A few days passed by and no luck came to Barry, Jeff, or Juno. During Juno's lunch breaks, he visited Barry. Sometimes, it was only to give Barry a little company. From time to time, they discussed things irrelevant to the case, but fitting for upcoming friends. Soon, one week had passed since Barry's trial. It was indeed Juno's lunch break, and he and Barry chatted at Barry's prison cell.
"I don't think Vela appreciates me seeing you," Juno explained.
"What? You mean she's jealous?" Barry joked.
"Ah- no!" Juno slapped himself on the forehead. "I didn't mean like that. I meant-"
"It's okay." Barry laughed. "I know what you meant. She doesn't like you helping me. She probably doesn't think I'm innocent either."
"It seems that way, Barry. But, something still troubles me. She was already like this before I started helping you." Juno faced the back wall in Barry's cell. Staring into space, Juno relived experiencing Vela's glacial attitude. In a while, Juno shook off his memories and focused his attention to Barry again. "I don't know. Maybe I should talk to her or something."
"Maybe. I never had a sister before. What's it like?"
"A pain in the neck," Juno quickly answered.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! I didn't expect to hear that!"
"Well, she's just being herself. She's brash, irritable, sometimes careless, and stubborn... and that's on one of her good days. She doesn't take crap from anybody."
"She's fine too," Barry whispered to himself.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"Um... nothin'!"
"Well, Vela's very hard to please. She'll complain like hell if she ever has to type something."
"Eh?"
"Oh. Vela doesn't know how to type."
"Really?"
"Yeah. And when she gets frustrated typing, she starts ramming her hands onto the keyboard."
Barry grabbed his waist and laughed hysterically. Moments passed before Barry noticed Juno signaling him to be quiet.
"Anyway," Juno continued, "Don't tell her I said that, otherwise she'll kill me."
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Barry was still laughing a bit even though he tried to keep quiet.
"All in all, Vela's very outgoing and independent. She's trustworthy and honest. It's great knowing I don't have to look out for her all the time."
"Ah. I see. You must feel lucky to have her."
"Yeah. I am."
Barry sat quietly for a while. The silence between them lingered over a minute. Juno spaced out as usual, but as he came to his senses, he noticed Barry suffering from depression.
"Barry? What's wrong?"
"Uh. Well. It's just that I've felt kinda bad lately. I mean, like I really don't deserve to be Jeff's brother. I let my hatred and greed for power overtake me. I only realized it after my defeat. It's my fault I'm in this mess to begin with. I just wish I- I..."
Barry gently leaned on the bars and sagged down to the unsanitary floor. He folded his arms around his knees and rested his head on his lap. Juno only stared. He figured Barry's despondency took great effect after witnessing Barry's confession. Juno laid a hand on Barry's shoulder, but Barry didn't react.
"C'mon, Barry. Jeff is really trying to look out for you. I'm sure he understands you and knows you're sorry about everything. He still cares for you, otherwise he wouldn't have gone through so much to try and help you. Nowadays, you don't see many siblings looking out for one another. You've got a great brother, and you should be proud of that."
Barry tilted his head up and met eye contact with Juno. With a boost of coinfedence from Juno, Barry smiled for a second.
"Thanks, Juno."
Juno let go of Barry and checked his wristwatch.
"Oh. My break is almost over."
"Hey, Juno. How's the search going?"
"Well," Juno sighed, "Not to good I'm afraid. In fact, I haven't really found anything. I'd ask around, but the only guy I know on Rith Essa is that mole Vela mentioned. I have no idea where he is and since communication to Rith Essa is impossible, I'll have to look around for him."
"I know that mole!" Barry snapped.
"Huh? You do?"
"Yeah. I see him around sometimes. Somedays he'd walk by me and I'll try to get his attention. But he just ignored me and went on. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who knocked me out."
"Okay then. I'll be sure to look for him. I have a longer break today so I should have plenty of time to find him."
"Yeah. Talk to him. I'll bet he knows something."
"Okay, Barry. I'll talk to you if I get anything."
"Then, I'll see you later. Bye, Juno."
With that, Juno departed the prison. Time lagged by as Juno went back on duto patrolling his assigned section of the galaxy. Eventually, Juno's shift was over and he began preparing for Rith Essa again. As he began unloading weapons from the gunroom, Vela walked in to put her weapons away. After a quick glance at each other, they continue what they were doing. Juno had his things packed up and ready to go. Vela watched as her brother as he began on his way.
"Going to Rith Essa again?" she snapped.
Juno turned around feeling a bit surprised that she said something. "Yeah. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Would you like some of my weapons? I have a whole lot since our first fight with Mizar."
"No. Thanks Vela, but I don't think I'll need that much." Juno went on his way out.
"Hmph, sure," Vela snapped again, "Bigshots don't need that many weapons."
Suddenly, Juno stopped in his tracks as Vela turned around to finish storing her things away. He stormed over to her sister.
"Okay, Vela. Let's hear it. Just what is it that I did to you?"
Vela paid no attention to him. She remained silent while maintaining a frigid attitude. She was done putting her things away and ignored Juno as she walked passed him. Juno grabbed her wrist keeping her from getting away. Vela didn't look back, but a fist formed from her other hand.
"Answer me, Vela!" Juno ordered her.
The frown on Vela's face grew into a hateful scowl. She threw herself around and backslapped Juno's grip away. The two Geminis glowered into each other's eyes. Both of them were extremely displeased. Juno finally broke the deadly silence between them.
"Okay, Vela. Fine! Don't tell me. I just wish I knew what is it I did to you that makes you this angry at me."
Vela remained perfectly still; however, she was still angry at Juno. She closed her eyes and walked out of the room. Juno sighed and continued on his trip to Rith Essa.
While Juno was gone, Vela laid in her bed, but she did not rest. She wore her casual clothes: a white shirt, a red skirt, and tennis shoes. Her hands were behind her head. She faced the ceiling, but her mind wondered into space. She crossed her legs hoping to achieve a sense of relaxation. Restlessness still dominated her body. She was very quiet physically, but mentally her mind raced with so many thoughts. Minutes trailed before Vela decided on something to be done about it.
"I need to get out," she thought to herself. "Maybe I'll get something to eat back on Earth."
She lifted herself from the bed and headed towards the launch area. Lupus came in wondering what Vela was doing.
"Oh, Lupus," Vela greeted, "I'm going out for a little bit."
Lupus barked affirmatively and ran over to Vela.
"No, boy. You stay here and hold down the fort while I'm gone."
Lupus whimpered and sat down.
"Don't worry. I'll be back."
In approximately a half-hour, Vela arrived on Earth, but she had troubles deciding where to land her ship. There were different restaurants to choose from. She passed by an unusual building complex. She peeked down and recognized it.
"Argh! That's where they're keeping Barry."
It was difficult, but she tried to restrain her anger. When she was calmed, she lost her appetite.
"Great," she sighed. "You know what? I'm gonna give that fool a piece of my mind."
Vela landed her ship nearby the prison.
In a few minutes, a prison guard walked to Barry's cell.
"Yo, Barry," he said. "You got another visitor. You seem to be popular lately."
"Huh?" Barry got up from his bed and gave the guard a curious look. "Juno said he'd do something else around this time and Jeff should be doing his usual King stuff."
"Well, you got a visitor anyway." The guard walked off and Barry shrugged.
"I wonder who it is."
"Barry!" Vela's voice boomed down the hallway.
"Huh?" Barry peered into the shadows and recognized a feminine figure approaching him. Vela came into view and Barry jumped from the expression on her face. "Vela?"
Vela stood before Barry's cell. She folded her arms and glared at the startled Tribal. Neither of them said anything for a moment.
"Well," Vela shot at him, "my brother is out on a jungle planet hoping to find something he never will all because of you! I hope you're happy."
"Eh?" Barry tried to smile, "I'm innocent, really."
"I'll believe that when Ray Charles is President of the U.S."
"C'mon, Vela! You gotta believe me."
"No. You were the original Mizar. You plagued us all with a war that threatened planetary systems. You were the only one who knew that Mizar was just a machine. It had to have been you."
"Vela, c'mon. I told all of you what happened. Honestly! I was out cold the whole time."
"Damn it, Barry! You think we're dumb enough to believe that?"
"Geez! You really need to relax, Vela. Even if you think I'm guilty, all of this anger is unnecessary."
"Don't even dare tell me what's unnecessary!"
Barry's eyes widened and Vela grew more impatient. Vela thrusted her arm and pointed at
Barry.
"Stop telling Juno you're innocent! It's already bad enough he's wakin' me up in the middle of the damn night haulin' his shit into that ship. Now you're gonna get his ego started up again."
"Hey, look I'm sorry that he's waking you up… what exactly do you mean by ego? Juno's gonna brag? He don't seem like the bragging type."
"Well, he took all the credit for beating Mizar."
"Oh. So he bragged about beating me?"
"Yeah!"
"What exactly did he say?"
"He uh-," Vela frowned into space trying to remember Juno's exact words. After 10 seconds of nothing, Barry interrupted.
"So, he didn't say anything, did he?"
"Well, he did dance the whole dang night thinking he was all that."
"Juno can dance?" Barry raised an eyebrow. "So, how many nights did he dance?"
"Um, …one."
"One! Out of over three hundred sixty five days, you're still upset over one night? Hmph. I'm surprised you're a Jet Force Gemini."
Vela glared at Barry as he continued.
"And you're this upset at Juno? For something he didn't even do?"
Vela kept silent.
"I'm surprised. Juno told me much about you."
"Hmph!"
"Oh yeah? He said some very good stuff about you! He said he can trust you and don't have to look out for you. He also said he was lucky to be your brother."
Vela eased her frown and looked at Barry. "He said that?"
"Not only said it, he meant it! He really cares for you. He also said he wished he knew what it was he did to you that made you this angry. To be honest, I'd like to know too. What did he do, hit you or something?"
"He didn't hit me."
"Then what, Vela?"
Vela shut her eyes trying to remember her reasons for being angry with Juno. Soon, she began shaking her head slightly until she grew very frustrated and shook her head rapidly. "I don't know…" She threw her arms down ferociously and paced around. "I don't know! I just am!"
"Uh huh!" Barry surmised. "Of course you don't know. He didn't do anything to you. I bet this ain't nothin' but your Cover up Problem."
Vela raised an eyebrow and slowly turned to Barry. She never heard a term like the one Barry just used. "Cover up Problem?"
"Yeah, well, that's what I call it. I did the same thing before I was Mizar. I was really angry about something, but I blamed it on Jeff and the other Tribals instead. They didn't deserve that. It wasn't their fault at all. I was very angry, but instead of confessing it and telling it to someone, I let it consume me. I believed it was the Tribals' fault when in reality it wasn't. Do you see what I mean? Whatever problem you have, you're not admitting to yourself. Instead, you're trying to make up some excuse and blame someone else for it; namely Juno. He doesn't deserve that. No one does."
Vela folded her arms, but she shut her eyes and depressed her head. She was a lot calmer than she was earlier. She reopened her eyes and stared at the stained floor beneath her feet. She didn't have any words to say, not even to herself.
"So, Vela," Barry continued. "Do you want to keep that problem to yourself, stay angry at Juno, and do something you'll always regret like I am here rotting in this cell?"
Vela kept quiet, but she still had a small frown on her face. She wasn't quite as impatient as before. Thanks to Barry, she realized she had been wrongly cold to her brother. Quietness came in between both of them. Barry sat down on his uncomfortable bed, but hadn't taken his eyes off Vela. He didn't expect a response to come, so he decided on being more helpful.
"Or, would you like to tell me what's bothering you?"
Vela jerked her head up. Barry was offering to help her. He pointed to a chair behind Vela and motioned her to bring the chair over. Vela glanced at the chair and back. She glared at Barry for a moment, but Barry was not startled anymore. He sat confidently opposed to Vela's stare. In a few seconds, Vela abandoned her fierce look and headed to the chair. Barry smiled a little. He was confident that things were going to be okay for Vela soon.
Juno found himself at the mining mole's home. Carefully, he approached the door and knocked on it. There wasn't an answer for about a minute. Juno decided to look around a bit more. As he stepped away from the house, there was a rumble in the bushes to Juno's left. Juno braced himself for what ever might have came out. Suddenly, a large white dog lunged itself from the bushes. Juno only gazed at the animal. The dog growled fiercely and prepared to pounce. Juno did not recognize its motions at all. The dog bared its teeth and soon it leapt at Juno. Juno was unprepared for an animal such as that one. The dog fell on Juno and threatened to bite Juno's head. Juno grabbed its mouth and tried to force the dog off of him. Foam dripped from the creature's mouth and onto Juno's suit. The power between the two seemed even. Then another creature walked out of the bushes. It looked at the two on the ground.
"Flopsy? Hey, get off him!"
The dog jerked up and ran to its master. Juno sat up and wiped the foam off his suit. The dog's master walked up to Juno.
"Hey, are you okay man? Sorry about Flopsy here. She's actually quite playful, just as long as you don't move around like some small wounded animal… or Tribal. Heh."
Juno stood on his feet and studied the dog's master. "Hey! You're the mining mole that lives on this planet, aren't you?"
"Yep, that's me. The name's Fernando. Don't nobody get sad or other when they do business with a mole brother."
Juno raised an eyebrow. "Um, good quote."
"Thanks. So, ain't you Juno of Jet Force? What brings you here to my place? There're no Tribals here if that's what you're looking for."
"Actually, I'm here to ask you some questions."
"Questions?"
"Yes, for instance," Juno reached into his suit and pulled out a photograph. He faced it towards the mole. "Do you know this Tribal?" It was a picture of Barry in his kingly outfit with his glowing staff.
The mole's eyes widened. "Uh…" He stumbled in his words, "I- I haven't seen him. Why do you think that?"
"But, he was sentenced here for a year not too long ago."
"I s-still don't know w-what you're talking about."
Juno narrowed his eyes. He knew something was up, but decided not to force information from him. "So, you haven't seen him at all?"
"N-nope! Not at all. Sorry."
"No. Don't worry. I was just looking for information."
"Oh! Of course. Information! That's all. Heh. Sorry I wasn't much help. Now, um, if you'll excuse me, I have some very important business to attend to in my mine."
"Oh. Sure. By all means, go right ahead."
"Thanks. C'mon, Flopsy."
Juno watched Fernando and Flopsy head back towards the mine. Juno narrowed his eyes again and thought, "He obviously knows something about Barry. I guess Barry may be innocent after all." Juno checks his wristwatch. "Uh oh. It's gonna take this much time left just to get back to the ship. I better go ahead and leave."
Juno ran back towards his ship. Meanwhile, Fernando was in one of the rooms inside the mine. Another mole brother was with him, but that mole brother had his attention fixed in the book in his hands.
"That Jet Force guy came back again!" Fernando paced back and forth. "This time he was asking me about Barry. I don't like this. I thought Moyer said the trial went smoothly! This guy must know something." He finally saw that his brother wasn't paying attention. "Hey! Are you listening to me?" Fernando got a closer look at the magazine in his brother's hands. Suddenly, he recognized it and snatched it away.
"Hey!" his brother cried.
"This is my Intergalactic Tribal Porn Magazine!"
"Hey, dude! That ain't cool! Besides, you said I could look at it!"
"That was yesterday, MC! This is today, and I say Hell no!"
"C'mon, man! Quit dissin' me and lemme see the centerfold again!"
"No! This is my magazine!"
As the two brothers bickered back and forth, another mining mole brother strolled into the room.
"Will you two shut up? Damn! I could hear you in the back room!"
"Yo, my bad, Fishface," MC protested, "but Ferny over here is takin' my mags again."
"It's my magazine," Fishface exclaimed, "and stop callin' me Ferny!"
"That's enough!" Fishface screamed. "Geez. We're in a cave for cryin' out loud. I almost hope you cause an avalanche and kill yourselves."
"I got some bad news, bro." Fernando explained. "That Jet Force guy, Juno, came by and asked me about Barry."
"What? Oh, crap. What are we gonna do now? If that Juno figures us out then we're history."
"It seems that Barry has a big mouth," a different voice echoed through the room.
The mole brothers turned around to see a figure in the shadows. "Moyer!" they cried.
"If Juno's been snooping around here," Moyer said, "then that means Barry is probably convincing him to look around here. I was certain no one would believe his story. I guess Jet Force Geminis are that stupid."
"Well," Fishface asked, "what are we going to do then?"
"We must eliminate the problem and cut it from its roots. I will order the Drones to personally escort Barry here. Fernando. You take that mutt of yours and see if you can get to Juno before he gets back to his ship. We can't risk him following up on us. When you find him, kill him immediately."
"Heh. No prob," Fernando answered.
"For the rest of you, make sure that no one finds the Tribals while I'm gone."
"Sure, man," MC confirmed. "We got yo back, bro. Just leave it to us."
"Good. I'm counting on you this time. I'll see you in a few hours."
Fernando, Flopsy, and Moyer left the mine. Fishface and MC remained in the room.
"Yeah, let's do this, bro." MC stuck his fist out at Fishface who just ignored the hand gesture. "C'mon, man. Don't leave me hangin'! Gimme some dab!"
Fishface glared at his brother for a moment and then walked away shaking his head.
"Fine, forget you, fool!" MC yelled back.
Later in the day, Barry managed to get Vela to confess her problems. She had brought the chair in front of Barry's cell and sat in a relaxed position.
"Before Mizar's reign grew severe," Vela was explaining to Barry, "people thought I was just some little bitch just trying to be with her brother. The girls made fun of me saying my breasts were fake and I was just looking for some guy to be with. The guys never appreciated me as a woman; just eye candy. I wanted to prove to them that I was capable of anything and more than the average can do, but I never got a chance to prove what I could really do for many years. When Mizar finally began his invasion, I knew that was my chance to prove myself. As I rescued the Tribals and searched for those missing ship parts, I was preparing myself to take on Mizar. I knew if I helped defeat him that would change those other perceptions about me. I upgraded my ammunition more than Juno or Lupus had done. I was so ready to fight. Then, when I was right there before Mizar, he cornered us and… hey, why am I telling you this part? You were there! In fact, you were Mizar!"
"Um," Barry gulped, "Okay. I knocked you out with energy balls and so when you woke up to discover I was beaten, you were disappointed, right?"
"Yes," Vela sighed. "I thought I'd never get my chance again. Then, we heard about Mizar's return. I thought this time I'd get to defeat Mizar, but no! The same thing happens. I got knocked out again. I don't think I'll ever prove myself."
"I know how you feel, Vela."
She quickly frowned at him. "How the hell do you know how I feel?"
"I guess I'll have to explain my story then. I had a similar problem. My brother was the king and I was stuck with nothing. He got the attention. He had the powers. I didn't have anything. Everyone saw me as just Jeff's brother: no significance. Of course I was jealous, but that was only the beginning. Since I had time to myself a lot, I messed around with little blocks. You know, like those Lego blocks you guys have on Earth. That's when I started discovering my interest in building and constructing. Soon, I got around to mechanics and science. I loved it so much, but the Tribals just thought I was weird. You see Tribals generally do not give in to technology. We're a more "natured setting" species. Tribals mostly tried to keep away from technology. I didn't. I wanted to know more. So sometimes I left Goldwood and went to other planets to learn more about technology. Everyone thought I was crazy, even Jeff. A few years passed, and I had an idea to improve Goldwood with a higher advanced technology similar to Earth. I proposed the idea to Goldwood and the Union, but they denied it. Jeff sided with them. No matter how hard I tried to convince them, they still denied it. The reason was because the planet Goldwood itself couldn't support that much of an increase in technology. Deforestation would jeopardize the planet due to its lack of sufficient water supply. Goldwood doesn't have many huge oceans like Earth, in fact, there is actually more land than water. I knew that was true, but I didn't want to believe it. I thought they were just trying to ignore me because they all thought I was crazy. I especially blamed Jeff, but it wasn't in good reason. It consumed my mind until it became hate. I left Goldwood with hatred against them. That's when I created Mizar and mass production of the Drones and Drone colonies. Only now do I see that Jeff cares for me. I realized I was wrong, and now I have my life to pay for it. So do you see, Vela? I covered up my feelings and emotions by putting blame and hate on someone else. And overtime, I believed in that hate. Now look at me. I am condemned to this prison for six years, and then I die. All of this could have been avoided if I had simply accepted the facts and did not blame anyone. But, no. I did the same thing you're doing now. If you think you feel any worse than I do, c'mon and try me."
Vela kept very silent and thought about everything Barry had said. Her frown disappeared. She sat softly in her chair. Her body was calm, but her mind flowed with many thoughts. She hadn't said a word in a minute.
"Look, Vela," Barry continued, "The trick is to accept the reality of things, but you don't have to accept what those people think of you. You just have to either wait for your opportunity or force a chance to prove yourself without harming any innocent people. Most of all do not get angry and blame someone else. If you feed off that anger, you'll commit something you'll regret doing forever. Know what I'm sayin'?"
Vela peered up at the imprisoned Tribal. Barry sat firmly on his bed. Vela resumed a saddened look. She had no reasons to be angry because her grief was released.
"Maybe I have been hard on Juno," she thought. "Hmm… but I still don't get-"
An explosion boomed outside. Barry and Vela jerked their heads around towards where it came from.
"What the hell was that?" Vela screamed.
"You got me." Barry answered.
Vela ran through the shadows and into the next room. She suddenly stopped to see several Drones fighting off the prison guards. The guards were only armed with nightsticks, unlike the handguns the Drones carried. In close combat, the prison guards were still overtaken. Most of them were shot from a distance. The Drones swarmed the room until the only resistance left standing was Vela. She didn't make any sudden moves to alarm them; however, one Drone prepared a grenade in its hand. When Vela caught sight of the upcoming attack, the Drone quickly threw the explosive towards her. Vela leapt back into the hallway before impact with the grenade. The explosion barely missed Vela as she rolled back to avoid any other damage. The walls and ceiling caved in between Vela and the Drones. Vela got to her knees and tried to reach into her pocket for a weapon, but she only found her red skirt with no pockets at all.
"Damn! I left my weapons in the ship."
Another explosion knocked away the rubble between Vela and the Drones. The smoke cleared and Vela saw a huge Megablaster Drone on the other side with its gun's barrel smoking. The Drones invaded the hallway and stood their ground against the Gemini. Barry peered out of his cell to see what went on.
"What do you bugs want?" Vela yelled.
"We came to get Barry out of prison," the leading bug answered, "That's what!"
Vela gave a harsh scowl, but it wasn't intended for the Drones. She shot her scowl back at Barry who was already shocked by the words of the leading Drone.
"What?" Barry screamed.
"You liar!" Vela protested.
"What? No! I had nothing to do with this! I swear!"
"All of that bullshit you told me back then, it was all a lie, wasn't it?"
"Vela, listen to me! I have nothing to do with this! Everything I said is true! Don't let your anger decide your beliefs!"
Vela ignored Barry and turned back around to the Drones. "I'm not letting you take Barry anywhere!"
"Oh?" the Drone teased, "Bigshot, huh? What's a pretty little bitch like you gonna do? Breast feed me?"
All of the Drones cackled hysterically, but Vela was getting more enraged every second she heard their laughter. Barry wondered whom to worry from more: the Drones or Vela. The leading Drone still laughed. It was only a matter of time before it felt Vela's fist hammering into its gut. The Drone squealed causing the other Drones to cease laughing and find Vela on the attack. They even saw Vela's fist's imprint in the leading Drone's back. Vela kicked the Drone away and darted for the others. The remaining Drones were not ready for Vela's advancement. She gave the nearest Drone a quick roundhouse and headed for the next one. The Drone thrusted its gun at Vela as if the gun was a sword. Vela leaned back to dodge and retaliated with a powerful uppercut to the chin. As the Drone was sent ramming into the wall, another Drone lunged and screamed behind Vela. Vela immediately turned around and ducked her head. The Drone flew over Vela and hit the wall. Two more Drones aimed their guns directly to their enemy. Vela caught sight of them and leapt into the air before they fired. The Drones looked up, but did not react before Vela landed on one of them feet first. It was squished into the floor, but the other Drone prepared to fire at Vela again. This time, she grabbed the gun, snatched it away from the Drone, and delivered the bug another roundhouse. Vela glared at the last three Drones. The last ones were two blue bugs and the Megablaster Drone, but they were armed. The two Drones held their guns like clubs and attacked Vela. They both swung their guns overhead, but Vela dodged by sidestepping between them. One Drone quickly turned around for another overhead swing. Vela blocked the attack with the gun in her hands and kicked the Drone in its waist. The other Drone spun around and taunted Vela; however, it was too close to her. Vela wasted no time side swinging her gun into the Drone's head. The weaker foes were defeated, but Vela heard the Megablaster Drone's gun powering up. She pointed her gun at the Drone as well as the Drone had its gun aimed at Vela. The two stood in a disproportionate face-off. The bug was much larger and bulkier than Vela and possessed a more powerful weapon.
"You lost, Vela," the bug taunted, "Even if we shot at once, that gun wouldn't kill me and my gun would easily blast you to pieces. Drop your weapon."
Vela stood her ground. She didn't drop her gun nor lowered her guard.
"Fine," the bug concluded, "then die!"
The bug's gun powered up for its attack. Vela glowered as she pondered what to do. At the last second, she shoved her gun into the barrel of bug's gun.
"What?" it cried.
The blaster gun fired, but due to the congestion it exploded. The Drone staggered back trying to maintain its balance, but Vela was thrown far back through the hallway. She landed on her back, but she tumbled across the floor until finally stopping on her front. Vela laid there motionless with torn clothes and scars and bruises along her body. The bug growled heavily as he approached Barry's cell. The helpless Tribal stumbled back in fear. The Drone pulled the bars from the door and advanced.
"No!" Barry screamed. "Stay away from me! I don't own you anymore!"
"Shut up. You're comin' whether you say so or not."
With that, the bug knocked Barry in the head. Barry fell to the floor.
"Why," Barry whispered, "why is this happening to me?" He fell into unconsciousness.
The Drone picked up Barry and headed off towards the other room. Soon, the other Drones woke up and staggered back to the other room. As they left, Vela began to come around. She pushed herself up on her hands and viewed the scene. The Drones and Barry were gone. Vela narrowed her eyes as she continued to get up. She grasped her left shoulder and stood on her right leg. She began to run after the Drones, but when she placed her weight on her left leg, she screamed in pain and nearly collapsed. She braced her weight against her right leg. Afterwards, she brought her wristwatch towards her face and pressed one of the buttons on it. The screen on the watch changed to a static screen.
"This is Vela!" She spoke into the watch. "I'm on Earth and there's a jailbreak in progress." She started limping out of the hallway. "Several of Barry's Drones- have broken in and are escaping with Barry. Request backup immediate- ah!" She put too much pressure on her left leg and nearly fell again.
"Vela!" the chief responded through her watch. "You sound injured. Fall back and wait for assistance!"
"Negative, sir! It's just some bruises and I have gems in my ship. I am continuing on this pursuit! Vela out!"
Vela proceeded out of the prison. By the time she was out, the Drones had left in their ship along with Barry. Vela went over to her ship. Inside, she collected a few blue colored gems and held them in her hand. The gems flared into a heavenly light engulfing Vela's ship. The gems dissolved into Vela's hands and caused a tingling sensation throughout Vela's whole body. She couldn't help but to smile as if she were being tickled. Her entire body flashed intensely. She tucked her hands at her waist, closed her eyes, and faced the ceiling. She stood calmly and relaxed. She softly exhaled through the tiny opening between her lips. Finally, the light dimmed down until the ship regained its original lighting. Vela opened her eyes and inspected her body. Her casual clothes were still torn, but her scars and bruises have vanished. She rotated her left arm without any problem. She placed her weight against her left leg and did not feel any pain at all. Then, she kicked with her right leg without feeling any pain. She was completely healed. Without wasting anymore time, Vela headed for the bridge of the ship. She took off for space.
The Drones' ship sped through outer space. There were not followed. Moyer was in the ship thanking the Drones.
"Excellent," Moyer gratified the Drones. "You've done well."
"Sir!" one Drone called.
"What is it?" Moyer turned to the Drone.
"I've just been informed that there're Jet Force ships swarming around up ahead. They're sure to spot us if we continue on this route."
"Great! Take a different route then."
"Right, sir."
The ship took a detour. As it left the area, Vela's ship sped through. The Drone ship was completely out of Vela's view.
"Great. Where are they?" Vela questioned herself. She sat in her seat thinking of what to do. Suddenly, her viewing screen came on and an image of the chief appeared on it.
"Chief?" Vela saluted.
"Vela," the chief asked, "have you been able to find the Drone ship?"
"No, sir. I hate to say it, but it looks like they got away."
"We'll just have to search around. They couldn't have gone far. I've already contacted all of Jet Force and we're on the job. Well, almost all of Jet Force."
"Huh? Almost, sir?"
"That's right. I haven't been able to contact your brother. Do you know where he is?"
"Juno? Uh-," Vela was uncertain of what to say, "He- he's…"
"Vela. Are you trying to hide something?"
"No sir, I'm not."
"Then tell me. Where is Juno?"
Vela sighed. "Juno's at Rith Essa."
"What? Why? He knows we cannot go down there without permission from me and support from Jet Force!"
"He went down there to see if he could prove that Barry's innocent."
The chief glared, but not particularly at Vela. "I see."
Vela closed her eyes knowing the chief was upset. "I- I'm sorry, sir. I should have stopped him."
"Maybe so, but now is not the time to discuss this. So I will speak with Juno personally. Besides, communication is impossible to and from Rith Essa so it'd be best if I talked to him myself. Since Juno is already there, I'm ordering you and Lupus to go down to Rith Essa and see if you can find anything following up on Barry's location."
"Yes sir."
"Good."
Fernando and Flopsy were right on Juno's trail. They kept a long distance away from Juno to avoid being heard or spotted. Juno never noticed them. He was still on his way to the take-off pad.
"Juno sure is in a hurry," Fernando questioned. "We'd better hurry if we're gonna kill him."
Flopsy barked affirmatively, but Fernando was startled. He covered Flopsy's mouth and bent down into the bushes. Juno heard the bark and turned around. He didn't find anything unusual. After the glance, Juno continued to head to the take-off pad. Fernando was still on the ground.
"Don't do that again." Fernando whispered to Flopsy. We can't let him see us or we might not get our chance."
Flopsy whimpered.
After a while, Juno saw the take-off pad over the horizon. Fernando noticed that as his opportunity.
"This is it, Flopsy. He's got his guard down. Get ready to feast."
Flopsy growled silently. She was ready to get Juno. However, Fernando noticed something else. Someone was already at the take-off pad, and there was another ship there.
"What the? Someone's already there! Great! We can't get him now!"
Fernando hid in the bushes while Juno finally noticed someone at the take-off pad too. Juno examined the person until he fully recognized her.
"Vela?" he exclaimed.
Juno rushed over to meet her. Vela was completely in uniform. She folded her arms and looked at Juno coming. Suddenly, Lupus came from around Juno's ship. He barked and smiled at Juno as he came up to them.
"Hey, guys," Juno greeted them, "what's going on? Why are you two here?"
Juno looked beyond his ship. He saw another ship, but it didn't belong to Vela or Lupus. Still, Juno recognized it.
"Isn't that the chief's ship?"
"That's right." Vela confirmed as the chief stepped out of his ship. He approached Juno and glared at him. Juno felt a sense to worry.
"You're in trouble, Juno." Vela explained.
Juno gulped and saluted to the chief. "Sir! What brings you here, sir?"
"You are what brings me here, Juno. Vela tells me you've been coming here without my approval."
"That… is true, sir."
"She also says that you've been trying to help Barry by proving his innocent."
"That… is also true, sir."
"So not only do you defy my orders, but you attempt to assist a terrorist."
"I am sorry, sir. But if I may have a moment to explain my actions, I believe that it's possible that Barry is innocent of the incident involving the second Mizar."
"Well, then maybe this bit of news will change your mind. Barry escaped."
Juno stood surprised. "He what?"
"He escaped, Juno," Vela affirmed, "Believe me. I was there. I'm an eyewitness."
"But how?"
"A few of his Drones broke in and got him out. They're now in space somewhere, but no one knows their location."
"He- couldn't have…"
"He did, Juno. Admit it."
"But-"
"That's enough," the chief interrupted. "I've contacted King Jeff and he has no idea on Barry's whereabouts either. The only other place left to check for clues is Rith Essa. Since you're already here, I'm appointing you three to find anything we can use."
"Uh-" Juno stuttered. "Yes, sir."
"When this is over, you can expect a discussion about your actions, Juno. But for now, if you act to assist Barry in anyway, I will have you arrested for helping an escaped convict. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good." The chief turned to Vela. "Vela, don't let him do anything like that again."
"Yes, sir," She answered.
The chief headed back for his ship. Juno relaxed a bit, but he felt sorry for himself. Vela was considerably angry. Lupus did not show much emotion. Fernando and Flopsy were still in the bushes.
"Great," the mining mole whispered, "Now the others are here. We'd better head back and tell the others. Let's go, Flopsy."
The mole and his pet left the area. By this time, the chief's ship was out of sight. Juno, Vela, and Lupus were silent for a moment. Lupus seemed worried that the two siblings weren't speaking. Juno looked around and did not see Vela's or Lupus' ship nearby.
"Hey, Vela?" Juno asked, "Where's your ship?"
"Since the chief came down too, there wasn't much room for both of us to land. We landed elsewhere. I landed a bit further behind the landing pad, and Lupus landed somewhere behind me. So, have you found anything useful since you've been here?"
"Not anything, but I did find the mole brother that lives here. He obviously knows something. I asked him about Barry, but he denied ever seeing Barry. Barry said that the mole saw him and ignored him during last year."
"Barry's just lying, Juno. He's been lying to you all this time."
"I don't think so, Vela."
"What? And what makes you think Barry isn't lying?"
Juno turned around and closed his eyes. He remembered the battle against the second Mizar. He remembered the state of confusion on Barry's face when the federation took him away. He remembered when Barry was in the cell and they chatted as if they were friends. He remembered Barry's sadness when he talked about him and Jeff. Juno shook his head in disbelief.
"No. I still see Barry being innocent."
"Juno," Vela sighed. "How much longer are you going to deceive yourself? Barry is, has been, and always will be Mizar!"
Juno remembered the mole's uneasiness when he asked him about Barry. He knew there had to be connection. "No, Barry has to be innocent."
Vela rolled her eyes and threw her arms up in frustration. She walked over to the front of Juno's ship, folded her arms, and stood there. Lupus jerked his head back and forth at them. Juno did not take his eyes off Vela. He knew she was mad; however, Juno kept his belief. Vela tried to harness her anger. She wanted Juno realize Barry was guilty, but she couldn't figure out why Juno denied Barry's guiltiness. Suddenly, she heard Juno walking away.
"Hey," she yelled at him, "Where do you think you're going?"
"Barry must have been kidnapped." Juno stopped and turned back to Vela.
"What?"
"That's right. I'm sure of it. That mole knows something. The way he reacted to my question was too suspicious."
"Juno, you're just being an idiot. Barry terrorized and enslaved an entire planetary system. He was… no. He is ruthless! He is deceitful. He was the mind of Mizar. He still is the mind of Mizar."
"He may have been all of that before we defeated him the first time, but don't you remember that he helped destroy the asteroid that nearly collided with Earth?"
"He directed that asteroid to Earth in the first place!"
"Maybe, but he still designed the explosives and gave it to us to destroy that asteroid. I'm just glad we defeated him before the asteroid did collide with Earth because he-"
"What are you talking about, Juno? You're the one who beat Mizar. You are. It was all you! I didn't have anything to do with it. You beat Mizar! Not me."
Juno stood dumbfounded. His eyes zipped back and forth looking for some explanation. Vela quieted down again. Juno finally thought he would not find anything so he asked Vela.
"Um, Vela? How did we get on who beat Mizar?"
Vela said nothing, but the idea finally hit Juno.
"Oh wait! Is this what you've been so angry about? That I beat Mizar and you didn't? Vela, you know I had no choice! Hell, none of us had a choice! Just like when we first saw Mizar. Lupus was the only one who could fight him then! I couldn't help it if I was the last standing! Is that what you're so mad about?"
Vela made no reaction. To Juno, that meant yes.
"Vela, look. If I had things my way, I would have wanted us to fight Mizar together. If I had that power, we would have. But, Mizar was in control. It was his territory. What do you want me to have done back then? Asked Mizar to stop and wait until you woke up?"
Juno waited for Vela to answer, but she remained irritated. Lupus was deeply concerned about them, but he did not know what to do at all.
"I don't have time for this," Juno finished, "I have to help Barry." Juno walked off in the direction of the mole's house, but Vela looked up.
"What? Didn't you hear what the chief just said?"
Juno kept walking. "I know what he said, Vela. But, Barry could be in serious danger. He needs help before something happens to him. I'm gonna get that mole to start talking. Maybe its not too late to help Barry."
Juno was sure of his actions this time. He did not want to waste anymore time. He kept his pace. Suddenly, a Pistol was drawn and reloaded directly behind Juno. He heard the sound, stopped, and stood perfectly still. Lupus couldn't believe what he saw himself. Vela approached Juno with the reloaded Pistol in her hand until her gun was pointed directly behind Juno's head.
"You know I can't let you do that, Juno," Vela explained. "The chief told me to stop you from doing that. Besides, you're only fooling yourself."
"So what else is new?" Juno sarcastically asked.
"I still don't get why you insist on helping him."
"I guess I'm just soft. I noticed something wrong when Barry was taken away, and when he confessed before the court. And, Barry apologized to us and destroyed that asteroid. Why would he go back on his actions? When I talked to him at the prison, he showed care in his brother. He showed shame in his first rule as Mizar. He realized a lot of things and expressed them to me. It seems that someone is trying to frame Barry for some reason. Even if it wasn't true, I had to find out. It wasn't right if I just denied it all. I guess I just want to help anyone in need in the name of good. Even if it's someone like Barry."
"Well, I'm sorry, Juno. I still can't let you go through with it."
"I didn't think you would."
Juno quickly turned around and pointed his Pistol in Vela's face before she could react. "Drop the gun, Vela."
The two siblings stood before each other with Pistols in the other's face. Neither of them had any intention of following what the other said. Lupus jumped to his feet and frantically paced around them. He was very worried, but he had no idea what to do. Both Vela and Juno glared into each other's eyes. Any sudden movement between them could provoke one or the other to pull the trigger. Lupus walked to them and whimpered, but neither person acknowledged Lupus. Lupus looked back and forth wondering what to do. Suddenly, a faint roaring sound caught Lupus' attention. He looked up into the sky and began barking. Juno and Vela still had their guns in the other's face. Lupus barked to them trying to getting their attention, but they still did not move. The sound became louder enough for Juno and Vela to hear. Very slowly, they peeked up into the sky. There was the Drone ship moving across the sky. Vela couldn't believe it.
"That's," she stuttered, "that's the ship! The same one Barry snuck off in."
Juno acknowledged Vela's words. He was certain of Barry's innocence. Juno reached into his pocket and pulled his fist back out. He held it in Vela's face as she still looked up into the sky.
"Vela, look!"
"Huh?" Vela looked back down at Juno's fist.
Juno opened his fist and inside was a flare already activated. The light temporarily blinded Vela. She grabbed her eyes and staggered backwards while Juno immediately ran towards the mining mole's house. Vela quickly regained her sight. She saw Juno trying to get away. She pointed her Pistol at him again.
"Stop, Juno!" she yelled. Juno refused to cease. He ran as fast as he could toward the mole's house. Vela aimed her Pistol at Juno and prepared to fire. Lupus hopped around in front of Vela, but she didn't pay any attention to the concerned dog. The Pistol beeped and targeted Juno. All was left was for Vela to pull the trigger. As she did, Barry's voice popped into her mind.
"If you feed off that anger," Barry's voice echoed, "you'll commit something you'll regret doing forever."
Vela gasped briefly, but she tried to ignore it and took aim again. The voice came back.
"If you feed off that anger, you'll commit something you'll regret doing forever."
Vela's eyes twitched as she tried to narrow them. Her teeth clinched, but her lips shook. Her arm was locked, but her hand quivered. She placed her other hand underneath the Pistol to hold it steadily. The Pistol beeped and Juno was targeted again.
"If you feed off this anger…" the same voiced boomed through Vela's head.
She still shook in her hands and eyes. The Pistol vibrated due to Vela's uneasiness. The gun was unable to keep Juno on target. "I have to stop him!" Vela thought to herself.
"If you feed off this anger…"
Vela gasped again, but tried to ignore it.
"If you feed off…"
"If you feed off that anger…"
"…off that anger, you'll commit something..."
Her Pistol beeped.
"…you'll commit something you'll regret…"
Her Pistol beeped. Vela twitched even more.
"If you feed off that anger, you'll commit something you'll regret…"
"…commit something you'll regret doing…"
Her Pistol beeped.
"If you feed off that anger, you'll commit something you'll regret doing forever."
"…regret doing forever."
"… you'll regret doing forever."
"…forever…"
Vela could not take anymore. She threw the gun down and fell to her knees. Lupus came to her side whimpering and waging his tail. Vela stood on her hands and knees gasping for air.
"I," Vela said, "I couldn't shoot him. I just can't shoot him."
Lupus nudged and licked Vela's arm. Vela felt a little more comfortable. She lifted her hand and petted Lupus' head. Vela gave a weak smile.
"I guess I can't shoot my own brother, can I?"
Lupus licked Vela's cheek. Vela smiled a little more, but got up to her feet. Lupus looked up confused.
"Still, we better find him before he gets himself into trouble. Helping Barry or not, those Drones will kick Juno's ass. Lupus, let's split up. If you get into trouble, contact me… or howl or something."
Lupus barked affirmatively.
Vela walked over to her Pistol and picked it up. Soon, the two Geminis jetted out in separate directions and disappeared into the thick bushes.