Chapter 6.  Truth, Lies, and Revelations.

 Darkon looked at Saber's form on the monitor with abused patience.  "Saber, my loyal warrior, was the operation a success?"  
Darkon knew that Saber was truly capable of deceiving his enemies by launching attacks that served other purposes.  Or, as 
Glave, once one of Darkon's fanatic followers, had put it, A feint within a feint within a feint.
 Saber smiled.  His face was an identical copy of Slade's, except for the scar over his eye.  Saber had no such marking.  "The 
primary goal of the operation, to retrieve the tissue sample for regeneration, was successful.  Our secondary objective, to 
capture the boy Masaki, was a failure.  Kagato fulfilled his tertiary objective.  In all, despite the loss of the spider crabs, I 
would consider the operation a success.  The sample is being returned to you as we speak."
 Darkon's eyes flashed a bright red.  "Excellent.  Now, when I descend upon the Earth, darkness with unfurl its banner across 
the entirety of two universes, as I crush the major sources of resistance, the surviving members of the Jurian royal family, the 
battleship sister of my old nemesis, and Slade and his group of rebels."
 Saber bowed to his master, and faded off the view screen.  Darkon turned to the five forms behind him.  Axe, Lance, Rapier, 
Sword, and Tiger.  The first four were regenerated from the last war, where Slade and his rebels had destroyed him.  Tiger was 
his newest Teknoman, and a weapon nearly of the magnitude of the sample he would soon aquire...
 "Go forth, my chosen warriors.  Go down to Earth, and crush all who oppose you!  You will bring the Masaki boy to me, alive 
preferably.  The other are to DIE!!!  Go now, and destroy!!!"  the five teknomen bowed to their master, and stepped onto the 
teleport pad.  With a flash of light, they were transported to the venemiod base on Pluto, where they would complete the 
journey to earth.
 "Yes, my old nemesis.  Watch in helplessness as your champions die before you...  Not even your sisters or your great powers 
can save them now..."
 "And soon, you will be mine..."

...

 The family room of the Masaki house was, to put it mildly, in minor chaos.
 Slade and Glave sat alone on the couch.  Both had known that Darkon would be making a move in this part of the Galaxy, but 
they ahd not expected it so soon.
 <Tell me, Glave.  These are what we have to defend Tenchi?>
 <They may not look like much, but they can be absolute daemons on the battle field if they need to be.>
 <I see.  You told me earlier that Kagato had attacked before in his Teknoform.  What happened?>
 <Apparently the boy fought him off, but Kagato got the better of him.  Seems Kagato used up too much power, and had to 
retreat.>
 <Well, looks like the interrogation is about to begin...>

...

 Tenchi was in an aquard position.  In other words, he was once again surrounded by beautiful women who were vying for his 
favor.
   Since her merging into one body, Tsunami seemed to have developed an attachment to him.  Tenchi privately believed that it 
was the result of both Sasami's and Tsunami's feelings for him rolled together.  The attachment was usually physical,  around his 
closest available arm.  At the moment Tsunami was curled up close to him on his right side, legs tucked underneath her, and her 
head pillowed on Tenchi's shoulder.  Glave chuckled under his breath.  He was floating on one of Washu's levetator pads 
behind Slade.  Poor Tsunami.  Or was it Sasami now?  Didn't matter.  He had told her that even though she held herself aloof 
from the rest of the universe, she had human feelings like the rest of them.  He had also privately believed that when she went 
down, she would go down hard.  Tenchi seemed to be figuring that out.
 Just because Tsunami was there didn't mean that much else had changed.  Ayeka had automatically seized Tenchi's other arm 
the moment Tsunami had moved next to him.  Glave personally wondered if she even realized that she was doing it.  Probably.  
That girl was going to chase him forever.   Glave smiled again as he wondered whether or not Tenchi would ever turn around 
and catch HER.
 Ryoko had frowned when she saw that both of Tenchi's arms were taken.  Tenchi had flinched, and Glave expected an 
outburst.  Ryoko developed a strange tick near the edge of her mouth, and Glave heard her knuckles crack from the force of 
clenching her fists.  However, it seemed that Edge's and Zero's calmer personalities had done a little work on Ryoko.  Instead 
of the expected escalation of violence, Ryoko had simply wrapped her arms loosely around Tenchi's neck, and floated with her 
legs out behind her.  She had then rested her chin on Tenchi's head.  Glave now worried for Tenchi's life if anything did happen.
 <Will you stop that?!?!?>
 <Stop what Ryoko?>
 <Im not going to do anything with Tenchi right here.  Im...not sure why, but I know I won't.>
 <A hem.>  Washu's voice echoed in Ryoko's head.  <I see that I not the only one who you share a link with now.>
 <Come on, Mom.  You know that I have a link with Ryo-oki.  Or are you getting senile all of a sudden?>
 <You know what I talking about Ryoko!!!>
 <I have no idea...>

...

 "So Slade,"  Tenchi finally began.  "Who is this Darkon?  Where did he come from?  And what does he want?"
 "That's a tough one."  Slade scratched his chin.  "Well, here goes..."
 "During the twenty first century, the people of Earth banned together to reach out into the stars.  They built their greatest 
achievement, the orbital space ring, in order to launch the Interplanetary explorations group."
 Slade paused for a minute, then continued.  "At the end of the twenty first century, an exploratory vessel, the Argos, located an 
XT spacecraft outside the orbit of neptune.  Eager to make first contact, the Argos docked and sent a reconnaissance group on 
board.  My family was there, and I was one of the boarding party.  We had few weapons with us, and we hoped that the aliens 
would see we came in peace.  Then the Venemoids struck.  The used special creatures called Teknopods to capture my 
family.  I had managed to escape until the last minute, when they caught me."
 Slade continued.  "The Pods infused us with our Teknopowers, at the same time they attempted to suck out our souls and 
replace them with the heartless, merciless soul of a Venemoid.  Those who could not adapt properly were drained of their life 
and discarded.  My father was one who was cast away.  However, he was always a tough old coot.  In his last minutes of life, 
he freed me from my pod and launched me out of one of the surviving escape pods towards Earth."
 "By the time I arrived, Darkon had already hatched out and began his invasion of Earth.  When I got back to Earth I had a 
long time to think about how those monsters had ripped my family apart.  All I cared about was destroying them, by using the 
emerald crystal that they had given me and turning my Teknopowers against them.  Ness Carter, who I once was, was gone.  
Only Teknoman Slade remained."
 Slade paused for a minute, and continued with is story.  "Thats when I ran into the first of Darkon's new Teknomen, Gunner.  I 
realized that no matter how powerful I was, stopping them wasn't going to be easy..."
 "I was knocked off the orbital ring in my first battle with Gunner.  I realized that I had to survive.  Id seen what they'd done to 
Gunner, the monster that he'd become.  And I realized that I had to stop them."
 Slade continued his story for the better part of an hour, with Glave interjecting comments.  They revealed Slade's discovery by 
Star and Ringo, members of the last line of defense on Earth, the Space Knights.  Slade had suffered amnesia, and had helped 
to defend against the Venemoids.  Slade told the story, as best he remembered it, of his sister Sharra, and how she had come 
to Earth to help fight Darkon.  Glave, despite prompting, refused to relate his story.  They told of Star's capture and the escape 
effort made by Slade, Sharra and Glave to restore her memory after she was transformed into a Teknoman by Darkon.  They 
had then launched an attack on Darkon's moon base.  A massive attack had driven Darkon from his base, and apparently to 
this dimension.
 The room was wrapped in silence as Slade's tale ended.  Washu glanced around, and finally asked, "Ok, so why does he want 
Tenchi?"
 Glave shrugged.  "Wish we knew, then it would be easier to defend him."
 <That it would be>
 Everyone glanced around at the ethereal voice that seemed to echo around the room.
 Glave dropped to the floor, and bowed slightly.  "Your majesty, I am glad to see that you have taken an interest in this matter.
 <Glave, once again it seems that you are in the middle of great things>
 "One does one's best."
 "Ummm."  Washu glanced around.  "Who are you?"
 A light chuckle.  <I do not expect you to know me Lady Washu.  Nor do I expect any of you, except Glave.  My name is 
Tokimi>
 "Wait, your the one who sent Doctor Clay..."
 A note of dissatisfaction.  <I was a fool to send him, but we all make mistakes>  The presence turned towards Tenchi.  <So 
Glave, this is the one Darkon wants so much>
 "It appears so, your majesty.  Do you have any idea why?"
 <I am afraid I do not.  I see a blank wall before me.  The future becomes tangled at this point, and only your action will show 
what path we follow>
 "Of course..."
 There was a moment to silence as Tokimi spoke to Glave, and then the presence withdrew.
 Tenchi turned to ask what that was about, when the TV switched on by its self.
 For a moment, their was naught but static.  Then, the picture snapped into focus.
 
 "Greetings, pitiful weaklings."  Kagato's face sneered over the TV.  "Welcome to the Home Evil Network!  Here for five 
minutes to show exactly what with happen if you do not surrender the Masaki boy to us."
 Kagato moved aside, to show a figure similar to Slade holding Misaki up by the hair.  She was bound, and another figure, this 
time in Teknoarmor, held a huge Axe to her neck.
 "Here we have the beautiful Empress Misaki.  We have decided that if Tenchi is not on the observation deck of Tokyo Tower 
in two days, then we will be forced to execute her..."
 Funaho, Tsunami, and Ayeka shot out of their seats.  "MOTHER!!" Ayeka and Tsunami screamed.  Funaho looked stricken.  
"Damn you Kagato!"  Glave shouted.
 Kagato frowned darkly.  "Two days Tenchi.  And come alone..."


...  
 Arguments flew around the room for a better part of an hour.  Everyone knew that it was a trap, but what could they do?  
Glave insisted that Tenchi go alone, and then he, Slade, and Ryoko could launch a sneak attack.  Washu, Ayeka and Funaho 
wanted to launch an all out assault on the Tokyo Tower and free Misaki and destroy the Teknomen.
 "What I see as our best option is to allow Tenchi to climb the stairs, with Kiyone, Mihoshi, Washu, Ayeka and Funaho behind 
him.  Glave, Edge, Tsunami and I will hover below the view of the observation deck, and we all launch our attack as soon as 
the time is right."  Slade glanced around to see if there were any objections.  "All right, we'll set out for Tokyo in the morning.  
Everyone try to get a good night sleep."

...

 Darkon raged.  This is, to put it mildly, an understatement.
 "DAMN!!!  THE SAMPLE RESISTS MY ATTEMPTS TO REGENERATE IT!!!"
 "Master," the deformed creature nearby tried to reason.  "The boy will also resist cloning attempts.  We should inform Kagato 
that we need him alive..."
 "IDIOT!!!"  Darkons fist shot out, and the grotesque form of the creature flew across the room to shatter on the far wall.  Not 
even noticing what he had done, Darkon continued to destroy things.  Finally, he regained control of himself.
 "So, my nemesis...  You have put safeguards on your champions...  No matter!!!  They Misaki boy will be mine, and then your 
precious balance will be shattered..."

...

 Across an incomprehensible distance, beyond any description of time and space, Tokimi heard Darkon's words and smiled.

END OF CHAPTER 6