Hey there, everyone! Wow, it's hard to believe it's so long since the original chapter was first put. It seems like so long ago..
But now is not the time to reminisce! Now is NOW!
You may be wondering: Didn't I read something like this a while back? Wasn't that that story that a few people liked that was made a long time ago?
Well, it is. I promised myself that, since my writing skills had improved over the years, I would rework my Cowboy Bebop fanfic as best I could, to try and make it more something everyone as a whole could enjoy. There will be a lot of similarities, some differences, and maybe a brand new chapter or two if I'm so inclined to do so.
What I'm here to do, is present to you a newly-written, older story titled "Cowboy Bebop: Bounty Hunters in Space; the Story of Afterwards." To those who had read it before, you'll remember that I'm an avid fan of the Cowboy Bebop series, knowing almost all there is to know about it (according to the quizzes, anyway. I mean, out of all the quizzes I took, all pointing to uberknowledge…, though my memory of the series has faded in the recent months due to a change in my viewing)
My writing will be a little off, I have no doubts, as though my style has improved it still isn't perfect. I apologize ahead of time for this. Enjoy! Oh. Note: I don't remember what happened to the Swordfish II, so for all intents and purposes, I'm sayin' that it's sitting around somewhere near the building.
Oh, before I forget… Constructive criticism if you can? Thanks. Oh, and Cowboy Bebop and all related characters are copyright their respective owners. If sued, all I can offer is a shiney piece of scrap metal I found along the street, and a rock.
On a serious note, I'm fairly sure I'm within the guidelines. If I'm not, I would appreciate being let know, so I could take care of the issue myself.
Full Summary: Takes place after the end of the series. Spike, believed to be dead after his encounter with Vicious, is dropped off on the planet Earth in his Swordfish II. Is he really dead? If he isn't, will he be saved? Will Ed and Ein go on their own adventures in space as cowgirl and cow woof-woof? Will they eat piyokos? Will Jet cut the perfect bonsai tree? Will Faye ever pay off her debts? Is there a possibility for a Bebop reunion? Find out the answer to these questions, and more, in Cowboy Bebop: Bounty Hunters in Space; the Story of Afterwards!
--Cowboy Bebop: Bounty Hunters in Space; the Story of Afterwards--
Chapter 1: Cleaning up the Mess
6:30 A.M., E.E.T. (Earth Equivalency Time). Mars.
The top of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate lay in ruins. Due to Spike's assault on the facility, both two-floored lobby of the establishment, and the top-floor room were completely destroyed. The corpses of syndicate members litter the bottom, second to, and top floors. Those who were not put down by Spike's bullets, were undoubtedly killed in one of the many explosions, putting the final death toll at an unknown amount.
Spike had begun his descent from the 'platform' in which he had his final confrontation with Vicious. He suffered a gunshot graze wound, a throwing knife wound, some wound to his head, and the most blood-drawing, a slash wound to the abdomen. He had made his descent about halfway, before stopping, and looking out amongst the startled syndicate members. He had pointed his hand at them. His index finger was outstretched, representing the barrel of a gun. His thumb, up, arced back a little, representing the hammer. His last action was to move his hand upwards, as if firing, while managing to say 'bang'. This was shortly followed by a falling on the stairs, as a pool of blood began to form around him.
The initial shock over the death of their leader had shortly thereafter began to fade. One of the Syndicate members by the name of Mark, higher-up in the food chain so to speak as can be told by his suit being a palette swap of the usual black, grey, and partially red standard-issue syndicate outfit steps forward. The palette swap was the only difference, really, as aside from that he shared the same light-skinned, short-cut haired, gun-carrying look as most other members of the syndicate. Still, he was higher in the chain of command than the standard-issued suits, and thus, found his chance to seize control of the situation. Despite it being their leader that was dead at the top of the stairs, the truth was, it was still business. Just as they had made the shift from the three Longs, they needed to make the shift from Vicious, and fast.
"Great!" Mark shouts. This shouting served as more than just an expression of anger and frustration; it was able to snap quite a few of the other Syndicate members out of there trance. He turns around to face them. "The ISSP is going to be here to investigate soon, and we have dead bodies, ruins, and nobody able to pay them off! What do you think the first thing they'll see… the dead bodies everywhere, or the fact that the top is leveled?!" he shouts. The question, though, was intended to be strictly rhetorical.
Another of them, a standard-issue suit, turns his attention to the Higher Up. "There's little point in worrying about that now. We'll just have to destroy all the evidence we can and pay them off when we restructure!"
Mark nods. "Then, it's time to start. You and you! Get a small, high-speed freighter overhead immediately!" He says, pointing at a pair of members standing about. At the orders, they say nothing, and run out. Presumably to do as ordered. He points to another pair. "You two! Take a small team and see if this guy had a ship! We cant leave any evidence behind! Maybe if we take care of the foreign body, we can blame terrorists for this."
It looked rather simple on paper, but he knew it wouldn't be as easy as it seemed. Though it was feasible to blame the situation on terrorists or the like, he knew that the Martian government would still be poking around, especially since they didn't have current access to the Woolongs needed to 'fund the investigation'. If he were to secure his position as new leader, now would be a better time than ever to show what he was made of. Though, that time he figured, was running out. After all, it was still nightfall when the assault first took place. Who knows how many ISSP officers were on their way to investigate?
Not but ten minutes after the request had been made, a small freighter, named the Mirage I, makes its way over the top floor. It had been marked with the Red Dragon seal, which basically told people and officers alike that if you mess with this shipment, you're going to regret it. The vessel lowers quite a bit, hovering above the mess. The pilot speaks through a radio, which is tuned to the secret frequency used by this particular syndicate only. "Sir! Here is the freighter, as requested! The second team has recovered the ship used by the attacker, which is already loaded!"
"Good, good." the 'new leader' responds. "Drop a crane or a basket or something, and pick this guy up You will receive further instructions once you leave the atmosphere." All was going as planned, thus far. In fact, it seemed rather easy. He turns to the remaining members. "One of you, get this guy in the freighter." he says, sternly.
A short time later, in Mars orbit…
"Sir, the Mirage I has entered Mars orbit. Awaiting further instructions." the pilot speaks through the radio.
Mark, who had thought long and hard about the next move, gives an approving nod, before speaking through the radio. "Put him in his ship, travel to Earth, jettison the cargo. When you have completed this task, return to Base." The reason for this plan? Earth, since its massive surface destruction due to the gate incident, had been a place where nobody cared to look. It was the perfect place to dump evidence, especially since it was likely to burn up upon entry to the atmosphere.
"Sir!" is the pilot's only response.
The ship, at a high rate of speed, soars through space. The ornate hyperspace gate is quickly opened for the approaching Syndicate ship, as it blasts through, heading towards the nearest Earth waypoint. Only minutes later, it exits from the hyperspace journey, turning towards Earth coordinates. In the cargo hold, the Swordfish II has been forcibly pried open, and Spike's still-bleeding body dumped inside. The pod is closed again, before the members exit the cargo hold.
At this point in time, the Mirage I begins to slow, as it nears Earth's orbit. Despite it being just Earth, the destruction of the moon into an asteroid ring proved tricky to navigate around at times. If they were going to ensure that the cargo be properly jettisoned into the atmosphere, and not end up in some sort of orbit, they would have to move to a dangerously close distance. And close they did become. So close, in fact, that they began to be drawn into the atmosphere of Earth itself. The pilot, though, carefully maintains as best he can a safe distance. He enters the entry code to open the cargo doors.
The console of the ship gives out a warning beep, before denying the opening of the doors.
This freighter, though a few years old, remains the top of the line in terms of technology and speed when it comes to small cargo shipping. With this, of course, came the 'downside'. The ship's main computer system was built in with an atmospheric detector in the cargo hold. To ensure the maximum safety of the cargo, unless docked with another ship, no power was put to the engines, or the external atmospheric conditions were similar to the internal ones, the cargo doors would remain shut, even when given the order to open. It was a feature built in to protect against accidental jettison, or loss of cargo in non-ideal conditions. Though a lifesaver to those who would use this ship for normal purposes, the Syndicate found it a mostly-unneeded addition. More of a pain, than anything useful, when it came to ridding themselves of unwanted 'cargo'. Due to that, an override code had to be programmed into the ship's computer. A daunting task for sure, but it had been achieved, and served as an invaluable modification to the ships' computers.
"Darn thing.." the pilot mutters, as he reenters the command, before putting in a special series of entry keys. "Initiate RDCS-M1-32 Cargo Door Override." he speaks aloud.
The console buzzes a little, and lets out two low electronic beeps, before the distinct mechanical and hissing noises of said doors opening are heard. With an enormous rush, the cargo, that is, the Swordfish II, is drawn out of the back. Instantly drawn into Earth's orbit, without anyone or thing to stop it, it begins its doomed descent towards the cratered surface.