Ray Gamma: Tax Tech and Space Hero
Our story starts in a society in the stars. Mankind has long lost the use of off star once known as Earth, and much of society currently operates out of small, moon-sized space stations and roaming dwarf planets without a sun to call their own. The loss of a terra didn’t stop the territorial quest for power. In order to gain more military might and better occupy foreign lands in space, Freedom Units were developed. These giant humanoid robots carry out mass violence against small groups living across the cosmos. So many Freedom Units have been developed, that they have reached critical mass, and even the local gangs use them in their struggle for power and territory.
But for now I’ll tell you about an elderly technician for the Archytas tax company named Ray Gamma. It’s his last week on the job and he’s showing the new guy the ropes. He’s been around the cosmos longer than most, and has experienced much of the pain and pleasures the galactic frontier has to offer. This is his story. The tale of Ray Gamma: I.T. Guru and Space Hero.
In a not so remote part of space, a rocket truck drives by. It’s a Fyord X6800 model that’s about 5 generations old. One of the last of it’s kind. Our hero and mentor, Ray Gamma, is driving a young man around to teach him the ways of Archytas I.T.
“So you see why I’m taking you to all our different offices right?” Ray said to his apprentice and eventual replacement. “Our offices are all kinda set up different, so it’s good to make the rounds and see them for yourself. Plus you’ll learn your way around ahead of time and you won’t be so confused when something happens.”
“I see. They all have the same basic parts, but some offices definitely have some…. personality when it comes to their technical infrastructure.” The young charge replied. “I supposed part of that has to do with the technician that sets them up and the office, but it’s still interesting to see.”
The young man was conservative and kept to himself. With his arms folded, he would reply to Ray in short, assured sentences. He seemed to pick his words carefully, Enough to seem engaged, but not so much that his true feelings came through.
“Yeah, some of these offices are f**ked up in how they’re set up!”, Ray said bluntly.
Ray lacked such diplomacy. He’d been alive for some time now. And this trip was his last paid obligation. Any skill for measured speech he had was lost sometime during his tenure. Ray was among the oldest of the humans currently alive. Since very few societies share a sun anymore, age hasn’t been measured by years in a while. All that we know is that some of us are old, some are young. Some are mature, some are juvenile. Ray was so old, it was rumored he was alive when there was still an Earth. Modern historians would say this is impossible, but it’s still a funny story.
“But you’ll do fine Terrance. I’m sure Archytas has nothing on what you probably faced in the ground corps.” Ray bumped his young coworker on the shoulder lightly. “The tech division of Archytas is nowhere near as dangerous.”
Terrence Trigo was his partner. Trigo was an interesting figure, not only because he was the heir to a vast fortune that worked a crappy I.T. job, but because he was the heir to a vast fortune that gave it up to serve in the ground corps. The ground corps is colloquially known as the Meat Shield Division. They’re a small infantry group that goes ahead of Freedom Units in certain battles to secure a safe deployment. This usually meant a small team of guys with guns were going up against tanks, turrets, and enemy Freedom Units that were already deployed. Signing up for the ground corps was almost certain death, unless you were Terrance Trigo it seems.
“I suppose.” Terrence replied. “but isn’t is a little unsafe to ride around in a civilian rocket car?” “We could be attacked by any sort of bandit or gang looking to make a quick buck.”
“I doubt it.”, Ray replied, “Most gangs r’ on the lookout for power or money, and attacking us won’t get them either one.” Ray said.
“But you’re right, we should have better transportation for this job, but Archytas won’t provide a vehicle, you have to use your own.”
“A lot of folks mistake this job for being something dangerous, but it’s pretty safe if you keep your wits about you.” Ray assured his young mentee.
The two were just leaving an office in the Andromeda sub-sector, and were looking to wrap up their training day with one more stop south of Meteor Paradise zone. Ray’s going to show Terrance how to fix a printer while they’re there. The printers at that office were kinda old and about to be replaced, but it was still a good learning opportunity for Terrence.
“So what’s the deal with these new printers?” Terrence inquired. “Do they have some kind of new tech in them?”
“Actually” Ray Answered, The ‘old’ printers are more advanced than the new ones in a technological sense, but they use a crystal that’s being discontinued for environmental reasons.”
“The company’s gonna replace the old ones and recycle them.” Ray Explained.
The crystal Ray spoke of was not only problematic for what was left of the environment, but society at large. It’s known as a fusion gem. It’s powerful enough to give any machine an unlimited amount of power as long as it had a gem that was big enough. The printers only needed a microscopic gem to stay on. A car like Ray’s would require a gem the size of a small rock, and a freedom unit needed one that weighed about as much as a large dog. Because of their power, they were the source of much violence in the many galaxies. If it weren’t for all the bloodshed, you could very well call fusion gems clean energy.
“That’s good to know.” Terrance replied. “Always nice to know the Body Politick is looking out for our welfare.”
Ray was visibly annoyed. “I’m sure they’re just gonna take the fusion gems and keep ‘em for themselves. You know what they say, ‘Nobody does anything for free’.” Ray remarked.
A small look of discomfort appeared on Terrance’s face, but he held his tongue on the matter. It was a long time to their next destination. As their vehicle propelled through space, Ray played some oldie Jazz on the radio while he talked about his family. One thing you learned about Ray is that he wouldn’t shut up about his family. Between his kids, grand and great-grand kids, he had enough manpower to take over a small moon if he wanted. Ray had made many breakthroughs and achievements in his life, but his granddaughter going to college seemed more interesting to him than engineering several innovative network relays for the mail service.
After hours of stories about his Ray’s grandson’s favorite muffins, the two were finally approaching their destination. The area south of Meteor Paradise was once prosperous. It was home to some of the biggest and most profitable businesses, and for the citizens, it did truly live up to its name at one point. Named for the beautiful rocks that flew past the city, Meteor Paradise was the envy of most for a while. Unfortunately, much of its infrastructure was destroyed by a meteor shower that flew directly towards the city instead of just past it, and the soveriegn government decided that it was too expensive to rebuild the city, so it was left to rot. The Archytas office in that area went unharmed, so they kept the office there. Folks living in the ruins of a galactic disaster need their taxes done too.
As they landed on the station that Meteor Paradise sat on, Ray drove towards the office. He was familiar with this area, and shared his shortcuts with Terrance. As they approached the office, They noticed it was already open. “Hey, did someone beat us here?” Terrence asked. Ray knew Archytas was too short-staffed for someone else to handle. “Hold on for a minute.” Ray said. After looking closely at the clothes of the folks going in and out of the office, he saw they were from a nearby gang. The Meteor Paradise branch of a bigger outfit ransacked the office.
“Looks like gang members got to the office.” Ray said, “nothing to do now but let corporate know and go on about our day, nothing we can do here.” Terrance was shocked.
“What do you mean?! Are we just gonna let them steal from us!?”
“We’re gonna let them steal from Archytas cuz security ain’t ar’ job.” Ray answered. “It’s fixin’ those printer’s they’re throwing into the van.” “Ain’t no reason to lose yur life over obsolete office equipment.”
“But it isn’t about the printers!”, Terrence snapped. “but something much more deeper and sacred”.
Terrance felt an untenable rage.
“Not only are these thugs making off with printers, but you are also being so weak-willed about it!”
“Archytas was so kind as to give you a job, and you won’t even make the smallest effort to protect their property?”, Questioned Terrence.
Terrance was shaking in his seat with rage. He could barely contain his displeasure with the matter.
Every muscle in his body tightened at the thought of what was happening.
“It’s dangerous, but sometimes these things just happen on the job. Perils of the gig amirite?”, Ray replied. “I know it’s rough bu-”
Terrence jumped out of the truck and yelled the following words: “THERE IS NOTHING MORE SACRED THAN THE RIGHT TO PRIVATE PROPERTY!!!!!”
After saying that phrase, he held his breath while falling through the dark, empty void of space. Ray was almost certain Terrance had lost his mind and gave up on life over some stolen printers. Unfortunately, he was only half right. A blue field of electricity appeared below them. From within the blue field, rapidly shifting electric particles moved like snakes in a pit. A cockpit arose to house the falling body of Terrance. After Terrence was safely enclosed in the metal construct, the rest of its body rose through the spontaneously appearing portal. Terrance summoned a freedom unit to assist him in battle. It was an opulent machine. Featuring not only the latest in long and close range weaponry, but also aesthetic features like armor pieces with a colorful glint that seemed more fitting on a catwalk than a battlefield.
“Holy sh*t….. that moron has a P.T.P.”, Ray remarked in a stunned fashion, “Who in this galaxy actually allowed this idiot to have a P.T.P?”
P.T.P is a special technology that allows a pilot to call their freedom unit from almost anywhere in the galaxy. Most pilots have to activate and start piloting their freedom units from a garage or hangar, but those with P.T.Ps can teleport the giant fighting robot to their side at an instant.
“If he was a P.T.P”, Ray thought to himself, “then I guess he’s not just rich, but important too. I don’t think even money can buy you one of those. You hafta know somebody.”
Ray urgently turned on his comms to reach out to Terrence.
“YOU HAVE TO STOP THIS!! Nothing good comes from bringing a freedom unit to a gunfight!”, Ray pleaded.
“Don’t worry you ancient coward. I’ll take care of these hoodlums and recover the printers before our lunch break.”, Terrence said in an overconfident manner.
He spoke with so much confidence from within the unit, and had a steadfast attitude that the future would go his way. Here in his freedom unit, he was safest of all. Seems like, at least for Terrence, it was the only way to live.
Ray had to think quickly to prevent a conflict. He had no worries that Terrence could fight those folks. Hell, he could take em with half the junk in his toolbox, but these gang members weren’t what he was worried about, it was the escalation. Simply interrupting a gangs recon mission with violence was bad enough, but a freedom unit meant those folks will bring their own freedom unit into a fray where the stakes are cheaper than a trip to the local electronics store. As Ray rushed to try and stop Terrence, he felt something loose moving around in his truck. He searched the floor of his vehicle and found something presumably left by Terrence. He let out a tired sigh, “With the infinite stars as my witness, I’ll never work with a moron like this again.”
Ray flies his truck towards Terrence’s freedom unit to make one more plea for peace.
“C’mon Terrence, Archytas ain’t paying either of us enough to risk our lives over this. How about you and I take an early lunch and get some Spacey’s? My treat.”
“I won’t back down. I didn’t retreat fighting for the Federation in planets near and far, and I won’t retreat now.”
“I can’t help but wonder if he had a P.T.P while he was doing the Federation’s bidding in those wars.”, Ray thought to himself.
Since Terrence wasn’t gonna be dissuaded from the warpath, Ray went to see if the gang members could be reasoned with. With all of the force he could muster, he pushed to truck to zoom towards them as quick as sound. Ray Gamma raced to the transport van they were using and sent an S.O.S message.
“THERE’S A LUNATIC IN A FREEDOM UNIT COMING AFTER YOU!!!”, Ray warned, “LEAVE THE PRINTERS BEHIND AND HE’LL LEAVE YOU ALONE!!”
The van had two people inside and they were both thoroughly confused. They were used to attacks from freedom unit pilots, but they were certain that the printers wouldn’t cause that much of a fuss. They soon learned that Ray was right when Terrance shot at them with his laser rifle. It missed the van, but it was so close, they could feel the heat from the shot as it whirred passed them.
“I guess the old man ain’t going crazy, we have to do something.”, the driver said.
“You go ahead and get backup. I can keep ‘em busy in the meanwhile.”, replied the passenger.
“You really think you can hold off a freedom unit by yourself? That’s suicide!”
“Normally I’d agree with you, but that pilot couldn’t drive their way out of a hover coaster.”
“Plus, look at that mech,” the passenger added, “I doubt it’s ever seen an asteroid field let alone a real fight.”
“Yeah it doesn’t look like it’s got a lot of mileage.”
“You just go on ahead. Get some backup and we’ll be kicking back brews at the base before you know it.”
He hesitated for a moment, but the driver gave their partner the go ahead. The passenger fully donned a spacesuit, a thruster, and a heavy laser as their weapon of choice. After they jumped out of the van the driver shouted to them “YOU BETTER STAY ALIVE TO KEEP YOUR PROMISE ABOUT THOSE DRINKS ZIDE!!!!”
The gang member moved towards Terrence confidently. David fighting a metal Goliath, they showed no fear in confronting the freedom unit. Terrence fired a few more shots from his rifle, but the gangster charged forward. Zide was as confident with a space suit and a gun as Terrence was from within the machine. The first shot all but confirmed that Terrence had awful aim. Any competent pilot should’ve hit them. Zide fired a few shots at the cockpit as they rushed forward.
“If his close-range aim is as shitty as his long-range aim, then I can get up close and just avoid his attacks until backup arrives.”, Zide thought to themselves.
It was working well. So well, that Ray was somewhat relieved. He figured that Terrence would eventually tire himself out and they could go home. Zide finally made it within close quarters of Terrence’s freedom unit, and was swiftly dodging his physical attacks. It was making Terrence increasingly frustrated. Zide maneuvered about his mech as a nimbly as a scrap of paper in the wind and he wasn’t able to land a hit on them.
“This contemptuous space rat won’t make a fool of me.”, Terrence said to himself, “Let’s see you dodge this!!!”
Terrence pressed a button and the unit began to gather energy. Ray had been on the battlefield more than once and recognized what Terrence just activated. He quickly shifted gears in his truck and stepped on the gas to save Zide. Ray was committed to making sure that no lives were lost on this gig, and that included the lives of gangsters too. The mech started to whir and turn a bright shade of red. The attack was almost fully charged. Zide was so busy dodging his physical attacks that they didn’t notice, but Ray was experienced enough to know what would happen next. Ray reached out of the window and grabbed Zide by the hand as he continued to drive away from Terrence.
“HEY! Let go of me you old creep.”, Zide protested while being dragged by Ray away from the fray.
“Not until we’re out of range.”
“Out of range of what?”
Terrence let out a boisterous shout so that his enemies would know the cause of their demise.
PRAISE THE GOD APOLLO AND BEG HIM FOR MERCY!!!! SOOOOOOLAAAARRR PUUULSSSEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Heat waves radiated from the freedom unit. Ray drove as quickly as possible to save Zide from death. If their life was lost, then many more would be lost as a result, even those close to him were at risk if he couldn’t save this gangster from death. Zide could feel the heat coming closer to them. They clutched onto Ray’s hand for dear life. After minutes of speeding through space, the heat seemed to almost get to them, until that feeling subsided. When he was sure they were safe, Ray let Zide into his truck.
“Thanks for the save”
“You’re welcome.”, Ray replied, “Are you hurt at all?”
“No, I felt hot for a minute, but I don’t feel anything right now.
They both examined Zide’s body. They seemed fine for the most part, but their left leg was charred to a crisp. Ray wasn’t sure if it was because of the adrenaline or what, but Zide seemed to not be bothered by it.
“uuhhhhhh…..” Ray stalled to find the right words.
“Don’t worry about it”, Zide said to reassure him, “I don’t need both legs to float through space anyway”
“Of course”
It was at this time that Ray received a comms request from Terrence. He touched the GUI on his dashboard to accept the call. Terrence’s disappointed face then appeared on the screen.
“I’m very disappointed in your conduct thus far Ray. You won’t move a finger for Archytax, but you’ll risk life and limb for a common thug.”
“THEY’RE PRINTERS!!!!”, Ray shouted, “Besides, you should be putting that toy up about now.”
“You couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with that thing, and her partners got away with the goods.” Ray continued.
“If you put that thing away, we can disappear before they return with back-up and this small trip gets uglier than a San Fran Xenomorph.”
“I shan’t desist from my mission Sir Gamma.” Terrence answered. “and furthermore, for betraying Archytas and its mission, now your life is also forfeit.”
“This man is crazy!” Ray and Zide thought in unison.
Terrence continued, “That last attack drained my unit of much of its energy. If you stay put and accept your execution like a man, then I’ll be sure to make your death quick and painless.”
“but if you choose to thwart me further, then hell would be a thousand times more desirable than the punishment that awaits you.”
Terrence ended their comms. Ray needed to think of something. Terrence himself was nearly harmless, but the escalation that was on the way would prove more troublesome. He had to get Terrence out of this part of space, Make it back to Archytas in one piece, and then there was the issue of….
“Hey, excuse me.”Zide said as they interrupted his thought process.
“Huh, oh, you. Sorry about all this. It’s his first day on the job.” Ray replied, trying to calm his new passenger.
“yeah, yeah, that’s all fine and good, but you call me “her” back there and I go by they/them.” They told Ray.
“Oh uhhh my bad.”Apologized Ray.
Zide had a soft face and beautiful features that could be considered feminine at a glance. It was easier to appreciate said features after they took off part of their spacesuit after boarding Ray’s car. Their torso curved like a nebula and their waist was slender as the statues inspired by Venus. While they could easily be mistaken for a “her”, Zide chose to live outside the gender binary, for reasons we won’t explain in this story, and reasons that frankly don’t matter given the gravity of the situation.
“Cut me some slack, I’m from a different time y’know.” He explained.
“Well let’s just wait for my backup. Once my boys come back with a Unit, then that wacko is toast.”
“We can’t do that.” Ray replied. He has a P.T.P, which means he’s somebody important.”
“I’m not sure who would trust him with that kinda responsibility,” Ray continued, “but him having it means his death will just bring bigger and stronger Freedom Units on your launchpad. We gotta figure out how to get him out of the game without him dying too.”
“I DON’T CARE ABOUT THAT!” Zide shouted. “We have the Politck’s Dogs on our tails every day. A few more isn’t gonna change that for us!”
Zide reached for the comms controls.
“I’m calling my crew so they can have our coordinates and turn that jackass into a laser cushion.”
“Hey don’t touch my radio! It’s delicate!”
Ray tried to grab the controls from Zide and they fought to keep them in their hands. They wrestled back and forth in the cramped vehicle and any loose effects were rumbling in the truck. The fighting stopped when they heard a loud clank against the dashboard.
“Wait what’s that sound?” Zide asked.
Ray looked around saw the present Terrence left behind. A smile grew on his face as he realized what their next move would be.
“That’s our ticket out of this pickle.”
Ray picked up the comms and reached out to Terrance.
“Hey Trigo. Do you copy?” Ray asked.
“I hope you didn’t call to beg for your worthless life.” Terrence said in the snide tone he’s held since piloting his Unit.
“Not at all. I just had some time to think and you’re right. I betrayed the shareholders and deserve to die for it. I’ll move to your location, so your machine has more time to recover, and you can make it back home easier to report my betrayal.”
“Wow, that’s quite admirable of you Ray.”
“I figured I could preserve some dignity in this whole situation”
“How noble for a man of your standing” Terrence answered with a smidge of respect. “Normally when I execute someone they grovel till the end.”
“Normally?! How often do you do this?!?” Ray thought to himself.
“Anyway, I’m moving towards your location. The gangster and I will accept our just desserts.”
“Very well, I shall await your audience patiently,” “but not too patiently.” Terrence warned.
Zide gave Ray an uneasy look. Not fully confident that this plan would work. They would’ve much rather solved this problem by laser to the head, but Ray did let them call for backup, and refueled their thrusters so they could escape if things got nasty. As Ray drove towards the hibernating Freedom Unit, he thought about his life, his family. He had 5 generations of children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and all other kinds of family to come after him, and he was proud to still be alive and watch them live their lives. If this goes wrong, he would never see them again. If this goes tragically, their lives would become worse than he could ever imagine.
He knew this plan was the best chance for him and his family to survive this encounter, but the risk of failure was too much for him to handle. He misses when the perils of work meant an accountant had to do taxes by hand for a week and not the lives of his bloodline.
Ray approached the Freedom Unit at a steady pace. He made sure not to move too fast or too slow so Terrence wouldn’t be startled and attack unpredictably. It was a delicate maneuver and he had to do everything nearly perfectly. When he was in position, he contacted Terrence on the comms unit.
“Trigo, are you there?” Ray asked. “I’m ready to accept my punishment as a man.”
“Wonderful Sir Gamma. The Unit is almost ready to go, and I shall return to base a hero once more.”
“Where is your partner in crime?” Terrence asked, “You didn’t let her escape did you?”
“No Zide tried to escape, but I knocked ‘em out and thay’r sleeping in tha back til’ we suffer our fiery end.”
“Perfect.” Terrence asked.
“Also, Zide goes by they/them”
“Huh”
“Zide. You called them her, but they use they and them as personal pronouns.”
“I mean we’re gonna die anyway, but I thought you should know.” Ray added.
“And why in the name of god would I care about this drivel?”
“She can identify however she wishes in hell.”
“I mean….” Ray insisted, “It’s respectable y’know. I’m sure someone of your pedigree values giving respect above all else. Even against someone you’re about to execute.”
“I shall give you respect because you are an upstanding man who strayed from the path.”
“By recognizing your sin and taking accountability, you may yet find salvation in heaven.”
“However” Terrence went on, “That trollop is a gangster and a criminal. On top of that she rejects the femininity naturally bestowed upon her.”
“Trash like her deserve no respect.” Terrence declared. She is barely worthy of receiving her end by my laser blade, but we shall make do.”
“Enough of this useless blather.” Terrence said. “It’s time to end this once and for all.”
Terrence fired up his machine and prepared himself to destroy the rocket ship and its inhabitants. The cogs and gears of his unit whirred as the fusion gem fired up and gave him the energy to carry out the execution.
“TERRENCE!” Zide’s voice shouted, “YOU MANIAC!! HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT!!”
“I see you have finally awoken. A shame you couldn’t have died painlessly.” Terrence lamented.
“but you can blame Ray for wasting my time with all the talk about pronouns and the like.”
Terrence pushed a button and his sword appeared as a tool of light from the hands of the machine. He made sure to place both hands on the hilt to hold it steady. He solemnly prepared his weapon for the fatal act. Ray waited patiently in the Rocket car. Hoping that maybe Terrence would change his mind at some point, but the former soldier raised the arms of his Freedom Unit with conviction. As the arms swiftly moved upwards, Ray knew his fate was sealed
“NOW ZIDE!!!” he shouted.
The Freedom Unit suffered a explosion in its right shoulder. It wasn’t very big, but it was well placed enough to dislodge both the arm and the laser sword connected to it far away into the darkness of space. Ray started up the rocket car and started to fly past Terrence away from the mech.
“RAYMOND YOU SCOUNDREL!!!” Terrence shouted.
“YOU WON’T GET AWAY WITH THIS BETRAYAL!!!!”
Ray made it a good distance away from Terrence, but wasn’t safe yet. Terrence turned around to face Ray’s rocket car and locked on to him with his missiles. The rocket car was made to move cargo, so it wasn’t nimble enough to escape artillery. It was easily in his sights.`As Terrence prepared to fire at Ray, his cockpit took a heavy hit from behind.
“WHAT THE HELL?!??!”
Terrence turned around once again to find Zide in a spacesuit and a heavy laser in their hands.
“YOUUUUU…..” Terrence said.
He was confused because he was certain they were in the truck with Ray. I thought you were in the truck with Ray.
It was at this time that Ray connected to Terrence again with a message.
“Hey Terrence, these plasma recorders are some nifty tech huh?”
“TERRENCE! YOU MANIAC!! HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT!!” played from the device in Ray’s hand.
“Have a fun dance with our non binary friend there.”
“Remember to be respectful.”Ray teased as he flew away.
“THAT CURR!!” Terrence hissed.
“No matter. I can dispose of him later.”
“I will make sure to end you here and now”
“‘Here and now’ was supposed to be about an hour ago when we last fought wasn’t it?” Zide said making fun of the novice pilot.
“You simply got lucky, but Ray turned tail and isn’t going to save you this time.
They engaged each other in combat. Zide zigging and zagging with pattenrs most unique to avoid the lasers and missiles Terrence attempted to throw at her. The Unit was one arm and one laser sword short this time. It could still shoot missiles, but it was harder to lock on to big metal trucks than small mobile humans. Zide’s strange flight pattern made it hard to hit them with lock on weapons. He had to rely on the mid-range vulcans and manual lasers to hit them.
The difference in combat experience was clear as day. While Terrence fumbled in his cockpit to use the right weapon with the right timing to hit his opponent, Zide was in complete control of the situation. They were flying in odd and weird angles so they couldn’t be easily targeted. Normally you can’t use a heavy laser alone in combat. It’s a weapon meant to be used in tandem with light infantry, but Zide was skilled enough to shoot as they moved, and even used the propulsion of the laser to work in concert with their movement. Less equipped than the first time, Terrence had no chance of hitting his target. Meanwhile, Zide landed 5 clean hits on his mech. 2 combined on the knee joints, 1 hit on the left arm, 1 hit on the cockpit, and 1 hit in the torso of the Unit. Zide was looking for the final hit to end this for good. To hell with Ray and his attempt to stop the escalation. They knew for the good of the universe, this lunatic couldn’t be allowed to take another breath.
Zide went on the move once more. Darting around space to close in on the newbie pilot. Terrence didn’t shoot at them as much this time around. It seemed like he gave up. Zide stayed committed to their zig zag regardless, and made their way to closer to get a point blank hit on the mech. They knew if they could land this. Terrence and his glittery trash can would be done for good. Terrence tried to swing the arm and feet of the mech to hit them, but nothing could land.
Zide closed in and prepared for the final blow. However, they felt the heat of the mech get hotter and the machine got louder by the second. This was a familiar sensation and they could guess what Terrence was trying to do.
“YOU IDIOT!!!!” Zide shouted, “with your mech in this state, that attack will kill you too.
“No, I am chosen and will survive regardless of the weapons formed against me.”
Zide flew away to let Terrence take care of himself, but he chased after them, determined to take them with him. Zide blasted away from him as fast as they could, but Terrence was still in range to hit them.
“This time you shall feel the warmth of justice.” Terrence said with certainty.
It was at this time the Ray was careening through space and through the asteroids in his rocket truck. Now drifting and turning in modern space vehicles isn’t easy. Since the wheels don’t really get a lot of traction in the vacuum of space, you usually need something solid for them to grab. Most drivers rely on asteroids or space debris to give their wheels something to drift on, but fortunately Ray was able to use the scraps of Trigo’s Freedom Unit to drift his truck at an angle as he sped towards Terrence and Zide.
SMACK
Ray hits the back of the previously damaged cockpit with the broad side of his truck and knocks it out of place. The cockpit is offline and Terrence can no longer control the Freedom Unit. He’s stuck in a giant motionless metal doll now.
“YEAH THAT’S HOW WE DO IT!!!” Ray Shouted. Quickly grabbing the comms unit, he reached out to Zide.
“You were a great help Zide. I knew I could count on you.” Zide let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m surprised this crazy plan actually worked old man.”
“I always believed in us, and so did you.” Ray replied, “No way you woulda put your neck out like that if you didn’t see the vision a little bit.”
They smiled at the nearly retired tax technician. Zide wasn’t exactly sure why, but they knew there was more to him than the personality he put on the surface. Beneath his leathery skin, his gray and spotted hair, there was someone who has seen more of this universe than you could witness in a hundred lifetimes Maybe that was why they trusted his plan.
“RAYMOND YOU LOW CLASS PHILLISTINE!!!” Terrence called into Ray’s comms unit. “How could you betray me like this?!!”
“How could you leave a bomb in my truck?”
“Well it was a defensive measure, you never know what’s out there in the galaxy. Having something for protection is always essential.” Terrence stammered nervously. He wasn’t sure till now that Ray would even find the explosive, and was doubly embarrassed he used it to destroy his top-of-the-line Freedom Unit.
“You’re right, there’s lots of danger in this here galaxy,” Ray answered, “but trouble usually doesn’t find you unless you go looking for it.”
“but I.”
“Shut it. If you let Zide and their boys take those 400 Roller printers away, your fancy little action figure worth about a million times more than that woulda gotten outta this unscathed.” Ray turned his attention back to Zide.
“So what do you wanna do now” Ray asked, “I reported to the folks at Archytas to pick up Terrence. Do you want to hang in the truck while we wait for your crew?”
“No.” answered Zide, “My gang should arrive soon enough, and they can take care of any medical needs when they get here.”
“Ok, but what about your… uh…. Y’know...” Ray motioned to Zide’s missing leg, feeling awkward about them suffering this great loss over some stolen printers.
“I told you, it’s fine. I don’t need two legs to float in a vacuum, and I can get a prosthetic later” assured Zide, “You should get home and clock out, or your grandson is gonna eat all the chocolate chip muffins” Yes Ray talked their ear off about his family too. There wasn’t anyone he wouldn’t brag about his big family to.
“Very well, you’re a tough gi… non-binary chick. You can handle yourself.” Ray said awkwardly, “did I get it right?”
“Sigh, close enough Ray. Take care of yourself, and your family.” Zide knew he was doing his best, and he could get a little slack for saving their life.
Zide’s communicator pinged and someone else’s voice came on speakers.
“Zide, Zide, do you copy? We’re closing in on the coordinates you sent us.”
“Well there’s my ride. You should get lost, unless you wanna meet some gangsters and tell them all your stories.”
“No thanks. I have a family to return to and some muffins to salvage. See ya later Zide!”
And Ray speed off towards home. It’s was a chaotic last day, and it seems Archytas will still be short a technician, but that’s not his problem. The only thing he has to worry about what to watch on the plasma screen as he’s kicking back, and how to keep his grandkids busy when he’s babysitting.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Zide and their gang. How Zide was kind and understanding even if they dealt in violence to solve their problems. How they were strong, but understanding of Ray’s position as a civilian. He thought about how the last thing he said to them was a lie.
“See ya later Zide”, Ray played back the thought in his head. He wanted nothing less than to see Zide again. They were a great person, and he learned so much about their gang in turn, which was their own family not too different from his. However, Zide was on the wrong side of the law. Ray knew that didn’t make them and their friends bad people, but he knew that meant they were an enemy of the Body Politick. According to Ray’s experience, anyone on the fighting against the Politick for any reason was usually morally justified, but the Politick had more firepower and more resources to crush anyone that stood against them, and that meant Ray and his family would be in unimaginable danger if he was even mistaken to be their enemy. Ray knew that if day that he and Zide would meet again were ever to come, it would be another day of chaos and violence like today. Maybe even worse.
But that was a problem for another day. Ray tuned the radio on his dashboard to his favorite jazz station, and marveled at the old metallic truck that supported him for ages during his time as a tech. The seats were aged and damaged, the windows were caked in many kinds of cosmic gases. Some of the components like his cupholders were falling apart even before he slammed it into the side of a giant military machine, but it’s been with him through thick and thin. He’d rather his last day was a much more peaceful than this one, but he was glad the ol’ contraption could carry him through one more job.
“I’m not sure what you’ll do after today.” Ray said to his truck, “but after I retire, I’ll make you outlive me. You’re so dependable, I’ll need you to look after the family when I’m gone.”
The truck didn’t have any ability for speech of voice recognition, but he knew it could understand him. With that, he blasted into the infinite cosmos, ready to start the new adventure of retirement.
THE END