That is why the watch officer was surprised to see the prison transport from Altor in the sky above him. After giving them permission to land, he and two other guards escorted Captain Podley from the ship.
"I guess you haven't heard the news," the officer said.
"What news?" said Podley. "What are you talking about?"
"Altor has just left the Federation. The news came on the I.S.N. broadcasts, well, what's left of them! Can't say I blame them. So, who have you got for me?"
The officer looked up to see The Snake being ushered out by Brogan, Haldane, Took, and Castle.
"Now why does it take five of you to bring one guy here?" he asked. "Is he that dangerous?"
"He can be," said Castle. "I've had firsthand experience of his methods on a number of occasions."
"And the pretty one wins every time!" smiled Haldane.
Castle shot him an icy stare. Of all times to try and sweet-talk her.
"Alright then," the officer said. "We can take care of him from here."
The guards took hold of the Snake's restrainers and led him away. As this happened, the watch officer looked at Podley and his crew.
"I suppose you'll want something to eat," he said.
"And a place to stay the night if that's possible," said Brogan. "It's a long flight from Altor."
"I'll arrange some food for you," the watch officer said. "And I'll sort out the guest quarters for you."
"I hope you don't mean one of the cells!" snapped Haldane.
"Would we do something like that to you, Officer?"
The first thing that Magus noticed when he arrived in the caverns under Cygnus Alpha was the atmosphere. The air seemed very damp, and an ordinary human would have found it difficult to breathe in such conditions. However, Magus was not ordinary, and he also wasn't human.
Looking around, he was surprised to see several candles lining the walls. He had thought that with the air being what it was, they wouldn't have been able to light. It was as if something was keeping them going, some sort of power.
Putting the conditions to the back of his mind, he closed his eyes. He didn't use his telepathic powers often, but now he did. What he was looking for was only a few corridors away. It was something he had been looking for for nearly a year.
He soon found it. It was a brightly lighted room, not lighted by candles like the corridor, but what appeared to be some sort of solar power. There was obviously a solar energy reflector on the surface. Looking around, he saw that all of the lights in the room were trained on one spot: the center of the room. There lay the motionless body of the man he considered his son - Thomas Leacock.
A tear began to form in his eye as he looked down at Leacock's motionless body. Since joining the Istari in the year 2000, he had exceeded all of his expectations. Over the centuries, he had formed a strong bond with James Watt the elder, and this pleased Magus, because Watt had been like a son to him as well. He was proud of them both as they rose to the political heights of the United Federation of Planets. And was more than sad to see them shot down by a witch called Servalan. It was Servalan who was responsible for the so-called death of James Watt, and the imprisonment of Leacock. At the time, everyone seemed to believe her story about an Istarian plot to take over the Federation. If that was true, then the Imperials beat them to it.
Trying to keep his emotions in check, Magus placed his hand on Leacock's chest, and breathed in deeply. A warm glow covered his hand, as his worst fears were confirmed. Over half of Leacock's mystical power was gone. He was barely alive.
The penal colony food was very good, to the surprise of Podley. As he wiped his mouth, he looked around to see where his officers were. Brogan and Haldane were checking their weapons, while Took and Castle were seated at the computer console. He had decided to leave them to their work. They knew what they had to do, and after all, when a Creon is hungry, he has to eat.
Getting to his feet, he walked over to the console and watched what Castle was doing. She was good with computers, but had never hacked into a prison computer before.
"Are you covering your tracks well?" asked Podley. "We don't want them to know you're in there!"
"As well as I can, Captain," Castle replied. "But something's not right here. It all seems too easy. It's as if... wait! I've found something!"
Operating the keyboard, she soon brought up a plan of the remand wing.
"Captain Watt and Commander Sutek are being held in cells next to each other," she continued. "On the other side of the compound."
"Can you disable the alarms?" asked Haldane. "I don't wanna find a bunch of stormtroopers staring down their blasters at me once we get there!"
"I found the alarm program half an hour ago, Jack," said Castle. "Don't worry! The alarms will be down!"
"Good," said Podley. "Brogan, Haldane, Took. You know what to do. Good luck."
Upon hearing this, Brogan, Took, and Haldane pulled on their black tunics, and put on their black face paint. Moments later, they were gone, ear-pieces in place so they were in constant contact with Podley and Castle.
As she watched them go, Castle still had that feeling that something wasn't quite right with this whole situation. Things had been too easy for her.
In the master bedroom of the Presidential Palace in London, Damian Darkmagus surveyed his surroundings. Now dressed in the robes normally associated with Emperor Palpatine, he began to wonder what was next for his Galactic Federation. So far, only one planet, Altor, had opposed him. Perhaps he should demonstrate his newfound political power by bringing them into line as soon as possible. However, they could wait.
As he pondered his next move, there was a knock at the door. A few seconds later, Commander Sleer entered. He thought Darkmagus would be annoyed. He was not.
"Your excellency," Sleer said, bowing low. "I've just received a transmission from the New Zealand Penal Colony. Someone there has broken into the main computer. They now have total access to the prison mainframe."
"And what information is this hacker looking for?" Darkmagus asked.
"The location of Captain Watt and Commander Sutek."
Darkmagus seated himself in one of the lavish chairs.
"Do not worry about it, Commander. Everything has been taken care of."
"But sir, the commandant thinks someone may be trying to get Watt and Sutek out of there."
"As I said, do not worry about it. Now leave me, Commander. I wish to be alone."
Confused by Darkmagus' apparent lack of action, Sleer did as he was told. As he left, Darkmagus allowed himself a slight smile. He was right. Everything had been taken care of.
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