Author's Notes: Since I haven't done it already, here's the belated disclaimer; I don't own Gundam Wing or the Tenchi Muyo franchise. There, legal obligations met.
Enjoy!
Chapter Two: No Need For Roommates!
His body was sore all over, but Heero took the fact that he could feel pain to be a good sign; it meant he was still very much alive.
Looks like the Reaper wasn't ready for me quite yet, he thought, Sally was right; I really do have the devil's luck.
Another good sign was that Tallgeese III still had power, though the displays he could see indicated that it had taken severe damage. The unit had landed back-first towards the western shore of Lake Genval, and according to the monitors Heero could see that the chest was actually up above the surface of the water. That was a big relief to him; coming down here meant that it would be easier for Preventers to recover the mobile suit later. Heero was impressed that the mobile suit still had power, though with the way it had landed he knew that the remaining thruster was definitely trashed.
He groaned as he sat up in his chair, but as he checked himself over Heero realized that he was in remarkably good condition. Nothing appeared to be broken, and while he was bruised and battered he didn't think he had any internal injuries. His chest hurt and his breathing was a little pained, but from what he could tell it didn't feel like he had broken any ribs. There was a throbbing pain in his head but his helmet had prevented it from being much worse.
With the way the Tallgeese III was laying the unit's cameras were pointed straight at the sky, and Heero couldn't move the mobile suit to get a good look at the two crashed ships. His scanners were detecting two large nearby objects that he assumed to be them, but it was hard to make out their condition.
He got on the radio. "Ryoko, are you there? Ryoko, it's Heero. Can you hear me?"
There was no answer.
He was rather reluctant to try contacting the other party since they had shot out one of his engines, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. "Princess, do you read me? Respond."
There was no answer from her either. Either their ships' communications systems were down, or they were out cold… or worse.
Only one way to find out, he thought, Time to pop the hatch.
….
Coughing up water, Ryoko flopped back on the shore of the lake. She was soaked and she felt like hell, but she was alive, and that was something.
Damn, she thought, grimacing as she lay there for a moment, trying to recover some strength, We landed pretty hard, even with the water. Guess we didn't hit a deep part of the lake.
Wincing in pain as she sat up, she looked out at the lake and quickly found Ryo-Ohki. The upper body of her ship was well above the surface of the water. From the darker shade the ship was and the cracks in it Ryoko knew that Ryo-Ohki had taken a beating. Soon she would go into a period of hibernation to heal and recover her energy, leaving Ryoko stranded on this planet at least for a little while.
Rest up, girl, she thought, I think we've both earned a break.
She could also see the upper hull of the Ryu-Oh above the surface of the lake as well. It looked just as beat up as Ryo-Ohki was, and while Ryoko wasn't an expert on Jurai ships she knew that they could undergo a recovery process like Ryo-Ohki, although theirs took much longer. Closer to shore she could see the battered white and blue machine that had intercepted the two of them in orbit. Ryoko hoped the pilot was okay; if nothing else Heero seemed like an interesting guy, and it'd be a shame if something happened to him here.
I'm stuck on his planet now, she mused, He can at least do me a favor by surviving so he can show me around.
"Oh…" a familiar voice groaned.
Ryoko looked over to her left and scowled as she saw Ayeka on the beach too. Apparently the princess had managed to swim to shore, and she wasn't alone. Two large cylinders were washed up on the shore with her. They were each taller than a human by at least a few feet, appeared to be made of some kind of wood, and had unique Juraian script on the front of their bodies below a single ocular sensor. The one on the left had blue script and the other red.
Great, she thought wryly, Azaka and Kamidake, her guardians… this just keeps getting better and better. Which one's which again?
The one with the blue script lifted itself up and turned to Ayeka. "Princess Ayeka, are you all right?"
"Azaka…" said Ayeka as she rubbed her head and tried to sit up.
"Please, Princess, lie back down and rest for a while!" chimed the red one as it too sprung up from the ground.
Ayeka shook her head. "Not yet, Kamidake…"
Well, mused Ryoko, I guess that answers that question.
Then Ayeka's gaze found Ryoko, and the space pirate saw the princess's eyes narrow in fury. "You… this is all your fault!"
Ryoko glared at her as the two women struggled to their feet. "My fault? You're the one that rammed me!"
"A necessary measure to defeat a fugitive such as you!" Ayeka shot back, "Had you not been a coward and used that local as a tool in your attempted escape we could've settled this in orbit!"
"Oh yeah?" Ryoko growled, "Well if you had just let the Galaxy Police chase me rather than run after me yourself then none of us would be in this mess!"
"Because you would've escaped them all too easily!" Ayeka shouted, "I could not abide that after you had robbed the Bank of Jurai!"
"It was just a local branch!" said Ryoko, "I didn't even get that much out of it!"
"And you think that lessens your crime?" asked Ayeka with incredulity, "You truly are nothing more than a thug, Ryoko! Azaka, Kamidake! We're taking her down now!"
"Princess Ayeka, you must reconsider!" said Azaka, "You can hardly stand right now!"
"You cannot fight right now!" cried Kamidake.
"Be silent, both of you!" Ayeka snapped, several small cylinders appearing around her and the air around her crackling with energy, "If the two of you insist on questioning me then I will fight her myself!"
"Bring it on, Ayeka!" growled Ryoko, bringing her hands together and gathering crimson energy between them.
Privately she knew now was hardly the time to fight Ayeka. Ryoko had taken a beating in the crash; she didn't have a lot of energy to spare right now. Still, she couldn't just back down.
The two women glared at each other, ready to throw down at any second…
…and then a gunshot rang out and a bullet struck the ground between them.
"That's enough!" shouted a familiar male voice.
Both Ryoko and Ayeka turned to see a figure in a black flight suit and helmet coming out of the lake. It was moving slowly, and Ryoko realized that it must have taken a beating in the crash just like her and Ayeka.
The figure removed their helmet, and Ryoko's eyes widened in surprise. She'd gotten a small look at Heero's facial features through his helmet visor before, but now that she could see him in his entirety she was struck by his appearance. He was breathing hard but his face was set and firm, his expression one of determination. There was a fierce, piercing edge in his blue eyes unlike anything Ryoko had ever seen before. His thick brown hair was rather unruly thanks to him taking off his helmet, but in Ryoko's mind that did not detract from his appearance in the least.
Damn, she thought, he's not just cute; he's downright handsome!
Ryoko saw Ayeka staring at Heero as well, and some of her fury seemed to have faded. If anything the princess looked almost as stunned as Ryoko was by the young man that had interrupted their impending clash.
"Haven't you two," said Heero, his left hand clutching his chest while his right held a pistol in a surprisingly steady grip given his condition, "had enough of this for one day?"
"Heero," said Ryoko carefully, "I don't think you should get involved in this fight."
Ayeka nodded, and her voice was a little calmer as she spoke. "Please, sir… with due respect, this matter does not concern you."
"With due respect," Heero deadpanned, "I disagree. You two came out of nowhere flying ships unlike anything we've ever seen before here, started shooting it out in orbit of our planet and threatening our colonies, shot out one of my engines and forced me to ride your ships down and crash land in the middle of a lake. I'd say this matter very much concerns me."
"Look, Heero," said Ryoko, "I'm sorry about dragging you into that, but you should back off here. This fight's between me and Ayeka."
"Agreed," said Ayeka, "I apologize, sir, but I will not… yield…"
The princess then stumbled forward and collapsed.
"Princess Ayeka!" cried her two guardians.
Ryoko smirked and was about to claim victory before she felt her legs give out beneath her.
"Damn it," she groaned, "Guess that crash took more out of me than I thought…"
The last thing she saw before darkness claimed her was Heero lowering his gun and coming towards her.
….
"Hey, Ryoko!" said Heero as he knelt down by the turquoise-haired woman, "Can you hear me? Answer me!"
Cradling the woman's head in his right arm he brought her face up to his. Her breathing was faint but steady; it looked like she had simply passed out.
He turned to the nearby cylinder-things that were hovering over the purple haired woman. "Hey! Is she okay?"
The blue cylinder turned to him and moved its whole body slightly downward in what Heero assumed to be its approximation of a nod. "Quite so, sir. Her Highness simply exerted herself too much and fainted."
"We told her she needed to rest!" said the red one.
Heero nodded. "I see. Are you two planning to pick up where she left off?"
The blue one shook side by side. "Our only concern is the protection of Princess Ayeka."
"We will not attack you or Ryoko unless you attack us," said the red one.
"I see," said Heero as he gently laid Ryoko back down, "My name's Heero Yuy. I'm with a security organization called Preventers. Who are you?"
The blue machine gave another one of its full-body bows. "I am Azaka, a guardian entity of Jurai's Crown Princess Ayeka."
"And I am Kamidake," said the red one, "also a guardian entity of Princess Ayeka. It's nice to meet you."
"I apologize for what happened in orbit earlier," said Azaka, "I'm afraid Princess Ayeka losses some of her rationality whenever she gets in a fight with Ryoko."
"She's normally not like this," said Kamidake, "Please forgive her."
Heero sighed as he sat down next to Ryoko. "I'm alive and reasonably intact, so I won't hold a grudge. What she said earlier about Ryoko being a criminal… is that true?"
"Quite so," said Azaka, "She is a rather infamous pirate."
"Her reputation spans the galaxy," said Kamidake, "She's an exceptionally powerful pirate!"
Heero looked down at Ryoko in thought. This woman passed out on the ground beside him… was she really a galactic outlaw?
"You two," he said carefully, "Do you have any proof of this?"
"Well," said Azaka, sounding almost sheepish, "I'm afraid all documented proof would be within the databanks of Ryu-Oh…"
"Which were severely damaged along with the rest of the ship in the crash," finished Kamidake.
Heero sighed. "So you also don't have proof of this Ayeka being royalty, I take it?"
The two cylindrical guardians looked back and forth between each other, seeming quite nervous.
"We are the proof, sir Heero!" said Azaka rather forcefully.
"We would not be with Princess Ayeka were she not a member of the Jurai Royal Family!" said Kamidake.
For seemingly artificial beings the two guardians could put serious emotional inflection in their statements. To Heero the two of them seemed flustered and panicked, and he decided to exploit that.
"This is my first time hearing about this 'Jurai' you speak of," he said, "That also goes for both Ayeka and Ryoko. This is our people's first encounter with life from beyond our star system. Unless you can offer me solid proof beyond your word then I'm afraid this is simply a case of your statements versus those of Ryoko. That's not enough for any sort of legal verdict on this planet."
"Oh, dear," said Azaka meekly.
"It appears we are in something of a bind here," said Kamidake, "Whatever shall we do?"
Heero looked over at the unconscious Ryoko again. He really had no reason to disbelieve Azaka and Kamidake. Ayeka's garb alone seemed very similar to that of old Japanese royalty or nobility, and the two cylindrical guardians were acting very much like loyal servants. Ryoko's attire, while somewhat exotic, seemed more like clothes worn by everyday people rather than royalty, although Heero knew that he could hardly make an accurate assessment given that he had zero knowledge of galactic fashion trends and culture.
He didn't know anything about her that wasn't hearsay from Ayeka and her guardians or what Ryoko had told him up in orbit. Heero was skeptical of her account and had only attacked Ayeka's ship because she had resumed hostilities first. The Gundam pilot had a lot of questions that needed to be answered, but based on the orbital clash and what little he had learned down here it seemed that the two women were not a threat to Earth. Their fight had been directed strictly at each other until he had intervened. Sally and Lady Une would be relieved; war with an interstellar civilization was the last thing the Earth Sphere needed.
Digging into one of the pouches of his flight suit he pulled out a small radio. It was fortunate that his suit was both vacuum-proof and water-proof or the device would've been ruined.
"Water, this is Zero," said Heero, "Do you read me?"
Sally's response was immediate. "Loud and clear! You okay, Heero?"
He nodded. "All things considered, yes. How bad was the damage from our drop?"
"Our initial assessments show that it's surprisingly minimal," said Sally, "The impact kicked up a big wave in the lake, but apart from some damaged boats and soaked buildings things aren't that bad. No civilian casualties reported so far."
Heero breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad to hear it."
"We really caught a lucky break here," said Sally, "Anyone ever tell you that you should hit a casino, Heero? With your luck you'd probably win big at the slots or tables."
Heero shook his head. "I don't gamble."
Sally chuckled. "Unless it's with your life. We've got aerial images of Tallgeese III and the two ships. We can recover your mobile suit but I don't think those other two craft are going anywhere anytime soon."
"Understood," said Heero.
"I'm pulling up in a nearby parking lot now," said Sally, "Give me a few minutes and stay put; I'll come to you."
"Copy that," said Heero, "Zero, out."
With nothing else to do he sat back on the shore and waited for Sally to arrive. It was early evening and there was a beautiful sunset in progress. Red light flowed out over the lake, illuminating hulls of the two ships that had mere minutes ago been shooting the crap out of each other. It was quite a sight, but Heero knew that the two ships sticking out of the lake like that would raise serious problems once the public took a good look at them. After a moment Heero shrugged; public relations and information control weren't his responsibilities anyway. Director Lady Une would cross that bridge when she came to it.
Once again he looked down at Ryoko. Wiping some of her hair away from her face, the Perfect Soldier studied the literally otherworldly woman. What was her real story? Why had she come out to the Sol System? Did she have a family? Heero wasn't normally the type of person to take such an interest in other peoples' lives outside of his missions, but then again Ryoko was far from a normal person.
Sally's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Hey, Heero!"
Looking up, the Gundam pilot saw Sally running over to meet him. Behind her were several men and women in dark suits; she'd brought a team of operatives and support personnel with her. Given the situation Heero couldn't blame her.
Sally and the others stopped in their tracks as they surveyed the scene. Heero wasn't surprised. After all, here was Preventers' top operative sitting on the shore of Lake Genval next to a beautiful alien woman, and just a few meters away was another extraterrestrial female being watched over by two strange cylindrical machines. Combine that with the upper hulls of the two spaceships and the Tallgeese III sticking out of the surface of the lake in the background and it made for an image straight out of a science fiction movie.
Noticing that Sally's hand and those of the other Preventers personnel were hovering over their sidearms Heero raised his hand and gestured for calm. "It's all right. They're not hostile towards us. Besides, they're both out cold."
Sally nodded, and Heero was surprised to see her smirk. "Well, well. You would find a way to get shot down and end up with two ladies."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Heero.
Sally chuckled. "Please, don't play this game, Heero. Half the women in our department have had their sights set on you ever since you joined up, but you've focused only on your work and haven't gone on a single date. It only figures that when we make first contact with alien life it ends up being you getting into an orbital shootout with two women."
"Now you're sounding like Duo," Heero grumbled.
"You could learn a thing or two from him," Sally replied, "At least he knows how to loosen up a bit, especially with Hilde."
"That's irrelevant," said Heero, quite eager to change the subject, "We need to get Ryoko and Ayeka somewhere safe so they can recover."
Sally raised an eyebrow. "So you're already on a first name basis with these two? You move fast, Heero."
"Sally…" Heero grumbled.
Sally laughed. "Oh, come on, can't you handle a bit of teasing?"
"This hardly seems like the time for it," Heero deadpanned.
"I disagree," said Sally with a smile, "You just survived first contact with aliens and an orbital drop, and there's not a single civilian casualty. In that light I'd say there's no harm in some teasing and banter. You know humor's a great way to deal with excess adrenaline."
Heero shook his head. "It's not really my style."
Sally sighed. "Fine, be that way. I suppose we've got a lot of work ahead of us anyway."
Heero nodded. "We can't use any of the public hospitals. We'll have to take them to HQ's infirmary. I don't think they're severely injured, but we should play it safe."
"Agreed," said Sally before turning to the men and women behind her, "Okay, people, let's get them to the cars and load them up. Gently, I might add!"
Heero tried to stand up and pick up Ryoko, but his body was still quite sore from the crash and he couldn't help but groan.
"Not you, Heero," said Sally as she came over to him, "I know you're tough, but an orbital drop like that's nothing to sneeze at. We're getting you to the infirmary too. No heavy lifting for you."
Heero reluctantly nodded. "Fine. I'll ride with Ryoko."
"Suit yourself," said Sally.
Meanwhile two agents had moved towards Ayeka, only for Azaka and Kamidake to intercept them.
"Halt!" said Azaka, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Don't take another step towards the Princess!" said Kamidake.
"Ma'am, orders!" said one of the agents.
Sally turned to Heero. "I don't suppose you can help out with this?"
"Yeah," said Heero, stepping forward, "Azaka, Kamidake, this is Sally Po. She's my commanding officer. Her agents are going to take Ayeka to a facility for medical examination. She won't be harmed, I promise."
Azaka and Kamidake turned to each other for a moment, and Heero wondered what silent thoughts were passing between them. After a moment the two guardians turned to Heero again.
"Very well, sir Heero," said Azaka, "We will entrust Princess Ayeka's care to you."
"However," said Kamidake, "we insist on being brought along. If you do not agree to this condition we cannot let you take Princess Ayeka!"
Heero nodded and turned to Sally. "Seems reasonable enough."
Sally sighed. "All right. I'll call for a truck from the motor pool; no way we're fitting these two in the cars."
"What about Tallgeese III?" asked Heero.
"Director Une's already mobilized a recovery team," Sally replied, "It'll be an all-nighter but they should be able to get your machine out of the lake. Can't say the same thing for the spaceships."
"That's fine," said Heero, "We should be careful with those two anyway. We've got no idea what kind of technology we're dealing with here."
"Good point," said Sally, "We can observe from a distance for now. Those ships aren't in a hurry to be somewhere anyway."
He watched as two agents picked up Ryoko and began carrying her away. Heero followed close behind, and when they got to the black government-issue sedan he got into the back of the car with her.
Rest up, Ryoko, he thought, You're going to need it.
….
With a groan Ryoko made her way back to consciousness. The darkness slowly began to recede, and while she couldn't make out details there was a lot of white and a few blurs that she thought might be people. One was very close by and seemed to lean in as her vision returned to her.
"Uhn…" she moaned, "How much did I drink?"
"Sorry," said a familiar male voice, "but you didn't have a drop, and that's not a hangover you're feeling."
Ryoko blinked, and the details of her surroundings began to return to focus much more quickly. She realized she was in some kind of hospital room lying in a bed. There was an I.V. in her left arm and to the right of the bed she saw Heero sitting in a chair nearby.
She couldn't help but smile despite how sore she felt. "Hey, Heero. How long was I out?"
"A few hours," said Heero.
Taking a closer look at him, Ryoko realized that he was out of his flight suit and in casual clothes, a simple green tank top and blue jeans. She could also see several bandages wrapped around his arms and one around his forehead.
"Hey," she said, sitting up, "Are you okay?"
Heero nodded. "I'm fine. I don't really think these were necessary, but the medics insisted. I'm not easy to kill."
Ryoko smiled again. "Yeah, you've got that right."
Then she heard another familiar voice groan. Looking past Heero she saw Ayeka lying in a bed as well, while on watch nearby were Azaka and Kamidake.
"Oh, great," Ryoko grumbled, "You had to bring her along too?"
"What did you expect?" asked Heero, "Special treatment?"
Ryoko pouted. "A girl can hope, can't she?"
"Damn it all," moaned Ayeka from behind him as she regained consciousness, "Where am I?"
"Princess Ayeka!" said Azaka as the Princess opened her eyes, "It's so good to see you waking up!"
"Are you all right, Princess?" asked Kamidake.
"I believe so…" she said as she sat up before seeing Heero, "Oh, it's you… I suppose I should thank you for bringing me here."
Heero shook his head. "Don't mention it."
Here it comes, thought Ryoko, just waiting for Ayeka to spot her.
That only took a second, and Ayeka immediately scowled. "Ryoko! What are you doing here?"
"Ask Heero," said Ryoko, "He brought both of us here."
"Oh," said Ayeka, looking slightly mollified, "I see. I suppose that was the right thing to do… even if you didn't deserve it, Ryoko."
She scowled at Ayeka. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
"A criminal like you should be in a jail cell," said Ayeka, "It's only thanks to Heero's grace and charity that you're here instead!"
"Oh yeah?" said Ryoko, "Well if I don't deserve to be here then I know for a fact that you don't either! You're the one that shot Heero down, remember?"
Much to Ryoko's surprise Ayeka's response wasn't anger but shock. "Wait, what?"
"You blew out his machine's engine, remember?" said Ryoko, "He had to ride Ryo-Ohki down through the atmosphere to survive! You could've killed him!"
"Azaka, Kamidake!" she cried to her guardians, "Is this true?"
"Well…" said Azaka, "Princess… I'm afraid it is."
"In your defense," said Kamidake, "he did fire on Ryu-Oh."
"Only after you started attacking me again!" Ryoko pointed out.
Ayeka actually ignored Ryoko and looked right at Heero before bowing her head. "Please, Heero, I beg your forgiveness!"
Huh, thought Ryoko, Didn't see that coming…
Heero nodded. "It's okay. I suggest the two of you save your energy rather than bicker like this. You won't get to relax for long."
"What do you mean?" asked Ryoko.
"For starters," said Heero, "the organization I'm part of is charged with maintaining peace in the Earth Sphere. Not only were you two in the middle of a battle when you showed up here, but the two of you are also the first contact we've had with life that's not from this planet. Due to those factors I'm obligated to give you both a thorough interrogation."
Ryoko gulped. "Interrogation?"
"Now look here," said Ayeka nervously, "There's no need for such…extreme measures."
Heero raised his hand. "I think you're misunderstanding me. When I say 'interrogation', I mean exactly that; I'm going to question the two of you. What I am not going to do is torture you. My government does not torture people, and as an individual I find the practice disgusting. I promise that you won't be harmed."
Ryoko smiled. "Well, that's a good to hear."
"Indeed," said Ayeka, "In that case I will give you my full cooperation, Heero. Good luck with this outlaw, though."
Ryoko glared at her. "You just don't know when to quit, do you? You want to fight? I'll take you right here and now!"
"Take your best shot, thief!" snarled Ayeka.
The air crackled with energy between them until Heero stood up and intervened.
"That's enough!" he said firmly, "No one is fighting anyone here. I didn't bring you two here just so you could kill each other. While you're here you will refrain from fighting. Is that understood?"
Ryoko sighed. "Fine, but only because I owe you one."
Ayeka bowed her head. "As you wish, Heero. I did offer my cooperation, after all. You have my word that I will not cause another disturbance here."
Heero sighed with relief and sat back down. "Thank you."
Ryoko then saw him grimace and rub his chest. "Heero!"
"Oh my," said Ayeka, for the first time noticing his injuries, "You're wounded!"
Heero shook his head. "It's fine. I've had worse."
"Worse than this?" asked Ryoko, "What kind of trouble do you get into?"
"That's not your concern," said Heero, "Resting up is. I've got a lot of questions for both of you, so the interrogation's going to take a while."
Ryoko nodded. "All right."
"Very well," said Ayeka, though she still looked concerned, "Please inform me when you are ready to begin."
The Jurai Princess lay back down, and Ryoko figured she should do the same. As she did so she saw Heero lean back in his chair and close his eyes.
He looks pretty beat, she thought, I guess I can take it easy on him for now. You'd better rest up too, Heero. After all, if I'm going to be on this planet for a while, I might as well enjoy it. You and I are gonna have some fun once we're out of here.
….
September 3rd, A.C. 198
Breathing a sigh of frustration as the door to the interrogation room closed behind him, Heero leaned back against the wall.
I'm getting nowhere with this, he thought, What the hell am I supposed to do?
"How goes it?" asked a familiar voice.
Looking down the hall Heero saw Sally walking towards him. She was smiling, but he could tell that she was tired. She must've been up all night helping Director Une deal with the ongoing fallout from the landing at Lake Genval.
"Not well," he said, "It's just like up in orbit; Ryoko tells me one thing and Ayeka tells me the exact opposite. Splitting them into different rooms hasn't made much of a difference… although it has kept them from trying to kill each other again."
"So they're disputing what caused the fight up in orbit," said Sally as she leaned against the wall next to him, "That's not too surprising. What about aside from that? You get any information on this 'Empire of Jurai' Ayeka mentioned earlier?"
Heero nodded. "More than I thought I would. Stories from the fight aside, I've got some pretty interesting information on Jurai. Long story short, it's quite real, and an interstellar powerhouse at that."
"Any chances of them coming our way?" asked Sally, "If what Ayeka says is true we've got their crown princess here. They won't be happy about that."
"Actually," said Heero, "I don't think they know she's out here. Ryoko and Ayeka may be telling conflicting stories about the battle in the solar system, but one thing has matched up with both their accounts."
"What's that?" asked Sally.
"Apparently," Heero replied, "Earth's out in the galactic equivalent of the middle of nowhere. We get the occasional through traffic at the outer edge of our solar system, but we're not exactly high up on anyone's interstellar travel list. Ayeka said that she had activated a distress beacon on her ship after the crash, but with the apparently limited traffic we get out here it may be quite some time before anyone picks up on it."
Sally smiled. "Nice to have some good news on that front. However, if her government is indeed an empire that is some cause for concern. Historically such nations tend to have expansionist foreign policies."
"We might be okay as far as that goes," said Heero, "If what Ayeka says is true the Empire of Jurai stopped expanding its borders several hundred years ago. They seemed to have recognized that they can only project power to a certain extent before they become overstretched and vulnerable. The current Emperor is supposed to be a benevolent figure too, although I only have Ayeka's word on that."
"What about Ryoko supposedly being a galactic criminal?" said Sally, "What are your thoughts on that?"
Heero closed his eyes for a moment. "She was definitely running, that's for sure. As for being an outlaw… it's a distinct possibility. I don't think she's a danger to us though."
Sally nodded. "I'll trust your judgment on that. By the way, I've got some news from Lake Genval."
"Tallgeese III's been extracted?" asked Heero.
"Yup," Sally replied, "Took all night, but they got it out. I'm afraid you won't be flying it for quite a while, though."
"That's to be expected," said Heero, "Let me know when they analyze the impact from Ayeka's ship's guns. I know I got hit with an energy weapon, but it will still be interesting to get more information on the kind of technology she was using."
"I'll keep an ear open for any word on that," said Sally, "Speaking of ships, more news on that from the lake… and it's pretty weird."
Heero's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
Sally fished her smart phone out of her pocket. "It'll be easier to show you. Check out the pictures the observation team sent me."
She held up the phone in front of Heero. The first picture on it was of Ryo-Ohki and Ryu-Oh down in the lake, their upper hulls breaching the surface.
"This was taken about an hour after I picked you up," said Sally.
"What am I looking for here?" asked Heero, "It doesn't look like anything's changed since the impact."
Sally nodded. "Correct, at least as far as this picture goes. However, check out this next one. This is from about six hours after impact."
The image shifted, and Heero's eyes narrowed as he studied the new picture. This time there was a very clear difference; the ships were much further down in the water. They also seemed to be glowing, with Ryo-Ohki wreathed in red light and Ryu-Oh enveloped in a green aura.
"How's that possible?" asked Heero, "They landed in a shallow part of the lake, and they were firmly in place when I last saw them."
"That's not the best part," said Sally, "Check out this one. It's time stamped two hours after that last picture."
The image shifted again, and this time Heero's attention was immediately drawn to the fact that the ships had both completely disappeared.
"What happened?" asked Heero.
"We're not entirely sure," said Sally, "We know the ships didn't take off; that would've been impossible to miss. We sent in divers to check it out. They reported seeing glowing red and green lights in the lake in the same positions as where the two ships went down, but when they tried to get close there was suddenly a swift current that pushed them aside."
"A strong current in Lake Genval?" Heero replied, raising an eyebrow, "That's not possible."
"We've seen a lot of impossible things since these two ships showed up in the solar system," said Sally, "We're still trying to figure out what's going on out there. I don't think it's anything dangerous, but… well, we don't really have enough information to know for sure. I was hoping you could ply Ryoko or Ayeka and try to clear things up."
"I can try," said Heero, "but there's something we need to consider first."
"What's that?" asked Sally.
"Time," he said, "You know our detention rules, Sally; we don't hold people for longer than twenty-four hours unless we have sufficient probable cause to charge and arrange for trial. We still have time to hold them and question them, but it won't last forever."
"That's for normal cases," said Sally, "Heero, you have to agree that these are hardly ordinary circumstances."
"I do," said Heero, "but I also know that we can't hold them indefinitely. I realize we haven't had them long, but I'm pretty sure that they're not a threat to us. They certainly haven't committed any crimes against us."
Sally smirked. "Really? You mean apart from shooting down a government agent? That does carry a pretty hefty penalty, Heero."
"I'm willing to overlook that," said Heero, "Considering that this was our first contact with extraterrestrial life things could've gone much worse. Besides, they weren't hostile towards us, and I intervened in their fight at my own risk. For what it's worth I think Ayeka sincerely regrets that she fired on me."
Sally sighed. "Well, I'll admit I'd feel bad about holding them indefinitely. We're not the old Alliance or OZ after all. Still, this situation… it's hard to apply the normal rules here."
Heero nodded. "I know, but there's got to be some sort of arrangement we can work out."
There was silence for a moment before Sally smiled. "You know… I just might have a solution."
Heero's eyes narrowed. "What do you have in mind?"
"Let me run it by Director Une first," said Sally, "I'll get back to you when I've got her answer. In the meantime keep questioning Ryoko and Ayeka."
Heero nodded. "Understood."
….
Leaning back in her chair, the twenty-two year old Director of Preventers closed her brown eyes to give herself a moment to process Sally Po's proposal. Running her hands through her long brown hair, she sighed in weariness. Lady Une wouldn't normally make such a display in front of others, but Sally was not just a subordinate and a coworker; she was a friend. They were in the privacy of her office so she didn't need to worry about decorum. Despite her high rank she wore a simple Preventers uniform just like Sally, consisting of black pants and shoes, an olive drab button-up shirt and a tie of the same color, and a black jacket with a blue circle with a light blue star on the right shoulder and a red and gold insignia over her right breast.
"Long night for you too, huh?" said Sally.
Lady Une opened her eyes and gave her friend a tired smile. "You have no idea. The press and the Interior Ministry have been the worst of it by far. I'm actually glad that those two ships have disappeared from the surface of Lake Genval; it's making things a bit easier to deal with now that the civilians can't come up and take pictures of the damn things."
"I told Heero about that," said Sally, "He's trying to get information on what happened to them from Ryoko and Ayeka."
Lady Une shook her head. "Two alien women crash land on Earth yesterday and we're already referring to them by their first names… this definitely isn't going the way I thought first contact would."
"It could be worse," Sally replied, "and I think that proposal I just gave you will help us deal with a few more problems."
"Yes," said Lady Une, "and I find it a lot more appealing than handing them over to a science team for indefinite study."
Sally raised an eyebrow. "That's surprising. I thought I'd get a little more pushback from you on this."
Lady Une chuckled. "Well, it's a creative proposal, and I think it works. We're already up to our necks in reporters and conspiracy theorists trying to confirm if we recovered aliens or not. Turning this into an Area 51-style scenario is not going to help. What better way to hide them than in plain sight?"
"I still haven't run this by Heero," said Sally, "Do you think he'll go for this?"
"I'll make it an order," Lady Une replied, "and besides, whether he realizes it or not I think he needs this."
"What do you mean?" asked Sally.
"We've talked about this a few times now," said Lady Une, "We both knew that things were never going to work out between him and Relena. Divergent schedules, different backgrounds, conflicting worldviews… really, it's a mercy that they simply drifted apart rather than go through a whole relationship and have it crash and burn."
Sally nodded. "I'm with you there, but what's that have to do with our current situation?"
"Simple," said Lady Une, "You and I both agree that he's been working far too hard. He needs more of a social life, something to look forward to outside of his duties, or he's going to burn out. He's our best agent, but he's only human. This can help him… though he probably won't see it that way at first."
Sally smiled. "Yeah, and the look on his face when I tell him is going to be priceless. So you're fully behind this, right? I get to tell him it's an order and he doesn't get to say no?"
Lady Une nodded. "You've got my backing, Sally. Go give Heero the news. I'll start making the appropriate arrangements on my end."
….
"So," said Heero, "you're saying Ryo-Ohki's going into hibernation?"
From across the table Ryoko nodded. "Yeah, if what you told me's right. She needs to do that after that kind of crash so she can recover."
"So she really is a living starship," said Heero.
Ryoko nodded. "Yup. Ryo-Ohki and I have been together since… well, a really long time. Once she's healed up I'll have to give you two a real introduction. I think she'd like you."
A living starship would like me?, Heero thought, And here I thought this day couldn't get any stranger.
"What about Ryu-Oh?" he asked, "Is that ship also alive?"
"Well, yeah," Ryoko replied, "It's a Jurai Royal Treeship. It's probably got a different healing process than Ryo-Ohki though."
"Royal Treeship?" asked Heero.
"Jurai ships are weird," said Ryoko, "Any government craft, whether it's under the Royal Family, the Imperial Fleet, or any other official office, has a Jurai tree serving as its source of power. I don't know all the details, but I guess the ship grows out from the tree. Engines, guidance systems, weapons, you name it. Technicians can add stuff on, but the main vessel is basically an extension of the tree."
Heero sighed. Just when he thought he'd heard everything… it wasn't that he didn't trust Ryoko on this particular detail; she didn't have any reason to lie to him about it. However, it was hard to swallow.
"Okay," he said after a moment, "Is there anything else you can tell me about Jurai Treeships?"
Ryoko shook his head. "Sorry, that's all I got."
Heero nodded. "What about Ryo-Ohki?"
Ryoko smiled. "What do you want to know?"
"Anything," Heero replied, "Her power, her speed, where she's from… anything you can tell me."
Ryoko nodded. "All right. I honestly don't know where Ryo-Ohki's from. I didn't see any others like her on the planet I met her on, so I don't know if that was her home world or not."
"Have you encountered others like her in the galaxy?" Heero asked.
Ryoko looked down for a moment and frowned. "Well… there was one, but… I'd rather not talk about that one, okay?"
"Why not?" asked Heero.
Ryoko folded her arms. "I'd just rather not, all right? Look, you can ask me anything else about Ryo-Ohki, but I'm not touching that subject."
Heero decided to shelve that line of inquiry for now; he could return to it another time. "Very well. How strong is she?"
Ryoko grinned. "Now that's more like it. She packs quite a punch. You got to see her firepower during my fight with Ayeka. Royal Treeships are tough bastards though. Against another target Ryo-Ohki would've kicked ass."
"What sort of target?" asked Heero.
Ryoko's brow furrowed in thought. "Hmmm… something like a Jurai fleet patrol ship or a Galaxy Police cruiser or another pirate ship. Most ships aren't as tough as something like the Ryu-Oh."
"What about defenses?" asked Heero, "It looked like Ryo-Ohki could take a pounding."
Ryoko nodded. "She's got an energy field and a tough hull, but she's better at a running fight than a straight-up slugging match. Still, it takes a lot to bring her down."
"So I noticed," said Heero, "How fast is she?"
"Well," said Ryoko, "obviously she can go faster than light to travel between star systems. She's got a pretty good sub-space speed too. Ryo-Ohki can outrun plenty of ships, and she's pretty maneuverable too."
Heero nodded, mentally trying to classify Ryo-Ohki in terms that he recognized. It was a difficult task, though, and ultimately he settled on 'gunship' for lack of something better.
"Hey," said Ryoko, leaning forward, "how much longer are you going to keep me in here? Not that I don't mind being interviewed by a cute guy like you, but a girl needs fresh air sooner or later."
"It won't be too much longer," said Heero as he stood up, "I'll let you know when we're done."
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Out," he replied as he went to the door, "I need to think."
As the door closed behind him he leaned back against the nearby wall. He'd learned so much over these interview sessions that it was hard to keep everything straight in his head, and that was without bearing in mind that he needed to take what Ryoko and Ayeka told him with a grain of salt.
I feel like my head's about to explode, he thought, It's a good thing the conversations in those rooms are recorded. I'm the one doing the interrogations and I'm still having a hard time believing what I'm hearing… even after that skirmish in orbit.
He heard a strange rippling noise, and then a familiar female voice from just above his head. "Hey! What's on your mind, handsome?"
He pushed off the wall and whirled around at lightning speed. Even a young man as calm and composed as Heero usually was could not stop his eyes from widening as he saw Ryoko's upper body coming through the wall.
"What the hell?" he thought, his hand hovering over his pistol.
Ryoko laughed. "Oh, man, that was great! I was hoping to get a reaction out of you. That was priceless!"
Heero shook his head. "How are you… what the hell are you doing?"
Ryoko smiled and came through the wall the rest of the way, hovering over to him before gently touching down on the floor. "Easy there, hotshot. I promise I'm not going to cause trouble here. I just wanted to get out of that room for a bit. You can't blame a girl for that, can you?"
"You just came through a solid wall," said Heero, still having a hard time believing he had just seen that.
Ryoko winked. "Yeah, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. Get to know me better and I just might let you in on them!"
"If you could float through walls," said Heero, "why did you stay in the interrogation room until now?"
Ryoko shrugged. "I felt I owed you one for helping me out up in orbit. Sure, Ayeka still rammed me and we all ran up crashing in that lake, but you still attacked her when she started firing at me again. So I didn't want to cause too much trouble for you here. Still, you kept me cooped up in there for a long time! I had to get out just for a little bit."
"I don't suppose I can talk you into going back in there?" Heero deadpanned.
Ryoko smirked as she came up to him and leaned forward, pressing her ample bosom against his chest and putting her mouth right next to his ear. "That depends. Do we get to have some fun if I say yes?"
"Am I interrupting something?"
Oh, crap, thought Heero, knowing full well who that voice belonged to.
He and Ryoko turned to see Sally standing in the hall. Her arms were folded, and she had a very amused smile on her face.
"Don't mind me," she said with a smirk, "What sort of 'fun' were you going to drag him into, Ryoko?"
Ryoko smiled. "Why do you want to know? Did you want to watch?"
Heero shook his head and moved around Ryoko. "Sally, I've got that ship intel you wanted."
"Glad to hear it," she replied, "You can fill me in on that later. Right now I've got something I need to discuss with you and Ryoko, along with Ayeka. Is she at least still in her interview room?"
Heero nodded. "I didn't let Ryoko out, you know. She got out on her own."
"So I saw," said Sally as she looked at Ryoko, "Phasing through walls… that is an interesting trick. Is Ayeka capable of that too?"
Ryoko shook her head. "Nope, just me."
"Small favors," muttered Heero.
"I see," said Sally, "Heero, why don't you bring her and her guardians out here. I'll explain everything then.
Heero nodded and went to the door across the hall. Opening it, he looked over at Ayeka and the two cylindrical guardians and motioned for them to follow her.
As she left the room Ayeka stretched and yawned. "Oh, it feels good to get out of that cramped room. Now, sir Heero, what may I assist you with?"
Heero then saw her glare at Ryoko. The alleged pirate returned the scowl, but he was relieved to see that they did nothing beyond that.
"Now," said Sally, "per our laws we cannot detain either of you for more than twenty-four hours without filing charges, and we have no plans on doing that. We're willing to overlook the incident that occurred up in orbit as a simple misunderstanding. Consider yourselves lucky; the punishment for attacking one of our agents is usually quite severe."
Ayeka bowed her head. "I thank you for your consideration and mercy. Your leniency in this matter will not be forgotten."
"So you're not going to keep us here much longer, then," said Ryoko, "What's going to happen to us? We're both going to be stuck on this world for awhile."
Sally nodded. "I'm aware of that. Given your status we can't just send you off on your own, but it's also unrealistic of us to just keep you at HQ. As a middle ground you'll be placed under observational custody."
Both women gave Sally a blank stare, and Heero was confused as well. This was the first time he'd heard that term.
"Sally," he said, "Can you elaborate on that?"
Sally smiled at him, and Heero did not like it one bit; she looked quite amused, and if the past was any indicator that promised to be trouble for the Perfect Soldier.
"Ryoko and Ayeka," said Sally, "for the foreseeable future you'll be moving in with one of our agents… our top agent, to be precise."
Heero shook his head, barely concealing his shock. "Sally, you can't be serious."
Ryoko grinned. "Well, so that'd be you, right Heero? This'll be fun!"
Ayeka looked down for a moment, and Heero could've sworn he saw a bit of red in her face. "Well, if we must take up temporary residence here, I suppose this is an acceptable arrangement."
"Well," said Sally, "I'm glad the two of you are willing to go along with this. Heero, I trust this won't be a problem?"
She damn well knows I have a problem with this, he thought, trying his best not to glare at her.
"Sally," he said carefully, "there has to be another arrangement we can come to. My place isn't made for guests."
"What's the matter, Heero?" said Ryoko, putting her arm around him and smirking, "You only got one bed? I'm good with that."
"Oh, you foul temptress!" said Ayeka with a scowl as she stomped forward and grabbed Heero by the arm, "Sir Heero, I promise that I will be no imposition. I will make sure that you do not regret hosting me!"
"Sally," said Heero as he managed to extricate himself from the two women, "I really don't think this is going to work. How am I supposed to do my work if I'm keeping an eye on two houseguests that just so happen to be the first extraterrestrials we've ever had contact with?"
"I've already cleared this with Director Une," Sally replied without missing a beat, "Your injuries weren't severe, but you did take a beating in the crash. Due to this the Director has deemed that you be put on paid time off so you can recover. You can watch over our visitors and still earn your paycheck. After a little time to rest up we'll start sending you intelligence files for review; you can work from home as an analyst for a while."
"You're taking me out of the field?" asked Heero.
On the outside he appeared as calm as ever, but within he was still trying to recover from the surprise that Sally had dropped on him. He hadn't known what the Director and Sally had had planned for keeping an eye on Ryoko and Ayeka, but it definitely wasn't this.
"The field's not going anywhere, Heero," said Sally, "and between us I think you could use some time away from it. We have plenty of other operatives to handle our missions, Heero. You can take some time off. If anyone's earned it, it's you."
"This isn't my idea of a vacation," Heero deadpanned.
"That's because you have no idea what a vacation really is," said Sally, "It's about time you had one."
"Don't worry, handsome," said Ryoko as she looped her arm through his, "I'll show you how to have a good time!"
"I should hardly think so!" cried Ayeka as she grabbed Heero's other arm, "The kind of good time you undoubtedly have in mind for him is beneath a man of his stature! Sir Heero, I promise I shall do everything in my power to make your time off refreshing and reinvigorating!"
How did I get myself in this mess?, thought Heero, Caught between a supposed princess and an alleged pirate… my only saving grace is that Duo's not here to see this.
He sighed as he yet again freed himself from the two women. "Do I have any say in this, Sally?"
"I'm afraid not, Heero," she replied with a triumphant smile, "This is a direct order from Director Une. Take Ryoko and Ayeka in and keep an eye on them; that is your mission, Heero."
He closed his eyes for a moment to center himself. There was only one response he could give to that.
When he opened his eyes he met Sally's gaze and gave her a small but firm nod. "Very well. Mission accepted."
Preview for next time!
Heero: Per the orders I was given, I brought Ryoko and Ayeka to my apartment in the city of Brussels.
Ryoko: It's a pretty nice pad! So, Heero, do I get to share your bed or are you going to make me sleep on the couch with Ayeka?
Ayeka: How dare you so brazenly attempt your foul seductions on our host like that!
Azaka: Well, this certainly promises to be a lively stay.
Kamidake: Oh dear, I do hope her Highness can rein her temper in. It would be so embarrassing if she wrecked sir Heero's apartment in a fit of rage!
Heero: Since I hadn't been planning on houseguests, I'll need to head out into town for supplies.
Ryoko: Woohoo! Shopping trip!
Ayeka: Oh, how exciting!
Heero: As long as my two new roommates don't attract too much attention, things should go okay.
Ryoko: Come on, lighten up a bit, Heero! This isn't just a trip to the grocery store. It's a chance for us to get to know each other a little better.
Ayeka: Not to mention a delightful opportunity to get better acquainted with this new planet we find ourselves on.
Ryoko: Next time, on Chapter Three: No Need For New Friends!
Heero: Talk about strange companions…
Author's Notes: All right, second chapter's up! Thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far, I'm glad you're enjoying the story's opening act.
Until next time!