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That's it, he’s gone mad. Jimmy swears he’s seen the alien criminal around, spotted him in the corner of his eyes! The creature always seems to evade him!
The guy, Tango as he's heard his many accomplices say before, is a very tricky one. He’s fast, rude, and very prone to getting caught. Despite that he always seems to get away!
The first time Jimmy met him he insulted him. The next few times was just a standard cat and mouse chase around the current solar system, Jimmy couldn’t follow him when the man eventually got away. He didn’t have the right to pursue him if it wasn’t his solar system, since he wasn’t part of the police force there.
Since first catching the man it had been his mission to catch him just so he could see the look on the Blazeborn’s incredibly smug face fall once he realizes he can’t get away. It makes him giddy just thinking about finally being respected enough once he actually arrests him himself, and not just sending his force out on him. He’s strong! That's why he was chosen by Joel himself to be a sheriff of such a large and well known solar system!
They were counting on him to be competent for once in his life. He’d capture Tango and bring him to justice, he knows he will.
That's why he’s so focused on getting him every time he even catches a glimpse of him or someone who looks similar in his peripherals, and why he's so focused right now. Taking a patrol around the small planet, he's keeping his guard up.
One of the more popular planets in the solar system other than the trader's one, it's a tourist planet. He's not sure why it's so popular, something about the location of the great wipe of most of the Enderian races. He didn’t pay attention in his galactic history classes, the human history they learn in middle school is definitely enough history he needs. He’s not sure how much more he can fit it all in his head.
That doesn’t matter now though, because he's sure he just saw the thief and he's not taking any chances. He walked up to a roped off area, making sure no one was doing anything suspicious. He crossed his arms and looked around at the people around. He is very sure that he’s looking like one of those mall cops, but this is serious.
He could feel vibrations from his walkie-talkie like phone, or that's what he calls it. He thinks other non-earth based aliens call it a speaker or something. Personally he thinks walkie-talkie is way better and funnier. Plus, Earth has something called a speaker! He picked up the device and held it to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Jimmy! Are you still on duty?” A shocked and slightly offended voice shouted through the speaker device.
Jimmy sighed as Grian’s voice rang through his ears. The man had told him to take a break earlier but as soon as he heard news of the thief that might be here, he abandoned that idea immediately.
“No..?” Jimmy said, unsure of the consequences.
“Well you obviously are if you’re responding on your speaker!” The avian grumbled, his annoyance evident through the device. Jimmy winced.
“I wouldn’t have to be calling you on here if you were using that phone thing of yours you use.”
“Listen, i’ll get off work once I finish this thing, alright?” He muttered. He could hear Grian sigh, and he could hear the disappointment ring through his voice as he started complaining.
“The day I start believing you is the day I die.”
“So kind of you, G.” Jimmy scoffed.
“I’m serious Jimmy, why have you been so caught up in work lately?” Grian asked, and Jimmy didn’t have the heart to reply truthfully. He didn’t want to say how he didn’t feel like enough, or how he still felt like he needed to earn the respect of everyone around him. Earn the respect of Joel.
“I just need more money.” He lied easily.
“You know we can help, Jim.” He could hear the sadness in Grian’s voice. Jimmy really didn’t want to be a bother, it wasn’t even true, it was a lie!
“I’m fine.”
They both didn’t speak for a moment. Then he heard a sigh from the other side of the phone.
“Alright. Just–”
Jimmy thought it was luck that shouting and loud crashing sounds had cut Grian off from whatever he was about to say. Jimmy shouted a small ‘Sorry Grian, duty calls!’ and hung up quickly, thankful for the distraction.
Oh right, now he has to actually pay attention to whatever chaos is happening now. He groaned at the idea of actually doing his job but sucked it up, taking out a gun and pushing through a crowd of people.
“What's going on!” He shouted, looking around the crowd.
“Thief!” Someone from the concession stand shouted, and Jimmy immediately brightened up, it was him! He wasn’t going crazy! Jimmy walked up to the man behind the counter of the concession stand.
“What happened, sir.” Jimmy asked calmly, trying to de-escalate the situation.
“Someone! Some, some, some idiot Blazeborn stole from my stand! He took half my stock!” An angered Enderman alien shouted, an alien type native to the solar system and planet. Characterized by their unfathomable height and black leather-like skin. They have the tendency to get angered when making direct eye contact, and also have a short temper in general.
“Sir, calm down. We’ll get it under control. Where did he go, do you know?” Jimmy asked calmly.
“Like I should know, that's your job!” The alien shouted again, basically screaming in his ear at this point.
“If I can’t get you to calm down sir we’re going to have to force you to get it under control.” Jimmy reached behind him, pulling out his speaker device secretly and pressing on a single button. He clicked it three times, the signal that he needed back up. It would send a transmission or something to his team that he needed help, he wasn’t really sure how it worked.
“Force me? Force me! You have to arrest the thief first!”
Jimmy covered his ears slightly as more people crowded around them at a safe distance away. Jimmy looked up at the raging Enderman, Panicking. “Sir we can’t know where he went unless you tell us the direction he left in!”
“I’m not supposed to do your job for you!” Goddamnit this man was reminding him of when he worked on the police force back on earth.
As Jimmy frantically tried to calm the man’s anger, backup had slowly started arriving and Jimmy could leave safely. He pulled out his gun and walked around, passing by people who just wanted to avoid the chaos happening back at the other stand. He saw people slowly walking away from the scene, entering other areas in the galactic park.
The other side was the complete opposite from the chaos he was dealing with. It was like an undisturbed heaven. Maybe the thief had gotten away but he’d be happy to stay in this part of the park even if he didn’t have to find the guy.
But finding the guy would still be pretty cool.
Right, he has to find the guy.
His current and most likely suspect was Tango. Well, it was Tango. He knew it had to be. He knew Tango was smart, and was likely getting away by now. He just had to figure out where the Blazeborn was leaving from.
Most gift shops, food stores, and other various attractions looked absolutely swamped. They had lines forming outside on some, maybe the man had been hiding out in one of them until his ride arrived? No, that would be stupid. This guy is smart. He’s evaded all of Jimmy’s attempts at capturing him! He’s got to know what he’s doing.
—
Tango has no clue what he’s doing, if he's being honest. He didn’t really mean to steal from that guy, but he accidentally looked him in the eyes! And, he just took something and ran! He was hungry, alright? Don’t blame him.
Now he was tasked with finding wherever the hell his friend was, you know, the ones that forced him to come along in the first place.
“Stupid Zed..” He kicked a rock. The man dragged him along so he could take some observations or something. He tried to tell the man he wasn’t exactly the most liked in this solar system but the man just laughed at him.
“Nonsense, Tango! All I hear is excuses, excuses!” The man laughed as he slung an arm around Tango’s shoulders. Tango shoved him off shortly after, not wanting to burn the easily flammable wool on the Sheepain’s back.
“I seriously do not want to get arrested again, Zed.” Tango huffed, breathing out smoke as he did so, his tail waving in annoyance.
“You won’t! It’s just some observations, you’ll be fine.”
Tango flicked his tail at his back, whipping him slightly and threatening to set the man ablaze. “You better not be lying to me.”
The man had been lying to him as it turned out because indeed they had been there for way longer than needed and he was probably on the run from the cops again!
This cycle just had not been his cycle today.
Now, Tango was trying to find Zed, trying not to set everything on fire out of nervousness, and most importantly, trying not to get caught.
Hiding away out in plain sight was definitely not one of his better ideas but it was all he had. He was walking through the streets like any normal Species would and acting like he was a regular tourist.
In the corner of his vision he could see a certain man dressed in a uniform of blue, a normal human. But one that he was all too familiar with. That stupid space cop, or that's what he calls himself. To the larger space-kind the authorities are called just that, Authorities. Apparently the sheriff calls himself a ‘Space Cop’.
He hid himself in a crowd, making himself as unnoticeable as possible. He pulled his hood down to cover up his dead give away, his eyes. Species would immediately know how he was from The Nether planet, and the sheriff could tell it was him too.
He hoped, and hoped, that the sheriff would walk away. But no, just his luck, the human walked up straight to the crowd and started questioning people. He started by introducing himself as the sheriff, the authority of the solar system, and then started describing a wanted man that suspiciously fit his description and was spotted near here.
Now, call Tango stupid, but he didn’t move. He was too scared, frozen in fear and anxiety to move.
He watched the man walk up to him next, he swallowed the anxiety down and watched him with a faux confused smile.
“Hello sir, my name is Jimmy Solidarity. I'm the Sheriff of the authorities or police of this solar system. I’m just here to ask a few questions.”
Tango nodded, “Alright.” He said, his voice low.
“A man with bright red eyes, fiery hair, and possibly wearing something red. Have you seen him?”
Tango shook his head. “No sir, I don’t believe I have.”
“Alright, and if you see someone like him please don’t be afraid to contact me.”
Tango held a thumbs up, nodding slightly. The man walked away and he sighed a sigh of relief.
He started walking away quickly, rushing to just find Zed already. Unfortunately, his rushing was useless, as it only caused him to trip and fall straight on his face.
The commotion had species turning their heads, including the Sheriff. The man rushed to help, how kind. The man reached his hand out for him to hold, but Tango ignored it and stood up himself.
He stared at the Sheriff who was now staring at him.The man looked stunned, almost star struck. The Sheriff’s lips parted before his eyes widened. “It's you!” He shouted and before Tango could process got out those stereotypical human hand cuffs. He quickly realized his hood had fallen down, revealing his face.
Tango made a break for it and started running, rushing to find Zed quicker than before. He shouted his friend's name. “Zed!”
He looked behind him, a terrible mistake, as the Sheriff was right on his tail. Literally. He flicked his tail at the human as a distraction and took a sharp turn through the streets.
“Zed! I could use some help wherever you are!” He continued to shout. What could the man have been doing?
The Sheriff, or Jimmy as he had just learned just wouldn’t give up on him. How dry are the crime rates in this solar system that the man has to be so focused on him? Quite an ego boost he’s not gonna lie.
“Get back here bandit!”
“Sorry Sheriff, not today! I’m afraid I got to head out!” He laughed. “If I can find my ride.” He muttered the last bit.
Lucky for him, his ‘ride’ had been just around the corner walking out of a… gift shop of all things.
“Zed!” He screamed at the man, running into him. The Sheepain stumbled a bit, catching himself quickly.
“Tango? What– Oh those are the authorities!” Zed yelled, hiding behind Tango.
“Zed we need to go! Where’s our ship!” Tango shook the man.
“Uhm, Right this way, c’mon!” Zed took his arm and sprinted to one of the many assigned ship spots of the planet.
“He’s getting away!” He heard Jimmy shout after they started running, and suddenly there were a lot more than just the Sheriff following them. Multiple members of the authorities had shown up and started chasing them.
“Tango, do you mind explaining how you got into this situation!”
“Ah– Long story?”
“Tango!”
“Sorry!”
“We’ll talk later.”
They rounded a corner and suddenly they were met with the Ship lot they had come from, now it was a racd to find Zed’s ship and get out of this mess.
Zed pulled Tango along as they searched and searched. The authority’s footsteps slowly getting more faint as they traveled deeper into the sea of ships.
“Here! It's here!” Tango shouted at Zed as he pointed to a certain ship. Zed nodded and pulled Tango into the ship, off they went as Tango heard shots being fired at the ship, but they were gone too quickly to hear more than four or five.
—
And just like that. The alien was gone with his sheep-like friend. Jimmy stomped away from frustration, leaving to his ship to sulk.