For Your Photoreceptors Only/Chapter 9

For Your Photoreceptors Only

Chapter 9

After all the agents completed their respective missions and returned to Coruscant, they made their reports and handed them over directly to M. M had a little trouble fully understanding QUAD's report with all the confusing time-travel. But when he compared it with the reports of the other agent, he was able to get the story straight.

Q'u downloaded all the information from QUAD's memory and photoreceptors as well, adding all that information into MI5's files. Q'u found it quite fascinating. He also planned to use that information to further his development of the Space/Time Displacer.

M eventually brought everyone together in the Briefing Room at HQ.

"Due to information gathered by QUAD's photoreceptors on Dagobah," M began, "it would seem that we now know the identities of the other two men who were disguised in guard uniforms during the prison break." He activated the holo-image and they saw images of two Humans: Clowe and Perkins. "The man on the left is Clowe. He was a soldier that worked for Noah at the time MI5 captured him. The other man is Perkins. He was also a soldier, but worked for CarbonEye, an associate of Noah whom MI5 eliminated."

The more veteran agents in the group recognized the two criminals.

M continued, "Through the use of Q'u Branch's time travel device, QUAD has discovered where these criminals are hiding out. I'll let him explain."

"Thank you, sir," QUAD said politely. "While I stowed away on their freighter, I realized we had landed on the planet Khubeaie. It's an industrial planet along the Old Corellian Run in the Outer Rim Territories. It's mostly used by spice smugglers and the like. Noah and his friends are in a somewhat run-down city called Gotz. They're holed up in an old abandoned warehouse."

M said, "You will all head out to Khubeaie immediately and put a stop to them. Capture or kill, it doesn't matter."

Bont clapped his hands and began rubbing them together in anticipation. "Alright, let's go get 'em."

- - - - - - - - - -

While the agents all traveled to Khubeaie together on the ''Independence", QUAD traveled along with them instead of just time-jumping ahead, simply to keep his teammates company. To help pass the time, they played several games of dejarik. With each game, QUAD would calculate and recalculate strategies every time his opponent made a move. He ended up winning every game. QUAD found it rather simple.

After what seemed like an eternity for the losers of the dejarik games, the ship finally arrived at Gotz on Khubeaie.

Making their way through the city at night, the group of agents walked across a courtyard and came to what looked like a hangar. "Uh, QUAD?" Bont asked. "I thought you said it was a warehouse."

QUAD replied, "There is an old warehouse connected to the opposite side of this hangar."

"Ah. Got it."

"So," Europa started, looking up at the large doors, "any idea how to get through these blast doors?"

Shasta walked along the blast doors to the left corner of the run-down hangar. "How 'bout this smaller door around the corner," She said, pointing.

As they gathered around the single person door, Pandolfo said, "If we blast our way in, they'll hear us. I can hack that panel." He pulled a few tools from his pockets and got to work on the door panel.

Europa, Shasta, Gruu, Acura, QUAD, and Jace Bont all stood around watching. Within a minute, the door slid open.

"Bingo," Pandolfo said.

QUAD entered the door first, scanning the immediate area. No lifeforms. Pandolfo stepped in behind QUAD, his MI5 standard issue blaster drawn. Gruu ushered Acura in, then followed her. Shasta and Europa entered next with Bont picking up the rear.

QUAD popped open his shoulder-mounted lights. The first things they saw were rows of computer consoles. Typical for a Dr. Noah laboratory.

Running his hands across them as he walked by, Pandolfo said, "These computers are still up and running."

"Uh, guys?" Acura said, pointing to something she saw in the glow of her lightsaber blade. "This doesn't look good."

Gruu turned to look as QUAD shined his lights in that direction.

Rows and rows of incubators. Also typical for a Dr. Noah laboratory.

Shasta swore.

Examining them, Bont said, "These are up and running too. They've been freshly used."

Acura swallowed hard. She didn't like the idea of unknown mutant creatures running around loose.

"This must be the door that leads into the warehouse," Pandolfo said, reaching the opposite side of the hangar. "Shall we take a peek?"

He hacked the panel for this door as well and it slid open revealing another darkened room.

The team of agents filed in. QUAD suddenly stopped short.

"What is it?" Gruu asked.

"My sensors are picking up many lifeforms heading this direction."

No sooner had QUAD finished...the lights overhead clicked on. The agents shielded their eyes from the sudden bright light.

"We were wondering when MI5 would show up?" a female voice said.

The MI5 agents readied their weapons...blasters, arm cannons and lightsabers.

As their eyes adjusted to the light, they saw the Bothan woman Urma Boont standing next to Dr. Noah. The others, Klay, Clowe and Perkins, walked into view as well.

"Quite a little team you guys have thrown together here," Bont commented. "I'm guessing Ms. Boont is the mastermind, Perkins and Clowe are the muscle, and since Klay is the arms dealer, he has connections where he can easily acquire weapons of all kinds, especially out here on the Old Corellian Run frequented by smugglers."

"MI5 isn't as dumb as we thought," Perkins said, taking a jab at the agency.

"And Noah has the resources," Bont continued.

QUAD was sensing numerous lifeforms, but could only see five of them. Where were the others?

Gruu asked, "What was in dose incubators?"

Noah grinned. He raised one hand and snapped his fingers. On the far side of the warehouse further behind Noah and his team, dozens of creatures emerged from doors and behind crates and machinery.

"Whoa!" Europa exclaimed.

The creatures ranged in size from humanoid to rancor size. They were all grotesque mutant hybrids. Some had multiple arms, some had fangs and tusks, some were covered in fur, and some even carried heavy weapons...most likely the more intelligent ones.

"That explains the smell," Bont quipped.

"You have your own mutant army?" Shasta said. "Are you insane?"

"Quite the opposite, my dear," Noah said. "You see, once they destroy you, we will unleash this `mutant army` as you called it, upon MI5 Headquarters on Coruscant."

"Why do you-sa have so many? Dare aren't dat many incubators in da hangar," Gruu observed, tightening his grip on the lightsaber.

"I have many facilities around the galaxy," Noah explained. "My mutant army is actually much bigger than this."

There was a hesitation as everyone stared each other down. The mutant creatures were grunting, getting anxious.

Bont leaned in toward Shasta and said, "You realize we're outnumbered, right?"

Shasta didn't have a response.

QUAD said, "Maybe not. After the fight, I can just jump back in time to this point and multiply myself. Continuing to do that, I can create an army of myself." Knowing his MI5 friends probably wouldn't understand the time-travel situation he was just talking about, he decided to just do it.

Over the next few seconds, other QUAD droids shimmered into existence in front of them. Each one that appeared looked increasingly more battle-worn than the next.

Urma Boont jumped in surprise. "What in the--"

"What just happened?" Clowe questioned frantically. There were now 20 QUAD droids.

Noah yelled, "Kill 'em!"

As the mutant army raced forward, Noah, Urma, Klay, Clowe, and Perkins all headed for one of the exit doors.

QUAD said to his team, "Go stop them! My QUAD army can fight the mutants." While the multiple QUAD droids began clashing with the mutants, the rest of the MI5 team raced after Noah and his friends.

Chapters: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Epilogue