Disclaimer: No money is being made from this and no such intent should be 
inferred.

C&C,, public or private is welcome. I respond to all C&C....eventually

************************
"The best part of going to see this movie is going up to the ticket window 
and saying 'Two to see Monkeybone.'"
-Claude Nimbler

****
Not for nothing was Kiyone the youngest first class detective in nearly a 
century, and with a twitch of her wrist, the holdout plasma pistol slid into 
her hand. It was small, compact, had one shot, and the setting was hardwired 
to kill. It was also illegal as hell under GP regs and she was the only one 
who knew about it. 

Kiyone never used to carry one until one bust went awry and the head of the 
gang decided to have some fun. Fortunately, he had been interrupted by a GP 
SWAT team before he could begin. Since then, Kiyone had carried the pistol as 
a last resort. If she was ever in that kind of situation again...not even she 
would survive a plasma blast at pointblank range.

Another thought occurred to her. Her pistol was gone, as was the circle-whip 
and energy knife, but why did she still have the holdout?

There would be time enough for that later, she decided, and whipped around, 
leveling the pistol at-

Kiyone froze. The woman standing before her was not Mihoshi, in fact, she 
wasn't even a Melcon. "You're...you're Maru Hiboshi...where's Mihoshi?!"

"Away," Hiboshi replied flatly. She hadn't aged one bit in the past hundred 
and fifty years or so, Kiyone noted. Hiboshi wore a light gray turtleneck 
sweater, black jacket, gloves, pants and boots. A brown belt encircled her 
waist, and the hilt of an energy knife protruded from the top of one boot.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Kiyone grabbed her holdout pistol with both 
hands. "Maru Hiboshi, I hereby place you under arrest for assisting in the 
murder of twelve hundred and fifty GP officers, cowardice and dereliction of 
duty, Place your weapon on the floor, kneel, and--"

"You want to find the Juraian prince or not?" Hiboshi interrupted. "We don't 
have time to be standing around gabbing."

"Place your weapon on the floor," Kiyone began again.

"Listen to me, idiot," Hiboshi snarled. "The Prince is in the hands of one of 
the most depraved maniacs in the universe. If you knew what Aran and I found 
out when we landed on Mekoh, you wouldn't be pointing that pistol at me."

"And that would be?"

"He's a Sayjin," Hiboshi replied.

The holdout clattered to the floor.

****
Aye's eyebrow was twitching and Tenchi Misaki wished he was anywhere but in 
the conference room. He knew first hand that the twitching was a prelude to 
Ayeka losing her temper, and the droning smugness of the Council 
representative as he read off a list of what he had politely termed 
suggestions, but whose wording left no doubt that the Council was giving 
Ayeka orders.

"I see," Ayeka said softly when he finished. "Kamyia." A Juraian Knight 
stepped forward.

"Yes, Regent?"

"Take Lord Fal," she indicated the representative," down to the dungeon and 
schedule his execution for...oh tomorrow morning. List the charge as...I 
suppose treason will do. See to it that the rest of the Council receives the 
same treatment."

"You have no right!" Fal exploded as Kamyia approached him. "You're--"

"Regent of Jurai," Ayeka said coldly. "Until Prince Kinshoue comes of age, I 
speak for, and wield the full authority of, the throne. That means the 
Council serves at my pleasure, and not theirs." She steepled her fingers. 
"Choosing to live on Earth is not a sign of a feeble mind, Lord Fal. Humans 
have a great deal to teach us. You and the other Council members can consider 
that while you're all waiting for the executioner. Take him away."

When the door closed behind them, Ayeka surveyed the table. Her parents and 
Aunt Funaho were staring at her speculatively, Tenchi, Nobiyuki and Ryoko in 
openmouthed shock. As her eyes met those of her father, he nodded ever so 
slightly in approval, something he had rarely done.

"With that out of the way," Ayeka said. "There's work to be done. Since 
Reptek penetrated our defenses, we can probably expect a repeat of what 
happened after Ryoko struck seven hundred years ago."

"Which was?" Ryoko asked.

"Jurai's primary weapon is our illusion of invincibility. By stealing 
Kinshoue, Reptek indicated that we might be otherwise and therefore, can be 
attacked. No doubt enroute to this system are several fleets of ships from 
various pirate clans, conquerors, and other miscreants seeking to exploit our 
'weakness'. Aunt Funaho, you will take Father and Ryoko with you and assume 
command of the system defense with Father in command of the orbital fleet. I 
suggest that you place Ryoko with the forces defending the outer system, but 
the final decision, is of course, yours."

"Hey! Why do I have to go?" Ryoko demanded.

"You attacked Jurai once, now you will help defend it. You owe us that much. 
Have the ships broadcast a general warning that any attempt at attack will be 
met with deadly force. Mother, you will be in charge of planetary defense. 
Take Tenchi with you and place him with the palace guard. Mister Nobiyuki 
will go with you as well. Have him oversee the construction and design of 
barriers within the palace halls. I don't actually expect them to get any 
further then the inner system, but I refuse to take any chances. The honor of 
Jurai is at stake. Good luck."

****
Sayjin.

The word rang in Kiyone's imagination, as it did in all the imaginations of 
all the races within the known galaxy, like the clap of doom.

"He can't be one..." Kiyone gasped. "They're dead...all dead."

Of all the races to hold the power of using one's own life force as a weapon, 
the Sayjin race stood above the rest with only the Jurai, and a few space 
pirates, capable of challenging their might. Masters of hand to hand combat, 
the Sayjins had made a living out of clearing planets of life for anyone with 
enough credits. Having refined genocide into an art, their crimes were beyond 
number, but not even Jurai could completely stop them. In the end, they were 
blockaded inside their home system, but not confined, not completely. One of 
their ships managed to occasionally get through the blockades, and yet 
another race was wiped from the universe as a result.

Then, mysteriously, their planet was destroyed, taking most of them with it. 
Only four Sayjins had survived, and they were long since dead. But there were 
rumors, whispers that there had been more then four survivors. Exiles, and 
those coming home who had the presence of mind to turn around and try to 
outrun the blast.

"No," Hiboshi said. "Not all of them. Reptek's proof of that." 

Kiyone snatched up the pistol and jammed it in Hiboshi's face, her own terror 
and concern and fear for Kinshoue raging inside her. "You're lying!" She 
screamed. "You have to be lying!" Hiboshi said nothing, just stared at her. 
"Liar..." Kiyone whispered as she saw the truth in those dark orbs, but could 
not admit it to herself. "They're all dead. They have to be...they must be."

Slowly, almost gently, Hiboshi pushed the gun down. "Kinshoue is in the hands 
of madman, regardless of his race. An innocent needs help. Will you give it? 
Or will you stand there and blubber like a baby?"

"I am a GP officer!" Kiyone snapped. "We do not blubber!"

"Then prove it! Reptek is a second generation Sayjin half-breed and he's 
nowhere near the level of the rest of his race. He can be taken by someone 
with the guts. I know I have the guts, do you?"

Kiyone stared at her for a long moment. "I got them," she said quietly.

"Then come on."


They were a day and several hours in hyperspace before Kiyone decided to 
speak. "You know where Reptek took Kinshoue?" She asked, sitting in the 
mate's chair. 

"No."

"No? But then where are we going?"

"We have something to pick up first," Hiboshi replied as she brought the 
yacht out of hyperspace. Before them was a green and brown planet, surrounded 
by ribbons of clouds. A blue-white star shone in the distance and a glance at 
the nav display told Kiyone they were not on any of the yacht's charts. "And 
its on that planet."

****
Hiboshi set the yacht down outside a small village surrounded by a high stone 
wall. The gates were wood, and flanked by bipedal statues, each one sitting 
down and holding up crystal orb as though in offering to the heavens. Hiboshi 
was out of her seat almost before the engines had finished powering down and 
headed for the exit, Kiyone close behind.

The villagers looked like wrinkled old birds and they made huffing noises 
when they breathed. Their gait seemed to be a fast, albeit limping, shuffle 
and they completely ignored the two women. The houses were made of stone 
blocks with flat roofs and one door and window.

"You crazy fox!" Hiboshi suddenly shouted as she stopped walking. "Why the 
hell aren't you dragging your wrinkled ass out here to say hello?"

"Because my wrinkled ass is perfectly comfortable right where it is!" Someone 
shouted back from one of the houses.

"Don't make me come in there!"

"You do and I'll make some tea!"

"Your threats mean nothing to me, old woman!"

"You've never drunk my tea!"

Hiboshi made a noise that sounded very much like a snicker and began walking 
towards one of the larger houses.

Inside the house, they were greeted by an old woman in a purple dress that 
covered her from neck to toe. She leaned on an old twisted and gnarled cane 
and was thin and frail looking. Her long white hair was unbound and a single 
earring glinted in her left ear.

Her advanced age didn't stop her and Hiboshi from exchanging loud insults 
that eclipsed any Kiyone had heard in the barracks at the GP Academy. Not 
wanting to intrude on what was some kind of reunion of sorts, the GP officer 
instead looked around.

Two chairs were arranged before a large fireplace and a bed, neatly made was 
against the wall. An outdated kitchen unit was near the window and in the 
darkest corner like some sentinel, was...

"You have got to be kidding me..." Kiyone muttered under her breath. Up 
close, the suit didn't look like cutting edge custom made combat armor. The 
orange, yellow, and green metal was pitted, and showed signs of makeshift 
repair. Almost reverently, Kiyone laid her hand on the armor's chest. It was 
cool to the touch, almost tingling with history.

"It saved my life many times," said a soft voice. Kiyone turned. The old 
woman was standing not three feet away, arthritic hands clasping her cane. 
Despite the effort it must be costing her, she stood tall, green eyes proud 
and stubborn. "My name, Detective, is Samus Aran. Maru tells me that you have 
a problem."

****
"Gone?" Ayeka asked. Her voice did not change and her gaze did not waver from 
the massive hologram the Jurai System that dominated the war room. Somehow, 
that made her seem all the more terrifying.

"Yes, Regent," said the GP rating who stood nearby. Palace security observed 
Lieutenant Mabiki pursuing Detective Mihoshi into one of the racing yachts. A 
security shuttle was dispatched, but the yacht made it into hyperspace before 
the shuttle could clear the hyper limit. The monitoring beacons registered 
the yachts passage into unknown space some ten hours ago. The shuttle has 
only just returned. The captain accepts full responsibility for his failure 
to catch them."

"There will be no blame assigned," Ayeka said. "Miss Kiyone is a pilot of 
unparalleled skill. I'm sure she had her reasons. Who does that leave in 
command of the GP unit here?"

"That would be Detective Sergeant Hoa, Regent."

"Have the GP forces deploy for riot control," Ayeka said. "Tell Sergeant Hoa 
that doing so will earn Jurai's gratitude." 

The rating nodded and hurried out.

Ayeka continued to stare at the holo.

****
"I suppose it was too much to hope that he died," Aran said, staring moodily 
at the hearth. "Should have known it was too easy."

"I don't understand," Kiyone said, looking back and forth. "The reports..."

"Were a crock of Bantha shit!" Aran snapped. "Reptek was a pirate of Zebes, 
and Mother Brain taught them to plan and do so meticulously. He knew he'd be 
hunted, he must have...and we took the rap for it."

"Stupid," Hiboshi agreed. "It was so obvious too. They must have been in on 
it."

"Who was in on it? In on what?" Kiyone felt very much like the proverbial 
fish out of water. 

"They must have missed one." Hiboshi stood up. "No help for it. Better get 
into the monkey suit, Aran, we have work to do."

"No."

"What?" Hiboshi stared at Aran. "But Reptex is out there and you're-"

"Too damn old. I'm a Hyborean for Tokimi's sake. I know its a foreign concept 
to you, Hiboshi, but we age. I'm two hundred standard years old, Maru. I'm 
too old to put on the suit and run around saving the galaxy. At my age, the 
damn thing would tear me apart, borghancement or not."

"Then I'll wear it," someone said and with a start, Kiyone realized it was 
her. "I'll wear the suit."

Aran stared at her. "No."

"No?" Kiyone shouted and grabbed Aran's arm. "There's an innocent-" The next 
thing she knew, she was lying on the ground, her head sore where it had 
smacked into the ground. 'She took me down,' Kiyone realized. 'Two hundred 
scruddin years old and she took me down so fast I didn't realize it till I 
was on the ground.'

"Its not as simple as just putting on the suit," Aran said, taking some pills 
and a container of water from Hiboshi. The old woman's face was pale and she 
was breathing heavily. She swallowed the pills, her color returning and her 
breathing slowing almost instantly. "The suit's active response system pushes 
your movements, speeds them up. Organic muscles can't handle the strain."

"Which was why you had the enhancements," Kiyone said.

"Very good, Lieutenant. Without those 'superpowers', I never would have made 
it as far as I did, and neither will you, even if I was so inclined to let 
you put it on. Besides, there's no way to do the conversion. The Chozo have 
put their technological ways behind them and you'll find nothing more 
advanced then a windmill here."

Kiyone looked at the window as the sunlight dimmed. Looking out, she saw the 
Yagami descending out of the sky into the village square. It...and its full 
band com system, had caught up to them. "I know someone who can," she said 
softly.

****
Professor Washu, holder of more degrees then most people had hairs on their 
heads and arguably the greatest scientific mind the galaxy had ever seen 
scratched her head and stared at the scan she had made of Samus Aran's 
insides. "Let me get this straight," she said to Kiyone. "You want me, to do 
this," she pointed at the scan, "to you?" She then pointed at the suit. "So 
you can wear that?" Kiyone nodded. "The GP won't let you stay on the force, 
you know how they feel about full body borg conversions, no matter how 
organic they look."

Kiyone took her badge off her uniform and held it out to Washu. "I know that 
this badge," she said, her voice deathly quiet, "means more to me then life 
itself...and if I let an innocent die because I'm too scared of losing it, 
then I've failed it and everything it stands for, everything it means."

"Well, since you're sure," Washu said, and police officer and scientist 
vanished.

A moment later, so did the suit.

*************
Steve "Komodo" T.
Get inside my head (but bring a flashlight)
http://www.livejournal.com/users/pandoras_closet
RC Books Page (under construction)
http://www.rcbooks.org/users/profiles.php?user=0003.dat
"Great," Nabiki said, getting up to pace as her voice began to climb in 
volume with every word. "Kasumi gets a man who worships the ground she walks 
on, Akane has three different rich lunatics, or kings, or Demigods fall in 
love with her nearly every day--and that's just before breakfast, mind 
you--and what do I get?" She glared at SETCOM's burnished black metal shell, 
her voice soft, but her tone as cold as ice. "A computer."



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