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 to 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 atmosphere of the small depot. It was quiet, and the entire deck included only a few cargo pilots coming or going.

“I’ll instruct one of the gas pumper robots to refuel the ship” Den Kylek explained. A small grey robot stood at the center of the hangar, its’ small cylindrical head was filled with different hoses for different fuels. “Fill the ship on the left with Lectorium fuel, thank you” Den Kylek instructed the small robot, which immediately sprang into action. The little robot ran to the ship, and searched for the fuel tank for awhile, and after finding it, it pulled out one of the hoses on its’ head, and started filling the tank. It took the maintenance robot exactly a minute.

“Which currency will you be paying with?” the little robot asked Den Kylek. After replying that the payment would be made with universal credits, the robot informed him that the sum would be exactly 20 credits. Den Kylek paid the little robot, and joined Kyle and Mad in the little diner at the back of the depot.

“Since you two are interested of cargo hauling, I’d figure that I could lend you some advice” Den Kylek explained the two Gigerdians sitting around a small round table of the diner. “I’ve tried just about everything this little universe has to offer, and I used to be a part of a cargo hauling crew a while back – so I’m definitely in the know about these things” he continued. “So, where would you suggest that we start?” Kyle asked. “Well, there’s a bunch of very mineral-rich systems here in the Beta Quadrant Free Zone, so I’d say that going to one of them is definitely worth it” Den explained.

“Before we go anywhere around the free zone, though, we should get that ship of ours painted to more neutral colors” Mad stated after a little pause. “True, we need to ditch those raider markings, and preferably real fast” Kyle replied. “Alright,” Den Kylek nodded, and continued: “I know of a really cheap repair shop that specializes in getting rid of unwanted markings on starships. It’s located on a moon of the seventh planet in the 6724-1XB system”. “We’d better go over there, then” Mad said hastily. “Yeah, we’ll get our things packed up here and move” Den said while he stood up from the table along with the two Gigerdians.

Chapter 5: Another Fine Mess

“The Beta Quadrant Free Zone is a cluster of star systems located in the Beta Quadrant of the Milky Way Galaxy. This particular area of the galaxy includes numerous independent colonies and outposts governed by none of the star powers present in the other quadrants. General lawlessness, smuggling and private enterprises with no visible limits are all allowed. Extreme caution is advised while visiting this area, since kidnapping and extortion are day-to-day activities for the inhabitants of this sector.”

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

The Hawk of the Galaxy had spent several hours in hyperspace under Kyle’s helm. Den and Mad had circled around the ship, and found that the previous owner had used the vessel for all sorts of illegal activities ranging from smuggling to piracy: the ship included hidden compartments for storing smuggled stuff. Most likely the Hawk of the Galaxy had belonged to a raider or a pirate of some sort.

“I have a bad feeling about this vessel. If we keep on digging around, I bet we’ll find the body of this Guimer or whatever his name was” Den chuckled to Mad as the two looked around the ship’s main cargo compartment. “The cargo those pirates wanted is long gone, though” Mad replied as he looked around the vessel. After a few moments, the two returned back to the bridge, where Kyle was sitting.

“I’ll take the helm for you” Den said as Kyle awoke from his slumber. “Sure” Kyle replied. “So, who are you, anyway?” Kyle asked the question that had apparently been almost forgotten with all the formalities. “I’ve been doing all sorts of odd-jobs for anyone willing to pay me around here. You might call me a mercenary, or an intergalactic handy-man.” Den replied somewhat jokingly. “I see,” Mad replied. “The real reason I’m out here, though, is because of my father’s murder” Den said after a short pause. This caused both of the Gigerdians some difficulties on coming up with another topic, so they just looked at each other quietly. “I never knew who killed him, but when it comes to this place, it could’ve been anyone” Den explained quietly. “I’ve been trying to hunt my father’s murderers for some time now, but it rather seems like whoever did it was a goddamn ghost.” Den said grudgingly. “We’re both very sorry” Kyle managed to spurt out.

“That’s ok. It’s just that the killer, or killers, left very little in the way of clues to follow on. For all I know, it could’ve been a bunch of ghosts killing him in his own home, and then flying off in the winds” Den held a small pause after these words. “Anyway, back in Demole Station I saw you two enter the bar, and figured that pair of very clean-looking Gigerdians like you two couldn’t survive for very long, and decided to help out”. “How can we repay you?” Mad asked instantly. “I’m not interested of money. I’ve been thinking about leaving my past life behind, and you two with your quest just seem like the sort of people I’d be willing to team up with” Den replied quickly. “I know this place fairly well, and you two are in need of another crewmember, right?” he continued. “Yes, that is true. You’re welcome to join our crew, as I said a few moments back.” Kyle replied. “Alright, I’ll try to be useful” Den replied with a smirk.

“Anyway, I fuelled this bird back in the depot, and the way I see it, it won’t need another refuel for awhile. Luckily this ship is so old, that the fuel for the reactor costs very little” Den stated as he checked some data off the screen in front of him. “We’re coming out of hyperspace in two minutes, so you two better take your seats” Den said to the Gigerdians. “Can this repairman on the moon be trusted?” Mad changed the topic somewhat clumsily. “Sure, I’ve visited his establishment several times. He has been helpful in the past” Den stated.

The little freighter exited hyperspace and found itself close to the seventh planet of the 6724-1XB system. This planet in particular was, in mild terms, a miserable piece of rock with terrible windy and cold weather. The moon, where Weeqo’s starship repair service was situated, was really no different. As the Hawk of the Galaxy quickly accelerated its’ engines and quickly moved closer to the moon, Mad and Kyle observed that the sun of the system had already set. As the ship reached the surface of the moon, a small bunker-like establishment with a runway situated near it could be observed on the ground. “That’s odd, all of the lights of the compound are off” Den commented as the ship dived ever closer to the surface. Puffs of smoke emanating from the compound could be observed as the ship drew closer. “What has happened here?” Mad pondered to himself while looking out of an observation screen inside the ship. Den maneuvered the ship a kilometer away from the compound. The Gigerdians and Den moved out of the vessel with a few flashlights in hand. Den took a sidearm with him just in case.

The surface of the moon was rocky and slippery. The three walked all the way to the compound. As they reached it, they could observe that the repair compound had been hit with beam weapon fire from the orbit. “They had no way of knowing about the attack” Kyle said to Den and Mad. “True, death came real quick to the people here” Den said as he scanned the horizon with his gaze. “There’s still smoke coming out of that underground structure” Mad stated and walked closer to the burned entrance. “Wait!” Kyle replied and ran after him.

Mad went closer to the entrance, and he could see two charred bodies lying right next to the door. Suddenly he heard a noise from inside the door, but as the voices came, so did more smoke. Kyle caught up with Mad. Out of the charred door came a very tall and dark figure. It was wearing an immense black armor decorated with strangely glimmering red and crimson diamonds, and on its’ massive belt it had a large red skull of some unknown being forming the belt buckle. The head of the black figure was probably the scariest, since the feminine sleek face had a pair of red glimmering eyes buried deep within. The hair of this monstrosity was pitch-black, and as it drew closer to the Gigerdians, it could actually be observed that its’ hair was alive and snapping vigorously at different directions. The Gigerdians started to slowly back away in horror, as the monster just walked out of the door. It noticed the Gigerdians, and took out something from it’s’ belt. The being lit the handle that he had taken out from the belt, and a blade made out of energy came out in crimson color.

“Nobody told me that there would be more here!” the obviously female being shouted angrily. A few seconds later additional black figures emerged from inside the door, and drew their weapons. These were clearly Bacterian infantry, but their female commander was something that the Gigerdians had never seen before. The two Gigerdians drew their hands up, and the Bacterian soldiers hurried to restrain them. “What are you doing here?!” the tall Bacterian female demanded with her booming voice. “We came to get our ship painted, because it has raider markings, you see..” Kyle managed to spill out in panic. “Shut up, you green fool!” the woman shouted again. “My lady, we should execute these two survivors as soon as possible” one of the Bacterian soldiers holding Mad suggested. The female Bacterian pondered at the idea for awhile.

“So be it”, the woman growled. The Bacterians tightened their grips on the Gigerdians. “You should’ve posted sentries to inform me of any runaways!” the woman shouted at her troops. Then she turned her head towards the Gigerdians: “I’m going to let you choose the way of execution”, she said as she moved closer to the Gigerdians. “You want your heads cut off with this rapier, or perhaps a shot to the head?” she suggested eerily. Suddenly a grenade was thrown unto the foot of the Gigerdians, and one of the Bacterian soldiers obviously detected it. “It’s a grenade! It’s going to blow!” the soldier shouted as he dashed for cover. The Gigerdians also scattered to another direction. The grenade exploded with a powerful bang and for a moment the entire planet seemed to shake terribly due to the powerful explosion. As the smoke cleared, the Bacterian female just stood at the same spot it had before. The living hair on it’s’ head seemed to screech in pain. “That didn’t even scratch my armor, you fool!” she shouted as the two Gigerdians ran farther away from the compound. Den Kylek emerged from the smoke in front of the two Gigerdians: “We’ve got to leave this place, and fast!” he shouted. The three ran back to their ship, which had been waiting quietly in the background. Kyle jumped to the helm and guided the vessel out of its’ parked spot and into the air. Several Bacterian soldiers were firing at the ship from the ground. “Give me full speed!” Kyle shouted as the ship sputtered for awhile and then accelerated its’ battered engines again.

As The Hawk of the Galaxy reached the orbit, Den shouted from the navigational console: “sensors are reading a group of four ships coming our way!”. “What class?” Mad shouted back as he took weapons control. “This thing won’t tell, but they’re big, alright!” Den reported back.

Indeed a group of four large capital ships emerged from the dark side of the moon. Their black organic hulls made no mistake about their owners: The Bacterian Empire. “Two of the capital ships are launching fighters!” Den reported again. “Divert power from all auxiliary systems to the engines!” Kyle ordered Den, who now sat a few paces away from Mad & Kyle in the navigator’s seat.

The Bacterian fighters swooped ever closer to the freighter, and they opened fire on the aging vessel. The shields attempted to absorb the damage, but the caliber of the Bacterian particle and beam weapons were too advanced for the old ship to take with ease. The entire ship shook with every hit it received. “Get us the hell out here, Kyle!” Den shouted as Kyle performed evasive maneuvers on the helm. Another explosion shook the vessel, but this time the jump engines of the ship calibrated right, and the ship jumped out of harm’s way easily. “And we’re out of here!” Kyle shouted happily.

Mad took a small fire extinguisher from the nearest bulkhead and proceeded to extinguish a small flame that had apparently started from one of the computers in the left side of the bridge. “Is everyone ok? You got a damage report?” asked Kyle as he stood up from the helm. “Our back shields aren’t in doing too well, and some of the consoles blew up from all those discharges hitting the hull” Den explained. “Where’d you sent us anyway?” Den asked Kyle after eying Mad completing his little fire drill in front of them. “I plotted a course two systems away from this one” Kyle replied. “Great. And while we’re waiting for our arrival, I sure hope you two are good mechanics” Den replied and patted Kyle on the back grudgingly.

Mad put the small fire extinguisher down, and looked at the two: “First of all, what the hell are the Bacterians doing here?” he said with a slightly confused tone of voice. “I’ve never seen any information concerning a Bacterian presence in the Beta Quadrant” Mad continued. Kyle sighed: “By all accounts, I don’t think that they’re even supposed to be here. Yet, here they are.”

“Maybe we should inform our own government about this.” Mad suggested quickly. “Your government has no jurisdiction over here. This isn’t your space, and when push comes to shove, I believe that the Bacterians have as much the right to be here than we do” Den Kylek replied. “Den, you saw what they had done to that place on the moon of that planet. It had been destroyed” Kyle explained.

“Come on, nothing in the No Man’s Land is what it seems. I knew that the manager of that crappy starship repair shop was a little crooked on the edges. It’s quite possible that he finally ripped off the wrong customers” Den explained to the two Gigerdians. “There were four battle cruisers out there, Den” Mad snapped. “There sure were. But, that’s what you get from trying to rip off the big players here” Den replied with an indifferent tone. “Boys, I think it’s time we concentrate on more important matters now: like getting our ship repaired” Den cut the conversion off. Mad and Kyle nodded, accepting Den’s somewhat weak reasoning in order to concentrate on more immediate matters.

Chapter 6: Insert name

Inside B.E.S. Ravana

Leaving 6724-1XB system

The tall Bacterian female stood in front of her chair on the bridge of the Bacterian cruiser Ravana. His personal fleet included three other cruisers of the same class as hers: the Shakthy, Bukhara and the Gorgoroth. The small fleet had formed itself up in order to move out of the system.

“Commander Gortynoides, I thought that the day when you would let someone escape like that would never come” the female spoke with her booming voice. “My lady, I promise it will never happen again” a Bacterian male said while standing at full attention on the woman’s left side. “I believe it is not enough. These Gigerdians with their ship are the unfortunate witnesses of our operation on the moon of that world. If word of it gets out, the Court of Bacterium will likely dispose of me as well” the female commander pondered. “What do you want me to do, my lady?” the somewhat shaken commander replied. “I want you to inform sub commander Catopsilia, that she has just made to the rank of full commander”, the Bacterian female instructed. “But, that is my rank” the shrunken commander replied quietly.

The woman started to laugh, and after a few seconds she took out her laser rapier, and cut the other officer’s head off. “How can you have a rank, when you no longer exist?” she laughed at the body. After a few moments a pair of Bacterian warriors emerged from her side, and quietly dragged the body away. “Communications officer, I want you to inform all of the other sub commanders and captains of the fleet, that by the order of Fleet lord Alsophilia Bacillus, all efforts must be concentrated on the successful capture of these Gigerdians along with their ship” she instructed. “Yes, my lady” the communications officer replied.

The tall Bacterian female looked at the large view screen several meters in front of her, where a video log of the previous battle was playing. Several of the Bacterian officers on the bridge were analyzing the tape. She quietly left the bridge as the picture zoomed even closer to the hull of the freighter that had slipped away.

Chapter 7: Prison of the Mind

Kyle glanced at the view screen in front of him, and sighed loudly:”oh hell, looks like the fuel gauge has dropped considerably during the few hours that we’ve been in hyperspace”.

Mad and Den Kylek raised their heads from the console that they had been repairing: “there’s only one reason why the gauge would look like that, you know” Den replied sternly. “I know. Looks like the Bacterians got our gas tank” Kyle stated. “Alright, we’ve got to pull this bird out of hyperspace for awhile, and someone’s got to put on a spacesuit, and go weld the leak shut” Den explained as he slowly walked to Kyle’s console and visually confirmed that there sure was a leak happening in the fuel compartment of the ship. “Who’s going to go out there?” Mad asked suspiciously. As this imminent question was blurted out, Kyle immediately looked away. So did Den.

“Oh, come on. We’ve got to draw straws?” Mad’s tone of voice raised from careful to a more high-pitched tone. “This is your ship, so don’t look at me, folks” Den immediately washed his hands clean of the whole mess. “Kyle, you’re the one who put us on this cruise” Mad gestured towards Kyle with his hand. “Fine, I’ll go out there and weld that stupid leak shut, then” Kyle replied. “I’m pulling the ship out of hyperspace and shutting down the reactor” Den cut into the conversation as he pressed a few switches on the helm console.

The Hawk of the Galaxy pulled out of hyperspace as smoothly as it had entered it. The darkness of hyperspace was left behind, but as the ship entered a completely new, albeit as dark of a reality as hyperspace was, it hadn’t exactly fared that well at all. The ship had turned up in a thick red stellar cloud somehow.

“Oh, look at the space. It has suddenly changed colours” Den said with a half-sarcastic tone of voice. “Oh hell, this doesn’t look like the place I plotted the course for at all” Kyle replied as he looked out of the main view screen of the bridge. “Well, don’t worry; it’s not your navigational skills here that are poor. I think that our navigational computer didn’t really like all those pretty beam weapons that almost literally shook the ship apart. It must be broken, and thus we’re in a stellar cloud of some sort” Den explained while taking a seat on the navigator’s chair. “This ship is old, so the equipment might be a bit touchy, and thus breaks easily” Den continued. “I’ll try to reconfigure the navigational computer somehow, Kyle, while you do that little spacewalk of yours” Den smirked. “I’ll help you out with the reconfiguration” Mad said. “Sure. And while you’re at it, try to find out where the hell are we, exactly” Kyle replied as he stood up from the helm and walked to the back of the bridge and slid down a pair of ladders that took him to the little airlock. Kyle walked to a small locker, and took out a smudgy orange space suit along with a pair of gravity boots. He put them on, and flicked a switch near the airlock; a red flashing light started blinking on the ceiling of the little compartment along with a siren. “Warning, outer door opening, leave room now for maximum safety distance!” a strange computerized voice warned anyone without proper gear inside the compartment. “Funny, these warning protocols still work, and are actually installed, for that matter” Kyle said to himself from inside the bulky spacesuit. As Kyle exited the airlock, he also attached a long titanium safety wire into the equipment belt of his spacesuit. This precaution was made if the gravity boots decided to malfunction somehow, and thus the wire would stop the wearer of the suit from drifting off into the nothingness of space.

Kyle took a small repair kit with all the necessary tools with him. As he slowly walked the hull of the small freighter, all he could see was extremely thick red stellar matter all around him. No stars or sunlight were visible.

Kyle walked around the ship all the way to the engines, and saw a medium-sized hole right next the left engine; it was slowly dripping a bluish liquid, which formed into bubbles in the vacuum, and floated off into the distance. “Guys, I’ve located the leak, and I’ll start repairing it right now” Kyle explained to a small head set that he was wearing. “Copy that. Be careful out there.” Mad’s voiced boomed back.

After a few hours of work, the leak had been repaired with a few strategically welded plates of additional armour. Kyle returned back to the airlock, and gently floated inside after releasing the gravity lock on his boots. He shut the door from the same little control pad on the wall, and took off his spacesuit. As Kyle hurried back to the bridge, and saw Mad on the helm of the vessel. “Kyle, take a seat, we’re going to put the reactor back on again.” Den explained. After a few seconds the main console on the helm informed the three that the reactor was running, and Mad ignited the engines. The ship’s engines ignited a bit slowly, and took almost twelve seconds to achieve full glow, but at the end all of the consoles showed a green light. “Alright, I’ve plotted a new course for the same system. It should take us twelve hours to reach” Mad stated as he was preparing the jump engines for another duty. “Good. I’m going to go to the little couch on the crew compartment and have a nap” Den patted the two on the backs as he rose off from the chair. Mad and Kyle were left alone on the bridge.

The Hawk of the Galaxy jumped back into the depths of hyperspace again as it left the red stellar cloud behind. “Smooth sailing through the winds of hyperspace”, Kyle blurted out after a little pause. Mad chuckled for awhile, and then looked at Kyle: “Yeah, I remember that captain saying it every time we managed to enter hyperspace back in the academy”. “He would look over the entire crew on the bridge, and like a poet, he would let out those words out” Mad said with a smirk as Kyle nodded. “I’m sure she would’ve made an excellent poet, rather than captain instructing us cadets” Kyle continued. “You know, I’m a little worried about those Bacterians being here.” Mad said quietly. “We actually saw them in combat only twice after that HemmoCruiser incident, and then the politicians were busy on negotiating a peace between us and them. The Bacterians are sneaky alright.” Kyle replied grudgingly. “I know Den doesn’t see this as a big deal, but I’d say that there’s definitely something going on” Mad pondered calmly. “Even if we inform our own government about this, there’s still no way we can touch this. The Beta Quadrant Free Zone is under no jurisdiction whatsoever from any of the major or minor star powers. And besides, we’d be violating the independence of these systems if we’d come over here with guns blazing” Kyle replied quickly. “Potentially innocent people are still dead, and we know who killed them” Mad said quietly. Kyle looked at Mad for awhile, and shook his head.

As suddenly as the relative calmness before this little conversation had started, it also ended. A large explosion shook the ship again, and the engines of the vessel shut down. Kyle and Mad looked at each other again. “What is it this time?” Mad yelled while the ship’s engines suddenly glared up again. Den Kylek quickly rose up the ladder and ran to the helm: “What’s going on!?” he also demanded to know. Just as Kyle was about to open his mouth, the ship suddenly pulled out of hyperspace. This turn of events wasn’t, yet again, a positive thing, since the ship found itself inside the atmosphere of a planet. “Holy crap! The navigational computer broke again!” Den yelled in panic as he strapped himself into the navigator’s seat next to Mad. Kyle attempted to maneuver the ship with the best of his abilities, but it seemed evident, that one of the engines had blown up. All of the ship’s consoles were showing strange numbers and letters, and one had blacked out completely. The Hawk of the Galaxy was on a crash course and going down on a completely alien world.

“Prepare for a crash! I think this ship is going down real fast!” Kyle shouted as Mad and Den tried to push and slam the various buttons on their consoles for no apparent effect. The ship slid through the various layers of the atmosphere as fast as greased lightning, and the three unfortunate travellers inside could see the surface of this swampy world reveal itself with all of its’ wet glory.

As The Hawk of the Galaxy was only a few hundred meters away from the ground, Kyle managed to get the brakes operational again. These “brakes” (for the lack of a better term) were to be used in situations like these, where one had to land on a planet but had no means of controlling the ship. Kyle pulled the lever that released the brake, and the ship slid to the ground with great speed, while cutting trees and brush emerging on its’ landing route. Kyle, Mad and Den held to whatever solid surfaces they could find as the ship slid into a small lake after the tree line had vanished. The Hawk of the Galaxy came to a sudden halt as it collided with a small sandy beachhead with it’s’ engines gleaming red hot. For awhile after the landing, the entire crash site was completely quiet. Moments later the muffled sounds of some distant, indigenous birds could be heard. Kyle, Mad and Den all arose from their chairs after unbuckling their safety harnesses, and quietly looked at the interior of the ship. The airlock a few decks down was now under water, so it was of no use as an exit. “Open the top hatch” Den instructed Kyle, who immediately climbed to the ladder, and opened the small hatch at the upper end of the ladder. Fresh, breathable oxygen immediately flowed in as the three climbed out of the ship.

Chapter 8: Planet-fall

Kyle, Mad and Den observed their surroundings on top of their crashed freighter, The Hawk of the Galaxy. The world they had crashed into was a small swamp world with large jungle-like forests and several indigenous animal species. Den observed the horizon with a pair of binoculars, as Kyle brought a pair of backpacks from the hatch. 

“I packed all the needed gear into these two packs” he explained as he gave one to Mad and slung the other around his own shoulder. “Great. The ship’s not in a too bad of a condition. The hull’s intact, and nothing’s broke externally besides the left engine” Den reported as he turned to face the two Gigerdians. “We were pulled out of hyperspace” Mad reported back. “Yeah, I figured. We should’ve just taken a little more time in that stellar cloud, and checked the engines, too” Den replied. “And that damn navigational computer blew up again” Kyle added cynically.

“Let’s go over to the beach and prepare us a shelter deep inside the forest” Den suggested. “Sure, we’ll have to camp out in this darkness until morning anyway” Kyle replied in the coming darkness. “I sure hope that we’re still in the Beta Quadrant” Kyle said as he walked first into the beach and then proceeded towards the forest. “We were in hyperspace for something like ten minutes, so I’d bet that we’re still very much in No Man’s Land” Mad replied as he walked behind Kyle. The trio walked deep into the forest, each of their footprints leaving marks on the now muddy ground. The terrain was becoming even muddier and clearly the three were now stepping over vast swamps. The alarming screeches of the various dactyl-like birds echoed over them, as they slowly hiked the terrain of this alien world. “Have you considered on sending a distress signal?” Mad asked after a long silence. “The way I see it, is that we’ve got the odds of about eighty to one for the signal ever making it to someone friendly. If that signal was to be sent, the Marauders would then mostly likely come for our ship, or the raiders in turn would come for our lives” Den replied with clear fatigue in his voice. “I say we’ll try to lift the ship away from that little pond in the morning.” he continued. “And I don’t know about you Gigerdians with your fancy superhuman bodies, but I am going to need some sleep” he added. The trio then stopped to a small dry spot in protected by a large tree.

Complete silence fell over the tired and muddy travellers. As night fell, a bluish fog surrounded the vast forests and swamps of the planet; all of the vast forests deep in the horizon had now disappeared into a misty blue fog. Kyle lit a small campfire, while Mad carried a pair of small logs around the campfire. The two sat in silence, and looked at the sky. “This trip hasn’t gone too well, now has it?” Mad said to Kyle, who instantly stopped his gazing of the skies. “True. In the past five days, we’ve already managed to piss off a group of raiders and some Bacterians, who are probably turning the No Man’s Land upside in order to find us” Kyle replied. “You still got faith in the mission?” Mad asked quietly. “Yes, I don’t want to abandon a dream this easily.” Kyle said with a little smile. “We’re going to get out of here, you know.” Kyle continued as he looked at Mad. “When does our adventure start, when we’re knee-deep in trouble already?” Mad asked a bit grudgingly. “We’ve just had bad luck so far, my good friend” Kyle attempted to reason the slightly hopeless situation. “More than anything else, I’m blaming myself for not looking over those engines before we entered hyperspace again” Mad confessed suddenly. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll get this ship fixed and be on our way again soon” Kyle attempted to cheer Mad up. “Just keep telling me that” Mad replied quietly.

The bluish mist engulfed the two Gigerdians almost completely now. The only visible light was the flames of the campfire. The two sat quietly around the flame, and turned their heads down in the humid night of this alien world. Both of these Gigerdians were physically in this rather hopeless-looking world, but in their quiet slumber, they were clearly back home, dreaming of their families and friends. This provided a little refuge for the two.

After a few hours, Mad awoke from his slumber. He looked around, and saw that the smoke had cleared considerably again. He could see something gleaming a few hundred meters ahead of him. Mad stood up from the tree log he had been sitting on, and walked a few paces further. “What is that gleaming thing over there?” Mad pondered quietly. Den Kylek, who had been sleeping a hundred meters away from the two, now sat up and pulled the hood of his trench-coat away from his eyes. “What do you see?” the bearded human asked Mad as he walked next to him. “Do you see that gleaming thing over at that small swamp over there?” Mad asked enthusiastically, to which Den nodded. “Looks like there’s something definitely there” Den replied. The thick fog had apparently been so thick, that spotting it had been almost impossible a few hours before. Mad woke up Kyle, and the three slowly walked to the gleaming object.

As the three reached the small swamp, an amazed gaze was undoubtedly their first reaction: the swamp had swallowed a star fighter of some sort, which only its’ tail visible anymore. The little ship had been buried deep under water, and by the looks of it, for some time. Large and small pieces of the hull had scattered around the swamp. “Well, I’ll be goddamned” Den shouted out loud as he walked around the little swamp, and looked at the sunken ship. “Looks like we’re not alone” Kyle replied.

“Who do you think this belongs to?” Den said with an amazed look on his face. Mad lifted up a small piece of the hull, which had been sitting on the ground. “The hull along with some of these pieces has symbols on them” Mad replied. “Let me run a quick scan of the symbols with my tricorder” Mad stated, as he took the little gimmick out of his equipment belt. The Tricorder whirred for a second, and then produced a preliminary scan of the object onto the miniature screen. “Looks like these symbols seem to point to the Orcish” Mad said surprisingly. “Or the Hemmoians, for that matter” he added. Den and Kyle looked at each other: “What would a fighter of theirs be doing here?” Kyle pondered out loud. “It’s been here for awhile” Den observed. “The cockpit is intact, and someone has cut him-, or herself out of it with some sort of an blowtorch. It’s now filled with water, though, and I don’t see any blood or bodies” Den explained as he took out a small flashlight from his coat pocket, and pointed the beam underwater, where the cockpit of the vessel could be seen fairly well. “The pilot might still be alive, then” Mad replied.

As the three were engaged in searching the crash site, the sound of a snapped twig suddenly originated from behind them. Den jumped up from the ground, and instantly pointed his sidearm into the general direction of the sound. “What was that?” he grunted. Kyle and Mad looked around too.

A tall dark figure emerged from a large bush in front of them. The bulgy yellowish and orange head made no mistake about the identity: it was a Hemmoian. This particular Hemmoian seemed somewhat grungy and disorientated. He was clearly wearing a slightly damaged spacesuit for pilots, and on it’s’ head the Hemmoian had a strange helmet-like hat. The Hemmoian lifted its’ arm, and said something completely incomprehensible to the three. Den turned his weapon down, and Kyle immediately took out a small, square-shaped interstellar translator. He placed it on the breast of his jacket, and smiled to the creature. “We come in peace, please do not be alarmed” Kyle said quietly. The Hemmoian looked at the three for awhile, and then pulled out something of his own from a floppy looking pocket on his jumpsuit. The Hemmoian now spoke out clearly: “What are you doing here? How did you get here?” the creature demanded.

“Our ship crashed, and we found your fighter” Kyle replied in Hemmoian as Mad and Den also took a pair of these translators. “What year is it? What day?” the somewhat disgruntled Hemmoian asked. “Are you the rescue party?” he added with a confused tone. “Unfortunately we’re not.” Mad replied. “I have never seen races like yours before” the Hemmoian asked as he carefully stepped closer to the three. “Yes, this must be a first contact situation for you. Whereas, for us its’ not” Kyle replied. “What do you mean?” the Hemmoian asked carefully. “Well, we’ve met your kind before” Mad explained as the Hemmoian stood in front of them. “How long have you been here?” Den cut into the conversation. The Hemmoian looked around for awhile, its’ bulgy head clearly swaying with disbelief. “I don’t really know anymore. You see, time has become somewhat of a nuisance to keep track of in an environment like this. So, I just gave up time” the Hemmoian said with a slightly happier tone. An uncomfortable silence followed, as the three understood that this Hemmoian might’ve been on the planet for a long time.

“So, anyway, have you heard anything about the war?” the Hemmoian asked suddenly. “Excuse us, but which war might you be referring to?” Mad replied. The Hemmoian sighed: “Oh, how silly of me to think that you could’ve heard about it. I just wondered if we managed to win or lose that’s all”. The three looked at each other. “This war that you speak of, can you tell us anything more about it?” Kyle asked. “Sure, but I think that it is better we go to my little apartment over there” the Hemmoian replied a bit happily than before. “You see, the creatures come at night, and I hate all those howling and growling big and small animals” he explained as the three started to walk back to the direction that the Hemmoian had come from. “Oh, by the way, my name is Lineet Kosmonok; I guess it would be fair to say that I once was a fighter pilot” he said as the four disappeared into the jungle. “Nice to meet you” Kyle replied.

Chapter 9: Worlds Collide

Lineet led the three into a small cave near the crash site of his fighter. The cave had been decorated with all sorts of objects that had clearly been salvaged from the fighter. On one of the walls inside the cave, the Hemmoian had a pair of animal heads hanging as a decoration. There was also a small makeshift table and some sort of an altar. 

“Could you tell us how you got here?” Kyle asked Lineet. “Certainly I can. This is the first time I’ve ever had the chance to tell it to someone else instead of replaying it inside my head”. Lineet and the three sat down on the surprisingly clean floor of the cave.

“In my home world of Orceron, I used to love flying. I bought a starship as soon as I could, and flew around like there was no tomorrow. My fellow Hemmoians didn’t understand me, but I kept my calm. One day, the Orcish and the Hemmoians established a contact with the Bacterians. They attacked us with no apparent reason sometime after, and when a war broke out, I joined our armed forces; the fight against the Bacterians was quickly turning quite futile, though. So, one day, I took a lot of supplies with me and just flew off into the nothingness of space. I couldn’t bear the meaningless bloodshed and the killing. Anyway, I got pretty far, but eventually my supplies ran out, and I drifted in space for some time. At one point I remember waking up from a slumber inside the cockpit and seeing the atmosphere of this muddy world open up before my eyes. My fighter was in a bad shape, and thus crashed. I never knew where I was, though.” Lineet explained to the three, who were all listening to his story quietly.

“After the crash, I had my doubts concerning my decision. I even sent a distress signal, but after there was no answer, I just gave up the idea of ever wanting to leave this place again. So, I adapted; I hunted, built this little hut inside the cave, worshipped the Great SID in peace, and did what I could to pass the time”. Lineet explained as Kyle, Mad and Den just listened. “I felt lonely for some time. I couldn’t interact with my fellow Hemmoians, and agreeably I left my home world to face a great peril. Yet, I felt strangely peaceful after leaving all of that behind me.” Lineet confessed.

“Well, we established first contact with your species and the Orcish a few of our own years ago” Kyle replied. “Your species managed to escape total extinction even if your home world was destroyed.” Mad added. Den Kylek didn’t really want to intervene into this interspecies affair, and decided to let Kyle and Mad with their (obvious) training on the matter lead the way. “As proof of your species’ savior, you can see that our translators have this Hemmoian language along with a few Orcish dialects installed into it” Mad explained to Lineet, who listened with dismay. “The Bacterians have also managed to expand their territories, but a peace treaty is currently in place” Kyle added carefully. “I see.” Lineet replied after some pondering.

“I’m sorry to cut your geopolitics one-on-one lesson, but our freighter’s sitting in that little pond over there, and I have a feeling that we should get going again” Den Kylek finally cut into slow dialogue between the Hemmoian and the Gigerdians. “Yes, as I said before, we also crash landed here. However, our ship is still pretty operable. We’d just need to pull it out of water and get the engines running again” Kyle explained to the Hemmoian. “Perhaps, if you’d like, we could take you with us” Kyle proposed after the Hemmoian had stood up and walked a few paces away from the three. “All of this came so suddenly. I’ll need some time to think your propositions over” Lineet answered. “Alright then, we’ll just go and have a look at our ship then” Den said and turned to the entrance of the cave. The Gigerdians followed him.

The trio walked away from the Hemmoian’s cave, and crossed a small swamp along with a little forest. As the familiar hull of the Hawk of the Galaxy appeared before their eyes, Den immediately turned to Mad and Kyle: “Listen, I believe that the maneuvering thrusters on all sides of the ship still work. If we’ll heat them up, it might be enough to pull the vessel out” he explained. “Although, that is just the easiest part; one of the engines is busted and someone should take a look at the navigational computer and check the jump engines as well” he added a bit grimly. “Let’s get right on it, then” Kyle and Mad agreed.

Mad and Kyle went back to the cockpit of the ship, and Den Kylek gave them directions through a headset on the outside. The ship was easily pulled away from the swamp, but problems ensued as the damage to the engines was more closely observed. “Damaged engines are always a bitch to repair.” Den stated as he saw the damaged left engine pipe. “With luck, though, I might get this thing to fly for awhile, at least” he added. “We’ll try to fix the navigational computer” Mad replied. The two Gigerdians retreated back to the cockpit of the ship through the upper hatch of the vessel. Mad sat on the helm console, and attempted to reconfigure it. Kyle checked the condition of a nearby console, which had broken during the landing. “So, what do you think of this Hemmoian?” Mad asked Kyle, as their work commenced. “I believe him. Although, I think that the best we can do for him is to offer a ride out of here” Kyle replied as he took out some tools from a nearby little box. “And after we fly out here, we’d need to find a good place to get this ship into shape as well” Kyle said.

The two worked inside the ship’s interior for several hours, as Den worked on the engines outside. A few rays of sunlight managed to pull through the dense cloud cover as morning turned into midday. “Alright, I think that the navigational computer should be working fine enough now” Mad said as he finished running a diagnostics program on it. “And this auxiliary console is also repaired” Kyle replied as he stood up from behind the console. The two Gigerdians left the bridge again, and went to see how Den had fared with his repairs. “Repairing these engines takes slightly better equipment that what I’ve got here. However, I’ve wrapped them up to a state, which will get us flying” Den said as he cleaned his hands with a rag in front of the engines.

The Gigerdians and Den Kylek returned back to the Hemmoian’s cave as evening came. Strangely, however, the Hemmoian was nowhere to be seen. The cave was empty. “Where’d he go?” Kyle said suspiciously. “He said that he hunts, right? Maybe his outside” Den suggested as he sat beside the Hemmoian’s table. “Well, I’m sure he won’t mind if we take a little nap in his hut, gentlemen” Den said. “I was hoping that we could’ve asked him to come with us” Kyle replied. “Well, I guess he’ll reappear” Mad said as he too sat down on the ground. Kyle sat down and after a few moments he also fell asleep. Gigerdians needed considerably less sleep than humans, but it didn’t mean that they didn’t sleep at all. This, however, was one of the rare occasions when Kyle felt fatigued. The crew of the unfortunate freighter rested peacefully inside the cave.

Kyle woke up as a dark, tall figure entered the cave quietly. The Hemmoian pilot had come back, but this time it had something in its hand. “Put your hands up, and stay put!” the Hemmoian ordered quickly. Mad and Den also woke up now, and looked at the Hemmoian. “What’s going on?” Mad asked groggily. “Shut up, and don’t make any fast moves” the Hemmoian continued sternly. “Why are you pointing a weapon at us?” Mad asked as the three rose to their feet with the Hemmoian in front of them. Lineet motioned the three to back away with his sidearm. “I know that you three aren’t real. There are only two possibilities now; either you’re Bacterian associates or simple figments of my imagination!” the Hemmoian shouted.

“I assure you, that we’re quite real” Den replied. “This wouldn’t be the first time, when something like this has happened. So you imaginary beings just stay put!” the Hemmoian snapped suddenly and aimed at Den with his sidearm. “Take it easy, please” Den replied. “Oh, my little mind has played tricks on me again! You pathetic little thing! I’m going insane!” the Hemmoian cursed manically. Kyle and Mad looked at each other, while Den eyed Lineet’s sidearm with a worried look on his face. “This time, you’ve decided to torture me with false daydreams about a potential rescue, huh? You think this is funny, you meaningless blob of unimaginative Goo!?” obviously the deranged Hemmoian was referring to his brains, which he thought had somehow caused him to hallucinate Kyle, Mad and Den as living beings in the first place.

“For so long I have dreamed of a way out of this world.. And now you mock me with these lies about some ridiculous green and pink beings coming to rescue me while telling that the war’s over ?! Think again!!? Think again, I tell you!” The Hemmoian shouted to himself inside the cave. “Please, listen to us; we have a ship here and we crash-landed just like you did!” Kyle shouted back as the Hemmoian held his head. “Oh, I bet you’d say anything, you stupid green imaginative harbinger of nightmares!” the Hemmoian cursed, and he slowly slumped to his knees. “Please, let us help you” Mad said quietly, and took a step forward. “Stay back or I’ll shoot myself!” Lineet threatened suddenly.

“If you create these hallucinations once more, I swear I’ll shoot you even if it means the end of us both!” Lineet aimed at his head. “Please, we can prove that we’re real!” Kyle jumped to Mad’s side. “We really do have a ship, you know” he added. “Put that weapon away, and we’ll lead you to it” Mad offered. Lineet looked at the two Gigerdians. “What guarantees do I have concerning your claims of being real?” he asked. Kyle approached Lineet, and softly touched his head with his fingers. “You felt that, now didn’t you?” Kyle asked cautiously. The Hemmoian sighed: “With all due respect; do you think that this is the first time that one of my hallucinations have attempted to convince me of being real? For all I know, my mind could be making your touch real. So, it’s about time you’ll show me this ship of yours” the Hemmoian replied as he raised his sidearm again. The group of four then proceeded to walk out the cave with the Gigerdians and Den walking in front Lineet, who was pointing them with his sidearm. “Oh great, now the Hemmoian got all crazy on us” Den whispered to Kyle, who motioned him to be quiet as the group approached the ship.

“See; we weren’t lying!” Mad shouted to Lineet, who stopped as he saw the Hawk of the Galaxy rest quietly on the beach. Lineet approached the ship, and looked at it for awhile. He went closer, and touched the hull of the vessel quietly. He whispered something to himself. “Can this thing get me out of here?” he asked suddenly. “We can take you with us, yes” Den said with a diplomatic tone in his voice for the first time. The Hemmoian looked at the ship with a confused gaze, and then in turn he looked at the three now in front of him. “You don’t really want to hurt us, now do you?” Kyle asked. “If this ship is indeed here, then I’m afraid that I cannot leave this place, no matter what” the Hemmoian explained. “None of the other characters from my hallucinations have actually showed me their ships. Instead they’ve just mocked me” he continued. The Hemmoian lowered his sidearm, and looked at the three: “perhaps you three are real. But, if this situation has finally come, when someone finally gives me the chance to escape, I am at a loss here.” Lineet said as he looked at the hull of the vessel.

“You see, I cannot leave this place; mainly because I do not want anyone to know that I survived, and secondly because this situation is still too surreal for me to believe it” Lineet said as he lowered the sidearm. “Perhaps this is a trick by my mind to get me to some dangerous, potentially even deadly situation. I do not wish to follow you, but while my goodwill lasts, I’m willing to let you go.” he added. “Thank you” Kyle replied quickly. “This planet wants me to stay” Lineet whispered quietly. “Go, now!” Lineet shouted.

Kyle, Mad and Den hurried inside the vessel, and they immediately started the engines of their freighter. Lineet looked at the ship from the outside, and put his hands over his head and beckoned to the ground. The Hawk of the Galaxy arose from the ground with a thunderous boom, but Lineet just lay on the ground as the gusts of wind originating from the ship’s engines blew sand and shrews against his body. Lineet screamed furiously.

The two green humanoids and a pinkish white one disappeared as suddenly as they had arrived. Lineet looked at the sky for awhile, and then sat on the ground. “If that wasn’t real, then I believe I’ve finally go utterly and hopelessly insane” he quietly said to himself.

Chapter 10: Insert name

The Hawk of the Galaxy flew through the vastness of space again, but the ship was still clearly limping. Mad had taken the helm as Kyle and Den quietly sat on their seats.

“There’s really no telling how many people Lineet has turned away or potentially even killed because of his state” Den finally said. “I know. But it would’ve been too dangerous to try to convince him that we really were real.” Mad replied as he punched in some new coordinates on the navigational computer. “So, are we going to inform the authorities of his location?” Den asked. “I believe that he would even consider members of his own race as hallucinations.” Kyle replied.

“We’ll honor his request, and never mention this system to anyone” Kyle concluded. Mad and Den nodded quietly. “And besides, I think that he living alone in that world makes him feel a lot better while dreaming of a potential escape, than when actually experiencing one” Kyle continued. “Let’s just hope he survives with all those demons inside his head” Mad said as The Hawk of The Galaxy entered hyperspace, and simultaneously left Lineet’s home system behind.