Story DarkBound (A Fanfic)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction' started by jumjummju, Dec 15, 2015.

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Thoughts on the story?

  1. It's really well written!

    1 vote(s)
    14.3%
  2. It's rather good, but has a few flaws.

    5 vote(s)
    71.4%
  3. It's average. Nothing new.

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  4. It's rather bad, but might be redeemed if the flaws are fixed.

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. It's bloody awful and the author should surgically remove his hands.

    1 vote(s)
    14.3%
  1. jumjummju

    jumjummju Void-Bound Voyager

    Yes, I'm awful at titles.

    I wanted to write a thing, completely using my own creativity, so I did. This is not a character journal or anything, just purely a fanfiction of this amazing game (even if it makes my computer cry).

    Tell me your thoughts! Anything from constructive criticism to hatemail is welcome, though the latter is discouraged. I'll probably continue this, if anyone ends up showing an interest in it.

    (Note: There is/will be swearing and violence in this story)
    ---------------------------------------
    Chapter 1

    A red-skinned, yellow-leafed Floran sporting relatively feminine, long "hair" and wearing a decidedly non-Floran leather jacket leaned back against the wall of the wooden prison cage she was stuck in, desperetely trying to ignore the other occupants who seemed so ingrained in whatever debate they were having.

    From what the Floran could tell, the purple Hylotl with the three blue fins in her standard kimono kept posturing about her society to the green Novakid with the spiky head, circular brand on his face, and a leather duster who looked on with amusement, while the Glitch with the black fin reminiscent of a shark's on his head wearing the simplest of Glitch tunics would occasionally pipe in with sarcastic quips about Hylotl society, much to the Novakid's laughter and the Hylotl's chagrin.

    All-in-all, the three of them almost seemed like they didn't notice they were currently stuck in a cage inside a Floran camp, just waiting for the other Florans to decide whether to eat the four of them or dump them into a cave full of spiders or something. At least the Florans let them keep their clothes.

    "Keep quiet, ssstupid fish!" the guard outside the cage yelled, waving his spear around threateningly. The Hylotl glared at the guard, but otherwise complied.

    ----------------

    Several more agonizing, and yet boring hours passed. The guard was looking even more bored than the prisoners inside the cage, and eventually fell asleep standing up.

    The Floran saw this as an opportunity, and she immediately starting thinking of some way to escape. The Novakid, on the other hand, saw this as yet another time which he could chit-chat with the other occupants.

    The Novakid turned and addressed the Floran; something none of them had yet to do. "So, we've been in here for over a day now and we still don't know your name."

    The Floran was momentarily surprised someone actually talked to her. "Uh, Heartflower. My name is Heartflower," she replied.

    "Cool name!" he replied, as enthusiastically as he could while whispering so as to not wake the guard. "I'm John!"

    Heartflower chuckled slightly. "Niccce to meet you, John."

    The Hylotl cleared her throat. "If there is to be introductions, then I am Serene Mizuku. Pleased to meet you." She politely bowed her head.

    "Greeting. I am Clankwrench," the Glitch replied in as robotic a voice as one would expect.

    "If you don't mind me asking, why are you in here with us?" Mizuku asked. "You were in here before we got captured. Are you... different than the other Floran?"

    Heartflower laughed. "No, I'm ssstill a flower. Maybe I jussst don't want to be as quick to eat other sssentient life as the othersss."

    "Statement. I suspect that is of great relief to Mizuku in particular," Clankwrench replied. Despite his robotic voice and face, you could almost hear the smirk in his words.

    This elicited another laugh from Heartflower. "Ssso why are you three here?"

    "Sssstop talking!" The guard, having woken up, snapped at them.

    "Make me," Heartflower replied, using the wittiest of comebacks.

    If there was one thing Heartflower knew for a fact, it was how easy it was to aggravate a Floran. The guard was no exception, and stabbed his spear through the cage at Heartflower to get her to shut up.

    With the grace of a huntress, Heartflower tilted to the side and grabbed the weapon right underneath the spearhead, put her foot against the wall of the cage and yanked hard, pulling the spear out of his grasp.

    The guard was shocked for a moment, before angrily running off, either to get reinforcements or another weapon. Probably both.

    Heartflower quickly jammed the spear into the door to the cage and levered it open, the wooden lock tearing off.

    "Now, we run," Heartflower said, jumping out of the cage.

    ---------------

    The group quickly made it into the relative safety of the thick jungle. Within, the canopy was so thick it looked as dark as night, despite it being in the afternoon, and soon, they all got seperated.

    Not that Heartflower was particularly trying to stay with the group; she didn't know any of them really, and all she wanted to do was avoid being eaten.

    She stopped for a breather, and sat down on a rock, feeling confidant she was far enough away from the Floran camp. She was wrong; a fact she found out about when a solitary hunter dove out of a tree and very nearly impaling Heartflower with his spear, missing only by sheer accident and instead colliding with her.

    Heartflower's head snapped against the rock she was sitting on painfully, causing her vision to dance as the momentarily stunned attacker got himself back together much quicker. His hand wrapped itself around Heartflower's throat as he pulled a dagger out and brought it up. Before Heartflower could react, the man was booted off her and then stomped on, courtesy of none other than Crankwrench. His boot collided so hard the hunter's ribs broke. Clankwrench didn't let up, and stomped on the Floran again and again, every time his metal boot breaking bone until the Floran simply stopped moving.

    Heartflower coughed and shook her head, still dizzy as she tried to get up.

    "Statement. We should find the others before it's too late," Crankwrench said, handing Heartflower her spear.

    "Why should I?" she asked holding her head with one hand.

    "Rhetorical. Sorry, did you have an important meeting to go to?"

    "Fine," she said, following after him.

    ---------------

    John ran as fast as he could, arrow after arrow whizzing past his celestial body as he tried to evade the pursuit of the archer. Sudden, intense pain hit him in his left wrist and shot itself up his arm, and he ducked behind a tree. "Ah, shit!" he swore, the arrow sticking out of his wrist, leaking out a green ooze from his wound. The rustling of leaves betrayed the archer as he closed in, and John swore again before realising his only option was using the weapon the archer had been so kind to give him.

    He tored the arrow back out the way it came, shouting in pain as more ooze spurted out, and clenched the arrow tightly with his good hand. As the rustling drew near, he braced himself, before jumping out and swiftly body-checking the archer Floran, tackling him to the ground. John jammed the arrow straight into the Floran's neck and pulled it back out, quickly jumping off the Floran as he choked on his own blood.

    John stumbled away quickly, keeping his bleeding wrist tucked into his duster in an attempt to staunch it. More rustling leaves to his left caused him to jump in fright, but upon turning to look he was greeted with Mizuku again.

    "What happened to you!?" she asked upon seeing his coat, stained with a mix of Floran and Novakid blood.

    "Just a flesh wound," John replied, somehow not too pained to make references.

    "You don't even have flesh!" Mizuku sighed and shook her head. "Nevermind. Where are the others?"

    "I lost 'em."

    Mizuku sighed yet again. "We need to find them. Crankwrench! Heartflower! Where are you!?" she called out loudly, hoping they'd hear.
    --------------------------------------------------
     
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  2. Jareix Cryvix

    Jareix Cryvix The Waste of Time

    Keep it up! I'd love to see more! (Nice reference there at the end by the way.)
     
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  3. Alkanthe

    Alkanthe Supernova

    Not bad! You're certainly very descriptive.
     
  4. The Squid

    The Squid Oxygen Tank

    This is good. I'll be watching this.
     
    Alkanthe likes this.
  5. jumjummju

    jumjummju Void-Bound Voyager

    So I found out sometime after making this that there was a mod called Darkbound. Further proof that I am completely AWFUL at titles.

    I could probably just get a random Floran to make the title and it'd be more original. On another note, welcome to my next story, "Ssssssstab."

    Also I should mention my updates tend to be roughly weekly. Yes I know it's been an extra day on top of the week that passed. Timezones are weird when you're travelling from planet to planet.


    Chapter 2

    Heartflower's head continued spinning and her migraine wasn't getting any better.

    "Statement. I just heard Mizuku shouting our names," Clankwrench said. Heartflower didn't hear anything, but she chalked that up to a possible concussion.

    "Ssstupid girl will attract the whole camp," Heartflower hissed in annoyance. "Let'sss hurry."

    The two took off running, only getting a total of three feet before Heartflower ran into a tree that she swore was to the left of where it actually was.

    ----------------------------------------

    A few more minutes of running and mild stumbling later and the duo managed to reach the exact spot the shout came from thanks to Clankwrench's auditory sensors being more accurate than a biological form's ears.

    "Hey, you're alright!" Mizuku said with glee upon their arrival.

    "Only sssomewhat," Heartflower replied, still clutching her head.

    John stood up from the ground looking slightly deflated. "Oh, sssuck it up, you're not bleeding to death," he spat, mocking the Floran's common lisp.

    Heartflower glared at John. "Yeah, well we'll all be dying sssoon if we don't get out of here, gasssbag."

    "Alarm. I can hear more coming right now. They're almost here," Clankwrench said, his voice not really showing any alarm.

    "Come on," Heartflower said, and took off running deeper into the forest, managing to avoid faceplanting into a tree this time.

    --------------------------------------

    The group managed to avoid any more encounters and, after a few minutes, decided to stop and rest once they managed to wonder into an abandoned mining camp.

    There were several tents around an empty campfire pit which was cold to the touch, an entrance to a cave with wooden supports holding the ceiling up, and a decent sized wooden shack that appeared to serve as a general storage building and infirmary all in one. There were several cots lined up along one wall and a large pile of wooden crates filling in everywhere else inside the building. One crate near the cots was labelled "Medicine" and Heartflower wasted no time in popping the top off with her spear.

    Mizuku wasted no time in grabbing bandages from inside the crate, nearly shoving Heartflower to the floor in her rush, before returning to the now paler John and tending to him. Heartflower gave Mizuku a dirty look for the shove and grabbed a bottle of painkillers from in the crate. It was human medicine unfortunately, and she didn't want to risk accidentally killing herself due to differing biologies and decided to just deal with the pain. At least it was slowing dissipating.

    Clankwrench leaned against a wall and let out a robotic sigh. "Relief. We should be safe here for a while."

    Heartflower sat down on one of the cots and shook her head. "No, thisss place has been abandoned for a while. Probably got driven out by the sssame Florans we were dealing with. They'll find usss eventually."

    "...And there, you should be fine now," Mizuku said, finishing up wrapping John's arm. She went a bit overboard and wrapped the whole forearm in gauze rather than just where the hole was, but at least John would stop leaking everywhere.

    John nodded to Mizuku and laid down on the cot. "So, Heartflower, still curious about why we were in the cage?"

    Heartflower nodded. "You didn't happen to be riding the U.S.S. Harbinger before it crashed, were you?"

    "Actually, that is exactly what happened," Mizuku replied. "It was attacked by... something. Probably pirates, if I had to guess. We didn't stick around to find out and got to an escape pod. Why, were you on it too?"

    Heartflower chuckled. "No, but I hate to tell you, you're the only sssurvivors. I was sent by the space station for this ssstar to invesstigate. I found the crash, and it was completely dessstroyed, ssave for one missing esscape pod. Yours, probably."

    Clankwrench punched the wall suddenly, surprising the group.

    "Woah, uh, was someone you knew on the ship?" John asked, now sitting up.

    "Angry. I'd... rather not talk about it," Clankwrench replied, sitting himself on a cot and looking away from the group.

    Mizuku looked at him with symapthy, Heartflower with confusion, and John with the blank face all Novakids had. But presumably with sympathy as well.

    A few awkward moments passed before Mizuku broke the silence. "So... what did you do on the space station?"

    Heartflower stood up from her cot. "Freelance mercccenary work. Anyway, we should probably try and get off thisss planet rather than just talking about what we were doing before. I don't sssupose any of you are military?"

    Mizuku shook her head. "The Harbinger was just a passenger ship, unfortunately."

    Heartflower sighed. "Well, I can contact the Ssspace Ssstation Andromeda I was on. Or, I could, but the Floransss took my communicator. We'll need to get it back." She popped open a crate marked "Weapons" and took a look inside.

    "You're not suggesting we fight all those Florans, right?" John replied. "I mean, I can shoot a gun but you're crazy."

    "Unlike other Floransss, I recognize ssstabbing doesn't sssolve every problem. Also, the weaponsss in here are garbage." Heartflower pulled out a sword, the blade of which immediately fell off the hilt. "I was planning on sssneaking in at night, if I could."

    "Oh. Well, good luck with that," he replied, and laid back down.

    Heartflower turned to him in confusion. "Not gonna offer to come along and help?"

    "Nope. I'm injured, ya see."

    Heartflower mumbled something about lazy gasbags under her breath. "All these weaponsss are broken!"

    "I'll come," Mizuku said, standing up. Heartflower looked at her with an even more confused look on her face.

    "Before you ask, yes, I can fight," Mizuku said, and grabbed one of the two spears that Clankwrench, who was too busy staring off into the distance to notice, had grabbed earlier.

    "Well, this is the first time I've seen a Floran and Hylotl work together," John mused.

    "I do not share the animosssity my kind has towards the Hylotl," Heartflower replied. "I've lived with humansss too long."

    "And I am not one to complain about a blessing, even if it comes in the form of a Floran," Mizuku added.

    "The universe has gone mad, I tell ya. Mad!"

    --------------------------------------

    Night set, and the two set off, leaving behind the injured John and Clankwrench, who hadn't said another word since hearing about the ship.

    The duo walked through the woods, their primitive spears not giving them much comfort if they were to be found. They eventually reached the outskirts of the camp, and peered out into it from the safety of some leafy shrubbery.

    The inhabitants of the camp all milled about an impressively large bonfire, overtop which was hanging a large quadraped the size of a car on a large spit, being turned by a comically small crank and a series of pulleys. Floran ingenuity was pretty impressive as long as it involved eating.

    Over in a relatively abandoned corner of the camp was the cage that they were in before, and next to it was a wooden chest which presumably held their belongings. Unfortunately, there was still a guard standing watch, and she wasn't the same one that guarded over them previously and had a tendancy to sleep on the job. Heartflower's guess was they already ate him for screwing up.

    "I'll get it; keep watch for me," Heartflower said, as she walked just inside the treeline and headed towards the area with the chest. Silently, she crept out from amidst the trees and bushes and darted up to the Floran guard while her back was turned. Holding the spear close to the tip, she grabbed the Floran around the neck and deftly slit her throat with the spear, letting her slip to the ground and bleed out, unable to cry for help. Almost as quickly as Heartflower left the bushes, she darted back in, with the box in tow.

    "You're an expert at this, aren't you?" Mizuku dryly noted.

    Heartflower just grinned. "I'd like to think ssso."

    ----------------------------------------

    As it was now night time, the cabin was rather silent. Neither of it's tenants were asleep, rather they had little to talk about, and the only thing showing any sign of not being vacant was a candle that was lit on one of the crates.

    To no one's surprise, John got bored.

    "I'm bored," he whined to the only other occupant.

    Clankwrench ignored him, and just continued staring at nothing.

    "Well, aren't you a load of fun?"

    "Annoyed. I'm not here to entertain you, child," Clankwrench replied, finally snapping out of his trance.

    "Well, I'm still bored," John said, throwing a rock at the ceiling and catching it.

    "Irritated. You shouldn't be bored for long, since it sounds like they've returned."

    John sat up for a moment before hearing the knob turn. He was about to chide them for taking so long when the door burst open and in came a Floran brandishing his spear wildly. John basically fell out of his bed and backed up against the wall near where Clankwrench was sitting as the Floran slowly approached the two with his spear in front.

    Clankwrench, to both John and the Floran's surprise got up and immediately charged at the Floran with his bare robotic hands, with a loud and angry shout. The Floran only grazed the Glitch's side with the spear, not doing much to his metal chassis other than scratching the paint and was promptly tackled. John grabbed the spear he dropped as another Floran ran in to support his friend, and the two stood staring at each in a stalemate, the tips of their spears pushing against each other.

    The other Floran looked at his buddy getting pummeled by Clankwrench and ran over to try and help him, but John thrust the spear at the momentarily distracted Floran and got him through the stomach. Clankwrench continued to rain blows down on the other Floran, even as he stopped trying to resist.

    "Hey, hey, hey, I think he's dead!" John said, pulling Clankwrench off the Floran, who's head was completely crushed into the floor.

    Clankwrench breathed heavily, or at least made heavy breathing noises through his microphone. "Calming. I think I'm fine now."

    "Damn, man. You must've been mad."

    Clankwrench's breathing slowed and normalized again. "Statement. I just needed to get it out of my system."

    John let Clankwrench sit down on a cot and kneeled in front of him. "Do you... wanna talk about what got you so mad about the Harbinger?"

    The Glitch let out a sighing noise. "Sad. It was my wife, she was with me on the ship. We both found out we were self-aware and were headed to another planet to get away from the witch hunts that awaited us at home."

    "That's rough," John said, placing his hand on Clankwrench's shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that."

    The door opened again and this time the one friendly Floran on the planet walked in carrying her communicator. "I found my communi- Woah. Who made sssalad when I was gone?" Heartflower asked, staring the Floran with the pulverized head.
     
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  6. AliasPseudonym

    AliasPseudonym Big Damn Hero

    Pretty well written and entertaining to read, though I'm pretty sure Florans don't eat Glitch or other Florans.
     
    Alkanthe likes this.
  7. The Squid

    The Squid Oxygen Tank

    Woah, Clankwrench needs therapy. But anyway, I love the way you've built these characters and the plot. This is shaping up to be a really great story. Can't wait to read more.
     
  8. jumjummju

    jumjummju Void-Bound Voyager

    I think the fact that Florans can't eat Glitch at all is one of the reasons why the species are rather friendly towards each other (as well as something in the backstory about the Glitch teaching the Florans basic literacy or something). Fairly certain Florans eat other Florans about as often as they eat anyone else, though.

    As for why this particular group of Florans kept Clankwrench in the cage with the others, I always just assumed that tribe of Florans didn't give a hoot and would have fun breaking to pieces whatever they couldn't eat. Actually, poor Clanky probably would've prefered being eaten. D:

    Thanks though, I appreciate the attempt for criticism! I'll never become a better writer if people don't tell me what they think is wrong with the story, no matter how small or unsure they are about it.

    Nah man, Clankwrench has only brutally beaten, what, two Floran to death with his bare hands? He seems to be handling himself pretty well.

    Also, thanks everyone for the support! It's your guys' kind words that keep me doing these things, so thank you!
     
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  9. jumjummju

    jumjummju Void-Bound Voyager

    In this chapter, things get weird!

    Also, Merry Christmas yada yada. Time for a new year of resolutions no one'll stick to!


    ===================================================

    Chapter 3

    The communicator in question was actually a necklace with a nylon strap a small button on the front. Heartflower fastened it around her neck and it fit snugly, resembling a choker. "Ah, that's better," she said, her hiss notably absent.

    John started moving the corpses of the Florans outside while Heartflower brought the wooden trunk with all their stuff in to the cabin, setting it onto a cot. As she opened it, Clankwrench gave her a confused look. "Confusion. You appear to be missing your usual Floran lisp."

    Heartflower lightly adjusted her communicator necklace. "The communicator also has a second function which actually removes the hissing. Something about using vibrations to trick the vocal cords or some such," she said, looking through the wooden trunk. "I'd like to know why there are so many weapons in here."

    Within the trunk lay almost a small platoons' worth of armaments, and none of it was typical of Floran weaponry. To start was Heartflower's own weaponry: a bulky, automatic handgun with a chrome finish and a pair of green and red stripes running down the barrel and a pair of combat knives. She expected those, but everything else was a bit ridiculous.

    A pair of overly-shiny revolvers with very fancy, intricate carvings in them and handles made of metal painted to look like wood hid underneath her weapons. Below them a sheathed longsword sat next to a crossbow, and again underneath those were a katana and a really short naginata, the latter of which appeared to be expendable.

    Unless there was a massive shift in her current companions' cultures when she wasn't looking, it was relatively easy to guess who the owners of each weapon were.

    John chuckled upon looking at the impressive array of weaponry and removing his own two revolvers. "Wow, I wasn't expecting all of us to be packing so much heat."

    Heartflower shook her head as she holstered her own weapons. She could understand John, him being a Novakid, and Clankwrench to an extent, but Mizuku?

    "Anyone feel like explaining why everyone was so well-armed while riding a passenger shuttle?" Heartflower asked the group, more than a little suspicious. She was met with nothing other than everyone trying to avoid eye contact with her.

    She sighed. John spoke up, tentatively. "Why... don't you tell us first?"

    Heartflower just shrugged. "I'm a freelance mercenary, as I said. A bounty hunter as well, sometimes. That's why I came down; someone was willing to pay to see what happened to the Harbinger."

    "Oh, cool, cool," John said dissmissively. Heartflower just shook her head in annoyance and couldn't be bothered to press any more. She pressed the button on her communicator necklace and started to speak into it.

    "Hey, Allan, I found the crash as well as the only survivors. I'd like for you to send down a shuttle to pick us up."

    The necklace responded with a tinge of static. "Well if it isn't my little flower," a human male's voice replied from the other end. "What happened to ya? I couldn't reach you for over a day!"

    "Florans. Ran into some of them, you know how they are," Heartflower replied.

    Allan chuckled. "Nah, I haven't met one yet. I'll be coming down with the shuttle soon. Love ya!"

    "Love you too, hun," Heartflower replied, letting go of the button and turning to the others who were all giving her some very strange looks.

    "What?" Heartflower asked, innocently.

    -------------------------------------------------------

    A simple, human-built shuttle landed near the cabin and a young man with soft features, a broad and friendly smile, and short, spiky blond hair stepped out.

    "Hey, Flower," Allan said as Heartflower gave him a wide smile and a quick hug. "So, these the people we taking back?"

    Heartflower nodded. "Yeah," she said, disengaging from the hug and getting onto the shuttle ahead of the others.

    "Dude," John said, "How'd you get a Floran girlfriend like that!?"

    Allan just laughed loudly while Heartflower gave him a dirty look. Even Mizuku looked like she was struggling to avoid giggling.

    "Well it all started back when I saved her from the menacing Dreadwing-" he started, before Heartflower interrupted him.

    "Those were just regular penguins, hun, not Dreadwing. And the only thing you saved me from was paying for my drink."

    "-and then my good looks and heroism swept her off her feet!" he continued, unabated.

    "You tripped and fell into a toilet that night because you got so drunk."

    "Details!" Allan insisted, heading back onto the shuttle.

    ----------------------------------------------------

    The shuttle was currently en-route towards Space Station Andromeda and Heartflower was napping in the co-pilot's seat while Allan was looking stuff up on the computer. He didn't really need to do any actual piloting since the ship mostly auto-piloted itself wherever you wanted it to go; it's not like there's a lot to run into in space.

    Allan looked back behind him at the cockpit door to make sure it was closed so the other passengers wouldn't hear him as he shook Heartflower awake. "Hey, wake up. I just found something important about those three."

    Heartflower yawned, before groggily looking at him. "Hm? Like what?"

    Allan waved her over to his seat and she leaned over to see what was shown on his computer. "So I did some digging on them, put their names into the databases and stuff. As it turns out, they have prices on their heads."

    Heartflower's eyes widened. "Which ones?"

    "All of them. That Hylotl, 'Serene Mizuku'? Apparently she's a diplomat of some sort in a large Hylotl city, and some political rival wants her out of the picture for one reason or another."

    "So, like a princess or something?"

    Allan shook his head. "Nah, not that big. She's more like an ambassador of some sort. It doesn't say specifically. Regardless, that's a large sum of pixels."

    Heartflower readjusted herself in her seat. "Yeah, but we don't take political bounties, remember?"

    "I know, I know," Allan reassured her. "Just thought I'd let you know."

    "Well, what about Clankwrench? I'm guessing it's because he's a self-aware Glitch?"

    "Not just that," Allan said, as he flicked through several pages on his monitor. "Turns out when he ran away from his hometown with his wife he left a trail of destruction. Killed a whole bunch of Glitch, though if I had to guess it was probably in self-defense."

    Heartflower looked at the monitor, puzzled. "His wife? He was alone when I meet him. He also seemed very depressed."

    Allan's face betrayed his sympathy. "Think his wife died on the Harbinger crash? Shit, that's tough."

    "And what about the Novakid?"

    Allan flipped through some more pages on the computer. "Now he's just a criminal, actually. His full name is Johnny Peacemaker; ironic, considering he robbed several banks on his home planet. He never killed a civillian though; the only reason he has much of a bounty at all is because he killed a higher-up sheriff during a shoot-out. Kid's a real outlaw."

    Heartflower mentally smacked herself. "And I told him I was a bounty hunter, even."

    "Smart. Next you should tell him about your extreme hatred for Novakids and where to best shoot a Floran to cause the most pain."

    Heartflower shot him a look. "Should I go take his guns or something?"

    Allan shook his head. "Not now. Getting into a fight with him here on the ship with the others seems like a bad idea, especially since they don't know he's a criminal. I think it'd be better to arrest him when he's alone on the ship tonight."

    "And what about Clankwrench?"

    Allan again just shook his head. "I'd rather not tangle with the guy. Honestly, I don't think I'd be able to support whatever the people that put the price on his head would do to him if they got him. Probably download him full of shitty pop songs from the early 2000's or something."

    "That'd be worse than being burnt at the stake, for sure." Heartflower leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "Well, that's... a lot to take in."

    "Wait, I'm not finished!"

    Heartflower just groaned. "What, do you have a bounty on your own head now?"

    Allan chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised. But I think I may know who attacked the Harbinger."

    "Pirates, right? You think it's Dreadwing's crew?"

    "Not Dreadwing, but there was reports of a group of pirates in this sector recently. A bunch of grounded Avians calling themselves 'The Clipped Wings.'"

    "Are they still in this system?"

    Allan looked more stuff up on his computer before responding. "There hasn't been any travel in or out of this sector, according to reports."

    Heartflower put her hand on her chin. "Strange. Pirates usually tend to flee the area immediately after hitting a ship."

    "Think they're looking for something in particular, like the bounties?"

    Heartflower shrugged. "That's my best guess."

    --------------------------------

    Meanwhile, the passenger area of the shuttle, complete with two rows of shuttle seats with braces to keep the passengers secure on landing and takeoff, was filled with an air of nervousness and mild panic.

    John couldn't stop pacing up and down the aisle while the other two sat opposite each other, Mizuku with her head in her hands, distraught, and Clankwrench trying to remain as stoic as possible. All three were painfully aware of the prices on their head, and Heartflower's admission that she was a bounty hunter certainly put all of them on edge, their only respite was that they didn't know that she knew about their bounties.

    While it wasn't hard to see that they were all very nervous and therefor were probably hiding something, Clankwrench was the first one to mention anything about it.

    "Observant. It seems we are all distraught about something, and if I had to guess, it is probably the same thing."

    John stopped pacing and shook his head. "I know why you're distraught, but I didn't lose anyone in the crash."

    "Stoic. That's not what I mean, and you know it."

    John just looked at Clankwrench. "What?"

    Mizuku just threw up her hands. "Might as well come out and say it then. We're all wanted for one reason or another, aren't we?"

    John recoiled back in surprise, but when he saw Clankwrench nod, just sighed. "Yeah..."

    "And now we're on a ship with a bounty hunter, being taken to a place that probably has a lot more."

    John sat down and looked at the floor. "Yeah..."

    "Curious. Should we share for what reason we have these bounties?" Clankwrench asked.

    "How 'bout we don't. That's something I'd rather keep private," John replied, and Clankwrench just shrugged. "So what do we do about it?"

    Mizuku leaned back and crossed her legs. "The best I can think of is to act natural and leave as soon as possible."

    John scratched the back of his head. "Gee, why didn't I think about that?"

    "Do you have a better idea?"

    John just grumbled. "No."

    -----------------------------------

    The shuttle approached the station. Space Station Andromeda was a rather large station, cylindrical in shape and spinning to emulate gravity whilst orbiting a gas giant. It almost had the look of a giant fountain pen, and was large enough to hold about an entire city's population.

    The shuttle entered the landing docks somewhere in the center of the station. The docks themselves were rather standard and there wasn't much to see aside from an impressive array of other ships, ranging from small shuttles to massive ships that could almost hold an army.

    Everyone got off the shuttle and their was an awkward silence as they walked. Heartflower and Allan lead, holding hands to hide their own nervousness as the other three followed a few feet behind, in a tight group.

    After the docks they entered an absolutely huge plaza with an amazingly high, domed ceiling with a large circular light that casted a bright, yellow-tinted glow onto everything, similar to but still distinct from a sun's glow. In the center of the plaza was a giant garden with trees and flowers all meticulously kept after. People were milling about everywhere, coming in and out of the plaza through doors lining the walls. Some were even riding in a public transportation vehicle similar to a tram, which hovered about a foot off the ground.

    Allan turned to the group. "I'll, uh, speak with administration and see if I can get you guys a room where you can stay until the next transport vessel passes by that can pick you up."

    The three bounties all nodded, and Allan walked off, leaving them alone with Heartflower. The tension in the air was so thick it could almost used to club someone to death.

    ---------------------------------

    It was a fair bit later that night when Heartflower walked down the halls of the apartment building towards the room where John was staying. She was glad they were able to at least get all three of them in seperate rooms so she wouldn't have to worry about Mizuku or Clankwrench getting wrapped up in this, but she wished they could've found a reason to disarm John. Unfortunately, it was legal to carry weaponry on the space station, so they couldn't take his guns without exposing themselves.

    Heartflower knocked on his door. "John? It's Heartflower. Mind if I come in and talk?" She didn't feel good about doing this to someone she just rescued, even if she barely knew him, but she felt it had to be done. He was a criminal after all.

    "Yeah, door's unlocked," came John's voice from inside. Heartflower let out a sigh of relief that he didn't seem to be on to her, and hoped she could do this without a fight.

    She opened the door and was greeted with darkness. She felt uneasy, and kept a hand on her gun as she walked in. "John?"

    Before she knew what was happening, she was grabbed from behind in a chokehold and a sword was put up to her throat. The lights flicked on and the door shut behind her. Standing in front of her were John and Clankwrench, both aiming their weapons in her direction, and Mizuku was the one grabbing her.

    "Wha-"

    "Drop your gun," Mizuku said, pressing her katana closer to Heartflower's throat.

    "Okay, okay!" she replied, letting her gun fall to the floor. "Just... what the fuck is going on here!?"

    Mizuku let go of Heartflower and grabbed her gun off the floor, and pointed it at her.

    "You're a bounty hunter, right? C'mon, you've figured us out. That's why you're here, ain't it?" John said.

    "I can't believe you'd save us then immediately try to kill us for money," Mizuku said, glaring at Heartflower

    "I don't care about you! I'm only here for John!" Heartflower shot back.

    Mizuku stopped for a second, a bit stunned. "What?"

    Heartflower shifted her look from Mizuku and the other two. "Did you guys share exactly why you all have bounties? I know why, and I don't collect political bounties or self-aware Glitch-on-the-run bounties," she said, gesturing at Clankwrench. "I'm here for John, and John only."

    "Why? What'd he do?" Mizuku asked.

    "So I robbed a few banks, so what? They're gonna hang me if they catch me!" John said, backing up a bit to keep everyone in view, all eyes on him.

    "You also killed a man!"

    "He shot at me first!"

    "You were robbing a bank!"

    Everyone's eyes darted back and forth over everyone else. John kept aiming her guns at Heartflower, but Mizuku switched her target to John. Clankwrench stopped aiming at Heartflower to aim at Mizuku, and Heartflower just glared at Clankwrench in confusion.

    "I always hated standoffs like these," John grumbled.

    "What are you doing!?" Mizuku shouted at Clankwrench.

    "Angry. I don't care about John's past, nor do I trust you to not try and collect my bounty!"

    Suddenly, Heartflower's communicator sprung to life. "This is probably a bad time, but those pirates that attacked the Harbinger? Yeah, they just boarded the station and they're shooting their way towards you. Probably here to collect the bounties themselves, so... be careful!"

    John coughed. "Well, this is awkward."

    ===============================

    DUN DUN DUUUUUUN

    I'll be honest, the main reasoning behind the communicator of Heartflower's stopping her from hissing is because my "s" key is about to file a restraining order.

    Hope you enjoyed it! Stuff's gun get gud soon.
     
  10. Master Automan IV

    Master Automan IV Phantasmal Quasar

    You know, Heartflower seems to have a similar personality to my odd floran.:nurutease:
     
  11. Alkanthe

    Alkanthe Supernova

    *squints* I recognize your avatar, but you have a different name.
     
  12. Master Automan IV

    Master Automan IV Phantasmal Quasar

    Are you sure it's me. I believe your confusing me for someone else. I mean it's late, for me.

    Good night, fellas.
     
  13. Alkanthe

    Alkanthe Supernova

    Maybe you remember me as Varc Audial? I can't remember what the other name with the avatar was, so maybe it was someone else. Anyways, goodnight!
     
  14. jumjummju

    jumjummju Void-Bound Voyager

    Sorry it took so long! I ended up sick, which made writing rather not-fun for a bit. And then a mid-chapter crisis happened where I wasn't happy with the chapter and rewrote it from scratch... Yeah. But it's here now!


    Chapter 4

    Heartflower crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, flicking her gaze back and forth from Clankwrench to John and back. Despite the array of weaponry aimed every which way, the atmosphere was more akin to the awkward silence one would have if someone said a particularly offensive joke doing lunch than anything life-threatening.

    Gunshots rang out from outside, causing everyone to turn to the door. They could hear two distinct groups firing at each other from opposite ends of the hallway; presumably the space station's security fighting the boarding pirates.

    Clankwrench coughed, more for attention since he never needed to clear his throat. "Pensive. Perhaps a temporary truce is in order?"

    John grumbled and lowered his weaponry, causing Mizuku and Clankwrench to do the same. "Fine, I guess being shot at is a bigger concern."

    Mizuku handed the gun back to Heartflower. "So, what's the plan?"

    Heartflower paused for a moment. "Uh... The three of you should hide, preferably in the bathroom or something. I'll stay out here and get them to leave."

    Mizuku and Clankwrench nodded and went into the bathroom, but John just said "I didn't take you for the heroic type."

    "I'm not," she replied. "I'm doing this because they'd just shoot me if they saw me with you three. Now go hide!"

    John shook his head. "You better not be selling us out."

    "Or else what?"

    He merely grumbled, and finally acquiesced, entering the bathroom and hiding with the others.

    Heartflower quickly prepared by sitting on a couch facing away from the door and putting her weapons down on the floor, hiding them from anyone that would come in. Her heart raced as the door was kicked in, and several avians barged in, all guns pointed at Heartflower, who sat turned to them with her hands up.

    "Where are they? Who are you?" the female avian leading the group asked her, as if in a hurry.

    "Huh? Who are you talking about? I-I'm Heartflower, this my house!" she stammered back, trying to play the innocent.

    The avian didn't buy it for a second, walking up and shoving her gun in Heartflower's face. "Don't play coy! I know they were assigned to this room!"

    Heartflower was desperately trying to think of something to say back when one of the other avians who was guarding the hallway shouted in. "More security's coming, we gotta go!"

    The avian woman growled while Heartflower breathed a sigh of relief that was unfortunately short lived. "We'll just have to make do with the hostages then! C'mon!" the avian leader said, grabbing Heartflower by the jacket collar and pulling her over the back of the couch. Heartflower landed with a thud, and before she could even react her hands were quickly handcuffed behind her.

    She was hoisted to her feet and he entourage of avian captors started filing out of the room. Before she was pushed out the door she was stopped as shouts and gunfire erupted from the hallway, gunning almost all of the avians down immediately.

    The one holding Heartflower, the leader of the squad, stopped in her tracks as all of her comrades were slain and instead held her ground inside the room, pulling out a handgun and pressing it to Heartflower's head as several security members came into the room. "Stop, or she gets shot!"

    Almost immediately after saying that, another gunshot rang out from behind the two, hitting the avian square in the side of the head. She fell over, dead, and nearly pulled Heartflower down as well.

    Heartflower turned around to see John coming out of the bathroom with a smoking gun. "You almost hit me there!"

    John made a disgusted noise. "You're welcome, jackass."

    -----------------------------

    Several minutes later Heartflower opened the door to her own apartment in another wing entirely, utterly exhausted from all that happened.

    "Hey Allan, I'm okay," she called out to him, but didn't recieve a response. She thought this was strange; why wouldn't he be home now, of all times? And why hadn't he tried to contact her again after the pirates left?

    The place was still in lockdown, even. The only reason she got back to her place was from a security escort; there's no way he'd be able to leave on his own.

    And yet, he wasn't there, and to make matters worse, the living room was in shambles. The desk at which Allan would sit at, looking up potential bounties or freelance mercenary work was on it's side, the computer crashed on the floor. There was also a bullet hole in the wall, but no blood anywhere.

    The sofa was upturned, all the cabinet and closet doors were open with their contents spewed out onto the floor. Even the bathroom wasn't safe, with the shower curtain ripped off the rod. It looked as though someone was searching for something, or someone.

    Fearing the worst, she immediately tried to contact him on her communicator, but recieved no response at first. Eventually, it sparked to life, but it wasn't Allan on the other end.

    "You must be Heartflower, then," a deep, gruff Avian voice responded.

    "Who the hell are you and what've you done with Allan?" Heartflower replied with barely contained rage.

    The Avian chuckled. "He said you'd come calling. Well, see, here's the funny thing. When we were coming onto the station to capture those bounties for ourselves, our intelligence was... imprecise."

    "What does that have to do with you kidnapping Allan?"

    "Hang on, I'm getting to that. As it turns out, we were given the addresses of everyone that came back up from the wreck of the Harbinger; which apparently included your house. So, we dispatched a team to each of the four addresses. Two of them were empty, and one team never made it back; I'm guessing that was your doing?"

    Heartflower growled into the communicator. "So, what, when you got to my place you just took Allan as a consolation prize?"

    "More of a... bargaining chip. We figured that if we couldn't get the bounties directly, we might as well get them second-hand from you. And if we got the bounties as well, then why not? Let's add some blackmail money; we need as much as we can get!" He let out another chuckle, one that made Heartflower want to aggressively punch the man through the communicator.

    "You are a real piece of shit," she replied.

    "That's what I aspire to be! So long as it feeds my men. If you want to get your lover back, bring the other bounties to Gemini II-17. We'll be waiting," he said, and the line went dead.

    ------------------------------------

    The following day and the lockdown was lifted.

    The group of bounties all stood outside Heartflower's apartment, all wondering if this was really their only option.

    "Are you really sure we should be doin' this?" John asked.

    Clankwrench nodded. "Explanatory. The station's security has tightened since the attack; we'll never be able to leave the station on our own without being identified."

    "Yeah, but how will you know she'll even help us?"

    Mizuku shrugged. "It's our only shot; unless you plan on waiting until we all get arrested. Plus, she hasn't tried to arrest you again yet, so... that's a plus?"

    John shook his head and sighed before knocking on the door. No answer.

    He tried the knob and, to his surprise, the door was unlocked. The three of them walked in to find Heartflower passed out at the kitchen table, the house still looking like a large tornado blew through.

    Mizuku shook her awake. "Are you okay?"

    She groggily shook her head as she sat up, looking as though she hadn't slept at all the previous night. "They took Allan," she said, her face in her hands.

    "Huh? Why?"

    "Why do you care?"

    John stepped in and sat down across from her. "Hey, hey, no need to be so bitchy. We've come to ask if you could do something for us." Mizuku gave John a sharp glare for getting to business so quickly when Heartflower was clearly distressed, but didn't speak up.

    "Like what?" Heartflower asked, still looking down at the table.

    "We can't leave this station on our own; we need you to help us get off it."

    Heartflower paused for a moment, before an idea struck. Her face suddenly lit up with a bit of hope. "I'll do it, but on one condition."

    "Only if it's not too kinky."

    Heartflower ignored the remark. "I want you to come with me to the base of the pirates that kidnapped Allan, and help me bust him out. If you agree to do this, I'll take you off this station, and I'll even contact some friends of mine to get your bounties removed."

    "You can do that!?" Mizuku replied, ecstatic. Heartflower nodded.

    "Alright, deal," John said, and the two shook hands.

    "Pack your stuff, the sooner we leave, the better," Heartflower said, looking determined on the outside.

    But on the inside, she felt awful for what she was about to do.
     

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