Disclaimer
Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC. I don't own any rights to them. Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.
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Ladies Night Out
Chapter 4
The Force? What's That?
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The tall, black haired woman, still a bit tipsy from the wine she'd drank at that strange little pub, poked her head around the corner of the building and looked down the dusty street. Seeing nothing amiss aside from some blurry looking beings wandering about, she took a step out into the street. And was almost run down by a flying vehicle that sped in from nowhere. She spun around a few times then sat down in the dust with a solid thud. An old woman seated in a nearby doorway shook her fist at the departing vehicle. "Damn swoop riding idiots. They think they own the town." She slowly stood up and made her way to where the girl was now sprawled on her back in the dirt. "Are you ok dearie? You seem a little out of it."
"She'll be fine," said a rich, musical voice with an odd accent from behind her. The old woman turned and saw three other girls standing in a semi-circle around her. The one who had spoken, a dusky platinum hair beauty continued. "She's just had a couple to many tonight. Speaking of which, is there somewhere nearby that four lovely women can get a drink and relax?"
The old woman eyed the trio suspiciously, in this town, things were seldom as they seemed. In addition to the one who had spoken there was a cyan haired girl with wide, golden eyes and another wearing a cloak that partially hid her features. The wisps of hair that escaped from the hood were only slightly lighter than the golden-eyed one's spiky mane. There were enough similarities between the two that they could've related. Distantly, true, but related none-the-less. She sensed no bad intentions in this group so she pointed down the street. "Next corner, turn right. Wuher's Cantina's across the square."
"Thanks," said the cyan-tressed one as she knelt down to help her fallen comrade to unsteady feet. She tossed the old woman a small gold piece and the four started off in the direction indicated, the fallen one being supported between the two blue haired women.
The old woman looked at the coin and didn't recognize the currency, but she knew gold when she felt it, which wasn't often out here at the ass-end of the galaxy. She called after them, "You girls be careful, this is a dangerous place, especially after dark. Mos Eisley's home to all kinds of pirates and cutthroats."
The two that were helping the third suddenly dropped her. "Pirates?" said one. "Cutthroats?" choked the other. They looked at each other strangely. "Sounds like our kinda place, eh Ryoko?" said the hooded one.
"Yeah," replied the one called Ryoko. "I can hardly wait. C'mon Naga, get your drunken butt in gear. Nagi, gimme a hand with her." She reached down and grabbed her friend under one arm, hoisting her to her feet.
"Ryoko, can't we just rest here for a few more minutes?" asked the tall beauty.
"There's booze Naga, music, wine… All just up the street a bit."
"Wine? Music? Well then, what are we waiting for?" She suddenly straightened herself up and strode off down the middle of the street. After a half dozen steps she stopped and turned. "Um, exactly where is this place?" It was Ryoko and Nagi's turn to fall over in the street.
The old woman smiled and made her way back to her hovel. She resumed her seat on the step and rubbed her eyes. There must be something wrong with them; she could've sworn the platinum haired girl had been floating several inches off the ground. But that was impossible, wasn't it? Young 'uns; always discovering some new way to annoy their elders.
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"This must be the place," commented Nagi as the sound of a strange melody wafted out through the entryway's static barrier. As she entered the cantina a detector set into the wall started buzzing.
The man behind the bar turned toward the bounty hunter. "You! We don't serve droids in here, take it back outside."
Nagi looked puzzled for a moment as the other three crowded in behind her. "Droids?" she wondered.
"Mechanicals, artificial life," the barkeep snarled. "Take it out of my place."
Nagi pulled her cabbit from under her cloak. "You mean him? He stays with me, always."
The bartender peered at the small animal. "Doesn't look mechanical; what is it?"
Nagi set Ken-ohki on her shoulder. The cabbit gave a mighty yawn and curled up; soft snores were heard from his direction. A general chuckle passed through the place at the bartender's expense. "Silicon-based life," Nagi explained. "If your detector's set for anything non-carbon based that probably explains it."
"Yeah, I guess." The man turned back to his other customers and the four women entered the bar. The place was crowded; the only table available was one in the back with a small hole burned through it. They made their way through the crowd and appropriated it.
"Wonder what did this," Ryoko said, fingering the small hole.
Nagi gave it a cursory examination then dismissed it. "Energy weapon of some kind, probably a phase modulated blaster."
"Uh, yeah. Whatever." Ryoko gestured for a waitress to come over and take their order.
"What'll it be ladies?" the green skinned humanoid asked. "We have some nice Corellian whisky. Wyyrens' Reserve, the best. Just came in, courtesy of one of our former customers, the one that made that hole there in fact. Or there's lomin ale, the local brew, not imported. It's not bad either. Maybe a nice synthetic wine?"
"Bottle of the whiskey and three glasses," said Urd. She looked across the table at Naga who'd passed out again. "Make that two glasses. And some ale for our other friend."
"Comin' right out," the waitress said. She disappeared back into the mass of beings.
In a remarkably short time their drinks had appeared and the band, which had been on a break, began playing again. Ryoko found the tune interesting but unusual. The beings playing the odd instruments were mostly tall with pasty complexions, huge dark eyes and a series of folds that resembled gills around their cheeks and mouths. Upon asking she learned that they were called Bithians and the music style was called Jizz Wailer.
A shadow fell across the table and the women looked up to find a being with a reddish complexion, horns and sharp, pointy teeth smiling down at them. "Good evening ladies. Enjoying yourselves?" He looked at each of them and his eyes settled on Nagi, seated at the back of the booth between Urd and the still out of it Naga. "How about a date for the evening?" he asked the bounty hunter, his smile widening to show even more teeth.
Nagi calmly took a sip of her lomin ale before replying. "No, I don't think so. You're just not my type."
"Not your type? I can make you a very happy woman."
"Heh. I've gotten better lines than that from being out in the sun too long. Go 'way." Nagi took another sip but inwardly she tensed up.
"I'm not going anywhere," the Devaronian snarled. "Not until you agree to spend the night with me."
Ryoko stood up and got in the Devaronian's face. "She said 'No' buster. She doesn't like men in general and she doesn't like you in particular. Neither do I."
The devil-faced being smiled evilly. "Oh, she'll like me, I guarantee it. Besides, who's gonna stop me, you? I think you need to sit back down little lady while your friend and I have a little chat."
There was a sudden hissing noise and Ryoko's orange energy blade was poking the obnoxious being under the chin. "No one calls me 'little lady' in that tone of voice and gets away with it. Now BACK OFF!"
The Devaronian gulped and backed away. "My apologies ladies. I didn't know you were Jedi." He turned and disappeared into the crowd. The word 'Jedi' echoed in whispers through the bar. Beings that had been admiring the four beauties or scheming of ways to relieve them of their money suddenly found interests in other areas. Ryoko's sword faded with a soft 'pop'.
"What just happened?" asked Nagi, reholstering the blaster that she'd pulled and kept under the table when the altercation started. "What's a Jedi?" Ken-ohki poked his head up and "Chow"ed his agreement with his partner.
Ryoko shrugged her shoulders and resumed her seat. "I dunno, but as long as they think that's what I am I guess we're safe."
Across the room a hooded figure watched the four with interest but no malice. The figure seemed to come to a decision and suddenly stood and made it's way over to the girl's table.
Ryoko looked up at the slender person standing before them. "Wadda ya want. I'm Jedi, very dangerous."
The figure threw back its hood to reveal a pleasant face framed by brilliant red hair. "Dangerous? Definitely," the woman laughed brightly. "However Jedi you're not," she said more quietly. She moved the edge of her cloak aside revealing a silver cylinder slightly less than a foot in length clipped to her belt. "But I am. My name's Mara, may I join you?"
Ryoko scooched over closer to Urd to make a place for the Jedi. The dark skinned goddess eyed the new woman with interest. "Mara huh? I know a Mara myself. She's not exactly what you'd call a pleasant person but for a demon she's all right."
"Don't know anything about demons, but I've dealt with a few monsters in my time. Some human, some not." Mara poured herself a shot from the half empty bottle on the table. "Wyrren's Reserve. I shoulda known that was what was in those boxes Han had us deliver. Imagine, using Jedi as smuggling partners. Slick."
"Us?" wondered Urd. "There's more of you?"
Mara grinned at the goddess. "Myself and my husband. This is his homeworld, he's here to search for anything that his father or former master may have left behind. Me, I'm just tagging along. We Jedi don't get many vacations."
"I see," said Ryoko. "And what made you think that I'm not one of these Jedi, like you?"
"Two things. One, a true Jedi would only use her weapon as a last resort and two, there aren't so many of us that I wouldn't have met you before now. But the Force does run strong in you." Mara extended her senses the way her husband had taught her. She touched Ryoko's inner self and heard the woman sigh as she sensed her inner pain. She moved on to Nagi and felt the need to prove herself running strongly in the bounty hunter. Naga she couldn't quite get a handle on but sensed the fun-loving, open personality present. Lastly she touched Urd's core. And immediately withdrew. "Your pardon Lady. I didn't know."
"Know what?" asked a puzzled Ryoko as she shifted her gaze between the Jedi and the gently smiling Urd.
Mara bowed to the goddess. "As I said, the Force is strong in each of you, but in the Lady here… It's hard to explain. The Force isn't in her; she's a manifestation of the Force itself, an almost perfect blending of the Light and the Dark. You have something similar inside you too Ryoko, but not quite the same. I think you need to talk to my husband Luke if you want a better explanation."
Nagi coughed theatrically to get everyone's attention. "What's this 'Force' you keep talking about? I don't know if I want this in me or not. How do I get rid of it?"
"The Force is the energy field that binds all life in the galaxy together," Mara explained. "It has a Light side and a Dark side. Everyone has some of it but we who are sensitive to it can use the energy for various purposes. The task of a Jedi is to use the Force to keep peace."
A look of understanding formed in Ryoko's eyes. "So, it's like Washu's Duct Tape. That has a light side and a dark side and it binds anything."
Urd broke into hysterical laughter as she remembered Minagi and Ryoko tying up Xellos with Washu's tape. It was Mara and Nagi's turn to look confused.
"I don't know this Washu," said the red head, "but that sounds like an old pilot's joke about Space Tape that goes around every so often."
"Washu's Ryoko's mom," said Urd, wiping the tears from her eyes. "She's a goddess, like me but much more powerful."
Mara turned to Ryoko, her eyes wide. "Really. I'd like to meet her someday and I'm sure Luke would too. Also this other Mara, the demon."
Ryoko snickered at the Jedi's expression. "You'd really enjoy meeting Tsunami then and perhaps Tokimi."
"Her aunts," Urd explained. "The other two goddesses of the Juraian triumvirate." She finished the whiskey bottle off and turned to Nagi. "It's about that time." The bounty hunter nodded agreement and pulled out Washu's device.
Ryoko looked at her friends and downed the rest of her drink in one gulp. She glanced across at the unconscious sorceress and stood up. And almost fell over as the room suddenly spun around several times. Mara caught her and steadied her on her feet.
"I think you four need to head for home, wherever that is," the Jedi exclaimed. "Perhaps we'll meet again someday and you can introduce me to these goddesses of yours."
"Knowing Washu, anything's possible," said Nagi getting to her feet. "We'd best do this outside." She gestured to Urd. "Ladies first. Give Ryoko a hand, she looks a little unsteady, I'll grab Naga."
The five made their way outside and around to the same alley that the group had originally appeared in. Mara said her goodbyes again then stood back as Nagi pressed the button. The four strange women disappeared and the Jedi turned back towards the cantina with a sigh. What marvelous Jedi's they would have made. Especially the boy she'd sensed in Ryoko's mind. Ryoko's husband, the one named Tenchi.
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To be continued
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Author's Notes
I didn't want to do the cantina because I couldn't think of a way to fit it in. But there were so many requests for it that I couldn't ignore the obvious any longer. But instead of setting it in the same timeframe as "A New Hope" I set it in the Expanded Universe of the novels. If you've never read any of the Star Wars novels I can recommend those by Michael Stackpole, Aaron Alliston and Timothy Zahn. Most of the others are good too, but those are my favorites.
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Review Responses
Dennisud – I haven't seen much B5 and Ten Forward's already been done (although it was only Mihoshi, Sasami and Washu). I take it you didn't like Robert Asprin's world? I agree, it could have been better but I was doing it all from memory and it'd been a while since I'd read the books (a situation now remedied). I didn't even remember that the casino was called "The Fun House".
Wharpt – Well, it wasn't my original intention to have them universe hopping but I had to get Nagi and Naga into the picture and it kinda snowballed.
Thundergod – Come on, how could you not recognize Cheers? I mean I know I intentionally didn't mention any names until the end, but…
Lizzy Hakubi – I didn't know if you'd ever heard of Cheers (you hadn't) but the situations are standard sitcom stuff.
Kuria Sakura – The Myth books were (are) a series of comedic stories by Robert Lynn Asprin. Some are first person and some are third person. I notice they're being reissued with two books per volume.
Chandelle – These ladies can't anyways…
Smack54 – Norm? You mean Cliff. Norm was there the whole time Sam was telling the story.
Alighthawk – How could you forget Diane? But I set this before Frasier came on the scene, probably shortly after Coach died.
Blackbird – I'm not familiar with any current Twilight Zone episodes and the last time I saw any of the old ones was when they were still first-run. Sorry. I don't watch Frasier very often either.
Oniken – I wanted to do Quark but you're right, it would be messed up.
Priest – You were about the fifth person who asked for the Mos Eisley cantina and that kinda pushed me into it.
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BobR
6/5/2002