It had been an eventful past few minutes for Wally.
He was sitting up on the hull of Boss Hog, enjoying the fully oxygenated air, when red lights began flashing all around and a warning address blared over the PA. Then, like ants from a stirred nest, the hangar was suddenly full of people. They swarmed over the ground, working with speed and more than a hint of panic. All around Wally ships were powering up and rising from the ground. A man saw Wally's ship and started to say something, then he got a closer look at it and thought better of it.
It was all very quick. A minute later, there were only two ships in the whole hangar, and everybody had gone. Wally scratched his head, wondering what was going on.
Then he saw two figures, one hidden in a black hood, come in from a side entrance. They ran for the ship beside him, the small unassuming ship he'd never really taken any notice of. Both of them got in, and ten seconds later the ship was up in the air. This one didn't head for the main entrance, like the others, but instead flew toward one of the interior gateways. It dawdled about at one for a bit, then entered.
This left the hangar empty and silent. Wally felt very alone.
Then the entire hangar shook.
Outside Pael, it was chaos. Wave after wave of fighters streamed out of the
Pael gateway, straight into an intense hail of pirate fire. Most of the
older, less manoeuvrable craft were cut down before they had a chance to
return fire. Those that made it out alive were instantly faced with the
problem of finding an enemy target when the space around you was filled with
laser blasts and speed-blurred fighters. Radio-communication was almost
nonexistent, and fighters just went after whatever targets they could spot.
Upchuck's black command vessel, situated some way back from the action, could take a more sober view of the situation. Already at this early stage, they had the upper hand. Most of the casualties were Pael craft, and the battlecruiser hovering on the edge of the battle had just scored its first major hit on the planetoid itself.
Upchuck himself took little part in the battle, which was being directed by the group of command officers in front of him. However, this didn't prevent him from watching proceedings with eagle eyes. While the others around him worked, Upchuck sat back, almost unmoving, and gazed at the main videoscreen.
Hence, he was one of the first to see the second wave of ships leaving the Pael gateway, a tiny forest of green blips on the radarscope. He leant forward. "What's the status of that second group of ships?" he growled, to the nearest officer.
The officer adjusted his headset and tapped a few commands into his console. "They seem to be civilian ships, mostly. Little offensive capability. Packed nearly full with passengers. Probably an evacuation fleet. Should we send a group of fighters to intercept them?"
Upchuck cursed, silently. It was too soon. While the overall outcome of the battle was not in doubt, right now things still hung in the balance, and he couldn't spare enough fighters to annihilate the evacuation fleet. How on earth had they prepared so quickly? Upchuck was sure there'd been no word leaked of their attack plan.
"No," he finally said. "Leave the fleet for the present. Send two fighters to watch over them - if one of the ships is a Mark IV, destroy it."
The officer saluted.
Upchuck sat back again and stared at the main viewscreen, as a second blast hit Pael. You're not getting out of this, Guybrush. Like hell you're not.
Elaine rushed through the wide grey corridors of Pael. With the evacuation
fleet out in space, the corridors were empty and quiet. Even Elaine,
running as fast as she could, made little noise on the shock-absorbent
floor.
She wasn't expecting to see anyone still around, so it came as a shock when she saw ahead of her, at a junction of several passages, a man walking hurriedly along.
Elaine slowed a little. Already suspicious, the suspicion grew when she saw the way the man moved. He was walking with exaggerated care and constantly glanced from side to side - but not, as yet, straight behind - as if he was scouting out enemy territory. And the suspicion became a certainty when she recognised, in profile, the face of Glen Williams.
Elaine's face flushed red with anger. She'd been right. Here was the culprit. He wasn't anywhere near her red rock at the moment, but doubtless that would change...
Quickly Elaine darted into an alcove. She drew out her blaster and primed the energy cells. Shifting the blaster into her left hand, she reached into her back pocket with the right and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. The metal was encryption-locked and gunfire resistant. She locked one cuff around her right wrist and held the other in her hand.
This had taken maybe five seconds. Elaine ducked back out into the passageway, and immediately began running for Glen, keeping her head low and footfalls silent. He hadn't gotten far in the five seconds he'd been out of sight, and still he wasn't looking back. Elaine quickly closed the gap, her eyes fixed on a spot high on his back.
Now right behind him, she leapt up into the air and yelled.
Guybrush, startled, nearly had a heart attack. Before he could do anything other than flinch, a handcuff was slapped on his wrist. He slowly turned around, to see a flushed, headstrong woman with long red hair.
"You're under arrest," said Elaine.