Intercosmic

1.73 - RUN

September 17, 2024 Darrell S.

Outside the museum people scatter in all directions, causing instant panic in the district. We keep our heads down and I follow Edan as he picks up speed; making his way through alleyways and market stalls as if he knows the place well. We don’t speak just move. I’m reminded of a dozen different missions that went bad. We joke on the way in but when things go bad, there’s no more jokes or planning for afterwards. Hand motions and eye contact are the only forms of communication allowed.

Almost as if in slow motion a creature swoops down from the air crashing into Edan and dragging him across the ground through the alleyway and out into to the market. I follow, I reach for a sidearm that I don’t have as I hit the street’s. Through the crowd of people rushing and shoving I almost lose track of Edan but I make it in time as he manages to use his legs to push the creature away and regain his footing. It’s a Strux, I recognize them from the museum. The Revrell claim to have elevated their species for the purpose of law enforcement and fending of Draconian invasions. Many who don’t live under Revrell control work as bounty hunters, and I’m guessing Edan has a bounty. Insect like, hard exoskeleton, some even hide wings on their backs. I move in to join the fight but Edan waves me off confidently tossing his jacket to the side.

The bounty hunter swings first, Edan redirects his hand, landing a solid punch on the throat. If it were a person without an exoskeleton that would have dropped them. But it gets no reaction from The Strux. The two aback away feeling each other out. Edan pushes forward with a flurry of punches that all seem to be dodged or deflected. Another pause as a market stand separates them for a moment. The bounty hunter closes in with a flurry of body blows that Edan blocks with his elbows. It’s clear he’s a better hand fighter than I am but I can’t relax. The two trade a series of jabs and light kicks. Never really landing anything solid. The bounty hunter lands a big body blow to the Edan’s gut which causes him to back away for a moment. For just a brief second the bounty hunter shows signs of arrogance nodding his head and admiring his own work instead of closing in for the finish.

Again, I move forward but Edan waves me off. The bounty hunter rushes in to have Edan swing some wide hook shots and haymakers that seem to have no purpose until two manage to land on the side of the bounty hunter’s head. He’s shaken by the blows. That’s when I notice there’s no shell on the side or back of his head. Edan has a chance, he’s surely fought them more than I have. I just have need to trust in him.

Edan doesn’t allow time for pause, he rushes in with a series of shin kicks towards the knee. The bounty hunter attempts to lift his legs to block or avoid them. Edan launches a high spinning kick that backs the bounty hunter into another stall. He retaliates, grabbing a pot of liquid and flinging it at Edan. Edan covers his face to avoid whatever the liquid is only to have the pot thrown at him when peaking out. He manages to dodge the pot but the bounty hunter lands a big knee to Edan’s head sending him toppling backwards. Edan doesn’t move right away, but he’s still breathing. The bounty hunter produces a set of shock cuffs from his belt and walks forward.

He’s not playing fair, and I’m not going to let my little brother get arrested in front of me. I rush into the chaos, pushing through the circle of onlookers. Before he can turn around, I’ve grabbed the bounty hunter’s wings and placed a foot on his back. He shouts a gargled scream as I pull like I’m trying to rip them right off his back. I go toppling back to the ground as the bounty hunter goes limp. Edan is standing over me, offering a hand with the pot in his other. I roll the bounty hunter’s body off me and take his hand. A gunshot goes off and the crowd screams.

“Shit, he’s got friends,” Edan sighs either from annoyance or exhaustion.

“They’ve got guns too.”

“We should just run.”

“Which way,” is all I can ask before he takes off and I follow.

It feels like I’m back at the market when Edan abducted me, only this time, he’s running slightly ahead of me leading the way. Edan leads us down an alley and further down a set of stairs. We duck through a corridor and climb a fence as the chaos continues. I spot three more Strux chasing after us. Back on the market floor Edan starts to tip a stand of fruit, I catch up and help before we continue to run. Something tells me not to look back, but I take a glance. The bounty hunters aren’t stopping but the strange fruit does slow them just a bit.

“Ship is ready,” someone calls in to Edan but I can’t make out who.

“Coming in hot, be ready for a rough launch,” he shouts back.

We almost make it to the docks, before one of the bounty hunters manages to grab me by the arm. I throw a few punches but can’t manage to get away. The bounty hunter screams in pain as smoke pours out of their side. I spot Nastas pulling a short but red hot knife from their side and kicking them away. He tosses me a black holdall as I give him a nod of gratitude. The bag is heavy but I don’t question him right now. He’s running slightly behind me carrying a bag of his own as we move through the tunnel towards the docks. The ship is in sight, we’re in the home stretch now.

A heavy shot rings out and echoes through the docks as we near the ship. A pile of crates detonates before us, finally bringing us to a stop. My body sucks in wind air stinging my chest. Suddenly my legs ache after running, hiding and fighting for what seems like an hour. Edan and Nastas are equally as tired. Edan running with me the entire time, and Nastas clearly on his own chase, brining a new bounty hunter with him. The number has risen to five. There’s three of us, and they’re well-armed.

“We have you outnumbered,” one of The Bounty hunters says.

“Yes, but we have a Velphi,” Edan smiles.

“I hardly think now is the best time to be making jokes,” Nastas takes a deep breath. “We are in a life or death or prison situation. I don’t know about you humans but Meteorians believe prison is just as bad as bowing before another species. Live free or die, that is what my uncle always said.”

“I think now is a great time for jokes,” Edan tries to shrug while breathing heavily. “Besides when is the last time either of us went to jail?”

“What is a Velphi,” one of the bounty hunters asks.

“Are you two stalling for time,” I ask.

“I just think they should know what a Velphi is,” Edan responds.

“I hardly think that is any of their business. A Velphi is a trade secret, no, a company secret that we guard most dearly,” Nastas argues.

“I just feel like we should tell them and get it over with,” I join the fun.

“What is a Velphi,” another guard asks aggressively before Velphi’s massive body appears in the sky casting a shadow from so high above.

“That’s a Velphi,” Edan points up.

Their guns take aim at Velphi, the mythical Alpha Draconian their species was elevated to kill. Based on their reactions, they have never seen one before, a real one. There are plenty of species refered to as Draconians because they’re subjects of the empire, but Velphi is the real deal. The original species that conqured so many others. I understand their shock, I had the same reaction, actually, I think I was less afraid. Velphi is the culmination of centuries worth of nightmares. Not just for the five in front of us, but for their entire species. They raise their guns slowly to fire, too afraid to say anything. Velphi lets out a massive roar, that sends chills down my spine. A sound made of pure killing intent from the gentle soul I know just seems unthinkable. From here he does look like a dragon and commands the same respect as one. Will The Strux rise to be the knights they were trained to be by The Revrell in order to slay the dragon that had only been myth to them before, or will they cower? One of the bounty hunters fires their weapon. From this angle I can’t tell if Velphi was hit, but he doesn’t budge until the next round leaves the gun. With no warning he opens his mouth and begins to blow out flames that warp and shift until a massive fireball is heading towards the bounty hunters with speed.

The three of us rush onto the ship followed by Velphi. He’s embraced with hugs and cheers as the door closes. He saved our asses and should be treated as a hero.

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1.72 - Exit Wounds

September 03, 2024 Darrell S.

I probably won’t be coming back to Revrell territory again for a long time, if I ever do. I especially won’t be going as far as Tortuga. Edan thought it would be a good idea to visit the station’s museum and do some light shopping. Edan has never suggested going to a museum in his life, and I’m not much of a shopper. I think he just wanted us to have one last day together. He’s also been completely sober since the meeting with The Meteorins. I wouldn’t say it made him clingy, but it has him wanting to go down memory lane a lot. I’m the one who likes history and old stuff, but he seems to be the historian of our family. Sometimes it seems like he’s got every picture and photograph from our family’s entire history. For the longest time, I didn’t have any of our family. I guess I just wanted a clean break, but as I spent more time away, I thought about them more often. Edan made sure to give me access to his server so I could see the photos and leave comments.

Shopping was, interesting. Edan views himself as someone with great fashion sense so he picked out most of the clothing. I had to veto a lot of things he thought I should wear. But, it was still fun. I asked if we hould be getting the client’s kid back, but he assured me Velphi was taking care of that in his own personal way. I’m sure that involves a lot of Draconian styled beatings.

The museum is somewhat depressing. Being surrounded by history and unique trinkets is always a good time for me. The thing that brings down the atmosphere isn’t the history dedicated to Tortuga Station but the races that populate it. The Meteorians had a civilization that I can only compare to ancient Vikings of Earth, or North American Indiginous People, a hot planet with plentiful wildlife and vegetation. When The Draconian Empire couldn’t conquer them after years of trying, they triggered the explosion of a nearby star which caused damage that has yet to be undone.

The Staiv’al aren’t as bad as I thought. Their entire planet’s water supply was tainted with waste from Revrell experiments. It’s not that the Revrell did this on accident; they had the technology to purify it, they’re that smart. Instead, they wanted to see what would happen. They used to be completely covered in feathers but the waste robbed them of those. Generations later and they still haven’t fully returned. I thought they had massive beaks or shells, and they do have beaks, but the hard mask is religious and only worn by adults. Most aren’t like the criminals we’ve met but they were last to find a home on Tortuga so they are the most are impoverished. They turn to crime for the same reason any species does; it’s a way to survive.

There’s a few Revrell who fled The Revrell Republic because they didn’t like what was going on. They keep the station running, and have a minimum say in the politics. A few humans who have made their way here, like my brother; even fewer have called it home. Civilizations rise and fall, but the way the Revrell Republic and Draconian Empire have treated these people is downright disgusting. There‘s a species called The Acroit, or Acroits. I’ve seen several of them, I even saw one as I checked into the museum. I thought they were robots every time I saw them. The Revrell replaced most of their parts with technology, the way the Revrell treat their own bodies. They were looking to make The Acroits immortal servants. There are thousands of members of the species remaining, but there were once millions. They don’t have the ability to reproduce anymore and have accepted that when they die, the species will come to an end. They wear plain white masks that only have openings for the eyes. They don’t eat, they don’t sleep, and are said to live in constant pain. It’s a miserable existence. There are some hoping to bring back the species through DNA cloning or trying to find old samples of eggs and sperm or find ways to use the remaining portions of the reproductive systems they currently have left.

Glass shatters and people scream before the sound of a gunshot is heard. Instinctively, I rush behind the nearest display case and get down waiting for another shot to come; people shout, objects break and chaos surrounds us. I easily tune it out, and search for Edan. I spot him lying face up, mouth agape and unmoving beyond large shaky breaths. I don’t have a gun, but I don’t hesitate. I’m not losing another brother, espeically one I can save. It's a risky maneuver, and I don’t know if he has any spinal damage but I just need to get him somewhere safe. Sprinting at him full speed, I tuck my head and roll over him, lifting Edan onto my shoulders with a fireman’s carry in one swift movement. I keep running until we’re behind another wall.

“My hero,” Edan struggles to speak as I check him for wounds. “Concussive shot,” he struggles. “No wound,” another deep breath. “Just lost air, maybe broken rib.”

I peak around the wall; no more shots have come and people are finally starting to exit from all different levels of the museum. We can make an escape through the crowd. Edan is clearly the target but if we cover him up, we can go unnoticed. There seems to be one shooter and they’re not coming down.

“Janet, get the ship ready,” Edan speaks over his wrist comp. “Bounty hunters, get everyone on the ship.”

Edan takes my hand and braces himself against the wall to get to his feet. “I thought this place was a safe haven,” I ask.

“First time for everything I guess.”

I snatch a discarded jacket from the floor and toss it over Edan’s shoulder as we make it down the stairs towards the first floor. I’ve felt like an adrenaline junky lately, but my therapist once told me that a lot of anxiety symptoms can be caused by adrenaline. Sweaty palms, increased breathing rate, increased temperature. These are things I notice when I’m coming down after and adrenaline rush; this time they come with an uneasy stomach and sense of danger. Usually in a fight or flight situation, I want to fight. Right now, I just want to protect Edan and that means fighting but I have to flee. It goes against every tendency I have honed for the last two decades. If I find a gun to play with, I can end this. But I just need to keep walking forward right now.

Note: I made some videos about The Olympics on YouTube. They're cool.

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1.71 - Ceremony

August 20, 2024 Darrell S.

I think I’ve worn a robe once before; it was a bathrobe. I thought Nastas looked presentable, in his robe. I think I look insane in it. I might have enjoyed it more last night when I was high out of my mind. The fabric is nice, but I would feel better if I were wearing underwear. Edan is completely fine with it; aapparently,he goes commando if it’s not too hot or too cold. I don’t know why he felt the need to tell me that. I’m more of a commando than he is, and this is the first time I’ve ever left home without underwear.

Nastas has led the two of us to a meeting with other Meterorians. He’s promised that a deal has already been brokered and we only need to eat a meal then participate in a quick ceremony. Edan and I have been sitting in this empty restaurant with Nastas for nearly a half hour. He insisted we sit with our backs toward the door. It goes against everything I’ve been taught and with every passing moment, I grow more anxious.

“If you’re on time, you’re late. Being early is on time. Being late is unacceptable,” Nastas tells Edan as if that’s going to make him any less irritated.

Another fifteen minutes pass before a group of eight Meteorians enter the restaurant carrying large sealed containers. We exchange pleasantries and greetings. The military training on interspecies greetings helps a lot. Four of the Meterorians quickly enter the kitchen and begin cooking. I’m not sure if this is their restaurant or if it has been rented out for the occasion. Nastas exchanges stories with old friends, or maybe they’re new friends. Edan is quick to become friends with others, another skill of his that I envy. I’m relegated to laughing at jokes I don’t find entirely funny and pouring drinks with a smile. I’m just a highly trained member of bottle service who is hyper aware of his balls sticking to his thigh.

Dinner is served, nothing that sets the taste buds into overdrive. The more exciting thing is the story that’s told. The fish that were cooked are from The Meteorian home world. However, The Draconian Empire destroyed their home world when they would not submit. One day a group returned to the remains of the planet. They found an untouched lake. Somehow the fish managed to survive and has become a symbol of Meteorian strength. In reality, someone probably smuggled the fish off planet during the escape. It’s flavorless, and the texture is terrible, but it isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever eaten. I just follow Edan’s lead and pretend it’s great. When the meal is done the laughs continue as we’re served a cake. The cake is the best tasting thing we’ve gotten this evening, more, the only thing with flavor. I’m grateful to taste something.

A large green fruit is brought out along with a red knife. The Meteorians begin to sing a song, as Edan and I sit respectfully. They tell a story of how friendships were formed during wars that lasted for eternities. One by one each stabs the knife into the strange fruit. Blood colored juice leaks out into an ornate silver bowl. When the fruit reaches me I take the knife. The handle is hot and seems to shift in my hand as I hold it. They claimed it was carved from the lava on their home planet but I thought it was just more legend. Holding the actual knife, there seems to be some kind of intense feeling linked to it. Maybe some kind of electrical current running through it, I’m not sure. Nastas and the other Meteorians smile as I hold the knife. I stab it into the fruit and the liquid gushes out. It’s been stabbed six times now, but the juice still flows freely, continuing to fill the bowl. I pass the bowl to Edan, and he continues. When the bowl makes it back to the first Meteorian more nice words are spoken, and another song is started. Each takes a large drink from the bowl, holding the juice in their mouth before passing the bowl. Only after they’ve passed the bowl do they swallow. The bowl arrives in my hand, and I do as the others have, and take a big drink. The juice is metallic, like blood, however it’s much sweeter; sweeter than any fruit I’ve ever tasted. I swallow and a warmth rushes over me, every muscle in my body seems to relax. I catch a glimpse of the others as I fight against sliding down in my chair. Some are laughing and enjoying it but others like me are having some kind of drug trip. Why does it seem like I get drugged every few days on this damn space station? Everyone just acts like drugs are candy around here. I try to focus my eyes and remain awake as the celebration continues but I can barely make out the words as I drift off to sleep.

When I awake, just Edan and Nastas remain in the restaurant. I pull myself up in the chair trying to focus. The place is incredibly clean and while Nastas seems to be in a good mood, Edan is nursing a headache.

“You boys handled that better than I expected,” Nastas seems almost proud. “Most humans sleep for several days, he looks to Edan, “I suppose you have a high tolerance after his years of usage,” he turns to me, “and you’re just too stubborn of a bastard to stay out for long.”

Edan groans and forces himself to stand. “I’m going to eject you from the airlock.”

I dislike Nastas even more now. I’m sitting here with no underwear, trying to recover from being drugged, again. I was amazed that he’d be able to make a deal for so much stolen property so fast but now, I want to take him to prison. I’ve got half the mind to reenlist, just to lock him up.

“Hey Nastas,” I mumble the words.

“What is it? The juice will leave your system in the next half hour, if that’s what you’re wondering,” he seems calm yet smug.

“When it does, I’m going to kick molten your ass.”

“Then I shall take my leave,” Nastas exits, leaving us alone in the restaurant.

“I’ll order a cab, you try to stand up,” Edan says while barley holding himself up.

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