Journeys of the Outlaw Star
A Gift for Gene and Melfina
A/N: Man, I sure have gotten a lot of hits. I think it is over 150 now, but I would like to get some reviews to see if the readers think I am doing a good job or not. Also there will be some spots where I won't go into detail for the sake of keeping this story in the Rating that it is. Please Read and Review. Enjoy the Story!
Gene awoke, finding himself on the couch. Now I remember… Melfina and Gene had fallen asleep on the couch last night. We were all a little worn out from that last encounter. Melfina, still sleeping, was holding on to Gene tightly, her arms wrapped around his waist. She is so peaceful when she's sleeping. Gene thought to himself. As soon as he finished his though, Melfina's eyelids moved. She slowly opened her eyes, only to be greeted by Gene. "Hey, did you sleep well?"
"Of course." Melfina nodded. "Whenever I am with you, I sleep well." She smiled at him, giving him a quick peak on the lips.
"Oh, I just remembered what day it was…" Gene started to whisper into Melfina's ear. She listened very closely.
"It is! I feel so embarrassed for forgetting. I'll start on a cake for him right away." Melfina quickly got up and walked to the kitchen.
"I'll start getting the place ready." Gene said, standing up and stretching.
------
Jim yawned, still being half-asleep. He could feel the warmth of another person lying next to him, their arms around him. When his eyes focused, he saw that it was Aisha and that she was in the nude. He then noticed that he also was nude. Oh yeah… Jim remembered what had happen the night before. He rolled over, giving Aisha a kiss on the forehead, then got out of bed to get dressed. Throwing his clothes on from the night before, he quickly ran over to his room, grabbed some new clothes, then headed back to Aisha's room. He then got into the shower and started the warm water. To wake him up first, he went to the sink, splashing cold water onto his face. Then he heard a knock at the door, the knob started to turn. Aisha peeked in.
"Well good morning Birthday Boy." She smiled, she walked in covering herself with one of her blankets. She came up to Jim, kissing him on his lips, as he returned her kiss.
"Morning Aisha, how are you feeling?" Jim wrapped his arm around her.
"Pretty good, how about you?" Aisha also wrapped her arm around him.
"I'm ok, could use a shower though." Jim said while scratching his hair. "Water should be warm by now." Looking back at the shower.
"Well no point wasting the water." She ran into the shower and closing the curtain, sticking her head out of the shower curtain. "Move it or lose it Jim!" She winked at him.
"Yes Ma'am!" Jim laughed, joining her in the shower.
------
Gene and Melfina had everything ready for Jim. A big chocolate cake with strawberry frosting, Melfina was quite proud of it.
"Do you think he will like it?" Melfina looked at Gene, asking him.
"I'm sure he will love it." Gene rubbed her back. A few minutes later, they heard footsteps. They waited behind the couch. "Wait, you think it might be Suzuka?"
"I doubt that." Suzuka said from behind them.
"Jeez! Don't do that. Wait, when did you get here?" Gene asked.
"I've been here the whole time, you just never saw me." Suzuka stated.
"Oh… Well he is coming, so stay quiet." They waited a bit till they heard the footsteps stop as the bottom of the stairs.
"Huh? Where is everyone? I thought I heard them." Jim looked around.
"Well someone is still here, I can hear 3 people breathing quietly…" Aisha said as her ears twitched.
"Happy Birthday Jim!" Suzuka, Gene and Melfina yelled.
"Hey, you guys remembered!"
"Well duh." Gene said walking over to Jim and messing up his hair.
"We could never forget Jim." Melfina said with a smile.
"Thanks guy." Jim said.
"I'll go into the kitchen and get us some plates for cake I made." Melfina said going into the kitchen.
"Cake! Where?" Aisha ran into the kitchen to see this cake.
"So how does it feel Jim?" Gene asked.
"Huh?" Jim looked at him with a look of confusion on his face.
"To be 18?"
"Oh, well… I don't really feel any different actually." Jim scratched his head.
"Ha, you are good for a laugh every once in awhile Jim." Gene laughed.
"Ok…" Jim blinked a few times, not really getting what Gene meant.
"Don't mind him Jim." Suzuka said.
"Yeah, I try not-" Jim was interrupted by a loud crash that came from the kitchen. Everyone ran in to see Melfina on the floor, holding her stomach.
"Melfina!" Gene ran to her, he and Aisha helped her to her feet. Gene looked at Aisha. "What happened?"
"I don't know, she told me to get some forks and the next thing I knew, she had dropped the plates and was on the ground!" Aisha said.
"Gene…" Melfina said, still holding her stomach. "We need… to go to… the ship."
"I'll get the car!" Jim ran in to the garage.
"Why?" Gene asked.
"I don't know… something… is telling me we have to…" Melfina was now breathing heavily.
"Aisha! Give me a hand!" Gene and Aisha carried Melfina to the car, where Jim and Suzuka were waiting. Jim floored it to get to the Outlaw Star as fast as possible. Jim contacted Gilliam by communicator.
"Gilliam! This is Jim, we are coming to the ship, it's an emergency!"
"The doors are open and waiting on your arrival Jim." Gilliam responded. Once inside, the group raced up to the cockpit. Melfina had her eyes partially opened.
"Gene… carry me to the tube." Gene did as he was told, carrying her over to the tube, and standing her up. She and Gene both entered the tube. Everything then went black.
------
When Gene finally opened his eyes, he was in what appeared to be space.
"What the?" Gene looked around, then at himself. This is the same suit I was wearing when I was at the Leyline. What's going on?
"Perhaps I can answer that question for you Gene." A mysterious figure said. Nothing could be seen of his face, it appeared black.
"That voice… I know it from somewhere." Gene began to think of all the people he had met in his life. Suddenly, his eyes were wide open. "No… it can't be."
"Oh, but it is." The man walked out, revealing his face. "It is I, Gwen Kahn."
"Kahn! But I thought you left this world at the Leyline." Gene said.
"Left this world you say? Well you are correct, but you are not. I left the world were I could keep a human shape and form. My body no longer exists in the world. But in here… This is not the world. This place is similar to the Leyline you could say, but it does not hold any knowledge like that of the Leyline." Gene was getting more confused by the second.
"Well I don't care about that, all I care about is Melfina! Where is she?" Gene yelled.
"Gene, must you yell? She is fine, just look behind you." Gene turned around to find Melfina, her hands now together, her fingers interlocking. She had her hands at her chest and her eyes were closed.
"Melfina, are you ok? Melfina?" Gene placed his hand on her shoulder and at that moment, she awoke.
"Gene? Where are we? Is… is that Gwen Kahn?" Melfina asked.
"Melfina. It is so good to see you again after all these years. How have you been? Gene hasn't been too rough with you has he?" Before Kahn could continue his line of questioning, Gene interrupted.
"Just tell us why we are here." Gene shook his fist.
"No need to get violent Gene. I bring good new to you two." Kahn then waved his hand to his right to reveal a giant sphere. "Spectacular isn't it Gene?
"What is it?" Gene asked as he stared at the sphere.
"This is what I wanted to show you. I had to let Melfina know that it was time for both of you to see this. I am sorry that I couldn't have chosen a way of telling you with words, but it was out of my hands. I was only able to tell you what to do to come here. The pain that you felt Melfina was only natural."
"What is it?" Melfina asked. "Why is this connected to us?"
"Look!" Gene pointed at the white sphere. "There is someone inside of it! Who is it?" Gene asked.
"I don't know… But, they feel familiar somehow." Melfina said.
"Perhaps these are questions that would be better answered by the person inside." Gwen Kahn said. A small crack appeared in the sphere. "Oh looks like it is about to happen. I should be going. This is a family matter after all." With that, Kahn floated off, disappearing into the darkness of space.
"What does he mean?" Gene asked. Both Melfina and Gene watched as the crack in the sphere began to grow. Pieces of it started to break away and falling to the ground. As soon as it contacted the ground, it would shatter like glass. More pieces started to break away until an entire section shattered like a baseball going through a window. Water seemed to pour out of the sphere, carrying the person in the current. When the water receded, a young girl, also in a suit like Gene's and Melfina's, was lying on the ground. She had hair that was similar to Melfina's, but was much longer, and it had the coloring of Gene's hair. She appeared to be at least 17 years old. Soon, her eyelids began to move, until her bright blue eyes were visible. The red headed girl stretched and let out a big yawn.
"Wow… felt like I have been sleeping for ages." She stood up slowly, giving her neck a quick crack, she stood at 5'3". She then looked at Gene and Melfina. "Hi there. I know you two."
"You do?" Melfina asked?
"Of course, how could I not?" The young girl answered.
"Well let me ask you a question. Who are you?" Gene asked, holding Melfina close, incase of any danger.
"Who am I? Well, I guess I'm just myself. I have no name."
"What do you mean?" Melfina asked.
"Simple, a name hasn't been given to me yet." Gene and Melfina both looked at each other. They were very confused.
"Perhaps I can explain it a little better." Gwen Kahn appeared behind Gene and Melfina. He spoke quiet enough so that the young girl would not hear. "You see, there was no way of predicting how Melfina here would bare a child. When I had asked the Leyline for the ultimate knowledge, I learned many things. 1 of them was about any chance of there being offspring of the Maiden of the Leyline, which is Melfina. She gets pregnant just as any Terran woman would, but the first child would be raised here in the world similar to the Leyline, until he or she is ready."
"Then she… She is…" Melfina tried to speak.
"Yes Melfina, she is your daughter. You are her mother and Gene is her father. It seems that us 3 are the only ones who will ever witness this event. It will most likely never happen again!"
"How long ago did she get pregnant?" Gene looked at Melfina, then back at Gwen Kahn.
"Hmm? Well I guess there is no way of really finding that out. I would guess that it would have been within the last 5 years. But it is not a surprise that Melfina wasn't aware of it. There is no way of her knowing, well at least this time. If she every gets pregnant again, it will be just like every other Terran woman. Well I better let you 3 be alone. This is a family matter that does not involve me. Gene and Melfina it was good to see you both again. Take care." With that, Gwen Kahn floated off into the darkness of space.
"I will never understand that guy…" Gene said as they watched him disappear. Both Gene and Melfina turned their attention back to the young red headed girl.
"So you… are our daughter?" Melfina asked.
"That's right!" The young girl said with a smile. It didn't take them long to decide on a name they both felt was perfect for her.
"Well, I guess you should have a say in this too." Gene said. "We both agree on it, but, how do you like the name… Algiza?"
"Algiza?" The girl thought about it for a minute. She then smiled and nodded her head. "Alright Father, I am Algiza!" Algiza ran up to Gene and Melfina, hugging them tightly. "Mother, Father… I'm glad I've finally met you." Gene and Melfina returned her hug, with as much love as she had put in to hers. They all let go after about a minute. She stepped back and smiled.
"Now that I looked at her, I can tell she is related to you Gene." Melfina said with a smile. Gene blinked, slightly confused. "She has your eyes, I wouldn't mistake them for anything."
"Well, she does remind me of you." Gene said. "Same face."
"Well I have more than looks you know, I've got skills too. No one could lay a hand on me." Algiza said, with a grin on her face.
"Well the personality reminds me of someone." Melfina said giggling.
"I don't know if that is a compliment or an insult." Gene scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry to interrupt, but what's it like?" Algiza asked. Both Gene and Melfina looked at her.
"What is what like?" Melfina asked, a little confused.
"The real world. Where you guys came from? What is it like?"
"Well, it is hard to explain." Gene thought about it for a bit. "I guess it is what you make of it." He shrugged. "That sounded weird, I guess you are just going to have to find out for yourself."
"Don't worry dear, you'll enjoy it." Melfina smiled. "You'll get to meet the others. Jim, Aisha, and Suzuka."
"Who are they?" Algiza was very curious.
------
Hours later, Jim and Aisha both had fallen asleep, waiting for Gene and Melfina. Suzuka was sitting in her seat, drinking some tea, as she usually did. Everything was silent until the sound of the air pressure from Melfina's navigation tube hatch released. Aisha's ears twitched from the sound, waking her up. She yawned then turned her attention to the hatch.
"Jim, wake up! I think they are coming out." Aisha shook Jim in attempt to wake him. He slowly opened his eyes. "Come on Jim!" Aisha shook him even more.
"Ok, ok. I'm up." Jim stretched and then looked at the hatch as well. Everyone watched as the hatch opened up, filling up the area with smoke. After a few seconds, the smoke started to clear. Melfina and Gene's figures could partially be seen in the smoke and soon after, they were much more visible, with Algiza behind them wearing Gene's yellow cloak. All the smoke had cleared the room.
"Hey guys." Gene gave a friendly wave.
"Gene, you're both ok! I was starting to-" Jim cut his sentence short when he noticed Algiza. "Who is that?" Algiza hid herself behind Gene, holding on to him tight.
"Well, it's a bit of a long story Jim. I promise we'll explain everything in a short amount of time, but for now, how about we all meet back at Starwind and Hawking. Alright?" Gene said,
"Yeah… Sure Gene." Jim said. Algiza headed out the door, followed by Gene and Melfina. Once outside, they took the car back to Starwind and Hawking. Inside the Outlaw Star Jim, Aisha, and Suzuka were deliberating.
"Who do you think the girl was?" Aisha asked.
"I don't know… I'm stumped here." Jim said.
"Quite confusing. But did you notice something about the girl?" Suzuka asked.
"Now that you mention it… Her hair… It was the same color as Gene's wasn't it?" Jim said.
"I think so. From what I could tell, she kinda reminded me of Melfina…" Aisha scratched her head.
"Well there is no point on thinking about it. Gene said that they would explain it when we got back. We should get going." Suzuka said, as she stood up and headed for the door.
"Yeah I guess you're right." Jim said as he followed.
"Wait for me!" Aisha ran after them.
After making it back to Starwind and Hawking, Jim, Aisha, and Suzuka waited outside for a minute. Jim opened the door and entered. They found Gene, Melfina, and the new girl Algiza on the couch, with a big plate of food in front of the red headed girl. She was shoving the food into her mouth like she hadn't eaten in days.
"Take it easy, you'll choke if you eat any faster." Melfina said to her with a smile on her face.
"Oh, you're here." Gene saw the other when he looked up. Algiza stopped and tried to hide herself.
"So, are you going to explain all of this? What happened at the Outlaw Star? Who is this girl?" Jim asked.
"Well, first… I guess it would be easier to tell you who this is." Gene said, rubbing Algiza's head. He looked at Melfina, who nodded with approval. "This is Algiza. She is Melfina's and my daughter." Everyone was shocked when they heard those words. Shocked and confused could barely describe how everyone felt.
"Perhaps you guys should sit down. This might be a bit of a longer story." Melfina said.
------
Gene and Melfina tried their best to explain everything to the others. Everyone was still a little puzzled from the whole ordeal. Everyone pretty much understood who Algiza was.
"Wait, I have one more question." Jim said, looking at Algiza. "How old is she? What is her date of birth? What about other personal records?"
"Hmm…" Gene thought about it.
"Algiza," Melfina looked at her daughter, "Do you know how long you were in there?"
"Well, I think it was about 17 years." Algiza answered.
"17 years! Is that possible?" Gene asked.
"Well… Time could be different where she was. Like, a few days could be a week there. Get what I am saying?" Jim said.
"I guess." Gene scratched the back of his head. "Then she is 17. Date of Birth, well I guess that would be today, wouldn't you agree?" Gene looked over at Melfina.
"Sounds right to me." Melfina smiled.
"But we still have the problem of her records." Suzuka said.
"We could forge those right? Isn't that what we did back when Gene had to enter that prison?" Aisha said.
"That's right!" Jim said, pulling his computer out. "I can't believe I could forget that option. I can do that no problem."
"Well then. Everything is set. I guess there is only one thing left to do." Everyone looked at Gene as he spoke. "Algiza, you have no reason to be shy, we'll introduce you to everyone." Slowly, the red headed child came out of hiding. "Algiza, this is Jim. He and I have known each other for a long long time."
"Hi Algiza, it's nice to meet you." Jim extended his hand out for a handshake.
"Umm… Hi." Algiza shook Jim's hand.
"If you can think of him as an uncle. He'll always be there to watch out for you, right partner?" Gene looked at Jim.
"Sure. Uncle Jim is fine by me, call me whichever you like. And don't worry. I can look out for you." Jim said, giving her a thumb up.
"Ok…" Algiza said, still slightly nervous.
"This is Aisha, she is a C'tarl C'tarl. She is very tough, but she hasn't let us down yet." Melfina told Algiza.
"Hiya! I'm sure we will be good friends." Aisha said, with a big smile on her face. "If you'd like, I can help ya get stronger!"
"Hi… Sure, I guess." Algiza said, still holding on to Gene and Melfina.
"Finally, this is Suzuka." Gene pointed to Suzuka.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Algiza." She bowed to her.
"Wow… You're really polite." Algiza blinked a few times.
"Politeness is something that I feel is important." Suzuka said.
"It is really… nice to meet you all. Oh, and Happy Birthday Jim." Algiza said. Jim blinked.
"Thanks. How did you know?" Jim asked.
"My Father told me." She replied.
"Well, I think for now, we should all get some sleep." Gene said with a big yawn. "This has been an interesting day. But I wouldn't have preferred it any other way." Gene smiled, putting a hand on both Algiza's and Melfina's shoulders.
"Gene, do you want me to help set up a room for Algiza? We still have that extra room." Aisha asked.
"Sure, if you don't mind." Gene replied.
"I'll help her out." Jim said, both of them went up stairs.
"Well it was nice to meet you Algiza, but I am going to retire for the night as well." Suzuka said. "Good night." She went up the stairs to her room.
"So," Gene looked at his daughter, "What do you think?"
"They seem like nice people Father." Algiza stated.
"They are Algiza." Melfina gave her a smile, holding her closely. "They are good people. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the universe."
"I'm sure as you start to talk with them, you won't be as nervous. You're a Starwind after all!" Gene said and a grin.
"You're right Father. I feel better already." Algiza said with a smile.
"Gene, Melfina. Her room is all set to go." Jim yelled from upstairs.
"Alright, let's go." Gene said. He and Melfina stood up, showing Algiza the way to the bedrooms.
"Good night Algiza." Melfina gave her a quick hug.
"We'll see you in the morning." Gene said, rubbing his daughter's shoulder.
"Good night Mother, good night Father." Algiza said, going into her room. Gene and Melfina looked at each other.
"This has been one bizarre day, huh?" Gene asked.
"Yes… It has. But like you said," Melfina looked into Gene's eyes, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"I love you Melfina."
"I love you to Gene." They shared a long kiss then went into their room. The crew of the Outlaw Star just added a new member and she will have a long road ahead of her, but she isn't alone. Her parents, Gene Starwind and Melfina, Gene's partner, Jim Hawking, Aisha Clan Clan, and "Twilight" Suzuka will be there to help her on her path.
A/N: The first child of Gene and Melfina in my eyes. I liked how it turned out, I hope you did too. Please leave some reviews.
Gene: So my daughter is the new crewmember of the Outlaw Star huh? Well I can tell you now, she won't be some weakling.
Algiza: Don't worry! With all the stuff Jim, Aisha, and Suzuka are teaching me, I'll be fine. Besides I am the daughter of the Great Gene Starwind!
Gene: Great Gene Starwind? Not bad, but the name can use some work.
Melfina: Gene we have a slight problem.
Gene: What problem? Is that the Shangri-la? Not the MacDougalls again.
Next time, on Outlaw Star.
New Obsession of the Enemy.
You better get ready!