Adventures of Kyle & Mad

Chapter 1: Pilot

”I’m glad this is finally over”, said Kyle Gigerdi as he shut the zipper on the side of his equipment bag. Mad Gigerdi stood a few feet away from him, and watched Kyle button his uniform jacket and straighten the collar. The low hum of the engines of this large Gigerdian cruiser were the only sounds the two could hear.

“I’m surprised that the little fight we had with the Bacterians after the first contact with the Hemmoians and the Orcish didn’t escalate into anything bigger”, Mad Gigerdi replied.

“Well, I’m glad to be home, either way”, Kyle stated and walked to the door. He patted Mad Gigerdi on the back, and smiled; “No more fighting along the borders or useless patrols for us two”, he said as the two exited their crew quarters into the main hallway. Many other crewmembers were also leaving their quarters with their belongings in hand. A large line of male and female Gigerdians with grey equipment bags slung over their shoulders seemed to be slowly moving towards the lifts located at the back of the hallway. Everyone was clearly happy to be back home, and preferably in one piece. Kyle and Mad walked to the end of the line also, and waited for their turn to board the turbolift.

“Have you thought about that idea of mine?” Kyle asked Mad enthusiastically as the line shortened. Mad looked at Kyle for a while, and with a grim look on his face, he replied: “I’d love to go, but my father’s against the idea of me and you buying a freighter and going system-hopping for a while”. Kyle nodded: “I suppose that something like this was to be expected from your dad”.

“Kyle, I’d love to go, but I doubt that my old man will be willing to give us his blessings for the trip”, Mad replied. The two Gigerdians boarded the turbolift, and after a few seconds the lift reached deck twelve, where the captain of the vessel was to hold his send-off speech for the crew. The whole deck was lined wall to wall with Gigerdian crewmembers waiting for the speech to start at the podium located in front of the large deck. The captain of the vessel, Ossidius Yerdal, emerged from the back of the deck, and took his place in the podium. He looked at the crew that had gathered, and smiled.

“My fellow officers and enlisted men, we have finally reached home after a short but potentially devastating conflict. As you know, the geopolitical situation in our beloved Gigerdi Federation has now changed with the discovery of the Hemmoians and the Orcish.. But also of the Bacterians”. Some of the crew were listening to the words of the captain enthusiastically, but it also seemed, that some of them were more interested on getting into the shuttles and transports bound for the surface of Gigerdi Prime. “I wish you crewmembers luck in this brave new universe that has suddenly materialized in front of us. But you should also remember that the Gigerdi Federation might call upon you to fulfil your duty towards your government and your race at any given time. I wish you luck.” The captain ended his speech with roaring applause from the crew.

Kyle went to talk with a few of the other crewmembers before their departure, and Mad decided to use his time to call home to his father. Mad took the turbolift down to the lounge deck, and saw that the bar that had been located there had now been closed. Only dim lights illuminated the entire compartment. Mad walked to the communications console in the back, and ordered the console to call his father’s number. The subspace communications took a few seconds to connect, and then his father’s smiling face appeared on the small screen. “Hello, my son! Have you returned to home world safe?” Ulre Gigerdi, Mad’s father asked happily. “Yes, we just arrived and I’ll be returning to the surface in a few minutes” Mad replied. “Excellent! I’ll call the whole family together, so you can tell me about your latest tour of duty!” Ulre replied. Mad, however, had other plans.

“Father, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about a certain matter”, Mad changed the topic. “What is it?” Ulre asked. “Father, I’ve decided not to go back to the university to study any of the subjects that would be needed to advance my career in the military” Mad said. Ulre looked at Mad for awhile somewhat amazed. “But why would you do such a thing?” he asked.

“Father, I’ve been thinking about finally take up Kyle’s offer, and going up with him for a little system-hopping” Mad stated. Ulre’s expression changed from bewilderment to sadness. “My son, I was hoping that you wouldn’t listen to that nonsense which that Frex’s kid has been putting into your head ever since you were little”. Mad’s expression also changed to a much grimmer one.

“It is for your own safety not to go. Many of the systems are very much insecure and full of dangers that you’ve never even heard of!” Ulre shouted frustratingly.

“I’m a grown man, father. I know how to keep myself secure.” Mad replied.

“Well, I cannot stop you from going, but I can tell you that you’ve certainly been warned about the things out there”, Ulre stated. Mad nodded, and sighed: “Father, these risks are mine to take. I know what I’m going up against. And Kyle’s my best friend in the whole wide universe – we’ve even been to a war together!”

Perhaps a tiny splinter of Mad’s explanations had finally sunken into Ulre’s mind, since he looked at Mad for awhile, and even managed to pull a smile. “I know that, my son. However, I was hoping to see you more around the house. People, such as you, die in these senseless wars around the galaxy. You and my mother just don’t want to see you die for nothing”. Mad pondered at his father’s words for awhile, and ruled quietly that these words might’ve been the deepest on an emotional level that his father had ever said to him.

“Nothing’s going to happen to me. Kyle and I know how to take care of ourselves. And I promise to be back home soon.” Mad replied. Ulre was relieved, “alright, just promise me that you’ll be safe” he pleaded. “I promise, but I have to be going now, father” Mad replied. They both nodded, and Ulre stopped the transmission with a quick goodbye. As Mad stared at the screen for awhile, he heard footsteps originating from behind. Kyle walked closer to him.

“I knew you’d be here”, he said.

“Kyle, we’re going to that trip of yours”, Mad replied with a smile on his face.

“What?! WE are?” Kyle shouted happily. “Yes, and you’d better find the best damn freighter in this quadrant for us, too”, Mad replied.

“Excellent!” Kyle still shouted.

“So, how are we going to get money for that freighter we need?” Mad asked somewhat hesitantly. “Well, since we don’t use money, the foreign office usually issues a moderate sum of money to anyone from the military willing to take a trip outside our territories after a tour of duty” Kyle explained with vigour.

“Alright, so how much universal credits are they going to give to a pair of lieutenants?” asked Mad. “Last time I checked, we could have 10 000 universal credits altogether” Kyle replied. “Hopefully that’ll buy as a ship from around here” Mad frowned. “Well, if you’re going to have to pay with universal credits around here, it probably won’t pay us a ship” Kyle stated. Mad’s expression changed again.

“Oh and how are we going to get that ship, then?” Mad asked with the same puzzled expression. “The answer, my friend, is simple: we’ll buy from outside GF borders, where used freighters are dirt-cheap” Kyle replied. “And which system do you have in mind, exactly?” Mad asked again.

“Dremole Station in the Harg system”, Kyle replied. Mad’s expression darkened even more, since Dremole Station wasn’t the most reputable establishments in the Beta Quadrant. “I surely hope that you know what you’re getting us into, Kyle” Mad replied. “I know we’ll be fine. And, on top of things, I’d recommend that we hitch a ride on the surface and then board a shuttle bound for Dremole Station as soon as possible” Kyle patted Mad on the back and they both left for the elevators.

Chapter 2: Encounter at Dremole

“Some less-experienced travellers might call Dremole Station located in the Harg system a big old mess and them some. Many would claim this questionable tourist resort to be one of the most heinous nests of scum and villainy in the universe, but fail to see that Dremole Station is simply all about diversity.”

- Extract from the “Galactic Tourists Guide (18th revised edition)”

“I just don’t know about this” Mad said quietly to Kyle as the two sat side-by-side in the passenger compartment of a normal commercial shuttle bound for Dremole Station. “I mean, do you even know where to find these cheap freighters?” Mad asked.

“A guy I knew, named Celex, bought a small freighter from some Orcish trader from Dremole Station a while ago” Kyle explained as the shuttle moved ever closer to the station located in the orbit of Dremole’s main planet, which was a beautiful gas giant. “Are you talking about Otnes Celex? The young cadet who was mysteriously sucked into a black hole after the engines of his ship failed to ignite?” Mad asked suspiciously. Kyle looked at Mad for a second, and then smiled: “Yeah, the same guy” Kyle replied embarrassingly. Mad sighed.

“Come on, at least he got that fighter real cheap”, Kyle said as the shuttle slid into one of the three hangars aboard the station. As the shuttle landed, the grim reality that was Dremole Station quickly sunk in on Kyle and Mad. The station itself had been set up as a mining station long ago by a ragtag group of fortune-seekers, but as one after another of them had died, the station had been taken over by all sorts of people looking for new homes in the Beta Quadrant Free Zone. The station had also seen wide reconstruction in the way of independent organizations constructing additional parts on the station. Several cargo haulers, private luxery liners and smaller craft were also docked on the various external docking bays located on the hull of the station. Several ships had also parked themselves outside the station while their crews had gone inside the station to enjoy themselves.

As Kyle and Mad emerged from the shuttle, all they could see were long, wide corridors that had masses of people walking, bartering, shouting, drinking and even fighting with each other. There were no customs officials. As Kyle and Mad walked around the station, they noticed bars and various little shops selling everything from fast food and weapons to even funeral services. Many of the inhabitants of the station also openly displayed their weapons in order to thwart any robbing attempts. Several raiders and pirates of known Beta Quadrant clans openly walked in the streets and talked among themselves.

“According to the billboard, Barghest’s used vessel dealership should be located on deck seven” Kyle said while observing the crowd before him. “We should’ve brought a couple of guns with us, just to be sure”, Mad said to himself while looking at a group raiders clad in their red and yellow striped armour walking past them. “Just relax, we’ll buy that ship and then be on our way out” Kyle said as the two Gigerdians walked down a staircase after another since all of the turbolifts had been broken or had people living in them. The two then came to a large deck that had a large fence built from one wall to another. Clearly this fence was meant to keep outsiders away from the large fenced-out area. As Kyle and Mad walked closer, they saw a large neon-sign with Barghest’s used vessel dealership written on it. The red and orange blinking lights were surely inviting to begin with.

As the two Gigerdians entered the fenced area, they noticed star ships of all shapes and sizes parked there.

“I think we’ll find what we’re looking for from here” Kyle said contently.

Kyle approached a large booth at the end of the compound, and entered it with Mad. Inside the booth was an Orcish male with an extremely big mouth shackled to a chair. In front of this Orcish man was a standard office table with all the necessary equipment needed to run a finely administered office. The Orcish male was snoring loudly. “Excuse me, but are you Barghest?” Kyle asked quietly.

The Orcish male awoke from his slumber and growled loudly. He looked around for a few seconds, and then changed his gaze directly to Mad and Kyle.

“Barghest will eat his tie if you buy a ship!” the orcish male growled. “Yes, we’re looking for a reasonably priced freighter” Mad answered Barghest. “Barghest sells to anybody: be it red, green, yellow, purple or transparent! Everyone finds a ship from my bonanza of insane prices!” Barghest growled insanely. “Go out and select a ship, and then we’ll talk about the insanely delirious prices!” Barghest instructed.

“Why are you shackled to a chair?” Kyle asked Barghest, who started to laugh. “Barghest shackles himself to this chair because he sells ships to anyone at ridiculously low prices!!” he barked. “You two should go out and check my selection, and then we’ll talk about yet another absolutely insane deal!” Barghest instructed the two Gigerdians.

As Kyle and Mad toured around the yard, they saw various ships that were suitable for a multitude of roles. “We’d need something fast and powerful” Kyle pondered to himself, “but nevertheless cheap” Mad added. “Look at some of these ships, they look like something that could’ve been salvaged and then resold again” Kyle replied. “Where does he get all these ships?” Kyle continued to himself.

Kyle and Mad stopped close to a small civilian freighter with a pair of engines on the side and a sleek-looking hull. The ship itself had all sorts of striped paintings on the engines and hull. The ship also had a weapon turret of some sort located on the front. It didn’t seem too badly damaged, although it had clearly been repaired for hull breeches and engine damages a few times. “I think we’ve got it”, Kyle said and reached out with his arm to point to the ship in front of them. “Why is that thing decorated with all that stuff?” Mad asked. “I don’t know, but I guess we could paint it again. And, the cargo compartment could possibly hold a considerable amount of stuff too”. “It might pay itself back, yes.” Mad agreed. “The first thing we do about this vessel, though, is that we paint it. Those daggers, skulls and weird symbols give me the creeps” Kyle replied.

As Kyle and Mad returned to Barghest’s booth, they expressed their willingness to buy the ship located in the back. Barghest was clearly pleased, but the price tag on the ship was 23,000 universal credits. Kyle and Mad only had 17,000 after some careful bartering of old valuable items. “You are even crazier than crazy Barghest is, if you think you can have that ship for only 17,000!!” the crazy seller yelled at the two. “That ship’s clearly had a few accidents in the past. I’m surprised if the engines even run correctly” Kyle haggled. “Yes, we’re willing to pay 17,000 and no more. Take it or leave it.” Mad backed up his friend. Barghest shut his immense mouth for a while, and pondered at the offer. “Well, Barghest has been known to be completely insane with his deals in the past.. So why not continue the tradition!” he growled again and then laughed.

“Great, so we have a deal?” Mad asked. “Certainly we do, but Barghest will eat this table if you buy two starships! Special offer only for you!” the Orcish laughed and shook in his shackled chair. “No thanks, but we’d like to get the paperwork started right now with the new ownership”, Kyle replied. “Alright, the ship is yours to take, but the reactor runs on fuel, and it’s been light years since anybody’s refuelled it” Barghest explained much more calmly. As Kyle and Mad were about to exit the booth, Kyle glanced at Barghest once more. “I’ll have your ship moved to visitor hangar two at an insanely fast pace!” Barghest stated.

“Does this ship have a name?” Kyle asked. Barghest looked at Kyle for awhile, and replied: “yes, it’s called The Hawk of the Galaxy”. Mad and Kyle nodded and exited the booth and walked towards the staircase located at the back of the large hangar-like deck.

“Oh, yet another completely mindless deal made! What an unbelievably insane day”” Barghest shouted alone in his office. Suddenly he ripped one of the shackles off and took a bite of his black tie. He munched at it vigorously.

Chapter 3: Getting the Hell Out of Dodge

Kyle and Mad entered one of the seedy bars located near the shuttle port inside the Demole Station. The place was dark and smoky, with all sorts of characters inhabiting the place. The reason for the two being here was to have a toast for their new star ship.

“What’s on the tap?” Kyle asked the human bartender. “My green friend, the tap in this fine establishment includes everything that is excluded in the more civilized sectors” the human replied with a smirk. “So, what can I get you two?” the bartender asked. Kyle and Mad looked at each other, and then with a united voice said: “you got any Folan Ale?”

The bartender laughed: “I see you two came here to really enjoy yourselves. And for special occasions like that, we do serve Folan Ale”. As Kyle and Mad were handed their big glasses full of Folan Ale, they greedily looked at the alcoholic beverage that had been outlawed in many other systems, but was openly served in a place like Demole Station. Kyle and Mad found a small quiet table in the back of the bar, and just looked at the various people converging in their business around the bar. After a while an exotic dance performed by a pair of luscious Vemrer females begun at a small stage in the center. Kyle and Mad toasted.

“May we have a good trip with the Hawk of the Galaxy” Kyle said as they toasted the special occasion. A few moments later the exotic dance was at full swing, but something completely different had catched Mad’s eye. “Kyle, that guy in the third booth is eying us” Mad explained to Kyle, who quickly glanced at the dark figure situated in the third booth. Indeed this bearded human dressed in a hooded trench-coat and black boots seemed as seedy as any other patron in the bar. In front of him was a water pipe with a gleaming hot chunk of coal on top for heating whatever was inside. He took long drags from the hose of the pipe at regular intervals: the white thick smoke that he exhaled formed around his face, and almost completely hid his facial features. “Well, he certainly seems highly questionable”, Kyle concluded.

As Kyle stood up from the table and decided to get a refill of Folan ale, he accidentally ran into long-haired human wearing red and purple body armour. This person was obviously a member of some raider clan, and now lying on the floor with all his drinks spilled, didn’t make him very happy. “You’re going to pay for that!” the raider shouted and started to reach for his sidearm. A group of other raiders had also noticed the scene, and rushed to help Kyle. Mad stood up from the table also, and ran for Kyle. “Oh hell”, Kyle managed to say.

As the raider lying on the floor whipped out his sidearm, and his friends were closing in, a sudden blast of energy quickly turned the head of one of the advancing raiders into a crispy stump. The sudden blast of energy had originated from the back of the bar. Kyle and Mad quickly dashed for cover with all of the other patrons as a table in the back was knocked over and a fire fight ensued. Whoever the gunman located at the back of the bar was, he was fast and extremely accurate in his fire. Kyle and Mad ducked behind a table as well, and watched the last of the raiders fall dead on the ground. Suddenly a black figure emerged from the smoke right in front of Kyle and Mad.

“Come with me if you want to live”, he said. “In about ten seconds, an entire clan of very pissed off raiders are going to barge inside the bar, and I won’t be able to kill all of them with just this rifle” he explained. Kyle and Mad nodded. “Alright, we’ve got a ship on deck two. If we’ll manage there, we’ll be happy to give you a ride” Kyle replied. The three quickly exited the bar, and as they ran through the corridors, gunfire could be heard in the background. “Come on, we’ve got to hurry!” the bearded human shouted.

As the three reached an intersection, Mad spotted a group of five raiders running through the maze-like hallways. “They’re coming!” he shouted.

“I saw them!” the human replied, and aimed at the group trying to advance in the middle of a large crowd of people. As the human pulled the trigger, he hit one of the raiders in the chest, causing him to violently fall backwards on another raider. The ensuing chaos was enough for the three to reach a working elevator. “That was real close”, the human commented to himself. “Yeah”, replied Kyle. “But this isn’t over yet”, the human stated.

As the group of three reached visitor hangar two, they saw their small freighter parked in the front. Kyle and Mad ran inside the ship along with the human. The engines started pretty sloppily, but against all odds, the ship did move away from the hangar and even managed to manoeuvre it out pretty nicely. “Looks like they didn’t follow us” the human commented as he had taken the helm of the vessel. The ship cruised ever farther away from the station.

“That was some thick stuff we got ourselves into”, the man said with a grin. “I didn’t catch your name” Kyle replied. “My name’s Den Kylek. You can call me the man who just pulled out your red-hot greenie butts out of a potential execution”. “My name’s Kyle Gigerdi and my friend here is Mad Gigerdi” Kyle introduced the pair with haste. As the Hawk of the Galaxy was about to exit the vicinity of the station, a sudden blast of an energy weapon hit the shields of the vessel- the whole vessel shook violently. A pair of raider fighters swooped over the small freighter.

“Looks like whoever’s attacking us right now is hailing us too”, Den Kylek reported. “Put him on screen” Mad replied. The face of a raider appeared on the holographic display. The person was wearing a mask of some sort, so there was no telling on who he really was.

“Guimer, this time you won’t be sneaking away with my cargo in that pathetic little tin can of yours” the masked raider explained. “The name’s not Guimer and we don’t have your cargo” Kyle replied sternly. “Hey, this ship’s carrying raider insignia”, Den Kylek stated from the helm. “So that’s what all those scribbles on the hull meant” Mad concluded. “I want my cargo back, and I’m going to give you five seconds to halt your engines and turn back to the station” the masked raider shouted angrily. “For the last time, there’s nobody named Guimer inside this vessel, and we just bought this vessel” Kyle shouted back. “The last time you had trouble with me, Guimer, you tricked me on believing that a large space monster had eaten your ship and you had spend seven weeks inside its’ belly!” Den Kylek chuckled from the helm at the raider’s accusation as the two raider ships were circling around the ship. “Why should I believe you now?” the angry raider asked.

“Alright, we’re coming with you. Just give us some space to manoeuvre” Kyle replied. “What are you doing?” Mad asked with a frightened look on his face as the holographic display was shut. “Trust me. As soon as they escort us closer to the station, we’ll jump away from them” Kyle explained. “Neat trick, if we pull it off” Den Kylek commented.

As the ship advanced closer to the station again under raider escort, Den at it’s’ helm accelerated the engines of the ship to maximum. Obviously it took the raiders a split second to understand what was happening, but luckily the raiders were too slow to act as The Hawk of the Galaxy jumped to hyperspace dangerously close to the station. Kyle and Mad both gasped for air inside the ship. The dangerous situation was quickly over.

“There was apparently enough fuel inside those jump engines to make one jump” Kyle pondered to himself. “Luckily, yes” Mad replied. Den Kylek stood up from the helm and addressed the two Gigerdians: “I’d like to congratulate you about that daring escape, and also note, that this ship won’t be going anywhere near the Harg system ever again, unless we want die very horribly”.

“Who are you two anyway? And what were you doing in Dremole Station?” Den Kylek asked suspiciously. “We went to the station to buy a cheap freighter in order to go system-hopping” Mad replied. Den looked at the two for awhile: “System-hopping? And of all places which you could’ve chosen to start your little road trip, you chose Dremole Station?” The two Gigerdians were clearly embarrassed of these words. “Well, we just thought that the place might offer us a cheap freighter and a good start” Kyle replied.

“You two are lucky to get out alive” Den replied. “But, lectures aside. I can see that this old bird is running on fumes, and we need to find a fuel depot that sells Lectorium fuel” he added. “The closest one is in Hicatorio, where we’ll be heading, I guess” he said to himself and walked back to the helm.

“What were you thinking about doing with his ship during your adventures of System-Hopping, anyway?” Den asked as Kyle and Mad took their seats on the small bridge of the vessel. “Well, we’ve been thinking about doing the thing this ship is meant for: cargo hauling” Kyle said as he eyed Mad. “Yes, and we really appreciate the help in that bar” Mad said quietly.

“You two want to be cargo truckers?” Den said with a chuckle. “Well, I’d say that you should be more careful in the future if you’ve decided to take that career path. However, I’d say that we’d better go to that refuelling depot soon, or else will be stuck out here with no fuel. We can ponder your new careers there” Den concluded as he punched the new navigational coordinates in the ancient console. “And while I’m at it, I think I’ll be joining your crew of cargo haulers, then” Den turned his head to face the Gigerdians as he said it.

The two Gigerdians looked at each other with a puzzled look on their faces. “Sure, welcome aboard” they said in unison.

Chapter 4: Ahead

The refueling depot located in the asteroid field in the Hicatorio System was as quiet as usual at this time of the day. The large compound had been built into an asteroid, and several docking clamps and hangars were situated around this asteroid turned into a refueling depot. Mostly big cargo ships were docked here. The depot worked like a standard gas station with a diner and a small repair shop for ships. The usual customers were tired cargo pilots wanting a few hours of sleep and a decent cup of coffee.

The Hawk of the Galaxy pulled out of hyperspace just outside the asteroid field, and had to maneuver itself inside the small field to the depot. Kyle, Mad and Den Kylek emerged from the hangar, and saw the somewhat drowsy