Chapter 07: Leadership

Sapphyrus, The Third Colony of Mobius, Lapis System

Sonic and Sally saw the planet come into view as they exited Derecho Alley.

"Sapphyrus...have you ever seen a planet that looks so clean?" said Sally.

"You said it, Sal. Good to see ol' 'Buttnik ain't got his stench on all our colonies," said Sonic.

"We're gonna land at an old Acorn Military Base outside the city of Port Sapphire," said Jericho.

"Ah, most wonderful, ze home of fine eclairs and ze old Knights of ze St. Acorn fortress on ze Lake of Adele," said Antoine.

"Why Antoine, ah do declare y'all know quite a bit 'bout this place," said Bunnie.

"But of course, my fathair always wanted to take moi here once," said Antoine.

"I'm looking forward to being able to run two-handed and fifty kilometers to start the day without running into Buzz Bombers," said Sonic.

Amy rolled her eyes.

"Aw, brother…"

"Took the words right out of my mouth," said Sally.

The Freedom Fighters and Rebels flew towards the planet, with the Salvation, Andromeda, and the captured freighter following close behind. They entered the atmosphere and as soon as they got through the cloud cover, they saw a city ahead.

"There's Port Sapphire," said Jericho.

"Looks great from up here," said Tails.

"Off to the far left, you see Lake Adele, and the old Knight Fortress," said Kirk.

"Just as my father described it," said Sally.

"And just ahead is our landing site, the old base," said Ross.

"Supposed to get decommissioned and turned into a museum, like the fortress was, but our superiors had other ideas for it when we started operations. Base control, this is Commander Raccoon, requesting landing clearance," said Jericho.

"Transmit clearance code, Commander."

"Transmitting."

Jericho pressed a button on his Y-Wing's control panel.

"Clearance granted. Approach Hangar Bay 2. Salvation, you're cleared to dock at Docking Bay 1."

"Copy, control, starting landing cycle," said Jericho.

"Copy control, initiating final approach," said Dayton.

"Corvette Andromeda and Freighter Omega 7, you may land on the landing strip."

"Copy that, control," said Geoffrey.

"Affirmative, control," said A.J.

The starfighters slowed and extended their landing struts, slowly flying into the hangar bay, landing gently inside. The Salvation flew by the hangars and slowly turned right, descending towards a docking port. Several tractor beams engaged as the engines powered down, guiding the ship in. As soon as it reached its proper position, several docking arms and moorings locked onto the ship's hull, locking it in place. The Andromeda and the freighter slowly flew until they were aligned with the landing strip and gently touched down on the landing strip.

The Freedom Fighters and Rebels were exiting their fighters as Jericho saw a middle aged female Mobian dog, a younger female Mobian dog was by her side, alongside an older female Mobian anteater. The older one approached Jericho.

"Jericho, welcome back. We feared the worst when we heard about Knothole."

"Not to worry, Captain, it was your training that got me out of that," said Jericho.

"Ah, Princess, at last we meet. Captain Nora McCormick, at your service."

"Nora McCormick….yes, of course!" said Sally.

Sonic was confused as he saw Sally and Nora shake hands.

"Sal…"

"Oh, sorry, Sonic. This is Nora McCormick, the first female commissioned officer in the Acorn Military? Oh, wait. I'm talking to the guy who spends more time running than he does reading about history," said Sally.

"Hey, I can read!" said Sonic.

"Uh, huh. Right," said Sally.

"And you're Sonic the Hedgehog. No need for introductions. Everyone here knows who you are," said Nora.

"The one and only, ma'am! You in charge 'round here?"

"Nope, I'm one of the seniors, but not in charge of this cell. I'm here to take you to them," said Nora.

"And over here, this is Molly and Daisy, the Captain's two daughters," said Jericho.

"Welcome! Welcome, Princess! It is such an honor to have you here! I'm Daisy McCormick! It's so awesome!" said Daisy.

"I can see that...you bear quite a resemblance to your mom here," said Sally.

"Daisy, take it easy, sis."

"Sorry, Molly, but aren't you excited?! Meeting royalty?!"

"What did she say, Daisy?" said Nora.

"Sorry, ma," said Daisy.

Jericho laughed as Molly approached Sally, who noticed Molly's legs were crude prosthetics below the knees.

"Pleasure to meet you, Princess. No long face jokes, please. You think horses have a love/hate relationship with them? Anteaters have the same thing," said Molly.

"Don't plan to. Just don't give Sonic ideas," said Sally.

"I'm still right here, Sal!" said Sonic.

Sally turned to the rest of the Freedom Fighters.

"Everyone, this is Captain Nora McCormick and her daughters Daisy and Molly. Captain, we have Miles 'Tails' Prower, Amy Rose, Knuckles the Echidna, Rotor Walrus, Bunnie Rabbot, Cream the Rabbit, and Antoine…"

"D'Coolette. Yes, Armand D'Coolette's little boy," said Nora.

"Great, Ant's famous with these people," said Sonic.

"Pardon moi, but have we met before?" said Antoine.

"I believe we have, Antoine, I worked with your father many years ago, it's too bad he fell victim to the Roboticizer," said Nora.

"Oui, I am knowing who you are, I am just...not of memory being good," said Antoine.

Nora turned to Tails.

"Prower….as in Amadeus Prower?"

Tails felt his heart skip a beat.

"That was my dad's name, what's it to you?"

"Worked with him, too, many years ago," said Nora.

"You did?"

"That's a whole other lifetime, kid. Either way, it's good to have you all with us," said Nora.

"I know, isn't it exciting, mother?" said Daisy.

"Exciting? People are dying back home, I don't think 'exciting' is the word I'd choose to describe things," said Milena.

Everyone turned to see Milena approach with Dayton, Geoffrey, Seraphine, A.J., and one more female Mobian Hedgehog.

"Oh...sorry, ma'am….DAYTON!"

Daisy ran towards Dayton and gave him a hug.

"Dayton, you're back! We missed you too!"

"Whoa, Daisy, calm down, will ya?! Not in front of the kids!" said Dayton.

Daisy then saw Dayton's bracelet, and then slowly released him.

"Sorry, forgot, but only because you're my friend," said Daisy.

"No biggie, hey, Mol."

"Good to see you, Dayton. Milena, Geoff," said Molly.

"And Ms. Nasler and her family have joined us too," said Nora.

"However mistaken I keep saying that is," said Jericho.

"You remember my brother A.J., and my...little sister, Naomi," said Seraphine.

"I turn my back on these two while I'm sleeping, and Seraphine doesn't even bother to say 'hello' when I wake up, what am I to her?" said Naomi.

"I said I was sorry, Naomi, geeze," said Seraphine.

Everyone laughed a bit.

"I don't see Derek, is he off visiting his family?" said Jericho.

"Yeah, he's been dying to see his sister and her family, let 'em know he's okay," said Milena.

"Good. He needs some family time," said Dayton.

"Okay, now, I'm sure you're all anxious to meet who's in charge. So follow me, we're going to that large house on the hill over there," said Nora.

"Heh, I could get there in about...17 seconds," said Sonic.

Sally rolled her eyes again.

"This way to the speeders, come on now," said Molly.

"So, you and your family seem tight with Captain McCormick and her family," said Rotor.

"Yeah, she was my father's XO years ago," said Jericho.

"She's the closest thing Jericho and I had to a mother," said Dayton.

Everyone climbed into the Seraph-class speeders that were parked outside the hangar, except Sonic, who just stood there, stretching.

"Don't worry about Sonic, he's not one for letting anyone go fast for him," said Sally.

"I'll make it easy on you guys," said Sonic.

The speeders had only barely started to move when Sonic darted off, only for him to come back around and keep pace with the speeders as they went towards a very lavish home built onto the top of a grassy hill overlooking the city. There were a few trees planted around the building, and a large garden was visible on the side of the structure that was visible to the Freedom Fighters. Eventually, the speeders pulled up next to the front gate, and everyone disembarked.

"Nice house, hope they got good chili dogs," said Sonic.

"Sonic, you are impossible," said Sally.

"Thank you, thank you," said Sonic.

"Hmm...I swear this looks like something I read about," said Naomi.

Captain McCormick and her daughters escorted the Freedom Fighters through the main gate and through the main entrance of the house, and they soon arrived in the drawing room of the house.

"Stay here. We'll get everyone," said Nora.

As the Captain and her daughters left the Freedom Fighters alone, Sonic sat on the couch and put his feet up on the table, but Sally simply walked up to him and gently placed them on the floor.

"Show a little courtesy, Sonic, we're houseguests," said Sally.

"Wonder who lives here?" said Amy.

"Must be very nice people," said Cream.

"Trust me, they're good people," said Milena.

"Hey, Sally-girl, check this out, this portrait of your dad," said Bunnie.

Sally walked over to the wall and looked at the portrait of her father, staring inquisitively, seeing the markings of the paint brush that painted the many colors meshed together with signs of a gentle stroke.

"Uh, Sal? You okay?" said Sonic.

"Huh? Oh, sorry...it's just...it's just...I know I've seen this painting before," said Sally.

"Huh? It's just a painting of your dad, Sal. There were probably tons of 'em in the castle when we were kids," said Sonic.

"I know that, Sonic. It's just...I remember this one...my father showed it to me, said he was giving it to a friend of his…," said Sally.

"'I shall stand by my convictions," said the Lord Acorn. "Henceforth, I shall show that to all in this duel.' 'And in what way do you intend to duel, my lord?'" said a voice.

Sally grinned as she felt the response come from her heart.

"'By dueling with honor. That will be our family's credo for generations to come.'"

Sally turned to an old female Mobian python who was slithering into the room with a male Mobian anaconda by her side.

"That was always a great story, dear. You remembered. Sally, dear, so wonderful to finally see you again after so many years."

"I could say the same about you, Lady Saffron. You have no idea how I feel right now, to see you're alive," said Sally.

"As am I, dear," said Lady Saffron.

"Uhh...Sal? Introduction, please?" said Sonic.

"Oh, sorry. Sonic the Hedgehog, meet Lady Saffron Laurent, and her husband...Indigo, right?"

"Very good, you remembered me too, eh?" said Indigo.

"Anyway, Lady Saffron used to represent Mobius on the Galactic Senate many years ago. She was nominated by my grandfather Frederick and served my father through the Clone Wars," said Sally.

"The famous Sonic the Hedgehog, yes, your reputation precedes you," said Lady Saffron.

"The one and only, your ladyship. Any friend of Sal is friends of mine," said Sonic.

"You're Jules and Bernadette Hedgehog's little boy. And Sir Charles' nephew," said Lady Saffron.

"Wait, you knew my parents? And my Uncle Chuck?" said Sonic.

"Course, son. You see, we've known your family for 'bout thirty years now, since the Naboo Blockade," said Indigo.

Lady Saffron turned to examine the rest of the Freedom Fighters.

"Quite a group of distant familiarity….let's see…"

"Oh, sorry. We have Miles "Tails" Prower, Amy Rose, Cream the Rabbit, Rotor Walrus, Bunnie Rabbot, Antoine D'Coolette, and Knuckles the Echidna," said Sally.

"Amadeus & Rosemary Prower's son….Sherman Walrus' boy….and Armand D'Coolette's boy. Quite a surprise indeed," said Lady Saffron.

Antoine gasped.

"Oui! Lady Laurent...Bonjour! It iz such a marvelous thing to be seeing you aftair so long!" said Antoine.

"You know her, too, Antoine?" said Rotor.

"Oui, she was ze dear friend of my fathair for ze many of years!" said Antoine.

"Yes, a fine man, he was," said Lady Saffron.

"Mi amora, where are the children?" said Indigo.

"Yes, quite right...children! Please enter! Come meet our guests!" said Lady Saffron.

Soon, three female Mobian snakes and one male Mobian snake, as well as a male Mobian dog entered the room to join in.

"Meet our family. Our oldest daughter Soledad, and her husband, David Carrera," said Lady Saffron.

Jericho approached David as soon as he was able to.

"Good to see you again, you old dog. Brother," said Jericho.

"Aye, you too, brother. Shoulda guessed you'd end up in the middle o' things as usual, brother," said David.

"Hey, Davey-boy, good to see ya, brother," said Geoffrey.

"Likewise, brother," said David.

"Good to see you too, Soledad," said Jericho.

"Thank you, Commander. Princess, it's an honor we finally meet in person," said Soledad.

"The honor is all mine, Lady Soledad," said Sally.

"My mother has that 'Lady' prefix. Just 'Soledad' will do for me, Princess," said Soledad.

"And you, Mr. Carrera, I take it you and Jericho are tight?"

"'Captain' Carrera, Princess. And aye, known this one since he was a small one, right, mother?"

Sally turned to see Nora nodding.

"You're Captain McCormick's son?"

"Aye."

"That explains a bit. You're all family," said Sally.

"Soledad has also been managing our cell for the last five years," said Lady Saffron.

"What? I thought you were leading?" said Sonic.

"Oh, no...not at my age. When Bail Organa...rest peacefully, approached us in regards to fighting with the Rebellion, I knew this fight was Soledad's turn. I already endured a lifetime of wartime, it was time to let her take the reins, so yes. Soledad is the official political leader of our cell," said Lady Saffron.

"Though that hasn't stopped you from being my consolignere, mother," said Soledad.

"That I can do," said Lady Soledad.

Sally was approached by another female Mobian snake wearing a bandanna on her head.

"There is such blissful harmony today...I can feel the positive vibes of energy making it all feel...complete."

"This is my middle daughter, Claes," said Lady Saffron.

"Bliss to meet you...really digging the positive vibes, Princess," said Claes.

"I beg your pardon?" said Sally.

"Oh, don't mind her, Princess...my sister lives in a strange reality, she's...unusual...but her heart is firmly in the right place," said Soledad.

"Soledad...don't you see? We are in the presence of two people who emanate the most positive vibe that I have felt in years! No wonder people back home are following them!" said Claes.

Sally nervously laughed, but Sonic simply grinned.

"Finally, someone who understands that I am the embodiment of 'cool'!" said Sonic.

The other Freedom Fighters just rolled their eyes.

"And this is our son, Indigo, Jr.," said Lady Saffron.

"And another friend of me and Geoffrey," said Jericho.

"Indeed, brother. Dayton, good to see you, old buddy," said Indigo, Jr.

Dayton laughed as he and Indigo, Jr. hugged each other.

"Jericho, can you believe I had to stand up for this guy when we were kids?" said Dayton.

"I was there, Dayton, you don't gotta remind me," said Jericho.

"Not just family, but friends too, just like the Freedom Fighters," said Sally.

"And finally, my youngest daughter Viola. She's the majordomo of our estate," said Lady Saffron.

"A pleasure to finally host royalty after so many years, Princess," said Viola.

"I'm humbled, but out here, the only royalty is mother nature. 'The Humble Acorn'," said Sally.

"Good," said Lady Saffron.

Antoine whispered into Bunnie's ear.

"Ze lady used be ze teachair of literature."

"Ah can tell, the way Sally is citin' her quotes," said Bunnie.

"Lady Saffron, I have a question," said Sally.

"You want to know how we survived?" said Lady Saffron.

"Yes. Robotnik's propaganda said you were dead," said Sally.

"No surprise for that. I was here because Soledad and David were getting married," said Lady Saffron.

"Which is also how I managed to avoid capture," said Nora.

"When we heard the news, we were basically marooned. We lost almost everything back home, and we knew if we went back, we would be Roboticized or killed," said Indigo.

"So we stayed here for the next five years, until Senator Bail Organa found us and persuaded us to join the Rebel cause, despite there being only twenty of us," said Lady Saffron.

"It hasn't been easy, but we got a planet full of refugees and in relative security due to the nebulae, it was worth doing," said Nora.

"And we found these guys, too," said Indigo, Jr.

Dayton and Jericho grinned as they held hands with Indigo, Jr. and and David in a group hug. At that moment, a servant droid walked in and rang a dinner bell.

"Dinner is served, mother. Let us continue this conversation in the dining hall," said Viola.

"Indeed, dear, you all must be hungry," said Lady Saffron.

"Oh boy, I hope you got-OW! Sal!" said Sonic.

Sally had elbowed Sonic before he could finish his sentence.

"I hope we're not late, everyone," said a voice.

Everyone turned as two male Mobian Echidnas walked in, both yellow in color, one was clearly of old age, the other appeared to be in his mid-30s, like David was.

"Marquand, Irvin, glad to see you two made it," said Nora.

"Thank you, dear," said Marquand.

Knuckles froze a bit, confusing Tails.

"Everyone, this is my husband Marquand, and his son, Irvin. Marquand, this is Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn and their band of Freedom Fighters from back home," said Nora.

"Ah, yes, the famous Sonic and Princess Sally. The pleasure is all mine," said Marquand.

"Heh, glad to see everyone knows me," said Sonic.

Marquand then turned to see Knuckles, and his eyes narrowed a bit.

"It can't be...the Guardian?" said Marquand.

Knuckles was confused.

"I'm afraid you've lost me there, sir," said Knuckles.

"You're Knuckles, aren't you? The Guardian of Angel Island? At least the current one, if I'm not mistaken. You're Locke's boy, ain't you?" said Marquand.

"That's my father's name, how do you know him? Not many people do," said Knuckles.

"Know him? I've worked with him in the past when he was Guardian, boy. And judging by the way you were eying me, you know who I am," said Marquand.

"Why, of course. You're the famous trader who fought in the Clone Wars! You're former Senator Topol's cousin! Yeah!" said Knuckles.

"Uhh...little help here? Me and the readers are lost by now," said Sonic.

"Senator Topol, he was the Senator for the Echidna people and my co-worker on the Senate. Marquand was his cousin. But we've known Marquand for a long time, since the Naboo Blockade," said Lady Saffron.

"Careful, father. You know those Guardians are spooks, they could have this room wired or this kid wired," said Irvin.

"Huh?" said Knuckles.

"Oh, don't mind him, boy. We have much to discuss at dinner. After you, Lady Saffron," said Marquand.

"Of course, let us adjourn to the dining room," said Lady Saffron.

As everyone walked from the drawing room to the dining room, Sonic whispered to Sally.

"Boy, there sure are a lotta people here," said Sonic.

"I, for one, find they're a lot like us, Sonic. They're friends and family, trying to survive, and they got a good operation going with what they had, like we did. I look forward to learning more about this," said Sally.

"That'll be a bunch of other stories in themselves," said Sonic.

Dr. Robotnik stood inside his control room, which displayed a large map of Mobius, as he observed the troop movements across the various regions of Mobius. Robonik grinned with delight.

"Oh, this is good...Snively, report," said Robotnik.

"Everything is on schedule, sir. We've routed at least three Freedom Fighter groups and wiped out several others, within the next few days, we'll have routed or destroyed the last of them," said Snively.

"Excellent," said Robotnik.

"Even now, Admiral Kreeshkin reports that our forces are converging on Sand Blast City, and are meeting stiff resistance. Your orders, sir?"

"That pitiful speck of a city means nothing of value anymore….I want nothing left but a crater. Not even an ant is allowed to survive it,"

"Yes, sir. I also received a message, sir. The Emperor commands you to make contact with him," said Snively.

Robotnik felt his heart skip a beat and it felt like all the blood in his body just stopped moving for a second. He almost forgot to breathe. He then got out of his chair.

"Very well. Optimize the transmitter signal to Coruscant," said Robotnik.

"Yes, sir," said Snively.

Robotnik went into a nearby room and walked towards the large holoprojector, and he kneeled down. Soon, the holoprojector activated, and the image of Emperor Sheev Palpatine appeared before Robotnik.

"Emperor Palpatine, it has been too long, my lord," said Robotnik.

"Moff Robotnik, I've read the report that you are currently cleansing the planet of the Mobian resistance in wake of your failure at Yavin," said the Emperor.

"I was merely doing my duty in service to the Empire. The outcome was...unfortunate," said Robotnik.

"That failure was not yours. Your failure was how you allowed a boy and the Acorn heiress to establish a network that was ripe for the Rebellion to align with. It is a sign of weakness if a child is able to overcome someone like you, Doctor," said the Emperor.

"Yet they were able to escape your soldiers' custody as easily as they could have escaped mine," said Robotnik.

"Beside the point, Doctor. The point is, your neglect allowed them to make contact with the Rebellion, and their leaders are still on the run. What do you have to say for yourself?" said the Emperor.

"If I had more time, they would've been wiped out by my own hand! But from what I see, your men failed to stop the Rebel cell from becoming a threat in the first place!" said Robotnik.

"Your words do not make a good case for yourself, Doctor," said the Emperor.

"They know nothing about my project, there was no data trail linking any of my activities to it! Their destruction of my chemical plant may have set it back, but I still possess the means to produce what's necessary," said Robotnik.

"I hope so, Doctor, for your sake. I am eager to see what your weapon is capable of doing," said the Emperor.

"Oh, yes, my lord. Once it is complete, I will have complete control over all the colonies of Mobius-ACK!"

Robotnik felt his neck begin to tighten, making it harder to breathe.

"You forget your place, Doctor...you serve me...therefore, the Mobia Sector is mine, and that also means all worlds of the Empire are mine….MINE!"

"NO! DON'T! MERCY!"

Robotnik suddenly felt his neck tighten to the point he couldn't even breathe.

"Do not worry, I'm not going to kill you; I still have plenty of use for you. But should you have any thoughts of betrayal…"

Robotnik then felt pressure all over his body, right down to the bones of his skeleton, almost as if he was in a crusher. Robotnik then felt himself fly backwards, smashing into the wall and landing on the cold metal floor, coughing up blood and gasping for breath.

"Do not forget who gave you this planet, Doctor. Do not forget who your Emperor is. As punishment for your failures, I am revoking our agreement. My Inquisitor will be en route to Mobius to oversee your efforts. From now on, he is my eyes and ears on your activities on this planet," said the Emperor.

Robotnik's fist clenched at the mention of the title.

"My lord….is that...really necessary? Your Inquisitors could not stop the two Jedi from Lothal, what makes you think he will be any more successful!?"

"Do not test my patience, Doctor. You will grant him whatever accommodation is necessary, and you will work with him flawlessly. Do not make me reconsider replacing you. And if I must replace you, you will suffer until you are begging for a quick death that will not come. Is that understood?" said the Emperor.

Robotnik sighed in frustration.

"Yes, my lord...Mobius was a gift. I will not squander it further."

"Good. I expect the last pockets of resistance to be wiped out by the time he arrives. Is that understood?" said the Emperor.

"Yes, Emperor Palpatine," said Robotnik.

The transmission then ended, and Robotnik thought for a moment, and then he punched a nearby wall out of frustration. He then walked back to the control room. Snively turned around.

"Sir, may I ask what the Emperor wanted?" said Snively.

Robotnik looked down at Snively.

"We have lost the Emperor's favor, Snively. That Hedgehog's humiliation of us means that snake will be returning after all these years…"

Snively's eyes widened.

"What?! Over our dead bodies, sir! I will not allow either of us to be replaced by anyone, let alone that….that….thing! Well...mostly just you, you miserable toad…"

"WHAT WAS THAT, SNIVELY?!"

"Nothing, sir."

"Good. Inform Admiral Kreeshkin and our commands that I am rescinding my restrictions on many of the cities on the planet. I want them to burn down anyone and anything those vermin have ever come into contact with, I don't care if they even breathed or even passed by there for five seconds...I want them gone. I want nobody even thinking of trying to follow in his example. And if anyone survives….Roboticize them."

"Very good, sir. I shall inform the Admiral at once."

Robotnik sat back down in his chair.

"I'll teach these vermin what happens when they make a fool out of me…."