***
Jikoken'o Muyo!
Chapter 7
***
Genjo sighed and sat back in his command chair, watching his assassins go about their assorted tasks. He was very calm, considering that he was helping to launch a suicidal assault on an army under the command of his own father. 50 assassins, a training priest, a rogue pirate, a couple princesses, a self-exiled prince, 2 galaxy police officers, a mad scientist, a possessed swordsman/bounty hunter/ex-priest, and a perverted architect were going to take on a trained army that numbered in the lower tens of thousands. wish I had the right to panic, he thought to himself.
He went over the strategy that they had come up with, which wasn't too bad really. By appearances, Ryo-oh-ki and the Yagami were going to launch a direct attack on the base. His father, assuming that the plans variables were working out correctly, would send out his defensive fighters, backed up by mechanized turret fire. What his father wasn't supposed to assume was that Genjo's ship, under cloak, would land and initiate an attack on the ground installations, allowing the other ships some breathing room. His father would have to send out some kind of response, which Genjo's forces were to fight in an effort to distract. Meanwhile the Yukinojo, carrying Tenchi, Yosho, Aeka, Ryoko, and Kyrin, would land and deposit their crew behind the defenses. Afterwards, Yukinojo was to remain on standby, but would go to the dogfight if necessary. They were to sneak in through one of the entrances, avoid as many fights as possible, and detain Shino.
Of course, that was assuming that the plan worked out. It was too late to change it, and besides, he had his own problems to worry about, like the fact that he was still loyal to his father and to his grandmother at the same time. So, it's a question of loyalties. If this plan goes like it's supposed to, then my loyalties are going to be the deciding factor. Genjo considered the two of them. Father's main condition before joining, he said, was to never harm another kinsman. If I can convince him that Washyuu is, in fact, my grandmother, he'll order his troops to lay down arms and offer his full support. If he orders me to betray and kill my comrades. He sighed. Then I'll have no choice but to do it.
Ryoko grinned ferally. It'd been too long since she'd been in a real fight. None of those scrapes with the princess counted. She was clad, once again, in her skin-tight battle garb. Yukinojo sped through space, easily keeping pace with Ryo-oh-ki and the Musei Deba, the assassin's ship. Yagami, though fast, was taking up the rear, and meanwhile the moon grew ever larger. The others were garbed for battle, Kyrin garbed in a blue hauberk-style vest and white greaves that didn't hamper his movement at all. His sword was sheathed and slung over his back. He was fighting the urge to take it out, raise some hell, and commandeer the ship, killing the others, then taking on Shino and the Sol division. This urge could only mean one thing - Kain was growing stronger.
He growled to himself. Those patches are losing effectiveness. If I don't do something, anything, I'm gonna lose it.
Suddenly, Washyuu's face appeared on the main screen, appearing also on the monitors of the Yagami and Musei Deba. Kyrin thought he could see Nobuyuki in the background. He had what looked like a rifle of some kind, and he was busily attaching a scope to it, sighting along the barrel, and whistling a tune that Tenchi later identified as "The Ballad of the Green Beret."
"We're entering their space, minna! Mihoshi, prepare to split off; Genjo, go cloak. Kiyone, you and I are gonna hold these suckers here!"
***
Shino sighed, staring out into space, wondering where his son had gone. He had no way of telling. He'd lost all communications a few days ago, thanks to this fool equipment. They had to be dead. That was the only explanation.
He heard a beeping report from his desk. Walking over to the spartan apparatus, he pressed a button, and a worried ensign's face appeared before him. "Yes, what is it?"
"Sir, our scanners are picking up 2 approaching objects."
Damned Earthian space trash. "Then destroy them with our anti-craft cannons," he said, trying to keep the impatience out of his voice.
"Sir, our neutron beams aren't affecting trajectory at all. A more detailed scan has revealed that these crafts are using shields more advanced then anything we're equipped to handle."
Now, this was interesting. His eyebrows rose the merest fraction of an inch. If they're that strong, then the textbook approach of sending out interceptors is not going to work. Unless. He quickly realized that the ensign was still awaiting orders. "Dispatch a small fighter squadron on an intercept course. Pull them out after they've exchanged fire; we can use the data to gauge the abilities of our visitors."
The ensign snapped off a salute, then faded out. Shino, meanwhile, left his office and strode off to the command deck. Maybe this little skirmish would increase his heartbeat a little.
***
The base was on the moon's dark side right then. The attack had been orchestrated that way on purpose, to hide it from Earth's vision. With a temperature of minus 200 degrees Celsius, it was necessary to move quickly. Body heat affecting any one area would arouse suspicion. The assassins moved quickly, tirelessly, in groups of 7. The last odd one, Genjo himself, was the one carrying explosives. The plan Genjo came up with was that the assassins cause a great deal of chaos by making stabbing forays into the enemy ranks, then ducking back out when they reformed. Meanwhile, Genjo was to rig the base defenses with explosives, and then wait for further orders.
The base defenses, considering the shabbiness of the Sol division, were very simple. They were neutron beam cannons, rising out of the ground when in use and sinking back below when the need to be hidden arose. The cannons were deployed en masse, the blue beams firing and making perfect hits – or they would be except for the shields. Ryo-oh-ki and Yagami's shields were antiproton, so the beams were completely absorbed. Genjo noticed a single squad of fighters, 4 J-9 Guardians. They were ugly machines, trapezoidal wings connected to a rectangular cockpit module. They were ship-to-ship interceptors, with two cylindrical missile carriers on the wing tips and neutron lancers on the cockpit module. The ship's view ports were joined transparent panels, and the pilots could be seen, wearing form-fitting spacesuits with no helmets. Genjo could not help but remind himself that it was thanks to his grandmother's research into genetics that they could alter their soldiers to survive in vacuum. But now was not the time. He had bombs to place.
Inside Ryo-oh-ki, Nobuyuki eyed the cannons a little nervously. He had gotten over flinching every time a beam was shot at them, but he still seemed nervous. Washyuu, noticing this, tried to comfort him. "Don't worry," she said. "Those beams couldn't penetrate this kind of shield even if they were at it for years."
"How can you be so confident about this?" he asked.
"Simple. Those beams are neutrons, while our shields are electrons."
"Huh?"
"You mean you never took physics?"
"I took it, I just wasn't very good at it."
"That does it. Ryo-oh-ki!"
"Miyah?"
"Take dodge pattern Delta 14, and try not to hit Yagami."
"Miyah!" Delta 14 was a wild, chaotic dancing pattern, specifically designed to foil targeting computers. After all, there were fighters approaching. They couldn't be touched in a million years, but they had to act like they could.
Nobuyuki sensed what was coming. "I don't need a lecture, really."
"No, I'm going to explain this, and in terms an Earthian can understand – my greatest challenge yet." Washyuu stretched in the floating chair she was sitting in. "Those weapons there are focused neutron beams, charged and propelled towards a specific target. According to atomic theory, there are three parts that make up any basic atom – protons, electrons and neutrons. The protons and neutrons exist in the atom's nucleus, the electrons in orbit around it."
"I know, I know, I remember all that," said Nobuyuki. "What I don't understand is what this has to do with those big guns down there."
"A neutron beam interferes with the balance. Protons and neutrons possess a great attraction for each other, but the protons can only take so much. If an atom in a dense atomic area receives an overload, especially like the kind you get from a neutron beam, the neutrons begin to show an excessive pull on other atoms. The protons from the other atoms are pulled into this concentration. The atoms they were pulled from, upon losing so much, basically lose attraction and fall apart." Nobuyuki, at the end of this explanation had a starkly blank look on his face. "Did you get any of that?" she asked, afraid she'd have to start over again.
"Oh I got it. You're saying these beams disrupt the balance and make the target fall apart."
Whew, he got it. "That's right."
He nodded, satisfied, then frowned. "Well, our shields are made up of the same basic stuff aren't they?"
"Nope. These shields are made up of waves of electrons. There's no attraction, so the beam is completely deflected."
"So that's it."
"Yup." Washyuu turned back to her holo-top, which was currently in tactical display mode. According to the records, the fighter squadron had passed by, exchanged fire, and then retreated from the battle. Missiles had been fired, but Ryo-oh-ki's counter measures were more than able to throw them off. "God, I'm good at this!" she cackled gleefully.
Two marionettes of Washyuu appeared on her shoulders. The one labeled A said "You're a genius, Washyuu!"
The other one, B, said, "Nobody else can compare!"
In unison, they began to shout, "Hail, Washyuu! Hail Washyuu!" Nobuyuki sweatdropped and decided not to ask any more questions.
***
Shino stood on the command deck. He would've been on the command throne, the nexus of information that would permit him to lead more effectively, but that was not allowed him. After all, Arkhan was there instead.
"I should've come here sooner," Arkhan said in a self-berating tone. "Things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand if I'd just come sooner."
"Milord, this is Kain we're talking about," replied Shino. "Chaos follows in his path. We're simply going to block his path here." Truth be told, there was little love lost between the two. They had a great deal of scorn for each other, bordering on sheer hatred. But this was a war. Their mutual foe called for a cease-fire, of a sort. They could tear out each other's throats later.
Arkhan turned away from his general to study the tactical reports. No energy attacks had gone through that strange shield they possessed. The missiles had, but countermeasures had destroyed them before they hit the target. No real counterattack had been made – decidedly odd, all things considered.
"All right, then. Missiles made it through the first time, so it's a safe assumption that they'll go through again. Send out a wing of bombers and a wing of interceptors –" A red alert on the tac-comm. unit caught his attention. The report stated that cannon 6 had just exploded, for no apparent reason at all. A second red alert reported that cannon 1 had just gone off-line.
Saboteurs, Arkhan realized, as cannon 4 stopped functioning. "Four wings 2 of bombers, 2 of interceptors. Deploy them so they arrive behind the attackers. And send out the 1st though 3rd infantry platoons, with accompaniment by the 1st path-finders."
"Isn't that a lot of trouble to go to for a small group of saboteurs?" asked Shino.
"We don't know how many there are," replied Arkhan. "For all we know, there could be an army out there."
"Very well, milord," replied Shino, trying not to grit his teeth.
***
Aeka hefted her staff as she hopped out of the Yukinojo. It was not the ornate power staff of a Knight, but Yosho said she wasn't ready yet. That was okay with her. Upon reaching the ground, she couldn't help but marvel at the lack of gravity.
"So where are we?" asked Tenchi, the Tenchiken clipped to the belt of his armor. The dark battle stripes, on the night side of the moon, obscured parts of his face, giving him an imposing look.
"We're relatively close to the hangar bays for the base's fighters," said Kyrin. "I'm sorry I couldn't direct us to a closer site but I'm worried about the radar finding us."
"You're worried about radar when you've got me along?" Ryoko smirked bemusedly, her golden eyes glowing with the starlight.
Kyrin shrugged. "I'm too used to skulking around in the shadows."
"I think I prefer that approach," Yosho said. "It makes no sense to invite a fight when we can avoid it." His wise old eyes, still holding a sparkle of youth, took in the surroundings as Yukinojo began to lift off. The cold lunarscape stared back, while the bay doors of the hangar bays, buried in the plains, remained closed. The band of infiltrators took off at a run, quickly approaching their destination. Yukinojo continued to rise.
Finally, having traveled a fair distance from the Yukinojo, worries over how to get in were solved – the doors opened. They slowed to a stop as 48 fighters rose out of the bay, chose a course and flew off. Immediately, the doors began to close. They hopped in, Tenchi yanking Ryoko down as she prepared to hurl a pot shot at one of the fighters. They were in.
Meanwhile, Mihoshi sighed in relief. "Finally, we get to relax a - AAH!!" She would have had a chance to relax – had not the fighters chosen a course that incidentally carried them straight towards Mihoshi. She groped for controls as her computer screens flashed alerts. She accidentally managed to dodge all the shots fired at her. The enemies were everywhere! Her screens were filled with their shapes. Her fingers, racing frantically over the keyboards accidentally grazed a firing button. A burst of missiles shot from Yukinojo – no kills, but the enemy was scattered. That was all she needed. She pressed down on the accelerator and shot out of the mass of avionic machinery, lunar dust kicking up from the engine energy. They followed her though – ravenous hawks after a single dove.
***
Kiyone sat in the pilot chair aboard Yagami, almost bored. The cannons were gone, Genjo was handling the ground forces admirably, and there was no need for movement. Sasami, sitting at the weapons controls, kept her fingers poised over the buttons. It was like playing Galactinet arcade games, she argued, and she was the top scorer in a lot of those games. Oh well, scores didn't seem to matter too much. Things were very quiet.
"Augh!" Kiyone shouted suddenly, clutching her head as if in great pain.
"Huh? Kiyone?!" Sasami rushed over, a worried expression on her face. "What is it?"
How could she describe it? Kiyone's nerves tingled with the panic, the overwhelming fear of what? What was she afraid of? There was nothing.
Suddenly, two screens opened in the air. One had Mihoshi's face, full of fear. "Kiyone!!! HELP!!!"
The other was Washyuu. "Heads up, we've got incoming!"
Sasami stood there, paralyzed with indecision until Kiyone snapped, "Quick, to the weapons!" Sasami ran to the chair, the system reactivating from sleep mode. Slowly, trembling madly, Kiyone began to turn the ship.
Sasami, staring into the targeting screen, studied her targets intently. The Guardians she recognized easily enough. The new ships seemed slightly different somehow, only slightly. A quick scan revealed that all the weapons aboard the new ships were missile based – no energy weapons. "Sasami!" Washyuu's face appeared in the upper left of the screen. "Concentrate on those missile fighters, our shields can't block those!"
"Got it!" A flight of missiles screamed towards the Yagami. Sasami shot at them, knocking out most of them. A few still got through, but Yagami's armor held. Another flight came, and more were knocked out, but a few still came. "Kiyone!" Sasami called, "I can't fight these ships if you don't move!"
"I-I-I'm t-t-t-t-trying!" Kiyone said, still trembling. The fear had been amplified when Mihoshi arrived and she was quite incapable of acting. The small part of her mind that maintained calm did the math, and it hit her – the bond was carrying her partner's emotions. So obviously, her mind continued, if she can influence you, then you can influence her. It was so simple in principle, but so difficult. Still, she had to do this. Forcing herself to calmness, with the ship rattling around her, she began to send what she would later describe as courage.
In the Yukinojo, Mihoshi was still on the edge, when sudden warmth in the back of her mind began to spread throughout her. She felt herself calming, the panic disappearing, a quiet strength taking its place. As one, Mihoshi and Kiyone stopped trembling. When they looked out into space, their eyes shone with the same light.
***
Ryoko panted slightly as she flew. A guard lay paralyzed behind her. She had sent a mild shock through his nervous system, sending him crashing useless to the floor. He wasn't dead, wouldn't die, but he certainly was going nowhere in a hurry. The others tried to achieve this same end. Kyrin fought barehanded, Aeka knocked people out with her staff, Yosho with his bokken, and Tenchi through bludgeoning Wing blows.
The twists and the turns of the base complex were themselves complex, but Kyrin seemed to know his way pretty well. It all looked the same – like the innards of some huge machine; incredibly sterile with complicated computer interfaces built into the wall.
Three groups of guards later, they stood outside of the command center. Ryoko's sense of direction told her they were deep underground, but how far was unsure. The invaders now stood before them stood a thick set of blast doors. "Should be easy enough to break," Ryoko said. Just as she prepared a bolt, Kyrin held up a hand.
"Wait a second. This is what they want us to do."
"You're being paranoid," Ryoko replied.
"Don't you think that going through guards and leaving them temporarily paralyzed would leave room for a raised alarm?"
"He's got a point," Aeka said. They conferred for a few minutes, then made their decision.
On the other side of the door, Shino stood with his arms crossed. A pair of daggers was held to his belt, and Arkhan stood at the throne, a huge partisan in his hands. The troops were arranged in a semi-circle formation, the gunners in ranks in front. If they failed to contain the threat, the elites would finish them off. Everything seemed to be in good order, until the door blew in. Photon bullets sprayed through the air immediately, flying into the smoke. But there were no cries of pain. Instead, a pair of fighters streaked into the room, Light Hawk Wings blazing as they shielded their users. They shot straight into the gunner ranks, sending it into disarray almost immediately. Tenchi cut gun barrels left and right with Tenchiken, while his Wings flew through the ranks, knocking out the weaponless and shielding against those that had weapons. Yosho fought with no less ability, flowing from one movement to the other to the other.
Shino had to confess to being impressed. These fighters weren't half bad. Still, surely the elites would get them. They were a fierce imposing lot, dressed in black form-fitting armor. It wasn't bulky and heavy, like plate, but much stronger, with no mobility impediment. They all carried what appeared to be metallic sticks. What didn't appear were the electrical micro-generators inside each one. Whenever struck, the opponent would get electrocuted, resulting in anything from stun to heart attack to outright overload. They made ready to pull these "lightning sticks" from the sleeve compartments on their right arms. Shino raised his hand to give the signal.
Suddenly, two more streaks appeared from the slowly clearing dust of the doors. They met with the elites, stunning one quickly, then moving to the next one. Half the elites were dealt with when they decided to act. The lightning sticks hummed to life in their hands as they began to fight back. Now the streaks slowed down. One was Kyrin who, having unsheathed his sword, was engaged in multiple combats, yet was holding his own. The other, Ryoko, was merely deflecting blows. She paralyzed anyone who made it past her sword.
Odd, thought Shino. They were supposed to be killing the soldiers, not using disarm and stun tactics. And what was with Kyrin? He actually seemed to be quite sane, as opposed to his normal state. This made very little sense. And if they were using stun/disarms, then where were the other troops? Surely a few had recovered and were on their way.
As the dust at the door finally settled, he saw why. A single Jurai-warrior, her staff almost alive in her hands, was holding back the few soldiers that had revived. Shots fired at her bounced off her force shield, and the blue-white energy of Jurai crackled around her. Her gray skin and battle stripes, along with those red eyes... a seemingly invincible warrior to be sure. Shino smirked to himself. So many skilled opponents in a single place? If he was to die, at least he'd have fun doing it.
***
Washyuu studied her tactical displays. The fighters were being dealt with nicely, now that Kiyone and Mihoshi had recovered. However, in being so intent with their own troubles she had forgotten to monitor the ground battle. She took a look.
Genjo, she decided, was definitely one of her descendants. Only one wounded, while they'd given back a hundred fold. But not a single enemy was dead. Nobody that good at tactical thinking could be descended from anyone else but me, she thought to herself smugly. Nobuyuki, meanwhile, had finished assembling the weapon, a supped-up sniper rifle. All in all, things to be going well.
Until Genjo called in. "Washyuu, problem!"
"What is it?"
"The remaining infantry unit just retreated!"
"How is that bad?"
"There's only one place for them to be going if Arkhan called them back!"
"You mean Arkhan's HERE?!"
"Didn't you know?!"
"Well follow them then!"
"No can do! The pathfinders unit just found us, and we're caught!"
DAMN it! Washyuu screamed in her mind. This changed the variables. Genjo was right. If the last infantry unit had just been pulled back, there was only one place for them to go.
Nobuyuki had caught on himself. "We've got to go help them!"
Washyuu did some quick thinking. "You go down. I'll stay up here and try to monitor the situation." Pressing a button, Washyuu formed a crystal around Nobuyuki and sent him flying down into the base. Then setting to work, she hacked into the base's security systems. On a screen separate from the tactical display, the camera pictures appeared. She stared quietly then saw - a column of troops heading straight for the command center.
***
This is too easy, thought Aeka. A few troops came from the right. Ducking under the first one, she slammed the second with her fist, swept the third's feet out from under him, then shot the first with a mild energy bolt. Ryoko and Kyrin were simply performing clean up duty, as were Tenchi and Yosho. Things were going to be over relatively soon at this rate. She heard a clatter of footsteps from the left this time. She sighed and turned - and her heart skipped a few beats. She gave up counting them as more and more approached. "Minna! We've got trouble!"
Tenchi, hearing Aeka's voice, turned around and ran out to help Aeka hold against the tide of soldiers. Yosho continued to hold his own, although he was now having a harder time of knocking out soldiers without getting hurt himself. Kyrin and Ryoko, having dealt with the elites were fighting Shino and Arkhan. Ryoko and Shino were pretty evenly matched with one another. Arkhan and Kyrin were another story.
Growling fiercely, Kyrin charged and struck at Arkhan. Arkhan didn't even move, but he didn't have to because a powerful forcefield held Kyrin back. Kyrin's sword bounced off the shield, and Kyrin stepped back a bit. "Why, bounty hunter, or Kain, or whatever you are, have you gone soft?" Arkhan's face could not be seen, but the sneer of cruel amusement was very much in evidence. Kyrin snarled in anger and the chaotic light that shone from his sword took on a dark hue. He began to focus this rage, the darkness spreading from his sword to his body, and growing all the time. The green gems on the backs of his hands glowed darkly and his battle marks became livid.
Arkhan, seeing all this, didn't seem surprised. If anything, he seemed to be eager. He took a stance and waited as Kyrin leapt at the force field and struck it. The field shattered in a spectacular explosion of light that caught everyone's attention. When the dazzles cleared, the people in the room could see Arkhan and Kyrin blade-locked and not giving an inch. Shino marveled at this. He hated Arkhan, but he had to admit that Arkhan was much stronger than he was. He had no real idea how strong Kyrin was, but he couldn't be quite that strong. Seeing the darkness emanating from him, Shino suddenly got it - Kain had been triggered into reaction. An interesting fight to watch, but he had his own interests to protect, so he and Ryoko resumed the duel in earnest.
In the halls, the battle wasn't progressing very well at all. In spite of Aeka's shields, in spite of the Light Hawk Wings, in spite of all their training, Aeka and Tenchi found themselves being pushed back. The sheer weight of numbers came to bear on them repeatedly as they were constantly forced to either move or be surrounded. As the battles in the command center continued, Tenchi and Aeka had been pushed back to the doorway, fighting elites and dodging bullets. Yosho, finally done with the troops rushed to the doorway to defend against the masses. The defense could have, should have, would have worked - if one of the elites hadn't gotten the idea to chuck a grenade at the fighters. The resulting explosion tossed men everywhere. The three fighters went flying as well, and enemies poured into the center. The five fighters suddenly found themselves out manned and out gunned in the most severe way. Especially worse off for this were the two duelists, Ryoko and Kyrin. Kyrin found himself parrying blows and dodging a huge partisan blade. He, however, had an edge in the dark power that was coursing through his veins giving strength and adding power to his own; but it was a double edge because this power was also trying to take him over. Ryoko had no such edge. This was not to say that she wasn't formidable, but she had a fair amount of trouble. Taking on multiple opponents to this degree was not a skill she had had to hone. She flew up and sent down shock waves of energy, knocking out many, but bullets kept flying back at her. She had too much to do, trying to defend herself against so many opponents. She tried splitting in two parts, which helped some, but the double couldn't get any closer.
Kyrin was rapidly losing control. He fought madly against the ranks, but they just kept coming, getting closer. He needed space. Kain's power exploded from Kyrin's body, killing and wounding any who came in contact with it. Unfortunately, two stray bolts of power hit Ryoko and her double, slamming the two back together and knocking them both unconscious. She fell and landed with a loud THUD. The enemies closed in on her...
***
"RYOKO!!" Washyuu screamed as she felt the link go silent. She had to be there, but she'd never be there in time to save her, save her precious daughter. She fell to her knees from the floating chair, her hands clutching her head."Ryoko..." Washyuu whispered to herself, hearbrokenly. "Ryoko... NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Suddenly, all was light, and when it cleared she wasn't there any longer.
***
Green light erupted from Ryoko's body, emanating from the gems. Everyone was blinded. Kyrin screamed as the darkness was purged from his body and Kain driven back to the depths. All of the Jenshin were knocked out, excepting Arkhan and Shino. When the light cleared, everyone stared amazed as a warrior in green held Ryoko's prone body in her arms. None of them had ever seen her before, a warrior dressed in a green gi, golden armbands reflecting the light. Nobody could see her face, just two blazing green emeralds. They were ablaze with a gentle tenderness as she held the space pirate in her arms. She clasped a hand in her own and the gem began to glow. A link of green light formed between the gem and this new warrior's wrist, and Ryoko's wounds began to heal. As the last one closed, her eyes opened, two gold pools meeting two emeralds and she whispered a single word.
"Washyuu...?"
The reactions were immediate. Shino stared openly at this new warrior who uncovered her face to reveal a red spiky mane of hair. Yes, it was Washyuu. She smiled at Shino and Ryoko. "Yes," she said, "It's me."
Kyrin too stared. He felt the gems on his hands burning with holy power. It wasn't painful - he felt more alive than he had in some time. Aeka could feel something very akin to Jurai energy from Washyuu, could feel it washing away the fatigue and pain, thought she could feel some of her wounds closing. Yosho sighed deeply, almost satisfied. Tenchi was never one for complication, so he just stared, slightly dumbfounded.
Arkhan wasted no time. He restarted his duel with Kyrin in spite of all the odds stacked against him. Kyrin matched blow for blow, but this time it was through different power - power that came from light, not dark.
Tenchi began to move towards the couple but a look from Washyuu stopped him. "Don't interfere. Kyrin must fight this alone, if one of us is to come into his own."
"What do you mean by that?" Tenchi asked. Kyrin and Arkhan continued fighting, knocking each other back and forth. Blades locked they held each other there. Then the sound of a photon discharge rang through the chamber. Arkhan's helmet exploded, shooting circuitry and wires flying.
"An android," Kyrin said, staring at Arkhan's remains.
Nobuyuki stared around him, the sniper rifle in his arms. He looked comically out of place in khaki pants and a tan t-shirt. He gave a low whistle. "You folks really know how to make a mess out of things, don't you?"
***
"Come in! HQ come in!" The communications officer aboard the JNS Sakurakaze frantically tried to get through to the Jurai Naval Command. Fires raged throughout the ship, aboard the bridge. The weapons officer lay on the floor, her console blown. The commander was trying to salvage what was left of the patrol fleet, while the helmsman tried desperately to bring the ship around. Not an easy task, seeing as many of the engines had been blown. In the surrounding space, burning hulks floated aimlessly as a mysterious fleet of ships passed through. A few ships still fired, the few that could, but it was worthless. The beams bounced off the enemy shields and were silenced.
A somewhat bored face appeared on the communications screen. "Patrol fleet 14, state your business."
"We've been overrun. Repeat, we've been overrun."
The headquarters officer snapped to attention. "Overrun? By whom?"
"We don't know. Their markings are completely foreign. Projected course 35-19, straight to Jurai!" A huge bipyramidal prism-like ship appeared, fast despite appearances. Turreted cannons emerged on all sides. The officer could sense his time running out. "Listen to me! Don't send out a standard interception fleet. Send out a battalion! Send out a whole damned division after these monsters! They're too much for a single fleet! We've learned. I beg of you! Don't let them reach --" The cannons fired plasma out into the night of space, and all was silenced again.
***
Knight: Well, isn't that something? Washyuu's power unveiled, the Jenshin brought to heel, and Jurai placed on alert all in the same chapter. Wow, what a mouthful. Battles are not perfectly done, and they can make emotional wrecks out of anyone. It was necessary for Washyuu, but most of us aren't lucky enough to be revealed as megami. Oh well.
Tenchi Muyo and all related paraphernalia are copyrighted to AIC and Pioneer.
The only things that are mine are those things that I perceive as original, and thusly are mine. If you recognize an idea that you came up with first, all credit goes to you.
You can contact me at: KnightOfCyril@aol.com