Chapter Eight

The landscape was darkening by the second, as huge, engulfing clouds of smoke and ash rained down on the planet. Amid the screams of the fleeing people, fire and brimstone poured from the mountain's peak, like nothing they had ever seen before.

In three hundred thousand years, the volcano had always slept. Noone had ever seen it so angry, nor so vengeful. As it stole life after life, searing through crops and plantations and scalding the branches of the many Jurai trees, people clustered beneath Tsunami's soaring branches, praying and begging for the goddess to preserve them.

From the darkness came a clap of thunder, and then a shard of lightning stabbed down through the ash, splitting the sky in two. As the sun began to push it's rays through to the ground below, the volcano seemed to calm it's temper, rumbling and shaking no more as it settled back down to it's years of slumber. Soft drops of rain began to fall from a cloudless sky, and the branches of the big tree glittered and swayed in the gentle breeze, blowing the ash far from the houses of the faithful.

Tsunami-sama had preserved them.

In the midst of the destruction, one man stood forward, bearing in his hand a broken branch of the Lady's tree. In a voice full of passion and relief, he cried blessings for the goddess and begged her to preserve their world for always, just as she had done that day. As he did so, light danced from the tree's branches, as if answering his cry and the people wept, dropping to their knees as they gave thanks to the goddess's mercy.

The volcano was silent. The demon slept once more. Amid the ash and the wasted land, the people gathered together, united in one instant by the threat of tragedy. Old fights were cast off, old feuds made up as enemies became brothers in the aftermath of disaster.

As the first man paused at the base of the tree, he saw a lump of pumice resting gently against Tsunami's trunk and in anger at the demon's temerity he took it up, tossing it hard against a nearby rock. It shattered, revealing three shards of crystal that clattered to the ground. The people whispered and stared. Was this a further curse from the demon? A trick, caught up in the beauty of a gem?

The light glinted once more from Tsunami's branches, reflecting in the three stones which began to glow with a soft red light of their own. The man grasped them up, holding them high above his head as he proclaimed them a miracle from the goddess, sent to protect all of Jurai from the demon's rages.

The people gave thanks that their world would be saved, and Tsunami-sama returned to her sleep once more.

Sasami opened her eyes, taking a deep breath of air into her lungs as she tried to work out where she was. The soft whirr of a ship's engine told her that she was somewhere in space, and the hard wood behind her made her remember her flight to save Ayeka and their visit to the Earth. She was alone in the drive room, she realised, and the soft rocking of the ship's hull must have made her fall asleep. She scrambled to her feet, using the tree for support as she did so.

"Azaka?" She called. "Kamadake? Tenchi, are you there?"

"Yes, my lady?" Azaka emerged at that moment. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing. I just wondered where everyone had gone to." Sasami rubbed her stiff neck. "I think I fell asleep. I guess I didn't have much rest last night, huh?"

"Kamadake has managed to make contact with your father." Azaka said with a smile. "He knows you are safe and in our care, which brings him great comfort."

"And Ayeka?" Sasami asked. "Azaka, what about Ayeka?"

Azaka's smile faded.

"It seems you were right. The dark ship did take her." He replied. "The emperor received a ransom message from a dangerous and wanted Space Pirate that they thought was dead. He has her captive and is demanding three jewels as her ransom."

"The jewels from the volcano?" Sasami whispered. Azaka sent her a funny look, and Sasami realised she'd spoken out loud. She shook her head, forcing a laugh.

"Nothing. Just a silly dream I had." She said with a shrug. "I guess I must have heard some of your conversation in my sleep or something. Does Tenchi know all of this?"

"Yes, Sasami-dono. And there is more." Kamadake joined them at that moment, bowing his head slightly as he greeted the princess, Tenchi in tow. "One of the Galaxy Police vessels is also being sought in connection with this business. A ship named Yagami, my princess. Does that name ring a bell to you?"

"That's Kiyone's ship!" Sasami stared. "Kiyone wouldn't be mixed up in all of this!"

"Well, it seems she's taken it upon herself to become mixed up in it." Tenchi said grimly. "According to the report Jurai received, she and Mihoshi left Headquarters not long ago...after breaking out a securely confined convict from the highest security level of the prison."

Sasami's eyes became big.

"Breaking out a...?"

"The prisoner was Ryoko, Sasami-dono." Azaka said quietly. "It doesn't seem much of a leap of faith to assume Kiyone-san has more on her mind than just breaking the bounds of her contract."

"Ryoko...?" Sasami faltered. "In prison? Since when?"

"Since they came to the Earth and forced her to surrender herself to them three years ago." Tenchi sighed. "They would have destroyed the Earth hunting her down, Sasami. She had no choice. And now she and Kiyone and Mihoshi might all be in a lot of trouble...not to mention the fact Ayeka is still missing and this black ship you saw apparently took out an entire division of Galaxy Police ships, so he's nothing to be messed with."

Sasami was silent for a moment. Then she glanced up.

"I vote we find Yagami." She said at length. "Rendezvous with them and see what they know about Ayeka. Kiyone is smart, like Azaka said. She won't have done this unless she thinks that somehow it will help Ayeka. Which means Ryoko must know something about the man who's got my sister. Right?"

"It's a possibility." Tenchi nodded. "And I'm inclined to agree with you. But won't two spaceships chasing him through space be kind of obvious? If he's already destroyed a whole bunch of space patrol vessels, he's not going to mind taking a pot shot at anyone else who tracks him down, right? We don't want to be sitting ducks."

"Tsunami has already had one encounter with the ship and survived." Sasami said softly. "I think she could take another one."

"Tsunami is still not running on full power or strength, Sasami-dono." Kamadake shook his head. "Another battle with this ship may prove disasterous for all of us. Plus, the black ship has already picked her up on his radar. If he saw her again, he'd know that this was your ship and he might attack you specifically. It's a risk we cannot allow you to take, my lady. Your father would not sanction it."

"Well, I'm not going home like some naughty schoolgirl." Sasami put her hands on her hips. "So there, Kamadake! I said I'd help Ayeka and I'm going to do it!"

"Maybe if we find Yagami, Sasami and I could find out what Kiyone is up to." Tenchi said hurriedly, seeing a disagreement brewing. "If we can help, well, we can travel with them aboard that ship. Azaka and Kamadake could take this ship back to Jurai and tell the Emperor and your father what they know so far. Maybe help Jurai mass it's own search party. After all, you've seen this ship and survived. I got the feeling noone else who'd seen it had."

Sasami bit her lip. Then she frowned.

"All right." She said at length. "If we find Yagami, that's what we'll do. Because I want to help too, Tenchi. This is my fight too!"

"What is this place?"

As Yagami descended between the clutter of old spaceship parts and meteor shards, Ryoko peered out of the window, a frown on her face. Where are we, Kiyone? Why did you bring us to this place?"

"This is where they keep Ryo Ohki prisoner." Kiyone said with a sigh, setting the ship's engine to auto and getting to her feet. "It's a ship's graveyard really, Ryoko. A perfect hiding place for the Galaxy Police to imprison the ships of infamous space criminals. Ryo Ohki has been in deep sleep for the past three Earth years, to prevent her from transforming or from making any kind of contact with you or anyone else. Her kind are some of the hardest to hold captive - so they bring them here. They think noone will look for them in among a bunch of spaceship corpses."

"Inhuman jerks." Ryoko's eyes glinted angrily and she clenched her fists. "How dare they do that to my Ryo Ohki! Where is she, Kiyone! We need to get her out!"

"Over there." Kiyone pointed to the shining hull of what, at first glance appeared to be the remains of a space-going vessel. But, as they drew closer, Ryoko realised that it was too shiny and too well looked after to really be another piece of wreckage. She muttered a few more unpleasant epithets under her breath, smacking her fist into the palm of her other hand as Yagami pulled alongside.

"I can't get in there." Kiyone added. "Not many people have clearance...only the special unit. But you might be able to, Ryoko. It's airtight - without the right equipment, Mihoshi and I would suffocate in a second. But you don't need oxygen in the same way we do, do you? I've seen you teleport into space before now...right?"

"Right." Ryoko nodded her head. She put a hand against the glass. "But I can't teleport into a place I have no knowledge of. I can get out there, sure. No problem. But beyond that..."

"Maybe you could phase through it, huh?" Mihoshi put in at that moment, making them both jump.

"I thought you were asleep." Kiyone put her hands on her hips. Mihoshi shrugged.

"Well, you were making such a noise, talking so loudly and all." She said simply. "And besides, I thought I might be able to help. We're going to rescue Ryo Ohki, aren't we?"

"That's the plan." Ryoko nodded. "Kiyone, is Mihoshi right? Could I phase through it? Or is there some kind of a forcefield protecting it? I really don't want to get fried."

"It's protected." Kiyone nodded. "But Mihoshi might be onto something, Ryoko. There is one point on the containment vessel where the forcefield doesn't reach."

"And that is?"

"In order to keep the vessel at a low temperature and maintain the state of suspended animation, large amounts of cold space gas are pumped into the vessel through a major pipe network at the base." Kiyone pointed, and Ryoko poked her head through the window, trying to see where her companion pointed. "If you can get into that pipe, well, then you might be able to phase through and into the main vessel. But it will be cold, Ryoko. I don't know if it would knock you out or whether you'd be able to take it."

"Since it's the only plan we've got, I guess we're going to find out." Ryoko said grimly, bringing herself back into the body of the ship. "Where is Ryo Ohki?"

"Her cell number is 5803, on the third level up." Kiyone responded. "I checked on Yagami's computer before we arrived."

"Right." Ryoko nodded. "Then wish me luck, girls. Here I go."

"Good luck!" Mihoshi waved her hands enthusiastically. "Say hi to Ryo Ohki for me! I can't wait to see her again!"

Ryoko cast Kiyone a grimace, then with a deep breath, she teleported herself out into the midst of the space rubble, taking a moment to acclimatise to the chill temperature before drifting towards the Galaxy Police vessel. She paused not far from it, dropping as low as she could beneath the containment unit until she saw clearly the piping system Kiyone had mentioned. Cautiously she put out a hand, phasing the tips of her fingers through the pipe. A bitter cold burned through them and she withdrew them quickly, an involuntary shiver coursing through her body.

"That's cold." She muttered. "Oh well, Ryoko girl. This is for Ryo Ohki. No time to chicken out now."

She gritted her teeth, plunging headfirst into the thick gas pipe. A barrage of frozen air immediately hit her from behind and she fought to keep her balance and her composure, forging forward as strongly as she could. Shivers wracked through her body but she kept on, struggling against the cold unconsciousness that threatened to invade her vision. If she passed out now, she would soon be recaptured by the Galaxy Police and that would be it for her freedom, she told herself. This was too important...she had to keep going.

At length she reached the end of the long pipeway, putting her hands up to the grille as she debated whether or not she had the strength to phase through it. It was firmly attached, however, and her frozen limbs refused to muster any strength, so she focused all her energy on seperating her atoms, pushing through the grille with more difficulty than she had ever had before.

Once inside the vessel, the fierce coldness seemed to dissipate slightly and, still shivering and rubbing fiercely on her arms, she made her way slowly through the belly of the unit, glancing around her all the time for some kind of clue as to where she was going. A faded sign pointed her up towards the containment units, and she hovered upwards, pushing through the thick steel floors until she found the third one. Then, gently setting down on the iron girders that held the floor panels in place, she began to scan the identical silver blocks for the right one.

A feeble pulse of psychic energy burrowed into her thoughts as she reached the end of the first bay and she paused, turning to re-examine the pens she had just walked past. Frowning, she tried to remember the number Kiyone had given her.

"If only my brain wasn't so cold." She muttered. "Where are you, Ryo Ohki? What did Kiyone say? 58..03? Was that it?"

A second feeble wave of energy assailed her at this point, and she put her hand on the door lock of the pen marked with this number, holding it tightly. Determination crossed her face as she pulled at it with all her strength, wrenching the door almost half off it's hinges as she did so. As a wild alarm began to sound from all around her, Ryoko muttered a curse, loosing her grip on the door and glancing into the cell. Ryo Ohki was tethered there, her golden eyes closed as if asleep, but at Ryoko's touch they flickered open, and she uttered a feeble mew. Despite herself, Ryoko smiled.

"Think I'd leave you behind, kiddo?" She asked softly. "Come on. Let's get us out of here before they send an army of patrol ships after us!"

Ryo Ohki let out another feeble mew, shivering violently, and Ryoko wrapped her companion tightly in her arms.

"I know. It's cold and it will get colder before we get out." She warned. "But it's all right, Ryo Ohki. I don't expect you to be in any state to fly just yet. I'm not alone. Yagami is waiting for us. It will be warm there, and you know what? They might even have some carrots."

Ryo Ohki's ears pricked slightly at this, a faint look of interest entering her eyes, and Ryoko nodded encouragingly, clutching the creature ever tighter as she sank down through the floors to the entrance of the cold air pipe. Getting out against the flow of the gas would be doubly difficult, she knew that, but the thought of the warm Yagami bay was enough to drive her through it and in a moment she was teleporting back through space, dropping down onto Yagami's floor with a shudder.

"That was cold!" She exclaimed, gently placing Ryo Ohki down on the blue tiles. "Kiyone, you weren't kidding!"

"And the alarms are going mad." Kiyone looked anxious. "Full speed away from here, Mihoshi. They won't take long to get here - they'll probably realise this is where Ryoko will come first."

"Damn right." Ryoko reached out a cold hand to stroke Ryo Ohki's frozen fur and the cabbit rubbed up against her with a faint mew. "Poor girl...and they think I'm the monster!"

"Well, she'll soon warm up now you've got her away from there." Kiyone observed. "How long do you think it will be before she can track Haki's scent?"

At the sound of Haki's name, Ryo Ohki's ears flattened and she let out a hiss. Kiyone looked startled, and Ryoko's lip curled in distaste.

"Yes. She remembers Haki." She said quietly. "I know, Ryo Ohki. We thought he was dead, but he isn't and we've got to help Kiyone and Mihoshi track him down. I made them a promise...he has Ayeka prisoner and it's our get out clause. Will you help?"

Ryo Ohki cocked her head on one side for a moment, then she let out a yowl, leaping up onto Ryoko's shoulder and then across to Yagami's dashboard. She shivered, uttering another yowl as she pawed at the glass.

"Ryo Ohki, be careful!" Mihoshi scolded. "What are you doing? You're freezing! You need to rest!"

"She's looking for Karasu's smoke trail. Pirates don't usually have the luxury of taking a rest." Ryoko folded her arms across her chest. "Do you have any carrots aboard, Mihoshi? I think she's going to need sustenance if we're to rely on her nose."

"Do you think she can really detect this ship from inside Yagami?" Kiyone looked doubtful, as Mihoshi dug around in her bottomless bag of snacks, eventually producing a carrot for the tired, cold little cabbit. "I thought she'd need to be out there herself."

"Right now she's in no state to be out anywhere." Ryoko shook her head. "And besides, why should she need to be? Her nose works just as well in here. Don't doubt her, Kiyone. She has a very good memory."

"Then we plot a course for whatever direction Ryo Ohki tells you to go?" Mihoshi asked. Ryoko shrugged.

"Got a better idea?" She demanded. Mihoshi shrugged.

"Only that we should probably get out of here, because those ships over there don't look pleased to see us." She replied, pointing over Ryoko's shoulder. The pirate turned, letting out a curse.

"Galaxy Police! Kiyone, do something!"

"I'm trying." Kiyone ran her fingers over the dashboard, keying in a rapid sequence of buttons. "Keep vigilant, Ryo Ohki. We'll need you all the more once we've ducked through space and lost them, okay?"

Ryo Ohki mewed in response, settling herself down more comfortably on the dashboard and beginning to preen her fur. As Yagami began to speed off in an arc, encircling the unit and wheeling off at a sharp angle, Ryoko sank down to the floor, letting out a sigh.

Tell me something?" She asked plaintively. "Why is it always chaos whenever one of you two drives?"