The Merry Hunters of the Galaxy

Crystals, Thieves, and Frogs

The USS Caliban

Draco Kamado

The first sound that reached the bridge door was a familiar electronic chirp.

Helmut's beady black eyes lit up. "Snippy!"

The door slid open, and Snippy zoomed over to Helmut's weapon chair with a buzzing purr.

He patted her shell. "I was afraid Ignatius would blow you up."

"Hey!" Iggy snapped outside.

Ardia bounded in. "Draco! We've got the files!" She dropped the drive on his command panel.

"President Muroi's weapons stash has gone up in smoke," Iggy scuttled in behind her. "Kaboom!" He threw out his top arms.

"Now we Rodentians can protest without worrying we'll get killed," she grinned.

"Excellent work," I flexed my prosthetic claw. "Did the GFA give you any problems?"

"A little, but we got away. Snippy even dropped one of them down the sewer!"

Snippy chirped proudly.

"Well done," I inserted the drive into the ship's computer. "Here you go, Etta."Now, we could end corruption and make things right in the galaxy.

The green voice modulator beside the dashboard rippled. "Thank you, Draco," Etta buzzed. "I'm showing you all potential targets now."

The screen lit up, and hundreds of folders appeared, each labeled with a name and face. Above the folders was the name VIPs of 2147. Perfect. Everyone was there. Gerald Muroi of Rodentia, who was a president in name only. Philbin Dildrix, thief of historical artifacts and vulnerable flesh. And how could I overlook Commander Drake Terran, who had betrayed me, branded me a criminal, and sided with the real crooks? But being famous wasn't the only thing they had in common. Everyone displayed was in the Black Star's pocket, whether they were one of their tattooed Comets or associated with one.

Humayra licked her lips with her forked tongue. "Who are we going after first, Draco?"

Another hit so soon? We had been on a good streak.

"Perhaps we should go after Leonora Pardi, the top fashion designer and big-game hunter," Helmut fidgeted with a gadget on his chair. "I would like a gargaphant gun."

"Ooh! Ooh!" Iggy bounced in his seat. "We should go after Cryss Moissan, the diamond tycoon! Yeah..." His four beady eyes gleamed. "Snippy and Etta hack into his security system, we beam up all the sacks of diamonds to donate to Universal Aid, Ardia frees Moissan's slaves, Humayra kicks him down a mine shaft, and..."

Humayra's face and tone were flat. "...You blow everything up."

"Yeah!" He cheered. "So, Draco?" He held out an arm. "Whaddya think?"

Terran would pay. I'd stick my blaster in his throat. No, I lowered my claw. That couldn't happen yet. I'd just gotten the files. I had to read them and make plans before I finished things with Terran.

A recent memory rose. Rattling Jack had been on a holo-call with a Batrachian when we found him in The Hiccuping Reptile. The Batrachian had been well-dressed and looked familiar.

"Let's not go after Moissan yet," I held up my claw. "Etta," I addressed the ship's computer, "Show me all the Batrachian celebrities and politicians."

"As you wish, Draco."

Pictures of frogs and toads in fancy clothes filled the screen.

Helmut blinked. "Batrachians? But Batrachia doesn't belong to the Black Star."