"Damnit!!!!"

The sharp curse echoed through the maintenance bay of Blue Heaven space port. The source of the curse climbed down from the side of the immense starship she had been working on. She dropped to the floor and flung the tool she had been using against the far wall, enjoying the freedom to express her anger. She practically ripped the bandanna off of her head, tossing it on the ground and running a hand through her hair.

"Is something wrong, Hilda?"

Hilda Starwind let out a sigh and shook her head. "Not at all Gilliam...why would you think a funny thing like that?" she let the sarcasm slide into her voice, glaring through bright blue eyes at the small pink pill of a machine that Gilliam used as a sort of transportation when he needed to move. It wasn't easy being the computer of a space ship.

"I'm sensing sarcasm in your voice Hilda..." murmured Gilliam.

"Such perception!" she snapped, grabbing her jacket. "I'm going into town for a bit. Call in some maintenance workers to finish up. If Jim comes in, tell him that I'll meet him at the Inn later today, all right?"

"You're the captain."

Twenty years. Twenty years had passed since the entire Galactic Leiline incident had been brought to a close.

Jim sat back and sighed to himself, letting his eyes wander upwards to the transparent ceiling of the garden. He remembered the last time that he had visited Blue Heaven, way back when Aisha was after them for trashing her reputation with the Ctral-Ctral Empire.

Now thirty-one, Jim had turned into every bit the handsome man that Fred Lowe had expected. His hair was still unruly, but kept in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. All too often Fred had tried to come onto him, but every time, Jim reaffirmed to Fred that he was straight. Man, now he knew what Gene had gone through...

Jim's eyes began to mist up a bit, and he shook his head, fighting the tears. Gene had been killed eleven years earlier, in a battle. He had died a death every bit as heroic as Hot Ice Hilda's had been, way back when they had first acquired the Outlaw Star. He sacrificed himself so that Jim could save Gene's daughter, named Hilda.

Yes, Gene had fathered a child, and Jim still had trouble believing that it had been with Melfina. Apparently, Melfina really was the most advanced bioandriod ever created, for she could procreate. She too had died, nine years after Gene. After that, Hilda had been alone, and Jim had stepped in. They had always been close, and he viewed her as a little sister.

"Living in memories isn't healthy. Live for the now."

Jim stopped for a moment, his eyes flying upward. "Whose there?" he asked, but somewhere, deep down, he knew.

A slim figure stepped out from behind a display. She was tall, with ebony black hair pulled up into a high ponytail and pale skin that was a bit more lined than Jim remembered. "Twilight Suzuka..." he murmured, a slow smile crossing his lips.

She smiled and stepped forward, taking a seat next to him. "It is good to see you again. How long has it been?"

"Seventeen years since I last saw you. I can see time has been kind to you," he said, the only thing that came to mind.

"And you are quite the lady-killer. I'm sure Gene is just a bit jealous."

Jim chuckled softly at the thought. "He probably would be, if he were still alive..."

Suzuka stopped, her eyes widening slightly. "What?"

"He died, eleven years ago. Melfina died as well, just two years ago."

"Oh, Jim I'm sorry..." Suzuka knew that Gene and Melfina had been like family to Jim. To an orphan, that is important.

"Yeah, well. I've been traveling with..."

"Jim! Hitting on the ladies again I see!" Hilda walked slowly up to him, a smile crossing her pretty features. "And I was worried that you'd never get a girl and end up with Fred!" She laughed, a youthful, feminine laugh that contrasted her tom-boyish appearance.

"This is..." began Jim.

"I'm Hilda. Hilda Starwind," she finished, extending a hand to the woman. "Pleasure to meet you...Is something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Jim, you mean...?" Suzuka murmured, getting a bit paler (if that was possible).

"Yes. This is Gene and Melfina's daughter. Hilda, this is Twilight Suzuka."

Hilda was about to shrug, as if it didn't matter who she was, then the name sounded familiar. She thought for a moment, then her face brightened. "You mean, you're the Twilight Suzuka? The assassin? Amazing!" She shook Suzuka's hand with marked enthusiasm. "My father mentioned you often. He said your skills with a boken were unrivaled. He used to tell me wonderful stories before I went to bed."

Suzuka stood back, examining the girl. She looked to be about seventeen, with shoulder length hair the color that her father's had been. Her eyes mirrored Gene's in their deep blue color as well. Her frame was that of Melfina, slim and lean, but she looked to be about two or three inches taller than her mother had been. Her clothing was definitely her own style, with a tight black tank top and a pair of loose fitting khakis, but she had a tattoo on her left shoulder that reminded Suzuka of something...but she just couldn't put her finger on it. The girl also possessed a scar, running from her right cheek bone to her right ear. It seemed that Gene's love for adventure had been passed on to his daughter. "It is nice to meet you."

"So what brings you to Blue Heaven?" asked Jim, feeling a bit left out of the conversation.

Suzuka smiled. "I've actually been looking for you. I have a bit of a job. It's more like tying up a few loose ends and I thought you might be interested." She waited for a bit, and when neither Jim nor Hilda responded, she continued. "The McDougall brothers are still at large, and I learned that they are now searching for the Galactic Leiline."

Suzuka couldn't have surprised them more if she had announced that she was really a man. Both Jim and Hilda were stunned into silence. Jim, was muted by the flashes of memories that had been brought about by Suzuka's words. Hilda was struck silent by the pictures that her father's stories created in her head.

"How?" managed Jim, his voice strained.

"Apparently, Harry has the power to find the Leiline. He is a bioandroid now. After Gwen Kahn was absorbed into the Leiline, somehow the McDougall brothers managed to escape. Something like Harry downloaded a copy of himself on the computer of the Shangri-La. They built him a body, one of flesh and machine, and downloaded him into it, using Kahn's research. Now, he's after the Leiline."

"How did you get all this information?" asked Hilda, quirking a suspicious brow.

Suzuka smiled and gave a small shrug. "Let's just say that the man who told me will not be able to tell anyone else." Her smile soon faded and she rested her boken casually on her shoulder, thinking. "But we must leave soon. We have no time to waste."

"Whoa, wait a sec. The Outlaw Star is in for repair right now. It won't be ready till tomorrow morning," announced Hilda. "I think it can wait till then. Plus, I already paid for the rooms and it's non-refundable. Come on. I'm sure we can fit another guest in the room."

Jim sighed, shaking his head. "Don't you mean that you're sure I won't mind sleeping on the floor?"

Hilda laughed. "You know me too well James Hawking!"

Suzuka laughed as well, then shook her head. "A generous offer, but I already have a room. I've been staying on Blue Heaven for quite some time. I will meet you at the docking bays, tomorrow. Say...nine o'clock?"

"Sounds good."

"Oh, and please," she said, turning away. "Be careful."

"Jim, take them both and get out of here!"

"No Gene, I won't leave you here!" cried Melfina, her eyes filling with tears as she clung to his arm.

Hilda glanced around wildly. She was young, and scared. A child of only five. "Daddy, I'm scared!"

Gene stopped firing for a moment, taking the time to give his daughter a hug. She was horrified when she pulled back and felt the side of her face, which was wet with her father's blood. "Hilda, you have to remember something for me. An outlaw never goes down easy. Watch you're back and take care."

"Daddy you're hurt!" cried Hilda, but she was lifted up and carried away, kicking and screaming. "Daddy! Daddy!"

"Daddy!" Hilda awoke from the dream with a start, her eyes snapping open. She found herself tangled in the sheets of the hotel bed, still fully clothed. She remained still for a few moments, breathing deeply. With a sigh, she rubbed her hands over her face, as if trying to erase the dream. She could remember everything about the night her father died. In vivid detail.

She even remembered how she had refused to wash the shirt she had been wearing that night. The one stained crimson.

"With blood," she murmured, to herself. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, deciding that she wouldn't get much sleep in the next few minutes. She could hear the sounds of the bustling spaceport through the supposedly 'sound proof' walls of the hotel where Hilda had procured a room. She leaned against the wall, pushing the shades over the window back a bit to look out over the busy market. Even at three in the morning, people were out shopping. The thought made Hilda shake her head.

Jim snored softly on one of the two twin sized beds in the room. He had stripped down, now wearing only boxers. Hilda didn't mind though. She viewed Jim as a big brother, and any kind of sexual contact with him would just be too weird.

With a sigh, Hilda undid her belt, letting her pants slide to the floor. The folds of her clothing had left impressions on her skin, and she cursed herself for falling asleep in them. She stepped out of the pants, already having removed her boots. She pulled her tank top over her head and went over to her bag, digging through it for her usual night wear.

She pulled on a rather short pair of shorts, made of a soft cotton, and a white tank top to match. She liked matching her clothes. It was an obsession she had undoubtedly developed on her own. Neither of her parents had been very particular about the colors of their clothing.

Hilda made her way into the bathroom, being sure to close the door tightly behind her. The last thing she really wanted was for Jim to come in, half asleep and ready to piss. Not cool.

She went about her usual ritual quickly. She washed her face, shaved her legs and under her arms, brushed her teeth, and tied her hair down with another, cleaner, bandanna. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she flipped off the light and was about to open the door, when she heard it.

Click...click...click...

"What the hell?" she whispered, leaning her ear against the door.

Click...click...click...

Closer this time. Much closer.

Click...click...

It stopped.

Suddenly, a sharp knife-like object shot through the door splintering the wood only inches in front of Hilda's face. "Holy shit!" she cried, stumbling backwards. The door flew open, and before her stood the strangest creature she had ever seen. It looked almost like a shadow, but it's movements were fluid and graceful, and Hilda could make out the outline of it's crouched form in the dim light from the bathroom's night light. Where it's face should have been, there was what looked like a white mask, and it had silver claws on each hand.

A Kei pirate ninja...

The words flashed across Hilda's mind as fast as lightening, and she glanced around desperately. There had to be something she could use to defend herself. She doubted that a bar of soap would do much good.

Suddenly the thing stiffened, and fell over. Jim stood behind him, frying pan in hand. "I knew this thing would come in handy. Damn ninjas."

"What the hell is going on here?" cried Hilda, staring at Jim. In the back of her mind, she wondered where he had gotten a frying pan, but the thought was soon pushed out of her head by more urgent business. "Why is there a Kei pirate ninja in our bathroom?!?"

Jim shrugged and took a few deep breaths, glancing around to see if there were anymore. When he was satisfied that there weren't he turned back to Hilda. "All right, calm down."

"I AM calm!" she exclaimed, stepping over the crumpled form of the ninja. "Considering that a strange...thing...just broke into my bathroom at three in the morning, I think I'm extremely calm. All I want to know is what the Kei pirates want with us!"

Jim glanced around for a moment, then grabbed his pants, climbing into them quickly. "Get dressed. I don't know why they're here, but rest assured, they'll be here soon, with reinforcements."

"Terrific."

When they got to the ship, it was already up and ready to go. "What gives Gilliam?" Hilda asked, as she vaulted herself into the pilot's seat, a seat she had inherited from her father. "Don't tell me your psychic now, too."

"No. Suzuka arrived only moments before you did and asked me to ready the engines."

"I knew you would get attacked too." Suzuka turned from her seat to the left of the pilot's seat. "I also knew that escape was the best course. With the Kei pirates, you don't want to fight in such closed quarters."

"All right Gilliam, let's get the hell outta here. We can all talk later," announced Hilda, punching in commands on the control board. After Melfina had died, the ship had been modified, so it was able to run without bioandroid neural output. Just not at maximum capacity. That suited Hilda just fine, for even at eighty-percent capability, the Outlaw Star was a force to be reckoned with.

"We have not yet gained clearance from Blue Heaven. There may be another ship coming in..." began Gilliam, in his oh-so-anally-retentive voice.

"Gilliam?" asked Hilda, sweet honey filling her voice.

"Yes, Hilda?"

"Since when have I cared about clearance?"

If a machine could sigh, Gilliam would have. Jim suppressed a laugh, and Suzuka smiled. "You really are your father's daughter."

"Outlaw Star," said a sleepy voice over the intercom. "You are cleared at docking bay five for departure from Blue Heaven."

"Thank you very much!" she called back. "And maybe you should go get some rest, huh?" She laughed at the moan that came as a reply from the other end. "Is everyone ready? Then let's go!" Hilda smiled and flipped a few switches, engaging the navigational systems of the Outlaw Star. "Navigational systems are up and running. Disengaging port locks." The locks that held the Outlaw Star in the docking bay released with an hydraulic hiss. "Engine output holding steady at sixty percent." Hilda watched as the small Kei ninjas entered the docking bay. She was happy that she was watching them through the eyes of the camera and not face to face. "All right Gilliam, slowly increase engine output until we are clear of Blue Heaven."

Slowly the scenery around them changed. They went from the metallic machinery of the docking bay out into the starry expanse of space, leaving the pirate ninjas behind. Hilda laughed as the Outlaw Star accelerated, leaving Blue Heaven behind. She stretched and put her hands behind her head, a satisfied look on her face. "And you guys were worried! I'm awesome at whatever I put my mind to accomplishing!"

Jim had to refrain from rolling his eyes. Sometimes it amazed him how much Hilda really acted like her father. "But we have to find another spaceport to finish repairs."

Gilliam chose that moment to cut into the conversation. "No, the repairs were completed at Blue Heaven. Although the supplies in the cargo bay were not properly anchored, everything else is in working order."

Hilda sighed to herself as she thought off the mess in the cargo bay. The last time that had happened, it had taken Jim and herself hours to sort through the stuff and properly anchor them. She could just imagine the foodstuffs and utensils that would be strewn all over. Wonderful.

"I don't think celebration is in order just yet," said Suzuka softly. "Missiles coming in from nine o'clock high."

"What?" cried Hilda and Jim, in unison. Hilda sat forward and grabbed the controls, barely managing to turn the ship in time to avoid the missile. "What is with these people?" she cried.

"More missiles, from beneath us!" cried Jim.

Hilda wrenched the controls, banking the ship and again barely avoiding the missiles. "Damn, that was too close." She glanced around the cockpit for a moment, trying to decide what to do. "Gilliam, can you get a lock on the enemy's location?"

"I am trying Hilda, but it seems that they have some kind of jamming signal, which is making it very difficult for me to accurately pinpoint their coordinates," replied Gilliam.

"What about radar?" asked Hilda.

"The jamming signal is affecting the radar, CFS, and the subspace radar. These guys are good," Jim replied, typing furiously on his control panel.

"Well then, it looks like we do it my way," announced Hilda. "Launch camera pods." The cameras were the same as any normal video scanner, although they were equipped so that they could be controlled remotely and were very useful in space battles.

Hilda clipped the scanner onto her ear and fliped the visual tip forward, so that it was just millimeters from her eye. She flipped the scanner on and blinked a few times, adjusting her eye to focus on the camera shots that were projected directly into her retina. Slowly, she searched space, switching from camera to camera in an effort to find whoever was attacking.

"Missiles, three o'clock high!" snapped Suzuka. "Three of them."

Instead of trying to move the ship, Hilda extended the grappler arms of the ship and fired at the missiles, detonating them all at a safe distance from the ship.

"Well, well, well...this is all too familiar, eh Gene?" came a voice.

"We're receiving a transmission," announced Jim, punching in a few keys on his board. A small portion of the screen blanked out, then a face appeared.

Aged, but handsome in a rugged sort of way, the man couldn't be less than forty. He had curly black hair and amber eyes, plus a small scar that ran over the right side of his lip. At first, the figure was wearing a smug look of satisfaction, but when he saw who was piloting, his look faltered. "Wait a minute...who the hell are you?!?" he snapped.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing!" retorted Hilda, letting authority coat her voice. "Who are you and why are you attacking? You are unprovoked and in the wrong here!"

"Where is Gene Starwind?" asked the man, managing to keep his demeanor cool. "And the bioandroid called Melfina?"

"Who are you and why have you attacked us?" repeated Hilda, not backing down one inch.

The man's cold amber eyes stared at Hilda for a few moments, then a slow grin cut across his face. "My name is Ron McDougall."

Silence hung over the cockpit of the Outlaw Star like a shroud. Hilda was the first to find her voice. "The Ron McDougall...?"

"I see you've heard of me," he said, laughing. "Now, tell me where Gene Starwind and Melfina are.My brother and I have a little debt to settle with them."

Hilda's expression changed. She let the cold expression of apathy cover her features, a defense she used often when dealing with those she didn't like. "They're dead."

Ron started at the announcement, blinking a few times. His eyes moved from Hilda, to Jim, then to Suzuka. "Wait a minute...you're that kid..." he murmured, his gaze resting on Jim. Then he turned his eyes on Suzuka, "And you're that assassin."

Both of them simply glared at Ron, not responding.

Hilda was tired of this. "Enough. You're obviously digging up past grudges, and I don't feel like dealing with the past. I've heard that you're in search of the Galactic Leiline."

Ron was visibly shaken by the amount of information the girl had been able to gather. How did she know? And just who was she? "You're quite resourceful for such a young girl."

"I'm gonna make this simple for you," she said, her deep blue eyes narrowing. "Forget about the Galactic Leiline. Some things are better left alone. I really don't want to have to kill you, but I will if I have to."

He recovered a bit and laughed, a strange mixture of joy and fear. "Really? And who the hell are you to be threatening me?"

Hilda let a confident smile cross her lips, one similar to the one her father had often flashed her. It had to be the Starwind blood. "I'm Hilda Starwind and if you think my father was bad, you just wait to see me in action."

During the conversation she had been recalling the cameras, and had prepared the engines. Newton reactors one through four were green and the subether drive was humming and ready to go. Hilda punched in the coordinates to Heiphon. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Gilliam didn't need anymore encouragement. With the push of a button, the Outlaw Star accelerated to subether and disappeared into the vast expanse of space.