defy the tyrannous stars
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To round out Mynock's background as a journalist and author for now, also because I can't resist.
- Image Credit: Altered Carbon
- Links: /
- Media Name: Scum and Villainy in Vertical City
- Format: Holobook
- Distribution: Inter-Planetary
- Length: Medium
- Description: Scum and Villainy in Vertical City is a novel by Mynock Dubrillion, although it was written as a roman à clef for it is rooted in autobiographical encounters. There is no clear narrative and it frequently delves into surrealist themes, but ostensibly the holobook follows its protagonist Jet Nebula and his Rodian attorney Drexl on a drug induced journey through the seedier side of Nar Shaddaa ruminating on the nature of what they have termed the "Republican Dream".
- Author: Mynock Dubrillion
- Publisher: Galaxy Beacon Publishing
- Reception: Considered by many to be a cult classic, like all of Mynock's work there was no small amount of controversy surrounding its publication. It has been accused of glorifying drug use, smuggling, blood sport and promoting a disenfranchised attitude prevalent throughout the Outer Rim towards Core World and Tingel Arm ideological conflicts. Despite this somewhat negative initial reception, Scum and Villainy has steadily grown into Dubrillion's most well known publication.
"We had two bags of luna-weed, seventy five pellets of hypnocane, five sheets of high powered dreamdust, a vial full of slick, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored adrenals, stims, longsight, mnemiotics...also a quart of rum, a quart of whiskey, a case of Corellian ale, a pint of raw glitterstim and two dozen sprays of nullicaine. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.
The only thing that really worried me was the glitterstim. There is nothing in the verse more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of a spice binge. And I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon..."
The novel opens as Jet Nebula and his attorney Drexl the Rodian are speeding across the Nar Shaddaa skyline on an airspeeder that is implied to be stolen. High on death sticks, the two are attempting to escape pursuit by a hallucinated swarm of porgs, then proceed to take inventory of 'supplies' before landing outside the Golden Nautolan Casino.
It is revealed in passing while checking into their accommodations that Nebula is a reporter and he is here to cover a niche athletic event that combines the sport of pod racing with gladiatorial combat for the Galaxy Beacon, essentially a death race. While dealing with the casino's hotel staff, Jet begins coming down from his death stick euphoria and is horrified by the bright, twisted version of reality his surroundings morph into. Drexl coaches him through this bad turn and reassures the Nautolan employees that they won't be a problem.
The next day, Jet proceeds to the pleasure barge from where the race is to be observed, and makes brief introductions with his Hutt contact before being provided an Evocii holocam operator and given more or less free reign. During the race, Nebula grows increasingly irrational and becomes convinced that he is a part of the race himself. Firing their cameraman, he returns back to the Golden Nautolan and meets back up with Drexl, the two consume both dreamdust and glitterstim together.
Nebula leaves briefly to get some more cigarras and Corellian ale, on his way back he is harassed into purchasing some marcan herb from a local street pusher, before the two of them stand gazing up at the upper levels and smoking cigarras, commiserating over poor performances during the other night's locally broadcasted Huttball game.
When Jet finally returns to his room he finds that Drexl has trashed the place, having a bad spice experience, and pulls a vibroblade on Nebula while begging to be fatally shot with a nearby disruptor pistol. The two argue back and forth loudly before Jet finally relents, asking the Rodian to close his eyes and then zapping him with a stun baton into unconsciousness.
The next morning Nebula awakens alone to an exorbitant bill, and is ruthlessly pursued by casino staff when he attempts to skip out. Barely managing to escape, he receives a call from his boss on Hosnian Prime demanding that he drop everything and go cover a democratic, anti-Hutt rally ongoing in the Duros Sector.
Jet pays an aircab driver to speed madly through the Nar Shaddaa skylanes while he openly ingests some slick in the backseat. Arriving at his destination, Nebula quickly grows bored with the radicalist Republican sentiment of the impassioned speeches being delivered, and casually mentions almost in passing how an armored transport filled with Kajidic enforcers crashes into the rally before indiscriminately slaughtering many while only a handful manage to escape. The entire time, Nebula is fixated on a lewd and brightly colored holographic ad on display nearby, drawn by the slick to a more colorful attraction.
Reuniting one last time with Drexl who has already begun trashing a new hotel room in the Red Light District, Jet takes some longshot which quickly spins out of control and he passes out. In the morning, the two head to a diner in a strung out state, and accidentally thwart a robbery. Dropping Drexl off at the spaceport, Nebula takes one last ride across the Nar Shaddaa skyline before returning to his freighter to finish his article.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Since its release Scum and Villainy has been surrounded by controversy and divisive critical opinions. Scorned by critics for its crude subject material and seemingly nihilistic overtones, it is hailed by others as revelatory and a piercing commentary on the state of contemporary galactic culture. Like many of Dubrillion's long form works, it is banned on many worlds with more conservative values or an authoritarian structure that limits free speech.
Despite this infamy, it remains Mynock's most enduring work and most widely available. Distributed by the Galaxy Beacon as a collected work its after initial publication as a series of articles, it was not initially a commercial success but limited runs continue to be produced every few years to meet demand.
