Background/History: When Gene Starwind was 14 his father took him up into space in a small starship. They were attacked by pirates, and Gene's father placed Gene into an ejection pod, sending Gene back to Sentinel III before the ship was destroyed. Since that traumatic moment, Gene has been on his own, dreaming of the time he will be able to return to space.
At some point, he met up with Jim Hawking and the formed Starwind and Hawking Enterprises ("repairs while you wait"). They did well enough to get by, but weren't going anywhere, until Gene has hired to be bodyguard to a pretty blonde-haired woman. This woman turned out to be "Hot-Ice" Hilda, who happened to have Melfina stored in a shipping case, as well as the hidden location of the XGP 15A-11. Under attack from Kei pirates, Gene (and Jim) joined with Hilda as she fled Sentinel III and ended up accompanying her to the recovery of the XGP. Afterwards, after dealing with one batch of Kei pirates (and witnessing Hilda's death), Gene took control of the XGP, renaming it the Outlaw Star, and deciding to use the ship to make it big in the galaxy. Along the way, he promised Melfina he'd discover her roots, and thus set himself on a course to track down and discover the Galactic Layline.
Gene first appears in Episode 1, Outlaw World, and appears in every episode afterwards.
Personality/Motivation: Gene is young, brash, overconfident, and more than willing to play life by ear. He rarely plans ahead, and never worries about what the future might bring, preferring to react to events as they happen, when they happen (these habits tend to drive Jim to distraction). He also has an eye for the ladies, and tends to, if not exactly chase, then at least pay close attention to attractive women. His experiences as a youth have led him to utterly hate pirates, and he will gladly exterminate any pirate types he finds, either with his fists, his guns, or with the Outlaw Star.
Although Gene wants to go into space, his aspirations (at for the first fourth or third of the series) are hampered by "space sickness," which in his case translates to dizziness, upset stomach, nausea, and vomiting. He ends up overcoming this later, and by the end of the series doesn't seem to suffer from it.
Quotes: "Bite me!"
"Hey, don't worry about it!"
"If I didn't act tough, I wouldn't be a man."
"My favorite color is red, my lucky number is 1."
Powers/Tactics: Gene is a tough brawler, a skilled gunman, and (eventually) an excellent pilot and Grappler fighter. He is rarely impressed for long by a show of force, and usually keeps his head and his wits about him, although he is no fool and will run from an encounter he doesn't think he can handle (such as an enraged Aisha or Suzuka on the hunt). When the time comes to fight, he can hold his own in a hand-to-hand rumble (he dodges very well), and is very skilled in a gunfight, often using Rapid Fire to hit multiple targets, or aiming for vital spots (such as the head) in a one-on-one match.
When needed, Gene can equip himself with an assortment of arms. He normally carries a simple autopistol (with at least one extra clip) at the small of the back, and a large, double-barreled break-action pistol on the hip. A knife is carried on the belt. He likes to use the double-barreled pistol, and will often fire both barrels at once, before ducking behind cover to reload.
Gene also carries what is called a "Caster Pistol" (or "Caster Gun") are rare antique weapon that fired enchanted shells with spells placed in them. There are 20 different Caster shells in existence, and Gene states he's never seen a number 4, 9, or 13 at one point. He uses (by name) a 3, 5, 10, 11, 12, and a 19, and does get his hands on some number 4, 9, and 13 shells. He also fires a lot of shells without stating what number they are. In general Caster Gun shells look to generate powerful energy bolts, and in one case the shot from a Caster virtually vaporizes a group of 5 or 6 men, leaving just a bloody smear.
The multipower listed is an attempt to simplify Gene's pistol (or any Caster for that matter). Attacks look to be either EBs or RKAs, with such advantages as Area of Effect, Armor Piercing, Double Knockback, Explosion, Indirect, NND, and so on. A Caster shot fired at another Caster will cause both shots to cancel each other, as will as Caster shot fired at a Tao magic spell. Shells numbered 4 and 13 look to create the singularity effect, and are nearly impossible to find. In fact, shells of any kind are difficult to find, and reloads depend what you can find and how much you are willing to pay. At no point in the series did Gene have more than 7 shells on hand, and once, one of those shells proved to be a dud.