Disclaimers: Firstly, Outlaw Star is not our creation. Pity, that.
Not to spoil our story, but for those who might be curious, both of us are very fond of angst, but even more enamored of happy endings.
And finally, a note on language: given the names and the written text within the show, it seems possible that the common language everyone speaks is not meant to actually be Japanese. We have therefore tried to avoid its use in this story, with one exception. In the original, Jim calls Gene "Aniki", a Japanese word meaning "big brother" (not necessarily in the literal sense). With no fitting English approximation, it is understandable that the translators chose to go with just "Gene", but we were unwilling to forgo the connotations of "Aniki" and thus kept it intact. Besides, we honestly can't imagine Jim shouting anything else.
Enjoy the story.
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Things Fall Apart
XmagicalX & Gnine
He knew something was wrong when the buxom blonde massaging his back opened her mouth and issued a stream of electronic beeps. Gene Starwind came awake cursing, struggled free of the blankets enfolding him where a dream towel had been only a moment before, and fell off his couch. The bruised elbow did not help either his disposition or his language, and the phone was still squealing impatiently. He snatched it off its hook and mumbled, "Starking and Hawkwind," which didn't sound quite right, but what the hell--
"Aniki!" His younger partner's shout nearly blew out his eardrums, but it did effectively awaken him.
"Yo, Jim--"
Jim wasn't having any of it. "You said you'd be right here. You said fifteen minutes and you'd be right behind me--three hours ago!"
"Eh?" Gene considered, came up with a vague recollection of saying something of the sort and setting the alarm--for XM instead of AM, he suspected, now that he thought of it. Damn thirty-six hour schedule. "Huh, why didn't Mel--"
"She's running the diagnostic with Gilliam today," Jim said, with all the measured patience of a ticking bomb. Gene moved the phone a precautionary thirty centimeters from his ear as his partner continued, "She was already gone before I left. And you promised me that you would GET YOURSELF UP!"
Thirty centimeters hadn't been enough. Gene winced. "Then why didn't you call earlier?" he grumbled as he plodded to the bathroom, eyed his reflection and debated his need of a shave. Needed a haircut soon, too; it was more convenient short, but required more regular attention. Good thing Suzuka was handy with blades; barbers charged like extortionists, and he didn't trust the gleam in Aisha's eyes whenever she got near scissors. "If you've been waiting this long you could've gotten me up sooner."
"It took me this long to convince the guy to let me use his phone," Jim said. "After I'd gotten onto his ship--we're in orbit now, I had to take a shuttle up. And I would've just comm'ed you, but the whole ship is shielded. This guy's paranoid, even worse than he sounded when he contacted us last night. Only I think he might have reason to be. That's why I need you here, he doesn't trust me as a bodyguard--"
"Mm?" Gene looked up from brushing his teeth at the abrupt pause. "Jim?" He picked up the phone, put it to his ear and heard the flat hum of a dead line. Trying to reconnect got no signal. Well, he had said it was shielded...still, Gene pulled on his clothes at double time. He was fastening his cloak as he headed for the door when a noise on the edge of audibility caught his attention.
He paused, listened harder. Not a ringing in his ears. Sirens. And from the direction of the spaceport, it sounded like.
The morning talk program providing background ambience automatically raised its volume to begin an emergency bulletin. Even before he turned back to see the screen, he knew he didn't want to listen to the report. Even before they said aloud what he would have given anything in the universe not to hear.
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to be continued...