Chapter 3



A kind voice wokehim up. It said to wake up. He didn’t bother to make it say something fancy. Two words wereenough for him.

He opened his eyes and rubbed them. Then sat up and reached for his glasses. Heput them on his nose and looked around.

It was once again a beautiful morning on Carrotus. Along time ago he would have found this kind of mornings sickening, but he got used to it. Afterall these years on Carrotus, trying to get rid of those rabbits, especially Jazz Jackrabbit.

Hegot up and walked to the food machine he built.
"Bog Coffee." He said to the machine. After afew seconds a cup of hot Bog Coffee was placed on the receptacle of the machine by it’smechanical arm.
He picked up the cup and sipped a bit.
Perfect. Just the way he liked it.This was one of the few machines that actually worked properly without him having to repair itall the time. It almost seemed that every machine he built, which was dedicated to destroy arabbit, failed after a while.

Lately he has been thinking of giving up on this. With his skill,he could do well for himself.
But he would lose face in the eyes of his fellow villain‘friends’.

Another day, another scheme to plot. He thought.
He sat down in front ofa big computer, which took up most of the wall in his small home.

"Sai," he began "give metoday’s news and start a routine scan."

The machine beeped softly and displayed a copy ofCarrotus Today on its screen.

As he read through the articles, the machine scanned for anythingout of the unusual on the planet and the space nearby.

He was about to get up as an alarmblared. He nearly spilled his remaining coffee on himself.

"Sai! Report!" He yelled over thealarms.

"Unidentified multiple spacecraft in orbit around Carrotus detected." The machinestated in its kind voice.

Sai was his pride. It was a super computer he worked on for years.It was sentient and served only him. Sai meant Sentient Artificial Intelligence. It wasn’t anoriginal name, but he liked it that way.

"Give me a visual." He ordered the machine.
Afleet, no, a huge fleet of various spacecraft was hiding on the far side of one of Carrotus’moons. He was glad he placed a remote sensor array there.

Before he could think of what to donext, Sai announced: "Incoming transmission."

"Accept transmission, but scramble myimage."
"Devan Shell," the transmission began.
This got him worried. Who were they and howdid they know that he was here?
"...surrender immediately and come along peacefully." Thetransmission went on.

What? They wanted to him to surrender?

"State your reasons." Hedemanded.
"We need you out of the way for now. You will not be harmed and will be releasedafter we are done with our business here."
"And what business might that be?" Devanasked.

"We are taking over Carrotus."

Those words would be welcome to him, seeing as someoneelse decided to get rid of those pesky rabbits. But this time it outraged him. It was his job totake over Carrotus! His! Carrotus belonged to him, Devan Shell!

He cut the transmission andordered Sai to activate security.

The perimeter shielding activated, making the sky a bitblurry. Ground batteries rose from the ground and extended their quadruple cannons. They wouldnot take him without a fight.

They were fast, he realized a second later as theshielding flashed, blaster shots hitting it.

His batteries answered, shooting at theattackers. One of the attackers was hit badly and went crashing down into the forests. But theothers kept coming. Devan ran to his weapons locker and took out his heavy plasma blaster. Hestood there, breathing heavily. They sure had the guts to take on him.

Finally, a bright flashoutside indicated that the shields failed somehow. Another few explosions followed as thebatteries were destroyed.

Sai was announcing in her calm voice that the fighter crafts werelanding and troops were spilling out.

She was almost finished as the front door exploded in amist of wood and metal.

Devan squinted and started shooting. He heard screams as his plasmablasts hit some targets. He started to move towards his escape route, knowing that he isoutgunned and would not last long.

He moved over to Sai and ordered her to transfer herselfonto a portable unit. The machine beeped in response and ejected a small silver pendant that hetook it and hung around his neck. The machine still mimicked as if it was functional enough to bea threat.
He turned and ran to the secret escape door but something hit him in the head. Hefell over, dropping his rifle. He felt his body jerk as stun rays hit him.
They want mealive.

Someone turned him over. He saw a big and tough looking figure, dressed in black,with a massive helmet on its head, visor down.

He looked behind the figure and saw more of themcoming in. They started shooting at everything that could be a threat, even the former home ofSai. The machine exploded with a small explosion, then sparked here and there.

The figure infront of him said to a hidden communication device: "We’ve got him. Destroy the place."

Thenthings went black...

---

Somewhere high in the sky, a black airplane flew. It glided in thesky, like a sleek black bird. What one did not know is that this airplane was alive; a shape of ashapeshifter, DrJones.

He was getting tired, the journey to the base was a long one, and he hadto use this shape, as he has not mastered his... other transport ability.
Good thing I amalmost there. He thought.

He reminded himself once again that he’d soon be with Loriagain. He smiled inwardly and felt something stir in his mind...

He almost dismissed it,thinking it was just a feeling of anticipation to see Lori, but it was something else...somethingmore familiar.

Jessica!

She was awake again! He had to contact her somehow.

He tried‘thinking’ to her, but before he could gather concentration, he felt an overwhelming feeling ofpanic. He didn’t understand it at first, but then he realized what was going on: Jessica wasscared to death of this speed and altitude...

Before he could attempt to calm her down he felthimself being pointed to the ground. Jessica was probably trying to take over control to land. Hetried to tell her that he’d do it, if she just let him, but she was too panicked. He tried topull up, but he couldn’t control his flight well enough as Jessica’s panic distracted him.

Helooked helplessly as altitude dropped rapidly. He managed to pull up slightly, but it was toolate...

The nose of the airplane caught a treetop and the whole plane flipped over. Its enginewas still burning full throttle, so it started plowing thought the forest.
The trees werehard, and after a few head on crashes, the airplane was dented, parts loose or gone. The canopy’sglass was smashed. With a final crash, he smashed into a huge tree...

The engine continued topush the craft forward for a while, trying to go through the tree, but sputtered and died.
Hewanted to morph back into himself, fix himself, but he blacked out. As did Jessica.

The birdssang on, as if nothing happened...

---

"Claw Squadron! We’ve spotted enemy fighters insectors A5 and A6, intercept immediately!"

"You heard ‘em, guys, let’s go for it." Simca saidover the squadron channel.

"Yeeehaw! Let’s kick some enemy tail!" the rookie yelled.

"Don’tget cocky, James." Simca said to the young pilot. She liked her squadron pilots to be eager tofight the enemy, but she didn’t want them to get overconfident and end up being turned into spacedust.

She checked her computer display. It indicated that the enemy was a squadron as well,consisting of three fighters, just like her own. Accelerating toward the sectors, her squadronfollowed in a V formation.

As they approached the enemy ships within visible range, the othersaccelerated. The wingmen made x maneuver and took on Simca’s wingmen, she headed for the squadronleader.

As soon as she was withing weapons range, the squadron leader let loose a volley oflaser shots, Simca inverted and spun her fighter, returning fire. It was less accurate, but itsinged her opponent’s fighter, as he broke hard to the right, spinning his fighter aswell.

Simca stopped her roll and accelerated toward her opponent, it was a regular CT2, likehers. Usually she’d fly her own TC-01, but she wasn’t allowed to use it.

I don’t mind, Ican fly any ship just as well, but I prefer my little TygerCat.

The fighter before her dida sharp right, trying to stay out of her line of fire but she followed, going a trifle slower.She fired a burst from her twin lasers, one bolt missed, but the second went clean through theengine. The engine exploded making the rest of the fighter spin madly before it exploded aswell.

Simca smiled to herself and checked how her wingmen were doing. One of them took care ofhis target, but the remaining enemy fighter chased the rookie, James.

The boy was good orlucky. Or both. He managed to avoid the deadly laser bolts the enemy was spitting at him.

Shethought about going to help the kid, but decided to give him a chance and so she stayed,watching.

The kid made a loop and the fighter behind him easily followed but was not ready forthe stunt that happened next.
The rookie killed his speed abruptly and so the enemy fightershot past him. Once that happened, the enemy was easy pickings and was blown to bitssoon.

That kid has some guts to do that. Simca thought in admiration.

Usually the sortof stunt the kid pulled would rip the fighter apart because of the strain on the engine supportstructure.

"Good work, James. You’re showing progress." Simca said to James over thecomm.

"Thank you ma’am."
"Call me Simca."
"Yes ma...er...Simca."

The starfielddisappeared and a hiss could be heard as the hydraulics popped the simulator hatch. Simca climbedout of her seat. She took off her helmet and her long black hair spilled over hershoulders.

She was a handsome cat, with gray fur and green eyes; her hair was black, except fora wild white streak of hair falling in front of her face. She smiled and walked down thesimulator’s stairs.

Once there, she met her wingmen. Haroc, a veteran fox, his bushy tailwagging slowly showing he was satisfied with the training of today. She nodded politely at himand he nodded back.

James, the young mouse, approached, smiling.

"You did well, James." Shesaid to him
"Thank you ma’am...er...Simca." The mouse blushed as he caught himself too late,his ears flushing red, the small golden ring in one ear reflecting the lights above.

Simcasmiled at him and walked off.

"Well kid, let’s go, I’ll buy ye a round of root beer." Harocsaid, patting the young man.
"Thank you, sir."
"Call me Haroc, boy."
The mouse nods asthey start walking.
"Haroc?"
"Yes, kid?"
"Our flight leader...she’s..."
"Yes, she’squite a gal, isn’t she?"
The young man nods again and blushes.
"But don’t try anything withher, she’s a loner."
"I wans’t..."
"Can’t fool me, kiddo. Just think of what Isaid."
"Yes.... thank you, Haroc."
"Yer welcome, kid...yer welcome."

---

A black discflew into the air, soaring silently in the sky. Suddenly a energy beam cracked across the sky,shattering the disc.
"Wow bro, you got one!" An excited voice called.

"That’s right Spaz,see if you can do it." A calmer, but happy voice answered.

It was a good morning. The sun shonebrightly, warming his fur. He smiled as he lowered his blaster and looked at his brother takingaim with his.

A silent *twang* sound and another disc is soared into the skies, but it is soonshattered by a blast, like it’s predecessor.

"Hah! How’s that for a shootin’Jazz?"

Silence.

"Jazz?"

The red rabbit turns around to see his brother gone. He suddenlyhears blaster shots and screaming.

The sets his blasters’ power setting higher and runs to thesource of the sound through the trees. There were no guards here, as the shooting range was wellout of the castle.

Finally, he sees some heavily armed men pinning down his brother, some ofthem lying on the ground with smoking holes in their bodies.

Spaz bares his teeth as helaunches himself, screaming, at the two that hold his brother down.

The first one went downwith a squawk of pain but the other is faster and rams his fist in Spaz’s stomach as more of themen leap out of the bushes around.

Spaz falls on the ground, doubling over in pain.

Jazzuses the momentary distraction and kicks the man holding him. The man staggers backward butrecovers, grabs his weapon and shoots Jazz with stun beams.

Spaz sees his brother jerk as thestun beams hit him and he yells out in rage, getting up, but as he gets up, one of the men behindhim hits him with the butt of his rifle in the head.

Spaz’s head jerks to the side as he fallsdown, unconscious.

Later, Spaz wakes up, his head hurting like mad. He felt nauseous...

Suddenly he remembers what happened and looks around him. He searches the area, walkingunsteadily.

He finds his brother’s gun lying in a clearing, the soft green grass showing signsof a small ship being here.

He picks up his brother’s weapon and looks at it. He’s beenkidnapped. But why? Why my brother? WHY?!

A flock of birds flies away from the clearing,scared off by a scream of frustration and hate.