Chapter 2

ON UNKNOWN SHORES

EireneGalaxy
Planet Earth
Orb Union

Athha Beachside Mansion later this morning

Still sleeping soundly in one of the bedrooms of the mansion is young man with jetblack hair on a pigtail while Ms.Lacus, Ms.Murrue Ramius and Col.Andrew Waltfeld examine the man's belongings which they remove from his person. Every item found is closely examined and catalog before they return it to him.

"As far as I can tell, much of the things he has are standard special forces equipment except for these items," on one side of the table are a group of items they can't identify. Several individual items in question, some are alien devices from Lantean personal forcefield, an SGC recognition coder, ZAT weapon, an Asgard communicator egg and a Lantean version of a Palmtop and several others.

Lacus look at the dogtags he was wearing with the inscription "Lt. Ranma Saotome, United States Air Force 103rd Special Forces Division, USA?" this was confusing for them

"USA, as in the United States of America?" Waltfeld ask

"That's the former name of the Atlantic Federation North American member, right before the end of the 'Reconstruction Wars' North America was the 'United States of America' was its former name Ms. Lacus" Murrue explained

Murrue look at the clothes the young man was wearing, on the side of a shirt is a flag of the United States and a circular emblem with the letters SG-13

"How strange" she remark

At the room, the young man, the stranger woke up in a strange room with a mild headache as he sits up from his bed

"What the heck happen?" He groans soon after he started to remember what had happen to him

'Last thing I remember was taking digital pictures of that really Hentaily weird Stargate room (Happosai would probably move into that place if he founds out about it and 'sniker, snicker' by someone 'SIGH' IT'S MY JOB OK! I AM NOT A PERVERT) when that woman named Vala and Dr. Jackson was telling her not to touch anything she wasn't suppose to on a control console, then the next thing I remember is some sort of liquid metal surrounded me…just as that Stargate above the platform was being activated…ohhh shoot' he groans and remembers the words of his 'Uncle O'Neill' warnings about the hazards of this job of his, for you can either get marooned on a planet, sent into time or a parallel universe in a whim if you are not careful.

He's wondering which one.

He looks himself up and sees that he's fine except that his equipment is gone. He then looks around to see if it was nearby, but all he finds is a pretty Spartan room with several pictures on the table that Ranma starts examining them.

'Well at least they look human' he thought 'I wonder who these people are?' he look around further and found a small bookcase with some answers, and to his surprise they are written in English. Ranma found books about math's, computer's, and science and most important of all is a book of world history which he found it definitely odd.

"The 'History of the Reconstruction Wars' What?" he flips a page and was wide eyes to what he sees a world map of Earth but not his

'Parallel world, definitely' he thought

Ranma read thru the book and found an Earth but not his Earth, for this world went thru a terrible war that reshapes the world completely, he also found tuck between the pages is an ID card

'Ensign Kira Yamato, Earth Alliance Forces' he read 'No doubt he's a soldier, but he looks like any other 14 or maybe15 years old by the looks of it,'

Information from the books was not enough, he sees a Laptop near a table and was about to go towards it when he heard voices coming from outside the door

"We will need to have a talk to him when he wakes up…he's gone!" Waltfeld cried out when they entered the room

No one heard him move behind the three people or even see him until it was too late. Ranma pulled a gun tuck behind Col. Waltfeld back, and then move behind the third person, a female with pink hair.

With a move that seems so fluid but fast that it took a second to perform. Ranma put his left arm around the pink haired girl, bracing her to make sure that she can't move.

"Please stop, we mean you no harm" She spoke softly "No one here will hurt you" she assured him as she feels his embrace. That moment she spoke, both Murrue and Waltfeld turned around and were stunned to see Lacus held by that stranger without them noticing him

"My name is Lacus Clyne, we mean you no harm…do you understand?" she said hoping that he could understand her and then he answered

"My name is Lt. Ranma Saotome, United States Air Force"

"Please, there is no need for this" she pleads

Ranma look at the other two and ask "Your names?"

"My name is Andrew Waltfeld"

"I'm Murrue Ramius"

Looking at them closely, he can see thru their Ki and sees no malice in them. Ranma pulled back the gun, press the release clip and let go Lacus and then cock back the gun to remove the last bullet in the chamber and then, place the gun on a table carefully

"Can you please tell me where I am?"

Two weeks Later

It took Ranma a month to understand this new world he ended up on and with the help of his digital camera; he figured out that he's still in his universe, but where he is in the universe. Luckily his digital camera has a special locking system to avoid tampering from unauthorized people, and with the data it has, Ranma figured that he was about 30 million Lightyears from HIS Earth, he's in the Eirene Galaxy, on a Planet that is a copy but different to his Earth and in a time that it's at war with itself.

Ranma is going thru his notes at the side of balcony room as he asses his situation

'30 million lightyears from home, no resources, no means of travel or communicating to SGC and I am among aliens even though they are human 'sigh' Ranma Saotome, how the hell do you get yourself out of this?' he thought shaking his head

Ranma look down when he hears the children playing down the beachwith the pink haired girl name 'Lacus'.

Though he doesn't understand why but, he feels a relaxing calm serenity when he sees her. Admittedly, she is a radiant beauty that rivals the girls he'd meet barring one uncute tomboy whom thank God he's no longer engage to,

Lacus is quite a looker.

'Well, at least it doesn't seem so bad' he thought as he waves at her and she wave back at him

He was going back in and plans to join her, and as he's going to pick up the Lantean Palmtop it fell on the floor but it didn't break, instead it activated

"What the" Ranma pick it up and looks at the active screen, Ranma had thought it was broken but whatever happen when it fall the Palmtop is active now in his hands since he has ATA gene like General O'Neill

"No way" he remark as the screen is receiving a signal in subspace frequency, meaning that somewhere on the planet is most likely a Lantean outpost and he's receiving data from that outpost and as he was inquiring it's location to where the outpost is when the data link stops.

"Darn it" he cursed 'well at least I know the Lanteans where here and possibly there's an outpost with a Stargate with it' with that thought, his heart felt a relief as the possibility of getting back home is real. For the time being he decided to do a little exploring and understand this world he dubs as the 'Cosmic Era Earth'

In his stay, Ranma got to know Lacus and the others quite well and recently they were at war with each other. From what was told of him, in a twist of fate they allied each other as they understand themselves enough to know that the war they have wage against each other was wrong and needed to be stopped.

Ranma now knows that he's in a world devastated by a terrible War between Natural born Humans against the Genetically Enhanced Humans called Coordinators.

For Ranma he find it a little disturbing that anyone would willingly genetically enhanced their own child for no reason but to customize their child to become what they want, mold them to whatever they want even more intelligent and creative than an unaltered child, to shape their child the way they want to, a child of their dreams given form that will carry their hopes and ambitions which is quite an attractive benefit.

Admittedly, Ranma is quite amazed at the Coordinators remarkable achievements, for in a short time they established amazing space colonies, built spaceships, created new and advance technology. They are an amazing people, reasons why the Natural born humans are so envious of them for it seems that, competing with Coordinators have proven difficult for them.

Still he wonders, what price did they pay for all that improvement, how much did it really cost them to have such incredible progress? For Ranma, he refer not to the money they paid for such a process, he refers to what the Coordinators have lost that equal to what they have gained. Was it worth it?

He read their whole history and despite how advance they are and how much progress they have achieved, the Coordinators have been getting the shaft for quite a while. Ranma sympathize for their plight and approved their struggle for independence from the harsh policies of the many nations that once supported them. They won their independence but the discord between Naturals and Coordinators did not stop in fact, it flourished thanks to deep seated hatred of a few from both sides of the coin. And with their level of technological advancement they built powerful weapons that brought death and destruction beyond measure.

The Cosmic Era, the world shaped by Eugenics.

He continued learning the life of this world since his arrival, Ranma have mostly spent much of the time with Lacus talking about a lot of things. They talk about an array of subjects about the world currently and Ranma did talk about himself but keeps out the story about the SGC or the Stargate for now.

For what Lacus and the others know so far, they believe that he's an American soldier from the distant past which was hard for them to believe, yet every revelation he makes points to that distant past but strangely feels different and confusing.

In every private walk they had, Mr.Waltfeld or Ms.Ramius is not that far behind them, they kept their distance without Ranma noticing. However, Ranma notice their presence as far as fifty feet away, and despite how careful they maybe, they can't deceived Ranma sharp senses.

Ranma figured that Mr.Waltfeld and the others is watching him closely, most likely not trusting him with Lacus. Understanding why, Ranma ignored it. He really didn't care if they watch him or not for he has no ill intent for Lacus.

Today's subject that Ranma wants to talk about with Lacus is the person who once resided in his room, is Kira Yamato

"Why do you want to know about him?" Lacus was surprise in him asking about Kira

"I'm using his room, and I would like to know more about him" he said "I have seen his picture and to be honest, how could any military enlist 15 year olds boy to in an army, he's practically a child soldier in my book"

Ranma notice that she looks distressed, figuring that it may not be wise to ask her

"If you don't want to…I understand if it's uncomfortable to talk about him, so.."

"No, no…it's ok," she said cutting him off "I'm fine"

Lacus tells a tale about Kira Yamato of who he was, how they meet, how he lived and how he died. Ranma listens to Lacus intently and started to notice the sorrow in her voice, a pain of loss, sadness. The Kira Yamato she has been describing went thru an emotional and psychological rollercoaster in the war that ended with countless death where a few of them lost are among his friends who are Naturals. Fate placed him in situations that he doesn't want to be or doesn't want to confront. He died recently from an illness but Ranma doesn't know what. Ranma can see that it's obvious that Kira is someone she's in love with and his death has affected her deeply

"I am sorry about Kira Yamato" he apologize and she gave a weak smile

"Kira, is like me, we both wanted everyone to live in peace with naturals and coordinators but not everyone share our feelings" she said sadness in her voice, Ranma understands her. He has read and seen enough of the conflicts between the two species of this world that they no longer seem to see eye to eye with each other anymore despite the established peace.

How this situation have comes to be is the result of one man's irresponsible actions, when he unleashed the knowledge thru the World Wide Web by the first Coordinator 'George Glenn'.

Ranma wonders if he even thought of it thru or even talks about it with others or get a second opinion before he did it.

Turns out that Glenn never did, so arrogant and so sure of himself he unleashes a powerful knowledge believing that it will lead to a new era of man, a prosperous, technologically advance new world where genetics is the key to that new world and he did get what he wanted.

However, someone once said that 'you should be careful of what you wish for, for you might just get it'

Along with the wish he wanted, Glenn got more than what he bargained for. His action also fostered the worst of humankind to a degree unimagined as he created a new race of humans that can do better than a natural born, he created a racial hate that divided humanity into two spheres.

Glenn watch the world tore itself to pieces he died leaving a world in turmoil before he could undo the damage he has done.

Seeing this world from an outsiders view, Ranma thought of his Earth, his home where he comes from. Something like Genetically Enhanced human is more of in the realm of Science Fiction because his world own genetic science is not that advance, for now. Here they made it Science Fact, and back home, people are still talking and still discussing about its implications and ethics to society as a whole if such a means is possible, its effects of both good and bad are all theories and possibilities.

Here, everything they thought that could happen have happened and more.

The Coordinators now are living separately in their space colonies because the ones born on Earth, the Natural born have driven them out into space with so many hateful reasons from religious beliefs, to jealousy, envy and many more, now both species hate each other that they started killing each other in a scale beyond measure.

Lacus and many others like her both Natural and Coordinators alike are trying to find common ground so that they can live in peace, but it's not that easy as it seems

"Nothing in life is ever easy" he remark

"Some people says that 'God created all men as equals', but in what is happening now, many no longer believe that true anymore" he said

"But then you know, if you put aside genetics for a moment, whether you are Natural or a Coordinator, people are always different and people are still the same" he said Ranma remember something his mother told her

"My Mother once said that, we are all born different and yet we are all born the same, we are born equals, and we are not, we are born unique and we are nothing special. We are all of this, more and less"

"Ranma…"

What Ranma told her describes of what being human is all about

'We are all born different and we are all born the same, we are born equals, and we are not, we are born unique and were nothing special. This is what being human all is about, for we are all of this, more and less

"Your Mother is a wise woman"

"She is," He agreed "Tell me Ms.Lacus.." Ranma didn't get a chance to ask her

The two didn't notice that they just walk themselves towards a dead end. They face a high cliffs and a coming tide behind them got them cornered. But just before a wave of water was about to crash on the shore, Ranma quickly pick up Lacus which surprise her

"Ranma What.."

"Hold on to me" he told her and then Ranma jump up just moments as a tidal wave crash the shoreline they once stood,

"We better get out of here" he said

So Ranma with Lacus on hand, launch up high up and did his Roof Hopping technique to clear the rest of the cliff

Lacus who is holding on to him was wide eyes in what is happening, Ranma was leaping up the steep cliff with her in his arms with such ease and landed safely up the cliff with no problem

Ranma put Lacus down, and she look down on the cliff with amazement. The cliff was over a hundred feet high and no one, not even a coordinator can do what Ranma just did.

"That was…incredible" she said breathless

"It was nothing really" Ranma answer being modest "Martial Arts Master can do amazing things you know" Ranma gave a heavy sigh as he looks back down 'Mann, that was too close' he thought relieved

'Any second late and I would gotten myself wet and change to a girl in front of Lacus. She'd probably freak out if she saw that'

For Lacus however, she has never heard of anyone that can leap this high up, and from what she knows, doing leaps and bounds like the one Ranma did are next to impossible even for the best martial arts master in the world or the best coordinator athlete.

Lacus is getting more interested in Ranma.

For two weeks Lacus and the others have been observing carefully, though he shows no acts that make him a threat to them. Ranma did however, shows that he seems oblivious to the current events or know anything about the Cosmic Era. Ranma has never heard of coordinators, space colonies or mobile suits which is hard to believe that anyone would not know these things, for as if he just steps out from a different time and place.

For a while Ranma is opening up to her and with this, leaping up the cliff she wonders

'I wonder what else he could do.' She thought

"Well we better find a way to get back to the others"

"Morgenroete facility is not far from here, we can ask help there" she suggested that for she has something in mind

To Be Continued