Introduction and Disclaimer

This time it is official - this is the definite final installment of my ever expanding Tenchi/Ryoko OVA/TU/anything under the sun mish-mash AU fiction saga. (Phew that was a mouthful in itself, wasn't it?).

--inserts brief caveat here - unless I suddenly have a brilliant and inspirational plan about something else to write, in which case there may be another story. But my intention is that this is the last one in the sequence. I really don't think I have another one in me...to be honest, I only wrote this one because Seiryo and Kiyone cried out for more story time and I couldn't resist teasing the Tenchi and Ryoko thing a little more.--

Oh boy. Well. If I stay that my starting point was a wedding and my final ending point was potential intergalactic war, you'll probably tell me there's something wrong with my little grey cells...lol :) In truth, my intention was for this to be a nice, simple, light-hearted Tenchi and Ryoko story, with Seiryo and Kiyone tying up some loose ends along the way.

And that's not...quite...what I got.

The main antagonist in this story is not like that of the others I've written in this arc. In fact, the main antagonist is probably not a person at all - but a feeling - a sensation of misunderstanding, of paranoia, of resentment for the past. Does that sound overly deep? Hopefully what I mean will become clear as the story continues. I'm not sure how else to explain it...or totally where it's going to end up. It's gone through so many incarnations, and I've written and discarded so many snippets along the way. I think Kiyone will get a little bit of further character development in this story - I have a feeling it will be quite a prominent one for her, because it's about time I wrote in the mental backstory I dreamed up for her to use after Hawk of Jurai but never did. It'll also give a slightly different view of Seiryo - I wanted to paint him in a different light from the noble peer who's cool, calm and generally in control of the situation around him. And - I hope - it might also give a glimpse of him as the Galaxy Police Agent as well - if things go according to plan. It's been real hard to pin who the main characters are for this fiction (and Seiryo isn't an option, because FFnet does not include him among the character name choices, which is a pain! Noike can exist, but Seiryo can't? WTF is that about - Seiryo has way more appearances than Noike if you take into account GXP - and what about Kiyone Masaki? Grr!).)

As Tenchi graduates and prepares to leave Osaka properly, its a test for him not only of the strength of his relationship with Ryoko but also his relationship with his fellow former students and the implications the connections to Jurai have had on the people around him. Yes, the Earth's still going through shockwaves...ah, you'll see what I mean. ;) The story will reintroduce a friend from Hawk of Jurai which has only been mentioned fleetingly since then - an OC Earthling called Kane Kyoda whose significance will very soon become clear!

(You get a cookie if you remembered him from Hawk of Jurai!)

Usual legal stuff applies. Let's see where we end up!

(I'm in a brutal mood...there may be blood...)

This should be a two part story, I think. Uploading might not be as quick as past stories have been, though. Part one is complete on my flash disk and part two is written out in plan form...but I'm working on several things at present as well as working and doing other things. It will come, but as I've said before - I'm making no guarantee for time scale!

Synopsis
Spring is in the air, cherry blossom is falling from the trees and Tenchi has finally graduated from university. Now that his schooling is behind him, he is eager to set a firm date with his unpredictable fiancee - and finally cement their bond into something permanent and unchanging.

But where Tenchi and Ryoko's relationship is concerned, nothing is ever completely straight forward. Aside from the obvious hostility of certain of Tenchi's former classmates towards the human-alien match, something more sinister is stirring in the shadows, as uncertainty becomes paranoia and then defiance in the hearts of certain of his fellow citizens. As it becomes clear that somehow the Galaxy Police are involved in what looks like a major leak of secure information, a sinister suggestion begins to make itself clear to Ryoko and her associates. Is someone deliberately trying to put a rift between Earth and Jurai? Washu is determined to investigate before something prevents her daughter from having the happy ever after she herself was denied.

Meanwhile, Seiryo is reeling from a devastating personal blow, and in his anguish he calls Kiyone, hardly realising that her coming to Jurai may well find her embroiled in the middle of a covert investigation as she struggles not only to prevent him from becoming a victim but also to discover why someone has been digging into Jurai's court history and what they truly want with her testimony in front of Jurai's Emperor almost a year before.

Being a spy isn't a natural impulse, and Kiyone's life might be in danger, and yet, with Seiryo in no state to take action for himself, Kiyone is determined to protect him in any way she can.

But it's not so simple, when the man you might be spying on is a spy himself - and one with a considerable grudge against the former Galaxy Police Elite Agent...

OPERATION: ERADICATE
Part One
A Tenchi Muyo! Fanfiction
by
VRAIEESPRIT

Chapter One

Deep Space
Some Years Earlier

"Sound the alarm! I repeat, sound the alarm! We have an intruder in Vector Twelve!"

As the siren began to wail out across the bank complex, the frantic security officer jammed buttons and switches across his control panel, struggling to let his colleagues know that a serious breach of security had been discovered at the base of his division. As he attempted to repeat his transmission, a tremendous explosion from below rocked through his whole office, sending him tumbling to the ground with an exclamation of alarm. Scrambling for his weapon, he pulled himself to his feet, gripping the gun tightly as he pushed back the door, making his way along the hallway towards the source of the disturbance.

As he reached the end of the corridor, a second explosion ripped through the bowels of the bank vault, followed by a loud crashing sound, and instinctively the guard knew that the central security deposit unit had been penetrated. He quickened his pace, finding that other guards from other divisions had answered his distress call and as he joined his colleagues in pursuit of the enemy, he felt somewhat comforted that he wasn't going into the unknown alone.

The door of the main vault had been completely blown off its hinges, and as the security officers massed around it, preparing for any sudden movements, the Vector Twelve guard paused to take in the devastation in front of him. Crumbled plaster and stone were heaped along the normally spotless hallways, and more than one electric light panel flickered and buzzed as the power short-circuited through them. The result was an eerie, faltering blue ambience, and somehow it only added to the tension of the occasion.

"What the hell?" One of the other guards stepped forward, touching the destroyed door with a hesitant finger. "What are we dealing with? Someone radio for further back up - it looks like we've got a serious pirate raid going on here and who knows how many of them there are hiding in the depths of this place?"

The Vector Twelve guard's grip tightened even more on his weapon, remembering only too well the last time a pirate guild had launched an attack on his bank. It had been a Daluma raid, he recalled, and several people had been killed in the resultant shoot-out. He was not keen to repeat the experience.

"Well, boys...it's nice of you to put on a welcome for me."

As the men hesitated, assessing their best options, they were interrupted by the sound of a woman's voice, and as they watched, a figure slowly materialised in front of them, casting them a flirtatious grin. Despite himself, the Vector Twelve guard gasped, drawing breath sharply as he recognised her features. She was young, with wild, wavy hair flowing out across her shoulders, and her vivid amber eyes sparkled with life and mischief, as if the business of breaking into one of the most secure banks in the universe was simply another game. She was dressed simply, in the tight-fitting convenience wear of a pirate going about her business, but somehow it did not seem either casual or careless on her...more that she had spent as much time perfecting her look for dramatic and flirtatious effect as she had planning her attack on the vault itself. She hovered above them, light glittering intermittantly across her palms as she surveyed them thoughtfully, and despite himself, the guard took a wary step back.

"Ryoko." He whispered.

Delight flickered in the woman's expression and she let out an amused laugh, the energy at her fingertips swelling and growing as she met his gaze. She tut-tutted, shaking her head as if in reproof.

"Space Pirate Ryoko to you." She whispered, and a jet of orange energy flared across the room, narrowly missing his feet by inches. The guard yelped, leaping back, and Ryoko winked at him coyly, seemingly unmoved by his panic. He gazed at the scorched ground beneath his feet, realising in an instant that had she meant to hit him, she would easily have done so. He swallowed hard.

"You're supposed to be dead."

Another guard found his voice at that moment, raising his weapon in Ryoko's direction. "And you're going to wish you'd stayed that way - after all, our alarms are linked up to the Galaxy Police, and they'll soon be here. They'll get you, you just wait and see. This is where your raiding ends, Space Pirate Ryoko. Surrender yourself and you won't be hurt!"

"Dead, huh?" Ryoko looked startled, then she smiled. "Did you really think I was enough of an idiot to be caught up in Haki's foolhardy mistakes? It takes more than a little spaceship explosion to kill the Space Pirate Ryoko, you know. Do you really think you can stop me? Bring on the Galaxy Police. I like a bit of excitement, now and again."

"Surrender or we'll shoot, pirate!" Another man cocked his gun also, and Ryoko pretended to look hurt.

"Well, you boys really aren't very friendly to a pretty woman like me." She remarked off-handedly. "Guess you need to be taught a few manners, before I go."

Light flared across her hands once more and a series of explosions sounded out around the room, sending more plaster and stone crashing to the floor, and causing at least three more panel lights to short circuit. Sparks flew in all directions, and despite their conviction, many guards dropped to the floor, covering their heads to shelter themselves from falling debris.

Ryoko chuckled.

"Take it as a token of my affection." She said playfully. "I'm sorry I can't stay around and play any longer, but I'm sure you understand how very busy I am."

She turned, casting a glance towards the thick perspex window of the corridor, and even from his crouched position, the Vector Twelve guard could see a looming shape drawing up alongside the bank complex.

"Ryo Ohki, let's get out of here." Ryoko said firmly, and there was an answering, eerie yowl as the shape pulled ever nearer. Ryoko turned to the men, casting them a coquettish smile as she winked, blowing them a kiss.

"Don't forget to tell the Galaxy Police boys what a good time we had this evening." She said teasingly. "Make sure they know that the Space Pirate Ryoko is far from dead - and that it'll take more than a few stun guns to stop her!"

With that she flickered out of view, and a second eerie howl from space told the frightened guards that she had indeed made good on her escape. Even as the men hurried to the windows, the jagged shadow of the Ryo Ohki was speeding away from them, disappearing into the distance as if just another star on the horizon.

The Vector Twelve guard sighed, pressing his hands to the perspex as lights began to flicker around the bank complex, announcing the arrival of the Galaxy Police.

"Space Pirate Ryoko." He murmured. "To think we fought her and lived."

"Hardly fought." A second man said acidly. "How do you fight a demon? Everyone knows that Ryoko was hell-born - and if she walked away from an explosion that killed a man like Haki, she really must be. How else could she be so brazen...and how could she cause so much destruction all by herself? She's just one woman - barely more than a girl. How else could she do it, if she wasn't a demon?"

"I guess all the rumours about her are true." The Vector Twelve guard said heavily. "Did you see how she was dressed?"

"Couldn't miss it." The second man acknowledged. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she was deliberately trying to be distracting. I guess noone told her that flaunting her figure across space whilst she commits crime after crime isn't exactly ladylike behaviour. Someone needs to sit her down and teach her a few lessons about how to behave."

"Well, you said she was a demon." The Vector Twelve guard reminded him. "How do you tame a creature like that?"

"Do you think the Police will catch her?" A third man asked. The Vector Twelve guard hesitated for a moment, and then shook his head.

"No, I don't." He said honestly. "Haki might be dead and gone, but banks all over deep space have a new threat now. This Ryoko woman is going to cause us all no end of mischief...I guarantee it."