DISCLAIMER: Many of the characters and situations described in the following fic are owned entirely by Takahashi Rumiko, a woman I have the greatest respect and admiration for. (In fact if she were willing, I would have her love child. A neat trick since I am a male kinda guy and not built to bear children.) Her creativity has even inspired the creation of a whole new branch of the Trek Universe. Therefore, any mentions of historical moment from Trek, Trek-Tech and characters and ships, which I shall endeavor to keep at a minimum, is entirely intentional. Within this story are characters who are from the Trek Universe, but not of Trek. These are my creations. All other characters that are integral to this story are her property, apart from the characters from AMG. This is a work intended to share a concept, and perhaps my story telling abilities. There is no money to be earned by me or by anyone else from this work. I might also add, Paladin, Team Paladin, the Starship Percheron and her crew, and Miss Kitty as she is here, ARE my property, and not to be used with out express consent from myself. I have worked hard to develop these characters and hope to use them in published works eventually. I choose to share them and their attitudes with you here. The character from OH! My Goddess belong to who ever owns them… sorry but my copies of this series (as well as Ranma ½) mysteriously disappeared during a move
I would also like to add the following. NO the character of Jerrod Randolph Macon, A.K.A. Paladin is in no way related to T.N.G.'s Silver Paladin. That character was little more than a pirate, my character is intended to embody the true spirit of the word paladin.
Also, for the Trek nitpickers out there. I'm sorry to rain on your parade, but. There is no such thing as a society that doesn't use some form of currency. Roddenberry's vision of the future is a wonderful vision, but impractical as far as money is concerned. It is a socialist utopia, and it cannot work. Any historian or economist can tell you that. Even the most primitive cultures on the planet barter with each other for goods and services, and that is the earliest form of currency. Let's face it, even the People's Republics around the world, (Read as oppressive communist governments, where if you speak out against anything, you wind up run over by a tank.) Even they have currencies that the civilian public uses for internal trade. It has been postulated that the Federation has solved the issues of limited resources thereby removing the need for any form of currency. I disagree with this. Not that the resource problem has been addressed, but that currency will be done away with.
In the Federation future, most of the actual trade where currency is used to make a purchase will be of the 'intellectual properties exchange' forum. The reason why currency will always exist is because of the inherent need of humans for an incentive to improve. It wouldn't be worth your time to be a clothing designer or civilian engineer if you weren't given concrete evidence of your value. Payment of some form of currency will be much easier to keep track of fifteen hundred credits than twenty goats and fifteen sheep and three chickens from the buyer in China who really loved the new spaghetti strap, plunging to the ankles neckline evening gown.
Capitalism may not be perfect, but it's better than anything else around is right now.
Most likely the currency used in the world of Trek is closely related to various forms used in much of Sci-Fi, a credit system, there may be no hard currency, but there is a form of monetary exchange.
Internally to this story, there are some glaring examples, (to some) of extreme OOC, as well as outright character revision. As this is intended to be an original telling with some new characters with a minor twist here and there to aid in making the whole thing insensible… inchoate? …to the world of Rumiko's vision. There has been some comment that her characters aren't the way I have them here. And why would Ranma have a crush on Nabiki?
Okay, think about this. You live in a house with three very pretty girls. One of them you can't bring yourself to look at in any way other than as a big sister/mother figure. Then there are the other two, the youngest that you happen to be engaged to is violent, quick tempered, never lets you answer any question be fore she belts you and you are forcing yourself to love her.
And there is the third one, she isn't very nice to you, but you think you know why. She was also the only one that seemed excited when you arrived, and she doesn't hit you, ever.
I'd have a minor crush on her myself if I were Ranma.
Let's face it, Nabs, if she were a real person, would be a major babe.
The timeline for this story is just about there. Meaning there aren't going to be any of the big events that occurred in the manga and anime. The story makes an assumption that events alter somewhat with each restart by the Norn. So Herb and Saffron may exist but won't be part of the story.
And finally, for convenience sake. ( ) author's commentary.
Sound effect
Chinese
Japanese usually spoken planetside
English generally spoken aboard ship
And now for sumpin' gnu.
On with the tale
PALADIN ½ - SHE'S THE ONE
Chapter 8- I need a place to park
It turned out that Soun and the Saotome's didn't need to be called. The moment that Paladin had asked Kasumi which of them should wake the others there was a loud yell from the room the Saotome's shared. "DAMMIT POPS!"
Paladin had been right when he believed the assault for a match the day before was an everyday occurrence for Ranma. This time his father had thrown him into the pond before coming outside himself. Evidently desiring to impress on his son the virtue's of womanhood. Ranma was completely prepared this morning though. His latest taunts were aimed at his fathers shaming his own son by being a panda. And a not very bright panda either.
Soun was at the table reading the paper when Paladin came out of the kitchen to set the table. He cocked an eyebrow at the commanding figure that was setting his table as if it were an everyday happening for him. Paladin noticed and said. "Good morning Mr. Tendou. There's coffee, tea and rak'ta'jenoh, which would you prefer?"
Soun looked up to Paladin and said. "I've never heard of rak'ta'jenoh, what is it?"
"Think of coffee on steroids, and you'll just about have it Mr. Tendou." Paladin smiled his answer.
"Very well, I'll have a cup of that then Mr. Macon." Soun supplied.
Turning about, Paladin went back to the kitchen and fetched three cups and the pot of rak'ta'jenoh. He then poured Tendou a cup followed by a cup for himself and one for Nabiki. Kasumi had told him that her little sister might like to try it.
It wasn't long before Nabiki had risen to the morning drumbeat of female fists on pandafied flesh. The grunts of pain the vocal accompaniment. She sat at her place and took a sip from her cup and sat still for a moment. There was only one reason she hadn't fallen over from the taste of what was in her cup. The caffeine jolt had seized her unprepared muscles and mind and forced a system lock-up.
"WOW! This is really good! I probably won't be able to get ANY sleep tonight at all though." Nabiki commented and then asked where Kasumi had found the coffee that could almost walk on it's own.
"It's Mr. Macon's rak'ta'jenoh Nabiki." Kasumi told her. "It's very nice of him to share it with us don't you think?"
Kasumi then went up to her room to wake Kitty-chan and Akane; she had felt it would be safest for Jerrod. That way Akane couldn't jump to conclusions about his waking her or, if she stepped out while Jerrod was stepping into Kasumi's room. Jerrod smiled at her references to Akane being able to jump to a conclusion faster than Ranma could eat. Both allusions Jerrod had yet to witness.
The seating arrangements had altered from the previous day, Ranma was back at his normal place, a little closer to the corner, Jerrod beside Genma's place and Kitty either sitting with Kasumi or between her father and Ranma.
When Kasumi managed to get Kitty downstairs, Kitty had decided she wanted to sit with Auntie Kasumi.
The little girl stared outside at the red haired girl and big teddy bear that were fighting in the yard. Kitty didn't know there was another girl living with the Tendou's and she hadn't seen the teddy the day before. Everyone at the table saw her confused look and smiled about it. Kasumi very patiently explained to her that the bear was Ranma's father, and the girl was Ranma.
This didn't seem to help Kitty at all, she couldn't figure out how a boy could be a girl and she didn't see a zipper on the panda. Kasumi was still trying to explain it when Paladin stuck his head out the door and loudly said to the combatants. "Boys! Breakfast is ready." As he and Kasumi went back to the kitchen to bring out the food.
There are only three things that can intrude on the minds of the Saotome martial artists; all of them are meals. With a blink the two had stopped and were at the table before another breath could be had by anyone. Especially Kitty, who sat amazed at the speed of the two, and the girl did kind of look like her friend Ranma.
Kitty did understand what was being said to her about the 'curse' thing, she just couldn't put it together with what she knew and what her father and everyone on the ship had taught her. She knew the 'Q' people could make all kinds of strange things like that happen and she wondered if one of them was around, but she didn't bring it up. Daddy had told her that these people might not be able to handle that she and her daddy were from somewhere else. Magic just doesn't exist, it can't. What daddy had said about thermo-dynamics, conservation of energy and general physics was that magic breaks all the known laws of the universe.
Of course Kitty doesn't even think about the fact that the universe she and her daddy were in was completely different from the one she was borne in. And what had happened to her and daddy when they came here could be considered magical.
Nabiki continued to be impressed by Ranma and Akane, the two of them were still not arguing as she'd ordered. She knew it wouldn't last, but she'd take what she got with the two of them. The fathers were still idiots and hatching plans.
But until they actually made an attempt, Nabiki would refrain from their 'punishment'. Mr. Macon really didn't need to be exposed to Akane's untalented lack of skill in the kitchen. And Nabiki really didn't want Kasumi to have to clean up the mess behind Akane. She may even have to come up with something entirely different for punishment of the two old idiots.
Breakfast ended with the typical speed of the Tendou household, Kasumi handing the bento's to the younger teens as they rushed out the door to try to be on time for school, Nabiki having left a few minutes before. Soun and Genma turned their attention to the shogi board to continue the never ending struggle to see who the best cheater was. The only difference this day was the addition of the Macon pair.
Kitty looked after her new friend as he left for school a little wistfully, but that was okay. She knew he would be back later that afternoon, and then she could play more with him. The funny girl that had stayed in the entry the previous day had actually turned out to be friendlier than Kitty had thought she would be. And Miss Nabiki had been really nice after dinner and let Kitty read some of her comic books.
Miss Nabiki called them manga's and they had really neat pictures in them. Kitty couldn't read kanji yet, but thought she followed the stories pretty easily. She was really careful with them too, she'd never had something like paper in her hands before and it felt funny. Of course these were just the comic books that Miss Nabiki let her look at.
The older girl seemed to be very particular about the ones Kitty could look at. "Kitty-chan, some of these are probably a little too old for you right now. So you can see the ones that I say that you can. Okay?"
"Okay Miss Nabiki." Kitty was happy to follow the directions about it. Her daddy said things like that a lot, so she knew the girl was being protective like a big sister might be.
That was the previous night and Kitty knew she would get bored, she hoped the really nice mommy person Kasumi would do something else like the 'shopping' thing with her today. She really liked the walk and seeing all the really good things to eat that she saw yesterday.
She followed her daddy into the kitchen when he helped Kasumi gather the dishes. Kitty decided it would be fun to watch her daddy and Miss Kasumi this morning. She'd tried to watch during the meals yesterday and breakfast, but there was so much happening that she had a hard time keeping up. The panda-man had been funny the way he ate, and Ranma had taught her another way to eat soup than with a spoon. She couldn't do it, but it was fun to watch Ranma do it.
So Kitty was in the kitchen listening to her daddy and Miss Kasumi.
"Mr. Macon. Do you usually wake up so early in the mornings?" Kasumi asked, her gaze locked on the sink and her task.
"Sometimes I don't get any sleep at all Miss Kasumi." Paladin admitted. 'I am definitely going to wind up in trouble here.' Paladin thought. 'But, it could be worse. I'll just have to try to keep a friendly distance and not let it get much beyond that.'
"Oh, but you should sleep! It isn't good to miss your rest Mr. Macon." Kasumi exclaimed. Kitty was happy that Kasumi was concerned her daddy didn't sleep enough. Sometimes Kitty thought the same thing.
Paladin grinned and said, "I know Miss Kasumi. But, sometimes there are emergencies with my work that I just have to deal with. When the emergencies happen, I can't rest until it is taken care of."
Kasumi finally looked toward him and slowed her hands with the dishes distractedly. "I suppose Mr. Macon. But is any emergency more important than your health?" she asked. "Not that there is anything wrong with your health…." She trailed off.
"Sometimes Miss Kasumi, sometimes. "Jerrod replied.
Kasumi thought it very nice to have someone to talk with during the morning chores. But the way Mr. Macon talked about his work, it seemed he meant something other than being the head of an aeronautics-engineering firm. 'Maybe he test fly's some of the aircraft they design himself.' She thought. When she asked this he smiled and said. "I only wish I had the time to do that kind of thing Miss Kasumi."
Kitty suffered again from the bane of small children everywhere, the excitement of meeting new people and the warm feeling she got when she saw her daddy and Miss Kasumi working at the mundane task of washing dishes, and the waking up earlier than her body said she should. She fell asleep to the sounds of the voices of the two special adults.
Jerrod and Kasumi had finished the dishes even faster than Kasumi thought they would, and far sooner than she would have liked. There was something about the man that made her feel safe and warm, just from his presence. She had actually slept better the night before, even sharing her bed with Kitty-chan, than before the Saotome's had arrived. Just the Knowledge that there was a man under her roof that wouldn't need to be cajoled into defending them if the need arose, made her relaxed.
She didn't think this to put a bad light on Ranma, she knew instinctively that he would protect them with his own life. But with Mr. Macon in the house, she felt that any would be burglars would not stand a chance. For some reason, Mr. Macon made her feel warm and secure and protected. Kasumi decided that she liked that feeling.
She turned to ask Mr. Macon what he would like for lunch later and he just grinned and said. "I may not be here for lunch Miss Kasumi. I will try very hard to be though. I am sure that anything you prepare will be delicious!"
"Were you going to be going somewhere today Mr. Macon? I can suggest a few good bookstores if you are going to do some shopping." Kasumi offered. She really wanted to ask if she could go along. But decided it might be better not to impose on him. He was a busy man and probably still had much to do for his business even if he was on a vacation.
"Oh no, nothing like that. I will probably stop and browse at a few shops though. I just have to check on a few things with the home office and run an errand or two." Paladin explained.
Kasumi wasn't very surprised at that. She had thought so in the first place, but it would have been nice to get to spend more time with him and get to know him better. 'Don't be silly Kasumi! What could he possibly see in you anyway? You're just an unmarried housewife, a man like this needs someone that is regal and like royalty.'
"All right, but let me give you a few shop names anyway. If you decide to buy anything, they have very good prices!" Kasumi said in her best helpful manner. To her, saving a little money wherever possible was second nature.
"Thank you Miss Kasumi. I think I will do just that." Paladin said after she gave him the short list she quickly wrote down for him. ' I hope he didn't notice me shaking when I gave that list to him.'
Leaving the Dojo for a quick walk to the corner and checking that no one could see or hear, Paladin pulled out his 'cell-phone' and tapped a key on it. Holding the phone to his ear he said 'Paladin to Percheron."
"Bridge, good morning sir." Lt. Kelly replied.
"Put Jane on for me Mike." Paladin said.
"Kirque, go ahead sir." Jane said, Professional as always.
"Jane, it's going to be a fairly long and convoluted mess I have to work out here. You might want to do a few standard patrols in the sector and come back about once a month. But don't leave orbit until you can beam a portable subspace transmitter to my quarters here." He told her.
Jane, the annoyance hardly noticeable in her voice, asked. "Are you going to need any back-up down there Jerrod?"
He thought a moment and then said, "No. I can handle it. The kid that is my project seems to be very skilled and there are a few others that are almost as skilled as he is. There shouldn't be any real problems anyway."
"If you're sure sir?" Jane asked.
"I'm sure Jane. By the way, you should take a short shore leave yourself, you sound a little tense."
"Next time we get back into orbit, I will sir." Jane replied.
Paladin then gave her a list of items to send down when she sent the transmitter. A small chemical analysis field kit and a complete selection of antidotes and anti-biotics among the additions to his equipment. The information that there were people that liked to drug Ranma would have to be guarded against.
'Chinese Amazons' Paladin thought. 'Now there's something that is ridiculous just on the first impression. Although they are probably a pretty serious problem.'
He then gave a summarized report on what he had learned and asked to have a team do some research on the place called Jusenkyo in China. He also cautioned them to wear biohazard gear if they went to retrieve samples of the water, and not to take chances. He really didn't want to find out that any of his crew had been 'cursed' to change into God knew what.
He finished with Jane and turned his attention to the buildings surrounding the Tendou home and Dojo. The damage looked to be recurring, with evidence of repairs having been done in the past. The owners had evidently given up and put the houses up for sale. Thinking it time to put a plan in motion that might make things easier later, Paladin placed some calls around to the numbers he had on a laminated card in his pocket. The first one was to the American office where most of his senior Norn supplied employees worked.
The idea was simple, they would set up a few dozen paper companies each one established solely to distance Macon AeroSpace from what he was about to do. Then in the name of these companies that were set up, he would have the properties purchased. He was assured that the properties would be his by the beginning of the following week. He ordered that the buildings on site be demolished and removed as soon as possible after the purchase was completed.
With that done, he went to the local park and sat on a bench while he continued making calls. These calls were to find a reputable architect. He had an idea and wanted to have it ready for when the time came. Jerrod hoped it wouldn't be needed, but with preparation being his watchword, he set about having needs addressed ahead of time.
Jerrod found the architect he would use in fairly short order and asked if they could meet that day, within the hour. The architect agreed and he was off to the office of his new contract employee.
The need for an architect was simple, judging from the damage to the neighboring buildings, Paladin had surmised that there had been some violent fights between Ranma and some other person. The types of damage were not associated with the temblors from quakes. It was the result of very focused physical blows usually one found to be done by things like wrecking balls and large rocks. It was no wonder the owners had left.
He also wanted to have someplace to park his run-about when he was better established. He hoped he wouldn't need it, but having a nice underground hangar for it would be very handy. He had thoughts of some very useful practical jokes to pull on some unsuspecting inhabitants of the town of Nerima. He made a mental note to call the ship again later and put wildlife studies transporter tracer tags on his list of equipment.