Chapter Five: Decisions, Decisions
Rick sighed, knowing that he couldn't hold on forever, even with his enhanced grips from his hands. "Damn... I should've tried building a jet pack or something!" he yelled, as he began to try and pull himself up. A violent shudder rippled through the framework of ship and then through his grip, causing him to nearly let go of the railing. "Nova, cut off emergency beacon!" he yelled, while trying to get his feet onto the hull of his ship. All the while, he wondered if he'd survive this encounter with the pirates. "I surrender, for crying out loud! Help me out!"
----
"Teasel! That kid's barely hanging onto his ship now!" Tron exclaimed, circling around the slowly ascending ship in her hawk-like craft. She thought for few seconds before grinning, and nodding to herself. She hands went into motion, making the levers they control twist and turn, pulling back and then pushing them forward before pressing a button to lock the levers in place before she picks up the control stick and maneuvers her machine down to the barely hanging on, armored figure. "Don't move kid, and I'll pick you up. We may be pirates, but we're not heartless!"
With that, she dove in slowly closer, where the metal talons of the feet of the aircraft had been set into a platform-like stance. "Climb on! I'll drop you back onto the deck, then you turn yourself over to us. That, or we'll blast you out of the skies!" Tron said, even as the armor-clad person clambered onto the outstretched claws. Grinning to herself as she maneuvered the Fokker Falcon, Tron knew that if the kid was honorable, he was theirs now. A moment later, she could even feel the burden in her mech's claws lighten, as the armor clad individual jumped off and onto the top deck for a moment, quickly disappearing below and into the ship. After another moment, Tron sighed, and smiled, as she saw the ascending ship level out. Suddenly, the kid's voice rang out over the communication speaker.
"Alright... you've got me. Tell me where to go with my airship, and I'll do what you need... and, as for attacking you guys, I am sorry. I guess I was still angry about a few years ago." The voice said, and Tron smiled, turning on the optical feed. She chuckled softly before speaking. "Ok, kid, but no funny stuff! We still have you outnumbered, and outgunned. If you're good, we'll let ya go after helping us out, got it?" she responded, even as she fed coordinates to a place where they could all meet. "Understood. Shall I race you there, or shall I just wait for ya?" a laugh rang out over speakers, and Tron grinned mischievously. "A race then! But, no fighting, got it?" The armor-clad head on Tron's screen nodded, and then the link was cut. She turned the turbines to full on her own craft, seeing as how the kid's own ship began to shoot up to take the lead. "Teasel, I have him under control. Meet you at the base, okay? We're gonna have a race!" and then the com-link was turned off with a flick of a switch as they began their friendly race.
----
About 30 minutes later, they reached the base. Rick never once used his afterburners, knowing it would've given him an unfair advantage. However, he still won the race, and it was a lot of fun, too. The ship went in for a 'wet-dock', letting the frame rest in the water to keep it from using refractor power. Tron's mech, however, landed in a hangar not too far away. Sighing a little bit, Rick took off his helmet, and left the cockpit and then the Shadow Nova. After coming out to the dock, he looked back in the direction he'd come from, and was surprised to find a large ship making its way toward the small island base. "Must be a heck of an engine on that huge thing..." he muttered, shaking his head as he turned back toward the base. He found that there were two large cannons pointing toward his ship, and a multitude of bomb firing cannons aiming at him. Between two of the bomb-cannons, however, was a door. In front of the door, he saw, was Tron herself.
"Well kid, you've certainly been annoying today. Welcome to the Bonnes Base" she exclaimed, walking towards Rick slowly, moving away from the safety of the bomb cannons. She was wearing the same kinda outfit from a couple years ago, he noticed- Pink and black, with the gray, circular skull on her chest. The outfit seemed a little bulkier than normal clothing should be. 'She's probably armored' he thought, as he ran a hand through his hair slowly, watching the girl walk up to him. "Now, kid... first things first. What's yer name?" she asked, looking to him. "My name is Rick. If there's something I can do to pay for the three Draches I shot down, please let me know? If you want, I have the schematics of my afterburner engines..."
Tron nodded, somewhat eagerly, as she neared him. "That's a good start, and easily worth the price of one of those Draches you shot down. But, I want design specs for your armor, as well as your help with my Draches. You shot down three, and I want at least one rebuilt, and more powerful than before, got it, Rick?" she said, coming close enough to stab a finger against his chest plate, a resounding ring came from the touch of her armored finger. "Got it... Tron, right?" he said, and Tron nodded to confirm that. "Alright then, Rick. Go get the information I want, then come back here. We'll start to work with upgrading a special mech of mine. Let's just say that it'll give even your armor a run for its money. If you do a good job, perhaps we'll even help you with your armor."
Rick nodded, and then walked over to the door to his airship and opened it. He looks back to Tron, and smiles, even as he hung the helmet up inside. "Would you like to see inside my ship? I know it was made out of a few of your Draches... as well as parts from your Bruno mech." He grinned slightly. Tron, on the other hand, was stunned by that information. The only Draches that hadn't been recovered were the ones they'd lost while the Blumebears fought Mega Man in downtown Kattlelox. As for the Bruno mech, they never had enough time or manpower to recover the pieces- the attacking wild dogs made it nearly impossible for her Kobuns to retrieve the remains. "No wonder that thing was so well built..." she said to herself, and walked over to the ship, walking in as Rick held the door for her. She stepped off to the side, inside the airship, and shook her head, looking around. The walls had been painted a light red color, with a dark green along the bottom half of the walls. There were two doors immediately ahead of her, along the wall, and then there was a door to the left. "Welcome to the Shadow Nova, Tron. Built from several Draches, leftover parts, and reaverbot shells, I managed to upgrade your designs, while keeping the cargo capacity. The speed is about 50% better, and is even faster when I kick in the afterburners. It may not have VTOL capabilities in the traditional sense, but the tilt wings make it even easier, and almost as stable, as normal VTOL abilities." He said, grinning.
"If you come over here, to the left, you will find the cockpit," and with that, he turned to the door, opening it. Tron walked in, and smiled mischievously as she looked around at the small room. "Not very roomy, is it?" she commented, walking over to the pilot's seat. "Nope... If you hadn't made your Servbots so small, I might have been able to expand the cockpit a little more." He said in return, and Tron just laughed, even as she pushed the button near the control stick. Rick blinked in surprise as he heart the wing servos move, and the engines flare to life. "Um, Tron... I thought we were going to get the information you wanted?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure, a little later, okay? I want to try flying this thing. Now, turn on the com-link so I can tell Teasel what's going on, okay?" she said in return, grinning as they cleared the base and she pressed another button, causing the wings to move back into place so they move horizontally and not vertically. Rick walked over to the co-pilot's seat, and pressed the button on that side for the com-link. "Go ahead Tron. You're on."
----
"Just what is going on here? We're not close enough, or fast enough, to catch that thing! If that kid goes at full speed, we may never catch up with that brat!" Teasel exclaimed, jumping up from the captain's chair in anger. He was more worried about Tron, however, than the kid. He doubted that the kid in that airship would hurt Tron, but it was still a possibility they couldn't afford. She was, after all, the best mechanic they had! Most importantly, she was part of the Bonne family. She had saved him from their debt, helped to save Kattlelox Island, and indeed, helped to save the entire world two years ago. Suddenly, the intercom came on, and Teasel sat down, relieved to hear the voice on the other end. "Teasel, this is Tron. I'm in control of the airship, and I'm gonna go ahead and take it for a test run. The kid's agreed to help improve our forces, to pay for the damage he's caused." Teasel sighed, and then grinned slowly.
"Good to hear Tron. We'll meet you at the base soon. Happy flying!" Teasel responded, and then stretched a little bit. The sun was going down, and the sky was beginning to darken already. "All in all... not too bad. We didn't lose too much money today." He said to himself, and waited for the Gesellchaft II to reach its landing bay on their island base. I hope she knows what she's doing, he thought to himself, and reclined in the chair a little bit... or so he thought, just as the chair fell back and he hit his head on the metal floor. A loud yell could be heard throughout the entire ship. "Owwwww!"
Rick sighed, knowing that he couldn't hold on forever, even with his enhanced grips from his hands. "Damn... I should've tried building a jet pack or something!" he yelled, as he began to try and pull himself up. A violent shudder rippled through the framework of ship and then through his grip, causing him to nearly let go of the railing. "Nova, cut off emergency beacon!" he yelled, while trying to get his feet onto the hull of his ship. All the while, he wondered if he'd survive this encounter with the pirates. "I surrender, for crying out loud! Help me out!"
----
"Teasel! That kid's barely hanging onto his ship now!" Tron exclaimed, circling around the slowly ascending ship in her hawk-like craft. She thought for few seconds before grinning, and nodding to herself. She hands went into motion, making the levers they control twist and turn, pulling back and then pushing them forward before pressing a button to lock the levers in place before she picks up the control stick and maneuvers her machine down to the barely hanging on, armored figure. "Don't move kid, and I'll pick you up. We may be pirates, but we're not heartless!"
With that, she dove in slowly closer, where the metal talons of the feet of the aircraft had been set into a platform-like stance. "Climb on! I'll drop you back onto the deck, then you turn yourself over to us. That, or we'll blast you out of the skies!" Tron said, even as the armor-clad person clambered onto the outstretched claws. Grinning to herself as she maneuvered the Fokker Falcon, Tron knew that if the kid was honorable, he was theirs now. A moment later, she could even feel the burden in her mech's claws lighten, as the armor clad individual jumped off and onto the top deck for a moment, quickly disappearing below and into the ship. After another moment, Tron sighed, and smiled, as she saw the ascending ship level out. Suddenly, the kid's voice rang out over the communication speaker.
"Alright... you've got me. Tell me where to go with my airship, and I'll do what you need... and, as for attacking you guys, I am sorry. I guess I was still angry about a few years ago." The voice said, and Tron smiled, turning on the optical feed. She chuckled softly before speaking. "Ok, kid, but no funny stuff! We still have you outnumbered, and outgunned. If you're good, we'll let ya go after helping us out, got it?" she responded, even as she fed coordinates to a place where they could all meet. "Understood. Shall I race you there, or shall I just wait for ya?" a laugh rang out over speakers, and Tron grinned mischievously. "A race then! But, no fighting, got it?" The armor-clad head on Tron's screen nodded, and then the link was cut. She turned the turbines to full on her own craft, seeing as how the kid's own ship began to shoot up to take the lead. "Teasel, I have him under control. Meet you at the base, okay? We're gonna have a race!" and then the com-link was turned off with a flick of a switch as they began their friendly race.
----
About 30 minutes later, they reached the base. Rick never once used his afterburners, knowing it would've given him an unfair advantage. However, he still won the race, and it was a lot of fun, too. The ship went in for a 'wet-dock', letting the frame rest in the water to keep it from using refractor power. Tron's mech, however, landed in a hangar not too far away. Sighing a little bit, Rick took off his helmet, and left the cockpit and then the Shadow Nova. After coming out to the dock, he looked back in the direction he'd come from, and was surprised to find a large ship making its way toward the small island base. "Must be a heck of an engine on that huge thing..." he muttered, shaking his head as he turned back toward the base. He found that there were two large cannons pointing toward his ship, and a multitude of bomb firing cannons aiming at him. Between two of the bomb-cannons, however, was a door. In front of the door, he saw, was Tron herself.
"Well kid, you've certainly been annoying today. Welcome to the Bonnes Base" she exclaimed, walking towards Rick slowly, moving away from the safety of the bomb cannons. She was wearing the same kinda outfit from a couple years ago, he noticed- Pink and black, with the gray, circular skull on her chest. The outfit seemed a little bulkier than normal clothing should be. 'She's probably armored' he thought, as he ran a hand through his hair slowly, watching the girl walk up to him. "Now, kid... first things first. What's yer name?" she asked, looking to him. "My name is Rick. If there's something I can do to pay for the three Draches I shot down, please let me know? If you want, I have the schematics of my afterburner engines..."
Tron nodded, somewhat eagerly, as she neared him. "That's a good start, and easily worth the price of one of those Draches you shot down. But, I want design specs for your armor, as well as your help with my Draches. You shot down three, and I want at least one rebuilt, and more powerful than before, got it, Rick?" she said, coming close enough to stab a finger against his chest plate, a resounding ring came from the touch of her armored finger. "Got it... Tron, right?" he said, and Tron nodded to confirm that. "Alright then, Rick. Go get the information I want, then come back here. We'll start to work with upgrading a special mech of mine. Let's just say that it'll give even your armor a run for its money. If you do a good job, perhaps we'll even help you with your armor."
Rick nodded, and then walked over to the door to his airship and opened it. He looks back to Tron, and smiles, even as he hung the helmet up inside. "Would you like to see inside my ship? I know it was made out of a few of your Draches... as well as parts from your Bruno mech." He grinned slightly. Tron, on the other hand, was stunned by that information. The only Draches that hadn't been recovered were the ones they'd lost while the Blumebears fought Mega Man in downtown Kattlelox. As for the Bruno mech, they never had enough time or manpower to recover the pieces- the attacking wild dogs made it nearly impossible for her Kobuns to retrieve the remains. "No wonder that thing was so well built..." she said to herself, and walked over to the ship, walking in as Rick held the door for her. She stepped off to the side, inside the airship, and shook her head, looking around. The walls had been painted a light red color, with a dark green along the bottom half of the walls. There were two doors immediately ahead of her, along the wall, and then there was a door to the left. "Welcome to the Shadow Nova, Tron. Built from several Draches, leftover parts, and reaverbot shells, I managed to upgrade your designs, while keeping the cargo capacity. The speed is about 50% better, and is even faster when I kick in the afterburners. It may not have VTOL capabilities in the traditional sense, but the tilt wings make it even easier, and almost as stable, as normal VTOL abilities." He said, grinning.
"If you come over here, to the left, you will find the cockpit," and with that, he turned to the door, opening it. Tron walked in, and smiled mischievously as she looked around at the small room. "Not very roomy, is it?" she commented, walking over to the pilot's seat. "Nope... If you hadn't made your Servbots so small, I might have been able to expand the cockpit a little more." He said in return, and Tron just laughed, even as she pushed the button near the control stick. Rick blinked in surprise as he heart the wing servos move, and the engines flare to life. "Um, Tron... I thought we were going to get the information you wanted?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure, a little later, okay? I want to try flying this thing. Now, turn on the com-link so I can tell Teasel what's going on, okay?" she said in return, grinning as they cleared the base and she pressed another button, causing the wings to move back into place so they move horizontally and not vertically. Rick walked over to the co-pilot's seat, and pressed the button on that side for the com-link. "Go ahead Tron. You're on."
----
"Just what is going on here? We're not close enough, or fast enough, to catch that thing! If that kid goes at full speed, we may never catch up with that brat!" Teasel exclaimed, jumping up from the captain's chair in anger. He was more worried about Tron, however, than the kid. He doubted that the kid in that airship would hurt Tron, but it was still a possibility they couldn't afford. She was, after all, the best mechanic they had! Most importantly, she was part of the Bonne family. She had saved him from their debt, helped to save Kattlelox Island, and indeed, helped to save the entire world two years ago. Suddenly, the intercom came on, and Teasel sat down, relieved to hear the voice on the other end. "Teasel, this is Tron. I'm in control of the airship, and I'm gonna go ahead and take it for a test run. The kid's agreed to help improve our forces, to pay for the damage he's caused." Teasel sighed, and then grinned slowly.
"Good to hear Tron. We'll meet you at the base soon. Happy flying!" Teasel responded, and then stretched a little bit. The sun was going down, and the sky was beginning to darken already. "All in all... not too bad. We didn't lose too much money today." He said to himself, and waited for the Gesellchaft II to reach its landing bay on their island base. I hope she knows what she's doing, he thought to himself, and reclined in the chair a little bit... or so he thought, just as the chair fell back and he hit his head on the metal floor. A loud yell could be heard throughout the entire ship. "Owwwww!"