Diplomacy or deception? The Council of
Neutral Zones speaks for over 1,500
worlds who want to stay out of the war.
But rumours have reached the Republic
Senate suggesting that the Council's new
leader — Duchess Liza the Chameleon of Planet Wisp—
is secretly building her own army to fight
for the Separatist cause!
Now, Shinobi Master Espio has
been sent to Planet Wisp to discover the
truth behind these claims….
Espio entered the atmosphere of Planet Wisp, most of the planet was a wasteland. He headed to a domed city and landed on a platform outside of it. As he exits his fighter a guard walks up to him "The Duchess is waiting for you, General Espio" he takes him to a hovering platform which takes them inside the city "Far be it from me to keep the Duchess waiting".
Espio was taken to the palace and he entered the throne room of Planet Wisp, the walls were mostly made of glass. He walked up to a male echidna with a beard and wearing a cloak "General Espio" "Thank you for meeting with me, Prime Minister Menniker". They shook hands "I welcome you as a servant of the people. But I'm troubled by the false rumours that brought you here. Planet Wisp would never turn against the Republic. The Duchess Liza values peace more than her own life". Espio nodded "Oh, I'm aware of the Duchess's views-" "Master Espio, Planet Wisp's violent past is behind us. All of our warriors were exiled to our moon of Windy Hill. They died out years ago". Espio stared curiously at him "Are you certain. I recently encountered an octopus who carried a wispon and mask. Mimic" "Mimic was a common bounty hunter. How he acquired that equipment is beyond me" Menniker responded sounding slightly offended. Liza, a pink Chameleon then entered with her guards and a male wolf wearing a red suit and a purple cape, Sleet. Liza looked to the Shinobi with an emotionless expression "Well, Master Espio, my shining Shinobi knight to the rescue once again" she went over to her throne and sat down. Espio's face was blank "After all these years your even more beautiful than ever" "Kind words from a man who accuses me of treachery", Sleet looked between the two of them concerned. Espio's didn't change expression "I would never accuse you of personal wrongdoing, Duchess. However, a Separatists saboteur attacked one of our cruisers. A saboteur carrying Wispon equipment".
He showed a hologram of a mantis with a mask and a wispon which surprised Liza. Menniker shook her head "You must be mistaken. No Wispon would engage in such violence. Not anymore. Where is this prisoner now?" "He took his own life rather than submit to questioning". Espio turned to Liza "I know these commandos have fought in many wars, often against the Shinobi". This seemed to insult Liza "Everyone of my people is as trustworthy as I am". Sleet stepped forward "I know we sound defensive, but-" "Clearly your investigation was ordered because the Senate is eager to intervene in our affairs" Liza said interrupting him. Espio calmly shook head "My investigation was ordered by the Shinobi Council". Liza's face softened slightly "I stand corrected. Master Espio, perhaps you'd like to join me on a walk through the city". Espio hesitated before walking forward and taking her hand.
The two of them with guards were walking through a higher-level street of the city. Liza smiled "It's… so good to see you again, Espio. Despite the circumstances" "Your peaceful ways have paid off. Planet Wisp is prosperous since the last time I was here". Liza sighed "Not everyone believes that our commitment to peace is a sign of progress. There is a group that calls themselves the Diamond Cutters. I imagine these are the renegades you're looking for. They idolize violence and the warrior ways of the past. They are those among us, certain officials who are working to root out these criminals. It has been an ongoing investigation". Espio pondered "How widespread is this Diamond Cutter movement?" "It's hardly a movement. It's a small group of hooligans who chose to vandalize public places, nothing more. We shall soon have them in custody. We have tracked them down to our moon, Windy Hill". Espio nodded "I hope you're right, Duchess".
At a small base on the Windy Hill moon, a brown furred lion wearing a black cloak and a mask was speaking to a hologram of Dimitri. "I do not understand why the arrival of this Shinobi doesn't upset you. You promised us support. Instead, the Republic is at our door". Dimitri smirked "I intend to keep my promise" "How, with the Republic support we'll never be able take the planet" "Consider, once the Republic orders peace keeping troops to Planet Wisp the people will be surrounded by a military presence. Most distasteful. They will rebel". The lion understood "And rally to the Diamond cutters. Our insurgency will grow" "Yes and Duchess Liza shall fall". The Lion nodded "And then the Diamond Cutters will join the Separatists".
Espio and Liza were in the middle of a conversation "A peacekeeper belongs on the front line of conflict. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to do his job" Espio said. "The work of a peacekeeper is to make sure conflict doesn't arise" Liza responded, "It's a noble description but not a realistic one". Liza glanced at him "Is reality what makes a Shinobi abandon his ideals or is it simply a response to political convenience". A small building in front of them suddenly blew up, Espio quickly shielded Liza "Are you alright?" "I'm fine" she said calmly. They both ran in to check the wounded "Hooligans couldn't have arranged an attack on this scale" Espio said, "Than this must be the work of an off-worlder". Espio saw a holographic symbol of a purple creature with sharp teeth and yellow eyes "Are you sure of that?" she turned and saw it "The symbol of the Diamond Cutters". "This goes far beyond vandalism. This is a political statement against your government. Against you. We need to get you back to the palace". He led her away and he turned to a guard "I want to interview everyone here. Nobody leaves this scene".
A bear in the crowd started running away, Espio saw him and chased after him. They ended up at a balcony where the bear ran to the edge "I only want to talk" Espio said to him. The bear pulled out a blaster and fired at Espio, but he managed to deflect the blasts with his lightsaber "I don't want to hurt you". Liza ran to the balcony "Stay back!" Espio told her. The bear climbed onto the edge of the balcony and said something in a different language before jumping off. They ran over and saw his body lying on the ground. They ran down to the body and Liza kneeled down next to him. The two talked in a different language before the bear died. "What did he say?" Espio asked, "He was speaking a dialect used on Windy Hill, our moon" "I would like to visit this moon. Perhaps I could accompany the body". Liza stood back up "The moon is a province with its own governor. You'll need me to escort you". Espio didn't agree with this "That won't be necessary" "Actually it will. You won't make much progress without me. Especially since you're now involved with the death of a citizen" "I didn't kill him". She calmly nodded "I know. That's why I'm still talking to you".
Espio on Liza were in the cockpit of a shuttle heading towards the moon "I thought Windy Hill was an agricultural settlement" Espio said curiously. "Before the end of our wars they turned it into a mining base. The shear number of facilities nearly destroyed our forests. They're finally growing back". The entered the atmosphere and flew to a hanger bay at a the city. The two exited the ship and saw a smiling lion waiting for them "Duchess Liza, you are most welcome" "Thank you, Governor Smithy. May I represent Master Espio the Chameleon, representing the Shinobi Council". Espio bowed his head to the governor, Liza looked at him "Governor Smithy is one of the officials I spoke of. He has been working to find the members of the Diamond Cutters". Smithy looked to Espio "I take it you've heard the rumours about Liza?" "My only instructions are to seek the truth".
Two guards exited the ship pushing a casket "Is that the man who bombed the shrine?" "Yes, he was apparently part of the Diamond Cutters" Espio answered. Smithy regretfully nodded "A worrisome prospect. If you'll pardon me, we must attend to the body and see if we can identify him". He followed the guards with the casket, Liza was about to follow but Espio stopped her. "I need a favour from you. Please keep Governor Smithy occupied at dinner", her face dropped "Where are you going?" "I'm going to look around. I want to see one of these mining facilities myself". She stared suspiciously at him "You mean you want to determine if they're still operational?" "I hope to determine they're not. Take this earpiece in case you run into trouble". He started walking away as she watched "Remember you are here under my protection. Please try not to cause problems where non yet exist". Espio stood on an Extreme Gear board "Think of it as finding solutions" "I have to tell you I'm opposed to all of this". The board began to hover "I'd be disappointed if you weren't" he joked before speeding out of the hanger.
Later Liza entered a dining room where Smithy was waiting while looking at a data pad "Forgive me, Duchess. I'm writing a condolence letter to the dead man's family and making arrangements for them to retrieve his body". Liza nodded "Of course, Governor. Very proper. General Espio will be joining us shortly. He said he needed to… meditate".
Espio arrives at a large metal door at the side of mountain, there was no one else in sight. He walked through the door and entered a cave with a conveyor belt leading further in. He follows it and ends up in a large room with advanced mining equipment "Doesn't look abandoned to me" he said to himself. He sees a row of vials with a crimson liquid inside against a wall with the same white masks he saw on Mimic long ago. Espio examines the mask when he senses danger. He quickly turns around but is suddenly tackled by an ocelot wearing the same mask. Espio gets back on his feet and ignited his lightsaber but the ocelot had disappeared. Espio cautiously walked forward "I am here on a diplomatic mission. Under the protection of Duchess Liza" "We don't recognise her rule". He returned but the ocelot now with a wispon fired a cyan laser which shot the lightsaber out of his hand. Another Wispon came up behind and the two warriors overpowered Espio before knocking him out.
Liza looked troubled "Someone is feeding misinformation directly to the Republic Senate, saying that the Dimond Cutters are taking over Planet Wisp. Who stands to gain from these lies?". Smithy poured her a drink "The Diamond Cutters of course" "They couldn't engineer all this. The problem has clearly grown much larger than we thought. I suspect some external force helped it along". Smithy shook his head "Hard to believe. It would have to be someone in the highest level of influence among the Separatists" "But why target me?". Smithy sat down "You lead the Council of Neutral Zones; thus, you threaten the Separatist cause. Take it as a compliment. Someone very powerful is working towards your downfall".
Espio woke up and realised he was hanging upside down inside a shield cylinder that was standing on the conveyor. He tried to move his arms, but the shield was holding them in place. He sees the two Wispons near him, one of which was holding his lightsaber. Espio just managed to reach the commlink on his wrist.
Smithy looked curiously at Liza "Master Espio's meditation is taking quite some time" "You know the Shinobi; they never do anything by halves". Liza then heard her earpiece activate "Duchess, please acknowledge" "May I offer you another drink?" Smithy asked them. "Yes, certainly" she answered both of them. "I'm in a bit of a tight spot. I'm being held by the Diamond Cutters". Smithy returned "I'm sorry, Duchess, we're out of ice" "Sorry to hear that". Smithy laced another drink in front of her "Perhaps we should continue without General Espio" "There's a tracking function on your commlink. Use it to reach my location". Liza glanced away from Smithy "I don't know if I can do that at the moment" "It's extremely urgent". Smithy noticed her acting strangely "Are you feeling okay, Duchess?", Liza gave a fake sigh "Oh, I'm not sure. Perhaps some fresh air would do me good". "Shall I escort you outside?" Smithy asked, "Take a board, it's rough terrain" she heard Espio, "Oh, I'll find my way. Never fear". She left and ran towards the hanger and took an Extreme Gear board.
One of the Wispons was at a control console heard something on his mask "Yes, sir. Start the machine. It's time the Shinobi was met with his fatal accident". "With pleasure" the other said as activated the conveyor which caused Espio to move forward towards a pair of crushers, the Wispons laughed. "Where exactly are you?" he heard Liza ask, Espio rolled his eyes "Listen to the loud metallic clanging sound. That would be the machine about to smash me into bits". An alarm suddenly went off which made the Wispons leave to search. Once they left Liza ran it "Well, it's certainly took you long enough" Espio said, "You know I haven't saved you yet" "Yes, no need to remind me of that". She ran to the control console "Be patient" "I happen to be a bit short of patient right now!". She examines the control wondering which one to use "Liza, turn the machine off! Liza!" he closed his eyes as he entered the crushers, but they suddenly stopped. The shield deactivated and he jumped off the conveyor and saw the two Wispons renter the room. Espio charged forward and managed to quickly deal with both of them but they didn't have his lightsaber. He took a pistol but left the wispon since he didn't know how to use it.
He and Liza entered a lift "For a man sworn to peace you take an unseemly pleasure in the injuries of others" she said scornfully. The lift started taking them up "For a woman sworn to non-violence you don't seem trouble that I was nearly killed back there" "But you weren't, and I still haven't received thanks". The two crossed their arms "Well, you certainly haven't changed much" Espio said. The lift opened to a platform further up the mountain. A group of Wispons at the Diamond Cutter base nearby fired laser forcing them to run out of the lift and take cover. "We'll have to stand and fight. Or in your case just stand" Espio said before poking his head out. He saw three Wispons using their weapons, which were now crimson to have fly towards them as they fired. Espio took out his pistol and shot one of them down. He saw one of their wispons glow orange. Espio carefully aimed and the moment they shot a fireball Espio shot it causing to explode and incapacitate the remaining Wispons.
He saw a dozen shuttles suddenly take off and evacuate the moon. He then saw the lion Wispon with a group of troops march onto the platform. He walked past one of the wounded Wispons "Failure" he shot him dead. Espio saw that he had his lightsaber. The lion removed his mask revealing it to be Smithy "Governor?" Liza said in shock. He glared at Espio "For generations my ancestors fought proudly against as warriors against the Shinobi. Now, that woman tarnishes the name Wispon. Defend her if you will". He threw Espio his lightsaber before, much to Espio's surprises he took out another one "This lightsaber was stolen from your Shinobi temple by my ancestors during the fall of the old Republic. Since then, many Shinobi have died upon its blade. Prepare yourself do join them". He activated the lightsaber, it was a cloudy black colour and was shaped like a samurai sword. He lunged at Espio and the two duelled, eventually Smithy managed to kick Espio back. He then held his wispon with his other hand and hovered above the ground. Espio jumped up and punched him before throwing him back to his troops. "Finish him!" Smithy angrily yelled. They stepped forward and their wispons glowed orange "Liza!" he yelled before grabbing her and jumping back down the lift shaft. An explosion went off above them buy they landed and ran back to the mountain side door. Once outside they both managed to take a breather "I suppose we're even now" Liza said, "How so?". She smiled "Well, I saved your life, you saved mine". "Yes, well, mine was the more daring of the two rescues" Espio joked.
They were back on Planet Wisp walking to a large transport ship with Menniker and Sleet said, "If Smithy fled, we have no way of learning how far spread the Diamond Cutters really are". Espio nodded "It's obvious the Separatists are supporting the Diamond Cutters". Liza turned to him looking angry "I disagree. I told you I wanted to stay out of this conflict" "Given the current situation I fear that is no longer possible" Espio reluctantly said. "I thought you of all people would understand my position on this matter. I will never be apart of this war" she glared at him before she and her people entered the ship. Shadow arrived with Armand and Fang "Reporting for escort duty, General". Espio smiled "Shadow, am I glad to see you". Shadow smirked "You sound tired" "The peaceful ways of the locals wore me out a bit" they all entered the ship.