Ch.12: Past Meets Future
Meanwhile on Mars, King Marvin was busy beating his son in a poker game when a Centurion came in and informed him that someone named Daffy had been caught pounding on the front gate.
"Daffy?" muttered Marvin shocked when he heard the name.
Turning away from the poker match, the King didn't notice his son, Melvin, pick up the chips saying he'd won, his mind already occupied by other things. Daffy was still alive? But how could that be? Tinana said he was lost when Drake Darkstar attacked years ago.
"Bring me to him at once!" demanded King Marvin, immediately following the Centurion to the main chamber.
Curious to what could have his father so rattled, Melvin followed as well, wondering just who this Daffy person could be.
When they finally arrived in the main chamber, the shock never left from Marvin's eyes as he gazed upon the familiar form of thin, black duck still dressed in his Duck Dodger's suit, with a white ring sporting his neck.
"Daffy?" asked Marvin cautiously.
"Hey Marv" said Daffy, looking upon his old friend " been a few millennia hasn't it?"
"But…how?" stumbled Marv, trying to finish a sentence " How can you still be here? Tinana reported your defeat years ago."
"Hey all I know is" said Daffy " one minute I'm trying to save our egg, the next I'm up in Darkstar's ship fighting for survival when some kind of rift swallows us up,"
"Hmm" said Marvin, thinking " a wormhole probably. They've been rumored not only to travel through space but time as well. I guess that's the only reason you're not dead,"
"Yeah" said Daffy " and you're not dead either. How long do you Martains live anyway?"
"Oh a few centuries" said Marvin, nuchantly " Now why are you here? What are you doing on Mars?"
As Daffy started to explain his story to Marvin, Melvin lost interest in the conversation overhearing a Centurion passing by saying that the Queen was on her way back from the ball.
"Uh oh" thought Melvin, nervously " Mom's coming home. I wonder what's she's going to think of Dad's new guest? She'll blow him up for sure,"
Moments later, two ships approached to land on Mars, one a royal Martian vessel, and the other a Loonatic design.
"Wow!" said Danger, as he and the other Loonatics landed upon the Martian surface " They weren't joking when they called Mars the Red Planet were they?"
"It's the iron in the dust" said Tech " it gives the whole planet its rust effect,"
" Didn't you ever study this in school Duck?" asked Lexi.
"What's school?" Duck questioned sarcastically.
Ignoring Duck, Ace turned to the Queen who had just disembarked from her ship, to question about the assassination attempts.
"So who do you think want's to blast you?" asked Ace.
"Mars is a powerful empire" said Queen Tyra'nee " we are a planet of war that has conquered many worlds. Only Earth has ever escaped our conquests. Whoever kills me would be able to control all of Mars."
"High stakes" said Ace " but don't you have any heirs?"
" My husband would not be fit to rule" said the Queen " and my son follows his father's path. This planet needs a Queen, so I hope to have a daughter soon."
"I feel sorry for the husband." thought Ace, as they entered the palace.
The Martian Palace looked even more impressive once the Loonatics were finally inside. Tech himself was trying very hard not to geek out on how highly advanced this civilization truly was. Being among such amazing enhancements was like a dream for the coyote. Shivering, he struggled to keep himself contained.
"I'm home!" called out Queen Tyra'nee to the hallowed halls.
Seconds later, another, smaller Martain scuttled up to the group.
"Hello Mother," he called before his face fell at seeing the Loonatics. Ace and the others immediately recognized him too.
"Well, well, well" said Melvin, staring at his foes " we meet again,"
"Oh" said Queen Tyra'nee, instantly noting the familiarity " you've already met my son I see?"
"Yeah" said Duck, speaking up " Prince Tutu here tried to shrink our planet once,"
The insult made Melvin grind up his fists in anger.
"Yes" said Melvin, glaring at Duck " and I can't wait to try that again,"
"As much as I would like to hear the thrilling details of your first encounter" said Queen Tyra'nee " Melvin, do you know where your father is?"
"He's talking with another guest the Centurions brought in" said Melvin, pointing a finger at Duck " a duck, just like him,"
"A duck?" asked Queen Tyra'nee, a faint sense of hope lighting in her heart " It couldn't be? Could it?"
"Your Majesty?" said Ace, noticing the Queen's attitude change.
Without even explaining her weird reaction, the Queen suddenly sped off to find Marvin at once. Melvin was as confused by his mother actions as the Loonatics were. Normally his father would be punished for bringing in an unexpected guest, but something about this one must have been different, otherwise she would have never run off.
Joining Melvin in search to find out what was wrong with the Queen, the Loonatics trailed after the Prince as he followed his mother into the main ballroom, where he stopped in shock seeing his Mom deliver a loving hug to an equally shocked duck.
"Wow" said Duck, as he and the other Loonatics entered behind Marvin " did we miss something?"
"Oh Dodgers" said the Queen " over the centuries, I've never thought I would have the chance to see you again,"
"Dodgers?" said Ace, suddenly remembering something from the ball " As in Duck Dodgers? The famous space hero that vanished decades ago?"
"Impossible" said Lexi " he couldn't have lived this long,"
"Cryogenic suspension" said Dodgers, answering Lexi's silent question as soon as he released from the Queen's grip " works every time."
"Amazing" said Tech " so you've been frozen for more than three hundred years,"
"More than that if you count the first time I did it" said Dodgers proudly " Just who are you guys anyway?"
"Greetings Doc" said Ace "We're the Loonatics. I'm Ace and this is…,"
"The Loonatics?" Dodgers interrupted " Catchy name. I guess that means you're all insane?"
"Well Duck might be but not the rest of us," quipped Lexi.
"Hey!" protested Duck.
"Anyway, as I was saying" continued Ace " My name's Ace, and these are my teammates; Rev, Tech. Slam, Lexi, and Duck,"
"Most call me Danger Duck," said Duck, broadcasting his thin muscles. His pose was soon interrupted when a fuzzy ball of white fur suddenly plowed into his back.
"Uh" groaned Duck, pointing a finger to the little wolf, who had obviously escaped from the ship " and this is Kim,"
"Great" said Melvin " now that the introductions are out of the way. Mom, could you please explain just what is going on?"
"Better yet I'll explain it" said King Marvin, stepping up " according to Dodgers, after his last fight with the infamous crook Drake Darkstar, he was caught in wormhole and ended cryogenically frozen once again before being awakened by Darkstar's descendant. He and two other villains planned to kidnap Dodgers for unknown reasons, and he escaped using an evaporator to come to Mars,"
"What's an evaporator?" grumbled Slam.
"An ancient piece of early teleportation technology" said Rev " that utilized the transport of molecules from one space to another space using a complicated process that…,"
His speech was interrupted by a sudden claw from Tech.
"We get it Rev" said Tech, then said " Continue,"
"Well, after I got here" said Dodgers " and learned the Queen was experiencing things too, I knew there couldn't be a coincidence. Someone is out for revenge or maybe something worse. Either way, toon kind is all in terrible danger,"