Outlaw Star Fan Fiction ❯ Outlaw Star; The Ryunoken Sword(revised, rededited, and better than ever) ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

PROLOGUE

(Official disclaimer: This is entirely a fan fic. I do not own the rights to Gene Starwind, Melfina, or any of the themes, concepts, starships, alien races, planets, or other characters that appear in the "Outlaw Star" anime or manga. So Bandai, Sunrise, or whoever owns the rights to "Outlaw star," PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T SUE ME FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT!!! I'm only doing this to honor your work and to show my respect and appreciation for what has become my favorite anime).

(Author's notes: This fic of mine was originally posted here at fanfiction.net. But because I planned to put a lemon in a future chapter, I had to raise it from an R to an NC-17 rating. As a result, my fic was cut after fanfiction.net removed all NC-17 stories, regardless of whether or not they deserved that high a rating in the first place. I swore that I would never post anything else here because of fanfiction.net's idiocy. But since the new site I started posting on, mediaminer.org, has been on the fritz for what seems like the last few weeks, and two other lemon fics have been posted here for "Outlaw Star," I've decided that this site here is the best place for my fic to get the maximum amount of exposure. So yes, I have started reposting here, and I'm also going over what I've written so far and reediting it to make it even better than before. But I am not and by god will not tone down the action, the violence, the language, and neither will I remove the lemon scene simply because fanfiction.net simply lacks the cajones to exercise their first-amendment rights. And if they have a problem with that, they have my e-mail address.

So without further adieu, I hope you enjoy the story.)

THE TIME: SIX MONTHS AFTER THE END OF THE "OUTLAW STAR" SERIES

THE PLACE: SENTINEL 3

It was a pleasant night in the city of Hugo on Sentinel III. The sky was perfectly clear, revealing the thousands of stars viewable in this part of the galaxy. Overhead, Sentinel III's moon shined full and bright on the city beneath it. However, the astral beauty of it all was wasted on Drom Su'Lack as he ran down the dirty back alley in Hugo's slum district. The sea of stars above him was as far away from his mind as he was from his home world of Rorga.

The only thing on Drom's mind was living through this night to see another day.

Sekrit, sekrit, sekrit! he cursed in his people's tongue. How the hell did he survive it? I shot the bastard. I shot him point blank in the chest and he just got right back up again. What the hell is he, some kind of cyborg? But Drom had no time to think about that now, all he could do was run, and even that was starting to be futile. His lungs burned from the dry air. His damp mask, the device that supplied moisture to his people's lungs and allowed them to function comfortably in environments less humid than Rorga was gone. That human had shot it out off Drom's hand as he was fleeing the bar, the same passing straight through his hand, shattering bone and rending his amphibian flesh. Drom prayed that he could get to his ship and have the medical computer take care of it before the hand became seriously infected. His car was parked right at the end of the alley but he had to hurry. The human's heavy footsteps were getting closer and closer.

There. Up ahead. The alley ended and he could see his car parked in the glow of a streetlight. He was home free!

That's what he thought, until a snarling mass of fur leaped at him from behind a dumpster.

Before he could react, the huge wolf knocked him to the ground. It sank his teeth into his left forearm and shook him savagely. Drom screamed, more in fear than in pain. He reached into his left boot and pulled out one of the switchblades he kept for close quarters fights. But before her could lash out, the wolf let him go. Before Drom had a chance to see why, his vision exploded in a myriad of sparks as something hard struck his head, sending him flying into the alley wall.

God damn it that hurt!

The man in black winced as he ran. In his right hand, he held one of his automatics while his left hand pressed against the bloody spot on his chest. That Rorgan bastard had shot him from right under the table. The wound was already mostly healed, and the damage had been reduced thanks to the body armor. But still, even for him, gunshot wounds hurt like hell.

It's my own damn fault I suppose. Should have expected that. Must be getting soft in my old age. Oh well, if I wanted things to be simple and painless I would have chosen a different line of work.

It wasn't long before he saw the Rorgan up ahead. Just as he anticipated, Drom had decided to make a break for his car. Fortunately, Slag was already there and had taken him down by the arm. Drom tried to pull a knife, but the man in black was already on him. A quick roundhouse to the head sent Drom bouncing off the alley wall and landing face up in a puddle of gutter water. The Rorgan moaned briefly as the man in black slammed his foot onto his chest, bringing up his weapon right into Drom's face. Drom groggily opened his eyes, only to flash them open as he found himself looking down the barrel of the very large gun.

"That look of fear on your face," the man in black wondered. "Is that the same look of fear your victims had just before you murdered them?"

"No!" Drom whimpered. "Please don't, you can't!"

"And why the hell shouldn't I?" the man in black asked, pointing to his chest. "You can't tell under the armor, but you ruined one of my favorite T-shirts. Besides, cockroaches like you need to be stomped out of existence before they do any more damage." To drive the point home, the man in black increased the pressure on the Rorgan's chest.

"Wait, wait I have information that you want!"

Information huh?

"Alright, spill it."

"I-I've heard rumors that you're looking for some guy named Gene Starwind." Hearing that name caught the man in black off guard. Did the Rorgan really know something about Starwind?

"What do you know about him?" he asked, his voice lowered to a rasp.

"Will you promise not to kill me if I tell you?"

"That depends on the information you give me. But I can promise to kill you if you don't tell me what you know RIGHT NOW!" Drom winced. If he really knew the reputation of the man in black, then he'd also know that was the best offer he could possibly hope for.

"I-I was on Blue Heaven," he stammered. "I passed by this garage owned by a Corbanite named Swanzo. I looked in and I saw a red starship having its engines overhauled. There was a guy there with hair the same color as the ship's hull. He

was talking to Swanzo and I overheard him say something about going pirate hunting in the Heifong system." It sounded good, but he needed more.

"Was there anyone with him?"

"Huh?" the Rorgan asked.

"Was there anyone with him?" the man in black shouted as he pressed his gun against Drom's forehead.

"Uh, there was kid, a tall woman with a wooden sword, a Ctarl woman, and a girl."

"What did the girl look like?"

"Uh well, she was about eighteen, with black hair, brown eyes, and petite with a slender build."

It was Starwind, had to be.

"Why are you interested in her?" Drom asked. "She your ex-girlfriend? You after Starwind 'cause he stole your woman?"

"I really don't think that's any of your damn business!" the man in black snarled.

"Hey, hey I was just asking. So then how about it?" the Rorgan asked, a twang of hope in his voice. "Can I live?" The man in black smiled slightly.

"Sure, why not?" he asked back before reversing his gun and pistol wiping Drom in the temple. "But only because the 30 thousand wong bounty on your head is only good if you're alive." Holstering his gun, the man in black pulled some arm and leg restraints from a pocket inside his jacket and secured them around Drom. He then lifted the unconscious Rorgan over his shoulder and stood up. He walked over to where Slag sat, calm but ready to attack should the need arise, and scratched the big wolf's ears.

"C'mon boy," he said. "It's time to get paid."

As they walked out of the alley toward where his truck was parked, the man in black looked up to the sea of stars above him. No doubt about it, he thought. That was Starwind and his group all right. And she is with him. The Warshark should be ready by now. If we leave immediately, we should be able to reach Heifong in less than three days. He then looked down to the unconscious form of Drom, draped over his shoulder. First things first though, we need to turn this cockroach over to the authorities and get the 30 grand reward. Then me and slag are heading to Heifong. We'll find her, and then I'll get the answers I need to know whether or not she is who I think she is.

(Who is this mysterious man in black? Is he friend or foe? And why is he so interested in Melfina? Many more questions await, and you can be sure that it'll mean a new adventure for our heroes. Don't forget to review)