Hello, and thank you for taking some time to read my story! This is only the first chapter, and I'm working on the second one right now, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to review it, cuz lord knows I need some!
But first the damn disclaimer.
Outlaw Star and all its characters/ships/whatever belong to some lucky company that doesn't belong to me, but the rest of the characters do.
And now, on to the story...
15 years ago
Many today mistaken believe that there is never a dull moment in an outlaw's life, but in many cases, the opposite is true. After the excitement of the kill passes, time slows into infinity, and it may take many months before the next big hit. And since many of them have no home or family to speak of, these interim moments are often boring and lonely. In order to pass the time, many of them look to nature's beauty, even if it were as simple as a Ctarl-Ctarl sunrise. In fact, one would not be considered an outlaw (or pirate) unless he or she had witnessed one of these mini-miracles in the flesh.
Unlike so many other suns, the one that provided planet Ctarl-Ctarl with life and energy was red, which caused it to be aptly nicknamed the Red Ruby. On any given day, there would be at least one small carrier hovering over the treacherous peaks of the M'lao-M'lao mountains to the north, the southern Silvery Sea, or the massive Desert of the Blue Sands. Viewings were popular at the southern hemisphere, where a small group of islands called the Pylarines were located, particularly on the second-largest island, where the Catalina hills populated a small stretch of northeastern land like a bumpy rash. Whenever the shimmering jewel sparkled its magic over an outlaw ship, it was said to bring its occupants good luck. However, not everyone was happy with the Ruby's daily arrival. When the red sun rose, it was time for little Aisha Clanclan to wake up.
"Lady Aisha? Lady Aisha. The sun has risen; it is time to awaken."
The slightly firm voice outside the bedroom chamber could only belong to one person: Nani, Aisha's caretaker. Knowing Aisha from birth, she knew that neither gently rapping on the door nor asking nicely would be enough for the small, stubborn creature to stir from her bed.
"Young ones today. *Sigh* They refuse to follow orders, especially if it's for their own benefit." The small and plump Ctarl-Ctarl looked to her electronic task organizer and found that she had exactly fifteen minutes to get Aisha bathed, dressed, and ready for breakfast. The mistress was not one for tardiness, no matter what the excuse. Having no choice, Nani sighed again and set the controls on her organizer to the temperature control in Aisha's chamber.
Ten seconds later, the chamber door opened, and a shivering Aisha walked out. Nani pointed towards the bathroom next door. In defeat, the young one walked in that direction, with a scowl on her face. Nani followed closely behind, her mouth forming into a small smirk as she closed the bathroom door.
Fourteen minutes later, the pair scurried to the doors of the dining room. Letting out a relieved sigh, Nani thanked Belldandy (hee hee hee!) for the closed doors, which meant the master and mistress have not arrived yet. Even with that out of the way, there was a bigger problem: Aisha hadn't quite forgiven her of her caregiver's treachery, and it showed. Her frown was still on her face, her arms were crossed, and her posture was purposefully slouched, making her looking quite grumpy (which is an understatement in her case). In response, Nani put her ample hands on Aisha's tiny shoulders in an effort to loosen the girl up and playfully whispered,
"You did that to yourself, you know."
"Humph!!" was Aisha's well thought out reply.
"Waking up would be a much more pleasurable experience if you didn't make it so difficult, my dear. If only you knew how many people would kill to see our sun rise once."
"I don't know what's so damn special - I MEAN," correcting herself as she saw the face of death in Nani herself, "I don't understand why anyone would do that. I mean, it's just a stupid red fireball."
"That's because you've seen it every day of your life, and with a fantastic view, to boot!" Aisha sucked her teeth at this, causing an even scarier facial expression on Nani. Before Aisha could apologize, Nani knelt down to the little girl's level and sternly chided her behavior.
"Aisha, respect is earned, not automatically given. Your bad attitude may scare the living daylights out of the rest of the household, but it will not work on me. We know each other too well to be playing these kinds of games, and I do not want to have to go to more drastic measures in order to get through to you. But if I must, then I WILL. Is that understood?"
The only response the shaken Aisha could give was a sad nod. Of all the servants employed by the Clanclans, Nani was the one whose opinion mattered the most to her, and she did not want to displease her in any way. Sensing her charge's remorse, Nani softened her expression and embraced Aisha.
"I'm sorry if I scared you, and I'm not mad at you at all. I know that you are very smart and mature, but it's hard for me to give you the proper respect if you don't respect me, right?"
Another nod was given as a response.
"That's a good girl. You know what, little Aisha?"
"What?"
"Oh, it'll have to wait till later. It's time for breakfast."
The clock on the wall rang seven times. Nani put the firmness back in her voice as she frantically searched Aisha for any imperfections in her appearance.
"Now stand up straight. Good, now knees together, hands out of your pockets…that's right. Puff your chest out with pride, you're a Ctarl-Ctarl, never forget that…let me wipe that from your eye…OK, turn back around and wait for the doors to open."
Aisha did as she was told, secretly wondering what the purpose of all the pomp and circumstance was. It was just she and her mother and father having a simple breakfast of Melba toast, smoked fish and dried mouse meat. Nani explained it as training for entering into society, yet Aisha could not shake the feeling that her parents were out to annoy her in any possible way. Her inner thoughts did not give her room to notice the murmurs from inside growing louder and louder until they suddenly halted. The doors were opened, and the two Ctarl-Ctarls entered the room, one behind the other. Another day had begun.
But first the damn disclaimer.
Outlaw Star and all its characters/ships/whatever belong to some lucky company that doesn't belong to me, but the rest of the characters do.
And now, on to the story...
15 years ago
Many today mistaken believe that there is never a dull moment in an outlaw's life, but in many cases, the opposite is true. After the excitement of the kill passes, time slows into infinity, and it may take many months before the next big hit. And since many of them have no home or family to speak of, these interim moments are often boring and lonely. In order to pass the time, many of them look to nature's beauty, even if it were as simple as a Ctarl-Ctarl sunrise. In fact, one would not be considered an outlaw (or pirate) unless he or she had witnessed one of these mini-miracles in the flesh.
Unlike so many other suns, the one that provided planet Ctarl-Ctarl with life and energy was red, which caused it to be aptly nicknamed the Red Ruby. On any given day, there would be at least one small carrier hovering over the treacherous peaks of the M'lao-M'lao mountains to the north, the southern Silvery Sea, or the massive Desert of the Blue Sands. Viewings were popular at the southern hemisphere, where a small group of islands called the Pylarines were located, particularly on the second-largest island, where the Catalina hills populated a small stretch of northeastern land like a bumpy rash. Whenever the shimmering jewel sparkled its magic over an outlaw ship, it was said to bring its occupants good luck. However, not everyone was happy with the Ruby's daily arrival. When the red sun rose, it was time for little Aisha Clanclan to wake up.
"Lady Aisha? Lady Aisha. The sun has risen; it is time to awaken."
The slightly firm voice outside the bedroom chamber could only belong to one person: Nani, Aisha's caretaker. Knowing Aisha from birth, she knew that neither gently rapping on the door nor asking nicely would be enough for the small, stubborn creature to stir from her bed.
"Young ones today. *Sigh* They refuse to follow orders, especially if it's for their own benefit." The small and plump Ctarl-Ctarl looked to her electronic task organizer and found that she had exactly fifteen minutes to get Aisha bathed, dressed, and ready for breakfast. The mistress was not one for tardiness, no matter what the excuse. Having no choice, Nani sighed again and set the controls on her organizer to the temperature control in Aisha's chamber.
Ten seconds later, the chamber door opened, and a shivering Aisha walked out. Nani pointed towards the bathroom next door. In defeat, the young one walked in that direction, with a scowl on her face. Nani followed closely behind, her mouth forming into a small smirk as she closed the bathroom door.
Fourteen minutes later, the pair scurried to the doors of the dining room. Letting out a relieved sigh, Nani thanked Belldandy (hee hee hee!) for the closed doors, which meant the master and mistress have not arrived yet. Even with that out of the way, there was a bigger problem: Aisha hadn't quite forgiven her of her caregiver's treachery, and it showed. Her frown was still on her face, her arms were crossed, and her posture was purposefully slouched, making her looking quite grumpy (which is an understatement in her case). In response, Nani put her ample hands on Aisha's tiny shoulders in an effort to loosen the girl up and playfully whispered,
"You did that to yourself, you know."
"Humph!!" was Aisha's well thought out reply.
"Waking up would be a much more pleasurable experience if you didn't make it so difficult, my dear. If only you knew how many people would kill to see our sun rise once."
"I don't know what's so damn special - I MEAN," correcting herself as she saw the face of death in Nani herself, "I don't understand why anyone would do that. I mean, it's just a stupid red fireball."
"That's because you've seen it every day of your life, and with a fantastic view, to boot!" Aisha sucked her teeth at this, causing an even scarier facial expression on Nani. Before Aisha could apologize, Nani knelt down to the little girl's level and sternly chided her behavior.
"Aisha, respect is earned, not automatically given. Your bad attitude may scare the living daylights out of the rest of the household, but it will not work on me. We know each other too well to be playing these kinds of games, and I do not want to have to go to more drastic measures in order to get through to you. But if I must, then I WILL. Is that understood?"
The only response the shaken Aisha could give was a sad nod. Of all the servants employed by the Clanclans, Nani was the one whose opinion mattered the most to her, and she did not want to displease her in any way. Sensing her charge's remorse, Nani softened her expression and embraced Aisha.
"I'm sorry if I scared you, and I'm not mad at you at all. I know that you are very smart and mature, but it's hard for me to give you the proper respect if you don't respect me, right?"
Another nod was given as a response.
"That's a good girl. You know what, little Aisha?"
"What?"
"Oh, it'll have to wait till later. It's time for breakfast."
The clock on the wall rang seven times. Nani put the firmness back in her voice as she frantically searched Aisha for any imperfections in her appearance.
"Now stand up straight. Good, now knees together, hands out of your pockets…that's right. Puff your chest out with pride, you're a Ctarl-Ctarl, never forget that…let me wipe that from your eye…OK, turn back around and wait for the doors to open."
Aisha did as she was told, secretly wondering what the purpose of all the pomp and circumstance was. It was just she and her mother and father having a simple breakfast of Melba toast, smoked fish and dried mouse meat. Nani explained it as training for entering into society, yet Aisha could not shake the feeling that her parents were out to annoy her in any possible way. Her inner thoughts did not give her room to notice the murmurs from inside growing louder and louder until they suddenly halted. The doors were opened, and the two Ctarl-Ctarls entered the room, one behind the other. Another day had begun.
