Tuesday, May 24, 2011

EARLIER, AS E O & RAVI DASH TOWARD THE BPOD...



May 24th 2011, 14:06 by E O Hatterpol | 352 AU FROM SUN


"QUEUE up, my lemmings, queue up!" said Captain Makemake cheerily.  "We're going to go underground for a spell - isn't that so exciting?"




The long lines of bedraggled Flybrarians didn't respond; a young woman opened her visor and spat at Captain Makemake before sealing off her suit again.  It flew for a long time in reduced gravity.


"You don't know how dedicated we are to these books," the brave Flybrarian said.


Makemake wiped the mucous off his eyepatch & flicked it onto the grainy red ground.  He smiled a menacing smile, baring his teeth.


"The only Spit I like," he said, seizing her by the chest, "is a fast-paced card game!"


He drove his craggy head viciously into hers, busting the reinforced visor as easily as if it were made of Hollywood sugar glass.  Through the bloody shards, Captain Makemake saw the young woman was no older than 24.  He held her aloft, examining her unemotionally as if she were an item for sale.


"No, no, don't try to hold your breath, Missy!  That'll damage your lungs, & we need them in good working order if we're to get the best price on the black market."


He tossed her aside & turned to the taller, wider pirate.


"Come back in a minute or two when she's almost dead & put her into deep-freeze.  Try to get as much gold off her visor as you can, too."


"Captain, I don't think it's a good idea to take everyone down.  It's not what we usually do."


"Well, Hungry Hungry Hippos, we don't usually run into a starship carrying an interstellar travel writer with coordinates for a newly discovered planet, do we?  If we can lure that little punk into a trap & get his information, we could have an entire, defenseless little planet to plunder, couldn't we?"


Captain Makemake wasn't the type to wait for Hungry Hungry's response.  He turned back to the queues of battered Flybrarians.


"Does anybody else want to play Spit?" he bellowed.


Flybrarians bowed their heads in silence.


"Good! Then let's play one of my favourite games - Follow the Leader!"


And with that, the salty space pirates began driving their human cargo mercilessly towards a dark crater a few hundred yards away.

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