Warrior Class
By Ozzallos
III.
"You're going back and that's final!"
The proclamation drew the attention of the numerous bystanders passing by, but most were much too busy to pause for the confrontation between a bald, middle-aged martial artist and his black haired son. Genma Saotome stood up straight as if he were the ultimate pillar of authority in his child's life while Ranma merely rolled his eyes as if to underline just how much that authority had eroded over the years.
"Are you kidding?" The pigtailed teen shook his head jabbing a thumb back at the anonymous horizon. "Those weird shitheads are all over the place! We can't just run on back to Japan!"
"That's exactlywhy we need to leave!" Genma hissed, his voice lowering lest their argument attract the wrong type of attention within the village of warrior women. "This isn't out fight, son. Besides, what about Akane?!"
"So take her back with you!" Ranma balked, growing irritated with his father's obstruction. He knew what the fat panda was trying to do, but using Akane as a bargaining chip for his return to Japan was the wrong one. His father could protect her every bit as well as he could and Ranma was more than willing to let him.
Genma frowned at the flat dismissal of his ploy and attempted another. "Your mother will be worried sick over you, boy."
"I'll write." His progeny returned dryly and Genma's jaw clenched. Ranma smirked, already knowing what was waiting for him. There was no shift in his posture, but the feeling of discontent roiled around them and Ranma prepared himself for a fight. 'Close in, heavy on the grappling', the martial artist began to predict his father's opening moves even as he envisioned counters for them and the inevitable distractions the man usually relied on. The smirk on the boy's face crooked into condescension. "Ready when you are old man."
Genma's gaze narrowed, but flicked off his son's person to the crowd who had noticeably slowed around their confrontation. Amazons. Musk. Phoenix. They were all warriors and every last one of them could feel the hostility crackling between the pair. They might even intervene if he was supremely unlucky and Genma decided discretion was the better part of valor in that moment.
"We'll talk later."
'Meanin' you'll try and sneak in and whack me upside the head sometime when you think I ain't payin' attention,' Ranma mused silently but held his smirk regardless, as if to advertise he knew his father's modus operandi all too well. "Yeah. Well do that."
The Saotome patriarch tried to stare his will into the boy, then simply huffed, turning his back on the boy to retreat down the street. Ranma watched his withdraw, then turned his attention back to more important matters. He crossed the street and slid the door open to a modest looking town hall building filled nearly to capacity with a veritable menagerie of people. Bird hybrid people. Tiger Hybrid people. Bear hybrid people. In fact, anybody who wasn't a hybrid something was invariably an Amazon female and all were paying attention to the round table situated at the front of the hall. Ranma jockeyed around the bodies to get a better position as one of the Amazonian females spoke, gesturing to a large map that dominated the North wall.
"...with that said, our contacts within the PLA are advising that the third, sixth and eighth division of the People's Army are falling back. The fall of Beijing is inevitable by their estimation and mass evacuations are underway. Tianjin and Shijianhaung will follow suit within days."
"And the current disposition of the horde, Tei Shu?" Ranma's eyes flicked to the Elder who had asked the question. Unlike Cologne next to her, this particular old ghoul sat slightly taller and bore salt and pepper hair tied into a twin belled pony tails. Her gaze appeared every bit as potent as the mummy he already knew, which was fortunately focused on the younger Amazon.
"Turning westward, Honored Elder." The mint green haired woman responded, pointing to an area of red circles congregating along China's eastern seaboard and the cities on it. She drew the point of her stick south, then west. "The Green Ones are sending a modest force southward, presumably on to Shanghai and the rest of the peninsula while the majority seems to be turning further inland."
"They intend on take the whole of Asia in a land war," Another elder from across the table murmured. "Ambitious."
"Worse, these interlopers from the sky have the firepower to potentially succeed." Another voice rumbled. It was the first time Ranma had seen Herb's old man, but the dragon king's black bearded visage spoke of power. Scale plate armor hung off the man just as it did his son standing behind him. "Our own sources report that they are decimating the People's Army at every turn."
"The Phoenix are quite reluctant to intervene on their behalf," Kiima stated passively, clearly unconcerned with the fate of the Chinese Communist forces. The leotard clad woman merely shrugged as she considered the fate of the government armies. "Let the green ones bleed them a little. Or a lot, so much the better."
"We may have little choice in the matter." Cologne observed morosely as she studied their very providence's position in relation to the enemies predicted line of advance. "If the Communist cannot stop this horde, then we will have no choice but to act lest the Party begin to feel... desperate."
"Stone burners." Hangzhou also grumbled, recognizing the danger of a party leaders losing control. The Musk King shook his head, however. "Though our adversaries would be poor ones if they are to fall so easily to atomic toys."
"Somehow I do not see such spacemen being so easily dissuaded," The first salt and pepper haired elder shook her head, taking a puff from a nearby pipe. "Nor can we so easily ignore the wanton slaughter of our countrymen to the east."
"Landlings." Kiima stated blandly. Cologne merely smiled.
"And I believe the Landling that defeated you and your king is in this very hall." The old woman smirked, gesturing to the Ranma watching from the crowd. She motioned for the Saotome to come forward and a deferential path parted for the young man. Every single last warrior in the room knew of him and watched as he stepped to the table; Kiima's face lapsing into neutrality as the very path before Ranma all but forced him to step forward. The Elder nodded to the black haired martial artist. "Tell us, son-in-law, what do you think of our esteemed representative's missive?"
"I think after they're done kicking Landling ass, they're gonna come for all ya." Ranma shrugged and Kiima's neutral expression turned into a frown.
"Perhaps."
"This horde will not discriminate between Landlings and or wing ones," The stocky dragon king observed pointedly, agreeing with the martial artist. "We will-"
"Honored Elders! Honored Elders!" All eyes turned onto a teen Amazon with red hair who had rush into the room, sliding open the door violently to make her way through the crowd. "Channel one-zero-eight on the wireless, Honored Elder!"
The taller of the Amazon elders gave Tei'Shu a nod and the woman stepped over to a short wave radio half century out of date and began to flip switches. The blocky device warmed up and she twisted the dial to the appropriate setting before turning up the volume.
"...of approximately one hundred kilotons each." An English accented voice announced through the crackle of static. "Once again, we're interrupting our normal programming to report that we have independent confirmation that the Peoples Liberation Army has detonated multiple nuclear devices just outside of Beijing. The move is obviously a last resort attempt to stall the alien invaders advance upon the capital city. As of yet, China's leadership has refused any and all international assistance but it may only be a matter of time before-"
"That is enough." Cologne interrupted and Tei'Shu turned the volume down. The Amazon Elder sighed, favoring the assembly of men and women. She let the uneasy silence born from the news to linger for a moment before beginning anew. "The time has come for this council to consider more direct action against this green horde, wouldn't you say?"
"Indeed. I believe we should retire to discuss the disposition and strategy of our mutual forces," Hangzhou declared calmly, then eyed Kiima and her body guards. "Unless there are objections?"
Attention returned to the white haired Phoenix Captain, whose eyes flicked back and forth across the room as she weighed her options; hesitant to commit her forces after the defeat of her liege. Ironically, it was Ranma Saotome himself who helped her decide. She watched as the martial artist cast a sidelong glance over to Cologne. "Honor guard still got the staff?"
The old woman arched an eyebrow curiously but nodded from atop her cane. "Indeed, son in law."
"Not like I'm gonna need the damn thing anyway." He motioned back to Kiima who blinked her surprise back at the pair.
Cologne favored the Saotome with a penetrating gaze before turning to a nearby Amazon guard with a nod. The woman stepped out of sight and attention returned to Kiima.
"The Phoenix will participate." The white haired woman simply inclined her head.
"Very well." The taller of the elders confirmed, then turned her eyes to Ranma himself. "And may we expect help from the Japanese contingent, young warrior?"
Ranma blinked, not having expected the question or the fact that he was a contingent in and of himself. Come to think of it, he was and he advised the woman such. "Wouldn't count on it. Ryoga will get himself lost sooner or later and my old man plans on rolling out with Akane. I'm about all there is ta this contingent."
"Hmmm." The elder murmured doubtfully. Cologne took the news in stride, however.
"Your father is a known coward and the Tendo is ill-suited for this battle," Cologne outlined simply, studying the pigtailed teen for herself. Ranma found it hard to disagree with the woman on any single point and allowed her to continue uninterrupted. "Your intention is to stay, is it not?"
"Somebody's gotta hang around to bail you all out." The Saotome smirked, to which Colonge smiled slightly. The musk king scratched his black beard with silent appraisal.
"Then I will put you to work, Son-in-law." The woman grasped her gnarled wooden cane, mounting it. Cologne motioned to the Amazon with mint green hair. "Accompany Battle Mistress Tei'shu. Watch, observe and follow her direction, for war and martial arts are not one and the same."
Ranma stared at the woman dubiously but shrugged for lack of anything better to do until there were some names to take and ass to kick. Tei'shu walked up to him, sizing him up from head to toe even as the elders collected around the room's central map. After a moment, the sharp featured Chinese woman sniffed her disdain. "First order for this one: Lose male body. Battlefield for female warriors, not airhead males."
The woman turned her back on him and walked toward the door, leaving Ranma dumbfounded and staring for a moment. The moment quickly passed and his face scrunched with irritation as a single sarcastic thought passed through his head.
Simply wonderful.
Author's Note:
Like I said, I'm cheating a bit by having a fair portion of this in reserve. One more chapter before we hit my limit. Hopefully it's all liked enough to continue :)