Free Amazons on Mars!

Part Two

Ami Mizuno nearly choked when her daughter announced that she nearly married the amazon Ly-lac, but they quickly got that explained. Among the amazons, women tended to couple together, and if you didn't you were pressured to choose a mate.

"It was just before I decided to leave Mars," Ran admitted as the group headed up the steps, "I was getting hassled by Du-che, and Ly agreed to become my partner to get her to back off."

"But then you took off," Ly-lac punched Ran's arm with a frown.

Ami looked at her wife, Rei, who has a expression of regret on her face. She had been covertly keeping a eye on Ran at the time, and when their daughter had found out she had been furious. Ran fled Mars and went outside the Solar System, eventually ending up in the Khanite territories.

"I did stop to say goodbye," Ran offered as they climbed.

Ly-lac paused then stood by Rei, bowing slightly. "Thank you for coming, Princess of Mars," she said respectfully.

Rei nodded back respectfully, "I only do what honor demands."

Ly-lac seemed pleased by that reaction though she only said, "Again, thank you."

The five security guards kept a wary eye out, lead by Jesse and Ritsuko. The blonde haired Jesse put a hand on Ami's arm as she quietly asked, "You're aware we're being shadowed in the forest?"

"Yes," Ami answered her quietly, "I assume they're just a escort. Don't do anything unless Ran signals you to."

"Understood," Jesse said, moving to relay that to the other guards.

The 'village' the Free Amazons lived in was actually a series of settlements scattered along the heavily forested sides of the mountain Olympus Mons. While deceptively primitive looking Ami picked up a lot of concealed power readings, indicating there was advanced technology hidden there.

"We're going up to the palace?" Ran asked as they walked.

"The Ranma asked to see you," Ly-lac nodded both to her and to Rei.

They went past three of the smaller villages until they reached the top of Olympus Mons, all of them more than a bit tired. They paused as they passed through a wooden arch, looking out over the flat top of Olympus as they took in a small town, spread out under the Martian sun. The group of women walked down dirt paths through the outer ring of homes and businesses, all except Ran and Ly-lac rather astonished to see what resembled a small town here, rather than a palace.

"Why...?" Ami finally had to ask, struck by how familiar the place felt.

"You have the oddest look on your face," Ritsuko noted, the guard looking at Rei in alarm. "Is everything all right, my lady?"

Rei gave her a faint smile, "It's... this place could be a replica of parts of Tokyo, from the early twenty first century. It's kind of eerie."

"The Ranma is a bit of a sentimentalist," Ran explained as they made their way to the center of town, "you'll understand once you meet her."

The building they finally saw made both Ami and Rei freeze, if only for a moment. The old dojo wasn't a perfect replica, of course, but the similarities were clearly more than just a coincidence.

"You're kidding," Ami said weakly, recognizing the Tendo Dojo of the Anything Goes school of martial arts.

The sliding door opened as the red head stepped out, her short hair framing a cute if strong face. She had a good figure, and her eyes were gentle as she said, "Ami, Rei, it's been a long time."

Rei looked mildly stunned, "Someone get the hot water, I need to see who's under the curse..."

"That'll be harder than you'd think," Ranma answered as she waved them inside, "we need to talk." Switching to a dialect of Chinese she nodded to Ly-lac, "Let the guards know I'll be fine, then you can go if you like."

"Yes, ma'am," Ly-lac nodded, "but I would remain, if I can. It has been a long time since I saw Ran Mizuno."

"Certainly," Ranma said as she lead the women inside the dojo.

"What do you mean, it's harder than we'd think?" Ami asked respectfully as they settled around a table in the living room.

Studying the woman calling herself Ranma she recognized the form of someone struck with the curse of 'Spring of Drowned Girl,' who would transform with splashed by cold water and revert when hit with hot. Such curses were apparently incurable, though Ami herself had not devoted as much time to the problem as some.

Ranma poured them all tea, then calmly splashed her arm with hot water. There was a slight... shimmer effect, but other than that she remained a redhead. "You see?" she asked.

"Not exactly," Konata said mildly, the guard keeping a wary eye on their rather surreal surroundings. One did not expect to find a Japanese city on Mars, and it was throwing her off a bit.

Ami, however was nodding slightly. "You're... double cursed, somehow?" she asked, her expression thoughtful.

"Double cursed?" Jesse asked.

"She's someone who got the drowned girl curse," Ran offered quietly, "then had her cursed body cursed AGAIN. Sort of like a curse lock, except that the curse 'cures' work. She just switches between both girl forms."

"It's a pain," Ranma said frankly as she drank her tea, "but it has some advantages."

"Like?" Ami asked, somewhat fascinated.

"How long have you been leading the Free Amazons, ma'am?" Ran asked with a smile.

"About three hundred years or so," Ranma admitted. As everyone gave her startled looks she shrugged slightly, "I don't age much."

Ami really wanted to ask the martial artist who she had been before she became 'the Ranma' but she wasn't sure how to ask. And, to be honest, it probably wasn't any of her business. Deciding it might be best to get on with business Ami asked, "I understand you wanted to see Lady Mars?"

Ranma smiled faintly as she turned to Rei and formally said, "My lady, I apologize you needing to appeal to you directly."

"I'm sure you did so only when you exhausted other methods," Rei answered politely then asked, "how can I help?"

Ran slipped outside, breathing in the slightly cool air. It was odd being back here on Aqua, after everything that had happened to her. It was a bit like coming home after a long time, and finding out you'd outgrown it somehow.

"Ran," Ly-lac said as she followed her out, both standing in the sunlight.

"Hey," Ran smiled at her warmly, reaching out and squeezing her hand. "I'm sorry I ran out on you, back then," she said gently.

"It's fine," Ly-lac squeezed back gently, "you know I can take care of myself."

Ran laughed softly, remembering. "Oh yeah," she agreed, "what about that time I helped you against Lou-Fa? Not to mention her gang..."

"Hey!" Ly-lac protested, "it was five against one!"

"That's what makes that kind of fight fun," Ran noted, then frowned as she looked off into the distance. There was a speck out there, out near the horizon, and growing slowly larger. "Do you see that?" she asked, pointing.

Ly-lac looked, then the older girl frowned. "Yeah," she growled as she ran over to where a bell hung on a old pole, "and I don't like it."

As the bell was rung women raced out, even as the speck grew into some kind of personnel transport. Rei, Ranma and the others ran out of the building as the transport grew nearer, ignoring the automated warnings to stay away from the mountain.

"Incoming!" Ran yelled a warning as the security team took up positions to protect them all.

"Moko Takabisha!" Ranma yelled out,. Energy flaring around her hands as she tossed a powerful ki bolt at the descending craft, blowing out one side and sending it plummeting down.

"Damn it, that wasn't necessary," Rei growled as the transport crashed with a thump.

"They invaded our airspace despite warnings," Ranma answered briskly, "and I really doubt they're here for milk and cookies."

"Point," Rei conceded, even as she dismissed the idea of powering up. The whole village was made of wood, and her powers were too damn strong. Even her weakest attack, miss aimed, could destroy the whole place.

Armored troopers staggered out of the wreck, carrying heavy weapons. A man in finer clothes was helped out, coughing from the smoke billowing up around the wrecked vehicle. The amazons were forming a circle around the troops, all of them carrying traditional weapons of one kind or another.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing?" Rei demanded, the black haired woman's glare making the leader step back.

He recovered his nerve enough to face her as he said, "The rightful rulers of Aqua will no longer stand by and watch the Amazons horde resources! We demand our fair share!"

Ami stepped up to Rei's sighed, frowning at the man. "You want the timber and land, correct?" she asked flatly. When he nodded she sniffed in disgust, "And have you actually tried cultivating it yourself, instead of seizing other people's property?"

"It would take years," he waved that off, "and the Amazons aren't using them!"

Rei looked at him a moment, then looked at Ranma. "I've decided," she said, "that the Amazons lands and trees will remain protected, and I'm adding my royal command to it. Agreed?"

Ranma grinned, "Agreed."

"You can't DO that!" the man yelped. Desperately he waved his troops forward as he growled, "Your judgment won't matter if no one hears it!"

There was a moment of silence as the troopers took in Rei and Ami's security and the army of angry Amazons. Jesse grinned as they moved a bit closer, "You're kidding, right?"

"GET THEM!" Ly-lac yelled, and the Amazons charged.

Several minutes and much violence later, the men were bundled up and ready to be dumped at the bottom of the mountain for the police to pick up. "It's so nice having problems get wrapped up that easily," Ranma noted as she escorted the guests down the mountain.

"There had to be others behind them," Rei cautioned.

"We'll be ready," Ly-lac said as they reached the bottom gate. She looked at Ran as she said, "Please come back faster, next time."

"I will," Ran promised, looking up at her warmly.

Ly-lac leaned forward and kissed her gently, "Don't forget me."

To be continued...