Tyger Tyger
by Cyberuwulfe

Ozymandis listened to the dull thuds that echoed through the ship. He was in the kitchen preparing some food for when Cyberwulfe was done killing himself in the gravity training room. He'd been busy training in five-hundred times earth's normal gravity for over six hours and Ozy was sure he'd want a snack. Ozy had spent a few hours in the room with his friend, training together with Cyberwulfe, but when Cyber turned up the gravity the young dragon decided to take a break. After another ten minutes the door slid open and Cyberwulfe stumbled out.

"Whew!" the wolf gasped," Well that was quite a workout. You should join me next time Ozy," he entered the kitchen and sat down in a chair at the kitchen table.

"Sounds like you destroyed half the place while you were in there," Ozy replied.

"I can fix it up later. Right now I'm hungry."

"I knew you would be. I made you some good food," Ozy turned and placed several steaming plates on the table.

The two sat down to a nice meal of meat and cheese, with steamed vegetables smothered in creamy sauce. For dessert they had chocolate cake. Cyberwulfe patted his bulging stomach and rumbled a burp as he leaned back in his chair. He usually ate a lot of food to keep his strength up, and Ozy expected him to eat the lion's share of dinner. Tonight, Cyber had only eaten an average meal.

"Woah, I was expecting you to eat most of the roast yourself," Ozy exclaimed.

"Nah, not tonight. I'll probably have a snack before I go to bed," Cyber replied.

He stood up and walked to the fridge to get a cold drink, then relaxed in his chair again. The wolf had been training in the gravity room for the past two days, slowly increasing the level of gravity from his previous best of three-hundred fifty, to five-hundred. He was on a quest to increase his fighting power to over one-hundred million so he could defeat the evil Zero Tiger, who had killed his best friend RazorWolf. His deceased companion had taken him to the land of the dead to train him for a few days, as well as tell him everything about Zero Tiger. With his new knowledge and training methods, Cyberwulfe felt confident that he could win the battle.

"I know you've got a lot weighing on your mind right now, Cyb," Ozy leaned forward on the table," But you've got to eat to keep your strength up. Yesterday you only ate three large pizzas and two bottles of soda."

"I guess I just don't feel so hungry today, that's all."

"Is anything wrong? You only lose your appetite when you get depressed. Is something bothering you?" Ozy prodded.

Cyberwulfe sighed," I had a dream last night. Well, more like a nightmare. RazorWolf was there, and I was waiting outside of a building to meet him, and when he walked by he told me to go away and never speak to him again. I tried to follow him to talk to him, but he walked into a house. When I followed him, Zero Tiger was there. First he killed RazorWolf, and then me. That's when I woke up."

"Yeah, and I noticed you went right into the training room when you did," Ozy cocked his head to one side," You wanted to make sure you'd never get caught with your pants down around Zero Tiger?"

"Basically. That dream was horrible. It really lowered my hopes of winning this fight, Ozy. I'm actually a little scared."

"It's okay to be scared at times," Ozy smiled," Everybody gets scared sometimes. From what you told me about the afterlife, Razor seemed pretty scared as well. But when you get into a fight, don't let them know you're afraid. Or they'll use it to your advantage."

Cyber smiled," Yeah, you're right. It's stupid of me to think being scared makes me weak. And I know that if I train hard and do what RazorWolf told me to do, I'll have the power to win when Zero and I meet."

"And even if you don't, I'm almost as strong as you are now. He can't beat both of us, right?" Ozy grinned smugly.

"Exactly."

The starship Always finally arrived at the space station Beta-Nine-Seven. The station looked like several old space cruisers welded together and built into an asteroid. Tunnels and rooms had been cut into the asteroid itself to make stores and homes. Many people lived on the station, and it was also a stopover for many intergalactic travelers. It was also a den of thieves, and had its own dark sectors where most people never dared to enter. But for two friends on a mission across the galaxy, it was the perfect place to relax and re-supply.

"This is a good idea, right?" Ozy asked nervously.

"No worries," Cyber replied," I've been here once before so I know the layout of the place pretty good. Of course, that was back in my military days. Things change, Ozy."

"Yeah. This place seems as comfortable as Nar Shadaa," Ozy commented on the Smuggler's Moon that orbited the Hutt homeworld Nal Hutta. Many gangsters, assassins, and bounty hunters used the moon as their place of business, picking up odd jobs for money.

"Only in certain areas. Other places seem like the Ritz," Cyber assured his friend.

"And where are we going?"

"Someplace in between."

"How could I have guessed?" Ozy groaned.

The ship drifted into orbit around the station and was instructed to dock with port 316. Once the airlock was secured, Cyberwulfe shut down the engines and internal systems and walked back to the lounge area.

"Oh, Ozy," he called back into the cabin," You'd better activate the ECM suite. We don't need anyone scanning our ship and finding those Dragon Balls. Not after what we did to get them."

"Alright. And why not take one along for safe keeping. Just in case?" the dragon suggested.

"Sure. I'll take the four-star ball, the one Razor first gave me."

Cyberwulfe entered his bedroom and deactivated the three levels of security that protected the Dragon Balls. He then took the Dragon Ball that had four stars inside of it and tucked it into a small pouch that hung from his belt, then tightened the string around the pouch's neck. Ozy stood in his doorway, waiting for him to come. The two left the ship together, and Cyberwulfe activated the six layers of electromagnetic shielding that guarded all the hatches in the ship.

The main entryway into the station opened, and a strong smell hit the two warriors hard.

"What the hell is that?" Ozy gasped.

"Welcome to Beta-Nine-Seven," Cyberwulfe chuckled and entered the station.

The station was bustling with people. Aliens of all species roamed the hallways, as did many humans. Humans seemed to be everywhere, trying to find their niche in the galaxy, but always falling short of all the technologically advanced alien species out there. Cyberwulfe knew many humans back on earth, and he knew there were no more noble and trustworthy species in the galaxy than humans. He had taken a liking to the species soon after arriving on earth. While there he met some of the fighters that made up the Z Team, including Krillin and Yamcha. Krillin in particular had helped Cyberwulfe a little bit in training, as the short human had a far superior fighting power than his own.

"First of all we need to secure some food and medical supplies," Cyber said, entering the stream of people with Ozy close in tow.

"Right. I assume you know where to get those," the dragon replied.

"Unless he's moved."

"What else do we need?"

"Personal things. Feel free to do some shopping, Ozy. Personally, I need to find a decent sword. A GunBlade if I can find one," Cyber replied, his eyes darting back and forth through the crowd.

"I might pick one up too. It will give you someone to spar with so you don't lose your skill. I wouldn't mind learning some sword fighting techniques myself."

"Alright then. We'll visit a weapon's shop as well," Cyberwulfe nodded.

The two soon found themselves in the part of the station they were looking for. Many shops and stalls were set up in the hallways, as well as inside a large courtyard. Cyberwulfe made a beeline for a brightly lit blue neon sign that advertised "Goods and Other Merchandise". They entered the busy store to find a huge variety of supplies of all sorts. Cyberwulfe and Ozy began searching the place and picking out the foods they wanted, as well as certain important medical supplies.

"Oh Cyber!" Ozy called to his friend as he passed a rack of large bottles of fresh water.

"Yeah?" the wolf popped his head up over a crate of cheese.

"Did you have maintenance refill our water tanks?"

"Yeah, did I forget to mention that?" Cyber picked up the crate.

"Yeah, you did. These bottles reminded me."

"Oh, sorry. And don't worry about the septic system either. I arranged for a pumpout," Cyber grinned.

"That's good at least."

The two gathered all their things and brought them to the back of the shop where a grumpy lizard-type creature with gray tufts of hair coming from behind his ears sat next to a rusty old cash register. Beside the machine were various types of money changing machines, including a galactic debit machine.

"Is that everything?" he grumbled.

"Yes. And we'd like it sent immediately to our ship in docking port 316," Cyberwulfe replied, pulling out his debit card.

"I'll arrange it," the creature took the card and ran it through his scanner," Say, don't I know you?" he asked, looking at the name on the account.

"Yes. It's been a long time since I was here," Cyber replied.

"I remember you. Weren't you a cyborg or something?" the creature leaned closer and squinted his eyes.

"Yeah. Long story. I'm glad to see you still sell pizza dough in bulk crates."

"I never stopped doing that did I? Must be the popularity, who knows? I never eat the damn stuff myself."

Cyber chuckled. His card passed and they took their receipt and left the merchandise in the capable hands of the store owner. The two warriors once again filtered into the stream of shoppers looking for a good deal. The smell of food cooking wafted down through the halls as they approached a series of restaurants and bars. Many different species were inside, partaking in the various foods and drinks available.

"We'll stop by here later after we're finished shopping," Cyber said to Ozy.

"Alright. I hope they've got some spicy food and strong drinks," the dragon licked his lips eagerly.

"The spiciest and the strongest," Cyber winked.

Suddenly a commotion erupted among the crowd. A large part of the crowd separated from two people who were arguing. It was a human, dressed in leather and carrying various pieces of equipment on himself. He carried a gun on his belt. The second person was a larger humanoid creature with gray skin, dressed in red armour and carried no weapons. Cyberwulfe pricked his ears to hear what was going on.

"You're in my way! What, do you think you own the place?" the human screamed.

"Get lost shrimp," the humanoid creature bellowed," You're not worth wasting my time."

"I'm a waste of time?" the human growled," I'll show you a waste of time."

Cyberwulfe's eyes widened as he senses the human's power level jump suddenly. The next thing he knew the human had fired an energy ball right at the creature. With almost no effort, the creature grabbed the ball in his hands and gripped it tightly.

"Is that the best you've got?" the creature laughed.

He held the glowing ball in his palm and then looked down at the human. With a cold look on his face he threw the ball straight at the human. Cyberwulfe knew the ball had been charged higher by the creature, and would certainly kill the human. But before he could do anything, a gray streak flew in front of the ball and smacked it away. It flew down the hall and exploded violently. It was Ozy.

"I suggest you pick your fights somewhere else," Ozy said.

"Who are you?" the creature asked.

"No one you want to mess with, friend," Ozy just stared back at the creature.

"Oh yeah? Take this!" the creature fired a powerful blast at Ozy, but the dragon just held out his hand and blocked the blast.

"Go home before I give you a spanking myself," Ozy dropped his hand to his side.

The creature didn't need to hear any more. He turned frantically and scampered away. Ozy then turned back to the human and looked as Cyberwulfe approached. They stood facing the human, who had a confused look on his face.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked.

"I think Ozymandis here just saved your life," Cyberwulfe suggested.

"You can thank me later," Ozy smiled.

The crowd had gone back to their business as if nothing had happened.

"You idiot! I was about to roast his ass!" the human screamed," I've never backed down from a fight! I certainly don't need someone like you to save me!"

"Judging from your fighting power, you must have a lot of experience, whether you win fights or not," Cyberwulfe noted.

"I've won my share of fights. In my business you come to expect a scuffle or two."

"What do you do for a living?" Ozy asked.

"I'm a mercenary for hire. I'm also an inventor and computer expert. Programming, hacking, you name it. I can slice through any security."

"What's your name?" Cyber asked.

"Brorjace. I assume you've heard of me?"

"Not really. We're new here," Ozy said.

"What? You're kidding me, right? I'm one of the more popular mercs in the area," Brorjace poked Cyberwulfe in the chest," I took over where Wulfe Litefoot left off."

"I don't think anyone could life up to his legacy," Cyberwulfe replied.

"Bah, he was small potatoes. He had no special powers!"

"But he was a good pilot. No one could beat him," Cyber added.

"Well I'll give him that much. Who are you guys anyway?" Brorjace changed the subject.

"I'm Cyberwulfe, and this is my partner Ozymandis. We're on a quest," Cyberwulfe replied, pointing towards his scaly friend.

"Well, nice meeting you. If ya ever need a job, gimme a call," Bror handed Cyberwulfe a card with his name and call number on it.

"Yeah sure. We might be able to use the skills of someone like you," Ozy nodded, glancing at the card.

"No problem. My rates are less than fair, but you get what you pay for I guess. Guy's gotta make a living, right?" Brorjace put his hands on his hips, resting one hand on his gun.

"Exactly. Speaking of which, we've got some shopping to do. Good luck," Cyber said, shaking Brorjace's hand.

"Yeah, you too. Whatever kind of quest you're on," Brorjace shook Cyber's paw and turned to leave.

"Well that was fun," Ozy said to Cyberwulfe as Brorjace disappeared into the crowd.

"That kid's got some skills Ozy. He has a strong fighting power," Cyberwulfe kept watching after the mercenary," Then again, so did that guy we fought. So keep your guard up. RazorWolf told me that fighters like Frieza and Cell are a dime a dozen out here."

"I'll be careful," Ozy replied.

With one more glance in Bror's direction, Cyberwulfe and Ozymandis continued onward down the hallway.

Cyberwulfe smiled as he unsheathed the large sword and held it to his face, looking down the blade and admiring its smooth lines. He'd found what he was looking for; a GunBlade. Not just a sword for fighting, but built into the hilt of the sword was a trigger and a revolver. The sword could usually carry six or eight bullets, depending on the type, but RazorWolf had taught Cyberwulfe how to channel his energy through the blade and fire it with more power than the normal gunpowder bullets. The blade was about three feet long and four inches wide, with a very wide thickness to it. Six inches from the tip it curved down to a very sharp pointed cutting edge. The hilt was silver. The handle was wrapped with blue and black threads, with blue tassels hanging off the end. Cyberwulfe admired the design on the sheath, detailed with blue and gold with silver trim outlining the entire sheath.

"Pretty fancy," Ozy admired the sword," Do they have one for me?"

"No. This was a rare find indeed," Cyber replied, never taking his eyes off the shining blade," But feel free to check out their other swords. I'm sure you'll find one to your liking."

Ozy scanned the wall of swords where many different types of blades hung. Reaching up he pulled down a rather large medieval-type broadsword. It was longer than the GunBlade and had a larger grip. Two-handed. Although it had no revolver built into it, once unsheatheded the blade had a very strong sharp edge. Ozy licked his thumb and ran it across the edge, feeling how sharp the blade was.

"This one looks nice, but I'll keep looking," Ozy flipped the blade around in his palm, feeling the weight and adjusting his grip.

"No rush. But I've already found mine," Cyberwulfe sheathed the GunBlade and cradled it on one arm as he scanned the wall, looking at the other types of swords.

Ozy bought the broadsword.

The two fighters left the weapon's shop with the swords wrapped in cloth and tied tightly with string. Cyberwulfe wove his way through the crowd and finally made his way back to the Always. After passing through security he deactivated the ship's shields and entered. Once the hatch was shut, Cyber went straight to his room and closed the door. He knelt in front of a large golden trophy and propped his arm up on the handle of the GunBlade, which he had promptly unwrapped from the cloth.

"RazorWolf," Cyber spoke to the trophy, which he had won in the land of the dead while visiting RazorWolf," I've got a GunBlade as you requested. I won't let you down in my quest for the Dragon Balls, and I swear to you on this sword that Zero Tiger will die."

Cyberwulfe unsheathed the sword and gripped the blade in his paw. He slowly ran his paw up the blade to the tip, letting it cut through his fingers. Blood trickled down the blade and dripped onto the floor.

"I swear on my own blood you will be avenged," Cyberwulfe didn't even wince as the blade cut through his flesh.
Cyber stood and raised his paw over the trophy, letting his blood drip onto it. He'd sworn a blood oath, and the promise could only be completed with blood. And it would be either his, or Zero Tiger's. He emerged from his room with a bandage tied around his paw. Now in a change of clothes, Cyberwulfe was wearing a pair of brown khaki pants and a white T-shirt that was tucked into his pants. A belt kept the pants tight, and a pair of shoes were on his feet. He walked into the kitchen and saw Ozy drinking some soda. The first thing the dragon noticed was the bandage.

"Getting a little frisky with your sword?" Ozy asked.

"Just making a promise to an old friend," Cyber clenched his fist, adding more red to the bloody bandage.

"A blood oath, huh? I've done one of those before," Ozy held up his arm to show Cyberwulfe a blue scar that ran through his gray scales," Unfortunately the murderer was killed in a vehicle crash before I could kill him. My oath was never completed."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But rest assured mine will," Cyber took a soda from the fridge," And it will be completed with either my blood, or Zero Tiger's."

Cyberwulfe scowled as he said the name he now hated more than any in the galaxy. Ozy saw this and patted his friend's shoulder. Cyber hung his chin a little and sighed deeply, then gulped down the soda.

"How about something to eat?" he said.

Ozy wasn't too impressed with Cyber's choice of restaurants. It was loud, messy, dirty, and the smell was awful. It was more of a bar, but served a small menu to its customers. Cyberwulfe chose the spare ribs and Ozy was content to nibble on some barbecue chicken bits. The sauce wasn't very appealing, so he refrained from dipping his meat before eating it. The two shared a table in the middle of the large room that made up the bar, watching the various goings on which included three bar fights in the past hour. It made interesting entertainment as they waited for their food to arrive.

"Next time I'll pick the restaurant," Ozy grumbled.

"I don't remember this place being so bad," Cyber shrugged," Last time there were only one or two fights per hour," he grinned.

"Just eat your ribs. I wanna get back to the ship for some sleep."

"Eating ribs is a perfected art. I'm not just going to rush things," Cyber said. He slid a clean bone into his mouth and licked all the flavour off it.

"You make me sick," Ozy stuck out his tongue.

Cyber just chuckled and dropped the bone onto his plate alongside the others. He grabbed another rib and raised it to his mouth. He never tasted it. Sitting there, mouth open, staring across the room, Ozy noticed a snarl creep across Cyberwulfe's face. Cyber dropped the rib and stared across the room, the snarl turning into a nasty death glare, his fangs showing and a low growl rumbled from his throat.

"What's wrong?" Ozy asked.

Cyberwulfe just growled louder. Ozy turned and looked behind him, scanning the room for what could possibly be getting Cyberwulfe all riled up. He didn't look long before he noticed a large white tiger sitting at a table about thirty feet away. He was wearing leather armour with straps across his chest and a large sword leaning against the table next to him. His hair was cut short atop his head, tied tightly with a small piece of twine. The dim light from a lamp on the table reflected in his piercing blue eyes. He was sitting with three other large people, one of them was a lizard, as well as another tiger and a human. Ozy whirled his head back to Cyberwulfe.

"Is that...?" he asked.

"Zero... Tiger," Cyberwulfe slowly growled out the words.

"Oh my God. Cyberwulfe, sit down and finish your ribs and remember what RazorWolf told you," Ozy said calmly to his friend.

"I'm gonna kill him, Ozy. He's going to die," Cyberwulfe began to stand up.

"Not today. You're not strong enough," Ozy grabbed Cyber's wrist and pulled him down into his chair," If you try to avenge RazorWolf today you'll die. You can't kill him today."

"I'm so mad I don't care. I'll tear him to pieces," Cyber gripped the edge of the table, digging his claws into the wood and scraping wood chips onto the floor.

"Take it out on the table. Go back to the ship and train in the gravity room. But I will not let you fight Zero Tiger today, do you understand my friend?" Ozy pleaded.

Finally Cyber calmed down a little," Alright. Not today," Cyberwulfe sighed," But one day I will finally face him and he will die."

Cyberwulfe got up and left the bar quickly. Ozy took one last glance at Zero Tiger, who suddenly looked in his direction. Ozy closed his eyes to slits and stared back at the tiger for several seconds before turning and joining Cyberwulfe.

Ozy and Cyber sat in the cockpit of Always, staring out the main viewport at the huge red ship that sat in front of them.
"It's the bastard's ship alright. I should just blast his engines right now and fire a torpedo into his engine core," Cyberwulfe grumbled, his hand fingering the weapons control stick.

"But then he'd be onto you. Wait it out," Ozy pulled Cyber's paw off the controls," We'll get our opportunity. But we can't fight him until you are strong enough, and not without RazorWolf. We still need to find the other Dragon Balls."

"You're right," Cyber sighed once more," Wait a minute," he sat upright and started pressing buttons, activating the Dragon Radar," RazorWolf said that Zero was looking for the Dragon Balls. When he fought Zero, that damned tiger already had two of the balls. Lemme scan his ship."

Cyberwulfe watched the screen in front of him flicker to life and display a pair of glowing circles directly in front of him, sitting within six inches of each other. He smiled and pounded the control board with his fist.

"Look! He's got two of them! Zero Tiger just made our search a little easier."

"He's not en idiot, Cyber. He probably has a security system just as good as ours," Ozy said," Maybe even better."

"You're right. We'd never be able to get through that kind of security. And he probably has a hundred guards on board. His strongest men will be guarding the balls, that's for sure. Damn." Cyberwulfe put his fingers to his chin and puzzled over the situation.

"I'll scan the ship and get a diagram of the layout. I'll find out exactly where on the ship those Dragon Balls are. Once we find out where they are we'll have an easier time getting them. Maybe we can just blow a hole in the ship and get inside to steal them," Ozy suggested.

Ozy's fingers flew over the keyboard, scanning every inch of the red ship. As he worked, a detailed three dimensional wire frame image of the ship began to develop on his screen. It took less than ten minutes to create the model, and only two more to place the Dragon Balls. They were in what looked like a small, heavily guarded containment area. Unfortunately it was also buried deep inside the ship. Ozy frowned and he dropped his hands into his lap.

"Well there goes that idea. Short of blowing the ship to bits and searching the wreckage, we have no way inside," Ozy grumbled.

"I'm going to bed. Maybe we can figure this out in the morning," Cyber grumbled.

"Alright. Don't do anything stupid or I'll have to set the sentry alarm to prevent you from leaving the ship," Ozy threatened.

"Naw, I'll be okay. I just need some sleep."

Cyberwulfe left the cockpit and stumbled to his room. After closing the door he leaned back against it and cried. Warm tears ran down his cheeks and he squeezed his fists tightly, reopening his wound and dripping blood down his arm. He'd come so close now, met his friend's killer face to face, and he couldn't do anything about it. He was stuck.

"I'm sorry, Razor," he whispered," I failed already."

Cyber slumped to the floor, his paws in front of him holding him up. His tears dripped onto the floor, mixing with the blood that slowly oozed from his paw. Finally he dragged himself off his knees and to his bedside table where he unloaded his pockets before slipping into bed. He snuggled deep under the cold blankets and cried himself to sleep, dreaming of his failure and plotting ways to kill himself.

Cyberwulfe awoke several hours later in his warm bed, his blankets wrapped around him like a cocoon. He didn't feel like getting out of bed, and just rolled over on one side and closed his eyes, just wishing he was dead and wouldn't have to deal with losing RazorWolf, which now seemed like had happened a second time. But he knew he needed to get some food, so he finally pushed himself upright and slipped his legs over the side of the bed. Looking down at his bedside clock, he noticed the pile of things he'd removed from his pockets the previous night. Some loose credits, small papers, receipts from the restaurant, and a business card.

"What the hell...?" Cyber puzzled, rubbing his eyes as he reached for the card.

It was the card that the hacker-mercenary Brorjace had given to him. He read the card out loud," Brorjace. Mercenary for hire. Bounty hunter, hacker, slicer. Call for rates and special equipment. Universal call address 361-445-9987-666. Sound hokey if you ask me," Cyber began to crumple the card, then stopped.

He unfolded it and stared at the text. Hacker. Jace had bragged about being able to hack through any type of security system. Perhaps even Zero's security grid that protected the Dragon Balls. Cyber smiled and leapt out of bed, running out of his room and straight to the cockpit. He picked up the communicator and punched in the number. He got a recorded message.

"You're found Brorjace. If you've got an important job, press one. If you need information on..."

"What the fuck?" Cyberwulfe cursed and pressed one.

"Please hold. I might be a while," the recording said.

"This is a waste of time, I just know it," Cyberwulfe grumbled and waited patiently on the line until finally Brorjace answered.

"What do you want?" Jace said.

"I've got a job for you to do, and I'll pay anything. But I need it done immediately," Cyber replied.

"Yeah, what's the occasion?"

"I'm here on the space station still. I met you the other day. The wolf with the dragon partner."

"Oh yeah, I remember you," Cyber could hear movement on the other line," Settle down, baby. I'll be done in a minute."

"Company?" Cyber chuckled.

"Naw. Just an acquaintance. Now what do you need done?" Jace continued.

"I need you to hack into the security system of a ship docked at port 315. It's a large ship and probably has one hell of a security grid. Think you can handle it?"

"No problem. The old Stellar Frigate, huh?" Jace knew his ships well," I think I can crack it."

"I'll also need boarding gear. I need to shut down the security systems, break into the ship, steal something, and get out. I'll pay you a bonus once we're done," Cyber added.

"A bonus? Someone's feeling generous. And since you're feeling generous and it seems like this is really important I can't let this job go for any less than forty thousand, plus additional expenses."

"Forty? It costs that much just to hack into a computer and pull a few switches?" Cyber growled.

"Hey, you need the shit or not? I've got a ton of other customers waiting," Brorjace replied.

"Fine. Where can I meet you?" Cyber gave in.

"Meet me at my ship. Port 117. I'll see you in forty minutes."

"Why forty minutes?"

"You caught me in the middle of something. Gotta finish up."

"You're sick," Cyber grumbled," See you in thirty."

Cyberwulfe had no trouble finding the starship. It was a battered old Corellian freighter, showing scars from various battles and close calls. Just from looking at the ship Cyber could see that it was heavily, and illegally, modified. After speaking with Jace quickly outside security he was cleared to enter. The first thing Brorjace did was draw a gun on Cyberwulfe.

"Just a precaution, I hope you understand," he said.

"Not that a tiny pistol like that could hurt me, but yes, I understand," Cyber only grinned.

"Whatever," Jace lowered the gun and motioned for Cyber to follow him to the ship's common area.

Inside the ship were many computer stations and input terminals. Inside the common area one complete wall was a mass of computer screens, keyboards, buttons, input jacks, and audio speakers. This must have been where Brorjace did his handiwork. Jace sat at a table in one corner of the room, Cyber sat opposite him.

"So, tell me about this big job with the frigate," Bror began," Must be something important in there."

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Cyber replied," All you need to do is disable the security system and get us in there somehow."

"Oh I can crack the security. But I want to know what's so important in there," Jace leaned back in his chair.

Cyberwulfe sighed," Have you ever heard of the mystic Dragon Balls?"

"Who hasn't. But these days it's certain death to be looking for them. I heard a guy named Zero Tiger is looking for them so he can become immortal. Apparently he's the biggest badass around these parts," Brorjace replied," Why do you ask? Are you looking for them too?"

"I've got three of them," Cyberwulfe said.

"Woo hoo! I'll bet you're on Zero Tiger's hit list for sure. Three?" Jace chuckled," Holy smokes. How the hell did you find them all?"

"I found two of them. The first one was found by a good friend of mine before he was killed by Zero Tiger. Zero's ship is parked here, and I want you to hack into his security system so I can gain access and steal the two balls he has."

"Oh no, no way! You never said it was Zero Tiger's ship! Fuck, do you know how fucked up we'll be if he catches us?" Jace sat up suddenly.

"I have a rough idea. But I'm relying on you and your, how did you put it, superior skill? If anyone can gain access to his ship I figured you could. Or are you just all talk?"

Jace twitched," Hey, I'm the best damn hacker in the quadrant! If you want to get into his ship I'll get you there. But I want to make sure he doesn't know I had anything to do with it. I've got enough enemies as it is and I don't need Zero Tiger breathing down my neck."

"So you'll do it?"

"For fifty thousand."

"Ok, now you're pissing me off, Jace!" Cyber growled.

"You never said it was Zero's ship," Jace replied.

"You never asked."

Jace sat for a moment and considered the statement," Forty five."

"Forty."

"Forty two."

"Deal. Now show me what you've got."

Cyberwulfe rubbed his nose as he positioned the Always behind Zero Tiger's ship. Brorjace had moved some equipment onto the ship so he could hack into the security system. Once they had penetrated the shields they would cut a hole in the side of the ship and sneak on board. After stealing the Dragon Balls they'd make it back to the ship, return Jace to his own vessel, and take off for the next Dragon Ball location. Brorjace had discovered that the red frigate was undergoing a small engine repair and they were burning their engines every hour to run tests. The radiation from the engine would be enough to hide them from sensors, but the tests lasted only fifteen minutes, which was their window of opportunity.

"Alright. Their radiation seems to be hiding us," Ozy said, sitting awkwardly in the copilots chair," Looks like stage one is complete."

"Bror, how's that coming?" Cyber leaned into the doorway and looked into the room where Brorjace had his computers running," Just give me the green light, or tell me to get the hell out of here."

"Patience," Jace replied," When you rush you make mistakes. This is a very delicate business," Brorjace continued typing his hands flying across the keys as he watched the various characters dance across his screens.

"Is this guy a nutcase or what?" Ozy whispered.

"Hey, he's getting us two Dragon Balls. They're worth ten times what we're paying him," Cyber replied.

"Hmm, good point."

"Your friend there has quite a nice security grid," Jace called out," Unfortunately his operating system and command relays should have been updated weeks ago. I learned how to hack this shit last month."

"Is that a good thing?" Cyber asked.

"I'd say good. For one thing, their shields are down and you can dock any time now," Jace replied," Secondly you should be able to cut your way through and steal those Dragon Balls in another two minutes, or less."

"Alright then. Ozy, bring us in close. We'll take up position on the belly and cut our way in through the engineering sector. If they're as busy fixing those engines as Jace says they are, they won't notice us coming through."

"You got it," Ozy replied and punched a few buttons.

The ship lurched forward slowly, diving under the radiation of the engines and gliding softly under the hull of the large red warship. As Ozymandis maneuvered the ship closer to the docking point, he nervously eyed the massive gun turrets that were mounted on the hull of the ship. The Always was a very fast ship, but she had very weak shields and armour plating. At this range it would only take a few direct shots to destroy the fragile craft.

"Look at the mass drivers on that thing," Ozy voiced his concern to Cyberwulfe.

"They're the least of our worries," Cyber replied," Okay good. Now bring us up real slow."

They had reached the belly of the ship, just below the engineering sector. Cyberwulfe almost winced as he heard the dorsal docking port slide from the ship and thud against the hull of the frigate. Silence. Cyberwulfe breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, I did it!" Brorjace cried, causing Cyber's eyes to bug out," Okay boys, don your stealth packs and go kick some ass!"

Ozy just shook his head as he approached the docking hatch. Resting against the wall were a pair of large bulky belts with control boards and clamps on them. They were stealth belts. Not only could they muffle any sounds made by the wearer, but thanks to some modifications by Brorjace they could also make the user completely invisible too. Ozy and Cyber had tested them before agreeing to use them. Unfortunately Cyberwulfe could still sense Ozy's energy while he was invisible, so they'd be vulnerable to energy detectors. Cyber and Ozy could speak to one another through communicators in their ears and mouths, but their voices could not be heard by anyone else.

"Alright, let's go," Cyber tightened the belt around his waist and turned the belt on. After a few seconds he wavered from sight like ripples in a pond.

Ozy followed, and soon they were climbing the ladder into the docking hatch. An airtight seal had been made with the hull of the frigate, and Cyberwulfe opened the Always' hatch to look at the rough hull of the red ship. He laughed and reached into his pocket.

"What's so funny?" Ozy said into his mic.

Cyberwulfe didn't reply. He pulled out a large thick permanent marker and scribbled something on the side of the ship. Then he began laughing histerically. Ozy looked up and read what it said on the hull. "CYBERWULFE WUZ HERE". He sighed in embarrassment and shook his head.

"Come on, Cyber," he pleaded," We don't have much time."

"Alright alright," Cyber chuckled again and finally relaxed.

He generated a small beam of energy and held it to the hull of the ship, slowly cutting through it like a knife through butter. After slicing through he pushed upwards and slid the hull plating aside, revealing a small room inside the engineering sector. Ozy was the one carrying the blueprints of the ship, so he took the lead. Sneaking through a large ventilation shaft the two found themselves in a corridor. White halls ran through the ship, causing Cyberwulfe to squint in the bright light.

"We've got another eight minutes, Cyber," Ozy said."

"No problem," Cyber replied," Just get me to the security chamber."

Ozy continued on through the ship, taking turn after turn and traveling through corridors until finally they arrived at the armoured door that protected the Dragon Balls. Cyberwulfe placed his paws against the door and sighed, knowing now that he was one step closer to getting RazorWolf back.

A light flashed and shone down on him," Identify!" a voice boomed.

"Shit," Cyber whispered.

"Identify!"

Flicking a switch, Cyber turned to the channel inside Always," Um, Brorjace, we've got a small problem here."

"What's up?" Jace replied.

"Did you deactivate the security on the armoured chamber located on B-deck, sector thirteen?" Cyber asked.

A few moments went by," Damn. That chamber is running off a separate subsystem. Give me a moment."

"We don't have much time," Cyber replied.

"You have ten seconds to comply," the voice beeped.

"Jace, you have ten seconds actually," Cyber exclaimed.

"Damn. This thing is protected by some new operating system. He sure doesn't want anything getting in there. I'll try my best... hack the damn thing... Otherwise... hurry up..."

"Jace, you're breaking up," Cyber tapped his mic, but it was too late. A burst of static shattered their transmission. Cyber switched back to Ozy," Ozy, I think we're in trouble. I just lost Jace. He was trying to hack into this security system."

"Great, now what do we do?" the dragon replied.

"Three, two, one..." the voice counted down. Suddenly a shrieking alarm sounded.

"Fuck!" Cyber exclaimed," I'll tell you what we do now, Ozy. We blast in there and get the hell out."

"Cyber! Don't!"

Before Ozy could utter a word he sensed the power generating in Cyberwulfe's paws. The blast hit the armoured door and penetrated it, blowing it inward and knocking over the two guards inside. Cyberwulfe raced inside and looked frantically about for the Dragon Balls. They were sitting inside a glass case. Cyber shattered the glass with his fist and grabbed the balls, tucking them into a pouch he had tied around his waist. He turned to see the two guards stumble to the ground.

"Good work, Ozy," Cyber grinned.

"Let's just get out of here. It'll be bad enough if we lose the Always too," Ozy rushed out of the room.

Cyberwulfe followed but bumped into a large guard that suddenly rounded the corner. The guard looked stunned for a moment, and then reached to his temple and activated a visor he was wearing over his eye. It closely resembled his own Scouter on the ship, only it was black. Although he was looking at the display backwards, Cyberwulfe could make out the outline of a body and an arrow, as well as a power reading on the Scouter.

"Intruders! Intruders!" the guard shouted. He was soon silenced by Cyberwulfe.

"Cyber, we've got trouble!" Ozy cried.

"I'm coming. Just get to the ship," Cyber replied.

He leapt off his feet and flew down the hall, screaming past approaching guards who didn't seem to notice him. He soon got to the hatch where Ozy was waiting. After sliding the hull plating into place and welding it shut with another blast of energy, Cyber slid down the ladder, ripped off the stealth belt, and jumped into the pilot's seat. Ozy was already warming up the engines.

"Hey guys, any luck?" Jace asked.

"Yeah," Cyber replied," But we'll be lucky to get our asses out of here. She's powering up her cannons."

"Oh shit. This is where you drop me off and..." Jace was interrupted.

"Fuck that. We need to get out of here now!" Ozy pushed Jace into a seat," Now hold onto something."

Ozy pulled the throttle and the Always accelerated, pushing Jace back into the padded seat. The ship turned sharply and hurtled away from the frigate as the guns powered up. With the engine test finished they were now a big red dot on the radar.

"They've got a lock on us," Ozy cried as a red light flashed.

"Hold on to something," Cyber gripped the weapons control stick and pulled the trigger. A volley of bright blue cannons shot out and slammed into the engine nacelles of the frigate, sending arcing electricity shooting along the length of the ship.

"What the hell was that?" Jace asked.

"Particle disrupter. Now they really need an engine repair," Cyber gripped the control stick and straightened the ship as they shot through space.

"Cyber, the space station is demanding we return to our docking port or they'll open fire on us," Ozy put down the headset he was wearing.

"Damn. Ozy, fire our rear torpedo tube and hit our afterburners. We're gonna have to get out of range of their mass drivers," Cyber replied, gripping the throttle and pushing it forward.

Ozy took the copilots weapons control stick and flicked a few switches. After pulling the trigger the ship jolted as two proton torpedoes were fired from the rear launchers. They collided with Zero Tiger's ship, disabling more systems and causing a small fire to rip its way along one of the engines. Suddenly the Always was jolted hard by something else.

"Dammit, they're firing at us!" Ozy exclaimed.

"Okay, full throttle! Fire the afterburners!" Cyber pushed the throttle full forward as Ozy kicked in their afterburners. The three were thrust back into their seats as the ship shot away from the station, and out of range of its mass driver turrets.

The Always sat in orbit of one of the four moons of the planet Dragoon. In Cyber's room sat a group of five Dragon Balls. In the cockpit sat Ozy, calculating the next route to the sixth Dragon Ball. In the lounge, Brorjace and Cyberwulfe were arguing.
"I can't believe you left my ship behind! If you weren't stronger than me I'd kick your ass right now!" Jace screamed.
"As if I had a choice. It's either leave her behind or get vapourized," Cyber replied," Besides, you've got most of your equipment here anyway."
"That's not good enough. I want my ship," Jace pointed a finger at Cyber.
"What am I supposed to do? Go back to that station and get my ass fried? Not to mention Zero Tiger and a certain warship with my name on the gunner's list?" Cyber asked," There's no way I can get you your ship back."

"Great! Years of work down the shitter! Just perfect!" Brorjace slumped into a chair.

"Hey, look. At the very least I'd like to offer you a place on my team, okay?" Cyber tried to comfort the depressed human," We could use someone with your skill, and I think you might find the computers here to your liking. And I'd also be willing to train you so you don't have to worry about getting your ass kicked all the time."

Jace just sat for a few moments," Mercenaries work alone."

"Alright. We'll drop you off somewhere with your forty-two thousand and you can go from there," Cyber left to check on Ozy in the cockpit.

"Cyber, I think we'll be okay. That mass driver only knocked up our shields a little bit," Ozy reported," We'll be fine."

"That's good," Cyber sighed and sat down in the pilot's chair," Mister Grumpy Ass back there wants his ship back, which is impossible. I offered for him to come with us but he said mercs work alone. So we'll drop him off somewhere and continue on."

"Yeah. Not much he can do without his ship though. Maybe he can catch a transport back to the station or something like that," Ozy suggested.

"That won't ne necessary," Brorjace said, entering the cockpit.

"Have a change of mind?" Cyber asked, turning in his seat to face Jace in the doorway.

"I thought it over, and yeah, I need a new ship. Your computers here are new and better than my old ones, as reluctant as I am to admit it. And yeah, it might be nice to work as part of a team for a while. Especially since you guys can work the muscle while I work the technical side of things. That is, until you teach me how to kick ass," Jace winked at Cyber.

"Alright, welcome aboard," Cyber shook Jace's hand.

"Good to have you with us," Ozy smiled and took Jace's hand.

"Alright, so where to next?" Jace sat in the third cockpit seat.

"It's an uninhabited planet called Fn-22. Apparently for some reason the iron concentrations on this planet are so high that the crust of the planet itself is a sheet of iron. It's quite thick apparently. No one has been able to drill water or oil or anything, so the planet is worthless. Except for a prison colony," Ozy explained.

"Sounds good. Now that Zero Tiger has lost the two Dragon Balls he had, he'll either be looking for us or on his way there. Well, after he fixes his ship I mean," Cyber said.

"So what's the plan?" Jace asked.

"Let's rest for a day or two, then take off. I'll take some time to train you in the gym, Jace, and we'll get you into badass mode soon enough," Cyber smiled.

"Kick ass!" Jace grinned.

With five Dragon Balls and a sixth one on the way, the ship Always and its crew had begun another phase of its journey which was soon to be over. Or was it?

The End

Cyberwulfe, RazorWolf, Ozymandis
© their players