The gang of Intergalactic Ninja Vampire Space Pirates (A.k.a The I.N.V.S.P.)

Ignore my mindless rambling, i'm sick goddamnit i'm not thinking straight! CURSE YE ALL! Except the Captain. She's free from the curse as a sort of welcome back present.

 

Aw, feel better, Mr. Smurf. And thank ye fer not nailin' me with that curse. Here, have a Dr. pepper as a get well soon present.
*Hands a can of Dr. Pepper to you*

 

Is Dr. Pepper a kind of energy drink? I don't think i've ever had it before lol

 

[video=youtube;vZH82DalNKM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZH82DalNKM[/video]

 

Yay, yay, yay! ^^
Omg, where are you Miss Loxare!!! She can't miss this!!!

 

Unfortunately, I'm afraid I have to be goin' soon, so miss it she shall have to do. :(

I'll try to be back again sometime, hopefully with more of my story written, and I'll miss ye all while I'm gone!
Cap'n Droid wasn't here either, nor were Lesumax and Teddy and Krown, and anyone else whom I may have forgotten. If I did forget someone, don't think I don't miss you, I just have a super bad memory. Anyway, give my regards to all who weren't here, and tell Droid I found my old VHS tape of Lion King the other day, and thought of him. XD

 

Haha, sure. Please take care!
I'll be also logging off soon. Just need to finish somethings here and I'm off to bed.

 

The Cap'n was here...

The Cap'n was here and I missed it...

DAMN YOU EXAMS AND YOUR STUDYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
/rage

T~T

Thank you Cap'n! I shall savour them. And what better way than to share with the crew? Rienzel! Finish melting this lock off so we can haz twinkies!

 

Might wanna step back. Things are about to get "sparky"
*welds lock open with miniaturized thermo-nuclear laser.*
i must say, these are the most well guarded Twinkies i've ever encountered.

 

OHMIGOSH next chapter. As usual, the most wonderful crew of the Saber gets it first!

Spoiler

“There she is! B17!!!†Loxie, standing in her usual place in the crow's nest, was the first to see the planet, as always. Some things change, but many never do. As the crew let out a cheer below her, a bit of movement portside drew her eye. “Ahoy mates! The Flash be portside!†She grabbed a shroud line and jumped over the side.

At the Captain's order, Rienzel fired a non-lethal laser at the Flash, to catch their attention. Sure enough, the Saber's rival ship pulled in close. When the two were close enough, Droid moved himself into position on the far side of his ship. All four legs flying, he leapt across the gap between the ships. He landed squarely in front of Captain Marushi, who was standing in the center of the deck.

“Captain Droid.†Captain inclined her head by way of greeting.

Droid followed suit, his neck gears whirring, “Captain Marushi. It's lovely to see you in good health.â€

“The same to you.†She looked towards the approaching planet before continuing, “It seems we have a similar idea concerning this planet.â€

The lion growled affirmation. “Indeed. So what say ye Marushi? Shall we both plunder, or do we fight it out here and now?â€

Marushi considered this for a moment, then adjusted her hat, a signal to the crew to put down their weapons, weapons which had been out since Rienzel fired his laser. “I say we both go in. Any disputes over plunder will be settled by coin toss when we're far from this planet, not by fists in a danger zone.â€

Droid made a noise that was laughter for him but sounded more like a combination between growling and purring to Loxie. “That sounds fair to me Captain. We are in agreement then?†He extended a paw which Marushi shook.

“We are.†Marushi looked to her crew, her brave loyal crew which would follow her to this hell and back. “Away to the planet you scalawags! Away to our plunder!â€


When Loxie's feet hit the ground, it crackled. Excasr hadn't been kidding when he'd said it would be hot; he may have understated it actually. “Hot and humid†sounded more like the Playground Beaches of Vidia rather than this inferno. Her lungs quickly set up a protest to all the water she was inhaling. No matter though; all she had to do was pick things up and put them in her bag.

Getting through the Alparnian cordon hadn't been very difficult. Only one ship was close enough to even see them and a few well placed shots had disabled the rudder beyond easy repair. The descent to the planet had been unbearable though. The sudden change from the relative coolness of space to the blistering heat of Betelgeuse 17 had almost given half of the crew heat stroke then and there. Loxie couldn't wait to finish looting and get off the planet.

A likely looking piece caught her eye. It was made of Monterran silver and shaped like a Monterran marble. Of course, the Monterran's being a race of giants, this marble was the size of a beach ball. Since she wouldn't be able to pick it up, she simply stretched the mouth of the bag to it limit and pulled it down over the marble and when she picked the bag back up, the marble was gone. That was easy. Let's see what else we can find. Three Nausic sculptures, sixteen Neysid tapestries and a sizable chunk of Logian tritanium later and Loxie's first house was clear.

After finishing her third house, she exited to find DarkTraitor and Llave fighting over a Magnian sculpture depicting a naked Wollé woman. It was the standard, “I saw it first†“Well I grabbed it first†argument. Loxie grabbed it with one hand and smacked them both with the other, DT first, Llave right after. “The Captains already decided how to do this. Next time, I throw both of you into the brig and I don't care which ship you're on.†She pulled a tag from her pocket, slipped it over the statuette's neck and threw it into her bag. “Now get back to work. The sooner this is done, the greater chance we have to live.†She smacked them both again for good measure then started looting her fourth house.

“Alright,†Eleven houses later, she threw her last bit of loot into the bag, “that should be the last of it, provided the rest of the crew did their work.†Sure enough, just as she was leaving, a radio call came in from Excasr who was keeping an eye on the ship.

“The hold is full to bursting. Everyone get back on board. We've still got a half an hour until the planet explodes. No reason to not hurry though.â€

Loxie checked each of the houses before she left, making sure that everyone had heard the message. In the last house, the one furthest from the ship, she ran into NemesisPrime, one of the original crew who had taken a few months off to nurse an injury. He had come back with his leg in perfect condition and his greedy pirate's heart ready for loot.

“Optimus,†Loxie called out to him using the nickname she had decided on spontaneously, “hurry up! The ship's full and we can't wait for much longer!â€

“As soon as I get this,†he called back, trying to pull a edge-sword off of the wall. Edge-swords ran a current of electrons along the edge of the blade, causing it to heat up and burn enemies as it cut. “This one is in much better condition than the one I have at home!â€

Loxie sighed. “Fine,†she said, staring at the brace holding the sword against the wall, “Stand back then.†She pulled her rifle and shot four charges, one at each of the bolts. Each one sublimed into gas as the charge hit it, allowing the brace to fall off and the sword to drop into Nemesis's hands. “Now get back onto the ship before this planet explodes.â€

Almost as if taking it;s cue, the floor suddenly split in half, Loxie and the door on one side, Nemesis on the other. As the chasm grew wider, Loxie saw hot magma running near the bottom, but getting closer with each passing second. “Optimus!!! Jump now!†She held out her hand to him as he started running towards her, gaining momentum. He jumped and although he landed a good foot away from the chasm, he still needed Loxie's hand to steady himself.

After taking a few more reassuring steps away from the chasm, Prime turned to Loxie. “Shall we run?â€

Loxie rolled her eyes. “Let's shall.†She had been taught at an early age the appropriate response to that question and it was a difficult habit to break, even in this situation. “Now go!â€

She hadn't thought the planet's surface could have gotten any hotter but it did. The cracks in the heat spewed heat and noxious gases like a dragon's maw. Betelgeuse 17 was breaking down early; Loxie and Prime were lucky to get this much of a warning. The ground was opening up left and right, expunging more gases, more of the blistering heat that seared the skin of the last two of the INVSP still on the surface. Nemesis was a bit faster than Loxie; though she was only a few steps behind, when the chasm opened, Nemesis was well out of the danger zone. Loxie was not.

Instinctively, she threw her hands up, looking for a purchase, an outcropping to grab and save her from a fiery death. Her hands found nothing, nothing to grab. Her stomach flew into her throat, her eyes filled. She had imagined dying in a glorious space battle, not on this Godforsaken backwater planet. A slight pressure on her wrist brought her attention back to the immediate present, away from the immediate future which would surely be hers. It would be hers, except for the pressure on her wrist which became a vice-like grip.

“Hold on Loxare!â€Nemesis's voice drifted from above her, “The ship is dropping a rope. Just hold on.â€

Loxie twisted her hand so she could grab Nemesis's forearm. A moment later she was back onto flat, if unstable, ground. They grabbed the rope and watched as the ground below them receded.


The crews of the Saber and the Flash, having put a couple of systems between them and Betelgeuse, had extended a number of gangplanks across the gap between the two ships, creating a mostly-solid floor of neutral ground, the advantage going to neither ship. They pulled all of the tagged items from the hold and separated them so that both sides had the same value, relatively. Neither DT nor Llave were willing to give up the statue of the Wollé woman and had flip a coin, Llave calling tails, DT heads. Llave won, to DT's disappointment.

Business concluded, Droid turned to Marushi, “It was good fighting you for the meanwhile Captain Marushi. Are the rumors true then?â€

The Captain started in surprise, then nodded. “Aye. They are. Where did ye hear?†She had only told Loxie and knew her first mate wouldn't disobey orders and tell of her plans.

Captain Droid laughed. “I can see the signs Marushi.†He looked back at his crew as they started letting down sail, preparing to leave. “I'll see you when we port then.â€

Captain Marushi smiled, “Of course.†With a wave over her shoulder, she turned back to her crew. A subtle signal to Loxie had the first mate bellowing at the crew.

“Get these planks packed away and set to go! We're heading back to Vidia so get your backsides in gear or I'll have my whip get them in gear for you! Lower sail, start the jets, and- DT! IF I EVER SEE YOU LEAVE A ROPE UNCOILED EVER AGAIN, I'LL SERVE YOUR LIVER TO DROID!â€

As Loxie bellowed on, the Captain entered her cabin smiling. Her crew would be in good hands.

Spoiler

For the record, the coin flip was done IRL. Luck of the flip DT. Sorry.

 

Are you talking about the story? Because you will feature more in the next chapter, don't worry.

 

Returning for Orders and requesting the color blue Captain Marushi sir!

 

EEEEEEE!!! :D

Loxare, I loved it, just like I've loved all your chapters so far. You've got quite a bit of talent in writing. Keep up the good work!

I, on the other hand, am still very lazy, and haven't even finished chapter one of my pirate tale. It will be here soon. Maybe. XD

Anyway, I miss you all a whole lot, although I am not here for a proper visit. :(

One last thing before I go: Captain Droid, if you're reading this, I had a dream last night that I was in the Lion King, and I totally thought of you when Scar started singing his song. XD

 

Haha, what a funny dream. ^^
It was great that you were here again Onee-chan!

Unfortunately, I won't be online very often until the beginning of July as said here. So I hope to see you all around. :3

 

The Captain has taken a leave of absence, but I can change it in her stead.

Damn! Why do I always miss you Captain? I blame exams. That sounds like an awesome dream though.

 

Sigh. Loxare, you always miss me because I am a crazy person who only manages to get free time whenever you aren't here. If I didn't know myself better, I'd say it was a conspiracy. Unfortunately, I do know myself better, and a conspiracy it is not.

Anyway, apart from missing Loxare again (sob), I've actually written the first chapter of my pirate tale! YAY!!! :D So here it is, the first chapter!

Spoiler: Chapter One: Anxieties

Long nights, bloodshot eyes, the sound of a clock ticking... That is, until she had shot it with her blaster last Tuesday. Now, whenever she couldn’t sleep, the room was completely silent. With a sigh, Cap’n Marushi rolled over on her bed, one of the only real beds on the ship. Most of the crew had to make do with hammocks, but there were a few perks to being Cap’n. Gazing out the window, Marushi saw stars, so many stars, shining brightly on the horizon. The veiw was one of the only things she liked about insomnia, if she had been on a planet, surrounded by atmosphere, the stars would have been clouded over. Of course, she liked clouds too, but still. She lay and looked, for quite a while, thinking over everything that would take place the next day. Of course, the mission was important. They were going to Betelgeuse 17, a small mining planet about to explode, for a raid. It would be dangerous, but no more than usual. A quote from one of her all-time favorite movies came to mind. We’re Vikings. It’s an occupational hazard. Of course, Marushi and her crew weren’t vikings. They were pirates, plain and simple.

She remembered the days before she was a pirate. Alone, she had drifted to the planet Vidia, sold her sorry excuse for a shuttlecraft to a junk dealer, and made her way to the Kingdom of Thera. It was there that she found it. The Saber, I mean. A glorious old honest-to-goodness pirate ship, modernized to travel through the skies as well as the seas. Well, instead of. With all the high quality titanium polymer, as well as the neccesary technology, the ship was too heavy to sail on the ocean. But right when she saw it, she knew. This was her ship, she needed this ship. Fortunately, it was fairly cheap, being such an old model. No respectable sailor would be seen flying such an old piece of junk. But she, Marushi, was no respectable sailor. She paid every cent she owned for that ship, she just had to. Then she put up a notice. "I’ve decided to start a gang of Intergalactic Ninja Vampire Space Pirates," it read. "WHO WILL JOIN ME?"

She got quite a following. So many amazing people signed up. Of course, some of them never showed up for the voyage, but that was alright. She had enough crewmates to pilot the Saber. And so began the voyage for adventure, action, and treasure. Treasure, she could do without, she only kept enough to pay the bills. Everything else went to the crew. What she voyaged for was the adventure. The freedom of the skies, the thrill before a raid, the amazingly foreign concept of being accepted, and even respected, by a crew of people she considered friends, all of it. She still had no idea how to respond when one of her crew saluted her, but she wouldn’t trade that salute for anything in the universe.

Well, almost anything.

Now her thoughts turned toward the other thing she would be doing that day. The announcement. After the raid, when all was done and the planet exploded in a beautiful array of fireworks and debris, she would announce to the crew her decision to leave the Saber. This was what had kept her awake all night, and indeed, for the past several days. She was going to leave the crew and the ship, in search of that same thing that had brought her to them in the first place.

~<>~INVSP~<>~​

She had met him the last time they had been to Thera to resupply. While the loading of the Saber was in the capable hands of her trusted First Mate Loxare, Marushi had been off, gathering information of the nearby star systems, and hearing the tales of treasures.
Seeing an old bar by the name of Gallow’s Inn, she opened the door and stepped in. "They say that it still exists, guarded by the Spirit of the Stars." An old man was finishing his story as Marushi let the door fall closed behind her, and every eye turned to her. Skinny and rather short, nobody ever would have thought at first glance that she was even out of school, let alone a Cap’n of a crew of pirates. "Sorry, lass," the bartender said, chuckling. "But I’m afraid yer in the wrong place. Ye best be gettin’ out o’ here, before yer mother wonders where y’are." "Me mother’s been wonderin’ for two years, she can wonder for five minutes more," Marushi said. It was only a half-truth, her mother knew that she was out on a starship, but had to wonder as to exactly where she was. But the bartender had no way of knowin’ that, so it worked.

She walked straight to the bar and smiled. "I know it’s not what ye gents are accustomed to serving, but I be in need of a Dr. Pepper, if ye don’t mind." She reached into her pocket and took out a small golden bracelet, encrusted with gems, and dropped it on the counter. By all accounts, it was worth much, much more than a Dr. Pepper, but she had learned long ago that only something obviously stolen and worth much, practically thrown away carelessly, would get people of this sort to serve her. "I see," said the bartender, greedily snatching the bracelet and examining it carefully before pocketing the trinket and pouring her a glass of Dr. Pepper. "I see. And what be yer business in this area, miss...?" "Marushi," she said. "Cap’n Marushi. Me ship is docked for resupply and I be thirstin’ for a new starcourse. Ye get bored, raidin’ the same systems o’er and o’er agin." A few of the older men chuckled and most turned back to their drinks, conversations, and tale-tellin’. "Well, I hope ye enjoy yer stay here in Thera," said the bartender, all pleasentries now that the prospect of a rich new customer was here. "I hope ye find what yer lookin’ fer here in the Gallow’s Inn." "Thank ye, I hope so too." She took the glass and turned, listening to all the sailor’s stories.

She had always had the gift of being able to tell just how much truth a person said, and how much of their stories were supplied from their own imaginations, and as she listened, she could tell that most of the sea dogs in the Gallow’s Inn were a far cry from real adventurers, and only had a knack for spinning an impressive tale. But one man in particular caught her eye. He was sitting in the corner, and he had no drink, and no companion, something which was uncommon in a sailor’s place like this. But more uncommon was his face. He was completely scarred, it looked like someone had taken a knife and carved every inch of his face, even his eyes, which remained fixed open. He was blind. He must have a great story, she thought. No man is that scarred without something to show for it. She casually made her way over to the table, hand on the hilt of her blaster in case any sailor got too friendly. When she reached him, she set her glass down and pulled up a chair.

"I see you don’t got a drink," she said. "and I be needin’ a tall tale to help me finish mine. Sound like a fair trade?" The man smiled, showing that even the inside of his mouth was horribly scarred. "Aye, lass," he said raspily. "But just water, if ye don’t mind. Anything else stings like ye wouldn’t imagine." She smiled. "Alright, then." She motioned to the bartender, and called out "Just a water, if ye please." Hearing laughter, she turned towards the rest of the bar and saw several people glancing at her as they laughed. "And what be the joke, that ye all scoff at two sailors, havin’ a drink t’gether?" She demanded. "It be nothin, Cap’n," Said the bertender, hurrying over with the water. "They don’t mean no trouble, it just be that no sailor that comes here ever bothered to talk with ol’ Red here, on account of he’s no sailor ‘imself, just a begger, livin’ off other men’s pity." He eyed the scarred man angrily. "In fact, I had told ‘im to git, ‘bout half an hour ago, but he must’ve snuck back in once’t my back was turned. If he be botherin’ ye, I’ll send ‘im off now." "No, he’s no bother," Marushi said. Somehow, she felt that this man was more than a mere begger, and she wanted to hear his story.

"Suit yerself, Cap’n." Said the bartender, trying to avoid trouble. "Aye, that I will." Marushi said, reaching into her pocket for "payment" for the dirty water. No need to make him a wealthy man, but still aiming to impress, Marushi gave him a tarnished silver ring, worth only about three cases of rum. As he hurried back to the bar, obviously dissapointed at the difference between the ring and the bracelet, Marushi took another sip of her Dr. Pepper and leaned in a little closer so as not to be overheard. "So then, good sir, you promised me a tale of adventure?" "Aye," the man smiled, sipping his own water slowly. "And a tale I shall give you, and when it be over, if ye don’t be obsessed with it yerself, it be through no fault of mine." And with that, he began.

"There was a rumor what reached me planet back when I was a young lad," he said quietly. "A rumor of a man, a pirate like yerself, coming back from a long voyage. They said he was gone insane on his trip, they said that he claimed to have found a treasure too grand to exist, in a place that was even more unbelievable. They said that he claimed to have seen the end o’ the universe. Well, of course, none was there that believed him. The end o’ the universe indeed!" The man stopped and chuckled with the memory, and took a sip of his water before continuing. "The end o’ the universe... Well, t’wasn’t long ‘fore he was kicked out o’ every bar on Betelgeuse, juss cause he said he saw the end o’ the universe, and no respectable sailor would be seen with a fool nor a liar like that man. But then, he ran into me."

"Now, I’ve already told ye I was a young boy, me head filled with dreams o’ the open skies and the glitter o’ gold. I was curious I was, and I wanted to hear for meself what all the fuss was about, so I sought ‘im out. He told me everything. He told me about the end of the universe, where no stars shine. Where all you can see, no matter where you look or how far, is nothing. Not just darkness, not just black. Nothing." Marushi took a sip of her Dr. Pepper. The man had been right, she was loving the story. "Nothing?" she asked. "Aye," said the man, smiling. "But that’s just the beginning. He told me that nothing be what you see, while you’re still on the edge of the universe, lookin’ out. But what you get when you’ve crossed the end, well, that’s the real adventure. Once you leave the universe, anything is possible, anything could happen, but there’s a great risk. After you’ve left the confines of space and time, who’s to say what you’ll find? Out there, where nothing and everything exist, there’s no tellin’ what ye’ll run into. He told me of what he found, out there beyond reality. He told me such tall tales that ‘twould be impossible to believe in, but one such tale rang of truth. He told me of a light he found, a light that was so shinin’ an’ bright that it almost didn’t exist, but was soft enough to look at. He said that lookin’ into the light forever changed him, and I could tell juss by lookin’ into his eyes that he had seen somethin’, somethin’ terrible to behold. His eyes were bright with it, and whatever it was he saw, it drove him mad. But the reward, now, the reward be worth the risk."

He paused, obviously waiting for the question. "What’s the reward?" Marushi asked. "Now, that’s what he couldn’t tell me." Said the old man. "Y’see, he never found what he was looking fer. That was the problem. That was why he was back on me homeplanet, ruined. That’s part o’ the risk, see. Ye stick yer life on the line, forsake all ye know and love, and even if ye do find the end o’ the universe, there’s no garuntee ye’ll get yer reward. And if’n ye get yer reward, there’s no garuntee ye’ll find yer way back to the universe. And if’n ye get back to the universe, there’s no garuntee ye’ll be any better off then ye were when ye left. No man knows what lies outside, no man could tell ye what ye’d find. The traveler, he went searchin’ fer fame, fer glory. He came back half crazed, a laughin’ stock, too poor to pay fer ‘is own brandy. By the time he found me, all he had left to show fer his voyage was this." The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchement, yellowed with age. He held it out to Marushi, and she took it slowly, careful not to let it rip.

It was folded and she opened it slowly as the old man talked. "At the end of Infinity," he said. "Where shine no stars, is that which the heart craves above all else." Marushi looked at the parchement and realized the man was reciting what was written down. "He who travels beyond forever shall find a treasure untold of. Never again shall he be in need." Marushi fingered the parchement, it was definitely ageless, it felt like it belonged in a different time, a different place. The ink was black, a pure black, darker than seemed possible. It was a good, old fashioned pirate message, an idea that needed to be believed without proof, a sort of hope in the impossible, the exact sort of thing that the respectable scienctific minds of the day would scoff at. She loved it.

The old man, now done reciting, continued with his story. "I couldn’t ignore a promise like that," he said. "The traveler was in it for the glory, I was in it for the treasure. Endless riches, mountains of gold, silver, and jewels, all glittered across my mind and completely consumed me. Every time I had to pay for anything, every time I ran out o’ money, it was like a slap across me face. That I, a man who knew of this untold treasure, should have to work like a common sailor, well, that didn’t sit well with me. So I set off." Marushi looked back up at the man. "And... did you find it?" She asked. The man smiled. "The end o’ the universe? Aye, that I did, and words cannot describe what I had to go through to get there. It was amazing, waiting there on the edge, the very last bit o’ the universe, and lookin’ out over emptiness. T’was a bit eery, knowin’ that in a few moments, me ship would cross over the boundaries o’ life, as it were, and I almost turned back. But once again, the love of wealth drove me on, and I was out."

The man stopped talking then, and sat there. Marushi waited for a few moments before she asked. "What was it like?" she whispered. "I only wish I could remember," he whispered back, tears filling his scarred eyes. "One second, I was flying into nothing, and then, I felt pain... searing pain, I was on fire... and then, I was on a planet again, looking up at the last star between me and the end, with me ship beside me. I had nothin’, no treasure, no memory of the outside, but I was bleeding. Aye, these scars came to me while I was out there, and I don’t know how I got them or why. But I held somethin’ in me hand, and as I looked at it, I realised I must’ve picked it up while I was gone." "What did you have?" Marushi asked. "A dagger," said the old man. "A dagger sharper and stronger than any substance known to man, but as light as a feather, and pure white. So pure that it almost couldn’t be called white, just... colorless. Well, I kept it with me, my only souvenier from a place I couldn’t remember, and I got on me ship and sailed back for home, ready to settle down now that I’d had my adventure."

A piece of his story came back to Marushi’s memory and she turned to the old man. "But I thought ye said ye were from the Betelgeuse system? Why are ye here on Vidia, then? Ye seem to have been here a long time, everyone here knows ye." "Oh, but yer forgettin’, I left time, I left space." He said. "When I left the universe, I was a young man, 21, and the year was 4,532, by Betelgeuse’s count. When I got back, I was still 21, but nobody on Betelgeuse 17 remembered me. On Betelgeuse 17, the year was 7,979, and everything was different. Oh, it was so different. The land had changed, the sky had changed, the people had changed. Three thousand years of progress, my planet was so changed that it might have been an entirely new planet."

"Did you know, Betelgeuse 17 used to be a beautiful place, greenery as far as the eye could see, rolling hills, lakes, rivers, beautiful nights enchanted with the glorious stars of the nearby systems, oh yes, it was a beautiful place. Now, it’s been practically deserted, a brown, desolate planet, utterly devoid of beauty, and the only worth it has now is that it serves as a mining planet, harvesting Grellian Sludge and, when it’s found, gold.

I couldn’t live on a planet like that, not while knowing what it had once been. So I buried the dagger on the planet, as far away from the accursed mining camps and trading ports as possible, and then I left, finally stopping here when my eyes gave out. I’ve lived here ever since, and it’s like the bartender said, I’m no adventurer anymore, I live off of other men’s pity. I don’t care so much anymore, though it used to be rough. It all is worth it when I remember, I’ve been to the end of the universe, and I left it, too."

So that had been it. Regardless of the risk, regardless of the chance that she would return outside of her time, or never return at all, Marushi had to go to the end of the universe. Maybe she wouldn’t leave, but she at least had to see it, see the expanse of emptiness for herself. The first man might have been looking for glory, the second for treasure, but she had anther reason. Marushi simply had to experience that which everyone of sound mind told her was impossible. It was almost a rebellion, if you told her "You can’t do that," she would not give up until she had done it. It was almost as if she just needed a bit of hope, a bit of reassurance that there was something bigger out there, something more than just a day-to-day life, filled with nothings and non-importances. Dull and boring, breathe in, breathe out, walk here, drive there, say the right thing to make the right friends to obtain the right position in life. She hated the thought of being another clone, and she refused to become so. She needed to be different, to see what had to be seen, experience what most said was impossible. That was the life of a pirate. Complete, absolute freedom from the rules and stipulations of a narrow-minded society.

~<>~INVSP~<>~​

That was why they were en route to Betelgeuse 17, even though the crew thought they were there simply for a raid. The planet was due to explode, and Marushi had to dig up the dagger first. Daydreamer though she might be, there was no way she would go on a mad adventure without some sort of proof of the destination. She sighed, turning away from the window and getting up off the bed. There was no way she would be able to sleep, she had been awake the whole night, there was no reason to stay in bed any longer. She pulled on her boots and her hat and stood, turning to face the window again as she fastened her sword and laser pistol to the belt around her waist. She stood there for some time afterwards, watching as the sky, alight with stars, slowly faded from night to day as the artificial sun began to rise over the ship. She sighed again, turned to the door, and took a deep breath before heading out onto the ship.

It's kind of long, but I had a lot to fit into this chapter, 'cause I'm trying to make them match up to Loxare's. Well, what do ye all think? XD

 

Must....Read....Too....Lazy....Damn you not activeness!

 

lol, thanks for the high praise, but really, as it took me several weeks to write that much, talent is something I don't have much of. I only barely have enough to scrape by with a decent story. I personally don't think it turned out very well, I just didn't want to keep everybody waiting.

And Rienzel, I know how that feels. That's what I was saying to myself when that chapter wasn't finished when I wanted it to be. Or any of the chapters in any of my stories for that matter. XD