Blinding Lights

**"Blinding Lights"** is the second episode of *Part I: A Chronicle of Space Cowboys*, the first instalment of *EXILES: The Interstellar Gunslingers*.

## Plot

*Astro leads the Exiles on a mission to apprehend an infamous arms dealer, encountering a link to his own past in the process.*

## Synopsis

On the radioactive Dark City, John Astro jumps out of a drone and jetpacks down into a nightclub. Using the blinding lights and loud music, he skillfully takes out the henchmen and moves through the dancing crowd towards his target, a low-level gangster who sneakily warns all the remaining henchmen, who disarm Astro and hold him at gunpoint. When the gangster, an arms dealer, refuses to name his supplier "Red-Eye", Astro smirks that he isn't alone, revealing one of the henchmen to be a disguised Celeste, who partially transforms into werewolf form and massacres the henchmen together with Astro. By the end, the gangster reveals Red-Eye to be managing a shipment on Valhalla Station.

Travelling above the galactic centre, the Exiles enjoy the view as well as Jax's cooking. Celeste mentions a mavnian proverb that every star embodies the soul, and Astro snarkly replies that seven of his stars must have died. The *Prydwen* docks at Valhalla Station, the Federation's executive capital. While Jax refuels the lightfold engine, Astro heads out to survey the station's port. While doing so, he is approached by a man who refers to him as "Frank", or "Furious" Frank. The man, revealing himself to be named Gus Naird, claims to recognise "Frank" from their service in the Sixteenth Corporate War, specificallly his role as a musical mascot for his battalion. Although initially dismissive, Astro recognises Naird but asks to be left alone. Naird places a hand on Astro's shoulder and invites him for a drink, but Astro grabs Naird by the collar and demands not to be touched; while doing so, Astro notices Naird's left eye is fake and remembers that they both sustained burn wounds in the same battle. Leaving Starman to continue surveillance, Astro joins Naird for a drink. Meanwhile, Celeste looks over Red-Eye's profile and curses Astro for having not read it, and notices that Red-Eye is described as having a blood-red left eye.

Over a drink, Astro and Naird talk about what happened to them after the war. Astro reveals he joined a band and "got quite famous" while Naird claims he continued working for H&H. Naird continues referring to Astro as "Frank" despite being told not too, prompting Astro to leave early and wish Naird luck. As he leaves the bar, however, he suddenly feels faint and collapses to the ground, unconscious. In a series of fever dreams, Astro relives the bloody Battle of Proxima Centauri, during which he and several other soldiers were burned by a microwave cannon; as Astro was standing behind the other soldiers, most of whom were incinerated, he only sustained burns to his face and neck. He is found and awakened by Celeste, who forces him to drink water and suspects he was drugged. Still feverish, Astro remembers that he saved several injured soldiers, including Naird, who lost his eye to burns. The pair are surrounded by armed goons, who send regards from Red-Eye. Although the pair are able to escape, Astro collapses once again.

After being carried back to the *Prydwen*, Astro is actually revealed to have been poisoned with "Ladder", a military drug that causes the nervous system to "remember" and amplify painful memories and experiences, often leading to suicide. Astro mysteriously shows resistance to the drug and wakes up, albeit weakened. Reading the profile on Red-Eye, Astro realizes that Naird is, in fact, the target.

Astro, Celeste and Starman head back out to confront Naird and his goons. Watching him from a distance, they see him welcome a cargo ship into the port and direct his goons to start loading it with large containers. Needing to confirm their suspicions, the trio infiltrate the dock and Starman telepathically directs one of the goons to open a smaller container, revealing a cache of military-grade weapons. Convinced that Naird is Red-Eye, they plan to sneak aboard in the container and shut down the engines, allowing the authorities to seize the ship and arrest the crew.

Stuffed inside the container, the trio break out into the cargo ship and stealthily make their way to the engineering deck. Taking the crew hostage, they begin sabotaging the engines but are found by Naird, armed with a miniaturized version of the microwave cannon that scarred him. Apologising to Astro and thanking him for saving him during the war, Naird fires a shot from the cannon, but misses when Starman telepathically interrupts him. Taking cover behind the engines, Astro heats up his weapon and fires a shot directly into the cannon, causing a massive explosion that tears the ship apart. Astro pursues the still alive Naird up to the roof, where they viciously duel. Astro ultimately emerges as the victor and aims his gun at Naird's chest. Naird, confessing that he is truly Red-Eye, says that the war left him with no option but to turn to crime. Guilting Astro with the fact he saved his life, Naird begins escaping, but Astro shoots him in the leg from a distance. Approaching the bleeding Naird, Astro takes a blood sample to claim his bounty before leaving him alive. Naird tries to thank Frank, but Astro reminds him that his name is "John Astro, asshole" before walking away.