Space Pawdassy
Author List Is In Chapters
Chapter 1
The year is five hundred years from the third war that started yesterday. The next frontier has been colonized by a new, oppressive regime, the Imperial Galactic Federation. This new galactic empire has reached the corners of civilizations and, in the process, expanded their spheres of influence. New planets under the IGF suffer as their native peoples are arrested without trial. Those able enough to work are sent to labor camps, where groups of resistance fighters form their plan to strike back…
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Jailbreak
BOOM!
BANG!
CRASH!
A deafening symphony of metallic sounds erupted from a distant part of the facility as the entirety of the area within shook violently. An explosion- no, multiple; All activated simultaneously, orchestrated with extreme precision. The diverse cast of inmates within the facility unacquainted with what was taking place yelled in utter confusion and protest while the equally concerned guards rushed about to find the source of this disturbance. What was happening?
It was just a few months ago that three disconnected individuals were brought into this high-security detention facility. While for an assortment of reasons, inmates were normally incarcerated for similar acts of crime against the Imperial Galactic Federation, one of the largest and arguably most corrupt government organization to ever hold control over this universe. But at the head of this sudden act of violence were three targeted individuals that already claimed the attention of the government at least once before. Seht Fawks, male, age 16. Seht was locked up for malicious and treasonous speech against the IGF, mostly to the extent of voicing his opinion on the mistreatment of women in service; Christian Bloodeyes, male, age 25. Christian was locked up for leaking classified information to the general public, finding information on the ruler of the IGF that would have created public outcry; Caius Crassus, male, age unknown. Caius was locked up for hearsay and criminal intent to start a religious riot after a terrorist attack on his home planet. Though their actions were not connected, the most dangerous decision that could have ever been made was putting these three in a cell together.
Thus, through secret conversation between themselves and other willing inmates, they designed a plan of eventual escape, through any means necessary. However, even with the fear some felt at the potential failure, they knew this would make at least some statement towards the corrupted government. At the most, they would escape and begin a conquest to overthrow their oppressors; at the least, they would go out with a bang, and they were willing to take that alternative at this point.
And so, with a series of explosions, their plan was set in stone. Several cells in the same block all blew open simultaneously thanks to the engenius rewiring on Christian’s behalf, and from similarly perfect work from Caius, all involved inmates knew what to do and how they’d have to do it. Now, it was left up to the trio, headed by Seht, to lead them all out and finish this once and for all; There was no turning back at this point.
Seht jumped over a pile of the rubble below him, moving out of the cell and into the open block. As he scanned the area, he took close note of the other inmates that had followed their instructions, just as his partners approached him from behind. “Looks like this plan is working out, eh?” Caius spoke up.
Seht turned to meet them, responding as he did. “Yea, at least so far it is. We can only hope we find some sort of way out. Christian, any intel on how much time we’ve got?”
Christian analyzed something technologically unviewable by the others before responding. “About five minutes before we get stormed. The armory, as expected, is on a low-surveillance state. We get there at least in time with the guards and we’ll probably be able to overpower them in pure numbers.”
“Alright, got it.” Seht nodded, then moved away from them as he looked over to the other escapists. “Hey, follow us! We’re gonna bust us all out of here! Come on!” He shouted to gather their attentions as he, as well as Christian and Caius, began rushing out of the area.
The trio rushed down the hallway, stepping as lightly as possible to avoid detection. They walked corner by corner and scanned every opening for any guards or cameras.
“The armory is just down the hall.” Christian reminded them.
“Caius, watch our six.” Seht looked with steely eyes, trying to detect any movement. The two other furs walked slowly behind him, confused.
“What’s a six?” Caius whispered back.
“Our back! Just look behind…” The sound of a blaster powering up filled the ears of the Seht, his heart sinking.
“You picked a bad time to get lost on the way to the mess hall, son…” the guard spoke maliciously. “You’re going to enjoy your time in solitary…”
All of a sudden, the guard’s voice disintegrated into a sickly gargle, a metallic claw, sharpened and shining in the lowlight of the corridor, suddenly appeared out of the chest of the guard. The guard choked on his own blood and saliva as he slid to the floor.
“Man I hate dem guards!” The fur in front of him brandished his claw. The trio and stranger looked to each other in an equal standing of surprise. “Ah, let's go tear dem gits up. ‘Ave got me Snazz-Gun to blast ‘em.”
“What’s a Snazz-Gun?” Caius asked.
The fur scowled. “Don’t matter. Name’s Skabberz.”
“Skabberz, can you not run off every second you get?” Another figure ran from around the corner.
“Cool it, Spud.” Skabberz responded. “Besides, I fink we’ve got some people dat kan help us out.” He pointed at the inmate trio.
Potato turned to face them, and lit up. “Hey, it’s you three!”
The trio looked to each other in confusion. “Us three?” Seht inquired.
“Sorry, I don’t have much time to explain right now, but we’ve been watching you guys for a while.” Potato explained. “We’re a band of Freedom Fighters, and we’re trying to reach the rest of our crew for now.”
“Wait, you’re helping us break out?!” Christian went wide-eyed with shock.
Caius looked hopeful. “Any ship off of this rock would be helpful.”
Potato nodded. “We have a ship that is fueled and ready to go -- we are meeting with two more of our crew… Ah, there they are.”
Two other furs were silhouetted in the distance. “Byron! Fabian!” Potato called out. “Over here!”
The two furs silently walked over. The larger of the two spoke up. “What’s the situation?”
“Look who we just found Fabian?” Skabberz introduced the inmate trio.
Fabian smiled. “Well, I’ll be damned. Gentlemen, it’s your lucky day, we’re busting you three out of here!”
“What luck this is.” Caius remarked. “And here I was thinking you were a bunch of pirates or something.”
“Whatever.” The smaller, Byron, rolled his eyes. “We need to get going. Skabberz, stay with me. Fabian, Potato, lead the inmates back to the ship.”
As the duo of Fabian and Potato lead away Seht and Caius. Christian stayed behind, approaching between Skabberz and Byron. “What’re ya doin’?” Skabberz questioned.
“I’m not just gonna follow some random people blindly,” Christian responded, “not when we’ve got lives on the line here. I’ll take my risks here.”
“Well you better get ready.” Byron instructed. “Looks like backup’s here.”
From around the corner, a small group of guards, looking to be about ten in total, rushed onto the scene. Decked from head to toe in what appeared to believe a form of riot gear, they approached the trio and only stopped but a handful of feet away, all wielding ranged weapons directed at them. “Halt!” One of them shouted. “Place your weapons down and put your hands in the air now, or we will be forced to shoot!”
Byron turned his head to meet Skabberz. “You want to take the lead on this one?”
“With pleasure.” Skabberz rose his clenched fist, equipped still with his Klaw weapon. At the sign of aggravation, a sudden burst of bullets fired from the guards. Christian barely had time to register what was going to happen as the shots rang out.
But as he ducked for cover, he noticed something off, raising his head back to view the situation. Rather than being shot, the bullets fired seemed to be in a nearly motionless state, hanging in the air right in front of them. His attention was drawn to Byron, whos arm was outstretched to the guards; attached just below his wrist was a strange remote, one that seemed to pulsate with light in this moment.
Byron took notice of Christian’s confusion and responded to it. “You didn’t actually think we we’re just normal people, right?”
“You can stop time?” Christian was still shocked.
“That’s not necessarily what is going on with my device, but sure, think of it like that.” Byron approached Christian and pulled him to the side, behind a wall. “You might want to move out of the way, I’ve got a limited battery on this thing. Skabberz, you’ve got it over there?”
“Go ahead an' let me at ‘im already.” Skabberz demanded.
Time itself seemed to return once more, as the entire world began moving again, including the shots fired at the trio. Most missed their target, and the ones that managed to come towards Skabberz were easily deflected by his Klaw. The guards all looked around in a unified confusion as to what had just happened.
“Time ta ‘ave sum fun.” He said sternly, throwing his arm out to the side.
Skabberz shifted his leg behind him and suddenly lunged his body forwards, throwing his Klaw arm out in front of him as he did. He came down hard onto the middle guard, cutting into their body with almost no resistance. As his feet came down, he leaned back and pulled the Klaw out to then swing it into the guard beside him, throwing them into the others beside them and causing a domino effect. He quickly slammed the Klaw into the ground and shot his body up into the air, narrowly avoiding another round of fire from the other guard beside him. He whirled his body around and stuck the Klaw into the ceiling, holding him in place. “Byron, ya git!” Skabberz called out.
“Got it!” Byron jumped out from cover and rose his other hand, now equipped with a small handgun. He directed it at the closest guard and shot it directly into their head before jumping once more behind cover adjacent to Christian. The “jumping” was more of a blinking in and out of vision, which seemed to result from the device on his arm. “Six shots left!” He shouted.
Skabberz released his grip from his weapon and came crashing down atop the guard who tried to shoot him. He grabbed the weapon from the one behind him pulled it down before throwing them over his shoulder and into the one in front of him. Byron jumped once more, firing two shots into the tossed guards. “Four shots!”
“You’ve got six left alive.” Christian spoke up suddenly.
“What’s that?” Byron wasn’t focused on him.
“Fire at two o’clock.” Christian requested. Reluctantly, Byron complied, and it conveniently ended up striking one of the guards aiming at Skabberz.
“Nice one.” Byron thanked. “Three shots!”
Fabian and Potato rushed down the numerous corridors and hallways, followed close by Seht and Caius. Each twist or turn caused one of them to throw up caution before continuing. They didn’t know how much they would have to run, nor how much they had run already. Flickering fluorescent lights above only further disoriented Seht and Caius, but Fabian was determined to keep going, with Potato encouraging them all the while to keep moving.
Suddenly, the group arrived in an open area: the ship hangar; and not that far in the distance, the Freedom duo led the Inmate duo to a parked ship. Only when they reached the entrance of the ship, which was closed, did they stop. “Johnny!” Fabian pounded on the hull. “Johnny open up!”
A few seconds of silence passed, seemingly to no response. Suddenly the lower hatch of the ship dropped open in a puff of smoke and sparks. “Man this thing is rusty sometimes.” A black and gold mongoose with a scar over one eye ambled out into view. “Really need to get it fixed sometime.”
“So much for working as a team.” Potato remarked.
“Hey, somebody’s has to stay and watch the ship.” Johnny insisted. “Anyways, what’s up?”
“We’ve got some inmates.” Fabian directed to Seht and Caius. “They’re in this with us.”
“Wait we don’t even know what’s going on.” Seht denied.
“Yea, what’s this about ‘Freedom Fighters’?” Caius followed.
“Look, we’ll explain everything later.” Fabian returned, moving onto the ship as he spoke. “Just get on, we’re getting you guys out of here.”
“Hey, what about us?” An unknown voice suddenly spoke up, and the group turned to see a handful of other inmates approaching. “You aren’t just gonna leave us behind now.”
Fabian groaned, rubbing his hand over his face. “Fine. All of you, just get in. Johnny, start up the ship, and Potato, keep a look out for the other two and shout when you see them.”
“On it!” Potato complied.
Suddenly, one of the guards Skabberz thought he had killed rose to their feet, aiming their weapon at him. Skabberz took notice automatically and leaped into it, grabbing the weapon just in time to deflect another barrage of bullets before skewering his attacker.
“That’s four left.” Christian announced.
“Damn, and I thought highly trained guards would put up more of a challenge.” Byron commented. “Skabberz, fall back for now!”
Skabberz nodded before slamming his Klaw into the ground, propelling him away from the guards and into cover. “What’s the plan?”
“I need you to get to the ship,” Byron instructed, “and get that inmate with you.”
“Wait, yer jus want me ta leave yer behind?” Skabberz questioned.
“Just go, I’ve got this!” Byron insisted.
Compliantly, Skabberz backed away, calling for Christian to follow him. As the duo rushed off, one of the guards aimed for Christian, only to be shot down by Byron. “Two.”
Byron huddled behind cover as the three remaining guards eyed down his cover, bracing for any sudden movement. Byron only sat there, scanning his surroundings. “Well, hate to leave you guys, but I’ve got a job to handle, so we’ll have to wrap this up here.” Suddenly Byron jumped up from his spot and fired.
Skabberz and Christian both arrived in the hangar to the sight of Potato and a few inmates entering the ship. They rushed for Potato, trying to escape just as quickly as the others. “Sorry about da wait 'der.” Skabberz apologised.
Potato looked to them and went wide-eyed. “Where’s Byron?”
“Just get on the ship.” Skabberz instructed, of which Potato reluctantly complied.
The group raced onto the ship, just as the engines began reving up. With the final inmates aboard, the whole ship roared to life and began to ascend. Potato stayed near the entrance of the ship, watching the ground beneath them move away. Suddenly, Byron came running from into the hangar, followed by two guards, and watching the ship continue to ascend. He picked up speed, leaping over the rubble in his path.
With a forceful jump, he propelled himself into the air and twisted his body around. Just before he blinked out of view, he shot once more at the two guards, managing to strike them both simultaneously. “Zero.” He grinned.
Potato grabbed Byron’s hand and pulled him on board just as the hatch finally closed. Johnny pushed the ship into full force, causing them all to go rocketing forwards. Stray gun shots followed them, but none could hit the ship as they zoomed into the vacuum of space.
Conversation
“Would anyone mind telling me what’s going on?” Seht spoke up. It had been a while since the ship had gone airborne, all focus in the moment on escaping the facility. None of the other crew members had spoken about the event to them, but it wasn’t as if they weren’t an active bunch. As for the time being, the crew were circled around a holo-table, discussing plans amongst themselves.
Potato broke away from her group to converse with Seht and the other inmates. “Well, we’re sort of on a mission.”
“Mind explaining what this mission has to do with a bunch of prison inmates?” Christian questioned.
“Hey, we didn’t do anything wrong!” Caius shouted. “It’s the stupid government’s fault.”
“That’s sort of our concern, actually.” Potato answered. “That whole place was notorious for ‘criminals’ who were only incarcerated for actions against the government.”
“So wait, this is some sort of break out plan?” Seht inquired. “Not to be rude, but I don’t think using a small ship like this was such a good idea.” Seht pointed towards a few of the other passengers aboard, a bit cramped but otherwise fine.
“Yea, couldn’t you have come with like a bigger fleet or something?” Christian added.
“Well, the plan wasn’t necessarily to break everyone out.” Potato moved away from the trio, beckoning them to follow as she did. “Come over here, I’ll let the others explain it for you.”
Hesitantly, the trio rose and followed Potato back over to the holo-table. As they approached, they began to make out the conversation more clearly. “I feel we can get it across through this way, see what I mean?” Fabian explained.
“Hmm, yea, you may be right.” Byron agreed. “Though we’ll still need to account for the army, so we may have to change course if needed.”
“Right.” Fabian nodded, then turned his attention to Potato and the others. “So, you all gonna do this with us or not?”
“I’m still confused on what ‘this’ is.” Seht replied.
“Come sit with the group, Fabian will explain everything.” Potato spoke as she walked back to her spot. With no other option, the trio took their place at a clustered three open spots.
“Well, gentlemen, you’re probably wondering what is going on, and why we’ve asked for you to join us.” Fabian began.
“Yea, I think that’s kind of obvious with how many times it’s been said.” Christian retorted.
“Anyways,” Fabian rolled his eyes, “there’s a reason we need your help. Whether you know us or not, we’re part of what’s known as the Democratic Freedom Fighters, an underground organization determined to overthrow the abusive Imperial Galactic Federation. While we may be a small group now, this is not all of us, though we might as well introduce ourselves. The name’s Fabian Santiago, second in command on this little ship we’ve got here; I might not be the kindest person you’ll meet, but I’m not here to be anyone’s friend, I’m just trying to get my job done.”
“To my right, we have our technician, Potato. Don’t ask about the name. She’s a kind girl and will fight for any right cause, so she’s obviously a valuable asset for us in every way.” Potato blushed at the comment. “To my left, you’ve got what’s probably the best weapon specialist in this galaxy, Skabberz. Normally just a laid back guy, but you really don’t want to pick a fight with him.” Skabberz flexed his arm and made a charming smile. “And in our pilot’s seat, we have Johnny Tikitavi. Want the physical embodiment of calm in your room? Go to him. He’ll either be your close friend or a really annoying ally.” A furry black and gold paw struck out to the side from the cockpit, making a finger gun before sliding out of view again.
“And finally, you have probably the most intelligent strategist around, and this ship’s captain, Byron Pembroke.” Byron nodded, but didn’t really have much of a response otherwise. “If what you already saw from him wasn’t enough, then I don’t know what else will convince you. Let’s just say there’s a reason he’s our captain.”
“So, what about you guys?” Skabberz inquired. “What’re ya in for?”
The trio explained themselves to Fabian and the others, eliciting a few interested responses. “So, exactly what we thought.” Potato commented. “Incarcerated for crimes against the government.”
“Doesn’t get much lamer ‘an dat.” Skabberz commented. “Would’ve gone out with a bang.”
“Does inciting a riot count as a bang?” Caius asked.
“Now yer talkin’ my lingo. I luv some scrappin’!” Skabberz agreed.
“Well, now that introductions are out of the way, why don’t we get to the actual discussion?” Fabian proposed.
“Finally.” Christian sighed. “This has been taking forever.”
“So, our mission currently is to deliver a special package to one of our higher ups,” Fabian explained, “of which has information crucial to our organization. It contains a list of names and identifications of IGF spies within our ranks, and we need to get it safely delivered to him so that we can then easily distribute it around our entire organization, thereby allowing us to wipe out any further intel theft.”
“Ok, so who is this guy?” Caius inquired.
“No clue.” Potato answered.
“Wait,” Seht did a double take, “you mean to tell us that you’re supposed to deliver an immensely important document that could very well dictate the success of this organization, and you don’t even know their name?!”
“If it makes anyth'n betta it’s also sought afta by pirates.” Skabberz informed
“That makes it even worse!” Seht yelled in concern.
“Look I completely understand your fear in our strategy, but it’s not like we have any other options.” Byron spoke up. “We’re only a small group out here, and the chance of us even making it out of that prison was slim, so we have to work with what we’re given here. Of course we’re all worried, but our options are limited.”
“Exactly.” Fabian approved.
“I guess you’re right.” Seht agreed. “But what do you need us for?”
“As far as it goes, we’re underpowered.” Skabberz explained.
“We could use the extra hand to help us out around here.” Potato added.
“You three have quite a connection to this, so why not join the cause?” Johnny chimed in.
“We’re all in this together, we just need the support.” Fabian concurred.
The trio took a look at each other, wondering over what to do. They could take the offer and join the effort. Then again did they really have an option to not join. After a few seconds of decision, Christian turned back to Fabian. “Alright, you’ve got me convinced.”
“Sounds like we’d actually be doing something for a change.” Seht agreed. “I’m in.”
Caius was hesitant, but eventually gave in. “Guess I’ve got no other option.”
The group of Freedom Fighters cheered in unison, followed by the inmate trio. “Looks like everything is working out in the end!” Potato shouted.
“Aye!” Skabberz joined. “We’re one step closa ta winnin’!”
“Woo, victory party!” Johnny applauded from the cockpit.
Fabian and Byron both grinned in approval. “Welcome aboard, new members.” Byron welcomed.
The Hunt
Back at W.H.E.E.Z.E. Erik sat at a folding table with one lit lamp. The room was completely dark besides the lamp that sat to Erik's right and the dim blue light from the world outside. A rather large window allowed the squirrel to enjoy the view of the new frontier, ready for the taking. He tapped his fingers in a wavy motion. Huggle walked into the room "Erik, we have received a special mission from our main branch."
Erik pushed his chair out and walked over to Huggle. He asked, "What's the mission?"
Huggle responded, “Capturing fugitives. Dead or alive. They don't care how we get them."
Erik pondered, chomping on his candy cigar, then said, "Dead or alive, huh? What’s the offer? If it’s from the Federation, it must be good."
Huggle pulled out an old hologram and showed him the bounty, causing Erik to nearly choke on his cigar.
“Jumping Jupiter, they want THAT MUCH for all of them?”
“No,” said Huggle calmly. “That’s the price per head.” He then switched the screen to show their cut for the mission. Erik nearly died of a heart attack then and there, but regained his posture.
“Well,” he started, puffing on the candy, “show me the information on the fugitives.”
“Right away sir,” and with that, Huggle began swiping through the pages on the glitching hologram.
“One more thing,” Huggle added, “The fugitives are escapees from one of the outer rim facilities. The ones that house DFF terrorists. We believe three of the eight aren’t affiliated members, but the rest are confirmed.”
Erik looked out the window, unmoving. “I see,” he said after a moment. “Show me the three unknowns first, then the rest.
Huggle swiped through the hologram again until he reached the fugitives. He showed Erik their information as he went.
Name: Seht Fawks
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Wanted For: Malicious and Treasonous Speech
Planet: Kepler-16b
Backstory: Seht was born to desolation and poverty. His family abandoned him in the dunes after his birth, knowing they wouldn’t be able to take care of him and provide for themselves. Against all odds, a group of migrant peoples took him in and raised him to become a thief and con artist towards travelers who visited their world. In time, however, Seht turned to learning to read and write. The oppressive Imperial Galactic Federation had taken many of his friends for various crimes, most of which were false accusations. Seht used his literacy to spread word to those on the planet about the mistreatment the IGF was indulging in, including their mistreatment towards women in the regime’s army in months, he was captured and thrown in prison without a trial on charges on malicious and treasonous speech.
Name: Christian
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Wanted For: Leaking of classified information/documents to the public
Planet: Neptune
Backstory: On Neptune, his birth planet, there is no surface. The only way to live there is in massive floating facilities, gathering energy from the elements that make up Neptune’s atmosphere. With all this time inside, Christian trained up his skills in hacking, cracking into local businesses for fun. When the chance came for him to leave Neptune, he put his skills to the test and hacked his name onto the list for the shuttle and used bank funds to pay for it. When he arrived on earth, his skills only grew, and with that, his ambition. He completely erased his past from the system, leaving him quite literally a shadow amidst the files. But... someone had to take notice eventually. When Christian realized the government was truly oppressive, he thought to... spice things up a bit. He leaked countless videos, files and documents to the public to help expose the government for its wrongs. But he was caught, turned in by another hacker. Thus, he awaits at the prison for sentencing, though he never expects to get a trial.
Name: Caius Crassus
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Wanted For: Hearsay
Planet: Aeneas I
Backstory: Caivs’ native planet, Aeneas I, is a harsh and unforgiving place. Inclement weather and belligerent beasts have forced the population into tiny pockets of life scattered across the surface since it was first discovered. It often went by the name, “The Scrapyard” due to the inoperable and decaying crafts from the Imperialist fleet that have been prudently abandoned after taking critical damage in skirmishes. The logic was: the planet and imprisoned labor forces could tear the junk apart far cheaper than we can. However, that was not the case. The crafts assimilated into the terrain and all salvageable parts were ruined, instead becoming animal dens, mountainsides, and lofty terraces. This shaded parts of the planet a pale orange and vibrant green due to the vegetative victory. It’s civilians, originally prisoners, have settled have accepted this as their new home and have surprisingly prospered. They brought their cultures, ethics, and religions to this place and it was now neglected by the oppressive Imperialists, which gave them full freedom to practice. As a people, they rely heavily on their faith to power through and conquer the thought to be insuperable conditions. Recent political turmoil has brought violence to paradise and threatens to tear the peace apart. As a result, a series of horrific terrorist attacks on the planet’s vital infrastructure kill civilians in large numbers each day. In an attempt to put an end to the suffering, Caivs staged a religious rally on the Imperialist capital planet as a demonstration of their spiritual power. It was quickly broken up the most cruelty imaginable. Caivs was apprehended and was given a life sentence.
Huggle watched the glitching images, eye twitching. “Keep looking through the fugitives boss, I’m gonna grab just the thing to fix this broken piece of krypton.”
Erik chuckled, returning his gaze to the computer screen information.
Name: Fabian Santiago
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Wanted For: Treason
Planet: Nahapi
Backstory: Fabian was a troublesome kid and even more troublesome adult. He worked as a baker in a bakery for awhile, however one day his temper got the best of him and he murdered his boss with a baking pin. After successfully fleeing, he took up another job working as a cook in a local restaurant. When the job failed to entertain him, he decided to drown his new boss in fry oil. Unfortunately, he didn’t get away with his one. He was instantly ordered to prison for several years. Due to his good behavior, however, he was let out on probation early. Once he was released, he was greeted by a officer asking if he wanted to be a personal assistant, so he lived off of good food, learned multiple languages, and lured people into a false sense of security and took them out. He also has a partner that sees through things with their third eye, and as for Fabian, he may never get caught.
Name: Byron "Byr" Pembroke
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Wanted For: Treason
Planet: Calemdine
Backstory: Byr was born on April 1, 1999. He despises his birth name, being that it means "short" in Welsh, and it's something of an insult in his opinion. At about age 5, he lost his parents in a head-on collision car crash. Due to the fact he had no other relatives to go to, he was placed into a foster home. Byr was looked at as a small and insignificant person, too small to be a part of the world. However, Byr thought he had the potential to succeed, and was driven to be the best. Byr excelled in intelligence, surpassing his peers by an incredible amount. This was due in part to his passion for the unknown, causing him to have a drive to learn more about what he didn't understand. He surpassed any academic challenge thrown his way. He was so skilled, that at age 13, he was offered a scholarship to Harvard University, and gladly accepted the opportunity.
It was from that point Byr's drive to succeed suddenly diminished. He originally had an urge to attend a place like Harvard for the sake of the challenge. But to his own surprise, as well as other students and staff, he had almost no struggle. Graduating at age 18, he begun work as a CPA at a business firm and was seen as a very diligent and skilled worker. Always able to complete any task with better results than expected. However, Byr started to develop an internal despise for his life. He didn't understand, but he hated how his life was always on the path of success, or at least as others said it was. He felt incomplete, like he had never gained any personal satisfaction in what he did.
However, at a certain point in his life, he came across a device, the Microchip Fazer. It allowed him to travel through portals and access different times, locations, and dimensions, all at the press of a button (or multiple). Later down the road, he was forced into a meeting which involved all of his counterparts of his universe from earlier or later in his life. Now, he roams the universe, discovering everything he can on a new journey of life.
Name: Potato
Age: 23
Planet: Unknown
Wanted For: Treason
Backstory: Potato had been living under the government’s strict control for years, and she wanted out badly. After the years of torment and strife, she finally acted on her desires. She met up with some other people who were in the same position as her. Someone had overheard some of their plans to overthrow the government, and even though she wanted the government to crumble, something in her gut told her it was wrong. So, despite her intrinsic want for freedom, she caved and reported the matter.
Name: Johnny Tikitavi
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Wanted For: Treason
Planet: Bungalow 4567
Backstory: Johnny’s family was forced into servitude at a young age by a government institution. He has spent most of his life as a servant of an occupying country. He was able to escape the forced work of his life when he stole an advanced government weapon - a device that made stable teleportation circles. He promised his family he would save them as he left. He has taken up the cause of overthrowing the government and liberating his family at any cost ever since.
Name: Skabberz
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Wanted For: Treason
Planet: Newworld Sigmar
Backstory: The Skrappaz are a faction of ruthless Space Marauders, known across galaxies for their ruthless behavior and tactics. They thrive and capitalize on the mistakes of their enemies, and launch a devastating attack when the time is right. These Marauders are incredibly organized for any sort of criminal faction, but this is all down to the cunning tactics to their leader, Skabberz. However, after years of ruling their territory, an overnight bombing by the Imperial Galactic Federation left everyone dead but him. When Democratic Freedom Fighters came looking for survivors, they accepted Skabberz into their ranks where he carried out terrorist activities in the Federation’s capitol.
Huggle returned just as Erik finished looking at the fugitive profiles. He took a rather large hammer and smashed the hologram projector, causing Erik to jump.
“What the hell was that for?!”
Huggle wiped some sweat off his brow. “The flickering was bothering me,” said Huggle. Cautiously, Erik returned to his seat.
“So, we get quite the nice price from the good ol’ Feds if we sell this bounty. We need to seek out our best bounty hunters and arrange for them to seek out these fugitives and capture ‘em.”
Huggle nodded in response. “Yup. Plus, the Federation’s sending their own ship and crew out too! They really wanna get these guys and whatever this ‘electronic device’ it is they have.” He proceeded to type a few key terms into the hologram before it made a beeping noise.
“Ok, so here we have our best bounty hunters based on success rate and likelihood of not killing each other,” said Huggle. He scrolled through the list and read Erik some information about each one.
Name: Star
Age: Unknown
Gender: None
Job: Bounty Hunter
Planet: K9-H7
Backstory: Star is from a rare race of space dogs known as galaxy pups who come from the planet K9-H7. Star is particularly special because they were born with a twin sibling! This only happens once in an eon. Star is a silly and caring pup usually, however their family means the world to them. One day a group of pirates invaded their home planet, ransacking and plundering every home and village they encountered. After witnessing the devastation, Star joined the bounty hunters in search of the universe's most dangerous criminals to put them to justice.
Name: Sen
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Job: Bounty Hunter
Planet: Valaria
Backstory: Sen (formally Sebastian Selanno) is a prolific bounty hunter from a small aquatic planet. He’s not known for taking impossible jobs or pulling fancy stunts, but simple for getting the job done. Despite his job title, he isn’t usually one to take risks and is all for safety. He’s a firm believer of only killing when necessary.
Name: Astraea, Stray for short
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Job: Bounty Hunter
Planet: Akrass
Backstory: She was born a single child to a young, military family on a small military base in a nice, little, isolated crater. There wasn’t much to complain about besides the loneliness, as her parents were always at work, and there were very few other families with kids around. Even so, there was oodles of technology to keep her company. Guns, shields, armor, you name it: they had it. That’s where she picked up her knack for weaponry. If it shoots, blasts, or fires, she knows all about it inside and out. She joined the bounty hunters not for any vengeance or anything. She joined because it gave her an opportunity to actually use the big guns.
Name: Fizzy
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Job: Bounty Hunter
Planet: Earth
Backstory: When fizzy was younger, about the age of 10; he loved the thought about going into the unknown, traveling, having fun but all he had was nothing so he believed he could not reach that goal. When he turned 13, his parents had a divorce which fueled him, he became more determined as his life became worse. After a month, he became a janitor at W.H.E.E.Z.E. Every day, he saw more and more people coming and going through the doors of W.H.E.E.Z.E’s doors with thousands of credits. With that, he took on small jobs with nothing more than his legs and a rope. In two years, he had become known throughout the galaxy for completing missions simply through hitching rides and using his surroundings to take targets out. In other words, he’s a perfect assassin.
Erik nodded as Huggle finished his speech. “Sounds like a solid team to me. Do you, by chance, ha—” Before he could finish, Huggle smashed the hologram with the hammer again.
“Sorry, it was still bothering me,” Huggle said meekishly. Erik put his head in his hands, sighing deeply.
“As I was saying, do you happen to have the information on the crew the IGF’s sending out?”
As he was speaking, Huggle made a few quick swipes and displayed all the info on the hologram.
Name: Negu
Age: 20
Gender: Male
Job: Pilot
Planet: Skrove
Backstory: The planet Skrove is at the peak of technology since most of its inhabitants became excellent technicians, when one of our explorers found this ancient place which contained traces of a long forgotten species which left all their knowledge about future technologies as well as knowledge of other races who were joining this society. This discovery allowed many types of new technology to become available to them, branching from health-care to military, the society Negu came from was heavily focused on the military aspect of it. However he on took the branch of combat engineering, one might ask, “what does that mean?” Well, he specializes in fixing weapons as well as creating new ones.
Name: Fishy
Age: 15
Gender: Male
Job: Field Technician
Planet: Earth
Backstory: Fishy’s early childhood was very uneventful, never having met his parents. He lived alone on a secluded cave alongside a white sandy beach, with a small but pleasant home built inside. Fishy spends the majority of his time along the beach that he calls home, honing his trident fighting skills, his advanced hearing abilities, and occasionally his control of water. However recently Fishy developed a passion for engineering and began tinkering on appliances around his house, eventually this hobby developed into a full blown skill, and he soon got the idea to go into a nearby city and look for a job, he was almost immediately confronted by a government agent and was offered a job in a bounty hunter crew. After taking the job Fishy has grown quite close to the other members of the crew, and that is a summary of our floofy manokit boyo’s life up until today.
Name: Silix
Age: 14
Gender: Female
Job: Medic
Planet: Earth
Backstory: Silix had an average life up until she was eleven, when she broke her femur due to a wreck in the snow. She went through a long year of depression, unable to walk or barely get around. During this time, she learned to draw as a hobby to pass time, and gained an interest in radiology. She began teaching herself about the skeletal system and even branched out to learn about other medical procedures. She still has a slight limp that affects her walking and running, though. At age fourteen, she was hired by W.H.E.E.Z.E to be a medic. She agreed, but hesitantly. Silix wasn’t one to take sides, and disliked conflict. She took the job, however, but swore to aid anyone who needed it, enemy or not. Since she’s one of the youngest in the crew, she has slight anxiety around others, and struggles to speak clearly when explaining complex things or in panicked moments. Because of this, she prefers to be quiet, rather than embarrassing herself.
Name: Ishtonè
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Job: Gunman
Planet: Unknown
Backstory: Before he got himself roped into this mess, he was a chill dude who kept to himself and stayed at home. He’s a bit of an ill tempered rude boy, and that eventually got him to where he is now. Not much is known about his past, but alas no one has ever really asked. He shows up and does his job well, so no one has ever really questioned him.
Name: August James Bentley
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Job: Mechanic
Planet: Unknown
Backstory: August is a mechanic for the Empire, but he's not loyal to them whatsoever, at least for the most part. August's father was a soldier for them, and after a blunder from a higher up, his father infiltrated the forces that benefited from the mistake and executed them. August's father was then executed upon return and framed as a traitor to cover up the blunder, since it looks far worse on them if their officials are incompetent than if a soldier were to be a traitor. August was only a teenager when this happened, and he also knew his father was incredibly loyal to his government. August couldn't conceive that the government his father had fought and killed for could discard him so easily, even tarnishing his reputation on such a wide scale while they did it. August was driven half mad by this for years, and eventually his sanity did snap, causing him to remove his right arm and left ear, attach a new cybernetic arm and graft on cybernetic toes so he could remain harder to recognize as his father's son. After that, he enlisted as a mechanic in hopes he would be able to work through the pain and suffering he had experienced for years. Being a mechanic on government-sponsered ships allowed him to enact his frustrations on unsuspecting prisoners, be it by wrench or his bare paws.
Name: Cassie
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Job: Royal Guard
Planet: Aldrovanda
Backstory: Cassie was on the planet Aldrovanda with her family. Her family was fairly impoverished. They could hunt and fight, but meat wasn’t worth much and not much fighting happened. They lived poor lives, so Cassie decided that she would collect the bounty that she found on a bulletin board. As she was deciding, a compsognathus bounded up to her and climbed her shoulder to look at the pinned picture too. Cassie tried, but couldn’t communicate with the compy, so she ended up just taking it with her to look for the bounty, and they would split the prize.
Name: Mime
Age: 14
Gender: Male
Job: Gunman
Planet: Earth
Backstory: Mime is a fourteen year old fennec fox who was born with bright red eyes. When he turned eight, he traded his soul for five extra lives so he could try and help the world as much as he could. His eyes turned dark, and he got what he wanted. After he got the extra lives, he set out to become a royal guard, as he wanted to use those lives for good. He has gotten shot in the stomach and lost one of his lives, but he carries on to help others.
Name: Daniele Keny
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Job: Gunman
Planet: Crostar
Backstory: Through pride, dedication, and inspiration, Keny joined his nation's elite force, Tropical and Urban Assault Force. Through wars and battles, through wounds and scars, through pain and anger, he fought hard and persisted until he got promoted to Commander. In the planet he lived in, a new global ruler was about to be elected, until the top two gave in to primal instincts and resorted to violence. It got so serious, the inhabitants were splitted into two factions which believed in one leader or another. During an assault, Keny had taken a huge hit, unknowingly breaking his military neural implants, causing it to malfunction occasionally. When he finally witnessed the amount of chaos and violence in the civilians, he realized he had been fighting for the wrong side. Remembering all of the harm he had done in the past, his reaction to this realization was a violent one. He busted in to the Captain's Quarters and started beating up the general and the leader of the faction to near death. Then he was detained and imprisoned. At the end of the war, the leader he fought for won, and he hasn't forgotten a single moment of that fight. As punishment, Keny was exiled into an unknown planet on his own, starting a new life, with his new sense of self.
Erik was nearly asleep by the time Huggle finished the last line. He drooled over his desk, shifting slightly as Huggle got up to leave.
“I’ll make the arrangements now, I expect the crew and bounty hunters will arrive momentarily. My bet is we’ll have our fugitives in less than 24 hours.”
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Director
Lead Writer
Writers
Background and Cover Artist
Story Art
Icon Artists
Support Staff
Thank you all so much for reading! I do hope you read through the entire story, it took weeks of writing to make the storyline as is. If you read all the way through, let us know in the comments below and tell us what you thought! To show the time and effort the Underdogs put in, let’s look at some numbers:
157 INDIVIDUAL FRAMES USED FOR ART
12,762 WORDS USED
TOTAL MAN HOURS: 550+
I hope this helps put into perspective the amount of work used to get this project together. Please, let us know what you think in the comments below. Your support would mean the world to all of us here at the Amino Underdogs group.