SPACE QUEST
EPISODE XI:
Roger Wilco and the Raging Reboots™
FOREWORD
Space Quest XI: Roger Wilco and the Raging Reboots is a fan-written conceptual story for a future Space Quest video game. Trying to pick up on the trend of rebooting every franchise from the 1980's and 1990's, I figured Space Quest shouldn't be left out.
Space Quest I: Roger Wilco and The Sarien Encounter was released in 1986 and written by Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe. Therefore, 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the Space Quest series.
This story is the background of a Space Quest game that will eventually go into full production. The goal is to make a Space Quest like the later talkie SQ series, such as SQ5 or SQ6, with original concept art and brand new music. The only elements re-used as a fan fiction is the universe itself –- no storylines will be copied. However, as the game progresses, there will be some very recognizable elements from the same era as the original Space Quests.
For obvious reasons, major spoilers if you want to await the actual game. If you're curious enough for the background, however, feel free to read on!
R. van Steenbergen (Stoney3K)
PROLOGUE
(SPACE QUEST 7: THE SEQUEL THAT NEVER HAPPENED)
"Wake up Roger."
Stellar Santiago's soft, comforting voice greeted Roger as he opened his eyes at the Dew Beam Inn. Fortunately, StarCon did manage to make reservations for him and miss Santiago this time. They had better, since the latter was now the commanding officer of the SCS DeepShip 86. Much to Roger's discomfort, StarCon never promoted him beyond space janitor, so Roger stacked up the protocol violations, starting with fraternizing with a superior officer, by the hour.
Unfortunately, StarCon's budget only allowed the DeepShip 86's crew to enjoy their yearly shore leave on Polysorbate LX once again. The place hasn't changed much since their last visit, aside from the Orion's Belt franchise. The local watering hole never made any profit, so Orion's Belt pulled out of Polysorbate and another place quickly took over.
It was this place that caused Roger Wilco much disgrace once again. Aside from the hangover that made Stellar's voice sound like a jackhammer in the sparkle of first light.
"Roger, get up, we need to leave."
Roger quickly grabbed his StarCon janitor uniform and headed for the shower. Splashes of undefined alcoholic beverages still riddled the shirt, a remnant of his night out on "The Town", as the new upscale venue liked to call itself.
Moments later, a clean, dirty-shirted Roger Wilco emerged from the bathroom and asked Stellar to join him downstairs for breakfast.
"WILCO!", a voice thundered as the couple ventured into the corridor. Startled, Roger looked over his shoulder and the Town's pit boss , Burthar Gronos, caught his eye.
"You still owe me some buckazoids from yesterday's little ol' party, and I ain't likin' it when people owe me buckazoids."
Gronos' voice thundered through the halls, followed by a loud muttering, banging on hotel room doors.
"Uh..."
Roger's mind attempted to restart after last night's ordeal. He and Stellar stood pinned down against the lift doors at the far end of the hallway, with no way to escape.
Gronos approached with the speed of a Thargarean woodpecker. Which was surprising, given the fact that his stature could be compared more to that of a Mendorian elephant.
"You suddenly seem to be very keen on leavin', Wilco."
Roger gasped for air as he waited for the lift doors to open. This place may be called the Dew Beam Inn, but unfortunately that doesn't mean it's the Dew Beam Out Too. Because of the large number of non-paying customers who decided to make their getaway via a concentrated energy beam, the hotel made the exits pedestrian-only.
Roger looked over his shoulder and winked at Stellar, who slammed the lift buttons on the panel next to the twosome. As Gronos came within inches of the couple, the lift doors slid open with a hiss, catching Roger off guard. He fell over backwards, taking Stellar with him.
Roger's vision went black and he returned to the known universe as the lift made a loud 'ping' and the daylight burned his retinas.
He was startled to find himself and the love of his life standing on the roof. The streets of Detergia were empty.
In front of him, the roof of the Dew Beam Inn was faced by the roof of the conventience store. The streets in front of that store hold memories from last time at Polysorbate, and a gaping, Wilco-shaped hole which was Roger's reason to travel by shuttle this time instead.
Next to the convenience store was the dreaded 'music, lyrics and cocktails' venue labeled "The Town". Orion's Belt made way for a place that wanted to attract the upscale jet-set to Polysorbate LX and make it the tourist attraction for this side of the Galactic Rim.
Obviously, that wasn't going to happen, as the Town was faced by the low-life tourist trap and gadget store run by the venerable Fester Blatz. This was Polysorbate all right.
Past the Town, there was the arcade where Roger once cheated at Stooge Fighter 33⅓ to make up for the lack of reservations by StarCon. The die-hard midnight punters slowly abandoned the place at 7AM. A few youngsters stayed behind and started to vandalize Detergia's streets, which were already covered in more graffiti and rust than in a decent paint job.
Roger's small shuttle was parked at the intersection near the arcade. Compared to the filthy environment it was in, the standard issue StarCon Type 47 Personnel Transport looked like it rolled out of the factory only minutes ago. Not surprisingly, a few rioteers approached the vessel and started to spray some Polysorbean profanity on it.
Not known to Roger and beyond his detail vision from this distance, Polysorbean swear words are more like works of calligraphic art. So even if the amazing works of writing would have made him the envy of the entire galaxy if he left them on, Roger wouldn't have noticed. He didn't hesitate and hit the 'UNLOCK' button on his shuttle door remote, causing the craft to make a loud clunking noise and the indicator lights flashed.
The riot crew fled, thinking the craft was haunted. Roger quickly locked the shuttle doors again before the crew changed their mind and found out that it was really easy to steal. After all, the shuttle was designed with accessibility, and unintelligent StarCon janitors, in mind.
Stellar looked around the roof edge and found a set of cables running from the Dew Beam Inn to a building opposite the street. The hotel itself wasn't equipped with a fire escape, as it would only give non-paying customers a way out, but the wires gave Stellar and Roger a mode of exit. However, the wires by themselves were too thin to support the couple's weight by their hands.
Roger's mind switched to overdrive, which would be compared to common sense if there were any other humans (save for a love-blinded StarCon captain) around. In a spark of insanity and haste, he took off his already wasted janitor's shirt and folded it around the cables.
"It would be a lot safer if you used this, dear."
Stellar gave him a wise word of advice and took off her uniform belt, causing the officer's tunic to fall half open along her waist. Wrapping the belt around the cable and protecting it with Roger's damp shirt, the couple held on to each other (Roger more to Stellar than the other way around) and plunged down to the roof of the convenience store. Gronos was left on the roof, swearing and screaming.
"WE'RE NOT DONE, WILCO! YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET AWAY WITH THIS!"
His words echoed through Detergia and could almost be picked up by the SCS 86's sensors.
Stellar landed on her feet and barely managed to catch a speeding Roger who followed her. The duo hastily ran down the fire escape and ended up on Detergia's daylit streets.
"Well, that's an awful lot of fun on the Sunday morning, isn't it, love?"
Roger got some sense knocked into himself and made his way to the shuttle. The Town still bears the scars of last night's party, where Roger was subject to some interesting crowd-surfing. Minus the crowd, that is.
The couple boarded the shuttle and took off into Polysorbate's atmosphere. Stellar called in to the receiving ship.
"DeepShip 86 Flight, this is Captain Santiago on board Shuttle #1. Requesting permission to land."
The controller aboard SCS 86 juggled a dozen cargo ships and crew shuttles, which transported much needed supplies from Polysorbate's surface to the ship. He looked up from his cluttered radar screen and addressed the Captain.
"Hold on, Ma'am. Assume parking pattern Delta, we're a bit crowded up here."
Stellar maneuvered the shuttle into a holding pattern.
"Parking Pattern Delta for Shuttle Number One. Make sure the b..."
Her voice was replaced by static as Roger witnessed her transport into thin air, her seatbelt left dangling across her seat. He was now left alone in a StarCon shuttle with no knowledge on how to pilot it.
In front of him, a starship emerged from the far side of the planet. After discharging some kind of weapon, it ripped a hole in the fabric of space-time and disappeared right into it.
Roger didn't hesitate and decided to pursue. Searching his way around the shuttle's complicated flight deck, he found a set of controls that looked surprisingly similar to an automatic transmission handle.
Chief Pilot Wilco placed one hand on the control yoke and another on the engine controls. With more determination than, well, you could expect from a StarCon janitor, he slammed the engine control into the firewall and a green 'Drive' indicator lit up.
The shuttle quickly gained momentum and Roger managed to steer it somewhat straight into the vortex. After all, this may be the people who brutally kidnapped Stellar... or worse.
As he navigated closer and closer to the spatial anomaly, alarms started to blink and scream. Roger looked at the anomaly's edge, and swore he could make out some familiar elements. Was that Sludge Vohaul... Elmo Pug... the Mallard?
He crossed the event horizon and everything turned black.
Roger Wilco woke up to the sound of beeping alarms and the hissing of a medical respirator. Opening his eyes, he found himself in the infirmary of a spacecraft... the interior looked surprisingly familiar to StarCon standards, if it weren't for the bright lights and the strange colour scheme.
An officer approached his medical bunk. She was wearing the captain's ranks, probably the ship's commanding officer.
"Sir..?", she asked.
Her words hit Roger like the Aluminium Mallard just landed on his head.
She repeated her question.
"Admiral Wilco, are you all right?"