Chapter Seven
"Kiyone, that is my final decision."
The chief sat down heavily in his seat, shaking his head as he regarded his top detective with a frown. "I must admit I'm surprised at you even asking. Release a criminal of Ryoko's standing and reputation...just because once she was associated with the man we're hunting down? More than likely you'd send her straight back into his company and make our decision doubly difficult. I know how these people act...I'm astonished that that thought hasn't crossed your mind, also."
"Well, I've had something to do with Ryoko since her arrest." Kiyone fidgeted uneasily in her chair. "Sir, I'd assume responsibility for her...I'd ensure that she didn't leave the custody of Yagami. Since her sentencing, she's been a model prisoner. I don't see the harm in..."
"A model prisoner, huh?"
The chief's expression darkened, and he reached across his desk, scooping up a piece of paper. "Here. Read this. Maybe you'll change your mind when you have."
He dropped it down in front of her and Kiyone scooped it up, glancing over it then staring up at her supervisor in surprise.
"Isolation? Basic rations? But why?"
"Read on." The chief's voice was grim. "That should explain once and for all why I'm deeply unhappy about the idea of a prisoner like Ryoko ever tasting freedom. She had far too much of it and we saw what she was capable of when she did, Detective. You know that when she was sentenced, she had no remorse for her past crimes. All she did at her own hearing was make threats against any space officials who dared attack the solar system - as if it was a Galaxy Police tactic to raid and pillage the landscape like common criminals. No, Kiyone. You must see why the idea is a crazy one."
"Attacking a fellow prisoner in the onsen?" Kiyone chewed on her lip. "And what of her fellow combatant, sir? Ryoko is hot tempered and impulsive - we've all seen that. But something must have happened...I mean...she's been so well behaved, and..."
"Kiyone, I almost suspect a personal interest in this prisoner Ryoko." The chief's voice became dangerously low and Kiyone blushed, shaking her head as she set the sheet of paper down.
"No sir. I'm just surprised, that's all." She said carefully. "I thought...well, I thought she had more sense."
"Someone who chooses a life of crime has very little sense to begin with." The supervisor said pointedly. "And to answer your question, Prisoner Nakumi is in the Medical Unit. She suffered bruising and some damage - particularly to the throat. She's a nasty piece of work, I won't deny that - but if the guards hadn't interfered, well, it might have been worse. From the reports I've received, Ryoko was poised to strangle her when they intervened."
"I see." Kiyone's eyes became shadowed. "That does cause a complication."
She paused, then got to her feet, offering a formal salute to her superior as she did so.
"I'm sorry to waste your time, sir." She said softly. "I will return to Yagami and review the matter further with Detective Mihoshi."
"Yes, do that." The chief nodded his head, retrieving his file. "We have little time to lose. We've received no word on either the Princess Ayeka or the Princess Sasami since the ransom demand was sent to Jurai, but patrol ships did pick up Karasu's trail late last night."
He paused ominously, then,
"All units that proceeded to track him were destroyed." He added gravely. "There were no survivors. Take care, Detective Kiyone. We can't afford to take such losses again."
Kiyone eyed him in troubled silence for a moment. Then she turned on her heel, leaving the office and shutting the sliding door behind her, pausing for a moment outside as she gathered her senses. Absently she wondered if any of the killed officers were men and women she knew.
"No, I mustn't think of that." She berated herself aloud, hurrying away from the senior corridor and back towards the docking bay where Yagami was waiting. "I have to think how Mihoshi and I are going to track down this Haki character and rescue Ayeka before there is any more bloodshed. No kidding that this is a major league mission...damn you, Ryoko! Why did you have to go pick a fight in the bath-house today of all days? Now there's no way the chief will ever sanction your early release!"
She sighed, pausing at the entrance to Docking Bay 17. Mihoshi stood by the railings, raising her hand in a wave as she approached.
"Well? What did the chief say?" She demanded. "What are we doing, Kiyone?"
Kiyone bit down hard on her lip, tasting blood as she did so. In a moment, she made up her mind.
"Get aboard Yagami and wait there until I get back." She said softly. "Don't ask questions, Mihoshi - just trust me, all right? Don't take off until I get back, but be ready to do so at a moment's notice. Whatever the situation. I...I think I'm going to do something that I'll probably regret, and I at least want a good chance of getting away with it."
Mihoshi's eyes became big at this.
"Kiyone?"
"Just do it, all right?" Kiyone pleaded. "I haven't time to explain...just have Yagami ready. All right? I won't be long."
Mihoshi paused, then nodded her head.
"I'll be ready. You can count on me, Kiyone." She promised. "I'll be here."
She turned, almost tripping over her feet as she hurried back aboard the red ship and Kiyone groaned, rubbing her temples.
"Heaven help me." She said aloud. "I can't believe I'm even thinking this way, but in the circumstances...what else can I do?"
It was a warm, sunshiny day.
Tenchi settled himself more comfortably on his perch, chewing on the end of his paintbrush as he glanced out across the landscape of the mountains. A slight smile touched his lips as he surveyed the bevy of colours that spread out before him, flowers and trees in the south and fields and peaks to the north. He loved this land like nowhere else he'd ever been, he realised. Wherever he travelled, this would always be his home.
"It's strange to think that, since I've been missing people so badly." He mused, dipping his brush in the water and then selecting a delicate green as he began to paint in a tree on his sketch. "But I guess what I told Ayeka is still true. Jurai could never be a home to me. This is my world. When I battled Kagato, I only had the edge when my world overshadowed his. This is my world...I just have to get used to the fact they all come from different worlds. And that might mean I don't see them again."
He frowned, examining his painting critically. Art had never called to him so strongly when he had been younger, but in recent years he had become almost obsessive about his sketches and his paints, and few knew that, in the hidden depths of his bedroom he kept a sketchpad detailing the likenesses of all of his extra-terrestrial guests. Glancing out across the sky, he could almost imagine Ryoko flitting in and out of visibility, flying across the landscape as she evaded the household chores. If he really thought hard about it, he could hear Ayeka calling for her sister, and Sasami's bright bubbly laughter...
He paused, his frown deepening.
No...he hadn't been imagining it. That had sounded a lot like Sasami's laugh.
"But that's not possible." He muttered, turning his attention back to the sketch before him. "Sasami is on Jurai with Ayeka and..."
"Tenchiiiiii!"
The shriek was unmistakeable this time and he swung around, seeing the familiar figure of the younger Jurai princess hurrying towards him. With a squeal she flung herself at him with little regard for the paint and Tenchi tossed his image aside with equal lack of care, returning the hug with a warm one of his own.
"Sasami!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here...I thought I was dreaming when I heard your laugh!"
"No, I'm real." Sasami informed him unecessarily. "Oh Tenchi, it seems like it's been the longest ever time since we were here, you know!"
"It's been three years - three and a half, actually, Earth time." Tenchi told her. "But I thought your father said you had to go back to Jurai - why are you here? Is Ayeka with you? You can't tell me you're here all alone!"
"Ayeka is why I'm here, Tenchi." The light died in Sasami's pretty eyes at the mention of her sister's name. "And Azaka and Kamadake are with me. They flew with me on one of my father's ships...we came to find you. Tenchi, I need your help. We need your help...something terrible has happened to Ayeka and you are the only person I know to go to!"
Tears sprang into the crimson eyes, and Tenchi hugged her tightly again.
"Tell me what happened." He said softly, as the two knights entered the clearing, making formal bows to Tenchi as they saw him.
"Lord Tenchi, the Lady Ayeka requires your assistance." Kamadake said gravely.
"She's been kidnapped by some horrible creature in a black ship and we don't know where he's taken her." Sasami added. "He attacked our ship too, but Tsunami is a strong spaceship and he didn't damage her much. We flew here because we needed your help to get Ayeka back - but I never saw a ship like this one before. It was all dark and it had a bird's wing imprinted on the side. Maybe a whole bird...I don't know. It was like it could disappear into the darkness of space...almost like a ghost. And when Kamadake went to Ayeka's ship to find her, she was completely gone."
"I see." Tenchi bit his lip, glancing down at his paints, then getting to his feet.
"All right." He added. "Let me go get the sword. Where is your ship?"
"Not far from here. A few yards from the shrine, hidden by the trees." Azaka answered. "Lord Tenchi, I fear we must make as much haste as possible. Tsunami's communication device has been damaged in the encounter with this black ship and though she has regenerative capabilities, they're taking time. We have not yet managed to contact Jurai. Nobody there knows where Princess Sasami is either."
"Then I will be as quick as I can." Tenchi promised. "I'll grab the sword and meet you at the ship."
He looked rueful.
"I'm rusty...it's been a long time since I practiced any kind of Jurai battle techniques. Too busy with school." He added. "But I'll do my best to help Ayeka. You know that I will."
"I knew we could count on you, Lord Tenchi." Sasami hugged him again. "Thank you! Now you're coming back with us, I know my sister is going to be just fine!"
Ryoko stretched out on her makeshift pallet, attempting to get comfortable as she fidgeted and shuffled her slim form around the hard bed. She raised her gaze to the window, catching sight of a shooting star in the distance and despite herself she bit her lip. Such beauties were best seen close up, she knew that. Once she had ridden almost in the tail of a comet, adrenalin surging through her as she had battled from one side of the streaming ice gas to the other. Ryo Ohki had been cross with her for days afterwards, but the rush had been worth it. She sighed.
Those days were long ago now. Absently she wondered where her small companion was being held. That she had been confined was all the pirate knew, but she was sure it was somewhere as cold and soulless as her own drab prison cell.
Life had certainly hit an all time low.
"Ryoko!"
The familar hiss from outside the cage distracted her from her thoughts and she groaned, rolling off the pallet onto the floor and curling herself into a seated position as she made out Kiyone's features through the blur of the forcefield. She folded her arms across her chest.
"More sake?" She asked quietly. "Are you trying to drink me into submission, Kiyone?"
"No, that's not why I'm here."
Kiyone's voice drew closer and Ryoko could tell her companion was only inches away from the electrified forcefield. "Come to the edge, Ryoko. I don't want anyone else to overhear."
"Fine." Reluctantly Ryoko shuffled towards the edge of the cell, leaning back on her hands as she did so. "What is it this time? You do know that I'm supposed to be in isolation, I suppose? I guess even that chief who's ass you've been kissing wouldn't be impressed if he knew you were doing double shift in the naughty corner."
"Yes, and that's another thing I want to take up with you!"
"If you're going to give me a lecture about fighting in the bath-house, it wasn't me who started it." Ryoko sighed, looking weary. "Of course I'm going to defend myself if some lamebrained convict decides to take a swing at me. What do you take me for? Just because I don't have my powers doesn't mean I can't put up a decent fight."
"That prisoner is in the medical unit because of this morning's incident." Kiyone said darkly. "And because of it, you've made my life a lot more complicated, Ryoko!"
"Gee. I'm so sorry. It's not like you've made mine a whole lot easier either, of late." Ryoko said sarcastically. "You imagine taking your baths in a poky little room surrounded by sweaty, dirty inmates and guards who just want to gawk at you. You see what kind of a mood it puts you in - if you want the truth, I've been needing to let off steam for a while."
She clenched her fists.
"I'm going a little bit stir crazy, clamped down like a caged animal in this dump."
"Ryoko, this morning I went to speak to the chief about your case." Kiyone said impatiently. "I asked them whether the current circumstances could see to giving you an early parole...that you've been a model prisoner since you were incarcerated and that you might just be able to help us solve another case. It might have worked, too. But the chief had had a report already about the bath-house and he said there was no way in hell he was authorising your release...not even into my protective custody."
Ryoko's brows drew together.
"Kiyone, you must be living in fairyland." She said bluntly. "There's no way your chief would let me out, period. I'm his big publicity catch, as you keep reminding me. Why do you think he'd ever even consider it?"
"Because we received a report from Jurai that the Princess Ayeka has been taken hostage by a rogue space criminal." Kiyone said darkly.
"Ayeka?" Ryoko raised her eyebrow. "Wow. She's real popular, isn't she? Are they going to kill her, or what?"
"They've issued a ransom demand." Kiyone shook her head. "Ryoko, the man who's taken her prisoner is called Haki...he's a space pirate, just like you. I called up his file on Yagami's computer. You knew him."
"Haki?" A chill touched Ryoko's heart as she echoed the man's name aloud, shaking her head. "No, that's not possible. It's not...Haki is dead. Long dead. It must be some other criminal."
"The ransom message has been verified as his voice print." Kiyone shook her head. "We thought him dead too, Ryoko. Shot down in Galaxy Police fire several years ago. But apparently that's not the case. Somehow he escaped, and fooled everyone in the process. We'd retired his file and stopped looking for him - but his ship, Karasu was spotted briefly by a patrol last night. They gave chase, but lost his trail. People...well, people were killed in the process. He's still out there and he has Ayeka prisoner."
"Well, it's a sob story, but I don't see what it has to do with me." Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really care what happens to the Princess, Kiyone. You should know that."
"But you did know him."
"Once. Pirates tend to know one another...call it a sort of unofficial guild." Ryoko smirked.
"Then you must have seen his face."
"Nobody sees Haki's face, unless he's going to kill them." Ryoko said quietly. Kiyone frowned.
"But you have, haven't you?" She asked softly. "You have seen his face."
Ryoko did not answer at first. She got to her feet, walking away from the partition, then pausing, turning her head.
"What do you want from me?"
"Your help in catching this criminal, of course."
"Why should I help you? For three years I've asked for your help and got nothing except the occasional bottle of alcohol."
"Because Ayeka's life might be at stake."
"I told you. I don't care about Ayeka or how much money it will take the Emperor to buy her back"
"Haki's ransom demand isn't money, Ryoko. It's gemstones." Kiyone spoke in tones barely above a whisper. "Three Juraian jewels that together contain elements of the Jurai Power. Two of them he claims were stolen from him by Galaxy Police when his ship was raided and - we thought - burnt out. Well, if the Galaxy Police did take them, it seems likely they were lost or scattered when Kain destroyed the old Headquarters. Certainly we've no record of any such gems being found."
She sighed.
"The third could be anywhere...it's almost legendary, and the most powerful of the three. If he had even one of those gems, he could wreak havoc on a lot of innocent lives. If he had possession of all three..."
"The Dark Heart." Ryoko murmured. Kiyone looked startled.
"Then you know what kind of destructive power these things could cause?" She asked. Ryoko nodded grimly.
"In the wrong hands, they could destroy the whole universe." She said flatly. "You, me and everything else. That was careless of the King of Jurai...losing his jewels like that."
"Now you know what's at stake, will you help us?"
"How can I?" Ryoko looked helpless. "I'm trapped in here. I have no powers. Do you think I would be still here if I had a choice? There's nothing I can do about Haki or any of this. Not while I'm in here. And sure as hell nothing I can tell you - I thought the man had died and good riddance to him, too. What else can I tell you? That's about it."
Kiyone was silent for a moment. Then she held up a flat metal key.
"And if I was to release you?" She asked, her voice rich with doubt. Ryoko's eyes widened.
"You?" She taunted. "Good girl Kiyone break out a prisoner? Say it isn't so!"
"Ryoko, dammit, we need your help!" Kiyone snapped. "Patrol officers have already died trying to track this man down and I don't want any more bloodshed if there's any way we can possibly prevent it. Ryoko, you gave yourself up to prevent bloodshed on one planet. Even if they were just police officials to you, they were people and colleagues to me. This can't go on, and if you can help...don't you realise that you could prevent more people from dying at this man's hands? Mihoshi has Yagami stationed around the back of the complex. I've told her to wait until I come aboard...but we don't have much time. As soon as patrols realise you're gone, I'm going to come under suspicion. Especially after my conversation with the chief earlier on. This is a big risk for both of us, but it can't work unless you cooperate with me as well."
Ryoko paused for a moment, then she held up her wrists, a mixture of hope and determination flickering in her eyes.
"Release me, then." She said quietly. "And I'll help you find Haki. If I can."
"Is that a promise?"
"You have my word."
"All right." Kiyone bit her lip, then pressed the small flat button on the key, watching as the silver cuffs clicked open and fell with a clatter to the cell floor. Ryoko rubbed her wrists, glancing down at the thin red lines the cuffs had left in her skin. She grimaced.
"I knew those things were too tight." She grumbled. "Now what? Can't you open the door?"
"I don't have clearance to." Kiyone shook her head. "Only my supervisor has the override code...security reasons. You'll have to get yourself out - you can teleport to Yagami, can't you? The field won't block your powers because the cuffs were designed to take care of that. Didn't you say once that you could teleport to a place you'd been before? You've been aboard Yagami enough in the past to teleport yourself there now...haven't you?"
"That's your brilliant plan?" Ryoko raised an eyebrow. She shook her hands, and a feeble flicker of gold light danced around her finger tips. "Some help you are!"
"Ryoko, we don't have time! I can hear people coming!" Panic laced Kiyone's tones and Ryoko frowned, closing her eyes. She shook her head.
"It's been three years. I'm rusty." She complained. "Give me a second to warm up first!"
"We don't have time for you to warm up! We're going to be caught any second!"
"Wait! I got it!" Ryoko's form flickered and blurred out of her cell, re-materialising on the other side, next to Kiyone. Before the officer could react, she had grabbed her companion firmly by the arms, flickering out of the cell complex and re-materialising them both aboard Yagami.
"What the hell did you do?" Kiyone put a hand to her head.
"Doesn't help me if you're caught...Yagami is your ship." Ryoko pointed out. "And we better get out of here...I can hear alarms sounding."
"Ryoko!" Mihoshi's excited squeal came from the control room and Kiyone sighed. "Oh, are you coming with us too? And Kiyone, you're back! Should we go now?"
"Yes, Mihoshi. Full speed away from Headquarters." Kiyone sank down into her chair. "Ryoko, you better keep your half of the bargain, I swear. If there wasn't so much at stake...but this is people's lives...one person in particular...and the fate of the universe we could be dealing with. We need your help."
"I keep my word. Mostly." Ryoko hovered down beside her, glancing out of the window at the speeding stars. Behind them, other Galaxy Police ships were massing, but Yagami was more than a match for them and kept a healthy distance. Kiyone looked relieved.
"Washu's upgrades helped in one sense at least, then." She murmured.
"So now what?" Ryoko looked enquiring.
"Now we need to try and find Haki."
"Impossible." Ryoko shook her head.
"But you said..."
"I can't track something that I can't see...just like you can't." Ryoko pointed out. "Ryo Ohki could scent out Karasu, if she was here...she'd pick up the vapour trail for sure. But I don't have her and I don't know where she's being held."
"But I do." Kiyone reached across to press a button on Yagami's panel. "So rescuing Ryo Ohki is our next stop."