John walked through a crowded side street and into a doorway that had a small sign above it. "I just traveled 30,000 light years for this bar so it better be good. The last one was a pure disappointment, so much for that 'get ready for the experience of your life' bullshit."
"Welcome to Ripped Spirits, what can I get for you tonight?" The barkeep asked as he was cleaning a table.
"Give me a bottle of your strongest stuff, and don't worry, I have money to burn." Said John
"You sure? For the entire bottle it's money up-front."
"Yes I'm sure, how much?"
"500 Xel." The bartender said as he began to reach for the very top of the 12-foot-tall shelf and grabbed what seemed to be a wine bottle
'Damn, that's almost as much as what it cost to even get here' John thought. "It better be good for that price." he lifted his forearm towards the bartender with his palm facing up.
The bartender copied John's movement and placed his forearm above John's.
*beep* "transaction complete" they both heard a voice say in their heads.
The bartender grinned. "Oh trust me Mr. Rich Man, you've never had anything like this in your life."
"I've heard that before," said John.
He grabbed the bottle and unscrewed the cork as he sat in the corner booth. When he poured the drink out into a glass cup, what came out was a sort of blue liquid that seemed to sparkle with the light. 'What the hell?' He thought. "I'll give you this, I've never seen anything like it before."
"Of course not." The bartender said, "You humans wouldn't even be offered this at most bars since it's a traditional ceremonial Pottl drink, and that one there is my family's recipe. But I'm not one for traditions, and seeing as you have the Xel I see no problem in sharing. Fair warning though, don't drink too much at-"
Before the barkeep could get his last words out John was already taking a big swig straight from the bottle until it was empty. Not a second later, he felt a stream of magma pour down his throat, down to his chest, and into his stomach. He became instantly dizzy.
"You idiot! Listen before you drink something you don't know about" the barkeep said, "now you'll probably be blacked out all week."
John lifted his bottle up towards the light, "Now THISH is what i've been looking for the longest thime. Old man, you got anymore of thish? I hwant some more for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? But he just said you'll be blacked out all week. You sure that won't kill you?" An older man seemed to have walked into the bar and into the conversation smiling towards John.
"That's not something you gotta worry ab-" as John looked up, the man saw an instant expression of recognition from John.
"Long time so see Johnny, seems like you haven't forgotten this old man."
"How could i Poshibly forget about you Malroy" John said as he gave him the side-eye with droopy eyes. "Also, we both know that this thing won't last that long. I've got you and your friends to thank for that."
Malroy laughed. "Yes yes I know, I was only joking. May I sit?" He gestured towards the seat opposite of John.
John flicked his head to the side and moved the cup that he had previously filled forward. Malroy sat down and looked at John for a couple of seconds trying to figure out what to say, but before he could say anything John, who was already looking sober, looked up at Malroy, "Now, what is a top government scientist doing sitting opposite of me in a bar on this side of the Universe?"
"Well you see, I'm on vacation. My wife always wanted-" "cut the bullshit old man."
Malroy stopped talking, took a small sip of his drink, whinzed, and looked up at John. "While it is true that on paper you're officially retired, did you think that the conglomerate wouldn't keep an attentive eye on its favorite living weapon?"
"I figured that much, but why are you of all people here on their behalf-" John paused, and then nodded to himself. "Hey barkeep, I know you must have some more of this in the back. Get it for me, as much as possible."
The barkeep had heard what Malroy said and nodded understandingly to John's words, "yeah sure. I'll be back in a minute, I think I've got two or three more bottles somewhere downstairs."
Once the barkeep was gone John once again looked at Malroy, "Speak. What do they want from me?"
Malroy gave a smile of defeat, "Still as astute as ever I see." He took another sip from the drink, "The upper brass thought that considering our relationship it would be best for me to be the person to see you after all this time. Here's the thing, they want you out of retirement. There's something big going down that needs a person of your skills."
John gave Malroy a serious look, "No thanks. I already did more than my fair share during the war."
Malroy grabbed an XT key from his suit's inner pocket and put it in front of John on the table. "I understand, but here me out at least. I think this is your opportunity to finally leave all of that behind. The conglomerate had a meeting last month. If you get this done you will no longer be under surveillance, the government will no longer approach you with any military business, and you will get a platinum visa to all sects within Alestar, plus a very comfortable 5 billion Xel."
"You've gotta be kidding me," John said "just what would make those prideful dickheads with sticks up their asses offer such a good deal."
"What you say is true." Malroy laughed. "Normally those god-complex assholes wouldn't even think of offering you such a good deal, but this mission is not the only reason that they decided to approach you. After the war, stories of "monsters" that would destroy enemy bases in a single night began to surface. The Korgani have been asking questions. That plus on our side there's a paper trail that some people have begun to notice. The project was not a small operation and it wasn't possible to keep everything secret, some people have begun asking questions. And now they are doing everything they can to put everything under the rug. This agreement is not just to complete the mission, but also to end the current paper trail that keeping an eye on you has been leaving behind, believe it or not there's hundreds of people in charge of making sure that you stay within the eye of the conglomerate."
John didn't say anything for a while. This was indeed a good deal, he could finally get rid of the government's leash that had been placed upon him even after his "retirement". But something still didn't make sense.
"If they are trying to get rid of the evidence, why offer me such a good deal? Why not just get rid of me all together?" John studied Malroy's body for any reaction. "Wait, are you drunk? Are you that big of a lightweight?"
"What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine" Malroy said.
"Fine my ass your swaying side to side. God old man you've always been a mess"
Malroy tried to stop his swaying but the dizziness was not letting it happen. "Now now, no need to be so mean. Back to what you were saying. It's true, getting rid of you would be much easier than just letting you go. But the death toll and damage from the battle to take you out would be akin to a small-scale war. It would do nothing but make tensions rise and cause the already prying eyes to look even harder. So it was concluded that this was the best option.
John chuckled a little, then grabbed the XT key and began inspecting it. "Fair enough. Then say I was to accept, what exactly is this mission about?"
"Everything is in there, though since it's top secret the actual details will only come up once you're near the meeting point. You'd also be expected to start today."
"Meeting point? Who am I meeting?"
"That's also top secret."
"Really now?" John's curiosity began to get the better of him. 'Just what would warrant this much secrecy and promise of rewards'
Malroy pushed his drink back towards John, "Well? What do you say? Think about it"
"Alright, I'll do it." John wasn't fully convinced, but this offer was too good to pass up. He had to at least try, the thought of finally leaving it all behind was more than tempting. "Hey barkeep! What's taking so long with those drinks?"
Malroy didn't say anything for a couple of seconds, his face looking sort of gloomy. "Hey john"
"Yeah what's up?"
"Be careful, make sure you have everything you can possibly pack."
John looked at Malroy with a bittersweet smile, "What? After everything that's happened you're still worrying about me? Don't worry about it, my ship is always locked and loaded. Old habits and all."
"I'm just saying be careful, that's all. This one is different from the rest." Malroy had a hesitant expression on his face, like he wanted to say more but was holding back.
"Don't worry, before you know it I'll get it done and then you'll be buying me celebratory drinks."
At this time, they began hearing noises from the back of the bar "alright, here you go." The barkeep had six bottles that were all different sizes and colors. "This here is my personal stash, but seeing as you're a big spender I'm willing to give it to you for the right price."
"How about I start paying now?" Said Malroy with a warm smile. "How much?"
"3,000 Xel"
"Excuse me?" Malroy could've sworn he misheard.
"3,000 Xel" the barkeep said with a smile as he put his forearm forward waiting for payment.
"You don't have to pay if you don't have the money." John said
"Who do you take me for kid? I have the money. Here" Malroy raised his forearm and placed it under the barkeep's
*beep* "Transaction Complete"
Malroy felt shivers as he heard those words 'I just HAD to offer to pay. Oh well, this should hopefully make it a bit easier for him'
"Well, take these and head out. You'll begin running late if you stay too long"
John began grabbing the bottles, having to hug them to grab them all. "What are you gonna do now?"
"For starters i'm gonna look for a place to sleep, whatever was in that bottle was more than this old body could handle" Malroy rubbed his eyes while leaning against the wall
"Alright old man. I guess this is goodbye 'til i come back" John said
"Yeah… see you later johnny"
…
Back on his ship, John put his newly acquired bounty into a shelf. He then walked to the center console and grabbed the XT key out from his pocket. He studied it for a second. "Freedom huh? I wonder what that feels like."
He inserted the key into a hexagonal port next to the pilot's seat and tuned into the comms.
"Traffic control, this is ship number R7L1C, requesting permission to head out"
Not long after he sent his request he heard a response, "Ship R7L1C, this is traffic control. Exit permission has been granted. Please head out in the next two minutes, and thank you for visiting Kayel Station."
"Heard loud and clear. Heading out now"
The airlock doors for his ship's loading dock began opening, and John turned his thrusters on and went out. "Definitely gotta come back, that barkeep better have some more of that stuff next time. System, run the XT key. Let's see what those conglomerate dickheads think is special enough to warrant my freedom."
His center console began glowing green. A voice came from the ship's audio system, "Intergalactic travel required to arrive at the destination. All passengers please take their designated seats and buckle up properly. Heading to jump station now"
…
"Those hyper gates really are something else. Now, where the hell am I?"
A bright blue glow came from the star in the center of this solar system. His ship was now closing in on a giant green planet.
The ship's system turned on once again. "We have arrived at our destination, welcome. Galaxy: [ERROR], System:[ERROR], Closest celestial body: [ERROR]"
'What was that?' John was surprised. What kind of planet wasn't named. More than that, what kind of galaxy isn't named? He walked up to the center console and looked again at the navigation location. He couldn't believe his screen.
Navigation System(location:self)
Galaxy: [ERROR]
System: [ERROR]
Closest celestial body: [ERROR]
Closest celestial body statistics:
Circumference: 342,762mi
Average temp: 84 degrees Fahrenheit
Breathability: Very High
Before he could ask himself anything else the center control glowed blue. "Hey Johnny boy, it's me. Listen to this message and listen well."
'Malroy? Why is his voice playing?'
"First things first, i'm sorry. Everything i said when we met was a lie. Well, mostly. There is no secret mission, and no reward. But what i said about the conglomerate getting rid of the project's evidence was true. Although what i told you about the reward did indeed come up in that meeting, those bastards couldn't just let their biggest weapon walk around the populous with hush money. In the end, they decided that you would be sent somewhere where no one could find you, where you wouldn't be able to escape, make a racket, and most of all: somewhere you wouldn't present a threat to those assholes responsible for this whole thing. The place where you are now is not in any official map or record anywhere. It's a place in a deep corner of the universe. You'll no longer be able to drive your ship. The course has been hard-set to the planet you see below you, if you somehow survive the crash there is extreme interference within that particular planet so you also won't be able to communicate outwards." At this point, Malroy's voice started to crack. "I'm- i'm sorry johnny boy. I swear I didn't want this to happen. When they approached me with the plan i did everything i could to change their minds but there was nothing that i- that i could do. They have my wife and daughter Johnny, i had no other choice. It was either this or they killed them. I beg you to forgive me, i wanted you to live a good life. You don't deserve this, the things that they had us do to you kids, It was inhuman. You've already suffered enough for these people. It's not fair." Malroy's sorrowful cries could be heard through the audio message for a couple of seconds before it cut out.
John stood in front of the center console. Frozen in shock, his entire body shook. His eyes were red with both rage and sadness.
"Now entering atmosphere, please buckle up" the Ship's system announced
"Huh?" John managed to snap out of his shock. His jaw still clenched and eyes narrowed with anger. He strapped himself into the pilot's seat and braced himself.
…
It only took about 5 minutes after the heat shields began burning to reach the point where the ship's manual systems were working again, but it seemed like the thrusters were electronically damaged from the override program inside the XT key.
"Damnit!" John screamed. 'The ship was made for these kinds of descents in mind but without the thrusters I have no way of decelerating. I have nothing except the flaps and rudder." John could see the thick jungle below him getting closer. 'Wait. there, that might work' John finally saw a small clearing. He adjusted the rudder enough to aim towards it. "Fuckers! When i make it out of this planet i'm going to kill every single one of you!"
His ship has slowed down a bit but without any thrusters it was still gonna be a potentially fatal landing even for him.
"10 feet from ground" the system announced
"Here we go," said John. He gripped the steering gears.
…
"Critical hull damage detected, Critically hull damage detected" the system was on a loop
*cough* *cough*
John was dazed, his entire body pulsed with pain. 'What happ- right, the crash.' He opened his eyes and it was nighttime, he could still see the giant forest in the distance. 'I gotta stand up, I need to check the damage.' As he said that he tried moving, but he was stuck for some reason. "Well that's not good," when he looked down at his torso, he noticed there was a metal rod embedded diagonally into his stomach.
"Fuck me"