《Star Cats》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The cold wind breezed through Tyger¡¯s orange, black striped fur, sending little shivers through his muscular body. Good thing his heavy silver armor suit has small heaters to keep him warm enough to complete this mission. While prone next to his team on the edge of the snowy slope, he looked through his red visor, glancing down at the bottom of the mountain. Below was the entire space pirate campsite, stationed in front of the abandoned mining facility. Planet Chione was nothing but a barren ice world with zero percent of life. Its deadly cold temperatures could turn water into solid ice in a matter of seconds. But it was a perfect place for a small army of space mutant pirates to build a settlement. Nobody set their eyes on Chione in years, even if it has beautiful mountains, underground ice caverns, and an exotic white landscape. But the Star Alliance soon noticed their cargo ships were vanishing near Chione. A few mutant space pirates had somehow teleported into Star Alliance territory undetected and probably settled on Chione to high jack the cargo ships. Who knew how many supplies they have stolen for a while. That was why the Star Cats received the request from their admiral to investigate. After discovering the base, they hid on top of a mountain slope above the valley tall rocky ice mountains near a canyon. Building the base in the valley was clever. The mountain walls could block the stormy ice winds to prevent the settlement from freezing. The mutes also probably wore heaters to keep their disfigure bodies warm to survive too. While the Star Cats looked down, Tyger pushed a button on his goggles, activating an enhance visor to get a closer look at the settlement. ¡°I see him!¡± he shouted while looking through his visor. ¡°Where?¡± Red asked as he rubbed the frost off his red mohawk. Tyger pointed his claw down at the base. Near a closed hanger building, a green man in a mechanic body was speaking to two guards who wore black snowsuits in hoods. He looked more like a machine with just ahead, covered in flesh. ¡°That green man covered in tin foil is Snoke?¡± Red asked after he lowered his visor. ¡°I thought you saw the photo of his face during our briefing,¡± said Rila. The snow sprinkled into her long black hair, but she doesn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Perhaps too much vodka clouded my mind.¡± Tyger rolled his eyes.¡°You should stop drinking before the job.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°But comrade, how am I supposed to quit drinking?¡± Red asked. ¡°It¡¯s in my blood.¡± ¡°There is always rehab and non-alcoholic beverages with the same flavor.¡± Red stuck his tongue out. ¡°Bah! Those drinks are never the same. I¡¯ll quit when I feel like it.¡± Based on his criminal records, Snork¡¯s real name was Erban Kranz. He worked at a mining site on Planet Mars until he got trapped inside a cave during an accident. Toxic radiation got released and he couldn¡¯t escape from it. Although he was rescued, he completely changed and the Star Alliance sentenced him to the Outer Rim. Since then, Snork became a space pirate as vengeance for his exile. He inflicted too much terror on the innocent. Now it was time to put him away for good. But first, the admiral wanted information extracted from Snork¡¯s hardware inside his brain. He knew where other hidden space pirate bases within the Star Alliance space regions. If they could end those bases, then more colonies will be safe. Maya beamed her feline blue eyes at the camp. ¡°It is interesting how those outlaws infiltrate our space sectors without being detected. Who could theorize how many more are out there?¡± ¡°That is what the Star Alliance are afraid of,¡± said Tyger. ¡°Which is why we have to take Snork alive.¡± ¡°So how are we going to capture him?¡± Maya asked. ¡°He has a lot of guards down there.¡± ¡°It would be easy if we kill him,¡± said Red. Rila glared at him. ¡°Do you got ice in your ears now? Tyger just said we have to take him in!¡± ¡°I am just saying it would be easy to just kill him. That is all. Look at his defenses. Only a mouse could crawl through their camp undetected. Get it? Mouse?¡± Rila held up her fist toward Red. ¡°I¡¯ll turn you into a mouse if you don¡¯t-¡± ¡°He is moving into the complex,¡± said Maya. Tyger paused as he zoomed closer on Snoke through his visor. Maya was right. After speaking to a guard, the mutant cyborg turned to the door and walked into the hanger. ¡°He entered the structure.¡± Red smiled and got up. ¡°Good.¡± From his back, he pulled out his big T-225X energy cannon and aimed it down at the camp. ¡°This will make things a lot easier.¡± Tyger held up his hand. ¡°Wait-¡± Too late. Red fired one energy blast down the slope. The sparkling ball energy ball hit the watchtower and blew its bottom. The guard in the tower fell off while screaming his lungs out. The tower fell to the right and crashed into a tank. When the tank exploded, it sent a chain reaction of explosions across the camp. The pirates¡¯ equipment got caught on fire, the guards went airborne from the blasts, and the fire spread all over their stolen cargo. Everything had gone berserk, except the abandoned facility. Tyger glared at Red as the red mohawk haired lion gave him what the heck look. ¡°What? You know I enjoy making big booms during our missions,¡± said Red. Tyger rubbed his eye sockets. He should have remembered that Red wasn¡¯t great at cooperating with the team sometimes. Red never enjoyed going on stealth missions that don¡¯t require him to blow up stuff. Well, there goes their element of surprise, but they still have a mission to complete. ¡°Alright rangers,¡± said Tyger as he loaded his T-100X blaster rifle. ¡°Let¡¯s move out!¡± Chapter 2 Tyger and his team got up, and then they slid down the slope toward the camp. Hundreds of energy shots flew toward them, but Maya projected an energy shield, blocking the blasts. After they slid to the bottom, they sprinted toward a pipeline and took cover behind it. ¡°Way to go Red!¡± Rila shouted. ¡°You ruined our surprise!¡± Red chuckled. ¡°What did you mean? Our surprise is successful!¡± Tyger crawled to Red and pointed his finger at him. ¡°Next time wait till I give the orders! If Snork was out here still, we could have-¡± A dozen energy blasts shot over the Star Cats. Tyger peeked over the pipeline. About ten mutant soldiers were racing toward the compound from the canyon. All of them fired their blaster rifles at the tank while they scrambled to separate covers. Explosive energy shots kept hitting the tank, but it remained without a scratch. ¡°Black hole grenade?¡± Red asked. Tyger gave Red the thumbs up. The large lion twisted the top of a little black metal ball in his hands and threw it over the tracker. When it landed near five mutants, hiding behind a small crate, it exploded and transformed into a black vortex. Everything near it flew into the void of darkness without a chance of escape. Red threw another black hole grenade near a turret tower where one mutant tried to mow the Star Cats down. The turret tower quickly vanished after the grenade exploded. Tyger lightly looked over the pipe. Only five pirates were shooting at the pipe. ¡°There are still a few left!¡± he shouted ¡°And I am out of grenades!¡± Red shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll slice them and dice them!¡± Rila turned to Maya. ¡°Can you give me a cover?¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Affirmative.¡± Rila drew out her katana sword and jumped from cover. While dashing, a blue light glowed around her body. She moved so fast; it looked like the energy blasts weren¡¯t touching her. Some shots hit her, but they only faded off against the shield.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. When she got close, she sliced off the first mutant¡¯s head, then stabbed the second mutant before he tried to head butt her. The other two lost their arms and legs while they fell to the ground in yellow blood. Then the last one sprinted off until Rila pulled out her pulse pistol and shot his back. The last target fell into the snow with a hole through his back. Tyger and Red looked around and walked up to Rila while Red clapped his hands. ¡°Bravo girl!¡± Red shouted. ¡°Bravo!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Rila rubbed her sword through the snow, wiping off the yellow blood. Then she placed it back into her sheath. Tyger crossed his arms. ¡°Does shooting an enemy in the back counts as being honorable?¡± ¡°A samurai can use any tactic to win a battle. This is a new age after all.¡± Tyger chuckled. ¡°Maybe you should be a cowgirl instead-¡± The hanger door roared open as two yellow lights flashed inside. After the doors stopped, a ten-foot-tall walker stepped out from the hanger while stomping on two hind mechanic legs. The head was shaped like a jet cockpit on the center of its torso as its arms were energy cannons. As it stepped, it rocked the ground by loud steps. And its humpback body was covered in armor skin. Tyger assumed the battle mech was an F5 Cyclops Walker. They were giant walking tanks built to level any building with their lethal photon cannons. Only a bigger gun could bring down one of those walkers. ¡°Who the hell wiped out my men?¡± said an electronic voice from the walker. That was Snork¡¯s¡¯s voice. How did he get a Cyclops Walker? Only the Star Alliance built those things for welfare. The pirates probably have stolen it. Tyger stepped toward the walker. ¡°This is Commander Tyger of the Star Alliance Ranger Department. You are wanted for conspiracy against humanity. Surrender immediately, and we will not harm you.¡± Without a response, the walker¡¯s two cannons powered up. The Star Cats quickly ran far from the walker before it fired two red energy blasts at them. The concrete ground shatter as the sound of thunder burst through the cold air. Tyger and his teammates took cover behind a Black Hawk ship. Then he watched the walker scout around the compound. ¡°You damn cats think you will capture me?¡± Snork shouted. ¡°You treat my kind like rodents! To hell with the Star Alliance, and to hell with your race!¡± Tyger doesn¡¯t care what Snork shouted about. That scum will face justice. ¡°Rila, cut off his legs.¡± ¡°Affirmative sir.¡± Rila drew out her sword and dashed toward the walker. Before the mech charged its photon cannons, Rila ducked under it and slashed its hind legs. She took cover as the walker fell to the ground on its left side. However, Snork ejected from the cockpit and landed on the other side of the compound. He approached a black jet bike and jumped on it. Before Tyger reached him, Snork blasted off. ¡°Return to the ship!¡± Tyger shouted to his team. ¡°I¡¯ll catch him.¡± After he hopped onto a second jet bike, Tyger blasted off too. That mutant cyborg won¡¯t get very far. Chapter 3 Riding a jet bike through a canyon wasn¡¯t easy, especially how dangerous it was. The bikes move quick, equipped with a hover engine and turbo boosters. If Tyger doesn¡¯t keep turning through the canyon path, the crash will be instant death. At least he could see ahead. Snork was only a mile from him, but Tyger was already catching up to him. No matter how fast he went, any jet bike could outrun the other. After zigzagging through an icy cavern, the pirate and the Star Cat entered another open valley, covered in snow. While over smooth terrain, catching up to Snork will be easy. By the time he approached behind Snoke¡¯s bike, Tyger jumped off and landed on Snork¡¯s back. He quickly wrapped his arm while the mutant¡¯s soft neck, squeezing him. Snork coughed while steering his bike, left to right without full control. Tyger held on and assumed the mutant was trying to throw him off. But if he kept this up, both of them will crash. With all his strength, Tyger lifted the cyborg and threw him off his bike. Snork¡¯s body tumble through the snow and Tyger jumped off. Both of the jet bikes zoomed away into the foggy snow. They would only stop, either by crashing or running out of fuel. Tyger approached Snork and pointed his rifle at him. Suddenly, Snork jumped toward Tyger with a blade in his left hand. However, Tyger stepped aside from Snork¡¯s blade, and he threw his fist into Snork¡¯s face. The mutant cyborg fell to the ground below Tyger¡¯s feet.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Resistance is futile,¡± said Tyger as he placed his foot on the cyborg¡¯s back. ¡°Surrender now, unless you prefer to fall unconscious.¡± Snork slowly turned his head toward Tyger. ¡°I will see you in hell!¡± Tyger heard a beeping sound beneath Snork. Oh no! Tyger sprinted from the cyborg before the cyborg exploded into pieces. He dived into the snow while pieces of metal and body parts landed around him. He rose and stared at the spot where Snork self-destructed. There was nothing left of him now. Only a black spot and pieces of his body parts spread across the snow. Tyger vomited and took a few deep breaths before losing his stomach again. How could he know Snork had a suicide bomb inside of him? After he stood up, he pushed his com-link on his suit. ¡°Jage, I need extraction now. I shouldn¡¯t be too far from your position.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± said the young jaguar¡¯s voice. ¡°Did you get him?¡± Tyger sighed. ¡°That is a negative. He blew himself up.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°I will explain later. I need the extraction now.¡± ¡°Oh, man... Our admiral will not like this.¡± ¡°I well know of that.¡± ¡°Okay, I will pick you up in a second now.¡± ¡°Thank you, kid.¡± Tyger continued to stare at the black spot in the snow. How could he explain this to the admiral? Chapter 4 Tyger walked into the cockpit and sat behind his pilot. Jage was a young jaguar, wearing a gray shirt and black pants. He turned to his commander. ¡°So how did he died?¡± Tyger sighed. ¡°He blew himself up.¡± ¡°What? How?¡± ¡°I am not sure. He could plant a bomb inside him in case he got captured.¡± ¡°Geez¡­ That would suck if he blew up in here. It would take a week to clean up this place.¡± Tyger smiled a little. ¡°Better out there than in here.¡± Jage chuckled. ¡°Can we take off now?¡± Red asked as he walked in. ¡°I need a drink.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you have enough to drink before the mission?¡± Rila asked as she strolled past him. Red sat at his seat and smiled at him. ¡°That mission took my energy away. I need vodka!¡± Maya sat next to Rila near her panel. ¡°It is unfortunate. Perhaps the admiral will forgive us for our failure.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Tyger turned to his pilot. ¡°Take us back to the starbase, Jage.¡± Jage nodded. ¡°Roger sir.¡± His fingers danced on the panel and he pulled the two flight handles back. Tyger watched the windshield as the view moved up to the sky. The sky grew dark until the stars appeared. At the bottom of the window, the white atmosphere of Chione rose into view. Space. It was full of wonders even if the human colonies had spread across the galaxy. ¡°Beginning the teleportation drive now.¡± Jage typed on his keyboard and pulled the lever down. In a few seconds, everything flashed, and then the window displayed Star Base 17, floating above the blue atmosphere of Planet Bellona. It looked like a giant needle with a dome-shaped structure on top. Along lower thin structure were many docking tunnels where starships docked. Planet Bellona was a nexus for the Star Alliance military. It has many star fleet industrial facilities and shipyards. The planet looked similar to Earth with weather-beaten forests and open valleys near towering mountains. The colony lived in pre-planned cities near the coastline that has beaches and warm weather. The military controlled the mainlands where their spaceports and bases were located. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! They allowed only families who have military relatives to live on Bellona to increase its military population. With more militarized worlds under the Star Alliance control, there would be enough defenders to keep the galaxy in peace against any possible threat. Anything was possible because the galaxy was very big. ¡°Home sweet home,¡± said Red. Jage pushed the com-link button near his flight handles. ¡°This is the Star Cats unit, requesting to dock.¡± ¡°Copy sir,¡± said the speaker. As the ship flew closer toward the station, Tyger could see the people, walking around through the windows in the station. They must be busy since many starships arrived for different assignments. Tyger still wondered how their admiral will react to their report. *** ¡°What the hell happened?¡± Admiral Patterson shouted while sitting behind his desk inside his office. Tyger cleared his throat and placed his hands behind his back. He knew the Admiral would be angry at him. ¡°Snork committed suicide when I caught him.¡± Patterson widened his eyes. ¡°How in the hell did that happened?¡± Maya gave the admiral a quick review of the events during their mission. She told the old man how they attacked the camp, Snork using a battle mech, and his escape on a jet bike. Tyger explained the rest and how Snork blew himself up. Patterson slammed his fist on his desk. ¡°Goddamnit! You could have been fast enough to stop him from blowing himself up!¡± ¡°But sir, it wasn¡¯t his fault,¡± said Rila. ¡°He didn¡¯t know Snork had planted an explosive device inside him. Tyger was only unlucky.¡± ¡°That is correct,¡± said Maya. ¡°Although Tyger didn¡¯t expect Snork to self-destruct himself, it is common most of the space mutant pirates would die than surrender their intel. They value none life, not even themselves.¡± ¡°I know that,¡± said Patterson. ¡°Many of them used suicide bombers to inflict their terror among the civilians. But losing Snork will make things tougher for us to find more of them.¡± He stood up and turned around to face his window, which was showing the view of space. ¡°We still do not understand how they are entering our quadrants, undetected. There could be millions out there now, harming our colonies. They hate us because we exiled their people into the outer rim where they could never touch our perfect genetic inheritance. Now they want payback, and they won¡¯t stop until we can find a way to secure our systems.¡± ¡°I understand sir,¡± said Tyger. Patterson punched his desk again. ¡°Then perhaps you should have sneaked in to capture him without blowing your cover!¡± ¡°I said my bad,¡± said Red. ¡°No excuses! I¡¯m removing you from your duty, until further notices!¡± Jage dropped his mouth. ¡°But that is not fair! It was only one mistake!¡± ¡°Mistakes can cost lives, furball! I already told you how important it is to capture Snork.¡± Jage growled until Tyger placed his hand on his shoulder. ¡°Affirmative sir,¡± he said with a sigh. Patterson sat back down behind his desk. ¡°You are dismissed.¡± After the Star Cats saluted, they marched out of Patterson¡¯s office. Patterson pulled out a bottle of red wine and poured some into his glass cup. ¡°I need a vacation¡­¡± Chapter 5 In the cafeteria, Tyger stood behind a line, marching toward the food alley. He was the only big cat among the humans, but that never bothered him. What bothered him was how long it took the humans to get their food on this station. What if he received a mission before he could eat? He might be a genetically engineered hybrid, but he wasn¡¯t a machine. Hybrids needed to consume food to stay alive too. Even if his team was on suspension, he still has the impatience of waiting to grab a meal. Finally, he approached the food alley and grabbed his tray. On the long table in front of the open kitchen were different food combinations with the appropriate healthy nutrients for the rangers. There were plates of chicken, potatoes, and veggies. But Tyger grabbed the usual plate; a plate of four fish tacos. Not only he enjoyed them, but his team too. The fish tacos were both nutritious and delicious. He turned from the food alley and strolled toward the row of dining tables in the large gray chamber. The humans took most of the tables, but near the right corner, his team sat at an available table. ¡°Over here, Tyger!¡± Red shouted. Tyger approached the table and sat down between Rila and Maya. All of them were eating fish tacos too. ¡°What took you so long?¡± Jage asked while sitting next to Red. Tyger sighed. ¡°The shower room was crowded. The line is long too.¡± ¡°That must be embarrassing,¡± said Red before he took a bite of his taco. ¡°That is why I never use the public showers,¡± said Rila. ¡°Where do you take your showers?¡± Jage asked. Rila glared at him. ¡°That is none of your business.¡± ¡°I bet you lick yourself in your bedroom,¡± said Red with a grin.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Ewwww!¡± Rila growled. ¡°I don¡¯t do that! I... Use the sonic shower in the ship.¡± Jage shrugged. ¡°No wonder I keep hearing the buzzing sound from the bathroom. I almost thought you were using a vibrator.¡± Rila hissed. ¡°Calm down,¡± said Tyger. ¡°We may be teenagers, but we are still star rangers. Let¡¯s try to stay professional.¡± Rila bit her taco. Her eyes still glared at Jage. It has been sixteen years since they were born on Planet Apollo from tubes, and they were still acting like children. Many humans had mistaken them to be new adults because their bodies grew faster than normal humans. Although they were bigger, their minds were still developing through their adolescent period. Only Tyger and Maya seemed to have reached their mature state, especially Maya. To control her psionic powers, she took many psychoactive drugs to lower her emotions. It also heightens her intelligence to make her a useful support class for his team. Tyger needed none psychoactive drugs to become mature. He was always serious, and the most disciplined with the best leadership skills. If it weren¡¯t for him, his team wouldn¡¯t survive on their missions. ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± said Jage. ¡°I am tired of being treated like a kid. It isn¡¯t fair we got suspended for failing a mission.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± said Tyger. Jage slammed his fist onto the table. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you fight back? You could have convinced him to let us complete a different mission.¡± ¡°Speaking against the admiral will only suspend us more. But it will not last long.¡± Jage bit his fish taco and gulped his bottle of coke. ¡°I still hate him. I miss Dr. Linda. If she was alive, she should be our leader.¡± Tyger¡¯s stomach groaned when he heard that name. They usually called her mother because she was the one who created them in her lab. He doesn¡¯t want to remember her tragic death. ¡°But she was a genetic scientist,¡± said Red. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t be able to qualify to the admiral rate, silly comrade.¡± Jage glared at Red. ¡°Yeah, but she was still better than our admiral.¡± ¡°Hey everybody!¡± a ranger shouted. ¡°Look through the window!¡± The other rangers got up and raced toward the window, viewing the space. Tyger and his team stood behind the mob as he looked over their shoulders. A giant blue portal appeared near Planet Bellona, and then a strange giant spacecraft hovered from it. It was big as a planet, covered in rocks like an asteroid, and drifting toward Bellona. ¡°What the hell is that thing?¡± Rila asked. Tyger glared. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we have the right to find out.¡± Chapter 6 The Star Cats stood inside the turbo elevator until it stopped at level 500. The top floor where the command center was located at. The elevator doors opened, and Tyger was the first one to step into the center. The chamber was square with a big glass window in front. Six long computer panels stood in front of the window where the officers were working at their stations. The staff wore gray and blue uniforms with Star Alliance insignias on their chests. They tapped their fingers on their panels, and some of them were talking loudly through their com-link headsets. Witnessing the alien vessel made them very busy. ¡°What is the report?¡± Patterson asked and stepped toward the center panel. ¡°Our fleet is intercepting the unknown vessel now,¡± said the African American officer. Patterson spotted Tyger and the other Star Cats. ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± ¡°We saw the vessel appearing outside,¡± said Tyger. ¡°We wanted to know what is going on.¡± Patterson gritted his teeth and looked at the window. The giant alien ship stopped after it completely moved out of the portal. Then the portal vanished behind it. He couldn¡¯t believe something like that could ever exist in their galaxy. Or did it came from their galaxy? ¡°We may stay until further notice. My hands are full right now.¡± Patterson walked up a woman officer. ¡°What readings did you receive from it?¡± ¡°It is unlike anything we ever encountered,¡± said a woman officer. ¡°The vessel is organic and 900 kilometers. There are billions of life signs within it, but they are unknown.¡± ¡°How is it organic? It looks like a giant rock.¡± ¡°It may appear as a rock,¡± said Maya. ¡°The substance could be hardened organic materials to give the vessel its form. Kind of interesting.¡± ¡°Do you know where it came from?¡± ¡°Negative sir,¡± said the lady officer. ¡°It came out of nowhere.¡± Patterson turned to the black officer. ¡°Open a channel to the commanding ship of the fleet.¡± The black officer typed on his panel. ¡°The channel is open for you now.¡± Patterson approached the com-link. ¡°This Admiral Patterson at Star Base 15. What is your situation?¡± ¡°This is Captain Cain of the Pacifist,¡± said the voice from the com-link. ¡°We are attempting communication with the first contact. So far there is no reply.¡± ¡°Stay alert captain. I want to know everything that thing does.¡± Patterson never thought the Star Alliance would find intelligent life in the Milky Way Galaxy. Each breathable planet they colonized has strange alien life forms, which were hostile to the citizens. But none of them were intelligent beings. They were a bunch of animals, who were cute or dangerous.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. There were also strange alien ruins, scattered across the habitable worlds. Those ruins had proven the galaxy once had intelligent life. Now they were abandoned with no life signs at all. Many scientists theorized the ancient alien colonies left the galaxy, or something destroyed them. As far as the Star Alliance knew, they were alone in the galaxy. But witnessing the strange vessel had changed everything. Will this be the greatest historical moment in human history, or a great downfall to humanity. ¡°I remember reading about a quote from Stephen Hawking,¡± said Red. ¡°He said if aliens visit us, the outcome would be the same when Columbus landed in America, which didn¡¯t do well for the Native Americans. I never understand that quote. What did Columbus do to the Native Americans? Did he gave them too much vodka?¡± Patterson glared at Red. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that will never happen to us.¡± ¡°Sir! Something is coming out of the vessel!¡± Captain Cain¡¯s voice shouted. Patterson beamed his eyes at the window. He couldn¡¯t see them, but it looked like a swarm of black dots were flowing toward the star fleet vessels. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they are, but there are a lot,¡± said Captain Cain¡¯s voice. ¡°This must be some kind of response.¡± Patterson widened his eyes. ¡°Oh crap! Get out of there! They are-¡± Captain Cain screamed as the black dots ripped through his ship. After his vessel exploded, the spots charged into the other vessels, ripping them apart too. After they destroyed the fleet, the spots headed straight toward the starbase. ¡°Battle stations!¡± Patterson shouted. ¡°Full-scale red alert!¡± The officers switched the alarm on and yelled through their speakers, ordering the entire station to prepare for battle. Red lights flashed everywhere while everyone panic. Even the siren roared through Patterson¡¯s eyes. ¡°Is there anything we can do sir?¡± Tyger asked. Patterson looked at him. ¡°Just stay with me, until I-¡± The station shook as the black spots zoomed past the window. They looked like black needles, moving like speeding rockets. Were they projectiles or little ships? ¡°Fire the cannons at them!¡± Patterson shouted. Flashes from the energy cannons hit at the projectiles, but most of them spread out to avoid the blasts. There were too many of them, and they were moving too fast. ¡°Sir, one of those things crashed into the station!¡± the black officer shouted. ¡°We got intruders on board!¡± Patterson looked at a screen from a security camera on level 13. A sharp end of an alien vessel pierced through the wall inside a corridor. It opened as five strange creatures jumped out. They looked like blue ants, standing on two legs while carrying cocoon shaped weapons. The ant soldiers approached the staff and shot them down. Explosions and fire screamed through the hallway. ¡°We got a hundred intruders!¡± the lady officer shouted. ¡°Now there are a thousand!¡± So those projectiles were little ships, containing a squad of alien soldiers. If they overrun the starbase, then wouldn¡¯t be anyone left aboard. ¡°Contact the council!¡± Patterson shouted. ¡°Let them know that we have-¡± His words didn¡¯t finish when one of the needle ships crashed through the glass window. The space vacuum exploded and sucked the ship back into space. All the staff got sucked out too while screaming for their lives. Tyger grabbed Patterson¡¯s hand while he held onto the panel. Air and debris roared past them until the blast shield closed over the broken window. Everyone fell to the floor and got up. Patterson and the Star Cats were the only ones left inside the command center. ¡°We need to get the hell off this station!¡± Patterson shouted as he approached his panel. He pulled out a light rifle from beneath his panel and held it up. ¡°How long did you kept that weapon under there?¡± Rila asked. ¡°As long as I needed it,¡± said Patterson as he loaded his weapon. ¡°Now let¡¯s get the hell out of here.¡± Chapter 7 After the turbo elevator doors opened, Tyger and his team stepped out first, while aiming their weapons out. Patterson stood behind them. Since their task was to escort him off the station, his life was their main priority. If anything happens to him, his blood will be on their hands. Across the red flashing, hallway were bodies of the dead. Tyger couldn¡¯t believe how many lives they lost when the unknown invaders boarded. With so much security on the station, any attacker wouldn¡¯t last long. Apparently, the invaders had enough expendable soldiers to fight through the levels. The humans prepared most Star Alliance bases for any attack, but they encountered nothing like this before. ¡°Those alien bastards are killing everyone!¡± Patterson shouted. Tyger held up his left fist, and the group stopped behind him. His ears twitched at the sounds of snapping and clapping. Something was coming toward their position. ¡°Star Cats!¡± Tyger shouted. ¡°Battle position!¡± The Star Cats kneel in front of Patterson and aimed their weapons forward. Rila was the only one holding her katana up. Jage held up two little light guns in both of his hands. Straight ahead, a bug shadow stepped out from the corner toward the light. It looked like a tall blue ant, standing on two legs, carrying a cocoon blaster in both of its hands. When the bug spotted them, it screamed like nails on a chalkboard. Patterson sprints in front of Tyger and blasted his rifle as he yelled. His light beams burned through the bug¡¯s exoskeleton skin, until it fell to the ground, covered in green blood. Patterson approached the corpse and blasted his rifle at the bug¡¯s face. ¡°Die you son of a bitch!¡± Rila approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder. ¡°I think you killed it, sir.¡± Patterson glared at her. ¡°We don¡¯t know that! It might regenerate when we-¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Tyger heard more clicking sounds down the corridor. A dozen humanoid ant shadows charged the group. Patterson got up and aimed his light rifle at the invaders. ¡°Take those bastards out!¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The Star Cats blasted their weapons at them. Each bug exploded like balloons; guts flying across the air and green blood splashing against the walls. But most of them kept coming. As they charged, they blasted their cocoon rifles down the corridor. Maya jumped to the front of the team and held out her hands. Her blue energy shield flashed and deflected the white energy blasts. ¡°I can¡¯t hold them back for long!¡± she shouted. Patterson turned to the Star Cats. ¡°We need to get out of here!¡± ¡°I can take them all out if you lower the shield,¡± said Rila. Tyger reloaded his rifle and turned to Rila. ¡°You will not last. There are too many of them.¡± Rila growled. It seems like she has a blood thirst for battle, but Tyger wouldn¡¯t let her risk her life for the team. Not when it seemed impossible, they could win in the corridor. ¡°Look over there!¡± Jage shouted. ¡°There is a garbage compactor shaft over there! We can use it to escape!¡± ¡°But I took a shower!¡± Red shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t be a goddamn baby!¡± Patterson shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s move it!¡± He dashed straight toward the vent, past the elevator doors. He kicked it open and looked through it. ¡°Peeeeeuuu! It smelled like my grandma¡¯s diapers!¡± He paused when he heard a clicking sound behind his back. When he turned around, an ant crawled out of a ventilation shaft from above. It dropped to the floor and charged toward Patterson. Patterson screamed until a blast popped the ant¡¯s head. The green blood splashed into Patterson¡¯s face and he wiped it off his face. Tyger approached him. ¡°Always watch your back, Admiral.¡± Maya approached the group backward while her shield blinked. ¡°My power is getting low!¡± Red pulled out his light machine gun as he approached her. ¡°You can lower it now, comrade. I will handle them.¡± Maya¡¯s shield vanished, and then Red blasted his machine gun at the bugs. The bugs¡¯ green blood splattered across the walls. More leaped over the bodies as they charged. Red couldn¡¯t count them all, and he doesn¡¯t know how long he could keep firing. ¡°We must move out of this section now!¡± Maya shouted. Red turned to Rila and smiled. ¡°Ladies first.¡± Rila leaped through the shaft. Jage leaped through next, then Patterson and Maya. ¡°Come on, Red¡± Tyger shouted. Red lowered his light machine gun and placed it on his back. He dashed straight to the shaft. The ants charged forward over their dead, firing angrily. After Red jumped through the shaft, Tyger fired at the ants and jumped through the shaft. Chapter 8 In the darkness, Tyger landed into something wet and smelly. It smelled like human waste, covered in plastic and metal. As he got up, he realized brown liquid covered his suit, that smelling worst on his armor. He whether not realize what the stuff was. The Star Cats and Patterson looked around inside the black tunnel. Little red lights flashed over them, and trash floated in a river of brown liquid waste. ¡°And I thought the hovertrain station bathroom is the worst,¡± said Jage, waving his hand in front of his nose. Patterson beamed his eyes down the tunnel. ¡°There should be an emergency hatch straight ahead. Let¡¯s get out of here before my uniform smells like shit.¡± Tyger followed behind Patterson through the waste river. It was thick like watery snow. The bottom was solid although the water reached Tyger¡¯s waist. ¡°Why are those things not following us?¡± Rila asked while walking next to Red and Jage. ¡°Perhaps they don¡¯t like the smell of poop down here,¡± said Red. ¡°Does anyone realize those aliens looked like bug people from a B-Movie?¡± Jage asked. ¡°How could they look similar to ants on Earth?¡± ¡°Not similar to Earth ants as I recall,¡± said Maya. ¡°Their physical trails are unknown. We cannot confirm their reasonable features without a complete analysis of their biology. Unless we could capture one, we could perform an autopsy on it.¡± Jage smiled at her. ¡°I bet you would love to do that in your creepy lab.¡± ¡°It would give me knowledge of their psychology to understand them. Furthermore, my lab isn¡¯t creepy.¡± Red chuckled. ¡°That exactly sounds like what Victor Frankenstein would say.¡± Maya turned to Red. ¡°I am not familiar with that individual.¡± Before Red explained, the team stopped when something mechanical clicked behind the walls. It sounded like grinds halting to a stop.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°That wasn¡¯t me,¡± said Red. Jage rolled his eyes. ¡°If you were part machine, that would make sense.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know cyborgs could fart if they have metal butts.¡± The sound clicked again, louder. ¡°I got a bad feeling about this,¡± said Tyger. The right wall shook and moved. The left wall moved too. ¡°The walls are moving!¡± Rila shouted. ¡°We gotta move-now!¡± Patterson shouted and sprinted off first. All of them dashed down the tunnel. If they don¡¯t move quickly, the walls will turn all of them into flat pancakes. ¡°Can you call the janitor to stop this thing?¡± Jage asked. ¡°The garbage compactor is automatic!¡± Patterson shouted. ¡°I thought you knew that!¡± Jage glared at Patterson. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t sleep in trash cans like most stray cats! My life is all about flying through space!¡± Straight ahead, Tyger could barely see the emergency hatch under a flashing red light. At least they were getting close. They squeezed through the walls until they reached the hatch. ¡°We are not going to make it!¡± Patterson shouted. Maya¡¯s blue eyes glowed. ¡°I will assist you.¡± Her hands glowed blue, and she placed her hands on the walls. Her psychic energy expanded, pushing the walls back. The rest of the team waited until Maya pushed the walls back enough for them to continue. She remained behind as the team reached the hatch. Patterson pulled the lever down to open the hatch, revealing a ladder inside a round chamber. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Patterson pushed himself into the tube and climbed up the ladder. Red, Jage, and Rila went up the ladder next. When Tyger approached the hatch, he stopped and turned to Maya. She was still standing while keeping the walls back with her power. ¡°Come on, Maya!¡± Tyger shouted. ¡°We need you!¡± Maya nodded her head and lowered her arms. Her blue energy faded away. She dashed straight toward the hatch as the walls spring toward her. Before the walls touched her, she leaped toward Tyger and hit him as they both crashed to the floor inside the tube. The walls closed behind them. Tyger stared at Maya¡¯s face and smiled. ¡°That was rough.¡± Maya got off him. ¡°For the sake of survival¡­ Indeed.¡± Tyger got up and brushed the muck off his armor pants. ¡°Let¡¯s join the others. I am not sure how long this station will last during the attack.¡± ¡°Confirm.¡± Chapter 9 Tyger climbed out from the hatch which was against the wall inside the maintenance tunnel. After he helped Maya out, they followed the pipeline toward an open door where they could see their companions. They stepped out and met up with them in a corridor. The hallway was clean without bodies or debris. Patterson looked around. ¡°We should be close to the nearest escape pod.¡± ¡°But what about our ship?¡± Jage asked. The admiral pointed his finger at him. ¡°Your ship is not our top priority! I am your top priority!¡± Jage glared at Patterson. ¡°But what if the escape pods are gone? Our ship might be our only hope.¡± ¡°We are taking the escape pods! Come hell or high-¡± An explosion shook the entire hallway, and then the team floated up into the midair. Red waved his arms as if he was trying to swim. ¡°What the heck is happening?¡± Jage shouted. ¡°The gravity generator probably got blown!¡± Patterson shouted. ¡°Good thing we got magnetic boots.¡± Tyger pushed a button on his lower leg. His boots buzzed until they touched the floor by a click. The rest of his team activated their magnetic boots and landed on the floor. All of them, except Patterson, who was wiggling in the air like an angry baby. ¡°Dammit! I am not wearing any magnetic boots!¡± he shouted. Red and Jage chuckled, but they stopped when Tyger glared at them. He turned to the admiral. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Admiral. We will protect you.¡± Red grabbed the admiral¡¯s hand and pulled him down. ¡°I got you.¡± ¡°You better not do anything funny!¡± Patterson shouted. ¡°I am still your number one commander!¡± ¡°Sure, no problem comrade. I will treat you like a balloon.¡± Patterson covered his face by the palm of his hand. The team moved forward although each step was like carrying heavy rocks. Through the open door, they marched into the mess hall. There were bodies and food, floating everywhere. Behind the debris, there were a few ant soldiers, wiggling in the midair.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Tyger aimed his rifle at the bugs. ¡°Enemy in position! Maya, give us support!¡± Maya held up her hands and projected her blue shield around the team. The bugs blasted their cocoon rifles at them. Their blasts bounced off Maya¡¯s shield. ¡°Move forward!¡± Tyger shouted. The team marched forward as they fired their blasters. Their shots hit the ant soldiers, spraying green blood about. But one shot hit a canister and exploded. The blast blew the team back out of the mess hall, and they slammed against the wall. The magnates in their boots clicked off, and they float off the floor. ¡°My ass hurts!¡± Patterson cried. ¡°Good thing Maya¡¯s shield protected us,¡± said Red as he floated next to her. ¡°I hate being a crash dummy,¡± Rila complained. ¡°But thank god I wasn¡¯t turned into scrambled eggs.¡± ¡°You mean flat as a pancake?¡± Red asked. ¡°I think that would make more sense.¡± Tyger spotted one escape pod hatch at the end of the corridor. Above the hatch, a green light was flashing. Tyger smiled. ¡°I see an available escape pod up ahead of us.¡± Patterson stared at the walls after the walls shook by the sound of thunder. ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry the hell up!¡± Tyger nodded his head and pushed himself forward. Before he reached the hatch, a loud explosive sound echoed, and a space vacuum pulled him back. He grabbed onto a wall and looked down. His teammates grabbed onto the wall too, except Patterson was flying backward in the vacuum. ¡°Help me!¡± he cried. Maya held out her left hand while her eyes glowed blue. She shot out a blue energy beam, reaching for Patterson until it touched him and formed a blue shield around him. He stopped flying backward, and then Maya pulled him back toward her. When her shield vanished, she grabbed Patterson¡¯s hand and held him close to her. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said. ¡°I think I pissed myself.¡± A blast door closed behind the team, and then they fell to the floor. Patterson got up and glared at the ceiling. ¡°Why the hell didn¡¯t the backup gravity generator started earlier? I am going to sue those assholes for doing the poor maintenance here!¡± Tyger approached the hatch first and pulled the lever down near the hatch. After it opened, Red looked inside. ¡°I hope there is enough room for us.¡± Patterson pushed Red aside and stepped in first. He sat down in one seat and strapped the belt over him. After the Star Cats got in, Tyger closed the hatch and sat down with his team. Patterson reached for the lever at the center. ¡°Hold on to your furry asses!¡± After a few clicks, the pod got shot out into space. The window next to Tyger looked like it was spinning inside a washing machine. The enemy outside were still ripping the starbase apart, but very slowly. They must be taking out the last defenses on the station while their foot soldiers cleaned the inside of the station. ¡°I hope we all don¡¯t get sick and die,¡± said Red. Patterson glared at him. ¡°Red! Shut up!¡± Chapter 10 Flames glazed outside the window as the sky turned blue. Tyger was shaking in his seat, due to the intense vibration of the pod. It was only a matter of time when the pod will touchdown to the planet¡¯s surface. Red turned to Rila. ¡°Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have drunk that vodka before we boarded! I feel like vomiting!¡± Rila glared at him. ¡°You never drank before we boarded this pod!¡± Red laughed. ¡°Can¡¯t a big cat have a sense of humor?¡± Rila rolled her eyes. She was getting tired of Red¡¯s dumb jokes. Tyger stared at the window again. Outside, the flames cooled off, leaving a clear ocean view. Tyger hoped they won¡¯t land in the middle of the sea. The pod shook and water splashed against the window. It slowly rocked back and forth. ¡°We landed.¡± Tyger took off his harness and got up. He approached the hatch and turned the lever. When the hatched opened, Tyger peeked out. The pod was floating in the ocean, but it was close to a beach. Behind the beach was a tall city. Glass covered each building in different swirling shapes and squares. Far behind the city was a tall mountain, standing like a wall. Tyger knew it as Bay City. It was a place where the colonists enjoyed entertainment, gambling, and relaxing at the city¡¯s luxurious hotels. His team visited there once to capture a computer hacker, who was stealing credits from the tourists. Red and Jage begged to stay longer because the drinks were good and the human women were beautiful. But they were still on duty, and most star rangers hardly get a break. There was always trouble in the galaxy that needed to be resolved. ¡°We are close to shore, but we need to swim to it,¡± said Tyger. ¡°But I can¡¯t swim!¡± Patterson complained. ¡°And we don¡¯t have any bikinis for Maya and Rila,¡± said Jage. Rila glared at Jage. ¡°Why do we need bikinis to swim?¡± Jage smiled with a red face. ¡°Because your suits aren¡¯t waterproof?¡± ¡°Our armor suits can sustain in aquatic environments,¡± said Maya. ¡°I do not understand your conclusion.¡± ¡°Yeah, stop doing your stupid jokes, Jage,¡± said Rila. ¡°They aren¡¯t funny.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Jage shrugged. ¡°Well, that hurt my feelings.¡± ¡°Enough you stupid cats!¡± Patterson shouted. ¡°You are acting like teenagers!¡± ¡°Technically we are teenagers,¡± said Jage. ¡°Sort... Of.¡± Red approached the admiral. ¡°You can ride on my back, comrade. If it helps, you can pretend I am a boat.¡± Patterson glared at Red. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time, sir,¡± said Tyger. ¡°Choose an option.¡± Patterson growled like an angry bear and climbed onto Red¡¯s back. ¡°Now that is a good baby,¡± said Red. ¡°I hate you!¡± Patterson shouted. Tyger dived into the water and paddled his feet toward the shore. Maya and Rila swam past him while Jage reached him. The catgirls were fast swimmers. Who knew in the cosmos why? They touched the ground and strolled up from the surface as the waves splashed across them. After they got out of the water, they stopped on the beach and looked around. People in their swimsuits turned to them with curious faces. Some of them were families and children, relaxing in the bright sunlight. The kids were building sand castles and playing ball with their friends. Some people were couples, lying under their umbrellas. Red stepped out of the water and released Patterson. ¡°Did we landed into an episode of Baywatch?¡± Jage spotted two hot girls, wearing skinny bikini suits. They were lying on the towel, staring at him. He smiled at them and waved his hand. They waved back too, giggling. Patterson pushed his com-link on his chest. ¡°This is Admiral Patterson. I am with the Star Cats unit at Bay City. We need an extraction immediately. Do you copy?¡± Tyger stepped toward Patterson and listened closely. There was only a buzzing sound, coming from Patterson¡¯s com -link. Patterson pushed his com-link again. ¡°This is Admiral Patterson. I am with the Star Cats unit at Bay City. We need extraction now. Do you copy?¡± Still, the sound buzzed. ¡°Goddamnit!¡± Patterson kicked the sand. ¡°The conflict above us must be interfering with our communication! We will have to move on through the city.¡± Tyger opened his mouth until a loud siren roared through his ears. It came from the city, and everyone panicked. ¡°Attention all residents of Bay City!¡± shouted a woman¡¯s voice from a speaker. ¡°Evacuate immediately! I repeat! Evacuate immediately!¡± A loud explosion echoed from high above, and the people looked up. Burning debris was falling down through the sky like raining balls of fire. The people screamed and dashed off from their resting spots. The parents grabbed their children, and the others left their belongings behind. A larger falling saucer object burned as it fell toward the beach. Tyger widened his eyes. ¡°It is the Star Base!¡± ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Patterson shouted. ¡°It is going to hit us!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move now!¡± Tyger took off first as his team followed him. Red lifted Patterson and carried him over his shoulder. ¡°Put me down!¡± Patterson shouted while pounding his fists on Red¡¯s back. ¡°I am not a woman!¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± Red asked. Chapter 11 The Star Cats reached the parking lot. Everybody was jumping into their hover vehicles and driving off. Those who didn¡¯t have transportation just ran down the street. Tyger and his team approached an empty yellow hover jeep. After Red placed Patterson into the trunk, Tyger hopped onto the driver seat. ¡°Oh! Oh!¡± Jage shouted while jumping up and down. ¡°I want to drive!¡± Tyger put his claw into the keyhole incision. ¡°Not now!¡± ¡°But I promise I won¡¯t crash this time!¡± ¡°Not this time!¡± Tyger turned the incision, and the engine roared to life. The jeep levitated off the ground. Jage rolled his eyes and sat next to Tyger. After the rest of the team hopped into the jeep, Tyger placed his foot on the pedal and drove out of the parking lot. It moved through the bushes and down the street. Through the city, burning debris and falling ships crashed into the buildings and exploded. People were screaming and panic was rising up. Tyger pushed the pedal down harder, speeding up the jeep. He drove past other hover cars and a big hover truck blocked his path. He turned off the street, speeding across a sidewalk. The civilians in his path jumped out of the way. Tyger kept steering while Jage held onto the dashboard. ¡°Wow!¡± Jage shouted. ¡°You are crazy like me!¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Be careful!¡± Patterson shouted. ¡°Running over the civilians is against the law!¡± ¡°I am well aware of that, sir!¡± Tyger shouted. He spotted a couple sitting at a dining table near a coffee shop. He quickly made a sharp right turn, zooming past the civilians, and returning to the street. High above, a building exploded at the top. Bodies and debris, covered in flames, rained down upon the hover jeep. Tyger zig-zagged the jeep, moving from left to right, dodging each fallen debris. Straight ahead, a starship crashed into the bottom of a tall skyscraper, exploding across the street. The building tipped over and crashed into the street. Smoke and debris exploded from the impact, sending the smoke toward the jeep. Tyger turned the wheel, making a sharp left turn to the next street, avoiding the smoke. The street led him up a path to a bridge where the freeway was clear. While driving across the freeway bridge, the starbase plunged through the city. It was crashing through the buildings, knocking everything down in its path. The starbase crashing behind the freeway bridge, reaching toward the hover jeep. ¡°Holy crap!¡± Patterson shouted. ¡°It¡¯s going to hit us!¡± Tyger noticed there was a freeway tunnel straight ahead. The people built it through the tall mountain behind the city. He narrowed his eyes at the tunnel. ¡°Hold on!¡± He pushed the pedal down, blasting the jeep forward toward the tunnel. If they could make it through the tunnel, they should become safe from the crashing space station. Tyger could hear the crashing station growing louder behind the hover jeep. It was getting close! The hover jeep drove through the tunnel at the station stopped. As the tunnel shook, the hover jeep zoomed past other hover vehicles, trying to escape too. A large chunk of rocks was falling down from the tunnel ceiling too. Tyger turned to the left and to the right, avoiding the falling rocks. Up ahead, a boulder landed on a hover tanker, and then it exploded. The explosion of flames and smoke blocked the jeep¡¯s path. Tyger glared and kept driving. There was only one way to go through it. He kept driving forward as the hover jeep flew through the blaze. It was only a second that the jeep went through the flames. After the hover jeep came out of the tunnel, Tyger dropped his mouth. There was heavy traffic, blocking on the street in the second city of Bay City. Tyger slammed his foot on the brake pedal, but the jeep hit the back of a yellow hover truck. The impact sent him flying off the seat, and he crashed through a double door on a hover van before he blacked out. Chapter 12 Tyger got up while rubbing his head. His vision was blurry until he returned to focus. Inside the van, donuts and frosting covered his armor. Pink boxes with donut crumbs were all over his legs too. After he got up, he brushed himself off and stepped out of the van. It would be a while till he could wash the frosting off his suit. ¡°Tyger!¡± Rila¡¯s voice shouted. She rushed up to him while the others followed her from the hover jeep. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Tyger rubbed his head. ¡°I am fine. I got a little bump on the head.¡± Red smiled. ¡°I guess your noggin is harder than an egg.¡± Tyger smiled back. ¡°Our bones are genetically made to be strong. It would take a moon to crush me.¡± Jage laughed. ¡°I wish!¡± Tyger looked around. ¡°Where is the admiral?¡± ¡°I think the ride messed up his stomach.¡± Jage pointed his finger at Patterson. The old man was vomiting in a wastebasket near the street. Good grief. . . Far behind the traffic, wrecked vehicles and fallen rocks were blocking the entrance of the tunnel. Smoke was drifting out from the cracks in the rubble, and arms and legs were sticking out near the smashing vehicles. Although the starbase didn¡¯t reach his team, many people lost their lives during the impact. If the city warned them sooner, maybe most of them would have escaped. ¡°Oh, crap!¡± Patterson shouted as he pointed his finger up. A giant black cloud was spreading above the city. It was so big; it blocked the sun, turning the sky dark. Tyger soon realized it wasn¡¯t a cloud at all. He could barely see black dots, flying around within the cloud. They were making loud buzzing noises, echoing through the cold air. ¡°There are so many!¡± Rila shouted. ¡°Are they all ships?¡± The black cloud grew larger and larger, but it was moving down toward the city. ¡°We need to take cover!¡± Tyger shouted. Red approached a manhole and pulled the lid off it. ¡°Down there!¡± Patterson looked at the hole. ¡°Oh, hell no! I will not go down into another sewer-¡± The buildings at the top exploded within the black swarming cloud. Pieces of debris and bodies of unfortunate victims fell down.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°Ah hell! Me first!¡± Patterson jumped into the manhole and splashed at the bottom. After his team jumped down, Tyger hopped down as the debris rained down around him. Inside the dark tunnel, they could hear everything crashing down from above. Explosions, crying people, and violent winds. It was like a giant tornado was ripping the city apart. ¡°How long do we have to stay down here in this river of shit?¡± Patterson shouted. ¡°Quiet!¡± Tyger opened his ears. The violent noises slowly stopped. Maybe the attack ended. Tyger climbed up the ladder and pushed the manhole lid up. After he climbed out of the manhole, he dropped his mouth. All the buildings had fallen down, and some were still standing up, only in half. Rubble covered the streets too. All the vehicles laid in ruins, and bodies of civilians laid among them. Smoke and fire were ablaze in the background while ash was in the air. Up in the sky, the dark clouds drifted away, letting a little sunlight shine across the ruins. Tyger could see the planet size alien spacecraft, fully in view in the sky. It appeared like a giant moon which was about to collide to Bellona. It only stayed up there, probably in orbit. Monstrous. . . Patterson and the rest of the team climbed out of the manhole. Their mouths dropped at the devastating site. ¡°Oh, my god! They destroyed everything!¡± Patterson cried. ¡°Why are they doing this?¡± Rila asked. From the sky, a cocoon-shaped pod landed on the other side of the street like a fallen meteor. Five ant soldiers jumped out and looked around. When they spotted the Star Cats, they fired their cocoon cannons. ¡°Take cover!¡± Tyger and his team raced toward the center of an intersection where a pile of cars surrounded a pit. They leaped into the pit and fired back at the enemy. More pods landed behind the enemy as they marched toward Tyger¡¯s team. Tyger spotted a pod crashed nearby, close to his team. He pulled out a grenade and tossed it into the pod as the doors opened. The pod exploded before any bug soldier got out. More and more ant soldiers marched from their landings and marched toward the cats. There seemed to be a hundred, but more kept landing. ¡°There are too many of them!¡± Jage shouted as he kept firing his light gun. Maya tossed two energy balls at one ant and exploded. ¡°Their numbers are increasing at an accelerating rate. We will not last in this position.¡± Patterson ducked behind a car and pushed his com-link. ¡°This Admiral Patterson! I need extraction in Bay City now! Is anyone alive?¡± ¡°We copy you, sir!¡± an officer¡¯s male voice shouted from the com-link. ¡°We will send you a rescue shuttle to locate you!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Patterson crawled toward Tyger. ¡°A rescue shuttle is coming to pick us up now!¡± Tyger blasted an ant down before it reached him. ¡°We can¡¯t stay in this position for long! There are too many targets here!¡± ¡°Then where the hell can we find a safe position for the extraction? I¡¯m getting ants in my pants!¡± Tyger ducked from a green blast and growled. ¡°I am not sure!¡± Far behind the bug army, another pod landed, except it was bigger, almost half the size of a skyscraper. It cracked open like an egg as an eighty-foot tall spider crawled out. Blue armor plates covered its body, and two big energy cannons were mounted on its back. Red dropped his mouth while staring at the giant alien creature. ¡°Now that is one big ugly mother fu-¡± Before he could finish his sentence, the spider blasted a building down into pieces. It crawled to another street. ¡°We will need a bigger gun to take that thing out,¡± said Jage. Tyger narrowed his eyes. ¡°We have to move now!¡± Rila stabbed a bug and pushed its corpse off her sword. ¡°Where can we go?¡± Tyger looked around until he spotted a sign that said ¡®Eden Park Stadium.¡¯ Below the title, an arrow was pointing the way. ¡°To the baseball stadium,¡± he said. ¡°It better be there.¡± ¡°I hope the Seal Doves are playing there too,¡± said Red with a grin. Chapter 13 The Star Cats and Patterson reached the gateway to the Eden Park Stadium. The stadium was still standing, while surrounded by debris. From the gate, they entered the lobby, and then dashed through a short tunnel, leading them into the stadium. They raced down the walkway, past the rows of seats, until they reached the open baseball field at the bottom. After they stopped in the middle of the field, the Star Cats looked around. The field was clear, and it should be a good spot for the extraction. Patterson pushed his com-link. ¡°This is Patterson! We are in the Eden Park Stadium! Is the rescue shuttle still coming?¡± ¡°Negative sir!¡± the officer¡¯s voice shouted. ¡°The enemy ships destroyed them. We are sending another one to your position.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Patterson turned his attention to Tyger. ¡°We have to stay here till-¡± At the back of the stadium, the scoreboard exploded, alerting the team. The giant spider that landed, crawled over the rubble and entered the field. It stared at the Star Cats and roared. Patterson dropped his mouth. ¡°I think I crapped myself!¡± Tyger, Red, and Jage pointed their weapons at the spider and fired. Their blasts only bounced off the metal plate on the spider¡¯s forehead. The spider roared again and charged. Tyger and his team spread out before the spider snapped at them. Red sprinted toward the end of the left field and aimed his light cannon at the creature. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I forgot to grab more black hole grenades!¡± When the spider¡¯s butt faced him, he blasted his cannon. ¡°Fire in the hole!¡± His energy blast hit the spider¡¯s rear end, but it only left a burn mark. The spider turned around, facing Red. The Russian cougar lowered his light cannon. ¡°Wow! You got a nice hard butt!¡± When the spider blasted its organic cannons, Red screamed and dashed for his life. The blasts rained behind him, exploding like fireworks. But he kept running like hell. Maya formed an energy ball between her hands and tossed it at the spider. Her energy ball hit the spider¡¯s left red eye, making it scream loud. It turned toward her and blasted its cannons at her. Instead of running off, Maya held out her hands, creating her blue energy shield around her body. The blast hit her, sending her crashing against the baseball field wall. Her shield faded, but she was still standing in the smoke. After the smoke cleared, Rila charged past her.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She pulled out her katana and approached one of the spider¡¯s long legs. She swung her blade, hitting the spider¡¯s leg. But her blade bounced off the armor on the leg. ¡°Huh?¡± Rila picked up her sword off the ground and slashed the legs again. Still, her blade didn¡¯t cut through the leg. Rila growled and climbed up the leg. She reached the top of the spider¡¯s back while it was still moving. While keeping her feet apart, she kept hitting her sword against its back. ¡°Why won¡¯t you die?¡± Tyger rolled from the spider¡¯s leg before it stomped upon him. Beneath it, he looked up and saw a yellow spot on the spider¡¯s belly. That should be its weak spot. He aimed his rifle up and fired his lights blasts at the belly. When the blasts hit, the yellow belly exploded and globs of yellow goo spilled out. All of it landed on Tyger, getting his suit wet again. After he wiped the spider¡¯s blood off his face, he heard the alien monster roared in pain, and then he dashed from it. The spider collapsed to the ground and remained silent. As Tyger stared at the spider¡¯s giant corpse, his team approached him. ¡°Did you kill it?¡± Patterson asked. Tyger picked the goo out of his ears. ¡°The spider isn¡¯t so tough when you shoot it from down under.¡± The sound of a jet engine roared from above as the rescue shuttle descended toward the stadium. It reached the field and hovered toward Tyger¡¯s team. The side door slid opened, and an officer waved to them. ¡°Get aboard now! The entire city is crawling with bugs!¡± Tyger and his team sprinted toward the shuttle. Before they hopped aboard, a woman¡¯s voice shouted at them. ¡°Wait!¡± Tyger turned around then saw a man and a woman running across the field toward the shuttle. They were carrying two kids in their arms. ¡°Please don¡¯t leave us!¡± the man cried. They stopped near the shuttle and faced Tyger. ¡°We escaped from our shelter!¡± the woman explained. ¡°Everybody is dead, and we got nowhere else to go! Please let us come with you!¡± The officer pointed his thumb at the back of the shuttle. ¡°There isn¡¯t enough room for you! We have to leave now!¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t leave us!¡± the man shouted. ¡°My family will die here!¡± Tyger glared and turned to the officer. ¡°You take Patterson and the civilians with you. My team and I will stay behind.¡± ¡°But how will you escape off this planet?¡± the officer asked. Tyger smiled with determination. ¡°We will manage.¡± The officer nodded his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go now!¡± Patterson watched the family get aboard the shuttle, and then he turned to Tyger. ¡°Good luck and thank you!¡± Tyger saluted to the admiral. ¡°Always an honor, sir.¡± Patterson saluted back and jumped aboard the rescue shuttle. The Star Cats stepped back as the shuttle took off. After the shuttle vanished into the sky, Tyger turned to his team. ¡°You know securing civilians is our prime directive. No matter the cost.¡± Red shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Ah, we know this wouldn¡¯t be fun without you comrade.¡± ¡°And it is an honor to stay with you till the end,¡± said Rila. ¡°Plus, I might find cute girls to rescue here,¡± said Jage. Maya nodded to Tyger. ¡°It is our duty, commander.¡± Tyger smiled at them and reloaded his light rifle. ¡°Thanks. Now let¡¯s move out and find another way to escape this place.¡± Chapter 14 Outside the baseball stadium, the Star Cats approached an armored police hover vehicle, used to transport a swat team during an emergency. Their bodies laid around the transport like rag dolls near their weapons. They probably attacked the bug soldiers, but none of them survived. Tyger doesn¡¯t want to know how many more people died in the city. ¡°We will use that transport to get out of here,¡± he said. ¡°But where will we go from here?¡± Jage asked. ¡°There is a military spaceport outside this city, in the meadow region. We will take a ship there if everything is left untouched.¡± ¡°Is it the Hanson Field Spaceport?¡± Red asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, that place! I remember getting drunk there with a group of soldiers. That didn¡¯t go well.¡± Rila glared at him. ¡°You almost got us kicked out of the port. Fortunately, Patterson was there to clean up your stupid act.¡± Red rubbed his head. ¡°I don¡¯t remember that.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get in now before the invaders spot us,¡± Tyger ordered. ¡°Can I drive it this time?¡± Jage asked with a begging smile. Tyger sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, Jage.¡± ¡°Please! You drove last time! It isn¡¯t fair!¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t crash the transport. Our survival depends on reaching that spaceport.¡± Jage saluted with a grin. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The jaguar kid hopped into the driver side first. Tyger took the passenger seat near Jage while the others climbed into the back. After the doors got shut, Jage turned the engine on and felt the transport lift off the ground. ¡°Can you handle this thing?¡± Tyger asked. Jage chuckled. ¡°I can drive anything.¡± He pushed his foot on the acceleration pedal, and the transport flew backward, crashing against a stone wall. The entire vehicle shook, and pieces of rocks landed on top. Tyger glared at Jage. ¡°My bad!¡± Jage pulled the shift forward, and then he slowly pushed the pedal down. The transport hovered down the clear street. It roared as Jage speeded up the transport. ¡°Just stay on this road,¡± said Tyger. ¡°It will take us straight to the spaceport.¡± ¡°Okay. If we run into any bugs, I¡¯ll just run them over.¡± ¡°Good option, but stay away from the spiders. This transport will not be a match against them.¡± ¡°I know. They are too big to run over, anyway. If we have a giant bug spray, that would work instead.¡± ¡°Just be careful while driving. None of us are prepared to die here.¡± While driving, Jage looked through the window, glancing at the ruined city as the transport drove past the fallen buildings. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this city got demolished in a second. It felt like we only came here yesterday.¡± ¡°There was nothing we could do about it,¡± said Tyger with a sad tone. ¡°Our primarily is to get off this planet as soon as possible. When we return to the star fleet, we will figure out what to do this. If these invaders attack another world, we will stop them. Today is an unpleasant event for us all, but we cannot give up now.¡± ¡°What if there are more survivors here? Are we going to leave them here to die?¡± Tyger looked around. ¡°It will take too long to find them. We did save that family.¡± Jage nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯m glad we did.¡± Chapter 15 The armored transport bashed through the gate while driving up the road toward the spaceport. Jage stopped the transport near an open hangar. After Tyger and his team got out, Red looked around. ¡°This place seems to be in good shape.¡± ¡°Maybe the bugs haven¡¯t touched this place yet,¡± said Rila. ¡°We better get moving.¡± The Star Cats strolled through the open hangar door and spotted an odd-looking spaceship. It looked exactly like their original ship. Shaped like a giant modern fighter jet, except it was silver and blue. Rila widened her eyes at it. ¡°I never have seen this type of ranger vessel before. It looks like our old one.¡± ¡°It must be a prototype,¡± said Maya. ¡°This spaceport has a record of testing experiment spacecrafts.¡± Jage glared at the ship. ¡°It looks nothing like my lost ship. Tyger heard a beep on his com-link and he pushed it. ¡°This is Commander Tyger of the Star Cats unit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Tyger,¡± Patterson¡¯s voice replied. ¡°We made it to the nearest battle starship.¡± ¡°Good to know, sir.¡± ¡°What is your position?¡± ¡°We are at the Hanson Field spaceport. There is a ranger ship that looks new in Hangar 4.¡± Patterson¡¯s voice hummed. ¡°That vessel must be the Star Guardian. It is a prototype built with a cloaking device. I know little about it.¡± Tyger raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is it operational?¡± ¡°It might be. They never tested it yet. Better than nothing I suppose.¡± Tyger shrugged. ¡°Sounds like it will be worth the risk.¡± ¡°Contact me when you are in space. And hurry! The entire planet is overridden by the invaders!¡± ¡°Affirmative sir.¡± Tyger turned to his team. ¡°We have to get off this planet now. It is overridden by the enemy.¡± Rila widened her eyes. ¡°How is that possible? We only been here for one day.¡± Maya stroked her long white hair. ¡°Since the invaders appear as eusocial hymenopterans, they probably can produce hundreds of armies by an hour.¡± ¡°Their spawn ships probably destroyed all the cities like drunken idiots,¡± said Red. ¡°Swarm ships?¡± Jage asked. ¡°Yeah, comrade. They swarm everywhere! Like drunken idiots.¡± ¡°Well they are not drunken idiots, but that is the reason we need to leave now,¡± said Tyger. ¡°Planet Bellona is lost. SurvivalEnjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. is all we got. Jage, can you fly that thing?¡± Jage rolled his eyes. ¡°I told you I can drive anything. Flying a ship is no different. Piece of cake.¡± The jaguar kid raced up the stairway toward the ship¡¯s hatch. He opened the hatch and jumped into the ship. ¡°What the-¡± Jage flew out of the hatch and tumbled down the stairway. Rila rushed up to him. ¡°Jage! Are you alright?¡± Jage got up and rubbed his head. ¡°Yeah... Who the heck knocked me down?¡± From the hatch, a golden ball hovered out. It has two arms and a single red light, blinking as it spoke. ¡°Who the bloody hell are you? Beep! Beep! This vessel is restricted under my protection!¡± Red scratched his head. ¡°Who programmed that monitor roid to talk like a British stereotype?¡± The roid pointed his finger at Red. ¡°Be quiet you furry beast! My name is Proto-05. If you don¡¯t like that name, you can kiss my frisky cups!¡± Tyger stepped toward the stairway. ¡°Proto-05, we are the Star Cats special star ranger unit. Bellona is under attack by mysterious alien invaders. We need to use that vessel to evacuate.¡± Proto-05 folded his arms. ¡°I sense none trouble here. You must be joking.¡± ¡°We are serious. If you don¡¯t let us board, we are all going to die here.¡± Proto-05 stuck up his middle finger at the cats. ¡°Piss off you furry bastards! This is my ship! Nobody is taking it from me!¡± Jage pointed his light gun at the robot. ¡°May I shoot him, sir?¡± Tyger sighed. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Wait! Wait!¡± Proto-05 shouted while waving his hands. ¡°I will let you take it. Beep! Beep! Please don¡¯t kill me!¡± Tyger never encountered a roid who feared for its life. Who programmed that thing? Was it supposed to be a joke?¡± Tyger walked up the stairway. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation.¡± Proto-05 watched the Star Cats enter the ship. ¡°You better not put a scratch on this ship! Beep! Beep! My maker will kick my ass!¡± Jage entered the cockpit, and he looked around. ¡°Cool!¡± He approached the flight panel and sat down in front. ¡°This totally looks like the same controls in my old ship.¡± Tyger sat behind him after the others got in. ¡°Good to know. Get us into space now.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Jage typed on the panel, until the engines roared to life. The ship slowly hovered up and blasted into the sky. ¡°I feel like this ship is a reboot of our original ship,¡± said Red while he was shaking in his seat. Jage laughed. ¡°Maybe, but I am liking this thing.¡± Outside the windshield, the sky turned dark, and the stars appeared. Tyger stood up and beamed his eyes at the windshield. ¡°Look at that.¡± Floating across the orbit of Bellone were millions of broken spacecrafts. Pieces of mechanic parts and metal drifted as the Star Guardian thrust past them. There were even bodies of dead crew members, floating lifelessly. ¡°Holy bloody hell!¡± Proto-05 shouted. ¡°You beasts are right!¡± ¡°No shit Sherlock,¡± said Jage. ¡°How awful,¡± said Rila with a sad tone. ¡°It could be worst... We could be among those bodies,¡± said Tyger. Red looked at the window. ¡°Where is the big bad alien ship? It couldn¡¯t have escaped so fast.¡± ¡°It probably uses the portal to make its departure,¡± Maya explained. Tyger pushed his com-link. ¡°Admiral Patterson, it¡¯s Tyger. We are on the Star Guardian, leaving Planet Bellona now.¡± ¡°I am glad you made it out of there,¡± said Patterson¡¯s voice. ¡°We lost the entire fleet against that damn thing. It is attacking another planet. We are doing our best to save many lives as possible.¡± ¡°Do you need assistance?¡± ¡°Negative. I got a special assignment for your team. A few hours ago, we received a message from Planet Amazon by Dr. Grace. She said she found something that relates to the invaders. I want you to meet her there and find out what she got. If it is vital, it might help us stop the invaders. Hurry before all of our asses get kicked!¡± ¡°Affirmative sir.¡± Tyger turned to Jage. ¡°Take us to Planet Amazon. Patterson¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°As you wish commander,¡± said Jage. Rila raised an eyebrow. ¡°Planet Amazon?¡± ¡°There is a scientist there who might know about the invaders,¡± Tyger explained. ¡°Whatever she knows, it might help us save the colonies.¡± ¡°Oh good,¡± said Red. ¡°I enjoy taking nature walks in the jungle. It makes me enjoy drinking vodka.¡± ¡°Bloody hell!¡± Proto-05 exclaimed. ¡°I can¡¯t walk through a jungle! My circuits will get wet! Beep! Beep!¡± ¡°But you have no legs.¡± Proto-05 turned to Red. ¡°That is a figure of speech, dummy! Beep! Beep!¡± Jage rolled his eyes. ¡°Whatever. I am beginning teleportation now. Let¡¯s hope this trip will be worth it.¡± Tyger hoped so. The fate of humanity was now in their hands. Chapter 16 Kristy was running for her life, through the jungle on Planet Amazon. Chasing her from behind was a giant gray gorilla creature with long tusks and a humpback. Those creatures were ferocious, and they don¡¯t like to see strangers in their habitat. If only she knew that before she landed in the jungle. She reached an open grass field and dropped to her knees. She took breaths and saw the ape creature leaped toward her. She screamed until an energy blast blew the creature apart. Its purple blood splashed all over her. ¡°Gross!¡± Kristy got up and wiped the goo off her face. ¡°Who did that!¡± ¡°Your welcome!¡± a voice shouted with a Russian accent. Kristy turned around, facing humanoid cats in silver armor suits. She instantly recognized them to be the Star Cats. ¡°Oh, thank god! You came!¡± ¡°Are you Dr.Page?¡± Tyger asked? ¡°It¡¯s Kristy! Call me Kristy!¡± She approached the tiger man and held out her hand. The purple blood dripped from her fingers. ¡°I am a big fan! I have been wanting to meet you for years. But my damn work is a pain in my ass.¡± Tyger stared at her hand and pushed it aside. ¡°Kristy, we heard you contacted Admiral Patterson about something that can stop the invaders. That is why we are here.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Kristy wiped her hands on her leather shorts. ¡°Yes, I found something. Follow me!¡± Kristy strolled back into the jungle as the feline hybrids followed her. *** Through the jungle, Tyger looked around while keeping up with Kristy¡¯s pace. He heard Planet Amazon has many dangerous creatures that lurked in the wild. Kristy must be lucky they arrived, or else her bones would be the only thing left in the jungle. ¡°She is cute,¡± Red whispered behind Tyger. Rila kicked Red from behind. ¡°Keep your pants to yourself. She will not get into you.¡± Red shrugged. ¡°At least I could try.¡± ¡°We got a mission to focus on,¡± said Tyger. ¡°Don¡¯t get carry away.¡± Red glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re no fun!¡± At the end of the trail, they approached a yellow jungle rover, resting near what appeared to be a temple within the stone wall, below a tall mountain. It was shaped like a cube, with a stone stairway below it. Strange rune symbols covered the entire exterior. Tyger does not understand what those symbols mean.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Is this the place?¡± Tyger asked. ¡°Yes,¡± said Kristy as she walked up the stone steps. ¡°I have been researching this place for days until I heard about the attack on Bellona. The extinct inhabitants who lived here constructed this temple. I am not sure what their names are, but I called them Amazonians.¡± ¡°What is in there that can help us?¡± Maya asked. Kristy smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Through the entrance was a dark tunnel, covered in more runes. Kristy pulled out her flashlight and pointed the way. ¡°This place reminded me of the Temple of Doom,¡± said Red. ¡°The Temple of Doom?¡± Rila asked. ¡°From the Indiana Jones movie. You haven¡¯t seen it?¡± ¡°No.¡± Red chuckled. ¡°That movie was old, but still entertaining.¡± At the end of the tunnel, they entered a square chamber with a large round door at the end. Kristy stopped at the center and turned to face the Star Cats. ¡°See that door behind me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Rila. ¡°Whatever is behind that door will help you stop the invaders.¡± ¡°How?¡± Red asked. Kristy pointed her flashlight on the left wall. ¡°See that over there?¡± Tiger stared at the wall, and then his mouth dropped. On the wall was a painting of green men, fighting blue bug men, who were falling from the sky. The bug men must be the invaders, and the green men were the original inhabitants of Planet Amazon. At the center of the painting, a tall green man was holding up the same spire shaped figure, which was blasting a beam of light at the sky. Tyger beamed his eyes. ¡°What am I looking at?¡± Kristy stepped toward the wall. ¡°It is a war that happened here. When I heard the bugs attacked Bellona, I checked this wall and realized what they are. They had attacked this planet before. Maybe a billion of years ago.¡± ¡°Crazy,¡± said Red. ¡°So if they attacked here that long ago, then why are they attacking again?¡± Tyger asked. ¡°Who knows, but look at this.¡± Kristy pointed her flashlight at the green man, holding the relic. ¡°Whatever he is holding, I think it can stop the invaders.¡± ¡°If he used it on the bugs, then why are the bugs still around?¡± Red asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The Amazonians could have died out after they defeated the bug men. Or the bug men did win because that relic wasn¡¯t powerful enough. But I am sure it might be our only hope.¡± ¡°How do we find it?¡± Tyger asked. Kristy pointed her flashlight at the door. ¡°I believe it is through that door.¡± Tyger approached the door up close. The runes were circles, covering the entire door. It has no knob or a lock that would allow someone to open it. The alien ruins were strange. ¡°Can you open this thing?¡± Tyger asked as he walked toward Kristy. Kristy bit her lip. ¡°Well... I have been-¡± Red aimed his T-225X energy cannon at the door and fired. The energy blast blew the stone door apart after it hit it. ¡°Open sesame!¡± Kristy glared at Red. ¡°How dare you! I was still studying that door!¡± Red placed his cannon away. ¡°I like making big booms. That door was asking for it.¡± Kristy hissed through her teeth until she sighed. ¡°Never mind. We can move on now.¡± ¡°I will go first, in case we encounter any hostile activity inside this mountain,¡± said Tyger, and he stepped through the open fracture on the door. Chapter 17 Kristy followed Tyger down the stone steps through the dark cavern corridor. Her heart was racing because she couldn¡¯t wait to see what was below the temple. She has spent a month trying to open the entrance. Although Red has blown it up, it was worth it. She could continue her exploration without delay. At the bottom of the stairway, they entered another corridor. This one appeared to be longer. ¡°How much further?¡± Tyger asked. Kristy shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t reached this far.¡± ¡°It better not take long. Many lives are at stake.¡± Kristy sighed. She was glad her family didn¡¯t live on Planet Bellona. She was born and raised on Earth until she completed her xenoarchaeology degree. Her family stayed on Earth in Africa. None of them enjoyed space travel. They preferred to be grounded. ¡°How long you were studying this place?¡± Red asked, approaching her from behind. ¡°About a month,¡± said Kristy. ¡°I was researching these ruins alone, but it is worth it.¡± ¡°Do you like the jungle?¡± Kristy giggled. ¡°Not when it is trying to kill me. So is it true they made you in a lab?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Technically, yes. Dr.Linda created us on Planet Apollo. She wanted to make a unique team of superhuman star rangers, who can protect the colonies better than the other star ranger squadrons. To make us unique, she spiced human and cat DNA, which made us what we are now. After we were born, she raised us like her own children. She taught us how to read, write, and how to fight. We understand her well, no matter how old we were. Of course we have to focus on becoming star rangers. We went through aggressive physical to perfect our bodies for any situation. It wasn¡¯t easy, and we nearly killed ourselves to move on. But Dr.Linda was always by our side. She gave us hope and courage so we wouldn¡¯t give up. ¡°Some of our ideas came from movies we saw. Rambo, Kill Bill, and Star Wars. Not all of us took some ideas from movies. Maya got psionic implants and practiced on her own. She became good at it without letting her emotions get in her focus. After years of training, we proved ourselves by completing dangerous missions. No matter the odds, we get the job done. We made the Star Alliance proud of us, including Dr. Linda. And we became known as the Star Cats.¡± Kristy smiled. ¡°That is fantastic! Is Dr. Linda still around?¡± Red opened his mouth. ¡°No,¡± said Tyger as he turned toward them. ¡°She is dead¡­¡± Kristy covered her mouth. ¡°Oh¡­ I am sorry. How?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡± Tyger glared at Red. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving. The Star Alliance are counting on us.¡± Tyger continued as Red walked beside him. ¡°I was only having a nice conversation, comrade,¡± said Red. ¡°I know, but our mission is our top priority,¡± said Tyger. Red¡¯s ears lowered. ¡°Understood.¡± From the corridor, they entered a giant cave with a black pyramid structure at the center. It was big as a baseball stadium, and it appeared to be built from smooth black stones. Tyger stopped and stared at the structure. ¡°I suppose the item we needed is in there.¡± Kristy pointed her flashlight at the pyramid. ¡°I believe so. Let¡¯s check it out. Chapter 18 The temple seemed to grow bigger and bigger as Tyger walked up toward the entrance. The material was black smooth rock with little sparkles of crystal on it. Amazing how an ancient primitive race could build sought wonder. Tyger stopped in front of the door. It was five stories tall, but it has no handles on it. ¡°Now that is a big door,¡± said Red. ¡°They must have been giant creatures.¡± Tyger glared at the door. ¡°We need to get through. Any ideas?¡± Kristy held up her hands and shook her head. ¡°I have no clue.¡± ¡°I can try blowing it open,¡± Red suggested. Tyger stepped away. ¡°Do it.¡± Red smiled and pulled out his cannon. After the other ran and stood behind him, Red aimed his cannon and blasted it. The energy blast hit the door, but it bounced off. It flew up toward the ceiling and exploded. A few chunks of rocks fell down where the blast had hit the ceiling. Tyger and the others jumped apart before the rocks hit them. Red stared at the ceiling as he placed his cannon away. ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t work out. Tyger growled and kicked the door. Suddenly, the door shook and slowly opened. Tyger and the other stared at the door with surprises on their faces. ¡°I guessed it needed a kick,¡± said Red. ¡°But how come it didn¡¯t open when Red blasted it?¡± Rila asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said Tyger. ¡°Let¡¯s move on.¡± Behind the giant door, they entered a large circular chamber, about as big as a football field. It was empty with no other passageways in sight. But the only thing in the chamber was a giant black cylinder structure, standing at the center. ¡°What is that thing?¡± Rila asked. On the center of the cylinder, a red light flashed on with a yellow beam on it, appearing like an eyeball. It looked down at the team. ¡°Hello?¡± it asked with a loud mechanical voice.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Tyger aimed his rifle at the eye while Maya¡¯s hands glowed. Kristy quickly stepped in front of them. ¡°Wait! Let me talk to it!¡± Tyger lowered his rifle and stared at her. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°If that thing is hostile, it would have attacked us already.¡± Tyger shrugged. ¡°That makes sense.¡± Kristy walked toward the cylinder. ¡°Hello! What are you?¡± ¡°I am the Vault,¡± the cylinder answered. ¡°The Keeper of the Shield Breaker.¡± ¡°How did you translate our language?¡± Maya asked. ¡°My senses scanned your vocal speech when you stepped in here. I was programmed to speak to many life forms, no matter how they speak.¡± Maya placed her finger on her chin. ¡°Fascinating. Alien artificial intelligence. I predict it lasted for centuries.¡± ¡°An Inaccurate guess I am afraid. I have been functioning for a billion years. This holding complex kept me preserved for that time.¡± ¡°I hope it isn¡¯t Skynet,¡± said Red. ¡°What is the Shield Breaker?¡± Tyger asked. The red eye turned to him. ¡°A device meant to shut down enemy shields. It was a gift from the Sonkrus to help the Ghuqors defend their world against the Scarabs.¡± ¡°Are the Ghuqors the ones who lived here?¡± Rila asked. ¡°That is correct. Because they are primitive, they didn¡¯t have a chance against the Scarabs. Before their defeat, they constructed me to keep their gift safe from the enemy.¡± ¡°Do you still have it?¡± Kristy asked. ¡°Yes, I was built to keep it safe. Why did you ask?¡± ¡°A race of blue alien bugs are attacking our planets,¡± said Tyger. The red eye blinked. ¡°Blue alien bugs? I assumed you meant the Scarabs.¡± ¡°What are they?¡± ¡°Nobody knows exactly or lived to tell. The Scarabs appeared from the beyond and destroyed many worlds in their path. Many believed they came from a different system or a different dimension that isn¡¯t our own. They attacked the worlds to consume their resources for food and to expand their civilization. They cannot be communicated or reasoned with to stop their lethal actions. The Scarabs only exist to destroy and move on.¡± ¡°That is terrible,¡± said Kristy. ¡°It was tragic. After they eradicated the sentient races, the Scarabs vanished without a trace. They leave nothing behind.¡± ¡°Why are they back now?¡± Maya asked. ¡°I am not sure. It could be only a coincidence they returned to find more worlds to harvest. ¡°Can the Shield Breaker stop them?¡± Tyger asked. ¡°No, but it can disable their mother ship defenses. If you use it wisely, your species will survive.¡± ¡°Can you give it to us?¡± Kristy asked. ¡°You may have it, for the sake of your species.¡± At the bottom of the cylinder, a small hole opened, revealing a shiny golden pyramid shaped relic. Kristy approached the relic and took it. ¡°Is this it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Red rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you will give it to us so easily.¡± ¡°It was part of my programming, and you are not the Scarabs,¡± said the Vault. ¡°Now I must return to my rest. Good luck.¡± The Vault closed its eye and turned silent. Kristy stared at the relic. ¡°Easy as pie.¡± Tyger looked at the relic with a grin. ¡°Now let¡¯s take it to the fleet.¡± Chapter 19 Tyger and his team stepped out from the temple entrance in the jungle, and he pushed his com-link. ¡°Jage, we need extraction now.¡± ¡°Did you found what Patterson order you to find?¡± Jage¡¯s voice asked. ¡°Yes. Dr. Grace is also coming with us. She has a relic that can stop the invaders.¡± ¡°Is she cute?¡± Tyger sighed. ¡°Keep your tail in your pants and get the ship ready for departure.¡± ¡°Roger that, sir.¡± Tyger hoped Jage will not give Kristy any trouble when she boards their ship. She doesn¡¯t have a spaceship of her own because her boss dropped her off on Amazon with one vehicle and camping equipment. Kristy liked to work alone to help her focus on her research. She told him her mind will get distracted if she gets assigned to a team. Some xenoarchaeologists preferred to work alone. Suddenly, loud howling noises echoed from the jungle. ¡°Is that nature calling?¡± Red asked. Kristy looked around and dropped her mouth. ¡°We gotta run!¡± She dashed straight toward her jungle rover and hopped onto her driver seat. ¡°Come on!¡± Tyger sat next to Kristy while the others sat in the back. ¡°What is coming?¡± Kristy pushed the ignition button near the steering wheel. ¡°Remember that creature Red killed? If you kill one, all of them will attack you.¡± Her rover rose off the ground before blasting off. In the rearview mirror, hundreds of giant ape reptiles charged in the background, like a tsunami of purple fur, knocking the trees aside. All of them were roaring like an angry thunderstorm. ¡°You better speed up!¡± Tyger shouted. Kristy nodded her head and pushed against the acceleration pedal, making her truck speed faster. ¡°They are still catching!¡± Rila shouted. ¡°Can this thing go any faster?¡± Kristy glared at the speed dial. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have enough power to thrust faster. But it should make it to wherever your ship is.¡± Tyger pushed his com-link. ¡°Jage! Is the ship in the air?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°I am taking off now,¡± said Jage. ¡°Get our position. We are being chased by alien predators. Hurry!¡± ¡°Roger!¡± An ape creature jumped onto the top of the truck and ripped the roof off. Its hand reached for Kristy as she screamed. Tyger quickly blasted his rifle, shooting the creature off the truck. Kristy sat back and sighed. Two apes ran side-by-side close to the truck. One of them bashed the side of the truck, and the other smacked the other side too. Tyger held onto the dashboard. If those monsters keep hitting the rover, it will crash. ¡°Red! Take them out!¡± Tyger ordered. Red kicked his side door opened and blasted his light machine gun. The ape creature fell dead, but the other one jumped onto the front of the truck. The ape pounded on the windshield, cracking it. Kristy screamed and turned the steering wheel, left to right, trying to shake the ape off her vehicle. But the ape dug it claws into the truck¡¯s metal interior to stay on it. Rila climbed to the top of the truck and drew out her sword. She approached the ape and slashed its head off. Then she kicked the headless body off the truck. Another ape creature jumped off a tree. It landed on the truck behind Rila. She turned and ducked from its swinging hand. Before it charged, she stabbed the ape¡¯s stomach and kicked it off the truck. Red climbed to the top of the truck and aimed his light machine gun at the raging pack. He blasted his gun, mowing them down. One ape creature dashed toward the back of the truck. It jumped onto the back and tore the back open. The ape¡¯s hand reached for Maya, but she quickly tossed an energy ball into its face, pushing him off the back of the truck. Red kept firing his machine gun. ¡°This is like Jurassic Park!¡± ¡°Look out!¡± Rila shouted. Red turned around and saw a hanging tree branch, coming to toward him and Rila. They climbed back into the truck before the vehicle flew beneath the branch. At the end of the trail was a giant bush. After the rover rammed through the bush, it flew off a short cliff and landed into an open valley, outside the jungle. Tyger looked back, seeing that the ape creatures were still charging after them. Those creatures will not give up. Tyger heard a loud jet noise and looked up. With relief, he spotted the Star Guardian flying over the Jungle rover. His com-link beeped, and he pushed it. ¡°There is a steep cliff up ahead,¡± said Jage¡¯s voice. ¡°I can catch you guys from there.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Tyger turned to Kristy. ¡°Keep going forward.¡± Kristy turned to him with her eyes widened. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Just do it!¡± Kristy rolled her eyes and pushed the acceleration pedal down. Tyger could see the edge of the cliff as the Star Guardian hovered toward it and turned around. Behind it, the cargo bay boarding door opened. Tyger turned to his team. ¡°Hold on!¡± The Jungle rover flew off the edge of the cliff and landed into the cargo bay before it crashed against the back wall. The ape creatures stopped and watched the cargo bay door closed. Red sighed. ¡°Now that was a rough ride!¡± Chapter 20 Tyger stepped into the cockpit from the backdoor. ¡°Jage, teleport us to the fleet. We got what we needed.¡± Jage turned to Tyger, but he paused when his eyes spotted Kristy, coming in with the team. ¡°Did you hear me?¡± Tyger asked. Jage shook his head. ¡°Sorry, sir! Who is she?¡± ¡°She is Dr.Grace.¡± Kristy glared at him. ¡°I told you to call me Kristy!¡± Jage blushed and waved to her. Kristy waved to him back and turned to Tyger. ¡°Do you guys have a shower? My sweaty body totally needs to be clean off. I smell like a roasted pig.¡± ¡°There is one lavatory near the sleeping quarters,¡± said Maya. ¡°It should be functional.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Kristy smiled. ¡°Thank you.¡± She turned to Tyger. ¡°And thank you for saving my life.¡± Tyger nodded. ¡°It is part of our duty.¡± Kristy licked her lips. ¡°Well, if you need anything... I will be in the shower.¡± Tyger watched Kristy leave the cockpit until Jage rushed up to him. ¡°Holy smokes! She is super hot!¡± Jage shouted. ¡°I agree,¡± said Red. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask her out?¡± Jage asked. ¡°You had a chance!¡± Rila rolled her eyes and walked away. ¡°Oh, for god¡¯s sake!¡± Maya followed her. ¡°I will never understand the male perspective.¡± Tyger sighed. ¡°That isn¡¯t part of my duty.¡± Jage rolled his eyes. ¡°Well, if you won¡¯t ask her out, then I will.¡± Tyger pointed his finger at Jage. ¡°Keep your distance from her. Remember your duty.¡± Jage held up his hands. ¡°But I asked out some human girls before. All of them liked me.¡± Red laughed. ¡°They only want to pet you like a kitty.¡± Jage glared at Red. ¡°Oh come on!¡± Tyger rubbed his forehead. ¡°Just bring us to the fleet and forget about her. Many lives are at stake.¡± Jage sighed. ¡°Roger¡­ Commander.¡± When will that kid grow up? Tyger thought. Chapter 21 After the flash, Planet Saturn appeared behind the windshield. There were fifteen starships, moving over the rings of Saturn. Most of them were battle cruisers, except for the one at the center which should be the Hudson command ship. Patterson had mentioned the name of the ship to Tyger after the Star Guardian left Amazon. They were taking a break after they lost a colony in a hopeless battle. ¡°Hudson, this is the Star Cat unit,¡± said Jage through the com-link. ¡°Requesting to come aboard.¡± ¡°Request confirmed,¡± said the captain¡¯s voice. On the left side of the ship, the hanger door opened. Jage slowly flew the ship into the bay and landed on the ground. After the doors closed, a blast of white gas filtered the entire bay and cleared. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Tyger got up and followed his team to their cargo bay where the boarding door opened and the ramp touched the ground. Tyger walked down the ramp with Kristy by his side until Admiral Patterson approached them. ¡°Welcome aboard the Hudson.¡± He turned to Kristy. ¡°Dr. Grace I assume.¡± Kristy nodded. ¡°Yes sir, but I like to be preferred as Kristy.¡± Patterson smiled. ¡°So what do you got that can stop the invaders?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kristy opened her bag and took out the relic. ¡°This is the thing we need.¡± Patterson looked closely at the relic. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It is the only thing that can help us win.¡± Patterson smiled at the relic. ¡°It looks pretty.¡± ¡°Do you have a research center here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t mind if I use it to prove you its capabilities?¡± Patterson shrugged. ¡°It will not be a problem. The captain will allow any access here if it will help us stop the invaders.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. He turned to Tyger. ¡°Good job for bringing her here.¡± ¡°How is the battle going?¡± Tyger asked. Patterson rubbed his forehead. ¡°It sucks. We are seriously getting our asses kicked. Those bastards already wiped out three colonies. They are like a spreading plague.¡± ¡°We can still stop them, Admiral. Whatever Kristy found, it should help us.¡± Patterson sniffed. ¡°It better be because humanity¡¯s ass is on the line.¡± *** Inside the lab, Tyger and his team watched the crystal pyramid floated into a glass tube on the panel. Two robotic arms, hanging from the wall, were shooting red beams along the tube, which was transferring data to Kristy¡¯s computer. On her monitor, numbers and words were flashing across the screen. Red looked at the screen over Kristy¡¯s shoulder until he rubbed his eyes. ¡°Could somebody tell me what that thing is saying? If not, I will get a bottle of vodka to read it.¡± Kristy placed her glasses on and stared closely at the screen. ¡°This relic has an incredible power. It is like a nuclear EMP bomb, which could black out an entire planet.¡± ¡°WoW! Alien technology is awesome.¡± Patterson crossed his arms. ¡°How do we use it against the enemy ship?¡± ¡°It only activates when it contacts an energy field,¡± said Kristy. ¡°If we shoot it close at the ship, we can take down the enemy¡¯s shield.¡± ¡°How close?¡± Kristy raised her hands up. ¡°As close as possible.¡± Tyger stepped toward Kristy. ¡°I thought we only need to aim the relic at the ship. Is it supposed to shoot a light?¡± Kristy shook her head. ¡°Not all ancient descriptions are accurate. Perhaps the Ghuqors thought it would work that way. That is why they lost.¡± Patterson beamed his eyes at Kristy. ¡°Who the hell are the Ghuqors?¡± ¡°The original inhabitants of Amazon,¡± Maya explained. ¡°They were one of the ancient races who defended themselves against the enemy.¡± Patterson rubbed his forehead. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have enough time for a history lesson. I don¡¯t want to take a chance of losing another colony.¡± ¡°Then what other choice do we have?¡± Tyger asked. Patterson crossed his arms. ¡°Do you have an opinion?¡± Tyger pointed his claw at the tube. ¡°My team and I can bring the relic toward the enemy ship. It will be quick and simple.¡± ¡°But that will be suicide.¡± ¡°Our missions are always suicide, sir. Call us expendable, but we always get the job done.¡± ¡°I can fly like crazy,¡± said Jage as he pointed his thumb at himself. ¡°None of those needle things could touch our new ship.¡± The Star Guardian is also equipped with a sheath module,¡± said Maya. ¡°It might not be practical, but it can be optional.¡± Patterson sighed. ¡°I guess it is our best shot. If not... I don¡¯t even want to think about losing.¡± ¡°Admiral Patterson!¡± a speaker shouted from above after it clicked. ¡°Can you please report to the bridge? We got an emergency.¡± Patterson pushed his com-link. ¡°On my way.¡± Chapter 22 Tyger followed Patterson into the bridge while his team strolled behind his back. Patterson approached the captain who was standing in front of the giant front window, displaying Saturn. ¡°What is the emergency?¡± Patterson asked. The captain cleared his throat. ¡°We received a message that the alien vessel is approaching Earth.¡± Patterson widened his eyes. ¡°Oh, no... Are all the fleets engaging that thing?¡± ¡°All available Star Alliance fleets are blocking its route. But I am afraid they might not last long.¡± Patterson gritted his teeth. ¡°Alright. It is time to act now for the hell of it.¡± He turned to Tyger. ¡°Get your team ready for battle. I will develop a plan for you to stop the enemy before they destroy Earth. It is now up to you to save the human race.¡± Tyger and his team saluted the admiral. ¡°Affirmative sir,¡± he said. ¡°We will get ready.¡± *** Back in the hanger, two staff placed a metal crate down in front of Tyger. He opened the crate, finding a light rifle, two grenades, one light pistol, and three small power packs. He picked up the rifle and stared at it closely. It was T-200X rifle, painted in black with a scope on it. The barrel was thin and long, which increased the weapon¡¯s range. It would probably be useful in case Tyger has to move on foot, inside the alien vessel. Rila sat on a crate, wiping a cloth across her sword. Red placed his armor vest on, and then his armor pants. Maya sat on the floor with her legs crossed. While her eyes were closed, four boxes hovered around her as they glowed blue. She must be practicing on her concentration for her power. Although she was professional using her power, her practices kept her from making too many mistakes. Jage lied on a pile of boxes, reading a space flight magazine. Sure enough, the kid was waiting to fly his new ship.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Attention!¡± Patterson¡¯s voice shouted. Tyger and his team quickly stood in a row and saluted. Patterson approached them and saluted back. With him were two soldiers, carrying a green metal box. It has a nuke symbol below a black screen on top. They placed it down in front of the Star Cats. ¡°This will be a quick briefing since we got twenty-four hours to save the Earth.¡± Patterson held up the relic. ¡°You will fly directly toward the hive ship in sheath mode and fire this thing in a torpedo. After the enemy shield goes down, you will enter the hive ship.¡± Patterson pointed his finger at the green metal box. ¡°This is a nuclear black hole bomb. You will bring it into the enemy ship and drop it off deep inside the vessel. After you activate the detonation sequence, it will give you fifty seconds for your furry asses to escape.¡± Rila rolled her eyes. ¡°Why does the military think nukes are the answer to the problems?¡± Jage crossed his arms and smiled. ¡°Fifty seconds don¡¯t sound bad. I can outrun fifty seconds.¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t we drop off the bomb on the surface instead?¡± Red asked. ¡°That option would risk the entire fleet,¡± said Patterson. ¡°The black hole will grow slower as it eats up the ship. It will give us enough time to escape before the black hole is fully formed. After that, it will expire in ten seconds.¡± ¡°Okey dokey.¡± ¡°We are all counting on you. If you fail, we will lose Earth.¡± Tyger saluted again. ¡°We will succeed sir, or die trying.¡± *** Red sat at his seat inside the cockpit. After his comrades sat down, he turned to them. ¡°Anyone wants to say some words before we do this?¡± Tyger sighed. ¡°To be honest, I am afraid we might all die and fail to save the Earth. I do not know if this plan will be successful or a disaster. Nothing is quite clear. But we are Star Cats. It is what we are made to do. It is our duty, our purpose, and our way of life. If we have no purpose, then we wouldn¡¯t exist. We are doing this for the sake of humanity¡¯s survival. If we don¡¯t risk our lives for them, then we have no purpose. Would a dog let his master die?¡± Red laughed. ¡°We are not dogs, comrade. We are cats.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the point, but I am sure a good dog wouldn¡¯t let his master die. We always protected humans and obeyed them. In return, they made us feel like we are more than genetic engineered specimens.¡± ¡°Plus, they gave us vodka,¡± said Red with a grin. ¡°Fish tacos too!¡± Jage shouted. ¡°Honor and respect,¡± Rila added. ¡°Purpose,¡± said Maya. Tyger nodded his head. ¡°So are we going to die without a fight? Are we going to let the enemy destroy the Earth?¡± ¡°No!¡± His team shouted. Tyger smiled. ¡°Then let¡¯s get back out there and show those monsters we are more than just living weapons for humanity. We are Star Cats!¡± Red raised his arms up and cheered. ¡°Vodka for everyone!¡± Chapter 23 After the hanger door opened, the Star Guardian ship flew out into space. On Jage¡¯s panel, a monitor flashed on, displaying Patterson and Kristy. ¡°The enemy is still moving toward the Earth,¡± said Patterson. ¡°I heard our fleet are giving them hell.¡± Tyger smiled, feeling the hope that the star fleet was giving his team enough of time to make it. ¡°Will your fleet join the battle?¡± ¡°I think it is best we stay here and act as reinforcements. If you fail, we need to give the people on Earth a good chance to survive.¡± ¡°Remember to get as close as possible toward the shield,¡± said Kristy. ¡°You only have one shot at this.¡± Red rolled his eyes. ¡°It always has to be dramatic.¡± ¡°We will not fail you all,¡± said Tyger. ¡°The enemy will not see us coming.¡± Kristy smiled and blew Tyger a kiss. ¡°Good luck Tyger. I hope you all come back.¡± Tyger smiled and switched the monitor off. ¡°Jage, take us to Earth now.¡± Jage typed on his flight panel. ¡°Roger sir.¡± After Tyger sat down, Jage pulled the lever, and then the windshield flashed. Near the Earth, there were a thousand of starships, blasting their laser cannons at the approaching alien ship. However, most of them were being ripped apart by the enemy swarm ships, that were moving everywhere through the fleet. Explosions and flashes danced all over the place, making the Star Cats¡¯ ship shake. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Red wobbled in his seat. ¡°Wow! Talk about a big showdown, comrades!¡± ¡°Are we in sheath mode?¡± Tyger asked. Jage flipped a switch. ¡°Now we are.¡± Tyger looked forward at the windshield. The swarm ships flew past the Star Guardian without touching it. It was quite clear that none of them could see the ship. Tyger smirked. ¡°Jage, take us straight to the hive ship.¡± ¡°Roger sir.¡± Jage pushed his flight handles forward. The ship zoomed through the battle, moving from left to right. ¡°I think the enemy can¡¯t see us,¡± said Jage. ¡°As long as we don¡¯t get hit, we should remain hidden.¡± A burning ship drifted toward the front of the Star Guardian. Jage pulled the handles back, making the ship fly over the fallen vessel. Maya heard a beeping sound and started at the radar on her panel. ¡°We have incoming hostiles at our rear.¡± Jage narrowed his eyes. ¡°Hold on!¡± He thrust his handles to the left, and the window spun as the swarm ships flew by. Jage steered the handles straight, and then the ship continued forward without spinning. Red shook his head. ¡°I think I am going to be sick.¡± Jage smiled. ¡°I love flying!¡± After flying past the floating debris and flying black dots, the view of the alien planet size ship turned clear. Tyger pointed his finger at the enemy ship. ¡°Jage, launch the torpedo on my mark.¡± ¡°Roger commander.¡± The alien grew closer and closer in front of the windshield. Tyger tightened his hands on the arms of his seat. ¡°Fire now!¡± Jage pushed the button on his panel, and then the torpedo blasted off the alien ship from below the window. It flew further and further toward the planet size shape until it exploded against the shield. Then the entire shield around the ship vanished. ¡°Yes!¡± Red shouted. ¡°It worked.¡± Tyger sighed and sat back down on his seat. ¡°Jage. Take us into the ship now.¡± Jage pushed his flight handles forward. ¡°Roger commander!¡± Chapter 24 The Star Guardian ship turned around and flew straight into a hole in the surface of the alien ship. The inside was millions of cocoon columns and bridges. Green mist drifted through the darkness and sprinkles of light sparkled on the hard surfaces. The entire interior reminded Tyger of a beehive. It was hard to believe the vessel was actually a ship. Many could mistake it as a planetoid, formed by strange substances. The ship wasn¡¯t only their vessel. It was their world. ¡°Aliens are weird!¡± Red shouted. ¡°They seem so primitive, though they are highly advanced,¡± said Maya. Tyger narrowed his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care what they are. They all must die.¡± In an open cavern space, there was a field of eggs, sticking out through the walls and floor. There seemed to be millions, but maybe more. ¡°How much further, commander?¡± Jage asked. ¡°As far as we have to go.¡± Over a bridge, an army of ant soldiers marched in three rows. Behind them, a few giant spiders followed them. ¡°Good thing we are cloaked,¡± said Red. Tyger gulped at the thought of being discovered. They wouldn¡¯t last if the Scarabs discovered them. At the end of the cave was a giant hole where green light was flicking from. He leaned forward and pointed his finger at the hole over Jage¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Keep going forward. We will drop the bomb down there.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Jage turned the ship toward the hole and pushed forward. Through the hole was a tunnel, swirling downward toward the green light. Whatever was down there, it should be the ship¡¯s vulnerable spot. At the end, the ship entered a circular chamber, about as big as a city. On the ground were millions of eggs, glowing green like lanterns. Standing over the eggs at the center was a giant spider, except it has a humanoid upper torso with four arms and an ant head. It looked even bigger than the giant spider which Tyger had killed. ¡°Is that the queen?¡± Rila asked. ¡°Possibly,¡± said Maya. ¡°It looks like she is taking a dump,¡± said Red with a soft chuckle. ¡°No time for jokes, Red.¡± Tyger turned to Jage. ¡°Drop the bomb now. She will be the first to get sucked up.¡± Jage pushed the button. ¡°Bombs away!¡± The metal box dropped from below the ship. After it landed below the eggs, the Scarab queen looked up. Jage beamed his eyes. ¡°I think she can see us.¡± The queen roared at the ship, so loud, her sound waves rocked the vessel. Tyger and his team covered their ears. It sounded worse than a screaming little girl. ¡°Jage... Get us out of here!¡± Tyger shouted. Jage grabbed the flight handles and steered the ship around toward the tunnel. Then he pulled the handles back so the ship could blast up into the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, hundreds of swarm ships swirl toward the Star Guardian ship. Jage beamed his eyes. ¡°I guess they know we are here. Somehow the queen disrupted our sheath mode.¡± ¡°Keep flying!¡± Tyger shouted. Jage¡¯s thumbs pushed two buttons on the handle. The ship blasted its light cannons at the swarm ships until they spread out. After flying past them, the ship flew side to side, dodging the columns in its path. Tyger leaned over Jage. ¡°Are we almost out?¡± ¡°Does it look like we are almost out?¡± Jage shouted. Tyger sat back down on his seat. They have only fifty seconds to get out of the alien vessel before the bomb detonates. Hopefully, they still have enough time to escape. Chapter 25 Tyger sighed as the ship reached the hole to the surface of the alien vessel. But they weren¡¯t safe yet. Tyger looked at the monitor on Jage¡¯s flight panel. It was viewing the alien vessel which was behind the Star Guardian. On the center of the alien ship, a light flashed, until the black hole expanded from the inside. It swallowed the entire ship and vanished in the blink of an eye. Tyger and his team shouted into a cheer. They clapped their hands and hugged each other. They finally defeated the enemy. ¡°Unknown star ranger vessel,¡± a voice shouted from the com-link. ¡°Come in, please.¡± Tyger pushed the com-link button. ¡°This is the Star Cats unit on the Star Guardian. I am Commander Tyger.¡± ¡°How did you destroy the enemy vessel?¡± the officer asked. Tyger chuckled. ¡°It is a long story, sir.¡± ¡°Well congratulation. You just saved the Earth.¡± Tyger smiled. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± He turned to Jage. ¡°Take us to the main Star Alliance base kid. Jage saluted to Tyger. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± *** In Washington D. C, the Star Cats stood on a platform in front of the white council hall building. Many people stood around the platform in honor of their heroes. A brown lady in a white dress approached the microphone stand box. She was one of the councilors, in charge of the Star Alliance. ¡°We would like to congratulate these five brave heroes who saved our birth planet from the devastating alien invaders. Although we lost many lives, we are still standing here because of these five heroes. Without them, we wouldn¡¯t be here today.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. She handed them each a medal of honor. Red stared at his medal and smiled. ¡°So shiny.¡± After the councilwoman stepped away, the audience clapped their hands. The Star Cats were deeply honored. *** Back in the cockpit, Tyger and his team sat down at their stations. It has been a long day since the ceremony. Tyger approached the beeping com-link monitor and pushed the button. The monitor flashes on, showing Patterson and Kristy. ¡°Congratulation Tyger,¡± said Patterson. ¡°You made us all proud of you. And I am sorry for being a hard ass on you back on Bellona.¡± ¡°No problem sir,¡± said Tyger. ¡°So what do you intend to do now?¡± ¡°We planned to search for more missions to complete. It is the best of what we do.¡± ¡°If you find an alien relics out there,¡± said Kristy. ¡°Be sure to send them to me.¡± Tyger smiled. ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± Patterson salutes. ¡°Take care Tyger, and happy hunting.¡± After the monitor flashes off, Tyger sat down on his seat. ¡°So what are our options now? Just cruise around the stars? Hunt more space pirates?¡± ¡°I think we should go surfing through an asteroid field,¡± said Jage. ¡°We could sneak into the outer rim and cause a little trouble,¡± said Red with a devilish grin. ¡°I heard Planet Gala has a nice spa resort center,¡± said Rila. ¡°We should check it out.¡± Tyger turned to the white cat girl. ¡°Maya?¡± She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I suppose a random adventure would be a good factor for the sense of excitement. Any decision is neutral to me.¡± Tyger smiled at the windshield. ¡°I guess we will go find trouble then. Take us out Jage.¡± Jage typed on his flight panel and placed his handles on the flight handles. ¡°Roger sir!¡± Tyger knew the galaxy was the most dangerous place in the universe. But his team were made to make it a safe place for humanity. No matter what they face or lose, failure was never their option. They are the Star Cats.