Elsewhere...
An alien hand resembling a rubbery mitten with one large digit and a thumb like appendage used a trackball to pan a camera away from the human-looking girl as she had been safely removed from the conveyor line moments earlier. The birdman now interested the unseen viewer. The hand pressed an override button on the panel before the claws could retrieve him.
Instead, with a few button pushes, the controls directed the aviary bi-ped to be pushed off the canning line and toward the refuse tube. The controller had only a moment to direct a passing garbage train to accelerate so it would be in place when the doors opened and stop beneath them giving the new specimen a place to land safely.
As the train sped off with its new and only passenger, the unseen observer watched the bird person in the train car climb around taking note of his poncho. "Yes," he noted aloud. "You will be worthy prey."
He pressed a few more buttons, redirecting the train from its otherwise standard route. Jet was able to enjoy the free train ride for several minutes. The train car eventually came to a stop in an underground rail yard. There, the line of cars was separated as his car was disconnected and kicked down a siding. It coasted to an abrupt stop. Jet took notice of the missing Operator and her toaster sidekick. Loneliness set in as the kenku realized he was now down two companions leaving him exactly none. After a moment of groveling and realizing he'd need to replenish his inventory with a new operator and toaster, he prepared to ambush whoever or whatever came through the doors of the rail hopper. Only the doors didn't open.
Instead, a giant clamp latched on to the four corners of the now uncoupled rail car. Without warning, the car was picked up and flipped on its side suddenly and violently and its contents, including Jet, were dumped into a pit next to the track. The mechanism shook the car several times to make sure all of its contents were emptied including the stowaway. A moment later, the car was returned to the track, sans rubbish and kenku. As Jet took in his surroundings, he discovered he was inside a cylindrical storage tank. It lacked a roof and was open above, and conveniently there was a ladder along the wall.
Should Jet climb it, he would be back at above ground underground level near the tracks and the parked railcar. A sprawling subterranean futuristic space city was seen beyond the rail yard. He could easily climb out of the tank should he choose to, cross the tracks despite numerous warning signs instructing beings not to do so, and head towards the buildings. If he did, he would note there were no living beings anywhere aside from the occasional space rat near the switch yard or inside the city. Everything felt oddly deserted and quiet as cities without any people (or aliens) generally felt.
An alien hand resembling a rubbery mitten with one large digit and a thumb like appendage used a trackball to pan a camera away from the human-looking girl as she had been safely removed from the conveyor line moments earlier. The birdman now interested the unseen viewer. The hand pressed an override button on the panel before the claws could retrieve him.
Instead, with a few button pushes, the controls directed the aviary bi-ped to be pushed off the canning line and toward the refuse tube. The controller had only a moment to direct a passing garbage train to accelerate so it would be in place when the doors opened and stop beneath them giving the new specimen a place to land safely.
As the train sped off with its new and only passenger, the unseen observer watched the bird person in the train car climb around taking note of his poncho. "Yes," he noted aloud. "You will be worthy prey."
He pressed a few more buttons, redirecting the train from its otherwise standard route. Jet was able to enjoy the free train ride for several minutes. The train car eventually came to a stop in an underground rail yard. There, the line of cars was separated as his car was disconnected and kicked down a siding. It coasted to an abrupt stop. Jet took notice of the missing Operator and her toaster sidekick. Loneliness set in as the kenku realized he was now down two companions leaving him exactly none. After a moment of groveling and realizing he'd need to replenish his inventory with a new operator and toaster, he prepared to ambush whoever or whatever came through the doors of the rail hopper. Only the doors didn't open.
Instead, a giant clamp latched on to the four corners of the now uncoupled rail car. Without warning, the car was picked up and flipped on its side suddenly and violently and its contents, including Jet, were dumped into a pit next to the track. The mechanism shook the car several times to make sure all of its contents were emptied including the stowaway. A moment later, the car was returned to the track, sans rubbish and kenku. As Jet took in his surroundings, he discovered he was inside a cylindrical storage tank. It lacked a roof and was open above, and conveniently there was a ladder along the wall.
Should Jet climb it, he would be back at above ground underground level near the tracks and the parked railcar. A sprawling subterranean futuristic space city was seen beyond the rail yard. He could easily climb out of the tank should he choose to, cross the tracks despite numerous warning signs instructing beings not to do so, and head towards the buildings. If he did, he would note there were no living beings anywhere aside from the occasional space rat near the switch yard or inside the city. Everything felt oddly deserted and quiet as cities without any people (or aliens) generally felt.
Kenkus weren't a common species across the galaxy. They were scattered pretty wide. Communication and presentation skills were important in most jobs, severely limiting most of their career and thus prosperity perspectives. Not every kenku could be a successful blasterslinging space hero, or even just be an unsuccessful blasterslinging space hero like Jet.
A career kenku seldom chose were wall trophy. Almost no hunter, even those specialized in the most dangerous space game, could boost about having an actual taxidermied kenku in their collection.
He'd make a fine addition to any collection.
Jet didn't realize his collector's value. Right now, he just enjoyed chilling in a bed of space turnips, giving his dizzy head a moment to shake off the claw's tumbling.
Then curiosity won over dizziness. Jet jumped to his clawy feet and hurried up the ladder.
The city laid empty, almost barren. It just seemed deserted: no corpses lying around, no damaged buildings, only emptiness. Thanks to the efforts of space roombas, there weren't even the regular signs of nature retaking the city. Just space roads and an eternal city, stretching forever.
There was so much to do, so much to explore… and Jet stopped after a few steps.
An old arcade game machine in a bar caught his attention. It was running a farming simulator, one of the most unlikely genres to ever get a proper arcade release.
Jet stepped closer, trying to imagine people that lived on a planet that was basically a huge farm, working in their farming-related jobs just to kick back after work to enjoy a farming sim.
The high score's read:
1. Four-letter word, reduced to 3 letters by strategically leaving out the C that usually was the second to last letter
2. YOU
3. COR
4. PER
5. ATE
Jet just assumed that the people around here didn't particularly enjoy a gamified version of their life after all, but some guy in an office decided that farmers just got farm-related stuff in their little company town.
After realizing that there wasn't any booze left in the bar, Jet went deeper into the town, probably searching for a space Metal Slug machine. Too caught up in recreating "HEAVY MACHENE-GUN!" and other pick-up sounds, he didn't realize the soft whirring of cameras following his every move.
Surely, Jet was the most worthy of prey.
A career kenku seldom chose were wall trophy. Almost no hunter, even those specialized in the most dangerous space game, could boost about having an actual taxidermied kenku in their collection.
He'd make a fine addition to any collection.
Jet didn't realize his collector's value. Right now, he just enjoyed chilling in a bed of space turnips, giving his dizzy head a moment to shake off the claw's tumbling.
Then curiosity won over dizziness. Jet jumped to his clawy feet and hurried up the ladder.
The city laid empty, almost barren. It just seemed deserted: no corpses lying around, no damaged buildings, only emptiness. Thanks to the efforts of space roombas, there weren't even the regular signs of nature retaking the city. Just space roads and an eternal city, stretching forever.
There was so much to do, so much to explore… and Jet stopped after a few steps.
An old arcade game machine in a bar caught his attention. It was running a farming simulator, one of the most unlikely genres to ever get a proper arcade release.
Jet stepped closer, trying to imagine people that lived on a planet that was basically a huge farm, working in their farming-related jobs just to kick back after work to enjoy a farming sim.
The high score's read:
1. Four-letter word, reduced to 3 letters by strategically leaving out the C that usually was the second to last letter
2. YOU
3. COR
4. PER
5. ATE
Jet just assumed that the people around here didn't particularly enjoy a gamified version of their life after all, but some guy in an office decided that farmers just got farm-related stuff in their little company town.
After realizing that there wasn't any booze left in the bar, Jet went deeper into the town, probably searching for a space Metal Slug machine. Too caught up in recreating "HEAVY MACHENE-GUN!" and other pick-up sounds, he didn't realize the soft whirring of cameras following his every move.
Surely, Jet was the most worthy of prey.
Back above ground...
The masked man was clad all in black. Only the lower part of his face was exposed. At a glance he appeared to be human. His most distinguishing feature was a white X on his mask and his shirt.
"You're The Operator from ITC," he said after a moment of studying her. He lowered his rifle before she could confirm his observation.
"Why yes, love,' The Operator replied. "You must recognize me voice. I do all the recordings on the telephone."
The masked stranger only gave an affirmative nod. "Yes, I know your voice. Your abduction has also been all over all the space cable news networks," he explained.
"Then you're 'ere to rescue me," She ventured.
"No," he answered. "I'm looking for someone else."
The Operator realized the masked man was not going to make it easy on her. His answers were short and to the point. She'd have to pry further to learn more.
"Who then, love," She pressed.
"Space Racer," He stated, expecting immediate recognition of the name. Instead, he got only a blank stare.
"Who's that, love," She asked curiously.
The masked man just stared at her in stunned disbelief for a moment. Space Racer was only the hottest and most popular intergalactic driver in IASSR (pronounced I-uh-sar, or Intergalactic Association of Stock Spaceship Racing) But there was another more obvious connection The Operator should have made.
"You're joking," he finally managed. "Space. Racer." He broke the name up into two abrupt sentences for emphasis. "The driver of the Astro 5. The car YOUR phone company sponsors for IASSR."
"Oh, that silly spaceship racing nonsense," The Operator retorted with a laugh. "I don't have any interest in a bunch of space hillbillies racing across the galaxy making left turns..."
The man scowled. "I am NOT a space hillbilly," he shot back sternly. "I'm known as The Masked Space Racer, or Space X. I'm Space's closest competitor..."
The Operator suddenly looked a bit embarrassed. "Oh, dearie me! I do apologize Mr. X," She stammered realizing she'd stepped in bantha poo doo. She hoped to make a quick recovery from her faux pas. "It's been a long day, bein' kidnapped 'n all. I was given a signed picture of the bloke awhile back. I get tickets in me paycheck and such to races every now and then. One time, I was even invited to sit in the company suite at some important race. 'Ad to pass as I had plans that evening. Quite a popular little sport and there is always someone at the company wantin' to know if they can 'ave mine..."
Space X was losing patience and time was of the essence. "Quickly, tell me how you ended up here," he demanded. "Have you seen Space?"
The Operator explained she had not. Then, she began to summarize everything that had happened starting with Beeblebrox's failed re-election party she'd been forced to be the MC at and how Lord Helmet and his minions had commandeered the party, kidnapped herself and the CEO, and then the rescue with Jet and The Doctor and how they'd become separated in the chaos.
The masked man was clad all in black. Only the lower part of his face was exposed. At a glance he appeared to be human. His most distinguishing feature was a white X on his mask and his shirt.
"You're The Operator from ITC," he said after a moment of studying her. He lowered his rifle before she could confirm his observation.
"Why yes, love,' The Operator replied. "You must recognize me voice. I do all the recordings on the telephone."
The masked stranger only gave an affirmative nod. "Yes, I know your voice. Your abduction has also been all over all the space cable news networks," he explained.
"Then you're 'ere to rescue me," She ventured.
"No," he answered. "I'm looking for someone else."
The Operator realized the masked man was not going to make it easy on her. His answers were short and to the point. She'd have to pry further to learn more.
"Who then, love," She pressed.
"Space Racer," He stated, expecting immediate recognition of the name. Instead, he got only a blank stare.
"Who's that, love," She asked curiously.
The masked man just stared at her in stunned disbelief for a moment. Space Racer was only the hottest and most popular intergalactic driver in IASSR (pronounced I-uh-sar, or Intergalactic Association of Stock Spaceship Racing) But there was another more obvious connection The Operator should have made.
"You're joking," he finally managed. "Space. Racer." He broke the name up into two abrupt sentences for emphasis. "The driver of the Astro 5. The car YOUR phone company sponsors for IASSR."
"Oh, that silly spaceship racing nonsense," The Operator retorted with a laugh. "I don't have any interest in a bunch of space hillbillies racing across the galaxy making left turns..."
The man scowled. "I am NOT a space hillbilly," he shot back sternly. "I'm known as The Masked Space Racer, or Space X. I'm Space's closest competitor..."
The Operator suddenly looked a bit embarrassed. "Oh, dearie me! I do apologize Mr. X," She stammered realizing she'd stepped in bantha poo doo. She hoped to make a quick recovery from her faux pas. "It's been a long day, bein' kidnapped 'n all. I was given a signed picture of the bloke awhile back. I get tickets in me paycheck and such to races every now and then. One time, I was even invited to sit in the company suite at some important race. 'Ad to pass as I had plans that evening. Quite a popular little sport and there is always someone at the company wantin' to know if they can 'ave mine..."
Space X was losing patience and time was of the essence. "Quickly, tell me how you ended up here," he demanded. "Have you seen Space?"
The Operator explained she had not. Then, she began to summarize everything that had happened starting with Beeblebrox's failed re-election party she'd been forced to be the MC at and how Lord Helmet and his minions had commandeered the party, kidnapped herself and the CEO, and then the rescue with Jet and The Doctor and how they'd become separated in the chaos.
Elsewhere...
A humanish man wearing strange glasses descends a staircase. He is dressed in a brown jacket and tie. His hands are unlike a human's and look more like a flipper with a thumb-like digit.
The being is in a garage-like area. Various futuristic vehicles are parked. He admires the collection for a moment and stops in front of a what appears to be a space race car.
He then moves to a black menacing robot with a red revolving police dome light on top. A searchlight below the revolving beacon resembles an eye, somewhat reminiscent of a Dalek, although there is a red scanner below that the robot actually uses to take in visual information. It sits silently out of service.
This is clearly a security robot, and the build plate identifies it as a Crime Buster Deluxe model. The bottom base resembles a car with headlights on the front and taillights in the rear but runs on tank treads. It is adorned with various sensors, antennae and weapons, but most are concealed behind panels unless the droid is ready to use them.
The man pulls a remote from the pocket of his coat and presses a button. The giant tank-like mechanoid comes to life. "My name is Crime Buster 00719! Reporting for duty as ordered, sir," it announces loudly in a commanding voice.
"Excellent," The humanoid man replied. He held up two photos. The first is a human-sized crow in a poncho that looks suspiciously like Jet. The other is of a human man in a blue and white racing space suit. "These two are fugitives. I want them dead or alive! Go forth and find them."
"I'm on the case! Crime Buster always gets his man," The robot responded and zoomed off to find its targets. It burst through some double doors and onto the street. The droid stopped for a moment and a sensor extended from the front. It sniffed the ground and then took off down the street at a high rate of speed, red revolving beacon light on and panning its flood light around as it began its search.
A humanish man wearing strange glasses descends a staircase. He is dressed in a brown jacket and tie. His hands are unlike a human's and look more like a flipper with a thumb-like digit.
The being is in a garage-like area. Various futuristic vehicles are parked. He admires the collection for a moment and stops in front of a what appears to be a space race car.
He then moves to a black menacing robot with a red revolving police dome light on top. A searchlight below the revolving beacon resembles an eye, somewhat reminiscent of a Dalek, although there is a red scanner below that the robot actually uses to take in visual information. It sits silently out of service.
This is clearly a security robot, and the build plate identifies it as a Crime Buster Deluxe model. The bottom base resembles a car with headlights on the front and taillights in the rear but runs on tank treads. It is adorned with various sensors, antennae and weapons, but most are concealed behind panels unless the droid is ready to use them.
The man pulls a remote from the pocket of his coat and presses a button. The giant tank-like mechanoid comes to life. "My name is Crime Buster 00719! Reporting for duty as ordered, sir," it announces loudly in a commanding voice.
"Excellent," The humanoid man replied. He held up two photos. The first is a human-sized crow in a poncho that looks suspiciously like Jet. The other is of a human man in a blue and white racing space suit. "These two are fugitives. I want them dead or alive! Go forth and find them."
"I'm on the case! Crime Buster always gets his man," The robot responded and zoomed off to find its targets. It burst through some double doors and onto the street. The droid stopped for a moment and a sensor extended from the front. It sniffed the ground and then took off down the street at a high rate of speed, red revolving beacon light on and panning its flood light around as it began its search.
Jet didn't carry too many space quarters on him. After a few games, he was broke. Of course, he'd have the money, once he a king would shower him in space gold for rescuing the princess, but for some reason the arcade machines didn't accept those promises in place of quarters.
Maybe they knew a thing that slipped Jet's mind: that the Operator wasn't a princess, nor was there something resembling a king around, (except maybe the poster of space Elvis on the nearby jukebox).
There had been a hidden arms race localized entirely in this space farming company town: the company tried to draw hard earned coin right out of the space farmers pockets, while the space farmers tried to hang onto whatever little profit they made.
One of the battlegrounds of this arms race had been the arcade. Space farmers found ever more sophisticated methods not to play credits for their games, while space engineers (not space space engineers, those were just regular engineers in space) build ever more secure arcade machines.
Jet's pretty basic knowledge in hotwiring was enough for spaceships, but with those arcades, he had met his match. He was knuckle deep in the guts of the machines, pulling wires and chips out before re-soldering.
He had been able to override the payment-module, as well as the payment-module-override-protector-module, and he had been halfway successful at bypassing the payment-module-override-protector-module-override-protector-module, as the sight of an payment-module-override-protector-module-override-protector-module-override-protector-module made him groan.
At this point, the Kenku expected the machine to challenge him to a martial arts battle.
Finally, he decided it was just easier to go and search for space quarters in abandoned registers.
This line of thinking brought him to the local bank. He kicked open the door, emptied half a laser battery into the ceiling and shouted "Alright everybody, hands up, heads down!", borrowing this particular line from a clown robber.
The tellers and guests ignored his simple instructions on account of not being there at all.
Maybe they knew a thing that slipped Jet's mind: that the Operator wasn't a princess, nor was there something resembling a king around, (except maybe the poster of space Elvis on the nearby jukebox).
There had been a hidden arms race localized entirely in this space farming company town: the company tried to draw hard earned coin right out of the space farmers pockets, while the space farmers tried to hang onto whatever little profit they made.
One of the battlegrounds of this arms race had been the arcade. Space farmers found ever more sophisticated methods not to play credits for their games, while space engineers (not space space engineers, those were just regular engineers in space) build ever more secure arcade machines.
Jet's pretty basic knowledge in hotwiring was enough for spaceships, but with those arcades, he had met his match. He was knuckle deep in the guts of the machines, pulling wires and chips out before re-soldering.
He had been able to override the payment-module, as well as the payment-module-override-protector-module, and he had been halfway successful at bypassing the payment-module-override-protector-module-override-protector-module, as the sight of an payment-module-override-protector-module-override-protector-module-override-protector-module made him groan.
At this point, the Kenku expected the machine to challenge him to a martial arts battle.
Finally, he decided it was just easier to go and search for space quarters in abandoned registers.
This line of thinking brought him to the local bank. He kicked open the door, emptied half a laser battery into the ceiling and shouted "Alright everybody, hands up, heads down!", borrowing this particular line from a clown robber.
The tellers and guests ignored his simple instructions on account of not being there at all.
Meanwhile...
Crimebuster was patrolling the silent streets in the subterranean city. Things were quiet... too quiet. It was then, the law enforcement droid saw something suspicious. It was sitting just outside the bar. The droid focused its searchlight and a half dozen weapons popped out of different concealed compartments.
"Alright shorty," The droid demanded in an authoritative voice. "Advance... slooooooooooooooooooooooooowly! And don't make any sudden moves." Crimebuster focused its search light on its prey. The target sat there, unresponsive and umoving. Clearly it didn't want to comply with the commands it had been given.
"Final warning," the droid ordered. "Move or I'll shoot!"
Crimebuster was short on patience. It had a job to do. When the small red object failed to comply, the menacing, black automated tank unleashed its arsenal. There was a loud, fiery explosion and when the smoke cleared, the space fire hydrant that had been sitting on the corner was no more. A huge geyser erupted from the pavement.
"Target obliterated," The robot announced loudly to an audience of no one. Then it rolled forward passing directly through the spray of the water unphased as it moved down the street.
Back at the bank... Jet was having fun playing bank robber. There were exactly as many employees and customers in the bank as witnesses to the Crimebuster blowing up an innocent fire hydrant. It was then the kenku heard a loud explosion down the street near the bar he'd come from.
Should he look out the window, he would see a menacing looking machine panning its search light around, slowly advancing. It had a red police domelight on the top like a police hover car. There was no mistaking it. This was a police vehicle and Jet realized he must have tripped an alarm given that the droid was headed this very direction.
"Hmmm, I'm picking up a signal from the bank," Crimebuster narrated aloud to itself. "There must be a heist in progress. I'm on my way!"
Should Jet continue to watch, assuming that he did in the first place, the droid suddenly accelerated toward the building at a high rate of speed. It was moving so fast, in fact, that it didn't look like it was going to stop.
Mass times velocity equals ouch was simple space physics. It was a good thing buildings, at least most buildings, including this one didn't feel pain. It looked like this particular science experiment was going to end badly and painfully for the bank in question and the kenku if he was anywhere near the lobby if the droid did choose to smash through the front. That outcome was looking more and more probable with each passing second, especially given Crimebuster had spotted the kicked in front door (which it would not fit through due to its large size).
Fortunately, Jet had plenty of time to observe the impending demise of the wall and take action. He had a variety of choices, such as hiding behind the counter toward the back of the building, looking for a back window or exit to make an escape, or waiting for the droid to smash through the bank, completely changing the meaning of "drive thru banking". At that point, the kenku could hide behind something nearby like a desk and hope Crimebuster didn't destroy his cover and himself in the process, give himself up (which would be no fun and probably not end well) or maybe look into one of the early suggested options, hopefully evading death and capture.
Crimebuster was patrolling the silent streets in the subterranean city. Things were quiet... too quiet. It was then, the law enforcement droid saw something suspicious. It was sitting just outside the bar. The droid focused its searchlight and a half dozen weapons popped out of different concealed compartments.
"Alright shorty," The droid demanded in an authoritative voice. "Advance... slooooooooooooooooooooooooowly! And don't make any sudden moves." Crimebuster focused its search light on its prey. The target sat there, unresponsive and umoving. Clearly it didn't want to comply with the commands it had been given.
"Final warning," the droid ordered. "Move or I'll shoot!"
Crimebuster was short on patience. It had a job to do. When the small red object failed to comply, the menacing, black automated tank unleashed its arsenal. There was a loud, fiery explosion and when the smoke cleared, the space fire hydrant that had been sitting on the corner was no more. A huge geyser erupted from the pavement.
"Target obliterated," The robot announced loudly to an audience of no one. Then it rolled forward passing directly through the spray of the water unphased as it moved down the street.
Back at the bank... Jet was having fun playing bank robber. There were exactly as many employees and customers in the bank as witnesses to the Crimebuster blowing up an innocent fire hydrant. It was then the kenku heard a loud explosion down the street near the bar he'd come from.
Should he look out the window, he would see a menacing looking machine panning its search light around, slowly advancing. It had a red police domelight on the top like a police hover car. There was no mistaking it. This was a police vehicle and Jet realized he must have tripped an alarm given that the droid was headed this very direction.
"Hmmm, I'm picking up a signal from the bank," Crimebuster narrated aloud to itself. "There must be a heist in progress. I'm on my way!"
Should Jet continue to watch, assuming that he did in the first place, the droid suddenly accelerated toward the building at a high rate of speed. It was moving so fast, in fact, that it didn't look like it was going to stop.
Mass times velocity equals ouch was simple space physics. It was a good thing buildings, at least most buildings, including this one didn't feel pain. It looked like this particular science experiment was going to end badly and painfully for the bank in question and the kenku if he was anywhere near the lobby if the droid did choose to smash through the front. That outcome was looking more and more probable with each passing second, especially given Crimebuster had spotted the kicked in front door (which it would not fit through due to its large size).
Fortunately, Jet had plenty of time to observe the impending demise of the wall and take action. He had a variety of choices, such as hiding behind the counter toward the back of the building, looking for a back window or exit to make an escape, or waiting for the droid to smash through the bank, completely changing the meaning of "drive thru banking". At that point, the kenku could hide behind something nearby like a desk and hope Crimebuster didn't destroy his cover and himself in the process, give himself up (which would be no fun and probably not end well) or maybe look into one of the early suggested options, hopefully evading death and capture.
The Operator and Space X had found their way below ground via a maintenance hatch in another building inside the compound. It lead to a maintenance tunnel deep underground, dimly lit was lighting that flickered occasionally. The tunnels formed a labyrinth, but Space X seemed unconcerned and took the lead. Eventually, they found a vertical tube. "Get in," Space X ordered. The Operator looked a bit unsure, but stepped inside. A forcefield snatched her up and whisked her up a tunnel. She found herself on the outskirts of an underground city. Space X appeared behind her a moment later.
Everything seemed abandoned and eerily quiet, although well preserved. No one was stirring, except for a space mouse. It scurred past the pair. The Operator made disgusted face. "Now where, love," she asked.
"This way," Space X replied. "We want to keep moving. We need to try to find Space and your friend as fast as possible and get out of here."
"Friend? I hardly know the chap," The Operator protested. "He's just some overgrown crow that I got stuck with during our escape. But still, I spose we should try n' find him. I mean, he did help me get out of that Imperial prison."
She paused to think about their initial encounter at the party and Jet eagerly wanting her to recite a list of words and phrases for his use. He had been ecstatic to meet her. And then, she was abducted and imprisoned with the annoying CEO of all people. The Operator wondered how Xizz had faired in escaping. Was he with The Doctor? Were they on their way to rescue her? Did they have any clues leading them here?
"Come on," Space X demanded. "Keep moving!"
"Alright, love," She grumbled. "I just needed to catch me breath a moment. Let's go!"
The pair moved along an avenue. There were no people, or aliens, or animals or even robots around. The Operator felt eerily alone aside from Space X. The ground shook and there was some kind of an explosion. It wasn't close, but it certainly didn't sound good. Space X lead The Operator down a narrow passage. It was unclear if the pair were going toward or away from the distant noise.
On one hand, The Operator wanted to get as far as possible from anything sounding like an explosion. At the same time, the first thing that occurred to her was if something had just been blown up, Jet was likely the responsible party. She debated if she should share that information with Space X, but decided against it. He seemed to be the expert hero here and she'd probably only annoy him.
The pair got to the end of a passage that ended in a tunnel leading downward. Without hesitation, Space X lead the way down the stairs ending at the bottom in a four way intersection. He paused to listen for clues as to which way they should proceed.
Roll 1d4:
N: 1
S: 2
E: 3
E: 4
Everything seemed abandoned and eerily quiet, although well preserved. No one was stirring, except for a space mouse. It scurred past the pair. The Operator made disgusted face. "Now where, love," she asked.
"This way," Space X replied. "We want to keep moving. We need to try to find Space and your friend as fast as possible and get out of here."
"Friend? I hardly know the chap," The Operator protested. "He's just some overgrown crow that I got stuck with during our escape. But still, I spose we should try n' find him. I mean, he did help me get out of that Imperial prison."
She paused to think about their initial encounter at the party and Jet eagerly wanting her to recite a list of words and phrases for his use. He had been ecstatic to meet her. And then, she was abducted and imprisoned with the annoying CEO of all people. The Operator wondered how Xizz had faired in escaping. Was he with The Doctor? Were they on their way to rescue her? Did they have any clues leading them here?
"Come on," Space X demanded. "Keep moving!"
"Alright, love," She grumbled. "I just needed to catch me breath a moment. Let's go!"
The pair moved along an avenue. There were no people, or aliens, or animals or even robots around. The Operator felt eerily alone aside from Space X. The ground shook and there was some kind of an explosion. It wasn't close, but it certainly didn't sound good. Space X lead The Operator down a narrow passage. It was unclear if the pair were going toward or away from the distant noise.
On one hand, The Operator wanted to get as far as possible from anything sounding like an explosion. At the same time, the first thing that occurred to her was if something had just been blown up, Jet was likely the responsible party. She debated if she should share that information with Space X, but decided against it. He seemed to be the expert hero here and she'd probably only annoy him.
The pair got to the end of a passage that ended in a tunnel leading downward. Without hesitation, Space X lead the way down the stairs ending at the bottom in a four way intersection. He paused to listen for clues as to which way they should proceed.
Roll 1d4:
N: 1
S: 2
E: 3
E: 4
rolled 1d4 and got a natural 2.
Note: Which way?
The Operator and Space X were likely to be eaten by a grue.
Meanwhile, the Kenku had a whole other problem. No, not the mix of Darth Vader and a German tank, that one would come in later. His problems were the reinforced doors separating him from access to a vault that Jet reasoned to be filled with space gold.
Jet tried the novel approach of shooting the door. Despite the name, his blaster didn't blast it open, it just darkened on the lock slightly. Three more shots made about three more penny-sized areas of sooth.
At this speed, Jet would be done with the door in about 7.5 million years, give or take. Ammunition would become a problem, as would be the natural lifespan of a Kenku, and without a mate nor interest in procreating, Jet couldn't even leave this task and the spoils to his ancestors.
He just pondered other solutions as he heard the nearby explosion. Quickly, his head pointed in the direction, before his eyes slowly returned towards the doors.
A smile slowly grew in the kenku's beak.
The wall bursted, showering the room in rubble. The tank rolled forward, his outlines covered in dust and raining stone chips. Tables splintered beneath the wheels.
It took Crimebuster around three point four seconds to do an order of magnitude more damage than all the cash in the registers combined ever held.
Crushing the artistic mosaic of the bank's floor bellow, the tank saw no offender. Until, he suddenly did.
Jet jumped out from behind one of the few remaining pillars. Quoting a certain line from a certain n.w.a-song, he blasted away at the tank.
Once again, his blaster was no match for reinforced space steel, it just added a nice lightshow of bright red beams to the spectacle
But then again, Jet didn't want to blow up the tank, he wanted to blow up the door.
The door that just happened to be behind his position as he opened fire at the tank.
Jet waited a painfully long second for all the turrets to turn towards him (and thus, said door) before diving for the deceptive security of the pillar once more.
Meanwhile, the Kenku had a whole other problem. No, not the mix of Darth Vader and a German tank, that one would come in later. His problems were the reinforced doors separating him from access to a vault that Jet reasoned to be filled with space gold.
Jet tried the novel approach of shooting the door. Despite the name, his blaster didn't blast it open, it just darkened on the lock slightly. Three more shots made about three more penny-sized areas of sooth.
At this speed, Jet would be done with the door in about 7.5 million years, give or take. Ammunition would become a problem, as would be the natural lifespan of a Kenku, and without a mate nor interest in procreating, Jet couldn't even leave this task and the spoils to his ancestors.
He just pondered other solutions as he heard the nearby explosion. Quickly, his head pointed in the direction, before his eyes slowly returned towards the doors.
A smile slowly grew in the kenku's beak.
The wall bursted, showering the room in rubble. The tank rolled forward, his outlines covered in dust and raining stone chips. Tables splintered beneath the wheels.
It took Crimebuster around three point four seconds to do an order of magnitude more damage than all the cash in the registers combined ever held.
Crushing the artistic mosaic of the bank's floor bellow, the tank saw no offender. Until, he suddenly did.
Jet jumped out from behind one of the few remaining pillars. Quoting a certain line from a certain n.w.a-song, he blasted away at the tank.
Once again, his blaster was no match for reinforced space steel, it just added a nice lightshow of bright red beams to the spectacle
But then again, Jet didn't want to blow up the tank, he wanted to blow up the door.
The door that just happened to be behind his position as he opened fire at the tank.
Jet waited a painfully long second for all the turrets to turn towards him (and thus, said door) before diving for the deceptive security of the pillar once more.
The bank was only a short distance away. Crimebuster stopped to analyze the area, panning its spotlight around, finally settling on the kicked in front door where the kenku was hiding. The robot's red eye analyzed it for a moment.
"The door has been breached," it announced. "There must be perpetrators inside! Since this is a robbery in progress, no warrant is needed." The red dome light came on and without hesitation, Crimebuster accelerated toward the bank at maximum speed.
From the shadows across the street, a figure watched the droid as it prepared to ram the building. The observer dared not make a move. "Ohhhh," the shadow said as Crimebuster accelerated and smashed through the front leaving a giant tank-sized hole next to the door. The droid must have been referring to the space crow man that forced its way inside a few minutes earlier. If the security bot was after it, that probably meant that the birdman was also being hunted and therefore not on Skystalker's side. If that was the case, the kenku was a potential ally.
If I'm right then I have to do something quick to save him or that robot will destroy him for sure, he thought.
Meanwhile, as the dust slowly cleared, the particles illuminated the search beam and dome light, making them glow in a sinister sort of way. Crimebuster looked all the more terrifying. It's red eye scanned the area for a moment, looking for signs of life.
Suddenly, a kenku leaped from hiding and yelled something, but his words were unintelligible as he began firing shots at the droid. The shots bounced harmlessly off of its armor. As Jet planned, the robot revealed its arsenal of weapons. It had scanned the kenku's face and had already identified him as one of its two targets.
It was about to open fire since the orders were to bring fugitives in dead or alive. Dead was optimal and more convenient for several reasons. First, there was no awkward small talk in the squad car, no last-minute restroom stops, and absolutely zero debates about what music to play on the way back. Court schedules got mysteriously simpler, interrogation rooms stay blissfully quiet, and the paperwork—while still epic—at least didn’t include a section for “snacks requested.”
All of that being said, despite Crimebuster being a self contained vehicle, it had no squad car or a place to put any prisoners, which solved an additional problem for the droid. Crimebuster targeted the kenku. "You are under arrest! I am Crimebuster 00719. Set your weapon down and step forward slowly and identify yourself!" Crimebuster prepared to shoot the target so it could take a picture to show its objective had been completed.
About that time, the other window, the unbroken one on the opposite side of the kicked in door that Crime Buster hadn't crashed through, shattered. The droid kept its weapons pointed toward Jet. It's searchlight and red eye turned toward the now glassless window. There, stood a man in a blue and white racing suit, outside the building in the middle of the street. He had thrown a space brick or some other heavy object at it. The man's face was covered by a helmet. Despite not being able to see the mysterious figure's face, Jet likely recognized him by his uniform as the infamous IASSR driver, Space Racer! Space drove the Astro 5, sponsored by the ITC Telephone Company. It was the very company The Operator worked for!
"Hey you you big overgrown tin can come and get me if you can catch me," The man called in a rambling, run-on sentence*
Crimebuster was now distracted. "You are the other fugitive! Halt! You are under arrest. Hands up and no funny business mister!"
But Space didn't obey, he turned and ran for the alleyway across the street. Unfortunately, Crimebuster's weapons were pointed in the opposite direction and were fixed in that position. The eye rotated around toward Jet.
"You! Don't go anywhere and remain where you are. You are also under arrest. I will return when I apprehend the other fugitive!"
The droid turned and crashed through the wall on the other side of the door with the newly shattered window and didn't notice Jet diving for cover. He would shoot fugitive number one after he dealt with the second. In the time it had taken Crimebuster to tell Jet to stay put and turn itself around, Space had vanished into the shadows across the street. The giant robot tank zoomed off in pursuit. Apparently, it trusted that Jet would not go anywhere as ordered.
*Editor's note: One of the staple's of Speed Racer, based on the Japanese show Mach Go, Go, Go! was the fact the title character Speed Racer (Go Mifume) often spoke in run-on sentences. This was a result of the long phrases the character originally said in Japanese. The voice actor had trouble speaking lines that made sense to the situation in English that matched the character's mouth. As a result, his only option was to sometimes speak quickly and ramble to make the dialogue work.
"The door has been breached," it announced. "There must be perpetrators inside! Since this is a robbery in progress, no warrant is needed." The red dome light came on and without hesitation, Crimebuster accelerated toward the bank at maximum speed.
From the shadows across the street, a figure watched the droid as it prepared to ram the building. The observer dared not make a move. "Ohhhh," the shadow said as Crimebuster accelerated and smashed through the front leaving a giant tank-sized hole next to the door. The droid must have been referring to the space crow man that forced its way inside a few minutes earlier. If the security bot was after it, that probably meant that the birdman was also being hunted and therefore not on Skystalker's side. If that was the case, the kenku was a potential ally.
If I'm right then I have to do something quick to save him or that robot will destroy him for sure, he thought.
Meanwhile, as the dust slowly cleared, the particles illuminated the search beam and dome light, making them glow in a sinister sort of way. Crimebuster looked all the more terrifying. It's red eye scanned the area for a moment, looking for signs of life.
Suddenly, a kenku leaped from hiding and yelled something, but his words were unintelligible as he began firing shots at the droid. The shots bounced harmlessly off of its armor. As Jet planned, the robot revealed its arsenal of weapons. It had scanned the kenku's face and had already identified him as one of its two targets.
It was about to open fire since the orders were to bring fugitives in dead or alive. Dead was optimal and more convenient for several reasons. First, there was no awkward small talk in the squad car, no last-minute restroom stops, and absolutely zero debates about what music to play on the way back. Court schedules got mysteriously simpler, interrogation rooms stay blissfully quiet, and the paperwork—while still epic—at least didn’t include a section for “snacks requested.”
All of that being said, despite Crimebuster being a self contained vehicle, it had no squad car or a place to put any prisoners, which solved an additional problem for the droid. Crimebuster targeted the kenku. "You are under arrest! I am Crimebuster 00719. Set your weapon down and step forward slowly and identify yourself!" Crimebuster prepared to shoot the target so it could take a picture to show its objective had been completed.
About that time, the other window, the unbroken one on the opposite side of the kicked in door that Crime Buster hadn't crashed through, shattered. The droid kept its weapons pointed toward Jet. It's searchlight and red eye turned toward the now glassless window. There, stood a man in a blue and white racing suit, outside the building in the middle of the street. He had thrown a space brick or some other heavy object at it. The man's face was covered by a helmet. Despite not being able to see the mysterious figure's face, Jet likely recognized him by his uniform as the infamous IASSR driver, Space Racer! Space drove the Astro 5, sponsored by the ITC Telephone Company. It was the very company The Operator worked for!
"Hey you you big overgrown tin can come and get me if you can catch me," The man called in a rambling, run-on sentence*
Crimebuster was now distracted. "You are the other fugitive! Halt! You are under arrest. Hands up and no funny business mister!"
But Space didn't obey, he turned and ran for the alleyway across the street. Unfortunately, Crimebuster's weapons were pointed in the opposite direction and were fixed in that position. The eye rotated around toward Jet.
"You! Don't go anywhere and remain where you are. You are also under arrest. I will return when I apprehend the other fugitive!"
The droid turned and crashed through the wall on the other side of the door with the newly shattered window and didn't notice Jet diving for cover. He would shoot fugitive number one after he dealt with the second. In the time it had taken Crimebuster to tell Jet to stay put and turn itself around, Space had vanished into the shadows across the street. The giant robot tank zoomed off in pursuit. Apparently, it trusted that Jet would not go anywhere as ordered.
*Editor's note: One of the staple's of Speed Racer, based on the Japanese show Mach Go, Go, Go! was the fact the title character Speed Racer (Go Mifume) often spoke in run-on sentences. This was a result of the long phrases the character originally said in Japanese. The voice actor had trouble speaking lines that made sense to the situation in English that matched the character's mouth. As a result, his only option was to sometimes speak quickly and ramble to make the dialogue work.
Space X studied the options for a moment before settling on south.
"Come on," he ordered without looking back to see if The Operator followed.
The corridor lead to another door. Space X paused to listen for a moment before opening it. He motioned for The Operator to follow. After she stepped inside, the door slammed shut. Space X whirled around and tried the handle, only to find it locked.
The floor was littered with objects that resembled toys. There were two elevator type doors on the opposite wall with signs above them in an unfamiliar language.
"Can you read this," Space X asked The Operator.
"Sorry, love," She replied with a shrug. "No idea on this one. Me babblefish doesn't help with written language."
"Hmm," he mused aloud glancing between the doors to see if there was any clue as to which was the better path.
Flip a coin: Left= 1, Right= 2.
"Come on," he ordered without looking back to see if The Operator followed.
The corridor lead to another door. Space X paused to listen for a moment before opening it. He motioned for The Operator to follow. After she stepped inside, the door slammed shut. Space X whirled around and tried the handle, only to find it locked.
The floor was littered with objects that resembled toys. There were two elevator type doors on the opposite wall with signs above them in an unfamiliar language.
"Can you read this," Space X asked The Operator.
"Sorry, love," She replied with a shrug. "No idea on this one. Me babblefish doesn't help with written language."
"Hmm," he mused aloud glancing between the doors to see if there was any clue as to which was the better path.
Flip a coin: Left= 1, Right= 2.
rolled 1d2 and got a natural 2.
Note: Which way?
Usually, Jet was fine with no one shooting at him. It was a waste of his talents, but it was a peaceful life.
It usually didn't last long.
Just now, when Jet explicitly wanted someone to give him their best shot, he did get nothing. The kenku blinked, irritation painted all over his face.
"You wanna play games? Okay, I'll play with you. Come on." he shouted in a bad interpretation of a cuban accent.
"Okay, do you wanna play rough? Okay! Say hello to my little friend!"
His little friend was a blaster that really was painfully undersized for the kind of shootout he was attending. Jet send a few more laser-blasts against Crimebuster's hull for good measure.
He might've as well just shone a flashlight on the big guy.
Just as Jet thought about returning to the classics ("Kill me nauw!" in an austrain accent) the man in blue fled across the cityscape, and the gun-car followed.
Wait… had that been Space Racer? The legendary Space Racer?
Jet was a fan of both, the man's ability to pilot a car at high speeds as well as the man's ability to string together sentences with just as much swiftness!
He needed an autograph! And some sound-bites! Most likely curse words!
Quickly, the kenku followed, deciding to be a part of the chase himself. He assumed this would end in a car chase! Why would Speed Racer be involved, if there wouldn't be vehicles trying to catch up to one another?
Jet currently was at a loss for a speedy car, but he could improvise.
He grabbed the red barrier rope that once made sure the bank's customers lined up in neat rows. Right now, after a tank drove over it, it was in pieces. Jet just selected the longest, that still had a supporting post.
He threw it at Crimebuster, counting on the supporting post to act like a grappling hook. Rope in his hand, Jet jumped on a loose piece of metal.
He planned on basically being dragged behind the car on his improvised board, just like driving water-ski… just without water. Or ski.
It usually didn't last long.
Just now, when Jet explicitly wanted someone to give him their best shot, he did get nothing. The kenku blinked, irritation painted all over his face.
"You wanna play games? Okay, I'll play with you. Come on." he shouted in a bad interpretation of a cuban accent.
"Okay, do you wanna play rough? Okay! Say hello to my little friend!"
His little friend was a blaster that really was painfully undersized for the kind of shootout he was attending. Jet send a few more laser-blasts against Crimebuster's hull for good measure.
He might've as well just shone a flashlight on the big guy.
Just as Jet thought about returning to the classics ("Kill me nauw!" in an austrain accent) the man in blue fled across the cityscape, and the gun-car followed.
Wait… had that been Space Racer? The legendary Space Racer?
Jet was a fan of both, the man's ability to pilot a car at high speeds as well as the man's ability to string together sentences with just as much swiftness!
He needed an autograph! And some sound-bites! Most likely curse words!
Quickly, the kenku followed, deciding to be a part of the chase himself. He assumed this would end in a car chase! Why would Speed Racer be involved, if there wouldn't be vehicles trying to catch up to one another?
Jet currently was at a loss for a speedy car, but he could improvise.
He grabbed the red barrier rope that once made sure the bank's customers lined up in neat rows. Right now, after a tank drove over it, it was in pieces. Jet just selected the longest, that still had a supporting post.
He threw it at Crimebuster, counting on the supporting post to act like a grappling hook. Rope in his hand, Jet jumped on a loose piece of metal.
He planned on basically being dragged behind the car on his improvised board, just like driving water-ski… just without water. Or ski.
The book has nothing to say on the subject of security droid skiing as it was not a thing. That was unfortunate, because Jet could have potentially been remembered for starting what might have been the oddest sport in the galaxy. Crimebuster was too busy pursuing fugitive #2 and was now ignoring fugitive #1. It did appear that the droid both expected and assumed Jet would offer his full cooperation in not fleeing the scene.
Crimebuster was so focused on fugitive #2, in fact, that it failed to notice fugitive #1 attempt to MacGyver the queue rope into a grappling hook and tow himself behind the droid. The idea was absolutely ridiculous. So much so, that the improbability of such a ludicrous plan actually working exceeded any hope of success that it did in fact actually work. The explanation of this is far too complex to explain here other than to say that if success was a circle, the kenku had surpassed the failure point so badly that it continued around into the zone of the circle for succeeding. While completely illogical, Nutonian physics actually proved this was possible and a similar case was likely being discussed in a boring classroom on a distant planet. A professor on said planet would love to have known about what was transpiring just to use it as an example in his lesson.
That brings us back to the kenku flying through the tank-shaped hole in the side of the bank, riding the base of the queue line pole as he was pulled along by Crimebuster who was completely unaware of the hitchhiker. The disk shot an impressive trail of sparks for the brief distance it traveled.
"Halt fugitive," Crimebuster ordered the fleeing criminal it was pursing into the passage ahead. "This is your final warning! You will stop running and turn around to face me slooooooooooowly or I'll shoot!"
But Space Racer kept running and disappeared into the narrow alleyway across from the bank. This presented a problem for the oversized droid; the path was too narrow for it to continue the pursuit and the buildings on either side were too strong and solid for Crimebuster to simply plow through them.
That resulted in the over-sized tank droid coming to a screeching halt. It also caused Jet, whether intentionally or more likely unintentionally, to come hurdling toward the droid's body, go airborne, strike the rear base and do an impressive summersault over the top of the droid, into the alley and land just far enough in the narrow corridor to be just beyond the droid's reach.
"Halt," Crimebuster demanded as its red eye now focused on the kenku that had somehow manage to leap over the top of it. "You are under arrest. Come out with your hands raised and approach slowly. No funny business, mister!"
Jet caught a glimpse of Space vanishing into the shadows just ahead of him. The droid was blocking any hope of an escape by turning around and trying to go the way he had come. That would also likely result in a series of very painful lasers into Jet's body. It seemed advisable for the kenku to run in the same direction as Mr. Racer.
Crimebuster was so focused on fugitive #2, in fact, that it failed to notice fugitive #1 attempt to MacGyver the queue rope into a grappling hook and tow himself behind the droid. The idea was absolutely ridiculous. So much so, that the improbability of such a ludicrous plan actually working exceeded any hope of success that it did in fact actually work. The explanation of this is far too complex to explain here other than to say that if success was a circle, the kenku had surpassed the failure point so badly that it continued around into the zone of the circle for succeeding. While completely illogical, Nutonian physics actually proved this was possible and a similar case was likely being discussed in a boring classroom on a distant planet. A professor on said planet would love to have known about what was transpiring just to use it as an example in his lesson.
That brings us back to the kenku flying through the tank-shaped hole in the side of the bank, riding the base of the queue line pole as he was pulled along by Crimebuster who was completely unaware of the hitchhiker. The disk shot an impressive trail of sparks for the brief distance it traveled.
"Halt fugitive," Crimebuster ordered the fleeing criminal it was pursing into the passage ahead. "This is your final warning! You will stop running and turn around to face me slooooooooooowly or I'll shoot!"
But Space Racer kept running and disappeared into the narrow alleyway across from the bank. This presented a problem for the oversized droid; the path was too narrow for it to continue the pursuit and the buildings on either side were too strong and solid for Crimebuster to simply plow through them.
That resulted in the over-sized tank droid coming to a screeching halt. It also caused Jet, whether intentionally or more likely unintentionally, to come hurdling toward the droid's body, go airborne, strike the rear base and do an impressive summersault over the top of the droid, into the alley and land just far enough in the narrow corridor to be just beyond the droid's reach.
"Halt," Crimebuster demanded as its red eye now focused on the kenku that had somehow manage to leap over the top of it. "You are under arrest. Come out with your hands raised and approach slowly. No funny business, mister!"
Jet caught a glimpse of Space vanishing into the shadows just ahead of him. The droid was blocking any hope of an escape by turning around and trying to go the way he had come. That would also likely result in a series of very painful lasers into Jet's body. It seemed advisable for the kenku to run in the same direction as Mr. Racer.
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