Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Advent of Washu ❯ Dreaming of Forever ( Chapter 1 )

-The Advent of Washu-

*******************001*******************

DREAMING OF FOREVER

"Amos, run another scan on that asteroid, will you?" Adrian fell back in his chair, knowing that one more scan wouldn't change anything, but it would at least make him feel better. His ship's computer looked at him disapprovingly.

"Sir, my first scan was complete, covering the entire asteroid. I assure you, I missed nothing."

Adrian closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. "Just run the damn scan already."

"Yes, sir."

Two months so far, with nothing to show for it but wasted time. This was certainly no way to run an outfit.

"Coffee?"

Adrian did not open his eyes as he heard Rodger enter the bridge. "How 'bout some beer?"

"We're out." Rodger plopped down in the seat opposite of Adrian and gave the monitors a once over. "Thought I heard Amos whining 'bout something. Got him running more useless scans, eh."

"Shut up and give me that coffee."

"Sorry about the beer, but all we got left is coffee and some sake` we got from that freighter we passed about two weeks ago."

Adrian grabbed his mug from Rodger. "Hate that crap. Don't even know how you're supposed to drink it. Hot? Cold? Shit, man, pick one or the other, you know? And what's with those tiny little cups?"

Rodger turned back to his monitors. "Yeah, well it's all we got left, so we're going to have to put in soon. We're staring to run low on meat, too."

Adrian took a drink of his coffee and rubbed his temple again. "If we put in, we gotta report, and I aint got nothin' to report yet, so we're gonna make do for another week or so at least."

"I've completed my scan, sir," Amos said, the robotic dome that was the ship's A.I. interface unit drifting over to where Rodger sat looking at his monitors. "Once again, I find no valuable ore anywhere on the asteroid, not even steel. There are no other asteroids in the area."

"Crap." Adrian set his coffee down and pulled up a navigation chart. "Well, what the hell do we do know?" Rodger pulled up a seat next to Adrian and looked over the chart.

"We have covered this entire sector, sir," Amos said, sliding in between the two humans. "I suggest we head to sector #6654.887. No major space mining company has yet charted that area, and the data suggest a large concentration of asteroids and other space debris may be present. It is not too far from our current location."

"Show me."

On the main view screen, their location was marked by a yellow arrow. The view pulled back as a line appeared, marking the course to sector #6654.887.

"I don't think that's too good an idea," Rodger said, "I've heard some bad things about that place."

"What do you mean?"

Rodger stood and walked over to the screen. "See how close it is to Lagen, this system here?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, they say any ship that heads for the Lagen system never comes back. I've heard that it's guarded by the most advanced security system the universe has ever seen. One hundred percent lethal, and completely indiscriminate."

Adrian looked at Rodger for a moment, and then glanced back at the screen. He'd heard a few rumors about the area as well, though he'd never paid them any mind. And in any case, he needed to find some ore, and soon, or the company would have his neck. "Yeah, well I say codswallop," he said, pushing his seat back and getting to his feet. "We go where the asteroids are. Go ahead and lay in a course, Amos."

"Yes, sir."

Adrian turned to leave the bridge. "I'm turnin' in, Rodge. Take the watch for a bit, and try to cool your superstitious heels. And Amos, see if there's any ships we'll be gettin' near on the way out."

"Sir."

"And if there is, hail 'em and see if we can buy some provisions. I could really use a beer."

> > >

Rodger had been born in space, and, he figured with the way things had been going lately, he was probably going to die in space as well. He had been born and raised on a deep space outpost, halfway between Jurai and the outer colonies. His outpost had been a major outfit and supply depot for traffic passing along the trade routes, so naturally he had seen and heard all sorts of interesting things while growing up.

"Superstition, he says," he mumbled, activating a long range navigation scan.

"You know I do that automatically, sir," said Amos, turning to look at Rodger. Rodger looked up from his keypad.

"What was that, Amos?"

"You ran a navigation scan. I have been running one automatically every five minutes for the last three hours. There is nothing out of the ordinary out there, sir, nor is there anything hazardous in our path for at least fifteen thousand kilometers."

Rodger looked down at his screen. A 'scan complete' message was flashing. "Right. Sorry." He deactivated his screen and turned his chair around. "Amos, you've heard of the Lagen system, haven't you?"

"If you are referring to the tales of mystery regarding the system, I have fourteen separate accounts of vessels debarking for the territory, and never returning."

"And he still calls it superstition."

"However, they are all unconfirmed reports, from highly suspect sources."

"Such as?"

"Bar stories. Drunken sailors lamenting the old days, trying to tell a better tale then the last. Hardly reliable sources, wouldn't you say?"

"You know, Amos, next time we pull in, I'm getting you a personality upgrade."

"What do you mean?"

Rodger stood and stretched. He'd been on the bridge for a little over three hours now, and they weren't even halfway to sector #6654.887 yet. "You're so dull all the time. You know, Juraian ships have real personality. Some even say their sentient."

"That would be an impractical assessment."

"See what I mean? You've always got to quantify and qualify everything. If we get through this, I'm getting you a sense of humor, at least."

"There is no reason to suspect that we should not return safely."

Rodger sighed. "It's pointless talking to you."

At that moment, Rodger's panel started beeping at him. He turned in his chair and activated his screen. "What have we got, Amos?"

"Long range scans have detected what appears to be a life support pod at bearing one-six-five, elevation thirty-two, ten thousand kilometers ahead."

"How far off course does that take us?"

"If we were to intercept the pod, it would take us an extra hour and a half to reach sector # 665..."

"Okay shut up. Wake Adrian, would you?"

"Yes, sir."

Ten minutes later, Adrian walked onto the bridge, still half asleep. "I was in the middle of a damn good dream, Rodge. What is it?"

"Found a life pod on long range scan. I've already altered course to intercept."

"Why?"

Rodger was stunned silent for a moment. "What the hell do you mean, 'why?'! Why the hell do you think?"

"Rodge, we're in the middle of nowhere, and we aint passed no ship in weeks. Amos, have you picked up any debris or wreckage of any sort?"

"Scans have shown nothing of the sort."

"See what I mean, Rodge? Those pods aren't meant to last more'n a few days, tops." Adrian bent over and punched in a few commands on Rodger's screen. An image of the life pod popped up on the view screen. It was a perfectly round ball, with a worn and tattered exterior. "Looks like this thing's been out there for weeks. Maybe months."

"Well, we gotta know for sure. Amos, continue intercept course."

"Yes sir."

"Whatta waste of time. I'm going back to bed, and don't wake me unless it's important."

"You're full of heart, you know Adrian," Rodger called after him.

"Yeah, it's a flaw," Adrian said, leaving the bridge.

Rodger shook his head. "What a jerk. How'd I ever get stuck workin' with that guy?"

"Luck of the draw, I guess," replied Amos, coming up beside Rodger.

"Oh, so there is a little personality in there after all, eh? How long until we reach that life ball?"

"Another forty-five minutes."

"Great. Go ahead and get medical prepped, will you?"

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"But Tenchi, I want to go with you!" whined Ryoko, throwing herself onto Tenchi's back as he sat in the entryway to the Masaki household, pulling on his shoes. Tenchi pried her arms off his chest as he stood.

"I said no, Ryoko. Today is your day to help Sasami in the kitchen. Can't you at least try to help out around here sometimes?"

"But it must get so lonely out there in the fields, with no one to talk to," said Ryoko, getting that look in her eyes that Tenchi knew all to well. "Come on, Tenchi. You know you miss me when you're gone."

Tenchi sighed as he slid open the front door. "I'll see you tonight, Ryoko. And try to help the others, okay?" He slung his basket over his shoulder and walked out the door, sliding it closed behind him. Ryoko hovered in the entryway for a moment, then grinned.

"Well," she said, "I'll just follow him anyway!" and flew toward the door, her body passing through the screen as if it wasn't even there. She suddenly stopped short, her legs still halfway inside the house. "What's this?" she said, bending over and poking her head through the doorway. There was Ryo-oh-ki, clamped tightly to the hem of her robe. She floated back through the door and stood up, grabbing the cabit by the scruff of her neck.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Ryoko demanded. Ryo-oh-ki meowed pitifully.

"Where are you going, Ryoko?" Ryoko looked up to see Sasami standing in the doorway to the kitchen, holding a knife in one hand and a potato in the other. "I need you to start on the dishes so I can get these potatoes peeled. We're having chips with lunch!" she said, grinning and returning to the kitchen. Ryoko frowned and glared at Ryo-oh-ki.

"Traitor," she growled, bringing herself fully inside. Ryo-oh-ki just meowed and smiled.

> > >

The gentle sound of brooms sweeping the stone walkway mixed perfectly with the light breeze rustling through the trees surrounding the Masaki shrine. Ayeka paused for a moment to enjoy the spectacular view offered by the shrine's location on the hillside. Summer was in full swing, and signs of life were everywhere. The insects buzzed and the birds sang. The lively conversation of the departing tourists drifted gently up the hillside. The entire countryside felt alive. It was the middle of vacation season, and even though the shrine had been getting regular visitors, it had been a rather slow day thus far, with only one family stopping by all morning. Ayeka surveyed the hillsides, admiring the way the trees swayed in the breeze. She got the feeling as if she were floating in the middle of a gently rolling ocean of green.

The princess' solitude was suddenly interrupted by an obnoxious sound coming from behind her. She turned toward the shrine, and found Mihoshi leaning against her broom, fast asleep and snoring away. Ayeka's eyes narrowed as she stared at the detective first class.

"How can she...?" She stomped over to where Mihoshi stood and, gripping her own broom tight, swung and knocked the Galaxy Police Officer's broom out from under her chin. Mihoshi fell forward and hit the dirt hard. She quickly got to her knees and looked around, confused.

"What happened?" she asked, honestly bewildered. Ayeka stood over her and pointed at Mihoshi's broom, lying in the dirt a few feet away.

"You fell asleep while sweeping, again!" she shouted. "Honestly, how one person can require so much rest is beyond me."

A look of shock fell over Mihoshi's face. "Oh my!" she cried, and scrambled over to her broom. "Oh my! I'm so sorry, Ayeka! I really didn't mean to! It's just so nice out today, and the sun's so warm." She got to her feet and started sweeping away at the sidewalk again. "And then the breeze came up, and I smelled the cherry blossoms, and everything was so perfect, well, I just couldn't help myself."

Ayeka turned back to her own sweeping. "Yes, well, let's just get this done so we can help Grandfather inside, shall we? And could you be so kind as to start toward the steps while I get the entryway?" Ayeka said, sweeping off the path that led to the shrine entrance while pointing back toward the steps that led down to the Masaki house.

"Yeah, sure!" she said, trotting to the other side of the courtyard.

"Thank you, Mihoshi." The next few minutes were as peaceful as the rest of the morning had been, the swooshing of the brooms falling into pace with the nature that surrounded them. It wasn't long before Ayeka realized that she no longer could hear the sounds of Mihoshi's broom coming from behind her. She began to wonder if Mihoshi had fallen asleep again when the detective spoke up.

"Um, Ayeka?"

"Yes, Mihoshi, what is it?"

"That's really pretty, isn't it? But I wonder what it is?"

"What are you babbling about now?" Ayeka said, turning to look at Mihoshi, who was standing at the top of the stairs. She was pointing toward the lake at the base of the hill. From the small island in the center of the lake, hundreds of thin, multicolored lines were shooting skyward from the lone tree that dominated the tiny spot of land.

Ayeka dropped her broom.

> > >

Katsuhito Masaki was kneeling before the shrines alter, replacing the candles that had all but burned out, when he felt a bit of a twinge deep in his mind. He smiled and gently replaced the candles. At that moment, the door to the shrine slid open. He turned and saw Ayeka standing in the doorway, as proper as ever, hands folded gently in front of her.

"Brother Yosho," she said softly. "I believe you should come outside for a moment."

"Yes Ayeka, I know," he said, rising and walking toward his half sister. "Funaho calls, but it is not for me," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. She looked into his bespectacled eyes, not quite understanding what he meant. He smiled at her.

> > >

Washu looked up from her work as one of the many computer screens floating in front of her began to beep. She turned to the flashing screen, and all the other panels disappeared as the active one slid down in front of her. A keyboard emerged from nowhere and the red-headed genius started typing.

"Well," she said, reading the data as it scrolled across her screen. "Just when things were starting to get boring around here."

> > >

"Hurry up, Ryoko," cried Sasami, standing over the stove and yelling at the completely soaked and flustered demon-woman. "I need that large pot to boil the noodles in."

Ryoko handed the stirring spoon she had just washed to her double, who grabbed it with two fingers, dropped it in the rinse water, and yawned. "All right, all right, hold your horses! I've only got four hands you know." She turned to her double. "Hand me that pot over there, would you?" Ryoko's double looked up, sighed, and grabbed the handle of the large pot beside her, promptly causing the large stack of dishes on top of it to go crashing to the floor. Ryo-oh-ki jumped at the noise, scampering to hide behind the island. The double looked around sheepishly, handed the pot to Ryoko, and disappeared.

Sasami bowed her head and sighed. "Ryoko."

"What!" Ryoko shouted, waving the pot over her head. A clump of oatmeal slid out of the pot and landed with a wet "plop!" on Ryoko's head. She growled, dropped her arms, and gripped the pot tight in her hands. The pot glowed bright red for an instant, then vaporized. Sasami was horrified.

"Ryoko!" she shouted, running across the kitchen and looking quickly from the spot where the pot used to be and up at Ryoko's pleased face. "I needed that! Why did you do that?"

Ryoko grinned as she picked soggy oatmeal from her hair. "Hey, it's clean now, isn't it? Besides, we've got plenty of pots. Use another one."

"Oh, Ryoko! That's not the point!" Sasami said, turning away from Ryoko and stomping over to the cupboard to grab another pot. "You have to do things the way you're supposed to."

"Oh, I don't know," Ryoko said, "that sounds boring to me." She pulled the last of the oatmeal from her hair and rinsed her hand off. "It's more fun when you ignore the rules. You should try it some time."

"That's the way things are though. You can't do everything your way all the time."

"Hey missy," Ryoko said, drops of water flying from her hand as she shook her finger at Sasami. "My way works pretty good for me, alright, so I don't need you telling me what I can and can't do."

"But it's true," Sasami said, standing up and turning back toward Ryoko, new pot in hand. She handed it to Ryoko. "Could you fill this with water, please. People don't like it when you're obnoxious."

Ryoko snatched the pot from Sasami and placed it under the faucet. "And people don't like little girl's who are know-it-all's, either," she said, turning away from Sasami and starting the water running. "Sounding more like her sister every day," Ryoko grumbled under her breath as the pot filled. She shut off the water and turned around to see Sasami standing behind her with her head bowed over, and her shoulders shaking slightly. Ryoko sighed, setting the pot down on the counter behind her. Now you've done it, you lunkhead, she thought. You've gone and made her cry.

"Hey, Sasami," she said, "I didn't mean it, really." Sasami started to shake a bit harder. Ryo-oh-ki poked her head out from behind the island, looking worriedly at Sasami. Ryoko kneeled down in front of her. "You don't need to cry. I was just a little upset because I was messing up your kitchen so bad, that's all." She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, lifting her chin with the other hand. "So cheer up already..."

Ryoko gasped as she saw that Sasami's eyes were rolled almost completely back in her head, and her face was incredibly pale. As Ryoko held on to the young princess, she started shaking violently, and the marks on her forehead started to glow a brilliant emerald. Ryo-oh-ki meowed in fright and ran from the kitchen. For probably the first time in her life, Ryoko was truly frightened as Sasami's body jerked back and forth in her hands.

"Sasami!" shouted Ryoko, gripping her shoulders tight. "Hey! Snap out of it kid!" Suddenly, her violent shaking ceased, and her eyes snapped forward. "Sasami," Ryoko said, looking her in the eyes. "You okay?" Sasami seemed to stare directly through Ryoko, as if she wasn't even there, and then, without warning, threw her head back and let loose the most bloodcurdling scream Ryoko had ever heard.

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"Amos, bring us alongside and match speed, then just let it drift right into the airlock." Rodger turned from his control panel and adjusted the main view screen to display the image of the life pod as it floated freely in space. It really did look in a bad way, especially close up.

"Yes, sir," replied Amos, his A.I. unit rolling in its tracks over to the thruster controls. "Adjusting course 2.5 degrees to starboard, reducing speed to one-third."

Adrian watched from the pilot's seat, not offering any help, but not actively protesting the rescue, either. "Look at that thing, you guys," he said, leaning forward in his seat a little. "No way anything's alive in there. It's all beat to hell."

"Amos, stand by airlock control," Rodger said, ignoring his partner's cynicism. "And have some 'bots standing by to secure the life ball."

"Yes sir."

Adrian sat back in his chair and watched as the pod drifted closer to the ship, and felt the deck shudder slightly under his feet as the starboard airlock slid open. He shifted about in his seat, trying to get comfortable. Rodger and Amos went about their work, paying him no mind at all. Finally he stood to leave. "This is pointless," he said, not really expecting either of them to notice. "I'm getting a drink." He walked from the room, and the doors slid shut behind him. Rodger looked up from his screen and grinned at Amos.

"So, the bastard's not quite as heartless as he looks."

"Why do you say that, sir?"

Roger nodded at the doors. "He couldn't stand being in here and not doing anything. He's probably halfway to the galley right now, griping to himself about how stupid this is, trying to make himself feel better 'bout the whole thing."

"You humans are too complex for me to figure logically."

"Yeah, well real feelings do that to you, you know. Not like those idiotic programs you try to pass off as emotions."

"I don't follow, sir."

"Get back to work, Amos."

"Yes sir."

> > >

Adrian downed a shot of sake`, grimaced, and slammed the small porcelain cup down on the table, completely cracking the glass. Maybe it actually was better when drank warm?

"God, I need a beer."

He stood, tossed the broken glass in the waste basket, and walked from the galley. As the doors slid shut behind him, he felt the Amos' deck shudder slightly again, telling him that the airlock was now closed, and that stupid life ball was now on board. "Great," he muttered, shaking his head. "One more distraction to keep us from finding some ore." He could feel his bonus check slipping from his fingers, and along with it his promotion and command of a larger, newer ship. One with a real crew, not just an out-dated A.I. and some superstitious idiot of a spacer. Well, the company doesn't reward you for finding nothing, so they'd just have to stay out a bit longer, that was all. If Amos was right about this sector, they were bound to find something to take back to the company.

But what if Rodge was right, and they weren't going back?

Adrian found himself standing next to the inner door of the starboard airlock. He wondered briefly how he'd ended up there, then curiosity got the better of him, and he looked through the window at the worn and tattered life ball that was now sitting in the small room, getting fussed over by a half dozen 'bots. It really was a mess.

"Couldn't stay away, could you, sir?"

Adrian looked up to see Amos hanging from the ceiling in front of him. "Shove it, you damned 'bot," he said, shouldering his way past the A.I. unit and continued down the hall. He met Rodger coming down the passageway from the bridge. "Have fun with your new beach ball," he mumbled as they passed. "Looks like it could use a few patches, though."

Rodger looked over his shoulder and watched as Adrian disappeared around the bend, not quite knowing how to respond. He shook his head, and continued down the hall. Amos was waiting for him by the airlock.

"What's the story, Amos?"

"I'm picking up extremely weak life signs, sir. Internal atmosphere is consistent with our own. The occupant appears to be humanoid."

"All right. Let's get it to medical."

"Yes, sir."

> > >

The soft, textured surface of the life ball parted along one of its seams, the softer parts falling in on itself as the two atmospheres equalized. The 'bots swarmed over the ball, clicking and humming as they worked to stabilize their patient's condition. Rodger watched from the other side of the room as four of the bots gently lifted a man from inside and carried him over to the examining table. As soon as the 'bots backed away, a vast array of instruments and sensors dropped from the ceiling, some attaching themselves to his body, others scanning and probing the unconscious man. He was a dark haired man, probably in his late twenty's or early thirties, but Rodger had seen enough of the universe to know that physical appearance wasn't that great of a way to judge age. His face was handsome, though it appeared cold and chiseled, accented by a couple of days worth of stubble on his chin and cheeks. But what really caught Rodger's attention was the dark blue Galaxy Police Academy sweats he was wearing, which were quite dirty and torn in a few spots. After a couple of minutes watching the medical program at work, Rodger looked over at Amos, who had been silently overseeing the operation.

"Well?" Rodger asked.

"He should be dead," said Amos, not looking at Rodger.

"You know he's a cop, right?"

"It would appear so, but Academy sweats do not make one an officer. He has no I.D. on him, sir, nor is there anything else in the pod."

"Well, he's been through a lot, whoever he is." Rodger leaned back against a cabinet and folded his arms, only to be shoved out of the way a second later by a 'bot grabbing a bottle of thick-looking blue liquid off the shelf behind him.

"Like I said, sir, he should be dead. Adrian was right. These pods are only designed to work for three or four days, a week if you're unconscious. From what I could salvage from the pod's computer, it has been over three months since it launched."

"Damn," Rodger said, shaking his head. "Impressive."

"Impossible," corrected Amos. "The computer must have been scrambled. It's obvious both pod and survivor have had an incredibly difficult time, and this is not a terribly advanced escape module. When I have stabilized the survivor, I will try to retrieve more information from the pod."

"Where was it launched from?"

"The data is too corrupted to tell."

"Of course. So how is he?"

"He'll live. He's in shock compounded with a mild concussion. A few cuts and bruises, but no broken bones. Mild dehydration, but nothing to worry about there. He should wake in a few hours. What has me puzzled, though, is this." Amos slid over to the exam table, and a holographic image of the man appeared, floating directly over the table. Rodger walked over to the table and started looking over the hologram.

"I don't see anything."

"Look at this hole in his shirt, here on his chest," Amos said. A red circle surrounded a hole in the man's sweatshirt, about six inches down from his left shoulder.

"So?" Rodger said. "His clothes are a mess. He was bound to put a few rips in them."

"Now look at this one here on his back," Amos said as the hologram rotated a hundred eighty degrees, so that they were now looking at his back. Another hole was there, in about the same spot as the other.

"I'm not following."

"Look," Amos said, and the hologram became transparent, a red line drawing itself between the two holes, passing right through his heart. Rodger looked up at Amos.

"Are you sayin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"I don't know about that, sir, but I do know the odds of these two holes lining up like this, and of both being so close in size to the other, are quite low."

"And I think you're nuts. He's not even bruised there, much less a scratch, so why don't you worry more about his health than his clothes."

"Very well, sir." The hologram disappeared.

"Is Adrian on the bridge?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. I'm going to bed." He nodded at their patient. "Wake me when he comes around, would you?"

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Washu stared intently at her screen as the machine took its final scan of Sasami, who was fast asleep on the examination table. The scanner fed its information to Washu's computer as it finished its work, tucking itself away neatly into subspace. Washu's brow furled as she read the results of the exam.

"Damnit!" she shouted, jumping to her feet and drop-kicking the computer. Sasami stirred slightly in bed, but didn't wake. Washu looked down at the little girl, who appeared to be sleeping quite peacefully, and ran a hand across Sasami's cheek. "What happened to you, dear Sasami? I can't help if I don't know, so you must wake up soon so you can tell me, okay?"

Sasami reached up and gently grabbed Washu's hand, hugging it to her cheek, but didn't wake.

> > >

Tenchi sighed. It wasn't like Washu to keep them waiting like this, and he was starting to worry that Sasami might be in real danger. He sighed again and got to his feet, rubbing his back and stretching. His stomach growled. With Sasami sick, nobody had made dinner. He looked around at the women scattered about. Ayeka was sitting on the couch, glancing every few moments at Washu's door, where Mihoshi had fallen asleep leaning against the wall. Ryoko was sulking in the rafters. Katsuhito was next to Ayeka, sitting quite still and looking very calm, as usual.

Tenchi felt a tug on his shirt, and he looked down to see Ryo-Chan looking up at him worriedly. "Don't worry," he said, forcing himself to smile a little. "I'm sure Sasami will be fine." His stomach growled again. "Come on, Ryo-Chan," he said, taking her hand. "Let's go make some sandwiches for everybody."

At that moment, the closet door under the stairs opened, and Washu emerged, promptly tripping over Mihoshi, who immediately woke up and started apologizing incessantly. By the time Washu was standing again, she found herself completely surrounded and getting bombarded by questions from every direction.

"Now hold on a minute!" shouted Washu, throwing up her hands. "Can't a genius get a moments peace around here?"

"Miss Washu," pleaded Ayeka, stepping forward. "How is she? Is she going to be all right? You were in there for hours."

"She's going to be fine. Other than a case of extreme exhaustion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with her."

"The hell there isn't," Ryoko said, pushing to the front of the group. "You didn't see her in the kitchen earlier. People don't just freak out like that, Washu. Sasami doesn't just freak out like that. Something happened to her."

Washu looked over at Ryoko and waved a hand through the air. Ryoko suddenly found her lips sealed as a zipper pulled itself across her mouth. "As usual, Ryoko," Washu said, "You're not listening to me. What I said was that there's nothing wrong with her now. I never said that nothing had happened to her."

"But Miss Washu," said Tenchi, "What was it? What happened to Sasami?"

Washu looked around at the group crowding around her, then quite cheerfully and pointedly said, "I have no idea."

Everybody collapsed from shock, except for Katsuhito, who was still on the couch, sitting very still and beginning to snore.

Ayeka was the first to get to her feet. She grabbed Washu by the shoulders and started to shake her. "How can that be, Washu?" she shouted. "You know everything!"

"Kkkkkkknnnnnnnooooccccckkkkkk iiiiitttttt ooooofffff!!!!!!" shouted Washu, slapping Ayeka's hands aside. She shook her head clear, then said, "Look, everyone, I know you're worried about her, and so am I, but I can't say exactly what happened, other than she suffered some sort of severe trauma."

"Damnit, Washu!" shouted Ryoko, materializing behind Ayeka.

"Hey, I thought I'd fixed you," Washu said, Ryoko's zipper reappearing. A light on her wrist watch started blinking. She looked down at it and smiled. "Good. She's waking up. And I was just starting to worry."

Ayeka glared at Washu. "And just what is there to worry about if there's nothing wrong with her?"

Washu grinned and waved off Ayeka's comment. "Hey, don't worry! Let's all go see how she's doing, okay?" She turned and opened the door to her subspace lab, and the whole crew followed her in.

All except Katsuhito, who was now stretched out completely on the couch and snoring away quite peacefully.

> > >

Sasami felt as though she were falling, twisting through some unreal nightmare. Though part of her knew that this was only a dream, she couldn't help but feel a bit frightened, for all around her was darkness. She looked around, trying to find something that her mind could grasp, something that would tell her what this was all about, but all she could see was the inky blackness, complete and engulfing, adding to the feeling of apprehension that was pressing down on her.

A glint of light in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned to see her own reflection staring back at her. The Sasami standing in front of her looked exactly like her, only dressed differently. Instead of the green and yellow kimono that Sasami usually wore, she was wearing the more traditional, flowing white robes of the court of Jurai. Sasami looked down at herself, surprised to see that she was wearing the same robes. Surprise turned to shock as she realized that she was now older, almost full grown. She looked back at her reflection and found the mature Sasami there, smiling.

"Welcome, sister," her reflection said, holding her arms out in welcome.

A cool chill swept through the dream, and she was now herself again, eight years old and dressed in her bright, comfortable clothes. The older Sasami stepped forward and embraced her in the warmest, most sincere hug Sasami had ever experienced. At first she resisted the urge to lose herself in the arms of her shadow, knowing that this was simply a vision, and she would eventually have to wake. At length, however, the power of the embrace became too much to resist and she gave herself over to its comfort and love.

But as she did, everything changed, and she pulled back. Washu now stood where Sasami's reflection had been, looking much older than usual, and yet, in many ways, more beautiful as well. Washu grinned at her, and as Sasami watched, she started to draw away, fading into the shadows that surrounded them. An intense feeling of loneliness suddenly filled Sasami's heart, crushing her chest and drawing her up short. She started to run towards Washu, but the harder she ran, the faster Washu seemed to fade. She tried to shout Washu's name, but no words escaped her lips. Washu looked Sasami in the eyes, and the feeling of loneliness deepened as she realized Washu didn't recognize her. Washu turned away from her, facing the darkness, and seemed to step through a door that wasn't there, and Sasami was alone in the black void.

She ran forward, on the verge of tears, and now she really was falling, trying to call for help, but remaining as silent as the darkness that engulfed her.

And all was black.

> > >

"Washu-Chan!"

Sasami sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in sweat, her blanket falling from her shoulders. She stared straight ahead for a moment, her eyes wide. Slowly, she became aware of other people around her, and she took a look around the room. She was sitting in a bed in what could only be Washu's lab, and everyone was standing around her, with various expressions of relief on their faces. Ryo-oh-ki meowed and jumped up in her lap. Washu smiled at her.

"Hey, kiddo," she said. "Welcome back! You really had us worried there for a bit!"

"What?" Sasami said, confused. "Back? What's going on?"

Mihoshi couldn't contain herself any longer. She burst into tears and threw herself across the bed, grabbing Sasami in a bear hug. "Oh Sasami!" she cried. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Mihoshi!" Sasami gasped, trying to push her off. "I can't breath!"

"Watch it, you dunce!" Ryoko said, grabbing Mihoshi from behind and pulling her off the girl. Tenchi jumped forward and pulled them both away from the bed.

"Take it easy you guys," he cried. "Give her a minute to wake up, why don't you?"

"Tenchi," Sasami said, looking up at the young man. "What's going on? Why is every-one so worried?"

"You were in the kitchen with Ryoko," Ayeka said, taking a seat next to the bed and grasping Sasami's hands in her own. "And then you got sick and fainted."

"Don't you remember any of that?" Tenchi asked, depositing Ryoko and Mihoshi in a couple of chairs next to the wall.

"No, I don't," Sasami said, looking down in her lap. "Last thing I remember, I was getting lunch ready, and then I woke up in here. I was really scared."

Washu stepped forward and patted her on the back. "Well, there's nothing to be scared about now, because there's absolutely nothing wrong with you!"

Sasami looked up at her. "Than why was everyone worried?"

"Because we care about you," said Tenchi.

"That's right!" added Washu. "I think you were just overworked." A computer popped up next to her and she rapidly typed away on the keyboard. A second later a piece of paper spit out the side. Washu tore it off and handed it to Sasami.

She looked the paper over. "What's this, Miss Washu?"

"A prescription for some rest and relaxation!"

"That's a good idea, Sasami," Tenchi said. "You work harder than anyone around here. You deserve a break."

"You sure do! No work for you for at least a week!"

Sasami looked horrified. "But how's everyone going to eat?"

"Don't worry about that!" Ryoko said, jumping out of her seat. "I'll whip up meals like you've never seen before!"

"You've got that right," Ayeka mumbled under her breath. Electricity filled the room as Ryoko shot an evil glare at the princess.

"Here we go," sighed Tenchi.

"Oh no!" cried Mihoshi, ducking behind her chair. Washu reached into subspace and pulled out a shield, placing it around Tenchi, Sasami, and herself.

"Care to say that a little louder this time?"

"If you wish," Ayeka said, folding her hands in her lap. "I was just thinking of you trying to prepare a meal without destroying everything in sight, that's all really."

"I'll have you know, princess," Ryoko said, drawing herself up to full height, the air around her charging with energy, "I can cook a hell of a lot better than you any day of the week." Ryo-oh-ki meowed and buried herself under Sasami's blankets.

"Oh ho ho, Ryoko," Ayeka laughed, slowly rising to her feet. Tenchi and the gang braced themselves for the inevitable battle that was sure to follow. Ayeka drew in a deep breath, turned away from Ryoko, and said, "As much as I'd love to prove you wrong, my dear, I simply do not have the time to fight with you right now."

The energy surrounding Ryoko disappeared with an audible 'poof!'. "Say what?"

Washu blinked her eyes in surprise a few times. "Well," she said, dropping the shield that surrounded Sasami's bed. "That's a new one on me."

"Are they done already?" Mihoshi asked, poking her head out from behind her chair. "My, that was quick."

"What do you mean, 'no time to fight?'" Ryoko demanded. "You always have time to fight!"

"I am genuinely sorry, Ryoko," Ayeka said. "I would truly delight in settling our differences here and now." She stepped over to Sasami's bedside and looked down at her sister. "But now that Sasami is better, I must tell everyone that the two of us have been called back to Jurai."

"What!?!?" everyone shouted at once.

"Yes, it is true" Ayeka said.

Sasami pushed her covers off and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Going to Jurai? Ayeka, when did this happen?"

"This morning when I was up at the shrine. Our mothers called Brother Yosho's tree, Funaho. Father is celebrating the two-thousandth anniversary of his coronation at the end of the month, and you and I are to attend."

"This is perfect, Sasami!" Tenchi said, smiling at her. "You get to go on a vacation and see your parents. You'll have fun!"

"Yeah, it will be fun, won't it Tenchi?" Sasami said, grinning up at him. Ryoko suddenly materialized next to Tenchi, grabbing him around the chest and pulling him in close to her.

"Yeah, Sasami, it'll be loads of fun!" she said, gripping Tenchi tight to her bosom.

"Let go of me Ryoko!" Tenchi cried, trying to pry loose of Ryoko's death grip.

"Now you two just go on to daddy's little party and have lots of fun, and don't worry about a thing here. Tenchi and I will take care of everything while you're gone."

"Ryoko!" Tenchi shouted, still trying to squirm free.

"Oh, but Ryoko," Ayeka said, exhibiting a degree of control rather out of character for her, considering Ryoko's shameless handling of Tenchi. "Tenchi will be coming with us."

"What!?!?" everyone shouted again.

Tenchi fell to the floor as Ryoko let go of him in surprise. "You have got to be kidding me!" Ryoko growled.

"Mother Funaho insisted that he join us for the celebration. She feels that it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce him to the royal court. I think it's a great idea."

"I'll bet you do," mumbled Ryoko, clenching her fists.

Sasami hugged Tenchi from behind as he sat up next to the bed, still shaking off the effects of Ryoko's bear hug. "I get to go on vacation with Tenchi!" she cried. "This is great!"

"If you think I'm just gonna stand by while you take off for Jurai with Tenchi, Princess, you've got another thing coming!" Ryoko said, stepping between Ayeka and Tenchi. "No way I'm going to let you spend that much time alone with him."

"I think it's a terrific idea."

Everyone turned toward the lab entrance, where Katsuhito had just entered. Nobuyuki stepped through the doorway behind him.

"Hi there, Sasami," Nobuyuki said, waving at the young princess. "How ya feelin'?"

"Much better, thank you," she said, smiling.

Katsuhito walked over to Ayeka and put his hands on her shoulders. "So, what do you say, Tenchi? Will you be Ayeka's escort for this trip, or will I have to do the honors?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Tenchi said, getting to his feet. "Everyone just slow down! I can't go to a party on Jurai! I wouldn't know how to act or anything."

"Good!" Katsuhito said, grinning. "That means I get to go instead." Ayeka elbowed him in the gut.

"You can just knock it off!" She turned to Tenchi. "It's a long trip to Jurai. I can teach you what you need to know before we get there."

"Yeah, Tenchi," Sasami said, crawling off the bed. "We'll help you. It's not really that hard at all. You just have to smile a lot and say nice things like 'thank you very much' and 'I'm pleased to meet you.'"

"Oh Sasami," Ayeka sighed. "That's not all you need to know."

"That seems to be what I remember," said Katsuhito.

Tenchi sighed and bowed his head. "Oh brother," he mumbled. "How do I get into these things?"

"Azaka! Kamidake!" Ayeka shouted. A moment later the two guardians appeared at her side.

"Yes Princess, we are here," they said. Ayeka turned to face Azaka.

"Azaka, Kamidake, prepare Ryu-oh for departure. Tomorrow morning we leave for Jurai."

"Yes, Princess Ayeka," they said, disappearing. Tenchi didn't have to look around to picture the expressions on everyone's face.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

He couldn't see much through all the smoke and haze, but what he could see didn't look too good. Pipes were bursting all around him, and people were running scared, some with a purpose, others out of panic. The deep rumble of distant explosions carried down the passageways, bringing with them more smoke and the putrid smell of destruction. Klaxons flashed red and the P.A. speakers screamed announcements and warnings as the situation rapidly deteriorated. The deck beneath his feet heaved with the shock of a nearby explosion, and he stabilized himself against a bulkhead as the whole of the station seemed to groan in pain. Things were definitely not looking good.

He looked around, trying to figure out exactly where he was. He knew he was close to where he wanted to be, but with all the smoke and confusion, it was difficult to tell for sure. That, and this was an exceptionally large station. He could see nothing through the smoke to help him determine his location, so he continued down the passageway. A panicked voice started to shout something over the P.A., only to be cut off by a loud burst of static as another shock wave worked its way through the station. He pushed on through the smoke, moving further down the passage. He knew he had to be close. He came to an intersection, and decided to go right.

Here the smoke wasn't as thick, being in a part of the station that was well removed from the majority of the destruction, and he found the going much quicker. Before long, he passed a bulkhead marking that told him he was near the outer hull, and he knew for certain that he was on the right track. He heard some people running up behind him, and looked over his shoulder to see a small group forming behind him.

"The life pods are this way, right?" one of the men near the front shouted as they ran.

"Seems that way. Everything's shot to hell, and the normal escape routes are scraped. Any of you know this section?"

There was no answer as the bulkhead next to them exploded, and he found himself flying down the passageway, carried by the shock wave. He hit the deck so hard that he felt his shoulder crumple. He cried out in pain and grasped his arm as the air around him filled with smoke. He felt secondary explosions ripple through the deck, and he slowly sat up, bracing himself against the bulkhead. He felt something running down the sides of his face and touched his cheek with his good hand. His fingers slid across his skin as though he were touching ice. He brought his hand down, and was not surprised to see it covered in blood. He wondered vaguely why he equated a bloody cheek to ice, and then realized it was because he felt deathly cold. Shock, he told himself. I'm in shock. He looked away from his bloody hand at the swirling smoke around him, the flickering light of the fires shone through at odd angles, causing the smoke to move as if alive. It reminded him of a parade he'd seen once where a large group of men had worn a brightly decorated costume resembling a serpent and danced up and down the street, moving fluidly, gracefully.

He forced himself to stand, using the wall to pull himself up, and started down the passageway again, heading for the life pods. If there were any left. The smoke in front of him grew thicker.

And then he saw a shadow moving through the smoke just ahead. The person was obviously a woman; slender, with long hair that was rather thick and wild at the top. He shouted at her, but whether she responded or not he would never know. Another explosion erupted behind him, throwing him to the deck again, and blowing the smoke in the passageway clear. He looked up, and saw the woman stepping through a hatch and into a life pod. She paused for a second and looked down the hall to where he lay. She was young, in her mid-twenty's, for all he could tell, with a sharp, angular face and bright red hair. She was wearing a Science Academy uniform. Funny, he thought, the Science Academy never sends anyone here. Their eyes locked for a moment. Her eyes, he knew, he would always remember. The way the red in her hair contrasted perfectly with the green in her eyes. The way they gazed at him, so calm and dispassionately. So removed, as if to say 'oh well, would have been nice to meet you under better circumstances.' And then the hatch slammed shut, and he felt the deck rumble as her pod launched, and the world around him was on fire.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Adrian kicked back in his chair, slamming his boots down on the console. They were just nearing the border to sector #6654.887, and long-range scans had yet to pick up any sign of asteroids. He sighed as he gave their plight some thought. They were two months out, with just enough supplies for a two-man crew, had yet to locate any salvageable ore, and they just had to happen upon a drifting life ball. And the jerk was still alive, to boot. The way Adrian saw it, his luck so far had been holding true. It just all happened to be bad.

Well, not all of it. They had gotten that sake` from that freighter.

"I really need a beer," he sighed. A monitor next to him flashed on, and a message printed out across the top. Adrian read it without expression. "No shit," he mumbled.

> > >

A steady, high pitched beeping worked its way into Rodger's sleep. Slowly, his subconscious realized that it was not his imagination, and he rolled onto his back, kicking the covers off the bed.

"What?" he moaned, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Another five seconds, and I was going to give you a shock."

"Damnit, Amos." Rodger grabbed the chronometer off of his nightstand and stared at it through sleep-filled eyes. The numbers it showed did not agree with him at all. "How long have I been out?"

"A little over an hour sir."

Rodger groaned and tossed the chronometer to the foot of his bed. "Tell me he's awake, or get your system ready for a really nasty virus that I'm cooking up as we speak."

"He's not awake yet, but he is coming around." Amos turned the lights in Rodger's stateroom up a little. "The patient has exhibited some rather interesting R.E.M. patterns within the last few minutes."

"Alright," Rodger said, rolling out of bed. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Yes, sir," Amos said, turning Rodger's lights on fully.

> > >

Her eyes.

He awoke with a start, his heart racing. He instantly knew that he had no idea where he was. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, allowing his heart to slow. His head felt light and dizzy, causing him to feel a bit nauseous.

"Good morning, sir," said a slightly mechanical voice off to the side. He opened his eyes and slowly sat up on his elbows. A small robotic dome that was attached to the ceiling by a series of rods slid over to face him. He looked it over and decided he must be on a spaceship somewhere, probably in its medical bay. Most hospitals didn't have robotic interfaces like this.

"Morning," he said, rubbing his temple. "What have you guy's been feeding me? My head's kind of dizzy."

"Nothing more than your basic medicinal cocktail. The side effects should wear off in a few moments. You should lay down, sir. I can raise the back slightly, if you like."

"Sure," he said, laying down again. The back of the bed rose to a gentle sitting position. "So are there any people on this ship, or what?"

"You are on board the Amos, and Rodger will be down in a moment."

"Great." He closed his eyes again, the dizziness in his head beginning to settle down. "So what am I doing here, anyway?"

"As I said, sir, you are on the survey ship Amos. We found your life pod drifting in space near sector #6654.887. We brought you on board approximately two hours ago."

He chuckled slightly. "Life pod, eh? Didn't think I'd made it in."

"You are lucky to be here, sir. Your pod had exceeded it's rated abilities. Quite frankly, I don't know how you survived."

The door slid open, and he opened his eyes as a large, well-built man walked into the room. "Rodger, I assume?" he asked.

"Shit, you're awake," the man said, looking him over. He turned toward the A.I. unit. "Hey, Amos, where the hell's Rodge? Thought he'd be down here."

"He's on his way down now, sir." As Amos spoke, the door slid open again, and another man, thinner and clean-shaven, stepped into the room.

The patient pointed at the newcomer. "Rodger, right?"

"Good, you're awake," Rodger said, side-stepping Adrian and walking over to the bed. They shook hands. "Yeah, I'm Rodger." He gestured back at Adrian. "And the foul mood here's Adrian. I apologize on his behalf."

"Yeah okay whatever," Adrian muttered. "Hey Rodge, why don't you leave the baby-sitting to the 'bots? I need to see you on the bridge."

"Just give me a few minutes, alright."

"You've been payin' more mind to that damned life ball than our mission for the last twelve hours anyway, so why not?" He turned to leave the room. "Amos," he growled, looking back over his shoulder. "Get up to the bridge and give me a hand."

"Yes, sir." And the two left the room, the door sliding shut behind them. The patient looked up at Rodger.

"Charming man."

Rodger shook his head. "Yeah, well he's not all that bad normally. We haven't found any ore since we put out two months ago, so I don't blame him for being a little rough."

"Surveyors, eh? By the way, I'm Lieutenant Shinjiro Yakagamo with the G.P. Guess I owe you guy's a big one."

"I figured you were a cop," Rodger said, nodding at Shinjiro's sweats. "And don't mention it." He grabbed a chair from the wall and sat down next to the bed. "So what's your story, if you don't mind?"

Shinjiro sat up straight in the bed and adjusted the back to a more upright position. "That's better. No, I don't mind at all, though there's not much to tell. I was at G.P. headquarters when it blew. You heard about that, right?"

Rodger whistled in surprise. "Yeah, I heard about it all right. Who hasn't? But that was months ago, and headquarters was on pretty much the other side of the galaxy. You're one lucky hombre`."

It was Shinjiro's turn to be surprised. "You're kidding? Months ago, huh?" He leaned back in his bed and sighed. "Well, in any case, I'm here now, and I owe you one, no matter what you say. It's funny, though. I can't remember actually making it into a pod."

"Yeah, well stress will do that to you. It's the adrenaline."

"Sure."

Rodger stood and pushed his seat back against the wall. "Well, you should try and rest then. I'm going to go see what Adrian was all worked up about. If you need anything, use the terminal there to get in touch with Amos."

Shinjiro watched as Rodger turned and walked from the room. He pushed the button to lower the bed, and settled down, letting the softness and warmth take hold. He was incredibly lucky, he knew, to be alive. There was no way he should have made it off the station, much less survive for months drifting in space.

Well, he thought, as he started drifting into sleep. Someone was certainly looking out for me. "Thanks, whoever you are," he mumbled, and then the dreams came.

Try as he might, though, he couldn't forget her eyes.

----------------------------------------------------------------

She felt a lot younger then she should, and after a moment of looking around, realized that she was in the royal palace on Jurai, and she was running down a corridor toward the large set of double doors at the far end. It was a dream she'd had before, and she felt a surge of terror well up inside her as she realized what was about to happen. She tried to stop herself, but the doors opened far more easily than they should have for a three year old girl, just as they had a thousand times before.

She stepped through the doors.

She screamed at the child in the dream, pleaded with her not to go any further down the path. The child just laughed, looking around in amazement at this wonderful new world she had discovered. So many trees, so tall and beautiful, floating in the air like angels.

And now all went black, and she was falling. She closed her eyes tight, so as not to see what was coming, but it was no use. She felt it, as she always did, in that part of her mind that would never forget.

She felt the warmth spreading around her, and opened her eyes. All was black. The horrible familiarity of the dream had passed, replaced by a new, unfamiliar feeling. One of deep, penetrating loneliness. She tried to cry out for help, but no sound escaped her lips. She lay there for what seemed an eternity, feeling the strength leaking from her tiny body. She called for help again, not understanding why no one seemed to be looking for her. She knew there should be someone there, standing next to her, comforting her and telling her that it would be alright. But no one was coming. With the last of her strength, she turned her head to the side and looked for that someone who should have been there, but was not. Her lips formed a name that she knew, but could not remember, and the world dissolved into nothingness as she died.

And Tsunami never came.

> > >

Sasami woke slowly, the dream slipping from her mind faster then she could hold on to it. It was still very dark out, with no moonlight shining through the window. She heard Ayeka breathing softly beside her, fast asleep. The dream was now completely gone, leaving behind only the feeling that had awakened her. She wasn't quite sure what that feeling was, only that it had been very powerful, and she hadn't liked it at all.

She looked over at the clock on the floor against the wall. It was four-thirty in the morning. In a few hours, she would be leaving for Jurai. She smiled at the thought of going on vacation with Tenchi, but the feeling from her dream soon overpowered her excitement about the trip.

She spent the rest of the night laying on her back, staring at the ceiling, trying to forget the dream she had forgotten.

--------------------------------------------------------

"He's a cop, you know," Adrian said as Rodger stepped onto the bridge.

"A lieutenant, to be precise. What did you want earlier?"

"Oh, nothing much," he said, turning to his computer and typing in a few commands. "Just to tell you that you were right, and to show you this." He nodded at the main view screen. "Looks like there was a battle." A picture that was obviously taken from a long-range scan popped up on the screen, showing the skeletal remains of a large number of ships floating against the backdrop of a lone, blue planet. The image reminded him of a barren dessert littered with the carcasses of so many dead animals. Rodger looked at the grainy picture for a moment, then lowered his head and sighed.

"Told you we shouldn't have come here. Poor bastards. Nothing we can do for them, I suppose."

"Damn straight," Adrian said, taking the picture off the screen. "Never thought I'd say it, but I shoulda' listened to you in the first place, you and your idiotic spacer superstitions. I've already turned Amos around."

Rodger pulled up a seat and poured himself a mug of coffee. "What about the ore? Did Amos find any asteroids?"

"Hell no. All we found out there were those busted up ships, and I aint goin' anywhere near those, even if there is anything worth salvaging. I'm no coward, but I aint stupid, neither. Something ripped into those guys good, and I don't mean to find out what it was."

"So what's the plan now, fearless leader?" Rodger asked, taking a sip of coffee.

Adrian sighed and kicked up his feet, plopping his heavy boots on the console. "Well, the way I see it, we gotta head in. We're almost out of supplies, and we're heavy one body, thanks to your little detour. I figure home office will forgive us coming in empty. We did save that cop, after all. We won't get any bonus this trip, but I aint gonna lose the Amos, at least. Hell, they might even let you stay aboard."

"I'm touched by your compassion." Rodger finished his coffee and rose to his feet. "Sounds like a plan to me. I'm going to try and get a little sleep before my watch. See you in a few."

"What's his name, anyway? I'm going to start the report."

"Shinjiro Yakagamo."

"Juraian, eh? This might work out better than I thought."

> > >

Rodger couldn't sleep. He sighed and sat up in bed, bringing the lights up slowly. He glanced at his chronometer. He still had an hour and a half before he had to take the watch from Adrian.

I shouldn't have had that cup of coffee, he thought, and that reminded him of some other business he had to take care of.

He stepped out of the head and brought the lights in his stateroom on full, then changed into his work clothes. He looked in the mirror and thought about shaving, but decided he didn't really feel like it, and headed for the galley.

He stepped through the galley door and was surprised to see Shinjiro sitting at the table, enjoying a bowl of cereal. Rodger nodded at him, grabbing an orange from the fruit basket and filling a mug with coffee. "You want some?" he asked Shinjiro, nodding at the coffee pot.

"Sure, if you don't mind."

Rodger picked up another mug. "Not at all. Coffee's about the only thing we're not running out of around here." He filled Shinjiro's mug and set it in front of him, then pulled up a seat across from the officer. "You're feeling pretty good, I'd guess."

"Feeling great, actually. A little stiff in places, but not bad at all, considering."

They sat in silence for a bit, Shinjiro finishing off his cereal and Rodger peeling his orange.

"This might seem a little up front of me," Shinjiro finally said, "but I was wondering if I couldn't take a look at Amos's database."

Rodger popped a slice of orange in his mouth and chewed at it slowly. "What for? He is an older model, after all, and we don't get much news out here. We didn't even find out about the G.P. incident until a couple of weeks ago."

"I know it's an odd request, if not a little rude. He does have all the standard files though, doesn't he?"

"Of course."

"Well, this is going to seem weird," he paused and sipped at his coffee. He stared into the cup of black liquid, as if reaching for something that his mind couldn't quite grasp. Rodger sat quietly eating his orange and watching him. "The last thing I remember before waking up in your sickbay," Shinjiro said after a bit, "is a woman."

Rodger laughed, almost spitting half-chewed orange across the table. "That explains a lot," he said, swallowing the fruit and chasing it with some coffee. "Every good story's always about a woman."

Shinjiro nodded. "Maybe so."

"So what's that got to do with Amos's database?"

"I saw her as I was trying to get to an escape pod. I'd just gotten knocked on my face by an explosion, and when I looked up I saw her boarding a pod. She was young, with fiery red hair, and she was wearing a Science Academy uniform. All Science Academy personnel are registered and cataloged, and that information is placed in every major computer's database. It keeps them accountable for their actions, knowing that anyone can look them up whenever they want. Anyway, Amos should have that information, and I wanted to look her up."

"Well," Rodger said, finishing his orange. "That's one way to get a girl's number, I guess."

Shinjiro shook his head. "That's not it at all. The Science Academy never sends anyone to Headquarters in person. They do all their G.P. business through the Juraian government. Supposedly keeps them neutral. She shouldn't have been there at all." He finished off his coffee and plopped the empty mug on the table. "I don't know, maybe I was seeing things. I just can't get her out of my mind, though."

Rodger took Shinjiro's mug and got the two of them a refill. "Hey, man, don't feel too bad about it. You've been through a hell of a lot. She was probably just a student doing some research. Bad timing on her part, that's all. By the way, any idea what went wrong? We haven't heard if they figured out what caused the place to blow or not."

Shinjiro took his coffee and sighed. "Oh, I know what happened, all right. Kain got loose, and he was pissed."

"Who's Kain?"

"If you haven't heard of him yet, you will. He's just about the most dangerous criminal in the universe, that's all. We had him locked up in subspace. He got loose somehow, and took out headquarters on his way out the door. Probably destroyed half the universe by now, if they haven't managed to catch him yet."

"Well, they must have gotten him, then. We don't get much news out here, but I'm sure we would've heard about something like that."

"Hope you're right. The last time they caught Kain, it required the aid of the Juraian emperor, so the G.P. created an elite team of cops to deal with the really tough criminals. I'm one of them. When headquarters went up, most of the special criminals unit went with it. That'll make things a bit tougher."

Rodger set his coffee down and stood up. "Well, like I said, I'm sure we would have heard about it if this Kain guy was still on the rampage. You want to look for your girlfriend, or what?"

> > >

"Stop it there, Amos," Shinjiro said, leaning forward in his seat and scanning the picture on the monitor. Rodger had relieved Adrian early, and he and Shinjiro had been searching the Academy records for the last hour and a half. "That's her, alright."

Rodger looked over at the screen and whistled. "So, that's your mystery girl, eh? No wonder you couldn't forget her. She's a looker, that's for sure."

"She's a bit younger here. This is an older picture, I'd guess. Show me her info please, Amos." The picture shrank away into the upper left corner of the screen, and a listing of personal information filled the screen in it's place. Shinjiro scanned the data quickly. "Well, she wasn't a student." he said, reading from the screen. "According to this she was once a professor at the Science Academy, the best they'd ever had. Cooked up all sorts of crazy and complex devices, and held more patents than anyone in history. A real genius." He read a little further on. "Now this can't be right."

"What?"

Shinjiro gestured at the screen. "According to this, she's over twenty thousand years old."

Rodger looked at her picture again. "Wonder what she uses for wrinkle cream. What's her name?"

Shinjiro looked back at the top of the screen. "Washu Hakubi."