Desperate times on Planet Wisp! Having
won neutrality for the Wispon
system, Duchess Liza the Chameleon now finds
herself an outsider with very little
aid to her people. Supplies are hard
to come by, except on the black market.
As a result, the Duchess faces a world
consumed by greed. Hoping to alleviate
some of the tension rising in the
capital city of Yacker, Liza has
called upon her friend Tikal the Echidna
to make a diplomatic visit...
Tikal's cruiser arrived on a platform just outside of the city dome. She exited the ship and saw Liza waiting with her guard's "Senator" "Duchess, it's good to see you". The two walked together towards the city entrance "Thank you for coming, Tikal. I know our decision to stay neutral has caused distress in the Senate. But for many the fallout from the war has been too much" "If your government has trade concerns, we can talk. Many systems have been affected". They stepped into a speeder "I assure you not everyone in the Republic has neglected Planet Wisp and there are those of us who would still vote to give you any help you require" "The help we need now is opening trade routes so we may get supplies more freely". Tikal nodded "We are making progress in the Senate". Liza sighed "Forgive me, Tikal. I did not bring you here to discuss politics. I had hoped to show you the new Planet Wisp". The speeder took them inside a tunnel towards the city "Not the typical Wispon welcome. Senator Wynmacher teased you would have a court waiting" "I just wanted to greet you myself before the others". They entered the city and flew past multiple building where crowds of people were cheering and waving. Tikal smiled "Now this is a Wispon welcome" "We are a people of tradition" Liza said proudly.
A cargo ship landed at a platform, three spiders exited and checked that the area was clear before their cargo started getting unloaded. There were boxes full of bottles of an unknown drink "Here comes the customs official" one of them said gesturing to a goat walking towards them. The lead spider stepped forward to speak with the goat "Ah, nice day here on Planet Wisp" "It is. Let's try not to ruin it". The spider innocently smiled "I don't get your meaning" "Oh, I think you do. Your arrival isn't listed on my schedule. So what exactly are you unloading on my dock". The spider took out a handful of rings "Must be a clerical oversight. I'm sure it won't happen again". The goat took them "Normally there would be twice as many officers out here. They're off at the parade. Some big shot just arrived on Planet Wisp. You're lucky" "Luck has nothing to do with it". The goat glared at him "Well, just in case, deal with me directly next time. Got it?" "As you wish".
Tikal was in the throne room standing next to Liza who was sitting before Planet Wisp's leaders. Menniker stood in front of them "Esteemed colleagues, leaders of Planet Wisp, friends, I'm afraid our neutrality has caused our people to suffer. The war between the Separatists and the Republic rages across our galaxy. It has caused trade routes to be closed to Planet Wisp and has forced us to turn to a black market filled with corruption". "We know what is happening, Menniker. What will be done about it?" a hedgehog asked angrily. "Planet Wisp should not need to pay smugglers to feed its people" a dog said. The hedgehog stood up angrily "It's not that we want to deal with smugglers. We have no alternative. I'm sure you and the Eggman Empire make a profit whether our business is or not" "I resent that!" the dog said defensively.
Menniker got between them "Ladies and gentlemen, please, order. Please". Tikal whispered to Liza "Prime Minister Menniker seems a bit overwhelmed" "If you're volunteering our services as a negotiator, please, be my guest". Tikal stepped forward "Ruling Council, may I speak?" "Senator Tikal. The floor is yours" Menniker said making the others sit down. "I hear your worries, your frustration, but the longer you argue, the more your people suffer. You are right. New trade routes are essential to survival, but the black market is no substitute for legitimate and legal trade". "What would you propose, Senator?" Menniker asked, "The Republic can provide security". The hedgehog stood up "The Republic's own dealings with the black market far surpass Planet Wisp's" "I agree. It's quite hypocritical of you to come here, a member of the Republic Senator and lecture to us about corruption" the dog said. The leaders all started arguing "Silence!" Liza ordered. The leaders all sat down as she stood up "I told Senator Tikal that Planet Wisp was not part of the war, yet here I find a battle in my own palace. I call this meeting adjourned. We will reconvene and allow cooler heads to prevail".
The spiders and their workers were bringing the boxes and barrels into a warehouse where a Wispon rabbit was waiting "What is this stuff?" "This stuff is aromatic tea. If we add it we can make twice as much at twice the profit". The rabbit looked concerned "Isn't it toxic" "Only if the dosage is wrong, so get your mixture right" the spider replied with a hint of threat in his voice.
Tikal and Liza were in the dining room sitting opposite one another "Tell me, Tikal, how do you feel about the Republic's war with the Separatists?". Tikal paused before answering "It's so complicated. As you know, in the Senate, the Chancellor says it's going very well but my sources say otherwise" "And how does that make you feel?". Tikal stared at her "There are times I wish I could follow Planet Wisp's lead: neutrality, and not just in the war" "But the politics as well? The contamination of greed reaches deep and far within the Republic: corporations, trade guilds, too many senators serving their own interests". Tikal sighed "There are still those for us who work to overcome the corruption and believe it to be possible". Liza smiled "Enough of this dreary talk. A new hospital has opened. Tomorrow you and I shall visit, see true good at work". The two raised their glasses.
A shuttle took them to the courtyard of a hospital where they saw a child being taken in on a stretcher as a crowd of people were waiting outside. Liza ran up to one of the orderly "What's going on here?" "I have no idea, Madam. Dr Zaz is handling the outbreak. He's inside". Liza and Tikal went inside and saw that the hall was full of sick children waiting to be taken in. They all looked to be in extreme pain. They then entered a large room where more children were being worked on. Liza went over to Dr Zaz who was an ox "What is happening here?" "Duchess, I'm sorry no one has come to speak to you. These children have been poisoned" "How?". She went over to one of the children and stared down sympathetically "We don't know but it's not just here I'm afraid. We've gotten reports from across the planet". Tikal looked to Zaz "Have you identified a cause?" "Well, the children here all came from the same school. We're testing their food. If we find something perhaps, we can create an antidote. But it will take time". Liza sighed "Which they may not have".
The two were now in Menniker's office speaking to him "What if it's not a poison? It must be the Diamond Cutters" "I'm not so sure. In the past, the Diamond Cutters attack have only been directed at myself and the administration. Not children". Menniker looked sceptical "They are terrorists. Perhaps the Senator's visit has inspired them. I will have to speak to the ruling council". He left the room and Liza sighed "I don't believe the Diamond Cutters have anything to do with this" "I agree. His concern for the children-" "Was practically none. All he thinks about is politics. We'll have to do this ourselves".
Liza was in her throne room speaking to a group of soldiers "Thank you all for coming. I suppose you're wondering why I asked you here. As my personal guards, you are the only ones I can trust to investigate this matter. We have little time. That is why I have asked for your help. Tikal". Tikal steps forward "Each of you will be getting a special commlink and data pad, means of direct communication and locations you should investigate". Liza nodded "This must be a closed-loop affair. Hundreds of children have been poisoned. Our children and they need our help. This is a Wispon matter, and we must find out who dares poison our children. Thank you all". All the soldiers bowed before leaving. "So where do we start?" Tikal asked, "The schools".
They entered the cafeteria of a school being led by a panther "Thank you for allowing this, Superintendent" "My pleasure, Duchess". They met with Doctor Zaz "We've cleared the food here. None of it is tainted" "What about what they ate yesterday?" Tikal asked. Zaz pondered "The menu is pretty regular here. We would've caught something with our tests" "What about their drinks, Doctor?" Liza asked, "No, they drink fresh water. It's impossible for it to be tainted". Liza shook her head "Not the water. What about the bottled drinks?" "Those are not part of the school's menu. They are allowed through an outside vendor". The doctor went over to the kitchen and came back with one of the bottles.
He brought them to a lab and examined the drink. Liza turned away looking troubled "How could this have happened?" "It's not your fault" "I appreciate that. But for an outbreak of this size to occur, I'm afraid it's a sign of a much deeper seeded corruption than I had imagined". The doctor turned to them "Duchess, we have something". He showed them the results "This tea has a percentage of aromatic" "I didn't know aromatic tea was lethal" "It usually isn't but at this high a percentage I'm certain it's the cause of the children's illness". Tikal pondered "The school must have an import log, correct?" "Uh, yes. I believe so" the superintendent. "So, we should be able to find out where the tea came from" "Well, then let's get to the docks".
They were now outside on a platform checking the import logs "There are no records of the tea shipments. It looks like it's been erased. I can't see a name" Tikal said. She then gave a hand signal to Liza behind her left side. Liza saw she was pointing at the superintendent. Liza than gestured for to of her guards to step forward and seized him "What!? Unhand me!". Liza turned to him "What's going on here?". He didn't say anything "Tell me or my guards won't ask as politely". Tikal looked to her in surprise "Liza…." She ignored her "Where did you get the tea?". He sighed "Please, I never meant to harm anyone. I just- I needed to cut costs. The school's budget was too low" "The school has received sufficient government funding". He looked down at the ground "Look, they offered me a great deal. I could keep some money for myself too, I didn't know the drinks were poison". Liza crossed her arms "Were the Diamond Cutters involved?" "Diamond Cutters? I don't think so. I only dealt with an importer. His name's Siddiq. He works for a shipping company not too far from here".
They were now in the office of Siddiq who a snake. He sat back in his chair not looking concerned at all "Sure, I bribed the school official. What's the problem" "What's you've done is illegal" Tikal said disgusted. The snake shrugged "Beyond these stars, there's a war going on. As long as my company imports goods most people turn a blind eye to anything else" "We are not most people" Liza said. "My corporate contracts protect me, Duchess, so I'll play your little game". He sighed "Look, I'm sorry about kids, I really am. But I'm just a messenger" "Where did you get the tea?" "From Mooga. The Commerce Guild controls it". He gave them a data pad with highlighted dates "Shipping schedules from Mooga". Tikal examined it "And a customs official reports these to the government?" "As far as I know" "Are these all for the ones bringing in the tea?" Liza asked. Siddiq shook his head "No, I'd have to narrow that down. Hold on". He took the pad back and narrowed down the search "Ah, they're actually bringing in a shipment tonight. You want to know which dock".
Tikal and Liza were sneaking through the docks with two guards "I must say, when I came to visit, I hadn't pictured this" Tikal joked. Liza smirked "Yes, well, from what Master Espio tells me, during your tenure as queen, you became quite familiar with such excursions" "One can only survive the rigors of courtly formalities for so long". The saw the end of dock and saw a cargo ship arriving and they saw the spiders unloading. "Shall I call for more security?" one of the guards asked, "No, let's wait and see what transpires". They then saw the customs official walk up to the spiders "Welcome back, gentlemen. I'm here for my… inspection" "Certainly". One of the spiders handed him a handful of rings, he nodded and then walked away. Liza glared at them "They can't operate with such impunity. I need to find out how far up the chain of command this corruption goes".
The next day they were back in the throne room speaking to a pronghorn captain "I'm sorry, Duchess, but what you're saying, it's impossible. Bribery of a customs official at the shipping docks? It's a highly secure area, free of dangerous criminals". Liza stared at him "Not free of corruption, Captain" "Smuggling does not take place on my watch" he said defensively. Tikal stepped forward "Were you watching when this poison made it into schools?". The captain glared at her before looking to Liza "Duchess, with all due respect-" "No, Captain. If you want my respect, you will arrest these criminals and stop stalling" "Stalling?". Liza stood up "Why else would you not be down there with a patrol unit making arrests, unless you're involved".
The group arrived at the docks and saw two guards at the doors of a warehouse "Did you order them here?" "Duchess, I've been with you the whole time". The two guards looked to each other as the captain stepped forward "Guards, let us into this warehouse" "We're under strict orders not to let anyone in". "Don't you know who this is?" the captain asked gesturing to Liza "I command you, open these doors". The guards paused for a moment before trying to attack Liza. The Captain got in their way and managed to beat both of them to the ground "Arrest them!". He went over to the door panel and opened them, and they saw the spiders with the scientists working on the tea. The spiders immediately took out blasters and fired on them forcing them to take cover. Two guards then ran in with shields allowing the Captain to use them and cover and shoot two of the spiders before getting hit in the shoulder. The two guards retreated and dragged the captain's body out. Tikal took out her pistol as two more guards pushed a large container in front of the entrance as cover. They started pushing it forward allowing Tikal and the remaining guards to kill the spiders and capture the scientists. The captain managed to stand up and stood next to Liza "Impressive shooting. For a Senator" he said to Tikal.
The scientists and the remaining spiders were getting taken away. Liza then stared into the warehouse with obvious disgust "Captain, I want you to burn this down" "What? But there's evidence-" "Burn it down or I'll consider you part of this conspiracy". The captain reluctantly nodded "You heard her. Burn it". Two guards arrived with flame throwers and used them on the building.
Tikal and Liza were back in Menniker's office "It wasn't the Diamond Cutters, Prime Minister. It was a group of black-market smugglers. They were using a poisonous type of tea. They didn't realize they were mixing to much with the original tea making it poisonous". Menniker nodded "What about the children?". Liza looked solemn "I ordered an antidote to be shipped to all the schools and hospitals. But some…. Some of the children didn't make it". Menniker sighed and stood up "That is unfortunate. At least we we've stopped any more from suffering the same fate". Liza shook her head "No. From what I've seen this could easily happen again. The corruption is intolerable. Payoffs, police unwilling to comply, my government fooled. How does that happen?" she asked sternly. Menniker remained calm "I'm sorry. I'm setting up a committee to look into it" "Children are dead because our government cannot be counted on" "I assure you this will not go unpunished, Duchess". Liza stared at him for a moment "I'm counting on you, Menniker".
Liza was leading Tikal to her shuttle "I'm troubled, Tikal" "Menniker said he will investigate" "His heart is in the right place, but this corruption". Tikal put her hand on Liza's shoulder "You must have hope, Liza" "Hope will only go so far. The very people conducting this investigation might be corrupt. Perhaps a Shinobi working undercover at the academy could be of service to us and in more ways than one". Tikal smiled "I will speak with Master Blaze. Don't lose hope, my friend". The two nodded "Senator" "Duchess". Tikal entered her shuttle and Liza watched it take off.