Chapter 97 : Caligo

After a few days, the day to leave Sveratis came. 

"I'll be sure to put up as many good words so the Admiral doesn't punish you too hard," said Stravenkov. 

"Thanks. That would be very very cool," said Ramenman. He rushed back to the ship. 

Stravenkov gives Kaizo a handshake. "Safe journey. I hope you reach Astraeus station with no trouble," said Stravenkov. 

"Thank you, your Highness," Kaizo replied. He nodded to Axion and they entered the ship. 

"Axion!" Stravenkov called.

Both Kaizo and Axion look back at him.

"If you would… Would you like to have dinner with me again... sometime in the future?" Stravenkov asked. 

Kaizo frowned.

Axion smiled. "That would be delightful," she replied. 

A big smile filled Stravenkov's face. He steps away, letting the spaceship close its door and take off. 

"She's good," said the Queen. "I think you both would be a good match."

"I agree. Not only is she skilled, but she's also smart," said Tirion. 

Stravenkov's face turned red. "M-Mom! What are you thinking? I-it's nothing like that!"

"Child, I'm your mother. I know things about you more than you do. Besides, isn't it time for you to find a wife?" said the Queen. 

"M-MOM!" Stravenkov exclaimed. 

"Her Majesty is right. The Kingdom would need a future Queen," said Tirion. 

"Hey! Not you too…."

"And I might as well find someone good for Virion," said Tirion. 

"Now don't drag me into this. I'm not marrying anyone," Virion protested. 

They laugh as the Astrum spaceship slowly disappears in the sky. 

"Course is set. We'll be reaching Astraeus station in a few weeks," said Rum as she checked the monitor. 

"Oh, can we stop by the star market on the way?" Ramenman asks. 

"No. Admiral Maskmana clearly said to get back soon," said Kaizo. 

"Tch. You're petty," said Ramenman. 

Kaizo let out a sigh. "Didn't you stock up on a lot of cup noodles already?" 

"Yes, but it will only last for a week. I need to stock more," said Ramenman. 

"Hmph. Ridiculous" Kaizo mocked. 

Suddenly, Axion came. 

"Hey, can we stop by the star market?" Axion asked. 

"Yes, why?" Rum asked. 

"Wait, so it's okay if Axion is the one who asked?" said Ramenman. But they ignored him. 

"I got a permit from the Admiral," said Axion as she handed over her tablet to Kaizo. 

"What do you need from the star market?" Kaizo asked as he read the permit. 

"Personal stuff. And maybe a moment of personal space," said Axion.

"Fine. We'll stop by the star market. Whatever you need from there, get it quickly," said Kaizo as he returned her tablet. 

"Oh, my stuff is going to take a while. So I'm not coming back with you. You're dropping me off at star market," said Axion. 

"What?" Rum asked in confusion. 

Kaizo glanced at Axion. "Rejected," he bluntly said.

Axion glare at Kaizo. "I have a proper permit from the Admiral. You can't reject it."

"Yes I can," said Kaizo. 

"The person who gave me this permit has a higher rank!" Axion insisted. 

"Is this one of those secret missions you have with the Admiral? Are you going bounty hunting?" Kaizo pester. 

Axion gasps in disbelief. She folded her arms. "Classified. You're in no position to know and I'm not obliged to answer."

"I'm the captain of this team, I deserve to know."

"The Admiral didn't assign you to give me orders on this mission," Axion insisted. 

"Maybe. But I am the captain of this ship."

"This ship isn't even yours!" Axion replied.

Tense filled the room. 

"You're dropping me off at Star Market. I got things to do," said Axion as she looked at Lahap and Rum. 

"This ship is not stopping anywhere beside Astraeus!" said Kaizo. 

Rum, Lahap, and Ramenman looked at each other. Not sure on whose side they should be.

"Maybe we can sit down and have some tea first?" said Ramenman. 

"I'm done having a disobedient member in my team," said Kaizo. 

"Then I quit. You drop me off at the star market, and I'll be gone for good," said Axion.

"Whoa easy there. Let's not make rash decisions," said Ramenman. "Let's tone it down a moment. Want some tea?"

Kaizo and Axion glared at each other. 

Rum, Lahap, and Ramenman look at each other. 

"Look. We get it. You have your own... personal business. Your bounty hunting job and all those secrets. You don't like having people pry on your life. We get it," said Ramenman. "But after everything we've been through… we're a team."

"We understand if you want to take care of things yourself. But we're your friends. You can at least confide in us," said Rum. 

Axion went silent. 

"This order came straight from Maskmana. If you insist on getting involved, your act will be considered as disobedience to Astraeus," said Axion. 

"We leave no one behind," said Kaizo bluntly. "No one… gets left behind. No matter what the Admiral ordered, I am not leaving my crew."

"At least let us know what you're doing," said Ramenman. "For all it's worth, we're your friends. And we'll always be here for you."

Axion looked at them. She let out a long sigh. "Very well."

Rum puts the spaceship on autopilot and they all move to the meeting room. 

"This came in my mail," said Axion as she activated the holo table. 

Pictures of an alien and a few lists of data are displayed on the holographic screen.

"Target's name is Caligo. He's a hunter for hire and he owns a power sphere," said Axion. 

"What power sphere?" Kaizo asked.

"MistBot." 

"MistBot? What can it do?"

"It can release smoke, filling an area with fog or mist to the point it can release poisonous haze. Caligo uses MistBot to cover an area with thick smoke or fog, making it hard for the authorities to capture him," said Axion. 

"So, he's your mission?" Kaizo asked. 

"Yes," she replied. "Caligo has committed many murders. He is to be taken down by any means."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go take him down," said Ramenman. 

"I don't think so. Teamplay is not suitable for this mission," said Axion. She showed a report on the holographic display. "This is a report from intergalactic police. 12 Tactical unit agents, wiped out by Caligo."

Rum and the others gasp in disbelief. 

"From the report, Caligo is using MistBot to fill an area with thick dark fog. Not only did it remove the Tactical team's vision, but it also jammed their communicator. Making them unable to recognize their members. Caligo used this advantage to take down the Tactical agents one by one. Unable to see their target, the tactical team opened fire only to shoot their own allies," Axion explained. 

"Going in a team is not suitable for this mission. We don't want to get trapped in Caligo's dark fog and end up shooting each other," she adds. 

"And you think you can handle Caligo on your own?" Kaizo asked. 

"I'm confident. I can," Axion replied.

"But still… going alone is dangerous," said Rum. 

"He may depend on MistBot to do his job. But surely MistBot's power isn't the only trick he has," said Ramenman. 

"I know. I'll take precautions," said Axion. 

Ramenman looked at Axion with doubt before he glanced at Kaizo.

"Do you have specific details on where he will be?" Kaizo asked. 

Axion nodded. "Yes. We figured out his target," said Axion. Another picture of an alien appears on the hologram. "Victim's name is Isadore. A powerful merchant in Star Market. We suspect that Caligo is going to kill Isadore in his mansion." 

"Someone hired Caligo to kill Isadore?" Rum asked. 

"It seems so," Axion replied.

"Who?"

"I don't know. But leave that part to the intergalactic police. My priority is Caligo," said Axion. 

"Do you at least have a plan?" Lahap asked. 

"Isadore knows me. He hired me before. I can simply request a meeting and stay close with him," said Axion.

"Then you just wait for Caligo to come," said Ramenman. 

"Precisely."

"Okay. Let's assume Caligo finds both you and Isadore. What then?" Rum asked. 

"I'll just fight him off. Simple as that," Axion replied. 

"That plan is not good enough," said Kaizo.

"Yeah. You can't just fight him and expect to win," said Lahap. 

Kaizo tampers with the holo table and opens a blueprint of Isadore's mansion. He examines the blueprint.

"I have a plan," said Kaizo.