Minna-san,
Here's the next part of my story, hot off the presses
after a two-month break from the computer. Enjoy!
Fred
=====
<P><STRONG><EM><FONT face="Courier New">Fred Herriot AKA P'yeknu OR Gorgo</FONT></EM></STRONG></P>
<P>**** **** ****</P>
<P><A href="mailto:fherriot@yahoo.com">fherriot@yahoo.com</A></P>
<P>**** **** ****</P>
<P><A href="http://www.livejournal.com/~pyeknu/">http://www.livejournal.com/~pyeknu/</A></P>
______________________________________________________________________
Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: LoneS-09A.txt
-- Desc: LoneS-09A.txt
"Lovely..."
Varena feels her cheeks heat up as she senses a pair of hazel
eyes trace every curve of her body, then she glances over her
shoulder to see Mujanba seated across the pond from where she
presently bathes herself. Suppressing a giggle, the major turns back
to finishing her ablutions. Varena, daughter of a Colony Nine
nature-psi sorcerer and a medicine woman from the northern hill
tribes of Kyotos, hadn't served with Mujanba, a pure-Vosian
Colony Nine native, before the Mikado dispatched them and a company
of Mikado Marines to the Planet of Shadows to retrieve the famed
Sceptre of Lecasur. It had certainly been an enjoyable trip to date.
Of all the members of the Special Hunter Corps, Major Varena
and Captain Mujanba were the Pros from Dover. The former was the
Corps' specialist on unusual matters, especially when it came to
things like Lannarkites and first contact missions. The latter
normally busied herself with dealing with the radical fringes of the
rebel alliance fighting to end a century of "benevolent" totalitarian
rule. Because of that "elite" status, Varena and Mujanba were often
kept at arm's length by others in the Mikado's armed forces. That
was fine with both of them; most of the Mikado's other shock troops
were so bloody incompetent, it amazed them both that they had been
able to keep the rebels at bay in over thirty years of civil war
across over the over hundred planets which today composed the
Confederation of Vos.
"So are you, Mucha," Varena seductively winks at the other
woman, causing Mujanba's cheeks to flare like twin supernovae.
Before the other woman could stammer a reply, a communicator
goes off. "Varena," the major draws up her personal device.
"Sorry to bother you, Major, but we just detected a second ship
passing through the main entrance into the Planet of Shadows,"
a man's voice calls back. "Scanners indicate she's Noukiite."
Varena stares at the communicator, then gapes. "Noukiite?!"
"Yes, ma'am. Small scoutship by the looks of her. She seems
to be turning in our general direction. Shall we try to capture
it?"
Varena sighs. The whole Noukiios-Uru matter and the
repercussions from same had been one of the factors influencing
the Mikado into sending Varena and Mujanba after the Sceptre of
Lecasur. "No," she orders. "Stand by to beam Captain Mujanba and
myself aboard. Ready shields and weapons, but take NO aggressive
action against our visitor. Understood?"
"I...!" the officer of the watch aboard the frigate now in high
"orbit" over the Crystal Palace pauses, then he barks, "Yes, ma'am!"
* * *
"Lonely Souls"
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
Based on "Urusei Yatsura" and "Ranma 1/2" created by Rumiko
Takahashi; and "Sister Princess," created by Naoto Tenhiro and
Sakurako Kimino. This story is set after the end of the "UY" and
"Ranma" manga series.
**** **** ****
NOTE: The writer's notes are at the end of the "A" Side of the
Prologue.
**** **** ****
THE NINTH PART, "A" SIDE - TWO BIG BROTHERS...?
"Papa, we've passed through the gate," Kaneko reports. "Ship's
keel now at thirty kilometres above mean interior ground level."
"Scanners now programmed to detect Hinako-chan's and Aria-chan's
bio-signatures, Darling," Shinobi Nomade adds. "Also trying to scan
any waste energy residue from the Staff of Gihan in case bio-scan
unsuccessful."
"Picking up a trace ion trail leading to the 'west' of us,
Darling," Nobuko Fujikaze adds. "Ionization pattern consistent
with Vosian sub-light starship drives. Someone else came here.
About a day ago, I think."
"Vosian?" Ataru stares briefly at Benten's Avalonian replica,
then gazes at the main bridge viewscreen. "First signs in old Vosian
script, now a Vosian starship on the other side of the galaxy from
where Vos itself is? This is getting stranger by the minute,"
he taps controls for the intercom. "Miree, Sei-chan, can you come
to the bridge, please?"
Miree and Seiko arrive a minute later. "Is there a problem,
Darling?" the latter moves to sit in Karen's chair.
"More Vosians," Ataru nods to the viewscreen, it presently
projecting an image of part of the inner surface of the Planet of
Shadows, that layered over by an Earth-like atmosphere. "Some sort
of ship came to this place in the last day or so. Any idea why'd
they be here?"
Seiko sits back in her chair. "Not really, Darling. I never
knew the Vosians could make it out this far. Miree-san?"
"Well, that whole 'planet of shadows' thing did sound familiar,
but I just can't place where I heard it before," Miree sighs.
"Still, if there are Vosians here, we best keep them at arm's length
until we learn which side they're on. With Hinako-chan and Aria-chan
gone..."
"Right," Ataru nods. "Reiko-chan, shields up, weapons on
stand-by."
"Okay, Papa," Reiko taps controls.
"Why are you so bothered about that, Aniki?" Rinrin asks.
Ataru breathes out. "Vos in the middle of a civil war,
Rinrin-chan, one that's been going on for thirty-five years or so.
The Confederation's current ruler is a dictator who could probably
teach Saddam Hussein some lessons in how to suppress his people.
If whatever ship's here..." he points to the main viewscreen,
"...is on the Mikado's side, seeing us might set them off."
"And even if they're Vosian rebels, they might not treat us with
kindness either, Rinrin-chan," Miree adds. "The fact now that a
'little' power like Noukiios has GEV-capable starships, I think,
won't sit well with the average Vosian. Mikadoite or rebel."
"'Gee-Ee-Vee?!'" Rinrin blinks.
"'Galactic escape velocity,' Rinrin-chan. About Warp 4.4 or
just over 1649 times the speed of light," Ataru translates.
"Most starships in our part of the galaxy can only reach GEV for very
brief periods of time. The Noukiites managed to develop prototype
starships which could maintain GEV and higher speeds just before
the Urusian Imperials conquered them."
"I never knew that, Darling," Seiko blinks surprisedly.
Ataru winks at her, keeping his smile to a minimum. After all,
thanks to those GEV-capable starships, Noukiios had managed to launch
devastating surprise attack after surprise attack when they decided
to finally settle scores with Uru. "One of the things the Noukiites
managed to hide for a rainy day. Don't ask me how, though; I NEVER
got to hear that story..."
"Darling, there's a ship ahead of us!!"
Eyes turn to Nobuko. "Where?!!"
"Range thirty-five hundred kilometres, dead ahead, holding
about 200 kilometres above ground," Benten's replica warns. "Vosian
star cruiser. It's an old one, though, so I'll strongly bet she's
Mikado."
"Reiko-chan, bring us up even with her!" Ataru orders.
"Heading up, Papa!!" Reiko taps controls...
* * *
"The Noukiite has turned towards us, Major!"
"What's she scan out as?" Varena demands.
"Scout-class," Mujanba, manning the tactical console of the
cruiser, the largest ship the Mikado's forces could spare for this
voyage, reports. "Shields are up, but I don't see any heat blooms
on her weapons. She's quite heavily armed for someone that small,
though."
"Is she scanning us?"
"Yes. She's got an augmented scan suite, too. Damn!" Mujanba
shakes her head. "I'd definitely mark this as one of their
GEV-enhanced vessels, Varena. I can't imagine how much power this
one can pump out."
"All weapons are ready, Major. Now locking on target," the
weapons officer, a standard-trained Mikado Marine sergeant, reports.
"Wait!" Varena waves him down. "We don't know what they're
doing here! There's no sense in provoking a fight, especially
when we have to keep our PRIMARY mission in mind! Understood,
Sergeant?"
"But, ma'am..."
"UNDERSTOOD, Sergeant?!" the major growls.
He stiffens. "Yes, ma'am! Weapons at stand-by."
"Good," Varena nods.
"Major, what WOULD one of those bone-heads' ships be doing all
the way out here?!" the captain in charge of the Mikado Marines
company manning the cruiser asks. "We all know how much their
victory over the Urusians has upset things across our part of the
galaxy..."
"What are you suggesting, Captain?" Varena wonders.
"Ma'am, they could be here to make a grab for the Sceptre!"
Silence falls over the bridge as the others consider his
comment. Varena sighs, sitting back in her chair. "Three hundred
years ago, they were conquered and nearly crushed by the Urusian
Imperials," she gazes on the image of the "Windrider," now prominent
on the cruiser's viewscreen. "During a hundred years of occupation,
their culture was nearly shredded. Even now, it hasn't fully
recovered from what the Urusians did to them. Many of their
society's most prominent cultural artifacts were either destroyed
or stolen during that time. AND when they finally threw the Urusians
off their planet, what artifacts were in Urusian hands were NEVER
returned. Do you HONESTLY believe the Noukiites would want to steal
the Sceptre from us after all the things that've been stolen from
them, Captain?"
"But ma'am, what other reason would bring them here?!"
Varena and Mujanba exchange a look, then the former shrugs.
"Let's ask them. Signals, open a hailing frequency."
"Aye, ma'am," the lieutenant in charge of communications
nods...
* * *
"Hinako-chan, Aria doesn't like this place."
"Hina doesn't like it too much, either, Aria-chan," Hinako
grunts as the two young girls proceed deeper into the Crystal Palace.
After watching the Keeper get brained by an alien tanuki statue
when they were sent off into this crazy maze, Hinako and Aria had
nearly been sliced and diced like hunks of tofu facing Shirayuki's
knives. Next, they had to take a "leap of faith" over a nearly
bottomless chasm -- which actually turned out to have an invisible
bridge spanning it. Then, they nearly were run over by a giant stone
ball. They soon found themselves facing a storm of spears shot with
the same accuracy Haruka demonstrated on the archery range. They
nearly had ANOTHER bridge over another chasm -- or was it the same
one?! -- fall to pieces under their feet...! If it wasn't for the
Staff of Gihan or the girls' own spry natures, who knows WHAT might
have happened to them. "Hina hopes we can find Tsue-san soon..."
***We have arrived,*** the Staff announces.
"Eh?!" Hinako stops, then looks up to see THE SCEPTRE ROOM
written on a wooden scroll over a doorway. "Yay!!! We found
Tsue-san!! C'mon, Aria-chan!!" she grabs her sister's hand, then
quickly yanks her inside.
They walk in, then stop on hearing something *whoosh!* past
their backs. Spinning around, Hinako and Aria blink on seeing the
HUGE boxing glove on a spring now imbedded into another wall. Sweat
drops appear as they realize how close they came to experiencing
what poor Ranma once had to deal with from Akane Tendou. "Hina hopes
we don't have to go through all that when we leave," Hinako mutters.
"Aria hopes so, too," Aria nods, then turns. "Ah!! Tsue-san!"
Hinako looks. The Genesis Wand of Parah -- the Sceptre of
Lecasur to Vosians -- appears to be nothing more than an emergency
flashlight mated to a reddish ruby focusing crystal shaped like a fat
propane gas tank. The crystal itself is dark, stained with burn
marks over part of its surface. "Tsue-san doesn't look well," Hinako
mutters. "Not well at all..."
***It's worse than that, Hina.***
"What do you mean, Bou-san?!"
***While the scarring on the focusing crystal can be mended,
the control mechanism is damaged beyond any hope of repair,***
the Staff reports. ***From what I can sense of the Genesis Wand,
it appears to have been subjected to quite a considerable amount
of tampering, both sometime after it was first created and much more
recently, about two thousand years ago.***
"Why would they want to do that, Bou-san?!"
***I can't explain. None the less, if Aria is to be able to
make use of the Genesis Wand, a new control mechanism is required.***
"How can we do that, Bou-san...?!"
The Staff's focusing crystal flares. Hinako and Aria squint
as a bold of energy lashes into the wall near where the Genesis
Wand now lies. A cocoon-like ball of energy soon drifts away from
the impact point to stop in front of Aria's face. The young
Parisian's hands instinctively come up as the cocoon lowers down,
fading to reveal a glittering Olympic torch-like device lined with
French flers-de-lis and hummingbird-sized wings, all in gold and
enamel ivory. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaii!!" both girls gasp.
***Is this sufficient for you, Aria?***
Aria's cheeks burn brightly as she holds the Genesis Wand's
would-be control mechanism close to her. "Oh, it's so beautiful!!"
she gushes, then turns her attention to the old Wand. "Does Aria
have to put...?"
***Yes.***
"Hai, Aria understands," Aria hands the new control mechanism
to Hinako, then reaches over to pick up the Genesis Wand...
...then both scream as they drop through a hatch in the floor!
* * *
"Ataru Moroboshi?!" Varena gazes on the roguish-looking
fellow now on her viewscreen. "I must confess, your reputation
has proceeded you, though I never thought you would end up fighting
against the Urusians. Regardless of your feelings for your 'wife,'
people believed..."
"Many of the people I pursued on Uru while assisting the
Dominion in their war effort said the same thing to me, Major,"
Ataru calmly replies, hands crossed before his face to partially
mask it from the sharp-eyed, dark-skinned Vosian woman gazing at him.
"Before I slit their throats for what they did in support of those
who murdered my grandmother."
Varena nods. Being part-Yehisrite, she knew well the urge to
seek out a lasting vengeance people felt whenever a beloved relative
was killed. Being so high up in the service of her government,
Varena also had access to information the common man on the street
wouldn't see. "So that's what the Zephyrites've been up to," she
crosses her arms. "I never felt they were the type of people who'd
conduct proxy wars."
"It wasn't a proxy war, Major. The Noukiites had many
legitimate grievances against the Urusians. Much in the same way
I've heard your people once had against the Seifukusu Dominion
a couple millennia ago. Surely you can understand why other races
who've lived under oppression would seek any chance to gain their
freedom." He gives her a light smile. "That such helped the
Zephyrites put right a grave wrong was just...! Fortunate. Anyhow,
that shouldn't concern us, Major. I'm curious as to what you're
doing all the way out here."
"We can ask the same of you, sir," Varena knowingly smiles...
* * *
"Hinako-chan...?"
"What is it, Aria-chan?"
"Aria wants to hit baka-Keeper-san for doing this to us!"
"Aria-chan?"
"Hai?"
"Hina wants to hit him, too. Ojii-san no baka!!"
Both girls roll themselves into a sitting position, they now in
the grass by the front doors of the Palace. The Genesis Wand and its
replacement control mechanism lay on the ground before Aria. Picking
up the ancient device, Aria gives it an examination, then notices
that the focusing crystal itself has been screwed into place. "Aria
has to change the light bulb," she starts to unscrew the crystal.
Hinako looks, then picks up the new control mechanism as Aria
pulls off the focusing crystal. Once clear of the old handle, Aria
moves to screw it into its new handle. "The crystal's all burnt,"
Hinako notes.
***Minor damage, Hina,*** the Staff of Gihan, now in Hinako's
lap, reports. ***Easily repaired once the Genesis Wand is restored
to proper function. We shouldn't get rid of the old control
mechanism, though.***
"Huh?! Why?! Bou-san said it was broke and can't be fixed!"
***True, but remember, Hina: the Keeper informed you and Aria
that the Genesis Wand was also addressed as the 'Sceptre of Lecasur.'
Lecasur was the person who unified Vos under one world government
two thousand years ago. I can now sense a small Vosian ship two
hundred kilometres above us. Currently, it's confronting your
brother aboard his ship!***
Hinako's eyes go wide. "EH?!! Onii-tama's HERE?!!"
***Yes...! Ah!!***
A faint *click!* is heard from the Genesis Wand's handle. Aria
tries to twist the crystal in more, then sighs. "It's in," she takes
it from Hinako, then holds it close to herself. "How does Aria wake
Tsue-san up?" she gazes at the handle, trying to find the "on"
switch.
***Allow me.***
A small trail of energy leaps from the Staff to touch the
Genesis Wand. A second later, the darkened crystal of Parah's
ultimate creation flares, creating an Akira-wave of energy that in
the blink of the eye, swallows the girls and the Palace in a ball of
white...
* * *
"Ah!" Chikage perks, lightly smiling. "It's about time..."
"About time for WHAT, Chikage-san?!" Mie Seikou hotly demands,
looking up from her examining the still-unconscious Marie.
"Wait and see, Mie," a cryptic smile crosses the sorceress'
face.
Mie gives her a curious look. Nearby, Ranma and Akane stare
at Chikage, then exchange a confused look before gazing anew on
Marie...
* * *
"Aria-chan?! Are you okay?! Hey, Aria-chan!!!"
Hinako blinks as her vision starts to clear, then she looks up
to see Aria now standing. The young Parisian is presently dressed
in the same type of body-hugging jumpsuit Hinako had seen in a vision
when she first mentally linked with the Staff of Gihan back in
Nerima. Aria's jumpsuit is pure black, with light blue trimming
that matched her hair. The phoenix-embossed cassock draped over Aria
is black with a blue bird insignia on it. Aria's hair is now
free-flowing, no longer tied in those silly buns at the back of her
neck. The Genesis Wand of Parah, now restored to proper function,
is pointed skyward, the focusing crystal whole and complete.
"Wow...!" Hinako gushes. "Aria's a magical girl, too!"
Aria blinks for a second as she regains full consciousness,
then she glances around. "Aria is still here..." she whispers,
then blinks before drawing the Genesis Wand close to her for a
considerable period of time. "Eh?!" she then looks down. "Oh, Aria
understands now!" she nods before picking up the Wand's old control
mechanism. Touching it with the crystal, Aria smiles as a swirl of
light forms a mini-cyclone over the old handle. Within a
half-minute, a NEW crystal has formed over the old handle, it bearing
all the scars the real crystal had when it was still mated to it.
"There! All done," Aria holds up the restored Sceptre of Lecasur.
"Why'd you do that, Aria-chan?!" Hinako asks.
"Tsue-san told Aria that the Vosians up above came here looking
for her," Aria gazes on her sister. "Even though we need Tsue-san
more to help Marie-chan, Tsue-san felt it wasn't fair for us to just
take her away and leave nothing behind for the Vosians. So..." she
shakes the Sceptre in emphasis. "Now the Vosians have their own
Tsue-san to play with."
Hinako takes that in, then gushes. "Wai!! Now we can save
Marie-chan!!"
"Hai!"
In a flash of energy, they both vanish from the Planet of
Shadows...
* * *
"About time they left," the Keeper grumbles...
* * *
"'Sceptre of Lecasur?!'"
"Yes," Varena nods. "Like this Genesis Wand you and your crew
are seeking to save your sister's life, the Sceptre is quite ancient.
No one, not even Lecasur himself, knows where it came from, so..."
A flash of light blinds everyone on the "Windrider's"
bridge for a moment, then they turn to see Hinako standing in front
of Ataru. "Hina's back!!! Hi, Onii-tama!!!" Hinako gushes, waving
the Staff in the air.
"HINAKO!!!!" Ataru rushes forward, nearly crushing her with a
hug. "HINAKO, WHERE'VE YOU BEEN, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE?!?!"
"AWK!!!" Hinako yelps. "Onii-tama...!! Hina needs to
breathe...!!"
Watching Ataru perform a credible Souun Tendou imitation
on his bridge, the other women present smother their grins. The
doors leading to the bridge then part, revealing Chikage. "Ah,
Hinako's returned, I see," the sorceress declares, not taking notice
of the woman staring wide-eyed at her from the bridge of the Vosian
ship now lying off the "Windrider's" prow...
...much less the one staring at her from the tactical station.
* * *
"Beautiful..." Varena and Mujanba gasp, their eyes briefly
glowing...
* * *
"Hey, Hinako-chan, where's Aria-chan?!" Rinrin demands.
"Eh?!" Ataru pulls himself away from Hinako, wildly searching
all over the bridge. "ARIA?!?! HINAKO, WHERE ON EARTH'S
ARIA-CHAN...?!!" he spins on Hinako, hands reaching out to shake his
sister down...
*WHUMP!*
"Itte..."
The others, even Chikage, grin on seeing one of the Staff's
decorative wings now planted into his forehead. Hinako pulls the
Staff away from Ataru as he falls onto the deck, then blinks before
an apologetic smile crosses her face. "Onii-tama, don't DO that to
Hina!! It hurts Hina..." her voice trails off as she glances around
the bridge, also noticing someone missing. "Eh?! Where did...?"
she begins, then perks on hearing the Staff whisper something
to her. "Oh!! Hina understands!" she nods, then looks at Ataru.
"It's okay, Onii-tama! We found Tsue-san and that Sceptre-thing
the Vosians want. Aria-chan went out to find something to help
Marie-chan! She'll be back soon!"
"Eh?!" Varena's voice echoes over the comm links. "You
found...?"
Hinako draws the Sceptre out to show to the Vosian woman. "Hai,
here it is!! Hina'll send it back to you!" she waves the Staff.
In a flash of energy, the Sceptre drops into Varena's lap.
"I..." she blinks surprisedly, then stares at Hinako. "Um, th-thank
you!"
"It's okay!" Hinako beams cutely at the older woman...
* * *
"Aria's never seen so many stars before..."
A comet of energy soars from the Planet of Shadows, now
vectoring in the general direction of the galactic core. Aria holds
onto the Genesis Wand's handle as she watches the stars buzz past.
Fortunately for her, when she bonded with the Genesis Wand and became
its first controller in thousands of years, the device's energy had
been initially directed to fully restore her wounded arm.
***According to what I can sense, there are a hundred billion stars
in this galaxy, Aria,*** the Wand's consciousness reports, speaking
with a voice that reminds her of her mother Caroline. ***Including
the small stellar clusters located beyond the galactic barrier
protecting this galaxy from the gravimetric influences of other
intergalatic bodies, that number can be raised to nearly a hundred
and twenty billion.***
Aria's head swirls. "Tsue-san, don't say such big words to
Aria!" she feels the side of her head. "It makes Aria dizzy..."
***I am sorry,*** the Wand replies apologetically,
then adds. ***Ah!***
Aria blinks as she decelerates from hyperspace, finding herself
in high orbit over a planet which looks a lot like Mars. Looking
around to try to better understand where she is, the young Parisian
then sees something BIG soar past her overheard to her right.
Turning to look, her eyes go wide on seeing something she never
thought she would encounter in the middle of outer space. "A
dolphin...!" she gushes.
***Not exactly,*** the Genesis Wand informs her. ***Their
indigenous name is unpronounceable in your language, Aria. To most
travellers in this galaxy, these entities are referred to as
'starwhales.'***
"Starwhales...?" Aria blinks, then gushes. "Aria wants one!"
***I do not believe they would allow you to abscond with one of
their pod and hold him against his will, Aria,*** the Wand cautions.
Hearing that, Aria stops, then sniffs. "Kusu...!"
* * *
"So we've obtained the Sceptre," Varena holds up the device
she and her crew had spent a month travelling through space to
locate.
"NOW we can destroy the Noukiite ship, Major!" the Marine
captain demands as the others of the bridge crew surround the major.
Varena and Mujanba jolt, spinning on him. "Whatever for,
Captain?" the latter demands before the other could speak. "They've
done nothing to us whatsoever! And they were even kind enough to
return the Sceptre to us! Why would you want to try to provoke
hostilities against the Dominion, especially since we still have the
rebels to deal with and the Noukiites are quite fresh out of a
victorious war against the Urusians?! And need I not remind you all
of potential Zephyrite interference if that happens?!"
"Captain, Major, you saw the device in that girl's hand!" he
points to the viewscreen. Communications with Ataru and his crew had
been terminated shortly after Hinako had sent the Sceptre over.
"What is that?! What in Lecasur's name is a girl from a backward
planet like Earth doing with it?! It was able to teleport the
Sceptre through their shields AND OURS!! Do we really want to...!"
"Captain, that's enough!!" Varena barks, causing the whole crew
to back away from her. "Don't force me to relieve you of your duties
for possible mutiny! We have what we came for, so we're going home.
Everyone, to your stations. Prepare to depart the Planet of
Shadows."
"Belay that order!!"
Eyes lock on the captain. "Captain, you're out of line!"
Mujanba snaps, moving to place herself closer to Varena in case the
Marines decided to gang up on them both in support of their company
commander.
"And you are relieved," Varena adds.
"No," the Marine captain stiffens. "If there is to be any
relief on this ship, it's you and your friend here," he glares at
Varena, then nods at Mujanba. "The situation has changed greatly.
We know how bad things have become for the Mikado these last few
years. We have a duty to help restore his rule throughout the
Confederation. Aboard THAT ship..." he points to the "Windrider,"
"...there possibly lies objects of great power, power by which the
Mikado can use to finally end this damned rebellion..."
"Do you think they'll just hand them over to us, you fool?!"
The captain's eyes glimmer. "Then we'll have to eliminate
them and extract those devices from the wreckage of their ship..."
* * *
"They want to blow us up?!!" Hinako gasps.
"By the looks of it," Chikage stares at an image of the Vosian
ship's bridge through her crystal ball. Rinrin, Ataru, Seiko and
Miree stand around the sorceress as she makes her report. "From what
I can sense, these two..." she points to Varena and Mujanba, "...are
of a different service in their military from the remainder presently
aboard. And there's a profound level of mistrust if not outright
hatred between their services, Ani-kun. Even more, I can sense that
these two women are quite unique as members of their specific service
come."
"Sei-chan, what do you know about them?" Ataru asks.
Seiko's eyes narrow as she recalls tales about the Mikado Nassur
once told Lum. "Most of that lot are Mikado Marines, Darling,"
she scowls. "Just like the SS from your planet's Nazi Germany.
Stupid sub-creatures. All they live for is to break things..."
"What of those girls Chikage pointed out?" Rinrin wonders.
"Most likely, they're members of their Hunter Corps," Seiko
sighs. "Trained to use their psi-tracking powers to locate enemies
of the Mikado, then eliminate them. Nassur-chan would've been one of
them hadn't he rebelled a long time ago, just before their civil war
began. But if they're of the type to want to talk things out before
launching into a fight..." she shrugs.
Ataru gazes on her, then sighs. "Hina-chan, can Bou-san bring
those two women and that sceptre of theirs aboard the 'Windrider?'"
Hinako nods. "Sure, Onii-tama, but..."
"Do it!!"
"Hai!" Hinako holds up the Staff...
* * *
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai...!"
Aria looks all around her as a massive pod of starwhales,
numbering into the hundreds, dance and swim all around her as they
orbit around the dusty planet. The giant creatures -- the smallest
of them as big as an Earth supertanker while the biggest of them is
about the size of Promised Island itself! -- distantly resemble
a curious mix of baleen whales and whale sharks, possessing a very
thick, vacuum-proofed outer skin shaded between a deep earthly brown
and a bright bloody red. Two large specimens nearby open their
mouths as they allow several choice asteroids to tumble inside.
"They eat rocks?!" Aria blinks confusedly.
***Most of their life energy is derived from skin absorption
of solar energy and other forms of cosmic radiation,*** the Genesis
Wand explains. ***Whatever physical matter they digest, like the
food you would normally eat, simply serves as raw material to help
repair and upkeep their bodies' internal structures. I believe
these sentients are the evolved descendants of some highly advanced
genetic experiments in creating 'living starships' for other sentient
races to use, though I can be mistaken.***
"Someone...?" Aria blinks. "Made these starwhales, Tsue-san?"
***Most likely. Deep space is certainly no place for a lifeform
of such internal complexity and sentience to develop on its own.***
"Aria is glad, then!"
***Why do you say that?***
"Aria likes looking at starwhales!"
Silence.
***A curious reason,*** the Genesis Wand muses...
* * *
"What the...?!"
"Where are...?!"
"Welcome aboard, ladies."
Varena and Mujanba jolt, spinning around to see that heavenly
vision they first laid eyes on while on the bridge of their own ship
now standing behind them. Given the quite different architecture
surrounding them, it was safe to assume that they were aboard Ataru
Moroboshi's ship. "You..." both gasp, their brains' pleasure centres
overloading with a storm of hormones as their eyes focus on the woman
before her.
Chikage's eyebrow arches, then she peers intently at the older
women for a moment before her eyes suddenly widen. "Oh..." she
slowly nods. "I understand now," a slow nod tilts her head, her lips
twitching into a wry grin. THIS was very unexpected!
Suddenly, the "Windrider" tilts suddenly to the left, the
artificial gravity failing slightly as the inertial dampeners
move to compensate. The three women stagger for a second, then
Varena looks at the deckhead. "What's going on?!"
Chikage heads forward, plunging through the doors into the
bridge. "What's going on?!" she demands, then stops as her eyes
focus on the forward viewscreen, it now showing a VERY sharp image
of the small star contained within the Planet of Shadows.
"Course set in, Papa!" Reiko reports as Varena and Mujanba
crowd the door behind Chikage.
"Are you SURE this is gonna work, Aniki?!" Rinrin frets.
"It should," Ataru grimaces, then glances over his shoulder.
"Welcome aboard, ladies. Sorry to drag you here without any prior
warning, but I don't think your crew's interested anymore in engaging
in any civilized conversation."
Varena and Mujanba exchange a look, then gaze questioningly
at Chikage. The sorceress nods in assurance. "Darling, are you
actually thinking of making them fly right into the sun?!" Seiko
wonders.
Everyone focuses on Ataru. Sensing the worry in their eyes,
he shakes his head. "Relax, Sei-chan," he stares at his transformed
ex-fiancee. "I won't lead them to their deaths. Hinako-chan?"
he stares at his youngest sister.
"What is it, Onii-tama?"
"There's a brig down below. Can Bou-san teleport the crew of
that ship into the brig when I ask her to?"
"'Brig?'" Hinako blinks confusedly.
"A place on a ship where you put the bad people to make sure
they don't misbehave anymore," Rinrin augments.
"Oh, Hina understands now!" Hinako nods, then tilts her head to
hear the Staff's answer. "Hai!!"
"Okay, get ready," Ataru nods...
* * *
Many solar systems away...
Aria blinks on seeing one very large specimen closer to the
planet wriggling around like some large fish caught on a hook.
Humming, Aria allows herself to drift closer to that particular
starwhale. "Tsue-san, is something wrong with him?" she points.
***Actually, Aria, that is a 'her.' And she is pregnant.
Very close to giving birth, I believe,*** the Wand replies. ***Her
offspring will be of profound assistance to us in obtaining a device
to restore Marie to the prime of mental health.***
Aria pales. She had been taken so much by these lovely
creatures that she had forgot her own sister! "Oh, no!! Are
we...?!"
***There is still time, Aria. Be at peace.***
Aria takes that in, then breathes out. "Kusu...!"
Suddenly, the air of the bubble the Genesis Wand created to keep
her controller alive and safe starts to faintly vibrate with a
moaning noise. Aria winces, then blinks as the moans assume a
song-like quality. Looking around, she notices that all the
starwhales' mouths are open. "Are the starwhales...?" she pauses,
then looks at the Wand. "...singing?"
***Yes. It is a summons they are making to an entity they
address as 'big brother.' I am unsure of what that entity is,
though...***
"Ah!!" Aria beams, hugging the Wand closer to herself. THAT,
she understood. "They want their own Nii-ya to come to them!!"
***I believe he is arriving now...***
A flash of light makes her look left. A flowering of hyperspace
radiation heralds the arrival of a VERY large, tan, wedge-shaped
starship well over twice the length and many times the bulk of the
largest starwhale in the pod. Gazing on it as it slows down to
position itself "under" the pod, Aria is quick to notice the golden
bird-shape stencilled on both sides of the great ship's hull. A
glance to herself immediately informs her that the insignia on her
magical girl's clothes matches the ship's insignia. "Tsue-san,
is that ship...?"
***From the planet of my creation? I believe so. Do you...?***
the device pauses, then calmly reports, ***The pregnant starwhale
is moving towards the new arrival, Aria. We should alter position
ourselves.***
Aria nods as the Wand glides her towards the bow of that vast
starship. "What will the starwhales' Nii-ya do, Tsue-san...?"
Her eyes then go wide as a VERY big gun on the ship's bow
elevates, locking onto the pregnant starwhale's distended abdomen.
Before Aria could emit a single frightened "Kusu," the weapon
discharges a precision burst of particle-proton energy. The
starwhale wriggles as the shot makes its mark, then seems to relax
as her skin parts, revealling something within trying to break out.
The gun alters its aim by several metres, then discharges again,
cutting more skin away. It is enough. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai!!!"
Aria gushes as a slippery mass covered in a bluish-green fluid pulls
free of its womb, drifting towards the giant starship which just
served as its midwife.
***It is almost time,*** the Wand announces.
Other starwhales move to encircle the newest member of their
pod, their mouths opening wide. Aria tenses as their songs echo
through the air bubble keeping her alive, then her eyes focus on the
newborn. The uterine fluid still sticking to its skin glistens
as it crystallizes in the near-vaccuum, then pieces start to break
away. Within a minute, the newborn is cleansed of its birthing
fluids, its eyes now wide and open as it gently swims through the
ether towards its mother. Aria watches it wriggle its nose against
its mother's side, then smiles as they seem to drift away from the
young Parisian, a new family taking its first tentative steps into
the wider Universe beyond...
A bolt of energy rips through space to punch through the
mother's side behind her eye! Aria gasps as half the opposite
side of her head explodes in a shower of seared flesh and coppery
life-fluids. The other starwhales spin around to see what just fired
on them, then scatter in all directions as Aria herself takes a look.
"Kusu!!" her eyes go wide on seeing the shiny black, insectoid-like
starships, some as big as the starwhales they now are hunting,
boring down right on her. "Kusu..."
"*A Lannarkite raiding party!*"
Aria perks as her mind registers that voice. It spoke in
Japanese, though it had a clipped, aristocratic English accent.
Glancing around, she tries to detect where it came, then stops on
seeing the great ship beside her turn to aim its prow on the
newcomers. "*Honestly, will they EVER learn?*" that voice demands
as weapons all along its hull swing on target.
Aria blinks, then looks up as one of the raiding ships surges
towards the newborn, who still remains at the side of its dead
mother, a pained moan escaping it as it nudges her, clearly mystified
as to what is now happening. "Tsue-san, what are Lannar-...?"
she stutters.
***Lannarkites. A species of insectoids who seem to look upon
all mammalian humanoids, including yourself, as food, Aria.***
"Insecto-...?" Aria blinks, then blanches. "Bugs?!"
***Yes.***
Shuddering, the young Parisian focuses on the oncoming ship,
then she aims the Genesis Wand on target. "ARIA HATES BUGS!!!!"
The ancient device's focusing crystal flares, then a bolt of
energy lashes out to puncture the Lannarkite ship like a needle
punching through a balloon. The effect is instantaneous;
the ship bulges at certain places along its dark hull before
exploding into a cloud of burning vapour. Aria lowers the Wand as
she watches the bugs vanish, then turns to see the giant ship
mercilessly raking the other Lannarkite vessels with a combination
of photon cannons and rampaging nests of missiles. Any returning
fire from the attacking ships either bounces off the giant's
deflector shields or is picked off by a forest of point-defence
weapons lining the hull. Seeing the Lannarkites literally being
hacked to pieces, Aria then smiles. "Aria thinks the starwhales
Nii-ya doesn't like bugs, either," she giggles.
***Very few races in this galaxy do, Aria,*** the Wand notes.
"*Agreed.*"
Aria perks, then turns around to find herself facing a
dapper-dressed, middle-aged man in a dark tweed suit, button shirt,
tie and derby hat, an umbrella in hand -- the perfect icon of the
English country gentleman. Noting that he seems to be surrounded
by a faint bright field of energy, Aria then focuses on his face.
"Um..." she pauses, then blushes. "Aren't you cold?"
He gazes on her, then chuckles, automatically doffing his hat.
"*No, my dear young lady. I'm fine, thank you,*" he gives her a
polite bow, then restores his hat. "*I suspect the Lannarkites
won't be bothering this particular starwhale pod anytime soon.*"
Aria takes that in, then gazes on the sea of wreckage which had,
moments ago, been a squadron of Lannarkite ships. "Aria hopes so,
too. Aria hates bugs!" she makes a face, then gazes on the newborn
starwhale, still trying to nudge his dead mother "awake." "Kusu!"
The man looks himself, then sighs. "*Yes, a pity. But don't
fret, dear,*" he drifts over to place a holographic "hand" on Aria's
shoulder. "*The others of his pod will take care of him. See,*"
he points with his umbrella.
Aria watches as several large starwhales swim up from the
direction of the planet. One of them -- a female starwhale,
perhaps? -- slides up to nudge the newborn away from its slain
mother. The young one wails as it tries to swim clear of the older
starwhale's snout, the emotions behind its mourning cry more than
clear to Aria. "Kusu!" she sniffs back tears, rubbing her eyes with
her free hand.
"*Yes, child, it is sad,*" the man beside her softly intones.
Aria continues to weep as the starwhales guide the newborn
away from the planet, leaving the dead mother's carcass behind.
Once they are out of sight, the man sighs as a beam of energy emits
from the bowsprit of the giant starship below. Aria blinks as the
energy strikes the mother's corpse, then shoves it away from the
planet, in the direction of its distant sun. "Why...?" she gazes
on the man.
"*Even with their brains destroyed, starwhale bodies are still
of great use to the Lannarkites,*" he reports. "*Cremating
the body in the nearest sun -- or allowing it to burn up in the
atmosphere of a planet -- denies them the chance to make use of that
starwhale against its pod. Despite their intelligence, there are
instinctive behavioural traits starwhales possess which make them
quite vulnerable.*"
Aria blanches. "The bugs would turn mama starwhale into a
zombie?"
"*Yes.*"
"Kusu!"
***If I may interrupt.***
"Tsue-san...?"
The Genesis Wand glows, then a bolt of energy lashes out. Aria
blinks as a hunk of frozen gestational fluid is seized, then drawn
towards her. Once within the air bubble keeping its controller
alive, the Wand begins to cut up the frozen hunk of fluid, shaping
it into something akin to a Terran sea shell. ***The Staff of Gihan
informed me of what it knows about your sister Marie,*** the ancient
device reports as the cutting is finished, the reshaped hunk of
frozen fluid drifting into Aria's free hand. ***Hold this to her ear
and allow the starwhales' song to replay. This should revive her to
the point where Marie can forge a marei'cha bond with Akane
Tendou.***
Aria blinks, then holds the "sea shell" against her ear. She
shudders as a rolling wave of sound echoes through her mind, then she
pulls the reshaped hunk of frozen fluid away. "Aria likes this!"
she grins, then gazes apologetically on the man beside her. "Gomen
nasai, Oji-san, but Aria has to return to Nii-ya's ship and help
Marie-chan get well."
"*I understand, my dear,*" he tips his hat to her. "*If I may
ask, are you related to Ataru Moroboshi, by any chance?*"
Aria instantly brightens. "Hai! He is Aria's Nii-ya."
"*Your...?*" he stares wide-eyed at her. "*Your elder brother?!
And this Marie person?*"
"Marie-chan is Aria's and Nii-ya's sister. Aria and Marie-chan
have eleven other sisters, too, all who love Nii-ya very much."
"*I...! See!*" an eyebrow twitches, though he does his best to
mask that reaction. "*Well, dear, you best be on your way.*"
"Hai! Bye-bye!"
In a flash of energy, Aria is warped back to the Planet of
Shadows. The man watches her go, then hums. "*Thirteen sisters?
I never thought Muchi Moroboshi had it in him,*" a wry grin turns
his face before his holographic image fades...
* * *
"How close are they now, Shinobi-chan?!"
"Right on our tail, Darling! Range less than five hundred
kilometres!"
"Distance to the corona, Nobuko-chan?!"
"Ten million kilometres, closing fast, Darling!"
"Aniki, are you SURE you want to do this?!"
A flash of energy at the aft end of the "Windrider's"
bridge heralds Aria's return. "Aria has returned!" she calls out,
then blinks on seeing the bright ball of energy on the forward
viewscreen. "Kusu!!"
Ataru looks over his shoulder. "Aria-chan, where've you been?!"
"Range to the primary's corona, seven-point-five million
kilometres, Darling!" Nobuko reports, she now sitting at Reiko's
station at the front end of the bridge; the twins stand behind her
chair. "Ready to make the turn!!"
"Mikado ship four hundred kilometres behind us, Darling!"
Shinobi adds.
"What's going on?!" Aria wonders.
"NOW, HINAKO-CHAN!!!!" Ataru barks. "Hard a'port,
Nobuko-chan!!!"
"Turning now!!" Nobuko taps controls.
"Hai, hai!" Hinako's voice echoes over the bridge loudspeakers.
The "Windrider" heels hard over to its left side as it makes
a sharp right turn, its stern vectoring out of the way a scant minute
before the pursuing Vosian star cruiser blazes past, plunging right
into the superheated outer atmosphere of the Planet of Shadow's
captive sun. Seeing they were once again in clear space, Ataru
breathes out. "Brake us, Nobuko-chan! Set course for the main
gate!"
"Hai!!" Benten's replica taps controls, making the solar sail
craft slow down as its prow aligns with the distant entranceway.
"Nii-ya...?"
Ataru takes a deep breath, then rises, walking over to warmly
hug Aria. "Where've you been, Aria-chan?" he whispers into her ear,
then pauses on noticing what is in her hands. The Genesis Wand, he
recognizes immediately. "What's that?" he points to the "sea shell."
"Ah! Tsue-san helped Aria find this for Marie-chan!"
Aria holds it up, then slipping out of Ataru's arms, heads off the
bridge.
The doors swoosh open for the young Parisian, revealling
Chikage. Behind the sorceress are Varena and Mujanba, the Sceptre
of Lecasur in the former's hands. "Welcome back, Aria-chan,"
Chikage smiles, then takes the "sea shell" from Aria before walking
into Marie's cabin.
Aria follows her. "Tsue-san said to hold it by Marie-chan's
ear, Chikage-chan."
"I know," Chikage nods as they step inside. Ranma and Akane
still sit on the floor beside Marie's bed. Mie sits on the bed
beside the unconscious Marie, a hand holding her arm so she could
monitor the younger girl's vitals.
Without preamble, Chikage kneels beside the bed, placing the
"sea shell" right against Marie's ear. Her free hand hovers over the
device as she whispers a spell. The "sea shell" glows as the many
starwhale songs contained within are released, filling the whole room
with their droning, mournful sound. Fortunately, it is not loud
enough to hurt anyone, especially the one the songs are meant for the
most. Watching this from the doorway, Varena and Mujanba exchange
a look, then gaze on Aria. "Starwhales?"
"Hai," the young Parisian impishly grins, then a sad look
crosses her face. "Kusu..."
"Aria-chan, what's wrong?" Ranma instantly rises, placing a hand
on the young girl's shoulder.
Aria sniffs, then stares at the Genesis Wand. "Aria is alright,
Nee-ya," she gazes on Ranma. "But when Tsue-san took Aria to find
some starwhales so Marie-chan can hear their songs, some mean bugs
killed a baby starwhale's mama."
"'Bugs'...?" Mujanba blinks, then blanches. "Lannarkites?!"
"Hai," Aria nods, then holds up the Genesis Wand, a weak yet
satisfied smile twitching her lips. "But Aria and Tsue-san were able
to squash some bugs. The starwhales' Nii-ya got rid of the rest of
them."
"The starwhales'...? Big brother?!" Varena wonders.
A holographic image is projected from the Genesis Wand. ***This
ship,*** its sentience's voice echoes in their minds.
The Vosians' jaws hit the deck. "The Eternal Voyager?!!"
"What's that?!" Akane wonders, rising to stand beside Ranma.
Varena and Mujanba exchange a look, but before either could
answer, a hoarse cough escapes from Marie. "Wh-where...?"
"Ma-chan!!!" Akane gasps, wedging herself between Mie and
Chikage to swamp the younger girl with a glomp to impress even
Shampoo!
Marie gags, her eyes going wide as Akane's embrace forces the
air from her lungs, then before she could articulate a single word,
her lips are smothered by Akane's relieved kiss. A panicked moan
escapes her, then her eyes soften as Akane's hug softens enough for
her to move her arms. Everyone watching this grin as they see Marie
return Akane's embrace, then brace themselves as the two women slowly
part. Marie and Akane gaze on each other for a moment, then the
former reaches for her glasses on the nightstand. Once she is able
to see properly, she takes in all those in her room, then focuses
on Chikage. "Um...! Did something happen, Chikage-chan?"
Everyone jolts before relieved laughter echoes through the
"Windrider"...
* * *
Back on a certain island in the Sagami Sea...
"You are wondering why I am doing this, are you not?"
Mega-Rinrin rotates its head to gaze on Kaeru. Both are now in
Rinrin's private laboratory, located between hers and Yotsuba's
room on the rotunda's third floor. The sounds of heavy construction
echo through the walls as the Nagussan engineer's
construction-maintenance robots continue work on expanding the
rotunda. In the man-sized glass tube before Kaeru, a distinctly
female shape floats in an opaque soup saturated with millions of
nanites. The vertical programming tube Rinrin had set up for final
work on Mecha-Rinrin is conspicuously empty.
Considering Kaeru's question, the robot slowly tilts its head
in a nod. "The answer is quite simple," the engineer's lips twitch
into a faint smile. "My return to this planet was necessitated
by certain social needs my parents and friends on Nagussa could not
provide for me. It is fortunate that atop my own genetic twin, there
are also my female relatives to call upon to assist me in this
matter."
Before he could explain further, Kaeru is distracted by a
beeping noise from his personal data-comp. "Ah..." he stares at the
readout, then gazes on what is now being constructed in the tube
before him. "More than sufficient. Rinrin's replica should be
physically complete in another sixteen-point-three-five
minutes. Basic behavioural programming could then be initiated
via Rinrin's primary computer." A pause as he considers something,
then he gazes on Mega-Rinrin. "Would you like to have your systems
upgraded?"
The large robot remains still, though the rotating antenna
atop its head suddenly halts as the Nagussan's surprising offer
registers in its main processors. After a minute's consideration,
Mega-Rinrin inclines his head. "After I commence programming
Rinrin's replica, we will determine the best type of modification
for you. I believe Rinrin will be most pleased with the results
I presently am considering."
Mega-Rinrin's antenna begins to rotate once more...
* * *
Within a half-hour, the "Windrider" sails clear of the Planet
of Shadows, her prow aimed at the wormhole that would take the
solar-sail ship back to the quadrant of space containing Vos and
Earth. In the main cafeteria, most of the sisters, along with Himiko
and Mikiko, crowd around Marie and Aria, either taking a chance to
listen to the "sea shell" Aria brought with her from the starwhale
pod or give the Genesis Wand a close inspection. Akane remains
close to Marie, the relief the youngest Tendou feels at the latter's
recovery apparent for all. Shirayuki is in the galley preparing
snacks for everyone. Hinako has gone to her cabin to get some sleep,
as have Reiko and Kaneko. Chikage and Sakuya sit with Ataru, Ranma,
Miree, Seiko and the visiting Vosians; Mie, along with Miree's
daughters and the four replica bioroids Nassur once had under his
employ, currently man the bridge stations. The Mikado Marines from
Varena's ship are now in a comfortable yet secure brig located in the
lowermost habitation deck two levels below the cafeteria; the Staff
of Gihan currently monitors them.
"So this is a clear-cut case of mutiny, right?" Ataru asks.
"It's borderline between mutiny and barratry," Varena scratches
her chin. "It would be hard to establish pre-meditation
in a case like this. The Mikado does reward those who do whatever
they can to better preserve his authority, but since your sister
DID willingly return our lost treasure to us..." she holds up the
Sceptre, "...I think we can make the charges stick in this case."
"What if they decide to start blabbing about the Staff and the
Genesis Wand?" Sakuya wonders. "I don't like the idea of having
nuts from half the galaxy come down on Hinako-chan's and Aria-chan's
heads just to get their hands on them."
"Sakuya, not even Negako-anekun could take the Staff or the Wand
away from Hinako and Aria," Chikage chuckles before sipping her tea.
"But what if someone tries to take one of us hostage to force
them to play along?"
"I doubt that'll be much of a concern, Sakuya-san," Miree shakes
her head. "Still, if you are concerned about news of the Staff and
the Wand getting out, ladies, a simple mind-wipe of your crewmates
is quite possible."
"Hey, there's an idea," Ranma nods. "You can then claim that
something happened that made you abandon ship just after you picked
up the Sceptre here. Well, lucky thing we were in the area to help
you out. After all, Vos and Noukiios aren't at war, are they?"
"Officially, no," Mujanba smirks, sipping her tea before
stretching herself. "But be assured of this, Miss Saotome:
regardless of who ultimately wins the civil war on Vos -- and yes,
it does look like the rebels'll be putting the Mikado out of business
sometime very soon -- people are going to be very curious as to how
a 'backward'..." she makes finger-quotes, "...power like Noukiios
got its hands on GEV-capable starships when it should've been either
ourselves or the Zephyrites who came out with them first."
"Don't look at me," Ataru sighs. "I don't even know where they
built this ship," he waves around him, "...much less know how they
could design these types of ships. 'Sides, after what I've been
through, I really don't see myself doing much in space from now on."
"There is a more immediate concern for both of you, isn't
there?" Miree wonders.
The Vosians perk. "What do you mean?" Varena blinks.
"If I recall the stories surrounding the Sceptre of Lecasur
correctly, it is to be held only by the *legitimate* president
of the Confederation," the Hollywoodite chief priestess warns.
"Regardless of what popularity he may still have amongst your people,
Major, the Mikado DID seize power in a coup d'etat. I'd hardly call
him the type to be worthy of that," she indicates the Sceptre.
"Miree-san, we don't have the right to judge these people,
even the Mikado," Seiko warns.
"She still has a point, Miss Izumo," Mujanba holds up a finger.
"Agreed," Varena nods, gazing absently on the Sceptre. "I doubt
even if he was given the Sceptre, the Mikado could turn people to his
side, not after all that's happened over the last thirty years and
more."
"So what do you have in mind?" Sakuya wonders.
"Well, all the colonies are now in rebel hands, save for Four
and Seventy-one since both of them are lifeless," the major muses.
"And almost all the deep-space ships in the Defence Force are under
rebel control. The chances are there..." she shrugs, a knowing
smile crossing her face, "...that the instant you enter Vosian space,
Mister Moroboshi, your ship'll be challenged by a roving patrol."
"You're going to surrender yourselves to the rebels?" Ataru
stares surprisedly at them.
"We really don't have much of a choice now," Mujanba shrugs.
"Why's that?" Sakuya wonders.
The Vosians exchange a look, then shrug. "It's hard to
explain," Varena answers for them both.
The intercom whistles before anyone can answer. "Ataru-kun?"
Mie's voice echoes through the cafeteria.
"What is it?" Ataru looks up.
"We're about to enter the wormhole now," the Kyushu native
reports. "Our ETA to the nearest Vosian colony after clearing
the wormhole will be about forty-eight minutes. We'll most likely
need Varena-shousa and Mujanba-taii up here by then."
"Alright," Ataru nods, gazing on the two alien hunters. "Are
you ladies SURE about this?"
"We're sure," Mujanba smiles in assurance at her future
brother-in-law...
* * *
Minutes later...
"Wow!! It's even better than 'Deep Space Nine!'"
"Hai, it is, ne?" Seiko chuckles as she and Karen stand together
in the aft observation lounge, located next to Ataru's cabin. Behind
the "Windrider," the wormhole entrance connecting Vos' quadrant
of space with the Planet of Shadows' glows for a moment, then
collapses unto itself, vanishing in a flash of light. "It's rare to
find stable wormholes anywhere in the Cosmic Chain of Life."
Karen gazes on the taller woman, then sighs. She knew this
woman had once been Lum, given a new body and life through some
process she didn't fully understand not a day after she and Lan had
returned to Earth. "Seiko-san...?"
"Ah, h-hai?" Seiko stammers, feeling her cheeks heat.
Silence falls as Karen considers what to ask, then she sighs.
"Do you still love Onii-chan?"
Seiko gazes on the younger woman, then looks nowhere in
particular before nodding. "Hai, I do. Not..." she pauses, "...like
it was before I was sent back to Uru some weeks ago. I don't see
myself marrying him now. Do I love him as a friend? Yes, I do."
"You must be really disappointed that it didn't work out in the
end, ne?" Karen cants her head.
"Part of me is," Seiko admits. "I guess that's to be expected
when one undergoes the Crossing Over when Psi-Unity is involved.
Then again, it's been only a few days since I DID Cross Over. And I
still am involved with things that mattered a lot to Lum, so..."
"What of your other half?"
"My Nendo-kata side?" Seiko gazes on Karen, then chuckles.
"Oh, she's still there. She's a part of me, too. But..."
"But?"
"But when the Crossing Over is invoked, especially if Psi-Unity
becomes a factor, whatever desires and needs my Nendo-kata half
possessed at the time became irrelevant," Seiko turns back to gaze
on the passing starfield; by now, the "Windrider" has leapt into warp
for the short trip to Vosian space. "Before I Crossed Over, my
Nendo-kata half and Sakiko-chan's Nendo-kata half were lovers and
potential lifemates. But because Lum and Lan could never see
themselves as *that,* we elected to become sisters after undergoing
the Crossing Over."
Karen considers that, then sighs. "It doesn't sound fair."
"In a way, you're right. It ISN'T fair. But Sakiko-chan
and I are still family. We're happy with that," Seiko gives the
younger girl a reassuring smile. "Besides, Sakiko-chan's
taken interest in Ryuunosuke Fujinami now. That's a good thing in
and of itself."
Karen blinks. "Fujinami...? Oh, that's the girl who was raised
as a boy, right? Her dad and boyfriend were killed last week."
"Hai."
The younger girl purses her lips for a moment before staring
anew at Seiko. "Does she mind?"
"Mind what?"
"Well, mind being lovers with another girl?" Karen asks, then
quickly waves her hands to ward off a potential angry retort from
Seiko. "I-it's not that I mind that sort of thing. I don't!
Really, I don't! But s-still..." she pauses, then chuckles,
shrugging.
"Hai, hai, I know," Seiko titters before gazing at the passing
stars. "And no, I don't think Ryuunosuke-chan minds it at all.
It'll be a VERY long time -- if at ALL! -- before she makes any sort
of real emotional recovery from all that abuse her father heaped
on her."
"Bad?" Karen blinks. "I mean, Onii-chan and Negako-oneechan
told me some things about her, but..."
"Far worse than anything you can ever imagine, Karen-chan,"
Seiko shakes her head, closing her eyes as images of the many fights
between Ryuunosuke and her father over the status of her "manhood"
replay before the older woman's mind's eye. "Probably as bad in many
ways as what Ranma-san went through when 'he' was being raised by his
father on the road."
Karen frowns. "Poor girl. I hope she'll be fine where she is
now."
Seiko gazes on her, then sighs, remembering the sharp
confrontation Karen had with Shinobu Miyaki in the immediate wake of
the fight with Elle. "Shinobu's really not that bad, Karen-chan.
She does care for your brother, you know."
A scowl turns the younger woman's lips. "What sort of 'caring'
are we talking about, Seiko-san?" Karen gazes out the viewport.
The Oni-turned-Nendo-kata/Terran looks at her companion,
then nods. "I suppose you have a right to feel that way, Karen-chan,
especially if Darling's decided he doesn't want to accommodate
Shinobu anymore. And maybe this time, Shinobu'll realize that she
has to make a clear choice when it comes to what she has with
Darling, especially now that Ranma-san's involved."
"I'm glad that Onii-chan and Onee-chan are together," Karen hugs
herself. "They've been through so much, put up to so much abuse for
so long. Yes, they're nowhere near perfect, even now that they've
taken control over their lives, but who is in the end?"
"Agreed," Seiko blinks, then tilts her head. "Strange."
"What is it?"
"I sense a little flash of jealousy in your heart, Karen-chan.
Why's that?"
Karen jolts, then her cheeks flame. "I...! I'm not jealous!"
she claps her cheeks, turning away from Seiko, then she shudders.
"W-well, m-maybe, I AM a little envious of Onee-chan. I mean...!"
she shakes her head. "Oh, you wouldn't understand!"
Silence falls as Seiko peers at Karen, then she closes her eyes
as a bemused chuckle escapes her. "Oh, I see now..."
Karen pales, then turns to gaze curiously at her companion
as Seiko's hand rests on her shoulder. "Odd to have a fantasy like
THAT when it comes to your own brother, even if he's just your
half-brother," the latter gently turns the former so they can gaze
on each other. "But at least you understand that fantasy can never
come true, Karen-chan. I'd be really worried if you didn't."
"Of course it can never come true!" Karen nods, then sighs.
"When he came to the Island, Onii-chan -- well, after he got over the
shock of finding out about us! -- he was so nice to us, so caring.
He really wanted to do right for us, Seiko-san. And..." she sniffs
back a sudden onslaught of tears, "...to realize what he had to do to
protect us from all those monsters out there..."
Seiko automatically draws Karen into her arms, shushing her.
"It'll be over soon, Karen-chan," she soothes. "It'll be over
soon..."
"Onii-chan..."
* * *
Back on Earth...
Eyes as blue as the sky open as Mecha-Rinrin takes in a deep
breath, her body instantly warming as oxygen floods her circulatory
system from head to toe. As her primary energy pump begins to beat,
she glances left and right, taking in the contours of her creator's
private laboratory, then she focuses on the man in the form-fitting
bodysuit standing before her. "Aniki..."
She steps out of the programming chamber, walking up to stand
a metre in front of him. Now up close, she notices two curious
physical changes from what Rinrin had programmed in her about the man
Mecha-Rinrin was built to serve. This man had a dimple under his
left eye. And his facial hair is trimmed only to a moustache
and goatee. The newly-woken android tilts her head, then she asks,
"Are you Aniki?"
Kaeru shakes his head. "Negative. I am not Ataru Moroboshi.
I am his genetic twin, however. You may address me as 'Kaeru.'"
Mecha-Rinrin's eyes widen more. In the information packet on
Aniki, she had been told of his twin brother, who was said to have
died when he was only three (though his body had mysteriously
disappeared right afterward, it having never been found).
Considering that, the android then leans up to give Kaeru a chaste
kiss, allowing her outer epidermal sensors to do a DNA scan.
Fortunately for Kaeru, Rinrin had included a DNA-scan capability
in her original plans for Mecha-Rinrin; the nanites who finished
construction on her body had simply upgraded the equipment to
Nagussan standards. A minute later, Mecha-Rinrin smiles as the
readout comes up.
"You are Aniki's brother," she beams, then a questioning
look crosses her face. "But how did you survive, Aniki? According
to the information I was programmed with, you are supposed to be
dead."
Confusion crosses Kaeru's face. "Why do you believe I have
ceased to function?"
"I cannot answer that," she shakes her head. "All information
I possess on you indicates that result."
"Ah!" the Nagussan nods. "Logical. My adopted parents did
remove me from the hospital where they found me and I have not
returned to Earth until this day. That is not relevant at this time.
Are you satisfied with the equipment and programming upgrades I have
given you?"
Mecha-Rinrin's gaze turns inward for a moment as her internal
housekeeping wetware goes to work. A moment later, a satisfied
smile crosses her face. "Hai. Thank you for doing this for me,
Aniki. But...?" she looks around the room. "Where is Mama?"
"I am unaware of Rinrin's current operational status," Kaeru
reports. "According to my ship's sensors, Rinrin, along with the
others, are currently not on Earth. Perhaps you might provide some
information as to where they might be at this time."
The android considers that, then shakes her head. "I don't
think I can help you, Aniki. Gomen nasai. I..." she stops as her
peripheral vision locks on the horizontal work unit in the middle
of the laboratory. A barely humanoid shape -- male, perhaps? -- now
lies in the nanite soup. "Aniki, who is that?" she points to the
work unit, gazing quizzically at Kaeru.
"That is Rinrin's first prototype robot. 'Mega-Rinrin'
as you might better know him as," Kaeru explains, guiding
Mecha-Rinrin around so she could better inspect the unit. "After
I finished with your construction, I offered him the chance to
upgrade his systems so he could be compatible to you in every
operational category conceivable. I believe Rinrin will be quite
pleased with the results."
Mecha-Rinrin considers that. "Hai, I think so, too." A pause.
"Aniki, are you hungry?"
Kaeru's eyes widen surprisedly. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, one of my primary functions is to act as a cook and
homemaker for Ataru-aniki. It is logical to properly test all my
functions before I could proceed to fulfil my functions for
Ataru-aniki. Correct?"
He considers that, then nods. "Agreed."
* * *
"To believe there are actually huge whales in space!"
"That must've been quite a sight for Aria-chan to take in,"
Akane nods as she sets the "sea shell" aside, her other hand reaching
for Marie's. Both now relax in the latter's cabin; the "Windrider"
is about twenty minutes from making landfall at Vos Colony
Fifty-four.
"Maybe sometime in the future, when things are back to normal,
we can take the ship and go starwhale-watching," Marie chuckles,
then with a tug of Akane's hand, she draws the bioroid into her arms.
"Would you've done it, A-chan?"
They gaze into the other's eyes, then Akane sighs. "If there
was no other choice?" Seeing Marie nod, the youngest Tendou takes
a deep breath. "Hai, Ma-chan, I would've done it. But..." she
lowers her eyes. "I'd've felt pretty guilty about it afterward."
"Would you do it with me now?"
Akane blinks, then stares at Marie. "Would you want me to?"
The bespectacled teen considers her companion's question,
then gazes intently on Akane. "Hai."
Akane's eyes widen. "Ma-chan..."
To emphasize her point, Marie reaches down to draw both of
Akane's hands up to her cheeks. While she did not know the exact
mechanics of Avalonian-style psionics, she knew they operated in a
similar fashion to what Vulcans on "Star Trek" practised. Feeling
her hands sink into Marie's cheeks, Akane gulps as a lump the size
of Fuji-san forms in her throat. *She's so beautiful...*
echoes from some place deep in her mind, then before she could
realize what she is doing, Akane's fingers spread out, the fingertips
falling on the specific shiatsu points needed to forge this type of
bond. At the last moment, Akane pulls her fingertips off Marie's
skin. That only makes the latter's hands come up to force the
former's fingers back onto her skull. Another gulp escapes the
bioroid, then she whispers, "Once we do this, Ma-chan..."
"I know, A-chan," Marie smiles.
Akane blinks, then relaxes herself, allowing her mind to flow
forth through her fingers to touch Marie's...
* * *
"What the...?"
"Huh?! Something wrong, Ata-...?!"
Ranma's voice is cut off as she feels a rising tide of emotional
chi warp through her from the direction of Marie's cabin. Standing,
the redhead walks towards the door of Ataru's cabin, focusing her
senses on whatever is going on some metres forward of her, then as
the surge of raw, pure passion strikes him, she grins. "Well, I'll
be damned," she chuckles, then gazes on Ataru.
Seeing the slightly pinched look on his face, Ranma blinks,
then walks over to sit beside him. A single tap to his nose makes
him sneeze, then he stares quizzically at her. "Hey, cut it out!"
she scolds. "She's old enough to make that sort of decision,
remember?"
He blinks, then sighs. "Yeah, I guess so," he leans his chin
into his knees. "But still..."
* * *
"Shi-chama, what's wrong...?"
A blank look has crossed Shinshi's face, his eyes turned in the
general direction of Marie's cabin. Yotsuba, who had been undressing
to join him in bed, stares concernedly at her boyfriend.
"Shi-chama...?" she whispers, then leans over to pass a hand over his
eyes.
He jolts, then stares absently at the would-be detective
before a single word escapes him. "Akane..."
"Eh?! What about Akane-cha-...?" Yotsuba's voice cuts off as
realization hits her. "You mean...?!" she covers her mouth.
"Akane..." a faint chuckle escapes him before he focuses on his
girlfriend. "She's doing it now with Marie-chan..."
Yotsuba stares at Shinshi for a moment, then she reaches behind
her back to unsnap her bra. Once that and her panties join the rest
of her clothes on the deck, she slides onto the bed, straddling
her boyfriend's legs as her hands reach down to draw his hands close
to him. The contact of her skin on his sends a shocked jolt through
his body, his face paling as he realizes what the would-be detective
might now have in mind. "Yotsuba!!" he yanks his hands back towards
him. "What are you do-...?! Mmmmfpth!!" his voice is cut off as she
swings into him, her lips parting as she gives him a wet smooch.
Before he could try to force her back, Yotsuba's arms wrap around
Shinshi's neck to keep her in place, her tongue lancing into his
mouth to entice his own tongue to come out and play.
The warmth of that kiss and embrace -- not to mention the very
pleasant feeling of Yotsuba's bust pressing into his chest -- quickly
shatters whatever resistance Shinshi might have to being so intimate
with his girlfriend NOW, with his own sister bonding with Yotsuba's
half-sister not ten metres away. Yotsuba purrs as his arms reach
around her buttocks, he lifting her closer to him. They part lips
to gaze deeply into the other's eyes for a second, then slide into
another kiss as their arms tighten around the other's body. Finally,
after a blissful eternity, they pull apart. The look on Yotsuba's
face at that moment in time speaks volumes to Shinshi. "Do it."
Shinshi blinks, then reaches for her face...
* * *
"Uh-oh..."
"Yotsuba-chan and Shinshi?"
"Yep," Ranma gives Ataru a sympathetic stare...
* * *
"EH?!! Marie-chan and Yotsuba-chan are...?!"
"H-hai!" Mikiko Serizawa shudders as she tightly grips the
covers of Sakuya's bed, gritting her teeth as the dual tidal waves
of empathic energy from her sister Avalonians crashes relentlessly
into her. Squeezing her eyes shut as she tries to firm up her own
psi-guards, she flinches on feeling Sakuya's hand touch her shoulder.
"D-d-DON'T!!!" she cries out, making the elder sister jolt.
"What's wrong?!" Sakuya shifts herself to kneel before Mikiko,
keeping a hand close to the latter.
"I...!" she grunts, then breathes out as one source of that
empathic onslaught fades. "Oh, gods..."
"Mikiko-chan?!"
The green-haired Avalonian takes several deep breaths before
gazing on her host. "Gomen nasai, Sakuya-san," she relaxes her grip
on the blankets, then hugs herself. "I wasn't prepared for how
INTENSE that was..." she admits.
Sakuya nods, shifting herself onto the bed as a hand lands on
Mikiko's shoulder. The latter flinches lightly, but Sakuya does not
draw her hand back. "Did Marie-chan and Akane-chan...?"
the former begins.
"H-hai," Mikiko sputters. "It's solidified now. They're
bonded. Yotsuba-san and Shinshi-kun..." she winces as the flood of
psi-energy from Yotsuba's room peaks before calming down. "Damn..."
she breathes out before gazing on her host. "Them, too."
Sakuya takes that in before drawing her hand back. Mikiko
shudders lightly as a brief cold void of feeling warps through her,
then she relaxes. "Well, isn't THAT something?" the elder sister
chuckles, crossing her arms. "Yotsuba, I can understand, but
Marie..."
"We ARE bisexual, Sakuya-san," Mikiko warns. "And Marie-san
did feel pretty guilty over what happened to Akane's template."
"Yeah, that's true," Sakuya grunts before giving her guest a
wary look. "You're not thinking of...?"
"You wouldn't believe the temptation," Mikiko whispers.
"What was that?"
The green-haired Avalonian jerks before waving her hands
peacefully. "Nothing! Nothing!"
Sakuya blinks before a sigh escapes her. As she turns away,
Mikiko breathes out in relief...
* * *
"This is most improper! To actually go all the way...!"
"There's nothin' you can do about it now, Haruka-san!"
Himiko Kawamura holds up a hand to cut off Haruka's tirade, then as
the latter calms down, the swimmer relaxes. "Look, Yotsuba fell
head-over-heels for Shinshi-kun the instant she first laid eyes on
the guy! At least with a psi-bond in place, neither of them'll
think of strayin' away from the other. As for Marie and
Akane-chan..." she pauses, then shrugs. "Well, what the hell would
you've expected from either of them, 'specially after what happened
to the old Akane?"
Haruka pauses as she considers the tomboyish Avalonian's
words before she deflates. "True..." she whispers before sitting
on her bed. "But what happens if Marie-chan and Akane-chan decide
to go all the way into...! Well, doing THAT...!!"
"It's their choice, Haruka-san," Himiko shakes her head. "And
once that bond's in place, all Marie's feelings for all of you are
gonna end up taking a back seat to what she's gonna start feeling
for Akane-chan. Even if they don't see themselves doing the ecchi,
they're gonna be livin' together for the rest of their lives. The
idea of partin' from each other...?" she shakes her head again. "NOT
happening."
Haruka gazes intently at her guest. "It's THAT intense?"
"You bet," Himiko nods, sitting on the bed beside her host.
Silence falls as the martial artist considers what she has just
been told, then a wary look crosses her face as she glances once more
on the swimmer. "Himiko-san, I hope you're not actually starting
to feel that way about me...?"
"Would you blame me if I did?"
Haruka jolts. "EH?!!"
Himiko acks, then slaps a hand over her mouth, she staring
wide-eyed at her host. They stare at each other for a moment before
Haruka's shocked look melts into a peal of embarrassed giggles.
Hearing her laughter, Himiko relaxes, then giggles herself,
scratching the back of her head. Finally, Haruka takes a deep
breath. "Oh, Himiko-san, I didn't mean to put you on the spot like
that!"
"It's cool, it's cool!" Himiko waves her down, then takes a deep
breath. "Still..."
"What is it?"
The swimmer gazes on her host. "I won't lie to you, Haruka-san.
You ARE beautiful. And graceful. The perfect lady." She ignores
the bright blush crossing Haruka's face as she rises, turning to head
out. "And I can't deny what I am now. None of us can. I..." she
reaches for the door knob. "I can understand if you don't want
nothing like that from any of us, Haruka-san."
Before Haruka could say anything in response, Himiko steps
out...
* * *
"So they're bonded now?"
"Hai!" Ranma nods, now sitting beside Ataru on the bed. "For
a moment there..."
"What?!" he pales, gazing at her.
"I dunno. Felt somethin' from Sakuya-chan's and Haruka-chan's
rooms, but it wasn't anything like what I felt elsewhere."
Ataru blinks, then leans back on his pillow. "Who'd be
interested in them?!" he grips the sides of his head.
"Dunno. Might've been Mikiko and Himiko, but I can't be
sure..."
The intercom buzzes. "Ataru-kun?" Mie's voice echoes from the
bridge. "We just got hailed by a Vosian star-destroyer,
the 'Lecasur's Soul.' I told them about Varena-shousa and
Mujanba-taii, plus the Sceptre. They want us to lock alongside."
Ataru blinks, then relaxes. Okay, THIS was something he could
deal with. "Hai, hai! Let's lay alongside them and get this over
with. What time is it now in Tokyo, Mie-san? Any ideas?"
"About two in the morning, I think," Mie replies. "By the way,
Ataru-kun, what type of ship is this, anyway? The Love Boat?!"
His eyes widen, then groaning, he grabs a pillow and pulls it
down over his head. Ranma falls over laughing...
* * *
"And there is no way you can overcome this?"
"No," Varena and Mujanba shake their heads, they standing
behind Chikage, the sorceress gazing out the viewport of her cabin.
In the near distance, a greyish cigar-shaped starship floats, its
silver cygnet insignia clearly declaring to all what allegiance
its crew holds. Mujanba then adds, "Chikage-chan, there's a saying
amongst our kind: 'recognition does not lie.' We can't deny this
now..."
"For doing so would condemn you both to die," Chikage finishes.
"Yes," both Vosians reply as they close in on the Terran,
placing hands on Chikage's shoulders.
Taking a deep breath, the sorceress reaches up to squeeze their
hands. "Well, that changes things for all of us," she quips.
"There isn't anyone on Earth wanting you, is there?" Varena
wonders, trying to keep her tone positive.
Chikage blinks, then pauses as an image of Toofuu Ono passes
through her mind. Oh, dear, this was NOT going to be good. "Not
really. There is this one fellow who tends to fly apart and loose
control of himself whenever he is close to me, but..." she shakes
her head. "No. Besides..." she turns around, drawing her arms
around her would-be life-mates. "Given the knowledge both of you
possess as a birthright, you'll both pass muster with my grandfather.
As for the others here..." she grins. "Well, their opinions never
really mattered."
"Not even your brother's?" Mujanba asks.
Chikage considers that, then her smile slips for a moment.
"Ani-kun won't be a problem."
"You sure?" Varena is quick to notice the sorceress' change
of mood.
"Leave him to me..."
The door opens. "Hey, Chikage, where...?! WHOOPS!!!" Rinrin
stops herself on seeing Chikage holding the two Vosians close to her.
"Problem, Rinrin?" Chikage asks.
The teen inventor stutters for a second. "Um, we're about to
lock alongside with the Vosian ship," she warns. "They'll probably
want to see Varena-san and Mujanba-san right away, along with those
dorks below-decks."
"Fine."
"Ah...! R-right..." Rinrin waves, then closes the door as she
beats a hasty retreat.
Once alone, the three women exchange looks before a peal of
giggles rocks them. Calming themselves, both Vosians lean up to kiss
Chikage's cheeks. "We'll come back to you, Chikage-sama,"
Varena whispers into the sorceress' ear.
"Count on it," Mujanba adds.
"I will," Chikage lightly smiles...
* * *
An hour later, the "Windrider" pulls away from the "Lecasur's
Soul," angling its bow in the direction of Earth. Technically
placed under arrest along with the rest of their crew, Varena and
Mujanba would -- according to what the star destroyer's commander,
Darenba, told Ataru -- no doubt be offered a chance to join forces
with the rebels to help put down the Mikado as quickly as possible.
To ensure Hinako and Aria would know peace despite their possession
of the Staff of Gihan and Genesis Wand of Parah, Miree's earlier
suggestion about mind-wiping the Mikado Marines of such suspect
memories was carried out before they were turned over to the Vosian
authorities. Of course, Ataru is thanked for his willingness
to help see the Sceptre of Lecasur returned to the Vosian people;
such would no doubt favour positively when the Confederation,
after it resolved its internal dispute, turned its attention towards
events in Earth's and Noukiios' sector of space.
"One less headache for us all," Ataru had whispered to Seiko
after they had parted from Darenba and her crew.
Since it is now quite early in the morning back in Japan, Ataru
decides to give everyone a chance to get some rest, so he sets the
ship's autopilot to make system-fall around nine o'clock. With that,
everyone heads to their cabins to get some needed sleep. Woken by
the commotion, Hinako heads into the cafeteria to get some milk
before heading back to her room.
As she is enjoying her late-night drink, she comes across
Chikage, the latter busy with her Tarot cards. "Chikage-chan,
what's going to happen with Varena-san and Mujanba-san?" she wonders
before taking a sip of her milk. "Are they gonna get into trouble?"
"Not really," Chikage flips one of the cards in the suite before
her. The Lovers. "In fact, I believe..." she flips the next card,
revealling the Emperor. "We'll be seeing Varena-san and Mujanba-san
sometime soon."
Hinako stares at her sister, then shrugs before drinking the
rest of her milk...
* * *
Promised Island, well after dawn...
"Aniki?"
Kaeru's eyes flutter, then he looks up to see Mecha-Rinrin
gazing warmly at him. A quick glance around reveals that he is lying
on the couch in the dining room. Grunting, he sits up, then
stretches himself. "What has happened?"
"The construction robots have finished with the modifications
to the rotunda. They are now on stand-by in the foyer beside the
kitchen. Modifications to Mama's prototype robot are still ongoing.
I have made breakfast for you. You best have something to eat."
Kaeru blinks, then nods, rising. Now sitting before Ataru's
normal chair is a tray bearing a mixed Japanese/Western-style
breakfast; part of Mecha-Rinrin's programming included a full
download of every type of dish Shirayuki had successfully created.
Quickly analysing the utensils necessary to assist him in consuming
this morning repast, he digs in. Mecha-Rinrin remains beside him,
a content smile on her face as Kaeru takes in his first Earth meal
in over fifteen years. "Is it good?" the android wonders as Kaeru
nibbles on his toast.
"Sufficient," he nods after swallowing what is in his mouth,
then tenses as a beeper sounds off. "Report," he calls out.
"*New sensor contact,*" the sensor control unit aboard his ship
reports. "*A starship has entered this solar system, now proceeding
to assume orbit over Earth. DNA scan of the sentients currently
aboard indicate that genetic duplicate of organic sentient Kaeru
ryi'Kouhae-Raikue, plus all female relatives of subject organic
sentient Kaeru ryi'Kouhae-Raikue, are presently aboard.*"
"Display," Kaeru orders.
A hologram appears before him, revealing a stylized image of the
solar system. A target icon now appears in-system of Uranus' orbit
line, heading in a direct line for Earth. A second hologram projects
a side and plan drawing of the "Windrider." "A solar-sail craft?"
he gazes at the starship design. "Are there races capable of this
sort of travel, Mecha-Rinrin?"
"I am not sure," the android responds. "Perhaps this is
something Mama only recently learned about Ataru-aniki."
Kaeru stares at her, then looks nowhere in particular.
"Intriguing..."
* * *
"Ohayou gozaimasu desu no, Marie-chan, Akane-chan."
"Ohayou, Shirayuki-chan," Marie tries not to blush too much as
she and Akane step into the cafeteria, hand-in-hand.
Yotsuba and Shinshi are already there enjoying some French
toast. The blushes on their faces speak volumes as they glance at
the other recently-bonded couple. "Ohayou, Akane-chan," the latter
winks knowingly at his sister. "Had a good night's sleep?"
Akane acks, then her face flames as other knowing eyes lock on
her. A squeeze of her hand from Marie calms her. "W-well..."
"I dare say congratulations are in order," Seiko toasts them
from beside Karen.
"Seiko-san!!" Karen gently scolds.
Laughter echoes from around the room. "Does Hime have to start
cooking their wedding cakes?" Shirayuki wonders.
The laughter intensifies, making the Tendous and their
bond-mates blush even more. The doors then open, revealing Aria and
Orin. "Kaho-sama, are you here?" the latter looks around, then she
focuses on the cheerleader. "Oh, there you are!"
"Eh?!" Kaho returns her look. "Is there something wrong,
Orin-san?"
"Kaho-sama, do you have your pansy seeds with you?" Orin walks
up to her.
"Kaho's pansy seeds?!" the cheerleader blinks, then reaches
into her skirt pocket to draw out a small bag emblazoned with a white
rabbit's hat. "Here!" she holds it out, then blinks as Aria takes
the bag. "Hey!!"
"Gomen nasai, Kaho-chan, but Aria and Tsue-san need the seeds!"
Aria holds up the Genesis Wand.
In a flash of energy, the young Parisian vanishes. "Ah!! Bring
Kaho's pansy seeds back!" Kaho wails...
* * *
Seconds later...
"Ne, ne! Did you get the pansy seeds, Aria-chan?!"
"Hai, Aria has them!" Aria holds up the bag, then glances
around. "Waaaai..."
"Yeah! It's HUGE, isn't it?!" Hinako takes another look around
the interior of the Avalon bioroid factory.
The vast starcraft, twenty kilometres long by eight wide by
three high, is mostly empty space, now vented into the surrounding
near-vacuum to save up on energy and the need to keep such an
enormous space habitable for humanoid life. The working parts of the
factory are housed in tubular modules interconnected via intra-ship
transporters. Fortunately for the two youngest of Ataru's sisters,
the Staff and the Genesis Wand keep them alive and safe. "So where's
the bad man Onii-tama doesn't like?" Hinako asks.
***I've located him in the primary control centre, Hina,***
the Staff reports. ***It appears Oogi is currently without a
body.***
"EH?!!" both girls cry out. "HE'S A GHOST?!!"
***In one sense of the term,*** the Genesis Wand confirms.
***If you wish, he can be eliminated right now.***
That statement makes Hinako and Aria gaze on the other, lumps
forming in their throats. In spite of their youth, both girls
presently possessed a pretty good understanding of what could happen
if their weapons were unleashed, even on a creep like Oogi. "Hina
doesn't want to do something like that," Hinako sniffs, reaching
up to rub her eyes. "Even if he is a creep and all that."
***Understandable,*** the Wand notes. ***None the less, the
factory's sensors have detected your brother's ship. Oogi is
preparing to have your brother's ship destroyed as soon as it comes
in close range.***
Both girls tense. "Uh-oh!" Hinako gulps.
"Don't worry," Aria holds up the small bag of seeds. "Aria
knows what to do!"
In a flash, Aria vanishes. "Aaaaah!!! Aria-chan, wait for
Hina!!" Hinako cries out, then teleports after her sister...
* * *
"WHA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!"
Oogi howls with delight as the image of the "Windrider" grows on the
main viewscreen. "Now, NOW is the time to destroy the Great Evil and
avenge the deaths of all the Goddess' Faithful!!!
WHA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!"
"Weapons are active and tracking now, Mister President,"
Otako reports. "Two minutes until...!! AAAAAH!!!"
Oogi spins around, then gapes in shock as a virtual garden of
pansies blossoms all over Otako's console. The bioroid tries to yank
and brush away the annoying flowers, but as soon as one is cleared,
another instantly grows in its place. Blinking in stunned disbelief,
the disembodied president of Phentax Two turns to look at the other
stations. Sure enough, they are ALL sprouting huge amounts of
flowers, deluging the control centre crew in a shower of blossoms.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!?!?!" Oogi bellows...
* * *
Watching this from a hidden corner of the bridge, Aria giggles
as Oogi throws a temper tantrum, then glances at the Genesis Wand.
"Tsue-san, are you sure you got them to where they have to go?" she
whispers.
***It has been done,*** the Wand reports.
A flash of energy heralds Hinako's arrival. "Aria-chan,
there you are!!" the youngest sister calls out, then gasps as Aria's
hand lands over her mouth, the young Parisian shushing her. "Ooops!"
Hinako covers her mouth as Aria looks out of their hiding space.
***I believe they're a little too busy dealing with the pansies
to worry about us now,*** the Staff muses.
"Aria thinks so, too," Aria nods, then turns to Hinako. "Let's
go back to Nii-ya!"
"Hai!!" Hinako nods.
They vanish in a flash of light and energy...
* * *
*Who in the Creators' name were they?!* Otako wonders, having
seen the two girls briefly appear on the bridge while she had been
busy fighting off the flowery onslaught from her own control console.
"GET THESE FLOWERS CLEANED UP!!!!" Oogi's bellowed scream causes
her to duck. "THE GREAT EVIL'S GETTING AWAY!!!!"
She glances at the bridge monitor, it now showing an image of
the "Windrider" soaring past the cloaked bow of the bioroid factory
as it moves to enter Earth's atmosphere. "Can you track them?!"
she calls over to the primary sensory station.
"I can't!!" the woman there is now knee-deep in blossoms.
"These flowers're shorting out the sensor controls!!"
"All planetary scan units are off-line," another woman, this one
hip-deep in pansies, reports. "The sensor equipment rooms are
totally filled with pansies. It'll take an hour at LEAST to clean
them out...! Aaaah!!" she yelps as a pansy sprouts on her forehead.
Oogi watches this, then screams out, "MOROBOSHI, YOU DEVIL OF
DEVILS!!!! YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!!!!"
The Avalonians in the control centre sigh as they continue
to try to clean up the mess...
* * *
"AH-CHOO!!!!"
"Hey, you okay?!" Ranma stares at Ataru from Chikage's station
on the bridge.
Ataru moans, rubbing his nose. "Someone's talking about me..."
A flash heralds the return of his youngest sisters. "Onii-tama,
we're back!!" Hinako calls out.
"Eh?!" Ataru glances at them. "Where'd you two go?!"
Hinako and Aria walk around his chair to take their places.
"We planted some flowers, Nii-ya," Aria politely covers her mouth.
The others on the bridge gaze at them. "Flowers?! What
flowers?!" Rinrin wonders.
Before Aria could answer, the main doors open, revealing
Kaho. "Aria-chan!! What did you do with Kaho's pansy seeds?!"
Aria stops, then reaches under her cassock to draw out a
familiar bag. "Here you go, Kaho-chan," she hands it back.
Kaho opens the bag to see that there still are seeds there.
She then stares at Aria. "Did you use any of Kaho's pansy seeds?!"
***Only one was required,*** the Genesis Wand's voice echoes
in the cheerleader's mind.
Kaho screams out, tripping over herself to fall face-first
into the deck. Everyone else winces -- falling on the deck aboard
the ship was a lot worse than falling on the floor in Welcome House
-- then Aria stares at the Wand. "Tsue-san, don't scare Kaho-chan
like that!"
***Sorry,*** the Wand apologizes.
"Auntie Kaho, are you okay?" Kaneko stares worriedly at her
fallen aunt.
Kaho moans, rubbing the side of her face before getting back to
her feet and sliding into her chair beside Hinako's station. Reiko
glances at her father. "Papa, we're entering the atmosphere
now. Heat shields deployed."
"Alright, alright," Ataru waves her down. "Let's get home!"
The others cheer...
* * *
In Tomobiki...
"Eh?! What are you saying?!"
"The space vessel bearing Master Moroboshi and his family has
been spotted on long-range radar, Young Master," a Kuromegane
reports. "It appears to be heading for a splashdown-like
landing in the Sagami Sea, close to where Mistress Ryuunosuke's
island is located."
Mendou takes that in, then rises. "Track it!! Find out where
that ship is going!"
The bodyguard straightens himself. "At once, sir!"
* * *
"The Young Mistress will not be pleased to hear this," a Kuroko
muses as he sneaks away from Shutaro Mendou's study...
* * *
"Ara?!"
"Eh? Something wrong, Saki-chan?!" Ryuunosuke gazes on Sakiko,
both now in the cafeteria enjoying morning recess.
Sakiko is looking in a southerly direction. Blinking a couple
times, she then gazes on her lover. "Oh, it's nothing, Ryuu-chan.
Sei-chan, Darling and the others just got back. They're landing
in the sea near the island right now."
Ryuunosuke takes that in, then her eyebrow arches. "The Sagami
Sea? Why would they land there?! Unless..." her voice trails off.
Sakiko purses her lips, then snaps her fingers. "Ah, soo na!
Darling and the others must live on Oomure-jima!!"
"Eh?! Oh, you mean the island near Odawara?!" Ryuunosuke
stares at her.
"I guess so," Sakiko nods...
* * *
"Oomure-jima?" Shinobu perks, then sits back in her chair; she
was seated a table away from Ryuunosuke and Sakiko...
* * *
Minutes later...
"Whoooo!!! That was a ride and a half!!" Rinrin whoops.
"We normally don't do landings like this, Auntie Rinrin!"
Reiko looks up from her console as the "Windrider" glides towards
Promised Island; the solar-sail ship had touched down in the broad
expanse of water between Promised Island and Ryuunosuke's Island.
"Can we dock the ship by First Street?" Karen wonders.
"No, I'm afraid that we've got too deep a draft, Karen-chan,"
Ataru shakes his head. "We'll just have to glide her aground in the
soft sand near the House, then use a laser causeway to get ashore.
I just hope the MiBs'll allow me to keep the ship here."
"We should get a real dock built for her," Rinrin rubs her chin.
"It can be done, but it'll take a while..."
"Doing a seabed scan," Kaneko cuts in. "Papa, there's a nice
spot just south-west of Welcome House, about twenty metres off
shore."
"Put us there, Kaneko-chan," Ataru nods.
"Hai!"
Underwater, two retractable caterpillar jets extend from the
"Windrider's" sides. Kaneko taps controls to make the ship tilt away
from the Island, keeping her speed down to a minimum to ensure the
keel wasn't banged up too much when she slid into the silt. A few
minutes later, the "Windrider" rocks fore-to-aft as her bow digs into
the underwater sand bank. Kaneko cuts the forward motion, then
retracts the jet mounts as Reiko looks over her shoulder. "We're
in secure, Papa! Dropping the sea anchor," she taps a control.
The ship reverberates with the sound of an anchor chain racing
through its hawser. Silence falls for a moment, then the "Windrider"
tilts slightly as the chain is pulled tight, the anchor itself buried
into the rocky silt due south of its parent ship. "Sea anchor in
place," Reiko reports. "Opening the weather deck hatch, extending
the laser gangway to the Island now."
"Yay!! We're home!" Rinrin whoops as people get out of their
chairs.
Proceeding aft, they head up to the covered part of the weather
deck above Ataru's cabin, then forward through a hatchway to the open
deck. Moving to the port side of the ship, they gaze on the Island
they call home. "Never thought the old place'd look so great!"
Mamoru stretches herself, then blinks on noting the small crowd
gathered on the front lawn of Welcome House. "Ara?! What's going
on...?"
"Hey, look at the rotunda!!" Sakuya gasps, pointing.
Everyone looks. "Wait a minute..." Rinrin's jaw hits the deck.
"WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON HERE?!?!"
"What?! What?!" Ranma demands.
"Look, Onee-sama!" Sakuya points.
Ranma looks, then gapes. "Hey, wait a sec'! This was supposed
to be done by Saturday! It's Thursday!!"
"And who expanded ALL the rooms?!" Yotsuba adds.
"C'mon, everyone!" Sakuya waves everyone over the laser gangway.
"Let's check this out!!"
"HAI!!!!" the others chant.
The sisters scramble ashore via the laser gangway, leaving
Ataru, Ranma, Seiko, Akane and Shinshi behind, along with the twins
and the others who had come on the rescue mission. "Ne, ne,
Ataru-kun, are they NORMALLY this excitable?" Akane wonders.
"Somewhat," Ataru's eyebrows twitch. "Then again, things like
this normally DON'T happen here!"
"Change of pace, ne?" Seiko crosses her arms...
* * *
"Oh, Sakuya-chan, girls, there you are!!"
"Eh?! Ah, Hazuki-san!" Sakuya waves at the town's ward manager,
Ayane Hazuki, a woman in her early thirties. The latter was now
standing with a crowd of townspeople, including the small
construction crew hired to deal with the rotunda's expansion.
Gazing once more at the altered rotunda to take in all the changes,
Sakuya turns back to Mrs. Hazuki. "What's going on here?!"
"That's what WE'D like to know!" the older woman responds,
gazing at the House, then she blinks as the front doors open.
Everyone turns to look as what appears to be Rinrin Hatoyama
steps out, walking smartly towards the other sisters. However,
this Rinrin, atop having blue eyes, is dressed in a strapless
green button gown that dropped to mid-thigh, calf-high boots
completing the ensemble. Staring at her, Yotsuba draws up her spy
glass to take a closer look, then she calls out,
"Mecha-Rinrin-chan?!!"
The others cry out, then Rinrin surges up to the head of the
crowd. Seeing her creator, Mecha-Rinrin's face breaks out in a
delighted grin as she races at Rinrin, arms wide. "Mama!!" she calls
out as she gives Rinrin a glomp, knocking the latter onto her back.
Everyone stares at this Kodak moment in stunned disbelief;
from what Rinrin had told them when asked, it would have been weeks
if not months before Mecha-Rinrin would be considered ready for
full-time operation. "But how...?" Yotsuba wonders.
"Greetings."
The sisters look at one at the young man in the two-tone blue
jumpsuit who had just joined them. One look is enough.
"Onii-chan...?" Karen gapes, then looks right to see Ataru walk up
from the gangway to the "Windrider." "Two...?"
"Nii-samas?!" Shirayuki finishes.
"But...?" Kaho stammers.
"Bou-san?" Hinako shudders.
***The person now closest to Rinrin and Mecha-Rinrin is your
brother's twin brother, Hina,*** the Staff reports.
***DNA scan confirmed,*** the Genesis Wand adds. ***This person
is also your brother.***
Silence.
"Two Onii-tamas?" Hinako gapes.
"Two Nii-yas?" Aria echoes her.
"Two...?" Sakuya blinks, blinks again, then faces the man
closest to Rinrin. "Kaeru...?!"
A curt nod. "Affirmative."
More silence.
"Two Aniue-samas?" Marie claps her cheeks.
"Affirmative," Kaeru nods again.
Still more silence, then the sisters scream out as one,
dogpiling the surprised Kaeru with a chorus of hugs and kisses.
Watching this from nearby, Ranma blinks, then gazes at Ataru. "Do
you think we should tell them about Nokoko-oneechan now, Ataru?"
she whispers.
His eyebrow twitches. "I'm not so sure..."
* * *
Later...
"So you decided to help finish both the house repairs and
Mecha-Rinrin-chan when you came here, Onii-chan?!"
"Affirmative, Karen. The work is not yet finished," Kaeru holds
up his finger, then lightly nods as Shirayuki places a cup of cherry
tea before him. "After work was finished on Mecha-Rinrin,
I offered Mega-Rinrin a chance to have his systems upgraded. He
accepted it."
Starstruck "Oooh"s and "Aaah"s echo from the other sisters
as everyone enjoys late morning tea in the dining room. "You better
watch out, Rinrin-chan!" Mamoru chuckles, gazing on the teen genius.
"Kaeru-anii's got you beat ten ways from Sunday!"
"Well..." Rinrin flusters.
"Mama, aren't you happy?"
Rinrin jolts, then stares at Mecha-Rinrin, who stands beside
her. A worried look is etched on the android's face. "I..." Rinrin
pauses as she tries to find the right words to say in this case, then
she breathes out. "Gomen, Mecha-chan. Of course I'm happy that
you're on your feet and all that, but..." she shrugs before looking
at her lap. "I wanted to be the one who finished work on you."
Mecha-Rinrin takes that in, then a light smile crosses her face.
"I understand, Mama," she nods, then leans down to whisper in her
ears. "And no matter what, Mama, you will always be my creator,"
she then kisses Rinrin's cheek.
Rinrin blushes. "Mecha-chan..."
"Anigimi-sama, it's just amazing," Haruka pats her heart. "To
believe that all this time, with everyone here believing you to be
dead, you were actually living on a planet at the other end of the
galaxy!"
"Why didn't you come back earlier?" Ataru wonders; he and Kaeru
presently sit at opposite ends of the table.
Kaeru considers the point, then sighs. "I never considered
returning to Earth beforehand because, emotionally, I felt that I had
all I really needed on Nagussa, Ataru. I had a family to care for
me, friends and co-workers..." his voice trails off.
"However?" Chikage prods, sensing the coming "but" in Kaeru's
explanation.
"However, save for myself, all sentients on Nagussa are highly
sophisticated androids, virtually the same model as what Mecha-Rinrin
is configured in as of this time," Kaeru indicates Rinrin's replica.
"Because of that, it is impossible for me to seek out a potential
lifemate among my adopted people. To that end, I logically had to
return to the place of my initial activation and seek a mate here."
Silence falls as the sisters consider that, then Ranma's eyebrow
arches. "You mean EVERYONE on your planet's an android, Kaeru?!"
"Yes, Ranma, everyone," Kaeru nods.
"Poor Onii-sama," Sakuya gapes. "It's no wonder that you speak
like a computer!"
"To be raised in such a society..." Haruka shakes her head.
"I think you're the lucky one, Ataru-kun," Himiko, standing
behind Haruka's chair, gazes on her old schoolmate. "Even if your
parents did turn out to be a pair of selfish jerks, at least you were
able to live in a normal society."
"I guess so," Ataru faintly nods, then stares at Kaeru. "So how
long do you intend to stay, Kaeru?"
"As long as required," Kaeru reports. "Asking someone to leave
Earth and relocate to Nagussa would be traumatizing in the least."
"Why don't you stay here instead, Anii?" Mamoru wonders. "Yeah,
you've been living on Nagussa all these years, but..."
"Even if Earth is the place of my initial activation, Mamoru,
Nagussa is my current home," Kaeru notes.
The others hum, many nodding...
* * *
The Tendou home, some minutes later...
"Onee-chan, tadaima!!"
Kasumi walks out of the kitchen, then stops on seeing Shinshi
and Akane standing in the sitting room, accompanied by Yotsuba,
Marie and Hinako. "Shinshi-chan..." she focuses on the replica
of her late sister, then her eyes soften. "Okaeri nasai,
Akane-chan."
"Onee-chan..." Akane sniffs, then runs into Kasumi's embrace.
"Gomen..."
"It's not your fault..."
Both break down and weep, they sinking to their knees as they
hold each other tight. The others watch this with a smile, then
Shinshi glances around the room. "Did Nabiki go to school today,
Onee-chan?"
"H-hai," Kasumi pulls away from Akane to gaze on her brother.
"She contacted Jay-san to help get hers and Akane-chan's school
records out of the school. Kay-san went to the morgue to have
Akane-chan's body disposed of, so..." she stares at Akane.
"What about Dad?" the smile slips from Shinshi's face.
Kasumi blinks, then she scowls. "What about him?" her voice
turns cold as she helps Akane to her feet before she glances at
Yotsuba. "Oh, did you girls find this 'genesis wand' for
Aria-chan...?"
"Hai, Ane-chama, found and reeled in," Yotsuba winks. "Even
better, Ani-chama's twin brother Kaeru came to visit us on the
Island. He got all the add-ons to the rotunda finished while we were
gone. You all can move in today if you want."
Kasumi's eyes widen. "Ataru-kun's...? Twin brother?! I didn't
know he had one!"
"We all believed Aniue-sama had died when he was a baby," Marie
chuckles. "In truth, two very nice people from a planet named
Nagussa saved his life, but transported him to their planet and
adopted him as their son."
Kasumi stares at her. "That's...!" she pauses as she tries to
pick the best word to use in this case, "...unique!"
"That it is," Shinshi nods.
"Yotsuba can't WAIT to meet Ani-chama's parents!" Yotsuba
giggles in anticipation.
"They're visiting?" Akane stares at the would-be detective.
"Hai, Yotsuba checked it out with Ani-chama before we came here.
They might come here this weekend."
"That'll be strange," Akane muses.
"Why do you say that?" Kasumi wonders.
"All the people on Kaeru-kun's home planet are androids,
Onee-chan, like the ones Rinrin-chan makes. He's the only organic
humanoid on Nagussa. In fact, he came here because he was looking
for someone to be his wife and mother of his children."
"Wonder how he's going to find someone who'd be willing to move
to a planet on the other side of the galaxy," Shinshi chuckles.
"Maybe we should make Onii-tama a girlfriend," Hinako proposes,
pointing up.
The others look up, then Akane blinks. "The bioroid factory?"
"That sounds like an excellent idea," Marie nods.
"Something to keep in mind," Shinshi muses...
* * *
"Aaaah..."
"Shirayuki, are you malfunctioning?"
Shirayuki jolts, spinning around to see Kaeru gazing concernedly
at her from the doorway into the kitchen. "Ah, Hime's alright!"
the chef waves her recently returned brother down, then gazes on the
blank section of wall over the sink. "It's just that..."
"What is the matter?" he steps up beside her.
She sighs. "Hime wishes Nii-sama didn't take away Hime's
kitchen window," she waves to where the window used to be.
"Ah," he nods understandingly.
Part of the improvements Kaeru had put into the rotunda was a
two-floor guest apartment which took up space beyond the kitchen
on the first floor and the girl's washroom on the second, linked
to the second floor with a vestibule that took up half the space
above the main doors. Reiko's and Kaneko's room took up the rest of
that space, plus the space beyond the girl's furo room. The new
apartment had its own door to the outside, plus a second-floor
door opening into the stairwell. To better facilitate that, the main
foyer connecting the first floor rooms to the main doors was closed
off, the space turned into an expanded dry store room for the
kitchen.
The extensions to the ground floor rooms were all provided
with doors leading to the outside as a result. Even more, two new
doorways were drilled through the wall of the dining room, one
opposite the kitchen door, the other opposite Ataru's and Ranma's
apartment door. A new stairwell from the second floor to the first
was installed by the door to the girl's furo room, ending by the door
to Ataru's and Ranma's room. A safety wall was thrown up between
the old and new stairwell. Ring patios were added to the second
and third floor rooms, they (atop the sundecks at the fourth floor
level) all augmented with emergency escape ladders in case of fire.
"I understand, Shirayuki," Kaeru looks at the kitchen side door.
"Unit Five!"
The side door opens, revealing one of Kaeru's construction
robots. "*Unit Five, reporting as ordered, Master Kaeru.*"
"Have a visual projector unit installed here. Configure
and program it to give Shirayuki the window view she possessed
before the expansion to the rotunda was initiated. Do it now," the
engineer orders.
"*Compliance.*"
The robot scoots in to carry out its mission as Kaeru guides
Shirayuki away from the sink to give the robot room. "Sugoi desu
no!" the chef gushes before gazing on her brother. "Nii-sama,
arigatou desu no," she wraps an arm around his.
"The installation should take approximately twenty minutes,"
Kaeru reports. "This projector is similar to devices used in most
standard habitation units on Nagussa, Shirayuki. You should be quite
satisfied as to the overall result."
The chef blushes. "Hime wouldn't mind it if Nii-sama made
something less."
Kaeru gives Shirayuki a curious look. "Desiring something
less than peak performance is not logical, Shirayuki."
She stares surprisedly at him, then giggles. "Nii-sama sounds
so much like Spock-taisa and Data-shousa!"
"They being...?"
"Gomen nasai desu no. Hime thinks Nii-sama can't watch 'Star
Trek' on Nagussa."
"Ah," he nods, then blinks. "What is 'Star Trek," Shirayuki?"
The chef giggles...
* * *
"You're not jealous, are you, Ani-kun?"
Ataru blinks, then looks up from the crystal ball to see Chikage
smiling. "Jealous...?" he sighs, then shakes his head. "No, not
really. I..." his voice trails off, then he deflates. "I'm not sure
HOW I'm supposed to feel about this, Chikage-chan."
"Understandable," the sorceress rises, heading to her wine
cabinet. Drawing out a bottle of soju -- Korean sweet potato vodka
-- and two shot glasses, she returns to the table. "As you very well
know, Kaeru-anikun was Kinshou's and Muchi's favourite child. His
'death' and the disappearance of his body afterward hurt them badly.
The fact that Kaeru-anikun's adopted parents didn't bother to report
his fate to anyone here on Earth simply served to deny Kinshou and
Muchi any final closure over his 'loss.' Both yourself and
Nokoko-anekun suffered greatly as a result of that," she pours him a
glass, then hands it over. "At the same time, because he was only
three at the time he was moved to Nagussa, Kaeru-anikun could not
really understand nor appreciate what effect his departure from Earth
would have."
"Yeah, I really can't be angry at him about that," Ataru drowns
the soju in one gulp, then sets the glass aside. "I suppose I am a
little envious of him, though. By the sounds of it, his adopted
parents are really something. I'd love to meet them."
"As would all of us, I suspect," Chikage nods, then drinks her
soju. "Still..."
"Problem?"
"Something is not right about Kaeru-anikun's situation,"
the sorceress reports.
"Bad?"
"Hard to determine right now with only him here," she sits at
the table. "I would have to examine his parents and friends before
I can make a positive determination as to what exactly is happening
on that planet..."
The door opens, then the black sheets framing the old part of
Chikage's bedroom are pulled back to reveal Aria. "Nii-ya?"
"What is it, Aria-chan," Ataru slips his hand over the shot
glass to block it from the young Parisian's view.
"Aria and Tsue-san are going to help Himiko-neeya and
Mikiko-neeya move their things to their new room."
"Okay," he nods. "Did Hinako-chan, Yotsuba-chan and Marie-chan
go to the Tendous?"
"Hai, they did. Aria'll return soon," Aria smiles, then steps
out, closing the door behind her.
Ataru breathes out, then holds up his shot glass. "We have to
definitely hold off on this, Chikage-chan," he winks.
"Agreed," she smirks...
* * *
Minutes later...
"Are you two moved in up there?"
"Hai, Mama!" Reiko calls down from the twins' new bedroom.
"Uncle Kaeru even made a bunk bed for us!"
"Do you need anything?" Ranma calls up from the kitchenette.
"We're okay," Kaneko assures her.
"Okay," Ranma nods, heading into the new bedroom space set aside
for herself and Ataru. Awaiting her there is a queen-sized
bed; it had been pre-ordered before modifications to the rotunda
had been started. Canting her head, she is quick to detect the
sounds of people moving furniture around to take advantage in the
doubling of their personal space. Sitting on the mattress, she
bounces on it for a bit before laying back. "Can't stay too
comfortable," she chuckles to herself before the door opens.
"Ataru?"
"Hai, it's me," Ataru steps inside, then glancing around the
wall divider separating their bedroom from the old bedroom space,
smiles. "I take it everything meets up to your expectations?"
his eyebrow arches.
"My expectations are so down in the dumps, I could NEVER
comprehend something like this," she gazes at him, then perks.
"Drinking?"
"One shotglass of soju straight from Korea," he assures her,
moving to sit beside her. "I often snuck in some beer when I went
on school field trips, so in truth, I'm no real stranger to alcohol.
And Noukiios is a planet where drinking's been pretty much made into
an artform," he lays down on the mattress. "If I was to get their
help in dealing with Grandma's killers, I had to go along with a lot
of their traditions. Fortunately for you when you visited, you
stayed with a group of young kids. They don't start drinking until
after puberty."
"Well, PLEASE try to keep it away from Reiko-chan and
Kaneko-chan," she squeezes his hand.
"Hai, hai, Ojou-sama, I will," he gives her a smile, then leans
over to peck her cheek. "I take it you don't drink."
"Strange, ne?" her cheeks flame at his kiss, then a content
sigh escapes her as he rolls over to gently hold her in his arms.
"Genma used to get rip-roaring drunk with Souun a lot, especially
when things went really wrong between Akane and I. I tried it a
couple of times after I moved into Nerima. I could never hold it
down as a girl. Being a boy wasn't too much better for me when it
came to alcohol."
"Lucky you, I guess," he gently bats his nose over her earlobe.
"Why's that?" she closes her eyes.
"If you were a girl and drunk?"
Ranma considers that, then blanches. "Oh, shit..."
"Right, especially given that you'd be stuck as a girl if you
wound up getting pregnant by accident," Ataru nods.
A shudder runs through her. "Could you imagine if it was Souun
who did that to me?"
He pales, disgust crossing his face. "How could you think of
something like THAT?!"
"Fast way of 'uniting' the schools."
"True..."
A knock at the door. "Ataru-kun? Ranma-chan?"
Ranma rises, jogging over to let Kasumi inside. "Welcome
to Promised Island," she opens her arms for the Tendou matriarch.
The older woman stares at the martial artist, then her eyes
soften. "Arigatou," she walks into Ranma's embrace...
* * *
Later...
"So it's definitely Oomure-jima where they're at, right?"
"Hai," Sakiko nods as she enjoys lunch with Ryuunosuke,
Shinobu, Minako Sawada, Tomomi Yoshino and Kyooko Ikusawa in the
cafeteria.
The others exchange looks, then Ryuunosuke gazes on the ceiling.
"Man, I never expected that. I'd figured that Moroboshi would've
moved to the farthest place in Japan from here, if not inta another
country. Oomure-jima's just a ferry ride from Odawara."
"You're not thinking of going to visit this place, are you?"
Minako stares at Shinobu.
Ataru's former girlfriend perks, then gazes at her empty plate.
"I'm not sure, Minako-chan..."
"I'd forget it if I was you, Shinobu-chan," Ryuunosuke warns,
then takes a sip of her tea. "If what Karen-san did ta ya aboard
Moroboshi's ship didn't show how much those girls wouldn't trust any
of us, I don't kno-..."
"Okay, okay! She's gets the message!" Minako cuts her off, then
places a reassuring hand on Shinobu's shoulder.
The latter flashes the former a grateful look, then jolts as the
cafeteria's doors fly open, allowing a palanquin to be carried in by
two of the Kuroko. The bodyguards bring their cargo up beside
Shinobu's table before the curtain is parted to reveal Ryooko Mendou.
"Konnichi wa, minna-san," the young heiress of the Mendou family
fortune steps out, bowing to her friends.
"Ryooko-san, konnichi wa!" Sakiko nods as Ryooko takes a chair.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Hai, there is," the latter nods. "I take it you all now know
where Moroboshi-san, his sisters and Saotome-san live?"
The others nod. "Does your brother know?" Shinobu wonders.
"I'm afraid to say that he does," Ryooko breathes out. "And
there might be a problem."
"What do you mean?" Ryuunosuke blinks...
* * *
Back on the Island...
"So you want to place your mother's memorial here,
Kasumi-neesama?"
Kasumi blushes. She and Shirayuki now stand in the chef's old
bedroom space; Hinako had just teleported her sister's belongings
up into her new bedroom. The small memorial to Kimiko Tendou now
sits in front of the empty closet. "Hai, this seems like a good
spot. Maybe I should ask your brother to take down these doors,
then we can use the closet as an alcove for Mother's memorial."
"Okay!" Shirayuki straightens herself. "Unit Six!"
A light rush of air heralds the arrival of one of Kaeru's
robots. "*Unit Six, reporting as ordered, Mistress Shirayuki.*"
"Hime and Kasumi-neesama want the doors taken down," Shirayuki
points to the closet doors. "We're going to use the space as a
memorial for Nee-sama's mother," she indicates the butsudan.
"*Do you require the memorial placed inside the subject space
when modifications are complete, Mistress Shirayuki?*"
"Desu no!"
"*Compliance.*"
The two women step back as the robot goes to work. Kasumi
instantly notes the care Unit Six takes with the butsudan, which is
carefully moved away from the construction zone before it begins
to tear down the doors. "My, Kaeru-kun's robots are so handy, are
they?"
"Hai desu no!" Shirayuki giggles.
"Are they programed to cook?"
A curious look crosses the chef's place. "Hime's not sure."
"They can be programmed if you desire that, Shirayuki."
Both turn to see Kaeru and Rinrin stand at the doorway to
Shirayuki's and Kasumi's new common area. "You can?" Kasumi blinks.
"Affirmative," Kaeru nods, then glances at Shirayuki. "Unless
Shirayuki would consider such a potential insult, of course."
"Eh?!" Shirayuki jolts.
"Aniki, I told you I didn't mind what you did to Mega-Rinrin
and Mecha-Rinrin!" Rinrin protests.
"But you DID state to Mecha-Rinrin that you desired to be the
one who completed work on her, Rinrin," he reminds her.
"Hai, hai, I did, I did!" she nods, then leans over to embrace
his arms. "But thanks to what you did -- not to mention what I can
learn from those Zeiwanite androids that help out on the 'Windrider'
-- I can learn all the RIGHT things about robotics and creating
AIs."
"I hope Nagussa doesn't have a Prime Directive," Kasumi notes.
"If it does, you might be disappointed, Rinrin-chan."
"'Prime Directive?'" Kaeru blinks confusedly.
"It's from 'Star Trek,' Nii-sama," Shirayuki smiles. "It's
sometimes called the 'Non-Interference Directive.' It's meant to
ensure that advanced cultures don't end up harming less-advanced
cultures on purpose or by accident."
The Nagussan engineer considers that. "I understand. An
article of legislation forbidding the imposition of more advanced
thought or technology on a less socially-advanced culture." A shrug
twitches his shoulder. "That is an interesting problem you have
raised, Kasumi."
"You're not going to take Mega-Rinrin or Mecha-Rinrin
away from me, are you?!" Rinrin frets.
"What is the logic behind absconding with your creations,
Rinrin?" Kaeru stares quizzically at her.
Rinrin jolts, then laughs embarrassingly as she rubs the back
of her head. Watching this, Kasumi and Shirayuki exchange a look.
"Hime thinks there won't be any problems with Nii-sama," the latter
whispers to the former.
"I guess so," Kasumi nods.
A knock at the door. "Onee-chan?"
Everyone stares at Akane. "What is it, Akane-chan?" Kasumi
wonders.
"I've finished moving in with Ma-chan," the youngest Tendou
reports. "Do you need any help here?"
"I..." the Tendou matriarch pauses, then shakes her head. "No,
I'm alright. Unit Six here is setting up Mother's memorial. We'll
set aside the other room here for Kimiko-chan whenever she and
Hikaru-kun come to visit."
"Okay," Akane nods, then heads off.
The others watch her go, then Kaeru glances at Kasumi. Noting
the latter's pinched look, he cants his head. "Are you not pleased?"
"Eh?!" Kasumi jolts.
"About Akane and Marie forming a marei'cha bond and commencing
a relationship?"
"I..." the Tendou matriarch's cheeks flame, then she pats her
heart. "Well, I suppose if this is normal for Avalonians, I really
have no right to object to that happening, but still..." her voice
trails off.
"You are concerned that their bonding does not conform with what
is considered acceptable in Japanese society."
"H-hai!" Kasumi stutters.
"Understandable," Kaeru nods. "None the less, I should remind
you that forcing Akane and Marie to part will gravely harm them both.
And I must report that, in my opinion, they do form a very
aesthetically and emotionally pleasing couple."
"You mean they're gay and lesbian couples on Nagussa, Aniki?"
Rinrin wonders.
"Affirmative, Rinrin. There are also many three- and four-party
family groups active. I should note that the one-male/one-female
family unit is actually quite rare on Nagussa. Fortunately,
it is one I am familiar with."
"But you said your mother's lover was another woman!"
"That is correct. I am referring to my own relationship
with my fellow engineer."
"EH?!!" Rinrin and Shirayuki gasp together.
"You have a girlfriend, Kaeru-kun?" Kasumi blinks.
"If I understand that term correctly, Kasumi, then I answer
in the affirmative."
"But don't forget, Aneki," Rinrin holds up a finger. "Aniki's
girlfriend is an android."
Kasumi stops, her eyes widening, then she looks down. "Oh..."
"Poor Nii-sama," Shirayuki frowns, then blinks. "Unless..."
"What?" Rinrin wonders.
The chef's eyes go wide. "Hinako-chan!" she snaps her fingers.
"What about Hinako?" Kaeru asks.
"Soo na!!" Kasumi nods, quickly realizing what Shirayuki
has in mind. "Kaeru-kun, you love your girlfriend, don't you?!"
"I..." the engineer blinks confusedly, then he nods.
"Affirmative."
"Is she coming to see you here on Earth?!"
"Affirmative."
"Then we can ask Hinako-chan or Aria-chan to use Bou-san or
Tsue-san to create a bioroid body for your girlfriend with the
bioroid factory's help, Nii-sama!" Shirayuki shudders with
anticipation. "You can certainly have a baby with her THAT way,
Nii-sama!!"
"Even better, you could possibly offer that sort of conversion
to everyone on Nagussa, Aniki!" Rinrin adds.
Kaeru considers what his sisters just said, then nods. "That
appears to be a very logical course of action to undertake."
Rinrin and Shirayuki cheer...
* * *
"So you're actually from another planet?"
"Hai," Mie sips her tea, she now relaxing with Ataru, Ranma,
Seiko, Karen, Sakuya and Chikage in the dining room. "Most likely,
I'm from this Sagussa place where the Staff, the Genesis Wand and
this bioroid factory in orbit ultimately come from."
"But because of your amnesia, you can't be sure, right?" Karen
wonders.
"Hai."
"That's terrible, Mie-san," Seiko frowns.
"Well, it's not as bad as you might think," Mie smiles. "My
adopted family were quick to see me as a replacement for their real
daughter Mie. She was killed in a typhoon just before I came to
Earth and we look very much alike. And..." she shrugs. "Well, the
part of Yame where we live is pretty isolated, so it was easy to pass
me off as the real Mie." She sips her tea. "Some people know the
truth, but it doesn't bother them that much. We're pretty laid back
in Yame, sort of like things are here on Promised Island."
"Where's your ship, then?" Ranma wonders.
"My ship's in an old Imperial Navy seaplane hangar on Tsushima
now; it's on land owned by my adopted uncle. I was going to ask
Rinrin-chan if she could take a look at it, but with your brother
here now, Ataru-kun..." Mie's voice trails off.
"I'll ask him, then," Ataru chuckles, then stares at the
skylight overhead. "Curiouser and curiouser..."
"Why do you say that, Darling?" Seiko asks.
"How many things point to this Sagussa place, Sei-chan,"
he stares at his transformed ex-fiancee. "Mie-san here, the
Avalonians, the Staff, the Genesis Wand, that ship Aria-chan saw when
she got that 'sea shell' for Marie-chan from the starwhales..."
"The Cyborg," Chikage adds.
Ataru jolts. Seiko and Ranma give the sorceress wary looks.
"What cyborg?" Sakuya stares curiously at her sister.
"Something else Ani-kun ran into on Phentax Two," Chikage
explains.
Sensing the saving move she is making, Ataru breathes out.
"Something I really don't want to reflect on," he adds.
Sakuya gazes on him, then nods. "Right..."
The doorway to the left of the Rinrin Viewer -- it had been
shifted to the new section of wall covering the old door space --
then opens, revealling Kaeru, Rinrin and Shirayuki. "How're things
with Kasumi, girls?" Ranma wonders.
"We're just getting her mother's memorial moved in now, Aneki,"
Rinrin reports as she and Kaeru take their seats.
"Ne, Kaeru-oniichan, do you know of a planet named Sagussa?"
Karen asks as Shirayuki heads into the kitchen to prepare more tea
and snacks.
The Nagussan considers that question, then nods. "Affirmative,
Karen. It is located in a stellar cluster outside the galactic
heliopause directly opposite from where Nagussa is located. It is
currently inhabited by one hundred thousand young females gleaned
from over twenty carbon/iron-based blood, humanoid races native to
this half of the galaxy."
"A hundred thousand GIRLS?!!" Ataru gapes. "Why?!"
"To form a solid population base to repopulate and restore
the planet to ecological life, Ataru," Kaeru explains. "The old
Sagussan race was nearly terminated fourteen thousand Terran-standard
years ago in a five hundred year civil war. The last of them
disappeared ten thousand years ago. At that time, a large starship,
designated 'the Gatherer,' was deployed to locate suitable female
candidates to serve as Daishi'cha -- that term, in Sagussan,
literally translates as 'great first mother' -- for a new and
restored Sagussan race."
The others take that in. "But the women found by the Eternal
Voyager were all dead, Kaeru-san," Seiko notes.
"'Eternal Voyager?'" Kaeru blinks confusedly.
"She means this ship, Ani-kun," Chikage raises her hand, then
whispers a spell.
A ghostly image appears over her hand. "That's the ship
Aria-chan saw!" Karen reports.
"That is the Gatherer."
Eyes lock on Kaeru, then Mie stares at Seiko. "Is this ship the
'Eternal Voyager' you just spoke of?"
"Yes!" Seiko nods.
The transplanted Kyushu native blinks, then stares at her hand.
"I was actually dead once...?"
"You're pretty alive to me, Mie-san," Ranma notes.
"Affirmative," Kaeru nods as Chikage disperses the Gatherer's
image. "The Gatherer and its companion AI based on Sagussa, located
in an installation designated 'the Chamber of Eternity,' employ a
mineral-rich regeneration matrix to restore the women found by the
Gatherer to fully operational function. Furthermore, they are
modified at the micro-molecular level to use of traditional
Sagussan psionic abilities, which are the same as those used by your
Avalonian companions. I am not aware of how the Avalonians factor
into this matter, though."
"Most likely, they were separate projects," Chikage sits down.
"That is a logical hypothesis."
"So how does your brother fit into all this, then?" Mie stares
at Kaeru, indicating Ataru with a hand.
Kaeru considers that question, gazing at Ataru. "There is one
possibility."
"What's that, Onii-sama?" Sakuya wonders.
"Ataru is the first Daimon'cha candidate to be selected to
interact with the Daishi'cha."
Everyone else blinks. "And what does 'Daimon'cha' mean?" Ranma
wonders.
"'Great first father.'"
Silence.
"A hundred thousand women...?" Sakuya gapes.
"All for...?" Chikage's eyebrow twitches.
"Onii-chan?" Karen's jaw drops to the floor.
*THUMP!*
Everyone stares at Ataru, now flat on his back, his eyes
spiralling. "A hundred thousand..." he moans, then passes out.
"Ataru!!"/"Darling!!" Ranma and Seiko leap to his aid.
The others watch. "Aniki sure took THAT well, didn't he?"
Rinrin muses.
The other sisters ruefully nod...
* * *
To be continued...
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