The plot till now: Ten-year-old Tenchi Masaki has opened up the forbidden cave of Masaki shrine, and released the demon Ryoko, who, for reasons of her own, assumes a ten-year-old form. In search of her gems, the two have traveled (along with Nobuyuki) back to the Masaki shrine to see Tenchi's grandfather...who is receiving a visitor of his own.

Katsuhito Masaki, a.k.a. Yosho, Crown Prince of Jurai, was unsettled.

Being suddenly reunited with your half-sister/fiancee after 695 years of separation can do that to you.

If it weren't for this disguise, he thought, I might really be in trouble.

Ayeka, kneeling across from him a serene look upon her face, sipped her tea. She looked up at him and spoke. "Yosho..."

"AAARGH! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! IT WASN'T MY FAULT, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

"...is the name of my brother who I believe traveled to this planet quite some time ago. Pardon me, did you say something just now?"

"Sorry, I had a fishbone caught in my throat." He made a fake coughing noise. "`Some time ago', you say? How long ago, if I may ask?" Yosho gave a surreptitious sideways glance to a clock on the wall.

"A long time, sir. A very long time. Around 700 years by the reckoning of your world."

"Oh gee, too bad, he's probably dead by now, so it goes, all flesh is grass, we are dust in the wind, you should probably go home and I'm sure you'll get over this horrible, devastating loss in time..."

"I believe he is alive."

"Do you now?"

"Yes, indeed I do. And it is my intention to stay here until I find him, alive and well. For that I will require your assistance. Please immediately hand me the sword you are concealing in your robe."

"Sword? What sword? I'm just a simple priest who has no need for..."

"Azaka. Kamidake."

Instantly, the two guardians of Jurai appeared beside Ayeka. "Yes, princess."

"Prepare this man for interrogation. Torture level seventeen."

The gems on the two logs blinked worriedly. "But princess, he appears to be rather elderly," Azaka offered quietly.

"Oh very well. Sixteen."

Four seconds later, Ayeka had the sword.

Nobuyuki scratched his chin. "Well, Ryoko, from what you're telling me, it sounds like a pretty sound reason for Dad to give you the sword."

Ryoko punched Tenchi in the arm. "See? He agrees with me! Two votes to one!"

"How do you expect to actually get it, though?" Tenchi groused.

"Mr. Nobuyuki, would you say that Tenchi's Grandpa values honesty?"

"Oh yeah, honesty, hard work, generosity, probably chastity… all those sorts of virtues."

"Then it's settled. Tenchi, when we get there, you'll apologize and promise never to steal again, then I'll explain the situation, and your Grandpa is sure to hand it right over."

Tenchi looked at Ryoko with disbelief. "Do you think he'd actually do it that easily?"

"I hope so. Because plan B involves some violence, and I think he might hold a grudge against me if we do that."

"I'm telling you, he died hundreds of years ago!"

"You have been nothing but dishonest since I arrived." Ayeka sipped her tea. "I'll believe he's dead when you show me a body, and not a bit before."

'Technically I already have, but that probably wouldn't help my case,' he nearly muttered, when he was interrupted by one of the sentient logs.

"Princess! Space Pirate Ryoko is within 500 Juraian meters!"

"Very good. Prepare to subdue her. Put Ryu-oh's weapons on standby."

"200 meters!"

Only a very close observer would detect a slight tremble in Ayeka's hands as she held her teacup.

"50 meters!"

Ayeka brushed the hair away from her eyes.

"10 meters!"

"Open the doors!" Ayeka commanded.

The doors opened to reveal two scared-looking children and a middle-aged man.

Ayeka stared at them for a moment. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She shook her head. "Kamidake, I don't appreciate these jokes. Where is Ryoko?"

"She's here, your highness!"

Ayeka set her teacup down and gestured at the newcomers. "Where? Where exactly is the space pirate Ryoko? I only see a man in his forties who clearly needs more exercise and a better diet, a boy who is about to soil himself in fear, and a cute little girl. Which one of them is supposed to be the space pirate who ravaged entire star systems?"

Ryoko felt unexpectedly hopeful. 'We might actually get away with this?'

"My sensors indicate that one of these three must be Ryoko! Most likely the girl!"

The hopeful thoughts stopped. 'Can't give away a thing. She's skeptical. She needs to stay skeptical.'

"This is ridiculous. That girl can't be more than Sasami's age."

"But, as it happens, Princess Sasami is over seven hundred…"

"Look at her! She's a sweet, innocent girl! No part of her even vaguely resembles Ryoko!"

"Apart from the hair and eye color, facial structure, fingerprints…"

"Ryoko is a violent, disgusting, repellent, vile, loathsome creature…"

Ryoko felt a vein popping out on her forehead.

"A demon, a devil, an ogre of the worst kind!"

"Hey," Ryoko muttered. Tenchi elbowed her.

"Supremely ugly, not just of heart and mind, but of body. A revolting sight, but particularly her face, which…"

Ryoko's eyes glowed with anger. "Okay, that's it."

"What was that, little girl? Of course, I'd be most happy to give you an autograph."

Her hair started standing on end. "You'd better stop talking like that if you know what's good for you, royal bitch!"

"Don't be frightened, little girl. I'm just talking about a horrible monster named Ryoko."

Electricity crackled in Ryoko's hands. "I AM RYOKO!"

"Azaka, now." In an instant, the air was full of tiny floating logs. The air seemed to distort as they hummed with power. Ryoko was unable to attack. "The hell?"

"Kamidake, I trust her uncoerced confession was recorded?"

"Indeed, Princess."

"Ah, splendid." Ayeka picked her teacup back up. "I love it when a plan works perfectly."

"Hey, uh… ma'am? Excuse me?" Tenchi tried to attract Ayeka's attention. "Over here! What are you doing to Ryoko?"

She smiled at the boy. "Don't worry, you'll be perfectly safe from her. She's in the hands of intergalactic criminal justice now."

"But... she didn't do anything that bad."

"As I said, you have nothing to worry about." She took a sip. "And depending on your testimony in her trial, your sentence for aiding and abetting a known space criminal will only be fifty to one hundred years imprisonment. A pittance. You'll be free in no time."

"IMPRISONMENT?"

As they were talking, nobody noticed the older gentleman stepping behind Ryoko and whispering to her.

"What did you say, geezer?"

"Repeat after me. `I demand a formal pre-trial hearing within the mandated time limit.'"

Ryoko scowled and whispered back harshly. "Shut up. Why should I..."

"Say it. It's the easiest way to get out of her hands. `I demand a formal pre-trial hearing within the mandated time limit.'"

"Fine." In a more normal tone of voice, she addressed Ayeka. "Hey, uh, your purpleness. I, uh, demand a formal pre-trial hearing, within the whatchmacallit time limit."

Ayeka looked at the diminutive space pirate oddly, then turned to her guardians. "Do you understand the nonsense that child just said?"

"It's not nonsense, princess. It's one of the foundational principles of Juraian criminal law. Those arrested of a crime must be accused officially before a judge within one day, or else the arrested party must go free."

"Must go... free? Really?"

"Yes, princess. If a prisoner is held beyond that period, then they will be immediately acquitted when and if the case comes to trial."

Ayeka harrumphed. "How tiresome. Well, where can we find a judge? Any sufficiently prominent Juraian official can serve in that capacity in case of emergency, am I correct?"

"For the most part, yes Princess."

"Very well, then. Where is the nearest Juraian consulate?"

"On the fifth planet of the Mimasaka system."

"Then we head for Mimasaka immediately."

"Unfortunately, princess, at maximum speed, we would fail to meet the deadline. By some weeks."

Ayeka blanched. "Then she would have to go free? Then...wait, what about Galaxy Police? Would an official from the Galaxy Police do?"

The guardians consulted with each other silently for a moment, their gems flickering. Finally, Kamidake turned and spoke. "I believe that would probably be acceptable."

"I happen to know there is a permanently-assigned officer of the Galaxy Police within this system. Contact them, and bring them here with all due dispatch."

Tenchi was having one hell of an evening. He'd been threatened, essentially kidnapped, and was now apparently arrested?

Once upon a time, he would have been thrilled to see an alien. Now he decided he'd seen more than enough for one lifetime.

His grandfather caught his eye.

'Grandpa winked? Does that mean it's all going to be okay after all?'

Tenchi considered the possibilities.

'Or maybe it's just his tic acting up again.'

"Hello, you've reached the Galaxy Police. This is First Class Detective Yuri Mizutani, resident officer over the special protected area of the Sol system."

"Greetings, Detective. I am Kamidake of Jurai. My mistress, the Princess Ayeka..."

"Me and the rookie are out at the moment on vital GP business, so if you'd like to leave your name, the name of your ship and port of registry, and your approximate location, we'll be able to help you in, say, I dunno, a week or so? Oh yeah, wait for the beep!"

Kamidake sweatdropped. "Uh, Azaka. Did you hear all that?"

"Yes, I did."

"That's fortunate. In that case, you can tell the princess."

"I think not. You made the call."

"Rock-scissors-paper?"

"Difficult to do without hands."

Ayeka's perfect plan was looking less and less so by the second. "They had an answering machine on? What if it had been an emergency?" She paused. "Which it is!"

"I encourage you to file a complaint with Galaxy Police headquarters, your highness."

Ayeka scoffed. "That won't work. The head of the complaints department at the GP hates me."

"Is she the one who you went to boarding school with, who you s..."

"Don't complete that sentence if you know what's good for you Kamidake."

"Y-yes, your highness."

"But we have twenty-three more hours. We must be able to figure something else out within that time. Is there some way that a local magistrate might serve?"

"If a magistrate had no knowledge of Juraian law, they couldn't be competent to serve as judge in a Juraian case."

"Then we'll find one and teach them Juraian law. Twenty-three hours of cramming should be enough to teach them the basics!"

"That would mean revealing to the world that civilizations outside this star system exist. Various galactic powers would regard that as an act of colonization!"

"Then, let's colonize this planet! I'll claim it on behalf of the Juraian empire and…"

"This system is a specially protected area, and by treaty cannot be claimed by any galactic power."

"DAMN THE TREATY! I'LL BREAK THE TREATY IF IT MEANS GETTING JUSTICE DONE!"

"Your highness, we're getting dangerously close to treason. I have no choice but to execute protocol CRM-114."

"What is protocol CRM-114?"

A small flying robot materialized in the room and hovered around Ayeka. "Nice princesses should not commit treason. Naughty princesses who commit treason will be reported to their mother. Nice princesses should not commit treason. Naughty princesses who…"

Ayeka sat down, defeated. "Fine. I'll drop that idea."

"...will be reported to their mother. Nice princesses should not…"

"Exactly how long does this last for?"

"...princesses who commit treason will..."

"It can't be much more than two hours."

Ayeka smacked her forehead on the table in frustration. Suddenly she sat up. "This may be a stupid question, but am I qualified to be a judge in this instance?"

"Yes, your highness."

Ayeka beamed. "I can?"

"No, I mean that yes, it was a stupid question. As the person who arrested the suspect, you have a conflict of interest that bars you from appearing as a judge. As Kamidake and I assisted the arrest, we of course are barred as well. Normally, as a member of the royal family of Jurai, you would be qualified."

She stood up. "Yosho! Yosho could be the judge!"

"You're depending on the reappearance of the prince who's been missing for nearly 700 years within the next 23 hours?"

"Yes!"

"And you're ignoring the fact that, as he attempted to arrest Ryoko himself after the attack on Jurai, that he also has a conflict of interest?"

"Oh, damn it all. Then, that's it! We can't get a judge from another planet, and we can't get a judge from this planet. The only four people currently in this system who could theoretically be judges are all disqualified. And so, Ryoko, destroyer of worlds, is going to get off on a technicality?" Ayeka smacked her hands down on the table in frustration.

"Come to think of it, would Princess Sasami be qualified?" mused Kamidake.

"What?"

"She is a member of the Juraian royal family, and she's had at least an elementary education, correct?"

"But that doesn't help us because Sasami is on Jurai!"

"..."

"Princess Sasami is on Jurai, isn't she?"

"Um…"

"Oh god."

"I wasn't supposed to tell you, Princess, but Sasami sort of stowed away."

"Stowed away? She… what… how… why…" Ayeka took a deep breath. "Never mind. I should be furious, but it turns out to have been a blessing in disguise. Transport her here immediately."

Sasami was fairly hopping with excitement. "We're going to have a trial?"

"Not a trial, just a hearing. It's a formality. Focus, Sasami."

"And with lawyers and witnesses and everything?"

"No! You'll just read out some gobbledegook that Kamidake is looking up, and then we'll put Ryoko in stasis and go back to Jurai. And we're going to have some words after that about telling mom and dad where you're going."

"Ah, technically, Princess Ayeka, the accused is allowed representation."

"But, where are we going to find a lawyer around here?"

"And if she requests counsel and is denied, then the hearing is null and void."

"Oh for… how many technicalities are there in this process?"

"…lots?"

"We'll figure something out. We've got twenty-two hours left."

"Hey, older sister? I do have a very important question about this trial."

Neither for the first, nor the last time, Ayeka looked defeated. "What is it?"

"Do I get to wear a wig and bang a gavel?"

Author's Notes:

About a third of this was written shortly after the first chapter back in 2001. Then I set it aside and never got around to it, particularly after I deleted all my stories a few years later.

Unlike the first chapter, this one has been edited in order to better match my current writing style.

Given that Ayeka is my favorite character from Tenchi Muyo!, I'm surprisingly mean to her in this story. Well, she'll be somewhat happier with the plans I have for her in future chapters. Chapter 3 will be released no later than May 13, 2041.