As the dumpster fire that is 2020 enters its last few weeks, our intrepid heroes of space opera continue their trek...
When we last left our heroes, they were on a merchant ship bound for the fragment Mechanos, where Zeenia intends to buy a ship in order to go after her kidnapped paramour. But explosions rock the ship, and the Lion Woman noble that was traveling near them charges into the ship's interior to see what's going on. And what's going is...space pirates!
The pirates have blown a hole in the side of the ship (remember this is pulp, so there's no problem with the vacuum of space or anything) and are boarding. Lady Roara, the Lion Person, charges in with her vibro-knife as her bodyguards fall to a hail of ray gun fire, and Zeenia is close behind, brandishing her sword.
The pirate captain, a crystalline alien, steps forward, ray gun in hand, and says "Attention! I am Officer Ioptis, and I am taking this ship and all its cargo! Surrender!"
Iris, not to be outdone, blows a hole in the wall (since the only door to the room with the melee is pretty choked), steps through and delivers her challenge: "I am Iris Blue, daughter of Orchid Blue, of the Daikini Valkyria, and you are not taking this ship!"
Ioptis sneers, and yells "Get her!" and the battle is joined. Oola stays in the back and offers support, and the others battle with blades. Ioptis fires a shot at Roara, and misses, and then charges into battle with Iris (who's already holding her own against three pirates). He stabs Iris and laughs with evil glee...
...but behind him, Zeenia beheads one of the pirates. She slides into Ioptis' field of vision and throws the head at him, and tells him to withdraw. Ioptis, not at all expecting to see that, falls back with his surviving pirates and they slide down their magnetic cables to their ship...vowing vengeance.
But the ordeal isn't over yet! The captain's voice comes over the announcer as the ship goes into a flat spin. The characters strap themselves in and the ship crashes on a barren, rocky fragment, with no sign of life anywhere.
Roara thanks the characters for their help, and Oola patches Iris up some. The characters hang out while Captain Amet and his people work on the ship, but it's badly damaged and it takes some time. Iris patrols the area trying to make sure the pirates aren't going to circle back, while Oola tends to the other passengers and Xeenia walks around with her sword trying to look noble. And then they hear a scream from one of the passengers!
A small group of rock-men are converging on the ship. "Heretics! You have trod on our sacred ground, and must be punished!" they roar. Xeenia steps out in front and tries to get them to parley, but one of the rock-creatures just strikes at her, shoving her back. Iris fires her ray-gun at one of them, but misses - she's not in good shape, despite Oola's ministrations.
Oola, however, saves the day. She gets the attention of the one of the rock-men and assures it that they're going to get off this fragment very soon, just as soon as the ship is fixed. With Roara backing her up, they convince the rock-men to stand down, and they tell the characters they have until "the plains settle," whatever that means, to clear out.
It's close, but Amet manages to get the ship functional just as the rock-men are waking up and starting to converge. The ship takes off, and some time later touches down on Mechanos. Roara takes her leave of them, but tells them to visit the fragment of Simba, the Lion Man homeworld (no, not kidding), because her father will want to thank them for fighting alongside her.
Next time, however, it's time to buy a damn ship.
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