Wren Winger and the Misfits

Ok, so I did get some work done on Ultionis. I also saw Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend... and was inspired to pen this story-starter. Let me know what you think....

 

~

 

"Hey, Han Solo," a guard shouted derisively as he unlocked the cell gate. "Looks like you've got friends in high places. Let's go."

 

"The name is Winger, " he muttered under his breath as he stepped passed the guard and into the corridor. He'd been in plenty of places like this before, but this one in particular reeked of piss and despair. Wren was ready to leave it behind until he noticed a familiar face in one of the cells he'd passed on the way out. He paused, smirked, turned back and spoke.

 

"Hey Bram, tell your sister I say hello."

 

Bram, a large humanoid from Praxus, towered over Wren. Wren didn't care. He and Bram had had their fair share of run-ins before. Both bounty hunters, Bram relied on his brute strength whereas Wren relied on his wit and shrewdness to collect their fares. Their relationship had been cynically professional until Bram caught Wren in a more than compromising position with Bram's younger sister. At Wren's words Bram rushed to the cell gate and reach his massive arm through the bars in a vain attempt to grasp Wren's throat. The fact that he dented them in doing so led the guard to give him a love tap with the stun wand to drive him into the cell.

 

"Back it up, princess," the guard commended.

 

"I'll see you again, and restore my sister's honor!" he yelled as Wren continued down the corridor, grinning.

 

"A little late for that, sport," he muttered, drawing a grin from the other guard behind him. When he reached processing, he was handed all his personals, except his weapons.

 

"Winger, Wrenley David. One pair black trooper boots. One pair grey cargo pants. One man's pullover shirt, white. One utility jacket, black leather. One watch, Invicta mechanical. One pair Ray-Ban sunglasses, black. And," the inventory officer continued, shaking his head. "One Hello Kitty keychain."

 

Wren grabbed the keychain without any sort of embarrassment. "It's my good luck charm," he claimed, ignoring the officer's chuckle.

 

"Whatever, man. Sign here."

 

"Where's the rest?"

 

"Winger, we've been through this before."

 

"You bastards always keep the good stuff."

 

"Yeah, and then we sell it on eUniverse. Sign," he demanded again. Wren did so and shot the officer a dirty look before heading to the locker area to change. He felt like himself again once he was able to shed the grey and white striped prison overalls, but he still felt naked without his array. When he had been picked up he'd had his holster belt, which contained a RayTec sidearm with laser sight, two taser-nets, and miscellaneous smoke and flash bombs across the back of the belt. He'd also had on a pair of magnetic gauntlets and had a Rambo-style survival knife in a boot holster. He knew he could replace all of them, but was growing tired of doing so on a regular basis.

 

The sun shone brightly as he left the guard station and ventured outside. He donned his sunglasses and soon his savior of the day came into sight. It wasn't easy to mistake a six foot tall woman with bright yellow skin and blue hair. The fact that she wore navy blue utility overalls, cinched at the waist with a wide white holster belt, and matching white combat boots made her conspicuous to say the least. Wren paused before her and smiled.

 

"You look like an IKEA ad."

 

"Go to Hellion," she replied with a scowl, referring to the lava-covered planet in Sector Forty-Three. "You owe me three hundred and fifty credits."

 

"I'll pay you after we take off," Wren replied. "Ship ready?"

 

"Isn't is always?"

 

"That's why I love you, Alala."  Wren grabbed Alala and place a sloppy wet kiss on her cheek before walking off in the direction of the star port.

 

Alala wiped her cheek in disgust. "Humans are such filthy animals," she remarked as she followed after her employer. "Did you at least get paid before you got captured, again?"

 

"We'll talk once we're in the air," he called over his shoulder. His pace had quickened, and Alala soon realized why – Bram Rally, who'd been released shortly after Wren, was now running full speed in their direction.

 

"Spawn of a bratch," she grumbled before turning and sprinting after Wren. Thankfully they made the hanger and were aboard the Kodera before Bram reached their docking bay. Without clearance, all Bram could do was stand and shake his massive fist in the air as the Kodera lifted off.  His sister's honor was left undefended until another day.

 

The Kodera was an interesting ship, one of Wren Winger's own design. It was massively front-heavy, with large gull wings that protruded from either side of the hull. Its largely square body slimmed and flattened towards the tail which featured two smaller tail wings and two large, vertical stabilizers. Powered by two, square pulse engines beneath the flattened tail of the ship, the Kodera was remarkably fast and maneuverable despite its awkward appearance. Loosely based on the Earth-Flight, World War II era Corsair, Winger had named the vessel after the artist Craig Kodera, who'd painted the famed fighter planes in flight.

 

Once they were safely out of atmosphere, Wren engaged the autopilot, kicked his feet up on the console, and crossed his hands behind his head. A gratifying smile crossed his lips.

 

"Why are you so happy, and what is Bram's problem? What did you do?"

 

"His sister," Wren said with satisfaction.

 

"You're incorrigible."

 

"I know. I really am."

 

"So did we get paid or not?" in reply, Wren nodded towards the storage locker beside the co-pilot's seat. Alala opened it to find a small satchel containing roughly two thousand credit coins. "Well, will wonders never cease," she remarked. Her ire subsided, and she withdrew from the satchel reimbursement for Wren's bail and a little extra for her efforts.

 

"I told you I take care of you," Wren reminded her.

 

"That you do. You are pretty cunning for a human."

 

"It's a gift."

 

Alala rolled her eyes. "So where to next?"

 

"Home, for now. Skimpy says he's got a job for us, but he still refuses to communicate when we're in flight. Says it's not secure and that the Core is always listening."

 

"How did he get so paranoid, anyway?" Alala asked.

 

"Have you ever met his mother?"

 

"No, why?"

 

"If you had, you'd understand why Skimpy is the way he is."

 

Alala shook her head. "Whatever. I'm going to go take a nap. Wake me up when we get there."

 

"Will do."

 

The flight lasted about four hours before they arrived at the Artery – an asteroid belt that spanned from one side of the Herodion System to the other. Comprised mostly of nearly moon-sized chunks of rock, the Artery was easily maneuvered yet provided a great deal of stealth and covered when needed. "Home" occupied the inner caves of one such rock which had been retrofitted with atmospheric barrier doors and an enclosed science station. Long since abandoned, Wren Winger had made the asteroid station his base of operations with neither fanfare nor detection. By the time he touched down on the landing platform and the blast doors were closed behind him, Artemis was waiting with both sets of his arms crossed.

 

"What?" Wren asked when he saw the look of consternation on Artemis's blue face. His large nostril-slits were flaring, and his bulbous eyes narrowed.

 

"Have you heard the wire?"

 

"No, why?" Wren asked with concern.

 

Artemis spread out his four arms as if to emphasis his point. "Bram is really pissed. He's set a bounty. You're a bounty hunter with a bounty on your head!"

 

Wren shrugged. It wasn't the first time, and probably wouldn't be the last. He basically ignored the issue and looked back and forth between Alala and Artemis. "If you guys had a baby, would it be green?" Alala and Artemis looked at each other with confusion.

 

Wren continued. "You know, yellow and blue make… never mind. Anyway, Artie, can you check out the Kodera? I think they messed up propulsion when they hit me with their disrupters. Output was down on the starboard engine by almost a quarter."

 

Artemis let out a loud sigh through his nasal slits. "You're impossible."

 

"You know, that's the second time I've heard something like that today."

 

"Do you wonder why?" Alala added.

 

"Not really."

 

Alala shook her head and went to her quarters to clean up. Artemis headed up the Kodera's ramp towards the engineering compartment, and Wren went to the galley and pulled out an earth ale. The supply was dwindling, but after the day he'd had Wren wasn't particularly concerned with rationing. Setting himself down onto one of the oversized, leather couches in the living area, he propped one leg across the back of the couch and held the cold beer to his forehead. He couldn't relax long as the com station flickered to life.

 

With a deep sigh, Wren rose and walked over and flicked the transmission on. It was Skimpy. "Skimpster, what up my man?" Skimpy did not smile. A thin, nervous man with sunken eyes, Wren had to wonder if the man had ever smiled in his life.

 

"Did you do it? I can't imagine you did, but Then again I never know with you. I mean I don't think you have it in you, but the way things have been going lately I never know what to expect with you, but something like that, I mean, you're stupid but," Skimpy rambled.

 

"What, ok, slow down. Number one, I am not stupid. Foolish, maybe sometimes, but, anyway, what are you talking about?"

 

"Branley is dead, Wren. They found her this morning. It just came across the wire. Bram was pissed off enough before. Now he thinks you killed his sister."

 

"That's insane. I, well, damn," Wren remarked. Though their affair had been fleeting, Wren had genuinely liked Branley Rally. "Wait, I was in Drexel Prison for the last three days! There's no way I could have killed her!"

 

"I know that, and you know that. Bram probably knows that too, but he's been looking for an excuse."

 

"Son of a bratch," Wren remarked. "Ok, so, now what?"

 

Skimpy's expression grew even more dour. "Wren, do you know who your last bounty was?"

 

"Cad Froga. Some middleman fence. Why?"

 

"Do you know why he was on the bounty list to begin with?"

 

"Uh, he's a fence? Who knows. He probably sold something stolen. Again why?" Wren was growing concerned.

 

"He was released from custody almost as soon as you brought him in. They found Froga, too. Well, parts of him, anyway. And his place was turned over pretty good. Have you ever heard of a Praxium Sun Crystal?"

 

"No, why?"

 

"Word on the wire is that Froga was supposed to fence a Praxium Sun Crystal. I don't even know what it is, but apparently it's pretty valuable, and important. Possibly a royal gem. My guess is that since you took the bounty to bring him in, they tracked you to Branley, and then to Froga. They must have killed her to find out where you were going."

 

"What do I have to do with any of this?"

 

"I said Froga was supposed to fence the Sun Crystal. He didn't. And now it's gone. And they think you have it. And they want it pretty badly."

 

"Who?"

 

"The Cartel. Wren, I think Bram is the least of your worries. His bounty is fractions of credits compared to the Cartel's. They are offering a million."

 

Wren slumped back in his chair. "I, wow. Skimp, I swear, I didn't kill Branley, and I have no idea what this Star Crystal thing is."

 

"Sun Crystal."

 

"Whatever!"

 

"Well, I suggest you find it before they find you. I have to go, Wren. If I hear anything else I'll get you a message. Otherwise…. Don't call. Luck of the stars be with you, my friend."

 

Skimpy ended the transmission and the screen went blank. Wren sat for a few moments and tried to digest all of the information he'd just been given.

 

"Do you have it?" Alala asked from behind him. He'd not heard her enter the living area.

 

"Have what?" he replied angrily.

 

"The Sun Crystal. Do you have it or not?"

 

"No," he said truthfully. "I honestly don't even know what it is. I," he continued before proximity warning sirens filled the chamber with sound. Wren rushed to the security station and the monitor was filled with images of Cartel war vessels. "Feck me. Alala," he yelled.

 

"Already on it," she answered, knowing he was about to ask her to prep the Kodera for immediate departure. Wren ran to a nearby storage locker and pulled out another holster and secured it around his waist. Once he was sufficiently armed and had shoved a knife into the sheath of his right boot, Wren followed Alala to the hangar deck and up the ramp into the ship.

 

"What is going on?" Artemis asked as he hoisted himself up out of the engineering compartment with his four, muscular arms.

 

"I'll explain later. Strap in!" Wren ordered.

 

"You know I hate flying," Artemis replied, but he did as instructed. "Where are we going in such a hurry? I fixed the engine, but we're only about half-fueled."

 

Wren ignored his crew man. "Engage countermeasures," he yelled. Alala manipulated the keyboard at the co-pilot's station and engage the asteroid's defenses. Small defense drones erupted from the rock's surface and began firing at the Cartel vessels. At the same time, a smaller, lifeboat-like vessel launched from beneath the asteroid and rocketed away. The smaller ship was equipped with an atmospheric launch engine. In the vacuum of space and without the constraint of terrestrial gravity, the powerful rocket tore through space faster than the Cartel could follow. They tried nonetheless, and when the last of the vessels had engaged in a pursuit course, the Kodera blasted away in the opposite direction. They made it to the nearest jump point and disappeared long before the Cartel knew what had happened.

 

It was some time before any of them had the courage to speak. "Um, boss? You wanna fill us in?" Artemis asked.

 

"I wish I could, pal. I wish I could."

 

 

To be continued….

 

© 2014 J.J. Goodman. All rights reserved.