For The Soul of The Stars: The Line Between Friends and Enemies

Written By: Lynderia

Disclaimer: Leave me alone, I don’t the characters of Outlaw Star. Leave Kat to me.

“What do you mean you can’t find my ship?! Gene shouted at the mechanic. In the pass week they all have been searching for compatible engines and couldn’t find any. Fred Lou couldn’t find any either. Who would want to take a ship that couldn’t fly?

“These are all the ships in this hanger. If you’re ship’s not here, I can’t help you.” the mechanic shouted. He had work to do.

“Mister, you don’t understand. Our ship was in this hanger, someone had to have done something to it.” Jim said.

The mechanic ignored them and walked away. There were just too many ships to work on to bother finding just one. “Looney kids.”

“What are we going to do now? Not only did we not find engines for the Outlaw Star, we have no Outlaw Star to put the engines we don’t have in.” Jim announced. Life was never easy.

As they walked down the hallway, Gene didn’t know what to do. They couldn’t possibly check all the hangers.

Passing by, Suzuka caught a conversation between two mechanics.

“With one touch, and I couldn’t feel my arm anymore.”

“Whoa, that’s deep.”

“I know I’m not bothering her again.

“A cute little thing like that. I bet she has a boyfriend.”

It sounded familiar. One touch sounded like pressure points. Only one person would use pressure points. “Excuse me, where is this person you speak of?” Suzuka asked.

“What a mess!” Aisha commented. The hanger was a mess. It had soda cans, paper, and power cords all over the place.

Upon walking toward the center Melfina’s eyes lit up, “The Outlaw Star.” It was here.

“Gilliam stop pestering me already.” She was almost done.

Jim recognized the voice, and ran towards it.

The figure was in a mechanic jumpsuit melding metal to the side of the Outlaw Star. “All that’s left is testing.” She wiped her brow. She heard footsteps. “I told you idiots that this is my domain. Leave now before I decided to kick all your asses again.” Turning around she met her audience. “Oh, it’s only the ugly crew.”

“So, this is where you’ve been hiding.” Gene said. Kat looked awfully pale and tired.

“I can’t believe you high jacked the Outlaw Star. It’s useless without engines anyway.” Aisha said.

Kat yawned in Aisha’s face, “Old news, Mutant Feline.”

Aisha began to fume.

“Gil, charge engines to one hundred percent. Then give it all you got. I’ll be monitoring your progress from down here. Move to the side Uglies.” Kat said sitting by the wall with her computer in hand.

“Gilliam can’t pilot the ship by himself.” Melfina said.

“I really wish that Nature’s Freak would shut her mouth ‘cause she sounds so stupid. Really she does.” Kat said aloud, but addressing herself.

Melfina didn’t understand what she had done to gain Kat’s hatred. Any given chance Kat would always talk bad about her. Melfina bowed her head in shame.

The Outlaw Star slowly moved backwards than slowly forward.

Kat viewed the results, “Perfect Gil, cut engines.” It took awhile, but she had finished. “You can have your ship back.” Kat began to remove the power cords.

“Where did you get the engines from?” Gene asked. How did she find the engines? They didn’t exist, except for the ones that had melted like cheese.

“Why ask? The Outlaw Star is now ready for space travel. It really doesn’t matter.” Kat whispered sweeping.

“You’re right. You were the one who destroyed the other engines in the first place.” Suzuka said.

“You should get some rest now, Kat. The work is done.” Gilliam suggested.

“Gil, when we started this project I told you to stop bothering me about that.”

“But, you’ve been here for a week and two days rebuilding the engines. You haven’t slept or eaten.” Gilliam was worried, at this rate Kat was going to kill herself.

“Your point in this conversation would be.” Kat tried not to yawn, but she did. She was more exhausted than she was willing to admit.

“To go to sleep and eat something.” Jim said.

“I agree. You’ve done enough work by yourself.” Gilliam said.

“You did this by yourself?” Gene asked. Four engines done by one person in a week and two days, was it possible?

“So what if I had to rebuild them from scratch by myself. The work got done efficiently and effectively.” Kat was getting a headache. It was time for a nice hot soak. She grabbed her blue case and started walking away.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Suzuka said.

Kat smirked; there was only one answer she could provide for the assassin. She waved her middle finger in Suzuka’s direction, and was tempted to turn around to see the assassin’s reaction.

Suzuka stood with her mouth slightly open as she stood in shock and anger.

Aisha snickered, both Gene and Jim grinned, and Melfina stood with her eyes wide open.

Night had fallen. She had slept all day. Kat was some what refreshed and was wearing fresh clothes when she returned to the hanger. She had left some of her things. Putting on the light she found her things packed neatly in a corner, and the rest of the area was clean.

“I knew you’d come back for your things.” Gene grinned.

“It’s Captain Shit-Face and his ugly crew, oh no what shall I do?” Kat said; her voice was dripping in sarcasm. She wasn’t in the mood for any high jinks.

Gene frowned slightly. He expected her to act a bit different. She did rebuild the ship’s engines and also expanded Gilliam’s abilities, which he was grateful for, but she could have been a bit friendlier. In a way, they were now associates, maybe partners. “Come on, don’t you ever give it a rest!”

“Only when it comes to people I like to hang around. Catalog and file.” Kat said. The small blue case was sucking in the items that were left earlier that morning.

“Why don’t we all go out for dinner?” Gene suggested, “My treat.” She couldn’t turn him down, or say she wasn’t eating because Melfina was cooking.

“I hope you can dish out for two more.” Two figures entered the hanger.

“Harry.” Melfina said.

“You have no right to say my name.” Harry said coldly. She never did understand.

Melfina could only stare at him.

“Oh, what lucky day! It’s The MacClown Brothers! Where’s the cotton candy?!” Kat said.

“Shut-up Kat.” Ronald shouted.

Kat shrugged and grabbed her case, and began walking toward the other exit.

“Kat, wait!” Harry said running in front of her. He wasn’t about to let her just leave. They needed to talk-talk about more than one thing.

“So, why are you two here?” Aisha asked.

“We came here to do business with Kat.” Ronald answered.

“Well, she doesn’t want to do any business with you. So, I suggest you leave before I take care of you like I did the last time.” Gene warned. What could they possibly want from her? Were they also after Uriel?

“She can speak for herself. So, shut-up Starwind!” Harry shouted. He grabbed onto Kat’s hand for dear life.

They, no he-Ron, always wanted something. “Ron, you know the rules. Just because Hilda is dead they haven’t changed.” Kat spoke up.

“Times have changed Kat, and rules need to change with the times.” Ron spoke. If he could get her to change the rules it would be for the best-the best for all of them.

Kat faced him and smirked, “You can try as hard as you might Ron, but you know how we play the game.”

“Ron?” Harry was confused. What were they talking about? “When I knew you, you knew Ron too?” The question was directed to Kat.

“Weird, isn’t it. Hilda, Ron, and I did jobs, under certain rules, together.” Kat answered.

“I never met Hilda.”
“Think about it. You never saw me with Ron, did you? So, why should you see with Hilda?” Kat said jogging Harry’s memories.

Why was she conversing with those losers? Jim wanted to know what they were talking about. Did they go back that far? How long had they known each other?

“Then don’t you see, this means that you and I are meant to be together.” Harry said taking Kat’s other hand.

Kat burst out in laughter. Ronald chuckled. For as long as Ron knew those two Harry always had a crush on Kat.

“Harry, I’m going to tell you what I told you when we were younger. Get some living hunk of metal to love you, but wait…you did and she turned you down, so much for that.” Kat laughed.

Ron knew Kat had always told Harry that. He had always come in after Kat and would hear Harry mumbling that very same line. And the more he thought about it, the more he thought that maybe Harry’s obsession with Melfina was caused by Kat. Melfina was the first bio android, one of which who had human feelings. Was Harry trying to prove himself to Kat?

One day he was going to get the upper hand. Kat had always turned him down. Why had she turned him down? Harry gave a sadden smile.

Melfina was surprised Harry didn’t get angry with Kat. When she had turned him down he had tried to hurt her. This was weird. Had Harry changed in one year?

“Enough about the past kids.” Ronald said walking toward Kat. “Hilda’s dead and you can change the rules, Kat. This is a great paying job, so what do you say?”

Kat didn’t have to ask who was paying for the job. There was only one possible answer. “You know I don’t work with pirates.” Especially the Scorpion Pirates. It would be the end of her world as she knew it.

“You can’t say I didn’t ask nicely, but we aren’t enemies. Please take note of that.”

Kat removed her hands form Harry’s grip and turned her full attention to Ron. “I know, but we aren’t friends either.”

Ronald smiled. Yes, it was true. It was the basis of their relationship. “Neither friends nor enemies. Too bad we can’t come to some sort of agreement.”

“Yeah, too bad I’m not Hilda, so we can’t kiss and make up.”

Ronald MacDougall chuckled. The clay face, born from Tao Magic, creatures emerged from the floor. “Too bad, isn’t it.”

End

After Thoughts: I can’t believe I finally got this chapter out!! It’s been a long time since I wrote anything. Does anyone have any questions? If you do my email address is SailorRai@aol.com. Or you could just write me a nice or nasty review, either way I see want to know what you think of my work. ~~Thanks