Jesse's Return
Author's Note
Hello everyone! I decided to start this story many years after watching the cartoon series as a kid, then watching it again as an adult, and creating a coherent idea in my mind about it. Let me tell you..., I loved this cartoon series as a kid. Back in the days, they only aired the first 15 episodes out of 52 in my country..., so my story stopped when Jesse Blue and the outriders captured Eagle. And that was it... This is how much I knew out of the entire series... It didn't make sense to me, I was SURE that there should be more adventures. There had to be more!
Well, I had to wait for many more years to get to see the rest of the series. So, by the time I watched the entire show, I was an adult. Correction: a kid in an adult body. :)) Watching the rest of the episodes, the series made more sense to me now. Not completely though... Something was still twisted, I felt that it still was not quite the end. Actually, there is a mention at the end of the series about the possibility of an outriders' comeback.
Later, I read about the making of the American version of the cartoon, I read about the censorship of the Japanese episodes, and about WEP adding episodes to the series. And not just any episodes, but some that changed the course of some characters' lives around! They remodeled Jesse's story, from a boring simple enemy, to a fuller more interesting character. A badass, with a lot of personality. So now it all made some sense: that's why the plot felt sometimes awkward! The Japanese version had Fireball as the main character, so normally, April gets to be with him. In the American version, Saber Rider is the leader and April's story is a little bit more complex: she likes Saber Rider first (in the American episodes), then Fireball (because that's what the original Japanese show has), while Jesse falls for her (also added)... Whew!, complicated.
Nevertheless, my intention is to continue this story as is, and stay true to this plot. I will not add cross-references to any other cartoons or TV shows. I will keep the initial story untouched. I will try to remain in the style and personalities of the original characters. But I will try to make more sense of some details of the story and bring them to a different, unexpected stage. And if I will have time, (job is killing me!), I will add some neat images to the story, my own creation (I did graduate an art school, too, so why not bring that into play?). As I will develop the story, I'll insert links to the images in the text. I will be on deviantart under the same username: artsyjesseblue
For those of you who don't know the story, you can read about the plot and characters lives on wikipedia: wiki/Saber_Rider_and_the_Star_Sheriffs
Oh, and I forgot to mention: obviously, I do not own SRATSS, WEP does; so this is just a follow-up story, a fanfiction of my own, meant to entertain readers. I am not selling any of the SRATSS illustrated art either. Oh, and the same way I'll stay true to the story, I will stay true to the manga drawing style and characters' looks. I like them the way they are and their charm has to stay untouched.
Each chapter will be numbered according to the episodes following the last episode in the original SRATSS story. So my first chapter is episode 53. I will publish each episode when I will have it ready and hopefully (hopefully!) I will also have time for many manga illustrations.
OK, here we go:
Episode 53:
The Post War Phantom Zone
Minutes after the battle was over, everyone was excited and cheering the victory. Although still in pain after his previous fight with Jesse, Colt was jumping around in the Ramrod cockpit, while April and Fireball were making fun of his goofy manners. Saber Rider was cool headed as usual, but nevertheless very very happy... On the Cavalry Command side, the entire team was applauding. Commander Eagle was giving his speech, emphasizing the strength and wisdom of the Star Sheriff team, but realistic about a possible comeback of the outriders and Jesse.
An entirely different story was developing on the other side...
The huge explosion had blown up the N'th Degree... In a matter of minutes, the entire planet had vaporized back into the other dimension. The whole military system built around the planet was destroyed. The protection shield vanished. Nevertheless, people on the planet were still there. But, this time, because the shell covering the planet was gone, so were all the simulations of beautiful places and nice fountains and buildings. All that was left were some Moai stone heads and the underground buildings and shelters, where all the people were hiding during the terrible battle. Where the N'th Degree used to stand..., there was a crater.
But wait... Some wires in the crater coming out of the ground were leading somewhere inside the guts of the planet... And that is where Nemisis had a plan B for his escape. Yes. Unfortunately he had a plan B. He had built a second computer underneath the N'th Degree, where he could transfer all the data if anything happened to his master frame. And there he had several loyal assistants working for him. All scientists. Ready to intervene and rebuild the structure. And, of course, there were all of his soldiers that he carefully trained for so many years. They were all there, vaporized back into their dimension, because of the blast. Many of the vapor chambers were still there.
But what about Jesse? Where was he?
As we all know, he is human. He cannot vaporize.
Yet, here he was...
Bruised and in pain, Jesse was lying with his hands and feet tied to a bed. Slowly, he was starting to wake up from agony. Several days passed since the crazy battle. He had been unconscious during all this time. He opened his eyes slowly... He could hear voices around him. Someone signaled:
"Doctor Caspar, he is waking up!"
A lot of bustling sounds and people moving in his proximity.
"Hmm, doctor Caspar... He is an outrider. So now I know where I am..." Jesse said to himself. He tried to move, but the cuffs stopped him. "Of course, now I'm their enemy too..."
"Take it easy, hot shot. You are a damn lucky bastard! You should thank Nemisis for giving you this second chance to live".
Doctor Caspar was looking straight at Jesse. Their eyes intersected. Although he was tied, Jesse's eyes were as frightful as ever. Doctor Caspar jerked. He could not look for long into Jesse's eyes. They were all still afraid of him.
Jesse wanted to groan. His pain was so piercing. He kept it to himself though.
"Thank Nemisis? Ha, how did he save me, may I ask? He is just a bunch of nuts and bolts after all, and they were all blown up last time I checked."
"Ohh, you are so naive, Jesse. Nemisis is much more than nuts and bolts. He is invincible. Do you think he relied only on the N'th degree? You see, he is such a mastermind. He had everything planned, even in case of losing the battle. He DOES have extra source of energy in our dimension, and he does have another frame where he transferred his data. You never knew all these details, because he never trusted you fully! He only trusts us, his scientists team. And you are going to see why, very soon, son of humans, Jesse Blue. Mhe-hahahaha!..."
"Spare the chit-chat, Caspar! How did I end up here? How did Nemisis transfer me into your dimension? I should be dead, I'm a human, I can't vaporize!"
"Haaahaaa, I will let this succulent part be a private discussion between you and Nemisis. See you soon double-traitor!"
Then Caspar turned to his team and said: "Make sure he gets enough fluids and nutrients. He needs to recover fast. He has to be 100% functional and ready. All lesions have to be treated urgently."
Then he left the room.
Other people in white coats started working around Jesse. He watched them helplessly while they were sticking needles in him, giving him all sorts of IV infusions, using all sorts of devices to scan and radiate his body. What a fate for such a proud former star sheriff cadet.
"What does it mean I have to be functional and ready?"... This question terrified Jesse...
A few weeks passed since the final battle.
On planet Yuma, the celebrations had been going on during all this time. Every day there was a different festivity. Of course, as you all know, Yuma was also the host planet for an All-Galaxy Grand Prix. This year, they decided to create another Grand Prix, especially for this occasion. It was called the Victory Grand Prix. And Fireball was part of the race, as you can all imagine. But an honorary spectator was also the famous former racer Mario Firenza. He became good friend of Fireball at their last Grand Prix. Mario retired from car races, but his daughter was now an aspiring competitor. She was driving a pink turbo racer.
Well, needless to say, she still had her eyes on Fireball. Before the race, she had a chance to see Fireball and April. They were preparing for the race, and April was hugging him. Hmm, no hard feelings between Claudia and April...? We only wonder.
The race is a must see! Lots of people, cheering and lots of cars being eliminated on the sides. But Claudia and Fireball are competing for the first place!
"She's a tough one! She learned from the best, from her father!" said Fireball to himself, while pushing the gas pedal as hard as he could.
"I wish I could talk to him after the race... I could not take my mind off of him since I first met him. Ohh, April is like a watchdog around him. Maybe I can get a free moment to talk to him", Claudia was thinking, while riding to beat the wind, alongside the Red Fury.
They are getting close to the finish line! Claudia speeds up, but Fireball is in the lead now! He passed her by a few feet, and he is... the winner! Claudia gets the second place! Next car to arrive is Buster...
Mario greeted his daughter: "Great job, my girl! Great job!"
"Oh father... I disappointed you... I should have been the first..." She started crying and leaned on her father's chest.
"Well you are a very tough competition, you know...! Congratulations!" a voice from behind startled them.
"Fireball!" shouted Claudia.
"Seriously, we were very close, you almost had me. But, hey, sorry I had to win over a pretty lady, you know how races are... The winner takes it all", winked Fireball.
"I... I don't know what to say... I guess... congratulations to you too, Fireball", she wiped her tears and blushed.
Behind Fireball, a blonde silhouette showed up. Of course, April was there to guard his moves. Urghhh... Claudia waved at her in a friendly gesture.
"Hi Claudia! Congratulations!", April said.
"I gotta go, see you at the podium!", Fireball shouted.
5 minutes later:
"Is she a pretty lady to you?", said April.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I heard you saying to her that she is a pretty lady. Is she prettier than me?"
"Uh ummm, what? I mean, she is pretty, it was a polite congratulation. Are you jealous again?"
"I only asked if she is prettier than me. Answer that question."
"April, you are beautiful! What can I say, the race world has pretty women and they sometimes are good racers. We congratulated each other. Don't start, please, you are being jealous and you know it's not fair."
"Talking about jealousy, you always suspected Jesse of getting to me. Now it's my turn! I call that fair!" said April with dignity.
"Oh come on, will you? The podium is waiting for the celebrations! Let's go" and he took her hand and walked over to the central arena.
"He didn't answer my question..." April said to herself, while walking beside him.
"Heeey, buddy, what a race! You are the best racer on the New Frontier!" That was Colt, popping out of nowhere and hugging the disoriented Fireball, who made a funny grimace while Colt was squeezing him tight.
"Yeah, I would say he is the best in the entire Universe" Saber Rider added from behind.
"Well, look who is here! Welcome to the showdown, Sincia!" April giggled.
From behind the tall Saber Rider, a friendly brunette figure showed. Saber was holding her hand. Sincia was so shy, she wanted to just hide behind his big body and lean against her lover. They've been together from the first day the war was over. Saber just couldn't resist to go to her place and tell her the news... Then they went to visit his parents. Wow, it all happened so fast. Since then, they have been just floating on a cloud of happiness. And now, for the first time, they showed their faces in public, together.
"Well, I call that an official surprise!" shouted Colt, while he himself was holding Robin's hand.
Everyone started laughing.
The speaker announced the beginning of the ceremony.
Fireball walked over to the podium. So did the other two medal winners.
Moments of cheering, loud music and a big prize cup, that Fireball held high up. Cameras started flashing, champagne started pouring.
Of course, Fireball had to spray around with champagne. Who else was next to him, other than Claudia! Oh boy did she take a bath from him! She had to reply with her own burst of sprays. April had to watch all this. Something was clouding her joy of victory...
"April, come here!" shouted Fireball in the midst of sprays, confetti and cheers. He wanted to show off in front of everyone and give her a big kiss. Actually it would be their first kiss, believe it or not. She has been avoiding to kiss him for a while (she once blew sand in his eyes while he tried to kiss her, if you remember a previous episode).
She waved in a big NO.
"Come on, I promise I won't spray you! Haha!"
"It's too wet for my taste!" shouted April.
After the celebrations ended, Claudia looked for a moment to talk to Fireball, but he was surrounded by so many people.
But wait, here is an opportunity. He just ran to the backroom, to change from his wet clothes.
"Hello again, Fireball."
"Hey, Claudia! How are you? You look... wet" he laughed.
"Haha, I know who did this and he is going to pay".
"You did the same to me, so I guess we are even".
She looked straight in his eyes. Boy, she's got beautiful eyes. And a splendid wet hair...
She laughed.
Now he didn't know where to put himself. He put his arm behind his head and laughed too...
"So, did you and your father have plans for tonight? Maybe we can all get together and celebrate", said Fireball.
"Ohhh, I'm sure my dad has plans already made up, he always does, but I'll ask him." And she turned around, pretending she was busy going somewhere.
"Oh, but in case we don't get together now, let me give you my phone number, maybe we can arrange something for later this week", said Claudia, turning back as if she just forgot to mention this.
"That sounds fantastic! I'm sure your father will be glad to get together", Fireball replied.
She scribbled her number on a piece of paper and then ran as fast as she could.
Boy, she's pretty!
"Where are we going?" Jesse tried to move. The chains around his wrists were so tight. This time he was tied to a vertical metal plate. His head was tied also, with a metal band. The outriders were moving him through rooms and corridors, on a special roller cart. The sights in every room were terrifying. All sorts of instruments, metal bars and chains, drills and knives... They must be taking him to a torture chamber. Nemisis must want revenge...
Finally they arrived in a large room, with a lot of tubes and wires going across the walls and ceiling. A central spot was waiting for Jesse's metal bed to be mounted on it. They had cranes operate the entire procedure. Caspar was overseeing it.
"If you think that torture is going to be your revenge, you are making a big mistake!", shouted Jesse while he was trying desperately to move in his tight constraint.
A deep hoarse familiar voice resounded across the room "Well well... young Jesse!"
"Nemisis!" shouted Jesse
A tall dark silhouette appeared in the room.
"Aren't you glad to see me? See, I got another cyborg body, that is no problem for me. And I've got big things on my mind now."
"Oh yeah, and what are those?", said Jesse in a sarcastic voice.
"You see, I have a wish that I have been trying to fulfill for a long time. Fireball's father destroyed my vapor body 16 years ago. I WANT MY BODY BACK!"
"Tough luck, Nemisis. You ain't getting that back soon!" laughed Jesse.
"You even have the guts to laugh, ah? You have absolutely no idea what I am capable of, but you will find out soon!"
A shiver of fear went through Jesse's body.
Nemisis continued: "See these men here? He pointed towards an image projected on a wall."
Yeah he recognized them! They were the bandits he first worked with, when he defected from the Cavalry Command! Wolf and his gang! They were in vapor chambers now.
"Yeah, well, old friends. I see you put them in vapor chambers. Where are you going with this?"
"I guess I have to educate you a little about how things work in these vapor chambers, ay? You see, these chambers are engineered to emit a gas that spreads a virus that goes deep into your DNA. It changes your brain functions. You become loyal to me. When I captured these guys and put them in the vapor chambers, they transformed into perfect soldiers. And it worked both for humans and for outriders, hahaha!"
"So now you want me to go into a chamber like that?" sighed Jesse...
"You already have the virus, Jesse!"
"Yes, you've been having it for many years, since you left the academy. IT IS THE REASON why you left the academy."
"Whatttt?"
"YOU are MY experiment, Jesse! Just like these losers in these chambers! Wolf and his gang were humans, just like you. Some of them used to be cadets at the academy there, some of them used to be simple locals. We let loose some bugs in the area. These bugs were actually nanobots, programmed to sting people and spread my virus. I figured if my outrider soldiers can get the virus, why wouldn't the humans? It doesn't matter if it comes from a gas chamber or from a bug sting. It gets to the same place! The DNA! The virus gets to the DNA, changes some genes and alters your brain functioning. You get to be a better soldier, a loyal subordinate of mine. And in the process, humans also get the ability to vaporize. This is how you survived Jesse!"
"! Whatt?! I VA-PO-RIZED? I am human, Nemisis, I have emotions and I know what I'm talking about!" Jesse clenched his teeth.
A moment of silence followed. Jesse couldn't believe it. How could this be possible?! He is human and he is very proud of that! And he is still crazy about April! She is the reason he defected, not some damn stupid virus!
"You are so foolish! You think my experiment is just for the sake of it? What did I just tell you in the beginning? I WANT MY BO-DY BACK! This is the whole reason why I started this experiment! I started on my own people, I tried to wash their brains and see which one would be a better host for my brain functions. Unfortunately no one proved to be worthy. They are a bunch of idiots and they all lost their feelings in the process. So booring! Yes, outriders DO have feelings, out there in their homes with their families. But I kept them as soldiers, I figured that was a side benefit. What a better soldier than an emotionless dude?
But when it comes to me, I want to have feelings too, just like I had before, that is why I started looking into the human realm. Wolf and the whole pack didn't prove much. Such disappointments! Some started turning into animals, like Wolf... or the other guy with a tiger face. What a bummer. I guess playing with genes is trickier with humans. But YOU, YOU Jesse were the perfect catch! You were the best soldier in the academy, smart promising cadet, a bright future as a star sheriff. And accidentally, one of my tiny bugs got you! And what a lovely outcome: you kept having emotions and you are such a badass, perfect choice. You betrayed both humans and me, therefore my experiment turned you into a complete jerk with emotions, just perfect, perfect!"
Jesse's guts were turning inside out. He started seeing what Nemisis's intentions were...
"What do you want from me?"
"Boooring question!...Of course: YOUR BODYYY! HAHAHA!"
"Noooooooo!" Jesse groaned in desperation.
"Begin the procedure! You will soon be someone else! Your whole life is about to change! I am about to see the world again through normal eyes, and have a body of my own! Your brain will be impregnated with my memory and my circuits. All your memories will be deleted! You are the perfect host, Jesse! Young, good looking, smart and evil. Caspar, start the process!"
Jesse started screaming. It was probably the first time in his life when he was really terrified.
"Stop, Nemisis! Stop! Noooooo! Caspar, stop!"
The metal bed he was on started leaning towards an horizontal position. A robotic hand turned towards his head and placed a helmet on. He started hearing a drill and Caspar's voice in the background: "Commencing phase one: connecting to the master frame.
Sounds of machinery all around...
Phase 2: drill the left temporal suture..."
"Nooooooo!", he started screaming desperately. "Noooo, stop, no, no, please!"
A few seconds later, a loud explosion shook the room. A blaster starting popping shots around.
Who could it be?
Caspar ran away, so did all the people around him.
Nemisis started firing back. A few outrider fighters started responding.
A second explosion, this time close to Jesse. He couldn't see anything, he was tied and a helmet was covering his face and head.
In a matter of minutes, an entire hell broke around him. Screams all over, Nemisis himself throwing curses and lots of shootings. In the midst of all, Nemisis was yelling: "Don't shoot towards Jesse, you idiots! I want my body to be intact!" But then silence fell. Nemisis and his company vanished.
Silence, unbearable silence...
Then someone starting untying Jesse's legs and arms.
A voice said:
"Come on, let's get you out of here, young man!"
Finally the helmet went off.
"Who are you?" said Jesse.
"No time to talk now, let's go. They'll be back soon and I don't have any more grenades on me."
The man had black hair and a stark face. Jesse recognized him! Yes, he was the man he found in a suspended animation chamber a few weeks ago, before the last battle with the Star Sheriffs! He found him in one of the deeply hidden rooms next to the N'th Degree. He is that man! He transferred him inside his suspended animation chamber to a different place, because he thought he was a human like him and he might use him some day for some sort of barter with the Cavalry Command. After all, if Nemisis keeps a human captive in one of his most secret chambers, he must be an important person!
They ran away as fast as they could.
"There is a tunnel here that we can go through! Let's go! I know a way out!" shouted the man.
After a fleeing the outrider underground camp, Jesse and his savior managed to get out and ride a vehicle on the outrider planet. A desolated place. Dark, cold and no buildings. Flat and burnt, after the last fight.
Driving in the darkness...:
Jesse: "So, who are you?"
Man: "I'm your savior, that's all you need to know for now"
Jesse: "I know who you are, I mean I saved you too. Now we are even."
Man: "What? How did YOU save me?"
Jesse: "I found you in a suspended animation chamber and moved you out of Nemisis's quarters."
Man: "So you are the one who found me!"
J: "Yeah, me! Who freed you from the suspended animation chamber?"
Man: "Someone with a good heart"
J: "Like mine"
Man: "You don't have good heart, apparently. You kept me in that suspended animation state. You are still under the influence of that virus."
J: "So you listened to what Nemisis said. Now you know the truth and you know who I am."
Man: "Yes, and I know many more other truths from the past"
Jesse turned the light in the cabin. He stared at the man while he was driving. The man turned his face toward him and they exchanged looks.
"From the past?... Wait a minute! You have been in that chamber for 16 years! You are Fireball's father!"
The guy whom he hated the most, Fireball! His father is the man he saved! This is an incredible occasion! Incredible!
But now he knows he has a virus in his body. How can he get rid of that?
Will Jesse be able to free himself from the virus? Follow us in the next exciting adventure of Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs!