You ever notice how sometimes the minor characters can be left behind? Sometimes the characters with the most potential are the ones that are never around. I thought that Ark, Saiyo, Leo, Leilong, Duuz, and Valeria were awesome characters, which is why I decided to do so much with them in my stories. You all are probably wondering what happened to Fred Lou… well, due to a mistake on my part, he's not even in the first four chapters! But, don't worry, I will definitely work him into future adventures! Be prepared for EVERY Outlaw Star minor character to make an appearance before I'm through.

Somebody mentioned that it was hard to keep up with my new characters, so I'll take this time to give you profiles of them – April, Eldred, the Pirate, Hideki, Charlie, and Lunn. Then I'll tell you some things you might not know about the main characters.

April Khan – daughter of Malak Khan and niece of the irrepressible Gwen Khan. Raised in Gwen's Heifong laboratory after the loss of her parents, April was taught to know everything about her uncle's work. She fell in love with Eldred, Gwen's most advanced artificial being. When Gwen was taken into Kei custody to work on the Leyline project, April and Eldred were taken in as part of Lord Hazanko's Anten group, comprised of the dozen strongest Tao magicians under his command. Even though Eldred and April couldn't perform the Tao arts, they were very valuable. April was a genius by anyone's standards. They used her for two things – to know a lot, and to keep her uncle in check. Eldred and Leilong assisted in her escape. She found her way to Sentinel, where she started work in an upper-crust bar, waiting for word from her love… Instead, she found Leilong, and a promise of Eldred's return.

Eldred – creation of Gwen Khan. Eldred is the single most advanced constructed life-form in the known universe(well, maybe the SECOND most advanced). He can change his form by triggering genes or changing tissue mass, which allows him to be an effective tool in both espionage and combat. When Gwen was employed by Hazanko, Eldred and April were taken in as the thirteenth and fourteenth members of the Anten group. Even though Eldred and April couldn't perform the Tao arts, they were very valuable to Hazanko. Eldred could retain a seemingly infinite amount of knowledge, including combat tactics and tactical intelligence. He fell in love with April and decided to free her from the Kei pirates, with the help of his comrade Leilong. When Hazanko found out what events led up to April's escape, he decided to shorten the number of members in the Anten ranks to seven. Five of the pirates were instantly demoted, and Leilong and Eldred were pitted against each other in a fight to the death. Eldred, immortal, did not want to kill Leilong, so he whispered into Leilong's ear about his "kill-switch". Leilong turned him off and jettisoned him into space, where he was picked up by scavenging Outlaws. The Outlaws sold him to the MacDougalls, who repaired him and disconnected his personality and memory cards…

The Pirate – He was just another prodigal Tao student growing up. I cannot disclose his name – he is powerful enough to jump out of the text and kill me for it… his power knows no limit now. When he was still young and learning, he and a friend were sent in to patch a hole in a scientist's chemical tank. Things went awry and the tank exploded. His friend jumped in front of the explosion, saving him from the fire. The pirate went on to become the most powerful of the Tao magicians; he could end a life with a thought; he could change history with a prayer; he will never die. He will always remember the act of his friend, Lunn. He owes Lunn everything and has vowed that as long as he lives, so will Lunn…

Hideki Oda – born and raised in the Tokyo area to two agriculturally dependant parents. He was raised to take over his family's farm, but dreamt of more. Every night, he rested outside under the stars, watching the dozens of ships leave the many Tokyo spaceports, hoping that one day he would be on them. His parents recognized his dreams and let him join the Security Forces as a mechanic-in-training shortly following his eighteenth birthday. Two years and one friend later, Hideki was stationed on the String 4 vessel of the Angel Links group in the Oracia system…

Charlie – hoo boy – this is gonna be hard… there aren't many words that can describe Charlie's… uniqueness… He was the first Sylgrian to be banished from their home system. He was also the first Sylgrian in their recorded history to attack anyone unprovoked, due to his bipolar nature. He has a problem with authority; he has stolen from every station he has stopped at, attacked members of the Angel Links group on several occasions, and though he has never actually killed anyone, he is one of the most wanted felons in Angel Link territory… He also likes spicy foods.

Treno Lunn – born a Kei pirate. His parents forced him into Tao magic training, and he became obsessed with the history of the strange art. One day, he was assigned to help a fellow student clean up after a laboratory accident, and accidentally caused a chemical explosion of dynamic proportions. Seeing it as his own fault, he jumped in front of his friend to save him from burning. Lunn survived, but spent months in and out of infirmaries before deciding that he would much better appreciate an executive job than a Tao one. He used his command position to acquire rare pirate artifacts for personal exhibition, still adamant in his pursuit of ancient magical powers…

There were a couple of things that I tried to explain in chapter two, although I didn't actually come out and say it plainly, so here goes… Gene Starwind, Ark Manaf, Hadul, Urt, and April Khan are descendants of the red-haired child returned from space. The young couple that went into space were recreated in Harry MacDougall and Melfina, although Melfina is not identical – not a clone. Leilong has feelings for Melfina. Harry is beginning to doubt what he was told was his "lineage". Ron turned Melfina off, in fear that she knew her and Harry's origin, to keep Harry from finding the truth. He knows the truth. Saiyo has kidnapped Ark and is bringing him to Lunn. Harry's body is still functional, but needs the memory board that Ron possesses in order to function. Aisha thinks that Eldred is "cute".

With all that in mind, here is chapter three of my self-insertion fan fiction, entitled:

SHIPYARD, GRAVEYARD, KILLING YARD

Saiyo Wong checked the systems of his unnamed vessel quickly, and stood up.

"Nataka, I'm going to check on our guest in the cargo hold," he said. "Watch our friend here, okay?"

"Affirmative," the computer responded.

"Can't I go with you?" Ark asked. "I could help you if he starts something."

Saiyo sneered at Ark. "You think I trust you enough to do that?" he asked.

Ark closed his eyes. "Fine," he said, obviously concentrating hard. In a flash of black, red, and white energy, the handcuffs snapped apart.

Saiyo flinched, half-stepping backwards. Astonished, he breathed: "How…," his lip quivering.

Ark stood, rubbing his wrists. "Why do you think I am a wanted man?" he asked. "You are bringing me to your employer not because I have orange hair, but because I am a powerful priest in the ways of mana."

Saiyo, still astonished, stood up, not knowing what to think… Rumors… even if… extinct… possible?…

"I could've done that when you first tried to capture me," Ark said, "but you amused me, so I played along." He smiled wide and stepped toward his baffled captor. "Do you trust me now?" Not receiving a response, he made his way to the exit. "Don't we have a prisoner to harass?"

He was gone. Saiyo attempted to regain composure and hurried out of the room.

"Humans…" Nataka mumbled.

OUTLAW STAR

"This is my mission, Leilong," Valeria said. "I am in command here." She made herself comfortable in Gene's chair.

Leilong sat in one of the other seats, grumbling incomprehensibly.

Valeria smiled.

"I've calculated the estimated flight path of Wong's vessel," Eldred reported from the liquid navigation tank. "All systems are green. Permission to engage sub-ether drive?"

Valeria looked down at the ship's young mechanic. "Do we have the okay from Calim yet, Jim?" she asked.

Jim gave a thumbs-up, pencil in mouth as he ran a diagnostic on the resiliency of the new tractor anchors.

"Gilliam?" Valeria asked.

"Yes," Gilliam answered.

"Tell the others we are about to go to sub-ether," she told him.

"Gladly," Gilliam said. After a pause, he said: "They have been properly informed."

"Go ahead and depart," Valeria told Eldred.

"Aye aye, sir," Eldred said. "Ma'am… whatever…"

Valeria smiled. The ship kicked into sub ether. Leilong toppled out of his seat, but after the G-forces stabilized, he stood up.

"Leilong," Valeria said.

Leilong made a wry face, knowing what she was about to say.

"Make sure you're buckled in before we depart," she said, smiling widely.

Eldred laughed loudly and emphatically, then stopped abruptly, catching a glimpse of Leilong's angered expression.

Leilong left the cockpit without responding, and smiled as soon as he knew no one was looking. He shook his head and chuckled. He climbed toward the below-decks, which had a different direction of gravity as the cockpit. As he felt the gravity begin to pull him in a different direction, he got slightly nauseous – one of the unpleasantries of space-travel. He saw Hideki and Suzuka unbuckling their restraints. Aisha was nowhere to be seen. Duuz, standing, was watching Charlie closely, waiting for an opportunity to kill him.

"I wish y'all would stop lookin' at me like that," Charlie said, trying not to look at Duuz. "it's unsettlin' on the nerves."

Leilong frowned. "This is the relentless criminal?" he asked.

"Hey!" Charlie shouted. "I resent that!"

Duuz looked down at Charlie, eyes flashing.

Charlie flinched. Speaking more softly, he continued: "I got problems, I know. Sometimes I do bad thangs and don't realize it for awhile. I wish I could git some help so I stop hurting people. It's not exactly a hoot and a holler being the bad guy…"

"You say that now…" Duuz said. "If I turn my back, you'll stab me!"

Charlie waved his feathered hands in protest. "No, don't think that," he said assuringly. "I don't wantcha to think I cain't do no good. I want to help." He paused, lowering his head. "But I do understand your fears," he said. "I can be that way. It's uncontrollable, really."

"I know what you mean!" Aisha said loudly as she stepped out of the bathroom. "I'm that way too!" She sat down next to Charlie and began talking more quietly and seriously. "But it's expected out of me because I'm a Ctarl-Ctarl. People know I'm gonna be high maintenance. The reason why people are so scared of you is because you're different than other Sylgrians. They don't know what to think."

Charlie looked at her. "You don't understand," he said. "I don't hurt people because of an abundance of hormones. I do it 'cause I lose control. I'm not me when I do those thangs. I'm some vi'lent criminal that injures nice people without no reason." He looked back down at his feet. "So I'm not the same as you."

Aisha acted like she was thinking about what he had just said for about two seconds, then stood up hastily and announced: "I'm gonna go flirt with Eldred!" She made her way to the tunnel to the cockpit.

"She's a weird one," Hideki said.

"She's the right age for the mood swings," Suzuka said.

"Mood swings?" Leilong asked. "Do we want to know what you mean by that?"

Suzuka appeared thoughtful for a moment, wondering how to phrase her explanation. "Female Ctarl-Ctarl all go through a point in their life when they are at their…" she paused, thinking again, "…sexual prime. I've noticed that she's been less violent and more reserved lately. She's been very thoughtful and straightforward… which is… very… weird – to say the least. I think she's actually starting to think about settling down."

"With Eldred?" Leilong asked. "Is that even possible?"

"Theoretically, yes," Hideki said. "Eldred told me he's just as real as any man, and the Ctarl-Ctarl are very closely related to Humans… closer than donkeys are to horses or lions are to tigers."

Everyone gave Hideki a weird look. He blushed. "Um… genetics was something I was forced into learning as a child," he explained.

Leilong shook his head. "Wait 'til she finds out he's already spoken for," he said.

"I think she already knows," Suzuka replied. "This is Aisha we're talking about. She probably doesn't care"

OUTLAW STAR

Saiyo, Ark, and Leo stood next to the empty pod in a corner of the vessel's cargo hold. Ron and Melfina lay on the floor beside them. Ron has hit his head on the pod wall because of a poorly designed seatbelt and had fallen unconscious.

"How long 'til he comes around?" Leo said, still nursing his own injured head.

"Hard to tell," Saiyo said. "It doesn't look too bad."

Leo looked down at his boss. "He's gonna try to take over the ship when he wakes up," he said. "You might want to tie him up or lash him down."

Ark looked into Leo's eyes, still focused on Ron. They seemed distant, like for the first time in his life, Leo was hearing a thing called a conscience. Leo shifted his gaze to Melfina and frowned.

"You said she wasn't hurt," Ark said to Leo. "What's wrong with her, then?"
"She's a construct," Saiyo answered for Leo, "an artificial being. I've seen her like this before… I remember that there were words to wake her up…"

"Ron used some words to disable her," Leo said. "He told me not to tell Harry…"

"Harry?" Ark inquired.

Leo nodded. "Ron's little brother," he said. He leaned over and reached into Ron's inside pocket. He pulled out a computer memory board. "This is Harry," he said. "What's left of him, at least."

Ark and Saiyo looked at each other – both of them seemed to have questioning looks in their eyes. Saiyo took the board from Leo. "I'll hold onto that," he said. He placed it into his pocket before reaching down to lift Ron up. "One of you grab his feet," he said. "the other, get the girl."

Leo picked up Melfina and wiped some of the dust and smoke off of her cloak as the other two carried Ron off toward the ship's single lock-up room. His face seemed to be locked in a permanent frown as he carried her away from the lashed-down pod. Am I really involved in this? he asked himself. How did I get to be a fugitive, anyway? He stopped. Do I even want to keep living this way? He shook his head and walked away.

The ship veered. All the electronics flickered briefly. Even the gravity changed. The ship came to a halt before things returned to normal.

"What the hell?" Leo said, barely audible. He had managed to maintain his balance. He heard Saiyo shout from the corridor. He ran to catch up with the others, but only Ark and Ron were there. An emergency light was blinking red on the wall beside the door that Ark was opening. The door revealed an E. E. P. Ark pulled Ron inside and fastened him in as Leo ran in.

"What's going on?" he asked, setting Melfina into one of the six seats.

"I don't know," Ark responded. "We have to hurry." He closed the hatch. "We're falling toward a planet." He pointed to a nearby window, through which a green-and-blue planet with clouds and mountain ranges could be seen.

They were close enough that Leo could now see little dots all over the land formations. Trees had been scraped away and in some places burnt. That's gonna be US here in a second, he thought. He turned to Ark. "What about… the other guy? Saiyo?!?" he shouted.

Ark sat down. "He's trying to save the ship," he said, obviously shaking as he reached for his restraints. "We have to leave now." He strapped himself in. Leo sat down and did the same. Ark shattered the glass concealing the ejection button and pressed it. They were jettisoned into space once again. The porthole lit with orange fire immediately. "We're in the atmosphere already!" Ark yelled, sticking his head between his knees. "We weren't fast enough! We're going to DIIIIIIE!!!!!"

Leo looked across at the delirious priest, then at Ron, who seemed to be coming to. He looked over to Melfina's lifeless form. He held her hand, not for her sake but for his. He closed his eyes.

"If by some miracle you survive this," Ark babbled, "go to the planet Tenrei and tell Urt I love her!"

Leo seemed distant. He looked out the porthole and could see out well enough to see the ship falling parallel to the pod. It seemed to be flattening its descent, but was still falling too quickly. It seemed to gain some control as it pulled away, now flying at more of an angle appropriate for a crash landing. It pulled away, slowly at first, then more quickly.

Ark was crying. Ron was blinking. Leo was squeezing Melifina's hand, a blank expression on his face. A bead of sweat rolled from his forehead to his mouth. He shut his eyes again.

They struck the planet sharply but with some give. Leo could hear water boiling on the surface of the pod as it cooled down. The whole area vibrated as the ship also struck the Earth.

Ark began laughing. "Hahahahahahaha… I'm alive?" he looked up, grinning.

Leo opened one eye. Outside, he could see that they were falling deeper into the water. He unbuckled himself, Melfina, and Ron. Ron was holding his head, groaning.

"We need to get out of this pod," Leo said, shouldering Melfina. He tried to force open the hatch with his shoulder. "We should be able to open this and let the rising air carry us to the surface."

Ark unbuckled. Ron shook his head to try to clear his vision. Ark took one of Ron's arms and helped him to his feet.

Leo kicked the hatch's handle. "It's melted shut!" he shouted.

Ark pushed him aside and fired a bolt of magic at the handle and two more at the hinges. His eyes widened at the intensity of the blasts. How did I get so good at blast spells all of a sudden? He asked himself, looking at his hand. "Push it again," he said, shaking off the odd feeling. Leo kicked out at the hatch and at once it flew off and away from the pod. The hatch opening rotated to the top as the air began to escape. Leo and Ark held their breath and kicked out of the pod, carrying their comrades to the surface.

Leo wiped his eyes and looked around. He pointed to the coast, less than a kilometer away. Ark and Leo began swimming slowly, trying not to tire easily. Neither one of them had been faced with any kind of distance swimming.

Panting, Leo asked Ark a question. "Can't you just fly us out of here?" he asked.

Ark, panting also, had an answer. "Only Lord Momora could control the modern time's weak mana enough to fly," he said, "and he's dead now."

"Sorry I asked," Leo said, holding on to Melfina, keeping her head above the surface.

"Where are we?" Ron asked weakly.

"Just hold on, Ron," Leo said across to him. "We'll be on the shore soon so you can get your strength back."

Ron closed his eyes and focused on keeping his head above water as Ark helped him toward the shore.

"Why did you get to carry the lighter, prettier one?" Ark asked between breaths.

Leo smiled. "I called it first. I had dibs."

Ark frowned. "Well then, I guess it's fair…"

Leo chuckled.

I couldn't swim this well before… Ark thought.

OUTLAW STAR

The cockpit of the unregistered grappler vessel was in shambles. Saiyo lay half under a pile of debris. Nearby, sparks scattered across the mess as fires spread toward him. He took slow, labored breaths, knowing that one or both of his legs was broken in two.

An undamaged console blinked and beeped. "Saiyo?" Nataka's voice came. "Are you alright?"

Saiyo's ribs were pinned down, making it impossible for him to speak.

Nataka's only functioning camera zoomed in on Saiyo's pained face. "I will help you, sir," he said. A small, waist-high door started to open, but malfunctioned and got stuck. A robotic, four-fingered hand grabbed at the door from the inside and pushed it open. A short, skeletal robot hopped down from the compartment and began to clear away the debris. The console flickered again. The robot looked at the console as it died. It turned toward Saiyo again and stated: "It appears as though the ship has completely lost power, sir," in Nataka's voice. Truly, this was still Nataka, or a portable version of him. Without a part resembling a head, Nataka spoke through a speaker in what could be called his chest. A simple bendable backbone and fully motile arms and legs were all he really needed to function. His chest and hips contained the key components of his being, from memory boards and protocol chips to power cells and sensory equipment, all hidden under a protective layer of steel. He dug into the debris, carefully pulling the heavier pieces off of his fallen companion.

Saiyo managed to roll over when all of the debris was off of him. He breathed painfully as Nataka looked him over, scanning him for injuries with a type of x-ray vision.

"I will have to set your leg," Nataka said, "but there is not much I can do for your ribs or collarbone."

Saiyo nodded, wincing in pain still. Nataka placed his hands on Saiyo's leg and snapped the bone back into place.

Saiyo screamed.

OUTLAW STAR

"What was that?" Ron asked, laying on the beach next to Ark and Leo.

"Sounds like Saiyo survived," Ark said.

"Maybe that was him dying," Leo said, then coughing, he turned his head toward Melfina. "Ron," he said. "How do you turn Melfina back on?" He looked over at Ron. "It would be so much easier if she could walk beside us instead of us needing to carry her." He gently touched his wound, which was starting to heal but had become raw due to the salt water.

Ron rolled on to his side, thinking it over.

"What planet is this?" Ark asked.

"Saiyo would know," Leo said in response. "Let's get to him after we rest up a bit."

Ron stood up and swooned. Holding his head, he made his way to Melfina's side. He knelt, whispered in her ear, and fell to the ground, clenching his eyes shut, in obvious pain.

Melfina blinked and sat up. She looked around. "Where am I?" she asked Leo.

"We don't know," Leo told her. "We were attacked by the Angel Links and then ended up in Saiyo Wong's ship, which just now crashed into this planet."

"It looks as if the sun is about to set," Melfina observed. "Where is Saiyo?"

"He stayed with the ship, the fool…" Ron said. Melfina looked at him. He coughed and turned to her. "I'm sorry about turning you off," he said. "It was for Harry's sake."

"I think I understand," she said thoughtfully. "Where is Harry?" she asked him. "Is he alright?"

Ron reached into his pocket. "His body died, but I managed to save his memory board," he said. He looked into his pocket. "Where is he?"

"With Saiyo," Leo said, pointing out into the forest where the ship had crashed. "At the time, he thought it was safest with him."

"We need to get to Saiyo!" Melfina stated. "Let's go." She started to stand, but Ron held onto her cloak, keeping her from standing.

"We all need to rest," he said, then pointed to his headwound, "and heal. It can wait until morning." Seeing the desperate look in Melfina's eyes, he assured her: "I want to find him too, but we need to rest now, Melfina. We can't bring him back until we get to his reserve body in Blue Heaven."

Melfina eased down to lay on the sand between Leo and Ron. The sun sank lower in the sky in the distance. She shut her eyes and tried to rest… at first, without luck.

OUTLAW STAR

Saiyo hopped around on his good leg, using a makeshift crutch to keep his balance. It pained his ribs and collarbone to use the crutch, but it was the only way to get away from the smoldering vessel. Nataka walked in front, making sure that Saiyo had a clear, even path to follow toward what he suspected was a safe resting spot. They trudged along for nearly an hour.

"I thought that the sun was about to set," Saiyo said, sitting on a fallen tree to rest for a short time, looking up toward the mostly brightened sky.

Nataka climbed a tree with a few swift pounces. "It would appear that we are on a stationary satellite, caught between the gravities of two revolving stars," he called down. "We are experiencing both a sunrise and a sunset right now." He jumped off of the limb, landing on the soft dirt next to Saiyo with a dusty thud. "This is the Rigonna system," he said. "Unexplored, unsettled… no one wanted to live on a planet without night. Also, it is rather hard to control space travel in and out of such a complicated gravity field."

"That would explain why we crashed," Saiyo commented.

"Not exactly," Nataka said. "We experienced an anomaly that wasn't in any way related to the gravity fields. I don't know what actually brought us here."

Saiyo nodded. He then frowned. "Wouldn't the constant sunlight destroy all this plant life?" he asked.

"No," Nataka replied. "The suns are far enough away from the planet that it rarely reaches thirty-seven degrees here, even here at the equator, and there is more than enough wind and precipitation to compensate. It's reported to snow on the polar mountaintops."

"Well, I don't understand any of that," Saiyo said. "So I'll just smile and nod now."

He smiled and nodded.

Nataka stood silently.

Saiyo breathed out a short laugh and carefully laid back on the fallen tree trunk he was leaning on. "This place is so similar to ancient Earth…" he said, yawning, then wincing in pain after stretching his leg the wrong way, "before we destroyed it with machines."

Nataka walked away. "I will look for edible plant life while you rest, sir," he said.

"Thank you," Saiyo replied.

Nataka disappeared into the forest. Saiyo stretched and looked around. He tried his hardest not to think about the pain. A chirp came from the shrubs beside him. "Nataka?!?" he whispered at the shrub. "Is that you?"

The shrub growled; the leaves parted; Saiyo cried out in alarm.

In a clearing several tens of meters away, Nataka dropped a handful of fruit and ran back to where he had left Saiyo. All that remained was a small spot of blood that dripped from the fallen tree… and the metallic crutch.

He searched around, looking for clues. His heat vision detected blood on a leaf nearby. More blood was on nearby leaves, leaving a trail. He ran off, following the trail.

I'm coming, sir…

OUTLAW STAR

Melfina opened her eyes. Ron, Leo, and Ark were sitting nearby, looking at the sunrise.

I slept?

They were whispering, trying not to wake her.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked.

Ron turned around. "Less than an hour," he said. "The sun came up just as soon as it set." He smiled. "We're in a two-star system," he said, flipping a smooth, thin stone in his hand. He smiled. "Very unique." He tossed the stone into the tideless water, still thirty feet away. He walked slowly to where she was siting and sat beside her, still wincing a little in pain. "We can't sleep all that well."

Leo walked up to her. "We can go find Saiyo and Harry now, if you'd like," he said, smiling, extending his hand to help her to her feet.

She accepted his hand and stood. She took a step toward the edge of the woods and was surprised to hear another scream.

"Saiyo?" Ark said, almost to himself. He jogged to Melfina's side.

Ron walked by them and entered the forest. Leo stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans and followed him, glancing at Melfina as he went. Melfina followed him closely as Ark hesitantly took the rear.

"I don't know about this…" he whispered before stepping over a tropical tree root and disappearing into the foliage.

OUTLAW STAR

"So he shot you down?" Jim asked Aisha, who was laying in her bunk. The two of them were the only ones around in the resting area.

"I don't want to talk about it," Aisha said, rolling over on to her side, facing away from Jim.

"You do realize that he's only here because he's lookin' for his girlfriend, doncha?" Jim asked, putting his hand on the curtain that concealed the small bunk.

"I know…" Aisha said softly.

"Then why even try?" Jim asked.

"That I don't know," Aisha stated plainly.

Jim looked at her thoughtfully and began closing the curtain. "Sleep tight," he said.

"Thanks," she said to him.

OUTLAW STAR

"Well, what was I supposed to say?" Eldred asked.

"I'm not exactly sure," Leilong said, "but I'm fairly certain that 'Not interested' wasn't it."

Duuz, Suzuka, and Hideki were on the bridge, leaving Valeria, Leilong, and Charlie to comfort Eldred.

"I would've said a little more than just that," Charlie said. "Like 'I'll hafta ask my girlfriend' or 'Now's not a good time', or something."

Eldred shook his head. "She looked like she was about to cry," he said. "I feel so bad…" He looked up at Leilong. "But I was kinda exposed at the time. It sucks that you hafta be naked to fly this thing." He punched the wall.

"Ouch," Gilliam's voice was heard.

Everyone looked around.

"Where is he?" Leilong asked.

"I am everywhere," Gilliam said.

"Kinda unsettlin'," Charlie said.

"Last time I take a dump in here…" Eldred said, eyes wide.

OUTLAW STAR

"Saiyo!" Nataka shouted loudly and clearly. "Sir, can you hear me?"

Running twice as fast as any natural-born human, he still could not catch up to Saiyo and whatever had carried him off. He dodged trees and leapt over bushes, following the dwindling blood trail, now barely visible on the leaves around him. Ahead of him, the light seemed brighter and the trees fewer… he approached a clearing, hoping to see sign of Saiyo.

He stopped at the edge of the trees…

…And looked straight down into a volcano.

A drop of Saiyo's blood dripped from a leaf to Nataka's immediate right.

OUTLAW STAR

"Saiyo!" Melfina called, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Ark stepped up beside her at the foot of the rubble of the never-named Outlaw vessel. "Saiyooooohh!!" he yelled, trying his best to project his voice.

"Saiyo Wong!" Leo yelled on the other side of the clearing.

"Just how many 'Saiyos' do you think there are on this planet?" Ron asked him, looking at a broken piece of wood. He stood up. "This way!" he called to the others and disappeared into the greenery. Melfina jogged to follow him. Leo, scratching his head, went third. Ark, once again in the rear, bent to look at the piece of wood Ron had just been holding.

It was covered in blood.

Ark shivered. Feeling watched, he turned around. No one there… He smiled. And I was worried… He dropped the piece of wood and turned toward the path the others had taken.

He didn't have time to scream.

The creature was twelve feet tall and muscular. It's scaly skin reminded Ark vaguely of a the salamanka, a red, alligator-like beast that inhabited the volcanic regions of Tenrei. It's face, however, wasn't reptilian, but very simian in appearance. If not for the red scales, the face could pass for that of an ugly human. It's burly legs bent backward rather than forward, and ended in three large-clawed toes arranged like a tripod. It had a tail extending form its neck that was fat and long, waving in the rear, keeping balance as it leaned forward. Its arms were long and thin in comparison to its legs and had huge bladed bones jutting from its wrists. Its four, long, thin fingers were curled at first, but in what seemed to Ark like less than no time at all, they were wrapped around his face.

He struggled to breath, and to pull the hand from his face, but in his confusion he lost strength and quickly passed out.

OUTLAW STAR

Melfina turned around. "What was that noise?" she asked, drawing her arms close in fright.

Ron looked to the sky, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

Leo stepped forward. "Ark?" he called back into the jungle, peering between the trees. He stepped forward again. "You okay back there?" He put his hand on Melfina's shoulder. "Ark?"

BLAM!

While Leo was shouting, a gun fired behind him. He and Melfina both spun around. The caster staff, which had been incorporated in the design of Ron's hand, was smoking from the barrel in Ron's palm.

"What happened?" Leo asked him, an obvious air of bewilderment on his tongue.

Ron began turning his head to look at Leo, but before he could fully turn, he was snatched up by something large and blood-red, running bullet-fast. The force and velocity of the grab alone caused him to bend at the waist and buckle forward. Drops of blood flew from the wound in his head as he disappeared into the jungle.

Leo stepped forward to see where the creature had disappeared to. Melfina moved with him. They didn't even notice it approaching them from behind, with Ark on one shoulder and Ron on the other. It grabbed them by the scruff of their collars and began moving away. Leo felt his body banging against the tree trunks and roots as he was dragged behind it at an incredible velocity. For what seemed like miles he was dragged along this way. He fell unconscious.

The monster stopped abruptly, sniffing the air and cocking his head from side to side. He looked up, and with wide eyes he dropped Leo and Melfina and ran away.

Melfina sat up, putting a hand to a gash in her cheek. She looked around. She didn't know in which direction the creature had left. She looked at Leo, blood now flowing dangerously from the wound in his head. A roar filled the air from above. The small clearing lit up and became hot. She looked straight up and her pupils constricted, as she was now staring into the engines of a vessel, slowly landing.

A short, shiny figure jumped out of the bushes in front of her, running at her at full speed. It grabbed her arm and Leo's in one swift motion and leapt into the green jungle, carrying them with it. Lying in the foliage, they were blasted with intense heat. There was a rumble. The light grew dimmer. There was a thud. The light was gone.

Melfina sat up again, turning toward Leo. The waist-tall robot was bandaging Leo's head with what was left of his shirt. Melfina blinked, stunned, waiting to recover from the abruptness of what had just happened.

"They went over here!" a young person's voice called to someone. "Gilliam said they went due West and that they aren't too far from the clearing!"

Footsteps crunched the leaves and brush nearby. The robot stood and moved in front of Melfina protectively.

A small, gloved hand parted the tall grass and a face poked into their hiding spot. The boy's eyes grew wide. He turned around and called back: "Over here! It's Melfina!"

Melfina climbed over Nataka and embraced Jim Hawking. "Jim!" she said, smiling widely.

Suzuka and Aisha stepped up, smiling but concerned. Leilong pushed Suzuka out of his way and, seeing Melfina, smiled. Valeria stepped around him, looking at Nataka, then at Leo.

"We should seek shelter in your vessel," Nataka said.

Something howled in the distance.

OUTLAW STAR

"…And that's when you showed up," Nataka said. "That is all that my memory has recorded since we departed from Calim."

Valeria was sitting at a table in a small recreation area in the Outlaw Star. Nataka stood on a chair opposite her. Leilong stood nearby. The rest of the crew, sans Leo, stood or lounged in other areas of the room.

Valeria nodded. "That kind of explains the anomaly that we experienced coming in," she said. She frowned. "What happened to Ron and Ark, then?" she asked.

"The thing that took them must have been the same thing that took Saiyo," Melfina said, a distant look in her eyes.

All eyes were on her.

"I didn't see it, really," she went on. "I saw something that was large, red, and fast – running on two legs."

"Fast is right," Jim said. "Once we realized that there was something down there, we were tracking it, and it was off radar again less than two seconds after dropping you and that pilot."

"'That pilot' has a name," Leo said from the doorway, adjusting the gauze on his forehead delicately.

Nataka turned. "You should not be standing, sir," he said.

Leo waved it off. "It's nothing," he said. "Just a scratch, really. I'm a fast healer."

"No you aren't," Eldred said. "Watch this!" He pulled a dagger out of his pocket, turned it in, and made as to plunge it into his chest. Duuz's hand shot out and grabbed Eldred by the wrist, slowing the dagger's descent.

"Not now," Duuz said.

Eldred dropped the dagger as Duuz let go of his hand. "Aww…" he said. "You guys never let me have any fun!"

"You're different than I remember you," Melfina said.

Eldred scooted down the bench they were on, to her side. "I know," he said. "I'm much sexier." He smiled widely.

He scooted away just as quickly as he came, no longer smiling.

"That's not exaactly the word for it," Melfina said.

Eldred's head sunk sadly.

Nataka hopped off of the chair and pushed Leo out of the room.

"What?" Leo asked. "I'm better, I swear!"

Valeria looked around. "We got what we came for," she said. "Do we save the others?"

"Of course we do!" Aisha shouted. "Those are three eligible bachelors out there!"

OUTLAW STAR

Ron MacDougall searched around on the dark, hot cell floor. He didn't know where he was, but he knew he was a prisoner… and he wanted out. Palms down, he scanned the dusty volcanic rock floor for an exit. His hand hit something rubbery. He felt it.

A boot…

The boot was connected to a leg, and the leg was connected to a person.

Leo?

He felt for a pulse, but didn't find one. He put his hands on the man's face.

Too old, too many scars… is this Saiyo Wong?

A light bulb burned in his brain. He felt around in Saiyo's jacket pocket… and found what he was looking for.

Harry. This is good. I still need you, buddy. You're not done yet.

He pocketed the memory board and felt around some more… the floor around Saiyo's other leg was covered in blood. Ron wiped the blood from his hands onto Saiyo's clothes and went on. Just a few meters away was a wall. Ron stood up and began moving along the wall. The darkness seemed to fade.

My eyes are adjusting, he thought. Then it got dark again.

Ron stopped and turned around, realizing he had seen his own shadow when it was briefly light. There was a very dim spot of light burning in the distance. Ron made his way toward it. He could hear shallow breathing.

"MacDougall?" a voice whispered. The light grew brighter again, illuminating the room. Ark Manaf sat up. His hand glowed, illuminating the large room.

Ron looked around. There was no door to speak of, just a round, empty room.

"I'm suddenly finding it hard to breathe," Ark said, standing up.

Ron remained cool, collected, and aggressive in the presence of danger and witnesses. On the inside, he was finding it hard to breathe too…

OUTLAW STAR

Leilong checked his pistol.

Duuz shouldered a blaster cannon.

Aisha stretched her legs.

Suzuka tapped a newly tempered sword on her palm.

Eldred cracked his neck, then his fingers. Wincing in pain, he shook his hand for relief.

Charlie picked up a cutting tool. Receiving a sharp glance from Duuz, he gently set it back down.

Nataka stood perfectly still.

Jim pressed a button, and the wall they were all facing began unfolding into a ramp. The other seven strolled down the ramp when it had stopped unfolding, Duuz taking up the rear.

Hideki moved to Jim's side. "I get left behind because I'm the fat one," he said plainly. "What's your excuse?"

"I'm thirteen!" Jim replied.

Hideki nodded. "That'll do it," he said.

Duuz stepped off the ramp. Jim pressed the button again. "I hate being left behind," he said plainly.

Valeria, who had quietly snuck into the room, placed her hand on his head. "You're not being left behind," she told him. "Think of this as 'operations'. Everything they do, we can see. We have the real control."

"That's what I always tell myself," Gilliam said from an unseen speaker.

OUTLAW STAR

As the door closed behind them, Eldred turned to face the others.

"I know we all think we're hot stuff," he said, "but I don't think we should fight over authority issues. What I was thinkin' is we let Squat Bot here lead us to where Saiyo disappeared." He gestured to Nataka. "Nobody's in charge," he said, throwing his hands into the air, "but you can count on me to lead you the right direction or tell you what to do, when need be." He gave a thumbs-up with one hand and gestured for Nataka to take the lead with the other.

Aisha smiled. She was the only one to show any sort of emotion.

Nataka stepped forward and Eldred followed closely behind. The others slowly found it in them to follow him.

"I wish he'd stop acting like he's better than us," Suzuka said.

Aisha put her fists against her hips. "He's just joking," she said, "and if you don't appreciate his superior sense of humor, then maybe he is better than you!" She stuck her tongue out and thumbed her nose as she caught up with Eldred. Standing beside him, she walked proud.

"Actually, Aisha," he said softly, "I am better than all of you in nearly every way. I just use humor to make it look like a bluff, like I'm not really as conceited as I am." He quickened his pace. "You just fell for it." Turning around, he smiled. "By the way," he said, "I think you're very attractive, and if I wasn't already involved with April, I would've been all over you back on the bridge."

Aisha's confused expression quickly turned into a smile. "I KNEW IT!" she yelled.

Eldred was smiling, walking alongside Nataka. "That was easy," he said.

After a slight pause, Nataka spoke. "You should know that Ctarl-Ctarl ears can hear anything you say from that distance," he reported, "so you might want to watch what you say."

Eldred smiled. "Do you think she'll hear this?" he asked. He leaned over and whispered as quietly as he could directly into Nataka's resonance sensor.

Aisha, twenty feet back, stopped as her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. The four others passed her by as she stayed, unmoving.

"Aisha, honey!" Eldred called. "Nobody finds out I said that, okay?"

Aisha stumbled forward, jaw hanging open still.

"I'll take that as a yes," Eldred said. He looked sown at Nataka.

"It has already been erased from my memory," Nataka said. "All I remember is that it was rather crude."

"A little more than rather," Aisha grumbled crossing her arms.

OUTLAW STAR

Ark and Ron felt around the walls of the now lit room, trying to figure out how they got in. The lifeless body of Saiyo Wong lay near the center of the room.

I can't believe this, Ark thought. I play around with some harebrained scheme and end up getting trapped in a rather hot room with an arrogant oaf of a mortal. I need to start thinking ahead more. His hands brushed along the wall, looking for any crease or pocket that might open a hidden door. "I'm not finding anything!" he sang across to Ron.

"Stay cool and I'll get you out of here," Ron said. "We had to get in somehow, and we're going to find a way out."

Ark sighed impatiently as he looked over at Ron picking at a small crumble spot in the wall, remembering an old conversation he had had with Gene Starwind. As he slowly remembered the dialog, he let his hands lazily screen the wall.

"So, all you have to do is defeat Lord Hazanko?" he said to Gene on their climb down the mountainside.

"Well it's a little more than just us and the Pirates," Gene said, chilled. "There's this MacDougall guy and his brother. We're pretty sure that Gwen Khan is with them, too, but I don't know for sure. But besides them, all we're gonna see are surprises."

"Meaning?" Ark asked.

"Well, if there's one thing I've learned from being a pirate, it's that there's always someone else that's gonna bump into you," Gene said. "Someone who wants your goal just as much as you do."

Ark nodded. "What about MacDougall?" he asked. "How big a problem is he?"

Gene shivered. "A big one, that's for sure," he said. "Besides priests, martial arts masters, pirates, cyborgs, and constructs, he's the strongest human out there." He smiled. "Except for yours truly, of course. Plus, he carries a Caster – something stronger than my gun." A look of seriousness and determination illuminated Gene's blue eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if I used two of these four shells on him. I know I'll use at least one, if we get into a duel." He looked away. "I wouldn't be surprised if he survived it."

"Survived MY Caster spell?" Ark laughed at the thought. "No mortal that ever lived could withstand even a close proximity to my Caster spell!"

"Yeah, well," Gene started, looking Ark in the eye, "the times are a-changin', my friend."

Seeing the serious nature of Gene's statement, Ark actually considered the idea of a normal human being able to withstand his spells. However unlikely he thought it might be, he knew it was possible.

"Ron's an evil man, too," Gene said. "He'll kill or destroy anything in his path to glory. He's already rich, but that's not enough. He wants infamy, and he'll betray everyone to get it, even his little brother, I think."

Ark stared out into the distant hot spring resort. A few visiting women were playing around in the shallow water near the close edge of the heated pool, some of them unclothed. He watched them as the trio decended.

"OWWWW!!!!!" he yelled, dancing around as his hand started to cool down. He had just burnt himself on the wall. He focused intensely and the wound healed entirely.

As Ron approached, Ark stared amazed at his hand. "But I never perfected the healing spell," he said. "How did I do that so quickly?"

Ron placed his single hand, palm-out, close to the wall. An intense heat emanated from a section of the wall that was about five feet wide and as high as he could reach. "This is how we got in," he said.

"They control the magma…" Ark whispered.

Ron nodded, stroking his chin. "This is our way out," he stated, loading a Caster shell into the hole in his hand. He ran to the middle of the room. "Stand back and get ready to run," he said to Ark.

"Wait," Ark protested, waving his arms. "You don't need to –"

Ron fired the Caster shell into the heated wall. Lava sprayed everywhere, but bounced off of an invisible barrier two feet in front of Ark. The door replaced itself in a matter of seconds.

"Like I was saying," Ark said angrily, approaching the wall. He placed an upturned palm in front of the wall and raised it slowly. The wall parted from the ground up, leaving plenty of room to walk through. Ark frowned at Ron. "I can control the magma as well," he said. "You don't live on the planet of Tenrei for as long as I have without learning a few tricks."

Ron glared angrily at Ark. He left the room and moved out into the now-lit corridor in front of him.

"You'd be nowhere without me," Ark said happily. "Just face it!"

As he left the room, it became dark inside. The "door" closed behind him.

"I don't need anyone," Ron said, wagging a finger at Ark, "and I can prove it."

He turned. In front of him was one of the creatures, smiling demonically. It grabbed him by the top of the head and slammed him into the wall. He fell to the floor in a heap.

Ark literally glowed with anger, his hair floating into the air as he felt the mana in him grow strong. He thrust his fist into the air in front of him, sending a glowing, red-hot spell toward the creature at the speed of light. It burned a hole right through its chest. In a smoky heap, the creature fell back onto its knees and toppled to the ground lifelessly.

From the shadows in the distant end of the hall, another light grew. A blast similar to Ark's came back at him. He shot his own at it, creating a large explosion. Through the smoke and flame, another creature charged him. In its sight, it seemed as though he blinked in and out of existence as he moved in for a deadly blow, quicker than perceivable by the eye of any living creature. He extended his arm, creating a spell-saw, with which he sliced the creature at the waist. Bringing his arm back for another blow, he decapitated the falling torso on its descent. The head rolled down the hall as the torso's shoulders landed on the floor with a thud. The legs fell forward. Three pieces of the creature lay strewn along the hall.

"The mana is so strong here," he whispered to himself. "Could this be…?"

Ron's body levitated from the floor under an unseen spell.

Ark Manaf had found what he had sought for so passionately in his youth.

The promised land…

The door opened again, and the body of Saiyo Wong levitated out. Ark placed his hands on Saiyo and Ron's chests.

I hope this works, he thought. The bodies glowed with a strange energy.

Saiyo Wong opened his eyes, taking in a breath.

OULAW STAR

Nataka pointed down the cliff face into the volcanic void.

Leilong leaned over the edge to see down. Eldred looked at the dried blood on the leaves in front of him and broke one off as a souvenir. Aisha got on her knees to see down the cliff.

"There's a hole down there," Aisha said. "I guess that's where the bad guy took Saiyo."

Leilong checked the sturdiness of a vine and used it to lean out further. "Yeah," he said. "It's big enough, and I think I can see a guard from here… big ugly red thing."

"Should we go down?" Charlie asked, looking over Eldred's shoulder.

"I think the question is 'can we'," Suzuka replied. "It's straight down from here. There's no footholds or anything."

"Can humans withstand the heat?" Duuz asked. "It looks like it's too close to the lava. You weaklings would burn alive if you tried going down there!"

"Actually," Eldred said, "Aisha, Nataka, and I could do it easy enough, as long as we don't touch the lava itself." He looked down. "Unlike most constructs, I don't need my human parts to survive."

"How do you get your human parts back if they do get burnt off?" Aisha asked, still crouched by the edge.

Eldred forced the needle out of his fingertip. "Just like I took that chunk of skin off of your back," he said.

Aisha scowled. "Oh yeah!" she said vindictively. "I haven't forgiven you for that yet. It's a good thing for you that the Ctarl-Ctarl are fast healers!"

"Fast everything else, too…" Eldred mumbled.

Aisha stood up. "How would you know? You didn't even give me a chance!"

Leilong looked back down the cliff face. The guard was gone. Aisha bolted to his side. "Did you hear something?" she asked him. She looked down. "Are they fighting down there?"

From deep below, sounds of struggle emanated. Human yells of anger and loud explosions echoed up the volcano wall. As the seven looked down at the opening, it was clear that something was going on. The guard, appearing from the mouth of the tunnel, scrambled up the wall as fast as he could. There was a great explosion leading out of the tunnel. Three figures cleared the opening as if being pushed by the blast. The guard still climbed the wall in fear and leapt over the heads of the ducking heroes in its escape. As for the three figures, they soared into the air and passed the heroes as they too fled.

"Ron," Suzuka said, "Saiyo, and Ark."

The three disappeared over the treetops.

Eldred stomped the ground with one foot. "Well, if I knew that was gonna happen, I woulda suggested that we all just sit and wait in the ship!" he shouted. "Now we gotta walk all the way back… Jeez!"

"Or we could run," Charlie said, backing into Duuz in fear.

Eldred looked over the edge once more before turning and sprinting back the way they came.

More than a hundred of the creatures were streaming from the cave mouth and steadily moving up the volcano wall, using their blade-like claws to claw their way up.

Nataka leapt over Aisha and sped forward. Leilong and Charlie turned and gave it their best to run full-speed away. Suzuka grabbed Aisha and the pair ran away quickly.

Duuz tried his hardest, but wasn't nearly as fast as the others. Within the first fifty meters of his escape attempt, the first dozen creatures had caught up with him. He saw Suzuka and Leilong disappear into the darkened path ahead as he was pounced on from behind. The monster clawed at his chest as he rolled over, scratching his armor. He shouldered the blaster and blew its head off. Pulling himself to his feet, he ran again, but was flanked by two of the creatures. They smiled at each other and matched paces with him. In the blink of an eye, they both pounced sideways, only to smash into each other. Duuz had fallen back a step and with a jump he pushed against their falling bodies to project himself forward again. He looked around. Half of the creatures were in front of him now. He blasted away at some of the ones nearby, causing several others to run into their fallen comrades. He shot left, looked right, shot right, looked left, shot left, looked forward… and slowed to a stop. Seven of the creatures had created a barrier and were now inching toward him as the rest of the army passed him by. He took a step back and shouldered his cannon again. He blasted the center creature in the chest, killing it instantly. The others were not phased as they continued toward him. He stumbled backward, aiming again. The blaster shot weakly at one of the three on the right, barely injuring it with a shot to the belly. He pulled the trigger once more with no result – the blaster had run out of ammunition. He cast it aside and readied his fists, ready to die. The creature on the far left pounced and in a few strides was on him. He grabbed it by the shoulder and with a swift kick had it sprawling on the ground. He leapt onto it and snapped its spine slightly below the tail, killing it. He stood again to face the remaining five. They all quickened their pace and made to attack him at once.

Something blue leapt over their heads in a flash and pummeled into Duuz, carrying him away. Duuz could see that he was now being carried, and had a behind-view of the trail that his captor was following. They turned and entered the forest, ducking and weaving around the trees. Duuz could see the five creatures following them now, obviously accustomed to in-forest chase sequences like this. But, whatever had Duuz over its shoulder was faster than the creatures and quickly carried him to safety. After awhile, they were back on the trail and Leilong and Suzuka were in view again, but behind them. Suzuka slashed away at one of the swifter creatures that had managed to catch up with her as Leilong shot over his shoulder at the others approaching. The creature attacking Suzuka fell and was trampled by the others behind him. Duuz and Suzuka's eyes locked for a brief moment, in which Suzuka appeared completely befuddled. Duuz now realized that the thing carrying him was much smaller than he. Its birdlike feet –

Birdlike feet?!?

Duuz's eyes grew wide.

It was Charlie who had saved him.

They passed Nataka as the stampede behind them grew ever-closer to Leilong and Suzuka. Nataka leapt from footfall to footfall with incredible ease. His jumping strides outdid those of any organic being by far, despite the obvious stubbiness of his legs. However, he couldn't quite match the pace of the female Ctarl-Ctarl, whom they passed next. She ran as quickly as she could, scolding the planet for not letting her transform.

"I hate running away from bad guys!" she shouted to no one in particular.

Duuz looked back to Leilong and Suzuka, who it now seemed were right at the fringe of the attacking wave. As they obviously struggled with their pursuers, a flying figure, going the wrong way, approached them rather quickly. They were raised into the air and flew away with the man that Duuz now knew was Ark Manaf. As he passed over Charlie's head, Charlie passed by Eldred, who was still running at full speed.

Eldred looked over at the pair. "In all my greatness," he said to himself through labored breaths, "I still can't run as fast as a Sylgrian with a Saurian on his back!"

Charlie ran up the ramp into the Outlaw Star where Valeria, Melfina, Leo, Jim, Hideki, Ark, Suzuka, Leilong, Ron, and Saiyo waited. He set Duuz down. Eldred pounded up the ramp, running into the rear wall with a thud. Aisha leapt in and slid across the floor. Nataka bounded up the ramp in two leaps, landing on the button to close the ramp. What now seemed like more than a hundred of the evil creatures entered the clearing where the ship had landed. The ramp… slowly… closed.

There was a thud on the outside of the ramp. Then another. Then another. The creatures began pounding on the ship. Scraping sounds revealed that they were either climbing it or trying to open it like a can of tuna.

The ship shuddered.

"I didn't like the sound of that," Eldred said, taking a break from panting.

The room began to tilt.

Everyone's eyes grew wide, except Nataka, who doesn't even have eyes.

I'm gonna die twice in the same day, Saiyo thought. I'm too old for this shit!

Everyone braced themselves in the corner of the floor and the rear wall as the ship accelerated in its descent. The ship was nearly parallel to the ground. They held their breath…

…Nothing happened…

…All of the noises from outside the ship had stopped…

The ramp began to open up into the sky. A figure in flight lowered itself down into the ship, landing on its feet right in front of them.

Everyone stared in awe at the human male in front of them.

"Are you all okay?" Gene Starwind asked. "I tried to let it down as easily as possible."

TO
BE
CONTINUED!!!

Hey, this is Jim Hawking! Do you believe what just happened to me? What's the deal with Gene anyway? This is all getting a little weird. But don't worry, all my questions will be answered in the next exciting adventure of Outlaw Star, which is properly titled "Promised Land". You'd better get ready!