Complications by -- Joseph DeLaCroix This story is based on characters created by Service and Games (SEGA), and on characters created by Archie Comic Publications, Inc. Any resemblance to actual characters are not coincidental. ;) Joseph, Bahb, and all other independent creations of Joseph DeLaCroix are the copyrighted property of JoCo Inc. Commander Packbell, Bookshire Draftwood, and Sandra Nightweaver are the copyrighted property of David Pistone. All rights reserved. Etc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Snively looked at the strange, frightening structure in awe. It was certainly not of Mobian design...it was too perfect to have been built by anything but a more advanced sort of being. But what was it doing in the Great Forest? Could this have been the work of one of the Freedom Fighters? If it was, why hadn't he been attack-- "HALT!" Snively froze, the metallic voice of doom resounding through his ears. As he started to turn to face the location of the voice, he wondered what Packbell would do to him first. Perhaps, if he was in a sufficiently unpleasant mood, he'd just kill him. That would be one of the happier endings to his personal story of agony and woe... But when he turned to accept the cold, deadly hands of a SWATBot, he found himself staring into the lens of a spherical sentinel. After making a quick series of mental jumps, he came to the conclusion that this object seemed to belong here, while he did not. "Remain still, entity." The voice seemed to soften a bit, percieving Snively's weakened and disleveled state. Perhaps it was under the impression that Snively was just another wounded, dumb animal. Of course, if it believed that, it might take the liberty of putting him "out of his misery". That, or it might see a specimen to experiment on. "Identify yourself," the sphere twittered. Snively paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say that would increase his life expectency. If he told the machine that he didn't know, would it find a different way to find out who he was? If he told the machine a different name, would it just accept it at face value? And, if he told it his actual name, would it result in his instant demise? Oh, the hell with it all, Snively thought, I'm tired of running. "My name," Snively's nasal, worn voice growled, "is Snively. Snively the Great. Do with me what you will." The sphere reacted instantly. A small port on the front of it opened up, emitting a stream of restraining slime to keep Snively from getting away. After it appeared to the sphere that Snively couldn't move, it hit the small human with a stun pulse, knocking the large-nosed simian unconscious. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - After a few seconds of black, Snively gradually started to regain consciousness. He kept his eyes closed, afraid to open them for fear of gazing upon the Inferno... A voice is heard. Female. "Is he dead?" Snively's brain spun, almost causing him to gasp aloud...he was surprised to hear anything vaguely pleasant, but carefully repressed any reaction out of fear of having them react. A male voice. "No, just stunned. SpyGlobe-1 discovered him wandering around outside, and was able to capture him before he got near the automatic defenses." Was he in the custody of the owners of this place? If he was, he pondered, they appeared to be the Freedom Fighter type. Oh boy. "Why didn't you just have him killed right then and there? Why bring him down to the lab?" Apparently, the female knew about him. He was definitely in it deep. "Because he's got answers to the questions I've got." The female appeared to be the pragmatic type. "Couldn't you just do a neural dump and get the info that way?" He hesisitates. "No...the brainscanner is tuned to only scan and recover vulpine memories. It'd take weeks to adjust it to a simian's." Aha, Snively mentally exclaimed, the duo were foxes. The female paused for a second. "Well, what if he doesn't talk?" "That's why we have sodium pentathol, darling." Torture obviously wasn't in the male's nature. Perhaps there was hope of being thrown into a nice, warm cell, after all. "He deserves worse." "Well, it's not my tag, Sandra." Sandra? Certainly it couldn't be...? "After all, I owe it to Sonic to do what he may...and if he won't, I know about 20 other people off the top of my head who will." He paused. "But I will not." The female Sandra must have smirked. "You're getting mellow in your old age." The male quipped, "Ahh, but doesn't experience count for anything anymore?" She chuckled. "Only in certain areas, honey...but I think you've logged enough hours in those to avoid any doubt of your ability." Snively could sense the male's eyebrow raising. "So you want me to take a vacation from--?" She replied, probably a little too quickly. "No, no, no!" He laughed. "That's what I like to see, woman." Then, the voice seemed to draw closer to Snively. "But let's not bore our...guest with our flirting." Snively's eyes snapped open, more out of instinct than out of any desire to intimidate. What he saw when he popped them open, however, seemed to defy the imagination...he was in a large room, with a high, curved ceiling. It was darker than might have been expected, with only a few lights on to highlight various pieces of equipment. This place certainly was a lab, and had much in common with the ones back in Robotropolis... down to the roboticizer device (?!). Snively groped for words, but was unable to grope for anything else. He immediately noticed that his hands and feet were lashed to a guerney, laying flat on a stand near the far left side of the room. "Aaaaa!" Joseph didn't flinch. "Shut up, please." Snively's mouth slammed shut. The person he was looking at was probably twice his size and weight, and looked like he was carrying a thermonuclear device in a holster in his coat. He was also quite frightening looking, with bright, citrus-orange fur, and shiny black wraps on his face. "Good. You know how to take orders." He took out a cigar, clipped off the tip, and lit it up. "And, if you don't annoy me, I'll see to it that you get treated humanely during your stay in my home." Snively gasped. "Y-yes, sir." "Alright, let's start with the basics." He clicked on a light above Snively's face, following Mobian interrogation protocols. "Now, I want to know everything you know about this--" Joseph took out the palmtop computer Snively thought he had in his pocket. "--and everything else that might be useful. Now." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Meanwhile, in someone else's hand, another palmtop computer was being tinkered with. Since Tails had gotten to borrow some of Rotor's tools, he'd decided to start playing around with the inside of the device, in order to determine how a system like that physically operated. He'd already decimated the virus that had infected the device, left by a certain individual that Sally had asked him not to mention any longer. And, after some further tinkering, he had learned (rather covertly) how to program interesting things on it. Games, utilities, mapping programs, a little bit of everything. Eventually, he hoped that Joseph would teach him how to do more things...after all, he was the next level up from his own brother. At least, that's what most people figured. In Tails' mind, David and Joseph were just about equal in computer things...David with all of his constant upgrading, Joe with his millions of hours on AI work. For now, however, he'd occupy himself with studying the hardware of the device. He'd been working consistantly on making the processor speed increase, and Tails was eventually hoping to get it up past a few thousand megahertz before the beginning of fall. Also, he was making it operate more efficiently by getting rid of redundant parts and adding fresher versions. Who knows, Tails thought, eventually he might get Cryptosmasher on it, and then become even more useful to his friends and family in Knothole. But after a few more hours working on this, Tails felt ennui set in. Slightly irritated, he closed the device up, and put it down on the counter to settle. His desire to be out and running around was distracting him from the work he wanted to accomplish with his computer. The spring air kept drifting into his nostrils, wafting away the smell of solder and silica...the eternal drive of foxes to romp was stirring within him, making his injury even more apparent. Yet, he refused to get angry about it. He did what Bunnie would have done for him a million times over; he had saved her life, and kept her from being in the same spot he was in...if not in a worse one. After all, she'd had to walk around in a sort of a cast since she was his age, and was just now learning what it was like to be a regular person again. He could take it. He was young, and had more cerebral pursuits to engage in, anyway. This wouldn't last forever. Eventually, Bookshire would take the casts off, and he'd be able to walk around again. Flying, however, he wasn't so sure about. He frowned, running his fingers through his headfur. He didn't want to be landlocked. If he had to have his extra tail, he might as well get some USE out of it. Sure, it made him distinctive. Sure, it was useful when trying to swat away flies. But what he really enjoyed about them was his ability to zoom around through the air, being one with the sky! Being able to escape the bonds of the earth, and go where he wanted, when he wanted, without having to worry about mud or poor turf. He hoped with all of his might that he could get them strong enough to fly with again...no, he WOULD get them strong enough to fly with again, no matter what. Then, his thoughts were dissipated in a sonic boom...Sonic had arrived to visit with him again! He smiled. Sonic always had something nice to say about what was going on, and made him always feel much better about himself. He was becoming like another brother to him. Sonic entered the room triumphantly, as usual. "Yo, little bro!" he shouted, tromping his way over to the side of the bed. "How're you doing, kiddo?" Tails smiled. "I'm better, Sonic. David stopped by a little bit ago to tell me about his latest upgrades. In fact, you just missed him." Sonic mirrored Tails' expression. "That's cool, Tails. I'll see him later today at the meeting...I'll try not to sleep through this one, so I'll be able to tell you all about it." Tails laughed. "Past cool, Sonic." Sonic fistbumped with the incapacitated canine. "You bet, little bro." Tails leaned back. "So, how's everything doing?" Sonic moved a paw vertically in front of him, denoting smooth sailing. "Everything's moving along as usual. They all miss ya, tho..." He reached into his backpack, and pulled out a piping-hot chili dog. "Especially Unc' Chuck. He made this for ya just before I got here." Tails beamed, happily taking the chili dog and scarfing it. After disposing of it organically, he wiped his mouth and proclaimed, "Mmm mmm! Thank him for me." Sonic nodded. "No prob." "How's Uncle Chuck doing, anyway? Is he feeling a little better?" "Yup. The deroboticization process worked perfect on him. It has, however, made ol' Chuck a little stiff. But he's still as active as he ever was. It's cool." "Well," Tails said, "tell Uncle Chuck that Tails said `hi'." "Sure, bro." "What else is up?" Sonic rubbed his chin thoughtfully, thinking. "Hmm...well, Joe and Sandy are still in the Dome. They really oughta get out more." The hedgehog cackled. "'S not healthy to over-exert themselves...that way... all the time." Tails laughed, not wanting to look immature. "Well, you know how THAT is, don'cha?" Sonic smirked. "Real funny, kiddo." Tails folded his arms in his mentor's trademark manner. "Hey, the fox knows." Sonic waved a paw at Tails dismissingly. "What-EVER." He laughed. "Just don't mention that around Sal. She'd have a total cow." Tails smiled. "Whatever you say, Sonic." "Cool," Sonic said, casually changing the subject, "so whaddya think of the book?" Tails shrugged. "It's cool." "Great...you can hold onto it, if you'd like." "'kay." Sonic hmmed. "Well, I better be going, kiddo. Don't wanna keep you from healin', y'know." Tails smiled. "That's cool. Thanks for stoppin' by, Sonic." Sonic grinned. "No problem, little bro. Cya!" As Tails waved, Sonic trotted out of the room, closed the door, and juiced back out into the forest. Tails enviously looked on as Sonic rushed into the springlike weather, yet with a positive feeling in his head from his visit. Sonic's visits were never long, but they were long enough to give Tails a chance to talk to someone besides Bookshire. Tails laid back, getting ready to take another snooze. He hoped Sally'd come by at dinnertime...maybe he'd ask about all that stuff he was confused about tonight...of course, that's what he'd thought for a long time before his tails got busted, and he'd still hadn't gotten up the courage to ask. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Joseph looked into Snively's eyes, mulling over what he had been told. Examining the device had yielded similar answers, none of which he'd liked...or had wanted to believe. Yet, if he kept the heat on, he might get something else useful out of the quite mental little man. "So, let me get this straight. You said that you've been hiding from Packbell ever since Sonic tried to kill you, correct?" "Y-yes..." "And that he's tortured you, and generally knocked you around worse than your uncle ever had, right?" "Yes, sir..." "But you were able to escape into the sewers and tunnels of Robotropolis... and, one day, you saw this tall fox, who looked kind of like myself, drop this computer on the ground." "Yes..." "And you gave it a once-over, and discovered some sort of plan for the destruction of Mobius in it...which I had just shown all of us here." "Aff-f-f-firmative, sir..." Joseph stopped speaking, sitting down and rubbing his skull. "Okay. I just wanted to get that straight." A few moments went by without anyone saying anything. But then, Snively finally was able to gasp out something coherent. "A-are you going to let m-me into the custody of the Princess now...?" He looked up at Snively. "No." "N-no?" "No." "Oh." A few more moments went by. "M-may I ask..." Joseph looked up at Snively. "You realize what would happen if this information was to get out too soon, don't you?" "N-n--" Joseph stood, looking right into Snively's eyes. "The people of Mobius would begin to mobilize to defend themselves, I assume...they would try to enlist other alien races to assist...maybe being able to drive off Packbell in the process." "T-that doesn't sound..." "The Ur--the Buyers would strike at that moment, Snively. There wouldn't be a chance for this planet. They'd just open fire. Foom." A deathly silence. "No, this is something that has to be handled quietly...with as little overt action as possible. We've got the advantage now, because we know what they're going to do. All that we need to do is to play a game of sabotage and parlay...buy enough time to casually raise a intergalactic force strong enough to repel them." He paused. "Telling Sally would be suicide." Most of all for me, Joseph thought. "S-so what are you going to do with me?" Joseph rubbed his chin. "Give me a minute." Walking away from Snively, he took Sandra's arm and walked over to the far side of the lab. "Okay, darling," he whispered, "this comes down to your choice." "Me?" Sandra whispered, "Why me?" "Because, Sandra, we can do several things, all of them I'm willing to do." Sandra looked at him questioningly. "Such as?" "We can tell Vision about this, and see if the Keld'yrian fleet can do anything to help. We can also not tell anyone, and just hitch a ride on the ship itself...my father had enough pull back on the homeworld to get us on even a ship run by Soulless John X'aeon-nai." A pause. "Of course, we could simply make our own vessel, and blast off into a far corner of the galaxy until this thing plays itself out." Sandra was dumbfounded. "Joe...I don't know. I'm so confused..." Joseph held her close. "Take all the time you need, Sandra. We've got at least a year." He glanced over at Snively. "He sure as hell isn't going anywhere, either." Sandra whimpered softly. "Okay, honey...I'll think on it." Joseph kissed her gently on the forehead. "That's all I ask of you." "You certainly have a habit of asking for hard things." He caressed her face. "You'll be rewarded for your efforts." Sandra didn't smile, her expression seeming to be locked on confusion. "Go deal with Snively, dear. I need to go think." Joseph nodded. "Just tell me when you've made a decision, Sandra." Sandra patted him on the shoulder, and walked sort of dazed toward the stepdisk. After it had descended away from the level, Joseph put his attention back toward Snively. "Get cozy, this might take a while." Snively cowered and sniveled. "S-sure..." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Elsewhere... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The echidna meditated in the Chaos Chamber, where the emeralds were kept from harm from the various forces on Mobius who seeked to acquire them. They also kept the Floating Island, where the Chamber was located, bobbing highly above the waves, and safely away from the patches of land that each side currently possessed. Knuckles was in the traditional full lotus position, which he had been taught by his father, and who was taught to him by his grandfather, and so on and so forth. His mind was clear of all thoughts, while his body continued to draw in spiritual energy for the upcoming struggle... the war that had been fortold in echidna lore, which would decide the fate of Mobius for eternity. The legends say that many champions would rise to the challenge of the forces of evil, and many others would be vanquished. Some would come from far away, others from nearby. Land, air, and sea would forge their warriors to fight the foreign host, with the knowledge that their failure would mean the destruction of all life on this world, and untold damage throughout the universe. The legends also say that one warrior would rise from the dust of a great explosion...one who would have the speed of the wind, the might of the sun, and the soul of a hero. He would be able to cut down the legions of war machines the enemy would disgorge, be able to harness the four powers of nature to smite the foe, and rise above the clouds to protect the world forever. The form of this hero was still unclear. Some said he would be a mighty bear from the northern lands, trained in the ancient schools of fighting by the great warriors. Others said a raccoon, skilled in the ways of weapons, would be the champion. Several said a eagle from the jungles of Mobius, a psychic, would defeat the enemy. And one vision that an ancient echidna saw in the far past said an echidna would be victorious over all. But, no matter who was the true champion, a name had been chosen by the Elders to show this individual's might to not only Mobius, but to the universe...the "Solaris" would be the champion's name after his or her victory over the evil, and would be sung of for generations... But the name was not important to Knuckles. What concerned him was that all the visions shared a common theme...the power of the Emeralds would be called upon by the champion to defeat the forces of evil. Without their combined powers, he would be helpless against the onslaught, and Mobius would be doomed. This is why Knuckles was meditating within the cave of Chaos, in order to become one with the knowledge and powers of the Emeralds, so he could understand what his role would be. For weeks he had sat like that, not eating or drinking...letting the warmth and power of the Chaos Emeralds nourish him physically and mentally. Yet, no visions had come yet...which must mean it was yet too early for the Emeralds to offer any advice to their appointed defender. So, Knuckles would continue to sit there, meditating silently, until the great vision finally came. He knew it would occur soon...he sensed the growing unrest within the Master Chaos Emerald...like something large and evil was drawing nearer...every second getting closer... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - And the ship did draw closer, looming ever-nearer to Mobius. It crept along its path with agonizing slowness, lurking just out of eyesight of any interested sensors on the planet's surface. The huge vessel could have overtaken the planet hundreds of times over, yet it continued to pulse along at a mere lurch, barely covering enough ground to keep from having the appearance of non-movement. But, on the ship, a certain displaced human was fawning over this ship's seemingly hyperadvanced technology... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Robotnik gently caressed the instrument panel with his steely hand, gazing at its brilliant design and sheer computational power. "This ship is a work of genius! It must have taken generations to achieve such a level of technological advancement!" John smiled darkly. "Well, it did take a few hundred years of driving our scientists hard and long to get this advanced..." However, his expression flickered slightly. "But we've hit a plateau for the time being." Robotnik barely noticed the fox's tone changing, too engrossed in the blazing speed of the instruments. "Is it all intergrated into the ship's main computer?" "Naturally," the fox articulated, "but why do you ask?" Robotnik looked up at him, smiling evilly. "I want to learn about it all." John chuckled. "I hope you've got lots of time, old sport. We've got a lot of data available here." Robotnik tweaked his moustache slightly. He noticed that it needed a light trim. "I have as long as you do, friend...but I wish to make an effort to learn of your fascinating tech." John shrugged. "Very well...you will be supplied with all you need to know. But don't you wish to rest, first?" "There is more than enough time to rest later...time, and knowledge, waits for no man." John smiled. "Alright. The computer terminal in your quarters should be sufficient regarding your needs." Robotnik smiled, his voice taking on that property it often possessed when learning of imminent victory. "Excellent. May I see them now?" "Of course. We've got much to accomplish up here, anyway. However, if you need anything, feel free to summon me." John smiled again. "I'm always there for my friends." Robotnik got up from his seat. "As I appreciate, friend. I still haven't been able to thank you and your men enough for saving my life." John rubbed his chin. "Oh, you'll have plenty of opportunity to thank us... later. Right now, please partake of our generosity." Robotnik nodded, heading off toward the door. "I'll be in touch with you later this...cycle, is it?" He smiled. "Megacycle." "Ah. Well, I'll be in touch." John sat back in his chair, saluted loosely, and waved Robotnik off to his quarters. A few minutes after he left, John casually locked the door, and informed the computer not to allow any further callers for at least an hour. Then, he activated a switch on the wall, which dimmed the windows and raised a sort of noise-blocking shield around the entire room. He smiled. Ahh, the sounds of silence. Now nobody could disturb him while he enjoyed his new...hobby. He triggered another toggle on the wall, which caused a section of hull on the far side of the room to fade...revealing a secret passageway that led deep into the ship. He casually walked into it, sealing it behind him after he had gotten all the way inside. John walked for a while, eventually reaching a small room inside the ship that might have been better described as a "closet". In it, several ancient-looking papers and tapistries lined the walls, with a large rug on the ground. Candles that seemed to never burn down lit the room, rather than the usual glowing wallpanels that sufficed for the rest of the ship. The rug on the floor of the room had a five-pointed "star" woven into it, in a strange sort of semi-translucent thread. In the center of this "star", the supreme leader of the remains of the Imperial Ur'thaen Space Armada, "Soulless" Jhohn X'aeon-nai, entered the full lotus position. John, unknown to his many crewmates and friends, had been a pracitioner of the forbidden mystical arts during his tenure with the Navy while Ur'thae had been mighty, and the powers he had developed had won him many a secret victory. His line had been one of mages and witches before the time of "citizen adjustment", and despite the best efforts of genetic engineers, they could not weed out the inclination for magic out of the people. He had taken up the arts when he learned of the powers and influence that magic had over the people of Ur'thae during the Black Ages, before Bahb and Jhosesophae G'brogfran had united the people under the banner of "Science, Strength, and Stealth" which hung ofter the defunct Ur'thaen Empire for centuries. This had been during one of the few losing campaigns the Ur'thaens were forced to admit "stalemate" on, over that of the possessions of the Keldy'rians. His meditation was temporarily disrupted when he thought of this, anger pulsing in his veins. It was supposed to have been a "cake" op! All the Ur'thaens were interested in were a few mining operations on a measly planet far from the core section of the Keldy'rian territory. They had no need to interfere with the other holdings of their empire, being occupied at the time on several other fronts. But it had not been a "cake" op. In fact, it had been a humiliating defeat that stung in the eyes of the entire remaining populace of Ur'thaens even 3 ultracycles after it had occurred. The "Armaggedon", as well as the battleships "Vixen's Honor" and "Berzerker" flew into the system fully loaded with more than enough fighters, plasma torpedoes, and certainly enough firepower to crush any resistance that the small moon and the insignifigant planet could produce. All went normally for the first twelve megacycles, John recalled ruefully. The ships roared into the planet's orbit, dispatched fighters to cut the communications lines between the moons and the planet, and sent enough fire down from the sky to be sure any possible threat was quickly dispatched. Such an offensive was referred to in texts as "blazes"; a type of offensive operation that occurred so quickly as to knock the target unconscious, take all that was needed, and run off with it before any resistance could be raised. Sure, it wasn't fun for the bloodthirsty John...he didn't get to torture or even interrogate a single person. But it got the job done. That is, all until the twelth hour, where two Keldii ships appeared out of hyperspace. At first, the crew could only laugh at the pathetic counter to their blows. Two medium-sized ships, appearently only lightly armed, coming to face down a planet reaper and two destroyers? Ludicrous! A mere wing of fighters could take them out within minutes...so they thought. The wing flew out toward the ships, their weapons blazing. As would have been expected, the first few moments of the attack were relatively ineffective on the Keld'yrian ships, since most fighters carry only midrange projection weapons. However, the minutes continued to roll by, and the shields of the ships barely lost a bit of energy. Meanwhile, their gunners were picking off the fighters like fish in a barrel. Fuming, the "Vixen's Honor" decided to step into the fray. Disgorging all of their fighters, and blasting at both ships with the main guns, they made an awesome sight in their attacks on the Keldy'rian ships. However, even the might of the "Vixen's Honor" was outmatched by the two ships, weakening the shields of the vessels while its hull was being torn apart by the guns of the invincible ships. The fate of the fighters, he cursed, was far more awful. Finally, the "Armaggedon" and "Berzerker" ceased all attacks on the planet and moon, letting the Keldii ships have it with all of their gusto. The two ships railed on the stoic vessels, being blasted with the Keldii guns while the "Vixen's Honor" desperately tried to keep from being ripped to shreds by its own internal damages. The battle raged for only an hour, as the Ur'thaen ships played a game of cat-and-mouse with the Keldii vessels, trying to find a weak spot in their defenses while also attempting to avoid their own destruction. By about the halfway point during their struggle, the "Vixen's Honor" honorably self-destructed, refusing to be captured by the Keldii as a trophy. This valiant self-sacrifice drove the two remaining destroyers harder, using everything they had to try to destroy the obviously enchanted ships. Finally, the "Berzerker" began to succumb to the continual blasts of the Keldii vessels, and the "Armaggedon" was quickly running low on its plasma torpedoes. Deciding to take a prudent retreat, he cursed, they flew away from the planet empty-handed, with less comrades to honor the Head Vixen than before. His fists clenched tight. Since that awful loss, he had sworn to seek revenge on the Keldii in the name of his fallen brothers, using any and every means necessary to destroy them all. They would pay, and pay extrorbitantly, for their accursed victory over the Ur'thaens. He had used spies to steal their information about their ships. He learned of the might of Ur'thaen magic, and used all of the resources available to him to acquire as many magical artifacts and texts as were left surviving on the homeworld. He studied their physical forms, patching himself and his crew with Orange genes after the homeworld died in order to improve their brainpower. Yes, they would pay. And Mobius would be the final cornerstone in his plan for his revenge on the Keldii...and the universe! He calmed himself, breathing deeply to calm down. John's rage had to be stored, and transferred to something more useful...like power. John closed his eyes, resuming his old meditation pattern and clearing his mind. His revenge would have to wait a few minutes...magic comes with difficulty to an uncentered mind, he remembered, and prepared himself mentally and physically for what was to come. The tall, red-orange fox sat in the full lotus position for a few minutes before something began to change within the room. The candles flickered, and a strange sort of wind began to swirl around the cross-legged vulpine. A few moments more passed, and the figure began to glow with a reddish hue...the color seemed to taint the mysterious crosswind that surrounded the figure, making a reddish swirling fog that began to partially obscure the still-meditating fox. More time passed, with even more surprising results. The fox began to bob above the ground; at first, slightly, but then higher and higher. Eventually, he was drifting in the center of the room, deep within a mystical trance. The occasional reddish bolt of electrical energy cracked across him after he had been floating for a few moments, yet he appeared not to be disturbed. A few hours passed, and eventually things began to calm down. The plasma bolts started to cease, his levitation began to ebb down to the point where he was once again sitting firmly on the ground, the reddish glow died down to nothing, and the wind faded to nothing but a hint of fresh air. A minute or so later, the fox opened his eyes, took himself out of the full lotus position, and stood. He walked over to the corner of the room, where a small, crystalline sphere was sitting within a small golden cup. He carefully removed it from its holster, and held it firmly in the palm of his hand. Gripping it with his left paw, he began to look into it with an intense look of focused concentration. At first, it stayed determinedly clear. Then, after a few moments, it flickered a light pink for a half-second, and then dropped down to clear. A stronger pink, and then clear. Red-pink, clear. Pinkish red, then back to a clear. Light red, but it cleared slower than before. A stronger red, and a weaker clear. A mid-range red, clear. A deep red, and an extremely weak clear. Then, when it hit a very deep, bright red, it only fluxuated to pink for a moment, and then maintained that color for a few moments. John smiled. His powers were increasing daily. Soon, it would be strong enough to destroy any defender of the Chaos Emeralds that Mobius could produce...and then, the universe would be his! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sandra walked through the many corridors of the Dome, thinking about what Joseph had showed her. If what was contained in the small computer was true, Mobius was in great danger from a foe that might be nearly invincible. After all, the technology in the mere palmtop seemed to amaze Joseph with its speed and intelligence, which was not a good sign. He had given her three options, some of which she though were more preferable than others...the idea about using the Keld'yrians as a sort of protection seemed to Sandra to be the best. Yet, she considered the other two options just as vigorously. They could easily hitch a ride on the ship itself, Joseph had told her...perhaps they would be famous there. Joseph would be with his own people again, and might possibly become a powerful fox there. However, she considered how the Ur'thaens were going to destroy Mobius, and immediately scrapped that idea. Joseph was better than them, anyway. That left her with a quite interesting option...leaving Mobius entirely in favor of another, totally different, world. They could explore the universe, live off the fat of the cosmos, and generally escape all the things of sentinent beings. The beauty of the galaxy had been seen by her only in small snippets so far, mostly through casual observation of the still-operating orbital telescope that drifted vagrantly around Mobius. Bahb had hacked into it during a slow afternoon, and often used the powerful device to scan around the universal disc. The nebulae, twin suns, and other strange and awesome phenomenae seemed to call to the typically earth-bound Sandra. Their beauty had been underscored in her schooling by the primitive equipment that was available to her and her peers. But using the tools that scientists used to explore the universe, Sandra found herself drawn to these mysterious stars, which had given her a mate and a warm place to live. She smiled, thinking about him again. What would make him the happiest, and what would be best for them both? It was such a hard choice. Certainly leaving Mobius on a craft of their own was the safest for them both...they could escape the potential destruction of Mobius, as well as the reprocussions that might occur against the _Apocolypse_. However, boarding the ship gave them the potential to possess power within a rising galactic force...for evil. No, she could not allow it; her few moral barriers overruled her desire for power and influence. That left the wild card of the Keldy'rian fleet coming to save Mobius. Sandra pondered this carefully. They might be able to defeat the juggernaut of the Ur'thaens, but the Ur'thaens appeared to have upgraded their abilities over the last 300 years. They might have overtaken the technological abilities of the Keldii. Or it could be the other way around. She had no way of knowing, seeing that she was not a scientist, nor a intergalactic military buff. She paced around a bit more. Her elimination of choices left her only two options; fleeing, or calling in an alien reserve. Perhaps both could be used in tandem. They could tell the Keldy'rians that the _Apocolypse_ was coming, and then get the hell out of the solar system until the whole thing blew over. She paused, thinking it out more carefully. Yes, that would be best for them, and helpful to Mobius itself...they could give them enough warning to attack the Ur'thaen ship, and still be able to escape the consequences if they failed...! Then, a thought crossed her mind that disturbed her more and more. What if, she mused, Joseph actually wanted to help his people? After all, the ship probably carried enough Ur'thaens to start a new homeworld somewhere, if not an entirely new empire. He missed them greatly, by the look he always got in his eyes when he spoke of them. Of course, she also knew what Joseph learned from the Keld'yrian archives about the "uncensored" exploits of his people in intergalactic affairs ashamed him, and made him very unhappy for several days afterward when he spoke of it. He might just miss his father, which was an understandable feeling...but he also might want to rebuild his people into something "better", which might just start with the sale of Mobius' water and land to the highest bidder. However, he *had* said that it was her choice. If he was so willing to leave their fates up to her whims, perhaps he wasn't as attached to them as she thought he was. That, or maybe *he* couldn't decide what he wanted to do, either. She had no idea what his true motives were any longer... at first, all he cared about was healing Mobius and finishing the deroboticizer. But now, with the revelation of the palmtop computer and Snively's confessions, his plans had drastically altered. Now all he was concerned about was her, and himself. All the rest of the universe, he seemed to say to her, could go to hell. Another sign of his love, she said to herself, and quite a strong one. He was willing to sacrifice all that he had made here, all of his friends, and the entire planet of Mobius; for her alone. Nobody else could have done this to him, which made quite a firm impression on her. He could easily fly off into the night at any time, help his Ur'thaen brothers, fight them with the Keldy'rians, or screw both sides and attempt to take over the planet himself. But he still continued to content himself with the status quo, just because he had to think about her first. She finally got tired of pacing, and sat down on a box heavily. Her own heart told her that Mobius was just as important as herself and Joseph, but her mind said to only consider herself. The fates of countless millions rested in her hands...what should she do? Let Mobius burn? Ride with the conquering host? Fight with the ships of the Keld'yr? Run away into the night? She put her head in her hands, and cried softly. She didn't know what to do...she wished someone could help her... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Robotnik began scanning through the computer's database in his quarters, looking for the most valuable parts of the various design schematics and descriptions. A helpful translator device that had been implanted in his brain allowed him to read the language that the various things were described with, while also allowing him to speak the language. He extended a datajack from his roboticized arm, and stuck it into a small port on the front of the device. This would be quite simple, he thought to himself. He could acquire as much as the Ur'thaen technology as was physically possible during his stay here, get all of his plans reorganized, and then wait for the inevitable counterattack on the _Apocolypse_...then, he would put his master plan into motion. He smiled, beginning the download. Oh yes, he thought, this would be absolutely flawless. The cake would be acquired, and eaten as well... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To be continued... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8J- J- - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - 6 - - - - -U$XhI&N=!a`p LTAl4&M`NL8500NLPIpS D8QD<\FѠeEMLYeIp Ԡ 8bCU$Vh