"Order up! Proton Electrolyte Zinc Moonobumps!"

A decorative potluck-like basket filled with some kind of purple-colored nuggets was placed on a table where the whole crew of Crimson Light sat, each one of them in anticipation to have a bite. The dish was apparently a specialty, unique only to the restaurant the crew was apparently at: Sal's All-You-Can-Eat Bar & Grill.

"Enjoy," the one who served them the dish said to them jovially. Evidently, that person was none other than the restaurant owner Sal himself. The beefy spider alien in a Hawaiian shirt was a fun character to be around despite his bug-like appearance, which likely had terrified the average arachnophobe. But as for him telling his esteemed group of customers of the day to dig in and enjoy themselves, well, they didn't need to be told twice. Everyone stuck a hand into the family-sized basket to grab at one of its crispy fried pieces of an unknown but popular meat. One bite of each of those pieces made each one of their eaters hum in delight, savoring its colorful taste. Although in Fox's case, he was biting down on handfuls of those pieces as opposed to simply one. HUE simply sat, content to watch everyone else eat, though KVN had joined in with everyone as well but could only mash the pieces against his shell; his attempt at eating and his ways of doing it had become infamously unnerving among his organic compatriots.

"Yipe!" Little Cato fanned the inside of his mouth, though he wasn't in any real pain, "Man, this stuff is just the tops, especially when it comes hot straight off the stove!"

Gary couldn't agree more. "Oh yeah, so good! I like this better than the real thing!" It did earn him a brief look from Little Cato and then a little shake on the shoulder by Quinn, who sat next to him.

"You know, they're not actually supposed to be like real Moonobumps," Quinn clarified to Little Cato as she took another bite of her piece.

"It's simply in the name," HUE clarified. "They are only called that because of their physical resemblance to the real thing. Well, that and they have the record of being exceptionally delicious that its effects are often, hyperbolically, compared to the real thing."

"Well, good to see you like the stuff," Sal happily said to the group.

"Another basket, please," Fox interjected to the restaurant owner ecstatically. He had already gone through more of the dish than the rest of the crew, so it made sense that no one objected. Sal happily obliged.

"I gotta say it again, Sal, it's cooked just right as usual," Little Cato said as he looked at his bitten piece.

"Well, you can thank Todd for that," Sal turned around to look into the inside of his restaurant, prompting the rest of the group to look in his direction as well. Near the back of the restaurant past the tables, there was a long window and counter where a brown-haired Caucasian human man stood behind it, working on another dish on the stove. He looked up when he noticed Sal looking his way, and upon noticing the group with him too, gave a nod.

The view was then blocked off by Sal having returned to their table accompanied by a dark-skinned and black-haired human woman carrying two more of the large baskets of the same order of Moonobumps. "Here you go, fellas!" he said with a small dramatic flair in his tone, which signaled the woman next to him to toss both baskets onto the table with finesse. Fox, Little Cato, Gary, and even Mooncake immediately dove into them, grabbing the pieces so fast that Quinn and Tribore had to keep their own hands away to avoid losing them. KVN tried to go for another piece as well but ended up with a pincer slapped away by HUE.

"Perfect shot, Holly, as usual," Sal said to the woman who was apparently the waitress.

The woman named Holly smiled in response. "Should I stay on standby, boss?"

"Come on, Holly. Call me Sal," Sal joked to her before leaning in to whisper, "but yeah, that'd be good." He then returned to normal volume. "By the way, how's Jed?"

"He's still going to school, if that's why you're asking," Holly answered with a half-smile and a hand on her hip, the other hanging at her side holding a serving tray. She got a mock-indignant chuckle from Sal in response before she turned around and went back into the restaurant to take care of other business.

Sal turned back to continue talking to the crew. "I saw you on TV earlier, Little Cato. You were incredible back there," he congratulated the young orange Ventrexian. He was looking at the giant projected TV screen on the building across the street from the restaurant, displaying recorded footage from Little Cato's award ceremony.

Even Little Cato couldn't help himself. He looked down at the medal still hanging on his shirt, holding it up a little. "Oh, this?"

Sal's expression changed to one of annoyance as he remembered the events and circumstances that led up to the ceremony and his conversation with the crew. "Man, such a pain, those terrorists," he quipped, "What are they called? 'Mad Tenebri,' right? Well, it's a relief to know their boss is in jail." He ended that statement with a smile in Little Cato's direction. In return, Little Cato looked away in modesty, the rest of his friends being mutually supportive of him like Sal was. Sal continued, "I'm sure not all Tenebri are dangerous like those guys. But they get flak from pretty much everyone because of them."

"Spoken like a true philosopher, Sal," Gary said to him, giving a wink of solidarity.

Quinn seemed to look a little bit forlorn. "The Tenebri are just misunderstood. They're not to blame for the galaxy's fears."

"It is only a mutation," HUE interjected. "There is nothing they can do about it. The question is how one uses it." He gestured to Fox. "Take Fox's passion for battle, for example." Fox nodded and hummed in agreement, since he was currently still chewing on another Moonobump.

"Well anyway, you can count on me for anyone needing rescuing in town," Little Cato chimed. "I swear it on my medal."

"We're counting on you, alright!" a person sitting at a table near the group called to Little Cato. "You know I'm safe with you, super cat!" another person sitting at the same table also joined in as well. A few passersby outside the restaurant boundaries also cheered Little Cato on. He laughed, rubbing the back of his head in slight modesty.

"But, Little Cato," HUE said as Sal walked away, "did you have to wear it here?"

"For today, it's fine," Quinn answered HUE for Little Cato, looking at the Ventrexian with approval while ruffling his mane. "Some days, a man's won the right to wear his medals with pride."

Little Cato smiled back at her. "Yeah, thanks Quinn." He looked back down to the medal. "I actually feel a lot prouder wearing it, considering Gov. Jack gave it to me too."

"Oh right. He saved your life a long time ago, didn't he?" Quinn asked him closely.

"Yeah. It happened when I was a kid." Little Cato leaned on the table and began to reminisce.

"At that time 13 years ago, Governor Jack was only a pilot for the Infinity Guard," HUE told everyone. "Thanks to his rescue of Little Cato, he and his image entered the public sphere. Later, his counter-Tenebrus research that he was discovered doing became noticed as well, jumpstarting his meteoric rise to fame and fortune. Now he is the president of Yarno's largest research foundation and is also Tera Con Alpha's governor." HUE turned to look at the other large holographic displays lining the buildings on the other side of the street, to which the rest of the gang followed his gaze. "Quite the exceptional upstart route."

Fox leaned over to talk to Gary. "Hey Gary, didn't you take care of Little Cato when he was, you know, little?"

Gary sighed, reclining on his chair. "Yup, been his guardian since we met 13 years ago, just one year before I hit 30. Kid was 11, but besides it being a favor from Jack, I really liked having Spider Cat in my life. He's pretty much been my kid since then."

"You said it, Thunder Bandit," Little Cato said softly to Gary, putting an arm around the man's shoulders. Gary returned the gesture with the same one.

"Yeah! Little Cato and Gary are a family a-go, baby!" KVN interrupted in his usual jovial tone. Gary groaned as KVN's outburst made some of the other customers turn their heads to look while Quinn apologized to them for the robot's behavior. "Just like with Gary and his mom! Right, Little Cato?" KVN's question was answered with an empty basket thrown right at his chassis.

"No, we're not!" Gary refuted. "Considering she never wanted to be, it's fair I don't have to either. I don't owe her a dang thing!" Gary was seething as he spoke. Ever since Sheryl abandoned him since his father's death, his life had never been the same. It took learning how to be an adult from scratch, but he did get some help from Jack along the way since he was a longstanding friend of his father. But Gary didn't have time to stay angry as he saw everyone, especially Little Cato sitting next to him, flinching from his outburst. "Oh, Little Cato…I'm so sorry, bud," Gary said to him in a quieter voice. "Just bad memories…" Mooncake floated over to land next to Gary, giving him comfort which Gary reciprocated.

"Well, on another note," Quinn said carefully as she interjected, "Sheryl and the rest of Scarlet Lance seem to work closely with the governor, especially when it comes to work related to the foundation." She looked at the screens showcasing the foundation's biggest and latest project involving warp engines. "No idea what exactly the foundation's researching, though…"

"Warp engines," HUE commented on the display. "Who knows if it will no longer remain a pipe dream in this generation…" The next image displayed footage of Governor Jack standing with some faceless helpers belonging to the esteemed Order of the Twelve. This made HUE comment further, "…though we would not have gone far without the Order of the Twelve, thanks to their intellect."

"Have they got a long way to go? Yes, they do." Tribore added to HUE's musings. "Why are they calling warp travel a pipe dream? Is warping like traveling through a pipe? Maybe it's like dreaming…"

"Well either way, I wouldn't have become a rescuer at all if it wasn't for Gov. Jack's help," Little Cato interjected, not letting go of Gary. "I gotta return the favor and show him I'm grateful, no matter the risks." Without Gary, Quinn, and even Fox expecting it, Little Cato looked into the restaurant and called to Sal, "Hey Sal! Need a quadruple more Proton Electrolyte Zinc Moonobumps!"

And just like that, four more giant baskets of the same order were piled onto their table. Gary was back to wolfing down another portion, Tribore simply ate, while Fox and Little Cato seemed busy trying to one-up each other in trying to eat the most Moonobumps. All the while, Quinn, HUE, Mooncake, and KVN stared uneasily at the sight before them.

"I really hope we're not splitting the bill," Quinn muttered.

"I concur," HUE chimed in agreement with her.

As the eating continued, with even Fox and Little Cato trying to pull a few pieces away from each other that they grabbed simultaneously, the whole restaurant was suddenly interrupted by the sudden loud sounds of ship engines. Everyone, the crew included, looked up to see vessels belonging to Scarlet Lance descending onto the immediate city street in front of the restaurant, dropping their ramps to allow their soldiers to descend. Many of their troopers were present and within the span of seconds, they immediately stormed the inside of the restaurant, their close presence causing many of the other people dining to move back.

"Scarlet Lance?" Gary gasped, suddenly standing up along with Quinn and Little Cato. "The heck are they doing here?"

"Nobody move!" came the authoritative voice of Scarlet Lance's leader, Superior Stone. He marched his way into the restaurant with the other troopers moving aside and Sheryl following close behind him. "Anyone who tries to do so will be deemed a Tenebrus!"

Everyone froze upon hearing Stone's threat. Sal stood still. Holly was backed against an occupied table. Todd was trying to hide behind the stove.

"Hey jerk! What do you think you're doing here?" Gary yelled as he stomped into the restaurant towards Stone. He didn't get as close to the man as he wanted when Stone grabbed him by the face.

"You again, Crimson Lighter? Why don't you stand back and watch?" Stone sneered before tossing Gary away, leaving him to fall and land on his back.

"Hey! Don't move!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the kitchen when they heard a Scarlet Lance soldier yell. Said soldier was talking to Todd, who was trying to sneak away to the storage room out of the visibility of the kitchen, shaking and sweating nervously as he tried.

"Hey!" the soldier yelled at Todd again. "I said don't move!" Todd, on the other hand, couldn't stop shaking. All it did was get more soldiers to point their weapons at him. Todd tried to not move, but when his hands accidentally brushed against a stray ladle and caused said ladle to fall off the counter and onto the floor with a clang, the soldiers got ready to fire.

"Wait! Please, don't shoot!"

The soldiers turned around to see Holly frantically begging to Superior Stone. "He's not a Tenebrus, I swear to you! Please!"

"That's enough, woman," Stone rebuffed Holly, pushing her aside as he walked towards the kitchen where Todd was. "We came here based on intel that a Tenebrus is here, but then again, dealing with Tenebrus sympathizers is a bonus." He kept his eyes on the scared Todd.

"What are you talking about?" Gary quietly demanded, now feeling perturbed.

Stone was approaching where Todd was when he was accompanied by Sheryl. "We ID'd the man, Stone," Sheryl whispered to him. "His name's Todd H. Watson."

Hearing that, Stone then turned to look at Todd. "Well then, Mr. Watson," he addressed the frightened cook. "Is there something you'd like to tell us…or show us, rather?"

"Please!" Holly pleaded from behind. "Don't hurt him!" But her pleas fell on deaf ears as Stone took out his own gun and pointed it directly at Todd's face, the weapon whirring as it charged up.

"Mr. Watson?" Stone said to Todd, this time more slowly and threateningly. Todd, for an instant, looked at Holly before looking back at Stone.

"I…I…" Todd looked at Holly again. "Please…I'll go with you…I'll come quietly…"

Stone looked at him for a longer moment. Then, he raised a hand for his soldiers to see. The gang, Sal, and Holly gasped. Any second, Stone was going to order his soldiers to fire right at Todd. Stone was about to bring his hand down to give the go-ahead when…

"NO! GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Everyone turned around at the sound of Holly shouting at Stone, her eyes suddenly and literally darkening.

"Wh-what's happening –?" Little Cato gasped at what he saw when he eyed the waitress when the whole room suddenly darkened. The soldiers surrounding Todd started to move and change positions very rapidly.

"STAY AWAY!" Everyone in the restaurant was suddenly knocked over by an encompassing blast of wind as waves of dark energy filled the air. The soldiers were knocked off balance if not off their feet. Civilians screamed, running, crawling, and scrambling on their feet to get out. The Crimson Light crew shielded themselves with their arms as the dark blasts persisted and intensified.

Little Cato opened his eyes and looked between his raised arms to see that the waitress Holly was throwing blasts of dark energy at the Scarlet Lance, throwing them around while trying to make her way to Todd. "She's a Tenebrus!?" he exclaimed over the noise.

Unfortunately for Holly, she didn't make it very far before she was shot with crystal-inducing anti-matter by Sheryl, stopping her attacks. The moment the chaos died down, Stone took out his weapon and fired at Holly as well, followed by the other soldiers, firing a rain of shots that pelted her nonstop until most of her limbs were covered and encased in crystals, resulting in her falling onto the floor, unable to move.

Stone cocked his gun once all of Scarlet Lance held their fire. "Got her."

"Wait, please!" Sal suddenly ran in front of Scarlet Lance, putting himself between them and Holly while Todd looked out from the kitchen in horror. "What did she do? She was just protecting her husband! She's a waitress just serving people their orders!"

"Did you know about this?" Stone asked Sal in response. Sal fell silent, as if he knew what to say but didn't want to say it.

"Boss…Sal…" Sal turned around to look down at Holly when he heard her weakly trying to speak to him. Sal raced to her side and got down to his knees to face her more closely, shortly followed by Todd.

"Holly!" Todd softly called to her, his voice trembling.

"Honey…" she whispered once she saw Todd accompany her alongside Sal. She then spoke to both of them. "It's okay. Don't worry about me…"

"Holly, no," Todd shook his head quietly, "you can't. What about Jed?"

"But…Holly, you didn't do anything wrong," Sal meekly protested as well. "You just wanted to serve people with a smile, make them happy, didn't you?

They were interrupted by the sound of Superior Stone's foot placing itself in front of them, Stone having taken a step that had him standing right over the three. "Owner," he spoke directly to Sal, "I am placing you under arrest along with the Tenebrus." He also turned to Todd, "Same with you, cook, for also being 'affiliated' with her." Stone then faced Sheryl and the rest of his squad. "Cordon off the area," he ordered.

"Wait just a minute!"

Stone was interrupted by Little Cato jumping on a table and getting right in his face. "That Tenebrus is innocent!" Little Cato stated to the Scarlet Lance leader indignantly, "and Sal and the cook had nothing to do with it!"

"Both the owner and the cook violated the Tenebrus Protection Crime Act," Stone said in response, "anyone guilty of sheltering or abetting a Tenebrus faces arrest as well." As if that wasn't enough, Stone took to grabbing Little Cato by his neck again, being sure to squeeze a little harder. "You should at least take a law class before playing the hero, cat."

"Now you hold it right there!"

Now it was Quinn's turn to get in Stone's face, her having gotten on the same table as Little Cato and getting directly eye-to-eye with him while standing over Little Cato. Gary was also with Quinn, only that he was standing on the floor instead of the table and got blocked by Sheryl standing in his way with a gun pointed at him.

"It's true that the Act exists," Quinn told Stone sternly, "but it's a law specifically designed for anti-terrorism!" She pointed to Holly lying on the floor along with Sal and Todd kneeling beside her. "These people haven't done anything to be considered terrorists!"

"The court will decide if they are terrorists or not," Stone glowered back at Quinn with a low impatient tone.

Holly, Sal, and Todd were all taken away as the restaurant was sealed off and the rest of the civilian customers were being led away. Holly had been cuffed the same way as every other incarcerated Tenebrus while Sal and Todd were cuffed normally. All three of them sat together in a row on one side inside the dropoff bay of one of Scarlet Lance's ships, remaining visible to the outside until the ramp ascended and closed the bay off.

Little Cato could do nothing but watch as Scarlet Lance's ships took off, struggling to maintain composure despite anger trying to etch itself on his face. Gary was doing the same, except he looked more solemn than angry. Quinn's eyes were closed, her brow and the corners of her lips wrinkled with frustration. The rest of the Crimson Light crew didn't say a single word.

"So the whole time, a Tenebrus was handling our food?"

Little Cato looked back to see a couple people examining pieces of food, most likely from what they ordered some time before. A man was holding up one piece from his dish with only two fingers while a woman accompanying him grimaced at said piece, holding her hands over her mouth.

"How disgusting!" the woman gagged.

The man, on the other hand, looked simultaneously outraged and in disbelief, throwing the food onto the pavement as though he was trying to make it splat as hard as he could, "How can you serve this to your customers with a Tenebrus putting their hands all over it?"

"Hey! Cut it out!" Little Cato tried to cut in.

"Little Cato," Quinn gently got his attention, snapping him out of what he was feeling at the moment. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not trying to take any sides, but please don't make a mistake. It sucks, but we don't have any right to stop them."

"Yeah, she's got a point." Fox added, though he then grumbled, "…still makes me mad, though."

Little Cato struggled to remain silent, but soon after let out a yell as he tried desperately to contain his frustration. He ran over to a bike he had ridden on earlier to get to the restaurant. Getting on it, he rapidly turned it on and revved the engine, speeding away down the street to who-knows-where.

"Hey! Little Cato! Where are you going?" Gary called out, briefly trying to run after him.