Now dressed in 'Casual Ghostday' as Dan liked to call it, he meandered his way into the Hunter's Guild: Lunar Outpost on the heels of Stuart and a disguised & 'captured' Krel. Thankfully the outpost had artificial gravity inside the pub which meant that Dan was treated to the sight of the young princeling waddling about in handcuffs & a mole mascot suit, which he tried his utmost hardest not to cackle at as they stepped inside."Remember, bounty hunters are a touchy lot!" Stuart reminded them as Krel was hit in the side of the head with a wayward goblet. "We'll have to stay alert"
"You try staying alert without any peripheral vision!" Krel snapped back as Aja slipped in between them, crouching low to hide herself from the pub's occupants' line of vision.
"Psst! Zeron Brother, 12 o'clock!" She hissed, pointing over towards a table in the furthest reaches of the pub where the canine sat with an elongated creature and something made of lightning that set Dan's nerves on edge. He clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides, trying to shake off the piercing memories of his own death via electrocution, but the scar that ran from his hand, up the length of his arm and to his chest burned with the memory anyhow.
"Ooh! Rough crowd" Stuart winced when one received a faceful of burning alcohol and a gut full of laughter for his troubles.
"Just keep them busy" Dan added as he followed after the queen-in-waiting as they disappeared around the corner & towards the cells.
It was surprisingly empty in the drunk tank—in both security and prisoners—when the second half of the rescue party arrived. The buzz of the ionic fields keeping those prisoners at bay, did little to assuage the halfa's anxieties over the lightning creature from earlier but he couldn't help but marvel at the parallels between this jailhouse and the one in the Ghost Zone. A lot less dead, for sure, but likely the same level of idiots trapped inside (and yes, he did just unintentionally insult himself for the time he'd done in Walker's prison).
The clinking & clanking of their footsteps against the grating eventually roused the only supposed occupant of the jailhouse who responded with a familiar grate & sneer that had Dan's lips quirking up at the corners. "You enter this cell and Varvatos Vex promises you will only be hastening your own dismemberment"
"Ooh! Scary! Beware of the blueberry!" Dan teased the hunched figure of the Akiridion commander.
"That…wasn't the reaction I was looking for" Aja admitted as she chose to ignore Dan's comments, though her lips did twitch in amusement. But the sound of her voice did make Vex's head snap upwards and all four eyes pinned to the blue teen with an intensity that the halfa only ever saw in Tucker & his PDA.
"Aja? Queen-in-waiting! And the ghost boy!" Vex excitedly jumped to his feet, mindful of the barrier between them. Dan turned to wander a little ways down the halls, sensing an incoming heart-to-heart between the pair. But despite the illusion of privacy he had provided, Aja & Vex were not exactly the most quiet of two and he could hear their whispered voices bouncing back & forth through the halls even then.
"Shh! That guard could come back any mekron!"
"Varvatos thought you were—What are you doing here?!"
"Krel & I thought a little rescue mission might make for a fun summer vacation?"
"A suicide mission is more like it. This place is replete with bounty hunters! Varvatos did not train you to be this foolish!"
"I'm glad to see prison hasn't changed you, Varvatos"
"Ooh! First name! Someone's in trouble~!" Dan sang to himself, twisting lazily through the air.
"…This prison is a fitting punishment for what Varvatos did" Vex sighed heartily. "Now go, and leave him to rot"
"Ugh! We don't have time for this! As queen-in-waiting, should't I decide what's a fitting punishment?" Aja retorted snidely before clearly her throat some. "By order of the Akiridion-5 throne, I grant you a royal pardon. I overturn your banishment and sentence you to the protection of House Tarron"
"Oops! Guard! Not that way!" Dan hissed as he quickly made a U-turn to hide from the passing guard who was clearly drunk.
"Come home, Varvatos" Aja implored, "We need you.
When Dan had eventually returned to the cell in question, citing look-out as his excuse for leaving abruptly, he found Aja trying her damndest to blow up the control panel with her serator in an effort to bust out Vex. Dan would've offered his own services if he were not so worried about being electrocuted by the high voltage clearly running through the circuits. It was not a fun way to go. "It's no use" Vex groused as blue & green sparks flew. "The divalent laser grid can't be deactivated without the prison guard's key"
"Hm" Aja hummed as she pocketed her serator before she spun on her heel and shouted angrily to the heavens. "AAARRRGGH!"
"What are you doing?!" Vex hissed. "You'll alert the guard!"
"I'm getting the key" Aja paused to flash a thumbs up before she went back to yelling as she paced. Eventually all the commotion was enough to drag the drunken guard away from his drink; causing Dan to flit towards the ceiling whilst Aja hid in an alcove just out of the way.
"Hey!" The guard slurred as he came rushing in. "What's with all the noise down here?!"
"Haha!" Aja cackled as she chose that moment to launch herself at the guard's back, hoping to knock him out. Unfortunately all she did was push him aside which he quickly arose from and rushed her again.
"This is some rescue. Really" Vex sassed as he watched Aja get chased about as she tried her best not to get slashed. Despite this, Dan still noticed the small bits of worry that pricked at his tight shoulders and thinned lips.
"A little patience? Or did you forget that part of your warrior training" Aja retorted in kind as she flipped out of the way. "Daniel? Are you not going to help?"
"You seem to have this handled" Dan replied from on high. He knew that this would be a good teaching experience for the girl, even if she didn't like it. "Watch the blade! Watch the blade! You'll lose your head that way!"
"No…I won't!" Aja grunted as she kicked the guard back towards Vex's cell where the gargantuan man shoved his arms through the barrier and using the weapon still clutched tight in one hand, knocked out the guard in a fit of sparks.
On the plus side, Dan was able to easily pluck the key from the ground where it had fallen and slot it into the controls, freeing Vex. "Thanks for the assist" Aja sassed, climbing over the guard in her efforts to reach Vex.
"You had it handled" Dan replied with a half-smile & a sort-of shrug.
"Varvatos was wrong to doubt your tactical prowess" Vex apologised as Dan stepped away to shove the guard into the frequently vacated cell. "It is most impressive"
"You taught me well" Aja smiled. "Wait—you're missing something"
"Varvatos' serator?! Oh, how he has missed you, sweet mistress of death!"
"Er…okay" Dan blinked at the unusually intimate display of affection between the commander and his weapon.
"I can't tell if you're happier to see me or your serator!" Aja halfheartedly joked.
"Wait—wait one delson" Vex paused as if something had just occurred to him. "Where is Zadra?"
"She's at home, on Earth" Dan replied. "And knitting, if LU—C has her way"
"Zadra? Knitting? Hoho! I'd pay to see that!"
"Yeah—D'you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Sounds like fighting…" Dan trailed off as he shuffled back down the hall and towards the pub where Stuart and Krel were still 'blending in', leaving a confused & startled pair of Akiridions in his wake.
Back in the pub proper, Dan blinked at the scene he found. Bounty hunters were flying every which way, glasses were being smashed against heads & walls, ionic weapons ricocheted off of upturned tables and likely the prize of this abrupt melee could be seen scurrying over (to the best of his abilities) to hide behind the stained countertop with Stuart right beside him. "Now's our chance! Go! Go!" Krel panicked as he hurriedly waddled over to the bar. Dan couldn't help but snort at this, the sight being just too funny not to laugh.
It looks like he shit himself! Dan cackled for a moment as he leant against the rear wall before he pushed himself upright and made his way over to where the two were hiding. He paid no mind to dodging or weaving, knowing full well that with his intangibility, all things would just fly straight through him.
Soon enough, Dan found himself perched atop the countertop like a bird on a wire and stared down upon the king-in-waiting who was struggling to get free of the mole costume and his boss, who was far more interested in the fights going on behind him. "Having fun?" Dan smirked down at his fellow king.
"Daniel!" Krel's head snapped upwards at the comment as he continued to struggle. "I can't get out!"
"C'me 'ere" Dan leant over and grabbed the blue boy by the scruff of his neck, easily pulled him free of the costume as his intangibility spread to the other.
"Thank you" Krel breathed a sigh of relief as he was set down beside the now deflated costume.
"What happened? I thought you said you were just gonna blend in?"
"My head came off"
"Ah"
"And then this—this melee started with the Zerons and the lightning monster and the Foo-Foos—"
"Foo-Foos?" Dan furrowed his brows in confusion as he blinked rapidly in an effort to diffuse the dizzy spell that suddenly hit him, nails digging into the countertop. The lack of oxygen was starting to get to him, but he didn't want to worry his compatriots. "Like the nursery rhyme?"
"Nursery rhyme? What nursery rhyme?"
"Y'know the one with the bunny and the mice and the fairy"
"Still don't know it"
"Y'know the one…uh, little bunny fufu running through the forest, picking up the field mice & boppin' them on the head~"
"Still not familiar"
"Huh, must be a coincidence…"
"Yeah…" Krel shook his head as he turned the conversation back on track, "Where's Aja? And Vex?"
"They're coming, they just—"
"—Whoa! You are missing quite a show!" Stuart exclaimed loudly, cutting Dan off as he peered around the edge of the counter with gleaming eyes. Then a Foo-Foo appeared, slamming into the wall next to his head before shaking off the attack and crumbling to pieces. "Oh, shows over"
"Oh, there they are! Hey guys!" Dan waved over to the two Akiridions when he spotted them by one of the adjoining doors, mindless of the glass that had just been thrown through his head. "Over here!"
"Glorious!" Vex cheered as he and Aja crept over to join the trio already seeking shelter by the bar.
"Vexy, wow! Looks like someone's been getting beefy in the clink! Really diggin' the lats, brah. Boom-boom!" Stuart praised as the two joined them. Dan facepalmed as the Durian tried to bond with the Akiridion, but his use of Earth slang flew straight over the Akiridion's head. In between the two adults, the two siblings embraced each other, thankful that the other was okay.
"Please stop!" Dan groaned into his hands, practically rolling in the secondhand cringe.
"Hello Stuart" Vex deadpanned before happily turning to Krel who sat in his sister's arms. "Your highness!"
"Run now, reunions later" Krel greeted with a tense smile.
"Varvatos approves of this plan!" Vex agreed as he caught a flying jug and down the contents before he hopped the counter and latched on to the closest Foo-Foo fighter. "Bounty hunters! Now come" He flicked the Foo-Foo fighter about like it was a nunchuck and not a person, effectively drawing all eyes to him & silencing the rest. "Get some!"
"He really is a great fighter" Dan whistled as he turned to watch the commander fling his 'weapon' about, knocking away any who dared try to attack.
"Yeah, he really is" Stuart sighed in agreement as his upper pair of eyes peeked over the edge of the counter to watch the fight play out. What seemed to take a matter of minutes likely only took a matter of seconds as he expertly cleared the floor and they raced to meet him by the door.
"Varvatos thanks you for the light exercise!" The commander called as Krel latched onto an arm and Aja pulled the other out of the door before he could turn back to finish the job. Stuart anxiously took up the rear, herding the teens out of the door even as Dan snatched the mascot costume from the ground and accidentally smacked the Durian in the face (It was by pure chance that the mole head had somehow landed [mostly] unharmed by the exit).
Everyone leapt for the front door with bounty hunters calling for death on their heels, only they appeared to have forgotten about the moon's low gravity and hung in the air far longer than they had intended. Dan, however, was the exception as he had quickly forgone the use of his legs and instead traded it for the wispy tail that portrayed his ghostly nature. "Ugh! Kleb!" Aja swore as they slowly descended.
"The gravity here is most unhelpful!" Vex agreed.
"Eurgh! They're mine!" Alpha snarled as he chased after them, frying the control panel at the door so that he could make sure they were his and his alone.
"Hurry! He's right behind us!" Aja tried to haul Vex to his feet with Dan worriedly hovering nearby as both Krel & Stuart hightailed towards Zadra's ship. At least that was the idea, until it exploded spectacularly.
"You four, go ahead" Vex replied as he eventually returned to his feet. "Varvatos Vex will hold him off!"
"We came all this way! We're not leaving without you!"
"Alpha killed Varvatos' family. Varvatos must end this"
"Why? Why won't he listen?! Why is he so focused on revenge?" She despaired over the irreversible bloodlust of men, turning to the halfa for guidance.
"It's a warrior thing. Hero complex, y'know…" Dan replied as he struggled to juggle comforting the queen-in-waiting and hold onto the high school's mascot costume. He knew it would be easier just to leave the costume behind but they'd destroyed the school enough in the months previous, the least they could do was keep the mascot intact.
"…Then give Alpha a glorious death!" Aja paused for a moment before turning back to face Vex's retreating back.
"Varvatos Vex has long waited for this delson, with your death the Zeron brotherhood will be extinguished! And Varvatos' family will finally be avenged! GLORIOUS DEATH!"
"C'me on Aja, we need to go" Dan shooed the young royal over to her brother and the awaiting saucer, making sure to keep one eye on the fight.
"Is no one going to back up Vex and his boom-boom?" Stuart greeted the pair of teens as Krel unlocked the saucer and Dan dumped the costume inside.
"The Zerons killed Vex and his family" Aja replied as she hauled herself up and then turned to watch the fight. "This is his fight"
"One could argue that it was Dan's fight too, then" Krel shrugged as he scrambled inside.
"Huh?" Dan hummed in confusion, following after him.
"You did kill his brother"
"I did?"
"You don't remember? Being chased through the woods? Those red flowers? That big scream?"
"Oh, oh yeah…! Oh yeah…" A quick glance over his shoulder as his legs dangled inside above Krel's head, showed Vex roundhouse kicking Alpha across the parking lot with all the gentleness of a semi-truck. "…I'm sure Vex has it handled"
"Do you think he's winning?" Stuart asked conversationally as he set about starting up the vehicle. At this, Dan hopped inside followed by Aja who pulled the hatch closed behind her. No sooner had the Durian asked, did the sound of something heavy thumped against the roof before sliding off with a pained groan.
"Sounds like he's winning" Dan shrugged as he slumped into one of the spinning chairs and tried not to pass out from the long period of time without air intake.
"Any idea what's going on out there?" Aja worried as the sound of pained cry sounded through the parking lot.
"Still too dark to see" Krel replied as the siblings launched themselves up to the hatch to look for their guardian.
"FOR THE HONOUR OF VARVATOS' FAMILY!" Vex's bellow ripped through the dark as a bright flash ignited the lot.
"Fudge! Aw boss!" Dan swore, jumping in fright when the body of his boss hit the floor of the UFO with a sudden thump. Whatever the Durian had seen outside had been enough to make him pass out & then pass gas.
The journey back to Earth was much the same as the one to the moon, only this time there was an extra occupant aboard, making the living quarters a little tight. Once again, Dan had occupied a windowsil that overlooked the stars and marvelled once more at the luck he had to come and see them up close. Only this time, his eyes were half lidded as he fought against the drowsiness pulling at his lids and the cough settled in his lungs. He knew realistically that he should've stayed on Earth, but with the chance to see the stars—he couldn't just pass that up. He had made his bed and now he had to lie in it.
"Justice was served" Aja soothed the commander as Earth came into sight. "You're with us"
"Varvatos must admit, he is looking forward to returning home" Vex smiled gently, his hands resting gently on the backs of their chairs. "If you were to grant him that honour, despite his own failings"
"Hey" Krel replied in much the same manner, "We've all made mistakes and we've all lost people that meant the world to us"
"We are a family" Aja continued.
"Ahem!" Stuart coughed.
"And Stuart and Daniel"
"Varvatos will not fail his family again" The sweet sentiment was cut short by shots fired towards the saucer that had it veering off course as it entered the Earth's atmosphere. "SOMEBODY IS SHOOTING AT US!"
"BUT WHO?!" Stuart replied as they rocked and roiled amongst the clouds. Dan dug in his nails into the windowsil, slight frost slipping from his fingers to keep him rooted in place. Not that it helped much because as soon as the saucer crashed into the earth just as it had done decades ago, Dan was thrown across the room and received a mouthful of hair & an elbow to the crotch for his troubles.
"Nn!" Dan groaned as the five of them scrambled to untangle themselves from each other for a few more painful moments later and then they were tumbling out of the upturned hatch and into Mother's backyard. Knee-deep in mud, Dan bent over with hands on his knees as he gulped down as much oxygen as he could take, excusing it for spitting out mouthfuls of hair.
"Uncle! Uncle! We come in peace! Ah!" Stuart pleaded as he fell over himself.
"I thought you were an enemy ship! I could've killed you!" Zadra scolded from where she stood on the back porch because she refused to dirty her sparkling red boots.
"Well, you definitely tried" Stuart replied as he rubbed at his newly formed bruises.
"Ahem!" Krel coughed into his hand as he slid down the bonnet.
"Er…" Aja stammered as she followed after him.
"What? You said you were at a sleepover!" Zadra exclaimed, hands on hips.
"Mmhm, I am sorry. I do feel sorry about that"
"You have no idea how much I worried! I nearly took up knitting!"
"I told you!" Dan coughed much to the enjoyment of Vex.
"Such is the pain of raising teenagers" Vex greeted.
"I didn't ask for your opinion!" Zadra growled threateningly, weapon raised to the commander's throat in warning. "Nor did I organise the rescue of a traitor!"
"He's family" Aja interjected from over Zadra's shoulder. "We had to rescue him!"
"We will discuss your actions later" Zadra promised as she spun on her heel and led the way back to the house. "For now, I fear a far greater battle lies ahead"
Once inside and crammed onto the Tarron's couch, Zadra showed them the message that she had received from a high-ranking offical back on Akiridion-5, known as Loth Saborian. "He was Morando's chief adviser" Zadra started as the hologram flickered to life behind him. "Until now"
"Lieutenant Zadra" Loth began. "I can only imagine the surprise with which you will receive this message. In your absence, General Morando has taken his Omen prototype and manufactured an entire army to do his bidding. And with Morando's Omens now raining terror upon our people, I can no longer support him. It gives me no pleasure to inform you that with Akiridion-5 firmly in his grasp, he's coming after the royals. Now!"
"Morando is headed for Earth!"
"Fudge!" Dan swore, summing up everyone's collective thoughts.
