Sonic and related concepts ain't mine; I think everything else is, though things are tricky.
No, I didn't get the idea from Sonic Riders. If anything, I think Sega stole my idea. But I'll be referencing it slightly- key word slightly, because I haven't played it.
Hoverboards were easily available in Sabre and Sonic's time, and while Sabre was quite capable of using one, he rather preferred his motorcycle. Sonic Jr was right to be worried as Sabre stepped up to the spare board next to the ganger called Brek, surrounded by dozens of spectators.
Sonic Jr crept up behind Sabre and said "Uh, Sabre I ought to tell ya, I think hoverboards today are a lot faster than they used to be…"
"Faster. Got it. Sweet!" said Sabre as he stepped onto the board.
"All right man," said Brek, "Beat me to the hover shop down the end of this street and I might take it easy on you, got it?"
"Yeah yeah." said Sabre, focusing on the way ahead.
Sonic Jr yelled "Remember, step on the blue square to accelerate, red to brake!"
Brek gave Sabre a look. "How long you been off-planet for?"
"Let's just say I'm older than I look." replied Sabre.
Then the semi-canine chick dropped a flag, and they were off.
Brek quickly took off from the ledge, while Sabre stalled, then shot forward. "Oh jeez…" said Junior.
The two racers flew at lightning speed through the bottomless street, Sabre keeping up through sheer recklessness and luck as he barely dodged hover-cars, wires and all kinds of other obstacles. Sabre hadn't participated in the hoverboard tournament, though he had watched it, and practiced a bit… while slightly drunk…
"What's keeping ya, huh?" taunted Brek as he burst ahead. Sabre, angered, stamped the blue square and shot forwards, bouncing off a wall and grinding on a wire.
Sabre gave Brek the finger and angled down; heading for the club which was the finish line for the race… then a spark came from his board. Sabre noticed this, and quietly swore.
Several more sparks followed. Then a small explosion occurred inside the overloaded, misused hoverboard, and Sabre began plummeting to his doom.
Sonic Junior, the girl and several other spectators had been racing after the hoverboards in a van driven by a friend of Brek's. "Dude!" said Junior when he saw Sabre lose air, "He's in trouble! Step on it!"
The van angled down and raced towards the falling Sabre- not nearly fast enough to catch it. "She won't go any faster, man!" said the driver.
"Shit! SABRE!" yelled Sonic Junior, seeing his new friend, only link to his ancient namesake and… hero, falling to an untimely death.
Then, instinct kicked in.
Sonic Junior leapt right out of the open window, and propelled himself towards the building wall. He then followed Sabre's path in an insane pattern of leaping, grinding and dodging all manner of wires, pipes, walls and structures- at a speed unreachable by any other living creature. Speed seen here had never before been seen in this day and age. It was speed that only existed in legend…
Well, this is finally it thought Sabre as he fell. He figured that he, in his ignorance and recklessness, had pushed the retail-grade hoverboard far beyond what it was ever meant to do, breaking every rule the teenagers of this day and age knew by heart. It was his mistake. Sabre knew death was coming sooner or later; he would fight all he could but accept it when it came.
Then a blue blur dropped out of the light and grabbed him. What the hell? He thought.
Carrying a surprised Sabre, Sonic Junior seemed to fly right back up to the balcony of the club, and landed in the middle of an astonished crowd and dropped Sabre. Junior stopped to catch his breath… what the heck had he done? The last few seconds were a blur to him… Then he looked up, and saw Sabre, a recently landed Brek, and a whole crowd of teenage onlookers all staring at him. One of them summed it up.
"That was so COOL!"
The crowd then burst into cheering, congratulations and questions. Junior looked around, confused. He saw the van finally land with the girl jumping out. "What…" he asked, "What happened?"
Random onlookers burst into speech.
"You just saved that guy's life, that's what happened!"
"You're so fast I barely saw it!"
"I think I got it on camera!"
"You're like, Sonic himself!"
Everyone seemed to be talking to Junior at once. He looked around, and saw Brek walking up to him. "You just won the race for your friend there, you know. Without using a board."
Then everyone went quiet as Sabre himself got back up, having regained his senses. He looked around, then looked right at Sonic Junior, and smiled. "My friend," he said, "I am nothin' but a psycho with guns who gets in more trouble than I'm worth. But you are the fastest thing on two legs ever to walk this universe!"
The crowd burst into a huge cheer, while Sabre thumped him on the shoulder and saluted. On the other side of the plaza, he saw a hover-taxi land with Amelia and Vulpis jumping out.
The two girls pushed their way through the crowd, who were getting handshakes and high-fives from the still bewildered, embarrassed Sonic Junior. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" exclaimed Vulpis, running over to Sabre. "Are you all right? My gosh, Sabre!"
"We saw everything," said Amelia, looking at Junior sternly. She paused. "…how on earth did you do that!"
"I don't know," said Junior sheepishly. "I just… did it."
Then the canine girl from the bar walked over to Junior through the dissipating crowd. She looked at Sabre. "Don't bother with me," said the gunner, whom Vulpis was making absolutely sure was all right. "This guy's the hero!" he said, pointing to Sonic Junior.
The girl then went up to Sonic Junior and kissed him on the cheek. "You're my kind of hero, Sonic Junior." She said, before walking away. Junior blushed.
Amelia just stared. "Oooo… kay. Well anyway, it's time for you boys to get back to the ship; I've got an announcement to make."
A while later, while the autopiloted ship was entering orbit, Amelia assembled her full crew. The captain examined her crew, then stood firm in front of them and cleared her throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, "I have had some paperwork organised to do with our new friend, Sabre here. Since he has no existing record in the government database, they have agreed to create one for him with a clean slate. I know you need a job, Sabre, and I just happen to need a new crewmate, so I've drawn up a deal for you."
Amelia produced a document and put it on the coffee table, in front of Sabre. "This, Sabre, is a recruitment form for the Star Thorn. I propose that you can stay aboard this ship and accompany my crew on our future missions for as long as you wish, in return for your loyalty and duty as Security Officer for this ship. I already have a science officer," she indicated Vulpis, "An engineer," indicating Crusher, "and a navigator." She said finally, pointing to Sonic Junior. "With you," she continued, "My ship has the proper crew to function as a private exploration vessel. My only question is; do you accept." She slid the form across to Sabre.
Sabre took the contract and carefully read it. He looked over it a few times, then put it down and thought for a second. He looked at his crewmates. Then he looked at his captain.
"Count me in!" he said. "Got a pen?"
The crew of the Star Thorn cheered as the ship went into hyperspace, bound for the edge of infinity.
Aaaand that's a wrap! Now, they go out into the universe…
If you have read this, I ask you nicely to review, even if you have before. It lets me know that people have been reading my work, and encourages me to go on- also giving me vital feedback on what I'm doing right and wrong.
Next, I might do some action, and introduce a new character…