The First Mission
These are dire times. The Great Zapfish has just been stolen by a lone Inkling scourge. I don't know how they did it, but they beat the glorious DJ Octavio even when he was using the power of the Great Zapfish. Even worse, the fiend, known as "Agent 3" has even stolen the many zapfish that power all our individual cities! Will the Inklings ever let us have anything at all? No, it seems like the incessant meddling of those whelps will spell out another dark age for Octarian kind. For that reason, Commander Seaban has been given orders to accelerate our squadron's training so that we can fight against the menacing threat. As of tomorrow, we will jump straight to one of our first missions: infiltrating an Inkling warehouse to retrieve a lesser zapfish. I personally can't wait for this event, for now I finally have the chance to show my skills in a serious situation. The trivial scrimmages that I take part in regularly don't satisfy my hunger for battle. Seaban ordered us to prepare our belongings and weapons for the upcoming journey, so I shall get to that now. Here's hoping that I make my peers, especially Emma, proud.
On the UFO, our group was briefed on the plan by Seaban, as he stood in front of a blackboard on the wall. "Listen up, octos," he yelled, "It's currently night for the Inklings. Therefore, it should be a cinch to break in one of their bases to 'borrow' a zapfish. Don't let that fact drop your guard, though. I suspect that powerful forces will be stationed to guard the zapfish, so I need you all to be battle-ready. I have devised a plan of action for getting our target: Once you all drop from the UFO, Basstian will provide a distraction for any guards that may be present at the warehouse. Once the coast is clear, Sonja will lead the rest of the Octolings to the inside of the facility." I nodded firmly, happy to be of assistance. Although, deep inside of me, I feel somewhat disappointed at the role I got. Giving a salute, I affirmed, "Sir, yes, sir!" "Afterwards," Seaban continued, with a slight tone of annoyance in his voice, "While Basstian is busy occupying the guards, Emma will scout the area, making sure that the area is clear of any Inklings. You should also locate the security room and dismantle the camera controls, to ensure that our theft is not monitored. Make sure that you've prepared your Blaster." Emma gave a thumbs up in agreement. Drawing a scenario on the wall, Seaban explained, "Once Emma returns with a layout of the area, the rest of the squadron will make their way to the holding area of the Zapfish. Upon securing the Zapfish, immediately return to the UFO before any potential reinforcements arrive. Is that clear?" Of course, the plan seemed solid and efficient. I expected nothing less from an adept organizer like Seaban. However, I had a burning question that I had to release. "I beg your pardon," I asked, "I was just thinking: will I get to join the rest of the Octolings in the Zapfish retrieval? Basstian snapped his chalk in half with his strong tentacle, turning towards me with an angry look in his eyes. "Listen here," he snarled, "What I say goes, and I say that you will be the distraction! Any attempt to defy me will be punished. Have I made myself clear?" Feeling intimidated by his gaze, I sunk back into my seat, nodding silently. Basstian then looked out the window, stating, "Alright, ladies, we're nearing the Inkling base now. Don't let me down. Sighing, I grabbed my Octobrush from my side and prepared to leave.
The sky was dark as we flew toward the Inkling storehouse. Once we were above the landing site, the UFO opened a bottom hatch, allowing me to drop down into a nearby bush. Making sure to not draw attention to myself, I retrieved the binoculars that I was loaned by Seaban. Near the facility, I could see a group of 10 adult, orange haired, male Inklings, each equipped with an ink gun. "Okay, Basstian," I said to myself, "This is the moment that I've been waiting for. The question is, how am I going to distract these guards?" I looked at the surrounding area, formulating a plan. If I spread some of my purple ink behind the bushes, I could swim through the path I made so that I could position myself a set distance away from the squids. I could then catch their attention, leading them on a wild goose chase, so that my comrades could enter the building unnoticed. Afterwards, I would swim right back through the ink line that I had made with my brush, enabling me to return in a quick manner. Yes, this plan could not possibly fail! I immediately got to work, crouching behind the bushes as I quietly smeared my ink on the ground. In a short while, I had completely covered the area, leaving only the enemy to worry about. I grabbed a nearby rock and hurled it in the direction of the guards, yelling loudly, "Hey, ink stains! Come over here if you dare!" One of the guards noticed what I did, and while I'm sure that he did not understand what I was saying, he still alerted his allies of my presence. Setting their sights on me, the Inklings rushed towards me, talking to each other in a tongue I didn't understand. Smiling proudly, I set the bristles of my Octobrush to the ground, gliding away. "Those Inklings are so gullible," I snickered, "They'll chase a shrimp if it looked at them funny!" As I was thinking this, a blast of orange ink whizzed by me. I glanced behind me to see that my pursuers were aiming their firearms at me, gunning away. I didn't let this perturb me, however, and I simply weaved from side to side to dodge the onslaught. I turned towards the Inklings and laughed, "I could do this all day!" And so I did; I ran through shrubs, jumped over rocks, and ducked behind branches as I evaded the idiotic cephalopods. Once I was certain that I had continued the chase long enough, I quickly ducked into my ink and swam away, leaving the clueless grunts behind. "Oh goodie," I thought, "My plan worked, as expected. Surely, I will start to gain some respect among my peers now."
After some swimming, I found myself back at the facility, waiting for the others to return with the zapfish. As it turns out, I did not have to wait long, as Sonja and the others came out 5 minutes later with their prize. Emma was holding the electric piscine in a glass capsule, watching it as it squirmed around helplessly. It really is a shame that we have to collect the Zapfish in this manner, but you do have to crack a few eggs to get an omelet, as is the case here. Emma noticed me standing nearby, and she said, "Hello, Basstian. I trust that you did your job?" I dusted my shirt, replying, "Indeed I did, Emma. I led those Inklings to the middle of nowhere, I did. I really am quite the strategist." She flashed me a smile, complimenting, "Yes you are, Basstian. I knew that you had it in you. Now come on, the UFO is waiting." With my head held high, I walked with the rest of the group towards the landing site. Well, at least that's what I would've done if I hadn't seen 10 streams of orange ink jetting through the air, heading towards us. Once the ink hit the ground, 10 Inklings rose up with guns at the ready—they were the same Inklings that I had supposedly led astray. "Oh shrimp," Sonja muttered, "The Inklings have super jumped back to their base! Everybody retreat NOW!" Moving hastily before the guards could steady their aim, we all fled back to the bushes, taking care to not drop the Zapfish. Unfortunately, I was slow to catch up, and one of the blasted squids got me in the arm with some orange ink. I winced in pain, feeling the substance slowly dissolve my skin. Still, I pressed on, the objective in mind. Up above, I noticed our UFO flying into the scene, preparing to retrieve us. As ink whizzed all around us, we transformed into our octopus forms and jumped through the hole in the bottom of the vessel. While we made it out mostly unharmed, I dread the reprimanding that I may get from Seaban…
Just as I thought, Seaban was absolutely livid when we got back inside the flying machine. "Basstian," he thundered, "You had one job! Was it too much to ask for you to handle a few guards, for Pete's sake?!" I clutched my shoulder as I winced, "Commander, I promise you that I did my part. I led the guards far, far away from the facility. I was completely unaware that they had the ability to jump that far. Besides, did we not get the Zapfish at the end of it all?" Seaban slammed the wall with his head tentacle, yelling, "That's besides the point, private! The problem is that you put the rest of your team in great risk of failing. That mission could've been a cinch, but you mucked it up with your ignorance. You can't be making mistakes like this if you want to be a true soldier." I looked down at my boots, considering his words. He was right; I had to be more knowledgeable about my enemies if I wanted to succeed. This would never happen again. Seaban continued, stating, "I will see to transporting the Zapfish to the Octarian holding facility once we get back to our base. Prepare your tentacles, Basstian, because you're going to be washing all of our gear when we get back."