Wow. Hawk Haven. After all this time, I was finally here. In Limbo, where HE was. I knew it was a risk coming here, but it's the only way I'll ever be free of my current state of isolation. It's not so bad here. Sure, there's the whole modification thing, otherwise, this place is not too bad. Both the Commander and Lieutenant are pretty strict, but flexible. Sergeants SteelWill and SteelHart are okay, especially SteelHart, who is the only other female SilverHawk here. Colonel Bluegrass is a bit reckless, but what else can one expect at his age with his rank? Fortunately, Commander Stargazer has seniority here, and thus, is in charge. Hotwing and the Copper Kidd seem to be the only aliens around, though I'm certain that Hotwing is an alien-human hybrid. Whatever happens, I know that Chatterbox and I will make it, despite his constant arguing with TallyHawk.

Stargazer's been up here for 300 Limbo years--(I had learned that 1 Earth year is the equivalent of a Limbo decade, so it's really 30 Earth years.)--and he pretty much knows a lot about Mon*Star and his goons. I've done some studying myself and I have to say, they seem pretty tough. But then again, so am I, given the chance.

Things have been quiet since that Mob attack when I first came here. I was looking over the currently empty hangar--the Mirage had gone off on patrol--and I was left in the station with the Commander and the Kidd for the time being. I guess they probably needed me to get used to things. Anyway, I was at the drawing board, designing some new vehicles, when the Kidd came over. He examined my designs as I drew them.

"That's pretty good." he said to me. "Are you going to build these someday?"

"As soon as I get them approved by Commander Stargazer." I reply. "It would be nice to have some more vehicles now and then." Okay, so I wasn't very social. I'm used to the solitude by now.

"You really are talented, Sapphire." the Kidd continued. "The Commander would have to be nuts to not approve these."

"I hope you're right." I answer.

"Sapphire! Kidd!" the intercom cried. It was Stargazer. Wonder what he wants. "Report to my office on the double!"

Of course, we did as we were told. As soon as we reached his office, I went straight into attention before the Commander. "You sent for us, Sir?" I asked professionally.

"At ease, Corporal." he said. "It appears you'll be going on your first mission sooner than I had anticipated."

"Sir?" I questioned.

"We have one of the Mob loose on Bedlama, and there's an important ceremony going on." Stargazer explained. "This one can be tricky. You and the Copper Kidd are to attend the ceremony and keep an eye out."

"Which Mobster are we looking for, Sir?"

Stargazer brought up a mug shot on the computer screen. He looked like a rat man with a tape recorder strapped onto his chest.

"Zero the Memory Thief." I said. "A combination of bionic and cybernetic implants give him the ability to scan organic and computerized brain waves and download them into the processing unit on his chest. Scanning and download are done with a special rod programmed directly into the unit. Is also known to be cunning and flowery and is hard to capture." Both the Kidd and the Commander stared at me as I finished my analysis.

"Not bad." Stargazer complimented. "You certainly know your stuff."

"I've studied the statistics of the Mob shortly before coming here, Sir." I explained.

"Well, at least you know what you'll be dealing with. But remember, Zero can and might call for backup. I want you two to keep a low profile at that ceremony. Is that clear?"

"Sir, yes, Sir." I reply.

"Good. You leave for Bedlama in two Limbo hours. Dismissed."

As we rushed out, the Kidd suggested we take our Fighting Hawks with us.

"The Commander has told us to keep a low profile." I reminded. "We could use Mayday to scout for Zero from a distance, but we need to keep it as far from the ceremony as possible." I whistled for Chatterbox, who came up flying.

"What's up, chica?" he asked me.

"We got a mission, Chatterbox." I told my parrot friend. "Surveillance on Bedlama, important ceremony, low profile."

"What?!" Chatterbox cried. "Why can't the local forces do it?"

"They are," I explained. "But a Mobster's loose on Bedlama, and we're going to investigate. We need Mayday to scout a few kilometers from the ceremony and keep an eye out on Zero."

"WHAT!? Zero the Memory Thief?! Hello! What if he steals my memory and finds out-"

"Never mind that!" I snap. "You're just going to have to stay with us."

"Isn't this low profile?"

"The Mob doesn't know about you yet. I'm certain they won't suspect a cybernetic parrot flying around the ceremony. You'll observe the audience from the air, keeping in contact with us and Mayday. Alert us if you see anything." With all of that settled, the Kidd, Chatterbox, Mayday and myself, were on our way to Bedlama.

With the Mirage out on patrol, the Kidd and I had to take separate vehicles; he got the Space Racer and I the Sprinthawk. Wow, now that's low profile. Our respected birds flew at our sides as we entered the atmosphere of Bedlama.

So, this small planet is Bedlama. Wow, it kind of reminds me of Earth. I was amazed, but not surprised to see a variety of alien species on the planet. It was the result of Limbo's original star going nova some several eons ago. When that happened, all the planets in the galaxy were destroyed, except for two. Brim Star and Bedlama, only because they were too far from the explosion. Since then, artificial planets have served as Limbo's space takers, Bedlama was the only inhabitable planet other than Brim Star, whose atmosphere was changed into its current state because of the explosion and served as the Mob's headquarters and Limbo now relies on an artificial sun.

Seymour, the space hack, was not very comfortable with particular fares. This was certainly one of them. Zero, or any member of the mob, was nothing but trouble. Zeek, the beak was being his usual annoying self. "Want to buy a fish?" the green oddity asked, pulling out a large tuna. Zero didn't reply. "Want to rent a fish?" Zeek asked climbing into the back of the cab. "I have all sizes. Very reasonable prices." He offered taking out other fish. The memory thief was getting more and more annoyed by the second. "Zeek, leave him alone. No one wants you fish. Ya know what I mean?" Seymour demanded in an attempt to keep order in his beloved cab. Zeek shook his head, grabbed his fish and hopped back into the front seat. "Phew! That was close! I don't want any lasers firing in here." Seymour thought as he drove on to Bedlama.

"Well, here we are, Zero. That'll be 240 Limbo bucks."

"Why is it that every time I get a ride from you I end up paying an arm and a leg?!" a frustrated Zero shouted.

"Hey, I can get you a good deal on a space car rental. I'll even give you a discount if you advertise my travel agency," Zeek offered. Zero turned the offer down with a string of curses and threw his fare into the front of the cab.

Chatterbox and Mayday flew around Bedlama Square and saw the crowds gathering for the events of the day.

"Wonder what's so important that Cero is going to try to cause trouble."

(Note: 'Cero' was on purpose. It's Spanish for Zero. I took a few lessons when I was 16.)

"No me gusta! (I don't like) If he steals my... I could leave now go back to Hawk Haven. What do you think Mayday?"

No reply as the two birds flew on.

"Right, you’re only a machine not medio real. No use talking to you."

This was getting boring. The Kidd and I were in the middle of the crowds, hoping to spot Zero before he could do any damage. So far, nothing. I figured I'd call Chatterbox and try and get the 411. "Sapphire to Chatterbox. Chatterbox, do you read me?"

"Huh?" the com replied. " Si. I read you like a book, chica."

"Spotted Zero yet?"

"Nope. Cero hasn't popped his ugly cara yet."

"You're sure?"

"Positive--wait a minute! I see squid people coming on the stage!"

Squid people? I noticed the stage being occupied by two figures whom I recognized. "You birdbrain!" I snapped at the com. "That's only the governor and brigadier general of Bedlama! The ceremony is to introduce the latest in intergalatic defense!"

"I thought Bedlama was a peaceful planet."

"It is, but with the Mob loose, they will defend themselves."

"So there'll be a benedicion?"

"Just look out for Zero!"

" No se apure, amiga. We'll do fine. Cono, Sapphire, you sure are stressed."

"What did I tell you about that language?"

"Oh, yell at me later, muchacha, we're on duty."

"You will hear from me after this."

" Por Dios, calm down! No need to chop my cabeza off. I'm resuming the search. Chatterbox out, asi y asi!"

The communication ended then and there, and I was still worried about the safety of Bedlama and its officials.

Many military brass from Bedlama and other galaxies were present for the presentation. The discovery of a stable wormhole between Terran and Limbo space seven years ago had provided a way for organics from other quadrants to attend.

Colonel Bani Situ, a representative from the Planet of the Mimes, was also present. Detia Meglouse was by her side as her interpreter.

{I hate attending these types of events,} Detia complained. {They always take so damned long to start!]

{Well, Lady Detia, our wait is over. Governor Xander and Brigadier Brightlight have taken the stage.}

There I was, flying over the crowds like Sapphire told me. Ay, carumba, did she have to be so anxious? I mean, she is my panita and every thing has been loco for the last few days. Huh? What in the name of Cristo is that shadow? I scanned the shadow. Dios mio! It's Cero! Oh, I gotta warn Sapphire! "Awk!" I screeched. "Awk! Zero's here, Zero's here! Backstage! Backstage! Awk!" Heh, heh, that should get the hijo de puta's attention.

Backstage, Zero the Memory Thief made his way towards the target.

"Mon*Star will pay a pretty penny for the information in his head!" he thought to himself. "Hey, what's that funny squawking noise?" He looked around to see if maybe someone was watching. He saw no one, shrugged his shoulders and went back to his evil assignment.

Zero took careful aim of Governor Xander's head. He had undoubtedly clear shot. His clawed finger was on the trigger and suddenly something flew down and started scratching at his face. "Watch out Governor!" Chatterbox squawked as Zero stumbled on stage freehand swatting at the parrot.

After hearing Chatterbox's warning, Sapphire and I hurried backstage just in time to see Zero about to take a sniper shot at the governor. It looked like we were too late when Chatterbox attacked Zero, forcing him to go onstage. We followed, only to have Zero attack us. "Two SilverHawks ready to be roasted!" he shouted.

"Don't bet on it!" Sapphire replied as she took a shot at Zero's gun hand, causing the Memory Thief to drop his weapon. "Keep your hands where we can see them."

"Argh!" Zero growled. "Blasted rookie." I then noticed he had a concealed weapon and it was about to fire.

"Sapphire, watch out!" I cried as I shoved my new partner out of the way. The good news was that Zero's blast had missed us and Chatterbox flew out of sight. The bad news was that the blast hit something above the stage and a large metal beam fell on Brigadier Brightlight. Sapphire called for a medic while I checked on Gov. Xander.

I could see the Governor was a little shook up.

"Governor Xander, are you alright?"

"Uh, yes, I'm fine. But the Brigadier..."

"A medic is on its way."

Seeing that the Governor was unharmed I went to help Sapphire lift the beam from on top of Brigadier Brightlight. The audience watched in stunned shock as we freed the unconscious Bedlamian from beneath the fallen beam.

This is just great! Just great! My first mission in Limbo, and everything's screwed. How could I have let Zero get away? Worse, how could I let him injure the governor’s bodyguard like that? Speaking of which, the Brigadier doesn't look too good. I could only feel relief when the ambulance got there.

Later that day, we were all at the hospital. Quicksilver, recently back from patrol, came to check the situation. "Sir," I said to him. "I take full responsibility for today's casualties and for letting Zero escape, Sir."

"Easy, Sapphire." he replied. "Save the self-pity for later. What's our status?"

"Brigadier Brightlight's okay, but will remain in intensive care for the next few days." I explained. "The Governor is unharmed. The Kidd's with him now."

"And Zero?"

"Mayday and the local forces are searching for him now. So much for a first impression."

"You saved the Governor’s life, Sapphire. That's all that matters now."

"Permission to speak freely, Sir."

"Granted."

"Lieutenant, if the search yields no results, Zero could very well try again. This new defense system is pretty attractive to the Mob."

"What do you suggest?"

"It's going to take some time before a replacement is found for the Brigadier. I suggest we send someone to keep a close eye on the Governor until Zero is caught or a replacement is found."

"Do you have someone in mind?"

"Chatterbox may not look it, but he's a good fighter. He can hold his own in a battle and can guarantee his safety."

"Are you sure about this? The Twins checked his systems; no weapons."

"I'm working on that now, Sir. I installed a sonic disrupter in his cybernetics shortly before our departure from Earth. It hasn't been activated yet due to its capacity to adapt to the organic systems. I can check on that right now, Sir."

"Do it." I hurried to check on Chatterbox.

"Okay, panita." Chatterbox said when I came out. "How bad was your grilling?"

"Not too bad, amigo." I replied. "But you have an important job to do." I proceeded to check on his systems.

"And that would be...?"

"Until Zero's caught or a replacement for Brigadier Brightlight is found, Governor Xander is in danger of another assassination attempt. We need someone to keep an eye on him until further notice."

"We're going to play bodyguard?"

"Not me, chico. You got it solo."

"But how can I fight--" As soon as I finished with his systems, a sonic blast erupted from his beak and shattered a nearby tree. "What the...."

"It's a sonic disrupter." I explained. "It took a while to adapt to your systems. About time, too."

"And you didn't tell me, why?" he asked.

"Sorry. Forgot all about it during the mission."

"This will give those Mobsters an earache they'll never forget." Chatterbox said.

"Top priority is the governor, Chatterbox." I reminded him. "He is to be protected at all costs."

"Relax, chica." Chatterbox said. "Consider the governor safe. What could possibly go wrong?"

So, my bodyguard is going to be a bird. A cycbernetic bird, but a bird none the less. At first, I thought the SilverHawk was joking, but she was quite serious. I hoped that this small creature could do the job as well, if not better, than the Brigadier General. I certainly do hope he recovers soon.

Okay, so I'm going to be responsible for the well-being of one of Bedlama's finest leaders, the Mob's loose and all I'm armed with is a sonic disrupter. Piece of marquesote. Like I told Sapphire, the Governor is in good hands--er, talons. He did look a little stressed when she introduced us, but I have a feeling things will turn out good. I greeted him--in every language in the universe--, perched on his shoulder and listened to Sapphire's instructions.

"Keep a close eye on him, Chatterbox." she said. "Should anything happen, contact us immediately and we'll be there." She then turned to face the governor. "I assure you, Sir, it's only temporary."

"I'll watch him like a hawk, Corporal." I assured her. Moments later, the Copper Kidd informed us that the governor’s ride was here. We thanked him, me in perfect Mua--and Wua, Tch and Hnn, too--and departed the hospital towards a small black convertible occupied with a seemingly gorgeous young woman. " Ay, Carumba!" I whistled. "That's one sexy chauffeur you got there!"

"That," the Gov. started. "Is Madame Crescent, CEO of Lunata Industries and a very good friend of mine who's doing me a favor."

Oy vey! Me and my big beak. "Oh, is that her?" I asked. I had heard of Lunata Industries, a popular intergalatic trading market which moved to Limbo around the same time as the wormhole was discovered. "I always thought she'd be...well..."

"More elaborate?"

"Older. She looks about twenty, maybe twenty-five."

"How kind of you to say so." We both turned to watch the Madame, hearing our conversation. I got a good look at her; shoulder-length black hair with a band of white in the front. She did look young, I'll admit, but there was something about her that made her so, distinguished. "Is that a new toy from Hawk Haven?" she asked.

"Unfortunately so." the Gov. replied. "I apologize if he seemed rude." Rude?!

"Nonsense, Alexander; it's the first time a cybernetic parrot ever made me feel younger."

'Alexander'? I'll look into that later. "I'm glad you enjoyed my compliment, Senora Crescent." I answered.

"Please," she said. "I prefer 'Madame'."

"As you wish." We both got into the car, the Madame driving us onto the road.

"Thank you again for the ride, Eristine." the Gov. said. "After all that's happened, it's hard to believe I got stuck with this as a replacement bodyguard until the Brigadier recovers or a more decent replacement comes in...whichever comes first."

"I saw what happened at the ceremony." she replied. "How is the Brigadier?"

"He'll survive."

"You sound uncertain. Not like the confident, young politician who cleaned up Bedlama's slums of Mob influence."

"Huh?" I couldn't help but overhear. "Sure, you build a few shelters, start a few charities..."

"Not to mention shutting down an influential drug and prostitution ring right after elections." she added.

"He did that?" Now I was interested.

"I thought you knew about Bedlama's history, Senor Chatterbox."

"My comrade and I just got into Limbo." I told her.

"Well, I've been here for seven years, but before there was an alliance with Earth, there was a time when the Mob had much control over Limbo. After Alexander became governor of Bedlama, things immediately changed for the better."

"Eristine, you make it all seem like a big effort." The Gov. said, blushing. "I was only doing what was right. Besides, the Mob would've had me assassinated if it weren't for Commander Stargazer."

"Really?" I said. "You took on the Mob all by your lonesome way-back when? Tell me why this guy needs a bodyguard! You were one tough hermano then, Governor. Then again, there is protocol." That made the Madame chuckle. I almost pity Xander for all that's happened.

"What's that shiny thing in the middle of the road?" I asked. Before we could turn around, the tires blew. Madame Crescent was knocked into the back seat with the Governor. I flew to the wheel and tried steering with my bare talons. A few minutes later, the wheel got torn off. I got pushed back to the Governor and Madame, still holding the wheel. "Does anyone want to drive?" I asked. Great time for a joke, birdbrain! You promised Sapphire you'd protect the Governor! I can't break that promise to Sapphire, not after all we've been through.

We tried getting out, but the doors were stuck. "Stay back!" I shouted. I let out an extreme sonic pulse at the door, sending it flying. Madame Crescent and the Governor rolled out of the runaway vehicle just in time for it to crash into a taxi. "That was close." I said.

"Seems the Mob isn't giving up on you so easily, Alexander." the Madame commented.

"It would seem so." he replied.

" MY CAB!" someone screamed. We all turned to see Seymour the Space Hack rushing over to the remains of the two cars. Behind him was Zeek the Beak, a notorious informant of ours. "Oh, no!" Seymour cried. "How in Limbo do I cover this?! My only means of living, gone! It was my pride, ya know what I mean?!"

"Forget your cab, Seymour!" Zeek shouted. "My fish were in there! Zeek! There go my profits! Now all that's left is fish scale ashes..."

"This is what I get for parking my cab in the Square, ya know what I mean? Oh...like I didn't have enough worries to deal with, ya know what I mean?"

"Gentlemen," Madame Crescent said. "I'll be willing to pay for the damage caused. It was my car that did this."

"It ain't your fault, Madame Crescent." Seymour replied. "But what's with that convertible of yours? When it headed towards me, it looked like a parrot was driving, ya know what I mean?"

"Hey!" I protested. "The Governor’s life was at stake, I had to do something!"

"A parrot?" Zeek questioned. "Not a very good bodyguard, are you? Zeek..."

"Why I oughta..." Oooh, I was ready to push that beak down Zeek's throat! Gov. Xander kept me back, fortunately for the obnoxious loudmouth.

"Calm down, Chatterbox." Xander said. "The important thing is that no one got hurt." That calmed me down a little, but I was still glaring daggers at Zeek.

After paying for the damages, the three of us decided to take a small walk in the park. Little did I know that our little joyride was the least of our worries.

My interpreter should have kept her mouth shut about the ceremony being boring. The Mob attack provided a little too much excitement. I was also amazed that the brigadier survived that beam falling on top of him. These Bedlamians are pretty sturdy folk! I was hoping to catch up with the Governor to get at least some of the information for the Chitau, but he was whisked away by a SilverHawk. And to add more unnecessary excitement, the space hack we were going to catch back to the hotel was in a terrible accident. Good thing none of us were in the car at the time. One good thin did happen though. The Governor was in the other car. He came out of if unscathed, but I didn't expect him to come out with a bird on his shoulder. Lady Detia and I greeted Governor Xander and I introduced myself.

{Honorable Governor Xander I greet you. Colonel Bani Situ at your service.} I saluted him, and to my surprise, the bird translated my words for the Governor and answered me back in perfect Mua.

{Hey, that's my job!} Lady Detia complained.

"You can keep the job, chica!" I replied. "I was just being a good citizen." I then noticed the Mimian who complained seemed weird. Her height was unusually high, the lower part of her face had dark skin and that hair was, how shall I put it nicely, weird. Needless to say, it was one of those times I should've kept my beak shut. "Is something wrong with that Mimian?" I asked. "She looks strange, almost like a nuclear bomb hit her in the cara."

"I'm half-human, you puto!" she snapped. Ooh, touchy, aren't we?

"I knew that." I replied. The Governor took me aside.

"Must you answer everyone with a rude comment?" he asked me in a whisper. "I swear, you're worse than Zeek!"

"What? She did look like a nuclear bomb hit her." I answered. "Then again, it's my opinion."

"Why your partner put you in charge of my safety, I'll never know." He then faced the two ladies and we started talking. The Mimian-human interpreter translated the questions while I translated the answers. Through the arrangement, we got out the story on how the ceremony went wrong and the Mob attack. Satisfied with the information, Colonel Situ saluted us and departed our company, the translator grumbling about my rudeness in small bits of Latin. Sheesh! What a grouch! We finally got deeper into the park when...

"Don't make another move." the voice said. Cono! How could I have missed Cero? He was standing right there, with a gun at the Governor’s back! Oh, brother. Sapphire is going to kill me for this.

"Cero!" I shouted, secretly activating a hidden COM link to Hawk Haven. "What do you want now?"

"I've come for the Governor, you talking toaster." he answered.

"Exquese me? Toaster?! I'll have you know, hermano, that I am the best in intergalatic defense."

"Sure you are. That's why you're in the middle of Bedlama park, with the Governor, at gunpoint."

I had to think fast. "Isn't that Mon*Star right behind you?" I questioned, hoping to distract him.

"I don't think so." Cero replied. "Because he's behind you."

"Oh, yeah, like I'm going to fall for that old trick."

We both heard the laughter, then we turned around to face Mon*Star and his little pack of Mobsters. Madre de Dios We were screwed.

While the Kidd was familiarizing me with the Ops station, the Commander 's voice came over the PA system.

"Corporal Sapphire and Sergeant Copper, report to my office."

Stargazer had a sense of urgency in his voice. Uh oh, what's gone wrong now.

We both hurried down to the Commander's office.

"Is something wrong sir?"

"Yes, very wrong. Take a look at this."

My new partner and looked at the com link screen. What a sight we saw! Zero the Memory Thief had Governor Xander at gunpoint and Chatterbox and the others were surrounded by Mob members. I turn my back on that mechanical Macaw for a second and he ends up neck deep in trouble!

This is just great! My first mission without Sapphire, and I'm already on the verge of becoming parrot stew! Not to mention I'll have Squid Calamari on the side! Oh, boy.

"How cute." the Planet Master chucked. "Polly want a Lightstar?"

"Planet moron want a knuckle sandwich?" I replied. This has not been my day.

"For a flying junk heap, you have spunk."

"For a major crime boss, you sure have little brains. Oh, I forgot! What brains?"

"Ooh!" The Mobsters went. I saw the gun go deeper into the Governor’s back.

"One more word out of you and the Governor gets it." Mon*Star threatened.

"Oh, I just have one more thing to say." I said. Good, I called his bluff.

"And what would that be?" The Planet Idiot asked.

Smiling, I let out a huge sonic screech which caused all the Mobsters to fall down in pain. I urged the Governor and Madame to run before the Mobsters recovered. "That was too close." I said as soon as we got to a safe distance. A magazine then flew at me. I shook it off, then used a talon to hold it while I read it. "'Governor Xander voted most eligible bachelor in Limbo.'" I read. "Huh! I thought all you politicians were married! Then again, it may be an Earth custom. Not to mention that Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky thing back in the late 20th century, which, I might add, was a good supply of dirty jokes. You want to hear them?"

"No!" he exclaimed. "No, thank you. Right now, I'm in no mood for jokes."

"Too bad. I got a lot of good ones."

"Another time, maybe." Madame Crescent told me. "I better get going. It was good to see you again, Alexander."

"Likewise, Eristine." he answered.

"I will be expecting you tomorrow for our overview of the defense system?"

"If I live long enough, yes. Do you want an escort home?"

"No thank you. I don't live far from here. Goodnight." As the two old friends parted ways, I couldn't help but notice something between them... I didn't have time to wonder on it because a few minutes after the Madame's departure, Mon*Star came back, guns blazing. And he and his cronies didn't look too happy.

"All right, you little rat." Mon*Star growled. "You and I are going to have a little experiment, in which Hardware here is going to take you apart and examine your technology." He pointed to the little troll. "Trust me, Birdy, it'll be very painful."

I gulped. How in the world am I going to get out of this one? "Number one, the name's Chatterbox." I said. "Two, even if I wanted to undergo this, survey says no, I can't leave my job! Who'd protect the Governor?"

"Oh, we'll take care of him for ya." Hardware sneered. "We're good at keeping guests on Brim Star."

"Uh..." Great, Enistein! Now what? "Don't hurt him, please!" I begged.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't roast you and the dear Governor to ashes." Mon*Star demanded.

"Umm, if you spare us, I'll..." Geez! What do I give them that's worth our lives?! "I'll... tell you an invaluable secret of Bedlama!" Oh, @#%$.

"Really now?" Planet Doofus is now interested. "Okay, Beaky. Start squawking."

"Chatterbox, don't do it!" the Gov. whispered. "Whatever secrets you know is not worth our lives!"

"Sorry, Governor." I apologized. "But I was sent to protect you, and that's what I'm going to do." I turned to face Mon*Star. "You see, Planet Master." I said. "The Governor..."

"Yes?" Mon*Star asked. "Go on."

"The Governor..." I continued. "Has...a really, REALLY big crush on the CEO of Lunata Industries." There, I said it.

" WHAT?!!" They all shouted. Gov. Xander started to develop a pretty faint blush.

"That's your invaluable secret of Bedlama?" Mon*Star asked. "Some sort of puppy love from the tabloids?!"

"Oh, come on! I know I'm pretty new to Limbo and everything, but an expert in the art of amore like myself notices these things. The way they share that closeness, the way he acts nervous around her. Plus, they're close friends and any romance rookie knows that friendship is the pre-evolved form of love." By the time I finished, the Governor’s face was a pretty deep red. Looks like I hit the jackpot.

The Mobsters were stunned at first, but then, one by one, they started laughing. They were laughing so hard their sides hurt. Even Mon*Star found it all funny. "Oh-ho!" the Planet Master shouted. "I can see it all now! The Governor and the Madame, together!"

"Can't wait to hear what her 'husband' will say about that!" Hardware hollered.

"You're planning an affair with a married woman?!" I shouted. "This is worse than the Clinton-Lewinsky affair!" That made the Mobsters laugh even louder.

"Eristine's divorced, you birdbrain!" The Gov. snapped.

"oops." I said. "My mistake."

The good thing about this is that it distracted the Mobsters long enough for back-up to arrive. Sapphire and the Copper Kidd arrived just in time to send those macaronies back to Brim Star. "Governor, are you all right?" the Kidd asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." the Gov. replied. He looked pretty calm, but something felt wrong. "Once I strangle this little flying loudmouth!" Next thing I knew, he was charging at me! I immediately flew behind Sapphire, who was holding the Governor off.

"Calm down, Sir!" she said. "I'm sure Chatterbox didn't do much damage."

"I don't care if I get a life sentence on the Penal Planet for this!" he shouted. "That little bird has been nothing but trouble all day!"

"Ah, you're just upset because I told the Mob about your crush on Madame Crescent." I replied. That only made him angrier. Somebody needs a vacation.

"Why don't you tell all of Limbo about it!?" he snapped. I flew right next to the Copper Kidd. He started talking to me in Mua, to keep the conversation private.

"Hmm?" I asked. "Did I meet up with a pair of Mimian women? Yes, I did. Yes, I might've said something to the translator that offended her. I said her face looked like a nuclear bomb hit it." That's when the Kidd got a little pissed. "She was loco!" I protested. "Trust me, she's weird, she's moody, she's--"

"My entawan." the Kidd finished.

I squealed then and there. "Your... wife?" I asked. The Kidd nodded. I gulped. "I did not know that."

"And she is really, REALLY pissed off."

"I... can't imagine why."

"Kidd!" Sapphire called. The Governor seemed to have cooled down a little. Okay, so he was still pissed, but at least he wasn't trying to kill me. "If it pleases you, why don't you escort the Governor home while I have a very, VERY, VERY nice long talk with Chatterbox regarding his behavior today?"

The Kidd nodded in agreement and took the Governor home. Sapphire looked at me, and she wasn't looking too happy.

I had had it with Chatterbox's wacky antics and his flying off at the mouth. I made sure to give him a piece of my mind.

"Chatterbox, you bird brain! What in the world do you think you're doing? I give you a simple job to do and you turn it into a fiasco! Because of your crazy antics you endangered the Governors life and insulted several people! And I found out what you said about Lady Detia. I can't believe you said that about the Kidd's wife! You're lucky he didn't knock your beak off! Geez you're lucky SHE didn't knock your lights out! So, now that we had to come pull your ass out of the fire, what do you have to say for yourself?!"

My sidekick sat on the back of a park bench and bowed his head in shame. He looked like his feelings were hurt. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings but he was really working everybody's nerves.

"Uh... did I get you in trouble?" he asked meekly.

"Well," I started. "The Commander wasn't too pleased with the turn of events today. I should be lucky that he didn't say anything about it. Heck, I'll be lucky to keep my head after this."

"That endangering the Governor’s life wasn't my fault!" he cried. "It was his idea to go for a walk in the park. I'm telling you, the man is stressed out."

"He's not the only one."

"All right, so I didn't make much of an impression here."

"Much of an impression? Chatterbox, you personally insulted the Governor by assuming he has a crush on one the most respected industrialists in Limbo!"

"Can I help but speak the truth? It's in the tabloids anyway! Who's going to believe me?"

"That doesn't matter! What matters is that you offended just about everybody on Bedlama!"

"Hey! I saw a bunch of sharp things in the road during our drive and got the Governor out before it crashed."

"Into a cab which one of our best informants makes a living with!"

"You know about that?"

"Let's just say word got around."

"Oh, come on! Things could've been worse."

"You're lucky the Brigadier will recover in a matter of days. If I hadn't used my--"

"Come again?" I nearly blurted it out, but Chatterbox knew; we've been friends forever and knew everything about me. "Sapphire, how bad was the Brigadier injured that afternoon?"

"A few cracked ribs, some internal bleeding." I explained. "Not to mention a bone had been sticking into his spinal cord, barely above his heart."

"You used them, didn't you, panita?"

"I had to. If I hadn't moved that particular bone and healed the spinal cord, he would've died. Then you've would've been watching the Governor 24/7, and that wouldn't be good."

"No, it wouldn't."

"Blast it. When I came here, I promised myself I wouldn't use them. How many more situations like this will I go through before they find out about me?"

"Did anyone notice?"

"I manage to do it shortly before the medic came. No one saw anything."

"Sapphire, I am so sorry for the trouble I caused." I looked at Chatterbox sincerely. He's not good with most secrets; fortunately, mine's not one of them. God forbid should anyone find out about me.

"Sapphire to Stargazer." My COM went. "Come in."

"Sapphire here, Sir." I answered.

"Situation?"

"Normal, Sir. The Kidd's escorting the Governor home and I'm giving our substitute bodyguard a serious lecture on his antics."

"All right. Report back when you're done. Stargazer out." The COM went silent and I motioned Chatterbox to come to me.

"Where are we going, chica?" he asked me.

"To complete your mission." I replied. "Besides, you owe some people an apology, starting with Gov. Xander."

"I guess I wasn't very professional today." he admitted. I couldn't help but smile and we headed on our way to see if the Kidd got the Governor home okay.

The Copper Kidd escorted me to my house, which wasn't too far from the park. I was so glad to be safe in my own home.

"Thank you for your help."

"No problem, Governor."

"This really has been quite a day. I don't want t take up too much more of your time. You can go catch up with your partner and her, uh, friend."

Just moments after I said that one of my security guards informed me that I had a couple visitors. Oh dear. It was Corporal Sapphire and the most tiresome Chatterbox. I knew I'd probably regret it, but I allowed them to come in.

"Good evening, Sir." the Corporal said. "Did we catch you at a bad time?"

"Not at all." I replied, trying my best to control what anger towards the parrot I still had. You'd think after running a planet for some time, I'd be used to the stress.

"Good." she sighed in relief. "Chatterbox, don't you have something to say to the nice Governor?"

"uh... si." Good grief, not more antics. "Governor," the bird squawked. "First off... you seriously need a vacation."

What else is new? "Ahem!" The Corporal cleared her throat. Chatterbox looked at her and from those eyes, I wouldn't want to mess with her. The bird looked back at me.

"Oh, and I want to offer you my most sincere apologies for my behavior today. What happened was very uncalled for and very unprofessional. I'm... sorry."

From the look on his face, I could've sworn his life depended on that. "Uh... apology accepted."

"Oh, thank you, Sir!" Chatterbox exclaimed. "You know, I really did have the highest respect for you! What a saint! What a--mfh!" The good Corporal had already started to hold her comrade's beak shut.

"Thank you for your time, Governor." she said, taking Chatterbox under her arm. "Now, Chatterbox, we have just a few more people whom you owe apologies to." The poor bird kept trying to speak under his muffled mouth. "Well, good night."

"Good night, Corporal." As the two left, I started to ponder the parrot's words... despite his behavior, Chatterbox was right; I do need a vacation.

I joined up with Sapphire and Chatterbox and we all headed back to HawkHaven. Before leaving Bedlama, however, we met up with Seymour and Zeek the Beak. Seymour was still mourning the loss of his beloved cab. Sapphire got the two's attention.

"Ahem. Good evening Seymour, Zeek."

"How good can it be when my cab is a pile of scrap metal, ya know what I mean? Madame Crescent paid for the damage, but she shouldn't have had to pay for...hey isn't that that parrot that was driving?"

Chatterbox began to shift on Sapphire's shoulder and giggle nervously.

"Hey, Seymour, about that accident. I'm really very sorry about what happened to your cab."

"Well sorry won't fix my cab, ya know what I mean? But I guess it's better than nothing. I'd rather have cash, but an apology will do for now. Just learn how to drive more carefully, will ya?"

"Sure thing, Seymour."

"Don't forget you owe me for those fish too!" Zeek shouted.

"Um...sure Zeek, I'll see what I can do, amigo." Chatterbox replied. He them mumbled, "Nobody cares about your damned fish, you bobo!"

We finally got back to Hawk Haven. My stomach nearly flew out of my mouth when I saw who else was there; Lady Detia. Needless to say, she wasn't too glad to see me, either.

"Go on." Sapphire urged me. Oh, no! The last thing I needed was another confrontation with her. I looked at Sapphire pleadingly.

"Do I have to?" I asked. One dagger-tossing glare told me 'Yes.' I flew to the floor, just before Lady Detia, and apologized to her in all four Mimian languages. She seemed to soften up a bit, warned me not to insult her again and forgave me. Well, that seemed easy.

"Hey, Sapphire." a voice said. The three of us turned around to see SteelHart. "Commander wants to talk to you, and Chatterbox about what happened on Bedlama."

Cono! I knew we wouldn't get off that easy. I looked to Sapphire and her face was loaded with worry. We are going to be lucky to get out of this one alive! "In the name of the Padre, the hijo and the Holy Ghost." I prayed. Dios, don't fail me now.

When Corporal Sapphire and Chatterbox entered my office, I noticed they both looked kind of worried. sapphire saluted and stood before my desk.

"You asked to see us sir?"

"Yes. Have a seat, Corporal."

As Sapphire sat on the bench, Chatterbox perched next to TallyHawk above my desk. I looked at the two of them, and they looked right back at me.

"Corporal, Chatterbox, we have much to discuss."

I knew I was going to get the grilling of my career! When this is all over, I'll probably be pulling double shifts for the rest of my natural born life! May as well get it finished.

"Sir," I said. "If I may speak--"

"Commander," Chatterbox interrupted. "With all due respect, Sir, if this is about what happened on Bedlama, I take full responsibility for everything that happened!"

"Chatterbox, don't." I warned.

" Panita, what happened down there was totally my fault. If I have behaved more professionally, over half those incidents wouldn't have happened. The only thing you did was create and assign me the mission." Birdbrain, don't do this.

"As a matter of fact," the Commander started. "That's exactly what I want to talk to you about, Chatterbox. Your antics have caused the Governor a lot of trouble today and it nearly got him killed."

"Did I forget to mention that part wasn't my fault? Cero completely snuck up on me, I had no clue he was there."

"I looked over your design schematics, Chatterbox. Your design is similar to TallyHawk's, correct?"

" Si. Only difference is the bird species."

"It seems there's something about that difference that made you unique. The cybernetics give you an ability to talk, in any language stored in your data base, and to mimic other people's voices."

"Sir, if I may ask what that has to do with anything..."

"You can be pretty useful, Chatterbox." Stargazer continued. "But like all living beings, you tend to make mistakes. Today was no exception. Then again, it could've been worse. Things weren't too bad for your first mission. Which is why," Here it comes! "I'm assigning you to Bedlama permanently as official translator and assistant bodyguard."

"Huh?" We were both confused.

"We can't orbit Bedlama forever." Stargazer explained. "We need someone to be our eyes and ears should anything like today happen."

"Uhh..." Chatterbox started. " Mucho gracias, Commander. When do I start?"

"Soon as the Brigadier recovers. He can train you and maybe shape you up a bit. Until then, you'll be joining TallyHawk on patrol. I think you two can learn something from each other."

"Great." Chatterbox said sarcastically. I noticed TallyHawk wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, either. The two took off immediately, and already I could hear them squabbling.

"As for you, Corporal." Wow, he remembers me. I prepared for the worst. He then brought out a bunch of papers I immediately recognized. My designs! "I was looking through these, and came across something rather interesting."

"Umm...Sir, I can explain--"

"No need. I got an idea on what a bunch of vehicle designs are doing here. Been thinking of a project here, Corporal?"

"Sir, yes, Sir. But they're all in the design stage; I've yet to build working models. I wanted your approval first."

"Maybe I'll give it, for one design." He pointed to my favorite design. It was sort of a combination of a rocket and motor cycle. I had based it on the Commander's old space cycle. "It's up to you, though." he continued. "Which design gets to be built, once you've gotten used to how things run here in Limbo?" I immediately pointed to the space cycle. "That'll be all, Corporal. Dismissed."

"Thank you, Sir." I picked up the design and shuffled out of there.

After leaving the Commander's office, I bumped into SteelWill, who had just returned from patrol. "Heard you got summoned by the Commander, and why." he said. "How bad was it?"

"Not too bad." I replied. "Will, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Sapphire."

"The next time I send Chatterbox on a solo mission, drag me to the infirmary and have my head checked." I explained what had happened. Most of it got Will chuckling a bit. I guess when you look at it a certain perspective, it does seem kind of funny.

"A good thing it was your first mission, for both of you." he told me.

"I guess it is. Did you ever go through something similar on your first mission?"

"That's a long story." Will and I got into a deep conversation. I guess Hawk Haven won't be so bad after all.
 

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