Chapter 6
In a crammed office space littered with papers and cabinets about to burst open, Vash the
Stampede wrote down numbers in a logbook keeping track of how much product he was
selling and when shipments were due to arrive. Being a successful establishment in the
heart of the downtown area in Singapore was demanding and required a deal of focus
due to how constantly busy the donut shop was. Vash, along with two other employees,
worked around the clock taking and serving orders: the normal routine for a day at the
shop. This day was a bit different. The hour was getting close to noon but the shop was
not in the least bit busy. It surprised Vash but he knew it would not last long and cherished
the time he had as a break before business picked up again. The smell of pastries cooking
was urging Vash to help himself to several freshly made donuts but keeping his customers
first he restrained himself, remaining in his seat. He would reward himself at the end of the
day. He stands up and looks out the door leading to the area behind the front counter. Only
one person was sitting at a table. She had pink headphones in her ears and occasionally
sipped a small cup of chai tea while reading a book. The two employees were either wiping
tables or keeping a close eye on anything that was cooking. The walls were yellow and
green stripes running vertically throughout the donut shop. Once Vash sees that everything
is in seemingly perfect running order, he turns back and sits down in his chair. Crossing his
arms and closing his eyes he thinks back to planet Gunsmoke. More in particular, he thought
of Merryl. "Hopefully it won't be too long. I'll come back and get you" he thought to himself.
He reminisced about everything they did together beginning from where they first met to
leaving Merryl and Milly behind in a small village so that he could face his brother. A knock
was heard at his door. Opening his eyes and turning around he sees one of his employees
in his black shirt, khaki pants, and beige visor with the company logo on it.
"Oh hey, Lubu. Did you need something?"
"Mr. Vash, someone is here to see you"
Vash's facial expression showed he was slightly surprised at first but then thought
it was perhaps a customer who had a question about the store. Standing up again
he follows his employee to the front counter. The man standing on the other side had
his face down and on his head was a white fedora. His suit was beige and he wore a
plain black tie. Vash puts his hands together like a Buddhist monk in meditation.
"Hello, sir. Can I help you?"
The man looked up with gun metal blue eyes back at Vash causing him to open both
eyes wide.
"Maybe. It's been a while, brother hasn't it?"
Since the battle with the INSF Vash, and his brother, Knives the Genocide parted ways
not saying a single word to each other since then. Now that they were face to face
again, Vash wondered why, after several years, Knives suddenly appeared. Even more
of a mystery to him was how Knives found him in the heart of a large city such as
Singapore. Lubu looked back at the two looking a bit concerned not knowing what to
make of what was happening in front of him.
"Knives? Where have you been all these years? And how did you find me?"
"Have you forgotten who you are? I could detect your energy even while I was still
roaming this planet"
Vash's face was now straight as he felt more comfortable in the situation.
"So I still have energy? I'm surprised"
"Why do you ask that?" Knives questioned.
"I put down my gun a while ago, Knives. I opened up this shop you are standing in.
It's been nothing but fun for a long time"
"You gave up your only skill to open up a mediocre eating establishment among these
spiders?" he said raising his voice.
Vash looked hurt.
"There is no need to fight anymore. These are good people who want to live in peace"
"No need to fight? Vash, have you seen what's been going on? Ever since that Guardian
of Earth appeared no one is safe. It's only a matter of time before he decides to take
over the Earth"
"Guardian? Wait, Morien? Knives, Morien is not going to do that. Trust me. His intentions
are good for all people. Heck, I know him personally"
Knives slams his fists down into the counter causing Lubu to jump. The other employee
was now focused on what was happening at the front counter.
"You what!"
"Does that bother you? Yes I know Morien personally. I don't know if you were paying
attention but I too was part of the Windy City Campaign. I have no qualms about shooting
things that aren't biological. It was almost a coincidence that we met in Chicago"
"Hold on a moment. Isn't this Morien the same one who crushed that rebellion of the
INSF? Along with a few others?"
"That would be him, brother"
Knives stands up straight and scratches his forehead, lifting up his fedora slightly.
"How did I miss this? It never registered that the Guardian of Earth was in fact this
Morien person"
"Why else did you come here?"
"I've sensed high level energy on this planet for a while now. It seems to be staying in
the same place somewhere in southern Japan"
Vash thought for a moment realizing it was where the Masaki residence was.
"It seems that Tenchi's home is a magnet for newcomers of all kinds"
"Don't tell me you've met them too, Vash"
Vash chuckles slightly.
"No but with the exception of the events taking place in Chicago years ago it seems
that most of the world's troubles recently have someway been associated with Tenchi
or someone living there"
"And now, since you've been filled in, I propose we pay them a visit"
Vash wondered about his brother's sudden interest in these newcomers.
"Why should we do that?"
"I've never felt power like that before so I'm curious. That and it could be my ticket off
this planet"
Vash again looks at Knives in mild surprise.
"Why would you want to leave here?"
"Because I prefer being alone. I'm still not used to being around these spiders even
though I can tolerate them now"
"This planet is such a beautiful place, Knives. Just find a place here to live alone if that
is what you want"
"Are you coming with me or not?"
"I don't think I can. I'm the only one who knows how to run this place"
After keeping quiet for the duration of the conversation Lubu spoke again.
"Mr. Vash. I know how to run this store"
Vash turns his head over towards where Lubu stood.
"Do you now?"
"Yes"
"You can run the machines and do all the paperwork?"
"All you have to do is know how to count donuts and money. How hard could it be?"
"Wait what are you saying?"
"You see brother? Look how this spider is being condescending to you by stating
you chose a simple career because he thinks you are incapable of doing anything else!"
"No no! I meant that I can manage the store while he's gone. I'm just trying to help,
not offend anyone! Don't kill me!"
Lubu cowered in fear as Knives glared at him.
"At ease, Knives. He's a good employee and I know he didn't mean anything by
saying that. I guess this means I'm going with you then. How are we getting there?"
"Don't concern yourself over that. When you are ready use your senses to find me
in this city"
Knives turns towards the front entrance and walks out.
"Your brother is…interesting Mr. Vash"
"Yeah but he's come a long way from what he once was, Lubu"
"How so?"
"Don't worry about that. Maybe I'll tell you later"
A few minutes after Knives left a sudden rush hit the donut shop and Vash, along
with his two employees, became very busy taking and serving orders.
It was just after lunch. The day had finally arrived. In a few hours each member living
at the Misaki home, as well as the newcomers, would journey to Tom's ship known as
the Gray Wolf. No one had packed in advanced and decided to do it on this day which
called for insanity at the household as people, mainly the women, frantically looked for
items to take with them even though it was supposed to be a 3 or 4 day trip. Russ, Kanta,
Morien, Tenchi, Zorpheus, and Nobuyuki all sat in the living room chuckling while listening
to the girls upstairs. Phrases like "I can't find it anywhere" to "Did anyone take…?" could
be heard.
"It was almost like this last time" Russ said with a grin.
"Well you have to understand…" Kanta started.
"…that they're women?" Zorpheus says.
"Exactly" Kanta confirms.
"Isn't this supposed to be a short 3 day trip?" Morien asked.
Russ had his head turned towards the window and looked at the nature outside until
he came across Vladimir and Alex having a conversation outside on the deck. Alex was
blowing out smoke from his cigarette and Vladimir tried to wave it away. It seemed that
Vladimir never took up smoking. Once Morien's question goes through his mind he brings
his focus back on the conversation.
"Oh…yeah it is. It depends on what Tom has in store. It could be longer" Russ replies.
From the top of the stairs Ryo-Ohki makes her way down and turns towards the group
in the living room. She stares for a moment then jumps up and lands on top of Morien's
head from behind. This caused Morien to jump a bit, flailing his arms and accidentally
hitting Kanta, who was sitting next to him, in the chin.
"Oww! What the hell, asshat?" Kanta shouts.
Everyone else around laughs taking in the humor unfolding. Even Alex and Vladimir
outside looked in long enough to see Morien hit Kanta and laughed as well.
"Dude…well I'm not sure if I'm sorry or not" Morien says with a smirk. "But I've already
told you. I jump easily. I don't like surprises like that"
"But at the cost of my beautiful chin?" Kanta said still holding his chin.
Morien raises an eyebrow at Kanta.
"Beautiful you say?"
"Hey, I have Junko now. I think that counts for something"
"You know, on that subject once again, since she never told us…what are you two?"
Morien asked.
"Yeah, I'm kind of curious myself" Russ added.
"And you're going to get the same response. We are what you see. I will neither
confirm nor deny anything" Kanta stated.
"Have you at least banged her brains out?" Zorpheus asked bluntly.
"Now why would I tell you that?" Kanta asked with his arms crossed.
"You know you want to" Zorpheus responded.
"Actually, no I don't. My lips remained sealed. If you really want to find out…well, no.
I won't even go there"
Everyone in the room smirked.
"I can't tell if you answered Zorpheus's question or not" Russ says.
"Well how would you like it if I asked you if any of you if you've been getting laid?"
Kanta retorted.
"And what do you think the answer to that would be?" Morien asked with a grin with
everyone else sitting down following suit.
Kanta just let out a groan but said nothing more.
"I almost forgot…there's a something on my head"
Morien puts his hand on top of Ryo-Ohki and places her on his lap.
"Ok, let's see if I can still do this: Hello Ryo-Ohki"
She gives off a meow.
"Excellent. I can still understand you"
"You can?" Kanta asks in slight amazement.
"Yeah. It's all mental but I can communicate with this cute little furry thing as if it was
another person. So, I take it you are our ride to Tom's ship then, Ryo-Ohki?"
Ryo-Ohki gave off a happy meow response. She even told Morien how the first time she
encountered Tom's ship she was frightened by the tractor beam.
"Apparently she had a bad experience with a tractor beam the first time you guys
went to see Tom"
"Yeah, I remember that. I had to calm her down and convince her he was just guiding
us in" Russ said.
"So you still addicted to carrots then?" Morien asks the cabbit.
She meows again letting him know she will always be. Morien chuckles and thinks to
himself "I can't believe I'm talking to an animal. I'm like Dr. Doolittle"
Meanwhile, the upstairs part of the house was more or less in a state of panic as Ryoko,
Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Kiyone gathered any items they thought they would need
for the trip even if they believed they were over-packing.
"Whose idea was it to pack this late?" Ryoko asked to herself.
"It wasn't anyone's idea, Ryoko. We didn't really plan this out at all" Sasami overheard
and responded.
"Oh well. I think I'm just going to call it good. I suppose if I need anything else I can find
it on the Gray Wolf" Ryoko stated closing a suitcase.
She was the first one done packing and leaving Sasami behind, she walks into the hallway,
passing by a room with both Kiyone and Mihoshi in it. Not surprisingly Kiyone was yelling at
her GXP partner but Mihoshi seemed to be impervious to Kiyone's rants now. After all the
years being partners in the Galaxy Police, Mihoshi had gotten more and more used to Kiyone's
fury but her clumsiness had not changed in the least bit. Ryoko chuckled to herself and headed
downstairs.
"Kiyone, come on. I still may be clumsy but knowing that you don't have to be jealous
anymore should bring you some peace inside" Mihoshi explained.
"Yeah well…actually yeah you're right. Wait, how did you know…?" Kiyone asked.
"I could always sense it. Ever since Zorpheus and I got together I could always sense a
bit of envy from you. I just never took the time to talk to you about it because I didn't know if
you wanted to"
Kiyone was taken back.
"You could sense that?"
"Yup. But none of that really matters now does it?" Mihoshi responds with her bubbly smile.
"I still can't believe you're in love, Kiyone!"
"Mihoshi! For about the one-hundredth time we're not in love. But…I do like him…quite
a bit" Kiyone
blushes.
"I'm so happy for you two. I hope all works out for you"
"Thanks Mihoshi" Kiyone smiles.
"By the way, I heard that you two slept on the sofa last night"
This catches Kiyone off guard and she starts to sweat a bit.
"Uh….well…I fell asleep and landed on his shoulder and apparently he was also asleep when
this happened"
"Are you sure nothing else happened?" Mihoshi winks at her.
"No, Mihoshi…no" Kiyone was a bit irritated but kept her composure. "So despite what I
told you on the Yagami before our battle with the Jurians, you and Zorpheus still became
something. How is that going?"
Mihoshi continued to pack as she told Kiyone her story.
"Well I did take that into consideration before we started dating. He said that as long
as we were together he would be loyal to me. If Sasami trusts him then so will I. Sasami's
judgment has never been wrong before"
"And how did you two start? I don't recall you ever telling me"
Mihoshi now blushes thinking about that day.
"I fell into the pond from the deck. Clumsy me I know. But when I resurfaced Zorpheus
was there. After asking if I was okay he reached out his hand and pulled me up. Because
my shoes were wet, when I tried to stand up on the deck I slipped and sort of pushed
him, making him fall back and I landed on top of him. Lifting my head up I remember him
staring at me and I did the same back. Something clicked and he asked me if we could go
for a walk. Of course I said 'yes.' A few days after that he asked me if I wanted to be his
girlfriend which is what I thought was going to happen but it still surprised me. So here
we are now"
"I see. I really do hope he stays loyal. You deserve nothing but the best"
"Aww thanks, Kiyone. Usually he acts a bit perverted when he's with Russ or any of the
other guys but he treats me so well. He's such a man! So then what's Vladimir like?"
"Well even though I don't know him that well yet I find him very nice, easy to talk to, and
he knows how to make me laugh. Of course being cute is a bonus. I don't get nervous
often but when I first tried to talk to him I may as well have been intoxicated. It was
quite difficult. I'm glad that's somewhat over with"
Mihoshi and Kiyone continued their conversation while they packed. In another room
Ayeka was about to finish packing. As she put a few last articles of clothes into a
suitcase she looked at a small dresser and saw a necklace on the top. Walking over
she picked it up and put it on.
"I don't want to forget this" she told herself.
She thought about the day when Tenchi and Ryoko presented the necklace to her.
It brought a smile to her face. Sitting next to the spot where she picked up the necklace
was a photo of Russ with her inside the frame. In the photo they both faced towards
the camera. Russ stood behind with his arms around her waist and his head resting on
her left shoulder. Ayeka stood with her arms crossed. Both of them looked very happy
and in love in the photograph. Her smile persisted as she looked at the photograph. It
was soon broken when she felt a hand on her shoulder making her jump a bit. Quickly
turning around she sees it's Russ and her smile returns.
"You jump almost as easily as I do" Russ says with a grin.
"I was in thought. And you were in it" she replies.
"Well now, am I in trouble?"
"Big trouble. You're going to pay for making me fall in love with you"
Russ begins to chuckle.
"So what's my punishment, Ayeka?"
"I could think of a million ways to make you 'pay'"
"That could be fun"
Ayeka giggles to herself as Russ walks closer to her. Lightly taking hold of each other's
hands, they kiss. She then lays her head on his chest and embraces him on both sides.
They remain like this for several minutes.
"So are you almost ready, Ayeka?"
"I'm just going to do what Ryoko did and call it good. Like I overheard her say, if I do
need anything or forgot something I can just get it on Tom's ship"
"Wait, so you're not going to keep us waiting like last time?" he says with a smirk.
Ayeka glares at him for a moment but then breaks it, taking in the good humor.
"If you want me to keep you all waiting I can do that"
"I personally wouldn't care but the others might start a lynch mob and march up here"
While still holding on to Russ she glances around the room one more time to make sure
she had everything she needed.
"Russ?"
"Yes, Ayeka?"
"Have I changed your mind yet?" she asked with a smile.
"About what?"
"You're future role as Emperor"
Ayeka thought that was going to get him riled up but she was wrong.
"Before our fight was over, Morien actually talked briefly to me about why I should take
on that role. Believe it or not I'm a bit more convinced now. I'm still not saying 'yes' but
I'm not going to tell you 'no' either"
"Really?"
Ayeka's eyes lit up with a look of hope in her face.
"Yes. But I don't want to think about that right now. I do believe we have a crowd
waiting for us downstairs"
"Well keep on thinking about that Russ"
"Here let me take your suitcase, Ayeka"
"No that's fine. I have it"
"I insist, let me take it"
"Russ. It's really sweet what you are doing but I'm fine"
"I'm not letting a princess take a heavy suitcase down the stairs"
"First of all it's not that heavy and second of all I'm not letting the future Emperor of
the greatest empire in the galaxy carry my suitcase. Now if you please, follow me down
the stairs"
As she started to drag her suitcase it made a metal-grinding-on-metal sound on the
floor. She stops and looks blankly at Russ.
"Ok. Maybe it is a bit heavy. Do you think…you could help me with my suitcase?"
Russ facefaulted on the floor but gets back up and laughs.
"Of course, dear"
Effortlessly putting the suitcase on his shoulder he walks into the hall then down the
stairs with Ayeka following close behind. The voices on the main floor were getting
louder as they got closer. Now part of the group in the living room were Ryoko and Washu
both sitting on the laps of their significant others being how room was starting to get tight.
"Looks like the last of them are down here" Nobuyuki said taking note.
"Where are Mihoshi and Kiyone?" Ayeka asked
"They packed their things into the Yagami and took off. They will meet up in space with us then
we will all make the short trek to the Gray Wolf" Nobuyuki replied.
Russ placed Ayeka's suitcase by the front entrance with the other ones waiting to be put
aboard Ryo-Ohki. Morien looks around the living room and notices neither Kanta or Junko
were present.
"Has anyone see Kanta and Junko?"
"They're outside. I think they're on the other side of the pond" Washu responds.
"I think I'm going to go wait outside" Morien says.
"That means I have to get up" Washu pouts.
"You can come with me you know"
"I suppose"
"Hey guys, we'll be right back. We're going to step outside for a second"
Everyone else nodded and Morien along with Washu got up and walked towards the
front door.
"Hey, I'll catch up. I need to get something from my lab"
Washu turns around and heads towards her lab. Finding his boots Morien picks them
up and walks out the front door. When he closes it he turns around and in front of him
is the Shinto priest from the shrine up on the high hill that overlooks the valley where
the home is. They both stop for a moment. Morien looks into his eyes which are almost
the same color as Ayeka's.
"Hello there"
"Greetings. I don't believe we've met before. I've heard a bit about you"
"Oh?"
"I'm Katsuhito, Tenchi's grandfather"
"Morien"
They both shake hands and Katsuhito takes note of Morien's energy.
"You're energy is quite high. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were about to do battle"
Katsuhito places both hands behind his back and Morien crosses his arms.
"Really? I was only taught how to raise my energy in combat not lower it. I might as well
wear a big sign that reads 'come shoot me'" Morien says.
"You are Washu's husband are you not?"
"I am. How did you know that?"
"Washu told me herself. She made me swear not to tell anyone else. I'm surprised you
two kept it away from the others for so long"
"I'm just glad everyone now knows and they easily accepted it. I never expected to marry
someone who is literally from out of this world. I always entertained the thoughts from time
to time of extra-terrestrial life and I'm practically one of them now"
"I'm sure you've been told this already but this is only the beginning"
Morien glances slightly behind Katsuhito and sees Kanta and Junko in the distance sitting
on the shore waiting like everyone else to head to the Gray Wolf.
"You're friends behind me are rather interesting" Katsuhito starts.
"You've talked to them?"
"For a bit yes. I find it enigmatic how those two get along"
"That makes two of us"
Katsuhito's face becomes a bit more serious.
"Well you couldn't have come at a better time, Morien"
"Why do you say that?"
Rather than speaking in riddles or beating around the bush Katsuhito gets straight to
the point.
"There is an evil approaching"
"You're not the first one to tell me that"
"Russ and Zorpheus have, so far, proven to be the most powerful beings I have ever seen. I
don't know much about you but from what I've heard you can hold your own against Russ
pretty well until he transforms. Nevertheless we are going to need all the help we can get"
"Do you even know who or what it is we might be dealing with?"
Katsuhito looks at him for a few moments with a straight face.
"Lady Tokimi. That's all I can tell you because that is all I know right now"
"So what is this Lady Tokimi capable of?"
"Again, the name is all I know"
Morien looks up in the sky taking in everything Katsuhito explained to him. He sighs then looks
back at the Shinto priest.
"It looks like I might have to take that Guardian role to a whole new level. It seems the more
I try to escape from it the more I need to use it"
"Why try to escape from it, Morien? This is a rare gift that you have been given. A mere human
being now capable of achieving extraordinary power. The people of Earth have called you
guardian. I would take up that role. One day Russ will leave to hopefully become Emperor
when Ayeka takes the throne as Empress. I'm sure Zorpheus will leave as well…probably with
Mihoshi" he chuckles a bit at the thought "So that will leave you and Washu here on earth.
Tenchi and Ryoko, along with Sasami, will most likely stay as well"
"At this point, who knows where I'll end up. What's your connection to this family?"
Katsuhito now crosses his arms as he tells his story.
"I'm also known as Prince Yosho. I was next in line for the throne on Jurai. Ryoko, who was
under control of a man named Kagato at the time, had assaulted much of Jurai. As she left I
chased after her which led me here to Earth. I trapped her in a cave not far from here where
she remained for 700 years. Tenchi then released her during his younger years. Soon after,
the rest of the girls appeared almost all at the same time. They've all lived here ever since"
"Look how far you've all come"
"You're telling me. I never predicted any of this to happen"
The front door opens and Washu walks out to see Morien and Katsuhito engaged in
conversation.
"Hello you two. I see you've finally met" she says.
"Is there anyone else I haven't met?" Morien asks.
"That should be all. The list of people here keeps growing so it's hard to keep track. Are
you coming with us Lord Katsuhito?"
"No, Washu. I have matters to attend to here but it's not like you're going to be gone
for a month. I'll keep an eye out here for things"
"You mean for Lady Tokimi?
Washu gasps a bit.
"You told him?"
"Everyone who is capable of helping us needs to know, Washu" Katsuhito tells her.
"I don't want you to feel burdened, Morien"
"It's okay, Washu. Besides I think a new challenge just might be the thing I need after
a few years of not having any action."
Washu now speaks to him mentally.
"Like I don't give you enough action"
He opens his eyes very wide and sweatdrops.
"You know what I meant, Washu"
"Oh I know. I just love your extreme facial reactions"
"Before we we're married, you weren't like this at all"
"You try going 20,000 years without sex. I want to enjoy it as often as possible and I
think during this short trip we can continue where we left off"
"Well I have no problem with that!" he says out loud getting an eyebrow raise from Katsuhito.
"I don't think I want to know. Anyways I'm going to head back to the shrine. I hope
you all have a great time. It was nice meeting you, Morien"
"It was nice meeting you as well"
They shake hands again then Katsuhito turns around and walks towards the direction
of the shrine.
"I'm glad everyone here quickly accepted me"
"Russ said the same thing" Washu replies.
"You are taking a break from lab work on this trip aren't you?" he asked changing the
subject.
"Why would I do that?" she asked flatly.
"Oh well then nevermind"
"Don't worry. I'm not going to be a shut in. It's mainly to study Tom's ship. To this day
there is still no other ship out there like it and I would love to know its secrets"
"Tom does not seem like someone who would give out secrets like that"
"It depends on if they've ironed out most of the bugs from the systems"
The sound of the front door opens as everyone in the living room gets ready to walk out.
"It sounds like they are getting ready. I'll grab your stuff too"
"Thanks babe" she winks at him.
He returns a smirk to her then walks into the house.
"This is the big day so ya ready?" Russ asks sounding rather excited.
"Definitely. I'm going into outer space for the first time" Morien replies.
"It never gets old. Is everyone else ready then?" Russ asks.
A unified "YES" comes from the people inside and within seconds everyone steps
onto the deck. Ryoko walks out a bit further.
"Ok Ryo-Ohki. It's time!" she exclaims.
Underhand tossing the cabbit into the air, Ryo-Ohki gets about a hundred feet before
letting out a loud "Meow" then transforming into the massive crystalline ship covered
with spikes at just about every end. Kanta and Junko were already on their way over
when Ryo-Ohki transformed. Junko stared in utter shock at the sight of the massive
space vessel.
"What on Earth is that thing, Kanta?"
"That is Ryo-Ohki, our ticket to our very first space expedition"
"Come to think of it, I shouldn't be that surprised considering everything else I've
seen so far" Junko states.
Kanta and Junko reach everyone else who are standing directly under Ryo-Ohki.
Moments later all are surrounded by a bright white light and are transported aboard
the cabbit ship. Once the luggage is on board Ryoko takes her seat at the controls
and Tenchi takes the open seat next to her.
"Ryo-Ohki, take us to space!" Ryoko shouts.
The ship responds with a "meow" and rapidly lifts upwards. Each person feels the
slight G-Forces produced by the sudden ascension but the technology inside Ryo-Ohki
minimized any effects of extreme movements. Ryoko pressed a button which opened
a viewing port so that people could see the Earth quickly becoming smaller and smaller.
A rush of excitement came across the newcomers. Morien, Kanta, Junko, Alex, and Vladimir
gazed in awe as they watched Japan start to take the shape of what people would
see on a world map. In addition they spot two small dots following not far behind as
Russ, in his Tie Defender, and Zorpheus, in his Toscan Fighter, flanked behind Ryo-Ohki.
In only a few minutes Ryo-Ohki broke out of Earth's gravitational pull and was on her
way to Tom's ship. A green light flashed on the controls indicating an incoming transmission
which Ryoko was expecting. Allowing it to come through, Kiyone appears on the
viewing screen wearing casual clothes rather than her GXP attire.
"Hey there. Just left Earth and should be passing by you two in a few moments"
"Copy that, Ryoko"
Ryoko began to speak but Kiyone wasn't really focused on that. Her eyes looked into the
screen, setting her sights on the man she liked as he had his back turned looking out
through the observation window.
"Uhh, Kiyone"
She remembered what he said about wanting to 'hang out' as he called it. She greatly
looked forward to it.
"Kiyone"
A slow smile crept onto her face at the thought of spending time with Vladimir. Tom's ship
offered many places to go and things to do.
"Kiyone!"
She snapped out of her daydream at the sound of Ryoko nearly shouting her name.
"What was that about, Kiyone…wait a second..."
Ryoko turns around towards the direction Kiyone was looking and sees Vladimir down
the line of sight. Ryoko grins then turns back towards Kiyone.
"Oh, I see"
"Sssh. Please spare me the embarrassment, Ryoko"
"Kiyone is in love!" Mihoshi blurts out from behind her GXP partner's seat, getting everyone
to look towards the screen then at Vladimir who turns a bit red. Kanta pats him lightly
on the back and laughs.
"Go get her, tiger!" Alex yells.
Now Kiyone turns almost blood red.
"Please excuse me guys, I need to yell at my partner here" Kiyone says turning off the
communication for a moment.
Everyone inside the cabbit ship was left to wonder what Kiyone was about to unleash
on Mihoshi. Minutes afterwards the Yagami moves forward from its idle state and joins
Ryo-Ohki, Russ, and Zorpheus as they raced just a few hundred thousand miles beyond
the moon then slowed down to a stop.
"Did we just stop?" Kanta asked noticing the humming inside the ship had ceased.
"Yup" Ryoko responded while pressing keys on the controls.
"Ok, so are we going to keep moving?"
"Patience Kanta" Morien said.
"We're already here" Tenchi says responding to Kanta.
Morien turns around and looks out the viewing port but doesn't see anything.
"We are? From what Tom described this ship was supposed to be about a mile long and
hard to miss" he said turning back towards the controls. He was about to say something
else when he looks at Kanta who is gazing out of the viewing window looking stunned.
His eyes slowly started to widen. Morien got an idea of what he was looking at but to
confirm he turns around again and finally sees what he had looked forward to seeing for
a while. As if appearing from nothingness, the pearl white walls of the Imperial Star Destroyer
Gray Wolf come out of its cloaked state which dwarfed the 4 vessels seeking a place to dock
to in the massive ship. The newcomers were marveled at the sight of the ship. Even though
they were not really Star Wars fans they couldn't help but be very impressed with Tom's ship.
"So this is the Gray Wolf" Morien says to himself.
"I'm not really one to be amazed but I really have to succumb to my feelings here…this
is beyond amazing!" Kanta says.
"Mother Russia has nothing on this" Vladimir says gazing at the Gray Wolf.
"Mother Russia doesn't have a lot of anything" Alex responds.
"Where is your patriotism, Comrade?" Vladimir asks surprised.
"I'll explain later…over some Vodka, perhaps?" Alex wonders.
"You had me at Vodka. A real life Star Wars vessel and Vodka…can this trip get any
better?" Vladimir states with an excited tone.
"What about Kiyone?" Junko asks.
Vladimir's smile grows bigger.
"It just got better!" he exclaims getting a chuckle from everyone within earshot.
Soon Russ's face appeared on the controls.
"Glad to see everyone made it. Follow my Tie Defender to the bottom of the ship and
the tractor beam will do the rest of the work"
"Are you going to be okay this time, Ryo-Ohki?" Morien asked the cabbit ship.
She lets out a "meow."
"She says she has no problems with tractor beams now" Morien translates.
"Are you actually communicating with her or making this up?" Alex asks curiously.
"No, they are certainly communicating. I can hear her talk back to him" Ryoko says while
guiding Ryo-Ohki to the bottom of the Gray Wolf "I find it odd she can communicate with
you, Morien, but no one else except for myself and Washu"
They had now reached the bottom of the Gray Wolf following Russ who flew towards an
opening followed by the Toscan Fighter. Both vessels were small enough to not require
guidance into the Gray Wolf. The tractor beam had taken a strong hold of Ryo-Ohki and
began to pull her in followed by the Yagami soon after. Once the Yagami was inside, the
massive bay door shut and the air pressure returned to the docking bay.
"We're here once again!" Ayeka said. She had not spoken for most of the short trip.
Like clockwork, a line of guards began forming, creating a perfect formation around the
two ships and leading to the entrance that would take them deeper into the Gray Wolf.
"You know, their attire resembles that of the American SWAT. Odd" Morien states.
"Like Russ told me, despite you saw in the movies, just about everyone here is friendly
and easy to get along with. Don't be intimidated by what you see" Tenchi informs.
"I highly doubt that you would be intimidated by these guards. If anything they should
be afraid of you" Washu says to Morien with her mind.
"I don't need an ego boost my dear"
"My strong hubby doesn't need to be humble all the time. If I'm not mistaken you are
certainly more confident in, shall we say, private affairs"
Morien sweatdrops but then has a smug look on his face.
"Do the others know you're like this?"
"Nope. And I never was until you showed up. I've been missing out on a hell of a lot.
So tonight right?"
"Of course…wait how do we know when it's tonight?"
Kanta looks at Morien as he gets ready to disembark from Ryo-Ohki.
"Do I want to know what you're thinking right now?"
"Should I give you a hint?"
"Since you put it that way, say no more"
Everyone is teleported outside the cabbit ship where Russ and Zorpheus are already
waiting along with Kiyone and Mihoshi from the Yagami.
"For those who are new, welcome to the Gray Wolf! Tom should be here in a bit" Russ
explains.
The newcomers look around inside the huge docking bay. The walls were white making
it very bright inside. In contrast, the color of the attire of the guards was almost opposite
which Morien and Kanta found interesting. Looking around more Morien finds himself
staring down at most of the guards in navy blue as he was at least a foot taller than
most of them. Nevertheless he nodded at any guard he made eye contact with and in
return they gave one back with a warm smile. Ryo-Ohki released all the luggage from her
cargo bay, making a loud thud on the floor, and then transformed back into her cabbit
form which raised eyebrows among the guards even though many of them had already
seen this once before. Taking her place on Sasami's head, Ryo-Ohki waited along with
everyone. A door opens and the sound of footsteps get closer to the group. The guards
suddenly stood attention as a brawny man wearing a white Imperial Guard suit walked in.
This was Captain Tom Franklin. Along with him was the notorious bounty hunter, Nagi, who
wore a slimmer version of the white Imperial Guard outfit. Both of their heads were exposed
as the only thing lacking was the helmet that typically went with the Imperial Guard suit.
Ryoko was standing closest to the approaching duo. A few more steps and Nagi made eye
contact with Ryoko. She stops and greets her once adversary.
"Ryoko, welcome"
"Hello Nagi. You look a bit different wearing light colors for once"
"As you may have guessed this was Tom's idea. I didn't want to at first, but now I kind
of like this. It's really comfortable too"
"So ya got a new challenge for me?"
Nagi grins sinisterly.
"Of course I do, Ryoko. We may not be enemies anymore but I have yet to beat you
in anything. I won't stop until I do"
As they conversed, Tom greeted everyone else.
"For the ones who've been here before, welcome back! And the ones who haven't,
this is the Gray Wolf everyone has probably told you about"
"Russ has been quite informative" Morien tells Tom.
"This ship is a real peace of work" Kanta states.
"Wait until you see further inside" Tom replies.
Tom seemed very eager to show the newcomers his state of the art space vessel. They
stilled looked around in amazement even though it was only the hangar bay.
"As far as I know there isn't a need for introductions so if you all just follow me we can
be on our way" Tom says.
A line formed, behind Tom as he began to lead the group, which had doubled since
last time, further into the ship from the hangar bay. Each person stood close to their
significant other while Sasami walked behind Russ and Ayeka with Ryo-Ohki still perched
on her head. Alex and Nobuyuki were in the back of the group followed by the greeting
party of guards who were also bringing their luggage. The next area they walked through
looked like a server room in an office building. The machines beeped harmoniously as
the group walked by. Morien gave his thoughts.
"I'm guessing you have these machines beeping like this so that people can contain their
sanity bit more easily when they work around here"
"You would be right" Tom chuckled. "I've taken every aspect into account in making
sure that people here live as comfortably as possible and that goes all the way down
to the sounds this ship makes. What you all see here is just one of the many communication
stations so we can make contact throughout the ship as well as beyond the ship"
The room was dark and the ambient blue lights that were emitted from the machines
were the only source of luminescence, making the area look like a rave room. Washu
decided to speak next.
"So have you worked out most of the bugs, Tom?"
"Oh yes. Granted there are still a small few, but they are almost insignificant. Still, we
don't want to take any chances so we are working as quickly as possible to be bug-free.
Also, if you are asking because you want to collect more information on this ship for your
research I can give you a bit more but I still cannot reveal our biggest secrets and I'm
not sure if I ever will"
Washu looks a bit disappointed but is still glad she could get more information.
"You know I could hack into this ship if I really wanted to get the information I need" Washu
spoke to Morien, telepathically.
"Washu, play nice" Morien thinks back. "I don't want to lose a potential ally over
something petty like that"
"That would not be petty" Russ interjected now speaking with them through his
mind "Like Morien said, please don't do anything like that. Tom upset is not a good thing"
"Okay, you two win…for now"
"Washu!" Morien and Russ exclaim in their minds.
"Fine fine fine!" she puts her hands up slightly.
Zorpheus snickers listening in.
"What's so funny?" Mihoshi asks almost starting to snicker as well.
"Oh, nothing babe. Just something Russ said to me a few days ago" he fabricated.
"I'm getting this feeling that you guys are talking about a subject that I may or may
not like" Tom said looking back at the group.
"Err…nope. Nothing at all" Russ tried to come up with an excuse.
Tom could tell Russ was making it up but he dropped it right away. In the back
Nobuyuki decided to start a conversation with Alex.
"You're Vladimir's friend, right?"
"Yes I am. And you are Tenchi's father?"
"Correct. Amazing place is this not?"
"I couldn't agree with you more. This looks nothing like I remember it in the movie.
It reminds me more of a luxury cruise than a warship"
"Well, like Tom said, the ones in the movies and novels were designed for the sole
purpose of battle while Tom had this one constructed keeping in mind that many
families would be living aboard so while this is still a fierce fighting machine you would
never be able to tell from the inside"
They had all walked for about 5 minutes. Up ahead was a large steel door that
opened at a 45 degree angle.
"You've been here once before haven't you, Nobuyuki?"
"Yes"
"So what's on the other side of that door?"
"I think you should find out for yourself. You're about to anyways"
Once they were right upon the gray door Tom turned around and spoke.
"Ok! Some of you already know what's on the other side of this door. For those
that do don't spoil it for those that don't" he snickers.
With smiles on their faces, the newcomers eagerly waited to see the next
part of the ship.
"Don't forget Fingerpaintings, we have our little match once Russ or Tom shows
us that holodeck he was talking about"
"Believe me Kanta, I haven't forgotten" Morien replies.
"Uh, Kanta have you seen the person Morien is now? Are you sure you
want to take him on?"
"It's a gaming simulator, not a real shootout, Junko. Being how that's the
case I'm pretty confident in my skills"
"As long as you don't have smoke grenades, I'm sure I can hold my own" Morien laughs.
Sasami overhears the conversation about games and joins Morien and Kanta.
"Speaking of games…" she starts.
Kanta and Morien both look down at Sasami.
"…they have a huge arcade here. Not sure if you guys are into arcades or not"
"I'll play. I remember seeing those in storage facilities back in the desert"
Morien didn't say anything but reminisced for a moment upon hearing Sasami
say arcade. It was in an arcade where he first discovered his power since the
attack on him. He had used a pinball machine as a weapon to defeat his attacker.
"Morien?"
He snapped out of his flashback and turned to Sasami.
"Oh, yeah you bet! I love games and that arcade sounds like a lot of fun.
If you need a partner to game with you can count on me!"
Sasami gave a huge smile.
"Great!"
The steel door hissed opened in front of them revealing a small dark hallway
with red lighting.
"Umm…is this the good part?" Alex asked Nobuyuki.
"Just wait. I'm sure it's at the end of this hallway although I don't remember
this part. I'd say about a 20 second walk"
Surely enough, a short walk later, a smaller door opens in front of them. A
voice was heard from the other side saying:
"Captain on the bridge!"
Following the statement was a uniform sound of people standing up.
"As you were" Tom said with a friendly wave.
Tom stood off to the side allowing everyone else to gather into what was the main
control room. It was enormous. A large window was off in the distance showing the
view of outer space. Several hundred people were either sitting or walking, working
on individual tasks. There was much chatter as well. This was where mission control
was but it looked more like the atrium to a 5 star hotel. The floor was an intricately
designed ornate carpet The walls were various colors in each location. Each job inside
the control room was color coordinated much like that of an aircraft carrier on Earth.
Lastly, computers were in just about every nook and cranny that one could fit in. There
was no wasted space. Computers for communication, radar, maps of the galaxy, and
even social networking sites. Tom had allowed for social networking and even simple
computer games provided that each person performed their job when they were
supposed to and they did. Once every person was inside they looked around stupefied.
Even the people who had been there before acted like this was their first time. Morien
looked at the people and the first thing he noticed was that not everyone looked
human. Nearly half of the individuals working were different alien species. Some looked
human but had cat or doglike faces. Some looked reptilian and a few resembled the
blue human-hybrid people known as the Na'vi.
"This is control room. The entire ship is monitored here with the exception of the sleeping
quarters for obvious reasons" Tom says getting a chuckle from everyone.
Russ looks down at where the captain sits.
"Last time I was here you only had one captain's chair"
"Well, of course I have two now. Where else would Nagi sit?" getting a smile from
Nagi. "Anyways, Russ, I hate to cut this tour short but I'm sure you'll do a fine job
introducing the new people to the rest of the ship. I have matters to tend to up here"
"No problem, Tom. Thanks for having us back!"
"Anytime! Thanks for coming everyone!"
"Before we leave, I have a question, Tom"
"Sure Vladimir. What is it?"
All eyes were now on Vladimir.
"We arrived through the bottom of the ship right?"
"You sure did"
"And this control room is at the very top of the ship isn't it?"
"Yup"
"So how on earth did we get up here so fast?"
Everyone else in the group became curious as well and they faced Tom again.
"Ah. Remember that red hallway?"
Vladimir nods.
"That was actually a teleportation room. But you never noticed did you? That wasn't even
there the last time you guys came here. I had it placed there hoping I could surprise
everyone and I must say I think I succeeded"
Everyone "oooo'd" or "ahhhh'd" upon hearing Tom's explanation.
"You guys have fun now"
Turning towards Nagi, he offers his arm.
"My lady?"
She gladly accepts it and they both take a lift down to the main floor of the control room.
Russ now turns towards everyone.
"Do you guys want me to show you to your rooms and then we can go from there?"
With no objections it was now Russ who lead the way to another lift. They continued to
take in the sites as they walked while down below, a pale skin colored woman looked
up at the group somewhat lustfully. Tom saw her gaze and without looking back he
already knew what she was looking at.
"Sakuya. Just like last time I see. I will say it again…perhaps not a good idea"
She comes out of her trance and faces Tom from her seat.
"I'm sorry sir but you keep on bringing attractive men to this ship. First Tenchi, Russ,
and Zorpheus. Now there's that darker skinned person. I'm just doing what comes
naturally to a woman. What can I say? We like beauty too"
Tom laughs upon hearing this then replies.
"I hate to disappoint you again but the darker one is married to Washu"
Sakuya looks back at the controls a bit upset then grunts.
"Can you please try to invite some single people next time, sir?"
"Sakuya, you live on a ship with plenty of people on board. You shouldn't have any
trouble finding someone who's single"
"It would seem that every person I like ends up being taken by someone else" she
replies with a low tone looking back at Tom and Nagi.
Nagi started to understand that Sakuya liked Tom at some point and in response she
gave her a cold look from her red eyes that read "He's mine and if you if try anything, God help you"
Sakuya said nothing more and continued to monitor her screen looking intimidated from
the look shot at her by the bounty hunter.
"Uh, Nagi, as captain I think I reserve the right to scare my crew" Tom said quietly.
"I will not have any interference between us" she replied looking at him.
Appearing from an unknown location, a white cabbit perches himself on Nagi's shoulder
and lets out a meow.
"You too? Tom, Ken-Ohki and I are going to grab food somewhere. I will see you in a bit"
Nagi walks out and soon a gray door closes, blocking her from view, once she passes
into another part of the ship from the control room.
"I am one lucky son-of-a-bitch" Tom said quietly to himself with a grin.
"Sir?" a voice caught his attention. Tom turns towards it.
"Marcus, what can I do for you?"
"The new propulsion test is ready, sir"
"Oh, excellent. Larry, keep an eye on things here. You do it well"
"Thanks sir! Will do!"
"Lead the way, Marcus"
Like the control room, the sleeping quarters of the ship resembled that of a resort
hotel. Entering a long and seemingly endless hallway, Russ lead the group for several
steps before stopping.
"I can imagine it shouldn't be hard to figure out who's going to be paired up for each
room but just to make sure, who's going with who and who wants the first room?" Russ
asked the group.
"Junko and I will take it" Kanta spoke.
"Alright. Here is the code to get into your room. Enjoy!" Russ responded.
Moving on the rest of group followed Russ leaving Kanta and Junko behind.
"Comrade, want to just share a room?" Vladimir asks Alex.
"You mean you're not rooming with Kiyone?"
"Will you stop that? We haven't even dated yet" he said quietly.
"Ok then"
"Russ, Alex and I will take the next room"
"No problem. Here is the code and enjoy!"
As Vladimir takes the code he looks at Kiyone who looked back at him, both with warm
smiles on their faces.
"We'll go ahead and take the third room, Russ" Washu spoke.
"Man, this is easy. You bet. Enjoy!" he responded then gave her a code.
Zorpheus and Mihoshi took the next room followed by Ryoko and Tenchi with the next
one. Nobuyuki decided to have his own room and Kiyone along with Sasami took another
room. Once everyone entered their rooms it was only Russ and Ayeka left.
"Now where would you like to stay, Ayeka?" Russ asked jokingly
"I'll take a room that comes with the most amazing man I have ever met and his name just
happens to be Russ. Would you happen to have a room like that?"
"It just so happens we have one room that fits that description, Princess"
Taking each other's hands, they walk further down the hall until they reach Russ's room.
It was more like a suite, however. Inside was a grand view of space outside a large window.
The room came with a king size bed along with green covers, a bathroom, a large television,
and a hot tub located right by the window. Inside the closets were their luggage.
"This room would be the envy of our group" Ayeka said.
"The others have suites too. Everything that I have in here, everyone else has too. It's just
that I customized my room while the other rooms are just what came with the ship when it
was built from the sheets to the bathroom amenities"
In another room, Morien was amazed yet again at the sight of his large room.
"The size of this room is bigger than my condo back in Germany. Tom wasn't kidding when
he said he spared no expense building this thing. People must be dying to live here"
Washu was going to reveal to Morien Tom's plan on an Executor Class Star Destroyer but
decided it was for Tom to reveal this.
When Zorpheus and Mihoshi entered their suite, the first thing Mihoshi spots is a bowl of
hard candy on a dresser by the bed.
"Oh boy, candy!"
She sprints towards the bowl and began to rapidly devour the sweets. Zorpheus sweat-dropped
and started to mumble to himself.
"Wow. When it comes to candy, she eats almost like a Saiyan does. I never thought I
would end up dating someone who could potentially eat as quickly as I do"
After a few moments he walks up and grabs a few pieces of candy from the bowl before
they disappeared.
In Kiyone and Sasami's room they both started to unpack. Since the trip was meant to
be short they didn't pack much making the unpacking rather quick. When finished Kiyone
fell onto her bed face up. She bounced a few times before coming to a stop.
"It feels weird not having to share a room with Mihoshi anymore"
"If you play your cards right you'll be sharing a room with someone else"
Kiyone sits up immediately looking appalled.
"Sasami! Did you really just say that?"
Sasami giggles in her typical cute manner.
"Well we've been living with Russ and Zorpheus for a while now and I've listened in on
many of their conversations. It's hard to avoid the things I shouldn't hear. Please don't
tell Ayeka, though"
"I won't but still…wow. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were growing up or something"
"Hardly. So are you two going to do anything while up here?"
Kiyone lies back down, this time with a soft smile on her face.
"I hope so. I was really never into dating until Mihoshi started dating Zorpheus. It was
at that point I realized that I was missing out. I guess we'll see where this goes"
In Tenchi and Ryoko's room:
"Other than rearranging the furniture a bit nothing in this room has really changed" Tenchi
said putting his suitcase next to a dresser by the bed. Ryoko had placed herself on the
bed lying in a seductive pose hoping Tenchi would get the message.
"Well, what should we do next Ryoko?"
She stared at him for a few moments with a smirk on her face.
"Or maybe, who should I do?"
"T-Tenchi?"
Ryoko's face went into complete surprise.
"It has been a while Ryoko. I could go for a roll in the hay right about now"
"Tenchi Masaki! In all my years I never thought you would ever utter any words along
the lines of what you just said. Let alone instigate it! I'm ready when you are!"
Ryoko teleported herself next to the mood lighting switch changing the color of the room
to red. Afterwards they both made their way to the bed, about to engage in their first
activity aboard Tom's ship.
"So tell me about this whole Mother Russia thing you brought up earlier" Vladimir inquired.
"I was just basing what I said off of our current economical problems, corrupt
government, and weak infrastructure" Alex replied.
They both sat on recliner chairs with a glass table between them. On top of the table
was a bottle of vodka with a small drinking glass on both sides.
"Our military no longer knows who they are really answering to but they don't seem to
care as long as they get their money. Hell, look at how we we're trained. Half of our
comrades died in training. Its made us desensitized to issues in our own country that
need tending to"
"I agree, Alex, but I still think you don't give our country enough credit. We're probably
the best trained soldiers on the planet and now that Putin is in power we may get the
infrastructure repair he was talking about"
"He has to actually do it first before I start having faith again. Also, going off topic, it's
going to be hard living here for a few days since smoking is not allowed on this ship"
"It could be your chance to quit. It'll save you a lot of years"
"I doubt that. Old habits don't die quickly. I'm going to crash for a bit. Have fun, whatever
it is you plan on doing"
Morien found a holographic display map in the room revealing where everything was in
the ship. Using a cursor, he scrolled down a list until he came across something that interested him.
"A swimming pool?" he said to himself. "Hey Washu, want to go for a swim?"
Looking around the room he didn't see her anywhere.
"Washu?"
With no answer he shrugged his shoulders and decided he would go alone.
The afternoon sun would set in about an hour and a half behind the mountains at the
Masaki home. The empty house added to the sereneness. There was a slight breeze
pressing against the trees in woods making the branches grind a bit. With his eyes closed
Vash the Stampede took in the beauty of the surrounding nature standing on the shore
of the pond, opposite side to that of where the Masaki home stood.
"We didn't come here to view scenery, Vash. Although I must say it is rather nice"
Standing next to Vash was Knives. Knives had a change in his attire as he was now wearing
a trench coat just like Vash's except it was black. With his eyes, he scanned the area but
couldn't pick up any energy from inside the home or near by other than Vash's.
"Dammit. They don't seem to be here"
"They probably went to the city. If we wait a bit I'm sure they'll be back"
"I didn't come here to wait either. Let's check out the home"
"Wait, you're not really about to break into their home are you?"
"Did I say I was kidding around, Vash? Let's go"
"Oh no. I'm not going in there" he said with hands waving.
"Vash! I don't have time for your protagonist morality! Don't make me…wait…"
Knives looks up in the air, sensing energy.
"They're up there!" he points.
Vash concentrates for a moment then also feels the same energy.
"Well shoot. I hope they plan on coming back"
"Brother, I think they are. Do you feel that now?"
The energy starts to get stronger.
"Oh yeah I do. In fact…it's approaching at a rather alarming speed"
Soon a gleam of light shines in the sky.
"I see them!" Knives shouts.
"It's coming right at us!"
Knives continues to look up for a moment, calculating where the incoming vessel would land.
"No it's not you bonehead. It will land slightly on the opposite side of that large house"
In minutes, a small vessel that looked like an advanced version of the lunar lander, landed
softly on the opposite side of the Masaki home just as Knives predicted.
"I find it odd they didn't take Ryo-Ohki"
"Ryo-what?" Knives asked.
"Their ship. That vessel we just saw looks awfully small for a family this size"
"Either way I'm going to greet these newcomers"
"It doesn't feel like them though, Knives"
"You're just having an off day. Let's go now."
Both men, now running, make their way towards the house curious as to who or what just
landed on Earth. When they reach the space vessel they find it open with no one around.
They search around the area for several minutes but find nothing.
"Great, they probably ran off into the woods" Knives said upset.
Vash concentrated for a moment and picked up energy from inside the home.
"Whoever they are, they're inside"
Before getting a chance to turn around, a small explosion goes off by their feet, knocking
them back towards the woods. They quickly get up with guns drawn.
"What the hell is going on?" Knives shouts.
When the smoke clears two men are standing. One had two guns in his hands. On his head
was a GXP hat and he wore just a blue t-shirt and beige cargo pants. The other carried a
tank on his back for what looked like a flamethrower. On his face was a welder's mask. His
overall's were red and he wore a black sleeveless shirt.
"You two are not the one's we are looking for. What do you want?" asked the man with
the GXP hat on.
"We should be asking you that!"
Knives and Vash both aimed their revolvers at the intruders. In return, they fixed their
weapons on Vash and Knives.
"So it's an old fashion shootout you want? No problem. When it comes to firefights Jack and White deliver!"
End of Chapter 6