INVASION, Volume 3, Part 4: Inseparable.
DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyou! is copyright AIC/Pioneer, LDC. I claim no rights to it. However, the events in this story are entirely of my own imagination. So please don't change them. Feel free to distribute this story as freely as desired.
FOREWORD: One of my readers prompted me to reinvestigate the proper romanization of the pink-haired guy. The results are in. I was wrong. Although Seiryuu is mentioned in the prologue of the first True Tenchi Muyou novel, he is not referred to by name. I was led to believe by the context of the sentence that the word Serifu, which means words, lines, speech, etc., was actually the person Azusa brought to Earth. My bad. At some point in the future, I'll go back and change it. But, since he does not hold a great deal of influence from now on, I won't place a great deal of importance on it, other than to make sure I spell it correctly in the future.
Information regarding the number of first generation ships in this chapter is in direct contradiction to what is available in the True Tenchi Muyou Novels. However, I vaguely recall reading somewhere that there is a story about another 1st-gen ship named Masaki (different kanji), so I ran with it.
This chapter takes place over a two to three week period about a month after the last chapter.
AUTHOR: Dreamr
LAST REVISION: 21 January 2003
EMAIL: TrueDreamr@Hotmail.com
BEGIN.
For the third time, Aeka stood within the enclosed walkway that ran parallel to the dry dock used for the commissioning of new ships. On the other side of the windows, her ship floated, serenely waiting for her to board for the required training journey. Hopefully, the third time would the charm. Twice now, her ship, Ryu-o, had been nearly destroyed. The first time was at the hands of Ryoko when she had attacked Jurai. The second time was during the fight against Kagato. Aeka always felt a stab of guilt in her heart whenever she remembered that her first thought had been for Tenchi, rather than the tree she was bonded to.
A strong hand descended on her right shoulder, reminding Aeka of the warm presence behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Tenchi standing nearby. She could feel his support flowing through the simple gesture. Aeka smiled, despite the disagreeable figure standing next to him.
Ryoko had also come to see Ryu-o, along with Sasami, Washu, and Ryo-o-ki. What the pirate's interest in her tree was, Aeka could not guess, neither did she care to ask. Most certainly, it would only be for some nefarious purpose, as Ryoko was about to prove.
"So, what's the big deal, anyway?"
Aeka scowled at the cyan-hair woman.
"Do you have any clue what kind of a miracle it is that Ryu-o was able to be regenerated?"
Ryoko's face crunched up with annoyance.
"Well, 'scuse me!"
Aeka snorted her displeasure as she turned to gaze out the viewing portal at her soon-to-be recommissioned vessel.
"You are excused."
Ryoko's cheeks puffed out as she growled at the princess. Aeka's younger sister, Sasami, decided it would be best if she tried to mediate a peaceful ending to the conversation.
"Sister, I don't think Tenchi and Ryoko know anything about Royal Trees. Why don't you tell them?"
Aeka's regal bearing seemed to magically grow even more regal as she straightened her back.
"Very well." With a small cough, she began her oral lecture. "The Royal Trees originated on Jurai Prime, although they may be grown on either Jurai, or Ryuten, nowadays. All Royal Trees are descended from Tsunami, the first Ship of Jurai. However, not all trees are directly bred from Tsunami. The trees are ranked in order of descendence from Tsunami, starting with the first generation, then the second, and so on. In the history of Jurai, there have been only two First Generation Royal Trees successfully bonded. They are Kirito, my father's ship, and Funaho, my brother's ship. However, There are more than two first generation trees."
"Within the Tenju*, there are others. Officially, the Royal Family of Jurai acknowledges only the existence of Kirito, Funaho, and the four first-generation trees, Tatsuki, Amaki, Kamiki, and Masaki."
Washu's mumbled agreement seemed to float through the air with a sense of mystery.
"Named after the four branches of the Jurai royal family. But I was under the impression a tree didn't receive a name until it was bonded to a person."
"That is true. History says that the first king of Jurai named the trees after his four children, even though they were never bonded. However, not all of the trees are accounted for. At the time of Father's bonding, two strange events occurred. Mitsuki Amaki, niece to the then King of Jurai, disappeared, as well as the family's tree, Amaki. Some say that Father took Amaki from Mitsuki and made it his own. This of course is completely ridiculous. The tree would never have stood for it, unless Mitsuki willingly gave Amaki to Father. If that were the case, it would also explain her disappearance. The bond between a member of the Royal Family and their tree can never be severed, except at the death of one of the pair. Therefore, Lady Mitsuki would have had to willingly give her life for him. However, a tree and its partner can become assimilated."
Everyone glanced at Sasami, as they recalled the same was occurring to her.
"As for the other First Generation Royal Trees, Tatsuki and Kamiki lie dormant at the bottom of the arboretum, awaiting one who is worthy to inherit their power. Masaki... disappeared nine hundred thousand years, and has not been heard from since."
Tenchi's eyes went wide with shock when he heard Aeka say "nine hundred thousand years".
"Wow, Aeka! Just how old is the Jurai Empire?"
"The Holy Empire of Jurai has existed since the Covenant of Jurai was established between the First King of Jurai and Tsunami, one point two million years ago."
Tenchi's question encouraged Aeka to get into more detail about the history of her people. Turning to face her friends, she continued explaining the Royal Trees' significance.
"From the first generation Royal Trees that I mentioned before, are descended the second generation trees such as my Ryu-o. It meant a great deal to me that I received a second generation tree. Most members of the Royal Family receive only a third generation tree. These trees are still capable of conscious thought and self-awareness. But beyond them, the tree has no will. It cannot move about on its own without a captain to guide it. They are also incapable of generating the Light-Hawk Wings on their own. Only when a tree of the third generation or higher empowers it to do so, will the wings deploy."
Ryoko grinned as she came up with a question that was sure to stump her lecturer.
"Okay, Princess. So how come all those super-powerful ships just sat on their asses when I attacked Jurai, hmm?"
Aeka hung her head in defeat.
"At the time I left Jurai, that question was still unanswered."
Folding one arm across her chest, Ryoko placed her other elbow on her forearm and set an upraised finger over her lips. Looking up with just her eyes, she looked like she was thinking very hard about something.
"No kidding. Huh. Hey, Washu, do you know why?"
Washu intently scrutinized her daughter, thinking there must be some trick to this question.
"If I had some time I could probably find out. But, as of this moment, not a clue."
Ryoko cracked a huge smile.
"Cool! I know something nobody else does!"
All eyes were suddenly on Ryoko as she smugly chuckled to herself. As one, the three girls standing around Ryoko asked for more details, while Tenchi stood around looking confused.
"Well?"
Ryoko put her hands behind her back and smiled some more. Suddenly, she whipped out a set of spectacles and set them on the bridge of her nose.
"It's quite simple really."
"What!?" Washu immediately objected to Ryoko's sudden change in appearance and vocal characterization. "You're not stealing my schtick! That's my act!" Washu made a grab for the spectacles on Ryoko's face. But the pirate floated away with a whoop of glee.
"Nyah-nyah! Not so smart, now, are ya?"
For a moment, Washu actually stewed in frustration. Then she remembered how rare it was for Ryoko to act this playful towards her. A small smile cracked the prodigal genius's face.
"Oh, I see. So you want to play, do you? Not a problem. Little Washu's got somethin' for ya!"
A holographic terminal appeared before Washu's upraised hands. She immediately began tapping away at full speed while Tenchi and Sasami watched. Aeka, however, was more interested in the information Ryoko possessed, than the game Ryoko and Washu were entertaining themselves with.
"Um, excuse me, Little Washu?"
The scientist did not even bother to face Aeka before spitting out her response.
"Not now! I'm busy!"
Aeka could not help noticing how Washu's speech patterns always seemed to resemble Ryoko's whenever she got frustrated. As the princess was considering how to best approach the problem, Ryoko called down from above.
"Come one, slow-poke! I'm still waiting for what you've got for me! Or is old age finally slowing you down?"
A devilish glint sparked across Washu's left eye.
"Oh, girl, you're gonna pay for that one." Her right pointer finger stabbed down onto the control panel. Almost immediately, several black holes opened around Ryoko, who glanced at them with a wary eye.
"Aeka?"
The First Princess leaned a little closer to Tenchi so she could hear him clearly.
"Yes, Lord Tenchi?"
"I'm not so sure it's safe here anymore. Why don't we go on ahead to the ceremony?"
Aeka nodded.
"I completely agree. Sasami, let's go, before something bad happens."
"But, Sister, can't I stay and watch?"
"Absolutely not! Lord Tenchi is right. It's not safe here. Come along."
Sasami grumbled in dissatisfaction at her sister's wishes, but she obeyed. Ryo-o-ki trailed along behind her, singing a very martial sounding anthem as only she could.
"Mya-mya-mya-mya. Myan! Myan!"
Looking down, Sasami realized they were all in step. While this was amusing, and Sasami loved Ryo-o-ki dearly, she could not help wishing Little Ryo would use her older-looking form more often. At least, then it would seem like she had a friend her own age. Despite the sobering thought, Sasami still looked down and behind her to smile at Little Ryo as she marched and sang her cadence.
The rechristening of Ryuo was being held at the bow of the ship, on a wooden deck erected specifically for the occasion. The media was out in full force to cover the event. As soon as The First Princess reached the platform, she was practically mugged by the reporters as they pelted her with questions. Pasting a solidly political smile on her face, Aeka foisted Tenchi off on her sister to keep him from having to deal with the inevitable pestering.
"Sasami, why don't you take Lord Tenchi to the snack table while I deal with these people?"
With a smile, Sasami nodded.
"Sure!" She grabbed Tenchi's right hand and pulled him off towards a long table set on one side of the platform with a lavish selection of local delicacies spread across its entire length. "Come on, Little Ryo!"
"Uh... okay..." Tenchi muttered, followed by a sigh of resignation.
Ryo-o-ki toddled along behind the pair as Sasami dragged Tenchi along. She gave the table a quick inspection as they arrived. When she found the carrots she was looking for, Ryo-o-ki stretched as far as she could to reach the vegetable platter.
"Mya..."
With a giggle, Sasami nudged the plate closer.
"Here."
Ryo-o-ki snatched a handful of the miniature tubers and stuffed them into her mouth.
"Uh... Sasami?"
The Second Princess looked to her left, where Tenchi was standing next to her.
"Yes?"
"Can I have my hand back?"
Sasami looked down and saw that she was still holding Tenchi's hand. Her eyes went wide, and her face blushed with embarrassment as she released his appendage.
"I'm sorry!"
"Ah, it's okay." Tenchi began scratching at the back of his head. "I'm pretty much used to it by now."
As he surveyed the selection of edibles, Tenchi noticed Ryo-o-ki shovel in another handful of mini-carrots.
"Actually, those do look kind of good."
"I'll get it!" Sasami reached across the tray and pulled a single carrot from its surface. "Would you like some dip?"
"Is it vegetable dip?" Tenchi asked, looking into the small bowl in the center of the tray, with its white paste and green herbs.
"I think so."
"Definitely."
Sasami dipped the carrot into the white substance and held it out at mouth level for Tenchi.
"Say 'Ah!'" Tenchi closed his eyes and opened his mouth.
"Ah!"
Sasami giggled again as she popped the vegetable into Tenchi's mouth. The young man was only half a second from crushing the carrot between his molars when someone grabbed his rear. He immediately jumped a meter into the air and inhaled the carrot, which lodged firmly in his throat. Vegetables and assorted snacks went everywhere as he crashed down onto the serving table, which gave way with a tremendous crash. Everyone on the platform turned to look and see what the disturbance was about. Looking up as he clutched at his throat, Tenchi could see the look of mischievous entertainment on Ryoko's face. Sasami was also looking down at him, but with an expression of concern.
"Hey, Ryoko, I think Tenchi's choking."
"What makes you think that?"
"Well, his face is turning blue and he's clutching at his throat."
"No kidding." Ryoko's expression quickly changed to one of intense curiosity. "I've never seen anyone choking before. Hey, Tenchi, what's it feel like?"
Tenchi clawed at the air before him. Although he could not say what it felt like, to him, it was terrifying. To think he might die of choking after everything he had survived so far in his life was horribly ironic. Fortunately, Sasami was looking out for his welfare. She quickly reminded Ryoko of what would happen if the situation was not soon rectified.
"Ryoko, I mean it! If we don't help him, he'll die!"
"Oh, crap! Why didn't you say so? Uh..." Ryoko stared at him for a moment as she tried to recollect what to do in the event someone was choking. "Oh, yeah!" She jabbed Tenchi high in the gut with the knuckles of her right hand. The impact was sufficient to force the air remaining in Tenchi's lungs to push the carrot out of his trachea and up into the air. The girls watched the offending object come down right into Ryo-o-ki's open hand. Without a second thought, the little girl popped the carrot into her mouth and chewed it up.
On the other side of the platform, Aeka was jumping up and down inside a ring of reporters and photographers, trying to see what was going on.
"What is going on? Someone, please let me see!"
As Tenchi took in great breaths to re-oxygenate his depleted bloodstream, his face soon returned to its normal color. The two girls continued to stare down at him, concern etched on their faces. Sasami extended a hand down to help him up.
"I can manage."
The hand was quickly withdrawn. After a few more breaths, Tenchi felt the beginnings of anger stirring in the pit of his stomach. He had told Ryoko more times than he could remember, not to do what she has just done. This time it had almost cost him his life. With a grunt, he sat up. He took only a quick pause, then stood, fixing his stern glare on Ryoko, who was beginning to realize she was in trouble.
"Ryoko, how many times have I told you not to do that?"
Ryoko was suddenly having a great deal of difficulty meeting Tenchi's gaze. She tried to look everywhere but at him.
"I... uh, wasn't counting?"
"Well, I'm telling you, again. Don't scare me like that! I could have died!"
Ryoko cringed as Tenchi verbally chastised her for her behavior. She kept her eyes from his face so she would not have to see the look of anger he was directing at her. There was a time long ago, when she would have relished the response she was getting, and the way it made her feel inside. Now, she hated being yelled at.
"Sorry..."
Tenchi sighed as he turned around and folded his arms over his chest. It was only with great difficulty that he reigned in his anger. He did not like yelling. But sometimes it was the only way to get through to certain people.
"Sorry isn't good enough, Ryoko."
On the other side of the platform, Aeka had heard every word of Tenchi and Ryoko's little tiff. She had patiently tried asking the people around her to stand aside. But, none of them had complied. Now she had no choice but to use more influential means. Reporters and cameramen went flying as she roughly shoved them aside so that she could get to epicenter of the disturbance. Once the way was finally clear, she angrily strode across the platform.
"Do you want me to beg?" Ryoko swiped the back of her hand across her face, wiping away any sign of tears. "Well, I won't. I don't beg from anybody, not even you."
Tenchi sighed.
"No, Ryoko. I don't want you to beg. I just wish you would do what I ask."
Ryoko took a step forward so she could put her arms around Tenchi and apologize as only she could. But before she could get there, Aeka grabbed her by the hair and tossed her across the platform.
"Get your filthy hands off of Lord Tenchi, you creature of death!"
Ryoko turned in the air and nimbly landed on her feet in a crouch.
"You bitch! I was trying to apologize!"
"Apologize by leaving Lord Tenchi alone!"
"Get out of my way, Aeka!"
The princess drew herself up in defiance.
"Make me."
With a growl, Ryoko launched herself at Aeka. Tenchi did not even bother to turn around. The sounds of combat clearly indicated that Ryoko and Aeka were fighting again. Instead, he turned to the off-ramp and walked quickly away towards where he had last seen Washu. Sasami took off after Tenchi as he drearily walked away.
"Tenchi, where are we going?"
"Sasami, I'm going home. I'll see you back at the Academy in a couple weeks."
"But... Tenchi..."
As they rounded a corner in the underground hallway that they had emerged from less than an hour ago, they saw Washu kneeling over the shattered remains of her mechanical toys.
"All my beautiful devices, smashed..."
"Washu." Tenchi called to her. The kneeling scientist paid him no mind.
"But, I did get some valuable data, and I can always make more."
"Washu!"
The mourning scientist looked over her shoulder at the intrusion.
"Huh? Oh, hi. Sorry, I was, uh..." She looked down at the mess, then looked back at Tenchi with a playful smile. "I was just cleaning up!"
"I'm sorry to be such a bother. But, could you send me back home to Okayama?"
"Sure, sure!" Washu assured him as she got to her feet. "But, what about Dumb and Dumber?"
There was a bit of a pause as Tenchi thought about what he wanted to say.
"I hate it when they fight over me." With a mournful sigh, Tenchi reiterated his desire to go home. "Little Washu, could you please just send me home?"
Seeing that her beloved guinea pig was in no mood for a discussion, Washu decided some peace and quiet might be just what he needed. Summoning her holographic terminal, she began typing away.
"All right, Tenchi. If that's what you want..."
A few seconds later, a red rectangle appeared suspended in the air before them.
"This portal opens into your bedroom in Okayama. It's only temporary, though. It'll disappear just as soon as I close it down."
Tenchi sighed with gratitude.
"Thank you, Little Washu. I... just need some time away from everybody." Tenchi looked Sasami's way to include her in the request he was about to make. "Would the two of you make sure Ryoko and Aeka don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone?"
Washu's eyes began to gleam.
"I promise we'll keep them out of trouble."
"Thank you, both. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."
With that, Tenchi stepped through the gate and disappeared just in time to avoid Ryoko and Aeka as they came clamoring down the ramp, searching for their beloved.
"Tenchi?"
"Lord Tenchi?"
Washu dismissed the interdimensional gate with a single tap of her terminal. Sasami leaned in closer to whisper a question.
"Washu, how are we going to keep them out of trouble if Tenchi couldn't do it?"
Washu just grinned as the two love-struck young ladies approached.
"Trust me." She continued in a louder voice so that Ryoko and Aeka could hear.
"Hey, are you two looking for Tenchi?"
"You seen him?" Ryoko asked.
"Yes, Lord Tenchi seems to have disappeared again."
"Well, have no worries! I've got just the thing!"
With a couple of taps on her keyboard, a small black iris opened in mid-air. Two neckbands floated out into Washu's waiting hands. They were quite fancy, with gold and ruby ornamentation.
"This is one of my recent inventions. Since one or more of us always seems to be disappearing, I decided to invent a telepathic tracking device! Just put one of these on and think of whoever you want to find, and you'll know instantly what direction and how far away that person is!"
"Oh, my!" Aeka exclaimed. "Such a device would be very useful!"
"If it works." Ryoko griped.
"Oh, it works." Washu smiled. "I tried it out, myself. Go ahead. Put it on!"
Floating in the air, Ryoko reached out and grabbed one. Aeka soon followed suit.
"What the Hell. If you tried it on yourself, at least I know it won't hurt anybody."
"I always did like rubies." Aeka mentioned as she admired the device's beauty.
"Come on, come on! The longer you wait, the longer it'll take to track down Tenchi."
Sasami remained impassive as her sister and friend put the lovely devices around their necks. Washu's smile grew very wide as the girls closed their eyes and began concentrating on Tenchi. Ryoko groaned with annoyance.
"I knew it."
"Miss Washu, it doesn't appear to be working."
"That's because the two devices are so close together, they're interfering with each other." The creator of the wonderful tracking device walked over to Aeka and slipped an arm around hers.
"Let walk a few steps away from Ryoko."
"Very well. But if this fails, I'll leave without your help."
"Trust me. It'll work exactly as it's intended to."
As the pair of women walked away, Aeka suddenly lurched to a stop, choking as the neckband refused to go any further.
"What is this?" She asked, rubbing her throat. "This is no tracking device! It's a collar!"
Washu began cackling her mirth at having fooled the rambunctious pair.
"That's right! Tenchi said I should keep you and Ryoko out of trouble! I think this ought to do it. If either of you tries to move more than two meters from the other, the device around your neck absolutely will not cooperate. So, you're stuck with each other until I decide to take it off."
Aeka immediately became indignant with such an imposition.
"Miss Washu! I demand you remove this infernal device at once! I must depart for my training voyage with Ryuo! How am I supposed to concentrate with this woman constantly at my side?"
Ryoko began clawing at the band that was tightly wrapped around her neck. Strangely, she could not get her fingers under the band, or use her powers of phasing or teleportation to remove it.
"Washu, take it off!"
"Forget it!" Washu glared at the floating girl. "You've two girls have been bad, and this is your punishment!"
"TAKE IT OFF!"
Washu's eyes grew wide as her daughter dropped to the ground. She had not been expecting Ryoko to freak-out like this.
"I hate collars! I hate 'em! I hate 'em! I hate 'em!"
Seeing how upset Ryoko was getting as she clawed at her neck, Sasami grew concerned.
"Washu, is this a good idea?"
"She'll be fine. Give her a couple minutes to get used to it."
A golden light began to build around Ryoko as she loudly voiced her opposition to the punishment.
"I hate it!"
"I think I'll be going." Sasami went and hid.
"I HATE IT!"
"Farewell." Aeka quickly joined her sister as Washu looked on.
"I HATE IT!"
"Oh, boy." Washu began looking for where Sasami had hidden herself.
A small portion of the Royal Spaceport of Ryuten was suddenly engulfed in a massive fireball, leaving nothing behind but twisted metal and splintered wood. Amongst the rubble, Ryoko knelt in the center of a two hundred meter wide clearing, crying like a little girl. The other three, Washu, Sasami, and Aeka, lay in the twisted remains, covered with soot. Sasami coughed a couple of times to clear her throat.
"Washu, are you sure this is a good idea?"
A puff of smoke came out of Washu's mouth as she tried to speak.
"I'll get back to you on that."
A wooden beam fell away, revealing the sooty First Princess.
"Why me?"
Ryoko sat on the ground between two roots of the Royal Tree, Ryuo, which had, once again, grown large and strong. As the stars flew by, she grew incredible bored. Aeka was standing just inside the collars' maximum range of two meters, apparently doing nothing.
"Come one, Aeka! I'm bored! How much longer do I have to sit here?"
"If you knew anything about Royal Trees, I might try to explain it to you."
Ryoko sat up.
"Are you saying I'm too stupid to understand?"
Aeka tried dividing her attention between commanding her ship, and maintaining her conversation with Ryoko. Ryuo's velocity soon began to decrease.
"No. I will concede that you have proven your intellectual capabilities over the last year."
"So, then?"
Aeka finally relaxed, allowing Ryuo to slow to a stop. The stars stopped streaking as the ship's velocity decreased further.
"It's training! I have already told you that any number of times. Just like any other instrument, one must practice using it."
"An instrument?" Ryoko's eyes narrowed as she found something that struck a sour chord with her. "Aren't Royal Trees alive?"
"That is correct."
Ryoko growled at Aeka.
"Then what gives you the right to use a living being as a tool?"
"Tsunami gave the Royal Trees to the Jurai Royal Family for our protection. The first King of Jurai was a space-pirate. He befriended Tsunami, who then swore to always protect him and his descendants. She gave the Jurai ships to him to do with as he pleased."
"Oh, really? Did anyone think to ask the tree what it thinks about being a slave?"
It had never occurred to Aeka that the Royal Trees might actually have an opinion on their positions as fighting vessels in service to Jurai.
"Well, I never really thought about that."
Looking up at her tree, Aeka decided to do just that. Her key glowed for a moment as she relayed to question to Ryuo. When Aeka received her answer, she smiled with smug satisfaction.
"Ryuo says it is his purpose to serve the Royal Family, and that he is very proud to be bonded to the First Princess."
Ryoko slowly got to her feet and dusted herself off. She met Aeka's gaze as she straightened.
"Well, I guess if Ryuo says it's all right..."
"He does."
"Okay. So, how about lunch?"
Ryoko smiled with amusement when Aeka's stomach growled its agreement.
Lunch was an equally boring affair. Aeka clamed-up about the Royal Trees, even though Ryuo had created a fabulous meal out of nothing. They sat at a circular wooden table in the middle of a huge field of flowers in silence, until Ryoko had finally had enough. She slammed her fist down on the table, nearly upending the entire surface. Aeka stared at her in annoyance.
"What now?"
"This is BORING! B-O-R-I-N-G, boring! Let's play a game, or something!"
"A game, you say?" Aeka's eyes narrowed as she came up with an appropriate activity that would both satisfy Ryoko's craving for interaction, as well as show her own superiority. "Very well, Miss Ryoko. Are you familiar with chess?"
"Huh?"
"No? Well, that is too bad. It is a game that requires sharp wits, as well as intense concentration."
"How long does it last?"
"A good game could last hours."
"Perfect! Show me how."
"Very well." With but a mental command, the remains of their midday meal were swept away, and a fully set chess board took its place. Ryoko stared at the thirty-two pieces with a look of complete ignorance.
"Uh..."
"The object of this game is to surround the king," Aeka placed a hand on the white king, which was nearest to her, "so that it cannot make a legal move. This is called check-mate."
"What about illegal moves?"
"Breaking the rules is not allowed."
"Okay, okay. So, how do you play?"
"Play is conducted by moving the pieces in accordance with their type. Any piece can capture any opposing piece by moving into the square occupied by the other player's piece. The pieces in the front row are called pawns. Normally, they can move forward only one space, except on the pawn's first move, when it can move two spaces. Also, pawns can only capture an opposing piece by moving one space, diagonally. For example," Aeka took one of her pawns and set it diagonally ahead of one of Ryoko's pawns, "if one of my pawns was here, you would capture it like so." She moved Ryoko's pawn into the space her pawn was occupying and then removed her pawn and set it aside, off of the game board.
"Okay. Move ahead, kill ahead and to the side. Move one space at a time. Got it. What about these other guys?" She picked up one of the queens and carefully examined the caricature.
"The piece you are holding is called a queen. It is the most valuable piece, as it can move both straight and diagonally, any number of spaces. It is the only piece you have capable of both directions of movement, except the king, which starts next to the queen."
"Although the king can move in any direction, it can move only one space at a time. So you must protect it. When a player moves a piece so as to threaten the other player's king, that player announces the threat by declaring check."
"Check, okay. Can I kill other pieces with my king?"
Aeka grimaced at Ryoko's use of the word kill.
"Yes, although I would not recommend using it for such purposes."
"We'll see."
"No doubt." Aeka began to wonder what kind of strategy Ryoko would employ to play this game. "The pieces on the ends that look like small castles or towers are called rooks. The may move any number of spaces in a straight line forward and back, or side to side. Next to them, ah... I'll cover those in a moment."
"Hey, you've gotta explain everything. No cheating!"
"I am not cheating! Those pieces are called knights, and they are more difficult to explain, so I'm saving them for last."
"Yeah, sure."
Aeka reigned in her growing annoyance at Ryoko's prodding, despite the ex-pirate's large grin.
"The pieces on either side of the king and queen are bishops. They may move any number of spaces on the diagonals."
"Makes sense. What about the knights?"
"The knights move in an unusual pattern. First they are the only piece capable of jumping over other pieces."
"Sure. They're on horses."
Aeka just smiled at the simplicity of Ryoko's thinking. Surely, she would be an easy opponent.
"As you say. They move in a one-two or two-one pattern, as I like to think of it."
Ryoko looked up in confusion.
"Like so." Aeka took one of her knights and advanced it ahead two spaces and to the left one space. "Alternately, I could have moved it in this manner." She put the knight back in its original space, then moved it ahead two spaces and right one space.
"Oh!" Ryoko face suddenly showed the light of understanding. "So it could move up one and over two."
"Yes. It can move in any direction, so long as it moves in that pattern. Also, all of the pieces except the pawns may move backwards."
"Yeah, sure. I got it. Who's first?"
"Which ever person is playing white."
"How come you got white?"
"You may go first, if you wish. It makes little difference to me."
"Okay." Ryoko raised a hand to pick up a piece. The hand waved over the board for a moment, until she realized that the only way to move any of the pieces in the back row except for a knight, was to move the pawns, first. Her grumbles of disappointment were music to Aeka's ears.
She could remember when, as a child learning chess from her grandmother, Seto, she had been confounded and beaten any number of times, until she had learned the game well enough to defeat her. Aeka was soon brought out of her reverie when Ryoko began mumbling to herself.
"Move the pieces to trap the king, eh? What if I kill all your pieces, except for the king?"
Aeka just smiled. The strategy Ryoko was suggesting was so typical of a beginner. It suited her temperament, perfectly.
"Well, as it is impossible to win the game with only a king remaining, I suppose I would have to concede the game. Unless, you also had insufficient pieces left to win. Then it would be a draw."
Ryoko finally came to a decision. Her right hand descended and she moved her queen's rook's pawn ahead two spaces.
"Your turn."
Barely half an hour later, Ryoko stared forlornly at her decimated army. Only her king, a single rook and knight remained, and two pawns. She had lost control over one side of her territory, and Aeka was looking very smug. The princess still had most of her pieces, although only one of her pawns remained. Aeka had taken her by surprise when she had reached the other side of the board with one of her pawns, and then sprung a new rule on her that allowed her to reclaim her taken queen. In response Ryoko had attacked all her pawns destroying them systematically, to the detriment of her own army.
"Would you like to start a new game, Miss Ryoko?"
"No." Ryoko quickly answered. She was determined to finish the game, even if she lost.
"Why waste your time? The game will be over with in four turns."
Ryoko growled at Aeka's smug look. The princess was sitting with her hands politely folded in her lap, the picture of perfect etiquette.
"Game's not over yet." Ryoko could see the play Aeka was referring to, and a way out of it that, unfortunately, would require her to sacrifice one of her pieces, either the knight or a pawn. She had found that if she simply looked in every direction away from where she wanted to move one of her pieces, she could find any threats to her pieces' movements easily enough. But after a couple moves into the future, predicting the princess's movements became more difficult. But, breaking out of Aeka's trap would surely rattle her cage. Then things would be easier. With a smile, Ryoko moved her king into the space occupied by Aeka's last remaining pawn.
Another twenty minutes later, Aeka was nearly in tears. Her hair stuck out at odd angles, and the key upon her brow was slightly skewed. Ryoko had handily escaped the trap she had set, and then proceeded to decimate her entire army after regaining her queen and a rook by getting both of her remaining pawns to the opposite side of the board. Needless to say, the situation looked grim. It would not have been so bad losing, if only Ryoko would stop smiling and giggling. Her gloating was positively unnerving.
"Will you stop that laughing? As you were so quick to say, the game is not over."
"Sorry! I just can't help it!" Instead of quieting, Ryoko's giggling intensified, eliciting a groan from the princess.
Despite her bravado, Aeka had a sinking feeling that the game really would be over in a couple turns. Having such powerful pieces put back in play on Ryoko's side was truly daunting. Ryoko had used them, and her other rook, to cut the board in half, then half again, cornering her king. If she moved her rook forward one more space, Aeka would be forced to move her king directly into a corner, where there was no escape. Even having both her knights and a bishop remaining, she was having difficulty defending herself due to the knights' limited range. Just as Aeka was coming to terms with what looked very much like a loss, her guardian robots appeared. Azaka immediately explained the reason for their presence.
"Princess, we are receiving a distress signal!"
Aeka breathed a sigh of relief, even as Ryoko leapt up, angry for having her win interfered with.
"What?! No way! I was winning!" Ryoko leveled an accusing finger at Aeka. "You did this on purpose!"
Aeka choose to ignore Ryoko's outburst. The interruption could not have come at a better time.
"To the bridge, Miss Ryoko. If the call is genuine, then we must offer assistance."
Ryoko growled loudly.
"You just wait! I'm not play so nice, next time!"
"We shall see. Kamidake, alter course to intercept."
"Immediately, Princess."
The sudden change of course from the autopilot-set direction caused gravity in the ship to shift for a moment. The sound of something falling caused Aeka to look back at the round wooden table where she and Ryoko had spent the last two hours. The white king had fallen over. Aeka sighed.
"Next time, indeed."
Three generation of Masaki men sat around a blazing campfire, high in the mountains of Okayama Prefecture, telling jokes and reminiscing about the last four years. Since Tenchi's twentieth birthday had come and gone while he was at the Galaxy Academy, his elders were very insistent that he partake of the sake they had brought along.
"So, son." Nobuyuki looked at his son with a gleam in his eye as he poured Tenchi a drink. "How's it feel to have your first legal drink?"
Tenchi just shrugged.
"I don't see what the big deal is."
"Living with those girls for so long, I'm surprised you haven't turned into an alcoholic!"
"No way, Dad. I don't even really like the taste of alcohol. Although, I don't mind a warm cup of sake on special occasions."
A third of the way around the fire, Lord Katsuhito Masaki sat on a large stone he had pulled up to the fire.
"Would you call this a special occasion, Tenchi?"
"Yes, I would." Tenchi took a sip of his sake.
"And what do you think of this special brand?"
Tenchi exhaled sharply. His answer was only supported by half a breath.
"Very nice."
His grandfather and father laughed. It was Katsuhito who finally broached the subject of Tenchi's sudden return.
"Well, we're certainly glad to welcome you home, Tenchi. It must be a very special occasion, indeed, if you have come back so suddenly and without warning."
Tenchi stared into his sake for a minute. Neither of them had asked yet why he had come back, not that he was complaining. Of course, Mihoshi had been thrilled to see him again. For a moment, he had thought she would pull a Ryoko and jump right on him, she had looked so happy. Fortunately, she was too shy to do that. Tenchi sighed as he remembered the fight that his girlfriends had gotten in to on Ryuten.
"Ryoko and Aeka are fighting again."
"Mmm." Murmurs of understanding emanated from his elders as they sat around the campfire.
"It was right at the ceremony for launching Ryuo. I got mad at Ryoko, and when Aeka heard me yelling at her, she got mad at Ryoko. You can guess how it went from there."
Katsuhito looked at his grandson with disappointment. He had hoped he would be better able to deal with the young women once he was older. It seemed that he had yet to learn their hearts.
"So you ran."
"Yes." Tenchi admitted, hanging his head.
"You are going back, aren't you?"
"Of course I am. I just..."
Katsuhito continue to stare at Tenchi as he fell back into silence.
"What else?"
"It's... a long story."
"Well, we seem to have plenty of time."
"And sake." Nobuyuki held out the bottle to Tenchi, who gratefully accepted a refill. He slugged back the smooth liquid, then held his saucer out for more.
"It's my fault. I... After Ryoko and I got together, I thought everything would just resolve itself. I made the big choice, and everything was supposed to work out, right? Fat chance. Every time I... looked at Aeka, I felt like I had done something wrong. She... looked like she was suffering. Like, she was dying, a little bit each day."
Nobuyuki stared at his son in shock.
"You didn't?"
"When I finally asked her why she had stayed with me, she said it was because she couldn't give up on me. Grandfather, I'm sorry. I don't know if I've made the right choice. But, I couldn't go on hurting Aeka like that."
The light from the fire was suddenly eclipsed by Tenchi's grandfather. He looked up, then fell over backwards when he saw the angry expression on his grandfather's face.
"Tenchi, if you have slept with my sister out of pity..."
"No! I love Aeka! Just... not in quite the same way as Ryoko. I love them both."
After a moment of consideration, the elder Masaki's expression softened. He decided to offer his grandson some sage advice.
"Very well, Tenchi. But remember this. Aeka is also my sister. Do nothing to dishonor her, or our family."
"No, Grandfather." Tenchi assured his grandfather as he sat up. "I only wanted to do what was right. I care about Aeka too much to keep on hurting her. But, now things are back to the way they were. I didn't want this to happen."
Tenchi began searching for his fallen sake saucer as his father released the breath he had been holding.
"Well! That's some confession."
Tenchi continued on, ignoring his father's well-meaning attempts to lighten the situation.
"You know, I thought the same thing about Ryoko when I finally realized how I feel about her. You don't suppose everything will still work out, do you?"
Katsuhito reached over and took his cup from where he had set it down. He delivered his next statement with uncommon coolness, even for him.
"You do realize that Aeka will rightly demand that you marry her?"
Tenchi fell off his log again. Nobuyuki looked at his father-in-law in shock.
"She will?"
"Yup."
Staring up at the stars from his place, horizontal behind the log, Tenchi contemplated his future, once more.
"Grandpa?"
"Yes, Tenchi?"
"What about Ryoko?"
"You have no choice. If you refuse Aeka's hand, and the King discovers she is no longer pure, he will come for your head. If he does, even I will not be able to stop him."
"I... guess I wouldn't blame him for being angry. But, I won't abandon Ryoko. Even if it means my death."
Tenchi's father chuckled.
"Sounds like true love to me."
"Come on, Dad! This is serious!" Tenchi complained as he sat up again. "I don't want to abandon either of them. I never wanted to choose one of them over the other. But... I couldn't help it. I made a choice based on my feelings for Ryoko. I don't regret that. I spoke with Aeka, and I thought things would be all right. She said she had been expecting it for a while, and she even wished me the best. She was upset, and cried a little. But, she insisted that she would be all right! I didn't realize that she was... well, lying. Sometimes, I think that she should have stayed here, or gone back to Jurai. But, now I know there was a lot more going on than any of us realized. I love Ryoko. But I also love Aeka, even if it isn't in the same way. I care about both of them too much to abandon either of them. If only there was some way..." Tenchi paused as something began to rattle around in his mind; a memory from a year ago.
"Sasami."
"You know, son, I think she might be a little young for you."
"Not like that! Grandpa, Sasami asked me last year if I was going to marry both Aeka and Ryoko. The King of Jurai has two wives! How is that possible?"
Katsuhito groaned one of his trademark groans; the long drawn out one that meant he was contemplating something he would much rather not be thinking about.
"Mmm. I can tell you, Tenchi. But you will not like what I have to say."
"Please, Grandfather, tell me. I want to do the right thing for both Ryoko and Aeka."
"Very well."
Aeka stood on the bridge of Ryuo, staring at the image on the main display. One ship, obviously an expensive pleasure yacht, was being assaulted by a ship that looked very similar to a Jurai ship. There was a central core-block, and the hull appeared to be fashioned from wood. However, since the image before her was rather large, both she and Ryoko could easily identify the vessel.
"Hey. Isn't that Minagi's ship, Hina... Hine... uh..."
"Hinase. It is named after a Jurai Empress of great renown. Kamidake, open communications."
"Immediately, Princess."
"Attention, pirate vessel. This is First Princess Aeka Masaki Jurai. Surrender at once or I will open fire!"
Ryoko promptly slapped an arm around Aeka's neck, establishing a firm head-lock on the princess.
"What the hell, Aeka?" She ground her knuckles into the princess's skull for emphasis. "I thought Minagi was supposed to be our friend?"
Minagi's smiling face immediately popped up on the display.
"Hi, Aeka!" As soon as she saw Aeka and Ryoko struggling against each other, Minagi began to laugh.
"I could swear you two like each other more than Tenchi!"
Both women looked at Minagi's smiling face for a second before jumping away from each other. Ryoko folded her arms across her chest while Aeka nervously rubbed her hands together.
"Hell, no!" Ryoko denied. "What would I want with an ugly old princess like her?
Aeka was quick to respond to the insult with one of her own, along with a look of disgust thrown in for good measure.
"What interest could a princess have with a decrepit old corpse like her?"
"Corpse? Who are you calling a corpse, you hag!?"
"Excuse me? I am much younger than you, and it shows!"
Ryoko's jaw dropped.
"That's not fair..."
Suddenly, another face appeared on the display in a separate screen. Aeka promptly groaned. The face was that of one of the most powerful businessmen in the empire, Biff Standard.
"Your Royal Highness! Your assistance is much appreciated. This criminal has maliciously assaulted my vessel, causing extensive damage! I demand that she be arrested, immediately!"
Now that this kind of person was involved, there was little Aeka could do except follow the letter of Galactic law.
"Miss Minagi, piracy is illegal. Why do you insist on committing such crimes?"
"Come on, Aeka. I only target bad guys, remember?"
The businessman immediately objected to the label Minagi was applying to him.
"Who are you calling a bad guy? I am an honest businessman on a vacation cruise."
"Oh, really?" Minagi reached out of the view of her picture and retrieved a large assault rifle. "Then why are you carrying guns in your hold?"
Biff's eyes went wide.
"How did you get that? Oh, if only your ship were equipped with my latest software, I could have taken control of your vessel by remote control!"
"Fat chance! My master designed and built this ship, himself! Your dirty programs will never get installed in his ship!"
Aeka and Ryoko watched the exchange with exhausted interest.
"Uh, excuse me..." Aeka finally broke into the conversation. "Miss Minagi, are you saying that you got that gun from Mister Standard's ship?"
"Sure did! He's got boxes of 'em stashed away in secret compartments!"
"Mister Standard, is this true?"
"Of course not! Pirates have tons of such weapons. I'm sure it's from her personal supply."
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Enough! Miss Minagi, surrender yourself at once! Both of you heave to and prepare to be boarded. I am going to personally inspect both of your vessels for contraband."
Both captains seemed initially surprised at this. Soon, they both got over their surprise and smiled. Although, Minagi's smile seemed much more sincere.
"Sure! Come on over. We'll have tea."
"Tea, indeed." Biff complained. "Your Royal Highness shall find that I am in complete compliance with the Galaxy Code."
Aeka responded with grim enthusiasm.
"I look forward to it." With a nod of her head, Aeka indicated that the conversation was over. Both screens disappeared, revealing the starscape that had been concealed underneath.
Ryoko snorted her displeasure.
"Tsk. Who the Hell was that guy?"
"That... disagreeable chap, is named Biff Standard, and he is one of the wealthiest men in the galaxy. I find it difficult to believe he would be involved in something as stupid as gun-running."
"You'd be surprised at what some of those supposedly clean corporate big-wigs do on the side."
"I'm sure. But on his own personal pleasure yacht? That makes no sense."
"So, are we going to go take a look?"
"Yes, indeed. In fact, you may actually prove useful, for once."
Ryoko casually pointed to herself.
"Hey, I'm useful!"
Aeka, Ryoko, and Minagi appeared on the bridge of Biff Standard's ship by means of the twin women's teleportation ability. Biff turned from his command console to see what the commotion was about. When he saw his attacker, he grew a bit indignant.
"What is SHE doing here?" He rudely pointed a finger at Minagi. Aeka already had an answer prepared.
"I couldn't very well leave her unsupervised, now could I?"
While Biff was not terribly happy about the situation, there was not much he could do about it. He lowered his hand and took a calming breath.
"No. I suppose not. Well!" With an expansive gesture and a bow, he properly welcomed his visitors. "Welcome aboard the Luxury Edition!"
The girls groaned at the name.
"If you would please follow me, I will be happy to give a tour!" Biff began to lead the three girls toward the door. "However, I must insist that everyone stay with me. There are security systems on board that could cause injury if they are not properly deactivated."
As the tour commenced, Ryoko leaned a little closer to Aeka.
"Something's fishy."
Minagi overheard and offered her own opinion.
"I'm telling you, he's a bad guy!"
"Then let him prove it."
Ryoko grinned.
"I getcha."
As Biff led them through the expansive ship, pointing out this and that as they went, Minagi began to grow impatient.
"You gonna show us the hold, or what?"
"My dear lady. This is a pleasure ship. I don't even have a storage hold."
"Liar! It's right next to the engine room!"
"Oh! You must be referring to the extended range fuel tanks. Those are an option I choose to have installed when I purchased the vessel."
"I see." It seemed a reasonable explanation to the princess. But Minagi's growl just behind her indicated otherwise.
"He just won't stop! Those 'fuel tanks' are filled with weapons and stuff."
Aeka carefully weighed the validity of what Minagi was saying. As a member of the royal family, it was her duty to see to such problems. Technically, it was not actually her responsibility to monitor space lanes for illegal activity. That was the province of the Galaxy Police. There was also the problem of the distress call. However, since the attack had been halted, all that was left was to hold Minagi for piracy. Aeka sighed. Such a thing is easier said than done.
"I will inspect the fuel tanks, as well."
Biff folded his arms across his chest.
"They're sealed. There's no way to get in."
Finally, after having kept quiet for so long, Ryoko spoke.
"Bullcrap."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"Every ship has a way to get into the fuel tanks specifically so they CAN be inspected. It's an old smugglers' trick. Slap on some extra fuel tanks and use them to transport contra-band. Then, all you have to do is fix the fuel gauges so they read fuel in the tanks."
Biff ran a handkerchief across hid forehead to wipe away the droplets of sweat that were running down his brow.
"Ah, I wasn't aware of that. I am just a businessman, after all."
Minagi was looking at Ryoko like she was the goddess Tsunami, herself.
"Cool! I never knew about the fuel gauges!"
"That's because you're still a beginner."
Aeka groaned.
"I believe we have an inspection to conduct? Mister Standard, would you show the way, please?"
Still nervously wiping his brow, their tour guide reluctantly complied.
"Of course."
He slowly led them into the bowels of the ship, where the fuel tank supposedly resided. They soon arrived at a small, yet, well-lit white room with a pair of control panels on the right wall.
"Miss Ryoko, this seems to be your area of expertise. Is there anything here that would lead you to believe something is amiss?"
Ryoko grinned.
"So... now I'm useful, huh?"
Aeka grimaced.
"If this is too difficult for you, I'm sure Miss Minagi will be willing to step in."
"Oh, no." Minagi promptly declined the invitation. "Ryoko's way better at pirate stuff than I am. It's a privilege to watch the master at work!"
Aeka rubbed at her temples, trying to make the aching in her head go away.
"Spare me, please."
Ryoko took a look around. The control panels were the only things in the room, other than the occupants. One panel appeared to be the fuel monitor and control panel. The other had a numeric keypad, leading her to believe it was some sort of security control panel. A quick glance told her all she needed to know about the fuel panel. The gauges read about half-full. No surprises there.
"So, what do you need with stuff like this?" Ryoko asked as she tapped the edge of the security panel.
"It's for protection against any pirates that might try to take my ship. Makes sense, doesn't it?"
"I suppose. If it was someplace you could actually get to it, rather than down here where any self-respecting corporate executive like you would never go. Ah, well." Ryoko folded her hands behind her head. "Doesn't really matter since I don't know the code."
Taking a short stroll around the room, the ex-pirate stopped at the wall opposite from the door. She paused for a second, then stuck her arm through the blank face. Biff held his breath.
Bong-bong-bong!
The sound of Ryoko's knuckles clanging against the far side of the wall rang hollow. She smiled.
"Oh, yeah. Lots of fuel in there."
"Open it." Aeka demanded.
Biff gave Ryoko an angry look before responding to the princess.
"Now, see here."
"No, you listen to me. In the absence of proper civil authorities, in this case the Galaxy Police, the authority of the Jurai Royal Family is absolute. You will open that tank for my inspection, at once!"
Biff sighed.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." He cautioned the First Princess as he walked to the security panel. A few taps later, and the wall Ryoko was standing against began to lever upwards towards the blank ceiling. The chamber within was long and unlit. The far side remained black as pitch, until the wall was over half-way up. At the far end, there were several closed storage containers, and a single glowing red light, the size of a pin-point. The was the sound of a motor spooling up to speed, and Biff dove to the chamber floor.
Being somewhat naive about such things, Aeka stood staring into the space, her eyes wide at all the sudden motion. Fortunately, her space-pirate companions knew better.
"A trap!"
The small space was suddenly filled with flashing beams as lasers hissed through the air in a smooth, rapid succession that only a machine could produce. Biff Standard shrieked in terror before crawling on his belly towards the relative cover of one of the containers. The energy bolts splashed harmlessly off of Ryoko's energy shield while she looked on in disdain. This certainly was not anything to worry about. The beams sprayed around her for a few seconds, then came suddenly to a halt. The mechanical whirring soon ceased as well, leaving behind only the reek of ozone, and an enemy's curse.
"CHU!"
Ryoko almost fell over.
"No... way..."
The mechanical voice carried on without her.
"Standard, you chu-ing moron! Off all the people you had to run into, why them!?"
Aeka took a deep breath, and it was not because she recognized the murderous pirate's squeaky voice. At the moment, she was experiencing a wave of dizziness. As she was trying to fight off the ill feeling, Ryoko found her voice.
"Mikamo! You pathetic bastard! How the hell did you survive?"
"You know what your chu-est problem is? You're dumb! I'm a machine! I can make an infinite number of copies of myself! Of course, it wouldn't do to run into them. So, there's only one of me running at a time."
Ryoko glared at the robot that was still hovering in the darkness as she cracked her knuckles.
"Well, there's about to be one less of you."
Minagi choose that particular break in conversation to get acquainted with the details of who they were dealing with.
"Ah, pardon me. Do you two know each other?"
"Unfortunately." They both answered.
While Ryoko and Mikamo faced each other, there was a period of silence that allowed those present to hear Aeka's exercise in deep breathing. Being the closest to Aeka, Minagi took a quick look at her face. She was surprised to see the princess was very pale.
"Aeka?"
Aeka would have answered. But Minagi's voice seemed very far away. So far, in fact, that it could not possibly be important enough to answer. A moment later, she forgot about holding herself up, and tumbled to the floor right in front of Minagi.
"Aeka!"
Ryoko quickly looked back to see what had happened. The soft whir of an electric motor was the only warning she received of the coming attack. The room was once more filled with laser beams and the accompanying smell of burned air. Ryoko instantly connected Aeka's swoon with the attack, thinking Mikamo had somehow orchestrated the event to provide him with another opportunity to kill them.
"MIKAMO!!" Ryoko charged through the air with an angry shout, her shield preceding her to fend off the energy bolts blazing her way. Exactly two meters from where Aeka had fallen, Washu's collar nearly took her head off. A massive surge of rage at being held back from her enemy flooded her system. Ryoko struggled wildly to get past the infuriating spatial limit of the collar. In front of her, the laser blasts stopped as a click-clunk sound accompanied the sight of a pair of missile racks deploying from Mikamo's side pods.
"As you can see, I've made some improvements. Chu hydronium!"
Two of the missiles ignited and leapt off their racks, headed right for Ryoko at point blank range. Biff, who had been cowering at the base of a storage crate panicked when he realized Mikamo was going to use acid-filled rockets. He scrambled to his feet and ran right past Minagi, who was cradling Aeka in her lap. The young pirate took little notice of him, as she was more concerned with the princess' condition. Ryoko snatched the rockets out of the air with her bare hands and turned them so they were facing Mikamo.
"Back atcha!" She released the unguided projectiles, which sailed straight for the floating robot villain.
SMASH!
The rockets shattered on impact, spraying ultra-pure acid everywhere. The substance did nothing to Ryoko's shield. She knew what hydronium was and had erected the shield in anticipation of the mess. She watched with gleeful anticipation as the goop sloshed across the surrounding cargo containers. Much to her dismay, the same was occurring across from her.
"What!?"
"Chu. Glad I had that shield generator installed. That could have been messy." The rocket pods quickly retracted, leaving his mechanical skin smooth once more, except for the multi-barreled laser cannons.
"Hey, Ryoko?" Minagi called. "Why don't we forget about it. Let's just get back to the ship."
Ryoko turned around and looked at Minagi like she was crazy.
"Are you nuts?"
"Well, what did he ever do to us?"
It took Ryoko a couple of seconds to remember that Minagi knew nothing of the little trip to the nameless planet.
"Oh. Yeah, that's right. Well. This little pipsqueak tried to kill Tenchi!"
Minagi stood up with an angry scowl, allowing Aeka's head to bounce on the floor. Her energy sword snapped into being.
"I'll take the left, you take the right."
Ryoko grinned.
"Sounds good."
A large drop of water appeared on the right side of Mikamo's chassis.
"Uh-oh."
The lights went out.
"Huh?"
The raised wall began to descend, and clunks and groans could be heard all around them.
"What's going on?" Minagi asked.
"Standard, that chu-ing coward!!! He's trying to space us!! Not that it really matter to me, anyway."
"Aeka..." Ryoko sailed back towards the "fuel control" compartment on the other side of the rapidly lowering wall with Minagi right behind her. They phased through the metal wall without a second thought. Mikamo, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The sound of his metal manipulators clawing at the metal was clearly audible as he screeched vindictive epitaphs at them.
"You chu-ing bastards! I'll murder you! I'll chu you up and make transistors out of you! CHU! CHU!! CHU!!!"
A second bulkhead slammed down in front of the first, preventing the air within the ship from escaping when the tanks were jettisoned. There was a tremendous ker-thunk sound that echoed throughout the ship, then silence. Ryoko and Minagi stared at each other for a second with blank expressions.
"Oohh..."
The twins looked down to see Aeka was finally awakening.
"You okay?" Minagi asked.
"Yes... I... My. That was awful. All of a sudden, I began to feel quite ill. Not sick. Just... woozy."
Ryoko actually had the good grace to look concerned.
"You sure? You never know what kind of weird stuff that Mikamo might have put in the air."
Aeka opened her eyes to see the strange event of Ryoko showing concern for her well-being.
"Well. Now if only Lord Tenchi were here to see this."
The girls shared a laugh at that.
"Is he gone?" Biff asked as he carefully peered around the corner at them. Ryoko strode to where he was standing and snagged his white collared shirt.
"What kind of idiot teams up with a psycho like Mikamo?"
Aeka wearily climbed to her feet, half-expecting her strength would give out. Luckily, it did not.
"I have a compromise. Since Mister Standard has obviously seen the error of his ways..."
Biff nodded vigorously.
"...I have no problem if we simply forget about everything that has happened here."
"What about Mikamo?" Ryoko growled. "He's still floating around out there."
"Hmm... I believe Ryuo is still in need of a targeting system alignment."
That seemed to satisfy Ryoko. She released Biff's collar and even carefully folded the starched fabric back into place.
"All right. But don't let it happen again, 'kay?"
"Uh, right."
The three girls slowly faded from view as Aeka called on the power that would transport her and her companions back to her ship.
"Say, Aeka. Can I fire the weapons?"
"No."
Biff sighed when they were finally out of sight. That stupid psycho robot had almost gotten him killed. Even though he had lost the cargo, he still had something even more valuable than that: information.
He returned back to the bridge of the ship, heading immediately to the communications console. He cleared the security encryption routine he had had designed for the Luxury Edition's commo-suite, and selected his destination from a menu of options. After a delay of several seconds, the recipient appeared on his screen.
"What is it, Mister Standard?"
"We ran into space-pirates and the Jurai Royal Family on the way."
"And?"
"The robot guard went berserk and tried to kill them."
"Oh?" The narrow-faced man with spectacles on his nose seemed mildly entertained. "Did it succeed?"
"Of course not."
"Ah, well. It is too much to ask, considering who it was up against."
"Well, there's the problem."
The man's wavy silver hair seemed the rustle as he leered into the screen.
"The cargo?"
"The First Princess said something about target practice."
"What?"
The man's voice had the unusual capability of being able to exude menace without even trying.
"Since the cargo was destroyed, I might as well turn around and head back."
"Very well. However, you contracted to deliver my cargo to its destination. Since you have not done so, you will simply have to make the trip again."
"Uh, wait a minute."
"I think not. This set-back is quite troublesome. Now I'll have to make another prototype body for the Unity program. If you wish to remain in my good graces, you will do exactly as I say."
Biff could tell when another person was getting impatient or angry. The looks this man was sending him spoke of very bad things if he did not cooperate.
"Very well. But, I expect that your government will still purchase my software for use in all its computer systems, once the take-over is completed."
The silver-haired man with glasses smiled.
"Indeed. We will definitely use your software, Mister Standard."
Biff's eyes glittered with imagined worlds of completely standardized computer systems as the image of his business partner disappeared.
"I can see it now... everything... completely standardized. Ahh..."
On the bridge of Ryuo, Aeka and Ryoko were watching the converted fuel tanks from Biff's ship slowly tumble through space. Minagi was also watching, but from the bridge of her own ship, Hinase. A communications screen allowed them to talk as the final calibrations of Ryuo's weapons system were carried out.
"Hey, Aeka. Are you sure you really want to destroy those cargo containers?"
"Absolutely. Azaka, destroy that space junk with all due haste."
"Yes, Princess."
A beam of light streaked across the blank starscape and struck the tank, obliterating it. Suddenly, there was a secondary detonation that filled the screen with light for several seconds. Ryoko cheered as the blast wave washed through the ship.
"Suck on that, you little turd!"
"So, tell me, Miss Minagi. Was there some reason why I should not have blasted that abominable pirate into cosmic dust?"
"Mikamo? Nah. I don't care about him. It's just that the container in the corner of the tank was sealed. I couldn't phase into it, or pick the lock or anything."
"So?"
"Well, if you ask me, I think it looked like some sort of cryogenic storage chamber."
Aeka stared at the tiny sparkles of debris that were slowly floating out of view on the display.
"Well, I suppose it's too late, now."
END.
AFTERWORD: *: Tenju == The tree that the Jurai royal palace is in. The kanji mean Heaven Tree.
If you read closely, you'll find little mysteries like that cargo container spread throughout the story. Betcha wanna know what was in it, huh? Heh, heh, heh.
Some last minute changes I made to the final two scenes seemed to have a much more dramatic effect, I think.