Author's Notes:
This story doesn't take place on Earth. It takes place on a colonized moon, around an alien planet, in a not-too-far-away solar system. The featured planet is called Janina. It's larger than Earth and has several large moons as well. Every moon is habitable, but only the host planet has intelligent life. In exchange for the moons, Humans have mostly left Janina alone. Janinans still take part in business, tourism, recreation, crime, and private affairs. Our story begins generations into co-existence when co-habitation is on the rise and stigma against the alien race is on the fall. There is no warp-drive, worm-holes, or time-travel in this universe. Science has not yet broken the barrier on inter-species reproduction either. It has, on the other hand, solved long-distance space-travel, entangled communication, and isomeric fuel.
Thanks for reading.
Rated R for language, violence, fantasy gore, sexual content, and nudity.
Episode 1: What's Next?
Robert Delbrotic worked in radio tower repair and bulb replacement. Skyscrapers were his specialty. Tonight he was on the roof of the 163-story Hotel Arctangent. The radio tower stood another twenty stories taller. The bulb was burnt out.
Robert wore a utility suit and full helmet for the climb. A microfiber mesh covered like a second skin while a layer of lightweight plating gave the suit strength and structure. It fit snug. The suit came equipped with stunt wings, a parachute, and a belt for tools and materials.
At the base of the tower, Robert took inventory. The ladder loomed beside him. The night sky still shined bright with the light of planet Janina. The massive alien world hung overhead at full-phase. Like Earth, it glowed with an abundance of greens, blues, and whites. Around the planet, several moons glowed as well, gleaming at different phases. They shone in a range of colors with deserts, mountains, and lush jungle.
Robert tapped the interface on his forearm, launching the suit's system. The menu opened on his visor. Diagnostics ran beside it. The broad man next ejected a small drone from his belt. The device jetted out, unfolded its arms, and then hovered at his shoulder. The propellers whirred quietly. A camera was built into the body. Robert motioned it to back up.
Although the drone remained offline, the camera captured a bustling cityscape of skyscrapers, advertisements, and flying traffic. Buildings dazzled for miles. Attractions flashed on billboards, along the sides of buildings, and over rooftops in hologram. Vehicles puttered through streets and avenues across multiple levels. Aerial lanes were every twenty floors. Occasionally a police cruiser dropped out and raced by. Buses and other transit drove both horizontally and vertically between buildings.
The colors blue and purple illuminated the city the most. The government offered a tax-break for using the hues. The scheme paid respect to the Janinan people. The whole city was built in shrine, named after their Goddess of Commerce, Disra. The launch sites sat in the east. Shuttles left and landed constantly. The fuel burned smokeless. The lights made it look like an elevator field.
Before Robert began his climb, he started another program on his visor. A chat-box opened. It was his live-stream. The details scrolled along the bottom. A handful of users were already waiting. Tonight's job was one Robert could film. A couple guys caught most his climbs.
The drone hovered at a distance. The stream also included an angle from his helmet. When Robert went live, his regulars filled the chat.
"Hey, guys." Robert spoke with a slight drawl. He hooked himself to the safety-line. "I'm on the Hotel Arctangent tonight, and we got a typical burnout and replace." He fished a hefty bulb from his belt and showed it for the camera. "This is our replacement. Heard there might be a fuse blown, too. We'll see once we get up there."
A new user typed in the chat:
Dude, those heights are nauseous!
Robert chuckled as he started to climb. "Yeah, they can be." A breeze blew and shook the tower some. "But I got my suit, so if I fall, that's just when the fun starts."
Some users laughed. In the background, his safety hook rattled.
Another asked:
Yo, you ever fall for real?
"Sometimes," he mumbled. The breeze blew again. It was calm but felt heavy. The atmosphere here was denser than Earth's. "Every now and then I can slip. I prefer to use the wings if I do. Last time I had to throw the chute. Wind carried me over a block, but I caught a patio."
The chat laughed.
I remember that.
Another typed:
He doesn't slip. He jumps.
While the regulars made light, Robert motioned the drone to get a view of the skyline. The microphone picked up someone honking. Someone else honked back. A stereo rumbled from a hotel suite.
Many of the neighboring buildings were shorter. From the radio tower, they appeared even more so. The drop in every direction was dizzying. The blues and purples ran to the ground.
Robert's safety hook continued to rattle. After a bit, a message on his visor alerted him. It came from outside his stream. It was a text from his girlfriend, Aja. Robert stopped climbing to read it. He furrowed his brow a moment. The drone eventually returned to find him motionless.
Hate to do it like this,
it read.
Had a lot of fun these last few weeks. My career might be taking off, so I wanted to let you know right away. It ain't anything you did. Just smarter for me to be single right now. Sorry, Bobby.
The stream remained dead a minute. His breathing shallowed. His mic picked it up. Users quickly scrolled with questions.
"Sorry, guys." Robert cleared his throat. "Just a bit of personal business, I apologize." He peeked at the chat. It was full.
What happened?
He sighed, then resumed his climb. "Yeah, the woman I was seeing just ended it. I kinda saw it coming, to be honest. Her work puts her in a pretty fast-paced world, so I knew I was just along for the ride."
The users made a couple snarky comments.
Someone asked:
What does she do?
Robert paused once he reached the first junction. He disconnected his line fine, but he missed twice trying to re-hook it. "She's a rapper, actually. She's pretty good, too. I mean, up until now, I
was
a fan."
There were some more snarky comments.
"If we could drop it, though--" He deleted the message. "I'd really appreciate it. I'd like to focus on the job. I do have a bulb to replace, and I don't want anyone hitting the tower. Lots of traffic tonight."
The viewers relented. Robert motioned the drone to pan above afterward. Airspace in Disra was often busy. There were freight trucks, hover-cops, and a whole swarm of private fliers. A blimp floated just over the hotel. It was circling back to the nearby stadium. The playoffs for the Continental Slingball League were tonight. Many Janinans made the trip from home.
Miles out of the city, a discreet transport plane approached the bustle. The craft flew at exactly the speed limit. The thrusters along the wings burned a soft white. With the look of a string-ray, the plane provided good cover in the local skies. It was common among commercial delivery.
Onboard the pilot was dressed in full tactical gear. Two more soldiers sat in the back. The three men composed a team of bounty hunters. They owned and operated a service locally but worked with clients from Janina. They claimed to specialize off-planet.
Inside, the cabin was narrow with two rows of seats facing each other. The soldiers sat on one. The prisoner sat on the other. All three men appeared to carry light on weapons but heavy on body armor. One had a black eye. The other, claw marks across his face. The pilot lost half an ear. It was bitten off.
While the team discussed, a camera in the cabin recorded their prisoner. Cuffs restrained her wrists and ankles. The chain between connected through a hoop under her seat. An electronic collar bound her neck. They upgraded her shackles since their last run-in. Stone-faced, the young Janinan woman sat almost meditatively. She stared directly at the man with the claw-marks. Parts of his cheek were still under her fingernails.
Neither soldier flinched.
In silhouette, the Janinan race looked very similar to humans. Limbs grew long and lean. Bodies balanced curves on contours, strength on softness. Side by side however, the two were undoubtedly alien. Janinan skin varied in hue from blue to purple like human skin ranged fair to dark. The prisoner was a deep tint of purple. Janinan hair didn't grow like human hair either. Rather than strands, whole locks sprouted from their scalp. The thickness differed from person to person. Locks ranged from as thin as cable to as hefty as branch. Black seemed to be the only color it came in, but it faded in older age. For the prisoner, her hair was thick with only a few dozen locks in total. They stood straight up if she cut them short. She usually kept them longer so they bowed under their own weight. The look resembled an umbrella. The style was popular among her kin. It helped conceal her ears without obstructing them. For now, the petals remained tucked in their helix form.
"I'm not going back to the cliffs," she said, squinting between the soldiers. As her eyes narrowed, the angle of her lids also rotated inward. The entire socket adjusted like an aperture. The brows dropped and slanted. The bridge pinched. Altogether her face appeared as whet as arrow. Her dark irises sharpened the look. The color matched her violet skin.
Again neither soldier flinched.
The younger soldier, the one with the claw-marks, pulled out a communicator. He activated the camera to check his wounds.
"What's wrong with the cliffs?" he asked, admiring himself in the screen. He didn't seem too concerned. "I thought you liked slinging."
The prisoner scowled. Her chains clattered.
The other soldier scoffed. He was a little older. His black-eye looked like it'd been drained. "She'll be lucky if she gets the cliffs. After this bullshit, she should get the dungeon."
His younger partner put his com back. "Nah, I'm sure mommy will go easy on her. No one's been killed yet. I'm thinking the boss will make her work it off."
The older soldier smirked. "I suppose. That ship she crashed, that might get her hunting bile for a good couple years."
They both laughed.
The prisoner grimaced, sitting up straighter. "We'll see."
Last time they caught her it took weeks. This time it was months. She'd been escaping since she was a teenager. They tracked her down at the outskirts of the city. She was working security for a construction company. In the north, dense jungle bordered the city. Any expansion faced a thick phalanx of trees alongside an army of alien fauna. Humans did most the logging. Janinans watched for beasts. The team of bounty hunters nabbed her right from canopy patrol. She was still dressed in the undergarments of her uniform. They took the armored parts and belt. They left the shorts and scant top.
When the team crossed into downtown, a pair of police lights flashed on ahead. The pulses alternated red and blue. A siren followed. Cursing, the pilot shifted down and flashed his lights. A message soon came over the intercom.
"Attention aircraft." The voice was raspy, male. "Your heat signature is high. Is your engine running hot?"
