Cerulean Skies
(Author's notes: First story of the ten story long series. Yes I know, don't give me that look. This will go by, slowly but surely, my writing style will change so be warned. Jet Force Gemini and its characters are © to Rare Other characters are © to Jennifer D. a.k.a. Dim Labyrinth )
Chapter 1
The Ferashi Assassination
Location: Ferashi Interplanetary Inc., Sedern World: Terra II, Solar
The skyscrapers loomed above the figure running down the sidewalk towards the one hundred-story building at the very end. Her leather trenchcoat a deep blue in shade billowed out behind her trim figure. Locks of baby blue hair fell from underneath the black cap she wore on her head. Metallic boots thudded onto the concrete walkway, catching the light every now and then.
Vela Emerald Santaro, stepped down towards the alley of the large building. It loomed towards the night sky like a hand reaching out as a cry for help. That was how she saw it. This whole city seemed to be like that, seeing as crime. and traitors run so much of the city.
Vela sighed, watching her breath twist in the cool night air. Her wide navy blue eyes watched it fade into the darkness. The crescent moon hovered in the blackish-blue sky, alone and deprived of the shimmering stars that accompanied it in the heavens above. The city lights dimming the natural beauties from the onlookers' eyes.
The heavy sounds of her black boots echoed over the walls of the business buildings that surround her from east to west. Nearing the dead end of the alley, which was clearly marked by a chain mesh fence surrounded by boxes of cardboard and more garbage cans. The woman slowed her paces to a halt as she laid a pale hand onto the cold metal, turning her head to stare up at the corporate building, Ferashi Interplanetary Inc. with a stern expression forming in her angelic face. She reached over to her belt and grabbed a radio from it with a small tug. A simple press of the button sent the radio on, with a crackling of static being all she could hear at first from the ear piece in her left ear, and she winced from the loud scratching sounds that raged war on her eardrum. The static soon faded and the deep, masculine voice replaced the annoying noise.
"Vela? What is it?" the words of her beloved twin brother were short, and in the midst of it, he sounded a little bored. Even when she tried not to, she had to smile at that tone of his.
"I'm in the alleyway next to the target. So get your butt in gear and help me!" Vela scolded into the metallic box, narrowing her wide eyes of navy blue when she heard his laugh echoing in her mind. "You didn't have to smell this shit down here, Juno! Now hurry up!"
"Alright, alright! I'll be there in a few minutes." Juno's voice faded out, and Vela turned the radio off and hitched it to her belt once more. With an already frustrated look, the young officer from the Federation's Jet Force military leant against the steel creation with her arms crossed. Why couldn't she have done the easy part of infiltrating the building, instead of her brother? She was just as good at playing the role of a perspective creditor for the company, but in truth she knew what General Larkin was putting in consideration; the twins pros and cons. While Vela filled an extra course in the academy's schedule with more spy and target training, Juno had taken up learning different fields in business and politics. Now he had a chance to test his memory, and apparently done an excellent job. as usual.
Probably to forget about Miryani. She thought to herself with a frown forming as she looked over the filthy alley, and wondered how someone could live in a place like this. Her thoughts diminished completely as a thick strand of rope hit the brim of her cap, knocking it forwards just slightly. Vela, with a grunt of surprise, placed the hat back onto her head comfortably, and turned to look up at the gray building; seeing the disappearance of Juno's palms, retreating into the window of the twentieth floor of the one hundred and fifty floored building.
Sighing, she grabbed the thick rope and tied it tightly around her slim waist, and gave a tug at the end of it when she was finished. The rope tightened, and with Juno's strength, she felt her feet lifting off the pavement and began to rise from the black cement. Vela let herself fall backwards and into an almost horizontal position as she let her feet touch the cemented frame. With her brother still pulling her up, she scaled the building with slow and steady paces, her mind completely focused on the task at hand. She was at the seventeenth floor, when a sudden flash of luminous light hit her shaded eyes.
In the icy grip of terror she felt at being caught, she swung her body away from the window on the left, her foot barely stable on the sill's edge. Vela quickly took notice of the dangling strand of slackened rope just within view of the window's position, and pulled it towards her with hope of not attracting the security. She had already tugged on the rope twice, ceasing Juno's pull; and when she looked up she could see the worried expression on her brother's face, although the lack of light shadowed much of his face. Vela felt her entire body go rigid as the adrenaline entered her bloodstream, awaiting the guard to open the window and look out and catch her. But nothing had happened, as the guard figured that he must have imagined whatever it was, and the fluorescent rods turned off. She exhaled the breath of air she had held in her lungs and her brother had started to pull her up once more towards the twentieth floor.
It was a few minutes until her brother's strong arms lifted her through the window and into the pitch-black room that was an executive's office. Vela had taken the opportunity to remove her favorite pair of glasses and tucked them safely inside her cloak, blinking her wide eyes as Juno turned on a flashlight directed towards her. She took the handle of the torch, while he turned on the other one that he had taken for himself. Vela was already scrutinizing the large cedar desk, that held several neat tan folders, an expensive computer, several pads of paper and pens, as well as a business type phone in milk white color. Vela could tell by just looking at the desk this person hated clutter with a passion.
"I've already checked the folders atop the desk, they hold nothing on that virus." Juno muttered barely audible to his twin. Vela looked up from reading the somewhat boring files, staring at him before nodding and placing it back with the others.
"Well, do you know where they would hold files on their weaponry and such?"
Juno nodded, "Yes, I know it's on the top floor. A secret passage is inside Ferashi's office. I didn't get a chance to check for it though, but that's what I overheard some scientists saying."
"Than what are we waiting for? Lead the way O' Great One." Juno sighed inwardly at Vela's last comment. He knew well she was only joking but he had never tried to sound bossy when giving orders, and just the fact she says things like that can aggravate him. He turned on the heel of his black leathered shoe, and headed for the large steel door that led into the main hallway and stairs. His suit's pants made little swishing noises as he walked, but took little notice of it. The large jacket he wore over his broad shoulders was also black, with a white silk shirt and black tie hidden under the collar. Vela had made a joke that if he dyed his hair black he'd look like the legendary James Bond, much to his amusement. Attached to his belt were two silenced pistols, and a few smoke grenades. A thick belt lay over his shoulder, where a shotgun hung from it, glinting its cobalt blue finish in the light of Vela's flashlight.
A light sound of the sliding door opening into the dimly lit hall met the ears of the two Gemini fighters. A wave of darkness swallowed them up as they passed through the doorway, and the soft hiss of the door shutting after them closed them off from the organized office. Juno looked about from where Vela's flashlight touched: several more doors, a janitor's closet, and a few water coolers. No guards were to be seen.
"There's an elevator down this hall, it'll take us up to Ferashi's office. You take the lead, I'll watch our backs."
Vela smirked, "Fine with me."
She stepped ahead of her brother, walking with a casual pace and a nonchalant look to her face. The flashlight she carried danced over the floor and up the walls of the hall not expecting anything to attack her. Her 'soldier' mind had taken its place, recording all the visuals and sounds that came from within the straight forward corridor; the sounds of water droplets falling from the cooler, her brother's light and easy paces, the clicking of her heeled boots hitting the metal floor, the glow of the flashlight. Everything was being registered in that state of mind that she had called upon countless times to save her butt out of a dangerous situation. It became her best friend on the battlefield, and she did not mind relying on it for other occasions too. Many had to learn that the hard way, which was too bad for them.
In the back of her mind, she had wished that Lupus, the canine mascot of the Gemini squad, had been here to help out. His senses were far better than that of the twins and he could've been a real use to detect hostilities in the building. But Lupus had been badly injured a few weeks ago, in a fight against a lieutenant drone of Mizar's army. He'll live, but he won't go into action for several more weeks at the least.
The bright light she carried fell onto the steel frame of the elevator, several meters in front of the twins. The twins started towards the elevator with quicker paces in the eagerness of ending this covert operation, and getting to see the look on Kenneth Ferashi's face when the Federation officials came to arrest him. Both Juno and Vela had known the wealthy, middle-aged man well. He had, for several times tried to get the twins parents to ship out weapons and such to other wealthy creditors looking to end a war with their rival companies; and through all those times their parents would refuse. Juno had come to believe that Ferashi was the one that hired the space pirates that killed his and Vela's parents; the man seemed to be the only one against the family during that time.
Vela was already standing in front of the two doors, reaching out a single pale finger to summon the elevator. A small chime sounded over her, and she stumbled back in surprise, not taking notice of Juno reaching for the silencer at his side when she looked at him. The double doors slid open with the same sound to that of the office door. A slender guard walked out of the elevator, caught up in the contents of a magazine of the adult genre, unaware of the twins. The soft click of a bullet entering the chamber of a handgun caught his attention. With his head raised he stared straight into the eyes of Vela herself, and dropped the magazine to the floor in shock.
Before the guard could pull the Falcon2 pistol from the holster and say a word, Vela sent a kick straight into the air towards the man's face. The thick heel of her boot caught him under the chin, with his head snapping backwards as he sprawled out onto the floor unconscious.
"That was easy." Vela said in amusement, taking a grip on the unconscious man's wrist, and help her brother drag the man into a cramped broom closet. She slid the door shut after her, picking up the magazine from the floor and tossing it down the garbage chute with a nonchalant move.
"We've wasted enough time," Juno said, in a strong voice, "Let's get going."
Vela had already pressed the button for the elevator before Juno could finish the sentence. He shook his head slightly, but kept his hand on the handle of the Vektor just in case. The doors slid open, revealing no guards, just a small cleaning vacuum making its way out and down the hall. The twins stepped into the room, Juno pressing the button for the top floor, and a small jolt rocked the rising floor before speeding up towards the destined location. The lights were bright inside the room, unlike the hall and Vela blinked her eyes several times to adjust. Soft music floated down from two small speakers in the corner and she frowned at the slow paced and particularly boring sounds.
"Just for once I'd like to go into an elevator that plays normal music." She said to her brother staring straight into his eyes of emerald green. Juno just smiled, not letting the starting conversation take his mind off the task at hand. For several weeks he had shut himself up from the rest of his team and his sister, whenever he spoke to them the topic of his ex, Miryani would come up. He was still having trouble recovering from the broken heart she had left him with, and this had worried his team for quite a long time. Instead of addressing the event in a more positive look, he had drowned his sorrows in his work instead. In his current state of mind he had decided to give up on girlfriends, dates, and the arguments that ended the relationships, and that the life of an unmarried man sounded better.
The familiar chime resonated once more, and the steel doors slid open reveal a single, long corridor. A small buzz came from the further end of the hallway, possibly leading from the records room they were searching for. Vela reached for the magnum at her belt and pulled the silvery iron out from the holster. Pressing the button on the flashlight to turn it back on again the straight hall lit up from the ray of light. The hallway was carpeted in the deep color of midnight blue and vermilion swirls mixing about in the carpet in graceful patterns. Expensive paintings created from a skillful and talented hand hung on the walls, with vases of varied colors and sizes sat on the floor each holding several types of flowers or a small sapling of a tree. There were one huge window that showed the most incredible view of the city at night, tall black buildings decorated with the tiny yellow squares of light surrounded by midnight blue sky, and in the distance the crescent moon climbed higher.
The two twins walked quickly down the hall towards the large double doors made of old fashioned wood and iron hinges. The sounds of their feet hitting the carpet was low, yet enough to alert any possible guards that remained on the top level. Yet the corridor was straightforward and the thought of any enemies waiting to ambush them was highly unlikely. There was hardly a place for them to hide anyway.
Juno had been first to reach the doors, glaring at the lock through narrow eyes. A black device was screwed tightly into the redwood over the right door handle, with several buttons in white, red, and green, and a thin slot for a keycard to slide through. Vela looked over the device for a few moments, moving her hand to her back pocket and pulling out a small decoder she handed it quickly to Juno. He thanked her as he placed the decoder onto the lock, and pressed the button. A small buzz emitted from the decoder and numbers flashed over the screen in a blur. The machine turned off at the sound of the doors unlocking, and Vela took the decoder back into her pocket.
Juno opened the door and stepped inside, searching over the incredibly sized office. A broad wood desk sat in the middle of the same carpeted room. Several paintings of the corporate executives of Ferashi's past, as well as the founder of the whole business hung on the walls. Vases and pots of flowers and ferns were placed in the corners of the room. Drapes in vermilion red covered the large window that was placed behind the desk. The young man stepped quickly over to the desk itself looking it over, before sitting down in the leather chair behind it and began to search through the desk drawers for anything useful.
Vela had already made her way into the office, searching the walls for anything that may conceal a door inside the stylish room. She placed a pale hand upon the wall; feeling for anything that didn't seem like it should be there. She couldn't feel anything unusual as she checked all of the walls by herself. Juno had seemed completely caught up in an opened agenda that was left in one of the drawers, trying to read the sloppy writing as best he could. Vela's wide eyes looked over to the column of white marble built into the wall to give the room more of an old fashioned feel. She ran her index finger over the line of a column near the back of the office. The line itself was apparent and a little too obvious to be ignored by someone for too long. What caught most of her interest on this one, was the fact that this was the only one with a line between the marble and wood. Her finger stopped when she felt the fake plastic in the form and color of marble. "Juno!" Juno stood up, taking a tight grip on Ferashi's agenda; and half ran to his sister.
"I think I found it." The female soldier nodded, and pressed her finger into the thin plastic barrier, hitting the hidden button it covered. A loud whooshing sound came, and half of the wall slid back into itself, revealing a steel corridor that lead into a room three times the size of Ferashi's own office.
"Good work," Juno whispered to her with a nod, walking into the corridor with Vela following quickly. There were still bright lights on, and they could clearly hear the voices of three or four guards talking. Juno pulled out the Vektor once more, waiting for Vela to do the same. He felt the cold steel in his hands as he snuck up towards the opening, making sure his shoes made as less noise as possible. There was still a slight 'click' from Vela's boots but the noise of the guards talking covered the sound. Vela snuck down the corridor, being as silent as she could; her back pressed against the wall and the magnum at eye-level with her. Her steps slowed as the neared the entrance, being as secretive as possible. Juno had taken the lead with his back against the steel wall, not facing the security. Vela leaned a little to the side seeing the shadows of five security guards standing on the western wall, talking to each other in boring conversations. She beckoned her brother over to her so he could see the shadows and figure out what to do. Juno sighed quietly, letting his hand push back the strands of fiery red hair away from his face, only to have it fall back in front again.
"Shit," he grumbled, taking notice of the shadow of a shotgun on the far wall. All five guards were unaware of the twins, they all thought that no one would try to steal anything from their employer, and they certainly had enough firepower to stop anyone from doing so as well.
"Larkin said that there would be more heavily armed guards in the building, and he did give us permission to kill them if they get in our way." Vela whispered to her agitated brother.
Juno only shook his, wanting to kill someone human was his last resort in this operation; drones were one thing but the life of a human was another. He looked out towards the five guards, his mind racing to figure out how to get past them without hurting them too much. He had an idea suddenly and turned to his sister.
"Vela, did you bring the tranqs?
"Yea, I have them here," She whispered back, pulling the bag off her belt filled with cleaned needles full of the sleeping syringe to put a man to sleep. She pulled out the single black gun that the tranquilizers went with and handed the equipment to Juno. He nodded his head opening the barrel of the gun and placed five of the small needles inside the black steel. The small yet sharp click from the chamber shutting and setting the first needle in place. Juno switched places with his sister, getting a clear firing shot at the five guards. He stretched out his right arm, narrowing his eyes and pulled on the trigger of the gun, and a needle was fired. The syringe cut through the air like knife through hot butter, hitting its mark on the nearest guard, and he fell to the floor when the drug was in his bloodstream. Two more went down to the floor in deep sleep, and by then the two remaining men ducked behind the file cabinets. They searched through the room for anything suspicious that brought down three of their co- workers. Only peeking their heads out for a short moment. The one wielding the shotgun peeked out of the cabinets, turning towards the entryway. He saw movement!
He raised his weapon and fired, several powerful rounds collided into the wall, and the sound of a woman shrieking could be heard. The muscular guard smirked and rushed towards the area, with his silver-haired co-worker keeping a careful watch on his back. The taller and powerful man turned the corner, and met with Juno's fist rushing right into his face. Startled, the man stumbled back in pain and shock; causing him to drop the shotgun that landed with a clatter onto the steel floor. He opened his brown eyes to watch the man who struck him jump into the air, sending a kick straight out underneath his chin and caused him to be instantly unconscious as he sprawled onto the floor. Juno had forgotten about the other man, who took aim with the pistol in his hand and fired as well. He was quick enough to avoid being shot in the chest, but the bullet nicking his arm was enough of a pain that caused him to wince. Vela grabbed the tranquilizer gun from off the floor, rolling on the floor past her stunned brother, firing another syringe into the man and he fell back against the wall, asleep. She stood up and holstered the weapon. She laid a thin hand onto her brother's upper arm, the sleeve stained with blood from where the iron struck.
"I'll be all right, don't worry about it." Juno responded brushing her hand gently away from him. He walked over towards the file cabinet and began to open a drawer. His eyes searched over the files and he could catch the sounds of Vela searching through those on the other side. Several files on other weaponry that have been created for use in the United Planetary Space Federation. But from what he had read in Ferashi's journal; not all of his manufactured goods were going to where they were supposed to go.
He remembered when he was still a young boy, of a quick little war that reduced the tropical planet, Saifr, to mere debris and led a race of intelligence into extinction. The weapon used in that battle was from Ferashi's company.
He eyed another drawer and opened it, working quickly to get out of here before five men wake up, and he knew well that his sister was keeping an eyes on them as best she could. A white folder caught his attention and he pulled it out of the pocket, and opened it up.
"Vela I found it, radio Labyrinth and Joker, and tell them to meet us on the roof!"
Vela turned on her heel, raising an eyebrow in surprise. She noticed the look her brother gave her and grabbed the radio, switching it on. She reported to their two comrades of their discovery and where they would meet before she switched it back off. Her brother already taken pictures of the papers with his camera and than placed the folder back into the cabinet. He nodded his head to her as they began to make their way out of the room, since it lacked windows. They traveled down the corridor, the sounds of their shoes echoing over the closely formed walls, until they were back into Ferashi's office. Juno ran towards the window and threw the glass panel up. He leaned over to look up, seeing a small jet in black with a single red stripe over its canopy hovering just over the roof, barely visible. He stepped onto the fire escape, and reached for Vela, taking a hold of her hand he guided her out the window. Vela already began racing up the stairs, when another explosion of bullets smashing through the window caused her to stumble. She winced as her knee hit the metal step. Juno responded to the noise, raising the Vektor at eye level and fired a few rounds into the guard they had met at the elevator. Blood splattered over his chest, and he slid a few feet back, staining the carpet with his life force. Apparently he didn't come alone as more guards opened fire on Juno, missing as he ducked out of the way. Juno tore up the steps as fast as he could, almost tripping as the bullets just barely missed him. His eyes focused on his sister, being pulled up by Terrance and he turned to empty a few more rounds into the pursuing guards until the magazine was empty.
"Juno hurry your ass up! We ain't got time for this!" Terrance's voice echoed over the sounds of the chambers unleashing their deadly fury. The leader of team Gemini turned immediately, racing over the paneled roof. At the helm, Amber had already controlled the ship to rise up as the guards now fired at the ship and her commander. Vela grabbed her magnum, firing into the crowd with fury, the loud booms from the silver steel almost deafening. Juno jumped up into the air and grabbed the railing underneath the jet, and swung his athletic body up onto the bar before jumping in. Vela fired at least five more times before Terrance slammed the hatch shut, ordering Amber to get them out of there.
Back on the roof the guards screamed in anger, their profanities being carried by the back wind of the ship as it tore off into the horizon.
Location: Gemini Base Planet: Goldwood, Iredea system Time: 09:58
"I be da masta!" Terrance Arashii shouted as he jumped into the living quarters of the team's base. His wide smile flashed full of ivory white teeth as if it could blind, and he leant his muscular body against the wood molding that decorated the doorframe. He ignored the annoyed glances he received from the rest of his teammates as they sat about watching the morning news. All except for two people at least.
"Hey where'd Boss-boy and V-Babe go to?" he asked, walking into the room and taking a seat next to Amber on the couch. "They went to see King Jeff and the council. Lord knows how long it'll take before they're back." Warren replied, keeping his eyes concentrated on the screen, showing the latest reports of a bombing that was from Mizar's raiders on a small town on Terra III, Terra II's sister planet that was located near the Trevanic system. The newswoman was pointing behind her towards the debris of what used to be a courthouse, now toppling piles of bricks on the ground.
"Three people were killed and eleven others seriously injured from the attack that witnesses indicated from raiders of the Tyrant Mizar's army. Citizens in this small town community had thought they would be safer here, but it seems now that nowhere is safe."
"They got that right." Cory grumbled under her breath, pushing separate strands of cobalt black hair from her violet colored eyes. She sitting on the couch next to her boyfriend Trace, her knees tucked up against her, as an elbow was propped onto the armrest of the sofa. Other than Trace, she was the only member on the team with a brown skin color like chocolate, unlike the others who were paler in contrast to her. She wore a fancy white sweater in lace and leather pants in black that clung to her attractive figure. She was the first to join with Juno and Vela when Juno had decided to revive the Gemini team once more, and it wasn't for any reason. Cory Janelle Washington had proven to be a very successful spy during her training in the Jet Force military academy on Terra III, she had an intelligent mind and had no second thoughts of laying her life on the line. She had high grades and tied for first with another young woman who trained with her in the same class. Her marks and the fact she already had experience from three very successful missions made the twins ask for her to be transferred to them.
On the floor next to her was the mascot Lupus, still recovering from his wounds in a deep sleep, despite the ruckus early that morning. Cory let down a long fingered hand and scratched the brown-furred canine behind the ears.
Trace Chisa had a darker complexion compared to his lover. His hair was cut close to his scalp, black as the night and his eyes the unusual shade of Jaded green. His build was muscular, and he stood the tallest over the others, yet behind his gentle looks he was egotistical man who loved nothing more than to talk mainly about himself. Yet his skills as a pilot were of the elite, he was hardly asked for anything else. He wasn't trained in close-quarters battle like the others, and because of that reason he was usually left with protecting the ship until the team was finished with their mission. Even more unlike Cory he wasn't willing to die for the sake of anyone. Well, no team is perfect anyway.
Terrance cracked his knuckles on both hands, possibly to get some kind of attention, but the rest were fixated to the television screen. Terrance was slightly taller for his age, with narrow, joyful eyes of crimson blood, and hair the color of bronze, a little long in the front and shorter in the back. He was the jokester of the team, preferably why his codename is 'Joker' and can spew out the most perverted, disgusting, and disturbing jokes anyone's ears will ever hear. Mostly to torment his team for his own amusement. Other than being a natural born fighter, Terrance is an accomplished musician and hopes to start a band in his twenties, once the wars were over with, at least. Despite his mocking and somewhat annoying nature, Terrance is known for being one of the most reliable soldiers in the army today.
Next to him Amber cast a glance over towards her teammate, and whether it was amused or disgusted. no one could tell. Her eyes were a little larger, and more almond shaped than the other females, in the deep color of twilight blue. Making it easier for her to accomplish the sad-puppy-eyes. Her hair was of equal length and hung a little past her shoulders, of pale tan pigments. She, like Trace, was an excellent pilot as well, and also does rather well on the battlefield. Some think that she's too pretty to be in the military, but Amber has a strong and defiant soul, anyone who knows her so well can tell you that.
Aside from Vela, Amber, and Cory, Aurora Kobre is the only other female on the Gemini team. Due to her planet's atmosphere and race she is quite pale, almost as white as a ghost. Her eyes were of normal size in the color of electric yellow, and her hair was black with blood red highlights. Aurora has a good sense of magic, yet it is difficult for her to call on any forces because of her weak, untrained state. Aurora's past is quite difficult, she in actuality, is a three-year-old girl not the eighteen-year- old woman. It was from a spell cast over her by her grandfather, after her mother had relations with a man her grandfather did not approve of. Despite her losing her childhood she is the sweetest of the group, the most caring and tries her best at everything she does. An incredibly good fighter as well, since she trained with both Cory and Terrance.
"Reports also indicate that raiders have been seen over the skies of Terra II and also over the still forming Terra IV. A representative of General Larkin of the Jet Force Military, states that Mizar may be attempting to take control of Terra IV, to make a better base than that on the Meteor Ichor."
"Now I wouldn't be surprised if that happened," Forrest Solheim replied, shaking his hair of gold locks and his platinum eyes looking down in concentration. Forrest, as the others, is an excellent fighter. Also the inventor of the group, making his own devices or somehow getting them from his brother on the original Terra. He was a little shorter than most of the men, but has a muscular body that several woman could not complain too much about. He wore a pair of blue jeans, with a white T-shirt that slightly exposed his chest muscles.
"Especially since the Jet Force officials keep expecting an attack from Ichor. Not that'll make much difference anyway, we can still kick their ass." The second in command of the Gemini team, Benjamin Mattocks added with a chuckle. He rested on a chair with his royal blue eyes intent on the screen, his light brown hair was still a little wet due to having taken a shower earlier on, and sitting on his lap, his adopted daughter Colleen still slept. Like Juno, Benjamin had to have a quick mind, and could figure out a way out of situation with very little bloodshed, even though he can't quite keep his cool when in laser fire. He was transferred from the Capricorn team when Vela declined having the position of second command and suggested that Benjamin would be better at running the team if anything happened to Juno.
The last member of the group had known Juno and Vela Santaro the longest. Warren Williams was last to be called onto the team, due to having been working with his uncle on the Warship Hunter. After the Hunter's final battle, Warren was transferred to the Gemini team, being one of the few survivors. He and the twins known each other since their childhood, since both their parents worked with each other. His father, Roger, had been a wealthy businessman and the Santaro family worked for him. After the death of James and Nona, they never saw each other until Warren's transfer. So the three friends were happy to see each other.
"Now we'll turn over to Marcus Assel with news upon Terra II." The anchorwoman announced and the image of undernourished looking man appeared.
"Hey turn it up! I bet it's about Ferashi's arrest!" Amber said, her voice raising excitedly.
"But so soon?" Forrest asked, looking at the now silent Amber who only shrugged her shoulders in having nothing to say. Aurora stared absently at the television, the words of the newscaster sinking in with the others.
"This morning, police officers arrived at the manor of the wealthy businessman Kenneth Ferashi due to a call from one of his servants. When police from Sedern appeared at the scene, they found Ferashi dead in his private library. Reports say that this was the work of contract killers and the cause of his death was by a large knife through the back of the neck, which was than twisted to ensure fatality."
The words droned on, Warren being unable to handle it, got up and left the room. Benjamin sighed turning the television off, as no one could quite comprehend what he or she had just heard, until Terrance stood straight up from his chair in anger. "I don't believe it! We had that son-of-a-bitch in the palm of our hand, and now he's dead!"
"Seems like someone hated him a lot more than we did." Aurora spoke, standing up so that her clothes straightened out to show her figure, "I know when Juno and Vela find out they're going to be pissed."
Location: Goldwood Parliament, Iredea City Planet: Goldwood, Iredea system Time: 10:00
A loud yawn filled the hall as the warm air escaped Vela's lips. Her pale hand covered it and her eyes closed for a few moments, before reopening. She was loyally following her brother, although to her tired state he looked as if he was running. Which didn't aid her well due to wearing high- heeled shoes that made it difficult for any woman like herself to move fast in. She was wearing her uniform, a large jacket in military green adorned with medals on the left side, a white blouse with a black tie and a long skirt in green that hemmed just above her knees. In her arms she carried several folders that contained the camera shots Juno had taken last night during their infiltration of Ferashi's building.
Juno walked slightly ahead of her, his steps quick and easy. He wore the same military green colors, with the medal-adorned jacket and long pants. His shoes had been polished so many times you could just see your reflection in them. On his head was a hat that showed the emblem of the Jet Force military, with strands of his vermilion shaded hair falling from beneath his hat to frame his face. Attached to his belt, his beloved Vektor sat silent in its holster.
The hallway was bright from the fluorescent lights above in the ceiling, reflecting the bright chartreuse color of the carpet. Paintings adorned the walls, and where there were windows, drapes hung, pulled away from the glass to allow in the sunlight. Every now and then a member of Jet Force or someone who worked for the parliament would pass them by, too busy to say hello. It didn't matter anyway, their minds were too caught up in the war just like everyone else is that lived in the Solar or Iredea star systems.
The pure white iron and smooth cement of Goldwood's capitol city, Iredea, named after the galaxy, glistened in soft white light from the system's sun. Children played out in the sidewalks, or in the two major parks located within its limits, while the adults ran about with their own errands. It was a Saturday morning, and rather warm for an early spring, and every plant there holding the color of green and many others as well. The peaceful scenario that characterized this city hid the fear of another attack from the Tyrant Mizar and his army.
Juno came upon the meeting room door, and pushed it open. The meeting room was of a good size place to host such important topics within the political and military events. A large rectangular table placed in the middle, several windows were opened to let in the fresh air and sunlight, which was why the lamps were not lighted. The walls were whitewashed and held wood molding along their sides. Paintings of various elements of nature hung on its surface and behind the seat at the head of the table, the emblem of Goldwood hung triumphantly. The Tribal King, Jeff, looked up as the door opened and greeted the twins as they made their way inside.
"Good morning you two, please sit down," he said, waving his paw towards the two empty chairs at the table. King Jeff had certainly changed in appearance, his green tunic was no more. He now wore black slacks with a fancy white silk shirt and satin red vest and over his shoulders a black cloak. His pearl white fur was combed out and his brown umber hair cut perfectly.
After the war with the first Mizar, who turned out being his brother Barry, Goldwood and the rest of Iredea began to gain a more technological hold with the help of Terra. This helped in the war with the new Mizar, who proved tougher than the first and the war, itself prolonging into its fourth year.
Next to King Jeff, sat Goldwood's ambassador Magnus, the old Tribal himself was a color of deep forest green yet the hairs were slowly starting to dull and gray, showing his age. He smiled to Vela as she down in the chair next to him, and than nodded to Juno as he sat. On the other side of Jeff was the Union's representative Midge, a Tribal as well with his fur shaded a dark sapphire blue, still showing his younger age than Magnus. A newspaper was in front of his face, completely lost in the contents of the black ink print. But when he heard Jeff speak he looked up and smiled, folding the thin sheets and placing them in his bag. Sitting next to him was General Larkin from Terra II and is the one who also oversees the battles within Iredea. Huson was running late, helping with the clean up on Terra III after a raid late last night.
"Alright now that everyone is here," Jeff said, sitting up stiffly in his chair, "we can get this meeting underway. What have you found?"
"Vela and I believe that we've uncovered why Mizar's forces have gotten such powerful weapons, Ferashi has been selling them to him. Without the knowledge of neither our own forces nor the forces of the Sedern Police Department. I also have reason to think Ferashi had developed something that Mizar had already received." Juno reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out Ferashi's black agenda he had taken last night. He flipped through several of the pages, before finding what he needed and handed it to Jeff.
"A virus, since when would Mizar have interests in diseases?" "I don't think he would, unless it was something devastating." Vela replied her head was tilted forward and resting her chin with both hands, loose strands of her hair falling in front of her face. Already she looked slightly bored.
Magnus reached over and took the book from Jeff's paws, staring at the sloppy writing trying to make sense of the jumbled word that ended what had been last written in.
"Bli. Blieta.? Oh I give up." he grumbled and handed it back to Jeff, "how can anyone read that?"
"I believe it reads 'Blietanuer' but I have no idea what language it evolved from." Juno said once more. He glanced across the table to the silent general Larkin. His large arms crossed in front of his chest and his expression seemed deep in thought.
"I believe we have what we need now. To prove Ferashi is a traitor to the Union and Federation. We will discuss this 'Blietanuer' thing later." Jeff stated, standing from his seat. Yet his eyes stayed glued onto the words.
The door that led into the room was opened quickly, startling the group as the slim figure of Miryani McTerasin appeared, her deep violet eyes had widened a great deal. Taking notice of Juno whom looked in the opposite direction, avoiding her face.
"Miryani! What is the meaning of this!?" Larkin shouted, standing up and looming over the table like a mountain.
"Sir, news from Terra II." She replied, saluting him, "Ferashi had been assassinated!"
(Author's notes: First story of the ten story long series. Yes I know, don't give me that look. This will go by, slowly but surely, my writing style will change so be warned. Jet Force Gemini and its characters are © to Rare Other characters are © to Jennifer D. a.k.a. Dim Labyrinth )
Chapter 1
The Ferashi Assassination
Location: Ferashi Interplanetary Inc., Sedern World: Terra II, Solar
The skyscrapers loomed above the figure running down the sidewalk towards the one hundred-story building at the very end. Her leather trenchcoat a deep blue in shade billowed out behind her trim figure. Locks of baby blue hair fell from underneath the black cap she wore on her head. Metallic boots thudded onto the concrete walkway, catching the light every now and then.
Vela Emerald Santaro, stepped down towards the alley of the large building. It loomed towards the night sky like a hand reaching out as a cry for help. That was how she saw it. This whole city seemed to be like that, seeing as crime. and traitors run so much of the city.
Vela sighed, watching her breath twist in the cool night air. Her wide navy blue eyes watched it fade into the darkness. The crescent moon hovered in the blackish-blue sky, alone and deprived of the shimmering stars that accompanied it in the heavens above. The city lights dimming the natural beauties from the onlookers' eyes.
The heavy sounds of her black boots echoed over the walls of the business buildings that surround her from east to west. Nearing the dead end of the alley, which was clearly marked by a chain mesh fence surrounded by boxes of cardboard and more garbage cans. The woman slowed her paces to a halt as she laid a pale hand onto the cold metal, turning her head to stare up at the corporate building, Ferashi Interplanetary Inc. with a stern expression forming in her angelic face. She reached over to her belt and grabbed a radio from it with a small tug. A simple press of the button sent the radio on, with a crackling of static being all she could hear at first from the ear piece in her left ear, and she winced from the loud scratching sounds that raged war on her eardrum. The static soon faded and the deep, masculine voice replaced the annoying noise.
"Vela? What is it?" the words of her beloved twin brother were short, and in the midst of it, he sounded a little bored. Even when she tried not to, she had to smile at that tone of his.
"I'm in the alleyway next to the target. So get your butt in gear and help me!" Vela scolded into the metallic box, narrowing her wide eyes of navy blue when she heard his laugh echoing in her mind. "You didn't have to smell this shit down here, Juno! Now hurry up!"
"Alright, alright! I'll be there in a few minutes." Juno's voice faded out, and Vela turned the radio off and hitched it to her belt once more. With an already frustrated look, the young officer from the Federation's Jet Force military leant against the steel creation with her arms crossed. Why couldn't she have done the easy part of infiltrating the building, instead of her brother? She was just as good at playing the role of a perspective creditor for the company, but in truth she knew what General Larkin was putting in consideration; the twins pros and cons. While Vela filled an extra course in the academy's schedule with more spy and target training, Juno had taken up learning different fields in business and politics. Now he had a chance to test his memory, and apparently done an excellent job. as usual.
Probably to forget about Miryani. She thought to herself with a frown forming as she looked over the filthy alley, and wondered how someone could live in a place like this. Her thoughts diminished completely as a thick strand of rope hit the brim of her cap, knocking it forwards just slightly. Vela, with a grunt of surprise, placed the hat back onto her head comfortably, and turned to look up at the gray building; seeing the disappearance of Juno's palms, retreating into the window of the twentieth floor of the one hundred and fifty floored building.
Sighing, she grabbed the thick rope and tied it tightly around her slim waist, and gave a tug at the end of it when she was finished. The rope tightened, and with Juno's strength, she felt her feet lifting off the pavement and began to rise from the black cement. Vela let herself fall backwards and into an almost horizontal position as she let her feet touch the cemented frame. With her brother still pulling her up, she scaled the building with slow and steady paces, her mind completely focused on the task at hand. She was at the seventeenth floor, when a sudden flash of luminous light hit her shaded eyes.
In the icy grip of terror she felt at being caught, she swung her body away from the window on the left, her foot barely stable on the sill's edge. Vela quickly took notice of the dangling strand of slackened rope just within view of the window's position, and pulled it towards her with hope of not attracting the security. She had already tugged on the rope twice, ceasing Juno's pull; and when she looked up she could see the worried expression on her brother's face, although the lack of light shadowed much of his face. Vela felt her entire body go rigid as the adrenaline entered her bloodstream, awaiting the guard to open the window and look out and catch her. But nothing had happened, as the guard figured that he must have imagined whatever it was, and the fluorescent rods turned off. She exhaled the breath of air she had held in her lungs and her brother had started to pull her up once more towards the twentieth floor.
It was a few minutes until her brother's strong arms lifted her through the window and into the pitch-black room that was an executive's office. Vela had taken the opportunity to remove her favorite pair of glasses and tucked them safely inside her cloak, blinking her wide eyes as Juno turned on a flashlight directed towards her. She took the handle of the torch, while he turned on the other one that he had taken for himself. Vela was already scrutinizing the large cedar desk, that held several neat tan folders, an expensive computer, several pads of paper and pens, as well as a business type phone in milk white color. Vela could tell by just looking at the desk this person hated clutter with a passion.
"I've already checked the folders atop the desk, they hold nothing on that virus." Juno muttered barely audible to his twin. Vela looked up from reading the somewhat boring files, staring at him before nodding and placing it back with the others.
"Well, do you know where they would hold files on their weaponry and such?"
Juno nodded, "Yes, I know it's on the top floor. A secret passage is inside Ferashi's office. I didn't get a chance to check for it though, but that's what I overheard some scientists saying."
"Than what are we waiting for? Lead the way O' Great One." Juno sighed inwardly at Vela's last comment. He knew well she was only joking but he had never tried to sound bossy when giving orders, and just the fact she says things like that can aggravate him. He turned on the heel of his black leathered shoe, and headed for the large steel door that led into the main hallway and stairs. His suit's pants made little swishing noises as he walked, but took little notice of it. The large jacket he wore over his broad shoulders was also black, with a white silk shirt and black tie hidden under the collar. Vela had made a joke that if he dyed his hair black he'd look like the legendary James Bond, much to his amusement. Attached to his belt were two silenced pistols, and a few smoke grenades. A thick belt lay over his shoulder, where a shotgun hung from it, glinting its cobalt blue finish in the light of Vela's flashlight.
A light sound of the sliding door opening into the dimly lit hall met the ears of the two Gemini fighters. A wave of darkness swallowed them up as they passed through the doorway, and the soft hiss of the door shutting after them closed them off from the organized office. Juno looked about from where Vela's flashlight touched: several more doors, a janitor's closet, and a few water coolers. No guards were to be seen.
"There's an elevator down this hall, it'll take us up to Ferashi's office. You take the lead, I'll watch our backs."
Vela smirked, "Fine with me."
She stepped ahead of her brother, walking with a casual pace and a nonchalant look to her face. The flashlight she carried danced over the floor and up the walls of the hall not expecting anything to attack her. Her 'soldier' mind had taken its place, recording all the visuals and sounds that came from within the straight forward corridor; the sounds of water droplets falling from the cooler, her brother's light and easy paces, the clicking of her heeled boots hitting the metal floor, the glow of the flashlight. Everything was being registered in that state of mind that she had called upon countless times to save her butt out of a dangerous situation. It became her best friend on the battlefield, and she did not mind relying on it for other occasions too. Many had to learn that the hard way, which was too bad for them.
In the back of her mind, she had wished that Lupus, the canine mascot of the Gemini squad, had been here to help out. His senses were far better than that of the twins and he could've been a real use to detect hostilities in the building. But Lupus had been badly injured a few weeks ago, in a fight against a lieutenant drone of Mizar's army. He'll live, but he won't go into action for several more weeks at the least.
The bright light she carried fell onto the steel frame of the elevator, several meters in front of the twins. The twins started towards the elevator with quicker paces in the eagerness of ending this covert operation, and getting to see the look on Kenneth Ferashi's face when the Federation officials came to arrest him. Both Juno and Vela had known the wealthy, middle-aged man well. He had, for several times tried to get the twins parents to ship out weapons and such to other wealthy creditors looking to end a war with their rival companies; and through all those times their parents would refuse. Juno had come to believe that Ferashi was the one that hired the space pirates that killed his and Vela's parents; the man seemed to be the only one against the family during that time.
Vela was already standing in front of the two doors, reaching out a single pale finger to summon the elevator. A small chime sounded over her, and she stumbled back in surprise, not taking notice of Juno reaching for the silencer at his side when she looked at him. The double doors slid open with the same sound to that of the office door. A slender guard walked out of the elevator, caught up in the contents of a magazine of the adult genre, unaware of the twins. The soft click of a bullet entering the chamber of a handgun caught his attention. With his head raised he stared straight into the eyes of Vela herself, and dropped the magazine to the floor in shock.
Before the guard could pull the Falcon2 pistol from the holster and say a word, Vela sent a kick straight into the air towards the man's face. The thick heel of her boot caught him under the chin, with his head snapping backwards as he sprawled out onto the floor unconscious.
"That was easy." Vela said in amusement, taking a grip on the unconscious man's wrist, and help her brother drag the man into a cramped broom closet. She slid the door shut after her, picking up the magazine from the floor and tossing it down the garbage chute with a nonchalant move.
"We've wasted enough time," Juno said, in a strong voice, "Let's get going."
Vela had already pressed the button for the elevator before Juno could finish the sentence. He shook his head slightly, but kept his hand on the handle of the Vektor just in case. The doors slid open, revealing no guards, just a small cleaning vacuum making its way out and down the hall. The twins stepped into the room, Juno pressing the button for the top floor, and a small jolt rocked the rising floor before speeding up towards the destined location. The lights were bright inside the room, unlike the hall and Vela blinked her eyes several times to adjust. Soft music floated down from two small speakers in the corner and she frowned at the slow paced and particularly boring sounds.
"Just for once I'd like to go into an elevator that plays normal music." She said to her brother staring straight into his eyes of emerald green. Juno just smiled, not letting the starting conversation take his mind off the task at hand. For several weeks he had shut himself up from the rest of his team and his sister, whenever he spoke to them the topic of his ex, Miryani would come up. He was still having trouble recovering from the broken heart she had left him with, and this had worried his team for quite a long time. Instead of addressing the event in a more positive look, he had drowned his sorrows in his work instead. In his current state of mind he had decided to give up on girlfriends, dates, and the arguments that ended the relationships, and that the life of an unmarried man sounded better.
The familiar chime resonated once more, and the steel doors slid open reveal a single, long corridor. A small buzz came from the further end of the hallway, possibly leading from the records room they were searching for. Vela reached for the magnum at her belt and pulled the silvery iron out from the holster. Pressing the button on the flashlight to turn it back on again the straight hall lit up from the ray of light. The hallway was carpeted in the deep color of midnight blue and vermilion swirls mixing about in the carpet in graceful patterns. Expensive paintings created from a skillful and talented hand hung on the walls, with vases of varied colors and sizes sat on the floor each holding several types of flowers or a small sapling of a tree. There were one huge window that showed the most incredible view of the city at night, tall black buildings decorated with the tiny yellow squares of light surrounded by midnight blue sky, and in the distance the crescent moon climbed higher.
The two twins walked quickly down the hall towards the large double doors made of old fashioned wood and iron hinges. The sounds of their feet hitting the carpet was low, yet enough to alert any possible guards that remained on the top level. Yet the corridor was straightforward and the thought of any enemies waiting to ambush them was highly unlikely. There was hardly a place for them to hide anyway.
Juno had been first to reach the doors, glaring at the lock through narrow eyes. A black device was screwed tightly into the redwood over the right door handle, with several buttons in white, red, and green, and a thin slot for a keycard to slide through. Vela looked over the device for a few moments, moving her hand to her back pocket and pulling out a small decoder she handed it quickly to Juno. He thanked her as he placed the decoder onto the lock, and pressed the button. A small buzz emitted from the decoder and numbers flashed over the screen in a blur. The machine turned off at the sound of the doors unlocking, and Vela took the decoder back into her pocket.
Juno opened the door and stepped inside, searching over the incredibly sized office. A broad wood desk sat in the middle of the same carpeted room. Several paintings of the corporate executives of Ferashi's past, as well as the founder of the whole business hung on the walls. Vases and pots of flowers and ferns were placed in the corners of the room. Drapes in vermilion red covered the large window that was placed behind the desk. The young man stepped quickly over to the desk itself looking it over, before sitting down in the leather chair behind it and began to search through the desk drawers for anything useful.
Vela had already made her way into the office, searching the walls for anything that may conceal a door inside the stylish room. She placed a pale hand upon the wall; feeling for anything that didn't seem like it should be there. She couldn't feel anything unusual as she checked all of the walls by herself. Juno had seemed completely caught up in an opened agenda that was left in one of the drawers, trying to read the sloppy writing as best he could. Vela's wide eyes looked over to the column of white marble built into the wall to give the room more of an old fashioned feel. She ran her index finger over the line of a column near the back of the office. The line itself was apparent and a little too obvious to be ignored by someone for too long. What caught most of her interest on this one, was the fact that this was the only one with a line between the marble and wood. Her finger stopped when she felt the fake plastic in the form and color of marble. "Juno!" Juno stood up, taking a tight grip on Ferashi's agenda; and half ran to his sister.
"I think I found it." The female soldier nodded, and pressed her finger into the thin plastic barrier, hitting the hidden button it covered. A loud whooshing sound came, and half of the wall slid back into itself, revealing a steel corridor that lead into a room three times the size of Ferashi's own office.
"Good work," Juno whispered to her with a nod, walking into the corridor with Vela following quickly. There were still bright lights on, and they could clearly hear the voices of three or four guards talking. Juno pulled out the Vektor once more, waiting for Vela to do the same. He felt the cold steel in his hands as he snuck up towards the opening, making sure his shoes made as less noise as possible. There was still a slight 'click' from Vela's boots but the noise of the guards talking covered the sound. Vela snuck down the corridor, being as silent as she could; her back pressed against the wall and the magnum at eye-level with her. Her steps slowed as the neared the entrance, being as secretive as possible. Juno had taken the lead with his back against the steel wall, not facing the security. Vela leaned a little to the side seeing the shadows of five security guards standing on the western wall, talking to each other in boring conversations. She beckoned her brother over to her so he could see the shadows and figure out what to do. Juno sighed quietly, letting his hand push back the strands of fiery red hair away from his face, only to have it fall back in front again.
"Shit," he grumbled, taking notice of the shadow of a shotgun on the far wall. All five guards were unaware of the twins, they all thought that no one would try to steal anything from their employer, and they certainly had enough firepower to stop anyone from doing so as well.
"Larkin said that there would be more heavily armed guards in the building, and he did give us permission to kill them if they get in our way." Vela whispered to her agitated brother.
Juno only shook his, wanting to kill someone human was his last resort in this operation; drones were one thing but the life of a human was another. He looked out towards the five guards, his mind racing to figure out how to get past them without hurting them too much. He had an idea suddenly and turned to his sister.
"Vela, did you bring the tranqs?
"Yea, I have them here," She whispered back, pulling the bag off her belt filled with cleaned needles full of the sleeping syringe to put a man to sleep. She pulled out the single black gun that the tranquilizers went with and handed the equipment to Juno. He nodded his head opening the barrel of the gun and placed five of the small needles inside the black steel. The small yet sharp click from the chamber shutting and setting the first needle in place. Juno switched places with his sister, getting a clear firing shot at the five guards. He stretched out his right arm, narrowing his eyes and pulled on the trigger of the gun, and a needle was fired. The syringe cut through the air like knife through hot butter, hitting its mark on the nearest guard, and he fell to the floor when the drug was in his bloodstream. Two more went down to the floor in deep sleep, and by then the two remaining men ducked behind the file cabinets. They searched through the room for anything suspicious that brought down three of their co- workers. Only peeking their heads out for a short moment. The one wielding the shotgun peeked out of the cabinets, turning towards the entryway. He saw movement!
He raised his weapon and fired, several powerful rounds collided into the wall, and the sound of a woman shrieking could be heard. The muscular guard smirked and rushed towards the area, with his silver-haired co-worker keeping a careful watch on his back. The taller and powerful man turned the corner, and met with Juno's fist rushing right into his face. Startled, the man stumbled back in pain and shock; causing him to drop the shotgun that landed with a clatter onto the steel floor. He opened his brown eyes to watch the man who struck him jump into the air, sending a kick straight out underneath his chin and caused him to be instantly unconscious as he sprawled onto the floor. Juno had forgotten about the other man, who took aim with the pistol in his hand and fired as well. He was quick enough to avoid being shot in the chest, but the bullet nicking his arm was enough of a pain that caused him to wince. Vela grabbed the tranquilizer gun from off the floor, rolling on the floor past her stunned brother, firing another syringe into the man and he fell back against the wall, asleep. She stood up and holstered the weapon. She laid a thin hand onto her brother's upper arm, the sleeve stained with blood from where the iron struck.
"I'll be all right, don't worry about it." Juno responded brushing her hand gently away from him. He walked over towards the file cabinet and began to open a drawer. His eyes searched over the files and he could catch the sounds of Vela searching through those on the other side. Several files on other weaponry that have been created for use in the United Planetary Space Federation. But from what he had read in Ferashi's journal; not all of his manufactured goods were going to where they were supposed to go.
He remembered when he was still a young boy, of a quick little war that reduced the tropical planet, Saifr, to mere debris and led a race of intelligence into extinction. The weapon used in that battle was from Ferashi's company.
He eyed another drawer and opened it, working quickly to get out of here before five men wake up, and he knew well that his sister was keeping an eyes on them as best she could. A white folder caught his attention and he pulled it out of the pocket, and opened it up.
"Vela I found it, radio Labyrinth and Joker, and tell them to meet us on the roof!"
Vela turned on her heel, raising an eyebrow in surprise. She noticed the look her brother gave her and grabbed the radio, switching it on. She reported to their two comrades of their discovery and where they would meet before she switched it back off. Her brother already taken pictures of the papers with his camera and than placed the folder back into the cabinet. He nodded his head to her as they began to make their way out of the room, since it lacked windows. They traveled down the corridor, the sounds of their shoes echoing over the closely formed walls, until they were back into Ferashi's office. Juno ran towards the window and threw the glass panel up. He leaned over to look up, seeing a small jet in black with a single red stripe over its canopy hovering just over the roof, barely visible. He stepped onto the fire escape, and reached for Vela, taking a hold of her hand he guided her out the window. Vela already began racing up the stairs, when another explosion of bullets smashing through the window caused her to stumble. She winced as her knee hit the metal step. Juno responded to the noise, raising the Vektor at eye level and fired a few rounds into the guard they had met at the elevator. Blood splattered over his chest, and he slid a few feet back, staining the carpet with his life force. Apparently he didn't come alone as more guards opened fire on Juno, missing as he ducked out of the way. Juno tore up the steps as fast as he could, almost tripping as the bullets just barely missed him. His eyes focused on his sister, being pulled up by Terrance and he turned to empty a few more rounds into the pursuing guards until the magazine was empty.
"Juno hurry your ass up! We ain't got time for this!" Terrance's voice echoed over the sounds of the chambers unleashing their deadly fury. The leader of team Gemini turned immediately, racing over the paneled roof. At the helm, Amber had already controlled the ship to rise up as the guards now fired at the ship and her commander. Vela grabbed her magnum, firing into the crowd with fury, the loud booms from the silver steel almost deafening. Juno jumped up into the air and grabbed the railing underneath the jet, and swung his athletic body up onto the bar before jumping in. Vela fired at least five more times before Terrance slammed the hatch shut, ordering Amber to get them out of there.
Back on the roof the guards screamed in anger, their profanities being carried by the back wind of the ship as it tore off into the horizon.
Location: Gemini Base Planet: Goldwood, Iredea system Time: 09:58
"I be da masta!" Terrance Arashii shouted as he jumped into the living quarters of the team's base. His wide smile flashed full of ivory white teeth as if it could blind, and he leant his muscular body against the wood molding that decorated the doorframe. He ignored the annoyed glances he received from the rest of his teammates as they sat about watching the morning news. All except for two people at least.
"Hey where'd Boss-boy and V-Babe go to?" he asked, walking into the room and taking a seat next to Amber on the couch. "They went to see King Jeff and the council. Lord knows how long it'll take before they're back." Warren replied, keeping his eyes concentrated on the screen, showing the latest reports of a bombing that was from Mizar's raiders on a small town on Terra III, Terra II's sister planet that was located near the Trevanic system. The newswoman was pointing behind her towards the debris of what used to be a courthouse, now toppling piles of bricks on the ground.
"Three people were killed and eleven others seriously injured from the attack that witnesses indicated from raiders of the Tyrant Mizar's army. Citizens in this small town community had thought they would be safer here, but it seems now that nowhere is safe."
"They got that right." Cory grumbled under her breath, pushing separate strands of cobalt black hair from her violet colored eyes. She sitting on the couch next to her boyfriend Trace, her knees tucked up against her, as an elbow was propped onto the armrest of the sofa. Other than Trace, she was the only member on the team with a brown skin color like chocolate, unlike the others who were paler in contrast to her. She wore a fancy white sweater in lace and leather pants in black that clung to her attractive figure. She was the first to join with Juno and Vela when Juno had decided to revive the Gemini team once more, and it wasn't for any reason. Cory Janelle Washington had proven to be a very successful spy during her training in the Jet Force military academy on Terra III, she had an intelligent mind and had no second thoughts of laying her life on the line. She had high grades and tied for first with another young woman who trained with her in the same class. Her marks and the fact she already had experience from three very successful missions made the twins ask for her to be transferred to them.
On the floor next to her was the mascot Lupus, still recovering from his wounds in a deep sleep, despite the ruckus early that morning. Cory let down a long fingered hand and scratched the brown-furred canine behind the ears.
Trace Chisa had a darker complexion compared to his lover. His hair was cut close to his scalp, black as the night and his eyes the unusual shade of Jaded green. His build was muscular, and he stood the tallest over the others, yet behind his gentle looks he was egotistical man who loved nothing more than to talk mainly about himself. Yet his skills as a pilot were of the elite, he was hardly asked for anything else. He wasn't trained in close-quarters battle like the others, and because of that reason he was usually left with protecting the ship until the team was finished with their mission. Even more unlike Cory he wasn't willing to die for the sake of anyone. Well, no team is perfect anyway.
Terrance cracked his knuckles on both hands, possibly to get some kind of attention, but the rest were fixated to the television screen. Terrance was slightly taller for his age, with narrow, joyful eyes of crimson blood, and hair the color of bronze, a little long in the front and shorter in the back. He was the jokester of the team, preferably why his codename is 'Joker' and can spew out the most perverted, disgusting, and disturbing jokes anyone's ears will ever hear. Mostly to torment his team for his own amusement. Other than being a natural born fighter, Terrance is an accomplished musician and hopes to start a band in his twenties, once the wars were over with, at least. Despite his mocking and somewhat annoying nature, Terrance is known for being one of the most reliable soldiers in the army today.
Next to him Amber cast a glance over towards her teammate, and whether it was amused or disgusted. no one could tell. Her eyes were a little larger, and more almond shaped than the other females, in the deep color of twilight blue. Making it easier for her to accomplish the sad-puppy-eyes. Her hair was of equal length and hung a little past her shoulders, of pale tan pigments. She, like Trace, was an excellent pilot as well, and also does rather well on the battlefield. Some think that she's too pretty to be in the military, but Amber has a strong and defiant soul, anyone who knows her so well can tell you that.
Aside from Vela, Amber, and Cory, Aurora Kobre is the only other female on the Gemini team. Due to her planet's atmosphere and race she is quite pale, almost as white as a ghost. Her eyes were of normal size in the color of electric yellow, and her hair was black with blood red highlights. Aurora has a good sense of magic, yet it is difficult for her to call on any forces because of her weak, untrained state. Aurora's past is quite difficult, she in actuality, is a three-year-old girl not the eighteen-year- old woman. It was from a spell cast over her by her grandfather, after her mother had relations with a man her grandfather did not approve of. Despite her losing her childhood she is the sweetest of the group, the most caring and tries her best at everything she does. An incredibly good fighter as well, since she trained with both Cory and Terrance.
"Reports also indicate that raiders have been seen over the skies of Terra II and also over the still forming Terra IV. A representative of General Larkin of the Jet Force Military, states that Mizar may be attempting to take control of Terra IV, to make a better base than that on the Meteor Ichor."
"Now I wouldn't be surprised if that happened," Forrest Solheim replied, shaking his hair of gold locks and his platinum eyes looking down in concentration. Forrest, as the others, is an excellent fighter. Also the inventor of the group, making his own devices or somehow getting them from his brother on the original Terra. He was a little shorter than most of the men, but has a muscular body that several woman could not complain too much about. He wore a pair of blue jeans, with a white T-shirt that slightly exposed his chest muscles.
"Especially since the Jet Force officials keep expecting an attack from Ichor. Not that'll make much difference anyway, we can still kick their ass." The second in command of the Gemini team, Benjamin Mattocks added with a chuckle. He rested on a chair with his royal blue eyes intent on the screen, his light brown hair was still a little wet due to having taken a shower earlier on, and sitting on his lap, his adopted daughter Colleen still slept. Like Juno, Benjamin had to have a quick mind, and could figure out a way out of situation with very little bloodshed, even though he can't quite keep his cool when in laser fire. He was transferred from the Capricorn team when Vela declined having the position of second command and suggested that Benjamin would be better at running the team if anything happened to Juno.
The last member of the group had known Juno and Vela Santaro the longest. Warren Williams was last to be called onto the team, due to having been working with his uncle on the Warship Hunter. After the Hunter's final battle, Warren was transferred to the Gemini team, being one of the few survivors. He and the twins known each other since their childhood, since both their parents worked with each other. His father, Roger, had been a wealthy businessman and the Santaro family worked for him. After the death of James and Nona, they never saw each other until Warren's transfer. So the three friends were happy to see each other.
"Now we'll turn over to Marcus Assel with news upon Terra II." The anchorwoman announced and the image of undernourished looking man appeared.
"Hey turn it up! I bet it's about Ferashi's arrest!" Amber said, her voice raising excitedly.
"But so soon?" Forrest asked, looking at the now silent Amber who only shrugged her shoulders in having nothing to say. Aurora stared absently at the television, the words of the newscaster sinking in with the others.
"This morning, police officers arrived at the manor of the wealthy businessman Kenneth Ferashi due to a call from one of his servants. When police from Sedern appeared at the scene, they found Ferashi dead in his private library. Reports say that this was the work of contract killers and the cause of his death was by a large knife through the back of the neck, which was than twisted to ensure fatality."
The words droned on, Warren being unable to handle it, got up and left the room. Benjamin sighed turning the television off, as no one could quite comprehend what he or she had just heard, until Terrance stood straight up from his chair in anger. "I don't believe it! We had that son-of-a-bitch in the palm of our hand, and now he's dead!"
"Seems like someone hated him a lot more than we did." Aurora spoke, standing up so that her clothes straightened out to show her figure, "I know when Juno and Vela find out they're going to be pissed."
Location: Goldwood Parliament, Iredea City Planet: Goldwood, Iredea system Time: 10:00
A loud yawn filled the hall as the warm air escaped Vela's lips. Her pale hand covered it and her eyes closed for a few moments, before reopening. She was loyally following her brother, although to her tired state he looked as if he was running. Which didn't aid her well due to wearing high- heeled shoes that made it difficult for any woman like herself to move fast in. She was wearing her uniform, a large jacket in military green adorned with medals on the left side, a white blouse with a black tie and a long skirt in green that hemmed just above her knees. In her arms she carried several folders that contained the camera shots Juno had taken last night during their infiltration of Ferashi's building.
Juno walked slightly ahead of her, his steps quick and easy. He wore the same military green colors, with the medal-adorned jacket and long pants. His shoes had been polished so many times you could just see your reflection in them. On his head was a hat that showed the emblem of the Jet Force military, with strands of his vermilion shaded hair falling from beneath his hat to frame his face. Attached to his belt, his beloved Vektor sat silent in its holster.
The hallway was bright from the fluorescent lights above in the ceiling, reflecting the bright chartreuse color of the carpet. Paintings adorned the walls, and where there were windows, drapes hung, pulled away from the glass to allow in the sunlight. Every now and then a member of Jet Force or someone who worked for the parliament would pass them by, too busy to say hello. It didn't matter anyway, their minds were too caught up in the war just like everyone else is that lived in the Solar or Iredea star systems.
The pure white iron and smooth cement of Goldwood's capitol city, Iredea, named after the galaxy, glistened in soft white light from the system's sun. Children played out in the sidewalks, or in the two major parks located within its limits, while the adults ran about with their own errands. It was a Saturday morning, and rather warm for an early spring, and every plant there holding the color of green and many others as well. The peaceful scenario that characterized this city hid the fear of another attack from the Tyrant Mizar and his army.
Juno came upon the meeting room door, and pushed it open. The meeting room was of a good size place to host such important topics within the political and military events. A large rectangular table placed in the middle, several windows were opened to let in the fresh air and sunlight, which was why the lamps were not lighted. The walls were whitewashed and held wood molding along their sides. Paintings of various elements of nature hung on its surface and behind the seat at the head of the table, the emblem of Goldwood hung triumphantly. The Tribal King, Jeff, looked up as the door opened and greeted the twins as they made their way inside.
"Good morning you two, please sit down," he said, waving his paw towards the two empty chairs at the table. King Jeff had certainly changed in appearance, his green tunic was no more. He now wore black slacks with a fancy white silk shirt and satin red vest and over his shoulders a black cloak. His pearl white fur was combed out and his brown umber hair cut perfectly.
After the war with the first Mizar, who turned out being his brother Barry, Goldwood and the rest of Iredea began to gain a more technological hold with the help of Terra. This helped in the war with the new Mizar, who proved tougher than the first and the war, itself prolonging into its fourth year.
Next to King Jeff, sat Goldwood's ambassador Magnus, the old Tribal himself was a color of deep forest green yet the hairs were slowly starting to dull and gray, showing his age. He smiled to Vela as she down in the chair next to him, and than nodded to Juno as he sat. On the other side of Jeff was the Union's representative Midge, a Tribal as well with his fur shaded a dark sapphire blue, still showing his younger age than Magnus. A newspaper was in front of his face, completely lost in the contents of the black ink print. But when he heard Jeff speak he looked up and smiled, folding the thin sheets and placing them in his bag. Sitting next to him was General Larkin from Terra II and is the one who also oversees the battles within Iredea. Huson was running late, helping with the clean up on Terra III after a raid late last night.
"Alright now that everyone is here," Jeff said, sitting up stiffly in his chair, "we can get this meeting underway. What have you found?"
"Vela and I believe that we've uncovered why Mizar's forces have gotten such powerful weapons, Ferashi has been selling them to him. Without the knowledge of neither our own forces nor the forces of the Sedern Police Department. I also have reason to think Ferashi had developed something that Mizar had already received." Juno reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out Ferashi's black agenda he had taken last night. He flipped through several of the pages, before finding what he needed and handed it to Jeff.
"A virus, since when would Mizar have interests in diseases?" "I don't think he would, unless it was something devastating." Vela replied her head was tilted forward and resting her chin with both hands, loose strands of her hair falling in front of her face. Already she looked slightly bored.
Magnus reached over and took the book from Jeff's paws, staring at the sloppy writing trying to make sense of the jumbled word that ended what had been last written in.
"Bli. Blieta.? Oh I give up." he grumbled and handed it back to Jeff, "how can anyone read that?"
"I believe it reads 'Blietanuer' but I have no idea what language it evolved from." Juno said once more. He glanced across the table to the silent general Larkin. His large arms crossed in front of his chest and his expression seemed deep in thought.
"I believe we have what we need now. To prove Ferashi is a traitor to the Union and Federation. We will discuss this 'Blietanuer' thing later." Jeff stated, standing from his seat. Yet his eyes stayed glued onto the words.
The door that led into the room was opened quickly, startling the group as the slim figure of Miryani McTerasin appeared, her deep violet eyes had widened a great deal. Taking notice of Juno whom looked in the opposite direction, avoiding her face.
"Miryani! What is the meaning of this!?" Larkin shouted, standing up and looming over the table like a mountain.
"Sir, news from Terra II." She replied, saluting him, "Ferashi had been assassinated!"