The Pirate's Soldier

by operation meteor

Heero's career as a Preventers operative takes a strange turn when he gets caught up in a fight between a Juraian royal and a notorious space pirate. As the two alien beauties settle in with him on Earth and more soon follow, the former Gundam pilot soon finds himself to be the target of their affections, with a certain lovely outlaw at the front of the pack! M for some language.

4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: All right, Chapter Four is up! Another member of the cast is introduced, and she's far from the last.

Since people are still asking about this, I'll say it again; I'm still working on Destiny's Call too, so don't worry. The Pirate's Soldier just has shorter chapters than Destiny's Call, so the release rate for chapters is faster for this story than the other one. I'm working on both side by side, a little bit for each every day.

Enjoy!

Chapter Four: No Need For A Cop!

September 7th, A.C. 198

As has been mentioned before, the Sol System is in pretty much the galactic ass-end of the middle of nowhere. Sure, it gets the occasional bit of through traffic, but not with any real measure of consistency. One space ship crash landing on Earth would be an astounding roll of the cosmic dice, let alone two. As for those two particular ships containing an infamous space pirate and the crown princess of a galactic empire, well, one would have better odds of winning the Jurai lottery than bearing witness to such an event.

Still, in countering of the old saying, sometimes lightning really does strike the same spot twice. Hell, sometimes it will go for three.

And sometimes the universe just shrugs and goes, 'Fuck it, let's just throw a bunch of weird crap at one spot and see what happens.'

Well, the universe has decided to shrug and flip probability the bird. Now the crap throwing begins.

Crap, in this case, comes in the form of another space ship with another alien babe on board. The ship in question is neither Juraian nor criminal, and the same goes for the babe. The vessel, a sleek grey ship with streamlined curves and a frame designed for pursuit and combat, was a patrol craft of a design that was very commonly found within the ranks of the Galaxy Police, an interstellar law enforcement agency whose patrols could be found both within Jurai space and the territory of other lawful powers in the universe. The organization held a vital role within galactic affairs, serving as both an international law enforcement agency and as a sort of mediator between rival nations. Whether chasing down pirates, interdicting smugglers, or arbitrating diplomatic disputes, Galaxy Police officers could be found all over the lawful portions of the universe, doing their best to keep order in the cosmos.

The woman at the helm of the patrol ship was Galaxy Police Detective First Class Mihoshi Kuramitsu. Decked out in her official uniform, consisting of dark grey pants and a white button up shirt under a blue over shirt, she was quite a lovely officer. Her dark skin provided a pleasant clash with her blonde hair and blue eyes, and her training had kept her body quite athletic, although she maintained an ample bust.

Mihoshi was a very devoted officer. Service in the Galaxy Police ran in the family, and her graduation from the academy and appointment as Detective First Class had been one of the happiest moments of her life. Unfortunately her enthusiasm for her new job hadn't exactly translated into a stellar career. She was honest and full of boundless optimism, but had gained a reputation as being something of a scatterbrain and a walking disaster area. Wherever Mihoshi went, trouble of some kind or another was bound to follow as she either stumbled right into a sting operation, crashed into a diplomat's cruiser, set Galaxy Police HQ's kitchen on fire in a misguided attempt at cooking, or made some other bit of trouble thanks to her hapless nature and very odd kind of luck.

Despite the unwitting calamities that had dogged her career, Mihoshi still retained both her job and her rank. This was due to a combination of family connections and a good deal of sympathy. Everyone knew that Mihoshi meant well and truly cared about being a Galaxy Police officer, but her happy-go-lucky nature and sometimes incredible levels of obliviousness meant that she just could not be allowed anywhere near anything that was considered to be vital work. In order to work things out in an amicable manner she had been assigned to the Outland Sector's Traffic Patrol Division, which kept her far removed from core systems, important dignitaries, and anything else that was deemed far too important to be within light years of the luckless woman.

Thanks to the universe's shrug and giving probability the middle finger, the Outland Sector also included the Sol System…

…and Mihoshi had just so happened to be at the bare minimum distance from it necessary to pick up the distress beacon from the Ryu-Oh.

A light showed up on her sensor display and a beeping came from her console, jolting Mihoshi out of the nap she'd been taking in the pilot's seat.

"Uh-oh," she thought as she frantically looked around the cockpit, "I fell asleep again! What's going on?"

After a few seconds her eyes fell on the flashing light on the console. "A distress beacon! Someone's in trouble! Where are they?"

Adjuster her sensor display, she saw that it was not just any general distress beacon. It was broadcasting on a frequency used by ships flying under the flag of the Empire of Jurai. The signal was coming from the third planet of a relatively nearby star system.

Mihoshi smiled. "All right, I found them! Now I just need to set a course in the autopilot!"

She entered the beacon's exact coordinates into her system. A green light flashed on the console; the new course was acknowledged and her patrol cruiser was underway.

"Okay," she said as she stood up, "I've got some time before I get there. Time for a snack!"

As she left the bridge Mihoshi failed to notice another red light on the console just below the green light. If she had paid closer attention she would've notice that it was a warning from the autopilot. The system had accepted her course, but it had also noted that following that exact course would take it down to the planet's surface…

…and that a proper landing vector had not been entered into the computer.

Regardless of the obvious oversight, the autopilot would continue to follow the course Mihoshi had entered. Little did the Detective First Class know that she would be in for a much harder landing than she'd expected on arrival.

….

"You know," said Ryoko as she walked along the path with Heero and Ayeka, "now that I've got the chance to see this place when I'm not being rammed by a Jurai Treeship and plunging towards the surface, I gotta say, this is a pretty nice lake."

"Yes," said Ayeka, "It has a quiet charm about it."

Yeah, thought Heero as he looked around, I never really noticed that about this place before. Then again, the first time I'd ever spent any real amount of time here was during the crash. I guess that's not really the best first impression, is it?

It was hard to believe that it had only been five days since his first encounter with Ryoko and Ayeka. They'd certainly kept him busy in that time. Since he was being paid by Preventers to watch over them Heero had felt that it would be bad form to spend all that time in the apartment. So he'd decided to take them out to more parts of the ESUN's capital city and the surrounding area. The outing had soon developed a formula of sorts; Heero would take Ryoko and Ayeka to a location, they'd enjoy themselves for a while, and then the two women would get in an argument about something or another and they'd move on to the next stop.

There was also another consideration Heero'd had in mind when he had suggested this outing. He had wanted to bring Ryoko and Ayeka out to the lake to see if they could pick up anything from their respective ships. Preventers dive teams had repeatedly tried to find the remains of them, but they all reported the same things; red and green glowing lights showing up before being swept aside by a strong current that should not exist in Lake Genval.

Still, this trip was not all business. In his brief time with Ryoko and Ayeka Heero was already starting to learn how to unwind just a little bit. It was a very slow process, but Heero was gradually acclimatizing himself to the idea that he could live without field work for a while. Keeping an eye on Ryoko and Ayeka felt like a full-time job as it was, but it wasn't without its upsides. He'd traveled around Brussels a good deal before this, but it had almost always been in relation to his work. Now, even though watching over Ryoko and Ayeka still qualified as a mission, he felt like he was seeing the city in a new light. Heero was slowly rediscovering the city that he'd called home for the past two years, and it was a very interesting experience.

Was this what Duo was always talking about when he said I needed to 'loosen up a bit'?, he thought, It's… not what I expected…

Then again, he'd never expected to be sharing his apartment with two beautiful alien women, either. Life was just full of surprises. Heero had thought that, as a Gundam pilot and then a Preventers operative, he'd pretty much seen it all. Then an alleged space pirate and the supposed crown princess of an interstellar empire had gotten into a firefight in the Sol System and he'd gotten caught in the middle of it, and now to top it all off they had become his roommates. At this point Heero had no idea what life would throw at him next, and he was unsure how to feel about that.

Looking back at the two women, he was surprised to see them both staring intently at the lake. There was no bickering between the two of them, no glares or scowls. They were both focused on the spot where their ships had gone down, their expressions thoughtful.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

After a moment both women turned to him and smiled.

"Quite so, sir Heero," said Ayeka.

"Yup," said Ryoko, "No worries, Heero."

"Were you able to pick up anything from Ryo-Ohki and Ryu-Oh?" he asked.

Ryoko nodded. "Ryo-Ohki's still hibernating. After that crash she really needs to rest up for a bit."

"Ryu-Oh survives," said Ayeka, "It is simply healing and gathering strength. Given the nature of the impact I imagine it will be a slow process, but it is making progress."

Heero nodded. "Glad to hear it."

He found his eyes lingering on the two women for longer than they should have. Casual attire was the order of the day, but they both looked quite lovely regardless. Ayeka had taken a modest approach, wearing blue jeans and a light grey blouse, while Ryoko had on a rather short black skirt and a white button-up shirt… with a couple of the uppermost buttons undone. Once again, Heero realized his gaze was on the space pirate for just a bit longer than the Juraian princess.

He did his best to turn away without making it obvious that he'd been staring at them. Ayeka did not appear to notice, but for a moment he thought he saw a knowing look in Ryoko's amber eyes.

"So," he said, "how long is the recovery process for Ryo-Ohki and Ryu-Oh?"

"Well," said Ryoko, "for Ryo-Ohki it really depends on what sort of damage she's taken. She came down pretty hard in the crash, even with the lake softening things up a bit. She'll be down for a while."

"It's the same for Ryu-Oh," said Ayeka, "Although… given the nature of the crash, I really couldn't say how long the recovery will take. I'm afraid it's never been in a situation like this before."

Ryoko smirked. "So, are you saying you're going to have to hitchhike out of here, princess?"

Ayeka flushed, though whether it was with fury or embarrassment was hard to say.

"Gloat all you like, you rogue!" she growled, "I will not let this setback be the end of me, mark my words on that!"

"Hey," said Ryoko, "if you need a lift out of here, I can give you one in Ryo-Ohki. Of course, I could then just pick a random planet to drop you off on. Oh, I know so many places at the edge of Juraian space that you'd have some fun in, princess! That is, if you managed to survive!"

Ayeka folded her arms. "Hah! As if I would ever stoop so low as to ask the likes of you for transport! Play at your sick delusions all you like, you worthless tramp! Remember, Ryu-Oh's distress beacon is active. Eventually a vessel will pick up the signal and realize that it is coming from a vessel belonging to the Jurai Royal Family! From there my passage back to the Empire will be assured!"

Ryoko shook her head. "You do realize that we're way out in the boonies, right? Hate to break it to you, Ayeka, but the odds of anyone picking up your signal out here are pretty damn remote."

Ayeka gave her a confident smile, though to Heero it looked somewhat forced. "You underestimate the reach of the Empire of Jurai. It is only a matter of time before a servant of the Royal Family comes out here looking for me."

As long as they're low-key about their arrival, thought Heero, Ryoko and Ayeka's landing caused enough of a stir as it is. Director Une's still trying to contain everything. Who knows what kind of trouble another interstellar visitor might cause…

As Ryoko and Ayeka continued their back-and-forth Heero felt his smart-phone vibrating in his pocket. Pulling out the device and checking the caller ID, he saw that the person trying to reach him was Sally Po.

Does she want a status update already?, he thought, She usually waits until the evening.

Touching the screen but keeping it off speaker to retain some privacy, Heero answered the call. "Hello, Sally. What's going on?"

"Hey, Heero," she replied, "So, you know that old saying about lightning not striking the same spot twice?"

"It was scientifically proven to be false?" Heero deadpanned, not sure he liked where this was heading.

"You know what I mean," said Sally, "Well… it's about to happen."

Glancing furtively over at Ryoko and Ayeka to make sure they were still arguing, Heero took a few steps away from the two women before responding. "You have to be joking."

"Afraid not," Sally replied, "A contact just passed Mars a few minutes ago. It's making a beeline for Earth, and it's coming in fast."

"Do we have any visual contact yet?" Heero asked, his calm voice belying his racing mind, "Does it look anything like Ryo-Ohki or Ryu-Oh?"

"Negative," said Sally, "It's a completely different design. Hang on, I'll send you a snapshot."

Heero waited for the picture to upload. He narrowed his eyes as it appeared on the screen. It had a much more conventional appearance than Ryo-Ohki or Ryu-Oh had. The vessel was very streamlined and painted grey, and was much more along the lines of what Heero might've expected an alien space ship to look like. Heero was already learning to cast aside preconceived notions of what aliens and their ships might be like, though; having Ryoko and Ayeka as houseguests certainly helped with that.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, "Tallgeese III's still undergoing repairs, and if it's moving as fast as Ryo-Ohki and Ryu-Oh were then there's no way I can scramble a Taurus before it reaches Earth orbit."

"I'm well aware of that," Sally replied, "Where are you now?"

"Lake Genval," said Heero, "Ryoko and Ayeka are with me."

"I see," said Sally, "I don't suppose they're listening in, are they?"

Heero turned around, expecting to see Ryoko and Ayeka still arguing but instead realizing that they were right behind him, clearly trying to eavesdrop on his conversation.

"How much did you hear?" he asked.

"We dropped in on the part where you said you can't scramble," Ryoko replied, "Who ya talking to, Heero?"

Ayeka elbowed the pirate. "You're so rude, Ryoko. How dare you try to spy on our host's conversations!"

Ryoko kicked at her shins. "Hey, you were trying to listen in too, you royal bitch!"

"I'm going to take that as a yes," came Sally's voice from his phone, "Put me on speaker, Heero."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Might as well," she said, "Wait, hold that thought; got an update coming in on the contact."

"What's going on, Heero?" asked Ryoko.

"Is something the matter, sir Heero?" asked Ayeka.

Heero held up his finger to hush them as he waited for Sally to get back on the line. Luckily he didn't have to wait too long.

"Huh," said Sally, "How's that for strange coincidence of the week?"

"What is it?" asked Heero.

"We got a more precise vector for the contact," said Sally, "It's definitely Earthbound, and seems to be making for Europe."

"Can you narrow it down any further?" Heero asked.

"Hang on," Sally replied, "Let me see here…"

"Come on, Heero," said Ryoko, "Tell me what's up!"

"Is it something that I might be able to provide assistance with, sir Heero?" asked Ayeka.

Heero held up his hand to silence them again as he waited for Sally to get back to him. It was only a brief pause before she did so.

"Heero," said Sally, "you might want to find some cover."

Heero sighed. "You've got to be kidding."

"Afraid not," said Sally, "Contact appears to be on a straight shot for Lake Genval."

"Damn," said Heero, "how long do we have?"

"At the pace it's moving, not long at all," said Sally, "Try to get some distance from the shore, but don't leave the area; I want you on hand to investigate after touchdown."

"Understood," said Heero.

"I'll update you if the contact's vector changes," said Sally, "Good luck."

"Thanks," said Heero before disconnecting.

He then turned to Ryoko and Ayeka. "We need to move. Now."

"What for?" asked Ryoko.

"There's a ship coming in," Heero replied, "It's heading for this lake and it's moving fast."

Ayeka looked at Ryoko and gave her a triumphant smile. "Hah! I told you someone would pick up my distress beacon."

"Apparently," said Heero, quite eager to cut her off before she and Ryoko go into another fight, "and they're heading right for us. You do realize what that means if they don't slow down, right?"

"Well," said Ayeka, "surely the pilot's not foolish enough to come down at top speed."

"Are you willing to bet your life on that?" asked Heero, "From what Sally just told me it doesn't look like they're slowing down."

Ayeka gulped nervously. "Is… is that so? Well, then I suppose caution is in order."

"Right," said Ryoko, "So, where are we heading to?"

"The parking lot," Heero replied, "Let's move."

As they started walking again Heero's smart-phone buzzed again. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw that the caller was once again Sally.

"What is it?" he asked when he answered.

"The likelihood of Lake Genval being the contact's destination just shot up a few percentage points," Sally replied, "Contact still isn't slowing down, either. It'll be hitting the atmosphere any second now, so you'd better get a move on."

"Copy that," said Heero before disconnecting.

"What now?" asked Ryoko.

"We need to pick up the pace," Heero replied.

"I can't believe this," said Ayeka, "Surely the pilot will slow down soon…"

"They'll come down in pieces if they don't," Ryoko quipped.

"And those pieces could cause a lot of damage," said Heero, "Not to mention they could fall right on top of us if we don't get a move on."

"That would suck," said Ryoko.

"Quite so," said Ayeka, "Let us make haste."

The three of them began to move at a brisk jog, casting the occasional glance skyward to look for any sign of the incoming vessel. Eventually Heero noticed a small red streak on the horizon… one that was growing larger with each passing second.

"Damn it!" he hissed, "I think that's it!"

"It looks like it's still in one piece," said Ryoko, her eyes narrowed as she studied the distant contact, "It must've slowed down at least enough to survive early entry, but I think it's still coming in pretty fast."

"Which means that it will make a bigger wave when it hits the lake!" said Ayeka, "We must run!"

"Agreed," said Heero as he grabbed both women by the arms, "Double time it, ladies!"

He started to run, dragging the two women with him as he went. He kept looking up at the sky, noticing the red streak getting closer at an alarming rate.

"They really should be slowing down now!" cried Ayeka.

"No kidding," said Ryoko, "What the hell's that dumbass pilot thinking?"

"Worry about that later," said Heero, "We're almost at the parking lot."

A few seconds later Ryoko spoke again. "Heero, I don't think we're going to make it!"

Looking back again, Heero's eyes narrowed as he saw just how much closer the contact had gotten. He was now able to make out an actual outline of the ship, and it definitely appeared to be heading right for the lake.

"Move it!" he yelled.

"Damn it, princess!" cried Ryoko, "If we get killed because of your damn distress beacon I swear I'm going to haunt you in the afterlife!"

"Just shut up and run!" shrieked Ayeka.

"Ah, screw this!" shouted Ryoko, suddenly grabbing Heero, "Hang on, Heero!"

"What are you doing?" said Heero.

"Saving our hides!" Ryoko replied, and she began to lift off the ground, taking the Preventers agent with her.

"Hey!" said Ayeka, still hanging on to Heero's arm, "Don't you dare leave me down here!"

Heero grimaced at the princess's weight on his arm as Ryoko took them into the air. He was strong, but he didn't have the best leverage here. The Gundam pilot was impressed by Ryoko's strength; she was lifting him and Ayeka with what appeared to be very little effort.

Looking over at Ryoko's face, he was surprised to see her eyes narrowed in concentration. There was a fierce, determined light in those amber gems. It was such a sharp contrast from the playful and relaxed pirate woman that he had slowly been getting to know these past few days.

She must've noticed him staring, because she turned to him and smiled. "Don't worry, Heero. I'm not about to let either of us die here."

Heero nodded. "Thanks."

"Hey!" cried Ayeka, "You'd best not forget about me, you rogue!"

How can we?, thought Heero, You're about to rip my arm off.

"Ryoko," he said, "Can you find a tree to set us down in? That should be high enough for us to avoid any waves the ship makes when it hits."

Ryoko nodded. "Sure thing. Hold on."

As the space pirate brought them towards a tall tree with what appeared to be firm branches, Heero's gaze once again turned towards the incoming ship. Her lines were clearly visible now, and even with just his own eyes to rely upon the Preventers agent could tell that her course was true; she would touch down in the lake.

Minimal risk of civilian casualties, he thought with relief, Small favors…

"Here we go!" said Ryoko, "Grab a branch, Heero!"

"Please don't drop me, sir Heero!" Ayeka cried.

Moving somewhat awkwardly thanks to the princess clutching his arm, Heero managed to position himself on the tree branch as Ryoko set him down and grab the trunk to stabilize himself. Heaving with his other arm, he brought Ayeka up and onto the branch while Ryoko settled in on another one just a bit above them.

"Thank you, sir Heero!" said Ayeka, still clutching his arm, "You are remarkably strong!"

"Hey," snapped Ryoko, "I'm the one that flew you both up here! I'm the one that deserves thanks!"

Heero nodded. "She's right, Ayeka. Thank you, Ryoko."

The lovely outlaw smiled. "Anything for you, hotshot."

Ryoko then folded her arms and glared at Ayeka. "Waiting, princess."

Ayeka looked down, her gaze a mix of frustration and embarrassment. "As if I would ever…"

"Ayeka," said Heero firmly.

There was no need for elaboration; he knew that the tone of his voice was more than enough to convey his message. Ayeka looked at him for a moment before respectfully bowing her head.

She then turned to Ryoko, her teeth clenched as she spoke. "I… I thank you, Ryoko."

Ryoko smirked and put her hand by her right ear. "What's that, Ayeka? I couldn't hear you there!"

"Damn it, you scoundrel!" shouted Ayeka, "I said thank you! Do not make me play your games for a second longer!"

"Hold on tight!" yelled Heero, his gaze focused on the sky again, "It's about to hit!"

He and his two companions gripped the tree as they watched the ship make its final descent. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the grey vessel, its hull still glowing from atmospheric entry, fell towards the surface of the lake.

Then, with a mighty crash, the ship slammed into the water and kicked up a big wave. The water served to muffle the impact somewhat, but it still made a resounding splash and sent water soaring into the air. Heero sighed with relief when he saw the wave generated by the crash hit the lake shore, tossing about boats in their docks and drenching some buildings but doing little real damage. The liquid that had been sent into the air came done in a brief but torrential rain, soaking the Gundam pilot and the two women with him.

As things settled Heero focused on the source of the commotion. To his surprise the vessel still seemed reasonably intact, although it was very much beat to hell. He didn't know how sturdy the design was, but he had a hard time imagining it taking off again after a crash like this.

Director Une's going to throw a fit about this, he thought, Another alien crash landing in the same spot Ryoko and Ayeka hit, and in broad daylight no less…

He turned to his two companions. "Are you both okay?"

Ryoko nodded. "Drenched, but I'm good."

"Yes," said Ayeka, "I believe I'm all right. Oh, I'm soaked!"

"Quite griping, princess," said Ryoko, looking down at her shirt for a moment before turning to Heero with a smirk, "So, Heero, what do you think of this?"

She leaned forward, her black bra very much visible through her wet white shirt. Heero turned his gaze towards the crashed ship, but it wasn't fast enough to completely avoid getting a good look at how her soaked clothing clung tightly to her body, emphasizing every lovely curve.

"I think we need to get down from here," he said, "We need to confirm if that pilot's alive or dead."

"Really, Ryoko?" said Ayeka with a glare, "You pick now of all times to pull such a shameful stunt?"

"Please, princess," Ryoko replied with a chuckle, "You're just wishing that you'd thought of it first. Not that it would do you much good; grey's not as good a color for it as white."

Ayeka flushed red, though whether it was from embarrassment or fury Heero could not say. However, he found himself not quite in agreement with Ryoko's statement; Ayeka's clothing may not have offered such a tantalizing view when wet, but they also did very little to hide her slender figure.

Get it together, Heero, he thought as he turned his attention back to the crashed ship, Your focus is this newcomer, not your companions.

"Come on," he said as he started climbing down the tree, "We need to get to that ship."

Ayeka nodded. "Right behind you, sir Heero."

Ryoko smirked and floated off her tree branch. "I'll see you guys down on the ground. Sure you don't want a lift, Heero?"

"I'm fine," he replied as the space pirate hovered down beside him.

Ryoko shrugged. "Whatever you say."

Eventually he reached the ground after the lovely outlaw, and while Ryoko folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently Heero held out his arms to help Ayeka bring herself down out of the tree.

The princess smiled at him as she regained her footing. "Thank you, sir Heero."

Heero nodded. "You're welcome. Let's go."

The ground was soggy from all the water that had been thrown up by the impact, but Heero and the others were still able to make it over to the edge of the lake with little difficulty. Now that Heero had a good view of the ship he was able to get a better appreciation of its size. It looked to be somewhere between the tonnage of Ryo-Ohki and the Ryu-Oh, and while he could hardly consider himself an expert in ship design the vessel's sleek profile did strike Heero as something fitting for combat.

"Have either of you ever seen a ship like this before?" he asked.

Ayeka brought her right hand to her chin, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Hmm… it does look vaguely familiar. I don't think I've seen this particular vessel before, but the design… oh, blast it, where have I seen this before?"

"No idea," said Ryoko, although there was something about the look in her eyes that didn't sit right with Heero, "Never seen anything like this ship before."

"How strange," said Ayeka softly, "I do faintly recall vessels like this or of similar design, but… from where?"

"Not a clue," said Ryoko, once again not sounding entirely convincing.

Something's up here, thought Heero as he looked between Ryoko and the ship, The question is what.

The Gundam pilot tensed when he saw a sphere of red light shoot out of the top of the ship. It wasn't that large, a little bigger than a human, but it was heading right for the shore where Heero and the others were standing.

"I don't like the look of this," said Ryoko.

"Yes…" said Ayeka nervously.

"Stay behind me," said Heero, his hand hovering over his pistol.

It was a reflexive utterance; from what Heero had seen over the past few days he knew that Ryoko and Ayeka were perfectly capable of defending themselves, and could probably defend him as well. Still, it was not in his nature to take cover behind other people in the face of possible danger.

Ryoko shook her head and smiled. "Not a chance, Heero. I don't back down from a fight."

"Nor do I," said Ayeka.

Heero nodded. "All right. In that case, be ready for anything."

The three of them watched as the glowing red orb touched down on the nearby shore. It was still for a moment, and then the crimson light began to recede. As it faded away it was replaced by something that looked very much like a miniature mobile suit. It had a slightly hunched over frame, dark grey armor and a single green optical sensor. The strange unit was much more compact than the machines Heero had flown and fought against in his past battles, and the Preventers operative realized that 'mobile suit' may not actually be the proper terminology for it.

It looks more like mechanical armor of some sort, he thought, It's definitely bigger than a human, but it's far from mobile suit scale.

The unknown contact looked around for a moment before its sensor settled on the three of them. Heero didn't dare make the first move, and from the look of things neither did Ryoko or Ayeka. Then Heero saw the mechanical eye lock onto Ryoko, and the person wielding the unit raise its right hand, and two tubes that the Gundam pilot instantly recognized as gunbarrels came out of the wrist.

"Shit," he growled, instantly drawing his weapon.

The twin gunbarrels glowed with yellow light, but before they could fire Ryoko let loose with a blast of crimson energy. Her attack hit the machine dead center and knocked it back, but the unit was far from down for the count.

"Damn it," snarled Ryoko as she took to the sky, "It's a pirate!"

"What?" cried Ayeka, "You can't be serious!"

"Why would another pirate show up out here?" asked Heero, his eyes never leaving the machine, "I thought this system was supposed to be in the middle of nowhere!"

"That makes it a good place to lay low for a while!" Ryoko replied, "He probably recognized me and thinks I'll draw too much heat down on his head if he shares the planet with me!"

"Wait a minute!" shouted Ayeka as the machine started towards them again, "You mean you know this thing?"

"Yeah," said Ryoko, "and he's bad news!"

Deciding that he'd question Ryoko about it later, Heero leveled his pistol at the unknown hostile and opened fire. His shots were all dead center on the target, but they did little more than scratch the paint. They did succeed in drawing the thing's attention away from Ryoko, but unfortunately for Heero that meant that now he was right in the enemy's crosshairs.

The gunbarrels glowed yellow again as Heero reloaded his weapon. He was about to roll to the right to evade the expected attack when Ayeka stepped forward.

"Oh, no you don't!" she shouted, and the air around her and Heero suddenly filled with scores of small cylinders, with blue and white bolts of energy crackling between them.

The machine opened fire with its wrist cannons, but the blasts of yellow energy were deflected by Ayeka's barrier. Looking at the princess, Heero was impressed by her stern expression. Her crimson eyes had become as hard as steel, and there was a fire within them that appeared very much to be awakened wrath.

"Sir Heero!" said Ayeka, "I appreciate your gallantry, but I must ask that you stay behind me! You are outgunned in this fight!"

Heero shook his head. "I don't back down that easily, Ayeka."

She looked back at him and smiled. "Of course not. Forgive me. We shall fight this villain together!"

"Hey!" yelled Ryoko as she rained down a volley of crimson energy blasts at the hostile, "Don't forget about me, Ayeka!"

The enemy fired up the jets mounted on its back, showing surprising agility as it evaded Ryoko's attacks. It then turned on the beautiful outlaw, firing a volley of yellow energy blasts at her.

"Hah!" laughed Ryoko as she deflected the shots with an energy field, "You'll have to do better than that if you want to take me down!"

Their mechanical foe apparently took exception to that remark; it gunned its engines and rushed right at Ryoko.

"Whoa!" she cried, her eyes widening as she frantically dodged the charge, "This guy's freaking nuts!"

"Do you see a weak spot on it?" asked Heero as he trained his weapon on the swift contact.

"I don't know," Ryoko replied as she launched another barrage of red energy shots at the enemy, "I'm a little busy up here!"

"Bring it down here!" yelled Ayeka, "I can trap it in an energy field!"

"I'll try!" said Ryoko as she dodged more fire from the hostile.

Huh, thought Heero as he tried to figure out what part of the contact he should shoot at, I didn't think I'd ever see these two try to cooperate on something.

Ryoko dropped her altitude a bit and stuck her tongue out at their foe. "Hey! Down here, asshole!"

Much to Heero's surprise, the enemy took the bait, zooming right for Ryoko as she drew closer to the ground.

Goaded by a small taunt like that, he thought, Whoever's inside that thing needs to work on keeping their cool under fire… not that I'm going to tell them that right now.

He looked over at Ayeka, who was preparing herself to trap the incoming enemy in a barrier. Not knowing what else to do, Heero kept his pistol aimed squarely at the enemy, shifting a bit to get the sensor eye in his sights; there was a chance that he'd have better luck with that than he'd had with his last volley. He'd already burnt through one clip in this fight, and since he hadn't exactly prepared for a battle today he only had the one currently in his gun and a spare left for the action. The only other weapon he had handy was his combat knife, and it was hard to see how that would be effective here.

The enemy continued to charge, dodging crimson blasts from Ryoko as it came. To the Gundam pilot's eyes the maneuvers seemed to be far too random for mere evasion; their foe was all over the map, and their piloting was rather sloppy.

Maybe they're not used to their prey putting up a fight like this, he thought, If that's the case then it should make this fight a bit easier.

Up above he saw Ryoko sideslip the hostile before she turned towards the two of them. "Here it comes, Ayeka!"

"Ready!" the Juraian princess replied, her fierce gaze locked on the rapidly approaching machine.

However, her expression soon turned to one of concern and then alarm as the hostile swiftly closed in. "Damn it, he's moving too erratically! I can't trap him like this! Blast it, hold still, you fiend!"

"Just widen the field!" Heero replied.

Ayeka nodded. "All right. Here we go!"

A broad array of small cylinders appeared in front of the hostile, blue and white bolts of energy crackling between them. Mere moments after the energy field had deployed, the contact smashed right into it. For a second it looked like it was trapped, but to the shock of both Heero and Ayeka it managed to break through.

"Oh, no!" cried Ayeka, "Widening the field weakened its power! I'm so sorry, sir Heero!"

"Never mind that!" shouted Heero as the hostile rushed at them, "Just move!"

However, he saw that Ayeka's face was pale, and her legs were shaking. Her shock from her failure with the barrier was greater than Heero had first realized. There was no way she'd be able to dodge in time.

"No…" she said, "I have the power of Jurai's royal family! How was I bested?"

There was no time to refute her, so instead Heero acted on instinct and tackled her. It was not a moment too soon; the hostile plowed into the ground where she had been standing just a second ago. The contact tumbled for a few meters but soon righted itself and turned back towards Heero and Ayeka.

"Hey!" shouted Ryoko as she dived in, "Stay the hell away from Heero, you damn bastard!"

The amber eyed beauty rained down another barrage of crimson energy at the contact as Heero turned to the princess lying underneath him. "Ayeka, are you all right?"

The purple-haired royal looked up at him and smiled, a blush on her face. "Oh… yes. Thank you, sir Heero."

He quickly got up and pulled Ayeka to her feet. Just a few meters away he saw Ryoko and the hostile trading energy shots again. Crimson and yellow blasts flew between them, with Ryoko landing an occasional glancing blow on the enemy. A few times the hostile looked like it would hit Ryoko, but she managed to throw up an energy field to block its shots.

We have to get out of the open, he thought, It's bad enough that another ship's crashed down in Lake Genval, and now we've got a fight out here as well. There aren't any civilians here yet, but that's going to change all too soon.

Quickly coming up with a plan, he turned to Ayeka. "We have to find some cover and isolate this thing. We can't let it get into the residential areas."

Ayeka nodded. "What do you propose?"

He nodded at the wooded area that they had just come out of after the ship had crashed in the lake. "If we can get the enemy to follow us into those trees that should take away some of its ability to maneuver. It'll also give us something of a shield from civilian contact, though it won't last forever; some idiot's eventually going to be curious enough to come check things out."

Heero then turned towards the sky. "Ryoko!"

"What's up, Heero?" she asked as she frantically dodged enemy fire, "I'm a little busy up here!"

"I know!" he replied, "Look, can you get it to chase you into the trees?"

"I'll give it a shot," she said, "You got a plan?"

"I'm working on it!" said Heero.

Ryoko nodded. "Good enough for me!"

"Ayeka and I are heading over there now," said Heero, "We'll find a way to help you take it down once we've got it back there. Be careful!"

Ryoko smiled at him as she took a few potshots at the enemy. "You got it, handsome!"

Heero grabbed Ayeka by the arm. "Let's go."

"Oh!" said the princess, surprised by his assertiveness but not fighting him, "Of course, sir Heero! Lead on!"

Pulling her at a run, Heero rushed for the tree line. Glancing up at the sky, he saw Ryoko gradually moving that way as well, taking a few potshots at the enemy to keep it engaged with her.

As soon as they passed beyond the initial line he pushed Ayeka behind a tree. "Stay down."

Ayeka nodded, taken aback by his gesture but not fighting it. "Very well."

He poked his head out and yelled at his other guest. "Ryoko, get down here!"

"Coming!" she shouted back.

Heero then turned back to Ayeka. "That thing's going to follow Ryoko and will be right on top of us soon. I need you to put up a barrier over us once she gets here. It doesn't have to last long; I just need to let her in on my plan."

Ayeka's eyes widened. "You have a plan, sir Heero?"

Heero nodded. "Yes, but I need you to be able to create and hold that barrier long enough for me to get Ryoko in on it. Can you do that?"

Ayeka nodded with a determined look in her eyes. "Leave it to me, sir Heero!"

Turning back towards the aerial clash, he saw Ryoko coming in fast.

She's done well keeping that thing at bay so far, he thought, I hope she doesn't mind playing the bait a little longer…

….

Throwing one crimson energy blast after another at her foe, Ryoko retreated back towards Heero. The enemy continued to evade the bulk of her shots, with a few glancing off the edges of its armor and leaving scorch marks.

Damn it, she thought, I'd really rather avoid going all out against this thing. I'd prefer to save that for fighting Ayeka… or her. I hope Heero's got something in mind.

Defeating the enemy was only part of her concern. She was also keenly aware of the need to keep Heero and Ayeka from realizing just what organization their foe actually belonged to. Ryoko didn't like keeping something like this from Heero, but it was in her best interest to keep him in the dark.

I really like the guy, she thought, but he's some kind of government agent, too. A Preventers operative, whatever the hell that really is. I'd like to think he'd back me even if he knew who we're really up against here, but still…

Under the current circumstances, she couldn't really come up with a detailed plan for her situation. She would just have to play things by ear… and hope Heero would be willing to take her side if things fell through.

Focusing on her host, she couldn't help but smile despite her situation. He clearly wasn't afraid of a little action, not that she would've doubted that in light of his performance on the day they'd first met. His gaze was cool and focused, while the grip he had on his gun was calm and steady. He may have been up against an unknown enemy but he clearly wasn't about to let that shake him up.

"You really are quite a guy, Heero," she muttered under her breath.

Zigzagging to avoid, fire, she flew low to the ground and rushed into the tree line. The enemy was close behind her, but before it could attack Ryoko saw a swarm of familiar small cylinders materialize in the air, blue and white sparks flying between them. The hostile flew smack into the energy shield but did not penetrate it.

Ryoko smirked as she saw Ayeka leaning out from behind a nearby tree. "Never thought you'd be throwing up a barrier for me, Ayeka."

"Don't get used to it!" she snapped back, "I'm only doing this at sir Heero's request!"

"Speaking of Heero," said Ryoko, "Where is he?"

"Here," said a familiar male voice as a strong hand grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back into cover.

Ryoko turned around to face him, a mischievous smile on her face. "Feeling frisky, Heero? This isn't usually the sort of time that'd I'd be up for some fun, but I'd definitely make an exception for you."

Heero shook his head. "I need you to focus, Ryoko."

"Oh, all right," she replied, "but only because it's you. What's up?"

"I've got a plan to take this thing out," he said, "I need you to play decoy for it a little longer. Keep it close to the ground and in these trees. Can you do that?"

Ryoko nodded. "Sure. What's the rest of the plan?"

"I've got something in mind that I can do with Ayeka that should give us a chance to neutralize this thing," said Heero, "You just have to keep it occupied and eventually lure it towards us."

Ryoko gave him a confident smile. "Can do, Heero!"

….

Situated in the middle branches of a tree, Heero watched as Ryoko led the contact on a merry chase through the wooded area.

He looked down at Ayeka, who was standing at the foot of the tree. "Are you ready?"

Ayeka nodded. "Yes, but… with all due respect, sir Heero, can we really count on Ryoko to pull this off?"

"She can do it," Heero replied confidently.

It was strange to have such trust in her. Heero had only known Ryoko for a few days, and he was sure that she was hiding something about the foe that they were facing, but that did not change the fact that he had faith in her ability to help him pull of his plan here.

Flashes of crimson and yellow light illuminated the area. Heero knew that they had to wrap this up soon. He was surprised that someone hadn't stumbled into the fight already.

I just hope our luck holds a little longer, he thought, Director Une's going to have a fit if I can't contain this.

"Sir Heero!" cried Ayeka, "They're coming our way!"

Indeed they were; the energy blasts were definitely getting closer. Heero adjusted his position on his branch, ready to make his move as soon as he got his opening.

"Ayeka," he said, "On my mark, throw up the barrier."

Ayeka nodded. "Just say the word, sir Heero!"

His eyes narrowed as he watched Ryoko weave a zigzagging path through the trees with her foe hot on her heel. The slender turquoise-haired outlaw slipped between the vegetation with efficiency and grace, a marked contrast to how the enemy following her was barging their way through whatever was in their way. It was single-minded in its pursuit, which made it completely oblivious to the trap that Ryoko was leading it into. As the two of them rapidly approached Heero began a mental countdown.

Five… four… three… two… one…

He then turned to Ayeka. "Now!"

Just as Ryoko passed by the tree Ayeka put up a barrier between her rival and the approaching hostile. The enemy slammed right into the crackling shield, but the energy field held together.

Here we go, thought Heero.

With that he dropped out of the tree and landed right on the hostile's back. Even braced for the impact, landing right on the metal power armor nearly knocked the wind out of Heero, but he managed to keep from sliding off the enemy. He gripped his foe by the shoulders, and not a moment too soon; it was already trying to shake him off.

"Sir Heero!" cried Ayeka.

"I'm fine," he replied as he held on, "Just keep that barrier up. Ryoko, be ready if this thing knocks me off!"

"Got it!" shouted Ryoko.

Studying their mechanical adversary as much as he could while trying to stay on top of it, Heero focused on the joints, looking for an opening that he could exploit. As his foe leaned forward he caught a glimpse of what he sought; a bundle of exposed wiring in the back of the neck.

Gripping the best he could with his left hand and his legs, Heero drew his knife with his right hand and jammed it into the opening. His foe tried to raise its head, but his knife was stuck between the neck plating good and tight. Convinced that he didn't have much time, Heero cut from left to right, severing the wiring.

Sparks flew, and a few small jolts ran through the Gundam pilot, but the gamble seemed to pay off; the enemy fell forward and landed flat on its mechanical face. Heero quickly withdrew his knife and hopped off the hostile, and as Ayeka and Ryoko came forward the three of them watched as it rolled back and forth on the ground, trying to right itself but accomplishing nothing but moving its head and torso around.

"Nicely done, sir Heero!" said Ayeka, beaming triumphantly at him.

"No kidding!" said Ryoko, a thrilled smile on her face, "You've got some moves, Heero!"

"Thanks," said Heero, his eyes still focused on their now-helpless foe, "Good thing whoever that is couldn't sense our trap."

"Sucks to be them!" said Ryoko, smirking as sparks of crimson energy crackled between her hands, "Now, let's finish them off!"

Heero held out his hand. "No. We're taking them alive."

Ryoko's eyes widened. "What? He just tried to kill us! He's a ruthless criminal!"

"I only have your word on that last part," said Heero, his eyes narrowing.

Ryoko folded her arms and pouted. "Hey, I thought you trusted me!"

"Why should he?" said Ayeka smugly, "You're as foul a rogue as they come, Ryoko, something I'm sure sir Heero is well aware of!"

Ryoko glared at the princess. "Why you… if you want to go at it now, bring it on!"

Ayeka gave a haughty laugh. "Oh, by all means! Let's have at it, you tramp!"

"Enough!" said Heero firmly, stepping between them, "Now is not the time for the two of you to indulge in this rivalry. There's still the matter of our new arrival to deal with, and I want you two to help me take them into custody."

Both women looked at him in surprise.

"Excuse me, sir Heero?" said Ayeka, blinking.

"We're supposed to help you arrest this guy?" said Ryoko.

"Not arrest," said Heero, "I'm not charging them with anything until I've had a chance to talk to them."

"Oh, come on!" said Ryoko, "He just tried to kill us, remember?"

"Actually," said Ayeka thoughtfully, "They only turned hostile when they saw you, Ryoko. I wonder…"

"Oh, no," said Ryoko, stepping forward, crimson energy sparking in her hands, "No, no, no! I'm dealing with this guy right here and now!"

"Ryoko!" shouted Heero, grabbing her arm, "Stand down!"

Ryoko tried to shake him off, but his grip was too firm. "Damn it, Heero! Let go of me and let me do this!"

"No!" he said, "I'm not going to let you execute our prisoner!"

"Sir Heero!" cried Ayeka, "Stand back and let me trap this scoundrel!"

Heero shook his head, his eyes locked on to Ryoko's. "No, Ayeka. Keep an eye on the prisoner."

"Very well," she replied.

"Ryoko," Heero said firmly, "You're not going to kill them."

There was a desperate look in her eyes. "Heero, please! You have to let me do it! They're too dangerous!"

"Dangerous to us, or just you?" he said pointedly, "What's this really about, Ryoko?"

"I can't tell you!" she cried.

"Yes, you can," said Heero, "and I won't let go until you tell me the truth."

….

Damn it, Ryoko thought as he tightly held her arm, I can't tell him! But… I…

His grip on her arm was as unyielding as the look in his eyes. He would do everything in his power to stop her, and despite her desperation Ryoko could not help but admire him for it. He had gotten a taste of her power over the past few days, but even with the knowledge that she was more than a match for him he refused to back down. He was courageous and principled, and Ryoko knew that she could not bring herself to force him out of the way.

She'd only known him for a few days, but she already knew that she could never bring herself to hurt him, regardless of what the reason was.

What the hell is wrong with me?, she thought, What is it about this guy?

Sure, he was handsome and good in a fight, but Ryoko had met plenty of guys in her time that fit those two qualities. There was more to it than just looks and combat prowess. He had taken her in, and even though he'd been ordered to do so by his superiors he had done his utmost to treat her and Ayeka with courtesy and respect. More than that, he'd actually been kind to her even though Ayeka had repeatedly stated that she was an outlaw. Sure, he'd fought against her impulsiveness and bad-girl nature, but that was something that Ryoko actually liked about him. She couldn't wrap him around her finger, try as she might. He may have been calm and withdrawn, but he was also fierce and independent. He didn't let anyone else define him; he truly was his own man.

It's no use, she thought, I… I can't fight him…

She sighed as she let the energy she'd been building up dissipate. As much as she might wish otherwise, Heero deserved the truth, and at this rate he would get it one way or another. It might as well be from her before Ayeka managed to put two and two together.

There was a slight change in the look in his eyes, a mixture of caution and gratitude as he carefully let go of her arm. "Ryoko?"

Despite the situation, she couldn't help but smile at him. "You win, Heero. I'll tell you the truth. No games, I promise."

"No games from you?" said Ayeka skeptically, "A promise from you is hardly to be taken at face value. I'm not holding my breath here, Ryoko."

Ryoko glared at her. "Hey, I mean it! I told Heero he'd get the truth, and that's exactly what I'll give him."

"Let's have it, then," said Heero, "Who are we dealing with here, and what's your connection to them?"

Before she was answered she was interrupted by a cry from Ayeka. "Sir Heero! The enemy…"

Ryoko and Heero turned to see the power armor that they'd been fighting begin to shift. For a moment Ryoko thought that it was getting back up, but after a couple seconds she realized that it was actually opening.

Well, she thought with resignation, here we go. Now it all depends on the person that's in there…

She saw Heero go for his gun and she put her hand on his shoulder. "You won't need it, Heero. Trust me."

He looked at her for a moment before holstering the weapon. "Okay."

Truth be told, she just didn't want Heero to get caught in the inevitable crossfire anymore than he'd already been. Ryoko was fully convinced that she'd need to call upon her power again real soon, and was already bracing for that eventuality. She still intended to let Heero have the truth, but how that would play out depended on the occupant of the power armor that they'd been fighting against.

Eventually she got a look at their foe as they climbed out of the disabled armor. Ryoko was a bit taken aback at their appearance. For starters, the occupant appeared to be a woman, and a relatively young one at that. She wore a skintight orange, black, and light purple flight suit that seemed to put emphasis on every curve of her athletic figure. Her brown skin was a sharp contrast with the curly blonde hair that was held up in a pony tail, and her light blue eyes looked way too wide and innocent for someone in her profession.

You've got to be kidding me, Ryoko thought as the woman stood up, This is who we were fighting against? She… she looks like a kid fresh out of the academy!

The young woman looked at the three of them for a moment, her eyes blinking in stunned surprise, though if it was from her defeat or the fact that she had been spared Ryoko could not tell. Neither Heero nor Ayeka made a move; they seemed to be as surprised as Ryoko was, although Ryoko doubted it was for the same reasons as her.

After a few seconds Ryoko saw the dark-skinned woman go for the pistol at her waist. Ryoko chuckled as the weapon was pointed at her. She saw Heero immediately draw his gun in response, but Ryoko just held out her hand. The Preventers operative looked at her for a moment before putting his weapon away, and Ryoko turned back to the woman in front of them.

"Girl," she said, "if you think that popgun's going to work on me, you've got another thing coming."

"I-I'm warning you!" the blonde stammered, "G-get your hands in the air right now!"

"I would hardly say that you're in a position to be making demands, miss," said Ayeka, folding her arms.

Ryoko smirked. "What she said. Seriously, kid, put the gun down. No one's going to hurt you here as long as you don't do something stupid."

"You're outnumbered," said Heero, "and without your power armor you're not much of a threat to us. I recommend you stand down."

The girl shook her head. "I-I am Detective First Class Mihoshi Kuramitsu of the Galaxy Police! I demand that you surrender at once, space pirate Ryoko!"

Ryoko saw Ayeka's eyes widen. "You're with the Galaxy Police?"

Heero was much more subdued in his reaction, but from the way his eyes blinked Ryoko could tell that he was a bit taken aback as well. "Wait… you're a cop?"

Mihoshi turned to him and nodded. "I-Indeed, and y-you need to step away from her right now b-before I charge you as her accomplice!"

"Hold on a minute," said Heero, glaring at the girl, "You attacked us. Why should I believe that you're a police officer? Why did you attack us without warning? Why are you even on Earth to begin with?"

Mihoshi blinked in confusion. "Earth? Is that what this planet is called?"

"Yes," Heero answered, "and you still haven't answered any of my questions."

Ayeka stepped forward. "He is quite right. I am the imperial crown princess Ayeka Jurai, and I demand that you answer sir Heero's questions immediately!"

Well, now, thought Ryoko, her royal bitchiness's pride and title may actually come in handy here.

"Do you have proof that you're a cop?" asked Heero, "Any sort of documentation or identification?"

Mihoshi nodded. "Yes!"

She patted her jumpsuit and rifled through the small pockets, her expression becoming one of concern. "Wait… where is it?"

She then turned to her disabled power armor and began rummaging through it. "It's gotta be in here…"

Really?, thought Ryoko, hands on her hips, What kind of cop doesn't have their ID ready? The ones I've met always seemed to have a hard-on for waving their badges around at every chance they got.

Ryoko, Heero, and Ayeka looked on with bemusement as the dark-skinned woman poured over her armor, which apparently had quite a few storage compartments. An assortment of items began to pile up beside it, ranging from objects that looked like standard police equipment to some pretty random things.

Handcuffs, stun baton, flash grenades, a box of tissues, a field guide, a fashion magazine, some candy bars, a communicator, a few hair-ribbons, a pocket mirror… there was apparently all that and more, everything but the documentation the girl was looking for. Ryoko actually found herself feeling a little bit sorry for her, which was definitely weird for her; she'd never thought she'd take pity on a cop.

"Miss," said Heero awkwardly, "are you sure you're a police officer?"

Mihoshi looked up at him and nodded. "Absolutely! Just wait right there and I'll prove it!"

"It would seem that we have nothing better to do," Ayeka quipped.

No kidding, though Ryoko with a raised eyebrow, How did a scatterbrain like this make it into the Galaxy Police?

The girl's search continued long enough to give Ryoko hope that perhaps her identification had been destroyed in the fight, but eventually the girl jumped to her feet with a smile on her face and the documentation in hand.

"Found it!" she said triumphantly, holding up a small gray cylinder.

"That doesn't look like an ID to me," said Heero.

"Oh, right, I need to open it!" said Mihoshi.

She clicked the top of the cylinder. Two smaller cylinders extended from it, one from the bottom and one from the top right, forming an inverted L-shape. When they reached a certain length a few sparks flew between them before a holographic screen appeared, showing Mihoshi's face along with the logo of the Galaxy Police.

"There!" she said, "That's the proof than I'm an officer of galactic law!"

"And what about proof of Ryoko being a space pirate?" said Heero, "Can you present any documentation regarding that?"

Mihoshi nodded. "Yes. Give me just a sec. Ok… how did this thing work again?"

Ryoko and the others watched as she fiddled with the holographic screen in front of her, which was apparently more than just her officer's identification. Eventually it settled on a picture of Ryoko, one that she recognized as a very dated mug shot. She had to suppress a chuckle at the image of herself sticking her tongue out at the camera.

Man, she thought, doesn't that feel like a lifetime ago…

Ayeka folded her arms and shook her head. "Absolutely vulgar, Ryoko."

A list of charges was beneath the photo as well, one that Ryoko had assumed had been updated since the picture was taken. Mihoshi began reading from it.

"The infamous outlaw Ryoko," said Mihoshi, "is charged with multiple counts of piracy, robbery, fraud, smuggling, destruction of government property, defacement of cultural artifacts and icons, hijacking, theft of police and military property, vandalism and indecent exposure."

Both Ayeka and Heero looked at Ryoko and spoke as one. "Indecent exposure?"

Ryoko smirked. "Of all the ones that got onto that list, you single out that one?"

"Frankly it does not surprise me in and of itself," said Ayeka, "but I am morbidly curious as to why it would be included on a list of much more serious charges."

"As am I," said Heero, looking both puzzled and mildly amused.

Ryoko smiled and put her arms under her breasts, pushing them up to emphasize her ample assets. "Well, you wouldn't believe how handy this body of mine is when I need to distract people."

Ayeka put her hand to her face. "I wish I hadn't asked."

Heero shook his head, although to Ryoko it looked like the young man was trying to suppress a smirk. He then turned back to Mihoshi.

"Is that the only proof you carry of Ryoko's alleged crimes?" he asked the cop, his eyes narrowing.

Mihoshi nodded innocently. "Well, yes. It's all I need. Why do you ask?"

Heero shrugged. "I just thought that it would be a shame if something happened to it. You'd lose not only your proof that Ryoko's an outlaw, but also your police identification. That would put you in an awkward position."

He then looked at Ryoko, and she was surprised at the look in his eyes. It was subtle, but it was almost downright devious.

Am I imagining things? Is he seriously thinking what I think he is?

As if he could read her mind, the Preventers operative gave her a very small, almost imperceptible nod. Ryoko could not help but smile.

Hot damn, she thought as her heart pounded excitedly, Heero Yuy, I just might've fallen in love with you!

Crimson sparks flew around her right hand before a small jolt of energy shot forth, frying Mihoshi's hologram projector.

"Ow!" cried Mihoshi, waiving her singed hand as she dropped the device, "Hey! What was that for?"

Ryoko shrugged and gave her a faux-apologetic look. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mihoshi! I'm afraid that after a fight I sometimes can't completely control my power. A little spark like that's bound to fly loose from time to time. It was an accident, I swear!"

Ayeka glared at her. "I have a hard time believing that."

Mihoshi's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure it was an accident?"

Ryoko smiled. "Absolutely! Come on, I wouldn't lie to an honest detective like you, would I?"

"Oh, yes you would," grumbled Ayeka.

Ryoko put her hand to her mouth. "Oh, you are just so mean, Ayeka! Heero, back me up here. You saw that! You know it was an accident, right?"

Heero simply shrugged. "I couldn't say one way or another, Ryoko. I don't know enough about your powers to make that sort of judgment. I have no way to prove it was accidental or intentional."

Smooth operator, aren't you?, she thought with approval, I really wish you'd shown me this side of yourself sooner, Heero!

She turned back to Mihoshi, who was looking around in a state of growing panic. "Oh, no! What am I supposed to do?"

Ryoko shrugged. "Tough luck, kid."

"It is a rather unfortunate situation," said Ayeka, "Sir Heero, while I do realize that this woman was attacking us earlier, I do believe that she did so in ignorance of who you and I are. Surely we could at least provide some assistance, right?"

"Hey!" snapped Ryoko, "She was shooting at us, remember? I'm not sticking my neck out for her!"

"We can't just leave her like this," said Heero.

"I agree," said a familiar female voice from behind them.

Turning around, Ryoko saw Sally Po and a group of Preventers agents making their way towards them. There was an amused smile on the woman's face, and Ryoko saw her eyes go back and forth between Heero and Mihoshi.

"Sally," said Heero, "I was wondering when you'd show up."

"We decided to cordon off the area before coming in here," she replied, "Good thinking on bringing the action over into the trees. This will help us contain the situation."

"What about her ship?" asked Heero, "It doesn't look anything like Ryoko's or Ayeka's. It may not be organic like them."

"It's not," said Ayeka, "Sir Heero, Lady Sally, while my knowledge of the Galaxy Police is not comprehensive, I can tell you with certainty that they do not use living starships. Miss Mihoshi's craft is a much more conventional design than the Ryu-Oh or Ryo-Ohki."

Sally blinked in surprise. "Galaxy Police?"

Heero jerked his thumb towards Mihoshi. "Apparently she's a galactic officer of the law."

"Huh," said Sally as she looked at Mihoshi, "First Ryoko and Ayeka, and now her… I really hope this doesn't become a trend. Director Une's still dealing with the fallout from the last crash in Lake Genval. The media's going to go into a real frenzy about this."

"Uhm, excuse me?" said Mihoshi carefully, "Just who are all of you? What's going to happen to me?"

Sally folded her arms. "That's a very good question. Heero, your thoughts?"

"She's not a threat," Heero replied, "but I'd still like to question her."

Sally nodded. "Agreed. Miss Mihoshi, please come with us. I promise that you will not be harmed."

Mihoshi looked nervously between Sally and Heero, causing the latter to move forward and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right," he said, "You need to understand that we're not used to… visitors like you. You'll be well treated, and I promise that we won't hold you indefinitely."

Mihoshi smiled, looking encouraged by Heero's reassurances. "Okay!"

"This way," said Sally.

As Sally and her fellow operatives led Mihoshi away, Ryoko saw Heero turn to her and Ayeka. "Thank you both for your help here. Things would've been a lot worse without your aid."

Ayeka smiled. "Oh, think nothing of it, sir Heero! My powers are always at your command!"

Ryoko smiled too. "Anytime. It was actually kind of fun. Nice way to let off some steam, don't you think?"

Ayeka scowled at her. "Only a ruffian like you would consider a fight like that to be fun."

"As long as there's no fatalities, that's all that matters," said Heero, "Are you two hurt at all?"

Ayeka shook her head. "I'm quite well, sir Heero, though I appreciate your concern."

"I'm fine," said Ryoko, "Nothing to worry about."

Heero nodded. "Good. Let's head back to the car. We need to get to headquarters. It seems I have another interrogation to deal with."

As the three of them headed towards the parking lot Ryoko felt Heero grab her arm and pull her closer to him.

"Don't think you're off the hook just yet," he whispered, "I've still got questions for you."

Ryoko smiled. "I know, Heero. I haven't forgotten. I promised you the truth, and you'll get it."

Heero nodded. "I appreciate that. Thank you."

"Just do me one favor," she whispered, "Can we please have that conversation in private when the time comes?"

"Yes," he replied.

"What are you two mumbling about?" asked Ayeka.

Ryoko gave her best shot at an innocent-looking smile. "Oh, nothing."

Ayeka glared at her. "I find that hard to believe. If you're trying to ply your trampy charms on sir Heero now, I'll make you regret it!"

Ryoko folded her arms and smirked. 'You and what army, princess?"

"I hardly need one!" Ayeka snarled.

"Enough," said Heero firmly as he stepped in between the two of them, "Let's just get back to Preventers HQ, all right? I've had enough excitement for one day, and I would think that would go for the two of you as well."

Both women took a step back and nodded.

"Very well, sir Heero," said Ayeka.

"Sure thing," said Ryoko, "Actually, I'm kind of hungry. Any chance we grab a bite to eat first?"

"That does sound nice," said Ayeka, "Fighting like that is certainly one way to work up an appetite."

"You two can grab something from the cafeteria while I interview Mihoshi," Heero replied, "If you want anything better than that, you'll have to wait until we get back to my place later."

"That will be just fine," said Ayeka.

Ryoko nodded and smiled. "Looking forward to it, Heero."

….

"So," said Heero as he leaned back in his chair, "let me make sure I've got this straight. You were on patrol and picked up Ayeka's distress signal. You set your autopilot but forgot to adjust it for a proper landing, and that's why you crashed into the lake. When you got out you saw Ryoko, and that's why you attacked us. Is all that right?"

From the other side of the table, Mihoshi nodded. "Yes, that's it."

"And you're part of the Galaxy Police's Outland Sector Traffic Patrol Division," said Heero, "and that jurisdiction includes Earth. If it weren't for Ayeka's distress signal you wouldn't have come by here at all. Is that right as well?"

"Correct," she said nervously, "Uhm… what else do you want to know?"

A lot, he thought, but I don't think you really have the answers I'm looking for…

For what it was worth, he didn't think that Mihoshi was lying to him. She seemed knowledgeable enough about Galaxy Police that Heero was willing to believe her, and he hadn't forgotten the identification that he'd let Ryoko destroy. The fact that she hadn't actually come to Earth specifically to hunt down Ryoko was good news; it gave him more room to handle the situation, especially where Director Une and Sally were concerned.

"So," said Mihoshi, "how long am I going to be held here?"

"Not too much longer," Heero replied, "We just want to make sure we learn all that we can from you. You have to understand that before today we had no idea that your organization even existed."

Mihoshi smiled. "Oh, that's okay. It's not that big a deal."

Heero was taken aback by her casual reply. He would think that an organization like hers would consider first contact with another species to be a pretty big deal. If they were a galactic law enforcement group then they should've had protocols of some kind that they drilled into their officers, or at least Heero assumed they would. Was he mistaken in that belief, or did this woman simply not remember them?

From what he'd seen from Mihoshi so far, he actually wouldn't be too surprised if the latter was the case.

He sighed as he stood up. "I see. Thank you for your cooperation in this."

"Sure!" said Mihoshi brightly, "You seem like a nice guy. Are you going somewhere?"

"Just out to check on a few things," he said as he headed towards the door of the interrogation room, "I'll be back in a little bit. If you need something to eat or drink, just press the button by the door and an officer will answer."

Leaving the room and closing the door behind him, Heero leaned back against a nearby wall and sighed. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago he'd been enjoying a walk around Lake Genval with Ryoko and Ayeka, and now here he was interrogating another lovely alien woman.

"What's next?" he muttered, "I've got a space pirate, an imperial princess, and a galactic cop landing right outside the capital all within just a matter of days. I'm not sure how many more visitors we can take…"

Heero was aware that Director Une and Sally were once again in full damage control mode. He didn't know all the details, but apparently the more conventional nature of Mihoshi's ship as opposed to the organic craft used by Ryoko and Ayeka was actually making things easier for Preventers; Director Une was using the cover story that the vessel was an ESUN prototype that had suffered an engine malfunction.

As far as a smokescreen goes, that one's not too bad, thought Heero, It should help to deal with most people. There's always the hardcore conspiracy theorists who won't buy it, but no one really takes them seriously.

Figuring out a good set of lies to feed the media wasn't Heero's concern. His was the pilot of that crashed vessel, and he had to admit he was at something of a loss on that front. Mihoshi had been very forthcoming during the interrogation, even quite friendly. She struck him as far too innocent-looking for an officer of the law, but in a way that wasn't a bad thing. Her cheerfulness and optimism despite her situation was actually refreshing, although Heero could also tell that she was more than a little scatterbrained. He wondered if she'd been assigned to traffic patrol in a remote region of space by her superiors as an excuse to just get her out of the way.

Heero shook his head. As long as Mihoshi wasn't hostile, why her superiors had assigned her to patrol out this way didn't really matter. From what he'd learned from Ryoko and Ayeka Earth was in the cosmic backwater as it were, and nothing he'd heard from Mihoshi had disabused him of the notion.

He would figure out what to do with Mihoshi later, assuming that Director Une and Sally hadn't already come up with a plan. Heero knew that he could use a break after everything that had happened today, but there was still his unfinished business with Ryoko to attend to.

I need to know more about who she is and what she's done, he thought, She seems like a good woman, even if she is an outlaw, but still… I have to learn about what she's accused of. After what I've done in the past I'm hardly in any position to be passing judgment on her, but still… the nature of her crimes and how she went down that path will have to factor in with how I deal with her going forward.

Deciding he might as well get it over with, he started down the hallway, heading for the cafeteria. With her abilities and free spirit it was quite possible that Ryoko had snuck off to another part of Preventers headquarters by now, but Heero wanted to believe that she was willing to keep her word to him and wouldn't run away from this reckoning.

When he arrived he was pleased to see both Ryoko and Ayeka still in the cafeteria. They'd clearly finished their meals some time ago and were now simply lounging around. Ayeka looked bored while Ryoko actually appeared somewhat nervous to Heero, although she hid it well from the Jurai princess. Both women perked up when they saw Heero enter the room.

"Sir Heero!" said Ayeka, "How good of you to come see us here! If you're in need of refreshment I'd be more than happy to get you something."

"Hey, Heero," said Ryoko, looking pleased to see him even if she was a little anxious, "What's up?"

Heero looked at the beautiful outlaw. "Ryoko, I'd like a word… in private."

Ryoko nodded. "Sure. I figured this would happen sooner or later."

"Sir Heero?" asked Ayeka, looking confused.

"Please, stay here, Ayeka," said Heero, "I don't mean to be rude, but there are some matters that I need to discuss with Ryoko alone."

Ayeka seemed worried, but she did not protest. "As you wish, sir Heero."

"Thank you," said Heero.

He nodded at Ryoko, and he led her out of the cafeteria and through the halls of the facility. They took an elevator to the top floor, and then they went out onto the observation deck.

"This is nice," said Ryoko as put her arms against the railing and looked out at Brussels, "I didn't think a place like this would have something like this."

"Preventers may be an organization that keeps secrets, but the management knows that it can't keep employees cooped up in the building," said Heero as he leaned against the railing next to her, "Having an open place like this gives people a place to come to in order to relax a bit on their breaks. The fresh air can help clear one's head… and it gives a great view of the city."

Ryoko nodded and smiled. "I'll say. I'm glad I touched down near here and that I get to stay with you, Heero. Otherwise who knows what part of this planet I'd be stuck on now?"

Heero nodded. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself here, but… I didn't bring you up here to admire the view, Ryoko."

"I know," she replied, and to her credit she looked him right in the eyes, "So… where do you want to start, Heero?"

"When Ayeka was chasing you into the Sol System," said Heero, "Why were you really running from her?"

Her answer was blunt and immediate. "I robbed a branch of the Bank of Jurai."

Well, he thought, it looks like she really is serious about being honest here.

"All right, then," he said, "Why was Ayeka chasing you rather than the Galaxy Police?"

Ryoko shrugged. "She was in the neighborhood, and she's far more stubborn than those guys are. When I came into your star system I was just looking for a place to shake her off and lay low for a while."

Heero nodded. "I see. And the list of charges that Mihoshi read off earlier?"

Ryoko sighed and gave him an apologetic look. "All true, but… look, it's not that simple. It's fine for Ayeka and Mihoshi to think things are black and white; one's a princess and the other's a cop. They can try to judge me all they want, but they know nothing about how I got here. Heero… I know what I've done isn't good, and since you're a government agent I know it's hard for you to sympathize, but…"

"You'd be surprised with what I can sympathize with," Heero interrupted, "Ryoko, there's a lot more to me than my occupation. You're right; things aren't black and white. Everyone has a story, regardless of what side of the law they're on… and I want to hear yours."

Ryoko's eyes widened in shock. "You… you're really serious, aren't you?"

Heero nodded. "I'll hear you out, and I'll reserve judgment until the end. You gave me your word that you would tell the truth, and I am willing to place faith in you, Ryoko. Tell me about you, how you became who you are, why you walk the outlaw's path. Do that for me… and you might just learn something about me in the process."

For a moment all she could give him in reply was stunned silence. Finally she shook her head, and there was an amused smile on her face.

"You really are something else, you know that?" she said, "I've met a lot of guys, but none of them were anything quite like you. People never want to hear the story behind it all… you're the first to ask."

"I'm complicated," Heero replied, "and I know that I'm not the only one. I didn't become who I am overnight, and I'm sure the same goes for you."

"Well," said Ryoko, "I wouldn't exactly say I'm complicated, but there is more to me than most people think."

"So," said Heero, "where did you want to start?"

He saw her look out at the city for a moment, and he was surprised by the uncharacteristically somber expression on her face. "Heero… did you ever know your parents?"

The Gundam pilot was caught off guard by her question, and it took him a moment to formulate a reply. "Well… I don't know if he qualifies as a parent, but there was a man that raised me for a time. He died when I was about eight, and… well, let's just say what he taught me isn't what most parents or guardians want their children to learn."

She nodded and looked genuinely interested. However, apparently Ryoko had decided to keep things on topic rather than go into Heero's past.

"At least you had that much," she said, "Maybe not conventional parents, and maybe you didn't have him for long, but a guardian like that's more than I had. The only one that was with me when I was a kid was Ryo-Ohki."

Heero was confused. "You've had your ship since you were a child?"

Ryoko nodded. "Yes, but she's more than just a ship, Heero. You've only seen one form of Ryo-Ohki; she's got another, and it's much cuter than her ship form. You'll see what I mean when she recovers."

Heero nodded. "All right. Where were you and Ryo-Ohki? Did you know anything about your parents… or any family at all?"

Ryoko shook her head. "Not a thing. As for where we were, it was some backwater planet off in the ass-end of the galaxy. Not as pretty as Earth, and definitely not as friendly. I had nothing apart from Ryo-Ohki. No home, no money, no friends or family… I'm no shrink, but I'm pretty sure that's not a good way for a child to start her life."

"I see," said Heero quietly.

I have a feeling I know where this is going, he thought grimly, After Odin Lowe died, I was on my own, but Ryoko had to face that even earlier than I did…

"Ryo-Ohki and I found ourselves in a city," Ryoko continued, "It was centered around a spaceport, and even though the planet was a backwater it still got its share of traffic. A lot of it was black market; smugglers, slavers, pirates, you name it. There was a law enforcement presence out there too, but they were so corrupt and twisted that there wasn't really much of a difference between them and the outlaws. Hell, at first I thought that those cops were just another gang, and as I grew older I realized that they might as well have been."

"How did you survive?" asked Heero.

"The only way I could," she replied, "I became a thief. I stole food, water… anything to help me and Ryo-Ohki survive another day. Turns out she was a good partner in that; she's a lot smarter than she looks."

"I'm sure your powers helped with that as well," said Heero.

Ryoko nodded. "Yeah, but I had to figure out how to use them first. It was touch and go for a little while, but eventually I got the hang of things. Now I can use them as naturally as I breath… although I'm still not entirely sure if I've figured out everything that I'm truly capable of."

"So you could come up with more tricks in addition to the ones you've still got hidden up your sleeves?" asked Heero, raising an eyebrow, "I hope you'll at least give me a warning before you try them out."

Ryoko smirked. "No promises."

The two of them were quiet for a moment before Heero gave her a nod. "I imagine word about your abilities got around eventually."

"Yeah," Ryoko replied, "and I became pretty popular with some of the gangs because of them. They kept trying to recruit me, both as a thief and a fighter; I gained something of a reputation for brawling pretty early on. A lot of real scumbags saw me as a pretty back-alley girl and thought I'd be an easy target for some 'fun'. They wised up real fast after I damn near knocked their heads off."

"So what did you do with your new popularity?" asked Heero, "A reputation can be a big asset in the underworld."

Ryoko nodded, looking impressed. "Not bad, Heero. Yeah, word about my skills and powers spread pretty fast, and I was able to use that to carve out a bit of a freelance career for myself. I'd take jobs for this gang or that, whether it was stealing something or picking a fight with their rivals. I never committed to one gang; Ryo-Ohki and I worked better on our own. Things were… well, I can't exactly say that they were good given that I had established myself as being on the wrong side of the law, but as far as a petty career criminal goes I had a pretty decent gig going."

"Sounds like it," said Heero, "So what made you go from that to a space pirate wanted by both the Empire of Jurai and the Galaxy Police?"

"Believe it or not, necessity," said Ryoko, "I had to bail on that planet, and in a hurry."

"What happened?" asked Heero.

Ryoko sighed. "I defended myself. I was in a bar after a job, looking to unwind. Ryo-Ohki was right there with me; she may not look like it, but she enjoys a good drink too."

A living starship with a taste for booze, thought Heero, I hope that thing doesn't fly drunk.

"Anyway," she continued, "This fat asshole with a bunch of gaudy jewelry and no sense tried to hit on me. I'd shaken off enough of his kind in the past that I figured it'd be no big deal to do the same thing again. He had four big bodyguards with him, but nothing that I couldn't take care of if things got rough."

"I'm assuming things did get rough," said Heero.

Ryoko nodded. "The scumbag didn't like being told no, and he had one hell of an ego. He had his muscle try to take me for his 'amusement', but I knocked them all flat on their asses. That was when the fat guy pulled a gun and said he was head of the Black Demon Syndicate, and that if I didn't come with him to his penthouse he was going to make the short remainder of my life a very painful one."

"Black Demon Syndicate?" asked Heero, "Are they a major player in the galactic underworld?"

Ryoko laughed. "Major player? They wish. They're small fries compared to the hardcore, galactic-level organized crime groups. No, these guys were backwater thugs. They had a strong operation going on the world that I was on, though, so I guess that you could call them a big fish in a small pond."

Heero nodded. "I've met the type; gangs who think that owning some guns and having a few corrupt cops on their payroll makes them part of the big leagues. They're nothing compared to the high-end players in the underworld… although the mafias and cartels I've dealt with out here would really be small time compared to what you've seen. So, what happened?"

"Back then I was still learning how to really use my powers effectively," she said, "I was pretty good with attacking, but at the time I didn't know that I could also use my abilities to create a barrier. So when the guy drew on me, I blasted him right in the chest. Left a nice smoking hole where his heart was. The other guards tried to shoot me, but they went down pretty quickly too. Nailed three of them in the chests with energy shots, and I took the fourth's head clean off; probably should've told you earlier that I can also make an energy sword."

"Yes," said Heero dryly, "that would've been good information to know."

Ryoko shrugged. "Anyway, turned out that two of the guy's bodyguards were actually cops moonlighting as hired muscle. In the space of a few seconds I'd made myself enemies of both the largest crime group on the planet and the police. It didn't matter that I had killed them in self-defense; cops don't look kindly on those who kill their own, even if the ones who die are crooked. Hell, that whole force was rotten to the core; doubt there was a single honest cop in there. So I had to get the hell out of there."

"It's a good thing you had Ryo-Ohki with you," said Heero.

Ryoko smiled. "Yeah, well, here's the thing; at the time, I actually didn't know that she was a living starship."

"Really?" asked Heero, "Then how did you get out of there?"

"It was strange," she said, "I knew Ryo-Ohki was smart, but that day… it was like she'd been waiting for an excuse to leave that planet. She started running towards the edge of town, and I didn't know what else to do but follow her. For a moment I was afraid that she'd decided to abandon me, but she always made sure that I was able to keep her in sight. When we got to the outskirts she just jumped up into the air and transformed into the ship that you first saw me on."

"It must've been quite an experience," said Heero, "Seeing that for the first time, I mean."

Ryoko nodded. "You're telling me. I was completely blown away. I didn't exactly have time to stand there and admire her, though; the cops and the rest of the Black Demon Syndicate were right on our tails. A red light shot out of Ryo-Ohki, and before I knew it I was aboard her. Then she shot out a bunch of energy beams and fried the guys chasing us before we headed for orbit."

"Did you have any idea where you'd go from there?" asked Heero.

Ryoko shook her head. "Not a clue. I mean, I had lived in that city all my life until then. I'd hung around the spaceport enough to know the names of a few other planets out there, but I didn't know the first thing about navigating space or where I should head to. I know now that Ryo-Ohki can fly herself, but at the time I didn't, and I started freaking out pretty quickly. Plus, we hadn't packed any food or water."

"Well," said Heero, "clearly you didn't starve to death. How'd you get out of that situation?"

"We found a ship at coming in at the edge of the system," said Ryoko, looking down nervously, "It was a big bulk transport, but it didn't have any escorts and the weapons weren't much to look at. Ryo-Ohki and I were desperate for supplies, and the ship looked like an easy target, so…"

"Let me guess," said Heero, "That transport became the target of your first act of piracy?"

Ryoko nodded and gave him a guilty smile. "Yeah…"

"So how did it go?" asked Heero, "You're first ship-taking, I mean."

Ryoko shrugged. "Ryo-Ohki did most of the work at first. She took out the few guns the ship had and crippled its engines in just a few seconds. She did it completely on her own; I didn't even know how to fly her at that point, let alone use her in a fight. After I was sure that the ship wasn't going anywhere I told the crew to surrender, and lucky for me they did. Then I boarded the ship and found out that it was a food transport that belonged to the Empire of Jurai."

"Jurai?" said Heero, "I thought you said that the system you were in was out in the middle of nowhere."

Ryoko nodded. "It was, but Jurai still had limited trade connections with the local government. I didn't really take much from the ship; just enough food for Ryo-Ohki and I to survive off of for a while. I did take a bunch of navigation data from their ship's computer, though; I was trying to find a planet where Ryo-Ohki and I could lay low for a while and figure out what to do next."

"What happened to the crew?" asked Heero, his eyes narrowing.

Ryoko smiled. "Relax, Heero. I told you that they surrendered, remember? I can be mean, but when someone gives up the fight I tend to let them go unless they've really pissed me off. They still had communications and life support, and while that planet I'd just left might've been a dump they still would've sent a ship out to help the crew. I just took what I needed and got out of there."

Heero nodded. "All right, then. Where did you end up?"

"Another planet not too far from the system I'd just left," said Ryoko, "It was more populated though, so not quite as much of a dump as the last one. By the time I got there, though, the word had already gotten out to the authorities about a new space pirate on the scene… one that had been stupid enough to actually give her name to the crew of the ship she'd just robbed."

Heero shook his head. "What were you thinking?"

Ryoko folded her arms. "Hey, it was my first time being a pirate! I didn't know what the hell I was doing, so excuse me if I made a few amateur mistakes! I had to wing the whole thing, and I was still hopped up on adrenaline from that mess with the syndicate boss and his thug cop bodyguards!"

Heero sighed. "Fine, then. So, did they arrest you as soon as you landed?"

Ryoko shook her head. 'No, but it was a pretty close thing. They didn't know that Ryo-Ohki could transform, which gave me an advantage. I managed to find a place in the city to lay low for a while, but… well, it wasn't like I could find legal employment."

Heero nodded. "So how did you survive there?"

"Same way I did on the last planet," said Ryoko, "I stole what I needed to live. Unfortunately for me, the cops on that world weren't quite as incompetent and corrupt as the ones on the last. The Galaxy Police also had a small presence out that way, and it wasn't long until I had my first run-in with them. I didn't stay on that planet for too long; I'd gotten plenty of navigation data from the Jurai transport that I'd attacked earlier, so there were plenty of other worlds I could run to. That was really where my pirate career took off. I flew around the galaxy, raiding ships and robbing planets."

Heero folded his arms. "How long until it became about more than just survival?"

Ryoko smirked. "Can't get anything past you, can I?"

"You do remember the list of charges that Mihoshi read earlier, right?" Heero replied, "More than a few of them wouldn't have been on that list if you were just breaking the law to stay alive."

Ryoko sighed. "You're right. I won't try to brush it all over and say it was only about making it to the next day alive. I was good at stealing and being a pirate, and I got better every time I committed a crime. I started figuring that if I had to live on the wrong side of the law, why not go for bigger scores? Still, I'm not a monster. I've got rules, Heero."

"Such as?" Heero pressed.

"I stick to going after people that can afford it," said Ryoko, "Governments and big corporations, mostly, along with some private rich slobs. I may not rob from the rich and give to the poor, but I also don't target the poor and wring every last bit of money out of them like a lot of other outlaws out there. I've gotten in fights, and I've killed, but I don't target unarmed people. Hell, a lot of the targets I've gone after are actually other syndicates who attacked me for pirating on their turf. I'd say the Galaxy Police actually owes me one for taking out some of those guys!"

Heero shook his head. "I'm sure the Galaxy Police disagree with you there."

Ryoko chuckled. "That's because they can't pull the damn sticks out of their ass. They really need to lighten up."

"They're cops," Heero replied, "They're required to go after all lawbreakers, regardless if some of those did the Galaxy Police an indirect favor."

Ryoko smirked. "So you at least agree that I helped them out, whether they'll admit it or not? I'll take that."

"Fine," said Heero, "How did you first run into Ayeka? From the way you two act around each other I take it the fight up in orbit wasn't the first time you two had met."

Ryoko shook her head. "Nope, that was just our latest battle. My pirating career took me into Jurai territory pretty early, and I had the rotten luck of robbing a museum while Ayeka was touring it. That was our first encounter."

"You couldn't wait until closing time to do your heist?" Heero deadpanned.

"It was closing time," said Ryoko, "My plan was to hit the place during the shift change, when the afternoon guards were heading out and the night watch was coming in. Unfortunately for me Ayeka chose just that moment to arrive. Apparently she was bringing in some ancient statue of some old royal or another to donate to the museum."

"And you didn't know ahead of time that that was going to happen?" asked Heero, raising an eyebrow.

Ryoko folded her arms. "For your information, I did my homework to prep for that heist. I knew a member of the royal family would be visiting the museum, but it was supposed to be the following evening. It's not my fault they changed plans!"

Heero shrugged. "Whatever you say. I'm sure Ayeka was less than thrilled to find you robbing the place."

"That's an understatement," Ryoko replied, "At that time I already had a bit of a reputation, especially since a few of the ships I'd hit before then belonged to the Empire. My plans were shot to hell, so I turned the job into a smash-and-grab. Wasn't that hard to get what I was after with brute force; it was a necklace with some really valuable gems in it. The guards were pretty easy to deal with too; knocked most of them out cold before they knew what hit them. Ayeka, though… she may be a royal bitch, but she's a tough royal bitch, I'll give her that much. We tore that place apart. I would've won eventually, but the cops were on their way and I had to split. That fight's part of the reason why 'defacement of cultural artifacts and icons' was on my rap sheet. They had some really nice pieces in there before Ayeka and I had our little rumble."

"Remind me not to take you two to any museums," said Heero dryly.

Ryoko gave Heero a playful punch on the shoulder. "Aw, come on, Heero! I love museums! You never know what you're going to find… and what'll be worth stealing!"

"Definitely not taking you to any museums," Heero muttered.

"You just gotta ruin my fun," Ryoko pouted.

"You're under my supervision," Heero reminded her, "If your idea of fun involves museum heists and breaking artifacts then I'm afraid you're going to be in for some disappointment."

Ryoko shrugged and smirked. "Oh well. I can find other ways to get my kicks."

I don't doubt that, Heero thought wearily, and I'm sure you'll give me a headache trying to keep you from getting out of hand.

"Anyway," said Ryoko, "That was where our little feud kicked off. Since then Ayeka and I have been bumping into each other all over the galaxy, and each time we get into a fight. I was surprised when she rammed me during that orbital fight; she can be stubborn, but she's usually not that crazy when it comes to trying to catch me."

"Your bank job from earlier must've really pissed her off," said Heero.

Ryoko shook her head. "I doubt that was it. What I got from that heist was small change compared to some of my past jobs."

"I'll take your word on that," said Heero, "Any other rivals out there that I should worry about?"

Ryoko looked down. "Well… there's a bounty hunter. Name's Nagi. We've crossed paths quite a few times out there, and she's pretty good in a fight. I doubt she knows that I'm out this way, but… well, she's pretty determined to settle out score."

"How dangerous is she?" asked Heero, his eyes narrowing.

"She's very skilled at combat and hunting," Ryoko replied, "but she's got rules. She doesn't endanger civilians to catch a target, so if she comes out here you don't have to worry about her putting innocent people at risk. She wants my bounty, but she also wants a one-on-one fight with me. It really gets under her skin when a target slips through her fingers."

So there's another lethal woman out there in the galaxy that could come my way at some point, he thought, I just hope that Ryoko's right about this Nagi not knowing that she's on Earth. I've got enough to worry about here as is.

Ryoko turned back to him and smiled. "Well, that's my life story in a nutshell. If you want more details on some of the heists I've done or the ships I've hit I'll share them with you, but that's really the gist of it right there."

Heero shook his head. "That won't be necessary."

Ryoko nodded. "All right. So… what's the verdict?"

It was a lot to take in. Heero appreciated Ryoko's candor, and he felt that she had been honest with him, but that did not change the fact that she was admitting that the charges listed by Mihoshi were true. She had confessed to being a criminal, and one of galactic proportions to boot. Mihoshi was justified in trying to arrest her, as was Ayeka in chasing her out to the Sol System.

However, Heero felt a very strong sympathy for Ryoko despite her criminal past… or maybe because of it. She'd been born into very trying circumstances, and her early lawbreaking was done out of the simple desire to survive. She hadn't been given a real chance to have a normal, honest life. If she'd been given a different start to life it was quite possible that she could've gone down a completely separate path from what she was on now.

Heero also found himself thinking about his own past and how it compared with Ryoko's. He'd been on the battlefield from a very early age, and while he had chosen to continue down that path after his guardian Odin Lowe had died that did not change the fact that Heero's actions were justifiably considered terrorism by the now-defunct United Earth Sphere Alliance and OZ. In a way, Heero felt that his actions were harsher than Ryoko's had been. Yes, he'd been fighting to free the colonies from the iron grip of their oppressors, but he knew that that could not completely absolve him of his sins.

Far from it.

I may be beyond absolution, he thought, but Ryoko… she still has a chance. I can't deny her that.

Ryoko put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Heero? What's up?"

He turned to her and studied her carefully. A combination of hope and worry was in her amber eyes, and she looked unusually tense. What Heero said next would mean a great deal to her, and the Gundam pilot knew he had to put careful thought into it.

He looked out at the city for a moment before turning back to her. "Well, the way I see it, you were completely beyond Preventers' jurisdiction when you committed your crimes, or that of any other law enforcement agency on Earth for that matter. The only written proof of your actions was destroyed earlier today… and while Sally Po and Director Une may be my superiors, I don't have to tell them about your crimes if I feel that you're not a threat."

Ryoko smiled at him. "Really? So you'll let me keep staying with you?"

Heero nodded. "You're under my observational custody, along with Ayeka. It's my responsibility to look after you and make sure that you stay out of trouble. Your powers do make my job somewhat challenging, but I am still willing to give it a shot. Besides, even if we wanted to arrest you, no prison we have could hold someone with your abilities. Mihoshi's ship is trashed too, so it's not like she can take you back to the Galaxy Police or Jurai. You can remain under my roof, Ryoko. What you shared with me about your past… that will remain in my confidence unless you give me reason to disclose it."

Ryoko was positively beaming now, and before Heero could react she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "You're the best, Heero! I won't make you regret this, I promise!"

She seemed surprisingly earnest, and Heero decided that he'd made the right call here. He could also feel his cheek warming ever so slightly from where she had kissed him. That had taken him completely off guard, and he had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that.

After a moment he gave Ryoko a nod. "All right. I'm trusting you here, Ryoko."

"Don't worry, Heero," she replied, "I know I don't seem like the kind of girl that takes this sort of thing seriously, but I swear that I do. I won't let you down."

"Okay," said Heero, "Come on, let's head back inside. I'm sure Ayeka's worried, and I still need to talk to my superiors about what to do with Mihoshi."

"As long as she doesn't end up staying with us," said Ryoko, "You're already making me share an apartment with a Juraian princess. The last thing I need is a cop thrown in there."

Heero nodded. "I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."

….

Standing in the Director's office, Heero found himself fighting to keep his composure as Lady Une told him what would be done with Mihoshi. Behind the Director Heero saw Sally, her arms folded and an amused smile on her face.

Damn you, Sally, he silently fumed, I should've known that you would talk the Director into this…

Sally chuckled. "What's the matter, Heero? Cat got your tongue?"

His jaw set and his eyes narrowing, Heero was careful with his response as he turned to Lady Une. "With all due respect, Director, there has to be another way to resolve this situation."

Lady Une smiled, clearly enjoying having him on the defensive. "I've discussed this extensively with Sally, and I believe that this is the best solution to our dilemma. It's already worked quite well with Ryoko and Ayeka, so I don't see why we need to change our approach here."

"Come on, Heero," said Sally, "I'm sure you can find some room for her."

"My place isn't meant for so many people," Heero replied, trying to think of a way out of the mess he'd found himself in.

"It's got space and you know it," Sally shot back smugly, "Come on, Heero, what's this really about?"

"What this is really about," said Heero, "is that you've already got me playing host to two women that are not from this world."

"Which would make you our resident expert in the matter," said Lady Une with a knowing smirk.

Heero wanted to kick himself; he'd walked right into that one.

"What would you have us do, Heero?" asked Sally, "We can't just hold her here at headquarters, and the list of people that we can trust someone like her with is quite short. You've only had Ayeka and Ryoko as your guests for about a week, but you've already proven yourself to be quite adept at handling them and keeping their true identities relatively under wraps. You're really the only candidate we've got for this."

It's useless, Heero thought in resignation, I'm not getting out of this one.

He still had to ask Lady Une that one question, though. "Is this an order, Director?"

Lady Une nodded. "Yes, it is, Heero."

Heero sighed. "Can I at least get a cost of living adjustment then?"

Sally nodded and gave a small laugh. "I'm sure we can work something out with payroll."

….

Leaning back in her chair, Ryoko smirked at Ayeka. "You can scowl all you want, princess, but I'm not telling you what happened between me and Heero earlier."

Ayeka folded her arms, refusing to let up with her glare. "You evil witch... what manner of deceit did you concoct for sir Heero? What foul snare did you lay for him? I demand to know at once!"

Ryoko chuckled. "You're not in the Empire anymore, remember? You don't get to make demands of anyone out here, Ayeka."

"Well, you're still a criminal!" she huffed, "You can't be trusted regardless of whether you're in Juraian territory or not! The fact that sir Heero still deems you worthy of private conversation is testament only to his charity and magnanimity, not to any of your numerous loathsome qualities!"

Ryoko glared at her. "All right, Ayeka, there's only so much of your high and mighty bullshit that I'm willing to take! You want to throw down? Come on, let's have at it!"

"Oh, absolutely!" Ayeka snarled, "Now's as good a time as any to settle our score!"

The two women leapt to their feet, energy crackling around them. It was fortunate that the cafeteria was empty, because at the moment the last thing either of them cared about was potential witnesses or collateral damage.

"Any last words?" asked Ayeka with a vicious smirk on her face.

"You wish," Ryoko shot back.

"I wish that I could leave you two alone for five minutes without worrying about whether or not you two will try to level the building," said a strong and familiar male voice.

Both women turned in surprise as they saw Heero enter the room. He wasn't alone; trailing behind him was none other than Mihoshi.

Ayeka immediately bowed. "Sir Heero! My sincerest apologies!"

Ryoko shrugged. "Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, what's she doing here?"

Mihoshi put her fingers together and looked at Heero. "Uhm… they're not going to be mad at me, are they?"

"Hard to say," Heero replied, looking at Ryoko and Ayeka, "It's irrelevant either way. The decision's been made, and we have to abide by it."

Ayeka's eyes narrowed. "What decision are you referring to, sir Heero?"

Ryoko folded her arms. "Okay, what's going on?"

Mihoshi turned to Heero and smiled sheepishly. "Uhm… could you tell them?"

Heero nodded, and Ryoko didn't like the way he did it. He seemed resigned to something, and Ryoko had a sinking feeling she knew what it was.

Oh, no, she thought, Don't tell me…

"Ryoko," said Heero, "Ayeka… Mihoshi will be coming with us. She's being placed under my observational custody, just as you two were."

Mihoshi waved at them. "So, I guess we'll be living together now. This'll be fun!"

Ryoko and Ayeka's jaws dropped simultaneously. The two women would rarely agree on anything, but right now their thoughts were most definitely one and the same, and they expressed those thoughts quite clearly.

"What the fuck?"

Preview for next time!

Mihoshi: Hi everyone! Well, I'm settling in at Heero's! He's such a nice guy, and I'm going to thank him by cooking a meal for him!

Ryoko: Hey Heero, you might want to watch out; I think she's about to burn down the kitchen.

Heero: I'll get the fire extinguisher.

Ayeka: Miss Mihoshi, may I kindly suggest that you refrain from future cooking endeavors? We all live here now, and it would be most unfortunate if sir Heero's apartment caught fire.

Mihoshi: Oh, okay! I'll try cleaning instead!

Ryoko: Somehow I don't think this is going to end well…

Heero: Mihoshi's... peculiarities are the least of our concerns right now. Looks like we've got another visitor.

Ayeka: Oh my, could it be? Sasami, is that you?

Sasami: Ayeka! I've missed you, big sister!

Ryoko: Great, another royal. Like we didn't have enough of those around here.

Mihoshi: Aw, she's adorable! Can we keep her?

Ayeka: My sister is not a pet, Mihoshi!

Heero: No, but we might've picked up one of those too. Anyone know what this cat-rabbit thing is? And where did all the carrots go?

Ryo-Ohki: Meow!

Ryoko: Next time, on Chapter Five: No Need For Princesses and Pets!

Sasami: It's a pleasure to meet you, mister Heero!

Heero: I guess it could be worse. She seems nice enough… and she's kind of cute.

Ryoko and Ayeka give death glares: Sasami!

Author's Notes: Well, there you go; next chapter brings two of our most adorable cast members to the stage! Will Sasami be able to bring just a tiny bit of tranquility and gentleness to Heero's rather hectic life now? Not if Ryoko and Ayeka have anything to say about it! Then you've got Mihoshi, who just wants to help, bless her heart! Too bad she's got all the common sense of a drunken bunny. And Ryo-Ohki… well, she's Ryo-Ohki. Enough said.

Ryoko's past in this story is not the same as what is found in the Tenchi Muyo franchise. It's also incomplete, although that's no fault of Ryoko's. She wasn't lying to Heero; she's just unaware of some key details. Those details will be revealed later on in the story.

See you all next time! Please review!