EPISODE 4: WHEN THE HOT ICE MELTS

"Can you still read me, Gene? Just remember, Outlaws never go down easy no matter what happens to them." -- Hot Ice Hilda

Prologue: Narrator: Grappler arms were originally manipulators that were attached to EVA craft. At first, it was the Chinese pirates who put the arms abilities to new and devious uses. After the Chinese transports carried dragonite from planet to planet, the pirates began to attack their own craft with surprising intensity. To the pirates of the era, arms symbolized the strength of their ships, and before long they incorporated the arms into their attack methods. The Federations Space Forces became extremely irate with this situation and began developing Grappler arms of their own, bragging that they planned to formally equip Space Forces fighters with them in the near future. They would be a force to be reckoned with. Because of the complicated manner in which space fighters use these Grappler arms, space combat was clearly impossible without the aid of powerful computers. The combination of Grappler arms and potent computers savagely pushed human physical and mental capacity to their limits, and those who survived battle were spoken of with respect. They were known as Grapplers.

Episode 4: When the Hot Ice Melts

Hilda takes the crew inside the asteroid, which turns out to be hollowed out to serve as a hangar for the secret Grappler ship, the XGP15A-II. Gene is disconcerted by the low-gravity environment, but isn't willing to put up with Jim's taunting and follows Hilda's example of how to use it for higher jumps and floating abilities. Melfina seems to recognize the ship for some reason. Hilda unlocks the amazing ship and takes the crew inside. Gene comments on the unusual controls, but Hilda reminds him it's a special ship as she opens up a case she describes to Jim as an alarm clock. Gene still can't believe that the Space Forces and the Pirates worked together to make a ship. Jim wants to know what Hilda's doing with a ship like this hidden in an asteroid in a distant star system. Hilda tells him it's because she swiped it, impressing Jim. She managed in one blow to get on the bad side of Space Forces and the Pirates. Hilda replies only that she had a score to settle as she activates the ship's computer remotely via the case.

Gene is startled by a voice coming from an unusual dial display, but his surprise quickly turns to outrage as his simple question of 'Who are you?' is met with a somewhat philosophical ramble. Can't anyone just answer a question? Eventually he gets a name, Gilliam II, and Gilliam's function, to maintain the ship. Jim realizes it's the ship's computer talking to them. Gene wonders why it couldn't have said that in the first place. Gilliam in turn asks who they are. Hilda replies that they're the ship's crew, and, after some initial confusion on Gilliam's part as to why they're not in his records, reminds him that he just woke up and so shouldn't have any records and definitely shouldn't do any searches for his missing data. He should start from now, recognizing his crew and obeying their orders. Gilliam finds Melfina to be 'interesting'. Gene's impatience causes another outburst as he starts yelling at Gilliam to just launch the ship, but Gilliam seems unable to comply with this order. Gene doesn't see much use in a ship's computer that can't fly a ship, but Gilliam responds that he has no control over piloting. Jim theorizes that maybe everything's done manually, but Gilliam thinks that's unlikely. Hilda says that Melfina will handle it, surprising everyone, including Melfina. Gilliam confirms their status as the ship's crew and gives a status report that navigation is possible, but not all equipment is on board. Furthermore, the XGP hasn't been named yet. Jim suggests Genius James, earning himself a pop in the back of the head from Gene. Before Hilda can name the ship, Horus breaks in on her comm, telling her that the pirate ship is nearby. Looks like they'll have to stick to just the essentials and get the ship launched without a name. Hilda puts Gene in charge of things so she can hold the pirates off in Horus. Gene thinks it would be a better idea if they all went together, but Hilda insists that he do it, Melfina knows how to pilot it. Gene complains that he's felt like puking for hours, to which Hilda snaps for him to quit his whining. Gene gives up and tells Gilliam to prepare for launch and Gilliam directs him to the pilot's seat and Melfina to a hatch in the back of the cockpit. Jim settles into the comm officer's seat. Gilliam offers to let Gene read the manual while he's waiting for Melfina to get ready. What's he mean by that? A strange cylinder rises from the hatch Melfina entered, further confusing Jim and Gene.

Hilda gets back to Horus and prepares to take on the pirates by herself. Horus isn't sure how they were tracked. Hilda assumes it was some Tao spell. Since the pirates are only after Melfina and the XGP, she figures they won't do anything drastic, and with 34% of her ammunition remaining, decides to attack directly from the anchored point on the asteroid hangar. She launches a rocket attack at the incoming pirate fighters.

Meanwhile, Melfina seems to be undressed once more, floating in some unusual liquid or gel environment as she connects with the ship. A panel slides open on the cylinder to reveal her face and upper body to the rest of the cockpit crew, leaving Gene and Jim bewildered, but they've got no time for questions now. Major problem. Melfina tells them she can't activate the engines because they're still sealed. Gene can't do anything from the pilot's seat, so Jim heads back to the engine room to take care of the problem, guided by a small cylindrical module of Gilliam's running on a track. Gene thinks this ship is turning out to be a royal pain, but Gilliam points out that it's still brand new, so it's more like it's still got its plastic wrap in place. Gene asks if it's been flight tested. While the engines have been tested, there's no record of any actual test flight of the craft. Gene's not comforted. Melfina brings up the sensors and Gilliam announces a hail from the ship outside. Gene tells him to patch her through right away. Outside, Hilda's getting pressed hard, but Gene has no idea how much longer she'll need to hold off the pirates. Hilda tells him to hurry as pirate cyborgs and the Tao master's fighter land on the asteroid.

Meanwhile, back in the engine room, it turns out Gilliam was being literal about the plastic wrap. Not only are the engines sealed, they're still covered in protective tape. Jim comments on Space Force's being anal, which Gilliam recalls as being a tradition with them. As Jim works on getting the engines good to go, the Tao master and the cyborgs break their way into the hangar.

Gilliam warns Gene of the intruders. Outside, Hilda's still battling the pirates. The young female pirate gives the order to lock all weapons onto Horus and fire at will once the XGP is secured. Hilda frustrates this attempt by using the anchors to rotate Horus and the asteroid so that the asteroid serves as a shield. The pirates are forced to separate their Grappler and head around the asteroid to the sun side in order to continue the attack. Meanwhile Gene's under fire and outnumbered in the hangar. He retreats back into the ship and has Gilliam open the hangar gate remotely, sucking the intruders out into space. That should buy them a little time at least. The Tao master, however, manages to grab a line and avoid the fate of the cyborgs. The engines ready, Gene starts up the XGP and prepares to launch, but as the launch gate opens, he finds himself face to face with the pirate ship. How did they get turned around the wrong way? The pirates demand their surrender and Hilda's a little too busy being attacked by the Pirate Grappler to help out. To make matters worse, they don't have any weapons systems except the Grappler arms. Gene decides that's enough and they're going out in spite of protest from Jim and Gilliam. Gene seems to be having a little difficulty with the controls. Did he read the manual at all? They're running out of time as the pirate ship gets ready to fire anchors, but before they can be deployed, the ship suffers an explosion. What the hell happened to it? Melfina is picking up something outside and Gilliam determines the explosion came from a thermonuclear missile or shell. Not something Hilda has on board Horus. The Tao master is shocked as well. Who fired it? The surviving pirates report back to him that it came from MacDougall's ship. MacDougall?! How did he get there?! A second missile destroys the pirate ship.

Both the young female pirate aboard the Pirate Grappler and Hilda hail MacDougall and ask him what he's doing. MacDougall seems to know Hilda from way back, but unlike her, he's forthcoming with answers. It's simple. His contract with the pirates is over, and he's got a new contract. He's out to destroy the XGP and apparently anyone who might know anything about it as well. His younger brother seems to be enjoying the job in a not entirely healthy manner, launching missile after missile at the asteroid to drive it into the sun's gravity well while chanting "Die! Die! Die!"

Inside the XGP, Gene has no idea what's going on. Gilliam turns on the dock cameras, displaying MacDougall's ship. Wait! Gene recognizes that ship from the attack on his father's ship six years earlier. Was it MacDougall who killed his father?!

MacDougall gives the go ahead for his younger brother to launch the halcyon missile, much to the younger MacDougall's delight. MacDougall calls it a goodbye to Hilda, referring to unnecessary trouble her name has caused them. The missile drives the asteroid and the ships even faster towards the sun's gravity and a fiery fate. The younger MacDougall rues the waste, but MacDougall points out they don't need the XGP, they still have the fastest ship in the galaxy. The younger MacDougall meant Hilda, who his older brother had said was hot. MacDougall chuckles and tells his little brother Hilda wasn't his type. Their job seeming to be done, the brothers leave to report to their client.

The Pirate Grappler, Horus, and the asteroid fall relentlessly towards the sun's surface. Using the Grappler arms, Gene breaks the XGP out of the doomed asteroid. As the ship stabilizes, Gene orders all engines to full, overriding Gilliam's protests about engine damage by the danger to the whole ship. What happened to his space phobia? Gene seems born to Grapple, especially in the XGP. Gene races after the two doomed ships. The Tao master, now on board the Grappler, explains to his young female colleague that the XGP has four sub-light engines, so is capable of escaping the sun's gravity. They'll go up against the XGP and its inexperienced crew, using the Grapplers to board it for their escape. Hilda must use her dropship and leave Horus, who's too large to be rescued by the XGP. Gene is still looking for Horus so he can save Hilda when the Pirate Grappler attacks. This only serves to piss Gene off and he easily defeats the Grappler arms of the other ship, then speeds in to grab Hilda's dropship. Just before he can close the Grappler around it, the pirates fire an anchor, tying up his Grappler's manipulator and sending Hilda's dropship spinning out of control. Gene is stuck, unable to make another pass to grab the dropship since decelerating will drop them below escape velocity and accelerating is impossible while they're dragging the Pirate Grappler. Hilda dons a space suit and abandons ship to use the anchor line as a means of getting onto the XGP. As she climbs hand over hand up the anchor line connecting the Pirate Grappler to the XGP, the young female pirate, also in a space suit and accompanied by what's left of the cyborg crew, come after her. Hilda fires back at them with her blaster, but the extra strain causes the anchor line to snap, sending all of them spinning towards the sun. Helpless to do anything to help, Gene can only get the XGP to safety while Hilda and whatever answers she may have about Melfina and the ship fall towards the sun. The young female pirate isn't through yet, though. Knowing she's doomed, she prepares a spell to destroy the XGP, but Hilda interferes, locking onto her with a hand anchor. Hilda tells Gene to remember that outlaws never go out easy, no matter what happens, moments later being killed in a solar flare.

Gene mourns Hilda's loss in silence until Gilliam requests him to lay in a course. Before doing so, he announces he's decided to name the ship. He'll name it the Outlaw Star.

To be continued!

Next Episode: A Ctarl-Ctarl comes right at us out of nowhere! Wait just a minute-- Aren't you..? The poor little thing, away from home and abandoned by her people! This girl Aisha's story is such a sad and difficult one that I find myself just moved to tears! Yeah, right. You're barking up the wrong tree, lady! Next time on Outlaw Star, Beast Girl, Ready to Pounce! You better get ready!