Ummm...there is nothing here...I tink you need to resend 2B again...

ok. hope this works and it isn't just more interference. (sigh)
A Very Scary Bet, RAAC version
part 2b: Here's....Ranko?!?!
by greggsharp, metroanime@mindspring.com
http://metroanime.home.mindspring.com
various people own the various char. no
trademark infringement is intended.
----------------October 13, 1992------------------
 Ranma glanced down at the beeping
display. "Oooh. Lookit that. Reading some really
odd power readings there."

 Vanilla looked up from where she'd
been going over an owner's manual, translating
it for Shampoo's benefit. "How is it odd?"

 "Biological in nature, I think." Ranma
tapped a few controls. "Hang on, I'm gonna get
closer and get a better look." It meant dropping the
stealth field, but it was interfering with the sensors
to leave it running...

 "Vanilla, what mean this?" Shampoo
pointed to the drawing then to the corresponding
part of the machine.

 "It means if you twist the handle while the
device is turned on, you increase the power to the
motor that makes you go forward, so it increases your
speed." Vanilla tried to explain. The problem was that
Shampoo was not that familiar with complicated devices.

 Vanilla wondered how it was that she seemed
to be.
-----------------------------------------------
 "Thank you, spy, you have served me well."
Herb, prince of the Musk, stood. "Do you realize what this
means?"

 "That some redhaired girl is engaged to some
purple haired girl?"

 Herb slapped Mint, using a martial arts
manuever he saw on one of those tapes he'd recently gotten.
"The Knucklehead nose slap," he thought it was called.

 "It means," continued Herb, "that Ranko once
again walks the same lands as I. Mint, get the Dipping Ladle!"

 "Yes, your eminence!"

 Herb smirked and furled his cape in true villain
showmanship. At least he hoped it was, that was the effect
he was trying for. "Soon, Ranko, I shall show that upstart
Saffron up by claiming you for myself!"

 The spy, forgotten for a moment, made a note of
this speech and proceeded immediately towards Phoenix
Mountain. He would make Nabiki proud of her pupil.
-----------------------------------------------
 "This is Go Sakurai, Action Five News Traffic.
The traffic buildup along Gojira Road is even worse than
usual tonight, due to a rollover accident on..."

 Something Big and Fast shot by the Action Five
copter. Go blinked. It looked like a Winnebago. He'd seen 
those covering baseball training camp in Yuma Arizona.
Winnebagos generally had wheels, this hadn't. Go blinked
again. Winnebagos also generally weren't found travelling
over a hundred feet above the road.

 "Ufo," Go breathed, saying it as if it were a single
word. "A ufo..."

 "Ufo..." breathed the pilot, who blinked a couple
of times himself.

 "AFTER IT!" The two newshounds shouted in
unison. This was it, their big break, a national feed at the
very least! No more going to Yuma to cover training camp!
Yippee! No more camping trips in Ryugenzawa!
------------------------------------------
 "She's back?!?" Saffron's eyes gleamed. "At
last, my beloved, now I may conquer your heart..."

 Kiima made a face. Ick. Well, if she married Ranma
first, then Saffron wouldn't pursue this any further. Which
would be best for all concerned...
-------------------------------------------
 "Oh my gosh, look at that!" Tenchi 
stared at the television. This caused the fight between
Aeka and Ryoko to break up. What was Tenchi finding
so fascinating?

 "Hmmm. A hoverjet vehicle, fairly advanced
model, at least Galactic standard." Washu studied the 
boxlike shape depicted on the television. "Doesn't look
like a familiar model, though. Might be a homebuilt."

 "Wow!" Mihoshi exclaimed. "Could it be an
Earth ship?"

 "Too advanced, but that does look like 
English lettering on the side." Washu brought her
holographic keyboard up and began to make interrogative
noises as she typed.

 "Ohmygosh!" Tenchi repeated, even more
intrigued. "It's the Sailor Senshi!"

 "Hmmm?" Ryoko looked at the scantily clad
young girls fighting some large creature in a park setting.
"What's a Sailor Senshi?"

 "Earth's guardian warriors against ancient
recurrent evil, similar to the Warrior Blades of Taikei or
the Righteous Ronin of Tau Prime." Washu's fingers were
really flying now as she attempted to analyze the data
available to her. She made a note to launch a few sensor
probes in the Tokyo area for future studies.

 "Oh," said Ryoko, Aeka, Kiyone, Mihoshi, 
and Sasami in an eerie unison.

 Ryoko noted the way that Tenchi was staring
at these "Senshi." So he liked these sailorsuited warrior
types, did he?

 Aeka smirked. So Lord Tenchi admired these
warriors of "love and justice" as was only natural of him.
Clearly the nobility of their cause was not lost on him, and
this gave her an idea.

 Kiyone frowned. If they were like the Warrior
Blades, then they were acting as vigilantes but were 
upholding the laws and morals of their society. As a member
of the Galaxy Police, she was to assist the Blades if her path
crossed theirs. Wouldn't this hold true for these "Senshi?"

 Mihoshi grinned. Such pretty uniforms!

 Sasami smiled. It reminded her of that dream she
had. Maybe Tsunami could help her out with something.
This could be major cool!
-------------------------------------
 "Hmmm." Ranma strapped a harness around
himself, then fitted something like a leash between it and
an eyebolt near the vehicle's door.

 "What you do, Ranma?" Shampoo looked at
the external monitors then back to her airen.

 Vanilla looked a bit more closely at the monitor.
"Two of those girls are using Anything Goes martial arts
stances..."

 Shampoo blinked and looked closer herself.
"Aiya. You right. Tall girl in green and short girl in blue
use very basic defensive stance. Might not be Anything
Goes though, as style take in other styles as part of itself."

 "No, she's right." Ranma tested the leash 
connections. "More to the point, I don't recognize the
two girls, but I DO recognize the way they're moving.
There's a couple of girls Nabiki sold 'fiancee cards' to
back when I thought it just meant I'd be training 'em 
for free."

 "Shampoo remember. Airen a little slow
back then."

 Ranma made a face. "Anyway, if they're
who I think they are, then I gotta help 'em out."

 "What you think you..." Shampoo 
stopped. It had become rather obvious what Ranma
was going to do.
----------------------------------------
 "Look out, Mars!"

 Sailor Mars barely avoided the thing's lunge.
"Fire soul!"

 "It seems to be immune to our special attacks,"
Ami noted. "Mars' fire and Jupiter's lightning don't seem to
have much effect."

 "It's too fast," complained Sailor Moon. "It
won't stay still long enough for any of my attacks."

 "I...WHAT THE HECK?!" Sailor Jupiter pointed
up.

 The Senshi and the youma all looked up to see
a box hanging in midair in just the way boxes were not supposed
to.

 Ami frowned, a hover jet system? But it was so quiet
she could barely hear it when she was listening for it.

 A door opened in the side, and a figure leaned out.
"How dare you menace such valiant warriors? I send you back
to hell with the Anything Goes final attack!"

 "Anything Goes?!" Makoto's jaw dropped. It couldn't
be. No, it COULD be! She still had her membership card somewhere.

 Ami blinked and brought her visor to magnify. It WAS!
She'd have to see if she still had her membership card.

 Ranma pointed a dull black cylinder at the youma who
responded by snarling and preparing to uproot a tree to throw at 
the vehicle.
 
 "Behold a final technique so feared that the Coalition
States has banned its use in their territories!" Ranma turned on
the cylinder, which activated the turret it was slaved to. "Saotome
special technique! 'Nuke it till it glows!'"

 A gatling particle beam spoke from the undercarriage
of the hovervehicle.
-----------------------------------
 "Saotome?!" The man rubbed his chin, which was
badly in need of a shave. He stared at the futuristic vehicle,
no doubt built by someone nearly as much of a genius as he
was himself... How he'd love to go over the schematics!

 He grabbed a card from a pile of knick knacks
accumulated over the years, remembering a pledge at a frat party
years ago. His daughter would marry the son of a man  named
Saotome. Years later, he'd gotten the card with a note about how
it was too bad that he didn't have a daughter...

 But now he did.

 "Natsume!" She didn't answer. "Nuku nuku!"

 "Yes, papa?"

 "We've got plans for this weekend after all."
---------------------------------
 Nodoka blinked among all the excitement.
The daughters Tendo were whooping, and young Miss
Kuonji was all but jumping up and down.

 Ranma? Could this figure who brought 
thunder down from the heavens to fight alongside the
Sailor Senshi be HER son?!

 He was surrounded by young girls. But,
was he doing it in a manly fashion?
-----------------------------------
 Sailor Moon dropped her moon scepter.

 Tuxedo Mask, ready to intervene, let the
rose drop from his hand as he stared.

 Sailor Mercury clucked and began working out 
the various readings relayed her from her visor.

 Sailor Jupiter looked from the vehicle to what
remained of the target and wondered if she could get one
of those.

 Sailor Mars rubbed her ears and really wished
that she hadn't rushed forward when she saw that the youma
had been distracted. She filed this under "Things That You
Now Know Better Than To Do."

 The News 5 helicopter crew merely filmed the 
smouldering crater with its evaporating bits of youma, and
noted aloud that the Senshi's new ally had a little problem 
with overkill.
----------------------------
 Brianna Diggers blinked. She blinked again.
"Guns. Big guns. Oooo. That looks like a rocket launcher
on that side."

 "Sailor Senshi with rocket launchers?" Brittany
looked up. "That sounds just SO wrong."

 "Naw, it's a guy." Little hearts appeared in
Brianna's eyes. "A guy who comes with gatling particle
beam toting weapons platforms! My kinda guy!"

 "That does appear to be a fairly sophisticated
craft," Gina noted, the tablet in her hands temporarily forgotten.
"Interesting, the design of those jets...hmmmm."

 Brittany looked back and forth between her two
sisters. "Aw c'mon, that guy looks like he's still in high school!"

 "So maybe he's got an older brother," Brianna 
cracked her knuckles. Yup, she just HAD to meet this guy.
They had so much in common. She'd show him her rocket 
launchers if he'd show her that cannon.

 Gina smiled. That vehicle, she'd love to have
a go over its systems.
-----------------------------------------
 Washu stared at the television. So did Kiyone.

 "How did he get a particle beam cannon of that
intensity onto such a small ship?" Washu demanded to
know, not that she really expected an answer.

 "Discharging megawatt cannon in a restricted
zone," grumbled Kiyone. "I've gotta have a talk with that
boy."

 Nobody noticed that Aeka, Ryoko, and Sasami
had snuck off. Which would be regretted later.
------------------------------------------
 Queen Beryl felt one of those large sweatdrops
move down the back of her head. 

 "Milady, these life energy readings..." Zoicite
grinned. "There is enough life energy being radiated from
that ship to put our plans ahead by weeks!"

 "Zoicite, get me everything you can on 
whatever a 'Saotome' is." She had a bad feeling about this,
a very scary feeling.
==================================
that's all for now pending a rewrite of the earlier chapters.
as you can tell, i'm trying for a certain insane humor here.

ja ne,
gregg