Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Advent of Washu ❯ "And The Road Goes Ever On" ( Chapter 2 )

-The Advent of Washu-

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"AND THE ROAD GOES EVER ON" J.R.R. Tolkien

A deep, low rumble penetrated Ryoko's bad mood, and she looked skyward as Ryu-oh rose above the trees. She snorted in disgust and grabbed the flask that was sitting next to her on the rock, draining it's contents in one gulp. Ryu-oh drifted higher into the sky, passing in front of the sun and covering Ryoko in shadow. She dropped the flask and stretched out on her rock, watching Ayeka's ship grow smaller as it pulled away.

"Damn that woman," she muttered, and turned away from the departing ship. She lay there until she could no longer hear the rumble of Ryu-oh's engines, and then glanced at the sky again. They were gone.

"Damn her," she cursed again, grabbing the flask and tipping it to her lips. She only got a couple of drops out of it, scowled, and tossed it away in disgust. The morning had been rather uneventful, with Ayeka and Tenchi's departure going smoother than anyone had expected, thanks in large part, Ryoko knew, to her own absence. She grumbled at her admission of mischief and rolled onto her stomach, placing her hands under her chin.

"Well, Ryo-oh-ki," she said, "they're gone, and they left us here alone." She tilted her head to the side and looked at the brush near the rocks. Ryo-oh-ki's head popped up over the grass, and the cabit meowed happily, hopping into the open toward Ryoko. She reached the demon woman and rubbed her head against Ryoko's cheek. She smiled softly and scratched Ryo-oh-ki behind the ears. "You don't even care, do you?" Ryo-oh-ki meowed and rolled onto her back so Ryoko could scratch her underbelly. Ryoko sighed.

"So, what do you want to do now, huh?"

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"Do you think they'll be okay while we're gone?" Sasami asked as she watched the earth growing smaller in Ryu-oh's window.

"They'll be fine," Ayeka said, turning away from the window. "You worry to much, Sasami. Brother Yosho is with them, after all."

"I know," Sasami said, sitting down on the steps. "That's not what I was worried about, though."

Tenchi looked away from the earth, which was now nothing more then a rapidly shrinking blue disk against a deep black sky. "You're still worried about the housework, aren't you?"

Sasami looked down at her feet. "Yeah, I guess so."

Tenchi laughed gently and turned toward the doorway that led off of the bridge. "They'll be fine, Sasami. Grandpa won't let them slack off to much." And then he added, under his breath, "I hope." He stopped in front of the door and turned to look at the young princess. "You should forget about them for now and just try to enjoy yourself. Take a break."

Sasami turned around and looked at him. She smiled. "Okay, Tenchi."

Tenchi grinned. "Good! I'm going to go put my stuff away now." He turned away from Sasami, his eyes locking with Ayeka's for a moment, and then he left the room, the doors closing behind him. Ayeka stepped toward the doors herself.

"I'm going to get settled in too. You should do the same, Sasami, before you forget."

Sasami nodded her head. "Okay, sister. I just want to watch the earth for a minute."

Ayeka nodded and walked through the doors. Sasami watched her leave, and turned back to the window, where the stars were drifting slowly past. A shred of silver appeared in the corner of her eye, and she turned to watch as the moon slowly came into view, filling the view screen.

Her head was lowered as she walked down the hall, so that she almost ran into Tenchi. She took a step back, not looking up. "I'm sorry, Lord Tenchi," she said quietly. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Oh, that's okay," he said, smiling and scratching the back of his head. He looked around the hall for a minute and then turned back to Ayeka. "Actually, Miss Ayeka, I was kind of lost. Which way was my room, again?"

Ayeka looked the hall up and down herself, mildly puzzled, then chuckled. "You know, we're both on the wrong side of the ship." She nodded down the hall in the direction she had just came. "We're down this way." She turned and started slowly down the passageway. Tenchi fell in step beside her.

"I'm glad you came this way, Ayeka. This is the only ship I've seen where you can get lost in the woods."

Ayeka smiled. "And how many ships have you been on?"

"Ha, I guess you're right," Tenchi laughed.

Ayeka ran a hand against the wall as they walked, feeling the smooth texture of the wood as it slid by. "Actually, Ryu-oh is different from most ships. The most luxurious tree-ships are reserved for the royal family. The ship is built around the royal tree that we are bonded with when we are very young." They passed by a large opening in the wall, beyond which could be seen a large field of soft, green grass. On the far side was a forest of tall, leaf-filled trees. A small lake lapped gently at the edge of the forest and reached into the middle of the field. A few birds could be heard singing, and the grass stirred gently in places as some small animal made it's way across the field. The site struck Tenchi as exactly the wrong thing to see while standing in the middle of a starship. Ayeka smiled. "And, of course, the very best wood carvers are commissioned to build the ship, paying the utmost care to respect the royal tree, crafting a ship that will blend flawlessly with the will of the tree." Tenchi watched as a flock of birds suddenly exploded from one of the trees near the lake, and then the field passed from view, blocked once more by the walls of the hallway.

Tenchi sighed as he shifted his gaze down the hall again. "There's just so much I've still got to learn, sometimes I don't know how I'll ever get it all right."

They walked in silence for a bit, passing a few more breaks in the wall that opened onto the field. As he thought about what Ayeka had said about the tree-ships, Tenchi found himself wondering at the strange circumstances that he'd found himself in. Two years ago, he never would have imagined that he'd ever leave Japan (Well, maybe a trip or two to the West for school, but nothing more serious than that.), much less leave earth. And now here he was, surrounded by alien women, and on his way to another planet to celebrate the coronation of his great-grandfather, the king of the most powerful empire in the universe. Go figure.

"She doesn't seem to be herself today, does she?" Ayeka said, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry, what was that Ayeka?"

"Sasami," Ayeka said, looking down at her feet as they walked. "She's much quieter than usual, don't you think?"

"Oh, I don't know. It's been a pretty busy day, after all, and she had a rough time yesterday, too."

"Yes, I know." She fingered the hem of her belt, feeling the smooth fabric on her fingertips. "And that's what worries me, Tenchi," she continued, not looking up. "It worries me that Miss Washu does not know what happened to her."

"But Washu said she was fine."

"Washu doesn't know any more than we do," snapped Ayeka, catching Tenchi a little off guard, "and it scares her." She lowered her voice again. "It scares me."

Tenchi didn't really know what to say. He put an arm around Ayeka and gently squeezed her shoulder. "I think this vacation could do us all some good, so let's just think about how much fun it'll be to see your parents again."

Ayeka placed her hand on top of Tenchi's as it rested on her shoulder, and stopped in front of a door.

"This is my room," she said, gently lifting his hand off her shoulder. He smiled at her as she opened the door.

"Are you going to be alright, Miss Ayeka?"

"I'll be fine. I'm tired, that's all."

"Okay," Tenchi said. He looked through the doorway into Ayeka's room. It was just as he remembered from the first time they'd met, complete with large, open windows looking out on the field and lake beyond. A thought struck him suddenly, and he laughed to himself. Ayeka looked up.

"What is it?" she asked.

Tenchi looked the room over again. "Oh, I was just thinking. The original Ryu-oh was destroyed, and Washu grew this one from one of his seeds, didn't she?"

"Yes, that's right."

"She did a really good job, didn't she."

Ayeka looked around, and smiled. "Yes, she did. A very good job." She stepped through the doorway and turned, pointing down the hall. "That's your room, down at the end of the hall. I'm going to unpack my things now."

"Okay. I'll see you in a little while, then," Tenchi said, turning and walking down the hall. Ayeka stepped fully into her room, and the door slid silently shut behind her. She looked around at the familiar surroundings of her room, and had to admit it felt good to be going home. She smiled at the thought of the look on her father's face when he found out she had brought Tenchi with her. Ayeka doubted very much that Mother Funaho had told him that Tenchi was coming. She chuckled to herself, and set about unpacking.

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"Washu Hakubi," Rodger repeated, kicking back in his chair and sliding back from the console. He folded his hands behind his head and grinned. "Sounds like a winner to me, man. That's one heck of a dream girl you've got there. Mind if I get me one?"

"If you like your women ancient and missing, feel free to take mine."

"Missing?"

"Yeah, missing," Shinjiro said, closing the file and twisting around in his seat. "In 5912 she was kidnapped from the Science Academy, and they either haven't found her yet, or they never updated her file. Either way, it seems no one's seen her for half a millennia. I'd classify that as missing. Heck, she may even be dead by now. Who knows."

Rodger thought for a moment. "So, what are you saying? You think you saw a ghost?"

Shinjiro laughed. "Not a ghost, exactly. Just an hallucination, or something like that." He leaned back in his seat and kicked his feet up on the console. Rodger thought for sure he heard Amos snort in disapproval. "I was half dead," Shinjiro continued, "Couldn't have told the difference between fantasy and reality if I'd tried."

Rodger leaned forward and grinned at Shinjiro doubtfully. "Right, and you just happened to 'hallucinate' a dead girl who's been missing for centuries, and just happened to be registered in a readily accessible database, and match your description exactly." He sat back in his seat again. "Sounds to me like you found the missing professor, lieutenant."

Shinjiro sighed. "Sounds to me like she didn't want to be found." He dropped his feet off the console and stood up. "In any case, I'm going to turn in."

Rodger slid his chair to the other side of the bridge. "Alright, man. Dream me up a girl while you're at it, but I prefer mine blonde."

Shinjiro chuckled. "Sure, I'll do my best."

He couldn't see much through all the smoke and haze, but what he could see didn't look any better than usual. The station was self-destructing around him, and he didn't care. He walked slowly down the passageway, watching his world collapse with a sense of detachment that he wasn't used to. It was a little unsettling.

A part of him knew that he was close to where he was supposed to be (though he couldn't have said where that was), and he looked around. The smoke to his right thinned out as he looked in that direction, and he could see some writing on a bulkhead showing through. A large number thirty-three, painted in red, seemed to jump through the smoke, standing out far clearer than his brain said it should have, considering the smoke that filled the passage. Oh well, he thought as the smoke thickened, once more covering the loud thirty-three behind a blanket of white, this is just a dream, after all. Don't try to make too much sense of it. He continued down the passageway.

The smoke was thicker here, with signs of recent explosions showing through here and there. The light from the fires reflected off the smoke, causing light and shadow to play off the walls of the passageway, dancing and swirling in a sick ballet of deformity. Something moved at the other end of the hall, and he knew what it was before he was close enough to see, because he had been here before. He walked toward it anyway. Her silhouette seemed to glide through the smoke, as if she were beyond the chaos and destruction that surrounded them. He watched her as she walked, blocking out everything else. All sight, all sound. Everything but her. They were two souls adrift in a sea of fire and smoke, alone in a world that wasn't their own.

An explosion erupted somewhere behind him, and a wave of superheated air blasted past, pushing the smoke clear. Everything seemed to slow suddenly as the wave passed over him and struck the woman. The world cleared in his vision. Her hair fluttered gently in the wind, flowing smooth as fire, dancing around her face and caressing every curve as she turned to face him. Their eyes met, and he was lost in that moment again, swimming in the deep green ocean that was her eyes, adrift for all eternity. Wisps of smoke drifted slowly between them.

The world returned to normal as the shock wave passed, the force of the wind tearing at their clothes and hair. She turned from him and stepped through the door of the life pod. He took a step forward and called out to her, beckoning her to return to him, but the hatch slammed shut, cutting his words short. The deck rumbled as the pod was launched, and the world around him was on fire, and the fire was beautiful.

The flames burned with orange and yellow and crimson, flowing together like water tossed by a storm, surrounding him and filling him with it's comforting warmth, and now he was flying, hurtling down the flame-filled passageway. His vision blurred around the edges, the center of his focus sharpening to a level he'd never before experienced. It was as if he was watching the world through a filter, blocking out the unimportant. The flames parted, and a blanket of stars unfolded before him as he shot from the station, floating free and unprotected in space. He saw her pod in front of him, far away and drifting farther from the dying station. He reached out to it, and then he was beside it, close enough to touch.

The station exploded, giving up it's ghost in a massive release of energy, temporarily creating an artificial gravity well, sucking debris and burning gasses back on itself, then loosing it's hold and scattering the mangled pieces of the station to the stars.

He placed his hand against the soft surface of the pod as debris and gasses flew past, surrounding them in a cloud of waste. A surge of energy washed through his body, latching onto his mind and taking hold. His mind screamed in protest at the invasion, and he was driven to near insanity in a mere instant.

When it passed, the pod was gone, and all was quiet.

Shinjiro was sweating when he woke. He sat up in bed and rested his back against the wall. The computer noticed his movement, and the lights in the room brightened to a comfortable level. Shinjiro massaged his temple, rubbing the sleep out of his head. He hadn't had a truly restful sleep since he'd been rescued. He shoved his sheets aside and dropped his feet to the floor. The cool of the deck felt good. He leaned forward on his knees and rested his head in his hands. It was because of those damned dreams.

And those eyes.

He shook his head clear and stood, walking to the sink on the opposite wall. He turned on the faucet and splashed some cool water on his face. He looked in the mirror and sighed. He couldn't get her out of his head, that angular face constantly nagging at the back of his mind, her spiked red hair blowing about wildly. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something else: His friends from the academy. His parents. His childhood on Jurai. But everything was hazy, as if seen through smoked glass, and every memory was tinted by something. A pointed reed of red grass, or a glint of green seen from the corner of his mind's eye, and all eventually returned to her. Washu Hakubi. Professor at the Science Academy. Missing for centuries. What were you doing at headquarters?

Why were you there?

He wiped his face dry and stripped off his night clothes, changing into the fresh sweats Amos had set aside for him. He looked at the chronometer on his nightstand. It was almost six in the morning. He'd only gotten a little more then four hours sleep. No where near enough.

Why were you there when headquarters was destroyed?

He looked in the mirror again, gazing at his own eyes, and seeing hers instead. He stared at the mirror for several minutes, lost in thought. The silent hum of the ship's engines vibrated through the deck, pulling him deeper into his eyes. Her eyes.

Why were you there when Kain escaped?

He blinked and looked away from the mirror, slightly alarmed and not quite certain what had just happened. He glanced at the clock again, and realized that he'd been standing there, lost in the mirror, for almost twenty minutes, though it had felt like only three or four. He rubbed his temple again, and stepped toward the door and waited for it to open.

Kain.

The door slid open and he stepped out into the passageway and headed for the galley. He wasn't really hungry, but wasn't ready to see Rodger or Adrian yet. He still felt disoriented from his dreams, and didn't feel like his head was screwed on quite right at the moment.

Washu.

He entered the galley and helped himself to an orange and some coffee. What he really craved was some green tea, but hadn't found any earlier, and after asking Amos, had learned that Rodger had traded the last of their tea two weeks ago for a case of sake'. That sounded good, too, but it was a little early in the morning yet to start drinking without looking like a wino. He fell into a seat and started peeling the orange.

Kain.

He tossed a slice of the fruit in his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the sweet juices that spilled from it each time he bit down. A little something tugged at the back of his mind, just out of reach. He took a swig of coffee, the bitterness of the drink clashing with the sweet acidity of the fruit, jolting the last of the sleep from his body. He separated another slice of orange from the whole and turned it over a few times, studying the biological structure of the fruit, before placing it in his mouth and biting down on it, releasing the juices trapped inside.

Washu.

That little something that nagged at the back of his mind suddenly jumped forward, as if released from the prison of his subconscious. He slowly picked up his coffee mug, lifting it to his lips. The thought formed itself clearly in his mind, and he contemplated the validity of the accusation it presented. It was a possibility. The facts were a little sketchy (he wasn't even certain they were facts), but it was worth looking into. He finished off the coffee, and set the mug down next to the unfinished half of the orange, stood, and walked from the galley. A panel on the wall slid open, and a maintenance 'bot emerged and cleared the table as the doors slid shut behind Shinjiro.

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Washu collapsed backwards on her cushion and sighed. Medical information and brain wave patterns played across the computers surrounding her, but none of it told her anything. She half-heartedly waved a hand in the air as she stared at the ceiling, and the data stream started again from the beginning. Most of the information she knew by heart, and glanced at the screens only occasionally, replaying the data in her mind. She'd been working on the problem for the better part of a day and a half now, and was no closer to a solution then when she'd began. Most of the data looked fairly straight-forward. Her heart rate had been slightly elevated, as would be expected, but everything else was normal. Except for her brain waves. Moments before she had awakened, there had been a major increase in brain activity, indicating that she was having a dream. Nothing odd there, except for the two spikes in the wave pattern read-out, and those were what was giving her the headache she felt coming on. She drummed her fingers on her knee as she thought, working the problem from multiple angles. She sat up again and leaned forward, studying the monitor floating in front of her.

"Wait a minute," she mumbled, a thought forming in her head as the data streamed across her screens. She put away all the computers except for one. "Let's give this a shot, shall we?" she said, entering a string of commands into her machine. A large screen popped up to the right of her computer, and a dark, grainy, image appeared on it's surface.

"Well," she said, looking the image over, "you're a fuzzy one, aren't you? Let's see what we can do about that." She started typing away at her keyboard again, trying to smooth out the wave patterns, focusing them for a sharper image. After a moment, the picture started to pull into focus, the lines sharpening and the colors deepening.

"Interesting." She was looking at Sasami (as she figured she would be), but nothing else. She superimposed some of the medical data in the corner of the screen, and sat back and watched as the dream started.

Sasami was alone in a field of black, looking around, obviously trying to figure out where she was. Washu glanced at Sasami's vital signs, as they had been recorded earlier, and now time-matched to coincide with the playback of her dream. So far so good.

Sasami looked forward suddenly as someone appeared in front of her. It was another Sasami, dressed in the robes of the Juraian court. Washu noted a slight increase in Sasami's heart rate as she noticed that her clothes had changed to match her doubles, and then again as Sasami realized she had suddenly grown older.

Washu leaned closer to the screen as Sasami looked up to see her reflection had grown as well. Washu's mind suddenly exploded with revelations as she realized what she was seeing. Everything was moving too fast. The dream Sasami smiled.

"Welcome, sister," she said. Washu looked quickly at Sasami's vital data. Spike one.

The dream blurred, then re-focused, and Sasami was herself again, but her reflection was still full grown. Washu leaned forward some more, and almost fell off her cushion. No wonder the kid had been so shaken when she'd wakened. Her brain waves were going nuts. At least she was beginning to understand what it all meant. Too bad it had taken her so long, though. She watched as the older Sasami took the little girl into her arms in a hug, and her vital signs started to settle down a little.

Washu knew what was coming. Sort of.

Sasami pulled away from her reflection, and Washu was mildly surprised to see that it was an image of herself that was now standing where Sasami's double had been. It was her older self, though. The body she had forsaken for the simpler vices that a child's form offered. Washu was unaware that Sasami had ever seen her like that. She glanced at the statistics.

Spike two.

"Wow! Is that you, Washu?"

Washu yelped in surprise and slipped off her cushion, falling through the screen. The image broke up, and the program shut itself off. Mihoshi clasped her hands over her mouth and ran over to where Washu was lying on the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Washu!" she cried, kneeling next to the prostrate genius. "Did I startle you?"

Washu's eyebrow twitched as she stared at the ceiling, not looking at Mihoshi. "Don't..." she started, pausing to pop her neck, "...don't you ever knock?"

"But I did knock," Mihoshi said, "and there was no answer. But the door was open, and Tenchi's father wanted me to fetch you for dinner. So, I thought I'd just come in and let you know, that's all."

Washu's eyebrow continued to twitch. "Why me?"

Dinner was terrible.

Washu stepped outside for some fresh air. She loved the mountains of the Okayama prefecture at night, and the cool air and gentle breeze always helped to clear her mind. (And lord knew, after that meal, her mind really needed clearing.) She took in a deep breath and smiled.

"Now that's more like it!" she said, leaning against the wall, hands behind her head. She looked up at the stars, admiring the way they sparkled and shone through the warm summer air. It was very peaceful.

"That's it!" she shouted, pushing away from the wall. "Why didn't I see it earlier?!"

"Quiet down out there!" Katsuhito demanded, leaning out the door and glaring at Washu. "I can't here my program with you shouting like that, so take it somewhere else, why don't you?"

"Lord Katsuhito!" Washu said, turning toward the old man and grinning. "Could you do me a favor please and have Mihoshi do the dinner dishes?"

Katsuhito stared blankly at Washu for several seconds. "And why do you want the kitchen destroyed?"

Washu kicked back against the wall again. "It's too quiet around here. I can't think without the usual ruckus."

Katsuhito stepped outside and slid the door shut behind him. He walked to the edge of the porch and looked out on the starlit lake, and the mountains that stood beyond. "That's no justification for wrecking the kitchen. Sasami would be heartbroken when she got back, and you wouldn't want that now, would you?"

"Come on," Washu said, waving her hand at him, "I wasn't serious." She tilted her head back and looked up at the stars again. "They'll be there tomorrow night, you know."

"Yes."

Washu glanced at Katsuhito, who was still standing at the edge of the porch, hands folded behind him, unmoving. She looked back at the stars. "Your mother wants them to stay, you know that don't you? She wants to teach him how to rule the galaxy."

Katsuhito didn't say anything.

Washu continued. "But you knew that, of course." She looked over at him. "That's what you had planned all along, wasn't it? For Tenchi to replace you as successor to the throne, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Washu looked down and chuckled. "Well, looks as if everything's working like you planned. I've got to hand it to you, Grandfather, you're a clever one."

"What is it you really wanted to talk about, Washu?" Katsuhito said, still gazing at the lake. "You're having trouble with something, and it's driving you crazy, isn't it? Is it Sasami?"

Washu slid down the wall to sit on the deck. "I've studied her data extensively, and can't come to any conclusions. The answer's right in front of me, but I can't put a finger on it at all."

"Don't worry about it too much. Sasami's alright, and that's what matters after all." Katsuhito yawned loudly, stretching his arms above his head, and turned to face the house. "Why don't you come inside and have some ice cream, eh?"

Washu stood and placed her hands over her stomach, grimacing. "Did Sasami make it? I don't think I can handle any more of father's cooking."

"No, Sasami didn't make it," he said. Washu balked. Katsuhito smiled. "Don't worry. I bought a carton when I was in town earlier today." They both looked at the house as a crash came from within, and the muffled sounds of Ryoko shouting and Mihoshi apologizing drifted through the walls.

"Well," Washu sighed, opening the door. "We should head in while there's still some left."

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Tenchi placed his chopsticks on top of his bowl, and lifted his glass of wine gently, tipping it back smoothly and letting the drink wash down the last of his meal. He lowered the glass and swirled the last few drops of wine around the sides of goblet. He smiled and finished off the drink, setting the glass down in it's proper place. He turned to the head of the table, where Ayeka was sitting, and nodded once, a sign that he approved of the meal. Ayeka returned the nod, then smiled.

"That was good, but you shouldn't play with the wine like that. People may think you don't like it, and it is considered rude."

Tenchi looked at the empty wine glass and sighed. "On earth, we swirl our wine to release the flavor. You don't do that on Jurai?" Ayeka shook her head.

"No, we don't. In a formal setting, if you fiddle around with your food even slightly, it is considered a sign that you would rather play with your food than eat it. It is quite rude, especially for royalty."

Tenchi sighed again and pushed back from the table. "Yeah, I guess I can see that. Boy, there sure is a lot you can't do at the palace, isn't there?"

"I know, there sure is isn't there?" Sasami said, setting her own chopsticks down and smiling at Tenchi. He smiled back at her and laughed. Ayeka looked at her disapprovingly.

"Now Sasami, don't be rude. You certainly have picked up some bad habits while on Earth." She stood and picked up her dishes. "You've been hanging around Ryoko too much, I think."

"But Tenchi's right, Ayeka. I bet they won't even let me help in the kitchen like they used to."

Ayeka stepped around the table to where Sasami was sitting and picked up her bowl and plate. "I don't know, Sasami. It's been quite a while since we were last home. A lot's probably changed. They may not even have the same cook anymore." Ayeka took Sasami's cup from her and moved on to Tenchi's place.

"Oh, I hope they still have mister Liu. I really liked his food," Sasami said, smiling at Ayeka as she cleared the table. She suddenly got a gleam in her eyes, and clamped her hands over her mouth to hold back a laugh. Ayeka turned to look at her, dirty dishes in both hands.

"What's so funny, Sasami?"

Sasami shook her head back and forth, holding her mouth shut. Little tears formed in the sides of her eyes. Ayeka watched Sasami, puzzled, for a moment, then started to chuckle herself. Tenchi looked from one princess to the next, lost.

"What is it, Ayeka," he asked, standing up and taking the last of the dishes from the table. Ayeka turned to Tenchi and shook her head lightly.

"Well," she said, setting the dishes back on the table and brushing her hands down the front of her gown, "I had just scolded Sasami for picking up bad habits on Earth, and here I am, clearing the table like a common kitchen maid." She took the dishes from Tenchi and set them back on the table. "Let Azaka and Kamidake get them. If we're going back to the palace, we have to start acting like it now, so we don't embarrass ourselves when we get there."

Sasami regained her composure and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Ayeka," she said, climbing out of her seat and pushing it back under the table. "I didn't mean to laugh at you. I'll try to do better."

"I think you're doing great, Sasami," Tenchi said. "Better then I am, anyway."

"You're both going to do fine," said Ayeka. "We are going home, after all. Mother Funaho will make sure we have everything we need, and we will be there for a few days before the party, so we don't have to worry about it that much yet."

Tenchi sighed and patted his stomach. "Well, in any case that was a great dinner Sasami. Thank you very much."

Sasami grinned. "Your welcome, Tenchi."

Ayeka looked at a small monitor on the wall. "So, we're going to reach Jurai in another five hours," she said. "I'm going to get some sleep now. It will be very busy when we arrive, and we may not get another chance to rest for quite a while."

Sasami yawned. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." She trotted toward the doors and turned and waved at Tenchi and Ayeka. "Goodnight," she giggled, and left the room.

Ayeka chuckled. "What a dear," she said, watching Sasami leave. "I haven't seen her this excited in a long time."

"She must be excited to see her parents again. It has been a while since they visited Earth, you know." Tenchi started toward the doors himself. "Anyway, I'm going to bed too. Goodnight, Ayeka."

"Goodnight, Tenchi," she said, turning to the doors that led to her chamber. They paused, turning to look at each other, then headed for separate doors at opposite ends of the dinning hall.

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Everyone watched with various expressions of shock as Ryoko wolfed down her ice cream faster than was normal for even her. She dropped the spoon in her bowl with a flourish, and lay back on the floor with a contented sigh. "My, that was some good ice cream you picked out there, old man."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Ryoko," Katsuhito said, lifting his first bite to his mouth. Mihoshi looked at Ryoko in a mix of awe and concern.

"Wow, Ryoko, that sure was fast. I hope you don't get a cold brain."

Ryoko chuckled. "I think it's called a brain freeze, Mihoshi, and don't worry, I'll be fine."

Washu swallowed a bite of her dessert and grinned to herself. Katsuhito and Nobuyuki, who were sitting across from her with Ryoko between them, saw this. They glanced at each other, and scooted away from Ryoko. She sighed again and closed her eyes.

Washu dug her spoon into her mound of ice cream and lifted her bowl from the table. Katsuhito and Nobuyuki did the same. Mihoshi looked at them, confused. She pointed at their bowls.

"Why are you. . . ?" she started to ask. An ear-splitting scream interrupted her as Ryoko suddenly kicked the table, sending it flying over their heads and crashing into the wall. She sat up straight as a rod and rubbed her temples furiously. Katsuhito looked at her, then turned back to his dessert.

"Um-hum," he mumbled, taking a bite. Nobuyuki looked at the new dents in his wall and moaned. Mihoshi lifted her upturned bowl off her head and tried to shake some of the ice cream out of her hair and back into the bowl. Washu scooped up a spoonful of dessert and wagged her loaded spoon at Ryoko.

"Well, Ryoko, I trust you learned your lesson?" She said, chomping down on her ice cream. Ryoko glared at Washu through squinted eyes as she rubbed her head.

"Damnit, Washu, what did you do that for?"

"Now, now, my dear," Washu said, scooping the last of her dessert from her bowl, "I didn't do anything. You just ate your ice cream too fast, that's all." She licked her spoon clean and stood, sidestepping the overturned table. "Well, Lord Katsuhito, that really was some good ice cream." She looked down at Mihoshi, who was staring pitifully into her nearly empty bowl. "Here, Mihoshi," she said, "I'll bring you some. . ."

Ryoko suddenly screamed again, though not quite as loudly this time, and gripped her head tight. Katsuhito looked at her and squinted. Nobuyuki lowered his spoon.

"Wow, Ryoko, that looks like it hurts," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She groaned and shook her head, trying to clear out the pain. "You really should slow down when you eat," Nobuyuki said.

"That's. . ." said Ryoko, rubbing her temple and squeezing her eyes tight, "that's not it." She opened her eyes and gasped, dropping her hands to the floor and leaning forward. "That's not it at all."

Mihoshi set her bowl aside and scooted over toward Ryoko. "Are you alright, Ryoko?"

Ryoko shook her head again and sat up slowly. She blinked a few times and looked at Mihoshi. The detective looked quite worried. Ryoko grinned meekly. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, patting Mihoshi's shoulder. "I just ate too quick. Watch out for those cold brains, they'll knock you for a loop, that's for sure."

"Well, I think that's enough ice cream for tonight," Katsuhito said, picking up his bowl and Ryoko's. "Washu, would you mind giving me a hand with the dishes?" He looked over at where Washu was standing, facing the kitchen. She didn't move, but just stood there, arms at her side, her bowl dripping on the floor.

"Washu."

She started, and turned to the group. "I'm sorry," she said, looking down at her bowl. She handed it to Mihoshi. "Could you take this to the kitchen for me please? I have to get to my lab." She let go of her bowl before Mihoshi could get a hold of it, and started toward her door.

"Washu!" Katsuhito said, "What's going on here?"

She paused, but didn't turn around. "I. . ." She shook her head and opened her door. "I just have to check on something, that's all." She closed the door behind her, leaving a group of confused looking faces standing around in the dinning room.

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Shinjiro entered his room and locked the door behind him. He paused for a moment, not quite sure why he'd done that, and then pulled a chair over to the desk and sat down in front of the computer terminal. He stared at the blank screen for a moment, gathering his thoughts together, then started typing.

"Sorry, Amos," he mumbled, "But you're going to have to stay out of my way for a bit." He entered a string of commands, bypassing the ship's central computer and setting up a series of firewalls that prevented Amos from monitoring his terminal. He then checked to make sure Amos hadn't noticed what he'd done. Satisfied, he pulled up the ship's communications control panel. "Hope we're close enough," he said. He entered his destination and password.

The computer sent his data out across the great void that was space, and he kicked back in his seat as he waited for the reply. He wasn't quite certain exactly where they where, but he knew it was far enough out that any transmission would take some time. A few moments later, his console beeped, indicating that his transmission had been sent and received. The screen changed from Amos's communications panel to the standard start-up screen of the G.P. network. Shinjiro brought up the search screen.

"All right honey, let's see what we've got on you, eh?" He typed in "Washu Hakubi", then leaned back and waited. Not only would the transmission take some time, but the G.P.'s database surpassed enormous, and could take up to several minutes to search for information. He only hoped that the network hadn't been too crippled by the loss of headquarters. Most of the computers that supported the network were located on Jurai and at the Science Academy, but the main interface units had been at headquarters. Well, he thought, watching the transmission indicator light blinking on the screen. If I've been out of it for months, someone should have fixed things up a bit by now. His computer beeped, surprising him slightly.

"That was quick," he mumbled, leaning forward. The computer had found two entries, so he opened the first file.

"Ah," he groaned as the text printed out across the screen, detailing her kidnapping from the Science Academy. "Seen this one already." He closed the file and selected the second folder. It took several seconds to load, and when it did, Shinjiro couldn't help but notice that it was huge. He smiled. "Been a little busy, have we, Washu?" He opened the file, and his screen suddenly turned red, demanding a pass code of level 12 or higher. "Damn, girl. Been real busy." He entered his code, and waited while the computer tried to decide if he was who he said was. It didn't take as long as he'd thought it would.

The file was huge. He scrolled through it quickly, and found that it was over a thousand pages in length. "Wow," he breathed, scrolling back to the top to read the opening information. The report had been filed by detective first class Mihoshi Kuramitsu, currently stationed in the Solar system, and covered the events surrounding the demise of the space pirate Kagato. He had heard that Kagato had been destroyed, but had never learned the specifics. The report appeared to be very detailed.

"Damn," Shinjiro muttered, skimming over the first couple of paragraphs. "This thing's gonna put me to sleep. Don't have time to read the whole thing." He pulled up the help file and selected the condensed version. The file was reduced to one-hundred pages, with a footnote from information services apologizing for the length and detail of the original draft. "That's better." He pulled a hand-held pad from a drawer and transferred the report to it. He set the pad aside and severed his computer's link with the G.P. network, returning the system to normal. He cross-checked his firewalls, making sure Amos hadn't noticed anything odd. He wondered briefly again why he'd taken such steps. He hadn't really done anything requiring the security steps he'd taken. He shrugged it off to his police training, propped himself up in bed, and started reading.

Even the condensed version was detailed, but police reports had never been accused of being light reading. He skimmed over the parts concerning how detective Mihoshi had come to be on the planet called Earth. He was surprised, however, to learn that the space pirate Ryoko was also on that planet, and wondered briefly why Mihoshi had not attempted to apprehend the criminal, until he read that her statute of limitations was up. Oh well, he thought, small fry, anyway. The Juraian in him was surprised at how easily he blew off that detail. He read on.

The report went on to explain how Mihoshi ended up living with an earth family called the Masaki's, whom Ryoko was also staying with. Shinjiro snorted in disgust at Mihoshi's disregard for procedure. Coming in contact with the natives of an underdeveloped planet, especially one that was a protected territory of Jurai, was specifically forbidden. The Masaki's were a typical family, with the grandfather, father, and three children living in a fairly remote part of the country, which provided good cover for Ryoko and Mihoshi. Shinjiro figured that was why Ryoko had chosen to stay with them. She would have stood out in a city.

The report moved on to describe Kagato's arrival, and his kidnapping of Ryoko. It appeared that Kagato had been controlling her in the past, using her to do his dirty work. It disgusted Shinjiro that someone would use another person, especially a woman, in such a manner. The next ten pages or so detailed Mihoshi's pursuit of Kagato; how she was forced to use Ryoko's spaceship, Ryo-oh-ki, because her own Yukinojo had been trapped in subspace during her crash-landing on Earth; the amazing power of the Soja; Ryoko's escape from Kagato and how the two of them boarded the ship, and later got separated.

"Ah-ha," he said, finally coming to the part he was actually interested in. Two pages were dedicated to Mihoshi's release of the prisoner Washu Hakubi, the 'schoolgirl' Kagato had kidnapped from the Science Academy. "So they did find you, then." He smiled. "At least I'm not crazy." Not totally, at least. The report included some useless details on the construction of the Soja and it's two levels of reality. It also went into depth on Ryoko's defeat of Kagato, and made numerous mentions of Washu's scientific prowess, including the revelation that she had 'created' Ryoko from her own ovaries. The report concluded with a brief (twenty pages) summery, going into Kagato's obsession with discovering 'the ultimate power in the galaxy', and his desire to control that power to dominate the universe. The final page of the report was a copy of the orders assigning Mihoshi to a permanent position in the Solar system.

Shinjiro dropped the pad in his lap and ran over the report in his head. Assigning a first-class detective to a remote, protected outpost seemed rather odd, especially after she had brought to justice one of the most dangerous and notorious criminals the galaxy had ever seen. They should have rewarded her with a promotion and an assignment on some cushy resort planet or something like that. Certain parts of the report had seemed rather odd in their own right, as well, as if they had been spruced up or downplayed a little. He shrugged that off to the condensation procedure. If the short version had gone into such detail, he couldn't imagine how the full version must have been. In any case, he had found out what he'd set out to learn; that Washu was still alive, and she was living on Earth on an island called Japan. And, as it turned out, she was living with the criminal Ryoko.

He smiled. Maybe his theory had some ground to stand on after all. She certainly had the skill and the means to pull it off. He had to force himself to keep from getting too excited. It was just a theory, after all.

He stood and set the pad on his nightstand, checking the chronometer while he was at it. It had taken him three hours to read detective Mihoshi's report. "Damn," he muttered again. If he was going to follow up on this theory of his, he would eventually have to contact her. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to talk to this woman. Even in her own report, she had come across as rather inept, an agent of chance, it would seem. Oh well, it takes all sorts, I guess.

He stretched and went back over to the computer. He pulled up Amos's communications panel again, this time without setting up any security precautions. He typed in his destination, and waited for the reply. A moment later, a banking screen popped up, and Shinjiro typed in the code to check his account. He would need access to a fairly large sum of money to take his plan to the next stage, especially since the path led to the Solar system. After a few seconds, his account data appeared, and he wasn't that thrilled with what he saw. He closed the system down and sighed. He ran through a few of his options, and decided that he would have to contact a few 'old acquaintances' before this was through. He would also have to bribe Rodger and Adrian into going along with him, since he didn't have access to any ship other than the Amos. He didn't figure that would be too hard, seeing as the two were up against a wall of hard luck anyway.

Getting the money, however, would be the hard part. He'd have to hack into some of the G.P. accounts to get the amounts he would need. Again, not too much of a problem there, with the G.P. in the mess it was most likely in right now, there would probably be little monitoring of the financial lines. He could set up a couple of ghost accounts and transfer small amounts into those, and no one would even notice. Hopefully.

Getting to earth wouldn't be that difficult, he decided. He knew what strings to pull and when. He'd been doing it for years, and had all the right contacts in all the right places. No, the hard part would be getting past Ryoko. The pirate had her reputation for a reason. She had managed to sack Jurai, and had eventually brought Kagato to his doom. Yes, she would be a tough one, alright, but nothing he couldn't handle.

And that meant the only wild card left was the clever little genius herself, Washu.

"How much?" Adrian asked again, almost falling out of his chair.

"One and a half million Jurai a piece," Shinjiro said, crossing his legs. "Plus expenses, of course."

Adrian grunted, sitting back in his chair. That would certainly make up for the losses they'd incurred so far on this trip. Would more then make up for the losses. Rodger shook his head and sighed.

"You've really got the hots for her, don't you?" he said, standing and turning to look at the main screen, watching the stars fly by in long, white streaks. "Can't say I blame you, though. She's a looker, that's for sure."

"You know," Shinjiro said, "that's not really. . ."

"You're not actually considering his proposal, are you, gentlemen?" Amos asked, sliding between the surveyors and Shinjiro. Adrian leaned forward and shoved him out of the way.

"I aint no gentleman, and yes I am." He looked up at Shinjiro. "So where did you say this Earth place is again?"

"It's one of the protected territories of Jurai, third planet of the Solar system. Amos will have it's coordinates."

"And Amos will not give them up," the computer said, sliding back between the two men. "I belong to the company, and am not to be sublet, as per article 25.7, line three, of. . ."

"Shut up already," said Rodger, stepping over and delivering a sharp knock to the top of Amos's dome. "Show a little backbone, will you?"

"I beg pardon, sir, but according to company policy. . ."

"We're overriding company policy," Adrian said, "and if you don't like it, fine. We've ways around that."

"Am I to take that as a threat?" Amos asked, actually shrinking back a little.

Adrian nodded. "Yeah, that's a threat."

The corner of Shinjiro's mouth curled up slightly, and he nodded his head. "So, I take it you're with me on this."

Adrian shook his head. "No, I'm with you on the money. I couldn't give a rat's ass about your woman or this Kain guy, but the money sounds good, so sure, count me in."

Shinjiro looked at Rodger, who nodded. Amos groaned.

"For Pete's sake, you guy's! Never before have I had a crew that so blatantly disregarded company policy! I'm afraid it is my duty to report this mutiny to headquarters."

"'Fraid not," Shinjiro said. Amos twisted around to look at the officer. He smiled. "I bypassed your communications array before I came up here. I'd figured you wouldn't approve. Sorry."

Amos was flabbergasted. He ran a systems check, and was unable to find his communications system. None of the men had ever heard a computer curse before. "I never would have thought that you, mister Yakagamo, a Galaxy Police Officer of all people, would resort to this sort of action. It's just so. . . so low."

"Now Amos," Shinjiro said, "don't take it so personal. I've got a criminal to catch, and you're the only ship around. Just doing what I have to, that's all. Besides," he added with a smile, "It'll be fun."

Adrian grabbed Amos and twisted his dome around so he was looking him in the eyes. "We're not going to have to find a way around you, now are we?" If a computer could sweat, Amos would have been soaked.

"No, sir."

Adrian let Amos go. "Good. Now find this Earth place and lay in a course."

"Yes sir."

Adrian stood and looked hard at Shinjiro. "You'd better have the money."

Shinjiro stood as well. He barely rose to the height of Adrian's shoulders. "I'll have it in your account by tonight. Just need the numbers."

Adrian sneered. "Right. Find me when your ready."

"Sure."

Rodger placed his hand on Adrian's shoulder, pulling him away from Shinjiro. "Look," he said, facing the policeman, who was still staring at Adrian. "You mentioned something about a space pirate, right?"

"Yeah, Ryoko. Nasty one, she is. Used to work for Kagato, before she turned on him."

Rodger shook his head. "Sorry, I'm not up on current events. Who's Kagato?"

Shinjiro looked away from Adrian, who grunted and shrugged off Rodger's hand. "He used to be the most wanted criminal in the galaxy."

"Even more then this other guy, Kain?"

"Kain was still locked up in subspace at the time."

Rodger nodded. "So, do you think she'll make any trouble for us, 'cause I don't think Amos could handle it if she decides to get rough. He's a survey ship, not a battle cruiser."

Shinjiro smiled. "Leave that to me." Amos groaned.

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"Wow," Tenchi said as Ryu-oh broke through the clouds. An ocean of green opened up before his eyes, stretching from horizon to horizon. A massive, unbroken forest of trees, a few standing high above the rest, nearly touching the clouds. From the base of each cloud, a few tendrils of mist grew toward the forest, reaching out to the planet like great stalactites of pure white. It was like nothing Tenchi had ever seen.

"It's amazing," he said as their ship drifted closer to one of the great trees, one that stood much taller than the others.

"It is quite the stunning view, isn't it?" Ayeka said, stepping forward to look out the window as well.

"Yes, it is." Ryu-oh came level with the uppermost branches of the great tree, and started to descend. Soon, they were surrounded by green, dropping slowly through the branches of the great giant. "How do the trees grow so large here?"

"It's because of the royal trees," Ayeka said. "There are only a few giants, and this is the largest of them. This is Tenjyu, the Great Palace of Jurai, and it is here that the royal trees are grown and kept."

"This tree is the palace?" Tenchi said, amazed.

Sasami grinned. "Yeah, pretty neat, huh?" The ship continued to drop for what seemed an hour while they watched the leaves and branches of the palace pass by. Every now and then they would catch a glimpse of a window or balcony cut into the side of the tree, and Ayeka or Sasami would point it out to Tenchi, telling him about the room or part of the palace that lay within. There were people standing on some of the balconies, waving at them as they passed by. Eventually, Azaka floated down off of his platform and drifted over to them.

"We are about to land, princess Ayeka," he said. "The king and your mothers are waiting at the platform."

Ayeka sighed. "Well, I guess it's time, then."

"Aren't you happy to see your parents again?" Tenchi asked.

"Of course I am," she said, smoothing down her robes. "It's just, well, you've met them before."

Tenchi laughed and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, they can be pretty crazy, can't they?"

"Oh, you guys are so mean," Sasami said. Outside, Ryu-oh emerged from the branches into a large, open area, where a large crowd had gathered around the edges of an impressive courtyard that jutted from the palace, supported by the massive branches of the tree. It was the largest, most elaborate balcony Tenchi had ever seen.

"Well, let's get this over with," Ayeka said, heading over to the doors that led off the bridge.

A moment later they were standing in front of the main door, waiting for it to open. Sasami looked up at Tenchi and grinned. Tenchi smiled back at her, then looked over at Ayeka, who sighed and fiddled with her robes. The ship shuddered gently as it set down.

Ayeka stood up straight and folded her hands in front of her. Sasami could barely keep herself from hopping around with joy. Tenchi just stood there, looking slightly worried and very out of place. The doors opened with a hiss.

A piercing screech shot through their heads as a dark green blur rushed up the ramp and into the ship, throwing itself around Tenchi and doing it's best to squeeze the life out of him.

"OH AYEKA-CHAN, AYEKA-CHAN, AYEKA-CHAN!!!" Misaki cried, hugging Tenchi so tight he couldn't breath.

"Help," he hissed, his eyes starting to roll up in his head. Ayeka and Sasami looked at each other and sighed.

"Ahem," Ayeka said, clearing her throat. Misaki quit crying and blinked. She looked over at Ayeka, who was still standing very straight and proper. She pushed Tenchi back to arm's length and looked him over. She looked back at Ayeka, then to Sasami, who grinned and waved. She looked back at Tenchi.

"Hi," he said, smiling weakly. Misaki looked at him for a moment, confused, then broke into a huge smile and grabbed him in another bear hug.

"TENCHI-KUN, TENCHI-KUN, TENCHI-KUN!!!" she wept, gripping him tight.

"Not again," he moaned.

"Hello, girls," said Funaho, stepping into the ship.

"Lady Funaho, it is good to see you again." Ayeka said, bowing.

Funaho smiled. "It's good to see you too, Ayeka. I'm glad you came." She looked over to where Misaki was smothering Tenchi. "Good, you brought Tenchi, as well."

"Mother Funaho!" cried Sasami, running forward and hugging Funaho around the waist. Misaki turned at the sound of Sasami's voice, and released Tenchi from her death grip. Tenchi collapsed, gasping.

"Sasami-chan!" she cried, dropping to her knee and holding her arms out. Sasami giggled, and let go of Funaho.

"Mommy!" she leaped into Misaki's arms, and the two hugged each other tight, laughing. Ayeka stood still, watching, her eyebrow starting to twitch slightly. Funaho chuckled, and Ayeka looked at her. Funaho just smiled.

"Ahem!"

Ayeka looked back at Misaki and Sasami. Misaki still held Sasami tight, but was glaring at Ayeka over the young princess's shoulder. Ayeka's eyebrow started twitching severely. Tenchi was still sitting on the floor, rubbing his head. Funaho smiled.

"Oh, brother," Ayeka mumbled under her breath. She sighed, and then broke into a huge grin, clasping her hands in front of her. "Mommy!"

"Ayeka-chan!" she cried, holding Sasami in one arm and opening her other for Ayeka. Ayeka whimpered a little, fighting to keep her smile, and then fell into Misaki's arms.

Misaki was beside herself with joy. "Ayeka-chan! Sasami-chan!" she said, hugging them both as tight as she could. "My little girl's have come home!"

Funaho giggled, and turned to watch as Tenchi stood, rubbing his ribs where Misaki had squeezed. "I'm glad to see you've taken such good care of these two, Tenchi," she said. "I thank you for that."

"Oh, it was nothing, really," Tenchi said, bowing at Funaho. "I actually don't have to do that much. Ayeka's stronger than she looks." He looked over at Ayeka, who was on the verge of tears, trapped in her mother's arms.

"Nevertheless, I'm glad that you have come."

"Well, I've heard so much about Jurai, I'm just glad to finally get to see it for myself."

A dark shadow suddenly filled Ryu-oh's doorway, and a deep, commanding voice demanded to know: "What is that one doing here?"

Funaho turned from Tenchi and faced the door. She smiled. "Oh, good! You're here!"

Misaki released the princesses and beamed. Ayeka turned from her mother and, gasping for air, brushed down her robes and smoothed her hair. Sasami smiled and ran up to the door. "Hello father!" she said, bowing curtly. Azusa looked down at the girl and smiled.

"Sasami, how have you been?"

"Very good, thank you." She grinned.

He looked up at Ayeka, who had regained her composure by this time. "Ayeka."

She bowed at him. "Father, it is very good to see you again. Congratulations on account of your anniversary."

"Hhmm," he nodded, and shifted his gaze to Tenchi, who straightened up and bowed.

"Your majesty."

Azusa frowned, and turned away from Tenchi. "Misaki, what is he doing here?"

Ayeka's mother grinned. "Surprised?"

Funaho stepped forward. "Come, dear," she said, placing a hand on the king's shoulder. "It's only fitting that Yosho be represented at your party. And it's a good time to introduce him to the court."

Azusa turned around and headed for the door. "I have no use for Yosho. Do with him as you like, but I will not take part." He stepped from the ship and headed back for the palace. Funaho turned back to Tenchi and company.

"Well," she said, clapping her hands together and grinning. "That went better then I expected. Shall we get you settled now?"

Tenchi just blinked, more confused then usual.

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

It was a truly beautiful site. Adrian stood there, transfixed, basking in the glory of it all. The light reflected off the silver skin of the barrels, shinning in his wide, unblinking eyes. The power of what lay before him moved him to tears.

"You're drooling," Rodger said, stepping forward and handing their payment card to the merchant. The merchant bowed and scanned the card.

"This much beer," he said, handing the card back to Rodger. "I no can move. You handle transport."

"Not a problem," Rodger said. He turned back to Adrian, who was still staring at the stack of kegs. Rodger shook his head and sighed. "You got this handled, Adrian?" Adrian walked over to the nearest keg and wrapped his arms around it. His grin was enormous.

"Get a room, you two," Rodger said, turning away from his friend and looking around the mall. The street was packed with creatures of all sorts, only a few of which were humanoid, and fewer still who looked to have anything resembling a respectable nature. It was a rather seedy market, dug into the caves of a mined out asteroid. It had started as a meeting place for smugglers, and had eventually grown into the worst-kept secret in the criminal underworld. There wasn't a detective in the G.P. who didn't know of its existence. Low-life's of every sort, from smugglers to murderers to small-timers, roamed the streets and alleys of the mall. Such a diverse gathering of scum made the tunnels a prime destination for those seeking hard-to-get items and information. Shinjiro had asked them to stop off here on their way to Earth.

Rodger reached in his jacket and felt for his gun, making sure the safety was off. Having grown up on the fringe, he was very aware that the unarmed never lasted long in places like this. He glanced back at Adrian, who had managed to pry himself off of his precious beer keg and was calling Amos for a flatbed. "Yo, Adrian," he called. "I'm going to look for Shinjiro. Call me if you need anything." Adrian didn't look up, but just waved Rodger off. Rodger turned and stepped into the crowd.

He immediately realized it would be a major stroke of luck if he was to actually find Shinjiro in this jumbled crowd. He worked his way down the street, fighting the crowd the entire way, trying to avoid getting swept up in the confusing tangle of bodies, looking for anything that resembled a human. He fought to keep near to the side of the street, so that he could look into the shops as he passed by. Some were nothing more than crude tables with a shabby merchant trying to hack stolen watches and other such petty nonsense, and others were elaborate establishments hewn into the side of the tunnel, and it was near impossible to see what lay beyond the door. Rodger got the feeling that in most cases he probably didn't want to know.

He had walked maybe a couple of hundred yards and had yet to see any sign of Shinjiro. Up ahead, he caught glimpse of a flat ledge butted up against the wall of the tunnel, raised about a meter off the street. A card hustler was sitting cross-legged on the ledge, calling out to the crowd to find the ace, sliding his cards about faster than the eye could see (aided by an extra set of arms). Rodger pushed his way over to the ledge, jumped up next to the quad-armed swindler, and looked out over the crowd.

"Yo, crazy man," the swindler shouted at Rodger, glaring up at him over the rims of his dark glasses. "This be my spot to dippity-do, cat." He grabbed hold of Rodger's pants with his left arms and started to shove him off the ledge. "You scat now and find other pad to snatch."

Rodger kicked his leg about, trying to shake the beatnik's hands loose. The swindler held tight, and latched onto Rodger's other leg with his free hands, forcing him closer to the edge. The swarming crowd in the street hardly took notice of the two grappling only a couple feet away. Rodger tried to slap the swindler's arms away, but was getting nowhere.

"Hell with it," he muttered, and pulled his blaster out from under his jacket and rammed it under the swindler's chin. The beatnik squealed and let go of Rodger, backing up against the wall and raising his hands.

"Yo man!" he squeaked. "Cool 'dem jets, just chill chill chill."

Rodger glared down at him, pushing the barrel of his pistol harder up under his chin. "A little grab happy for a card shark, aren't you?"

The swindler laughed, the sound coming out higher-pitched than was natural. "Easy with the smoker, crazy man. 'Jes tryin' to save the real estate, 'as all. Meant no harm."

Rodger dropped his gun and tucked it away under his jacket. "So you won't mind if I rent this spot for a minute, then." He turned and started scanning the crowd of bobbing heads again.

"Rent, the crazy cat says," the beatnik sneered, sliding back to his cards. He glared up at Rodger and shook a finger at him. "What you pay me for rent then, mister smoker?"

Rodger patted the gun under his jacket as he watched the crowd flow by. Still no sign of Shinjiro. "I let you keep your head."

The beatnik laughed again. "That aint gonna cut the cheddar, cat. 'Dis pad be high class real estate."

"I think it's enough, 'cat'."

"Not quite," he said, lunging at Rodger, a knife suddenly in his hand. Rodger caught sight of the beatnik in time to side-step the attack, grabbing the swindler's wrist. He stepped behind the beatnik, pushing him forward so that his own momentum carried him to the ground. Hard. Rodger had his blaster buried in the base of the beatnik's skull in an instant.

"Impressive," Shinjiro said, emerging from the crowd and resting his elbows on the ledge. "Didn't think you had it in you, to tell the truth."

Rodger slammed the beatnik's wrist against the side of the ledge. He squealed and dropped the knife. Rodger dug his knee into the beatnik's back and holstered his gun. "A guy tends to learn how to watch out for himself, growing up on the fringe."

Shinjiro nodded and looked from the beatnik to Rodger and back to the beatnik again. He came to a decision and gave the beatnik a sharp blow to the head. The beatnik squeaked, and went limp. He looked back at Rodger. "You weren't out looking for me, were you?"

Rodger hopped down off the ledge, leaving the beatnik laying half over the ledge, unconscious. "Actually, I was. Get what you needed?"

"Yes, and now it's time to go. It should all be loaded on the Amos by now." He looked back at the crowd passing by only inches away. "We should hurry." He started back down the tunnel, heading for the hangar where the Amos was docked.

Rodger started after him, fighting against the crowd to try to catch up with Shinjiro. "Hey, what do you mean, 'we should hurry?'" he called after him. "You didn't steal that crap, did you?"

"No, I didn't steal it," Shinjiro said, glancing over his shoulder, "but that doesn't mean I didn't manage to piss a few people off in the process."

"You've got to be kidding," Rodger muttered, shouldering his way through the crowd, and managing to catch up with Shinjiro. "You know, we don't need this kind of trouble, man. What did you do, anyway?"

Shinjiro scanned the crowd, his eyes jumping from person to person faster than Rodger would have thought possible. "I showed up. Draw your gun, but keep it low and out of sight."

Rodger did as he was told. He didn't like where this was heading. "I've never been in a gunfight, you know."

"Well then, we should try and avoid one today, shouldn't we?"

"Sounds good to me."

The crowd started to thin slightly as they neared the hangars. They passed the kiosk where Adrian had bought their beer, and the old merchant called out to Rodger as they walked on by.

"Hello! Your friend like his beer very much, yes?"

Rodger nodded at him. "Yes, he likes his beer very much."

"Ha!" the old man laughed, turning back to his kegs. "You be careful he not drink it all in one place. Very bad if he do."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to warn him." He shook his head and turned back to Shinjiro. The hangars were only a few dozen feet further down the tunnel, and Rodger could just make out the brown hull of the Amos through a door up ahead.

"Shit!" Shinjiro shouted, and threw himself into Rodger. The two of them crashed to the street, sending up a cloud of dust as an intense, searing heat passed inches over Rodger's back. A blinding flash erupted only a few feet away, and the side of his face was bombarded by dozens of tiny pebbles, each feeling like a red-hot needle pressed into his skin. Before he could cry out at the pain, Shinjiro had grabbed the back of his jacket and dragged him to his feet again, pushing him down the tunnel toward the door.

"Keep low!" Shinjiro shouted at Rodger. The crowded street was now in chaos as the masses tried to figure out who was shooting at who. Weapons of a hundred varieties could be seen in the hands of aliens of a hundred varieties. "Head for the ship, quickly."

"No shit!" Rodger shouted, pressing his hand against his burned cheek. "Where the hell is he?"

"I don't know! Just keep low and try to hide in the crowd!" Rodger held his blaster low in front of him as he worked through the crowded street, searching for their assailant.

"Damnit!" he shouted at Shinjiro. "Who is it? They've all got guns!" The wall nearest him suddenly exploded as a shot narrowly missed. "Shit!" He threw himself to the ground and started crawling toward the door, which was now only a few yards ahead. "I don't need this crap right now," he mumbled as chunks of the wall rained down around him. The crowd was growing more restless, and Rodger could hear a few shots getting fired, apparently at no particular target. "What's the story, Shinjiro?"

"Hell if I know!"

Another shot exploded somewhere to Rodger's right, and from the barrage of curses from Shinjiro, he figured it had come closer to the cop than he would have preferred. Rodger stood and made a dash for the hangar door. He was a few steps away when a large shadow suddenly filled the doorway.

"What the f---?" the shadow started to say.

"Get down!" Rodger shouted, crashing into the man. A shot screamed over their heads as they fell, slamming into the Amos's hull. As they hit the ground, Rodger rolled to the side, pressing himself against the wall. "Out of the doorway, Adrian!" he said, motioning for the large man to get out of the way.

"Goddamnit!" shouted Adrian, jumping for cover and drawing his own gun. "What the hell's going on out there?"

"We're getting shot at! What's it look like?"

Another shot blasted through the opening, with Shinjiro following close behind. He quickly took a position on the opposite side of the door from Rodger and Adrian.

"Where's the lock?" Rodger shouted over at him.

"Isn't one," Shinjiro said, grabbing the communicator from his belt. "Amos," he said, keying the mike. Rodger blinked and shook his head.

"What do you mean, there isn't one? You mean we can't close the door?"

"That's exactly what I mean. Damnit Amos, come in!"

Rodger cursed and looked over at the Amos's loading ramp. There were about fifty yards of open space between the doorway and Amos. He turned back to Shinjiro. "We'll get cut to pieces if we run for it."

"Don't I know it! Answer me, Amos! Come in!"

Adrian threw up his hands in frustration. "Well that makes a load of sense! A door you can't close. What'll they think of next?"

"This place was built by crooks, remember," Shinjiro said, slapping the communicator against his leg. "Think they'd want people locking the hangar doors? Damn! Why isn't this thing working?"

"Here, try mine," Rodger said, tossing his comm unit over to Shinjiro as yet another shot tore through the opening and slammed into the Amos. Adrian looked at the blast marks on the ship's hull with growing anger.

"Shit man," he growled. "That prick's messing up my rig."

"Where the hell is he, anyway? Wish he'd show himself," Rodger said, daring a look out the door. A shot crashed into the wall next to his head, and he ducked back inside, cursing.

"I wouldn't try that again," Shinjiro said. He lifted the communicator and keyed the mike. "Amos, you there? Come in."

Static.

"Damn." Shinjiro flattened himself against the wall as a shot blew through the doorway and nearly took his head off. "He's moved," he said, taking a knee and hugging the wall as near as he could. He tried the comm unit again. "Amos, you little shit, answer me."

"Not if you talk to me like that, I won't."

"Damnit, where've you been?"

"I haven't gone anywhere, sir."

"Just take off and get as near to our location as you can, and do it now."

"But sir. . ."

"Do it!"

"Adrian?"

"Amos, I swear. . ." Adrian growled, pointing his gun at the ship.

"Well," Amos said, his jets winding up, "if you put it that way. . ."

The wall exploded several feet down from where Rodger and Adrian were crouching, and a thick cloud of concrete dust and smoke poured from the hole, expanding outward into the hangar. Blaster shots erupted from the cloud, aimed, of course, at the three men. They all dropped to the floor and started firing at the cloud.

"Getting serious, aren't they?" Rodger shouted as a series of shots tore into the wall just above his head.

"What did you do to these guys?" Adrian asked, replacing the clip in his gun and sending a storm of bullets into the cloud. Shinjiro paused for a second and stared at Adrian.

"Is that a. . ?"

"Don't ask," Rodger said. A strong wind tore through the hangar as Amos lifted into the air and started slowly drifting toward the pinned down men. The dust cloud cleared, and they saw a small group of hairy aliens crouched around a large, ragged hole in the wall. The space between the two groups was suddenly filed with blaster shots now that both parties could see clearly.

"Hurry it up, Amos!" Shinjiro shouted into the communicator. "We're going to get ripped to shreds out here!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Amos said, sliding closer to the wall and steering his loading ramp toward Rodger and company. Shinjiro let loose with his blaster, shooting over the backs of Rodger and Adrian, and leapt for the platform, catching the edge and pulling himself up. He crouched low and ran up the platform, shots slamming into the ceiling above him.

"If that bastard leaves us here. . ." Adrian growled, slamming the last of his clips home and firing away, dropping two of the bad guys as they tried to come through the hole. Another sniper shot blasted through the doorway, and Rodger pulled his feet in closer, crawling farther from the opening.

"Go for it," Rodger shouted, "I'll cover for you."

"Why do I gotta go first?" Adrian shouted, preparing to leap for the platform.

"'Cause if you get shot," Rodger said, letting loose a volley of fire, "I get to use your body as a shield."

"I'm the captain," Adrian shouted, emptying his clip and jamming the pistol into his belt. "It should be the other way 'round." He jumped up and ran toward the Amos, grabbing the edge of the ramp and swinging himself up. The air in the hangar suddenly crackled with energy as a powerful volley of beams tore from the Amos's cargo opening and slammed into the hole in the wall. Shinjiro was standing at the top of the ramp, holding the largest handheld weapon either of them had ever seen.

"Move it, Rodge," he shouted, sending another wave of energy toward the hole. Rodger didn't argue. He leaped to his feet and ran for the ship, pulling himself up onto the ramp.

"We've got 'em, Amos!" Shinjiro shouted, and the ship immediately started toward the exit, even while the ramp was still down. Rodger and Adrian worked their way to the top of the ramp while Shinjiro sent one last volley toward their attackers. The ramp closed with a reassuring 'thump', and the trio collapsed against the bulkhead, dropping their weapons to the deck. Rodger and Adrian looked at each other, and then at Shinjiro.

Shinjiro looked from one surveyor to the other, a cock-eyed grin working it's way onto his face. "Well, that was fun, don't you think?"

"What the hell was that all about?" Adrian shouted, jumping to his feet and nearly ripping Shinjiro's head off. "You damn near got us killed back there!"

Shinjiro held his smile. "I'm a cop, and they're the bad guys. That's about it, really."

"Right," Adrian growled. "And I've got a moon to sell you." He pulled his pistol from his belt and holstered it properly in his shoulder sling. "I'm heading for the bridge. Gonna check Amos's damage. Why don't you two try to make yourselves useful as well?" He headed for the doors at the far end of the cargo bay, kicking loose boxes out of the way as he walked. Rodger rested his head against the bulkhead and looked over at Shinjiro.

"That's really it, huh?"

"That's it."

"Alright then." He gestured at the large crates that now filled the Amos's once nearly empty cargo hold. "You got everything you need, right?"

"Yep."

"Hope it was worth the trouble."

Shinjiro patted the massive gun he had used just moments earlier and smiled. "It was."

Rodger chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so."

"What about you guys? You find everything you needed."

"Yeah, we got it all. Meat. Pasta. Milk and beer. . . Oh crap."

"What?"

A muffled scream drifted down the passageways from the bridge.

"We left the beer behind."