Galactic Bandits Compilation

by Duke Campbell

  “Maybe we could dock it into the yacht?” Regan tried. “Or we could program it to follow us?”

  Straya then showed up and put her arms around both of them.

  “Or we could let the past stay in the past and accept the upgrade we have at our fingertips,” she suggested. “This ship is bigger, faster, more comfortable, more reliable, and all around better in every way. Time to say goodbye to the junker, Arkei. Time to say hello to style and power!”

  Regan, even though he agreed, thought her words were a bit harsh. But it was just Straya’s style. He appreciated her directness, and Arkei seemed to know that she was right, as she nodded in agreement.

  “Okay,” Arkei said, though her voice lacked any enthusiasm.

  And once again, as they discussed their plans, Calico interrupted the group with a message of her own.

  “You all look rather infatuated with the new ship. But tell me, who’ll fly it?”

  “I can fly it,” Straya said at the same time that Arkei said, “Me, no problem.”

  The ladies looked at each other.

  “Certainly it’s just standard fare,” Arkei continued.

  “Right, it can’t be that hard,” Straya chimed in.

  Calico laughed. “You have no idea. And you might never know, since none of you can get in.”

  They all collectively realized she might be right. Mephistopheles no doubt had tons of security protocols in place.

  “So what are you suggesting?” Straya asked Calico.

  Calico returned to her familiar coy pose, twirling her long tail.

  “I’m suggesting you need me,” Calico said. “Maybe more than you realize.”

  “Bullshit,” Arkei said. “We can figure out how to get in and how to fly it. I’ll pry it open if I have to.”

  “Maybe,” Calico said. “But you don’t have much time to figure it out.”

  The group all stood still and looked at her in silence. And in that moment, Calico looked a bit too comfortable. She knew something the rest didn’t, and Regan was done with her shit.

  “What are you saying?” he asked firmly, looking her straight in the eyes.

  “I’m saying that there’s a ship on its way here now,” Calico said. “Bob saw it just a few minutes ago, in fact. But you all disregarded him.”

  They all looked at Bob, who pointed up at the glass ceiling.

  “I said I saw a ship,” he said. “And I’m not talking about this yacht.”

  Calico laughed. “And you also disregarded the alarm earlier, silencing it in your glee to keep stealing.”

  Arkei went to a control panel and reengaged the security alerts. She saw now that it was more than just a false alarm. “Yeah, maybe I should have read the alert more carefully. There’s another ship in the atmosphere.”

  Straya glared at Calico. “You gonna tell us who it is?”

  “It’s a client who’s on his way to pick something up,” Calico said. “Mephistopheles had an appointment with him today.”

  “What type of client?” Regan asked.

  “The mobster Salvato.” Calico smirked. “Well, it’s either him, or a bunch of his henchmen. Regardless, you won’t be greeted too kindly for what you’ve done to the place, or to Mephistopheles. He owed the mob a significant debt, and now that he’s dead… Well, someone will have to answer for it.”

  Regan couldn’t tell if Calico was bullshitting them or not. She had lied to him so many times before, making him inclined not to trust anything she said again. But this was serious. The alarm had gone off, and Bob had claimed he saw a ship.

  Calico, even though her hands were bound, stretched out on the ground and made herself look comfortable. She smiled and began licking her arms, as if giving herself a cat bath.

  “But don’t believe me if you don’t want to,” she said. “I don’t care. I’m sure they’ll pity me and my situation. But I can’t say the same for you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  So Calico was being a bit of a snarky bitch. But she had also expressed a willingness to help them escape.

  Regan squatted down and addressed Calico face to face. “Let’s assume you’re telling the truth. How much time do we have?”

  “I’m not sure,” Calico said, shrugging innocently. “I never timed how long it took them to land. But I would say not much.”

  “Okay. So what do you want?”

  Calico smiled, and her pouty innocent expression instantly disappeared. She stared straight into his eyes and said, “I want to get off this damn rock as much as you do. Now that Mephistopheles is dead, I’ve no reason to stay. So take off my cuffs, then I’ll cooperate.”

  Calico lifted her wrists toward Regan. He had no time to negotiate with her. Liar or not, she knew how to enter the ship.

  “Okay, team,” Regan said, standing up. “Here’s the deal. Bob, you and Arkei get that loot on board this ship pronto. Reverie, you and I will grab a few cryopods.”

  Regan turned toward Calico and Straya. Though he hesitated, he knew what he had to do. “Calico, you get this ship up and running and show Straya where the controls are. Straya, if she does anything funny, blast her.”

  Bob and Arkei dashed from the room. Regan watched as Straya stepped over Calico and lifted her wrists. The two ladies glared into each other’s eyes for a moment.

  Straya leaned down closer to Calico, her lips near the feline’s ears.

  “Try anything and I’ll make you eat your own tail. You claim to be a princess, so you might not be used to certain torture methods. But trust me, you don’t want to fuck with this pirate.”

  Calico continued to glare at her with wide eyes, but kept her lips tight and her posture straight. She didn’t back down or reply. She just kept glaring.

  Straya unlocked the cuffs.

  She then turned back toward Regan. “All right, we’ll get this beauty up and running while you take care of the cargo.”

  Damn, she’s sexy when she’s in control.

  Regan nodded at Reverie and the two of them dashed out of the hangar.

  Reverie and Regan returned to the specific pods they had been looking at before. Regan had a rough idea of which ones were crew material, but since they had no time, he couldn’t go over the traits of each one again.

  “Just grab the closest ones,” he told Reverie. “However many you can wheel back.”

  She acted right away and began pressing a series of buttons on one pod, then on three more. The sequence resulted in the pods lifting up off the ground, revealing the hover technology built into their base.

  “I can probably handle four of these since they float,” Reverie said.

  Regan nodded. “Good. You take care of them. I need to grab a few things.”

  Reverie nodded and hurried the pods away without question.

  Regan quickly looked around at all the other species and creatures he was leaving behind. He regretted leaving them, but he was out of time. The mobsters were on their way, and he couldn’t be here when they arrived.

  Regan stopped, and even though he was sure the frozen aliens couldn’t hear him, he said, “I’m sorry I have to leave you. I’ll save you as soon as I get the chance.”

  He turned around to check on the status of Arkei and Bob.

  The loot was piled onto the hovering platforms, but Bob was knocking stuff off by either bumping into Arkei’s trailer beds or into walls. He even bumped his platform into an occasional cryopod.

  “Bob!” Regan shouted. “Slow down and get this right! You’re dropping our hard earned shit everywhere.”

  Bob wiped his sweaty forehead. Even though the work wasn’t that difficult, it was becoming clear to Regan that Bob wasn’t accustomed to physical labor. He was in no shape to be moving large equipment around, even if it was controlled via hover technology. The stress was getting to him.

  But before Bob could complain, which Regan knew was about to happen, Arkei stepped in.

  “Regan, don’t worry about us. Do what you need to do. I’ll take ca
re of our skinny friend here.”

  Regan nodded and headed for Mephistopheles’s office, where he soon found his box of belongings.

  It still contained his baseball bat and game controller. He wasn’t sure why he wanted them, but he did. There was something nostalgic about these items from his last night on Earth that he didn’t want to let go.

  He picked them up. And right as he did, another alarm sounded.

  Regan turned and dashed down the hallway toward the ship. He ran right by Bob, Arkei, and the various hovering platforms they were moving toward the cargo bay.

  When he got to the ship, the cargo bay ramp was being lowered. Reverie was standing at the base of it with the four crypods hovering next to her.

  She bounced up and down anxiously while she waited for the large cargo door to reach the ground. And then the alarm stopped.

  Regan figured the mobster’s ship would arrive shortly.

  Straya’s voice came in through the speakers inside the hangar.

  “Let’s get a move on!” she shouted. “They’re close! I shut off the alarm, but that doesn’t mean we have time to waste!”

  As soon as the cargo door reached the ground, Reverie thrust the pods forward—and with a bit too much effort as it turned out. The first one to enter smashed into a large post. The other pods blocked their view of it.

  Reverie looked at Regan. “That can’t be good,” she said.

  But right behind Regan and Reverie came the hovering platforms of loot in front of Bob and Arkei. They had to move, sparing no time to check on their specimen at that point.

  “It’ll be fine,” Regan said to Reverie. “We have to go.”

  “Get to the bridge, we’ll secure the items in the cargo bay!” Arkei shouted at Regan and Reverie. Bob tried to slide by, but Arkei grabbed him with her swift bionic arm and pulled him back. “You’re still helping me,” she said to Bob. “We need to get some muscles on these arms of yours.”

  Regan and Reverie headed for the door that entered the ship. And as soon as Regan stepped inside, he realized he had no idea where he was going. This ship was huge, and it wouldn’t be difficult to get lost.

  He assumed the bridge was toward the front and on a higher level, so that was the direction he led Reverie.

  As he hurried through the ship, he had to ignore just how impressive it was. The hallways were massive. The floors were soft—not carpeted, but not metal planks like Arkei’s ship. Intricate art decorated the place and much of it seemed to move or respond to Regan and Reverie when they passed. Regan wanted to stop and look, but would have to admire the art later.

  The warm lighting filled the entire interior, making everything feel cozy. Regan assumed the lights could dim or brighten upon command.

  Damn, Mephistopheles. Too bad you were a scoundrel and an asshole, because these are some nice digs you had going for yourself.

  Regan and Reverie climbed several sets of stairs before finally reaching the bridge.

  Just as Regan expected, the bridge was beautiful. It was high tech with screens and controls everywhere, but it was still comfortable. It felt more like a lounge than a command room. The walls on all sides were a reinforced glass, offering a panoramic view. The word ‘modern’ now had a new meaning to Regan.

  I can only imagine what space will look like from this place!

  Straya was seated in the pilot’s chair with Calico standing next to her. The two ladies were having a slightly heated argument over who should be sitting in the pilot’s chair when Regan and Reverie walked in.

  Regan imagined that Straya’s gun was the deciding factor.

  As soon as Straya realized that Regan had entered, she spun her chair around and looked at him.

  “Captain!” she shouted. “We need to move now!”

  Did she just call me Captain?

  But he knew she did. It felt odd, but also pretty badass. He reminded himself about appearances and kept his expression cool. He glanced around the room and saw what was clearly the captain’s chair. After all, he’d seen Star Trek.

  He walked over and took a seat.

  “Make sure those bay doors are closed and then let’s get the hell out of here,” he said.

  The command felt good. And the chair felt even better. It was large and comfortable. It wasn’t leather, but it had a similar texture to it, and Regan felt powerful as he sat in it.

  He then noticed that he still had the bat and controller in his hands. He chuckled.

  How far we have come.

  There was a large basket next to him that he put the items in. He felt right at home.

  Another alarm sounded.

  “They’re here.” Calico gave Straya a stern look.

  “I’m working on it,” Straya hissed.

  “Well, work on it faster!”

  A series of lights flashed as the ship powered up, colors filling the room. It was beautiful. And the engine, whatever type of engine it was, felt nothing like the rattle and hum of Arkei’s ship. It was subtle. And after kicking on, it became impressively silent.

  Straya pressed a button that opened up the intercom channel.

  “Arkei and Bob, wherever you are, hold on to something. We’re gonna take off.” With that, she took hold of the controls and brought the ship up off the ground.

  Calico reached over and pushed a button which resulted in the hangar doors opening before them.

  As the ship began to take flight, the bridge doors slid open and Arkei and Bob entered. Arkei pushed Bob toward a seat where he quickly sat and strapped in.

  Arkei, before taking a seat of her own next to Reverie, leaned over close to Regan.

  “The chair suits you, Captain,” she whispered, before turning to walk away. One of the antenna eyeballs protruding from her hair turned back to give Regan a wink. She slapped her ass for him as well.

  I love this life.

  Within moments, the entire crew strapped in, the ship lifted off from the compound, then it zipped into the sky.

  As they entered the atmosphere, Regan got a glimpse of the mobster’s ship. It had been settling down near Mephistopheles’s compound, but was now clearly redirecting itself after their ship.

  “Punch it,” Regan said.

  Hell yeah. Always wanted to say that.

  “Hey!” Bob interjected with some alarm. Regan turned toward him, expecting an important revelation. Instead, Bob announced, rubbing his scalp, “I have a dent in my head!”

  Regan and the rest of the crew did their best to ignore him, especially Arkei who was still embarrassed about Bob’s accidental brain damage.

  “Seriously!” he continued. “And some hair is missing as well! Isn’t that weird?”

  “Very,” was all Regan said. “Straya, how’re we doing?”

  “Working on it, Captain!” she said, but there was uncertainty in her voice.

  The other ship was now following directly behind them, closing the gap quickly.

  “I thought you said you knew how to fly this thing!” Calico shouted.

  “I do!” Straya shouted back.

  “Then why aren’t you pressing that button?” Calico said in a demanding and patronizing tone. She pointed to a button which was clearly marked: Hyper Speed.

  Straya’s chameleon skin turned red—but only for a split second. “I-I was planning to. I was just waiting for the ship to get up to speed.”

  “Look, Captain.” Calico turned and faced Regan. “I know this pirate thinks she can pilot anything, but this is a ship too advanced for her scrapper hands. I know how to fly this thing, and if we don’t get out of here fast, then Salvato’s men will catch up to us and take our asses down!”

  Regan knew what had to be done.

  “Calico,” he said. “Take the wheel.”

  Straya didn’t argue and the two ladies quickly swapped seats. Regan could tell Straya was pissed from how tightly she held her fists closed, but he couldn’t do anything about it right then.

  “But if you try anything,” Regan cont
inued. “And I mean anything… then Straya is gonna have some fun with you—and I assure you that fun won’t be mutual.”

  “Aye aye,” Calico said past gritted teeth as she hurriedly began pressing buttons and adjusting dials. “I just hope it’s not too late.”

  Right then, the ship blasted forward. It accelerated at a rate that pushed everyone back into their seats.

  They were off.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Though the ship’s speed had initially pressed them all back into their seats, it was now so smooth that Regan couldn’t even tell that they were moving. It was very unlike Arkei’s ship, which made Regan wonder if this yacht had some technology that could dampen the perceived inertia.

  He could see stars and galaxies whizzing by through the windows. It wasn’t quite the same as Star Wars light speed, but still, it was significantly faster than Arkei’s ship.

  With these windows and this view, it was beautiful. In fact, space didn’t seem dark or lonely to him at all, but full and lively. Regan loved it.

  No one spoke, taking it all in. The ship was soaring. They had gotten away from Mephistopheles’s compound, and likely evaded the mobster ship that had pursued them.

  Reverie unbuckled her seatbelt, stood from her seat, and walked over to Regan. She put her hands on his shoulders and rubbed them slightly. She then just held them there. It felt good and relaxing.

  That was when Bob said, “Oh, look. There’s a ship following us.”

  Regan, who thought that they had evaded the attackers, now turned around and looked behind him. And though the pursuing ship wasn’t as close as it had been previously, it was there in the distance. Bob was right.

  Straya groaned. “Dammit!”

  “I’m on it!” Calico said, bringing up several screens, which showed up on various parts of the windshield.

  Is it called a windshield in space?

  One of these screens was a rear view. Regan knew he shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that the same ship was still right behind them, but their brief moments of speed had given him a false sense of hope.

  Even so, Regan realized he was calm. He wasn’t worried. He was simply curious about the ship following them as much as he was interested in evading it.