"Whattaya mean they're not gonna let us go to Earth?!"
Benten shuddered, her fists clenching as she glared at Nassur.
Standing beside the Fukunokami teen, Oyuki maintained her usual calm
demeanour. One look into her eyes, however, told the expat Vosian
bounty hunter that the Neptunian crown princess was as upset as her
friend about this turn of affairs. They were standing in a hangar at
Onishuto Revolution Space****t; some distance from what was left of
Uru's capital city. Nassur's ****p, ISS "Renegade," occupied this
particular space. Even several weeks after a make****ft antimatter
bomb wiped out most of Onishuto, killing more than five million of its
residents, the skies over this part of Uru were a slate grey. People
working outdoors within fifty kilometres of Ground Zero for protracted
periods of time, to protect themselves from fallout, wore respirators
and hazard suits.
"That's right," Nassur confirmed, nodding. "As far as the Noukiites
are concerned, there's no reason for any of us to visit Earth."
Benten crossed her arms. "Oh?! What about what Lupica wanted?"
"The Noukiite government has promised a full and detailed explanation
about all military and paramilitary missions run against elements of
the Urusian government to the Federation and other interested
parties." Nassur then held up a cautioning hand. "And yes, that'll
include everything Morobo**** Ataru might've been directly involved
with."
"Dammit, Nassur . . .!"
A touch of ice entered the Vosian's voice. "Benten."
Benten winced, though the flash in her eyes told Nassur that
explanation had not gone far enough. Taking a deep breath, he waved
the two women towards "Renegade's" gangplank. "I know you want to go
to Earth and see how Lum-chan and Ran are doing," he said, lowering
his voice in case any of the Noukiites serving as maintenance or
security overheard them. "There's nothing wrong with that. But don't
forget, as far as the Noukiite authorities are concerned, Lum-chan is
dead. Do you want me to try to explain to the Noukiites this
'crossing over' thing Lum-chan and Ran underwent as soon as they
arrived in Tomobiki?"
"Hell, no!" Benten snapped before she took a deep breath to relax
herself. "Look, Nassur. I personally don't give a **** about
Morobo****. Never have, to be honest with you. If he helped these
guys trace down the people who murdered his grandmother, it sure don't
bother me! But given how much Lum still likes the damned jerk, what
the hell's gonna stop some Ip'ihu asshole from finally puttin' two and
two together and make them decide to go after her?! After all she's
lost, Nassur, she don't deserve that at all!"
Nassur gazed on her, nodding. "Agreed, she doesn't."
"If only Father hadn't promised the Zephyrites that I wouldn't use
the Warp Chamber to travel to Earth again," Oyuki lamented.
"Well, you have to admit, telling Lum-chan's friends about her
'death' ended up doing more harm than good, Oyuki-sama," Nassur
warned.
Oyuki winced. In conversing with the women calling themselves Izumo
Seiko and Izumo Sakiko sometime ago, Oyuki and Benten had learned of
the terrorist attack on Tomobiki High School a week before. An attack
that, while launched in answer to the "space-taxi/world oil theft"
incident just after the first Tag Race, had been directly prompted by
the news Oyuki had brought to Earth concerning Lum's fate. "Yes, that
is true . . . "
"Nassur-chan?!"
He looked towards the doors of the hangar. The Vosian's blue eyes
glowed as his brainwave-tracking powers automatically locked in on the
newcomer. His bearded face broke out into a grin. "Dake-chan, what
in Lecasur's name are YOU doing here?!" he demanded as the newcomer
slipped off her breathing mask, her hand moving to unzip her hazard
suit to reveal a Fukunokami battle bikini.
Benten and Oyuki were stunned on recognizing the elfin-eared, red-fur
tailed bounty hunter, a woman whose origins had been lost in time for
five million years. "Dakejinzou!"/"Shogai-sama!" they blurted in
sync.
"Oh, no need to be formal!" Shogai Dakejinzou said as she slipped off
her hazard suit, nodding thanks as a technician came up to take it
away before she faced her old partner and his current companions.
"Anyhow, it's come to my attention that you three want to visit
Earth."
"How'd you find out?" Nassur wondered.
"The Inquisition. When you spoke to the military governor yesterday
about going to Earth to look in on what's going on there, one of the
liaisons from the Holy Inquisition overheard it. He relayed that
information to Inquisitor-Bishop Owleye on Jiyuu. Considering some of
the more . . . " -- her cat-slit blue eyes twinkled amusedly --
"*Unusual* cir***stances surrounding this whole matter, Firesky
decided that this will, for once, be permitted."
"We can go?!" Benten gasped.
"Yes. As long as you come with me on my ****p."
"Why?" Oyuki wondered. Then, as Dakejinzou gazed on her, the
princess added, "Well, not that we're not grateful, of course,
but . . . "
Dakejinzou held up a hand to stop her. "Princess Oyuki, I should
warn you that the Inquisition is aware of what happened to your
friends now on Earth," she said, lowering her voice. "They haven't
chosen to pass it on to the Noukiites. Nor will they do so. And if
you want to know why, you can thank Ataru for that if or when you see
him sometime soon."
Nassur blinked. "He asked them to keep silent about it?"
"Yes, he did," Dakejinzou replied with a nod. "And while there's
already enough problems when it comes to a 'first contact' with a race
like these Nendo-kata, I got the clear hint from Firesky that there's
something else involved in this. Something even HE doesn't know
about."
Dakejinzou winked at Nassur. The Vosian nodded. Firesky Owleye, the
senior Inquisitor in Jiyuu's sector, was one of the most famous lawmen
in the local cluster. A man who had hunted all sorts of malcontents
for almost two centuries, rumour had it that soon, he would be
elevated to Inquisitor-Archbishop and assigned the Inquisition's top
job, Supreme Defender of the Six Churches. Only one other law-
enforcement officer in the local cluster was spoken of with the same
respect the Zephyrite had gained from fans and detractors alike:
Nassur's and Dakejinzou's own teacher, Grand Duke Varanko of Kyotos,
Lord High Executioner of the Royal Kingdoms of Yehisril.
"Could it be perceived as a danger?" Nassur asked.
A shrug twitched her shoulders. "Hard to tell. But I believe this
is considered a very im****tant secret deep within the Morobo****
family. If it is and if it's seen as non-threatening, that's that."
"Oh, wonderful!" Benten spat out as she threw up her hands in
frustration. "In other words, what you're tellin' us is that Lum's
and Ran's lives now ride on Morobo****'s good ****in' will! Is that
it?!"
Dakejinzou's tail swished snappily to and fro. Nassur's eyes
rolled. He knew that anyone who elicited THAT reaction from the older
bounty hunter found themselves treading on VERY thin ice. "Benten."
Dakejinzou's voice lost its emotion as she fixed the younger girl with
a glare. "I should advise you to scuttle that attitude of yours right
away. Ditto with you, Princess!" She swung on Oyuki, causing the
Neptunian to wilt. "Before you two get any bright ideas, I should
warn you this: Some time ago, I agreed to go on retainer for Brother
Darklight Sunfire. He was Lady Nagaiwakai's chief advisor. The job
is simple: I am to help ensure, when I'm needed, that Morobo**** Ataru
AND members of his family are kept free of harm, both PHYSICAL and
PSYCHOLOGICAL harm!" She held up a warning finger. "In other words,
if either of you two pull any stupid stunts on Ataru or on any of his
sisters, you answer to *me.*"
Benten and Oyuki paled as they both ducked Dakejinzou's look. "I
see." Nassur then gazed on the younger women. "By the way, girls, if
you think I'm going to help you out in that case, you're both
mistaken."
Lum's friends moaned. Everyone then jolted as a communications
buzzer sounded off. Dakejinzou tapped her earring. "Yes, ****p?"
"*Message from Ipraedos Listening Post Seven,*" the main computer of
the hunter's ****p, ISS "Goddess of Luck," replied. "*They detected
the Ellsian patrol monitor RENS 'Rose Emperor' having passed their
area of operations twelve hours ago. En route to the Earth-Neptune
system.*"
Everyone perked. "Elle?!"
**** **** ****
"Lonely Souls"
By Fred Herriot
pyeknu@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
OR fherriot@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
**** ****
Based on "Urusei Yatsura" and "Ranma 1/2," created by Takaha****
Rumiko; and "Sister Princess," created by Tenhiro Naoto and Kimino
Sakurako.
**** **** ****
Set in the universe of the fan-fiction series "Urusei Yatsura - The
Senior Year," created by Mike Smith and Fred Herriot
**** **** ****
NOTE: The writer's notes are in a separate text file.
**** **** ****
THE SEVENTH PART, "B" SIDE - EMPTY DREAMS
"THIS is your champion kendou-ka?!"
Chikage shook her head as Kunou slowly staggered back to his feet.
Nearby, Marie exchanged a look with Nabiki. "Nabiki-san, has Kunou-
san there EVER faced a serious challenger?" the former asked.
Nabiki snorted. "No, he faced Ranma-chan all the time, but he denied
it to himself every time she plastered him all over the place."
"You . . . "
Kunou recovered his footing, turning to gaze dizzily on the young
sorceress. As Chikage's cool yet sensuous looks began to register in
the kendou-ka's mind, a familiar surge of desire foamed from his
heart. "Truly impressive for one as lovely as you, my violet-haired
goddess of night!" he declared. "Yes! Very impressive indeed . . .!"
"Oh, ****! Here he goes again!" Fujii Chieko groaned.
"Chieko, there ARE children present!" Nabiki scolded her friend.
Chieko acked as she glanced at Hi****o. The youngest of the sisters
stared at the older girls with a giggle. "It's alright!" she assured
everyone as her hand rose to her mouth. "Jii-san and Mamoru-chan
swear even worse!"
Marie snickered. " . . . before I soundly deal with the traitors and
backstabbers who've no doubt fallen under the spell of that wretch
Saotome Ranma and your own perverted brother . . .!" Kunou growled
before a stricken look crossed his face. "Oh, the SHAME you must
feel, Violet One!" he wailed. "To be related by BLOOD to such a
scoundrel as . . .!"
*CRACK!*
Kunou gasped as the end of Chikage's jou slammed into his breastbone,
sending him faltering back two metres. "First of all, *Sempai,* my
name is not 'violet one.'" The sorceress swung into a new ready
stance. "And secondly, I happen to be very content with my
relation****p with Ani-kun. After all, compared to a fool like
YOU . . .!" -- in the flash of an eye, she was standing nose-to-nose
with the kendou-ka, her dark-eyed gaze boring into him like twin
amethyst drills -- "Ani-kun is TEN TIMES the man!"
Kunou jumped back. "WHAT?! You DARE proclaim such a lie?! No
doubt, that black scoundrel has enchanted you to . . .!"
*Tap!* ****atsu strike to the throat to freeze his voice box. "You
were about to say I've been enchanted by Ani-kun into saying such
'lies,'" Chikage mused as she stepped back from the kendou-ka,
allowing the jou to rest in her hands. "Spare me. No, please! In
fact, spare us ALL your verbal diarrhoea, Tatewaki. You wouldn't know
real magic if it stripped you ****, deposited you in an amphitheatre
in the middle of typhoon season and made you dance the Macarena in
front of a crowd of ***-starved nymphomaniacs!"
Gales of laughter welled up from the crowd as many of their minds
quickly conceived of what Chikage's unique allegory would look like.
Hearing that, Kunou shuddered as the sorceress turned her back to
him. "Though truthfully, it shouldn't really surprise me that you've
continued to live under the delusion that the male and female Saotome
Ranma are two separate people. You've had that curse demonstrated to
you HOW many times to date? Five? Ten? Twenty? Tell me something,
Tatewaki: Do you actually become AROUSED every time you see such a
handsome specimen of adolescent manliness as Ranma-kun transformed
into a bubbling vision of adolescent womanhood as Ranma-chan?"
The laughter picked up, which made Kunou quake as Chikage continued
her tirade, "Tatewaki, please!" She shook her head, a *tsk-tsk*
clicking her voice in the background. "If you ARE bi***ual, why,
there's no need at all to feel ASHAMED about it!" Hearing that,
several viewing this gripped their stomachs as delirious guffaws shook
them from head to toe. "Being such doesn't make you the victim of
some moral 'poison' as some of the more narrow-minded among us would
fervently claim at the drop of the proverbial hat."
A voiceless roar escaped Kunou as he lunged on her, his bokken
zinging for her forehead. People screamed as the sorceress seemed to
freeze in place. She disappeared into a faint blur as the jou knocked
the kendou-ka's weapon out of his hand. The wooden sword flipped
through the air in Marie's direction.
* * *
"We got the ones at the shrine, Rose!"
"Okay, ma'am! Locking in on the one at the school now!!"
* * *
Seeing the big stick fly through the air, Michael barked as he lunged
for it. "Ah, Michael!" Marie cried.
She moved to restrain her pet. Hi****o swung to follow. "Marie-
chan!"
People watched as Michael leapt into the air, snaring the bokken. A
whoop echoed through the crowd as the retriever made a perfect
landing. Marie moved to catch him as Kunou leapt at the dog to
retrieve his weapon. At that moment, Hi****o reached the spot Marie
was standing at when Seven Bake Rose, in orbit, locked in on her bio-
signature and energized her ****p's trans****ter.
Instantaneously sensing the de-materializing energy seemingly
focusing on its controller, the Staff of Gihan briefly flared as it
formed a protective ****eld to prevent Hi****o from being taken away
from her sisters and friends. That ****eld deflected the sensor trace
off to Hi****o's right, directly on Kunou Tatewaki. The energy faded
for a second as the sudden change of target coordinates was noted in
the trans****ter's computer unit, and then de-materialization began
anew. This time without interruption.
If he still had a voice, Kunou no doubt might have bellowed something
rather inspirational. Such as, "WHAT FOUL SORCERY IS THIS?!"
People watched wide-eyed as the defrocked kendou team captain
vanished in a shower of sparkles. Silence fell over the front lawn of
Fuurinkan High. By then, Michael had turned to give his new prize to
Marie.
Hi****o then asked, "A-ri-ri?! Where'd he go?!"
Marie looked, blinking on seeing everything in place save one kendou-
ka who had been in the midst of being humiliated by Chikage.
"Wha . . .?"
Mutterings rose from the crowd as Hi****o walked up to stare on the
spot where Kunou had last been. "Ne, ne, Chikage-chan?" she asked as
she faced the sorceress. "Why'd you make him go away like that?!"
***Actually, Hi****o, someone else took him away.***
"Huh?! What do you mean, Bou-san?!"
The Staff whispered the answer. Watching the young girl speaking to
the magic wand in her hand, the assembled Fuurinkan High students and
staff didn't feel any need to panic. After all, compared to some of
the things they had been witness to or been a part of -- including the
welcomed sight of Kunou Tatewaki being made to vanish before their
very eyes minutes before -- having kids speak to magic wands
seemed . . . well, seemed NORMAL!
"EH?!"
Eyes locked on Hi****o. The youngest of the sisters was wide-eyed as
she turned on Chikage. "Chikage-chan! Bou-san just said . . .!"
"That someone in orbit over Earth just tried to abscond with Marie-
chan?"
"Yeah, she . . .!" Hi****o stopped herself, sighing. "Chikage-chan?"
"Hai?"
"DON'T DO THAT TO HINA!"
"Do what?"
Hi****o moaned. A cell-phone rang. "Mo****-mo****," Marie answered
it. "Oh, Aneue-sama, is there a . . .?" She stopped as Negako's
voice cut her off, and then her eyes went wide. "EH?!" she shrieked,
making everyone stare her way. "***SOMEONE KIDNAPPED OUR SISTERS?!
***"
As soon as that shout faded into the early afternoon air, another
bellow echoed over Nerima from the general direction of the Tendou
doojou. "It seems that we don't need to inform Ani-kun about this,"
Chikage mused.
* * *
"***ELLE, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!***"
Kasumi and ****n****, standing at the doorway leading into the latter's
bedroom, exchanged a look as Ataru's outraged scream rocked the Tendou
home.
"I take it this must be a friend of Ataru-kun's," the former mused.
The latter fearfully chuckled. "Some friend!"
"'Friend?!'"
Both winced as Ataru marched up to them, finger rising in objection.
In his hand was a folded note of white paper embossed with a pink
rose. "Oh, no, NO, my friends! This lady's NO friend of mine!" He
shook his head and finger before he turned to indicate the spot where
Yotsuba had been standing. "No, indeed! She's a lot WORSE than
that!"
"And she is?" Kasumi prodded.
Dramatic pause.
Ataru turned away. "My fiancée."
The Tendous gazed at him as he let loose another scream. "Gee, and I
thought RANMA had problems with fiancées?!" ****n**** muttered.
Kasumi covered her mouth politely. "Oh, my!"
* * *
"Where am I . . .?"
Karen looked around, surprised to find herself in a softly coloured
room of white, light pinks and browns. The room, possessing the same
feel as a hotel room -- as the stepdaughter of a government official
who often travelled overseas on business, Karen knew what *those* were
like -- came with a bed, nightstand, work table and chair, what seemed
to be a television/entertainment centre, a small wardrobe with vanity
and what looked like a microwave oven. Two doors lead from this room
elsewhere. One clearly was the main entrance while the other seemed
to go into a bathroom. The room's stylishness, more advanced than
anything Karen EVER had seen, sent chills through her.
Where was she?
One of the doors opened, revealing a middle-aged woman in a dark
dress akin to what Guenevere wore when she tended to Aria. "Good
afternoon, Karen-sama," she hailed, bowing politely to her before she
came up to guide the young woman back to the bed. "How are you
today?"
Karen was quick to notice the lack of lip-synch between her mouth and
voice. Realizing that, another chill ran through her, though she
didn't resist the maid's guidance. "Where am I, miss?" she then
hesitantly asked.
"You're aboard the Royal Ellsian Navy ****p 'Rose Emperor,' dear," the
maid replied as she proceeded to the microwave. "Your sisters and you
are currently the guests of Her Majesty Queen Elle, your brother's
betrothed. Computer, tea, Earth Japanese 'sencha,' one cup, serve
standard."
The microwave -- *A replicator?!* Karen wondered, her eyebrow arching
-- beeped, and then the door opened to reveal a cup of tea.
"Arigatou," she said as the maid handed it to her. "Queen Elle? Why
would she want . . .?" Her voice trailed off as it suddenly hit her.
"Onii-chan?"
"I'm not aware of the exact cir***stances surrounding your brother's
betrothal to Her Majesty, but it seems she desires to press through
with the matter." The maid then gave her a sympathetic look. "And I
recommend that you do nothing which could anger the Queen, Karen-
sama. Many of us know that whatever Her Majesty desires, she gets."
Hearing that, Karen shuddered. "H-hai!"
A content smile then crossed the older woman's face. "If you require
something else, please use the call button by the lamp." She pointed
to the object in question before bowing to her charge. "Excuse me,
please."
The maid withdrew. Karen watched her go. Setting the cup on the
nightstand, she sank back into the bed. "Onii-chan . . .!" she
whispered as tears welled in her eyes, her arms wrapping around
herself.
* * *
"Rose?"
"Your Majesty . . .?"
"Why are there only NINE of Honey's sisters here?!" Elle, she seated
in the Flag Admiral's chair on the bridge of the "Rose Emperor," gazed
intently at Seven Bake Rose. "You guaranteed there'd be ten of them
ready for trans****t to the ****p when I wanted them brought here!
Where is Marie?!"
"I . . .!" The mercenary scratched her hair. "I can't understand it
myself, ma'am! I had a positive trans****ter lock on Susumu, right to
the point when I energized the system to bring her aboard! She
should've been beamed right into the guest cabin set aside for her!"
The monitor's science officer came up. "It's true, Your Majesty."
The Rose Queen glared at her. "What do you mean?"
A datapadd was handed over. "Trans****ter lock was confirmed as soon
as Rose activated the system," the officer explained. "But at the
instant the system was energized, the target moved away from the
location she was when trans****ter lock was made. At that moment, as
you'll see, something got in the way and deflected the trace to the
man now occupying Miss Susumu's guest room."
Elle gazed at the readout, blinking. "What caused this?"
The science officer shook her head. "Impossible to say at this time,
Your Majesty. I'm having it analysed right now."
"I see. Very well, then." Elle handed the padd back, and then she
gazed on Rose. "Well, save for this problem, you did carry out the
mission assigned to you, Rose. Well done. In the meantime, Captain,
I think it's time we left. Take us out of here and return us towards
To****o."
The monitor's captain nodded. "By your command, Your Majesty."
Rose perked as orders were barked to break orbit. "We're not
staying?"
Elle shook her head. "No. I'm taking her into the Slot. We'll
place ourselves halfway between here and To****o to wait for Honey to
react."
The Rose Queen then stood, heading to the turbolift to carry her
below decks. Her entourage of aides and personal bodyguards moved to
flank her as she stepped off the bridge. Rose followed her. "What
makes you think Mr. Groom can follow you, ma'am?" she then asked.
"A test, Rose. Remember, Honey DID fight with the Noukiites when he
decided to hunt down his grandmother's killers. I want to know how
well connected he is when it comes to the Dominion. This might be
turned to our advantage if we play our hand correctly. After all, you
know what might happen if the Noukiites carry out their threat and
withdraw from the Federation, much less secure formal ties with
Ipraedos and the Seifukusu. If that leads to the Federation's
collapse, I want the Kingdom to be on the winning side."
The mercenary considered that. "Smart thinking, ma'am. But what
happens if Mr. Groom can't get any help to rescue his sisters?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Rose."
"Yes, ma'am." Rose then perked as she remembered something else.
"Oh! What about that guy who got snatched in lieu of Susumu?"
"Throw him in with Miyake and her friends. From what I've seen of
him so far, he reminds me a little too much of Mendou Shuutarou."
"Yes, ma'am!"
* * *
"Headache, Ataru?"
Ataru blinked before a moan escaped him as Negako tapped a couple
points on his neck. "Thanks, Onee-chan. You're a life-saver."
"I try not to be," Negako noted as she sat down beside him, canting
her eyes to the shouting crowd in the middle of the old shrine's
living room. "How quickly these fools so readily revert to type, ne?"
He shook his head. "Got that right."
After giving Kasumi and ****n**** an explanation about his "betrothal"
to Elle, Ataru received a call from Marie, relaying information from
Negako concerning the Rose Queen's absconding with Kunou Tatewaki and
all his other half-sisters save Chikage and Hi****o. Returning to the
shrine, Ataru heard everyone's story, and then he sent Miree off to
find Ranma.
Those Ataru immediately thought of as the "Tomobiki Idiot Brigade"
arrived two minutes after the Hollywoodite high priestess departed.
Deep down, he knew it wasn't fair to call them THAT, especially now
with over thirty students somewhere in outer space, held hostage to
make him surrender and marry that rose-loving twit. But given the way
that some of the people in that group -- Sakura, Cherry, Onsen Mark,
plus a half-dozen Kuromegane from the Mendou estate -- began shouting
demands at him the instant they passed through the front door, it was
a relief when Negako came up and tem****arily silenced them with
****atsu strikes to the throat. At least Kotatsuneko had kept his
peace, merely setting up a low table (complete with the requisite
space heater) in the room, and then he began preparing tea for Ataru,
Negako, Reiko and Kaneko.
The local idiot brigade arrived a minute later, trailed by Chikage,
Hi****o and Marie, plus Michael. Ataru recognized Tendou Nabiki in
that crowd, though he strongly suspected that the old ninja in the
dark green bodysuit was possibly Sarugakure Sasuke, Kunou Tatewaki's
ninja retainer. As Chikage tried to give Ataru a detailed explanation
on events at Fuurinkan High, the crowd of boys in s****ts gear and
martial arts uniforms began loudly begging him to find the kendou-ka
in question. When Ataru asked why, one of the newcomers, a kendou-ka
himself, explained that, on behalf of Tendou Akane's school-wide fan-
club, they were honour-bound to finish thra****ng Kunou for all the bad
things he had done to her. Hearing that, the crowd of parents from
Tomobiki -- Ataru recognized only ****nobu's mother and father --
readily laid into them, wondering what made a narcissist like Kunou
more im****tant than their own babies. The shouting match started
right then and there.
"Hey, Ataru!"
Ataru looked up, breathing out as Ranma slipped through an open
window before making her way to the table. "Hi! Heard the news?"
"Yeah, Miree told me everything." She then blinked as a giant mi-ke
cat handed her a cup of tea. "Oh, um . . .! Th-thanks!"
"Ah, sorry," Ataru apologized before doing introductions.
"Pleased to meet you." Ranma shook Kotatsuneko's paw, and then she
gazed on the small crowd of people screaming and yelling at each other
by the front door. "Man, what the hairy hell's wrong with them?!" she
asked, pointing.
"Trying to prioritize who should get rescued first, I think."
"So what's the plan?"
Another groan. "Other than taking something for this headache I've
got now? Nothing at all," he confessed as he covered his eyes with
his hands. Then, as he pulled them away, he found himself staring at
Cherry's face.
"Ominous," the old monk grimly intoned.
A sigh. "Cherry."
"Yes, lad?"
"Get out of my face or get ready to meet the Buddha."
Cherry jolted as the emotion on Ataru's face suddenly faded, leaving
behind a steely mask which seemed to fit better on the face of the
inhuman monster currently seated beside him. Before he could respond,
an invisible fist grabbed him, sending him flying. "Heaven's Gate,
monks weren't THAT pushy back home!" Reiko muttered as she took her
place at the table.
"You try not to get used to him too much, musume-chan," Ataru noted.
A teary Hi****o came up. "Onii-tama, when are we going to get Karen-
chan and the others back?" she moaned as she dropped beside him,
leaning her head against his arm. He wrapped his arm around her as a
light kiss brushed her forehead. "How can that girl be so
mean . . .?"
"No one, Hi****o, has taken the time to imprint on Elle that
kidnapping is a crime even a queen must be held responsible for,"
Negako noted.
"I'll damn hell imprint SOMETHING on that creep," Ranma snarled, her
hands squeezing into fists. "Let's see how Miss Rose Queen likes
getting a taste of the Amaguriken or the Kaze-te at point-blank
range!"
"We have to be careful, Ranma," Ataru warned.
"Why?"
"Regardless of what we might think of her, she IS a queen."
"So?"
They exchanged a look, and then Ataru sighed. "True . . . "
Nabiki came up, sitting beside Reiko. She found a cup of tea in hand
thanks to Kotatsuneko. "Why aren't you in Nerima?" she asked the cat-
ghost, and then she took a sip. Good tea the big guy made. "So
what's the plan?"
Ataru nodded towards the shouting crowd behind Nabiki and his
daughters. "Hard to conceive of one with all that in the background."
"Right." Nabiki then stood, turning to face the crowd. "Okay!
OKAY, people! Let's settle down here!" She clapped her hands.
No response; in fact, the crowd's words seemed to pick up in volume.
Hi****o sniffed. "I don't think they heard you, Nabiki-san."
Nabiki's eyebrow twitched. In all the time she had used her "ice
queen" image, this had NEVER happened. Then again, she really
couldn't blame the people from Tomobiki, especially the parents, for
acting this way. Taking a big breath, she moved to shout them down,
and then she blinked as a hand fell on her shoulder. Looking left,
she saw Chikage standing there, a smile on the sorceress' face.
Recognizing what the younger woman might have in mind, Nabiki took a
step back, waving Chikage into the batter's box. Nodding her thanks,
the sorceress then faced the crowd, raising her right hand, her thumb,
index and little fingers splayed with the middle and ring fingers
tucked in.
"***OSCULUM PAPILIONIS!***"
Nabiki's jaw hit the floor on seeing a floor-to-ceiling, butterfly-
shaped wall of ki appear out of nowhere to slam into the crowd, mowing
them down like they were dominos knocked over by a strong wind. As
silence fell, Chikage lowered her arm, and then she gazed in amusement
at Ataru. "I believe they'll be willing to listen to you now, Ani-
kun," she announced.
"Thank you, Chikage-chan." Ataru rubbed his forehead. "So, atop
nine of my sisters being kidnapped, everyone in Miyake-san's old class
was also taken away? Plus Mendou?" He gazed on one of the
Kuromegane, an eyebrow arching. Seeing him shakily nod, Ataru
breathed out, "Okay . . . "
"So how can we rescue them?" Ranma wondered.
"Depends on what Elle might actually have in mind," Ataru mused as
Marie stepped out of one of the guest bedrooms to join them. "If she
knows about Karen-chan and the others, it means she probably had an
agent active in Noukiite space when I was helping them put the
Urusians down. It was around that time that I was given honorary
citizen****p in the Dominion, plus was allowed to have everyone
registered on the 'Nehek' family registry."
Marie blinked as she sat beside Ranma. "We have Noukiite
citizen****p?!"
"Hai! Papa needed that when he adopted Kaneko-chan and me." Reiko
then turned to Ataru. "Ne, Papa, why would this Elle creep want to
marry you? You told us in Sanctuary you never did step on her
shadow!" She then shrugged.
"True." Ataru sighed as the crowd by the door slowly stood, many of
them shuffling closer. A warning glance from Chikage ensured their
good behaviour. "So it'll be hard to determine why Elle would want
me." He then rolled his eyes as he added, "Unless it's just out of
vanity or pride."
Miyake Kimiki blinked. "'Vanity?!'"
"Hai. After all, I DID defy her when I found out about the
Refrigerator of Love. And Lum and her friends did pretty much make
sure that we never got married. I don't know everything I'd want to
know about Elle, but I do know she's pretty proud. To lose face like
that, especially in front of all those alien delegates at the
cathedral in Baran . . . "
"How many fiancés has this girl got?" Nabiki asked.
"A hundred thousand."
Silence.
"A hundred . . .?" -- Nabiki's eyebrow twitched -- "THOUSAND?!"
"Yep. Matter of fact, Mendou would have been her one hundred
thousandth 'cute boy' -- that's what she calls all those lifeless
dorks frozen up in her refrigerator -- had she been able to freeze
him."
Nabiki gaped. "They're cryo-frozen?!"
Ataru nodded, and then he jolted on hearing Hi****o sniff. Eyes
locked on the youngest sister. "Hina doesn't want Onii-tama to be
frozen!"
Ataru rubbed his sister's hair before playfully batting his nose on
her forehead. "Who says I'm gonna be frozen, Hi****o-chan?"
"So if this chick's got all these guys all stored up like sardines,
why waste the time goin' after you?" Takuichi Daikun, leading the
delegation from the Horde o'Hentai, wondered. "I mean, pride's an
im****tant thing, but . . . "
"Hey, Takuichi, remember Kunou with Ranma?" Daisuke, who had come
with Hiro**** in hopes of talking to Ranma, cut in.
Daikun gazed on him. "And this chick's a QUEEN?!"
"Daikun has a point," Negako mused.
"What do you mean, Aneue-sama?" Marie wondered.
"This all might be a test Elle desires to force on Ataru."
"A test?!" Sakura blinked confusedly. "But why?"
"Unless it's got something to do with Noukiios pulling out of the
Galactic Federation," Kaneko then spoke up.
"What does that mean?" Miyake Toshoba demanded.
Kaneko reached into her ****rt to pull out a circular device akin to
the base of a s****ts trophy. Placing that on the table, she tapped a
control to turn the projector on. Her eyes then glowed as she sent a
psychic command to the projector's central computer. A three-
dimensional local galactic map appeared in the air over the table.
The domains of the different powers were shaded in individual
colours. A pair of thick, wavy red lines rose up from the bottom of
the projection, nearly came together by one star, form a space
"bridge" in the direction of a nearby star, and then spread off to the
top and right side of the projection. "Where are we?" Kimiki asked.
"There." Reiko pointed at a blinking star, right where the two thick
lines first came together. "Everything between the red lines
represents member states of the Galactic Federation." She then
pointed to the gold space beyond the "bridge," a torrent of scorn
appearing in her voice. "Oh, if you all want to know -- much that I
can't understand WHY! -- this is Urusian space."
"Who are these guys?" Nabiki indicated the dark green area to the
lower right of the projection. "And them?" She indicated the large
mass of light blue that took up the upper left of the screen.
"Ipraedies and Zephyrites," Reiko explained, pointing to the dark
green area. "The Ipraedies were the Urusians' other big enemies
outside us. The dog people managed to make the rest of the Federation
hate them, too, but my people don't mind them so much. They're pretty
xenophobic, but once you get to understand them more, they're pretty
alright."
"And the Zephyrites are the local galactic superpower," Ataru added.
"My grandmother dealt with them pretty closely right up to her death;
they're the ones who helped the Men in Black get all their special
gear."
"And they border this link between our solar system and the start of
Urusian space." Sakura pointed to the "bridge." Light blue and dark
green flanked both sides of it from one end to the other.
Kimiki nodded. "That explains the First Tag Race! Ataru-kun, were
the Ipraedies planning to invade us before the Urusians came?!"
Ataru nodded. "Yes, they were. Reiko-chan, expand the map. Show
the whole galactic cluster from us out to Vos and Yehisril."
"Hai." Reiko tapped the projector, her eyes glowing.
The image soon became the upper left quadrant of a much bigger map.
The viewers noted that the Galactic Federation states all formed a
blobby, flipped-L shape around Ipraedies space. To the "right" of the
Ipraedies Empire was a massive field of turquoise. Down "south" from
that, touching both Ipraedies and Federation space, was a massive
field of bright crimson.
Nabiki pointed. "Who are these guys?"
"The other galactic superpowers." Ataru pointed. "The Confederation
of Vos . . . " -- the turquoise -- "And the Royal Kingdoms of
Yehisril." -- the red areas. "All of them being enemies of the
Ipraedies."
"They're hemmed in on all sides," Onsen grumbled.
"Yeah. Our area of space just happens to be beside the only thin
area of 'enemy' territory their space borders." Nabiki indicated the
point of light symbolizing Sol. "Unless these guys consider the
Zephyrites enemies?"
Her eyes fell back on Ataru, an eyebrow arching. "Not really."
Ataru shook his head as he crossed his arms. "Everyone, even the
Vosians and the Yehisrites, would have to be totally out of their
heads to challenge the Zephyrites head-on in an all-out sort of war.
What the Ipraedies want most of all is to see the Federation broken
up. Once that happens, their hostility to their neighbours -- save
for Yehisril and to a lesser extent, Vos -- could then be dialled back
somewhat. And the best break point is here." He pointed to Sol.
"Fortunately for them, Uru's defeat makes things a lot easier."
"What about their plans to invade Earth?" Onsen demanded.
"It would now be seen as unnecessary." Ataru stared at Reiko.
"Reiko-chan, change the map to show Noukiios out of the Federation,
plus the proposed demilitarized area between us and To****o."
The map blew up to a close-up of the Earth-Triton area. A small
sector of Ipraedies space, it possessing no star systems, switched to
jet black, merging with the "bridge" connecting Earth with Urusian
space. The Federation's space was severed at this area as the bridge
faded from view. "North" of the soft gold area marking Urusian space,
an area of emerald green lying alongside Zephyrite space was no longer
framed in red lines. A yellow zone appeared to encompass the black
zone once part of Ipraedies space, plus the bridge and some sectors of
Urusian space, including the star that had been at the "right" end of
the "bridge," plus three stars close to Noukiite space.
Sakura pointed to the areas of Urusian space marked as
"demilitarized." "Noukiios is going to impose all THIS on Uru?"
Ataru gazed knowingly at her. "They have no choice in the matter."
"So what happens in this area?" Toshoba pointed to the zone in
question. "'Demilitarized' means what in this case?!"
"It means that Uru can no longer send ****ps into this area to ensure
'free trade.'" Ataru smirked. "Which actually meant that any trade
from potential 'enemy' states like Ipraedos or the Seifukusu worlds --
and yes, Noukiios -- would be stopped and subject to inspection and
seizure by Urusian authorities. This is part of what's led to the
famine on Noukiios and her colonies in recent years. Other Federation
states -- the big grain and food producers such as Spotak, Zeiwan and
Phentax Five -- have tried for years to sell their surplus foodstuffs
to Noukiios to help alleviate their crop shortages. But all those
states are in the out-spin regions." He pointed to the bottom of the
map. "Once the ****ps got to Neptune and went through the Slot to
To****o, they then had to face Urusian customs inspection."
"And once they learned the food was going to Noukiios . . . " Nabiki
shook her head. "They impounded it, right?"
"Sometimes. Worse, some of the sneakier of the bunch would find ways
to spoil the ****pment to ensure they couldn't be put to use when they
arrived. If Noukiios tried to get food from Ipraedos -- and such
****pments have been generously offered in the past given how much the
Ipraedies wanted to stick it to the Urusians -- it wouldn't have
happened since Federation-wide policy -- policy forced on the others
by the Urusians, by the way! -- frowns heavily on any trade with the
Empire. The only other recourse for Noukiios would've been to deal
with the Zephyrites, but the Holy Republic can only spare so much.
And Noukiios would never trade with Uru as long as the Union kept
demanding the 'return' of three colony worlds they never had any
rights to in the first place." He indicated Okusei and her two sister
worlds on the map.
"They were being starved into submission," Sakura concluded.
"Right," Ataru drawled.
"You learned of this while you were working for them?" Cherry asked.
"Yep."
"I hate to say this, but with the way you've described them, Lum's
people are a bunch of two-faced HYPOCRITES!" Nabiki snapped.
"Focus that criticism directly on their government, Nabiki-san, not
the people," he declared, reminding himself to keep mention of his
former fiancée in past tense to maintain the illusion of her "death"
to many of the crowd standing in his living room, especially those
people from Tomobiki. "Lum would've not stood for any of this, so she
was never told about it at all."
Hi****o gazed on her brother. "Her papa lied to her, Onii-tama?"
Ataru nodded. "Yep. About a lot of things."
"That's fine and fair, but we've got a more im****tant problem ahead
of us. Namely getting everyone away from Elle," Ranma noted.
He spared her a glance, nodding. "True."
"Ne, Papa?"
"What is it, Kaneko-chan?"
"If you need a ****p to go after that baka k'uk'e, we have one!"
Ataru blinked, and then he leaned up to his daughter. "You
mean . . .?"
"Hai!" Kaneko grinned. "We brought it here with us! It can't do
you any good sitting in orbit over Noukiios, can it?!"
"Nani?! Nani?!" Hi****o looked at Kaneko, and then at Ataru, and
then back to Kaneko again. "What's Kaneko-chan talking about, Onii-
tama?!"
"Bring it here!" Ataru ordered as he gently squeezed Hi****o's hand.
"Hai!" Kaneko nodded as she reaches into her jersey to draw out a
flat, rectangular-shaped computer keypad. Her fingers darted over the
keys as she typed out a command code, and then she hit the TRANSMIT
button.
"Eh?!" Hi****o leaned close to gaze intently on the keyboard. "Is
this some new video game, Kaneko-chan? Can Hina play with it?!"
"Don't touch, Hi****o-chan," Ataru warned.
"But Hina wants to play with . . .!"
Her voice was cut off as a rumble filled the air, it echoed by a
tremor quaking the walls and floorboards. "What the hairy hell's
THAT . . .?!" Ranma demanded as she got to her feet, heading to the
window just as a shadow masked the early afternoon sun. "What
the . . .?!"
Everyone scrambled outside, looking up to stare at the keel of a
Noukiite scout****p, it hovering ten metres off the ground! As soon as
she got outside, Hi****o gushed, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAI! ONII-TAMA HAS HIS
OWN SPACE****P!"
"And where exactly DID you get this ****p, Ataru-kun?!" Nabiki asked,
an amused twinkle in her eyes as her mind filed this new little
factoid into the mental file she had been building on Ranma's new
boyfriend for the past while.
An embarrassed chuckle escaped him. "Well, after all Onee-chan and I
did for Reiko-chan's and Kaneko-chan's people, they felt we DID
deserve a reward for our troubles." He indicated Negako with a wave
of his hand and a shrug.
Marie contently smiled. "Why, wasn't that nice of them?"
"Indeed, it would offer an excellent view of the stars," Chikage
added.
"Hina wants to see Onii-tama's space****p!" Hi****o grabbed Ataru's
hand as she moved to drag him to the waiting ****p so she could look
around. "Hina KNOWS there'll be lots and lots and LOTS of nice things
for Hina to play with! C'mon, Onii-tama! Hina wants to see the
space****p!"
"Hey! Hey! HEY! Slow down, Hi****o-chan!" Ataru tried to yank his
hand away from his sister's determined grip. "We can't go yet!"
"But Hina wants to see Onii-tama's space****p!"
Sensing their youngest aunt about to throw a fit, Reiko and Kaneko
exchanged a look and a giggle before they dove in to rescue their
hapless father. "It's okay, Papa! We'll take Auntie Hi****o aboard!"
the former promised as she and her sister guided Hi****o away from
Ataru.
"Waaaaaaaai! Hina's gonna see Onii-tama's space****p!" Hi****o gushed
as the Noukiite twins telekinetically boosted their aunt into the air
for the star****p's weather deck aft of the main solar sail mast.
Marie covered her mouth. "Aniue-sama, Rinrin-chan is going to KILL
you for keeping this a secret from her."
He chuckled. "Well, I only got the 'Windrider' the day I finished
work on Noukiios! That was just before I went to Sanctuary for a
whole week!" He waved his hand. "'Sides, there's no dock for me to
park the thing anywhere on Earth! And I wasn't going to just plop it
down anywhere, for heaven's sake!"
Marie blinked. "Maybe we can build a space****p dock on the seashore
beside Welcome House. I'm sure the people on the Island won't mind."
She then gazed up, noting the solid metal hull lacking any sort of
visible access hatches below what could easily serve as the
"Windrider's" waterline. "After all, your ****p does look like it can
land on water."
"A good point to consider," Chikage noted. "Now all we have to do is
decide who'll come with us to help rescue the others."
Everyone blinked on sensing a large crowd of students, plus Sakura,
Cherry and Onsen, loom over them. "***WE'LL COME WITH . . .!***"
"***MOOKO TAKABISHA!***"
One ki blast later, the crowd of idi- . . .! -- er, would-be
rescuers! -- was smashed against the fence. "Thank you, Ranma."
Ataru took a breath before he gazed on Nabiki. "Nabiki-san, please
call your brother. You'll both come with us. Ditto with Miree and
her daughters, plus Himiko-san and Mikiko-san if they're interested in
helping out."
"ME?!" Nabiki balked. "Hey, wait a minute! I don't . . .!"
"I can trust you, Nabiki-san!" Ataru stared knowingly at her before
he thumbed the crowd of people Ranma just blasted with the Mooko
Takabisha. "Do you really, honestly think I can trust any of THEM?!"
Silence fell as the middle Tendou daughter considered his words.
"Ataru-kun . . . " She flustered before nodding. "Oh, okay!"
"Relax, Nabiki-chan." Ranma winked. "If you want to be a full-time
martial artist again, you HAVE to go on these jaunts!"
Nabiki gazed at her, her body quaking. "You just HAD to remind me of
that, didn't you, Saotome?" she muttered.
Everyone laughed.
* * *
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