"What the frell is going on?" Moxan yelled as he approached lieutenant Bracca who stood silently in the control centre of Moxan's base, gazing outside through the window.
Or so it seemed.
In fact, he was gazing at his own
reflection, and then at the reflection of Commander Moxan as he
walked towards him.
Moxan had always looked intimidating,
because of the huge scar which covered the left side of his face, and
the eyepatch which covered the hole that remained after his wounded
eye had been removed.
Although his appearance frightened most of
his own men, it did not impress Bracca.
"Why haven't you left this planet yet, like you said you would?" Moxan shouted.
"We would gladly leave." Bracca replied, without turning around to face him. "However, there is a problem."
"What problem?" Moxan asked aggressively.
He walked up towards Bracca's
side.
He refused to talk to Bracca's back any longer.
Moxan was almost twice Bracca's size, but that didn't scare the lieutenant.
"John Crichton has escaped our custody." Bracca said, with a hint of embarrassment.
Moxan's eye twitched.
"And what does that have anything to do with me?" he said loudly in Bracca's ears.
Some technicians looked at their commander with fright.
"Crichton..." Bracca tried to
say, but his sentence was cut short by Moxan, whose voice grew louder
and louder.
"Crichton is none of my concern! But my facility is!
I refuse to stand by any longer, and watch you take over my base, and
run it as your own! Go back to your louzy Carrier, and get out of my
sight!"
"On the contrary, my dear Commander Moxan..." a
chilling voice suddenly spoke.
"...we will stay."
Scorpius's reflection appeared in the window and as Moxan turned his gaze in the opposite direction, he saw the real Scarran hybrid walking towards him.
"We shall have to rely on your gracious hospitality for
a little while longer." Scorpius said, almost amused by the look on
Moxan's face.
"...because we won't leave, until Crichton is
on our custody once more."
"And the wormhole-knowledge in my possession again." he added calmly in his mind.
Scorpius tried to shake Moxan's hand, but the Sebacean angrily pulled his hand away.
"I don't care about Crichton!" Moxan said.
"But your superiors do!" Scorpius replied
violent.
"And if I tell them that yóu are the reason we
couldn't recapture Crichton, then this base will probably shut
down. No, I will personally make sure that this base will shut down,
and that your career will be ruined."
"But what if I tell them that yóu are the reason I can't deliver them my weapons, and couldn't reach the deadline, huh?"
"You underestimate Crichton's value." Scorpius said. "The knowledge he possesses will mean an end to all warfare, and will give us a huge advantage over the Scarrans..."
"Wormholes! Ha!" Moxan shouted, as he looked Scorpius straight in the eyes.
Scorpius
was surprised.
He did not expect him to know about
it.
"Wormhole-technology is a myth!" Moxan said.
Bracca
stood silently with his back towards the window, staring at their
heated discussion.
He was curious to know how Scorpius would react
to such a claim, knowing that Scorpius has searched and studied
wormhole-technology and it's potential for at least a decade.
"You
are a fool to believe such claims." Scorpius spoke calmly.
"You
have no idea what wormholes can do. When you have the power to
control the wormholes, you have the power to control the
universe!"
"Wormholes is nothing more then a myth! A tale
of drunken men and dead leaders!
Luxan weaponry is the future!
With it, we can even take on the Scarrans!"
"Luxan weaponry?" Scorpius asked outrageous.
"Yes." Moxan said. "Archeological scientists in the Luxan Territories have discovered ancient craft and weaponry with amazing technologies! I have dedicated myself and my base to uncovering the secrets of this technology, and a month ago, our efforts have finally paid off!"
In Moxan's right eye, a fire burned.
"An enormous
breakthrough in the studies of the Luxan craft! We managed to open
their ship and crack the codes to control it. But all our hopes were
taken from us, when the Luxan ship was stolen! Our prototype stolen
by Scarrans! We have no evidence that it was indeed Scarrans, but we
know it was them. They have been spying on our developments since the
moment the craft and it's technology set foot on our base.
For a
month now, we've been desperately trying to rebuild the prototype
with materials of our own. We were very close to another
breakthrough, but then Crichton flies into our sector.
YOU take
over my base, and disturb my work!"
Moxan's face seemed to turn red.
"How fascinating..." Scorpius said.
Moxan almost attacked Scorpius, if Bracca hadn't stepped in.
"I have enough of you! No more being polite! This is your final warning! Go back to your frelling Command Carrier!"
Bracca was almost
pushed aside as he tried to protect Scorpius from harm.
But then
Scorpius attacked.
His Scarran growl made all the Peacekeeper technicians turn around in fright.
Moxan did not know what hit him.
"I have enough of you, Commander Moxan!" Scorpius roared as he grabbed Moxan's neck and hurled him against the wall.
Scorpius's sharp teeth shined in the bright light of the Control Centre.
"You underestimate me, and my tenacity! I will not leave, before Crichton is in my custody! Do not think I will not kill you if you stand in my way again!"
Scorpius hurled the Sebacean over the floor.
Moxan crawled up to his feet as he reached for his sore neck.
"If I were you, I would leave, Commander Moxan."
Moxan groaned as he looked at Scorpius one last time before leaving the Control Centre.
He
was publicly humiliated.
And in front of his own men, as
well.
"Scorpius would pay for what he has done." Moxan said. "He will pay."
Scorpius turned to his lieutenant, clutching the arm with which he had attacked Moxan.
"This is getting out of hand." Bracca said.
"Indeed." Scorpius said.
His voice was normal again.
"Sir, if I may say so, why can we not return to the Carrier and let Moxan be?" Bracca said.
"The Carrier cannot sense beyond those mountains."
Scorpius explained.
"And Marauders cannot land anywhere in the
vicinity of the mountains but here on this base.
This base is
essential to our plans. Without it, we cannot capture
Crichton."
"Crichton has crash-landed somewhere within the
valley." Bracca said to Scorpius.
"He will be easily found.
And if he tries to leave the planet, the Carrier will outrun him and
overtake him."
Scorpius wondered why the neural-clone in
Crichton's mind had not brought him back, like he was supposed to
do.
But Scorpius did not say this out loud.
"Do not think
to little of Crichton." Scorpius said.
"He is smarter then he
seems, and very resourceful.
I have already underestimated him too
many times, but I assure you, this time, we will not."
Bracca
nodded.
Scorpius was a wise man.
But that wasn't the only
thing which convinced him of the sincerity of those words.
Bracca
remembered his confrontation with Crichton in the shuttle at the
Royal Planet, and their second encounter in the Shadow
Depository.
The human had escaped capture on both those occasions,
and Bracca wasn't going to let him escape this time.
