I just want to act this little play out of my head before it vanishes completely nad I forget what to write. I don't know what the rest of you think for my support for Dodgers and Ty'rahnee, but I figured there should at least be a few up on the sight. I might be one of the few who thinks that their supposed love is true despite how they behave outwardly towards each other and different people. Who knows? My ideas might actually make their relationship legit later on instead of both characters tottering about on stupidity and obsession, respectively. So this will definitely take some time. Thank you, who ever you are, for giving me support to continue.


From where Captain Duck Dodgers was last left off, he and the Eager, Young Space Cadet were enjoying a peaceful day. They were work free and simply hovering aimlessly in the space between Earth and Mars, supposedly maintaining the boundary with other Galactic Protectorates as the means of free time.

Then out of nowhere, a stray yet powerful ionic laser shot Dodger's ship at its blindside. Not only was it "de-th-spicable" in Dodgers' terms, but the burn mark from the laser sullied a recently polished white hull. Turning the ship around, Dodgers and the Cadet discover the enemy craft simply hovering menacingly in the darkness of space while the communications screen crackled in static and a voice garbled in the transmission. As mentioned earlier, Duck Dodgers' fate had been ultimately sealed in steel upon engaging the confrontation head on.

"… Duck Dodgers…," a low and rather civil voice hissed from the speakers.

"Heh? Who was-th that?" Dodgers asked, staring at the static-filled screen with the same goofy look in his gullible eyes. He didn't even bother looking at the craft that toasted his ship. "Why does-th it th-sound like that actor, David Humphrey?"

"Y-Y-Y-You mean like 'David Humphrey' from the 20th Century off-Broadway musical comedy play, For-Forev-Forev-Forever Plaid?" the Cadet replied.

"No! I mean from the video game with the vampire!" Dodgers retorted hastily, placing a finger under his bill in doubt a second later. "Oh, wait! I think it's-th more likely from that hedgehog game."

"Enough!" the soft-spoken voice roared. "I don't need to hear comparisons of my voice to anyone else's."

The screen had finally been cleared of its troublesome static, giving a high definition look of the mysterious attacker. He closely resembled a young, handsome teenaged Earthling male suited in silver and scarlet armor. Around his upper body was a poncho-like cape connected by a red jewel in front of his neck; the fabric of the poncho was colored in a mix of violet and black, which extended down to his waist. The only traits that separated him from humans were his long pointed ears, his somewhat long silver-black hair with several strands standing and pointing slightly up from the back, a rather fierce glare from his oval golden pupils and rectangular-shaped eyes, and an unpleasant snarl with a pointed canine tooth. In simple terms for even Dodgers to understand, he was a foreign humanoid, another dangerous alien from who-knows-where. Yet the riddle of this person was whether he did good or evil.

"Hey! This-th kid al-th-so looks-th like that angsty hedgehog too!" Dodgers exclaimed in gleeful idiocy. The Cadet rubbed his temples while the stranger shook his head disapprovingly.

"I'm no Earth hedgehog, Duck Dodgers," he said calmly. "I am the last of my race, of superior and advanced bloodline. Because of an accident a long time ago, I'm both blessed… and cursed with ageless immortality. My name… is Noir." His name appeared on the screen in blood red cursive.

"Uh, 'Nor'?" Dodgers mispronounced. "How'd you get those-th letters on the th-screen like that?"

"Actually, Captain, it's pronounced 'n-n-n-n-no-ahr,'" the Cadet clarified. "It's French for 'black,' Captain Dodgers." Dodgers looked at him with a dull, bored expression.

"And I thought French was a romantic language," Dodgers commented, looking away from the Cadet.

"Stop it! Stop the foolishness, I say," Noir growled; his expression was dark. "Duck Dodgers, I've come searching for you."

"Oh, yeah? What's-th up?" Dodgers asked casually.

"I've heard of your supposed reputation as a top Captain of the Galactic Protectorate," Noir explained. "I've wanted to test your skills and your luck for myself to see if the rumors were true back at the far side of the galaxy." Dodgers looked at him as if he was advertising useless Happy Cat products. He didn't need another alarm clock that murdered his soul every morning, that's for sure.

"C-C-C-Can you get to the, uh, conclu-conclu-conclu—, the point already?" the Cadet answered in Dodgers' stead. Noir pointed at the black duck intensely with his left hand. Unlike his right hand, Noir's left hand was equipped with a black gauntlet with silver rings of spikes decorating it. An uncomfortable feeling formed within the Cadet's stomach from seeing that gauntlet.

"I challenge him to a duel!"

"Great! Let me get my cards-th then!"

The Cadet smacked his forehead, grumbling mild incoherent swears under his breath. While he did respect Dodgers as a captain, he could really make the most ridiculous mistakes that even a newborn baby wouldn't make. That is, provided that the baby's not born an evil genius. There were enough of them roaming wild in the galaxy as it was.

"I'm coming over shortly," Noir stated coolly, suddenly evaporating from his seat of his control panel. The ship's systems started to accumulate readings of activity in the Evaporator Room.

"Captain, eah-de the intruder's coming in," the Cadet warned, running in place while waiting for the captain's response.

"And a-waaaaay we go!" Dodgers exclaimed, running off to the Evaporator Room with the Cadet trailing behind.


"There he is, Captain Dodgers," the Cadet whispered as loud as he could as Noir materialized in the glass pod. "The wandering thrill-seeker, Noir!"

"Cadet, this-th is-th no time for you to give the narrative play-by-play," Dodgers scolded, feeling a cold hand tap his shoulder. "Nyagh! Cadet, warm up your hands-th. They're cold as ice-th."

"Th-th-th-that wasn't me, Captain," the Cadet mumbled. His voice faded away out of impending fear.

"Ohh… he's-th right behind me, is-th-n't he?"

"… Uh-huh…"

"…"

"…"

"…!"

"… …"

"That's enough with the speechless dots!" Noir shouted, pushing his cape back and revealing a hidden katana hanging by the side of his belt in its slick-black sheath. The silence was broken by dread. He slowly drew his sword, which seemingly looked like an authentic katana made with an unknown and lustrous gray metal. It gave off an eerie, sinisterly purple vibe for dramatic tension. Its hilt was rather narrow and cylindrical. "Meet the sword that's stayed by my side in many battles against scum, Seul."

"Oh-ho! Th-So th-serious-th to lose-th already, are you?" Dodgers taunted, taking out his glowing green nunchaku from behind. "You think you beat me with an old-th-school th-sword like that?"

"Hmm, good point," Noir concurred, forming a tightlipped smirk. He pressed a hidden button underneath the hilt of Seul. The bladed edge of Noir's sword was imbued in red energy. "Even I know the future's where it's at."

Duck Dodgers looked like he was about to regret his earlier display of arrogance while still showing off his involuntary excellent mastership of the nunchaku. However, Noir stepped back, wielding his technologically improvised sword backhand.

"Eh, w-w-what now?" the Cadet asked, studying Noir's posture. "Are you p-p-p-permi-permi, I mean allowing Captain Dodgers the first strike?" Noir nodded slowly as his response.

"Let us see what you can do, Captain Dodgers!" Noir beckoned, holding his sword up to obviously guard. "I've always preferred wielding a sword backhand. It makes me feel like a real renegade, deviating from the usual practices of traditional swordsmanship."

"Grr! Have at you!" Dodgers yelled.

"G-G-G-Go, Captain Dodgers!" the Cadet cheered.

The space-bound, black water fowl dashed forward with an ardent battle cry, spinning his green nunchaku behind him. Noir kept his guard up, maintaining a firm grip on the handle and keeping his piercing, serious eyes on the unpredictable moving target. The mysterious assassin watched as Dodgers leapt high into the air and, as though frozen by time, Dodgers slowly descended with his nunchaku ready to clobber anything in its path. Noir bent his knees and jumped with the extra power and momentum, ever ready with his slick sword and scarlet energy blade.

"YAAHH!!"

"HUUOO!!"

"O-O-Oh, dear!" the Cadet cried, seeing as Dodgers and Noir were about to collide attacks. He was unable to bare the sight of their powerful, eventual clash and cringed onto the floor.


Meanwhile at the imperial Martian Palace…

"My Queen! I've come bearing big news!" X-2 exclaimed, running inside the throne room. There sitting on the throne was the ever beautiful Queen of Mars, fanned with a large palm leaf by a robotic Martian Centurion.

"What is it this time, Commander?" Tyr'ahnee asked, suddenly taking an interest to the news the Martian Commander bore with him as he skittered about frantically.

"Your Highness, a Centurion reported to me not too long ago that there were two spacecrafts floating in the space between Mars and Earth," X-2 explained, suddenly out of breath.

"… Go on."

"Um, yes. It turns out that one of the immobile ships belongs to our greatest Earthling enemy, Duck Dodgers!" X-2 announced, shaking his fist at the name. Tyr'ahnee became more interested as soon as Dodgers' name was mentioned.

"Duck Dodgers, you say?" she asked in a cool, steady tone.

While the Martian Queen and her people recognized Captain Dodgers as their greatest enemy from Earth, she still harbored a secret love of sorts for the fickle and impulsive captain. Despite having her plans for conquest thwarted and her heart broken by the duck at nearly every confrontation, she still remained on his tail whether it'd be for some short-term revenge or inescapable obsession. That much was obvious to everyone except Dodgers himself, but why Tyr'ahnee still loved Duck Dodgers with all the trouble he caused her and X-2 in the past was still a mystery even to her.

But all mysteries have to be solved eventually…

The mystery of Noir and the mystery of Tyr'ahnee's devotion…


I will continue the fight scene for the next chapter. Who do you think will win? The dumb-luck magnet, Duck Dodgers? Or perhaps the stereotypical silent and serious OC, Noir? It should be obvious that I based him off of Sega's Shadow the Hedgehog, what with the first voice actor, similar color schemes, and attitude. This is only the beginning and already I'm having fun making this story.

Please remember to review!