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.
*****
Duty Calls
Chapter 2
You're in the Army Now*****
Yukinojo pulled slowly up to the docking port on the Juraian immigration satellite. If one were to be watching him from one of the station's observation ports, one would have said that the ship even appeared angry and cautious. And one would have been right. Not that any of the several beings actually watching the GP cruiser actually thought that. It wasn't well known outside of certain GP and Juraian Government circles that a certain class of patrol cruiser sported a self-aware AI and planet-busting weapons potential. It would have made more than a few allies a bit nervous. Especially if they knew whom the pilot was.
The lights in the docking bay went from red to dim white as the pressure equalized on both sides of the airlock. The door whooshed open and a tall, dark haired Terran emerged closely followed by a tan, blonde GP lieutenant. The Terran turned and gave the GP a hug and if anyone else had been present they would have seen that the blonde was weeping.
"I'm so sorry Tenchi," Mihoshi cried, tears beginning to stain her rumpled uniform. "I didn't know that something that pretty would be that dangerous."
"It's ok Mihoshi," Tenchi let her continue to sob on his shoulder. "That was three days ago anyway. Besides, how were you supposed to know that the reason that star was glowing with all that color was because it was about to go nova?"
"Because I warned her," came the ship's voice from the airlock. "I did. I told her 'Don't go near that accursed star,' I said. 'It's going to blow,' I said. 'That star will be our doom,' I said. But did she listen? Oh no. Pay no attention to that intelligence behind the panel. And see where it got me? My beautiful hull is scorched."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," cried the blonde into the wet fabric of Tenchi's tunic.
Tenchi sighed deeply. "Well, no permanent harm was done. And it was pretty."
Mihoshi sniffed and looked up at Tenchi's kind face. "Really?" she asked, managing a weak smile. The young man nodded and smiled back.
"Wait a minute," came the AI's voice in a hurt tone. "What about my hull?"
Mihoshi whirled and pointed a finger at the airlock. "Can it Yukinojo. Tenchi thought the star was pretty too. Besides, you'll wash."
"But…"
"I said that's enough," the blonde scolded.
"Yes Mihoshi," the ship replied meekly.
Mihoshi turned back to Tenchi, her eyes still brimming with unshed tears. "Do you really have to go?" she asked in a plaintive voice.
Tenchi sighed as he explained for the twentieth or whatever time (he'd lost count 'round about the third day out from Earth) that yes, he was obligated to go; and besides, they were already here, weren't they? It was a bit late for second thoughts.
Mihoshi sniffed again and wiped her nose on her uniform sleeve. Tenchi wished he'd had a handkerchief to offer the woman but that was one thing he'd neglected to pack.
"But what are Ryoko and Ayeka going to do without you there?" the blonde asked.
Tenchi's mouth twitched as he thought about what they might do without him. "I'm sure they'll be fine," he answered. "They'll do what they always do."
"You mean fight?" Mihoshi wondered.
Now Tenchi actually did grin. "That too I suppose," he said. "I meant that they'll get by just fine. Washu and Sasami are still there, so are Dad and Grandpa."
"True," said Mihoshi, tapping her chin with one long finger. "Do you want me to go with you to report?" she asked.
That was the last thing Tenchi wanted. He knew the blonde would break down again if she went with him and he didn't want her to make a scene in front of other people. "No, that's all right," he told her. "I'm sure I can find my way from here. Besides, didn't you tell me that you had some old friends stationed here that you wanted to see?"
"Yeah! I did, didn't I?" The blonde was suddenly her usual perky self. "Ok then," she held out her hand for him to take. "I'll see you later Tenchi, don't forget to write."
Tenchi took the offered hand and drew Mihoshi into another hug. "I will," he told her. "Yukinojo, take good care of her," he called out to the ship over the blonde's shoulder.
"Someone has to," the ship grumbled. "It may as well be me. Be well Tenchi and come home to us soon."
"Bye Tenchi," called Mihoshi as he hefted his baggage and made his way to the exit.
"Bye Mihoshi, bye Yukinojo," he called back. "Give everyone my love when you get back home." He walked through the door and it slid shut silently behind him.
Tenchi dropped his bag and leaned his forehead against the cool metal of the wall. God, he was glad that was over; Mihoshi could be a bit overwhelming at times. He raised his head and realized that he didn't have the foggiest idea of where he was supposed to go from here. On the floor he saw a flashing arrow pointing off down the corridor. Shrugging to himself and realizing that one direction's as good as any other when you're lost, he decided to follow it. It was a good choice as it brought him to the main concourse. After showing his draft letter to the immigration official and a cursory inspection of his bag by customs, he was on his own again. The customs lady kindly pointed out a kiosk near the far wall and told him that he should ask there. He thanked her and started off.
Tenchi walked up to the booth and eyed the man seated behind the counter reading a newspaper. The man was short, compact and well muscled, with close-cropped graying hair. Not someone Tenchi really wanted to annoy. The young man hoped he was in a good mood.
"Uh, excuse me…" Tenchi looked at the man's rank insignia. "Uh Sergeant?" He heard a sigh and the man carefully folded the paper and set it down as if it were something precious.
"Yes son, what can I do for you?" the small man asked, looking Tenchi straight in the eye.
Tenchi swallowed hard and pulled out his official letter. "The woman over at immigration told me to come over and give this to you and you would direct me where to go next."
The man took the paper and read it as carefully as he'd been reading his newspaper. When he was done he looked up at Tenchi with a humorous glint in his eye. "Masaki Tenchi, eh? Let me look you up in the records, but the name sounds awfully familiar." He keyed Tenchi's name into a holo terminal that suddenly appeared, reminding Tenchi of Washu and making him a bit homesick. "Masaki, Masaki," the man mumbled, scanning the list of names. "Ah yes, here you are." He looked up at Tenchi again, a huge grin lighting up his face. "Congratulations son, you've been assigned to Armor, my old specialty."
"Armor?" exclaimed Tenchi. "But I thought I was… I mean my wife told me… What happened to the Palace Guard?"
The man behind the counter laughed with real humor. "The Palace Guard? Boy, you do have high aspirations, don't you? Only the elite or those with political connections, like relatives of the Royal Family, get assigned there. Peons like us get to hump our butts in the real army." The man chuckled again as he saw the expressions flow across Tenchi's face. "Maybe someday you'll get there boy, if you stick with it and work real hard."
"But my wife… The Emperor…" Tenchi stuttered.
"Your wife is the Emperor? Huh. In that case it would be 'Empress'. Well, I guess they all are after a fashion, mine certainly is anyway."
Tenchi took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. He gave the old soldier a weak smile. "One day she will be. There must be some mistake, my name is Masaki Tenchi and my wife is Ayeka, First Princess of Jurai. Don't you watch the news? Didn't you see us on the vid broadcasts a few years ago?"
The sergeant scratched his chin in thought for a moment. "News? I don't get to watch much vid stuff. I do read a lot though." He proudly displayed the newspaper, which Tenchi saw was several months old. "I remember reading something about the Princess marrying. But tell me boy, if you're a Prince of Jurai, then why isn't anyone here to meet you? Or better yet, why didn't you just land at the palace?"
Tenchi's ego suddenly deflated. "I don't know. The paper told me to enter Jurai through this station so this is where my ride dropped me off."
"Hey boy, cheer up. Armor's a good assignment. There's nothing big going on right now; some minor rebellions and border stuff, so it should be a cakewalk. After all, it's not like you'll have to face the Space Pirate Ryoko barehanded or anything."
Tenchi's eyes twinkled at the respect in the older man's voice when he spoke Ryoko's name. Little did he know that Tenchi faced the ex-pirate on a daily basis, frequently in a most enjoyable form of hand-to-hand combat. Tenchi and the man both chuckled, but for entirely different reasons. "I guess not," Tenchi responded. "But I still think there's been a mistake. It's not your fault though so if you'd kindly direct me where to go next?"
"Sure thing boy." The man pulled out a small piece of paper and stamped it, then handed it and Tenchi's letter back to him. He pointed to an archway across the concourse. Your shuttle leaves in about an hour. Go through there and hand this paper to the woman you'll see in uniform. She'll take it from there." He pointed in a different direction. "I suggest you get something to eat first, it'll be the last time you get any real food for a few weeks. There's also a small bar over there in case you want something a bit stronger to drink. Use your brain though, showing up to your training unit drunk is not a good way to impress the cadre." He winked at Tenchi knowingly.
Tenchi took the papers. "Uh, thanks," he said, and meant it.
"No problem son. Come back and look me up when you've got some good stories to tell. I might just buy you a drink." The sergeant watched the boy walk away towards the snack bar then shook his head. "There really is something familiar about that boy…" he muttered to himself. "I wonder? Nah, he was just handing me a line." He shrugged noncommittally then picked up his newspaper and continued reading.
*****
The first few days at the reception area on Jurai was quite a change for Tenchi. It wasn't so much that he wasn't used to a regimented life; living with his Grandfather for so many years had accustomed him to that, but it was the fact that he now had to share his experiences with so many others. He was expecting his experience to mirror what he knew was true about most Terran armies, the haircut, the physical training, uniforms; indeed, he'd had his hair cut and been issued a basic uniform consisting of five pairs of trousers, five tunics, six changes of undergarments and a jacket. All except the undergarments were a neutral shade of gray. The uniform sort of reminded him of Ayeka's battle armor in appearance although nowhere near as tough. And, he thought, it looks a lot better on her than it does on me and on most of these others.
His first few days consisted of getting up early, doing some calisthenics then learning the fine points of standing still for hours. All of this excitement was interspersed with meals and a bit of frantic activity as they literally ran from one training session to the next. After what Tenchi thought was about a week Earth time, someone apparently felt that the new batch was ready to move on to their regular training, so Tenchi and about fifteen others that had been grouped together for whatever reasons the military decided to stick them together, boarded a shuttle and departed for the next phase.
The training facility that Tenchi found himself at wasn't on Jurai itself; instead it was on a moon orbiting a gas giant in the Juraian system. The moon was hot, dusty and pretty much the absolute end of the universe as far as Tenchi and his fellow trainees were concerned. The only thing that made it bearable was the fact that the training was going to be over someday and they would all move on to a hopefully more pleasant billet. At first he'd tried to explain about the mistake that had obviously been made, but he'd given up after being informed for the fifteenth time that the military 'did not make mistakes'.
The first couple of weeks in actual training had been rough, lots of marching in the heat and dust, small amounts of minor hazing by the training cadre intended to weed out those not suited to military life, minor things really. His ability to adapt to new circumstances had impressed his DI and had singled him out for special privileges. And so he settled back to make the most of what could have been a bad experience. He wasn't allowed direct contact with anyone outside his training unit, but he did write a lot of letters home. In them he explained his situation and urged his family not to worry about him. The replies he got from Ayeka and Ryoko showed that they didn't take that advice too well. Especially Ryoko; she was all for invading Jurai again just to rescue him, not really understanding that he didn't need rescuing.
That's not to say that everything went smoothly for him, there were a few things that Tenchi had problems with in the beginning, especially in some of the more personal areas. It seemed that to the Juraian military there was no difference between a male and female soldier and Tenchi wasn't used to the coed facilities provided. He hadn't really minded sharing his barracks room with females, but sharing a shower was something entirely different. It took him a short while to realize that the female members of his unit went through exactly the same training as he did and there was nothing at all erotic about a bunch of naked, dirty, sweaty soldiers gathered together to clean themselves. Those that thought otherwise, male, female or other, were quickly weeded out and never seen again. And so the days passed and Tenchi fell more and more into the military routine, just as the training was designed to do.
*****
Back on Earth, Ayeka, and especially Ryoko, were not afraid to voice their displeasure to whomever they could corner. In Ayeka's case it was usually her brother, Yosho. For Ryoko it was Washu. Although the old priest and the scientist put their heads together and did the best they could it was to no avail. Both were told the same thing Tenchi had been told: the military did not make mistakes. One day Ayeka'd decided she'd had enough, after all, she was the First Princess and Empress-to-be, surely that must count for something. With Washu looking on and Ryoko fuming in the background, she commandeered Washu's hyperspace communications unit and called daddy.
"I'm sorry Ayeka," the king of Jurai told his eldest daughter. "We know where he is, we know what he's doing, but even I can't do anything about getting him back where he belongs."
Ayeka stared at her father, eyes wide and brimming with tears, while Washu had a headlock on Ryoko holding her back from attacking the king's holographic image. Not that the pirate could actually do it any damage, but it was the thought that counted. "What do you mean 'Even I can't do anything about it'?" Washu called out to the king while forcing a violently struggling Ryoko down to the ground. "You're the ruler of Jurai for Tsunami's sake. The commander in chief!"
Azusa shifted his attention from his daughter to the scientist. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? I've talked to everyone in his chain of command. I've even called his Drill Instructor to explain the situation and… Wait, here's the recording, listen for yourself." The Emperor leaned off-screen for a moment and flipped a switch.
"Training Division, 17th Juraian," came a rough voice. "Sergeant Odurona speaking."
The listeners heard Azusa clear his throat in the recording. "Ahem. This is Emperor Azusa, I'm calling about one of your trainees."
"Who did you say you were?" the DI asked.
"Azusa, Emperor of Jurai."
They heard a snicker. "Right. Who is this, really? Is that you Elwood?"
"This is the Emperor!" pronounced the Emperor.
"Uh huh. And I'm Queen Misaki," came a snide remark right back.
"You are not," Azusa tried to explain. "She's in down the hall in a staff meeting. Where I should be. If I wasn't making this idiotic call that is."
"Oh, so I'm an idiot, am I?" asked the other voice.
"I didn't say that," said the Emperor with just the right amount of hurt in his voice. It made Ayeka wonder if she'd ever be as good at diplomacy as her father.
"Yes, you did," the sergeant replied.
"Did not." This from Ayeka's father again.
"Did too," the sergeant countered.
"Didn't."
"Did."
The listeners heard the Emperor cough lightly. "Well, be that as it may, I'm calling about my son-in-law, Masaki Tenchi. There's been some sort of mix up at the higher levels."
"And this is unusual how?" Sgt. Odurona asked. "Remember, you're talking to an idiot."
Azusa harrumphed. "I never called you an idiot."
"Did too."
"Did no… Wait, let's not start that again, shall we?" Ayeka's father paused to collect his thoughts. "Anyway, about Tenchi…"
"Hold it," came the voice on the other end. "I'll admit the boy's good, one of the best I've ever had here, but trainees are not allowed outside contact until training is finished. No exceptions."
"I know that," Azusa replied. "I made the rule."
"Then why are you calling?"
The Emperor let out a huge sigh. "There's been a mistake. Tenchi was supposed to be assigned to the palace guard, not to the regular army."
"Sure he was." The DI's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "These things happen all the time."
Azusa, never known for his calm demeanor, had finally had enough; he blew up. "Listen you idiot, I'm the Emperor and I command…" he shouted at the other person.
"There," Sgt. Odurona broke in to the Emperor's tirade with hurt in his voice. "See, you called me an idiot. I don't have to sit here and take this from some crank caller. Goodbye."
They heard the communications channel click off and Azusa's voice calling "Wait, wait!"
The Emperor's image looked out at the three in Washu's lab. He did a double take when he saw Ryoko gagged and tied to a steel chair. The chair was bouncing across the floor and Washu was trying to get a chain around it before it got away. He turned back to his daughter, still standing before the camera, totally oblivious to what was going on behind her. "I have ten more recordings with ten different people, all very similar to that one." He buried his head in his hands. "You people don't know what I have to put up with here. Insubordinate subordinates, rebellions, border skirmishes, tax codes…" He raised his head and looked at Ayeka. "Are you sure you're not ready to take over? I can arrange it in a matter of hours."
Ayeka's eyes regained their lost focus and she turned at the noise of Washu tackling Ryoko, who had broken free of her bonds and was charging around the lab like a madwoman. The princess returned he gaze to her father's image. "No father. But I do understand. Thank you for all your effort."
Azusa managed a weak smile. "I'll keep trying, I haven't given up." He looked past Ayeka at Ryoko who was glaring up at him from underneath Washu. "You do know that Ryoko. I haven't given up trying yet, but I'm not sure what else I can do. Misaki and Funaho are looking into exactly what happened; as a native of a restricted planet, Tenchi shouldn't have gotten called in the first place. I may end up sending a unit of Guardians to 'convince' certain people that I mean business." Ryoko's eyes widened at this and Ayeka emitted a small gasp. No one messed with the Guardians. If Azusa was thinking about sending them, then he was serious about wanting to help. The ex-pirate stopped struggling and Washu let her up. She reached up and ripped off the piece of duct tape that was covering her mouth.
"Ouch!" Ryoko glared down at Washu for a moment, remembering another time, several years before. "Never again," she vowed before returning her attention to the Emperor's ghostly image. "Your Emperorness, I believe you."
"Then promise me that none of you, yes you too Washu," Azusa looked sternly at the trio. "None of you will take any precipitous actions until you hear from me. I need the military and my government, I would like to keep both relatively intact." He gave each of them one last lingering look then cut the connection.
Ayeka turned to Washu who was helping a grumbling Ryoko shed the last of her restraints. "Sorry Ryoko, for your sake I had to do it," the scientist was trying to explain to her daughter.
"Miss Washu," Ayeka said, trying to get the red head's attention.
Washu cocked an ear in the princess' direction. "Eh? What was that?"
"Er," Ayeka stammered, embarrassed by her gaffe. "Mother Washu, that is. Regardless of what father wishes, we can't just sit here while my Tenchi might be in trouble."
"Our Tenchi you mean," Ryoko exclaimed. "It's too bad we can't send someone to Jurai to keep an eye on him. Someone he doesn't know since we promised we'd stay here until he called for us." The pirate rubbed her wrists to help restore the circulation that had been cut off by the handcuffs and wire ties.
Washu eyes took on a strange glint and she looked first at Ayeka then at Ryoko. Ayeka saw the look and knew that her mother-in-law had a plan. And she even thought she knew what it was. The princess looked at Ryoko and genuinely smiled for the first time in days. Ryoko saw the other two looking at her and her head swung back and forth between her mother and co-wife. "What?" she asked. She never saw Washu's machine silently rise up from the floor behind her.
*****
To be continued
*****
Author's Notes
Ah yes, Chapter 2. I have this strange feeling that this fic is going to be quite long. Heck, this chapter was well over 15 pages in Word before I decided to split it. Expect Chapter 3 fairly soon since most of it is what was hacked off of this one. A few finishing touches and maybe next week sometime, if not sooner. I want to thank Meekachu (shameless plug) for looking over my rough drafts and responding with some rather pointed questions about how things looked and worked. I try not to include too much description, preferring to leave the small details to the reader's imagination, but sometimes I forget to put in things that you need to know in order to draw those conclusions.
*****
Review Responses
(Whew, there's quite a few so I'll try to keep them brief.)
Dennisud – Sasami's grown quite a bit but she won't be meeting Trunks here. I haven't thought about a love interest for her yet, she's still a bit young. Maybe a crush or two though.
Thundergod – Haven't seen that movie, sorry. I heard it was good though.
Taxzombie – I never registered. By the time I was 18 I was already in (they'd stopped actively drafting a year or so before) and I was a veteran at 21 when I got out so I didn't have to. Yeah, there's some stuff coming up, whether it's good or not remains to be seen.
Smack54 – It's not the Emperor's fault, it's a bureaucratic foul-up. Although I think Azusa's more worried about Ayeka's feelings and what actions Ryoko or Washu might take than any concerns over Tenchi's situation.
Lizzy Hakubi – Drafted means that the government points it's fat finger at you and says "Come here kiddo, you're in the Army because we say you are."
Vsdefender – Heh. Quite a bit can go wrong of course. I actually had a bunch of material about Tenchi and Mihoshi's trip but canned it as unimportant to the main story. I may resurrect it later for a different fic.
Warp – I always do.
Meekachu – I introduced Mai in lessee… Chapter 2 of In a Family Way. She's loosely based (or will be when and if I develop her background) on the Konoko character in the game Oni. I have a story in mind with her and the cyborg Kiyone as the main characters. Don't know if I'll ever get it written though.
Rowan Seven – Thank you for the kind words. I hope to keep everyone amused.
Blackbird – Having actually taken DI classes while I was in the service, I know that a Drill Instructor has to be a counselor just about as often as he/she is a hardass. Think about a high school counselor that can make you assume the position. I'm keeping all this in mind for Tenchi's DI, but he doesn't play a major part in the story.
Alighthawk – Yeah, I'm still planning on that Ryoko story. Don't know when though. I hate leaving things like that undone.
Wharpt – Am I that transparent? Funny you should mention Audie Murphy, I managed to visit his grave in Arlington a few years back. Didn't get a chance to go to Lee's house though and that's what I went for in the first place. Too many other things to see.
Speed the Turtle – The fewer words the better I guess. I'm glad you like it.
Ministry Agent – There are no guarantees in life, you should know that. Except death and taxes that is, but chaos always seems to follow Ryoko and she'll put in a major appearance later.
Rel – I'm glad you're patient because hopefully your patience will be rewarded. I used to be able to crank out a chapter every couple of days but I've really slowed down lately. See my reply to Meekachu for info on the Mai character.
Dragonbard – Swords are pretty useless inside a tank but his other abilities might come in handy, we'll have to wait and see. As for Ayeka and Ryoko, I have an idea for a story revolving around just them. Once again we'll have to wait, I have lots of ideas and very few of them actually make it into the computer.
Priest – Hey, I don't see you around much anymore. Maybe it's because I'm writing slower. Thanks for the comments.
Agent_86 – Yep, the stories are all interrelated and I tend to skip around a lot. I hope to go back and write about Ryoko's pregnancy sometime in the near future.
*****
BobR
10-23-2002
*****
For those of you that aren't interested in reading a short con review, stop now. Otherwise…
On Saturday, 10-19-2002 I attended SugoiCon in Erlanger, KY (just over the Ohio river from Cincinnati, OH). I was only there for that day and that was because the fanfic panel was scheduled for Saturday, an event I really wanted to attend. The con was great, it was well organized with plenty of room to move around (especially the dealer's room) and no lines for anything (not even the dealer's room). And it's not because there weren't a lot of attendees; there were plenty. Some great cosplay costumes too, I got a couple of shots with my digital camera. I didn't stay for the judging though because it was a long drive back to Louisville where I was staying with relatives.
I was a tiny bit disappointed in the fanfic panel, no particular reason and it's probably just me but I was expecting a bit more than a discussion on Gundam stuff. (What is it with all the Gundam stuff now? I would say that 50 - 60% of the merchandise in the dealer's room was Gundam related.) It wasn't that I was looking for Tenchi ideas, I just wanted some writing hints and to maybe learn how to improve my work. The moderators did a pretty good job of trying to keep everything on topic but when you get a bunch of free spirits in a room together I guess prior planning flies out the door. Maybe if it had lasted more than an hour things would have smoothed out. Oh well, maybe next year and then there's always the OhayoCon in Columbus in January too.
The videos in the video rooms were good and well organized, the music video competition was great and the game rooms were always full. All-in-all I had a good time and am certainly planning on returning next year.