Angel: My first Adult Swim show, and it took only 36 stories to get to this point XD
Seriously though, because I do have viewers of my stories that are not of age, I feel like I should stress that those who aren't old enough should not read this story. It is rated M for the fairly obvious stuff in this show.
There will be swearing. There will be death. There will be blood. There will be things that I can't even spoil with my OC in this universe. If you really don't wanna read any of that, you are free to read something else that you're comfortable with.
Also, several people were telling me that Final Space doesn't have that many episodes now, or that they never heard of it or that they're not going to read it. I already tackled this in a recently-ended story, Amelia Smith: 9th Grade Kunoichi. But I'll keep this brief. Look, keep your opinion if you want to, whether or not you like the show is for you to decide. But for me, my opinion is not going to change with the negative ones, because I've watched the show before. I don't care if people disagree with decisions that I make on my own accord, but it also has nothing to do with how many episodes the show has. And honestly, I find it tacky that some people out there think that I'm going to change my mind on writing this based on the fact that 'the show is stupid' or 'Gary is annoying' with how some of those reviews sounded.
Yeah, I'm aware of Gary, and I agree he can be annoying, but still.
Anyway, I am following the show, but I am changing and adding stuff in the episodes so that it's not just the original one. I'll probably upload every Monday and Friday, and I am eagerly waiting for season 3!
The atmosphere is dark, full of stars, green smoke, and remains, human remains. All of them have lost their lives as they float around in space. A fierce space battle has happened. Parts of a ship also remained, but it is clearly destroyed.
"The outcome was never in our favor, Gary," A robotic voice speaks up as a light is blinking, coming from a helmet. Between the debris and dead bodies, a man is floating while wearing it along with jeans, brown boots, a dark brown jacket, and has a robotic arm. His left arm has a hole in the jacket, oxygen seeping out as he doesn't have that much time before he passes out while floating in space...
"Cut it to me straight, HUE," The man, Gary, speaks up a bit hoarsely. "What are my chances of getting out of this mess?"
"In your current state," HUE, the AI in his suit, answers as Gary takes deep breaths. "You will pass the point of recovery in 10 minutes. You are also leaking O2, Gary."
He looks at his left arm, looking at his oxygen levels, which are low. "Oh. Look at that. They went with green for a red alert. I mean, I would've went with red. Or periwinkle. Heck, I mean, even eggnog. I don't even know if that's a color. But oh, good lord, I just want eggnog."
No one is around for miles...most likely because anyone who could help him is either dead or gone.
"The rate of the leak will render you lifeless in 9 minutes," HUE informs him.
"You are really buttering me up with fantastic news," Gary mutters sarcastically.
"I'm afraid, Gary, there is no foreseeable outcome where you survive," HUE tells the man regrettably.
"This day can suck! Right in the nosebleeds..."
Toro Nebula: Sector 463G
In the spaceship Galaxy One, all of the lights came on in various rooms of the ship. One room was labeled as 'Captain Gary.'
He screamed, waking himself up and then he gave a look of boredom, only dressed in his underwear. "Good morning, Gary," HUE greeted him. "Day One Thousand Eight Hundred Eighteen." A hologram calendar appeared in front of him, giving him the weather and changing to 1,818 days.
"How about freakin' no?" Gary grumbled and in return, his bed threw him off. His back hit the door and he landed on the ground. "That was a bit harder than normal, HUE!" He accused the AI.
He walked a treadmill in a robe slowly in the gym, as he was used to this routine by now. When he was done, he stared out to a planet, watching a star go by. The hallway was dark and lonely as it had been for the amount of time he had been here...
Galaxy One was attached to a satellite nearby a planet, where Gary was out doing repairs as part of his lifestyle. He tapped together a door that stated 'Gary was here.'
He then took a shower when he was finished, letting the water flow over his head as he stood there by himself.
Gary sat in the commissary room with only one light on looming over him. He was now wearing a red suit with a white collar that had a planet symbol on it, blue gloves, and blue boots. He played with his food, making a smiley face with the spoon.
"Hello, dear friend..." He stared at it, then pouring whatever it was over the eye. "It's been a while." He glanced up, smiling as he got onto his feet. A blue robot was walking past the table, with the name Hank written over its forehead. This robot was one of the SAMES: Synthetic Artificial Masses Erecting Safeness. The only reason why this one had a name was because of Gary and his loneliness.
"Hank! Ha ha, yes!" Gary rushed over to him, turning him around. "What's up, Hank?"
He glitched a little, emitting smoke from the mouth. "Mm, yeah, Beth is looking good today," The man turned to a refrigerator that he named himself as well. 'Beth' had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, all of them being drawings from either paper or a sticky note. "Look at that. Staring at me with those hot eyes. You. Me. Later."
"Cards, Hank?" Gary offered near a cookie machine. "You wanna play? I need somebody to play with, i-it's gonna be you."
Hank fired some flames from his left arm, causing Gary to scream. Thankfully he ducked in time, leaving half the table scorched.
"I am starting to run out of decks, Hank," Gary held up a card, which immediately fell since it was ashes now...this unfortunately happened far too often.
"Hey!" A yellow robot also composed of white and grey parts appeared near Gary, who didn't look happy by his presence at all. "Hey Gary! Hello! Ooh, cookies," He flew over to the cookie storage unit. "Yummy!"
It opened up for him, which annoyed the man because he LOVED cookies. KVN took one in his hand.
"HUE?" Gary looked up at the ceiling.
"Yes Gary?"
"Can I have a cookie?" He asked quickly.
"Hmm. No, Gary," Hue replied back.
"Why...not?!" Gary snapped at him. "You opened it for KVN! That sack of wet turds can't even eat cookies! He just smashes them into his processor slot!"
KVN was literally doing just that, the crumbs falling onto the ground. "I hate KVN! So painfully...he is the bane of my life!"
Ever since he had been here, he had just never liked KVN. He stormed up to the cookie machine.
"If you take a cookie, I will be forced to add one full day to your sentence," HUE informed the man, who just laughed. KVN laughed along with him, even though he didn't know what he was laughing at particularly.
"You think a full day scares the Captain?!" Gary questioned boastfully, gesturing to himself.
"Gary, I've explained this to you every day for the past 5 years," HUE told him plain and simple. "You are not the Captain, you are a prisoner aboard this ship."
"Sounds vaguely familiar. Now open this cabinet!" He demanded, pointing to the storage cabinet, which opened.
"Oh, they're just sooooooooo good!" KVN took another cookie and smashed it again. Gary took a chance and reached out for one, only for the door to close and trap his hand.
He let out a scream.
"One day has been added to your sentence," HUE said as Gary's finger reached out and touched a cookie.
"I touched one! The Captain's touched one!"
He sat in a chair in his quarters, being recorded. "Captain's Log, 80085," He then smiled and waved. "Hey Quinn! Guess who? It's me, Gary again. Quinn, I've thought on it and I've decided that since this is a big day, the day of our anniversary, as you know. It's time to get real!" He turned away and a few seconds later, his lips were pouting. "Quinn, this. This is the real, raw Gary. It's been eating me up inside, keeping the real, raw Gary from you!"
He spun around and then fell off the chair.
"For five years, real, raw Gary hasn't been able to get you out of his mind fortress. When I met you that day...I knew you were it."
Two thugs were running down an alley, armed with guns. "Give us what's ours, Gary!" The blue one fired at the man holding a small diamond.
"Technically..." Gary took a moment to look at the gem. "It's mine, Dr. Bluestein and Derek!"
Earth: Five years earlier
"Lose some weight!" Dr. Bluestein called out as Gary skidded into an alley. "Come on, Derek, keep up!"
"They gave me a seltzer?" A six-eyed alien with his tongue hanging permanently out of his mouth walked past a woman in a similar outfit to Gary's prison outfit. "Why would they give me seltzer? Unless I ordered it? Did I order it? Yes I did."
He had a white uniform with gold badges on his chest and shoulders, while wearing blue gloves and a blue belt. This meant that he was a member of the Infinity Guard, the intergalactic space organization dedicated to protect the galaxy...
Even though he wasn't the most focused member.
Gary slammed open the door to the bar, hitting the alien. He hid and watched the two chasing him run right by the door. He sighed in relief once they were gone. He looked up ahead...and his heart dropped.
Sitting there across was a woman of African descent with dark brown hair and a blue Infinity Guard suit. She was handed a drink and sipped it, shining in Gary's eyes. His eyes widened at her.
"Sweet heavenly fire," He murmured in awe. "Who is the muy bueno super spicy lady?"
A member of the Infinity Guard turned to him, wearing a dark brown suit. "Captain Quinn Ergon, but don't bother." She seemed very focused on writing from the napkin in front of her. "If you're not Infinity Guard, she's not interested."
"Actually, I'm pretty freakin' high up in the command chain," Gary jerked a thumb to himself boastfully.
"Really?" The man leaned a little bit closer.
"Yeah, really," Gary got even closer.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. I can't get any closer to your face, dude," The blonde narrowed his eyes.
"Then where's your uniform, bud?" The man demanded him.
"I have one, guy!"
"No you don't, pal!" Their eyes were practically touching at this point.
"Yes, I do, chum! It's...in the...bathroom. Crap!" Gary just realized what he said.
A man in an Infinity Guard uniform whistled while using a stall, Gary karate-chopping him in the neck. He then stole the uniform, put it on, and admired himself in the mirror.
"Looking good, Gary!" He flexed a bit, looking at the unconscious man in the stall. He then turned back to the mirror.
"You're just gonna leave him in there? You jerk! You jerk-face!" He pointed at his reflection, glancing to his left and beaming as he saw various aspirins from dispensers. "Oh sweet aspirin!"
He took out a small green cube from his pocket. "Three dropnoids! Exact change! Tight!" He got crylenol, the label deeming it extra awesome. He then ripped it open above the man's open mouth, using toilet water to wash it down. "Swallow!" He moved the chin a bit, looking at himself in the mirror again. "You're a good guy, Gary!"
Quinn was still writing in her spot as Gary approached her, dusting off the shoulders. "Now to be smooth as-" He tripped, falling on his face before he sat next to her. "Hm, hm, hm, hm. First time I got a girl's number before I even said hey."
However, it was clearly not her number as it looked to be formulas she was writing down. She was either paying him no attention or just didn't care about what he just said. "You see, I like that. I like a girl with a lot of phones."
She finally acknowledged him by looking up. "Actually, this is the solution to an internal inconsistency in plank's constant that's never been solved because until now, no one realized it was a problem," She remarked and he stared at her. "And speaking of problems, maybe you should leave before you become one. As in now," She turned back to the napkin.
"Or I could buy you a drink," He proposed and she raised a smug brow at him.
"Really?"
"Let's get wild. How about you buy me a drink?" He wiggled his eyebrows, earning a laugh, though not with him.
"Wow. I mean, no, but wow."
An alarm sounded off, causing them to look up. "All Infinity Guards report back to base immediately."
"Let's go!" Quinn stood up, waving other members who were in the bar forward.
"Back to your place?" He got onto his feet as they ran past the two. "We're moving at cheetah speeds. I like it!"
She grabbed his collar, bringing him forward a bit. "You have an F71 Hawk to fly, pilot," The only reason why she thought he was one was because of the uniform he was currently wearing.
His eyes widened as he realized that he might be in trouble. "Oh my crap."
As other Hawks took off from the city, the two were now sitting in the Hawk that she wanted him to fly. "Move this Hawk, pilot!" She ordered, narrowing her eyes.
"You can do this, Gary!" He whispered to himself. "Become a much smarter person now..." While trying to figure out the controls, he moved a lever by accident, activating the Hawk's lasers. They took out the wings of the ships right in front of them, and then the other ships exploded. "Oh my double crap!"
The explosion was so big it could be seen from Earth.
Quinn narrowed her eyes suspiciously as he gave a nervous look. "You're not a pilot, are you?"
"Yes!" He stood up, facing her, and she looked really pissed. "I am?"
Gary was earned with a punch to the face, exposed as a fraud, and sentenced to five years on Galaxy One. He also had to fix satellites as part of his sentence.
Lesson learned. If you ever wanna piss off a whole government, just take out 92 starships and a small, family owned Mexican restaurant. Sorry.
He was taken to the ship by two Infinity Guards, thrown inside with the prison uniform. He picked it up, only to be slapped on the butt by KVN. He still had the black eye Quinn gave him.
"Hey!" He chuckled as Gary faced him. "Hey Gary, my name is KVN. I'm your Deep Space Insanity Avoidance Companion. Nice to meet you!"
"I already hate you," Gary glared at the robot, both of them being sealed inside.
"The good news is, I only have a week left to my sentence abroad this pathetic rat's nest. And send!" He sent off the video to Quinn. He turned around, hands on his hips. "She's gonna respond this time, HUE." Since he was imprisoned, he had sent one video for every single day that he had been stuck on Galaxy One.
"There is a high probability she will not," HUE told him.
"But there's still a little probability she will! I'll take it!" Gary pointed up to the ceiling, laughing. "Nailed it!"
Meanwhile, in a different sector, a ship flew past a planet. It was a dark red and grey small U-shaped ship, which had taken some damage as smoke emitted from the back. Inside the ship was a girl and a small green alien with two antenna, two stubby appendages, and round eyes. He turned towards the pilot in worry.
The girl looked to be about 15 years old at 4 feet and 5 inches tall. She had Caucasian skin with a slender stance and hourglass figure, blue eyes, and was looking very busty for her age. She had two long magenta pigtails that extended down to her knees held with black and red square-shaped ribbons. Her hair faded into white at the edges of her ponytails. A pair of buns was at the base of both ponytails. She wore a halter purple top with a diamond cut into it to show some of her chest. A black leather jacket was over her body. She also wore a grey thigh length skirt with teal and light purple trim and thigh-high black boots, also with light purple trims. She had three small star tattoos on her right shoulder blade peeking out from her jacket. There was also a gun tattoo with a red heart on her left shoulder. She had white translucent separated gloves with a light purple trim that fanned out near the wrists. Her right glove had a keypad on it.
Around her left shoulder was a belt made of bullets, and around her back was two large pistols, with one space gun each resting on the sides of her waist.
Her ship took another hit, causing it to shake. "Enemy will be breaching the vessel in one minute," A female AI voice told them.
"Surrender in the name of the Lord Commander!" An alien cyborg shouted as he led a fleet of ships to them. The girl gritted her teeth. It was over for now, she knew that much. She then glanced to the alien, who had been her companion for a while. Ever since he set her free, he had been by her side...and because she was his only friend. No way she would get out alive with him onboard, so she had to make a choice...
"Chookity chook chook (Leave me behind! It's both of us they want, and only one of us can escape)!" The girl urged the alien, who frowned deeply.
"Chookity!" He replied defiantly, not wanting to leave her. He had hope they could both get out of this alive, but the ship was badly damaged to the point where she couldn't even light fold out.
"Chookity pok chookity pah (We both knew that with my status, it'd get us into trouble. Now it's finally caught up with us. If anyone should get out, it should be you)," She told the alien.
"Chookity dookity..." His antenna lowered sadly, hugging her face. She sighed, giving a small smile at him. Even when she insisted for him to leave, he still wanted to stay.
"10 seconds."
The alien looked around in fear, but the girl closed her eyes.
"Chookity chook (Don't come back for me. It's been good)," She whispered, pressing a button. This ejected the alien and sent him flying far away.
"Chookiiiiiiiiiity!" He cried out, tears streaming down his face as he could only watch her ship get surrounded by the fleet. Hundreds of feet later, he was left alone in Sector 463G, with his friend no longer in sight. "Chook...ity..." He murmured sadly, waving his appendages frantically. Maybe he could go and get help, and they could rescue her...
"There are still four arrays that need to be repaired," HUE informed Gary as the hangar opened to let him out.
"Get off my cheeks, HUE!" Gary retorted back.
"Get off my cheeks, Gary."
He floated towards a satellite. "1891 Sea is back online," He reported once he was done repairing it and it turned back on. He wiped off the front of his helmet, pausing for a moment. "HUE? By any chance...is it still Thursday?" He smiled optimistically.
"It's been Thursday for the last 72 hours."
"Sweet...then it's still on," He opened up a panel that had a camera lens attached, pressing the green button. He turned around to lay on the satellite as a video projected.
"My name is Eduardo. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"
"Gary," HUE spoke up again. "Your break is over."
"But the guy who killed Eduardo Talipacina's father hasn't prepared to die yet!" Gary protested as something came in from behind the screen. "Dang, there's a...there's a pixel on the loose." It was flying around and his eyes followed it until it was revealed to be the same alien from the girl's ship.
"Ooooh," He came flying in and Gary let out a scream. It landed right on his face and he thrashed around.
"It's eating my face! It's eating my face! It's a face-eater!" He screamed until he finally realized that his face was intact, and it didn't breach his helmet anyway. "Oh..." He looked into the alien's eyes. "Oh...you're not a face-eater. You're a face...hugger."
"Chookity."
Gary gasped at him. "I need a face-hugger in my life."
"Ooouuuu," The alien spun away from his face, looking relieved to have found help.
"You remind me of a friend I used to have a long time ago..." Gary closed his eyes, remembering when he had a green caterpillar named Mooncake, which was given to him by his father. He looked up at the man in an Infinity Guard uniform, John Goodspeed, and he leaned back with a smile. Gary opened his eyes with a sly brow. "How do you like the name...Mooncake?"
"Whoa!" He exclaimed at the name, earning a chuckle from Gary. "Mooncake it is."
"Chookity!"
"Your friend is in trouble?" Gary asked, somehow understanding his language.
"Chookity-pah!"
"Kidnapped? And you want me to save her?" Gary questioned, looking out towards the stars. She could be anywhere by now. But Mooncake really seemed to be determined to find her again. "...I'll do it, buddy. Let's get your friend back!"
He pulled Mooncake by the hand to float over to the ship. "I'm pumped, super excited for a rescue mission! You don't by chance speak real words, do you?"
"Chookity-pok!"
"Works for me," Gary replied, since he could still understand Mooncake.
Tera Con Prime: Sector 18650
In a room with a long hallway that led to a throne, two people were pushed inside forcibly. One was a man, and the other was Mooncake's friend. She was handcuffed by the wrists, with all of her gear taken away. The man stood up while the girl was pinned by one of his men, pressing her back to the ground with his foot.
"Welcome," A small man with a weird-shaped head greeted them, chuckling evilly.
The man bust out laughing as the small man stepped away from his throne, walking forward. "You're so tiny, man! Oh, wait till the guys hear about this!"
"Sit," The tiny entity ordered, his eyes changing to having no pupils. The man was then trapped in spikes and he whimpered. The entity floated in front of the man. "Where is it?!" He demanded so loud it made the room shake as he gritted his pointy teeth.
"What?"
"E35-1!" The entity elaborated.
"I-I don't know! I would never lie to you, Lord Commander..." The man then laughed again, confusing Lord Commander. "It's just that—you're just so small, I-it's-"
Lord Commander growled, lifting the man up and then throwing him to the ground, breaking the rocks. "Where did you find it?" A hologram appeared, and he was actually referring to Mooncake!
"I didn't. It found me...but then I gave it to her!" He pointed to the girl on the ground, her eyes slightly widening.
"Oh, did you now?" Lord Commander floated over to the girl. "Ah, Nova. How excellent of you to grace me with your presence after you evaded my grasp."
"That's because you're a douche. Kiss my ass, I'm not telling you anything," She narrowed her eyes. He grasped her chin, bringing her forward.
"Where IS IT?!"
Gary ran into the ship with Mooncake in his arms. "The lesser HUE, who between us is a bit of a dick-leg wad, knows about you the better."
"Chookity-pah!" Mooncake protested at him.
"I know, I know, your friend is in danger, but as Captain, I have to come up with an excuse on why we're trying to find a girl...who I literally know nothing about."
Mooncake gave a sad look, but Gary patted him on the head. "I promise, Mooncake...I will spend a lifetime to find her if I have to."
The alien smiled at him, feeling reassured. "Okay, let's get you in here," Gary placed him in a closet. "You ready?"
"Chookity!" He gave another smile.
"It's only until I get them to see my side of things...which won't be too hard!" He closed the door, but Mooncake was too big to really fit in there. He tried to close Mooncake in, who let out protests.
"Chookity! Chookity! C-Chook!"
"Okay, it's not working. It's not working," Gary whispered as he let go of the door, Mooncake floating around.
Mooncake hid underneath a bed. "I hide there sometimes. I'm like a mattress ghost! Don't tell anyone!"
"Ooooou," Mooncake acted like a ghost, smiling.
"Perfect!" Gary whispered, realizing that Mooncake was too easy to hide. "No it's not perfect! That sucks! Why does that sucks so hard? Okay, how bout this?"
He placed Mooncake in front of him. "Sometimes I like to—I like to hide from myself by putting underwear on the circumference of my head," He put a pair of underwear over Mooncake's head. "How about that? How's it fit?"
"Chookity!" Mooncake responded back.
"Perfect!"
Lord Commander's ship shook as he was now torturing the prisoner. His soldier holding Nova forced her to look at it.
"Please! Don't...kill...me!" The prisoner cried out as his bones were twisting and then his neck was snapped. He fell to the ground in front of Lord Commander, who just let out a laugh.
"Wouldn't think of it..." He floated down to the prisoner, his pupils disappearing. "That would be rude." He turned to the alien cyborg that led the chase for Nova. "Eat."
He stepped forward and ate the prisoner alive, Nova watching in horror. Blood splattered onto Lord Commander's face as he got off on watching this. He then stepped up to Nova, gripping her chin. "And if you don't tell me where it is, you might be next!"
"Go ahead, have me eaten. I've lived a good life," Nova narrowed his eyes, daring him to do it. He then scoffed, dropping her chin.
"No. That'd be too easy given how much strife you gave me trying to find him...take her to the holding cells. You know which one."
She then got lifted up and taken away, Lord Commander smiling evilly.
Gary walked into the commissary room as a red light was blinking. Mooncake was hiding in his backpack. "HUE, what is going on? Why has the ship turned into a silent dance rave?"
"Four unknown vessels are descending upon our location. The markings lead me to believe they are Ventrexian bounty hunters," HUE reported back, Mooncake flinching from the backpack.
"Twist my nipples rough. We're talking complex life forms! Yes! HUE, you must find out if they play cards! I need this! I need this, HUE! I...I really need someone to play with," He sagged his shoulders. The ships attached themselves to Galaxy One, breaking in from the roof by using lasers to cut through. They fell through the holes, weapons ready.
"Activating security protocol," HUE ordered, the SAMES equipping themselves with their own weapons.
Gary was frantically pressing the button, but the door would not open. "HUE, what the crap?!" He exclaimed to the AI in protest.
"For your own safety, you must remain in the commissary."
Gary rolled his eyes. "For my own safety?! We get our first visitors in five years, and I can't mingle with them?! HUE, open this door right now!" He slammed his hands onto the table. "I need to mingle!" He was just desperate for some interaction despite the fact that they were bounty hunters.
"I'm afraid I cannot."
"You better afraid me up an open door!" Gary threatened him.
"Ooo," KVN appeared out of nowhere. "Let KVN help!"
"God, get out of here, KVN! You can't just pop in on me like that!"
"Don't worry," KVN floated over to the door and it opened. "I am helping!" He gestured to the hallway once he was outside.
"Ho ho! KVN! You did something right!" Gary rushed over to the door, only for it to close and he slammed into it. "KVN! You brought this horrendous mistake on yourself!"
One of the Ventrexians pulled up a message from Lord Commander. "The Earth vessel has been subjected to a search for specimen E35-1. Come forward...or die." The message was broadcasted to every single room, including the one that Gary was in.
"Oh crap..."
The SAMES came in from down the hall, opening fire on the bounty hunters. They ducked for cover, using shields while firing back. They disabled a few while shooting off an arm of one.
"My arm, man!" His other arm turned into a blade and he ran forward with a scream. He sliced off a shield from one of the bounty hunters, earning a blast to the head.
"Move forward!"
"Who the freak is this guy?" Gary raised a brow at Lord Commander, standing up.
"I believe they want the alien you're hiding in your backpack," HUE explained, and Gary tensed up, glancing around nervously.
"I don't know what you're referring to..." Mooncake's antenna shot up and he looked back to the picture.
SAMES were getting disabled left and right as one emitted two blades. "This is what I was meant to do!" He leaped into the air, ready to fight back. "I have never felt so alive!"
A bounty hunter fired at him, sending him into the ceiling to explode.
"Oh! You mean my underpants caddy," Gary turned to Mooncake, who came out of hiding.
"Yes. We should comply with their wishes, Gary."
Mooncake whimpered in fear. "Chookity..."
"I don't know," Gary threw the underwear off the alien, patting him on the head. "I'm kind of...possibly starting to like the little guy. He gives great hugs." Mooncake hugged his face. "Plus, I promised I'd help him save his friend!"
"Gary, we are not equipped to face this threat," HUE told them. "Nor do we know the whereabouts of his companion."
The bounty hunters continued firing, two robots freezing in place in the air thanks to a gun fired. "Good job, Avocato," One of them turned to the bounty hunter with a cat-like helmet.
"This is not our fight, nor our obligation to locate her."
"HUE, we make it our fight and obligation!" Gary declared defiantly. "You're Infinity Guard, your whole motto is to protect life!" He held up Mooncake.
"Is that life, Gary?"
"Well if it isn't, then I'm a raging sack of walnuts!" Unfortunately, the bounty hunters could hear him from outside and they placed a small device on the door that led to the commissary room. "HUE, lightfold the ship!"
The bomb went off and he turned around to see the door done, a bounty hunter stepping forward. "This will lengthen your sentence."
"I get it!" Gary looked up at the ceiling, hugging Mooncake close. "Lightfold the ship, HUE!"
"Gary..."
He turned around to the door to see the bounty hunter aiming for him. "Do it!" He gritted his teeth, not caring about his sentence being lengthened. He could stay here for another 5 years and he wouldn't care.
Galaxy One's engines turned around.
"They're lightfolding!" The bounty hunter turned around, making a break for it. He went up to the hole, returning back to his ship. The others were sucked out of there, one of them hitting a beam and disintegrating. One of them still remained as he hung on. Shields were engaged as the other ships were knocked back, disintegrating them as well. The ship soon disappeared, going through a stream of blue, pink, and green before emerging near a planet. An alarm went off again.
"Proximity alert. Proximity alert."
"Is that what I think it is?" Gary pointed outside the window as rocks were headed towards them. "HUE, that's no good! Get us out of here! Light fold again, light fold!"
"We are immobilized until the light fold engines cool," HUE replied, meaning he couldn't get out of the way either. "The asteroids will reach the ship in 29 seconds. Secure your helmet immediately."
"My helmet's in the airlock," Gary informed him quickly.
"Run."
Nova was escorted to the holding cells, where she was met with a green glass cage that had a cat-boy inside. He paid no mind until he looked up, his eyes shining at her.
"Wow..."
Judging by the tattoos, she seemed pretty strong despite her height.
Lord Commander telepathically opened up the door. "I'm sure you two will get along splendidly...Welcome to your new home, Nova."
She was shoved inside, looking over her shoulder. "Ooh, that's where you're wrong, Lord Jackass." The cat-boy's eyes widened at the insult, a bit impressed by her boldness. "I don't do homes."
"Charming...for a purebred," Lord Commander smiled smugly, hands behind his back. Nova growled a bit at the comment, but then composed herself.
"Does it make you feel like a big, tough guy, to think you've won me, one of the most famous mercenaries in the whole galaxy?" She gave him a blank look, the boy blinking in surprise. "And then flash that head of yours like it actually means something? Well guess what, it means nothing!" She ended her small speech with a snarl.
Lord Commander simply moved his head and she took a punch to the gut. She kneeled over, gritting her teeth. "I can't wait for the day that I find him and then I'll be rid of YOU!"
Her shackles were removed, and then they left, leaving the two there alone. Nova glanced over her shoulder to the cat-boy.
"So...how's it going?" He asked casually to try and break the tension.
"15 seconds until impact," HUE reported as Gary raced down the halls. Mooncake flew after him. "At your current pace, you will not make it."
"Oh, HUE, we will make it!" Gary declared, only to be met with KVN.
"Hey Gary, sorry, got a minute? Yeah, I've been thinking about-" The man grabbed him and tossed him onto the ground. KVN floated up while holding his head, and Gary came back just to kick him with pride. A small rock pierced through the window behind him, giving a silent reminder to stay focused. The asteroids were getting closer and closer.
"Gary, two seconds," HUE informed as Gary reached the room.
"We're gonna live! We're gonna live!" Gary told himself, but the asteroids impacted with the ship, creating a hole in the room. He managed to grab his helmet and put it on, but was sent flying back due to the crash tearing away a section of the ship. He and Mooncake flew backwards along with the rocks.
"Sweet Grandors Glove!" He cried out as he looked out to the atmosphere. "Definitely gonna die this time!"
He hugged Mooncake close and now the two were stuck several feet away from the ship with no way to get back.
"Gary, you may have a problem," HUE spoke up in his helmet.
"I'm seriously questioning your usage of may have! I think we have reached have! I am very deep in have!" Gary retorted back angrily.
"Due to the moon's gravity, the asteroid field will swing back to Galaxy One, and then at you, in approximately 39 seconds." A map of this was shown on Gary's helmet, that the asteroids would impact the ship first before hitting him.
"That's no good, Hue," Gary shook his head. "Formulate me up some solutions."
"Calculating...mm-hm." Mooncake looked up at his friend. "Hmm. Mm-hm." Gary raised an annoyed brow. "Ah! Gary, I do have a solution with a 33 percent chance of success."
"Okay, and that would be?" He asked eagerly.
"Perform an emergency air blowout of your O2 tanks. If you can enter the moon's orbit, you might be able to sling hook around it back to the Galaxy One," HUE told him.
"Alright...alright, let's do this," Gary stated, determined to get back.
"Gary, you should know, this calculation will only work with you." His eyes widened at the revelation. "You will have to leave the lifeform behind."
He looked down at Mooncake. "Mooncake?"
"Or, there is zero probability you will make it back to the Galaxy One," Then his eyes were laced with horror at those odds. "Alive."
"I get it! Oh, screw that, HUE. Mooncake is coming with," He declared as he looked at the asteroids approaching.
"You'll never make it, Gary. Your only chance is to perform this maneuver alone."
He wasn't having it. Mooncake himself came to him for help with his friend, he couldn't just forget about that.
"HUE, your lack of confidence is positively depressing! Blowing the air tank..." He pressed the safety override button. "In three-"
"Gary, please," HUE tried to make him see reason.
"Two-"
"You will fail," HUE attempted warning him again.
"You're right...I will fail," He turned around, hugging Mooncake closer. "Aborts." He activated the air tanks, propelling them forward. Mooncake beamed as they got away from the asteroids.
"Entering into moon's orbit."
The ship was in his sights...but then something went wrong.
"Oh no...it's not working," Gary glanced at his failing air tanks, proving HUE right.
"At your current rate of velocity, you will not make it back to the Galaxy One." The air tanks were not enough with two occupants, and he started to run out of oxygen. He closed his eyes, and saw his father, John Goodspeed. He handed his then-younger son a caterpillar.
"You have failed, Gary..."
Mooncake looked up sadly at him.
A ship propelled into the sky, younger Gary watching.
"The asteroids will make impact in 5 seconds."
Mooncake turned around and headed for the asteroids, glowing a light green.
An explosion occurred, knocking young Gary back. "4..."
Tears flew from his eyes as he had just lost his father. "3..."
His oxygen level was at zero now. "2..."
Mooncake stopped in front of the asteroids. "1."
The alien burst with power as he shot an energy blast from his mouth, and then a white flash occurred.
"I suppose now that we're in here together, you think we're gonna be all buddy-buddy," Nova stated as she paced around, knocking against the glass a bit with her finger. The cat-boy just stared at her, curious about who she was or where she came from.
"So what's your story?" He wondered and she stopped, looking out the glass quietly.
"Should I go to the part where I'm a prisoner with you or bore you with my life story?" She replied, briefly glancing at him. "I'm sure neither are that exciting or beneficial as your past life, but soon I'll be out doing what I do best," She turned back to the glass, kicking at the cage once, but nothing happened. "So I don't think I have time to lend you."
"Oh really?" He raised a brow smugly, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Then I guess I won't be much use to you since I know how to get out of here."
"I already know you're bluffing, so save your breath," Nova rolled her eyes. "There's no cell I can't get out of."
"I wouldn't necessarily agree with you seeing that the glass is unbreakable," Her eyes widened as she stopped, lowering her leg. "I have as much time on my hands as you do."
She sighed, pinching her nose. Given her situation, right now was not an opportunity to escape. Even though she had only just met him, she could at least entertain him with some tidbits of her past. It wasn't like they'd bump into each other in the future anyway.
"Fine. I guess we'll be in here for a short while so I might as well tell you," She turned around to face him, sliding down until she sat on the floor. "The name's Princess Nova Ostarella of Planet Kiria, a planet composed of humanoid aliens."
"Princess?!" He exclaimed in shock, looking at her up and down. She most certainly did not look like a princess at first glance, and he wouldn't have even guessed it.
"Don't read into the title," Nova waved it off with a scowl.
"Is that why Lord Commander called you a purebred?"
"Yeah, that," She growled at the reminder. "With my current lifestyle, my former status got plastered everywhere." It didn't exactly help with her trying to make a name for herself outside of her family...
"Not exactly everywhere if I didn't know you were a princess...but all I see is you. Even if we just met."
Nova paused and looked up at him, staring into his eyes. There was a sincerity behind them that she hadn't seen in a long time...
She cleared her throat, rubbing her neck after a few silent seconds. "Anyway, I had what people think is the best life as a princess. A cook, a chauffeur, and a big fancy house. My parents have been ruling for almost 20 years, but they were too embarrassed to acknowledge my oh-so-lovable personality. And my sister Ascella is a suck-up tight ass who would rather deem me a rogue than to admit we're related. I would do things in my own way and in my own terms."
"But you didn't agree with that lifestyle?" The cat-boy raised a brow.
"I was fine until they forced some shitty arranged marriage on me that was made when I was born!" She shouted, clenching her fists and slamming them against her knees. "I didn't want that. I'd have to play housewife for the rest of my life. 'Don't slouch. Eat this foreign crap. Attend your stuffy lessons. Pour the tea, don't be an animal.' On our planet, there's some stupid law that allows a 14-year-old to get married and...produce an heir. My sister isn't able to have children, so everyone was depending on me, the aforementioned embarrassment to the Royal name," She gestured to herself. "So I flat out refused and I vowed not to have anything chosen for me, or to be handed anything!"
"So how'd you end up here?" He tilted his head.
"Gotta keep my enemies close and my secrets closer," Nova crossed her arms, closing her eyes. He raised a brow at her, wondering what that meant.
Gary's helmet was taken off him and he slowly opened his eyes. They widened as he saw KVN, Mooncake, and some SAMES looking down at him. He was now back in the ship, and not outside with the asteroids.
"Oooou."
Gary stood up triumphantly. "It worked!" KVN tried to pinch his cheeks, only to have his arm smacked away. "HUE! And you said I could die!" He pointed up to the ceiling. "HA!"
"You were dead. For five minutes," HUE informed him, but he just laughed it off.
"Are you for serious?"
"I believe the lifeform saved your life," HUE said as Mooncake appeared next to Gary.
"Mooncake?" He asked softly, who spun around.
"Chookity Chookity."
"Thank you...for saving my life," He held out his first and Mooncake clasped with a smile.
"Wow."
"I am detecting one unknown lifeform still aboard," HUE interrupted the moment. "He is armed."
"What deck?" Gary narrowed his eyes.
"Floor A. SAMES are already on route."
Gary floated down the elevator, landing on the floor. He stood in front of the door and opened it, only to be met with a cat-man pointing a gun at him.
"Hand over E35-1," He growled at the blonde, threatening to shoot him with a hiss.
"Listen buddy, I only have one thing to say to you," Gary pointed at him, earning a glare in return. "Do you...play cards?"
The cat-man raised a baffled brow, then dropping his gun and holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm gonna take that as a yes!" Though one look behind him answered the silent question of the cat-man's question.
"Freeze!" A bunch of SAMES were standing behind him, armed.
"Oh, good lord!" Gary let out a breath of relief. "Oh...my gosh! Just don't walk up on somebody like that, Hank! I crapped my pants! I thought you were a baby ghost or a ghost baby! Or something in between the ghost baby spectrum."
"Freeze!"
"Ahh! Freakin' crap, Hank!" Gary exclaimed again.
Nova stayed in her position in the cage, the cat-boy staring at her. She had been like that for a few minutes after her weird statement earlier. She looked so beautiful, and acted so different to...well, he hadn't met many girls his age, so he had no one to compare her to. He could tell from her tattoos how tough she was, and she didn't even have her gear.
"Take a picture, it'd last shorter if I had my weapons."
He flinched a bit as she opened her eyes. "I-I wasn't..." He stammered while she raised a skeptic brow. "That is to say...um..."
"It's fine," She replied smoothly, not seeming to care. "If we're gonna be stuck here together for who knows how long, we might as well get used to each other's presence. Though, you have a lot to say for yourself."
Nova slowly got up, her boots clacking as she walked over to him. He sweated as she got even closer. He hadn't been in close proximity with a girl before, especially one like her.
"I don't even get a name and yet I've already told you my childhood." She placed a hand on her hip. He had no idea what she was doing since she was the one who brushed him off first with his second question on how she got here. Was it strategy on her part or did she really want to know him first before they didn't see each other again after they escaped? With her demeanor and tendency to keep to herself, she seemed to be looking towards the latter.
"So what name did you get saddled with?" She crossed her arms, gesturing to him.
"Uh..." He murmured with wide eyes, looking up at her chest. It was definitely distracting...
"Pfft. Okay, I've played this game before," Nova clapped her hands in front of his eyes, and he blinked. "Yo! My eyes are up here."
"L-Little Cato. It's Little Cato," He told her quickly, afraid she'd hit him for being caught looking. But she either pretended not to notice or just didn't care.
"Ah. We've made some progress. Alright, Little Cato..." She glanced away for a brief second in recognition, but it was so quick that he missed it. "How did you get here since you dived into my life story?"
"...How do I know you're not just using me for information?" He raised a brow skeptically. "Lord Commander hates you, it's obviously for a reason. You must've done something to really piss him off. You could be like a double agent for him or something."
"Oh, trust me, I've pissed him off for a while," She smirked at the reminder. "Felt great, still does. But I just met you, dude. What could I possibly do with knowing your information besides shoving it up that peapod's butthole?"
He let out a chuckle with a small smirk. By that reaction, he could tell that she'd rather let herself get shot than to work for him, even if it was secretly.
"You and I are gonna work great together, then." Even if they would be acquainted for a short time, they both had something in common now: hating a mutual enemy.
"Isn't this great?" Gary asked the cat-man in the commissary room. "I mean, just us guys, sitting here. Chilling, playing cards."
The cat-man bounty hunter had cards stuck in his mouth, unable to speak. He was also tied up.
"You really know how to sling the zingers, cat-guy," Gary remarked smugly.
He spat out the cards, narrowing his eyes. "The name's Avocato."
"No...the name is loser! Eat it!" He threw down his deck. "Four of a king!"
Avocato just chuckled as KVN floated away. "You're oblivious to this thing, are you?" He gave Mooncake a quick glance.
"What?" Gary leaned back.
"That," He looked at Mooncake again.
"This?" The man jerked a thumb to the alien.
"Yes!" Avocato growled out. "That!"
"Mooncake?"
"What's a Mooncake?" He just looked confused by the name.
"This!" Gary pointed to the alien again.
"That?"
"Yes, that!"
"Please tell me you didn't name E35-1," Avocato deadpanned at this.
"What's an E3559?"
"That!" Avocato looked at Mooncake yet again.
"This?"
"YES!" He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Freaking that!"
"I suppose I did," Gary stood up, looking at his fingers.
"You don't know what that is, do you? That...is a planet killer," Avocato informed him dramatically. Gary took one look at Mooncake and let out a laugh. Mooncake dropped his smile. "Are you hearing this? Freaking thinks Mooncake is a planet killer! Way to freakin' go, man!" He put his hands on his knees, erupting in laughter.
"Hey man," KVN came back with a stack of cookies, giggling.
"Shut your face hole, KVN!" Gary snapped at him. "Crap."
"So you think this is funny? I'm serious," Avocato reiterated to the blonde.
"Are you?"
"Yes," Avocato answered again. "The Lord Commander is searching the galaxy for it, and has already captured the one who had been keeping it hidden from him for over 3 years: Princess Nova Ostarella of Planet Kiria, wanted in all galaxies. She's known as one of the most dangerous mercenaries ever. Bounties have been placed over her head for her crimes against the Lord Commander."
Mooncake perked up at the name. "Chookity!"
"That's your friend?" Gary turned to him and Mooncake nodded eagerly, spinning around.
"Chookity pok!"
"You can't hide. Wherever you go, he'll find you," The cat-man informed them.
"Why should I believe you?" Gary got into his face. "Mr. Whiskers?" He pinched his cheeks.
"Call me that again, and I'll kill you," Avocato threatened him.
"Mm-hm. I've insulted you. You see, the truth is, I've never socialized with a cat-man before. My neighbor had a cat. Loved to lick himself. You're not gonna do that, right?" Gary pointed a finger at his chin. "Otherwise we're gonna have problems, friend."
"I'm not a cat. I'm a Ventrexian," Avocato corrected him.
Gary chuckled, pointing at him. "Got it. See, I'm a presspertarian myself, but I love all people," He gestured to Mooncake. "That's just how I was raised."
"We're in danger. Listen, all of us are in danger!" Avocato insisted to him as Gary led the alien away.
"Mooncake, look into Gary's gelatinous marbles," He held Mooncake's cheeks. "As long as I draw breath, and you provide me with copious amounts of adventure, I will be there for you. We're a team now. And I'll let you be my sidekick with a super side order of whatnot! We'll get your friend back!"
"Well said," HUE spoke up, opening up the cookie cabinet.
"A cookie...?" Gary asked slowly. "For me?"
"Yes, Gary. Take one. You displayed a quality I hadn't seen in you previously: Courage. Exemplary. You earned it."
"And because I am the Captain," Gary replied confidently, reaching out to them.
"Cookie withdrawn," HUE deemed for the last word, closing the cabinet on his hand again.
"Ahh! The penitent man shall pass..." He whispered the last sentence as his other hand snuck in and took one. He gasped in awe. "Oh! I got one! Sweet Grandors Grand! I got a motherloving cookie~!" He held it up in glee.
He then showed it to the camera, which did not somehow end up being taken away. "This is a cookie, Quinn." His face appeared with a big smile. "HUE said I earned it, because I did things, Quinn. Dangerous things! Cookie-earning things...now, to eat the fruit of my greatness..."
He was about to eat it when a robotic hand took it away.
KVN's laughter could be heard as he made himself known. "What? No!" KVN laughed as he flew out of the room, Gary chasing after him. "KVN! No, KVN!"
Later on, after kicking KVN in the head, he fell asleep. Mooncake was looming over him, tucking the man in. He landed at Gary's right side.
"Gary? Gary! Gary!" KVN popped up in front of Gary's face, holding a green marker. "Gary! Gary! Gary? Gary!" He unscrewed the marker. "Gary, are you sleeping?" He started drawing on the man's face, but Mooncake popped up with a warning look on his face.
"Pah!"
"Okay, w-we're good. Don't mind me, I'm just...I'm just floating this way!" KVN left the room and Mooncake snuggled into bed. "This is the way I like to go. Bye!"
Gary turned around and hugged Mooncake, revealing a monocle and half a mustache drawn on his face.
"This is my plan! That's my path!"
Something was following after the Galaxy One, and it was revealed to be another ship.
"All the pieces are in place," Lord Commander stated while looking out his window. "Let's play a little..."