The completed Chapter seven is with the pre-readers now, and will hopefully be ready... soon.



    Process of Elimination -- Chapter Seven -- Teaser

    Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2) and Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!).

    Additional tinting provided by: Kitty Films, and Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), Takada Yuuzou, and A.D.Vision (Bannou Bunka Nekomusume Nuku-Nuku). The easel is mine. That's all.

    Notes: Diverges from Ranma after volume 24, continuation for OAV 2 in the Tenchi universe (well, one of them). Nuku Nuku is from the OAVs, not Dash or TV. Sailor Moon occurs, well, at some point in the series, but it's something of an alt anyway. This fic uses the bizarrely vague 'Pick One!' scenario. Enjoy.

    -----------------------------

    "I remember the Battle of Shanghai just fine. It was just after the first time I ever met that 'Ranma' guy, and he made some of the hard-asses in Mishima look tame. Boy was an animal, I tell you, he didn't stop at _nothing_ to kill a reaver. Oh, nothing, your, uh, honorable exalted eminence, uh, sir, just thought I'd mention that. You see, there was this bee near the accelerator..." [Message truncated].

    Paul Durant -- Hearing with Galaxy Police, case number TER2-656278 for a traffic violation.


    Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Tenchi watched through the viewports of the Throne, staring at a gas giant orbiting a yellow dwarf star. Something near Earth's own, if a bit harsher according to what he had been told. "So," he said softly, turning very slightly towards Ayeka, but not taking his eyes off of the planet, "what's going on here, exactly?"

    "Ah, Tenchi-sama," Ayeka responded carefully, cautious of approaching Tenchi too carefully until the... situation... involving her, Ryouko, and Tenchi was ironed out -- the last thing the Emperor of Jurai needed was more problems. "Ginraii has explained that they plan on making a change to this system. The most useful moons of the lot is that one." She gestured to a console, though the moon itself was lost in the starry blackness of the space around the giant.

    Tenchi nodded slowly. "What's wrong with the moon?"

    "Orbital lock," Ryouko muttered, sulking as she was on the cushions to one side of Tenchi, carefully maintaining the delicate triangular balance between herself, him, and Ayeka. "The moon orbits, but one side always faces the planet. Like the moon on Earth."

    Running a hand through his hair, Tenchi said, "Well, that might not be too bad, I guess... what else is wrong with it?"

    Ayeka did not hide the small smile that formed as she noted Tenchi's quick grasp of things. In time, he would doubtlessly become a fine emperor. Ryouko droned on as if bored, "The giant, Cyaga, has an unstable magnetic field. It shifts constantly, and when it does, a magnetic storm ravages the moons, impairing their ability to deflect the sun's radiation."

    "Oh. Is there anything that can be done about it?" Tenchi asked, squinting his eyes in vain to see the as-of-yet-unnamed moon.

    "Yes, Tenchi-sama," Ayeka informed him after Ryouko shrugged indifferently, "but a field generator would only go so far..."

    Tenchi grimaced. "So what are they doing about it? We have a lot of things that we need to do, after all -- looking at a pretty planet might not be the best thing to do with our time."

    Ayeka nodded. It was indeed a pretty planet, foreign vapors swirling in a pleasant greenish-blue color. Almost like a ball of water. But it wasn't water -- it was a great many gasses, the majority of them toxic. A knock came at the door before Ayeka could answer, and she gestured it open expectantly.

    Bowing politely as he entered, clad in his robes of state and attended by his ever-present guardians, Genoh strode into the room. "Masaki-sama," he bowed politely again to Ayeka. "Amatera-sama," he said again, bowing to Tenchi.

    Ayeka bit back a yell of anger at the comment. The man likely meant well. "Laruma-san," she informed him, "Tenchi-sama is a Masaki, as well."

    Genoh glanced at her for a moment, and then turned his attention to Tenchi. "Of course. My apologies, Masaki-sama."

    Tenchi waved a hand dismissively. "Just call me Tenchi," he said, relaxed. "When it's not a formal situation, like now, it's okay."

    The Laruma blinked, apparently taken off guard. He covered by clapping his hands once, summoning his aide. The aide in question was a boy, younger than Genoh, but with similar features. His own guardians were absent, and he bore a heavy ledger, quill poised to scribe. "Yes?" he asked hesitantly.

    Genoh gestured to the boy, saying, "My younger brother, Laruma Karau. He is aspiring to be the new clan historian, so I wished for him to be here for the occasion."

    "What occasion?" Tenchi asked, frowning.

    "Why, the naming of the new planet, of course. 'Cyaga-2' is a name that's somewhat lacking, you must admit."

    Tenchi frowned dourly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Genoh," he said frankly, "I have a lot to do -- my people are still almost all trapped on our planet, and I need to spend every moment I can fighting in the only way that I have right now to get them back. Please, what's this all about?"

    Genoh colored slightly, and gestured towards the planet once more. "Ah... right. Sorry, then. We're asking you for your aid in the endeavor, to open a Gate via the Throne. We've assembled something many years ago, in the Masagari system, and need help to transport them here. "

    "Assembled what?" Tenchi asked guardedly, uncrossing his arms to let them drop to his sides.

    "A pair of monopoles, each of them a grand sixty thousand kilometers in length."

    Tenchi raised an eyebrow, though Ayeka guessed that there would be no way for Tenchi to know what a monopole was. Ryouko looked at Genoh curiously, her attention caught for the moment. "So," the new emperor drawled, "what do you plan to do with them?"

    Staring blankly, Genoh was only able to blink for a long moment. "Oh," he said, catching himself, and looking at the planet again. "We intend to sink the poles into the giant, using them to force its magnetic fields to a stable standard. They'll anchor against Cyaga's sun's own magnetic fields, thus shielding the moon's magnetosphere over the course of a course of some years."

    Tenchi sighed, turning away from Genoh, to look at the screen again. "Years is a long time," he grumbled.

    "But the magnetic fields would be adjusted almost instantly," Ryouko pointed out. "The tidal forces would take forever to sort themselves out from within the planet's own atmospheres, but if you're overriding the magnetic fields with your own, the change is nearly instantaneous."

    "Exactly right," Genoh said, nodding quickly. "We'll have to adjust the moon's magnetosphere ourselves, to perfect it, but we can easily adjust Cyaga-2's rotation to be stable, and mimic the rotational periods of your own 'Earth', and then some terraforming to further perfect the planet's ecosystems... The point is, save that it's orbiting a gas giant, and then that star." Genoh paused to gesture to the nameless sun. "It should mimic the conditions of your own planet closely, since the gravity is one point... ah... zero five times your own planet's, even if the moon is somewhat larger itself." He paused again, considering, then nodded. "We're creating this world and system, once we move the monopoles into place, as a refuge and haven for the Amatera we're indebted to. We ask that you, as evidence suggests that you carry some Amatera blood, name this moon for your people."

    Tenchi stared at the planet for a long, silent moment, contemplating, and considering his answer before he spoke. "Terra Two," he said at length. "It's not home, but if you're willing to try to make it closer, I can't complain."

    ***

    Screen after screen of information scrolled by, most of it far faster than any of the men in the small conference room could read. As the reams of information came to a sudden halt, the redheaded scientist pointed to a specific chart with a short stick, explaining calmly, "The decoy will not be activated until we reach Shanghai -- three days from now -- and remove as many innocents to safety as possible. Satellite imagery suggests that the city is deserted, and because of that, intact. I'm not yet sure where the Chinese government moved the populous, but with the city essentially at our disposal, I should be able to create -- within a day or so of arrival -- a gate with enough range to take everyone to, say, Australia. Then we can activate the decoy, taking a much smaller and faster moving force to the Joketsuzoku controlled territory, which is... here." She gestured to the Bakalayan mountain range.

    Norris shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "So we're going to have to abandon our fleet, aren't we?"

    Washuu nodded, staring at the screen. "I'm afraid so. It's simply not feasible for me to try and devise a way to move the entire fleet ashore. I could do it, but we lack the lab I'd need to do it quickly, and I'm going to be busy enough creating a gateway to Australia."

    Patterson, to Norris's left, spoke up, frowning in consternation, "Couldn't we just use your 'gate' to head immediately to the 'Joketsuzoku' territory?"

    The scientist blinked, considering, then answered, "Well, it's possible, yes, but I wanted to leave the gate set to Australia, so that we could send any refugees we found to it, and allow them to evacuate, and taking the beacon through the gate would hinder its effectiveness."

    "Isn't there a risk that the reavers could use it, too?" Norris added, eyeing the map skeptically.

    "Yes, it's entirely possible, but for that, I can simply add a sign and a button -- the reavers won't know how to activate the gate, even if it's just a simple button-press. So refugees can activate the gate safely, and we can send people to it without worry. But the beacon should distract them from that being an issue." Washuu nodded to herself, rubbing absently at the bracelet on her right wrist.

    The bracelet that allowed her to speak with Ranma, Norris remembered. "That seems more reasonable than trying to have everyone walk," he allowed. "I'm not exactly keen on abandoning the fleet, but if what you say is true, they won't last long anyway."

    Cologne shrugged, speaking up from where she had remained so far, mostly in silence, "Weapons are tools, and when their time comes to an end, you must set them aside."

    Norris nodded. "I understand that," he said, "but I've a sworn duty. I'll follow you, and I'll lay odds most of my men will as well. Any who don't can be sent to Australia with the duty of policing the people." He paused, eyeing the charts. "We have three days before we reach land, and I understand that you've created a distiller -- I've had it set on a smaller fishing boat, and we're using it to make water drops throughout the fleet." The man raked a hand through his hair, shaking his head and setting his military cap on the table before him. "I must say, you have our most profound gratitude -- this is an ill conceived mission, and we'd likely not make it without your help."

    "Don't be so sure we'll make it anyway," Washuu muttered dourly. "We still have to fight the reavers, and I haven't yet come up with anything we can do to make your ordinance any more effective against them."

    Patterson frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "What about some kind of higher velocity HEAP round?" he asked.

    Washuu hedged for a moment, unsure, then explained slowly, "I don't know if I can change what you have enough to be a significant threat to the reavers... it would take an immeasurably dense shell to pierce their carapace, and conventional explosives would do minimal damage, at best."

    "Well," Norris offered thoughtfully, "we have three Phalanx CIWS onboard the ship--"

    "I'm sorry, Mr. Norris," Washuu said respectfully, "I'm not familiar with that."

    "Oh, ah, Phalanx Close-In Weapons Systems. They're twenty-millimeter cannons about the ship -- they can fire nearly five thousand rounds per minute, and use APDS -- sorry, Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot, Depleted Uranium sub-caliber rounds. I suppose the forward-looking infrared and auto-tracking systems would be useless to you, but surely something that powerful would be able to stop a reaver."

    The scientist seemed confused for the merest moment, then shrugged, summoning the transparent console she consulted with when in doubt. "How much force do they impact with?" she asked. "What's the approximate surface area of a round?"

    "I'm not sure," Patterson picked up, when Norris was unable to answer, "but they can punch through triple strength battleship plating. That's enough to stop a reaver, isn't it?"

    "I doubt it," Washuu said dryly. "A bigger gun isn't the answer, and if it is, then they'll just develop thicker hides because of it -- you'd need baby black holes as projectiles to accomplish what you want, and I'm not even willing to consider development in those areas. What can stop then at the moment is radiation, and intense cold. Unless I miss my guess, those are two forces that the reavers are unable to counter."

    Norris waved a hand dismissively, confidently stating, "We have nuclear strike capabilities. Nukes will stop reavers, won't they?"

    Washuu frowned doubtfully. "I really don't like that idea very much. They're dangerous and primitive weapons, at the best..." She trailed off, smiling brightly. "The lasers. We can have Ranma bring them down -- we don't have the position, but if I can recode them manually... I can reassemble the nuclear weapons you have to power them!"

    Norris and Patterson exchanged a glance. "You think that you can create some kind of laser gun for us to use? We're Navy, not Army... but if you think it can stop a reaver, I'm game," Norris declared, not giving Patterson a chance to object. "As I've said before, you're our best chance of getting through this alive."

    "I don't know if that will work as you've envisioned it, but I can try, right?" Washuu smiled, glancing at Cologne before tapping her bracelet. "Ranma?" she said quietly. "If you've got a moment, can you please lend me a hand with something?"

    A tingling surge in her senses, and the soft sensation of displaced air rushing across her met the request, as Ranma teleported to her side, casting about warily and rubbing the gem in his wrist. "Yeah?" he asked. "What do you need?" Ran-oh-ki rested uneasily atop his head, making a soft noise as he tried to nap.

    Washuu blinked, glancing briefly at Cologne again before turning back to Ranma. "Ranma, do you remember the satellites that were used to slow the reavers down?"

    "'Course I remember," Ranma grumbled. "It was only yesterday. What about them?"

    Washuu took a deep, slow breath. "Ranma, I'd like you to go get them, and bring them back intact."

    Ranma scratched the back of his head, frowning. "I dunno," he said warily. "They're pretty high up, and from what I hear, space is a pretty big place. Will the rat help me find them?" His partner growled at the comment, but made no further move to respond.

    She nodded thoughtfully, eyeing Ranma up and down again. "Yes, your partner should be able to spot them easily -- you can keep in touch with me through your gem, if you have any questions."

    The boy blinked at her, frowning. "How?" he asked. "I can live without air just fine, but I think I still need it to talk, don't I?"

    Washuu smiled, then shook her head, explaining, "You'll see when you get there... it should be completely safe, and I think Yosho wanted to talk to you when you came back. Something about training."

    "Oh?" Ranma asked, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, then, I guess I'll go get the satellites for you. Where do you want me to put them?"

    "In the lab that Norris-san has set aside for me, where Ran-oh-ki ate the remnants of the two jet fighters, if they fit. Otherwise, the deck is fine."

    Ranma nodded easily, floating into the air a short distance, but pausing to look at Cologne. "Go on, Son," she said, making a shoeing motion with one hand as he waited. "Hurry back, and if you impress Yosho, maybe I'll teach you a new trick when you get back."

    With no sound at all, Ranma vanished. Norris shook his head, wondering. "What kind of power does that boy possess?" he asked sternly, eyeing Washuu. "And is it dangerous to us?"

    The scientist bristled, but Cologne spoke before she could. "Only as dangerous as a single man in charge of an entire fleet is," she remarked casually.

    Norris held his tongue, considering that.

    ***

    [End teaser.]