This is a teaser/prototype for a possible story that I am putting some serious thought into down the road, but I'd like to get public opinion out there and see what people think of the concept from a firsthand experience. Please note to new readers, this is a specially crafted alternate universe with an independent timeline from the comics, so some events do not line up with those that you've read in the official storylines.
Enjoy!
A Second Life
The musky bar was nearly full at this hour of the night. All around there were men and women seeking to have a good time with one another. There was singing, laughing, and of course, copious amounts of ingesting alcoholic beverages. This world, a hidden hive of activity known as Vitum was beyond the borders of Human space. Technically, this system was in what some considered International Space, if one could call it that. This was a lawless part of the void that nobody really had any control over. If one needed a place to lay low, trade some goods with no questions asked, or even a place to start up a new criminal empire, Lawless Space was the way to go.
Vitum in particular was a mish-mash of types. Humans, Kig-Yar, Gallvente, Datonian, almost any sentient species could be found in this place, and it was nothing to boast about. Vitum held almost twelve million souls on her surface, making it the largest free world in all of known space.
The bar was peppered with many types of men. Good men, bad men, and people that were somewhere in between. One patron in particular kept to himself. He stayed in the corner on his own, knocking back drink after drink. He certainly wasn't short on payment. Although Vitum was in Lawless Space, Credits were accepted, along with a couple of other currencies. Whatever money was accepted, the stranger could pay for his drinks and be done with it, not to mention he tipped quite generously. Generously enough to be considered a tempting mark for a robbery.
So, a couple of fairly dense men walked up to the stranger. "My, you seem to have a lot of coin in those deep pockets of yours." The leader said.
"Get lost. I'm waiting for someone." The stranger said. He took another drink. The would-be muggers decided to press the issue. "I think you won't need all of that money, you know what I mean?"
The stranger looked at the idiot and a snarl on his face could cut titanium. "Yeah. I think I know what you mean. I'll say it again: get lost. Don't make me do something that could leave you six feet under."
"Oooh, is that a threat, Mr. Cute and Fuzzy?" The moron's companions drew blades. The bartender looked towards the group, but made no motion. Everyone in the bar knew though that one hand was wrapped around the pump of an 8-Gauge just below the counter.
"You think that we're afraid to use these? Hand over the cash, or someone's going to find you in a gutter with your throat slashed."
In a flash, the stranger pulled out a pistol. At once, the robbers froze.
"You see this?" The man asked. "This is a Gale Force 7 Heavy Pistol. It fires seven-six-two by five-one rounds from a 15 round magazine. I pull this trigger, and you will go down, believe me. You think I'm afraid to use this?" The stranger clicked the safety off, but kept his finger off the trigger.
The moron weighed the odds. He didn't know a single thing about guns, but it was rather large at first glance. If one of his boys made a lunge, they could get a bullet for their trouble. Even if they did slash him, they were at point blank range. There was no easy way to make it through.
"Let's go." The thief said. The two cronies looked stunned.
"Boss, are you sure…? He's just one guy!"
"I said let's go! This little freak ain't worth it."
The other two thieves were trying to come up with a reason why they were walking away, but followed their leader all the same. Soon, the stranger was alone again. He laughed, clicked the safety of the weapon back on, and put it on the table. He returned to his bottle and got right back to drinking.
Across the bar, two men looked up from their datapads. These ones were dressed in nicer suits. In many ways, they did not belong here on Vitum, but their presence went unnoticed. Some of the other patrons shot them curious looks, but they did not look like suitable targets to rob or con. They seemed much too intelligent for that. The two men were Human, both seemed in their mid to late thirties, and above all, they wore mirrored sunglasses. Now, sunglasses at night weren't uncommon on this world, as many a card-shark would sport one to tip the intimidation odds in their favor.
The stranger didn't notice these two men though, so he didn't see them get up and walk towards him. The two men weaved between waitresses and drunken patrons. For all intents and purposes, they were ghosts. It was only when they were standing right in front of the stranger did he look up.
"Look, I've had a long day. Don't make me do this spiel all over again." He growled, gesturing towards the gun.
"Relax, we're not armed." The man on the left said. "We just want to talk."
"Talk?" the stranger asked, a bit confused.
"That's right. We're on your side."
"What are you, the local authorities?"
"Not really." The man on the right stated. "Nice job with those mooks."
The stranger smiled, picked up the gun, detached the magazine, and held it to face the men. It was empty.
"Very nice indeed." The right man asked.
"I haven't bought a bullet in nearly four weeks."
The Stranger was trying to pick out the accent, but to no avail. He didn't know these men at all, which meant that they were probably bounty hunters or possibly spies of some sort. They had too much class to be robbers.
The stranger moved more into the light.
"I recognize your race." The one on the left said. "You're a Mobian."
The stranger huffed. "Gee, how did you ever guess?"
"Your welcoming and warm demeanor?" The man on the right suggested.
The stranger huffed. "Alright. I'm a Mobian, OK? What are you, a couple of tourists just looking for a wild animal to film?"
"Not quite." The man on the left smiled. "How did you get out here? You're a long way from home. You're more than 15,000 lightyears from Earth, you know that?"
The man then seemed shocked. He blinked slightly. "Fifteen thousand… Have I gone that far?"
"Out of curiosity, do you know what year it is?" the man on the left asked.
"I don't know. I've been moving so often, I've seen too many calendars to remember."
"It's 3245."
The Mobian put a hand to his mouth and rested his elbow on the table. "Holy shit."
"Which means that it's almost been twenty years since you've gone missing."
The stranger looked at the men with something of wonder and shock. "How do you know that?"
"Agents Baulkner and Scott, ONI, Section 1. We know who you are, but we're not sure how you ended up here."
"And you expect me to tell you the story of how I ended up on this planet? Hmm? You want me to tell you how I went missing, and how my whole world changed within a blink of an eye?"
"We're just trying to help you, not to mention you have family missing. Please try to understand, your Highness, your family misses you very much."
The corner of the stranger's mouth twitched into a smile. "I haven't been called that… in quite a while."
"There's no avoiding it. You are who you are. You are Prince Elias Acorn, the lost heir to the throne."
Elias closed his eyes and thought about his past. "It has been a long time. Oh… how did it all happen? How did I go from being top of the world… to a secretive man who owes money to the wrong crowd, works in the shadows, and makes a living smuggling?"
"You are a smuggler?" Scott asked, genuinely intrigued.
"Looks like it would be in my best interest to spill the beans. I mean, you found me after 20 years, I definitely give you credit for that. OK gentlemen: you want a story? You've got one." With that, he downed the last of his drink and slammed the glass onto the table.
So there we have it! Elias Acorn is a character I have not tackled before in my series, so I wanted to try something new and explain why I have never included him so far. This is not intended to replace or break canon officially but this is a different world altogether. Comments and criticism would be nice because it will shape how the idea will turn out in the future!