DISCLAIMER: The following is a non-profit, fan-based story. Sonic the Hedgehog is owned by Sega, Archie, IDW, Paramount, Ian Flynn, and Takashi Iizuka. Please support the official release and all official Sonic and Sega materials.
Welcome to the world of Mobius, a beautiful, largely peaceful planet in deep space, inhabited by both humans and creatures known as Mobians, anthropomorphic animals that come in a variety of different shapes, sizes, and colors; and several possess unique abilities.
It is the home of Sonic the Hedgehog, the Fastest Thing Alive, and his archnemesis, the evil Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Together with his friends in the Freedom Fighters, Sonic protects Mobius and its people from the doctor and his army of Badniks, so that all may live in peace.
However, Sonic's is not the only story to tell. Many other powerful beings exist on Mobius, all with their own stories and adventures. Today, we shall be looking at one such group of beings. Though they are not as well-known as the blue hedgehog (and calling them heroes would be a stretch), there are those who still wish to know more of them. To hear their tale.
The Tale of the Setting Dawn Pirates
Chapter 1
- Prepare To Be Boarded -
The Santa Fortuna. Personal cruise liner of the late "Blackjack Emperor" Maduley Caw, shipping tycoon and casino baron. At one-thousand, three-hundred feet long and twenty decks high – with one being a dedicated gambling hall – it holds the record of the largest cruise ship in Mobius. Publicly, it was an anniversary gift for his wife, Gloriosa, so that the two of them may forever relive the halcyon days of their honeymoon and indulge in their mutual love of the neon high life of Casino Night and BINGO Highway, and share that high life with others.
In truth, the Santa Fortuna was built to safely host and act as a cover for the Caws' underground gambling operation, the true source of their wealth. Wealthy patrons from all over Mobius would spend thousands of Mobiums on tickets for a fun-filled, luxury vacation cruise by day, and which actually served as the buy-in for multimillion dollar games of Poker, Blackjack, and more, free from the regulations and gambling laws of the mainland.
From the day of the Santa Fortuna's maiden voyage to his death ten years later, Maudley Caw was the undisputed king of high stakes gambling on the high seas in the criminal underworld. In the course of his life, he was believed to have made over forty million Mobiums from his floating casino alone.
And tonight, that casino was going to be robbed.
It was the night of July 30th, during the ship's final cruise of the year. It was one of the longest trips it had ever made in its ten-year history, sailing all the way from Station Square and along the Efrikan coastline and around Central Island to Empire City in Eurish; as well as one of its biggest event: a roulette tournament against the ship's captain, with a prize of five million Mobiums for first place. One-hundred participants boarded the ship in hopes of winning the pot, and by now, there was only one left…
"Master Even, I really think you should stop."
"I can do this, Zuppa!" Even shouted, "I'm sure I'll win this time!"
"Sir, you're down to your last hundred. If you lose, you'll—"
"I know, Zuppa, I know! But I don't have a choice!"
Even the Toucan watched in dreadful anticipation as the roulette wheel spun, his family's blue-furred otter butler, Zuppa beside him. The white marble clacked and danced about the whirling kaleidoscope of red and black in a frantic rhythm; one that matched Even's heartbeat perfectly.
"Come on, Corner 10-14! 10-14! 10-14!"
After what seemed like an eternity, the wheel began to slow down; the maelstrom gradually settling back into the familiar red and black numbered triangles. The marble hopped about a few more times before finally settling down. Even's eyes widened in shock, his jaw dropping as the white sphere lay cozily in the Red 7.
"Oh deary-dear me, it would appear your luck has run out, Even," the toucan's opponent said with mock concern, "Along with all your money."
A croupier's rake slammed on the green table and began dragging away the small mound of chips lying on it toward Even's opponent…the ship's captain and hostess of the tournament, Gloriosa "Mama" Caw.
Gloriosa was a Mobian cockatoo with white plumage and a gray break and talons. She wore a red, sequin dress, black high-heels and a matching wide-brimmed hat with a gray band, and several pieces of gold jewelry, including rings and a gold necklace with a pendant in the shape of a four-pointed star. Physically, she was somewhat plump; both from the floofiness of her feathers and her voluptuous, full-bodied figure. But despite that (or perhaps even, because of it), she was considered very attractive to many. All this despite over forty-five years of age.
She sat upon an ornate, wooden chair with maroon cushions, in contrast to the simple, wooden stool Even was seated at. In her hand was a wine glass filled halfway, which she proceeded to take a sip from. On her face, a look of smug satisfaction.
"Mama, please!" Even pleaded desperately, "Have mercy!"
"I'm sorry, Even, but you know the rules," Caw stated in mock sympathy before snapping her fingers, "Ace! Deuces! Take him away!"
At that, a pair of robots with glowing, blue "eyes", one red and one black, came over and grabbed Even by his arms.
"Mama, please! You can't do this! I'm your nepheeeeew!"
Zuppa watched as Ace and Deuces dragged Even out the door, the toucan screaming and begging the entire time, and threw him over the edge of the ship. His screams grew softer for the next few seconds, before going quiet. After that, there was a loud splash, followed by more silence.
"Ahhh, poor Even," Caw said as she shook her head, "It's a shame, he was my favorite too."
"Pardon me, Madame Caw," Zuppa cut-in, "But I thought Hit and Junket were your favorites."
"Well, I thought I you were supposed to be pouring my drinks and collecting my money, Zuppa," Caw snapped as she waved her glass, splashing some of her drink on Zuppa's tuxedo jacket and dress shirt, "Now shut your scallop hole and get me some more Colore!"
"Yes Madame," Zuppa bowed before procuring one of several bottles from a small tub of ice on a nearby trolley cart. After removing the cork, he proceeded to pour his mistress a fresh glass.
"Ahhhh, nothing tops a few rousing rounds of roulette like a bit of Tramonto Rosso," she took a brief sip and immediately cringed in disgust before spitting it out, "Ugh! This isn't Tramanto Rosso, it's Mezzanotte Viola, you idiot!" She proceeded to pour the contents of the glass right onto Zuppa's head. Despite that, the otter maintained his unflappable demeanor; only letting a single sigh to voice his displeasure.
"Of course, Madame, I am terribly sorry."
"You should be!" Caw set her glass down before relaxing in her chair, "Now then, let's get down to business. How much did we make?"
"From the tournament or in general?"
Caw responded with a flat glare.
"Right, of course," Zuppa donned a pair of reading glasses he pulled from his pocket before reaching for a tablet he had laying on the trolley. After fiddling with the touchscreen for a bit, he proceeded to list the night's earnings.
"The dealers on the Blackjack and Poker tables have earned a total of 500,000 Mobiums in this past hour alone, while Carps and Baccarat have earned 300,000. The new Mahjong table has earned 250,000, but it's failing to attract enough players to warrant continued use; so, I fear we'll have to scrap it. And, of course, the slot and pachinko machines are scarfing down money like Halloween candy at a Pumpkin Hill party," he entered some numbers into the tablet's calculator app, "Combined that with the pot from the tournament and we've accumulated a grand total of about 6,144,000 Mobiums."
"Wonderful!" Caw exclaimed, "Ohhh Zuppa, I haven't felt this jubilant in years!" She hung her head in sorrow. Ohhh, if only Maudley were alive to see this."
"Yes," Zuppa said as he clenched the tablet, a hint of venom in his voice, "Neptune rest his soul.'
"But enough about that, it's time to celebrate! More Colore!"
"Madame, wouldn't it be best to start sending the money to the vaults? We're carrying a king's ransom, after all. Someone may—"
"Quiet, Zuppa!" Caw slapped Zuppa right in the face. "I pay you to count my money and refill my glass, not talk me to sleep with your drivel," she held up her glass, "Now, less boring, more pouring! And make sure to pick the right drink this time!"
Zuppa narrowed his eyes at Gloriosa, but bit his tongue and carried out his duties.
"Miserable water rat, telling me how to run my business," she groused, "What does he know about running anything?" She grinned as she fiddled with her glass, "Besides, the Santa Fortuna is one of the most heavily guarded ships in Mobius. Who would be crazy enough to steal from me?"
Meanwhile, outside the casino, having disposed of Even, Ace and Deuces went to keep watch for intruders.
"Have you detected any unauthorized passengers?" Deuces asked.
"Negative," Ace replied, "This unit is getting bored."
"Agreed." Deuces leaned back against the wall and sighed, "Honestly, why are we even here? Nobody is foolish enough to steal from Mama Caw."
"I am beginning to think that maybe we should not have left Doctor-tor-tor-torrrrr…" Suddenly, Ace began glitching and spasming wildly; flailing his arms about as the light of his optics began to flicker and blink. After a few seconds, he went ramrod stiff, then fell to the ground.
"Ace!" Deuces cried before activating his communication function, "Alert! Intruders on Deck-1! I repeat, intru—!"
Suddenly, a pair of long tendrils wrapped around Deuces' mouth and neck. While they did nothing to muffle his voice or hinder his ability to speak, they kept him from moving and – more importantly – turning around to see the assailant. The screech of metal filled the air as the tendrils simultaneously crushed and twisted Deuces' neck a full 180 degrees, silencing him for good. Their deed done, the tendrils then released the now inactive robot's head (which now resembled a flattened soda can), allowing him to join his partner on the ground and revealing a lone figure standing behind him.
"Fuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuuuuu…perfect," the assailant said, their voice identifying them as female, "They sure named you right when they called you Deuces, 'cuz your sensors are shit. Now then…"
Putting her fingers to her mouth, the figure let out a soft whistle. A soft whirring and shifting noise filled the air as a previously unseen robotic drone detached itself from Ace and walked towards her. The device was turquoise and walked on four, metal spider-like legs. Its upper half was shaped like a dome with a black, lens in the center and a pair of golden diamonds sticking out of the top. The device walked over to the figure, who proceeded to stretch her arms out to the side in a T-pose, then crept around behind her and jumped on her back; its legs linked together into straps, allowing her to wear it like a backpack.
"Okay, now to make my entrance."
She walked over to the casino doors and took a look at them. The wooden doors were large and grandiose; being a dark shade of mahogany with golden doorknobs and decorative carvings.
She let out an impressed whistle. "Damn, that is one fancy door," she lamented, "I almost feel bad about doing this."
The gold diamonds in her robotic backpack slid out, connected to long, white mechanical tendrils. When the tendrils reached the door, the diamonds opened up, revealing high-tech spray nozzles.
"Now then, how much C4 am I gonna need for this?" the assailant thought for a moment before shrugging, "Ahhh screw it, I'll just use all of it. Kraken-Pack!"
The newly dubbed Kraken-Pack beeped as the lens in the center of the back glowed red and the spray nozzles began coating the door in plastic explosives.
"Hope your hubby had this thing insured, you pompous, over-stuffed sea turkey. 'Cuz when we're done here…" she grinned evilly, "You're gonna need it."
Back inside, Zuppa had just finished pouring Mama Caw a new drink…
"Mama Caw!" …when a small robot with a dice-shaped body waddled over to the table frantically.
"Mama Caw! Mama Caw! Mama Caw!"
"What is it, Snakeyes!?" Mama Caw screeched, "Can't you see I'm busy!?"
"But it's an emergency!" Snakeyes pleaded, producing a card from a slot on his torso, "One of the Poker dealers found this weird card in one of the decks, look!"
Caw snatched the card from the little robot and looked it over.
"That's a Joker, Snakeyes; a wild card. Every deck has at least one or two." she explained irritably.
"Yeah, but…this one's weird."
"The only weird thing here is your processor!" she kicked the little robot away, causing him to land on his side (she rolled a one), "Honestly, all that fuss over a little clown…card?"
Mama Caw looked down at the Joker card and, to her surprise, it was weird. Instead of the usual harlequin or Grim Reaper, it bore a symbol that resembled a stylized sun with 8 rays coming off it, but with different colored halves. The top half was white and bore the usual triangles for rays, but the bottom half was black and the rays were squiggly lines that resembled a squid's tentacles. To the casual observer it was a peculiar, but otherwise unremarkable sight. But to Mama Caw, it was the last thing she wanted to see.
"The Setting Dawn…" she whispered n terror.
"Madame, look!" Zuppa exclaimed, "There's something written on the back!"
Mama Caw turned the card around and saw that there was indeed something on the back. Three words scribbled on in black marker:
HIT THE DECK
"Hit the deck?" Mama Caw thought out loud, "What in the world does that–?"
She didn't have long to think as a thunderous boom echoed through the casino; startling everyone inside and making everything rumble.
"Wh-What in the world was that!?" she demanded. Her answer was another, even louder explosion, one that blew the casino doors off their hinges and sent them flying straight toward her at alarming speed.
"Hit the deck!" Zuppa shouted, pulling Mama Caw out of the way just in time for her to avoid being torn in half like her roulette table, and everything else it'd passed.
"Davy Jones…" the otter uttered as he clutched his chest, his heart pounding in his ears like a fleet's worth of cannons being fired of at once.
"My table! My doors! My casino!" Mama Caw shouted in horror at the sight of her ruined business. Horror that quickly turned to rage, "Who is responsible for this!?"
"FUUUUUUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUUUUU…!"
Mama Caw turned to the door to see a lone figure walk in through the dust and smoke of the explosion. The assailant was a female Mobian squid with light green skin, purple eyes, and a white "beakmouth", which was contorted in a cat-like grin. She had three, darker-colored spots on her forehead arranged in an upside-down triangle, as well as three more spots on the triangular fin at the tip of her mantle arranged in a right-side up triangle. She wore a sleeveless, black and turquoise wetsuit with a yellow collar, and a pair of black, elbow-length gloves that left her thumb, index, and middle fingers exposed. She had long, hair-like tentacles that went past her shoulders, with two near her temples that were as thick as her arms and went all the way down to her ankles that ended in triangular pads with large spots one side, with the other being covered in suckers. Upon her back, was the Kraken-Pack, its mechanical tentacles out, heads converted into a pair of miniature fans to blow the dust away.
"She's here…" Zuppa uttered in awe.
"Abyss the Squid…" Mama Caw snarled.
"Glori! Hey there!" Abyss shouted ecstatically, her arms spread wide as if greeting an old friend, "I haven't seen you since your Radical City party! How ya been ya old buzzard?"
"That's 'Mama Caw' to you, you bilgewater brat!"
"Riiiight…sorry, I forgot only Maudley got to call you that," Abyss shook her head and chuckled, "Fuhuhu…still can't believe you two actually hooked up, I always thought Bingo was more your game."
Mama Caw's eyes widened with rage as she pulled a gun from a holster on her hip and pointed it at Abyss, every robot and dealer in the casino mirroring her. But despite this, Abyss remained completely calm. If anything, she looked puzzled.
"What, don't you like Bingo?" she asked casually, earning a facepalm from Zuppa.
"So Abyss," Mama Caw started, "Care to explain what you think you're doing here?"
"Pretty sure it's obvious, Glori," the squid took a moment to cleared her throat before smiling at the annoyed avian, "You have tons of money, what with you being a filthy rich casino owner and all."
" Absurdly wealthy casino baroness ." Caw corrected
"Sorry, 'absurdly wealthy casino baroness'," Abyss rolled her eyes before smiling again, "I'm a pirate. I steal stuff. I think you can put two and two together."
Mama Caw laughed at that, "You're going to steal from me ? What rubbish! In case you haven't noticed, I have a veritable army of highly trained and heavily armed assassins and robots! All you have is…" she took a moment to inspect Abyss for weapons, "Actually, what do you have?"
"I got my Kraken-Pack," Abyss leaned forward, allowing her pack to leap off her back. The pack hopped around on its legs for a bit, shadow boxing and bobbing like a scrappy, young hotshot boxer, before shooting some kind of pod into the air; which proceeded to burst, releasing a storm of round, metal pellets the size of marbles everywhere.
Thinking they were explosives; everyone ducked for cover. But about a minute later, they hadn't done anything.
Abyss looked around nervously. "Okay…Kraken-Pack, that's your cue…"
Still, nothing happened.
Mama Caw's beak morphed into a smirk. "Snkrt! Mmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhmhm…Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh…OHHHHHH-HOHOHOHOHO!"
Abyss winced nervously as Mama Caw's cackling echoed through the casino, the rest of her mooks gradually joining her.
"HA! Well now, it would seem your weapon could use a little more work, Bissy!" the baroness jeered, "Now then…" she pointed her gun at the pirate, "Any last words before I cook you into calamari and serve you to the boys below deck?"
"Yeah," Abyss grinned as she looked right at Mama Caw, "You gonna do that to my partner too?"
Caw raised an eyebrow. "Partner?"
"I don't think you should," Abyss continued, "He probably doesn't taste good."
"It's true…In fact, most folks say that I'm otterly revolting."
Mama Caw froze as she felt something against her neck. Something cold and sharp. She looked out the corner of her eye and, to her horror, saw the curved steel of a saber. That alone was terrifying in and of itself, but what really had her trying to not ruin her dress was the one holding it.
"Zuppa!?" Mama Caw shouted, "What is the meaning of this!?"
"Fuhuhuhuhu…" Abyss chuckled, shaking her head in amused pity, "Oh Glori, you really have lost your touch. Otherwise, you would've recognized that your dear Zuppa was actually—!"
"Shellbreaker Otter, Co-Captain of the Setting Dawn Pirates, in disguise," Zuppa, or rather Shellbreaker cut in, "And that I've been secretly keeping tabs on your operation and sending info to my crew so we can rob you blind." He turned to Abyss, "Alright Bissy, pick up your toys and let's get out of here! This monkey suit's making my butt itch."
Abyss' stood in shock at her partner in crime, stammering and fidgeting animatedly. "But I haven't…I didn't get to…you can't just…!" she grit her teeth as she glared at the otter, "Aww to Hell with it! Paradrones!"
At that, all of the metal pellets the Kraken-Pack launched from its earlier display began to glow light green. Shortly after, they began to expand rapidly, growing to the size of golf balls. Then baseballs. Then footballs. The patrons and staff watched in dreadful anticipation as the devices warped and shifted; everyone wondering just what was going to happen.
Their wondering ceased when one of the guards gave one a cautious poke with his gun, causing it to crack and the glow to die down. At first, the guard was relieved, thinking he'd managed to disable whatever the oblong automaton was supposed to be. He was quickly dissuaded of this notion when the device burst open and a miniature, robotic squid leaping out of the pod and attached itself to his face. The guard let out a muffled wail as the robotic face-hugger's tentacles wrapped around his head and squeezed tightly. The guard pulled and tugged fiercely, trying to pry it loose; knocking over chairs, drinks, and even other people in the process, but could not get the machine off of him. To make matters worse, all the other pellets had begun to follow suit, releasing more robo-squids.
What followed afterward was pure pandemonium. The Paradrones prowled the casino like wild animals, latching onto the faces of every guard that dared cross their path. Those that were unable to find a guard instead made their way to the patrons and began grabbing at their valuables.
"Ahh! My wallet!"
"My watch!"
"My wedding ring!"
"My leg!"
Another battalion of the bots crawled to the slot and pachinko machines. They attached their tentacles to the cabinets, their eyes glowing as the slots began spinning until each one struck triple sevens and Mobiums began flying out of them, which the robots promptly began collecting, much to Mama Caw's horror.
"No!" she cried, "My money!"
"I would offer my condolences, Madame ," Shellbreaker said, his sword slashing into Mama Caw's neck, "But that would be otter bilge."
"My pendant!"
Mama Caw watched in horror as her four-pointed star pendant fell to the carpet below. She frantically tried to grab it, but Shellbreaker struck her on the back of the head with the pommel of his sword, disorienting and knocking her to the ground. With the Caw out of commission, Shellbreaker ran by and grabbed the loose jewelry as fast as he could.
"Bissy, I got it! Let's go!"he shouted, holding up the pendant.
"Hold on!" Abyss protested, "I—!" Her protests were cut short by Shellbreaker grabbing her hand and running off with her.
As the two pirates fled, Mama Caw had managed to regain enough of her bearings to think clearly…or as clear as she could, anyway.
"Don't just stand there, you idiots!" she ordered, pointing at the intruders, "Shoot them! Stop them! Retrieve my pendant!"
"Yes, Mama!" the guards proclaimed as they readied their weapons and fired.
"Crap!" Abyss exclaimed as the bullets headed for them, but her fears were for naught when Shellbreaker stepped in. The otter swung his sword rapidly, slicing each of the bullets as they drew close to them, their fragments harmlessly flying past them and into the walls and machines…
"Agh!" …and a few unfortunate guards.
"Thanks for the save, Shelly," Abyss said, giving him a peck on the cheek
"Don't thank me yet, Bissy," the otter grimaced as he readied his sword, "The fight's just getting started."
Sure enough, a good chunk of the guards and attack robots had managed to get themselves together and were getting ready to start gunning for the pair again. It didn't take long for them to be completely surrounded.
"Well now," Abyss said as she took in their situation, "Surrounded by a bunch of fleabags, feather-dusters, and rust-buckets in tacky monkey suits all armed to the teeth with guns and knives."
"Yeah…" Shellbreaker added.
Abyss smiled. "I told you this was gonna be fun!"
Shellbreaker mirrored her smile. "Never doubted that for a second."
The goons looked on as the Abyss' Kraken-Pack glowed and hummed, the two tentacles lashing out as the diamond-tips sparked with electricity. Shellbreaker raised his sword in a salute as he lowered his head slightly; the light from the Kraken-Pack casting a shadow that made his calm, eager grin look positively unsettling.
"When our dawn rises…" Shellbreaker said.
"Yours sets," Abyss finished.
Mama Caw's goons panicked, but only for a brief moment. However, it was all Shellbreaker and Abyss needed. In the blink of an eye, the pirates charged at the goons; weapons drawn and readied as they began cutting, clubbing, and zapping them down.
The battle for the Santa Fortuna had begun.
Author's Notes:
Thus concludes the first chapter of a new series. Special shoutout to my fellow Talesverse writers Nintendoman01, Author of the Insane, and Writing Avener 2016 for letting me join the team and inspiring me to start this side-project. You guys are awesome!
Next time, Shellbreaker and Abyss face off against Mama Caw's army of goons as they try to escape with the loot.
Like this work's parent series, I will be posting a dream voice cast for characters who do not have one. For this chapter, we have:
* Shellbreaker - Taliesin Jaffe (Eizen from Tales of Berseria; Basil Hawkins from One Piece; Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III from Critical Role and Legend of the Vox Machina).
* Abyss - Monica Rial (Tsubaki Nakatsukasa from Soul Eater; Suyu "Suu" Asui from My Hero Academia; Stocking Anarchy from Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt)
* Mama Caw - Laura Post (Valentine from Skullgirls; Primrose from Octopath Traveler; The Empress from A Hat In Time)
I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I did writing it. Hopefully, it will tide you over until the next mainline chapter releases. For now, read, review, and subscribe for more Sonic Talesverse action!
