FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

WARINING HERE THERE BE CONTINUITY ERRORS!

This was done via thread format, so it may seem like it jumps around everywhere. Just bear with me and enjoy.

"Looking for an adventure? Do you wish to travel with a friendly crew? Looking to just get away from it all? Come to the Miyamu Tavern today from 2:30-5:00 Wednesday!" the signs that were posted at various points on the ISS Triumph, a space station floating in space not far from Corneria.

Inside the tavern, it was mostly empty, save from two figures seated at a table. The two were Ryoohki Sakosushin, and Davhir Narotuyen, and they were the ones who put up the signs in the first place. Ryoohki was leaning back in his chair, leaning against the wall, and had his arms behind his head.

The time was 2:53, and things weren't going so well.

Dahvir sighed. "When is someone gonna come?" he asked impatiently.

Without moving, Ryoohki said, "Don't know. I can't guarantee anything. I hope someone comes soon, or else all of that time spent advertising will be wasted."

"I hope it wasn't." Dahvir grumbled. "Or I'm gonna get mad."

Ryoohki made a casual glance at the clock on the wall: 3:12. Not good.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Well, if we don't have at least three other crew members, we aren't taking off anytime soon. My ship requires more than just two crew."

"Anyone else in here?" came a voice near the doorway to the tavern. A rather attractive-looking Arctic Vexan had stepped through, apparently looking for something. She had a very nervous look on her face. Ryoohki didn't budge. Apparently he didn't notice her.

"Are you a customer lady? JEB! THERE'S A CUSTOMER HERE!!" Dahvir yelled to the back.

When the hopeful bartender showed up, he was waved away.

"I'm not here to drink, but thanks," Jade said. I was wondering if this was the right place in the flyers put up everywhere."

"Wait, you're here to join the crew?" Dahvir looked over at Ryoohki. "Um... Talk to him. He's the captain." He said pointing to Ryoohki.

Ryoohki opened one eye. "Hm?" he wondered. "You're the first one we got today. Tell me, what are you most proficient in?"

He wasn't paying attention much, for he was already too bored to pay attention.

"Yeah, do you have any "Special skills"?" Dahvir questioned, getting up.

Ryoohki gave Dahvir a funny look, and then turned back.

What he didn't know was the position of this newcomer. As soon as he saw her, he felt himself freeze up a little on the inside, but did not show it at all externally. This woman was drop dead gorgeous.

"Um, I do have a good sense of direction, and I am good with machines," Jade said, thinking about the same as Ryoohki.

"Okay," Ryoohki said, maintaining the smile on his face. "Where is the closest planet to the ISS Triumph?"

"Um... Corneria?"

"No. It's Fichina."

"Oh..."

"Next, what planet is closest to Zoness?"

"Aquas."

"No. It's Katina. Moving on. Say, the frontal lasers on a ship were to suddenly stop working. What would you do?"

"I would check the power grid and see if it's a power failure."

"No. You would have to first disconnect the power to the laser, THEN try to diagnose the problem. It's like unplugging a computer before you work on it."

Tears welled up in Jade's eyes. She hated herself for even thinking this guy was sort of cute. She turned around and then started to leave.

...which was exactly what Ryoohki was looking for. He stood up and walked behind Jade. "Wait," he said.

"What?"

Ryoohki extended a hand. "Congratulations. You are now an honorary member of the Stormblades."

"What? I don't follow."

"You answered every question correctly. I was having a bit of fun with you. You even surprised me with the laser question. That wasn't rigged, but you surprised me with your knowledge with machinery. I am proficient in machinery myself, and you will be a great assistant and navigator as well. Welcome aboard."

She nodded and shook his hand. She then followed Ryoohki back to the table.

When she was walking behind Ryoohki, she smiled and told herself that she thought the right thing after all. She took a seat next to Ryoohki and waited for any others that might come along.

Ryoohki resumed his posture in his seat that he had taken before. He leaned back, relaxed, and closed his eyes, letting his right tail fall through the back of the chair and toward the floor.

"I'm lieutenant Dahvir of the Stormblades. I'm also the ace pilot. You probably will find me in the hangar working on my arwing. Customizing it. By the way, I didn't catch your name." Dahvir said holding his hand out.

Ryoohki cleared his throat, irritated. He, too is a master pilot. In fact, they have about the same skill, save for a couple of things that one can do while the other can't.

Jade paused for a bit, then relaxed once she realized that this Avaian was with Ryoohki. She shook the large feathered hand-like appendage. "I'm Jade Suniwayu. I am an excellent navigator and I have a thing with machines."

"That reminds me," Ryoohki interrupted, "do you own any personal craft?"

"Um. No. I don't," Jade said with a sickening feeling that she would have to spend a whole lot of money.

"Don't worry about it," Ryoohki assured her, as if he read her mind. "I've about ten AST 'Arwings, one's yours. All the payment you have to provide is to do your duty as part of the crew, which I'm sure you should handle fine. In fact, maybe, JUST maybe, you will get to own it. I have to see you piloting skills first and have to analyze if I should worry about the health of one of my spacecraft."

"Why don't we put her in the simulator?" Dahvir inquired.

Ryoohki looked at Dahvir and thought for a minute.

"That's a good idea *cough* for once. We shall do it after we take off."

"Alright. When do you want to leave?" Dahvir asked.

Ryoohki found it funny that the insult fired at Dahvir went right over his head. He loved teasing him, mostly because he was easy to anger, and when he did so, he's nearly harmless anyway. It was kind of like Knuckles of the Sonic the Hedgehog trio.

"Eh, probably about 5:30 or so. We can't leave earlier than the flyers say. There could be potential crew members."

Jade couldn't help but notice herself occasionally glance at this Ryoohki person. She found him extraordinarily attractive, and her favorite feature was his dark green eyes that had a special fire lit behind them. Her glances were not long enough to attract attention, but she did notice one odd thing.

His tail was slightly off center.

It made her curious, but she decided it best not to bring up at the moment. She would wait when he was alone.

Meanwhile, Ryoohki couldn't believe his luck. He was amazed that such beautiful a woman decided to join such a humble group as the Stormblades. He wanted to drink in more of her features, but he feared she would notice and then ridicule him.

Together, the three waited.

Dahvir got up from his chair and went to the bar. "Hey Jeb, Can I get a F-19 Steemer?"

"You got it" Jeb said. He reached down and made the drink. "On the house."

"Thanks Jeb. I owe ya one." Dahvir said taking his drink. He started walking back to table.

"You're missing out, Dahvir," Ryoohki said when Dahvir sat down. "Try a Moonset Stab. It's much tastier. I occasionally get one on special occasions."

The minutes ticked on, and they didn't get any more visitors. Then it happened.

A putrid stench filled Ryoohki's nostrils. He knew this scent, and he knew it well. It was that of a Lupo. He did not know why he was so familiar with him, but it was there, and powerful.

Sure enough, he watched as a rather scruffy-looking Lupo stepped in the tavern. He noticed Ryoohki and smiled.

"I knew I could smell Vexan in here," he said. Then his eyes shifted to Jade.

"Ah! Jade! Baby! What are you doing in a place like this?"

Jade looked away. Ricard was Jade's former boyfriend. The relationship ended when Ricard tried to... take it too far.

Ricard sauntered over to where Jade was sitting and stood behind her. He then started to rub her shoulders, which Jade met with disgust.

"Ugh! Get off me!" she exclaimed.

But Ricard wouldn't stop. "Come on, baby, why don't you love me anymore? Come on, let's go. It will be just you and me."

"No," Jade said. "I'm with Ryoohki now. I was just made a member of the Stormblades."

Ryoohki opened one eye at Jade, a little startled at the words "I'm with Ryoohki now."

Ricard looked over at Ryoohki, then busted out laughing. "Ahahahaha! 'Stormblades?' That is the most ridicilous thing I have ever heard! What are you flying in? A jallopy? Hahaha! Come on, Jade. Let's go and leave these guys to ride in their junker."

Then Ricard tried to pull on Jade's arm. Pulling her out of the chair.

"Hey! Let go! Let go!" Jade exclaimed.

"Come...ON, Jade! I just want to- Ow ow ow ow..." Ricard said when he felt a tight grip on his arm. He looked over and saw Ryoohki standing there, hand on his arm, and was starting to twist it.

"You heard her loud and clear, 'Ricard.'" Ryoohki said, with a very serious look on his face, "let her go."

A little startled, Ricard let go of Jade's arm, and Ryoohki let go of his. "What are you going to do about it, Vexan?" Ricard said in a mocking tone.

"This." Ryoohki grabbed Ricard's arm again and twisted it behind his back. "No one, I repeat, no one ever steals crew members from under my nose. She works for the Stormblades now, and I will protect my crewmen with my life."

In one smooth move, Ricard used his other arm to draw his "Standard" from a holster and aimed it at Ryoohki's head.

In reaction to this, Ryoohki grabbed the gun and forced Ricard's arm downward and socked him in the face with his other arm. Ricard let go of the "Standard" and reeled backward. Ryoohki removed the battery from the gun and let both fall from the table. Then he pulled up his "Hunter" from his back and pointed it at him.

"Leave if you value your life," Ryoohki said through clenched teeth.

Ricard took one look at the rifle then hustled out of the tavern without another word.

With that done, Ryoohki sat down and resumed his normal reclining posture and closed his eyes again. "I have always wanted to do that to a Lupo," he said.

"...Holy.....dude." Dahvir was in awe. He nearly dropped his drink. This was a side of Ryoohki he doesn't usually see.

Jade was thinking the same thing. She thought that this guy was lazy and care-free, yet attractive. Now that she had seen his other side... well...

Ryoohki smiled at Dahvir's dumbfounded look. "Well, that's what happens when people try to mess with me."

"Uhhh....yeah. Looks like its 5:30 about now. Do you wanna head out?" Dahvir said finishing his drink and setting it back on the counter at the bar.

Ryoohki glanced at the clock. It read 5:23, and the tavern was going to close soon.

"Yeah, I guess, let's go. At least we aren't completely empty."

Together, the three of them made their way out of the tavern, through the ISS Triumph's many hallways, and toward Dock F-28, the dock holding the QST Red Dawn.

"Ah, the Red Dawn. We might want to leave quickly. I heard a rumor that the Leader of Red Burn is here." Dahvir said.

"Eh, not too worried about him," Ryoohki said as they entered the corridors that led up the ship's bridge.

"Take your positions and prepare for takeoff. Jade, you sit there, the navagator's seat." She did so. "Dahvir," he continued, flipping switches and listening to the engines warming up, "have a seat. We are taking off."

Dahvir strapped himself in and was ready for takeoff.

A loud hissing sound told them that the airlocks were securely fastened.

The ship lifted itself out of the dock, was waved at by the ground crew, backed out into the wide, open space, slowly turned itself parallel to the ship, fired its engines, and was off.

When they were a little ways away from the ISS Triumph, Ryoohki unbuckled and stood up.

"Relax, stay awhile," he said casually. "We have a while before we make it to Corneria, our first stop. We'll see if we can recruit more members."

Dahvir unbuckled and stood too. "If you need me Ryoohki you know where I'll be." Dahvir said walking out of the command deck.

"Wait," Ryoohki stopped Dahvir. "Jade? You ready to have fun?"

"Uh, I don't follow..." Jade said, a little scared.

Ryoohki smiled. "No! Not like that! Come on, follow us."

The three of them went down a few hallways, through a door, and into a huge open room. About seven or so huge seperate rooms line up the wall, and a huge television screen hung up on the side of the wall, reading POWER OFF.

"Welcome to the flight simulator room. Here we will test your piloting skills," Ryoohki said.

"Oh right. We're giving her the simulator test." Dahvir said remembering.

Two of the rooms were labeled. They were labeled: "Ryoohki" and "Dahvir" respectively. Ryoohki stepped up to his door, entered the pass code, entered a passcode for an empty one for Jade, and stepped into his own.

"Go inside, Jade, strap in, and put on the helmet. I'll tell you the rest," Ryoohki said as he disappeared inside.

Ryoohki stepped into his simulator room. He sighed. Doing this was one of his favorite thnigs to do in his spare time. He sat down in the chair, strapped in, put on the helmet, inserted a key and flipped a couple of switches.

The screens inside turned on, but only the frontmost one displayed: "WELCOME RYOOHKI. ENTER PASSWORD."

He did so, and entered the mission number they would play, and then the screen for linkup play appeared.

"Okay, Jade. First, insert the key I've given to you earlier and flip the two red switches located directly above that. I've set up the room for you, so all you have to do is wait."

"Okay," came the reply.

Soon, Dahvir's and Jade's names appeared onscreen. Ryoohki was about to press the button to start.

"Oh, Jade?"

"Yes?"

"When you start, you will appear pointing straight down. This is okay, and you will feel it. This is the gravity of the room adjusting itself to accomidate the situation. It's kind of cool like that."

"Okay."

Ryoohki pressed the start button.

When the mission started, Ryoohki felt the effects of himself pointing straight down in his AST-6400 "Arwing" in a hanger exactly like the one on the Red Dawn He could see his other crew in similar ships in the same fashion. Looking at their position, which was always random. Ryoohki was to launch first, Dahvir second, and Jade third.

Ryoohki punched a couple of buttons on a panel and the large gaping door at the end of the launch slowly opened up, revealing the vast emptiness of space. Ryoohki punched a couple more buttons and he could feel his own ship move sideways, lining up with the end of the door. He pointed up, so the ship's nose was pointing toward the opening. He started the thrusters, and prepared for take-off. He breathed in deeply and punched a large red button.

The rail his ship was (which was on the ceiling of the Red Dawn) launched forward at a tremendous speed. Ryoohki could feel himself pressed toward the back of his seat as he rocketed forward. Soon, he reached the end, and was released from the rail, so now he was flying off into space. He applied the brake when he was out there a little ways and waited for the rest of his crew.

Dahvir pressed his red button and took off. "YAAAAAAHOOOO!!!!!! I love that drop!" Dahvir yelled.

As Dahvir slowed down next to Ryoohki, Ryoohki explained the take-off process to Jade. Soon, she slowed down next to Ryoohki and Dahvir, wobbling slightly.

"Are you doin' ok Jade?" Dahvir asked over the comlink.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine," Jade said. A little shaken. This was a little too real. She felt as if she was actually inside one of these things. However, that was the point of the simulation.

"Just getting used to the controls, that's all. I haven't actually flown anything before."

"Hm. Well It's obviously basic, push in to go down, pull back to go up, left is left and right is right. The little buttons your index fingers tough are the primary guns and the buttons on the top are the bombs. Am I going to fast for you?" Dahvir explained.

"I hear you loud and clear, Dahvir. It's just getting used to the stabilization, that's all."

"Ryoohki, do you want to explain the radar and the other things?"

"Sure. The blue triangles are friendly ships, red triangles are enemy ships. Everything else should spell itself out. Let's try moving forward. This mission spawns a couple of enemy ships, and our goal is to destroy them. Push the throttle forward and let's get started."

The three of them rocketed forward and into the open space.

"Let's get started on some enemies." Dahvir said. "Ryoohki?"

"Yeah, I'm listening."

"Shall we test our guns?"

"If you mean use them to blow up stuff, then yeah. I'm all for it. Let's head in this direction. They should be coming up soon. We've already played this mission hundreds of times, haven't we?" Soon, small red triangles appeared on Ryoohki's radar. Exactly the formation he had remembered it.

"Okay," Ryoohki said. "I'll go down the middle, Dahvir, you go to the left, and Jade, you go down the right. Let's catch these guys." They rushed into the formation, lasers blazing. Ryoohki and Dahvir took them down expertly, but a few were chasing Jade.

"Waaaahhhh!! What do I do? These guys won't get off me!" Jade exclamed into the comlink.

"Break left! I got them! No your other left!" Ryoohki watched as she spun out of control, nearly crashing into an asteorid. Ryoohki found the enemy ships and took them down, one laser at a time. "Okay guys, mission accomplished. Let's return to Red Dawn, great job out there, guys."

Once Jade got her ship under control, she followed the other two back to the hanger door of the Red Dawn. She was still having trouble stabilizing herself.

"Okay, ease up on the throttle, we're taking them in nice and slow," Ryoohki said.

Jade did not hear this in time and shot right past them.

"Jade! Get back here!" Ryoohki said, laughing.

Jade tried to turn around, but she had lost control. She was spinning and weaving through the air, until she came dangerously close to the Red Dawn.

"Jade! Watch out!"

All he could hear was, "Yieee--" and he saw her ship disappear behind the Red Dawn. After that, a brilliant flash of orange fire erupted from the side of the hull.

Ryoohki sighed. She was going to need a lot more practice than they thought, he thought to himself as he eased his ship in the hangar.

"It is really good that this is a simulation." Dahvir said half laughing.

"Yeah, in real life, that would have not been fun." Ryoohki said as the rail positioned his ship in that face-down position. When Dahvir's ship did the same, Ryoohki closed the door to the hanger, and let air flow back into the hangar. When the air was at a safe level, Ryoohki climbed out of his ship, ending the simulation.

Ryoohki unbuckled himself and stepped out of his room. He stretched, and opened the door by an override code to Jade's room.

When he entered, he found Jade there, roaring with laughter. Her screen, which displayed a third person view of the simulation, was now blank, because Ryoohki had turned it off.

"You okay, Jade?" Ryoohki said, unable to not laugh himself.

"That was so much fun!" she exclaimed. "I can't wait to do it again!"

Ryoohki smiled. "Let's take a break first. It does things to you if you fly for too long."

"Aww! Heh, okay!" she unbuckled herself, and followed Ryoohki back into the main simulation room. A replay of the mission was now playing on the huge screen on the wall. Usually, Dahvir and Ryoohki watched this and analyzed their triumphs and mistakes so they could do better next time, but this time, it was just for fun.

When Dahvir exited too, the three of them walked back to the bridge. Ryoohki stared at the endless field of stars.

Talia peered out at them. "Thank god they didn't notice me." She muttered. Then she quickly ducked down again.

Ryoohki noticed something. He held up his hand. "Wait," he said.

He noticed something in the air. He couldn't mistake it. It was the signature scent of a Lupo, but it was diluted (watered down), not as powerful as Ricard's scent. What got him wondering most was, why could he smell a Lupo here? Has one snuck aboard the ship? Wait... aha!

He whipped out his rifle and pointed it at one of the computer decks, much to the surprised look on Dahvir's and Jade's faces.

"I know you're there!" he shouted. "Come out!"

"Shoot!" Murmured Talia, and instinctively wrinkled her nose. "Stupid Vexen!" She stood up. "Time you noticed." She narrowed her eyes.

"I can tell the stench of a Lupo from anywhere. What are you doing on my ship?" Ryoohki demanded, leveling his rifle on her head.

Dahvir gasped, then his face went serious. He drew both of his Standards in a flash and sped over to where the Lupo was. He held one up to its head. "Why.....are......you.....here? Talk or I let him fire." Dahvir said through his teeth.

"Peace, Dahvir. We don't want to scare the daylights out of her, even if she IS a Lupo! I want us to appear as non-hostile as possible."

Dahvir relaxed a little. He holstered one of his guns but still had one at the ready. "Speak Lupo."

Talia hissed. "Very funny." She kept her eyes locked on Ryoohki with a murderous glare.

"What's funny? The fact that your head could be off your shoulders in a matter of seconds?!" Dahvir yelled. He realized he was shouting and calmed himself.

"Do you wish to friendly or non-friendly?," Ryoohki asked, his rifle still trained between her eyes. "If you wish to be friendly, you can tell us why you're here and how you got aboard. And maybe JUST maybe, you can tag along. I don't like hurting females anyway, even if it is a Lupo. However," he continued, "if you decide to be non-friendly, you can kiss goodbye to your head, or earn a one way ticket to the airlock. Your choice."

"And I would be happy to be the one to do either."

Talia's green eyes flashed, and she slammed into Dahvir, knocking the gun away from him. Then she straightened out, still tense, ready to bolt. "I hate you Vexens, their terribly annoying." She narrowed her eyes. "I don't like to be in a position of a gun against my head. Another thing about you Vexens, their horribly rude and hostile." She lifted her chin defiantly. "And about the offer, you see you don't have any choice BUT to keep me here. I'd rather not 'Tag along' with you."

What I see is rude, is somebody boarding my ship without permission and act as if it's all my fault. I'm just trying to protect my crew. AND..." he continued, "I'm not 'rude,' Lupo, I'm just wondering why you're on my ship. And I can arrange for you to sit in the airlock until we get to Corneria."

"Would you two STOP," Jade exclaimed. "I'm sure we can come to a friendly agreement. Could you lower your guns and have her fell more at ease?"

Ryoohki sighed, and slowly lowered his rifle.

Dahvir got really mad and pulled his "Peace Bringer" and aimed it at her. "Hit me again, I dare you." he snarled.

"Peace, Dahvir. Jade's right. Perhaps we can settle this diplomatically."

Dahvir didn't lower his gun. "I still don't trust her."

"Maybe if she didn't feel threatened, she would talk," Jade said hopefully.

Dahvir lowered his gun. "Talk Lupo. Before I REALLY lose my temper."

Talia seethed, and then wrinkled up her nose. "To tell the truth, now I'm feeling quite ill-disposed towards Avians as well." She looked around the room, and then sighed. "Okay, okay, fine."

"Number one: I'm not going to say how I got on this ship except that I sneaked onboard before you."

"Number two: As much as I hate to admit it, fine, I'll join. But first," Talia glared at Ryoohki. "You could at least tell me something about you guys."

"I'm Dahvir, obviously Avian." He started, walking over to pick up his pistols. "And obviously I don't like it when people sneak onto a ship that I reside on. I am the lieutenant. And you will not bother me."

"Neither do I," Ryoohki said as he extended a hand. His trademark smile on his face was not present. "I'm Ryoohki Sakosushin, and I am the captain of the Red Dawn and leader of the Stormblades."

"I'm Jade. Navigator of the Stormblades," Jade said from the back. It is nice to meet you," she said with a smile on her face, trying to be friendly.

"Talia Kyourai." She shifted her gaze around the room. "Lupo."

-Well.- She thought, -That's the first time I haven't lied about my name.-

-Why didn't I lie?- She asked herself. -Was it because of Jade being nice? Or were you not thinking?-

"What are your skills Talia?" Dahvir asked questioningly.

"I'm very good with weapons-" Talia faltered. "And I'm rather good at figuring how anything works, like the mechanical parts of-" She shut her mouth.

-There you go again.- She berated herself inwardly. -Saying the truth again.-

"You're a good mechanic. Huh. Figures. Ryoohki, I'll be in the Hangar." Dahvir said walking out. He left before Ryoohki could even begin to protest. He wanted to get away from the stench of Lupo.

Ryoohki crossed his arms and huffed a little under his breath.

"I'll be in my room in anyone needs anything," he said as he left.

When Talia and Jade were alone, Jade was shifting nervously. "Um, hi. I'm not as biased toward Lupos as those other two, so you don't have to worry about that. Also, I want to tell you something. It's been getting me thinking since we left the tavern back on the Triumph. Haven't you noticed anything odd about Ryoohki's tail? It's slightly off center. Have you noticed it?"

Talia nodded. "Yes...I've noticed it."

"Doesn't it seem... Odd? A little TOO strange?"

Dahvir yelled from the hanger so loud it echoed through the ship. "OOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW DANGIT!! STUPID WRENCH!!"

Jade was startled on how she could hear Dahvir's voice from so far away. She smiled a bit, and stiffled a laugh.

"Anyway, what are you going to do? I'm going to go talk to Ryoohki about his... oddity."

Dahvir limped back onto the command deck and sat down in a seat. "Dang, stipid wrench." His foot, even through the boot, was swollen.

As Jade was prepared to leave, he noticed Dahvir limping back to to the command room. She noticed that one of his feet was swollen. She heard him mumble," Stupid wrench," and she smiled a little. "Just how big was that wrench anyway? Hold on, let me get you some ice." She disappeared to the kitchen and returned with a bag of ice. I hope Ryoohki doesn't mind, she thought. She gave it to Dahvir and started to head toward the rooms, following the maps there.

"Ah, ah, ahhh. That's nice. It was a big wrench! What are you looking at Lupo?" Dahvir said sourly.

After walking down the hallway a little ways, Jade found a door on the floor with a sign next to it that said "RYOOHKI, CAPTAIN." She pushed a button on the control panel nearby, thinking it was a doorbell of sorts. Instead, the door slowly opened. She poked her head inside. "Hello?" she said.

Talia rolled her eyes. "Your foot." She retorted.

"Ryoohki? Are you in here?" Jade said.

After looking around, she decided to climb down the ladder that led to Ryoohki's room. She stepped off the last rung and was on the floor.

The room looked nice to her. There were various decorations on the wall, and the bed had nice-looking red sheets and green blanket and pillows.

Well... the bed would've looked nice if the sheets weren't all messed up, and without Ryoohki on it.

There he was, sprawled out, facing down on his bed, arm hung of the edge of the bed. It looked like he laid down on his bed to think and sleep got ahold of him. She giggled at the sight. He looked so cute that way, snoozing happily like that.

As she examined him, she noticed that his cloak (he was still fully dressed, save for his weapons, which were on a desk) was slightly raised, enough for Jade to spot a slight bulge in the back of his pants. This made her curious, but she didn't want to take down his pants to see, that would be idiotic.

"What about it?" Dahvir said to Talia, in the command room, rubbing his still swollen foot.

"Nothing." Talia snapped. "It's swollen, which is obvious."

"I realize that. It hurts."

"If you stabbed your foot with a wrench I'd be surprised if it DIDN'T hurt." Talia retorted.

"I didn't stab my foot. It fell on it." Dahvir retorted back.

Jade was just about to leave to go tell the others about Ryoohki when she saw, to her horror, him move. She froze with fear and didn't know what to do if she was caught. When it did seem like he was going to catch her, he resumed his cute posture.

She was about to sigh heavilly in relief when he said, "GET THE ICE CREAM TRUCK! They have pounds of meat there at half off!" there was a pause. "I'll take seventy-three...." then he was quiet again.

It was extremely difficult for Jade not to laugh. She almost wet herself. She waited there, wondering if he was going to do that again, still shaking with laughter.

Suddenly, it happened again. "WHO TOLD YOU YOU COULD TAKE MAH NOODLES!! THEY'S MAH NOODLES!!" then he was quiet again.

Oh, the others have got to see this, Jade said to herself as she climbed the ladder back out of his room.

"Guys, you have to see this!" Jade exclaimed, laughing as she walked in the command room. "It's Ryoohki. He's asleep in his room, and he is saying the funniest things in his sleep! Follow me!"

Talia wrinkled up her nose. "Alright, fine. If the stench of Vexen get's too strong, I'm leaving."

"What? What about him?" Dahvir said, narrowing his eyes at Talia.

Jade led them down to Ryoohki's room. When she reached the bottom of the ladder, she found Ryoohki still in bed, but he was now on his side, curled up, and back against the wall. She thought he was so cute like that, especially the way he snored quietly, showing one of his fangs in the process.

"Any second now, he's going to say something," Jade said quietly.

Dahvir waited. "Nothing's happening." He whispered.

"Any second..."

"STOP STARING AT ME!!" Ryoohki shouted, making them all jump.

"I don't want to donate to PBS..." Then he was quiet once more.

Dahvir walked out and went up the ladder, the burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh! That was hilarious!" He said.

"I know! Isn't it?" Jade said as she followed him out. "I've gotta get more of that some time in the future!"

Talia smothered a giggle. "Ahh. I see what you mean."

Jade pushed the button again on the control panel. As the door slowly closed, they could hear, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M OUT OF SPAGHETTI MISSILES?!" Once it closed, Jade then burst out laughing, loudly.

"...hahaha! Okay, it's late. I'm going to bed. Which one of these rooms are open? Thanks," she said as a door was pointed out. "I'm going to bed, and I suggest you all do the same."

My room's in the hangar, I'll see you in the morning Jade, Lupo." Dahvir said walking out. "'Night"

"Good night, Dahvir," Jade said. "You too, Talia. Just find a room to crash in. That's what I am doing."

"Okay," Talia said.

Dahvir was back in the hangar when he heard something fall to the ground. He drew his Standards. "I'm not alone..." He muttered to himself. He cocked his pistols.

The object turned out to be a heavy tool that was teetering on the edge of a counter.

******Next day*******

Ryoohki awoke in his bed as if his sleep bubble had been popped. He looked around his dark room. Must'ave fallen asleep, he guessed. Looking at a clock on the wall, he realized it was 6:12, too early to go back asleep.

He yawned and sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes a little. Suddenly, something caught his attention. The scent of that Lupo he met yesterday was in his room and he didn't know why. He put it off that it simply was still there in his nose. After all, he did lock his door at night.

He climbed up the ladder, went through the hallway, and into the kitchen. He got himself a cup of hot green tea, which made itself automatically every day, and took a seat at the table, sipping it happily. It was quiet, so he guessed that everyone else had gone to bed.

Dahvir came around the corner and pointed his guns at Ryoohki. "Oh jeez. Sorry. You know how I get."

As soon as the guns were pointed at him, Ryoohki's rifle was pointed up and was fired. It turned out to be Dahvir, and Ryoohki thanked his lucky stars that he missed. The laser landed two inches from Dahvir's right shoulder. Ryoohki usually never missed, and he was glad he was still half asleep to not aim properly.

"I tell you," Ryoohki said, putting his rifle back down. "That is going to get you in trouble someday."

He uncocked his guns and put them back in their holsters. "Yeah, but whatcha gonna do? He said going for a coffee and pulling out a cigarette. "I know they're bad for me but still, they are very addictive." He lit it and walked out to his room.

I'll tell what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna hit you some day," Ryoohki said as Dahvir stepped out.

Dahvir scoffed. "Crazy captain..."

"I HEARD THAT!!"

Dahvir finished his cigarette and burned it in his ashtray. He went back inside and went back to the hangar without even acknowledging Ryoohki.

Ryoohki flashed his trademark smile. As Dahvir stepped back toward the hanger. He sipped his tea quietly.

Talia walked out , rubbing her eyes. Catching the scent of Avian and Vexen, she wrinkled up her nose in distaste and steered away from Ryoohki.

Ryoohki saw Talia start to walk in, give a look of disgust, then walk back out.

She's just going to have to deal with me sooner or later, Ryoohki thought to himself.

Talia wandered aimlessly around the ship, bored half to death.

Jade didn't get much sleep last night. She kept thinking about Ryoohki and his random sentences, and she kept seeing herself in fits of laughter. Finally morningtime rolled around and she was still half-asleep. She staggered out of bed and through the door. She walked down the hallway, passed Talia ("Good morning, Talia," she said), and entered the kitchen. She found Ryoohki seated there, sipping a hot cup of something unknown to her. She took a seat next to him.

Without looking up, Ryoohki said, "Can I get you anything?"

Meanwhile, on the command deck, an urgent radio transmission started to come through.

Suddenly, Ryoohki's ears flickered. He could hear the radio crackle to life. He could hear the static, with a broken up message mixed in.

Instantly, his cup of tea was left alone.

Ryoohki hustled into the command deck and tried to listen closer to the radio. He couldn't make out the message, but it sounded urgent.

He picked up his own radio transmitter and said, "This is the QSI Red Dawn, answering your call. Is everything okay?"

A fuzzy reply came. The message was unclear. "....Ship heavily damaged, oxygen supply low......Don't know how long things will last.........." Most of the message was static.

Dahvir walked onto the command deck. "Hey Ryoohki, have you seen my 12" wrench? I cant find- what the heck is that static?" He asked.

"Seems like a distress signal. Message received," Ryoohki said into the transmitter. "Where is your location? We may be near enough to find you."

Dahvir shot back to the hangar and started his ship. He would go out and look for them. "Ryoohki." Dahvir said on the comlink. "Patch that transmission through. I'll see If I can track it and see where it came from."

"Hold on, Dahvir. I'm going out there with you." He locked the Red Dawn's controls and rushed to the hangar and launched his ship. Soon he drifted next to Dahvir's parked ship. "This is Ryoohki. Let's go find this thing. I've switched the transmissions going to the Red Dawn to go to my ship."

"Transmit the trasmission to my ship too. I'm gonna try to track it." Dahvir said back.

"We're not separating, Dahvir. Stick close to me, unless you want to get lost or shot. This is Captain Ryoohki of the Red Dawn. Respond," he said in his transmitter.

The response was insanely muddled, and the only thing that came through was indistinct sound like speech.

Talia coughed. "Ahem." She held the wrench, dangling from one hand as she walked into the command room. "You stabbed your foot with it, remember?"

"Oh hey Talia!" Jade said, welcoming her warmly. "You just missed the guys, some transmission came through and now they are out there looking for it."

"Okay," Ryoohki said through the com-link. "We need to find this thing fast. Follow my lead, and stick close. Never know what's lurking in the depths of space anymore. Wha- Wait! Dahvir! Look at this! I'm getting something on the radar!"

He moved closer to the source and there it was. It was a huge black shape looming in the darkness. He pulled up next to it and applied the breaks.

"Wow. That thing's huge! Too bad about its condition, though. It looks pretty mangled. I wonder if this is the source of the distress signal. Let's have a look at it, shall we? We can pull in there. That looks like a nice spot to land in."

Dahvir went in and landed. He jumped out, spacesuit on, both pistols drawn. "I'll check for hostiles." He said.

Ryoohki put a pink energy force field that covered the hole in the hull on the side of the ship. He opened the cockpit of his ship and jumped out. He reached back in and pulled out a space suit. This was custom made, due to his physical buildup. He donned a helmet, and brought up his rifle.

"Dahvir stay close. We don't need to get seperated in a place like this." He switched on a flashlight that was on his helmet. "Hello!?" he called out.

"Hello!?!?!" Dahvir yelled. "Is anyone there?!?!"

---

Talia hissed in annoyance. "Shoot, they've gone." Putting the wrench on the counter sniffed, tracking Ryoohki and Dahvir's scent. Stopping at the place where the ships used to be, she covered her nose and backed away. "And now they've gone and went somewhere. Darn those Vexens!" After a pause, she added, "- and Avians."

Jade put her hand on her shoulder. "Why were you looking for them anyway?"

"Great." Talia muttered. "I find the wrench, and then discover their GONE." Shying away from Jade, she flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry." She mumbled. "I'm still not used to Vexens."

---

The flashlights shone around the darkened hull of the hollow shell of a ship. They tread through the ship carefully, as not to startle any space creatures that happened to take residence there. Suddenly a device on the wall exploded, causing a loud noise and sparks shot out, causing Ryoohki to stagger backwards, cutting his arm on a piece of shrapnel.

Ryoohki frowned at the gash that was left, with his blood floating away in a mist due to the absence of gravity, but ignored it.

"You ok Ryoohki?" Dahvir asked him.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just a scratch," when it was a pretty large cut. "My focus is to find the source of that distress signal.

"Hello?" Said a female voice from a seemingly empty room to the right.

Dahvir pointed his pistols directly at the room. He cocked them. "Show yourself." he growled.

A black vexen, that had been crouching in a corner stood. She was tall, and clothed in a tight black leather suit.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I am Captain Ryoohki of The Red Dawn, leader of the Stormblades. This is Dahvir, Lieutenant of the Stormblades. May I ask who you are?"

"Niko." She said simply. "Niko."

"It's nice to meet you. Were you the one who sent that distress signal?"

She nodded. "I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I have an idea."

"The ship looks like a mess. It appears to me that you were attacked. If you still wish to breathe, I would recommend that we get out of here before all the oxygen depletes. Are you the only one on board?"

"The only living one on board." She said.

Ryoohki bowed his head. "I'm deeply sorry for all the loved ones lost in the attack. Would you grant us the permission to take you under our wing?"

Ryoohki lowered his head in thought. "Our personal craft, 'Arwings,' were not designed to hold two people, but it can do so, I've checked. Mind, though, it will be very cramped. We will have to fly quickly. Who do you want to ride with? Me or Dahvir? There is no other way of traveling back to the Red Dawn, unless you don't mind floating in space."

"Uh, whichever of you wouldn't mind the tight space." She said simply.

"Well... I take up less space than Dahvir does, no offense."

"So, I'll travel with you."

Dahvir put his pistols back. He walked back to his ship without a word to either of them. "Too many Vexans..." He muttered under his breath.

Niko shrugged. "Sorry."

Dahvir jumped back into his Arwing and took off back to the Red Dawn.

Niko turned to face Ryoohki.

Ryoohki smiled and shook his head. "Ah, what am I going to do with you, Dahvir? I suppose we should head off." He led her to his ship, opened the cockpit and motioned her inside. "I you in first so I can be up front. I need to be able to use the controls with an unobstructed view."

She nodded, and entered.

Ryoohki hopped in, feeling extremely awkward, and closed the cockpit. He disabled the energy shield, revved up the engines, and sped away into the inky blackness. I'm going to give Dahvir a talking to, Ryoohki thought. I've told him and told him that he needs a wing buddy at all times when we are out here.

Niko took the time to think.

Throughout the entire journey, Ryoohki was extremely nervous. For one, he was sharing a space that was very small, and he had someone right behind him, never knowing if it strike at any time.

It didn't help that it was a female, especially a Vexan female.

He docked his ship into the hangar of the Red Dawn, and he jumped out, glad that that was over. He could be seen shaking a little as he walked up to the exit of the hangar.

She exited the small space, glad to be out. She could tell he had doubts about her. She didn't blame him. She followed him, several feet behind.

Leaving his spacesuit inside his "Arwing," he exited the hangar and entered the command room. Talia, Jade, and Dahvir were there. He stopped and greeted them.

"I take it that you two didn't kill each other while we were gone?" Ryoohki asked, indicating Jade and Talia.

"No, we were just fine," Jade answered.

Niko had followed, not knowing what she was supposed to do.

"Why don't you take a seat somewhere, Niko? It will be quite a ride to Corneria. That's where we are going next. I expect it will take a couple of nights. To pass the time, do you mind telling us your story?"

"Alright." She sat. "Let me see what I can recall...." She though a moment.

Talia groaned. "No, another one?" Wrinkling her nose, she backed out of the room. "Too-many-vexens."

Dahvir stood against a wall thinking. -My Arwing was acting strange. Hm, I'll check it out later.-

Ryoohki frowned at Talia's direction. "Get back here Talia! That is a captain's order! If you want to be a part of this team, you will have to learn to deal with us, whether you like it or not."

Talia held her nose and reluctantly walked back into the room, staying as close to the door as possible.

"It's all very vague... I can recall the last 24 hours or so. It was late, around 23:00 hours, and I was in the command room on my own ship. I saw something amiss on a surveillance camera. There was an odd ship in the hanger. I went to go check things out, not feeling the need somehow to notify anyone. Well, it was a dumb move. I was knocked out upon entry. I think they thought me dead, and whoever they were moved on. I woke about an hour later, and managed to make some of the fighting. They left, though and that left me time to search the ship. No one but I was alive. That was a day ago, and I tried to fix things myself. Another bad move. I put the call out, and you came. I didn't expect you to though, because the transmitter stopped working halfway through. I braced my self for whatever would happen, and now we're at the present.

"Very interesting. Our slight history was uneventful, save for Jade and Talia over here, and rescuing you. Why are you smiling at me, Jade?"

"Oh, just thinking about last night."

"What about last night?"

She giggled. "Nothing." She was remembering the events that happened last night.

"Come on, tell me."

"I..." she thought of something quick, "slipped and fell on my way to bed. I laughed at myself, and still am today."

Ryoohki narrowed his eyes. "Right. Hey, Dahvir, what's the matter?"

Niko was slightly confused, but remained silent.

Suddenly, Ryoohki's face lit up.

"Hey, has any of you flown in a personal craft before?" he asked, referring to Talia and Niko.

"Um, I've got some experience, yes."

I've got quite a few flight simulators over there, if you want to try your hand at them.

She thought a moment. "No thank you, I'll pass for now."

"Then what do you plan to do? It is still a day to Corneria, our next destination."

She shrugged. "Get acquainted with the ship."

"I'm fine Ryoohki, my Arwing was making strange noises while I was flying. I'm gonna go check it out. If you need me you know where I am." Dahvir said leaving. He picked up his wrench on the way out.

"That's Dahvir. Always the gearhead."

I'm going to my room. Holler at me if you need anything. You are welcome to try out the flight simulators, just go in an unmarked one. As for you, Niko, you can have an unmarked room until we get things settles, whether you leave or join this team."

She nodded.

"Okay. I guess I will see you four later."

He stood up, stretched, yawned, which Jade found cute, and walked toward the back, toward his room. He punched a couple of things on his control panel and the door opened. He climbed down the ladder and shut the door behind him, not bothering to lock it.

Dahvir hobbled back onto the command deck. "Stupid wrench..." he grumbled.

Jade facepalmed.

"Anyway, I'm going to have a small talk with Ryoohki. You know where I am if you need me." She left the room.

Walking the same way she did yesterday, she easily found Ryoohki's room. Pushing the same button, she opened the door. She climbed down the ladder and entered the room.

"Ryoohki, I-"

"GAH!!"

Jade found Ryoohki seated on his bed, holding a brush and his second tail. He was frozen in that position, not knowing what to do.

---

Niko looked around the room. She recognized some of the technologies.

"See something you like?" Dahvir asked.

"What?" She said turning. "Oh, I'm trying to see how much of the stuff I recognize."

---

Ryoohki was the first to speak.

"May I ask as to why you are in my room?"

"Ummm..." Jade was just as frozen as Ryoohki was. She knew she had just barged in on something private, and looking at Ryoohki's position, sacred grounds. He had instantly tried to hide his second tail the minute he could think again.

Ryoohki's frown slowly disappered. "Ah, I guess the secret's already gone."

"What secret?" Jade asked, trying to act ignorant of his second tail, to make Ryoohki feel better.

"You've seen it. The second tail?"

"Yeah, I guess. I'm so sor-"

"You don't need to be. I am extraordinarily angry with you waltzing in uninvited, but the secret's blown. Besides, I can't stay angry at that face, much less anyone else. I was born with this, and I do not know why. I do know, however, it made my childhood a living hell. That's why I hide it. You are the only person to know about it since a long time ago."

"Do you think I should just tell everybody?"

"No, but I do think you should leave it out for people to find for themselves."

"Hm. I guess you're right." Ryoohki stood up, feeling nervous. "Let's go."

The two of them left Ryoohki's room and entered the command deck.

"Hey, you're back. That weird noise was my 12" wrench in my Arwing. That's where it went." Dahvir said.

Ryoohki laughed. "Glad you found it."

Suddenly, the ship shuddered and an alarm went off. The large frontal screen displayed a "CALL MESSAGE." Ryoohki frowned and answered it. On the screen was a Frog (the race), and he had a slight mustache. He laughed when he was on screen.

"Hello there! I am Fandago! And I've come to take over your ship!"

"Excuse me?" Ryoohki said back. "I think you have made a mistake"

The Frog's face scrunched up. "Huh?"

"Has it ever occured to you that people fight back? I think you're in for a surprise."

"WE'LL SEE 'BOUT THAT!!" The Frog pushed a button and the screen went blank once more.

Looking out the window, they could see several small objects floating around: fighter craft.

"Well, let's go have some fun. Care to hit the hangar, Dahvir?" he said as he took off toward the hangar. "The rest of you are welcome to follow! Don't get shot, though! I wouldn't want to lose a crew member to that thing!"

"Are frogs morons? Lets do it!' Dahvir stood up and ran to the hangar.

Talia had a infuriated expression. "They're so-so-freaking-grr!" She gave a low growl and stalked after them. "Niko, you comin'?"

Ryoohki entered the hangar and called down his ship. As it removed itself from the ceiling and to his level, he noticed Dahvir storming in. He smiled as he opened the cockpit. As he did so, he noticed Talia emerging in the doorway.

"Talia! You joining us? Here, let me call you down an "Arwing!" He pushed a few buttons, and one of the ships on the ceiling brought itself down and rested in one of the slots. "Hop in if you want!" He sat there in the cockpit, hatch open and waited to see if any others were coming along.

"Don't launch yet, Dahvir," he said.

"Wha-?" Niko had zoned out. "Oh, yeah. On my way."

"Hm. Looks like everyone is here," Ryoohki said when Niko, followed by Jade entered the hangar. He called down two more "Arwings" and said, "You may take off with us if you want to, but try not to get shot down, okay?"

He closed his cockpit and put on his headset with the comm link attached.

"Comm link check," he said.

"I'll hang back here, I'd rather not risk getting shot down because I can't figure any controls out." She said, good-naturedly.

Ryoohki gave a thumbs-up to Niko and called the ship for her back up to the ceiling. He started his ship's engine, but did not start the boosters yet, since he was first in line, and waited for the others to hop in.

She nodded, and stepped into the command room, so that the pressure of the hanger opening wouldn't kill her.

Dahvir jumped in his ship and started it up, also not firing up the engines.

Ryoohki put up an energy shield over the enterance to the hangar, so nothing will get sucked out, and opened the doors to the hangar. He looked around, and saw that the others were ready, then signaled with his arm, "Go! Go!"

He fired his boosters and was launched out of the hangar, followed closely by Dahvir. He did not know yet if Talia or Jade were following.

"This is Captain Ryoohki. If anyone else is going to take off and are still in the hangar, I suggest you take off now," he said in the comm link. He looked around after flying for a couple of minutes. "See anything, Dahvir?"

"No not yet, wait. Fighters coming up behind us! I'm taking evasive manuvers!" He yelled.

"You got him, Dahvir?" Ryoohki said when a fighter roared past him, almost hitting the cockpit. "Why hello there, you almost hit me!" he shouted, giving chase.

Ryoohki brought the fighter down, and it exploded in a ball of bright-orange flame. He looked around for Dahvir, to see if he needed any assistance. He found him, and saw that he had about five other fighters on the run. He smiled at him. "Alright, Dahvir, let's go hit their mothership."

Dahvir pulled around and saw another fighter coming up on Ryoohki's tail. Ryoohki must not have noticed with the other fighter in front. "It's a trick!" Dahvir said into his comlink. "Ryoohki watch out! You have one on your tail!" Dahvir fired and hit on of the wings on the fighter on Ryoohki's tail. "Come get me!" he yelled.

Ryoohki felt his ship jostle a little bit, he looked at the damage monitor, and the back end flashed red. He looked behind him and found that he was leaving behind a small smoking trail. "Hm. Looks like those bastards are playing rough. I can play rough," he said as he increased the throttle and went after that fighter. He did a loop, easily avoiding running to Dahvir, and took out the fighter.

Suddenly, he could see about three more balls of orange flame explode behind him while another "Arwing" flew past him. He had no idea who it was, all he could see was the figure inside giving a thumbs-up while it shot in the distance. He did get a look at the symbol on it, and it was like nothing he had ever seen before.

"Dahvir, did you ever get a catch of that?" Ryoohki asked over the comm-link.

"...yeah. I did." he said looking at it.

Ryoohki flew down and shot a smart bomb into the hangar of the mothership, setting off a chain reaction and destroying all of the other fighters inside. "Go! GO!" He landed his ship in the ruined hangar, hopped out, brought up his rifle, and waited for Dahvir to land.

Dahvir landed inside and jumped out, pulling his standards out with him.

The blaring alarms around the ship were music to Ryoohki's ears as he climbed the ladder out of the hangar. "Dahvir, you take point, I'll provide backup, and to watch our backs."

"Got it." he said. He walked forward. Guns pointed.

As they came across an intersection on the hallways, a long, red laser bolt came out of nowhere and struck a Frog hiding behind a wall. It lurched several times, then fell still. Ryoohki hurried over, and examined the carcass. "Damn, not him. Let's continue."

As they slowly made their way down the hallways, Dahvir entered a doorway, and it suddenly slammed shut right in Ryoohki's face. After pushing the buttons on the nearby control panel, Ryoohki found that they refused to workThe evil, ear-splitting laughter of the Frog captain echoed over the intercom.

"Heh heh heh! Now I've separated you! Can you find your way to me...alive?"

"Dahvir! Don't worry about me!" Ryoohki said through the door. "You go on, I'll find another way!"

"Ok!" Dahvir shouted. He turned a hallway corner and found enemies. His shots sounded through the ship. The robot enemies were sizzling and twitching. No one surprises Dahvir when he has his pistols out.

Moving carefully through the ship, Ryoohki kept a sharp eye out for any enemies. As he passed by a huge screen, it suddenly lit up.

"ARE YOU A GEO GENIUS...!?" The screen exploded when Ryoohki got ahold of it.

After that was over, he could hear footsteps, dozens of footsteps. Ryoohki smiled, and waited to take on the challenge that was about to come over him.

Ryoohki had his rifle trained on the other end of the hallway, where the source of the footsteps were coming from.

"NOW ARE YOU A GEO GENIUS??"

Ryoohki was no longer on the floor, but up on the overhanging pipe, clung to it, tails spiked, nearly scared half to death. That screen was not supposed to come alive again, and he did not know how it actually did that in the first place.

Looking down, he saw about a dozen Frog soldiers come to a stop where Ryoohki was moments before, they looked at the screen, then looked around, confused, then shrugged and marched on.

Dahvir kept walking and found an air vent. He put his ear, or whatever a bird listens with, up to it and heard the command deck. He shot off the case and crawled in.

When the frogs were gone, Ryoohki carefully dropped himself from the pipe, and landed on the floor with a soft tap. He brought up his rifle, looked around, shot a fierce look at the screen, and moved on.

As he rounded a corner, he heard footsteps. They appered to be moving silently. Ryoohki moved slower, moving carefully, his rifle trained at the source. Soon, Dahvir rounded a corner. Both of their guns were trained on each other, then both of them dropped. Ryoohki cocked his head. "Dahvir?"

"'Scuse me? Who is 'Dahvir?'" the Avian asked, looking suspicious.

"Oh, I thought you were him. You look an awfully lot like him."

"Hm. What are you doing here?"

"These Frogs picked a fight with us. They attacked us first."

"Really. We are here because they captured a friend of ours."

"Do you need help with that?"

"Nah, you find the captain, and take over the ship. We'll handle the rest."

"What do you mean 'we'll?'" But the Avian was already gone.

Talia crouched in a corner. "God, looks like I despise Frogs too." She gave an infuriated hiss. Drawing out her 'Hunter', she cocked it and leaped up, firing at a frog that strayed too close. "And they're horribly stupid!"

"Bah, I hope to find the command deck soon," Ryoohki said to himself as he navigated the passages.

Dahvir came to the other end of the air conditioning vent and ran into the other Avian. He drew his dual pistols, as did the Avian. "What th-, who are you?" He said, lowering his pistols.

"That depends. Who are YOU?" he asked, then lowered his gun. "Hm, well, this is kind of awkward. What are you doing on here?"

When he heard the answer, he said, "We are on here to rescue a friend. I just saw a Vexan around here earlier before, is he your friend?"

When Dahvir nodded, he said, "Well I wish you good luck, then. I suggest you hit the bridge and bring down that Frog scum. We'll take care of the rest!" With that, he was gone.

Dahvir brought his pistols back up and went around the corner. He blasted 5 frog warriors and figured this was the bridge. "Ryoohki, come in Ryoohki." he said through his comlink.

"I read you loud and clear, Dahvir. You hit the bridge yet?"

"I just did. Should I wait or charge?" he asked.

"Go on in! You can handle yourself, right? I might take a little bit longer." Ryoohki hustled toward where he believed might be the bridge. He can't leave his best friend alone for long.

"Copy." Dahvir smirked. He charged his guns and shot down the door. "Knock Knock!" He yelled, blasting all the guards and bridge commanders and drivers. He held a gun to the boss frog's head. "Ryoohki, bridge cleared and leader captured." he informed.

"Got that. Has he surrendered?"

"I don't know, let me check." Dahvir put his second gun away and cocked his gun, still pointed at the frog's head. The frog leader started trembling and saying "I surrender! I surrender!" Dahvir chuckled. "Yeah, he surrenders." Dahvir said. The frog yelled "Call this crazy bird off!!!!" While Dahvir had the comlink on. "Quiet you!"

"AH PROMISE AH WON'T ATTACK YOU ANYMORE!!" the Frog screamed. "JUST LET MEH GO!!"

Ryoohki heard this loud and clear. "Okay, Dahvir. Let him go. Let's join back up and head back to the hangar."

"Aww, I never get to have any fun..." he said. He pistol-whipped the frog and knocked him unconsious. "Stay put." Dahvir said walking out. "I'm on my way Ryoohki." Dahvir said.

As Dahvir was walking out, a long red laser bolt flew past the side of Dahvir's head, nailing the Frog, who was about to take a knife to Dahvir, right between the eyes.

He lurched forward, then twitched himself to death.

Dahvir looked back and blasted the frog's boy 10 more times. He finished, huffing and puffing. He turned around. "Thanks."

"Thanks what? What's going on, Dahvir? What's happening?"

"I was just saved."

"What?! Now's not the time for Christianity!"

((*gets beaten* Ow. Ow. Ow...))

Ryoohki ran over to the bridge, and burst through the open doorway. He found Dahvir there next to a fallen Frog, with a knife in its hand.

"Are you okay, Dahvir?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." he said.

"Let's go back to the hangar. Let's go back to the Red Dawn."

"Got it." he said. he shot the frog body one more time and walked out.

A beautiful blonde haired girl stepped into the hangar and looked around. "Heeeeeeeello?" her singsong voice echoed. Her eyes- blue with black around the edges, like a corona of the sun during an eclipse.

Dahvir walked into the hangar. He spotted the mysterious woman near the Arwings. "Hey!" he yelled. He drew his "Peace Bringer". "Step away from the ships!" he yelled.

Ryoohki followed Dahvir out into the hangar. "What's wrong, Dahvir?"

"We have someone near our ships." He said. He hated people near his ship.

Talia propped her head up with her elbow, watching Dahvir and Ryoohki. "Chillout, Dahvir. She's not going to destroy your ship or do mass murder."

"Who the-" Ryoohki stammered in surprise. "How and when did you get on here, Talia?"

He didn't put his gun down. "Who.......are...........you?" he said. He cocked his gun.

"Hitched a ride." Talia pointed to a small fighter plane. "One of the frog's."

"Interesting," Ryoohki said. "Do you have any idea how you're going to get back? Every ship in here except mine and Dahvir's is destroyed."

"I noticed." Talia seemed unaffected. "I'll just fix one of the less damaged ones, then."

"YOU can fix a ship?" Dahvir said in disbelief.

Talia gave him a look. "I'm a mechanic. I can tell which parts are which and fix them. What, you think I'm dumb?"

"I'm not doubting your abilities, but it would be pretty difficult to repair a ship in a destroyed hangar (meaning that 95% of everything is destroyed completely)," Ryoohki said. "If you think you can do it, be my guest. We will wait here for you."

"Well, you don't know unless you try, right?" She knelt down by the wreckage, and winced. "God, what the heck did you do?" She began sorting through the stuff, and then pulled two pieces together, interlocking them. After a few hours she got the main part done. There was a heck alot of mismatched items, and she finally got it to work. "Okay." She leaned back, apparently satisfied. It was a fighter plane, but hey, it flied.

"Oy." He jumped into his ship and flew back to the Red Dawn.

"Well, I'll see you at the Red Dawn." Ryoohki hopped into his own "Arwing" and proceeded to levitate in place, then took off into the open space. He docked into the hangar without any difficulties. "Dahvir, what did I tell you about flying alone?" he said in mock sternness.

"It's a good practice to try," Ryoohki said in mock scolding. He can't stay mad at his best friend for very long...

After exiting the hangar, he went back up to the bridge. Jade was there, sitting in one of the seats.

"Ryoohki! Dahvir! You're back! Where's the other Lupo?"

"She should be on her way in a moment," Ryoohki said. "We successfully eliminated our target. Let's go to Corneria. I need to relax a bit. Set us a course, will ya? I need more crew as well..."

Ryoohki slumped in his captain's chair, dead-tired.

"I'll be in my room. No calls." Dahvir said.

"Eh, go ahead and do that."

Talia arrived sometime later.

Ryoohki looked up, and saw Talia walk in. "Hey, Talia. Glad you could make it. I believe we're almost to Corneria. Have a seat, stay awhile."

"Guys! We're almost there!" Ryoohki shouted to the rest of the crew the next morning. Before them, they could see a magnificent blue-green planet looming in the shadows. They have reached Corneria.