Ranma/ Metroid
'Ill Gain'
Part 2
'Preparations'



Kasumi was strangely more quiet than usual, which only stimulated an intellectual curiosity in Nabiki, "Something on your mind?"

Kasumi knew that Nabiki didn't actually care, but it was comforting to have her enquire of her older sister every once in a while, "I don't know if we can handle this one, this time."

"It's not my place to say if you can handle the work yourself or not," Nabiki replied, while keying in the preparation for their evening meal into the replication system.

Kasumi frowned at the way her sister pointedly factored all the work away from herself. Kasumi knew that she could not do it without Nabiki, "You know? We still have that 'fish' from the regions in storage I can prepare."

"This will be fine, thank you. And I would advise you save it for another time for economic reasons." Even emotionless, she still was extremely frugal.

The older woman sighed before starting again, "Mother Brain had almost defeated Samus-sensei twice. We... I lack the experience she had, and she will assuredly be more prepared for 'Samus' this time."

"That is a reasonable assumption," Nabiki replied, not looking up from the star grid, "We are also not sure if Mother Brain survived. It's just been confirmed that her fleet of Space Pirates is in heavy activity."

"That alone should be a heavy concern," Kasumi turned to look at the battle suit. It was Samus's secondary, in case the first one had suffered too much damage to be of use. It served the Tendou women well in their assignments, though Kasumi was the only one to wear it, "Someone had to be powerful enough to pull them all back into working together on whatever they are working on."

"I can only say to much to alleviate you," Nabiki stated almost monotonously, while handing her sister the container of 'food'.

Kasumi took the nourishment, "I'm not looking for sympathy, it's just good to take a full assessment of what a situation can be, and anticipating the worst."

"That line of thinking is what keeps you alive," Nabiki took a scoop of her meal as she looked at her sister.

Kasumi scooped into her own dish, and grimaced slightly at the taste, she wished she had cooked before Nabiki decided what they were going to dine on, "Anyhow, the planet SS-42 is very similar to SR-388. It's probably that reason and it's close proximity to their previous headquarters that they now have it as their base of operations."

"I would presume they'd be as deeply entrenched as Samus-sensei found them the previous time. That would make our task difficult. Are you aware of the conditions of the environment?"

Kasumi shook her head, "They said that it there isn't too much difference from SR-388, it once held it's own civilization until a global plague had wiped out the population, according to research. The atmosphere contains massive amounts of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen compared to the relatively small portion of pure oxygen, as well as the standard atmospheric gasses."

"Hmm, volcanic activity I presume, along with an atmosphere similar to GV-4's. It may even have a similar weather climate. what else did they say?"

"The planet itself is majority of a highly densified though fragile enough mineral to burrow through. That would support your theory of them creating a possible sub-surface base. The creatures are supposedly hostile, and because of the environmental hazards, extremely durable." Kasumi forced herself to stomach more of the sub-edible meal.

"Why hasn't anyone been sent to investigate further? It would be helpful if we had our suspicions validated."

"I know, they said that there was not enough time."

"I see, they are afraid, and want this potential threat neutralized quickly." Nabiki paused in her meal, something nagging at her, "That is not the largest concern on your mind, is it?"

"No," Kasumi's eyes hardened, "They were the ones who originally intended to use the metroids as biological weapons."

"And you presume they were the ones that set them loose upon GV-4?"

"Who else could have set them on *Earth*?" Kasumi almost wanted to shout at her sister's cold indifference to their own deceased home planet.

"I don't see that possible. They were too unorganized at the time, and I doubt any of them survived the destruction of SR-388." Nabiki finished her food, and set her dish in the slide drawer for deposit and cleaning. She then turned back to her sister to continue her theory, "I would assume that it was possibly that some one had secured their own storage of metroids from sometime prior to the destruction of SR-388, possibly someone that Mother Brain's space pirates were in league with."

"A second party involved?" Kasumi mused, "That would make this situation much more complicated."

"That it would. Though it has its own discrediting. Mother Brain insisted on working alone, according to her dossier. It wanted to rule strictly of its own."

Kasumi nodded, finished up her own meal, and deposited her container in the same place as Nabiki, "I'm too stressed to continue this right now. It's a little more than a day until we reach our destination, so we have plenty of time to discuss this later. I'm going to take a bath now."

Nabiki nodded, and turned back to the control deck, even though it was in automated mode and did not require her observation. Kasumi walked into one of the back chambers.
__________________________________________

"[You have situated yourselves into SS-42?]"

"Yes, it is very suitable for us, and the relative ease of inhabiting will allow us to continue our task that much sooner."

"[That is good to hear. You know that Alid had been captured?]"

"What does that fool have to do with us?"

"[He had information concerning you, though it was limited at best. He *is* one of the primary contacts corresponding to anything in the area that involves... questionable activities.]"

"Then it is inconsequential."

"[I would not presume so. The Galactic Federation is paranoid of you. They want to ensure that the metroid species is eradicated. They will send someone to investigate.]"

"Let whatever idiot they send arrive, they will not leave this planet's surface, assuming they discover a way to enter the sub-surface."

"[Your overconfidence was the downfall of your organization several times already. You'll forgive me if I'm not impressed by your lack of concern.]"

"We will not underestimate our foes this time. You have our word on that."

"[Of course, you say. What if it is the renowned Space Hunter that managed to topple you time and time again?]"

"..."

"[I see. That brings much concern to me, and whether or not my support should continue.]"

"Heh, heh heh, heh heh heh hehhhhhh."

"[You find this funny?]" The voice over the communications line sounded slightly irritated.

"I am more than positive they would send that Space Hunter. It would be the Galactic Federation's first and primary hope."

"So you have precautions against it?"

"*Especially* against that particular Space Hunter."

"[I feel somewhat at ease. What else do you have to report?]"

"Not much more. We are isolated enough as to not draw much more suspicion."

"[Then I will trouble you no more at this time.]"
__________________________________________

Nabiki stared out into the nothingness, as her sister went through her rigorous strength building exercises. Nabiki knew Kasumi would attempt to work herself even more intensely, though the younger sister did not think it was possible to work any harder than past a person's usual level of overexertion. Kasumi would work push herself until she could not go any further, earning her another trip to the revitalization bed. Just to occupy herself, Nabiki hypothesized that there may have been addictive properties to Kasumi's routine. She could not say if they were harmless or unhealthy, but didn't think much of it, since the older woman never seemed to suffer ill effects.

Nabiki looked over her sister's muscular and lithe body. Kasumi worked hard to reach her peak, not because of vanity, but for strictly productive reasons, as she claimed. Moving in the battle armor was much more efficient, Kasumi noted, and the extra strength was also enhanced by the suit. Nabiki didn't buy it for a second. They were only products of the intensive workouts, not the reasons.

She did it so she would have to talk with Nabiki as little as possible, not that Nabiki could bring herself to care. Even before the destruction of GV-4, Kasumi threw herself into her assigned tasks, completing them to the utmost perfection. When Nabiki was able to feel concern, she considered Kasumi's air of obliviousness unhealthy, even going as far to believe that Kasumi is autistic. Now she realizes that her sister was just focused, and hardly allowed anything to divide her from her mindset.

Kasumi held a dedication that rivaled Ranma's. Now with there only being so much in the way of distractions, Kasumi lost a lot of her aloofness, seeming much more human than mechanical as she did before. The older woman now would attempt to engage Nabiki in conversation more often, despite knowing it would be a slightly wasted effort, as her younger sister would only say what she had to for nothing more than appeasement. It was a shame that Kasumi opened up, but not until after the world was lost. Maybe it wasn't even the lack of potential distractions that brought out Kasumi's more social side, but it would be a sincere shame if it were because maturation that came with age.

Kasumi flat on her stomach, only the utilitarian sports bra and underwear she wore protected her body from its cold surface. She rolled into a handstand, and curled her body until her toes almost touched the back of her head, and began to channel the flows of her chi. Once she felt the expected result, she bent forward more, allowing her feet to touch the floor, and then raised her torso out of the backbend with an Olympian's grace and control. She then stood in a relaxed horse stance with her hands cupped as if holding a ball in front of her. She felt her ki welling up into the imaginary sphere in her hands, before raising her hands above her head, and then slowly lowering them until the sphere entered the top of her head.

Her hands traveled slowly down her body until they reached her stomach level, then she suddenly burst into a rigorous kata of her creation that involved the philosophies of the three branches of Anything Goes. Nabiki would only notice a blur when she used to watch her sister, but now Kasumi was a mist, a haze of motion. Like a ghost that was barely opaque.

Four hours time, Kasumi collapsed. Nabiki went to her task of dragging her sister to the revitalization bed, and idly noted that her sister had managed to exceed her usual time frame of lasting at that intense level.

She laid the older woman on the bed, and started to walk off.

"No, please stay."

Nabiki obeyed her sister's request, knowing what would come next, "I don't need to be anywhere else at the moment."

"This... this may be the worst we've ever faced," Kasumi replied in a quiet and tired voice, laced with an emotion that Kasumi had rarely shown, not since five years ago to her recollection.

"You'll have to work harder to succeed this time."

Kasumi's head rolled in her sister's lap, "Nabiki?"

"..."

"I'm scared."

Nabiki replied in a sterile voice, "I know."