Skyline BanditsBlood and Thunder

The TNS Thousand Angels comes out of hyperspace above Skyline. The commander announces to all hands that they have arrived in orbit over Skyline and their guest will soon be heading to the planet's surface. The commander adds that they have orders to remain there until Mackenzie's mission is complete and High Command has not seen fit to inform him of the details of Mackenzie's mission, but he wants all stations to be at full readiness in case their situation changes. Mackenzie reaches the garage, where a couple of mechanics are waiting next to a starfighter. A mechanic asks Mackenzie if he's sure he's qualified to operate one of those, to which Mackenzie replies he once tailed a Sorakk fugitive through a minefield in a fighter and sarcastically assures the mechanic he's more than qualified. The mechanic replies whatever you say and tells his team to get that bird in the launch tube. Mackenzie flies the starfighter down towards the planet's surface. Meanwhile, Trevayne's convoy is en route when suddenly an armored personnel carrier drives through the desert towards it and cuts off the road. Three armed men with masks climb out of the APC, their leader declaring this a hold-up and ordering the convoy's driver to hand over his cargo and he won't get hurt. The driver whispers to the back of the truck that if they're going to do anything, they better do it now. Suddenly, Clive and Lennie pop out from the back wielding heavy armament. Lennie, carrying a rocket launcher, shouts howdy, boys and fires a rocket towards the carrier, blowing it to smithereens. Elsewhere, Mackenzie lands his spacecraft at a spacesport. An employee of the port approaches him and welcomes him to Iris Spaceport, then informs him there's a port charge of 300 credits. Mackenzie hands him his credit chip, which the guard checks and tells Mackenzie everything checks out, then asks him if there's anything else he needs. Mackenzie asks who's at the top of the food chain around there and who do people go to when they need something. The employee replies that that would be Trevayne, but notes that he's not exactly a legitimate sort of guy. Mackenzie asks where he can find him. In the desert, Clive and Lennie are just cleaning up after taking down the hijackers. Lennie tells Clive he guesses they better go report in and Clive tells him to go back to the farm and he'll speak to the boss. At Trevayne's office, Mackenzie walks past the guards towards Marcus Trevayne, who tells him that it's not every day he's visited by an agent of the illustrious New Terran Empire. Trevayne assumes that the cruiser in orbit has something to do with Mackenzie. Mackenzie replies that it will be there as long as he is. Trevayne asks him what he wants, angrily noting that this interruption is interfering with his business. Mackenzie shows him a screen with an image of Katrina and tells him he's looking for that girl, then asks if he knows anything about her. Trevayne rubs his chin and tells Mackenzie maybe he does, maybe he doesn't, then asks how much is this information worth. Mackenzie retorts that this matter is of great importance to the Terran Empire and he expects Trevayne's full cooperation. Trevayne spits that the Empire does nothing for those of them on the outer rim and that he owes them nothing. Trevayne angrily adds that them Empire types think they can rule the entire galaxy, but all they do is fuck things up for the rest of them. Mackenzie replies that he doesn't need this shit and turns his back on Trevayne. In response, Trevayne shouts hey and goes for a gun in his desk, screaming at Mackenzie not to walk away from him when he's talking. Mackenzie suddenly turns around with a blaster on his hand and shoots a hole in Trevayne, killing him immediately. Mackenzie then spins around immediately to aim at a guard nearby, who's aiming a rifle at him. Trevayne's second-in-command, Billy, then tells the guard to lower his gun. The guard, Mike, exclaims that he just fried the friggin' boss. Billy points out that leaves him in charge and he's telling him to lower the gun. Mike begrudgingly does so, so Mackenzie lowers his gun as well. Billy tells Mackenzie he would be happy to help him and, in fact, he'll send some men to get the girl right away. Billy suggests Mackenzie wait around the port and he'll contact him when he's got her. Mackenzie replies okay, he'll wait. End of part five.

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Not an Angel

1 thought on “Blood and Thunder”

George_Stukas

August 26, 2024

Cowboy! Lasers! Detectives! Empires! Robots! Amnesia! This comic really has it all. What a masterpiece.

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