Disclaimer: I don't own Outlaw Star or the characters
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Chapter Nine
"Good job, Jim!" Aisha exclaimed, smiling happily. "You didn't kill us like I thought you would."
Suzuka shot Aisha a dirty look and then grinned at Jim. "Congratulations," she said. "You did very well. Almost better than Gene."
Gene ignored her comment and patted Jim's shoulder. "You did good, kid. You didn't even ruin the ship. I guess I can trust you more than I thought."
"You did really good, Jim," Melfina said. "You're going to be a perfect pilot when you're older."
Jim sat there, receiving their gracious praising. He knew he should be happy, but he wasn't. He felt terrible, as if somebody ripped his heart from his chest and ripped it into tiny shreds like a piece of paper through a shredding machine. The feeling was unbearable, just like the queasy feeling in his stomach. Sure he got rid of the enemy and sure he saved his friends from certain death, but that didn't mean all that much to him. He missed Hanmyo. And that meant much more to him than trying to defeat an enemy. Much more.
"What's the matter, Jim?" Gene said, retracting his mile-wide grin. "Are you all right? You look as if you're going to throw up."
He shook his head. "I feel--" He didn't get to finish, because he felt his lunch rising up his throat. He quickly unlatched his safety belt and ran to the bathroom. He hunched over the toilet and let it all come out. All of his emotions that he has been keeping bottled up. All of his worry. All of the ramen soup that he ate earlier. He then flushed it all away, hoping they will never return.
He wiped his mouth with a towel and splashed cool water onto his burning face. He felt a little better, but not by much. No matter how much he got rid of his emotions. No matter how much he tried to be happy. Nothing would be able to bring Hanmyo back to him. He'll never feel the same way again.
There was a single knock at the door. "Jim?"
He quickly wiped his mouth again and unlocked the door. He opened it to see Gene staring back at him. "What is it?"
"Come with me," Gene said, motioning to follow him. "I need to talk to you."
They walked down the long corridor and into a circular room that had glass walls and ceiling. Space eerily swayed outside the window like a backdrop in a picture studio. They were the only ones for miles and miles, not a single ship in sight. The only neighboring objects were asteroids and parts of ancient wrecked ships. It was like a ship graveyard in the middle of nowhere.
Jim walked up to one of the windows and placed his palm on the cool glass. He looked deep into the dark depths of open space. He closed his eyes and imagined that he saw Hanmyo floating on a star, waiting for him. He would go out there and save her, but when he opened his eyes, she wasn't there. And he realized it was just a dream that his mind taunted him with. He just wish it would become a reality.
"Jim," Gene said, touching his shoulder. "What's the matter with you? You seem sad, and you shouldn't feel that way. You saved us from death. You're a hero.""
He sighed. Did he dare to tell him the truth? Did he want him to know? [Gene is my best friend and all, but I'm not sure if I could tell him. He'd probably laugh at me anyway… Yeah. That's exactly what he'd do… Or maybe he wouldn't… I guess I'll never know until I him. Why aren't there any answers to any of my questions?]
"You can tell me, Jim," he coaxed. "It's not like I'm a complete stranger or something. I'm your friend and you can tell me anything."
He looked at him. "I--I miss Hanmyo," he finally said. "I didn't even get to tell her how I felt about her or even say good-bye to her."
Gene stared at him with a look of sympathy sprawled out on his face. Even though he felt bad, he understood his feelings, since he also lost someone that he loved a long time ago. But this time the one Jim lost isn't dead (or at least they don't know that she's dead), like Gene's.
"Jim," he said with a sigh. "You can't let it get to you. I've been down the same road you're on and I've felt the same feelings you're feeling right now. But you don't have to feel like this anymore, you're young and you have many more chances to fall in love with someone. Believe me."
Jim looked at the floor and sighed. He knew Gene was right, but it didn't seem right to his heart. His mind was telling him to forget her, but his heart was undecided, leaning towards him still loving her. But he also knew that he can't keep tearing himself apart thinking about her.
"Do you understand that, Jim?" he asked.
He shrugged. He was only fourteen years old, but he suddenly had to act twice his age. He didn't want to, but life was making him act older than he really is. He had to grow physically and mentally all at the same time. It was hard for him to grasp that. He didn't want to get older, since life only got harder and more confusing.
"I guess I do, Gene," he replied. "It's just so hard to forget someone like her, you know?"
"I know," he said, and patted his back. "I know."
As they stood there, staring at never-ending space, Aisha rushed in, out of breath. They turned to her and looked at her strangely.
"What is it, Aisha?" Gene asked. "You look as if you ran a marathon."
She placed her hand over her heart, trying to calm herself down. "H--Hazanko…is on the vidscreen," she managed to say in between breaths. "He w--wants to talk to you, Gene."
He narrowed his eyes at her and then exchanged looks with Jim. He ran out of the room and into the cockpit, where he stopped dead in his tracks once he saw Hazanko on the screen. His face was covered with a two-faced mask and other weird-looking figures surrounded him with mischievous smiles curling on their faces.
Aisha and Jim ran after him and stood on either side of him, staring at Hazanko with fear in their eyes.
"Well, if it isn't the famous Gene Starwind," he said in a creaky voice. "I've heard a lot about you."
"What can I say, I'm a popular guy," he said with a cocky smile.
Hazanko didn't approve of his arrogance; it irritated him. "You may be full of yourself now, but I assure you that you won't be too overconfident when I get a hold of you," he said. "You've only killed two of my henchmen, but you won't be as lucky when you face me."
"Name the time and place," he said. "And I'll be there."
"I know you will," Hazanko said, and folded his hands. "We'll meet at the Galactic Leyline in two days."
Gene looked confused. He never heard about the Galactic Leyline before. "What is that?"
"I guess you'll have to find out," he replied, and ended transmission.
Gene hopped into the pilot's chair and put on his headset. "Gilliam, find me the coordinates of the Galactic Leyline."
"I will try my best, Gene," Gilliam replied.
Aisha and Jim sat down in their seats and put on their safety belts.
"What are we going to do, Gene?" Suzuka asked.
He shrugged. "We have to find out where this place is first and then I guess we'll go from there," he said, and then turned to Aisha. "Do you think the Catarl Catarl Empire knows anything about it?"
Aisha thought for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't believe so. And even if they did, I doubt they would tell me, since I lost their trust."
"Good job, Aisha," he muttered and then turned back around. "I guess we have to find it ourselves, like always."
--
To Be Continued
Please Review!
Hi everybody! I hope you like this chapter and please don't forget to review!
Chapter Nine
"Good job, Jim!" Aisha exclaimed, smiling happily. "You didn't kill us like I thought you would."
Suzuka shot Aisha a dirty look and then grinned at Jim. "Congratulations," she said. "You did very well. Almost better than Gene."
Gene ignored her comment and patted Jim's shoulder. "You did good, kid. You didn't even ruin the ship. I guess I can trust you more than I thought."
"You did really good, Jim," Melfina said. "You're going to be a perfect pilot when you're older."
Jim sat there, receiving their gracious praising. He knew he should be happy, but he wasn't. He felt terrible, as if somebody ripped his heart from his chest and ripped it into tiny shreds like a piece of paper through a shredding machine. The feeling was unbearable, just like the queasy feeling in his stomach. Sure he got rid of the enemy and sure he saved his friends from certain death, but that didn't mean all that much to him. He missed Hanmyo. And that meant much more to him than trying to defeat an enemy. Much more.
"What's the matter, Jim?" Gene said, retracting his mile-wide grin. "Are you all right? You look as if you're going to throw up."
He shook his head. "I feel--" He didn't get to finish, because he felt his lunch rising up his throat. He quickly unlatched his safety belt and ran to the bathroom. He hunched over the toilet and let it all come out. All of his emotions that he has been keeping bottled up. All of his worry. All of the ramen soup that he ate earlier. He then flushed it all away, hoping they will never return.
He wiped his mouth with a towel and splashed cool water onto his burning face. He felt a little better, but not by much. No matter how much he got rid of his emotions. No matter how much he tried to be happy. Nothing would be able to bring Hanmyo back to him. He'll never feel the same way again.
There was a single knock at the door. "Jim?"
He quickly wiped his mouth again and unlocked the door. He opened it to see Gene staring back at him. "What is it?"
"Come with me," Gene said, motioning to follow him. "I need to talk to you."
They walked down the long corridor and into a circular room that had glass walls and ceiling. Space eerily swayed outside the window like a backdrop in a picture studio. They were the only ones for miles and miles, not a single ship in sight. The only neighboring objects were asteroids and parts of ancient wrecked ships. It was like a ship graveyard in the middle of nowhere.
Jim walked up to one of the windows and placed his palm on the cool glass. He looked deep into the dark depths of open space. He closed his eyes and imagined that he saw Hanmyo floating on a star, waiting for him. He would go out there and save her, but when he opened his eyes, she wasn't there. And he realized it was just a dream that his mind taunted him with. He just wish it would become a reality.
"Jim," Gene said, touching his shoulder. "What's the matter with you? You seem sad, and you shouldn't feel that way. You saved us from death. You're a hero.""
He sighed. Did he dare to tell him the truth? Did he want him to know? [Gene is my best friend and all, but I'm not sure if I could tell him. He'd probably laugh at me anyway… Yeah. That's exactly what he'd do… Or maybe he wouldn't… I guess I'll never know until I him. Why aren't there any answers to any of my questions?]
"You can tell me, Jim," he coaxed. "It's not like I'm a complete stranger or something. I'm your friend and you can tell me anything."
He looked at him. "I--I miss Hanmyo," he finally said. "I didn't even get to tell her how I felt about her or even say good-bye to her."
Gene stared at him with a look of sympathy sprawled out on his face. Even though he felt bad, he understood his feelings, since he also lost someone that he loved a long time ago. But this time the one Jim lost isn't dead (or at least they don't know that she's dead), like Gene's.
"Jim," he said with a sigh. "You can't let it get to you. I've been down the same road you're on and I've felt the same feelings you're feeling right now. But you don't have to feel like this anymore, you're young and you have many more chances to fall in love with someone. Believe me."
Jim looked at the floor and sighed. He knew Gene was right, but it didn't seem right to his heart. His mind was telling him to forget her, but his heart was undecided, leaning towards him still loving her. But he also knew that he can't keep tearing himself apart thinking about her.
"Do you understand that, Jim?" he asked.
He shrugged. He was only fourteen years old, but he suddenly had to act twice his age. He didn't want to, but life was making him act older than he really is. He had to grow physically and mentally all at the same time. It was hard for him to grasp that. He didn't want to get older, since life only got harder and more confusing.
"I guess I do, Gene," he replied. "It's just so hard to forget someone like her, you know?"
"I know," he said, and patted his back. "I know."
As they stood there, staring at never-ending space, Aisha rushed in, out of breath. They turned to her and looked at her strangely.
"What is it, Aisha?" Gene asked. "You look as if you ran a marathon."
She placed her hand over her heart, trying to calm herself down. "H--Hazanko…is on the vidscreen," she managed to say in between breaths. "He w--wants to talk to you, Gene."
He narrowed his eyes at her and then exchanged looks with Jim. He ran out of the room and into the cockpit, where he stopped dead in his tracks once he saw Hazanko on the screen. His face was covered with a two-faced mask and other weird-looking figures surrounded him with mischievous smiles curling on their faces.
Aisha and Jim ran after him and stood on either side of him, staring at Hazanko with fear in their eyes.
"Well, if it isn't the famous Gene Starwind," he said in a creaky voice. "I've heard a lot about you."
"What can I say, I'm a popular guy," he said with a cocky smile.
Hazanko didn't approve of his arrogance; it irritated him. "You may be full of yourself now, but I assure you that you won't be too overconfident when I get a hold of you," he said. "You've only killed two of my henchmen, but you won't be as lucky when you face me."
"Name the time and place," he said. "And I'll be there."
"I know you will," Hazanko said, and folded his hands. "We'll meet at the Galactic Leyline in two days."
Gene looked confused. He never heard about the Galactic Leyline before. "What is that?"
"I guess you'll have to find out," he replied, and ended transmission.
Gene hopped into the pilot's chair and put on his headset. "Gilliam, find me the coordinates of the Galactic Leyline."
"I will try my best, Gene," Gilliam replied.
Aisha and Jim sat down in their seats and put on their safety belts.
"What are we going to do, Gene?" Suzuka asked.
He shrugged. "We have to find out where this place is first and then I guess we'll go from there," he said, and then turned to Aisha. "Do you think the Catarl Catarl Empire knows anything about it?"
Aisha thought for a moment and then shook her head. "I don't believe so. And even if they did, I doubt they would tell me, since I lost their trust."
"Good job, Aisha," he muttered and then turned back around. "I guess we have to find it ourselves, like always."
--
To Be Continued
Please Review!