Part 1: Blowin' in the Wind
Current Earth Cycle: Junuary 4, 4035
A man walks down the crowded streets of Outlaw City on the planet Barren in the DC (Delta Centaurion) Galaxy. He wears a trench coat over blue blast armor. The wind calls his name as it throws sand across his face. "BRRRRUUUUUUUUTTTT."
"I just need some time to think is all," he says to himself.
It is a dry day like all the others. He has only been on Barren a short time but he has already gotten used to the climate. He can't really remember even coming to this planet, or much else for that matter. He only remembers that he walks with a purpose; he is going to Dweezel's. It's a small saloon that has concerts and entertainment. Tonight the Diva sings.
He comes to the door and surprisingly no one is there.
"Hey barkeep." He asks. "Where is everyone?"
"No one cares about good music on this planet. The quick draw quarterfinals are tonight," replies Dweezel.
"Is the Diva coming on soon?" questions Bruut.
"Pretty soon."
"Okay I'll be waiting."
Bruut walks over to the front table right next to the stage. The waitress walks over.
"Barren Brew," He says.
She walks to the bar gets his drink, comes back over, and hands it to him. He sips it and smiles. She walks back to the other tables. Bruut is eager to see the Diva. She is rumored to be a beautiful young girl but Bruut has never seen her before.
A few men in suits sit down in the table in the back of Bruut. He feels nervous about these men; there is almost a bad aura about them. He looks back and then to the stage. He takes a sip of his drink.
A beautiful black haired girl walks out onto the stage. She has a yellow shirt and red shorts on. She must be the opening act; the Diva wouldn't wear something so plain. She closes her eyes and a light turns on behind her. A band rises up from under the stage and plays a soft jazz beat. She sings in a language Bruut doesn't speak. It almost sounds Gonzarian, the language of the lizard folk.
"TYYM TOOO TAAAK YURRR MADEESUUN."
Bruut drinks the rest of his Barren Brew and looks into the reflection of the glass. He sees the man behind him pull a gun out of his jacket. Bruut quickly kicks up his table and throws it behind him. He runs on stage and grabs the girl before the man empties his magazine at the stage, killing the band. Bruut runs with the girl out the back door and into the alleyway. They climb up a staircase and wait. The men in suits run down the alley and pass the stairs. Bruut jumps down and pulls out his blaster. Three shots leave the gun and enter the men. They fall to the ground. The girl climbs down the stairs.
"You saved me," the girl says in Human.
"You're a terran?" Bruut asks, surprised.
"No, I was born on Underworld. But my father was a bounty hunter so I got around." She answers.
"Are you ok?" he asks concerned.
"I'm fine."
"Good. I'm Bruut."
"I'm Diva," she says reaching out to shake his hand.
"You're Diva?"
"Yes."
"Why were those men after you?"
"I don't know. I've had assassins try to get me before, usually I take care of them myself."
He stares at her now with a look of admiration; how a girl so beautiful could be doing things so dangerous confuses him.
"Come on, we can't just sit around here and bullshit, people are trying to kill you." He explains.
"You're right, but I have a problem." She replies.
"What?"
"I have nowhere to go."
She puts her head in her hands and fights to hold back tears.
"Curtis, Steve, and Harold were my only friends." She explains sniffling.
"It's ok. You can come with me. I have a ship. My droid and I don't take up much space."
"Thank you, you're so kind. I don't even know you and already you're offering me your home." She says smiling.
"I can't leave that pretty face out in the cold."
He stares into her eyes. The tears still roll down her cheek. She wipes them away and smiles again.
"We gotta leave. Follow me."
Bruut and Diva walk to the end of the building and look around the corner.
"Let's go."
Bruut pushes her in front of himself and runs behind her with one hand on his holster and the other on her shoulder, moving her ahead. He can see a few more men going into the bar; a couple of them are waiting in a black SUHV, Sports Utility Hovering Vehicle.
"Over there!" one of them shouts, pointing to Bruut and Diva. "They're getting away!"
"Hurry!" shouts Bruut, pushing Diva. "Into that docking bay!" he says pointing.
They quickly cross the hover street and run into the garage. Bruut reaches into his pocket and flings a Centauri coin at the garage cashier. "Close the gate!" he shouts.
"Sure thing," says the cashier, oogling the coin.
A button is pushed and the exit gate is closed. The two make their way up to the second story where Bruut's ship the Helios XXX, named after Castor Hyperion's ship, is parked. The ship looks like a pencil only four stories tall. They run across a bridge to the hatch. Once inside the door automatically closes. They hurriedly climb up to the cockpit where Bruut's droid Kai is going over the systems check.
"Buckle up Kai we gotta burn," says Bruut, strapping himself in. "Everything good?"
"Yeah tzzzt but there's no fuel in the right thrusters," says Kai.
"So, we'll be making a lot of left turns," says Brut, punching in numbers. "Hyper-drive up?"
"Yeah," says Kai.
"Okay, punch it as soon as we get out of the atmosphere," says Bruut. "You all right?" Bruut says to Diva.
"Mmmm hmmm," she says nodding.
"Hold on," he says.
He punches in some more calculations and throws a switch. The console opens up and a motorcycle steering wheel slides out. Two pedals slide up from the floor under Bruut's feet. He turns the key and revs the engine. The cockpit begins to warm up.
"This thing hasn't left the garage in about five months. Pray," says Bruut.
Bruut slams his foot down on the pedal and a volcano erupts under them. The sky disappears and is suddenly behind them, the clouds part for them, and when Kai switches to hyper-drive rainbows tear across the vastness of space. . . .
Current Earth Cycle: Junuary 4, 4035
A man walks down the crowded streets of Outlaw City on the planet Barren in the DC (Delta Centaurion) Galaxy. He wears a trench coat over blue blast armor. The wind calls his name as it throws sand across his face. "BRRRRUUUUUUUUTTTT."
"I just need some time to think is all," he says to himself.
It is a dry day like all the others. He has only been on Barren a short time but he has already gotten used to the climate. He can't really remember even coming to this planet, or much else for that matter. He only remembers that he walks with a purpose; he is going to Dweezel's. It's a small saloon that has concerts and entertainment. Tonight the Diva sings.
He comes to the door and surprisingly no one is there.
"Hey barkeep." He asks. "Where is everyone?"
"No one cares about good music on this planet. The quick draw quarterfinals are tonight," replies Dweezel.
"Is the Diva coming on soon?" questions Bruut.
"Pretty soon."
"Okay I'll be waiting."
Bruut walks over to the front table right next to the stage. The waitress walks over.
"Barren Brew," He says.
She walks to the bar gets his drink, comes back over, and hands it to him. He sips it and smiles. She walks back to the other tables. Bruut is eager to see the Diva. She is rumored to be a beautiful young girl but Bruut has never seen her before.
A few men in suits sit down in the table in the back of Bruut. He feels nervous about these men; there is almost a bad aura about them. He looks back and then to the stage. He takes a sip of his drink.
A beautiful black haired girl walks out onto the stage. She has a yellow shirt and red shorts on. She must be the opening act; the Diva wouldn't wear something so plain. She closes her eyes and a light turns on behind her. A band rises up from under the stage and plays a soft jazz beat. She sings in a language Bruut doesn't speak. It almost sounds Gonzarian, the language of the lizard folk.
"TYYM TOOO TAAAK YURRR MADEESUUN."
Bruut drinks the rest of his Barren Brew and looks into the reflection of the glass. He sees the man behind him pull a gun out of his jacket. Bruut quickly kicks up his table and throws it behind him. He runs on stage and grabs the girl before the man empties his magazine at the stage, killing the band. Bruut runs with the girl out the back door and into the alleyway. They climb up a staircase and wait. The men in suits run down the alley and pass the stairs. Bruut jumps down and pulls out his blaster. Three shots leave the gun and enter the men. They fall to the ground. The girl climbs down the stairs.
"You saved me," the girl says in Human.
"You're a terran?" Bruut asks, surprised.
"No, I was born on Underworld. But my father was a bounty hunter so I got around." She answers.
"Are you ok?" he asks concerned.
"I'm fine."
"Good. I'm Bruut."
"I'm Diva," she says reaching out to shake his hand.
"You're Diva?"
"Yes."
"Why were those men after you?"
"I don't know. I've had assassins try to get me before, usually I take care of them myself."
He stares at her now with a look of admiration; how a girl so beautiful could be doing things so dangerous confuses him.
"Come on, we can't just sit around here and bullshit, people are trying to kill you." He explains.
"You're right, but I have a problem." She replies.
"What?"
"I have nowhere to go."
She puts her head in her hands and fights to hold back tears.
"Curtis, Steve, and Harold were my only friends." She explains sniffling.
"It's ok. You can come with me. I have a ship. My droid and I don't take up much space."
"Thank you, you're so kind. I don't even know you and already you're offering me your home." She says smiling.
"I can't leave that pretty face out in the cold."
He stares into her eyes. The tears still roll down her cheek. She wipes them away and smiles again.
"We gotta leave. Follow me."
Bruut and Diva walk to the end of the building and look around the corner.
"Let's go."
Bruut pushes her in front of himself and runs behind her with one hand on his holster and the other on her shoulder, moving her ahead. He can see a few more men going into the bar; a couple of them are waiting in a black SUHV, Sports Utility Hovering Vehicle.
"Over there!" one of them shouts, pointing to Bruut and Diva. "They're getting away!"
"Hurry!" shouts Bruut, pushing Diva. "Into that docking bay!" he says pointing.
They quickly cross the hover street and run into the garage. Bruut reaches into his pocket and flings a Centauri coin at the garage cashier. "Close the gate!" he shouts.
"Sure thing," says the cashier, oogling the coin.
A button is pushed and the exit gate is closed. The two make their way up to the second story where Bruut's ship the Helios XXX, named after Castor Hyperion's ship, is parked. The ship looks like a pencil only four stories tall. They run across a bridge to the hatch. Once inside the door automatically closes. They hurriedly climb up to the cockpit where Bruut's droid Kai is going over the systems check.
"Buckle up Kai we gotta burn," says Bruut, strapping himself in. "Everything good?"
"Yeah tzzzt but there's no fuel in the right thrusters," says Kai.
"So, we'll be making a lot of left turns," says Brut, punching in numbers. "Hyper-drive up?"
"Yeah," says Kai.
"Okay, punch it as soon as we get out of the atmosphere," says Bruut. "You all right?" Bruut says to Diva.
"Mmmm hmmm," she says nodding.
"Hold on," he says.
He punches in some more calculations and throws a switch. The console opens up and a motorcycle steering wheel slides out. Two pedals slide up from the floor under Bruut's feet. He turns the key and revs the engine. The cockpit begins to warm up.
"This thing hasn't left the garage in about five months. Pray," says Bruut.
Bruut slams his foot down on the pedal and a volcano erupts under them. The sky disappears and is suddenly behind them, the clouds part for them, and when Kai switches to hyper-drive rainbows tear across the vastness of space. . . .