Chapter Twenty
The posse walked the streets of Concord Dawn and felt at home with the dozens of alien species that passed them by.
This grease ball planet of neon commercialisation was just like home in the ghetto's of Utopia, a robotic cop hassled a four armed purple creature about dealing 'Silmarillion', a group of waist-high Nas rapped in an alley, replicant-droid hookers propositioned passer-bys at every street corner, changing their holograms each time to suit the differing species.
"Hey there cruiser pilot, looking for a good time?" The holographic figure was unmistakable, Halle Berry smiled at them from the sidewalk, the form shivered, showing the real droid for a moment, a floating metal orb the size of a fist, the hooker was now Peg Bundy from 'Married With Children' "Come and get it lover."
"Any guys in your repertoire?" Siggs inquired, Peg Bundy shifted into Russel Crowe decked out in Gladiator gear.
"Baby you wanna rustle my crow?" It asked in a thick Australian accent.
"Ooh, can you start with one then the other?" Siggs asked her, "Cause baby I'll reroot your hard drive till you overload."
Dave and the others continued on their way, "Come along whore of Microsoft," Roach called. "Christ girl you've got issues"
"Call me." she made a phone motion at her ear and continued with the others.
They strode through the cantina doors and conversation slowed as the collection of strange creatures inside turned and look to them, Na, Yeerk, Dracyer, Leeran, Nephran, Andalite, Roppiss all stared at the new arrivals like Clint Eastwood strutting through the swinging saloon doors in any old stereotyped Western, the only ones ignorant were a group of one-minded Skrit playing a simple card game in the back corner.
Moonbeam strode up to the bar, "Ganswar shooters, five glasses and leave the bottle along with some Hawjawbra ale, make it piss-warm and spicy."
"Um, yar yeah sure." Replied the old scarred Na behind the bar, he was nervous and almost jittery, their reputation preceded them.
They sat and drunk for a long while, the other patrons went about their business, smoked some local drug, the same stuff the cop was hassling the purple guy about, Silmarillion, Dave thought, played some cards and watched a game of 'Ironclad Foozball' a fascinating cross between Gridiron football and ancient Rome's gladiatorial combat, A group of Nephran's cheered as one of their kind whacked a javelin through a Dracyer's chest and stole the Fooz.
Moonbeam must admit it was the only time anything like Gridiron had held his attention for more than a play, the Nephran's booed and threw beer nuts when the stabbed Dracyer pulled the javelin from his chest and hurled it through his attacker, allowing a team mate to take the Fooz, a bunch of Dracyer's laughed hoarsely and cheered.
After about an hour as the posse talked to some aliens who didn't seem to give a shit about the bounty or their rep a hulking Nephran strutted over.
The average height of a Nephran was about 6 foot, maybe a little over, this one towered at a little over 7 and while most had the athletic build of a swimmer this guy looked like a weightlifter.
Nephran's reminded Dave of 'The Creature from the Black Lagoon' Their skin was smooth and smurf-blue (a little off-setting when confronted by one) broken by the occasional fin, wings not intended for flying but to assist with swimming sprouted from their shoulders. Their head looked like a particularly mean sea bass had simply been balanced on their shoulders; little side fins were actually ears and what looked like a fish tail poked out the back like a ponytail.
The face was cruel, sharp teeth poked from the jutting bottom jaw, beady yellow eyes that could see surprisingly well in all conditions. The posse had read their whole A&E biography as the Yeerk's were currently trying to take the Nephran species as hosts, amphibian's that lived as happily in the water as on land, able to change the colour of their skin at will, fierce fighters that had waged war against their planet's equally fierce environment and each other for millennia, they were having very limited success at taking them.
"So this is the Moon Beam Posse the Yeerks are all after huh?" His voice was like a gruff construction worker with a nose block.
"What's it to you?" Moonbeam asked, the Skrit waiter brushed past the looming Nephran with another order of complementary ale, the Nephran grabbed a mug off the tray and chugged half of it before continuing.
"You're worth a lot to me and MY posse." He replied, Moonbeam looked over to the Nephran's watching the Foozball, they waved their hands with gusto to protest 'not them!'
"Where is your posse might I ask?" Rachel asked him.
"All around you." Replied the Nephran after another sip of ale.
A couple of Nephran's started to advance from the right, a Dracyer and two Roppiss' from the left.
"Suppose we'll have to settle this like gentlemen." Moonbeam said, he signalled for the posse and they went for their guns, the Nephran's posse went for theirs. Within the blink of an eye the bar had turned into a battlefield.
Taz shot at the Roppisses with a matching pair of .45's, one went down and blew a hole in the ceiling with his Dracon beam.
Roach and Siggs pulled out MiniUzi's, flipped over the table and started shooting at the two advancing Nephran, one copped it in the knees, his partner flipped another table and shot back, they looked at each and picked up the table, using it as a shield as they ran, not much of a shield against Dracon weapons, there was hardly any of it left by the time they got to the Nephran's but it did it's job, Siggs rammed one leg into the chest on the Nephran with his knees shot out, both blew away the other before he could bring his weapon round.
The patrons of the bar were going batshit, Rachel blasted away with her MiniUzi at the Dracyer, it kept shooting and coming, she thought about the one playing Ironclad ripping the javelin from it's chest and wondered would the fucking thing ever go down? Finally with more than a half-dozen bullets in it's chest it stumbled back, fired a wild shot that just happened to blast one of the mindlessly stupid Skrit still playing cards and died.
Moonbeam meanwhile didn't even bother going for his Rugar, he attacked the leading Nephran with his fists, surprise etched on that sour fish face, two of it's sharp bottom teeth went flying.
A clumsy arm with muscles bulging beneath it's smooth blue skin flew around and Moonbeam caught it by the wrist, he grabbed the bicep and broke the Nephran's arm with a sick snapping sound.
The Nephran's was bewildered by all this it seem, his right arm hung uselessly at an odd angle, Dave punched a hook to his jaw and it broke like brittle wood beneath his fist.
It stumbled, swiped pointlessly with it's left, Dave ploughed a final fist into it's rib cage, the skin broke, the ribs below it shattered, shards of bone flying deep into the Nephran's internal organs, as luck would have it penetrating both it's hearts.
The creature smashed to the floor, bright yellow blood squirted upwards for a moment and slowed to a dribble, all the bar was in silence, Dave reached into his pocket, pulled out a wad of cash and threw it on top of the bar that the old Na was now peeking over.
"For the mess." He said and the posse walked from the cantina, stepping over a broken Roppiss on their way.
Outside was dark and lit by street lights now, the city was more alive than ever, Dave wiped off his hand smeared with Nephran blood, Roach and Siggs lit cigarettes, Taz tucked his .45's into his waistband and stood there, silent as a statue.
"You know folks." Said Moonbeam finally, "This crazy Universe is just our sort of town."
"Amen." Roach rasped and the posse continued off into the night.
***To Be Continued***
Britz-Ug, I hate that ending, but I couldn't think of anything else, and the chapter's to short, ah to hell with it I'll have the next chap up soon enough, lot of violence in that one, and things start getting a move on after that.
The posse walked the streets of Concord Dawn and felt at home with the dozens of alien species that passed them by.
This grease ball planet of neon commercialisation was just like home in the ghetto's of Utopia, a robotic cop hassled a four armed purple creature about dealing 'Silmarillion', a group of waist-high Nas rapped in an alley, replicant-droid hookers propositioned passer-bys at every street corner, changing their holograms each time to suit the differing species.
"Hey there cruiser pilot, looking for a good time?" The holographic figure was unmistakable, Halle Berry smiled at them from the sidewalk, the form shivered, showing the real droid for a moment, a floating metal orb the size of a fist, the hooker was now Peg Bundy from 'Married With Children' "Come and get it lover."
"Any guys in your repertoire?" Siggs inquired, Peg Bundy shifted into Russel Crowe decked out in Gladiator gear.
"Baby you wanna rustle my crow?" It asked in a thick Australian accent.
"Ooh, can you start with one then the other?" Siggs asked her, "Cause baby I'll reroot your hard drive till you overload."
Dave and the others continued on their way, "Come along whore of Microsoft," Roach called. "Christ girl you've got issues"
"Call me." she made a phone motion at her ear and continued with the others.
They strode through the cantina doors and conversation slowed as the collection of strange creatures inside turned and look to them, Na, Yeerk, Dracyer, Leeran, Nephran, Andalite, Roppiss all stared at the new arrivals like Clint Eastwood strutting through the swinging saloon doors in any old stereotyped Western, the only ones ignorant were a group of one-minded Skrit playing a simple card game in the back corner.
Moonbeam strode up to the bar, "Ganswar shooters, five glasses and leave the bottle along with some Hawjawbra ale, make it piss-warm and spicy."
"Um, yar yeah sure." Replied the old scarred Na behind the bar, he was nervous and almost jittery, their reputation preceded them.
They sat and drunk for a long while, the other patrons went about their business, smoked some local drug, the same stuff the cop was hassling the purple guy about, Silmarillion, Dave thought, played some cards and watched a game of 'Ironclad Foozball' a fascinating cross between Gridiron football and ancient Rome's gladiatorial combat, A group of Nephran's cheered as one of their kind whacked a javelin through a Dracyer's chest and stole the Fooz.
Moonbeam must admit it was the only time anything like Gridiron had held his attention for more than a play, the Nephran's booed and threw beer nuts when the stabbed Dracyer pulled the javelin from his chest and hurled it through his attacker, allowing a team mate to take the Fooz, a bunch of Dracyer's laughed hoarsely and cheered.
After about an hour as the posse talked to some aliens who didn't seem to give a shit about the bounty or their rep a hulking Nephran strutted over.
The average height of a Nephran was about 6 foot, maybe a little over, this one towered at a little over 7 and while most had the athletic build of a swimmer this guy looked like a weightlifter.
Nephran's reminded Dave of 'The Creature from the Black Lagoon' Their skin was smooth and smurf-blue (a little off-setting when confronted by one) broken by the occasional fin, wings not intended for flying but to assist with swimming sprouted from their shoulders. Their head looked like a particularly mean sea bass had simply been balanced on their shoulders; little side fins were actually ears and what looked like a fish tail poked out the back like a ponytail.
The face was cruel, sharp teeth poked from the jutting bottom jaw, beady yellow eyes that could see surprisingly well in all conditions. The posse had read their whole A&E biography as the Yeerk's were currently trying to take the Nephran species as hosts, amphibian's that lived as happily in the water as on land, able to change the colour of their skin at will, fierce fighters that had waged war against their planet's equally fierce environment and each other for millennia, they were having very limited success at taking them.
"So this is the Moon Beam Posse the Yeerks are all after huh?" His voice was like a gruff construction worker with a nose block.
"What's it to you?" Moonbeam asked, the Skrit waiter brushed past the looming Nephran with another order of complementary ale, the Nephran grabbed a mug off the tray and chugged half of it before continuing.
"You're worth a lot to me and MY posse." He replied, Moonbeam looked over to the Nephran's watching the Foozball, they waved their hands with gusto to protest 'not them!'
"Where is your posse might I ask?" Rachel asked him.
"All around you." Replied the Nephran after another sip of ale.
A couple of Nephran's started to advance from the right, a Dracyer and two Roppiss' from the left.
"Suppose we'll have to settle this like gentlemen." Moonbeam said, he signalled for the posse and they went for their guns, the Nephran's posse went for theirs. Within the blink of an eye the bar had turned into a battlefield.
Taz shot at the Roppisses with a matching pair of .45's, one went down and blew a hole in the ceiling with his Dracon beam.
Roach and Siggs pulled out MiniUzi's, flipped over the table and started shooting at the two advancing Nephran, one copped it in the knees, his partner flipped another table and shot back, they looked at each and picked up the table, using it as a shield as they ran, not much of a shield against Dracon weapons, there was hardly any of it left by the time they got to the Nephran's but it did it's job, Siggs rammed one leg into the chest on the Nephran with his knees shot out, both blew away the other before he could bring his weapon round.
The patrons of the bar were going batshit, Rachel blasted away with her MiniUzi at the Dracyer, it kept shooting and coming, she thought about the one playing Ironclad ripping the javelin from it's chest and wondered would the fucking thing ever go down? Finally with more than a half-dozen bullets in it's chest it stumbled back, fired a wild shot that just happened to blast one of the mindlessly stupid Skrit still playing cards and died.
Moonbeam meanwhile didn't even bother going for his Rugar, he attacked the leading Nephran with his fists, surprise etched on that sour fish face, two of it's sharp bottom teeth went flying.
A clumsy arm with muscles bulging beneath it's smooth blue skin flew around and Moonbeam caught it by the wrist, he grabbed the bicep and broke the Nephran's arm with a sick snapping sound.
The Nephran's was bewildered by all this it seem, his right arm hung uselessly at an odd angle, Dave punched a hook to his jaw and it broke like brittle wood beneath his fist.
It stumbled, swiped pointlessly with it's left, Dave ploughed a final fist into it's rib cage, the skin broke, the ribs below it shattered, shards of bone flying deep into the Nephran's internal organs, as luck would have it penetrating both it's hearts.
The creature smashed to the floor, bright yellow blood squirted upwards for a moment and slowed to a dribble, all the bar was in silence, Dave reached into his pocket, pulled out a wad of cash and threw it on top of the bar that the old Na was now peeking over.
"For the mess." He said and the posse walked from the cantina, stepping over a broken Roppiss on their way.
Outside was dark and lit by street lights now, the city was more alive than ever, Dave wiped off his hand smeared with Nephran blood, Roach and Siggs lit cigarettes, Taz tucked his .45's into his waistband and stood there, silent as a statue.
"You know folks." Said Moonbeam finally, "This crazy Universe is just our sort of town."
"Amen." Roach rasped and the posse continued off into the night.
***To Be Continued***
Britz-Ug, I hate that ending, but I couldn't think of anything else, and the chapter's to short, ah to hell with it I'll have the next chap up soon enough, lot of violence in that one, and things start getting a move on after that.