An Empire Reborn
Ch3: The Martians Have Landed
Setsuna grasped her garnet rod, the symbol of her guardianship tightly as she stared into the time gates. She had protected them against intrusion for millennia and in all that time never had a hint that she was anything but alone in her duty. Oh there was the vague hint that the previous guardian had an heir lost in time but she had found no trace of him and she had looked very carefully.
No she was certain that she was the last of the great protectors whose duty it was to protect important Silver Millennium technology. It seemed incredible that if she wasn't alone in her duty, any evidence or trace hadn't surfaced over the thousands of years she had been here. As such she felt that she retained the moral authority as last living member of one of the greatest kingdoms ever raised. Setsuna conveniently overlooked the fact that she had only been recruited after the moon kingdom had fallen and only because the time gates were partially sentient and needed a guardian.
As the last of her era and guardian to the time gates, Setsuna felt that it was her prerogative to rebuild a kingdom utilising all of the knowledge that had been lost to the generations since the fall of the moon kingdom and rebuild all of the technological wonders that the moon kingdom had been famous for to ease the lives of the citizens of her new kingdom, with herself at its heart she would hold the power to shape the course of human history. With fewer restrictions than she currently operated under now.
So many technologies and comforts had been lost that it was inconceivable that even if people found out what her plans were, there wouldn't be many objections to her goal for spatial and temporal domination. Besides, even if large numbers of people did object to her plans she held more than enough power to make sure that their objections did not make any significant impact. Setsuna didn't even blink at the thoughts of erasing entire countries, which might object to her new empire. It was for the good of the future after all.
It was disconcerting then to sense a large Silver Millennium signal approaching the solar system at such a rate. For thousands of years she had been the power in this system, her actions unrestricted by anyone and her goals uninterrupted, as long as she protected the gates from intrusion she could do as she pleased. That power had largely been as a result of being the last person alive with knowledge and access to moon kingdom magic and tech.
With her plans so close to fruition after thousands of years of planning, experimentation and research it was frightening to think that it could all unravel now through the unfortunate return of some old junk. Was it a coincidence, a natural occurrence as the gravitational orbit of the moon kingdom tech once again found its way to the solar system or was it by design?
Becoming the guardian to the time gates all those years ago had changed the direction of her life in a good way, sure she had to risk her life sometimes to ward of an intruder bent on salvaging some powerful technology from a long since fallen kingdom and the temptation to look into the future could only mean her death. But apart from that, the role of guardian had given her god like powers among a technological and spiritually backward society with no apparent cost to herself. She was free to fulfil any plans she desired; nothing could be allowed to upset those plans or her superiority.
Still with the rate the moon kingdom relic was approaching and the trajectory it was travelling then whatever the object was it would most likely to crash into the moon with enough force that the only evidence that it ever existed would be another crater on the pocked surface of the moon. Humanity had achieved little more than a few pitiful visits to their closest neighbour since their demise at Beryl's hands, her plans for conquest would be long since accomplished before any debris was discovered.
Setsuna waited tight fisted as the signal passed Pluto barely slowing down and sped towards the earth. As it passed Saturn it slowed extraordinarily, approaching the moon at a more sedate pace demonstrating that it was far more than a relic, but even as she prepared to travel to where it would crash into the moon its signal disappeared.
Setsuna raised her eyebrows in surprise expecting the signal to start up again, surely whatever technology it contained was hardier than that. Complete destruction was the only explanation as to the signals disappearance, her connection with such an important piece of moon kingdom technology allowed her to sense the presence of even broken artefacts from that time and at the pace it had slowed down to it was hard to believe that even an uncontrolled landing would destroy the signal.
She just nodded in understanding after a minute of thought. She had heard rumours that some of Queen Serenities more close guarded relics would self-destruct to prevent themselves from being misused or mishandled. Often the large destruction and loss of life caused by such self-destruction was relatively small when compared to the damage that could have been caused by potential misuse. It still frustrated her to know that even with her knowledge she could not prevent the destruction of artefacts that could only aid her cause.
Dismissing the sudden appearance of stray technology as an aberration she once again focussed on the progress of the people who would lead her new kingdom under her guidance. They had grown up almost in the blink of an eye and before she knew it they were of an age when she would have had to act. It was fortunate that Queen Beryl had started to stir from her prison around that time, any earlier and her chosen charges would have been too young to deal with her and any later then the problem she would have generated for training purposes would have combined with Beryl to overwhelm her growing charges. She had to keep her interferences to a minimum for some time to come, other wise she risked upsetting her carefully crafted plans.
What made Beryl such an excellent start for her rulers in training was her relative weakness. In her time Beryl was reported to have been a powerful Queen, certainly she had enough power to topple the moon kingdom at its peak. In this age however she wasn't proving very effective against a group of school girls with some fairly minor power-ups. It made her wonder what had happened at the end of the moon kingdom all over again. Was it Serenity who held the power to obliterate Beryl even at the cost of her kingdom? It just made her thankful that Serenity wasn't alive to oppose her plans today.
So surprised at the suddenness in which she was required to act that she had enhanced a pair of cats to become her mouth piece and keys to the power the new kingdom would command. "Cats," Setsuna sniffed in distain with a hint of nausea "who knew they would be so effective." The pair of cats had quickly gained the trust of the girls in their role as advisors and would remain their first point of call in the event of any problem for some time. Once they out grew the cat stage, she hoped that she would be in a place to take up some of the advisory slack, remaining in a position to manipulate events in her favour.
It had been too easy to manipulate events so far but the future was far from certain. More time would be needed to cement the future she envisaged, so some care still needed to be taken. The girls she had chosen to grant powers too and lead the people into a new age of technological and spiritual greatness with her at its helm needed to become stronger even with the recreated Ginzuishou boosting the power that they held.
It had taken her a thousand years to gather that much power together, but the power of the user was still a limiting factor in its use. To truly use the crystal to its potential, the girl she chose to employ the crystal needed to mature and grow into her powers a great deal. Even then she had frequently wondered what had become of the real Ginzuishou and what else it may have been capable of.
She had to be meticulous and careful in her planning because if even one of her warriors died then she would have to wait at least another generation to start again. Not even she had the power to raise the dead. Even worse if the Ginzuishou fell into the hands of Beryl she would have a fight on her hands that she could ill afford if her plans were to be realised any time soon.
With the power she had invested into the crystal, Beryl could regain much of her old strength leading to a dangerous power struggle. Still until the so called 'inners' gained a little more power she could not go forward with her plans much more than she already had. It was strange to think that she required a little more patience at her age, even as she considered the future, the fate of the moon kingdom technology, which had so suddenly burst into the system, had already been forgotten.
Ehri blinked in confusion at her surroundings, the white walls of the medical wing and the pigtailed youth standing before her almost seemed a surreal background to the images of war that flashed through her head and the sounds of dying men and women that echoed in her ears. The conflict of her senses added to her disorientation as she steadied herself on the padded lounge. She was so sure she had died in the colony ship when she had lost consciousness still minutes away from the location of the old moon palace space docks that it took her some time to gather her thoughts after she was suddenly awakened clearly alive.
"My King!" Ehri immediately shook off her disorientation as she recognised the shimmer surrounding the young boy standing before her. It was a shimmer that every moon kingdom citizen had come to associate with possession of the Ginzuishou. Only the current rulers of the moon kingdom ever had that distinctive shimmer. It was a shimmer that demonstrated the presence of great power and since the Ginzuishou could only ever be given willingly it represented the rightful heir to the throne.
"Lieutenant Ehri of the Martian contingent reporting Majesty," she announced attempting to stand to attention only to by pushed back to the bed as she tried not to think of the embarrassment of having to be rescued by one of the royal family. She was still a little weak from finally succumbing to lack of oxygen a few minutes out from the moon.
"Lieutenant, if you could just call me Ranma. It makes me uncomfortable to be called king, so much has fallen into disrepair I can hardly be accounted king of anything but the palace you stand in." Ranma allowed his voice to relax into a soft and gentle tone, suitable to the wise image of a king. It was a mask, but a necessary one in this situation.
"As you might have guessed, and I doubt the truth would have been hidden from someone of your rank anyway, there isn't much left of the moon kingdom and millennia has passed since Beryl attacked. Although I am trying to restore as much as I can it is a big job even for someone as… great as me. I am but one man," Ranma smirked humorously gesturing for her to relax on the bed she had tried to jumped from, finding a crate himself to sit on he gave the impression he was trying to follow two conversations at once but still nether the less very much in control of the situation.
"Please lieutenant, explain these people. Who are they? Where did they come from and what do they know?" Ranma studied her face before concluding, "you at least don't seem surprised that there is so little left of what you once knew. I daresay they will be devastated. How did you find yourself propelled so far into the future?"
"King Ranma, when Beryl struck the moon kingdom our princess ordered me to gather as many refugees as possible and escape in the partly completed colony ship we had been developing. I struggled to get as many as I did, it was a massacre."
Ehri's voice sounded tired as she continued, "many were dragged from the bodies of their dead family members. I don't think that they yet realise that that attack brought civilization as they knew it to an end or that relativity accelerated them far into the future. I could guess the consequences of escaping near the speed of light and they have been confirmed by an un-destroyed automated military installation on mars."
"What is life like out there my king, how bad is it?" Ehri asked brokenly, forgeting as she once again relived the traumatic events leading to her flight from mars that her ruler had asked to be addressed as Ranma. He didn't reprimand her as she had expected just calmly considered her question with a kindly and regal expression on his face before answering.
"I will not lie to you Ehri, life is restricted to earth and you will find it far more primitive…weaker than you are used to. The destruction was almost as complete on Beryl's side as it was on ours, little remained after that day and what did was forgotten and eroded by time." Ranma smiled sympathetically but his shoulders showed a sense of purpose.
"I want to offer you a choice though, for sixteen years I have been hearing of the wonders of the moon kingdom and its downfall. In those years I have strived to become the strongest I could, vowing that I would never lose what I held dear because I was too weak to hold it. You might have noticed that I have been slowly refitting the moon palace and I could always use the help of someone I can trust."
"The moon palace is the key to rebuilding what we have lost to invasion and time, once it has been rebuilt I will need someone to help protect it and train a military to protect civilians once I start expanding beyond these walls. There is plenty of room and work for the refugees, wonders that have lain hidden for thousands of years. You could all make a life here and who knows what bright future may be in store for all of us." His offer was persuasive but she had already decided she would dedicate her life to the ruler of the moon kingdom if one survived.
"My king," Ehri started quickly rephrasing at his raised eyebrow and amused smirk, "Ranma. I have lost everything and while I would heartily join in any endeavour you perceive as necessary and right, it has been thousands of years since I have eaten or slept. Unconsciousness didn't seem to help my body recover from my flight," maybe it was her fatigue or the way he sat and engaged her but she found herself being more candid with him than she would have a royal back in her own time and certainly he didn't rebuke her for her breaking of protocol. She felt comfortable in his presence even though he out ranked her and held a far greater power. She felt safe and couldn't help thinking about the future.
"You must be hungry then, the others will be sleeping for some time. Come let me show you what it's like in the world beyond."
Genma studied the Go board intensely, so far he had captured most of Tendo's pieces and he was interested to see what Tendo would do next. Suon wasn't playing as well as he remembered his old friend used to or was capable of and he wondered what was wrong. Surely his friend hadn't forgotten how to play, the challenge of go was one they had both enjoyed immensely during their time together.
"Look Genma, aliens have invaded and are attacking your son!" Suon shouted pointing wildly.
"Ranma will most likely wipe the floor with them and force them to return to where they came from," Genma replied unconcerned for his sons welfare, confident that his son could look after himself he did not move his gaze from the board. While he didn't know the extent of his sons strength he was sure nothing as minor as an alien invasion would slow him down.
"The old master is back Genma what do we do," Suons voice rang out in false panic as he gestured in the other direction. Genma grunted in amusement, his old master wouldn't be a problem now. Training with his son had erased his fear of Happosai long ago.
"Ranma will deal with him when he's finished with the aliens Tendo, now hurry up and make your move."
Genma ignored Tendo's inaudible mumbling as he watched his old training partner make his move.
"What's wrong with you Tendo, you're playing horribly today?" The move he had made had just about given him the game, he wasn't sure what was wrong with his old friend but he would try to find out.
Suon gaped at him for a moment before turning to his youngest daughter who had just appeared from the dojo. "You've met my youngest daughter Akane, she has been training all her life in the Tendo School. Her skill is pretty impressive for her age, she has already won several competitions. Would you care to judge her skill for yourself and judge the worth of the Tendo side of Anything Goes?" Tendo's enthusiasm for his youngest daughters accomplishments drowned out the thoughts of his poor showing in Go.
Before he could politely refuse the invitation Akane had caught onto the idea and seemed unable to let it go. "Master Saotome, please spar with me. I was going to ask you once I had warmed up anyway." Genma could already tell that the girl was extremely weak and lacked any real fighting experience, he was afraid he would insult both her and Tendo if her sparred with her. Training a few hours a day and competing in a few tournaments would hardly compete with the training he and his boy had undergone. He would have to handle this situation delicately if he was to avoid insulting his guest.
Ranma he knew wouldn't care about such things and would just proceed to beat her into the ground. Perhaps it was better to get the sparring out of the way before Ranma arrived from wherever he had disappeared to this time after all. It just wouldn't do to have Tendo's heir spar his own, the match would not be a fair fight or a fair judgement of Akane's skills. He would completely overmatch her.
Genma sighed at the inevitability of the sparring session and reluctantly agreed. He had become used to sparring and training with Ranma, not having to pull his punches or restrict his techniques. This girl's skill was so low he was afraid he might hurt her by not slowing down or pulling his punches enough.
"I am undefeated in Nerima you know, it will be good to show another practitioner of our school what I can do. Don't go easy on me just because I'm a girl," Akane growled out as she faced him across the dojo floor. Her Gi already clung to her bulky frame after warming up and her red face promised to get redder. No doubt from exhaustion and frustration.
"Girl, I will go easy on you because of your skill level and not because of your gender. Attack me and don't hold back!" Genma sighed tiredly assuming a defensive stance. Akane charged at him swinging her arm for a low palm strike, anticipating a quick Ki attack in an attempt to end the fight quickly and show her superiority he wasn't prepared for such a direct attack. Still he was a master of his school and anyone who sparred regularly with his son could have easily adapted to such a weak attack.
Akane attacked him furiously with basic to middling moves at a pace that he could honestly say Ranma could have dodged at ten. Matching pace he blocked the attacks as they came in, the high kick with his forearm the low with the outside of his shin.
Genma watched as her attacks started flagging, surely she would have brought out higher-level attacks before this. Where were her Ki attacks, her special techniques? This may only be a sparring session but there were still winners and losers in sparring and you always strove to win. Had Suon really neglected the training of his heir so much?
"Break," he announced steeping back from the exhausted girl. "Is that all you've got, all you know of our school, where's the techniques that differentiates the Tendo from the Saotome? If this is all you've got I'm going to go back to my game with your father." Unspoken was that her skill was far below what he would consider a challenge worth his time a small insult to her school he hoped would anger her enough for him to see some real techniques.
"Not at all, I'm about to get serious and I will show you what I can DO!" Genma raised his eyebrows in a clearly disbelieving look as Akane seemed to work herself into frenzy, surely she didn't expect to match a master of their school. "Take this," she shouted increasing the strength behind her blows. Genma just shook his head as he continued to block blows that could shatter the strongest wood, sure she was strong for her age but by boosting her strength through her rage she lost focus and technique. That was a mistake against an opponent that couldn't be overwhelmed so easily.
Besides if she was exhausted before, once she lost that adrenaline boost there was no way she would even be able to think about continuing the fight. "Maybe, maybe," she panted after collapsing to the floor at his feet "maybe I should have challenged Ranma instead. I would have had no problem beating a boy." She was no doubt reasonably assuming that her defeat was to do with challenging a master and not because of her lack of skill. She was wrong of course.
"Akane," he growled out dangerously "don't even think about challenging Ranma, someone of your level would most likely be killed by his slowest and weakest attacks."
"Who's the weak girl and why'd ya work her over pops?" Ranma's amused voice echoed throughout the dojo clearly enraging Akane from where she lay exhausted.
Genma whirled to face Ranma and his companion, ignoring the woman standing at his side with military perfection he concentrated on his son. "My old training partner's youngest daughter, I was just trying to persuade her not to challenger you." Genma spoke clearly staring meaningfully at his son hoping he got the hint. It wouldn't be a good idea to beat this girl to the brink of death in her own dojo.
"I don't think," he shouldered the larger man out of the way snatching a 10kg barbel out of the air, "you were very successful."
"Son, she is exhausted." He replied tiredly knowing what would inevitably follow.
"I am undefeated in Nerima, I will show you what a weak girl can do. No boy will defeat me in my own dojo." Genma shook his head tiredly and stepped aside, not for the first time his son would finish what someone else started.
"Son," Genma tried reasoning with his son. A dead daughter would get them driven out of Tokyo not to mention the damage it would do to his friendship with Tendo.
"Relax, it'd be to much of a hassle breaking her now. Ehri perhaps you can deal with her, your skill could use improving but for now this nuisance shouldn't prove any problem." Genma turned to the young woman beside Ranma and once again wondered what she was doing with her son. She didn't move like she was a master of her art but her son wouldn't be wasting his time with her unless she could teach him something.
"Of course Ranma," she snapped out crisply her right hand itching to salute. Akane stood in a defensive stance warily as the woman approached her. The way Ranma had instantly determined that her skill was so much below this woman's level made her a little weary, but how could he judge so quickly.
"To easy," Ehri murmured as she overwhelmed the exhausted girls defences backhanding her into a wall looking to Ranma for approval. Ranma just smiled at the efficiency of her attack. While Genma just started at the unorthodox style, now where had he seen that move used before?
"What is going on, oh my baby?" Ranma watched as an older man raced through the dojo doors quickly checking on the young girl. After satisfying himself that the young girl was largely unhurt he turned on Genma.
"Genma who are these people and why are they attacking my daughter?" His head suddenly ballooned taking on the shape of a demon and emitting an aura of fear as he faced them, "why did you hurt my daughter?"
"Suon Tendo, your daughter attacked me. You're lucky she wasn't hurt worse than she is, you can thank Ehri for that." He allowed some of his power flash into his eyes as he stared at the older man. He wanted to make it perfectly clear that attacking him was a very bad idea.
"Tendo," Genma caught his attention tiredly as his demon head failed to impress the young boy "this is my son Ranma, my heir. Your daughter will be fine, a little sore when she awakens but fine. Now what's for lunch, I'm starving."
"Ahh yes lunch, Kasumi is just serving it up. You'll like Kasumi Ranma and make sure you meet Nabiki. I'm sure you'll make a great..er…friends." Tendo suddenly become overly friendly as he led Ranma to the table for the meal Kasumi had cooked. The strange woman that had followed Ranma was largely ignored as she shadowed Ranma, eyes alert for another unexpected attack.
Unsure what was going on he just ignored his father's friend's antics instead he followed his nose to the table. If that food tasted as good as it smelt then Ehri would have herself a fine introduction to earth.
A/N – Thanks for some initial reviews Teal Thanatos
- Next chapter more Beryl, Pluto, Scouts and nation building.
