Chapter 2: Aisha can be so annoying!
"Aisha, do you want to come with us?" asked Jim. "We might get some help from you. Man, for 2000 Wong it must be special."
"Let's go!" smiled Gene as the three jumped into the antique car. (Antique to them, strange to us!) "Where are we going again?"
"The port, Gene. You forget so easily," sighed Jim, he slumped his shoulders down.
"I, Aisha Clanclan, will not fail you. I will investigate that ship in the name of the Ctarl Ctarl," smiled Aisha, she raised her hand to the air as she said those words.
"Aisha," Gene smiled. "I don't think the lady would like it if you search their ship. A Ctarl Ctarl would never . . . never mind."
Gene caught his words and stopped what he was going to say. He smiled as he turned the corner. Aisha, in the back seat, was starting to turn red in the face. Her hands gripped into large fists as her clawed fingers disappeared into her skin.
"What about the Ctarl Ctral?" she yelled. "You defy me!?"
"Calm down Aisha," reassured Jim. "Gene didn't mean it."
"And," added Gene. "Sentinel III doesn't have a moon!"
Aisha growled and slumped forward like a mass of putty. "You're right."
Looking at the port area dock 3, gene frowned. He saw a ship, but the ship looked exactly like the Outlaw Star. Gene gasped, "The ship is Outlaw!"
"Look!" cried Gene. "The Outlaw Star!"
Jim turned his head toward Gene's pointing finger. His eyes became wide as he looked at what Gene pointed at. "Gene!" stuttered Jim. "What happened?"
The ship they saw was not red, but a pure silver. The texture of the ship was exactly like the Outlaw Star. The nose, engines, even the grappler arms! Gene squinted closer, he frowned and said, "One of the arm's gone. Jim, grab the scope."
Jim reached into the bottom of the seat and pulled out a box. He opened it. A large scope popped out of the case and fell to the ground. Jim heard a loud crack and a slight jingle as he picked up the item. "Um . . . Gene. It broke!"
"What!?" yelled Gene. "James!"
"Jeez, sorry! It was your fault since you were going so fast!" wailed Jim. "With the 2000 Wong, we can buy a better one!"
"Jim," Gene frowned. "I need the 2000 to pay Fred back, you know how he is."
Jim shuddered at the name Fred. Fred Luo was a rich merchant who liked Gene more than they needed to know. (All the merchants are gay when you think about it in Anime!) "I don't know how to act around that guy, he give me the creeps."
"I know how you feel," smiled Gene. He went down to the port gates and gave the man some money to let them park their car. The three stepped out and walked the catwalk toward port 3.
Gene looked up at the ship and held his breath, every texture was that of the Outlaw Star. He couldn't believe his eyes. One of the grappler arms was torn off and parts of the ship had large scratches and dents engraved into it. The scratched off silver paint lighted the reflection of the sun, Gene squinted in the light.
"Whoa," said Jim. "They look so similar."
Aisha smiled and ran up to the door of the ship. "Hey!" she smiled once again, showing her pointed teeth. "Gilliam, open up!"
A small machine, the size of a fist, came down from a wire and asked, "I beg your pardon?" It sounded like Gilliam, but was obviously not the same machine for Outlaw Star. The machine, which was covered with green paint, asked. "My, who might you be?" The machine looked at Aisha in the face and checked into its database. "My, you are not on the crew. Step back or I will call the pilot."
"Call the pilot?" asked Aisha. She scratched her head as she made her lips into a puckered circle. (Was this her way of thinking?) She smiled and said, "You'll just call Gene. Here! Let me call you for you. GENE!"
The machine went into a panicked frenzy and ran inside the ship with his hands waving around on an unstoppable motion. The machine made the sound of a sigh and said softly, "Ladies, someone is trying to come onto the ship."
A voice came onto the intercom, "Coming," it said.
A girl with a black t-shit and a horse imprinted on the front; and glasses covering her eyes walked to the door of the outside and opened it. When she saw Aisha, the girl with the eyeglasses let out a large scream and slammed the door in the Ctarl Ctarl's face.
Aisha frowned and called Gene's name once more. Gene, who was out of breath, came up to Aisha. He was pointing and was gasping for air. "What the HELL is wrong with you, Aisha?" yelled Gene.
"But, Gene," stammered Aisha. Her head bobbed down as Gene and Jim looked at her in disgust. "There was a green Gilliam!"
Gene looked the Ctarl Ctarl in the eye and broke out into a loud laughter. "Green?" asked Jim. "Are you sure?"
"I swear! By the Ctarl Ctarl honor –no not their honor- well . . ." Aisha stammered. "I swear Gilliam turned green!"
A voice came through the intercom on the side of the door hatch. It was the machine. "Yes, I am green, but I am not Gilliam. I am Nonius, the main computer for this ship."
The door once again opened, the woman with the eyeglasses slid her head through the slot to see who was out there. She smiled, an intelligent smile, when she saw Jim. Jim smiled uneasily back as she looked at him. Gene raised his hand in a friendly wave.
"Hello, we are Starwind and Hawking, we are here for a call," said Gene, shaking the lady's hand. "We heard there was a problem with your ship. The grappler, right?" Gene grinned like he was the smartest man he has ever seen.
"Ash is not here, you may wait or I can get the orders from her," said the woman. "Come in, sorry for the mess, the cargo was not locked in when we left. It went everywhere!"
"Where did you get this ship?" asked Gene.
"Why?" asked the lady. Gene smiled and raised his hands in innocence.
"It looks like my ship, that's all," said Gene. He went around in a large circle, looking at all the similar appliances that are in the Outlaw Star. "Too alike!"
"It was Asha's uncle's. He worked for the Space Forces."
"Wait, you said 'worked,'" replied Jim.
"Yes, he's dead."