Minecraft Story Mode Season 3, Episode 3: Every Rose Has Its Thorns

Part 24: Major (And Minor) Issues

 Jesse, Axel, Olivia, Petra, Lukas, Romeo, Aiden, Jack, Nurm, and Stella had gathered in the Order Hall for a meeting.

Stella had medium length platinum blond hair that she wore over her left shoulder and hazel eyes. She wore a purple and black striped dress that revealed a white button up shirt, black dress shoes, and a crown microphone.

Stella looked at Jesse and tilted her head.

"What exactly did you call me here for? I'm a very busy woman, but you said it was urgent," Stella said.

"Yeah... There's this evil guy named Hit the Target who's been kidnapping my citizens. You've probably already heard about him," Jesse explained. Stella twirled a strand of her hair.

"Mm-hm. And?" Stella replied. A devious and eager grin spread across Petra's face.

"Hit the Target built his hideout right outside of Champion City!" Petra blurted with glee. Stella's mouth dropped open and her eyes narrowed.

"He WHAT?!" Stella shrieked. She clenched her fists. "Of all the... That disrespectful, slimy wretch! He thinks he can deface my beautiful city with his hideous lair? I want to give him a piece of my mind!" Stella huffed. The corners of Jesse's mouth turned upwards.

"I figured that you'd want to help take him down, especially since he barged into your city with zero permission to make an evil base," Jesse responded.

"Jesse told me she's glad the villain didn't set up a base in her city for once," Petra snickered. A disdainful gasp escaped Stella's mouth.

"Petra... I never said that," Jesse sighed.

"True. I just wanted to see how she'd react," Petra chuckled. Stella glared daggers at Petra.

"We know where Hit the Target is hiding. All we need now is an attack plan," Jesse stated.

"I feel like rescuing Hit the Target's captives should be our number one priority. After hearing about what happened to Kali... I think what he's doing to them is worse than killing them," Lukas insisted. Olivia bit her lip.

"Um, what exactly happened to Kali?" Olivia asked.

"Kali went through some kind of mad science experiment and became a phantom human hybrid. Xara described her as 'unhinged', so there's clearly something else wrong with her too," Lukas replied. Stella raised an eyebrow.

"If that crazy ex-Admin described someone else as 'unhinged', we should all be worried," Jack said.

"Ahem. Excuse me, but who's Xara? I hate being left out of the loop like this, so a little explanation would be appreciated," Stella piped up.

"Remember Prisoner X? Xara is her real name," Jesse responded. Stella's jaw dropped.

"Oh! Oh, my goodness. She didn't... hurt any of you, did she? When I encountered her in her cell, she was wearing a metal muzzle, so I wouldn't be surprised if she bites," Stella winced. Romeo covered his mouth with his hand to stifle a laugh.

"Nope, we're all okay. She's kind of terrifying, but she won't hurt people unless she has a reason. I think," Lukas explained.

"So, uh... we've figured out that rescuing Jesse's citizens is the big thing we're focusing on. But how are we gonna do that?" Axel asked.

"I think I might have an idea. We're going to be splitting into two teams. Team two is going to be our distraction team. They'll be entering Hit the Target's base from the front and fighting off whatever he throws at us. Once Hit the Target and his lackeys have their hands full with the distraction team, team one- our rescue team- is going to stealthily enter Hit the Target's base from the back. The rescue team is then going to find Hit the Target's prisoners and free them," Jesse said.

"Alright. So who's on the distraction team and who's on the rescue team?" Olivia questioned.

"I was thinking the distraction team could be Stella, Aiden, Jack, Nurm, and Romeo. The rescue team is me, Axel, Lukas, Petra, and you," Jesse replied. Stella brushed her hair away from her face.

"Why yes, I am very distracting, aren't I?" Stella commented.

"Yeah, I guess that's one way to describe you," Petra grumbled. A wide grin appeared on Stella's face.

"Thank you, Petra sweetie!" Stella exclaimed.

"That wasn't a compliment," Petra muttered. Stella crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Jesse, it sounds like a great plan... but there's one minor issue," Romeo said. Jesse raised an eyebrow.

"Which is...?" Jesse asked.

"Won't Hit the Target be suspicious if you're seemingly not leading the assault on his lair? He knows you're the leader of the New Order of the Stone and that you'd be the center of any attack against him. If he doesn't see you, he'll be looking for you," Romeo pointed out. Jesse's eyes widened, then she pressed her lips together.

"Crud. You're right. Hit the Target would notice something was up if I was missing from the distraction team. But I have to be on the rescue team. It's my job as Hero in Residence to make sure my citizens are safe," Jesse stated.

"Really? I honestly think that wouldn't matter. You could be on the distraction team," Romeo replied.

"Are you kidding me?! I can't just abandon them! Why the heck would that not matter?" Jesse retorted.

"The Admin's displaying a lack of empathy, what a surprise," Jack muttered sarcastically. Aiden glared at him and clenched his fists.

"What's your problem? Is it really that hard for you to leave him alone?" Aiden snapped.

"Aiden, I appreciate you defending me, but that honestly wasn't necessary. I deserve his hatred after what I've done," Romeo sighed.

"But-" Aiden protested.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Romeo assured. Aiden nodded his head. "Jesse... I think I might have an idea," Romeo said.