The pulsating slug-like creatures Dream held out didn't catch the Queen neko's attention near as much as the lights. When she caught sight of the offering, the amazon's mouth torqued in slight disgust and she quickly snubbed the offering, clearly not interested. Instead, she raised her hand, no doubt meaning to strike Dream again.
Meanwhile, the closet door holding back the neko trapped inside had finally reached its limit. The door, bent and battered, creaked open just enough for the scrambling, furious catgirl to squeeze through. And she didn't look too happy.
---
The few liberated prisoners Fitz was able to lead from the room unnoticed filed in close behind him as he entered the shuttle. His attempts at starting the spacecraft, however, were not as succesful. The shuttle, strictly for use by the Head Administrator, asked the same of Fitz as it had asked of Tweak just moment ago:
Code:
This shuttle transport vessel is for use by Head Administrator Cassefin Montreal only. Password, Voice and Retinal verification is required for operation of this spacecraft.
Fitz, unfortunately, would not be able to use the shuttle to escape. Instead, he would be treated by the show happened on the very end of the landing pad near the treeline, where Cassefin Montreal and the dynamic duo of George and Lenny shoddily positioned their Wolverine against the tree line.
---
Deacons attempts at fighting off his catgirl pursuers seemed valiant enough...although the nekos themselves understood little more than their prey being above the regular force required for sound capture. The handful of amazons Deacon sent flying poked their heads out of the shrubbery and quickly joined the chase back towards the landing pad, all the more determined to catch their prey.
---
"Ah! I got it! Hah!"
Cassefin exclaimed with rare glee and an even rarer laugh as she finished her adjustments on the Wolverine. She did find it odd how the firing mechanisms had a lock-sequence for certain targets...she was sure to remove that mechanism, allowing her free-range blasting privileges on all targets she deemed menacing. Although Cassefin herself had no intention of doing anything but allow her subordinates to finish the dirty part; the Head Administrator fumbled her way out of the pilot seat and directed George back into it.
However, as the somewhat short Nepleslian slinked his way down into the leathery seat, he bumped the forward keypanel with his knee. Suddenly, the three of them began to hear a faint, not-so-distant hum. Three seconds later they were treated to the delightful spurt of amplified microwave energy that burst from the Wolverines maser-firing radiation emitters. The beam, as luck would have it, was not aimed an any nearby innocent civilians, or Cassefin's shuttle further down behind them on the landing pad, OR even towards Deacon and Tweak in the brush before them.
Instead, the energy spurred straight into a series of emergency fossil-fuel tanks positioned outside, behind a barbed chain-link fence to keep curious critters out. The maser beam had no trouble searing through the fence and into the first tank it touched, creating a brilliantly loud explosion that shook the foundations of the spaceport, sending strange bird-like creatures fleeing from the trees around the immediate area and bathing the landing pads in some impressively-bright light.
"Uh..." George muttered, sharing the wide-eyed expressions of Miss Montreal and Mister Binks.
"...my bad."
---
Tweak, whom had been faring well against her attackers, would easily both see and hear the massive explosion...as did the amazonic cat-women. They all immediately stopped attacking the cat-eared Freespacers and turned in the direction of the explosion.
The detonation of the fossil-fuel tanks also caught Deacon by surprise as the landing pad came into distant view from the zig-zagging forest of orange. Deacon's pursuing mob also stopped, only able to stare in wonderment at the billowing spectacle of fire before them.
Time seemed to stand still for the all of them, rabid catgirl and security member alike, as the explosion shook the ground and rattled the trees. It took a few moments for the pillar of flames and smoke to settle, but after the plume of fire began to show signs of regression, so too did the immediate attention of the nekos begin to deteriorate.
But they did not resume their chases of Deacon and Tweak. In fact, they seemed to ignore the two CSS members completely. Instead, all of the nekos, a separated but still single-minded swarm, high-tailed it straight back to the Prilisa IV spaceport, where a shuttle full of civilians and a hot-headed Head Administrator awaited them.
---
The Maintenance wing of the spaceport felt a lot of hefty vibrations, but was safely out of sight from the mighty explosion. There was enough of a shockwave, however, to shake a few things around the room up as loose rubble from the ceiling skittered down. Queen Neko herself was clearly surprised by this sudden shockwave, stumbling a bit as she lost her footing on some rocks on the floor. In her haste to regain her composure, the jingling, lustrous headdress atop her noggin slipped off and clanged onto the ground.
Almost instantly, the two nekos in the room lunged straight towards the headdress with astounding speed. The amazon cat-girl fresh from the locked closet seemed to discard all anger for pure anxiousness as she threw herself at the crown...but Queenie was closer, and reached it first. The other neko, still somewhat determined, clasped a hold of the other side and the two began tug-o-warring with the silvery, shimmering adornment chiming between their grasps.
This went on for a good minute or so before the closet neko planted a bare four-toed foot onto her Queen's face and pushed her grip off the headdress. With Queenie flat on her rump on the ground, the other cat-eared woman quickly placed the crown atop her own head as Queenie released a clearly disappointed sigh, tucking her knees to her chest in sad defeat.
"Nyaah nah!" Closet Queenie commanded cheerfully, shining headdress glimmering atop her head in the Prilisa IV sunlight pouring in from the hole in the ceiling.
Old Queenie sniffled and stood up at attention.
Odd behavior seemed to turn odder by the minute on this planet, apparently.