"The Source"
The Pride was caught in a series of golden-streamed ion currents that pulled it towards a crystalline sun. The sun was creating swirls in the currents, so Jayce advised Herc to steer the barge into them to push itself out. In the process, the League discovered a large Monster Mind satellite mining crystal from the sun. The Pride broke free, landing on the nearby planet Symbus for repairs.
Flora sensed no Monster Minds, period, but Jayce and Oon investigated for danger while the others repaired one of the barge's landing struts. Jayce and Oon came upon a small thatched-hut village surrounded by brown earth and cultivated fields. Both were ambushed and captured by the natives, who thought they were responsible for making the "Source," Symbus' sun, cooler. As the Source became smaller, the plants died and the native insects, giant bees called Humruns, were forced into starvation and hibernation. The people also went hungry because the Humruns could no longer make "mel," the food that they lived on. Oon was afraid of the Humruns, seeing them as terrible monsters. Jayce offered the natives food from the barge, even after being captured. Jedrash, the natives' leader, said they would take what they want, assuming that Jayce and Oon were the same as the Monster Minds. Jedrash's father, Beezer, ordered Jayce and Oon to be held until he passed judgment on them. They were taken to the interior of the planet, which was in reality a large bee hive, and imprisoned inside a huge honeycomb. One of the Humruns took a liking to Oon, and chewed through the cell wall so allow him and Jayce to escape. The insect flew them to the planet's surface and over some Saw Troopers before collapsing. Jayce and Oon raced back to Armed Force and escaped to the Pride. A
large group of Humruns tried to chew through the ship's hull for food, but were repelled by Spray Gunner and grew immobile due to the advancing cold.
Once reunited with the League, Jayce came up with a plan: while he and Oon fought off the invading Monster Mind troopers, Herc would cut the enemy satellite loose from the Source and dump the mined sun crystals into a low orbit around Symbus. This would return a stray ion current to its proper place and generate a second smaller sun, making things warmer for everybody. In the meantime, Flora delivered food to the people. In gratitude, they helped Jayce fight the Monster Minds. When the second sun was born, millions of Humruns awoke to battle the troopers and satisfy their immense hunger by munching on the vines stretching down from space.
The Monster Minds left the planet in due haste. Oon petted his Humrun pal goodbye, and the League left Symbus in peace.
Gillian: "An ion belt! It's a sort of atomic jetstream -- and we're caught in the current!"
Herc: "You're telling me?!"
Jayce: "The sun is making swirls in the ion currents. Try to head for them, Herc -- they can hurl us free!"
Herc: "I sure hope you got fire insurance, kid."
Flora: "You did it, Jayce!"
Herc: "HE did it?! Hah! I did it!"
Jayce: "What are Monster Minds doing down there?"
Herc: "Don't tell me you wanna go back and check! That current left my Pride a little roughed up."
Flora: "Jayce, I want to go too, and meet all the flowers!"
Jayce: "I'm sorry, Flora, but we don't know what's out there."
Flora: "I never get to have any fun!"
Gillian: "Gently, Herc! That strut is rather fragile!"
Herc: "Heeey, I've been straightening struts on this barge since you were nine hundred years old!"
Jayce: "Of course; that's why the Monster Minds haven't attacked -- the Humruns eat their vines!"
Oon: "I just hope they don't eat armor!"
Oon: "Here, b-b-bug! Nice little bug! Th-Th-That's it, c-c-come right in! Nice b-b-bug!"
Gun Grinner: "Excellency, the creatures grow inactive. They're no longer a threat to our vines!"
Saw Boss: "It is time, then. Advance for the victory of the Black Light!"
Herc: "And I suppose you got one of your screwy plans to save the whole planet, right, kid?"
Jayce: "All we have to do is this..."
Herc: "Forget it. The barge is flyable; we're leaving!"
Jayce: "Even if it means you get your hands on some of that crystal to sell on the open market? It's probably rare and valuable."
Herc: "You don't think everything gonna be fine if we get rid of the first wave, do you? Oh, what's the use? OKAY, kid, what's this plan of yours?"
Gillian: "...According to my calculation, if we change the ion current back on course, we can regenerate its energy."
Jayce: "Exactly, like making a new sun!"
Herc: "Make a sun?!"
Jayce: "It's easy: we'll capture that Monster Mind freighter full of sun crystals, and dump them in a low orbit around the planet."
Herc: "So the sun warms up, the bugs wake up, and the vines get eaten up! Ha-ha, pretty clever, kid!"
Gillian: "Hmmm... oh, it seems a bit warmer, Herc must have created that second sun! Now, what did I do with those welding cables?"
