Chapter 10

The P2 wasn't exactly a Rigan Stealth Scout, but the Owl piloted her as if she was. The G-Force ship approached the Planed Pirolted slowly, but had so far not been detected. The Harrier and the Swan scanned for the pharmaceuticals factory and any information they could gather about the surrounding area, while the Condor swept the nearby sections of Spectran Space, on alert for any enemy craft, military or otherwise. The Eagle surveyed the situation.

"Tiny, I'm going to need you aboard the P2." Mark told the Owl. "Normally, I'd like you with us, but on an enemy planet we'll need our best pilot at the helm in case the P2 is discovered."

"I understand, Commander." Tiny nodded.

"Princess and Andie, you are to retrieve the formula." the Eagle ordered, "Jason and I will create a distraction to assist you."

"It's what I do best." Jason grinned with false modesty.

"We are all to rendezvous back on the P2 in thirty minutes." the Commander stated.

"Roger!"

88888

Mark and Jason circled the northern end of the factory, waiting for Princess' signal. The Eagle let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding when his communicator lit up.

"Found it, here at the southern end." came the Swan's voice. "We could use that distraction now, Commander."

"Happy to help." Mark replied.

"Showtime." grinned Jason, as he kicked open the main doors to the manufacturing complex.

Their arrival certainly wasn't subtle, and that was just the way the Commander wanted it. Factory workers scattered as the Eagle and the Condor burst in, attacking security guards and throwing miniature Astro Bombs at the plant machinery. Green-uniformed guards came running, falling easily before the Commander's Sonic Boomerang and the Condor's feather shuriken.

It didn't take long before all resistance had been eliminated, and Mark and Jason found themselves standing in the midst of a sea of unmoving green-uniformed bodies.

"Commander, it's a trap!"

The Eagle's head snapped up as the Harrier's frantic voice came from his communicator. Immediately, he responded.

"Andie, what's wrong?"

"Princess got the data, but a force field surrounded her. We can't take it down or break through it, although she was able to transmit the formula through to my communicator using G-Force Secret Code." The Eagle looked up at the Condor. The bleak expression in Jason's eyes matched Mark's own. Instantly, they took off sprinting for the other end of the manufacturing complex.

"Jason, get Andie and return to the P2." the Commander ordered as they ran. He saw the Condor open his mouth to protest, but cut him off before Jason could utter a word.

"Our mission is to get that formula." the Eagle told his second. "Get Andie back to the P2. I'll help Princess."

"I'll come back, once the formula's safe." Jason promised.

"I look forward to it." Mark said grimly.

The Eagle and the Condor sped toward the locator signal of the Harrier's communicator, emerging into a large control room to see Andie in hand to hand combat with at least a dozen Spectran goons. In the corner of the room, Princess stood surrounded by a shimmering yellowish energy field, her fingers flying across a control panel that was encased with her.

"Princess!" Mark shouted, moving toward her. The Swan turned, but even as she did so, a hole unexpectedly appeared in the floor beneath her. Her face was a mask of shock as she suddenly fell through the opening below her.

Mark grabbed his sonic gun, aiming it at the ground and creating his own jagged hole next to the neat circular force field that had recently held the Swan. The Eagle plunged headfirst through the opening in the control room floor, gliding down nearly one hundred meters, only to see a Spectran Space Cruiser moving away below him. The Commander retracted his wings, free-falling as fast as he could, slamming hard onto the hull of the enemy ship. The Eagle managed to pull open an entry hatch and climb inside just as the Cruiser left the underground Docking Bay. He looked out through a nearby window, attempting to assess the situation.

Behind the Spectran vessel, the factory exploded, and Mark could only trust that the Condor had followed his orders and gotten the Harrier safely back to the P2. Quickly, Mark scanned the interior of the vessel. By Spectran standards, it wasn't large, but it would still take him a good quarter hour to fully investigate it, even assuming that he encountered no significant resistance. Grimly, the Commander began a methodical search pattern, determined to find his Swan.