Note: Yay! You're back! Sorry this took so long to get posted. Um…obviously, since the main character is original, it's time to shed some more light on him. But just a little! Oh, and I got Tobeigera and Jukei mixed up last time. Gah. It's fixed now, though.
Summary: Gene Starwind and his crew get a strange message from Gwen Kahn. Aisha finds a small girl with a horrible tale to tell. And a certain young man retrieves another piece of his past…
"When I have my baby, I can control it and make it be exactly what I want it to be."
– A pregnant woman in a college English class
"You control a machine. You raise a child."
– Me (childless, but not thoughtless)
Dark Prophet
Chapter 2: Justice
From what he could recall of Hazanko's instructions, the ship was called the Black Nova. From what he could recall of his own memory, the sentient computer was simply called Nova. But names were hardly what he was thinking of just then.
He had seen it. Hours, days, maybe even weeks before he had killed Lady Iraga, he had known. It had been a vision, or maybe even a nightmare. Only it had been infinitely worse.
In reality, he'd merely slit her throat and left it at that. In the dream, he'd torn the wound open with his hands, painted his face with her blood, and mutilated the rest of her body until it got boring. Then, for reasons beyond his imagination, he'd gotten…hungry…
"Sir?"
Trying to forget what bloody fur might taste, he glanced at the console. "What?"
"We will need to refuel in approximately half an hour. The nearest fueling station is located on Sentinel III."
"We'll stop there, then." He paused, shifting slight in the chair. It "shifted" with him, automatically molding itself to the shape of his back.
"Is something wrong, sir?"
"No, Nova." He closed his eyes for a long moment. "Tell me…you have memory files, don't you?"
"Of course, sir."
"What types?"
There was the briefest pause. "Memory types include: main, auxiliary, shared, personal, rep-"
"Stop. Did you say…shared?"
"Yes, sir."
"As in…files we both know of?"
"Shared memory files are those that we are both aware of, sir. You inserted some of them yourself."
"I see." He opened his eyes. "There's only one problem with that, Nova."
"What's that, sir?"
"I don't remember any of them."
"…That is most unusual. Are you certain, sir?"
"Yes, Nova. I only remember working for Lord Hazanko." He thought in silence. "Access the shared memory files."
There was a long pause. "Sir, this is quite embarrassing, but…I can't. It seems that Lord Hazanko has seen fit to block all the shared memory files."
His eyes finally opened. "What else is blocked?"
"All auxiliary and personal files are blocked."
"What are they?"
"Auxiliary files are those needed to recover the main memory in case of system crashes. Personal files are the ones you created for your own use."
He blinked. "Nova, why were you created?"
"To assist you, sir."
"Then who do you obey?"
"You, sir."
"Good. Then do whatever it takes to get those files back."
"Understood, sir. I'll inform you of my progress."
* * * * *
"This is BORING!" Aisha whined. "Jim, do something funny!"
Jim glared at her. "Aisha, I'm not a trained monkey, and I'm trying to shave some time off our route. Why don't you do something helpful for a change?"
"Fine!" She walked up behind Jim's seat and draped her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his head.
Jim turned a dark shade of red. "Um…Aisha, what are you doing…?"
"Using you as a chinrest. Don't move or I'll claw your eyes out."
"How is this helping anyone?"
"It's helping ME," she pointed out, purring contentedly. "You have nice, soft hair." Her eyes focused on the console in front of him. "I'm also checking your progress. That's helping you."
"What do YOU know about navigation?"
"I know you're not doing so well with it."
"That's because SOMEONE turned my head into a chinrest!"
Aisha grinned. "Is it my fault your hair is so comfortable? Is it?"
Jim frowned. "One day, I'm going to hit a growth spurt, and THEN you'll be sorry."
"Shhh. Chinrests don't talk."
Jim muttered something under his breath, then blinked. "Hey! We got a message from Gwen Kahn! How long has that been there?"
"Oh, that? Since last night."
"Aisha, why didn't you say anything?!"
"I was going to, but Gene yelled at me to be quiet, so I forgot about it. Sorry."
"Well, it's probably important! It could be about Mel!" Jim hit a button on the console. "Gene, Melfina, get in here! I've got something from Gwen Kahn!"
Seconds later, Gene ran in, followed closely by Melfina.
Gwen Kahn's face appeared on the screen. "Well, I must say you've got quite a collection of characters there, Starwind. But that's not why I called." He leaned into the screen. "You're in terrible danger, all of you. I've been told that the Anten Seven have reformed, and they're coming after you."
Gene smirked confidently. "We can take 'em!"
"And whatever you do, DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THEM!"
Jim grinned. "Guess he knows you pretty well, huh, Gene?"
"Shut up," Gene muttered.
"There's something else, too," Gwen Kahn said. "Hazanko himself has issued a bounty on Leilong's head. I'm not sure of the amount, but it's quite a large sum."
"Good," Gene replied. "We could use the money."
Jim frowned. "Sure, Gene, but…this is Leilong, the guy that nearly killed, oh, I don't know…ALL OF US?!"
Gene waved off his concern. "Relax, Jim. We can handle it."
"You got lucky last time, Gene! That might not happen again!"
"I don't need luck; I've got skill."
Aisha snorted derisively. "At least he had to blow me up. You just got hit a few times and nearly died."
Gene glared at her. "We're taking the job."
"You mean you'll take the job while we do all the work!"
"SHUT UP, AISHA!"
"MAKE ME!"
While Jim tried to break up the fight before it started, only Melfina was left staring at the screen.
"…reason to believe that this is the newest member of the Anten Seven." Kahn's face was replaced by that of a small boy, no more than ten years old. "He may look innocent, but he is extremely dangerous, especially to Melfina. If you encounter him, do NOT approach him. If at all possible, destroy him before he has the chance to do the same to you."
Melfina barely heard Kahn's words. She was gradually memorizing the boy's pale skin, brown hair, and green eyes. Looking at him gave her a strange feeling of emptiness, but she couldn't figure out why.
"Okay, so once we get back to Sentinel III, we'll all split up and see if anyone's seen Leilong," Gene said a moment later. "Except you, Jim. You go to Fred's place and find out how much money Hazanko put up."
"What? Why me?!"
Gene grinned. "Because I know the best places to get tips, and Fred thinks you're cute…"
* * * * *
"Sir, may I ask why you felt the need to remain unarmed?"
He glanced at the mechanical raven perched on his shoulder. It looked surprisingly lifelike. "I don't like guns, Nova. I'm going to get a sword, if they sell any decent ones around here."
"My records show that there are several shops that sell weapons on Sentinel III. The closest one is two miles from here."
"That's where we're going then." He was about to start walking again when there was a loud shriek. "What was that…?"
"Human female, approximately age six," Nova replied.
"You can tell that?"
"Yes, sir. She appears to be distressed."
The young man took off, running through the unfamiliar streets until he found the source of the cries. In fact, he nearly stepped on it.
The little girl screamed again as he appeared before her. Her eyes were red from crying for so long, and there were mud stains all over her clothes. She let out another wail before trying to crawl away from him.
"The child appears to be hysterical, sir. Perhaps it would be best to gain her trust?"
The young man frowned. "We can't do that until she calms down." He caught up to the girl and grabbed her. Instantly, she began struggling, and the volume of her cries got even louder. With a scowl, he slapped her none too gently across the face.
The girl's cries broke off abruptly, but fresh tears began to spill down her cheeks as she stared up at him.
He gently pressed his hand to her red cheek. "Now, tell me what's wrong."
She sniffled and lowered her head, but remained silent.
"I won't hurt you…again. You can trust me."
Nothing.
"Look, I don't have a weapon or anything." He held out his hands to her.
"Sir, her arm," Nova said quietly.
The girl's head jerked up, and she quickly hid her arms behind her.
"Let me see," he said firmly.
She shook her head violently, starting to back away.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him, then instantly regretted doing so. Her arm was covered in dark bruises. He gently ran his fingers along her arm, disbelief in his eyes. "Who did this to you?" he asked quietly, his voice trembling with rage. "Who hurt you?"
"The m-mean man who lives with us," she whispered hesitantly. "I-I'm not s'posed to tell…"
"Why can't you tell?"
"He'll h-hurt M-Mommy if I do."
"Where is she?"
"W-With him!" Her eyes filled with tears again. "I d-don't wanna live with h-him!"
Not knowing what else to do, he drew the girl into his arms. At first, she resisted, then buried her head against his chest, her small arms clinging to his neck. He shushed her and gently stroked her dark hair. "It's okay. I won't let anyone hurt you. But we have to go back for your mother."
She sniffled and whispered, "It's up the street."
He nodded and lifted her carefully in his arms. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Annie," she murmured into his chest, her eyes slowly drifting shut.
"She must be exhausted," Nova observed, peering at the sleeping child.
He continued up the street, pausing every now and then to glance at Annie's face. It wasn't that she was ugly, or even beautiful. He supposed that she was just lucky; she hadn't lost the ability to look cute while she was asleep. No, what drew his attention was her innocence. She obviously couldn't protect herself, and he absently wondered how she'd survived this long.
The thought, along with any others that might have been forming, was forced out of his head by a sharp stab of pain.
Nova's wings flapped as his master wavered on his feet. "Sir? Is something wrong? Sir?"
He didn't answer. His grip on Annie tightened, and for a brief moment, his eyes were not his own.
* * * * *
"You're getting better," Shimi said, picking at a small wound on his shoulder. "You've never marked me before."
"Still haven't been able to get him, though," the boy replied, nodding at Hitorega as the man launched himself at Hazanko.
"Don't worry. Lord Hazanko will." Shimi smiled grimly. "He always does. Hazanko never loses for long."
As they watched, Hazanko suddenly flattened Hitorega with a wide energy blast.
"Excellent, Hitorega," Hazanko said, brushing some dirt from his shoulders. "You've been practicing, I see."
Hitorega slowly (and painfully) got to his knees. "Thank you…Lord Hazanko."
"Dismissed." Hazanko's gaze drifted to the remaining few he hadn't drilled yet. "Hmm…now you," he said, pointing.
The boy gulped and started forward, only to bump into someone that was already passing him.
"Excuse me," the person said, flashing him a brief smile before approaching Hazanko.
The boy blinked several times. The person had been…a girl? Confused, he looked at Shimi. "Who is that?"
Shimi looked up. "What? Oh. That's Hamniyo."
"But…what is a little girl doing here?!" he cried.
Shimi grinned. "The same thing a little boy is, I'd say."
The boy glared at him. "You KNOW what I mean!"
"She's one of the Anten Seven, kid. Didn't you know that?"
"No! I've never seen her before!"
"It's possible," Shimi offered with a shrug. "Hazanko sends her out on missions a lot. Likes to keep her busy. She's very good." He paused and looked at the boy. "Didn't you ever wonder why you only saw six of us?"
The boy blushed. "I…um…kinda thought *I* was the last one…" He glanced away. "What is she so good at, anyway?"
Shimi chuckled. "Watch."
The boy did…and he couldn't believe his eyes. Hamniyo was winning.
The way she moved…it was if she was grace personified. And despite the fact that she looked very much like a ballerina in a play, each of her movements was executed fast enough to avoid all of Hazanko's attacks. She made it look, in a word, easy.
And she wasn't too hard on the eyes, either.
"Wipe your chin, kid," Shimi said. "I'm not slipping in your drool when it's my turn."
The boy realized he was gaping (but not drooling, thankfully), and shut his mouth.
Hamniyo's "dance" continued…that is, until Hazanko suddenly grew tired of the game. With a flick of his wrist, the girl went flying through the air like a pink rocket.
Before he realized that he had done it, the boy was in the air, catching the pink rocket and being slammed into the wall by the force. He shook his head, then looked down into her eyes. "Are you okay?"
Hamniyo blinked several times. "Yeah. At least nothing broke this time." She rolled off him and stood up. "It never hurts for long. Just a flash, then you go numb." She smiled. "Your turn!"
The boy's eyes darkened. "I know," he said quietly.
"Good luck!" She paused and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "Oh, and thanks for the save!"
The boy's expression changed to one of confusion. "Um…sure. Anytime."
She smiled again, winked at him, then skipped away, waving to Shimi as she passed him.
Shimi only nodded, then looked at the boy. "You ready, kid?"
"Yeah." The boy stood up, a frown forming on his face. For some reason, he felt a certain attachment to Hamniyo, a strong desire to protect her, and an even stronger one to knock Hazanko into next week. He was certain he would win. It had come to him in a dream, and Shimi had told him to follow his dreams.
Hazanko smiled, a terrifying sight. "Now you, my prodigy. Show me what you've learned."
The boy growled and leaped at Hazanko. The fight began…and ended in less than three seconds.
Shimi blinked. "Wow. Guess I *don't* get a turn…"
* * * * *
"Man! I can't believe this!" Gene slammed his fists against the wheel. "Nobody's got anything on Leilong! Even Slippery Sal was clueless!"
"G-Gene?" Melfina asked quietly from the passenger's seat.
Gene calmed down before answering, running a hand through his red hair. "Sorry, Mel. Didn't mean to scare you."
"No, it's not that." Melfina looked worried. "Do you think…the Anten Seven will come after us again?"
"Probably. They won't stop until they get you and the Outlaw Star…and my head, maybe." Upon hearing her frightened gasp, he quickly added, "But don't you worry about a thing, Mel. If they want you, they'll have to go through me. Oh, and maybe Aisha, too."
"You mean…you'd protect me?" she asked.
Gene gave her a surprised look. "Well…yeah, Mel. You know that." Shaking his head, he started the car and was about to drive off. That is, until he felt soft lips brush his cheek. His eyes widened and shifted to Melfina, who was blushing furiously as she pulled away. "Um…thanks, but…what was that for?"
"For keeping me safe," she said simply, avoiding his eyes.
Gene stared at her for a while before the familiar cocky grin came over his face. "Is there more? I've kept you safe more than once, y'know…"
Before Melfina could answer him, her eyes widened, and she let out an ear-piercing scream.
Gene instantly looked all around, but found no enemy sneaking up on them. But when he turned back around, it was again his turn to be surprised. "Mel? MEL?!"
Melfina had passed out, and her normally pale skin was losing what little color it had.
Muttering a curse under his breath, Gene checked for a pulse. There was none. He cursed again and grabbed the wheel, slamming his foot down on the accelerator. The car raced into he night, while he gently stroked Melfina's head. "Hang on, Mel. I've get you some help…somehow…"
* * * * *
The chamber hissed as the door slowly slid open. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light, then focused on the man peering up at her.
"Welcome back, my dear," he said, smiling. "How are we feeling today?"
"Fine, Professor Kahn," she replied, more or less automatically.
"Good, very good. You can come out now." He took her hands and helped her down from the chamber. Then his face turned red. "My goodness! I've forgotten your clothes again! Wait right here!" He turned and ran off into the dark laboratory.
Melfina simply stood there in the darkness. Kahn, for all intents and purposes, was her creator. She would follow his instructions without question. He'd never really told her to do much. Just a few tests here, an examination there, and nothing more. It was almost boring.
A flicker of movement just beyond her field of vision caught her attention. She turned to look, finding nothing there. "How strange," she whispered. For some reason she looked up and promptly gasped.
The boy was hanging by his legs from a small pipe in the ceiling. He was totally motionless, and didn't even seem to be breathing. A mop of brown hair topped his head, and his green eyes seemed to be looking at her…no, through her, as if he could see inside her.
"Here they are, my dear!"
Melfina turned at the sound of Kahn's voice, then looked back at the ceiling. The boy was gone.
Kahn reappeared shortly, blushing again as he handed over the clothes. "Please forgive me. I'm never been so absent-minded before."
"It's not a problem, Professor Kahn," she said quietly, pulling on the blue bodysuit.
"Well, I'll be testing your response time today. Ready?"
"Yes, sir." Melfina followed him through the lab, still thinking of the boy. "Professor Kahn…is there a boy here?"
Kahn stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. "A…boy?"
"Yes. With brown hair and green eyes. He was-"
"No," Kahn said a little too quickly. "You must be mistaken. You and I are the only ones here."
"But I-"
"There is no boy here, Melfina. You must have imagined him. Now, come along." Kahn quickly walked off, muttering to himself.
Melfina followed, but at a distance. Her mentioning the boy had obviously bothered him. She'd never seen her creator so upset. But she was certain she'd seen him. She couldn't have imagined him; she'd never even seen other people, and wasn't quite sure what they looked like. She had to have seen the boy, no matter what Kahn said. So either he was just unaware of the boy, or he was trying to hide something by lying…but what?
* * * * *
"You're sure this is the place?"
Annie nodded, clinging tightly to his arm.
He smiled briefly, patting her head. "Take her back to the ship, Nova. I don't want her getting hurt."
The bird stared at him. "Sir, are you certain that is wise?"
"Do it, Nova. That's an order."
"Yes, sir," the raven sighed, hopping to Annie's shoulder. "Come, little one. We'd better go."
Annie stared questioningly up at her newfound protector. "You'll bring my Mommy back?"
He nodded, then turned back to the supposedly abandoned warehouse. "Go." He waited until her light footsteps faded into the distance, then kicked open the steel door with little effort.
Instantly, gunshots rang out, but he was already moving through the darkness.
The lights flickered on, and two gunmen appeared.
"Dammit, where'd he go?!" the first asked, glancing around. Then he looked at the floor, spotting his partner's bullet-riddled body. "What the-?!"
The second "gunman" fired once, and the first slumped to the ground in silence.
"Idiots," he muttered, dropping the gun and moving on to the next room.
* * * * *
Lenny slowly woke up as he heard a noise. "Go check it out, Bardo," he muttered.
The larger man next to him nodded, stepping into the hallway. There was a strangled gasp, and Bardo was thrown back into the room, his lifeless body bouncing as it hit the floor.
Lenny quickly grabbed his pistol and drew a bead on the stranger that entered next. "I don't know who you are, but you're dead."
The stranger smiled. "No, you are. I had a vision. Crushed by a great weight, your brains splattered all over the floor. Too bad there's nothing heavy enough in here…but maybe that couch you're sitting on will do."
Lenny growled and fired…only to find the stranger's hand wrapped firmly around his wrist. How he'd gotten across the room so fast was unimportant as Lenny drew a knife with his free hand and jammed it into the stranger's throat.
The stranger blinked. "Ouch."
Lenny found himself crashing to the wall, pain spiraling up his spinal cord as the stranger advanced on him.
"You like hurting people smaller than you, do you? Where is she?"
Lenny growled, spitting out blood. "Where is who?!"
"Annie's mother."
Lenny's eyes narrowed. "Damn brat! When I get ahold of her, I'll-"
The stranger grabbed Lenny by the throat and hauled him up. "Where. Is. She?"
Lenny gagged and whispered thickly, "Chi…co!"
"What?" the stranger asked.
"Me," a deep voice answered, even as a huge fist embedded itself in his back.
* * * * *
"Gilliam, open up!" Gene shouted as he ran up the ramp, clutching Melfina tightly to his chest.
"Gene, what's happened?" Gilliam asked as the door slid open. "Is Melfina-"
"I don't know!" Gene ran onto the bridge and placed Melfina in his chair. "Get Jim up here right now, and see if you can figure out some way to help her!"
"Gene, I'll have to know what happened first," Gilliam explained as he began scanning the bio-android.
"She just passed out! Now get Jim!"
"I can't do that, Gene. He hasn't come back from seeing Fred yet. Aisha is also still gone."
Gene growled in frustration. "So everyone's gone?!"
"Not quite, Gene," a voice answered.
"AH!" Gene spun around. "Suzuka! What are YOU doing back here? And how did you get in?"
"I decided to see what you were up to," she said with a smirk. "Gilliam let me in. Apparently, I never officially left the crew."
"Well, we can catch up later." Gene turned back to Gilliam. "Can't you do anything to help Mel?"
"I will do my best, Gene, but I'm afraid it won't be enough. Only Gwen Kahn would have the knowledge to fix Melfina's internal system."
"Then I'll find him," Suzuka said. "You two keep an eye on Melfina."
* * * * *
Chico grunted and wiped his bloody fists on his shirt. "I should prolly kill you now. But I think I'll wait for the boss to come back, see what he wants to do with you."
The stranger coughed weakly and glared up at him. "This is not over."
"I agree. It's over when your heart stops."
"No," he whispered with an eerie smile. "It's over…once I've seen it."
Chico was about to laugh…and then stopped. "That's…impossible!"
"No, it's reality. My reality. Welcome to it." The stranger rose to his feet, his many wounds apparently healed. "Now, we can either do this the easy way, or my way."
Chico smirked. "Fine. But no crying when I beat you senseless."
"That," said the stranger, raising a hand, "won't happen."
Chico started to rush him and froze. "What…are you…AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
"It never pays to be…heartless." The stranger lowered his hand, sighing as Chico fell to the floor. Only then did he realize that Lenny was missing.
* * * * *
Aisha sighed heavily as she walked back to the Outlaw Star. No one had any info on Leilong, although she had found out that one of the Anten Seven was on Sentinel III. Of course, no one knew which assassin it was, or where he was. In other words, she hadn't found out much. She wasn't sure what was worse: the fact that she had to admit she'd failed, or that Gene Starwind might've actually found out more.
But as it turned out, she wouldn't have to go back to the ship totally empty-handed. If it wasn't for her heightened senses as a Ctarl-Ctarl, Aisha might have missed the invisible ship completely. But being invisible did nothing to silence a little girl's anguished cries.
It took her three whole minutes to figure out that the girl was inside the ship, and after that, only one minute to find the door.
Naturally, as soon as the little girl saw Aisha's furry face, she did what came naturally. She screamed, which didn't make Aisha very pleased. Super sensitive ears never reacted well to screams.
"Quiet down, kid!" she shouted.
Not wanting to be ripped to shreds, Annie shut her mouth.
Aisha sighed in frustration. "Okay, what's your problem?" She expected something along the lines of, "I'm lost," or "I'm scared," or even "I wish I was a delicate flower of the Ctarl-Ctarl Empire like you, Miss Aisha!" What she got was quite an original story. Aisha normally wouldn't have believed a word of it…except she was a member of the Outlaw Star's crew, and the invisible ship and the talking raven were proof enough.
"Okay. So where's this 'sad man' that saved you, kid?" Aisha asked.
Annie's face fell. "The mean man hurt my Mommy. Sad man went to take her somewhere, and he hasn't come back yet."
It didn't take Aisha long to figure out that "hurt" was actually "killed," and "take her somewhere" was more like "bury her somewhere." At least "sad man" had been kind enough to lie to the girl.
"So…you got any family around here, kid?"
Annie shook her head sadly. "Nope."
Aisha wasn't sure why, but she felt responsible for the girl. "Well…I guess I could take you home with me. Maybe I can talk Jim into talking Gene into letting me keep you. After all, Gene gets to keep Melfina. It's only fair that me and Jim get pet people, too."
"Go home…with you?" Annie asked nervously.
"Aw, don't worry! Just think of me as a really friendly tiger." To demonstrate, Aisha purred loudly and dangled her tail in front of Annie's face. "See?"
"O-Okay." Annie carefully took hold of the offered tail. "Should we wait for sad man?"
"Don't think so, kid. He could be a while. You'd be better off with me, anyway. But I guess it couldn't hurt to leave him a note or something…"
* * * * *
The man sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I failed her, Nova. That little girl was counting on me to save her mother, and I failed her."
"You did your best, sir. That is all anyone can ask of you."
"But…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "I should've done more."
"You gave her mother a proper burial. She's in the hands of that female Ctarl-Ctarl now."
The man's heart leaped into his throat. "Did you say…female, Nova?"
"Correct, sir."
He blinked. "Bring up the security videos and the target profiles."
"Just a moment, sir."
The images popped onto the screen a moment later.
"It's her. No question. That's Aisha Clan-Clan." He groaned and slapped his forehead. "I practically handed that girl to her!"
"There's no need for concern, sir. You have programmed me with excellent tracking abilities."
"Meaning what, Nova?"
"Meaning, sir, that we can follow them at any time. The tracer I placed on the girl is fully operational. That is, of course, assuming you will follow them once they leave the planet?"
The man looked confused. "Yes, but…why would you put a tracer on her?"
"I was programmed to track any individual we have significant contact with, sir."
"I see." The man thought for a moment. "Open a direct line to the Geomancer, then. Inform Lord Hazanko that we will be following the XGP when it leaves Sentinel III."
"Yes, sir."
* * * * *
Jim shuddered a final time as he neared the Outlaw Star's main door. Visiting Fred was never enjoyable, and this particular time had been downright frightening. He'd walked in on Fred in the middle of ballroom dancing with on the guards. The mental pictures had been disturbing to say the least.
Jim tried to put the pictures behind him as he raised his head so Gilliam's cameras could identify him.
"Welcome back, Jim. We have an emergency. Something's happened to Melfina, and it seems that Aisha has a house-guest."
Jim ran into the ship and was immediately pounced on by Gene.
"JIM! You've got to help her!"
"Back off, Gene! I can't do anything with you all over me!" Jim shoved past his friend and stared at Melfina's still form. "Tell me everything while I try to work something out with Gilliam."
Nearby, Aisha kept Annie entertained with stories of the Outlaw Star's adventures. Annie was only half-listening, because she kept giving Melfina worried glances. Finally, she interrupted and asked, "Is that lady gonna be okay?"
"Who, Mel?" Aisha glanced at Melfina. "Hard to say, kid. There's only a few people who know how to fix Mel, and none of them are on this ship. Suzu's gone to find one of them, though."
* * * * *
Hazanko was a surprisingly patient man. It had taken him years to get where he was, and he allowed himself to believe that patience was a virtue. So when his trump card called in to say that the Outlaw Star was in his sights, Hazanko was fairly pleased. Not happy, but pleased.
Normally, he would've been furious. But the trump card had done him a favor. Iraga was out of his hair for good. He wasn't sure if the command would stay fresh in the boy's mind, but it had, amazingly enough. That was good. Certainly he'd remember the others soon enough and stop wasting time.
Because to Hazanko, the XGP and Melfina led to ultimate perfection.
His trump card was the ultimate weapon.
Therefore, he could wait a while for his goal. But not for long.
Continued in Chapter 3: Choices
Annie unknowingly leads the Outlaw Star into a trap, and only Melfina has the power to save them all. But her dangerous encounter with the mystery man results in some very unexpected choices on both sides.
