Seven Years Later
To some, the prospect of sitting on the bridge of a ship while its engines were cooling down after a sixteen hour period of Warp Drive and looking over the Stars wasn't the most interesting way to spend time. But to Yamcha, looking out from the Bridge of the Puar, he couldn't think of a better sight. Everyone else had gone to their quarters to sleep while Yamcha watched over the engines as they cooled down. The ability to break the light barrier when travelling through Space was a necessity but for an old ship like the Puar, a cooling down period was needed so the things wouldn't explode from overheating.
The quiet was probably the best part of all of this, the silence so relaxing and really allowed him to soak up the sight before him. A silence that usually went uninterrupted for the most part. Nothing to do but silently contemplate on…
"Wow… It's beautiful." Came a voice that disrupted the peace Yamcha was enjoying. Turning round in his seat, Yamcha recognised the young Ephraim as he stared out into the void of Space, soaking up the sight. He'd been doing that a lot over the last two days whenever they were out of Warp Drive, gazing wistfully over the Stars, yearning to see all of them.
With a wave of his hand towards an unoccupied seat, Yamcha said "Sit down kid, no need to stand up. And you're right, it is beautiful, what you see here is the border between the Central and Eastern Quadrants."
"You mean we're nearing the Moon Kingdom?" Ephraim asked in a tone that made Yamcha pause. While most people would ask in that question in a tone of eagerness and even awe, Ephraim had used the same tone someone would use when asking "This is going to hurt isn't it?"
Suppressing his curiosity for now, Yamcha nodded as Ephraim sat at the communications section "Yeah, we only need to wait for one hour for the engines to cool before a five hour journey will see us to the Moon Kingdom. Another six hours and we're there."
Silence once more reigned out throughout the Bridge as Gohan quietly contemplated these words while looking out over the Stars "What's it like? The Moon Kingdom I mean?"
Yamcha paused as he thought about that for a moment before shrugging "Can't say I've been there often really. My line of work really kind of discourages going there without a large enough price tag. But I'll tell you one thing Ephraim, that place is going to ruin me one way or another."
Thinking of the many stories Gero had told him regarding the tyranny of the Moon Kingdom, Ephraim asked with a voice full of indignation "How are they planning to do that to you?"
A cynical smirk crossed Yamcha's lips as he gave the answer "I suppose you and your grandfather were too far away to know much about the War between the Moon Kingdom and Dark Kingdom a few years back. Well, after the Moon Kingdom won and occupied some of the Southern Quadrant, they started to uncover the work of this Sorcerer who'd been working for the Dark Kingdom; some of it included this teleportation spell that was more powerful than any before it. He could send people or items from one Quadrant to another! Can you imagine what that meant for transportation? With a skilled enough Mage you could travel entire Worlds without breaking a sweat!" Yamcha paused as he gave the Bridge a sad look "Within a few years, ships like these will be obsolete, which is really a tragedy itself."
With some sympathy towards the man, Ephraim said meekly "I'm sure there'll be other jobs out there for you somewhere…"
"Jobs?" Yamcha exclaimed, looking over to Ephraim "This isn't about jobs for me and the crew! There's something much deeper than that! Ever since Space travel started, there was adventure to be had! A huge unknown aspect about it all that just made all this worthwhile! But this spell… When enough Mages get to know it, there'll be no more mystery, no more travel, just a few equations and some incantations and you're wherever you want to be." A small sigh came from Yamcha's lips as he looked out over to the infinite expanse before them "No one will ever sail among the Stars again…"
For a while, both Yamcha and Ephraim looked out onto the Stars before them, contemplating this idea of magic destroying one aspect of Space travel forever. While it seemed like this would be the better option, cheaper, faster and easier travel, Ephraim could see the loss of the romance of travel. After all, what was going through a portal but a few steps? Yamcha was right in his way, to no longer use Spaceships; it was truly like no longer being able to sail amongst the Stars…
"What's with all the doom and gloom here?" Said a voice from the doorway to the Bridge, causing both Yamcha and Ephraim to turn round, spotting Ryoko leaning against the wall, dressed in a light blue robe, evidently having just gotten up from bed. She stepped forward, smiling at Ephraim coyly before looking at Yamcha "You're not giving him that usual bunk on the loss of Ships are you? Come on Yamcha, with this job, we'll be rich enough to forget about all that, no need to worry about what people are going to do for their travelling arrangements afterwards."
Yamcha rolled his eyes and glanced over to Ephraim "One of Ryoko's many flaws, she's got no heart. Not a drop of poetry in her."
"Hey! I can do poetry easily!" Ryoko protested before clearing her throat, preparing to give an example "There once was a girl from Beijing, who was awfully good at-."
"That's enough Ryoko." Yamcha said cutting the limerick short "Why don't you go and get changed? We're going to need you when we go back into Warp Drive." He gave the woman a harsh look to show he wasn't messing around to which Ryoko stuck her tongue out at him to show him she was.
Rather than protest the order, Ryoko realised it was an opportunity she had been waiting for and grabbed Ephraim's hand as she left "Come along Ephie! You're going to help me choose an outfit!"
More than a little apprehensive yet not wanting to appear rude, Ephraim only offered a minor protest "But I don't know anything about clothes!" Only to be ignored by Ryoko as she dragged the young man to her quarters. It occurred to Yamcha as they left that Ephraim honestly expected clothes to be involved with Ryoko, the last two days he had densely missed every last hint that she was more than a little attracted to him. Despite knowing he should really discourage Ryoko, Yamcha couldn't help but grin in amusement at the thought as to who would get the biggest surprise from the dress up…
XxX
All in all, Ryoko's quarters were not entirely what Ephraim was expecting. Then again, he had never gotten as close to a woman as he had done with Ryoko so he was entirely sure as what he should have expected. It was a single large room with a bath to one side next to a modesty screen and opposite was a bed. Not very tidy, there were clothes flung over the screen and across the bed while a small table that had a mirror perched upon it had various brushes and combs left haphazardly across the surface and a cushioned chair sat in front of the table, the actual wood of the chair standing out as being quite well made and looked quite expensive which Ephraim made a polite comment on.
"Thanks, saw it in the shop window and just had to have, even if the owner didn't realise I did." Came the reply as Ryoko slipped behind the modesty screen, throwing the robe over the top as she began to change "Oh Ephraim…" Ryoko called out coyly "I don't suppose you'd mind passing me the clothes hanging over the chair would you?"
The reaction she got as far from what Ryoko was expecting "Oh, you mean the underwear? Sure." Ephraim picked the silken item and placed it on top of the screen, enough hanging over for Ryoko to grab and pull over.
For a long moment, Ryoko was silent as she picked up the panties and placed them on before poking her head out at Ephraim, her body still covered by the screen "You really don't get to meet a lot of women do you Ephraim?"
The young man shook his head, good natured as always "No, me and grandfather lived mostly by ourselves. Only ever saw a few other people when the local traders came round although I wasn't meant to meet with any of them. Grandfather didn't want me risking giving away too much information and letting the Moon Kingdom where we were."
As Ryoko slipped on some more clothing, she began to truly wonder about this mission they had been hired for. The money was more than enough to make them forget about questions but Ryoko had grown quite fond of Ephraim and wasn't fond of the idea of him going into danger because of his 'grandfather' (Just by looking at the two Ryoko was prepared to swear that that story was as false as could be). Clearing her throat a little, Ryoko went on "So Ephraim… is Gero your only relative? No cute brothers I should know about?"
"Grandfather said they all died in a fire when I was a baby. I can't remember anything about them or anything before I was eleven. There was this lab accident… Ever since then, all I get is a blank."
Ryoko finally finished changing and stepped out from behind the screen, making Ephraim's jaw drop more than a little. He had been completely oblivious to Ryoko's advances and hints about what she wanted from him but seeing her in this outfit acted on some instincts he had long forgotten. The outfit Ryoko had on was mostly dark silks that hugged her figure closely around her upper body and legs but left a big gap round her midriff, letting Ephraim get a nice view of her toned belly. With some silk slippers on her feet, the entire ensemble looked like a harem outfit that highlighted the curves of Ryoko's body. Ephraim felt his head swim as he soaked up the sight, unable to speak at all.
"Well you won't get a blank with what we're about to do…" Ryoko said seductively as she walked towards Ephraim, drawing in close towards him, tracing his hand up his shirt until she reached the top "You'll never forget what I'll do to you…" With that, she tore at his shirt, ripping it downwards towards his chest, catching Ephraim by surprise.
Stepping backwards in shock, Ephraim turned a dark red, his entire body flushing in embarrassment, which only highlighted that which had caught Ryoko's eye. Her gaze looked down towards Ephraim's chest where a slim scar was seen just below his heart, the skin twisted and mottled in a hideous way. While usually Ryoko would have been soaking up the sight of Ephraim's well trimmed and muscled physique, the scar had sent a shiver through her, recognising it for what it was, the after affects of dark magic. Ephraim noticed where she was looking and instantly covered up his chest, averting his gaze from her, embarrassed at the scar being uncovered "Just… Something from a lab accident, that's all…"
"A lab accident?!" Ryoko called out scornfully, not believing that for a second.
Mistaking the words for a question, Ephraim nodded "It was the same one that made me lose my memory. Some equipment blew up and was embedded in my chest. Grandfather was able to remove it but it left… this." He motioned towards the scar, visibly upset at even having to mention the thing.
For once, Ryoko felt a glimmer of compassion overcome her libido as she brought her hand up to the tear and closed it up, covering the scar "Don't worry, it doesn't really detract from the rest of you. You are really quite a handsome young man."
Ephraim paused before smiling a little at the compliment as he averted his eyes, still embarrassed at it all "Y-You really think so Ryoko?"
A predator like smile crossed Ryoko's face as the glimmer of compassion faded and her libido crept up again "Oh yes. I know so Ephraim." She said as she wrapped her arms around his body, pulling him closer "And I'll show you just how much I know." Ryoko leaned in close, preparing to bring her lips up to Ephraim's as she prepared for a kiss.
Ephraim didn't resist, his heart was pounding like a jackhammer, banging hard against his chest as he saw Ryoko lean in close. He knew what could be called the 'bare mechanics' but he never once thought this would happen to him. He was left no time to even think about this as Ryoko leaned in just a few inches more for the kiss before the door to Ryoko's room suddenly slid open and Eighteen stood at the entrance "Alight Ryoko, we need you for… Damnit Ryoko, can't you keep yourself from spreading them for more than five minutes?"
Ryoko's face contorted into sheer rage as she curled up her fists and glared at the woman before her "What did you say?! I'll wring you neck you scrawny little-!"
Eighteen merely rolled her eyes at the tirade and waved her hand dismissively at Ryoko "Sure, whatever you say. But we've got more important things than that right now. Everyone needs to be up on the Bridge as soon as possible, there's some weird noises coming over the radio of a hijacked Ship coming this way and we need to be on alert so we're not brought down by them. Get changed and get onto the Bridge. Now!"
With that order, Eighteen turned and left, leaving Ryoko and Ephraim by themselves as the door slid shut. With the rage from being insulted still on her face, Ryoko stomped off behind the screen once more, furious at both losing her fun and the insult from Eighteen. Ephraim looked on nervously before speaking up "I suppose I should get another shirt?"
"Yes! Fine!" Ryoko snapped before calming down, Eighteen always managed to rile up her nerves like no one else but she didn't want to completely ruin her chances with Ephraim. And the memory of his scar was seeping back, something about that did not sit right with Ryoko at all. She sighed and said in a much softer tone "You go ahead Ephraim; I'll see you later on the Bridge."
"Alright then, see you later Ryoko!" Was the cheerful reply and Ryoko heard the door open and shut before letting herself shiver with the thought of what could have done that to him. Ryoko knew enough about magic to know that what had happened to Ephraim's body was certainly powerful. Coupled with the frequent lies Gero had told, Ryoko started to severely doubt whether this job was a good idea or not…
XxX
Patience was indeed meant to be a virtue. But for many, it was a finite resource, to be guarded carefully as to avoid being used up entirely. For Lieutenant-Colonel Cosmos, this was soon becoming reality with the slow work upon finding the Wolf Fang Gang. After the surprise attack which had crippled the his Ship's engines for over a day but thankfully (And oddly) caused no casualties, a desperate search to find the group occurred with guess work being used a lot. One disturbing fact had been uncovered during the time on Sulu Four; the Wolf Fang Gang had not arrived for cargo as Cosmos had thought but to pick up a passenger, Dr. Gero.
Dr. Gero had certainly been well renowned in his youth as a brilliant man; his advances in robotics alone were still talked about in glowing terms. But down the line rumours had started to circle about less than legal activities. Before any investigation could be made, Gero had disappeared, leaving only questions. Now, it seemed as if he was back, but for what purpose? There had been another passenger; someone had overheard him calling Gero his grandfather which only added further questions.
The problem produced a strain upon Cosmos's patience like no other. Gero's work had produced results that could be outright deadly in the wrong hands while the question of where he was going was wearing down onto Cosmos's last nerve. Coupling this was a distress signal that had arrived not long after they had recovered long enough to pursue. It was garbled, hurried and essentially boiled down to "Help! Help! A crazy Namek has taken over the Ship and he's getting us to follow someone… Arrrghhhh!!"
Now normally Cosmos would have ignored such a plea if it meant getting in the way of his duty. But something stirred his instincts in the message. Nameks were by their very nature calm and almost serene in everything they did. Only one individual sprang to mind when Cosmos tried to think about who it could be, the Namek who had been a friend to that Saiyan boy in the Palace all those years ago. Cosmos hadn't heard about him for over seven years and the sudden appearance smacked of a little more than mere coincidence.
Cosmos had ordered the hijacked Ship to be followed, trusting his instincts as the radars noted that a course straight towards the Moon Kingdom. Despite the orders given to him by Queen Serenity, Cosmos felt he would soon be going there, but he had to confirm it first. He sat on the Bridge of his Ship as one Ensign managed to gain contact with the rogue Ship, a Jurai vessel called the Himiko. With a nod of confirmation by the Ensign to show that communications had been established, Cosmos spoke as his voice was sent by the radio over to the Himiko "This is Liutenant-Colonel Cosmos of the Moon Kingdom vessel, the HMS Serene. We received a distress signal from you earlier, what is your status? Respond."
A moment's silence followed before some hushed and frantic noises from the Himiko were heard, an argument could be picked up before a voice finally spoke over the communication, the tone disbelieving and furious "Cosmos? General Cosmos? What're you doing here?!"
A smile crept across Cosmos's lips as he heard the voice. He wasn't pleased to hear it certainly but his hunch had been proven correct at least "Well, well, well. Piccolo wasn't it? I could ask you the same thing. Why have you hijacked a Jurai Ship? Something pop up at all?"
There was a moment's pause as Piccolo considered this question, wondering whether or not to tell the truth. Finally, realising that if Cosmos could track him down, he could easily makes much more difficult for him; Piccolo answered "Two days ago, I sensed the energy of Gohan. I'm tracking him down. If you want to help, feel free but don't get in my way."
Cosmos did a double take at this announcement, Gohan? The Saiyan boy? It was impossible to even think of such an idea! But… two days ago, the same time the Serene was attacked. Not a great believer in coincidences, Cosmos had to admit they were piling up. There was still something that needed to be confirmed before he actually chose to believe Piccolo however "And where did you sense this energy?"
"How should I know?! All I can be certain of that it was in the Eastern Quadrant somewhere! It felt as if he was attacking something! Now leave me in peace, it's hard enough trying to track his energy signature without you distracting me!"
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Cosmos reflected upon this. Dr. Gero, Piccolo resurfacing and a trail leading to the Moon Kingdom, this was not a time to act as if everything was going on as normal. Cosmos considered it to be his duty to follow this up to the Moon Kingdom, maybe Queen Serenity's heart might be softened after all this time…
Shaking away the last thought, Cosmos spoke up "Very well Piccolo. It seems we might have mutual goals at this moment. How about a bargain? The Serene is a far better class of Ship than what you're on now and you can help us track down those we're hunting much quicker. If you refuse, I can give the order to open fire. Think you'll last long in a barrage from us will you?"
Although he didn't reply instantly, Cosmos could tell that Piccolo would be seething from that threat and the fact that he could do nothing to stop Cosmos if he did give out the order to fire. Hesitantly, Piccolo's voice came over the radio once more "All right damn you. You've gotten your deal Cosmos. Just keep in mind it might come back to haunt you."
Giving a contemptuous snort, Cosmos proceeded to give the order to board to take on Piccolo. Whatever the mystery was here, he was determined to discover the answer to it.
To be continued…
Lord Edric – Glad I'm able to offer some surprises when I can. Hope you'll have a few more before the story is through.
Shiva the Sarcastic – Oddly enough I really don't like Star Wars. I'm a Trekkie and proud of it. Hope I'm able to keep up your interest with it.
Egohan – Piccolo's here to stay and should be interesting to see how he goes.
LanceXstorm5 – Glad you're liking the integrating and I'm trying to make it as natural as I can although this'll most likely be the cap on the characters used for now. And yeah, I probably could do with a Beta-reader, never gotten round to getting one.
Chapter five up and hope you've enjoyed. I just hope I don't have to bump up the age rating for the Ryoko scene… Enjoy and please, read and review!
