Crumford Lorack... the perfect spy, the prowler who would besiege his offer until the last drop of knowledge was gathered out of the unlucky one. This servant of the underworld had not always willingly done private missions. No, rather much he had been a pest, only with the aid of Mira Nova the latest news of the scum had been collected. Nevertheless, things change as the stairway of time is stepped upwards. In the recent years, Crumford had softened, started to help out Star Command voluntarily, although there was always the heated debate about the right price. His services were not cheap, but very efficient.
In the late hours, Lightyear sat still up, fighting the gladiator match against his conscience. Could he do such a thing, to call that creature and ask for his aid?
"I have to. No other choice." With wrinkled eyes, he glared at the opposite wall from his seat for a while, then sighed heavily, taking the route to his vid-phone. A couple of numbers to type... and that it was: a call to Trade World.
"Lorack?" he coughed to the comm. link.
The surprised rat face of the scoundrel appeared to the screen. "What?"
"I have a private job for you. And I will pay well", Buzz answered with a chest tone. The trombone of his conscious kept its hubbub all the time in his brains, but he needed to hush it.
"What kinda gig?" the crook asked suspiciously. It was not quite normal for such a man as Buzz Lightyear to inquire something like that.
"It's easy, easy for you. A little spying. I would do it by myself, but I need to be patrolling with my Team. I pay well, so there should be no problem with that."
"And, no questions. That is my proviso concerning this mission", Buzz noted as if he had been some gangster chief.
In the other end of the comm. device, Crumford agreed to start the job the Captain had offered, yet, with slight distrust.
"You travel now here to Capital Planet, come to my apartment and I'll give you further instructions."
"Now? But how? The flights cost a fortune!"
"I'll pay your flight. Just come now. There may not be much time left and I need this information, what I'm going to ask you to get for me", Buzz concluded and shut down the holo.
Next morning, before Captain Lightyear headed to his work, a rodent stood in front of a single-family house door. The dawn was still weak, the eastern sky showed only some glow. It was cold, hazy, just an appropriate cliché-scene for mysterious happenings.
"165. This is it", the tramp grinned and buzzed the doorbell.
"Ah, you. Come in", Lightyear immediately opened slightly the door, hitching his guest in. The visitor was a bit baffled during the first seconds, but when a bunch of fresh uni-buck notes was slammed into his hand, the expression brightened a thousand times more jocund.
"And, as I said, NO questions." Buzz warned Lorack, his arms folded over his chest.
"Okey-dokey, boss, what'll I do?" the spy chuckled.
"Here's the deal. There is a woman you need to follow. You write down everything she talks to someone, everything she does, everywhere she goes and especially the info if she plans to go somewhere."
"Oo... a love interest?" Crumford blurted without thinking more.
Buzz almost slapped him, such a tantrum that sentence caused in him. "NO! That's the least thing she is. And I said, no questions! Are you taking this job or not?" he shouted, his forehead crimson red.
"S-Sure, no questions! I take it! Just where do I gotta go?" Lorack stammered back, gringing against the wall.
"Her name is Choi Zarah G'Deneb. The leader of a company called Choice Landanah Inc." Next Buzz offered his worker a palm book. "This is for you, for to make notes. You can keep it. The address and sort of information about your target is coded there, subdirectory 'THX'.
Lorack nodded a couple of times under some pondering. "Gotcha there. I'll go, you can count on me that the mission ain't futile."
The door closed noiselessly behind the rodent, leaving Buzz alone to struggle with his wild-yelling conscience.
-------------
Wednesday, Thursday went by as always. The only difference in Zarah's life was the sudden mental pressure in addition of the misery that filled her heart. Her co-workers kept asking why the sudden sad faces she showed. On the other hand, they were granted with no answer from her side. Nervously the hours kept crawling their snail speed... Zarah muttering to herself, "Friday, Friday..."
Choice Landanah Inc. had a secret guest during that particular Thursday. In the vent holes, nooks and dark corners lurked a rat that noted every little detail the chief executive officer did. Thus, in the evening the skulking was satisfied fully, when the shadow typed the speakings of G'Deneb into his tiny computer. For the moment, he lied low in a vent hole, listening to her conversation with the secretary. Choi was planning to travel somewhere, which was as sure as the fact that photon was the transmitter particle of the electromagnetic force.
"No appointments for next weeks. Direct the paperwork to assistant manager Valaanrasva. The purchase offers go straight in the usual way to Mr. P-Rocyon. Make the deadline for my return undetermined", she spoke severe to the comm. link. Oh, only if she had known that there were two eyes staring at her, from minute to minute...
"Hmm... this may interest Lightyear. I bet this is just the stuff he wan'ed to know", Lorack pondered. "Only if she would mention something about the departure... wherever she is then going to."
But that data never slipped out from between her lips. Concerning that topic, they were more intact than the most powerful seal. The only option the rogue alien had was to follow her every step from a foot distance, to assure, where she was heading. At least, it was clear now, that G'Deneb was going somewhere, to spend an unknown time, out there, beyond infinities. When this was announced to Lightyear through the comm. link, the Captain saw that his opportunity had come. With determination, he ordered Lorack to snoop around some more, follow the target to her home, assure when she would leave. Then would be the time for Buzz to let his ship engines hum, too, en route to pursue the Lady of mysteries.
------------
Friday morning... today it would happen... today... today...
Buzz had not slept an inch last night. Although there was such a lack of rest, he was not fatigued at all. No, moreover as nervous as a claustrophobic person locked in a wardrobe. He wandered around the living room, along the same circle, from hour to hour. It was a miracle that the carpet was not worn through.
"Now Lorack is there... in her garage... just a peep in the communicator and it is my turn to do some action..."
He was fully dressed to his space suit, his ship put into shape, loaded with food rations and water for several days. The only thing he needed was the signal.
"Beep."
The Captain was to topple to his own legs. He ripped the communicator lid open and panted into it, "Did she wake up?"
"Yes. Doing breakfast... not yet leaving. You still got time. I make an announce when she comes to tease me here..."
"Fine. When she leaves, you can go. The mission is accomplished, then. You got your money."
"Righto."
Next... Buzz needed to get free from work. If he was going to follow the woman, he could not do it unless he had a legal semester. No one in the universe could tell, how many ages he would have to race with Mrs. Darkmatter. Therefore, with somewhat trembling fingers he dialled the number of Commander Nebula, for to begin a vid-phone session. Soon the face of the moustached man appeared to the screen.
"Lightyear! Good morning, what is it?" Zeb asked.
"Uh... Sir, I'd need to ask for some free from work, I'd have..." Buzz started, his voice almost stammering.
But the Commander only seemed to be delighted about this issue. "No, you go ahead and keep some holiday. I have been watching you and I definitely think you need some rest. I'm glad you noticed it finally yourself, too! Craters!" he laughed.
Buzz stared back at him his eyes round. Was it so easy? And his commanding officer did not even ask where he was going?
"Thank you, Commander, I..."
"No need to thank me, you go on to Mahombus 6 and keep a relaxing break! You got yourself three weeks free, go and enjoy it!"
The comm. link was switched off.
Sweat trickled along the forehead of Buzz. He had a holiday, this easily? "Phew... at least I didn't have to lie. It's already like walking on burning coals, because of my broken morals... I swear I'll do nothing like this ever! Never ever!" Sighing he wiped the cold drops away from his hairline.
"Now I got free from work. No one will wonder anything. Commander takes the care of putting my team in missions; they can survive without me for a while. And that's it, I am hardly gone for a very long time."
After half an hour, his wrist communicator chirped joyfully.
"Lorack here. She's getting on the road." a voice whispered through the ether.
Buzz' whole being jerked. Now? Now!
"You attached the little transmitter under her vessel?" Buzz inquired.
"Sure. Sits there like a chewing gum. She won't notice it."
"Good."
----------------
Exhaling deep and grievously, Zarah warmed up the engines of her personal space ship. Her city speeder was nothing compared to the size of it, this was a vessel manufactured in Xaneda, a gift for her from a special person. Its mighty figure sleeked almost without a sound out of her garage, or more strictly saying private launch deck. Its metal surface shining in the morning sun, it turned about, rose up towards the highnesses, soon leaving the busy and life-swarming Capital Planet behind.
"So... we got 48 hours futile time. Stupid distances." she conjured up the words in her despair, the despair of knowing that her dearest might be endangered.
"Maybe I should not worry... but if... what if something leaks? Who knows, any more...?"
She sniffed teary, snapping the autopilot on. Her ship had reached the outer spheres of her coulisse home planet. The computer would be ready to activate the jump gate to hyperspace as soon as the gravitational field of the particular planet would be too weak to hinder that action.
Behind her in a suitable interval soared the ship of Buzz Lightyear. He monitored the travel advance through an energy reader device... which got its indications straight from the little widget that was attached to Zarah's ship.
"Wherever she is then going, I am going to find it out... and finally meet my lost friend, Warp Darkmatter."
-------Two days later---------
The dark silhouette of Dreadnaught was hard to distinguish against the black background. The only way to catch it with one's eyes was to structinize the absence of stars on its spot. The imminence of evil forces was there to haunt the peaceful Milky Way, once again.
A tall man dressed in purple robes strolled like a bogey in the immense throne room of the ship. From minute to another, he uttered disappointed groans and snarls to everybody around him.
"No new evil plots? No evil email for me? Where is this universe going if there is such a lack of evilness?" Zurg lasered the nearest grub with his finger, continuing the senseless bemoaning.
"But Sir Duke of Dreadfulness, it's the lunch break! All the workers are in the dining room! That's why the Imperial Wile Hall is empty!" the charred lackey whined.
"Then why are you here?" the Emperor fretted.
"I ate already!"
"Then go and make me a malicious manoeuvre!" The loudspeaker of Zurg's helmet distorted into a fierce grimace.
The beetle got his little legs fast and vanished into the shaded entrance corridor.
Nothing new under and over the suns, for Zurg. The usual dogfights with Star Command kept going as evermore, Lightyear ruining his every move towards the Galactic Alliance. In contrast to that, the Emperor had still expanded his reign in Zeta Quadrant, as the Empire collected more allies with dark promises (those were not necessarily intended to keep, because they were dark promises). But somehow the Empire was not that sturdy as it should have been. No. That was because when the octopus gathered more tendrils from one side, they were cut away and sliced from the other direction. Star Command's defence against his might was growing, they even dared to attack his quarters, nowadays.
There was one major reason, why the Zurgean realm was afflicted. There was the shortage of a skilled henchman -or moreover an apprentice. Oh the times when Warp Darkmatter had been there to help Zurg with his quick wit and cunning intelligence. He had been the perfect one... until the Emperor had designated him the one mission... that was supposed to bring a mighty, new energy producing form to the whole Dark Empire.
"But what did he do? Failed it, failed it with the worst possible means! Fell in love with his prey, deceived me, deceived the dark side... Quasars, how did he do such poor choices? He was a man with wicked talent, heart as cold as solid hydrogen... cynic, self-serving, my best worker ever! But now he, that cursed Judas, is cosmic dust... how did he ever let the darkness wander away from his heart? That is something I shall never comprehend..." the Emperor meditated while he sat down to his throne. Staring at the yellow, gigantic izzard decorating the opposite wall, he continued his roving thoughts.
"That is my symbol, the sign of my might, the might of Zurg... but who shall be there if I pass away... the age will take me someday... although no one knows me being just a normal mortal. Therefore... I have to find an apprentice. Sooner or later. But there has been no prominent candidates this far... only..." The red glow in the eye sockets of his helmet turned distant, letting the glare fade.
"...Lightyear... if only, if only... If only he could be turned... but he is the favourer of that idiotic Alliance, oh why, oh why. If his skills and zeal would be canalised to serve the dark side, what a glorious future there would be! The evilness would rejoice, the black holes and white dwarfs unite to the sinister symphony..."
Zurg woke up from his dreams to the creak of his own fingers.
"But that hardly happens. Whatever I try, whatever I attempt, I will never get him to my side..." he cursed. "I shall not tolerate that! I shall try... maybe I should turn to plot more against him than the Galactic Alliance, so one day he would find himself on Planet Z, ready for a little manipulation..."
The izzard on the opposite wall kept arresting Zurg's eyes.
"It should have been that from the beginning on! Why did I ever let him join Star Command? A prominent rookie... and what did he turn out to be? Why was I not there to hinder it... maybe the power of the dark side was not enough strong in me, yet, to understand, what kind of menace he would come to be..."
A peep of one grub burst his thought bubble.
"WHAT?" Zurg bellowed.
"Your evilness, there is a ship detected in the near space..."
The Emperor got some inspiration into his gloomy thoughts. "Where? Where is it going?"
"Come and see, we are not sure, what it is."
At the monitor of the control room, Zurg inspected the holo that showed a small vessel gliding in the vacuum. It seemed to be without a proper destination, or then it was attempting to land, because the inertial engines were on.
"Hmm... does not look like a Star Command personnel ship... but what would anyone do here..." he fingered his helmet.
The fact was that Dreadnaughts current hovering site was near Xaneda. It had no significant purpose to be there, Zurg was only lightly interested about the activity in the mining moon, but nothing more remarkable.
"That may be some private vehicle that is heading to the mines of Deneveria. Well... snap on the magnetic grid and suck the ship in, whatever it is, then. Maybe we can profit something, if we examine the crew a little bit... Jim-kraken-dandy..." the Emperor gloated when thinking about a coming torture session.
"You get the aliens out of it when it is in, put them in the jail chamber to wait. I'll check them later", were his last words.
What Zurg did not know, was that the particular ship was Buzz Lightyear's private vehicle and just dived out from the hyperspace.
to be continued........