***
Jikoken'o Muyo!
Chapter 11
***
Washyuu was busily running a few last augmentations on the Jenshin super weapon. She had set up the program, assigned a specified target, and had insured that the weapon would not turn back on them. Now to distribute to the rest of the fleet, she thought, and with a wave of her hand she was done.
Sensing a notice in the back of her mind, she touched a button on her holo-top. Shino's face appeared. "Don't worry," she said. "The weapon is ready."
"Good thing, because they're ready for us too," he replied.
The once mighty fleet of Jenshin vessels was no more. It was now a series of attack forces equipped and ready for their task. Thanks to Washyuu's modifications, the once clunky and slow junk fleet was now a sleek, fast, and very powerful force - one that could hopefully meet the forces of the Enemy and come back to speak of it.
***
Aboard one of the dart ships, the lazy pilot busily clipped his nails. He absently noted a new set of signals that suddenly appeared, deciding not to bother reporting; why should he, when such occurrences were regular? After the signals began to fire into the ranks, however, he become a much more avid observer. It made little difference, though, because his ship was soon a bright glowing ball of fire in the darkness of space.
Reports soon filled the communications net from all over. Ships were exploding, casualties were rising, and the Big Three were in a fury over exactly where this group had come from. The dart ships psychic pulse weapons were proving to be quite ineffective. They remained undiscovered for the most part; fighters blew the few that were discovered apart.
The green lights of gem-powered lancers struck against the shields and hulls of enemy ships, and were subsequently answered by charged pulses of red light. Missiles were fired, hit their targets or decoys, and were responded to in similar fashion with similar results.
***
Aboard Night Runner, Shino sat in the command throne, staring at his tactical displays with a keen eye. He watched his warriors moving in and out of the enemy ranks with great ease. He was becoming slightly shamed that he had ever feared for his odds. As he watched, he noticed that the enemy was finally beginning to regroup and fire weapons in answer. As he gave the order to fall back, he studied the formation. It was amazing at how well the plan had gone, and how easily the enemy gathered in one place. The gaps in the formation were astounding. "It should be pretty obvious where to strike," he said. "Hop to it!"
With confirmations and affirmatives swarming the net, the task forces immediately struck the weak points presented in the formation. Enemy ships exploded everywhere, and not just blade-ships. A few of the prism-ships had been caught as well; they, however, put up a better fight than most of the other ships and so fewer were defeated.
"Sir!" A ship commander's face appeared in front of Shino. "These prism-ships are damned invulnerable to everything we throw at them! The only parts that seem to be vulnerable are the very edges!"
"Then I guess you'd better aim at the edges," replied Shino. "Don't worry too much, we'll be pulling you out soon for the final strike."
Another few minutes went by, as the weak points were exploited to no end. Finally, the order came: "Pull out! But do so slowly, we want them to chase us."
***
"HOW COULD THIS BE?!" raged Cenus.
"By all reasoning we should have caught them," thought Indoran aloud. "Zisho, weren't you on lookout?"
"We were. We have no idea where they came from. One moment they weren't there and the next, they were everywhere!" shrieked Zisho.
"We'll have to run an equipment check later. Right now, it looks like they're pulling out."
"Damned if I'm going to let them run now," snarled Cenus.
"You will do no such thing," replied Indoran in a cold voice.
"Why the Hell not?!"
"They had the advantage, and suddenly they run away? It's too good to be true."
"They're cowards! Can't you see that?! We should exploit this moment when they are of weak will!"
"Idiot," said Zisho. "It's an obvious feint. We should just stay here and wait it out."
Cenus growled fiercely, but he stayed the order to move.
***
"Sir?"
"Yes?"
The Tactical Ops Officer turned to Shino. "The enemy is not chasing us," she said.
"Yeah, I figured they wouldn't. Oh well. Have our ships cleared out of there?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Prepare to unleash the nano-bots."
As the preparations were made, Washyuu appeared on the bridge. "Are you sure this is a good idea, mom?" asked Shino.
"Oh ye of little faith," replied Washyuu. "Don't worry. I've got everything under control."
"Forgive me, but I remain skeptical. These weapons were banned for a reason, remember?"
"They were banned because the scientists couldn't work out how to control them and the budget cuts left no choice. Sitting in a crystal for 700 years has given me a lot of time to work the problem out, though. The guidance systems on the robots are so sophisticated that they track not only the atomic composition, but also the ion emissions made by the engines. Since the emissions from our ships are different from those targeted, the bots won't attack us."
"Well, I guess we'll figure out the truth of that statement in the near future," he said. Then, turning to Tactical Ops, "Fire the nano-bots!"
Missiles streaked out of the Jenshin fleet, racing towards the enemy.
***
"They ran away so they could bombard us?" wondered Indoran.
"It would appear as such," said Zisho
"But why go to all that trouble? Our decoys will catch the missiles much easier now that they're further away."
"So much for a fake feint, eh?" said Cenus, his voice touched with sarcasm.
"Deploy decoys!" ordered Indoran. "When the barrage is done with, we move after them!"
***
Explosions blossomed in the eternal night of space as missiles met decoys. Unseen by the sensors, tiny compartments separated from the missiles as they shot by ships. They moved towards ships or anything matching the target data. Catching a fair amount of ships, the compartments opened up and nano-bots swarmed out. They chewed through the outer armor shell and began to disperse throughout the inside of the ships. Some went for life support, others towards engines, still others towards weapons. Slowly, but surely, systems began to die off.
Indoran was unaware of this however, as he gave the order: "Outer ring ships, forward!"
***
Here they come.... "All ships, prepare to counter-attack. Transport teams, prepare to launch." Shino watched, as the ships appeared to get larger and larger. There were less than 900 meters between them and the approaching ships. The distance quickly shrank. As they passed the 600 mark, the Jenshin forces opened fire on the enemy. Several hits were scored as the enemy ships moved ever closer, not firing. Their shields, which had been quite formidable when employed, were either not present or shattered under a single barrage.
That's interesting. I thought the leader of this group was more capable then to risk all in a suicide charge. "Evasive maneuvers!" shouted Shino.
As the ships moved to dodge, Shino turned to Washyuu. "Just what are these weapons aiming for?"
"Armaments first, I think," she said, "then guidance. Then communications, and finally life support."
"Explains a lot." As the Jenshin moved out of the way, the flaming wrecks of opposing ships drifted by, exploding or going dead and passing like ghosts.
***
"Impossible..." Zisho stared out at the wreckage of ships, torn apart inside and out.
"It didn't even make a difference whether we went or stayed..." came Cenus' voice. Then, "Why didn't you let us follow them, Indoran?! We could have destroyed some of them at least!"
"Keep your eyes on the higher purpose, Cenus," said Indoran, his voice still cold and calm. "We do not serve Tokimi by dying needlessly. We will gather the remnants into small clusters. Keep them over the hotspots of the land battles so we can give our troops aid. Also, keep an eye on all signatures within your areas. Any that are not registered are to be considered enemies and destroyed on contact."
Cenus and Zisho mutely acknowledged their orders. As Indoran sat back on his throne, Tokimi watched the goings on.
"How could this have happened?" she asked, not expecting an answer. "Indoran should have been able to handle all of this with incredible ease. The warriors under him and others should have been able to handle this easily. Could the Enemy be involved?" She reached out with her senses. "No, I can't sense Him at all."
"Precisely," said Asrael, stepping out of nowhere. "We see it now, only too late. There is a Believer amongst them, and a bleeding powerful one at that."
"How could this slip past us?"
"He apparently just recently returned to the Enemy."
"Hm. How powerful is he, anyway?"
"You've seen the results of his prayers. He was a devout Eradi, and he's returning to their ways."
"Curses! The Eradi are always in our way!"
"Ah, but there's a catch to this one. It appears that his brother is the one known as Kain."
"Kain is here as well?" Tokimi considered for a moment. "All may not be lost just yet. If we can tip the scales so that Kain is in control...."
"I have a better idea," said Asrael, a faint smirk on his fair face. "We separate the two of them from each other. I know, I know," he said to Tokimi's objecting face, "it looks like we're playing into their hands, but here's the real fun: if we separate them by force, some of Kyrin's vital functions will take heavy and quite possibly permanent damage."
"Like?"
"His soul could be quite literally ripped in half, thanks to Kain's presence. That would cut his physical abilities in half, reflectively."
"I like already. And then we focus all our military might on him solely. Without his full strength, he could hardly stand up to what we will set against him."
***
"Kyrin?" The man whose name was mentioned looked up from his prayers as Ryoko leaned in the doorway. "It's time. The others are already on their way, so we're getting on Ryo-oh-ki and moving out."
Grabbing his sword as he stood up, the two of them jogged together. "Why are we taking Ryo-oh-ki?" asked Kyrin. "I thought we'd be divided amongst the other divisions."
"
Oh no. Shino's termed us as Spec-Ops. We've got to dodge through the Enemy defenses at points and perform specialty work down below."
Sasami was already waiting in the bay as Ryoko and Kyrin jogged in. "Whoah, wait a second. We're taking a child princess down to a war-zone?" asked Kyrin, looking incredulously at Sasami.
"Not just a war-zone," replied Ryoko. "The capital city, Tsunami."
"They named their capital after their deity. Heh. But why bring her down?"
"Because the ship Tsunami is down there," said Sasami. "She says I need to get on the ship and lead against the enemy, since I'm the only one who can form a link well enough with the ship computer."
A sound of footfalls announced Nobuyuki's arrival, clad in black body armor, a chameoline cloak billowing about him. A sniper rifle muzzle peeked over his shoulder, and a SOCOM look-alike was strapped to his waist. "I'm here," he said. "Where are the others?"
"Azaka, Kamidake, Kiyone, and Mihoshi are going to be leading a raid on Kousae, to free up some troops," said Ryoko. "Katsuhito, Tenchi, Aeka, and Genjo are leading another group to liberate Sakurakaze, the main port town. That way, we can begin landing troops and supplies en masse."
"Then the fleet's job is probably to engage the enemy fleets above and drive them off," said Kyrin. "OK. I guess we're all ready. Let's go to work!"
***
Once again, the skies above Jurai glowed with explosions as energy discharges, missiles, fighters, and super weapons met in a hideously beautiful tribute to war. People looked up and saw, felt variants of dread and hope. Civilians looked up, curious as to what the fuss up there was all about. Soldiers looked up with a dark feeling inside, fearing that more of their sky-borne brethren were losing their lives for the defense of their home.
Azusa looked up to the sky with a grim eye. The fire of wounds he'd received burned within him, bringing pain with every movement. And yet, every day, he was out on the front lines, fighting when there was fighting to be done. His wives were not idle; Misaki coordinated the sheltering and defense of civilians while Funaho's intelligence network was on constant call.
He looked out over the once shining capital. It had been a place of bright, graceful structures carved of the finest wood. People walked through the streets, while ships sailed through the air. For all this, the city possessed its old dignity with a new grace.
That was before. This was now. 'This' was a city in ruin. The once grand buildings issued smoke from holes within which fires raged. Craters littered the city liberally from routine bombardment. The only craft that flew in the air now were whatever air forces they had left. The people, meanwhile, sought shelter in various safe houses, as well as the palace itself.
The palace. A structure built into a colossal tree, whose shade encompassed the center quarter of Tsunami. A structure built of domes, of towers, of spires, from which flew the banners of Jurai's past Emperors; all peeking out of the trunk of the tree. A structure of tall, arched, open-air windows, of beautiful gardens, of beautiful views. It was a structure of secret lore, of power, of protection towards those who couldn't protect themselves.
Over the whole area, a huge force shield had been erected. The tree was powerful enough to even spread fields over the various shelters, protecting them and the tunnels underneath that linked into the palace. Good thing too, seeing as the enemy was firmly entrenched throughout the city, with hover-tanks and assault cannon clogging the streets. The Juraians made what moves they could when they could, but there were just too many.
Azusa silently watched, as a shining light seemed to drop down from the sky. He knew it was probably one of his ships falling into atmosphere and burning; it was a sight he'd seen many times. And yet, this was different. Most times the ship broke under pressure and disappeared, but this didn't fragment or shrink or anything. It grew instead, and that was when it occurred to him that maybe the wreckage was going to hit the capital.
The enemy soldiers had noticed this as well. Remaining perfectly calm, cannons were aimed at the speck. The targeting computers were set for pinpoint accuracy, and soon the air was filled with red plasma bursts shooting up at the target. If all had gone as planned, the speck would have disappeared, so everyone was quite surprised when it began to display kinetic energy that it used to dodge the fire. Very soon, the soldiers got the idea that this was not just a flaming hulk.
As they continued firing, they got an increasingly better look at the object. It was a weird, black, multi-prismal construct of some sort, interconnected by a grayish bone sort of substructure. There was a hint of some sort of pinkish crystal in the center, but it was hard to tell, since the bottom point was the part facing them.
Azusa froze. He knew that ship. He knew who would be in there. Granted, she had been pardoned of her crimes, but the thought of the person still gave him shudders over her powers. Ryoko....
Ryo-oh-ki shot towards the ground at supersonic speeds, red light shooting up in greeting.
***
A few minutes later, on top of one of the buildings Nobuyuki lay, his chameoline cloak blending him into the surroundings nearly perfectly. He took aim with his sniper rifle and fired, smiling in satisfaction as another soldier fell from a leg wound. Ryoko and Kyrin killed, but somehow he couldn't. He didn't care if this made him weak or not - he had a job to do and he was doing it as best he could. "Anyone trying to come up here?" he asked.
"No, doesn't look like it," said Sasami. Nobuyuki had been named royal bodyguard, at least temporarily. He was supposed to keep an eye on her and protect her at all costs. He didn't mind, but he also had his duties to take care of as a sniper. So he had her watch the rooftop entrances while he handled the shooting. So far nothing had come through, but the arrangement seemed to work pretty well.
Taking aim, he couldn't help but let his mind wander to his son. He was fighting for two planets, fighting to protect something. He had fallen in love finally too; even Nobuyuki could see that. Why couldn't they, though?
Oh well, that still left a dilemma for him. As he fired, landed a blow on a shoulder, killed an arm, the question echoed in his head - why am I fighting? There was an obvious answer in that his opponents were clearly evil. If he didn't fight, they'd surely spread from here to take over everything. But he was just a simple architect, not a soldier. And yet, here he was, shooting rounds down into enemies who would just as soon put rounds into a child as they would into him. He knew. He'd seen.
But was there something more? He felt as though there should be; it was right at the edge of his mind, nagging at his conscious thought.
"N-Nobuyuki-ojisan?"
"Yeah Sasami?"
"They-they-"
"Quiet you!"
In a quick subtle movement, the sniper rifle came under the cloak. Nobuyuki made absolutely no move as they came closer. He heard heavy footfalls. "What are you doing here?" asked a harsh voice.
Fortunately, Sasami had the sense not to tell them that they were not alone on the roof. "I-I don't know. I was running with my mama and papa...."
"Ah." Nobuyuki could practically hear the sneer. "Well, chances are you'll see them soon enough." Nobuyuki pulled his gun from its holster as he heard weapons charging up. Suddenly --
"Wait a second," said another harsh voice. "Look at her forehead."
Silence. Then, "Well, I'll be. This little one is a bleeding royal!"
"We could knock out the whole damn planet if we hold her hostage!"
"What are you doing? No! Wait, let me go!"
"Shut up before I belt ya, kid!"
Nobuyuki listened as they began to drag her away. What do I do? That was the prime question. Years of pacifist principle warred with ultimate duty and the possibility that he had to kill.
Pretty quickly, it became a moot point. A loud smack echoed over the rooftop. Sasami cried out as she hit the floor. In that instant, Nobuyuki saw red. He'd never been able to stand seeing children in pain. And now some bigheaded soldier was hitting a girl he'd come to think of as a daughter?
With a scream of rage, Nobuyuki leapt up, took quick aim and fired. 4 soldiers had fallen before shots were fired back, which he dodged with great speed, all the while returning fire. It wasn't until the last soldier had fallen that Nobuyuki's actions caught up to him. Feeling somewhat weak in the knees, he stumbled over to Sasami, holding his gun limply in his hand. He knelt in a way that was suggestive of collapsing as Sasami slowly sat up. "Are you all right?" he asked in a quiet voice.
"I-I think so," she replied, rubbing her cheek where the soldier had struck her.
Nobuyuki holstered his gun and helped her up. Just then, new sounds of fighting erupted from towards the palace. "I think it's time to get out of here," said Nobuyuki, and they began to cautiously make their way towards the palace.
***
Soldiers poured out of the Jurai palace. The enemies fell before the onslaught, fell or ran away. Fighting formations collapsed into masses of confused men who couldn't rally back together. They began to retreat out of the city, hoping to avoid the mysterious sniper, or the strange-eyed man, or the space pirate that were all taking part in the destruction of their forces.
As the Juraians ran the enemy out of the city, Azusa strode forward purposefully. Kyrin walked forward out of the wreckage and flames, as did Nobuyuki. Ryoko flew down out of a cloud of smoke. For a moment they all stared at each other. Then a voice broke the silence - "Father!"
Azusa's stony visage broke into a joyful smile. As Sasami ran forward, he knelt and embraced her. "What are you doing in this place?" he asked.
"They couldn't make me stay away - not now, of all times!"
"What about your friends here?" He indicated the architect, ex-priest, and space pirate.
"They protected me," she replied.
"I see." With that, Azusa stood. There was a friendly glint in his eyes as he said, "Please, by all means, accept what little hospitality we have."
***
A few hundred miles away, the enemy was being put to shame again. "Repeat!" shouted a comm. officer into his console, "we are under bombardment!"
"Understood," replied an officer on one of their ships. "We are send-" the screen suddenly went snowy, and the comm. officer couldn't raise him again. He lifted his eyes to the sky above, at that infernal red ship. Bright beams of green light shot down into the enemy ranks. On the ground, Azaka and Kamidake weaved around and around and through foes. The light of their staves erupted in waves of power that knocked soldiers off their feet with rather painful results.
Enemy fighter-craft still approached, sleek silvery craft with short wings that mounted laser blasters. They would've given the Yagami some difficulties were it not for the efforts of fighter squadrons under the leadership of a single ship known as Yukinojo. Time and time again, fighters blazed across the skies against each other, with more Jenshin coming through alive than enemies.
Soldiers of the Jenshin and enemy troops were all locked in combat. Neither side was giving an inch if it could be helped. However, having the Knights on hand greatly altered the odds in the favor of the Jenshin.
As she watched, Kiyone couldn't help but recall an old saying about one man being worth a thousand. She couldn't remember the saying itself, but the meaning was being made clear in an amazing fashion. As she fired salvoes down into the enemies, she couldn't help but feel a little concern for the two Knights down there. She felt it spike just a little bit when she looked down on Azaka. Though, after watching him dispatch a large group of soldiers, she had to wonder if her concerns were a little unfounded.
"How are things handling, Mihoshi?" she asked.
"We're doing fine! It's the weirdest thing, but it's like I can sense their moves before they can!"
"... Have you been watching too much Star Wars again?"
"No, I'm serious Kiyone! I can see what they're going to do in my mind!"
"Ok, but if you hear an old man whispering about the Force in your head -" Suddenly, alarms started sounding off. Kiyone could see, almost in the back of her mind, a picture of enemy fighters zooming around right behind her. Without even thinking about it, Kiyone pushed a few buttons. Missiles shot from the rear of Yagami and made perfect hits. "Whoah."
"Who's been watching too much Star Wars again?" asked Mihoshi.
***
"What do you mean 'sword-saints?'" asked the commander.
"Two of the attacking warriors are swordsmen who use Juraian techniques. They're of such caliber that they can only be masters of the sword, or sword-saints," replied the soldier.
"Well, that's just what we need," growled the commander as he stared off at the field of battle. The sounds of battle drifted on the breeze, and judging by the noise they were losing. A sizable band of warriors had appeared from nowhere and tore into the garrison guarding Sakurakaze. Since the garrison was already relatively small, containing only a thousand men or so, the enemy was having an easy time taking positions in the city from which to launch strikes, which were great successes themselves. The warriors seemed to know every single individual square millimeter of the place like the backs of their collective hands. Fortunately, since it was urban combat, the progress was quite slow. Unfortunately, it was quite savage as well.
Bursts of energy issued from Aeka and her team, blowing people out all over. Katsuhito and Tenchi's groups were constantly in hotspots of conflict. Genjo led his troops around, constantly upsetting the ability of the enemy to send reinforcements to their troops.
The entire battle was done with in less than three hours.
Aeka was sitting on a piece of stone, panting. Dressed in her battle armor, the wind blowing around her, she contemplated her first taste of war. She couldn't figure out why boys always thought this sort of thing was cool. But, looking at her people, looking at the hope re-dawning in their eyes somehow made this struggle worthwhile. Then someone called her name and she turned to see Tenchi running up to her.
"Aeka! Are you ok?"
"Yes, Lord Tenchi, I am quite unhurt. But," she paused, looking at the wounds Tenchi had incurred, "it looks as though I should be asking the same question of you."
Tenchi looked down at the slight wounds he'd taken on the frontlines. "Ah, it's nothing to worry about. Really."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." He sighed and took a deep breath. "Man...."
"What is it?"
"The air is so much cleaner here than on Earth."
Aeka nodded. "We don't have quite the environmental trouble you do on Earth."
"Yeah. Even with all this devastation, I wouldn't mind living here."
"But Earth is a nice place isn't it?"
"No doubt there. But it's missing something."
"What?"
"I don't know. Until you came along, I didn't really feel as though I had a purpose back home."
Aeka couldn't help but notice that Tenchi hadn't mentioned the others. What was that supposed to mean? "Tenchi.... what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that... well..." He sighed. "I have no idea what I'm trying to say. Just please, stay safe out here."
Aeka looked over at him, looked at him staring at the ground. "... All right then... Tenchi."
***
"You lost three cities to them."
"I know Asrael. It's time to take care of the one who caused this."
"Indeed. Let's rip him apart!"
***
Kyrin was wandering the hallways of the palace when the pain started. It started as a dull ache in his abdomen that rapidly transformed into a hideous monstrosity that made him double over in agony. He felt as though he were being ripped apart.
"What... what's..." he growled, "what's happening to me?" Unseen by his eyes, a dark aura began to glow around him. It built as the pain built, seeming to kill all the light in the hallway. Finally, he screamed in pain, and the dark energy exploded outward from him, blowing away everything within a 15-foot radius.
As alarm klaxons rang throughout the building, Ryoko was the first on the scene. Kyrin was lying on what was left of the floor, his breathing shallow and haggard. Mom! she shouted through the link.
What is it?
It's Kyrin! Something's happened!
Don't panic. I'm opening up a subspace portal next to you. Pick up Kyrin and go through, I'll meet you there.
All right. With that done, Ryoko knelt down and scooped Kyrin into her arms. A hole opened in the air and, stepping through, they both disappeared.
***
On the road to one of the other cities, Jenshin troops noticed a lone man walking ahead of them. As they approached, the man turned around and faced them. Loose green hair hung over his eyes. He was tall and very lean, almost gaunt. His pale skin reinforced this, as did his long-sleeved black tunic with matching pants.
"Fine day, isn't it?" the man commented to the commander.
"That it is," called back the commander.
"If I may," said the man, "I'd like to inquire as to where the capital is." After getting directions, the man said, "Thank you. Surely you deserve a reward for your service."
"No need, sir," said the commander, "'tis all in a day's work."
"No, no, no, that won't do," said the man. He seemed to think for a second. "Aha! I know what gift is most fitting for you." He smiled, and with that a wave of dark energy exploded outward from him. Men, machine, the ground, the trees, even the clouds above were blown away by this show of force. When it was over, nothing remained.
The man smirked. "So, that's where he is," he said to himself. He began to laugh to himself as the wind picked up, revealing his eyes - two black pits of smoldering, crackling hatred.
***
Kishi: Well. This should prove interesting, eh?
::the author shrugs to himself::
Kishi: It should be pretty easy to guess the identity of the man. And if not, well, you'll see. By the way, I apologize for taking so long. Between ff.net going down (not the fault of the staff) and a bunch of traveling engagements, I've had a hard time getting this one out. So, to make up for missing last month, I'm gonna try to release another chapter this month as well. Impossible? I think not.
::suddenly, the ground blows up and the author goes flying. Washyuu steps out from somewhere and winks::
Washyuu: Remember this: when all else fails, blowing stuff up can be amusing.
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: kirisutono_kishi@robofan.com