Wander Over Yonder: The New Galaxy
Chapter Twelve: The Other Villain
Who is our mysterious villain who is shaking the planet with an unknown weapon? What will our heroes find when they reach the surface? Will Peepers and Hater be upset at me calling them heroes? Let's see what questions will be answered!
I'm so glad everyone liked the last chapter and our underwater city! This chapter, we should see what the situation is above the surface, and we'll understand Wander's reaction a little better.
You got this really fast because I was working on this story and Fighting The Tide simultaneously. It may be a while before I update again, but I'll do my best to keep writing.
Enjoy!
Sylvia pointed her nose at the water's surface and pumped her legs as fast as she could. Their orble rose much more quickly than they had descended. It was risky underwater, but they needed to get to the surface before there was another attack or the bubble might not hold. Then they'd really be in trouble.
She knew Wander must be worried about the chaos in the city below them, Grop, so was she, but right now it was more important to get back to the Star Nomad and stop whoever was causing the tremors before even more damage was done.
In her mind, she ran through a list of suspects. She knew all of the galaxy's most wanted had been scattered and were in hiding from dominator, but some of them might already have heard about her defeat and started heading back to conquer planets while they were still defenseless, much as Hater and Peepers were likely planning to do once their ship was fixed.
Who could this guy be?
It was hard to tell with only the effect of the weapon as a clue.
Emperor Awesome was a possibility. Sylvia knew from experience how much damage his planet ending parties could cause, but it didn't really feel like him.
For one thing, he was a hopeless show-off, and she couldn't imagine him starting something without first announcing it far and wide, so the only way he was the cause of this would be if he hadn't been aware that the cities underwater had survived and had just announced himself to those on-board ship. Plus, if his music was powerful enough to reach through the deep water to the city below, and cause the level of damage they'd witnessed, she imagined they'd at least be able to hear it a little.
It could also potentially be Sourdough. She knew the evil sandwich had lost his empire as Dominator had systematically destroyed all of the planets he controlled, but she believed much of his armada was still intact when he'd fled, so she could imagine him being one of the first villains who were able to muster a powerful enough force to return.
However, it didn't really feel like his M.O. either, since she'd never seen him use sonic attacks when invading. Of course, he could be showcasing a new weapon.
Truth was, it didn't really feel like any of the regular villains that had been mucking around in their galaxy.
Yet, she did feel like she'd heard of a weapon like this before. The shaking had felt familiar. She tried to think back on all the planet invasions they'd ended up in the middle of, but they were hard to sort through. She and Wander had faced a lot of bad guys, or it could even be something she'd heard of back before she met Wander, back when she easily could have ended up hired by a creep like that.
Sylvia found herself frowning. She didn't like thinking about her travels through the galaxy before the little nomad had inserted himself into her life, or especially the person she'd been back then, but this was important.
Actually, now she was thinking of that, it kind of reminded her of…
She couldn't spare a glance behind her, not if she wanted to keep them straight at the speed they were going, so she didn't look back, but called over her shoulder instead.
"Hey buddy, do you remember…"
That was when the second attack hit.
They were much closer to the surface this time, and with no protective roots cushioning them from the impact.
Fortunately, they were a small target, and the sonic blast seemed to be quite widespread. Even so, as it rippled through the water, then through them, Sylvia felt herself shaking all the way through to her bones.
Their orble seemed to hold for a moment, quivering, and then popped, cold water rushing in at them, and Sylvia held her breath and kicked hard, propelling them upward and finally into the air.
She could hear her companions gasping, but she didn't look at them for the moment. Instead, the zbornak's eyes slid over to where the Star Nomad had docked. The ship had obviously taken some damage; one of the masts was cracked and the railings were splintered in places. Sylvia could only hope the sails were still intact, and was glad they had been furled once the ship had docked. Small figures could be seen on the deck, some running this way and that, some clinging to the railing or lying slumped on the boards, but the most notable was Jeff, standing tall and backed up by a group of watchdogs and several other passengers.
As Sylvia's gaze rose higher, up into the sky above the Star Nomad, she saw the late sun glinting off of the other ship, and she felt sudden whisper of dread swirl through her insides.
The ship was massive, many times the size of their own, and it loomed over the planet, casting everything in shadow. It was copper coloured and strangely bulbous, beetle-like almost in shape, with stumpy fins and glinting windows. Protruding from the ship's bottom was the weapon, like a giant funnel, black and grey striped.
It was a familiar ship, though not one she'd seen in several years, and not one she'd ever wanted to see again.
The big question was, why was she here? They were far from the place Sylvia and Wander had seen her last, and even that had been slightly outside of her territory. Truly, Sylvia didn't know too much about her, and hadn't learned much from their brief encounter. Still, she had an unpleasant feeling she knew why this ship was here, a feeling backed up by a tattered bounty poster with far too many zeros attached.
The villain could have simply seen a weakened galaxy and decided to take the opportunity to expand her empire. It was possible, but Sylvia didn't think it was likely, and unconsciously, she raised herself in the water as much as she could to somewhat shield the area behind her.
She'd bet a year's worth of jellyfish pie that Lady Infinite was looking for Wander.
Hater wiped salt water from his eyes, sputtering indignantly.
As soon as they had had to go down in the stupid bubble thing, he'd known they would have to swim at some point.
He glared upwards at the intruding vessel, electricity already building in the marrow of his bones, though he'd have to be careful not to unleash it while they were still in the water, and his target was too far away in any case.
He had no idea who this upstart was, and he didn't care. Some unknown loser of a villain was trying to muscle in on his galaxy, after he'd just gotten finished saving it, to totally conquer later, of course. Not to mention that whatever this stupid weapon was, it had clearly made his enemy act all weird and junk.
Well, he wasn't going to stand for it. He was going to show this pathetic interloper what happened when you messed with Lord Hater.
As long as he could get up there, that is.
"We need some kind of plan." Peepers' voice was low, as though anything they said could possibly have been heard from way up there.
"We need to get out of sight, at least for the moment." Sylvia sounded slightly strange, as if she'd swallowed some seawater. "Trust me, we do not want her to see us."
"You know who it is?" Now, Peepers was a little louder.
"I've got a pretty good idea. Come on." Sylvia pulled a sodden Wander around her slightly so he was on her other side. Hater had a moment to think how strange the nomad looked with his fur full of water, plastered to his skin and making his thoughtful eyes look even bigger, before they started swimming towards the small island they had docked at.
Hater would normally be complaining about the water, or the surprise villain, or any number of things he was annoyed at in this situation, but for some reason, he was quiet. Partly because of the swimming; it was difficult to get forward movement when your fingers were bone and didn't trap a lot of water, but also because he was thinking.
It was Peepers who responded to Sylvia's assertion. He snorted derisively.
"No doubt someone you've 'foiled' in the past?"
Sylvia was concentrating on swimming and keeping Wander level with her. He seemed to be having trouble keeping up, and Hater wondered why the zbornak didn't just put him in her saddle the way she'd done before.
"Something like that."
Her voice was soft, and as she didn't turn around, Hater could barely hear her. Still, he supposed that made sense, given Wander's reaction, although that reaction was still bothering him. The nomad seemed calm now, but he was much too quiet, as though he was still thinking about something as well.
He felt a strange tight feeling in his ribcage at that. Just how many times had Wander and Sylvia foiled this 'other villain?' And why was this the first time he was hearing about it. He felt bizarrely that it was kind of like cheating. Wander had been his most hated enemy, and he knew the nomad tangled with other villains sometimes, but he'd always assumed he was the one Wander foiled most often, the one Wander focused on, just as he had been focused on destroying the nomad. It reminded him of that time with the weird banana villain; that jerk, and how Wander had said he was the most dangerous villain in the galaxy, which still stung, although it probably shouldn't at this point.
With an effort, Hater pulled himself level with Wander and Sylvia. This was made easier as they were now next to the giant lily pad they'd first disembarked onto, and would have to work their way around the edge if they wanted to stay in the water.
Shooting the furry pest a piercing look, Hater poked his shoulder with one claw.
"Who is that loser anyway?" he demanded.
Wander smiled, lifting a wet hand to push his dripping bangs out of his eyes. Hater didn't trust the smile. It still looked a little distracted.
"I guess ya could say she's an old friend o' mine."
Hater glared. He should have guessed at that answer. Wander probably introduced Hater as a 'friend' too.
"That's it," he growled. "We're going up there and destroying that thing!"
"That's actually not a bad idea." Sylvia shot Hater a look past Wander's head. "She seems pretty reliant on that weapon of hers. If we manage to disable it, she might fall back for now. You got a way up there, bonehead?"
Hater's glare darkened.
"Maybe," he grumbled. "But we'd have to land on that funnel-thing."
Peepers considered, stroking the bottom of his eyelid thoughtfully.
"In that case, we should wait until after the next blast." He lowered his voice, moving closer to Hater so they wouldn't be overheard. "Sir, are you sure you can bring all of us?"
Hater scoffed.
"Of course I can, Peepers! I'm only the greatest villain in the galaxy!"
It wasn't going to be easy. Hater usually only teleported himself, and then only to familiar places, usually on the skull-ship. He had to be familiar with the place he was teleporting to or things could end badly. That was why they would need to use the funnel to enter. Hater was pretty sure he could teleport up to one of the ridges on it, since he could get a pretty good view from here, but he wouldn't be able to get inside the ship without having been in it before.
He'd also never brought anyone else with him before, but he was going to make it happen. He didn't know who this villain was, but he could feel the fury bubbling through him and he was going to teach them a lesson.
Sylvia seemed to have been watching the funnel.
"Speaking of the next blast, duck!" The four of them pushed under the edge of the lily pad, ducking further into the water, and the funnel vibrated above them before emitting a muffled concussive rumble that shuddered through them once again.
Hater felt his bones shaking and the water was suddenly choppy around him, but he didn't wait. As soon as the rumble stopped, he wrapped his arms around Peepers and Wander, grabbing Sylvia's tail with one hand, and concentrated.
All four of them vanished.
Teleporting for the first time was not something Sylvia enjoyed.
At least, not this way. Normally, that is, with reliable machines doing the teleporting, it didn't feel like much of anything. Just a quick zap, a momentary feeling of weightlessness, and you were wherever you wanted to be.
This time, being teleported by Hater's electrical powers and without even much of a warning or a chance to prepare herself, was significantly different.
It felt almost like another attack from the cannon, except it was more like electricity was vibrating through her, zapping her every cell. For a moment, she felt like she was everywhere and nowhere, and then she was back, disoriented and with every part of her tingling as though her whole body had fallen asleep and was just waking up again. Her head spun.
She found herself clinging to the outside of the giant funnel next to Peepers, with Wander and Hater on her other side. Wander's fur was fluffed out and looked staticky, and as she watched, he shook himself, appearing slightly dizzy. Then his dazzling grin was back, making Sylvia realize how long it had been gone for. That was a touch concerning, even with all the danger they were in right now, but she didn't have time to think too much about it at the moment, so she filed it away for later.
In any case, Wander seemed to have weathered the teleporting itself fairly well.
The nomad threw himself at Hater, wrapping his noodly arms around the skeleton in a hug.
"Wow, Hatey!" he complimented. "I didn't know ya could do that. I feel all tingly!"
"V-vary well done, sir." Peepers looked as disoriented as Sylvia felt, bracing himself on shaking arms.
"Yeah, yeah." Hater seemed to be out of breath. He looked a little dizzy himself, and possibly slightly embarrassed. "Let's just find a way into the stupid ship," he grumbled.
Sylvia took a deep breath, trying to ground herself. She didn't know how long it would be before the canon fired again, and they didn't want to be on it when it did. Peering further up the black and gray funnel, she noticed a maintenance hatch into the ship, and started making her way towards it, wrapping her tail around Wander to keep him with her. Hater and Peepers followed, and by the time they reached the hatch, Sylvia felt slightly more like herself again.
With a warning to brace themselves directed at her companions, she set her shoulders, backed up a pace, then threw herself at the hatch.
It groaned and then gave, sending her and Wander tumbling through it and into a wide corridor. Hater and Peepers scrambled in after them, and Peepers pushed the dented door closed.
They were in.
"Okay." Sylvia stood, brushing off her hands and glancing up and down the new corridor. It was polished and gleaming, and put her more in mind of the inside of a palace than the hulking ship, even in what must be an obscure corridor fairly deep down. Pillars with gold trim stretched up to the ceiling at regular intervals, and the whole place seemed to be faced in white and pale green stone, smooth and polished until it gleamed in the light from the rounded lamps on the walls, though the wires and circuits of the ship were still visible. "Now all we have to do is find the controls for the canon," she mused.
"They'd be on the bridge, most likely." Peepers was peering around with evident interest, inspecting the competition, most likely. "It's strange though, this ship."
"What about it?" Sylvia was already making her way partially down the corridor, but carefully. She didn't want any surprises.
"Well, it's in excellent condition, and whoever this person is, they obviously have no shortage of money, but it's all…well…outdated. Just look at those lights! And the wiring, and console here. This ship would have been a dinosaur even a hundred years or so ago. I'd bet they don't even have teleport pads in this thing."
"Oh yeah, Lady I didn't wanna add 'em," Wander piped up. "She's not a real fan of 'new technology.'"
Sylvia shot him a glance. His tone was light, but now that she was more conscious of him, she thought he sounded nervous.
"New technology?" Peepers asked in an incredulous squeak.
"Ugh, who cares!" Hater yelled. "Let's go destroy this thing already, and if we run into this loser on the way I'm taking her down, whoever she is."
Sylvia found herself chuckling slightly, feeling oddly reassured by the company.
"Well said, bonehead!" Let's get to it, but I can't promise you won't have company for that takedown. My ladies could use the exercise."
Wander looked to be lagging behind again, and Sylvia caught his arm, plopping him into her saddle, where he sat smiling and peering around, though his smile still seemed a little strained.
Sylvia frowned. She didn't remember Wander being this concerned about Lady Infinite the last time they'd encountered her, a little too unconcerned if anything from what she remembered. It had actually weirded her out at the time, back before she'd known how he usually acted around villains. It was funny to be worried about him having the opposite reaction now. She would have to talk to him about it later. She didn't want him bottling up his concerns again, especially after their conversation on the Star Nomad.
Right now, though, she had to be on high alert. She remembered something about the troops that worked for this particular villain, and though she hadn't gotten to tangle with them much, they had seemed pretty tough. Besides, Wander's nervousness was making her a little nervous. It happened so rarely. He didn't seem frightened the way he had during certain encounters with Dominator, but he was certainly wary of the situation.
The four of them walked close together, looking for signs that would lead them to their destination.
Things went well, right up until they found a wider corridor that Peepers was pretty sure lead towards the bridge. They turned onto it, and the second Sylvia took one step forward she froze at the sound of blaring alarms, rather tinny sounding alarms accompanied with a flashing red light.
She straightened, readying her fists, and noticed Hater and Peepers taking aggressive stances as well. She wasn't sure exactly when she'd gotten so comfortable around them, but she felt safer having them with her.
Several reptilian figures rounded the corner and, over Wander's cheerful greeting, Sylvia charged.
Beating up some old-fashioned bad guys actually sounded pretty satisfying right about now.
Thanks for reading!
We're on the ship to deactivate the sonic canon. Will we finally see Lady Infinite face to face, or will I continue teasing her. We will see next time.
I hope none of this is confusing for those who haven't read Never Hurts To Help. I promise we will get a lot more information about this villain than we got in that story eventually. But if you feel like checking out that story, I certainly won't mind! I'm rather proud of it.
I hope you liked the chapter! I will probably be updating this story again next, unless the next chapter for Fighting The Tide makes me write it.
See you soon!