Subject: [FFML] [ff][ranma][repost]Shantyworld 1-3
From: "William Morse" <montanto@hotmail.com>
Date: 5/17/2000, 11:49 PM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

Hi all for the records all of the characters here are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Pioneer. Shantyworld, Doozy Sack, Governors, Peace Robots and anything else you don't recognize as anime belong to me. So without further ado. Montanto Production presents.

                       Shantyworld

                       A Ranma Fanfic
                  with gratuitous cameos

                          Chapter 1

                      Descent and Betrayal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Really Lum-Sempai?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Lollygagger burped inquisitively.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



* * * * * *

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The second voice ordered the experiment to begin.

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

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



* * * * * *

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



* * * * * *

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

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

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

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

"A little." Akane lied.

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

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

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

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

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

                         End of chapter 1

All characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Pioneer and Monkey Punch. Shantyworld, Doozy Sack, Mama Prime and anything else you don't imediatly recognize as anime belongs to me. So without furthe ado Montanto Productions proudly presents.

                          Shantyworld

                        A Ranma Fanfic
                     With Gratuitous Cameos

                          Chapter 2

                      Clear Weather Day

The Monitor had orbited the gas giant; referred to as Mama Prime by the locals, since the Governors rendered its largest moon, Doozy Sack, livable thousands of years ago.

The Monitors were the largest form of Peace Robot. Their jurisdiction was the trade lanes of space, and the defense in every system. This Monitor was a smaller model, a mere 50 kilometers from end to end. Still, it dwarfed even the largest imperial carriers that passed it by.

For a moment, the Monitor turned its attention from its sensors' pointed to the fleets to the ones that pointed at a small comet, several thousand kilometers away. A picosecond worth of calculations showed that the comet would miss Doozy Sack by an acceptable distance, but there was a 100,000 to one chance it could pose a threat within the next thousand years. Never one to take unnecessary risks, the Monitor shot off a single beam of energy and returned to viewing the imperial convoy on its way towards Doozy Sack. The comet exploded into a cloud of vapor.

The Monitor increased its magnification on the small world's main continent. There was little cloud cover to hindering its instruments. If the Monitor had been capable of subjective opinions, it would consider this phenomenon odd. It had been clear just four months ago, a most peculiar season.

Sensors, pointing towards the system�s F4 class sun were activated. At this distance it was only discernable from the other stars by its incredible brightness. The Monitor beamed a weather report to the starports. Sentient life had to be warned on occasion.

                * * * * * * * * *  *

Akane stared at the girl standing at the entrance of the practice hall. "Well?" she demanded,  "speak up Girl. What�s your name?"

The new bondservant paused, unsure of what to say, "I�m Ranko, Mistress." She said finally.

Akane slowly circled the smaller girl looking her over.  For someone her size, she was very well built, almost like a dancer with hardly a gram of fat on her. Her hair was a shade of red that Akane had never seen before. Bright, yet strangely vacant, blue eyes darted everywhere taking in everything. Akane stood in front of her in a casual pose. Ranko glanced at the floor, unable to maintain eye contact.  "So, Kasumi thinks I can�t be trusted outside of the house; are you my body guard as well?" Akane asked.

Ranko was silent for a moment. "Lady Kasumi said I was to protect you with my life, Mistress." She said finally.

"Oh really. And how do you intend to do that? Are you a martial artist? Or have you killed someone?" Akane asked, with a grin.

"I haven�t killed anyone, Mistress. At least I hope I haven�t." Ranko looked slightly worried as if the possibility had suddenly occurred to her.

"You mean you don�t know?" Akane asked, puzzled. She reached out and held Ranko�s jaw between her thumb and forefinger, slowly turning her head. She should have noticed. If she hadn�t let her emotions get the better of her. "The void will take us all."  She whispered. "You�ve been born again." Akane stated this as a fact, the symptoms were easy to recognize.

Ranko paused to think. "I�m not a Christian, Mistress."

"Christian?" Akane asked, confused. "What�s a . . . . Oh yes, one of those First Generation cults. But what does that have to do with being born again?"

"I don�t know, Mistress."

"Nevermind, go stand over there."  Akane said pointing at the center of the floor. Ranko walked to the middle of the dojo and turned to face Akane. Akane studied her again, this time concentrating on the way she bore herself. For all of her apparent shyness Ranko stood up straight, unafraid, and confident. This one can fight, I can tell. Akane thought to herself.

"We�ll have a little match. I want to see just how good you are, my life is in your hands after all." "Don�t worry its just sparring." She said as she saw the look of concern in her servant�s face.  Comprehension dawned on Ranko�s face, she smiled and she nodded hesitantly.

Akane started with a simple round house kick. It was one that an amateur could see coming, and easily block. Ranko leaned back an instant before Akane�s foot would have connected with her face. Akane followed up with two quick jabs. The first to the face, and the other to the gut, she finished with a low sweeping kick meant to take out the legs of the opponent. Ranko dodged both hits and jumped over the kick with seemingly no effort at all. Akane huffed, it was exhilarating to have decent competition for the first time in years, but at the same time it was damn frustrating. At least she had forced Ranko towards the far wall. Try avoiding me now, she thought to herself.

"Okay, no need to be gentle." Akane said with a smile, which showed a few too many teeth. With no warning she threw a devastating punch that could have crippled Ranko had she been in its path. Ranko however was no longer there. Akane smashed her fist into the wall. She stared at the hole her fist had made as someone tapped her on the shoulder.  Akane turned to see Ranko giggling hysterically. It was very contagious and Akane couldn�t help but join in.

"Wow.  You�re much better then I thought, but tell me, why didn�t you fight back?"

Ranko blinked in confusion. "Fight back. Mistress?"  She asked.

"Yes. You know. Try to hit me."

"Hit you. Mistress?" Ranko looked slightly concerned.

"Of course," Akane said in exasperation, "what good is a sparring match if you just dodge me all the time? I have to improve too, you know. Come on. Take a swing at me." Honestly, it was like trying to explain sprinting to a Lollygagger.

"Lady Kasumi ordered me to protect you, Mistress," Ranko said slowly, while turning an ashen gray. "But you told me to hit you so I have to hit you. But that would harm you and I can not let you get hurt." Ranko clutched her head, gritting her teeth in pain. "Can not! Must follow orders! No. No! Please. MAKE IT STOP!!!" Ranko fell to her knees, sobbing.

"Oh no, Ranko!" Akane gasped, running to the smaller girl. "It�s all right, really. You don�t have to spar with me if you don�t want to."

Ranko looked up at her. Her headache fading quickly. "I�m sorry, Mistress," she whispered.

                * * * * * * * * *  *

Ukyou drove through the Rimsides like a woman possessed. To say she was mad was an understatement. Ranma had not shown up at the scheduled time and, because of this, the meeting had been a complete failure. If a Peace Robot hadn�t been attracted to the sounds of gunfire, and removed her pursuers she was sure she would have been dead by now. She had to get out of the city as soon as possible. She could not afford to believe the Peace Robots had gotten everyone. After all, if she had been able to escape someone else could have.

For a while she had considered heading south, to the Cliffsides. She had grown up there and, even now, had quite a few contacts. She thought better of it when she realized it would be the first place anyone would look. The last thing she wanted was to have the Cliffsides torn up beyond belief. Not that anyone would notice. The Rim Crater was a better choice. No one lived there except hermits and farmers. But before she did all of this she had to give a certain pig-tailed promise-breaking idiot the beating of a lifetime. Consequences be damned.

                * * * * * * * * *  *

Genma stretched in extreme satisfaction. It was the best he had eaten for several years. In the past week he had paid off all his debts and hired an agent to find the best dwelling place in the Gentryways. He was beginning to believe he could get used to his new wealth. He could plan how he would rescue Ranma later. After all, it wasn�t as if his son was going anywhere soon.

He was just about to doze off when the noise of a souped up motor, generating several hundred horsepower, woke him. It was drowned out by the crash of a large armored catering van driving down an alleyway one meter too narrow. The noise stopped just below the apartment.  For a moment it was silent with just the sounds of shattered bricks settling. If he had been sober, Genma would have considered running.

All of a sudden his front door burst into several pieces. Ukyou stormed in carrying what looked like a very large spatula. "Where is he, Old Man?"  She demanded.

"Ah. Where is who?" Genma asked innocently.

"Don�t give me that you stupid Effgee bastard! That no good inbred son of yours!"

"Ranma?" I�m sorry, you just missed him. He had to go on an errand." Genma stammered, trying desperately to buy time.

Ukyou glared at the cowering man before her in disgust. She sat down on one of the two chairs in the apartment. "We�ll wait for him, " she said, leaning her spatula down on the table.

"Uh, That might not be a good idea. You see I haven�t seen him for several hours and there is no actual guarantee that he will be home tonight. I think it would be best if�"

"Shut up! Do you think I care? Ranma nearly got me killed. I want my pound of �." Ukyou stopped as she looked at two bottles of wine on the table. One was empty the other nearly finished. Both looked expensive. So did the half-eaten truffles and the Oni tobacco. She wondered how he could afford all this.  In all of the time that she had known Genma Saotome he had not worked an instant longer then he had to and was almost always broke. Suddenly she remembered all the stories that Ranma had told her about his father.  About his various scams and, even worse, the training exercises. She had thought they were excuses or jokes to show her that her life was not so bad. She should have known better. She should never have blamed him for her recent troubles. "What did you do to him?" She hissed.

"Do to Ranma?" Genma stammered. "Why, whatever makes you think I would possibly do something to my." Ukyou slammed the butt of her spatula into his stomach before he had a chance to finish. As he doubled over her knee shot up hitting him in the chin. Genma went sprawling into the wall..

"Let�s try this again." She growled. "What did you do to Ranma?"

Genma fingered his jaw and spat out a gob of blood. Slowly, he climbed back to his feet. "I don�t know what you�re talking about." He stammered. "My son left just an hour ago. If you think some thing happened to him then," Ukyou slammed the handle of her spatula into his forehead, knocking him back to the floor.

"Don�t give me that! That spread is worth 500 creds if it�s worth one; You�ve never worked a day in your life. And you�re too incompetent to steal. How else did you get the money?"

Genma mumbled something incoherently. Ukyo rose her spatula into a full swing. "The Governors! I SOLD HIM TO THE GOVERNORS!" Genma screamed in desperation.

The blade end of the spatula stopped just at his neck. A small drop of blood trickled down his throat. "If that�s your idea of a joke, I�m not laughing." Ukyou said in a low, threatening tone.

Genma coughed getting his breath back, as he crawled back to his chair. Ukyou spun her spatula around and rested it on the table. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off and she felt very tired. She sat down overwhelmed by the new information. "How?" she asked, "the Governors never leave the Ports."

"The man said he represented the Governors. He could have been a Peace Robot, I suppose. If I had known then what I know now"

"Oh just shut up. It sounds like someone conned you good. Even if your ridiculous story is true, are you out of your mind? What did you expect to do, steal him back? Renege on the deal completely? These are the GOVERNORS! A verbal agreement is binding to them! They don�t forget their agreements and if, by some miracle, you find yourself in the position you claim you�re in, you DEFINATELY don�t screw with them!"

Ukyou sniffed in disgust and glared at the cowering Genma. "So, what did you get for him?" She asked, her voice dripping with contempt. "A week�s worth of food at the restaurant of your choice? A free ticket off of this rock? Bus fair?"

He told her.

Ukyou gaped in disbelief. "By the void." She whispered. "I know people who would sell their own," she paused and glared at Genma, "and I�m looking at one right now."

"Now Ukyou. You�re being unreasonable. You have to understand my situation."

"Shut up!" Ukyou screamed. What I don�t understand is why they paid you that much in the first place! A human bondservant wouldn�t go for half a percent of that. What�s so special about my Ranchan?"

"I don�t know, he didn�t say," Genma said desperately. "All they did was offer me more money then I could possibly imagine.  I had to accept. What else could I do?"

"What else could you do?" Ukyou repeated, dripping with sarcasm as she turned to walk away. Genma breathed a sigh of relief that he had gotten away with a mere beating. He was caught completely off guard as Ukyou spun around and struck him in the face with her spatula. Genma fell to the ground spitting blood. The next blow broke several ribs. Ukyou in her anger lost all of her restraint and began to strike him over and over again. Finally she stood over the twitching and broken Saotome. "There," she gasped between breaths. Now you have something to spend your wealth on." She slung her spatula over her shoulder and walked out of the apartment slowly.

Ukyou broke into tears as she drove north to the Rimcrater in the Ucchan. "Ranchan," she whispered. "I�ll never see you again." Still, there was something about the whole affair that seemed fishy to her.

                * * * * * * * * *  *

Kasumi walked into the atrium, of the Tendou townhouse, after a fruitless search. "Kyoko?" she called.

"Yes, Mistress?" her assistant asked, appearing out of no where.

"Have you seen Nabiki anywhere?"

"No, Mistress, not since her meeting with Master Tendou. I could ask Yotsoya, or Akemi. They�re more likely to have seen her then I."

"Don�t worry. I haven�t seen her body guards either. She must have gone out already. This is awkward."

Akane entered, toweling herself off after her work out with Ranko.  "What�s awkward Kasumi?" she asked.

"Oh hello, Akane. Nabiki left without the Kunou�s payment. If we wait, the interest will begin to accrue." Kasumi said turning to her little sister, still deep in thought.  "I�d go myself but the function is tonight and I haven�t finished the preparations."

Paying the Mayors their share of the freeport�s gross profits was no laughing matter. One could not simply send a bondservant to do it. For the sake of protocol, it was extremely important for the client, or a member of the client�s family, to make the payment in person. Otherwise they could inadvertently show disrespect to their "patrons".

"Can�t we pay them at the Function, Mistress?" Kyoko asked.

Kasumi shook her head. "I�m afraid it just wouldn�t do. To start with, the day will be over when the Function begins, by accepting our money in our home it will appear as if Kunou is abusing our hospitality. He must not lose face by breaking protocol, and, before you ask, sending it by electronic means would be equally rude. Thank you for suggesting though."

"I can go, Kasumi," Akane said cheerfully.

"Oh no. Akane. You mustn�t," Kasumi said shocked.

"Kasumi! I�m old enough. I�ll be safe. I have a bodyguard now! That�s what you bought her for isn�t it?" Akane said slightly exasperated.

"That�s not what I meant, Akane.  It�s clear weather, are you sure you want to go out? You and Ranko will have to dress appropriately." Kasumi said sternly.

Akane sighed. "Clear weather," meant the Star would be out in all of its searing glory. An unforgiving pinprick, burning, in the day sky fully capable of blinding anyone foolish enough to look at it unprotected or worse. Even with the goggles it was difficult to look directly at the Star for more then a minute. Only clear weather could make Akane miss Doozy Sack�s perpetual gloom. There were many people who said that, at over nine astronomical units away, Doozy Sack was too far away for the Star to harm anyone with, its high intensity ultraviolet radiation, but most people still feared the Star, and honored the traditions of the past. Most people did not even risk the Star�s wrath and simply stayed indoors.

Standard clear weather gear consisted of a white star mask and a protective body stocking that went under clothes and changed color depending on the intensity of the light. The mask was the latest model. It looked like a Noh mask made of fine porcelain. What appeared to be porcelain was actually a soft, flexible polymer. It was white except for exaggerated rosy cheeks and red lips and a left eyebrow that was painted in a thin black arch trailing down the bridge of the nose. The eyeholes were covered with refractive lenses that looked like twin pieces of polished onyx.

Ranko�s gear was nowhere near as impressive. It consisted of long flowing robes, a hat with a wide floppy brim, and  a basic face plate and sun goggles that were more appropriate for spot welding then going to the beach. This was standard wear for a new servant.

Ranko took the gear; put it on slowly, and watched her mistress do the same. "Shouldn�t you wrap up your pet as well?" she asked as she saw Akane pick up the small black piglet.

"P-Chan will be all right." Akane said in a matter of fact tone. P-Chan nodded in agreement. There was something Ranko didn�t like about the pig. For one thing it had been staring at her since it had first seen her. If she didn�t know any better she would have sworn that it didn�t trust her. She shrugged and followed her mistress outside.

Kasumi and Kyoko waited for them at the door. Kyoko handed Ranko the Kunou�s payment in a large leather pouch.

"Remember nothing is to happen to Akane." Kasumi said looking directly at Ranko. "This is your first and foremost responsibility. No matter what she says, protect her at all costs." Ranko nodded nervously. There was something about Kasumi that made her think that, even if she had a choice in the matter, she would never do anything so foolish as to disobey Kasumi.

Kasumi smiled and turned to her younger sister. "I want you to be careful Akane. People can get a little crazy in clear weather. I thought you might like to help Ichinose a little bit in the kitchen to make some dishes when you get back."

"You really mean that Kasumi?" Akane asked with excitement and disbelief.  Behind her Kyoko was turning pale.  Kasumi nodded. Akane rushed up and hugged her sister. "Oh thank you Kasumi. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Just you wait you wait. I�ll make the best dish ever! Come on Ranko!" With that she ran out of the house.

Kyoko watched the two girls run down the empty streets and turned to her mistress. "Forgive my rudeness, Mistress, but is that wise? Remember what happened the last time you let her into the kitchen."

"No, that�s quite all right. It is a calculated risk. You see there are going to be several Lollygaggers at the function tonight and I want everything to be special."

"I�ll warn Ichinose then."

"Yes I think that would be a good idea."

* * * * * * * * * *

The walk to the Lazy Fair had been pleasant though quiet. Only the low rumble of imperial ships landing in the Northport, broke the silence.  The locals had already become jaded to the fleet. The other day Akane had watched one of the Jurai�s carriers descend. It was two kilometers long and was easily the largest ship to arrive so far, It no longer impressed anyone.

"We will catch a cab when we get to the Fair." Akane said. "With any luck it won�t take to long to get too the Gentryways after that."

"Mistress?" Ranko asked finely.

"Yes, what is it?"

"What is the function that Kasumi and the others keep talking about?"

Akane sighed. "Officially it�s a celebration. Tonight I will be welcomed into the community as an adult."

"I see. What is it for, really?"

Akane turned and stared at Ranko in surprise. She had never seen a bondservant, who had just been born again, that cynical. "The Void take us all," she muttered shaking her head. "In reality the function is a meeting of the business community to plan how to best exploit the coming of the fleets for the next few months as well as how to plan for the increased population caused by all of the camp followers such as Mercenaries and Freetraders."

"That sounds very important," Ranko said impressed.

"Oh yes. I honestly don�t know how we could possibly live without it," Akane muttered.

Ranko decided that her mistress did not want to talk about it any longer and remained silent.

There was a huge crowd at the Fair when they arrived, mostly human and very vocal. It was centered on a man standing on the buyer�s platform shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Anarchists." Akane muttered to herself. There were many political groups living in the city. Worlds such as Doozy Sack attracted the disenfranchised in droves. Peace Robots only took those that presented a threat to the community. That was fair. After all, the Governors believed in freedom as long as everyone did what they were told.

This was not enough for the Anarchists; they seemed to harbor the illusion that the Governors could be defeated. Akane had never understood this. What was the point of rebellion? To burn down the city out of spite? Even if a rebellion was successful, so what? Doozy Sack was a single grain in a bucket of sand in the eyes of the Governors.

Today�s speaker was no exception. He was a small wiry and very loud man going on about all of his grievances against the world. There was something familiar about him. It wasn�t just the way that he bore himself on the podium. It was the little things that just didn�t seem right.  For one thing, his clothes, though the standard attire for the Rimsides, looked a little too new.  He also looked a little too well fed. Adding all of these factors gave Akane a sense of D�j� vu.

Judging by the banner he wore around his chest, he was a member of the Children of the Grak, one of the larger and more annoying groups that made a nuisance of themselves in the Rimsides.  Akane had seen enough of them passing out fliers over the years. For the most part they were harmless. Of course, with Peace Robots around, so were terrorists and murderers.

The Anarchist had chosen this day well.  The crowd would be his own, and he would not have to worry about normal citizens objecting. He would only have to preach to his personal choir.

"For years we have believed we lived under the heel of oppression." He said into his microphone.  "I come here to tell you, that is not so." He paused to listen to the cheer of the crowd. "For too long we have let the Governors tell us what to do, and we have hidden when their servants have come to enforce their laws. Today that will come to an end, for today we will fight back!"

Akane gasped as she heard the anarchist speak. Stargoggles, wide brimmed hat, and a scarf over his mouth may have hidden his face, but it could not disguise his voice. "I know who that is," she whispered to Ranko.  "I met him at a party once. He�s the son of a first generation cloth merchant who lives on the edge of the Gentryways. Wish I could remember what his name was." Akane smiled in amusement, "amazing what people will do for attention."  Ranko shrugged but said nothing.

Loud cheering drowned out Akane�s comments.  The speaker waved for them to stop. "I stand before you today as a single man who is unafraid, a single man who knows that together we can stand our ground against the Governors. Together we can burn their blight on this land and bring their Starports down upon them. Together we can act in the name of Freedom!"

The crowd exploded into an uproar with chants off "Freedom!" and "Death to the enforcers! Death to the Governors! Power to our species!"

The Anarchist was on a roll and readied himself for his finale.  "The Governors have no hold over us! We do not fear them! And we will destroy them!"

The crowd had turned strangely silent.

"We do not fear the governors!" The anarchist shouted louder with emphasis. He stopped as he heard the only noise, besides the wind blowing and the distant rumble of landing ships, was a low hum. He realized just why his followers were silent.

A single Peace Robot hovered over the crowd. Everyone stood frozen as it passed above them. Slowly it drifted across the fairground until it stopped within a meter of  the speaker. The anarchist stood frozen as the Peace Robot slowly orbited around him, it�s sensor cluster never turning away from him.  After what felt like an eternity it zipped away, seemingly unconcerned by what it had just seen.

It was at this point that someone decided to throw a rock at the Peace Robot.

The Peace Robot whipped around, with a loud snap, firing a laser that destroyed the rock before it even got close to its target. In the same second it fired a stun bolt at its assailant with pinpoint accuracy. The man fell to the ground. Everyone around him jumped away as if he carried the plague. The Peace Robot then flew off, responding to an unheard summons.

There was silence for the next minute as the crowd waited until they were sure that the Peace Robot was gone. The crowd turned to the Anarchist who was still unable to move.

"How dare you?" one demanded.

"Troublemaker!" shouted another, "you people are all alike! Keep it up and they�ll punish you for sure!"

"DO YOU WANT ALL OF US TO BE BORN AGAIN?" A woman shouted, throwing a bottle at the speaker. The Anarchist jumped off of the podium covering his head with his hands to protect himself from the rain of garbage and rocks.

Akane and Ranko watched in the far back of the crowd safe from any possible danger. "Well, that was entertaining." Akane said shaking her head in amusement. "But we really have to get moving. She looked around for any possible Taxicabs. The only one that she could see was a large Gaff-drawn carriage driven by a Lollygagger. "Only in clear weather," She muttered to herself.

The Lollygagger gurgled an inquiry.

"Take us to the western end of the Gentryways and step on it." Akane said, climbing into the carriage.

The Lollygagger looked confused for a second, and belched a query.

"Just drive as fast as you can." Akane sighed.

The Lollygagger quivered in its equivalent of a shrug and shook the carriage�s reigns.

"Mizunkoji! That�s what his name is, Tobimaro Mizukoji!" Akane exclaimed in excitement as the carriage moved slowly towards the Gentryways.

* * * * * * * * * *

The roads collectively referred to as the Gentryways went up into a series of hills, which contained one of the most affluent communities on Doozy Sack. Strategically situated between two Ports it was the home of Plutocrats, merchants and of course Mayors. Akane was always impressed when she entered the Gentryways proper. Compared to the Rimsides, the streets were crowded for a clear weather day. Since nearly everyone in the Gentryways could afford appropriate gear, there was little reason to fear the Star. And what gear! Akane felt shoddy just looking at it.

The term Mayor was a bit of a misnomer. Mayors on Doozy Sack were not elected officials. It was the popular euphemism for the heads of certain families and organizations. Bribes and corpses counted the Mayors votes.  For the past few centuries humanity lived on Doozy Sack, the Peace Robots had done little about the Mayors hold over the Rimsides. Whether they tolerated or ignored the Mayors� path to ascendancy will never be known. If they took anyone it was generally the dumb ones and so the Mayors prospered and became respectable.

The Kunous were one of the four families that held control of the areas directly around the Lazy Fair in a very delicate balance. Who knew what would happen if even one of the houses fell.

The Kunou townhouse stood near the western end of the Gentryways and had a very good view of the Lazy Fair and the southernmost parts of the Rimsides. There were houses that were more impressive then the Kunou�s but certainly not many. Everything was made quite lavishly out of wooden logs no doubt imported at great expense.  A huge tribal mask topped the huge doorway. Two guards stood at both sides of the door.

"Akane Tendou of Heaven�s Way Freeport to see the Lord Mayor Kunou." Akane said formally. One of the guards nodded and led them into the Townhouse.

The house steward greeted them at the door of the conference room. He was a little man with buckteeth and whiskers who covered his head with a brown hood.

"Hello, Mistress Akane, it is good to see you all grown up. Congratulations on your coming of age. I hope to see more of you. I am Sasuke, chief steward of this house. I apologize for any delay, but the Lord Mayor is unavailable. Young Master Kunou is handling affairs today."

Akane somehow managed to hide her frustration, though it didn�t really surprise her. The Lord Mayor had been "unavailable" for almost a year now. Tatewaki, his son had been handling most of the family affairs, at least the ones that required a public face.

"Ah, Master Kunou is available. You may enter now," the steward said opening the door to the conference room.

The conference room was a long, ornate, chamber with the walls decorated with murals of large fierce looking fish. There were twelve guards dressed in the manner of what Nabiki had once described as Samurai. (Some sort of elite warrior caste from the Old World that Kunou claimed he was descended from. Having heard the thick freetrader patois the Lord Mayor, his father, spoke in, Akane doubted his claim very much.

Tatewaki Kunou sat at the end of the chamber finishing his audience with his last client. He looked up to see Akane waiting. He dismissed the client with a gesture. "Ah the fair Akane Tendou here all by herself. For what do I owe this honor?" He asked.

Akane bowed in submission and approached. "Heaven�s Way Freeport sends me to provide this months payment my lord." She gestured to Ranko who came forward with the satchel that contained the payment.

"Ah, a fair scarlet flower. Is she part of the tribute as well?" Kunou asked. Ranko stared at him in shock.

"No, my Lord. Ranko serves me alone." Akane said dryly.

Kunou shrugged. "It is well. It is unseemly for one such as I to own such a," he paused, "but Akane Tendou. I see that the rumors are true. You have come of age and are thus available."

"We just require your receipt and we will be on our way My Lord." Akane said, trying to keep her composure.

"No, this can not be, " Kunou said, getting up from his chair. "The fair, sweet, unplucked Akane Tendou plays hard to get. To arouse the passions of those who admire her from afar. It is unseemly to ignore the advances of one as noble and prestigious as I. Akane Tendou, I would court you!"

He rushed towards Akane with his arms outstretched. Ranko was in front of her mistress in an instant, striking Kunou in the jaw. Kunou went sprawling to the ground. Ranko stood in front of Akane with her fist still stretched out in a defensive pose. For a moment there was silence.

It was broken immediately as all 12 guards drew their weapons in unison. Akane could smell the ozone, as the zapsticks activated, and hear the crackle of electricity. She knew zapsticks were non-lethal, but they were painful, and too much exposure could short-circuit every neuron in your brain.

She stepped closer to Ranko who looked as if she was ready for anything. Akane wasn�t too sure. "Get ready P-chan," she whispered. The little black piglet nodded as its eyes began to glow.

"What vitality." Akane turned to see Kunou getting up and rubbing his jaw. "What energetic beauty." He continued, ignoring everything around him except for Ranko.

Akane watched as the guards backed away. She grabbed Ranko by the shoulder and forced her down to the ground as she bowed low before Kunou. "Please take pity on this lowly one my lord!" she shouted staring at the floor if I had her trained better you would have not been harmed. She will not forget this day! When I am through with her she will wish she were never born. She will beg your forgiveness!" Ranko hit her head against the floor in a forced kow tow.

"No, no that is quite unnecessary." Kunou said, "to have the audacity to strike this august form . . . I must have her. Akane Tendou, name your price for the pigtailed girl."

"You flatter me with your forgiveness, my lord, but my useless unworthy servant one is hardly fit for the likes of you I would do you a disservice to offer her to you." Akane pressed Ranko into another bow. Hoping that Kunou would not see her gritted teeth.

"Nonsense, I will give you five thousand credits for her." Kunou said, producing a handful of credits.

"Oh my lord, how I wish that I could indeed give her to you as a gesture of good faith, but bondservants are the property of the house hold. You will have to discuss the matter with my sister, Kasumi" Akane said trying to buy more time. She was saved as the steward returned with the receipt. Akane took it with a nod of thanks and pulled Ranko up by the arm. "A pleasant day to you my Lord, I hope to see you again soon.  She turned and walked slowly out of the conference room dragging Ranko behind her.

Kunou sat down and watched the two girls leave. "They are a feisty pair, aren�t they, Sasuke?" he said still rubbing his jaw.

"Oh yes, most definitely, young master." The Steward answered.

"And yet she flees from the glory of my presence. Am I too overwhelming?"

"Oh I wouldn�t say that Young Master, but young ladies are timid. Perhaps your forwardness scared them. Perhaps a more subtle and romantic approach would be more appropriate."

"Yes that has to be it, Sasuke," Kunou mussed, "frightened by my glory as the sweet young innocent does that they are. Perhaps, perhaps if they saw just how dangerous the forest is they will run to my bosom desperate for comfort and protection."

"I�ll get on it right away, young master."

                # # # # # ## # # #

Akane breathed a sigh of relief as they exited. "Why in the void did you do that?" She asked turning to Ranko.

"Mistress?"

"Why did you hit him? In his own house? Did you want to get us killed? Did you want him to take his revenge on my entire family?"

"He attacked you, Mistress. I thought you were in danger."

"I�m only going to tell you once, Ranko. You will know I am in danger when I shout �Help. Ranko. I�m in danger.� Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Good. Now, come along we�ve wasted quite enough time already. I want to get home as soon as possible. Kasumi�s letting me cook." Akane turned and walked to the cab.

Ranko stood for a moment watching her mistress walking. Even though Kasumi had told her to ignore Akane in these areas it still felt like a conflict of interest. "Kawaiikune." She muttered under her breath. She covered her mouth in shock. She had no idea where that had come from.

                    * * * * * * * * * *

�Thomas Paine," Tobimaro Mizukoji slurred as he slammed his fifth whiskey onto the bar, "was an Asshole! Fair weather patriots, indeed!"

The Glass House Saloon was a popular establishment at the west corner of the Lazy Fair. It was known for its large mirrors that gave the place a wonderfully bright and open feeling and its wide selection of exotic beverages at a reasonable price. Normally, at this time of day, it was very crowded. However, during clear weather it was often empty except for a few customers. Mizokoji had come here after escaping the angry mob and was now quite drunk.

"How dare they!" he asked the empty room yet again. "All the Enforcers have to do is make the smallest display of power and everyone betrays me! They�ll pay for this, by damn, trust me; they will pay for this."

Polly, the Tengu bartender and owner of the GlassHouse Saloon, bobbed his head in a gesture of understanding and sympathy. Business had been slow today. Clear weather was always like this. All potential customers, who could, stayed home, rather then risk the dangers of being roasted by the Star. But this male human was helping them make up some lost revenue. He was drinking, ranting, and then drinking some more, but as long as it didn�t interfere with other customers, self-pity was very good for business.

Polly couldn�t help wonder though. From the Gossip he had heard (and Polly loved gossip) the male human had spoken out against the governors and had stood up to a Peace Robot! This human had to be a slow goer Polly thought to himself, using one of the less flattering terms for the human first generation. There were rumors that that the first generation of human�s had traveled through the void in suspended animation. Could the cold storage have killed their brain cells? It would explain much. Only slowgoers constantly forgot what the Governors were capable of.

Polly found human behavior constantly fascinating. He had found that running a bar was the perfect method to dabble in his hobby of xeno-sociology. There were things he would never understand, of course. For example, why humans referred to the trrYreeayllK(phrik)Kak!  as Tengu at all. Polly was in the debt of one female human who was willing to explain as she served him carrion Okonomiyaki. It still made very little sense as he had studied the picture she had given him. He saw no similarity other then the black feathers and the beak. And the description of the creature in the book, "Mischievous wind spirits?" the trrYreeayllK(phrik)Kak! were an honorable and solid people. Polly had categorized it into his collection of "cultural eccentricities" and filled another glass with grain alcohol.

"This one quite sure they not intend it, Kak! That how this one hear it, Kak!" Polly commented. "Fear, Kak! is most powerful motivator."

"That is not good enough!" Mizukoji shouted. "They let their weaknesses get the better of them. Look at them they hide!"

"Is the male human sure? Phrik! It clear weather outside, Kak! Why one want to burn when they has shade? Phrik? Those humans over there is away from home too, Kak! Is they brave? Phrik?" Polly gestured towards his only other customers as he shook his head in a symbol of interrogation and query.

The Anarchist turned to look at the people that Polly mentioned. There were two other patrons at the bar right now, a man sitting in a private booth and a woman sitting at a table near the bar. The man wore a wide brimmed hat that hid most of his face in shadow. The rest was covered in a scrubby beard. He sipped his drink as he eyed the door to the saloon. Another man entered and sat down next to the bearded man. He was young and handsome, dressed in the manner of one of Kunou�s bodyguards. He casually fingered the weapon resting on his lap as he looked around the room. Neither said anything. The bearded man lit a cigarette. The silence was broken as Polly leaped over the bar to get the newcomers order.

Mizukoji turned in irritation as Polly�s long feathered tail brushed against his face by accident. It brought his attention back to the woman sitting alone at the table. She had taken off all her clear weather robes  except a wide brimmed hat revealing a nice figure. She nursed a drink and appeared to be crying.

Mizukoji bolted down his whiskey, and smiled. "Looks like there are people who need help after all," he said to Polly who had returned to get the man�s order and temporarily perched on top of the bar.

Polly bobbed his head up and down in an expression of agreement and conspiracy. Humans may not have sensible hormonal cycles, but their mating rituals were endlessly fascinating. "Go and catch her, Kak! You carnivorous mammal, Kak! You, Kak!" Polly tried his best to emulate what he had heard one patron refer to as male bonding.

Mizukoji got up and walked over to her table feeling more than a little concerned. "Is something the matter?" He asked.

"Go away," the girl mumbled, not even looking up.

"No, you look as if you�ve had some trouble. I want to help," Mizukoji said sincerely.

"No one can help me." She burst into tears. Finishing her drink. Mizukoji put his hand on her shoulder. "Don�t touch me!" She hissed, glaring right at him revealing her face for the first time. Once it had been a pretty face. Now it was awful. A leather patch covered what was once her right eye. It did not cover the terrible damage that had been done to the rest of her face. There was no way it could have been an accident. Long scars covered half of her face looking like shattered mirror. Whoever had done this had used a knife and had been very creative.

Mizukoji jumped back in shock. "Who did this to you?" he demanded.

The girl blinked with her one good eye. "It doesn�t matter. There�s nothing you can do about it. There�s nothing anyone can do about it! The Mayors� princelings will always get away with whatever they want. They�re rich enough."

"Princelings?" Mizukoji. For the son of a Mayor to abuse the power he wrongfully held was anathema, but the knowledge did not help the Anarchist at all. Most of the local Mayors had sons. He had gone to school with some of them. "Which one? Mendou? Kunou?"

"Sanzenan. Pretty as a god, and twice as evil, Mikado Sanzenan," she sobbed. "He wanted me, �a mere kiss� he claimed. I refused, so he grabbed me and he, he�" She broke down again, unable to speak through her sobbing.

"Sanzenan, typical," Mizukoji muttered.   Mikado Sanzenan was one of the princelings that he didn�t know personally, but he had heard of the young playboy�s quest to "�kiss� a thousand girls." He had never imagined that even the Mayors would stoop to this level to get what they wanted. "This is unacceptable," he stammered. "Why didn�t the Peace Robots stop him?"

"Peace Robots?" the girl sneered. "The mayors own the Peace Robots! The Governors sell them wholesale. They serve anyone rich enough and step on anyone else. Peace Robots watched as he. . . . as he.." She broke into tears yet again. Shaking uncontrollably.

"Well if they won�t do anything," Mizukoji growled, "someone must. The Mayors must pay. That little bastard can not be allowed to live!"

"No you can�t! They�ll kill you!" the girl shouted. "Give up; it�s pointless. You can�t do anything!"

"That is what they want you to believe!" Mizukoji shouted. "I may be killed; but if I do nothing I have already lost. The Mayors and their masters will fall! Someday soon, truth, justice and anarchy will prevail!" He turned and stormed out of the Bar.

"Don�t go! Please!" The girl screamed. But it was too late, he was gone. She regained her composure and removed her wide brimmed hat and ran her fingers through her short brown hair. The two other patrons got up from their booth. The clean cut one walked to the door and watched the Anarchist run down the street. He nodded to the bearded one who went to the girl�s table and handed her an ornate Starmask.

"Weren�t you laying it on a little thick, Mistress?" he asked.

Nabiki Tendou smiled as she peeled off her scar tissue. "Jigen, Jigen, Jigen. After all I�ve taught you. If you want someone to believe you, lie loudly."
                    End of chapter 2

All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Kosuke Fujishima, Pioneer and Monkey Punch. Doozysack, Lollygaggers, Mama Prime, Peace Robots, Governors and anything else you don't immediatly recognize as anime belongs to me. So without further ado. Montanto Productions proudly presents.

                      Shantyworld
                    A Ranma Fanfic
                  With Gratuitous Cameos

                        Chapter 3

                       The Party


"Have I displeased you, Mistress? Am I being punished? Please let me know, please." Ichinose, the house cook, was normally a very good natured and indomitable little woman. Today she seemed frantic, almost terrified.

Kasumi smiled and shook her head. "Oh no, Ichinose, we love you, but everything has to be perfect for the guests tonight, and that does include the Lollygaggers."

"But they eat sewage!"

"Yes, but they're very picky about it, and you know how they worship Akane."

Ichinose nodded, as she silently cursed that void forsaken culinary data pack.

"Cooking with Akane" had started as one of Nabiki's jokes. She had taken security footage of her sister's desperate attempts at cooking, added narration and distributed it to the Lollygagger community. Much to everyone's surprise, especially Nabiki's, it sold out immediately. Word of the human prodigy had traveled through the Rimsides like wildfire and quickly to the rest of Doozy Sack. Even on nearby worlds, Akane had become the Lollygaggers' most popular icon.

Though reluctant to forgive her sister and not sure what to make of her "celebrity status", Akane could not deny that her "cookbooks" were responsible for over a quarter of the family income. While she was willing to help her family in any way, she still dreamed of creating dishes that could be appreciated by her own species.

Since rumors of a function catered by Akane Tendou guaranteed the attendance of every prominent member of the Lollygagger community, the rest of the Tendous hoped her fantasy would never come to pass, even if they had to fumigate the kitchen once a week.

"I'll make sure she doesn't do any damage, Mistress," Ichinose said meekly.

"Very good, then I won't hold you up any longer. You must have the kitchen ready as soon as possible. Akane will be here in an hour or so."

"Yes, Mistress," Ichinose whispered and trudged towards the kitchen.  Kasumi returned her attention to her schedule.

-  *  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -

"Well that's everything," Akane said, walking out of the last shop, her list in one hand and her pet piglet in the other. As much as she hated to admit it, clear weather was one of the best times to shop; there were never any crowds. Ranko walked behind her, staggering under the weight of six packages.

"I've never seen Old Man McCoy give up so much as a subcred. Where did you learn to haggle like that?" Akane asked.

"I wish I knew, Mistress," Ranko said from behind the packages.

Akane shrugged and looked around for their taxicab.

"Mistress?"

"What is it?"

"Would you have sold me to the Mayor's son if you could have?"

Void, she must think I'm in a good mood. "Don't worry, Ranko. If you had displeased me that much, I'd have had you shot first."

"Thank you, Mistress."

"The Void take, that shuffling fool left us here!" Akane shouted. The Lollygagger taxi driver was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm sure we can catch it on foot," Ranko muttered.

Akane ignored the jibe. Bad as lollygagger taxis were, one could not be choosy on a clear weather day. She had to be home soon. Kasumi was counting on her. "Come on, I know a short cut," she said, motioning for Ranko to follow her.

The short cut was a long alleyway which cut vertically from the Lazy Fair to the Rimsides. Normally Akane would avoid it even if the area were swarming with Peace Robots. It was a long dark cavern of houses with many places for some neer do well to hide. On a clear weather day, it was worth the chance.  It was when they had gone half way through that Akane knew she had made a mistake.

"Going some where young Miss?" a voice from behind asked. Akane and Ranko turned slowly. She hated being wrong.

There were about ten of them, dressed in ragged cloaks, star goggles and floppy hats, standard clear weather gear. Akane glanced behind in hopes of seeing a chance of escape. Instead, even more toughs blocked the end of the alley.

The leader, dressed all in black, drew a crackling zapstick. "Two pretty girls like you, so sociable and pleasant should be more careful," he sneered as he sauntered towards them. Ranko dropped her parcels and assumed a defensive stance. Several of the men drew guns from out of their robes. The leader laughed hard. "Not a good idea, Little Miss, not a good idea at all," he said with a carnivorous grin. "We don�t want a fight here. After all, there's a chance we might loose."

Akane watched as the others produced guns and zapsticks. She wondered if there was Peace Robot nearby. Screaming would attract them, of course, but so would gunfire either way it would be too late. Everything would all be over before the Peace Robots had a chance to neutralize anybody.

Before Akane could do anything Ranko pounced on the gang leader snarling. In one swift move she had taken the zapstick and sent him sprawling into a pile of trash. She was able to disarm two of the gunman before the rest of the gang members rushed and tackled her. Ranko struggled in vain to fend off the massive dog pile but slipped and fell. The rest of the gang aimed their guns as two more grabbed Akane.

This is not good, Akane thought as she watched one of the men stagger back from the pile spitting teeth.  The only reason none of the others have fired yet is because they're afraid of hitting their comrades, and Ranko can't fend them off forever. There was only one thing to do. Something that she was praying she would only have to use as a last resort.

"P-Chan save us!" she shouted. The small black piglet leaped out of her arms into the air its eyes glowed a bright red. It landed on the ground squealing in rage, glowing a faint blue.

BOOM!!!!!!

The dark lenses of her star mask saved her eyes as the animal exploded in a blinding flash. When the light faded the pig was gone. Standing in a smoldering crater was a young man.  He looked to be at least 16 dressed in a yellow tunic and green pants. P-Chan's Magnanimous Tiger bandana kept his shaggy hair out of his eyes. A long staff was strapped to his back. He cracked his knuckles and revealed long sharp fangs when he smiled.

Before anyone had a chance to react he struck the two of the men holding Akane in the face. They crumbled to the ground. In an instant, moving almost too fast to follow, he leaped on the pile of men attacking Ranko tossing them aside like rag dolls. Several of the gang members who were still armed drew their guns and shot at Akane.

The man leaped in front of Akane. Whipping his staff out from his back, he thrust it at his attackers. "SCARLET LIGHT SHIELD," he said in a dry monotone. Red light flared from the tip of the staff making it look for a second like a large red umbrella and it deflected the gun's fire with ease. The remaining gang members turned and ran.

"Ranko, let's get out of here, now." Akane said as she helped her servant pick up her packages.

"But Mistress."

"Now, Ranko."

Ranko grabbed the rest of the packages and followed Akane to the exit. She turned briefly to watch as the remaining gangsters ran off. The man made no effort to chase them. Pointing his hand in their direction and began to glow a bright blue. A glowing ball appeared floating in front of his open palm.

"ROARING LION BULLET," he said calmly. It flew from his hand and exploded as it hit its target.

Ranko looked in amazement as the man stood over his unconscious, twitching victims. Electricity began to arc around him.

"Hurry up, Ranko," Akane hissed grabbing her by the shoulder. Ranko turned and followed Akane. They stopped and hid behind a closed stall. A flash of white light came from the alleyway as the noise of a large explosion rocked the ground.

For a second it was quiet all of a sudden P-Chan darted out of the alleyway. He paused for a second looking around and ran off in another direction. "Shouldn't we catch him before he gets lost, Mistress?" she asked.

Akane said nothing as she got up and quietly walked away from the stall. Ranko had no choice but to follow. Behind her she could hear a frighteningly familiar humming sound.  She glanced just long enough to see two Peace Robots and a carrier unit dart into the alleyway. "Don't look behind you," Akane whispered. Ranko turned her head forward and continued walking after her mistress. Neither said anything for the next half-hour. Only when they were within a half a kilometer from the Tendou Compound did Akane take a long breath of relief.

"That was too close," she said slowly. "The electromagnetic pulse, P-Chan's transformation causes, shuts down most of the smaller listening units, but you would have to be both blind and death to miss the commotion even a click away. P-Chan should be okay. His random direction generator will be running for at least forty-eight hours. Any one trying to chase him will be very frustrated to say the least. Still, you can never be too careful when Peace Robots are involved."

"Listening Units? I didn't know the Governors used anything besides Peace Robots."

"They don't."

"What?"

"There is no evidence that the Governors have anything smaller then Peace Robots to maintain order," Akane said slowly, succinctly and loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear her. "Oh, and Ranko?"

"Mistress?"

"I trust you know R.Y.O.U.G.A. units are illegal."

"Yes, Mistress."

"And the Tendous are a law abiding family."

"Yes, Mistress."

"That was my little P-Chan."

"Yes, Mistress."

-  *  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -

Nabiki sat alone, in the dining room, making some final notes for the party as she finished her supper.  Ever since she had received her specialized neural upgrades she preferred to eat alone. It was just more comfortable. Besides, it gave her the time to think.

Taking a bite of her vegetable curry she watched the guest list scroll down before her. She highlighted names she and began to prioritize those that were the most important. As she did, case histories and portraits came into view. Taking another bite of curry she downloaded all relevant information into her memory. She frowned took a sip of wine and ate some more curry. It was useful but still a bit sparse. "Give me the dirt file," she said out loud, with her mouth full, looking at files of five merchants she considered useful. More data filled the air.

Interesting, the merchant on the top of her list had been fighting ongoing rumors of pedophilia. It was convenient to have so much information available to verify these rumors.  If negotiations became difficult she was sure the merchant would be happy to see it. The others on the list only had the usual skeletons that accompanied success. Nothing much really but with the right nudge here and there and people could become remarkably flexible.

"The Void take him!' she swore as she looked at the last merchant on the list. "How in the 10 systems does McCoy do it?" She had nothing on the old skinflint.  "The fact every one thinks he's a total bastard isn't enough. I need proof!" She shouted. A symbol indicating insufficient data appeared over the table. Nabiki stared at it and sniffed in disgust  "Oh well, won't be the first time I've had to get by on good looks," she muttered doubting if even that would work. One of the many unverified slanders she had on McCoy claimed he was a eunuch.

"Who else will be there? Any late arrivals Daddy and Kasumi may have invited on the spur of the moment?" Another list appeared, shorter but still quite impressive. "Well, well, well, the Minotaur fleet, how did I miss hearing about that one?  It just shows how busy I've been this week. Put that on my priority list, this one can't get away. Give me a cultural overview with an emphasis on protocol. I don't want to get myself hurt over an unintentional faux pas."  Nabiki gasped in pain as she suddenly memorized several tomes worth of history, literature, biology, language and xeno-sociology. "I can take this, I can take this," she whispered biting her lip so hard it bled. The sensation was akin to having a fully charged zapstick pressed to the back of her head. She collapsed on the table gasping for breath as the download finished. She gulped down the rest of her wine in an attempt to ease the pain. It was quite a bit to take in all at once. "Don't worry," she muttered as she refilled her glass and rubbed her forehead. "You can forget it all later."

"Alright, one last thing and then it's show time," she said with her mouth full of curry. "I need a list of possible gatecrashers. Not the riff raff, just the ones we can't afford to throw out." She studied the list and smiled with surprise. "Well, what do you know? Kunou-chan will be gracing us with his presence tonight, and he usually turns down our formal invitations. For what do we owe this honor?"

A detailed description of Akane's visit to the Kunou estate filled her mind. She smiled. "Akane-chan, you've been a very naughty girl. This promises to be a very interesting evening."

"Yotsoya, I'll be having my bath in ten minutes. Have everything ready," she said into the intercom. "Also, lay out an appropriate dress for the party, the one with the feathers I think, and painkillers, lots of painkillers."

Nabiki finished her curry, and washed it down with some wine. She leaned back, in her chair, digesting all of the raw data. "Daddy you may not know this, but you're a very ambitious man. And isn't it the duty of every daughter to fulfill her father's fondest dreams?"

- *  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -
-
The Star had finally set for the day much to the relief of everyone in the Rimsides.  It was still clear and the sky was darker then usual. The white glare of the Star was replaced with the comforting blood red glow of Mama Prime. The Monitor had reported that clouds were beginning to gather and soon Doozy Sack would return to its usual level of gloom. The streets were remarkably active for this hour, as people, desperately tried to make up for the time that they had lost avoiding the Star's piercing brightness, tried to finish a myriad of chores. The noise of the crowds nearly drowned out the distant rumble of the fleets landing in the Northport.

The traffic coming down from the Gentryways to the Rimsides was unusually thick as hundreds of members of the rich and important headed towards the Tendou family townhouse. This was understandable. The Tendou function had been the talk of the town for many weeks. Kasumi had a reputation for planning the finest parties around. Her table was always superb (with the exception of dishes aimed at other species, but that, of course, was intended). This in itself was incentive to go, but there were other reasons to come.  Most importantly this was the perfect opportunity to talk about certain matters quietly and under the table. The presence of the Imperial Fleets and all of the ships, both mercenary and mercantile, was a golden opportunity for everyone, but the level of success was dependent on how well everyone planned ahead. Oh yes, and of course it was a proper to wish the youngest Tendou a happy birthday and a good coming of age.

The party was already beginning to pick up and only half of the guests had arrived. Anyone who was any one was there. Kasumi had thought of everything. The food, dancing, and entertainment were magnificent. The current performance consisted of a quintet of human females singing what had been described as first generation folksongs from the human home world.

Kasumi looked over her work as she greeted the guests one by one. She smiled at the satisfaction of a job well done. As usual, everything was perfect. In fact, she had just one problem.

"Kyouko, I was sure I asked you to tell the band not to play that song."

"Which song, Mistress?"

The one they're playing now, It's so annoying, and what's worse you can't get it out of your head after you've heard it once."

"Oh, 'Don't Make Me Wild Like You,' Mistress Akane requested it specifically. She said it was her favorite."

"Oh did she?" Kasumi muttered. Akane needed an opportunity to rebel. It might as well be tonight. "Oh well, the guests seem to enjoy it, and I liked the song they did about the red shoes. We may have to book them again."

"I'll make a note of that, Mistress. You know there's something familiar about them."

"Really? I don�t see that at all. Have you seen Akane? She should be here helping me greet our guests."

"Here she comes now, Mistress."

Akane walked through the crowd with Ranko close behind her. She gave a polite nod to everyone who wished her congratulations as she passed by. She was dressed in a long sleeved red dress with a high collar. It was a welcome change from the soot suit she had walked out of the kitchen in hours before.

"Good evening, Akane-chan, you look lovely tonight," Kasumi said as Akane stopped next to her.

"I am not going to enjoy myself." Akane said, as she adjusted her collar. She did not like formal wear at all.

Kasumi paused between greeting the seemingly endless stream of guests and stared at her sister. "Why, Akane-chan, how can you say that? This is your night, after all."

"No it's not, Kasumi, and you know it." Akane grumbled "If this was my night it would just be the four of us with cake and candles."

"There, your sense of humor is returning already, you'll have a wonderful time, I can tell. Just enjoy yourself and bask in the admiration."

"Will any of my admirers walk on two legs?" Akane asked sarcastically.

"Too many, I'm afraid," Kasumi said glancing towards the Atrium. Kunou had just entered the house with his servant, Sasuke, following close behind with a large bundle of flowers. He had a noticeable bruise on his jaw from where Ranko had hit him that morning. For some reason he had not allowed anyone to repair the damage. Considering Kunou's vanity this was a surprise. Perhaps scars caused by loved ones were fashionable these days.

Behind him was a beautiful girl a year younger then Kunou. She was tall for her age Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail. Her green, catlike eyes pierced through everything. She was dressed in a green evening dress covered with a black rose. Kasumi recognized her having attended the Kunou function for the girl's coming of age, the youngest child of the Mayor Kunou, Kodachi.

"Ah The Tendou sisters. Kasumi and the fair and lovely Akane! I am able to bask in your presence yet again. You both know my sister?"

"Of course, Lord Kunou. Kodachi, I'm delighted to see you again." Kasumi said to the younger Kunou.

"Of course you are," Kodachi said responding as if Kasumi had said that the sky was dark gray.

"When I heard of your terrible ordeal today, I knew I would have to come here to comfort you."

"What ordeal are you talking about, Lord Kunou?" Akane asked. She wondered how Kunou knew about the fight in the alleyway.

Kunou looked at Akane, he quickly saw that she showed no signs of injury or distress, only puzzlement. He turned and glared at Sasuke who shrugged helplessly. Growling, he grabbed the flowers from Sasuke and handed the flowers to Akane.  "You must take these with my regards and congratulations."

Kasumi turned to Kunou, smiling. "You flatter us and you have our thanks for your gifts. I'm sure Akane will love them and be pleased to talk with you over the night." She motioned for Akane to stay silent. Akane, who was planning a few choice words, bit her tongue and obeyed.

"I am truly honored, Lady Kasumi. If it would not trouble you, your sister mentioned that I could talk to you regarding the purchase of an item." He glanced at Ranko who was still standing next to Akane. Ranko moved behind her in effort to be more inconspicuous.

Kasumi frowned. "For shame Lord Kunou, discussing such things at a party? That's very rude. Book an appointment with my assistant, and we'll talk then. "

"But I am."

"Kunou!"  Kunou turned to see their father stride towards them.  "It's so good to see you, young man! How is your father?" He shook Kunou's hand vigorously. "I'm always glad when the Mayors are able to take time from their busy schedules and visit those who serve them loyally. Come! We have so much to talk about!"

Kodachi watched as her brother was dragged away by his overly gracious host. "That was interesting, my brother can be quite excitable at times."

"I'm sure it keeps life from getting too boring," Kasumi said pleasantly.

"Indeed, I doubt that your father will let him get a word in edgewise for the entire night. Anyway I thank you for hospitality and I am sure that I will enjoy this night." Kodachi said and left to mingle with the crowd.

"I am glad, Lady," Kasumi as she watched Kodachi walk away.

"Thank you, Kasumi, I was worried about that," Akane said, breathing a sigh of relief.

Akane was about to say something else when a small tentacle tugged on her dress. She looked down to see a small Lollygagger looking up at her and holding a copy of "Cooking With Akane" in its manipulator tentacles.  "Shiihhnnnn?" it asked plaintively.

Akane rolled her eyes in exasperation. Just once she wanted to tell a Lollygagger to take a shuffle into the Void, but when she looked into all four of those adoring black eyes, at least this bothered to learn a few words of the human tongue. "All right, but just this once." As if by some invisible signal she suddenly found herself surrounded by Lollygaggers waving brand new copies of the latest edition.

Kasumi watched as the Lollygaggers herded Akane to the far corner of the room. "I think it would be a good idea if you took the rest of the night off, Ranko," she said calmly.

"But, Mistress he. . "

"Don't worry, Akane told me everything," Kasumi said cutting Ranko short, "and I am not going to punish you for following my orders. I won't hear any more of it, you've had a very busy day. The rest of the bondservants will be having a party of their own. It will give you the opportunity to meet everyone."

"But suppose something happens."

Kasumi laughed, "don't worry, Ranko. Nothing is going to happen here." She pointed towards the vestibule to prove her point.

Just beyond where Mr. Tendou was talking with Kunou stood a man who appeared to be made entirely out of chrome. "Peace Robots," she whispered.

"Exactly, now off you go. Have a good time, you�ve earned it."

"Thank you, Mistress." Ranko said beaming, and ran off towards the servants' quarters.

Kasumi smiled. "Kyouko, In case Lord Kunou asks, I regrettably seem to be booked solid for the next few months. Give him the usual story; he always seems to accept it."

-  *  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -

Nabiki stood just outside of the crowd planning her attack. At the same time she tried to stay as far away from the buffet tables as possible. For Nabiki it was a tough decision to decide which was more disgusting, the special diet tables (most notably the table that Akane had prepared for the Lollygaggers, or the table with human food. "If they don't stop eating soon, I'll die of boredom," she muttered to herself.

At the moment the only thing interesting her was the group of Minotaurs s standing in the far corner of the gallery drinking. There were four of them, three cows and a bull. It was the bull that impressed her the most.  He was over three meters tall, solid muscle covered from head to hoof in long fur. His gilded horns glistened against the lights. Tiny white wings stuck out of his back. They were obviously either surgical, or cybernetic, attachments meant only for cosmetic purposes. The only way they could possibly work was if he was hiding a grav-harness underneath all of that fur.  She had seen pictures of this one before. He had several hundred megabytes of data dedicated to him in her briefing. Herdmaster Tarou, first admiral of the Consolidated Minotaur Alliance.

"Looks like the Camp followers are beginning to show," she muttered to herself. The Minotaurs were not the first mercenary fleet to arrive on Doozy Sack, but they were definitely the largest. It could be worse, she thought. I haven't heard any rumors of the Federated Planetary Fleet participating in this one. If I had to negotiate with that pompous windbag, Admiral Pikirk, over docking privileges one more time.

Nabiki watched the Herdmaster with a human attendant. She waited for a lull in the conversation and walked over to introduce herself.

-  *  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -

"I confess that you will have to forgive me. I had my doubts when you offered to run the bar concessions. I was so behind schedule that I didn�t even have time to listen to bids. But you're done a wonderful job. I'm very pleased," Kasumi said pleasantly to the Tengu bartender.

"The female human, Kak! Should not worry, Kak! This one knows he has no reputation, Kak! At least not in this venture, Kak! This one is eternally grateful that the female human, Kak! Gave this one the opportunity to prove himself, Kak!" Polly said bobbing his head in an expression of thanks and admiration.

"There is no need to thank me, Polly. I always enjoy helping friends. I must say that I was surprised when I found you were expanding into catering. I was sure you had all your claws stuck in the Glass House Saloon," Kasumi said using one of the Tengu's favorite expressions.

"The female human speaks many truths, Kak! This one does indeed have much work to do, Kak! But does the female human know what they say, Phrik? If one not run and jump and hunt, Kak! One die, Kak!"

"That is very wise, Polly, and I do see your point. I just wanted to extend my thanks before the end of the party."

"This one accepts the female human's gratitude, Kak! As it is intended, Kak! Now the female human must forgive this one, Kak! This one must leap, Kak! Before his unworthy assistants start to water down drinks, Kak!" Polly shook his head in an expression of apology and haste, turned and bolted through the crowd

Kasumi wiped the perspiration from her forehead watching Polly run back to the bar and reassert his dominance among his assistants. She had forgotten how many people she had greeted this evening. It felt like over a thousand. She had just finished talking with the last couple when she saw one of the flagged people on Nabiki's list. It was one of the people she had privately hoped would not show up.

"Why hello, Mr. Heron," she said politely. "I'm so glad that you could make it."

"Heron" was not his real name. It was merely the one he preferred for polite society. He used many names and, even though it had been one of Nabiki's pet projects for many years, no one had ever discovered the real one. The most common name that was used on the streets was Fisherman. The Fisherman was, Kasumi struggled to think of a polite and appropriate way to describe him, scum. Yes, that's right, she thought, the Fisherman was scum.

More accurately the Fisherman was an agent for mercenaries of the cheapest variety. To be blunt he specialized in cannon fodder. He did most of his work in and around the Freeport intercepting the poor and starving just off the ships and wooing them with dreams of wealth and glory.  If it weren't for the huge fee he was willing to pay Nabiki for port use, Kasumi would have refused to let him into the house.  There were rumors that he didn't even bother asking people in most cases. More then one beggar or drunk had disappeared in the Rimsides. There was no way of linking this with the man who sometimes jokingly reffered to himself as "Death's Pimp".

The Fisherman smiled at her lie and kissed her hand. "Why good evening Kasumi. You look absolutely radiant today."

Kasumi touched her cheek feeling slightly flush for a second. She had never actually met the Fisherman close up. She was expecting something a bit more hideous, something that fit the image of the demon of the ports that everyone described. The man who stood in front of her was much too handsome. He was immaculately dressed, tall and muscular. Neatly cut red hair with flecks of gray framed a weathered but expressive face. Silver eyes winked at her suggesting rugged charm and experience.

If only he didn�t show quite so many teeth when he smiled.

"Why, thank you Mr. Heron. You flatter me. You are welcome in this house, and the pleasures of our table are yours. Please enjoy yourself. I'm sure Nabiki will want to talk to you as soon as possible."

The Fisherman smiled again. "Why, Kasumi, you cut yourself short. What makes you think I don�t want to talk to you? Your younger sister stands in the shadows, a mere puppeteer. You, however, stand in the light and even the Star's rays cannot burn you. You are what people think of when they think of the Tendous and that makes you the true power."

Kasumi shook her head frowning slightly. "Do people think I'm that naive, Mr. Heron? I'm hurt."

"A grievous error on my part I'm sure, dear lady. I promise you that when I catch the scoundrel who has been perpetuating such vile slanders I will bring his tongue to you as a token of my respect."

"I don�t think that will be necessary, Mr. Heron. Please enjoy yourself."

"I will, Kasumi, I will. If you will do me the honor later, when you have the time, it would be a  pleasure and an honor to dance with you."

Kasumi looked into the Fisherman's deep silver eyes. For a moment she was almost fooled. For a moment she saw a handsome and charming older man, not the scheming amoral bastard. It only lasted a moment.  Still as Mistress of the House she had to entertain everyone even those that angels would despise "The honor would be all mine, Mr. Heron," she said with a forced smile.

                     -  *  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -

"Pantyhose?" Nabiki asked again.

"When he bought me, the lord Herd-Master Tarou was informed it was a prestigious and honorable human name," the boy said. Nabiki looked up at the Huge Minotaur bull, and wondered what sort of sick, deviated freak would have the chutzpah to tell 500 kilos of angry beef something like that.

She returned her attention to the boy.  He was handsome. Void, for a night with a body like that she would have paid Ganymede three times the normal fee. His arrogant smile impressed her. You're a right bastard and you know it, she thought to herself as she scanned his neural interface.

"So . . . . . Pantyhose, which of the," A loud roar from the Herdmaster interrupted her train of thought. Several guests looked up from their drinks wondering what was going on. Nabiki struggled to force back a shudder. Tarou glared down at her, gnashing his teeth and blowing steam from his.

The boy crossed his arms and grinned. "You will speak to the Lord Herd-Master Tarou, I am merely his intermediary," he had the amazing ability to turn almost everything he said into a sneer as if to say "I may be the bondservant of an alien monster but you are nothing."

Nabiki looked up at the clearly irritated beast and cleared her throat. She was quite aware of the proper formalities. She also knew that with surgically installed translation units, the need for a human translator was pointless. It was a matter of proper decorum. Most imperials and almost imperials did not like to admit to knowing any of the lesser barbarian tongues. The trick was when someone believed that you were inferior it was a good idea to allow them their fantasies. In the long run it made them underestimate you. "Please forgive me, Lord Tarou, I merely wished to know which fleet you honored by taking their money."

The Minotaur rumbled in what could have been a chuckle and moaned shaking his head.

"So far we have taken money from no one," Pantyhose said waving to her to maintain her eye contact with Tarou, "We are proud to say that the bidding will be furious and those that buy our loyalty will surely be blessed with victory.

Nabiki nodded. The Minotaurs were not an imperial species, but they were close, very close. Their success depended on the outcome of the war. Either they would earn enough capital to climb to the next level or they could exploit a potential power vacuum. Either way they were up and coming and not to be trifled with.

"When will the bidding take place?" she asked.

"Sadly, the imperials are not considering contracts until their entire force has arrived in port. Since barely a quarter of the fleets has arrived, it will be a month at least. We don't worry. Our people are nothing if not patient. It will give us the time to prepare the contract we will honor with blood."

"Admirable," Nabiki said impressed, "I'm sure the fleet that buys your loyalty will be eternally grateful. If you need any favors done while you await the inevitable. Please let me know. "

- *  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -
-
"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you tonight, Young Lord. These are exciting times, and the support of the mayors is very important." Soun Tendou said as he dragged a confused Tatiwaki Kunou through the crowd of guests.

"Honored sir, I was hoping I could discuss the purchase of a bondservant, the girl with the pigtail, if you are willing."

"That's more in Kasumi's department. I'm sure she'll be glad to discuss it with you. Right now we have more important things to discuss. I'm sure you have met Shutaru Mendou?" Soun pointed towards a handsome young man dressed in white.

Shutaro Mendou was the only son of the Lady Mayor Mendou. Kunou did indeed know him. In fact their rivalry had gone on for years. Appropriate considering they were heirs to two of the prime powers in the Rimsides. Kunou had always found the younger man arrogant, egotistical, and more than a little vain. Mendou, Kunou had said to himself more then once, was nothing but trouble.

"Yes, of course I know him. Shutoro, It's good to see you again," Kunou lied politely.

Mendou nodded. "The pleasure is all mine Tatiwaki," he replied.

"It is good to have you both here," Soun said happily.  "If I can not speak to the mayors their children and confidants are the next best thing. I thought I saw young Sanzenin a while back but I can't find him anywhere. "

"He's hunting, and when he hunts he's be no use whatsoever." Mendou commented.

"Not that he ever is anyway," Kunou added.

"Yes. I'm sure you're right," Soun said stroking his mustache.  "It's probably just as well. You two do represent the larger houses. Sanzenin will hear what goes on here sooner or later. First things first. Have you noticed any changes since the fleets' arrival?"

"Yes, so far thirty percent of our revenue has gone down due to the increased number of Peace Robots on the streets. I think it will be that way for the next few months," Mendou said before Kunou had a chance to get a word in edgewise.

"That was my impression as well," Soun agreed.

"Indeed. Why, just today I lost a cadre of my best men to those mechanical monsters," Kunou said trying to seem just as impressive as Mendou.

"That is a shame, Lord Kunou," Soun said in sympathy. "Tell me what did that many men do to arouse their ire?"

"Well . . ." Kunou stammered, "to tell the truth, sir I haven't been informed of all the details." He grimaced as Mendou raised an eyebrow questioning his story. Curse these two for making him look like a fool.

"You have my sympathies, Young Lord. I can assure you both, the Peace Robot's damage will be compensated quite quickly. My daughter's current surveys of the Lazy Fair have shown revenues going up over 12 percent from the presence of fleet personnel. Imagine how much things will improve once the entire fleet lands."

"It will make for a very large golden goose." Mendou said slowly.  Kunou, not sure what Mendou meant, nodded in agreement.

"My thoughts exactly, Young Lord, and we will be there with the knife. Quite a few Mercenary ships have already arrived and several Freetraders of note will be landing in my port tomorrow. I have docking contracts with the Slave of Duty, The Orca, The Jokutzuko, and The Dublin Beyond. Young lords, we are heading into an economic boom. The secret to success is who gets to exploit it first."

"This is very useful, Master Tendou," Kunou said, finally managing to get a drop on Mendou. "It is good of you to share this information."

"It helps to know who ones friends are, young lords," Soun Tendou said with a smile.

- *  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *
-
"Well, look who's here.  Miki-chan, it's been so long." Mikado Sanzenin, only son of the Mayor Sanzenin, turned to see Nabiki standing beside him. She did look absolutely stunning in the tight golden feathered dress she was wearing. He had to think about the future and could not concern himself with previous conquests.

"Greetings, Nabiki Tendou with your sweet fair sister coming of age, how could I miss such an occasion? Why, when she and I meet, I will finally reach my goal."

Nabiki feigned puzzlement for a minute. "Your goal?" Realization flashed over her face. She pouted and draped her arms over his shoulders. "Oh Miki-chan, I thought you gave up that silly game when you had me. After all, when one has walked the road of heaven why in the world would he ever wish to return to the dirt?"

Mikado looked across the room where Akane could be seen signing autographs for a mob of Lollygaggers. "My thoughts exactly, Nabiki Tendou, my thoughts exactly."

-*  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -

The song that had just started was titled "Boyfriend." Kasumi hoped that was not someone's idea of a joke. If it was, she did not find it funny. "Thank you Mr. Heron. That was lovely," she said backing away.

"But Kasumi, this is a slow dance," The Fisherman protested.

"Yes, my point exactly, Mr. Heron. Now, if you would excuse me I have neglected my duties long enough, good night to you sir."

The Fisherman watched Kasumi walk away. Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see a fairly irate Nabiki standing behind him with her arms crossed.

"Why, Nabiki, you look ravishing tonight. Why, had I only known what a beautiful woman you�ve turned out to be, I would surely have been the first to . . . "

"Stow it, Angler. What in the Void's name was that all about?" Nabiki was obviously in no mood for gay banter.

"Why what is anything about? People come to a party to be entertained. It is the core of our culture."

"Angler, contrary to your fixed beliefs, you're not as smart, or as funny, as you think. What in the Void were you trying to pull with my sister? Let me guess. You were using some of your old lines. 'Oh Kasumi you are the true power of this house'; 'I will find who slandered you'; or, my personal favorite, 'the Star's rays cannot burn you'"

The Fisherman smiled, "you should give your sister more credit, Nabiki. She didn�t fall for any of that even though this time I meant every word. She is a special lady."

"She has suitors you know."

"Oh? Like the doctor, over there dancing with a skeleton and giggling hysterically?"

Nabiki looked to see who the Fisherman was talking about and sniffed in disgust." All right, you're obviously here for more then free food and easy women.  What do you want?"

"Why, Nabiki, Isn't that enough in Life?" Nabiki gave him a look that made him stop thinking of any more jokes for the rest of the evening. "In fact, there is something I want to discuss with you. You are aware, of course, that the Slave of Duty should be arriving here within the week?"

"The Freetrader? Of course, they're one of our larger contracts."

"Quite right. You see I have an arrangement regarding a very special cargo. I am going to be their port agent for distributing this cargo. The profits are going to be phenomenal, but everything has to go just right with no complications."

"Ah, I see. I'm sure I can help you somehow. For, say, 25 percent of gross profits."

"25 percent? What in the void do you take me for Nabiki?"

"I'm sorry, Angler, was that a 'Don�t be ridiculous Nabiki, take 40?'"

"I believe it was 30, Nabiki."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "You're off your game today, Angler. You must be sitting on a potential goldmine. Oh well, what's money between friends? 30 it is. See me in my office at the standard time and we'll work out the details. Now, if you'll excuse me there are still some innocents out there that I've missed. Good night, Angler." She turned and walked away.  The Fisherman watched her weave expertly through the crowds. He turned to watch Kasumi talking with guests.

"They both want me. I can tell." He said with a smile.

- *  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -
-
The freetrader's name was Belldandy and Kasumi liked her immediately. She was a beautiful young woman with long gray hair tied in a number of ribbons. Tattoos on her forehead and cheekbones accentuated her exotic appearance. She had a smile that could light up any room.

"It's really just a coincidence we're here the same time as the fleets" She said matter of factly. "But, with any luck it will help us get some cargo here and maybe some new clients. "I'm afraid we don�t have much of a ship, but. . . " "

"Onnesama how can you say that!" the freetrader was interrupted by a girl standing next to her. She stood a head shorter then the freetrader. She had long black hair and similar tattoos. She seethed with indignation. "The Benpai is a great ship! It�s the best!"

Belldandy smiled sweetly. "Yes, Skuld-chan, the Benpai is a wonderful ship but unfortunately it can only hold ten tons of cargo. With a capacity that small we have to be very picky about our contracts , and that does make business difficult."

"If you would please forgive my sister, Lady. As our engineer, Skuld is very protective of our vessel." Belldandy said turning to Kasumi.

"I take good care of it," Skuld said proudly.

"Oh my, and so young. You must be very talented to have such a hard job." Kasumi said very impressed.

"I'm fifteen years, subjective." Skuld said proudly, not entirely sure if she was being patronized.

Belldandy smiled at her sister and continued. "Anyway, due to our limitations, we've been getting by shipping exotic perishables. It has good returns but it is fairly risky. We've been able to branch out a bit with data exchange and shipping artwork. It has been a slow process but I am proud to say that we are able to break even but very little more. With any luck we should be able to afford a larger ship in a year or so. "

"That's wonderful," Kasumi said cheerfully.  "I wish you two the best of luck. You should be able to find lots of potential opportunities now. "

Belldandy frowned. "Unfortunately that is a bit of the problem. It's a buyers market right now.  I don�t see how we will be able to negotiate a good contract for our services, or even find cargo of value that the larger ships will buy up immediately. What's worse is we are also looking for crew right now. How will we be able to find skilled hands at our price range?"

"I hate to even suggest this," Kasumi said frowning, "but there are certain possibilities that I'm sure that my sister, Nabiki can help you with."

Belldandy turned pale. "Oh no, Lady, not that. Right now our reputation is our most important commodity. Everything has to be completely above board. Our credit depends on it."

"That is good, I'd like to help you really I would. Give me a few days to work on the problem and we can talk about some legitimate ideas."

*  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -

"Because, dear boy, Lady Kasumi said that we could all have the night off and we are celebrating the arrival of our colleague, the lovely Miss Ranko. You do want her to feel welcome, don�t you?" Yotsoya said eyeing Godai skeptically.

"All right, I can understand that. What I want to know is why are you doing it in my quarters?" Godai demanded, waving a datapad in Yotsoya's face.

"Because you have the biggest room of course." Yotsoya answered unfazed by Godai's tirade.

"This is ridiculous! If I don�t finish Master Tendou's report by tomorrow he'll have my hide." Godai stammered.

"Should we be doing this?" Ranko asked the red headed woman sitting next to her drinking.

"Sure! It's not a problem!" The woman laughed. "This happens all the time. We're just giving him a legitimate excuse to screw up. Trust me girl, he should thank us."

"Akemi, what have I told you about putting ideas like that into people's heads?" Kyouko asked. She had just entered the room carrying a plate of food. "Godai, you can work in my room if you like."

"No Kyouko, I can't. If I surrender, they'll walk all over me," Godai explained, almost whining.

Kyouko smiled. "You're not surrendering, dear, you're following my orders. Now come along, the staff has too enjoy themselves once in a while, it's good for morale."

"But Kyouko."

"Please, Godai, for me." Godai dropped his shoulders and followed Kyouko out of the room. Everyone laughed as they left the room. Ranko looked around in shocked confusion as the party started in full force. Ranko had not gotten the opportunity to meet any of her fellow servants. She had finally remembered their names. The man dancing with a sake bottle in his mouth was Yotsoya. The other two men sitting in the corner drinking slowly but saying nothing were Mistress Nabiki's bodyguards Goeman and Jiigan. The women were Akemi and Ichinose. Ichinose was the last to arrive shaken by some trauma that occurred earlier that afternoon. Now after several drinks, she was back to her old self, doing some sort of bizarre fan dance with Yotsoya.

"So Ranko-Chan, how old are you?" Akemi asked putting her arm around Ranko's shoulder, and refilling her glass.

"I don�t know, about 16, I guess," Ranko said hesitantly taking a slow sip.

"No, no, no, girlfriend I mean how long have you lived." Akemi asked a little annoyed.

"I just said, for sixteen�. Oh, for about a week," Ranko said finally getting the older girl's meaning.

"Oh you poor thing, to have been around for such a short time and to have seen so much. " Ichinose said sitting down next to Ranko. "It must be very confusing for you. Did they give you anything to work with?"

"Work with?" Ranko asked puzzled.

"That would be a 'no' then," Yotsoya broke in. "What they mean, dear girl, is there are different degrees how the Peace Robots edit your mind, Sometimes you are actually allowed to keep your memories. However, you have no attachment to them whatsoever. It's as if it happened to another person. Sometimes it did. I find it very convenient to have all the memories of my daring escapades as a rake and a swashbuckler in over a hundred systems. "

"Would you stop it. None of that ever happened to you and you know it," Akemi jumped in. It was clearly an old argument between the two.

"They did indeed, dear lady, I did some research, and I have proof that everything I discussed is true."

"Without a fact you mean. What you have is a bunch of subcred fiction packets," Ichinose growled. "Still, you have to wonder what you were. I'm sure I was notorious. I'm sure some of us have even killed," she said eyeing Jiigen and Goeman. They remained said nothing, but Goeman gave Ichinose a piercing stare. She swallowed and continued. "The fact is, who or what, any of us were is anyone's guess. I don't think there's anyone here who remembers their entire life."

"Kyouko does," Akemi said taking another drink from her bottle. The room went silent. Akemi looked around realizing that everyone was staring at her. She grinned, putting her hand behind her neck in embarrassment. "Look at the time, please, forget I said that, Ranko-chan."

"Why? Why would anyone care if. . . ."

"Hello, I'm back. Is everyone having a good time?" Kyouko asked as she entered the room. No one said anything they just stared at Kyouko looking rather guilty.

"A magnificent time, Miss Kyouko and I think that I speak for everyone here when I say that." Yotsoya said breaking the silence. Everyone nodded hastily in agreement.

"That�s good. I have good news though. The hot tub is free for the rest of the night if anyone wants to use it. Ranko, since you're new here, I thought that you might like to have the first turn."

-  *  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -

Akane sighed in relief as she signed the last cookbook. That much love and devotion could take quite a bit out of you after a while. All the talk about cooking (even hers) made her hungry. She headed for the buffet table.

At the moment, two Oni, a male and a female dominated the table. The male was tall and extremely handsome with green hair. He was dressed in the yellow tiger striped body suit of the Magnanimous Tiger. The female's hair was pink. She wore a red Gentle Orchid uniform. Both were officers.

Oni at the party did not surprise her. There were always a few imperials at these functions. Most claimed it was a way to see how the other half lived or similar nonsense.  With both the Oni and Jurai fleets in port the number of the imperials wandering the Rimsides for entertainment had nearly tripled. She had seen others at the party this evening. One was from a clan that she did not recognize with long white hair and dog like ears in the middle of a shouting match with a human female. She had seen several Jurai as well. So far there had been no fights, but of course, with a Peace Robot present, they had no choice.

Akane thought that she had seen the Gentle Orchid Officer before. A friend of Lum's perhaps? She stood at a distance to listen to them talk. Having spent so much time with Lum-Sempai over the years, she had learned Oni without the help of enhancements. Since she had enhancements anyway, she spoke like a native. Not that she would tell anyone outside of the family.

For a second she wanted to just walk up and ask if either of them if they knew of Lum's whereabouts. She immediately thought better of it. Lum had taught her that as wonderful as trust was it could be a dangerous thing at times. Lum had also taught her that the Gentle Orchid were anything but. She decided to listen at a distance.

< Well, looks like we have a long wait ahead of us, > the Gentle Orchid officer said. < I do not envy the paper pushers at all.  To spend ones life itemizing everything in triplicate, I don�t know how they stay sane. >

The Magnanimous Tiger grunted his mouth was full of food and he slowly kept shoveling more of it in.

<Yes I will agree with you there. They probably haven't been sane for quite a while. Those who would rather crunch data then spill blood have so little to live for. >

The Magnanimous Tiger shrugged. < When do we get to fight? > He asked.

< When the Governors say so.  Of course, considering the rumors that have been going around, who knows? >

< Anyone know what the battlefield will be? >

<From what I've heard it will be forty thousand units above Fatima's Well. Close enough that if any ships are disabled they will be sucked in. The actual field is probably around five hundred square units. It should be enough room to cause some damage. Of course with a grid that size there will be at least ten monitors watching, so we will have to behave ourselves. How I hate a proper war. >

< Not that you know anything else>

< Oh shut up. Nobody asked you. > The Gentle Orchid grumbled.

Akane coughed, having choked on her wine. Both Oni turned in unison staring at her.

"I trust we were not bothering you little one." The Gentle Orchid asked, with a touch of sarcasm.

"Oh no, Sempai. I just had something in my throat," Akane said quickly. "Please forgive me, Sempai."

"Of course you did. But please, where are my manners? I should introduce myself first. That is your custom is it not? Yes, of course it is. I am Wing Commander Ran of the Gentle Orchid Clan. My companion is Captain Rei, military intelligence, of the Magnanimous Tiger Clan.

"Food good," Rei said, his mouth full of grilled lizard.

< I can't take you anywhere can I? > Ran hissed at him. She turned to Akane and giggled.

Akane swallowed nervously. Some people were not meant to giggle. She recognized Ran now. Lum had mentioned her as a good friend. While Lum had not said anything bad about Ran, Ran had seemed to have frequently gotten the short end of the stick in many a childhood adventure. And if other Oni obsessed the way Lum did . . . "I am honored to know you, Ran Sempai. My name is Akane Tendou and you are welcome in my house. I hope you are enjoying yourself at my party." She said bowing.

"Akane Tendou? I am sure I know you from somewhere from somewhere." Akane swallowed as she watched Ran stroke her chin in contemplation. Ran smiled sweetly. As the smile broadened her fangs became frightenly apparent. "Oh yes. You are Lum's pet are you not? She asked.

"I, I'm sure she has many, Sempai," Akane said slowly.

"Oh no. Other then you, and her precious Darling, she hardly speaks of anyone on this void forsaken dust ball. You should be flattered."

"I'm a good girl, Sempai." Akane did not like where this was going.

"Yes, and now you are a woman," Ran said smiling, "And just so cute I could kiss you."

< Ran, no. > Rei said holding Rei by the shoulder. < Impediments. > He nodded towards the Peace Robot standing across the room.

Ran followed his glance staring at the silver humanoid for a minute. She giggled showing her toothy smile. "I am delighted to have met you Akane-chan. I am sure we will see lots of each other."

-  *  -  * -  *  -  *  -  *  -

"Are you happy here?" Kyouko asked as she slowly washed Ranko's back.

Ranko said nothing. For some reason she could not understand she had been utterly obsessed her hands and stared at them whenever she thought no one was watching. They were so small. But of course they were. She thought about Kyouko's question for some time.  "Happy? I don't know. Should I be? I don't have any comparison."

Kyouko shrugged. "I don't know, really I don't. It's just that it's been my experience that if we have enough free will to wonder about it, things go better. I believe some free will is important at least so that we can ask why."

Ranko poured a bucket of water over herself. "I wouldn't know. To be completely honest, the only thing I can judge for certain is this week. Everything else is so fuzzy. I know things, of course, but I don't know why and then other things come out of nowhere and I can't understand them at all." She turned and looked at Kyouko. "Akemi said that you were the only member of the staff who was not born again."

"Oh, did she?" Kyouko looked as though she was planning a long talk with Akemi.

"What's it like to know everything about your life?"

"Painful," Kyouko said looking at the bathroom tiles.

"Kyouko? Can I ask you another question?"

"Go ahead."

"Why do you look so much like Lady Kasumi?"

Kyouko turned her head and muttered something.

"I'm sorry?"

"Vanity Cloning," Kyouko repeated.

"What's that?" Ranko asked very curious.

"It was a fad twenty years ago for anyone who wanted a child or a servant who looked just like them. In the Tendous case they wanted their children to have a playmate their own age. I was made from their combined DNA two years before Kasumi was conceived. It worked out fairly well. I got promoted as time passed."

Kyouko paused. "I've been summoned," she said. "You'll have to finish without me. Enjoy your soak." She put her robe on and left the bathroom.

Ranko stared at the door thinking. Finally, she turned and looked at the Bathtub, it looked so enticing. She could not remember having the luxury of getting immersed in hot water but it seemed wonderful. Slowly she climbed in.

Her leg began to spasm the instant it touched the water. She lost her balance and fell in completely. She gasped for breath as she thrashed in agony. It was as if every cell in her body was on fire. For some reason she was unable to scream. Hyperventilating she tried to climb out of the tub get away from the pain. Her heart was beating so hard it felt it would burst through her chest. For a moment her attention turned to her right hand. Through her pain instilled stupor she noticed something strange. With all of her strength she was able to hold her hand up in front of her. With horrified fascination, she watched as it began to grow.








________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com



-- 
               .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List---.
               | Administrators - ffml-admins@fanfic.com |
               | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@fanfic.com |
               |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject    |
               `---http://www.fanfic.com/FFML-FAQ.txt ---'