Chapter Seven: New Assignment
Kiyone Makibi had decided she ought to be Tenchi's love interest. One of them anyway, he'd probably have several.
She and Mihoshi were both going to have to marry eventually, and Tenchi was a very good catch. He was a skilled combatant, and Kiyone and Mihoshi could both be really useful to him. Better still, Funaho seemed to be trying to arrange a meeting, so she might think it was a good idea too.
Of course, Kiyone would never be his favorite, but it was a good career option for her. And Tenchi was very handsome as well.
As such, Kiyone had altered her GP uniform a bit on her way in. The uniform she wore now bared her midriff and left a lot of cleavage to see. Not that anyone had noticed.
Kiyone was so glad she'd gotten an invitation. What had surprised her though, was that she'd gotten an invitation from Washu.
Inside there were several other people. Funaho and Tenchi were toward the front. Meanwhile, Mihoshi was also with them, having forgotten to dress up as they'd planned. So much for working as a pair. Mitsuki was there too, clad in a more formal outfit. There was one other person, Mark from before, who was reading through. Kiyone entered the room as she'd been trained for special occasions. She flipped her hair while walking with swaying hips.
Female GP officers were trained to show off what they had on informal occasions. Kiyone didn't get any looks from Tenchi, unfortunately, but Mark stopped dead as she passed. Mitsuki raised an eyebrow, meanwhile, as Kiyone sat down near Mark. Maybe if she was near him, it would attract Tenchi's jealousy.
No such luck. He seemed to be speaking about something with Queen Funaho and didn't see her. So he was the oblivious kind of love interest, then. Eventually, Kiyone sighed and looked to Mark. He was flipping through a book. "What's that?"
"Oh, this?" asked Mark. "It's a book chronicles the difference between Roman and Greek deities. They finally got some Earthling books in the book stores. Though this one is a bit simplistic for my taste."
"Why do you need a book detailing the difference between two different pantheons?" asked Kiyone, who hadn't studied any of this.
"Well, because they were the same," said Mark, looking at her. Kiyone was pleased to see her had to make sure to keep his eyes on her face. "The Romans and Greeks had the same religion, and both worshipped the same gods. They just had different value systems, so their take on some of those gods was different."
Kiyone found this interesting. "Like what?"
"Well, Ares, the God of War, was completely different from Mars, his Roman Counterpart," said Mark, adjusting his glasses. "Ares was a coward, who loved sewing discord and never saw a fair fight he liked. He rejoiced in blood and death but usually lost anytime he fought someone on a level playing field.
"Mars, though, who we name the planet after, was heroic and virtuous. A guardian of peace through martial force. Mars was married to Venus, where Ares had an affair with Venus' counterpart Aphrodite. In fact, Ares was even willing to murder the hero Adonis out of jealousy that Aphrodite loved him."
"Why the difference?" asked Kiyone. Earth mythologies were always so violent. And there were almost no happy endings, ever. Even if people lived happily, they died soon and didn't come back.
"I think it has to do with cultural attitudes," admitted Mark. "The Greeks and Romans valued very different values. And those values manifest in their deities. Ares and Mars are manifestations of that difference."
And then Washu Hakubi made her entrance.
Kiyone could tell because there was a flash of fire and falling confetti. Then Washu emerged out of an orange portion. The beautiful redhead walked forward in a confident strut. Her spiky black hair was flowing behind her as she raised her hands outward as though she were a god. She wore a scientist's outfit that bared no cleavage and didn't even cling to her body much.
Of course, she still looked drop-dead gorgeous. And Kiyone was feeling inadequate while specifically dressed for seduction. Which pretty much shot Kiyone's chances of finding a guy here. Well, barring her being an add-on. "And I am here! I, Professor Washu, have now entered the building!"
She halted.
"... I'm used to much larger crowds, you know," said Washu to Funaho.
"My apologies, Washu," said Funaho. "But this is not a scientific conference. We're hoping you could show your findings to a more limited audience."
"Well, fine, any excuse to talk about my greatness is fine by me," said Washu, stretching out. She typed into a console, and a graph appeared. "Alrighty then, my analysis of the broken ships is now complete. Ladies and gentlemen, I shall now reveal the details of the Earthling's vessels.
"Before I begin, however, does anyone have any questions?"
"Why am I here?" asked Kiyone, raising a hand.
"Well, because I need more than two or three people for an audience," said Washu. "The more, the better. A genius like myself needs a crowd to appreciate her magnificence. And since you two were part of the operation, why not include you?"
"Wow, so you need our help to stop some bad guys who stole a critical part?" asked Mihoshi.
Washu blinked in surprise. "...No. What possible chain of reasoning could lead to that conclusion?"
"Don't mind her," said Funaho. "Mihoshi, dear, let the genius talk."
Washu then changed the graph to show a variety of different ships. "Now then, I have completed my analysis of the Earthling technology. It is simultaneously obsolete, and yet also cutting edge."
"What do you mean?" asked Kiyone.
"Well, the technologies that power it are all Earthling. They don't involve psychic power," said Washu. "These things are incredibly advanced by their standards. It seems they substituted Ultra Energy Matter for psychic power. Doing so required a much larger amount of power, however, and their application of it was sloppy.
"The vessels seemed to suffer numerous malfunctions while doing battle with you. At the same time, the entire thing was slathered in recording equipment. Someone wanted to record how it did during the real thing."
"How effective are these weapons, Washu?" asked Funaho.
Washu shrugged. "Not very.
"A little below the weakest weaponry on a Galaxy Police cruiser. A dozen might be able to mess with the paint job. But it's still an impressive engineering achievement. It is going well beyond what we believed was possible with physical sciences.
"Earthling tech is amazing."
"Is there anything you have found that we can use?" asked Funaho.
"As a matter of fact, there was one piece of tech in it that might be an asset," said Washu.
"And what is that?" asked Funaho.
Washu pressed a few buttons, and schematics for a box thing appeared. "Behold, a Space Folding Drive."
"Space folding?" asked Mihoshi.
"Yes, using this device, a vessel can traverse distances faster rate than light," said Washu.
"Um, isn't that supposed to be impossible," said Tenchi. "Non-psychic technology can't move faster than the speed of light. Earth science proved that much, and Jurai knew it for centuries."
"Well, look who knows so much, Prince Tenchi," said Washu, moving forward. "Even so, you're technically correct. This field does not make you go faster than light. It folds space."
"Meaning?" asked Funaho.
"Okay, let me demonstrate," said Washu with a sigh. "Kiyone, Mihoshi, please stand up. Come over here to me."
Kiyone did so, and both went to the front to stand before Washu. She was feeling a sense of authority from her. It was only natural; Washu was centuries older than either of them, at least. And she had experienced many lifetimes. Kiyone and Mihoshi were both on their first lives, so a request from Washu was like a command.
They stood before her, and Kiyone felt very, very nervous.
"Now, Kiyone, you are next to Mihoshi," said Washu. "Let's say I want you to get all the way over there to Queen Funaho. What is the faster possible way there?"
"A straight line," said Kiyone.
"No, the quickest possible way there is zero," said Washu before pressing a button on her console. A portal opened beneath Kiyone's legs, and she cried out as she fell through it to land in a heap at Funaho's feet. A moment later, Mihoshi fell out from above and landed on her. Their breasts crushed together as their lips nearly met.
A blush crossed Kiyone's face as she quickly got Mihoshi off her. Standing up quickly, she rubbed her head.
"What the device does is open a portal through a sort of in-between space," said Washu. "That portal folds space and lets you get right there. Thank you for the demonstration; you can sit down now."
"Um, excuse me?" called Mark, raising a hand.
Washu halted. "Yes.
"Hang on, I don't remember inviting you in here."
"I'm a janitor, and I'm off duty. I figured this place might need me," said Mark. "There are records of a surprising number of explosions in your demonstrations."
"Cute," said Washu. "Someone is a fan.
"Alright, I'll humor you. Go ahead."
"Isn't it possible that this technology is a means of achieving the same thing you do?" asked Mark.
Washu put a hand to her chin and considered it. "Hmm, you mean that by utilizing psychic power, Jurai is performing the same technique. Only a on a subconscious level?"
"It could happen," said Mark.
"It could, but the answer is no," said Washu. "We do have some ability to create portals, but none so long-range they can be used for interstellar travel.
"What Jurai does is more like they are melding the divine dimension with our own.
"This, however, is not so subtle. It brute forces a pathway through higher planes of existence so as to arrive at a given place."
"This pathway, is it dangerous?" asked Funaho.
"Well our Earthling friends thought so. Thus why they did all their experiments all the way on Mars. But they seemed to have gotten the process down pat.
"These machines worked with a great deal of efficiency. I suspect they have been working with them for at least five years."
"Five years?" asked Mitsuki. "How is it possible we haven't heard of something like this?"
"My guess, nobody was looking," said Mark.
"What does that mean..." began Tenchi, who halted. "Mark? I didn't know you were working here."
"For lack of a better option? Yes," said Mark.
"Right, um, we'll catch up later," said Tenchi.
"Ahem," said Washu.
Everyone looked at her.
"Well, it's not my job, Funaho, to know what Earthlings do with their finances," said Washu. "However, I suspect they were working on the theory for a while. When Jurai made itself known, they used Juraian resources to make it a reality.
"But, it requires Ultra Energy Matter."
"The rarest and most valuable material in the universe," said Mitsuki.
"Thus why they were trying to enter Tokimi's dimension," guessed Funaho.
"I don't think they knew or cared whose dimension they were entering Funaho," said Kiyone. She felt obligated to show her research. "The logs indicate they more or less regarded it as an extremely dangerous form of mining."
"Question," said Mark.
Washu sighed. "You again? What is it?"
"Why has no one ever tried to access the Goddesses dimension in this way before?" asked Mark.
Funaho shrugged. "There have been attempts.
"At one time, an Emperor of Jurai attempted to seize control of Tsunami's dimension using his fleet. It... didn't end well for him. In response, the entity known as K.A.I.N was created and ravaged the universe for thousands of years. It was eventually stopped by Azusa's father, Nesshin. At the cost of his life."
"But that kind of operation wouldn't have been committed to without some kind of plan," said Mark. "I mean, hasn't anyone tried to access the dimensions of the Goddesses on a smaller scale?"
"People do it all the time whenever they pray," said Funaho. "The Goddesses are omnipotent entities that are everywhere at once. Every religious experience and emotion connects with their dimension." Mark seemed about to say something to that.
"Hold on, Mark has a point," said Mitsuki. "What's the difference between what Earth was doing and... well, the ordinary method."
Washu shrugged. "Think about it this way;
"A prayer is a conversation with the Goddesses. What the Emperor did was akin to trying to mug them at knifepoint for their wallets."
"So what does that make what we did?" asked Tenchi.
Washu seemed to consider it. "...At the risk of stretching the metaphor, you were picking Tokimi's pocket. Siphoning off her energies in an attempt to harness them. My guess is that since you weren't actually trying to hurt her, she let you get away with it."
"She killed over a thousand people before Tenchi sent a distress signal," noted Kiyone.
"Given the nature of the energies they unleashed, she might have chosen not to save them," noted Funaho.
"And that makes it better?" asked Tenchi in surprise.
"The Goddesses are benevolent and powerful," said Washu. "They have gifted every race with what they need. This alongside abilities that make them special. Trying to take their powers as if they were a mineshaft was a serious crime."
"When have the Goddesses ever gifted humanity with what it needs?" asked Mark, and his tone had such steel in it that everyone stared at him. For a moment, Kiyone felt almost compelled to look on the Goddesses as tyrants. But it passed. Mark was bitter and not thinking clearly.
Why had he gotten so heated earlier? Was this about Washu teleporting her and Mihoshi? That was just slapstick. Well that and shipping.
"Often, the Goddesses work in mysterious ways," said Funaho after a moment. "We do not always comprehend their plans until they are finished."
"...Well, I don't think anyone in my species is going to be alive for that, to be honest," said Mark.
"That isn't necessarily true," said Funaho. "Efforts are underway to create an immortality serum. It is one that can work with your immune system. And reincarnation is proven science. I am certain our technology can be adapted."
"Can we focus, please?" asked Tenchi. "Washu, if they have a working space folding device and have for years... they could go anywhere."
"What do you mean?" asked Funaho.
"Yeah, Mitsuki is right," Mihoshi. "The Mars Colony might only be one place that the bad guys have set up. They may have established secret bases all over the place. Maybe they are harvesting, even more, Ultra Energy Matter for their wicked schemes."
"...That actually makes sense," said Kiyone. "They can fold space. So we wouldn't see them en route. Washu, are there any kind of range limitations on this device?"
"I can't give you an answer on that without testing it," said Washu. "But I suspect that they have some limitations. Folding more space results in more power being burned. And there are probably other, serious side effects."
"What about the Planet of the Goddesses?" asked Mark suddenly.
Everyone looked to him, and he'd become the center of the world again. Kiyone didn't understand why he was having this effect on her. And not just on her, but Mitsuki too. Even Washu and Mihoshi seemed focused on him. She'd never experienced anything like this.
"Hmm, what about it?" asked Funaho, who was less focused.
"Well, these Earthlings are trying to harvest power from the Goddesses," said Washu. "Legends say that the Goddesses mortal avatars are sleeping. Maybe they'd try to target that. This seems like a very interesting opportunity to go there. I've always wanted to study a god."
"That is... a disturbing possibility," said Funaho after a moment. "But I don't think we need to fear that. The Planet of the Goddesses is one of the most guarded worlds besides Jurai. Not even the Jurai Emperor has the authority to withdraw fleets from it. In addition, it is near the center of the universe.
"I doubt there is enough Ultra Energy Matter in existence to get that far."
"Also, I suspect the jump would overload and destroy their systems," said Washu.
"Well, what if they did get down to the Planet of the Goddesses?" asked Mark. "Anything is possible."
"They won't," said Mitsuki, shifting. Everyone except Tenchi was now shifting beneath Mark's gaze.
"I know they won't," said Mark. "But Earthlings have learned to have a plan for everything that could possibly go wrong. If an Earthling Rogue Black Ops group got down to the Planet of the Goddesses, what kind of damage could that cause?"
Funaho thought about it. "...Well, information on the Planet of the Goddesses is a closely guarded secret, and I can't talk about that. But, in a worst-case scenario, they could set in motion a chain of events that awakens the Three Goddesses.
"Once that happens, physical reality as we know it could cease to exist. The entire universe could end."
"Why would reality cease to exist?" asked Tenchi.
"Well, there are a number of theories on that," said Washu, moving forward with swaying hips. "Some believe that the universe is formed from the dreams of the Goddesses. This whole reality then is only a dream, and when they wake up, the entire thing could cease to exist and fade away.
"Others argue that reality does exist independent of them. But if they wake up, the resulting wave of power could end all of this."
"There's also a more optimistic version. One where when they wake up, reality will be reformed into a better universe," said Funaho. "It'll have all the good things we created and none of the bad."
"But no one wants to take the chance," asked Mark.
He was asking that question?
People didn't just ask if something was worth annihilating existence, but he had.
"Would you want to bet your entire universe's existence just to wake sleeping beauty?" asked Mitsuki.
"I guess it depends on what I thought of the universe," said Mark.
This was... weird.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Kiyone.
"Well, I don't mean to sound megalomaniacal. But, pretty awful things have happened to good people," said Mark. "It's theoretically possible that this universe would get worse and worse and worse. Until eventually it got so bad that a hard reset might be preferable to continuing to exist within it."
"Speaking as someone who has met Tsunami, I find it unlikely that we would all cease to exist," said Funaho. "Tsunami loves everyone, and the other Goddesses thought the universe worth creating. I believe they would want to preserve it in some form.
"Mortals might forget dreams, but the Goddesses never forget anything."
"In that case, this conspiracy might think it worth the risk to try and wake them up," said Mark.
Everyone went very silent as they realized there was somebody in the universe nuts enough to end it—all on the off chance they'd get a better deal in the reset.
"Lady Funaho, what's wrong?" asked Washu.
Funaho had gone very, very white. "I've been thinking about all this," she said at last. "Earth has only had Kiyone and Mihoshi as resident officers this entire time. That's why they slipped past us. A more trafficked region of space would be patrolled, and they would never have been found.
"But these people, whoever they are, can move without being seen.
"They don't care how many of their own kind die as long as they succeed in their mission. They also, like most Earthlings, have a remarkable ability to fade into the background. I was once human and lived during a time of war and strife.
"Azusa took me away from that, but the memory is one of the reasons I am effective.
"And these people have no respect for anything sacred. The divine is nothing more than an untapped power source to them. Their fellow humans are just statistics. And they have clearly developed technology to exploit the fact.
"More importantly, no one takes them seriously."
"So what do you plan to do?" asked Washu.
"At the moment?" asked Funaho. "Tenchi Masaki and I have to continue our tour. But I need the Galaxy Police to look into this."
"Still, if you call down a task force, it'll spook them," said Mark. "They might just murder everybody on the colonies they set up. Or go underground."
"Well, for a start, I can send out many ships to start exploring," noted Mitsuki. "Sooner or later, we'll come across one of their bases. But with no leads, it could be difficult."
"Why not go to Earth?" asked Mark.
Funaho looked at him in surprise. "Hmm, what do you mean?"
"Jurai has kept a loose hold on Earth so far," said Mark. "So they probably are recruiting people from Earth. And this entire organization is made up of Earthlings. So they have to be getting their recruits from there. Find where they are recruiting, and you'll be able to track down the paper trail."
"And who would you send for this?" asked Funaho, looking at him keenly.
"...For a start, I'd begin with the space program," said Mark. "Read through their finances and figure out if funds are being siphoned off. You could probably just order port authorities to do that, as long as you can trust them."
"And then?" asked Funaho.
"Well, the next logical step would be to look at who they are recruiting," said Mark thoughtfully. "Given that they are militaristic in nature, they probably recruit former soldiers. World peace has put a lot of people out of business, what with Juraian superiority.
"So, I suppose I would find places you could recruit a lot of trained killers with questionable morals. Probably from locations whose culture clashed with Jurai."
"Meaning?" asked Funaho.
Mark seemed to think this through. "Well, more democratic, tolerant locations got on pretty well with Jurai. We were mostly trying to create world peace anyway. Maybe some of us found you weird or depraved or naive, but we find eachother that way too.
"The places that got culture clash the worst were Third World countries.
"Places where the youth had been radicalized with promises of holy war. Or where the society had become secular to the point of genociding religious groups. All those places had a history of violence and persecution of minorities.
"There was a long history of the United States and other nations becoming involved to try and stabilize the region. Entire generations had warred with one another.
"So when Jurai came in and put a stop to it by sheer power, liberated women by sheer power, and reformed..."
"People took the humane treatment of human beings personally?" asked Mitsuki.
"Think about it from their perspective, Mitsuki," said Mark. "You've spent your entire life committing a series of necessary evils in pursuit of utopia. You've lost friends, had to kill some of them even. But you've soldiered on, created a stable small empire. Then Jurai shows up and creates utopia, instantly rendering all of your efforts moot. If you'd done nothing, you'd have had the same effect.
"Is a man with that kind of power who has done such things going to give up? Is he really going to submit to the destruction of everything he believes? And admit that everything he has worked for his entire life is for nothing?
"Or is he going to declare Jurai agents of the devil sent to lead us astray?
"Or, if you want a more secular perspective, the glorious race has arisen by its own hand to achieve great things. We have gone by chance from mere apes to the Kings of our world. Now Jurai, a pampered and decadent society, has descended to destroy our culture. And we must fight back."
"How do you know this?" asked Funaho.
"I could have been one of those people," said Mark. "I understand why they are doing this because I've felt the same destructive impulses."
He had? This was... heavy stuff? How did one want to do that kind of thing and not do it? "Then why aren't you?" asked Kiyone.
"Because what they are doing is evil and stupid," said Mark. "They are hurting people so that they can prepare for a war with someone who doesn't even want to fight them. Not just that, but it is someone who could eradicate our entire planet in an afternoon.
"No amount of technological advancement is going to help us win the conflict they are seeking. That's why I came here.
"I became a janitor because I wanted to show people that Earth had something to offer. When I failed the exam, I got a job I could do. And then I did it to the best of my ability. I didn't like the job, and I didn't get much respect for it at all.
"But that wasn't the point.
"The point is that by mopping floors and doing everything I'm told to do, I am proving that we have worth. I am setting an example for something others can do."
"But surely you could have lived quite comfortably on Earth. You had no obligation to humiliate yourself," said Funaho.
"That's not the point," said Mark. "A man ought to do everything in his power to better the world. To ensure that in his time, he has done what is right. My own desire was not relevant.
"I want Earth to be more than a dependant on Jurai. I want us to become a power in our own right, worthy of admiration. That is why I have stayed here for two years because by doing so, I am paving the way for something greater."
Silence.
"...That would be the coolest thing I'd ever heard. If you weren't talking about something lame, Mark," said Mitsuki.
"Who is more admirable?" asked Mark. "The hardworking janitor who goes above and beyond. Even if to ensure everyone has a clean workplace? Or the layabout living in luxury based on intergalactic welfare.
"That is not who I am.
"That is why I am going to continue doing everything I can with what resources I have. Even if I have to do it for the rest of my life."
Funaho halted. "...Well-spoken, William Mark.
"Very well, I'll assign this task to you, Kiyone Makibi, and Mihoshi Kuramitsu."
"What, but I'm-" began Mark.
"No buts," said Funaho. "You three are the officers are the ones with the most knowledge of Earth, and its people."
Mark halted. "... I'm a janitor."
"It is still a part of this facility," said Funaho. "And we will need someone we can trust to provide help for Earth. In any case, I think you deserve an opportunity to be more."
"...Congratulations Mark," said Tenchi. "Really great."
"...Thank you," said Mark, looking stunned.
"Is that acceptable?" asked Funaho.
"Yes, ma'am!" said Mark.
Well, it looked like Kiyone wasn't going to be accompanying Tenchi for long. But this could be pretty interesting in itself.