Tyger and his team got up, and then they slid down the slope toward the camp. Hundreds of energy shots flew toward them, but Maya projected an energy shield, blocking the blasts.

After they slid to the bottom, they sprinted toward a pipeline and took cover behind it.

“Way to go Red!” Rila shouted. “You ruined our surprise!”

Red chuckled. “What did you mean? Our surprise is successful!”

Tyger crawled to Red and pointed his finger at him. “Next time wait till I give the orders! If Snork was out here still, we could have-”

A dozen energy blasts shot over the Star Cats.

Tyger peeked over the pipeline. About ten mutant soldiers were racing toward the compound from the canyon. All of them fired their blaster rifles at the tank while they scrambled to separate covers. Explosive energy shots kept hitting the tank, but it remained without a scratch.

“Black hole grenade?” Red asked.

Tyger gave Red the thumbs up.

The large lion twisted the top of a little black metal ball in his hands and threw it over the tracker. When it landed near five mutants, hiding behind a small crate, it exploded and transformed into a black vortex. Everything near it flew into the void of darkness without a chance of escape.

Red threw another black hole grenade near a turret tower where one mutant tried to mow the Star Cats down. The turret tower quickly vanished after the grenade exploded.

Tyger lightly looked over the pipe. Only five pirates were shooting at the pipe.

“There are still a few left!” he shouted

“And I am out of grenades!” Red shouted.

“I’ll slice them and dice them!” Rila turned to Maya. “Can you give me a cover?”

Maya nodded. “Affirmative.”

Rila drew out her katana sword and jumped from cover.

While dashing, a blue light glowed around her body. She moved so fast; it looked like the energy blasts weren’t touching her. Some shots hit her, but they only faded off against the shield.

When she got close, she sliced off the first mutant’s head, then stabbed the second mutant before he tried to head butt her. The other two lost their arms and legs while they fell to the ground in yellow blood. Then the last one sprinted off until Rila pulled out her pulse pistol and shot his back. The last target fell into the snow with a hole through his back.

Tyger and Red looked around and walked up to Rila while Red clapped his hands.

“Bravo girl!” Red shouted. “Bravo!”

“Thank you.” Rila rubbed her sword through the snow, wiping off the yellow blood. Then she placed it back into her sheath.

Tyger crossed his arms. “Does shooting an enemy in the back counts as being honorable?”

“A samurai can use any tactic to win a battle. This is a new age after all.”

Tyger chuckled. “Maybe you should be a cowgirl instead-”

The hanger door roared open as two yellow lights flashed inside. After the doors stopped, a ten-foot-tall walker stepped out from the hanger while stomping on two hind mechanic legs. The head was shaped like a jet cockpit on the center of its torso as its arms were energy cannons. As it stepped, it rocked the ground by loud steps. And its humpback body was covered in armor skin.

Tyger assumed the battle mech was an F5 Cyclops Walker. They were giant walking tanks built to level any building with their lethal photon cannons. Only a bigger gun could bring down one of those walkers.

“Who the hell wiped out my men?” said an electronic voice from the walker.

That was Snork’s’s voice. How did he get a Cyclops Walker? Only the Star Alliance built those things for welfare. The pirates probably have stolen it.

Tyger stepped toward the walker. “This is Commander Tyger of the Star Alliance Ranger Department. You are wanted for conspiracy against humanity. Surrender immediately, and we will not harm you.”

Without a response, the walker’s two cannons powered up.

The Star Cats quickly ran far from the walker before it fired two red energy blasts at them. The concrete ground shatter as the sound of thunder burst through the cold air.

Tyger and his teammates took cover behind a Black Hawk ship. Then he watched the walker scout around the compound.

“You damn cats think you will capture me?” Snork shouted. “You treat my kind like rodents! To hell with the Star Alliance, and to hell with your race!”

Tyger doesn’t care what Snork shouted about. That scum will face justice. “Rila, cut off his legs.”

“Affirmative sir.” Rila drew out her sword and dashed toward the walker.

Before the mech charged its photon cannons, Rila ducked under it and slashed its hind legs. She took cover as the walker fell to the ground on its left side.

However, Snork ejected from the cockpit and landed on the other side of the compound. He approached a black jet bike and jumped on it.

Before Tyger reached him, Snork blasted off.

“Return to the ship!” Tyger shouted to his team. “I’ll catch him.”

After he hopped onto a second jet bike, Tyger blasted off too. That mutant cyborg won’t get very far.