Chapter VIII
“Why did you bring us here so early?”
“What’s going on?”
“I’gi, I believe that is your department.”
I’gi looked around the boardroom at his fellow Realm Officials, hardly lit in the dimness. The chairman sat at the other end of the table from him, at its head. He always felt that he had to impress them, somehow.
“Just before I entered, I received this,” he spoke, clicking a button on his digital recorder as he placed it on the table.
“Hello.
“Who is
this? (Quick! Are you recording this for the KBT?)
“(Yes, sir.)
“You know who. I’ve left two of your squadron for you at 4830-1228. Please come and pick them up, they have family to go to. Over and out.”
The recording stopped and the chairman groaned. “Yes, I do know who.”
“He’s back?” a Koopa asked to his left.
“It seems like it, Morton’et,” I’gi answered him. “Very much. The KBT is pretty much certain that it’s him.”
“’Him’? I’m sorry, am I missing something here?” a Koopa next to the chairman asked.
“Don’t you remember the whole gold tooth incident, Lued’vik?”
The one called Lued’vik was silent for a moment before he gave a quiet “oh”.
“For those of you who may not remember, like Lued’vik, I am talking about this person here,” I’gi spoke, pressing another button on his recorder.
On a screen behind him, taking up most of the wall, there was security camera footage of an empty corridor in a rather opulent building.
“Hey, that’s the third floor!” one to his right spoke up.
“Very astute of you to notice, Le’mi,” I’gi said sarcastically. “Just watch.”
A gun of sorts appeared around the corner of a wall, before it pointed up at the camera. It pulled back again and nothing seemed to happen.
“The counter
stops for five seconds as the frame is frozen, giving our target time to move,”
I’gi narrated, “but he moves down the corridor, away
from the camera, gets a fright of some sort and runs back just as the camera
resumes. We paused the footage here in our editing.
His name is Dyluck Thanatos
Yoshi von Kippo, though he goes by the name of
‘Lich’. Is naturally allied to the Archipelago and also to
the
“That’s starting to ring some bells, now,” Le’mi spoke.
“Good. Because all of are you are going to get to know him until he is caught and captured and brought here.”
“Lethal force isn’t acceptable, I’gi?” Morton’et asked.
“No. Because,” I’gi paused as he made the footage zoom in, “of this little thing here.”
“It looks like a…boomerang?” Lued’vik asked, cocking his head.
“Exactly. An extremely powerful one at that. Endued with magical powers,” I’gi read from his notes, “it has hyper-fast throwing speed, laser capabi–”
“More picture, less specifics,” Morton’et grunted.
I’gi exhaled sharply. He did not like having to cut his flight short. “I trust you all know about Va’kotiku?”
“What about that dump?” another Koopa spoke up.
“I thought you’d have more care for your urban portfolio, Ro’i,” I’gi rebuked him. “There has been a certain incident there, as Morton’et and I and,” he nodded to him and the chairman, “know. Yesterday, at 12.07, a Code Two-Twelve occurred.”
“And in Koopan?” a female Koopa asked.
“Crossing D was attacked. Footplate sensors indicated that two aggressors were moving into the Realm. Morton’et?”
He stood. “This was brought to the attention of the 11th Batallion,” he continued. “They moved into Va’kotiku to secure it, commencing lockdown at 16.28.”
“Our two aggressors entered Va’kotiku at 16.03,” I’gi added.
“I wasn’t told that Va’kotiku had been locked down!” Ro’i complained.
“So you do care for your dump then,” I’gi replied. “We believed that this incident was minor at the time, so we–”
“Didn’t bother telling me, just like that time you locked down Nalkok’kalku and temporarily stopped Gr’tokoru deliveries to Bauzur’kalku after the B’ralku assassination? The lack of efficiency in the KBT never ceases to surprise me.”
“The KBT retains efficiency by putting its resources where they are needed, Ro’i,” the chairman spoke.
The Koopa grunted in defeat.
The chairman nodded to Morton’et to continue as I’gi beamed from his win.
“Preliminary reports state that at 23.05, an inn was entered by some of my men. An argument broke out with the innkeeper. Nine minutes later, a shot was fired in the upper floor of the building. A skirmish ensued, in which the innkeeper was killed, followed by an explosion approximately three minutes later. The aggressors escaped and a street battle followed, before it moved into the town’s sewer network. At 23.38, an explosion rocked the town as a fireball spread through the network – preliminary damage reports are approximately four hundred thousand Coins.”
“Four hundred – thousand – Coins?!” Ro’i yelled. “And you said that was minor?!”
“One of the reasons why we’re having this meeting,” I’gi replied, coolly. “You’ve lost four hundred grand of infrastructure, I’ve lost three men, and Morton’et has lost about thirty of his.”
“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I’m guessing that this dino has something to do with it?” Lued’vik asked.
“He has been identified as one of the aggressors.”
“Then who’s the other one?”
“A magenta-skinned Yoshi that carries a powerful black staff or spear of seemingly the same sorts of origin as the boomerang,” I’gi replied. “We’re working on it.”
“You’re…working on it?” the female Koopa asked, surprised. “But I thought the KBT knew all about the powerful dinos.”
“All that we know about, U’endi, which I can safely say is all but this one. The theory is that he, or possibly she, is another offworlder Yoshi.”
“I wish you could do something about cementing our presence on Fa’Diel, I’gi,” the chairman sighed.
“But until something happens to weaken the TEHP and the other Fa’Dieli spy agencies, it’s virtually impossible, unfortunately,” I’gi sighed regretfully. “Thanks to them, we have limited information about ‘Lich’, but he has had enough presence here on this planet to be exposed.”
“I’m sensing that this may become another Mario problem,” Lued’vik groaned, leaning back in his chair.
“This is nothing like Mario,” Morton’et replied. “All he and Luigi came for was the fungi’s princess.”
“I disagree,” Lued’vik stated, sitting back up again. “A Yoshi does not come into the Realm for no reason, especially a criminal who steals royal dentistry.”
“Exactly!” Le’mi spoke up. “Why are they here? What are they looking for? Who are they after?”
“More gold teeth?” U’endi suggested.
“I wouldn’t think they’d be so brazen.” Morton’et shrugged.
“He did it before, remember?” she reminded them.
“Yes, but what did that achieve?”
“It broke some sort of magical curse that had linkages to the Yoshian pantheon,” I’gi answered.
“So maybe he’s been sent by them?” the chairman asked.
“It is a possibility,” I’gi answered. “But, what assets do we have that they would value?”
“I fail to see anything,” Ro’i grunted. “Except maybe your Yoshian prisoners, I’gi.”
“I doubt the pantheon would care about them; they have failed to make any substantial complaints in the past,” he replied.
“What about the Archipelago?”
“I doubt it. They tend not to recruit people unless they have gone through the right channels in the first place, which ‘Lich’ has not.”
“This…Guardian group?” the chairman spoke again. “What of them?”
“They are fairly clandestine, but their purposes are more of defence of their unstable planet, rather than pre-emptive attacks.”
“The KIA?”
“Possible, but unlikely.”
“So he’s here for personal reasons,” the chairman said, leaning back in his chair.
“It appears so. But we should not fail to examine the fact that maybe what we see as the accomplice is actually the master here.”
“The other dino might be using him for his ‘local knowledge’, perhaps?”
“It’s possible. We can’t say for sure right now whether or not that’s true, but the likely theory is that ‘Lich’ is here for some business, and has brought along some additional support since he has been incriminated.”
“So what’s the business?” Le’mi asked, tapping a claw somewhat impatiently on the table.
“Well, that recording I played earlier was from Ak’gorak. What we call a Code 298c is where a Yoshian GPS receiver is used within the Realm. The first one occurred in a fairly central location. Repeated 298c’s occurred in a generally eastward direction.”
“How do you know this?”
Morton’et spoke up. “A Parakoopa squadron was assembled to apprehend them, and their identities were confirmed. We lost three of them, while the other two are being retrieved right now.”
“This is turning into a Mario-like situation,” Lued’vik sighed.
“You haven’t answered my question,” Le’mi said.
“He was heading east towards the Talk’gu road. If he was headed here, then he would have gone west.”
“So we set up a trap in Talk’gu, then,” the chairman said. “I’gi, give me recent information as to his whereabouts and send some agents there. ‘Et, you know what to do.”
“What about the media?” U’endi asked.
“Martyrise the dead soldiers in Va’kotiku and Ak’gorak, preferably a few less than the actual figure, but do not warn Talk’gu residents that they’re going there or what we want to do. By all means circulate his identity.”
“Reward for information?” I’gi asked Lued’vik.
“1,500 coins,” he answered.
“If these two are from Fa’Diel, and therefore experienced with magic, then I feel I should be involved,” a new voice spoke.
“Bring on the Magikoopas,” Ro’i sighed. “More things destroyed.”
“Ahem. I’ll
pretend I didn’t hear Ro’i say that,” the chairman
said wistfully. “That’s an excellent idea, La’ri. It
seems to be the most natural progression.”
I’gi heard Ro’i whisper, “Because you’re impartial to your personal advisors.”
“I will not fail you,” La’ri proclaimed, before giving Ro’i a stony glare.
“What about me?” Le’mi asked.
“Prevent all Yoshies from using any transport besides their feet. The more we can slow them down, the better the chance we have to catch them. Right. Any further questions, statements?”
“No,” Ro’i hissed between clenched teeth.
“Then let’s get the gears turning and the wheels spinning. I want him bound, gagged and shackled in here by the end of this week.”
“This week?!” I’gi exclaimed.
“A problem, I’gi?” the chairman asked, grinning slyly in the darkness.
“Er…no. Not at all. By the end of this week.”
“This meeting is finished. I’ll be in the throne room if you need me.”