Chapter 12 - The Hunters
The crab bell over the door rung, announcing a visitor.
"Go away, I'm busy now," Washu said without looking up.
"Washu," came Mihoshi's voice. "I need to talk to you about this case."
Washu jerked around so quickly that she nearly fell off her pillow. "Mihoshi!" she yelled. "Stand right where you are, don't touch anything!" Mihoshi was standing just inside the doorway, Ryoko at her shoulder. The door was fading away behind them.
"Don't be ridiculous, Washu," Mihoshi said. "I'm not here to touch anything. I'm here to ask you some questions." Mihoshi walked over to Washu and pulled her control cube from her hip. She flipped it deftly as Washu flailed her arms in front of her.
"Put that away!" Washu cried.
Ignoring Washu, Mihoshi finished with the cube and held it out between them. "Interview with Professor Washu Hakubi, conducted by First Class Detective Mihoshi Kuramitsu. Professor Hakubi, this is a voluntary interview and you are not under suspicion of any crimes at this time. However, the information you provide may be used against you in the future. You have the right to refuse this interview or to have legal representation present. Do you understand your rights?"
Washu nodded, surprise on her face.
"Professor Hakubi, you will need to answer verbally," Mihoshi said. "Do you understand your rights?"
"Yes," Washu said.
"And do you agree to be interviewed?"
"Yes," Washu repeated.
"Good," Mihoshi said. "Then let's get started."
"Ryoko," Washu asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Ryoko Hakubi has been duly deputized and is acting as my partner during this investigation," Mihoshi said. "Do you mind if she observes the interview?"
Washu shook her head, looking at Ryoko. "She was very persuasive," Ryoko said, shrugging.
"Professor Hakubi?" Mihoshi said. Washu looked at her. "I need all your responses verbally, please."
"Oh. No, I don't mind if Ryoko observes," Washu said. "Sorry."
"Thank you. Now, Professor Hakubi, you are a personal friend of Tenchi Masaki, true?"
"Yes."
"And it was you who isolated the nano-poison."
"Yes."
The interview continued for several minutes, during which Mihoshi confirmed the facts as she understood them. There was nothing new and nothing that they didn't all know, but Mihoshi believed in being thorough, Washu remembered.
"Now, Professor Hakubi, you have been a member of the faculty of Royal Space Academy for many years, and a student for some years before that, right?"
"Yes."
"You're also very active in the galactic scientific community, true?"
"Yes," Washu replied.
"This nano-poison isn't common, is it?"
"No. It was rumored to exist and to have destroyed an entire planet; but it was more legend than anything else. Nobody that I know of can claim first-hand knowledge."
"Well, if you were going to try to find someone with first-hand knowledge, where would you start looking?" Mihoshi asked.
"Well, I had just initiated a search through Royal Space Academy's news and departmental archives when we started this interview," Washu said. As if on cue, her terminal emitted a chime. "And it's done!" she said, pulling her terminal around in front of her.
"Hmm..." Washu said, scanning the information presented to her. "There's a mention here and there of the legend... Here's a professor of paleo-biology who went on a field trip to Fustus... Wait, he was dismissed for misappropriation of funds and a breach of ethics right after that." She worked her terminal for a few moments while Mihoshi and Ryoko waited patiently.
"Wow!" Washu said. "The records are sealed so tight even I can't get them out without a fight. I've never seen a lock that powerful before: there must be some pretty bad stuff in that file."
"Who was the scientist?" Mihoshi asked.
"His name was Artul Tsimech," Washu said. "He dropped out of sight right after he was kicked out of Royal Space Academy. But he attracted the attention of my search programs, so you might as well start with him."
"Do you have anything else to add, Professor Hakubi?" Mihoshi asked.
"No, Detective Kuramitsu," Washu said, smiling. "But if I think of anything I'll let you know."
"Thank you, Professor Hakubi. You've been most helpful. This concludes the interview with Professor Washu Hakubi. First Class Detective Mihoshi Kuramitsu closing." And she returned the control cube to her hip. "Sorry to have to be so official, Washu; but I do have a job to do!" Mihoshi said brightly.
"I'm happy to help, Mihoshi," Washu replied. "You know that."
"Thanks Washu! I'll keep you posted," Mihoshi said as she left. "And good luck with the antidote! Hopefully, you'll find it before we do; although I still want to bring the perpetrator to justice! Come on, Ryoko."
"Bye now!" Washu waved as they left. "I hope you do find the guy," she said to the closed and fading door, "although I doubt there's going to be an antidote for this little piece of evil." Washu returned to her terminal, working for a few moments and then looked up, her face twisted with surprise.
"What the hell?" she said to herself. "Mihoshi was here all that time and didn't break a single thing? What's up with that?"
Then, shrugging, she returned to her work.
Sasami and Ayeka were hanging laundry; Ryo-Ohki helping as best she could by handing them small items or clothes pins. Mihoshi and Ryoko emerged from the house, Mihoshi giving Yukinojo instructions.
"Yes Yukinojo, we'll be there in five minutes," Ayeka and Sasami heard.
"Where are you going, Mihoshi?" Sasami asked.
"Ryoko and I are going to search for the one who poisoned Tenchi," she replied.
"You and Ryoko?" Ayeka asked, her surprise clear.
"Yes, that's right; I've deputized Ryoko. As soon as I get my shuttle, we'll be leaving. I have some research to do in the Galaxy Police central computer and we'll see where that takes us. Will you two be available for interviews if I need you?"
Ayeka and Sasami nodded.
"Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko said. "Are you going to be okay here with Ayeka and Sasami for a while?"
"Miya meow meow?" Ryo-Ohki asked.
"No, Mihoshi wants to take Yukinojo; and it'll help if we're going to work with Galaxy Police. Do you mind waiting here?"
Ryo-Ohki miya'd and smiled and walked up to Ryoko and hugged her around the knees. "Thanks, Ryo-Ohki. I knew I could count on you."
Mihoshi worked her control cube for a moment and a subspace pocket opened and disgorged Mihoshi's shuttle. The pocket closed and the shuttle sat poised in the air over the lake.
"Mihoshi, Ryoko," Ayeka said. "Be careful, come back safely."
"Take care of Tenchi for me," Ryoko said. Ayeka nodded.
"And call us if anything happens," Mihoshi said.
"Bye Ryoko! Bye Mihoshi!" Sasami called. Ryo-Ohki stood at her side waving and miya'ing.
Mihoshi and Ryoko boarded the shuttle and moments later it rapidly climbed into the sky. Ayeka, Sasami and Ryo-Ohki watched until they were out of sight.
"Did Mihoshi seem... Different to you?" Ayeka asked.
"Umm... Yeah," Sasami said. Then she turned to her sister. "Ayeka, do you mind finishing up? I'd like to see how Tenchi's doing."
Ayeka looked at Sasami. "You have already checked on Tenchi several times today. He is still more than healthy enough to come out here if he wants anything you know."
"But..." Sasami said.
Ayeka sighed. "Sasami. How serious are you about Tenchi?"
Sasami looked surprised for a moment, then annoyed. "You too, Ayeka?" She asked.
Ayeka paused. "Me too, what?"
Sasami sighed. "Washu was asking how I felt about Tenchi, too; the night of the banquet."
"She was?" Ayeka pondered this for a moment. "What did you tell her?"
"Uh... I don't think I told her anything. I think I fell asleep."
"Passed out, you mean," Ayeka laughed.
"Hey, it was a party! Besides, I paid for it the next day."
"You have been spending too much time with Ryoko," Ayeka smiled. "That sounded exactly like something she would say."
Sasami laughed. "You know I like Ryoko, Ayeka. I wish she was our sister, too. But, anyway, I don't have time to talk now; I have to go see Tenchi."
With that, Sasami turned and ran into the house, leaving Ayeka in the yard with Ryo-Ohki watching her go. "That," she said quietly to Sasami's retreating back, "also sounds exactly like something Ryoko would say."
Ayeka sighed.
Mihoshi skillfully piloted her shuttle into orbit and quickly brought it into docking position with Yukinojo. In a few moments the docking sequence had completed.
"Yukinojo," Mihoshi said.
"Yes, Mihoshi?" Yukinojo replied, extending from his mount overhead.
"Search Galaxy Police central files for anything on Artul Tsimech."
"Yes, Mihoshi," he replied.
Mihoshi began systems checks and preparations to take her ship into deep space. After a few moments, Yukinojo spoke.
"Mihoshi, I have the information on Artul Tsimech. Are you ready?"
"Let's hear it," she said.
"Artul Tsimech, a scientist specializing in bio-anthropology. He taught at Royal Space Academy..." Yukinojo continued for several moments, sharing the information the Galaxy Police had on Tsimech. It was precious little.
"No information on his current whereabouts?" Mihoshi asked when he was done.
"No, he simply disappeared after leaving Royal Space Academy. Nothing but rumors and random intelligence."
"Crap," Ryoko spat. "That's useless. Now what?"
"Does he have any living family?" Mihoshi asked.
"None on record," Yukinojo replied.
Mihoshi bit her lip in thought. "I guess we need a miracle," she said.
"Mihoshi, incoming call," Yukinojo said.
A holographic window opened and Washu stared out at them. "Hi, girls!" she said brightly.
"Oh, hello Washu. What's going on?" Mihoshi asked.
"Well, I was thinking about Tsimech and it occurred to me that in order to work with the nano-poison he'd have to have the same device I used to isolate and analyze it: a subspace quantum interference detector. That's a pretty rare piece of equipment."
"How rare?" Ryoko asked.
"There are only two; one here and one at Royal Space Academy," Washu replied.
"Are you sure, Washu?" Mihoshi asked.
"Oh yeah. I invented it and built both of them. One I kept and one I gave to the Academy. I checked with a colleague and it's definitely no longer there. I ran a records search and it was transferred off planet shortly after Tsimech was kicked out."
"Wow! Thanks a lot, Washu!" Mihoshi said. "Did the records say who shipped it or where it went?"
"It was picked up by Glaf's Trans Shipping. They're based on Zeos Station."
"Zeos?" Mihoshi said, her voice a little unsure.
"Yes," Washu replied. "I know what you're thinking; that's not a good place to go visit. But the trail seems to lead there."
"Don't worry about it, Washu," Ryoko said. "I've been there; I can handle it and I'll keep an eye on Mihoshi."
"All right then," Washu said.
"Well, thanks a lot, Washu," Mihoshi said.
"Happy to help, Mihoshi," Washu said. "Good hunting. Bye now!"
And the screen went blank and disappeared.
"Yukinojo?" Mihoshi said.
"Yes, Mihoshi?"
"Set a course for Zeos Station," she said.
"Yes Mihoshi. Course laid in."
"Execute."
There was a thrum of power and Yukinojo's drive moved them starward.
"I will keep an eye on you Mihoshi, really," Ryoko said. "Zeos isn't that bad if you don't let anyone scare you."
"Uh... Thanks Ryoko."
"Tell me something Mihoshi," Ryoko said.
"Yes?" Mihoshi replied.
"You said you'd tell me why you had all those bad years; why you were so hopeless and clumsy."
Mihoshi sighed.
"A few years ago, I fell in love with someone. He was wonderful and smart and handsome and he made me feel like nobody else. He was a Galaxy Police officer, too. We were planning to get married and raise a family. I loved him more than anyone or anything in the universe; and I thought he felt the same way about me."
"He didn't," Ryoko said.
"No, he didn't. We were stationed together. Then, he got orders to another post. We sent letters up to headquarters, requesting a reassignment but it was never approved. When it was time for him to transfer, he did. He said he'd keep working on getting back from his end."
"I noticed that he seemed to have less and less time to talk to me. When I did get him, he was distant; but he kept telling me that the transfers were working through and he should be back any time. Finally, I couldn't seem to get through to him at all. So I did a little checking and I found that he had requested the transfer to that station only a few weeks before he left."
"Oh, no," Ryoko said.
Mihoshi nodded, upset at the memory. "I also found out that he'd had a friend in personnel bureau reject every request to cancel the transfer and that he hadn't submitted any transfer requests after getting to his new post."
"I'm sorry, Mihoshi."
"It's all right, Ryoko. It was a long time ago and I'm mostly over it now. Just having to talk about it sort of brought it all back."
"How did all that cause you problems?" Ryoko asked.
"For a long time, I was completely obsessed with what went wrong with my relationship, what was wrong with me. I still worked on my cases, but I was making mistakes because I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing. I was offered a leave of absence, but I couldn't imagine having nothing to do! So, I begged them to keep me on active duty.
"They let me stay, but as I made more mistakes, they gave me easier cases. And, as I made mistake after mistake it really started to hurt my confidence; so I started to try too hard to be perfect, thinking about everything before I did it. That made my reactions slow and I second- guessed myself constantly. It just got out of control and between not believing in myself and trying too hard, I couldn't do anything right.
"Does that make sense?" Mihoshi asked, looking at Ryoko.
"Yes, I guess so," Ryoko replied. "I mean, I can understand what you're saying, even if it's never happened to me. But you're all right now?"
Mihoshi smiled. "I think so," she said.
Tenchi lay in a chair outside, enjoying the sun. He heard the door slide open and Sasami came into the yard. She was carrying a tray, a towel and a book.
"Hi Tenchi!" she said.
"Hi Sasami," he replied.
"I thought I would keep you company. You weren't asleep, were you?"
Tenchi shook his head, looking at Sasami from under his hand. She was wearing a one-piece bathing suit and Tenchi caught himself admiring her as she set her things down between their chairs, laid out the towel on her chair and sat.
"What have you got there?" he asked.
"I brought out something to drink and some snacks. Are you hungry?"
"No, not really," he replied. "But something to drink would be nice."
"Okay." Sasami poured into a glass and handed it to Tenchi, then swung her feet onto her chair. "It's nice today," she said.
"Mmm hmm," he replied, taking a sip and leaning back.
Tenchi heard an odd noise and opened his eyes in surprise and saw that Sasami had squeezed a blob of sunscreen into one hand. He watched her rub her hands together and then begin to spread it on her arms and shoulders, craning her neck and rolling her shoulder. Tenchi watched, mesmerized as she worked the sunblock into her skin. His eyes followed the line of her neck down to her shoulder; and then from her shoulder down to the curve where the small of her back met her bottom.
"It sure is nice here," she said. "I know you used to come up here in the summer when you were little. I'll bet that was nice. When I have a family I want to have a special place where we go in the summer."
Sasami squeezed out more sunscreen and applied it to her chest and neck above the bathing suit. She looked down as she did so, checking her progress, arching her back, her chest out. Tenchi watched for a moment, then shook his head, and consciously closed his eyes.
"I'm really looking forward to having a family some day," she continued. "I think I'd like to have a boy and a girl, or maybe two girls. And I'd definitely want them to be closer together than Ayeka and me. That way they could play together. I like the names Yumi and Mitsuko; Motoko is nice too..."
A moment later, Sasami said, "Tenchi?"
"Yes?"
"Would you put some sunblock on my back, please?"
Tenchi opened his eyes and saw Sasami holding out the tube of sunblock for him. "Sure," he said. He sat up and took it from her and she rolled over and lay on her stomach, flipping her hair out of the way. He stepped over to her chair and sat. Sasami shifted to make room. Tenchi looked down; her bathing suit was cut from her shoulders down almost to the small of her back. Tenchi's gaze was drawn down to her firm, round backside, where it lingered for a moment. Then he held the sunblock over the middle of her back, preparing to squeeze.
"Hey, Tenchi," she said. Tenchi looked at Sasami, who was regarding him over her shoulder. He realized that she'd been watching him the entire time. She smiled at him knowingly and said, "It's cold that way."
"Huh?"
"If you just put it on it'll be cold. You have to rub it on your hands first."
"Oh!" Tenchi said. "Right."
Tenchi squeezed some into one palm, put the tube down and rubbed his hands together for a few seconds. Sasami watched closely, still smiling. Tenchi put his hands on the middle of her back and she laid her head down on the chair. With a few quick strokes Tenchi spread the sunblock onto her back. "Okay," he said.
"Tenchi!" Sasami said.
"I did it wrong?"
"No, you just didn't finish. You have to rub it in or it won't work; it'll come off."
"Oh. Okay."
Tenchi put his hands on Sasami's shoulders and began to slowly and firmly work the sunblock into her skin. Sasami sighed and he felt her relax under his hands. He rubbed her shoulders in circles, marveling at the softness of her skin and the firm muscles underneath. In a moment, he began to move down her back; enjoying the feel of her ribs and backbone and the tapering of her waist, then the hollow of her lower back. Finally, before he realized it, he had reached the place where the soft, feminine swell of her bottom started and he was done.
"Umm... There you go," he said.
"Thanks, Tenchi. You're the best."
Tenchi capped the sunblock and put it down. "You're welcome, Sasami. Anytime," he said.
He was about to stand when Sasami said, "Oh! Tenchi, I forgot to do the backs of my legs. Would you put some sunblock on them for me? I'm very relaxed and I don't want to roll back over." Sasami giggled. "I'm being lazy, I know, but do you mind?"
"No, I don't mind," Tenchi said, reaching for the sunblock. He squeezed more onto one palm and turned on the chair to reach her legs. They were long and perfectly shaped. He rubbed his hands together and reached down for her calf; rubbing the sunblock in with long strokes that went from her knee to her ankle. Tenchi marveled at the gentle curve of them and the feel of the muscle under her skin.
"That's nice, Tenchi," Sasami said. "How many kids do you want?" she asked.
"Oh, I don't know," he replied. "At least two, I guess; maybe more. A boy and a girl would be nice." Tenchi finished with the one calf and moved to the other.
"What names do you like?"
Tenchi shrugged, still smoothing the sunblock into Sasami's calf with long strokes. "Well, if I had a girl I think I'd want to name her Kiyone, after my mom."
"'Kiyone'," Sasami said. "I like that. Do you remember much about her, Tenchi?"
Tenchi finished with Sasami's calf and put more sunblock on his hands, rubbing them together. He hesitated for a second, then put his hands on her leg at the knee, trying to pull his hands toward him and up her legs. He quickly realized that it wouldn't work. "Well," he said, "I remember she was very gentle and always smiling." He put his palms on the back of Sasami's thigh just below her suit and was rewarded with a smooth motion which covered her skin well.
"Make sure you get all of me, Tenchi," Sasami said. "I don't want to burn. Okay?"
Tenchi smiled. "I'll do my best."
"What else do you remember about your mom?"
Tenchi realized that to 'get all of her' he'd have to start his stroke with his palms literally on her backside and wrap his hands nearly all the way around her legs. Tenchi felt a flush rising onto his face and his breath caught.
"I really don't remember a lot more about her; just that she was a good mom," he said to answer her question.
Tenchi wrapped his fingers around the back of Sasami's upper leg, his palms resting briefly on the soft swell of her backside, and began to ease them down toward her knee. He took his time, enjoying the sensation, the feeling of her firm thigh under his hands. His fingers caught for a second where Sasami's legs nearly touched. Feeling his predicament, Sasami shifted, moving her legs a little further apart.
Tenchi finished at Sasami's knee and the brought his hands back up her leg. When he reached the top, he found this his fingers were very - very, very - close to her...
"I'm sorry, Sasami; what did you say?" Tenchi realized that she'd spoken and he'd been too distracted to know what she'd said.
Sasami laughed. "I asked if you thought I'd be a good mom."
Tenchi - reluctantly - lifted his hands and squeezed some sunblock out to finish the other leg. "Yes, Sasami," he replied. "I think you'll be a great mom."
"Thanks, Tenchi," Sasami said. "That means a lot to me."
"You're welcome, Sasami," Tenchi said. Tenchi was taking his time with the sunblock, enjoying being dangerously close to Sasami. In a few moments, he'd finished with the sunblock. "All done," he said.
"You're the best, Tenchi."
"Thanks, Sasami." Tenchi lay back down and threw his arm across his eyes.
"I think my mom was a good mom, too," Sasami said. "She married Father when she was my age; but she'd already waited a long time. They were engaged when she was very young and he was a lot older than her. Do you think my age is a good age to get married and settle down, Tenchi? Tenchi?"
Getting no response, Sasami looked over to see Tenchi's chest rising and falling slowly as he slept.
"Darn."
The house was silent and still in the night. Bright moonlight entered the rooms and crickets chirruped outside. A soft breeze blew and a rustle of leaves whispered through the open windows. Ayeka lay on the futon next to Sasami. Sasami was snoring quietly. Ayeka stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
'Why Tenchi?' she thought. 'Why couldn't it have been me instead of you?'
Ayeka would gladly sacrifice herself to save Tenchi, as she knew he would do for her; for any of them. But would that be the best thing for Jurai? She wasn't sure. Tenchi was, perhaps, too kind to rule Jurai; being in charge sometimes meant making harsh decisions. This was especially true when you were in charge of a star empire spanning dozens of systems with trillions of citizens.
She sighed and made at face at Sasami's soft snoring. 'What an unattractive habit!' Then she smiled at the thought of Ryoko's snoring - her head back and her mouth wide open. 'So, it could be worse!'
She rolled away from Sasami to stare at the wall and found herself looking at the door to her room. She felt suddenly cold at the thought that a few steps away was one of the most important people in the universe to her and that, in a few short weeks, he would no longer be here.
Even though she had been telling everyone that Washu or Mihoshi and Ryoko would surely find a cure, she herself was certain they wouldn't. The time was growing too short and she had seen the looks on Washu's face when she looked at Tenchi. If Washu had given up hope, who was Ayeka to hold it out?
Her eyes welled with tears which trickled down her face and dropped onto the bed.
She had thought many times about her feelings for Tenchi, and her realization that she didn't love him romantically. She wondered about her initial feelings, why she had been so strongly drawn to him - nearly obsessed. She'd eventually decided that it had been her long isolation, missing Yosho and his resemblance to her brother that had done it.
What had cured her? She'd simply grown up. It was over simplifying a long and complex process, but that was it. She had been so sheltered before attending Royal Space Academy. She knew few people outside of her immediate family and some palace servants. Tenchi was really the first boy she'd met that was near her age.
She still wondered about Ryoko's fixation, and her explanation that there was something 'chemical' about it. She remembered when she'd first captured Ryoko that Ryoko had berated Ayeka for not knowing Tenchi was part of the Jurai royal family. "Can't you feel it in his blood?" she'd said.
Now Ayeka considered if she was using it as a euphemism for something she couldn't put into words or if there really was something to Ryoko's explanation that it was somehow 'chemical'. And what would happen to Ryoko when Tenchi was gone?
And again, her wandering thoughts returned to the young man a short distance away.
'I have to see him, to be near him.' Ayeka thought. For a moment, she hesitated at the boldness of her idea, at the assumption she was making: that Tenchi would welcome her company, now. 'Ayeka, you are being a goose,' she decided. 'Tenchi will not chase you away and you have so little time left with him.'
She rose silently, pulled on a robe and slipped from the room. She closed the door behind her and padded quietly up the hall to Tenchi's door. Taking a breath and steeling her resolve, she opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind her.
She took a moment to orient herself to the room. It was neat, as usual. She could make out Tenchi's sleeping form. "Tenchi?" she said, quietly.
There was no response.
"Tenchi?" she repeated, a little louder.
Tenchi snorted in his sleep and rolled onto his side, leaving a large empty spot. Ayeka considered for a moment, then slipped her robe off and hung it on a peg. She stepped forward and carefully sat, pausing to see Tenchi's reaction. He continued to sleep soundly.
Again, resolving to continue, she eased down until she was laying on her side, her back to Tenchi's back. He mumbled in his sleep, then lay quietly. Ayeka closed her eyes and listened to the steady rhythm of his sleep and before long, drifted off herself.
A few moments later, Tenchi rolled back and onto his side, spooning tightly with Ayeka. Sleeping, she sighed and wriggled back against him to get closer contact.
Tenchi awoke gradually, emerging from an erotic dream. Soft, musky- smelling hair was against his face and a soft bottom was pressed against his hips. One of his arms was under his head, the other was thrown over the person in his bed, his hand gently cupping a breast. He could hear her murmuring appreciatively, pushing back against him.
As he awoke, Tenchi crossed a threshold in his mind and he became less aware of his dreams and more aware of his surroundings: the dream was replaced with reality. And he realized that there really was someone else in bed with him.
Tenchi froze, trying to make sense of it. His sleep-fogged mind simply wasn't ready to function; he was having trouble remembering his own name. The next thing he clearly thought was 'I want to make love with this woman', and he acted on that idea without hesitating.
He pushed the hair away from her neck and began to kiss, then nibble, then gently bite the soft, smooth skin below her ear. All the while, he continued to massage her breast with his free hand. She responded with a soft cry of pleasure and she languidly wrapped a hand around the back of his neck.
'This is Ayeka,' was the next thought he had. For a second, he doubted himself; then Ayeka rolled toward him and their lips met and it was unimportant.
They shared a long, deep kiss; his arm around her waist, his hand in the small of her back pulling her tightly against him, her hand on the back of his neck. Tenchi came fully awake then. The kiss ended and they drew back slightly, gazing at each other in the moonlight.
"Tenchi," she said.
"Ayeka," Tenchi replied, smiling.
"I am sorry, I just wanted to be near you and I did not want to wake you. I never meant for you to... That is, for us to... I mean..."
"It's okay," Tenchi said. "I liked it."
"You..?"
"Liked it, yes," he said. "Would you like to do more?"
"More?" she asked, surprised.
"Well, yes," Tenchi replied. "You know what I mean, don't you?"
"I think so, yes," Ayeka responded. "That is not why I came here."
Tenchi smiled. "I know. But we're both here."
Ayeka hesitated, looking away. "Perhaps I should go..."
Tenchi nodded, frowning. "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made assumptions. I guess I'm still half asleep. Please forgive me?"
Ayeka nodded. "Of course I forgive you. Well..." she turned away and sat up, setting her feet on the floor. Tenchi sat up and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Ayeka."
She paused. "Tenchi?"
"I'm sorry. Really, I am. You can stay if you like and we'll just lay next to each other. I promise." She turned and he was wearing a disarming smile, and she found she couldn't leave.
"All right," she replied. "Thank you."
Tenchi lay back down on his side and Ayeka lay next to him, again pressing her back against his chest. She was careful to leave a judicious space between her backside and Tenchi's hips and she noticed that he did the same. He put one hand under his head and rested the other on his hip. Ayeka realized that she missed having his arm around her and grasped his hand, pulling it down across her and pressing it against her stomach.
Both sighed contentedly and, relaxed and comfortable, Tenchi began to drift back to sleep.
"Tenchi," Ayeka said softly. Tenchi struggled back awake and his eyes opened.
"Yes?"
"You do not... Love me, do you?"
"How do you mean?" he asked.
She turned and rolled toward him until they were facing each other again; their eyes meeting in the semi-darkness of the moonlit room. Her brow furrowed and her eyes searched for what she wanted to say. "Tenchi, you have always seemed to take love and relationships very seriously. I know, at least I think I know, that you do not love me in a romantic way."
Tenchi paused for a moment, thinking. Then said, simply, "Yes, you're right. You are one of my dearest friends and I love you, but not romantically."
"Then why..?"
"Why was I kissing you? Why did I ask if you wanted to-"
"Yes," she answered quickly, cutting him off.
Tenchi thought for a moment. "Well, I was waking up from dreaming about sex and you were here, so that had a lot to do with it."
"So," she said, clearly disappointed. "I was just convenient, nothing more."
"No, Ayeka!" Tenchi said earnestly, "Never!" He looked in her eyes and said, "You are one of the most beautiful and wonderful women I know. Anyone would be thrilled that you want to be with them. You know I've always found you attractive."
"But you do not love me," she said.
"Not like that," he affirmed. "But then, you don't love me that way, either," he said, smiling.
Ayeka returned his smile. "No, I do not. But you knew that."
Tenchi nodded, still smiling.
"So," Ayeka said, wiggling closer to him. "If we do not love each other, then why?"
Tenchi smiled and said, "It doesn't always have to be about love."
And he closed the small gap between them and kissed her.
The love they made was unhurried - slow and languid, and gentle and soft like the moonlight that illuminated the room. And when they were done, they lay face to face, studying each other in the silvered night; trying to memorize every line and expression and shadow, knowing that what they had shared they would never share again.
"Tenchi," Ayeka said.
"Yes, Ayeka?"
"Tenchi, thank you for this gift you have given me."
"It wasn't a gift, really, Ayeka. It was sex."
"Yes," Ayeka replied with a smile. "But it was very good sex. You have done this before?"
Tenchi smiled. "Once or twice, only," he said. "And you?"
Ayeka smiled in return. "Once or twice, only," she said. "Still, that was remarkable for someone who has experienced it 'once or twice'."
"Well, my father did have quite a bit of, uh, reading material," Tenchi said. "Let's just say I had a pretty good idea of what to do..."
"You pervert," Ayeka teased.
Tenchi returned the smile and shrugged helplessly.
"Sleep now," Ayeka said softly.
"What about you?" Tenchi asked.
"I find that I am quite awake. But I know you are tired. So, please, sleep."
Tenchi nodded and closed his eyes. Ayeka lay next to him, watching him and knowing by his breathing when sleep took him. She stroked his face softly as he slept, saying, "Sleep, my prince, my Tenchi. I know that soon I will pray to see you open your eyes and you will not. But for now, sleep."
And the tears came, as she knew they would; and her night was spent in Tenchi's room, in Tenchi's bed, in Tenchi's arms; feeling his breath on her face, her tears dropping silently. Much later, as dawn's first light colored the morning sky, she slipped quietly back to her own room and when Tenchi awoke he was alone.
"I almost wish we'd have brought Ryo-Ohki," Mihoshi said.
"Why?" Ryoko asked.
"I don't think they get a lot of Galaxy Police cruisers out here."
Ryoko had to agree. The scans of the station showed dozens of ships of many different configurations; few were of standard or contemporary design. They were mostly former military vessels that had outlived their usefulness to their original owners - and sometimes their second and third owners - or broken-down transports of various sizes, many of which appeared barely space-worthy. A few new and expensive private yachts were interspersed here and there with the other vessels.
The station itself was a loose collection of odds and ends. It had originally been two or perhaps three deep-space research stations that had been melded together. Since that initial joining, additional sections had been added haphazardly and what was damaged or fatigued had been replaced as needed. The overall effect was a three-dimensional patchwork quilt rendered in metal, ceramic and plastic.
"Turn off Yukinojo's transponder, please Ryoko," Mihoshi instructed. Ryoko nodded her agreement, flipping a switch on the command panel. "Zeos Station, this is yacht Sapphire requesting a docking berth."
"Sapphire, this is Zeos. We're sending you a flight path now. Follow it in."
In a few moments, Yukinojo had been clamped into place and a gangway mated to the crew hatch. Mihoshi changed out of her uniform and the two of them walked up the gangway to the station. They were greeted by several rough-looking men wearing red uniforms. "Welcome to Zeos Station," one of them said.
"Thank you," Ryoko replied.
"Reason for your visit?" he asked.
"Business."
He nodded. "We're station security. The rules are available at any terminal. Infractions are punishable by fine, ejection or death. The station maps are marked green, yellow and red depending on how heavily they're patrolled. No energy weapons or projectile weapons allowed aboard. Got it?"
Ryoko and Mihoshi nodded.
"Enjoy your stay, ladies. And stay out of trouble this time," he said with a warning look at Mihoshi. Then, with a last look at the two of them, the men turned and left.
Ryoko paused, looking at Mihoshi. "You've been to Zeos before?"
"Oh, sure!" Mihoshi replied. "A bunch of us from my Academy graduating class came out for a few days."
"Why here?"
"Well, it was kind of a challenge, you know? A bunch of new Galaxy Police officers, still wet behind the ears, going to one of the seediest places in this part of space."
"Why the warning?"
"Well, there was a bar fight and we did some damage. The Galaxy Police paid for most of it; the rest of it came out of our pay. We had fun," Mihoshi concluded.
"Fun?" Ryoko asked.
"Yeah," Mihoshi said wistfully. "Fun."
Ryoko shook her head. "Come on," she said, leading Mihoshi into the station. They stopped at a terminal and looked up Glaf. His shipping company was in another part of the station. "Let's go," she said.
A short time later they were in front of Glaf's shipping company. It was a yellow section on the station map: not as well patrolled as the green areas, but not quite dangerous like the red areas. The Zeos station council tried hard to provide the right atmosphere for every visitor; from tourists looking for a safe but daring good time to real criminals who were not beyond putting weapons to use to make their point.
Glaf's shipping company was on a wide concourse, sharing frontage with other, similar businesses. Each had a retail area where merchandise that the company shipped could be purchased. Some was purchased from the sender, some was unclaimed or seized for non-payment and some 'fell off' the vessel. Shipper's Lane was a popular shopping destination, with a wide and interesting variety of goods from all over the galaxy. It was yellow primarily because the sailors and dockers who worked for the shippers and the ships frequented the area.
Mihoshi and Ryoko looked around for a few moments, getting a feel for the pace of the area, looking at the items for sale in the large windows at the front of the store and watching the many people going in and out. Then, they went in.
They were greeted at the door by a man wearing a shirt with the company's logo on it. "Welcome to Glaf's!" he chirped.
"Uh, thank you," Ryoko said. "We're looking for Mr. Glaf."
"I don't know that he can see you, but I'll take you back to the office," the man said. He led them to the rear of the store. It was large, with bins and racks full of items. There were dozens of people shopping.
At the rear, he opened a door into a small room. Another man sat behind a reception desk. "These ladies would like to talk to Mr. Glaf," he said, then he left, closing the door.
The receptionist looked them over briefly and asked, "What can I tell him it's about?"
"We'd like to talk to him about a shipment he carried," Ryoko said.
"We carry many, many shipments. It's doubtful he can help you."
"This was a very special shipment," Mihoshi said, pulling out her Galaxy Police ID. "We're pretty sure he'll remember it."
The receptionist looked at the badge for a second, his eyes flicking from it to Mihoshi and back. "Just a minute," he said, picking up a phone. He mumbled into the phone for a moment, then stood up and opened a door behind his desk. "Mr. Glaf will see you. Last door on the left."
The passageway in front of them had several doors on either side. They ignored them and soon reached the last one on the left. Mihoshi knocked and it opened inward.
Looking in, they saw a large office well decorated with exotic objects. There was a substantial desk and a window that looked out onto the loading docks. They could see through the window that several ships were in and dockers were busy loading and unloading cargo.
"Come in, sit down." Enson Glaf was a thin, serious-looking man. His hair was white and pulled into a ponytail which reached his shoulder blades. He was well dressed.
Mihoshi and Ryoko entered, sitting in the two chairs in front of the desk. "Mr. Glaf," Mihoshi began. "I am First Class Detective-"
"Yes, Detective Kuramitsu, I know who you are. You did show your badge to my receptionist and you showed up on the station alert as a grey- lister as soon as you set foot on Zeos."
"Grey lister?" Ryoko asked.
"Yes, Miss Hakubi, Detective Kuramitsu is a grey-lister. One infraction from being black-listed; strictly on probation. Didn't she mention that she'd been in trouble here on Zeos in the past?"
"She said- You know my name?" Ryoko asked sharply.
"Yes, Miss Hakubi. We do get news and the usual gossip. It was quite a story out here on the fringes when the Space Pirate Ryoko re-emerged. Do you mind if I ask where you've been and how you got so close to the Jurai royal family?"
"As a matter of fact, I do mind," Ryoko said, bristling. Glaf raised his hands in a disarming gesture. "But what's with this grey list? Mihoshi said she'd been in a bar fight-"
Glaf threw back his head and laughed. "A bar fight? Is that what she told you? Miss Hakubi, it wasn't just a 'bar fight'. It was a brawl that completely destroyed two bars and took an entire section out of habitation for two months." Ryoko seemed shocked, looking at Mihoshi in disbelief. Mihoshi looked embarrassed.
"The only reason she wasn't black listed and banned for life is because she didn't exactly start the fight. However, she and her Galaxy Police friends certainly finished it. How many were killed and injured, detective?"
"Uh..." Mihoshi hesitated. "Something like seventy-five."
"According to the records I'm looking at, it was exactly like seventy- eight. Thirteen killed, the rest wounded - some critically."
"Well," Mihoshi said, "they had no call to speak that way to a lady. Especially not a Galaxy Police officer."
"Especially not a Galaxy Police officer and her ten drunken friends who were all looking for a fight." Mihoshi smiled and shrugged helplessly. "So, detective, Miss Hakubi, what can I do for you?"
"We're trying to find out where you shipped something."
"I ship a lot of somethings and my shipping records are confidential. What makes you think I'll remember this specific thing or that I'll tell you where it went?"
"This was an extremely rare item," Mihoshi said. "A subspace quantum interference detector. There were only two ever made and we know where the other one is. And we'd really appreciate knowing where it went; this is Galaxy Police business. Plus, we'd really appreciate not having to tell the Galaxy Police and the Jurai intelligence service that something interesting is going on here at your business. Why, the inconvenience to your customers would probably chase them away for years - maybe forever." Mihoshi's voice remained light, but the threat was clear.
Glaf had been keying into a terminal while Mihoshi spoke. When she was done, he was looking down at a display. After a moment, he grunted and said. "I think I can help you, detective. Not, because of the danger to my business," he said tightly, "but because you were correct that I have only ever shipped one of those and because the customer in question is dead."
"Dead?" Ryoko asked.
"How do you know?" Mihoshi asked.
"Because Mr. Tsimech is still a regular customer and very secretive; we are his sole contact when he needs something, like food or lab equipment. And our most recent delivery attempt failed."
It was late, but Tenchi felt restless. He got up and stepped out onto his balcony. A cool breeze was coming down from the mountains, rustling the leaves. Night birds called and crickets chirped.
Tenchi leaned on the rail, taking in as much of it as his senses allowed, savoring the warm summer night. Below, he heard a quiet sound that made him pause. He listened closely and heard it again. It was deep, almost a cough; and he thought there was something else as well.
Tenchi walked back into his room and slipped out into the hall. He walked silently down the stairs to the front of the house and opened the door.
His father sat on the porch in the dark and, as Tenchi listened, he recognized the quiet sounds he heard as sobs. 'Oh, dad!' Tenchi thought.
He stepped through the door, deliberately making noise. His father jerked and in the dim light Tenchi could see him wiping his eyes. He cleared his throat and said, "Hi Tenchi," in a voice thick with emotion.
Tenchi walked over and sat down next to Nobiyuki. "Hi dad."
"It seemed so nice out that I thought I would sit for a while and enjoy it," Nobiyuki said.
Tenchi nodded silently. They sat side-by-side for a few moments without saying a word.
"Have I told you how proud I am that you've become an architect?" Nobiyuki asked.
"All the time, dad," Tenchi replied. "All the time."
"I know, I'm a foolish old man, but I can't help it. I would have been happy for you and proud no matter what you decided to do; but for you to find something inside you that was also inside me... Well, it made me happier than I could ever say.
"All I ever wanted was for you to be happy; to choose a career, get married to a nice girl and give me grandkids to spoil."
"A nice girl..?" Tenchi asked, smiling. "Did you have one in mind?"
"I love them all, Tenchi. Ryoko is so full of life, Ayeka is so gentle, Mihoshi is kind and Sasami is... Well, she's Sasami. And they're all so beautiful and they care about you so much. I would have been happy to welcome any of them into the family; or none of them, if you found someone else. I just wanted you to be happy with someone."
"You didn't mention Washu," Tenchi pointed out.
"Ah... Washu isn't like the others. Besides, I've got my eye on her myself." Nobiyuki nudged Tenchi with an elbow.
"Dad!"
Nobiyuki chuckled and they were quiet again for a while. Then, Nobiyuki asked, "Do you think about your mother a lot, Tenchi?"
"All the time, dad," Tenchi replied.
"I miss her so much, Tenchi. Even more now. She was always the strong and practical one. I'm was the one who panicked or worried; the one who smiled at sappy songs and cried at the movies. She'd know what to do now, how to handle it, what to say.
"It's just not right that a parent should outlive a child; it's not natural. I wish I could take this for you, Tenchi. I wouldn't mind. It broke my heart every time you came home with a nicked finger or bruised shin or skinned knee; every heartache and failure. I always wished I could take your pain on myself so that you wouldn't have to feel it. I've always felt that way; I suppose every parent does.
"I know your grandfather would say that I was foolish, that pain is part of life and a child's pain is part of growing up. But I just can't help it. I wanted a perfect world for you, a perfect life. I wanted that for all of us; you me and your mother.
"Is that why you're upset, dad? Because you're missing mom?" Tenchi asked.
Nobiyuki sighed heavily. "No, Tenchi; it's because I don't want to miss you the same way. And I know that it will be a long time before I'll be with the two of you and-", Nobiyuki's voice cracked and he began to cry again. "I don't know how I'm going to make it," he choked out.
"Dad, I'm scared," Tenchi said quietly.
"I know, son. So am I," Nobiyuki said, putting and arm around Tenchi. "We all are."
In her lab, Washu continued to work as she had for many days prior. She knew she was fast approaching the point where even her super-human constitution would demand a break for food and sleep. But until it did, she would continue to analyze and formulate and test.
It was quiet, finally, in Sasami's room. Ayeka and she had fallen into a fitful and exhausted sleep. Ryo-Ohki slept just as uneasily next to Sasami, her feet twitching. Each would wake up in the morning feeling as tired as when they had gone to bed.
Yukinojo slowed and stopped next to a lumpy asteroid in a nondescript system not too far from Jurai.
"There's power," Mihoshi said. "But it's so well shielded that you wouldn't find it if you were even a short distance away."
"Is there a way in?" Ryoko asked.
"Well, there's a thin spot here with a large hollow behind it," Mihoshi said, pointing at a scan readout. "That looks like a hangar."
"How do we get the door open?"
"Like this," Mihoshi said. She quickly powered up Yukinojo's weapon systems and fired at the door. There was a flash and a shower of debris. When the debris had drifted away there was a neat hole revealing a large hangar.
"You know," Ryoko said, "I could have just phased us through the door..."
"Oh!" Mihoshi said. "Oh well. I'll keep that in mind for next time."
In a few moments they were standing in the passageway just inside the hangar. They began investigating each of the rooms in turn, finding a living suite, storage room, mechanical room, power generator and a large, fully-equipped laboratory.
When the door of the next room opened, the odor of rotting flesh emerged. "Wow! Yuck!" Mihoshi said, wrinkling her nose.
"Yeah," Ryoko agreed.
The peered in, taking in the small room, the table with the two chairs and the body slumped across the table. The entered and walked up to the dead man. Mihoshi peered at his face for a moment, trying to identify it through the disfigurement his death and the decay process had caused. "Artul Tsimech," she said. She eyed the enormous gash in his head and looked at Ryoko. "What do you think killed him?" she asked with a smirk.
"Very funny, Mihoshi. Can we get on with it?"
"Sorry," Mihoshi shrugged. "Police humor."
Mihoshi reached down and pulled the fluffy white ball from her hip. It morphed into a hard cube in her hands and she began twisting it deftly.
"Woah, crap!" Ryoko said, jumping back. "Look the hell out with that thing!"
"Relax, Ryoko," Mihoshi said. "I know what I'm doing."
After a moment, Mihoshi stopped twisting and a small sensor arm extended from the cube and the holographic display on her wrist came to life. Mihoshi carefully ran the cube over the corpse and the glasses on the table, studying the display on her wrist intently.
"What is that thing?" Ryoko asked.
"It's a standard crime scene analysis scanner built into the control cubes carried by all First Class Detectives," Mihoshi replied, still eyeing her readout. "Except this one has been upgraded by Washu."
"Is it telling you anything?"
"Yes," she said. "The blade that split this man's head was made of wood."
"Wood?" Ryoko asked.
"Yes, wood. Edgewood, to be specific. It's only found on Jurai and Ryuten."
"So, he was killed by a wooden sword from Jurai?"
"Yes," Mihoshi said. "Which means the person we're looking for is Juraian as well."
Ryoko nodded. "Anything else?"
"Actually, yes." Mihoshi twisted the cube and the scanning head disappeared. After more manipulation, a subspace pocket opened beside her. Mihoshi carefully picked up the two glasses on the table and put them into the pocket, then closed it with another twist of the cube. With a final flick of her wrist, the cube was once more a soft, decorative ball.
"We need to have Washu look at those two cups," she said, reattaching the ball to her hip. "They're loaded with the nano-poison."
The crab bell over the door rung, announcing a visitor.
"Go away, I'm busy now," Washu said without looking up.
"Washu," came Mihoshi's voice. "I need to talk to you about this case."
Washu jerked around so quickly that she nearly fell off her pillow. "Mihoshi!" she yelled. "Stand right where you are, don't touch anything!" Mihoshi was standing just inside the doorway, Ryoko at her shoulder. The door was fading away behind them.
"Don't be ridiculous, Washu," Mihoshi said. "I'm not here to touch anything. I'm here to ask you some questions." Mihoshi walked over to Washu and pulled her control cube from her hip. She flipped it deftly as Washu flailed her arms in front of her.
"Put that away!" Washu cried.
Ignoring Washu, Mihoshi finished with the cube and held it out between them. "Interview with Professor Washu Hakubi, conducted by First Class Detective Mihoshi Kuramitsu. Professor Hakubi, this is a voluntary interview and you are not under suspicion of any crimes at this time. However, the information you provide may be used against you in the future. You have the right to refuse this interview or to have legal representation present. Do you understand your rights?"
Washu nodded, surprise on her face.
"Professor Hakubi, you will need to answer verbally," Mihoshi said. "Do you understand your rights?"
"Yes," Washu said.
"And do you agree to be interviewed?"
"Yes," Washu repeated.
"Good," Mihoshi said. "Then let's get started."
"Ryoko," Washu asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Ryoko Hakubi has been duly deputized and is acting as my partner during this investigation," Mihoshi said. "Do you mind if she observes the interview?"
Washu shook her head, looking at Ryoko. "She was very persuasive," Ryoko said, shrugging.
"Professor Hakubi?" Mihoshi said. Washu looked at her. "I need all your responses verbally, please."
"Oh. No, I don't mind if Ryoko observes," Washu said. "Sorry."
"Thank you. Now, Professor Hakubi, you are a personal friend of Tenchi Masaki, true?"
"Yes."
"And it was you who isolated the nano-poison."
"Yes."
The interview continued for several minutes, during which Mihoshi confirmed the facts as she understood them. There was nothing new and nothing that they didn't all know, but Mihoshi believed in being thorough, Washu remembered.
"Now, Professor Hakubi, you have been a member of the faculty of Royal Space Academy for many years, and a student for some years before that, right?"
"Yes."
"You're also very active in the galactic scientific community, true?"
"Yes," Washu replied.
"This nano-poison isn't common, is it?"
"No. It was rumored to exist and to have destroyed an entire planet; but it was more legend than anything else. Nobody that I know of can claim first-hand knowledge."
"Well, if you were going to try to find someone with first-hand knowledge, where would you start looking?" Mihoshi asked.
"Well, I had just initiated a search through Royal Space Academy's news and departmental archives when we started this interview," Washu said. As if on cue, her terminal emitted a chime. "And it's done!" she said, pulling her terminal around in front of her.
"Hmm..." Washu said, scanning the information presented to her. "There's a mention here and there of the legend... Here's a professor of paleo-biology who went on a field trip to Fustus... Wait, he was dismissed for misappropriation of funds and a breach of ethics right after that." She worked her terminal for a few moments while Mihoshi and Ryoko waited patiently.
"Wow!" Washu said. "The records are sealed so tight even I can't get them out without a fight. I've never seen a lock that powerful before: there must be some pretty bad stuff in that file."
"Who was the scientist?" Mihoshi asked.
"His name was Artul Tsimech," Washu said. "He dropped out of sight right after he was kicked out of Royal Space Academy. But he attracted the attention of my search programs, so you might as well start with him."
"Do you have anything else to add, Professor Hakubi?" Mihoshi asked.
"No, Detective Kuramitsu," Washu said, smiling. "But if I think of anything I'll let you know."
"Thank you, Professor Hakubi. You've been most helpful. This concludes the interview with Professor Washu Hakubi. First Class Detective Mihoshi Kuramitsu closing." And she returned the control cube to her hip. "Sorry to have to be so official, Washu; but I do have a job to do!" Mihoshi said brightly.
"I'm happy to help, Mihoshi," Washu replied. "You know that."
"Thanks Washu! I'll keep you posted," Mihoshi said as she left. "And good luck with the antidote! Hopefully, you'll find it before we do; although I still want to bring the perpetrator to justice! Come on, Ryoko."
"Bye now!" Washu waved as they left. "I hope you do find the guy," she said to the closed and fading door, "although I doubt there's going to be an antidote for this little piece of evil." Washu returned to her terminal, working for a few moments and then looked up, her face twisted with surprise.
"What the hell?" she said to herself. "Mihoshi was here all that time and didn't break a single thing? What's up with that?"
Then, shrugging, she returned to her work.
Sasami and Ayeka were hanging laundry; Ryo-Ohki helping as best she could by handing them small items or clothes pins. Mihoshi and Ryoko emerged from the house, Mihoshi giving Yukinojo instructions.
"Yes Yukinojo, we'll be there in five minutes," Ayeka and Sasami heard.
"Where are you going, Mihoshi?" Sasami asked.
"Ryoko and I are going to search for the one who poisoned Tenchi," she replied.
"You and Ryoko?" Ayeka asked, her surprise clear.
"Yes, that's right; I've deputized Ryoko. As soon as I get my shuttle, we'll be leaving. I have some research to do in the Galaxy Police central computer and we'll see where that takes us. Will you two be available for interviews if I need you?"
Ayeka and Sasami nodded.
"Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko said. "Are you going to be okay here with Ayeka and Sasami for a while?"
"Miya meow meow?" Ryo-Ohki asked.
"No, Mihoshi wants to take Yukinojo; and it'll help if we're going to work with Galaxy Police. Do you mind waiting here?"
Ryo-Ohki miya'd and smiled and walked up to Ryoko and hugged her around the knees. "Thanks, Ryo-Ohki. I knew I could count on you."
Mihoshi worked her control cube for a moment and a subspace pocket opened and disgorged Mihoshi's shuttle. The pocket closed and the shuttle sat poised in the air over the lake.
"Mihoshi, Ryoko," Ayeka said. "Be careful, come back safely."
"Take care of Tenchi for me," Ryoko said. Ayeka nodded.
"And call us if anything happens," Mihoshi said.
"Bye Ryoko! Bye Mihoshi!" Sasami called. Ryo-Ohki stood at her side waving and miya'ing.
Mihoshi and Ryoko boarded the shuttle and moments later it rapidly climbed into the sky. Ayeka, Sasami and Ryo-Ohki watched until they were out of sight.
"Did Mihoshi seem... Different to you?" Ayeka asked.
"Umm... Yeah," Sasami said. Then she turned to her sister. "Ayeka, do you mind finishing up? I'd like to see how Tenchi's doing."
Ayeka looked at Sasami. "You have already checked on Tenchi several times today. He is still more than healthy enough to come out here if he wants anything you know."
"But..." Sasami said.
Ayeka sighed. "Sasami. How serious are you about Tenchi?"
Sasami looked surprised for a moment, then annoyed. "You too, Ayeka?" She asked.
Ayeka paused. "Me too, what?"
Sasami sighed. "Washu was asking how I felt about Tenchi, too; the night of the banquet."
"She was?" Ayeka pondered this for a moment. "What did you tell her?"
"Uh... I don't think I told her anything. I think I fell asleep."
"Passed out, you mean," Ayeka laughed.
"Hey, it was a party! Besides, I paid for it the next day."
"You have been spending too much time with Ryoko," Ayeka smiled. "That sounded exactly like something she would say."
Sasami laughed. "You know I like Ryoko, Ayeka. I wish she was our sister, too. But, anyway, I don't have time to talk now; I have to go see Tenchi."
With that, Sasami turned and ran into the house, leaving Ayeka in the yard with Ryo-Ohki watching her go. "That," she said quietly to Sasami's retreating back, "also sounds exactly like something Ryoko would say."
Ayeka sighed.
Mihoshi skillfully piloted her shuttle into orbit and quickly brought it into docking position with Yukinojo. In a few moments the docking sequence had completed.
"Yukinojo," Mihoshi said.
"Yes, Mihoshi?" Yukinojo replied, extending from his mount overhead.
"Search Galaxy Police central files for anything on Artul Tsimech."
"Yes, Mihoshi," he replied.
Mihoshi began systems checks and preparations to take her ship into deep space. After a few moments, Yukinojo spoke.
"Mihoshi, I have the information on Artul Tsimech. Are you ready?"
"Let's hear it," she said.
"Artul Tsimech, a scientist specializing in bio-anthropology. He taught at Royal Space Academy..." Yukinojo continued for several moments, sharing the information the Galaxy Police had on Tsimech. It was precious little.
"No information on his current whereabouts?" Mihoshi asked when he was done.
"No, he simply disappeared after leaving Royal Space Academy. Nothing but rumors and random intelligence."
"Crap," Ryoko spat. "That's useless. Now what?"
"Does he have any living family?" Mihoshi asked.
"None on record," Yukinojo replied.
Mihoshi bit her lip in thought. "I guess we need a miracle," she said.
"Mihoshi, incoming call," Yukinojo said.
A holographic window opened and Washu stared out at them. "Hi, girls!" she said brightly.
"Oh, hello Washu. What's going on?" Mihoshi asked.
"Well, I was thinking about Tsimech and it occurred to me that in order to work with the nano-poison he'd have to have the same device I used to isolate and analyze it: a subspace quantum interference detector. That's a pretty rare piece of equipment."
"How rare?" Ryoko asked.
"There are only two; one here and one at Royal Space Academy," Washu replied.
"Are you sure, Washu?" Mihoshi asked.
"Oh yeah. I invented it and built both of them. One I kept and one I gave to the Academy. I checked with a colleague and it's definitely no longer there. I ran a records search and it was transferred off planet shortly after Tsimech was kicked out."
"Wow! Thanks a lot, Washu!" Mihoshi said. "Did the records say who shipped it or where it went?"
"It was picked up by Glaf's Trans Shipping. They're based on Zeos Station."
"Zeos?" Mihoshi said, her voice a little unsure.
"Yes," Washu replied. "I know what you're thinking; that's not a good place to go visit. But the trail seems to lead there."
"Don't worry about it, Washu," Ryoko said. "I've been there; I can handle it and I'll keep an eye on Mihoshi."
"All right then," Washu said.
"Well, thanks a lot, Washu," Mihoshi said.
"Happy to help, Mihoshi," Washu said. "Good hunting. Bye now!"
And the screen went blank and disappeared.
"Yukinojo?" Mihoshi said.
"Yes, Mihoshi?"
"Set a course for Zeos Station," she said.
"Yes Mihoshi. Course laid in."
"Execute."
There was a thrum of power and Yukinojo's drive moved them starward.
"I will keep an eye on you Mihoshi, really," Ryoko said. "Zeos isn't that bad if you don't let anyone scare you."
"Uh... Thanks Ryoko."
"Tell me something Mihoshi," Ryoko said.
"Yes?" Mihoshi replied.
"You said you'd tell me why you had all those bad years; why you were so hopeless and clumsy."
Mihoshi sighed.
"A few years ago, I fell in love with someone. He was wonderful and smart and handsome and he made me feel like nobody else. He was a Galaxy Police officer, too. We were planning to get married and raise a family. I loved him more than anyone or anything in the universe; and I thought he felt the same way about me."
"He didn't," Ryoko said.
"No, he didn't. We were stationed together. Then, he got orders to another post. We sent letters up to headquarters, requesting a reassignment but it was never approved. When it was time for him to transfer, he did. He said he'd keep working on getting back from his end."
"I noticed that he seemed to have less and less time to talk to me. When I did get him, he was distant; but he kept telling me that the transfers were working through and he should be back any time. Finally, I couldn't seem to get through to him at all. So I did a little checking and I found that he had requested the transfer to that station only a few weeks before he left."
"Oh, no," Ryoko said.
Mihoshi nodded, upset at the memory. "I also found out that he'd had a friend in personnel bureau reject every request to cancel the transfer and that he hadn't submitted any transfer requests after getting to his new post."
"I'm sorry, Mihoshi."
"It's all right, Ryoko. It was a long time ago and I'm mostly over it now. Just having to talk about it sort of brought it all back."
"How did all that cause you problems?" Ryoko asked.
"For a long time, I was completely obsessed with what went wrong with my relationship, what was wrong with me. I still worked on my cases, but I was making mistakes because I couldn't concentrate on what I was doing. I was offered a leave of absence, but I couldn't imagine having nothing to do! So, I begged them to keep me on active duty.
"They let me stay, but as I made more mistakes, they gave me easier cases. And, as I made mistake after mistake it really started to hurt my confidence; so I started to try too hard to be perfect, thinking about everything before I did it. That made my reactions slow and I second- guessed myself constantly. It just got out of control and between not believing in myself and trying too hard, I couldn't do anything right.
"Does that make sense?" Mihoshi asked, looking at Ryoko.
"Yes, I guess so," Ryoko replied. "I mean, I can understand what you're saying, even if it's never happened to me. But you're all right now?"
Mihoshi smiled. "I think so," she said.
Tenchi lay in a chair outside, enjoying the sun. He heard the door slide open and Sasami came into the yard. She was carrying a tray, a towel and a book.
"Hi Tenchi!" she said.
"Hi Sasami," he replied.
"I thought I would keep you company. You weren't asleep, were you?"
Tenchi shook his head, looking at Sasami from under his hand. She was wearing a one-piece bathing suit and Tenchi caught himself admiring her as she set her things down between their chairs, laid out the towel on her chair and sat.
"What have you got there?" he asked.
"I brought out something to drink and some snacks. Are you hungry?"
"No, not really," he replied. "But something to drink would be nice."
"Okay." Sasami poured into a glass and handed it to Tenchi, then swung her feet onto her chair. "It's nice today," she said.
"Mmm hmm," he replied, taking a sip and leaning back.
Tenchi heard an odd noise and opened his eyes in surprise and saw that Sasami had squeezed a blob of sunscreen into one hand. He watched her rub her hands together and then begin to spread it on her arms and shoulders, craning her neck and rolling her shoulder. Tenchi watched, mesmerized as she worked the sunblock into her skin. His eyes followed the line of her neck down to her shoulder; and then from her shoulder down to the curve where the small of her back met her bottom.
"It sure is nice here," she said. "I know you used to come up here in the summer when you were little. I'll bet that was nice. When I have a family I want to have a special place where we go in the summer."
Sasami squeezed out more sunscreen and applied it to her chest and neck above the bathing suit. She looked down as she did so, checking her progress, arching her back, her chest out. Tenchi watched for a moment, then shook his head, and consciously closed his eyes.
"I'm really looking forward to having a family some day," she continued. "I think I'd like to have a boy and a girl, or maybe two girls. And I'd definitely want them to be closer together than Ayeka and me. That way they could play together. I like the names Yumi and Mitsuko; Motoko is nice too..."
A moment later, Sasami said, "Tenchi?"
"Yes?"
"Would you put some sunblock on my back, please?"
Tenchi opened his eyes and saw Sasami holding out the tube of sunblock for him. "Sure," he said. He sat up and took it from her and she rolled over and lay on her stomach, flipping her hair out of the way. He stepped over to her chair and sat. Sasami shifted to make room. Tenchi looked down; her bathing suit was cut from her shoulders down almost to the small of her back. Tenchi's gaze was drawn down to her firm, round backside, where it lingered for a moment. Then he held the sunblock over the middle of her back, preparing to squeeze.
"Hey, Tenchi," she said. Tenchi looked at Sasami, who was regarding him over her shoulder. He realized that she'd been watching him the entire time. She smiled at him knowingly and said, "It's cold that way."
"Huh?"
"If you just put it on it'll be cold. You have to rub it on your hands first."
"Oh!" Tenchi said. "Right."
Tenchi squeezed some into one palm, put the tube down and rubbed his hands together for a few seconds. Sasami watched closely, still smiling. Tenchi put his hands on the middle of her back and she laid her head down on the chair. With a few quick strokes Tenchi spread the sunblock onto her back. "Okay," he said.
"Tenchi!" Sasami said.
"I did it wrong?"
"No, you just didn't finish. You have to rub it in or it won't work; it'll come off."
"Oh. Okay."
Tenchi put his hands on Sasami's shoulders and began to slowly and firmly work the sunblock into her skin. Sasami sighed and he felt her relax under his hands. He rubbed her shoulders in circles, marveling at the softness of her skin and the firm muscles underneath. In a moment, he began to move down her back; enjoying the feel of her ribs and backbone and the tapering of her waist, then the hollow of her lower back. Finally, before he realized it, he had reached the place where the soft, feminine swell of her bottom started and he was done.
"Umm... There you go," he said.
"Thanks, Tenchi. You're the best."
Tenchi capped the sunblock and put it down. "You're welcome, Sasami. Anytime," he said.
He was about to stand when Sasami said, "Oh! Tenchi, I forgot to do the backs of my legs. Would you put some sunblock on them for me? I'm very relaxed and I don't want to roll back over." Sasami giggled. "I'm being lazy, I know, but do you mind?"
"No, I don't mind," Tenchi said, reaching for the sunblock. He squeezed more onto one palm and turned on the chair to reach her legs. They were long and perfectly shaped. He rubbed his hands together and reached down for her calf; rubbing the sunblock in with long strokes that went from her knee to her ankle. Tenchi marveled at the gentle curve of them and the feel of the muscle under her skin.
"That's nice, Tenchi," Sasami said. "How many kids do you want?" she asked.
"Oh, I don't know," he replied. "At least two, I guess; maybe more. A boy and a girl would be nice." Tenchi finished with the one calf and moved to the other.
"What names do you like?"
Tenchi shrugged, still smoothing the sunblock into Sasami's calf with long strokes. "Well, if I had a girl I think I'd want to name her Kiyone, after my mom."
"'Kiyone'," Sasami said. "I like that. Do you remember much about her, Tenchi?"
Tenchi finished with Sasami's calf and put more sunblock on his hands, rubbing them together. He hesitated for a second, then put his hands on her leg at the knee, trying to pull his hands toward him and up her legs. He quickly realized that it wouldn't work. "Well," he said, "I remember she was very gentle and always smiling." He put his palms on the back of Sasami's thigh just below her suit and was rewarded with a smooth motion which covered her skin well.
"Make sure you get all of me, Tenchi," Sasami said. "I don't want to burn. Okay?"
Tenchi smiled. "I'll do my best."
"What else do you remember about your mom?"
Tenchi realized that to 'get all of her' he'd have to start his stroke with his palms literally on her backside and wrap his hands nearly all the way around her legs. Tenchi felt a flush rising onto his face and his breath caught.
"I really don't remember a lot more about her; just that she was a good mom," he said to answer her question.
Tenchi wrapped his fingers around the back of Sasami's upper leg, his palms resting briefly on the soft swell of her backside, and began to ease them down toward her knee. He took his time, enjoying the sensation, the feeling of her firm thigh under his hands. His fingers caught for a second where Sasami's legs nearly touched. Feeling his predicament, Sasami shifted, moving her legs a little further apart.
Tenchi finished at Sasami's knee and the brought his hands back up her leg. When he reached the top, he found this his fingers were very - very, very - close to her...
"I'm sorry, Sasami; what did you say?" Tenchi realized that she'd spoken and he'd been too distracted to know what she'd said.
Sasami laughed. "I asked if you thought I'd be a good mom."
Tenchi - reluctantly - lifted his hands and squeezed some sunblock out to finish the other leg. "Yes, Sasami," he replied. "I think you'll be a great mom."
"Thanks, Tenchi," Sasami said. "That means a lot to me."
"You're welcome, Sasami," Tenchi said. Tenchi was taking his time with the sunblock, enjoying being dangerously close to Sasami. In a few moments, he'd finished with the sunblock. "All done," he said.
"You're the best, Tenchi."
"Thanks, Sasami." Tenchi lay back down and threw his arm across his eyes.
"I think my mom was a good mom, too," Sasami said. "She married Father when she was my age; but she'd already waited a long time. They were engaged when she was very young and he was a lot older than her. Do you think my age is a good age to get married and settle down, Tenchi? Tenchi?"
Getting no response, Sasami looked over to see Tenchi's chest rising and falling slowly as he slept.
"Darn."
The house was silent and still in the night. Bright moonlight entered the rooms and crickets chirruped outside. A soft breeze blew and a rustle of leaves whispered through the open windows. Ayeka lay on the futon next to Sasami. Sasami was snoring quietly. Ayeka stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
'Why Tenchi?' she thought. 'Why couldn't it have been me instead of you?'
Ayeka would gladly sacrifice herself to save Tenchi, as she knew he would do for her; for any of them. But would that be the best thing for Jurai? She wasn't sure. Tenchi was, perhaps, too kind to rule Jurai; being in charge sometimes meant making harsh decisions. This was especially true when you were in charge of a star empire spanning dozens of systems with trillions of citizens.
She sighed and made at face at Sasami's soft snoring. 'What an unattractive habit!' Then she smiled at the thought of Ryoko's snoring - her head back and her mouth wide open. 'So, it could be worse!'
She rolled away from Sasami to stare at the wall and found herself looking at the door to her room. She felt suddenly cold at the thought that a few steps away was one of the most important people in the universe to her and that, in a few short weeks, he would no longer be here.
Even though she had been telling everyone that Washu or Mihoshi and Ryoko would surely find a cure, she herself was certain they wouldn't. The time was growing too short and she had seen the looks on Washu's face when she looked at Tenchi. If Washu had given up hope, who was Ayeka to hold it out?
Her eyes welled with tears which trickled down her face and dropped onto the bed.
She had thought many times about her feelings for Tenchi, and her realization that she didn't love him romantically. She wondered about her initial feelings, why she had been so strongly drawn to him - nearly obsessed. She'd eventually decided that it had been her long isolation, missing Yosho and his resemblance to her brother that had done it.
What had cured her? She'd simply grown up. It was over simplifying a long and complex process, but that was it. She had been so sheltered before attending Royal Space Academy. She knew few people outside of her immediate family and some palace servants. Tenchi was really the first boy she'd met that was near her age.
She still wondered about Ryoko's fixation, and her explanation that there was something 'chemical' about it. She remembered when she'd first captured Ryoko that Ryoko had berated Ayeka for not knowing Tenchi was part of the Jurai royal family. "Can't you feel it in his blood?" she'd said.
Now Ayeka considered if she was using it as a euphemism for something she couldn't put into words or if there really was something to Ryoko's explanation that it was somehow 'chemical'. And what would happen to Ryoko when Tenchi was gone?
And again, her wandering thoughts returned to the young man a short distance away.
'I have to see him, to be near him.' Ayeka thought. For a moment, she hesitated at the boldness of her idea, at the assumption she was making: that Tenchi would welcome her company, now. 'Ayeka, you are being a goose,' she decided. 'Tenchi will not chase you away and you have so little time left with him.'
She rose silently, pulled on a robe and slipped from the room. She closed the door behind her and padded quietly up the hall to Tenchi's door. Taking a breath and steeling her resolve, she opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind her.
She took a moment to orient herself to the room. It was neat, as usual. She could make out Tenchi's sleeping form. "Tenchi?" she said, quietly.
There was no response.
"Tenchi?" she repeated, a little louder.
Tenchi snorted in his sleep and rolled onto his side, leaving a large empty spot. Ayeka considered for a moment, then slipped her robe off and hung it on a peg. She stepped forward and carefully sat, pausing to see Tenchi's reaction. He continued to sleep soundly.
Again, resolving to continue, she eased down until she was laying on her side, her back to Tenchi's back. He mumbled in his sleep, then lay quietly. Ayeka closed her eyes and listened to the steady rhythm of his sleep and before long, drifted off herself.
A few moments later, Tenchi rolled back and onto his side, spooning tightly with Ayeka. Sleeping, she sighed and wriggled back against him to get closer contact.
Tenchi awoke gradually, emerging from an erotic dream. Soft, musky- smelling hair was against his face and a soft bottom was pressed against his hips. One of his arms was under his head, the other was thrown over the person in his bed, his hand gently cupping a breast. He could hear her murmuring appreciatively, pushing back against him.
As he awoke, Tenchi crossed a threshold in his mind and he became less aware of his dreams and more aware of his surroundings: the dream was replaced with reality. And he realized that there really was someone else in bed with him.
Tenchi froze, trying to make sense of it. His sleep-fogged mind simply wasn't ready to function; he was having trouble remembering his own name. The next thing he clearly thought was 'I want to make love with this woman', and he acted on that idea without hesitating.
He pushed the hair away from her neck and began to kiss, then nibble, then gently bite the soft, smooth skin below her ear. All the while, he continued to massage her breast with his free hand. She responded with a soft cry of pleasure and she languidly wrapped a hand around the back of his neck.
'This is Ayeka,' was the next thought he had. For a second, he doubted himself; then Ayeka rolled toward him and their lips met and it was unimportant.
They shared a long, deep kiss; his arm around her waist, his hand in the small of her back pulling her tightly against him, her hand on the back of his neck. Tenchi came fully awake then. The kiss ended and they drew back slightly, gazing at each other in the moonlight.
"Tenchi," she said.
"Ayeka," Tenchi replied, smiling.
"I am sorry, I just wanted to be near you and I did not want to wake you. I never meant for you to... That is, for us to... I mean..."
"It's okay," Tenchi said. "I liked it."
"You..?"
"Liked it, yes," he said. "Would you like to do more?"
"More?" she asked, surprised.
"Well, yes," Tenchi replied. "You know what I mean, don't you?"
"I think so, yes," Ayeka responded. "That is not why I came here."
Tenchi smiled. "I know. But we're both here."
Ayeka hesitated, looking away. "Perhaps I should go..."
Tenchi nodded, frowning. "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made assumptions. I guess I'm still half asleep. Please forgive me?"
Ayeka nodded. "Of course I forgive you. Well..." she turned away and sat up, setting her feet on the floor. Tenchi sat up and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Ayeka."
She paused. "Tenchi?"
"I'm sorry. Really, I am. You can stay if you like and we'll just lay next to each other. I promise." She turned and he was wearing a disarming smile, and she found she couldn't leave.
"All right," she replied. "Thank you."
Tenchi lay back down on his side and Ayeka lay next to him, again pressing her back against his chest. She was careful to leave a judicious space between her backside and Tenchi's hips and she noticed that he did the same. He put one hand under his head and rested the other on his hip. Ayeka realized that she missed having his arm around her and grasped his hand, pulling it down across her and pressing it against her stomach.
Both sighed contentedly and, relaxed and comfortable, Tenchi began to drift back to sleep.
"Tenchi," Ayeka said softly. Tenchi struggled back awake and his eyes opened.
"Yes?"
"You do not... Love me, do you?"
"How do you mean?" he asked.
She turned and rolled toward him until they were facing each other again; their eyes meeting in the semi-darkness of the moonlit room. Her brow furrowed and her eyes searched for what she wanted to say. "Tenchi, you have always seemed to take love and relationships very seriously. I know, at least I think I know, that you do not love me in a romantic way."
Tenchi paused for a moment, thinking. Then said, simply, "Yes, you're right. You are one of my dearest friends and I love you, but not romantically."
"Then why..?"
"Why was I kissing you? Why did I ask if you wanted to-"
"Yes," she answered quickly, cutting him off.
Tenchi thought for a moment. "Well, I was waking up from dreaming about sex and you were here, so that had a lot to do with it."
"So," she said, clearly disappointed. "I was just convenient, nothing more."
"No, Ayeka!" Tenchi said earnestly, "Never!" He looked in her eyes and said, "You are one of the most beautiful and wonderful women I know. Anyone would be thrilled that you want to be with them. You know I've always found you attractive."
"But you do not love me," she said.
"Not like that," he affirmed. "But then, you don't love me that way, either," he said, smiling.
Ayeka returned his smile. "No, I do not. But you knew that."
Tenchi nodded, still smiling.
"So," Ayeka said, wiggling closer to him. "If we do not love each other, then why?"
Tenchi smiled and said, "It doesn't always have to be about love."
And he closed the small gap between them and kissed her.
The love they made was unhurried - slow and languid, and gentle and soft like the moonlight that illuminated the room. And when they were done, they lay face to face, studying each other in the silvered night; trying to memorize every line and expression and shadow, knowing that what they had shared they would never share again.
"Tenchi," Ayeka said.
"Yes, Ayeka?"
"Tenchi, thank you for this gift you have given me."
"It wasn't a gift, really, Ayeka. It was sex."
"Yes," Ayeka replied with a smile. "But it was very good sex. You have done this before?"
Tenchi smiled. "Once or twice, only," he said. "And you?"
Ayeka smiled in return. "Once or twice, only," she said. "Still, that was remarkable for someone who has experienced it 'once or twice'."
"Well, my father did have quite a bit of, uh, reading material," Tenchi said. "Let's just say I had a pretty good idea of what to do..."
"You pervert," Ayeka teased.
Tenchi returned the smile and shrugged helplessly.
"Sleep now," Ayeka said softly.
"What about you?" Tenchi asked.
"I find that I am quite awake. But I know you are tired. So, please, sleep."
Tenchi nodded and closed his eyes. Ayeka lay next to him, watching him and knowing by his breathing when sleep took him. She stroked his face softly as he slept, saying, "Sleep, my prince, my Tenchi. I know that soon I will pray to see you open your eyes and you will not. But for now, sleep."
And the tears came, as she knew they would; and her night was spent in Tenchi's room, in Tenchi's bed, in Tenchi's arms; feeling his breath on her face, her tears dropping silently. Much later, as dawn's first light colored the morning sky, she slipped quietly back to her own room and when Tenchi awoke he was alone.
"I almost wish we'd have brought Ryo-Ohki," Mihoshi said.
"Why?" Ryoko asked.
"I don't think they get a lot of Galaxy Police cruisers out here."
Ryoko had to agree. The scans of the station showed dozens of ships of many different configurations; few were of standard or contemporary design. They were mostly former military vessels that had outlived their usefulness to their original owners - and sometimes their second and third owners - or broken-down transports of various sizes, many of which appeared barely space-worthy. A few new and expensive private yachts were interspersed here and there with the other vessels.
The station itself was a loose collection of odds and ends. It had originally been two or perhaps three deep-space research stations that had been melded together. Since that initial joining, additional sections had been added haphazardly and what was damaged or fatigued had been replaced as needed. The overall effect was a three-dimensional patchwork quilt rendered in metal, ceramic and plastic.
"Turn off Yukinojo's transponder, please Ryoko," Mihoshi instructed. Ryoko nodded her agreement, flipping a switch on the command panel. "Zeos Station, this is yacht Sapphire requesting a docking berth."
"Sapphire, this is Zeos. We're sending you a flight path now. Follow it in."
In a few moments, Yukinojo had been clamped into place and a gangway mated to the crew hatch. Mihoshi changed out of her uniform and the two of them walked up the gangway to the station. They were greeted by several rough-looking men wearing red uniforms. "Welcome to Zeos Station," one of them said.
"Thank you," Ryoko replied.
"Reason for your visit?" he asked.
"Business."
He nodded. "We're station security. The rules are available at any terminal. Infractions are punishable by fine, ejection or death. The station maps are marked green, yellow and red depending on how heavily they're patrolled. No energy weapons or projectile weapons allowed aboard. Got it?"
Ryoko and Mihoshi nodded.
"Enjoy your stay, ladies. And stay out of trouble this time," he said with a warning look at Mihoshi. Then, with a last look at the two of them, the men turned and left.
Ryoko paused, looking at Mihoshi. "You've been to Zeos before?"
"Oh, sure!" Mihoshi replied. "A bunch of us from my Academy graduating class came out for a few days."
"Why here?"
"Well, it was kind of a challenge, you know? A bunch of new Galaxy Police officers, still wet behind the ears, going to one of the seediest places in this part of space."
"Why the warning?"
"Well, there was a bar fight and we did some damage. The Galaxy Police paid for most of it; the rest of it came out of our pay. We had fun," Mihoshi concluded.
"Fun?" Ryoko asked.
"Yeah," Mihoshi said wistfully. "Fun."
Ryoko shook her head. "Come on," she said, leading Mihoshi into the station. They stopped at a terminal and looked up Glaf. His shipping company was in another part of the station. "Let's go," she said.
A short time later they were in front of Glaf's shipping company. It was a yellow section on the station map: not as well patrolled as the green areas, but not quite dangerous like the red areas. The Zeos station council tried hard to provide the right atmosphere for every visitor; from tourists looking for a safe but daring good time to real criminals who were not beyond putting weapons to use to make their point.
Glaf's shipping company was on a wide concourse, sharing frontage with other, similar businesses. Each had a retail area where merchandise that the company shipped could be purchased. Some was purchased from the sender, some was unclaimed or seized for non-payment and some 'fell off' the vessel. Shipper's Lane was a popular shopping destination, with a wide and interesting variety of goods from all over the galaxy. It was yellow primarily because the sailors and dockers who worked for the shippers and the ships frequented the area.
Mihoshi and Ryoko looked around for a few moments, getting a feel for the pace of the area, looking at the items for sale in the large windows at the front of the store and watching the many people going in and out. Then, they went in.
They were greeted at the door by a man wearing a shirt with the company's logo on it. "Welcome to Glaf's!" he chirped.
"Uh, thank you," Ryoko said. "We're looking for Mr. Glaf."
"I don't know that he can see you, but I'll take you back to the office," the man said. He led them to the rear of the store. It was large, with bins and racks full of items. There were dozens of people shopping.
At the rear, he opened a door into a small room. Another man sat behind a reception desk. "These ladies would like to talk to Mr. Glaf," he said, then he left, closing the door.
The receptionist looked them over briefly and asked, "What can I tell him it's about?"
"We'd like to talk to him about a shipment he carried," Ryoko said.
"We carry many, many shipments. It's doubtful he can help you."
"This was a very special shipment," Mihoshi said, pulling out her Galaxy Police ID. "We're pretty sure he'll remember it."
The receptionist looked at the badge for a second, his eyes flicking from it to Mihoshi and back. "Just a minute," he said, picking up a phone. He mumbled into the phone for a moment, then stood up and opened a door behind his desk. "Mr. Glaf will see you. Last door on the left."
The passageway in front of them had several doors on either side. They ignored them and soon reached the last one on the left. Mihoshi knocked and it opened inward.
Looking in, they saw a large office well decorated with exotic objects. There was a substantial desk and a window that looked out onto the loading docks. They could see through the window that several ships were in and dockers were busy loading and unloading cargo.
"Come in, sit down." Enson Glaf was a thin, serious-looking man. His hair was white and pulled into a ponytail which reached his shoulder blades. He was well dressed.
Mihoshi and Ryoko entered, sitting in the two chairs in front of the desk. "Mr. Glaf," Mihoshi began. "I am First Class Detective-"
"Yes, Detective Kuramitsu, I know who you are. You did show your badge to my receptionist and you showed up on the station alert as a grey- lister as soon as you set foot on Zeos."
"Grey lister?" Ryoko asked.
"Yes, Miss Hakubi, Detective Kuramitsu is a grey-lister. One infraction from being black-listed; strictly on probation. Didn't she mention that she'd been in trouble here on Zeos in the past?"
"She said- You know my name?" Ryoko asked sharply.
"Yes, Miss Hakubi. We do get news and the usual gossip. It was quite a story out here on the fringes when the Space Pirate Ryoko re-emerged. Do you mind if I ask where you've been and how you got so close to the Jurai royal family?"
"As a matter of fact, I do mind," Ryoko said, bristling. Glaf raised his hands in a disarming gesture. "But what's with this grey list? Mihoshi said she'd been in a bar fight-"
Glaf threw back his head and laughed. "A bar fight? Is that what she told you? Miss Hakubi, it wasn't just a 'bar fight'. It was a brawl that completely destroyed two bars and took an entire section out of habitation for two months." Ryoko seemed shocked, looking at Mihoshi in disbelief. Mihoshi looked embarrassed.
"The only reason she wasn't black listed and banned for life is because she didn't exactly start the fight. However, she and her Galaxy Police friends certainly finished it. How many were killed and injured, detective?"
"Uh..." Mihoshi hesitated. "Something like seventy-five."
"According to the records I'm looking at, it was exactly like seventy- eight. Thirteen killed, the rest wounded - some critically."
"Well," Mihoshi said, "they had no call to speak that way to a lady. Especially not a Galaxy Police officer."
"Especially not a Galaxy Police officer and her ten drunken friends who were all looking for a fight." Mihoshi smiled and shrugged helplessly. "So, detective, Miss Hakubi, what can I do for you?"
"We're trying to find out where you shipped something."
"I ship a lot of somethings and my shipping records are confidential. What makes you think I'll remember this specific thing or that I'll tell you where it went?"
"This was an extremely rare item," Mihoshi said. "A subspace quantum interference detector. There were only two ever made and we know where the other one is. And we'd really appreciate knowing where it went; this is Galaxy Police business. Plus, we'd really appreciate not having to tell the Galaxy Police and the Jurai intelligence service that something interesting is going on here at your business. Why, the inconvenience to your customers would probably chase them away for years - maybe forever." Mihoshi's voice remained light, but the threat was clear.
Glaf had been keying into a terminal while Mihoshi spoke. When she was done, he was looking down at a display. After a moment, he grunted and said. "I think I can help you, detective. Not, because of the danger to my business," he said tightly, "but because you were correct that I have only ever shipped one of those and because the customer in question is dead."
"Dead?" Ryoko asked.
"How do you know?" Mihoshi asked.
"Because Mr. Tsimech is still a regular customer and very secretive; we are his sole contact when he needs something, like food or lab equipment. And our most recent delivery attempt failed."
It was late, but Tenchi felt restless. He got up and stepped out onto his balcony. A cool breeze was coming down from the mountains, rustling the leaves. Night birds called and crickets chirped.
Tenchi leaned on the rail, taking in as much of it as his senses allowed, savoring the warm summer night. Below, he heard a quiet sound that made him pause. He listened closely and heard it again. It was deep, almost a cough; and he thought there was something else as well.
Tenchi walked back into his room and slipped out into the hall. He walked silently down the stairs to the front of the house and opened the door.
His father sat on the porch in the dark and, as Tenchi listened, he recognized the quiet sounds he heard as sobs. 'Oh, dad!' Tenchi thought.
He stepped through the door, deliberately making noise. His father jerked and in the dim light Tenchi could see him wiping his eyes. He cleared his throat and said, "Hi Tenchi," in a voice thick with emotion.
Tenchi walked over and sat down next to Nobiyuki. "Hi dad."
"It seemed so nice out that I thought I would sit for a while and enjoy it," Nobiyuki said.
Tenchi nodded silently. They sat side-by-side for a few moments without saying a word.
"Have I told you how proud I am that you've become an architect?" Nobiyuki asked.
"All the time, dad," Tenchi replied. "All the time."
"I know, I'm a foolish old man, but I can't help it. I would have been happy for you and proud no matter what you decided to do; but for you to find something inside you that was also inside me... Well, it made me happier than I could ever say.
"All I ever wanted was for you to be happy; to choose a career, get married to a nice girl and give me grandkids to spoil."
"A nice girl..?" Tenchi asked, smiling. "Did you have one in mind?"
"I love them all, Tenchi. Ryoko is so full of life, Ayeka is so gentle, Mihoshi is kind and Sasami is... Well, she's Sasami. And they're all so beautiful and they care about you so much. I would have been happy to welcome any of them into the family; or none of them, if you found someone else. I just wanted you to be happy with someone."
"You didn't mention Washu," Tenchi pointed out.
"Ah... Washu isn't like the others. Besides, I've got my eye on her myself." Nobiyuki nudged Tenchi with an elbow.
"Dad!"
Nobiyuki chuckled and they were quiet again for a while. Then, Nobiyuki asked, "Do you think about your mother a lot, Tenchi?"
"All the time, dad," Tenchi replied.
"I miss her so much, Tenchi. Even more now. She was always the strong and practical one. I'm was the one who panicked or worried; the one who smiled at sappy songs and cried at the movies. She'd know what to do now, how to handle it, what to say.
"It's just not right that a parent should outlive a child; it's not natural. I wish I could take this for you, Tenchi. I wouldn't mind. It broke my heart every time you came home with a nicked finger or bruised shin or skinned knee; every heartache and failure. I always wished I could take your pain on myself so that you wouldn't have to feel it. I've always felt that way; I suppose every parent does.
"I know your grandfather would say that I was foolish, that pain is part of life and a child's pain is part of growing up. But I just can't help it. I wanted a perfect world for you, a perfect life. I wanted that for all of us; you me and your mother.
"Is that why you're upset, dad? Because you're missing mom?" Tenchi asked.
Nobiyuki sighed heavily. "No, Tenchi; it's because I don't want to miss you the same way. And I know that it will be a long time before I'll be with the two of you and-", Nobiyuki's voice cracked and he began to cry again. "I don't know how I'm going to make it," he choked out.
"Dad, I'm scared," Tenchi said quietly.
"I know, son. So am I," Nobiyuki said, putting and arm around Tenchi. "We all are."
In her lab, Washu continued to work as she had for many days prior. She knew she was fast approaching the point where even her super-human constitution would demand a break for food and sleep. But until it did, she would continue to analyze and formulate and test.
It was quiet, finally, in Sasami's room. Ayeka and she had fallen into a fitful and exhausted sleep. Ryo-Ohki slept just as uneasily next to Sasami, her feet twitching. Each would wake up in the morning feeling as tired as when they had gone to bed.
Yukinojo slowed and stopped next to a lumpy asteroid in a nondescript system not too far from Jurai.
"There's power," Mihoshi said. "But it's so well shielded that you wouldn't find it if you were even a short distance away."
"Is there a way in?" Ryoko asked.
"Well, there's a thin spot here with a large hollow behind it," Mihoshi said, pointing at a scan readout. "That looks like a hangar."
"How do we get the door open?"
"Like this," Mihoshi said. She quickly powered up Yukinojo's weapon systems and fired at the door. There was a flash and a shower of debris. When the debris had drifted away there was a neat hole revealing a large hangar.
"You know," Ryoko said, "I could have just phased us through the door..."
"Oh!" Mihoshi said. "Oh well. I'll keep that in mind for next time."
In a few moments they were standing in the passageway just inside the hangar. They began investigating each of the rooms in turn, finding a living suite, storage room, mechanical room, power generator and a large, fully-equipped laboratory.
When the door of the next room opened, the odor of rotting flesh emerged. "Wow! Yuck!" Mihoshi said, wrinkling her nose.
"Yeah," Ryoko agreed.
The peered in, taking in the small room, the table with the two chairs and the body slumped across the table. The entered and walked up to the dead man. Mihoshi peered at his face for a moment, trying to identify it through the disfigurement his death and the decay process had caused. "Artul Tsimech," she said. She eyed the enormous gash in his head and looked at Ryoko. "What do you think killed him?" she asked with a smirk.
"Very funny, Mihoshi. Can we get on with it?"
"Sorry," Mihoshi shrugged. "Police humor."
Mihoshi reached down and pulled the fluffy white ball from her hip. It morphed into a hard cube in her hands and she began twisting it deftly.
"Woah, crap!" Ryoko said, jumping back. "Look the hell out with that thing!"
"Relax, Ryoko," Mihoshi said. "I know what I'm doing."
After a moment, Mihoshi stopped twisting and a small sensor arm extended from the cube and the holographic display on her wrist came to life. Mihoshi carefully ran the cube over the corpse and the glasses on the table, studying the display on her wrist intently.
"What is that thing?" Ryoko asked.
"It's a standard crime scene analysis scanner built into the control cubes carried by all First Class Detectives," Mihoshi replied, still eyeing her readout. "Except this one has been upgraded by Washu."
"Is it telling you anything?"
"Yes," she said. "The blade that split this man's head was made of wood."
"Wood?" Ryoko asked.
"Yes, wood. Edgewood, to be specific. It's only found on Jurai and Ryuten."
"So, he was killed by a wooden sword from Jurai?"
"Yes," Mihoshi said. "Which means the person we're looking for is Juraian as well."
Ryoko nodded. "Anything else?"
"Actually, yes." Mihoshi twisted the cube and the scanning head disappeared. After more manipulation, a subspace pocket opened beside her. Mihoshi carefully picked up the two glasses on the table and put them into the pocket, then closed it with another twist of the cube. With a final flick of her wrist, the cube was once more a soft, decorative ball.
"We need to have Washu look at those two cups," she said, reattaching the ball to her hip. "They're loaded with the nano-poison."