Chapter Eleven
All was peaceful inside the big laboratory. In the midst of bright flashing lights and complicated wiring patterns, a single form sat huddled over a translucent black laptop, hitting keys at a tremendous rate as she struggled to work out the correct formula for the next stage of her project. Occasionally cries of "That's it!" or "Damn thing!" pierced the enforced silence of the room, but there was noone there to interrupt her thoughts, and this was how Washu liked it.
As she battled her way through a particularly tricky metaphysical problem, however, the peace and quiet of her world was shattered by the flare of her security sirens and she jolted out of her seat, gazing with annoyance up at the big screen that hung overhead.
"What is it now!" She exclaimed, reaching a long pale finger across her many control panels for a big red button marked 'fire'. "I've told people before...keep away from me when I'm working!"
Her finger overed above the button, ready to press it, when something about the approaching craft made her pause. She pulled a face, her heart sinking down into her boots as she recognised the bulky red hull of Yagami.
"Oh great." She muttered. "Visitors. Even in subspace, you're not safe from house calls!"
"Washu?"
A face, crackly and indistinct appeared on the screen, and Washu scowled up at the speaker, clenching her fists and waving them at the screen.
"Just when I'm in the middle of something important!" She exclaimed. "What is it now, Kiyone? Don't you know I left the Earth so I'd finally have some peace and quiet to work on my inventions? I've a lot of catching up to do, you know!"
"I know, Washu, and I'm sorry." Kiyone's features jumped again, and a blip ran across the screen, pausing just beneath her nose, then flickering out. "I realise we're imposing on you, but we need your help. There's noone else we know who has the skills to do it, and well, we're in something of a bind."
"You're chasing an evil space pirate who's kidnapped Ayeka, and you've annoyed the Galaxy Police by breaking Ryoko out of prison." Washu said matter of factly. "Right?"
"You know about that?"
"Well, hacking police scanners isn't exactly hard, and I have to listen to something while I eat my lunch!"
"I see." Kiyone paused for a moment, then, "I know it's a lot to ask of you, Washu, but we really need some kind of cloaking device for Yagami. It's far too obvious a ship to be trying to do covert tracking and well, it's well known to the Galaxy Police. We've not really got much of a chance of succeeding as things stand."
"I see." Washu sighed, leaning back in her chair as her laptop flickered and disappeared. "And if I say no?"
"Well, we're really hoping it won't come to that." Kiyone admitted. "We don't have a plan B."
Washu eyed the police officer long and hard for a moment.
"Well, I could knock up something for Yagami. It's not like it would be hard for someone like me to do." She said slowly. "In fact, I might already have something lying about that you could use. But that's not going to help you much if you're trying to track down Haki."
"You know about this guy?" Kiyone was taken aback. Washu nodded her head.
"Something about him." She agreed. "Or rather, about the ship he rides on. Karasu, isn't it?"
"I think so. Is there anything you can tell us?"
"Maybe." Washu sighed. "I'm not going to get rid of you easily, am I?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Not even if I blew you up?"
"We took the chance you wouldn't be feeling in an explosive mood." Kiyone's features wobbled again and her voice rattled out across the laboratory. Washu frowned, then leaned over a toe to kick the receiver.
"Damn interspace communications." She muttered, then, "All right. I suppose you'll have to come down here then, and I'll show you what I can. And see what I've got for Yagami while I'm at it. But really, you need better timing, Kiyone. You owe me one for this."
"Thank you, Washu." Relief tinged Kiyone's features. "If I release Yagami's walkway, can you connect it through subspace to your lab?"
"Can a bird fly? Just do it already." Washu was impatient. "I do have other things to worry about today, you know!"
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"I've been looking for you."
Ryoko glanced up from the food crate she was perched upon, her brows furrowing uncharacteristically as she took in Tenchi's anxious features. She sighed, shaking her head.
"I could teleport out into Deep Space. Would you chase me there as well?" She demanded, an edge to her tone.
"Maybe." Tenchi settled himself opposite her, glancing at his hands. "If I thought I could find a way out there. Why are you hiding from me, Ryoko? Why are you hiding from everybody? Kiyone's gone out across Yagami's walkway to talk to Washu - if you hadnt been so determined to shut yourself away somewhere, you could have teleported the jump in half the time, you know."
"I'm not hiding." Ryoko sighed. "I'm just..."
She paused, then shook her head.
"I do best when I'm on my own." She said at length. "Being around people...I'm not good at it. I never have been and you know what? I get a little sick of it. It's perfectly clear why you'll travel thousand of miles into space to rescue her at a moment's notice. So she's got proper etiquette and simpers like a sissy...but if you want to know the truth, I'm getting fed up with being along on an Ayeka worshipping mission."
"Oh, Ryoko." Tenchi sighed, rolling his eyes heavenwards. "But isn't that why you're here too? To help Ayeka?"
"No, Tenchi. I'm here because I cut a deal with Kiyone." Ryoko said flatly. "She'd let me out if I helped her find Haki. Ryo Ohki knows his scent, and I'd know him anywhere. Plus, I've a few scores of my own to settle with that man. Believe me, I'm not here out of love for Ayeka."
She paused, then shot him a glance from beneath dropped lashes.
"It wasn't like you were coming to bust me out any time soon." She added quietly.
Tenchi was silent for a moment, digesting this. Ryoko ran her gaze over him, biting her lip as she did so. She stood.
"Maybe I should teleport into Deep Space." She said quietly.
Tenchi shook his head.
"No." He said firmly. "This is crazy. You're being crazy. For a start, you know that I'm going to rescue Ayeka if I can. She's my friend, she's my family, she's important to me. I wouldn't let anything happen to her if I could prevent it. I've told you that before. You've helped me before. I thought you understood that. Sasami asked me for my help and I came. What else was I going to do?"
"And me?" There was a note of bitterness in Ryoko's voice. "Three Earth Years later and I've been forgotten? Do you think I'm such a fool as to be captured by the joke calling itself the Galaxy Police? When you consider that the original Galaxy Police never nailed me and that was with trained operatives and smart chiefs and all the top equipment! Not a chance. But Earth wasn't safe so long as I was on it."
"And exactly how was I supposed to follow you anyway?" Tenchi demanded. "I don't exactly have a spaceship hiding out in Grandfather's shrine, you know! Ryu-Oh's tree is rooted and...well, I don't know what planet you came from, but I would have thought that you'd know by now that Earthlings don't have access to space travel quite as easily as everyone else in the Galaxy seem to!"
"You're not an Earthling." Ryoko said flatly. "You're the Prince of Jurai. You could have found a way."
"I don't see how."
"You have to be so technical, don't you!"
"Ryoko, you surrendered to the Galaxy Police to protect Earth and to protect my home, my family and my friends. If I'd come after you to free you, even if I had known how, would you have been able to return to Earth? You know it's the first place they'd start looking for you." Tenchi pointed out reasonably. "You'd run straight back into a trap - and next time, someone might have been killed."
"That's my problem. I'm too soft sometimes." Ryoko's form flickered and disappeared from the top of the food crate, re-materialising beside him and making him jump. "You've done that to me, Tenchi Masaki. Before I came to your stupid planet I didn't bother about anyone. It was just me. Me and Ryo Ohki and lots and lots of stars. Nobody to bother me, nobody to give me hang ups and make me decide things I didn't want to do."
"This isn't like you, Ryoko." Tenchi looked confused. Ryoko groaned.
"How would you know what like me is?" She shot back, frustrated. "You haven't spoken to me in three years and when you do, it's always about Ayeka."
"But I'm not here now to talk about Ayeka. You brought her up." Tenchi said matter-of-factly.
Ryoko opened her mouth to protest, then shut it again. She sighed.
"Maybe I did." She admitted. "But I'm fed up with it, Tenchi."
"Well, I'm sorry if you think I've been ignoring you." Tenchi offered. "You know you're important to me too, Ryoko. And if Sasami had turned up with a spaceship asking me to come help you, I would have done. Right away."
Ryoko turned her gaze away.
"Ayeka has people who'll do that for her." She said quietly. "Not me. And I'm not that important to you, Tenchi. Not in the way that matters."
There was a moment of silence between them, then Tenchi sighed.
"Will you tell me about Haki?" He asked at length. Ryoko started, then looked pensive.
"Not much to say." She said briskly. "He's a space pirate. He gets kicks out of raiding, looting and slitting throats on occasion. He'll probably kill that pretty little doll princess whether they find his stupid ransom or they don't...he's that way. He doesn't take prisoners. He makes victims. People don't see his face unless it's the last thing they're about to see. He keeps it covered and it's part of his skill at evading the Galaxy Police."
"Kamadake said that the Police thought him dead."
"So did I." Ryoko sounded bitter. "Guess that would be too much to ask for, huh?"
"So how do you know him? How is it you've seen his face and yet didn't get killed?"
"That's a lot of questions, Tenchi." Ryoko said speculatively. "You've gotten inquisitive...or maybe your mind is on your princess again."
"Your mind is more on Ayeka than mine is right now!" Tenchi shot back, and Ryoko glared at him.
"You wanted to talk about Haki. Haki, Ayeka. The whole subject is the same thing as far as I'm concerned." She snapped. "It's still to do with him and his godforsaken obsession with the Dark Heart of Jurai."
Her hand flew to her mouth, as Tenchi stared at her, confused.
"The what?" He demanded. "What do you mean, the Dark Heart of Jurai? What's that? What has it to do with...with anything?"
Ryoko sighed.
"Ayeka's ransom." she said tiredly. "Three gemstones from Jurai, said to hold great power. They were all together once...but something happened. I don't know the details, I just know that they became lost. Maybe stolen. I don't know. They used to belong to Jurai's royal family. It was always said that only one with the Jurai Power could ever control and harness their magic...but I don't know if it's true. Either way they're powerful. Very powerful. Powerful and addictive once you begin to use them. A pirate like Haki might be able to control it...use that power to all kinds of destructive ends. He's strong too, you know, Tenchi. Stronger than me. Stronger than Ayeka. Perhaps stronger than you or your grandfather. I don't know."
"And the Dark Heart?"
"The most powerful of the three gemstones." Ryoko glanced at her fingernails. "The last person to possess it was Kagato...then it disappeared, when he did. It's strong, Tenchi. But dangerous. It's meant to drive anyone who uses it out of their wits if they aren't strong enough to handle it. And Haki wants it. He's always wanted it. He believes he's a match for the Dark Heart...and if he ever laid fingers to it, that'd probably be it for the universe as we know it. You know all about Jurai magic and what it can do. There isn't much that can stand up to it and the Juraians know it. Hell, the fact they're arrogant enough to store elements of it in random objects just proves that fact. If you ask me, it's a catastrophe waiting to happen."
"How do you know so much about a Jurai legend?" Tenchi stared at her. Ryoko curled her lip derisively.
"Haki liked to talk, and didn't require much of an audience." She said with a shrug. "Let's just say it was a legend I heard more than once."
"So you stayed with him."
"Dammit, Tenchi, are you going to insinuate that I was his lover too?" Ryoko reacted angrily to this. "You saw what I did to Mihoshi for that...do you want some too?"
"I wasn't asking that." Tenchi shook his head. "I'm just trying to work out how you knew him."
Ryoko flexed her fingers, and random jolts of electricity flickered from their tips. She pulled a face.
"My memories are fuzzy as to how it began." She said softly. "All I do know was that when I left...home, I left with him. He promised me open space and new worlds...an outlaw's life that I grew to love. But I could never really love it while he controlled me, Tenchi. He was my master, he shouted and I obeyed, else the punishment was harsh. I was too young and naive to begin with to realise that I could fight back - just a child really, when it began. Then there was the standoff with the Galaxy Police and his ship...I thought it was destroyed. That he was dead. Ryo Ohki and I escaped. We were free to go anywhere and see anything."
"So why continue being a pirate, if he forced you into it?"
"What else do I know how to be?" Ryoko demanded. "I told you, I grew to love that life. I still do. I still hate being at someone else's beck and call."
She glanced at him.
"Even yours." She added with a sigh. "Which is why I know you're going to choose Ayeka. I've always known that much, you know."
"Choose Ayeka?" Tenchi blinked. Then he groaned. "Ryoko, why is it always about choosing with you two? I care about both of you, all right? Both of you are important to me! How many times must I say that?"
Ryoko did not reply, and Tenchi sighed.
"Obviously that's not something we're going to be able to discuss sensibly tonight, is it?" He asked, resigned. Ryoko shook her head.
"No." Her voice was barely audible above the sound of the spaceship engine. "Not tonight."
Tenchi got to his feet. He moved to leave, then paused, reaching over to touch Ryoko's fingers.
"If it means anything, Ryoko, I hated you being locked up as much as you did." he said gently. "Life on Earth is pretty dull without you blowing things up."
Then he was gone, and Ryoko bit her lip, fighting to control her emotions.
Slowly she lifted her wrist, rolling back the sleeve of her suit and running a finger over the smooth, shiny surface that had embedded itself deep into her skin. As she touched it, it shimmered and glowed a faint red, then faded back to darkness and she sighed, gazing at it for a moment.
"And if you knew I had two of the gems Haki wants, and that it was me who took them from his ship, not the Galaxy Police, you'd think differently." She murmured. "I don't even know why I took them...or why I've been hiding them all this time. It just seems right to have them now...to use them, if need be, against Haki. And if they drive me nuts, well, it can't be any worse than this delusion I already live in. I'm ready for whatever it takes. Haki and I have old scores to settle and we will settle them - whatever happens to Ayeka!"
She slid a slender finger alongside the gem, absently trying to pry it from it's resting place, but it clung firmly to her skin and eventually she stopped, pulling the sleeve up to cover the stone once more. Though she knew she had chosen to take them from their hiding place, she felt a slight chill whip through her at the thought of using them. They had bonded with her now, but could she use them in battle? And if she could...
"If I can, what will happen to me?" She whispered. "To me, to Tenchi...to everyone?"
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"So this is your secret lab."
Kiyone followed Washu along a narrow virtual walkway, pausing to gaze up at the multitude of screens that flickered up and down the walls. "It's impressive, Washu. How long did it take you to put together? It looks like you've done nothing but build since you left the Earth."
"Trivial work, really." Washu shrugged. "Not long. Now, what I've been working on..." She trailed off, putting a finger to her lips. "But that's a top secret at the moment, Kiyone-san! So you'll just have to wait and find out like the rest of the known universe, won't you?"
"I think that I'd probably rather not know much about it." Kiyone admitted. "You were going to tell me something about Haki's ship, I think?"
"Oh, yes." Washu nodded, sitting down at her main computer and indicating for Kiyone to follow suit. "Don't touch anything...this unit is a touch temperamental and it doesn't like strangers."
"A bit like it's creator." Kiyone thought, as Washu keyed in a long password, sitting back and waiting for the monitor to flare into life. As it did so, the image of a ship became visible, turning slowly so that Kiyone could see it from all angles. She pursed her lips.
"Is that it? Karasu?"
"Or a reasonable facsimile." Washu stretched out her hands, placing them behind her head as she shot the officer a sidelong look. "It's a Phoenix ship, Kiyone. Know what that is?"
"No, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I have no idea."
"Well, you know what a phoenix is, right?" Washu raised an eyebrow. "Bird that dies, rises from the ashes, etcetera?"
"Yes." Kiyone nodded, "But...oh! Are you telling me that...?"
"That's what this ship is designed to do, yes." Washu nodded grimly. "I knew the man who designed it, once. It was hailed as a brilliant invention, but only six were ever put into production. The line was cancelled before they ever saw commercial release, and all of them were destroyed before they could be properly powered up and activated in their full form. All of them except one ship."
"Karasu."
"Yes." Washu agreed. "That ship was stolen from Science Academy labs long before they thought about sticking me in a capsule and firing me across the galaxy, I'll tell you."
"So it was Haki who took it?"
"Noone else could have." Washu shrugged her shoulders. "See, the trouble with the ship was that there was a flaw in the resurrect system. It rebuilt itself, yes, but it also bonded too closely with the person who owned and guided it. If that bond was pushed to it's limits, the two would become inseperable as beings. Basically joined at the mind."
"I don't understand." Kiyone frowned. "Ryoko and Ryo Ohki have that kind of a bond, don't they?"
"Yes, and no." Washu shook her head. "Ryo Ohki's technology is far superior in many ways...she and Ryoko are telepathically connected, but they have individual life forces and their own free will. The same can't be true of the Phoenix ships. Furthermore, these crafts not only resurrect themselves when they die, but their master as well. And with each resurrection, the bond between the two becomes more and more unstable...as does their combined sanity. The lab tests indicated that there would be an increase in power when the two became one...but at the cost of mental well being. To put it bluntly, Haki was already a pretty shady character when he stole Karasu. Now he's had the ship as long as he has, well, chances are he's a full blown nutjob. Power is addictive, you see, and Haki is probably a good case of it. That's how he survived your Galaxy Police blast, though. Karasu's life force brought him back as well."
"Then why has it taken so long for him to start to prowl the universe again?"
"Resurrection takes time, Kiyone. Especially considering Karasu was a prototype for a style of ship that lost favour very quickly." Washu shrugged her shoulders. "Like I said, the design was flawed."
"I see." Kiyone pursed her lips. "So is there any way to beat Haki? Any way to subdue or destroy him?"
"Well, so long as he is bonded to Karasu, killing him would only bring him back in greater strength." Washu said thoughtfully. "So I'd be saving Yagami's cannons if you do meet him. You'll need to find some other way of bringing him down, Kiyone. That's all I can tell you."
She reached into the pocket of her gown, pulling out a small black object and holding it out.
"Oh, and this will do for Yagami." She added. "Attach it to the main thruster and it will draw it's power from that. It'll project a holographic cloak over the ship and scramble it's ident, so other ships can't track it quite so easily. I knew I had something round here that would do for that."
"Thank you." Kiyone took the device, carefully sliding it into her pocket. "I appreciate this a whole lot, Washu...I really do."
"Did Haki tell you what he wanted for Ayeka, by the way?"
"You didn't hear that bit?" Kiyone asked. Washu shook her head.
"Exploded the radio by trying to mesh interdimensional communications again." She said with a grimace. "I only got the first half of the report."
"Three Juraian gemstones...though whether they even exist is beyond me." Kiyone sighed. "Haki believes they do, though. He's demanding that Jurai hand them over if they want to see Ayeka alive again."
Washu's features underwent a transformation, and a strange look entered her green eyes.
"They exist." She said quietly. "I presume you are talking about the jewels from the Tsunami-sama legend?"
"Since I have no idea what you're talking about, I'm going to take a wild guess and say yes?" Kiyone looked blank. "What legend?"
Washu sighed.
"Noone educates you people these days." She said in resignation, shaking her head slowly. "Three crystals spat up in a volcanic eruption, in the Old Era of Planet Jurai. Some say they were put there by demons, others that they were from the Tree of Life Tsunami. In those days she was thought to be an actual human spirit living in the roots of the tree, connected directly to the heart of the planet. It's all based in science really, you see...the core of Jurai is a solid crystalline ore and it's that which enables the trees that grow there to live so long as they do. Ancient peoples derived mystical values from it, and so these gemstones became pretty significant pieces. Of course, noone ever proved they had any magical powers. They were supposed to be damn pretty though."
She shrugged her shoulders.
"So I'm a sucker for pretty gems. Sue me."
"I should ask Sasami about that legend. Maybe she's heard more about it." Kiyone decided. "So did they come from the core of the planet, or...?"
"Seems the only explanation to me, although I admit a lot of Jurai's elemental happenings seem beyond scientific explanation at times." Washu replied simply. She paused, narrowing her gaze.
"You have no lead on those crystals?"
"Even if we had, giving them over to a mad space pirate is not an option."
"Depends on the space pirate." Washu muttered, and Kiyone shot her an odd look.
"Pardon me?"
"I think that I'm going to come aboard Yagami with you." Washu stood, stretching and offering Kiyone a disarming smile. "Even a genius can do with a holiday now and again, isn't that right?"
"Well, of course, but...there's not much lab space on the ship." Kiyone looked taken aback. "Not that you're not welcome - you should know by now you more than are and any help you can give us is help worth having. I just don't want to interrupt your work with our crisis."
"You seem to have already done that." Washu arched an eyebrow, then shrugged. "And I've decided now, so we'd better go before there's another space tear and I have to peel you off the walls of this place before I can send you back to your ship."
Kiyone glanced around her fearfully.
"All right. Let's go then." She agreed hastily. "Whatever a space tear is, I think I can live without experiencing one."
"Good choice." Washu's eyes twinkled with amusement, then, "Hey, is Tenchi aboard this little rescue mission?"
"Yes, he is." Kiyone was surprised. "How did you know that?"
"I had a hunch he would be." Washu grinned. "Acts before he thinks sometimes, that one."
"You could be describing a lot of people I know these days." Kiyone sighed. "Though I was the one who broke Ryoko out, so I guess I'm just as bad."
"No, it was the only thing you could do, if you ask me." Washu led the way towards Yagami's walkway, a slight shadow touching her eyes for the briefest of instants. Then it was gone, leaving Kiyone wondering if it had been entirely imagined. The scientist flashed her companion another wide smile, then stepped onto the walkway.
"It'll be good to see everyone again." She mused. "Even if it is a lot of bother and all."
Kiyone chose not to respond, merely following the diminuitive figure along the length of the walkway and back into the cargo bay of Yagami. Mihoshi was waiting there, she soon discovered, and as she saw to the reeling in of the long tubeway, her partner jumped up and down, clasping her hands together in excitement.
"Kiyone! And Washu, it's so good to see you!"
"Hi, Mihoshi. Still absent in the brain department, I see." Washu's tone knocked all of the criticism out of her words, and Mihoshi beamed.
"I didn't know you were coming aboard too. It's just like old times now, except for Ayeka not being here." She remarked.
"Are you down here for a reason, Mihoshi, or are you just following me around?" Kiyone asked wearily. Mihoshi's mouth became an 'o' and she clapped her hand to her head.
"Sorry Kiyone! I came to tell you as soon as you came back up." She said contritely. "Ryo Ohki has picked up Karasu's vapour trail and Ryoko thinks that she knows where he's gone. She seems to be familiar with this space quadrant...I said I'd tell you and we'd plot a course there as soon as you came back."
"Finally! Good news at last!" Kiyone's heart lifted. "Maybe now we can find out if the Princess Ayeka is all right!"