Last time Malaketh, the witches and Toro forced Happosai to change Toro's name. Carmen then shocked everyone by threatening to detonate a suicide bomb, unless The Shadow Riders leave. They left, and Carmen revealed that she was just bluffing. Happosai was hauled back to Earth, Tecna gave Mihoshi proof that The Shadow Riders were still active, and our heroes prepared to head across the galaxy for the next Stone of Power. On with the show!
Chapter 33: No Need For Reunions
After traveling for two days through hyperspace at 8,500 times the speed of light, The Night Rider was running on fumes. Fortunately for our heroes, Beauregard found a trading village on a teraformed asteroid about two thirds of the way to Azati Prime. "I've been working on a way to enhance the fuel tanks, doubling their capacity," said Tecna as the ship landed at the outpost docks, "Once we're refueled, we'll have more than enough to reach Azati Prime and get back to the other side of the galaxy."
"How can we thank you for such a boon?" asked Lucinda. "You can thank her by buying me a new set of hyper-spanners," said Amanda, "The ones I'm using now are about out of commission."
"For crying out loud!" exclaimed Brandon as he saw the fuel prices, "815 credits per gallon for regular, that's just wrong. We can get the same amount of go-juice on Eraklyon for 375 credits."
"You think that's ugly," said Riven, "Check out the price for anti-matter, 2,495 credits per ounce." "And I thought fuel prices were bad back on Earth," said Ranma.
"I guess things are much more expensive out here on the other side of the galaxy," said Flora. "Well," said Stella in a reluctant tone, "I guess there's nothing to do except max out another credit card."
"I've got a better idea," said Ryoko, "I'll get us what we need, leave it to me." "What are you going to do?" asked Bloom. "Nothing illegal," said Ryoko, "Or, at least nothing too illegal."
Twenty minutes later The Night Rider was being refueled, the anti-matter restocked and Amanda had a new set of tools, all at less than a third of the listed cost. "I don't know what she did or how she did it," said Akane, "But she did it."
"Let's just say I still have a few favors owed to me from my space pirate days," said Ryoko, "And we'll leave it at that." "Fair enough," said Ryoga.
"It'll be at least 25 minutes before the fuel tanks are filled," said Elise, "So we might as well sample the local cuisine." "If you order any meat," said Beauregard, "Make sure it's fully cooked. In fact, just stay away from the meat dishes, stick to vending machines. You never know what goes on in the kitchens."
"Good advice," said Bloom as she, Stella, Brandon, Morgan, Layla, Elise, Tatewaki, Akane and Helia headed into a nearby diner. Inside it was relatively clean, yet Bloom didn't feel like taking any chances. She headed to the vending machines along the walls.
She was about to purchase a grape soda, (Stella having already bought two canned milkshakes), when one of the dinner patrons accidentally dropped his tray full of food onto the floor.
"Hey, new girl!" shouted the cook from behind the counter to someone back in the kitchen, "Get out here and clean up this mess!" "Be right there!" shouted a female voice from back in the kitchen. A tall girl of about Stella's height with long black hair in a pony tail on the left side of her face and light indigo eyes, wearing a coffee stained waitress uniform and apron, ran up to the counter, jumped, did a triple flip in midair and landed on the other side. She then grabbed a dustpan and broom and swept the mess up.
"There's only one person in all existence that can do such an aerobic feat so flawlessly," said Tatewaki, tears of joy beginning to spill from his eyes, "And that's my sister!" The girl looked up and saw Bloom and the others, for it was Kodatchi.
"Brother!" exclaimed Kodatchi as she threw down the cleaning stuff and flung herself into Tatewaki's arms, tears of joy also spilling down her face, "My brother! I had begun to lose hope that you would find me!"
"I never lost hope, sister," said Tatewaki, "I swore that I would find you and bring you home. But you must tell me, how did you escape from The Shadow Riders?"
"It was because of you, brother," said Kodatchi, "You and that girl you were with on Tides. I had the distinct feeling that you truly loved her. That knowledge gave me the strength to regain control of my body. I then used that stun powder you gave me on that whore, Stormy. I then used a transporter of sorts to escape the mansion I was held in and wound up here. I got a job bussing tables here and the rest is history."
"Thy suspicions were correct, sister," said Tatewaki, "I am in love with Miss Layla, and she loveth me in return." "True," said Layla, "I thought I would never find love, especially after that whole fiasco with that incubus." "I said I was sorry about it," said Stella.
"Well I'm pleased to make the acquaintance of the girl who had finally bought true happiness to my brother," said Kodatchi, "and I would be honored to be your sister-in-law. Now I don't mean to ruin the mood, but do you happen to have a way off this rock?"
"We've got a starship," said Bloom, "A very fast one. We can have you back on Earth in a couple of days."
"I never said I wanted to go home," said Kodatchi, "Not just yet anyway. I'm going with you." "And where do you think we're going?" asked Morgan.
"I don't know," said Kodatchi, "But if it has anything to do with crushing The Shadow Riders, I'm coming with you. They kidnapped me and tried to mess with my mind, I want some payback."
"We'll talk about that later," said Bloom, "Let's just get going." They began to head out of the dinner when the cook shouted, "Hey new girl! What about the mess?" "Clean it yourself, you pig!" exclaimed Kodatchi as she tossed her apron onto the floor, "I quit!"
On the way back to The Night Rider, Bloom had filled Kodatchi in on their mission of finding The Stone of Power and keeping them away from The Shadow Riders. Back at the ship, Kodatchi had filled in everyone else on what had happened to her. "I can't believe that Stormy bitch whipped you," said Ukyo, "It must have been awful."
"I can believe that Stormy would do such things to a someone," said Musa, "She'd do it to men, women and children." "Next time Shampoo see Stormy witch," said the purple haired Amazon, "Shampoo give her Kiss of Death, then she die!"
"But first," said Ranma, "We're getting Kodatchi home; it's what we set out to do in the first place." "I'm not going home, Ranma," said Kodatchi, "Not yet anyway. I'm in this as deep as the rest of you. Besides, I know the layout of The Shadow Rider base. I don't know where it is, but I can help once we're inside."
"This isn't like her," Akane said to Flora, "Normally she'd be crawling over Ranma by now, yet she barely noticed him." "I guess being kidnapped, brainwashed and escaping from being brainwashed changes people," said Flora.
"Ranma's right," said Akane, "Our mission was to find you, Kodatchi, find you and get you home. You've been through enough already." "I haven't even begun to have enough," said Kodatchi, "What I do with my life, Akane Tendo, is my business alone, not yours"
Kodatchi then glared at Ranma, "And you, Ranma Saotome, it's your fault I was taken in the first place! If you had just held onto that black stone like I asked you to, I wouldn't be in this situation!" By now tears of rage and emotional pain were welling up in Kodatchi's eyes, "It's all your fault! You never cared about me! If you did you wouldn't have let them take me! You wouldn't have let them brainwash me! You wouldn't have let them whip and humiliate me! And now you're going to send me away! I thought I loved you, but I don't! I hate you! I HATE YOU! I WISH YOU WERE DEAD!"
There were several seconds of stunned silence before Akane asked, "Feeling Better!" "Much better," said Kodatchi as she regained her composure, "So, I'm coming with you to stop The Shadow Riders, end of discussion."
"Well after that outburst," said Ranma, "How can I not agree?" "It's settled then," said Stella, "Kodatchi, welcome aboard!"
"How touching," said a digitally altered voice. Bloom and the others looked up to see The Phantom Renegade perched atop The Night Rider. "Get the f#ck off my ship!" exclaimed Amanda, "You damn, dirty piece of crap!"
"Gladly," said The Phantom Renegade as he 'zoomed' down from the ship, "I've no time for idle talk. I'm here on business; that wench with the crest of the enemy on her forehead, I'm here to kill her."
"What!" exclaimed Bloom. "You heard me correctly, Princess of Sparkx," said The Phantom Renegade, "I have come to destroy your former friend, Kodatchi Kuno."
"She's still my friend!" said Bloom who was already transformed, "You'll won't lay a finger on her over my dead body." "If thou wishes to kill my sister," said Tatewaki, his sword already drawn and ready, "Thou must kill me first!"
"Same here!" said Tenchi, his energy blade at he ready, "You'll have to kill me before you touch Kodatchi!" Stella, Musa, Tecna, Flora and Layla had also transformed and were ready to fight, as was Sky, Brandon, Ranma and the others.
"Only one need to die today," said The Phantom Renegade, "I have no wish to harm anyone else, especially you, Princess of Sparkx." "Why do you want to kill Kodatchi?" asked Musa, "What did she ever do to you?"
"She bares the crest of The Shadow Riders," said The Phantom Renegade, "And therefore is a servant of evil. She must die." Kodatchi then brushed her bangs away from her forehead to reveal that the stamp that Stormy put on her was partly faded, yet Bloom could still make out the enemy crest.
"I freed myself from their control," said Kodatchi, "I am no servant of evil, so f#ck off!" "You may think yourself free," said The Phantom Renegade, "But you'll never be fully free of the enemy. My mission is to exterminate evil, so for the good of the universe, you must be destroyed."
"The way you talk," said Layla, "You sound no different from Malaketh. You're no better than that which you seek to destroy." "I'm going to pretend you did not just compare me to the enemy," said The Phantom Renegade, "So, if you don't mind, I have an agent of darkness to eliminate."
"If you wish to kill me so badly," said Kodatchi, "You'll have to earn it. Bloom, I need a weapon." "I'm way ahead of you," said Bloom. She then conjured up a long metal stick with a long, long ribbon attached to it. She then handed it to Kodatchi.
"Now," said Kodatchi, a slightly insane smile on her face as she readied her fighting ribbon, "Let's match the prowess of The Black Rose against that of the legendary Phantom Renegade!" Laughing her usual mad laugh, Kodatchi leapt at her would be killer.
The Phantom Renegade easily dodged her attack. Kodatchi then used her ribbon like a bullwhip, each lash trying to strangle her opponent. Yet The Phantom Renegade was too fast for her. "It seems your prowess isn't enough," said the masked man, "So allow me to end this charade." He 'zoomed' right up to Kodatchi and slammed his palm into her torso. His hand barely made contact, yet the force of the attack knocked Kodatchi several feet away, completely knocking the wind out of her.
"Sister!" exclaimed Tatewaki as she charged at The Phantom Renegade. "Foolish Earth man," said The Phantom Renegade, "You're no match for me, so don't even try it." "Silence nave!" exclaimed Tatewaki as he swung his sword at the mashed man, "I shall send thee to Hell!" Yet none of Tatewaki's attacks made contact.
"Such a waste of skill," said The Phantom Renegade as he aimed his palm at Tatewaki. An orange energy beam shot from the masked man's palm and hit Tatewaki in the left leg. He crumpled to the ground as his leg caught fire.
Layla then rushed over to Tatewaki and used her magic to put out the fire. "Are you alright?" asked Layla as she checked his leg; a large area of his upper leg was burned. "The pain is great," said Tatewaki thought gritted teeth, "Yet I shall manage. Worry not for me, Miss Layla, my sister is in greater need of your assistance."
The Phantom Renegade had taken position to shot his energy beam at Kodatchi's head. Kodatchi was still out of breath so she couldn't move very fast. Layla then flew between the fallen Kodatchi and the masked man.
"Princess of Tides," said The Phantom Renegade, "Why do you protect this servant of evil?" "She's not evil!" exclaimed Layla, "She is free from the enemy! But that's only part of my reasons. I'm in love with her brother, and I'll be damned before you hurt her anymore."
"What are you doing?" asked a still winded Kodatchi, "Get out of here! He'll kill you!" "No he won't," said Layla, "I don't think The Phantom Renegade is that ruthless."
Layla couldn't be more wrong. Bloom and the others could only watch as The Phantom Renegade had aimed his hand at her heart, "I won't hesitate to kill you," said the masked man, "Anyone who protects an agent of The Shadow Riders deserves to die."
"For the last time," said Layla, "Kodatchi is free from The Shadow Riders, and you'll have to kill me first if you want to kill her." "I will only warn you this once," said The Phantom Renegade, "Move aside or die!"
"Then you'll just have to kill me!" exclaimed Layla, "Because I'm not moving!" "So be it," said The Phantom Renegade. He then shot an orange energy beam at Layla and burned a one-inch wide hole through the left side of her chest.
"Oh my god!" exclaimed Musa, "He killed Layla!" "You bastard!" exclaimed Riven. Yet despite having a one-inch wide hole burned through her chest, Layla was still alive.
"How?" asked a surprised Phantom Renegade, "How is it that you still live?" "I was born with a rare genetic abnormality," gasped Layla, "My heart is on the right-hand side of my body, so all you did was collapse one of my lungs."
"Indeed," said The Phantom Renegade as he shifted his aim to the left, his hand now pointing to where Layla's heart really is, "This time I won't miss."
Yet The Phantom Renegade didn't get a chance to fire, for Akane had ran right behind him, the mask man was so intent on Layla that he didn't even sense Akane swinging her war-hammer at the right side of his head. "You die, mother-f#ck#r!" shouted Akane just before her hammer made contact with The Phantom Renegade's head, sending him skidding several feet away facedown.
Akane's outburst and attack snapped Bloom and the others back to reality. Flora rushed over to Layla and used a healing spell on the hole in Layla's chest, healing it in a matter of seconds. Kodatchi had regained her breath and stood up, "Miss Layla," she said, "You risked your life for me, I can never thank you enough." "There's no need to thank me," said Layla, "Besides, we'll be family someday."
"Holy crap!" exclaimed Ryoga, "His mask is off!" He held in his hands the mask of The Phantom Renegade; the force of Akane's attack had knocked it off. Everyone who was still capable of rushing crowded around the fallen Phantom Renegade. He turned over to reveal his face: Light brown hair, dark blue, almost black eyes and a small nose. He looked to be no older than 23, 25 at the most.
"It appears you have me at a disadvantage," said the unmasked Phantom Renegade in a normal sounding voice. "Indeed," said Bloom, "I don't want anyone else to get hurt, even you. So here's the deal, you leave Kodatchi alone and you walk away alive."
"You truly trust her not to betray you?" asked The Phantom Renegade, "Because if your judgment is wrong in this matter, I will return and show no mercy." "Don't worry," said Bloom, "You won't have to." "Then we have a deal," said The Phantom Renegade.
He stood up, walked over to Ryoga and retrieved his mask. "It has been many years since someone has seen my face," said The Phantom Renegade has he replaced his mask on his face, "You should feel lucky I didn't decide to eliminate you all to protect my identity." He finished putting his mask on and his voice was digitally altered again, "The day is yours, Princess of Sparkx, use it well. Until we meet again!" With a bright flash, The Phantom Renegade vanished, leaving another blue rose.
"Well that was a complete waste of time," said Ranma, We're no better off than before." "I wouldn't say that," said Mousse, "We've seen the face of The Phantom Renegade. That's got to count for something."
"You shouldn't say that," said Akane, "You were looking in the wrong direction the whole time." "Well at least nobody was killed," said Kodatchi, "And I'm definitely coming with you, end of discussion."
"I'm not worried about that," said Bloom, "There's something about the face of The Phantom Renegade that seems familiar to me. I can't explain it, but the feeling that I should know him is stronger than ever."
"I feel that way as well," said Carmen, "I don't know why, but I also feel like I should know him." "This is serious," said Sky, "We've seen his face, but we still don't know who he is." "Well one thing is for certain," said Tenchi, "If he comes after the stones we've already got, then I'm sure we'll find out then."
The end of chapter 33. Next chapter our heroes arrive at Azati Prime. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!
