The building itself was a run-down former gas station, debris from a large asteroid destroyed several years earlier providing a misshapen parking space for different sized ships from all over the universe. A large neon sign, flashing on and off every four seconds, emblazoned the words 'Rick's Bar and Grill' into any approaching patron's eyes in bright yellow light. The sign in the greasy looking window read 'No Loitering'.

A figure stepped onto the rusty creaking porch, timbers crunching and squeaking beneath expensive looking space boots, each boot bearing an odd looking dial on its side closest to the wearer's hands. The only things visible, other than the boots, were twin violet eyes that peered from the shadow of a hooded cloak. The amethyst eyes blazed brighter than the annoying neon sign, filled with determination and intent. The figure stepped through the entrance, and walked into the bar.

Smoke wafted up to the rafters, boisterous calls and chiming bells ringing loud enough to be heard ten feet from the building. Several citizens, some human, others alien, were drinking, gambling, carousing and carrying on, as the bartender endlessly mixed and (in some cases) remixed drinks for his patrons. Having about nine arms and hands helped the bartender out, as he could take one order while mixing drinks for seven others. He raised his four eyes (six if you counted the glasses over two of them) and grinned, nodding politely at the newcomer.

"Welcome to Rick's, you just made it for the Five o'clock Special, all drinks half price! What can I get you?"

The figure reached into their cloak, pulling out a poster and holding it up to the bartender's eyes.

"I'd like a Pulsar Passion-fruit punch, and any information about where this man is."

The hustle and noise in the bar stopped dead. People sitting at the bar next to the figure took one look and turned away, some staring impassively, others with worried expressions, all of them edgy and ready for a fight if it came to it. The bartender was sweating profusely, beads falling down his head and face as he stared at the picture, all of his eyes wide in surprise and shock. The silence was broken as a chair pushed back, one of the legs catching on the floor with a loud screech.

Harsh laughter rang out as the chair's occupant, an alien named Ket, stood up and stomped over to stand beside the figure. "Heh, look at the bold human! You looking for some kind of trouble, little human?! That's what happens when you ask questions around this place!"

Ket was a Tordanian, and like all members of his species, he was extremely strong and powerful. Last week he had won the 'Lift a Meteor, Drink a Meteor' contest at Rick's, where he had lifted an actual chunk of meteorite, as well as drank the strongest drink in the bar- he had won because he did both at the same time. Ket's heavily muscled arms bunched, green saliva coating his teeth as he grinned at the cloaked figure.

The only sound heard in the bar was Ket's heavy breathing and the soft clink of glass against wood, as the bartender set down the requested drink, a purple bubbling concoction. The Tordanian spoke up again, leaning over the figure. "Well? Why don't you show that picture to me, little human? Otherwise I'll have to take it from you- Huuuuaaahhhhh!"

As the Tordanian reached his arm out, intending to rip the paper from the figure's hand, the cloak swirled with movement, and a slender fist nailed right into the Tordanian's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The cloak billowed as another fist swung, hitting the alien in the jaw and knocking him back across the floor, right into a table, breaking it in half and smashing every drink on the table. Gasps were heard at the sight of Ket, eyes spinning and visibly knocked out. Further gasps were silenced at the sight of the figure, the hood of her cloak falling to reveal beautiful, shining, raven-black hair, complimenting the gleaming amethyst eyes and dark coffee colored skin. A perfectly shaped mouth quirked in a smile as she reached back, taking the drink on the bar and sipped delicately at the beverage. The woman nodded at the stunned bartender.

"You make a good drink, mister. That's the first reason why I don't tear down this place and why I didn't demolish your buddy there. So, I'll ask again..." She tapped the leaflet lying on the bar where it had fallen. "Do you have any information about where this gentleman is?"

The bartender helplessly stared down at the flier, which was a wanted poster, showing a rather substantial sum for the bounty and the face of a familiar Intergalactic Corps captain…

Captain EO

'Bounty Hunter Blues'

Chapter 1

At the moment that Rick the bartender was being questioned by the mysterious figure, a battle of epic proportions was taking place in the Corps' gym arena…

"Go for the three point shot, EO!"

Captain EO was standing on a hover-board in the arena, glancing from left to right as he hovered in mid-air with the innocent-looking basketball in his hands. Two members of the opposing team were closing in on either side of him, it looked like they would steal and tackle him at the same time…

SWOOP! CRASH!

Like a shot, EO zipped forward at the last second, the two defensemen colliding in mid-air and falling to the floor, cushioned by their armor and stone bodies from any severe injury. EO rocketed upward toward the ceiling, glancing around to see if he was at the right spot- he was. He quickly threw the ball as hard as he could toward the goal, putting a spin on it.

The ball that at first glance looked like a basketball spun through the air, falling past the goalie's grasp and into the woven hoop net, an electronic voice yelling out the scored point.

"THREE BLAMMERBALL POINTS SCORED!"

Blammerball was the most popular game played in the galaxy, and a favorite of the Intergalactic Corps. Who would've guessed that the captain with the worst track record would have the best Blammerball score in the universe? No one at all would've guessed it, and that fact alone got Captain EO many challenges from other Captains eager to take his place as the top Blammerball player in the Corps. But he wouldn't give it up without a fight.

EO spun in circles as he hovered back to the arena floor. His teammates, made up of his crew, congratulated him with high fives and cheers. It was regulation rules for each team to have seven members, and since his crew was seven men total, it made sense. However, EO's team used less hover boards than the other teams, since Fuzzball and Minordomo could fly, Idy and Ody only needed one hover board for both of them-

"Man, this game drives me crazy!" Hooter grumbled from the goalie's square.

Oh yeah, and it was a rule that the goalies didn't need hover boards to guard the Blammerball goals, so Hooter was made goalie. Not because he could block the Blammerball well (though he did a decent job) but because the idea of Hooter plus a hover board equaled trouble with a capital T. So far, Captain EO's team was doing well against the opposing team, but it was a rough battle.

Captain Phillip Nancy was one of the most ruthless Captains of the Corps, in fights and sports, so it was good to have him on your side. But he was an angry guy, and tried to put down everyone who he thought was a threat. The other Captains and crews had nicknamed him 'Fancy Pants' one day, after an incident involving his uniform and three busted cans of Silly String in his locker. When he heard EO laughing at the story, he had fixed his hatred and frustration on the nearest available target; EO.

Captain Nancy's team was comprised of his own crew as well; His security officer robots, twin Golgolem brothers (a rocklike species of alien) who were his pilot and navigator, his own sidekick Dustbunny (a member of Fuzzball's species, only gray and white colored) and the midshipman who, like Hooter, was on the short side. But he was an orangutan-like creature named Swift, and served as the goalie for Nancy's team.

The score, thanks to EO's previous goal, was now tied. EO's team hadn't lost a match yet, but neither had Nancy's. The winners of this game would go on to play Captain Dirk's team in the informal finals.

Nancy whispered something to Dustbunny, the two of them sharing a devious chuckle. EO watched from across the field, narrowing his eyebrows in speculation. It looked like Nancy was up to something, and this close to the end of the match… Fuzzball landed on his shoulder, patting the Captain's arm. EO turned, smiling at his friend.

"Just one more goal and we win the game. Whatever happens, we can handle it, right Fuzzball?"

Fuzzball nodded, his little voice piping up. "No worries, EO!"

EO's smile became a grin as he looked back at the rival Captain, speaking loudly enough for his crew to hear. "Watch out for Fancy Pants, guys… he's plotting something, and I don't think it'll be sportsmanlike conduct…"

Idy and Ody nodded as they sped to the midfield line, glancing from their board down at Hooter. "Be on the lookout, goalie!" Idy called out. "Yeah, Hooter, don't mess it up again!" Ody nodded in agreement with his sibling. The elephant-like alien glared up at the pilot and navigator.

"Hey, I'm a different man when I'm on the court, guys!"

Majordomo raised a metal eyebrow as he zoomed to the right guard. "You mean as opposed to the lazy layabout that works in our Captain's crew?"

Hooter trumpeted an insult in his language at the hovering security officer. "Don't make me come up there, rust-bucket!"

"Heads up, guys, we got company!" Idy's warning was punctuated by Ody's shout as the two sped up, blocking one of the Golgolem brothers, confusing him before dealing with the other. The ball rocketed toward EO's head and he ducked, Fuzzball whistling in surprise as he zoomed away from EO's shoulder. Majordomo grabbed the Blammerball, spinning two times at the force of the toss, before lobbing it to Minordomo.

Captain Nancy sped forward, heading right toward Minordomo. 'That little robot is just as big as the ball!' Nancy thought, smirking as he hovered past EO, knowing he could grab the ball easily-

SWOOSH!

What Nancy hadn't counted on was the Minordomo's speed, and in the blink of an eye, the little robot had zoomed under Nancy and up to the midfield line, pushing the ball in an easy toss to EO, who had one Golgolem to deal with, Idy and Ody were still blocking the other. The Golgolem swung his large stone arms out, only to stare in disbelief as EO executed a front flip over his head, flying over the forward guard and landing on his hover board, zooming past Nancy's security robots and heading toward the goal!

Fuzzball zipped across the field, flying near EO to keep an eye out for danger. That danger was approaching in the form of Nancy, who was speeding across with a dangerous look in his eye- heading right toward EO without even slowing down!

"EO, look out!"

The young man glanced up at the shouted warning, seeing Nancy flying like a bullet toward him. Forgoing the winning shot, EO kept still until the last moment… then twisting his hover board beneath his feet, zooming back toward the ceiling!

Nancy followed him, the two Captains in a breakneck chase that twisted and turned all over the court! Hooter trumpeted in alarm, almost sitting in the Blammerball goal out of sheer panic. Both teams watched helplessly as their Captains flew across the field, blurred from their speed. They ended up on Nancy's side again, with EO flying toward the ceiling, then suddenly taking a dive towards the gym floor. 'C'mon, Nancy, take the bait already…' EO thought to himself.

If Captain Nancy had been thinking straight, he would've recognized the move EO was planning to pull, but right now he was so concerned with showing up EO he didn't notice. The two Captains sped toward the floor, neck and neck, right beside the other… Nancy reached out with his hand, something was in his palm as he tried to grab EO's arm… TZING! SMASH!

EO had executed a textbook kamikaze dive, feinting at the last minute and zooming toward the goal, leaving Nancy to slam right into the floor boards! His teammates were cheering as the opposing forwards ignored EO to check on their Captain.

A robot referee came forward from the sidelines, approaching Nancy. "Are you alright, Captain?" Ignoring the robot, Nancy's eyes were on EO as he scored the winning goal, the scoreboard ringing out. He stood to his feet, the object in his hand falling to the arena floor. Dustbunny zipped over and tried to grab it, but the referee robot got the object first. The passive red glow of the robot's eyes became a shocking yellow as they widened.

"What in the world… what is a zapper doing here in the arena! Captain Nancy, were you planning on attacking Captain EO with this zapper?" The robot held up the miniature zapper, which appeared to be a small ring buzzer, yet it was able to sting a person with the electrical output of a tazer. EO's crew, who had been celebrating their victory, stared at the robot's object in disbelief. EO was shocked, not only at the concealed weapon, but at Nancy's concealed wrath. He was angry enough to use an illegal weapon in the gym over a friendly game of Blammerball?

Nancy stared in disbelief, and then glared at Dustbunny, raising a fist at the small creature. Dustbunny squeaked, hiding behind Majordomo's metal boot and shaking in fear. The robot referee pointed at Captain Nancy. "You're banned from playing Blammerball for three months, Captain Nancy! That includes practices and using the recreation rooms here in the gym! This infraction will also be reported to your superiors!"

Nancy's scowl deepened, as the referee spun away. The anti-gravity cushions had slowly turned off, the hover boards and ball deactivated. EO and his crew turned to leave, until Nancy shouted at EO's back.

"You may be the best at Blammerball, EO, but you're the worst Captain ever to rank here in the Corps! Who cares if you win every Blammerball game, you're still nothing but space debris around here!"

EO stopped in his tracks, hearing the frantic whispers of his crew to ignore Nancy, to just walk away, but Nancy kept talking, a smirk on his face. He knew he was getting to EO, and kept taunting him, his voice taking on a scornful tone.

"You should've been demoted after that one mission, but Commander Bog gave you a second chance! Now everyone thinks you're some kind of hero after taking care of that so-called 'Supreme Leader', but we all know the truth! Thanks to your screw-ups, how many kids are now addicted to that candy dust Bash stole from Earth? You're just a second-rate spaceman who doesn't know the difference between an asteroid and your-"

THWACK!

One moment Nancy was taunting EO, and a few seconds later he was flying through the air, blood spilling down from his nose onto his uniform. EO's shocked crew stared, before Majordomo and Idy and Ody grabbed their Captain's arms, keeping him from attacking Nancy again. Nancy's crew both helped their Captain and restrained him, though there was no need to- he wouldn't be conscious for a while.

Unfortunately, the video camera in the gym saw everything.

Three hours later, in Commander Bog's office…

Commander Bog sighed wearily, leaning back in his seat, staring at the miscreant in front of him. EO again… it would be laughable if it wasn't such a common occurrence. Bog shook his head, looking at the Captain in front of him. As horrible as he was at being a Captain, there was no question that EO was committed to his job, even if he was one of the underdogs of the Corps. But then again, rules were rules.

"Suspended to the base until further notice, no going on visitations to Earth or the sanctioned areas, and no Blammerball, practices or matches, until a month has passed, is that clear, Captain?"

EO nodded, appearing solemn and masking his dismay. "It is absolutely clear, sir."

Bog glanced down at the monitor, watching the replay of the fight in the gym. "You do realize I'm being lenient with you, Captain EO?"

EO blinked in surprise. Commander Bog was being lenient? "I… didn't realize it, sir."

The Commander smirked as he watched the EO on the screen hit Nancy again- in truth, it was his favorite part. "Normally fighting in the gym and with a fellow officer, that means a much more severe punishment. But in this case, Captain Nancy was 'discussing' delicate details of a previous mission, so I can understand why you would want to silence him."

Captain EO stared down at the floor, unable to meet Bog's eyes. "I'm sorry, sir, but he was… talking about the Bash case, and… it's the biggest mistake of my life, sir."

Bog's smirk faded as he looked up at EO. "Mistakes are a part of life, Captain. And when you make them, you learn from them. I thought you had corrected a part of it after restoring the Wicked Queen to her rightful state, but you still feel guilt over that… Use that guilt as momentum to make sure it doesn't happen again, Captain EO."

Captain EO saluted forcefully. "Yes, sir, I'll do my best!"

At Commander Bog's nod, EO excused himself from the office. As the sliding door closed, Bog looked up at the ceiling, sighing again.

"That boy has a long way to go… but he's strong. If anyone can make the system work, he can."

Walking down the long hallways of the Intergalactic Corps headquarters, Captain EO was unaware of Bog's approval, focused as he was on the misfortune at hand. He knew he shouldn't have punched Nancy, but the way he was speaking… and so scathingly about that last mission… He shook his head, clearing away the bad memories from his mind. Commander Bog was right; he still felt guilt over that mission…

"Yo, hey, Captain EO! I've got a new 'delivery' for you!" EO blinked, and then smiled slightly as a friend of his, the librarian assistant, waved over from the Corps library. The Captain walked over to the library administration desk, resting an elbow casually on the polished oak surface of the desk.

"Yo yourself, man. So another delivery came in, Corporal?"

The librarian assistant, Corporal Orion, grinned as he handed an electronic book to the Captain. "Yes, sir, Captain! Got a few interesting titles and essays, and I took the liberty of making a few selections myself. I dare say I know what to look for, since I've been finding you books when you arrived here as a cadet…"

EO looked up from the clipboard, meeting Orion's solemn face, which was contradicted by the laughter in the corporal's eyes. The Captain smirked, flipping through the title list. "Well, I've always counted on you for that, and what with the latest infraction against my record, I'm going to have some free time…"

Orion smirked back, crossing his arms. "You mean the knockout punch against Nancy?"

EO blinked, looking up at the Corporal. "You know about that? News travels faster than I thought."

Orion waved it off. "Nah, I've got friends in the security department. They were watching the cameras, so they told me about it… and then Captain Violet came to pick up a book, so I kind of told her…"

EO's puzzled expression turned to one of shock and embarrassment, blushing as he stared in disbelief at Orion. "You… told Captain Violet? The gossip queen of the women's barracks, you told that Captain Violet? What were you thinking?! Now the whole Corps is going to know about this!"

Orion grinned helplessly, holding his arms in front of himself in defense, as if EO would throw a punch at him. "Hey, better sooner than later. Besides, you've got more support than you know! No one likes Nancy now, especially after what he did to that rookie."

EO sighed, shaking his head. "Oh, you mean the 'airlock incident' where Nancy trapped cadet Ares into the airlock and threatened to open the space-side doors if he didn't listen. Good thing the security crew caught him, but still, it's dangerous to make an enemy of Nancy, he's… insane."

Orion shrugged. "We all are in some way. Good thing he's on our side, eh?" The librarian assistant saw EO reaching for his wallet. "Not this time, it's on the house, Captain. Call it a Knockout Special, eh?"

EO couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks for the books, Orion. See you later."

Orion grinned as EO left, chucking to himself as he pictured EO's reaction to the centerfolds he had snuck into the digital book under the name 'Knockout Special'.

A few hours later…

EO was relaxing in his room, having removed his uniform jacket but still wearing his rainbow t-shirt and uniform pants, glaring at the clipboard in his hands. Paperwork… there was always endless paperwork in this job, they should've said 'To protect the galaxies, bring law to lawless stations, and fill out constant paperwork about every possible infraction in your record…'

He sighed, falling back onto his bed, one arm flung over his eyes as he stared up at the ceiling in his room. It was one of the perks being a Captain, you had your own room in the barracks, but the furnishings were still uniformly Spartan in nature; bed, nightstand, dresser, closet, and desk with light fixture, very simple and neat.

He was allowed to add his own decorations, so his room was decorated in posters- One of Albert Einstein with his tongue sticking out, another of the Berlin Wall being torn down, landscapes both of Earth and space, and African animals from old National Geographic books… it was an odd mixture, but anyone who knew EO knew he had a lot of interests. A dusty old-fashioned boombox stood in one corner, surrounded by at least one hundred mini-discs of music, all different kinds and genres.

One thing that was visibly missing from the room was any trophies or accolades; the only one visible was a piece of paper declaring that he had ranked so high on the test and combat scores that he was ranked as Captain immediately. It certainly didn't hurt having his musical beam talent, either…

He growled and sat up at he glared at the clipboard again. He used the stylus almost like a sword, jabbing resentfully at the questions it asked. A knock at the door made him look up. "Come in," he said.

The door slid open, showing a flying Fuzzball carrying a hot mug of coffee with his little paws and tail. EO smiled as his friend flew into the room, hovering overhead. "Hey, Fuzzball… You got coffee for me? Thanks a lot, buddy."

Fuzzball let go of the mug as soon as EO had gripped the handle. He blew on his hands, rubbing them as he squeaked a warning. "Careful, it's hot!"

EO cautiously took a sip, nearly scalding his mouth, but swallowing the hot brew quickly. A warm feeling trickled down his throat and into his chest, helping him to feel better about the paperwork ahead. "Coffee and paperwork… what a combination," the Captain sighed as he stared at the clipboard.

After a few minutes of silence, a sharp buzzing was heard. The Captain turned his head, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from… it sounded like it was beneath his bed...

"What in the world…" EO held the coffee cup carefully as he slid off the bed; kneeling down on the floor and tossing the bed cover aside, glancing beneath the bunk. He grinned, reaching out and grabbing the small rectangular box.

"A-ha, that's what it was!" Triumphantly EO stood back up, holding his intergalactic communicator. "I've been looking for this all over the station, Fuzzball!"

Fuzzball, who had grabbed the coffee cup back from EO's hand, chittered as he flew around the room, placing the mug onto the padded area on the desk and glad to finally put the scalding cup down.

EO glanced at the communicator, flipping it on.

"Better see who it is… hello?"

"Hello there, big brother."

EO grinned happily as he recognized the voice and video image of his younger sister. "Janet! How are you?"

"Staying busy, just getting my stuff packed for my trip!"

"A trip, huh? Where are you going?"

"I'm going on my trip to visit you, silly! Remember, we talked about it during your last shore leave? We were going to meet at your base, then go to H5 and that carnival. We said we would ride that anti-gravity coaster when they finished building it-"

EO's grin faded as he sighed. "I'm sorry, Sis, but I'm afraid I can't go to E5. I've been suspended to the base."

There was a moment of silence on the phone, and then Janet's voice was heard again- not angry, but tinged with worry and more gentle than before. "I did hear a rumor about a Captain being suspended for fighting, but I was hoping it wasn't you… what happened?"

EO told his sister all about the Blammerball match, the illegal weapon, the insults, the punch and the subsequent punishment from Commander Bog. Janet sighed. "He was being lenient on you, but I wish the Commander didn't get on your case so much… that Nancy deserved what was coming to him for talking about that mission, it wasn't fair at all!"

EO sat back on his bed, shaking his head. "I could've been demoted for something like this, Janet. Besides, Nancy was given a worse punishment than me for instigating a fight, not to mention carrying a weapon in the match. But maybe we could do something later-"

Janet smiled up at her brother from the communicator. "Later it is then, big brother." She smirked impishly, giggling. "I can always save that bikini I bought from Paris later for when we go to the beach, and then I'll get more Earth boys falling over themselves when they see me! I've still got my record to break, at least nine boys tripping…"

EO's eyes widened in disbelief, and then he giggled as well, shaking his head in disbelief. "Girl, what are you doing wearing bikinis in January, anyway? If you show up to the beach like that I'll bring a bathrobe and make you wear it all day! And it'll be one of those big flannel ones with yellow and red stripes on it!"

Janet gaped at her older brother. "You wouldn't! Ooh, if you do that, I'll-"

"Tell Mother you were 'dressing down' so the boys could look at you?" EO grinned, still giggling.

The two siblings laughed, joking and carrying on for hours, as talk turned to their family, friends, and work. Sometime later, EO yawned, waving good-bye to his sister.

"I've got to finish this paperwork, Sis. But I'll talk to you later. You take care, okay?"

Janet grinned, waving back. "You take care of yourself, and stay out of trouble. I love you."

EO smiled. "Love you too, Sis. Good night."

With a final wave, the communicator shut off. EO placed the communicator on his nightstand, turning back to the dreaded paperwork. Fuzzball flew up, perching on EO's shoulder as his Captain worked throughout the night.

Captain EO

'Bounty Hunter Blues'

Chapter 2

Rick's Bar and Grill was still standing as the mysterious woman left, leaving behind a concussed Tordanian, a terrified bartender and a confused and worried crowd. The door clanged shut behind her, and the woman could almost hear the sigh of relief as she walked away and into the parking lot.

The young woman stopped when she reached her ship, a streamlined X-57 Zoomer model- one of the fastest single pilots built, and expensive. A bright purple and blue colored ship, it bore more resemblance to an expensive sports car than a spaceship. The young woman climbed the ladder and opened the hatch door, swinging herself through the entrance door and into the pilot's seat, strapping herself in and speaking aloud to the artificial intelligence programmed into the spaceship's computer.

"Talk to me, Karen. Do you have a course charted that'll get us into the Intergalactic Corps without detection?"

A feminine computerized voice spoke up. "Several courses have been charted, only one would be possible to avoid detection. This course follows the supply cruisers' line and must be followed accordingly."

A moment of silence, then the voice was heard again, this time with a wry tone. "I can tell you've been working on your piloting skills, Bee. The logs indicate at least 72 hours of practice in aerial maneuvers and simulated battles this week alone. You're not overworked, are you?"

The young woman, Bee, looked up at the monitor, where a digitalized face appeared, bearing a concerned frown and worried eyes. She smiled up at the monitor. "You're such a worrier, Karen. I can handle this."

The monitor's digitalized face eased into a smile. "Alright, Bee, let's get this show started. Engines powered on, fuel tanks running, hyper-drive running hot and system calibrations set, all systems online and revving."

The eager pilot grinned, her eyes lit at the prospect of going on another mission. "Roger that. Engage thrusters, set course on the navigation map, and pipe in some music please."

A jaunty retro song blared on the radio as the engines revved, four flames blooming from the back of the spaceship. With a rumble and a sudden lurch, the ship jolted from the ground, rising up and hovering for a few seconds before speeding into the sparkling vastness of space.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Bee cheered as she felt the exhilaration of another take off, sending the ship into a victory roll. The young woman laughed as the control panel starting blinking rapidly, warning of projectiles heading their way. Bee steered the ship, thumbs on the buttons above her controls as the projectiles rocketed toward her. Last time she had been out here, there was a large asteroid. Apparently, someone had taken offense to it and blasted it to pieces.

She dodged past the larger rocks and fired on the smaller ones, debris pelting the armored sides and solar reinforced glass windows as she zoomed past. Finally, the rocks dispersed and it was clear once more. Setting the mode to 'auto pilot', Bee leaned back in her chair. "I'm going to take a nap, Karen. Warn me if something or someone approaches, please?"

The computerized face smiled. "Absolutely, boss."

Bee leaned back, glancing over at the flier. The bartender's information had been good, saying that the good Captain was more than likely at his headquarters. That would be the best place to find him, away from prying eyes and ears… "Soon, I'll see you again, Captain EO…" Bee said, before closing her eyes.

At the Intergalactic Corps headquarters…

EO yawned as he walked out of his room, zipping up his uniform jacket. It had been nighttime when EO had finally finished the required paperwork and he had promptly fallen asleep, the clipboard dangling out of his hand and still wearing his uniform. After a quick shower, he had changed into fresh clothes and felt a lot better. So he was confined to the base, big deal… while it was a shame he and his sister couldn't go to H5, the local space carnival, but at least he wouldn't be bored. Speaking of bored…

He flipped through the digital book that Orion had given him… 'Heh, that guy's nuts, but he always comes through finding books that aren't technical manuals… hmm, a new Sherlock Holmes mystery, Rip Van Winkle, Hemingway, some poetry by Dickinson and- what in space…"

EO trailed off as he stared, looking at the opened document 'Knockout Special'. Instead of words on the pages, digital pictures appeared that showed scantily clad women that were involved in beach activities; surfing, sunbathing, playing volleyball… The women in the pictures were moving, smiling and winking up at him. One of the girls playing volleyball actually waved and laughed, a dusky-skinned woman with bright purple eyes. Thankfully she was wearing a bikini, but still… His eyes widened, both scandalized at what Orion gave him, but also glad to see all these really beautiful women, and on a beach no less…

"Whoa!" EO blinked as he looked at his right shoulder, where Fuzzball was perched and had made the sudden exclamation. The little guy had covered his eyes, knowing he was too young to look at stuff like that… EO closed the electronic book, reaching up with his left hand and patting Fuzzball on the head.

"It's okay now, Fuzz, you can open your eyes. I put the pictures away."

At EO's reassurance that the book was no longer in sight, Fuzzball removed his hands from his eyes, wiping sweat from his brow as he sighed. "Phew!"

EO chuckled, walking to the end of the hallway. A pair of stairs and escalators showed the way down to the hangar where their ship was kept. He'd asked the crew to gather there, so they could run maintenance over the ship, but EO had another objective- he did need to apologize to his crew for grounding them as well.

It was unofficially sanctioned, but if a Captain was grounded, so was his crew, simple as that. It was practiced to encourage loyalty between the crews and their leaders, but it worked both ways; the crew needed the Captain to guide them, but the Captain was nothing without the crew.

'I guess Nancy forgot about that part,' EO thought as he made his way to the ship. Already he could see them, Majordomo and Minordomo welding a replacement piece of armor to one of the scrapes they'd suffered from landing on the Metal Planet, Idy and Ody were working with technical glasses and calibrating instruments for the scanners, and Hooter… just as expected, he was lying on a makeshift pool chair with a piece of metal in his lap, reflecting the lights of the hangar to sun himself. He was even wearing a pair of sunglasses.

"You know, Hooter, if you really want a tan that badly, I could just toss you out into the airlock when we pass by the sun… I hear it makes you turn browner than a potato," EO quipped, resting his arm against the wing of the ship. The surprised crew immediately saluted, except for Hooter, who ended up tripping over the scrap chair and fell to the floor.

"Sir, we weren't expecting you until an hour later!" Majordomo said, glancing around uncertainly.

Idy and Ody lifted their glasses, both with sheepish expressions. "We just wanted to make sure things were running smoothly, sir!" "Yeah, just making sure everything was aligned properly…"

Hooter looked around, and then shook his head, trumpeting a defeated call. "Looks like I was… well, I got no excuse, sir…"

EO shook his head, but he was smiling at his crew. "I appreciate it, crew. In fact, I'm glad that Hooter did make it to the hangar early, that's a surprise in itself. I thought he'd still be stuck in his cabin, sleeping the day away."

Idy, Ody, and Majordomo laughed, even as Hooter managed a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head. EO's smile vanished as he sighed, glancing at each crew member before he spoke.

"Guys, I'm sorry for getting you grounded," EO began to say, before he was interrupted by the others.

"Hey, no apology necessary, Captain… I mean that Nancy guy was the one who started it!"

"That's right, it's his fault Captain!"

"Besides, we're the best underdog crew of the Corps, aren't we?"

Majordomo waited until the others comments died down, and then spoke up. "We talked about this before you arrived, Captain. We would've stood by you even if we were jettisoned into space, sir!"

"We stick together, through thick and thin!" Hooter trumpeted, throwing a smart salute. EO smiled at his crew, returning his subordinate's salute.

"Thank you, crew, for your support. But we definitely have some shaping up to do if we're going to keep working for the Corps. How are repairs going?"

"We're almost done with the scanners, sir!" "We should be finished after this last calibration… there! All finished, sir!"

EO nodded. "Well, we can run a few diagnostics and maybe some drills through the system. All because we're stuck down here doesn't mean we can't improve our battle plans, right?"

The crew answered. "Affirmative, Captain!"

EO looked at the solemn, determined expressions of his crew, and then smiled. "And it might help that after a few successful drills getting some refreshments at the snack bar, right?" The crew cheered.

A split second later, an alarm blared throughout the hangar. EO and his crew looked up at the warning siren, which was spinning and glowing bright red. An announcement over the loud speaker was broadcast, too loudly as usual, causing the crew to cover their ears. Through it was muffled the warning was still very loud;

"ATTENTION PERSONNEL IN THE DOCKING HANGAR. THE AIRLOCK GATE WILL BE OPENED IN FIVE MINUTES DUE TO THE LATEST SUPPLY SHIPMENT ARRIVING SHORTLY. PLEASE ENTER THE DESIGNATED AREAS, OR SPACECRAFT, TO PREVENT BEING EXPOSED TO THE SPACE VACUUM. THAT IS ALL."

Captain EO uncovered his ears and looked at his crew. "You heard the man, let's get in our ship!"

He pulled open the hatch door, letting the others board as he shouted a question at Majordomo over the siren and whirr of machinery. "Will the repairs you and Minordomo made hold up against the vacuum?"

Majordomo nodded. "We've just finished the welding of the armor beneath the ship; we can get to the individual gouges later."

EO returned the nod. "Alright, but make sure we're locked down before you enter the ship. Otherwise Commander Bog will blow a fuse thinking we left the station on purpose instead of just being accidentally jettisoned!"

Majordomo saluted. "Yes sir!" He and Minordomo quickly checked the locks holding the sails and magnetic strips on the bottom of the ship securing it to the hangar deck, and then entered the ship, closing the hatch door. EO activated the ship's oxygen reserves, watching out of the window with the rest of his crew. As they watched, Hooter and Idy and Ody were having a spirited conversation.

"You guys think we'll get some decent food this time?"

"Hey, as long as they have popcorn and some new movies, I won't complain!"

"Yeah, you can only watch so many Disney films over and over!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Um… nothing… Hey, the airlock is opening!"

The crew stared as the vast airlock opened, and the supply ship maneuvered into the hangar, the massive supplier looming over the small patrol ships and fighters of the Corps.

Fuzzball blinked. "Whoa…" EO nodded in agreement. "You said it, Fuzzball."

Only a few lights sparkled over the gigantic ship, as it was camouflaged to move through vast space quickly. It stopped when the lights marking the shipment doors reached the docking bay, and the airlocks were attached and the outside one closed, the doors shutting with a loud thump. A long moment of tense silence lingered over the crew, stretching the seconds almost painfully.

Hooter whispered to himself. "Wait for it…"

The whole station whirred, as if a miniature tornado had been unleashed! Through the window, the crew saw as the cargo was vacuumed from the supply ship and bouncing through the transport tubes, the heavily packaged cargo able to withstand even the coldness of space.

After about ten minutes, the last package was lifted into the cargo tube and the airlocks reopened, as the behemoth ship went into reverse and backed out of the hangar. As soon as it was clear, the airlocks were closed firmly- but no one noticed the small craft that hid in the shadows of the supply ship, docking out of sight between two patrol ships.

Idy and Ody glanced around the hangar through the window. "It looks okay to go out now-"

"No, Ody, we have to wait for the all-clear!"

The alarm went off again, as the intercom was clicked on yet again. "THE HANGAR ROOM IS NOW SECURE, EVERYTHING IS ALL CLEAR."

Hooter went over to the hatch door and opened it, jumping down to the hangar deck. "Everything's okay now, guys!"

EO raised an eyebrow as he walked over to the door from the captain's station. "Hooter… you forgot to ask before opening the door again."

The midshipman looked up sheepishly. "Uh… I had a memory lapse, Captain?"

EO smirked. "Yeah, I'll bet. You can wonder about your memory lapses when you're cleaning your bunk, alright?"

"Hey, I cleaned my bunk today- Are you kidding me?!" Hooter asked in amazement. "Stuffy Captain EO is joking with me? That's no way that's possible!"

EO laughed, jumping down to the deck as well, waving for the rest of the crew. "It's safe, men, you can come out now. The repairs really held up under the vacuum, Majordomo…"

Meanwhile, in Bee's spaceship…

Bee carefully opened the hatch to her ship, thankful for the open parking space that had been available, otherwise she and Karen would've been sucked out into space. As it was, Karen had berated her for the rest of the docking time about the reckless maneuver and nearly crunching the ship between the wall and the supply vessel. Finally Bee had shut off the systems, knowing she would apologize to Karen later.

There was something that Bee had noticed that caught her eye. In one of the larger patrol ships, in the windows, there was EO watching the shipment coming in! She couldn't believe her luck! She snuck out of the ship, dropping to the deck silently. Weaving between the docked ships, she made her way toward EO's ship. If he was alone, all good, but if he wasn't… her hand went to the laser pistol on her belt. She didn't want to use it, but if it was necessary, she would…

She drew close enough to hear voices; she froze in her tracks when she heard EO's voice…

"So we used Rigel alloy instead of titanium? That explains why it did that… we might need to reinforce it with more metallic matter, just in case…"

It was now or never! Bee appeared from behind the ship, slowly walking out into sight. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized she was surrounded by EO's entire crew. She was met by a puzzled look in the Captain's eyes... those familiar dark eyes, that seemed to smile along whenever he was happy, the wind blowing idle strands of curled hair away from his face...

"Um... Miss? I'm sorry, but this is a personnel designated zone, you might want to go into the civilian stations-"

Bee ran forward, tears in her eyes as she threw herself into EO's arms, crying in a heart-felt tone.

"EO! I knew it was you! I'd heard you'd become a captain for the Corps, but I didn't think it was truly you! I'm so glad you're safe!"

Idy, Ody, Hooter, Majordomo, Minordomo, and Fuzzball stared at Captain EO in shock and puzzlement. It was clear from the surprise in EO's eyes that he hadn't been expecting this at all! He waved a free hand, his other gently rubbing the stranger's back, trying to get her to calm down. She was only hugging him, after all...

"Miss? Do I know you from somewhere?"

Bee looked up from the Captain's embrace, smiling as the tears of joy in her amethyst eyes shone with delight. "You don't remember me, EO? Remember back on Earth, when we would race the other kids on our hover boards and you always won?"

EO's eyes widened. Hover boards on Earth... laughing and sharing candy with the little girl down the street. Two young kids sitting on a jungle gym and watching the sunset, promising that they would be...

"Friends forever..." Bee said, softly.

"...and ever, and ever." EO repeated, staring at her in wonder. A smile appeared on his face, causing his eyes to shine.

"Billie Jean? Is that really you?!"

To be continued...