The one to fly to Stillwater Heights to pick Clancy up was the Commander himself. However, Clancy suspected it wasn't to ensure his safety so much as to visit Void, his old mentor. This was apparent because the two sat in the living room and talked for hours before they finally got back in the plane to leave.
    The flight home was awkward to say the least. Clancy was no longer comfortable in the plane for fear Sky would crash it like he had, so he was on edge the whole hour-long journey home. Plus the first half was spent with Sky just lecturing Clancy about how stupid it was to disobey his direct order and he should've listened. Clancy didn't pay attention, nor did he really plan on following Sky's orders in the future.
    When they arrived at the base, Sky dragged him inside and simply told him to keep working on his mission before stalking off. For a few moments, Clancy stood in the corridor, uncertain of what to do. He moved instinctually to put his hands in the pockets of his lab coat, and was reminded again of how he didn't have a lab coat anymore. Then he was reminded of Vern.
    He huffed and started walking to the stairwell down the hall, then went up to the second floor and towards the recruit's quarters to the right. When he came to Vern's door, he again heard piano playing softly, muffled through the door. This tune was slower, sadder. Clancy bit his lower lip and and sighed, knocking. Vern didn't answer. Clancy sighed. "Vern, you can stop moping, I'm not dead. Somehow."
    The piano halted before the door opened after a moment and Vern stood there, his eyes wide. He looked like he hadn't gotten out of bed for a few days. Maybe he got sick or something. "...You can fly a plane...?" He asked.
    Clancy laughed. "No."
    "How did you...?"
    "Honestly, I don't know. But we gotta get back to work, so take a shower and meet me in the lab."
    Before Vern could speak again, Clancy ran off down the hall. He stared after the scientist, then took a deep breath and went back inside his dorm to clean up.
   
"Okay, long story short, I'm not dead." Clancy said.
    There was quiet in the lab for a few moments before Andy sipped her coffee and said, "No shit."
    "Well Operation Star Catchers is still a thing." Clancy said. "So we gotta get back to work." He stopped as Exodus raised his hand. "Question."
    Exodus let his hand fall before he asked his question. "When have we ever been called Operation Star Catchers?"
    "We weren't, I came up with it on the way here while I was ignoring Sky." Clancy said. "I think it's a very self-explanatory operation name so nobody has to ask us stupid questions and slow us down."
    "So... How are we gonna catch Star exactly?" Deanna asked softly.
    "Good question." Clancy said. "I have an plan and we all got a part to play, especially since we don't have Moony anymore. We know where Star is, she's at Teuthidan Base Alpha. She's just assuming we're gonna give up, so we're gonna do exactly not that."
    "How dangerous is this plan?" Vern asked, raising an eyebrow, skeptical as ever.
    "I'd say it's pretty up there." Clancy said. "We have to find a way to get into the base without attracting the attention of any squids, get Star unconscious, and get her out without getting caught."
    Vern groaned. "Great, this is how I die."
    Clancy rolled his eyes. "Captain Negative, if you could please chill." He smirked, looking around at his four friends. "Relax guys. I got this." He leaned against the lab table beside him and, since he didn't look at what he was doing, he knocked over some Cadet's vile, which crashed on the floor, and the liquid no longer inside made an unpleasant hissing noise. Clancy sighed without looking at it, and chose to ignore that it had ever happened. "Just trust me." He said.
    The others all exchanged glances, aside from Vern, who nodded a bit uncertainly. "Alright. Let's do this."
    Clancy grinned. "What about you guys, are you in too?"
    Andy shrugged. "Yeah, I'm not about to abandon you."
    "Me neither." Said Exodus, boldly.
    Deanna nodded. "I'll help too..."
    "Brilliant!" Clancy grinned.
    "So, what's step one?" Andy asked.
    "Step one?" Clancy thought a moment. "Well... We'll figure out a real plan together, make sure we all know what we're doing. Step two is to prepare and step three's... Initiate operation. You guys ready?"
    The four nodded readily.
    Clancy grinned and grabbed a laptop from the stack on the counter, which Cadets often used to make charts or write reports on their experiments. He opened up a notepad document and started typing. "Alright, let's get to work."
    The others crowded around him. "Last time, they knew we were coming and they ambushed us. That's how we got in so easy." Andy said.
    "Last time they had Star disguised as Moon telling them we'd be there, so this time, they'll have guards. We won't be able to get in the same way." Clancy hummed, pretending to think cockily. "So how will we get in? Glad you asked. I got out easy by escaping from the roof. So to get in, we'll descend onto the roof."
    Vern snorted. "What are we gonna do, fly? We can't use a biplane, we'll be caught! They land hard and you can hear them flying along a mile away."
    Clancy pointed a pen at Vern. "We aren't using a biplane, good sir, we'll be using a helicopter."
    The others stared at him.
    "A... What...?" Andy asked. "What's a helicopter?"
    "A helicopter?" Deanna asked Clancy incredulously.
    Clancy smiled at her. "You know what they are?"
    "Well I... Yes, but how are we going to get one? I mean... There aren't any here!"
    Clancy grinned. "Which is why we're going there."
    "I'm lost." Exodus said.
    "Yeah, you're not alone." Andy agreed.
    "I think I know where this is going, and you're crazy." Vern said.
    Clancy smirked at him mischievously. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're making some friends in Archangel."

"I can't allow this." Commander Adam "Sky" Dahlburg said.
     "Oh come on!" Clancy pleaded.
     "The Archangel Army has a lot of their own problems." Adam said, waving a hand. "We can't bother them for this, you'll have to find another way."
     "See, that's just it." Vern said. "We could pay them to let us use their helicopter."
     Adam set his jaw thoughtfully. "And where exactly are you going to get this money?"
     Clancy and Vern exchanged glances.
     "From Yoglabs sir." Clancy said. "I already spoke with Professor Xephos and he agreed to do whatever was necessary to capture Star. I just need your permission to have your recruits' help. Please, I can't do this without them."
     Adam made a dissatisfied noise, though now he was considering it.
     "I'm sorry, could someone please explain what the hell we're even talking about?" Andy asked from where she sat in the chair beside the bookshelf. "What the hell is a helicopter?"
     "Are you familiar with other dimensions, Lieutenant Kyrsten?" Adam asked.
     Andy blinked. "Well, yes, but what does that have to do with-?"
     "A helicopter is a flying machine that is native to the realm Earth, but is also common in Archangel and Chaos Chaos. We're actually the odd ones out, we're about the only ones who don't have helicopters."
     "So... So to get one of these helicopters..." Exodus looked at Adam. "We're going to cross dissensions?"
     "That's not hard." Adam said. "Especially not going from our world, Prime, to Archangel. We've had a gateway between our realms for years, Universe and Archangel themselves put it there." He sighed. "Alright, fine. If you're all up for this, go ahead. But it'll be dangerous."
    "You forget that some of us can actually fight." Andy pointed out. "And the rest of us are crazy smart. I mean I fight well, Exodus is a tank, just look at him. We got a Witch, a genius, and the one who makes sure we don't say anything dumb. I mean, c'mon Commander, we got a damn good team going here."
    Adam smiled a little and nodded. "You're right, it ain't bad." He said, before he sat back in his seat. "Now go on and get to the gateway. Hey, and good luck kids."
    Clancy grinned. "Thanks Commander!" He said, before he led the way excitedly out of his office, followed by his somewhat less enthusiastic teammates.

Owlet sat on the wide, long deck built onto the back of Teuthidan Base Alpha, which overlooked the ocean. He spent a lot of time on the deck, as he always had, ever since he was young. On some nights he could see the lights of ships passing by in the distance, going off. Sometimes he wanted to go off and get on board one of those ferries... Take him somewhere different.
    This was one of those nights. One of the nights when he would sit with a whiskey in hand and stare out at the ocean, wishing he were one of those species that could drown.
    He heard footsteps before someone sat beside him. He didn't look up, but he raised an eyebrow. "I'm off duty. Maxwell can help you."
    "Yes, but I don't want to speak with Maxwell. I want to speak with you."
    Owlet looked sidelong at Star. "Maybe I don't wanna speak with you." He said in a childish, nasal voice.
    Star laughed. "You're drunk!"
    "I know you are, but what am I..." Owlet muttered in a high, sing-song voice as he took another sip of his whiskey.
    "Didn't think you were the type for hard whiskey." Star said, taking his bottle and stealing a sip from it. Owlet wrinkled his nose at her as she offered it back to him.
    "Thanks, but no thanks." He muttered, crossing his arms. Star smirked and took another sip triumphantly.
    After several moments of semi-peaceful quiet in the light of the old paper lanterns above, Star sighed. "Thank you, by the way."
    "For what." Owlet grumbled.
    "For protecting me." There was another pause in conversation. "So... Why whiskey?"
    Owlet snorted. "Because it's all we can afford." He said.
    "So... What poison would you prefer?"
    Owlet hummed, thinking. "Maybe a Shirley Temple..."
    Star nodded. "Hm... So, what's your sad story, Commander?"
    Owlet snorted. "Why do you care?"
    "Because now that the blue science nuisance is out of my hair, I have a lot of free time and nothing to worry about... Plus you forget I'm a scientist too, I get curious."
    Owlet stared at her, then looked out at the ocean. "How's Project Frankenstein coming along?"
    "Hey, don't change the subject!" Star said. "I'm nearly finished, but we're going right back to you. Tell me your story?"
    Owlet sighed. "Alright, fine... Go get me another whiskey and I'll tell you."
    Star grinned and got up, walking quickly off the deck to get another bottle. Owlet stared after her, then gazed out over the still ocean. A salty breeze came buy and he sighed softly, closing his eyes.