Star Raiders and the Lost Expidition (13 page)

Tygla looked to him then said to Mike, “We don’t have time for this Michael.”

“
You’re right,” he said looking straight into Morng’s cat eyes, “Why don’t we take this outside?”

Morng smiled slyly, “My pleasure.” He and his gang passed Mike and his friends as Mike hesitated.

Tygla, did not believe this. She thought Mike was the kind of person who did not fight bullies. She continued to stare at Mike and said, “You don’t have to do this Mike. Really. I don’t need you to impress me.”

Mike turned to her and said, “I already impressed you Hon,” he looked up at the door as his opponent walked out, “This time it’s personal.”

She did not know what he meant by that. She hoped to ask him later, if he survives. They all left the bar and Tygla was afraid that her new love might get hurt or even worse. Mike and Morng were standing about twenty feet from each other as the crowd gathered around them in the walkway. Tygla and Justin were standing behind Mike as he just stared at his opponent. Morng stared back grinning, waiting to begin.

“
Mike please,” Tygla pleaded again, as fear crept inside her, “Don’t do this I don’t want you getting hurt or worse.”

Justin added, “She right Mike, he’s not worth it.”

Mike ignored them as he started at the Wilden Felinis. Then the Hawk Avian stepped between the, eying them down and announce, “All right. The rules are simple. When I say draw…Draw.” He then stepped out of the way.

Both contestants were eying each other trying to sense what was inside each other’s mind. Mike had seen gunslingers do a showdown when he was at the orphanage by watching old Earth Westerns. He studied them wondering if he can be fast as they were.

Tygla whispered to Justin, “Has Mike ever done this before?”

“
With a real gun?” Justin wondered and replied unsurely, “No. Not really.”

“
Oh my god,” Tygla prayed as her heart started to race.

The Hawk Avian then asked them, “Ready?”

Mike and Morng moved their trigger hand slowly down to their guns. Mike gradually touched a button on the hilt as Morng thought he had taken the safety off his blaster. Both hands were steady as seconds became hours to Mike. He saw Morng twitched one of his fingers. Mike was starting to get nervous as sweat started to appear on his forehead and then…

“
Draw!”

In an instant, it seemed to Mike that time had slowed to a crawl. Both men drew their guns and pulled the trigger, but who pulled it first? A laser pulse shot out from the gun as Mike’s bluish bolt hit Morng on the chest first. Morng’s shot averted from his target and hit Mike’s shoulder instead. Mike cried in pain as Morgon stumbled back and fell to the ground.

“
Mike!” Tygla and Justin cried fearfully together as they grabbed Mike.

Suddenly, they heard two more shot as the crowd panicked and scattered. Morng’s goons also took off as Tygla looked up to see whom it was. She saw a tall lean man walk over. He was dressed in a very loose grey and tan jumpsuit wielding Winchester laser Rifle. He was also wearing an old dusty cowboy hat and brown leather jacket that has a star looking badge on it. His face was old looking as he had grown a gray mustache growing on it.

“
All right! Break it up!” He announced as Tygla noticed his southern western accent, “What in tar nation is going on ‘ere?”

He looked at the gunslingers as two big and strong male androids came with him. His two friends were attending Mike as Morng groaned a bit and moved his body. Tygla could not believe that Morng was still alive. She thought Mike had surly killed him.

“
Who are you?” Mike asked as he winced in pain. Tygla took a cloth from her hip bag and put pressure on the wound as Mike winced even more.

“
Sorry,” she said as they looked to the gun wielding man.

The man looked to him and answered, “I’m sheriff in this station, stranger,” he looked to Morng as he ordered his Android deputies to help him up and asked, “Now, who started all this commotion?” Mike, Tygla, and Justin pointed at Morng as Morng did the same, “Well, it seems that I have to arrest the both of ya.”

“
What for?” Justin asked.

“
For shooting illegal firearms in my station,” he replied.

“
But sir,” Tygla protested, “We didn’t start it.”

“
Maybe we should discuss this in my office then.” He suggested.

Chapter 6

The Stolen Condor

The sheriff led them to a little modern jail quarters down the shopping strip at the end of the walkway. Tygla wondered how Morng survived the shot, and Mike told her that he had his gun set on stun mode. He also told her while the sheriff escorted then, that he did not like to kill people for a stupid gestures like that. He just wanted to have Morng to learn a lesson. She was surprised and relived to learn that Mike was not a ruthless killer and this really impressed her.

“
What did you mean when you said it was personal?” Tygla asked quietly, “Do you know him?”

“
No,” Mike said as he held the cloth, “I just hate racism.”

Then Tygla knew that he was different. She smiled to him and knew that she has found the perfect man. Inside, the two android deputies forced Morng in a little cell on the far wall and activated the energy bars. Each of the two cells only had a cot to sleep in and a tiny sink securely attached to the wall.

“
I wanna talk to my Lawyer!” Morng protested,

The sheriff looked at him as the androids left the small office and said, “You don’t have a lawyer Morng. Now shut up.”

Tygla pointed out, “My friend needs medial aid.”

Sheriff grabbed a box that was hanging on the wall and threw the kit at Justin. Justin handed the kit to Tygla as she opened the box and grabbed some slave and a roll of bandages. Tygla then patched up Mike’s shoulder and kissed it to make it feel better as Mike smiled a bit, but Justin did not like that cute motion and frowned a bit. The sheriff then gestured Mike to the other cell next to it. Mike did not argue and stepped inside. Tygla frowned and did not like what she saw as another set of laser beams draped down in front of him. The office was small, but it had enough room for at least ten people to fill it. Tygla looked at the sheriff’s steel desk and noticed a nameplate that had the name Sheriff Dan Morgan on it. Tygla and Justin sat in leathered seated steel chairs as Sheriff Morgan sat in his.

He looked at the two and asked, “Now, can somebody explain to me what is goin’ on in my station?”

Tygla and Justin looked at each other trying to find the right words to explain all of this. Tygla then looked at the Sherriff, sighed, and replied, “My name is Princess Tygla Tyger of the Felinoron kingdom and these are my friends Justin Jobbs and Mike Tippin. We were on our way to rescue my brother from the Xatu Empire when we lost their homing signal.”

Justin continued, “Yeah, we had to track them down here when we found your little station.”

“
Right,” Mike added, “Then we decided to get a bite to eat when this hair ball over there stared to make trouble with my Tygla.”

Morng frowned and argued, as he tried to grab the blue electric bar, “That’s not true! EEEow!” He got zapped and flew back in his cot.

Sheriff Morgan laughed hardily, “You? A princess? Ha ha ha, that’s a good one, I guess you guys are her knights huh? Ha ha ha ha.”

“
Private guards actually,” Justin, corrected him.

“
I heard some cocker spaniel stories in my life, but this one takes the cake,” The sheriff said as he looked at Mike and Morng. “Maybe a night in the cell will calm you two down.”

“
But it’s true!” Tygla said sorrowfully as her eyes started to water. “And now,” she then started to weep, “I will never get my see my brother again thanks to him.”

She cried once more as Mike frowned sadly. Justin patted her shoulder for comfort. Sheriff Morgan frowned too and felt a bit sorry for her as he had soft spot for the women he served.

“
Now don’t cry little lady,” Morgan said as he hand her a tissue. Tygla took it and wiped her tears. “I-“

Just before he could finish his sentence, an alarm started to ring. Tygla and Justin looked up to the sound. Sheriff Morgan recognized it, as he knew it was a burglar alarm.

“
What the blazes is it this time?” He wondered.

They then heard two laser shot as he got up, grabbed his Laser Winchester, and quickly proceeded to the door. He saw his two mechanical deputies lying on the floor, as someone shot them in the head. He looked up and saw a male black tabby Felinis running pass him and the down the walkway with a small sack in one hand and a laser gun in the other.

“
Son of a bitch,” he mumbled as he raised his rifle, but the Felinis shot it out of his hand.

Tygla and Justin ran out when a young woman ran down to the sheriff screaming “Sheriff Morgan! The jewelry store been robbed!”

“
Hey! What about me?” Mike said trying to get their attention, but it failed and they were gone.

Justin had to do something. He figured that if helped catch the cat burglar, the sheriff might let Mike go free. He drew his gun and ran like wind down the walkway, chasing the Felinis through the crowd.

“
Justin wait!” Tygla shouted, but it was too late.

Tygla then ran after him as so did Sheriff Morgan. The cat burglar kept shooting at Justin as he ran, but Justin avoided each shot. He saw the tabby Felinis head towards the hanger, but he just kept shooting at him. The burglar stop short blasted the door controls and looked for a getaway ship. Justin ran like the devil as the doors began to close slowly. He had to pass through them before they closed. He jumped and tumbled between them when the door was sealed.

He saw the tabby get in to the Condor as he cursed to himself. He got up and ran towards his ship before the ramp was retracting back into the hull. Then he heard the heard the engines rev up as it lifted off the ground and take off out of the bay and into deep space. He did not believe it. That Felinis thief had stolen The Condor, right in front of his eyes. No, Justin thought, not the Condor, anything but the Condor. He was so pissed off that he cursed aloud and threw his gun on the floor in anger. A shot rang out from the gun. Meanwhile, Tygla and Sherriff Morgan had gotten to the sealed door.

“
Can you open it?” Tygla asked quickly.

Morgan went to the control panel, fiddled around and replied, “Give me a minute here or two.”

The door then finally opened half way as Tygla squeezed through and saw Justin cursing at himself.

She ran over to him and asked, “What happened?”

“
He took the Condor!” Justin yelled angrily at her.

He looked to him with a worried and confused expression, “What do you mean he took it? I thought Michael told you to secure it. Didn’t you lock it up or something?”

“
I did,” He replied defensively, “He must have some kind illegal remote code key or something.”

“
What are we going to do?” She asked as the sheriff joined them. She turned to his and said, “You have get your ship and go after him.”

He sighed as he took off his hat and scratched his head, “Sorry Ma’am, that’s out of my jurist diction. That and I don’t fly.”

“
So what are you going to do to get my ship back?” Justin wondered angrily.

“
Now both of you calm down,” the sheriff said, “I just need to call the local Imperial guards and report this.”

“
The Imperial guard?” Tygla wondered worriedly.

“
Not a good Idea,” Justin said, “If you report it, they’ll impound my ship and I’ll never see it again.”

Tygla agreed, “He’s right, and we need a ship to rescue my brother.”

Morgan sighed not knowing what to do. He looked at them wondering if he should believe their story and trust them. He did not like the Empire as well, but he must report it to the authorities.

She looked at him and said, “Listen, my people are at war with the Xatu Empire, and they have my brother. We need him to help us fight this war. Please don’t call them. You have to help us.”