Sketches of Tenchi 3: Complicating the Plot
That's no lie...
Funaho and Misaki were back for a visit.
Don't they have an empire to run?
Funaho began apologetically, "I'm very sorry for the delay, Tenchi,
girls, but we're facing some unusual problems, not all on Jurai.
The Emperor has given his personal approval to your list, you
understand, including Aeka and Sasami; but his official approval
is on indefinite hold, pending certain matters. The first of these
concerns Mihoshi."
Of course it does. She is the number one Agent of Chaos. :)
Aeka's face fell. "What is the problem?" She asked. "Normally
it only takes a few days to approve such a list."
"What's the matter, _Princess_?" said Ryouko in a low voice,
smirking. "Getting anxious for a little horizontal exercise?
Won't do it without Daddy's final approval?"
Hmmm, does this mean she's going to eventually see Emperor Tenchi as a
father figure? The possibilities boggle the mind.
"Our sources," Funaho said gently, "believe that factions within the
GP are opposed to the Marshal, Mihoshi's grandfather, being the
sole focus of the new ties to Jurai. They want to balance this by
supplying you with another bride from the Galaxy Police, one
allied with certain opposing factions."
Tenchi twitched. "..._another_ bride?"
Give it up, boy. You are *so* doomed.
"This young lady," Funaho commented, touching a button. A moving
hologram sprung into the middle of the room, showing a lively
red-haired woman in a Galaxy Police uniform. "Her name is..."
"Mitsuki!" hissed Kiyone. "How dare that conniving bitch get
involved in this!"
An OAV Mitsuki... hmmm.
"Well, Kiyone," remarked Washuu conversationally, "she probably
thinks of marriage to Tenchi as a sort of _PROMOTION_, being the
consort of the future Emperor and all. Perhaps the biggest
of all possible promotions..."
Kiyone started to look thoughtful. "A promotion... that's true,
isn't it..."
GACK! Not level-headed Kiyone, too?!
Aeka and Ryouko cast panicked looks at Kiyone.
As well they might. Kiyone's not chopped liver, by anyone's standards.
Kiyone stood and strode out of the room. "Please excuse
me; I need to go make a few calls."
Heh.
"The other matter holding up the Emperor is with the House of
Nobles," explained Funaho. "The five girls on your list, plus
this Tokimi entity, equal six, which is the largest number of
brides for which we have historical precedent: Prince Ejiki,
A "victim" of too many feminine wiles, no doubt. ;) Which fits Tenchi to
a tee.
some five thousand years ago. He had two brides from the Jurai
royal family and four from well-chosen noble families of Jurai.
Only two of your intended brides are from Jurai, and they are
both from the royal family. You can see why the nobles are
trying to get their own daughters added to the list."
"Who wants to be a millio-- er, an empress?! Hello, everybody! Regis
here..."
Tenchi twitched. Youshou chuckled. Aeka bit her lip.
Ryouko clenched a fist. Sasami frowned doubtfully.
Misaki continued, "and the silly thing is, Tenchi, that if
the Galaxy Police force a seventh on us, we'll be outside
all existing precedents. Every noble family on the planet
will take this as free license to try to get their daughter
onto the list of your brides. Of course we can turn most of
them down..."
Note the qualifier, Tenchi.
Funaho finished, "...but three or four of the most powerful
factions will have to be appeased. Certainly no more than
five."
"Six, absolute tops," Misaki quipped, grinning.
"Seven is a lucky number," Nobuyuki added.
Tenchi stared, appalled.
- - - - - - - - - -
That evening, Washuu, Ryouko, Aeka, and Sasami met privately.
Washuu turned to Aeka. "Well, Aeka-dono, any ideas? This
marriage doesn't need another five Jurai noblewomen, that's
for sure."
"Yeah, especially if they're all as stuck-up as you are."
Aeka took a moment to stick her tongue out at Ryouko in
a lady-like fashion before responding. "I think Mother
and Funaho-sama are correct. We have to either keep this
new Galaxy Policewoman out of it or..."
"Or what, Oneesama?" wondered Sasami.
"Maybe there is some way we can not count this Tokimi
person?" Aeka asked. Continuing to herself, she muttered,
"Oh, this is intolerable! What is the proper, polite way
to refer to this person?"
Ryouko, leaning on Aeka's shoulder, smirked as she replied.
"Just plain 'Tokimi' works for me."
Washuu dismissed the suggestion. "Not if she shows up at
the wedding the same way she showed up in Youshou's office.
The wedding's sure to be broadcast; all of Jurai will know."
"Hell, half the galaxy. The Jurai Royal family wouldn't
spare the expense."
Aeka elbowed Ryouko in the ribs. "It's your wedding
too, you know." Turning to the others, she continued.
"We could pretend we didn't know about Tokimi in advance.
Adding her as the seventh at the ceremony itself will not
give the House of Nobles any time to register complaints."
"My instruments indicated that she's a higher-dimensional
life-form. She may not even manifest a physical body in
this dimension. Does she even count as a wife under
Jurai law?"
Somehow, they seem to be making Tokimi's case for her.
"That is a possibility," said Aeka thoughtfully. "If the
House of Nobles believes that marriage cannot be consummated
with this person, they may allow us not to count her."
"I have a question, Oneesama," said Sasami, pulling on Aeka's
sleeve. "What did Tokimi mean when she said she wanted to
'join her sisters' in marrying Tenchi? Is she our sister?"
"She is not related to us, Sasami!" snapped Aeka. Then,
as she looked at Sasami thoughtfully, she continued in a
slower voice, "or at least she's not related to me..."
Ryouko started, then also studied Sasami. Washuu
sweatdropped.
Should we infer from Washuu's reaction that she knows something about
who she is? Just curious.
- - - - - - - - - -
Somewhere else, Tokimi summoned D3. Her tinkling voice
sounded through a higher-dimensional hall as she asked,
"Have you completed the feasability study I requested
yet?"
"Yes, your majesty. Since the boy can generate the
Light-Hawk Wings, he will be able to survive forced
extrusion
Such a visceral word. Nice.
into higher-dimensional space for purposes
of procreation. It will almost certainly not be
comfortable for the boy, however."
Tokimi smiled. "Comfort is not necessary."
Oh, my! It is if you want to get him excited enough, Tokimi-sama.
- - - - - - - - - -
Kiyone stood on the bridge of Yukinojo thinking. First,
she needed to know who was behind Mitsuki. Kiyone knew
she had no strong factional backers herself; she needed
to turn that into an opportunity rather than a disadvantage.
Four calls later, she had a good idea of who within the G-P
was lined up behind Mihoshi, who was lined up behind Mitsuki,
and which smaller factions were being left out in the cold.
Kiyone tapped her teeth. "Someone unconnected with me
has to float the idea that the second representative should
be neutral and unaligned. Then someone else should helpfully
point out that I am both, and that I already know Tenchi."
Kiyone paused, then smiled. "YES! I'll snatch this promotion
right out of Mitsuki's hands!"
Begs the question: why is she doing this? For the promotion only? (I'm
largely speaking rhetorically, but I wouldn't sneeze at any forthcoming
answers. :)
"Well, time to call in a few favors." Kiyone again activated
the interstellar hotline. "This should work; worst case is
it'll be me _and_ Mitsuki."
And they get along SO well, too.
- - - - - - - - - -
The next day, Funaho and Misaki again met with Tenchi and
Youshou. Funaho frowned uncomfortably. "There is one other
matter I should mention, Tenchi. Your 'daughter' Mayuka: do
you have any intention of marrying the mother?"
BRRRRR. Besides, she wants Youshou.
Tenchi's jaw dropped. Youshou's jaw dropped.
"No! She tried to kill me!"
"Marry Yuzuha, the embodiment of the Dark?"
"We rather thought not. But this does raise a small problem
of legitimacy for the child, does it not? Do you plan to
acknowledge her as your..." Funaho trailed off with a
grimace.
"...bastard daughter?" Misaki glibly finished.
Funaho looked down. "There will be certain limits on her
royal prerogatives."
"Tenchi-chan would never torture his own daughter like that,
Sister. Think of the taunts; the limits on her movements!
Security following her everywhere, alert for subversion!"
Misaki shook her head.
Tenchi looked appalled. Youshou nodded grimly.
"True. Tenchi! You must legitimize Mayuka somehow!"
Tenchi stared at the three, stunned.
Misaki glanced at Funaho. "Could we use the Bride-in-Absentia
clause for Yuzuha?"
Funaho looked glumly back. "That's one more, Sister.
In-Absentia brides count as a full bride, and we're in
enough trouble with the numbers now."
So use one of the already agreed-upons!
- - - - - - - - - -
Just before dinner, Kiyone walked in,
Speaking of brides-in-absentia...
smiling smugly. Washuu,
after seeing Kiyone's expression, adopted her own smile.
Half an hour into dinner, Funaho's communicator beeped. At
Washuu's gesture, a giant monitor appeared in the dining room,
displaying a Juraian attache's face.
"My Queens! We have new news from the Galaxy Police! They
have proposed an alternative to the Mihoshi-Mitsuki package
deal: we can take Mihosi and either Mitsuki or another female
detective, one Kiyone. What shall I tell them?"
All eyes turned to Kiyone, who smiled and turned to look
at Tenchi hopefully. Tenchi took a deep breath, looking around
him at the other girls. Washuu gave a judicious slight nod.
Sasami looked overjoyed. Mihoshi continued to snooze.
Aeka and Ryouko thought it over, glanced once at each other,
then, more assessingly, gave Kiyone's face and body a good
once-over. Grudgingly, they nodded acquiescence.
Heh.
"She's got you beat, Princess, but I'm not worried."
"Kiyone's loveliness easily surpasses yours, Ryouko-san, but
I doubt she shall usurp me as Tenchi's favorite."
Gah. Poor Tenchi-dono.
Tenchi, with a rueful smile, turned back to Kiyone. He
stuck one hand out in Washuu's direction. Washuu started
typing on her holographic laptop and a Juraian earring
appeared in Tenchi's hand.
Tenchi got down on one knee as he reached up and grasped
Kiyone's hand. "Kiyone, will you please marry me?"
"Well, tell me about the benefits, retirement package, promotion ladder,
etc., etc..."
Tenchi sweatdropped.
Very nice, Bert. I look forward to #4.
Ja!
Dave Roeder