Saturday, March 25, 2006

Episode #148 Chapter 14, part 4 Reunion part 3 Justin: (whispers) Sweet Takehito. You’re.... Gene: I’m Gene Starwind: captain of the Outlaw Star. I’m sure Aisha’s told you about me. She used to be part of my crew. (holds out his hand) It’s nice to finally meet you, Artukei. Justin: (slightly shocked) Yes.... yes of course. (shakes his hand) It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Ge-... eh... c-Captain.......... (hugs him) Gene: o.0 (utterly surprised and confused) Justin: (lets go) Sorry. It’s just such a relief to see another familiar face around here. Gene: ..... We just met. Justin: ..... Well,... you know what I mean. Gene: Aisha mentioned that you two were having some trouble. What’s going on? Justin: .... (looks down) I’ve been trying to figure that out all day. Gene: Well, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but.... Aisha’s my friend. And that makes you my friend too. So, we’ll help you out as best as we can. Justin: Thank you so much...... We? --back at the bar-- Aisha: (hugging someone) Aw Jim, you’re getting so big. But you’re still so cute. ^_^ Jim: Cut it out, Aisha. Aisha: (pinches his cheek) Such a cute little boy! Jim: Stop it! Justin: (walks up) Well well. Rekindling old flames, babe? Aisha: ^_^ Heehee. (kisses Jim’s cheek) Jim: EWW! (flails out of Aisha’s arms) Aisha: Hahaha! Justin: You must be James, I take it. Jim: Call me Jim. Jim Hawking. And you must be Artukei. Justin: That’s me. Gene: So... (sits at the bar) tell us what’s up. Justin: *deep breath* (sits down between Gene and Aisha) We both woke up here this morning. I was in a trash heap and Aisha was in a brothel. Gene: That explains the outfit. Aisha: SHUT UP! Justin: The problem is neither of us remembers what happened or how we got here. Gene: Heh. Sounds to me like you two partied a little too hard last night. Aisha: Damn you, Gene! This is serious! Gene: Hey, take it easy. (to Justin) Well, where’s your ship? Justin: We don’t own one. Gene: .... OK, that is weird. Justin: Our only clue is that the ones who sold Aisha to the brothel were two men in dark suits embossed with a black swan. Jim: Huh? (pulls out his computer) Gene: Piss anyone off lately? Justin: Not this far out in the universe. Jim: Did you say a “black swan”? Justin: Sound familiar? Jim: No. But I can look for it. (starts typing) I can search through brand logos, corporate insignias, family crests, and even underworld tags. Aisha: Good job, Jim! Justin: Thanks Jim. Jim: (finishes typing) There. It’s a lot of data to search through, so it’ll take a few minutes. “blip!” Jim: Hmm? (looks at the screen) It’s Mel. She and Suzuka are finished and they’re heading back to the ship. Gene: (gets up) Well then, why don’t we meet’em there? You two look worn out. You could use a rest. *sniff* And a shower. Justin: Yeah, yeah. -_-\/ --later-- Justin, Aisha, Gene, and Jim are walking back to the docking bays. Aisha: (to Gene) So what brings you all the way out to this corner of the universe? Gene: Just passing through. Needed to refuel. Good thing we stopped here. Aisha: You’re telling me. How’s Suzu and Melfina? Gene: Great. Now that you mention her, Melfina was the one who suggested we stop. So I guess you should thank her. The group passes by a large window looking out into space. Justin: (spots a small green planet) Wow. That’s a beautiful planet. Jim: That’s Zild. The whole planet is basically a giant forest. That’s why it’s so green. Justin: Endor. Heh heh! Jim: But if you’re looking for answers to why you’re here, I don’t think you’ll find any there. The planet’s practically devoid of humans. Justin: Why’s that? Can it not support human life? Jim: No. It’s conditions are livable. Ideal even. It’s just that it’s a protected planet. Justin: A what? Jim: It’s native creatures and vegetation are preserved by law. Just like the national forests on Earth. Justin: I see. So mining its natural resources is illegal. Animal, vegetable, or mineral. And no-one can build housing or factories there either. Jim: Exactly. The only reason anyone goes there is to observe the planet’s pristine beauty. It’s also said to be the site of the Temple of Orozan. Justin: .... The what? Jim: (shrugs) Eh. It’s just a dumb myth about some mystical ruins that protect all life or something. But nobody’s ever found them. Justin: Hmm.... Orozan.... Orozan.... Why does that sound so familiar? Gene: You know, Artukei, now that I’ve seen you, I gotta say, I actually pictured you a lot differently. Justin: Oh really? Gene: Yeah, I didn’t think you’d be so... Justin: Geeky? Nerdy? Fat? (even though he’s lost some weight) Gene: ... scrawny. Justin: o.0 “Scrawny”?? Me??? Gene: Yeah. No offense or anything. I just thought with someone like Aisha you’d be more muscular. Aisha: Hey, I’ve already got plenty of muscle right here. (flexes her arm) Besides, hulking beefcakes aren’t my type. Justin: (offended) Does that mean you prefer weaklings? Aisha: No. (takes his arm) I like my man to be strong, but bulging biceps get in the way of cuddling. (nuzzles him) Justin: (smiles) You know, Gene, I pictured you a lot taller. --The Outlaw Star-- Gene: We’re back! Melfina: Gene! (runs up and hugs him) Gene: Hey, I wasn’t gone that long. Suzuka: You took longer than we thought you would. Jim: Well, we found some friends. Melfina: Hmm? Who? Aisha: (enters) Melfina! Melfina: Aisha? Aisha: (hugs Melfina) It’s so good to see you again. Melfina: Aisha! It’s good to see you too. What are you doing all the way out here? Aisha: It’s a long story. Suzu! (hugs Suzuka) How ya doin’, girl? Suzuka: For the hundredth time, would you please stop calling me.... *sigh* never mind. This is quite the surprise, Aisha. It’s good to see you. Melfina: But what about your fiancé? Justin: Right here, miss. (enters) Melfina: Are you Artukei? Justin: (nods) And you’re Melfina: the amazing bio-android and navigator of the Outlaw Star. (takes her hand) It’s a pleasure to meet you. (kisses her hand) Melfina: (blushes slightly) Gene: Hey, hey! You’ve already got a girl! Remember? Aisha: Lighten up, Gene. He’s just being polite. Justin: And you must be Twilight Suzuka. Suzuka: I am. (extends her hand) Justin: The Beautiful Assassin. (kisses her hand) I’ve heard a lot about you. Suzuka: I’ve heard that you’re quite the gentleman. How refreshing to see there are still men with manners in this galaxy. Gene: Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?! “beep beep!” Jim: (pulls out his computer) Justin: Is it the search results? Jim: (nods) Mm hm. One match. Justin: Just one? Jim: It is an unusual symbol. Here. (turns the screen towards them) The Black Swan: family crest of the Polucks. Justin: Poluck, huh? Where do we find them? Jim: (types some more) .... *sigh* Try a graveyard. Aisha: What? Jim: The line ended almost 500 years ago. Justin: Did they own any companies? Maybe they’re still using their crest. Jim: No. The Polucks were a noble family. Not into business. Their last living relative was a scientist. Melfina: (to Gene) What’s going on? Gene: I’ll explain later. Justin: Maybe someone else is using the crest. Jim: If they were, it would be registered under another name. Even if they were using it illegally, the underground would still have it catalogued. (puts his computer away) I’m sorry, but.... no one has used the black swan in years. Justin: ........ Aisha: .... Bull. I knew it. Justin: *sigh* (takes off his glasses and rubs his face) And we’re back where we started. With nothing.

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