The Chase

30 years...

I'd spent 30 whole years of my life searching for that darn treasure map.

That golden sphere, known as the map, possessed the location of Treasure Planet. With determination propelling me forward, I'd set out to acquire that map and achieve my life long dream, and nothing was going to get in my way. Not even him

Contemplating the next move, my crew and I deviated from our regular voyage to wind down at the local bar. It'd been awhile since we had a moment to relax, with the frantic search for the map and all.

While I waited for the waitress to deliver me my drink, I'd scanned my surrounding area. The room buzzed with activity. Various alien species were settled at the tables, engaged in conversation, enjoying their alcoholic drink. However, one man stood out from the rest.

He was a bulky man, sporting a worn out coat that completely covered his body and a floppy hat that casted a dark shadow over his face. He was alone, I acknowledged. Which was unusual, considering most people came here to enjoy a drink with friends or family, or in my case, to wind down after a stressful and unsuccessful journey. The man kept his head down, only lifting it slightly to take a swig of his drink.

Strange...

My gaze shifted to the big chest lying at his feet. It was a rusty old thing, with obvious signs of age. But what really stood out to me were the three symbols along the front. They appeared familiar, but I couldn't remember where I'd seen them before. Then it clicked, that was the chest Captain Flint had stored the map in, paranoid somebody would steal his treasure when he wasn't looking.

Then that man was Billy Bones, cabin boy to the well known Captain Flint.

Finally, I found him...

After identifying him, I wasted no time in barking orders at my crew to retrain him. They immediately abandoned their rum and attempted to close the space between Billy Bones and the exit.

The old space dog was on his feet in a second, backing up into a corner, one claw clutched around the chests handle. My crew surrounded him, armed with swords and guns, directing them at the geezer. No fear shone in his eyes, just steely determination. With Billy Bones pinned to the wall and his only exit blocked, I stepped forward, preparing to claim my prize.

Before I even had time to blink, the old geezer smashed the fire extinguisher. Th white smoke quickly filled the room, quickly filling my lungs. I had to cough to expell the thick blanket of white out of my system. Through my coughing fit, I managed to glance up in time to see a large silhouette disappearing out the door

Unfortunately, the emergencies sprinklers mistook the smoke for a fire and ended up soaking us with water. That only fueled my already increasing anger. Spinning around, I noticed my crew were just standing there with a stupid look at their faces, as if unsure what to do next.

"Well, what are yer waiting for, after him!" I ordered, directing a metal finger at the opened door.

Wide eyed, my crew scrambled out the door, tripping over one another as they did so. I rolled my eyes at their stupidity. If I could trade them in for a better group, believe me, I would. But they were all I had right now, so I had no choice but to put up with them.

I followed them out the door, glad to leave that smoky and wet bar, inhaling in breaths of fresh air. The moment I stepped outside, I noticed a trail of smoke shot across the sky. With help from my cyborg eye, I was able to zoom in on the object, clearly seeing that it was a small spacecraft. Through the small circled window, I caught sight of the old turtle settled in front of the window.

He thought he'd escaped us. But I wasn't going down without a fight. Not when that treasure map was just within my reach. I would rather die before giving up my life long dream.

"Get in the ship," I ordered my crew, noticing they were still hanging around, eyes fixed on the passing aircraft.

They rushed aboard, preparing for lift off. My first mate, Mr. Turnbuckle, took control of the steering wheel. With his four arms, he was able to fly and press buttons. Onus, my smallest crew member, obtained his place as look out. The rest climbed up into the shrouds to release the sails.

Anxiously, my gaze remained on the small aircraft as trail of smoke grew fainter and fainter. At this rate, he would escape us with ease. My mismatched eyes scanned the deck. My crew loaded their guns and took fire at the aircraft, too far away to get a single hit. The purple lights of the smaller craft flew into the distance, disappearing into the darkness. I released an angry growl until my eyes fell upon the ship's cannon. It had enough power to reach that old geezer.

Knowing we were running out of time, I barked orders at my crew, "Aim th' cannon!"

My eyes followed Grwnge, one of my crew members, as he rushed over to the unsupervised cannon, plopping himself in the seat. His giant hands covered the joy stick. I watched in suspense as he lined the weapon up with the aircraft. With a single flick of the wrist, a giant purple laser ball shot out. It movedalmost faster than the eye could see, lighting every planet nearby in the fiery glow. A smirk tugged at the corners of my lips as it made contact with the aircraft, leaving a huge, black dent in the side.

The sight of the crumpled panels and leaking smoke was wonderful. I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I nodded in satisfaction. The smoke trail had changed, now. My gaze followed it downwards, plummeting towards a planet down below. Now we could track him down with ease and receive our prize. It wouldn't be long until I had that map in my hands. I could just about touch that treasure. Gold... Jewels... Fortune! It was only a planet away. But enough daydreaming, our mission was not over yet until we got that guy.

My gaze found Turnbuckle standing at the helm, his tentacle wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. "Brin' 'er down, Mister Turnbuckle," I ordered the four-armed-alien.

Mister Turnbuckle saluted with his two spare arms. "Aye Captain." He twisted the wheel to one side, and the ship began to sink towards the unknown planet. I believed it was called Montressor. I had traveled to many planets, but I'd never been to this one before. It looked a bit too dull and lifeless for my taste. Guess that was why I'd never bothered travelling here.

The ship shook slightly, breaking me from my thoughts. It took only a second to realize that we had arrived at our destination. The ship hovered a few feet above the ground. Too big and heavy to land, and not enough parking space for us. It looked as if we were going to have to ride down on long boats. I barked out orders towards my crew, pointing to those I wanted to accompany me and for the others to guard the ship.

In no time, I was sitting in the small boat, floating down towards the ground with my eager looking crew. The smiles on their faces told me they would be willing to jump from this height and run to that aircraft to beat up Billy Bones for that map. They were leaning so far over, I was afraid they could slip and fall off.

However, I must admit that I couldn't keep the grin off my own face as I thought about that map and the loot of a thousand worlds. I was already imagining what I would spend all that money on. Of course, I would need to wear a disguise. I was an outlaw after all.

I landed the long boat next to a small wooden house that was perched on a hill. The first thing my crew did was attack the aircraft, guns held high in defense, swarming up the sides. I let them continue for a while, then followed them up into the craft, my cyborg arm switched into a gun, ready for battle. Not that it would be much of a fight. All of us against him, the thought almost made me laugh. My eager look morphed into confusion as my crew faced me emerged from the hatch of the craft to meet me, guns lowered. "He's not in there," said one of them.

My glare hardened, my body beginning to tense up from the anger that was building up inside. My hands clenched into fists. With one angry glance at my crew, I noticed they were shaking, creating distance between me and them. I could have easily gutted each and every one of them for letting that old turtle get away. I deeply breathed in and out, controlling my temper - we weren't done yet, and I needed them to help me find Billy Bones.

In a minute I was more calm, and my gaze instantly went to the wooden house my eyes had landed on moments ago. It was the only place close enough for that old turtle to escape to. Whoever lived there must had seen Billy Bones crash onto the deck and decided to help him. Big mistake. "Let's head ta t'at house. He is sure ta be t'ere," I ordered, my voice full of determination.

My crew and I hastily made our way down the dirt path, guns held high. A line of light invaded my vision, using my organic hand to shield my eyes from the beam. It only took me a moment to realize someone had rolled the curtain up a crack, just enough for the stranger to peer out of. But just as fast as it slid opened, it closed just as quick. I smiled to myself. So he was hiding in there, was he? When we reached the door I tried the doorknob - it was locked.

Without hesitating, I swiftly switched my cyborg arm into a cannon. Not giving my crew any warning before blasting the door down. The purple laser flew straight through the wood like liquid, leaving a huge gaping hole in its place.

I allowed my crew access to the house first. Running in, they began ripping it apart, desperately searching for the map. The air filled with the loud sounds of clatters and crashes. One of my crew smashed the ceiling lamp in his hurry. Fire bloomed on the ground, dancing along the floor gracefully, and the air began to grow hot. My gaze flickered from the red and orange flames towards the ground where a familiar body laid, formerly known as Billy Bones. I gently kicked him, but he didn't even stir. The old space dog was good as gone. I noticed his old chest lying beside him, wide open. It was as if it was begging me to look inside. I eagerly leaned over the chest, a grin forming on my lips. I stared into the dark leather box, scanning it over with my night vision. My excitement soon faded into disappointment, realizing it was nothing but an empty chest. The map was gone.

"Where is it?" I heard a shout, bringing me back to reality. Clatters of kitchen ware alerted me of my crew's presence once again, shaking my head to clear my thoughts.

I heaved myself back onto my two feet with a soft grunt. "It's got to be here somewhere!" another voice said, the same rage in his tone. A loud bang caused me to flinch. I lifted my gaze to see a table had been flipped over, next to it stood one my smallest crew member, roughly breathing through his mouth in frustration.

My gaze switched towards the stairs, the only thing that seemed undamaged in this small house. Surely the owners of this place must had fled onto the second floor. There was nowhere else they could be. Pointing to the stairs, I glared directly at my crew. "Find it!" They immediately got the hint, dashing up the wooden steps, guns in hands. Nodding in satisfaction, I followed slowly behind, holding up my cyborg hand which I had changed into a gun. My mismatched eyes scanned the area as I continued my way to the top, keeping my guard up. I could smell the strong scent of smoke, growing stronger as it multiplied, and held a hand over my nose.

I finally reached the top, hearing the loud thud as my cyborg feet touched the wood. My eyes immediately spotted my crew, they were looking out the window, their backs turned to me. Raising an eyebrow, I trudged over to the bunch, roughly pushing past them. I could feel the glares on the back of my neck, but wasn't bothered by it. I was far too busy staring in shock at what I saw outside. In the distance was a carriage riding away, it had to be the people that lived here. I felt my blood boiling. My hands clenched into fists so tightly that they were turning pale white. "Blast it!" I slammed my cyborg fist into the nearest wall, making a huge gaping hole. Well, it was not like this house wasn't already destroyed. I pulled my hand back, shaking off bits of rock that had fallen from the crack.

Turning back around, I stared into the fearful faces of my crew. They instantly locked eyes with me, standing up straight like soldiers, hands at their sides.

"N-Now what should we do, Captain?" Onus asked. He was a short little fellow with eight eyes poking out from the top of his head. He had a green body of a slug with tiny arms

Rubbing my chin, I took a step forward, their eyes widened in fear. "T'ose people will be wantin' ta go to Treasure Planet after t'ey find out t'at orb is a map. We will be hired as t'eir crew," I explained with a smirk, my eyes gazing out the window, staring into the darkness of the night. "We will strike 'em w'en we get ta Treasure Planet." My crew members exchanged grins, murmuring their agreements. I smirked, staring up at the thousands of stars in the sky, blinking down on me.

Those people were going to regret they ever found that map.

Tomorrow, we were heading to the Space Port.

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