Chapter 1 - The Ebon Phantom

"I can't move." 

A man was drifting along the infinite blackness of space. He appeared to almost be completely lifeless with his back curved.

He was clad in black and white tights with golden highlights on the sides. A name tag with the initials "Tyson" was pinned to his chest. 

"How long have I been drifting in space, hours, perhaps days? I can't tell. God! My mind is foggy, my Astro tech is almost fully drained and once it dries out, so will my astral skin, and I'll die from lack of oxygen." 

He tried to move his body in desperation, but to no avail... 

"This paralysis is that witch's hex. Is this how my story ends? Am I fated to die a loser? That too at the hands of the people I served for over a decade!?" 

More hours passed and Tyson's situation did not change. 

"It's so cold." He imagined hugging his body to stay warm, but alas, that was all he could do, imagine. 

 "They dumped me way out here without a planet or celestial body insight." 

Lost in his thoughts, he felt regret. Regret for being a loyal dog that served the bounty hunters association. 

"Even though I was a weak C-Grade Bounty Hunter, I completed all my missions, I did all their bidding. Even the tasks that seemed too degrading for hunters of a higher rank. I gave my all. So why?" 

Why would the people he served without questioning turn their backs on him? 

"I have all this rage, yet I can't even clench my fist. All this rage, yet there's nothing I can do." 

Tyson was overtaken by the feeling of hopelessness. He wanted to take revenge on the people that backstabbed him. But life is cruel, and we don't always get what we want. 

Hours passed and Tyson's Astro tech had finally lost all power. His astral skin was thinning out and with that, he saw his life flash before his very eyes.

He was weak at this point to the extent that he could not even garnish a thought.

His mind was completely blank as his body lost life with every passing second.

Just then, a beam of light shone down on the seemingly lifeless body of Tyson. Completely engulfed in this radiance, his body was pulled up in the direction of where the light came from.

A black space cruiser floated above him as he was sucked into the shutter of the cruiser.

"Oh my, what do we have here?" A man wearing a brown coat stood in front of Tyson's body.

He bent down to check his pulse. He sighed in relief as he pulled out his hand from Tyson's neck. 

"A few minutes more and you'll die from loss of oxygen."

He picked Tyson up and took him to a medical room where a female android wearing a nurse uniform stood waiting.

"Patch him up, will ya? He seems to be affected by a hex."

"Yes, captain."

Tyson was then stripped to his shorts and kept lying on a bed. She strapped him to the bed and injected several chords into his body. 

"Jeez, do you plan on turning him into a human porcupine?" 

A few minutes later... 

"His pulses have stabilized, captain," the female android said. "Although it would take an estimate of a day for his brain to regain all functionality." 

"Thank you, Xing. I'll take it from here." 

The android bowed and left the room. 

"You are one lucky bastard to have survived getting stranded in the middle of space Uhm..." The man checked the tag on Tyson's clothing.

"Tyson was it?" He got up and made his way to the exit.

"Only a select few could look death in the eyes like you did and survive. Rejoice about your new life, lad."

He finished leaving the unconscious Tyson alone in the room.

"Xing, we've wasted enough time already, set us back on course."

"Yes Sir."

"Next stop, Red Wine."

"Preparing thrusters for space warp. In 3...2...1..."

The cruiser releases a blast of astral energy from its thrusters and displaces a couple of light-years ahead in the blink of an eye.

This was the power of a space warp. The power that revolutionized intergalactic travel and made the vast cosmos much smaller than it was.

A day had passed and Tyson was starting to regain consciousness.

He opens his eyes. Still weak, he scans the room he was in.

"I'm alive?" He said softly while sitting up.

"Am I in a cruiser? The designs don't look like any from the association. Perhaps it's a private cruiser."

He removed the needles that were punctured into his body and released his strap.

Getting off bed, Tyson stood up and immediately lost his balance. He felt dizzy.

"So hungry." He muttered weakly, using the bed to support himself. 

Just then, the door bursts open and the captain walks in carrying a tray with food in it. 

"Rise and shine Snow-white!" The man exclaimed with a broad grin.

Tyson tilted his head and said; "Who the fuck are you?"

***

LOCATION:

GALAXY: MISTY TRAIL

PLANET: SKRULL

The sky was dead,  a meshy green by the radiance of the planet's green sun.

Skrull was one of the leading developing planets in the Misty Trail galaxy and also home to the galaxy's branch of the Bounty Hunters Association (Or BHA).

A man was going through some documents inside his office. He wore a white blazer with trousers of matching color. 

As he was browsing through the documents, he heard a knocking on his door. He crossed his legs and cleared his throat. 

"Come in." 

A woman in her early twenties walked in. She takes a few steps forward and then bows her head. "You called, Flagmaster?" 

"Ahh," The man raised his head and raised a monocle in his right eye. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of the beautiful woman in front of him. 

"You're looking as flamboyant as always, A-Grade bounty hunter, Mistique Gale." He complimented the woman for her strikingly beautiful looks. 

She flushed a little but dared not to lose face in front of a figurehead like him. 

"My gratitude, Flagmaster." She said, raising her head. "How may I be of service?" 

He keeps the documents and gets up. 

With his hands crossed behind his back, he walked around his desk and made his way to the woman. 

"I've heard you have taken out the trash as I asked." He smiled. 

"Y-yes, sir." Mistique was overwhelmed by the pressure of the man in front of her. 

Who wouldn't be? He was one of the 6 Flagmasters of the association. His combat skills were as topnotch as his tactical skills. What's more? He had the body of a champion, a handsome face to boot, and Mistique felt glad that this man was single. 

"It was for the sake of the association, sir." 

"Good, that trash could have become an issue in the future if not taken care of. So," He grabs Mistique's hand, much to her surprise. This time around she struggled to keep a stoic expression. 

Her heart skipped a beat as time seemed to move slower. The man moved his lips and all she could pay attention to was the perfection in his every being. 

"Please," he said. "Call me Harold." 

"Y-yes, sir ahh Uhm, Harold." 

"Great." He let go of her hand and turned to his desk, picking up a piece of paper. 

"Here," He hands her the paper which contained his signature. "Take a warship with you. That signature is all you need." 

Mistique tilted her head. "And what is it that I am to do with a warship, sir?" 

Harold smiled. "We received word that The Ebon Phantom was sighted along with the constellations of Red Wine." 

Mistique gasped. "The Ebon Phantom!?" 

As a bounty hunter, she has heard stories of the Ebon Phantom. 

"Yes, that black stallion. I'm sure you've heard about it from your peers. The cruiser and ship of one of the most wanted men in the cosmos. The man who used to be my senior before he defected," Harold's voice turned darker as he said the last part. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. 

His body released flashes of a faint red glow briefly before disappearing. "The Black King, Captain Victor." 

Mistique felt a chill run through her spine. 'Speaking about him alone was enough to set off an astral pulse from him. Just what kind of history did these two share?' 

She looked at Harold as he took a deep breath to regain control of his emotions. 

"That said. I'm giving you the mission to bring me his head. Dead or alive." 

She hardened her gaze as she stood in attention. "You can count on me, sir!" She left after saluting to the Flag master. 

"Victor..." Harold said softly to himself. "You chose the wrong time to resurface the cosmos. I will make you pay for what you did." 

... 

Tyson was munching down the food that was in front of him. 

"Easy there lad, you don't want to choke now, do you?" 

Tyson darts the man a look before resuming his feast. 

"Well, you're a vibrant one." 

"Thank you," Tyson said to the man after gulping down a glass of water. 

"For the food or for saving your life?" 

"For both." 

"Well then, you're welcome, Tyson." 

"Tsk," Tyson glares at the man in front of him. "How did you know my name?" 

"Oh, that?" The man laughed. "It was pinned to your suit." 

"Oh," Tyson only noticed that he had his clothes changed.

He gasped and darted the man a look housing murderous intent. 

"Hey old man, who changed my clothes?" 

"That would be me." A female voice answered from behind. 

Tyson silently gazes at the woman. "Good, I won't complain if it's a female android." 

The man bursts into a stream of laughter, slapping the back of Tyson. 

"You're one odd kid, you know that?" 

Tyson mumbled some words in annoyance. 

"Anyway, judging from your suit. You're a B-Grade or below bounty hunter, is that right?" 

"C-grade," Tyson answered. 

"Okay then. Which begs the question... What in the cosmos was a C-grade hunter who still relies on Astro tech to form his astral skin doing out in space? That, too, where no celestial bodies were nearby for the next couple of  light years." 

Tyson clenched his fists. 

"If I knew any better. I'd say you were dumped to die out, lad." 

"You seem to have everything figured out. So, why are you still prying?" 

"If I may, I would advise you to address the captain respectfully, seeing that he saved your life," the android said. 

A vein popped in Tyson's head. "And I'd advise you to mind your business you stupid tin can." 

"Captain, why don't we return this piece of trash right where we found him?" 

"Haha, forgive the lad's attitude, Xing. And boy, I'm a happy-go-lucky fellow. I don't mind you speaking to me in whatever tone you please." 

"But," The man gave Tyson a petrifying look. 

"I won't forgive anyone who badmouths Xing."

'Just who are these people?'

Tyson clicked his tongue as he turned to  Xing. "Sorry."

"There," The man smiled. "Now we're all friends." He clasped his hands together.

"I'll prepare lunch for you, captain, since a certain somebody ate your rations as well." She left the two to themselves.

"Sorry I ate all your food. And I am truly grateful to you for saving my life. If it's not too much to ask, mind dropping me at the nearest planet with a warp pad?"

"Haha, I don't see why not. Right after a game of space cards!" The man grinned.

Tyson plopped to the floor comically.

"Haha. You're a mad man, you know that?"

"I get a lot," the man joked.

"By the way, what do I call you?" 

He gets up and points to his chest. "Hehe, I go by many names, but you may call me Victor. Victor Night."