Comic:Starcommand
From CGWiki
| Starcommand | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist: | Redshine (aka Bridget) |
| Writer: | Bridget (aka Redshine) |
| Characters: | quite a few and increasing |
| Updates: | Usually Wednesdays and weekly with exception of Australian school holidays. |
| Began: | some time in 1990/91 |
| Ended: | not so soon anyway |
| Art style: | Graphic novel |
| Rating: | Web-14 |
| Website | Website |
Contents |
Plot
The whole story is set 'In a Galaxy, Far, Far Away' - you get the drift.
This particular galaxy is ruled by the Royal Family and the Senate and generally quite a peaceful place - give or take the one or the other diplomatic glitches here and there. Economy is busy and as everywhere else, there are the very rich, the very poor and the average somewhere in the middle.
Interstellar travel is greatly aided by the use of a mineral Pegathrijs which is painstakingly mined in four very large mines throughout the galaxy. It is presently very affordable and reduces fuel consumption by a rather mindbogglingly enormous rate.
Enter the villain of the story: Modorerh. He's one of the very rich of the galaxy and it's more than doubtful that he got to the place he is by legal means. At present he's determined to gain trading monopoly on Pegathrijs by snatching up the mines, two of which he already owns.
As everywhere else, also here there are corrupt politicians in the Senate - some more, some less - and other places. This is where the Secret Service of the galaxy is busy trying to keep things under relative control. Besides their official HQ they also have a secret one where the real deals are done. Answering directly to the Royal Family, the Secret Service endeavor to maintain law and order as a whole and have no reservations about employing some minor pirates, smugglers and such like in turn, turning a blind eye on their business activities as exchange for their cooperation.
Chapter 1 - Smugglers
We first meet our heroes, Penny and Kimo, on the run from one of Modorerh's task forces after having lightened him of a load of Pegathrijs which they intend to sell to the Secret Service. The two are smugglers and Penny has taken to supplying the Secret Service with freight and services in return for decent payment. Despite the fact that she's a smuggler, she also is a fan of justice and doesn't look with too friendly an eye on corruption amongst politicians and such. But firstly, she is a smuggler and the pay is good.
Penny's spaceship gets damaged in the chase and she repairs it at the cost of the Secret Service. Vengeance in mind she wants to get some more Pegathrijs of Modorerh. Together they enter the villain's headquarters in disguise and are met by an old fiend, betrayed and subsequently imprisoned. After being tortured by some Vogonic poetry readings they manage to escape by stealing and old spacecraft with a couple of stow-away refugees hidden somewhere on board.
Chapter 2 - The Black Moon
As they flee Modorerh's gigantic castle in a stolen spacecraft they become aware of a couple of stow aways that their friend Skita has already informed them about. After having crashed the spaceship into a cave in order to deter their pursuers from looking any longer for them it becomes apparent that one of the stow aways, Moonlight, is heavy with child and Penny immediately makes plans to find her another passage home. However, this plan goes awry and our two smugglers end up escorting their new-found friends back to their planet where they are warmly welcomed by Stormdancer and Moonlight's tribe.
Kimo has since found out that Moonlight had been held hostage by Modorerh in order to ensure safe mining for his thugs on Stormdancer's planet. Curious what it all is about he wants to stay on. Soon they find out that a part of Stormdancer's tribe has been captured and is now drudging away in slave labor in the mine. As a rescue mission is launched, both smugglers accompany the troupe. Kimo out of idealism, Penny because she's smelling a rat. Trouble, which seemed to have started brewing on the relationship front between him and Penny seems temporarily under control due to Kimo's persistence on the matter. He now knows part of Penny's secret past and has to come to terms with what he learned about her.
Chapter 3 - Breaking Free
Chapter 3 picks up, of course, where chapter 2 left off and finds our heroes along with a band of natives close to the secret mine to rescue those enslaved by the tyrant. Though both of the smugglers are present, they have come along for different reasons. Kimo is an idealist and just wants to help, whereas Penny has a suspicion which could very well pay off for both of them in the future.
Equipped with an earpiece to follow Kimo's instructions, Penny and some of the other rescuers enter the accommodation building in which the captives are housed for the night, locked away in cells. Kimo stays hidden outside to coordinate the effort. Security is shoddy at best and the small band of rescuers have no trouble locating the prisoners they actually want to rescue. Kimo's technical skills allow him to unlock the door remotely and soon afterwards the imprisoned natives and their tribesmen are re-united. On the way out, Penny takes a little detour on her own to verify her suspicions and in the for the night closed mine she finds confirmation. Modorerh is secretly mining a huge stockpile of the coveted mineral Pegathrijs, thus making this the fifth mine within the galaxy.
Making plans in her mind for what they could do, Penny quickly heads off to follow the others on their retreat into the mountains and nearly bumps into a pair of guards just outside. Whilst Penny manages to remain undetected, one of the freed prisoners accidentally kicks a little stone, thus attracting the guards' attention. The alarm is sounded and a skirmish ensues as everybody tries to get away as quickly as possible. During the course of the combat, Kimo is shot during his effort to protect Penny who loses her footing and falls off a cliff.
Whilst Stormdancer and his tribesmen manage to bring Penny to safety, Kimo was less lucky. We find him in a prison cell for humanoid inmates, being cared for by two fellows whom we later find out know Penny from her childhood. Penny in the meantime returns to the scene with a small band of warriors and enters the prison building where she is promptly assaulted by the guards before being thrown into the same cell as Kimo who is decidedly unwell and unconscious. Penny has a joyful reuning with Kris and Cohn who grew up in the same village as herself but left about a decade earlier than Penny herself.
During the night and with the help of Stormdancer's warriors all the prisoners of the building manage to escape. Whilst most of them steal a large freighter which was parked out the front and vanish, Penny and the others return to Stormdancer's village with the Frisbee where Shadow, the healer, tries to heal Kimo's injuries. She has to admit defeat and in the process reveals that Penny is not entirely human. In fear for Kimo's life, Penny decides to leave and take him to a hospital. Cohn and Kris as well as Greyleaf and a stow-away-Sparkle join her on the endeavour. After several attempts to access hospital care fail, Penny opts for a solution that seems the only way out for her.
Chapter 4 - Challenges
Desperate to obtain help for Kimo's by now very serious condition, Penny heads to her homeplanet with the intention to ask her mother, who is the tribe's healer, for assistance. The chief surprises them at her secret hideout and a clash seems inevitable.
Characters
Penny
Penny is 22 earth years old and comes from the Planet Karain. The people in general there are simple folks and whilst interstellar travel is known to them, they live a chosen existence of tribal life as hunters and gatherers in a patriarchal society.
Penny ran away from home at age 17 to escape a politically arranged marriage and has been a smuggler ever since. She has a heart of gold but a quick temper that tends to get her into trouble more often than not. A word of advice: NEVER EVER play Star Poker against her - you'll loose.
Kimo
Kimo is 26 earth years old and an idealist. Not much is known about him apart from that he has been orphaned as an infant and subsequently raised at one of the intergalactic orphanages. He is an excellent pilot and provides a balance for Penny's quick temper.
Skita
Though Skita so far only has played a role in Chapter 1 of the story, there is promise of her showing her pretty face again some time later during the plot. She is 31 earth years old and was born on Quasantringal. She is a dancer and whilst she may appear naive and 'blonde' at first, there's more to her than catches the eye.
Greyleaf
Greyleaf was born on the Black Moon of Kolltaris and is a for his race youthful 455 earth years old. He is a warrior and skilled archer. Having lost his lifemate & daughter in a hunting accident he has nothing left that he considers worth while staying for. He therefore decides to explore the galaxy with Penny & Kimo.
Modorerh
Now, here we come to the principal villain of the story so far. Whilst not much has been seen of him so far, it is by now clear that his fingers are in a fair number of pies all at the same time. His rather impressive fortified palace is on Calris where he was born 823 earth years ago, which makes him about middle-aged for the average Calrisian.
He comes from a rich family, however, most of his pursuits to maintain his riches have been of the illegal kind. Presently he seeks to obtain the monopoly for the mineral Pegathrijs and is not too fond of Penny & Kimo's interference with this little project.
Background
I started this comic in 90/91 because I was so terribly bored at school and desperately needed some entertainment during the lessons ... That's the reason the first chapter is only in black & white and artistically not as advanced as maybe chapter 2 will be. The layout sucks too, because I had to pull the whole lot apart in an effort to translate it into English (blessed Photoshop - most things are possible ...).
I'm a huge fan of sci-fi and fantasy, so this probably will end up kind of a merger between those two. There's quite a number of references to 'The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' and its sequels, Star Wars, Star Trek and in chapter two also to my absolute and all time favorite: Wendy & Richard Pini's Elfquest.
Chapter 2 is a continuation of the story, however, I don't mind if people want to view it as some sort of fan-comic for Wendy & Richard Pini's Elfquest art. Copyright stuff has been checked with them and due to the fact that this is a non-profit venture and doesn't take place in the EQ environment it's okay with them. I'm working on some individuality with the characters, however, some of them cannot deny their origin.
