Outlaw Star Fan Fiction ❯ Pirate's Lair ❯ Family business ( Chapter 7 )

Outlaw Star Fan Fiction
Family business

i don`t own there right so don`t sew me!

In our last episode, there was a new member added to the crew: Nita, Gene
and Melfina's daughter. Aging at a phenomenal rate she is now full grown and
after a brief scuffle with the military and her grandmother, she is now a
full member of the family. Now if only she had something to do...

Nita sat on the couch, picking lint off her clothes. It had been a week
since she had been born and while she was enjoying getting used to the
world, she was getting bored. There just didn't seem like there was anything
for her to do. Her father and Jim ran most of the business, while Aeka and
Suzuka took care of the muscle work and their own projects. Melfina took
care of most the chores and the ones Nita had tried hadn't exactly caught
her attention.
The others were trying to help. In their free time Suzuka taught her the
few martial arts techniques that she hadn't learned from the computer when
she was born and Aisha exercised with her. But even still, she still had a
lot of free time and needed something to fill it.
"Gilliam, do you have any suggestions?" She asked the small pink robot.
It looked up at her. "As a matter of fact, Jim and Gene have been avoiding
some repairs and upgrades."
She shook her head. "I don't know how to do that."
"If you want to, I could instruct you."
Nita bit her lip and looked around. She really had nothing else to do and
she loved trying new things. "Alright, I'll do it. Just let me tell my mom
where I am going."
She walked into the kitchen where Melfina was making lunch. "Hey mom?"
Melfina smiled at her. "Yes Nita, do you need anything?"
"I was wondering if it would be alright if I went over to work on the
ship. Gilliam said he'd show me how."
"Are you sure that is a good idea Nita? Maybe you should wait until one of
the others can take you. What if those military people are still after you?"
Melfina said.
Nita smiled and shook her head. "Mom, you know I can't just hide out
forever. Besides with Aisha and Suzuka both training me, what could possibly
happen?"
Melfina smiled and put her hand on Nita's cheek. "You are way to much like
your father." Nita looked at her hopefully. "You can go, but take some
sandwiches and your caster with you."
Nita smiled and hugged her. "Thank you mom! I love you so much." She
turned and ran out of the room.
"I love you too Nita. Now if you are going to be late please have Gilliam
call so we know you are alright." The door slammed and Melfina giggled.
"She's just like Gene."

Gene grunted as the pirate hit him in the stomach with his cybernetic arm.
They had spent the entire day tracking him down, while Suzuka and Aisha had
taken their own contract to prove that a local casino owner was rigging his
games. He'd have liked to complain, but if Aisha was paying for her own
food, it was worth it.
He dodged to the left as the pirate took another swing at him. "Hold still
damn you."
"I don't think so." Gene said, kicking at the pirate's legs, tripping him.
"Jim I could use some help here!"
"I'm working on it!" Jim yelled back. He typed furiously at his computer
until he got all the data. "He's a number seven. The power core is in his
left shoulder."
Gene ducked under another punch and swung upwards into the pirate's
armpit. They both froze in place for a moment until the pirate's arm started
beeping. Gene turned and ran, diving behind some barrels. Seconds later the
pirate let out a scream as his arm exploded.
Once the dust cleared Gene stepped out from behind the barrels, brushing
himself off. "What's the bounty on this guy Jim."
"Black Pete... he's worth twenty thousand. Not bad at all." Jim said.
Gene rubbed his arm and kicked the body. "Good. I'd hate to think he
wasn't worth it."
Jim smiled and shook his head. "Hey if you think we don't have enough,
Fred has been dieing to get us back into debt."
Gene laughed. "After the money we made him and the way he gypped us last
time? He'll give me whatever I need when I ask for it."
"He'd find some way to charge us. Now come on, we have to turn this guy in
or we don't get paid." Gene grunted as he lifted the larger man's body up
onto his shoulders. Jim smirked. "What's the matter Gene? Getting old now
that you're a father?"
Gene frowned at him. "You try lifting this thing and see what noises you
make. If your girlfriend were here we could make her do this."
Jim shook his head. "Aisha isn't some pack animal Gene. Besides she's
paying her part of the food bill so what are you complaining about?"
He tossed the body into the back of the car. "I would just like to know
what it is they are doing is all."

Suzuka blew on the dice in her hand and smiled as she threw them across
the table. The feeling she got from gambling was better than sex in her
opinion... though she did envy Melfina and even Aisha even though Jim wasn't
old enough for that. Having someone to love above all would be nice... too
bad Gene was taken. But as she watched the dice roll over the table she
forgot all about it.
"Seven again!" The man in charge of the table said enthusiastically.
Suzuka let out a little cry of joy, but quickly stifled it as she noticed
the man glance at someone behind her. He nodded and then passed her the
chips and dice.
Suzuka took the dice and a quarter of the money, leaving the rest there.
If she took too much, they might not fall for it and she would have put on
this disguise for nothing. Suzuka threw the dice again, making sure to angle
her wrist so it was almost certain to land on eleven. She never did this
when she came to a casino for fun... almost never.
The dice bounced against the side of the table and started to settle. Then
they gave an almost imperceptible jerk and both landed on five.
"I'm sorry young lady, but at least you kept some money." The man said.
A shadow passed over her face and she almost reached for her sword, but at
the last moment she simply scooped up her chips and walked away. She had
been doing similar things at the other games and with the same results. She
would start to win big and then someone just out of her range of vision
signaled and she would lose most of it.
Suzuka couldn't take any more and turned to leave. She never wanted to see
this place again. She almost felt physically ill as she walked out the
spinning glass door. Turning the corner into an alleyway she began peeling
the latex mask off of her face.
A few minutes later Aisha joined her holding the video camera. "I got all
of it Suz. They were definitely cheating."
Suzuka nodded. "I know. And don't call me that."
"You know, we could probably pool our money and buy this place when they
close it down. It might be fun to own a casino." Aisha said absently.
Suzuka actually considered it for a moment. The desire for her own kingdom
of bright lights and neon signs had always been there and probably always
would, but not now and definitely not here. "I never want to see this place
again."
"That can be arranged." Said a voice behind them. They turned and saw some
of the bouncers from the casino. "The boss doesn't like people butting into
his business."
The girls frowned and turned away. Suzuka really didn't care what their
boss liked. Cheaters only earned her contempt. The two men ran towards them
and as one Aisha and Suzuka twisted around, kicking them across their faces.
As the two men fell Aisha looked at her and asked, "Want to get something
to eat?"

Nita stared at the short in the engine for a long time, then at the
replacement wires. So far she had managed all the repairs and upgrades,
sometimes without Gilliam's instructions. The peaces just fit together in
her mind. But for some reason they didn't this time.
"Gilliam, how often does this section short out?" She asked the computer.
"Approximately once per month. This is odd because according to the
information I have it is always wired perfectly."
Nita rubbed the back of her head, then reached in and ran her fingers
along the wires. When she reached the point where they entered the engine
however, she noticed a small bump connected to one of the wires. Tugging on
it there was a tiny snap and it came loose. She pulled it out and looked
closely. There was a tiny red light blinking on it and a sliver of metal
sticking out.
"Gilliam, what is this?"
A drone dropped to take a closer look. "I do not know. It is not listed in
my data base."
Nita thought about it. "Maybe it's that tracking device my father told me
about. That one planted by that professor Kahn guy."
"That is a distinct possibility. Such a device would require extra power
and may have shorted out the wires."
Nita felt a sense of accomplishment. Her first time working on the ship
and she'd found something the smartest guy in the universe had hidden. She
quickly replaced the wires.
"Anything else you want me to do Gilliam?" She asked.
The pink drone dropped down into her hand. "Not at the moment Nita. I must
say you are the most competent mechanic I've ever had."
Nita smiled and looked around for something else to do. "Hey, I know. I'll
build myself a chair. Otherwise I'll have nowhere to sit on my first trip
into space."
"The materials you would need for a functional chair are in the cargo
hold." Gilliam said. "But if I may ask where do you plan to put it? There is
no room in the cockpit."
Nita rubbed her head again. "I don't know. Where would be the best place
for a mechanic to sit?"
Gilliam paused for a moment before saying. "I would say it depends on what
needs immediate attention. Without the engines we would not be able to move,
but if we lost the guns during a fight that would be a mute point, and if
the power went out..."
Nita held up her hand. "I get the point Gilliam. I guess I'll just have to
make it mobile. Can I hook it up so that you can move me where I need to be
on the ship?"
"That should be no problem, provided we don't have to make any sudden
departures."
Nita smiled broadly. "In that case, lets get to work."

Harry McDougal came running into the living room where Ron was laying on
the couch flipping through channels. "Hey Ron, it looks like they finally
found the professor's tracking device."
Ron looked up. "Who?"
"Melfina's friends, who else?" He yelled.
Ron smirked and shook his head. "Harry, this obsession you have with
Melfina is unhealthy. She's married Harry. You just got a new body and that
took half the money we got for working for Fred Loe. Besides it's probably
not even them..." He shut his mouth quickly.
Harry looked at him suspiciously. "What exactly do you mean?"
Ron sighed. "Well according to my sources in the military, there was a
plan to take Melfina's new daughter. They probably grabbed the entire ship
too."
"No the signal was still on... Melfina has a daughter?"
"Yeah, but she's fully grown." Ron noticed the gleam in Harry's eyes. He
smiled and said, "I'll get the ship ready. We can be there in two days."
Harry grinned. "Thanks Ron."

Gene and Jim arrived back at their offices at the same time Suzuka and
Aisha did. Gene and Jim had gone out and bought some gifts for the girls
with the money they didn't need for the bills. Suzuka and Aisha had gone
grocery shopping and bought enough food to last the humans a month, which
meant about a week's worth of food for Aisha.
"So how much did you two end up with?" Gene asked.
Suzuka frowned. "After picking up the food Aisha owes me about half of my
share because she just had to have twenty pounds of cookie dough."
"Oh lay off Suzu, I said I'd share." Aisha said indignantly. "We
Ctarl-Ctarl need complex carbohydrates and sugars."
Jim shook his head and opened the door. "Well we picked you up a few
things while we were out."
Gene handed Suzuka a jar of wax for her sword and gave Aisha a catnip
mouse. Suzuka smiled while Aisha took a sniff and began purring. "Thanks."
"Melfina! Nita! We're back!" Jim yelled.
Melfina smiled as she stepped out of the kitchen. "Dinner should be ready
soon."
Gene smiled and walked up to her, giving her a quick kiss. "You work too
hard. That's why we got you and Nita some new bathing suits."
"Bathing suits?" She asked, peeking into the bag.
Gene nodded. "Yep. Our schedule is clear so if everyone wants to we were
going to suggest a trip to a resort on Sentinel."
Melfina laughed. "That sounds great Gene!" She looked over at Aisha and
Suzuka. "Are you two coming?"
Suzuka nodded. "It might be interesting."
"And I could really use a new tan." Aisha said.
Gene smiled and nodded. "Alright then it's settled. Where is Nita? I want
to tell her the good news."
"Gilliam talked her into agreeing to do some repairs and upgrades earlier.
She called back a while ago and said she would be back later." Melfina said.
Gene looked at the Gilliam drone on the table. "Gilliam, what is Nita
doing now?"
"After completing her final upgrade on the seating arrangements, she has
fallen unconscious." Gilliam responded.
The others looked up worriedly. "Is she alright?"
"I am unable to make such a determination at this time." Gilliam said.
Gene and the others headed towards the door. "I'll drive." Jim yelled.
Fifteen minutes later they arrived at the spaceport and got out of the
car. Once they got to the elevator they all piled in and rose up to the
airlock.
"Gilliam, open up." Gene said. The airlock slid open and they piled in.
"Where is she?"
"Nita is currently in the engine room." Gilliam said.
When they got there, they found Nita slumped over a chair that hadn't been
there before. Melfina bent down and shook her shoulders. "Nita... Nita wake
up."
Nita yawned and opened her eyes, smiling softly. "Hi mom... dad. What are
you doing here?"
"We were worried about you." Melfina said.
Nita shook her head. "I'm fine, I just needed to get some sleep." She
stood up and stretched. "How do you like what I've done?"
Jim examined the chair. "Hey this is pretty neat. It can go all over the
ship?" She nodded. "Impressive."
"She also found professor Kahn's tracking device in the engine panel that
was always getting the short circuits." Gilliam added. "The ship is now
running at maximum efficiency."
Suzuka smiled. "It seems we have found our new mechanic."
Nita looked up at Gene pleadingly. "Can I please? It was so much fun and
it was easy too."
Gene smiled and nodded. "Alright, but next time you feel tired, stop
working."
Nita smiled and hugged him and Melfina. "Thanks dad! You two are the
best."
"Your father has some more good news." Melfina said.
Nita looked up at him. Gene smiled. "You are going to get to go into space
sooner than you thought."
"That's right, your cheapskate dad is paying for us to go to a resort."
Aisha said.
Gene frowned at her. "Shut up Aisha!"
"Really? Oh this is so cool!" She hugged her parents again.

Nita dug her fingers into the armrests of her chair as the ship took off
from the planet. She was too scared to do anything but sweat. When the ship
finally cleared the atmosphere she looked outside and saw nothing but empty
space. She could just see herself getting sucked out of the ship and
floating away.
As weightlessness took over she held onto the chair even tighter. Nita let
out a tiny squeak and huddled up into her chair.
"Nita, is something the matter?" Gilliam asked. She nodded her head
quickly, unable to talk. "Gene, there is something wrong with Nita."
A few minutes later Gene and the others were there with her. "Nita, what's
the matter?" Melfina asked.
Nita sniffed slightly and shakily replied. "I'm... I'm going to get sucked
out. I just know it!"
Gene nodded and turned to the others. "Could you give us a minute alone."
They nodded and left quickly.
Nita cried some more. "I'm so sorry dad. You must be disappointed that I
couldn't handle this."
Gene smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. "It's alright Nita. I'm
the same way. Space scares me like you wouldn't believe."
Nita snorted. "Yeah right. You're like the bravest guy ever."
Gene shook his head. "Only in this ship Nita."
"That's because this is the most advanced ship in the galaxy." Gilliam
said.
"Shut up Gilliam." Gene said. He turned back to Nita. "When I was younger
my dad took me into space. Ron McDougal attacked us and to save me, he put
me into the escape pod and shot me into space. I was out there for two days
before I crashed on Sentinel."
"How did you stand it? How can you even be on a spaceship after that?"
Nita asked.
Gene closed his eyes. "I didn't. I refused to even set foot on a spaceship
for twenty years after that. It wasn't until I met Hilda and was forced to
leave because of some pirates. And then I peed on myself while I was holding
your mother's hand."
Nita giggled, loosening her grip on the chair. "Bet that was
embarrassing."
He grinned and nodded. "Yeah, it was. But since then I've had to spend a
lot of time in this ship fighting people a lot worse than those military
guys who came after you."
"I remember you telling me about that." She said. "Does it really get
easier?"
Gene smiled and rubbed her cheek, then pulled it to the side. Nita's hand
shot out and grabbed his ear, tugging his head down. Gene smiled and let her
go. "I am sure you can get used to it Nita. You are my daughter."
Nita smiled and let him go. "Thanks dad."
"No problem now lets go to the kitchen. Your mother was making lunch for
everyone." Just then the ship rocked under them, causing Nita to scream and
clutch the chair again. "Gilliam, what's going on?"
"We appear to be under attack by a pirate ship Gene." Gilliam said.
Gene cursed under his breath. "I'll be right there." He looked at Nita and
smiled. "Now you are really going to get scared. Think you can handle it?"
Before she could answer he floated out the door and up to the cockpit.
The ship continued to shake as Nita sat there, wondering what was going
on. 'Think you can handle it?' Her father's words rang in her mind. Slowly
her hand went to one of the buttons on her chair. "Time to see how much like
my dad I really am."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Hey, it's me Aisha. Looks like Nita is going through a very tough time at
the moment. Don't worry about it. With me around what could go wrong? After
we deal with this pirate bozo we're going for a trip to a nice resort on
Sentinel for a vacation. It's too bad that the McDougals have to show up,
but we can handle them. Don't miss the next fic, Past adversaries.