Steven Robinson (lostowl@globalnetisp.net)
Regular
Thicker than Blood - Chapter 12: The Storm I
It hits the fan

Copyright 2002 by Steve Robinson, All existing Tenchi characters are copyright Pioneer AIC. The character Ryeka is copyright 2002 by Steve Robinson (me)


Disclaimer - Look, it's a fan fic, so don't get bent out of shape. I thought up this idea a while ago, so I'm unabashedly pirating the Tenchi universe and bending it to my own nefarious purposes. I haven't read the millions of lines of existing a fan fic, so I can't say for sure that no one else has written this story line, but if so, well great minds and all that. I am sure that if Pioneer and company refrains from suing me, so should you. Besides, I wouldn't be listening anyways, la la la....

This fic is posted in its entirety at http://www.viciousbunny.net/

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Thicker than Blood
Chapter 12

Kaji adjusted Yagami's heading slightly. The new heading had them drifting towards a very large asteroid. Yagami straightened out and seemed to pause in space for a moment, then a brilliant purple shaft of light exploded from the front of the aging police cruiser. The beam lashed out across the asteroid from top to bottom in the blink of an eye, then the beam vanished. The asteroid started to vent steam and gases along the line that the purple beam had cut, then abruptly, the asteroid spit into two halves, pushed apart for a moment by the release of the gases.

"I can't believe the power of that particle cannon. Where did you get it?" Kaji asked, as excited as a little boy in a toy store as he tested some of the newly installed systems.

"It was a Christmas gift from Washu, along with the jammers and the holographic clones and most of the other stuff."

"Two questions, Commissioner. What's 'krissmass' and does Washu usually give out deadly super weapons as gifts?"

"Two answers, it's like Juraian Startica, and yes. It seems Washu has some obsessive compulsive desire to make weapons. Most of the stuff she gives me as presents goes into a heavily guarded bunker. However, I felt that a few of the items would be useful for this little trip. Did you know I have coffee maker that doubles as a matter annihilation device?"

"Ah, um, that wasn't one of the things that Mihoshi installed was it?" Kaji played with the console a little more. A light flashed for attention.

"No, I gave up drinking coffee shortly after that."

"Commissioner, we have an contact approaching at high speed. It's Ryo-ohki." Kaji looked up. "The improved scanners show that the Empress is on board, but no indication of Tsunami."

The command console beeped for attention. Kiyone keyed it and Ayeka's face appeared.

"Good day, Commissioner Kiyone. I trust everything is in readiness?" Ayeka asked.

"Yes, your highness. You are welcome to come aboard at your leisure. I look forward to seeing you again in person, it has been years."

"Yes, of course. We will rendezvous with you in ten minutes."

The screen went blank.

"That was abrupt." Kaji noted.

"She probably didn't want too much said on an open wavelength. Since Jurai military elements are involved, they probably routinely eavesdrop on Ayeka's communications. I know I would."

They watched out the window as the shining speck that was Ryo-ohki approached and became recognizable. Ryo-ohki pulled along side of Yagami, matched speed and then slowly phased into it.

By the time Kiyone and Kaji reached the common area, Ayeka and Ryo-ohki had arrived and were seated on a broad sofa. Ryeka had woken up, though perhaps she had never been asleep, and was sitting in Ryo-ohki's lap, pretending to be asleep so she wouldn't have to move. Kiyone and Kaji pulled a couple of soft chairs over and sat down opposite Ayeka.

"Well, Kiyone," Ayeka began. "You have been very busy over the last thirty-six hours. Yagami seems to have grown some impressive armaments."

"It was Noboyuki and Mihoshi's hard word. I gave them some of Washu's little toys and had them installed."

"Where are Noboyuki and Mihoshi?" Ryo-ohki asked, looking around.

"They didn't want to come," Ryeka said, not opening her eyes.

"Half true," Kiyone said. "The wanted to come but felt they would be in the way."

Ryo-ohki prodded Ryeka. "You could have stayed behind, too. It would have been safer."

"Never," was the only reply Ryeka gave.

"Actually, it's fortunate that you are here, my dear. You see my plan..." Ayeka started.

"Before that, Empress, may I ask if you were successful in finding Tsunami? I notice she didn't come back with you." Kaji inquired abruptly.

"Yes, young man, of course I was successful," Ayeka replied a little frostily. "But, since the plan involves her surprise appearance, it didn't seem wise to be seen traveling together. She will appear at the appointed time. Now, please don't interrupt while I explain a slight change to the plan. It was Sasami's idea, and it is quite clever..."



Two hours later in Earth orbit, Tomokon was summoned to the bridge.

"Sir, two vessels approaching. They are jamming us, but I am certain that one of the vessels is Ryo-ohki. The other matches the old GP cruiser that attacked us a few days ago."

Tomokon took his command seat and arched his fingers.

"Any sign of any other vessel?" he demanded.

The sensor operators twisted their knobs and pushed some buttons. Finally they answered.

"No, sir. Nothing else registers."

"Could the jamming be hiding another ship, a much larger ship?" Tomokon asked carefully. Whether or not Tsunami was out there would affect his decisions.

Again the sensor operator answered. "No, sir. Our counter measures are nulling out the jamming. There are only the two vessels. They are four hundred thousand kilometers away and closing rapidly. Time to contact is twenty minutes at this rate."

"Have five of the smaller ships fly out to intercept them." Tomokon thought it unlikely that just two ships, even if one was the infamous Ryo-ohki, would assault the fleet alone. Still, better safe than sorry.

"Have the cruisers Toi Shima and Ke Ghare take up positions on our flanks. And, keep scanning all sectors for any other ships."

Five Juraian frigate class warships accelerated away from the orbiting fleet above Earth and blazed out to intercept the incoming ships. The captain of the lead vessel broadcast a warning as soon as they got close.

"Incoming vessels. You have been identified as hostile. You are ordered to halt and prepare to be boarded."

In response the former Galaxy Police cruiser emitted a bright purple beam of energy. The beam splashed against the lead frigates shields and overloaded them. The beam continued through the shields unabated and burned a clean hole through the frigate, destroying the engines as it came out the other side. The frigate listed in space, small fires ignited by the intense heat of the beam were blistering it's hull.

The remaining frigates immediately opened fire with their blast cannons.



On board Yagami, Kiyone and Kaji were elated.

"Yee-ha! Take that," Kiyone gloated as she weaved the ship in and out among the incoming blaster fire. "What a weapon! Good old Washu! How long till it recharges?"

"Ten seconds!" Kaji responded. "I'm opening fire with conventional weapons until it does."

Beside Yagami, Ryo-ohki also pin-wheeled around the incoming fire.

"Return fire, Ryo-ohki," Ayeka commanded. Ryeka held on the arm of the pilot's chair to keep from falling off balance.

"Right!" Ryo-ohki began blazing away at the rapidly approaching frigates.

Less powerful than Yagami's particle cannon, Ryo-ohki nevertheless sliced away at the enemy, spreading havoc and debris wherever she struck. Yagami's particle cannon fired again. This time, the commander of the frigate that was hit must have boosted his shields because the beam was nearly absorbed. However, the strain must have burned out the frigate's power core, because the ship suddenly went dark, and all of it's weapons ceased firing.

The remaining three frigates fixed their weapons on Yagami, which gave Ryo-ohki a chance to make a pass over one of them, destroying the sensor array.

"Yagami this is Ryo-ohki." Ayeka's voice came over the communications system. "Fly straight past them, don't continue to engage!"

"Confirmed."

The two ships streaked past the burning frigates, which turned too slowly to catch them.



"They're heading straight for us!" the XO gasped.

Tomokon silenced him.

"Get back to your post. Communications officer, order Toi Shima and Ke Ghare to move between those ships and Senzo. All ships are to fire as their weapons bear!"

The two Juraian heavy cruisers slowly moved to block the attacking ships' approach to Senzo. A few other ships sporadically fired, but their positions in Earth's orbit prevented most of them from shooting.

Toi Shima opened fire first on Yagami. The powerful main gun sent an enormous white blast of energy out into space at the incoming ship. The shield deflected most of the blast, but Yagami spun out of control for a moment.

"Evasive maneuvers, now!" Kaji yelled.

Kiyone needed no urging. She spun and jinked Yagami through turns and rolls that made the aging hull groan in protest.

"Target the main gun!" She ordered.

Kaji fired the particle cannon as ordered. He was rewarded by the sight of Toi Shima's bow disintegrating in a flash of an explosion. However, the rest of the Juraian warship's ordinance was still functioning, as was the main gun on Ke Ghare.

Ayeka appeared on the communications console.

"We can't sustain an attack on the cruisers. Full speed between them, use the pattern of maneuvers that Ryo-ohki gave you to try to evade their fire. Continue straight towards Senzo!"

The two ships sped up to barely sub light speeds and raced through a gauntlet of fire between the heavy cruisers. Thanks to complex maneuvers executed by Ryo-ohki and Yagami, most of the Juraians' fire hit each other and missed the smaller ships.

Some hits were scored, however, and Yagami began to trail smoke. The two ships altered course and headed straight towards Senzo's bridge.



"They're going to ram us! Raise shields! Ahhhh!" Tomokon and most of the bridge crew shielded their eyes as the combined fire of the attacking ships splashed through the shields and against the hull around the bridge.

After they passed by Tomokon regained control of his crew.

"Reacquired them! Where are they?"

"They passed below us and to port, sir! We have them in our sights."

"Show me!" Tomokon snarled.

An image appeared on the large view screen at the front of the bridge. Yagami and Ryo-ohki were turning in formation, coming around for another run. Yagami was now trailing smoke quite badly. Ryo-ohki seemed in perfect fighting condition. That would change now, Tomokon thought to himself.

"Concentrate all fire on Ryo-ohki! Destroy that ship!"

A blaze of fire erupted from Senzo's lateral gun ports. The blasts converged on Ryo-oki... only to pass straight through the small warship!

"Wha..?" Tomokon's lips flapped slightly as he watched a completely unharmed Ryo-ohki continue it's turn towards Senzo, still in perfect formation with Yagami. In fact, Tomokon realized, the formation was too perfect. Impossibly, Ryo-ohki moved in perfect synchronization with Yagami.

"Blast! It's a holographic projection! Fire on Yagami, and reacquire Ryo-ohki!"

Laser fire lanced out washing over Yagami. Yagami's shields collapsed and the holographic decoy of Ryo-ohki disappeared.



"Aaahhhh!" Kiyone and Kaji screamed in unison as Yagami spun out of control.

"We are entering the atmosphere! We have to eject!" Kaji yelled over the noise of the rapidly disintegrating Yagami.

"Mihoshi should have been here!" Kiyone yelled back as she entered the ejection command codes. "Nobody executes a perfect crash landing like Mihoshi!"

The cockpit door closed and explosive bolts blasted the nose section off of the Yagami's main body. The nose section deployed braking chutes as it plunged down into Earths atmosphere. The main part of Yagami left a long streaking tail of fire as it burned up and was vaporized.



"Yagami has been destroyed, sir. The pilots ejected, shall we shoot them down?"

"Let them go," Tomoko ordered. "Where is the real Ryo-ohki?"

"I-i-it's gone, sir," the nervous sensor operator stuttered. "Ryo-ohki does not appear on any of the sensors within a half a million kilometers."

Tomokon stared incredulously, then shouted. "Adjust for internal scan!"

Then he punched his armrest intercom. "Security! Intruder alert!"



Ryo-ohki, Ayeka and Ryeka materialized in the docking station where they Yagami had docked before. When they had passed below Senzo, Yagami had activated the holographic decoy. Ryo-ohki had transformed into her humanoid form while Ayeka had used her power to maintain a shielded bubble of atmosphere around them. Then, holding hands, Ryeka teleported them to the docking port, just as she had done before with Ryo-ohki.

"Like clockwork, well done." Ayeka praised her.

Ayeka created a small ball of light in her hands, and then allowed the ball to grow and pass over her body. Her royal robes melted away and were replaced with the more practical fighting uniform of a Jurai warrior. Similarly, Ryo-ohki rippled her fur to darken and added Jurai battle stripes. Her scarves melted away, leaving her lithe, firm figure covered only by her fur. For effect, she extended claws from her hands and feet, and fangs from her teeth.

Ryeka watched them transform. She had seen her mother and father go through the same transformation sometimes while practicing ritual combat, but they had never told her how or why to do it herself. She closed her eyes.

Her kimono slipped away out of existence and a black film spread from her hands over her body. The film changed to emerald green as it spread down her chest and asymmetrical tiger stripes appeared on her legs and arms. She allowed one third of her face to color pitch black like she had seen her mother do once, and around her other eye, she formed a modified version of the stripes that appeared on her father's forehead when he transformed into his highest state of power.

"Nice outfit," Ryo-ohki complimented. "I have to meet your tailor."

"She's right this way," Ryeka said grimly.

Scooping a handful of energy out of the air, Ryeka blasted the inner door of the docking station away. The three raced down the corridor towards the cargo hold.



"Sir, intruders heading towards the cargo hold! It's Ryo-ohki, Empress Ayeka and the child!"

"Send security to capture them. I'm on my way..."

"Wait!" the XO gripped his console. "Something is coming... it's coming out of trans-dimensional space!"

Tomokon froze where he was and stared out the large portals. Bright shafts of light were streaming from seemingly nowhere. Long, brilliantly white spines seemed to pierce reality and rippled into being. The spines were followed by the bow of an immense ship, both graceful and imposing at the same time. The arching beams and lines wove together in a heavenly beauty that was the inspiration for all of the Jurai spaceships that had followed.

"Tsunami!" Tomokon gasped.

Even before completely reverting to real space, Tsunami began firing on the renegade fleet.