"Keep on fearing, Robloxia. You've succeeded in becoming known, wealthy, powerful; yet, you're so afraid of losing all of it that you unwittingly speed along to your own destruction!"

Admonition of Yorick before his death, Grand Year 2009

Jack's apartment was of middling size, and there wasn't much color. Jack had refrained from staying in the lavishly decorated room Dusek had offered him, saying that a room like that would spoil him.

Angelica was there when Jack entered. She sat up from the couch, smiled, and walked over to him. She was a full head shorter than him, and when they hugged her head pressed into his solar plexus.

"Oomph," Jack grunted, pulling her tight.

They released each other, and Angelica stood back. She looked him up and down.

"Take those damn sunglasses off," she ordered. Jack did so, and placed them in his coat pocket. The coat was then hung by the door on a small hook, and stood idly by as Jack and Angelica sat together on the couch again. there was a bottle of amber scotch by the arm. Jack took it, poured some for him and Angelica, and then relaxed.

"How was your day?" she asked.

"Ehh," Jack replied.

"I heard you caught him," Angelica said absentmindedly.

"Who?"

"Arthur Ipecac, silly. So did you?"

"Yeah."

Jack drank the drink he'd poured for himself, and put his arm around Angelica's shoulders. Tonight she was wearing a white lacy shawl over her torso, a white lacy skirt, and absolutely nothing else. Her lightly tanned skin pressed against Jack, and he allowed himself to relax. He was with the woman he loved, and he was content.

He glanced down at Angelica's midriff. There were signs of pregnancy already; the abdomen was slightly round, betraying the presence of the fetus within, the fetus that Jack had already decided a name for.

"How was yours?" he asked Angelica.

"Pretty bleh," Angelica replied, and giggled. "Paperwork... stuff I had to approve. And the fire department keeps breaking the front windows of shops and things by accident, and I had to step in today when old Mrs. Dane's flower shop was run into by an engine and give a formal apology from Robloxity. Mind you, I don't have anything against Mrs. Dane, but there was a lot of squabbling all round and she kept asking why I'd brought my squad. For protection, see."

"Protection, yeah," Jack muttered. "Uh, listen, I've gotta tell you something. I'll be... gone for a while. Maybe a few months."

"Where?" Angelica asked.

"Official mission," Jack explained. "I'll be in deep space for help with a planetary conquest. Honestly, I don't know why it's a mission, or why I have to go. Nobody's told me anything about what we're up against. There are bits of the file Builderman gave me that're locked."

"Yeah, I'd complain," Angelica commented. "Honestly, you're part of the mission, why'd they hide the dangers?"

Jack thought.

"Maybe it's because they don't know the dangers," he said. "Y'know, people say space is just a big mystery ready to be unwrapped, but not to cut yourself with the scissors."

"People would say that," Angelica agreed. "Just my advice: make sure you're holding the scissors by the handles."

Jack pressed her close. Her short hair brushed against his nose as her head came to rest on his shoulder. Really, Jack thought, she was a plain-looking woman. But she was all the better for it. He snuck a hand to her back, and unfastened the shawl's clasp. With a rustle it fell away, and Angelica laughed.

"Oh, behave yourself," she snarled in playful annoyance.

"Yeah, don't count on it," Jack retorted just as playfully, and pulled her into a kiss. It was long, and passionate, and ended with a kind of wet smacking sound. They pulled away, smiling.

"Y'know, when you're gone, I'll write you," Angelica whispered. She traced a finger down his chest.

"Don't think paper mail's very efficient in space," Jack replied, "but if you're near the long-distance center I'll be in touch."

"Me too," she said, and pushed him back, pinning him to the couch with her hands and leaning in close to catch a frantic kiss, then a longer one. Finally they collapsed into each other.

The folder fell from the couch, and hit the floor with a quiet click.

-OOO-

The next morning dawned bright and early. The sky was almost pure white, so bright it was. There were clouds, but they were obscured by blinding sunlight. Angelica and Jack had exchanged one more goodbye, over coffee that morning. When it was over they had looked into each other's eyes hungrily, as if this was the last time they'd be together.

"If I don't get back in time," Jack had reminded her, "contact Andes. He's helped deliver babies before."

"Okay," Angelica had replied. "Don't forget to write."

"Honestly," he had said, "do you expect I'll forget."

And she'd said, "No."

And they'd embraced for the last time and parted ways. Jack had called a cab, which had taken him to the newly rebuilt and shiny East End Deposit. The Deposit had been destroyed two years ago by an Associate grunt with a firebomb.

He'd taken the train route that linked him directly to the water bridge that connected New Robloxia to Admin City. Now he sat, listening to the new and updated Robloxian Transit System Mass Transportation Device rattle off news and announcements. This was all just background din as he studied the folder. There were still some files he needed to reread before he embarked on the USS Great Justice. For example, he was now reading a suggested item list. There were mostly weapons.

USS GREAT JUSTICE
SUGGESTED ITEM READOUT

2 PROJECTILE WEAPONS (GUN OR BOW)
SHORT-BLADED WEAPON (DAGGER, COMBAT KNIFE, SHORTSWORD)
LONG-BLADED WEAPON (LINKED SWORD, ADVANCED SWORDS, MACHETE)
LASER TECHNOLOGY (ARMACHAM TECH, SCREWDRIVERS, ETC.)
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (BODY SHIELD, ARMOR, SHIELDBLOCKS)
ELECTRONIC SCANNERS (BLOXXY RADAR, ETC.)

NOTE THAT THESE ARE MERELY SUGGESTIONS; ADDITIONS AND DEVIATIONS FROM THE ORIGINAL LIST ARE WELCOME UNLESS THEY FALL UNDER THE OVERPOWERED WEAPONS TREATY.

Luckily for Jack, he knew a "reputable" weapons dealer on Admin Island. The two had met during a raid on a drug gang in the main city, and since then had formed a mutual agreement: if the dealer didn't sell Jack crap that didn't work, Jack wouldn't turn him over to Spectre Branch as a conspirator.

The train swerved onto a long set of tracks that stretched over a long area of ocean. Admin Island was dead ahead. The train increased speed, and shot down the tracks. New Robloxia became a blur. The piers vanished quickly under the blistering speed of the vehicle.

A girl with bright blue hair caught Jack's eye, not because of attractiveness (she was very attractive, but Jack was married and therefore impervious) but because of the general strangeness of her garb. She wore an orange band around her wrist, with black trim on it; a black tank top which only served to accentuate her slimness, and cargo pants melding into black combat boots. Unlike the regular commuters on the train, this girl looked like she was going to war. Also, she had a similar file to Jack's, only she had signed it. Jack was never good at cursive, but he could read it. Her name was Tahlia.

She looked up at him. Jack caught himself staring and hastily went back to looking at the file.

"You've got the same file as me," Tahlia said suddenly. Jack started and looked back up at the girl.

"Really?" he said, feigning a questioning tone.

"Yes really," the girl snapped. "Why?"

"Same reason as you," Jack answered. He lowered his voice. "You're on the mission too. Aren't you?"

"Yes," the girl whispered back. "Sounds fun to me. You?"

"Never been to space, myself," Jack admitted. "I can't wait to see it, though. Y'know, deep space seems like a pretty interesting place."

"It's not, really," said Tahlia. "I was born on another planet, I'd know."

"You're an alien?" Jack asked, moving back slightly.

"No, Robloxian, but I wasn't born on this planet," Tahlia explained. "Name's Tahlia, by the way. Tahlia Overseer."

"Overseer? That's a famous name around these parts," Jack observed.

"I know, don't rub it in," the girl muttered. "We're a big family... there's a lot of weird people in it."

"I understand," Jack said, even though he didn't. His father had been the only other one left of the Steel family when his mother died having him.

The train lurched to a stop at the platform of Admin Island. Jack stood up with the rest of the passengers, and disembarked, falling into the long line of people. They traipsed into the outer hallway, then into a sun-filled plaza surrounded with one-story buildings built in a fancy alpine style. Tahlia diverted her path towards a downwards staircase descending into the ground, and Jack followed her. They walked down the long set of stairs, and it gradually became cooler and cooler. Underground, it was damp and chilly, and when Jack stepped out of the stairway he shivered.

Before him was a large and deep pit. It stretched over a mile down under him. The pit was occupied by a massive battleship, its sharp nose facing upwards. Sounds of maintenance echoed from the chasm. Barked commands could be heard. "Get those damned cargo crates in," and "shut that bloody hatch, fool!"

He found a staircase to his left, and descended it. Tahlia, he saw, was already down on the landing, venturing onto a stone platform bustling with maintenance workers. On the other end of the platform he saw a flash of orange. That was certainly Builderman in his orange hard hat and gray sweatshirt. And to his right... Shedletsky, formerly Telamon? Yes, it had to be. To his left, obviously, was Dusek. But the man beside Dusek, standing with a strict military stiffness, was unknown. The man wore an officer's pressed white shirt and shoulder armor, and he also wore a backwards baseball cap on his head. His chin was shrouded in a black goatee. Underneath his baseball cap, he appeared to be bald.

Jack descended the flight the rest of the way, and made his way through the crowd. He was almost run over by a yellow maintenance buggy, which zipped past speedily and disappeared down an adjacent tunnel. He stopped before Builderman, who gave him a small smile.

"Ah, you're here," he said. "I was worried for a moment you would be absent. And, I see, Miss Tahlia Overseer is here. Hello."

"M'lord." Tahlia curtsied.

"There will be others among you," Builderman informed them. "You know the job you'll perform?"

"Security supervisors, M'lord!" Tahlia butted in almost immediately.

"Very good, Tahlia," the Admin said, nodding. "Yes. As security supervisors, you will see to it that the ship remains in proper working order. No crime, no secret terrorist plots, and certainly no attacks by other vessels."

"Er, certainly not, sir," Jack said. "Not under my watch. You can, er, count on that... sir."

Builderman smiled. "Dusek's given very high praise for you," he said softly. "I know you'll be good. Oh, and by the way, you won't need that dealer fellow you met a year ago. Don't ask me how I know about him, but he's a sly little creature. There's an armory onboard the Great Justice."

There were footsteps from a maintenance corridor. Jack turned to see three people jog out of it and towards them. One of them was a man, of middling height, wearing a blue t-shirt and a red baseball cap. Another was a young woman with pure white hair that was braided carefully down her back. The third was someone who was very familiar to Jack. They had been acquainted before. This man was John Derpston III, chief of the Greenwood Police Department. Jack broke into a grin. They met, shook hands.

"Well well well, Jack Steel," John grinned. "Looks like you've risen in the world, eh?"

"Certainly more than you," Jack rebutted. They laughed. "Good to see you again," Jack said. "What's been happenin'?"

"The GPD just got a new helicopter," John reported. "It was shipped in... uh, 'bout a week ago, and now it's sittin' in the parking lot."

"Who're all these other people?" Jack asked, gesturing to the woman and man.

"Oh, one's a zombie hunter and the other's a security officer from Armacham," John said. The woman brushed past him and held out a hand. She had a high-cheekboned face which put Jack in mind of a predatory cat.

"Helen," she introduced herself. Jack took her hand. It was a slender hand, and a cold one. Jack, looking at her face, noticed the amount of glossy makeup Helen had put around her eyes, and the dark crimson lipstick on her lips.

"My name's Uuom," added the zombie hunter.

"Shut up," the woman said coldly. She released Jack's hand, and turned away. "We all know you. You kill those who are already dead. Dispense with the pleasantries, Builderman. We have a job to do."

"Very well, Helen," Builderman sighed. He nodded to the man in military garb, who reached to a gauntlet on his arm and pressed a small red button. A hatch gently slid open in the side of the ship, and warm orange light spilled out into the dim cavernous space. From the bottom of the hatch, a ramp unfurled, allowing passage into the USS Great Justice.

"What a killjoy," John whispered to Jack.

They walked slowly up the ramp, and into the battleship. The room they were entering was cylindrical, an airlock of sorts. Jack entered the ship, and realized too late that the whole thing was vertical, therefore, hallways became bottomless pits. He fell, grabbed at the side of a doorway, and caught himself, swinging perilously over several flipped eating areas.

"OH CRAP!" he exclaimed. "SOMEONE HELP, THIS SHIP'S ALREADY TRYING TO KILL ME!"

Tahlia sighed, and crossed into the ship. She walked from a completely horizontal surface onto a vertical one as if the vertical surface was another part of the horizontal. Walking down the entryway on the wall that was the floor, she pried Jack off the wall and released him. Jack fell down partway and then fell sideways, smacking his head on the hard tiled floor. He straightened up, looked at everyone. Helen was looking at him with an expression that indicated she was surrounded by idiots and couldn't find a way out.

"The hell's wrong with gravity around here?"

"Damned if I know," John said amiably, passing into the ship. "Come on, I want to see the SPAAACESHIIIP!"

Jack got to his feet, dusted his red longcoat off, and followed John as he stepped into a dining area. The ship's walls were made of pale grayish-blue metal, airbrushed to a dull sheen. The tables were like the kind you'd see in a bar, only not as colorful and bolted to the floor. Several more eating areas followed the first one, then when those ended in a kitchen John stopped and looked around.

"Not bad," he said. "Not too shabby. Hey, the walls actually look good!"

Jack had to agree with him on that point. The walls communicated very well the fact that he was a long way from home. He took the sunglasses out from his coat pocket (he had forgotten he was carrying them until that point) and slipped them on. The readout described quite a few of the things he was seeing in here. For instance, an electric blue clear liquid sitting in a small shot glass on the kitchen counter displayed 87% alcohol content. The glasses also displayed the name of the drink, "Devil's Loo", and that this was the final form of the drink, meaning that this small amount would be enough to make a man die.

"Oh, you're lookin' at the Devil's Loo," Uuom said knowingly. "Had it before. Not enough kick, y'know, doesn't have the right flavor. Not sweet enough. I like body in my drinks, me." He passed over to the shot glass, drained it, looked back at everyone, who was looking at him waiting for him to fall over. Instead, Uuom tipped his hat to them.

"And now gentlemen, ladies," he said, "as my final act, I'll magically make myself disappear!"

He walked whistling out of the room.

"Well, he went fast," John observed.

They continued exploring. There followed a whole series of rooms devoted to regular household things, like cleaning and closets. Then there followed more mechanical rooms. These rooms had a darker theme to them; their airbrushed walls were darker gray, and the floor while still tiled was scuffed and stained. Piping began to blossom from the walls as they moved closer and closer to the ship's engines. Presently, they found themselves at the mouth of a low, long tunnel. The floor was eerily glowing a deep blue.

"Is this where the ship ends?" Jack asked. He knew near-nothing about spaceships.

"No, silly," said Tahlia. "This is a maintenance tube. See that blue strip on the floor? The blue strip propels you in a certain direction. Like this one propels you forward on this side, back on the other."

"So I just lie down and... shimmy along?" hazarded Jack.

"Yeah, right into the tube," she said. "Here, I'll do it first."

She fell to her hands, almost flat-out on the floor, and with her arms pulled herself along the floor in an army crawl. As she neared the maintenance corridor there was a great suction, and she was pulled inside. Jack knelt down and watched her disappear down the tube.

"Looks straightforward," he said to himself, and jumped into the tube.

-OOO-

An hour later, the ship began to rumble. The sounds of preparation had ceased ten minutes before, and now the ship was rising out of the cavern. The ceiling had slid back; water was diverted on either side by transparent walls as the ship rose out of the sea. It was supported on a sort of framework, sandwiched in between two sheets of metal and held in place by the high-friction inner surfaces of those plates. At approximately 8:50 AM, all the little ridges on the metal sheets abruptly folded into a smooth surface, and the rigging tilted to about a 30-degree angle. The huge ship sat on display, like a toy in the window of a shop. Then, with a strange roaring hum, the engines kicked in. Five jets of flame, the largest in the center and four smaller ones around it, lunged from the back of the ship. The vessel began to slide gently up the incline, with only the faintest of scraping noises. When it had reached the end of the incline, the engines guttered, faded out - and exploded back to life. The ship was thrust through the sky at an astounding speed of five-thousand miles-per-hour, tearing into the clouds and disappearing from sight, although not from sound. There was still a screaming bellow of engines, trailing after the ship and making the water froth and bubble.

As Jack watched, in the dining area, through the long side window he saw his home drop away beneath him. New Robloxia, the city more than two thousand square miles in size, was a glimmering swarm of lights that he could hold between his finger and thumb. Robloxity was a dust mote. The great ocean was a little azure puddle. Soon, a round edge began to emerge at the corner of the window. Another soon followed from the other corner.

Robloxia became a sphere wreathed in clouds, greenish-brown land, and deep blue seas. Cities were small yellow specks, towns were invisible. The great polar caps were a dazzling white on the sunny side, glistening dark on the other. Tripfall was a patch up in the far north, a dim shade of mustard yellow. The desert at New Robloxia's east was an ocean of amber.

He was definitely not in Robloxity anymore.