II
Sparrow finally reached the base, and stopped by the main entrance to catch his breath. After a few brief seconds, he noticed the door. The open door. Drawing his blaster, he carefully peeked inside, to find nothing out of the ordinary. Proceeding cautiously, he noticed some movement down the corridor to the right. He took aim, and fired.
His shot was rewarded with a sharp howl of pain, and a small black Vulpine rolling out into the light. Before he could react, the burly Avian was on top of him. Apparently, he only grazed the Vulpine's backside, and he was still very able to fight. After a brief scuffle, Sparrow clubbed the Vulpine with his blaster, and he went limp. Looking around, he deduced that the creature was trying to pick the lock on the armory. Damn petty thieves, I'll just have to take him with me.
As Sparrow approached General Pepper's office, still dragging the now-awake Vulpine captive, he quickly reviewed his explanation in his head. We were standing guard duty, when a blast knocked us over. I turned around and fired at a creature dragging off Ensign Parker, but another came. They took off in a ship with a faster-than-hell drive, and I came here. I caught this sneak trying to break into the armory, and grabbed him. Yeah, that should work. As he reached the door, it opened for him. The General exited forth, apparently aware of his impending arrival.
"Ah yes, Ensign. I see you have caught the thief. Thank you very much, we've been looking for him all day." Sparrow raised one eyebrow in slight surprise. This must be a real rookie, to have spent all day trying to pick one lock.
Then the Vulpine spoke up in his own defense. "How can you have been looking all day? I only just got here when this guy shot me in the ass and bludgeoned me." Sparrow made as if to hit him again, and the Vulpine quickly silenced himself.
"We'll see about that. Ensign Johnson, if you would please take a quick check around the base, I'll have a briefing sent to your comm unit ASAP." Fischer nodded, and handed the Vulpine over to the General, who shoved him off down the opposite corridor while beginning an interrogation. Fischer shook his head at these unusual events, and hurried off in the direction of the barracks.
"Well, you did score 39 out of 40 kills; however, your style leaves a little to be desired."
"Hey, it got the job done. What's the difference if I fire 40 shots, or 100? I didn't hit any of ours."
"That's not the point. You could have hit one of ours, or a civilian vessel nearby. Stray laser fire must be kept to a minimum. I believe that was discussed in the written exam - the one you brushed off last week, and got a "C" on?"
Sitting at a large, cluttered oak desk, the wizened Hare set down the simulator report. Isis, the Avian student sitting before him, was the best student ever to set foot in his classroom. Out of all simulator tests this semester, she had gotten a 99 score - and this on simulators a difficulty level ahead of the rest of the class. The only other students to ever do this well were cadets McCloud and Lombardi, who were expelled almost ten years ago. Her shortcoming, however, was where the simulations ended and the paperwork began. Her average grade on the written and oral examinations was very average, only 82.
Isis had been sitting here, discussing her simulator scores with Professor Hare for over an hour. What is he trying to accomplish with this? Everyone knows I'm the best. These tests are just wasting my time. Before she could voice this opinion, she heard a commotion in the corridor. The professor, nearly 50 years old, did not pick up the sound. She motioned to the door, and peeked out the window as the Professor got up from his desk. Holy cats, it's General Pepper! The General rarely made visits to the students, usually only for graduation or other such important occasions. Professor Hare came up behind her and nudged her in the ribs, prompting her to open the door.
"You're barking up the wrong tree Canine, I had nothing to do with this. Not my style." The General was arguing with a small, black Vulpine. He was almost lost in the General's shadow, the former being a mere 4 1/2 feet tall, the latter well over six. The two pairs met, and the General turned to the Professor.
"Professor, do you know anything about this creature?" The General was clearly not having a good day.
"No, sir. I don't think I've ever seen him before."
"Hmm...well, he's a wanted criminal, been robbing various locales for years. We believe him to be responsible for the theft, and I want you to look into it." As the General was beginning to turn away, the Hare interrupted him.
"Excuse me sir, but what theft?"
"Didn't you get the message? I sent a copy to all officers and faculty." The Professor groaned. He hadn't checked his messages all day, it was still sitting in his briefcase by his desk. The General continued to explain. "Earlier this morning, a new recruit went missing from watch duty. About that same time, a new prototype vehicle also went missing. I'll send you a full schematic of the vehicle later, but for now all I can tell you is this - " As he said this, the General leaned down right in the Professor's face, almost touching nose-to-nose. He dropped his voice almost to a whisper. "If it were to fall into the wrong hands, as it seems to have, Corneria would be put at a distinct - he accented the word to show the understatement - military disadvantage. This fellow claims innocence, but I have my doubts." the General stepped back again, allowing the Hare some breathing room.
"Now, I'm going to leave this creature in your custody. Cadet, I want you to keep an eye on him. If he so much as puts a whisker out of line, don't hesitate to shoot him. Professor, I'd like you to run a few library checks, see if you can't come up with any possible ties he might have with off-worlders. I must go and speak with security." The General turned and walked briskly off, leaving the three standing in the cold, empty corridor. The Professor coughed, grabbing the others' attention, and they headed in the opposite direction, toward the campus library.