PRINCESS, PIRATE, POLICEWOMAN, WIFE...
Author: Daferge
Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! is copyright AIC/Pioneer Ltd.
All respective characters are property of their original owners. All original characters and ideas are property of the author.
Chapter 25.... Detective, Detective, who's got the Detective?...
( Washu's Lab, Earth... )
Washu was studying some stones when the red light on her wall started blinking...
Her first though was that the light WAS working...
As the light was only there to indicate that there was an incoming call from her Badlands contact, she hadn't had a chance to test it since Tenchi and clan had delivered her new sub-space communications system to Old Sam some weeks back...
Some how, calling him up just to have him call her back might work if he lived a few miles away, but the Badlands were many light years away...
In fact, almost on the other side of the vast Jurai Empire, thus the reason for the special communications unit...
And, after all, she was Washu Hakubi, THE Greatest Scientist in the Universe...
It took her a few minutes to returning to the present, she then hit the receive key...
A large viewing screen appeared in the middle of the room and after a few moments, the image of a white haired gentleman standing in a small room formed...
From Ryoko's description, this would only be old Sam...
Washu also noticed that he wasn't happy, he seem to be rubbing his head, she sighed...
Just great, the first call on the new system and it's going to be a complaint...
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( Sam's Bar office... )
After pressing the button marked ON, Sam stood there waited as the screen began to formed an image...
The image was the head of a red-headed puppet...
" We're sorry, but the person you wish to speak to is busy at the moment... If you'd like to leave a message, please speak clearly at the sound of the tone, other wise, please hold on until some one becomes available to take you call... Thank you... BUZZ!!!... "
Sam was so stunned that he didn't hear the odd music being played...
Reaching up, he began to rub his forehead, he was getting a headache...
After what seem like hours, but was really minutes, the image changed and a small red-head female appeared on the screen...
She sighed and shook her head...
" I would assure from Ryoko's description that you would be Sam?... "
Sam was able to nod and close his mouth...
" So... How can THE Greatest Scientist in the Universe help you?... "
Sam smiled, he'd thought Ryoko had been exaggerating when she'd described the mother that she recently been reunited with, after being freed from Kagato...
Obviously she hadn't...
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Sam was about to get to why he'd called, but he couldn't help himself, he just had to ask...
" When I pressed the ON button, every thing worked, but I got this puppet?... "
Washu closed her eyes and shook her head...
" Sorry about that, you got my automated answering machine... "
When he didn't reply, she continued...
" Some how interstellar salesmen got my lab number and have been calling at all hours... "
He tried not to smile, but he didn't have the slightest idea what she was talking about...
" Be glad you don't have a regular com link... They'll drive you crazy... "
All he could do was nod his head...
" Any way... It seems I forgot to add your number to the by-pass list, so you get me directly... "
Sam fought the urge to ask more questions...
Washu sighed and smiled...
" So... What can I do for you?... "
Reaching over to the side, Sam pulled a young boy into the field of the screen...
He appeared to be wearing a torn, dirty GP officer's uniform, but it was the blonde hair and the odd expression on his face that got Washu to pause...
" This young lad here, claims to be Detective third class Rodger Kuramitsu and he wants, very much, to contact his cousin Mihoshi?... He claims it's a matter of life or death... "
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( Across the border, much earlier... )
The local GP patrol craft had been patrolling the border on various random routes so it's AI ( Artificial Intelligence ) could get a better idea of the sector being patrolled...
Normally an AI would leave the movement of the craft to the GP pilot, but this AI was different...
Because of who the pilot was, it had been decided that a copy or clone AI might be the best way to go...
The pilot was one, Detective third class Rodger Kuramitsu, a cousin of Detective first class Mihoshi Kuramitsu...
So a copy/clone of Mihoshi's AI, Yukinojo, was made in the hope that all the experience that the Yukinojo had acquired while with her, would help her distant cousin stay alive...
As it turned out, the Rookie and his AI got alone quite smoothly...
It also meant that on long, boring cruses, like this one, the AI worked the craft while young Kuramitsu took a nap ( like his cousin )...
Thus it was that the Rookie was fast asleep in his seat when the alarm went off, very loudly...
Causing him to jump up and hit his head...
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It took the Rookie a while to recover enough to see the screen...
" There had better be a good reason you set off that alarm... "
Had he been fully awake, he might have caught the smirk in his AI reply...
" Would, over a dozen Raider ships headed straight at us, be good enough?... "
Staring at the screen, the Rookie mumbled something the AI didn't quite catch, before strapping himself back into his command seat...
" We're being hit by bursts of radiation that is preventing us from calling for any help!!... "
Do to his new, longer range sensors, they hadn't been caught unaware, even if they couldn't call for help...
It also became obvious that the Raiders had him boxed in, with his back against the badlands...
Like his cousin, the Rookie had a very sharp mind and a photographic memory, so in emergencies, he tended to run on auto pilot...
All those years of training and learning was there if he needed it, he just had trouble accessing it when he wanted to...
If he jumped into sub-space, he might be able to out run them, but they would follow and were between him and safety...
The problem was, that in normal space, raiders were especially designed for out running even the fastest prey, he's chances of escape were very slim...
But there was a possibility, a very dangerous one...
" Jump to sub-space and take us into the Badlands... "
If the AI had had a mouth, his jaw would have hit the floor...
" Follow the exact course we took before, at the same speed... "
The AI had a question as it proceeded to execute his orders...
" That will only get us so far... Logic suggest that at least a couple of the Raiders will follow us into sub-space... The rest would then follow in normal space... "
The Rookie smiled...
" That's what I'm hoping... "
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( Half an hour later... )
" Report?... "
" There are two Raider ships following in sub-space, the others are indeed following in normal space... "
" Good... How far behind are they?... "
The AI checked the sensors...
" They are slowly catching up... Even at max speed, they'll have us before we get to safety... "
" Oh, they're going to catch up to us... Just before the crash site... "
The Rookie smiled...
" And the others?... "
" They should be out of sensor range shortly... "
Deep down in the memory core the AI shook it's imaginary head and smiled...
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( A short time later... )
" How close are they?... "
The AI consulted it's sensor for the thousandth time...
" Close enough to feel them breathing down my neck... They're well within firing range, yet they haven't opened up... Perhaps they want to take you alive... "
The Rookie thought for a moment...
" More likely they want to take YOU in one piece... "
" ME?... "
" The coordinate of the crash site!!!... "
The AI considered this new information...
" Do you wish me to remove the data from my memory?... "
" Not yet... If this works, we won't have to... "
" And if it doesn't?... "
The Rookie just smiled...
" THEN... WE won't have to worry about it... "
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Strapping in tight, the Rookie kept his fingers crossed...
" Executing turn in, 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... NOW!!!... "
The GP craft made a very sharp 90 degree turn before dropping back into normal space...
After several minutes the Rookie started breathing again...
" Report?... "
" Sensors have detected two very large explosions in sub-space... "
The Rookie took deep, slow breaths, trying to slow his racing heart...
After a while he was able to speak again...
" Did Mihoshi even have to do something as wild as this?... "
The AI laughed...
" Some thing this boring?... Don't make me laugh... "
The Rookie had to smile...
" So... Do you think you can get us to this settlement you mentioned... With out running into any thing?... "
You could almost hear the AI sigh...
" In normal space, it should take an hour or two... "
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( Back in the present, Washu's Lab... )
Washu had managed to keep a straight face through young Kuramitsu's tale, but almost lost it at the end and the destruction of the two Raiders...
He discribed how, because of a recent update from his uncle, the AI knew of a small settlement within the Badlands that Tenchi and others had payed a visit to recently...
Then upon reaching the small settlement, he had copied his AI to an emergency storage pod, then deleted the coordinate and the records of the Raider's destruction from the ship's memory...
That done, he'd had the craft proceed to the nearby Jurai Space at max speed in normal space...
His final instructions to the AI on board, was that if caught, it was to surrender and not to resist, to allow access to the memory logs, as there was nothing of value there...
All the new upgrades had self destruct safeguards...
He had then messed up his clothes, making his way to the local Bar in the hope of contacting the person called Old Sam and hopefully make contact with Mihoshi...
After making contact, Sam had questioned him for some time to make sure that he was who he claimed to be...
Only then had they gone into his office to contact Washu...
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While he was relating his tale, Washu had been quietly using sensors within her system to observe him...
The chair he was sitting in, was recording vital statistics about him, even managed to run a DNA scan...
It all agreed, he was indeed Detective third class Rodger Kuramitsu...
As an after though, she had him download the data about the two Raiders while they had a chance, it would be very helpful...
That done, the three found themselves staring at each other...
The boy kept peeking at Washu and she knew he had a question...
" Yes?... "
Blushing he spoke...
" Are you sure you're Ryoko's mother?... You look far too young to have had a child... "
Washu managed not to blush, but she could see Sam hide a smile...
A glance at her stats told her he was being truthful, she was going to have to introduce this one to the family, he was just too cute...
Washu leaned closer to the screen, batting her eyes...
" Well, now... Aren't you the sweet talker... "
She hadn't thought he could get any redder, she was wrong...
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It was then that an alarm went off in the background and a very young boy rushed into the office and whispered something to Sam before leaving...
As Washu watched, Sam sighed and shook his head...
" It seems we have some unwanted guest... "
" Raider?... "
" Not sure, but likely... They seen to be looking for a rookie GP officer... "
Washu nodded her head...
" We can try to hide him, but if they have scanners, it won't be long before they find him... "
Washu smiled...
" Not to worry... We'll just hide him in plain sight... "
The two males stared at her, she couldn't help laughing...
" The locals on this planet may be behind the rest of the universe in technology, but they're far ahead in the use of imagination... "
They continued to stare...
" Since I got here, I've been watch the local video entertainment systems and have found a true a treasure house of ideas for projects and inventions... Like that big red button on the side of this sub-space communication set... "
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Washu watched as Sam looked at her, then the button and then her again...
" You mean the self destruct button?... "
It took a while for washu to stop laughing...
" I only told Ryoko that so she'd keep Mihoshi from pushing it... "
Both males looked relieved...
" Rodger... "
She used his name for the first time...
" What you have to do, is to remain sitting in that chair... When you're ready, reach over and press the button... "
As he started to do as she said, she stopped him...
" Hold it... "
When he sat back, she continued...
" Pressing the button will put the comm set, the chair and any one sitting in the chair out of phase with it's surroundings, almost like going into sub-space... However... Although we won't be able to see you, you can observe every thing what is going on around you... Also the comm unit can not be used while out of phase... "
His eyes wide, the young boy stared at the button...
" The power unit should be able to maintain the field for 72 hours... Pressing the button again will return you to normal... I would suggest you return as soon as you get the all clear... "
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" Do you both understand?... "
They both nodded, she looked at Sam...
" I thought this little addition might come in handy for you... "
Sam smiled...
" OK... If you're ready, as soon as I disconnect, press the button... I suggest you stand away from the chair, Sam... They'll need you outside... "
She made some final notations before closing...
" Tenchi and the girls were on their way to Jurai for me... I shall contact them and have they proceed to you... I estimate they should be there within 24 hours... Good luck... "
The last thing she saw was their smiling faces...
She prayed they would be alright...
To be continued...
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