Vacation Days
Chapter 8
Wheee!!! This was quick!
"We're almost on top of it."
Malgaunt's whisper carried on the wind just into Funuyaki's
hearing. The
marshal-turned- potential-revolutionary
extra space in the hyphenations.
wasn't quite correct about that. It
was she and Ariana that were almost on top of it. They were the
ones that
had taken the point and would encounter the Shihana first. And the
only
reason it was not Ariana alone was because Malgaunt had insisted
Funuyaki
go along to accompany her. The look the taller woman had shot
Funuyaki told
all she needed to know about the enforcer's feelings concerning
their
shared responsibilities.
The duo, ahead of the others by nearly fifty feet, crouched low
and ran as
fast as they could and ducked behind a pile of rocks that littered
the pass
through the mountains. There was virtually no cover in the rocky
terrain,
and if the Shihana was as close as Malgaunt believed, then it
should be
just on the other side of the pile of rubble.
Wasn't Mihoshi trying to open this thing last installment? Methinks
they'll find an empty casing. Oops!
> A deep breath helped Funuyaki to calm down. She had a bad feeling
in the
pit of her stomach. Ever since the day before, when Stargrave saw
that the
Shihana had stopped moving, she had felt an increasing amount of
tension
weigh her down as surely as if she had been carrying Onita on her
back.
Given her own skills in perception, she could tell she was not the
only
one. Initially, everyone -save Funuyaki and Autolycus- had been
delighted
when the Shihana had stopped around the time Pupei should have
made contact
with whoever
whomever(?) not sure...
was transporting the it. When it remained stationary for more
than five minutes, Stargrave actually went so far as to hug a
delighted
Ariana. However, the cheers became more guarded when the Shihana
continued
remaining where it was, not drawing any closer to them on its own,
although
they were moving closer to it. Stargrave assured everyone that
Pupei was
strong enough to carry the adamantine orb, or even roll it in
order to
bring it towards them, but he did not. Instead, it remained
exactly where
it was. After a couple of hours of non-movement, a sort of
uneasiness
settled over everyone, and the pace of their march increased. A
heavy rain
began that night when they camped among a small cluster of trees
and had
continued on through the night and into the next day when they
started
their journey again.
And now they found themselves nearly on top of where the Shihana
should
have been. Ariana had been assigned the task of scouting forward.
Funuyaki
had been ordered by Malgaunt to go as well so that Stargrave did
not have
one up on him. Being treated like a pawn so openly made her pride
swell,
she thought bitterly.
That last sentence doesn't sound right. Why would her pride swell at
openly being treated as a pawn?
> The duo were just starting to climb up the pile when Funuyaki's
hand fell
upon something soft among the rocks. She paused a moment to
examine it,
Ariana continuing her climb, either not noticing or not caring
that her
companion was no longer at her side. It took Funuyaki only a
moment to
shift aside some of the loose rubble and discover what the furry
object
was, and what it belonged to.
"And then there were six."
A sharp intake of breath from above snapped Funuyaki out of her
reverie.
Ariana stood at the top of the pile, looking down on the other
side, her
attention focused on something. Worry and disappointment had
replaced the
usual mask of anger Stargrave's first mate wore. Since the taller
woman was
not behaving in a threatened or cautious manner, Funuyaki opted to
rush
quickly up the side of the pile and look down to see what the
cause of the
disturbance was.
Upon seeing what was on the other side, Funuyaki gave a wide smile
that
nearly split her face in half. She turned back towards the other
members of
the party farther back in the pass. "Hey Stargrave! Malgaunt! Come
on over!
You've just got to see this!"
She's enjoying their lack of success, maybe too obviously. She'd
better watch herself.
By the time the others made their way around the pile, Funuyaki
had already
made her way to the other side and positioned herself so she could
witness
both men's reactions at the same time. The pair looked in horror
as they
saw Funuyaki standing next to an empty adamantine container, as
though it
was a prize trophy fish she had caught. She decided all of the
problems
from the overland trip had been worth seeing those two look that
shocked.
Hahaaaa!! I knew it! Can't stop Mihoshi for long. Nope, nope!! :)
Ariana saw the pain on her captain's face. It was as she had
suspected; he
was nearly a broken man with this turn of events. Her mind raced
as she
turned her head skyward and appeared to contemplate the rain. A
look of
determination crossed her face and she began running further down
the pass,
opposite the direction the group had arrived. Only Funuyaki took
notice of
her departure.
Stargrave remained silent in his rage. Malgaunt stared in
open-mouthed
wonder, trying to gather his thoughts. Eventually, he managed to
get out,
"That's not possible. There's no way Mihoshi had the time, or
skill, to
hack into the computer. It's too encrypted, even if she had the
material
necessary to get into it."
"It wasn't hacked into." Funuyaki pointed at the keypad and its
computer
ports. "The seals on the ports are still intact and there's no
sign of
tampering on the keypad."
"There's no way she could have known the code!"
"Of course not, sir."
"Of course not, Sir."
Funuyaki found it easy to address him now that her
superior appeared more frazzled than a Wushanari thrown into a
blender.
Heh.
"Maybe it was a computer malfunction," Onita offered. He had
caught up to
the others and had watched with more detachment than either
Stargrave or
Malgaunt had.
Malgaunt stared blankly at Onita. "Perhaps," he said, all the
while knowing
it was impossible for a malfunction to have caused the orb to
open. But
grasping onto some cause, any sort of reason,
extra space
was something his mind had
to do in order to deal with the situation.
"It's over now, isn't it?" Stargrave managed to get out as he
continued
staring at the sphere.
"The tracker was on that orb.
Suggest: "The tracker was on *the* orb. -or- "The tracker was on
the outside.
I had no way of inserting another on the
contents of the polynison sphere inside," Malgaunt confirmed.
Autolycus gave a soft sigh of relief. "Praise be. Now we can get
on with
our lives and finally get off this rock."
"Don't... start!" Stargrave snarled, turning in anger upon the
diminutive
creature.
Autolycus held up his small, gnarled hands. "No offense was
intended, but
you've known my feelings on the matter."
Stargrave raised his face to the skies and allowed the gentle rain
to wash
over him. He needed desperately to believe in something. Perhaps
Autolycus
was right. Maybe the whole plot with the Shihana had been nothing
more than
a fanciful dream he would never have seen to fruition. Maybe it
was time to
get on with his life and get out of the pirate business altogether
and do
something else. Something peaceful. Perhaps-
"I can track them!"
All eyes looked down the pass. Ariana was still more than hundred
meters
away, but her voice had carried over the low din of the rain. She
was
running towards them as fast as she could, shouting out over and
over again
that she could track them.
Once she arrived at the group, she got out between gasps of
breath, "I went
down and checked the other end of the pass. The terrain there is
much
softer, and with the way it's been raining, they left footprints
all over
the place. I can track them overland now. The whole area's
forested, and
it'll make following them a little slow, but I can do it."
In joy, Stargrave kissed Ariana on her forehead and laughed to the
heavens
above. "I knew I wouldn't be denied! The Shihana will be mine!"
Softly, daring to interrupt the captain's rapture, a voice said,
"Don't do
this."
Stargrave turned on Autolycus. "The hell I won't! We're almost
upon our
goal. There's no way I'll back off now." He turned away from
Autolycus and
began to head towards the opposite end of the pass.
The Voice of Reason is oft ignored.
I *really* want to see Autolycus get out of this in one piece. I'm
beginning to like the ugly little sack. :)
Another soft sigh escaped the gray flesh that passed for lips on
Autolycus.
"I know where there's a space tree you can bond to." All eyes
looked in
confusion upon the diminutive being's form. Seeing he had
Stargrave's
undivided attention, Autolycus continued. "I had been meaning to
save this
for when you had learned a great deal of more self-control,
a great deal more self-control, (omit "of")
but I can
clearly see that if I don't act now, you're going to make mistake
from
which you'll never recover."
...to make *a* mistake...
Slowly, Stargrave seemed to consider the offer. Temptation was
written on
his features. "It doesn't matter. Getting the Shihana back is more
important." Despite his rejection, the allure was still there for
all to
see.
"It's a first generation space tree."
Temptation changed to amusement as Stargrave roared in laughter at
Autolycus. "Now I know you're lying. There are less than a dozen
first
generation space trees, all of them bonded and protected."
"It's the Sirocco."
Malgaunt's eyebrows furrowed. "Impossible. The Sirocco was
destroyed along
with the entire fleet that attacked the Whipwreck homeworld. There
were no
survivors. And even if it had survived, that was over a thousand
years ago.
We would have heard of it surviving before now."
"It survived," Autolycus informed him, then turned to Stargrave.
"Do you
remember when I took a leave of absence a few months back? It was
then I
stumbled upon its location in the protected zone around Earth.
Sirocco's
outward form has changed so much that she's physically
unrecognizable, and
she's taking great efforts to mask her presence, but it is her.
She is
powerful. Perhaps even more powerful than before." He paused a
moment to
allow the information to sink in. "Think about it, Sa'bre. A first
generation space tree at your command. It'll be true power for
you, not
this bone the Yagdagron intend to throw at you for helping them
overthrow
an empire."
Hmmm, the Sirocco sounds tailor made for a certain quarter-Juraian
to stumble upon.
Sensing he was getting through to Stargrave, Autolycus decided it
was time
to reveal more. "The main reason I've remained at your side for
the last
couple of decades is because I've sensed potential in you, boy.
Real
potential. The kind that can change the face of the galaxy for
millennia,
but only if you utilize it correctly."
"I am trying to change things," Stargrave protested. "With the
Yagdagron-"
Autolycus's tone turned to that of a teacher explaining a simple
concept to
an exceptionally stupid student. "Let me tell you what's going to
happen.
The Yagdagron, if they are successful, will have their little
would-be
dictatorship overthrown in less than two hundred years, and that's
if they
succeed at all. Don't try to argue this with me. I've seen over a
thousand
empires more powerful than theirs dissolve when they reaped the
whirlwind
from their actions. I know what I'm talking about.
"But you're different, and I don't mean by that power within you,
although
that is part of it. I can feel inside you the ability to affect
all of
those around you, and I don't mean in simply taking over a gang of
thieves.
I've only felt the potential in just under two dozen people in my
considerable lifetime. Less than half of them ever managed to
achieve the
greatness they had within them. Don't be a failure like those
others;
listen to what I'm saying. On your own, without becoming a lackey
to
others, you can become a force in this universe that could
conceivably make
the Jurai Empire tremble. It doesn't matter what they did to you
before.
You have to go beyond petty schemes of vengeance. You have to be
willing to
let go of the past and move forward with the future, otherwise
you're
doomed to failure. That I can guarantee."
It would be interesting to see what Autolycus would make of Tenchi.
Tenchi has potential, but what kind, exactly? Someone like Autolycus
would be able to say. Interesting.
[snip]
"And what purpose would that serve?" Stargrave gave Ariana a
disappointed
look. "He's free to come or go as he pleases. It just means he'll
be cut
out of the deal when the time for rewards comes." He shouldered
the back he
had been carrying. "It's time to move out. Every second we waste
here the
Shihana gets further away from us. Ariana, show us the way."
The others obeyed and picked up their packs once more. To
Funuyaki, the
pack seemed a lot lighter, now that she had finally decided on
what to do.
The group set off in the direction that their prize had been
taken.
Funuyaki is taking the route of duty and acceptance of her fate.
This feels very Japanese.
Slogging through the mud was tiring. Even the frequent toiling he
had done
in the fields back home had not prepared him for this kind of
exercise. It
would have been so much easier if the terrain had been rocky, or
at least
not muddy. Even if it would stop raining, things would be better.
But the
earth was soft and the rain had fallen continuously for nearly two
days
now, and it seemed doubtful that they were anywhere near the ship.
It would have felt like a complete exercise in futility if not for
the fact
that Tenchi had a bad feeling that their troubles weren't over and
that
they were being followed. It was not as though he had actually
seen any
indication that there was anyone following them, not even the
quick
movement of a shadow out of the corner of his eye, and yet the
feeling
would still not go away. It was making him slightly paranoid.
Slightly,
only because when you hung around people that could move through
walls,
summon floating logs, and turn your storage closet into an access
portal to
another dimension, and all of said people had an active interest
in you,
you already had a tendency to be paranoid, and you got used to the
feeling
after a while. When you were almost certain you were being hunted
by one or
more bad guys intending harm upon your person, the paranoia was
higher and
more constant, but remained at acceptable levels.
Heh, sounds like battle fatigue. :)
It was getting close to Mihoshi's turn to pull the anti-gravity
sled. It
was not so much the weight of the sled that bothered Tenchi -it
was in an
antigravity field and was weightless- it was the slow, steady pace
and
concentration that had to be maintained in order to keep the field
around
the orb stable. The orb had fallen off once and it had taken a
half an hour
in the pouring rain to reset the field to get it to transport the
whitish
ball of smooth material once again. Remaining in one spot was
worse than
moving in many ways. The air was slightly chilly even during the
daytime
and being soaked to the bone didn't help at all.
"I think it's my turn to pull the sled now, Tenchi."
"I can carry it a while longer." It was true that Mihoshi had
insisted on
pulling the sled at least half of the time, and it was the fair
thing to
do, but chivalry, along with a bit of a desire to be macho, made
him want
to pull it at least fifty minutes out of every hour.
MALE ALERT!!!
"Oh... it's just Tenchi."
:P
Mihoshi was adamant. "No. It's been two hours and that means it's
my turn
to pull it. Now give it up, Tenchi."
Tenchi was about to politely refuse again when he spotted the
mouth to a
nearby cave. It was only a little less than a couple of hours
until the sun
would set, and they needed to find shelter soon to keep out of the
rain
during the night. The cave would be perfect. It would mean
possibly
sacrificing some travel time, but whoever was following them would
almost
surely seek out shelter from the rain as well. Once inside, they
could even
try lighting a fire and getting warm. Tenchi had already forgotten
the last
time he had felt warm.
"Why don't we wait in there, you know, with how the weather is and
all?"
Tenchi pointed to the mouth of the cave.
"What do you mean? What's wrong with the weather?"
Apparently not only did it tend to be colder on Mensa than on
Earth, but
the area of the planet that Mihoshi had grown up in had an annual
amount of
rainfall that would have turned any desert into a rainforest, or
so Tenchi
had discovered when Mihoshi said she was unaffected by the rain
and
temperature. If it got any colder, Tenchi would have accepted
Mihoshi's
offer of allowing him to wear her uniform. There was a point where
pride
gave way to discomfort.
"I'm just a little soggy and cold," Tenchi said through chattering
teeth."
Stray quotes at the end of the sentence.
[snip]
"It's the most infamous male strip club in all of Tokyo."
"Oh. I guess that would explain why the waiters were so big and
handsome
and wore those tight leather pants muscle shirts.
and wore those tight, leather pants *and* muscle shirts.
And here I thought it was
just because the place was really warm. Anyway, we had a really
fun time
and all got along really well. The waiters were very accommodating
too."
...accommodating, too."
Mihoshi got a far off look in her eyes. "One of them gave me a
nine inch
sausage."
*FACE-FAULT!!*
Tenchi made a strangling noise.
The sounds of inadequacy, yup! :)
"It was bigger than anything I ever had before. I was so proud of
myself. I
managed to swallow the whole nine inches on the first try."
Tenchi began choking on air.
LOL!!!
"Even Ryouko was impressed by that. She said she wanted to try
too, but she
could only get seven inches down before she gagged."
Oh, dear...
Tenchi's heart began to fail.
"Aeka said that was nothing and got a nice, fat, juicy foot long
one down
in a single gulp. She said she was so good at it because of her
Juraian
bridal training. Who'd have thought they taught that sort of thing
in
bridal training, right, Tenchi? Tenchi?"
Ojou-sama!!!
Mihoshi suddenly realized that Tenchi had stopped breathing and
promptly
began giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He started
breathing again
after the first ten seconds.
Once consciousness returned, Tenchi shot to his feet. "Mihoshi!
How could
you betray me like that?!" He gave her a cold glare as he leveled
an
accusing finger at her.
O_o??
The accusation caused Mihoshi to sniffle. "I didn't know you'd be
offended.
I'm sorry. Next time I'll order an extra nine inch sausage for
you. I'll be
sure they put extra sauce and green peppers on it, and I'll even
get a side
order of french fries. Would that make it up to you?"
Tenchi's eyebrow twitched so violently it was nearly a blur. "I
knew you
meant sausage as in food instead of sausage as in... sausage."
So what's he getting so riled up about?! Wishy-washy boy!!!
Tenchi sat back down and let his mind go into neutral for the next
fifteen
minutes. Once enough of his faculties recovered so that he
wouldn't have an
embarrassment-induced heart attack, he said. "I'm sorry. I
overreacted at
your choice of... dish."
"That's okay," Mihoshi assured him.
"No, no. I should have acted more calmly." The intensity of his
reaction at
the perceived betrayal had surprised even him. He was going to
have to
think on why it had been so violent later.
I think he'd better!
[snip]
"Can you really eat a nine inch sausage in one gulp?"
"Tenchi, I could do eleven if I had to."
A silly grin spread across Tenchi's features. Mihoshi truly was a
girl of
many talents.
O_o
o_O
:)
One of which was...
"Mihoshi, this matchbook is wet."
"Oh, don't worry about it. Just make a fire to dry it out."
BONG!!!
...the ability to frustrate the hell out of him sometimes. The
silly grin
disappeared, replaced by the shivering from the cold. "Do you have
something else I could use to make a fire so I can dry these
matches out
and use them to make a fire?"
The ability to comprehend sarcasm easily was not one of Mihoshi's
many
talents. Being able to swallow eleven inches of sausage went a
long way to
balancing that out, though.
Oh, you're going to burn for that one. :)
"Umm. Nope. I don't think so."
"Can't you turn your laser to a lower setting and cause it to make
a fire?"
Tenchi asked.
"Nope," Mihoshi assured him. "The only settings it has are 'stun',
'kill',
and 'make sure someone cleans up the ashes afterwards'. No 'fire'
setting.
Sorry." Mihoshi sighed. "Are you sure you can't make a fire?"
"How? It's not like-" Tenchi paused, looking down at the floor of
the cave
until he spotted what he wanted. He picked up two greenish-blue
colored
rocks. "It's not like you can just randomly pick up a couple of
rocks and
hit them together, hoping you can make a spark and start a fire."
To prove his point, Tenchi drew the rocks back, then brought them
forward
to strike one another. Just as they were about to make contact, he
heard
Mihoshi cry out, "Wait, Tenchi! Don't do it!"
Tenchi was about to ask her what the problem was as the rocks
struck one
another. A bright red-colored light formed where the rocks
contacted, then
a wave of heat knocked Tenchi unconscious.
So much for the Boy Scout... or is that Chibi Scout... or Sailor
Scout but I'm really a guy Scouts? :P
The group following the Shihana settled under a thick bow of trees
that
provided a little shelter. The largest of the water-proof sheets
hung above
the makeshift encampment. It was spread out, nailed to several of
the
closer trees and branches in order to hang over the fire that had
been made
in the center of the encampment. Even as close as they tried to
get, only
Stargrave and Malgaunt were able to fit completely under the
overhead
cover. The others had to sit along the edge, hunched in
personal-sized
waterproof sheets that had been designed for such a purpose. That
did
little to ease their discomfort.
The atmosphere around the camp was tense, though not as depressing
as might
have been expected under the circumstances. The remaining five
members of
the party had said little since Autolycus had left them, choosing
instead
to remain silent as Ariana led the way, tracking their opponents.
Onita
mentioned that with the trail Mihoshi and whoever was traveling
with her
were leaving behind, even he could have tracked them. He was
content to
allow Ariana to lead, and subsequently trigger whatever ambushes
or traps
the opposition might have left behind.
Esprit de corps at it's most non-existent.
[snip]
Malgaunt gave a brief shake of his head. "At first, that was what
I
thought. But the list of criminals she's brought in, many of them
single-handed, proves that she belongs in our ranks. Her list of
achievements is twice that of most career officers, despite only
being a
member of the force for a little more than five years. There's
nothing she
hasn't accomplished. She's brought in serial killers, talked down
suicide
cases, negotiated hostage situations, foiled terrorists plots, and
gotten
entire gangs of the most violent thugs to give up without a fight.
There
was even a case where she managed to break up a cult of over a
thousand
people that was following a nihilistic megalomaniacal leader that
tried to
make them commit mass suicide. Of course, in preventing the
cultists from
killing themselves, Mihoshi somehow got them to begin worshipping
her as
their new leader and they began following her. That was a real
mess. It
took over a month of one of the special divisions of the
department to
deprogram them. And afterwards the entire unit ended up having to
take a
vacation from the stress involved in forcing them away from her.
>From what
the reports said, they cultists were hopelessly devoted to her.
The whole
'Cult Of Mihoshi' case was one that's still talked about to this
day.
Somehow... you just *have* to believe it. :)
"I suppose that was around the time her performance rating started
to drop.
In the beginning, she was a fine officer, though I had only
encountered her
at a handful of award ceremonies. I heard odd stories about her in
the
early days, but you know how rumors circulate. I paid them little
mind, and
her performance rating remained high. But after the first three
and a half
years of her career, things began to change. Complaints began to
come in.
Bills for damage she caused rose. She began to crash her spaceship
into
things. It was a drop in everything except her arrest rate. That
remained
high, and she was still able to accomplish the tasks she was
assigned, but
the manner in which she solved her cases began to cause chaos all
around.
And the more time that passed, the worse it got. Pretty soon,
everyone
began to fear working with her. A young up and coming officer
Suggest: A young, up-and-coming officer...
was assigned
to Mihoshi in the hopes that she could somehow mitigate the damage
she was
causing, while still maintaining the record of arrests. Shortly
after
joining Mihoshi, Kiyone disappeared and was presumed dead.
"Since she was still completing her assignments, and no one had
the guts to
fire the Grand Marshal's granddaughter, Mihoshi was relegated to
out of the
way areas of space where it was presumed she would cause no
damage, or at
least minimize it. I believe they were successful to some degree.
At least
I haven't heard any major complaints about her."
"But that doesn't really tell us what she's doing here, or how
she's been
able to constantly foil our scheme," Stargrave pointed out.
"I haven't got the faintest idea." Malgaunt would have begun
pacing to help
him think, save for the rain falling outside his cover. He had had
enough
rain to last him for the next year. "If the Galaxy Police were
onto me, and
had sent Mihoshi to bring me in, they would never have allowed us
to throw
Tartarus into Hell's Gate."
"It's been said she's very lucky," Funuyaki mentioned.
Malgaunt openly scoffed at that. "The idea that she somehow
stumbled onto
us and foiled our scheme through luck is absolutely preposterous."
He felt
sorrow at his prot�g�'s naivet�. One couldn't put stock in such
intangibles
as luck. The prepared made their own luck.
"I worked with her once."
All eyes turned to the speaker: Onita.
He had the far off
far-off
glint in his eye of someone remembering the distant
past. "It was a little less than two years ago, right after she
began her
slide, near as I can tell. I was assigned to work undercover with
her. It
was us and some detective named Chancer, who was the guy in
charge. We were
going to run a trifecta operation on some arms dealers. Chancer
was going
to pretend to be a negotiator for some outer rim crime lord. I was
his
muscle, I'm good at acting like hired muscle, and Mihoshi played
his bimbo
girlfriend. She did that really good too.
She did that really good, too.
I always thought the girlfriend
roles were the easiest; the bad guys never suspect them of being
dangerous
and always make mistakes around the girls. Guys like me always get
all the
attention because we're supposed to be the dangerous ones, and
whenever
things go down, all guns get turned to you first. That's why I
always like
feeling out whoever I'm working with, especially the female
officer since
they could make the difference between life and death for me."
Yeah, yeah. Get on with it. :)
"So anyway, in the days leading up to the operation I get to
talking with
Mihoshi. Now I'd been in the service for seven years already, five
of them
working undercover and nothing else. Now by that time I learned
how the
system really works, and it wasn't with that idealist crap they
feed you
about in the academy.
Suggest: ... they feed you in the Academy. (omitting "about")
It's nothing like they say it is. I played rough and
tough with a lot of people. I took graft every now and then. Hell,
I helped
cover up an operation that went bad and a couple of innocents got
caught in
the crossfire. It was a just a mistake, you know. Why did me and
the other
guys have to suffer because a couple of people got stupid? I did a
lot of
stuff that probably would have gotten me thrown off the force if
it became
public knowledge; I can admit to it. It's what you had to do to
survive and
keep from going crazy when you work deep covers like I did.
"So anyway, I get to talking with her -aside from planning the op,
there
wasn't much else to do- and it was funny. She was this bright,
happy,
cheerful girl that, you know, was kind of bubbly. She wasn't like
any other
officer I had ever worked with before. At first, I thought she was
just
preparing herself for the act, but it became obvious real quick
that was
the way she really was.
"Early on, I didn't know what to make of it, but I listened to
what she
said. The more she talked about being on the force and what it
meant to
her, the more I felt like, I don't know. I kind of felt bad. I
mean, it was
just the way she said things, so bright and optimistic and happy.
It kind
of made me feel inspired. For the first time since I joined the
force, I
thought maybe I could serve the public the way they told us in the
academy.
Maybe I could have made a difference, or at least been like she
was instead
of the way I was. I think maybe part of me wanted to be more like
her. She
seemed a lot happier than me.
Interesting...
"Anyway, the operation went down without a problem, except for the
weapons
being destroyed, and that was no big deal. After it was all over
we went
our separate ways, and I came back to my senses. It really was
stupid, me
believing in what she was saying and all. It was just a load of
crap." With
his story over, Onita seemed less happy than he had before and
began
staring off into space.
Stargrave thought about what had been said. "If she's still that
optimistic, I can see where she would be incorruptible." Stargrave
returned
his attention to Onita. "And what caused you to thrown in with
Malgaunt on
this little journey?"
Onita shrugged. "Internal Affairs found some evidence about me
taking a
bribe. I'd have probably lost my job, except the Marshal stepped
in and
used some favors to get them off my back. He pulled me from
undercover and
had me reassigned as his personal aide."
Stargrave seemed satisfied with the answer. He turned to Funuyaki.
"So,
what's your story for joining up?"
"Mind your own business!" Funuyaki snapped.
The fierceness in her voice caused Ariana to move nearer to
Funuyaki. The
lieutenant noticed the motion and turned to fully face the
enforcer. "Get
any closer, and I'll feed you that vibro-sabre that's under your
cloak,"
Funuyaki snarled.
"It would take a better woman than you to do it, GP." Ariana's
voice was
ice. It matched the look in her eyes.
"Lieutenant Funuyaki was a naughty girl too."
girl, too."
This time all eyes turned to Malgaunt. Funuyaki shot him in
an
incredulous
look. He responded by smiling and shrugging his shoulders as if to
say,
"It's inevitable, so don't try to fight it." She wouldn't give him
the
satisfaction of telling the story, so she resisted him the only
way she
could.
"My story isn't so different from Onita's. I graduated the academy
with
high marks. At first, I did everything the way they taught me: by
the book.
My career started off very promising and I received a couple of
commendations. After a year on the force, I was promoted to
undercover. I
had a good partner that helped break me into the job, teaching me
the
ropes. I learned fast, but not as fast as I thought. He saved my
life early
on when I made a dumb mistake. He really went out on a limb for me
and
nearly died, so I kind of felt like I owed him my life. In
hindsight, I
shouldn't have felt so devoted to him.
"It all started innocently enough. Before, he had always shielded
me from
some of the things he did. I assumed it was just personal work,
but once he
felt he could trust me, he let me see what he was really up to. He
took
bribes. Not a lot, and certainly not over serious crimes, but over
petty
things that he would look the other way for. I didn't like it -it
went
against everything I'd been taught- but I owed him my life, and he
was
trusting me with this. I just couldn't bring myself to turn him
in. So I
turned a blind eye and let him continue without a complaint."
"It always starts out small," Stargrave said, a satisfied smirk on
his
lips.
Funuyaki refrained from saying anything. The man was right, after
all, and
the truth was supposed to hurt sometimes. And she would deny him
the
satisfaction of seeing her react to his interruption, which was
the whole
reason behind his speaking. "Yes. It did. After a while, I began
running
short of money. The Galaxy Police has good benefits but minimal
pay, and
I've always had problems with managing my finances. I mentioned
that to my
partner, and he said I could get some of the money as well. At
first I
resisted, but I admit it didn't take much for him to talk me into
it. I
think he wanted me involved as additional insurance for him. After
all, I
couldn't very well turn him in if I was guilty of doing the exact
same
thing."
You're really pulling on the reality of police work here. I mean,
this is discussion that could be heard in any locker room of any
police force in the world. It lends a great deal of verisimilitude
to these characters and to the story as a whole. Kudos.
"After about a year of that, I was reassigned. A
I
became mobile, working a
bunch of different assignments with different partners, all of
them good,
upstanding officers. My career took off, and I made dozens of
arrest
arrests
and
won a chest full of medals and commendations for a job well done.
But as
time passed, I fell further into debt and further into misery. I
mean, I
was scraping the absolute bottom of the barrel in money. I have to
admit, I
was sort of desperate. That's probably why I went along with what
happened
next.
"A couple of undercover
extra space
officers I
extra space
had met in the line of duty approached
me with a plan. They thought I would go along with it since they
had heard
from my first partner that I had taken some bribes and didn't
snitch on
anyone. I ended up agreeing, because it sounded like a good way to
make a
lot of money fast. The plan was that we'd use our undercover
status to run
a scam on some drug dealers. Except it wouldn't be an official
case; it
would be something we'd be doing freelance. We'd let the criminals
go, of
course, but we'd be keeping the money that we found at the bust.
"The plan went down just like we hoped, and I ended up with a ton
of money.
Enough that I swore that I wouldn't pull another heist like that
again. I
should have known better than to lie to myself like that. The idea
that I
could actually profit from doing what were essentially good deeds
in
stopping criminals was too good an opportunity to pass up. We did
several
other smaller deals and pulled in some extra cash. A couple of
times things
broke down and we ended up in gun fights, but I never shot anyone
that
wasn't actively trying to kill me first. And the ones that died
were all
killers anyway. Someone would have punched their tickets sooner or
later,
and I kept them from harming anyone else by taking them out, so it
really
didn't bother me. Things were actually looking pretty good in my
life,
which, of course, meant something terrible was bound to bring it
all
crashing down.
Yup.
"On one of our cases, we used a snitch to help us set up the scam.
He was a
lowlife dreg and a crook, but we convinced him that it was a legit
bust and
that we'd arrest him if he didn't help. So he did, and that
operation went
down without a problem. Complications came up when the snitch
contacted me
a few months later. Apparently, he somehow found out that it was
not an
official police bust and that we were doing it on our own. He
thought I was
the most reasonable of the group and contacted me privately to try
to work
out a deal to buy his continued silence. God, I felt like my world
had come
to an end.
"We met in a large city on his homeworld. I
A
nice, dank, back alleyway in
the dead of night; the proper place for such underhanded dealing
to take
place, yes? He was there, smirking at me like the cat that had
swallowed
the proverbial barchard. And all the time fear gnawed away at me
in a way
I'd never felt before. Getting gunned down in the line of duty,
that I
could handle. But to be arrested, dishonored and thrown into
prison for the
sake of busting a few criminals, that was too much to take. I
thought I was
going to break down, I
"the" instead of "I"
stress was eating away at me that bad.
"All the time I was looking at him, I knew the truth. The little
rat would
never really be bought off. He'd blackmail me to the end of his
days, and
that I couldn't live with. So I decided to scare him, convince him
that I'd
kill him if he even breathed a word of this to anyone. I
threatened him,
but the little shitbag didn't buy it. He was convinced I'd never
actually
kill him, that I was too nice, in spite of what I had done, and
that if I
wasn't willing to pay up, he'd contact one of the others and see
if they'd
cough up the cash. I'd never felt so threatened in my life. And if
they
didn't, he contact the Galaxy Police.
"I've never responded well to threats.
"The snide little bastard turned his back on me and started
walking away. I
pulled my gun out and tried to give him one last chance to back
off, but he
didn't even bother to turn around when he told me to go screw
myself. I had
a choice, and I took it. I shot him. It was easy. I just aimed and
pulled
the trigger. Shot took him clean in the back of his head. Dead in
an
instant. Even if he was a scumbag, he didn't deserve to die in
pain.
"I was surprised by my composure. There was no fear anymore, just
a calm
feeling of control. I reacted just like a professional I was.
Suggest: I reacted just like *the* professional I was.
I made it
look like a mugging that went bad and immediately headed off
planet.
Suggest: off-planet.
I was
terrified for weeks that someone would find out what I had done
and arrest
me for murder, but no one ever did. The crime was listed as
unsolvable, and
everyone forgot that little waste of oxygen ever existed."
Funuyaki rubbed
her temple and smiled. It was the first time she had ever told the
whole
story to anyone. In an odd way, it felt good to get it off her
chest.
Malgaunt was surprised by the confession. He had known about
everything but
the murder. However, he quickly adapted to it. It was unexpected,
but meant
nothing in the larger scheme of things. "We got wind of the
possibility
that someone in the Galaxy Police was using their position to
pretend they
were on duty and robbing from criminals. My personal investigation
led me
to the lieutenant and her involvement in the crimes. I knew
Funuyaki's
record; it impressed me to no end. She was brilliant, with a sharp
mind and
good intuitive skills. I had actually met her a couple of times,
and she
had always impressed me on a personal level. With the knowledge
that she
had proven herself willing to bend the rules as she had, I felt I
had at
last discovered someone that could be my right hand, and perhaps
someday be
my successor. Not that I am planning on stepping down any time
soon. I have
an organization to run shortly, but I want to start on my legacy a
little
early.
an organization to run shortly, but I wanted(?) to start...
"I approached Funuyaki and made her a deal,
deal:
if she were to become my
subordinate, the evidence against her would disappear, and she'd
never have
to worry about it again. Needless to say, she accepted. I couldn't
be more
satisfied with her performance since."
Ariana gave her a tight smile. "You're so underhanded, I could
almost
admire you."
"As though the compliments of a lapdog impress me."
That brought a scowl to Ariana's features, and she considered
taking a
swing at Funuyaki and seeing what would come of it. Her plans came
to a
halt when Stargrave spoke up. "Now, now. Ariana is subordinate to
my
wishes, but she's anything but a lapdog." He held his hand to his
chin in
thought. "Since we now know your little secrets, I'll let you
known
Ariana's as well."
Ariana sat back down, relaxing. Unlike Funuyaki, she was not
ashamed of her
past. It was just some of the things in the present that vexed
her. It gave
her a certain amount of pride that Stargrave felt like bragging
about her,
and was interested in hearing how he would tell the story.
Stargrave gave his first mate a tight smile and began. "My dear,
sweet,
faithful Ariana was won by me in a card game."
"Oh?" Funuyaki said. Onita wore a puzzled expression while
Malgaunt
appeared uninterested in the revelation.
"Ariana is from Andarea, as you might have been able to tell by
her slight
accent. It's a small out of the way planet that has several
treaties with
the Jurai, though is not actually a part of it. Andarea's world
government
is a male-dominated monarchic system. Women are treated as little
more than
property. Valuable property, but property all the same. And the
most
valuable of all are the high born ladies, such as Ariana here."
"How come?" Onita asked.
Stargrave bit off the sharp reply on his tongue. He hated being
interrupted, but he wanted to finish his tale more than wasting
time with
the reprimand.
Nice little bit of characterization for Stargrave.
"Because they are taught almost from the moment they can
walk combat arts.
Awkward. suggest: Because they are taught the combat arts almost
from the moment they can walk.
They receive extensive training in most personal arms and
hand-to-hand fighting. You see, among the males of the nobility,
certain
forms of assassination are viewed as an acceptable means of
advancement.
Not bombs or poisons, mind you, but rather up close and personal
methods,
such as blades, pistols, and even bare hands. Since paying for
standard
bodyguards around the clock costs a small fortune, it's simply
more
economical for a nobleman to pay a one time
one-time
bride price for a well-trained
noblewoman and marry her. That way they stay at the side of their
man at
all times. Quite practical, when you stop and think about it. And
since
noblemen are allowed to have multiple wives, they can have
twenty-four hour
protection, as well as the fringe benefits that apply when one is
married
to a beautiful bodyguard." Stargrave gave a smile at the joke. He
failed to
notice Ariana's own downcast look in his direction.
"As to Ariana herself,
Suggest: "As *for* Ariana herself,
she was bought and married to a rather wealthy lord
named Bethlamu that had this gambling problem. Namely he didn't
know when
to quit when his luck went bad. I was involved in such a game,
winning
quite soundly, and legitimately I might add, when Bethlamu ran out
of
funds. Instead of walking away, he offered to put up Ariana as
collateral.
I could see the pompous snob was unworthy of her protection at a
glance. It
was my duty to rescue her. I accepted and won her, of course. The
poor fool
didn't know what to do without her. He had other wives, of course,
but none
as talented as Ariana. He even offered to buy her back later when
he got
more funds, as though there was enough money in all of his coffers
to buy
someone like her back."
"So she's your slave?" Funuyaki asked.
"Hardly," Stargrave scoffed. "I freed her the moment I won her,
then
offered her a job working for me. The poor dear didn't know what
to do at
first, she
first; she
did have a lifetime of conditioning which made her think of
herself as nothing more than property to be bartered with by other
men, but
she's broken out of that frame of mind since. She's her own woman
now, free
to come and go as she pleases."
"I'd never leave you," Ariana insisted.
"Ah, but women are fickle," Stargrave said whimsically. "You say
that now,
but will you feel the same a year from now?"
"I'd stay with you forever," she said with total conviction.
Funuyaki rolled her eyes. It really was quite clever maneuvering
on
Stargrave's part. In freeing her, he bound her to his will more
tightly
than he could have hoped if she had remained his property. After
all, once
permanently outside Andarea, Ariana would have seen what it meant
for women
to be free and might have developed ideas of her own concerning
her
independence. But in freeing her first, Stargrave had made her
feel
indebted to him, at least she did once she understood the concept
of
freedom outside her own world. No doubt he had done other things
as well to
bind her to him. And Ariana was blind to it all. Truly the man
knew how to
manipulate people like a master.
Had Funuyaki been able to read Ariana's thoughts, she would have
learned
that she was only half right. It was true that had been
Stargrave's plan,
and Ariana had originally served him out of a feeling of debt, but
as time
went on, Ariana genuinely fell in love the man.
fell in love *with* the man.
It went far deeper than
merely freeing her from her bondage. It went far deeper than him
treating
her like a person instead of like property. It was the man himself
who
whom
she
loved. He was truly an inspiration. Confident in his abilities.
Ruthless in
his ambitions. Dominating in his personality. Yet there was also a
definite
code of honor within him; it was just something few could make out
among
the various actions he did. He was a hundred times the man
Bethlamu was,
and she would sooner cut her former husband's throat than allow
herself to
be enslaved to him for even a second ever again.
Stargrave was a man that was actually worthy of her love, and she
was
worthy of his. He showed it in the manner he behaved around her.
When they
were alone, he was open in ways that he never was with others. She
knew
more about him than anyone else. While it was true that she did
not know
the exact details of his past, it was something from there that
drove him
to become the man he was today. She was the only one that came
close to
understanding him. Even if he did not love her now, there would
come a day
when he would look upon her in a new light and at long last love
her in
return. She knew it in her heart. And until that day, she would
willingly
and faithfully serve at his side as long as she drew breath in her
body.
This is good writing, DB. You've made the villain a sympathetic
character and have caused us to care about her. Very nice.
Even now, there was something she could do for him. Something that
would
endear her further to him, and perhaps that day she longed for
more than
anything else in the universe would come at last. But she would
have to
wait until nightfall to make the attempt, after everyone was
asleep. Until
then she would have to bide her time and remain impassive until a
moment
presented itself.
Having as much as she could take of the saccharine sweet scene
before her,
Funuyaki said to Stargrave, "And what about you?"
Sa'bre Stargrave gave her an amused smile and gently placed a
finger to his
lips. "Some things should remain secret."
Sensing he would say nothing further about the subject, and that
all that
was going to be said of the past had been said, the others turned
in for a
night's sleep, save Funuyaki, who took the first watch. Sleep came
to all
those on the ground, save one.
"Wow! Who would have thought there was Flambanium on this planet?"
"Yeah."
"And who would have thought that of all the stones you were going
to pick
up to prove your point, it would be the only two pieces Flambanium
in the
cave?"
"Whatever."
"At least I managed to get a fire going using some of the excess
flames you
produced."
"I noticed you did that before you put me out."
"Well, you were the one that wanted a fire going. I was just
trying to
help, and it's not like you got burned much."
"I see."
"I have a marker if you want to try and draw your eyebrows back
on."
HAAAHAHAAAAAAA!!!
Tenchi is likely to think twice before going on another vacation
with ANYBODY. :)
"No thank you!" Tenchi snapped. Having his eyebrows burned off was
the only
injury he had sustained, but it was a critical blow to his pride.
It had
been his own fault. He should have known better than to tempt fate
like
that, but he had been cold and not thinking straight. If he had
been
thinking more clearly...he probably would have done the exact same
thing.
But at least it would have been with a clear head.
Which makes all the difference in the world. :P
Seeing Mihoshi had been hurt by his misplaced anger, he quickly
moved to
mollify her. "I'm sorry. It's not your fault; it's mine. I
shouldn't have
struck those rocks together. I should have realized there was some
form of
mineral that would go up like a Roman candle somewhere around
here. Hell,
if little animals can turn into spaceships, nothing should
surprise me
anymore."
In spite of his apology, Mihoshi remained downcast. After several
moments
of silence, she said softly, "I'm sorry I asked you on vacation,
Tenchi."
Tenchi thought he knew where this was going. "Hey, this isn't your
fault."
Mihoshi continued on, her voice growing louder. "Yes it is. If I
hadn't
asked you along, if I hadn't given away our extra antenna, if I
hadn't
taken us off out
our
predesignated course, we wouldn't be in this situation and
you wouldn't be having such a bad time."
Tenchi's features softened. He moved closer to Mihoshi, sitting
next to her
and placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Look, I'm glad
you
asked me on vacation with you. I've really enjoyed the time we've
had
together. You only gave our extra transmitter to those people
because they
really needed it and you only took us off course so that we could
make up
for the time we lost helping those people. You had no way of
possibly
knowing things would turn out this way. So please quit blaming
yourself."
The heartfelt honesty Tenchi gave off won Mihoshi over. Overcome
with
emotion, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a powerful
hug. For a
moment, Tenchi felt the urge to withdraw, then, surprising even
himself, he
relaxed and embraced her lightly in return.
She withdrew her embrace, considerably happier that she had been.
The two
began to relax as they prepared themselves for sleep. Mihoshi,
still
feeling very excited, began talking. "I wonder what Aeka and
Ryouko are
doing?"
Aye, there's the rub! :)
Tenchi was astonished to find that Mihoshi's mention of their
names was the
first time he had thought about them in the last three days.
Usually, he
was lucky if he didn't give them at least a passing thought about
once
every two hours. "It's hard to say with them. Sometimes they get
along
fine, other times they just seem to be hell-bent on arguing with
one
another."
"Yeah," Mihoshi sighed. "It's too bad they do that."
An errant thought came to Tenchi. "You usually try to keep them
from
fighting, don't you?" Mihoshi might not have had much success at
it, but
she did try.
"Of course," Mihoshi said as though it was the most obvious thing
in the
world. "I don't like to see anyone fight, especially when deep
down inside
they're really friends, like those two are. I see more than enough
people
fighting in my line of work. If I never saw two people arguing
again, it
would be all right with me."
"I see." That was a new insight on Mihoshi. Tenchi found the
answer simple,
but in this case the simplicity of it made it all the more
poignant. It
impressed him.
The talk of work turned Mihoshi's thoughts to other things. "I
wonder how
the Grand Marshal is going to react when he finds out Marshal
Malgaunt is a
traitor."
As he considered that, something in what she said jogged Tenchi's
memory.
"Isn't the Grand Marshal your grandfather?"
"Yes," Mihoshi said. "He's been the top man of the Galaxy Police
for nearly
twenty years now."
"It must have made getting on the force pretty easy."
"That's not true!" she shot back with the sound of anger in her
voice.
Tenchi found himself taken aback by the intensity of Mihoshi's
denial, and
that she actually directing anger in his direction.
that she *was* actually...
"I'm sorry. I just
assumed that since he was your grandfather and all..."
Mihoshi shook her head furiously. "A lot of people think that
because he's
family that's how I got my position on the force, but they're all
wrong. If
anything, it made my graduating the academy even worse."
"How so?" Tenchi hoped she would calm down. There was something
about
Mihoshi being angry at him that he found very disturbing.
"Because he didn't want me to join the Galaxy Police," Mihoshi
explained.
"He was dead set against it. He thought I should get into a line
of work
that was less hazardous. But I wanted to be a police officer more
than
anything in the galaxy. So I went ahead and enrolled, even over
grandfather's objections. Once I got accepted into the academy, he
saw to
it I had the hardest instructors and was given the most difficult
tests so
that I'd fail. But I didn't. I refused to lose. I put everything I
could
into trying really hard and passing everything they could throw at
me. And
I did it. It wasn't easy. I think maybe it was the hardest time I
ever had
in my life. But I surprised everyone, even my instructors, by
graduating
with honors, in spite of everything they tried to do." With her
explanation
over, Mihoshi relaxed.
Once again, Tenchi found himself impressed by Mihoshi's intensity.
"It
looks like I underestimated you again. Sorry about that."
"I shouldn't have snapped at you. I just don't like it when people
accuse
me of having received any special treatment." Once she realized
Tenchi did
indeed understand, Mihoshi calmed down some more. A yawn escape
from her
lips. "I think it's time for bed."
"I hear you." Tenchi settled down as well. With a fire going, he
wasn't
going to have to use Mihoshi's body heat to help keep him warm.
Surprisingly, he found a small part of him disappointed in that.
But only a
very small part.
The two drifted off into a deep slumber within minutes.
It was nearly five hours later, and still several hours before the
morning
dawn, that the call of nature forced Mihoshi awake. There had been
a single
instance of her deliberately refusing it and remaining asleep
anyway. It
was then she learned how difficult it was to remove certain kinds
of stains
from Galaxy Police uniforms.
Ever practical, our Miho. :)
Sleep tugged at her eyes, but she refused to give in once more to
its siren
call. Rising to her feet, she headed towards the mouth of the
cave. She had
not gotten more than halfway there when she stepped on something
soft in
the middle of the cave floor. It even gave off an "Umph."
"Sorri Techi," Mihoshi slurred as she walked across him and into
the night
beyond.
The cold air washed across her face, waking her up a little more.
Slightly
more aware of her surroundings, she began searching for a good
spot to
relieve herself. It could not be too close to the cave. Aside from
stinking
up the place, she didn't want to take a chance of Tenchi peeking.
Not that
she truly thought he would, but why take the chance?
She found a quiet spot nearly thirty meters away from the cave and
shielded
off by a large amount of foliage.
Suggest: ...from the cave and shielded by a large amount of foliage.
She had unzipped her uniform and peeled
the upper half down to her waist, when a sharp blow struck her in
the back
of the neck. She fell to the ground, unconscious.
"I knew I could track you in the darkness."
Ariana Taguyu had taken a chance in leaving the others right after
her
guard shift had started, but it had been a necessary risk to end
this whole
matter before Sa'bre placed himself in danger for the sake of the
Shihana.
Ariana had been convinced she could resolve everything before
Sa'bre and
the others awakened. Her skills at tracking were good enough to
use even in
the middle of the night, and without having the others to drag
along, she
could make better time. She hurried as quickly as she could,
trying to
reach the prize while her opponents were hopefully still asleep.
She had
lost the track once, and was trying to find it again, when she saw
the
flash of color under the moonlit night. Approaching silently, she
had
stalked her prey and was delighted to recognize the telltale
uniform of a
Galaxy Police officer. All it had taken was when Mihoshi was at
her most
vulnerable and striking her in the back of the head to bring
matters under
her control.
Suggest: All it had taken was waiting for Mihoshi to be at her most
vulnerable...
Ariana examined her catch. Mihoshi had spun around slightly when
she went
down and was now lying face up, despite falling forward when she
had been
hit. Her face could be clearly seen, and Ariana noted that Mihoshi
was
indeed quite attractive. From what she could see of Mihoshi's
extra space
revealed
torso, she was also in very good shape. Besides those two
features, the
police officer appeared ordinary in every other way.
[snip]
..watched in shock as the blue energy blade sliced through her
weapon as
though it didn't exist, severing the vibro-weapon in two. There
was no time
for Ariana to even consider a defense as the beam of energy came
in a
sweeping arc into her side and up through her chest, slicing clean
through
tissue and bone just as effortlessly as it had the metal and low
level
energy field of the blade. White hot shards of agony cut a trail
through
her, following the path of the strike. It was over in a second, as
the
blade finished its cut and nearly severed Tenchi's opponent nearly
in half.
The world turned black for Ariana, and her last thoughts were of
Sa'bre,
and that she had failed the man she loved, for now there was no
one to warn
him of the unsuspecting dangers he faced at the hands of the boy.
And then there was nothing.
Wow. That little bit of drama caught me off-guard, but it wasn't
unexpected, I guess. They would have to face one another at some
point.
The blade of energy sizzled through the air as Tenchi finished the
follow
through on the strike on
to
his opponent. The blow was nearly identical to the
one that had killed Kagato save that it had not cut quite as
deeply on the
woman, though from the results of his blow, it was deep enough.
Still, as
Tenchi saw the blade slice more cleanly through the woman than it
had upon
his pale-skinned opponent from so many months ago, a surge of
revulsion
threatened to overwhelm him. He had seen the blood and bone that
the blue
blade of energy had cut through, and it nauseated him. When he had
driven
his sword through Kagato, there had been nothing -not even an
obvious wound
on his body- before he dissolved into a death so clean and
sanitary that it
had not even seemed real.
Yeah, that's an excellent point to make. Tenchi really hasn't had to
deal with the more visceral aspects of killing. Kagato's death was
sort of unreal to begin with... and may not actually be true, if
what I understand from the 101 Tenchi facts is correct.
However, the woman's death was nothing so sterile. A spray of
blood from
the body nearly being severed in half had splashed across the
bottom of his
outfit him,
omit "him"
leaving an all too real reminder of what he had just done. The
body of Mihoshi's attacker remained where it was, an unmoving
sight full of
gore. This time the body remained where it was. When Kagato's body
had
disappeared, it had almost been as though he had never existed,
and if he
had not existed, then Tenchi wouldn't have had to feel guilty
about killing
him, even if deep within he had known the truth and had lived with
it to
this day.
[snip]
"I can't believe you'd hit me in the back of my head and try to
take
advantage of me while I was unconscious!"
"I did not-
"You didn't have to knock me out. If you wanted to have sex, all
you had to
do was ask."
Tenchi facefaulted. That proved both a mistake and wake up call at
the same
time.
*laughter*
[Oi there. Did I just hear what I think I heard?]
Tenchi raised himself into a cross-legged position on the ground
and tried
shutting out the advice from the voice in his head as Mihoshi
continued on
about how she might not have come on as strong as Ryouko, but she
was not
as straight-laced as Aeka, and that she was a mature, if still
young, woman
who was perfectly capable of making important decisions in her
life about
that sort of thing and who she would like to do it with and what
may or may
not happen as a result of that sort of behavior.
The speech continued for about five minutes or so with Mihoshi
meticulously
detailing the reasons as to why she might be willing to engage in
that sort
of behavior with him. The girl had an eye for detail, and for
being
thorough, he had to admit.
Once she paused to take a breath, Tenchi finally said, "Actually,
it was
that woman over there who hit you. She was trying to kill you and
me. I had
no choice but to kill her instead."
Mihoshi looked in surprise at the body. "Oh. Okay. I'm sorry I
accused you
of that, then."
Turns on a dime. :)
[snip]
Mihoshi's reaction was to visibly pale as she fell to her knees in
shock at
the impossible image before her. There was only the faintest of
whispers
upon her lips, but it was loud enough for Tenchi to hear.
"Shihana."
Ah, she *does* know what it it. Interesting...
Very nice, DB. Another fine installment. Looking forward to the
next.
Ja!
Dave
************************************
D.F. Roeder
Fanfiction - http://www.flash.net/~dfroeder/index.html