Sob, thats so....brilliant..*sniffle*

What a nice birthday present..

j/k

`Ducky

I claim 4th PAGE!!!!!!!

Coppertop I'll give it to you when you continue.

Thank ye, Grath! Hey, y'all, I printed out the story yesterday, minus the comments , for my mom and it came to 27 pieces of paper, 52 sides. My family is still trying to read it



Chapter Fourteen -cont'd



Alpha had finally reached the prisons. Stepping inside one of the cells, she found all the occupants asleep except for one.

She was a young squirrel, with light blue fur and messy violet hair. Her simple clothes were torn and dirty, and had a few fresh bloodstains on them. She was scraped and had a large bruise on her shoulder, but she was wide awake.

Her eyes widened in surprise when Alpha caught her attention. Alpha hoped she was as intelligent as she looked.

"I'm Alpha. Who're you?" The squirrel looked startled.

"My name's Phoebe. You're the one Ome-" Alpha cut her off.

"I've got some friends who'll be here in a few minutes. They're going to help you escape, with all these other slaves." Phoebe looked alarmed now.

"But-" Alpha was annoyed.

"But? You WANT to get sent to the mines?" The squirrel shook her head vehemently.

"It's not that. My friend- Zanzibar Sia. He's injured, in the medical, and unconscious, if we move him the medics said he'll die!" Alpha felt a faint tugging at her memory. . . .I very nearly didn't, Zanzibar. But this is not the place for telling tales. . . She straightened.

"Does he have- a friend named Rroyvan?" Phoebe brightened.

"His brother! Do you know him?" Alpha shrugged.

"Sort of. We need to get him out of here. I'll be pressing the self destruct in half an hour, and if he stays he's going to die. . ."



Copper wove her way between two large hunks of metal. As she passed one, she saw the darkness of dried blood on it, and hoped that some Shellion had managed to cut himself up on it.

A burst of blue-green proved that Claw had fired, and an incoming chunk of metal blossomed with fire and imploded. Kovu called up the diagram of the Conquerer on his screen and told Copper that they were about two-thirds of the way there. She nodded and throttled up even more. She poured on the speed, until it was half-skill, half-instinct that was the only thing keeping them from crashing. Junk going by was but a blur.

Then the tunnel ahead opened up, and all Copper had time to yell was "Brace!" before she slammed on the brakes. The world came back into focus, and Kovu breathed a sigh of relief. Copper was laughing, exhilarated.

"How's that for a wild ride! I dare say we made it in 59.99 seconds!" Claw nodded, breathless. Then he finally spoke.

"I am now convinced that our pilot is crazy. I have flown ships before, but never like that!" Copper gave him a dirty look, and he returned it. The nav com saved the day.

"Silken Swift to Assassin, come in," Alpha said, and Kovu replied.

"Assassin to Swift, over."

"We have a complication. One of our allies is wounded nigh to death, and cannot be moved without danger. Do you have a medical? Over."

"Roger, Alpha. Anything else?"

"Don't forget the "Over". Do you think you can convince the medics to join you? Their names are. . . Shye, Phye, Chye and Thye. They're sisters, so where one goes the others follow. Over."

"Roger. Over and out." Copper laughed.

"Shye, Phye, Chye, and Thye. Imagine being saddled with that! Oh, Kovu, set course for the freighter hangar. I believe Alpha got her info wrong, the slaves are already in the prison. We have to get that wounded one, then get to the mines, got it?" Kovu only nodded.



_________________

Read my story in War Tavern! I named it: Conquerer!



"Whatever." ~Coppertop



I can do all things through Christ whom strengthens me. -Phillipians 4:13



No matter what this says, I didn't edit this.

Hmmm... ... what can I say except... SPIFFY!

Thank ye

Now that I'm sure I claimed all the pages in my story, I'll continue!



Chapter Fourteen -cont'd again



Copper kept the Assassin hovering, just in the shadows. She searched for the power switch.

"Kaz, d'you think you can fly over to that panel and wreck the thing?" Kaz studied the switchboard across the hangar. Finally he nodded.

"Think so. Cover me, willya?" Copper nodded, and he slipped out of a small hatch.

Winging across the gigantic hangar, he grew smaller and smaller until he seemed the size of a fist. He screeched to a halt next to the controls and began ripping the cords out, but the lights remained on and the power still hummed. Annoyed, Kaz pulled out his blaster (I seem to remember you have one) and fired. The smoldering and molten controls were almost unrecognizable. The lights flickered and went out. Copper nearly cheered.

Now though, Kaz had a problem. In the pitch blackness, he couldn't find the ship! Claw finally figured out why Kaz hadn't returned, and informed Copper.

"Uh, Cap'n Copper?" She gave him a scathing look, and Kovu laughed.

"Boy, if looks could kill!" She turned her scowl on him, and he pretended to ward her off. Claw snickered.

"Copper, Kaz can't see us," he said quietly, and she whacked herself on the forehead.

"D'oh! I am so stupid. Hang on a moment. . ." She fumbled for a minuted with the controls, and finally found a small switch, almost hidden in the corner. She flipped it, and the forward floodlights came on, illuminating the hangar in a soft white light.

"Hey, anyone home?" Kaz was clinging to the landing gear, and Copper generously opened the hatch. He flew in, looking relieved, and she set down, shutting the lights off in the process. Claw was not amused.

"Now how are we gonna see where the door is?" he demanded, and she smiled slightly.

"Shale," she said lightly, and he gave her a suspicious look. As if to prove her point, Shale vibrated slightly. Kovu glanced at where he supposed she was.

"Can we get on with it?" he said pointedly, and Copper put a hand to her sword. She hissed something that sounded like liquid syllables, and to Kovu's surprise, and the rest of his friends, the sword began to glow, or rather the blade did.

Copper hissed again, and the light intensified. (If you'll remember I did the same thing in "Next Chapter of the War Tavern") Then it flowed off of the blade and hung in the air just above her free hand, forming into a ball of violet light. Then it moved to the door, and stayed there until Copper moved.

Claw grumbled something about rabbits always being perfect, and Copper grinned at him. He glowered back. Ducky laughed. Then they all headed for the door.



Omega was waiting at the door for Phoebe, so he could tell her how Zanzibar was doing. He was surprised when she emerged with a friend, and even more shocked when he realized who that friend was.

"Alpha!" His sister turned, and her eyes widened increduously when she saw him.

"Omega? But I thought you'd been caught!" He laughed quietly.

"I, caught, by a fake Emperor? You know better than that, sister. But I was beginning to wonder about you!" Alpha looked indignant. He laughed again.

"Omega, we need to get out of here. I've some friends who are coming to-" She was cut off by an angry shout.

"Duh, what are you doing there? How did you open the door?" An angry trooper was coming down the corridor, looking furious. Omega thought fast.

"Sir, we was told that we could come out, by the last guy," he said, and the not-so-bright Shellion paused to scratch his head in confusement.

"Duh, then I guess it's all right then," he mumbled, and ambled away, the incident already forgotten. Phoebe was almost doubled over in laughter.

"I got to go. Which hangar are your friends coming in?" Omega asked. He slipped back into his disguise, becoming Commander Flairang once more.

"Hangar 15-B," Alpha said, looking troubled. "We need to get Phoebe's friend, Sia, out of here!" Omega nodded.

"Leave that to me."

Wow, CopperTop, very good

Its intriguing, will you continue?

Of course I will, Phoebe! How could I not, with such intriguing characters. . .

Oh, by the way, y'don't always have to call me "CopperTop," y'know. CT or Copper will do just fine.



There were a couple of rarely used passages that led to the medical, and Omega dodged down one. Trying to both hurry and be extremely careful was hard, but somehow he managed it and reached the medical without incident.

The first thing he saw as he entered was Thye, with a large gash on her shoulder and a look of agony on her face. Having shed his disguise he hoped she wouldn't call security when she got a look at him, but nevertheless he paused to ask her a question.

"Thye? What happened?" The russet squirrel looked up at him with tear-blurred eyes.

"Oh, Commander. I-I'll be alright, sir- but you're not the Commander, are you?" Her eyes widened with surprise. Omega sighed wearily.

"No, I'm not the Commander right now. I've got to get the cat out of here, and you, but how did you get injured?" Thye looked down at the floor.

"Chye was trying to stitch up Sia's wound, and she must have given him the wrong amount of painkiller because it wore off in the middle of the operation. He woke up and- it must have really hurt, I suppose." She smiled slightly. "I think instinct made him do it- his claws came out and I happened to be in the way. I'll be alright." She straightened.

"Who are you?" Omega gave her a wry half smile.

"To most, I'm Commander Flairang. To some, I am known as Omega. Is Chye finished with Zanzibar? And, most important, will you help me get him out of here?"

Thye's answering smile was like the sunrise after a storm.



Copper had her blaster ready, but she was hoping that she wouldn't have to use it.

"Stealth is what we need now," she'd told her companions time and time again, and for the most part they agreed. She'd left Shinyso, Wild Angel, Emerald Dragon and Blacksheep at the ship to guard it, and sent KRSplat and Ducky yet another way. Kaz and Grath, while not being exactly the BEST of friends, were a team yet again, and that left Copper with Claw. Who was, at this moment, grumbling about Shellions.

"Why do I have this impending sense of deja vu," he demanded as they saw a troop of Shellions tromping down the corridor towards them. Copper gave him a quelling glance -or at least, it SHOULD have been quelling. Claw, however, merely returned it.

Copper bent and slipped a hand into her boot. Then she straightened and motioned to Claw for him to join her in the shadows. He saw the light glint off of something she held, but couldn't get a clear look at it. He didn't need to. He knew that she held a dagger at the ready, but didn't see what it would do if the band decided to see them and fight.

"Can't you use Shale?" he hissed, and she shook her head. He contented himself with watching the turtles troop by and trying not to laugh at their stupidity.

Once the troop was out of sight, Copper continued on, hoping to reach the slaves' prison.



KRSplat was bored. There wasn't much excitement on the Assassin, and he doubted if they would get any trouble.

Why do I always miss the fights? he wondered, and tried to prepare himself for a long wait. But the wait wasn't nearly as long as he expected.

Ten minutes after the "gang" had left, he heard the soft hiss of the doors opening. Then he saw, by the light that Copper had left them, a large black lizard. He looked dangerous. KRSplat silently drew his blaster.

The lizard paused and looked directly at him, then stepped back into the shadows. A second later a black rabbit with gold armbands, red eyes and a sword with a glowing gem entered the ring of light.

"You are a friend of Alpha's?" KRSplat nodded cautiously.

"Good. I am her brother Omega. Do you have room for a few more passengers?"

YaY!

Yes, good chappies, Copper.

I was just looking at all the discontinued stories and thinking, I'm so lucky everybody likes this and it's still alive, so thank you for replying and making my topic so hot. . . *pant pant pant*



Now I know I meant to say something there, but what was it?



Phoebe hoped they would have time to get to the armory. She was expecting to fight SOMETIME soon, and didn't relish the thought of fighting without weapons. Still, she knew that if Omega, Alpha and she left, KRSplat and his friends would probably- no, would want to go with her. She wondered if this Coppertop would think to stop by the armory. But in the meantime, she and the other four squirrels had a very injured Firenzev to care for.



"I feel vulnerable without my sword," Copper grumbled. Claw gave an exasperated sigh. The "mission" they were going on, the one Alpha had originally had, required Copper to leave Shale behind.

"At least YOU have your weapons built in," she muttered, and Claw smothered an amused snort. Abruptly he kicked her hard, to make her shut up, and she subsided as yet another group of soldiers marched by. Somehow Copper managed to forget about being annoyed and to focus on their job.

"You know we might not make it out," she said quietly, and Claw gave her a resigned look.

"Copper, I took that risk when I got into the mercenary business. If I didn't take risks, I probably wouldn't be alive today." His companion nodded and headed down a side corridor.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" Claw hissed, and she grinned wickedly over her shoulder.

"I'm going to the armory, where else? I bet they've got all sorts of timed bombs and the like in there." Claw stared at her, then suddenly he knew what she was thinking.

"And blow it sky-high. You- you- you mercenary! I suppose you're going to keep some of the weapons."

"Of course! Why waste all those blasters and ammo? I can always use weapons."



Alpha silently parted ways with her comrades, knowing that Omega knew instantly when she was gone. She knew that Phoebe was hoping to get her weapons back, and she planned to get them for her. She also knew that the Silken Swift was doomed, and she wanted to get her sword and blaster back from it before it blew.

She just hoped she wouldn't run into any Shellions.



Copper had just reached the armory when she ran right into a red rabbit. Instantly she recognized the rabbit as Alpha and said as much, wondering if Claw would realize who this was. He did.

"Alpha, right?" Alpha nodded, looking startled.

"Claw? Copper! What are you doing here?" Copper smiled wryly.

"Probably the same thing you're doing. Where's the control room?"



Okay, short parts, so sue me. Er, not literally!



Oh boy. I must be tired. . .

Good chappies... I hope I'm not the only one here

YaY! Nifty, CT

Carry on...I said that already, didn't I.

Oh well.

`Ducky

Yay, very good Copper.

Need MORE!

Alright already! Hope this helps!





Chapter Fifteen -Intruder Alert



Claw moved warily down the dim corridor, Protec blaster in hand. When Copper had decided that she didn't really need two companions, he had been startled when she'd told him that he could also leave to find those controls Alpha had found. Meanwhile, she and Alpha were going to take as many weapons back to the Assassin as they could.

So far, he'd met only one Shellion. The officer hadn't even known what had hit him. His eyes flicked to his small wrist computer, where the map of the Conquerer was glowing. He was almost there. . .



Omega glanced up at the large black warship as Phoebe and the medics moved Zanzibar into the Assassin. Distantly he wondered if he could make it to the Jendara 245 before the explosion; he'd gotten kind of attatched to the sleek fighter.

"Phoebe? I'll be back soon, just carry on." The squirrel nodded, pushing her long light purple bangs out of her eyes.

"Where're you going?" Omega gave only the slightest hint of a smile.

"To get the 245." He knew she'd wonder about that, but he didn't really think he had time to explain what the "245" was, or why he'd grown to like the speedy, heavily armed ship that bore the name. He quickly made the change to the Commander, and pulled out his blaster. THAT should warn off any errant troopers. He headed swiftly for the hangars.



Devan had somehow managed to sneak back aboard the Star Destroyer, hoping to at least steal a ship or weapons before leaving -permanently.

"I'm sick o' bein' bossed around an' yelled at," he muttered. "I'm leavin' this junk heap for good. Kroys an' his blasted Empire can go to the black holes for all I care." As he stumped down the dimly lit halls, he tried to remember where that ship he'd seen earlier was. I'm sure it was over here. . .



Copper yanked the last blast rifle out of the barrel and handed it to Alpha.

"I think that's all," she said. Alpha nodded, breathing heavily.

"I think so. Too bad we can't take them all, eh?" Copper laughed quietly.

"Alpha, if we took all of these we'd need a freighter to carry it all. We could equip an army!" Alpha laughed too. Then she grabbed her armload and headed for the corridor.

"I hope Claw reaches that control room," she panted. Copper nodded.

"Yes, hecould get seriously lost in this ship, couldn't he? We're lucky he's got that map. Come on, you're lagging!"



Something isn't right about these controls, Claw decided. He didn't know what, but they were somehow different from the controls of the Deep Spacer. Maybe it's because they're not real, he thought wryly as he realized that the buttons were nothing but hunks of plastic, the switches were inoperable and the read-outs never changed. Great. So where's the REAL control room? he questioned himself with growing dread. He didn't realize that he'd spoken aloud as he suddenly realized where.

"With Kroys."



I think that's all I can write for now.

SURRREEEE... Great Chappie, too bad I couldn't view it sooner due to stupid computer clock

Ahhh! I havn't been on in like, three days! Heerya go.



Chapter Fifteen -cont'd



Copper had just reached the Assassin with Alpha when Wild Angel looked up with a slightly startled look on her face. She turned slowly to face the mercenary, a distant expression on her face. Then understanding dawned in her eyes, and her lips moved silently.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'll do that, how's Blackie? Good- yeah, I said I'd tell her, good luck!" Then the distant look faded from her eyes, and she focussed on Copper and Alpha.

"Copper, Shinyso says that Claw found them. He needs to talk to you, something about controls. He's in Sector 14B, and it's urgent." Copper wasn't that surprised to hear that Claw was halfway across the Conquerer. She nodded once and picked Shale up, testing the balance and then sheathing it.

"Tell him I'm on my way."



Omega had just reached the Jendara, and was feeling distinctly uneasy. It felt like he was being watched. . .

Knock it off, he sternly told himself. But the feeling of unseen eyes, watching. . . it made a chill go up his spine. Still, he headed for the streamlined Darkspray fighter that was docked alongside her sister ships. As he passed them, he shed his disguise once more, and felt relieved that he wouldn't have to don it again.

Island Princess, Sun Princess, Ocean Princess, Dawn Princess, Sky Princess, Day Princess, Starstruck, Loharian Skies, Warlord, Rain Mantis. . . Where's Jendara? As he passed each ship, he searched the nameplate, and was beginning to wonder just where his desired vessel was.

And the watched feeling didn't leave. He tried his best to ignore it, and succeeded admirably as his gaze flicked around the huge docking bay, trying to pick out the Darkspray. I bet the Assassin is a Darkspray fighter, he thought as he finally found it and was struck by its resemblance to Copper's ship. Sure it had less armor and weapons, but the shields were just as good, and it was highly manueverable. I hope I can get out of here. . .



Devan watched the tall black rabbit stalk towards the small ship that he had his eye on, and muttered a few words under his breath that cannot be typed here.

"Dang rabbit!" he finished, and turned his attention to Rain Mantis. It looked a lot like the Jendara, except that it was green and not that burnished chestnut. I guess it'll have t' do.



Claw inched his way along the wall, trying to keep in the shadows. There was only a thin ribbon of shadow, and he was finding it increasingly difficult to remain unseen. Sometime soon he'd have to leave the darkness and go out in the open, and he wasn't looking forward to it, but for now he was as content as he could be in an enemy ship to stay shrouded in shadow.

I hope Copper gets here soon, he thought and leaned back against the wall to wait.

It was a short wait. He had barely been there five minutes, when he caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of his eye. He turned, to see Copper leaning casually on her bared sword, watching him intently. When she saw she'd been noticed, she straightened and moved towards him, also keeping in the shadow.

"You wanted me?" As always, she was straight forward and blunt. He nodded cautiously, and explained about the false controls.

"And Alpha would never have known, she never having seen Star Destroyer controls before," she finished for him. He nodded again. Her dark eyes watched him, and he got the feeling she knew more than she was telling him. Her eyes narrowed as she figured out what he knew, and then she put Shale away.

"So where Kroys is, there also are the controls," she summarized, and once more he nodded. She sighed.

"We'd best get back to the Assassin. We'll need the gang again, if we're going to finish Kroys off once and for all."

Gr00vy.

`Duckeh

This is weird. . . I write part, someone replies, write, reply, write. . .

Warning: This is funny (in my opinion)



Chapter Fifteen -cont'd



" Jendara 245! Halt! You are not cleared for lift-off!" Omega ignored the warning and revved up the engines. The bay door stood wide, inviting him to throttle forward and soar out into endless, star-filled space. The very idea energized him. It seemed like since he'd set foot in the Conquerer an oppresive air had weighed on him. Now the weight lifted, and he felt exhilaration as he raised the ship.

"Repeat, you are not cleared for lift-off! This is your second warning!" As he poured on the power, the sound of the engines all but drowned out the loudspeaker. He wheeled and faced the bay door, which was slowly closing.

"This is your third warning, Jendara 245! If you continue we will be forced to prevent your leaving the hangar!" Omega reached down and turned down the audio. He could still faintly hear it as he slowly started to move forward.

"Are you unable to stop your ship, pilot? We are sending out a tractor beam." Omega was already leaving the Star Destroyer as that comment drifted over his com. Then the Jendara shuddered and strained, and slowly, inexorably was drawn back towards the yawning bay. He gave it full throttle, and winced to hear the little ship's engines strain and rev valiantly. Still he could not escape the tractor beam.

"Do not attempt to escape, Jendara 245. [b]You are caught in a tractor beam and will only burn out your engines."[b]

"Thanks for telling me!" Omega yelled, without bothering to switch on his com. The com continued inexorably.

"As you seem unable to stop, we will do it for you. Repeat, you are caught in a tractor beam. If you try to evade it you will burn ou-" Omega flipped the audio off and continued trying to escape. The Darkspray bucked violently as the beam grew stronger, and then the ship streaked away. As Omega increduously watched, another, less powerful Darkspray-type ship veered crazily towards him. Then the ship went kamikazi, sheering dangerously towards the Star Destroyer. Then he understood.



Devan was trying out the controls of his new ship. He cut behind that seemingly-dead ship and happily pressed the first button that caught his eye. The Rain Mantis began flying in a serpentine manner, and he realized the button read "evade". He pressed it again, experimentally, and began to wish that he'd buckled in as the ship began zipping up, down, left and right. Dizzily he took his finger off of it and the Mantis settled down.

Then he realized he was heading directly for one of the Star Destroyer's many sets of guns.

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!" His yell was cut off by the autopilot taking over, and he veered away from the huge Conquerer as it sped up on its route to Firen. As he sped towards the other ship, which was now streaking towards the back of the Star Destroyer, he wondered if this type of flying could be called insane.



"He just broke that tractor beam! Who is tha-" The ship veered back towards him, and he throttled up to avoid collision. He couldn't see the pilot through the tinted cockpit, but one thing was sure.

"This guy is totally mad. Wonder how good the weaponry on this thing is. . .?" Only one way to find out. Although he already knew, he couldn't wait to try out those new torpedoes on that crazy pilot. Although the way he was flying, Omega'd need heat-seekers!

"Blast it! Those evil, murdering scum!" Omega was almost surprised by his outburst. But the reason was heading straight for him, all guns blazing. . .

When these guys want someone dead, they won't stop. . .



That's all for now. . . C'ya!

NOOOO!



Great Chapter though (yay, I'm not the dummest =D person anymore!)

YAY, COPPER!! Spiffy story so far!

Thank ya, Thank ya



*bows*



Hey Shade, you stole that from Fear

YaaaaaY, CT

FoPPy, as Xeno would say except I've no idea what it means..

`Ducky

Whoops, on that last part I made a mistake with the BBcode or whatever y'call that. . .

Anyway, I forgot to write last night, so I have to make it up quick



Chapter Fifteen- cont'd



A fleet of heavily shielded, well armed Protecter-class fighters sped towards Omega. He targeted one of the leaders, and promptly recieved a warning that a missile was locked on. Cursing under his breath in several different languages, Omega targeted the torpedo and blew it up. Another torpedo from the following ships arrowed towards him, and he easily avoided it. The missile crashed into the Star Destroyer behind him, and took out several shields. Omega grinned and armed his heat-seekers while contacting the Assassin.

"Jendara 245 to Assassin, do you read," he said, and was rewarded by a small grey rabbit on the visuals.

"Roger, 245," she said, and then paused for a second. Then, "you are Omega?"

"Yes, is Wild Angel there?" The rabbit smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I'll go get her. Hang on. . ." She disappeared, and a moment later Wild Angel was on the screen.

"Omega, we were wondering where you went! (The five w's ) Did you really get yourself a ship?"

"Yep. Uh, I can't talk much right now, I got a bunch of enemies here and I'm kind of fighting them, y'know? Just tell. . . Copper, right? and her friend Claw to get on with it."

"Right. You kill those guys and we'll go help Copper, just tell us where the command room is."



At that moment, Copper was glowering at a very innocent looking Claw and berating him.

"You've gotten lost, haven't you? Why did I just know this was going to happen?" His gaze didn't waver, and, through an amazing feat of control, he didn't even smile as he said, "Copper, if you're not quieter you'll alert Kroys and those guards he's got with him in the next room." With a slight smile, he added, "and pick your jaw off the floor. You don't know how many times turtles have walked over it with dirty shoes."



Kroys winced as his headache sent lances of pain through his head. Why did he feel like this had happened before?. . . As he broodingly stared out at the stars, dreaming his dreams of conquest and death, he once more felt detatched from himself.

He was in that place where he'd met Wild Angel and Ducky again. This time as well Wild Angel and her friend were there, but so was a tall black rabbit that he distantly recognized.

"I don't believe you've met my friend and fellow telepath, Shinyso," Angel said, with a honey-sweet smile that was filled with menace. "You'll have to fight him too next time."

Kroys glared at her, but he was too distracted to try and see if Claw had been wrong about no one being killed.

"You filthy rodent," he spat, and Shinyso gave a slight grin that boded danger and death for anyone who was the recipient of it.

"I believe you mean, "rabbit," Belaine," he said in a voice that was just above a whisper. Kroys, if he had been a less powerful magician, would have paled.

"How do you know that name?" he hissed, and his dark-furred enemy merely smiled that dangerous smile again.

"I have my ways," was the reply, and the evil wizard shook with barely-controlled rage. Shinyso lazily watched him, looking bored and relaxed. As though nothing was happening.

"What have you come here for? he rasped, and Ducky looked uncertainly at Angel.

"Our mission is unfulfilled, Kroys," she said simply, and he narrowed his eyes.

"You have yet another enemy," Ducky remarked, and he turned his smoldering gaze to her. How he wanted to lash out and destroy the three where they stood! Yet the very atmosphere prevented his working death-magics.

"In fact, several," she continued. "One might be known to you; Omega?"

"I have never heard that name in my life," he sneered, and Wild Angel took over once more.

"I believe you know him as Commander Flairang." Kroys stiffened. He had been certain that the Commander was completely loyal, and voiced it. Shinyso laughed quietly.

"I was sure of it," he insisted, and the black rabbit smiled mockingly.

"You doubt yourself?" Kroys realized his mistake. The "was sure" implied that he wasn't anymore. . .

"Also the squirrel Phoebe and the Firenzev Zanzibar," Ducky added, and his eyes narrowed. He reached in, and retrieved a shred of power. Shaping it into a deadly spell, he bent it to his will and added to it.

"They are nothing," he spat contemptuously, and loosened his hold on the magic. It seeped out, into the very air of the place, and he tried to buy time. But it was too late, for already that annoyance Claw was there, turning his burning gaze to the trio, who returned his look. Kroys got the irritating feeling that they were talking privately. Then Angel nodded and placed a paw on Ducky. The two vanished, and Shinyso was the only one remaining besides himself and Claw. Then Shinyso too nodded once, and with a gesture he was gone as well.

Once more Kroys was with Claw in this strange place. Last time Claw had given him a warning, but now he seemed content to say one thing.

"I will be quite relieved when you are dead," he said, his glowing scarlet eyes piercing even Kroys' headache. Then he was alone.



Grath and Kazooie were the second group to arrive back at the Assassin. Twenty minutes after Shinyso and Ducky's return, they clambered up the ramp, still arguing. This time it was something practical; how many troopers in that squad that had passed them. Finally they settled on twenty-five.

"Say, Wildie, you look grey," Grath commented. She smiled wanly.

"I'll be alright, don't worry. Can you find Copper and Claw with that staff of yours?"

"I don't think so. I need to have been there first." Shinyso scowled.

"I've been there. Can you take a description of the place, or one that's mind-to-mind?" All Grath did was nod.



Omega swung his sleek little Darkspray around swiftly and fired three heat-seekers in a row. Then he quickly switched to torpedoes and began wreaking havoc.

A spectacular explosion behind him proved that one of the heat-seekers had found its mark, and another to his right added its brilliance to the first. Laughing, he wheeled and took out another ship's shields, leaving the rest to the heat-seeker that remained. Quick as light, he was firing at another fighter who had thought to get behind him. As that one went down, he plunged forwards into the main body of Protectors, spinning and firing as they scattered.



Devan was too occupied with avoiding the wreckage to really take notice in the spectacular fight behind him. Getting away was his only thought, and in his opinion he was quite an experienced pilot now, despite his many near-misses. He wanted as far away from that Copper and her friends as he could get, and even further away from Kroys and his twisted dreams of victory. Throttling up, he barely swerved in time to miss a piece of junk before he disappeared in the distance.



That's the end of Devan, so far. . . y'won't hear about him until the very end.

o joy! o 'arpiness! good story, CT! wheeee! devan is a dope!!

Poor Devvie.

Lol. Groovy, CT!

`Ducky

Exquizid (sp?) I wish I knew how to spell better compliments =D

Wot he said

Jahoooo~! Yayful chappieness, very good, Copper.

Now if only you'd continue

Ack, my fingers are all dirty because I was cleaning all day. . . what IS that letter on my keyboard? Anyhow, I'll continue. I didn't have much time yesterday.



Chapter Sixteen -The Jungles of Firen



It was a wet and miserable day on Firen. The rain came down in a fine drizzle, and although the sun still shone brightly (it was rarely cloudy on Firen) and the rainforests were illuminated in a diamond glow, it was, by Firenzev standards, a very rainy day.

The grey Firenzev Braedar switched his black-tipped tail in annoyance as he watched the rain fall. By noon he had to be out there, hunting and exploring with his sister Orilina, and searching the mountain trails once more in case they had missed any sign of his brother.

Zanzibar. The very name sent a spike of guilt through his thoughts, and Rroyvan wearily paced the small shelter. His parents had refused to believe that Zanzibar had probably been "lost" out in the galaxies; they were convinced that he was somewhere on Firen. But he was nowhere to be found.

When Rroyvan had returned from Tubelectric, where he had met with his brother, with news of Vorsyelvo's death and his brother's vow to get vengeance, the family had been properly worried. Yet his mother and father had implied that it was something that would pass. Rroyvan knew better. Zanzibar would not return until he had his revenge, and had paid blood for blood.



"In the next room." Claw nodded. Copper practically exploded.

"You-you-you- dimwit! You absolute dork! What is wrong with you? Why didn't you tell me? I -"

"Ought to shut up and listen," Claw interrupted. "He could hear us." Copper gave him a look of utter disbelief.

"Then we really should leave and finish up getting those slaves, shouldn't we? And we really should hurry." Copper sighed and moved forward to exit the junction of halls. Claw snagged her shirt with one of his namesakes, and she gave him a look filled with pure annoyance and irritation.

"Let me go, you over-grown stalactite," she growled in exasperation, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. His eyes narrowed, and a flash of temper wound its way through the caution and compliance that he'd donned since meeting her.

"Shut up. We have to get out of here, and we have to do it soon. So LET'S GET LOST, shall we?" Her eyes snapped, but she nodded finally. As she turned to go, a soft pop filled the air, and a slightly dazed Grath appeared. A warp swirled behind him.

"Copper, Claw? Why is everything whirling?" Copper sniffed and brushed her stubborn hair back.

"You just warped, Grath. What's up?"

"We've got to go."



Kroys clenched his fists, trying to remind himself that losing his temper would only be trouble. His first coherent thought was of totally obliterating the place, and his next was to simply resist the summons to go. He dismissed both ideas as quickly as they came, and was shocked to realize why. He was curious. Curiousity was not something that he'd ever had, but he desired to know just what the place was. . . He returned swiftly to his command room. There was still a fleet of Star Destroyers to be commanded. . .

Huzzah. Do continue

`Ducks

Very FoPPy, Copper, yes, continue!

Okay, I'll continue. . .*checks date* Wow, FOUR DAYS since my last continuation! Oh well, hear it is, y'all



"Now? Here? Where?" Grath gave her an impatient glare.

"Now, here, to the Assassin, and be quiet and stay still." Copper muttered something, but shut up when she recieved glares from not only Grath but Claw this time. Grath touched the golden eagle on his staff, and mumbled something. The warp that was behind him had vanished, and a new one sprang up in front of the trio. Claw flexed his razor talons as he watched an image form in the pool of shifting, swirling colors.

The image solidified, and Grath gave a lop-sided grin as he stepped through. He vanished, and Copper was hot on his heels. Claw glanced around, sighed, and moved forward. As he moved through the warp, he caught a glimpse of black, of hooded figure, and of malevolent red eyes. Watching them.



"Bring Commander Flairang to me, Corporal. And make it now." The tone of his voice showed that the old Kroys was back, and even more evil than before. Having shed his mantle of brooding and caution, he felt much better, and was determined that the intruders would not get away. This time.

The Corporal bowed impossibly low.

"M-milord, the Commander seems to have vanished. However, the sensors tracked his favored ship leaving the bay." Kroys stiffened, and cursed under his breath. The Corporal swallowed loudly.

"Where was he headed," he snapped. The officer bowed again.

"Towards the asteroid field, s-sir. Do you wish to follow him?"

"No. Dismissed." The turtle bowed for a third time and fled, leaving Kroys with his thoughts.

Belaine. How had that black rabbit known? He hadn't heard that name in decades, ever since having donned the name of Kroys. Belaine had been a fool, a trusting idiot who believed in setting limits and following laws and orders. Belaine was as dead as if he'd been spaced. Kroys was the utter opposite of Belaine, being heartless and totally independant. . .

But what would you do without your Destroyers, your troops? You'd be nothing, a treacherous voice in the back of his mind said. He replied with, I would start anew, begin at the beginning. . . But if his Destroyers went up in flames, so would he. There would be no Kroyan Empire, and his dreams would die with him.

I will be quite relieved when you are dead. Why did the traitor disturb him so? Because he is much like you, the voice whispered. He frowned slightly. If anything, the mercenary pilot Coppertop was the most like him, not Claw. Claw took orders from her, was totally obedient.

Not so, the voice said, and he recognized it as a shred of his old self, a part of Belaine. How had he missed it? He'd thought that he'd gotten every particle of the fool with the second purging of his mind. Certainly he'd missed plenty with the first; was it possible that the tiny voice had hidden once more where Belaine had once hidden?. . . He gathered his blood magics, preparing to wipe the shred of Belaine away, to totally rid himself of-

"Milord?" He whirled, cursing mentally. The Fleet Commander Shalarnag was standing with his head bowed respectfully, but from the almost painful look on his face he had bad news.

"Milord, the slaves are revolting!"



Copper didn't know how Kovu and Ducky had done it, but the Assassin was no longer in the Conquerer. Instead it was on Firen, hidden in the trees beside the slave compound. Kaz was limbering up his wings, preparing to fly over the ten-foot fence, and KRSplat was checking the ammo on his gun. They all looked up when Copper entered the room, Claw a step behind her.

"Prepare to attack. . ."



_________________

Read my story in War Tavern! I named it: Conquerer!



"Whatever." ~Coppertop



I can do all things through Christ whom strengthens me. -Phillipians 4:13



No matter what this says, I didn't edit this.

Excellent!

*bows* Here's more!



"Revolting? Where?" Kroys hissed, glaring down at the Commander. The Fleet Commander retained both his dignity and pride as he responded.

"In the eastern compounds, milord. We will be there in three point forty-six minutes." Kroys let his gaze travel away, to the lovely planet that hung suspended in the star-strewn space. It seemed close enough to touch. . .

"Can't we go any faster?"

"No, milord. Any more speed and the reactors would burn out." Belaine forgotten, Kroys stalked the length of the room. Finally he spoke.

"Do it anyway. If there is any sign of burn-out cut the speed to half, but until then throttle up to full. And make it yesterday, Commander." The Fleet Commander bowed.

"As you command, milord."



"Darn! This lock's stuck," Kazooie called as he jiggled the key. "I think some bored guard stuck his gum in it." The proof was on the key as he pulled it out; sticky spots of bright pink. Copper turned a very inappropriate laugh into a cough.

"I see. Is there any other way in?"

"No."

"Well, maybe we can force it. Any ideas, Ducky, Claw?" Claw studied the gate for a minute. Then he motioned Kaz down.

"It probably won't work, but. . ." he grumbled as he pulled out his small gun. Assuming a gunfighter's stance, he aimed and fired.

"Wow, that gun packs quite a wallop," Kovu observed as he inspected the molten hinges. Shinyso chuckled, and Claw aimed a glare his way.

"What type is that, anyway, Claw?" Ducky asked, and he glanced down at his re-holstered gun.

"Protec. Small but powerful, my type," he replied off-hand, and then carefully stepped over the remains of the gate. They were still smoking, and Phoebe got a facefull of the acrid stuff.

"Watch the smoke," she choked, and Alpha made an exaggerated attempt to avoid it. She promptly tripped and crashed into Kovu, who stumbled into Ducky and the entire trio collapsed in a heap. Copper rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation.

"C'mon, you guys. This is no time to play," Blacksheep cackled, and Alpha made a face at her. KRSplat neatly stepped over the three, and Shinyso followed him. Wild Angel grinned at Emerald, and the friends hopped over the remains as well.

The drone of an engine filled the air, and a smallish golden-brown craft that resembled the Assassin maneuvered in for a perfect landing. The cockpit hissed open, and Omega leaped out.

"Guys, we gotta hurry. Kroys is comin' fast."

very good, CopperTop, at last eh..or maybe that was me. Sorry.

Do continue?

Tomorrow, I've got to write LOTS more between now and then. . .

I expect it this midnight =D

lol, Kaz. I'm a little late, so there



No sooner had Omega spoken then the sky darkened and the two brilliant suns vanished. A huge shadow blotted out the sky, and the roar of three-hundred and twenty-nine engines deafened those on the ground. Kaz, being closest and airborne, was almost flattened against the fence until Grath pulled him down and he closed his wings. Shinyso looked over at Copper.

"Do you think they know we're here?" he yelled over the thundering Star Destroyer. As yet, it still hadn't entered the atmosphere.

"No," was the reply. "Otherwise they'd have sent down more of those Protectors!" That made sense, so Shinyso nodded slowly.

"Then why are the blasted idiots here of all places?" he demanded, and the only answer he got was a shrug. Then the Destroyer's engines quit.

The silence was like a thunderclap after the roar; Copper staggered backwards for a few steps and Phoebe looked about to faint. Kaz and Blacksheep shared the same expression; one of dazed relief. Omega was supporting Alpha, who had fainted, but he quickly handed her to Ducky when she came over.

"She shouldn't have left that hospital so soon," he muttered. "She's probably in shock. . ." he trailed off. Ducky looked up and grinned.

"Hey Kaz, got any of that ice you used on Blackie left?" The only answer she got was an inarticulate moan. She muttered something and then handed the still-out of it Alpha to Claw. He gave her a flat gaze, and she smiled faintly.

"Uh. . . oops. Here, Kovu. . ." she dropped Alpha into Kovu's arms and left for the [i]Assassin/i], leaving him staring after her with a puzzled expression. Then he gave her back to Omega, who looked at the sky, presumably asking what ever deities that were on Firen for patience. Then he sighed and carried her up the ramp back into the ship. Just as quickly, he stuck his head back out.

"Hey guys, guess who's back in the land of the living?" he called, and Copper muttered something under her breath that sounded like "when we are finished here there'll be one of us who ISN'T in the land of the living, and it won't be me". Kovu sighed.

"Tell us, Omega." The black rabbit glanced behind him and half-smiled.

"Zanzibar's awake," said he, and sure enough when he exited he had two, not one, companions. One was a still-dripping Alpha, who wore a mournful expression and kept flicking her ears, and the other was a very worn-out looking Zanzibar. Kaz grinned at the cat.

"Welcome back, Zanzie!" The icy look Zanzibar speared him with would have killed lesser beings, Copper was sure.

"Listen," she suddenly said, and she, Claw and Shinyso promptly became one with the shadows. As the rest of their comrades listened, the sound of shouting and warcries drifted their way. Ducky gasped.

"No wonder Kroys is here. It's a rebellion."



Not much action, so sue me. More tomorrow!

You're late =D

I have the fifth page!!!