Soun sat at the kitchen table with the family's check book, ledger, and legal documents out in front of him. The former martial arts sensei had his face scrunched in confusion as he tried to figure out where the massive influx of funds had come from. Usually he only had to give the ledger a quick glance since his dear daughter Kasumi was an impeccable bookkeeper. Soun knew that things were tight for the family and knew that Kasumi was well aware of this fact as well. Such a massive increase in the family savings account should have caused her to immediately bring the error to his attention. However, it wasn't a simple math error as the bank statement clearly showed a massive deposit into the account and two smaller, but still very large deposits, being placed into the account on an apparently biweekly basis.

Part of Soun was grateful for the money since it covered his medical bills and the repairs to the dojo. However, he was deeply concerned about where the money was coming from. A call to the bank had confirmed that the deposits were legitimate, but that only caused Soun to become more confused. Neither he nor Kasumi had been able to get a new job since the case against Nabiki started. The Tendo patriarch was sure that his family would be vindicated by the court soon enough and then he could return to his role on the town council. He just needed something to cover the bills until that happened.

Eventually, Soun was forced to admit defeat. He couldn't solve the unexpected and unexplained good fortune that had happened. There was someone who could and Soun hoped she had a good explanation for these deposits. The Tendo patriarch calmly marched up the stairs to Kasumi's room and knocked on the door. "Kasumi, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Seconds later Soun heard a cheerful reply. "Certainly father, you can come in." Soun then opened the door and walked inside Kasumi's bedroom. His eldest daughter was sitting on her bed reading a medical textbook as she usually liked to do in her spare time. Part of Soun was sad that Kasumi's plans to go to medical school were delayed yet again. Hopefully the kami would show some mercy and she'd be able to start school in the upcoming spring semester. Kasumi closed the textbook and gave her father a polite smile. "What do you need to talk about father?"

Calmly, Soun walked over to Kasumi's bed and sat down on the end of it. He then pulled out the bank statement and handed it to Kasumi. Ranma's concubine read the statement and bit her lip as she tried to think of how she should handle this. Her eyes then met her father's again and he said, "Where did this money come from Kasumi?"

"It came from Ranma," Kasumi said as politely and calmly as she could while continuing her explanation. "Ranma found that he has several things that needed to be tracked that he partner could not handle in a manner beneficial to him. He asked me to be his personal assistant and I eventually agreed. The pay is rather high, but Ranma insists on it being chaos pay to make up for how crazy things can get around him." Kasumi hated lying to her father, but she didn't see any other solution. Her father would go ballistic if she had told him that she was Ranma's concubine. It was just four more months until she turned twenty and became a legal adult. Once her birthday passed her father could find out the truth and not attempt to jeopardize the Tendos' lifeline. Claiming to be a PA for Ranma was something believable, and now that she thought about it would be fun for roleplaying.

Soun heard what Kasumi had said and his frown increased. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner Kasumi?" It didn't make much sense to Soun for his daughter to hide getting a job. The pay and signing bonus were unseemly for a personal assistant, but this was Ranma they were talking about. Soun knew that Akane's former fiancée had a heart of gold and would have leaped in to help them if he had been made aware of the current problem the family had been facing. In fact, Soun had hoped to solve this problem without Ranma's help to try and atone for all the times he had manhandled Ranma into solving his and Genma's problems.

Kasumi blushed slightly and replied, "I didn't want to upset you over the job. Ranma pays way too much for 10 or so hours a week of work so it's obvious that he's using the job as a way to help us out." Her blush grew stronger as Kasumi thought about her real job duties. Thankfully her father took her blush as a sign that his daughter was embarrassed for taking the deal. Kasumi composed herself and continued. "This job isn't glamorous and it is a way for Ranma to help us out while we save face. Both he and I are fully aware of this fact. Are you upset at me for accepting this job?"

Soun sighed and replied, "I wish you had told me you were working Kasumi. I am not blind that our family is going through a difficult period right now. It's great that you wish to help and I do appreciate your efforts. Once this mess clears up I plan for you to get back every yen of your money you've lent to the family." With that said Soun gave Kasumi a kiss on the forehead and left her room.

"Come on Ranma it's not like we're going to be in trouble."

"No Tenchi, I'm not going to help you steal the shrine key so that you can let loose a demon of potentially unimaginable power."

Tenchi looked at Ranma with bewilderment and a hint of disbelief. "Really Ranma, you actually think that there is a real demon sealed in the shrine? Haven't you realized that the old story about the shrine is just a tourist trap?"

Ranma pushed down the urge to hit Tenchi upside the head. It wasn't the young teenager's fault that he was sheltered from the realities of the world. Ranma gave the slightly younger teen a hard glare and firmly said, "You will find that there are things better left undisturbed Tenchi. Things that are known as demonic, magical, or cursed usually fall under that category. Sure there are many fakes out in the world, but those just set you up for a really painful surprise. Take it from me; leave that demon locked up where it can do no one any harm."

With summer break drawing to a close Tenchi had become more and more annoying in Ranma's opinion. Tenchi wanted something memorable to happen that he could brag about to his friends back at school who would be talking about their fantastic summer vacations. Ranma liked that summer had almost ended on a fairly quiet note. For him that equaled a fantastic summer. Unfortunately, Ranma's content attitude had sparked Tenchi to try and do something bold or completely idiotic in Ranma book.

For some reason Tenchi figured that breaking into a demon's tomb would be an excellent way to end his summer vacation. Tenchi figured that even if the tomb was empty or just had some animal bones in it that the act would score him some major points at school for being brave. He wanted Ranma to join him on this quest of daring do to have a witness on hand to prove he had entered the tomb. Yet for some reason that Tenchi couldn't fathom, Ranma was stubbornly refusing to even entertain the idea of entering the tomb. Tenchi was starting to suspect that Ranma actually believed the nonsense that there was an actual demon sealed in the shrine.

Luckily for Ranma's nerves, Katshuito walked towards the boys abruptly ending Tenchi's attempts to do something undeniably stupid. Unfortunately, the look on the priest's face was causing warning bells to ring in Ranma's mind. The last time Ranma had seen a serious look like this on Katshuito's face was when he told Ranma that Kasumi wanted to be his concubine. However, this look had a depth of sadness with a hint of helplessness that the previous look never had. Both teens bowed their heads and respectfully greeted the priest.

Katshuito gave a polite nod in acceptance before turning to look at Ranma. "Ranma, I have just heard some unsetting news that you need to know. A new governor has recently taken office in the province were your friend Shampoo lives. The past few governors of that province have ignored your old friend's village and several of the neighboring villages since they are in the backwater of an admittedly backwater province. However, this new governor has decided to 'bring the insurrectionist zone back under proper authority'. While your friend's village isn't under threat immediately, I thought you could take the time to tell her how to get out of trouble. Take the day off so you can think about this."

Ranma nodded his head and quickly rushed out to a safe transporter site. Mentally he called out to his partner, 'Yashataisho! Do you know anything about this attack on the Amazons?"

Instantly the umbra ship replied, 'Funaho has just sent me the relevant data files partner. The files came through one of Funaho's backdoors in the Chinese government's computer system. The new governor of the province where the Amazons, Musk and a third group known as the Phoenix Tribe has declared all three groups as insurrectionists.'

The young hybrid shook his head. 'That doesn't make any sense. The Communist party has been in power there for decades while those groups haven't caused any problems for them. Hell, you don't even hear rumors about them outside of the province. They stick to a fairly desolate region of the province not causing any problems and the governor turns a blind eye to them. It's a deal that the Amazons have had all the back to the Ming! Why is there this sudden change in policy on the governor's part?'

Yashataisho transported Ranma up to itself and then spoke over the speakers when its partner had rematerialized. "I do not have enough information to state for certain why the Chinese government has become hostile to all three groups. However, I do have enough to create a reasonable theory. The mountains around Jusenkyo where these three groups live have large concentrated deposits of rare earth elements. Many of these elements are vital to the construction of the latest human computer technology and the next several generations of such technologies based on current projections of development. While these elements are actually fairly common on Earth, there are comparatively few concentrated deposits of these elements and even fewer that are economically accessible given humanity's current technology."

After considering what he had heard for a second Ranma growled. "You mean to tell me that someone is going to attack Shampoo's home just to put in a strip mine?"

"You did not give me time to finish my analysis of the situation partner. An economic motivation is the most rational for the Chinese's new hostility to these groups. China has been under a program a massive industrial expansion and this could simply be a side effect of it. Another almost equally likely possibility is a personal reason on the part of the new governor. He could have a grievance with any of these groups that have grown into a need for vengeance. Another explanation is that he has controlling personality and cannot tolerate any group not firmly obeying the central government. There are other, less likely possibilities that could lead to this occurrence."

"However, the reason why this is happening does not matter. What matters is that the Amazons, Musk, and the Phoenix Tribe are under threat of extermination or if their lucky dispersion. Before you ask partner, there is a way to legally help them deal with this situation. Under Section 642 Paragraph 17 of the Galactic Protection of Technologically Underdeveloped Races it is legal for individuals to transplant willing groups to colonize unpopulated worlds if the group's culture is under threat of destruction by native forces. Doing so places the individual or group responsible for the relocation with the duty of continuing the defense of the colonized world until the transplanted group can do so on their own."

The Amazon village was on high alert with double sentries along the village's walls. Word of the impending invasion had quickly reached the elders thanks to the village's network of contacts throughout the province. Shampoo walked along her assigned section of the wall with a stoic mask on her face. She knew that the Amazons were fearsome warriors with techniques that would allow their elite warriors to destroy tanks on the battlefield. Most Amazon warriors had undergone the breaking point technique training and could shrug off bullets from standard army rifles. With a correctly placed Hiryu Shoten ha many of the elders could cripple if not destroy enemy fighters.

However, none of the Amazons' warriors was about to let these facts cause them to wear rose tinted glasses. They all knew that they were in a desperate situation. The Chinese had overwhelming numbers and the ability to quickly replace any casualties on their side. Being able to destroy a tank or two didn't matter much when the enemy had ten tanks for every warrior. Rock hard skin didn't hold up well under the combined fire of a squadron or a high powered sniper rifle. One anti-aircraft gun system would be more reliable and last a lot longer against enemy fighters than all of the elders in the village. Then there were the threats that Amazons had no secret technique to counter with. The gas mask clipped to Shampoo's belt was proof of that.

As she was turning around, Shampoo glanced down into the village at the bustle of activity. No children were playing as they were already tucked into the village's catacombs and underground passageways for protection. Most of the activity centered on the Amazonian non-combatants loading trucks and wagons with vital goods and constructing new wagons. Shampoo tore her eyes away from the sight and tried to ignore the pain in her heart. After 3,000 years of living in the valley, the Amazons would have to abandon their lands and seek a new homeland. It was a scenario that the elders had feared happening for over a century once they learned of western technological advances. The Amazons were great warriors, but even the best trained warrior fears a well-equipped soldier. What hope did 8,000 warriors have against a modern army of 100,000 soldiers? Even if they could somehow win against the current army it would only bring the ire of Beijing. Their undoubtedly depleted forces would be crushed in the second battle.

Shampoo completed another pass of her section of the wall and didn't see any sign of the messengers sent out to the Musk and the Phoenix Tribe. The elders hoped to coordinate the Amazonian Exodus with their old rivals own likely exoduses. Some were hopeful that the other two groups would join with them in a single great exodus into the former Soviet Union. Musk and Phoenix warriors would be helpful in guarding the civilians during the trip and in taking some land from one of the Turkic tribes in new homeland. Personally, Shampoo didn't see that happening, but one could always hope.

Pivoting yet again, Shampoo looked up at the sky and prayed. "Great Goddesses who favor my beloved, please hear my plea. Have mercy on my people and grant us safety from our present threat. Do this and I will do whatever you wish in repayment. It does not matter what the price to me is so long as my people are safe. This I swear by the spirits of my foremothers' Great Goddesses." Part of Shampoo was nervous making an open ended oath to a total stranger. However, this was her whole society on the line and she figured that anyone backing Ranma couldn't be that bad.

As if in answer to her prayers, the purple flash of Yashataisho's transporter beam appeared near the wall outside the village. Shampoo's face grew into a smile knowing that Ranma had come to save the day. Immediately she laced her voice with ki to carry the sound and yelled out, "Hold fire! We have a potential ally appearing outside the village walls." Shampoo could hear some faint murmuring as her message was passed down the wall. She looked down as the flash of energy disappeared to reveal Ranma proudly standing outside the village.

Ranma looked up and instantly Shampoo felt her heart start to pound in excitement. His face had a warrior's edge to it while the pointed ears and slightly silted irises gave Ranma an otherworldly charm. A quick comparison of Ranma with her memories of him told Shampoo that he had gained several centimeters in height and some muscle bulk to his form. It was just enough to turn Ranma from having the body of a lithe acrobat to that of a powerful warrior. Shampoo felt her cheeks blush and she called out, "Hello Ranma. The village gate is 400 meters that way."

Instantly the young hybrid called out, "That's for the information Shampoo. I'll try to see you later if we both have the time." Shampoo resumed her sentry duties and Ranma walked in the indicated direction to the gatehouse. He quickly reached the reinforced gatehouse and found it locked with half a dozen Amazonian warriors on guard duty. To Ranma's surprise, the young gate guards greeted him with loaded AK-47s Ranma immediately held out his hands and called out, "Don't Shoot! I came here to help you girls. Just let me speak to Elder Cologne and tell her how I can get you all out of this jam."

One of the girls barely old enough to be called a teenager lashed out, "Why the hell should we pull one of the elders to deal with you outsider? The Amazons already have enough trouble thanks to you outsiders and we don't need you pulling vital members of the tribe away from critical tasks." There was puffiness to the speaker's eyes showing that she was barely holding back tears over what was happening.

Ranma felt his heart tearing at the young teen's pain. He looked her in the eye and said, "I am Ranma Saotome and I can help the Amazons. Until a few months ago when a fact of my lineage was discovered I was consider by your people to be Shampoo's husband. While I may not be married to Shampoo, I do consider her and her great-grandmother Cologne to be friends of mine who right now need help. Tell Cologne that I'm here with a means to help your people thanks to Yashataisho."

A voice from the wall called down. "Let the man inside the village. Sentry Shampoo saw him approach and vouched for his friendship."

The questioning Amazon nodded her head and holstered her rifle. She looked up at the wall with some nervousness and then turned to look at Ranma. It was obvious to him that she was nervous as hell even though she was trying to act tough. "Alright, I'll let you into the village and escort you to the elders. However, any funny moves on your part and you'll get a bullet to the head. Are we clear on that?"

Ranma put his hands behind his back in a casual manner and cheerfully replied, "We're clear." The other guards moved back into defensive formation while the speaker led Ranma into the village. Unlike the last time Ranma was in the village, there was a terrified energy in the atmosphere. Everywhere he looked people were using their speed training to pack or make things necessary for moving. As much as Ranma hated himself for it, he was happy that everything indicated the Amazons were leaving. It would be much easier for him to get them to accept his plan if they weren't trying to defend the village.

As might be expected, Cologne was in the middle of the chaos managing things as if the Amazons had been moving their village once a week for the past two hundred years. "No, you cannot take all of those geese with you. Select a fifth of them for breeding stock and prepare the rest for slaughter. You over there! What by the Ancestors do you think you're doing? I said tear down that house for fuel not disassemble it. We need that fuel for curing the meat pronto. Vanity get your ass out of your house now! Remember you are only to take one suitcase of cloths and they need to be rough travel worthy clothes. Those fancy dresses of yours aren't going to do you any good unless you want to be in a triad brothel. Ranma you need to get over-"

Cologne paused in mid-sentence when she realized what she was saying. She immediately did a double-take and hopped over to Ranma. "Ranma Saotome," Cologne muttered in shock, "I never thought I'd lay eyes on you again after we left Japan. What brings you from Japan to the backwoods of central Asia?"

The elder's shocked grew exponentially when Ranma deeply bowed his head and said, "Elder Cologne. I have come to aid the Amazons in their time of trouble. How would your people feel about an empty fertile planet to call your own?"

A heavy downpour hit the Amazon village and the sky was nearly bright as day from all of the lighting. The winds were violent and carried a chill from the mountains. However, the cheers coming up from the Amazon village were not affected by the weather in the least. Let the heavens roar with indignity because the Amazons had been freed from threat against them. Ranma found himself as the guest of honor at the impromptu feast being held in Cologne's house. It had been very easy to convince the other elders to go along with Ranma's plan. After all, it offered the greatest return for the tribe at the least cost. Once they agreed Yashataisho fired off a cultural reserve colony request that was quickly approved of by the Galaxy Police. Earth was in the galactic backwater and there were plenty of uninhabited nearby worlds. Had conditions been less favorable then it could have taken weeks or even months for the request to be approved.

Ranma sat next to Cologne and uneasily ate his meal while Shampoo and several of her cousins danced for the feat's enjoyment. He didn't feel that he deserved to have a feast in his honor at this time. After all, he had only generated a few legal documents at the moment. The real work would be in transporting the Amazons along with possibly the Musk and the Phoenix to their new world. Just getting the Amazons and all of their supplies would take ten trips. Even running Yashataisho around the clock Ranma wouldn't be able to manage more than 2 round trips a day. What if something unexpected came up and the Chinese army showed up while he was in the middle of a run? How would the Musk and Phoenix work into the trip rotation if they agree?

Cologne saw the worry brewing behind Ranma's eyes. She quickly gave him a small jab to the ribs with her cane to get his attention. Ranma widened his eyes in shock for a second before he turned to glare at Cologne. The elder shook her head and whispered, "Stop worrying about the exodus for the moment Ranma. There will be time enough for that in the morning. Now is the time for you to relax and enjoy the praise that your actions have brought you."

Ranma quickly whispered back. "I haven't done anything worth praising yet."

In response to that dumb statement Cologne gave Ranma a friendly bop on the head with her staff. "Don't sell yourself short Ranma. You must have figured out that we were already planning on leaving our ancestral lands to escape the Chinese. Have you thought about where we originally were going to go? I'll tell you: into the unstable former Soviet republics in the hope of carving out a new homeland. Even the most optimistic members of council gave our chance of success in this venture as 1 in 4. Most were expecting us to have success odds of 1 in 8. You've guaranteed us an almost certain chance of success. Plus, we'll be able to live in a better land than a semi-steppe like we expected."

"Yes, the evacuation still has to occur. However, we have time for that based on the current plans of the Chinese. We also have plans if the Chinese move up their timetable which is extremely unlikely. You are doing all you can for us which is far more than we have any right to expect or ask of you. That selflessness and kindness is what we are celebrating tonight. Now enjoy the feast, you'll need the energy."

Not paying attention to Cologne's last remark, Ranma returned his attention to the feast and started eating again with his usual appreciation. The next hour of the feast passed in what felt like a blur for Ranma. Once the main course was finished everyone kept making toasts and refilling his cup with the strongest wine in the village. Luckily Ranma had been able to adapt a poison neutralizing technique to burn away most of the alcohol. He had a slight buzz, but was still in control of his senses whereas most people were passed out drunk.

Finally the party appeared to have wrapped up and Ranma decided to stand up and make his way to the front door. His plan was to head out of the house, give the village one last look around to assure himself that everything would be fine, and then transport back to Yashataisho for some sleep. That plan was derailed about four meters from the front door when someone glopped onto Ranma from behind him freezing him in place from shock. What shocked Ranma wasn't that he was glopoped it was that he hadn't registered anyone coming near him. His instincts registered almost everyone who was near him even if they were friends. The only person Ranma could think of off the top of his head that his instincts didn't register was Kasumi.

However, it wasn't Kasumi who had glopped onto Ranma's back. Shampoo quickly slid around so that she was facing Ranma and gave him a passionate kiss to the cheek. Ranma took in her nearly intoxicating scent and eagerly responded to the kiss for a second. The kiss ended when they hybrid's brain caught up with his actions and he pulled away. Shampoo frowned and hurtfully asked, "Why did you stop the kiss Ranma?"

Ranma looked into Shampoo's eyes and felt his heart start to tear up. He hated the idea of hurting Shampoo and a part of his heart still loved her. She loved him for who he was and not just because of honor like Uyko apparently had. Opening his heart to her would only cause her more pain since they couldn't be together under Amazon law. At the same time, Ranma felt like a scumbag for 'cheating' on Kasumi. Technically she was only his concubine and he was free to see whoever he wanted, but that didn't mean it felt right in his heart.

Shampoo quickly realized what Ranma must be thinking about and frowned. She pressed herself closer to Ranma and molded her body to his. The amazon leaned her mouth to Ranma's ear and whispered, "I haven't found a way to be with you permanently yet Ranma, but I will one day. As a hero of the village it's only right for you to enjoy our hospitality and it will be very hospitable for you in my bed. Don't worry; no one should cause trouble for us if we're together tonight.

With every word whispered by Shampoo, Ranma felt his resistance to her weaken. He was so tempted to take her then and there regardless of propriety or who could spot them. In a last desperate attempt to keep things from spiraling out of control he hoarsely spoke. "Shampoo, there's something you need to know. I-"

Shampoo cut Ranma off with a passionate kiss and then growled. "I don't care Ranma. I honestly don't care anymore if you're seeing someone, have a girlfriend, or have a wife. Hell, you could have a hundred wives and sex slaves and I just wouldn't care. You are the most important thing on this planet to me Ranma and as long as you give me a piece of your heart I'll be happy. I am an Amazon and nothing changes that, but I'm only miserable if you're not in my life. I'll prove it to you right now if you'll activate your shield so that we both don't get wet and follow me."

Shocked by Shampoo's forcefulness Ranma complied with her request. She led them out of the house and into the stormy weather. Thanks to the forcefield the ground wasn't damp enough to trigger either of their curses. After a few minutes the couple reached the marketplace where there was a statue of the Amazon's patron goddesses on a raised platform. Shampoo turned to look at Ranma and firmly said, "This is the busiest section of the town. I want you to fuck me right here and then sleep here using my naked body as your pillow."

Ranma's face became completely red from embarrassment. "But Shampoo everyone will see you. There's no way to hide what we've done if we do this. You could be kicked out of the Tribe for being so blatantly with me!"

"That's the whole point Ranma. You're the only man for me even if I am not the only woman for you. I will not make the same mistake twice if I have to choose between you and my tribe. You can take me right here, take me back in my house, or take me on your ship. However, you are not leaving this village without taking me is that clear?"