1: Rune

"Jim!" Sarah Hawkins called. Her son bounded down the stairs, his white Interstellar Academy jacket tied around his waist.

"Yeah mom?" he replied.

"Would you help me out here?" Sarah asked, glancing around the crowded inn. He rolled his eyes.

"Sure…" he mumbled. This wasn't exactly what he wanted to do on his weekend, but… it was better than being bored. He watched as an alien girl, more humanoid than alien as she had a long black cat's tail waving behind her as she chattered to a patron. She was a new waitress Sarah had employed recently. Actually, he had only seen her once and that was when he found her lying unconscious dangerously close to the dock. But he had gone back to the academy after bringing her inside, so he hadn't really met her. Her large black ears perked when the door opened.

"Thanks for coming!" she called after someone as they waddled out the door. Bright yellow eyes settled upon him, making him turn away as his face heated up.

He heard quick, light footsteps over the din of the patrons. When he turned around again, the cat-girl was staring up at him.

"You're Jim, aren't you?" she asked. He nodded, strangely unable to speak. "I'm Rune."

"Hey," he replied brilliantly. "So, uhhh… you're okay, right?"

"Hm?" she asked. "Oh yeah. I remember now. You found me, right? Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hey, Jimmy…" B.E.N. said as he wandered over. "Who's this?"

"I'm Rune, remember?" she prompted.

"Oh, the little kitty that Jimmy found outside!" the robot exclaimed. "That was awfully sweet."

"Get off me," Jim hissed. He pushed the neurotic robot away and when he turned to face Rune, she had disappeared.

"So you're a pirate!" B.E.N. exclaimed later that evening.

"Uh… yes. I'm the captain of my crew," Rune nodded, her tail twitching nervously.

"A pirate?" Delbert asked. "Fascinating. Um… which planet are you from, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Nekona Minor," she replied. "It's in the… the…" she snapped her fingers. "The Ahkantar system," she grinned after remembering.

"Fancy that Jim, a pirate. Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Delbert sighed dreamily.

"You've been involved with pirates?" Rune asked in a low tone. Jim nodded slowly. "Did you ever hear about the Pirate Overlord?"

"Overlord?" Amelia repeated. "No, no, there's no such thing. It's only a legend."

"Treasure Planet wasn't," Jim muttered.

"The Pirate Overlord is said to be among the most feared pirates in the universe, right up there with Nathaniel Flint and the like. But instead of pillaging treasure and stashing it on some distant rock out in the boondocks of the universe, he would capture people. He'd torture them for fun, make them his slaves, or sell them on the black market. If he didn't like someone, he'd kill them," Rune murmured. "My village was targeted in a raid. My parents were slain and he gave me this…" she turned around and lifted up the back of her shirt. Countless scars interlaced one another, forming a criss-cross pattern across her skin. "… and this," she turned back around and pulled down at her shirt, revealing a large circular brand on her breast bone.

"Oh my…" Sarah breathed.

"The scars on my back are from refusing to obey him… and the brand is his promise that he'll find me again and make me his bride," she said solemnly. "Personally, I think it's a bunch of crap you'd read about in a fiction novel."

"Hey…" B.E.N. started, "If you're a captain of your crew… where are they?"

"Umm… yeah, about that… they wanted what was best for me so they kinda… kicked me out," she giggled nervously.

"Why would they do that?" Delbert inquired.

"The brand," Rune replied, fingering the ruined skin.

"I don't see how a simple brand is reason enough to engage in mutinous actions," Amelia sighed.

"You don't recognize what it is, do you?" Rune asked coyly. "I suppose it's because it is not black…"

"Why would it make more sense it your freaky brand thing was black?" Jim asked, shaking his bangs out of his face.

"That's because it's the Black Spot," she grinned, her sharp eyeteeth glinting in the dim light. "My friend Sedna was given a similar brand, though I haven't seen her since we got separated while escaping from the Overlord's ship."

"Ah, the pirate symbol of despair," Delbert nodded gravely. "How unfortunate."

"Spare me the 'pity' bullcrap, dogman, okay?" Rune snapped. "The only reason I'm here now is because I'm too stubborn to give in to someone's whims, got that? I'm no one's sex toy or 'fiancée' alright? Now just shut up and leave it alone!"

"Hey, he was just trying to be nice. That's no reason to throw a hissy fit," Jim scoffed. Rune sniffed and tossed her black hair over her shoulders, storming off.

"Now Jim, that's no way to a woman's heart," Delbert sighed.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, he does seem to have a point. In all the time I've known you Jimmy, I've never seen you take a fancy to a girl before," B.E.N. nodded. "She is pretty cute."

"What the heck makes you think that?" Jim cried, exasperated. He only got small grins in response. He sighed and walked away, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He needed air… now. Morph tittered as he flew around the man's head and rubbed against his cheek.

"I suppose I should thank you for saving me," Rune's voice said from the growing darkness. Jim looked up to see her perched on the roof of the inn, gazing intently at the setting sun.

"Oh, uh… you don't have to do that," he floundered. "I've been doing things like that since I was a kid. I mean, taking in strays and trying to keep them."

"You're planning on 'keeping' me?" she inquired.

"No! No, that's not what I meant!" he replied. He felt his cheeks heat up. Rune giggled and leapt down from the roof in one swift movement that reminded him of Captain Amelia.

"How 'bout this? In exchange for saving my life, I'll help you with something," she offered.

"Help me? With what?" he asked.

"Hey, that's just how I work. Either you let me repay you or I stick around until it gets done by default," she shrugged. "Your choice, Jim."

He swallowed hard, feeling very uneasy with Rune in such close proximity to him. If he took not even a full step forward, he'd walk right into her. Actually, if he made any movement forward he'd end up touching her. He watched her tail flick behind her, almost absently wondering how she got dressed in the mornings. Did she need a special type of clothing? He glanced down and saw she was wearing a skirt, and again he blushed.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You're almost as red as the sky."

"I'm fine… uh… I'll see you later," he mumbled before dashing inside. Once safely inside the interior of the inn, he slumped down at a table, burying his face in his folded arms.

"Was it something I said?" Rune's voice asked suddenly. He jumped and knocked over the chair, sprawling on the floor. "Sorry," she chuckled.

"Um… no?" he asked. Why didn't he know? Why was he so confused all of a sudden?

"Look, you've been acting weird ever since this morning. If it's because of me, just let me know. It's really not that hard, you know," she said, folding her arms.

"It's… it's not you, okay, just… just stay away from me for a while okay? I'm not used to you yet," he floundered, hiding his face behind his hands.

"Very well," she replied. He swore he heard her smirk. When he was sure she had left, he dared to look around. He saw her at the far end of the room. She winked and ducked behind a door.

The next day found Rune in Delbert's lab, being poked and prodded by various objects.

"Strange, you appear to be of a similar breed to Amelia, yet your feline aspects are more prominent," he deduced, yanking on her tail. She meowed in pain. "Fascinating."

"Ugh, do you mind, dogman? There is such a thing as 'personal space' you know," she hissed.

"Now, now, I have a name, and I'd appreciate it if you used it," he chided gently.

"Hey doc!" Jim's voice echoed in the room adjacent to the one occupied by Delbert and Rune.

"In here, Jim," he called back, tugging on Rune's ears.

"Ouch!" she snarled. "I'd like to keep those if it's not too much trouble!" B.E.N. entered the room with Jim, carrying a large glass of milk. Rune followed it with her eyes and mewed happily when it was handed to her.

"So the doc tells me you're like Amelia," the copper robot chattered.

"Not really. We're from different planets so we're not really 'like' each other. I think it's kinda obvious since I have rather large ears and a tail," she enunciated, flicking her tail to further prove her point.

"Is it real?" B.E.N. asked. "I mean like, is it attached?"

"Yes, it's attached," she said, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. "What the hell kind of question is that?"

"Geez, it's just a question. You don't need to get all flustered," Jim chuckled.

"Right. Um, why are you saying that when you don't even know me?" she snapped, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She set the empty glass beside her and swung her legs. "Get to know me first; then judge me."

"Guys…" B.E.N. started a bit nervously. "Uh, I hate to interrupt this lovely chit-chat, but I think a passing ship just got hit." He pointed a metallic finger to the window, where a large ship was veering off course, the rear part ablaze.

"What?" Rune cried, leaping off the table and jogging to the window. As the vessel loomed larger, she backed away from the window.

"It's gonna crash," Jim stated as the ships bow grew to immense proportions. He grabbed B.E.N.'s arm, and dove under a table that was out of the way a bit, taking Rune with him. She clamped her hands over her ears as the ship crashed through the building. When the creaking of the wood stopped and the smoke cleared a bit, Jim looked up.

"Wow," B.E.N. mumbled.

"Doc!" Jim cried. "Doc, are you okay?"

"Yes, we're fine," Amelia's shaky voice replied from somewhere among the smoke.

Rune carefully approached the smoldering ruins, shielding her face with her hand. She saw a glove sticking out from among some burning rubble and went to investigate. She screamed when she saw the charred skeleton. A flaming mass rose from another part of the ship.

"You…" it croaked. "You're the reason the Overlord attacked us…" it pointed a sword at her chest, slicing open her shirt to reveal her branded skin. A slightly metallic dring sound echoed in her ears as the burning man was shot.

"Let's go," Jim ordered, grabbing her wrist and dragging her out of the room.

"Where are we going, Jimmy?" B.E.N. asked as he clanked along beside them.

"We've got to get out of here," he answered monotonously, throwing the robot and cat-girl into a wagon sitting just outside the mansion. "They're after you, aren't they?"

Rune nodded silently before answering "Yes…" softly.

"Well, you need to get out of here," he stated.

"Where would I go? My own crew abandoned me because of this brand. So long as either I or the Overlord is alive I'll never be free of him!" she snapped, her tail twitching angrily.

"Perhaps you should go to another planet," Amelia suggested.

"He'd still find me," Rune muttered, shaking her head. "No matter where I run to or where I hide… he'll find me."

"What will you do?" Delbert asked.

The dogman flinched as her eyes, normally a soft gold color, flicked to him and stared. He blinked back at the sheets of gold metal, a shiver running up his spine at the malice behind them. They reflected the dim night light cast by Crescentia space port and passing streetlights, making them glow eerily. Her black hair blended into the shadows so well he couldn't tell which was which, only that it started where her pale skin ended. She brought a hand to her chest and closed her cut shirt.

"I'll kill him," she growled.

o0o

Á La Bella Étoile: end chapter 1

A/N: what did you think? Did you like it? You hated it I know… I'm still gonna write the rest of the story though!

…okay, so Á La Bella Étoile means under the stars in French. I thought it'd work because it's a Treasure Planet story and it takes place out in space 'under the stars'. It makes sense to me. I sure like titling my stories in foreign languages… I mean I've got Latin (DXM), Italian (INDC) and now French (this one, which will be abbreviated ALBE). Don't worry about pronunciation, I can't do it myself. (You should pick titles you can actually pronounce! But everyone uses English! Freak!)

Wow, I just argued with myself again… shut up, inner self!