"Well, your plan seems sound but are you sure it will work?" Meiko asked after Ryan had finished.
Ryan nodded. "It will work councilor, so long as we act natural. Anything out of the ordinary will send a red flag to Kylia and Bagon that we're aware of their presence. Thus our advantage would be lost." He replied.
"And if they discover our plans? What then?" Meiko asked.
"There are many possibilities councilor but we can't get wrapped up by what-ifs. We must focus on the fact that soon Kylia and Bagon will be here and we must meet them head-on if we are to stop them." Ryan responded, standing up. Tenchi reacted likewise. "Now if you be so kind as to pick the most reliable personnel on this checkpoint, I will outline my plans and the role they will play in it."
Meiko smiled. "Yes of course. Let's stop debating and get to work. You are wise for your age kenshin." He commented, rising from his chair as well. He pushed a button on the right side of his desk which activated the door, whooshing it open. "Meet me here in one hour. By then I should have all the necessary personnel requested to initiate your plan."
Ryan bowed slightly then turned and headed out the opened door, Tenchi close behind. The two young men turned left and walked down the long metallic corridor with purpose.
"Where to now?" Tenchi asked.
Ryan smiled. "Let's go eat." He said, stopping in front of a large turbo lift. He pushed the up button and the door whooshed open. The two entered the lift and were rocketed upward. A few seconds later, the two descendants of Jurai entered the enormous, open spaced lounge that housed several restaurants. They ordered lunch at a deli cafe then walked over to a table near a large window that exposed the vast expanse of space. They ate quietly for a few moments, each of them staring out into space. Tenchi was the first to break the silence.
"Are you scared Ryan?" Tenchi asked putting down his sandwich and gazing inquiringly at the kenshin.
Ryan turned from the window to face Tenchi. "Scared?" He replied, frowning.
"You know," Tenchi continued "Scared our plan won't work? Scared to die?" He added.
Ryan smiled knowingly. "You won't die during the upcoming battle Tenchi. You won't die for a long time. I promise you that." He said with conviction.
"How can you be so sure of that Ryan? I know you can see what will happen next and all that but.."
Ryan held up his hand in a gesture of silence. "Tenchi. Try to understand. Sometimes, if I focus long and hard enough, I can catch glimpse of the future to come. This usually occurs with an individual, such as yourself, whose destiny seems already written...."
"And just what is my destiny Ryan?" Tenchi interjected.
Ryan sighed. "To tell you that Tenchi would be unethical, not to mention unwise to do. These things are something you must work for on your own. If I told you of the man you will become you would not work to achieve it. Instead you would just continue on your present course certain someday your true meaning in life will develop. The truth is, unless you work hard for your future, you will never appreciate nor gain it. So let's just say you won't meet your fate at the hands of Kylia and Bagon." He stated turning back toward the window. "I know your hoping I can tell you the outcome of the upcoming battle but I cannot. Just as I couldn't foresee the other events that happened. I had Kylia and Bagon blocking me at every turn. In fact it was a machine, rather than me that led us to this point in time. So the outcome is darkened by the various possibilities that exist. All I can do is maintain our current course." He added.
Tenchi frowned. "All right Ryan, I'll concede to you on the issue of the future, but you still haven't answered my question."
"Which is?"
"Aren't you scared you'll be killed by Kylia and Bagon?" The crown prince asked.
Ryan continued to focus his intense eyes on the twinkling stars. "My life does not matter now. All that matters is putting a stop to Kylia and Bagon's insane plot to control the universe. If I die in the process of achieving that goal, I gladly accept it."
Tenchi gasped in horror. "What are you saying Ryan! Don't you care what happens to you?" He exclaimed, shocked by his friend's nonchalant attitude about his own life.
Ryan turned to Tenchi and rubbed his forehead wearily. "Of course I care Tenchi. But I will not live with fear. To do that is to give in to everything Kylia and Bagon want." He said, removing his hand and sighing. "Fear will eat at your soul one piece at a time until you are consumed by it; until all that is left of you is the fear. And I would rather die than live in fear. So when I say my death does not matter, it doesn't if I can save everyone else from dying." Ryan concluded, turning back to the window.
"But I understand your fear Tenchi." Ryan added, his features somber. "You fear that Ayeka will be lost to you. That if she dies, a part of you dies with her."
Tenchi stared at Ryan. For a moment the crown prince said nothing. "Yes." He conceded, staring down at his uneaten food. " The idea of losing Ayeka tears at my heart." Tenchi added, lifting his head up, his eyes distant. "When I sleep, she's in my dreams. When I'm awake, she's all I can think about. I don't know how to describe what I feel. It's as if my heart has been ripped from my chest, rendering me empty and lost. I don't know what I'd do if I lost her Ryan. She means everything to me." He said, his voice desperate, his eyes pained.
Ryan nodded sadly. "I know Tenchi... I know." He said softly before adding, "And I promise you, I will not let Ayeka perish nor everyone we love die."
Tenchi's features relaxed. He looked down once more at his food. "I believe you." He murmured letting out a loud sigh before continuing his meal.
Ryan watched the crown prince for a few seconds more before picking up his sandwich.
They finished their lunch in silence then headed back to the office.
Two Juraian guards stood at post on either side of the door. They gave a chest salute then opened the door. Inside, five members (three men and two women) of the checkpoint stood waiting. Meiko sat at his desk and beckoned them forward. All the personnel were older than the kenshin and Tenchi, and they gazed at the two skeptically.
Ryan nodded to each of the personnel as they were introduced then confidently strode to the left side of the desk and turned to face them. Tenchi stood with the rest of the group as Ryan began.
"Thank you all for coming. As I'm sure councilor Meiko has informed you, we have a chance, here at this checkpoint, to stop two of the most vicious and dangerous criminals to ever exist.."
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Interjected Zendach, the fleshy head of transportation. "I'm not sure that these supposed criminals exist."
"Come now Zendach you saw the reports filtering in from Jurai and other places throughout the universe. These two exist and besides, the kenshin does not need to lie."
Meiko stated in Ryan's defense.
"Be that as it may, I don't like this one bit." He replied.
Ryan sighed and crossed his arms. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "Don't worry Zendach, you won't lose your position as head of transportation even though your assistants do all the work while you get fat off their efforts." He said softly, opening his eyes to stare at the transportation manager.
The round man's face flushed red with anger, his brown eyes indignant. "I will not tolerate being spoken to in such a manner by and infant upstart trying to tell me how to handle a crisis situation." He spat, his fleshly chin quivering in anger.
Ryan just smiled, uncrossing his arms as he pushed off the wall. "I'm sorry if I offended you, but you should mind your thoughts. Or did you forget I was a kenshin knight? Now, unless there are any more thoughts you'd care for me to verbalize, I'd like to continue." He said, staring hard at Zendach.
The older man fumed inside, but kept his mouth shut.
The kenshin dropped his smile and moved toward a large electronic chart of the checkpoint station and it's security perimeter. He pointed to the far left corner of the screen and turned to face them. "This is the intersection where the security perimeter and the crystal ship will meet. Using one of your scout ships, Tenchi and I will meet Kylia and Bagon head on." Ryan said pausing to catch his breath.
"And how do you propose to do that when Kylia and Bagon will sense not only your presence but anything unusual as well?" Commented Kia, the dark-haired woman in charge of engineering.
"They aren't the only ones who can hide their powers." Ryan replied smiling.
"So what is it you want from us?" Kia asked.
"I need all of you to keep everything running smoothly. Other than that Tenchi and I will take care of the rest."
"But what about all the people that come and go through here. Aren't we placing them in grave danger?" Heero, the gray haired man in charge of security and safety asked.
Ryan turned to him. "As you can see by the chart here," he said again pointing to the previous spot on the map. "There is more than enough distance between the intersection and the checkpoint. This station will be safe from the crystal ship."
"But what about the fact that the crystal ship destroyed the planet Jonto in a single blast. How could we withstand such an assault?" Heero asked.
Ryan looked at the concerned faces that surrounded him and frowned. "It is true that Jonto was destroyed by the crystal ship but what you don't know is that once the beam is discharged, the crystal ship cannot fire again for several hours. The ship in essence becomes vulnerable to attack."
The group looked at one another then back at Ryan. "Vulnerable to what?" Zendach asked. "Meiko told us you were unable to even scratch the surface of the crystal ship."
Ryan's face grew serious. "Yes. That is true. I was unable to put a dent in the crystal ship. I know now that no man-made weapon in existence can destroy such a ship."
Zendach smirked. "Then how do you propose to destroy what can't be destroyed? I'm all ears kenshin." He jeered, still fuming from his recent humiliation.
Ryan smiled knowingly. "I will destroy it from within." He responded, turning back to the chart.
"What does that mean? Destroy it from within." Zendach said incredulously, looking at the confused faces of his companions then back at the kenshin again. "You make no sense. Explain yourself." He demanded.
Ryan turned sideways and crossed his arms. "Tenchi and I will borrow one of your scout ships, pretending to comb the area near the intersection. Since the crystal ship will be cloaked, Kylia and Bagon will pay no notice of us. After they pass the perimeter, Tenchi and I will dematerialize from the scout ship onto the crystal ship. Once inside, we will hunt down Kylia and Bagon. After they've been defeated we will free those encased in crystal and your final part in the plan will come into play. We will send a signal to the checkpoint station at which time several support ships will come to our aid. These ships will handle the transporting of all the survivors. Once this is accomplished, Tenchi will join the others while I begin a self-destruct sequence that will blow the ship into a billion microscopic pieces." He replied.
Kia frowned. "The risks to you and Tenchi are enormous. It sounds more like a suicide mission than a plan, kenshin." She said in concern. "Are you sure there is no other way?"
Ryan nodded gravely. "This is the only way Kia." He said staring back at the chart. He placed his finger on the marked spot and whispered. "One way or another... It ends here." He concluded tapping the spot once more with his finger before turning to leave, Tenchi in tow.