Beyond Salvage - A graphic novel

Dr L.Prakash

Cover of Tamil Translation of this novel!

A Tamil translation of this novel has been published in August 2009 and has sold 50,000 copies in its first print itself.

Part Four


The three of them would unexpectedly pounce on the victim, bash him unconscious, leave a few broken bones, and rob him of everything.	It was quite a surprise that despite knowing that Minca was a criminal, I felt no hatred or revulsion for her.

Probably this was what was falling in love. Yes, realization abruptly flooded into me that I had fallen in love with this ravishing girl with exposed tits.	Falling in love with Minca produced a deviation in my life which took me to the world of crime and a life of thrill.

The Neo-Buddhist monk tried to probe deeply, I did not tell him how falling in love could actually make me a criminal. People might call Minca a bad girl, but to me, she was the best thing that could have happened.	Our love making was passionate and divine.

Our bodies were made for each other.	The Cyborg became our slave

I even started tolerating the mutant. So what if Ruxotromba had three hands and Kruckenberg scissors? He adored his sister, and respected me. Feared me too.	It was Minca who suggested that we move from small league to big. Five hundred million to a billion international galactic credits.

We will retire to some far off resort planet honey! I will bear three children for you and we will have a splendid time bringing them up.	Nothing could have please me more. Though Minca had the figures, she did not have a target. You don’t get billions by petty crimes or street muggings.

It was I who suggested the cracking of the Galactic State Bank codes.	After all I was someone who wrote codes.

Of course Minca had to visit the bank a few time to get friendly with the manager.	The bank manager was a randy middle aged goat.

A generous view of her cleavage was enough….	To divert his attention as Minca palmed the security card.

It was a tough job indeed, crunching billions upon billions of numbers, but we eventually succeeded.	Minca stayed with me all the while as I broke my head with computers.

Our only recreation were jet flights from our terrace	Another of my inventive efforts. A small waist anchored micro-jet to allow us to take short flights.

We had to be pretty careful about gravohovers though.	And finally I cracked the code! Rather we did it. Had it not been for Minca’s mental support….

And generous physical support too, I might not have been able to do it so soon.	We transferred eight hundred million credits. I was clever enough to reroute the money through six anonymous channels and finally get it encoded on my octadisk.

Now all that remained was a safe escape to a holiday planet. A vacation paradise! Beaches, mountains, salubrious planets.	The door broke inwards without warning. It was indeed surprising how galactic security had located us so soon.

But then galactic security were the best. Real top elite forces who did the impossible routinely.	With two unarmed humans, one mutant, and one Cyborg, no activation was necessary. A pointed laser pistol was more than enough.

Forces of galactic security are indeed heartless, soulless and totally focused on their goals. Besides that I came to know only later that we were classified beyond salvage. Even before I could realize what was happening, the three of them lay dead, holes blasted through heart and skull. Of course with the Cyborg, it was the positron battery repository.	Only later I realized why they had not killed me. They would only kill me after they had recovered the codes and the stolen money.

I suddenly remembered the jet boosters, still tied to my waist belt. Minca and I had planned to go to the terrace for a bit of flying. The open window was beckoning.	I acted before the galactic security could realize what was happening, I zoomed out and was free.

Even modified men and women of the elite galactic security could not fly unless they had jet thrusters and propulsions.	My plans had all come crumbling. My next port of call was the android surgeon Auxumba647. His clinic was in the seedy locality of Tryxxop sector sixteen.

With galactic security behind me, there was no way that I could survive without modification. Though it was doubtful if I could face a team of elite forces, even with activation.	Auxumba647 was indeed an intelligent being. He told me that all his clients were escaping trouble. In future, it was preferable to avoid falling into trouble. You lived longer that way. The Neobuddhist monk was thus suggested.

Auxumba647 performed an excellent job	He taught me all the important tricks too.

He referred me to the neo Buddhist monk for intence intellectuoemotional theray.	Siddharthamunirathnarama taught me the trigger points and self hypnosis techniques. And I intended to follow them faithfully. If I did not fall into trouble, I would certainly live longer!

And so it was not a vacation planet, or a salubrious holiday for me….	It was the seedy and crowded sector D of Xaara. And instead of sexy sensuous lithe and passionate Minca, it was a lizard, who claimed to be a mind reader.