Episode 8
Scene 1
Pixel and Pokher are still working on upgrades for the Windsweeper ships at the Swig Starbase, when they receive a distress call from Blackjack.
Computer: A distress call is coming in from Blackjack.
Pixel: Here on the starbase? What did he do, overextend himself at a card game again?
Computer: The signal came from a few light years away, on a course for Planet Placer. He says he’s on a Flotee vessel that’s been taken over by Daemonix soldiers and the mosquito armada.
Pokher: Do we have Flotee frequencies so we can scan for them?
Pixel: Yeah, I’ll start scanning. We need to leave now.
Rogue enters the room.
Rogue: What’s going on?
Pokher: Wanna pay Blackjack back for the huge favors he’s done you?
Rogue: Why? What’s wrong with Blackjack?
Pokher: There are lots of things wrong with Blackjack. But at the moment, the most urgent is that he’s in danger. He went off with some Flotee and the ship has been taken over by thugs in uniforms. We’re going on a rescue mission.
Rogue: Yeah, let’s go.
Meanwhile, back on Pesado’s ship, Blackjack, Tom, and Pesado wake up slowly from the knockout gas they were hit with. They overhear The Purveyor of Pillage, other Daemonix, and mosquitoes conversing.
Purveyor of Pillage: I told my cousin she’s wasting her time, hustling people for air permits. She should join the military, where all the big action is. This war with CUPGASS, there’s gonna be so much loot!
Daemonix 2: You really think we can beat them?
Mosquito 1: Of course we’ll be victorious! How dare you doubt Lord Emperor President Chancellor Dominus Khan’s Grand Universal Empire of the Splat Culture!
Mosquito 1 zaps Daemonix 2
Daemonix 2 (wincing in pain): Apologies, that was not my intention.
Purveyor of Pillage notices that their captives are starting to wake up.
Purveyor of Pillage: Hey, the weaklings are waking up!
Blackjack (groggy): You’re enslaved by mosquitoes, and you think I’m weak?
Daemonix 2: Can’t we just kill them?
Mosquito 1: We could, but not yet. They might prove useful.
Purveyor of Pillage: How could they possibly be useful?
Mosquito 1: Well, for one thing, we don’t know what half the weapons on this ship can do. Also, they have dealt with the CUPGASS for years and might have valuable information.
Tom: He’s right, we are very valuable.
Mosquito 1: I’m a she.
Tom: Kinda hard to tell from here. You’re a mosquito.
Mosquito 1 zips over to Tom and zaps him. Tom winces in pain.
Mosquito 1: I haven’t seen your kind before. What are you and where are you from?
Tom: I’ll never tell!
Mosquito zaps him again.
Tom: That’s definitely not painful enough to make me talk.
Purveyor of Pillage: We shouldn’t waste our time with him. In less than a day we’ll be at the battle for Planet Minus. We need info about the ship.
Pesado: It’s my ship. Just ask the central computer anything you want to know,and it’ll tell you.
Mosquito: It will?
Blackjack: It will?
Pesado: Yep.
Mosquito: Why should I ask the computer, and not you?
Pesado: Because I’ll be defiant, and the computer won’t.
Mosquito: Computer, how do I activate the weapons array?
Computer: Hit the big red button, just below where the fuzzy dice are hanging.
Tom: Are you strong enough to hit that button? You’re a tiny mosquito!
Mosquito zaps Tom again. The Purveyor of Pillage finds the button and presses it. Pesado grins.
Meanwhile, The Blazing Muffin and the four Windsweeper craft are going full speed, following the distress signal of Pesado’s vessel. Pokher and Pixel are in contact with Rogue. Pixel is actually present on Rogue’s ship and also on The Blazing Muffin after splitting himself in half.
Pixel: Good news. They just slowed down.
Pokher: Are they still on the same course?
Pixel: Yeah, headed for Planet Minus. Rogue, you think you understand the weapon controls?
Rogue: The goo gun targeting is a little tricky, but yeah, I’ve got it.
Pixel: Pokher, are we still expecting help from Allegro and Libero?
Pokher: So they say. And The Dealer is in, too.
Pixel: Are they within scanning range?
Pokher: Should be.
Pixel: Computer, coordinate our arrival time with Allegro, Libero, and The Dealer’s intercept courses.
Computer: Why don’t ya do it yourself, mister I’m-in-two-places-at-once?
Pixel: Damn jealous computer, get over it!
Computer: Time coordination set. We should all be approaching the Flotee ship in an hour.
Scene 2
55 minutes later, Pixel, Pokher, Rogue, Allegro, Libero, and The Dealer are discussing tactics as they approach the Flotee ship.
Pixel: The first thing we need to do is disable their shields.
Computer: That’s shouldn’t be too hard.
Pixel: Why not?
Computer: The shields of the Flotee ship are already down.
Pokher: How?
Computer: Not sure.
Pixel: I’ll infiltrate the Flotee ship and take out the hijackers.
Rogue: How are you gonna do that?
Pixel: I’m made of trillions of nanoparticles. I’ll send small bits of myself into each of the Daemonix bodies and disable them with an electric shock.
Allegro: What about the mosquitoes?
Pixel: I’ll free Tom, Blackjack, and whoever their Flotee friend is to help deal with the mosquitoes.
Libero: And the rest of us can keep the Daemonix craft occupied.
The Dealer: I’ll help with that. There’s a new secret weapon I’ve been itching to try out.
Libero: What’s your secret weapon?
The Dealer: It’s a secret.
Pixel: Once we’ve regained control of the Flotee vessel, we’ll book it full speed back to the Swig Starbase.
Meanwhile, on the Flotee vessel…..
Daemonix 2: There are eight unidentified craft closing fast!
Purveyor of Pillage: Are they CUPGASS?
Daemonix 2: No, sir. They’re unidentified.
Purveyor of Pillage: Shields are up?
Daemonix 2: Yes, sir.
Purveyor of Pillage: Coordinate with our Daemonix Warships. Open fire on all approaching ships as soon as they’re in range.
Mosquito: We don’t know the range of this craft, genius.
Purveyor of Pillage: You, lanky fellow. What’s the range of this craft for weapons fire?
Pesado: I told you, ask the computer whatever you want. It’ll tell you.
Daemonix 2: Too late! They’re already opening fire on our Daemonix brothers! Wait a minute, that’s strange. They’re not firing at us.
Confusion spreads among the Daemonix and the mosquitoes. Within seconds, the Daemonix shake violently from an electric jolt before hitting the floor. Before the mosquitoes can figure out what’s happening, Blackjack, Tom, and Pesado have been released from their bindings, and parts of Pixel have reassembled into a visible form. Cleaning bots suddenly appear. One has a massive air blower, and the other has a vacuum cleaner. The mosquitoes start to panic and flutter around aimlessly.
Pixel: I hope you don’t mind, I took the liberty of having your ship’s computer send the cleaning bots.
Pesado: Don’t mind at all.
Tom: I should remind you that there are two gigantic, psychopathic, rhino/fox-hybrid looking aliens right there.
Pesado (taking ship’s controls): I would beam them back to their warship, but their shields are up.
Blackjack: I guess you’ll have to send them out the airlock.
Pesado: I’ll have to send them out the airlock.
Pixel: One of the Daemonix ships has been severely damaged.
Tom: That was fast. How did they do that?
Pixel: They probably used the secret weapon.
Tom: I won’t ask what the secret weapon is.
Pixel: Wise choice.
Pesado: The other Daemonix warship is fleeing.
Blackjack: Well, Pesado. That was an unexpected detour from our original plan.
Pesado: Wanna resume course?
Pixel: We need to pick up Blue.
Blackjack: We’ll pick her up on the way.
Pixel: One question, Pesado. How did you get the shields dropped?
Pesado: It’s a safety measure built into my ship. If there’s an intruder alert, all the intruder has to do is hit that giant button below the fuzzy dice, and the computer will give false readings for everything. If the shields are down, it’ll say up, for example.
Tom swats frantically at his ear.
Tom: Pesky mosquitoes!
Pesado: I’ll have to get my ship deep cleaned at the starbase.
Thanks for your time and attention!
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