Disclaimer: See Prologue

Outlaw Star: All in the Name of Love

Note: A reference is made to a character I created in my earlier OLS fanfiction, "The Rise before the Fall". To learn more about that character, read that story first.

Chapter 7, Part 1:

Melfina got out of bed at 5:00 in the morning and took a shower, washing off her makeup and shampooing her hair several times to get its natural look back. She got dressed and headed to the kitchen to get an early start on breakfast. She knew everyone else would probably sleep late, this being their first night back to Heifong, but it didn't matter to her. She had spent the entire night crying, finally falling asleep briefly around 4:30. But it only lasted for fifteen minutes. Lying in bed, her thoughts returned to Gene and her eyes began to well up with tears again. Needing something to do in order to get her mind off of the red-haired outlaw, she decided to get up and start her day. So making breakfast at 6am was more for her own sake rather than for the others.

After serving herself a portion, she placed the remaining amount on a large serving tray and placed it in the oven, setting the oven to WARM. She ate her breakfast quickly and washed her dishes. Leaving a note telling everyone that breakfast was waiting for them in the oven, she counted up the remainder of the cash Gene had given her yesterday and went to her room to get her jacket.

As Melfina unlocked and opened the door, she was startled by the person standing on the other side of the door. Gene was equally startled.

"Gene!"

"Melfina?"

"Are you just getting in now?" She asked without a hint of accusation in her voice.

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep so I went for a drive. I guess I lost track of time." He replied.

"Oh, I see. Well, breakfast is in the oven, if you're feeling hungry." She proceeded to walk past him.

"Ah, where are you going so early in the morning? If you don't mind me asking?" He asked hesitantly.

"Not at all. I'm just going to do a little shopping. I really need to buy some new outfits." She smiled softly.

"Well, would you like some company?" The outlaw looked down at his foot as he scraped it along the sidewalk, taking a moment to glance up to see her expression.

"No, thank you, but I'd really rather do this by myself." She continued to smile.

"Well, can I at least drive you to where you're going?" He persisted.

"Thanks Gene, but I really prefer to walk." She straightened up playfully, throwing her shoulders back and snapping her heels together, and tilted her head to the side.

"I see. Well, I guess I'll see you later then." The outlaw said solemnly.

"Yea, later." Melfina smiled once again then turned and walked away.

Gene stared after her for several minutes. 'Go to her.' His subconscious mind told him. 'Stop her and tell her how sorry, how very sorry you are for last night. Take her in your arms and tell her you love her and you want to take care of her for the rest of your natural born life. Do it!' He screamed to himself. Instead, he lowered his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Melfina was no longer in sight. He sighed meekly and walked inside.

Melfina walked down the street, her eyes focused straight ahead. 'You promised yourself. You're not going to cry in front of him.' She told herself, but her heart screamed to her to throw herself into Gene's strong arms and accept his earlier apology. Her head argued, 'No, I did the right thing, and I will not cry, I will not let him see me cry.' But when she turned the corner and was no longer in Gene's line of sight, she broke down once again, crying and sobbing uncontrollably. Somehow she managed to flag down a cab and got in.

"Where to Miss?" The cabbie asked.

"Just drive." She whimpered.

"Miss, you gotta give me a direction or something." He insisted.

"Downtown." She blurted without thinking.

"All right, downtown it is." The cabdriver set the meter and proceeded to take Melfina to downtown Heifong. Looking in his rearview mirror, his eyes confirmed what his ears were hearing. "Miss, are you alright?" He asked with genuine concern.

"No, no I'm not." She managed to whisper out. "But I will be soon enough." She wiped her eyes and slowly regained her composure.

**********

"Crew of the spaceship Cosmic Liar, you have a crewmember who has been positively identified as Laslo Krio, a wanted felon. The citizens of Cielo Rojo have no desire to have such a person residing on their planet, not even temporarily. Alter your coarse and leave Cielo Rojo space now."

The monitor at the spaceport control room lit up. "On whose authority do you presume to deny us the right to land?" Said a talk dark-haired man with a stubbly beard who was armed with at least four guns that were visible on the monitor. Four others could be seen in the background, each as ugly and nasty looking as the first.

"By the authority granted to me by the citizens of Cielo Rojo, so unless you want to deal with some serious Ctarl Ctarl trouble, I suggest you alter coarse now." Aisha commanded.

"Ctarl Ctarl, hey. Hahahaha." The captain laughed as he held up a chain that had six large feline ears hanging off it. "I eat Ctarl Ctarl for dinner. Hahahahaha. So try and stop me." He boasted, and the monitor went black.

"Grrrr, you son of a bitch!" She screamed. "Could you ID any of them?" She turned to the deputy that was standing behind her.

"One second." He waited for the computer beside him to display the information. "Yes, the one that was doing all the talking was definitely Laslo, the other four are all positively identified as members of his gang. All are wanted, dead or alive."

"Good, I'm going to take real pleasure in killing that bastard." The fiery feline growled.

"Are you sure you want to handle this alone, Miss Aisha? I mean, those were Ctarl Ctarl ears he had on that chain."

"All the more reason for me to take on that shit by myself. If he's strong enough to kill a Ctarl Ctarl, he'll make short work of you and your men. No, I'll take this guy on myself and believe me, the only other ear on that chain after today will be his own." The Ctarl Ctarl marched out the door.

Crouched on top of the elevator tower, Aisha waited for it to be moved into position. As the tower rolled out towards the docked ship, the plank extended out to the hatch. Aisha readied herself to pounce once the hatch door opened. Once the Ctarl Ctarl saw the door opened begin to open, she launched herself toward it. Landing on the platform three-quarters of the way to the door, she instantly sprang again, and reached the door just in time to be grabbed by a pair of giant mechanical hands. The creep inside the mechanical drone laughed at his good fortune, catching the catgirl by the left forearm and the right calf.

"Augh! Let go, you bastard!" She screamed.

"Hahahaha, sure thing sweetheart. Right after I tear you in two. Hahahaha!" The drone pilot laughed as he pulled Aisha in opposite directions.

"AUUGH!" She screamed in pain. For a moment the only thought in Aisha's mind was the intensity of the pain she was feeling, but that was only for a moment. Knowing she had to do something and quickly, the fierce catgirl reached with her free hand for the thumb of the hand that had her arm. With all her might, she pulled back on it. Sparks began to shoot from the hand as the thumb gave way, just a little at first but that was enough to make Aisha renew her effort until she held the mechanized digit loosely in her hand. Realizing that tearing off the thumb appeared to disable the right arm of the drone, Aisha managed to pull her forearm out of the grip of its remaining fingers only to find herself dangling upside down, bent over backwards at the knee.

The pilot desperately tried to regain control of the right arm with no success when he noticed Aisha was now upright and beginning to pry open the left hand. In a desperate attempt to keep the left arm from being disabled, he stepped forward onto the platform and threw Aisha across it.

The Ctarl Ctarl frantically reached out to grab the top of the elevator cage as she sailed over it. Grapping the edge of the elevator, her body slammed into the side.

"Aaaa!" She yelped. "That's going to leave a mark." She said as she pulled herself up and jumped down onto the catwalk again, having left the metal beams she crashed into badly dented.

The drone the criminal was piloting was simply a labor mech, used for moving large crates. It had no weapons or tools. It was something that was already on the ship when they hijacked it. And now that he only had one working hand, the pilot wasn't nearly so confident about his chances against the Ctarl Ctarl.

Aisha charged the drone, her whip drawn. The pilot turned to block her charge with his right arm. Though it was not functioning, it was still locked in an outward position. When she came within range, the feline snapped her whip at the big metal machine, striking it at the elbow. The blow tore off chunks of steel and left the forearm dangling unnaturally at the elbow. Another quick strike and the arm fell to the platform with a thud.

Desperate to regain the upper hand, the pilot charged at Aisha, its left arm clinched in a fist and pulled back, ready to deliver a blow. The catgirl snapped her metal whip and struck the drone on the right ankle. It buckled and toppled over, inches in front of her, striking the platform at the edge and rolling over the edge. Aisha could hear the screams of the pilot as it plummeted 50 meters to the ground below. Upon impact the drone exploded, sending bits of shrapnel in every direction.

"Hmm! Not so tough after all." Aisha said, then proceeded to run through the hatch. Looking in each direction, she proceeded down the corridor she assumed would lead her to the bridge.

Having made short work of the other three criminals, Aisha Clan Clan boarded the bridge to find Laslo Krio sitting in his captain's chair, his back to her.

"What took you so long?" He looked at his watch. "I expected you at least three minutes ago." He teased as he rose from his seat, obviously concealing something behind his back.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were in such a hurry to DIE!" Aisha snapped back as she lunged at him.

Anticipating her attack, Laslo pulled out a high-energy stun gun from behind his back and fired it at her. The high voltage electricity that went coursing through her sent pain messages from every part of Aisha's body to her brain. The charge only lasted a fraction of a second, but in that time Aisha experienced more pain throughout her body then at any other time in her life. The strength of the charge sent her flying backward into the wall behind her. The force of the blow was enough to knock the air out of her as she collapsed to the floor of the bridge.

"You stupid Ctarl Ctarl are all alike. Always thinking you can overcome every situation with brute strength." Laslo laughed as he approached the fallen feline.

The former Space Forces captain urgently tried to get up on all fours, but the lack of air in her lungs and the electricity still coursing through her body made even that simple feat next to impossible. Seeing his prey struggle just to kneel, Laslo teased. "Ahh, poor pussycat can't get up? Here, let me help you." He stepped forward with his left foot and, as hard as he could, swung his right foot forward, slamming it into her side with such force that he lifted her off the floor and back into the wall. Now the pain that was everywhere in her body had a focal point. She felt as though a cannon ball had smashed into the side of her ribs. Glancing over at Laslo confirmed this when she noticed the metal plates over his shoes. That was the last thing she saw as she teetered on the edge of consciousness, eventually falling over that edge when Laslo reared his foot again and kicked her across the face.

"Aaa, you're not so tough. Damned pussycat." The criminal remarked as he crouched over Aisha's still body. Her only movement was her body's desperate attempt to fill its lungs with air. He grabbed her by the ear and lifted her head off the floor as he pulled out a 45-centimeter knife.

"Hmm, I'll say this for you; you've got the nicest ears of any of the Ctarl Ctarl I've killed." He joked as he held his blade at the side of the feline's head, ready to slice her ear completely off. Suddenly, he withdrew the knife, looking from one side to the other. "You're lucky, pussycat. I'll take my prize later. Don't want a mess all over my bridge. Especially since I don't have anyone else I can order to clean it right now, thanks to you." He let go of her ear and her head smacked the floor again. Laslo checked the ships internal monitors just to verify his suspicions. As he thought, Falco was lying in a pool of his own blood about 20 meters from the entry hatch; Pewee was hanging from a meat hook in the galley and Victor lie dead just 10 meters from the bridge. "Fools, worthless fools." The criminal snapped angrily. He looked over at the motionless Aisha once again, seriously considering continuing the beating he had inflicted on her, but seeing her unconscious told him it would be a waste of time. She wouldn't feel it anyway.

~~~~

In the fourth month of the second year at the Service Academy, Aisha and her classmates went on a field trip to the ice planet of Iset Dod. A planet that was so cold the highest temperature ever recorded at its equator was –10 degrees Celsius. The trip was intended to teach the young students that inhospitable climates exist throughout the universe, even within the boundaries of the Empire itself. On their home world the lowest temperature ever recorded at the planet's poles was 7 degrees Celsius. The trip involved a ride on a three-car snow tractor across a 10-km stretch of the equator, followed by a 1-km hike in the snow. Blinking signal markers had been installed along the 10-km trail every 100m to ensure the tractor remained on course at all times. But even with the markers, unexpected ice storms could reduce visibility to zero in a matter of seconds.

On a dare, Aisha ventured outside the trailer to race to the next signal marker and back against her most hated rival. Aisha held a comfortable lead, with just a few meters to go before reaching the marker when the storm hit. Somehow, not only did she manage to reach the marker with zero visibility, but she also managed to spot the unconscious form of her rival several meters away. Retrieving him and dragging him back to the marker, they waited for the storm to pass and the tractor to come by and pick them up. During the storm the temperature dropped to –50 degrees Celsius. Even with her coat, snow boots and hat on, Aisha felt her body beginning to freeze up. Numbness started at her fingertips and toes, slowly creeping up her limps. It was a terrifying sensation, one she was sure she would not survive.

And even as sleep tried to force its way on her, Aisha did her best to keep her rival awake and alert. "Augusta, come on, you've got to stay with me here. They'll be here any minute now. Don't you fall asleep on me, you bastard. I'm not taking responsibility for your death. You hear me? Stay with me!" She yelled at him as best she could.

Slowly he opened his eyes and smiled up at her. "You know you really are beautiful when you're angry." His smile faded and a serious expression took its place. "I'm sorry Aisha. I'm sorry for getting you into this, I'm sorry for everything. I just wanted you to know that before-"

"Stop that. Stop saying that. You're not leaving me here alone, you hear me. You're not going to die here. Neither of us will. We are Ctarl Ctarl, Damn It! Ctarl Ctarl don't die this way. So stop the angst and stay with me." She pulled him tight in a desperate attempt to keep both of them alive.

~~~~

Those same sensations were beginning to overtake her as she slowly roused to consciousness.

"Augusta, it's so cold."

As if on queue her body shivered.

Slowly she opened her eyes. It was dark but with her catlike vision and sense of smell, she quickly deduced where she was. "Meat locker." She shivered again. "Damn, it's cold."

"Aah, you're finally awake. It's about time." She looked in the direction the voice appeared to be coming from. Behind her was a large metal door with a small window set high on it. Through the window, she could make out the face of her captor. He had a big satisfied smile on his face as he stared down at her. Laughing he said, "I had a taste for frozen Ctarl Ctarl-bobs. I figure –60 degrees, it should only take about another 20 to 25 minutes for you to freeze to death. I kinda wanted to do the job myself but this way it's a whole less messy. Oh, and don't bother trying to struggle. I filled you up with enough tranquilizer to take down a charging elephant, so don't think you stand a chance at getting away. Hahahaha…" With that he turned and walked away.

"Is that what this weird feeling is?"

She tried to use her hands to get up off the floor but couldn't seem to get them out from behind her back. Only after several failed attempts did Aisha's mind clear up enough for her to realize that her arms were being restrained behind her. She focused her energy on feeling her restraints "Some kind of metal wire, wrapped around my wrists multiple times. Should be easy enough to break, unless it's some kind of re-enforced titanium alloy. Well, only one way to find out."

Fighting the fog in her head and the cold that threatened to claim her body, Aisha strained against the cord in an attempt to break free. Several minutes passed, and while she managed to stretch the bindings slightly, they were nowhere near breaking. "Okay, that didn't work." She took several deep breaths as she licked her cold lips. "Time for a different approach." She struggled to get herself up onto her knees and tried to force her hands downward around her rear. "Come on damn it, come on." She strained as blood stopped flowing to her hands and they went numb. "Almost… almost." Her arms and shoulders burned on the inside while they froze on the outside as she continued to struggle. "Damn, why couldn't I have longer arms?" She said as she felt her wrists pop and pain shoot up her arm. But it was all she need as she brought her hands around her rear, past her legs and feet, and up to her face. "Finally, something's going right for me."

Just then a wave of dizziness washed over her and at that same time she shivered violently, sending her head crashing to the floor.

"AAUUUGH!"

Her eyes rolled back and unconsciousness threatened to take her again.

"No, no I can't fall asleep. If I fall asleep, I'm dead." She forced her eyes open. "Come on Aisha, you can do this, just focus." Slowly she raised her hands to her mouth and began gnawing on the cords. It didn't take long for her powerful jaws and razor sharp teeth to snap through the bindings. With her hands free, the feline got up on shaky legs as she rubbed her hands together and blew into them. "Shit, I can't even feel them." After spending a minute to try and get some feeling back in her hands, she reasoned, "My best bet at warming up is to get the hell out of this meat locker." Turning toward the door she focused all her energy on the lock. "Ram where the lock is and I'll break it right off." She concluded.

The feline rocked back and forth, trying to clear her mind and focus solely on the lock as she gathered up her strength for this effort. When she thought she was ready she let out a roar and charged the door, but she stumbled just before she reached it and crashed head first into the middle of the thick metal door, leaving a minor dent in it. She collapsed to the floor, taking hold of her head, which was throbbing uncontrollably.

"Rrrrr! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

After a moment she wiped the frozen tears of pain from her eyes and began concentrating again.

"I'm not going to die. Not here, not like this." She growled.

She closed her eyes and focused, for to do what she was about to attempt was no easy feat. The ability of a Ctarl Ctarl to transform into their beast form relies greatly on the phase of the planet's moon. But being locked away within this ship, in the middle of the day, in freezing conditions and half-drugged out were all things working against her. It was possible, but it wouldn't be easy. The only thing working in her favor was the fact that Cielo Rojo had not one but four moon. So even in her humanoid form, her strength was greatly enhanced.

Trying to focus proved more difficult then Aisha thought, with the numb feeling overtaking her body from without and the drugs clouding her mind from within. Still, after much effort she could feel her heart begin to race, her blood coursing through her veins faster and faster. A low rumbling roar started to build from deep within her, growing in intensity with each passing moment, slowly causing the hairs over her body to stand on end. Her body became noticeably more muscular, and as her eyes flew open, the distinctive slits of the feline in her showed. Aisha rose to her feet, releasing a hellish roar as her clothes shredded into tattered strips of cloth.

Transformed into her beast form, she charged the freezer door. From outside, the hinges and lock shook but held. A second crash pulled two bolts loose. A third bent the lock and finally on the forth, the door flew to the opposite end of the galley, crashing into the wall. An exhausted Aisha in her humanoid form staggered out of the freezer and collapsed a few steps away.

On the bridge, Laslo felt as well as heard the disturbance in the galley. Punching up the viewer to the galley, he saw a naked Ctarl Ctarl staggering to get back up on her feet and head down the hall.

"Persistent little minx."

He grabbed his stun gun to verify it was fully charged. Holstering it, he sat back in his captain's chair and waited.

He didn't have long to wait. Aisha appeared at the entrance to the bridge still in her birthday suite, snarling and dripping in sweat.

"Hmm hmm, you're stronger than the others I've killed, but in the end your stupidity is what really defeats you anyway." He stood up with his back to her, waiting for her to make her move.

"RRRRAAAARRRRRRR!!!" Aisha screamed and lunged forward. Laslo turned and fired but this time Aisha was expecting it. Having planted her foot firmly on the floor, she launched herself to the ceiling. Laslo's blast struck the metal wall and discharged throughout the bridge. The Ctarl Ctarl released the beam she had latched onto just as the electricity reached the ceiling and landed on top of Laslo, pinning him to the floor.

The usually cocky criminal broke into a cold sweat as he stared up at the savage eyes of the snarling feline.

"I'll give you the same advice I once gave another opponent. When you have your enemy down, don't waste time talking. Just finish the job. With that Aisha swiped at his neck with her claws, slitting his throat and sending blood spraying up on her face and body. The look of utter terror etched in Laslo's eyes told her what she already knew, that despite all his boasting, Laslo was nothing but a coward at heart.

Standing up, she tossed his lifeless body to the side and hit the comm. button on the control panel. The image of Deputy Turner appeared.

"Miss Aisha, thank God!" The deputy's smile immediately vanished. "My God! Have you been hurt, Miss Aisha?" The panic stricken young man quivered.

"No," The feline ran her hand over her face and looked at the blood that stained her palm, then continued. "It's Laslo's blood."

Turner smiled again. "That's great. So I can assume that Laslo Krio and his men have all been neutralized, is that correct?"

She looked over at the criminal's lifeless body. "Yeah, you could say that." Turning back at the monitor, she continued. "Come on over and claim the bodies. Oh, and bring me some clothes too."

Without waiting for a reply Aisha ended the transmission and sat heavily into the captain's chair. "Piece of cake." She grinned, as she let sleep overtake her.

~~~~~~~~~

AN: Well, I hope you liked this chapter. ^_^ Gene and Melfina are in for a long rough road ahead but never fear, this is a G/M romance so true love will prevail in the end. Meanwhile, I felt the need to add some action to the story and I just couldn't stand being without my favorite catgirl for so long. ^__^

I'd like to take a minute to say thanks for all the wonderful reviews I got for my last chapter. ^_____^

You guys made my week. I was so glad it was so well received. The upcoming chapters should prove very….. interesting….. to say the least. ^_~

I'd also like to take a moment to recognize the great work my new beta-reader Janice has done for me on all my stories. Janice, you really are a Godsend. ^_^

A. Amishi