Hey. Sorry for the wait, but I needed to think on this chapter. Again, I do not own Sly Cooper or other official characters except for the ones I made up. Now, enjoy!
Sly Cooper and the Space Thieves
Chapter 3- Preparation
Once Sly and the group arrived at the training room, they were once again impressed. It was gigantic with Mantian warriors everywhere training hard. They were sparring each other, perfecting their targeting skills, and trying new weapons. To Murray, this was his kind of place. "Wow! This place is awesome, I can't wait to get started!" "I am glad you approve," said a short, dark yellow armored Mantian who was approaching them. "I am Cogmoz, Mantian trainer and veteran warrior. I have been informed by Emperor Kanog that you will be showing up. I will be giving you new gadgets and weapons to work with on your upcoming journey."
Cogmoz snapped his fingers and almost immediately red Mantian scientists came in with a lot of cool stuff for the gang. "There is something in this pile for each of you," said Cogmoz. "For you, Sly Cooper, an upgraded version of your cane. It has a built-in shock absorber for energy type weapons and has a tracking device so that your friends can find you wherever you are." "Nice," said Sly. As Sly took his new cane, Bentley was next. "Bentley, these are Takhar bombs. They are powerful enough to disable even the most heavily armored vehicles, as well as the person driving it! Also, a stun ray that is far more effective than your primitive tranquilizer darts." Bentley whistled as he took his new toys.
Murray asked loudly, "Can I go next?" "Of course, my large companion. You will love this beauty. It is a battle suit that will protect you from any weapons fire and even increase your strength ten fold!" Murray was very excited about the large, pink battle suit as he took it. "Sweet! This will make "The Murray" more formidable than ever!" "I have a special treat for you, Guru," said Cogmoz as he approached him. "I know that you use magic instead of technology, so I will give you the Plaxis Stone. It will add more power to your Moon Stone and give you the ability to freeze an entire army in its tracks." The Guru thanked him as he took the stone. "For you, Miss Penelope, I have new upgrades for your RC vehicles. For your car, new power boosters, stronger armor, and a mini-plasma ray. Also, you can use these extra parts to convert your helicopter into a small attack craft." Penelope awed as she took her new gizmos.
"Your turn, Panda King," Cogmoz said as he turned towards the mighty bear. "I have here Proton rockets that are a hundred times more powerful than your fireworks. They can level a fortress in less than a minute and make excellent signal flares!" "Thank you for your generous gifts. I will use them wisely," Panda King said as he bowed and accepted his new weapons. "Dimitri, I have a new diving suit for you." The green suit looked like it was made from a swordfish, with blue spots on it. "It was made from the Procz, an alien sea monster with armor-like skin. That skin can now be your advantage, as well as breathe underwater without an air tank." Dimitri took the suit in style. "Thanks, cool fish man! These new duds will make me into a cool, more stylish seastar!"
"Last, but not least, Inspector Fox," Cogmoz said as he now turned to her. "Here is a new shock pistol that can shoot over a hundred kilometers and has more juice than your old one. It can also be turned into a freezing ray or a heat ray just by adjusting the settings above the trigger." Carmelita examined her new pistol and smiled. "Thanks, I think I can get used to this baby." Once everyone got their goodies, Cogmoz spoke loudly to get their attention. "Now that each of you has received a new piece of equipment, you will need to master them before your journey starts. You have only a few hours before your spacecrafts are ready, so get started!" Without further delay, the gang split up and began to test their new gear. Sly came up to Carmelita and asked, "So, you want to be my practice partner?" Carmelita smiled deviously. "Sure Cooper, I would love to test my new toy on you."
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A few hours later, everyone was called by Emperor Kanog to come to the Royal Hanger immediately for the mission to begin. Yanor once more lead Sly and the team to the hanger where their rebuilt ships await them. All of them have mastered there new gear. Sly's new cane worked well against Carmelita's new shock pistol, until she changed the settings so that Sly would freeze on the spot a few times! Bentley was definitely satisfied with his new bombs and stun ray, since he had a lot of targets to try them on. Murray loved his new suit and wished he got this a long time ago! The Guru was impressed with the Plaxis Stone's power added to his own, he made a lot of the trainees dance the conga while everyone watched and laughed! Penelope simply loved her new and improved RC vehicles and can't wait test them in real combat situations. The Panda King was also impressed by the power of his new rockets and looks forward to try them on real enemy targets, while Dimitri was "spiced out" in his new wet suit when he tested it in a large water tank. Everyone felt they could handle anything now.
When they've reached the hanger, they stared in disbelief. The Dragon Thief was no longer a wooden pirate ship; she had become a formidable star cruiser with the name "Dragon Thief" painted on both sides! It looked like a metal sea dragon! The other vehicles were unrecognizable as well. 'Man, these guys sure know how to spoil a thief,' thought Sly as he and the rest of the team looked at their ships. "Behold, your new space vessels!" Everyone turned as Kanog appeared behind them smiling. "The Dragon Thief has been completely modified with warp engines, 20 plasma turrets with automatic target lock, shield generator, power core fueled by zinthor crystals, teleportation systems, tractor beam, scanning and tracking equipment, super computer, kitchen and mess hall, restrooms, escape pods and to top it all off the dragon head in front is equipped with your primary weapon; a Neutron cannon that can not only disable an enemy ship's shields but their weapons systems as well!"
Everyone's jaws dropped when they heard all the details his engineers have made. "Now for the others," he continued. "The van has been given the same armor as the Dragon Thief and has been equipped with a few mini turrets for offense purposes. Sly's plane has been transformed into a space fighter with twin lasers and a small shield generator; it is also fast and very maneuverable. I have made one for you too, Inspector Fox, so you can share the fun with Sly." Carmelita slightly blushed when she heard that, but no one noticed. "Finally," Kanog concluded, "the police boat has been modified into a secondary vessel with 15 laser turrets, thick armor, and targeting systems. I hope that these ships serve you well."
"Oh, they definitely will," said Sly. "Well then, looks like it is time for you to go. Good luck in your mission. Bring back the Manta Heart in one piece and you will all go home," Kanog replied as the team started to go aboard the Dragon Thief, along with the other vehicles. Before Yanor left, he gave Sly a note without Kanog looking. He said quietly, "Do not read it until you have left the planet." Sly didn't understand what the deal with him was. First Yanor tells him to be on his guard, now he gives him a note to read only after he is in space. 'There is something weird about Yanor. I wish I knew what,' Sly thought as he got on board the ship with everyone else.
After the ship's door was closed, Sly and the team walked to the bridge and thought it was amazing. "Okay guys, this is it. Time to blast off into the stars. Murray, you will be piloting the ship. Bentley and Penelope, you two will monitor the ship's operating systems. Guru, you will be the ship advisor. Panda King will handle the weapon systems. Dimitri will be the ship's cook (He knows how to make a mean Seafood Alfredo!). Carmelita, you will be first mate. Think you can handle that?" She simply nodded and took her seat next to Sly. Everyone else understood their orders and got to their positions. "We are ready, Sly! Just say the word!" Murray shouted as he took the helm. Sly activated the COM link to the hanger and told Kanog that they were ready for takeoff.
"Roger that, Dragon Thief. You are clear for takeoff," he replied. In a few minutes, the Dragon Thief's thrusters were roaring to life and the ship had blasted off into space. Kanog smiled evilly again as the ship vanished in the distance.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Thief had finally reached the blackness of outer space. It was incredible! Sly and his crew thought the view from their view screen was beautiful. Now that they were finally on their mission, the crew got their work to do. "Bentley, use the computer to find out all available information about the Aquians. All the places they've been too, who knows their ways, the works," Sly instructed. "Yes sir, Sly. This shouldn't take long," replied the ever so smart turtle. While everyone was looking away, Sly took out the note that Yanor gave him and read it silently. When he finished reading it, he crushed it and felt more determined than ever to finish this mission and get himself and his companions to Earth in one piece.