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- Black Aeronaut - 06-21-2014
Still working on stuff. Slow going, but its going.
I came back to the Hinase with dinner bento in hand. Yuki
came first and I had to quickly set down the bento before she tackled
me. And tackle me she did, hitting me like a thrown sack of
potatoes.
“Whoof!” I cried out as she knocked me to the deck. Suddenly,
her face was up in mine and I thought she was about to kiss me, but
then she seemed to think better of it and instead leaned down to
whisper softly in my ear.
“I missed you.”
I smiled and rewarded her with a kiss on her cheek. “Missed you
too, little princess.” Yuki pulled back, blushing slightly, but
otherwise didn't move. “Ah, so are you gonna get up?”
Yuki only giggled, soft and girlish as she ought to be. In a way, I
hope she never really loses this part of herself. It is just so
endearing to me.
I smiled and rolled my eyes. “Of course,” I said as I began to
lever myself up. That took a little more work than it would have
before. Yuki had packed on a bit of muscle and I could feel the
added heft in her tiny frame. I shifted Yuki over to a bridal carry
and looked her over with a critical eye. Her limbs did have a little
more substance to them. It wasn't enough by any stretch to be
considered aberrant. Rather, she had taken on the dimensions of a
very athletic young girl.
I then looked over to Minagi, who was returning the look with
amusement.
“Sorry, I'd give you a hug, except it seems someone wants to
monopolize me.”
As soon as the words left my lips, Yuki harumphed, grabbed ahold of
my neck, and began to climb over my shoulder. Once she was up
and over, she then placed her knees to my ribs and squeezed while
wrapping her arms carefully around my neck.
“Here you go, nee-san,” chirped Yuki. “Now we can both get a
little bit.” Minagi laughed delightedly as she came up and wrapped
us both in a hug.
If I had any doubts or concerns on if this odd relationship between
the three of us would work out, that right there squashed it flat.
That evening, I had my two ladies bathe and settle into bed earlier
than usual. Quick to pick up on the change of pace, Minagi called me
on it. I simply smiled and said it was a surprise. However, once
they were all settled Yuki couldn't contain her impatience any
longer.
“Gar-kun! What's going on! We never go to bed this early!”
I smiled and chuckled at her. “Just give me a second, Yuki-chan.
I need to get something real quick.” I then twiddled with my C-pod
and the door to my C-space materialized next to the door to Minagi's
closet. I went in and didn't take very long – I had a very clear
idea of what I was after and I knew exactly where I had left it.
With the navy-blue book with a fuzzy seagull silhouette in hand I
went back to Minagi's quarters and dismissed the door.
“This book,” I said as I began to make my way to onto Minagi's
bed, this time opting to settle in between my two ladies, “is one
of my most treasured memories of my childhood. It was a favorite
book of my mother's and it was one of the very first books she gave
to me. Unfortunately, the book itself fell apart at the binding long
ago. But what mattered to me was the memories of reading the book,
alone, at peace, and with a pot of tea to drink through the night.
It is one of the few books in my collection that has the distinction
of being read over and over again.”
Minagi smiled, both serene and joyous at this revelation. But
Yuki... Yuki had shed all her excitement from earlier and took on an
open-mouthed reverence as she stared at the book, no doubt marveling
at how such a simple little thing could give me such contentment and
happiness.
And so, I opened the book and began to read out loud the book,
Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Yuki fell asleep halfway through and Minagi touched my shoulder to
stop me.
“We'll finish the rest tomorrow,” she said. I nodded with a
smile and slid a bookmark into place before closing the book and
passing it to Minagi so she could set it on the night stand. As we
snuggled down under the covers together, she whispered in my ear.
“I feel it bears repeating: I always felt you would make a good
father. Now I know you will be a perfect father.”
“Hardly anyone is perfect. I know I'll screw up sometimes.”
“Probably. But you will admit it. And you will make up for it.
That puts you far ahead of the crowd... and I have known many men in
my life.”
I chuckled softly. “Surely not as well as you have gotten to know
me.”
Minagi chuckled as well. “No. Out of them all, you were the only
one who was both gentle and strong enough.” I then felt her lips
nibble playfully at my ear. “Sleep now, love. We can always talk
more tomorrow.”
I certainly couldn't argue the point. Instead, I gave her one last
squeeze and began to let myself drift, content in the gentle sound
and warmth of my two ladies softly breathing at either side of me.
We still took our time in approaching Ryuten. Even with the enemy
knowing that we were coming, Washu felt that it was better to be safe
and take our time than sorry and blasted into sub-atomic particles.
That was just fine by me, because that meant more time training Yuki.
Yuki had been growing stronger. Immensely so. She was already at
the point where her classmates would notice a huge difference – not
only in appearance, but also in her strength, speed, and grace.
Between myself, Minagi, and Sasami, Yuki was turning into quite the
martial artist. I began to watch her closely and saw that even in
the most basic of day-to-day rituals she was starting to move like a
dancer and a fighter.
That combined with the constant pressure we kept on her with her
studies would ensure her a spot as the star of her class.
But, I had decided that we could go ahead and taper off on the
physical conditioning. Any more would be pushing Yuki's body to
unhealthy levels of strain, and we needed to focus more on skills
regardless. I shifted her intellectual pursuits to the mornings
preceding her calisthenics routine. Although, with her in the throes
of adolescence, I found that I needed to mildly caffeinate her to get
her going. Such were the pains of growing, and at Washu's suggestion
I had been keeping a photo-journal of Yuki's progress to help me keep
track of her growth.
I was glad that I had – Yuki had begun growing at an almost
frightening pace. Before our trip started there had been little
besides cosmetic differences to distinguish her gender. But
recently, her chest had begun to fill out, her hips began to widen,
and her waist began to stretch along with her arms and legs. The
thing is that, day-to-day, you wouldn't notice it. However, looking
back over the pictures from two weeks ago, the difference was
striking.
Yuki was going to be one of the lucky ones that didn't have an
awkward looking gawky phase. It was happening all at once, and it
was all thanks to the restoratives that Washu had prescribed. They
had the affect of supplying Yuki's developing body with everything it
desired for even and steady growth.
Honestly, it was fascinating. Watching Yuki grow from a clinical
standpoint is the stuff that biology and medical students write
papers and theses about – the changes the body goes through,
shifting from child to adult, make up for a fascinating processes of
metamorphosis – particularly for a female! The human body
completely reconfigures itself to support, what is in essence, a
parasitic life form – to nurture its development through many early
stages until it can be fully self-sufficient.
At the same time, it was frightening because this all played into
reproduction. The the ebb and flow of the hormones that drove her
development caused Yuki to alternate between brazen and demure as she
struggled with some very base and primal desires. One moment she
would turn a grappling session with me into a bid for a makeout
session, the next she would realize what she was doing and go as red
as a cooked lobster. The only thing that would keep her from being
mortally embarrassed was my acceptance of the circumstances –
it was what it was, so long as she worked towards better
self-control.
The only reason she hadn't started lashing out at Minagi was because,
fortunately, Yuki didn't really see her as competition. Just a
fellow sister that would gladly lend a hand when things got tough.
Social survival mechanisms at their finest. The only comparison I
could draw in the animal kingdom was a pride of lions.
I knew, deep inside, that when the time came and we started having
children, they would not simply be Yuki's children or Minagi's
children... they would be our children, regardless of whose womb they
were born from.
For now, though, we trained Yuki, shifting the focus more to skills
than strength. And seeing her thrive happily in this setting not
only raised my hopes... it warmed my heart closer to the woman she
was striving to become.
The next two weeks had a comforting routine to them, different from
that before we arrived at Yatsuka.
I woke Yuki, got us fed, and started her on homework and mental
exercises. We would keep at it until lunch, at which point Minagi
took over for Yuki's swordplay lessons. Eventually, Sasami would
arrive with a dinner bento for us, and then Yuki would begin her
staff lessons.
Sometimes, Minagi and I would watch, marveling at Yuki's progress and
the grace of her movements.
Sometimes, instead, Minagi and I would sneak off and make love in
some quiet corner of her ship.
Either way, after Sasami would leave, we'd all bathe and then bed
down together, and I would read a story from my library until Yuki
fell asleep. While Jonathan Livingston Seagull had resonated
with Yuki at a deep and profound level, there were others as well.
Works by authors like Diane Duane, Piers Anthony, Anne McCaffrey,
Mercedes Lackey, Lemony Snicket, Gary Pouleson, and even some Isaac
Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein. I even read some of the great
stand-alones from my memories of school. Maniac McGee
reminded Yuki intensely of myself – of someone always on the run,
always trying his best to smile despite how much hurt he held in his
heart, and how much he needed a family to belong to. The Giver
painted a horrifying picture of just how evil a 'perfect world' could
be. Howl's Moving Castle was a window into a fantastic world
that showed just how badly things can go if you always ran from your
problems... and the rewards that could come if you faced them
unflinchingly.
At times, Yuki would ask to read a book to herself. At others, she
asked me to read them aloud, saying that she loved to hear my voice.
For a time, I felt almost like I was in heaven, being in this little
microcosm of just Minagi, Yuki, myself, and sometimes Sasami.
And then Washu came and popped the bubble.
“Okay, Washu-chan, we're here,” I grumbled as Minagi and I
trudged into the lounge on Mimisaka. “Now what's so
important that we gotta hide it from Sasami-chan and Yuki-chan?”
Washu turned and gave me a level look. “Gar-kun, Minagi-chan, I've
been talking about it with everyone else here, and we all feel that
it would be best to make sure that Sasami-chan and Yuki-chan are
safely out of the way when we arrive at Ryuten. To that end, I am
proposing that we put them to sleep for several days and leave them
on Mimisaka.”
I sighed and looked to Minagi, who gave me a concerned look in kind.
“Well, I can't lie and say I didn't see this coming.”
Ryoko shot upwards in anger. “You mean to say that if none of us
had said something about this then you would have allowed Yuki-chan
into this situation!?”
“Adversity is growth, Ryoko,” I replied evenly. “Yuki-chan has
committed herself to this path and the best I can do for her is to
facilitate it as best as possible. Besides, if the situation ever
showed any signs of getting too hot, there's always this.” And
with that, I twiddled briefly with my C-Pod and summoned my door.
“Your C-Space?” asked Ryoko.
Washu snapped her fingers. “That's a perfect idea, Gar-kun. We
can use his C-Space to keep the girls while they sleep. Not only
will they be safer there than anywhere else, but we'll still have
easy access to it as long as Gar-kun's around.”
I nodded at that. “It would be the best thing. It will even allow
us a three-pronged attack between Mimisaka, Hinase, and
Ryo-Ohki. Heck, if things really go to shit we can use it as
an ad hoc life raft.”
“But Dear Brother, aren't things supposed to go well in the end?”
asked Ayeka.
I nodded. “They are, Dear Sister, but while we do have temporal
momentum on our side, we also have the Butterfly Effect to consider.
And I really don't want to tempt Murphy's Law into striking in
an undesirable fashion.”
Asahi suddenly stomped her foot in anger. “If you know so much and
you want things to go so well, then why don't you tell us what's
going on!?”
I gave Asahi a sharp look as I turned the idea over in my head.
Would there really be any harm in telling them? What could go wrong?
Would I deny them of any real growth as people? I sighed. I wanted
to be careful, but in a ways I wasn't doing everyone else any favors.
If the Butterfly Effect struck then they would need to be able to
recognize it as soon as possible.
“Alright then,” I said at last. “But understand this: knowing
what's coming will probably not make this go any easier for us.
There are complications along the way that we will need to account
for, and even then we will need to have our plans be flexible enough
to account for the Butterfly Affect. Does everyone here understand?”
As I looked around, I got nods from everyone present.
I nodded and sighed once more before carrying on. “Washu-chan, I
hate to say this, but this whole situation is kinda your fault to
begin with.”
“WHAT!?” screeched the mad genius. “How so!?”
“Remember you used to have a colleague named Yume? Tiny little
thing, looked even younger than you, long fuzzy ears, and crazy
looking amber eyes?”
Washu stroked her chin thoughtfully. “I do. Always wondered where
she got to after all these centuries.”
“Well, when you two got plastered in a bar, you made a bet to see
who could take down the Empire of Jyurai first.” Ayeka just about
went thermonuclear right there, but Tenchi and Ryoko were pretty
quick in restraining her so I could continue uninterrupted. “You
just don't remember at the time because apparently you were even more
pickled than you realized.”
Washu had the decency to look sheepish. “Eh-heh-heh... Well, it
was back in my younger days... I was just a couple thousand years old
at the time...”
“But what does this have to do with my father and I?” asked Asahi
pleadingly.
“Don't fret, little carpenter bee,” I soothed. “I'm getting
there. Anyhow, Yume knew that with Jyurai's Navy she wouldn't stand
a chance, so she did some research and learned a very important, but
basic fact about Jyurai's trees: that a Royal Tree of a senior
ranking can subjugate trees of junior rankings. If Yume could gain
control of a single Second Generation Royal Tree, then her bid for
conquest becomes a curb stomp in that she will only have to fight a
handful of ships with all the rest of Jyurai's Navy on her side.”
“My word, it would be a disaster!” gasped Ayeka. “But how
would she do something like that? Even if she could bond with a
Royal Tree, it still has its own will, and it would never permit
itself to be used in such a fashion.”
I nodded. “Usually. But apparently a long time ago someone on
Ryuten made a record of all the secrets about the Royal Trees...
including how it is possible to subjugate one's will through an
artificial means. That record is in a data node hidden right here on
this very ship.”
I then turned to Asahi. “This ship, while the outer hull was
carved on Ryuten, has a central unit that is implicitly of Jyuraian
make. This may even have been the very same central unit that housed
the Second Generation Tree, Bizen, which has been hidden in the
depths of Ryuten this whole time.
“And that, Asahi Takebi, is why these people have such a vested
interest in you.”
Asahi looked absolutely stunned as she sat back heavily into her
seat.
I then looked to everyone else and carried on. “Now, that's just
the broad strokes. Now for some details. Mushima dies on Ryuten
after he arrives. Rather than be healed of his injuries, he commits
sepuku, after a fashion. There is nothing we can do to save him as
it's already happened. However, before he died he gave his brother,
Hishima, a data crystal containing all his experience and knowledge.
This includes the data collected during his fight with you, Goghei.
If you go into a fight with Hishima, do so with that in mind.”
“Yume herself is sealed within Bizen.” Everyone took a breath to
say something all at once, but I held a hand up to forestall the
commentary. “Don't even ask – I have no idea because it was
never covered in the manga. Suffice to say, no matter how she pulled
that stunt off, it has been most effective in hiding her involvement
in this scheme. Only someone highly familiar with her work would be
able to tell from the three men she created, and even then only after
you've had a chance to autopsy the remains... if they were ever
killed and left remains.”
Washu snorted. “That's Yume to a tee. If she doesn't want you to
know she has a hand in something then you'll never even have a clue
unless you get real lucky. But what does this mean for us?”
“Good question. Yume hasn't committed any real crimes thus far
except for conspiracy against the Empire of Jyurai, and that can be
arbitrated away. With the exception of Mushima, no one has really
been hurt yet, and honestly I'd like to keep it that way.”
“But why would you want to do that?” asked Ryoko. “I mean,
she's doing this all as part of some wager.”
“She'd make a good ally if we ever needed someone to back up
Washu-chan in the mad genius department. And honestly I'd rather
have someone as dangerous as Yume as a friend rather than an enemy.”
Washu nodded. “He's got a point. While Yume and I had our
disagreements in the past, she was definitely someone I could respect
and work with.” She then sighed happily as a giddy grin blossomed
on her face. “ohhh it will be so nice to work with a proper genius
again!”
I leaned over to Washu with a sour-yet-bemused look on my face. “Oi,
I thought I was a proper genius.”
Washu gave me a fond smile. “You are, but you need a few thousand
years before you can even be a proper assistant.”
I snorted at that and resumed my previous train of thought. “Anyhow,
at some point we'll need to figure out how to get her out. The
information for that is stored within the data node, but it's sealed
by the four guardian beast statues by the central computer. I'd like
to spare Asahi's heart by not destroying them as they're a
memento of her mother.
“But we can figure that out later. There is still one other
important thing I must reveal.”
I then turned to Minagi. “Minagi, they have your father's
Hielzein-S sword.”
A series of emotions played out on Minagi's face until she finally
settled on an incandescant rage as her hair began to levitate around
her in a very Miyazaki-esque fashion.
“I'll kill them,” she snarled.
“No,” I said with a firm, but gentle finality.
It was like throwing a switch as Minagi went from enraged to baffled.
“What?”
“For keeping this from you, I shall take it upon myself to return
your Father's stolen property to you.” Minagi gave me a very
puzzled look, but then caught on to what I was saying.
“You... You knew all along.”
I nodded.
“You could have told him.”
I nodded.
“Why didn't you?”
“He would never have been able to take it back. How so when
Hishima was able to take it by force in the first place? Granted, he
used you as a hostage while you were helpless, but in his state at
the end of his life the most he would have done was gotten himself
killed.” I then went to Minagi and gently cupped her face in my
hand. “Besides, he said he passed everything on to me. That would
have included his sword, so it would fall to me to retrieve it. And
once I do... I feel it better belongs in the hands of the woman he
gave to me, instead. Who better than she of his blood to wield it,
my beloved?”
“You shouldn't.” Minagi whispered as tears built up in her eyes,
her hands clasping mine to her face.
“I will, because I love you.”
“But how can you do it where my master failed?”
I grinned my evil grin. “Did you forget already? I'm a cheating
bastard. He'll never see me coming.” Minagi suddenly threw her
head back and laughed ruefully, and then pulled me into an embrace.
“You never stop giving me reasons to love you.”
“And I hope I never do,” I replied as I hugged her back. We let
each other go, save for keeping our arms linked together as we turned
to everyone else. “Anyhow, that's pretty much everything.
Tenchi?”
“Yes?” asked the teenage boy uneasily.
“You need to take charge for the next part. Now that I've
disseminated what I know, it's up to the rest of us to come up with a
plan of action.”
Tenchi looked to say something about it, but then the expression on
every girl's face (as well as the monk's) caught his eyes. Tenchi
then sighed as he realized what he was supposed to be doing: being a
leader.
With that, he plunged on in, head first.
For the next part, things seem to go very well. Almost disturbingly so. Garrick expects the Murphy to drop the other shoe on his head... but it comes in a way that he could never have suspected. And not even the 'Bad Guys' may be able to save him from his fate...
- Black Aeronaut - 06-23-2014
Did I come under the radar again by posting on a Saturday? Yeesh. Well, to give this bump some substance, have a morsel from the next snippet.
“And what of you, Grandson?” said Seto. “It is not like you to
linger in the backdrop like this.”
I smiled. “I'm trying to give Tenchi room to be his own man.”
“Heeehhh?” said Funaho. “And what will you do once he is his
'own man' as you put it.”
My smile never wavered. “Then I suppose I'll just have to build
myself a nice, cozy home in the boughs of Tenju. By the way, where's
Misaki-sama?”
Seto grinned. “She is dealing with the Protector of Ryuten.
Apparently she feels he hasn't been doing his job well enough to have
let shenanigans like this gone on right under his nose, as it were.
Honestly, she would love to be here to meet you, Grandson, but as you
may understand, this is an affront to her as the Head of the Imperial
Bodygaurd.”
I nodded my head sagely. “I see. Grandmother, would you be so
kind as to relay to her my sympathies? I myself find few things so
much more irritating than a colleague's incompetence.”
Seto chuckled. “I am certain she'll appreciate your sympathies,
Grandson.”
We've all been there... that lame futhermucker whose neck you want to throttle, screaming in their face about how they're causing rework for you and everyone else. :p
- classicdrogn - 06-23-2014
Sorry, I was busy while you were asking for specific reactions - the shootin' iron as revised with more maths sounds nifty to me, and like Bluemage said, if any opponent doesn't know they've been kissed after taking eight shots from that, they are not someone you should be engaging with small arms fire to begin with.
On to the longer part:
Heh, I always have to respect a man who knows the importance of a shoulder loli.
http://gairon.deviantart.com/art/BHTSY-5-09-324017481
Bedtime story = much d'awwwsome
"that meant more time training Yuki." this might be better as "that meant more time to train Yuki first."
No complaints about the rest, just lots of good stuff there and it moves the plot forward nicely.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- robkelk - 06-24-2014
blackaeronaut Wrote:Did I come under the radar again by posting on a Saturday?Weekends are always awkward for getting "instant" feedback.
(And you had mentioned one plot point earlier, so we knew it was coming...)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
- Black Aeronaut - 06-25-2014
I'm glad that the 'boom stick' meets with everybody's approval and doesn't trip the OP sensors.
And yeah, kids are a real soft spot for me. It only stands to reason, though: it doesn't matter which part of my family you look at, be it my mom's, my biological father's, or even my step-fathers... all accross the board in my generation, there is only one person that preceded me. My cousin Gena. And she went and had six kids of her own.
Thus, I've dealt with kids a lot. I've changed diapers, fed babies, prepped their food, burped babies, sung them to sleep, had them sleep on my chest, had them puke and pee all over me... And I've had them pull all kinds of stunts, until I've gotten to the point where I can just look at them with a grin and say, "Oh, that old trick, huh?" And they just plain crack me up sometimes.
Shoulder Loli, huh? I'm gonna have to remember than one.
Next part is coming along fine, just need to tweak it some. It'll be up in a day or two.
- Black Aeronaut - 06-26-2014
Okay, not quite to the point where rocks fall, but we're getting there.
Had a bit of backlash with Tsjoat on this one. He reacted poorly to Garrick bringing on the schpiel about what happened to him and that he really knows what it's like to have something taken from you. So I just summarized what Garrick said. You guys tell me? Should I revert it?
We stood outside the massive tree that held the complex that Hinase's
sensors told us was hidden inside while Washu hacked the security on
the door.
Everyone fidgeted nervously around me, asking each other for their
reassurances. I looked to Minagi and smiled. She smiled back.
“Here we go!” chirped Washu happily as she finally gained access
and with a great rumble of wheels on rails, the doors began to part
for us.
As the natural light filled the room, overwhelming the dim ambient
light inside, it fell upon a single jail cell at the far end of the
space.
Nomori Takebe stood inside, gripping the bars of his cell.
Without a word, I went charging inside despite Nomori's pleas for me
to wait.
And then the forcefield snapped up around me.
Just as planned.
“Welcome all!” called out a balding, stoutly built bear of a man
with mutton chops girding his equally stout and smiling face.
Wearing elaborately decorated robes reminiscent of the Jyuraian
style, this man could only be Tatetsuke. “I'd like to take a
moment to express my deepest gratitude to you for so generously
delivering Asahi right into my hands.”
His smile suddenly faltered as he noticed something was off.
“Why are you smiling?” said Tatetsuke, angry and a bit uneasy.
“I'm afraid you've got the wrong person.” I tweaked my C-pod and
suddenly the holographic disguise of Asahi fell away around me.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” I said with a cheerfully
saccharine voice. “I am Garrick Grimm and I am your absolute worst
nightmare given form.”
Tatetsuke's face went purple with rage. I didn't care, I was too
busy readying the next part of my stunt – unslinging the heavy
probe from my back and stomping the grounding contact into the deck.
“Where... IS... ASAHI!?”
“Stop,” I said calmly as I slipped on a set of welding goggles
and hefted the device. I had to stifle a laugh because they actually
did, giving me bewildered looks. As it was, I was grinning like a
lunatic as I then said, “Hammer time!”
I think I heard Tenchi yell some sort of wounded imprecation just as
I rammed the shorting probe into the forcefield.
Washu-chan assured me that it would be safe to use the shorting probe
no matter how much energy was stored in the force field.
Nonetheless, I had braced myself for what I thought was the worse.
Let's just say that it made a light and sound that I will gladly tell
all my descendants that, no matter how powerful I may be, I would
never willingly want to experience that far up close again.
Ever.
“Holy shit,” I said fervently once I could see again.
As I pulled off the goggles I was witness to an altogether strange
tableau.
Mushima was passed out, flat on his back, and had wisps of smoke
curling from his form at various spots. Tatetsuki was on his side
and holding his head, groaning as though someone had whacked him
upside the head with a billy club.
The only one left able-bodied was Takashima, who was fixated on me
with a snarling, gutteral growl.
“YOU!!!” he finally managed.
I barely had time to get my two swords out, dropping the shorting
probe where I stood – it had served its purpose.
Takashima is not particularly fast.
He is not particularly smart.
What he was, though, was relentlessly powerful.
Good thing I'm made of tough shit.
I didn't have the power to counter his blows effectively, but I could
block and parry just fine, even though they rattled me down into my
very guts.
“I'LL HOLD HIM OFF!” I yelled back at the others. “STICK TO
THE PLAN!”
“Right!” I heard Tenchi call back. We actually came with several
contingencies. And right away, Tenchi set one into action. “Minagi,
go for Nomori! Mihoshi, get those restraints on Mushima!
Washu-chan, treat Tatetsuki! Goghei, help Garrick! Ayeka, shields!”
The moment Goghei stepped into the fray I fell back, sheathing my
blades and unslinging the second device on my back – a one-terawatt
pulse-laser courtesy of Washu, although I engineered the idea.
Laser weaponry in the galaxy by and large was what revolver pistols
were to the American Frontier – readily available and the great
equalizer. The science behind them was considered elementary, and
many shops of varying degrees of workmanship made them. There were
even quite a few one-offs out there, some of which were considered
highly valuable and were watched for eagerly in collection shows and
exhibitions.
Raiden's Toothpick might be one of them, someday.
It resembled a long-rifle. The reason for this was two-fold. For
one, it acted as a visual aid to help aim the weapon – it was
certainly powerful enough to be considered a sniper rifle. For
another, it was potent enough for you to want to make damn sure there
was nothing obstructing the beam so close to you. The flashback
would be fatal for me at such distances as I'd wind up being
flash-cooked. With the 'safe distance' provided by the barrel, an
accident like that would only severely maim me.
Indeed, lesson one of handling Raiden's Toothpick was making damn
sure that my firing line was clear.
Directly behind the barrel was, of course, the emitter assembly...
which was enshrouded by a bank of capacitors. Having them so close
to the emitter was for the best. The circuits for that connection
had to be made of some seriously dense metal, and it was heavy enough
with just the components. Best to keep the circuit path as short as
possible, regardless.
The power cell itself was mounted in the butt stock to make it easier
to handle, and had enough power for about sixty discharges.
Each pull of the trigger discharged one of the seven capacitors. It
took five seconds for a capacitor to charge, and that time grew with
the number of capacitors charging. If I discharged all seven in
rapid succession then the entire bank would take about forty seconds
to recharge.
In a fire fight, forty seconds is almost an eternity. This was
definitely not a weapon you would use lightly, but then the power
rating should have been indication enough if you know what a one
terawatt laser can do. The kicker was the length of the pulses.
Most high-power pulse lasers back on Earth only fire for a few
picoseconds.
Raiden's Toothpick fired for a full tenth of a second with every
pulse.
“Hey, asshole!” I called out, suddenly halting the duel between
Goghei and Takashima as they both shot me confused looks. “I may
be the type to shoot a man in the back, but today ain't that day.”
I pulled the trigger. The laser beam with its insane intensity
plasmafied the air along the way with a sizzling and ear-ringing
crack not unlike a lightning strike. Takashima howled and fell, his
hands going to the molten and smoldering remains his right hip.
Mihoshi pounced on Takashima quickly, securing him with GP's highly
effective nanomachine fluid restraint that made him look like he was
sitting in a giant sphere of lime jello.
“I did it!” cried out Mihoshi happily as she started bouncing
around.
“Everything okay?” called out Tenchi.
“Good over here,” I called out, “thanks to Goghei.”
“I'm in good health as well,” called the Monk.
“It seems like we've won,” said Ayeka cheerfully.
“Well, don't count your chickens until they've hatched,” chided
Washu. “We still have to get to Bizen. You said that Bizen should
be at the bottom of this shaft, right?”
I nodded. “As near as I can figure.”
“Who... Who are you people?” groaned Hishima as he began to come
to once more and found himself already encased like Takashima. I
looked to Tenchi and nodded.
Tenchi nodded back and stepped forward. We had been over this
before.
Spread your wings, Otouto-kun.
“I am Masaki Tenchi of Earth. I am the Grandson of Prince Yosho
Masaki Jyurai by direct birth. I am the beloved of Princess Ayeka
Masaki Jyurai and of the Pirate, Ryoko Hakubi. I have the favor of
the great genius, Washu Hakubi, and of Tsunami, the Goddess of the
Trees.
“I know of your plan. I know of your master. I am here, with my
friends and my family, to put an end to this insanity.”
Hishima bowed his head. “So you have...”
Well done, Otouto-kun. Well done.
We waited for the Jyuraians to arrive. They did not disappoint.
As per my recommendation, they arrived by way of the Emperor's ship,
Kirito. This brought me a good deal of relief since if
anything were to go wrong concerning Bizen, then the Emperor's First
Generation Tree would be able to override the subordinate Second
Generation Tree.
For this reason, the unbonded First Generation Trees are guarded most
carefully of all by the Jyuraians. If one were to fall into someone
else's hands as Bizen had, then the only being in existence that
could possibly override it would be Tsunami herself.
Of course, we still had that ace as well. Granted there was the
incredible chance that Tsunami would turn a blind eye to the affair,
but I doubted it. It was not in her character to do so. Regardless,
though, I felt it better to do what we can to help ourselves first
before we wind up troubling the Goddess – she did, after all, want
Sasami-chan to have as normal a childhood as possible.
First to show up were the guards, securing the scene for the royals
to come.
And then came Seto Kamiki Jyurai and Funaho Masaki Jyurai. While
everyone went to have words with the two, I stood back and waited
patiently.
“Mother! Grandmother! I'm happy to see you, but I must admit I
was not expecting you.”
“Oh? And who did you expect, my darling grandson?” asked Seto
with a grin.
I shrugged. “To be honest, perhaps some sort of magistrate.”
Funaho chuckled. “Perhaps in any other case, but we are dealing
with the theft of a Royal Tree. As the Minister of Intelligence,
this situation all but demands my personal and undivided attention.”
“Ah, point,” I conceded.
“And what of you, Grandson?” said Seto. “It is not like you to
linger in the backdrop like this.”
I smiled. “I'm trying to give Tenchi room to be his own man.”
“Heeehhh?” said Funaho. “And what will you do once he is his
'own man' as you put it.”
My smile never wavered. “Then I suppose I'll just have to build
myself a nice, cozy home in the boughs of Tenju. By the way, where's
Misaki-sama?”
Seto grinned. “She is dealing with the Protector of Ryuten.
Apparently she feels he hasn't been doing his job well enough to have
let shenanigans like this gone on right under his nose, as it were.
Honestly, she would love to be here to meet you, Grandson, but as you
may understand, this is an affront to her as the Head of the Imperial
Bodygaurd.”
I nodded my head sagely. “I see. Grandmother, would you be so
kind as to relay to her my sympathies? I myself find few things so
much more irritating than a colleague's incompetence.”
Seto chuckled. “I am certain she'll appreciate your sympathies,
Grandson.” She then turned and called out, “Now then, on to
business!”
“Indeed,” concurred Funaho as she removed a lovely wooden
bracelet from somewhere within her robes. “My Husband has been
good enough to provide me with a subordinate key to his Kirito.
While it is not a Master Key, it should suffice in gaining command
authority over Bizen. Tenchi, will you lead us to where Bizen is
being kept?”
“Sure thing!” piped up Tenchi.
After a trip down the shaft using the hidden lift Washu had found, we
soon found ourselves before the great form of Bizen.
She was a magnificent tree. While Funaho-no-ki was large, yet
relatively short, Bizen-no-ki stood tall on a trunk wider than either
of my trucks, Scrappy and Scooby. And she was topped off with a
massive plume of a canopy, lush and green despite the dim light of
this place.
But that only stood to reason, what with the tree drawing off
Tsunami's power.
A later moment of fridge logic would bring me to realize that Tsunami
cannot track other trees by their tap on her power. She must hear
their telepathic voice to do that.
And silenced Bizen had been by the machinery around us. Where most
Royal Trees interfaced with their ships through the roots in the
containment unit and the lights emitted by their leaves, Bizen had
many power and data trunks crudely clamped to her trunk.
We were not simply taking back a Royal Tree. Today, we were freeing
a slave.
Washu worked at the machinery, and steadily it began to fall away.
Funaho slipped the bracelet onto her right hand and held it out to
Bizen.
A clean, white glow emanated from the wooden jewelry and a tone that
sounded something like tinnitus hummed in the air.
With a motion so sudden that it was almost explosive, Bizen's uro (a
small chamber within the trunk of the tree) opened, spewing sap
before it.
Slowly and carefully, a tiny, nude girl stepped from the opening.
Her wild looking amber eyes commanded attention as they peered
disdainfully from behind her mahogany-colored bangs. Those bangs
contrasted, not unappealingly, with the rest of her hair, which was a
dirty blonde color and pulled into a pair of gravity defying pig
tails. Her long, tufted ears were covered with soft looking
mahogany-colored hair as well.
“So,” she said slowly and venomously. “It seems my servants
have failed me.”
“Not for lack of trying on their part,” said Funaho
diplomatically.
“Is that so?” she seethed, her rage beginning to boil over.
“YES,” I said loudly as I stepped up the middle. I would be
damned if I was going to let her throw some temper tantrum, and poor
Tenchi didn't have the fire in his belly yet to deal with someone
like this. “And I am the reason for their failure.”
If she needed someone to blame, then who better than me?
The girl looked at me with a jaundiced eye. “You are not a
Jyuraian,” she declared. “In fact, you do not come from any of
the civilized worlds. Your accent is completely off.” Her glare
then sharpened. “What... are... you?”
“I am human, dominant race of colony world 0315. My genetic
profile consists of a mixture of multiple genepools from three
continents of my world, therefore I am a very hardy specimen. But
that's just on the outside. The real kicker is...” I smiled my
evil smile. “I am a dimensional displacie from am alternate
version of my world that has a metaphysical link to this world. I
have known of your plans for several years, Yume... and with my
knowledge it has been all too easy to put the kibosh on it all.
“My name is Garrick Grimm, and I am calling off your bet. It's
over now, Yume. Let's get you into some clothes and we can discuss
what happens next. Minagi! That towel!”
“LIKE HELL I WILL!” snarled Yume.
I turned just in time to see her coming and cursed as she struck me
with a right hook that felt like getting nailed with a baseball bat.
However, by reflex more than anything else, I got a hand on one of
her own.
It was all downhill for Yume from there. Even if she could hit like
a freight train, she had little real mass – to make up for that she
has to develop the momentum for it, which means her punches need a
big wind-up. However, Nikyou is a very effective joint locking hold
that renders even the most powerful people immobile. It is something
that only a contortionist can get out of.
Yume thrashed and screamed obscenities at me regardless.
“WILL YOU SHUT UP!” I screamed at her at last. That seemed to
startle her somewhat and I pressed my verbal assault. “What the
hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself killed!?
Besides, do you have any idea how utterly wrong it looks like to make
me wrestle a naked girl like this!?”
“WHAT!?” snapped Yume. “I am an adult you stupid
pervert! My kind doesn't develop until we've been fertilized!”
At that, there were several facevaults all around.
“You know,” deadpanned Washu, “that last statement doesn't help
this imagery very much.”
“I don't fucking care anymore!” raged Yume from under my pin.
“I've lost everything now! I am completely ruined! Do you have
any idea how much this hurts?!”
Washu gave Yume a sorrowfully sober look. “I don't. But he does.”
Yume glared up at me with those raving yellow eyes. “What does she
mean?”
I glowered down at Yume and laid it all out for her. I won't repeat
it here, it's already been beaten to death. But for Yume...
“But that's not the same!” raved Yume. “I've lost thousands of
years of progress!”
“You lost some time,” I snapped back. “No more, no less. Your
scientific prowess permits you to extend your lifetime for however
long you please, so this is no great loss. You are still a highly
respected genius and your knowledge of the Trees of Jyurai is now
second only to the Jyuraians themselves.
“I stand before you, a man soon to be adopted into the highest
echelons for the Royal Family of Jyurai, and I profess that I
consider you to be the equal of Washu Hakubi, and someone who I would
gladly have at my side in a time of need.”
Yume had stopped struggling as she looked up at me in shock, and so I
let her up and stood aside, handing her the towel Minagi had passed
to me.
“Is this some kind of pity?” Yume growled softly as she
cautiously wrapped the towel around herself.
“I would be lying if I said I had no pity for you,” I said
levelly. “But this is not pity. I honestly want you as an ally
instead of an enemy.”
“And what of my crimes?”
“What crimes may those be?” asked Funaho. “From what I have
gleaned from Bizen's memory thus far, you've committed no real crime
against the Throne. Bizen being here was not even your doing – you
simply found it and made use of it. One might even go as far to say
that you could have mistakenly thought you had salvage rights, and
that would be no real crime... so long as you don't resist while we
claim what is rightfully the property of Jyurai.”
Yume rolled her eyes. “As if I could now.”
“Very well then. Chief Engineer?”
“Your Highness,” barked a Jyuraian officer as he snapped to sharp
attention.
“Commence preparations to have Bizen extracted. I want progress
reports every hour. Make haste.”
“By your command, your Highness.” And with that, the officer
began to rattle off a litany of orders.
“Great,” grumped Yume. “So now what?”
Funaho smiled. “We have located your affects and have transported
them up to my ship. If you would be amenable to being my guest, I
would love to have you. I'm certain you have many interesting
stories to tell.”
“Oh, I'm certain that the Minister of Intelligence would love to
know what I've been up to.”
Funaho's face fell somewhat. “Yume, I try not to be a terrible
person. I understand that being in my position makes this a
difficult image to uphold. But I assure you that, while I do wish to
debrief you, you will not be mistreated. Garrick has made me promise
to extend amnesty to you so long as you cooperate with us.”
Yume gave her an astounded look. “You would do that for him!?”
Funaho smiled gently. “I know it may seem strange... but my
step-daughter has been keeping me updated. I have seen recordings of
his exploits. He may be, at times, a hard person – stubborn,
willful, and overbearing... but he is also one of the most gentle and
loving people you could ever wish to meet. And he doesn't want to
see you hurt, because he knows what that's like.”
“I hate to interrupt, but there is one other thing I need to take
care of before you take her away, Mother. Yume, you once took a
weapon, by force, from Master Swordsmith Yakage a long time ago. I
must challenge you to take it back.”
Yume shot me a venomous look. “And what right do you have to it?”
“Yakage named me his inheritor. That would include the Hielzein-S
blade you took.”
Funaho blinked. “Minagi, did Yakage really name Garrick as his
inheritor?”
“Ah, yes, he did, but why is that important?”
“This changes things!” said Funaho, a rare excited smile
spreading on her face. “Before he disappeared from the court,
Yakage was a landed noble! If this is true, then you already
have land and a title!” Her smile then fell into a thoughtful
frown. “But then he should have filed the notarized documents
naming you as his successor... I wonder why they haven't shown up
yet.”
Washu chuckled nervously. “Ah-heh-heh. That would be my fault.”
I blinked. “And why is that?”
Washu pulled out a beautiful legal document from out behind her back.
I am not joking here. The thing was a work of art with its
decadently scrolling Jyuraian calligraphy, the background art of the
stationary, and the holography of the official seals that were lined
up at the bottom of the document.
Yakage went all out. I can't even imagine how much it must have cost
to have this document created. Those characters were definitely
inked by hand.
“I felt that with everything else that was going on, you didn't
need to be distracted by this.”
I gave Washu a sour look at that, but let the matter go as Funaho
took the document from Washu and carefully read it over.
“This document is in order. Congratulations, son. You are a Lord
in Peerage with the Noble Houses of Jyurai. As Yakage's inheritor,
it is your right to decide how we proceed with Yume's crime against
you. What is your decision?”
“I wish for this to be decided under single combat until one of us
yields.”
Yume crowed. “You challenge me to a fight? You won't stand a
chance against Hishima!”
“I'm afraid you're mistaken, Yume. I don't want to fight Hishima
or even Takashima, or any other creation of yours. The one I wish to
fight is you yourself.”
Yume was speechless as she stared at me in shock, but that slowly
turned to an expression of simmering rage.
“Fine then!” she ground out. “We'll work out the time and
place later. Just make sure you're ready or else I'll make you wish
for death!”
And there you have it. Garrick has pissed off a bad-ass loli. Will there be any hope for him?
- classicdrogn - 06-26-2014
No, he's already quite thoroughly doomed. Doomed to a doomy doom, with sprinkles of extra doom. And lolis.
I agree that there's no need to go over Garrik's story again at this point, too, but you could do with adding a line of actual dialogue before narrating that, 'I scowled down etc. "Let me tell you a story..."' or the like.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Black Aeronaut - 06-26-2014
Okay, I'll post a revision to that bit later on. Thank you very much for the input.
- Bob Schroeck - 06-26-2014
There's one word-choice issue about which I'd like to inquire: is there a stylistic or cultural reason you use the word "inheritor" instead of "heir"?
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
- Black Aeronaut - 06-26-2014
Thanks for pointing that out, Bob. While both mean roughly the same thing, heir has more of an implication that a title is involved. I'll go ahead and add that to my fix list.
- Bluemage - 06-26-2014
Nice to see you still have your touch. Another good snip.
Maybe you should be using both terms. It seems to me that most of the people there thought you were merely inheritor of Yakage's worldly possessions, and not, in fact, his heir.
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.
- Black Aeronaut - 06-27-2014
Quote:Bluemage wrote:.... That's actually a good idea. Have them start off with the term 'inheritor', Funaho twigs to it, asks if he actually mean 'heir', and then Washu drops the bomb. Thanks!
Nice to see you still have your touch. Another good snip.
Maybe you should be using both terms. It seems to me that most of the people there thought you were merely inheritor of Yakage's worldly possessions, and not, in fact, his heir.
- Black Aeronaut - 07-02-2014
Could this be the beginning of the end? Let's find out! Music included for the dinner scene!
//www.youtube.com/v/NuH4dwubjPM?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0
It was a quiet evening. We were all aboard Hinase because
Mimisaka had returned to the docks and Asahi, Nomori, and
Tatetsuki had all returned to their homes. Goghei was staying as a
guest of Nomori.
We were eating dinner together when Yuki piped up.
“Are you okay, Gar-kun? You're quieter than usual.”
I sighed. “I am kinda troubled... I'm just kinda uncomfortable
with the way things have turned out. It's too pat – too easy. I'm
used to things being a real struggle.”
“Why? What was it supposed to be like?”
“A lot more drawn out than this. Yume got what she wanted from
Asahi's ship and then thoroughly thrashed Yukinojo when it came
looking for Mihoshi. Minagi tried to get her father's sword back and
nearly got killed in the process, but she managed to save Asahi's
ship from being crushed by falling debris when Yume lifted off her
makeshift tree ship. Funaho and Misaki showed up along with an
entire fleet of Third Generation tree ships, but Yume used Bizen to
subvert their control over the fleet. And then there was the
showdown between Hishima and Goghei... Goghei forfeited when Hishima
adapted to his most powerful attack. But when Hishima then fought
Tenchi, Bizen was hurt during the fight and started to go crazy.
Bizen would have destroyed the galaxy, but Tsunami-no-fune showed up
and overrode Bizen and all the other tree ships it had taken control
of.”
The dinner table was pretty quiet after that.
“I know it's disturbing, guys... but the point is that everything
was okay in the end, and we were all better people for it.
“Ryoko, you learned that you honestly do see Minagi as a sister
when you donated your blood and marrow to help Washu save her life
after she was nearly beaten to death.
“Goghei learned just how deeply he cared for Asahi, and Asahi got
over her allergy to men.
“And Tenchi, you became a great leader when Bizen went crazy. You
made sure nobody lost their heads when they all would have been
justified in their panic and made sure that everyone did what they
could to stop Bizen.”
“But what about you and Yuki?” said Tenchi urgently as he got up.
“You weren't there in the original version of this time-line.
What would have happened then?”
I shrugged at that. “What would have happened happened earlier.”
Tenchi blinked at that, then sat down in his seat, stunned.
Washu, though nodded her head. “You people see his point now?
Garrick doesn't dole out information about coming events lightly. He
knows just how much of an impact it can have, and that is why he
chooses to remain silent at times.
“I want all of you to understand this: we should not make any
demands that Garrick reveal anymore than he has. It is far too
dangerous, and loathe as I am to admit it, only he can honestly judge
what sort of impact his knowledge will have. Do you all understand?”
“I suppose it is for the best,” Ayeka said. “I mean... you
would warn us about something when it is in our best interest, will
you, Dear Brother?”
I nodded. “Of course, Sister. I will always have everyone's best
interests in mind.” And that was no joke. I had already told
Washu about that spoiled brat, Garyu, and the utter mind-rape he did
to Ayeka. I only hoped that I would be strong enough to fight him
when the time came so I could throttle the little bitch-boy myself.
“That's good enough for me,” said Ryoko with a firm nod. “Not
a good idea to rock the boat anymore than we have.”
With Ryoko and Ayeka's approval, the others all nodded their heads in
agreement.
That night, Yuki surprised Minagi and I.
“Gar-kun, can Sasami-chan and I borrow your C-Space tonight?”
“What for?” I asked.
“She and I wanted to have a little sleep-over party with just the
two of us.” She then gave me a nasty little grin. “Also,
because I want to give you and Minagi a chance to do it properly.”
I felt my eyebrows go straight to my hairline. “Excuse me?”
“Minagi wants to make a child with you, right?” At my
undoubtedly surprised expression, Yuki giggled. “Silly.
Sasami-chan isn't stupid. She knows that you and Minagi have been
doing when your two sneak off. Don't worry, though. We haven't been
watching or anything like that.”
“I would hope not!” I cried out. I then sighed and hunkered down
so I was on eye-level with Yuki. “Yuki, look I-”
“Nope!” snapped Yuki cheerfully. “Don't care!” Her
expression then turned somewhat more sober as she went on, “I know
what you're thinking, Gar-kun... and you're right. I am jealous of
Minagi-nee. But that is just the way it is, right? She's old
enough, and she ready for this... I'm not old enough... and I'm
definitely not ready. I wish I was... but I finally learned... just
because I want something doesn't mean I should have it right away.”
Yuki suddenly laughed hysterically. “My friends back in school are
hardly gonna recognize me! They'll think that I was kidnapped by
aliens and replaced with a clone or something!” She then smiled
wistfully up at me. “But that's pretty much what happened... I
went to the stars... the old me died... and then the new me was born.
But I think it will be okay... even if some of my friends don't like
me anymore... I know the person I care about most will always like
me, no matter what.
Yuki's smile then split her face. “So go ahead! Make Pictures of
Spring with Minagi-nee! Make your first child with her! I'll do my
best to help Minagi-nee, and that will help me prepare to have my
first baby. Just make sure you do a good job, though, or else
I'll never forgive you!”
I laughed despite myself. Where the hell had this version of Yuki
come from? But then, I guess it's like she said. The old Yuki died
out there on Yatsuka... and a new one had sprung forth from the
ashes, determined to take on the world and wiser from her earlier
mistakes.
I pulled the precocious girl into a hug. “You are one crazy little
girl, and I love you for it.”
Yuki hugged me back with a vengeance. “You are my protector and
teacher and I love you for it.”
With my arms around her back, I tapped a familiar sequence into C-Pod
and felt the object I needed drop into my hand. As I pulled away
from Yuki, I clipped the thin band around her wrist.
“There you go,” I said with a smile. “Twelve hours of limited
access to my C-Space. You remember how this works, right?”
Yuki nodded. I then leaned over and gave her a little peck on the
cheek. “Give my love to Sasami-chan. This one is for her.” I
then gave her another one on the other cheek.
Yuki suddenly kissed me back, sneaking it onto my lips with the
swiftness of a snakebite. And then she took off, leaving a trail of
girlish giggling in her wake.
I sighed after I couldn't hear her anymore. “Girl is gonna be the
death of me, I just know it.”
The next morning I awoke to someone shaking my shoulder. Slowly I
opened my eyes to see Minagi looking down at me.
“Gar-kun, Funaho's here!” she whispered urgently.
“Bwwaaaa?” I said, oh so coherently, as I broke out into a huge
stretch and the sort of cavernous yawn that earned me the title
'Mouth the Size of Texas' from my mother. And then there was the
sound of a coy chuckle.
“Oh my! I've seen some impressive yawns before, but I swear that
all of Tenju could have fit into that one.”
“GYAH!” I yelped in surprise, my eyes quickly zeroing in on
Funaho.
Minagi had been quite literal in saying that she was 'here'.
“Ahhh...” I said, as my brain began to spool up. “Err...
Mother... You do realize I'm not decent under this blanket, right?”
Funaho tilted her head and smiled at me. “And why do you feel this
should concern me?”
I blinked at Funaho. “Okay, it's too goddamn early for this.”
Throwing modesty into the wind, I threw the covers off and got out of
bed, then quickly found my pants and pulled them on. That
accomplish, I planted my but back into Minagi's bed and started
rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
“So, what brings you over here today, Mother?” I asked through
another yawn.
Apparently Funaho had froze for a moment. “...Oh! Yes, Yume
wanted to see about settling this challenge with you.”
“Yeah, we never did set a date for that. How about later this
afternoon?”
“It is already late in the morning. Are you certain that you'll be
ready to face her?”
I waved it off. “I've dealt with worse. Nothing like being woken
up at oh-my-goddess in the morning to load a few one-thousand-pound
torpedoes. You have no idea how thankful I am that I don't have to
put up with that malarkey.”
Funaho hid her open-mouthed shock with her hand. “I can only
imagine.” No surprise there. I don't think the Jyuraians have had
to do any sort of real weapons systems maintenance since Tsunami came
into their lives. Score one for organic weaponry. “Well, at any
rate I'll let Yume know.”
“Before you go, Mother, how is Bizen doing?”
Funaho smiled. “Bizen is doing well. She will appreciate your
asking after her.”
I nodded and suddenly had an odd thought occur to me. “Mother...
Since Bizen already has a name... that means that she was already
bonded to someone... so if Yume didn't steal her, then how did she
get ahold of Bizen?”
Funaho nodded in understanding. “It is a highly unusual situation.
I don't blame you at all for being confused on the matter. Bizen
belonged to a man who was something of a recluse among the nobility.
He passed away of extreme age, far out in deep space where no one
could find him.”
I nodded in understanding. “No one that is, except Yume.”
“Indeed.”
And then something else occurred to me. “Wait... Only the person
that bonds to a tree may name a tree... I forgot about that when I
named Katherine, and she accepted the name... then...”
“She may have already bonded to you. Remember, son, the ceremony
is only that – a ceremony. Although that is usually when a tree
will make its Master Key, there have been times when it occurred
before hand.” Funaho looked at me in askance, and I shook my head.
“No, she hasn't yet.”
Funaho smiled once more. “Then there is still unfinished business
to attend to. At any rate, though, I must be on my way. Prepare
yourself well, my son. Washu has already warned me that while Yume
is an academic by choice, she also has considerable prowess as a
swordsman.” She then gave me a wry grin. “Though I suspect you
knew that already.”
I smiled back at her. “Somewhat. I only ever saw that she was
able to stand on even footing with Washu-chan in hand-to-hand combat.
Thank you anyhow.” My smile then turned a bit nasty. “Forewarned
is forearmed, after all.”
Funaho grinned back at me. “Indeed. Good luck, my son.”
Minagi and I had a light breakfast, then limbered up and warmed up
together. Without pausing, we then went through a series of easy
drills to get my head in the game. We even went through some
scenarios of tactics we thought Yume might employ during our contest.
In then end, though, we were realists about the matter. We knew that
there was not much we could do to prepare me for this, except for the
more immediate matters.
To that end, Ayeka once more lent me a set of Jyuraian battle armor,
and then showed Minagi how to bind my hair the way she had when I
fought Yakagi.
That done, all I had left to do was to choose my weapon. Though I
did deliberate for a moment, the choice was clear.
When I arrived back on Ryuten, it was to a remarkable sight: the top
of the tree that had held the Shima Brothers facility had been
carefully removed and Bizen, along with the containment unit that
held the Royal Tree, was slowly being pulled up through the massive
trunk with the careful use of tractor beams and anti-gravity devices.
Yume was there as well, watching. Idly, I siddled up next to her.
“What would you have done afterwards, Yume?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, arch towards me but seemingly
unable to summon any real fury.
“After it was all said and done. After you had toppled the
Jyuraian Empire and had Washu as your willing slave. What would you
have done then?”
Yume scoffed harshly. “Would it have mattered? Think about it,
kid. If I was so willing to knock over the Jyuraians so readily, do
you think I would really cared about what happens next?”
I sighed. “I would have hoped so. It's so short-sighted for
someone of your caliber.”
“Yeah, well I'm in it for me and no one else. And what I want the
most is to monopolize Washu's brilliance.”
I cocked an eyebrow as I gave Yume a sidelong look, but she didn't
even bat an eyelash as she kept her eyes on the scene unfolding
before us. For all her talk about being 'mature' she sure didn't act
the part. She was in desperate need of some humbling.
“So, when do we get started,” I asked.
Yume turned and gave me a vicious little smile. “So eager to get
your ass handed to you?”
“You never know,” I answered with a smile of my own. “I just
might surprise you.”
“We'll see about that, little boy. Let's get this show on the
road.”
The field of battle had already been prepared – a large clearing in
the midst of the giant trees of Ryuten. An observation stage had
been set up on the far side of the clearing. There everyone waited.
My family, including Funaho, as well as Asahi, Nomori, Tatetsuki, and
Goghei. Misaki was not present, though. She was still cleaning
house with the Protector – an unenviable task if there ever was
one. Emperor Asuza was not present, either, but I had been told he
would be watching from the comfort of his throne on Kirito. Oddly
enough, however, Hishima and Takashima were there on the observation
stage.
Yume and I took our positions on the field. She drew her weapon, the
Shadow Blade. I drew my own Hielzein-S blade.
“So... you possess one of the Sibling Blades,” said Yume, a hint
of intrigue in her voice. “How exactly did you come by that?”
“It was a gift from the descendant of the man that forged these
blades,” I explained. “He was a friend of Yosho, who possessed
the other blade and had me pass it on the Tenchi. When I helped free
his people of a corrupt magistrate, he learned that Tenchi was not
only the Prince's descendant, but that I was regarded as his elder
brother. And so, it was felt proper that I possess this blade. In
honor of that, I have named this blade Otouto. Tenchi, likewise, has
named his Oni-san.”
“So, you're one of those sappy sentimentalists,” sniped Yume.
My brow furrowed as I gave her a hard look. “What the hell
happened to you?”
“What do you mean?” snapped Yume harshly.
“You know exactly what I mean, Yume. People don't become this way
naturally. We're sentimental for a reason – the ties and bonds of
friends and family are part of what makes us what we are. Who
destroyed your bonds of family? Who was it that hurt you so horribly
that even the thought of having such things are anathema to you now?”
Yume's expression had turned dark. “That... is none of your
business.”
Nothing more was said – it was finally time for this duel to begin.
Yume came first in a sidelong charge as she tried to flank me, and
very nearly succeeded in doing so due to her small size and speed.
That's alright,
I thought to myself as I moved to meet her head on. Let
her do most of the moving. She'll tire out eventually.
Our
swords met and I was almost surprised at how the shock reverberated
up my arms. It was like Takashima all over again, only at least the
blows were not so gut-wrenchingly hard.
On second
thought she may outlast me, I
thought as we traded more blows. She was not only fast, but powerful
as well. That tiny frame of hers held an enormous hidden strength.
Maybe she had more densely packed muscle fibers, much like a cat
does.
And
right as the thought of catlike movements came to mind, Yume suddenly
vaulted over my head, spinning like a top with the Shadow blade out
and flashing over me like some nightmarishly large food processor. I
was barely able to hold that assault at bay.
This was starting to become more than I bargained for. But did I
have an ace in the hole? Time to check my hand and find out.
Katherine, are
you there?
I
felt something alien, but not unpleasant, brush against my mind
gently and with the sound of a giggling child.
I'm always
watching over my Gar-kun.
I couldn't stop the elation from flooding my heart.
Can you lend me
a bit of your strength?
Silly, it's
always yours for the taking. You just have to reach for it.
Was it really so simple? I turned inwards as I left my hands to do
the work of turning aside Yume's assaults. And suddenly, there it
was: an upwelling of pure power that I never really noticed was
there. And being freely offered by Katherine, it was all mine for
the taking. The only condition being that I be her companion, and
she mine, for as long as I live and even unto death.
This was the pact. This was the bond. I took hold of this power and
pulled it up until I felt the connection fall into place. And not a
moment too soon as Yume darted aside from one of my thrusts.
I had hundredths of a second to react.
I had trained under Yosho for roughly a year, throwing myself into it
like a man possessed. To say that the training had born fruit was an
understatement: Yosho had begun to teach me blade catching. Granted
we had only done it with wooden swords for safety's sake, and at
nowhere near a proper fighting speed...
But here and now, with Katherine's empowerment, I stopped the Shadow
Blade cold between the palms of my hands, six inches from my face.
Yume gave me a maddened smile and somewhere I heard some commotion on
the observation stage.
“Incredible,” she hissed with insane joy. “No one has ever
stopped my blade like this before... But not even you can keep it at
bay forever!” She then began to pressed down against me with the
Shadow Blade.
Before, Yume's strikes had been brutally hard. She was certainly
strong then... but that was not the case anymore. It was time for me
to disabuse her of that notion.
I pressed back and Yume's smile faltered as she realized what was
going an and redoubled her efforts, but it was in vain. Once I had
the clear advantage, I then lifted the blade, and along with it, Yume
as well as she held onto it.
“There's no way!” wailed Yume desperately. “I had you dead to
rights! Where did you get this strength from all the sudden!?”
“Those bonds you seem to think are so needless?” I asked archly.
“They really aren't.”
“What?” said Yume, puzzled, but then her face became anguished as
the pieces fell together. “no... I should have KNOWN! OF COURSE
THEY WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU A TREE!”
Yume finally let go and dropped to the ground.
“I yield,” she said quietly.
I sighed and carefully set the Shadow Blade aside, and then held my
hand out. “May I have the sheath, please?”
Yume looked up at me and made a feral sounding growl that sent a
shiver up my spine. And then, too quickly for me to react, she
lunged and bit my hand, her sharp little canines digging deeply into
my flesh.
I squawked in shock and pain as I tried to pull my hand away. Yume
held on, but only for a second. Once she did let go, she giggled
hysterically as she licked my blood off her lips.
“Hmmmm. Good iron content,” she said with a vicious perversion
of coyness. “I hope you don't mind too much, Gar-kun. Even if you
have been endowed with the Power of Jyurai, you still would have
needed some great skill and talent to beat me. That little love bite
of mine is just my way of saying how much I appreciate being
challenged.”
“CEASE HER!” came Funaho's voice sharply as several members of
the Royal Bodyguard materialized around us.
“NO!” I cried out, giving the guards a sharp cutting gesture.
“Don't! It's over now. Yume will leave peacefully... won't you?”
“I shall,” Yume replied. “Here's the sheath,” she said as
she tossed it my way and I caught it with my good hand. “I hope
the next time you and I meet, Gar-kun, you'll be a little more...
amenable.”
The guardsmen let her by, but kept staff weapons trained on her at
all times. As Yume called Hishima and Takashima, Fuanho approached,
shooting Yume evil looks as she did so.
“Are you alright, son?”
“I think so,” I answered honestly. “It's not even hurting all
that much, but I'll have Washu-chan take a look at it here in a
minute.”
“Are you certain you want to let her get away with that?”
I nodded. “Just a bit of defiance – a last flying 'fuck you'
before she retreats. She won't be anymore trouble since she got her
pound of flesh in the end there.”
“I'm not so certain, son. People like her... tend to show up when
they are least wanted.”
“I'll take that chance, mother. As I said before, we'll want her
goodwill later.”
Right then, though, I had a horrible feeling in my gut. You know
that thing people say about feeling like someone walked over their
grave? I've never had anything to liken to it... until now.
Funaho gave me a concerned look. “What is wrong, my son?”
“You know that feeling you get when there's a horrible joke coming
up and you just know you're going to be the butt of that joke?” I
asked her. Funaho frowned sharply and nodded her head. I nodded
back and said, “Yeah, I'm getting that feeling now.”
And right then the entire world seem to lurch sideways and I
had to struggle to stay standing up.
A horrible cackle filled the air, reverberating off of everything and
nothing at once. Looking up to the sky, I saw the image of a huge,
overweight man in crimson robes and a hideously styled hair and beard
that made his head look like an octopus.
“DOCTOR CLAY!?” I cried out in shock.
Clay stopped laughing and looked down at me. Unnervingly, he seemed
to have both of his eyes now... and they were filled with an
unspeakable darkness.
“I think you have played with the little girls long enough, my
little pet! I think you've learned plenty here... time for us to
move to the next phase!”
DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUNNNNN~! TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR THE EPIC CONCLUSION!
Yeah, I'm a complete schmuck, ain't I?
- Bob Schroeck - 07-02-2014
Well done; I can't wait to see the epic conclusion. And a complete schmuck? Not at all.
Meanwhile, there were a few word choice errors, mostly toward the end:
Quote:had me pass it on the Tenchi.Should be "on to Tenchi".
Quote:the training had born fruit"Borne" is really the word you want here -- very similar, related words so the error is understandable.
Quote:“CEASE HER!”Unless Funaho is ordering her immediate death in a strange way, you want "sieze" here.
Quote:She won't be anymore trouble"Any more" -- "anymore" means "any longer" or "ever again", more or less.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
- classicdrogn - 07-02-2014
Saw that coming as soon as Garrik handed over his C-pod - it's the kind of logistical advantage that would make the early days of getting on in a universe where he doesn't meet the immediately positive reception of the Tenchi house all but a non-issue, and that's too useful a plot element to not use at least the once.
I fully expect that Yume just did the biologically relevant part of her people's marriage ceremonies/mating rituals with that bite - I mean, coming right on the heels of Garrik beating her with what he explains as the power of interpersonal relationships? Calling it a mating ritual isn't even that squicky when you consider that males of her species would all but certainly have a similar development cycle that pauses until they get a sample from the female as well, and intellectual development doesn't seem to be affected. I also strongly suspect that with their growth into adult form keyed in that way, they are very, very monogamous by nature, even if individual outliers may occur. Encountering one of those outliers or getting involved with a member of a more fickle species and a severe case of broken heart is probably the root of her attitude problem.
Ah well, time to see where the bungee cord whips Gar off to!
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Black Aeronaut - 07-02-2014
Actually that wasn't his C-Pod... just a tiny little wrist band that acts as a temporary 'guest pass' that allows access to his C-Space (kinda like a hotel keycard). The C-Pod itself... that sucker is meant to NEVER come off, as Washu intended it to be his lifeline in the event he does get punted.
And yeah, you're pretty much right on the nose with Yume. I was going to swing it so her people are actually a group of uplifts. Profoundly intelligent, but only because they developed on a world that's just that much meaner than Earth was back in the day. Her society is Matriarchal and highly monogamous with small, tightly knit family groups like wolf packs. The bite itself? An injection of a naturally occurring retroviral compound that keys her intended to her pheromones. As for outliers, it's not unheard of for a group of sisters to corral a single male they all happen to like.
Yume left because she saw her own people as clinging to their primitive ways (the uplift didn't really stick - while they incorporated newer technologies into their society, they still like their old ways). So, she left, probably got her heart broken a time or two, and then met Washu and the rest is history. (Washu is probably the closest thing Yume had to a Pack Sister in those days...)
- Bluemage - 07-02-2014
...wow, you're really going Full Harem with this. That'd better be a good source of Drama when you end up where you're going next... and potentially in any future stops.
So. C-Space. Couple of questions on that.1. Did the girls get into it before he left? If they did, he's taken friends with him, and that could get awkward.2. Can they access it after he leaves? If so, then couldn't he open it from his end, have them open it from theirs, and walk right back into the Tenchiverse?3. Can Washu access it after he's left? See above.
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.
- Black Aeronaut - 07-03-2014
Ironically, there'll be more drama going on back home in that department than there will on Garrick's end. He'll just want to get back home as soon as possible, and be reluctant about getting involved with any other woman. (Such a woman would have to know what she was getting into - having to contend as a sister-wife, exposure to perilous situations, etc - and still want to commit 110%.) Back home, on the other hand, the ladies will all wind up without the man they love... and that's gonna be a lot of hurt getting passed around. Eventually, they'll all form a hard-core of interdependence... But leading up to that, Washu will take note:
"Garrick is a strange person. Despite all his sorrow he has a lot of love to give. The only thing he really wants is for everyone around him to be happy, because that is his happiness as well. He's seen enough sadness in his life. He's had more than his fair share of hurt. But it made him strong in ways we are not. Because of that, he became a pillar of strength in our home. He knew it, too, and he pushed us to rely on ourselves and each other. But we didn't really catch on. We would always look to him - it was so hard not to at times because he has such a strong presence. But we never really realized that until he was taken from us."
As for the questions about the C-Space....
- Everyone was out watching the duel when Clay arrives. More will become clear later.
- No, because the C-Space is anchored to the C-Pod on Garrick's wrist. Where he goes, it goes. (How tightly anchored is it? If he wanders more than ten kilometers from home his door disappears and he has to re-affix it.)
- Garrick trusts Washu with a sort of administrative access to his C-Space - mostly so that she can mess around with its more technical aspects that would elude Garrick. However, that access depends on the whether or not she can get at it. See above. (We will find at later part that Washu was extremely thorough with her design of the user interface -
there's not much that Garrick won't be able to handle on his own.
However, if he ever needed to adjust the total available volume for his
C-Space... then that'd need Washu to mess with it.)
- Black Aeronaut - 07-04-2014
Sooooo... Working on the next bit. Lotsa fightin'. Tell me... is this too much dakka?
“Oh fuck!” I cried out. “TENCHI! SHIT JUST GOT EVEN MORE
REAL!!!”
I slapped my C-Pod and called out “Star Spark!”
Plasma weaponry is not easy and it is not cheap. Nonetheless, Washu
and I made Star Spark because we figured that having it and not
needing it was better than needing it and not having it.
This situation definitely qualified as 'needing it'.
Star Spark was truly nasty. I could even get into trouble for having
it. Reason being? Fluorine-based plasma chemistry. This shit made
Dioxygen Diflouride look tame by comparison. The good part is that
the chemicals decayed so quickly that they were deemed useless for
all other applications except as a weapon. And of course, the Galaxy
Alliance stepped in and labeled the stuff a first-class chemical
weapon. Meaning that no one was supposed to have it.
Hope they'll overlook it this once.
- classicdrogn - 07-04-2014
Thought he just got yoinked OUT of Tenchi Muyo, unless he only slid a little ways before Tsunami and Washu noticed and started pulling themselves, to land in the Tenchi TV universe just a few steps away as the tug-o-war builds up.
Edit: Also... Kagato, Clay, Yume, did any of Washuu's old lab assistants NOT become galactic-scale criminal troublemakers? That's not a very good track record for Garrick to be up against...
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Black Aeronaut - 07-04-2014
Oh no, not yet. Clay, in fine villainous fashion, wants to mess around with him first. After all, when (you think) you're that powerful, then (you feel) you don't need to rush things. Insert imagery here of an octopus playing with its food.
EDIT: Just a heads up, folks. Next segment is ready, but I'm holding off until Monday morning (Time Zone UTC-5:00 for those outside North America) because I know quite a few people around here are recuperating over the weekend after their US Independence Day celebrations. (I know it got pretty loud out here in San Antonio.)
- robkelk - 07-06-2014
I guess I'll see it when I'm finished my trip, then...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
- Black Aeronaut - 07-07-2014
Sorry Rob. With any luck, I'll have much more for you to read when you get back.
Anyhow...
Okay people! Everyone find their towels and above all, don't panic! This ones a bit short, but satisfying just the same I think...
“Capture him, my servants!” called out the twisted scientist as
he cast his hands out. Suddenly, the air was filled with discs that
bore his mark, and wherever they landed golems of dirt and rock began
to form, moaning like ghouls seeking flesh. Right away, the
guardsmen were scattered, all overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of
enemies.
Tenchi, Tsunami bless his heart, took immediate action.
“Zombie Assault VIP scenario!” he called out authoritatively.
“Headshots only! Pair off and seek fortified ground, then regroup!
Garrick is the VIP!” Yeah, Tenchi and I had been playing some
games. I thought it was honestly kinda funny he liked stuff like
Left4Dead and Counterstrike. But then, Valve's stuff always was top
shelf.
Clay cackled once more. “You can fight for as long as you wish! I
can just keep making more and more golems!”
I slapped my C-pod and called out onto it, “First Cut!” Right
away, the weapon was transported out of its subspace storage and into
my hands.
I can't tell you how glad I was that Washu got this feature up and
running last night - better late than never.
I dashed the control discs on two golems into shards, causing them to
melt into mounds of dirt, then ran to where I had dropped Otouto. I
took a second to sheath the blade and looked around.
First I noticed was that Sasami and Yuki had paired off. Sasami's
hair was flying free as she wielded her hold-out staff expertly,
carving a path in my direction. Yuki, who had Sasami's other
hold-out staff, was no slouch either and my heart filled with pride
and awe as she moved nearly as gracefully as Sasami, practically
dancing through the golems and leaving them as dirt mounds in her
wake.
Ryoko and Minagi had paired off immediately and were raining death
from above, whittling down on the number of golems. Ryoko looked
like she was having the time of her life. Minagi though... she
looked righteously enraged.
“This is just like old times, isn't Yume?” cried out Washu
gleefully as she fired away with some sort of BFG, taking out an
entire group in one shot.
“With that letch crashing the party? More like bad memories!”
grumbled Yume as she let loose with a volley of three shots, each one
taking out a single golem. “Nice balance. Who designed this laser
rifle? You?”
“That's one of Garrick's toys!” chirped Washu like a proud
mother.
“Oh really?” I didn't have to look to hear the smile in Yume's
voice. Creepy.
“Master!” called out Hishima. “Do we protect the one that
humiliated you?”
“You will if you know what's good for you!” screamed Yume
caustically.
“So be it. Come, Takashima! The Game's afoot!”
“YOSH!” grunted the larger Shima brother and away they went.
“Goghei!” called out Tenchi. “Get the Takabes and Tatetsuki
out of here!”
“But what about Garrick!?” cried out Asahi in alarm.
“This is not your fight!” Tenchi called back.
“But you fought for me!” Asahi fired back.
“ASAHI!” I called out as I opened up more space around me. “We
are firmly in Gods and Monsters territory here! Get the hell out of
here before you get yourself killed!”
“Asahi will leave,” replied Nomori Takebe. “But only if Goghei
stays and fights!”
“Fine!” agreed Tenchi tersely. “Just get someplace safe!”
I looked just in time to catch Asahi giving Goghei a sudden, brief
kiss on the lips before running away with her Father and Tatetsuki.
This was especially impressive given that Goghei was already in his
Beastman state. Befuddled, but not distracted, Goghei sided with
Tenchi and the two went to work.
“You seem to be a little lonely out here, son,” came Funaho's
voice as she gracefully did for two golems trying to sneak up behind
me using an energy blade not unlike Yosho's Master Key.
“Isn't this situation a little hairy for you to be involved in at
this level, Mother?” I asked, a bit surprised.
“You're the one who is in most danger,” Funaho replied with a
small, knowing grin. “Besides, it's been too long since I've had
this much fun.” Her expression then darkened. “And that bastard
is posing a direct threat to you, my son. I shall not permit that to
go unanswered.”
I smiled as Funaho and I settled in at each other's backs. “I'm
glad you're here, Mother.”
“I am glad to have you, my Son,” she replied.
There was a pop of a sonic boom nearby. I made sure I was in the
clear before I stopped to watch Ayeka, who had dropped the princess
facade and decided to go to work. She was decked out in her
own Jyuraian battle armor and just plain punching the golems
around us into next week while Mihoshi gave her ranged coverage. In
fact, if I didn't know any better....
“Karate?” I asked Funaho.
I could hear the grin in Funaho's voice. “I felt it suited her
temperament better than the sword arts.”
I snorted at that. “No kidding.”
Really, I never knew anything about this. Ayeka doesn't take the kid
gloves off very often and I'd forgotten that her preferred method of
attack is her firsts. In fact, she probably finds it embarrassing
and unladylike and so she probably practices in secret. I'll have to get
her to come around somehow, because really there is a certain beauty
and grace in the striking arts.
“Your Highness!” called out one of the guardsmen. “There is
some kind of interference keeping us from using the teleporters!
Work extracting Bizen has been suspended and we are currently
fortifying the site as we speak! We can fall back there so we may
safely extract His Grace and his company in one of the shuttles.”
Funaho nodded. “Well done, Captain! Open the path! Tenchi,
Garrick, we're leaving!”
“Oh, you won't slip away so easily!” Suddenly the earth erupted
all around us, accompanied by a shrieking roar that was familiar for
some.
“Tsunami preserve us!” gasped the Guard Captain. “Doduos!”
Let me see if I can do this justice. Imagine the ancient precursor
of the Kodiak Bear, only the size of a small house and in a shape
like a rat. Give it four eyes, two sets of razor-clawed forelimbs,
and the biggest attitude problem you can imagine. You know that
funny little meme about wasps and just sitting still until they go
about their business? Even worse, because if you even have a pulse
then you are the doduos's business. QED.
And Clay had sent down four of these monstrosities.
“Oh fuck!” I cried out. “TENCHI! SHIT JUST GOT EVEN MORE
REAL!!!” Everyone scattered, and rightfully so. Fortunately, this
had the affect of drawing the attention of all four doduos away from
me, which meant I had just enough time to bring out an equalizer.
I stabbed First Cut into the ground, slapped my C-Pod and called out
“Star Spark!”
Plasma weaponry is not easy and it is not cheap. Nonetheless, Washu
and I made Star Spark because we figured that having it and not
needing it was better than needing it and not having it.
This situation definitely qualified as 'needing it'.
Star Spark was truly nasty. I could even get into trouble for having
it. Reason being? Fluorine-based plasma chemistry. This shit made
Dioxygen Diflouride look tame by comparison. The good part is that
the chemicals decayed so quickly that they were deemed useless for
all other applications except as a weapon. And of course, the Galaxy
Alliance stepped in and labeled the stuff a first-class chemical
weapon. Meaning that no one was supposed to have it.
Hope they'll overlook it this once.
“Son, is that what I think it is?” asked Funaho somewhat
nervously. I could just see the twitch in her eye.
“Yep,” I replied as I pulled on the set of goggles the BFG came
with and took aim.
“PLASMA WEAPON!” Funaho belted. And just like that, the people
who were in the know hit the dirt and pulled the people who were not
in the know down with them.
I squeezed the trigger and Sun Spark belched a fat blat of Saint
Elmo's Fire at the closest Doduos.... and its head exploded in a
shower of gore and toxic green fire. And the body kept right on
burning, too. If Carbon's the slut of organic chemistry, then
Fluorine is the serial murder-rapist.
The other three doduos were quick to take note of their comrade's
fall and screamed their disapproval as they turned to me and began to
charge.
I took aim at the one in the lead and fired again, this time the shot
going a bit high and wide, but still managing to burrow through the
beast's shoulders and into its body before the magnetic bottle lost
its cohesion. It actually vomited gore and fire, it's eyes melting
into blackened holes in its head, as the blast erupted out it's side
and the residual chemicals set fire on the side of the doduos next to
it.
I grimaced, but I didn't have time to pity the poor creatures for
long. The third one was still coming. I only had enough time to
drop Sun Spark, it's fusion fuel cell depleted after only two shots,
and pull Otouto from it's sheath once more.
And then I charged the doduos.
The doduos being used to things my size run from it rather than to it
did not have time to react. And I was about to capitalize on that,
beginning with drawing on a bit more of Katherine's power .
Let me say right here that this sort of thing is actually a lot more
intuitive than you might think. This is the same sort of power that
comprises the Lighthawk Wings, and it is almost a tangible thing and
meant to be shifted, moved, and molded. So that's why I had no issue
with shunting it all into Otouto... and the Hielzein-S blade drank it
greedily and flared a brilliant red as I used it to cut along the
side of the doduos, spilling its guts behind me.
Several cracking sounds alerted me to Yume putting Raiden's Toothpick
to use. I looked and saw that she used it to put the burning doduos
and the one I had cut open out of their misery.
“Power cell's done!” called out Yume. “Hey, handsome! You got
another?”
I blinked at Yume in surprise – Handsome!? The hell!? - then
slapped my C-Pod, called one up, and threw it to Yume.
“You know, son, I can admit that this is an extraordinary
situation,” said Funaho as I sheathed Otouto and went back for
First Cut. “But four doduos in twenty seconds? There's going to
be some very unhappy ecologists in the Galaxy Alliance.”
I shrugged. “Had to be done, Mother. I won't have one life here
on my conscience today. Besides, it's all that asshole's fault.”
“Very interesting,” rumbled Clay from overhead. “So you don't
care about rules...”
I rolled my eyes as I put down two more golems. “Oh, here we go
now... AS IF YOU GAVE A SHIT YOURSELF YOU INSUFFERABLE BASTARD CHILD
OF A WHORE!”
Clay's eyes flashed ominously. “YOU... LITTLE WRETCH!” he
bellowed thunderously. And then the land all around us began to tear
itself to pieces. Clay was ripping up the tectonic plates under us.
“Time to run!” I called out to everyone and got moving.
“WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?” cried out Funaho in shock as the
pulled up even with me.
“Bad news,” I explained. “He's pissed off and has taken the
kid gloves off. Good news: he's pissed off and not thinking
straight.”
“I don't think that gets us out of trouble,” Washu called out as
she and Yume joined up with us.
“Aren't you two his better or something?” I asked. “Can't you
out-science this fuckhead?”
“Can't,” Washu called back. “He's far too powerful! In fact,
I have no idea how he's doing this now or where he got the power
from!”
“Yeah, and I'd love to sock that pervert in the nose, Gar-kun,”
Yume replied with the sarcasm I was more used to. “Unfortunately I
have been denied ultimate power by a certain human. Sound familiar?”
“Sure, blame the backwater hillbilly,” I grumped. I then spied
Sasami and Yuki, being carried by Ryoko and Minagi respectively,
making their way to our group. “Sasami! I think we're gonna need
some Big Help soon.”
“Tsunami-no-fune is already on her way!” the princess
called back. “It's gonna take a few minutes, though.”
“Great! How're the others?”
“Tenchi and Goghei are ahead of us clearing the way,” Ryoko
replied.
“And Ayeka and Mihoshi are keeping us covered from the rear,”
Minagi finished.
“What about the Shima Brothers?”
“They're covering us from ambush,” Yume replied tersely. “If
you can't see them, then they're doing their jobs properly.”
“That's great,” I replied honestly. “But we're gonna need some
sort of stopgap coverage until Tsunami gets here. Mother?”
“I'm sorry, son, but my Husband wishes to see how you get yourself
out of this.”
“GYAH!” I snarled in outrage. What did this man expect of me?
“AS IF I COULD!”
“He doesn't expect you to overpower your enemy, my son,” Funaho
said. “He just wants to see if you can find a way out of this
mess.”
“So I'm on the spot then... great.” I then reached out to
Katherine. Is there anything you can do to help?
I wish could, My tree replied sorrowfully. But I'm not in
a proper Central Unit yet... I can create Lighthawk Wings for
shields, but they'd only appear inside your garden room! Worst of
all we haven't made our Master Key yet!
I sighed at that. Okay, don't panic yet. We'll figure this out.
I know what you're thinking at this point. Why don't I use my
C-Space as a means of escape? But there's a problem with that. I
had no doubt in my mind that Clay could simply seal off my C-Space
once I was inside it... and then he'd have exactly what he wanted: me
as a bug in a bell jar. In fact, I was pretty sure that was why I
was still able to use it – he was counting on me being dumb enough
to not realize this fact.
Besides, even if he actually couldn't do that, why take that kind of
chance?
Right then, Sasami broke my train of thought. “Yuki-chan! Have
you been hearing any strange voices!?”
“... I... didn't want anyone to think anything was wrong with
me...” said Yuki nervously.
I blinked as I caught onto what Sasami was thinking right away.
“How long ago, Yuki-chan?” I asked.
“Since yesterday!”
I shot a look at Sasami and it was like she read my mind as she gave
me a determined nod.
“Right then. Ryoko! Gonna need a teleport!”
“Who and where to?” asked the former pirate.
“Yuki, Funaho and myself. We're going to go see Bizen!”
- Seraviel - 07-07-2014
I'd forgotten that her preferred method of attack is her firsts.
Unless she's carting Yosho around and using him to punch things, I suspect you mean fists
-People may die, but ideas are forever. Je suis Charlie.
- Black Aeronaut - 07-07-2014
... I have no idea how I make typos like that.