When the Outlaw Star docked, the walkway came out of the wall and let them into the station. Their good luck had held, and they had somehow already paid for two weeks' docking.
''I need to be alone, okay?'' Aisha asked. Gene nodded.
''Meet us back here later.'' he said. Aisha nodded back and ran off.
''She's really depressed about the leyline, isn't she?'' Suzuka asked.
''Ah, don't worry about her.'' Jim said. ''Knowing Aisha, she'll be back to her normal self in no time.''
In a bar somewhere in the station...
Aisha sat in the bar, not even touching the drink in front of her.
''What should I do? They won't let me back now that the Galactic Leyline's a bust.'' she asked herself, staring at her reflection in the table.
The door opened, and a black-haired person walked in. He looked only about Aisha's apparent age, maybe a little younger, but a lot skinnier and with a more childish, though worn, face.
''This isn't the kind of place for a kid like you.'' someone said to him. He looked at them.
''Nowhere's the kind of place for me anymore, sir.'' he said in a gravelly voice, walking up to the bar stools and sitting three seats from Aisha, who barely noticed him.
''Nothing for me.'' he said to the bartender, then turned to Aisha.
''You have problems too?'' he asked.
Aisha finally looked up and saw him. He had brilliant emerald eyes with lightning bolts under them. His hair was messy and jet black.
Despite his appearance, Aisha could tell that there was much more to him.
''Why would you care?'' she asked.
''Because I care about people who have problems. I'm sympathetic that way.'' He then noticed her ears. ''Or-''
She saw him looking at her ears. ''Not human. Ctarl-Ctarl. You've never heard of us?'' she said.
The person looked thoughtful for a second, and it almost seemed like his eyes and a circle at his chest glowed green, then nodded in understanding.
''Ah. An alien. I'm sorry. I've never been here. I just got here from, well, I'm actually not quite sure.'' he said.
Aisha suddenly heard something with her excellent hearing. Someone was about to attack this person from behind. But she didn't really care. She didn't know this person.
Suddenly, a long sword appeared in the person's hand out of nowhere, and he met the person behind him's blade with a single fluid motion.
The sharp sound of metal on metal rang through the tiny bar.
''I told you, this is no place for a kid.'' the man behind him said.
The person who had blocked the sword tsked. ''That's too bad. I thought I could be welcome here. I guess I was wrong.'' he said. With that he leapt into action. Within seconds, he had both his and the attacker's sword at the attacker's neck. ''On second thought, I think it's you who aren't welcome. I don't appreciate people who attack others without a good reason.''
He let the attacker go, throwing his sword next to him. His own sword disappeared.
''My name is Xy Ketchum, for anybody who cares to know.'' he said, then walked out of the bar.
The bar members quickly forgot about Xy, but something about him intrigued Aisha. She decided to leave the bar and see if she couldn't find Xy again.
She didn't have to walk far. He was standing on a bridge over a river near the street, just watching the water flow.
When she got closer, she heard him talking, though she couldn't see to who.
''-am I here? I can't seem to find the ones who forced me here, and I don't even know where to look.''
He stopped, presumably listening to a reply that Aisha, even with her excellent hearing, couldn't sense.
''I know they're here somewhere. But what in the Bottom Realms in an Outlaw Star?'' he asked. Aisha froze when she heard that.
Another pause.
''Yes, but I haven't seen anybody who looked like they could have sent the signal. As far as I know, there isn't an Outlaw Star anywhere near here.''
Another pause. Xy sighed.
''I've already gathered enough information to know that I'll need a spaceship, preferably the one called a 'grappler'. But my Pokedollars don't work here.''
Another pause. Xy stiffened slightly.
''Are you sure? Someone would notice...'' he said, then seemed to have been interrupted.
''Okay. But if I'm captured or arrested, it's your fault, no matter who you are.'' he said, ending what seemed to be an imaginary conversation.
Xy turned around too quickly for Aisha to hide.
''You were spying on me.'' he said. Aisha touched the back of her head with a palm.
''Well, not really. I just happened to overhear you. I actually can help you. I know where the Outlaw Star is. By the way, my name's Aisha Clanclan.'' she said. Xy didn't seem too mad at her. He just looked down.
''You're humoring me. You think I'm crazy. Talking to myself as if someone was near me.'' Xy said. He turned around, back to the river. ''Look, I'm not someone you should worry about. I'm just another face in the crowd.''
Aisha cocked her head. She pitied this person, who seemed even more lost and confused than a wild bant pup in a city back on her homeplanet.
''I can show you the Outlaw Star. My friends there can help you with whatever you need to know.'' she said. Xy let a hollow laugh out.
''You won't leave me alone unless I listen, will you?'' he asked. Aisha shook her head. ''Well, you don't seem untrustworthy. Alright. Lead on. I have nothing better to do than follow right now anyways.''
Aisha nodded and began to walk back to the ship, with Xy following close behind.
At the Outlaw Star...
''Gilliam, can you get Gene for me?'' Aisha asked. A camera lens came from the hatch.
''He is in the station right now. Only Suzuka is still here.'' the computer said. ''Who is this?''
''This is Xy. He wanted to talk to Gene. I don't know what for, but he's not an enemy. At least, not from what I've seen.'' Aisha explained.
''I'll get Suzuka. Let her give her opinion.'' Gilliam said. A minute later, the hatch opened and the ex-assassin Twilight Suzuka walked out, wooden katana in hand (for all you Minecrafters out there, including me, I bet you're having a good laugh about this).
''Yes?'' she asked, then looked at Xy. ''Who do you work for? You have a dark energy around you.'' she said, raising her sword.
''I don't work for or with anyone. I'm just a traveller. And as for 'dark' energy, it's much closer to light than anything else. The energy isn't even fully mine. It's in this.'' Xy pulled out a pendant on his neck. It had a circular disc with a perfect emerald green viper spiralling on its face, its head with its ruby red eye near the edge.
The light caught in its eye and made it look almost alive. ''It's my aura animus, my spirit charm.''
Suzuka reached for the spirit charm, but Xy's sword blocked her hand. ''Only I may touch it. You don't want to try, trust me. I'm already wary of all of you. You don't want to be my enemy.'' he said, his voice suddenly venomous.
Suzuka wasn't going to let him dampen her pride.
''Suzuka, don't.'' Aisha said, knowing what Suzuka was about to do. ''I saw some of his skill. He's the best swordfighter I've ever seen.''
''This is for my pride, Aisha, nothing less. I'm not letting it get in my way.'' Suzuka said, swinging her sword.
Xy caught it easily with his own sword. ''Look, I can see that you have a large amount of pride.'' he said, catching every move that Suzuka threw at him, ''But I'm no enemy unless you want me to be. I'm just a traveller who's on a mission. Now, I just need to speak with the captain of this ship, and then I'll be on my way.''
With that, Xy went on the offense, and with one slash, the front half of Suzuka's wooden sword fell to the ground, severed neatly.
Suzuka stood there for a second, stunned. ''Don't use a wooden sword against an Aura blade.'' Xy said simply.
Suzuka crumpled to her knees, and picked the broken blade up with trembling fingers.
''No...'' she said quietly, looking at the pieces. ''It can't be...''
''What's going on here?'' a voice asked from behind. Xy let his sword disappear and turned around. A tall man with red hair and a few scars stood there.
''This is Xy. He wanted to speak with you, and accidentally offended Suzuka, who fought him. He cut her sword in half.'' Gilliam said.
''I didn't want trouble. If you would like, I can fix the sword.'' Xy offered. Suzuka blatantly refused, still staring at the pieces.
''Suzuka and Aisha, you should go back in the ship. I'll talk to Xy.'' Gene said. Aisha helped Suzuka up, picking the remains of the sword up in the other hand and going inside. She watched the scene through a porthole. Gene turned to Xy and crossed his arms.
''Alright. What is it you want with me?'' he asked, taking out his gun and pointing it at Xy.
''I only wanted to ask you if you sent the signal that brought me here.'' Xy said. ''I'm not your enemy, Gene. I am merely a traveller on a mission, like I told Suzuka.''
''I didn't send any signal to you. I've never heard of you before.'' Gene said. He didn't lower the gun.
''You didn't have to know me. The signal was sent when you came in contact with a Space Distortion Unit, a device that, when touched, gives off a massive shockwave causing space and time to fold and rip temporarily. It pulls something, or someone, to its universe. In this case, I was that someone.'' Xy said.
''But-'' Gene could sense one, though the whole story was hard to believe.
''But there was an error, a glitch in the mechanism, and now I'm stuck here. I thought that you could help me. It seems that you didn't even know that you had activated an SDU, though. In that case, I'll be leaving now. Thank your Ctarl-Ctarl friend for me, since she helped me find you. We'll probably never meet again.''
With that, Xy turned around and walked away, leaving Gene standing there, a bewildered expression on his face.
Xy stopped for a second and looked back. ''By the way, I'm the one who paid your debts and got you the parking fee here. It seems that my arrival caused some good things after all.'' he said, then resumed walking, this time without stopping again.
Aisha left the ship again when Xy was gone. ''I'm going to try to contact the Orta Hone Hone, okay?'' she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she went back into the station.
With Xy...
Xy walked slowly, hands in his pockets. ''I can't do this for much longer, Xyrule.'' he said quietly. His aura animus glowed green for a second, along with his eyes. ''I know.'' he said. ''I shouldn't give up so quickly. It's just that there's something about this universe that seems out of place. I can't live like this. I'm still human enough to need a place to call my home. That place isn't in this universe.''
The green glow came again, as if responding to Xy. ''No, it's not that. They seem fine. I understand why they don't trust me. Nobody does anymore. I don't even trust me anymore.''
Xy sensed someone rushing down the path he was on, and moved to the side to let the person pass. A brown blur was all a normal person could see of the person, but Xy could see her as if she was walking slowly. He chuckled to himself. The glow shone again. ''She's exactly like I was when I started my journey. Always in a hurry.'' he said, then resumed walking.
With Aisha...
When Aisha finished the call, she started back for the inner part of the city, happier than before. Pawa Inoue had still accepted her as an Admiral. All she had to do was decide now. But she was torn.
On one hand, she could return to her old duty. On the other, she could stay with the Outlaw Star and keep exploring the universe with the crew.
She let her thoughts wander to more immediate choices, like which street to go on.
Somewhere in the city...
Melfina and Jim sat on a bench in a park, eating ice cream.
''It's so quiet.'' Melfina said. She looked around. ''Where is everybody?''
''Not many people take time to go to parks anymore.'' Jim said, looking at the bioandroid. If he hadn't known that she wasn't human, he never would have guessed.
Melfina looked at him. ''Do you really think Aisha will be okay?'' she asked.
''Yeah. She's probably bossing someone around right now like her old self.'' Jim replied.
Melfina giggled, and the two returned to watching the park.