RANKED 2nd BY VOTERS IN CHARACTER CREATION CONTEST #110

Year: 2082, Location: Luna City 1

The dance floor was a mess of bodies. Most of the patrons had fled when the shooting started- a group of rill hoppers had opened fire as soon as the two Judges walked in. Those who didn't run were pressed up against the walls, giving the men in the center of the room as much space as possible. Judge De Spyre walked the perimiter, looking each patron over as he did so, his scowl making none of them feel comfortable. In the center of the room, another Judge was looking at the proprietor's club license. The Judge inspected the permit, and handed it back. "Citizen Nash," stated Judge Dredd. "You manage 'Club Pluto.' Is that right?"

"No, Judge," answered Nash. "I own Club Pluto. My former bodyguard, Bruno, runs it. I just sit back, and enjoy the money coming in."

"Bozzss," came the electronic voice of Bruno, "We're loszing money here, bozzss."

"Bruno!" snapped Nash. "Let the Judges do their job! Go check on the kitchen."

"Robot! Stay where you are!" ordered Dredd. Bruno complied. Looking him over for a moment, Dredd demanded, "What's your model, robot?"

"Sizzxty-three. Deluxzze," Bruno offered.

Dredd looked at Nash through his helmet, and sounded suspicious when he asked, "Kind of an old model for a bodyguard, isn't it?"

Holding up a finger in correction, Nash said, "Former bodyguard. My new bodyguard is a Seventy-Eight, fully loaded," he said, pointing to the club's upper tier. The robot stood at the rail with its gun out, and was watching the crowd.

"Robot!" barked Dredd, drawing his Lawgiver. "Drop your weapon!"

The bodyguard complied literally, and the gun fell over the railing. Nash reached out and caught it instinctively, prompting Dredd to train his Lawgiver on the club owner.

Nash threw his hands in the air, and yelled, "Whoa! Whoa!" Spinning the gun in his hand so that the muzzle was in his grip, he bent his hand forward, offering the gun to the Judge. "Replacemnts are expensive. I'm sorry," he said with a nervous chuckle.

Dredd holstered his weapon as he took Nash's. Just then, a woman came out of the kitchen, knocking the door into Judge De Spyre as he was passing. "Oh, my-- Pluto! Baby! Judges!"

"I know, ma!" answered Pluto.

De Spyre recovered immediately, and drew his weapon. "What's your name, citizen?"

Pluto's mother sounded confused, but answered, "Flura Nash."

"Citizen Nash, you have been found guilty of assaulting a Judge--"

"--What?!" both Flura and Pluto blurted out.

"The sentence is five years cryo," finished De Spyre.

"Now wait a minute!" protested Pluto, his hands still in the air. Looking to Dredd, he said, "That was obviously an accident."

"The Law is clear," Dredd answered without sympathy. "Judge De Spyre, cuff her."

"C'mon," pleaded the club owner as De Spyre cuffed his mother, "can't we work something out?"

"Are you trying to bribe a Judge, Citizen Nash?" barked Dredd. "That also carries a sentence of five years!"

"No! No!" Nash assured him. "I'm just saying... maybe there's something you need more than my ma? Information you might need?"

Dredd looked around the room at the other patrons. "Judge De Spyre! Get those citizens out of here!"

Judge De Spyre didn't have to say anything. He merely jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the door. The citizens headed for it immediately, but followed the curve of the room, rather than daring to cross the dance floor.

Once the room was clear, Judge De Spyre grabbed Flura's elbow, and brought her to the center of the dance floor with Dredd and Pluto, stepping over bodies as they went. De Spyre looked at Dredd momentarily, their helmets making their communication unclear to the Nashes. Dredd looked to Pluto, and said, "What information do you think you have, Citizen Nash?"

"Little America--"

"--Luna City One," corrected Judge De Spyre.

Pluto nodded, and continued, "--hasn't seen a Judge in over a year," said Nash. "It's been practically citizen-ruled since Judge Dust was killed in The Vac."

"You mean Judge Dustov," corrected Judge De Spyre, stepping in close.

Nash's mouth went tight as he braced for a punch that never came. Once he realized that, he said, "Sorry. I'm sorry. In my line of work, you learn to go with the flow. Most patrons refer to him as Judge Dust, so I just picked it up. 'The customer is always right,' and all. No disrespect was meant." De Spyre didn't step back.

"Judges never left," added Dredd. "They were ordered to stay clear until we could be sent to investigate."

"A year later?" asked Flura.

"It took awhile," was all the explanation Dredd offered, looking to Pluto to continue.

Pluto untensed slightly, and said, "Point is: if you're here now, you must be after his killer. 'Ghoszt,' right?"

"He is wanted by the Law," answered Dredd.

"Right," Nash answered quietly. "I have it on good authority that he's in Moon Beach."

"Luna City Two?" asked De Spyre.

"Yeah, Luna Two," Nash confirmed.

"And who is your 'good authority?'" asked Dredd.

"Old buddy of mine, Felix Laranga."

Dredd frowned as his helmet display gave him information on the new name. "Laranga, Felix. Convicted of using loaded dice at the Lunar Grande Hotel, and sentenced to one year cryo."

"That was two years ago," answered Nash. "He's out now, and he manages the Lunar Grande for me."

Dredd's jaw tightened as he read his helmet display. "You own the Lunar Grande?"

Flura chuckled. "It was owned by Rex Crater. He turned out to be a clone of Pluto, set up by Mike Marucci to run the Grande, and push out the business owners of Little Amer-- I mean, Luna City One, to make way for a new resort. Rex double-crossed Marucci, shooting him into orbit. When he died too, it turned out that they had tied up their holdings as Pluto's, in an attempt to frame him. The paperwork was legal though, so now," shrugged Flura, "he owns it all."

Dredd decided to test their story. "I'm showing that a Mister Belcher owns the Lunar Grande."

Without hesitation, Pluto answered, "Belcher was Crater's flunky. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud, and conspiracy to commit murder -my murder- and is currently enjoying a sixty year stretch in cryo. Personally, I think you guys should have left him thawed out, and let him age in a good old-fashioned six-by-eight cell."

Dredd looked at De Spyre only momentarily, then nodded at Nash. "So where is Ghoszt now?"

Story and original characters are owned by Chris Bishop, copyright 2021, 2022.

Elements from Dredd (2012) and The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) are not mine, and are listed in the first comment box.