Happy Story :)
A sudden jolt to the ship woke anyone who was sleeping.
Sitting dejectedly on the wall-mounted benches was an assortment of animals of all species and castes, defying nearly any form of collective label; several different types of primates, most of whom possessed a knowledgeable air about them; a quiet, cackling lizard whose eyes darted about the room; a gray spotted owl who still clung to his long lost status; a skinny-looking weasel constantly shivering and twitching from fear; a young raven whose face had been blown off and replaced with an unsettling steel mask; a female lynx ignoring the leering eyes of a large, shameless panda sitting across from her; an old, ragged wolf who sat in the far corner of the room, skin and fur slowly peeling off his body as the result of some unknown disease... and others.
In the end, there was one label that fit them all:
Exiles.
The criminals had been stripped of their last shreds of dignity and rights. They were crowded together in the dimly lit cargo hold, naked and filthy, tightly chained to the steel benches upon which they sat. Their clothes had been taken from them before their final trek across the star system; they wouldn't need them where they were going, and at this point, most of them didn't mind. They had bigger things to worry about.
A quick glance around the cargo hold yielded a sickening mixture of brown, green, and gray light; they were entering the planet's atmosphere.
The ship's occupants – at least, those who still possessed their sanity – nervously shifted in their places. Even now, the howling wind rushed past the bolted-shut windows and whistled through the cracks in the cargo door. Periodically, the ship would quiver and shake, and hushed curses could be heard from the cockpit. Every moment seemed to drag on eternally as the transport ship sliced through the atmosphere, slowly approaching the drop site, where they would finally meet their judgment at the hands of the barren hell of a planet; Venom. How much longer would it be? A few hours? Minutes? Seconds?
Whilst the ship was battling Venom's gravitational field, the old hare sat muttering incomprehensibly to himself, leaving the others only bits and pieces of what he was saying; "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here... words... I beheld over... gate's... arch..."
The rabbit was clearly insane. Most of them were insane. And those who were not yet insane soon would be.
After their initial embarking, the hold had fallen silent. But now that their appointed time was nearing, one of the primates suddenly spoke up.
He was a snow monkey of tall, commanding stature, who sat with dignified posture even whilst naked and chained in place. At first glance most had labeled him as insane, but it wasn't for any strange ticks he possessed; it was because the monkey was strangely confident, as if he somehow had the entire situation under his control. While the rest of the exiles were terrified of their fate, he sat calmly in his seat, absently polishing the dog-tag hanging from his neck on his arm fur, or glancing around the room to size-up his peers.
"You, lemur, and you, frog; I have some questions for you."
The "frog" the monkey had referred to was a red-eyed tree frog, covered in lime-green skin except for his overly large red eyes and white underbelly. He smiled back creepily at the primate with a cheshire-cat grin.
"It's a little late to get to know each other, don't you think so, ape?"
The ring-tailed lemur, on the other hand, was more cooperative. "We might as well talk. At least it will get our minds off... it."
"First, your names, gentlemen," the snow monkey continued in an overly courteous voice; "I see that I am addressing two fellow scientists. Who do I have the honor of addressing?"
"Professor Mu Lemuria," his fellow primate answered.
"Doctor Stillo Blechette," the amphibian finished. "But who might you be?"
"My esteemed learned men, you have the honor of addressing none other than the great Emperor Andross."
A red-furred fox sitting next to the lemur scoffed at his statement. ""Great Emperor?" You have the honor of addressing Doctor Andross Oikonny, the idiot who blows shit up and experiments on small children as a past time. If you'd been able to follow his case on the news, you'd know not to talk to him at all."
Ignoring the vulpine's comment, Andross went on. "May I inquire as to what your fields of research are?"
"Physicist and engineer," Dr. Lemuria replied. "Exiled for leaking certain... papers to space pirates. Government stuff, you know. Where would they even find two hundred kilograms of plutonium, anyway..."
The tree frog was next to speak. "I'm a medical doctor who practices biology as a hobby. Don't worry, I experimented on the odd child now and then; it's nothing to be ashamed of."
"I see, I see," Andross repeated, murmuring to himself. "Both of you, obviously invaluable scientists. I see I've found my engineer and biologist, both of which lack moral restraints. I dub you, Professor Lemuria, as my Thaumaturge, and you, Dr. Blechette, as my Apothecist."
The scientist trailed off, testing the reflectiveness of his dog tag in the dim lighting.
Moving on to another primate that sat to the left of Dr. Blechette, he asked, "And you, ape; what is your name?"
Slightly surprise that Andross would address him next, the monkey responded, "Huh? Oh, uh, Granga... sir."
Andross smiled, realizing from his hasty and pious response the primate would make a loyal servant. "Thank you, that is all."
Confused, Granga looked at the scientist and asked, "Don't you want to know what I do? How I got exiled?"
Andross shook his head. "No, Granga, I said that was all. I am quite convinced you will make a loyal henchman."
Slumping back down in his seat, Granga mumbled, "Oh."
The feline whispered something to the vulpine from earlier who let out a grim chuckle in return.
"So you're still pursuing this "Emperor" thing, are you? Geez, you're as insane as the news said you were. If you're this delusional, you're not too far from slick the lizard over there, or panda the pedophile."
Drooling onto his fat chest, the panda bear continued ogling the lynx and said with a quivering voice, "Say what you want, but as soon as we're dumped on the ground I am so hitting that..." The ursid laughed dryly, squirming to get out of his handcuffs and make for the female lynx. "Boy, she looks tasty. I'd love to sink my teeth into a bit of that... I've never tried cat meat before," and he continued on muttering his crude and excessively violent plans for the feline under his breath.
Crossing her legs and growling at the perverted bear, the lynx warned, "You try anything and I'll bite your manhood off, freak."
"Cannibal," Andross corrected. "I am simply choosing my underlings for the future. All those who pledge their loyalty to my glorious cause will be spared, and I shall show them the path to salvation. Unless of course, you doubt that I can save you."
"Says the ape sitting butt-naked on a transport ship to Venom," the vulpine whispered to the cat, barely containing his laughter 'til he got to the final word.
"Please, you are addressing the Lylat System's smartest denizen. I am the most intelligent animal in existence. It would be a waste if I died on some desolate planet, and uncharacteristic of me to go anywhere without a suitable plan."
"Pssh!" the cat fizzed, "It's a bit late to get out of this one!"
As the feline and vulpine died laughing, Andross raised his voice commandingly and asked, "You were both exiled for betraying General Pepper, were you not?"
That seemed to quiet the pair down. "Yeah, of course. The old geezer had it coming. He thinks he's some generalissimo, or something; his position's gone to his head. As military commanders, we saw it coming for a long time, but running for chancellor was the last straw."
"The old hound's got too much power," the feline persisted. "Of all the people here, we're the only ones who never deserved exile. We stood up for what we thought was right, and we failed, though I'll be damned before I take part in your little playground empire."
"Ah. I dub thee "Brutus and Cassius,"" Andross concluded.
""Brutus and Cattius?" the feline asked. "I've never heard those names before."
"Good. Now, Ms. Lynx – "
"Save it old man, I don't want to be part of your shitty little empire either," the feline said, attempting to shut him up.
"Oh come now. If you're cooperative, I promise the cannibal-rapist will be the first to go."
"Heh heh, yeah, and I know how I'm gonna go," the panda said, once again pulling at his restraints and licking his lips.
"Fine. It's a deal. The name's Miyu."
"Ah... Ms. Miyu. Reason for banishment?"
"I uh... had an affair with the wrong man. He cheated on me, so I... killed him. How could I have known he was a senator?"
Andross smirked. "Simple; pay attention to your politics, dear."
Finally, the "Emperor" turned to the cowering weasel, who seemed to jump every time the transport hit a bit of turbulence.
"And you, son," Andross asked, "What is your name?"
"Oh... just... just call me by my username, Anakata."
"Well then, "Anakata," though you might not be the most courageous out of us, you at least look to be of the intellectual nature. What is your specialty?"
Out of nervous habit, the weasel began cracking his knuckles and popping his neck back and forth. "I, uh, specialize in computer programing and cyber security. I'm a hacker... the world's best! You see, I hacked into government infrastructure and leaked the wrong documents. The Cornerians were all over me for – "
"You did not!" interjected "Brutus," the fox. "This little twerp is the founder of the largest interplanetary torrent and file-sharing site. A bunch of the big entertainment companies ganged up and made an example out of him. The whole "government files" thing was just a setup to get an actual reason to exile him; you can't send anyone to Venom just for excessive pirating, no matter how many billions of credits he cost them. He's just trying to convince you he's worthy of your little empire."
"Ah, well thank you, Brutus; you are an excellent fact-checker," Andross said. "I'm sorry, Anakata, but I have no place for a runt of a hacker like you in the early stages of my empire. I'm afraid your cowardice would just drag us down."
"All cowardice... be put to death," the senile hare wheezed.
The weasel's eyes widened for a moment, then he brushed off his initial fear at being rejected and stated, "Aw, who wants to be part of your empire anyway. I-It's like they s-said; as soon as we hit the ground, we're screwed."
Andross's only response was to grin wickedly, as if to say, "Oh really?" before he returned to simply polishing his dog-tag again.
The others looked around the room in confusion. Weren't there others for the monkey to interview for his empire? There was the elderly rabbit who continued mumbling nonsense to himself, completely senile or insane, perhaps a result from the torture his old, weathered body showed signs of; a chameleon whose stare sent icy cold shivers down the spine of anyone who met his eyes; a ripped badger who looked like his restraints could barely hold him; the pompous-looking owl who seemed extremely flustered that he had not been invited; the retarded bear who only stared blankly and drooled when Miyu or Brutus and Cassius tried speaking to him; and the lone wolf who sat crouching in the corner, attempting to hide the signs of whatever disease was eating him alive. Some of those who had not been addressed were less than amused.
"Look here," the gray-spotted owl demanded, "Why haven't you asked me into your little party? If you really have a way out of this, I see no reason why I should be left out."
The scientist didn't even look up from his work on the dog-tag. "Oh, I'm not offering a way out; I'm offering a way further in."
The owl became even more flustered and worried than before.
"What... what do you mean, 'further in'?"
"I mean once we get off this ship, we're not going back to Corneria, nor anywhere else in the System. We're staying here, on Venom."
"What!?" the avian exclaimed. "In this hell-hole!?"
"None of you seem to understand," Andross began, finally looking up at the rest of the occupants, "That we have been presented with a unique opportunity. You have the greatest mind in the Lylat freed from the watchful eyes of the government and the moral boundaries of society. We haven't been exiled or doomed to die; we've been turned loose. Freed. But if you want to be a part of this venture, my dear avian, you must prove you will be of value to us. So, convince me."
The spotted owl stared blankly at Andross, as if trying to make sense of his words. Finally, he collected himself and asked, "Does the name "Mothchild" mean anything to you?"
Andross nodded, pretending to be attentive and thoughtful. "Hmm. You're right. It does. Which is precisely why I have neglected to invite you to my empire."
"What!? That's preposterous! Do you know how many organizations I own? How many businesses I run? How many friends I have and how much influence I have?"
"Yes. At the moment, zero. You're nothing, my dear Mothchild, without your wealth. And right now, you do not have that. Your companies and property have all been seized, and your friends have all cut their ties to you. You can't take your fortunes to heaven when you die, but you also can't bring them to hell, either. No, I'm afraid you would just be a burden to me and my empire."
When Andross went back to polishing his dog-tag, the owl folded his wings over his chest and slumped down in his seat, muttering darkly to himself.
"Hey, what about metal-beak over here?" Miyu asked, nodding towards the raven, who sat one seat down from her. "The poor kid looks like he deserves a break."
"Just because I haven't questioned some people doesn't mean they haven't been chosen," Andross clarified. "There's just no need to talk with them. But, if you mean to converse with him, by all means, do so."
"Thank you for granting me your permission, your excellency," the lynx mocked.
"Emperor."
Turning to the raven and ignoring Granga who sat between them, Miyu asked, "So, uh... kid; what did you do to get yourself exiled? It's kinda hard for me to believe someone your age could land a sentence that harsh. You must have done something really bad," she finished, jokingly.
So far, the raven hadn't spoken a single word the entire flight; no one had really talked to him, though he wasn't the talkative type, especially because of his prosthetic beak. Now, however, he found it impossible to avoid.
In a raspy voice, he responded, "I... blew some guys up."
It was clear the lynx hadn't actually expected him to have done anything bad, though the raven couldn't understand why; they were all on an exile transport, after all.
"Oh... I see..." Miyu said, trailing off. "So, is that how you... lost part of your face?"
The raven nodded.
"Then you weren't fast enough to escape the blast?"
"No... it was a suicide attack."
"Oh..." the feline repeated. The further she probed, the worse it seemed to get.
"Why'd you do it, kid? Your religion talked you into it?"
"No; I don't believe in anything, really. I just... was bored. That's all. I didn't feel like I could change anything. I didn't think I mattered. I got in touch with the Titanian State... I listened to them... it seemed like they could give me a purpose. I was disillusioned with Corneria. It was so easy to press that button because I couldn't feel anything. But now... now it's all so meaningless."
"Well, I guess I see where you're coming from, kid. Try to cheer up, though. You're just going through a phase; a lot of lost kids get pulled in by Titanian radicals. You'll get over it."
"Oh it's not a phase," Andross said, revealing he had been listening in on their conversation. "It's a step – a trial, so to speak. Realizing you can't change anything by obeying the laws of the system you're trapped within, that nothing in the world means anything, that there is no spiritual power greater than you to tell you right and wrong; the meaninglessness you feel is only part of a long process of realization and transcendence. You realize purpose and ethics are a social construct, you realize matter doesn't necessarily exist... after a brief bout with insanity, you come out of it all realizing that laws, both natural and societal, were meant to be broken... and you become the center of the universe. My point is... I have high hopes for you, young man. From this moment hereafter, I dub thee, "Faceless," for obvious reasons."
"Confound it all!" Mothchild yelled at the top of his lungs, "All of this is purely hypothetical, isn't it!? You can't really get us out of this mess, can you!? Can you!? We're all going to die, and none of your empty words are going to change that!"
"Hey, quiet back there!" one of the Cornerian guards yelled from the cockpit.
The iron door to the flight deck screeched open, and a young collie stepped into the cargo hold, glancing nervously around the room. "What do scum like you even have to talk about?! You little shits have less than ten minutes to live, anyway. So do us a favor and shut the hell up!"
The guard's act didn't fool anyone in the hold; he was obviously trying to mask his fear by putting up a brave front. While he reached for the coffee machine beside the door, his hands visibly shook as he grasped the cup and poured a caffeine-filled shot into the flimsy styrofoam.
As soon as the canine had emerged from the flight deck, Andross lifted his polished metal criminal tag with his cuffed hands and began to swing it back and forth, absently. The more he continued with the ritual, however, the more he attracted the gaze of the exiles.
While the young collie lifted the styrofoam cup to his mouth and tentatively sipped from it, Andross said in a calm voice, "You know, I really pity you soldiers up front."
Taking a break from his steaming coffee, the canine ordered, "Shut up!" before raising it back to his mouth again and blocking his face. Andross continued, unabated.
"It's fine; get it out of your system. The flight to Venom must be just as nerve-racking for you soldiers up front as it is for us exiles back here. You must feel a little nervous, don't you?"
Lowering the cup to his side, the collie slowly sighed and closed his eyes. "Well... yeah, a little. I just... I'm kinda set on edge is all. Sorry for uh... lashing out at you... though it's exactly what you deserve."
"Relax, just relax, young man. As you said, there are only ten more minutes left in the flight. Why don't you think on that; ten more minutes, then you'll drop us off and be able to return nice and safely to your home in Corneria."
The exiles marveled at the simian's mastery of his own voice. On the one hand, Andross was firm and commanding with his suggestions, while on the other, his voice was calm, confident, and soft, the kind of voice one would expect to hear narrating an old poetry book or an ancient epic on an audio book.
"Just listen to what I have to say," Andross continued. "I dabbled in a bit of therapy, you know. I'll calm your nerves in no time."
As the scientist continued, his swinging dog-tag caught the soldier's eye, and he found himself unconsciously watching the object swing back and forth, which caught the overhead light and softly reflected it each time it passed a certain point in its arc.
"Now, take a deep breath. Good, good, now try another. Now, keep breathing slowly, letting your lungs expand and collapse slowly. Listen to the sound of my voice. You should feel yourself becoming tired... maybe your eyelids are feeling a bit heavy, as if they had a heavy weight attached to them. And the longer you stare at me, the more your eyelids seem to get heavy."
Andross spoke with such a calm, relaxing voice that most of the people in the transport hold found themselves listening to him, and the bright light of his dog-tag continued to swing mesmerizingly back and forth.
"Now you feel yourself blinking," Andross continued, "And your eyelids feel like something is pulling them down, as if they wanted to slowly close shut. Closing, slowly closing, getting heavier and heavier; and when they do finally close, imagine how good you'll feel. They're heavy, pulling down, down, down, slowly closing, getting harder and harder to see."
At first, the canine continued to follow Andross's reflective dog-tag back and forth, but the more the scientist droned on, the more tired he felt. As Andross suggested, he found his eyelids fluttering until they closed completely.
At this point, Andross's voice had quieted to a whisper. "Your eyes are tightly closed. You feel good, you feel relaxed, you're loose all over; just let yourself drift and enjoy this comfortable state. Listen to the howling wind and the humming machinery, feel the rumbling ship. Now you're standing out in the open air somewhere; in a field from your childhood, or perhaps a roof of a building; the bright sun is on your face, the still air is warm around you. A slight breeze is picking up; you feel the cool air moving around you, almost like you're slowly falling; your head is getting heavier; it's nodding forwards, pulling you slightly forwards, and you just let yourself go forwards. You're balancing, balancing, steady..."
A sudden jolt rocked the ship, and the guard stumbled.
As soon as he was thrown off balance, Andross raised his voice and ordered, "Sleep!"
The guard continued to waver in place, until the scientist quickly added, "Your legs are like iron; you cannot fall."
The guard regained his balance, and he stood stock-still.
All of Andross's fellow exiles gaped at him in disbelief.
"Did you just... did you just hypnotize him?" Granga asked in a hushed voice.
"My first time, really," Andross bragged in response. "I read about it in a book many years ago. Photographic memory, you see." Then, addressing the soldier, he said; "Your colleagues have made a mistake. They've chained up someone who is not a criminal, but you must release him. Grab your key card, and take it out."
Slowly, the guard did was he was told, reaching into his pocket and removing a credit-card-like object.
"Now, step over to me and unlock my chains."
The collie complied, walking over to the simian and sliding the key card through a slot on his manacles. The compartment collectively gasped as Andross's fetters fell from his hands and clattered against the bench.
Rubbing his wrists to get the blood circulating again, Andross stood up and held out his hand. "Now, hand me your gun. Some criminals have hijacked the transport and need to be dealt with."
The guard set the key card down before unfastening the latch on his holster and removing his gun, which he handed to Andross.
"Splendid, splendid. Now, I want you to walk ahead of me into that room, and I don't want you to turn around. We mustn't let them think we suspect anything."
Complacently, the canine turned and marched towards the flight deck with Andross close on his heels. The pair disappeared behind the iron door, followed by the reports of a laser pistol and several bodies hitting the floor.
The chameleon who had been sitting next to Andross took the scientist's absence to grab the key card and unlock his own manacles. With an insane grin on his face, the lizard approached the door to the flight deck, flexing his sharp claws.
When the rest of exiles figured out what the chameleon had in mind, the lemur quickly shouted, "Andross! Watch out!"
But it was too late. The primate stepped out of the cockpit into the waiting arms of his enemy, who dug his claws into Andross's gun arm and tried to force the weapon out of his grasp. The two stumbled around the cargo hold, fighting for control of the blaster, until the pair began firing off shots wildly into the interior of the ship. On the fifth or sixth shot, the laser projectiles flew into the cockpit and struck the ship's controls, causing them to erupt in a bright display of sparks. After the damage was done, the ship began to list towards the left until it was nearing a nose-dive.
"No! You blasted idiot!" Andross exclaimed, crashing with the chameleon into the side of the compartment as the ship spun. "Look what you've done! We're going to crash if you don't let me GO!"
But before Andross could break free of the chameleon and make a break for the controls, the ship crashed into the harsh Venomian surface, smashing the outside to pieces and crushing the mainframe of the ship.
Despite the sudden impact, the transport remained miraculously intact... for the most part. Most of the members hadn't even lost consciousness, while others had smashed their heads against the walls behind them or even each other.
It had been several minutes since the crash, allowing enough time for all of the exiles to come to, leaving only Andross and the chameleon decommissioned. They both lay still in a small pile on the floor. The criminals' fates were all left in the hands of the two unconscious animals, depending on who awoke first; Andross, who had promised them freedom, or the chameleon psychopath, who'd surely kill them all if he awoke. They waited in a hushed whisper for one of them to stir.
To their relief, the snow monkey slowly slid off of the chameleon and sat on the floor rubbing his head. After gaining his bearings, he quickly snatched up the gun and turned to the reptile. Kneeling down by his side, he felt the lizard's spine and neck bones before concluding, "Broken back and neck. I'm glad I kept my head and used him as a cushion, even through that wild ride of a crash."
Standing shakily to his feet, the naked primate turned around in a slow circle to inspect the ship. As his eyes took in the complete destruction that had befallen the vessel, the anger began seeping into his face.
"Damn it all!" the scientist finally exclaimed. Turning once again to the chameleon, he began savagely kicking his lifeless corpse. "You... Insane... Psychopath... of a... Bastard! If you hadn't broken free and attacked me, we would've had a working ship all to ourselves!" Tiring of kicking the limp body, Andross grabbed the lizard's empty shackles and began beating his head in with them, swinging the chains wildly like a chain mace. "Now we have to tread across the... god... forsaken... desert... on... foot!"
With one last swing, Andross brought the iron manacles flailing down on the lizard's head, sending a sickening crunch echoing throughout the room. Mothchild and the young weasel, however, were the only ones to flinch. The retarded bear suddenly snapped his jaw shut and moaned curiously as he looked at the scientist heaving from exertion.
Tossing the manacles aside and running a hand through his scalp to smooth his hair, Andross stood up and turned to face the prisoners. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, he addressed them.
"Now... what did I tell you?" the monkey said, staring triumphantly around at the exiles. "To all of the doubters and the cynical realists; behold, you have just witnessed a miracle; the seizing of a Cornerian vessel whilst in the very jaws of fiery hell. Which of you still doubts?"
Throwing his arms wide, he glanced around the battered room, searching each one of the prisoners with his blazing eyes.
"But now we come to the first order of business of my glorious Empire; the official initiation. Before I officially welcome you into my Empire, I must perform two deeds; first, a test of loyalty for my new recruits. Second, the execution of the parasites and the predators. Why not kill two birds with one stone?"
The occupants of the damaged transport vessel stared in disbelief at Andross. Here was a malnourished primate standing naked before them on the ruined floor of a wrecked ship, marooned on a wasteland of a planet hundreds of millions of miles away from any remnant of civilization, the foul-smelling gasses and fumes of which were already leaking in through the numerous cracks and holes that rent the walls of the space ship, who still managed to brag triumphantly about a hypothetical empire made up of a dozen latent criminals.
"Right, then we shall start with those who linger in doubtful standing. Ms. Miyu, I have promised you the molester and cannibal would be the first to die. Therefore, I give you the honor of performing this Empire's first execution. Here is your bargain; kill the panda, and you may freely join my Empire. Refuse, and you shall be left here to rot."
At this moment, Andross flipped the blaster around in his hands and offered it to Miyu, who accepted it. With her hands still chained together, she raised the gun and stared down its sights at the ursid across from her, who squirmed nervously in his seat.
Shaking with laughter, the panda whispered, "Oh come on, you know you want to... take me out real fast and quick baby, you know you can do it. You killed before; you can kill again – "
Before the freak could finish, Miyu pulled the trigger and landed a laser bolt squarely between the panda's eyes. The cannibal's torso slumped forward, his limp head resting on his ample belly as a trail of smoke rose from the finishing wound.
"Nicely done, nicely done," Andross commented as he took the gun back and grabbed the key card from off the floor. After he removed her bindings, Miyu stood up on shaky legs and stumbled over to the cockpit, where she disappeared behind the dividing door.
"Next I would like to welcome Faceless into the Empire, officially. You, my son, are tasked with executing the weasel; he has amply demonstrated his weakness, and would drag us down in our early stages of survival if we let him live. So, I ask you... will you prove your loyalty?"
Faceless looked up as Andross extended the gun handle-first to him. Hesitantly, he trained it on the weasel, whose eyes bulged with fear.
Throwing up his hands to protect his face, Anakata begged in a shrill voice, "No! Please! I'll do anything to be with you all! Just let me live! You can't really kill me! We're all in this together, right!? Right!?"
With a slight twitch of his finger, Faceless pulled the trigger, silencing the weasel for good with a shot to his exposed stomach.
"Faceless," Andross began, "I welcome you to my Empire! I am sure you and I will enjoy many a good chat together. Perhaps you may even tread down the same paths as I..."
As Andross trailed off, Miyu reemerged from the flight deck tightly wrapped in one of the soldiers' long military jackets. After quickly glancing at the feline to make sure she wasn't carrying a firearm, Andross returned to his "initiation" ceremony.
"Now, you, badger; you have earned yourself a place in my empire due to your uncanny strength, especially useful to us in these early stages of survival. To enter into my realm, you must execute... the bear."
"What!?" Miyu exclaimed, quickly turning to look at the hulking ursid, who sat as oblivious to his current situation as a child. "But he's just mentally disabled! The poor thing's never hurt anyone! He was just abandoned by some hateful family, ashamed of him for spoiling their precious bloodline! He doesn't even know what the heck is going on! I bet if you could get through to him, he'd have a really kind heart!"
Andross smiled in response to Miyu's outburst. "Your defense of the poor creature demonstrates your kindly morals, my dear, exactly why I chose to let you live. You will be the voice of opposition to every order I command, my own devil's advocate – though admittedly, I'm as close to the devil as you will ever see in your lifetime. Yes, Ms. Miyu; the angel on our shoulders to whisper opposition and guilt into our ears, and the example of the death it brings when you cave in under the burden of your own cross. My reason for executing the bear is as follows; like the weasel and the owl before him, he will only drag us down in our early struggle for survival, and he will be of no use to us in the distant future when our empire is built. I am afraid his lack of intellect and awareness have rendered him useless to us."
Accepting the gun from Andross, the massive badger spoke up. "If I may, missy, I think I can give you a reason you'll better understand. You see, miss, Venom ain't no place for a simpleton like him. He isn't much more than a child, that he is, and a child will only get hurt in a world of pain and hardship he can't understand. It'd be cruel to let him live, wouldn't you agree?"
Looking pitifully at the innocent ursid, Miyu finally stepped aside and nodded.
"Fine. But make it quick. I'm... sorry for the bear."
"That I'll do, missy." Aiming carefully at the bear's head, the badger pulled the trigger.
This time around, more people within the battered compartment seemed to flinch, especially Miyu.
Upon freeing the badger, Andross continued; "You, my loyal servant, will be our bastion of perseverance, our model for empowerment; I dub thee, Atlas, to hold up our world with your brute strength."
"Atlas..." the badger said, tasting the name. "I like it."
Glancing over at the trails of gas leaking into the hold, Andross said, "We are losing oxygen fast; let's speed this up, shall we?"
The monkey pointed to the fox and cat. "You, Brutus and Cassius, must execute... Mothchild and the wolf."
Taking the gun without hesitation, Brutus, the vulpine, mumbled, "I never liked the aristocracy, anyway; always getting in the way of politics with their money and favors and bribes."
Squirming against his restraints, the owl argued, "Now see here! What's the use in killing me? What's the use of forming your little empire, even? You have no hopes of survival outside this ship; the atmosphere is poisonous, and you have nothing to eat! Even now, I'm sure you can smell the poisonous gasses seeping in! Be reasonable – "
BANG.
Handing the gun to Cassius, he explained, "I don't know about you, but I couldn't take the sound of that bastard's hot air another minute. I thought I'd at least be able to escape aristocratic assholes like him by coming to Venom, but the bugger won't even allow me that."
"No, I agree," the feline said, accepting the gun. "Out here, a simple reason like that would suffice for killing anyone. That wolf over there, though... he's a different case. He hasn't bothered anyone this whole trip."
"Well he wouldn't be here unless he killed someone or did something equally horrible," Brutus countered. "He's an exile. You have every right to kill him."
Looking at the ragged lupine in the corner, who didn't utter a word to defend himself, Miyu found a new cause to defend.
"Now see here," she said to Brutus and Cassius. "We're all exiles; we all deserve death in one way or another, so I don't see how you can talk."
Cutting into their argument, Andross explained, "My rationale for killing the wolf is this; it is obvious he is infected with some form of leprosy, for which we have no cure. If we brought him along with us, he'd be eaten alive by the disease, and possibly even infect us."
It was true. Anyone could see that the lupine was covered in some sort of mange. Andross's words were correct; the disease was eating him alive, as pieces of gray fur fell in clumps to the floor, and his exposed skin was bleeding profusely and bubbling.
"Then... couldn't we just leave him here, or set him free as long as he stayed away from us?" Miyu suggested, scrambling for an alternative.
"Afraid not, Ma'am," the wolf said, speaking with a hoarse southern drawl.. "I'm a goner. That's all there is to it. Though I appreciate your concern." Turning to Cassius, he spread his arms open, leaving his parisite-eaten body an open target. "Go ahead, cat; get it over with. No hard feelings."
Closing one eye and staring down the sights, Cassius mumbled, "You are a real gentlemen."
The fifth body slumped in its seat.
"I may have overestimated our remaining time aboard this vessel," Andross warned, once again checking the progress of the poisonous air. "We have to move, and we have to move now. If you want to live, you must do everything I say without question, but you will do them for your fellow comrades and your emperor. Am I clear?"
The leaking ship resonated with the remaining exiles agreeing as Andross maneuvered around the room, freeing the prisoners.
"Good, good. Now, my Thaumaturge; take Atlas with you into the engine room and disassemble the life support system; bring it back to me. Granga; take Miyu, Brutus, and Cassius to the front of the ship and gather up all the loose clothing, cloth, supplies, and baggage. Strip the guards, of course. Oh, and make sure you gather all of the weapons before the other three get to them. I don't trust them. Faceless, Apothecist; you stay with me. Gather the bodies except for the wolf's and place them in the middle of the floor. This may get a bit... messy."
As the others headed towards the back or the front of the ship, Faceless and Dr. Blechette began freeing the remaining bodies and laying them side by side in the middle of the cargo hold. When Granga brought back the guard's weapons and personal possessions, Andross passed two of their army knives to Faceless and Blechette.
"Here, take these."
The tree frog's red eyes glinted as he was handed a knife. "Ah, I see. The dead will be our primary source of sustenance."
"Exactly," Andross agreed, pleased that the doctor caught on to his plan so fast. "Now, my Apothecist, as you specialize in biological anatomy, please instruct my dear underling Faceless on which parts of the body are inedible. And... cut them out, while you're at it. We can't afford any extra weight."
As the amphibian set to work on the bodies, instructing Faceless in the process, he commented; "I've never felt so relaxed whilst operating. There's no pressure to keep the patients alive, you see."
While the tree frog and raven continued their grisly work, the old hare remained sitting on his bench, staring with a confused expression at the graphic dismembering taking place in the middle of the floor. The rabbit merely muttered a few incomprehensible words, as if trying to understand the scene before him.
"I keep the old goat around," Andross explained, "So that I have one sane person among us to talk to."
When Granga, Miyu, Brutus, and Cassius returned carrying the various clothes and supplies, they dropped their burdens, balking at the sight that greeted them. Miyu and Cassius had sense enough to look away, while Brutus found his eyes drawn to the bloody spectacle. After momentarily throwing his hands over his mouth, the vulpine retreated to a corner and retched onto the floor.
Bewildered, Andross asked, "What? Do you really think my cooking is that bad? You're literally throwing up at the mere sight of the ingredients!"
Sitting down on the floor and curling into a protective ball, Miyu hid her face in her knees and said, "This is so messed up... this is so messed up..." Then, in a loud outburst, she screamed at the monkey, "How in the world could you do this!? Those are people you're going to eat!"
"Please," Andross said, raising a hand, "We will have time to discuss the moral ramifications of cannibalism later. For now, pass me those two bags... thank, you, Granga. Apothecist, Faceless; pack the edible portions in those sacks. The rest... oh... just leave on the floor. Brutus, Cassius; you will carry them."
"What!?" Cassius exclaimed, while Brutus merely vomited some more.
"Don't 'what' me, underling. I solve our food problem to make sure scum like you doesn't starve, and that is the thanks I get? How ungrateful."
From his private corner, Brutus spat, "Y-you're insane!"
"Ah-ah-aaah! Remember, insanity is only one step in the process. Ah; my Thaumaturge. You have returned with the life support system."
Professor Lemuria and Atlas had returned, carrying a large, triangular piece of equipment that trailed wires and hoses behind them. They set it a few feet away from the remains of the executed prisoners, and Andross immediately grabbed the screwdriver from the lemur.
As he began unscrewing the panels on each side of the unit, Andross explained, "Venom's atmosphere is composed of 43 percent nitrogen, 36 percent carbon dioxide, 12 percent methane, and nine percent other gases. The only cause of death on Venom so far – besides the executions you just took part in – is asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen. This ship's life support system, however, carries several different chemical filters."
Finally removing the panel, Andross lifted out several bottles of whitish-blue liquid, some of which had been partially drained already.
"The compounds for the solid oxide electrolysers, however, can react with the carbon dioxide in the air, producing carbon monoxide and breathable oxygen."
Taking a large white cloth, he began tearing off strips and coating them in the solution.
"Simply hold these over your mouthsand nostrils once every few minutes, take a few deep breaths, and you should be fine." After passing out the makeshift breathing apparatus, he ordered, "Now get dressed. We must use what little clothing we can to fight Venom's harsh conditions, but heed this; one layer per person."
Andross went first, selecting a white piece of cloth which he wrapped around his tall frame like a toga. The rest made do with what they could find. While the other exiles were dressing, Andross fashioned a crude flag out of a long broom handle and a piece of fabric. Finally, as an emblem, he dipped his hand in a can of black paint and pressed his inky palm on the banner, leaving a black hand-print.
Raising the flag aloft, the scientist exclaimed, "Behold! The proud standard of the Androssian Empire! May its billowing furls never fail to inspire you."
Stepping over to the hatch, he ordered, "Atlas, break open the gate, will you?"
"Er, yes... sir." After shouldering his portion of the supplies, the badger thrust his powerful shoulder into the bent door, crushing it even further until it fell outwards. Andross lead the exiles out into the open air, finally setting foot onto Venom's surface.
Throwing his arms wide and taking a deep breath of the foul atmosphere, Andross fell into a fit of coughs before exclaiming, "Welcome to Venom, my underlings! Soon to be the center of power of the System, and garden spot of the Lylat! Oh-ho, I have lofty plans for this unsuspecting planet! Very lofty plans, indeed."
The other exiles, however, failed to see anything in the vast wilderness but a barren wasteland of sharp rocks, gritty sand, and dirty yellow sky covered in muddy clouds that nearly blotted out the light.
Shielding his eyes with his free hand, Andross peered at the twin suns that shone in the sky; Solar, a great red light that dwarfed its sister star, Lylat, burning a faint blue in the distance.
"A few months ago there was a brutal space battle that took place in Sector Z," Andross explained. "It was all over the news... though most of you were in prison, I assume. The Battle of Sector Z was the massive culmination of the ongoing conflict between Corneria and the Space Pirates. The Cornerians ended up winning... but in the process they lost many ships of their own, and left a graveyard of debris and abandoned cruisers behind. Due to the proximity of the nebula to Venom, much of the wreckage has been scattered across this planet. One cruiser in particular landed on the shore of Venom's ocean, not too far from our current position. With my ingenuity, we can set up a home in the cruiser and make use of its equipment and supplies. Once we reach that ship, we will be saved, and our path to victory set in stone. Now, if Solar and Lylat make a line pointing due east... we can just follow that to the shore... alright, I have mapped out our course! Follow me!"
And with that, Andross jumped down the side of the hill, waving the banner triumphantly as he went, and the rest of the exiles followed suit. On his way down, the old rabbit mumbled a set of barely comprehensible words; "These people... have not any hope... of..."
Shortly after nightfall, the exiles reached the acidic ocean, where Andross ordered them to set up camp. The refugees gathered around a makeshift grill built from a stack of rocks, underneath which they used the ship's fuel to set a pile of rags ablaze. When the rocks were heated enough, Andross had Brutus and Cassius empty some of the bloody meat onto the heated surface, and the morsels began to sizzle and pop.
"I... I can't believe we're doing this," Miyu said, once again curling up into a ball a few feet from the fire.
"Reluctant, as usual, I see," Andross commented, poking the sizzling meat with the bottom of his flag. "Is cannibalism really all that bad? The animals are dead. They don't need their meat anymore. How is it any difference than eating the dumb animals from farms? Or the fruit that plants produce?"
"It's different," Miyu insisted weakly. "They're not conscious; they don't have souls."
Andross grinned, wickedly.
"We don't have souls."
Burying her head in her arms, Miyu sobbed. "If I ate that... I'd be no different from him. What would set me apart from that monster I killed back there?"
"I won't force you to eat them," Andross said in a calm voice. "But if you don't have the strength to continue tomorrow... I won't have my underlings waste their time trying to save you. You will be on your own with your principles, Miyu."
"Fine, then!" Miyu cried, turning her back on the disgusting ritual taking place around the campfire. The other nine exiles were much less opposed to eating the animal's meat. The only one who put up any resistance was the old hare, who merely moaned and cried in a shaky voice as Brutus reluctantly forced him to eat the morsels.
That night the exiles all had nightmares... but they mistook them for dreams.
In the morning, they were greeted with Andross booting them awake.
"Hurry up, minions! You are about to witness your first ever sunrise on your new home!"
As the exiles groggily sat up and stretched their aching backs after sleepin upon the hard, stone surface, Andross leapt to the top of a large outcropping of rocks that overlooked the acid sea.
Repeating his favorite gesture of extravagantly throwing his arms wide, Andross yelled, "Behold! The vision of the mighty Emperor Andross! I ask you to look, my dear underlings and associates, at the spectacle before you!"
Brutus and Cassius merely glanced at each other, thinking, Is he mad? while Granga seemed to eat it all up.
"I ask you to gaze across the vast wasteland and not see a pile of useless rocks and sand, but a blank canvas susceptible to our imaginations and aspirations! From this empty slate, we shall build my Empire, the towers and mighty arm of which shall reach into the stars! Where there is life in the System, I shall take it away! And where there is nought but death and void, I shall fill it with life! I will cause flowers to bloom on the surface of this planet, extravagant gardens to blossom up out of the infertile sand, create life in its poisonous waters! I shall terraform this entire wasteland into a bastion of life and beauty! And at the same time, I shall ruin and violate the pure waters of Zoness! I will melt the glacierous peaks of Fichina, I will freeze the burning sands of Titania! I will rebuild the lost planet of Meteo, and I will scatter the molten crust of Corneria across the galaxy! As Emperor, I shall give, and I shall take away! Look, look! Can you not see it? Can you not see all I have planned for this System – the golden road to victory?"
But the exiles were blind to the mad scientist's baseless musings. They stared out over the steaming ocean and saw nothing but death and poison.
Then... the sun began to break over the horizon and shifting waves.
Its radiant beams split the fog on the far shores and shone through the misty distance.
The sky lit up in brilliant, burning colors, sending the clouds in a hasty retreat from the heavens.
And... from the blazing sun in the distance there came a bright path over the murky waters. Its brilliant face was reflected off the acidic waves in bright glints of light that blinded the eyes of the exiles, opening a golden bridge of pure light over the vast waters that stretched the entire breadth of the cove to the sun and the shore on the opposite side of the bay, at the end of which rose the bright orb of Solar... and a long metal object that glinted silver in the new morning light.
Eyes widening and face becoming a pure picture of joy, Andross exclaimed, "There it is! Do you not see it? The pirates' cruiser – our salvation! Quick, my minions; gather your burdens and let us be off while the spirit of morning is with us!"
As Andross disappeared behind the rocky edifice, the remaining exiles scrambled to gather up their supplies and follow him.
Miyu, however, noticed someone missing.
"Where's... where's the old man?" she gasped worriedly.
"Come on," Cassius said, bounding around their encampment, "The old coot can't have gotten that far away!"
Faceless joined the other three exiles in their search for the hare, scouring the area around their camp.
Behind the sandy hill they had stopped on, he finally found the rabbit, sitting at the base of the dune holding a black, pointed rock.
When the old man caught sight of Faceless, he grinned a toothy grin, and pointed proudly to his work. Faceless stepped slowly down the sandy dune, gazing curiously at what the hare had done.
All night long, the rabbit had been up, writing the same word in the sand over, and over, and over again, until the entire face of the dune was covered in it:
wrong
wrong wrong
wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong
wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong
wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong
wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong
It wasn't long before their progress was impeded by a powerful dust storm, the constant gusts of which blew against the exiles. Their visibility was horribly impaired, though they made sure to keep the bubbling ocean on their left at all times. And, at the head of their expedition, through the dust and clouds of sand could be seen Andross's proud standard, billowing madly in the breeze as the monkey pressed on, and on, and on into the unknown, sometimes stumbling, sometimes doubling over, but always walking on.
Only two hours into their trek Miyu gave out; the lynx took several drunken steps before collapsing onto the harsh sand, unmoving.
Andross finally turned around to see what had stalled his group.
As Brutus and Cassius knelt down beside her, the scientist ordered, "Leave her."
Shocked, the pair looked up.
"What?"
"I said leave her!" Andross repeated, coughing. "We don't have time to help her; not when we're so close."
"But she's not dead yet! Cassius exclaimed, feeling her pulse. "If we just carry her to the ship and get some food in her, she'll be alright!"
"I... said... leave her!" Andross shouted, gasping for breath. When the pair still did not move, he drew his blaster and fired a warning shot at their feet. "You two can only afford to carry the meat! Now get a move on, or I'll kill you, too!"
Reluctantly, Brutus and Cassius looked at the fallen feline before struggling to their feet.
Turning around, Andross placed the blaster back into his toga and continued on, carrying the flag.
"We can't stop now," he mumbled. "Not when we're this close..."
Behind Andross's back, Brutus and Cassius began muttering darkly to each other and nodding their heads, casting disdainful glances at the monkey.
Finally, after a few more hours, the group emerged from the storm to find the massive hull of the space cruiser looming before them, sparkling in the sunlight.
In the beachhead of soft sand that preceded the space ship, Andross victoriously planted his flag and leaned against it, gasping for air.
After taking a deep breath through his cloth, the scientist turned to find Brutus and Cassius surrounding him on either side, effectively trapping him between the metal hull of the cruiser and the broiling ocean to his left. It was the latter that the pair began to push him towards.
Andross, for some reason, didn't draw his blaster.
"It's over for you, Andross," Cassius said, taking a few slow steps towards the mad scientist.
"We allowed you to execute the other criminals, and we even allowed you to force feed their dead carcasses to us... but letting that woman die was the last straw. We've allowed you to rob us of our last morals, but we're making our last stand now."
"Andross!" Granga exclaimed, moving towards Brutus and Cassius with the intent to stop them.
But the two had already caused the scientist to back up to the very surf of the acid ocean, the residue of which was already burning Andross's feet.
"Stop right there!" Brutus warned, halting Granga in his tracks, "Or we'll push him in!"
Andross smiled confidently at the pair of traitors. "Brutus and Cassius... so predictable. I saw your treachery right from the start."
The two paused in their tracks, crouching defensively. "What do you mean?" Cassius asked.
"Oh come now, isn't it obvious? Put the pieces together. You already staged one coup against Pepper; what's to stop you from doing it again? Didn't you ever read Shakespeare? Brutus and Cassius were the two senators who betrayed Caesar before he could become the Emperor of Rome. Honestly, did you even go to school?"
As Cassius began coughing and lifted his breathing cloth to his face, Brutus asked, "Then why did you bring us with you this far? Why didn't you just execute us back there?"
"Simple. I needed you to carry the meat. If I had killed you back there, we would have been forced to carry your bodies to this ship... and I couldn't afford the extra burden. No, I allowed you two walking meals to carry yourselves here. I even gave you the job of carrying the rest of the meat. Isn't it so masterfully ironic? You two have been walking meat bags from the start!"
While the feline continued his fit of coughs, Brutus went on. "But you won't be eating us now! Not after we execute you! You should have killed us when you had the chance!"
Andross grinned evily. "Oh, but I did."
Cassius's fit of coughs became so violent that he collapsed on the sandy beach, gasping for air.
"Cassius!" Brutus shouted, glancing over at the fallen cat. "Cassius! Are you alright!"
"I'm afraid it's all over for you two," Andross continued. "I took the liberty of not replenishing your cloths' stock of electrolyser. You will both succumb to asphyxiation in roughly five seconds."
"You sick bastard!" the vulpine cursed as he stumbled towards Andross. "I'll kill you! If it's the last thing I do I'll – " but he collapsed on the beach, gasping for breath and twitching like his companion, until he moved no more.
Stepping out of the acidic surf and cooling his feet in the soft sand, Andross dusted his hands off triumphantly and said, "So, we are down to seven. Just as planned."
Nudging the two bodies into the boiling acid waters, Andross asked the other exiles, "You won't betray me... will you?"
He was met with silence.
"Good, good, I thought not. Now, let us get underway; there are many stages of our plan before we can begin world domination. Everyone; inside the ship. There is work to be down."
The six exiles entered the ship, leaving only the old hare behind.
He crouched on the shore with his favorite rock and began scraping designs in the sand.
He grinned.
"Wrong." :)