Well, for some reason I went on a bit of a role here, so there's another chapter!! (Yes, I did both of them in a row before posting them... wierd...)
Couple of things to comment on:
keichan2: I think Ranma will be post-Saffron in his power level. Mind you, that still pales in comparisson next to a super saiyan, but it does kinda bring Ranma that much closer to their power levels. Just so you know, though... I do prefer Ranma over Dragonball Z, so even if he is weaker than them physically... He's still got my vote!
Nysk: I would never EVER dream of doing that! The fact of the matter is that I'm a diehard fan of the couple that's MEANT to be together! Ranma and Akane! If you're not too sure where I stand with the two of them... heh, I suggest you read 'Warm Rain' on my main page! As for what you said in regards to Goku and Vegeta; I definitely had to tone Vegeta down a bit, but I still gave him one hell of a fiery temper! Don't worry... he injures an officer or two that crosses the line with him! Heheh... wouldn't be Vegeta otherwise. And Goku, I've always seen as being a very passive kind of person until he needs to defend the innocent and stand up for what's right. Heh, THEN he usually kicks ass::Evil Grin:: And I simply HAD to make Akane the CMO, just for the sheer irony of it all!
Firebird2083: I appreciate the help, dude! I think I'll just stick with the hr tags as well.
Wolfy-san: Hahah! Yep, just another evil irony! Believe me, he's just starting out good 'cause he's nervous! He'll get worse. I guarantee it!
keichan2: You nailed it on the head with pretty much EVERYTHING you said about Ryouga. I mean, how long would a truce last between those two... really?!
OK, so this chapter starts digging a little further into the insanity of the mission they're being sent on. The beginning of it might be a bit rough around the edges, but I think it smooths out as it goes (one of those 'necessary to start it off' things again... God, I hate those!) Hey, gimme a cat scan, somebody!!!
::Throws back rest of coffee with a sigh::
So... Chapter 3!!
MattSaotome
Chapter 3
Tensions
The Conference room was a mess of noise and confusion as Ranma, Goku and Vegeta walked in. Nine voices competed with each other in the room, each one obviously trying to make a point. The instant that Ranma was recognized, everyone flocked around him, and he was instantly happy that he had changed back to his male form before entering the room.
Nine voices all called out 'Captain' to him, then each one went off on their own topic, mixtures of 'what the hell' and 'how can Starfleet' and 'are they crazy', among other things ramming into his ears.
Goku cleared his throat as loudly as he could, but nothing happened. He waited a couple of seconds, and then tried again, once more to no avail. Vegeta snarled, angry at the mob before him, and took in a deep breath of air.
"EVERYONE SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!" he hollered. His voice echoed in the tiny room at the sudden impending silence that followed. If there were crickets, Ranma was sure they wouldn't even have been chirping out of fear.
"Much better!" Vegeta grinned.
"Everyone, take a seat," Ranma said, rubbing his left temple with his eyes shut. The group complied, and within a moment, everyone was sitting down, all eyes now glued on Ranma. Goku and Vegeta took their seats as well, and Ranma stood behind his own chair in classic captain style, placing his hands on the head rest.
"Everyone here heard the mission orders. Now before ya all go nuts, let me cover what we know. To start this off, I'll hand the podium over to Commander Vegeta, whose involvement in this has been rather unique on its own."
Ranma gestured to Vegeta, who rose and walked over to the front of the table. Ranma walked over to the windows and leaned against one of the frames. Vegeta activated the viewscreen at the front of the room and turned to face everyone as a schematic appeared.
"This," he said, pointing to the screen behind him, "Is an alpha model cloaking device. Its development is classified, so I can't tell you where it was built, nor who was involved in building it. Six months ago, I was ending my tour of duty aboard the U.S.S Freebird, a Sovereign class starship, when I received a transmission from Starfleet Command. I was to spend the next six months in deep training around the maintenance and operation of this device. Not thinking too hard about it at the time, I took the assignment. Now that things have happened as they have, the Captain, the first officer and I all agree that something is not right with the fools at Starfleet command! You see, I was assigned to this device six months ago, but the C in C was captured only three days ago, and Starfleet has pegged this as their reason for developing a cloaking device that already existed."
He stepped away from the head of the table and returned to his seat as Ranma came back to the front.
"After discussin' our mission orders, Commander Goku, Commander Vegeta and I can come to only one conclusion: The Federation feels a need ta re-assert itself as a strong force in the Alpha Quadrant. Decades ago, in the days of Captain Kirk, Starfleet was recognized as keepers of the peace, goin' out into space in peaceful exploration but with the ability to kick serious ass; an ability that has taken a back seat in the last thirty years as regulations and non-interference policies have become tighter and tighter. The Federation has become more of a group of observers that occasionally make a new mark in the quadrant."
"Three years ago," Goku spoke up now, turning to face the table full of people, "The So'na approached the Federation with a proposal based around Metaphysics. When Starfleet embraced the proposal and sent people to work with the So'na, Ruafo was found to be impatient and unreasonable. It was during one of these arguments that Admiral Douerty was told by Ruafo that the Federation had become weak and hunted by all the major powers in the quadrant, each of them 'smelling the scent of death on the federation'. When Admiral Douerty was killed, Admiral Tendo took it to heart, since they were close friends. I believe that, to ensure that his friend's death was not in vain, Admiral Tendo has set about the strengthening of Starfleet through certain means."
"Means that we obviously don't agree with!" Ranma intoned. "If the Romulans are involved with the kidnappin' of the C in C, then we are ordered ta rescind the treaty of Algeron. This will give the Federation the right ta develop and use cloaking technology."
"But Ranma," Akane spoke up. "Haven't we already violated the treaty by creating the cloaking device?"
Ranma nodded at the wisdom behind his fiancée's words. Sometimes, Akane, you can actually make sense! When you're not beatin' me over the head, that is!! "I guess you're right, Akane. We are a flying violation of the rules. At this point, however, we are expected ta behave in a state of deniability. It's far from plausible when ya boil it down, but until we use the cloaking device," Ranma spread his arms apart a little as he shrugged, "We don't got it."
"Captain," Dana chuckled. "Starfleet can't seriously expect us to just waltz over there and rescind the treaty, can they? I mean, the treaty has kept us from all out war for years! How can they call for it to be abolished?"
"Survival of the fittest, Jorgensen," Vegeta grinned for a second. "It has always been the first primal law. Starfleet believes that it is necessary to risk open conflict with the Romulans in order to achieve the powerful stance they once held in space. It will open up a field to them that over forty percent of the alpha quadrant exercises already anyways!"
"The ability to cloak." Mousse nodded, seeing Vegeta's point.
"But at what cost?" McCoy piped up. "I've seen the casualties of many wars, and I have to tell you that if the Federation is ready to put people into that position again… The rescindment of the Treaty of Algeron could have repercussions that ripple across the entire Alpha Quadrant. In the end, I don't see how this could remain limited to the Federation and the Romulans. There's just no way an issue like that could remain contained in our own little war."
Ranma waved a hand to stop the Doctor. "You're thinkin' too far ahead, Doctor. As far as I'm concerned, I won't use the cloak unless it is absolutely necessary. That is ta say that we'd have ta be in some pretty heavy danger before I activate it, and unless circumstances prevent ANY other course of action, I definitely do NOT intend ta drop cloak right in front of a bunch of Romulans."
"No kidding!" Ryouga breathed. "You wanna talk about striking a match by propane… that's the only way that could lead!"
Ranma nodded. "Exactly. I'm in no hurry to spark that explosion! So this is the game plan for now, people. We go about the mission as we have been ordered, but under no circumstance is anyone to even acknowledge the existence of a cloaking device on board until I call for it ta be activated. Understood?"
Nods came from around the table.
"OK then," Ranma breathed. "Now that we've discussed the flaws in the base of the organization we work for, let's move on ta less mutinous subjects. Lieutenant Nick Chesterton, Ensign Matt Hummer, you two're assigned to the night watch. Your duty shift begins in five hours. Make sure that you're on constant watch for Orion Raiders. At warp twelve, we'll be comin' up on their borders by morning, but there's no way to know for sure if there aren't cloaked raiders patrollin' the space near the boarders. First sign of trouble, wake the senior staff and have a situation report ready for the first officer that arrives on the bridge. Mousse, Briton, continue runnin' battle drills on all decks. I want everyone ready for anything. By morning, I want a dozen security officers or more on every deck.
"Vegeta, Jorgensen, brief your staff on all the latest gadgets on board, includin' the cloaking device. Once they all know how to maintain the damn thing, stop talkin' about it!
Akane, McCoy… make sure sickbay is fully prepped for any medical emergency. I hate sayin' things like 'Be ready for near-dead bodies', but I think that this might be necessary for the situation we're headin' into."
Ranma looked around the room. A moment passed in silence as he surveyed everyone's faces. They all looked back at him with expressions that clearly indicated they were listening to their captain, and this made Ranma feel a little better. At least, for now, they were taking him seriously.
"You've all been trained for these jobs, and you're all the best people to do them. I expect you ta behave like Starfleet officers – Like professionals. Stay alert, stay focused, but above all else, stay true to your uniforms. Any questions?"
Silence greeted his question, a few of the people around the table shaking their heads. Ranma nodded once.
"Good. Now to move on, I'd like to introduce you all to Commander Stephen Stoltz." Ranma motioned towards him, "Commander?"
Stephen rose from his seat and stepped to the front of the conference table.
"My name is Commander Stephen Stoltz. I am in command of the Wildcards; Starfleet's military detachment on board the Wildstar. My men and I have been assigned to this ship for the duration of her first leg in space. During this time, we will be handling most of the dirty work. While my men are at the disposal of the Wildstar's security needs, we are also responsible for handling any military action needed onboard or on away missions. I want you all to know that we don't consider ourselves to be a separate entity from any of you, and we'd all like to be able to consider the Wildstar our home, just as all of you will. My men are at your disposal, and if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to seek out any of the Captain, the first officer, or myself. It's all pretty much the same thing. Any way you look at it, it'll reach my ears, so whatever floats your boat, I guess!"
Stephen grinned at his last comment, and several people at the table chuckled. With a nod from Ranma, Stephen went back to his seat, and Ranma stepped back up to his chair.
"As commander Stoltz pointed out, his group is here to see to all military aspects of our missions, includin' security. Mousse, I want you to co-ordinate your battle drills with Commander Stoltz, and make sure that the Wildcards undergo everythin' that your men do."
Mousse nodded. "Aye, sir."
"Good. Commander Jorgensen, I believe you're up next," Ranma looked to the assistant Chief Engineer. She turned her eyes to Vegeta, who reached into his chest pocket and pulled out an isolinear chip, which he slid across the table to her. She flipped it upright and quickly inserted it into the small computer console in front of her. The conference monitor came to life again, and in a short second, a schematic of the Wildstar appeared.
"Commander Vegeta and I have news of new toys for all of you," she smiled. "To get the ball rolling, I'd like you all to first take a look at this."
She pressed a few buttons, and the screen zoomed in to an area of the saucer section, and then came to a halt on a particularly sophisticated looking piece of machinery.
"This," she pointed to the screen, "Is the latest in holo-technology. This emitter array encompasses more juice than fifty holodecks put together."
"What is it… for?" Ryouga asked, staring in awe at the array along with almost everyone else at the table.
"Patience, Mr. Hibiki," Dana said. "This device is connected to several dozen holo emitters across the ship's hull. These allow us to display holographic images out into space. Its primary design is camouflage. With a few commands into the main computer, this ship can be made to look like anything we want it to."
"Impressive," Deputy Briton mused.
"All the control programs have been loaded into the operations station. The device is on line and fully functional."
"That Shampoo's toy!?" Shampoo's grin nearly split her face, and again, several people chuckled.
"Moving on," Dana laughed. "Next up is the saucer separation feature. You've all seen this on other starships, most notably the Galaxy Class. The difference here is that, unlike the Galaxy class, the saucer section is capable of military assault action, just like the star drive section."
Dana pressed a few more buttons, and the Wildstar on the screen underwent a saucer separation. The turbolift cartridges on the star drive saucer plate lowered back inside, and to everyone's amazement, the bottom of the saucer section sprouted two warp nacelles, each coasting into a position that threw striking similarities to a Reliant class starship as a torpedo bay rose on two angled struts behind the bridge section.
"Oh, sweet mother of pearl…" Mousse gawked. Several nods of extreme approval came from some of the bridge officers, and there was a smile of self-centered delight at everyone's awe plastered on Vegeta's face.
"My own invention." He commented.
There were a few remarks of recognition shot Vegeta's direction, and he basked in the glory of his own genius for a few seconds before Dana cleared her throat.
"While the Saucer and Star drive separated are excellent in battle, there is a feature that requires the ship to be whole in order for it to work. This is called the Wildfire Scenario. What this is, none of you are going to like very much just for what has to happen to do it. In the event that the Wildstar is incapacitated in battle, Starfleet has finally managed to put together something useful from the wreckage of the Doomsday Machine that Captain Kirk disabled almost two hundred years ago. When this scenario is activated, an enormous power surge is sent through the shield generators. This builds to a massive anti proton burst that blasts out away from the ship in all directions that a generator faces."
"That sounds good, actually!" Mousse piped up. "It gives us the last word if there's nothing else we can do."
"While that is true," Dana shot a 'thanks for interrupting' look at Mousse before continuing, "There would have to be no friendly ships within a 50,000 Km range of the blast or they're history. That's downside number one. Downside number two is this; the blast will burn out the shield generators until they can be repaired at a starbase. The blast will also burn out the main computer core, as well as frying every warp plasma junction on the ship. While the junctions can be repaired by a starship engineering team, the time it takes to do that means you'd better be damned sure the blast is gonna kill ALL the bad guys cause you won't be warping out of there for at least two days, not to mention that the fried computer core makes all that impossible anyways!"
"Ouch!" Ranma winced. "So everyone knows, I'll be considerin' this a kamikaze solution at best. Don't count on me issuin' this order. Ever!"
Dana chuckled. "Good idea. Finally, this ship has a compliment of twenty thousand triphasic torpedoes, forty thousand quantum torpedoes, six triphasic launchers, five quantum launchers, fifteen mark seven phaser banks, six mark six banks, two thousand subspace mines, eight tractor emitters, twenty transporter buffers and one bad ass mother of a plasma phase cannon to top it all off!"
Mousse fell out of his chair. Vegeta laughed out loud and several 'holy shit's' were heard from around the table.
"The warp reactor on the star drive section comes equipped with transwarp coils, giving us a top speed rating of warp 15, though the engines have never been pushed past 14.5. That little trick we gained from the Borg when the starship Voyager returned to the alpha quadrant. The saucer's independent reactor is capable of warp 9.98. Shield output on the completed ship is well over four hundred thousand terraquads. Separated, the star drive shield generators put out two hundred ten thousand while the saucer puts out one hundred eighty thousand."
"Ain't nothing getting through those in a hurry!" Briton remarked.
"Let's not get too cocky on that one," Goku spoke up now. "All these features have been developed to bring us back into the position of 'formidable'. While they sound impressive, they only give us an edge over some of the stuff other races are coming out with now."
Everyone nodded understanding.
"And that's all I've got for ya. Oh, except that sickbay's power systems are finally independent of the rest of the ship's power grid. If the ship's power fries, Sickbay's will still be active."
"That's good to hear!" Akane was impressed. "Can't wait to not have power outages!"
Ranma chuckled. "Thank you, Commander Jorgensen. Well, there ya have it, people. We are sittin' on the biggest flyin' machine of war since the early days of Starfleet. All these features are impressive, but let's remember that we're still explorers. Just because we get the dirty missions, don't mean that we betray what the Federation stands for. Don't get me wrong. I'll cold cock anyone who pisses me off, but I want you all to be true to the organization we represent. Understood?"
"Aye, sir," the synchronous reply floated off the table.
"Good. Resume your duty stations."
As the officers rose from their chairs and left the room, Ranma singled out Akane and put himself in her path. As everyone else exited the room, he crossed his arms in front of himself and looked to his feet, making for a shaky start.
"Um, Akane… Listen… I wasn't tryin' to… Umm… ah, shit… ::sigh:: assume anything… last time we were in here. And I… uhh… certainly wasn't behavin'… like a Captain should. I just… umm… want you ta know… I'd, uh… like to be able to… be your Captain… and NOT be your captain… at the same time."
Akane turned a little red and she smiled a bit. Not quite the best apology he's ever pulled off… but hell… I already forgave him for that…
"Listen, Ranma… Thank you. For apologizing to me, I mean. I think I… that is to say I HOPE I understand what you're trying to say, and… We'll make it work… somehow…"
Unable to think of anything else to say, Akane looked at the floor as well, and quickly stepped around Ranma. Her face was burning red as she walked out the doors and left Ranma to stare at the wall behind where she had been standing. He stood in the room alone for a minute before twitching an eyebrow and giving a deep sigh.
"Yeah…" We always do… just never with the results I really want…
He crossed his hands behind his back and headed for the exit as well, trying to figure out exactly what had just happened in his mind. He wanted to try to sort it out, but at the same time, he didn't want to over think it and ruin one of the few good moments the two of them had ever shared. He opted instead to clear his mind and just get back on the bridge where it was obvious what he needed to think about at any given moment.
Captain's log, supplemental
We've been on course for the Orion border for almost four hours now. While the rest of my crew is enthusiastic since the briefing, I find myself wondering if we aren't playing a very large roll in the structural collapse of the entire alpha quadrant.
The door buzzer to Ranma's ready room buzzed.
"Come," he called out. The doors opened and Shampoo came storming in. She walked right past Ranma as he attempted to object to company and huffed down on the couch.
"Um, what can I do for ya, Shampoo?" Ranma asked carefully.
"Ryouga stupid!" she spat in disdain. "Shampoo always have to correct his course! Stupid boy can't fly ship in straight line without screw up!"
Ranma chuckled. "Well are ya at least telling him what he's doing wrong?"
Shampoo glared at him, and inside, Ranma felt himself getting vaporized slowly and painfully.
"Shampoo no want to talk to stupid boy!"
Ranma sighed. "Fine. I'll deal with it. Is that everything?"
Shampoo smiled and stood, walking slowly over to Ranma. "Now we both here, you want spend some time alone with Shampoo?"
As she spoke, she came up to him and slid her arms over his shoulders, wrapping herself around his neck.
It was at this instant that Akane walked through the doors, not even bothering to buzz. She came to a screeching halt at the sight before her.
Ranma's face drained of all color.
"Oh… shit… Akane, this isn't what it looks like!" He instantly tried to defend himself, then suddenly winced as he realized that particular line NEVER helped. It usually made things worse!
"Oh, really?!" Akane spat out. "I don't much care what it's supposed to be! You just never LEARN!!!"
Akane grabbed the model of the Constitution class starship sitting on a shelf near the entryway and threw it at Ranma. Shampoo jumped back just in time as the model smacked into Ranma's forehead with enough force to knock him to the floor.
Shampoo gasped as Akane turned and stormed out of the ready room hollering out something about the captain being preoccupied at the moment. The doors finished closing and Ranma sat up slowly, rubbing his head where the model had hit.
"Akane, wait!" He jumped up and bolted out of the ready room, leaving Shampoo alone. She stood there in silence for a second, then let out a sigh of loneliness and walked slowly out of the ready room to resume her station.
Everyone on the bridge watched in confusion as Ranma stormed out of his ready room in hot pursuit of Akane. He disappeared into the same turbolift car as her and the bridge fell silent again, save for the beeps and blips of background noise.
Goku watched from the captain's chair and gave a little chuckle.
"They'll be together in no time flat!" he commented.
Mousse grinned. "I hope so," he replied. "I still want my Shampoo, but as long as she chases after Ranma…"
Goku leaned towards the tactical station with a reassuring look.
"Don't worry, Mousse. She'll come around eventually."
Mousse took in a deep breath of air, and then nodded quickly as he looked back to his station. He was only distracted for a moment when Shampoo came moping out of the ready room and took her station slowly. He shook his head quickly to return his mind to his duty just as his console beeped loudly at him.
"Battle drills are done for the evening, Commander. Everyone's calling it a night."
"One more hour…" Ryouga mused from the helm station. "How am I doing, Ops?"
Shampoo sighed deep and pushed a few buttons with an obvious lack of interest.
"Stupid boy need to come starboard 2.3 degrees," she mumbled, leaning on her console and putting her chin in her hand.
Ryouga gave a little growl, but punched in the correction none the less.
Dana turned from the engineering console at the back of the bridge to face Goku.
"Sir, engineering reports are coming in for the end of the day. Shall I forward them to your chair?"
"Yes, please, commander." Goku replied, flipping up the console on the command chair and pressing a button. It was at that moment that the turbolift doors opened. Inside, Ranma was leaning against the turbolift wall with his arm. He slumped away from it slowly and trudged onto the bridge in a manner that showed he had surrendered yet again. Goku looked over at him, then back to the reports, and then snapped around to look at him again.
Ranma was black and blue! He had been punched in the eye, there was a blood trail from his nose down to his upper lip, and the opposite side of his face from the black eye was starting to turn purple.
Goku was out of the chair in a flash and by his side.
"Captain!" He immediately took to surveying Ranma's injuries. "Should I call sickbay?"
Ranma chortled. "Fu! Don't bother! The CMO's who did it. She knows what condition I'm in."
Goku shook his head as he took a step back to examine all of his captain, making sure there were no hidden injuries. From the helm station came the sound of Ryouga's laughter.
"Hahaha!! She beat you to a pulp! Hahah!!"
"Keep it up, 'Lieutenant'!!" Ranma hollered. "Just try an' piss me off an' find out what happens!"
Ryouga's face suddenly went straight. "What, no jokes? I thought we were burying the hatchet?" He then turned back to face his console, grumbling a bit darkly.
Goku, meanwhile, had gotten the med kit from the side of the bridge and pulled out a dermal regenerator. Ranma winced as Goku applied the tool to Ranma's wounds.
"Ss! Ow! Listen… Ryouga… sorry, man. I just… can't understand women. I didn't… mean ta snap at you. In all fairness, you ain't the one I'm frustrated with."
Ryouga turned back to Ranma. After staring at him for a few seconds, he gave a nod. "…Apology accepted, then." He turned back to the console and continued whatever he was doing before.
Ranma sighed and stood there as Goku kept going.
"I appreciate your concern, number one, but I'll be fine."
"Hold still!" Goku instructed. "This might be uncomfortable, but it has to be done."
Ranma growled, crossed his arms and stood still. The turbolift doors opened yet again, and Akane's chief assistant, Doctor McCoy stepped onto the bridge. He walked over to Ranma, med kit in hand and relieved Goku.
"I'll take it from here, Commander."
Goku stepped away from Ranma and let the doctor go to work. McCoy pulled out his tricorder and scanned Ranma.
"Fractured collar bone, two broken ribs and a pelvis fracture." He mused. "God, that woman can do impressive things when she's mad!"
"Impressive to whom, doc?" Ranma asked in monotone.
McCoy chuckled as he pulled out a hypospray and injected Ranma with something. A cooling warmth flooded Ranma's veins, and he sighed in relief. Then, McCoy pulled out his own, obviously more sophisticated Dermal Regenerator and went to work. Within seconds, he was closing up his med kit and gave Ranma a pat on the shoulder.
"There you are, Captain. Good as new!"
"Thanks, McCoy," Ranma replied. McCoy, who had started to walk back towards the turbolift, stopped in his tracks and turned back to Ranma with a bit of a pensive expression.
"…Call me Bones…" he answered. With that, he turned back to the turbolift and vanished into it.
Ranma watched as he left, chuckled to himself, and then returned to the command chair to close up shop for the night.
Goku walked through the halls of the ship with satisfaction. There was always something about the day that could make him smile. Whether or not it had royally sucked, he could always find the faint shine and pull it free from all the trash. He let out a sigh of content as he came to his quarters and stepped inside. He unzipped his tunic and removed his com badge, placing it on the red undershirt as he sloughed his tunic over a chair.
His computer beeped at him, letting him know there was a message waiting for him. Goku walked over to his desk and sat down, giving the computer console a tap. The screen lit up with the Starfleet symbol, just before an image of Chi Chi appeared on the screen, a smile brightly writ over her face.
"Hi, honey!" The recording began. "I know right now you're probably loving the day up as you always do. I just wanted to drop you a little message to let you know what's been going on the last two days. The Centaur has been patrolling the Cardassian border, as you remember. Captain Krillin had me run the senior staff through some crazy war games scenarios earlier today. He's always so worried that we're gonna get caught off guard one of these days. I suppose it is better to be prepared.
"Gohan got in touch with me yesterday. He still operates his civilian Fleetyards, but he was saying something about getting a huge change in the action? I'm still not too sure what he meant by that, but he said we'd know in a day or two. As usual, Trunks hasn't left is side through any of it.
"Goten's been doing really well in the school on board the Centaur. He's been flying through his courses, and I'm starting to think that, maybe, I should be pushing him into career education, like we were doing with Gohan."
Goku winced a little at this, shaking his head in disbelief as he laughed casually at the though of Goten all dressed up in fancy outfits like the ones Chi Chi used to make Gohan wear. No, he'd have to include how bad of an idea he thought that was in his reply.
"I miss you, Goku," The recording continued. "I'm still a year away from the end of this tour of duty, but after the time off, I think I might want to keep working under Krillin. He's a fabulous captain, and from the sounds of things, our next leg in space will be crossing your path several times over the span of a few months, so I'll get to see you way more this way as well!
"My heart is with you, Goku! Now go out there and show 'em what a Starfleet Saiyan can really do!"
Chi Chi blew a kiss at the screen, and it blipped off. Goku hit the kill switch on the computer and let out another sigh of content. It was always good to know things were going so well with his family and friends!
"Well," he spoke to himself. "Might as well do my workouts before I shower!"
Ranma sat in his stretch chair reading report pads to himself. If there was one thing he hated about being Captain, it was the paperwork! He groaned his way through it with disdain, and as he finished the last report to himself, he noticed the pounding headache he had.
As far as first days went, this one sucked the big one!
His door buzzer went off.
"Come," Ranma called. The doors to his quarters slid open, and he was shocked to find Akane on the other side. Her face was slightly flushed, and he could tell that something was bugging her.
"Akane?" He questioned, not sure why she was showing up at HIS door instead of the counselor's. She walked slowly into the room and sat on the single chair opposite the table between them.
"Ranma," she began. "I… need you to tell me… my dad's not really responsible for all this… is he?"
Pity swelled in Ranma's chest, and he found himself sitting forward like nothing else mattered to him.
"I could tell you that, 'Kane, but I wouldn't know if it was the truth or not."
Akane sniffled before trying to cover it up with a half-hearted giggle.
"Look at this, I'm crying!" She wiped the tears away quickly, giving her head a little shake.
"You're worried," Ranma spoke quietly. "I don't blame ya! I don't see your father as bein' the type of man who could just do this without good reason, Akane. I think that something is influencin' your dad's decisions. He believes he's doin' the right thing. Right now, that's not up to us ta question."
"I know, I know!" Akane shot back, quickly running a hand through her hair. "It's just… so frustrating to think about! I mean, I know my dad's not capable of this kind of crap, but… but he's doing it and… and I don't know… how I feel about that!!"
While she was choking out her words in some rushed string, Ranma had stood up and moved quickly behind her chair. He immediately began to massage her shoulders as he hushed her, his mind completely relinquishing control over his limbs to something else.
"Akane," his soothing voice made her close her eyes as his hands went to work. "I can't say anythin' to make ya feel better, but I can promise you that, if anything should endanger your father, we'll be the first ones there ta help him. Right now, we just gotta play this thing out 'til reasons for it all show themselves. Then we can worry about the whys. OK?"
OhmyGod… What the HELL am I doin'?!? I'mdeadI'mdeadI'mdeadI'mdead…
Akane had barely registered Ranma's words as her eyes drifted shut.
I… can't believe he's doing this! But… Oh, GOD that feels soooooo gooood……
"…Ranma," she cooed quietly.
"…Yeah?" he finally replied. Here it comes! I'm gonna die!! It was nice knowin' ya, life!!
"Thank you," she trailed off.
Ranma's hands slowed a little as he realized exactly what had just happened, and he was shocked to notice that he was still massaging Akane's shoulders, working his way slowly in towards her upper back instead of being knocked through a few bulkheads. Seconds ticked by slowly before he finally decided to just keep going for now. It was making her… well, jello… and it was actually making him feel a little better as well.
Unable to say anything else, he just continued to let his hands work as Akane let small murmurs of approval pass her throat, her eyes closed and her mouth opening and closing a little every time Ranma hit the right spot.
"…You're welcome, 'Kane."
::Eyes squeezed shut:: please tell me it didn't suck...
Only your reviews can save my sanity, folks::grins:: Hit me!
MattSaotome