I LIKE A LOTTA STUFF Shawn's #1 fan probably (TGP) Fenton's #1 fan probably also I am literally him from both 2017 and 1987 (DT) Ruben's #1 fan probably (DNH) Master debater
Had this idea after I saw this article https://hard-drive.net/hd/brennan-lee-mulligans-entire-life-revealed-to-be-elaborate-game-changer-bit/. Could be cleaner, but I'm happy enough with it
Croach comes back from helping the Widow Johnson with her space rat problem, but something's wrong.
Gen. | 2,225 words | Sparks Nevada & Croach the Tracker (friendship, partnership)
read on ao3 (archive locked to avoid ai scrapers)
    Save for the scratching of an ink pen, the marshal station is quiet. Sparks Nevada reads through an authorization to share information with the United Solar System Alliance, only pausing to sign on the line at the bottom of every few sheets of paper. He isn't thrilled about giving the alliance more opportunities to dig its nose into the affairs on Mars, but after several different near world-ending events, he'd decided it's worth it for the access to backup when the going gets tough.
    The Marshal Station doors are open. Good afternoon, Croach the Tracker.
    "Good afternoon, Martial Station Artificial Intelligence," the voice of his martian companion sounds like it's directed up at the ceiling, as if the AI has a face he's supposed to be looking at.Â
    Sparks has yet to look up, as there's nothing to indicate any amount of urgency, "Hey Croach, you finish up with The Widow Johnson's space rat problem?" She'd called in the morning, screaming something awful, and asked for help with the invaders in her cellar. It wasn't a killer robot, so they made the executive decision that it was a one-person job.
    "I have already resolved the infestation of space rats in the perishables cellar owned by the human designated 'The Widow Johnson.' I did not immediately return to the Marshal Station after its resolution, as I needed to obtain information from the human being designated 'Barkeep' due to an alteration that occurred to my physical state."
    "Physical wh-" Sparks' head snaps up from the form he was working on. His expression quickly changes from surprised to confused, however, because there seems to be a perfectly ordinary-looking Croach in front of him, "What're you talkin' about? Y'look just fine to me."
    Big black eyes narrow slightly, "I have just imitated an exhale from a singular pair of human lungs. Did I do it correctly?"
    "Yeah, uh, why did you do that, exactly?"
    "Poor human. Only possessing a measly four sensory capabilities, your species-"
    "Five," Sparks clears his throat, interrupting to roll his eyes, "We have five."
    "Access to a number of senses represented by a single digit number is the lowest of any life form on G'loot Praktaw-"
    "Mars."
    "Which you designate 'Mars,' yes. It is that which you would designate 'a wonder' that your species was able to invent spaceflight to leave the planet on which it evolved to habitate."
    "We're doin' just fine with five, Croach." He's tempted to keep the argument up until he remembers what started the whole thing, "Now what is this whole 'something's wrong with my body' drama you and the Barkeep are on about?"
    "I assure you this was no unconscious vision of memory reorganization, Sparks Nevada. There is a real and present problem with my physical form."
    "Which is?"
    Croach takes his time to respond, allowing the ambient noise to penetrate what was a conversation. The winds of Mars make the walls creak and whoosh as they glide over the old roof. If Sparks didn't know better, he'd think Croach is embarrassed. All the human inferiority talk reminds him of their partnership's early days. Back when they knew less about the other's species. Before the town became familiar with having a martian around- wait a second.
    "Croach."
    The big, shiny black eyes finally return his gaze, "That is indeed my designator."
    "Barkeep's a human. How'd he know what to do if a human can't even tell what's wrong with you?"
    Hypercattle leather shoes shuffle in place on the floorboards, "The human being designated Barkeep was also incapable of sensing my altered physical state. I sought him out for..." his eyes dart around the room, "information reasons."
    "I can't keep askin' follow up questions," Sparks gestures at the veritable mountain range of paper stacks on the desk, "out with it."
    "Earlier today, while cleaning up the ranch-domicile owned by the human being designated The Widow Johnson, I was offered a food item. She was insistent that she would be under onus to me were I not to consume it, so indeed I did. Upon returning to the human settlement, I detected a change in the makeup of my Nah Notek similar to that of when I took unofficial residency at the human bar designated O'Toole's. Therefore, I sought out The Barkeep, as he has a wide knowledge of beverages and food items containing the toxin designated alcohol."
    "Croach.â A jolt of adrenaline shoots through his system, slowing down time just slightly as his mind begins to race, âYou didn't-"
    "It was made known to me that a human dish designated fostered yellow Earth fruit contains this toxin, despite the name not specifying its inclusion.â
    The marshal was in his friendâs personal space before the end of the sentence, straining his eyes in a futile effort to visually perceive the change in his nanotech. By the time he processed every word, a few beats had passed. âWait,â he held up one hand, ââfostered yellow Earth fruitâ? Iâve never heard of that. And Iâm an expert in human food; been eatinâ it my whole life.â
    âI believe the Widow Johnson designated it âBananas Foster,â and served it with your white milked ice.â
    âIce cream.â
    The exoskeleton at the corner of his mouth twitched up almost imperceptibly, âWhich you designate ice cream, yes. I was made to consume one of your human measurement units known as âcupsâ of the dish before leaving.â
    Something inside Sparksâ chest loosened, âYou didnât have much, then.â Despite his apparent relief, he's still thoroughly examining every detail of the face in front of him.
    Croach nods.
    Their prolonged closeness outside of the apparent emergency begins to register with Sparks. Turning around to hide the relief thatâs spreading over his face, he tries for a nonchalant affect, âYouâll be fine then, I reckon.â Tapping a few keys on the marshal station computer, he pulls up the townâs public bulletin system, âIn the meantime, youâre off deputy duty.â
    âI never accepted a position in your human law enforcement services. To do so would bring shame to my tribe and-â
    âYeah yeah, I know. I mean your whole onus thing. That donât include goinâ after robots âtil your nanotech-"
    âNah Nohtek.â
    âWhatever. âTil itâs back to normal.â The marshal sits down in his chair, drafting an announcement on Croachâs temporary benching. In his peripheral vision, blue shoulders tense in what he can only imagine is agitation.
    âSparks Nevada.â Heâs using the tone of voice that implies the target is a complete idiot. Joy. âThe healing capabilities of my Nah Nohtek are completely functional, and only function at 0.93 times the speed when it is unaffected by the toxin designated alcohol. My body is, and remains, entirely more capable than your human one.â
    Ignoring the bait, Sparks lets his clacking keys fill the lapse in conversation. Indes- no, indisposed. He makes a mental note to get ready for Felton to come running in ten minutes after it posts, and for Red to bust down the door in a few hours, demanding to know what happened.
    âSparks Nevada.â
    âHm?â
    âYou have not responded to my previous statement.â
    âYeah, âcause itâs not changinâ nothinâ,â he hits the enter key with a little more force than necessary, âYouâre still off duty.â
    Croach walks up to the desk, âYour reasoning and use of double negatives is-â
    He holds up a hand, âJust. Take the time off.â He goes back to typing, âIâd be under onus to you or something. Donât need my right hand ma- martian gettinâ himself into a bind, if you wanna help out, work on the file backlog,â it hurts him to let someone else do paperwork, but if it stops a friend from gettingâ himself killed, itâll be worth it. Finished with the announcement, Sparks sets it up to post at the top of the next hour and logs out of the computer. Given the circumstances, he should go and clear up the area around town to reassure everyone that one deputyâs absence isn't going to be an opportunity for killer robots slip through.
    For some reason, Croach hasnât moved. Heâs staring rather intently at Sparksâ face, which is starting to make his skin feel a touch too warm. The last time heâd seen the guy like this, heâd been sitting on the marshal station floor and parsing out the instructions to assemble a desk to replace the one that got destroyed by a blob infestation.
    âStaring at me isn't going to change my mind.â
    âI believe that you are experiencing the human emotion designated âfear,ââ
    âWhat?!â Sparks hopes the incredulity comes through his natural monotone, and walks over to where he stores the robot fists and laser pistols, âI ainât scared of nothinâ, you know that.â
    Croachâs voice follows him, âThe Red Plains Rider informed me that, after my apparent demise, you experienced the human emotions designated âguiltâ and âgriefâ for an extended period of time.â
    Damn that woman and her attempts to educate Croach about humans. âYeah, anyone wouldâve if their- their buddyâd just died.â Sparks attaches the pistol's holster to his belt.
    âTo stop yourself from experiencing these emotions once again, you are illogically hindering my ability to repay my onus to you via completing tasks to improve the safety of your human settlement.â
    That isnât what heâs doing, is it? Sparks puts a hand into one of his laser fists, carefully flexing each finger. Keeping people safe is just his job, how he feels about it donât matter none. And yet, the memory of a dying friend has been at the front of his mind ever since hearing about the Widow Johnsonâs well-meaning gift. The panic, the words left unsaid, and the utter desolation. Years ago, he would've brushed this thing off and doubled down on him bein' the marshal and the planet-wide authority. Go and ride Mercury 'til the sun dipped below the horizon in order to get his lungs aching enough that the gnawing feeling is easier to ignore.
    But he's not the same man who first showed up on the red planet. For better or for worse. No matter how hard he tried, a little wisdom crept into his skull. He has to accept that some honestly - as much as it pains him - would reduce the chance of Croach throwing himself in front of laser bullets for the time being.
    Sparks turns to look at his friend, who's only two paces away from him, âListen. Us humans ainât exactly known for our logic. We go with our gut more often than not." A fact Croach has complained about regularly. "Iâm askinâ you to stay back because,â he glances down at the robot fist on his left hand. Thereâs a few grains of Mars' red sand in one of the knuckles. He takes a deep breath in before speaking, âItâd distract me from my work, knowinâ you could- could be bleedinâ out somewhere.â He doesnât spot a visible response from Croach, so he lets himself look up, âThat good enough for you?â
    The only answer from his friend is an unblinking stare.
    They stand in silence for couple dozen of Sparksâ rushed heartbeats, so he starts making a to do list. While heâs out marshaling, he should go by and let the Widow Johnson know what sheâd gone and done by makinâ a martian stay for dessert. The bulletin should publish in forty minutes, which should be more than enough time to get back before Felton and Red make it to the marshal office from panic and concern, respectively.
    Croach says something much sooner than Sparks was expecting, so he misses it, âWhat?â
    The martian is blinking again, âI understand.â He nods once to emphasize his comprehension. âI will remain here at the building designated âThe Marshal Stationâ and move the extraneous papers into their assigned folders.â
    Thank god that worked. Sparks hadn't honestly expected it to. âUh, good," he flexes his robot fists a few times, "Great. Thanks buddy,â he gives Croachâs shoulder a pat as he walks past and over to the station doors.
    âSparks Nevada.â
    He turns around, âYeah, Croach?â
    âIâŚâ the blue hands at his side twitch just slightly, âWere I to be a human and experience your human emotions, I would likely feel the emotion designated âgratefulness.ââ
    Huh. All that chat with Red mustâve given him some pattern recognition skills. Sparks isn't sure why he finds it harder to breathe all of a sudden, so he elects ignore it, âThanks. Iâll, uh, keep that in mind?â
     The Marshal Station doors are open.
    âIâll be back in half an hour.â
    âUnderstood. I will lessen my onus to you within the premises of the the Marshal Station while you are on what you designate as a âpatrol.ââ
    âYou do that.â Sparks doesn't move, allowing himself one last look at the uninjured chest of his friend. A reassurance that he's still in one piece.
     The Marshal Station doors are still open.
    Slipping his hat on, he lets himself annoy Croach as a reward for tellinâ him how he feels, âDonât misplace anythinâ while Iâm gone.â The muffled indignation on the other side of the, now closed, marshal station doors is worth whatever pointed remarks he'll hear later.
    He moseys on over to Mercury, swings himself up, and leans forward in the saddle, âHiya!â
--
my first sparks nevada fic! and the first fic I've published in... a while. I was supposed to finish and edit some others first, but then I got possessed by my love of the Thrilling Adventure Hour and ended up here. whoops.
needed to share my very awesome sparks nevada birthday cake and am hoping this is the site thatâll allow people to find itđ¤đ¤đ¤POWâźď¸ (please note the secret side pow i forgot to add a photo of til just now:
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