AN-I don't own Outlaw Star. My story merely takes place in that universe.

So please, enjoy.

And please review!

CHAPTER SEVEN

Ula woke up to the sound of gunfire. She kept her eyes closed as her ears twitched, trying to find the source of the noise, and trying to decide whether or not it was time to fight. When she pinpointed the sound to the firing range, she sat up. Throwing on a set of sweat clothes she made her way out of her room, and towards the sound.

When she reached the long room, she opened the door to see Tristan hunched behind a machine gun, firing at a small but thick plate of steel. He finished off the belt of ammo, and the steel plate came forward, showing plenty of dents and scratches, and quite a few holes in it. "No, C'tarl-C'tarl skin is just that strong, I need them all to go through," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "Load another," he said out loud as he moved to a new gun.

The new gun was set in a bull-pup manner, with a long magazine behind the trigger. And it looked different from the three other weapon systems which were set up in a row. Another steel plate popped out of the floor. Tristan lay prone behind the weapon, and aimed. He gently caressed the trigger, and instead of the loud blasts that Ula expected, it instead gave out a rapid ft-t-t-t-t-t-t! as the rounds flew out of the end of the weapon. A heat wave appeared above the barrel, and a strange whining was heard from the weapon. None of the rounds punched through the steel.

"Sound test for low velocity rounds: check." Tristan then fiddled with the weapons controls, and braced himself again. P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-pop! Now the rifle sounded like popcorn popping, probably as the rounds broke the speed barrier. But what was clearly heard was the rapid TINK! as the bullets passed clean through the steel plate.

"Armor piercing test: check," Tristan said softly. "Recoil is minimal, and barrel climb is also minimal, due to gyroscopic tendencies of the magnetic propulsion. Now testing full-auto fire." Again Tristan fiddled with the controls, and when he pulled the trigger, Ula couldn't distinguish the sound of one round firing with the next. In less than two seconds, the entire magazine was emptied. "Fifty round magazine runs dry in roughly two seconds on full-auto, so be careful. Despite being four millimeter, these rounds are powerful, so don't go wasting all your ammo because you can."

"What is that?" Ula asked.

Tristan jumped as he turned, and smiled when he saw her. "I'm just testing my best weapons to see which would work against the crew of the Outlaw Star. So far the gauss rifle is the best. I'll have to run it through tests using different sorts of rounds and against different types of defenses."

"Why were you talking to yourself? And how does that rifle work?"

Tristan turned his head, showing a small earpiece and microphone that was mounted on a stick. "I was recording my observations." He picked up the gauss rifle. "This rifle uses a gasless propulsion system made up of magnetic coils that run all down the barrel. It's kinda like the trains back in the twenty-first terran century, only with much more powerful magnets." Ula nodded in understanding

"Where normal power sources would be an electric battery, or something of the kind, I designed this rifle to be run on a nuclear battery. It is fusion powered, not fission, so don't worry about it being dangerous if it gets damaged. Anyway, the gauss rifle is a magnetic linear accelerator, also known as a 'rail gun'. Once I pull the trigger, the first magnet starts to spin, causing the bullet to accelerate down the barrel. On single shot, the first magnet simply stops spinning after the bullet passes, while the rest of the magnets spin at slightly higher speeds, making the round go faster and faster. When firing in burst mode, the magnets simply keep on spinning, but at much higher speeds than the magnet before it, so that the magnetism going forward is much greater than the magnetism going back. Get me so far?"

"Yeah, I think so. So basically the magnets pull harder than the previous magnets, making the round go super fast, right?"

"Correct. You can control how fast the magnets spin, therefore controlling their pulling force, therefore?" he asked slyly.

"Therefore…controlling how fast the round goes?"

"Good! And the really handy thing about the gauss rifle is it depends on magnetism for propulsion, not gas powered, like with gunpowder. As long as the bullet has a metal core, it can be fired. I hope to sell my design to the Space Forces one day. It is more dependable than a gun powder weapon, in the respects that it is quieter, doesn't have an action and therefore doesn't need to be cleaned, has much smaller bullets that can be fired at varying velocities, and any rifle can use any round that is compatible for this weapon system, be it tranquilizer, explosive, smoke, incendiary, paint, basically anything. And it is better than hand held energy weapons because it is much cheaper, uses a smaller energy signal, and is less bulky."

"I heard you talking about gyroscopes. What do you mean?"

"Geez, you really are interested by this, aren't you?" he asked, getting an emphatic nod in return. "Well, since the magnets spin, they create a gyroscopic effect, steadying the barrel. The barrel doesn't climb, drop, or drift left or right. Really, if you are aiming at something, it's going to get hit. The one I've got right now, I like to call Supergun. It comes with a bipod, ultraviolet laser, a scope with two, six, ten, and sixteen magnification. The scope can also see in both the ultraviolet and infrared spectrums, and has a target classifier. It has sensors that take readings on both the atmospheric pressure and the wind speed and direction, as well as a thermometer. It has a heavy barrel, and an adjustable stock, as well as a stock mount that can fit either a grenade launcher or a shotgun attachment. These both fit over the bipod, as long as it is folded. It is compatible with both a regular magazine and a drum magazine. In other words, it is the best infantry weapon one can have. It cost me over two million wongs to have it created and to have all records of its existence destroyed. Oh, and as a side note: the battery is chargeable."

Ula stayed quiet for a few seconds before she spoke again. "So you have decided to capture the Outlaw Star, haven't you?" Suddenly her eyes showed hope and determination. "To help me save my family?"

Tristan sighed, and put the rifle down. "What if your family was already dead?" He hated seeing the spark of hope die in her eyes like that. "Listen…I looked up a C'tarl-C'tarl report that said that the Clan-Clan family was reported to have been killed by Kei Pirates. Both Aisha and Ula Clan-Clan were reported missing, assumed dead. The only reason I suspected this was that some two months ago the C'tarl-C'tarl Empire was royally pissed about something or other. I myself was stopped six times and nearly arrested twice."

The shock on her face was undeniable. "M-mama?" she croaked, tears springing to her eyes. "Papa?" she started sobbing. Tristan stepped closer to her, and reached a hand out to her, hoping to comfort her. But she slapped his hand away from her as hard as she could. "Stay away!" she snarled, voice throaty with utter sadness.

He backed away. There was nothing as dangerous as an emotionally stressed C'tarl-C'tarl female. "Look, I'll research it further. Melanie is looking into it right now, as we speak. I even prevented her going into ether-drive so the communication connection wouldn't be endangered. I will not rest until it is confirmed!"

Hours later, Tristan was hunched over the computer, his hands flying over the keyboard in a blur. Very shortly his suspicions would be confirmed, and they could head to Heifong III, hopefully to make contact with Gene and Company. A new window popped up on the screen, and he looked at it tiredly before his eyes snapped open in shock.

Reply for information request on Clan-Clan family:

Family is NOT definitely dead. Aisha and Ula are the only ones whose current conditions are not definite. Mother and Father have unknown positions, but are most certainly alive. C'tarl-C'tarl Empire abandoned search for them, and are instead trying to locate daughters. Unconfirmed reports of possible ransom being called for by Kei Pirate Gang, but demands are unknown, and as stated this is unconfirmed. If you have information on any of this, please reply at the following link:

Tristan ignored the rest of the page, and instead highlighted the data he needed, and printed it out. Clutching the paper in his hands, he practically flew to Ula's room. Skidding to a halt before the door, he slammed his fist against the cool steel.

"Go away!" came the muffled reply. Even through the door, it sounded teary.

"I found something out about your family! It's-"he started.

"Dammit, I said go away! You think I want to hear any more 'good' news?" he heard her roar. He groaned, and nodded to one of Melanie's helpers. The ship started to hum as the Manchusen Drive kicked up. He sighed, before testing the door. It was locked.

"It says your parents are still alive!"

The sobbing halted, and there was a flurry of movement from the other side. The door cranked open, and Ula stood there, covered in nothing but her sweatpants and a bra. She snatched the paper from his hands, her red rimmed and watery eyes scanning the paper. He concentrated on not gawking at her great figure. Get your mind out of the gutter, Tristan! he berated himself.

With a shout, she leapt upon him, smothering him with kisses. Sometimes she acts just like a sixteen year old. Not that I really mind that, he smiled to himself. He was happy to have her strong arms and warm body around him once more. "Thankyouthankyouthank!" Ula was practically squealed in happiness.

"Entering ether drive in five, four, three, two, one. Activating Manchusen Drive," Melanie said calmly. The ship roared, and lurched. Tristan was finally accepting his destiny, confronting Gene Starwind just as he was made to do. Only this time he would be fighting to earn Gene's respect, and hopefully his allegiance. It was time to rescue Ula's parents.