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.

*****

The Great Cabbit Search

Chapter 8

Wherever You Go, There You Are.

Part 5

*****

"Kiyone," came Mihoshi's voice from the intercom, "I think we're being followed."

Colonel Makibi Kiyone sighed in resignation as she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.  This was really getting to be a habit of her partner's; she hadn't been able to finish a shower in days.  Not that her cybernetic body ever sweated or anything, but the hot water felt good and it was one of the pleasures she'd missed in her old body.  That, the taste of food, and ...  But best not to dwell on that, her boyfriend was light-years and universes away.

"Ok Mihoshi, I'll be right there," she called toward the intercom pickup.  She'd learned not to activate the video anymore.  Not that she minded her partner seeing her naked, they'd been roommates at the academy for a while after all, but once one of the Tenchi's had been in the control room when Mihoshi called.  He'd immediately gotten a nosebleed when she activated the screen.  She quickly got dressed and headed for the control room.  She really hoped it wasn't yet another Ryoko.

Entering the cabin Kiyone gestured for Mihoshi to let her sit in the pilot's chair.  Moving over to the copilot/sensor operator's position, Mihoshi turned on her repeater screen.  She pointed to an intermittent flash that was following the same trajectory as Yagami.

"There," said the blonde, "it started showing about ten minutes ago."

"Sensor ghost?" asked Kiyone, noticing how random the flash was.

Mihoshi gave her partner a cold look, a look Kiyone hadn't seen since before the accident.  "I think I know a ghost when I see one Kiyone," replied Mihoshi.  "If it were just a ghost I wouldn't have bothered you.  Wait…  There!  See?  Whatever it is it's close enough to occlude stars when it passes between us and them."

Kiyone was startled, for a second it almost seemed as if the old Mihoshi was back.

"Besides, if it were a ghost, wouldn't it yell 'BOO' or something?"  Mihoshi finished, causing Kiyone sag in her seat in despair.

*****

Kiyone had gathered everyone but Mihoshi in the lounge once again.  "Ok people, here's the deal.  We're less than an hour from planetfall and we seem to have picked up a tail.  We don't know if it's a Juraian just keeping an eye on us at the Empress's order or something else.  We have to assume it's something else.  Once we get dirtside keep your eyes open.  Princess Sasami, you and Mihoshi will be staying on Yagami.  We don't know what conditions are like below and Mihoshi should be able to give us advance warning if any happens up here.  If it's ok with you Ryoko, we'll fly Ryo-ohki down to the surface."

"I dunno, we'll have to ask her.  Ryo-ohki?" the pirate turned to her partner, who was cuddled with Ay-ohki under one of the tables.

"Miya, miyar!"

Ryoko smiled, "She say's no problem, she needs to stretch her legs a bit anyway."

"But why can't I go?" asked Sasami.  "I've been everywhere else on this trip with you guys."

"Because someone needs to help Mihoshi with the scanners," Kiyone told her.  "Besides, once we know it's safe, Mihoshi'll be bringing Yagami down anyway.  We're just the advance party."

"Oh, ok," said the princess.

Ayeka gave Kiyone a look that said she didn't approve of the white lie the Colonel had just told her sister.  But she kept her mouth shut about it.

*****

Yagami, with Hinase still in tow, entered orbit around the planet without further incident.  Washu used the ship's sensors to scan the surface, and what she found wasn't encouraging.

"Hmmph.  No sign of life above a basic bacterium.  Breathable atmosphere, although a bit on the dry side.  There's what appear to be ruins scattered all over the planet.  I'd say that the reason Jurai lost contact with this civilization was a civil war of some sort.  Looks like they wiped each other out and took their planet with them."  Washu shook her head in disgust.

Skuld spoke up, "Washu, didn't the book say something about a planetary capital?  Wouldn't that be a good place to start?"

Washu looked startled that she hadn't thought of that herself.  "Yeah.  In the northern hemisphere, right about… there.  Let's see… yep, a big mass of ruins at that location.  Ok, we've got a starting point.  Let's go."

*****

Ryo-ohki landed in a patch of desert outside of the ruined city.  After beaming the group onto the surface, she resumed her cabbit form and joined Ay-ohki in digging in the dirt.

Washu turned to her daughter, "Ryoko, I want you and Ryo-ohki to stay here and keep an eye on things.  We still haven't heard from that other ship, whoever it is."

"But mom…" whined the ex-pirate.

"Actually Ryoko, Washu's logic is sound," said Kiyone.  "Always keep your line of retreat open.  And since Ryo-ohki is our line of retreat and she only listens to you..."

"She listens to Tenchi and Ayeka too…" Ryoko argued.

"Ryoko…" warned Washu.

"Ok, ok," Ryoko grumped, "I'll do it.  But next time I get to go and someone else stays behind."

The group, sans Ryoko-with-gems, trudged off toward the ruins.

"Come Ay-ohki," called Ayeka, "leave Ryo-ohki alone for a while."

The small white cabbit scampered after her, pausing once to look back at his mate.

"Rya!" he called.

"Mieya!" answered Ryo-ohki.

He turned and ran off after his master.

*****

Aboard Yagami, Mihoshi sat in the pilot seat and Sasami sat in Mihoshi's normal position.  Both were monitoring events on the surface and didn't see the other ship flash past them until it was too late.

"What was that?" asked the blonde GP detective.

"I dunno," replied the princess, "it looked kinda like Ryo-ohki, except whitish and the spikes pointed the wrong way."

"We'd better warn the others," said Mihoshi, keying the comm panel.  All she got was static.  "I think we're being jammed, what do we do now?"

"We wait," answered Sasami.  "After all, who'd ever want to face more than one Ryoko?  And we've got three, counting Minagi."

*****

Ryoko stood in the desert and tossed small rocks at a boulder she could see about a kilometer from her.  Given her strength, more than a few actually made it that far and some even hit it.

"Hello Ryoko," came a husky voice from behind her.

The ex-pirate whirled around.  In front of her stood a tall woman with white hair, dressed in some sort of armor.

The woman uttered a low chuckle, "It's been a while.  I thought you were dead until Ryo-ohki showed up on Jurai with Sasami a few months ago.  Even then I wasn't sure until you were spotted there yourself.  Are you ready to finish our fight?"

"Do I know you?" Ryoko asked.

"You can't play that game with me.  We've both been around too long," the woman replied, starting forward.

Ryoko held up her hand, "Uh, whoever you are, I think you have the wrong person.  I don't think you know what your getting into here."

"Heh, I know exactly what I'm getting into," the woman pulled out a power whip.

Ryoko shook her head, "I don't think you do, and I still don't know who you are.  But if you want a fight…"  She phased into her red and black battlesuit and energized her sword.  "Let's go."

"New outfit, I like it.  What's with the face paint?" the woman crouched in a ready position.

"If you like that, you're gonna love this…" Ryoko shot into the air, but her opponent was fast too.  The whip shot out, wrapping itself around her thigh and giving her a painful shock.

Ah shit, that hurts, she broadcast unintentionally.  Tenchi, several kilometers away and several feet underground heard his wife's pain.

"Ryoko?" he said aloud.

"Tenchi, what's wrong?" asked his other wife.

"It's Ryoko.  She's fighting someone."  He concentrated for a second, looking through Ryoko's eyes.  "It's a woman with white hair and cheek tattoos.  She has her caught in some kind of whip."

"Damn," said Ryoko-without-gems.  "It's Nagi.  She's found us."  She teleported away to help her double.

Ayeka looked at her husband.  "Nagi?  That's the bounty hunter the Empress told us about. We have to go help her!"

Minagi reached out and grabbed Tenchi's arm.  "No, you stay here and help Washu," she said with a sly grin. "If she wants Ryoko, then let's give her to her.  All the Ryoko's."

Tenchi grinned back at the pirate.  "Great idea.  I wish I could see it.  But take Ayeka with you.  Just in case."

"Sure thing Tenchi!" with that Minagi grabbed the princess and teleported away herself.  This was going to be fun…

*****

Nagi had Ryoko on her knees.  This is too easy, she thought.  It's like she's never seen any of my moves before.

"What's wrong with you Ryoko?  You've never fought this badly before," the bounty hunter asked.

"Ah, ah, ah," was the only reply.

Nagi heard a soft chuckle behind her.

"I wouldn't make her too mad if I were you Nagi," came Ryoko's voice.  "I'm still sore from my last match with her."

"Wha…?  Ryoko?" Nagi exclaimed, whirling to meet this new challenge.

"Heh.  Yep, and you've got the wrong one there.  I should warn you though, she's a lot more powerful than I am.  If you let her go, you're dead meat.  Of course if you don't let her go you're dead meat too."  Ryoko-without-gems formed her own energy sword.

"What the hell…" Nagi cried.

"Hey!  You can't start this party without us!" came Ryoko's voice from behind her again.  She pulled her blaster and pointed it at the Ryoko in front of her.  She now had one Ryoko in her whip and another at gunpoint.  Trying to keep an eye on the one at the end of her blaster, she turned her head to look at this new menace.  She saw another Ryoko along with the Juraian Empress.  But there was something different about both of them.

"Hello Empress Ayeka.  I like your hair.  Now step away from Ryoko, I don't know what's going on here, but I don't want to have to hurt you as well."

Ayeka snickered.  "I don't think you quite understand.  I'm not the Ayeka you think I am.  In fact I'm nothing like her at all.  Now, let my spouse go, or suffer the consequences."  The red glow began to show on the princess' forehead.

Nagi looked at the Ryoko she had trapped in her whip.  Spots on her neck and wrists were beginning to glow like Ayeka's forehead.  The very air in front of her began to shimmer.  "Your… spouse?  Who are you people?"

"If you let her go, I might be able to calm her down before this gets out of hand," the princess said, eyes narrowing.

Nagi was confused, "I'm not letting anyone go until I find out what's going on around here."

The Ryoko caught in the whip stood up and grabbed the weapon with both hands.  Energy crackled as she ripped it apart.  "It's already too late, Ayeka.  As a Juraian princess, I'm now officially royally pissed." Ryoko's symbol had appeared on her forehead and the three gems glowed almost unbearably bright.  "AND I'm goin' to kick somebody's ASS!"  She flew at the bounty hunter.

Nagi whipped her blaster around and took a shot.  Ryoko effortlessly batted the bolt aside, sending it flying off toward the ruins in the distance.  She grabbed the pistol and crushed it in her hand, along with a couple of Nagi's fingers.  The bounty hunter gasped in pain and dropped the now useless blaster and whip.  Ryoko took a swing at Nagi's head, which missed as the white haired woman ducked and rolled, coming up with a long-bladed knife.

A long, slender arm reached over the bounty hunter's shoulder and plucked the knife from her hand.

"Tsk, tsk," said a quiet voice in her ear.  "You don't really think you can handle all of us, do you?  I mean, there's the three of us and the princess there. And if you do manage to beat us, there's still both Tenchi's and Ryoko's mom to get past."  She turned to find two golden eyes inches from her own.  Golden eyes framed by a wide smile and two crescent-shaped cheek markings.

"Hi, I'm Minagi, Ryoko's daughter, sorta.  I really think you should give up now," said the woman, effortlessly bending the tempered durasteel blade in half between two of her fingers.

Nagi looked over at the Ryoko she'd been fighting with, the growling ex-pirate barely being restrained by the other Ryoko and Ayeka.  Then she saw Ryo-ohki and a strange cabbit hissing at Ken-ohki.  She slowly extended her arms straight out from her body, blood dripping from her mangled hand.  "Ok, I give up if someone will just tell me what is going on here."

"Good choice Nagi," grunted Ryoko-without-gems, tackling her counterpart for the fifth time.

*****

Kiyone ran from the ruins, hoping she'd be in time to stop whatever was happening out at the landing site.  Once again she was thankful for the improved cybernetic body Washu'd found on Earth.  She took another leap into the air, just in time to intercept the blaster bolt Ryoko had deflected.  Kiyone fell to the ground in a smoking heap.

*****

Skuld had discovered a vault under one of the larger ruins.  It appeared to be intact.  She called the others over.  After examining it, Washu decided that it was either from a bank or a government building.  Either way, it was the only intact structure they'd found so far so it warranted further investigation.  By this time Minagi and Ayeka had returned, leaving Nagi in the tender care of the two Ryoko's and Mihoshi who had finally landed.  Kiyone's unconscious form had also been found and transported to Yagami.

Forming her energy sword, Minagi quickly cut through the brittle metal, exposing the interior to the outside air for the first time in 95,000 years.  Washu winced at the possible destruction of valuable artifacts, but time didn't permit any other way.  When they were done the Juraian archeologists could have their turn.

After letting the area air out for a few minutes the group entered, Minagi and Washu provided light by creating energy globes and floating them near the ceiling.

"Hmm, I don't think this was part of a bank.  It looks more like secure storage for a museum of some kind," said Washu as the group wandered among the dusty artifacts.  "This could be just what we need.  Every one split up and look for anything that might have something to do with cabbits."

Moments later one of the Tenchi's came rushing into the room Washu was in.

"Washu," he cried, gasping for breath, "I've found something you might want to see."

He led her into another room that had artifacts from various spacecraft covered in rotting cloth.  In the corner stood a survival pod of the same type they had found on the old Juraian ship.

"Over there," he panted, waving his hand in the direction of the pod.  "But I can't read what's on the plaque."

Washu rushed over to the machine and looked at the inscription.  She couldn't read it either, but the language looked awfully familiar…  "Skuld," she yelled.  "Come in here a second."  When the little goddess had joined her she asked, "Can you read this?"

Skuld looked at the text for a minute.  "It's a lot like my language, but very archaic."

"Can you read what it says?" Washu asked.

Skuld looked at the plaque again.  "I think so…  Something about this pod and several others being found in a badly damaged ship that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.  A few of the pods contained artifacts, machinery and such.  Others contained life forms, some were small, mineral based animals with amazing capabilities and one other contained a fertilized human type ovum.  When incubated that ovum produced a being with amazing power.  And apparently that power was a dominant genetic trait because all the offspring of that person inherited the same power."

"Well, that certainly explains a lot," stated the red haired scientist.  "Now we know where this reality's Ryoko came from, and probably Washu as well.  And there are others; interesting.  But it looks like we'll have to go somewhere else for our answers."

"So all this has been a waste of time?" asked Tenchi.

Washu laughed, "Oh no.  I wouldn't say that.  We've learned quite a lot actually." She got serious for a moment, "We now know that somewhere one of my duplicates didn't make the same promises I did.  And that could be bad, very bad."

*****

"So Washu, did you find anything?" asked Sasami as the scientist finished bandaging Nagi's hand in Yagami's medical bay.

Washu taped the last splint in place then turned to the little princess.  "Yeah, we found an old museum vault that had one of those survival pods in it.  A plaque said that it and several others had been taken from a damaged Juraian ship, it seems that the cabbits aren't native to this reality either.  I guess we keep looking."  She turned back to the bounty hunter.  "You need to keep from trying to use that hand for a couple of days."

Nagi stood up.  "I need to see Ryoko, my Ryoko."

Ah!  We both need to talk to Ryoko, don't we? came a voice in her head.

"How did you…?" exclaimed the startled bounty hunter.

"I can do that, but only with very special people.  Let's go find Ryoko," said Washu, taking Nagi by the arm.

They found her in the cargo hold, sparring with her double again.  Washu interrupted the practice, "Ryoko, Tenchi, we need to talk."

Both Ryoko's drifted over and the Tenchi's walked.

"About what Washu?" asked one of the Tenchi's

"Nagi has something to say to Ryoko, don't you?"  She turned to the bounty hunter.

"I'm sorry," apologized Nagi.  "I promise not to hunt you any more, I can see you've changed.  I guess I knew that when I helped you at Jurai."

"Then why did you keep it up?  There are easier bounties to catch," stated Ryoko-without-gems.

"Because you were the only one ever to get away from me.  At first it was a matter of honor." Nagi bowed her head.

"At first?  What happened then?" asked Ryoko, puzzled.

"Then, the more I tracked you the more I came to respect you and after respect came…" said the bounty hunter in a weak voice.

"Came what?" wondered Ryoko.

"She's trying to say she's in love with you now you dimwit!" yelled the other Ryoko.

Ryoko started laughing.  "She's… in love… with me?  Oh, that's a good one.  Sorry honey, I don't swing that way.  You might try her though."  She pointed to the other Ryoko.

"HEY!  WAITAMINUTE!  That's only with Ayeka and only very occasionally.  In the words of the princess 'I am not a woman of loose morals!'  And how did you find out about it anyway?  I don't remember ever telling…" she turned to look at her Tenchi. 

He held up his hands in defense.  "Not me.  I didn't say a word, uh, uh.  Nope."

Ryoko-without-gems chuckled. "No, he didn't tell.  It seems the Empress was talking to your princess…"

"AYEKA!"  Energy began to crackle in Ryoko's hair.  She suddenly teleported away.

Tenchi started for the door.  "Uh, I'd better go calm her down while we still have a ship…"  He dashed out, headed for his, Ryoko and Ayeka's quarters.

A wide-eyed and very subdued Nagi turned back to the remaining Ryoko, "I know you don't reciprocate, but don't alienate me because of my feelings either.  I think we can still be friends.  Distant friends."

Washu started laughing.  "Oh, you're already much more than friends.  While I was patching you up I ran some scans on you.  You two are related.  Not closely, but still…  Somewhere in the not-so-distant past you shared an ancestor.  You might say you're cousins of a sort."

"WHAT?" from both Ryoko and Nagi.

The scientist raised an eyebrow.  "Sure.  About the same distance apart as Mihoshi and me; but don't tell her, I'm not ready to be called grandma yet.  Anyway, you two are a 75% genetic match.  You must have noticed; the hair, the features, the attitude?"  She gathered a stunned Ryoko and Nagi into a hug.  "Isn't it great? We're all just one big, happy family."

*****

Colonel Makibi Kiyone opened her artificial eyes and saw the ceiling of Yagami's medical bay staring back at her.  She remembered running out of the ruins and then…  nothing.  She heard movement at the foot of the bed.  Lifting her head, she saw the figure of a tall woman dressed in a white gown facing away from her, reading something that looked like a medical chart.  Wisps of spikey red hair peeked out from under a white cap.  The woman turned and smiled at her.

"So, the patient's finally awake.  'Bout time," said a familiar voice.

Kiyone looked at Washu standing at the end of the bed in a nurse's uniform.  "What happened?"

Washu chuckled, "You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  You took a high-powered blaster bolt to the chest, courtesy of my daughter."

"Then why aren't I dead, or at least disabled?" she asked the scientist.

"Oh, didn't I tell you?  Gee, I musta forgot to mention it…" Washu started to laugh.

"Tell me what?" asked the teal tressed GP sitting up in the bed and swinging her feet over the side.

Washu stopped laughing.  "That body of yours…  The synthetic skin is spun from a single molecule.  It'll take a nuclear explosion or a fusion torch to even mark it, let alone cut it.  A simple projectile weapon or common blaster won't even ding it."

Kiyone gave her a half smile.  "No, that information wasn't included in the warranty brochure.  But why did the blaster bolt knock me out?"

"That's easy.  Remember the extra sensors I built in?"

Kiyone nodded.

"Regardless of your durability, that blast hurt.  Your brain shut down because of sensory overload, that's all.  A few more hits like that and you'll be able to tolerate it better," Washu explained.

"Yeah, and next time the perp just kills me while I'm out cold.  Thanks but no thanks," the GP snorted.

"Hey!  Didn't I just tell you that you're pretty much indestructible?  Nothing can hurt you, my design is perfect!" Washu threw back her had and began cackling again.

"Uh, Washu?  If I remember correctly, you didn't design this body, a Terran did," Kiyone reminded her.

The scientist kept laughing.

Kiyone just shook her head at Washu's antics, waiting for her to stop.  After a minute or two the redhead finally calmed down.

"So, what happened while I was out?" Kiyone asked.

"Oh, just the usual.  Our Ryoko and the princess got into it for a while, but Tenchi stopped 'em.  The bounty hunter expressed her love for the other Ryoko; you know, the usual stuff."

"Bounty hunter?" asked Kiyone.

"Yeah.  Remember that Nagi person the Empress told us about? Well, she was the one following us," explained Washu.  "She's also the one that shot you, although that was by accident."

"Where is Nagi now?" Kiyone asked, standing up.

"Gone.  She apologized and said she's given up on Ryoko as a bounty.  She's going to leave her alone from now on, although Ryoko did invite her to stop by Earth and visit from time-to-time."

"And her Tenchi's ok with all this?" Kiyone wondered.

Washu grinned, "Well, he was going to argue, but Ryoko covered his mouth before he could start.  With hers.  That kinda shut him up for a while."

"Yeah, I'll bet," the GP Colonel said with a slight grin of her own.  Then her expression turned somber.  "That only leaves one loose end to tie up here."

"You mean Minagi," Washu spoke in a tone that said she'd already though of that.  "That's fairly easy.  She'll have to come home with us, I don't have the equipment to create a portal big enough to send her and Hinase home from here.  But once we're home, I can use the big machine to do it easily."

Kiyone expression was one of shock, "That means towing Hinase all the way to Earth!"

"Well duh!  You got any plans for the next month or so?" asked Washu.

"Actually…" Kiyone got a dreamy look in her eye.

Washu smiled at her, "Ok, ok.  Once we get home it'll be a week or so before I locate our next target.  Plenty of time for you and the ditz to get some R&R with your beau's."

Kiyone hugged the scientist.  "Thanks Washu.  I'd better get up to the command deck before Mihoshi really screws something up.  Where to first?"

"Jurai, to drop off our spare Tenchi and Ryoko, then home." Washu said

The two left the medical bay together.

Kiyone started laughing, "Say Washu, did I ever tell you about the time Mihoshi…"

*****

To be continued

*****

Author's Notes

Oops, sorry.  In the first post of this chapter I forgot the part where they found the other pod.  This is the revised version.

All right!  On to the next reality.  I haven't decided yet if Minagi will stay with them through the next episode or not, but Skuld will stay home for a while.  She'll reappear later.  I may write a side story at some time about the practical joke war Xellos has started with Washu, but I'm not quite sure it would be worth the effort, the two anime's are so different.

On a different note, I'm planning on attending the Ohayocon in Independence Ohio on January 12, 2002.  It'll be the first con I've been to since a Star Trek Convention in Detroit in 1973 or 74 where I got stuck in an elevator on the 16th floor at 1:00am on my way to a showing of a Planet of the Apes marathon.  (By coincidence James Doohan had just gotten off a couple of floors before.  I got his autograph.  Nice guy…)  Just look for the guy with the short, graying beard wearing a Confederate Field Officer's hat.  (It won't be James Doohan, it'll be me.) Weather and truck maintenance permitting (it's running like crap at the moment, I don't know if it'll make it all the way to Cleveland and back), I'll be there with my daughter and some of her friends.  I get to play chaperone, yay.

Review Responses

Priest – Ah, that's the trick isn't it?  Trying to keep everyone in character even when it's just a cameo.  And I've never seen that picture of the two Ayeka's.  Is it fanart or an actual illustration?  Either way, I'd love to see it; can you e-mail it to me?

Silver – I've just read chapters 13 and 14 of "Passion".  Once again I'm awestruck at the depth you give the characters.  I can and will put you at that level.