A/N: By the way, for anyone who has the CD "o.s.t. 1" (or for anyone
wishing to download the tunes), the songs I think of in this episode are
"cosmos" when Jet thinks back on Spike's last day (in this chapter),
"memory" during the graveyard scene (previous chapter), and "waltz for
zizi" in the next chapter once they re-board the BeBop.
(We open with that familiar shot of Mars as the spaceships fly through the gates, heading towards the planet at a very quick speed.)
"Jet!"
For the second time in one day, Jet was caught daydreaming and startled by the voice that awakened him. This time it was a tinny, gruff ISSP officer on his computer screen. In another lifetime, Jet thought, that would've been me giving crap to some cowboy daydreamer.
"I said I got quite a bounty head for you today, my friend."
He was back on the BeBop and had been staring at the vacant seat next to him. Jet walked over and considered smoothing out the groove that was there, left by its previous occupant. Against his better financial interest, Jet was ignoring Donnelly's voice barking good jobs at him.
"Donnelly, maybe I'm not up for a return to work yet."
His old partner was still listing off more names than he could count.
"-Roberts, knocked over a bank a couple days ago and made off with 40 million wu-longs. He's suspected to be hiding out here on Ganymede but we can't find him anywhere. You bounty hunters tend to have better noses than the police with a 6 million reward at stake. Next, Nicholas Spade-"
"Donnelly, I told you - what did you say?"
Donnelly smirked, knowing he'd caught his friend's attention, even though he didn't know why. "I said Nicholas Spade."
Jet's mind flashed to the graveyard, to Spike's grave, and the one the young man had been paying his respects to. "Donna Spade. 2006-2070. Beloved mother to William and Nicholas."
"-seen somewhere on Mars, near the graveyard at the West end of the city. The bounty on this guy is 8 million wu-longs."
"Donnelly, what'd this joker do, anyway?"
"Picked a fight with someone in the Red Dragons. Push came to shove, blood was spilt and a shot was fired."
Jet thought back on his friend Spike. They should give an 8 million wu-long reward to Spade for killing one of those bastards, he thought. Even still, maybe I should bring him in to the police before some careless, fool bounty hunter gets rough with the guy.
Jet turned the BeBop around and headed back for Mars.
On the way back, he thought of the events following his and Faye's final confrontation with Spike. Almost in a daze, Jet carelessly trimmed a large, live branch off his bonsai tree and immediately realized his mistake. He tied it back on with duct tape and hoped it could heal again. Then there was the wait that lasted too long, a door that waited open and ended up serving no purpose, and finally the decision to retrieve his friend before he was mistreated by a shoddy paramedic, much like he wanted to do for this next bounty head.
He looked out the cockpit window and thought he saw where Spike's star was missing from the sky. All too true, he thought. Like a melted snowflake, absorbed into the coldness of space.
Since he told Faye about Spike, she'd made herself absent nearly the whole time. She'd only stopped in for a few brief words and a gun since their last day together. It was like they were a fighting couple who never wanted anything to do with each other, but Jet knew that in time it would all be fixed. He'd handle it his way and she'd handle it her way, but soon enough she'd be back to freeloading and tagging along and generally getting in the way just like old times. Or so he'd hoped.
He landed his old fishing ship and again set foot on Mars' surface. Despite a lack of ambition after his sudden loss, Jet painstakingly looked for clues and evidence to find Nick Spade, the same way he'd conduct himself if he were sick but still working.
Time crawled by like a crippled insect and the trail got cold. Spike had always been able to track down bounty heads like he had radar, but without Spike, Jet had to make do with what he had. He thought he'd seen Faye walking the streets, fresh footprints crunching in the snow, but he hadn't been able to tell for sure.
Taking a break, Jet Black found himself sitting in a bar, ordering a drink. He bit a cigarette out of his tattered pack and tried his lighter. Sparks flew but the lighter was empty. Jet turned to the guy on the stool next to him.
"Hey man, you got a light?"
The man wheeled around and Jet found himself staring at Nicholas Spade.
(We open with that familiar shot of Mars as the spaceships fly through the gates, heading towards the planet at a very quick speed.)
"Jet!"
For the second time in one day, Jet was caught daydreaming and startled by the voice that awakened him. This time it was a tinny, gruff ISSP officer on his computer screen. In another lifetime, Jet thought, that would've been me giving crap to some cowboy daydreamer.
"I said I got quite a bounty head for you today, my friend."
He was back on the BeBop and had been staring at the vacant seat next to him. Jet walked over and considered smoothing out the groove that was there, left by its previous occupant. Against his better financial interest, Jet was ignoring Donnelly's voice barking good jobs at him.
"Donnelly, maybe I'm not up for a return to work yet."
His old partner was still listing off more names than he could count.
"-Roberts, knocked over a bank a couple days ago and made off with 40 million wu-longs. He's suspected to be hiding out here on Ganymede but we can't find him anywhere. You bounty hunters tend to have better noses than the police with a 6 million reward at stake. Next, Nicholas Spade-"
"Donnelly, I told you - what did you say?"
Donnelly smirked, knowing he'd caught his friend's attention, even though he didn't know why. "I said Nicholas Spade."
Jet's mind flashed to the graveyard, to Spike's grave, and the one the young man had been paying his respects to. "Donna Spade. 2006-2070. Beloved mother to William and Nicholas."
"-seen somewhere on Mars, near the graveyard at the West end of the city. The bounty on this guy is 8 million wu-longs."
"Donnelly, what'd this joker do, anyway?"
"Picked a fight with someone in the Red Dragons. Push came to shove, blood was spilt and a shot was fired."
Jet thought back on his friend Spike. They should give an 8 million wu-long reward to Spade for killing one of those bastards, he thought. Even still, maybe I should bring him in to the police before some careless, fool bounty hunter gets rough with the guy.
Jet turned the BeBop around and headed back for Mars.
On the way back, he thought of the events following his and Faye's final confrontation with Spike. Almost in a daze, Jet carelessly trimmed a large, live branch off his bonsai tree and immediately realized his mistake. He tied it back on with duct tape and hoped it could heal again. Then there was the wait that lasted too long, a door that waited open and ended up serving no purpose, and finally the decision to retrieve his friend before he was mistreated by a shoddy paramedic, much like he wanted to do for this next bounty head.
He looked out the cockpit window and thought he saw where Spike's star was missing from the sky. All too true, he thought. Like a melted snowflake, absorbed into the coldness of space.
Since he told Faye about Spike, she'd made herself absent nearly the whole time. She'd only stopped in for a few brief words and a gun since their last day together. It was like they were a fighting couple who never wanted anything to do with each other, but Jet knew that in time it would all be fixed. He'd handle it his way and she'd handle it her way, but soon enough she'd be back to freeloading and tagging along and generally getting in the way just like old times. Or so he'd hoped.
He landed his old fishing ship and again set foot on Mars' surface. Despite a lack of ambition after his sudden loss, Jet painstakingly looked for clues and evidence to find Nick Spade, the same way he'd conduct himself if he were sick but still working.
Time crawled by like a crippled insect and the trail got cold. Spike had always been able to track down bounty heads like he had radar, but without Spike, Jet had to make do with what he had. He thought he'd seen Faye walking the streets, fresh footprints crunching in the snow, but he hadn't been able to tell for sure.
Taking a break, Jet Black found himself sitting in a bar, ordering a drink. He bit a cigarette out of his tattered pack and tried his lighter. Sparks flew but the lighter was empty. Jet turned to the guy on the stool next to him.
"Hey man, you got a light?"
The man wheeled around and Jet found himself staring at Nicholas Spade.