Introduction

“Welcome sir. On behalf of the Human Federation we welcome you to the capital planet Earth. If you may, please state your business,” said a man in a blue uniform on a monitor. He was behind a large blue flag with Earth’s Western Hemisphere in the middle and two olive branches beneath.

“I’m Bounty Hunter #11289. I’ve got a man here whom you wanted arrested. A Black Comet named Mark Jacobs,” a gruff voice replied.

“We verify this capture and your registration. We are now sending word to Interpol Headquarters right now. You shall dock in New York City and they will meet with you shortly.”

“Thanks.”

The bounty hunter activated his thrusters and headed for the planet’s surface. As he entered the atmosphere he saw the skyline of the Federation’s capital city. The Statue of Liberty, protected in a barrier erected by the Federation Trust, stood as it had for centuries and still shined a beacon for aliens across the galaxy. Thousands of cargo ships from different planets across the quadrant flew above the massive city, most of them just Federation merchant ships.

“The current time is 7:04 PM Eastern US Standard Time. Temperature is 76 degrees Fahrenheit and atmospherics are partially cloud,” stated the ship’s computer system in a female voice. The bounty hunter smiled at the prefect conditions. He wore a white shirt with his bolo tie, a pair of black pants, an open brown duster, and a pair of black boots. He had messy blonde hair and a pair of stern blue eyes.

As he made port in the capital city he went into the back where he kept his latest catches. A ragged and dirty man with green hair was sitting in a cell. His gold eyes pierced a cold glare. He was in rags and had his scarred arms bare, revealing a black tattoo on his left arm that looked like a bold arrow: the mark of the Black Comets.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to break the law?” the bounty hunter said.

“Like you would care. How do you know what it’s like to be an outcast? We space pirates have no homes to go back to and no family to expect of us.”

The bounty hunter stayed quiet and turned around to a machine and pressed a few buttons. A “vworp” sound was made a few times and he had a plate of food. He gave it to the pirate through a slot beneath the cell.

“Here. If you’re gonna be in jail for a long time, you might as well eat.”

“I don’t want your pity, Hunter!”

“Well,” the Hunter shrugged, “more for me then.”

As the bounty hunter ate the food he looked around.

“Computer, please give the current time.”

“Current time is 7:25 PM Eastern US Standard Time.”

“Looks like we’ll be together for a little while longer it seems… ya wanna talk about anything?”

“Why are you being nice to me? I’m a pirate and you’re a bounty hunter. I’m just another man to brag about in seedy taverns across the galaxy. I’m your paycheck.”

“We all have a destiny in life. Some of us know what we want from birth while others spend their whole lives for meaning. Tell me, did you become a pirate out of adventure or out of revenge?”

“Revenge; I lived on a Federation colony on Rosa IV. We were attacked by White Suns one day since there was a dead civilization on Rosa IV. They took any artifacts they could and killed anyone who resisted. My father, an archeologist, was killed. I decided I would one day find them and steal them back so that planet had what it built.”

“I see… your mother was Euclidian, wasn’t she?”

“How did you know?”

“Your gold eyes and green hair are dominant Euclidian traits. Not to mention your last name was Jacobs, clearly a Human name. I remember hearing about a famous archeologist named Dr. Harold Jacobs who discovered a lost civilization and married a Euclidian woman. You fit the bill.”

All of a sudden there was a knocking on the side of the ship. The bounty hunter walked towards the end of the room and pressed a button. Three cyborgs, all women, walked in. They wore black uniforms and had gold badges on the left side of it.

“Thank you Honda. We’ll take this pirate to the Hague for swift trial,” said one of the women.

“Under the precinct of Federation Piracy Laws and breaking piracy laws of the Grand Alliance, we of Interpol, under the jurisdiction of the United Federation of Human Nations, hereby declare you under arrest. Anything you say will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to a lawyer even if you can’t afford one,” said the second one.

“Not so fast ladies. He is half Euclidian. Under Article 3 of the Grand Alliance Protocol, you must get approval by the Euclidian Republic to trial him since his biological mother is such.”

The cyborgs looked unhappy at what they heard.

“Sorry there, but it looks like you’ve got some "swift" bureaucratic business to take care of first before you make any “swift trial”. But I’m sure such lovely beauties as yourselves knew this, right?”

“Y-yes…,” said the one that hadn’t spoken, blushing brightly like the others.

“Now, my reward please?”

“What…? Oh, yes! Here you are Honda. 30000 Credits,” the first one said blushing. She held out a machine and Honda pulled out a card. He pushed it into a slot and he received his money.

“Mighty kind of you all,” he said. He then walked towards the pirate and whispered in his ear.

“Take that extra time to think on what you’ve done now. If I catch you again, I’ll kill ya.”

He walked past the pirate and back towards the ship’s control panel. The three cyborgs walked out with the pirate clean of any weapon and his hands cuffed behind his back.

“Computer, who else is on our list?”

“Scanning Intergalactic Data Network…, full list of bounties on the front monitor.”

“Hmm…,” Honda said as he scrolled through the bounties. “A-ha! This looks good. Kari Suzuka. Age: 25. Race: Human. Wanted for piracy and avoid arrest. Affiliation: Blue Star pirates. Bounty: 5 million! Computer, set a course for the Primian System.”

“Course set. Arrival at fastest speed is one week. I recommend that we stop on a Primian outpost before heading to the Primian System for refueling.”

“Fair enough, which shall it be?”

“My data shows that the most technologically advanced outpost we can go for refueling is called Palmas. It can accommodate me.”

“Glad to know you’ll be comfortable.”

“I detected some sarcasm in your tone. Thank you Honda. Setting course for Palmas.”

As Honda relaxed in his chair, the ship started up and left Planet Earth once again. The twilight skies were replaced with the stars of the Universe and the Earth Defense Force. The ship glided through space passing the Inner Nations and soon the Outer Nations until the Earth System was just another group of small spheres and celestial beauty in the blackness of space.