Cyclops says that Professor Xavier had them reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet as part of their coursework before they got ripped through time. The last couple of months, ever since learning about the man he would grow up to become, since learning about a future that is anything but good for himself and his friends (especially Jean), since learning that his father is not only alive but a cross between Jack Sparrow and Han Solo, since heading out on his tour of the galaxy… this one line from the play keeps going through his mind. Act I, Scene V. “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” As it turns out Hamlet was right and it’s awesome.
Cyclops and his father, Corsair, spend time together as they travel the galaxy. They visit alien bazaars, ice planets, alien sports events and numerous other strange worlds. On one such world, Corsair teaches his son how to land the Badoon ship they stole. As Scott uses the small, disk-like ship’s thrusters to touch down, his father congratulates him on a job well done. At the control panel, Scott smiles and marvels that he actually landed a spaceship. Corsair tells Scott to secure the landing ramps, as he is going to grab some stuff before they hit town.
He leaves Scott to it and goes to a dresser draw in his room, taking out a small box. He shouts back to Scott to not forget his sword but his son says he doesn’t know how to use it. He points out that they both know that but he doesn’t have to advertise the fact. Scott says he worries he is going to trip and look like an idiot. As Corsair examines the two remaining vials of liquid in the small box, he shouts back that it is all about attitude. People see what they want to see; you just got to fake it till you make it. Corsair takes one of the vials and injects it directly into his neck, wincing as he does so.
They leave the ship and head into town. As they walk down a busy street full of different aliens, Corsair tells Scott that Yrzt is like the Las Vegas of the Spinward Arm of the galaxy. What happens in Yrzt stays in Yrzt. Scott has trouble pronouncing Yrzt and after Corsair corrects him he declares he must be making up these names. He is suddenly distracted by two female aliens walking by and he is astounded they are naked. His father tells him not to stare but, as Scott begins to ask him another question, he is silenced. He sees a group of aliens completely covered in black fabric walking towards them. Corsair tells them they are the Shrouded and they are to be given respect if he sees them.
They walk into an alien bar and Corsair shouts to the owner, Baroque. Baroque tells him he is closed, so Corsair shouts back that he owes him money and he better pay up or he will thrash him like he did at Pyrion’s Run. Baroque menacingly looks at him in disbelief at the concept but Corsair does not back down. The giant purple alien grabs Corsair, laughs and wraps one of his tentacle arms around him. He happily asks where he has been keeping himself, because the last he heard Corsair was dead. After Baroque puts him down, he elusively replies that he just got better and then introduces his son. Baroque jokingly says he finds it impossible that Corsair would find a consenting female and says he is honored to meet the boy. Scott holds out his hand and Baroque wraps a large purple tentacle around it.
Baroque asks Scott what his father has told about him. He says they are all lies anyway, especially the one about he and Ch’od and their all-nude review. Scott replies that his father must have forgotten to tell him about that one, to which Baroque says they are all grateful. He asks if Scott likes games but, before the boy can reply, he calls for someone called Vass. A blue-skinned girl with long, pale-green hair, walks up to them and tells Baroque he doesn’t have to shout. Baroque tells her he likes to shout and then introduces Scott to the young girl. He tells Vass to show Scott “the senex” whilst the grown-ups talk. Vass dryly jokes that it’s lovely how they dismiss them and then asks Scott to accompany her. Scott says he would be delighted, even though he hasn’t a clue what the “senex” is.
As they walk off, Baroque tells Corsair that Scott is a good kid, except for his genetic similarity to his father of course. Once the kids are out of earshot, he says that he got Corsair’s message and asks what he needs. Corsair opens his bag and takes out the case containing the one remaining serum in it. He tells Baroque that he would appreciate some discretion but he needs a refill.
Scott and Vass are sat in what looks like an American diner but there are aliens all around. Sat in a booth, Vass tells Scott that she assures him it will be pleasant but the boy is unsure. She tells him it is like chocolate milkshake and he asks what it’s made of. She smiles and replies chocolate, and he gingerly takes a sip out of the glass in front of him. He looks up, surprised at how good it tastes. A waitress with a large bushy tail walks over to them and asks if they are content, to which Vass replies they are. The waitress smiles back and says she is so glad to hear it… as they will die happy. As she says it, the waitress’ face morph into a green-skinned alien with pointy ears and ridges on her chin.
Revealing herself to be a Skrull, she swings an arm, which is shaped like a blade, at the two teens. Both duck as the blade slices over their heads. Her other arm turns into a spiky ball and it smashes on the table, causing the two to leap out of the way. Vass laughs at the slowness of the Skrull, but she doesn’t notice another one coming up behind her. Scott hits it with his optic beam as Vass tells him he will be fine. He rolls along the floor and says that the milkshake tasted real, so what is to stop the blade from being just as real? He fires another blast at the waitress-Skrull and shoots a hole clean through its chest.
The Skrull starts to fade away, along with the entire diner. A voice comes from behind them and tells Scott that it is an excellent question as this is a sensory experience. The room disappears in the same way the X-Men’s Danger Room does. Baroque, standing in the door with Corsair, continues and tells him it would be a poor experience indeed if one could perish in it. As Vass helps Cyclops off the floor, she tells him she hopes she didn’t alarm him. He replies she didn’t; it was just very realistic. Vass says of course it is; otherwise it would not replicate the experience. She says she has enjoyed spending time with him and hopes they can do it again. Scott smiles and rubs his neck as he says he hopes so too.
As Scott and Corsair leave, Baroque tells them to be careful, as it is a civilized world and he is still a wanted pirate. As they walk through the streets, Scott asks his father how he knows Baroque. Corsair explains that he ran the black market in this sector back in the day. Cyclops is a little surprised that he is a criminal, to which Corsair points out he is too, depending on who you talk to. Baroque’s gone straight now, or so he says, but he’s still the guy you talk to if you need something. Scott asks his father what he needed but is given an evasive answer. Standing at a stall, Corsair hands him a strange alien fruit. He tells his son there are enzymes that react with the human pallet so it starts tasting like spiced vanilla. Scott asks what it ends up tasting like but his father simply smiles and says he can’t know that until he tries.
As they continue walking, Corsair asks if Scott had fun with Vass. He replies that he has been in simulations before but never anything like that. The milkshake actually tasted like milkshake, which is weird considering it was virtual. He asks his father if he saw the waitress that looked like Hepzibah, and Corsair informs him she is a Mephistoid. As Cyclops sniffs the fruit Corsair game him, he says she was until she turned into a monster. Corsair tells him it was a Skrull and Scott is alarmed that they are actually real. Corsair looks at him and says he keeps forgetting that the other Scott… the older Scott… has faced them before. As they walk up some stairs and into a small pillared-area, Scott says that it’s kind of terrifying that they can shape-shift. Corsair says he thinks of them as a living object lesson. It’s a big universe and things are not always what they seem.
As he says that, he holds his gun out to his side, pointing it at some aliens who have suddenly appeared. They come out from behind the pillars they were hiding behind, surrounding the father and son. Corsair tells Scott to take this for instance. There could be a simple misunderstanding of some folks asking for directions, or something more sinister like a robbery. One of the aliens, a yellow-skinned man with green facial tattoos, tells Corsair that he is wanted by no less than three galactic governments and seventy-nine private individuals. The bounty is substantially higher if he is brought in alive. With the gun pointed at the man, Corsair says he is slipping if he is only wanted by seventy-nine. He asks who the highest bidder is and Scott is shocked that he just wants to stroke his own ego. Corsair says that he has a reputation to consider and he wants to know what people are saying about him. The man agrees with Scott and tells him he has more pressing concerns right now. With that, the various aliens rush forward and begin their attack.
Corsair shoots and knocks the staff-like weapon out of one of their hands. He swings round and shoots another in the leg, whilst asking who is offering the most for him. Scott, using a sword to block an attack, still is amazed at his dad. As the two stand back to back, Scott tells him he is so embarrassing. Corsair ignores him and tells him to parry with the forte or else he will lose his blade. As he says it, one of the aliens swings their staff and knocks Scott’s sword out of his hands. Another comes up behind Corsair and electrocutes him with his weapon, knocking him out. The aliens cease their attack as Scott tends to his unconscious father. The yellow-skinned man tells him not to worry, as it was just a shock stick and he wants Corsair alive. If Scott tells them where the rest of his crew is, then he will go easy on him.
Scott turns and snarls at the man, asking if he will really go easy on him. Picking up his sword again, he tells the man he isn’t taking him and he isn’t taking his dad. The man replies that Scott talks a good game but they have all seen that he isn’t good with a sword… he’s lost. Scott replies no, and tells the man he is tired of losing. He fires off his optic beam, hitting a pillar directly behind the man. The optic beam splits and bounces off the other nearby pillars, hitting all the bounty hunters. Before they have time to recover, Scott grabs his father and the two stagger away before more of them arrive.
They get back to the ship and Scott tells him he needs a doctor. Corsair refuses and asks if he can handle the liftoff. Scott says he thinks he can, as Corsair leans against the wall. He tells his son he will just lean there a bit and catch his breath. Scott walks off but turns around and asks if he is sure he will be okay. Corsair tells him he just got knocked for a loop and he will be right as rain in a couple of minutes. As he opens his bag and takes out his case, he tells Scott he did well back there. Scott replies that he didn’t and it was his fault he got hit. Corsair opens his small case to see all the vials of serum have been smashed. He tells his son that things happen in a fight but they were the ones that walked away. It’s like he said before it all started, things aren’t always what they seem.
Unbeknownst to them, a tracking device was planted on them at some point and they are now being tracked by the bounty hunters.
