holding up a pic of a pale insane looking human.
"He has been very naughty. His crimes include not putting in a proper disclaimer
yet on any of his fan fics or mentioning Pioneer as being the rightful owners of Tenchi
Muyo." The cute cherub told them.
"But didn't you just do that." Merron pointed out.
"Um..."
"Don't worry Dota, I, Carrot Glace will spite the foul Fan Fic writer and when
I'm done, you want to go out."
"Oh... Carrot your always so funny."
"Darling! Why ever would you say that when you've got me."
"Um... I've got a problem with that."
Note: {words in these brackets represent words in English}
Ever After
Chapter 5: Enter Tenchi Stage Left
"Captain, no response to our hails."
"Damn Command, their trying to get me blown up like
the Soyokaze." He patted
the arm rest softly. "Don't worry girl. We're not going
to take any risks." The tree
behind him rustled her leaves in silent acknowledgment.
The Gilvilyko was still a young space tree, fast
and sleek. Which meant that she
got the majority of the courier jobs. That didn't exactly displease
Captain Konaka who
loved the freedom that he got from solo duty. But then on most
days he wasn't patrolling
a whole alien fleet with just three other ships. Even worse Command
had ordered him to
try to peacefully resolve the issue. He laughed at the thought,
and stared at the enemy
picket ships his scanners could detect. Five hundred plus of
the fighter crafts. *Like they
want to talk about anything.* He hadn't been given permission
to surrender.
"So Tact, what's your analysis of the situation."
He said jokingly to his only
other crew member massaging her shoulders. She held both hats
as tactical and comms
while he was stuck with pilot and engineer. Between them and
the Gilvilyko they filled
every slot necessary for a crew.
His wife stared at him, "were in trouble."
He had to nod at the words his
agreement obvious. "If we try to advance any further we won't
be able to turn around
and escape in time. There's no way we can get a scan of Farreach
and they've blown up
all of our probes." Mia told him leaning into the back rub he
was giving her.
"How about you girl, any suggestions or thoughts
from the other trees." There
was a long pause as the ship accessed the net and combined knowledge
of thousands of
space trees, both the living and the dead. He was worried for
her. His ship had seemed
to take the Soyokaze loss as a personal matter even though as far as
he knew they had
never talked or met. But then again, all the ships were connected.
Just like him and his ship. He remembered the tears
they had shed after the battle
with Tokimi. It was a time he did not wish to repeat, but that
experience was looming
forward once again.
Gilvilyko and Mia both still had scars left from
the battle where they had been
directly hit by an anti-energy weapon of some sort. It had taken
all his strength and
courage to slap the seal on his wife's suit and calm Gilvilyko enough
so that they could
limp out of the line of fire and hide until help could arrive.
He massaged Mia's shoulders harder remembering the
physical therapy. Konaka
kept trying to get her to remove the scar that slashed down one side
of her face. But
more and more she seemed to need that reminder of her own fragility
as she tried one
reckless thing after another.
"No suggestions are available." She sounded
so far away almost like a ships
computer rather then the center of the two Jurians existence.
Wounds had also left scars
where new bark covered over burnt wood. Givliyko was so cautious
now, it had become
even worse since the Soyokaze destruction. Her cautiousness had
turned to fear. His
ship had been the fastest ship of them all. When the emperor
called for emergency
dispatches he had been sent to the far reaches of the galaxy, now she
wanted to take it
slow and cautious. A normal occurrence for the huge older
war ships with crews in the
thousands. But Gilvilyko had only been christened ten years
ago and was going to be a
courier for a good five hundred years to go until she could grew large
enough to support
the crew necessary to make her a destroyer.
Another hologram appeared this time of a young lady
with dark green hair
dressed in a kimono favored by the royal family of Jurai. Demure
eyes of darkest blue
staring back at him.
It was amazing what you can do when you are bored
flying through space. This
was one of them an image he and his wife had created for their ship
something that she
could communicate with them through on a more personal level.
The whole design was
theirs except for the scar that sloped down the left cheek and onto
the throat a mirror
image of the one on his wife.
"We're too close as it is." She said playing
with her hair. "I'm also picking up
some odd radiation signatures and something seems to be wrong with
my internal
navigation checks. Stars keep appearing and disappearing in the
wrong places."
"Any ideas about what's causing them." He
said staring at the forward navigation
screen to try to confirm her readings. "I don't see anything
right now." He tapped on the
pad again calling up her previous readings of the navigation checks.
He paused, she had
to have been paying very close attention to have picket up such minute
changes it was
probably just a peculiarity of this area, something to do with the
radiation. She was just
being too cautious.
The captain of the Gilvilyko sighed he had hoped
that this waiting was over.
***
"Sasami could I use bathroom?" Autumn asked,
getting up from the floor she and
the other two girls had been sitting on.
"Sure, its down the stairs at the end of the hall."
She stood up as well stretching
out her neck and arms. *Even if today is Friday shouldn't they
be heading home soon.*
The buses stopped running at ten and sooner or later Noboyuki or one
of the resident
officers would come home, and where was Ryo-Ohki?
"Shouldn't you two be heading home soon, if you
want to catch a bus?"
"Come. Come now!" Autumn yelled from
the landing. Barely understandable as
her American accent got the better of her. Seconds later both
of her friends had joined
her as they stared down into the family room where Motashiwa and Mitsuki
stood. *Why
now, I thought they were living in their ship, in orbit.* Anyone
else she could have
explained as just strangely died hair and as long as they cooperated
there wouldn't have
been a problem but Officer Motashiwa was just cut from a different
cloth.
The two aliens stared back at the humans having
figured out that somehow they
had interacted with the native population. The door behind them
opened and in came
Ryo-Ohki kicking off her shoes and sliding a pair of house slippers
on as she bounded
past the two officers. Heading towards the group with Sasami,
oblivious to the situation.
Sasami noticed in a sort of horrified frame by frame of the moment
that Ryo-Ohki was
carrying a large bucket of carrots. *So she went to the field.
With Tenchi gone of
course, Ryo-Ohki would be taking care of them. What would my
sister do in this type of
situation, besides blaming Ryoko. Introduce everyone and pretend
that there's nothing
wrong.*
"Um.. Autumn, Sakura, I would like you to meet officers
Mitsuki and Motashiwa
from the Galaxy Police." She smiled trying to appear calm and
relaxed. "Officers these
are my friends." Both groups of people stared at each other trying
to think of what the
next logical move would be. Ryo-Ohki finally figured out that
something was wrong and
came to a stop in between the two groups. She slowly put down
her basket of carrots.
"Sasami you live with {aliens}... uh! What
word!" Autumn asked, still close to a
panicked tome of voice.
"{Aliens is correct.}" Sasami replied in perfect
English without even a trace of
an accent. While Sakura tried to figure out what was going on.
"Sasami what is going on here." Motashiwa
finally gathered his nerve and tried
to take charge, just as Mihoshi and Kiyone walked into the house in
their G.P. uniforms.
Mihoshi bent over to remove her shoes and suddenly tripped, head over
heels, over the
shoes left by Ryo-Ohki. She tumbling forward right into the other two
G.P. officers.
Knocking them both to the ground. Mihoshi began letting
the apologizes fly as she tried
to help the other two officers back onto their feet. This time
tripping over her own feet
and all three once again fell in a tangled mess on the floor.
"Mihoshi." Yelled her irate partner trying
to smother a giggle that kept bubbling
up every time she saw Mitsuki. Poor Sasami couldn't help it,
the tension she had been
feeling just seconds ago broke and suddenly she was laughing incredibly
hard as tears
came to her eyes.
***
"Tenchi, would you hurry up already. Were already
making Aeka wait." Ryoko
tapped her foot impatiently looking up to the second floor of the boys
dorms. *Damm I
still can't believe that we got stuck with living in the dorms.
Noboyuki is so cheap.*
Being mad at Nobuyuki, completely left her mind when Tenchi finally
appeared in his
tux. Besides maturing a little, nothing had really changed the
prince. He was still the
same old boring son of a shrine keepers daughter and an architect.
So he had seen a few
space battles and was ecstatically in love with two space aliens.
All he had to do now
was relax and have a normal life. Tsunami had promised him that
after the final battle
with Tokimi. He reflexively flexed his left arm still amazed
that it felt so natural.
"Come on slow poke. If we wait much longer
that princess is going to come
looking for us." She held out an umbrella to her love hugging
him at the same time
amongst whistles from the crowd of male college students who had materialized
out of
nowhere at the sight of Ryoko. She gave them a smile and then
tugged Tenchi out into
the rain.
"You ready to go home, Ryoko." Tenchi opened
his umbrella shaking it to full
size.
"Yah, its been awhile since we were all together
hasn't it." Her elbow slid inside
of his as they both walked down the sidewalk enjoying the changes that
rain brought to
Tokyo. Waving every so often as they passed fellow students hurrying
out into the rain.
"Tomorrow is going to be fun, it will be good to see everyone again."
Aeka stood on the corner starring at the two of
them calming herself. *This isn't
the old days... Keep calm and go get that other arm.* She thought
hurrying over to
Tenchi and taking her own advice. Tenchi awkwardly tried to held
onto his umbrella
with a young ladies on each arm. After a few seconds he gave
it up and folded his so that
he could walk underneath there umbrellas. The problem that had
been plaguing him for
so long solved by a random act of fate.
***
"So Sasami, these are your friends."
Mihoshi sipped her tea with great relish
much to the annoyance of both Kiyone and Mitsuki who were sitting on
either side of the
blond. Sakura was trying not to stare at the group of aliens
all calmly sipping tea with
each other, she had adopted a traditional pose trying to keep her head
down, kneeling,
just so she wouldn't look like Autumn, who was bouncing off the walls.
"Yep." She poured some more tea for Mitsuki.
"Your all part of this Galaxy Police thing,
right?" Autumn asked.
"I'm not in the Galaxy Police." Sasami chuckled.
"And neither is Ryo-Ohki."
"Meyowww."
"Then your humans?" Sakura turned her head
rapidly trying not to stare at any of
the aliens especially Motashiwa.
"Ryo-Ohki space pirate." The Cabbit told her
with dead pan seriousness that set
almost everyone into tears.
"Ex-space pirate. Is what you mean Ryo-Ohki."
Kiyone told her pointedly
glancing at Mitsuki and Motashiwa. Before giving Ryo-Ohki a carrot
from the bowl in
the center of the table which she made to quickly disappeared.
*Now if only Mihoshi
could be taught that easily.*
Sasami stood with great dignity. "And I am
a princess of Jurai." Then seeing the
surprised look on her friends couldn't help it and began to laugh again
setting everyone
else off. Which just caused her two friends to look even more
confused as they
laughed.
***
Tenchi grabbed Aeka's hand and led her out onto
the floor of the ball room.
Leaving a crowd of disappointed men behind. The disappointed
males all started to head
for Ryoko but were quickly warned off with a growl. It wasn't
her turn anyway. She
wasn't really jealous anymore how could she when even now she *felt*
Aeka's pleasure.
Without noticing it she massaged the new red gem on her right wrist.
To Aeka this was the closest thing next to pure
joy she had ever experienced. She
pulled Tenchi even closer as they slowly danced across the ball room,
not even hearing
the music, but starring into his eyes. To soon the song was over
and he led her back to
the table that was his for the night. The champagne had arrived
finally and Ryoko was
waiting with impatience for Tenchi to open it. With a little
too much of a flourish he
opened the bottle and poured the glasses full.
"A toast to Tsunami for making this possible."
Tenchi raised his glass.
"To Love." Ryoko held up hers.
"To the end of fighting." Aeka said as they
all raised glasses to their lips and
drank the most expensive Champaign they could charge to Washu Express.
***
"Any response from the new listening device
that were planted." He said inhaling
on his cigarette.
One of the men in white coats at the rear of the
table stood up. "Nothing as of yet
sir, but the new broad band receivers will take some time to calibrate.
"Hmm." He blew another cloud of smoke.
"Those two new officers worry me.
Didn't Kiyone say in her deposition that the Jurian emperor had told
the Galaxy Police
that only they were allowed on Earth by special disposition."
"Yes... here it is on the second days interview.
According to Kiyone, they were
forbidden to have any more officers of Earth by the King of Jurai...
Something about it
being inside their territory. It would appear that the two officers
were only allowed on
Earth by special permission of one of the royalty."
"Theirs nothing we can do about it, the operation
will proceed when we get
permission from the top. Sometime in the next four days.
Be ready for it." He snuffed
out his cigarette and stood. "That is everything people."
The anonymous man walked
out of the conference room buried in a bunker underneath the Diet Building.
Walking
purposely to his office. He had a report to give as well.
His boss was already sitting behind the anonymous
man's desk showing the
pecking order with out even saying a word. He lit up another
cigarette knowing how
much that irritated his boss.
"The mission will start soon be ready." He
took a drag on the cigarette and blew
it at the alien.
***
"Hello... Tenchi, beloved." A voice next to
him rolled his name in her mouth like
she could make love to it. He was in a bed made of silk that
including the sides of the
bed. A breeze blew through the room making the silk blow in waves.
Tenchi turned his
head and smiled dazedly at Tokimi kissing her. She began to lightly
run her hand across
his bare chest. "You have missed me haven't you, beloved."
Missed her but she was right here all the time.
Where she belonged. Where else
would she be. "You do love me don't you..." Tokimi persisted.
"I will always love you, who else could I love."
He kissed her again the
beginnings of passion in his eyes. But she pulled away.
"My guards are here... stop them my love."
She pushed him away as Ryoko and
Aeka suddenly appeared out of the darkness surrounding the bed each
garbed in their
battle outfits. Both of them grabbed the struggling Tokimi and
forced her out of the bed
and into a void they created using the gems on their wrists that glowed
a brilliant red.
Tenchi stared at the two women trying to figure out where he knew them
from.
"Beloved soon we will be together again."
Tokimi called out to Tenchi just
before the void closed in on her.
***
Send all comments to STRIKESTWICE@hotmail.com.
This is Ver2.5!