Team Sloth Strikes

     Ax was the elder brother, slightly taller with a luminous yellow colouring that shone when he was happy. Ix was a deeper shade of blue. They were inseparable, which meant that one Grundos’ mistake became the others.

     They had named their ship ‘The Second Chance’, for that is what the brothers wanted, a second chance at starting a successful business and enjoying a quieter life. If someone was counting, it should’ve been called the 31st Chance, though. They had started off mining the comets around Kreludor, but they quickly realised manual labour wasn’t their thing. Instead, they put Ax’s book smarts and Ix’s technological know-how to better use.

     Their most recent “chance” had ended spectacularly. With lots of shouting and fire. It also saw the end of their former workplace. They’d managed to flee or abscond in vessel 234, which they hastily rechristened ‘The Second Chance’.

     The brothers readied their battered spacecraft, and it rattled to life on the dusty surface of Kreludor. The two began to argue about who had packed more of their latest stock of Booktastic Books into the cargo bay.

     “I told you we needed more vacuums!” Ix snapped as he was tossing a crate into the hold. “I would hazard a guess that nobody on Virtupets cares much about their reading material! What they will really want is useful household appliances!”

     Ax rolled his eyes, as though this is one of his most frequent expressions. He was clutching a mint-condition, brand-new Freds Pirate Tales to his chest. “Well, they should care. Knowledge is power, you know! Mum always said that, she read three books a day! And also... You know these books resell really well.”

     The pair’s mission was a humble one. Make a fair profit peddling their scrounged second-hand tech and collectible books to the peaceful populace of Virtupets.

     "Let's hope you're right Ax. If we don't make enough Neopoints on this run then we'll have to go to The Sway for a loan, and I don't think they'll take our ship for collateral", grumbled Ix.

     Ax nodded sagely, “We also don’t have enough Neopoints to buy anymore stock from Og the black-market book dealer”.

     Beneath their good-natured bickering and get-rich-quick scheming, there was trouble already brewing on the far side of the space station. Unbeknownst to the brothers, Team Sloth was already in motion.

     ---

     Somewhere deep in the murky corridors of Virtupets' lower decks, Commandant Morix, a once proud officer of the station, was finalising his betrayal. This traitorous Grundo now commanded the transport division… and was putting the final touches to his daring plan.

     Morix’s heart began to race as he poured over the plan. His bright orange palms felt clammy and hot. Soon, he would have to engage with Lieutenant Galix, that icy-eyed Dr. Sloth fanatic who hopefully stood ready to deploy the infestation of Evil Space Fuzzles.

     Commandant Morix was currently alone in the flickering glow of his terminal. On his console, a small red light pulsed, indicating an incoming transmission. The screen displayed the code ‘Priority One’ and the name, “Lieutenant Galix”. The name alone made Morix’s neck stiffen. He hesitated, his fingers hovering over the “accept” key. This was it. No more planning. No more backroom whispers. He was about to help unleash pure chaos on the very station he’d once sworn to protect.

     With a resigned breath, he tapped the console. Galix’s sharp, cold face filled the screen. His eyes were glowing with anticipation. “Commandant,” he said without any pleasantries whatsoever. “The plan is unchanged from Update Z.21. The shipment is currently en route as planned. You’ll open Bay Twelve at 1300 Neopian Standard Time. My team will drop the cargo and proceed to upper-deck access via Maintenance Shaft C.”

     Morix swallowed hard. “And…what of the Fuzzles?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

     “They’ll do what they do best, Commandant. They will wreak undeniable havoc,” Galix said with a smirk. “While the station's security scrambles to contain them, I’ll move in with the infiltration unit and seize the command centre. Our recon team has determined that the security troops are unlikely to change their patrols, meaning all should go according to plan. The target area will be vulnerable.” He leaned in closer. “All you need to do is signal operative Hax-One. Frequency 810. He’ll disable the scanner grid in the bay. No scans, no questions, no guards or resistance.” Galix’s lips curled into what could be seen as a smile.

     Morix nodded stiffly, hiding his shaking hands beneath the desk. “Understood.”

     “Then we’re agreed,” Galix said. “Don’t fail me, and don’t fail Sloth.”

     The transmission ended and the screen slowly dimmed; the glow from the image faded, leaving nothing but darkness on the screen. Morix stared at his reflection in the monitor. For weeks now, he had been plagued with doubts. Now that the event was actually approaching, he was beginning to falter. Was this what loyalty to Sloth really meant? Was he making the correct decision?

     His mind briefly flashed back to his induction to Team Sloth. The monotonous work in Virtupets, the archaic rules and regulations, and the lack of promotions and recognition. That had all changed with Team Sloth. They valued his contributions and skills, not like the current Generals here in the station. Morix’s resolve began to harden. He had seen the corruption here in Virtupets; Team Sloth had to stop it. The signal had to be sent. He was in too deep now, regardless. If he didn’t follow through, he would be exposed and spend eternity in a jail cell or at the mercy of Team Sloth.

     Morix left his private office and proceeded to his primary workstation, where he was flanked by two bumbling buffoons, Blurp and Glurp. They were his new employees, and he was definitely earning his pay by working with them.

     ---

     “Virtupets Transport Division, please respond! This is the vessel The Second Chance, requesting docking clearance,” Ix said into the com. He was tapping the mic with increasing frustration. “We have cargo, amazing top-grade Kreludor vacuums and first-edition Booktastic Books. Very valuable, and we’d like to get selling them!” He blurted out impatiently.

     A burst of static answered him at first. Then: “This is Blurp. Uh, Blurp! Yeah! Second Chance? Did we give you a first chance? I can’t see anything on my screen”.

     Ax leaned over the console, grinning. “It’s the name of our ship, genius. What’s the hold-up? We’ve been orbiting for thirty minutes and our drive's starting to smell like burnt borovan.”

     On the other end, Blurp and Glurp’s squabbling voices overlapped through the speakers. “They said they have books. Do we like books?” Glurp asked.

     “I dunno, but I don’t like vacuums. One once tried to eat my antennae,” Blurp said nervously.

     “Do they do that?” Glurp said, looking puzzled.

     “It was hungry! They eat everything when they are hungry!”, Blurp said most seriously.

     Ix slapped his forehead and muttered into the comm, “Are you two even licensed to manage the docking bay?”

     There was a pause, then a unified: “...Maybe?”

     “Look,” Ax said, adopting his most charming salesman voice, “we’re just two humble and definitely honest traders looking to make a modest profit. May we dock so we can start our work?”

     Blurp made a confused humming sound. “Docking permits are, uh, backed up. Super official reasons. You need to wait. Maybe, like, ten minutes? Or an hour? Or until my lunch break is over.”

     “Unbelievable,” Ix muttered. “We should’ve gone to the Haunted Woods. At least there, the ghosts answer your calls.”

     Ax flopped into the pilot seat with a sigh. “Fine. We’ll wait. This is ridiculous.”

     Back in the station’s transport control booth, Blurp and Glurp nodded to themselves as they flicked random buttons with zero understanding of their functions. “We handled that like professionals,” Blurp said proudly.

     Glurp beamed. “Totally. Want to play with the flashing red lever next and get lunch?”

     Back in his dimly lit office, Commandant Morix stared at his comlink, thumb hovering over the transmission button. With a sharp inhale, he switched it to frequency 810.

     “Hax-One,” he said in a low voice, “this is Morix. Disable the scanner grid for Docking Bay 94. Operation is a go.”

     A faint click filled the silence and a garbled voice replied, “Acknowledged. Grid down in thirty seconds.”

     Morix closed the channel and turned to the intercom, punching in the code for the transport desk. Blurp’s gurgling voice answered almost instantly, muttering greetings and responses.

     “Blurp, listen carefully,” Morix said sternly, cutting him off. “There is a ship named Green Shadow idling in space, waiting to dock. Transmit docking clearance immediately. They will proceed to Bay 94, no scans, no delays. This is a priority order.”

     Blurp let out a proud-sounding snort. “We were going to get lunch I’m on it!”

     “I note there is another vessel, civilian traders I believe? Give them Bay 93 and keep them out of the way. Inform the security patrol in that area to inspect their cargo as well”.

     Blurp saluted his monitor even though no one could see him. “Yes, sir! Bay 94 and Bay 93. Got it.” He paused.

     Blurp spun in his chair and shouted over his shoulder, “Glurp! We got two ships to park! One goes to 94, one goes to 93!

     “Wait, was that 93 or 94? Uh oh.” Blurp pondered.

     In a flurry of panicked typing and snack crumbs, the instructions were scrambled and transmitted. Both ships received clearance for Docking Bay 93.

     ---

     Inside their cockpit, Ax and Ix looked at each other in alarm as a large, ominous vessel loomed just above them, also trying to land.

     “Uh,” Ax said, gripping the controls, “I think our parking spot is double-booked.”

     Ix narrowed his eyes and whispered, “Is it me, or is that ship kinda creepy?”

     Both ships manoeuvred into the docking bay. They were fortunate that it was large enough to house both of them. In fact, the docking bay was massive. They edged their ship in further, towards a vacated area of the docking bay. As the ship landed and the engine began to power down, they could hear machinery and the occasional clatter of cargo crates outside. From their viewports, they could see the muted green decking that was normally lit with dull yellow lights. Whilst ships were moving, however, it pulsed with orange warning lights.

     A robotic voice filled the docking bay as it bellowed from speakers on the roof. It barked orders and advised caution due to the arrival of both ships. Ax could see maintenance crews, technicians, and even a couple of curious snack vendors regarding both vessels with quizzical looks.

     Ix pressed his face closer to the viewport. “They’ve clearly been upgrading the place, new lights!”

     “I didn’t request a spotlight,” Ax said nervously, adjusting his scarf. “I mean, I like attention, but this feels a little much.”

     The ship jerked slightly as it settled fully onto the landing platform. Without thinking, the twins activated the airlock and stepped out onto the deck, shielding their eyes from the sweeping scan lights.

     “What’s with the guards approaching?” Ix asked weakly.

     Before Ax could respond, a squad of Virtupet’s security officers came over from the far end of the hangar, uniforms crisp, weapons drawn but set to stun. One of them raised a gloved hand toward the brothers.

     “Do you know who authorised your docking? It's irregular to have two ships dock at the same time,” The guard said, with a slight note of suspicion rising in his voice.

     Ax blinked. “Is there a problem?”

     “It was Glurp or Blurp, I can’t remember, one of your witless wonders in the Transport Division”, is interrupted, sensing the danger.

     Suddenly, overhead speakers cut off mid-sentence, only to be replaced with a new, more urgent message.

     “ALERT! HAZARDOUS LIFEFORMS DETECTED.”

     The guards snapped to attention, glaring at Ax and Ix.

     “Its not us” they exclaimed, fear rising in them.

     From the other ship, the sound of a cargo hatch opening made them all jump.

     All heads turned toward the dark and mysterious ship that had come in with them. It was now hissing ominously as its airlock began to open.

     Ix’s mouth dropped open. “Guards, we’ll let you, ugh, take it from here.”

     Ax muttered, “Yeah, I’d rather not see what the hazardous lifeform is.” They began to back away.

     ---

     From his command console, Morix stood there frozen. He was gripping the edges of his desk, watching the security feed from Docking Bay 93. An expression of stunned disbelief was etched upon his face. Both ships had landed but in the same hangar.

     “What are they doing in 93, they’re supposed to be in 94!”, Morix hissed. “Blurp and Glurp have messed it up again”.

     “Blurp! Glurp!” he barked into the intercom. “Delay all incoming support vessels. I don’t care if you have to tell them something exploded, just stall them!”

     On the other end, a crashing noise sounded, followed by Glurp yelling, “The cafeteria is on fire?”

     Morix groaned, flipping to a private channel. “Hax, come in. We’ve had a problem. Blurp and Glurp sent the ship to the wrong hangar bay. The alarms are already active; disable all hazard prevention and anti-intruder settings in Docking Bay 93. We might need to divert patrols to another hanger.”

     But the channel stayed quiet.

     “Hax?” Morix tried again, a little more desperate this time. “Respond … please.”

     Still nothing.

     A chill ran through him. He was going to pay for this blunder.

To be continued…