Cartel (episode)

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Lotso is on a mission to contact the Delantium Kingdom, so he orders the crew to set a course, warp 5.

The ship is outfitted with a variety of sensors and weapons systems, including a cloaking device. The ship's computer has been upgraded to allow for faster-than-light travel. Lotso sent a landing party. Leaving the bridge, he entered the empty hallways of the ship. Wandering down one of these hallways, he come to a set of elevators. Lotso entered the elevators. The doors open, and he get inside.

Pressing "H", he descend to the lower decks. The elevator doors open, and he step out into a large, metal hallway. he go to the shuttle bay. The hallway leads past several closed doors, each with a multicolored sign above it. he enter a shuttle and prepare for takeoff. The shuttle is equipped with a multiband transceiver, a tool rack, a water bottle, a copy of "Sparta: Shield of the Empire" by Peter V. he land on the planet and visit the Delantium Kingdom.

The terrain is scorched and barren, the sky overcast. Lotso rests for the night in a small cave. He sits outside the cave, waiting for morning. Eventually, the sun does rise. He visits the Delantium Kingdom. Along the shoreline of the Delantium Kingdom lies a poor village. The village consists of a group of shacks, made from wood and tin and thatch. Lotso attempts to find a villager.

The village is dark and full of the scents of death and decay, of mud and blood and sewage. A light rain has begun to fall. He attempts to find what happened to the villagers. Lotso enters a simple hut, made from wood and thatch.

A small, frail body lies in the thatch bed. The body is that of a woman, though quite old. He scans the body to find out why and how she died. The woman has long, wild hair and a toothbrush mustache. Her skin is dark and tight, and her face has a permanent look of surprise on it. Lotso takes the woman's hand and scans the body. The woman's blood is thin. Her torso is covered with cuts, some old, some very new. It appears that someone tried to kill her.

Lotso sniffs the air. He heads to the nearest city. He arrives at the gates of the city. A group of scared villagers watches he from a safe distance. The gate sits open, inviting him inside. Lotso walks through the gates. Crowds of people wander the streets, all dressed in the finest silks. The city was once the home of a king, long ago. He spots a man wearing the crisp, black and gold robes of a royal herald. The herald stands at the edge of the crowd, his arms crossed. Lotso approaches the herald and asks if he can visit the king. He is approached by a guard, so he turns back to the village. Lotso set off on foot down the road.

An hour later, he comes across a camp of refugees. Lotso talks to the refugees. The refugees sit around a campfire, roasting chunks of meat on sticks. He smiles at the refugees. The refugees spot him and begin to howl with excitement. Lotso greet the refugees with a grin and a wave. The refugees seem confused, but they wave back. They seem friendly. One of the refugees approaches him. He is a heng man, dressed in worn clothing. Lotso says "Hello." The man grins and nods his head. The man is holding a wooden stake, with a note tied to it. The man approaches Lotso. He nods, and extends the stake forward. Lotso reads the note. Then, he turns the note over. It reads:

The man backs away slowly. He looks afraid. He decides to keep the note. Lotso shows the note to the man. He nods nervously. He waves the man away, then runs off into the forest. The refugees notice that he's not eating the meat on the stick. Lotso asks them what happened, approaching the refugees. They seem friendly. Lotso walks back to the shuttle. The forest feels oppressive now. He walks until he notices a clearing ahead. He spots the shuttle, now packed with refugees. Most of them seem to be children. Lotso then heads back to the spaceship Innerprise.

Lotso goes into the medical bay. The medical bay is a sterile, light-blue place full of machines. He asks the doctor about the status of refugees. The doctor is a stern elephant with cold, green eyes. She shows him the refugees' medical reports. One is listed as deceased. The refugees are in grave danger. Lotso teleports the remaining refugees off the planet.

He contacts the Delantium Kingdom and asks them if he can have permission to land and evacuate the refugees. The pilot of the ship nods. The captain nods. Lotso lands to evacuate the refugees. He disembarks onto the planet, where small army of refugees awaits her arrival. The refugees greet him, their faces lit by the setting sun. They seem friendly. He teleports them onboard the Innerprise.

They float through open space, surrounded by a small fleet of refugee shuttles. The ships move slowly forward. Lotso asks the Delantium King what happened. The captain shows him official documents. The planet was said to be uninhabited, barren, and hostile. She shrugs and says that the Order has been manipulating information for centuries. he ask what the Order is. She seems nervous. She thinks it might have something to do with the existance of magic, she says. he nod. The captain seems confused and nervous.

Suddenly, the Innerprise is surprise attacked by Stuffuman vessels. Innerprise returns fire, but the battle seems hopeless. The ships are closing fast. They are small, fast, and filled with something that glows red. Lotso can see refugees in the distance. "All hands to battle stations!" he shouts. "We will find out what is behind this!"

The ships are small and fast. They fill the sky, and unleash another devastating volley. They fill the sky. Surrounded, outnumbered, outmanned, outgunned, and about to be outflanked, Lotso snaps into action. "Divert all power to shields." The ship shakes. The bridge shudders. But the ship holds. Innerprise fires upon the ships, one by one. The torpedoes head towards their targets, and explode spectacularly. The ships begin to break off. They are small, after all. But Lotso and his crew emerge victorious.

"Prepare a boarding party," he orders. "I want to find out the meaning of this Stuffuman attack." So perfectly timed... it cannot be a coincidence.

A boarding party led by Ensign Down teleports aboard a disabled ship. She screams, filled with terror and pain. She cries.

The ships break off. Then, he fires upon them.

They capture a Stuffuman and teleport him aboard the Innerprise. They teleport a Stuffuman aboard and bind him to the floor of the bridge. It's an ugly process, one that fills he with disgust. But it's necessary.

He demands information on the Stuffuman's activities with the Delantium Kingdom. He says he doesn't know anything, then reaches for a gun underneath his bed. He's a man of action. It's the only way he'll give he an honest answer. Lotso shines a flashlight into the Stuffuman's eye, and he screams as he's blinded. He shakes and shivers, then submits.

"I... I attend a meeting," he answers, "The leaders talk in a forest. I under... stand everything they say, but..." he raise an eyebrow. "But the leader gives me orders to follow," he says.

"Go on."

"Well, I have to do things for him," the man says, "I kidnap girls, I send them to.... horrible places.... I've been doing this for years."

"What happens to the girls he kidnap?" Lotso asks. "He takes a portion of their money," he says, "I send the others to oblivion."

"What portion?" Lotso asks. "Half of their money," he says, "He doesn't tell me what to do with it."

The man is compliant. It would be a simple matter to send him to Earth, but he's not sure he should reward his helpfulness. Lotso reports his findings to the fleet admiral. She listens to his report.

"Dollilla must be saved," she says, "We cannot let them... harvest... the helpless. It's inhumane." She looks at Lotso, and he assures her that he will destroy the Stuffuman cartel. "I will end all of their infernal endeavors," he saya, "I will. I won't let them turn the galaxy into a living hell."

She nods. "Prepare for an attack."

The Innerprise engages the Stuffuman vessels. The vessel shakes as torpedoes fly towards the ship. he blaze away at the little ships, destroying them with ease. In mere minutes, the battle is won.

"Admiral!" Huggy says, "We're receiving a message from the planet, all voice Burst bits!" They listen as the message plays through. "Ah! Listen to this!" he says.

A voice emerges from the speakers. "This is the King of the Delantium Kingdom and I extend my sincerest compliments on a job well done. I wish you well, and I hope to see you in person when you visit this world again."

Huggy's ears perk up at the thought of consorting with such nobility. "So... captain?"

Lotso nods. "I happen to have a few rec hours saved up," he smiles.