Chapter Two
The Corners Of Sub-Space
The Present Day

So this was truly the place he had been seeking.

The young boy stifled a shiver, pulling himself more carefully through the cracks and crevasses of the abandoned space station as he watched the stars idly gleaming outside the window. He had spent what seemed like forever, coursing through space based only on a hunch and a whim, but even though it was bleak and miserable alone in the darkness, he knew that going home empty-handed would be even more terrifying.

He had come with a reason, after all.

He glanced down at his hands, turning over the neat chain of beads that were looped over his calloused fingers. Each one bore a symbol, he remembered, and every symbol had it's own particular significance. This particular chain bore three symbols, and he ran his fingers over each in turn. Freedom. Fidelity. Life.

"I don't know how one little necklace is going to do all the things she says it will, but I'm not going to argue with Lady Ramia." He murmured, clutching the chain more tightly in his hands as he moved towards his destination - the powerful computer that had once provided energy for the whole of the empty wreckage. "This should have enough power to do the things she hopes - I just hope she knows what she's doing. That's all. This isn't a game any more, and she might be safely locked away on Yousai, but this could very well kill me and I really don't want to die all alone up here with noone ever knowing. Not that anyone would really care, if I died - but there are kinder resting places than this."

He faltered for a moment, then gathered himself, resolution hardening inside of his heart as he reached the computer console. He knew little about technology, and even less about magic, but Ramia had given him explicit instructions and with gritted teeth he began to carry them out to the letter, fumbling in his bag for the odd golden powder that the lady had given him only that morning. Carefully he sprinkled the dusty substance across the main control panel, watching with wary anticipation as the screen flickered into life before him. An eerie glow surrounded the device as the monitor hummed and flickered, the pixels on the screen drawing back to reveal a great darkness beyond.

The boy stifled another shiver, then pulled himself up onto the top of the console, his fingers blurring and morphing into long, delicate feathers as he shifted his form, spreading his newly moulded wings and scooping up the beaded chain in his beak as he flew directly towards the blackness. At first he thought he might collide with the monitor itself, but the glass had given way to strange black space and as he surged deeper into the void, he realised that it was becoming ever colder.

So this was what subspace looked like.

As he glanced around him, trying his best not to panic at the bleakness that engulfed every corner, he focused his mind on the object of his search. There were no stars here to light his way, and even with the sharp vision of his night-bird form he found it difficult to distinguish looming shadows in the dark until he was almost right on top of them. There was a strange stillness to everything, and inwardly the boy wondered how such a place could even exist alongside the normal world, so empty was it of life and movement.

At length he found what he was looking for, as a strange blueish white glow flickered out of the gloom. He approached the mass cautiously, able to make out the shape of a spacecraft hidden deep within the whirlpool of magic, and he narrowed his eyes, sensing that the spell that held the ship in statis was formed from strong, decided magic. Clutching the beads more tightly in his beak, he drove through the epicentre of the barrier, closing his eyes as the energy prickled faintly against his wings, and relief flooded through him as he realised he had reached the middle unharmed.

"Ramia-sama was not lying." He mused to himself, hovering above the battered form of a spaceship as he reflected on his next move. "The charm she cast over my feathers do allow me to move easily through time, space and spells created by powerful enemies. No wonder she chose me to be her eyes and ears on a mission such as this. In this form, I cannot easily be wounded...in this form, I can carry out her bidding and return to Yousai alive. Perhaps she cares more than I thought about my fate - at least it seems she doesn't intend me to die up here."

He drew nearer to the dark hull of the ship, flexing the tips of his wings as he scoured the craft for a way in. At length he found a small gap between the main doors and the cargo deck, and he slipped through the narrow opening, almost managing to spill the beads from his beak as he struggled to get through. He cursed under his breath, pausing to calm his shaken nerves for a moment before flying resolutely into the belly of the craft, following the distinctive scent of pervading blood and death to the central control room.

He winced, his eyes watering as the stench of decay became overpowering, and for a moment he hesitated in the doorway of the drive-room, half-expecting to find the dead bodies of several former pirates littering the floor.

And yet there was nothing. No sign of any bodies, or bones, or even remains. A few dark stains on the floor suggested that it had been the scene of great battles in the past, but it seemed that whoever had last fought aboard the ship had escaped with their lives.

Confused, the boy fluttered around the chamber a couple of times, as if searching for the source of the scent. As he did so, his sharp eyes caught sight of another object and he drew breath sharply into his lungs, dropping down towards it as he registered what it was.

"The man cast in stone by Juraian magic." He whispered, taking in the deformed features of the figure with an element of revulsion. "This is the being Ramia-sama sent me to enslave. I will not fail her in this - although by the smell of this place, he is already many years dead. Arian magic may be strong, but can it really bring a corpse back to life after so long rotting in this hell?"

He sighed, flickering the tips of his wings as he carefully draped the beaded chain around the statue's neck.

"Oh well. Mine is not to question Lady Ramia's wisdom. Only to carry out her instructions. If she believes in the power of this magic, then I will not be the one to object."

He loosed his grip on the beads, and at first nothing happened, but then, just as he was about to give up on his task, a faint amber light began to flicker and glow around the form of the man, extending out across the drive room of the craft and touching the edges of the ship's battered control panel with flaring tongues of light. Just in time, the boy dragged his bird form back out of the way as the magic intensified and slowly, deep within the crystal cocoon, something began to stir. As he watched, transfixed, the image of a human being began to emerge from the blackness, the crystal shattering and dropping in shards to the floor as the creature stretched and struggled to stand, drawing breath into dusty lungs as he gained an awareness of his surroundings. As he did so, the lights on the spacecrafts's control panel began to dance into life, and for the first time the bird-boy was aware of the dim hum of engines, somewhere below them.

"Ramia-sama." He murmured, bowing his head slightly in deference to his mistress's power. "You are truly a miracle worker."

"Ry...o...ko."

The voice was gravelly and hoarse, and without warning a hand shot out of the amber haze, catching the boy off guard and grabbing him tightly around the throat. "Where..is...Ryoko!"

"Let me go!" The boy-bird flapped his wings fiercely against the man's scarred, weatherbeaten skin and as his feathers made contact with the other's arm the man roared in anger, his grip loosing.

"You are the Space Pirate Haki." The boy hovered out of his companion's grasp, gazing down on him with a mixture of fear and derision as he watched the half-risen form stumble around the cockpit of his ship, memories and thoughts returning to him in bits and pieces as his coordination improved. "You were sealed in subspace by the magic of a planet called Jurai. Now my mistress, the Lady Ramia, seeks your help in mutual vengeance against this world. She has freed you from your curse - will you help her in defeating your foes?"

"Where is Ryoko!" The man's voice thundered across the drive room, as glinting ice-blue eyes glared up into the darkness. "Come down here and answer my question. Where is the woman who did this to me! I will see her dead...I will see them all dead!"

"I'll take that as a yes, then." The bird-boy fluttered his wings, safe in the knowledge that Ramia's magic had protected him once and would likely do so again. "My name is Rumiya, and Lady Ramia wishes me to inform you of her desires as soon as possible."

"I don't care anything for your Lady Ramia, unless I can slit her throat from chin to chest." The eyes glinted again, and Rumiya saw Haki's fists clench in the darkness. "I do not work for anyone. I am Haki! I do not cower to other people's power!"

"In that case, I'll remove Ramia-sama's charm and you will return to your imprisoned state." Rumiya said flatly, swooping down to peck at the beads that lined the pirate's throat. "You are still sealed under their magic - Ramia-sama's beads are the only thing allowing you to walk and speak and think once again. She - and I - can guide you from this place, because she has need of your aid. When you have served her purpose, you will be free to serve your own. But until then, you are only alive by will of my Lady's power. If you wish to be sealed again, just give the word. I can remove this just as easily as I placed it."

"Why you..." Haki's fist came out again, smashing into the control panel of the ship as Rumiya darted neatly out of the way of his blow. The contact seemed to cause the pirate pain, as red lights flared across the ship's dashboard and Rumiya started, staring from one to the other with new eyes.

"Ramia-sama was right. You and your ship do think with one mind." He murmured softly.

"Karasu and I are demons of space...we are pirates and we show noone any mercy." Haki growled. "Come down here, bird, and let me rip your scrawny head off. I don't know why you came to me, but I am strong enough to survive without the dabbling of some witch and her cockateel."

"I am not a cockateel." Rumiya was offended. "I am Lady Ramia's page and servant, and I take whatever form I choose to take. We are still deep in subspace, and I alone know the way out. Lady Ramia is not someone you wish to antagonise...if you want to take your revenge against Jurai, then you would do as well to work with her rather than against her."

Haki was silent for a moment, eyes glittering from within his scarred visage as he contemplated his companion's words. Then, at length, his gaze narrowed.

"Nobody will prevent me from slaying that bitch Ryoko and her allies." He said grimly. "Your Lady Ramia had better not get in my way, because I will not rest until they are all dead."

"That's really not my concern. I'm just ordered to get you out of here and to make you known exactly what my mistress requires of you." Rumiya said acidly. "Are you done with your posturing? Because if so, this place is cold and you won't fully revive yourself until we leave it."

"Then maybe I'll wring your neck, bird boy."

"Not unless you want to be burnt by Ramia-sama's magic." Rumiya flicked his wings tauntingly. "In this form, you cannot lay a hand on me. I have her protection. So may you have, if you choose to do her bidding. After all, you are a pirate. I'm sure that what she has in mind for you will be right up your street..."

-------------------

"You know, you weren't kidding when you said that the most beautiful beach was a stone's throw from Kurashiki."

Sakura Ito settled herself on the expansive beach towel, slipping her hands behind her head as she cast a glance at her companions, amusement sparkling in her dark eyes. "Tenchi, you should have told us about this place sooner. Nothing beats a summer by the sea, after all."

"Well, this trip is a bit more special than just a trip to the sea." Tenchi Masaki drew his knees up to his chest, turning his gaze out towards the ocean, where he could just about make out the figure of his fiancee against the bright sunlight. "This is in honour of Ryoko's birthday, that's all. We don't have Startica on this planet, but I found out from Washu exactly when it fell in the calendar. It's the first time Ryoko's ever been able to celebrate a birthday - so this whole weekend is really because of that."

"She doesn't seem to be complaining." The final member of the trio, Hiroshi Ikeda adjusted his sunglasses, dropping down on the towel at Sakura's feet as he sent splashes of water and wet sand all over her legs. "Whoops. Sorry, Ito-san. Wasn't looking where I was treading."

"Ikeda!" Sakura put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "You're such a moron sometimes, you know that? What are you doing, anyway? I thought you were swimming in the sea."

"I was, but male pride can only take being lapped by a woman so many times." Hiroshi said ruefully, and Tenchi grinned.

"Ryoko's a pretty strong swimmer." He acknowledged. "But I think you can keep your pride intact, Ikeda-kun. You weren't exactly racing against your average woman."

"It seems so odd, somehow, that last Thursday should have been her first birthday." Sakura reflected, as she watched the pirate dive beneath the waves, followed close behind by a small bundle of chocolate fur as Ryo Ohki plunged into the depths alongside her. "She's really never celebrated her age before?"

"She's never known until now when her birthday actually was." Tenchi shook his head. "So no. This is the first time. I'm glad you guys came down from Osaka to join the party - I think she's getting kind of fond of you both, and it's nice for her to have Earth friends too. It's not been an easy transition in some respects, settling on this planet when people are still adjusting to the idea of alien communication. I'm glad you both came around to her. She's really not so bad, once you get to know her."

"She's possibly the most scary woman I've ever met." Hiroshi pursed his lips. "But I think I mean that in a good way."

"Hey, aren't you weaklings coming into the water? It's not that cold!" Before anyone could respond, the pirate herself materialised at the edge of Sakura's towel, making Hiroshi visibly jump and tumble back on top of his friend. Ryoko let out an amused peal of laughter as Sakura shrieked, struggling to shunt herself away from the falling student's dripping, sandy body.

"Well, Ikeda, and I didn't know you had it in you." The pirate teased. "So? Are none of you wusses coming to swim? It's beautiful in the sea, and Ryo Ohki and I will make sure none of you get eaten by rogue jellyfish."

"It might be safer with the jellyfish, than here with Ikeda." Sakura scrambled to her feet, shooting the embarrassed Hiroshi a pointed glare. "And it is hot here, on the sand. Maybe a dip in the sea wouldn't hurt - Tenchi-kun, are you coming with us?"

"I'll sit this one out. I know what swimming with Ryoko usually entails." Tenchi said dryly, and Ryoko flashed him an innocent look.

"What? I don't do anything bad...Tenchi, what are you trying to say about me?"

"More likely he's just excusing himself so he can enjoy the view." Hiroshi said teasingly, patting his friend on the back. "Right, Masaki?"

"The...view?" Tenchi stared at him, and Hiroshi rolled his eyes.

"Your fiancee is running up and down the beach in a bikini which probably should be banned on account of its lack of fabric, and you look completely non-plussed?" He demanded. "What in hell is wrong with you, Masaki?! I swear, sometimes you're the densest guy on this Earth. I don't know about alien connections, but I think they did something to your brain!"

"Oh." Tenchi flushed red, looking sheepish, and Ryoko chuckled, reaching down to ruffle her fingers affectionately through his dark hair.

"Tenchi's just a gentleman." She said playfully. "Unlike others I could mention. Are you enjoying the view, Ikeda-san?"

"I don't know what you mean." Hiroshi's eyes sparkled with humour. "Stop stirring it, Ryoko...Masaki's my best friend. That's ground you don't cross."

"Mmhm. Well. So long as you know I'm spoken for, that's all that matters." Ryoko winked at him. "Okay, Sakura-chan - let's go and leave these pathetic men behind, huh? Ryo Ohki's getting impatient - I think she wants to dive for crabs again."

"All right, I'm coming." Sakura nodded, offering her companion a warm smile. "Lead the way."

"You know, your fiancee is really something else, Masaki." Hiroshi observed, as the two women headed back down to the water's edge. "And I don't mean just the fact she wasn't born on this planet. I'm not quite sure what your secret is, but I'd really like it if you shared it with me. It seems completely unnatural that a guy as dense as you are with girls should net a babe like Ryoko without having to make any effort at all. What's the deal? You must be doing something to keep her happy."

"Ikeda." Tenchi looked discomfitted. "If this is going to be another conversation about whether Ryoko has any cute and available alien friends, and how to woo them..."

"No, I wasn't going there." Hiroshi shook his head. "From what you've said about her history, I imagine most of her friends are either homicidal maniacs or married princesses. Neither of which are really within my scope. But it just never fails to amaze me, that's all. You're a decent guy, I won't deny it. And I'm not a girl, so I have no idea what your visual appeal is like. But this particular girl moved galaxies to live with you. What's that about? How did you score that kind of coup?"

"Ryoko and I...have been through a lot of things together. Most of which you couldn't even imagine." Tenchi said pensively, as shrieks of laughter drifted up from the water's edge. "She was a pirate when I met her, and she attracts the wild life to her more than occasionally. We've been in situations which have brought us closer together - that's all. I don't know how else to explain it. That's just how it is."

"Situations?" Hiroshi raised his eyebrow suggestively. "Do I want to even know?"

"Not that kind of situation." Tenchi swiped at his friend playfully. "Your mind is on one subject and one subject only. No. I meant life and death situations...up there, in space."

"So it is true, then. Really true." Hiroshi eyed his friend thoughtfully. "You are as much an alien as she is...deep down, underneath the mild-mannered Earth boy exterior."

"Technically I'm only a quarter Juraian." Tenchi shook his head. "I'm from the Earth - this is my home and the planet where I was born. I didn't even know Grandpa was from outside Japan until a few years ago, so I don't suppose I'll ever see myself any other way. But then again..."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I suppose it has made a difference." He admitted. "I've got a whole other perspective on the whole universe, now I know how big and varied it is."

"Sometimes I think I'd like to see more of what's out there, too." Hiroshi said pensively. "I mean, when the news first broke and that Princess babe was on television, it kind of made me realise that Ryoko isn't the only pretty girl in the universe. If there are a lot of cute chicks here on planet Earth, imagine how many there must be out there in the whole of existance. It's kind of mind blowing, when you think about it."

"Mm...you mean you might actually find one who's your type?" Tenchi teased. Hiroshi grimaced at him.

"That's the kind of thing I expect from Sakura. Not you." He scolded.

"Do you think we should go down and join them?" Tenchi wondered. "It is hot today, that's for sure. And I haven't had much of a chance to swim, yet. It might be nice to cool off."

"Ryoko's bikini finally got to you, huh?" Hiroshi bantered, and Tenchi pulled a face.

"Oh, shut up." He retorted, getting to his feet. "Are you coming, or aren't you?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Hiroshi followed his example, dusting the remains of the damp sand from his body. "If only to wash clean of this stuff - it sticks to you like nothing else."

As the two students reached the water's edge, Ryo Ohki darted out of the surf, pausing to shake her fur free of the water and then leaping up onto Tenchi's shoulder with an excited mew. Tenchi laughed, reaching up to stroke her damp fur, tickling her under the chin.

"Well, did you get any crabs, Ryo Ohki?" He asked playfully. "Or are they too quick for you when they're under the water?"

"Your cat is the oddest cat I ever met. I always thought cats hated water, but this one seems to love it." Hiroshi stretched out his hand to fondle Ryo Ohki's ears, and Ryo Ohki purred at the attention, rubbing her head up against the earthling's fingers. "Although I shouldn't be surprised about anything when it comes to you and your family by now, Tenchi, should I? After all, nothing in your world is quite ordinary, is it?"

"Ryo Ohki belongs to Ryoko, really." Tenchi said with a grin, as the cabbit bounded up onto the top of his head, diving back towards the water as she did so. "So that should explain why she's not your average earth cat. Let's just say that she's a little different from any of our native species...she has her own special charm."

"That should have been obvious." Hiroshi acknowledged ruefully. "Yo, Sakura! Ryoko! Anyone up for another race? I've got my second wind now, and this time I'm not going to be left behind!"

"Is that a serious challenge, Ikeda?" Ryoko put her hands on her hips, amusement in her amber eyes. "Are you sure about that? I wiped the floor with you the last time, and I wasn't even trying. You don't want to be humiliated in front of everyone again, now do you?"

"Hey, go easy on him. He hasn't got all the magic you have." Tenchi slipped his hand around his fiancee's shoulders, and she cast him a playful grin. "Let him down easy, huh?"

"Fragile male egos." Sakura laughed. "I'm game for a race, so long as it's on the understanding that Ryoko doesn't use any of her magic whatsoever to win it. Is that fair enough?"

"Oh, I could swim rings around you with my hands tied behind my back, don't you worry yourself about that." Ryoko said carelessly. "I don't need to use my magic to beat you. I'm already faster."

"That's what I like to see. Modesty at work." Hiroshi observed dryly, and Ryoko shrugged her shoulders.

"Why lie?" She said flippantly. "It's true, and you know it. I'm game to race, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Before anyone could respond, Ryo Ohki shot out of the water once more, uttering a blood-curdling howl and Ryoko's expression changed as the small creature landed on her shoulder, her eyes clouding as she interpreted the tension in the little cabbit's body. Tenchi frowned, resting a gentle hand on her arm.

"Ryoko, what is it?" He asked softly. Ryoko did not answer him at once, turning towards the horizon and lifting her head to gaze up at the faint wisps of cloud that dotted the blue sky. Tenchi's frown deepened, and he followed her gaze, but he could see nothing amiss.

"Ryoko?" He murmured, as the cabbit arched her back, flexing her claws as she flattened her ears on her head. Ryoko's expression darkened, and she nodded slowly.

"I know. I feel it too."

Ryo Ohki yowled, a combative note in her voice as she poised herself against her mistress's neck, as if preparing to launch into flight. Ryoko hesitated, then reached up to lift her companion down from her shoulder, meeting her gaze with a troubled one of her own.

"No. Not now. Too many people." She said softly.

"Excuse me, can I possibly get the subtitled version here?" Hiroshi raised his hand, a plaintive expression in his dark eyes. "What's going on? Ryoko, why are you talking to your cat...and what are you talking about?"

"Something's not right." Tenchi said quietly. "Ryoko, what's the matter?"

Ryoko turned, and Tenchi's heart skipped a beat at her expression.

"Ryo Ohki picked up a signal." She said hesitantly. "From above the planet. It was the signal of...of a spacecraft. Hovering above the Earth's surface...just beyond the atmosphere."

"A spaceship?" Sakura's eyes widened with alarm. "What kind of spaceship? I mean, do you mean friend or foe?"

"Wait a minute...you can understand what that critter says, when she howls at you?" Hiroshi stared blankly at the pirate, who eyed him impatiently.

"Of course, not that it's important." She said sharply. "Tenchi, Ryo Ohki's not usually wrong about things like this, but...but if she's right, I don't understand what it means. The signal was one she knew...one we both know only too well. But I don't see how it's possible...not at all."

"Tsunami-fune? Or a ship from Jurai?" Tenchi asked gently. Ryoko shook her head grimly.

"No." She said flatly. "Not a friend, Tenchi. Believe me. Not even close."

She sighed, gazing back towards the sky.

"But now it's gone. Ryo Ohki can't feel it any longer, and nor can I." She added. "I think whatever it was - it's left. At least, for the time being."

"Stop talking in riddles...Ryoko, what ship!" Tenchi demanded, alarm flickering in his expression. "What's got you both so wound up - tell me!"

"Well, I can't see how it could have been." Ryoko bit her lip. "But the signal was from the black ship Karasu, Tenchi."

"K...Karasu?" Tenchi blanched, fear coursing through him at her words. "But that's impossible! Haki is..."

"Haki was sealed. I know." Ryoko stroked her fingers absently through Ryo Ohki's chocolate fur, turning troubled eyes on her companion. "But that was what Ryo Ohki felt. And...and there was something oppressive in the air, Tenchi. Something dark enough to have been him. I don't like this at all - and most of all, I don't think we should be staying here any longer. If Haki really is up there, and this isn't some mistake or trap or someone's sick idea of a space joke, then he's probably looking for us - for me most of all. And this isn't the best place for a pirate attack."

"A...pirate...attack?" Sakura went white, her eyes becoming big as her gaze flitted between pirate and prince. "What do you mean? Explain, one of you...what's going on?"

"Ryo Ohki sensed a pirate ship in the Earth's upper atmosphere, and if she was right, it's bad news." Tenchi said shortly, reaching across to grip Sakura by the arm. "Come on...Sakura, Hiroshi, we have to leave the beach and quickly. We need to get back to the mountains, where it's less exposed and where there are less people, too."

"A pirate ship, huh?" Hiroshi quickened his pace as they hurried up the beach, gathering up their belongings and pulling wraps and jackets over the top of their damp swimming clothes. "But you were a pirate, weren't you, Ryoko-san? Why are you running scared?"

"This particular pirate has something of an axe to grind with me." Ryoko said grimly, and Ryo Ohki let out a hiss of agreement, pawing the air with claws flexed. "Ryo Ohki and I both, most likely. I flew with him, once, but we had something of a run in when he decided to start killing people to get hold of some powerful Juraian gems. Tenchi and I helped to seal him somewhere he couldn't hurt anyone - but if Ryo Ohki was right, it looks like somehow he's managed to free himself. And if he has, well, I can imagine that we're probably top of his hitlist."

"So this isn't one of the loveable rogue type pirates then?"

"That would be an understatement." Tenchi said blackly. "Haki is not someone you want to encounter, ever. The last time we met him, the effort of confining him almost cost Ryoko her life. Needless to say we're not anxious to repeat the experience."

Ryoko gazed briefly back towards the sky once again, then she frowned, holding out her hands.

"Grab hold of me, all of you." She ordered. "I'm taking us home the quick way. The sooner we get back to the mountains, the sooner I can ask Washu if it's even possible to escape from a sub-space imprisonment. And if so, what in hell we can do to get him back where he belongs, before he hurts someone!"