Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Shantyworld ❯ Descent and Betrayal ( Chapter 1 )

All of the characters here are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Pioneer. Shantyworld, Doozy Sack, Governors, Peace Robots and anything else you don't recognize as anime belong to me. I would also like to thank my good friend Christopher Gwynn who helps me with my technobabble. So without further ado. Montanto Production presents.

Shantyworld

A Ranma Fanfic

with gratuitous cameos

Chapter 1

Descent and Betrayal

In her dream, life was simple. She walked down the street of an alien city. Its beauty was stunning. Its streets were both clean and paved and the buildings were tall and well built. She was standing next to a fence that kept people from falling into the adjacent canal. She was wearing a light blue dress with a white blouse, and carried a leather bookbag. Was this outlandish garb a uniform? Perhaps it was what she wore for school. She couldn't wait to find out. School would be so much more fun than her private tutors.

She saw a group of girls dressed just like her waving to her and calling her name. Were they her friends? Friends were a luxury she could barely understand. For most of her life she had been cloistered for her own safety as well as that of her family. To be treated as an equal with neither the fawning respect of a bondservant, nor the patronizing disdain of an imperial was so strange she liked it.

On this world life looked good; there was no poverty, no beggars, no trash on the street, no one to fear in the alleyways. She watched as a little old lady washed the pavement, using a bucket and a wooden ladle. What a quaint little custom, she thought as she ran to catch up with her friends. She did not want to miss her first day of school. She happily chatted with her friends about boys and the latest gossip. It was paradise.

Her reverie was short lived. In the distance she could hear a faint rumbling which grew by the second. The earth began to shake violently. She watched in horror as buildings collapsed around her. She tried to run, but the ground opened up beneath her, and she plummeted down the chasm,

Akane woke with a start. She was in her own room with its gray adobe brick walls. The gaff skin rug lay on the floor. The portrait of her mother, painted just prior to her cremation, hung on the wall. Father had been reluctant to pay for it because "It didn't look lifelike." The dawn's light shone through the comforting steel bars on t her window.

"It had all been a dream," she thought sadly as the images of her fantasy world began to fade away.

The house was still shaking. She could hear a rumbling in the distance. An earthquake? No, that was impossible. There could never be earthquakes on Doozy Sack. The Governors made sure of that. A ship must be docking at port, a big one by the sound of it. She jumped out of bed, ran out of her room and down the hallway to the elevator that went up to the roof.

It had been light for about fifteen minutes. The sky was overcast, as usual. Despite the perpetual clouds, it hardly ever rained on Doozy Sack. This morning was no exception. What remained of the night air chilled her bare arms and body through the thin nightgown. Akane hugged herself, wishing she had paused long enough to grab a robe.

The roof provided an excellent view of the city. Houses stretched as far as the eye could see. Fashioned from anything people could get their hands on--adobe, wood, stone, the hulls of old starships-The buildings were born of inspiration and desperation combined. They collapsed as easily as they burst into flame, but that meant little to the builders, at least at the time of building.

To the immediate west, lay a neighborhood of, elaborate houses. Known as the Gentryways; it was neighborhood of mayors, merchants and other members of wealth, and was positioned for maximum relief from the noise of the two closest ports. Akane's home stood a kilometer east of the Gentryways proper; for, though her family easily possessed enough wealth for a residence in the Gentryways, her father preferred one closer to his center of influence.

North of the Gentryways the dwellings progressively deteriorated into tents and shanties as far as the eye could see. Looming up beyond them was the Northport itself. It was nearly twenty kilometers in diameter, and stood two Kilometers above the horizon. A magnificent obsidian structure, it dwarfed the crags of the Rim Crater it was built into. Despite its immense size it was only the smallest of the four starports, that covered Doozy Sack's main continent in a triangular pattern. The largest starport, Mainport, was a thick black line against the horizon, directly south of her. Other ports existed on Doozy Sack of course. A handful of freeports had been built over the years, and the Governors seemed to tolerate them. The freeports were used by mercenaries, freetraders, and anyone either disallowed use of the Governors' ports or unable to afford their prices. Heaven's Way Freeport, owned by her father, was the most successful freeport in the immediate vicinity.

Suddenly she saw it. At first only a shadow through the clouds, as it descended, it revealed itself in all its glory: a battleship. It was bright yellow, covered with black stripes: the markings of the Magnanimous Tiger, dominant clan of the Oni Confederacy. Hundreds of ships, both Oni and Jurai, had been docking for several months but they had been mere frigates, corvettes, and tankers. This was the first ship of merit Akane had seen, and it was a sure sign that the Oni Confederacy's main fleet would soon be here, and the battle would begin. It was huge, almost a kilometer in length. It was easily the largest ship Akane had ever seen approaching the Northport.

A dozen saucer-shaped fighters burst out of the clouds. Half of them displayed the Magnanimous Tiger; three carried the blood red markings of the Gentle Orchid clan, second only to the Magnanimous Tiger Clan within the Oni Confederacy. The rest bore markings unfamiliar to Akane. They darted around the Battleship in what looked like a carefree dance. Anyone foolish enough to come too close would learn their error quickly.

"They're coming," Akane gasped. "The fleets are coming!" She ran back to the elevator to go to the central gallery. "Father! Kasumi! Nabiki! The fleets are coming!"

Her entire family was present in the gallery. They seemed matter of fact about the news. Her oldest sister, Kasumi, was instructing the bondservants on the day's chores. When she heard Akane coming, she turned a moment and smiled. Then, giving a pleasant nod, she turned back to the briefing.

Her other sister, Nabiki, sat with their father at the dining room table. They were going over the books and the day's plans. Nibbling on a carrot, Nabiki pressed controls on the console, which was built into the table. 3-dimensional charts and graphs appeared overhead from projectors hidden throughout the room.

"This is the way I'm reading this, Daddy," Nabiki said with her mouth full and indicating the largest chart with her carrot. " With the main fleets arriving, we'll be up to our ears in Mercenaries and Freetraders following the wealth. If we play things right, we should be able to double our revenue." Nabiki took another bite from her carrot.

"The only real downside to all of this that I can see is that with the increased Jurai and Oni presence, the Governors will be doubling the Peace Robots." She paused to think and chew. "The obvious ones, anyway. They'll probably square the ones we're not supposed to know about."

Soun Tendou stroked his mustache, thinking. "Do you think the Mayors will cause problems?" He asked.

Nabiki was silent. The charts above the table disappeared and were replaced by two profiles: a stern looking woman whose face was partially obscured by shadow and veil and a dark skinned man with a manic smile wearing sunglasses and a small palm tree sprouting out of his curly hair. " I can play Mendou and Kunou against each other," Nabiki said slowly "Sanzenin's not an issue, it's only a matter of time before the others eat him alive. It wouldn't hurt us to encourage that." The image of a man with silver hair and a mustache appeared. Nabiki rested her head on her palm and studied it for a moment. "The only one I'm worried about is McSweeney. He's been unpredictable in the past. I've been working on several contingencies, but..."

Her father patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll think of something, my dear. Keep me posted." He became aware his youngest daughter was standing in the doorway. "Ah, Akane! Good morning. I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Akane paused. What she had just overheard disturbed her. So far the Mayors had let them be. The Tendous were a moderately successful due to their ownership of the Heaven's Way Freeport. They still had to pay an exorbitant amount to the Mayors in order to stay in business. Wasn't that how things were supposed to work? But what about Nabiki's plans? Even if there was no intention of moving against them, the paranoia of the Mayors was legendary. If they believed the Tendous meant them harm, how would they respond? Would Nabiki's skill and drive be up to such a challenge?

Akane walked up to her father and kissed him on the cheek. "It's all right Daddy, I can see you already know."

"Ah, yes, the fleets. They're pretty much on schedule. Nabiki's freetraders informed her the main body would start arriving this morning. But come. Let's go up and watch. It is an impressive sight."

The three daughters followed their father as he headed towards the roof. "Ah. The Schoolgirl in paradise one again." Nabiki commented, as she passed Akane. "What's next, Sailor Scouts?"

"What's a Sailor?" Akane asked, as curious as she was annoyed. She hated how Nabiki used her specialized upgrades to access the nervous system interface in Akane's wetware.

In the interim, two destroyers had joined the battleship already hovering over Northport. One was a Magnanimous Tiger, the other a Gentle Orchid. Looking toward Mainport to the south, the sky seemed to rain ships. A dozen battleships and destroyers descended over Mainport.

One of the fighters, over Northport, suddenly broke rank and dropped from the sky. At the last possible moment it pulled up and sped towards them. The Tendous watched in amazement as the ship weaved and dived, wreaking havoc above the Gentryways.

"Oh my!" Kasumi gasped, watching. "That pilot is risking an awfully large fine, doing that."

"I'll say." Nabiki added. "Who'd be crazy enough to break port regulations like that?"

"Lum-Sempai!" Akane shouted, realizing immediately just who would be that crazy. As if the pilot had heard her call, the fighter halted and hovered, above the Tendou household. Slowly, it descended to hover twenty meters above the Tendou's courtyard. "Lum-Sempai!" Akane repeated and rushed downstairs to greet her friend.

The Oni pilot climbed out of the cockpit. Underneath the flight gear, one could be seen the body of a young woman. Helmet and suit were standard Magnanimous Tiger issue, yellow with black tiger stripes. The pilot pulled off her helmet to reveal long green hair, short, golden horns, and a pretty face somewhere around 20 years old by Doozy Sack reckoning. The pilot looked down at Akane, and revealed sharp fangs in a smile. On her, the fangs looked cute.

"Akane-chan!" she shouted gleefully. She leapt from her fighter and floated gracefully down to the ground.

Lum's family was influential in the Magnanimous Tiger, but Lum had developed a reputation in her own right as well.

She had been stationed on Doozy Sack as a liaison officer several years ago and like many young imperials, she had enjoyed "slumming" in the Gentryways. During this time, Lum had virtually adopted Akane as her own. The Tendou family, hopeful of imperial support, had encouraged the relationship. Even after Lum had been transferred elsewhere, they had maintained a healthy correspondence and their friendship had remained strong. Although there were times Akane was unsure whether Lum considered her a best friend, or a pet kitten.

"Akane-Chan!" Lum said, as she landed on the ground. "My how you have grown!"

"I'm catching up with you, Sempai." Akane said confidently.

Lum swept Akane into a tight hug, and rose into the air with her. "You certainly are! I am going to have to get another planetside post and have you travel the stars for a while to prevent that. You do not know how happy I am to see you. You will have to tell me everything about your life."

Akane could feel her hair stand on end, as a mild current of electricity, coursed through her body. " Sempai?" She gasped. "Could you let go? I can't breath."

Lum dropped her. Not much of a drop, but enough to catch Akane off guard. She stumbled and landed, gracelessly on her bottom. Lum landed looking horrified. "Oh Akane! I forgot you humans are so fragile! Please forgive me!"

"Please, Sempai. I'm fine." Akane said rubbing her behind.

Lum looked relieved. "That is very good," she said, "but be more careful, I worry about you so much. So, Akane-Chan. I am told you are coming of age this week. I am so happy for you. That means you can finally come to Ganymede's with me."

Akane covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head. Her sister Kasumi had warned her against Ganymede's many times calling it a den of amorality. Her sister Nabiki was a regular on weekends. Ganymede's was an establishment that catered to the discerning woman of means. Lum couldn't get enough of the place.

"You want me to meet your darling, Lum-Sempai? Akane asked skeptically.

Lum giggled. "Oh you have to! You will be so jealous! My Darling is so sweet and cuddly!"

Akane rolled her eyes. "If you want him so much why don't you just buy him, Sempai? Or at least purchase a tissue sample?" She always wondered why the daughter of a warlord, so powerful as to control the largest voting block in the Oni Confederacy was always so tight with her money.

Lum's face turned an emerald green as she blushed. "I am saving up for him. He will be mine sooner or later, but a tissue sample? Do not be vulgar, Akane-chan, if I did that it would not be my darling. But enough of this, come with me. You will have so much fun! After all what better reason is there to be with a man? Love?" Lum burst out laughing.

Lum's attitude was infectious, and soon Akane was laughing too. "Oh all right, Sempai. I'll come. But remember, I can't *enjoy* myself until next week."

"Yattah!" Lum shouted, as she hugged Akane. "Oh Akane-Chan! We will have so much fun today! Ganymede is not going to care how old you are! All you have to say is that you are with me and the only question he will ask is 'can I see your money'. Just you wait, I will find the perfect boy for you!"

Lum looked up at her fighter, which was still hovering above the courtyard. "You can go now," she said. The fighter bolted into the sky and disappeared, presumably headed in the direction of Northport. Lum grabbed Akane by the arm and virtually dragged her out of the courtyard and back upstairs to her room. Akane sat down on her bed as Lum tore through her dresser. "You must have something appropriate," she said in frustration, "otherwise I will be forced to buy you something. It has to be something that says 'I am Lum's best friend. Fear Me.'" After a critical review of Akane's wardrobe, she finally selected a long beige pullover, sepia leggings and gaff leather boots that were died a shade of mahogany. Over this came a white vest that had the insignia of the Tendou family on the back.

Lum in the mean time had slipped out of her flight gear revealing a tiger stripped bikini and boots that went up to her knees. She circled Akane slowly scrutinizing her appearance. "You look almost perfect. But something is missing." Lum rubbed her chin. "Ah, yes, of course!" She produced a yellow tiger stripe, scarf, seemingly out of nowhere, and wrapped it around Akane's neck. "Yes. You are beautiful, now. Let us go."

Outside of the Tendou compound, Doozy Sack awoke in all its squalid glory. More people than usual were outside all trying to get a good look at the fleet's descent. Those not gawking like idiots were getting on with their day: opening up shops, or walking to work

Lum seemed euphoric as they walked taking short cuts through twisted alleyways. For Akane by herself such a route would be almost suicidal in normal situations, but she knew that as long as she had her sempai beside her, she was safe.

"This is the time to live, Akane-chan, life is fast and unpredictable. To dance, from skillet to hearth, with the taste of blood on your palette and flesh in your teeth. We who wander the void on our way to the final end get a chance to run. Look at me for example. I am a war hero now."

"Really Lum-Sempai?"

"Oh yes, I led my fighters against a scheduled sneak attack saving our main carrier during the battle of Weaver's Cluster. For my trouble I was promoted to Captain."

Akane looked at Lum with amazement, but slightly puzzled. "Weaver's Cluster? I thought that the fleets were gathering here for the battle of Weaver's Cluster."

Lum smiled shaking her head. "Oh no Akane-chan, much as I pride myself in our victory, Weaver's Cluster was only a minor skirmish. The battle we are preparing for now is Fatima's Well. If we gain control over the gravity well, we'll gain the vital edge we need in our struggle against those damned Jurai."

The distinction between battles confused Akane more then she would ever admit. The war between the Oni and the Jurai had been going on for as long as she could remember. Despite being Lum's friend she still understood virtually nothing about it. "Sempai? What are you and the Jurai fighting over?" She asked."

Lum smiled sweetly and wagged a finger at Akane. "Now, now Akane-chan. You know that once grievances between two sides are filed, they become classified for the greater good. Why if the Governors let us tell every one, who knows what...." Lum was interrupted by the sound of, loud, explosions coming from the general direction of Ganymede's.

Lum turned in shock. "Oh no! It is the Jurai! They are after my Darling! Darling!" She shouted, taking flight. Akane ran after her, trying her best to keep up.

"Sempai! Please! Don't get involved! The Peace Robots will handle it!" she shouted. It was no use. When Lum was like this there was no stopping her.

Ganymede's was unharmed. But it was now closed, protected by reinforced steel doors. The rest of the street was not so lucky. A Jurai colonel and a mercenary captain had squared off in the middle of the and were doing considerable damage. The energy generators of the Jurai's personal defense field, looking for all the world like wooden spirit wards orbiting her figure, crackled with energy. They had taken the full brunt of the mercenary's energy blast and the street reeked of ozone from the exchange. The Mercenary captain had produced an energy blade. Slowly, the two combatants circled around each other.

"Unclean trash!" Shouted the Jurai captain. "You can't have him! I paid for him! I own him!"

"My money is as good as yours, Princess," the captain sneered, "and Ganymede took it. Tenchi is mine."

"You two! Stop this! You are going to hurt my Darling!" Lum shouted. Electricity began to arc between her hands as she virtually glowed with rage.

"Lum-Sempai! Please! The Peace Robots are coming!" Akane shouted in desperation, tugging at Lum's arm, risking electrocution. "They know what's happening! They always know!" Lum calmed down as the distinct hum of Peace Robots approaching filled the streets of Doozy Sack. Both she and Akane broke into a run.

Most Peace Robots looked like large, floating, metal orbs. Some, however, were designed to look like chrome versions of whatever species they policed. On Doozy Sack most of the population was human.

Akane had seen Peace Robots that resembled Lollygaggers several times, and occasionally she had seen others fashioned to look like other species. Imperial Peace Robots were much rarer. Akane had heard more then one rumor that said that this was because in the case of Imperials the impersonation was perfect.

Right now there were three Peace Robots one was of humanoid design, flanked by two humming steel orbs.

A single blast of energy from one of the orbs rendered the mercenary unconscious. The Jurai watched in horror, as the mercenary fell to the ground. She turned to the Peace Robots. "Gentle Enforcers, no!" She shouted. "This was all that monster's fault!" She frantically pointed at the unconscious mercenary. "This is all a terrible misunderstanding! Please believe me..." She stammered, as the intensity of her defense field increased "I am Colonel Aeyeka Masaki of the royal house of Jurai! I am the 24th in the line of inheritance! The Governors will understand! Tell them who I am. Please! Tell them who I am!"

Her force field lasted a whole second before the wooden generators burst into flame and exploded. With another stun bolt, Captain Aeyeka Masaki slumped to the ground.

The Peace Robots picked up the two assailants as a carrier vessel appeared over head. Lum and Akane waited at a safe distance. "If they're lucky, they will wake up healthy and calm," Lum whispered. "If not they will be born again." She was, clearly disturbed by the whole idea.

"Your Darling waited several months for you, I'm sure he won't mind waiting a little longer." Akane said, trying to comfort her friend. Personally, she didn't feel like playing any longer

Lum nodded slowly, strangely quiet and pensive. It was a marked contrast from her usually bubbly self. She was still staring at the Jurai Colonel. "Akane-Chan. I hoped to wait before I said this." She said slowly, with much hesitation. "I wanted this day to be fun for the both of us. I actually believed that I could wait before anything happened. But they," she nodded in the direction of the departing carrier, "showed me I was wrong."

Lum turned to look at her young friend "Akane-chan, do you remember what I told you about the rules of engagement?"

Akane smiled, happy to show off what her sempai had taught her. "Of course, Sempai, you said that the Governors control every aspect of warfare, that they only allowed conflict at all if both parties followed the guidelines. Both forces would have to itemize everything. Ships, tactics, weapons, everything has to be put in triplicate. One time you said that the only strategic advantage was who had the better clerks."

Lum smiled. "Very good, Akane-chan. I am very proud of you. That is exactly right. But, I am afraid there is more. The rules of engagement have many loopholes. Ones that have existed for centuries. Why the Governors have not fixed them is one of the great mysteries of the universe." Lum paused and sighed. "I am sure you know the most basic loophole. Hiring mercenaries."

Akane nodded slowly realizing that the 'Rules of Engagement' had more wrinkles than she could possibly imagine. She waited for Lum to continue.

"That Loophole hardly even matters. Perhaps that is why the Governors never bothered to fix it." Lum said thoughtfully. "It usually ends with their mercenaries fighting our mercenaries. The damage a mercenary force could do to either of us is virtually nonexistent. But there are other kinks in the wire that the enemy can use. The most common and effective one being the tragic fact that accidents happen to supply lines."

"Sempai?" Frequently Lum's analogies made little sense, and this time she was being more obscure then usual.

Lum stared up at the cloudy sky. "The Jurai will stop at nothing to gain an advantage in this conflict," she said slowly, "just as we would not. "I would be a fool if I did not believe that there was an intelligence officer out there who was aware of our friendship, and would think it useful."

"Sempai!" Akane gasped as she finally realized what her sempai was getting at.

Lum grabbed Akane and pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair. Finally after what felt like an eternity. Lum held Akane out in front of her. Tears in her eyes. "I am afraid that I am going to have to leave you, Akane-chan. If I spend more time here, the Jurai will know. And if that happens they will use you and they will consider you cheap. I know I would." She whispered. She wiped a tear from Akane's eye and smiled. "Cheer up. It will not be more then a year, the gods willing, and I have a gift for you before I leave."

"Sempai?" Akane asked, "if it had been someone else fighting, or if the Jurai had behaved and merely bought another consort. Would we be having this conversation?" Lum smiled, but said nothing.

** *** **** ***

The rumbling of the ships did not stop. Ranma wondered if the presence of the fleets, was the reason the Peace Robots had not yet responded to the tragedy. Anyway the old man was dead, and nothing was going to change that. Ranma checked for vital signs, and when he found none, shook his head sadly. The Peace Robots would arrive soon enough, he thought; whether they would do anything to find the killer was more in doubt. He wasn't sure if Peace Robots cared about the death of an old man in the Rimsides. For all Ranma knew they would merely summon a sanitation unit to clean up the mess. Ranma had to confess he was mostly ignorant regarding the ways of Peace Robots.

Though he had had spent the first six years of his life here on Doozy Sack, Ranma had only returned two years ago. The intervening years had been spent traveling the galaxy with his father as a "student warrior." In common lingo that meant "Mercenary." Despite his experiences, he resisted the cheapness of life here. Oh, he could understand it of course. First generation people, that is to say, the first generation to leave Earth and the last to arrive in civilized space, due to the limitations of their technology, had had to accept being treated like third class citizens. That didn't mean they liked it.

Despite the risk of involving himself in a confrontation when the Peace Robots arrived to break it up, Ranma would have been tempted to help the old man if he had arrived on time. He just wasn't sure if it would have done any good. Oh sure he could have beaten a group of unarmed thugs, he had the training. But the concept of an unarmed thug in the Rimsides was about as likely as finding the streets of Doozy Sack covered with gold.

He wondered what the thugs had stolen. The old man must have had something in order to attract their attention. They had stolen his shirt and probably a coat considering the weather. Funny they had missed his boots.

He closed the dead man's eyes and looked around one last time to make sure the Peace Robots were still missing. Then he frantically began undoing the bootlaces. They were double knotted, but he couldn't afford to cut them. Boots with laces would go for more money on the market. It took him almost two minutes to get them undone. He yanked them off the old man's feet, and then got up and ran as if the Devil himself was after him. Far away he could hear the hum of something far worse.

"Martial arts hustling" Ranma muttered to himself, as he counted his money, "that's what it is, Martial arts hustling. If there's martial arts involved, I can do anything; therefore, it's okay." He'd repeated this mantra to himself for the next hour. But it stuck in his craw that he had to do it. He had to survive no matter what it took. But it's wrong, a voice inside him said. It lacks honor. Another voice reminded him that on Doozy Sack there was a word for honorable man: corpse.

The day became a dance from one contact to another. It took no time at all to find someone willing to buy the old man's boots. It took longer to find someone who would to take them for twice the first man's price.

From there he went to a candy store owned by a lollygagger named Shufflin' Joe. Shuflin' Joe's specialty was a small, hard lollygagger candy known for it's "excellent taste that virtually melts in your mouth." At least according to the lollygaggers. Ranma invested the money he had gotten from the boots on a bag of the stuff. Then he ground the candies into a powder and threw the wrappers away. He was able to sell the powder for several times the price he had paid.

Ranma was always amazed, considering the size of Doozy Sack's underworld, no one except him had figured out that particular trick. He himself had discovered it when, as a child, he had actually tried lollygagger candy. He had had nightmares for an entire week. He was sure it was only a matter of time before someone else realized that lollygagger candy had psychotropic qualities that made LSD look like table salt. At the moment, he had the corner of a very small market.

Ranma's next stop was at a beast arena. It was a gruesome sport, pitting animals of different species against each other to tear themselves apart for people's entertainment. There were times that the sports popularity disturbed him, but the stakes were high and worth the risk of gambling on it. Most people this time bet on a rather ferocious looking purple snake. Ranma had inside information. He bet on a yellow rat with the crooked tail.

Ranma won so much he felt like celebrating so treated the rat's owner to a meal.

"It was a good match," he told the owner, who couldn't be older then fourteen. "You should be proud of yourself."

The owner beamed, putting his hand behind his head in embarrassment. "Golly, thanks, Mr. Ranma, sir! That means a lot to me! But this is just the beginning. I want to be the greatest trainer in the arena there is!"

Ranma laughed and slapped the boy on the shoulder. "Heck, Kid, someday you'll be a master."

Ranma counted his earnings for the day. He had to admit 1000 credits was not bad for a day's work. It was enough to cover expenses for a month, provided his old man didn't get his hands on it. Only Ranma had other plans. It was also just enough to turn the scheme he and Uchan had been working out in their heads into a reality.

After the ports, the Lazy Fair was one of the oldest permanent structures on Doozy Sack. Named by a thankfully long dead wit, the Lazy Fair was a huge public market. It's north end was entrenched tentatively in the Rimsides where it worked its way south through the Gentryways until it stopped a few kilometers short of the Mainport. One could buy anything at the Lazy Fair, absolutely anything.

Ukyou Kounji kept her "shop", Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, at the westside of the Lazy Fair right before the Rimsides met the Gentryway. She made her living cooking Okonomiyaki and dealing occasionally in contraband. Due to her proximity to Heaven's Way Freeport, she did fairly well for herself. "Shop" was probably not an accurate term. Ucchan's Okonomiyaki (more commonly called the "The Ucchan") was actually a centuries-old catering van. After Okonomiyaki, Ukyou's passion was spending hours tinkering with the old thing. Considering the number of spare parts that Ukyou had put into it, she had probably replaced her pride and joy a dozen times over. After years of work on it the Ucchan had become a heavily armored, all terrain vehicle with many hidden "accessories". It was, very likely, the fastest thing, on six wheels, in the Rimsides.

It was getting on towards evening, and business was beginning to slow down for Ukyou. At the moment the only customer she had was a Lollygagger. The slug like creature gurgled out something that sounded slightly interrogative.

Ukyou tapped her earpeace to make sure the used translation unit was working correctly she had spent five hundred credits on. The dealer claimed it had fifty languages on file.

"Well it's sort of a pancake but much, much, better 'cause you get all of the toppings that you want on it." She said cheerfully.

The Lollygagger burped inquisitively.

Ukyou gritted her teeth as she listened to the translation. "It's nothing like pizza!" She shouted. "A pizza is something that you throw together and toss in the oven. Okonomiyaki is a work of art!"

The Lollygagger retracted all four of its eyestalks in a pose of deference and apology. Then it made a long sloshing sound.

Ukyou shrugged. "No. No reason to apologize. It's just that I wish I had a subcred for every time."

The Lollygagger chirruped in understanding. It went over the menu, with all four of its eyestalks, and chortled a request.

Ukyou shrugged. "Yeah. I can make that." She poured the batter on the grill and spread the top with the utterly toxic sauce which appeared to please Lollygaggers. "One Tapeworm and Maggot Okonomiyaki coming up." She said, feigning excitement with the skill of a professional actress.

Ukyou watched a very contented Lollygagger shuffle away. "If that becomes my most popular entree, I quit." She muttered to herself.

She was just about to close up shop when Ranma finally showed up. "Ranchan!" She shouted. "Hey Sugar, what took you so long I was beginning to worry." She started making his favorite, a gaff okonomiyaki for him. It felt great to have the opportunity to cook something edible. They had been friends for as long as she could remember, first as children before Ranma's father had dragged him off on the training mission, and years later when he had returned to the Rimsides. Their reunion had not been pretty. Ukyou had felt abandoned when Ranma had left her, and for years she had hated him. It was even worse in some respects. When they were children Ranma had been two years older. Ukyou had idolized him as the older brother she had never had. When Ranma returned to the Rimsides, they were chronologically the same age. Ukyou had resented this terribly. Now, both of them agreed to live for the moment and not talk about the past. They still referred to each other by their childhood nicknames, Ranchan and Ucchan, just the same.

Ranma smiled. "Sorry, Ucchan, couldn't be helped. Maybe when you see what I've been up to you'll forgive me." With a flourish, he produced ten hundred-credit marks, and dropped them on the Ucchan's counter.

Ukyou's jaw dropped. "Ranma!" She whispered, looking around frantically, "Where in the void did you get all that?"

Ranma touched her lip and made a shushing noise. "Now, now, Ucchan, best you don't know. Ignorance is bliss, especially when it involves long, sharp, metal probes."

Ukyou rolled her eyes skyward. "Ranchan, you jackass. The Governors don't use metal probes."

"How do you know?" Ranma asked. "Have you ever seen them use anything else? In fact I bet you don't even know what a Governor look like."

"Don't be stupid Ranchan. Everyone knows that the Governors are giant, hideous fungi with squid-like heads and leather wings that drive you mad just by getting close to you. They sleep on their homeworld and control the Peace Robots through their dreams."

"Heh, once I ran into some crazy, little, green man who claimed the Governors were luminous beings, not crude matter."

"One time I heard that they were, like, these black stone monoliths that taught sentient life how to do useful stuff like how to kill things with sticks!" Ukyou was grinning broadly, now.

"Hey for all we know, I could be a Governor in disguise!" Ranma said laughing.

Ukyou stopped laughing and glared at Ranma. "Don't even joke about it, Ranma."

Ranma put his hand behind his neck and grinned sheepishly. "Aw gee, Ucchan, I didn't mean nothing by that. I just thought . . . ."

Ukyou muttered something about first generation inbreeding under her breath, and shook her head. "Come on," she said, gesturing towards the passenger seat, "I'll close up and drive you home."

It really didn't take much to close the Ucchan. The turn of a crank made the seats and counter fold out of sight into the van's side. In ten minutes they were driving through the alleyways towards Ranma's house.

They'd been planning the sting on and off for several months. It had started out as an intellectual exercise but gradually with careful thought and financing it was becoming their way out of poverty and out of the Rimsides, the first step to getting out of Doozy Sack. "So this is it Ucchan," Ranma said very excited. "This is the break we've been looking for. This amount is exactly what we need for the plan's collateral. We can't loose."

Ukyou smiled. "We have to do this right, Ranchan," she said slowly. "If we screw this up we don't get a second chance."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't worry about it. You and me together, what can go wrong?"

Ukyou let that one slide. "I need time to set things up with my contacts Ranma," she said quietly, "meet me at the usual place at the fifteenth hour tomorrow. Do you understand? The fifteenth hour."

"Don't worry 'bout it Ucchan. We've got it all covered. Friends like us who can beat us?"

Ukyou was quiet for a moment as she pulled up in Ranma's neighborhood. Friends. That's all she was to him, a friend. "Ranchan you may be first generation trash," she said quietly, "but you're my first generation trash."

Ranma watched as the Ucchan drove away. He sighed to himself and walked up the alley. The building that Ranma shared with his father stood at the back of a narrow cul-de-sac that few vehicles could enter. The first floor had been destroyed years ago, and only the support columns remaining. The apartment above was reachable only by rope ladder. It made the perfect hideaway for them it was out of the way so nobody would stumble over it and yet virtually inaccessible if the wrong sort of person was after them. When the rope ladder was pulled up, only a Peace Robot could follow them up here. In the two years they had been there, neither Ranma nor his father had done anything that would attract their attention.

A light in the window indicated his old man was home. A perfect end to a perfect day, he muttered to himself.

Ranma smiled as he climbed up. He knew that the future was in good hands. He and Ukyou had been planning this operation down to the most minute detail for months now. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Just the same, he was glad he left the money with Ukyou as he entered his dwelling.

Genma Saotome looked up as Ranma entered the dingy apartment. Ranma's father was a large man and very sturdy. In spite of a developing paunch, he still had the strong body of his youth. He wore a ragged white tunic and covered his bald head with a dirty white bandana. He stared at Ranma through large glasses that were probably older then he was. Like most members of the first generation on Doozy Sack, he was reluctant to invest in augmentations, even for improved vision.

"Ranma, m'boy, you're home!" He shouted out.

Ranma stared at his father, surprised by his good humor. Then he noticed the bottle on the table. Happiness in a glass, he thought to himself. "Yeah, Pop I'm back. Is there a problem with that? I don't remember you setting a curfew."

"I worried about you, Boy," Genma said sounding very concerned. "You missed training this morning. If this keeps up, you'll get soft. Like a girl."

"I got up early to watch the fleets land!" Ranma shouted, not mentioning that his father had slept through the whole thing. "Everyone did. I think the whole neighborhood was standing on their roofs trying not to miss anything."

Genma laughed. "Fleets come and go, boy, and this one will be coming for the next month at least. You should get used to it. If it surprises you, your enemies will have an edge; and that's all they need to defeat you."

"What does being impressed by an imperial armada have to do with being weak in front of your enemies!?" Ranma demanded.

"Never mind that. We'll get you back on track tomorrow. I'm glad you're home. I thought you'd be interested to know that it's been exactly two years since we've returned to our home planet." Genma grabbed the wine bottle, and some mugs off of the table. "It seemed to me like a good time to celebrate."

Ranma looked at his father suspiciously. "Who'd want to celebrate living here two years?" He demanded. "It just means we've been damned for a little less time then everyone else."

"Nevertheless, that's no reason to let wine go to waste, and we really need an excuse to drink?" Genma said merrily filling up the mugs. He handed one to Ranma. "After all, Son, eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."

Ranma watched his father as he sipped his wine. "This stuff is really awful." He muttered. Hestill had to admit it felt good, very relaxing. Too relaxing to be alcohol. "Damn you," he whispered before he slumped to the floor unconscious.

Genma Saotome looked down at his sleeping son and shook his head sadly. "It's for your own good, boy," he whispered. "If it makes any difference to you, I promise this is the last time."

* * * * * *

Ranma woke slowly to discover he was in a dark chamber, immersed in a clear liquid. He desperately thrashed about trying to get out before he drowned. Slowly, he realized he was breathing the liquid and he was not drowning. Gradually, he calmed down. As his eyes adjusted he saw that a light shone into the chamber through a small window just a little larger then his face. Looking through it, he could see that the room seemed empty, though he was sure he could hear voices. Screaming frantically and hammering against his confines he tried to get their attention. "Please! What's going on? Get me out of here!" he shouted.

One of the voices asked if everything was in order to begin the experiment.

Another voice concurred and began to explain just what the procedure would be and how they would perform it.

"No. This has got to be a joke! Please say this is a joke!" Ranma begged.

A third voice stated that as interesting as this all sounded, it could not understand the point. After all, didn't they have all of the data they could possibly need on human physiology? In fact, didn't the humans provide most of the information they needed on a completely voluntary basis?

The second voice explained that there were several vague areas that had to be cleared up.

The third voice stated it felt that the experiment was identical to Project Shimeru.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Ranma asked despairingly.

The first voice explained that Project Shimeru's transformations were inherently unstable. It explained that Project Jusenkyo would demonstrate the genetic malleability of human physiology while using a more stable catalyst.

The third voice wondered what would happen when the splinter personality was discovered. There was no response to this question.

The second voice ordered the experiment to begin.

"No, please! Don't. Please! No. Don't!"

The last thing Ranma would remember was feeling the pain from thousands of needles, and crying for his mother.

* * * * * *

She was awaken by the jab of a metal needle thrusting into her arm. "Hello. Are you awake?" A voice asked. The girl opened her eyes and blinked as things gradually came into focus.

She was lying in a most comfortable bed. The sensation was so alien she knew it couldn't be her own. A cold towel lay on her forehead. Two women were standing over her. Both were dressed in expensive clothes, not in the sheer opulence of a mayor or some other higher up, but with the decorum and taste that suggested the lower upper class. The one who had spoken was the taller of the two. She wore her long brown hair in a very sensible ponytail and smiled like an angel. The shorter woman wore her hair short in a fashion that almost made it look as if she was wearing some sort of helmet. She kept her arms folded and studied her not missing the smallest detail. Nervously, the girl nodded.

The tall woman looked relieved. "That's good." She said warmly. " My name is Kasumi Tendou and this is my sister Nabiki," she nodded to the shorter woman. "I am the mistress of this house, do you understand?" The girl hesitated for a second and nodded again. Kasumi smiled. "Good. I am very fair so if there are any problems please let me know." She paused. "Are you feeling all right?" The girl shook her head.

Kasumi sighed. "The way dealers drug their products these days is inexcusable." She said. "I'd sooner see people in chains. . . No, forgive me, I didn't mean that. Still I have half a mind to report them to the chamber of commerce. Do you remember the last few hours?" she asked suddenly. The girl shook her head. "I see. Do you remember about the rest of your life? Family? Friends? Pets?" The girl shook her head

Kasumi frowned. "Oh dear." She whispered. "I'm afraid you're still very disoriented. With any luck this will pass. Do you remember being in the auction? The girl shook head again feeling very nervous. Why couldn't she remember anything?

"Sis, she's stressing out." The other woman, Nabiki said. She looked at the girl critically. "The auctioneer said that you were a martial artist. Is this true?" The girl smiled broadly remembering complex katas and punch combinations. She could remember something! She nodded enthusiastically.

Kasumi smiled. "Good," she said. "Let me tell you why you were purchased. Our younger sister, Akane, came of age this week. This means she is able to leave the house on her own reconnaissance whenever she wishes. You will be her personal servant. You will be her best friend who will listen to and understand her. You will be there when she needs someone. But just as importantly you will protect her with your life. Is that clear?"

The girl nodded. It was too clear. "Good," said Kasumi. "Now get some sleep. You can meet your mistress when you feel better."

Kasumi watched as the girl fell asleep. Smiling, she adjusted her blanket, and turned to Nabiki. "All right little sister, out with it. You have something to say. I can always tell."

"I still don't understand Sis. Why couldn't we just reassign one of the other servants? Buying a new one is too much of a security risk."

Kasumi frowned. "Akane has been going through some hard times lately, and I felt that she needed someone her own age. Trust me, it will work out. Still, I'm afraid to. Probably I hope a bit too much. I'm afraid I have to rely on your cynicism from time to time. What do you think of her?"

Nabiki shrugged. "Even without the drugs she's hard to read," she said. "She's first generation no doubt. Even the rich ones won't get implants. Something to do with religious values, I'm told," she sniffed.

"I see," Kasumi said, pensively. "Do you think she was born again?"

Nabiki picked up a piece of fruit from a bowl on the dining room table and began to munch on it as she thought. "Really hard to say," she said between bites. "Her mind's scrubbed, for sure. But they did a really spotty job. She still has a lot of memories in her subconscious. The process is incomplete." She took another bite from her fruit as she paused to think. "Funny, it's not like the Governors to cut corners like that," she muttered to herself. Kasumi said nothing, but looked pensive.

* * * * * *

Akane smashed her fist through three cinder blocks with a shout. She wiped the sweat from her brow and looked down at the rubble that had accumulated during her workout. Martial arts had been one of the only outlets available to her in her cloistered youth.

She had been practicing extensively in the family Dojo since Lum had left. True, she was able to accept Lum's reasons, but that did not mean she had to like it. It still hurt.

Sighing to herself she sat. A small black piglet, with a tiger striped bandanna wrapped around its neck, watched her from the corner of the Dojo. The piglet had been Lum's parting gift. Akane smiled and picked it up. "You are a cute one I'll admit," she said as she rubbed it's belly. The piglet squealed contentedly. Akane rummaged around her things and found the remains of a snack that the cook had made for her. She gave it to the piglet who ate it immediately. "I think I'll call you P-Chan. Do you like that?" She asked. The piglet nodded and continued eating.

"Akane?" Akane and the piglet looked to see Kasumi standing at the Dojo entrance. Kasumi walked into the Dojo. Kasumi looked down at the pile of rubble Akane had created during her workout. "Are you feeling any better?" She asked.

"A little." Akane lied.

Kasumi looked at her little sister in the eye, not buying it for a second. "I'm happy to hear that," she said. "I'd like you to meet somebody." Kasumi raised her hand in a beckoning manner. A girl, Akane's age, walked into view. "She is to serve your every need, and accompany you whenever you leave the house." Kasumi said cheerfully. "Nabiki and I took quite a bit of time from our busy schedules selecting her, and I'm confident she's perfect for you." Kasumi smiled sweetly ignoring Akane's reaction completely. "Call it intuition if you like." She finished.

"Well having said that I have to start making the preparations for tomorrow's dinner party. Father has several important dignitaries to talk to. And Nabiki doesn't want anything to go wrong during the negotiations. I'll just let you two get to know one another." With that, Kasumi turned and left.

Akane stooped to put P-Chan down. She stood up to look at her new servant. The girl was short, several centimeters shorter then Akane. Despite her height, she had a very statuesque figure very well built; Akane was forced to admit, better then her. She was dressed in a red tunic and blue trousers. She wore her scarlet red hair in a short braided ponytail. She looked at Akane, shyly with big blue eyes.

"Well," as you already know, I'm Akane." She said. " So. What is your name? Well? Speak up, girl!"

The girl paused for a second before she was able to get the courage to speak. "I'm Ranko, Mistress." She said.