Beep. Beep. Beep. The alarm began to go off.

“Finally, something for us to do,” grumbled Zach. He had been getting bored.

“Yeah, sure,” chuckled Dave, “I’ve been enjoying the vacation.”

“Well, I’m glad,” said Canterman, “We could use the excitement.”

Canterman crawled out of his bed and to the closet. He peered in and began to search for his outfit.

“What to wear, what to wear,” he chuckled. There were only 4 uniforms in it - all the same.

“Very funny,” said Zach, “Now, c’mon we gotta get moving.” He had just woken up and desperately needed coffee. 

As Canterman got dressed, Dave began the trip to the dashboard.

“Looks like we got ourselves a level 5 hit and run, sir.”

“Uh, that would be a pirating attack, right Stellarant?”

“Close, sir, come take a look for yourself.”

As Canterman moved to the dashboard, Zach brought everyone a coffee. He tripped as he moved over to the dashboard, but Dave helped keep him stable.

“Hey, nice save,” said Canterman.

“Thanks,” said Zach, “Here’s your coffee.

“Hey, thanks!” said Canterman.

He took a look at the dashboard.

“Oh, I see. It’s just an attack. They’re not taking anything,”.

“Exactly, sir,” said Dave, “But they’ll probably chalk it up as a pirate attack, though, so you were mostly right.”

“Great, but wouldn’t the Star Guard be taking care of this. I thought piracy was in their jurisdiction.”

“Well, sir, usually it would be, but, this time, it was Star Force 2 they were attacking.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” said Canterman with a chuckle, “Those bozos attacked the vice-president? What were they thinking?”

“This is no laughing matter,” said Dave, “The engines have been damaged; they can’t move,”

“Oh, sorry, so…do we think it was a terrorist attack? Or was it something else?”

“Terrorism is the best guess for now, but we do need to get there. Quickly.”

“Okay. Zach set a course for - uh - where are they exactly?”

“23.5-51-9”

“Okay, did you hear that, Zach?”

“Yeah, I heard it,” said Zach, “Setting course for 23.5-51-9, the Senta quadrant.”

As they were moving, Dave debriefed the both of them about what they were going to do.

“Okay, from what I’ve been told, we’re going to assess whether the damage is too severe for us to fix. If it is, then we pull it back to Station 12. If it isn’t, then we do the repairs as quickly as possible and escort it to Station 12. The important thing to remember is that our first order of business will be to get the vice-president and every other person on that ship onto ours. That way we can keep them safe.”

“Okay, I understand,” said Zach, “A simple rescue repair escort. Got it. Do they want us to wash their feet, too?”

“Uh, no. Sir? Thoughts?

“Perfect plan. Just gonna make some adjustments,” said Canterman, “Hope you don’t mind?”

“No, sir.”

“I was just thinking that there could be unforeseen circumstances.”

“Seems likely, sir.”

“So, if I say we do something else, then we change the plan. okay, boys?”

“Understood, sir,” said Zach and Dave in unison.

“Then we’re ready and we should just about be there, right Zach?”

“Uh,” said Dave as he looked at the navigational dashboard, “Yes, we just arrived,”.

“Then, let’s get ready to do some repairs,” he said with such ferocity that both Dave and Zach both burst out laughing. Canterman turned towards them. 

“Great, now, I’ve got a couple of comedians on my crew,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “But seriously let’s move to the loading dock.”

They all nodded in agreement and got into their positions. Dave sat at the dashboard, Zach went to the helm, and Canterman stood in the center.

“Ready,” said Dave.

“Ready,” said Zach.

“Alright, then,” said Canterman, “Let’s see what we’re dealing with.”

As the ship came into view, Zach let out a low whistle. It was a huge ship that must have been around 1000 meters long and 500 meters wide.

“Woo-ee, that is one big ship. How many people should be on that ship?”

“24,” said Dave without batting an eye. 

“Seems wrong,” said Canterman, “But it sure makes our job easier. What is the maximum recommended occupancy for our ship, Dave?”

“30”

“Well, we might be a little squished, but that’s fine.”

The ship was beautiful, the light glinting off the windows; it looked like a great diamond in space. It had the subtle color scheme of the American Flag, but it had the colors of the Murican Empire, red and black, as well.

As they docked, they looked at each other, unaware of what was before them yet knowing what they had to do.

“You guys ready for this?” asked Canterman.

“No, but let’s do it anyways,” said Zach, while rolling his eyes.

“Yeah,” said Dave

“Alright,” said Canterman, “Let’s go. Zach, are we attached and locked?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then. I want you to go and open the door, but keep a weapon on you, just in case, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Thanks, I have a strange feeling about all this for some reason. A gnawing feeling growling in my gut.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing more than a bit of indigestion,” said Zach while laughing, “I told you not to eat those tacos.”

“Okay, okay, but - be safe.”

“Alright,” said Zach, “I’ll be safe, Mother.”

Zach walked down the hall and to the door, still chuckling at the previous situation, but, because he didn’t want to worry Canterman, he checked his laser and turned the safety off. “Alright,” he thought, “Nothing crazy.” He held it out at the door and put the combination in to open the door. Woosh. As soon as it opened, 15 people rushed in.

“Close it, quickly, quickly!” one of them screamed, “Do it fast, now! Before it’s too late! Hurry!”

He rushed and put the combination in to close it. Just in time, too. At that moment, a long snarl could be heard just down the hall. Right before the door closed, he could just see a large beast barreling down the hall. He shot at it with his laser, and a long stream of pure energy could be seen emanating from the barrel. The shot hit the beast, and it let out a blood-curdling scream. 

When the doors closed, he put in the command to release the locks from the ship and activated the intercom to message the bridge.

“Guys, get us away from that ship. Fast.”

“Okay, okay,” said Canterman hurriedly, “Dave, let’s go.”

Zach heard a loud metallic bang, and he realized: the creature was trying to get through the door. He saw the door bend forward 2 centimeters and bounce back an instant later. That door was nearly 4 centimeters of steel.

“Hurry,” he murmured, “Hurry,”.

Whoosh. The retro jets fired, and the ship began to move away from the door. Zach immediately activated the portside camera. He wanted to see what would happen. 

When the ship was around 50 meters away, the door burst open, and a creature resembling a bear and a snake erupted outwards; however, the lack of oxygen quickly killed it. Fortunately, the ship closed another door and the seal was fixed. The vice-president would be safe.

“What the shell was that?!” asked Zach in exasperation, “What the shell! What the shell!”

“That man said it was a Drigurian Beast,” whimpered one of the escapees, “it’s an alien creature.”

“What man?”

“Af-af-after we got blasted, a-a-a man came on the screen and h-he started laughing. He said he would en-enjoy our pain in dealing with those…creatures.”

He shook in the remembrance of the event.

“Creatures? There’s more? How many more?” questioned Zach.

“Ye-yes, there were three in total.” stammered the escapee.

“Okay, I’m gonna need to talk to my Inpastro,” said Zach. You can all stay here. We should have some coffee in the kitchen, okay? Looks like you guys could use some. You’ve been through a lot.”

They all began to nod, but, then, one said “But the vice-president is still on there! You need to get him.”

“He’s most likely dead. Those creatures had to have gotten him by now. Did you see it? It broke through that door like it was plastic.”

“No, no, no. The vice-president was in his quarters,” said the man, “and, as soon as the ship got hit, his quarters would have been locked down. It would take your laser there around thirty minutes to burn a small hole into it. We used heavy stuff to protect him.”

“Okay, we’ll work on it.”

“He also had three aids with him, in case you think one man isn’t worth the risk,” said the man sassily.

“Alright, we’ll work on it. Didn’t I say I’d work on it? Okay.”

He looked around the room at the men.

“I’ll be back.”

Zach began the walk back to the bridge. It wasn’t a far distance, but far enough that his conversation wouldn’t be heard. When he got there, Canterman and Dave were waiting for him.

“So you wanna tell us what happened?” asked Canterman, “What was that ‘move away’ all about, Zach?”

“Drigurian Beast”

“Great answer. Dave, do you understand that?”

“Yeah,” said Dave as he took a deep breath and began his encyclopedic recitation, “A Drigurian Beast is a reptilian creature from the planet Driguria. They have fur, as well as scales. They are approximately 2 meters tall and 3 meters long. Their bite can rival a hippopotamus and their claws are about 10 centimeters long. They are not allowed to be removed from their habitat. Doing so is punishable by at least 20 years in prison.”

“Thank you, Dave. Care to explain Zach?”

“There were three beasts on Star Force 2,” said Zach, “They killed 5 people, by my estimate, and we just gave one of them a trip to space. Free of charge.”

“Hmm. Interesting. Well, now that we’ve got our danger high, we can go home.”

“Canterman?”

“Yes, Zach?”

“The vice-president is still on board with 3 aids in a secure room”

“Oh, gosh. I guess that would mean we have to get them, then?”

“Yes, I think that would be wise.”

“Hmm. Okay, how did those beasts get there in the first place? Were they being transported or something?”

“One of the rescued passengers said that some man dropped ‘em in and laughed at them through a video contact.”

“Just one passenger?”

“Well, the other ones couldn’t do anything except nod. They’re pretty shaken up.”

“Okay, then,” said Canterman, “Well, we’ll show him; won’t we, Zach?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Great. Then, let’s turn this ship around and get back there.”

“Alright, then. Get ready.”

As Zach changed the ship’s course, Canterman and Dave thought through their strategic tactic. Where they would go, what they would do, who they would bring. Everything needed for a rescue operation.

“Alright, what do you think?” asked Canterman.

“Well, I think we should move in from the west side,” answered Dave.

“Why?”

“Kitchen’s on the east side. Beasts might be there.”

“Hmm, good point, and, when we get in, we go to the vice-president’s quarters?”

“No, I think we need to kill those beasts, first.”

“Hmm, yeah, great idea. Just one problem - uh - how?! Aren’t they like super strong and protected or something!?”

“First, get a message to the vice-president; tell him to lock his quarters down so it’s airtight. It would be bad if he didn’t. Second, we go in - wearing spacesuits, and we open the airlocks. Then, we wait for them to die, and, when they’re dead, we close the airlocks and pump oxygen back in. Finally, we put the thing on the thing and save the day.”

“Dave?” asked Canterman.

“Yes, sir?”

“You’re enjoying this too much.”

“Sorry, sir.”

“It’s okay. Anyway, sounds like a plan. Let’s get ready. So, what all do we need for your plan?”

“Let me think. Uh - spacesuits - lasers and - um - knives and tethers,” said Dave.

“Done. Let’s grab them.”

Before they left to grab everything, Dave and Canterman grabbed a snack. Then, they walked down to the armory. They each grabbed their spacesuits and a laser. They also grabbed a knife and a tether from the rescue equipment.

“Got everything?” asked Canterman.

“Yes, sir,” said Dave.

“Alright, then.”

Canterman, then, pushed the intercom and asked Zach “Are we there?”

“Just arrived,” said Zach, “Happy jumping. Though, I would recommend using the airlock near you unless you want to float out into space. Your choice, though.”

“What’s he talking about?” asked Dave.

“Nothing,” said Canterman to Dave and, then, to Zach “Acknowledged. Let’s move.”

When Canterman and Zach got to the airlock, they put on their spacesuits and checked for leaks. Neither one of them wanted to deal with a leak once they reached the ship. Fortunately, the suits were a very durable material and didn’t break easily.

“Am I good?” asked Canterman.

“Yes, sir. How about me? Am I good, as well?”
“Yeah, you’re good,” said Canterman while pushing a button, “Activating airlock, now.”

The air began to retreat from the room. Both Canterman and Dave felt a little nervous. Something about a vacuum can make people a little scared. 

When it was all out, Canterman opened the airlock door. He looked at Dave and launched himself out. When Canterman reached the ship, Dave launched out to the ship. When they were both on the hull of the cruiser, they were ecstatic to see that they were only a few meters from the nearest airlock, which would give them less distance to move.

Dave looked over and said “Nice,”. Canterman understood and gave the thumbs up. They began to move over to the airlock. 

“Good thing these ships have lots of handholds,” said Canterman. 

Dave just nodded; he was intently focused on the task at hand. 

“I forgot,” thought Canterman, “Dave isn’t comfortable in space. A good trait to have, though. Keeps him safe.”

When they reached the airlock, Canterman moved to the console and put the code into it. Whoever put the beasts in had to have known that code, but how?

“We’re in,” said Canterman, “Let’s move.”

Quickly, they pulled themselves inside and closed the door. Canterman looked at Dave, nodded, and moved to the side. Dave understood and activated the airlock controls which proceeded to pump air into the airlock. It worked. That meant that the ship’s emergency power and life support were still operational.

When the airlock was balanced with the ship’s atmosphere, Dave turned to Canterman and gave him the thumbs up.

“Permission to remove helmet, sir?” asked Dave, “Atmosphere is present and it looks clean to me.”

Canterman took a second to think. He wanted to make sure he followed regulations and made the right choice.

“Yes, but keep it ready. You never know if you’ll need it. Once we get to the atmospheric controls, I’m going to need you. We’re going to need to vacuum this ship. If you know what I mean.”

“Yes, sir,” said Dave with a chuckle as he took his helmet off, “I think I got your drift,”.

“Perfect. Then, shall we move?”

“Of course, sir. Lead the way.”

They opened the door and cautiously walked out. They heard a dull howl echo down the hall. It sounded eerie and evil. It must have been one of those beasts.

“Oh crap! let’s get back!” yelled Canterman, “It’s those beasts coming for us!”

“By my calculations, sir, that howl would have been roughly 300 meters away… Give or take a few meters.”

“So, are we in the clear?”

“I’m afraid not, sir. That howl you heard? I believe it was the Drigurian Beast’s hunting call…If I am not mistaken.”

“Dave, what are you trying to say?” asked Canterman.

“Sir, these beasts must know we’re here. They would have made the hunting call for the vice-president already, if he hasn’t sealed off his cabin, yet.”

“Stellarant, from what distance could this beast smell our sweat?”

“At my estimate, it is over 500 meters. They must have smelled us when we got on. - Sir, I swear I took a bath last night.”

Canterman couldn’t help but smile. Sometimes Dave was just downright funny, but it was not the time for jokes.

“I’m sure you did,” said Canterman, “Did you say 500 meters? Hmm, that could be a problem. You might’ve wanted to say something back in the ship.”

“You didn’t ask,” said Dave.

“Well, this could be a problem, right?”

“Yes, sir. I think it could.”

“So…should we go back? What do you think?”

“Well, there is a good chance we will die, and there is only a 12% chance of success, but the decision is yours in the en-”

“Did you say a 12% chance?”

“Yes. Well, technically a 12.23% chance.”

“I’ll take those odds. Let’s move.”

“Yes, sir.”

So, slowly they began to move down the hall. They looked to the left and right, ready at any moment for the flurry of fur and scales that they knew would come, but it didn’t. They had walked for 100 meters and didn’t see anything. Not even a trace of one. They continued to look, and, at 200 meters, they saw what the problem was. Huge walls made of Bycantium.

“Bycantium,” said Dave in awe, “I’ve never seen so much.”

Canterman understood. Bycantium was so rare that it was never used except in small doses of a couple hundred grams, at most. Either the man they were facing was rich or had discovered a way to make Bycantium synthetically. Both would make him extremely rich.

“Why would this be here?” asked Canterman, “And how are we going to get through?”

“My theory is that, whoever that man was who put these beasts here, he also placed these walls to keep them contained. Maybe, 2 to get the vice-president and one to keep the others busy.”

“Hmm. So do you think he was here to attack the vice-president?”

“Well,” said Dave, “There would be no other reasons.”

“Then, do you think the protected quarters were unknown to the attacker?”

Dave thought about that for a few seconds.

“Hmm. I guess they would have to be,” said Dave, “He didn’t try and remove the protection. If he had known, he would’ve tried to remove it.”

“So that must mean we’re dealing with someone who is not part of the government,” said Canterman, “An outside job.”

“Well, what would that tell us?”

“That he is not as powerful as he may seem.”

“Really?” asked Dave, while looking around.

“No,” responded Canterman, “But - it seemed like a cool thing to say.”

“Okay, then, but we might want to get moving.”

“Oh, yes. Of course,” said Canterman sheepishly, “I forgot we were in enemy territory.”

They spent a couple of seconds looking at the wall. Then, Canterman noticed something.

“Hey, Dave. Come here.”

“Yes. Sir?”

“What does that line look like to you?”

“It appears to be a seam.”

“So there must be an entrance - a door - something. Right?” asked Canterman.

“I think so.”

Canterman started to feel around.

“What is this?” he asked. He had felt a small divot on the surface.

“There seems to be a divot in the metal.”

“I feel one over here, too,” said Dave

Canterman pressed into it, and, to his surprise, it moved slightly.

“It feels like a button,” said Canterman.

“Hmm,” murmured Dave, as he pushed his, “Mine does, too.”

“I wonder if this opens it? Here let me try something.”

Canterman moved Dave to the side. He put both of his fingers on the divots and pushed in. Click. Shunk. A small section of the wall, around seventy centimeters by seventy centimeters, popped out around one centimeter.

“Got it,” said Canterman, “Let’s pull this out.”

As he and Dave pulled it back, it slid forward and came free.

“Wow, this is rather light,” said Canterman.

“Remarkable,” said Dave, “no one has ever held this much Bycantium before.”

“You can write a book about it.”

“Why would I want to write a book?” asked Dave confusedly.

“True,” said Canterman, “Let’s try and get through that wall.”

They walked up to the hole in the wall; it was just large enough to slide through with their suits on.

“It’s never easy, is it sir?” sighed Dave.

“Not usually, Dave…So - let me get this straight - there could be a creature waiting to gobble our heads up as soon as we get through. Do you think it’s worth it?”

“Well, I don’t hear any breathing, and I don’t smell any animals, but it is possible. The decision is yours, as usual.”

“I’ve never left a man behind,” said Canterman, “But I don’t know.”

Canterman thought deeply while considering his options. He only saw one option that he could do.

“I have an idea,” began Canterman, “I’m going to stick my head through the hole. If I see one of those beasts, I will try and get out of there as fast as possible. If I don’t see one, I will stomp my foot three times.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan.”

‘The thing to remember is that if I die I want you to pull me out and bury me.”

“Let’s not die, sir,” said Dave.

Canterman got ready for his plan. He set his hands on the edge and began to move. Through the opening that could very well be his grave.

“I hope I don’t die,” thought Canterman, “That would be bad.”

When his head poked through, he quickly looked around, expecting to see a large mouth bearing down on him, but there was nothing. He was in the clear. 

He stomped his foot three times; Dave understood and knocked on the wall three times to let him know he got it. 

Canterman began to move himself forward. When he was through, he said to Dave “Come on out. We’re good.”

Dave slowly began to crawl forward through the hole. When he got out, Canterman helped him up.

“Nice place you got,” said Dave.

“Just a little hole in the wall,” chuckled Canterman.

Then, they heard a low growl.

“Hey, uh, Dave. Did you hear that?” asked Canterman.

“Unfortunately, yes,” said Dave.

They both looked down the hall and saw 3 eyes in the distance, approaching fast, and the stench of its breath, wafting over them, smelled like the rotting flesh of the men they knew it had killed.

“Quick, get that boy some laser juice!” screamed Canterman.

“On it, sir. Take that you overgrown furry lizard!” screamed Dave.

They both fired. Canterman hit in its center eye, and Dave hit in the leg; it went down. “Yes!” said Canterman and Dave, but, after a few moments, it began to get back up.

“What the smell! This thing is tough,”

“Yes, sir, that’s the scales. They give it an extra level of protection - even from lasers.”

Canterman looked at him with a look in his eyes that was saying “Bruh”.

“Well, keep firing,” said Canterman, “Aim for the eyes - maybe, we can blind it.”

They fired again. Canterman missed, and Dave hit its ear, and it howled in pain.

“Again!” yelled Dave.

They both fired. Dave hit the left eye, and Canterman hit its other ear. It slowed down, now only 15 meters away. It paused, perhaps deciding if it was worth it, and began to run again. Still toward them.

“Fire! fire!” yelled Canterman, but the beast was upon them. It slashed at Dave who jumped back and just barely escaped its claws. It lunged at Canterman, but he sidestepped its attack and pulled his knife from its sheath. He whirled and plunged it into the beast’s last remaining eye; it began to squirm as in pain, but, then, after a few moments, it became still and died. As if, without its eyes, it no longer had a reason to live.

They were both very tense and frightened when they saw the death blow.

“Oh my gosh,” said Canterman.

“That was an interesting circumstance,” said Dave, now, strangely calm.

‘Yeah, that’s right,” chuckled Canterman, still tense, “What happened?”

“Well, looks like it died.”

“Wow, hmm. Is that your professional opinion?”

“Yes, si-”

“Of course, it died! Gosh! Why did it die? That’s the question.”

“Oh, sorry, sir.”

“It’s fine, but what do you think?”

“It could be a psychological effect on the creature when it no longer has eyesight,” began Dave, “Or it could be that the brain function is directly correlated to the eyes.”

“But the eyes probably connect to the brain in some ways.”

“That would be my best guess, sir.”

“We can use that, then.”

“Why, sir?”

“What if we run into those creatures again? We have to be able to kill them.”

“Yeah, but, uh, sir?”

“What, Dave?”

“The airlock controls are right here.”

“Oh,” said Canterman, a little embarrassed, “Very good, then. Um, proceed.”

“Okay. Um. You might want to put your helmet on.”

“Yeah. That’s pretty important.”

As Canterman proceeded to put his helmet on, Dave began the process of shutting down the airlock safety features using the long line of codes needed.

“Um. 753L. 6972. 345. Ref4. and LMNOP. That was a really dumb code, to be honest.”

As he inputted the second to last code, he motioned to Canterman to come over.

“Yeah, Dave?” asked Canterman.

“I’m going to be inputting the final code,” said Dave, “When I say ‘done’, I’m going to need you to push that button right there.”

“This blue one?”

“No, the red one right next to it.”

Canterman pointed to another button.

“No, no, no, yes, that one,” said Dave

Canterman sighed in relief. He wouldn’t have to sit there for an hour getting the “Understand What I’m Saying” lecture.

“Okay, Dave,” said Canterman, “I’m ready.”

“One more thing. You have 10 seconds to run over and grab onto something. Best of luck.”

“Wait, what!?”

“3. 2. 1.”

“Wait, I’m going.”

Dave put in the final code.

“Now!”

Canterman pushed the button.

“Got it!”

Lights started flashing and Dave and Canterman started running.

9. 8. 7.

Dave spotted a railing and moved over and grabbed it. Canterman was still struggling to find a place.

6. 5.

Then, he saw a doorway with handholds. “Perfect,” he thought, and he started running to it.

4. 3.

He reached the door, got himself in, and grabbed hold of the door edges to keep him secured.

2. 1.

Then, a great blast of wind seemed to erupt next to him. He felt himself being pulled and pushed at the same time, but, after a few seconds, it was calm. The air was gone.

“Is it time to close and repump?” asked Canterman.

“Not yet,” said Dave, but, then, after a few seconds, “Now,”.

Dave began the reclosing process. A much easier process than opening had been.

“Okay, time to repump.”

He pushed some buttons and flipped a switch.

“There we go. It should be done in 2 minutes 29 seconds.”

“Thank you, Dave. Should we start heading down, now?”

“I believe it would be a good idea, sir,” said Dave.

“Then, let’s move out.”

They headed down the hall, took a left, and walked 30 meters to the vice-president’s room.

“How do we get in?” asked Dave.

“We ask Zach.”

“Ah.”

“You got that, Zach?”

“Yeah, I hear you,” said Zach, “Sending message, now,”.

“Good,” said Canterman, “See you on the other side.”

“Of course.”

After a few seconds, the door began to open. Cautiously, an aid appeared.

“Is it safe?” he asked.

“Depends on whether y’all got a bear in there,” said Canterman.

“This is not the time for jokes”

“Sorry, but we are here for the vice-president.”

“Okay, come in.”

They walked in and were met by 3 laser-wielding men.

“Hey, how y’all doing?”

“Who are you?”

“Well, I’m Inpastro Canterman. Security code 58796453.”

“And him?”

“I am Stellarant Dave. Security code 34758967.”

The survivors looked at each other and nodded.

“Come in, sir.”

“Thank you. Um, where is the vice-president?”

The survivors looked at each other and smiled. Then, they looked behind Dave and Canterman.

“Uh, that would be me,” said the aid from earlier.

“Hmm, may I ask why you were out?”

“Well, I didn’t want any more of my men to die, so I risked my own life.”

Canterman moved over to Dave and whispered “I like this guy.”

Then, to the vice-president, “Sir, we’re going to need you to come with us.”

“But what about those awful creatures?”

Now, it was Dave’s and Canterman’s turn to smile.

“Gone into space. One stabbed and one asphyxiated.”

“You two? All by yourself?”

“Yes, sir…Well, we did have a little help from our pilot.”

“Remarkable. Well, let’s go; shall we?”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

“Oh,” said the vice-president, “I must be getting a message.”

Suddenly, a video began to show up. It was a man, twenty-six years old, with blond hair. He looked to be around 6 feet and had bright blue eyes. He was sharply dressed in a full gold flight suit, the kind usually reserved for generals.

“Well, hello Inpastro - Canterman, was it? - I am very impressed with the work you’ve done. Nice workmanship. Oh - Dave - nice idea to blow out the ship. Worked out pretty well, if I do say so myself.”

He had a voice like a bass in a baritone’s body. Deep and rich, yet smooth and soft, and his accent seemed Russian and British.

“Please do excuse my mess. I had just simply had to let my dogs out to play, but they do seem to have gotten a little out of control.”

“Who are you?” asked Canterman.

“Ah, Canterman. Always the impetuous one. Well, I do suppose I do owe you a name. I am Rex Vandross. Though you can call me Van…Rexaru…really whatever you want. I only answer to Rex, however, so if you want to talk to me, I would recommend using that.”

“Why would you attack this ship? It was on a peaceful ambassador mission,” asked Canterman.

“Why - because I could. Now, do please be a dear. I have to go. Ta-ta”

“Wait, you’re under arrest!”

But it was too late. He had cut communication.

“You there,” said Canterman, pointing at one of the aids, “Figure out where the blast that transmission was coming from.”

“Yes, sir,” he answered.

“Dave, what are your thoughts?”

“Well, sir. It looks like we may have found the first crime syndicate in over a century.”

“Thank you, Dave. Where do you think he could be?”

“Not enough information to guess, yet.”

“Okay, then. Thank you.”

“Sir?” said the aid.

“Yes.”

“The computer has no record of any form of transmission since 12 hours ago. When the vice-president was on-call with the president.”

“What?”

“I’m not joking, sir.”

“Let me take a look.”

Canterman walked over to the computer. There were no recorded transmissions.

“Dave!” asked Canterman, “What does this mean?”

“My thoughts are that this man has technology capable of sending messages undetectable by our systems.”

“That’s some pretty nice technology.”

“I would say so, sir. What are we going to do about it?”

“Nothing for today. I need some sleep.”

“But tomorrow, will we go out and catch him?”

“Oh, yes.”

Then, Canterman put his arm around Dave and said “This is going to be fun.”