Ratchet stormed through the corridor, echoing like thunder against the steel walls. Fury burned in his chest as he slammed his hand against the walls.His eyes ablaze with indignation. "How dare he," he growled, his voice dripping with disbelief. "You dare say no to me?" he said.
Honki and Maji trailed behind, their postures stiff with tension.
"Sir..." Honki began, uncertain of how to temper his leader's rage.
"Those fools rejected the Great Ratchet, sir," Maji declared, his voice a mix of shock and resentment. "They will pay for this," Maji added, fists clenching at the mere thought.
Honki nodded firmly. "We will make them regret their choice, Sir Ratchet," he said.
Ratchet took a deep breath, his anger momentarily shifting into something more calculating. He ran a hand through his hair, a chilling smirk forming on his lips. "No, this will work to our advantage," he mused. "Let them do the hard work, or die trying," he added.
At that moment, heavy footsteps rang down the corridor. Nipthal appeared. "They're here!" he announced.
Honki stiffened. "They came... and they refused our offer," he confirmed.
But Ratchet merely chuckled, his expression darkening. "That only plays into our hands," he said.
Nipthal's eyes narrowed, "Do not underestimate them," he warned. "You don't know what they're capable of," he added.
Ratchet waved off the caution, his smile growing sharper. "They are not that. We can easily crush them. Our plans for world domination," he said. "It is time to deploy everything. RAU and BGB," he added.
Nipthal stepped forward, eager for revenge, "I can send them now. I can destroy them before they see it coming."
Maji smirked, eager for blood. "Then let's move now," he responded.
But Ratchet lifted a hand, halting them. "No." His eyes gleamed with cruel amusement. "We wait," he said. "But deploy one RAU, to see how strong they are," he ordered.
"My RAU will destroy them all," Npithal laughed.
Honki hesitated, as if recalling something. "Sir Ratchet, we still have no further information on that mysterious woman," Hoki said.
Ratchet scoffed, waving the concern aside. "Forget her. We have bigger fish to fry," she said. His laughter, low and filled with venom, carried down the corridor as he turned away, his mind already spinning a web of chaos that would soon engulf those who dared defy him.
Meanwhile, Ben, Alvida, Kalifa, Maya, and Vivi stepped aboard the Miss Love Duck, their return marked by the murmurs of the awaiting crew.
Zala raised an eyebrow. "Back already?" she asked.
Nojiko leaned forward slightly, her curiosity evident. "How did it go?" she questioned.
Vivi let out a small sigh. "As well as it could have," she admitted.
Alvida, folded her arms. "My love refused the alliance," she responded. She smiled at Ben and winked.
Conis blinked in surprise. "He wanted us to work together?" she asked.
Robin's lips curled into a knowing smile. "That's rather unusual for you, Captain," she remarked, eyes keen with observation. "You usually accept alliances without hesitation. Learning from the past, are we?" she said.
Ben looked at her. "We don't need him," he said simply. "He'd only get in the way," he added.
Mikita nodded in agreement. "Good call," she responded.
Ben turned to Kalifa. "You mentioned you had something important to say back there," he prompted.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses as she spoke. "I met Alpha there," she revealed. "My sister," she added.
"What?!" Saphir exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.
Kaya leaned forward. "What is she doing here?" she asked innocently.
"She's hunting down Jewelry Bonney," Kalifa continued. "But she heard rumors about a large mechanical figure and came to check it out." She paused, looking around. "She also mentioned that the Marines are heading here, three thousand strong," she said.
"Large mechanical figure? Do you mean... a Mech," Vivi asked.
A murmur of realization spread through the group as tension thickened the air.
Raki folded her arms. "So they're after us," she remarked.
"This could be bad," Marianne said as she let out a hot breath.
Ben thought about the unfolding threats. The quest mentioned CP8, not the Marines. He thought this could get messy. He thought it could not be Admiral coming here. That would not make sense. He thought maybe Vice Admiral. He thought maybe Alvida himself could take one down in a solo fight.
Alvida leaned back with confidence. "We've taken down ten thousand Marines and Cipher Pol agents before," she stated.
Saphir grinned, flashing a sharp look toward Ben. "We sure did," she added.
Nojiko turned to her captain. "What's the plan, Ben? What do we do now?" she asked. All eyes were on him.
Ben straightened, his voice firm. "We need to complete the quest fast and minimize unnecessary conflict. We'll split into two teams." He looked around, assessing his crew. "One group will go into the cave and solve this mystery. That will be Kaya, Marianne, Nojiko, Raki, Mikita, Zala, Robin and myself. A second group will guard the Miss Love Duck. That will be Vivi, Maya, Honey, Conis, Saphir, Alvida and Kalifa," he explained.
There was a beat of silence before unanimous nods of agreement followed.
"That sounds good to us my love," Alvida said.
"I wonder what we will find there," Marianne said.
"Be safe," Vivi said.
"We will take Lexie with us," Ben said. "Alvida, could you get Mech and the others ready for deployment," Ben asked.
"Sure my love," Alvida responded.
"I can help," Saphir volunteered. They all nodded.
"Okay, let's move," Ben said. Kaya, Marianne, Nojiko, Raki, Mikita, Zala, Robin with Ben headed downstairs towards Lexie. They saw PR and HQ waiting there.
"Hi Both," Ben said.
"Hello Master," HQ said.
Hello Champion," PR said. "We have Lexie ready," she added.
"Thank you both," Ben said.
"Master, we will also get Pau Ra Pa and Rose General ready as well," HQ said.
"Okay," Ben responded. He smiled at them.
"I can drive Lexie," Nojiko said as she took the driver seat.
"This will be tight," Zala said.
"A 5 seater for 8 people," Mikita said.
"We have made it work in the past and we will," Marianne stated.