Experienced Outlaw Star fans:

Allow me to beg your forgiveness. This is my first OS fanfiction, and as of yet, unfinished. The characters are as I see them, having only watched the series twice through. If you don't like the way I spell the names, that's your problem.

This is a alternate time line fic, which means it does not follow the time line set by the actual series. Actually, it follows a similar time line, but at some point it breaks off into a paradox and becomes a different story entirely.

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Disclaimer: I own nothing except the pictures in my head. Original characters do belong to me.

Warning: As of yet, this is an alternate time line fic, with yaoi (m/m), het (m/f), and humor. Small dashes of sap, language and angst thrown in for good measure. Pairings--wouldn't you just like to know? This fic reaches into the very edges of lime, but do not expect any lemons. If you don't know what that means, email me and expect to be embarrassed. Underage people are drinking--don't try this at home!

Author: Kasey

Archive: Not unless I send it to you.

Status: Incomplete, self-edited.

Key: /italics/ and *emphasis*

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"At a Minute or Two 'Till Two, Today"

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-Part Two-

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The next morning, Gene was the first to awake, fully rested. He sat straight up in bed, eyes wide open in the morning light.

**Pfumph!!**

Gene lay back down again.

"*Yaaaawwwwww!!!!*" Stretching full-length on the bed, Gene arched his neck to look around him. He was in a very large room, laying on a bed made for two people at least a foot taller than himself, and there was a small songbird twittering in a cage by the window.

Gene tried to sit up again, but the bed seemed to pull him back down, enticing him to go back to sleep. Finally, he rolled to the side, and off of the bed. He grunted as he hit the floor, and pulled himself into a kneeling position. "What a trip," he mumbled. "I think I just caught up on two weeks' sleep."

Further thoughts flew from his head as he caught site of an open door across the room. From where he was, he could see a shower. Shower? Yes!!

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Jim was the next to wake up, only he had bathed the night before, so he pulled on the bathrobe he had been given, and set out to find Gene.

"Gene!! Are yah in here?" Jim pressed his ear against the door to Gene's room. "Are you awake?" He got no reply, but he noticed a soft sound that he recognized as running water. He tested the door, and found that it wasn't locked.

Inside the room, he found that it was every bit as spacious and luxurious as his own, except that Gene had a songbird, while he had a large aquarium. He walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" Gene's voice came, muffled by the door and shower.

"It's me, Gene!" Jim called back. "I'm comin' in." He opened the door, just as Gene pulled the shower curtain closed.

"Wouldja mind, little buddy?" Gene asked, sounding slightly miffed. "Next time give me some warning."

"Sorry, Gene," Jim replied. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay after you fainted last night."

"I didn't faint," Gene snorted. "I fell asleep."

Jim snickered. "Yeah, right. You collapsed in Fred's living room."

"That wasn't a living room. It was a lobby. He probably has ten living rooms and three banquet halls stashed in this place. Tell me, is your room as big as mine?"

"It sure is! Except I've got fish and you've got a bird." Jim looked down at the pile of clothes Gene had left on the floor. He wasn't sure if he was imagining that he could smell them from where he stood. "Hey, Gene?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm taking your clothes down to the laundry before they get up and walk there on their own, okay?"

"Sure thing. I'll just wear a towel 'till they're clean, unless you know where to find a robe like you've got?"

"I dunno. It was waiting for me when I got out of the bath last night." Jim picked up the pile of clothes and held it at arm's length. "Ugh!! I'll see you later, Gene!" With that, he ran out of the bathroom. He dumped the pile in the laundry hamper, and hauled the hamper out into the hall.

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As Gene stepped out of his room, he walked straight into a maid who was passing by.

"Excuse me!" Gene exclaimed. His hair was still wet, and a slightly damp towel was draped around his waist. Other than that, he was completely nude.

"Oh!" The maid blushed, and looked away. "W-would you like me to get you a robe, sir?" she squeaked.

"Sure, that would be great." Gene looked up and down the hall. "Can you tell me where Fred's room is?"

"...That way." The maid pointed to Gene's left. "Up the stairs and to the right. Y-you can't miss it."

Gene started walking down the hall. "Thanks! Just leave the robe in the room, okay?"

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Gene wasn't particularly surprised to find a guard on either side of Fred's bedroom door. Fred was the paranoid type, his insecurity only heightened by the contract Suzuka had taken out over his life. While Gene had, for the most part, eliminated Suzuka's threat, Fred was still terrified of being taken unawares--or at all, for that matter.

"Just here to thank Fred," Gene said, waving away one of the guards. The other guard recognized him, and nodded that it was okay for him to go in. Gene stepped up and knocked on the door. There was no reply. He tried the handle, and found it was locked. He tapped the guard on the shoulder. "...Would you mind?" he asked, gesturing to the lock.

The guard nodded, and typed a security bypass code in. Gene heard a click, and when he tried to turn the handle again, he was able to open the door. He stepped inside, pulling the door shut behind him.

To his surprise, Fred's room was no larger than the guest room he had been given--in fact, it looked smaller because of the paintings, ornaments, and bookshelves that adorned the walls.

It wasn't hard to find Fred. There was a large blanket-roll on the bed that grunted when Gene poked it. Gene stepped over the green bathrobe lying on the floor and started shaking the blanket-roll.

A sort of guttural whine came from the blanket-roll, and a head of blue-black hair slowly poked free of the blankets. "Mmm... I was *asleep,*" Fred groaned.

"Yeah, and now I'm waking you up, Freddie-boy." Gene continued to shake the blankets.
"Okay, okay!!" Fred yawned and worked his way free of the roll of blankets. "I'm awake... I think."

"You're not awake 'till you open your eyes," Gene teased, standing back and placing his hands on his hips.

"Fine." Fred reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes. Then he blinked his eyes open. Wide, wi~ide open! "...Good morning, Gene!" He couldn't help but smile happily at the sight of Gene Starwind, standing in front of him, wearing nothing more than a towel that was starting to fall off of his hips.

Gene would have had to be blind to miss the hungry look in Fred's eyes, and he quickly grasped his towel with one hand, to prevent it from *ever* falling. He knew Fred's preferences quite well--the other man simply wouldn't let him forget.

"Well, you didn't come in just to wake me up," Fred said, still smiling. He was very thoughtful in the way he let the blankets fall around his waist and hips as he sat up, leaving Gene no doubt that he was *not* wearing anything.

"Actually, I did." Gene replied. "And to thank you for putting us up for the night."

"It was my pleasure," Fred said, waving the matter away. He rolled over and reached to the floor to pick up his bathrobe, just barely missing a faceful of Gene's thigh as the other man jumped out of his way.

"Trying to bite me?" Gene asked wryly, catching his balance at the foot of the bed.

Fred stood up as he pulled his robe on, totally unashamed of letting Gene see his body. "The thought *has* crossed my mind," he said slowly, tying the sash. He gave Gene a seductive smile before turning sharply and walking to the bathroom. "I really wish you'd stop by more often, Gene."

"So you can flash me more often?"

"If you like what you see..."

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Jim, Asjia, and Melfina were already eating breakfast by the time Gene, finally decently covered in a full-length bathrobe, found them at a small dining table.

"You hungry?" Jim asked. "The food's great!!" He took a long drink of orange juice. "And there's plenty of it!"

"It's very good," Asjia agreed. Her plate was piled high with pancakes, sausages, and eggs, and dripping with syrup. It was her third serving.

"Good morning, Gene," Melfina said politely. "Sit down."

Gene accepted a seat between Jim and Melfina, and started filling up a plate for himself.

"What took you so long?" Jim asked through a mouthful of pancake. "I left your room almost an hour ago!"

"I went to see Fred. He sleeps in later than *I* do."

Jim snorted. "Impossible. Sleeping in past two in the afternoon is just going to bed early."

Gene waved a fork menacingly at him. "Laugh all you want, kiddo. Just see if I never adjust your alarm clock for you, and *then* tell me who's gonna be laughing!"

Melfina giggled just as Fred, showered and wearing a blue bathrobe, walked in. "Good morning, everyone. Gene... oh, you're dressed." The look on his face was disappointed. "Oh, well."

"Don't be so down, Fred," Gene said. "I think we're stuck here for a few more days. At least until they finish the repairs on the /Outlaw Star/."

"Yes, yes of course!" Fred sat down next to Asjia and started serving himself breakfast. "I made all of the arrangements after you went to bed. I've got three crews trading shifts to work non-stop until the repairs are finished. I also took the liberty of checking Jim's computer for the supplies you needed, and the shipments should be in by tomorrow evening at the latest."

"That's wonderful!" Melfina exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's great, Fred!" Jim agreed. "You sure know how to get things done, unlike *some* self-centered people I know..." He glanced at Gene rather pointedly, who glowered in response.

"Now, just a minute, small-fry--"

"Don't call me small-fry!"

"Jim--"

"Don't take that tone with me, Gene! Do you have *any idea* how much of your crap I have to deal with? Clean up after?"

"Now, you look here! I'm the captain, so what I say, goes!"

"Captain! You can't 'captain' your way out of a bathroom!"

"Jim!"

Chaos reigned humorously in the dining room.

---

Gene, finally fully dressed again, complete with his gun and shields, sat on Fred's desk, tapping his feet against the panelling. "So, whaddaya think?"

"You were right," Fred said, typing away at his computer. "It will take three days at the very least to finish the repairs on the /Outlaw Star/. Re-supplying doesn't take very long, but the maintenance will. You almost completely blew an engine, Gene! Do you have any idea how long it takes to repair engines like the XGP has? How did you manage to do it?"

"You read science fiction, right?" Gene asked.

Fred blinked. "Well, yes. I have bookshelves full of it..."

"Ever hear of warp drive?"

Fred's eyes went wide. "Gene... that's impossible!! You didn't *really* achieve light speed... did you?!"

Gene laughed. "Of course not! We tried pretty hard, though. Came darn close, too."

Fred shook his head. "Well, it's no wonder that engine's almost shot. My workers will have it as good as new in a few days, though."

"Good. We need it. So, tell me, Fred. How much do we owe you for the repairs?"

"What?"

"Repairs on the /Outlaw Star/ aren't cheap. I know that. You know that. How much do I need to pay you back?"

"Gene!" Fred stood up and walked around the desk. He hopped up to sit next to Gene. "Why are you so worried about paying me back?" he asked, rubbing the lobe of his right ear.

Gene looked away. "You've loaned me a lot of money, and I owe you for that. The trip's getting pretty dangerous... and I don't want to bump off before I pay you back. Does that make any sense?"

Fred frowned. "You're afraid you might not make it back from the Galactic Leyline...?"

Gene gave him a small smile. "Heck, I'm not sure we're even going to *make it* to the Galactic Leyline. With all these pirates and bounty-hunters on my tail..." His voice trailed off. Then he scowled. "Not to mention those damn MacDougal brothers. I wish I knew how they keep finding us! It's like they've got a tracking beacon, but we've run every electronic and visible check known to manki--"

"Wait!" Fred lay a hand on Gene's shoulder. He tapped his fingers against the desk for a minute as he organized his thought. "Do you remember telling me about what Melfina told you? How she and Harry MacDougal are the same 'type' of android?"

Gene nodded. "Yeah..."

"Well," Fred went on. "What if Harry MacDougal managed to find a way to set up a sort of... beacon, as you said, in the /Outlaw Star's/ virtual database? One that wouldn't be detected by either Gillium or Melfina?"

Gene was silent for a moment. "...I'll have to ask them if it's possible, and have Jim run a check for it. You might be right. If so, we may have to get out of here fast."

"Why?"

"Because finding a beacon like that might trigger an alarm to tell the MacDougals that we're on to them. They might come after us themselves, and frankly, we're in no condition to fight them."

"You're also in no condition to go running off!" Fred huffed, jumping off of the desk. He started pacing back and forth. "The /Outlaw Star/ is barely running, and you're still recovering from--"

"I'm fine, Fred," Gene insisted.

"But I *worry*!!" Fred sighed. "I'm sorry, Gene. You *are* my friend, and I really wish there was some way I could help... other than just recommending contacts and resources, and loaning you money..."

"Believe me," Gene grinned, "That's plenty of help."

Fred glared at him. "You know what I mean!" He looked away for a moment. Finally, he looked back at Gene. "At least wait until the repairs are finished. Then you'll be able to... to leave, if you have to."

Gene smiled softly. "Okay. I'll wait."

---

Three days later, Jim watched the computer as the results of the his new command program: [MELFINA]x://find#MacDougal.beacon/delete.xgp flitted up his computer screen. Suzuka stood behind him, also reading the data. Suddenly, the screen started blinking red. A warning.
"Jim," Gillium said, "We've found it."

"Can we get rid of it?" Jim asked, already starting to type in commands to secure the beacon in place until Gillium and Melfina could delete it.

"I...I think so," Melfina said. "Ohh..." She shuddered as she recognized the signals being emitted from the beacon. "It's *him* again..." She gritted her teeth and set to pulling the beacon out of the virtual web it had used to secure itself in her domain.

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