Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Sailor Goddess ❯ The Family Continues to Grow ( Chapter 17 )

A Ranma One Half/Sailor Moon/Ah! My Goddess crossover Fan Fiction

By Michael A. Ivins

 

Ranma, and all of his/her friends and family are the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own any of them, nor do I own any of the characters from Ah! My Goddess or Sailor Moon. I'm writing this for fun, not profit. I'm so poor that suing me wouldn't do you much good.

 

WARNING: This is a sequel to a previous fic I wrote called, “Nodoka's Lessons.” That was a Lemon fic. While there won't be as much emphasis on sex (it will be more implied than described) in this sequel, it will deal with subjects like incest. If these subjects offend you, stop reading.

 

Chapter 17

The Family Continues to Grow

 

More time had passed. At the Saotome home Nodoka was off in the nursery tending to her daughter Reiko. In the bedroom Ranma and Akane were snuggling. With both at nine months pregnant neither really felt much like doing more than snuggling or kissing. It was enough to recharge the goddess' energies.

 

Akane was close to falling asleep in her lover's arms when Ranma's eyes went wide and she let out a gasp. The former Tendo woman became fully awake and asked, “What's wrong?”

 

The goddess said, “It's time. I just had a contraction.”

 

The mortal woman asked, “What, now? Shouldn't I be the first of us to give birth? I was the first one to get pregnant.”

 

Ranma reasonably pointed out, “There was only one day difference between the start of our pregnancies. Considering the magic in both of my forms and what's happened since then, it's not that far fetched to imagine me giving birth before you.”

 

Suddenly Akane reached over and grabbed for a small statue of a certain Egyptian goddess that sat on the nightstand. “Hathor,” she exclaimed. “We need you here now.” The statue was a talisman that was enchanted to summon the divine midwife.

 

Moments later the Egyptian goddess teleported into the bedroom. “You called?”

 

“Ranma had a contraction,” Akane told her.

 

The goddess of childbirth cocked her head to the side. She shook her head and said, “I thought it was an emergency. Akane, you were supposed to use that talisman to summon me when you started having contractions. Ranma's in no danger.”

 

Akane looked flustered. “But…”

 

The goddess explained, “Ranma's an immortal with healing powers. The babies are immortal too. I can help make the process a little more comfortable for her, but it really isn't necessary. She could easily birth her babies with no help at all.”

 

The divine midwife now peered closely at the mortal girl, using her magic senses. Finally she said, “I think I'm going to stay here for a while. Ranma may not need me, but I can tell that you are just about ready to give birth yourself. Even though you and your baby are very healthy, there are a lot more things that can go wrong with a mortal delivery. You might need me.”

 

About that time Nodoka stuck her head through the door. “I thought I heard… Oh, Hathor-San? What are you doing here?”

 

The Egyptian goddess smiled. “Hello, No-chan. Ranma had a contraction and Akane panicked. She called me.”

 

With a pout on her face the black haired mortal girl said in a sulky tone, “I didn't panic.”

 

The older Saotome woman soothed, “Of course you didn't panic A-Chan. You were concerned about your spouse. Considering that both of you conceived only a day apart you must be close yourself.”

 

Hathor confirmed, “She's very close. From what I read in her aura she might even go into labor with her one before Ranma finishes birthing her two.”

 

Nodoka's face lit up with a broad smile. “Grandchildren at last,” she said.

 

The Egyptian sighed. “With you having your own baby just two months ago, I must say I don't understand this obsession you have on the subject of grandchildren. I hope you realize that, since your son was Reiko's father, that makes her both your daughter and granddaughter at the same time.”

 

The elder Saotome wasn't about to let her mood be brought down. She said, “I know that and it's wonderful. But it's not the same thing as grandchildren by my son and daughter-in-law.”

 

The divine midwife snorted. “Then you must be nearly ecstatic now. You are probably within minutes or hours of having three grandchildren to dote on.”

 

Nodoka didn't speak, just smiled and nodded vigorously.

 

“How is little Reiko,” asked Hathor.

 

The auburn haired mother looked positively beatific as she replied, “She's such a sweet child. Even so she's rather energetic and a bit of a handful. I only just got her take a nap a few minutes ago. I rather hope she manages to sleep through Ranma and Akane's birthing experience. I'd hate to have to leave in the middle.”

 

Hathor assured her, “You shouldn't worry. Divine deliveries tend to be fairly quick on the average. Plus I intend to do everything I can to make Akane's delivery as easy, quick and painless as possible.”

 

As if on cue Ranma gasped again and said, “Another contraction.”

 

The midwife walked up and placed a hand on Ranma's forehead.

 

Akane went over to the corner and with a grunt, lowered herself into the chair there. She reflected on how unfair it all was. Even though the twins had caused Ranma's belly to grow even larger than her own, the redhead had been able to walk, sit and generally move around as if carrying twins had not been even the slightest inconvenience. Ranma hadn't suffered any backache. She didn't even have stretch marks.

 

The black haired mother-to-be felt heavy and ungainly. Her back hurt from the weight of the child in her abdomen and walking was awkward. She had been told that goddesses didn't have any of the pains or other problems of normal, mortal pregnancies, but it was still annoying.

 

Perhaps even worse was the fact that, while she wanted to be angry with Ranma, she couldn't. Her spouse had been unfailingly sweet, thoughtful, kind and helpful. If Akane needed help rising from her chair, Ranma was there. Ranma made sure Akane took all of her prenatal vitamins and did all of the exercises she was supposed to. The goddess was loving and caring and yet managed to avoid being overprotective or smothering. Not being able to be angry, Akane was left with a vague sense of the injustice of her situation.

 

From what Akane knew of mortal pregnancies and childbirth, contractions were often painful. From what she could see of Ranma's contractions they were little more than the flexing of muscles. She wondered if that was that totally due solely to her spouse's divine nature or to the training she had undergone. The redheaded goddess was stronger than she had ever been. Akane didn't doubt that Ranma could tear the house from its foundations with her bare hands if she were inclined to do so.

 

Idly Akane noted the tensing of the muscles in her spouse's body. If not for that, she wouldn't have even known of another contraction. There was no cry of pain, not even a gasp. The contractions were coming more frequently now. Hathor stood next to the head of the bed with a hand lightly resting on Ranma's forehead. With the midwife's magic senses, that was likely all she needed to monitor the redhead's condition.

 

Without realizing what she was doing, Akane drifted off to sleep. She had been close to sleep before the start of Ranma's contractions and the lack of fuss was letting her fatigue reassert itself. Thus it was a while later when Hathor's voice woke her. The divine midwife announced, “You are dilated far enough. Hikaru will be the first one out. On my signal, push.”

 

The red haired goddess nodded in acknowledgement. When directed she pushed and was rewarded by the sound of her son's gasp as he took his first breath. For a newborn demigod there was no slap on the buttocks to start a baby crying. No, he was sufficiently aware of things from telepathic communication with his mother that he knew what part he was to play in the birthing process.

 

After cutting and tying the umbilical, Hathor used a damp cloth to clean off the baby, then placed him in the crook of Ranma's left arm. The new mother looked into the eyes of her child and performed introductions, “Hello, Hikaru. I'm your mother and your father. The lady who was just holding you is your Auntie Hathor. The auburn haired lady with the silly grin on her face over there is your grandmother, Nodoka. Over in the corner there is your Auntie Akane. She's going to be a mommy too real soon. If things had gone differently, she would have been your daddy.”

 

At the introduction Nodoka grinned wider and waved at her new grandson.

 

Before Ranma could say more she felt another contraction. “I think your sister is anxious to join us,” joked the new mother.

 

“Mariko is in position. Push now.” Hathor ordered.

 

Shortly there was another gasp as the baby girl took a breath. Hathor quickly cut and tied the umbilical and cleaned the girl with a warm damp cloth and placed the child in Ranma right arm. The new mother smiled. “Hello Mariko. I'm your mommy, Ranma. I'm also your daddy. I think you and your brother Hikaru have already met.” She proceeded to repeat the introductions around the room.

 

Shortly the afterbirth came out and was disposed of by the midwife. Hathor straightened up and said, “You see, it was easy.”

 

Ranma smiled and replied, “I'm still glad you were here. You are not just a midwife; you're a friend. I hope you don't mind that I told the kids that you're their aunt.”

 

The Egyptian goddess laughed. “It wouldn't be the first time.”

 

They were interrupted by a pained gasp from Akane in her chair. Hathor smiled and said, “Can I call it or what? Ranma, I think you need to get up and let Akane lie down. It sounds to me like Ichirou is getting ready to come out and greet the world.”

 

Rather than try to get to her feet while cradling a baby in each arm, Ranma elected to levitate herself up off the bed and gently onto her feet. At Akane's gasp, Nodoka had rushed over to the chair in the corner and was now helping Akane to awkwardly get to her feet. While her mother helped her spouse to get to the bed, Ranma walked over to the chair that Akane had just vacated and sat down.

 

Ranma tried to pay attention to what was now happening on the bed but was met by an insistent telepathic demand from her children. She nodded and complied by pulling the children in to her breasts. Both of the infants easily found the nipples and set about sucking out the nutrient rich milk. Ranma and Akane had both been nude for their snuggling when the contractions started. Ranma let out a contented sigh as she enjoyed the sensuous, barely short of erotic, experience.

 

It was with a little bit of surprise that she noted that she could feel her energies being recharged by the suckling at her breasts just as if she were in intimate contact with another adult. Given her body's response to this process, it seemed likely that she would breast feed her babies until they were old enough for solid food. There was no way her children would be bottle babies.

 

When Ranma finally turned her attention back to the bed she heard Hathor order, “Push, Akane. Alright, you're doing fine. I can see the top of the head.”

 

It was about that time that Ranma noticed that her children had stopped sucking. She looked down and saw them close their eyes. Ranma called out, “Mom.” She had to repeat herself a couple times before she got Nodoka's attention. What finally worked was when Ranma called out, “Hey, grandma.”

 

When the new grandmother came up to her daughter she noticed the sleeping infants. She nodded her understanding and took Mariko while Ranma stood up holding Hikaru. Quietly they walked out of the open door and down the hall to the room they were using as a nursery.

 

The two women placed the infants in cribs that were prepared and Nodoka briefly checked on Reiko. When satisfied that all of the babies were sleeping soundly, they went back to the bedroom. They were just in time to hear Ichirou crying as his way of greeting the world. As they watched Hathor handed the baby to Akane to hold.

 

The newest mother in the house looked at her baby and said, “Thank you, Hathor. I think this would have been a lot harder if you hadn't been here.”

 

The divine midwife smiled. “That's my job and one of my greatest joys”

 

Ranma stepped forward and leaned down to kiss her wife. “I love you so much Akane, my beautiful tomboy.”

 

Akane smiled and replied, “I love you too, baka.” She turned her head and addressed the baby, “Hey Ichirou, meet your daddy.”

 

Ranma held out her hand and the baby obligingly grasped a finger in his tiny little fist. The red haired goddess moved the finger up and down and said, “It's a pleasure to meet you son. I know you're a little young to try and understand why your daddy is a girl right now. In time we'll give you the explanation. By that time I'll be able to change back and forth again.”

 

Hathor spoke up, “Although I don't recommend it, you could change right now.”

 

“Huh?”

 

The divine midwife explained, “If you were still cursed by Jusenkyo you wouldn't unlock for a while yet, weeks. Since your Wish specified that you be both god and goddess so you could change back and forth that became one of your divine powers. Since you've given birth, you could change right now.”

 

Ranma nodded but decided to be cautious. She asked, “So why did you say you don't recommend I change back to male yet?”

 

Hathor said, “After an event that demands so much of you as pregnancy you should really let your body recover, even if it is a divine body. Let your organs gradually get back into their old positions, let your hormones return to normal and so on.”

 

The redheaded goddess nodded. It made sense. “So how long would you recommend waiting?”

 

The Egyptian goddess said, “I'd say a week, minimum. A month would be better.”

 

Ranma wanted to know, “What would happen if I don't take that time you suggest?”

 

“Nothing permanent or really serious,” the midwife said, reassuringly. “If you were to change back into male today you would probably feel disoriented, maybe a little nauseous. You might also find you don't function properly as a male in sexual situations.”

 

“Oh,” Ranma said, considering it. “Okay, then. I guess I'll stay female for a while longer. It's not really a problem.”

 

Hathor grinned, “Besides, you're such a pretty girl.”

 

Ranma chuckled. “Yeah, I am, aren't I?”

 

From the bed Akane muttered, “I thought you were over that inflated ego.”

 

The redheaded goddess put on a mock scowl and said, “I was just kidding. We really need to work on your sense of humor.”

 

Still muttering, Akane responded, “I've got a great sense of humor.”

 

Ranma just grinned at that. She really shouldn't tease her wife, but it was so much fun sometimes and Akane was so easy.

 

After Ichirou fell asleep they took him to the nursery and put him in a crib. The two mortal women and two goddesses stood looking over the four cribs. Nodoka said quietly, “When we started, there were only three of us. Now we are seven.”

 

Ranma told her, “At least we don't have to worry about having enough money to feed all of them. I can bring food from the Celestial Realms and I've been looking in the Gates of Time to see future business trends. Nabiki has used that to target her investments. She has to be careful how she handles it so she doesn't draw attention to herself. She figures that we have enough to get a bigger house. She started talking to real estate agents last week.”

 

Nodoka sighed. “I've lived in this location for so many years. It will seem strange living somewhere else.”

 

The redheaded goddess put a hand on her mother's shoulder and pointed out, “You spent eleven years of that time alone. I'd think you'd welcome going to a new place that was alive with the sounds of children laughing and playing.”

 

The auburn haired mother squeezed the hand on her shoulder and kissed it. “Yes, I will. Our little family isn't so little anymore.”

 

Hathor patted Ranma and Nodoka on the back. Then she went and gently hugged Akane. “Alright, girls. I've done my job. You mommies will have to do your job. I'll check back on you from time to time over the next few weeks.”

 

Addressing the redhead, the divine midwife directed, “Don't get so caught up in being a mommy that you forget to spend at least some time as daddy. Your kids will need their father.”

 

Ranma nodded. “With two other mommies, I think I can find at least some time to be a daddy.”

 

* * *

 

A month had passed. The babies were all fed and sleeping in their cribs, the moms were in the bedroom. They had been making love for a while and now paused. Ranma stood up and said, “Hathor said I should wait a month before I change back to male the first time. Well, it has been month. Are you ready?”

 

Nodoka smiled, “As much fun as it is to have sex with you as a woman, I confess to having an itch that can best be scratched by your male form, my manly son.”

 

Ranma confessed, “I'm feeling kind of nervous.”

 

“Why?”

 

The goddess explained, “Nobody's seen my male god form, not even me. I was changed to a deity after I was pregnant and stuck as a woman.”

 

Pride in her voice, the eldest Saotome said, “I'm sure you'll be just as handsome as you were before, probably more.”

 

The expression on Akane's face was one of lustful anticipation. Ranma willed the change.

 

Ranma looked down at himself. He was six foot two just like his goddess form. His physique was much like he remembered it - muscular but not overly bulky. His black hair was still in a ponytail and still long enough to reach his butt. He looked in the make up mirror on the vanity and saw that his face was seemingly unchanged.

 

Nodoka was smiling as she said softly, “Just as handsome as before.” She paused and looked lower. “Just as well endowed, I see.”

 

Still aroused from sexual play in female form, Ranma could see his organ was fully erect. He realized that it was larger than it had been, but only in proportion to his greater height. The only changes in his appearance he could see were the marks on his face, extra height and longer hair.

 

Akane almost purred, “Come here, lover.”

 

Nodoka said, “Mmm,” like a hungry woman looking at a delicious meal.

 

Some time later they lay on the bed. Ranma was feeling energized while the women were completely sated. The sex god gave a contented sigh and said, “It's good to know that everything still works.”

 

Nodoka was the one purring now. “I'd say it works very well. Thank you for that son.”

 

Teasingly Akane noted, “Did you really think it wouldn't work? You are supposed to be a sex god after all.”

Ranma laughed. “Yeah, but ten months without even seeing my male parts and I worry that I might have gotten rusty.”

 

The elder Saotome woman said, “Trust me, son. You are not rusty. It seems you learned those divine techniques quite well.”

 

Somewhat sheepishly Ranma admitted, “I learned those techniques from books and having them used on me. Then I practiced them using the dick-clit technique with Aphrodite. Eros was very dedicated to his teaching methods.”

 

Akane snorted, “I'll bet.”

 

Ranma defended himself, “Mom will understand the concept of `hands on' teaching in sexual education.”

 

Nodoka blushed a bit. “It is true that I did take that approach.”

 

Akane kissed the other woman and complimented, “And you did a great job. Thank you.”

 

The tall young deity said in a thoughtful tone, “You realize that I now have a promise to keep.”

 

The black haired young woman looked sad. “Yes, you have to get that Sailor Senshi pregnant so her daughter can take over her job. When you got the job of sex deity it took me a while but I came to realize that I'd have to share you with others, besides mama No-Chan, I mean. I think having to share you with your mother prepared me for the rest.”

 

Ranma kissed his wife and said, “Thank you, Akane. Not many wives would be so understanding.”

 

They were interrupted by the sound of a baby crying. Ranma stood up and changed to female then conjured a robe. She said, “It's my turn.”

 

Akane frowned, “Why did you turn female?”

 

Ranma shrugged. “So far they've only seen me female and I don't want to alarm them.” She patted one of her breasts, “Besides I may need to feed one or more of them.”

 

Nodoka said musingly, “I don't think I've ever seen a woman enjoy breastfeeding more than you.”

 

Ranma defended herself. “I've read up on it. I'm not the only mother to get a little bit of a sexual thrill from babies nursing at their breasts.”

 

Akane accused, “I think for you it's more than a `little bit.'”

 

Ranma challenged, “Can you really say that's a bad thing.”

 

Nodoka said soothingly, “No, dear. That's not a bad thing.”

 

Akane said, “They're going to need to see their daddy.”

 

“I know,” Ranma said. “I'll just see if any of them are hungry first then change back.”

 

As Ranma walked out of the room, Akane looked a little worried. She confided in Nodoka, “I think she might be getting a little too involved with being a mommy and not enough with being a daddy.”

 

Nodoka frowned as she thought about it. “He only just changed back to being male for the first time today after being female for ten months. It may take a while for him to get used to it again.”

 

* * *

 

The next day Ranma teleported to the Gates of Time. She was in female form again. She had told Setsuna about having the babies but didn't tell her when exactly she planned to change back to being a man again.

 

Because a session of lovemaking by the Gates had become such a regular thing, The Senshi of Time had moved in a bed so they could be more comfortable. This was the king size four poster that Setsuna had purchased before the start of training for Ranma.

 

In regard to the training Sailor Pluto was suitably impressed with Ranma. The redheaded goddess had learned everything about how to operate the gates in record time. What she didn't know about the hardware was minimal and could be learned quickly. In truth, if the need arose, Ranma could take over the job today if needed.

 

The eldest of the Senshi was still hoping seduce Ranma away from her wife. So far she was not doing so well. It was true that she was engaging with lesbian sex with Ranma nearly every day and participating in a foursome with the older two of the Outer Senshi once a week. Even though it was mad, passionate sex, it didn't seem enough to shift Ranma's emotional attachments away from her wife and mother.

 

In retrospect, perhaps trying to seduce a sex goddess over to her side wasn't the most effective way to proceed. She wasn't sure what else she could do. Setsuna was firmly convinced that Ranma would better off with another immortal.

 

When Ranma arrived they went straight to the bed and started making out. An hour later Setsuna found herself recovering from an orgasm. For someone who had gone more than a century without any intimate contact with any other person she was starting to think she was getting addicted sex.

 

What came as a shock was when Ranma got up from the bed and said, “I think that's enough foreplay. I hope you're ready for the main event.”

 

“Foreplay?” Setsuna was confused. “What are you talking about? What main event?”

 

Suddenly the woman standing in front of her changed. The next thing Setsuna knew she was seeing a form she had previously only seen through the Gates of Time. In an uncertain tone she asked, “Ranma?”

 

The man standing there told her, “My twins were born a month ago. I've given my body enough time to recover from the birth. Now I understand you need to get pregnant? Would you like to get to work on that?”

 

The Senshi's eyes got wide as she looked at Ranma. She reflected that it was a good thing that her other lovers (Michiru and Haruka) used dildos as part of their love play. If they hadn't she wouldn't be ready for this.

 

She gestured to Ranma to get back in the bed.

 

Sometime later Setsuna found herself waking up with Ranma's hand resting on her abdomen. “What happened?”

 

With a sheepish expression, Ranma told her, “Uh, sorry… you sort of passed out. I haven't had much practice with some of those techniques.”

 

What the sex god had done to her didn't require an apology. The elder Senshi reassured her lover, “Oh! That was incredible! We must do that again.”

 

Ranma looked a little surprised. “I would think after ten times you'd be a little sore.”

 

“No, I feel wonderful.”

 

He nodded. “I'm relieved.” The blacked haired god hesitated for a moment. “If we make love anymore it would be strictly for recreation.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Ranma gave a nervous laugh. “I guess that when I'm in male form and have sex with the specific thought in mind of getting my partner pregnant, I'm extra fertile.”

 

Pluto's eyes went wide and she looked at her abdomen. “Are you saying I'm pregnant already?”

 

“Yep!” Ranma confirmed, “I can read your ki patterns. You now have an embryo in your womb. It is a girl, just as you need. I don't know if my wanting to father a girl comes into the calculation or if it is still just a fifty-fifty chance like it is for mortals.”

The Senshi of Time continued to gaze at her abdomen. “It has been thousands of years since I was pregnant the last time. It would seem all of the old plumbing still works.”

 

The sex god laughed. “It works pretty good, I'd say.”

 

His manner sobered. “I have kept my promise to you and it was fun, just like you said. I really didn't expect to do it so quickly once we started to try. However, I need to talk to you about something serious. Are you awake enough?”

 

Something serious? She replied, “I think so.”

 

The black haired martial artist picked up Sailor Pluto and carried her to the couch that was placed in front of the Gates of Time. He set her down then summoned up a set of his favorite Chinese clothes while Pluto summoned her sailor fuku. The act of doing this provided her with the equivalent of a shower.

 

Before saying anything Ranma let out a sigh. After a slight pause he said, “It is time to talk about something that you never give me a straight answer on. You always evade the question, change the subject or otherwise refuse to discuss it.”

 

Setsuna knew what was coming but didn't say anything.

 

The sex deity had hoped to get some kind of response. “Ok. When you refused to talk to me about this I came here while you were asleep and asked Chronus about the Great Freeze. Setsuna, you told Kami-Sama that you would stop actively trying to bring about Crystal Tokyo. I don't know if you are still trying to create it through inaction.”

 

The Senshi of Pluto still refused to speak.

 

Ranma nodded. “Since you wouldn't talk to me about it, I had to do my own research. I found out that the Great Freeze will be caused by a cloud of what Chronus believed to be dark matter particles. That cloud will start cutting down our supply of energy from the sun in about ten years. Does this match with your understanding of the situation?”

 

Setsuna seemed to consider for a moment before nodding mutely.

 

The sex god told her, “When Chronus projected a hologram of the cloud and highlighted it for me I got the strong feeling of something wrong. It felt false, like a lie.”

 

What was he talking about? She didn't want to say anything but was being drawn into the conversation. She asked, “A lie?”

 

Ranma nodded again. “One of the first things I noticed was that the cloud is moving in a direction opposite to galactic rotation.”

 

Setsuna took that in with a nod but said nothing.

 

The black haired deity shrugged. “I've been back here several times when you weren't here. I've found out a lot that you apparently didn't take the time or effort to learn.”

 

He continued, “For a large part of my life I was so intensely focused on martial arts that people tended to classify me as a `dumb jock' or even some kind of idiot savant. Most people would grant that I was a genius in martial Arts but pretty hopeless outside that. Now I have access to the memories of a several dozen past lives. My memory capacity is greater and it seems I'm smart in matters other than martial arts.”

 

He paused a moment to let that sink in. Then he said, “I tell you this so you won't just dismiss what I am about to tell you.”

 

Setsuna just made an impatient gesture that demanded, “So tell me already.”

 

With a shrug, he complied. At a mental command to Chronus a hologram of the solar system was projected and the Cloud highlighted. “You know what this is. It's the Cloud that will cause the Great Freeze. You told me that the next ice age was a natural disaster. You wouldn't cause it, but you would exploit it by building your Crystal Tokyo.”

 

Setsuna's expression had grown sullen. Ranma sighed and shook his head. Better get to the point or he was going to lose her.

 

He now said, “What I found out in my study is that the Cloud is not a natural phenomenon.”

 

Sailor Pluto's eyes narrowed. She demanded, “What are you talking about? How could it be anything else?”

 

He answered, “If the cloud were a natural phenomenon it would travel on a course that was affected mostly by the things it encounters on its path, like the gravity of the stars it passes. Look at this.”

 

The view inside the hologram seemed to shrink as the area being displayed expanded. After a moment the display settled and it was displaying an area of a few hundred stars. In that area a glowing red line followed a zigzag path through the stars.

 

Ranma explained, “If we had to depend on astronomical observations we would have quickly lost the cloud because it is mostly invisible and it follows an erratic trajectory. By using the Gates to look back in time it is possible to track it precisely. That jagged line is the course the Cloud actually followed.”

 

The eldest Senshi demanded, “What does that mean?”

 

The deity clarified, “A natural course would have caused the Cloud to touch a few star systems, brush by others and completely miss most. Instead of that, at each star system the Cloud reached it changed course to head directly to another star system. Its movements were controlled and targeted.”

 

Setsuna considered the implications of that. Ranma was right. That wasn't how a natural phenomenon behaved. “Was it some kind of attack?”

 

Ranma nodded. “In a manner of speaking. I tend to think of the Cloud as being the celestial equivalent of a Youma.”

 

“Youma… I don't understand.”

 

The young sex god explained, “That cloud is an energy thief, like a youma, but on a much larger scale. The youma would steal the life energy of a few humans and use it to either feed themselves or to empower their leader. This Cloud absorbs enough energy that it would be able to vaporize the Earth if it were all concentrated in one place.”

 

Setsuna stood up and exclaimed, “Then it must be an attack.”

 

Ranma shook his head. “No, I don't think so.”

 

Setsuna frowned. “The actions you describe are clearly hostile.”

 

Shaking his head again Ranma told her, “From what I have observed, I don't believe the controlling intelligence behind the cloud even knows that some of the star systems it touches are inhabited. If it does know, it likely doesn't care.”

 

He held up a hand to forestall further comment from his audience of one. “More than half of the stars targeted have no planets at all. Of the rest only a handful have life higher than plants. Only two had intelligent life.”

 

The woman considered that with a shudder. “Those planets with intelligent life…”

 

Ranma nodded. “On one there was a terrible war over what few resources there were. The intelligent species of that world died out completely. On the other world they were able to cooperate, build shelters and survive the ice age. Their population was greatly reduced, but it is building back up now.”

 

A thought occurred to Sailor Pluto. She asked, “If the cloud is stealing energy. What is it doing with the stolen energy?”

Ranma smiled. “That's a very good question. I was able to get a good look at one of the Cloud's stops. The particles of the cloud appear to be made of dark matter. In fact they are little force fields that are made to resemble the behavior of dark matter. Those force fields channel energy to a central node within the Cloud. That node then transmits a beam of energy at regular intervals to this point.”

 

A dot on the hologram glowed. The view suddenly centered on that point and zoomed in. What was revealed was a flat looking circular structure with what appeared to be a lot of surface detail.

 

The sex deity explained, “What you are looking at is a relay station. You can't really tell in this view but the platform you see is more than two thousand kilometers in diameter.”

 

“That's huge.”

 

Ranma agreed. “Yes. It has to be big to be hit by an energy beam from dozens or even hundreds of light years away.”

 

Setsuna asked, “Where is the energy being relayed to?”

 

Ranma shook his head. “I don't know. The Time Gates are not designed to track things through hyperspace.”

 

The elder Senshi wanted to know, “Since the cloud is artificial, is there any way to break it up or destroy it?”

 

“Now you want to know how to destroy it. It was Ok when you thought it was an impersonal force of nature.” Out loud he said, “If the central node is destroyed the force field particles should just shut down. I think that should be possible to do that without too much problem.”

 

Setsuna frowned, “I sense there is a `but' here.”

 

Ranma nodded. “There are larger issues than just our own survival. I'll be going on a recon mission to the central node of the Cloud but there is a good chance there are other Clouds out there.”

 

“Other… Clouds? Coming here?”

 

“No, not coming here,” the black haired deity clarified. “That wouldn't fit with the apparent strategy to make this look like a natural phenomenon. I would say it's likely that whoever sent the cloud out this way sent more of them to other parts of the galaxy. Other civilizations could be facing extinction in ice ages.”

 

The older Senshi thought about that for a time. Finally she said, “I hate to say this, but the Senshi are not an interstellar police force. Our area of jurisdiction is this solar system.”

 

Ranma's expression was grim. “That may be true for the Senshi but I am a god/dess. I have wider responsibilities than just the planets of our sun. Because of that it is my duty to do all I can to end this menace. If you and the rest of the Senshi don't want to support me on this, I will understand.”

 

Setsuna shook her head. “Something like this is too big for just me to decide on it. We need to present this to the rest of the Senshi to get their input and to let the Princess decide. She is our leader.”

 

To himself Ranma thought, “Yeah, a leader you try to steer in the direction you want her to go.” Out loud he said, “I will present this to the rest of the Senshi at the meeting on Saturday or maybe sooner.”

 

“I think that would be a good idea.”

 

Before Ranma could come up with a response, his divine cell phone rang. After a low voiced conversation he hung up and turned back to the woman there. He told her, “That was Heph. At my request he was building a hyperspace probe. I intend to teleport to the relay satellite and send the probe through the hyperspace window to track where the energy is being sent. When it arrives at the destination it should be able to transmit a signal that we can lock onto with the Gates of Time.”

 

At Setsuna's puzzled expression, he told her, “A signal of this kind is something can only be detected by time scan or time travel technology. It should let us use the Gates to view the site and evaluate how best to approach it.”

 

“What about the Cloud that's approaching us now?”

 

“I'm going to find out about it now.” He punched a number into the phone.

 

A short time later he was giving his name and god/dess stats. Finally he asked, “Do you have the results of those scans?”

He listened attentively. After a moment he pulled his computer out of stuff space and opened it. After typing for a minute he picked up the phone and said, “My computer is ready to receive.”

 

A short time later he tapped a key and said, “I've got it. Thanks.” He pocketed his phone.

 

Now curious, Setsuna looked over Ranma's shoulder and said, “What was that about?”

 

Typing on the computer's keyboard Ranma explained, “I requested that an in depth scan be done on the central node of the Cloud. They just sent me the results of that scan.” He pulled up the results on the screen of his computer.

 

After studying the screen he tapped a few more keys. Finally he issued a command to Chronus. A hologram appeared that showed the Cloud.

 

Ranma took on a lecturing tone. “At the center of the Cloud there is what appears to a denser area of dark matter particles. That concentration of particles is concealing this.”

 

The computer removed the cloud particles from the image and showed a metal craft in the shape of a slightly flattened spheroid. From the skin of that ship there were several metal poles and antennas protruding.

 

Ranma noted, “According to the analysis most of those antennas are receivers for the energy being sent from other parts of the cloud. That big one is most likely the transmitter that sends the energy to the relay station. How they are able to aim that accurately enough to hit a 2000 Km. target at that distance is something I'd like to know.”

 

At another mental command to the Time Gate's AI, the outer skin of the ship in the image turned transparent and details of the interior became visible. Ranma commented, “It's obvious that ship wasn't build for a living crew. There's no life support system, no decks. The only internal structure seems to be braces for strength. I'm not sure why something that just drifts needs structural bracing, but that's not the point. If there is a crew they are built a lot differently than human.”

 

“Could it be a robot?”

 

Ranma nodded. “That's what I'm thinking. The tracking results show that the Cloud has been traveling since before the Silver Millennium.”

 

“How big is it?” asked the elder Senshi.

 

Ranma looked at some text on the display. “Not as big as the relay station, but big enough. It reads just under a kilometer in diameter.”

 

Setsuna's eyes widened. “These beings seemed to build things on a far bigger scale than humans did.”

 

Ranma was frowning. Looking at the image he said, “I just asked Chronus to find weapons systems. She couldn't find any. It's possible that the antennas could be used to project energy instead of receive, but they wouldn't be very effective. Chronus can't find any internal security. It's almost as if they never expected anyone to see through their deception.”

 

In a musing tone Setsuna speculated, “Maybe they weren't expecting to find any other intelligent life.”

 

Ranma shook his head. “That would be pretty bad planning or maybe a lack of imagination. I'm hoping this means I can get into that thing without someone shooting at me.”

 

Now shocked, Pluto asked, “You're planning on going inside that thing?”

 

Ranma shrugged. “While I'm sure Sailor Saturn could destroy the ship with a Death Reborn Revolution, we need to learn more about it. The remote scans that were done don't give enough detail. I plan to go inside and do a recon to try and locate the ship's key systems. The most important one to find would be the system that creates the Cloud. That is the most immediate threat. I would need to see if I could identify any kind of self-maintenance systems the ship might have. Considering that it has been traveling for thousands of years, I would be surprised if it didn't have some kind of self repair capability.”

 

Sailor Pluto took that in and then demanded, “Why are you going to go inside that thing?”

 

His expression grim, Ranma said, “Because working with the Gates of time was my assignment. It was in the performance of that assignment that I learned of this threat. It's my responsibility. I'm not the one in charge, but I will be involved.”

 

Setsuna asked, “What will you do if the device can repair itself?”

 

The goddess shook her head. “I'll just be doing recon. There will be others who will take the intelligence I get and use it to make plans. The likely goal will be to either shut down the energy gathering equipment or to deactivate the whole ship. Once that is done the experts can study it and hopefully learn about the people who built it.”

 

The eldest Senshi asked, “What will you do if the ship has active internal defenses?”

 

Ranma sighed. “Believe me I would be happier going in with all of the senshi and a couple of platoons of valkyries at my back. (Those girls can seriously kick ass.) No, like I said, I'm going for recon. If there is any kind of hostile action by the ship or devices within the ship, I will teleport out. I'm brave, but I'm not stupid.”

 

The eldest Senshi surprised herself when she realized what she was feeling. She had thought she was using Ranma for her own ends. She suddenly realized that working closely with the god/dess and near daily sex with her/him had made an impression on her. The thought of Ranma going into a situation he might not come back from was distressing. Could she be in falling love with the Senshi of Earth?

 

Author's Note: This looks like it could be something really big, every bit as big as the other major crises the Senshi have handled in the past. It may not be the fate of the whole universe in the balance, but at minimum it could be the fate of many worlds. Stay tuned.