THE JOB, Chapter 21: Honesty

DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyo! is copyright AIC/Pioneer, LDC. I claim no rights to it. However, all events in this story are entirely of my own imagination. Please don't change them. Feel free to distribute this story as widely as desired.

FOREWORD: Once more I have begun to write! I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out. As with my other fan-fic projects, this story has also suffered due to the cruel travesty known as "work". Now that things have slowed a bit, I can get back to more fulfilling pursuits such as this.

AUTHOR: Dreamr

LAST REVISION: 12 August 2004

EMAIL:

BEGIN.

It was nearly time. Sitting in the same small, stark room that Ryoko had seen Daisuke in for their initial discussion about her case, she and her lawyer were going over the last minute details. Although Ryoko was still in her prison jumpsuit and feedback mittens, she at least had a fairly comfortable chair, a nice table, and good lighting. There were no windows, of course. It wouldn't do to have prisoners that could fly jumping out of them, not that that would help her any. This was Jurai Prime, after all. Without Ryo-o-ki to help her, Ryoko doubted she would be able to get off the planet. Thus, the only method of escape was to work within the system. With some luck, she might even get acquitted. Thinking of just how much luck she was going to need for that made Ryoko sigh aloud.

"Something wrong?" Daisuke asked.

"Is this gonna work?"

"Well... trying to cast doubt on the prosecution's evidence probably won't work. There's just too much of it. So, we need to make the jury sympathetic to your position. Look on the bright side. You'll get to see your friends again."

"I guess..."

Looking at Ryoko as she sat before him, Daisuke felt relieved that she had taken his advice about her appearance. Ryoko had cleaned her hair and tied it up in a ponytail, which had the effect of making her look younger than was true. If she kept her head down and occasionally shed a tear or two, hopefully the jury might think twice about condemning her.

"I am glad that you took my advice on your appearance."

"Yeah, well..."

"Just remember, prosecution is going to present a lot of evidence before we get to make our case. So don't be surprised if I just sit there and say 'No questions, Your Honor.' "

"I got it."

Seeing that Ryoko still seemed depressed, Daisuke decided that hearing about Minister Sakahara's arrest might cheer her up a bit. He knew from Ryoko herself that the man had been in charge of Caladan's Social Services before moving up to Jurai itself, and that he had taken advantage of his charges to amass great wealth and favor among society's elite.

"Sakahara's been arrested."

Ryoko looked up at him, and for a moment, Daisuke thought she was going to smile.

"I hope they chop off his..." Remembering her role in the trial, Ryoko decided on a more civilized word than what she had initially thought of. But that did little to change how she felt about that person. "...man-parts."

Daisuke shivered at the raw hate in Ryoko's voice.

"Actually, he's been accused of murdering the Minister of Justice."

Although that wasn't what Ryoko thought he ought to be accused of, it would do.

"So... he'll be executed?"

"If convicted. He'll probably get the second-best attorney in the galaxy."

"Why not the first-best?"

"I'm kind of busy with your case, right now."

Ryoko finally cracked a smile. She even started to laugh. But after the first few chuckles, she sighed aloud, her shoulders slumping. During that brief moment of weakness when Ryoko's normally iron-clad control slipped, Daisuke saw the frightened girl within. His resolve to win this case grew stronger.

"I'll get you out of this. I promise"

Sitting on a large sofa with the lights off in his very large room deep within the Jurai Royal Palace, Tenchi stared blankly at the unlit holo-display. It was the end of the first day of the so-called Trial of the Century, Ryoko's trial, and he felt like the whole affair was a sham. For an entire day, he had watched the trial on the Jurai version of television, and he felt disgusted. Ryoko's lawyer, whom Tenchi had initially felt pretty good about, had sat on his ass doing nearly nothing except saying "No questions, Your Honor." Written testimony, witnesses, videos, piles of evidence were presented against Ryoko. Unless Mister Karatai pulled a miracle out of his hat, Ryoko would be executed.

Not since his mother had died had Tenchi felt so... sick. This churning feeling in his stomach and the sense of helplessness had him on edge. He wanted nothing more than to do something to help get Ryoko out of this mess. But here he was, restrained from even talking to Ryoko. Even worse, he was forced to sit idle while her lawyer did nothing. This situation was almost too much to bear.

Unnoticed at the back of the room, the door silently swung open. Aeka crept through the door so as not to alarm Tenchi. She was not trying to sneak-up on him or anything petty like Ryoko would try. But she felt greatly concerned by the way he was neglecting his own welfare. Lately, Tenchi seemed like a shadow of himself, roaming around the palace with a far-off look on his face. He spoke rarely, and kept completely to himself. Now he was sitting in the dark, staring at an inactive holographic projector. She herself had only just gotten back to the palace after meeting Sasami, Washu, Nobuyuki, and Katsuhito at the spaceport. They were all due to testify at the trial tomorrow along with herself, Azaka, Kamidake, and Tenchi. The four new arrivals had been disappointed that Tenchi had not come to greet them. They were in the palace now, along with Mihoshi and Kiyone. Sasami was insisting she make dinner for everyone, including Tenchi. That meant Aeka had to convince him to leave the privacy of his room and the blank display in favor of a social gathering that he probably was not very interested in.

Any fool could see that Tenchi was broken up about Ryoko's arrest and trial. But only those who knew him could tell just how much it was affecting him. Aeka had a bad feeling in her gut. Normally, a person would be very outspoken about a friend in these kinds of circumstances. It wasn't like Tenchi to isolate himself in this way. That kind of depth of feeling from Tenchi concerning Ryoko made Aeka think that there may be much more to Tenchi's feelings than she had ever thought. She hoped that was not true. But, like Ryoko's case, the evidence here was hard to ignore.

"Lord Tenchi?"

"What?"

Aeka stopped short when she heard the force in Tenchi's voice.

"I'm sorry. If you wish to be alone..."

Tenchi sighed aloud. He hadn't meant to be rude. He just hadn't heard Aeka enter and her voice had taken him by surprise.

"No. No, I'm sorry, Aeka. I don't mean to be rude. I'm just..." Tenchi shook his head and then lifted a hand, half-heartedly gesturing to the inactive display. "Did you watch the trial?"

"No. I saw the evidence in advance of the trial, so I felt there was no need." Peering through the dimness of the room, Aeka could see that Tenchi looked just as bedraggled as the day he had arrived. "Have you been in here all day?"

"I can't believe what I saw." Tenchi went on without answering Aeka's question. It just didn't seem important right now, especially when someone's life was on the line. "I thought Ryoko's lawyer was going to try to get her out of trouble! But he just sat there like a frog on a log!"

"I'm sure he has his reasons."

"Well, I think it stinks! I'm going to go crazy if I have to sit through another day of that."

"Tomorrow, Lord Tenchi. Tomorrow Mister Karatai will have us testify for Miss Ryoko."

"Yeah." Tenchi sighed again, this time for the purpose of relieving stress. "I know. I guess... I don't know."

"The others have arrived."

"Dad and Grandpa?"

"Yes. Also Sasami and Washu."

"I guess I should go say hello."

"I agree. Sasami is going to make dinner tonight, so you should get cleaned up."

"Yes."

Although Tenchi answered in the affirmative, he remained seated facing away from her and towards the inoperative holo-screen. Seeing that he had no intention of getting up, Aeka prompted him again by mentioning the palace's incredibly huge bath house.

"If you like, I'll have the bath cleared for you."

"All right." Tenchi finally stood up, stretching his arms over his head with a groan. "Maybe a bath will help clear my head."

Aeka backed through the door, leaving it ajar so that Tenchi would not think she was letting him off the hook. To either side of the door, Azaka and Kamidake stood vigilant guard. In a low voice, Aeka issued them instructions for Tenchi's itinerary.

"Kamidake, go ahead and clear the palace baths for Lord Tenchi."

"Of course, Princess." After a brief bow, Kamidake strode away to the baths.

"Azaka, please accompany Lord Tenchi. Make sure he doesn't do anything... rash."

"I'll keep my eye on him, Highness." Although Azaka had no intention of disobeying the princess, he felt it his duty to remind her that she would be without a bodyguard until either he and Kamidake returned or she reclaimed her robotic guardians. "Although..."

"I'll be fine. This is the Royal Palace, after all."

"Indeed. However, the palace is not as safe as it once was. Walk cautiously, Highness."

"I'll remember."

Azaka stood his post outside the door as Princess Aeka walked away back in the direction she had come. Soon, Tenchi opened the door. He seemed surprised to see a Knight of Jurai waiting for him.

"Azaka? Why aren't you with Aeka?"

"The Princess bade me to attend you, Highness."

"Oh." Tenchi walked past Azaka in the rough direction of the palace baths. The elder Knight followed him about a pace behind. "I guess Aeka thinks I'm crazy."

"The Princess is concerned for your welfare."

Tenchi chewed thoughtfully on his lip as he walked through the halls of the private wing of the palace. At the moment, it was Ryoko's welfare that was foremost in Tenchi's mind. He wanted to pump Azaka for information, but he didn't know what questions to ask. There was also her feelings for him to consider. Asking the wrong questions, or too many questions, would probably upset her, further jeopardizing Ryoko's chances for acquittal. The Knights, on the other hand, had no such issues.

"I'd feel better if Ryoko weren't in jail. Azaka, isn't there some way of getting Ryoko out of this without making her go through the trial? Can't she be pardoned or something?"

Azaka nearly missed a step when Tenchi asked about a pardon. In fact, the ruler of Jurai, currently Aeka, did indeed have the power to pardon a criminal. However, if Aeka had not informed Tenchi of this, then there was a very good reason. It was definitely not his place to speak contrary to her wishes. Whatever differences of opinion Tenchi and Aeka had over Ryoko were their business, not his.

"I'm certain Princess Aeka has made every reasonable effort to assist Miss Ryoko."

"Everyone I talk to keeps saying that." Tenchi observed with a sigh. "It makes me feel like there's some conspiracy going on against Ryoko."

Azaka remained silent, rather than trying to assuage Tenchi's misgivings any further. The young Prince's comments about a conspiracy were not completely untrue. But that was due to the outstanding criminal charges, rather than some malicious personal vendetta. Looking up ahead, Azaka could see Kamidake was waiting silently for their arrival at the entrance to the baths. As Tenchi arrived at the tall door, he stopped in his tracks, nearly causing Azaka to run him over from behind..

"Kamidake, do you know of any way to get Ryoko out of trouble?"

"I'm certain that Princess Aeka is doing everything in her power to assist Miss Ryoko."

Tenchi turned his head to look directly at his escort.

"That is almost exactly what Azaka said."

A bead of sweat rolled down Kamidake's brow as Tenchi considered how he might get a different answer from one of them.

"You guys are called Knights of Jurai."

"Correct." Both men answered.

"Is that anything like a samurai?"

"My apologies, Lord Tenchi." Azaka answered. "But, what is a samurai?"

Scratching at his scalp, Tenchi tried to explain the concept as best he could. For once, he felt grateful for all the lessons his grandfather had given him.

"That's kind of hard to explain. Basically, the samurai were feudal warriors of ancient Japan, who swore fealty to their lord and the Emperor. They lived by the seven virtues of Bushido: Rectitude, Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Honesty, Honor, and Loyalty."

The knights' pride shone through when they heard the list of virtues that were so much like their own.

"Do Knights of Jurai have a similar code?"

"We do."

"Is honesty one of them?"

"It is."

"Then, honestly, is there any way to get Ryoko out of trouble?"

"She can be found innocent." Azaka promptly answered.

"Besides that."

Azaka and Kamidake shared a worried glance. Although they were not under any moral obligation not to tell Tenchi of Aeka's power to pardon, informing him could cause a great deal of friction between them. Princess Aeka would definitely not appreciate that. However, their oaths as knights required them to answer honestly. Azaka had been a knight longer, and was more accustomed to giving less than clear answers. Kamidake, on the other hand, was still rather young and idealistic. He had his own opinions regarding current events. After witnessing Ryoko's selfless actions last year, his personal belief was that she was a hero and did not deserve the persecution she was currently undergoing. In addition, he could see that Tenchi was smitten with the girl. He also should not be made to suffer so.

"Lord Tenchi, the answer you seek, the truth, is that the ruling monarch of the Holy Empire of Jurai can pardon any criminal at any time."

Tenchi looked him straight in the eye.

"Is Aeka that monarch?"

"She is."

Tenchi slowly nodded in appreciation, although he could not for the life of him understand why Aeka would not use that power, or even tell him of it. He could not accept that Aeka hated Ryoko that much.

"Thank you, Kamidake, for being honest."

Kamidake bowed to Tenchi.

"Of course, Highness."

Tenchi returned the bow, then turned to go take his bath. After closing the doors behind him, Kamidake and Azaka took up their positions in front of the door. They were silent for over a full minute before Azaka spoke.

"That was foolish."

"It was honest."

"Indeed."

END.

AFTERWORD: If you are wondering what happened to the first day of the trial, I intentionally left it out. I felt that presenting a bunch of evidence with little actual testimony would slow the story down entirely too much, as well as being really boring. Honestly, I wouldn't want to put anyone through an entire day's worth of reading that consists of nothing more than really obvious and uninspired statements. The next chapter will be personal testimony at the trial, and a startling revelation when Ryoko takes the stand in her own defense.