Rustworld: Introduction

Rustworld: a planet in distress. Once a haven for obsolete and burned out robots, it’s citizens, the Rusties, are again under the tyrannical rule of Gristweed. This megalomaniac was once Victorian England’s most powerful industrialist, until he bilked the government out of billions of pounds. Instead of building a fleet of steam-powered spaceships, as promised, Gristweed created thousands of ‘mechanical men’ to replace his human work force.

When the authorities came to arrest him for fraud, Gristweed loaded all his robots into the only ship he ever built, and fled to the Planet Corrosia. He was enraged when, shortly after their arrival, his robots stole his ship, and escaped to Rustworld.

After selling a worthless time-share in a public restroom, to the leader of the Corrosian Mob, Gristweed was given a choice: death at the hands of the Crusher - or find another planet to exploit on the Mob’s behalf.

For Gristweed, the opportunity to take revenge on the ungrateful Rusties was too good to pass up. He chose Rustworld as the target of his next operation, and in a few short months he was back in business.

At Gristocorp, thousands of Rusties work 25 hours a day making Glube, a foul-smelling, toxic alternative to the plant-based Lube they all need to survive.

To create a market for Glube, Gristweed has made Lube drinking punishable by drownsizing. To make matters worse, a mysterious ailment, the Creaks, is causing huge numbers of Rusties to seize-up completely - and no one knows who’ll be next.

As well as the Rusties, a small Cockney named Billy Scruggs was also dragged along on Gristweed’s inter-galactic journey.

From sweeping chimneys in Victorian London, to a prison on Corrosia (when he tried to escape), to virtual slavery on Rustworld, Billy has seen it all. He has worked for Gristweed from the age of two, and is resigned to spending the rest of his miserable life in the repair-shop at Gristocorp.

Now all Billy wants is to keep his head down and stay out of trouble. After all, he’s just a regular bloke - or so he keeps reminding everyone.

He tries to make a few bobs on the side publishing a tabloid weekly, the Daily Grind. But when he prints a damaging story about Glube, Gristweed frames him for the murder of the Rusties' beloved President Bob.

Billy discovers that proof of his innocence lies somewhere inside the impenetrable walls of Gristocorp.

Luckily, he finds Rustworld’s legendary heroes, the Rust-Resistance, and enlists their help. It turns out, however, they’re really the Rust Repertory Company - a bunch of has-been actors.

That’s when Billy comes up with a daring plan.