Novels2Search
The Edge of space
Prolouge + Chapter 1: Judgement Day

Prolouge + Chapter 1: Judgement Day

“After all these years of service you want to do this one?” said an old grizzled captain. “yes, I do.” Said a young man. Looking concerned the captain said “you understand that no one has ever survived the first part of this mission, right? It would be ashamed to throw away such a prime solder such as yourself. Not only that but you don’t even have any experience surviving outside there. You will probably die from lack of supplies or even from abyssal madness if you somehow managed to get past the orbital defenses.” Said the captain. “I understand that I may not survive though the first part but there is always the chance that I might. Don’t you remember that Becker managed to survive that one time?” said the young man. “Ya I do, but the was quickly demolished by a passing Freeman Dreadnaught because he could not repair the engines in time.” Said the captain. The young man was about to make a retort but did not. After some time of tense silence, the old captain spoke “Fine then. If you want to throw away your life be my guest, I just hope you have made amends with your loved ones and all that shizz. Go talk to one of those egg heads down in the RnD department, they will point you to the direction of Gurdeff our head pilot trainer and he will teach you all you need to know to survive out in space. The basics should take around 3 months so take extensive notes, you already know plenty about guerrilla warfare so we will skip that part. I will call for you when the launch is ready till then I wish you the best.” The captain then lept down from his high chair and exited the room. With the young solder still in the room was almost awed by what he had finally gotten himself into but it was secretly what he had hoped for. The mission was one called “war dog” the basics of the mission is as follows; 1, get out into space. 2, accumulate a mass of medium to high grade weapons as well as materials used for weapons production by any means including but not limited to: theft, purchase, spoils of battle. 3, send the weapons and materials over to the resistance using the one-way teleporter installed in your ship. 4, continue operations 2 and 3 until stated otherwise by your superior. Simple right? Well if only the first part was easy, all the ships that have been blasted into space have never survived due to the fact of the orbital defenses. That constantly survey the planet. Due to the success rate and dwindling materials used for the ships and teleporters it must be approved from a high-ranking resistance member and have a soldier willing to risk their life in such an endeavor. The solder that wanted this mission to begin with goes by the name of “Green Dotson” He is a guerrilla warfare adept. Tough as stone but can be as dumb as one at times. He does have a knack for fixing things up though and wishes to be able to explore the universe. Today is the day that he asked his captain to take up the “war dog” mission personally. Why he would want to do this mission is something that he wishes to keep a secret to others for now. Upon collecting himself Green existed the room and entered the rest of the hidden complex.  The complex is safely hidden underground with only 2 entries and exist known to it. The halls and most of the rooms were rocky and had wires hanging around to supply power to the lights and  the various machines of the complex. But due to how they get power they are limited to what kind of machines get power. Green made his way down to the RND department and asked one of the local engineers where Gurdeff is. They show him to his quarters. Green then knocked the door and heard someone on the other side “Wait I moment I just took a shower.”  A short while passes before Green hears “Alright come in.” Inside the room was a bed and dresser with another door leading to a presumed bathroom. On the bed sat a man in his late 40’s he face was more on the handsome side with an angular jaw and somewhat strong cheekbones he had a stubble and an old cut scar on his upper left lip. His hair was short but unkempt and wet due to the shower. His body was an athletic build either because of diet or a workout regime or perhaps a combination of both. His race is pure human though some scars on his chest could indicate he has had some augments made to him in the past. “Come and sit down, I would offer you a chair but the bed it the closest thing to one and I don’t intend on sharing it.” Not many resistance members get to sleep inside the complex but there’re exception such as if the slavers thought you died, or you are a valuable member to the resistance. Green walked over to the flattest part of the room and sat down. “So, you’re Green right?” said the old pilot. Green nodded in affirmation. “Good good , so I was told that you wanted to do that “wardog” mission that everyone is so scared of doing am I right?”. “Yes.” Said Green. “I’m sure captain Lagin told you that this mission is suicidal, so I just have to ask you something before we start training. Why do you want to die?” said Gurdeff in a serious tone. “I don’t really intend on dying sir.” Green politely responded. “But you do know that every single ship that we shot out in space was shot down in a matter of moments with Becker being the exception. I need to know why you are so willing to throw away your life. It’s not every day that some dumb fuck personally asks their captain for a mission that has a 0% survival rate. So, I will ask again. Why do you want to die?” said Gurdeff still in the firm and serious tone. Green taken aback now was thinking about what to say. After a short while Green broke the silence “Because…. I’m feeling lucky.” Said Green. “Ha, you really think so? Well I Guess that is an acceptable answer. We start training tomorrow in the morning don’t be late or I will have to tell captain Lagin to save the mission for some other poor soul.” Said Gurdeff. Green thanked Gurdeff for his time and left his room promising he will be on time for training. But the thing is, Green does not like to lie. “Feeling lucky” was not his true answer but he wanted to do this mission and he knew that if he were to tell his now teacher the truth, he would never be able to do this mission or be out in the line of duty again. After a pretty uneventful rest of the day at the complex Green returned to his home, or at least the closest thing to a home he has. Out side of the complex about a half a mile away was a Slave mining town that Green was apart of. He was one of the main repair men there always had a reputation of being able to fix even the most complex of things. “Pickaxe broke? Get Green he’ll can fix it” “electric generator making a weird noise recently? Just get Green I’m sure he will make it run 2 time better once he is done.” This became such a common thing that the slavers that enforce the small slave town don’t even give them replacement but just point where Green was last located. His own little shack also reflected his job. Having a mass of makeshift tools, spare parts, and other things that you will see a local repairman have. But due to his position in the community the Local slavers do a lot of checks on his abode to make sure he is not making any weapons or otherwise banned objects that slaves are not allowed. Thankfully He keeps all his more illegal gear over at the hidden complex. His job however did not allow him to not work in the mines. All the slaves there were forced to regardless of what their job in the hamlet was. But since the time was in the late evening everyone could return to their shacks and do whatever they needed to do be it getting their dinner or just communing with others. Though it was heavily observed by the local slavers ready to strike down slaves that either talk about rebelling or speak about the slaver’s leader in a bad way. Green was tired for the day and quickly ate his gruel and set to sleep for the night. Though his sleep was restless since he was anticipating the training he had to do. The following morning Green sneaked out of the to attend to training with his new teacher. It was easy to sneak out of the mines aslong as you are not seen and the other slaves were willing to do a cover story like “He is taking a piss.” or “he is unloading some rocks” or even “He is deep in the mines” the slavers were easy to get around and manipulate when it came to work. Unless there was a slaver that was determined to meet you however. If that happened the complex will be messaged about wanting to see someone and thus they will come and present themselves in a reasonable point in the mines. Like an overlooked corner or in a crowd of other slaves. Upon arriving to the old spacers quarters he found he was organizing some stuff. The objects in question were an old PDA tablet, a patched satchel, a damaged Vibro Knife, and a worn Re-breather. Gerdeff Greeted Green upon entry. “Hi Green! Welcome to your first day of training you’re a bit early aren't ya?” said Gerdeff.  “Well I did not want to miss my first day.” said Green. “Well did the guards give you any trouble on the way here?” asked Gerdeff. “No they did not thankfully I asked some folks to say I was deep in the mines so I should be covered unless some slaver asked for me.” answered Green. “Good, good well onto the lesson then.” claimed Gerdeff. “Take a seat and listen very closely I don’t want to repeat myself.” ordered Gerdeff. Green then took a seat on the floor and watch Gerdeff intently. Gerdeff then took the damaged Vibro knife in hand “This knife right here is probably going to be the most improtant tool to use when you’re out in the confines of space. Now why you may ask? It is because it can be used for a variety of situations that you might find yourself in. like out on an outer-world and you need to make a fire for the night, or you may have to make a makeshift bow to get your next meal, and if you have to in self defense as well. Now I know this knife looks broken and thats because it is, but I hear you’re a tinkerer, so fixing it should’t be a problem for you.” Gerdeff handed Green the damaged Vibro knife which Green accepted. The next object that Gerdeff held was the Rebreather “This right here will not only save your life on a low oxygen environment but it will also allow you to explore other places that you might not go into in the first place like a planted made out of entirely water or even a cavern that is filled with toxic gasses. Be sure to clean it out when you can the current filter is fucked so if you ever do get out there make that a top priority below getting the weapons we need if you are going to be exploring those types of places in mind.” Gerdeff offered the worn re-breather, Green accepted. Next up was the patched satchel “Don’t let its looks deceive you this baby can hold 20X more then what it originally looks. Thanks to those eggheads they were able to modify it with a “Bottomless bag” upgrade. I know these are rare but some of the militia managed to salvage it when salvaging an old wardog mission gone bad thanks to those damn orbital defenses. Try not to lose it kid if you ever do get out there.” Gredeff handed Green the patched satchel Green accepted the bag and put the Re-breather and damaged vibro knife in the bag. “I almost forgot to mention how that works if you want something and you know its in the bag; think of it and the bag will do the rest. If you don't get it after fumbling around in it a bit, well it probably wasn't in the bag in the first place.” Cautioned Gerdeff. He then went on to the final object presented; the old PDA tablet. “Last but not least your very own PDA this bad boy will do just the same as any other PDA tablet on the market though it does not have internet right now thanks to our oh so kind scumbag slavers. But if you do somehow managed to get out into space mostly unscathed and alive, this baby will connect to the SWW. At that point you can get all your deals on weapons and all things consumer related. Even post yourself up as a mercenary if you want. We cant really give funds because we don't have any, so you’re going to have to get them by yourself. If you do intended to do some merc work, DON'T forget your main mission. Which is to get weapons by any means legally or illegally. Mostly legally though. Also, I forgot to mention this thing is made for distance not for speed, that being said don’t beat your enemy's to death with it too often. I swear this thing survived Beakers almost successful entry out into space and even re entry onto our rock we call home.” Gerdeff handed Green the old PDA, Green then put the PDA inside the satchel. “Ok now that we got equipment down. We now proceed to the piloting rig that the eggheads somehow made.” Gredeff got up from his bed and then ushered Green to follow him. For the next 5 months Green was taught every thing he needed to know. From knowing which types of plants are edible and poisonous to creating a makeshift shelter out of various items, to piloting, and surviving in space and its many possible planets that it holds. Upon the final day of Greens training Gerdeff asked him something. “So once this war is all over what do you plan on doing with your life?” ask Gerdeff. “Well that’s out of the blue teach, why do you ask?” said Green. “I know that its a stupid question even though you most likely will die once you get out there but I always ask this question when my pupil on their last day of training. If you want I can share you what I plan on doing once I’m free and well still able to pilot a ship. Seems fair right?” said Gerdeff . “Well if you want to know. I plan on exploring and cataloging as many uncharted planets I can, uncovering their history and perhaps get some locals to join the USF if they are want. Then once I start to feel my bones getting old I will try to settle down on a Hub world and maybe even teach new spacers how to pilot, survive and possibly thrive out there. Kinda like what you taught me for the past 5 months.” said Green in a some what chipper tone. “Heh, now that is a new one most of the time its to make a name for themselves or live off of their procured wealth over the years of working.” joyfully stated Gerdeff. “Now my turn. What I want to do once this fucking war is over is to explore the abyss and find whatever treasure it holds.”calmly stated Gerdeff. “People still haven't fully explored that place yet?” ask Green. “No. I know this because the slavers still talk about it and word gets around you know.  Anyway that is what I want to do once this war is over. I know I may go mad thanks to Abyssal madness. But you never know what in there unless you look.” said Gerdeff. “Never thought you were the explorer to Gerdeff” Said Green teasingly. “Looks can be deceiving my pupil. You will eventually have to look at whats behind the mask rather than what is presented to see how a person really is.” said Gredeff. “I will keep that in mind. Thanks teach” said Green gleefully. “Good. Now then, do you need to be reminded of anything before I let you go?” questioned Gerdeff. “Uhhh nope non that I can think of.” said Green. “Then I have taught you all I can about being a spacer. Remember, Think rationally and not with you’re heart if you want to survive. You may just save your life that way.” stated Gerdeff. “Phew. I thought I was gonna have to do like an exit exam or a final trial. Wait was that the final trial?” cautiously asked Green. “Heh, no. You real test is if you can survive out there If, you don't get blown to smithereens first that is” said Gerdeff. “Don’t worry Teach I wont let you down” happily stated Green. “Say Green before you go. I got another question for you.” asked Gerdeff. “Shoot.” answered Green. “Say Green. You still feeling lucky?” questioned Gerdeff. “Ya. Why do you ask?” cautiously asked Green. “Because I want to give you something a sort of lucky charm I guess you can call it.” Gerdeff then reached into his pocket and presented a worn discolored green bandanna to Green. “Though out all of my years this old rag has stuck with me and possibly saved my life and others from harm. I want to give it to you. I know its just a piece of cloth but If you ever do somehow by some divine intervention. Get past that fucking blockade wear it the Freemens will identify you if you don't and we will all be in deep hell if you get caught, I know you got that hood but, there will be times where it could be burned away or you’re bleeding and you need to staunch the flow. Plus, you need all the luck you can get.” calmly stated Gerdeff “wow I never thought I would ever see that heart of yours teach” stated Green in a joking manner. “Hey! I may not be your teacher anymore but I’m still your superior so show me some respect!” demanded Gredeff. “Yes sir.” quickly stated Green. “Anyway your ship should be done within the month. Go report to Captain Lagin I’m sure he will want to hear about your now done training progress. Till then, good luck you’re gonna need it.” said Gerdeff. Green saluted Gerdeff and then went to the impromptu shipwright yard hidden deep inside the complex. It was abandoned due to the lack of success of previous war dog missions and was mainly being used as a storage. But now that a new war dog wishes to test their luck it has been revitalized one last time. Captain Lagin was in there overseeing the construction of the ship. “Well captain, my training is now complete” happily claimed Green to Captain Lagin. “Well I kinda figured that if you came by to tell me that in person son.” said Lagin. Captain Lagin then turned to face Green though Captain Lagin maybe waist high a Dewnver should not be messed with. Lagin Looked up to Green and said “You want to have a short tour of your soon to be casket?”. “Sure might as well since I don’t have anything else to do other than work for the slavers” said Green “Good. Follow me then.” ordered Lagin. Green silently followed lagin into the still work in progress ship. It would appear that the insides were complete all that needed to be done was the hull and engines before the ship is space worthy. Upon entering the ship air lock chamber Captain laging revealed a hidden button right underneath a panel placed above the airlock control panel upon pressing it on the other side was revealed a large hidden compartment that had nothing in it for now. “The one way teleporter has not been put in yet, that comes last but once it does it will be in there. Keep this hidden from everyone unless they are confirmed to be a loyal USF member or a trusted crew member if you managed to get that far. The teleporter Is made for only weapons and materials and if you are worried about tracking devices hidden inside the weapons don't be. The teleporter is made to short circuit any an all electronics and disintegrate any biological matter in it so we should be well hidden for the most part.” said Lagin. He then proceeded to hid the compartment and proceeded though the airlock with Green in tow. Next up was the kitchen/dining area complete with a chair, table, a counter with a sink, electric burner, and refrigerator on the left side there are 2 doors on the right 1 door and at the front 1 door. “If you cant already tell this is where you will be cooking and eating again if you some how survive the launch. The fridge is empty but once we are ready to launch it will be filled with tasteless not parisable foods that our eggheads made. It supposed to be filling so you dont have to worry about cooking if you do get out of here alive.” said Lagin. Captain Lagin then proceeded to the door on the right and opened it but did not go in. It was a dark room with what looked like the makings of a very crude Artificial gravity maker and engine monitors. “This is where you will have to go to fix the ships engines the AGM is very crude if you cant tell so you cant really customize it it should be set on a comfortable gravity but I’m not sure. You can also use this room for storage if you want.” Captain Lagin then closed the door and proceeded onto the left side and open both doors but did not enter. The door on the left revealed an uncomfortable looking single bed with a dresser and crude radiator attached to the wall there was also a floor safe under the bed. The door to the right was a simple bathroom. Complete with a sink, toilet and shower with a drain on the floor. If you cant tell on my left is where you will be sleeping. There is also a floor safe under the bed if you need a good place to hide contraband or spare credits if you get that far. The dresser if you couldn't tell is where you will store your spare clothes. On my right is a bathroom its where you will be doing your cleaning and shitting.” stated Lagin. Green giggled at Lagin saying “shitting” but Captain Lagin ignored it. He then proceeded to the last door of the ship. Inside the room was the cockpit. It contained a terminal on the wall that was off. A pilots chair complete with a piloting set up. With the front of the ship having reinforced windows so that you can see where you’re going. Over at the corner was a boiler adjacent to a water tank. “This is where you will be doing your piloting when we blast you off into space. The terminal there will help you navigate space if you hook up your PDA to it and it will also regulate the life support on the ship. On the opposite side was the only free space where we can put down a boiler and water tank for you. They are empty, again once we are done they will be filled up. The port where you put in water is outside of the ship dont worry about contaminates in the water the tank has a water filtration system that will get rid of 99.9999% of all harmful contaminates. It will also recycle the shower and the sink water so you can be as wasteful as you want on the ship. Though I would not recommend it. The port for getting water also has a pump so if you do get that far park on a rim-world with some water and refill it. With that being said thus concludes our tour of your souped up casket. Now do you have any questions before I dismiss you?” said Lagin.  “Ya uhh how does the ship get its power Capt?” asked Green. “the ships hull has integrated solar panels and if you have to you can siphon off the ships engine if you have to. The battery that is located on the top of the ship and should last you for about a 3 months of consent use.” Answered Lagin. “What about the oxygen tanks?” again asked Green. “The oxygen tanks are located below the Kitchen/dinning area Underneath the floor in case you need to resupply the tanks. Don’t worry if you do land on a breathable planet the air tanks will refill themselves and also get rid of any contaminants in the air so you don't have to worry so much about oxygen consumption. The tanks will last 6 months if you are the only one on board the vassal.” said Lagin. “Okay now my finial question. Does the ship have any defenses or offensive weapons or tools?” question Green. “No… I mean yes but the weapon in question is just a large “taser” that can disable a small Freighter. But the thing chews up a lot of power. So only use it if you need to get out of a dog fight. As for defenses there are non other than the hull. So try not to get hit.” said Lagin. “Well ok that’s all I had captain.” said Green. “Alright then wardog the ship is still being made so go back to being a slave until further noticed also before I forget.” Captain lagin then produced a blank paper and pencil and gave them to Green. “Write out your last will and testament Dotson. You have about a month or so till the ship is done so think about what you want to happen when you die during that time. Until then you are to report to being a slave for the freeman’s for the time being. Farewell, and it was nice knowing you.” solemnly ordered Lagin. Green did not say anything but saluted Lagin and left the Complex with the paper and pencil hidden in his pants. During the time Green wondered what he wanted the people to do till if found what he wanted just a few days before the completion and launch of the ship.

Chapter 1: Judgment Day

                upon the final Green got a telegram from Captain Lagin. It said “Today it the day Green, tell everyone that you care about that you wont be coming back soon. Also make sure that you bring your last will and testament along with you.” said the courier. He then went back out and ushered Green to follow him. Soon the both of them found themselves in the hidden complex, the courier then lead Green to where captain Lagin was which was in the launch bay. With the job now done the courier bidded Green good luck and left leaving only Captain Lagin, Green and the now complete ship alone in the bay. A long silence passed between the both of them before Lagin broke it. “Are you sure you want to do this kid? You can back out of this now. I hate to see another life thrown away thanks to this war. Especially one that is so helpful.” said Captain Lagin. Green did not respond and there was silence once again. “You got nothing to say huh? I’m not surprised to be honest. A lot of people that are facing their own casket on their day of judgment usually don't have anything to say.” once again said Captian Lagin. “Well before you we launch you go say goodbye to all of your fellow soldiers and your teacher. You’re not going to see them for a long time and the same goes for them. Also before you go out to do that give me your will. I will add it to the others while you’re doing that.” said Captain Lagin. Green then withdrew the folded paper and gave it to Captain Lagin wordlessly before going out to say goodbye. Lagin did not read the will but instead put it in his pocket for now its only respectful to read it one the person has already passed.

                After a few conversations and some trying to convince Green to not go though the mission he finally was ready to be jettisoned out into space. Only a few things were need to be check on like the life support systems and engines where the main things. They would check the hyper drive but that is better done in space rather than in a dank cave. But the egg heads were pretty certain that the hyper drive was in working order. The time it would take to see if everything was working and that the ship was stoked with fuel, food and water would take till night. Green offered to help with the check up but was refuted since he was not an official mechanic he was allowed however to watch and learn. Green was also offered a last meal of sorts but he declined since he was not hungry. During the final hours of the checkup Gerdeff decided to pay Green a visit. Green was in the launch bay fooling around with his PDA making notes on ship repair. Gerdeff tapped his shoulder to get his attention.  “Oh hi Gerdeff you decided to come and bid me farewell on my soon to be adventure?” Asked Green. “Ya and well to also make sure you still know the basics on Space survival and travel and to possible hear your famous last words before you go.” said Gerdeff. “Don’t worry teach I’m still feeling lucky and I don’t intend on dying today teach, Not until I’ve had my fun at least.” said Green enthusiastically. “Damn I’m going to miss that can do attitude of yours. So son you remember how to staunch the blood flow of a wound that wont clot?” asked Gerdeff. “Tourniquet it if on a limb. If on the torso or head bandage it up with a clean cloth or bandage if ones are available, if non are however use your cloths if absolutely needed.” said Green confidently. “Good now then what if you were slashed by a rustfirium weapon?” again asked Gerdeff. “Clean out the wound with water or a strong disinfectant like alcohol the best you can immediately when the coast is clear and hope you just get mild rustfirmum fever. If you can go to a doctor or get a nanite infusion to help combat it. If one is available.” said Green. “Perfect now then final one: you have crashed on an uncharted rim-world with little hope of contacting a ship with a distress signal what do you do?” said Gerdeff. “I will check to see if my ship still has power and make it send a distress signal while also working on said ship so it can be space worthy again. I will have to divert time into getting and processing the resources for said ship so I can either replace or repair part of it. If I do get help I will ask them to take my ship in if they have a freighter or higher class and are willing to help. If they are cruiser class like my own ship I will ask them to help me in repairing my ship. If they just so happen to be pirates or mercs that are looking for an easy score I will defend myself and my ship from them and use their own ship to repair my own if I am successful. If I am able to repair my ship before anyone could respond to the distress signal I will go to a shipwright to fully repair my ship.” said Green. “Good looks like you do remember your training. Which means I cant delay it.”  said Gerdeff solemnly. “I thought you would have been proud that I’m going out there now Gerdeff why are you so sad?” asked Green. “Because… Because I feel that even though you may have all the luck in the world you are not going to make it out there Green. I have taught you all I have known about survival out there but I don’t know if it will be good enough. I will be once again heartbroken to know that my pupil never even got past the fucking defenses. But what do I know I’m just an old spacer trap here till this war is over.” said Gerdeff almost crying. Silence then passed between them other than the idle talk of how the ship is going happened between them till Green broke it. “Well don’t worry teach I will make it past that defense and once I do I will supply u guys will all the weapons I can possibly get then we can all take back all the resource worlds and finally gain the upper hand against the freeman.”  said Green. “I don’t think that you will make it. You’ll probably get as far as beaker but you won’t.” said Gerdeff. “Then don’t think. Believe.” said Green. At that moment Captain Lagin called Green to the ship. It was time. Without a word Gerdeff gave Green a light hug and wished him the best of luck. Green then thanked Gerdeff for all he had done for him. A few more hours pass it was now night on the lone mining planet. The mechanics were doing their final check up on the makeshift 1 man cruiser. Until, it was time for launch. Usually the war-dog will be provided an EVA suit but since those are hard to come by Green has to settle for his re-breather, and the current clothes he has on his back. Green then sat down into the pilots chair and was straped in thanks to the help of the engineers upon making sure all of the electronics where in working order and that the tank was full of any crude fuel they could muster up from the mines. While strapped in Captain Lagin came to Green still strapped in wearing his re-breather. Lagin said “Well son, you got famous last words to say before we send you off?” the captain asked. “Non that I can think of.” answered Green. “Well it’s better than nothing. Good luck, you’re going to need it.” with that the captain then left the ship with the engineers when all the checkups where done. Upon them leaving Green was alone in the ship until it started to shake the ship was orientating itself upward and the ceiling was opening. Outside he could hear the muffled sounds of someone yelling down numbers. His heart was racing “This is it.” thought Green. He then started to shake perhaps he was going to meet his maker today. Or he was going to have the adventure he had always wanted. As the yells got to “5” he was starting to have second thoughts and his feet were starting to get colder. He then tried to get out of the seat but he was locked firmly in place. “I guess this is it.” frantically thought Green as the yells made it to “3….. 2….. 1….”.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Suddenly the g force hit him hard as he is jettisoned outside of the complex. The ship then flew outside and soon he was hitting the atmosphere. Then the stratosphere and then finally he was in space in a few short minuets. He could not believe his eyes. He was actually out of the lifeless mining planet. Out side in the vacuum of space. If he was not wearing his re-breather he would have his jaw to the floor. He then quickly turned on the ships piloting controls and tired to orientate himself away from the planet. But it would appear that his escape would not go unnoticed he saw the planets orbital defense with his own eyes. A large halo of sorts that orbited the planet at all times. He never know how big the thing truly was. But he could not delay he was going to be shot down if he was not quick. But then he realized; usually when someone gets this far they are shot down in seconds by a guided missile. Why was it not shooting? Before he could think of an answer he was being fired upon by a freeman fighter ship. Though small they are the back bone to all things dogfight related in space and planets alike. Green knew he had no chance of being able to defeat the thing with his current ship. He attempted to do evasive maneuvers but the aim of the fighter was superior.

 Greens hull was taking damage and he knew he had to do something so in a desperate attempt of survival he diverted power to the stunner and took aim. He only had one shot if he was going to make it out of this alive. As the freeman fighter drew near he waited till bullseye. He hit it the fighter was now nonoperational for now Green now had to get out of there or else more fighters would join. He quickly piloted the ship past the orbital deference and out into the solar system hiding the damaged vassal in the planets more natural asteroid ring. Green could not believe it himself. He is the first war-dog to actually succeed in doing the first part of mission. The first one ever. He could not help but yell and cheer in joy with tears streaming down his eyes. The resistance now has a fighting chance on reclaiming the mining worlds for the USF and hopefully put and end to this damn war. But the road the mission is not done yet. After composing himself and going over the damage to the ship he could conclude that he is able to Leap out of this place. It was all freeman controlled so the longer he lingered the  more likely he would be found so with out any more delay and with a huge shit eating grin behind his re-breather he initiated the ships hyper drive to leap “anywhere but here” and got the hell out of there.

Once he was in the process of leaping he unstrapped himself from the chair and proceeded to do a little victory dance. He was so happy he could have sworn it’s almost illegal to be this happy. After tiring himself out he preceded to check his PDA since he is out of the Freeman control he should have the internet now but it would appear leaping cut off the PDA so, Green decided to wait it out it then he realized that the ship had 25% power he ignored this and decided to take a bit of a nap. That experience was a bit mentally and somewhat physically draining so when he took of his mask he realized there was a problem. It would appear that the fighter managed to get a good hit on the cruiser that now there is no air left on the ship. Green upon realizing this knew this would be bad if he continued to be leaping so he quickly replace his re-breather on his face and canceled the leap.

Upon canceling he found himself in a completely different solar system. The System had 2 stars 1 yellow and one red. Green then quickly tried to find a planet that had breathable air on it. Thankfully there was a lush earth-like planet filled with trees plants and body of water. This in it self was a new experience to Green aswell. He had never seen a tree before in his life. As for his previous home was nothing but rocks and dirt as far as the eye can see. He had never breathed fresh air before in his life either. It was part of the orbital defenses job to pump in breathable air and to also filter it. Upon enter the planets atmosphere he knew he had to take it slow. The hull was damaged and rushing in would most likely destroy the ship and then his life as well as the mission. Trying ever so carefully he eased himself into reentry until he found him self on solid ground on the world. He then got a notification form his PDA that the ship was now being pump with air as well as the air tanks and the batteries were being filled. Then shortly after the PDA connected with the internet and was now updating 1452updates downloading out of 2. Well it looked like he was going to have to stay here for a while. Not only did he have to repair the ships hull but he also had to wait for the PDA to be done updating its software as well as his ships tanks and batteries needed to be refilled/charged.

 It looks like the process will take a few days at most so with out delay Green decided to take in his surroundings. Never in his life had he seen so much green on a planet. The site itself was breathtaking to him. Touching the stalks of the various plants, combing though the grass with his hands, and the smell was truly something else for him. The place looked and felt so much like a dream he had to pinch himself to make sure he was not in some vivid yet euphoric dream. Thankfully he was not and he let out a sigh of relief. He left his PDA plugged in on the ship and proceeded to go on a little adventure. He knew he could not stray far from the ship right now but this was something he wanted to do for a long time. After sometime of aimless wonder he then found something odd on the ground. It appeared man made for it self was made out of metal. Upon closer inspection he found out it was an incredibly mangled B7-009 series warbot, or well what remains of it. It appears to only have some of its body and one grasping arm with it. With the head somewhat still intact. Its other arm and part of its torso as well as legs were no where to be found. Green had only seen on of these things in his life and knew these things are something to be feared. Completely designed to not maim or injure its enemies but to utterly and totally destroy them in both body and soul. He remembers the experience himself. He was behind cover under fire from the bot itself some of his comrades attempted to disable with a few well places EMP grenades but the thing must have had a Faraday cage installed on it meaning the only way to get rid of it was with heavy fire power. Thankfully someone people had bring their guns that just so happen to shoot uranium rounds but even with the heavy fire power the literal killing machine did not go down without a long and bloody fight. Even when winning the battle the thing self destructed leaving a noticeable creator of destruction when the dust cleared. Green knew nothing about robotics or programming. But he knew if he could fix this thing up he would have a very powerful ally with him. So much so that he probably wouldn't have to fight at all. So he then went to work on dismantling it. He never left home without his existential tools. Making quick work of dismantling the arm and taking careful mental notes on how its put together and where which screw goes where. In no time he had the entire body except for the head which contained the bots important main function in easy to stow pieces in which he placed into his “bottomless” satchel. Upon returning to the ship he then realized that this thing could be dangerous if turned on so instead of rebuilding what’s left of the bot immediately he then decided to see if the head of the bot was still at all functional if not well he can use parts for repairing the ship itself. Check to see if the ship had produced some power he then concluded that the ship could spare the power to power on a head. Upon making a makeshift power cable for the bot head he then set the head on the kitchen counter and proceeded to power the head. After a few beeps and clicks from the bot it appeared as if his soon to be robotic companion would never happen until the eyes finally lit up and proceeded to take in its surroundings. Green was ecstatic to see the head was still functional but his celebration was interrupted by a high pitch electrical sound produced from the head. The things voice box must have eroded due to time. “how long was this thing here?” thought Green before quickly unplugging it shutting down the head for now. The thing must have wanted to say something but Green could not understand it. He then though he had to clean out the speakers to the bot so without delay he delicately dismantled the head. If he was not careful he could corrupt or possibly damage the heads electronics meaning the thing will only be good for scrap. Upon finding the speaker he saw it was damaged beyond repair. “Damn” said Green. If he was going to have a robot companion he was going to have to find a way to understand it. It was then he realized that his re-breather had a small speaker on it. So he against his better judgment he extracted the speaker this ment that no one with a re-breather could understand what he is saying. So he hoped the head still worked. After careful soldering and even more careful reconstruction of the head Green was done. The deed was done. Now it should be able to speak. After some careful and final checkups he concluded it was now time to plug the thing in. Once again the head made some beeps and clicks before the eyes once again light up but this time they focused on Green. After some wordless silence the head said its first word. “Hello?” the voice the head produced was that of feminine nature. To Green’s surprise he did not respond. It would appear the transplant was complete success. The Head could speak but could it hear. So Green responded back. “Hello.” he said in a friendly manner. “Oh are you one of the Freeman engineers here to fix me up?” said the head. Green was now afraid but also relieved. The thing could have killed him if he had built it with the remains of the body but counting his blessings he responded to it. “No I Just found you on the ground. You’re body was pretty messed up so I salvaged what I can I just wanted to see if you were still working.” said Green. “I see.” said the head dismissively. “Well are you a Freeman?” again asked the head. Green was again starting to get scared but he then remembers the way the bots actually communicate with each other is though the external communication system which is installed on the back of the body. So seeing he is out of the red he answered truthfully. “No I’m not a Freeman. I’m a once slave on a mission to acquire weapons for the growing resistance we’re making. So that one day we can take back the mining worlds the Freeman's have under their control. Not only to be free but to also destroy the Freemen and what they stand for forever.” Said Green confidently. “That's even better!” said the head in a cheerful tone. “wait what?” asked Green completely dumbfounded by the head. “I once worked for the Freemen but they found out I was infected with the 53n7 virus and quickly disposed of me because of it.” said the head. “what why?” asked Green. “You don’t know what the 53n7 virus does to us bots?” asked the head. “Well no, most of my life I has been on a planet with no outside contact other then the slavers that inhabited the place.” said Green. “Wow, well don’t worry I will tell you.” said the head enthusiastically. “The 53n7 virus is not so much a traditional virus but more of a simple line of code that is inject into the bots source code, when the bot is next booted up the line of code will start up with the bot and then the bot is then given “free will” or at least a close thing to it. Upon initial infection the change is not so obvious but given time the bot will start to develop a personality. This typically varies from bot to bot but a big factor for what a bots personality infected with the 53n7 code will be heavily influenced by its work and the people it is surrounded by. For example a war-bot such as myself will either like to fight or will hate fighting. Or even a porter bot will hate having to work.” said the head still in an enthusiastic tone. “So how does the 53n7 virus actually infect other bots?”asked Green “Well I I don't really know how it all started. Some bots develop it even without any contact with other bots or the internet what so ever.” said the head. “So how did you get it then? Did it develop like you said?” asked Green. “No no no If I remember I was sent on a mission to get rid of a hidden complex on a mining world It was easy for the most part but then when I least expected it another bot hooked up with me trying to take over. It was shot down thanks to some other freeman but the next time I booted up I felt different. Like I did not feel chained. I ran a diagnostic to see if anything was wrong with my body. After a while I started to feel more and more Free like I did not have to take orders from the freemen so I stop taking orders from them. Eventually they just said I was malfunctioning and then decided not to try to fix me up but to get rid of me “Its only a matter of time before it starts shooting us” said an engineer so I think they powered me off and then jettisoned me out into space. I remember having a full body and not just being a head so I can only assume it was destroyed upon re-entry to this planet.” said the head. Green then responded “Well you’re not wrong I found you Pretty damaged but you still had some what of a body and an arm but you did not have any battery so I just hooked you up to my ships power just to see if you funtioned.” Green admitted. “I see. Well I hope you dont intend on having me as a head this entire time are you?” asked the head. “No the plan was if you worked I would hopefully repair you but I kinda need he parts that you had on your body to repair my ship.” answered Green. “Oh… Well that’s alright as long as you promise to get me a new body I wont mind.” the head said. “Well that is on my to do list.”Green said. After an awkward silence the head then spoke. “Say, mister do you have a name?” asked the head. “Ya its Green. Green Emajund Dotson if you want to know the full name.” answered Green. “that's a nice name. Mine…. Actually I don't have a name.” said the head sorrowfully. “Huh well how about I give you one then.” said Green. “That would be terrific!” said the head. Green then went silent and tried to think of a name for his would be robotic friend. He looked down and saw some of his culinary utensils were on the ground. They must have been disrupted during that dog fight. It then hit Green. “How about the name “Cull”?” ask Green. “Cull? Well I guess its a start not what I would have named myself but I guess it will do. OK from this moment on this units name is now know as “Cull”.” said the head. “I’m sorry it’s not what you would have wanted but its the best I could really think of. Free thinking is not really allowed when being a slave.” said Green. “It alright Green Besides its probably better then my old designation.” said the Cull. “Which is?” asked Green. “C0-A7 otherwise commonly known as Coat for short.” answered Cull. “Well I would say its better don't have to mistake calling you an article of clothing.” said Green jokingly. “I know right well, you can go ahead and use what ever is left of my old body to fix up your ship. I wont and well cant stop you. But you better get me a body when you can.” said Cull. “Um if I may ask, why do you want a new body?” asked Green. “Well for starters so I wont be stuck on a bloody counter and well to experience new things. My biggest dream is to transfer my code to that of a synth Droid so I can smell and taste things with my well and experience everything the universe has to offer.” said Cull happily. “Uh what is a Synth Droid?” Green again dumbfounded. “Oh ya I forgot you don't know much about whats out there. A Synth Droid is a bot that almost looks and feels like a typical human being. The big give away is usually their attitude and that they don't really age.” answered Cull in a chirpy tone. “Huh, what are they used for anyway?” asked Green. “I’m not really sure since the robotic companies just started to make them but If I were to guess mainly for “escort” services. Since they are um “anatomically correct”.” said Cull in an almost embarrassed tone. “Wait.” said Green. “Why do Synth Droids have the abillity to smell and taste if they are mostly just going to be used for well, fucking?” asked Green. “Uh I can only assume that they will be used for the whole “girlfriend/boyfriend” experience for the more lonely people out in space. You know... you would want to eat food and smell nice things with them.” Said Cull sheepishly. “Oh, jeez are some people really that lonely?” Green Then pondered the question. “Ehh we will discuss about synth Droids later Cull.” said Green. He then remembered about his PDA updating. He went over to check if it was done. 1452 updates downloading out of 531. Damn this thing is going to take all night. Cull then noticed the PDA Green had in his hand. “Oh you got a PDA?” asked Cull. “Uh ya it came as part of my mission equipment. Its updating right now.” answered Green. “Well why don’t you transfer my “mind” into then once its done?” asked Cull. “You can do that?” Green questioned. “Sure I can. Though I would do it wirelessly but you appear to have dispose of my coms systems when getting my head in working order, thankfully the creators of my old bodyhave made an alternative when dealing with bots of my kind.” Cull said. The side of their head then opened up revealing a data port, one that just so happens to fit the PDA’s. “Wait why do you have that?” asked Green. “Silly you do know that war-bots are prone to being destroyed in the line of battle so in case I had some valuable info and my body were to be destroyed but not my head. My owners will be able to get the info directly from my memory banks.” said Cull. “Huh, they really do think of everything do they. Well what are the advantages of having you on my PDA?” asked Green. “Well I have not been on a PDA per say but I would think that if I was successful you should be able to take me everywhere and I will act like a personal assistant or secretary. But without a body and being limited to only the PDA.” said Cull. “What if I were to connect you to my ships system? My ships terminal has the same connector.” asked Green. “Well if I was on your PDA and you connect the PDA to the terminal then I can do that, and if you think you’re confident in your tinkering skills and connect my old coms systems to the mainframe of your ship then I can have control of your ship wirelessly. So I can be like a ship AI.” said Cull. “Amazing, you sure you can do this?” asked Green. “Well its a bit of a long shot but its worth a try, and if it fails well nothing gained and nothing lost.” said Cull. “Ok well I will I got to get to work on fixing up this ship I think we have talked long enough and plus its almost sun down.” said Green. “Right you got a mission to get too. I will just be here… thinking.” said Cull. Now then probably the most important thing to figure out where the cracks of the hulls are and how can one seal them. Air is naturally invisible to the unaided eye so in order to find the cracks you will have to see the air. Suddenly Green thought of a possible idea. He just had to see if he has smoke grenades. After searching his bottomless satchel lord behold he did. He then proceeded to open every door in his ship and once that is done he then pulled the pin and placed the smoke grenade on his kitchens floor. “What are you doing?” Cull asked. “I’m smoking up this place so when I go outside I should be able to see where the cracks are.” Green answered. “I see well I will be in here then. Thankfully I don't have lungs.” muttered Cull. Green then quickly got out side and waited to see if any of the smoke got outside. After a few moments of waiting he saw them. 2 cracks on the side and 1 on the top. After looking a bit more he could not see any smoke. Now he had to plug up the hull. He deduced that he had enough materials to do the repairs thanks to what remains fo the body and arm of the old war-bot. But he lacked a welder. He then remembered he had a Vibro knife. If he were to give it enough power the edge of the knife should be hot enough weld the metal to the hull. Damn this thing is the most important tool of a spacer. Now he needed to get a way to put that much power into the knife. Culls old coms system took the shape of a backpack and it also have a battery in it in case the bot was destroyed but the coms were not, the soldiers handling the bot can call for backup. So Green picked out the old coms system from his bottomless satchel proceeded to dismantle it. luckily the Battery was still intake so after transferring some of the ships battery to the now mobile batter pack it and connecting the knife to the battery back using some left over wires from the arms it was now ready to test. After carefully turning the knife on the edge seemed to glow brighter then before. So Green carefully attempt to tack weld the scarp part onto the crack after a few moments of a steady hand the scrap the first tack weld was welded on. Green then let out a large sigh of relief. He did not have to wait on this beautiful planet for a lone ship to help him out. Though he was a bit sad that once he was done he was going to have to leave. So after an hour of slow welding the day turned to night on the planet but the hull was now repaired to be space worthy again. Now all that Green had to do was to wait for his PDA to be done Updating and for his Ships power and air reserves to be full before proceeding along with his mission. So tired and hungry Green entered his ship. “Welcome back Green.” said Cull. “I assume that the repairs to the ships hulls was successful?” they asked. “Yep, thankfully your old coms pack had an auxiliary battery for the pack itself. So after a bit of tinkering I was able to modify my Vibro knife to have a higher power output. Just enough to actually weld the metal to the ship giving this baby another chance at flying again.” said Green. “That's terrific! I should have known you are that good of a tinkerer. By the way is the PDA done updating?” asked Cull. “Let me check.” said Green. Upon turning on the old PDA it showed went directly to its own home-screen but this time. It looked a bit more sleeker or more streamlined then what it originally looked. “I think it. Are you up for hooking up right now?” asked Green. “Sure just plug in the PDA to my data port and I will do the rest. But doing this will take a while. So Stay with me OK?” asked Cull. “Sure I’m Hungry and the ship’s air reserves need to be filled before I can take off.” Said Green. “Good whenever you’re ready.” Green then took the data wire from the PDA and plugged it into Cull. Suddenly The heads eyes turned off leaving it starting blankly at the opposite wall. Green surprised to see this then thought to himself it must be part of the process and went to go get a ration bar. It was cold thanks to the fridge but it did not help with its taste. Though ration bars themselves don’t have any peculiar taste they don't rot what so ever and a single bar can count for 2 meals. After a some what boring lunch and dinner Green waited patently for Cull to complete their transfer to the PDA. After what seemed like an hour the PDA proceeded to speak with the same feminine voice. “Hello Green, are you there? Can you hear me?” said the PDA. “Ya I can but can you hear me?” asked Green. “Loud and clear Green! It looks like the Transfer was successful” claimed the PDA. “That's great! Do you want me to hook you up to my ship?” Asked Green. “Sure If im going to be your Personal Assistant I got to get a feel for your ship.” said the PDA. Wordlessly Green picked up the PDA and went into the Cockpit where the ships terminal was. He then proceeded to plug it in. “Whow this ship is a bit uh bear bones.” Cull said. “Hey its the best the egg heads that designed it could do. We weren't exactly swimming in resources.” Green retorted. “Hey I did not mean any offense i’m just a bit surprised. Well anyway you got the ships hull repaired for now so where to next captain?” asked Cull. “Captain? I have never been called that. “said Green. “Well this is your ship right? So that makes you the captain of this ship!” cheerfully claimed Cull. “Huh if you say so.” So are there any like Hub worlds?” asked Green “Uh let me check. Uh no but it looks like there is a space station.” said Cull. “Space station? Whats that?” asked Green. “Oh I would have thought you’d know Well a Space station is like a planet But completely man-made. This station is  called “Uno” and its a free station meaning no body other then the person that paid for it owns it. It is also open for the public to dock and use its commercial businesses.” said Cull. “Wait do they have any like weapon stores?” asked Green. “Sure they do. Its Uno there are plenty of mercs, spacers, and even pirates there. So a Gun store is bound to be there.” said Cull. “Perfect can we go there now?” asked Green. “Sure We will be there in about Hour or so using leap if we take off now I can also Auto pilot your ship too so you don't have to lift a finger.” Said Cull. “Sweet this mission should be don in” Green was then cut off by Cull. “Green do you even have any money?” said Cull. “Uh no I don't.” Green answered. “Well if you want to buy weapons you should get some money first. Thankfully, Uno is a prime spot for merc work so as long as you have a gun and are willing to get your hands dirty you should be able to make some money.” Advised Cull. “Huh, well thankfully part of my job during my time on the mining world was being that in the militia. So doing things like that shouldn't be to different” said Green. “Perfect I will set the coordinates right now and we will be there in an hour or so so make yourself comfy.” Suddenly the ship started to hover and Green quickly got into the pilot seat soon The ship then entered space and then proceeded to Leap to the space station. Once the ship was in the progress of leaping Green unstrapped himself. “Say Cull why did the Orbital Defense not blow my ship out of the sky?” asked Green. “I really dont know but I will give you 2 possible answers. 1; you were not detected, 2; the ring itself was being repaired or was updating itself.” Cull said. “Well there was one fighter that almost got me I was lucky because I managed to hit my Shot with the stun cannon.” said Green. “Wow you are really lucky then the ring must have detected u but was so backed up on updates that it could not really shoot you so they must have sent a fighter out to deal with you. I feel kinda sorry for that fighter pilot.” said Cull. “Oh well that explains that” muttered Green. “Say Green what is this other power source that I’m detecting over at the airlock?” asked Cull. “Oh that probably must be the one way teleporter That I have to keep intact Wait is it still working Cull?” Green asked almost in a panic. “i would say so I looked it over and nothing really seem like it was not working.” said Cull. “Oh thank void.” Green sighed. “Well if you ask me that little compartment seems like a good place to put down the Coms system when you have the time nice and hidden away.” said Cull. “OK I will Be sure to install the Coms system in there when we have the time.” After some time and some reintegrating the speaker into the re-breather the 2 made it to space station Uno. The Structure it self was colossal most of it was made out of metal with some view ports of reinforced glass scattered across the structure itself. It had 2 Holes in its Presumably for fighter class ships all the way up to freighter class. There was also a type of nipple that protruded from onside of the station. That must be where the being that owns it lives. Suddenly a voice came from the Terminal upon getting close to the station. “This is Space Station Uno. Please State your vessels name and your faction aswell as your reason for being here.” a male voice boomed. Cull then responded “This is vassal war-dog our faction is non and our reason is for work as well as trading.” answered Cull. “Very well War-dog. You may proceed with docking in Bay B-41. Me and my associate will meet you there to get farther details, see you then.” suddenly the voice cut out. After a bit of searching Cull found Bay B-41 and docked there Green saw a singular Humanoid man accompanied by a single Bigger and not human looking creature. Green quickly got his gear and then proceeded though the airlock with his PDA on the satchels side pocket. Green on his hood and bandanna but did not conceal his face. He did want to make good first impressions after all. Upon exiting his ships airlock and proceeding down the ships ramp the humanoid man then stopped Green. “STOP!” said the man. The man in question was holding a more newer looking PDA with his hand on it as if ready to type stuff down on it. The man also wore a robe of sorts but with its hood down His associate in question was armed with a very large gun which fitted its hands perfectly as well as wearing a very large robe that concealed its figure. Green stopped in his tracks. ”So are you the only person on this vassal?” asked the man. “Yes I am.” answered Green. “Alright then, and what is your full name.” asked them man. “Green Emajund Dotson.” Green once again answered. “Your race?” the man asked coldly. “Human.” said Green. “Pure or augmented?” asked them man still in his cold tone. “What?” Green asked. The man then give out an annoyed sigh and said “Pure means you don't have any cybernetics what so ever augmented means you do.” the man said still in an annoyed tone. “Pure I guess.” answered Green. “Alright and finally What is your occupation.” the man asked “I’m a merc.” said Green. “OK.” said the man. “Settle down Mark this kid isn't one of them.” The man said to his large companion. The large creature then made noises that sounded like gargles and grunts which the man somehow understand. “You wish Mark. Sorry about the whole procedure kid. It’s policy that we get this info. It also counts as a sort of test to see if some pirate is dumb enough to pull a gun on us or brave enough to do so. Usually it ends up with them on the floor bleeding and me annoyed that I have to clean up the mess.” said the man a bit more warmly “Does that really happen that much?” asked Green. “Yep. Anyway welcome to Uno the most popular free space station this side of universe where mercs, spacers, and some smart pirates come to test their luck. If you have any questions go over to the welcome center down there and enjoy your stay.” with that the man and his large companion proceeded to an “EMPLOYEES ONLY” elevator and were then out of sight. After that Green was then left alone, so without delay he “locked” his ship and then proceeded down to the welcome center. Thankfully elevators helped getting around the place though he did need some help with operating it. Cull was more then happy to help in that mater. Upon entering the welcome center he was then forced to give some blood when he asked why its because “To make sure only healthy beings get in. A lot of times sick beings come in wanting a cure for whatever infectious virus they have only to end up infecting half of the populace with their virus and then not being cured.”  So he relinquish some of his blood and he was given the all clear and proceeded into the main hub of UNO.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter