Bark was in the cockpit of an Imperial shuttle detaching from the Hurst. Sally was in the cockpit of the Hurst waiting "Don't worry, Dawn Leader. We'll be back with those codes before you know it" "Let's just hope your co-pilots aren't more trouble than the mission" Tex said. "What makes you say that?" "No reason. Haha" Tex laughed before fist bumping Tails. "Let's cut the chatter. We got a job to do" Sally told them, "Copy that, Dawn Leader" the shuttle jumped to hyperspace. Sally turned to Tex and Tails "Despite what you might think, we have our best team on the job". Tex scoffed "Since when does our best team include Fixit, G-merl and Bark?".
Bark was piloting the shuttle "I don't get it, Fixit. Why're you so surprised Sally picked me for this mission?" "Your grasp of protocol is sorely lacking. Imperial pilots never remove their helmets in flight". Bark smirked nostalgically "I know, I was top of my class at the Imperial Academy" "Oh, Lieutenant Bark, you are mistaking my attention to detail for an attack on your obviously fragile ego". Bark turned back around and rolled his eyes "Well this is gonna be fun" "I want this mission to go precisely as planned. We need to acquire the Imperial codes for our attack on Emerald Hill". Bark nodded in frustration "Yeah I was at the briefing, too". G-merl beeped and Fixit turned to him "You just got your circuits overheated that I was put in charge". G-merl beeped again "Well, it is not your mission. It is mine. Captain Acorn was specific about this being my operation due to my skill set and experience". Bark sighed in frustration "Can you two argue somewhere else?". G-merl beeped again "I'll have you know that anything you can do, I can do better". G-merl beeped "Yes, I can. That includes even being a spy. My programming is superior to yours". Bark sighed "Nobody else wanted the mission. Should've been my first warning".
They arrived at a rocky green planet as Fixit and G-merl were continuing their argument. Bark flew towards a small outpost with a large dish "Lock it down, you two. Here comes the welcoming committee" he put his helmet on. A voice came over the commlink "This is a restricted sector. Identify yourselves" "This is 160-VS. Delivery of service robots. Code clearance, uh, B6279" "That was not very convincing. I definitely would not believe you" Fixit said. Bark half-heartedly nodded "Thanks for the vote of confidence" "836-VS, you've been cleared. Follow us in". Two TIEs arrived and guided the shuttle to the landing platform. Fixit and G-merl exited the shuttle "No, you follow my lead". They headed to the entrance but was stopped by a trooper "Halt. Proceed through the scanner one at a time" "I'm aware of the protocol". Fixit went first and the scanner beeped green. G-merl then went through but the scanner did nothing. They still then entered the base with no problem. Once getting far G-merl stopped at a terminal "No. This access the central computer, but the codes will not be accessible. This information is precisely why I was made leader of this operation". G-merl beeped "You know that I do more than make calculations. The only thing you do is make the others miserable". G-merl beeped "Alright, that's it. I will retrieve the codes myself" he walked away.
He headed down a different hallway "Yes, the simplicity of the structure. How I do miss Imperial hallways. So well organised. Ah, here it is. The central Computer Core" he said turned a corner. He walked down but "Halt. What are you doing here?". He turned and saw a black version of him with a female voice "I am PZ-7. I was not aware two inventory units were assigned to this level" "Uh, well, it is unfortunate, but I must report, you have been reassigned to the cargo platform. I am your replacement". PZ-7 lowered er head "I understand" she walked away and Fixit shook his head "I can't believe I'm the same model as that Imperial drone. The Empire never did take robots seriously. That alone explains all of G-merl's success". He entered the central room and sat at a console "I, on the other hand, use my superior intellect to my advantage". He inserted a disc into the console "Downloading clearance codes for Emerald Hill. Download complete. Hmm, I could have done this mission by myself". He left the room and returned to G-merl who was strangely still in front of a terminal "Well, what do we have here? Just as I suspected. All talk, no action. And while you were wasting your time here, I stole the codes". G-merl didn't move "Oh, so now you're ignoring me? Now that I have clearly proven why I am leader, I suggest you admit failure and return with me to the shuttle". He walked away but G-merl stayed where he was "Fine. Have it your way". He exited the base and boarded the shuttle where Bark was waiting "I have successfully retrieved the codes. We must leave at once" "Wait, where's G-merl?". G-merl then arrived but said nothing "Well, it is about time". G-merl beeped, Bark looked to Fixit confused "Did he just apologize?". G-merl beeped again "Yes. And now he's admitting that I am the better leader" "Alright, then, this should be a painless flight back to base". Bark closed the shuttle door and went up to the cockpit. Fixit stared at G-merl "What exactly are you up to?". G-merl beeped "Code 16? That means you're in standby mode. Since when have you ever been in standby mode?".
Later the two were still on the shuttle waiting. G-merl beeped "My problem? You said Code 16. That is an Imperial term. I only speak Imperial code when required to. Are you mocking me?" "Hey, guys, get up here!". Fixit headed for the cockpit but pointed to Fixit "I'm onto you". They entered the cockpit and saw a hologram of Sally "And it sounds like everything went as planned. Good job". Bark nodded "Thanks, Captain Acorn, but your two robots did all the work" "Technically, one robot did all the work". Sally rolled his eyes "Okay, then, well done, all of you. So, Bark, how long until you reach our rendezvous point?" "We'll be there within the hour". Once the hologram cut-off G-merl stepped forward and gave Bark a drink "Thanks, Gem. Where was this attitude earlier?" "That is an excellent question, Lieutenant. This new attitude of his feels insincere to me". Bark dismissively shrugged "Hey, it's better than before. Now, if you could upgrade your attitude" "My attitude. I am not the problem here. In fact, I am the reason my mission was successful". G-merl beeped surprising Fixit "Did you just called me sir? Oh, now I see what you're up to, gizoid! You want me to relax so you can take possession of the data disc". Bark sighed "Hey, Gem, do you mind checking on the hyperdrive power coils? Feels like we're dragging a bit". Once G-merl left Bark turned to Fixit "Look, this childish competition between you and G-merl has gone too far. It's got to stop" "This has become much more than a game, Lieutenant. I suspect G-merl may have been compromised on the station". Bark rolled his eyes "You're paranoid. Get your sensors checked. There's nothing wrong with our little friend". G-merl re-entered and beeped "Good work, buddy. Take the controls while I use the refresher" he left the room leaving Fixit and G-merl alone. Bark entered the toilet but before he could do anything "Very clever". Bark quickly turned around and saw Fixit "Fixit!" "Now we talk privately, Lieutenant" "Now, hold on. Wait a minute" he said angrily. Fixit shook his head "We don't have much time, se here's what I know. I saw G-merl plugged into a network terminal. When I found him, he was strangely silent, but I thought he was merely ignoring me, as usual. Then I heard him use an Imperial term". Bark took a breath "Listen, you can discuss your theory with Sally. So, for now, GET OUT!" he pushed Fixit out of the room.
They were now docked with the Hurst and entered the common room "Here are the codes, Captain. I saved them from the gizoid" Fixit said handing it to Sally. She glanced at Bark who sighed "Fixit and G-merl were playing some spy game the whole trip". Tex and Tails laughed but Fixit got defensive "It was not a game! This is a serious matter. I have grave concerns about G-merl-" "Where is G-merl". Sally exited the room and entered the cockpit where G-merl was plugged into the wall "What're you doing with the hyperspace logs?". G-merl unplugged and beeped "Updating your database? You're not making any sense, Gem". Sally went to sit down as G-merl beeped again "You had files wiped on the last mission" she put the disc down "No, if you remember, I always wipe your data after every jump, as a security precaution. I think you need a power recharge". G-merl nodded and left the room. In the common room Bark was telling Tails and Tex about Fixit following him to the toilets making them laugh "He did the same thing to me" Tex said. Sally entered "Uh, I'd hate to spoil the party, but I think there's something wrong with Gem" "Thank you. As I have pointed out repeatedly". Bark thought "I guess we was acting strangely nice to me" "That's just creepy" Tex said. "We should run a diagnostic" Sally said but the ship suddenly shook violently "The ship just dropped out of hyperspace" Fixit said. Sally got on her commlink "G-merl, where are you. Why did the ship drop out of hyperspace?". G-merl answered "He's in the engine room. Says there's some kind of malfunction". Tex stood up "I'll show him a malfunction" "Go easy on him, Tex. We don't know what's wrong with him yet". They went down the ladder to the engine room but the door above them suddenly closed. Fixit climbed up "It's locked. Open this door at once, you traitorous grease bucket!" "G-merl, what're you doing!?". The doors suddenly al closed in the room "Well, I hate to say I told you so" "Next time, Fixit. We'll listen to you, I promise" "Let us hope there is a next time". Tex tried to force the door opened but was unable. Suddenly the cargo bay doors started to open "Hold on!" Sally yelled. She grabbed onto the ladder as they all started getting sucked out. She reached for the manual override and just managed to close the door before Tex fell out. She then quickly ran over to a wall scanner "I was afraid of this. Someone's compromised G-merl, and they're trying to download the location of our base" "If we don't stop them, it's bye, bye Dawn Squadron. There must be a way out of here" Tails said. Sally pondered "Maybe I can override the hatch controls. There's an access port on the hull. Outside" they all turned to Fixit who sighed.
Fixit was now walking on the hull of the ship and was seen by G-merl in the cockpit. Fixit went over to the roof and opened a panel "There's the override circuit". He then looked to his right and saw G-merl flying towards him holding two pistols "Oh, dear". G-merl fired but he used the panel as cover. He just managed to flip the circuit before G-merl hit him back and they both fell off the ship "No!" G-merl however flew back to the ship.
The hatch over the ladder opened and they rushed up. They ran into the cockpit and saw a data spike plugged into the wall. Tails quickly removed it. They then heard G-merl coming down the hall. They hid and the moment G-merl entered Tex hit him with an electric bolt from his sword "HA! Been wanting to do that for a long time". Tails examined the spike "Looks like they were close to get what they wanted" "Yeah, well maybe we should give it to them. They want to mess with my gizoid, they're gonna pay for it! Tex, get him up". Tex helped stand G-merl stand up as Sally worked on the console "Whoever did this has a strong signal array to control Gem at such a distance". She took out a cable and plugged it into G-merl's back "So I'm gonna reverse the feed on them and send back a bit more power than they expect". G-merl suddenly turned to you "Hey! You! Imperial rats! Keep your hands off my gizoid! Say goodbye to your memory core!". She presses a button and G-merl begins violently shaking and begins to smoke. Sally then kneels in front of him "Gem? Gem? You in there. Come back to me, buddy" she rested her head against his. The others looked down solemnly but G-merl suddenly powered up "He's back!" Tails said happily. Tex chuckled "Can't believe I'm saying this but I'm glad you're okay, Gem". Bark nodded "I guess I owe Fixit an apology…. Wait, where is Fixit?".
Fixit was floating aimlessly through space "I should be frightened, but I'm strangely calm. The silence. Solitude. Ah, this is beautiful". Three small space creatures started flying around them "I'm in a world all my own. I do not alone" he pets one of them. More begin to surround him as he begins to sing "It's easy to see. I fit perfectly. In this wonderful. Beautiful simply". He then saw a light "Oh, no, no! No, go away! I was so happy". The Hurst opened the cargo doors and picked him up as the creatures scattered. He landed inside and Tex smiled at him "Nice save, Fixit" "Yeah, we all owe you one" Tails said. Fixit however glared at G-merl "You tried to scrap me!". G-merl beeped "If you are apologizing, I fear you must still be compromised". G-merl hit his knees and walked away "Oh, sorry for being nice?". Bark sighed "That's it. I'm done with robots. From now on, I fly solo!". Sally was watching "That's my gizoid".