All across the camp, a small bug-person scampered about, relaying news of 'the heroic Lord Murphy' and his 'battle expertise, slaying three Commandos at once'. This news incited fury into many miners--why weren't they informed there was a rebellion? They wanted to help too! But tired from their work and lackin battle expertise, they could do nothing but strike.
And thus, many picks fell still and the camp was quieter than ever before in its history.
Murphy leapt into a ravine and ducked, pulling Sarala and Miikha in after him. "Where's Tikani!"
A few buster shots flew past his head. "Gah!" The three leapt up again and continued running.
"There! Blast him!" The lead Commando took aim and jetted after the group. The three refugees split and ran off in different directions as all four Commandos chased Murphy, firing sporadically.
Tikani awoke in a ditch. Wiping his eyes groggily and clearing blood out his mouth, he looked around.
"Murphy? Mistress? Daddy?" He stretched. "... Hello? Where'd everyone go!"
Sarala stumbled over a bush and awakened a Sidehopper sleeping nearby. It hissed at her and leapt.
"Oh, hell.." She leapt to her feet and ran as fast as her weak old legs could carry her. "MURPHY!
MIIKHA! HELP!" Whirling, she delivered a pitiful kick to the beast, then promptly fell over. "No.
Please!"
Murphy stopped running. "Did I just hear a scream?" He turned and saw a sidehopper slashing voraciously at something. "SARALA!" He took off towards her and fired a few shots. The beast fled.
The Commandos lost track of their targets. One of them spoke. "Sarge, we ain't gonna find them like this. Besides, one of them's a cripple, one's an old lady, one's a little kid, and the other's a pacifist. Let's just leave them be. We're low on fuel and ammo by now, and ripe prey for the wildlife around here."
Sarge glared. "We have our orders, private!"
"Yes, but the wildlife--a pack of sidehoppers alone could take them out, you know."
"This 'cripple' KILLED Lieutenant Harkal, dammit! They're not to be underestimated. Slay them all!"
The Commando sighed. "Yes..sir." He activated his jets again and continued scouting.
Murph and Sarala ducked behind a fallen log as a Commando jetted past. "He's gone.. come on, Sar.
This is a dangerous place for you to be. Let's get to Crateria. It's a safer place."
Sarala nodded. "Of course. But where'd Miikha and the kid go?"
Murphy pointed to a quivering bush. "Over there." He whistled, and they peeked out of the bush. "Get over here, you two."
Tikani squeaked. "Miikha saved me. I got lost and fell into a zoomer nest!"
Murphy nodded and pointed to a deep blue rock wall. "That's our destination. Once we reach Crateria we're out of range of their scanners, and we can start forming the rebellion party properly."
The four scampered over to the wall as quickly and silently as they could. They made it without incident,
as the Commandos finally gave up and returned to base.
"Sire, the bug-people are not working."
Overseer grunted. "What? Why not?"
The advisor scratched his forehead a bit. "I don't know. I fear a revolt."
"Doubtful. Dispatch all available Commandos."
"Sire, we've lost contact with the four we sent out earlier; we've had three killed in the past few days. The Commandos just aren't working out. And they're growing nervous about the situation. We need better security."
"Were these events not all linked to a single bug-person?"
"Yes.. Yes, sire, they were."
Overseer grunted indignantly and pointed at a large starship. "In there, we keep the big guns. If this Murphy is truly such a problem.. eliminate him with no remorse. You will find our ultimate weapon. We must stop him at any cost."
"As you command, master."
The three surviving Commandos finally finished their trek back to Delta Command. Overseer greeted them with a verbal whipping and a deluge of threats.
"Sir, it's not our fault. These people are insane! Harkal's dead, and we ran out of fuel and ammunition. We had to return."
"Harkal's dead! Grr... Murphy has really gone too far. Well, I have a new briefing for you..."
Meanwhile, the advisor had finally reached the ship.
"Now then, what was it he wanted me to use?" He opened the door and stepped inside. "Hmm..."
He looked around. "Odd. This isn't Chozo architecture. I wonder where this ship came from."
The advisor walked down the halls, mesmerized by light patterns on mysterious computer monitors on the walls; giant floating nuclei in tubes, domelike work robots, and many other odd creations populated the deck. "This is.. surreal..."
He stretched and sat down for a second. The chair quickly fell back and a platform opened in the floor. "Wha--a passage?" He cautiously peered down and entered.
Murphy cautiously handed out picks to the other bug-people. "So, in order to set up a base, we'll need materials and space. So get to digging! Tunnel southwest and gather all metals you find. There's said to be an old Chozo lab around here--Turan or something like that--so let's try to build our base there."
The others nodded, grabbed their picks, and began digging away, searching for the lost laboratory.
The Chozo advisor continued his trek through the frigate's interior. "This place is absolutely amazing! This technology... those molecular superstructures... the robots... This ship must be thousands of years old, judging from the architexture and scans, but.. the technology surpasses anything even iwe/i had until mere decades ago..." He walked further down the hall.
A small buglike creature scurried out from the darkness. "Yes, yes, hello, you there, yes!" it chirped in an odd, rushed voice.
"Erm.. who might you be?" The advisor kneeled down.
"Hello-hello, bird! I am Tilk, master of, yes, master! Master of our masterful race! The race that is to be the masters of all other insect races! The race--"
The Chozo grunted. "Get to the point, before I smash you like the bug you are."
The insect squeaked and scampered backwards. "I--I apologize, sir. I am a ki-hunter! Tilk,
master of the ki-hunters!"
"The what?"
"Never mind. Let it just be known, yes, that we are a race! A race that came here long ago, but was trapped! We live here in this ship we live in, you see, and--"
"Shut it, Tilk. I'm here on Overseer Ki'Tchek's orders to find a weapon. Do you know what it is?
Or where it can be found?"
"Oh, yes, yes, sir, yes! I do indeed know!"
The chozo stepped closer and squatted in front of the ki-hunter. "Tell me where it is, then. Bring me to it."
The bug's eyes widened and it squeaked with fear. "I dare not, sir, I apologize but I cannot. The thing will eat me alive, like it ate my friends!"
"It's a living thing? The weapon?"
"No! Nono, unliving, yet undead! Archsage Antispa calls it Phantoon."
"I see. I am under orders to bring this Phantoon back to base, and kill a threat with it."
"There are far better, far safer, yes, far improved methods for achieving the same goal, sir! Why not just use guns, or something, or something?"
"He has evaded seven Commandos single-handedly, four of which were killed."
"Commandos? Ain't they the bug people with armor, the armored ones?"
"..Yes."
"You with the bug-people? Then we help ya! We're their allies!"
The chozo's eye began to twitch. "You are allies with our servants? They are not permitted to have allies."
"Er, did I say allies, sir? I mean, sir, enemies, of course, enemies, sir! Simple mis--"
The chozo swung at the thing, crushing its face in. "Bastards... So, the bug-people have help?"
Another ki-hunter scurried into Crateria. "I brought the supplies you wanted, I did, sir Murphy!"
Murphy whirled. "Ah, Antispa! Good to see you. Is Tilk with you?"
"No, sir, he.. I had to run... I am a coward, you see. The birds! They invaded our home!"
"What? The ship?"
"They've been using our ship to hold their genetic experiments, and killing us without cause, and committing other such atrocities, they are doing so!"
Murphy bowed his head. "How those things got to be the most respected race in the galaxy is beyond me. Does no one know of our plight on this planet?"
"No, sir, no they don't! The Zebes-planet is well-hidden, off most charts, rarely known, sir."
Murphy sighed. "I see. Then we'd best make this battle enough to put it on the maps."
The ki-hunter nodded, squeaked, and scampered off. "I'd best see if Tilk is alright, sir! Goodbye!"