Augh, nooooo! This is the only page I haven't claimed in my story!

If I give you more, will you give me my your page? Please?



Anyway, looong part here I come!



"Sir, we are in orbit around the planet of Firen." Kroys gave his Commander a look made of pure evil.

"Very good, Commander. Prepare your troops and ready the attack on the rebels." The Fleet Commander bowed and left. Just as quickly he returned.

"M-milord, the scanners have picked up two alien ships on the planet's surface! One is a modified Darkspray fighter, and the other has been indentified as Commander Flairang's Jendara 245, sir!" Kroys hissed in frustration.

"What is the modified Darkspray's com number, Commander?" The Commander bowed again.

"I shall ask, milord." He left briefly and then returned.

"216, milord." Kroys paced, furious.

"The name?"

"Eh. . .the Assassin, milord."

"Assassin. . . there's only one ship in the galaxy with that name. Coppertop's." The Commander bowed for a third time.

"That is the pilot, milord." Kroys turned on him.

"Why didn't you tell me, you stupid oaf? Coppertop's the one who launched the original attack on me and destroyed the Deep Spacer in the process!"

"Uh. . . yes, milord." Kroys snarled an oath to himself that made the Commander blanch and pale.

"Dismissed, Commander."

"Uh. . . yes, mil-" he beat a hasty retreat upon seeing Kroys' look. Fuming to himself, Kroys glared down at Firen. The beautiful sphere's only city sprawled below, and with a flick of his hand Kroys could blast it out of existance, and half of the planet in the process. The thought made him smile in satisfaction.

Then he turned his focus in again, and began searching for that scrap of Beliane. . .



"Eh. . . Copper?" The grey rabbit turned her green eyes to KRSplat.

"Yeah?"

"How're we gonna kick shell if we don't know where these turtles are?" Copper grinned, and her eyes lit up with the prospect of, as KRSplat had put it, kicking shell.

"Leave that to Angel and Shinyso, my friend. I'm not a telepath."

With that subtle announcement that she now counted her comrades among her few friends, she had also announced her loyalty. . .



There! A shred of alien personality. . . He laughed mentally, mockingly. The piece of Belaine attempted to vanish, but he hooked it with a tendril of power and then enveloped it with blood-magic, drawing the power and life from it, laughing. . .



"Give no mercy."



Phoebe was not so sure about just diving into the battle, but at least she had her crossbow again. . . and her glasses! She stared up at the huge Star Destroyer, noting distractedly that she could see no end to it. The tip was just above her, and the rest of it stretched on and on and on in an ever-growing triangle. . .

"Hey, Phoebe! Wake up!" She blinked and refocused on the scene ahead. Slaves attacked the startled guards with anything they could lay their hands on, including each other. Copper drew her blaster with blurring speed, and glanced over at the others who quickly followed suit. Kaz pulled his out and took to the air, and Claw with a wicked grin began testing the aim on a hapless guard nearby.

"You guys, fire at will," Copper said cheerily, and the chaos that followed decimated the guards. Lasers whined overhead, and the startled slaves paused in their fighting to stare at the newcomers. Phoebe suddenly collapsed, and heard a laser zip past her ear. When she looked back, a tall, youngish-looking blue rabbit was inspecting his arm and muttering about bad aim.

She rolled to her feet and loosed a blue-feathered quarrel, and listened with satisfaction to the outraged yell that followed. Zanzibar had somehow managed to lose his blaster, and was now wrestling with a cursing guard who didn't seem to want to be killed. Finally Zanzibar got a grip, and she heard bones snapping as the guard's arm broke like a dry twig. She shot without aiming, and the yelping guard abruptly shut up as he looked increduously down at the crossbow quarrel that was now sprouting from his midriff. Zanzibar promptly grabbed the blaster and turned, snapping off a shot that whizzed past her ear. A cry of "ouch!" proved he had scored yet another hit.

A flash of silver caught her attention, and she saw Copper wielding her blade expertly. Kovu was using his own golden sword like a scythe, cutting low at the outraged guards' legs, swaying aside and then sweeping upwards abruptly to their suddenly unprotected chests. She couldn't see Claw, but the cries of pain and fury that came from behind her wasn't all from Kaz and Zanzibar.

Grath yelled up at Kaz, who had narrowly missed him when shooting down an advancing guard, and barely missed being kicked by Shinyso, who was using his own special moves. He ducked and shot a guard in the process, although he had a rather surprised look on his face when he realized what he had done. Ducky was dodging blasts of purple Jello, and Blacksheep was laughing hysterically as she shot her Jello~Ray gun without looking first. Alpha looked grim as she fought like a whirlwind, but more than once she had to be "rescued" by her brother, who expertly stayed on the sidelines until someone got in too deep of trouble.

The fighting seemed to take eternity, but once it was over she remembered very little of it. Claw was trying not to wince as Copper pried half a crow-bar out of his shoulder, and he gasped as she gave a very undignified yank. Finally she pulled it out, and gave him a speculative look.

"How'd that happen?" Claw grimaced and rubbed his other shoulder.

"Some idiot slave took me for a guard, I guess. Though how that happened I haven't a clue." Alpha nodded sympathetically, and then yelped as Omega prized a blue-fletched arrow from her leg. Phoebe tried to become invisible.

Kovu and Copper seemed to be totally uninjured, once it was discerned that the blood on them was their enemies and not their own, although Copper was limping slightly and Kovu could barely turn his head without wincing. When asked how that had happened, he muttered something about schwartzenguards and uppercuts.

"Well, guys, it looks like we won," Copper said finally. It seemed unreal to Phoebe, and it was only when she was back in the Assassin that both reality and her pain hit home. A searing pain ran up her leg, and when she looked down scarlet stained her light blue fur. The bullet blast that the slave had saved her from had not entirely missed; her ear was singed and throbbing. Another gash on her arm bled continuously, and when she touched her cheek her hand came away with blood on it.

"Actually, you didn't come out too bad," Emerald Dragon commented as she fixed up her arm. "Better than Zanzibar, it seems." Later, when she asked, she was told that Zanzibar had taken several hits in his side -the curse of being taller than your opponent, he said- and his shoulder had been laid open by a furious guard who had managed to find a blade.

"He'll survive," was the reassuring finish, and somehow Phoebe was greatly cheered by it.



Seeing as his troops planetside had totally been devastated, Kroys paced and planned with a vengeance. The Fleet Commander had returned with news that joining the slaves had been "several" assorted creatures.

"Leading them, milord, was a tall grey female rabbit with dark hair and a sword," he reported, and Kroys hissed in fury.

"Coppertop. . ."

"Of course, she wasn't the only one wreaking havoc with our troops, milord," the Commander continued, oblivious to Kroys' fury. "All of her comrades were like whirlwinds of devastation."

"Very poetic, Commander. But I want Copper!" Kroys ground out, and the Commander gulped.

"Yes, milord."

"And Commander?" Kroys said as the turtle turned to leave,

"I want her yesterday."

Woohoo! Excellent storyish, Copper, but we

need mooooooore! MAHAHAHAH!

It's mah page! I won't let you have it! Btw, Great chappie... BUT IT'S MY PAGE!

Nice, CT Sorry I haven't been replying, though..oh well, do carry on.

`Duckster

Sorry I haven't been replying too. *shrinks back*



Marvelous. Really



*Black

if you want to you can use my profile too

coppertop...



check the topic wartavern profiles

you can use me as badguy.

Is that a plea? Okay, I'll put you in, but you might not be seen for a while.



PS: Here's more!



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

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

"Can't we go any faster?"

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

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

"As you command, milord."



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

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

"No."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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





_________________

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



"Whatever." ~Coppertop



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



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

the heck copper?

Wha'? What's the matter, Kaz?



Err. I have lots more to post. . .



"Sir, we are in orbit around the planet of Firen." Kroys gave his Commander a look made of pure evil.

"Very good, Commander. Prepare your troops and ready the attack on the rebels." The Fleet Commander bowed and left. Just as quickly he returned.

"M-milord, the scanners have picked up two alien ships on the planet's surface! One is a modified Darkspray fighter, and the other has been indentified as Commander Flairang's Jendara 245, sir!" Kroys hissed in frustration.

"What is the modified Darkspray's com number, Commander?" The Commander bowed again.

"I shall ask, milord." He left briefly and then returned.

"216, milord." Kroys paced, furious.

"The name?"

"Eh. . .the Assassin, milord."

"Assassin. . . there's only one ship in the galaxy with that name. Coppertop's." The Commander bowed for a third time.

"That is the pilot, milord." Kroys turned on him.

"Why didn't you tell me, you stupid oaf? Coppertop's the one who launched the original attack on me and destroyed the Deep Spacer in the process!"

"Uh. . . yes, milord." Kroys snarled an oath to himself that made the Commander blanch and pale.

"Dismissed, Commander."

"Uh. . . yes, mil-" he beat a hasty retreat upon seeing Kroys' look. Fuming to himself, Kroys glared down at Firen. The beautiful sphere's only city sprawled below, and with a flick of his hand Kroys could blast it out of existance, and half of the planet in the process. The thought made him smile in satisfaction.

Then he turned his focus in again, and began searching for that scrap of Beliane. . .



"Eh. . . Copper?" The grey rabbit turned her green eyes to KRSplat.

"Yeah?"

"How're we gonna kick shell if we don't know where these turtles are?" Copper grinned, and her eyes lit up with the prospect of, as KRSplat had put it, kicking shell.

"Leave that to Angel and Shinyso, my friend. I'm not a telepath."

With that subtle announcement that she now counted her comrades among her few friends, she had also announced her loyalty. . .



There! A shred of alien personality. . . He laughed mentally, mockingly. The piece of Belaine attempted to vanish, but he hooked it with a tendril of power and then enveloped it with blood-magic, drawing the power and life from it, laughing. . .



"Give no mercy."



Phoebe was not so sure about just diving into the battle, but at least she had her crossbow again. . . and her glasses! She stared up at the huge Star Destroyer, noting distractedly that she could see no end to it. The tip was just above her, and the rest of it stretched on and on and on in an ever-growing triangle. . .

"Hey, Phoebe! Wake up!" She blinked and refocused on the scene ahead. Slaves attacked the startled guards with anything they could lay their hands on, including each other. Copper drew her blaster with blurring speed, and glanced over at the others who quickly followed suit. Kaz pulled his out and took to the air, and Claw with a wicked grin began testing the aim on a hapless guard nearby.

"You guys, fire at will," Copper said cheerily, and the chaos that followed decimated the guards. Lasers whined overhead, and the startled slaves paused in their fighting to stare at the newcomers. Phoebe suddenly collapsed, and heard a laser zip past her ear. When she looked back, a tall, youngish-looking blue rabbit was inspecting his arm and muttering about bad aim.

She rolled to her feet and loosed a blue-feathered quarrel, and listened with satisfaction to the outraged yell that followed. Zanzibar had somehow managed to lose his blaster, and was now wrestling with a cursing guard who didn't seem to want to be killed. Finally Zanzibar got a grip, and she heard bones snapping as the guard's arm broke like a dry twig. She shot without aiming, and the yelping guard abruptly shut up as he looked increduously down at the crossbow quarrel that was now sprouting from his midriff. Zanzibar promptly grabbed the blaster and turned, snapping off a shot that whizzed past her ear. A cry of "ouch!" proved he had scored yet another hit.

A flash of silver caught her attention, and she saw Copper wielding her blade expertly. Kovu was using his own golden sword like a scythe, cutting low at the outraged guards' legs, swaying aside and then sweeping upwards abruptly to their suddenly unprotected chests. She couldn't see Claw, but the cries of pain and fury that came from behind her wasn't all from Kaz and Zanzibar.

Grath yelled up at Kaz, who had narrowly missed him when shooting down an advancing guard, and barely missed being kicked by Shinyso, who was using his own special moves. He ducked and shot a guard in the process, although he had a rather surprised look on his face when he realized what he had done. Ducky was dodging blasts of purple Jello, and Blacksheep was laughing hysterically as she shot her Jello~Ray gun without looking first. Alpha looked grim as she fought like a whirlwind, but more than once she had to be "rescued" by her brother, who expertly stayed on the sidelines until someone got in too deep of trouble.

The fighting seemed to take eternity, but once it was over she remembered very little of it. Claw was trying not to wince as Copper pried half a crow-bar out of his shoulder, and he gasped as she gave a very undignified yank. Finally she pulled it out, and gave him a speculative look.

"How'd that happen?" Claw grimaced and rubbed his other shoulder.

"Some idiot slave took me for a guard, I guess. Though how that happened I haven't a clue." Alpha nodded sympathetically, and then yelped as Omega prized a blue-fletched arrow from her leg. Phoebe tried to become invisible.

Kovu and Copper seemed to be totally uninjured, once it was discerned that the blood on them was their enemies and not their own, although Copper was limping slightly and Kovu could barely turn his head without wincing. When asked how that had happened, he muttered something about schwartzenguards and uppercuts.

"Well, guys, it looks like we won," Copper said finally. It seemed unreal to Phoebe, and it was only when she was back in the Assassin that both reality and her pain hit home. A searing pain ran up her leg, and when she looked down scarlet stained her light blue fur. The bullet blast that the slave had saved her from had not entirely missed; her ear was singed and throbbing. Another gash on her arm bled continuously, and when she touched her cheek her hand came away with blood on it.

"Actually, you didn't come out too bad," Emerald Dragon commented as she fixed up her arm. "Better than Zanzibar, it seems." Later, when she asked, she was told that Zanzibar had taken several hits in his side -the curse of being taller than your opponent, he said- and his shoulder had been laid open by a furious guard who had managed to find a blade.

"He'll survive," was the reassuring finish, and somehow Phoebe was greatly cheered by it.



Seeing as his troops planetside had totally been devastated, Kroys paced and planned with a vengeance. The Fleet Commander had returned with news that joining the slaves had been "several" assorted creatures.

"Leading them, milord, was a tall grey female rabbit with dark hair and a sword," he reported, and Kroys hissed in fury.

"Coppertop. . ."

"Of course, she wasn't the only one wreaking havoc with our troops, milord," the Commander continued, oblivious to Kroys' fury. "All of her comrades were like whirlwinds of devastation."

"Very poetic, Commander. But I want Copper!" Kroys ground out, and the Commander gulped.

"Yes, milord."

"And Commander?" Kroys said as the turtle turned to leave,

"I want her yesterday."

Uh...Copper, ya just posted something you

posted before...I think

DiY! I want unseen stuffness. *sob*

`Ducky

I did? I did! Ahhhhh! Oops. I think. . . this is not a repeat.



"Gosh, we really beat them, didn't we," Blacksheep commented, looking astonished as she watched the victorious prisoners finish off the last of the fleeing guards. Claw nodded slightly, and Copper gave her a look. Ducky was off-duty because she had to have her third-degree burns treated, and Blacksheep who had taken over was being distracted very easily. When asked how she'd gotten burned, the only reply Ducky had given was a side-long look at Blackie. Or rather, her Jello~Ray gun. Which explained everything.

"Blackie? My shift now," Kaz grinned as he stuck his head around the corner. Blackie stuck her tongue out at him, and he cheerily tried to shove her out of the nav seat. Grath, who had just been passing when Kaz made his comment, looked enraged.

"No it's not, featherhead, you're after ME!" Kaz stubbornly shook his head.

"Uh-uh." Copper solved the problem.

"Actually, I believe that it's Kovu's. Blackie, go get him, will you?" Grumbling, Blacksheep obediently left the cockpit to go find Kovu.

She found him in the medical, trying to ward Thye off as she tried to apply an ice pack to his jaw.

"Oh no you don't. Keep away from me with that!"

"Stand still for a moment, I've got to get this on you. Come back here!" Kovu determinedly headed for the door, and Thye cut him off.

"Thye, stop- augh, no, help!" Blacksheep stifled a laugh.

"Get back here, you blasted rabbit!"

"Blackie, restrain her, please! She's insane, she wants to put that thing on me-" He stopped talking as Thye began stalking him, her expression one of exasperation. Blacksheep saved him.

"Kove, it's your turn at the nav."

"Not til I get this pack applied to that jaw of his," Thye started, but Blackie cut her off with, "Copper really needs him, and she's going to try to lose those Protectors in the asteriod field."

As if proving her point, the Assassin shuddered as a laser hit. Kovu had prudently disappeared, and Blackie wanted to do the same.

"I'll be in my room if you need me," she told Thye, and left in a hurry before Thye could find anything wrong with her.



"Asteriod field, eh?" Kovu remarked as he slid into the nav seat. Copper gave him a concerned glance.

"Kove, you really should get an ice pack on tha-"

"Don't start," he grumbled, and she took the hint.

"Yeah, we've got to get through those rocks and then back to Firen to drop Zanzibar off, if he wants to leave," Claw informed him. "Then it's back to the Conquerer to challenge Kroys again."

"I'm counting on Wildie to keep him from disappearing again," Copper added, and he nodded, having first-hand experience with Kroys' teleporting ploy.

"Can she do it?"

"I desperately hope so."

They fell silent as the black warship neared the belt. Kovu glanced down at the readout. The Belt of Varanhal? Huh. The asteroids tumbled through space in absolutely no pattern, and more than once he saw explosions as a smaller stone was caught by a bigger one, and shattered.

Copper had given the order to tie everything down, "including yourselves", and Kovu could see why now. He'd heard, of course, about the tricky Varanhal, most dangerous of the three belts this solar system had, and he'd never really expected to be flying through it. . .

That was better

Spiffing, CT.

`Ducky

Mmmh, pure, all brand new story...very good.

Excellentish

SHE TRIED TO BREAK US DARMIT!!!

*scratches head* break us? What?

Okay, I got more for y'all. . . new character.



"Protector One, sign in."

"Protector Two, sign in."

"Protector Three, sign in."

"Protector Four, sign in."

"Roger. Attack mode, arm heat-seekers and laser turrets. Surround the Darkspray, Three, Four, and Two, go in for the engines. Disable them, or the Emperor will have your head instead of the mercenary's. Enable shielding. Over."

"Copy that, One. Disable only. Full shielding, lasers at max intensity, seekers locking. Over."

"Good. Prepare to engage the enemy, Three and Four."

"Copy that, One. Preparing, all shields to fore engines and cockpit. Throttle at full. Give the command."

"Roger. Stay in formation, Protectors. . . now!"

The two Protectors shot forward, their lasers slamming into the shields of the Darkspray. Shonar waited grimly, watching for his chance. Then the young Ace darted forward, dodging mines and streaking straight for the warship, trying to distract it as Two went in for the engines. A burst of brilliant blue ion on his rear shields took out a stablizer, and he evened his remaining shields out over his Protector. Then he circled around, heading in for the kill.

Unfortunately, he realized then that if anyone was going to get killed, it'd be him. He wheeled around and flew around to the fore of his opponent, just in time to see Three drifting away, his bottom torn out, one engine dead, the other missing. He's gone. Four was retreating into the asteroid field, and an explosion proved that he'd hit a mine. He went out of control, spinning into a stray asteroid. Four blossomed with flame, and pieces of his ship were flung outwards. Shonar dodged them and headed off into the asteroid field. Well, we can't blame that kill on the Darkspray. It was his own stupidity.

Certain that he would not make that mistake, he whipped the small, agile Protector around, armed the advanced torpedoes, and closed in on the Darkspray.



Copper cursed softly in several different languages, of which Kovu knew only three.

"Blast it, the idiot's comin' around at us! Kovu, redirect engine power to the shields, but drain the shields to the engines when I say. Got it?" He nodded silently, and she wheeled the ship around.

"Claw, arm the heat-seekers." A faint click followed her command, and Claw touched the controls lightly.

"Copper, they've armed their advanced torpedoes," Kovu called, and she muttered something he wasn't sure he wanted to hear again.

"Blast. Transfer all rear shields to the fore, ready the seekers, here we go-" she threw the Assassin into a spin, and they swerved erratically around asteroids and mines alike.

"There's another one on our tail," Kovu reported, and she rather breathlessly and dizzily replied, "Strengthen the rear shields, then." He obeyed and had the satisfaction of seeing the trailing Protector swerve abruptly to miss the warship. It collided with a mine, and its left wing was sheared off. That left the one.

"Ready the lasers, fire at will. . ."



Shonar nearly crashed with astonishment as his rather accomplished wingman made all the mistakes in the book and some that weren't, resulting in a crippling hit with a mine.

"Blast, that's the most common trick, and he got taken by it-" his thoughts went unspoken. Now it's just me out here.



"I can't believe he fell for that!" Copper laughed, as they circled around and she caught sight of the crippled Protector. Going shieldless and then flipping them on suddenly was the oldest trick, and it rarely failed to panic novices as their previously clear route was suddenly blocked by a shimmering, translucent violet force field.

"Claw, arm the ions. Lock on with the seekers, go!" A splat on the lone Protector's shields disabled one of the left rear thrusters, and with a chilling warcry Copper throttled to full and swooped down on her quarry, like a hawk after prey.



By all the Faders of Firen, work!! The Protector's engine coughed and faltered, and Shonar redirected shields to it. Come on. . . It stalled, and then roared back to life. With a thrust of his hand, the ship shot forward, and he commed in to the control center.

"Carain Fleet Head, permission to abort mission! Repeat, permission to retreat, attack failed!" The reply was crisp and clear.

"Protector One, permission denied. We have closed the hangars due to power failure. Repeat, permission denied." He cursed. He'd have to land on Shilarloh, the tiny moon that circled Firen along with its slightly larger twin, Kilanphor. It was named for the first founder of the city, and was on the most part completely ignored. For which reason, it was teeming with mercenaries, assassins, smugglers, and generally the low-life and free-booters of the Scorpti system. If they don't want me back, I'll have to find some other place to land.



"Blast it! Claw, y'want to go after him?" Claw shrugged as he watched the damaged ship flee.

"He'll get killed soon enough on Shilarloh, as soon as those mercenaries and all find out he's from the 'Empire'. No sense wasting power and weaponry in chasing him," Kovu reasoned. She nodded reluctantly, and then turned the Assassin around to face Firen.

"Aaah, alright. Let's go."



Haha! Sorry Predator, Later I guess. . .

okay, and is it ok i use u for me story also,.. i am writing one too.



i dont have much joiners yet

Uhhh, must re read... somewhere I'm lost in this story...

Ooooh. Rux0r, CT.. Groovy

`Duckay

What can be said? Brilliant, Copper.

Spiffy! Aboballyloutley Spiffin'! Top-mark!

*blushes* oh gosh, um, ah. . . here's more!

An' yes that's absolutely fine, Predator



Rroyvan glanced up, shading his eyes against the fierce glare of the tropical sun. Nothing.

For several days he and his sister had taken turns scanning the sky, ever since news had come that Zanzibar had been seen with the rebelling slaves.

"By all the Faders, I hope he wasn't taken," Rroyvan sighed. His sister nodded slowly. Velveetza, his youngest sibling, was the only sister he had now. The elder had gone to the city, and hadn't been heard from in years.

"Rroyvan, maybe you should go," she said. He gave her a wan smile and closed his eyes wearily.

"Perhaps you are right. You will watch?"

"Of course. Go." She shoved him gently towards the damp green forests, and he laughingly obeyed. She watched him go and then turned her gaze to the skies.



His first indication was the dark shadow. His second was the soft rumble of an engine. His third- the choking wind that came in the strange ship's wake.

Rroyvan had been in the forest for over an hour, and now this. He sighed and prepared to follow the black ship that slowly cruised overhead, the huge top fin jutting up into the air, the engines glowing. With a start he recognized the type- a modified Darkspray.



"There." Copper carefully manuevered the Assassin over the small clearing, and then gently set down. Zanzibar lightly leaped down from the ramp, and coolly glanced back.

"Thank you. I shall see if I can find my family. Then I will return." With that, he turned and vanished into the dark depths of the trees.

Ahh, I relent. . .



"Well, I think he's been gone long enough," Copper remarked, glancing up at the sun.

"What?" Grath looked up at her. "Oh, yeah, the cat. Where'd he go to anyway?" Copper gave him a look composed of pure exasperation.

"Zanzibar left about two hours ago to find his family. Where were you?" Grath grinned.

"Right here?" Copper shook her head.

"Kaz, prepare to lift ship. If he's not here in the next five minutes we're leaving without him."



Zanzibar melded with the shadows and continued his solitary trek. His passing left no trace; he could not be followed. He went on.



Rroyvan knew instinctively when he drew near the stream. The cool scent of growing things slipped elusively through the trees, and he sped his pace up. There was a small mossy glade ahead, cloaked in shadows. . .



Zanzibar slid through the trees with an effortless ease. He was getting close, he knew it. . . there. The clearing was there.



Rroyvan knew Zanzibar was there. . . the very air whispered of the dark Firenzev's secret presence. He balanced comfortably in the fork of a tree, his rather large blaster on his back. He scanned the shadows carefully, and listened.

Then he spoke.

"Sia."



"Sia." Zanzibar nearly laughed. Still. . . He could just barely make out his brother's form in a tree. He slipped around through the shadows.



"Lae." Rroyvan turned to see those odd eyes of his brother watching him. He stood slowly.

"That is I," he said in Firenzev.

"I know." Zanzibar spoke in the same language. Then he switched to Basic. "Velveetza is well?"

"Of course. You found Devan?"

"No. But I have found something else."

"Oh?"

"Yes. It is called. . . friendship."

"Ah. Friendship is a valuable thing." Like all true Firenzev, they shied away from the real subject. If Rroyvan had addressed it right out, Zanzibar would assume he wanted to talk about something else entirely.

"Yes."

"And who have the privelige of that special bond?"

"A strange company, my brother."

"Truly. You always had that strange talent of making interesting friends, did you not?" Rroyvan thought he detected a hint of a smile.

"Indeed. You have heard of the mercenary Copper?" The gray cat started at the abrupt change of subject.

"Of course, I more than most."

"Indeed. I had forgotten."

"And what of it?"

"There is also the one called Claw."

"Yes, I've seen him too. Now what of it?"

"I suppose you know of her companions."

"All those rabbits?"

"Yes."

"Oh. I see."

"Do you?"

"Indeed."

"And?"

"A strange company indeed, my brother."

"Yes. But an interestingly heroic one, yes?"

"Mmm. They suit you."

"Ah. I owe them a could-be life debt."

"Could-be?"

"Hmm, yes. If they choose to claim it."

"Oh." Zanzibar watched him through half-closed eyes.

"Yes." Rroyvan blinked.

"Devan?"

"Kroys." Now Rroyvan's brother addressed the situation directly.

"No."

"Yes. Devan may have captured me, but he did not injure."

"And Kroys did?" Rroyvan demanded, shocked.

"Yes! Have I not said that? Kroys! Yes, the very one who made a treaty with you, the very one who owns those abominable ship mines, the very one who promised to let you live in peace! He was the one who almost killed me, and would have if my friends had not saved me," Zanzibar hissed.

"When?"

"A day ago." Zanzibar moved slightly, and now Rroyvan could see the bandage that covered the wound.

"And of Vorsyelvo?"

"Kroys' orders. And he will imprison you, and Velveetza, and all your family if you do not leave Firen or hide." And he left then.

It took Rroyvan a few seconds to realize that Zanzibar had said "your family", instead of "our family". . . but by then he was gone.

Oh nice CT

I like the violence that you put in it. Like not physical.

Carry on

`Duckay

Most niftular, Copper...

WILL THE SHIP LEAVE THE PLANET? WILL KROYS

DISSAPEAR INTO A ALTERNATE DIMENSION? WILL

STUFF HAPPEN? DUH DUH DAA

dun dunn dunnnnn

lol, Kove



I like dueling with words, Ducky, much more fun



Ahem. Well, I have LOTS more to post so I think I'm going to resist the urge to post them and leave.

Gah, I've held out long enough, can't STAND it when I don't put down what I have



"Milord, the Protectors have failed to detain the escaping Darksprays." Kroys glared at the wall behind his Fleet Commander. He did a lot of that lately. . .

"Where are they?"

"M-milord, three were d-destroyed and one survived."

"Where is the survivor?"

"W-we c-could not g-g-give him access, m-milord! T-the shields w-were t-t-too low to let him e-enter!"

"Where is he?"

"W-we b-b-believe he w-went t-t-t-to the s-small moon of- of Shilarloh, m-milord," the terrified turtle trembled.

"No," Kroys breathed. "You know." The Commander cowered away. He hated that. Flairang never did that. . . But if the magic-users were to be believed, Flairang had been as much a traitor as the mercenary Claw. Now this idiot was Commander.

"Where did he go?"

"W-we don't know, milord! He could be anywhere!"

"Find him. I need every Protector."

"Yes, milord."

"Dismissed."



"Okay, he's here," Blacksheep yelled in the general direction of the cockpit as Zanzibar leapt up the stairs. The Assassin's engines hummed and they lifted off.

"What took you so long?" Phoebe demanded. Zanzibar sighed.

"My fool brother was not where he was supposed to be."

"Oh?"

"Uh-huh. He's convinced that Kroys is not what we think he is. . . I hope I have cured him of that."

"Oh."

"Yesss. . ." And the squirrel could get no more out of him.



"Good work, Kaz," Copper congratulated. "I've never seen a smoother lift off."

"Thanks. Um, what's THIS button for?"

"Don't touch that!. . ."

"Why not?"

"'Cause it's the eject button," Claw offered dryly.

"Ah," Kaz nodded wisely. "That's a good reason. I understand everything but the explanation." Copper looked at him for a second, and then whacked him.

"Ouch!"

"So there. Ah. . . don't touch that. The last thing we need is to enter hyperspace right here."

"We haven't gone in hyperspace yet," Kaz commented.

"Good. Keep it that way."

"Okie."

Then, "uh. . . where are we going?"

"To the Conquerer. Go get Shinyso."

"Okie."



"Permission denied. Shilarloh is temporarily closed due to the large amount of, uh, space debris," the Shilarloh towerman replied nervously. Shonar understood perfectly.

"Wrong type of space debris, huh?"

"Um, yeah."

It figures. With all those mercenaries and all, and with all the restrictions. . . He wheeled the Protector around and headed for Kilanphor. He had to get powered up again, or else the Protector would be space dust. And he'd better not mention the growing Empire. . .

Okay! Now I'm sure we're getting to an actual a good part.

Is it just me, or did you hold out for all of two minutes, CT?!

Lol

Nice chapter.

`Ducky

Ah yes, nice part indeed.

Eh, thankee I wrote more, and Predator, you won't come in until later on.



"Zanzibar? Against the Lord Kroys?" Velveetza's eyes widened and her whiskers bristled nervously. "Oh, how could he?" Rroyvan sighed.

"He claimed it was under Kroys' orders that Vorsyelvo was killed, and he imprisoned."

"So that's where he's been!"

"Yes. And if it weren't for his friends, he'd probably be dead by now. Or so he says."

"Friends?"

"Yes. And just guess who?" Velveetza laughed nervously.

"If I know our brother, he'll have allied with- oh, say, those crazy mercenaries Coppertop or Claw!" Rroyvan sighed and nodded unhappily. Velveetza gasped.

"No, I was just joking, how could he have-"

"Yes, he's friends with Claw, Copper, and all that gang. He says that he owes them all a 'could-be life debt'." Velveetza twitched her whiskers.

"And what else has our brother said?"

"That if we don't get hide or get off Firen we'll all be imprisoned, along with all our family."

"Nonsense! Kroys has offered us a lifetime of peace, and we have accepted. Kroys wouldn't dishonor that, would he?" There was genuine doubt in her voice now.

"I don't know. . . "



"We're landing on Shilarloh? That tiny moon?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because the Assassin may have large amounts of power, but I'm running low on it. I need to fuel up."

"Ahh. . ."

"And that's that."

That's not a tiny moon...it's a battle station...



Heh, good stuffness.

Yes, thanks, I'll have more.

`Ducky

Oh wow, thats really nifty... continue!

Very niftular, CT. Continue!

Pleez?

Ehe, sorry, Predator, I just re-read your prof, and you're too dangerous for this story. You'd kill us all, and as I'm nearing the end I have no way to work in that dangerous of an assassin. Sorry.



A battle station, Kove? Really? I didn't think so



Shilarloh was a small ball of rock, with an artificial atmosphere and not an inch of the original moon showing. It was city or shipyards all the way down, and NOBODY wanted to visit the lowest levels. However, it was one of the safest places Copper knew.

"And Kovu said that that Protector was headed for here. So if we can find him we'll get a double bonus."

"Oh. Cool."

"Yep, that's what I think, too. Shinyso, how're the- blast!" Copper barely veered away in time to miss the suddenly engaged shields.

"What the-? Ohno, they've closed the planet and I'm almost out of fuel. . . Shinyso, switch to reserve and set throttle to full. Set route to Kilanphor, the most direct one, if you please. Of all the times to close Shilarloh, this was the worst they could have possibly picked. . ." As Copper talked, her fingers flew over the controls. The Assassin turned slowly away from the small moon and began picking up speed, heading for Kilanphor.



Kroys paced the control room, growing more and more agitated.

"You cannot track this Protector? Idiots! Why didn't you let him in in the first place?" The miserable-looking Commander sighed.

"It was not my discision, Milord! The fools who denied him access have been eliminated, as were your orders, but I am afraid that that does not bring back the pilot, sir."

"Of course it doesn't! You are dismissed." The officer bowed tremulously, and fled. Kroys glared at the retreating turtle's back, and finally sat down in his throne-like command chair. And then. . . that feeling of leaving. . . No! Blast you, I will NOT GO!. . . too late. He was once more in that place of fog and cloud, and awaiting him was none other than three black forms.

The fog stretched out pale fingers of white towards him, tendrils of it enveloping him. It drifted between trees that he had never noticed before, and it covered the sky. There was no sun, moon or stars; the only light seemed to be coming from the mist itself. His magic could not send it away. It obscured the three waiting forms, and the shroud of gauzy fog swirled about him as he walked.

He caught a flicker of color in the corner of his eye, amongst the silent pristine trees. He turned. There was nothing.

Another flash. And nothing. There was nothing there anywhere, and yet he felt eyes on him, watching, waiting, with fury that drove the thick distorting mists before them.

A chill ran up his spine, and he turned his hate-filled look towards the three figures. They seemed further away than ever before. He walked faster, and they maintained the distance between themselves and him. He cursed softly, and stopped. They weren't that far away, and yet he could not reach them. . .

They were there. There was only two figures now. The female, Wild Angel, had left. Now there was a large, felinoid form slinking through the mists, and the one named Shinyso.

"What is this place?" His harsh voice seemed out of place in the silence of the muffling fogs. Shinyso half-smiled.

"This is the place between dreaming and wakefulness. This is the place of symbols, and you have already seen one."

"You lie. I have seen nothing."

"Oh? Consider this, enemy. I represent Copper and her comrades, and you represent the forces of Kroys. As Kroys chases Copper, she is always one step ahead of him. As long as he pursues her, he cannot reach her. Then he stops. And when he stops, Copper and her comrades come to him of their own accord. . . beware, enemy. You have made many enemies, and you would do well to watch your back."

And then he was gone.

YaY! Very mystical story! (an running out of fuel near the moon? BAH!)

Well, they've gone the whole time without refueling, Kaz. It has to happen in any good space story!



Anyhow, I've got more. Almost done. . .



"Into the Conquerer? I don't know, but I can try."

"You'll help us, then? Against Kroys?"

"Sure. He doesn't want me, so why should I help him? I'm just back to where I began, an assassin and bounty hunter."

"Well, thanks, Shonar," Copper said, rising. "You've been a big help."

"Heh, anytime. Hey, by the way, Kroys is scheduled to leave for Firen at 1200 hours on his Hypernaught. If I were you, I'd face him on there." The good-looking bronze furred rabbit glanced up at her with eyes the color of stormclouds. He grinned cockily.

"I can give you a readout of the Hypernaught, and her location, but that's it. Will that do?"

"Yeah, thanks again. Will you be there?"

"Sure thing. Wouldn't miss it for anything in the world."

"Well, you've been a big help. C'mon, Phoebe, we gotta get back to the Assassin." She glanced back at Shonar. "Seeya later, I guess."

"Yeah, I guess," he echoed, and watched her leave. He'd seen the unspoken question in her eyes: How did a rabbit like you get to be Kroys' top pilot? He sighed and glanced out the window at his Protector, christened as Lessaria 309. Possibly because I had "no loyalties" towards my home planet, he thought cynically. How could I not have any? Being turned away was the last straw. He would stay mercenary this time. It was a lot safer.



"Well, what did you think?"

"About what, Shonar? I think he was telling the truth, or at least, no lies. Don't trust that one too much," Phoebe cautioned. Copper grinned down at the young squirrel.

"Phoebe, I don't trust anyone. Not even. . ." Her eyes darkened with long-remembered pain and anguish.

"Not even?" Phoebe prompted.

"Not even what?" Copper asked innocently. Phoebe sighed.

"Never mind. Are you going to take Shonar's advice about the Hyperness or whatever he called it?"

"The Hypernaught. Yeah, I think he was telling the truth. He'll get us in the Conquerer if anyone can."

They walked on in silence for a while. Suddenly Copper spun, sword in hand, and roughly caught the wrist of a young black rabbit.

"Gotcha!" she hissed. The young rabbit's deep blue eyes blazed, and she wrenched her wrist out of Copper's grip. She siezed one of the many daggers that festooned her, and with the other swung a needle-tipped mace. With one deft movement Copper moved her sword correctly, and the chain wrapped around the blade. With a slight tug, she disarmed her opponent.

"Who are you?" The blue eyes narrowed.

"I am Nightshade."



"You BELIEVE him? Copper, he's from that thrice-cursed Kroys!"

"I know that. Which is why I don't believe him wholly, but if he can get us in the Conquerer I'm willing to go for it."

"Well, next time take Wild Angel. She can read minds, can't she?"

"Yes. Alright, I will, you've convinced me. Take it easy, Claw, it's not like some bounty hunter would be able to even touch me."

"It's not you I'm worried about, mercenary. It's me."

"Oh? And what's he going to do, send some evil spell at you?"

"Well, you never know. . ."

"Don't worry about it. You can take care of yourself."

"Thanks alot," Claw muttered. Copper responded with a sarcastic, "you're so welcome to it."

Then, "Shinyso, set route to. . . five marks off the Belt of Varanhal. How much power have we got?"

"Full on both thrusters. If we charged up any more we'd burst."

"Good. Claw, how about the weaponry?"

"Lasers and ions charged to full, max torpedoes and half heat-seekers."

"Awesome. Got that course planned out?"

"Sure thing."

"Okay. Fire up the thrusters and let's get out of here."

And with a sound like a thunderclap, they did just that.

Btw: SINCE YOU DIDN'T CLAIM THIS PAGE YET! I CLAIM 6TH PAGE AS WELL!!! MWAHAHAHA!!!!





Great story... (but how will the assasin get past the conqueror's shields? It's simply illogical!)