Eternal City Crystal Tokyo

Free Amazons of Mars!

The inter-planetary shuttle wasn't a royal ship or a military craft, instead the group had decided to travel by commercial means. They left Earth's nearest space station a day ago and were only hours away from Mars, riding in the same, undefended shuttle any visitor would. Something, it should be said, the security team objected to most strenuously.

"Princess Mars, this is a VERY bad idea," Nathan Tyler said, the brown haired young man frowning furiously as he, his security people and two princesses and their daughter sat in the otherwise deserted first class section.

"How so?" Rei Hino asked, the black haired woman sitting casually in her seat. She grinned as her red earrings glinted, "I haven't pissed off someone enough to want to kill me in years."

"Rei," Ami Mizuno, Princess Mercury, said as the blue haired woman gave her lover a gently scolding look.

"Ma'am, what you do is irrelevant," Nathan said flatly, "just being the Princess of Mars makes you a valuable target."

"He's got a point," Ran Mizuno noted. She gave her mother a sympathetic look, "So, what's the situation on Mars?"

"Aqua," Rei corrected, but she didn't do so forcefully. To be honest she was of mixed feelings about the renaming of the world, but she didn't feel it was her place to say. "Apparently there's a dispute between the Free Amazons and Aqua's government, and the Amazons have appealed to me to resolve it," she said thoughtfully.

"The Amazons appealed?" Ran blinked, "That's unusual. The Amazons almost never appeal for outside help."

"That's part of why I wanted you along," Rei admitted, "you have more direct knowledge of the Amazons than I do, at this point."

"Why is that?" Nathan had to ask, honestly curious.

"When Mars/Aqua appealed to be under my rule after Serenity took over Earth," Rei shrugged, "I decided to leave their political system intact, the only change I made was making the planetary president a prime minister and have him report to me. Other than that, I've generally left them alone."

"Makes sense," Ran nodded, "but if the Amazons are complaining something's gone wrong."

"Can you give us a briefing?" Ami asked, a few of the security team gathering around. She smiled at them, "Ran lived among the Amazons awhile, before going out-system."

Ran sat back, thinking a moment. "I'm gonna assume you don't know anything," she cautioned them. "The Free Amazons were a group that originally belong to the Chinese Amazons, based near the famous cursed springs," she said. "They split off from the main tribe when the Mars Colony project started up, offering their aide in exchange for a chunk of territory."

"And the head of the Chinese Amazons went along with it?" Nathan asked, having heard some negative things about the Chinese branch.

Ran smiled wryly as she explained, "The Chinese Amazons have always been pretty canny. I think they thought they were hedging their bets in case China or one of the other major powers tried to take them out."

"I did some reading on the terraforming," Ritsuko, a redheaded guard noted, "just by using their Breaking Point technique, they sped up work by years on building canals and other major jobs."

"Yup," Ran nodded, "they more than carried their weight and quite a few Amazons died on the job. In return the planetary council awarded them Olympus Mons and a swath of land around it, prime territory and well above the water line after the flood."

"I understand they have a pretty militant culture?" Nathan asked warily.

"Yes and no," Ran said. "They value martial arts ability, but they also look favorably on other skills. The only hard and fast rule in that area is that everyone must be able to defend themselves."

"They assume they're going to be attacked?" Rei asked thoughtfully.

"They're not paranoid about it," Ran offered, "but if it does happen, they'll be ready." She looked at her mothers, "What was in the appeal?"

Rei made a face, "Someone is cutting down trees on the edge of Amazon territory, violating the pact. There's also a assault on a citizen by a Amazon that's tired up in it." She looked over at Ami, "Are we close enough to the planet to tap the data-net?"

Ami activated her visor, then with a gesture a virtual keyboard appeared under her hands. "I'm in," she told them, "accessing data."

"So we're going into a armed camp on Olympus?" Nathan mused, frowning.

"Not you," Ran shook her head, "though I'll take any female members of your team who want to volunteer." As he looked confused she apologetically said, "They don't allow men near their home, other than for breeding purposes."

Nathan actually blushed as several members of the guard chuckled. "Seriously?" he asked.

"That, or they use medical techs or an old fashioned turkey baster," Ami offered casually as she was working the data systems.

"Great," Nathan sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "So from a team of ten you're going to be reduced to five?" he asked, knowing all the women in the detail would volunteer.

"Looks like it," Ran frowned. "We shouldn't need them, though... the Amazons rarely duel to the death except over matters of grave personal honor. And I can brief the team on what not to do."

"Oh, dear," Ami murmured, logging out of the system with a frown then looking at Rei. "there's been a systematic intrusion onto Amazon lands, and what looks like deliberate provocations," she said, "I think someone is deliberately trying to start something."

"Hell with the Amazons," Nathan frowned as he said, "I'm more worried about getting you to them in one piece!"

Thankfully, his worries on that count were somewhat exaggerated. After they touched down at the spaceport on Aqua they took the tour of Neo Venice by gondola, because you cannot visit Aqua without at least doing that, then they took a shuttle out to Olympus Mons.

While there was no direct military action, there was activity on another front. Almost as soon as they arrived certain news media began to cry out about the 'Yellow Amazons' influencing the queen unfairly, as well as other similar stories. Negative stories on Ami, Rei and Ran were published, the last of which spurred Ami into action. A deep search found links between the news outlets and companies that stood to profit from the Amazons' lands, and Ami published that data to the planetary web. There was much wailing about a frame up but stock in the news companies plummeted as their reputation was shot to hell.

"Remind me not to annoy you," Ritsuko noted as they skimmed across a sea, the great mountain of Olympus Mons rising above them.

"Rei and I chose this line of work," Ami said, studying the businesses and city clustered around the base of the mountain, the sides and top apparently covered by trees, "but Ran didn't. I will not let them target her in this."

"How close can we get?" Nathan asked, driving the shuttle as they neared what the locals called Olympus City.

"City landing pad," Ran answered promptly, "they don't allow landings near the forest itself."

"Anyone we can call and ask for an exception?" Rei asked, frowning thoughtfully. There wasn't much danger in traveling through the city, probably, but there was no need to take chances.

"Unless you have the personal number of the Ranma, I doubt it," Ran shrugged.

"The Ranma?" Jesse looked curious, her blonde hair blowing in the breeze. She had a Valkyrie look about her, strong and fit, and she had been especially polite to Ran.

"Hereditary title of the leader of the Free Amazons," Ami noted, "named after a famous twentieth century fighter."

"Friend of ours, too," Rei noted, sighing slightly.

They touched down on the landing pad, the ferro-crete absorbing the engine heat harmlessly, then hailed a ground cab to carry them through town. After some debate Nathan and his four men chose to stay with the shuttle, to make sure they could leave quickly in a pinch.

The young man driving the cab/transport did not look happy, slouching in his seat and his cap pulled down over black hair. "You're gonna see the Amazons then kick us off the mountain, ain't ya?" he sighed, navigating the streets as the forest grew in front of them.

"No, tho I guess that's the story running in the media," Rei noted wryly. "All the Amazons want to do is be left alone on the upper slopes on the mountain. Leave them alone, they'll leave you alone."

"Really?" the young man brightened, "I'll tell my buddies, then. Maybe they'll all calm down."

"Let's hope," Ami answered as they pulled up to the edge of Amazon territory. The paved roads in Olympus city stopped visibly, becoming rough dirt tracks. There was a beautifully made archway over the road, with a carved sign in both modern and old Chinese script.

"No trespassing," Maya, the youngest of the guards read, "trespassers may be violated." She shook her head, "Gets the point across, I suppose."

"What's the plan?" Ritsuko asked, looking at Rei and her daughter Ran.

"We go in as a group, making noise," Ran advised. "You do NOT want to try sneaking in, they will hurt you. We go up the main path, and one of us will have to face a ritual challenge to enter. It's a tradition, and someone will have to do it."

"Who's our best fighter?" Ami asked.

Jesse looked uncomfortable, "We polled the group earlier, uhm...."

"I am," Ran took mercy on her. As Rei and Ami looked at her daughter she shrugged, "I've got belts in kenpo, karate and savate, and I'm a three knot in Anything Goes, Tendo school."

"I don't like you being in danger," Rei admitted, frowning.

"It's ritual, not serious," Ran said firmly, "and we have to make a good showing, or they won't take us seriously. That's me, I think."

Ami met Rei's eyes, both women looking very unhappy with the idea. However, neither argued either, implying they couldn't disagree. "Be careful," Ami said, "I only have a basic medkit along."

"I will," Ran assured her as they started off. With hand signals she instructed the five guards to circle her mothers, moving slightly ahead. The tree lined path was surprisingly beautiful compared to the city around the mountain, birds chirping and the sun shining down.

"Hiyaa!" the pink haired woman yelled, racing down the path at them wearing a simple one-piece garment that left little to the imagination.

"Doesn't her back hurt from the bouncing?" Ritsuko muttered.

"Hush," Jesse replied as the woman attacked Ran.

The first exchange of blows looked normal, but the Amazon's hands blurred as she launched high speed attacks. She seemed surprised to see them countered and went for pressure point attacks, making Ran leap to dodge them. Then shockingly she closed, hammering the bosomy Amazon and making her spiral away, shaken.

"That was a Amazon move!" the woman yelped.

"I learned it here," Ran answered, "want to see some more?"

From the shadows of the trees a voice yelled, "Ran? Is that YOU?!"

"Hey, Ly-Lac!" Ran waved, "Been a long time. You training this kid?"

"You know mistress Ly-Lac?" the girl squeaked as a tall, redheaded woman trotted out, shocking everyone as she threw her arms around Ran.

"Know her?" Ran grinned slyly, "I nearly married her."

"HUH?!" Rei and Ami yelped as one.

To be continued....