Masaki Family Secrets...
Author: Daferge...
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Disclaimer:
Tenchi Muyo! is copyright by AIC/Pioneer Ltd...
Characters are property of their original owners...
All original characters and ideas are the property of the author...
( Note: For some reason Ch. 3 keeps popping up... Sorry about that... Fingers crossed... )
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Masaki Family Secrets...
Chapter 05... Revenge...
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( A backwater planet... )
The courtyard was large, but it was still packed...
People from the surrounding towns and villages had come to the capital to see the execution of an infamous criminal...
In the center of the courtyard was a small roped off area, in which a tall pole, with a crossbeam, stood...
Hanging from the beam was the body of a young female with light hair, a hood over her head...
Clothed in a simple dress, her hands chained behind her, her feet bare...
The crowd was silent, for this was not what they'd come to see...
This was some thing they didn't want to see...
The only one who did seem happy, was the planetary Governor...
Soon his name would spread across the galaxy, as the person who had brought to justice, the infamous space pirate Ryoko...
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( Across the courtyard... )
Leaning against a building, a young boy was watching and trying his hardest to remain calm...
Only the hands of two females standing on each side of him, holding his hands, kept him from forcing his way through the crowd to the gallows...
Though nether spoke aloud, their voices spoke calmly to him through an implant that allowed mental contact between them...
A third voice, from far, far away, joined the other two, reminding him that this was the way it had to be...
Galaxy law only extended to the atmosphere of a world, on the surface it was local law, good or bad...
And this was one of the bad ones...
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( A week earlier... )
While passing through a little traveled section of space, Ryoko wanted to visit a small world she hadn't seen in 700 years...
It was a beautiful planet, similar to Terra ( Earth/ Juraian colony 0315 )...
It had been one of the few places that she felt safe, the few rare times when she managed to get away from Kagato...
All too soon Kagato would take mental control of her, no matter where she was and force her to return...
She wanted to show it to those dearest to her...
And it hadn't been hard to find, but after 700 years it had changed a bit...
It was now a colonized world on the edge of the Juraian Empire, maintaining a neutral stance, but allowing a small Juraian outpost, as well as a Galaxy Police station...
This helped to prevent raids from nearby worlds known to associate with space pirates...
But the 'Ruler' was a planetary Governor, who was elected by the people...
That is, if you didn't count all the behind the scenes maneuvering, like vote buying, ballet box stuffing, etc...
And it seem that the latest elections were near...
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After showing Tenchi and the others some of her secluded spots that were still there after 700 years Ryoko had visited a couple of bars on her own...
It was there that some one had recognized her and reported her to the local law...
When confronted, she didn't deny it, but contacted the others by their special com-unit...
Ayeka told her to go along quietly and they would be there shortly to get her released...
However, when they got there they were informed that they had orders to hold her for trial, the next day...
Their documents, declaring her a free person would have to be presented at that time, by a local lawyer, it was the law...
It was while looking around for a lawyer that they got a better idea of how 'the law' worked on this planet...
ALL of the local lawyers refused to take a case against the government and for good reason...
In the past, those that had stood up to 'the law' not only didn't win, but usually had bad things happen to them...
It was an officer at the local GP station that lead them to a lawyer who was practicing in one of the smaller villages...
Because he was considered honest and trustworthy, he'd had to leave to capital, to stay alive...
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Posing as friends of the defendant, they went to see the lawyer, in his small office...
After reviewing the paper work they had, he had to informed them that even with all that evidence, the government still owned the court and it was unlikely they could win...
The only way to get Ryoko back was to TAKE her back, some thing both Ayeka and Mihoshi were more than willing to do...
HOWEVER , the after effects would be just as bad, if not worse...
Washu told them that if a Jurian subject, a princess no less, was involved in the breakout the political fallout would not only be bad, but the local outpost would have to be removed from the only suitable site for light years around...
That also went for an officer of the Galaxy Police being involved...
Every thing pointed to her having to take her chances in court...
Washu promised to come up with a plan, after she checked some things...
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( the court... )
Even with the deck stacked against him and ignoring threats, as he had for years, the lawyer showed up in court to represent Ryoko...
As he'd thought, although he presented the paperwork that Ryoko's records had been removed due to the statute of limitations and all charges dismissed, the court had an old wanted poster and THAT was good enough to charge her with crimes...
The governor being present with a number of his personal guard, who were more like thugs, didn't help their case...
And he wanted a conviction...
For the most part it was a simple and quick case, Ryoko was a wanted space pirate ( as per the poster ) and as such guilty...
The verdict was quick too, she was to be hung, as other pirates had been executed in the past...
When the lawyer objected, the judge stated that that was the mandatory verdict for ALL space pirates, by law, for some time and his not knowing didn't matter...
Washu had then told them not to identify themselves and for Ryoko to remain calm...
She had a plan, as a back up, just in case...
And she explained it to four unhappy people and a sad Cabbit...
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( The present... )
Ayeka and Mihoshi had to hold Tenchi's hands to prevent him doing any thing as Ryoko was brought out to the pole...
As it turned out, the government hadn't spent a lot on it's execution platform, a wooden box, three feet tall, under a hanging rope...
Ryoko was then lifted up onto the box by two tall males...
A third male, wearing a hood, with eye-holes, stood on another box next to iy...
It was he who put a hood over her head and then the rope around her neck ...
It was then that Tenchi almost lost it, as Mihoshi made a comment about the details of the execution...
Due to the shortness of the rope being used, the short drop would most likely not snap her neck, as was the common method of execution...
In all likelihood, she would probably just slowly strangle to death...
Only when he recalled that, upon the box being removed, was Ryoko to use her ability to float, to prevent the rope choking her as she dropped...
Tensing her neck muscles should help too...
Then, when a doctor checked her, she would slow her pulse rate so she would pass for dead...
Tenchi would, as next of kin, claim the body...
Once off world the truth could be revealed...
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Or at least that was the plan...
After the doctor checked her pulse, he declared her dead...
It was at that point that the plan went wrong...
The governor smiled and motioned to one of his guards...
" Cut her down and bring me her head... "
It was then that Tenchi did some thing he didn't know he could do...
He disappeared from between a startled Ayeka and Mihoshi and reappeared before Ryoko's body, Tenchi-ken, his Juraian sword/key, ablaze...
All those around him froze where they were...
Jumping up and he spun around and he cut the rope holding Ryoko up, causing her to drop...
As she fell, Tenchi caught her...
Wake up sleeping beauty...
Opening her eyes, in Tenchi's arms, she smiled...
" What?... No wake-up kiss?... "
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Landing on their feet, Ryoko broke the chains on her, and turn so she was stood back-to-back with Tenchi, a light sword in her hand, smiling...
As the Governor shouted at his men to attack Ryoko and her co-hort, a voice shook the air...
" ENOUGH!... "
The crowd parted, as Ayeka, surrounded by logs and followed by Mihoshi in her GP battle-suit, a huge cannon on her shoulder, advanced towards them...
From the expression on her face and the way her hair was floating behind her, Ryoko's eyes widened, it had been some time since she'd last seen the princess this mad...
From the size of the cannon on Mihoshi's shoulder and the expression on HER face, it was plain that SHE wasn't very happy ether...
Not taking her eyes off the two females, Ryoko whispered...
" Is it too late to run?... "
Tenchi smiled and sighed, he could see the two out of the corner of his eye...
" I'm afraid so... "
They both heard Ayeka's voice in their heads...
Don't ether of you dare move...
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The Governor turned his attention to the two new comers...
One he recognized must be a galaxy Police officer, as she was wearing one of their battle suits...
And the other had to be Juraian, only they used tiny log for personnel defense, probably from the higher upper class...
But what would they be doing here?...
Before he could inquire, the Juraian motioned to some one in the crowd and two Juraian military officers, off-duty and here to watch the execution, approached her...
As they got close to the female he watched as they both dropped to one knee and bowed they heads...
For some reason a chill ran down his spine...
As she motioned for them both to rise, his blood ran cold as she pointed at him...
" Arrest that man... "
As the two officers approached him, he stared at the female and he managed to speak...
" Who... Who are you?... "
Ryoko couldn't help smiling, only her mother had a wickeder smile than the princess...
" The first princess of Jurai, Ayeka Masaki Jurai... "
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As the two officers took up positions on both sides of the Governor, she continued...
" There is a Juraian heavy cruiser in orbit directly overhead... I suggest you put any thoughts of causing problems out of your minds... Our business is with this man alone... "
There wasn't any cruisers within a number of light-years, but these people didn't know that...
Tenchi noted that the Governor's guards had backed off, way off and he extinguished the Tenchi-ken...
With a sigh, Ryoko dissolved her sword too...
Wide eyed the Governor spoke up, pointing at Tenchi and Ryoko...
" But, what are these two to you?... "
Why did Ayeka's smile remind Tenchi of that National wildlife special where the Lioness seem to smile before ripping a chunk out of her freshly killed meal?...
" He... is Crown Prince Tenchi Masaki... "
Not only the governor, but the two officers, looked at the young boy, who smiling back at them...
" AND he happens to be my husband... "
With a sigh, she continued...
" And as Ryoko is also his wife, she is now Juraian princess Ryoko Hakubi Masaki... And you do know the punishment for assaulting a member of the Royal family?... "
Tenchi was sure the Governor didn't hear the last part, his eyes had rolled back into his head at 'Juraian princess Ryoko Hakubi Masaki'...
Sighing, Ayeka motioned for the two officers to take the unconscious male away...
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Seeing both Tenchi and Ryoko looking her way and smiling, she slowly turned...
To find a sad Mihoshi, back in her traveling clothes, pouting...
She sighed...
" I'm sorry Mihoshi... But he passed out before I could get to you... Next time, OK?... "
This cheered Mihoshi up so she turned and looked at Tenchi, who was making sure that Ryoko was alright...
She heard Mihoshi whisper softly...
" You saw it too, didn't you?... "
Ayeka sighed, she didn't have to ask what IT was...
She just nodded her head...
" Yes, Mihoshi... It seems our beloved lord has another surprise for us... "
Then she heard Mihoshi whisper again...
" Do you think HE knows?... "
Ayeka smiled and shook her head, she wasn't sure...
" Do you think Washu knows?... "
Ayeka's eyes widened
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( Washu's Lab... )
It was good to be able to access Ryo-Okhi's memory when she needed to...
Seeing Tenchi tele-port to save Ryoko had come as a big surprise, she had predicted it, but so soon?...
It must have been the desire to save Ryoko that had triggered it...
What other surprises did her little "Guinea Pig" have in store?...
She smiled, the future was looking even brighter...
Just wait until she sprung THIS on Emperor Azusa...
If hearing that Tenchi's father could produce a tiny Wing of the Light-hawk had raised an eyebrow, what was THIS going to do?...
She looked at the small crib over to the side, with it's small occupant, enclosed in a small force-field that kept the noise from the lab from waking her...
A special recording of Tenchi humming to her helped her sleep better, that and the stuffed Ryo-Ohki doll she was hugging...
If little Mayuka's father had all these surprises, what would she be able to do as she grew?...
Washu remembered when the Juraian Demon Yuzuha dropped by for an uninvited visit...
The look on her face when the little one produced that tiny fireball had been priceless...
Washu couldn't help it, she began to chuckle...
Soon she was laughing...
Oh, yes... Life was good with in-laws like these...
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To be continued...
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Please feel free to comment and review for any errors...
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