I wanted to post a larger segment than this one, but the one to follow is one huge scene that spans over five pages! (12-point Time New Roman on 8.5x11 with default margins) So, in the interests of keeping my buffer, you guys will have to do with just this for now. Next post will be a bit bigger, though.
Late the next morning.
The sun was already high in the sky and I was laying prone on a dusty
outcropping. By this time, Tenchi and Ryoko will have been working
in the mines for a few hours, and that cancer, Lord Ohsa, will have
started his all-day private party with the rest of the girls. Which
meant it was time to do my job:
Making these fuckers bleed.
I noted that the change of the guard was commencing. That was my
cue. I got up, went to Scooby, and got one of my favorite toys out.
It resembled your average Mosberg 500 only with a much larger bore
and a magazine in front of the trigger.
My favorite weapon system in the Navy, right after the Mk45 5”/54
Calibers Light Weight Gun Mount was the Mk19 40mm Machine Gun. It
was only because it puts a whole lot of high-explosives downrange in
an almighty hurry, and in a fashion that any enemy will find
difficult to deal with.
My new toy didn't deliver the hurt quite as fast. It still used the
40mm cartridge we all know and love, but it was magazine fed rather
than belt fed. Also, it was semi-auto instead of full auto. But the
advantage was that it could be carried and fired by one man.
In my head I like to call it, quite poetically, The End of the Quiet
Day.
I shouldered the weapon, took aim, and began to empty the magazine.
The weapon was quiet enough that it didn't need a silencer. So once
the rounds began landing they had no idea where they were coming
from.
Under fire, no warning, no sign of an enemy. Was it cowardly?
Perhaps. But I knew these men were scum. They were all loyal to
Lord Ohsa, otherwise they would be the ones working in the mine. As
far as I was concerned, they deserved neither mercy nor respect.
I only went through two magazines and that was it. The guardsmen
were in shambles. Some weren't moving, others would not be moving
for long. Their screams reached up to me clearly and I still felt no
remorse.
The End of the Quiet Day. It lives up to its name.
Satisfied, I went to Scooby, got in, and drove to the next raid
point. I had a busy day ahead of me, and it was going to be tiresome
to keep them off my back, even with the portable storming field.
Later that afternoon, I had hit a total of five check points – two
of them twice. I could tell by their demeanor that the guardsmen
were nervous. There numbers were also starting to look a bit scarce.
Just out of curiosity, I pinged Minagi with my C-Pod.
To my pleasant surprised, she answered back.
“Everything okay, Gar-kun?” she asked, a hint of concern in her
voice.
“Peachy-keen, my dearest Minagi-chan. How are things on the
inside?”
I could hear the smile in Minagi's voice. “Whatever you're doing,
keep it up. These guys have no idea what's been hitting them and
it's freaking them out. Best of all, it's just as you suspected –
Lord Ohsa does not wish to be disturbed for anything while he's in
his little play room.”
“Good. Is Yuki doing alright?”
“She is, but... Ohsa has been giving her funny looks. I don't like
it. He's got her made up like one of those maiko girls, only without
the face paint.”
I frowned at that. “Ayeka may have to move sooner than we
originally planned for Yuki's safety. Stay on top of it, okay?”
“We got it, Gar-kun. You just keep yourself in one piece. We'll
send the signal once we're ready.”
By the time they sent me the signal early the following morning, I
had already completed eight more raids. Ohsa's guard was now
virtually non-existant. I could only imagine the look on his face
when he finally realized what was happening – that the short, brief
assaults on his guard posts were really whittling away his manpower
at an alarming rate and that he was honestly under a genuine assault.
(Actually, I didn't have to imagine for long. Minagi showed me
pictures. The look on his face will remain one of my treasured
memories forever.)
When the signal came, I triggered a series of claymores I had planted
on the other side of the palace complex – the one opposite of where
Ayeka and her group would meet me. The alarms went up and the
guardsmen began streaming to the sight.
I only had two guardsmen to take care of at the main gate. Soon
enough, the girls had shown up.
“Ladies!” I called out. “Your chariot awaits!”
“Yay!” called out Mihoshi. “Nii-san saves the day!”
“Yeah, Gar-nii is so cool!” replied Sasami.
“Eh. I just cut down on their numbers. It was no big deal. They
were so incompetent – they didn't even bother sending trackers out
to find me.”
“I don't think they ever really needed any, Dear Brother,” said
Ayeka as I helped her up into Scooby's cab. “With this
environment... they don't even need walls.”
Last one in was Yuki. Of course, the moment I turned to her she
jumped up and grabbed me. Oddly enough, she was still wearing the
outfit that Ohsa made her wear.
“Hey there. Did you loose your other clothes?”
Yuki shook her head. “I didn't like that he made me wear this in
front of him... But I like it... I want to wear it for you.”
I blinked at her, then put her in the small seat between Ayeka's and
mine, then got in.
“Yuki-chan?” I asked once we got under way.
“Yes?”
“You do know what that clothing represents, right?”
“Unh. These are the clothes of the dancer girl. She is supposed
to be pretty and entertain guests. But the only person I want to
entertain is Gar-kun.”
I frowned. This was a new twist. “Yuki-chan, that is not how I
see you.”
“I know. I will learn to do all kinds of things. I'll learn how
to fight, I'll learn math and science... someday, I want to be a
botanist. I think it will be pretty interesting to learn about all
the different plants in the Galaxy and what they do. But someday...
I want to entertain my husband. Because that's what a wife should
do.”
The feminists would have a field day with this one. Honestly, I
didn't think it was a bad thing for a woman to want to please her
husband in the bedroom, but it boggled my mind that Yuki was thinking
ahead like that.
“There will be plenty of time for you to learn those kinds of
things later.”
“Ah, Dear Brother,” said Ayeka, using Old High Jyuraian. “How
long has she been like this?”
I replied in kind. “Since the first day, Dear Sister, although not
as intense. Lately, though... She has been getting worse. She
caught Minagi and I making pictures of spring unaware of her
presence.”
“Oh my...” replied Ayeka as she turned positively florid. “And
now she... has become frustrated?”
“Indeed.”
“In that case... is it really wise for you to spend so much time
with her?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea what else to do. She must be trained
to protect herself. And I cannot in good conscience foist her off
onto someone else, except where I know she'll be in grave danger at
my side. She came for me, has sworn and declared to devote herself
to me... So I am responsible for her. No one else.”
“Are you certain that our younger sister had nothing to do with the
matter?”
“She at least made her promise not to follow us. That promise was
broken.”
“Ah. That is why our Dear Little Sister has been in something of a
snit. Particularly towards her friend.”
“She never said anything?”
“Nary a word, Dear Brother. I cannot say that I blame her. It is
a most embarrassing situation.”
“That is what she said to her friend. I hope that they work this
out. Perhaps once she shows she has become proficient in self
defense?”
“Perhaps.”
“What language is that?” asked Yuki. “I've heard you and Ayeka
use it before, but I have no idea what you are saying. It's very
different from English and Japanese. It doesn't even sound like
Korean or Mandarin.”
I smiled and patted Yuki on the head. “It is Old High Jyuraian –
the ancient version of the language the Nobility use exclusively
amongst themselves. Originally, though, it was a code-language. You
see, Ayeka's ancestors were originally pirates, so they had a secret
language that was very hard to decipher. Eventually, though, after
the First Emperor discovered Tsunami and was given the First of the
First Generation Trees, the language simplified a bit and was used
only by the Royal Family. Everyone else spoke Galactic Standard.”
“Can I learn to speak Old High Jyuraian?”
“Only after we are married, Yuki-chan. Not a moment before because
only members of the Royal Family may know it. I'm the only exception
because I know secrets that no one else should know. This way, if I
had to tell them something important but didn't want anyone else to
know, I would have a way to do so. Besides, I'm being adopted by
Lady Funaho anyhow.”
“What kind of secrets?” asked Yuki. “I know that you...
somehow saw the future...”
I sighed and put an arm around Yuki. “I know that you were only
ever supposed to be a normal little girl. You were never supposed to
meet me. In fact, I shouldn't even exist here. It was Mihoshi-chan
that was supposed to save you. And you were never supposed to know
about the secrets of the Masaki family.”
I felt Yuki shudder and bury her head in my side. “Will you ever
disappear?” she asked.
“I hope not,” I replied with genuine worry.
Yuki was quiet for a moment. “Will I ever forget you?”
Not wanting to take my eyes off the road, I switched hands on the
steering wheel, grabbed one of Yuki's, brought it up to my face and
gave it a heartfelt kiss.
“I hope not.”
I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking over briefly, I saw that it
was Ayeka trying to comfort me... and probably herself as well, since
she wore a deeply worried and pensive expression. There was only one
reason for this.
Love.
Ayeka loved me. There was no doubt in my mind about it. I was her
brother in all but name and blood, and she would gladly go down in
flames defending that claim. It's a sobering thought that a princess
as powerful as her would go that far for your sake.
It was also an empowering one – and not something I was ever going
to take for granted, because I had come to love Ayeka dearly as well.
Of course, she was so beautiful and refined – Ayeka was a fine
specimen of a woman that way. But there was also the gentle way she
would speak with me, even while teasing me over something like Yuki's
affections. And there were also the times she would come to while
away her free time with me in my garden, alternating between her and
I enjoying a pot of tea over light topics, or helping me with my
garden.
We had bonded and, without really realizing it, come to love each
other as siblings.
I don't know why I hadn't realized it sooner, even though we used the
titles, even though I told Funaho flat-out that I would die for these
people...
Ayeka has such a soft heart... softer even than Sasami's...
If I were to die, I realized, it would devastate her as surely as if
something terrible were to happen to Tenchi.
New plan:
Don't die.
Never.
Instead, be the stubborn little cuss that you are, the one that will
always get back up again and beat his enemies with pure stubborn
desire to outlive them. But most importantly, try not to wind up in
those situations in the first place.
I reached up and gave the hand on my shoulder a squeeze. I never
want to see you cry, my beloved sister. At the very least, not for
me.
Late the next morning.
The sun was already high in the sky and I was laying prone on a dusty
outcropping. By this time, Tenchi and Ryoko will have been working
in the mines for a few hours, and that cancer, Lord Ohsa, will have
started his all-day private party with the rest of the girls. Which
meant it was time to do my job:
Making these fuckers bleed.
I noted that the change of the guard was commencing. That was my
cue. I got up, went to Scooby, and got one of my favorite toys out.
It resembled your average Mosberg 500 only with a much larger bore
and a magazine in front of the trigger.
My favorite weapon system in the Navy, right after the Mk45 5”/54
Calibers Light Weight Gun Mount was the Mk19 40mm Machine Gun. It
was only because it puts a whole lot of high-explosives downrange in
an almighty hurry, and in a fashion that any enemy will find
difficult to deal with.
My new toy didn't deliver the hurt quite as fast. It still used the
40mm cartridge we all know and love, but it was magazine fed rather
than belt fed. Also, it was semi-auto instead of full auto. But the
advantage was that it could be carried and fired by one man.
In my head I like to call it, quite poetically, The End of the Quiet
Day.
I shouldered the weapon, took aim, and began to empty the magazine.
The weapon was quiet enough that it didn't need a silencer. So once
the rounds began landing they had no idea where they were coming
from.
Under fire, no warning, no sign of an enemy. Was it cowardly?
Perhaps. But I knew these men were scum. They were all loyal to
Lord Ohsa, otherwise they would be the ones working in the mine. As
far as I was concerned, they deserved neither mercy nor respect.
I only went through two magazines and that was it. The guardsmen
were in shambles. Some weren't moving, others would not be moving
for long. Their screams reached up to me clearly and I still felt no
remorse.
The End of the Quiet Day. It lives up to its name.
Satisfied, I went to Scooby, got in, and drove to the next raid
point. I had a busy day ahead of me, and it was going to be tiresome
to keep them off my back, even with the portable storming field.
Later that afternoon, I had hit a total of five check points – two
of them twice. I could tell by their demeanor that the guardsmen
were nervous. There numbers were also starting to look a bit scarce.
Just out of curiosity, I pinged Minagi with my C-Pod.
To my pleasant surprised, she answered back.
“Everything okay, Gar-kun?” she asked, a hint of concern in her
voice.
“Peachy-keen, my dearest Minagi-chan. How are things on the
inside?”
I could hear the smile in Minagi's voice. “Whatever you're doing,
keep it up. These guys have no idea what's been hitting them and
it's freaking them out. Best of all, it's just as you suspected –
Lord Ohsa does not wish to be disturbed for anything while he's in
his little play room.”
“Good. Is Yuki doing alright?”
“She is, but... Ohsa has been giving her funny looks. I don't like
it. He's got her made up like one of those maiko girls, only without
the face paint.”
I frowned at that. “Ayeka may have to move sooner than we
originally planned for Yuki's safety. Stay on top of it, okay?”
“We got it, Gar-kun. You just keep yourself in one piece. We'll
send the signal once we're ready.”
By the time they sent me the signal early the following morning, I
had already completed eight more raids. Ohsa's guard was now
virtually non-existant. I could only imagine the look on his face
when he finally realized what was happening – that the short, brief
assaults on his guard posts were really whittling away his manpower
at an alarming rate and that he was honestly under a genuine assault.
(Actually, I didn't have to imagine for long. Minagi showed me
pictures. The look on his face will remain one of my treasured
memories forever.)
When the signal came, I triggered a series of claymores I had planted
on the other side of the palace complex – the one opposite of where
Ayeka and her group would meet me. The alarms went up and the
guardsmen began streaming to the sight.
I only had two guardsmen to take care of at the main gate. Soon
enough, the girls had shown up.
“Ladies!” I called out. “Your chariot awaits!”
“Yay!” called out Mihoshi. “Nii-san saves the day!”
“Yeah, Gar-nii is so cool!” replied Sasami.
“Eh. I just cut down on their numbers. It was no big deal. They
were so incompetent – they didn't even bother sending trackers out
to find me.”
“I don't think they ever really needed any, Dear Brother,” said
Ayeka as I helped her up into Scooby's cab. “With this
environment... they don't even need walls.”
Last one in was Yuki. Of course, the moment I turned to her she
jumped up and grabbed me. Oddly enough, she was still wearing the
outfit that Ohsa made her wear.
“Hey there. Did you loose your other clothes?”
Yuki shook her head. “I didn't like that he made me wear this in
front of him... But I like it... I want to wear it for you.”
I blinked at her, then put her in the small seat between Ayeka's and
mine, then got in.
“Yuki-chan?” I asked once we got under way.
“Yes?”
“You do know what that clothing represents, right?”
“Unh. These are the clothes of the dancer girl. She is supposed
to be pretty and entertain guests. But the only person I want to
entertain is Gar-kun.”
I frowned. This was a new twist. “Yuki-chan, that is not how I
see you.”
“I know. I will learn to do all kinds of things. I'll learn how
to fight, I'll learn math and science... someday, I want to be a
botanist. I think it will be pretty interesting to learn about all
the different plants in the Galaxy and what they do. But someday...
I want to entertain my husband. Because that's what a wife should
do.”
The feminists would have a field day with this one. Honestly, I
didn't think it was a bad thing for a woman to want to please her
husband in the bedroom, but it boggled my mind that Yuki was thinking
ahead like that.
“There will be plenty of time for you to learn those kinds of
things later.”
“Ah, Dear Brother,” said Ayeka, using Old High Jyuraian. “How
long has she been like this?”
I replied in kind. “Since the first day, Dear Sister, although not
as intense. Lately, though... She has been getting worse. She
caught Minagi and I making pictures of spring unaware of her
presence.”
“Oh my...” replied Ayeka as she turned positively florid. “And
now she... has become frustrated?”
“Indeed.”
“In that case... is it really wise for you to spend so much time
with her?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea what else to do. She must be trained
to protect herself. And I cannot in good conscience foist her off
onto someone else, except where I know she'll be in grave danger at
my side. She came for me, has sworn and declared to devote herself
to me... So I am responsible for her. No one else.”
“Are you certain that our younger sister had nothing to do with the
matter?”
“She at least made her promise not to follow us. That promise was
broken.”
“Ah. That is why our Dear Little Sister has been in something of a
snit. Particularly towards her friend.”
“She never said anything?”
“Nary a word, Dear Brother. I cannot say that I blame her. It is
a most embarrassing situation.”
“That is what she said to her friend. I hope that they work this
out. Perhaps once she shows she has become proficient in self
defense?”
“Perhaps.”
“What language is that?” asked Yuki. “I've heard you and Ayeka
use it before, but I have no idea what you are saying. It's very
different from English and Japanese. It doesn't even sound like
Korean or Mandarin.”
I smiled and patted Yuki on the head. “It is Old High Jyuraian –
the ancient version of the language the Nobility use exclusively
amongst themselves. Originally, though, it was a code-language. You
see, Ayeka's ancestors were originally pirates, so they had a secret
language that was very hard to decipher. Eventually, though, after
the First Emperor discovered Tsunami and was given the First of the
First Generation Trees, the language simplified a bit and was used
only by the Royal Family. Everyone else spoke Galactic Standard.”
“Can I learn to speak Old High Jyuraian?”
“Only after we are married, Yuki-chan. Not a moment before because
only members of the Royal Family may know it. I'm the only exception
because I know secrets that no one else should know. This way, if I
had to tell them something important but didn't want anyone else to
know, I would have a way to do so. Besides, I'm being adopted by
Lady Funaho anyhow.”
“What kind of secrets?” asked Yuki. “I know that you...
somehow saw the future...”
I sighed and put an arm around Yuki. “I know that you were only
ever supposed to be a normal little girl. You were never supposed to
meet me. In fact, I shouldn't even exist here. It was Mihoshi-chan
that was supposed to save you. And you were never supposed to know
about the secrets of the Masaki family.”
I felt Yuki shudder and bury her head in my side. “Will you ever
disappear?” she asked.
“I hope not,” I replied with genuine worry.
Yuki was quiet for a moment. “Will I ever forget you?”
Not wanting to take my eyes off the road, I switched hands on the
steering wheel, grabbed one of Yuki's, brought it up to my face and
gave it a heartfelt kiss.
“I hope not.”
I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking over briefly, I saw that it
was Ayeka trying to comfort me... and probably herself as well, since
she wore a deeply worried and pensive expression. There was only one
reason for this.
Love.
Ayeka loved me. There was no doubt in my mind about it. I was her
brother in all but name and blood, and she would gladly go down in
flames defending that claim. It's a sobering thought that a princess
as powerful as her would go that far for your sake.
It was also an empowering one – and not something I was ever going
to take for granted, because I had come to love Ayeka dearly as well.
Of course, she was so beautiful and refined – Ayeka was a fine
specimen of a woman that way. But there was also the gentle way she
would speak with me, even while teasing me over something like Yuki's
affections. And there were also the times she would come to while
away her free time with me in my garden, alternating between her and
I enjoying a pot of tea over light topics, or helping me with my
garden.
We had bonded and, without really realizing it, come to love each
other as siblings.
I don't know why I hadn't realized it sooner, even though we used the
titles, even though I told Funaho flat-out that I would die for these
people...
Ayeka has such a soft heart... softer even than Sasami's...
If I were to die, I realized, it would devastate her as surely as if
something terrible were to happen to Tenchi.
New plan:
Don't die.
Never.
Instead, be the stubborn little cuss that you are, the one that will
always get back up again and beat his enemies with pure stubborn
desire to outlive them. But most importantly, try not to wind up in
those situations in the first place.
I reached up and gave the hand on my shoulder a squeeze. I never
want to see you cry, my beloved sister. At the very least, not for
me.