Outlaw Star Fan Fiction ❯ Red ❯ into the fire ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

You may be aware that the universe has mysteries with clues so ancient that no living being can know exactly what to believe. One such mystery is the origin of Tao magic and Caster weapons. Tao magic is the use of prayer to summon the spells of Priests long since dead. The ammunition of Caster weapons is new spells controlled into a hard metallic shell. There are only twenty kinds of Caster spells, though the Priests who developed them are long gone, creating a shortage. These Priests created the shells because the Mana they needed for new spells was constantly being depleted. Tao magic is a way of reusing old Mana spells, developed after the deaths of many of the Priests. Priests still exist, feeding on what little Mana they can to prolong their lives, but it is common knowledge among them that they will not live forever. The strongest of the Caster spells cannot be reproduced by Tao magic. The only three Priests who could make these strong spells are also the three who have lasted the longest. For all extensive purposes, they are all that remains of the Priesthood, though many of the weaker descendants of their kinfolk do remain.
Lord Ark Manaf, Twelfth Head Priest, makes the number Thirteen shells, which contain one of the three strongest Caster spells. If the Mana flow were great enough, Ark could use the same magic from the number Thirteen without the aid of mechanics. This is the power of the Priests. Ark stands tall and proud and young-looking in his prime, with long orange hair, a sign of a strong Priest.
Lord Hadul was once young and orange-haired like his younger companion, but he has aged more swiftly than Ark. He is reaching the end of his days, and soon the number Nine shells will be no more.
Lady Urt does not have orange hair, but that does not mean she is any weaker than her counterparts. You see, females, especially those who are ancestors of Urt, are naturally better magicians. Her spells are stronger than those cast by Ark and Hadul by far; she does not need the benefits that come with having red hair to cast strong magic.
Now to explain the importance of red hair… You see, back in the days of the colonization of the Solar satellites and the construction of the primitive colonies, there was a wise and adventurous young couple who decided to explore beyond Pluto. For decades, they were thought of as lost fools, ignorant to the dangers around them. Nearly seventy years later, an alien ship entered Earth-space with the couple's ship in tow. The Earth-vessel was badly damaged, but intact. The tall feathery aliens, called Sylgrians, had intercepted it entering their space from uncharted regions. The couple was gone, but onboard was a small child and a computer record of the parents' DNA. The child had bright red hair; silvery blue eyes; a strong will, body, and ego; and never felt at ease with his surroundings. He sought change in everything he did. Always looking for a new adventure, he set out, pioneering the uncharted regions in his Sylgrian-built Ether drive space vessel. He was branded an Outlaw for refusing to help the colonization of the satellites, which was a necessity for all human adults. Others followed his example and set out, ignoring Earth law. This is how the Outlaws were formed. This man with red hair had many children with many wives; his offspring had the same red hair. In all he had twelve sons and eight daughters. The youngest daughter, strangely, was born with violet hair. She did not follow his ways. She spent much of her time meditating, speaking to unseen forces, forces that her father had heard and ignored for years. When asked about the voices, the Outlaw replied that they were his parents. Realizing the importance of his parents' voyage, he set out to Earth to find more information about the data left behind. All he found were locked doors and unwilling faces. He died without finding an answer.
You see, the data that the Earth-space Government (as it was called then) had recovered from the ship was instantly labeled as a key. No one knew to what it was a key, or where the key could be used or how. They just knew it as a key. The woman, a dark-haired beauty, was thought impossible to clone correctly. The DNA was incomplete. The man, born with light blue hair, was also incomplete, but not as altered as the woman. The DNA strands were shelved.
By now, the red-haired Outlaw's youngest daughter had heard the voices around her. At thirty years of age, she set off on a voyage to find their origin, and came back years later with an incredible power. She taught it to her all of her siblings save her older brother, who was the youngest of her siblings. Her seven sisters found that they could control the very life of the planet with ease. The eleven brothers had similar powers, but found more difficulty in their progress. When her second-oldest brother harnessed these powers to his liking, he used them to his advantage. He attacked colonies, seeking power. He killed thousands. It took all eighteen of his skilled siblings to bring him down. The people of the Earth and Sylgri nations were frightened of their power and banished them into desolate space.
After centuries, their descendants, called "Priests" returned to Earth to offer apologies, and to demonstrate their newly controlled powers. They offered to help the new interstellar government with their powers. Cults rose, worshipping them. When things got out of hand, the government again banished some. These normal humans who had developed ways of praying for Priest magic were labeled Pirates. Different sects emerged and a war began, with the Priests in the center of controversy.
Many were killed as saviors and saints in the name of God. Others hid, searching for new Mana. Some chose sides on the war and were slain on he battlefield or made heroes in intelligence. After three decades of warfare, the Pirates were forced to permanently retreat. The Earth would never be seen by Pirate eyes again… or at least that was the plan. The Priests were few and the Mana was becoming depleted. Casters were developed. Hope was lost.
And still the DNA information sat on a shelf.
The Pirate sect known as Kei were deeply religious. They were taught all along of their heritage - how one couple had left Earth-space to create their God. They knew that there was DNA code in storage. They knew it was incomplete. They sought for the remainder of the DNA, and when they found it at a shrine of a dead civilization, they used it to their advantage. They sold the male DNA to an Earth-housed billionaire named Jacob MacDougal, the grandfather of mercenary Outlaw Ronald MacDougal.
I'm sure you can guess the rest. Harry, Melfina, Ark, Hadul, Urt, Gene, April, … they are all simply players in destiny, carved from the mind of an unknown race. Their story is not over yet. Not at all…
INTO THE FIRE
"April's with Gene?!?" Eldred shouted across the mess hall at Leilong. "How in the hell did she end up in the middle of this?!?"
Leilong raised a hand in a gesture of assurance. "Calm down," he said gruffly. "She asked me for the job."
"Job?!?" Eldred shouted. "There wouldn't've been a 'job' if it weren't for you."
"I tried to stop her," Leilong assured him. "Once I explained to her what had happened to you, she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."
Eldred smiled despite his anger. "Sounds like April, all right," he chuckled. "I'm sure you could've stopped her."
"I could've," Leilong offered. "But I needed help and she was the only one on my side.
"You should've come to us first," Jim said with his chin in his hands, slowly stirring a broth on the stovetop. "We could've prevented this all from happening."
Leilong shook his head. "I thought of that," he said. "If Gene had gotten wind that the MacDougals were in town, he would've jumped in there head first and gotten killed by Eldred or Harry."
Eldred smiled, nodding, but checked himself, catching a quick glance from Leilong.
Aisha nodded as she cut celery stalks into thin slices. "That sounds like Gene, all right," she said.
"I guess you're right," Jim said.
"I know I'm right," Leilong said.
The pot bubbled and scorched Jim's hand. "Ouch!" he shouted before shoving his fingers in his mouth. "I wish Melfina was here," he said around his fingers.
"Me too," Aisha said, sucking on a cut thumb.
OUTLAW STAR
The Shangri-La dropped from sub-ether in a desolate, systemless part of the galaxy.
"Current position?" Ron asked.
"We're just a little further from Calim Spaceport than we can jump in one full sub-ether trip," Harry reported. "Ether engines charging to an amount sufficient to bring us halfway there. We can charge the rest there."
Leo leaned back with his head resting on his open palms, stretching his arms. <yawn> "Do I have enough time to get a little rest?" he asked.
"You should," Harry said. "I'm going back to check in on Melfina, anyway."
Leo stood up, stretching and yawning again as Harry slid out of sight in the tank. Ron strummed his metallic fingers on the armrest beside him. As Harry emerged from a platform beside the tank, he flexed his arms, letting the pilot pass beside him into the narrow passage that led back.
Harry often found himself marveling at how strong he was in actuality when he appeared so small and weak. He knew he was special. He looked up at Ron. "Why is my hair blue, Ron?" he asked.
"Genetics, brother," Ron said, half-looking back over his shoulder. "You of all people oughtta know that."
"No," Harry said. "That's not what I mean. I know what in me makes my hair grow blue and also how rare it is to have blue hair." He paused. "Who in our family had blue hair?"
"I don't know," Ron said. "I'm not the one to ask. You should've asked Father."
Harry's eyes glinted with curiosity. "What was Dad like?" he asked.
Ron turned in his seat to face his brother. "He was a great man," he said assuringly. "He was tall and lean and rugged just like his father and brother and myself."
Harry was intrigued at this. "Why am I not the same?"
Ron stood up and approached Harry. "Probability, brother," he said, firmly holding Harry's shoulders. "Chances and luck."
Harry was quiet and made a point not to make eye contact as his eyes slowly teared up. "Why could I open the door at the Galactic Leyline?" he asked. "It was dense and sturdy stone." Ron began to walk away. "It's almost like the Leyline wanted me, just as it wanted Melfina."
Ron stood with his back turned, looking downward with his arms crossed. "I don't know about all that," he said quietly.
Harry stepped forward. "Why don't I remember Father?" he asked, not letting the tears fall from his eyes. "I was twelve when he died! Why don't I remember?!?"
"An accident," Ron replied. "You were badly injured and became deathly ill. The doctors said you wouldn't survive. When you recovered, you were an infant again. I had to raise you." He turned. "That's why you don't remember."
Harry was gone.
OUTLAW STAR
"Get up," the voice said.
Gene rolled over. "Are we there yet?"
"No. Get up."
Gene came to his feet in the darkness, accidentally standing in his empty food tray. His eyes adjusted to what could be considered dim light. "How nice," he said. "They've lit our path for us, honey."
Silence…
"Where's April?" Gene asked. The shadowy figure in front of him began to move forward.
I guess she's that way. He moved forward in pace with the figure.
"So, what do the Kei pirates do for fun?" he asked, getting no response. "You guys have a softball league?"
OUTLAW STAR
"Melfina," Harry called into a dark room. "May I come in, Melfina?"
There was only silence as an answer.
Panicked, Harry flipped on a light. "Melfina?"
She lay flat on a bed with her eyes shut tight. Harry moved to her side and ran his fingers through her bangs. He drew his mouth close to her ear. "Melfina," he whispered. "Wake up. It's your knight come to grant your every wish."
She didn't move. Harry stood straight, his brow wrinkled in confusion.
Melfina?
He lifted her arm and let it fall back to the bed with a lifeless thud.
Someone turned her off! he thought. He looked down at her. She did this to herself?!? He looked back up, unblinking, realizing why. She doesn't love me the way she loves Gene.
He turned and left the room, turning the light out and shutting the door behind him.
A single teardrop had fallen on Melfina's palm. The cuff of her sleeve had been torn before Harry walked in.
OUTLAW STAR
"You will go and buy yourselves food," the dark Tao master pirate said. "You may also buy heavier clothing if you wish. Here is a thousand Wong."
Gene accepted the money. "Why aren't you going?" he asked.
"The conditions of being who I am," the pirate returned. "I am powerful so they allow me docking privileges but if I enter the market the paying customers run in fear."
"And that makes a difference to you?" Gene said. "You could wipe this place out and take over with just a little of your Tao magic!"
"Power does not always breed ruthlessness," the pirate said. "If you return soon we will be able to leave soon. If you decide you'd rather stay I will let the station's ruthless security deal with you."
"You wanted us safe," April said. "You said we had to be intact on delivery."
"What I do not witness I cannot stop."
April and Gene looked at each other with identical what's-with-this-guy looks.
"Go now and return quickly," the pirate commanded. "There are others following us that wish to injure you."
He gave them an invisible shove down his ramp.
Gene glanced back but the pirate had gone. "I'll bet you a thousand Wong I can get that guy to laugh."
"I'll give you two thousand to shut up," April said, quickening her pace to leave Gene behind.
"That was cold," Gene said. "I thought you liked me."
April smiled, but Gene didn't see it.
They made their way across the spacedock and through a pair of doors. Instantly, they were in the midst of the marketplace.
"Eww…" April whined. "This place smells weird."
"I've smelled weirder," Gene said, stepping toward a new yellow cloak that caught his eye.
"Yeah," April said with a short giggle. "You do smell pretty weird."
Gene stopped, making a face. "That's not what I meant," he said, then turned to face her. "I mean, I've smelled -"
He stopped, looking off into the distance. The back of someone's head had caught his attention. The violet-gray hair had been shaved into an odd zigzag pattern on his upper neck. There was a tattoo on his neck.
"Saiyo?" he whispered. "What is he doing here?"
April turned. "Who?" she asked.
"An old friend," Gene breathed.
A large Sylgrian stepped forward. "Howdy, y'all," he said, holding forward a large book. "Have you been visited by the lord almighty? Has he shown you the path to your personal dreamland?"
"Look buddy, we're not interested in that shit right now," Gene spouted sharply. "Get out of my way!"
Gene pushed past the Sylgrian toward where Saiyo had been standing, but he was gone.
"Damn!" he yelled. "He's gone!"
The Sylgrian pushed Gene to the ground. "Just who do you think you are, human?" he shouted in his Sylgrian drawl. "Do I offend you by denouncing your beliefs?"
Gene was startled. An aggressive Sylgrian? What the hell?!? He had always been used to Sylgrians being pacifistic and submissive. "Listen, buddy," he said, standing up and moving away from the stronger creature, "you've got the wrong idea. I don't have any beliefs. I believe what I can see. I'm sorry if I offended you."
"Sorry?!?" the Sylgrian yelled. "Sorry?!? I'll make you sorry!" He raised his feathery fist.
Gene, unarmed, did the only thing he could. He ran. He ducked through he crowd of merchants, shoppers, solicitors, and thieves, weaving his way from one vendor to the next. The brute Sylgrian shoved through the crowd, throwing the weaker people aside in his pursuit. He pounced on Gene and sank his fist into Gene's gut. Gene curled up into a ball, trying not to vomit as the Sylgrian raised his fist again.
The quick whine of an electropistol cut through the disorder. The Sylgrian froze.
"Charlie, I should've killed you when I had the chance!" a woman's voice rang through the large colony street.
Charlie, the Sylgrian, stood up as quickly as he could. "Shit, the Angel Links!" he breathed in despair, turning to run. A blue flash shot into his shoulder, knocking him to the ground unconscious.
Angel Links? Gene thought, still in the fetal position. Thank God for that… He chuckled at his choice of words.
A tall figure approached Charlie and stood over him. "Chased you all the way from Oracia," she said, "but it was worth it." She turned to face Gene, but he couldn't see her face with the light behind her. "Gene Starwind," she stated surprisedly. "I never thought I'd see that face again."
Gene sat up. "Nice to see you, too, Valeria," he said. "How'd the repairs on the String 4 come along?"
"Quite well thanks to our Saurians," Valeria said, helping Gene to his feet. "Duuz can really make a difference when he wants to." She stood eye to blue eye with Gene, her blonde hair surrounding her narrow face.
"How is old Lizard-Breath?" Gene asked, smirking. He glanced around. "Is he here with you?"
"Back at the ship," Valeria replied with a nod to the docks.
April stepped up as Valeria cuffed Charlie. "Who's your friend?" she asked Gene.
"The name's Valeria," Valeria answered for Gene. "I'm the commanding officer of the String 4, one of the front-running Security Forces Airship under the Angel Links group. I met your red-haired friend here a little more than a year ago. He saved our lives." She nodded to two men standing in the crowd and they promptly carried Charlie away. "I owe him one."
"You owe me a little more than one," Gene said, stepping toward Valeria. He put his mouth near her ear and whispered "Although I do have something I'd like to ask."
She gave him a shove. "What are you suggesting?!?" she breathed back coldly.
Gene put up his hands in innocence. "No, no, no," he said. "That's not what I mean!" A bead of sweat ran down the side of his head. He quickly regained his composure. "I need a messenger," he said calmly. "I'm currently being kidnapped and I'm pretty sure I'm safe for now. I think my friends are following me. Just tell them I'm safe and that they don't need to worry." He leaned in a little further. "Tell them not to do anything stupid."
Valeria was confused and it showed. "If you're being kidnapped, why don't you just ask me to kill the kidnappers or tow their ship?"
"Because you can't," Gene said. "He's indestructible. I figured I'd do what he wants and maybe I'll walk away with my life once he gives me to his weaker friend."
"I see," Valeria said. She took a step back. "You can count on us, Gene Starwind," she said. "She leaned forward again, whispering: "About what I thought you were asking about - we can talk later, okay?"
Gene, shocked, took a step back defensively. "What?!?" he demanded.
Valeria turned and walked away.
April stepped forward. "What was that about?" she asked. After a pause, she furrowed her brow. "Are you sweating?" she asked.
Gene loosened his collar. Clearing his throat, he said: "We've got some shopping to do," and walked away.
OUTLAW STAR
Leilong sat alone in the captain's chair, relaxing with his eyes shut. Is this really the right thing? he asked himself. I owed it to Eldred to save him since he didn't kill me back in the Anten, but why am I saving Gene again? I spared his life once. Why again? I don't owe it to him. He owes me! But April… He opened his eyes. What happened to you, Leilong? You're getting soft. You should quit while you're still alive. This crew is perfectly able to do this themselves! He closed his eyes again forcefully, obviously angered by himself. And why do you care about HER so -
"What are you thinking?" Gilliam asked.
Leilong opened his eyes again. "Nothing," he said. "I was just trying to sleep."
"Now, Leilong," Gilliam said. "I know you're lying. You were frowning about something…"
Leilong smiled. "You're smart," he said, "for a computer."
"Hey!" Gilliam shouted. "I take offense from that statement. Computers are much smarter than humans!"
Leilong laughed. "You can only learn what you are programmed to be able to learn," he said.
"I can learn ten times as much as your brain has the capacity for learning," Gilliam stated.
"Oh yeah?" Leilong said. "Up yours!"
There was a pause.
"My what?"
OUTLAW STAR
The brute Sylgrian Charlie lay on a bed in his cell aboard the Uleili, a String 4 grappler vessel. Two human officers and the dino-like Duuz stood outside the cell.
"Hideki," Duuz said, "prepare the engines for departure."
Hideki, the short, stout, Asian mechanic, was confused. "Valeria said we were to wait for the Outlaw Star," he said in his gruff voice.
"I am aware of your current orders," Duuz bellowed. "I am giving you new ones!"
Hideki saluted and left the room.
"Jayce," Duuz said to the hulking, brown-haired guard. "Watch our fine feathered friend here. Make sure he's hurting when he wakes up."
"That's against policy," Valeria said, entering the room. "Charlie will be left unharmed and we will remain here at Calim until the Outlaw Star arrives."
"That Quillscrub shot me last week!" Duuz shouted. "He deserves the same pain!"
"It is against policy to harm a prisoner after arrest!" Valeria reprimanded him. "You would be facing court-martial!" She stood so close to him they could feel each others' breath. "And never use that word in my presence! I will not allow prejudice in my ship!"
Duuz bowed his head. "Yes, ma'am," he said defeatedly.
Valeria sighed. "Whatever happened to the days we actually enjoyed working together?" she whispered, looking away from the Saurian. She stepped back and straightened her jacket. "The undesignated pirate ship has left with its guests onboard," she said. "We stay here until the Outlaw Star arrives." She turned and left, passing Hideki in the hall as she went. "Get some sleep," she said to him.
He saluted and slowly walked down the adjacent hall toward his bed, reminiscing about the better times he'd experienced as an Angel Link: training, meeting Jayce on his first day as a real mechanic, and the first day he spent under Valeria's command. Back then, she and Duuz were true friends, but now…
I wish those two could live together in peace, he thought. Always fighting. Always -
He was stopped short by an alarm. He turned and ran for the bridge.
"Hideki, Jayce," came Valeria's voice over the intercom, "get to the bridge!"
I already am… he thought.
Upon arriving, he saw a large, sleek, yellow grappler as close to the Uleili as a ship could be. A man with long, dark, curly hair was on one of the viewscreens.
"I'm not playing games," the man was saying. "I simply need to know where the pirate ship went. Surely, you know."
"Listen, Ron MacDougal!" Valeria said. "The only thing you're getting out of this meeting is an arrest!"
Ron smiled. "Fine," he said. "Have it your way!"
The screen cut to black just as Jayce entered the bridge. A metallic pound shook the ship as the grappler arms of the yellow ship were planted into the Uleili's belly. Hideki found his way to the tactical station as Jayce eased into the grappler control chair.
"These bastards do not want to challenge me!" Jayce yelled. "'Cause I'm a badass who don't take no shit offa nobody!"
"Shut up," Duuz commanded.
Jayce bared his teeth in a tremendous grin. "Yes sir!!!" he shouted back. As if controlling a video game, he put all of his effort into massively damaging the yellow ship as quickly as possible, not caring about his own damage. Blow after blow landed, scratching and denting the thick yellow bulkhead. Even with only half the arms of the yellow ship, the Uleili was doing twice the damage.
Duuz was proud.
Valeria wasn't. "We can hit harder than this, Jayce!" she yelled. Turning to Hideki, she asked "Where are the Shangri-La's weak points?"
Hideki pushed a single button that ran a split-second scan on the MacDougal vessel. On the three-dimensional display, different colors appeared, signifying thin or damaged bulkhead. "The hull inside the grappler arm holds are made of a weaker metal than the rest of the ship," he reported.
"Jayce," Valeria called.
"I'm on it!" Jayce reported as the ship careened away from its target. As he piloted back toward the Shangri-La's left dorsal grappler arm, he noticed another difference. "They've got an older paint job in there too…" he said, almost to himself. He smirked lopsidedly. "Cheapos…" He pulled back the grappler arms.
Hideki's console flashed. "Jayce!" he shouted. "Watch out!"
Too late…
The arms crashed into the metal armpit of the Shangri-La and sparks flew. The base of the arm exploded, jettisoning the arm itself. The grappling fingers of the Uleili were completely destroyed. The ships shook, lost power, and slowly began to veer away from each other. The Shangri-La's left dorsal grappler arm, intact, floated away into the cold depths of outer space.
The ships were dead.
So was Jayce.
OUTLAW STAR
"What the HELL was that?!?" Ron MacDougal demanded, floating around on the bridge of the Shangri-La.
Leo had his hand on his bleeding forehead. A power station beside him sent up huge sparks, causing him to flinch. "I - I - I…" he stammered, his jaw quivering, "…I don't know…"
Ron turned around to see Harry floating near the broken Liquid Navigation tank. He maneuvered toward his brother's side, taking off his own cloak and placing it around Harry. Bleeding from his shard-filled abdomen, Harry opened his eyes.
"Sir, the ship is dead!" Leo barely managed to report in his shaky voice, hanging on to both the navigation console and his bloody scalp. "I can't get anything to respond."
Ron stood up and looked around. Everything was dark. The only light for visibility was that from Calim.
"Shit…" he breathed.
They were drifting straight for the Spaceport, with no way to stop.
Leo had just noticed their course as well. "HOLY SHIT!!!" he screamed, no longer too shaken up to speak clearly.
"We need to get to the ejection pod," Ron said, his unblinking eyes never leaving the spaceport until their rotation had sent it out of view. He turned. Harry was no longer on the bridge.
Ron's heart leapt. For the first time in his life, he knew what fear really was.
OUTLAW STAR
Duuz held the lifeless body of his bodybuilding comerade on his shoulder as he pulled himself down the gravitiless, blackened hallways of the Uleili. Valeria and Hideki followed him, never speaking.
They floated into the E. E. P. (emergency ejection pod) one by one and buckled in. Using the internal power of the pod, Hideki shut the hatch and jettisoned it.
From the small porthole, Valeria could see the Uleili as it drifted away. She noticed the cracks on the bridge's large viewport.
The glass of the viewport shattered and pieces of it and the rest of the bridge were expelled from the ship.
Valeria looked at Jayce, buckled in beside Duuz. The rag that she had used to stop the bleeding in his chest was deep red now, though the blood had undoubtedly stopped flowing. She closed her eyes. A tear rolled down her cheek. It's been awhile since you cried, girl… she thought. She sniffled, and the tears kept coming.
Hideki wiped the tears from his own cheek. His only true friend… gone.
OUTLAW STAR
"Entering airspace of Calim Spaceport," Gilliam reported. "There are two ships damaged from battle here. They are not responding. One of them is the Shangri-La. It is on a path to crash into the spaceport's housing division."
The bridge became quiet.
"You could tell all of that that quickly?" Eldred asked.
"Yes," Gilliam responded.
"I'm impressed," Eldred said.
"I'm flattered," Gilliam returned.
"I'm annoyed!" Leilong shouted at them. "Eldred, do something about the MacDougals."
"But I wanted to watch them crash…" Eldred whined.
Leilong turned around it his seat and gave Eldred a very commanding glare.
"Yes sir," Eldred said, smiling. "I was gonna do it anyway."
Leilong returned to his original position in the chair.
"I just wanted to watch 'em squirm," Eldred said, smirking evilly.
Aisha and Suzuka looked at each other across the bridge. "I like this guy," Aisha said.
Suzuka smiled.
The Outlaw Star moved in toward the plummeting ship.
Sheesh… Jim thought. Why do I always hafta be surrounded by people with overabundant hormones?
OUTLAW STAR
"Harry?!?" Ron called through his shirt sleeve as he swam through the smoky hallways in the reardecks of the ship, waving a flashlight he had found in an emergency kit. "Harry if you're there, speak to me, buddy. Come on!"
He followed the floating blood trail to the forced-open door of Melfina's room. Inside, a fire burned bright red and orange. He grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall and doused the flames in the immediate area. Melfina's bed was burned but she was not on it.
Harry's blood was.
Ron squinted his watery, smoke- and heat-damaged eyes to see the far corner of the room. There lay the inanimate bodies of Harry and Melfina in a puddle of Harry's blood.
Ron smiled at his brother's naïveté. Love conquers all… he thought. He pulled a knife out of his boot-sheath and planted it into Harry's head. He quickly removed the small memory board from Harry's electronic brain. Sorry, buddy… he thought. I can only carry one of you out of here. He pocketed the circuitry and picked Melfina up.
He made his way back through the smoke-filled room, noticing that the smoke had dissipated some. There's a leak, he decided. Got another reason to hurry. He used the hallway's waist-level trim to pull them to the ejection pod, where Leo was waiting, bandaging his own head.
They closed the pod and Leo pounded the button to jettison them out.
"NO!!!" Ron shouted.
Leo looked outside. He had just sent them on a path directly into the spaceport docks. "Oops."
"Oops doesn't get us out of this," Ron said, buckling Melfina in. "Buckle up."
As the pod rotated, Leo frantically searched for the harness. He found it and braced himself. Looking outside, he could now see the ship, coming toward them. Then, he saw another ship, pushing the Shangri-La away. "Leilong…" he whispered.
Ron looked at the ships. The Outlaw Star's anchors were planted into the Shangri-La's hull as the crew piloted it away from the port. "Welcome to Calim…" he muttered. "We were just rolling out the red carpet."
The light from the nearby star was eclipsed by a ship leaving the docks. The pod was headed straight for it.
OUTLAW STAR
Lord Ark Manaf, Twelfth Head Priest, sat handcuffed to the mechanic's chair of the unregistered Outlaw grappler ship owned by a Mr. Saiyo Wong. "I want some coffee," he said to the ship's purple-haired captain and pilot.
"Shut up!" Saiyo yelled.
An alarm sounded. Saiyo looked at the console in front of him.
"What is it?" Ark asked.
Saiyo tapped the console. He looked up through the viewport, just as the small escape pod skidded across the nose of the ship and barely missed hitting the glass.
Saiyo and Ark both flinched at the sight. Recovering, Saiyo growled. He piloted the ship around, extended the grappler arms, and grabbed the pod. He began opening the cargo hold.
"What are you doing?" Ark asked.
"This idiot will be our guest," Saiyo said. "With any luck, he'll have a bounty too."
Ark frowned.
Saiyo placed the pod awkwardly into the hold and closed it, harboring the grappler arms. He started the engines.
"Aren't you going to see if they're okay?" Ark asked.
"After the jump to sub-ether," Saiyo said. He popped his neck. "Looks like there's a little action in the area," he said. "There's a coupla derelict craft and another one cleaning up." He punched a few buttons. His eyes widened. The Outlaw Star??? He regained his composure.
"Engines at full," the computer reported.
"Thanks, Nataka," Saiyo said.
"My pleasure," Nataka, the computer, responded.
"Let's go," Saiyo said.
The unregistered Outlaw grappler slipped into sub-ether.
OUTLAW STAR
Gene paced the cell in the pitch blackness of the pirate ship. Maybe I made the wrong decision, he thought. Maybe I shoulda told Valeria to have an Outlaw ship follow us and make sure things were okay when we got to wherever it is we're going.
He leaned into the wall on his forehead. All I can do now is hope for the best, he thought, closing his eyes.
The ship swayed to the side and Gene lost his balance. He felt the gravity lessen and fell slowly to the cell floor. Lights turned on dimly and then went out again. The ship was smoothly running again; the gravity seemed normal again.
What was that?
"Are you uninjured?" came the pirate's voice over the intercom.
"I guess so," Gene said, sitting up and brushing himself off. "What happened?"
"We just passed through an unstable pocket of space," the pirate explained. "There was a type of radiation that was undetectable until we were already in it."
Gene nodded. "Can I ask you a question?" he asked.
There was only silence as a response.
"How many nice guys are there in the Kei pirates?" Gene asked.
"You mean 'how many of us have consciences'…" the pirate returned.
"Yeah," Gene said.
After a pause, the pirate returned with: "Just one."
Gene smiled. "Well, I couldn't've picked a nicer kidnapper," he said.
The pirate chuckled.
Gene's eyes went wide. He crawled over to the cell's bars at lightning speed. "April!" he called. "He laughed! April! I got him to laugh!!!"
Gene realized that there was no way she could hear him. He leaned against the bars, disappointed. "She'll never believe me, you know," he said, but the pirate had turned off the intercom.
Gene banged his head backwards onto a hard steel bar.
"Oww…"
OUTLAW STAR
"And then the ship just left," Jim said to Valeria. "We don't even know who was in the pod."
Valeria nodded, sipping on a cup of coffee. For the past hour, the pair had been sitting in a café on Calim talking. Jim had told Valeria everything that had happened since they last parted company. About the Caster shells at Tenrei, about Hazanko and the Leyline, about their close encounter with restaurant ownership, and about Eldred and April and the situation with the kidnappings.
Valeria nodded. "So you're gonna go save Gene and April from this Kei pirate scum, right?" she asked.
Jim tilted his head from side to side. "That depends on Leilong," he said. "He's in charge of this whole thing. He feels real responsible about letting Gene and April fall into the wrong hands." He leaned forward. "But just between you and me, I think he's hot for Melfina," he said. "He might decide to go after Ron and that ship."
A waitress arrived to fill their cups. While she was there, Jim and Valeria kept quiet. As soon as she left, Valeria decided to spill her part of the story.
"Gene doesn't want you guys entering pirate space," she said before blowing the steam off of her coffee.
Jim frowned. "Oh yeah?" he asked skeptically. "What makes you so sure of that?"
Valeria swallowed a mouthful. "Because he told me," she said, smiling.
Jim was astonished. "He told you??? When did he get the chance to talk to you???"
Valeria explained her earlier encounter. The entire time, Jim sat unblinking, amazed that Gene had gone back with the pirate.
"He must be scared of that guy if he went back on his own free will," he said when she had finished.
"Actually, I don't think Gene thinks the pirate will attack if we tried to rescue them," Valeria said. "I'll bet anything he's just curious about the pirate's intentions. He said he didn't want anyone opposing the pirate, just in case, but I don't think that's his entire reasoning."
Jim nodded. After a short silence he looked up at Valeria. "Can I ask you something?" he asked.
"I suppose," she said. "What is it?"
"Why aren't you at your pilot's funeral right now?"
Valeria sighed as if she was about to cry. She pulled her lips into her mouth like people do when they feel like crying. "I, um…" she started. She looked away. "I just don't like funerals is all."
"Sorry," Jim said. "I didn't mean to make you sad. I was just curious."
"It's okay," Valeria said. "You have the right to ask questions." She took a breath and looked at him. "The answer is that I lost both my parents as a child. They had a joint funeral." She wiped her nose. "That was the day I found out I was adopted. After hearing that, I went up to the coffins. I heard my family arguing about 'who was gonna take care of Lita and Cedric's mistake'." A tear rolled down her cheek. "Now whenever I lose a soldier I wonder how their family will react and it makes me remember that day…"
Jim reached out and held her hand. "You don't hafta worry about all that," Jim said. "Maybe the mistake your family meant was your parents' debt. Maybe your soldiers that die will have families that are so proud of them that they don't grieve the death so much. Maybe the reason you cry is because you care, and that's definitely not a bad thing." He looked up at her, shaking her head, and frowned slightly. "You gotta remember one thing," he said. "You need a reason to be sad. You don't need a reason to be happy."
She sniffled and wiped her tears, smiling. "How old are you?" she asked, then laughed. "Most people grow old and never get to be so wise as you."
Jim smiled.
"Thanks," Valeria said. She cleared her throat. "Just promise me one thing."
"What's that?" Jim asked, sitting back.
"Don't tell anybody about this," she said. "I'm supposed to be their fearless leader."
Jim smiled wider. "You can count on me!"
OUTLAW STAR
Leilong, Suzuka, Eldred, and Aisha were consulting with a traffic controller in the small hallway of Calim's operations tower.
"So that ship belonged to Saiyo Wong?" Leilong said. "That creep has Melfina?"
Suzuka gave him a strange look. "You know Saiyo?" she asked.
Leilong looked her square in the eye, obviously angry. "That wretch killed a good friend of mine for a bounty," he said. "I made sure he got locked up for life after that."
Aisha pounced forward. "You're the one who put him in prison?" she griped. "We went through a lot to get him out!"
"You did what?!?" Leilong shouted, a vein in his forehead throbbing. He got into Aisha's face. "Do you have any idea just what Saiyo does to women?!?"
Eldred stepped forward. "Leilong," he whispered. "You don't know what you're talking about. Saiyo only kidnapped those women. The rest was just a ploy to keep him out of our hair."
Leilong looked over at him. "What?" he asked.
"Those two women were Kei spies," Eldred said. "He was employed by the Security Forces to find them and bring them in. Then Hazanko used you guys and several Outlaw governors to convict him of their rapes and Kimari's murder."
He pulled Leilong aside. "I hate to do this to you after so long," he whispered. He looked away, ready for the worst reaction possible from Leilong. "Hazanko killed Kimari."
Leilong did not appear angry or confused. He stood up straight and left the room silently, maintaining an emotionless stare.
Eldred looked back at the room of people. The controller had left. Duuz and Hideki had just arrived, after seeing their comrade given a proper funeral.
"What's going on?" Duuz asked him.
"Just a few skeletons," Eldred said. He turned and left, determined to explain to Leilong how he was decieved.
Duuz shrugged. He turned to Suzuka. "Did you find out much about the two vessels?"
"That new Outlaw vessel belonged to Saiyo Wong," she told him. "They won't talk to us about the pirate. It would appear that he had some special permission to dock without the usual security checks."
"That's not permission," Hideki voiced his opinion. "That's power." Seeing three pairs of eyes turn to him, he shied away. "I mean -" he started.
"No," Suzuka said. "I think you're right. Whoever this guy is, he has this entire station in his grasp, and I would be surprised if it stopped there."
"You think he's stronger than Hazanko?" Aisha asked.
Suzuka bit her lip, turned and left. Duuz and Hideki followed her, leaving Aisha alone in the hallway.
"Is that a 'yes'?" she called. She ran after them. "Suz, answer me!"
"Stop calling me that," Suzuka answered. "And yes, I have a feeling he's stronger than Hazanko."
OUTLAW STAR
A day of sub-ether travel had brought Gene, April, and the pirate to their destination.
"You are guests here, and so you will act," the shadowy pirate informed the pair of red-haired prisoners on the exit ramp of his ship. "You will be treated with respect. You will not be bound, because there is nowhere to which you can run. I am to transport you to Captain Lunn. You will not disappoint him."
"Yeah, yeah," Gene said, waving off the comments. "Piss on the newspaper and not the good master's carpet, we hear ya."
After a long pause, the pirate made his way down the ramp. April followed closely behind. Gene shrugged and followed, quickly catching up to April. "I made him laugh yesterday," he told her.
April smiled wryly. "Yeah…" she said sarcastically. "I'm sure…"
"I did!" Gene shouted defensively. "I told him I wouldn't have chosen a ni-"
"Be quiet," the pirate said. "Part of the respect you must show is only speaking when you are spoken to by a member of the Kei ranks."
Gene tightly sealed his lips jokingly.
They made their way across the large metal landing pad. Gene looked around him. They were on a planet now. The sky was orange and hazy. The sun was a deep red, but was larger in the sky than any he had ever seen before. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. The temperature was decently cool, considering their close proximity to the sun. As far as he could see, metal buildings and vehicles cluttered the landscape. It was like a darker version of Earth.
They made their way into the building connected to the small elevated, landing pad. The hallways were decorated in very similar colors to the outside - shades of metallic orange and red, with golden trim. Large ornate decorations hung on the walls at odd intervals - depictions of a red-haired child at the helm of a spacecraft, storyboards of many people following a red-haired man into the uncharted reaches of space, cult symbols, and a blueprint of their holy capital.
Gene cleared his throat. "Where are we?" he asked silently.
"This is the personal residence of Captain Lunn," the pirate said, stopping at a large double-doors. Without moving he caused a knocking sound to emanate from the door.
"Come in," came a voice from inside. The doors swung open. "Is it Mr. Wong or -"
The trio stepped into the large den. Lavish decorations, all in shades of red and orange, cluttered the large room, making it feel so much more cramped than it actually was. A man with silver hair sat on the couch.
"Oh," he said. "It's you."
"Mr. Wong?" Gene asked. "Sai-"
"Quiet," the dark Tao master commanded.
The silver-haired man was obviously disfigured. Long bangs covered the entire right side of his face. His mouth was tight on the right side with scar tissue. The right nostril of his long nose was torn, but healed, and had a small nick still missing from it. His right eye was… not there… Instead of an eye socket, he had a smooth steel plate under his skin, which had been treated to heal flat over the plate. The skin there was pierced. A single dragonite stud shone clear, right where his pupil may have been. Gene and April could not see all of his face. His ear - if it was there - was hidden by the shiny silver hair, which was swept all to that side of his head. The left side of his face was blemish-free and showed that he had been an incredibly handsome man before the disfigurement. He smiled lopsidedly. His crystal-blue iris shone with astonishment as he stood up.
"I have brought two," the pirate said to Lunn. "One man and one woman."
Lunn was shaking with happiness. "I never thought I'd see another human with hair so red," he said in his clear, melodic voice. "But two!" He reached out to touch April's hair but she pulled it back. He smiled. "Don't worry!" he assured her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I want us to be friends!"
He moved over to Gene and shook his hand. "It's an honor to be in your presence," he said.
"You know who I am?" Gene asked.
Lunn smiled and threw his hands into the air. "Of course I do!" he shouted. "You are the man with red hair that has come to aid in Kei prophecy!"
Gene frowned. "Really?" he asked. "That's kinda cool I guess…" he said, showing disappointment at the fact that Lunn hadn't really recognized him.
Lunn laughed.
The pirate turned to face him. "I will be going now," he said. "I assume my debt is repayed?"
Lunn smiled. "Of course," he said. "Now I owe you again. I'd gladly jump in front of another chemical explosion for you if I wasn't so sure you've learned to handle it yourself." He smiled, extending his hand.
The pirate turned and left, never to be seen of or heard from by our heroes again.
"Well," Lunn said, turning to Gene. "Let's get down to business."
OUTLAW STAR
Two Calim guards pulled the barely-breathing body of Charlie the Sylgrian across the deck of the internal landing pad toward the infirmary. Valeria, Leilong, Duuz, Suzuka, Jim, Eldred, Hideki, Aisha, and Gilliam (in his pink probe) rested on some crates as repairs were made to the Outlaw Star nearby. The Shangri-La and Uleili were both parked nearby. Massive repairs were needed for both ships, so Calim would be their home for quite some time.
"Almost forgot about him…" Valeria said.
"Kinda feel sorry for the guy," Hideki said.
"I don't," Duuz said. If Saurians could smile, Duuz would have been. In his mind, Charlie got what he deserved.
"What's up with that guy, anyway?" Jim asked.
"He's bipolar," Valeria replied. "One minute he's a Bible-toting Sylgrian trying to improve other people's lives, the next he's a vindictive, kleptomaniacal aggressor with a chip on his shoulders the size of Jupiter."
"What's gonna happen to him?" Aisha inquired.
Valeria frowned. "I'm not sure," she said. "He is wanted for multiple accounts of abuse, assault, and evading justice." She paused. "But there's no proof that he has killed anyone yet, so he will probably end up in a mental hospital somewhere near Orenia."
Aisha nodded.
"What about us?" Eldred piped up. "What are we gonna do?"
"We follow Saiyo," Leilong said. "The Angel Links will stay here."
Valeria put her hand in the air as if waving away Leilong's words. "On whose jurisdiction?" she asked, hypothetically. "We have just as much an interest in this situation as you do, and WE get paid to do it." She put the hand down, gesturing to herself. "It's our job."
Leilong put his finger in the air. "It's your job to escort your prisoner to a law office in the Orenia system," he said.
"Charlie can stay here," Valeria said. "He needs medical attention that we cannot give." She gestured toward her ship. "And look at Uleili! Does it look like we're gonna be able to leave the sation for home anytime soon?"
There was a pause.
"I want to go," Hideki said. "I can help you guys find your friend."
They looked at him. Leilong gave the idea serious thought. "But the eight of us all in Outlaw Star? We can't all fit."
"Yes you can," Gilliam said. "We have enough food to last the eight of you and Melfina twenty-three days plus one breakfast. There may only be five bunks, but I require a minimum of three people on the bridge at all times during a mission such as this. If you all know how to share, it should be no problem."
The group looked around, contemplating the situation.
Leilong was about to give it.
"Over here!" someone shouted. "He's still alive!"
They all looked over to the swarm of emergency service technicians.
"He's breathing!" someone else yelled.
Leilong jumped to his feet and ran over to see who they were talking about.
"He's got a gash in his head," the first voice said. "There's so much blood…"
"How is he still alive?" a third person asked.
"I don't know," the first voice said. "It's a miracle."
"No it isn't," the second voice said. "Look at this!"
Leilong had made his way to the front of the crowd. The breathing body of Harry MacDougal, bathed in blood, lay on the cold steel floor. There was a dagger-wound in his head and shards of a thick glass in his abdomen. The second voice, an elderly technician with a white goatee, had peeled back some of Harry's scalp, revealing the metallic skull.
"He's a construct," the old man said.
Leilong kneeled beside Harry, gazing into the unresponsive eyes. He reached toward the body.
"What are you doing?" said the first voice, a burly, bearded, middle-aged man.
"He's dead," Leilong replied. "Someone removed his personality board." He felt around on the interior side of Harry's collarbone for a button. He pressed it and the body stopped breathing.
On the other side of the docking bay, Suzuka sat patiently, listening to the technicians and Leilong from a distance. "It's Harry MacDougal," she said to the group.
Jim bowed his head. "I wonder if Melfina is alright," he said silently.
Aisha, sitting next to him, put an arm around his shoulders. "Of course she is, kid," she assured him. "We'll get her."
Jim looked up and gave a forced smile.
Leilong walked back into the group, wiping Harry's blood on a rag that the old man had given him. "Wherever Ron MacDougal is, he has Harry's brain with him," he said. "Someone removed his personality/memory board."
The group all nodded or made similar gestures of acknowledgement.
"We need to go soon," Valeria said. "Let's all get ready for departure so we can leave when repairs are finished."
Hideki, Suzuka, Eldred, and Jim stood up to start moving.
"Excuse me?" someone called. "Commander Valeria?" An elegant young blonde woman in a business suit stepped up. "That kind young Sylgrian is ready to be switched to your custody."
"Kind!" Duuz bellowed. "Ha!"
Valeria smiled at Duuz. "Can you hold onto him for now?" she asked politely. "We have something rather important to do. We can take him with us when repairs on our ship are finished or the Forces send another team."
The woman smiled. "I'm sorry," she said. "That just isn't possible. Our lock-ups are overcrowded. Since he's your prisoner, we insist that you take him. There's no way around it, ma'am. I have my orders."
Valeria looked at Duuz, then at Leilong. "That makes nine of us," she said. Both Duuz and Leilong made as if to protest, but she spoke again. "There's no way around it, guys. I have my orders!"
Duuz and Leilong shut their mouths.
Valeria and the others walked away, leaving behind the two protestors and Gilliam.
"Oh dear," Gilliam said. "With the dietary habits of an adult male Sylgrian, our rations may only last fourteen days!"
OUTLAW STAR
Gene stared at the tapestry hanging in front of him, wide-eyed. "How is this possible?" he asked, bewildered.
"You are a child of prophesy," Lunn replied, placing his hand on Gene's shoulder.
Gene looked at two other tapestries hanging to his right. Pointing at the one next to the first, he said. "That's…"
"April, I know," Lunn said.
Gene looked at the third picture. "Who's the kid?" he asked.
"I'm sure you'll figure that out soon," he said, smiling.
Gene was entirely astonished.
Lunn patted Gene on the back. "I'll leave you alone to think about what this all means," he said. He turned and walked out of the tapestry-filled room, shutting the door behind him. April, who had been standing near the door in shock, walked over to Gene and rested against him as a sign of emotional support.
"How is this possible?" Gene repeated. For the first time in his life, Gene Starwind did not have an explanation for something.
The first tapestry was him, in the E. E. P. of his father's trade vessel when he was younger, banging on the glass viewport to try and convince his father to come with him.
The second tapestry was Gene and April, holding each other on a strange land, brilliant fireworks shooting from their bodies into distant planets.
The third was of a young, red-haired boy. It was not Gene. In his hand, an awesome light shone. Behind him was the city of San Francisco, laid to waste.
TO
BE
CONTINUED!
Hello, all. I am Lord Ark Manaf, Twelfth… never mind… It seems that Saiyo's OTHER prisoners are a little feistier than I. Needless to say, they get us into a little more trouble than we asked for, but at least now I don't have to go to the Kei pirate capital! Be prepared for a lot of adventure, withOUT that Gene guy… on the next installment of Outlaw Star!!!