," Kamek answered gleefully.
Bowser's airship soon came into view, approaching the Mario-faced ship. Once it was close enough, the airship extended several boarding ramps. Almost immediately most of the crew from the airship began to board the Starship Mario. All sorts of Koopas, Hammer Bros., and even Goombas walked across the ramps to board the ship. The last to join were Bowser's children, minus Kevin, who remained at Bowser's castle in order to make certain that the Marios and/or the Mushroom Kingdom did not take advantage of the Koopa King's absence and launch an attack; and Kamek.
Once the new crew was onboard, they quickly took their positions, most of them working security and examining the ship to see if there was anything worth taking for when the mission was over. A number of the more technically inclined Koopas went into the engine room to make certain that the ship was fully fueled with Star Power while others explored the ship to see how to control it. In addition, Sephiroth, himself was looking around the ship to see how to control it. When he saw no clear bridge, a frown came to his face.
"Perhaps it was a mistake to kill all of the Toads," he muttered to himself. Despite the fact that he had not intended for anyone to hear it, his muttering caught the ears of Kamek, who was also concerned about how they could control the ship without a crew.
"What was that?" the Magikoopa asked.
"I was thinking that it may have been a mistake to kill the Toads since they probably know how to run the ship."
Kamek said nothing, not wanting to agree and make it seem as if the he agreed that the former SOLDIER had made a mistake, but he could not help but agree with Sephiroth's own sentiment. While he did not doubt that the ship was going to be easy to control once they knew how, it was the learning of how to control it that would be the problem. And the longer they stood there, the greater the chances that Mario and the others would discover their takeover of the ship and attempt to retake it. Soon, however, things would be looking up.
"Hey," he heard one of the Hammer Bros call. "I think we found the control center of the ship."
Kamek and the silver-haired human followed the sound of the voice to the top of the ship, where there was a makeshift bridge made of stone. There was a wheel at the front with a yellow metal stand just in front of the wheel and five grassy circles ringed by flowers situated around the bridge. Sephiroth looked at the metal plate and figured that the stand was what would be used to power the ship. Turning to Kamek, he asked, "How does this ship go to light speed?"
"Technically it doesn't," Kamek answered, which drew a hard glare from the silver-haired human.
"Then what use is this ship?" Sephiroth asked coldly.
"Well, the ship travels between world by way of portals," Bowser answered for his chief Magikoopa.
"And how are these portals generated?" was Sephiroth's next question.
"From what we saw, the ship used Grand Stars to generate portals that allowed it to travel between worlds."
"And where are these Grand Stars now?"
"Still here," Kamek answered. "I scanned the ship for Star Energy myself. We've got enough to travel to other galaxies."
"I'm not interested in other galaxies. I'm interested in Gaia," Sephiroth stated plainly. "How do we get to Gaia?"
"I'll use my magic to find Gaia's location and we can then program it into the ship's navigation system."
"Then get on it," Bowser and Sephiroth ordered.
"Yes, master," Kamek said, turning to Bowser. With that, he began to chant and wave his wand in order to ascertain the location of Sephiroth's homeworld.
As Kamek was working on his spell, the two SOLDIER Magikoopas and SOLDIER Koopatrols that survived the attack on Mario at Star Haven reappeared before the group. Bowser saw that some of the Magikoopas and Kooaptrols that had gone off to Star Haven were missing.
"There are only four of you," he noted. "Where are the others?"
"They died fighting Mario and his allies," one of the Magikoopas answered.
Bowser gave a sigh. "Well, did you do any damage to Mario and his friends?"
The Magikoopa shook his head. "No," he answered succinctly. "And to make matters worse, I think Mario may know of our plans and could be heading here as we speak."
That caused Bowser to issue a growl, though Sephiroth did not seem all that displeased. Grabbing the spear he had taken from the Toad Guard, he held it and told the Magikoopa, "Keep your senses open for the arrival of Mario and/or any of his allies." Turning to the rest of the group, he said, "Go and alert the others to the situation. We'll need all the security we can get while Kamek uses his spell."
Bowser then drew out his wand and activated it, bellowing, "Airship, activate your radar and scan for Mario and his allies. Alert us if you detect them. If you do so, engage him and cover us while Kamek works to get us to Sephiroth's homeworld."
"Understood, my lord," a voice crackled in over the wand. Bowser and the others then waited impatiently for Kamek to finish his spell, for while Sephiroth might not have been too wary of Mario and his allies, the others were and they did not want to have to face Mario again, especially since the plumber and his friends would likely come prepared for a fight and be ready for strong resistance.