Night had fallen on the green planet. The forest whispered under the starlight, and most of the crew were asleep except two.
Out in the open, Destroyer and Tyrant sat on a flat rock near the glowing moss fields. The air was cool, filled with soft chirps of night creatures. A small fire crackled nearby, casting flickers of orange across Destroyer's scarred face.
Suddenly
VRRRROOOOMMM!!!
A roar shook the trees. Bright syrupy-orange lights shot up through the canopy.
"WHAT THE—" Tyrant jumped up.
Waffle, the waffle-grid ship...blasted out of the forest, engines screaming, flying like a pancake possessed.
Inside the ship
"WHEEEEE!!!" Boboboy was laughing, clinging to the yoke with wild joy.
"YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT! LEFT, GO LEFT! NOT INTO THE TREEEEE!" Lyra screamed, yanking at a control panel while bracing herself against the ceiling.
The ship zigzagged, flipped, shook, and wobbled like a floating breakfast blender.
Back on the ground
Tyrant's mouth dropped open. "That's...,That's Waffle!"
Destroyer stood slowly, eyes locked on the sky. His pupils narrowed. "They're escaping..."
"We need to catch them!" Tyrant snapped.
But already CLANG!..., a blur shot past them.
Bolo, metal legs gleaming, was sprinting at full speed across the clearing. "I GOT THIS! I'M GONNA GRAB 'EM RIGHT OUTTA THE SKY!" he shouted.
He leapt high WHOOOSH!...., his body spinning like a silver dart toward the ship.
Inside the ship
"HE'S GAINING!!" Lyra shouted, slamming a switch. A panel on the ship flipped open. A long, glowing arm unfolded , a Weaponoid!
ZAAAP!!
The weapon fired a shot. It missed.
"FLY HIGHER, BOBBBOOO!" Lyra screamed. "PULL UP! PULL UP!"
"I'M TRYINGGGGGG!!" Boboboy yelled, gripping the controls with both hands and both feet. The ship shook so hard he bit his tongue. "OW! WHY IS IT BOUNCING LIKE A POTATO?!"
The ship twisted wildly upward.
Bolo jumped again a perfect arc toward the belly of the ship.
But
"BOLOOO!!" Destroyer shouted from far below.
Everyone froze.
Bolo blinked in midair. Mid-jump. He missed the ship by an inch and fell into a bush with a loud splat.
The whole crew Tyrant, Cragan, Rambo, Faceless all stared at Destroyer, stunned.
"...What did you say?" Tyrant asked.
Destroyer didn't move. His eyes were still locked on the retreating ship. His face was calm but too calm. Cold.
"I said let them go."
"WHAT?!" Bolo shouted from the bush, brushing off glowing leaves.
Even Lyra inside the ship looked confused. Her hand hovered near another Weaponoid trigger.
"They're... letting us go?" she whispered, eyes narrowing. "Why?"
Down below, the whole crew stood silent.
Boboboy glanced out the window, seeing their tiny figures vanish under clouds. Then he saw Destroyer's eyes wide, empty, unreadable. Like something ancient was staring through him.
His smile faded.
"Lyra..." he whispered. "His eyes were scary. Like frozen."
Lyra didn't answer. She was still gripping the weapon trigger. Her instincts were screaming. Something's wrong.
But the Waffle ship flew higher. Breaking cloud.
"HEY! HEY, FOCUS!" Lyra shouted, slapping the dashboard. "Don't look down! Look where you're flying! UP, YOU STAR-EYED MUFFIN!"
Boboboy yelped and grabbed the yoke. "I'M DOING IT! I'M FLYING THE WAFFLE! YAYYY!"
BANG! CLANG! SPIN!
The ship twirled once, then finally leveled. Stars spread before them.
Behind them, the green planet grew smaller.
Below, Destroyer still stood, watching the sky.
Tyrant walked to his side. "Why did you let them go?"
Destroyer's voice was soft. "Because they're not running away."
"…Then what are they doing?"
He turned slowly. "let them go."
Tyrant paled. "You mean?"
Destroyer didn't answer.
All this happened in a min. In a min they let a power source boy vanish.
Why Destroyer let them go was a billion-dollar question. No one on his crew understood it not Tyrant, not Bolo, not even the silent ones like Cragan or Faceless. They had trained for years to stop escapees like Lyra. They had hunted rebels across systems. And now, when the chance was right in front of them, flying in a clumsy, half-broken ship he just stood there and watched. His eyes followed the Waffle ship until it vanished into the sky. He didn't give a command, didn't raise his hand, didn't flinch. It was like he was waiting for something... or someone. Maybe he saw something no one else did. Maybe he knew a truth hidden from the others. Or maybe... deep down, Destroyer wasn't afraid of them escaping. Maybe he was afraid of what would happen if they stayed.
Whatever the reason, one thing was clear, he let them go on purpose.....