Chapter I: Sin of the Fathers
The City loomed up towards the sky. A vast ocean of steel and concrete, cold neon lights stretching for miles like a starfield. An enormous jungle where it was so easy to lose yourself.
In a dark, gloomy corner of the glorious modern city, a boy ran through the streets. Ignoring the stray cats that scattered before him, and the splash as he stepped through an overflowed drain, he charged up a flight of rickety metal steps, until he came to the hovel that was his home.
A single room apartment. Ignoring the corner designated as the kitchen, the boy headed straight to the "bedroom", where his mother was tending his father.
"Here," The boy said, out of breath. "Streets said you owe him one"
Mother took the offered bottle and poured nearly the whole thing down her husband's mouth. The boy couldn't help but stare at the ugly, red bandage on his father's side.
"Thank you, dear," His mother said. "This should kill the pain enough he can sleep."
"I don't understand," Said the boy, plopping down on one of the other two cots. "How come they hurt Da?"
"Those were very wicked men, they were threatening my friend and me" Mother explained. "Your father's a hero."
"I feel more like a pincushion" Father groaned.
"But what if there had been guards?" The Boy asked. "They would have thought Da was attacking them, they would have hurt him even more!"
"Oh, dear child" Mother said sweetly, running a hand through her husband's hair. "Just because people won't like you for it is no reason not to do the right thing"
"And besides, it's so much better nowadays" Father added. "When I was your age, I wouldn't even be able to go outside without being stoned!"
"Hush dear, you need your rest" Mother berated. "Come, we will take care of dinner"
"Don't let her burn it again" Father whispered as the boy went to follow, making him giggle.
-----
Candlelight was shaken from his deep memories by an unfortunate beeping.
"It's the Empire," Streets said with a scowl from the pilot's chair. "They've flagged us."
"Can we outrun them?" Candlelight asked, moving up to read the display on the radio.
"No good sir" One of the other crew called. "There's an Interceptor in the area."
"Very well" Candlelight nodded. "Tell them we'll submit to inspection"
"And here I thought this would be easy" Streets muttered as he complied.
With a roar, Flight Seven Seven changed course and headed for land. She was a refit flying fortress, all weapons removed of course, who cut a beautiful figure against the cloudy sky and clear blue ocean.
In fact, she fit in almost seamlessly with the Imperial Base she was soon touching down in, carefully and professionally maintained by her civilian owner. Said owner, by contrast, stepped out wearing a mask decorated with sea serpents and wearing a faded red cloak, sharp contrasts with the drab grey uniform of the officer approaching him.
"Flight 7 7, you are not slated to be in this air space" The man read off his clipboard almost robotically, before looking up and noticing the Mask. "Please explain what someone of your, er, "persuasion" is doing in this sector?"
Candlelight considered the man for a moment, also sparing a glance to the ranks of armed men encircling the airfield.
"I'm a smuggler" He finally, bluntly said.
The officer nodded than performed a doubletake.
"Are you... I will have you arrested for contempt" He warned.
"No, I'm being serious" Candlelight said calmly. "We can unload our cargo if you don't believe me"
"Yes, I think that would be best" The officer replied grimly, signaling for his men to "help" the crew.
Streets and the others removed a large metal crate from the cargo hold and then pried off the lid, revealing ranks of bottles filled with an electric blue liquid.
"Although, if you arrest me, I guess you'll have to explain to the High General why he never got his moonshine" Candlelight nonchalantly told the Officer.
He stared at Candlelight and the cargo for what seemed for a very long time, before sighing and shaking his head.
"Let them go," He said reluctantly. "They're cleared"
Candlelight bowed in thanks, before offering one of the bottles to the Officer.
"It is my hope" The man hissed in response. "That the rumors are true and a coup is in the works. Then, men like me will be able to crack down on scum on you and restore glory to the Empire"
He took the bottle anyways.
-----
Some hours later Flight 7 7 touched down once again, this time in a radically different setting. The poor, scrubland village was small. The sweeping, tent-city of refugees next to it was not. People from both groups came running out as the crew once again unloaded their cargo.
Candlelight once again approached the first carte, but this time pried off the side, revealing blankets, food packs, and Bibles. The crowd cheered as the contents from all the crates were hastily dispensed.
Somehow, in all the chaos, Streets managed to find Candlelight, sitting on one of the empty crates.
"We got lucky, you know," Streets said as a way of hello. "If they had run our number... Heck, just you wearing that darned mask"
"You know it's better than the alternative" Candlelight chided him. "We'll just need to wait for a storm to cover our return."
"Sometimes" Streets shook his head, opening a blue bottle and draining most of it in one gulp. "I wonder how you ever talked me into this"
Candlelight smiled, not that his friend could see, as he watched a couple children playing tag through the busy crowd of adults.
"Just because people won't like you for it" He recited. "is no reason not to do the right thing."
In a dark, gloomy corner of the glorious modern city, a boy ran through the streets. Ignoring the stray cats that scattered before him, and the splash as he stepped through an overflowed drain, he charged up a flight of rickety metal steps, until he came to the hovel that was his home.
A single room apartment. Ignoring the corner designated as the kitchen, the boy headed straight to the "bedroom", where his mother was tending his father.
"Here," The boy said, out of breath. "Streets said you owe him one"
Mother took the offered bottle and poured nearly the whole thing down her husband's mouth. The boy couldn't help but stare at the ugly, red bandage on his father's side.
"Thank you, dear," His mother said. "This should kill the pain enough he can sleep."
"I don't understand," Said the boy, plopping down on one of the other two cots. "How come they hurt Da?"
"Those were very wicked men, they were threatening my friend and me" Mother explained. "Your father's a hero."
"I feel more like a pincushion" Father groaned.
"But what if there had been guards?" The Boy asked. "They would have thought Da was attacking them, they would have hurt him even more!"
"Oh, dear child" Mother said sweetly, running a hand through her husband's hair. "Just because people won't like you for it is no reason not to do the right thing"
"And besides, it's so much better nowadays" Father added. "When I was your age, I wouldn't even be able to go outside without being stoned!"
"Hush dear, you need your rest" Mother berated. "Come, we will take care of dinner"
"Don't let her burn it again" Father whispered as the boy went to follow, making him giggle.
-----
Candlelight was shaken from his deep memories by an unfortunate beeping.
"It's the Empire," Streets said with a scowl from the pilot's chair. "They've flagged us."
"Can we outrun them?" Candlelight asked, moving up to read the display on the radio.
"No good sir" One of the other crew called. "There's an Interceptor in the area."
"Very well" Candlelight nodded. "Tell them we'll submit to inspection"
"And here I thought this would be easy" Streets muttered as he complied.
With a roar, Flight Seven Seven changed course and headed for land. She was a refit flying fortress, all weapons removed of course, who cut a beautiful figure against the cloudy sky and clear blue ocean.
In fact, she fit in almost seamlessly with the Imperial Base she was soon touching down in, carefully and professionally maintained by her civilian owner. Said owner, by contrast, stepped out wearing a mask decorated with sea serpents and wearing a faded red cloak, sharp contrasts with the drab grey uniform of the officer approaching him.
"Flight 7 7, you are not slated to be in this air space" The man read off his clipboard almost robotically, before looking up and noticing the Mask. "Please explain what someone of your, er, "persuasion" is doing in this sector?"
Candlelight considered the man for a moment, also sparing a glance to the ranks of armed men encircling the airfield.
"I'm a smuggler" He finally, bluntly said.
The officer nodded than performed a doubletake.
"Are you... I will have you arrested for contempt" He warned.
"No, I'm being serious" Candlelight said calmly. "We can unload our cargo if you don't believe me"
"Yes, I think that would be best" The officer replied grimly, signaling for his men to "help" the crew.
Streets and the others removed a large metal crate from the cargo hold and then pried off the lid, revealing ranks of bottles filled with an electric blue liquid.
"Although, if you arrest me, I guess you'll have to explain to the High General why he never got his moonshine" Candlelight nonchalantly told the Officer.
He stared at Candlelight and the cargo for what seemed for a very long time, before sighing and shaking his head.
"Let them go," He said reluctantly. "They're cleared"
Candlelight bowed in thanks, before offering one of the bottles to the Officer.
"It is my hope" The man hissed in response. "That the rumors are true and a coup is in the works. Then, men like me will be able to crack down on scum on you and restore glory to the Empire"
He took the bottle anyways.
-----
Some hours later Flight 7 7 touched down once again, this time in a radically different setting. The poor, scrubland village was small. The sweeping, tent-city of refugees next to it was not. People from both groups came running out as the crew once again unloaded their cargo.
Candlelight once again approached the first carte, but this time pried off the side, revealing blankets, food packs, and Bibles. The crowd cheered as the contents from all the crates were hastily dispensed.
Somehow, in all the chaos, Streets managed to find Candlelight, sitting on one of the empty crates.
"We got lucky, you know," Streets said as a way of hello. "If they had run our number... Heck, just you wearing that darned mask"
"You know it's better than the alternative" Candlelight chided him. "We'll just need to wait for a storm to cover our return."
"Sometimes" Streets shook his head, opening a blue bottle and draining most of it in one gulp. "I wonder how you ever talked me into this"
Candlelight smiled, not that his friend could see, as he watched a couple children playing tag through the busy crowd of adults.
"Just because people won't like you for it" He recited. "is no reason not to do the right thing."
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