The Space Opera Working Thread, page 192

The Return of the King...er Captain!

Before you post Prof Rabbit I'd like to propose an idea. Give me a few seconds to finalize it before I reveal it.

This fits perfectly with something I have been planning for awhile now.

I wanted to cut this up into smaller posts and edit it further but you'll get the basic idea from the post.

Seeing the droid Studious moves closer and pulls out the removable structure inside leaving a hollow shell. But something on the droid caught his eye. It was a component that seemed out of place like it’d been added recently. Judging by how hodgepodge it was, whoever did it must have been in a hurry.

Putting aside his speculations he tips the droid on its side and using his foot knocks out the bottom easily…too easily.

His mind wandered again and he began thinking about the ease with which he was able to destroy the droid. He paused wondering if perhaps it had been taken apart recently perhaps…

But realizing he’s wasting time the Colonel climbs inside the hallowed out droid and puts his feet through the knocked out bottom. Shuffling across the floor he moves toward the droid’s lid, grabs it, and fits it into place.

Only able to see through a small translucent panel (that had allowed several indicator lights on the removed structure to be seen) he leaves the strange dark room and heads toward the door the SS had fled through.

He enters the corridor knowing where the SS is headed… the cocoons. The only problem is he has no idea how to get there.

Aimlessly wandering the halls he eventually stumbles upon a droid.
Trying to make his voice sound robotic the old man asks “Where is the center of the ship?”

The droid starts laughing at him. “HA HA HA!!”

The Colonel believing his cover is blown prepares to jump out of the droid and run away.

Droid: “You call yourself a droid!?”

Now almost sure his cover is blown he bends his legs and waits like a jack in box ready to jump out a moment’s notice.

Droid: “Oh wait! Is this a trick question? The center of Ship is the center of Ship.”

A somewhat relieved Studious replies “No I’m lost.”

Droid: “You must have been recently upgraded. Your head component is not on straight.”

The old man winces thinking the droid might be realizing something is wrong.
Droid: “They never put it back on correctly. Here let me assist you.”

The Colonel looks up and notices that he didn’t fit the droid’s head on properly.

The droid moves forward and grabs the lid studying it for a moment. Then without removing it he pushes it into position.

Droid: “Follow me.”

The Colonel follows the droid down the maze of twisting halls.
Droid: “Here it is...Ship’s Center.”

Arriving at Ship’s Center the Colonel moves toward the door, finally thinking he’s going to make it.

Droid: “Wait. Why do you require access?”

Studious turns the disguise to face the droid. “I have parts and technical components for Ship’s Center.”

Unbeknownst to Studious the Shapeshifter appears in the doorway behind him.

SS: “What is it?”

Droid: “Who are you? I was about to clear him.”

The old man with his back to the SS waits tensely.

Droid: “Shall I hold him?”

SS: “No leave him to me. I will deal with him myself.”

Droid: “As you wish.”

The old man turns but the SS has vanished. He rushes toward the door and into the center of Ship. Upon entering he finds it far different than the dirt he saw last time. It had turned into….a jungle.

Studious: “How the…”

He tries to navigate the rough terrain in the droid but looks around realizing that no one is watching him…at least no one he can see.

Trying to get out of the droid the old man tries to force the lid off but finds it stuck.

Apparently the droid had fit it into place better than whoever did it before. Thinking quickly the old man finds an easy way to escape however. He simply tips the droid over and climbs out.

As he gets out and takes a better look around he doesn’t see the SS anywhere. Instead he sees a dense jungle all around him that looks far too easy to become disoriented and lost in.

Looking closer at the terrain he notices that it looks difficult to traverse at all, much less in a straight line. But instead of despair this actually brought the old man hope. Studious wondered if the SS had been surprised by the transformation as well. If the SS was this meant the Colonel might still be able to beat him to the cocoons.

But before he has time to consider what to do next three droids appear.
Droid: “Surrender your weapon.”

Studious: “You mean my cane?” He lifts it up.

The three droids move back slightly as if afraid of it.

Studious smiles and sets the cane down.

Droid: “Back away.”

The old man starts backing away, far away.

Droid: “Not that far!”

He keeps backing away.

Droid: “Stop!”

Seeing the droids deadly turrets twitchingly trained on him the Colonel stops.

One of the droids moves closer and picks up the cane with a grabber arm as the others surround the old man and force him to walk with them.

They walk a short distance before Studious sees the Shapeshifter ahead of them in his regular form.

The droid that had Studious’ cane approaches the SS and tells him “He was armed only with this.”

The Shapeshifter motions toward the hallowed out droid “I see you have constructed a disguise of your own Studious.”

The old man takes a better look at the three droids around him and notices that their heads are crooked.

Regaining Studious’ attention the Shapeshifter says “Studious what do you gain from fighting me? Don’t you understand that when they find you, they will kill you? You must help me!”

Studious: “Do you expect me to help you build a monster? What do I look like…Igor!?”

Shapeshifter: “You do realize I’m giving you your only chance to escape?”

Studious: “Yes.”

Shapeshifter: “And you’re willing to throw it away?”

Studious begins to mouth “Of course” when suddenly small furry creatures surround the group.

In that moment of confusion the old man grabs his cane and is surprised when, instead of fighting him for it, the droid lets go and runs away yelling “Help! Help! He’s a maniac, maniac on the loose. And he’s killing like he’s never killled before!”

The old man looks back at the shelled out droid he had used as a disguise and realizes what the droid’s afraid of.

The furry creatures attack the droids and tip them over continuing to beat them.

Studious thinks “Wow I might just win thi…”

Suddenly several of the furry creatures tackle him and start beating the hope out of him.

Through the blur of paws, fur and claws the Colonel sees Delia.
Studious: “Delia!?”

Studious: “Don’t just stand there help me!”

Delia pleads with the creatures “But he’s my friend!”

They continue to beat him…but now harder.

Studious: “Somehow I get the feeling…that didn’t help very much!”

She stands helpless watching them beat the old man senseless.

Studious: “Tell them if they don’t do as you wish you’ll become angry and do something!”

Delia: “What could I do? I couldn’t possibly.”

Studious: “You have a better idea!? Just tell them!”

Delia says trying to sound frightening “Stop or I’ll, I’ll do something!”

The furry creatures stop and look at her for a moment. But they turn back to the old man and start beating him again.

Delia: “I knew they wouldn’t believe me.”

Luckily for Studious Delia gets an idea. As she lifts up a finger in a Eureka pose the ground shakes violently causing the furry creatures to run away in terror.

The old man struggles to his feet, black and blue from the beating and stumbles toward Delia.

Studious: “What the heck were those things!?”

Delia: “This swamp holds many secrets.”

Studious: “Oh a wise guy eh?”

Delia: “Stop acting like a stooge.”

Studious wipes the blood off his face as he says “Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo!”

Delia rolls her eyes and asks Studious “Are they going to kill you?”

Studious: “Who the furry things, the Shapeshifter or Neno?”

Delia: “I meant your people, the ones from your ship?”

Studious: “Not sure but I don’t intend on sticking around to find out.”

Delia: “They’re watching everything. How will you escape?”

Studious: “Uh…with your help.”

The old man notices the furry creatures have returned and are watching him.

One of them approaches and tugs at his clothes.

Studious: “What the beating wasn’t good enough?”

Delia: “No, wait! I think he wants us to follow him.”

Studious: “So they can ambush me out there in the jungle?”

Delia: “You’re already in the jungle…er…swamp!”

The furry creature takes the old man’s hand and starts leading him and Delia further into the wilderness.

As the little furry creature is pulling him along the Colonel looks back to make sure Delia is keeping up. When he looks forward again he sees a large tree branch a split second before being pulled into it.

The short creature doesn’t quite understand that when he leads the much taller Studious forward, he’s leading him straight into branches and other plant life.

After getting pulled into several more trees, scraped past sharp twigs and tangled in vines he reaches a clearing.

Delia arrives unscathed after not being pulled by the hand headlong into the Swamp.

In the clearing Studious notices his insertion pod, now overgrown with plants and covered in dirt. The furry creatures stand around it looking at it quizzically.

Delia: “Great now you can call for help.”

Studious: “Not exactly.”

Delia: “What do you mean?”

Studious: “I would have called for help long before this, but I didn’t want to endanger an entire ship.”

Delia: “But…”

Studious: “That’s not all. Since that arrest warrant was issued if I call for help they might not even assist me at all. They might come to take me down too.”

Delia: “Isn’t there someone you trust that you could contact? Like those guys you were with earlier.”

Studious: “No I was ready to die to get them out of harm’s way. I don’t intend on risking their lives again just to get me out of here.”

[edit on 9-11-2009 by Studious]