Disclaimer: See Prologue
Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love
Chapter 5, Part 2
Jim downed his second cup of coffee as he set the sensor relay circuitry module he had been working on aside and pulled open his laptop. Entering the folder labeled, Personal Journal, he opened the file with that day's date and began typing.
'It's been almost a week since we left Cielo Rojo and we're still three days out of Sentinel 3. The ship's been unusually quiet without Aisha on board. I miss her. I wonder what she's doing right now.'
*****
"GRRR! AUGH!" The catgirl yelled as her seventh victim hit the ground. "Thank you very much and please feel free to come and try your luck again." She said with a smile. "Okay who's next?" And the next big burly guy came up to the table, laid a one hundred wong bill down on Aisha's ever growing pile of money, set his elbow down on the table and clasped her hand. One of the bouncers served as the referee, placing his hands over theirs.
"Okay, Ready… Set… Go!" He yelled.
And Aisha's opponent hit the floor a heartbeat later.
*****
'Suzuka has been more reclusive than usual. About the only time we see her is at mealtimes. Sensing our curiosity once, she explained that she was in deep mental and physical training. Saying that the time we spent on that desert planet made her soft.' He typed while thinking, 'But I recently found out that there is more to it than that.'
*****
Upon approaching the door, Jim caught a glimpse of someone moving around in the engine room but only for an instant through the door's small round view window. Too short to see anything but the ceiling once he was next to the door, Jim searched around for something to stand on, choosing not to disturb whoever was inside but curious to see what they were doing. Emptying an engine parts case that was a few feet away, he set it next to the door and stood on it. Now he could plainly see Suzuka training with her sword, making precise and powerful strokes at an invisible opponent.
"Wow! She's amazing." Jim said aloud, never having seen the beautiful assassin train before. She appeared to be in total concentration and unaware of his presence. Captivated by the artistry of her sword work, Jim continued to watch her with fascination. It wasn't until the assassin lunged forward then made a rapid thrust to the right, twisting her torso did her concentration break. Grabbing her side, she collapsed to her knees in pain. Jim's first reaction was to jump down off the case and push it to the side so he could enter the engine room and assist her, but as his hand reached for the door handle, a thought occurred to him.
'Will she even want my help or would she be upset because I invaded her privacy? Suzuka is very independent and very private. But when did she injure herself? It must have been during the battle outside the ship, or maybe at the saloon. Either way, she didn't tell anyone about it then. She probably wants to keep it a secret still.' He reasoned.
Jim removed his hand from the handle and rapped on the heavy door instead. He waited a minute, then opened the door. Upon entering, he saw the assassin leaning against the wall wiping her brow with a towel, her sword propped up next to her.
"Oh, hi Suzuka. I didn't mean to disturb you. I can come back later." He said casually.
"That's alright Jim. I'm finished." She replied calmly.
"Oh, okay." He walked the rest of the way in and toward the engines.
"Is everything alright?" She inquired.
"Oh, yeah. Nothing serious, it's just engine three is running at only 93% efficiency and I like to keep it over 98%." He answered.
"Doesn't Gillium usually maintain the engines while we're in space?" She continued.
"Usually, but the door was closed."
"Oh." Suzuka hesitated a moment. "I… apologize for that."
"Oh, it's no big deal." He opened a panel on the side of engine three, revealing a small monitor and keypad. Jim typed in some commands and waited for a response.
"Well, I'll leave you to your work." She said as she headed toward the door.
"Okay Suzuka, see you later." The young boy waved without looking up.
As she began to pass out the doorway, she turned around suddenly. "Oh Jim," She waited to make sure she had his attention.
"Yes Suzuka." He looked up at her.
"I would appreciate it if we could keep it our little secret." She said softly.
Startled by her comment, Jim tried to play dumb. "Wha… what do you mean?"
"I know you saw me collapse while I was training. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone, especially not Gene. I can count on you, can't I Jim?"
Jim gasped. Slowly nodding his head. "Your secret is safe with me Suzuka… b-but why do you feel you need to keep it a secret from us?"
Stepping back into the engine room and closing the door, the raven-haired woman explained. "As an assassin, I've made many enemies over the years. Many of them are just waiting for a time when I may be vulnerable. If they were to find out I was injured by such lowly criminals, dozens of top level assassins would be coming for me."
"But you must have had 30 or 40 criminals with guns shooting at you." The young teen reasoned.
"One or one hundred, it doesn't matter. Spending all these months going after second rate criminals has dulled my skills. If one A-1 assassin were to challenge me right now, I would lose, badly. Of this I am sure." She looked at her bokutou with a hint of melancholy.
"Do you really think Gene or Mel would tell anyone else?" Jim inquired, thinking, 'After all this time together, she still doesn't trust us.'
"No, not really," She answered. "But I do have my pride."
He wasn't certain but Jim thought that he saw a hint of a smile appear on her face if only for an instant. Smiling himself, the young teen replied, "Your secret is safe with me Suzuka."
"Thank you Jim." She said as she exited the engine room and walked to her quarters.
"What an enigma." He pondered.
*****
Jim paused for a moment, shifting his vision from the monitor to the wall behind it. He scratched the back of his head then took another sip of coffee. Within minutes, he returned to typing in his journal.
'Gene has spent most of his time trying to find buyers for all the meat and liquor we are carrying. Normally, I'd be the one trying to do that but Gene said, "Sorry Jim but business dealings like these require a certain style." He went on to get rejected 142 times. It was then that I told him it was illegal to sell food or liquor on Heifong without a license. Gene took the news quite well.'
*****
"YOU JERK! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" The red-haired outlaw yelled.
*****
'With licensing fees over half-a-million wong, we decided it was best to sell our goods elsewhere. Gene managed to sell most of it to restaurants and bars on Sentinel 3 and the rest he sold to a hotel on the Toward Stars Inn space station. It means spending another week and a half in space to get to Heifong but at least we have sold all the merchandise before returning home. In addition, we'll be able to rent our old place for the 2 or 3 days it's going to take use to deliver the goods. I hope it's still the same. It will be nice to finally sleep in a real bed.'
*****
"I think I must take exception with that Jim." Gillium protested. "This ship was not designed for optimal comfort in mind. There really isn't anything I can do about that."
"Don't be angry Gillium. It's not your fault and usually I find the living quarters on the ship quite comfortable but after nine months of living on this ship, I could use a nice hot bath an a long night's sleep on a comfortable bed." He sighed happily then continued to type.
'Melfina has been in extra good spirits lately.'
*****
"Good morning Jim. I made your favorite for breakfast, a three-egg cheese omelet with bacon on the side." She smiled.
"Thanks Mel. You didn't have to go to all that trouble." The young genius responded, still smiling down at his plate.
"It was no trouble." She grinned happily.
*****
'I think the flowering relationship between her and Gene may be the reason for Mel's high spirits.'
*****
"Tell me again what our first date will be like when we get back to Heifong?" The bio-android asked, as they lay in Gene's bed, her head resting comfortably on his chest as she traced the scares on his abdomen with her fingers.
Gene stopped stroking her hair only for a moment, smiling down at her. Continuing, he replied, "Well, first we'll start off with dinner at La Paris. We'll dine by candlelight and drink real imported wine from Earth."
Gene couldn't see her face but he knew she was smiling. "Then we'll go to the Club Calabrese and dance the night away. We'll end the evening with a walk through New Jefferson Park where we'll watch the living fountains perform to music."
Melfina lifted her head and moved up on the bed till she was face to face with him.
"Sounds wonderful." She smiled. "But I hope it doesn't end there." Kissing him gently on the lips.
Gene smiled back, "It's only getting started."
Mel lowered her head into the crook of his neck. "Gene, do you really feel it's necessary for us to wait to have sex? I'm more than willing to make love to you right now."
Gene stroked her hair again and smiled. "Nothing would make me feel better than to make love to you right now and if you were any other woman, I would, but you're not just any woman Melfina. You're special and I want our first time together to be special as well."
Mel slid her hands behind his shoulders and nuzzled him tightly, as they slowly drifting off to sleep together.
*****
"Well, that's enough for today." Jim said, closing the file and shutting off his laptop. "Awww! Man, am I tired." He checked his watch.
"Time to go to bed." He stood up and walked to his bed, collapsing onto it. He was asleep and snoring lightly within seconds.
~~~~~~~~~~
AN: I know things are a bit slow right now but trust me, it will be getting much more interesting very soon. ^_^ Sorry this chapter is so short but be assured the next one will be much longer and get ready for some serious angst. ^_~
Thank you for taking the time to ready my story and I ask that you take just a few moments to leave a review and let me know how you think I am doing. ^_^ I really do appreciate it.
A. Amishi