Hater and the Skullship have been on the hunt non-stop looking for Sylvia and Wander, but no such luck. The more impatient Lord Hater became, the more he yelled at the Watchdogs demanding them to try and look harder for them. But that was getting old fast and not helping.
And Peepers mostly became the target of Hater's frustration. They had been searching for nearly a month with no sign of their whereabouts. Every day, their leader would wake up early, screaming at everyone to start searching and check off the areas of the current galaxy they inhabited off; and search the next districts. Today was the usual.
"Where are you, Wander? where are you..." Hater would ask himself over and over.
He and the Commander stayed in the main cockpit, giving directions to the pilot who was just as exhausted, but too scared to complain. As much as Peepers wanted to find them, it was putting their more important tasks behind; such as planet conquering and making sure the ones already taken were being observed for security reasons.
Today he had to interject.
"Sir? Can't we take a one hour break from searching?" Peepers asked tiredly.
Hater glared at his friend,
"NO, not until I find Wander, and that's final!" He pointed at him.
"But it's one planet, there are so many other ones to take over." Peepers sighed.
"No, you don't seem to get it," Hater stared at the ship's windows, "He broke my trust, like he always does, he wants Rockna for himself! That's why!"
"When and where," Peepers stood beside him, spreading his arms, "Did Wander say he wanted the planet to himself?"
"I did!" Hater responded, shifting his shoulders.
Peepers slapped his face. He always does this, goes and makes his own assumptions, typical Hater.
"Actually..I take it back."
Hater's mood went calmer; "Let's take a lunch break. Been up since 5 anyways." He smiled.
"Finally, thank you sir."
"Um...,"
The Watchdog pilot on the controls interrupted, "I'm sorry sir, but there's something heading its way onto the ship."
"That's good to know Dan..or is it Phil?" Hater didn't look at the concerning pilot, too eager to go get food.
Much to Peepers reluctance, he didn't ignore the warning and read over the ship's external monitors;
He gasped.
"SIR!"
...
Outside, the new guest made his way from behind the ship and landed on the fire launchers, only a shadow, an orrble bubble, and eyes were visible. The bubble popped and landed on where he wanted to be.
"Where are you, Nate?"
Like an insect ..the oncoming intruder scurried and found an opening on the ship, he made it in. As quiet as a mouse, he landed in a corridor. His sense of smell became his guide, hoping it will lead him to his desired target. His red bandana covered most of his face and scarf tied to his arm to prevent it getting snagged by something.
After a little bit of walking, and depending on his senses to lead him, he stopped.
"HALT!"
Someone called from behind him;
"Put your hands up and come with us, and without any trouble!"
Seven Watchdogs held their lasers pointed at him, but he didn't move an inch, much less obeyed their demands..
"Sorry, but trouble had already made its choice, pal."
Confused, the Watchdogs glanced at each other, not understanding what he meant. The brief distraction caused them to be rammed against the walls. The intruder had punched them all with his fists effortlessly. Some began to fire, and he used his reflexes to jump and dodge, and getting close enough to some of them and put one hand on the gun, blocking it and pulled them closer to punch them in their eyes.
After all of them were down, he continued to carry on. The lead was getting stronger the further he went.
Nate was half-asleep in his cell, if it weren't for the fact that it was super uncomfortable for the lack of bedding he'd feel more rested. At this point his brain had become numb to time and boredom he lost track of everything. But his hearing wasn't gone, because he heard a tap at the cell bars. It was almost dark, but Nate's eyes adjusted to the new person standing outside his cage.
"How many years has it been..."
Nate jerked his head up to look closer, and fully stood up.
"Since I've seen you, kiddo?"
The hotel receptionist gasped. He witnessed a three-foot tall orangey creature with a mace and bandana covering his face, he pulled it off to show his smug expression;
"Nathan, how's it going?" He smiled.
"Wander-!?"
"SO he's finally shown himself, let's destroy him!" Hater stomped out of the cockpit and headed to where his enemy was hiding.
Peepers followed him closely behind, just as ready, but there was one thing on the commander's mind...
"Sir, can I suggest something?" He panted, trying to keep up.
"It can wait!" Hater snapped.
"BUT sir! I looked over the security footage, there's something off..!"
"Shh." Hater cut him off, smacking his hand on his eye.
There were voices on the floor above; fellow Watchdogs were struggling to restrain who or whatever they were dealing with. This made Hater all the more infuriated;
"ARGH! I wanted to get to him first!" He yelled.
The two of them made their way closer to the commotion, it became oddly quieter as they ran.
They found a pile of beaten soldiers sprawled upon the floor, groaning from their hits from where they were attacked.
But they couldn't see the perpetrator.
"Sir, something isn't adding up here, If Wander did all this-" Peepers wanted to explain,
"What!" Hater picked him up and shook him like a doll, "Why didn't you tell me he could've done this-?"
"You wouldn't shut up for one minute and let me warn you!" Peepers glowered at him, screaming.
Someone had grabbed Haters cloak, the two of them looked down as a beat up Watchdog struggled to speak;
"He went into the.. dungeon..cells."
His eye rolled backwards and passed out. The two looked at each other, puzzled by this.
"Why would Wander go there-?" Hater asked out loud;
"Sir!.. He came to rescue Nate!" Peepers concluded.
"You came back!" Nate was more than overjoyed to see his friend.
"How would you have assumed I was?" Wander pulled out the mace.
"Oh I don't know, gut feeling?" Nate chuckles, then his mouth gaped;
"What's with that get-up?" Noticing the red scarf but no hat perplexed him, he didn't see Wander getting ready to bust open the door…
"I'd duck if I were you," He readied the weapon.
"Huh?"
Wander smashed and swung his mace, breaking the bars and making Nate cower down to the floor with comical eyes and shielded his head from the maces spikes.
"Piece of jellyfish." Wander clicked his tongue in satisfaction.
Nate shot up from the floor, mad.
"You could've sliced me into calamari!" He fumed.
Wander only made a dead panned expression; "I gave you a fair warning, didn't I?"
"Don't back-talk me, pea-brain." Nate shot at him, in which Wander ignored.
Both started out of the room, making their getaway.
"Alright so tell me, how did you do it, managing to bust through security, and threaten that Hater- guy?" Nate pressed, curious.
"Be quiet." Wander hissed.
They stopped at a turning corner in the hallway, both putting themselves against the walls behind them. Wander was the first to peek to see if anyone was there, and sure enough one Watchdog has his back turned away.
"This should be easy enough." Wander smirked.
He looked back at Nate who was anxiously waiting for what to do next.
"On my mark, we'll sneak past and not make any attention, okay?"
"THERE THEY ARE!"
The two stood stiff like stones in fear.. they'd been found out. Hater, and Commander Peepers with his troops came from the corridor leading to the cells.
"I spoke too soon." Wander smacked his face.
"Oh...grop!" Nate trembled.
"Alright, stay behind me." Wander went around the octopus and held out the mace, walking towards the enemy.
"You're gonna fight all of them?" Nate called.
Once again, he ignored him.
Hater was anticipating to finally challenge him.
"So you finally showed up Wander, let's end this! And don't think you're getting out alive."
Peepers gasped at Wander, he was right... something was different about him...the way he dressed, and the emotion of no fear walking up to Lord Hater was something new...
"Funny, I don't remember giving you my name." Wander retorted, walking closer.
Hater and him stood face to face giving each other the stink eye. Until Hater dropped the look and stared at Wander in confusion. The way Wander's eyes were looking at him were so much different than before in the past, it signaled a warning in Hater that he never felt before...
"Wait..." He shuddered, seemingly nervous all of a sudden.
"Me first."
Wander cracked his neck, making a popping noise in the still air, the soldiers behind Hater suddenly felt uneasy..
"ALLEY-WHOOP!"
Wander swung his weapon at Hater's face, knocking him off his feet and skidded across the hallway. Peepers stood stunned.
"Want another go? I'll hit again if you fight me for real." Wander taunted, enjoying himself.
"YARRRRRRRGH!"
Green electricity tried to strike Wander, but as fast as the lightening itself, he jumped away, both making a glaring scowl at each other. Hater formed a sword-shaped weapon contrived of his lightening.
"I knew you were trash...deep down you've wanted to beat me when my guard wasn't up, so this is the real you!" The skeleton pointed his new weapon at Wander.
"You're weird, I don't know what you're insinuating,.. but let me set something straight.."
Hater blinked, and Wander was right up into his face and stared at him blankly,
"I'll always be stronger than you."
He sucker-punched him in the jaw. The force was so powerful Hater slammed against the wall and made a dent shaping the outline of his body. All the soldiers watching trembled anxiously as they watched their leader be defeated by the likes of his enemy.
Only Peepers was brave enough to step forward and yelled,
"Who are you? Are you really Wander, the annoying, do-gooder that ruins our plans?!"
Nate, who also watched was captivated by his question...he begun to wonder if this was the same person he met at the hotel.
Wander raised a brow at all of them,
"I'm no do-gooder, I only work for myself."
He held his mace at them,
"If I ruined some "plans" of yours, fine by me. But..I made a promise a long time ago, and I would call myself a coward faster than breaking that promise."
"To whom?" Peepers asked, he was not only intrigued, but curious.
This time instead of a reply, he simply gave a death glare.
"None of your business." He hissed.
The way he looked at them all, reminded the commander of how Wander acted when confronting Emperor Awesome a few weeks back. Like.. he could easily rip him apart, this was no different.
Wander's face went softer to Nate,
"Let's go, Nate. I don't think I can take you back to Rockna; but you can live with me and Sylvia."
"LORD HATER!"
A new and different Watchdog came running frantically, and everyone put thier attention on them.
"I've located Wander and Sylvia! They're both on some planet which grop-knows what it's name is-"
The Watchdog froze mid-sentence, looked at the fallen leader, to Peepers, Nate, then Wander.
"WHAT THE? That can't be possible! I just saw Wander on the computer scanner back there!" He pointed a shaky finger at him.
Peepers stared at him, then back to Wander in utter confusion and disbelief. He could tell this soldier wasn't lying, yet it seemed unimaginable that Wander could be two places at once..
"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" Peepers yelled, he couldn't contain his puzzlement and frustration anymore.
"Why don't we find out?"
Everyone looked back at Wander. He clapped his hands to soothe the tightness in his muscles,
"I'm just as confused, and if it helps, maybe clear up some miscommunication?"
"But, weren't we going to leave?" Nate asked nervously.
"Originally, yes. But something is telling me in my guts... that something bad is going to happen, and really bad."
"Captain Tim, stop tickling in between my legs."
Hater, still knocked out, kicked and threw his arms and legs as if being touched by an invisible being.
"Your idiot leader is fine, I only left some scratches." Wander scuffled the fur on his head.
"The idiot part you got down to a t..scratches.. I doubt it." Peepers snapped his fingers with approval.
"Take me to the flight controls." Wander ordered.
Some Watchdogs stayed behind, whispering to each other and glancing at the nomad in red, impressed that he was able to take down Hater without any difficulty, the rest watched him nervously.
The whole team made it to the cockpit and all of them gasped, except Wander...
Lord Dominator's ship ominously hovered over the planet, threatening to take whatever power source from its core...!
"You said some people are there, right?" Wander asks Peepers.
"U-um, yes."
Wander angrily narrowed his eyes at the ship below them.
The memories of that night over 50 decades ago still haunted him and regretted not being able to do more than save the now adult Nate from certain death.
"If you don't want them to die, 2nd-in commander..." Wander turned his head to Peepers,
"I suggest you let me help."