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<blockquote data-quote="Dr Midnight" data-source="post: 6888544" data-attributes="member: 69"><p><strong><p style="text-align: center">Chapter 7</p></strong></p><p style="text-align: center"><strong>The Star Fiends Of Xyrechnia</p><p></strong></p><p>The next day at 3:32, Lily stood facing a vast window that looked out on the Teardrop Nebula. Ships of every size and shape slowly crisscrossed her field of view. "That is sooo cool."</p><p></p><p>Murray nudged her. "Don't stare too long, you'll mark us for tourists. Remember we're undercover here."</p><p></p><p>"Right." Lily turned from the window and surveyed the room. "Who are we looking for again?"</p><p></p><p>"We don't know. We just know someone's going to attempt to steal the crown of Erlon the conqueror."</p><p></p><p>"Ohhh yeah."</p><p></p><p>Grandpa was dressed in a tailored Dagolean jacket, customary for high society events. His demihelmet was an iridescent gunmetal, and it accented his sine-lapels nicely. His blaster rested in its holster on his hip. This also wasn't uncommon for events such as tonight's.</p><p></p><p>Lily wore high-waisted cavalry pants that tucked into polished black boots. She wore a shirt with baggy sleeves that ended in tight gloves, and a black cape with orange lining hung from chrome epaulettes. Strapped around her right thigh was a circular metal tube. A handgrip passed through its center. She patted the circle again to make sure it was still there. "I can't <em>wait</em> to use this thing."</p><p></p><p>Murray smirked as his eyes scanned the crowd. "Relax, you'll get your chance."</p><p></p><p>Lily leaned back against the window and looked around. The crowd of socialites chattered politely and breathed sips of alcoholic vapor from elegant glass flutes. No one seemed to be all that interested in the priceless artifacts that surrounded them.</p><p></p><p>The crown of Erlon was seated on a plinth at the center of the room. It was surrounded by a nano-mesh cage and, Murray and Lily knew, an alarm would trigger and the doors would shut and lock if the nano-mesh was trifled with in any way. Even without the security measures, it was surrounded by two hundred party attendees. Despite all this, the intelligence on the theft was reliable: the Yorbal Enclave meant to steal the crown, and they meant to do it tonight.</p><p></p><p>"I’m eager to see how they're going to try pulling <em>this</em> off," Murray muttered.</p><p></p><p>"Grandpa? Why can't we just tell the security guys about the plot? Why are <em>we</em> undercover?"</p><p></p><p>"General Zoyarr explained this. Weren't you listening?" Lily looked away guiltily. Murray sighed and went on. "This is Phexxusk territory, and the Phexxusk aren't under Coalition rule. The crown is wanted by Coalition heads of state, but the Phexxusk won't give it to them, so they waited until a theft was going to take place. Now we're going to back-door the Yorbals' theft, snag the crown and the Phexxusk won't know the Coalition was behind it."</p><p></p><p>Lily's eyes went wide. "Wait, <em>we're</em> stealing it? I thought we were just guarding it!"</p><p></p><p>Murray smiled at passing party guests that looked their way. Under his breath he said "Watch your volume, you'll get us in trouble."</p><p></p><p>"Sorry. So... we're stealing the crown."</p><p></p><p>"Yep. Just as soon as it's stolen, we rob the thief and make our escape."</p><p></p><p>"Why does the Coalition want some weird old crown?"</p><p></p><p>"Well it <em>is</em> priceless, Lilyboo."</p><p></p><p>"But they run seven sectors, they don't need the money. Was Erlon the Conqueror even <em>from</em> one of their sectors?"</p><p></p><p>Murray shrugged. "I didn't ask. Part of being a space mercenary is taking what work you can, when you can. Sometimes that work's a little dirty."</p><p></p><p>Lily sulked. "I'd rather play a good guy."</p><p></p><p>"Oh, we're still the good guys. You'll see. I've played a lot of antiheroes. This'll pan out just..." his eyes widened and he nudged Lily.</p><p></p><p>The crown was lowering into the plinth.</p><p></p><p>"It's happening! We have to get to the deck below, <em>right now!</em>" The two took off running, drawing some concerned glares from partygoers.</p><p></p><p>"Stupid, stupid," Murray cursed as they ran for the stairs. "I didn't even think of stealing it from another floor." They made it down the stairs and bolted left, into the hangar. Here, a cavernous space was filled with parked spacecraft.</p><p></p><p>Lily pointed up. "There!" Standing on a ship was a green-skinned and portly alien. Its bionic arm was retracting down from a hole in the hangar ceiling, and its hand clutched the crown. The alien noticed Murray and Lily and drew its pistol, firing in a run as it made its way to the cockpit of the ship.</p><p></p><p>Lily took cover from the pulsed shockwaves and Murray drew his blaster. "I know that guy," he said. "That's UrWanz. Black market arms dealer. Why would the Yorbal hire <em>him</em> to steal the crown?" He fired a volley of shots at UrWanz. A glancing blow on the ship sent up a spray of sparks. The alien hissed as the crown fell from its grasp and rolled along the hangar's tarmac.</p><p></p><p>Alarms sounded throughout the hangar and blue lights began spinning in their glass shells that dotted the tarmac and walls. Murray took cover behind a support beam. "Crap, we don't have a lot of time. Grab the crown!"</p><p></p><p>Lily darted forward while Murray fired on UrWanz, who was clambering into the cockpit of his ship. She was almost to the crown when she noticed a pattern flashing along the walls. She looked up and saw a web of lines shoot across the wall in time with the spinning tarmac lights. The crown had landed near one of the lights, and its beam was shining through its immense sapphire.</p><p></p><p>She lunged for the crown and UrWanz's bionic arm snatched it off the ground just before she reached it. He grinned at her as the cockpit glass shut, and the ship blasted out of the hangar and into open space.</p><p></p><p>Murray yelled "He's getting away! Quick, get to the-"</p><p></p><p>"<em>Freeze!</em>" The Phexxusk guards entered the hangar, clunking in their gray body armor. "Drop your weapons!"</p><p></p><p>"We don't have time for this," Murray called back.</p><p></p><p>"There's nowhere to go, hand over the crown!"</p><p></p><p>"All right," Murray said. "Here it is." He unclipped something from his belt and tossed it into their midst, where it exploded. A number of guards flew through the air and blaster fire surrounded Murray as he ran for their trusty class-9 starship, The Firespree. "I've got to warm up the ship," he huffed to Lily. "Keep them busy!"</p><p></p><p>Lily held up the circular metal tube that had been strapped to her leg. "Can I use this now?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes, now would be the time. Go!"</p><p></p><p>Lily grinned with delight and flicked the button on the handgrip. All around the circle's edge, yellow plasma waved like liquid on a level plane.</p><p></p><p>"<em>Look out, she's got a gamma whip!</em>"</p><p></p><p>The guards fired on Lily as she walked towards them. She knew perfectly how to use this weapon, just like Grandpa had said she would. The blob of planar light waved and ebbed with movement. She spun it around and the flat surface of the light deflected the blaster beams in a swirl of embers. As she closed with the men, she jolted her arm in a practiced motion and clicked the <em>hold</em> button just as the plasma reached its apex, freezing it in place and forming a scimitar. Lily flipped and whirled, cutting the guards down and blocking their blasts in perfect rhythm.</p><p></p><p>"Damn," Murray said as the engines hummed to life. "That looks choreographed. Kid's got talent."</p><p></p><p>"<em>Aieee!</em>" The last guard flipped away in a burst of sparks as Lily spun to one knee.</p><p></p><p>"Grandpa!" she yelled. "Can I use this thing as my weapon in <em>all</em> our adventures?"</p><p></p><p>"We'll talk about it. Let's get moving!"</p><p></p><p>More Phexxusk guards started filing into the room as Lily took off running for the Firespree, which was turning toward the Hangar door. Blaster fire struck the tarmac around her as she sprinted. The ship's deck ramp lowered and Lily jumped onto it, rolling into the cabin. The guards' shots pinged off their hull as the ramp closed and the ship shot out into space.</p><p></p><p>Murray said "They won't be far behind, but at least we know where UrWanz is going. I got a trace on his radiation signature."</p><p></p><p>"Did you see that, back there?" Lily asked. "When the light was shining through the jewel on the crown? A pattern showed through, up on the wall. I think it was a starmap."</p><p></p><p>"A map? To what?"</p><p></p><p>"I didn't get a good look at it, but now we know why the Coalition wants it."</p><p></p><p>The <em>ready</em> light came on stellar warp drive, and Murray said "Punch it." Lily pulled the lever and space bent around them. The Firespree made the leap, following UrWanz to God knows where.</p><p></p><p>They played for a while more and then decided to go for waffles.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dr Midnight, post: 6888544, member: 69"] [B][CENTER]Chapter 7 The Star Fiends Of Xyrechnia[/CENTER][/B] The next day at 3:32, Lily stood facing a vast window that looked out on the Teardrop Nebula. Ships of every size and shape slowly crisscrossed her field of view. "That is sooo cool." Murray nudged her. "Don't stare too long, you'll mark us for tourists. Remember we're undercover here." "Right." Lily turned from the window and surveyed the room. "Who are we looking for again?" "We don't know. We just know someone's going to attempt to steal the crown of Erlon the conqueror." "Ohhh yeah." Grandpa was dressed in a tailored Dagolean jacket, customary for high society events. His demihelmet was an iridescent gunmetal, and it accented his sine-lapels nicely. His blaster rested in its holster on his hip. This also wasn't uncommon for events such as tonight's. Lily wore high-waisted cavalry pants that tucked into polished black boots. She wore a shirt with baggy sleeves that ended in tight gloves, and a black cape with orange lining hung from chrome epaulettes. Strapped around her right thigh was a circular metal tube. A handgrip passed through its center. She patted the circle again to make sure it was still there. "I can't [I]wait[/I] to use this thing." Murray smirked as his eyes scanned the crowd. "Relax, you'll get your chance." Lily leaned back against the window and looked around. The crowd of socialites chattered politely and breathed sips of alcoholic vapor from elegant glass flutes. No one seemed to be all that interested in the priceless artifacts that surrounded them. The crown of Erlon was seated on a plinth at the center of the room. It was surrounded by a nano-mesh cage and, Murray and Lily knew, an alarm would trigger and the doors would shut and lock if the nano-mesh was trifled with in any way. Even without the security measures, it was surrounded by two hundred party attendees. Despite all this, the intelligence on the theft was reliable: the Yorbal Enclave meant to steal the crown, and they meant to do it tonight. "I’m eager to see how they're going to try pulling [I]this[/I] off," Murray muttered. "Grandpa? Why can't we just tell the security guys about the plot? Why are [I]we[/I] undercover?" "General Zoyarr explained this. Weren't you listening?" Lily looked away guiltily. Murray sighed and went on. "This is Phexxusk territory, and the Phexxusk aren't under Coalition rule. The crown is wanted by Coalition heads of state, but the Phexxusk won't give it to them, so they waited until a theft was going to take place. Now we're going to back-door the Yorbals' theft, snag the crown and the Phexxusk won't know the Coalition was behind it." Lily's eyes went wide. "Wait, [I]we're[/I] stealing it? I thought we were just guarding it!" Murray smiled at passing party guests that looked their way. Under his breath he said "Watch your volume, you'll get us in trouble." "Sorry. So... we're stealing the crown." "Yep. Just as soon as it's stolen, we rob the thief and make our escape." "Why does the Coalition want some weird old crown?" "Well it [I]is[/I] priceless, Lilyboo." "But they run seven sectors, they don't need the money. Was Erlon the Conqueror even [I]from[/I] one of their sectors?" Murray shrugged. "I didn't ask. Part of being a space mercenary is taking what work you can, when you can. Sometimes that work's a little dirty." Lily sulked. "I'd rather play a good guy." "Oh, we're still the good guys. You'll see. I've played a lot of antiheroes. This'll pan out just..." his eyes widened and he nudged Lily. The crown was lowering into the plinth. "It's happening! We have to get to the deck below, [I]right now![/I]" The two took off running, drawing some concerned glares from partygoers. "Stupid, stupid," Murray cursed as they ran for the stairs. "I didn't even think of stealing it from another floor." They made it down the stairs and bolted left, into the hangar. Here, a cavernous space was filled with parked spacecraft. Lily pointed up. "There!" Standing on a ship was a green-skinned and portly alien. Its bionic arm was retracting down from a hole in the hangar ceiling, and its hand clutched the crown. The alien noticed Murray and Lily and drew its pistol, firing in a run as it made its way to the cockpit of the ship. Lily took cover from the pulsed shockwaves and Murray drew his blaster. "I know that guy," he said. "That's UrWanz. Black market arms dealer. Why would the Yorbal hire [I]him[/I] to steal the crown?" He fired a volley of shots at UrWanz. A glancing blow on the ship sent up a spray of sparks. The alien hissed as the crown fell from its grasp and rolled along the hangar's tarmac. Alarms sounded throughout the hangar and blue lights began spinning in their glass shells that dotted the tarmac and walls. Murray took cover behind a support beam. "Crap, we don't have a lot of time. Grab the crown!" Lily darted forward while Murray fired on UrWanz, who was clambering into the cockpit of his ship. She was almost to the crown when she noticed a pattern flashing along the walls. She looked up and saw a web of lines shoot across the wall in time with the spinning tarmac lights. The crown had landed near one of the lights, and its beam was shining through its immense sapphire. She lunged for the crown and UrWanz's bionic arm snatched it off the ground just before she reached it. He grinned at her as the cockpit glass shut, and the ship blasted out of the hangar and into open space. Murray yelled "He's getting away! Quick, get to the-" "[I]Freeze![/I]" The Phexxusk guards entered the hangar, clunking in their gray body armor. "Drop your weapons!" "We don't have time for this," Murray called back. "There's nowhere to go, hand over the crown!" "All right," Murray said. "Here it is." He unclipped something from his belt and tossed it into their midst, where it exploded. A number of guards flew through the air and blaster fire surrounded Murray as he ran for their trusty class-9 starship, The Firespree. "I've got to warm up the ship," he huffed to Lily. "Keep them busy!" Lily held up the circular metal tube that had been strapped to her leg. "Can I use this now?" "Yes, now would be the time. Go!" Lily grinned with delight and flicked the button on the handgrip. All around the circle's edge, yellow plasma waved like liquid on a level plane. "[I]Look out, she's got a gamma whip![/I]" The guards fired on Lily as she walked towards them. She knew perfectly how to use this weapon, just like Grandpa had said she would. The blob of planar light waved and ebbed with movement. She spun it around and the flat surface of the light deflected the blaster beams in a swirl of embers. As she closed with the men, she jolted her arm in a practiced motion and clicked the [I]hold[/I] button just as the plasma reached its apex, freezing it in place and forming a scimitar. Lily flipped and whirled, cutting the guards down and blocking their blasts in perfect rhythm. "Damn," Murray said as the engines hummed to life. "That looks choreographed. Kid's got talent." "[I]Aieee![/I]" The last guard flipped away in a burst of sparks as Lily spun to one knee. "Grandpa!" she yelled. "Can I use this thing as my weapon in [I]all[/I] our adventures?" "We'll talk about it. Let's get moving!" More Phexxusk guards started filing into the room as Lily took off running for the Firespree, which was turning toward the Hangar door. Blaster fire struck the tarmac around her as she sprinted. The ship's deck ramp lowered and Lily jumped onto it, rolling into the cabin. The guards' shots pinged off their hull as the ramp closed and the ship shot out into space. Murray said "They won't be far behind, but at least we know where UrWanz is going. I got a trace on his radiation signature." "Did you see that, back there?" Lily asked. "When the light was shining through the jewel on the crown? A pattern showed through, up on the wall. I think it was a starmap." "A map? To what?" "I didn't get a good look at it, but now we know why the Coalition wants it." The [I]ready[/I] light came on stellar warp drive, and Murray said "Punch it." Lily pulled the lever and space bent around them. The Firespree made the leap, following UrWanz to God knows where. They played for a while more and then decided to go for waffles. [/QUOTE]
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