Chase stood near Shuri Castle in Okinawa. She had with her a small bag containing her change of clothing she would need for this next mission. People around her were going about their lives, busy as ever. She spent the moment looking at this place where Lord Dragon attacked in his madness. There was still some damage, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Not too long ago, this palace burned in an accidental fire and was only recently restored. She was pleased to stand here and see that it had survived the battle.
“CHASE!” The familiar voice of her greatest admirer called out. Before she could turn to greet him, EB crashed into her and was hugging her right arm. “You look amazing! Love that outfit!”
Chase pushed him off. “I’m dressed like a civilian from North Onnotangu. Not exactly a flattering outfit.”
He bounced up and down. “Anything looks good on you.”
“Do you flirt with all the girls?”
“Only the pretty ones.” He laughed.
“Would it matter if I told you I’m not interested in dating a rabbit?”
“Nope. Being subtle has never been my greatest strength. I like something, I say it.”
Just then a man appeared in a flash of light. Starmaster stood next to her, dressed in the same drab garb she wore. “Chase, good.”
Chase asked EB, “Did you talk to Lord Dragon? Will he help us out?”
EB’s hopping slowed down, “I talked to him. But...well...he’s not really wanting to get involved. You gotta understand. First, Lord Dragon still wants us to not be as involved with humans as possible. He lets me work with BADGE because we need some kind of connection. Second, he is still mourning his lost wife. They were together for thousands of years. It will take time for him to work through those emotions.”
Starmaster said, “We don’t really need his help here. This is an undercover mission. Get in, get the shards, and get out.”
“Right,” Chase said. “EB, you stay here with the nearest League and be ready if something happens.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. However, if we need an extraction, be ready for it at a moment’s notice.”
He hopped up, which caused her to catch him. He kissed her on the cheek, “If you need any help, I’ll be there in a flash.”
“I’m sure you will.” She set him down this time.
Starmaster held up a sheet of paper. “I have the coordinates.”
“Paper?” She frowned.
“Hey, we need to keep a low profile. We must leave out anything that might set off their sensors. So, paper.”
Chase prepared herself. “Okay, do it.”
Starmaster held her hand and closed his eyes. In a flash, they both vanished away.
Chase felt as though she were flying forward and yet standing still. The world rushed by in a blur. What was the open, lively square in front of the palace was now a dirty, dark, back alley. The air smelled like rotting garbage and garlic. People could be heard yelling out in Onnotangese.
“Teleporting always makes my head hurt,” She said while swaying.
Starmaster said, “That’s okay. Most people who teleport for the first time barf. It messes with the senses really bad and up comes lunch.”
Chase checked up and down the alley. “Well, I have done it before, several times. Quark has teleported me a few times when we needed to get across the planet like this.” She was about to say something when sirens blared and a recorded voice belted out words in the local dialect. Chase pressed a hand up to her ear for the translator implant. “Crap, they detected your powers. We set off the alarms.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the alley. “The coordinates were supposed to keep us out of the sensor range.”
“I know. But our info on this country is not entirely reliable. WATCH IT!” She shoved him aside as two patrolmen rushed by.
Both lay behind a stinking garbage bin. Starmaster said, “I can’t transport us anywhere else without knowing where we are going. We will have to leave.”
“No. Trust me, I have set off enough alarms in my day. We can evade this.”
Starmaster closed his eyes. “I can...sense the thoughts of the patrolmen. They’re coming this way. They think we’re a person who has just manifested our powers. Now they are...”
She shoved her hand over his mouth. “Stop using your powers!”
“Oh, sorry. Habit.” He said, his voice muffled by her hand.
Chase looked back at a puddle and watched the reflection. “Crap, I can see them. They’ll be coming down this alley any time. We...”
Suddenly a brick wall formed in the air, sealing the alley and blocking the patrolmen from finding them. A dirty woman came up, looking around frantically. She looked down at them and then waved a hand for them to follow.
“What does she want?” Starmaster asked.
“I don’t know. But I doubt the patrols would be so grungy. I say we trust her, at least for now. Be ready to transport at a moment’s notice.”
“Trust me, I’m ready.”
***
Gar and Quark were escorted into the Royal Exhibition Building by a small team of guards led by an official. Local heroes and security forces stood guard all around the place. Military and heroes patrolled the streets and searched for signs of Krampus.
“How is the docent?” Quark asked.
The official said, “Henry will make it. It will take time in the hospital, but they could stabilize him quickly enough. Thank you for protecting him and this place.”
Gar said, “Thank Majestic. He kept your friend from bleeding to death.”
“Yes. I’m sure the Prime Minister will show his gratitude. For now, we need to ensure that these shards are taken care of. If they attract the likes of that monster, I don’t want them here.”
Quark said, “Agreed. We’re trying to make it clear to all nations who have any of these that they will bring destruction. I’m just glad this wasn’t another Argentina. Krampus blew that place to smithereens.”
They entered the grand showroom where dozens of seats were arranged near a stage. A platform sat on the stage with a large piece of the ruby. A man stood near it, taking a close look.
“Dr. Lightfoot, I’m sorry to ask you to hand this over. But this is for security reasons.”
The tall, thin man stood up and gave a sneer. He spoke slowly, “I see. And just who...or rather, what are these people?”
Quark was about to crack a joke about the man’s snootiness, but Gar spoke first. “I am Gargoyle of BADGE, this is my friend Strange Quark. To be honest, I am not entirely sure what either of us are, other than heroes.”
Quark snickered at that, especially with how honest Gar said that.
Dr. Lightfoot came over and examined Gar close with a small magnifying glass produced from his upper breast pocket. “Fascinating,…… I’d say you are made of granite, ...but I see small flecks of quartzite. ...By this composition,... I’d say you are from Germany.” His even, slow tone came out without emotion.
“Wow, that is great. I think I was made in Germany, about seven hundred years ago.”
“Fascinating.”
Quark let out an enormous yawn. “Well, we can have some strudel and beer later. We need to get that ruby in the safe.”
“Yes…of course.” Dr. Lightfoot carefully donned a cloth glove and gently picked up the shard.
Gar held up a small metal box and pressed a button. It opened, and they placed the ruby inside.
The official smiled. “Good, very good. The Prime Minister has informed me he has given an official order to the entire nation. If we find any more of these Shards, they will be immediately turned over to BADGE.”
Quark said, “Nice. I’ll let Nova know.”
Dr. Lightfoot calmly said, “I would like to offer my services...to BADGE...to study these shards...as an expert on…rare and unique...minerals.”
Gar said, “You talk funny.”
Quark elbowed Gar, then flinched as that hurt him. “Sure. I’ll let Nova know that. Well, we need to be going. Gar, you ready?”
“Yup.”
Quark held out his hands dramatically, and he flashed a dark red and fell over. “OW!”
Gar looked around. “This isn’t BADGE?”
“Obviously.” Quark sat on the floor for a second, holding his body. “I...I couldn’t do it. That really hurt.”
The official asked, “Are you okay? Do you need medical attention?”
“Trust me, you ain’t got anything to help me here. I think I just need some booze, been too long since my last drink.”
The official appeared highly curious about that line but didn’t question it. “We have some excellent local wine, beer, and whiskey if you’d like to have a drink. Epocha Restaurant is just next to the Carlton Gardens. They have a fine selection...
Quark's eyes lit up. “Sure, sure. Come on, Gar, let’s go.”
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