Not a lot of action in this one, but it sets up some important stuff for
later on.
Ranma Xero
Part 8
Aftermath
Ranma stood before his father and Soun Tendo with his head hung low.
Both men were scowling at him angrily from behind the desk in Soun's
office. Genma stood beside his friend as the man shuffled through papers
and waved them at Ranma angrily.
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?" he snapped.
"I ain't gonna sit and do nothing," said the boy quietly.
"Ranma! You could have been killed out there! This isn't China!" snapped
Genma bitterly.
Soun looked up at him with a confused look and quickly diverted his
attention back to the boy standing before them. "We can't have you going
out and risking your life this way boy."
"Why not? Akane's doing it," said the boy in retort.
"That's different!" snapped Soun.
"How?" replied the boy calmly.
"We have no choice, you know as well as I do that only young girls can
pilot those things. It cannot be helped," said Soun with a heavy sigh.
"I'm no stranger to combat Mr. Tendo," replied the boy with his
maddening calm yet again.
"I can see that, especially with the way you handled that rifle, but
that's not the point son!" snapped the man as he started to loose
patience again.
"I will not sit idly," replied the boy as he returned the firm gaze that
both men were giving them.
"You've already been barred from the armory. You'll have to sit the next
one out this time. I won't have you endangering your life this way. We
need you here boy," said Genma as he turned and gazed out the window.
"I didn't get the rifle from the armory," replied the boy.
This took both men by surprise. "Then where?"
"I took it off of one of the wounded men when I went outside. I'll fight
them barehanded if I have to."
"You'll do no such thing Ranma!" snapped his father as he jumped across
the table and slapped him hard across his face.
Ranma remained still and did not move to return the blow. "I don't care
what you say old man. I will fight again. You can't stop me."
"Can't we?" said Soun with a dangerous cool about him suddenly.
"No."
Soun hung his head and turned to gaze outside. He had a tired look on
his face. "We'll discuss this later."
Ranma stood silently and walked out of the room.
After the boy had left Soun turned to Genma and frowned. "Where did he
learn to handle a weapon like that Saotome?"
"It shames me to say, but we were traveling across China in the middle
of a war Tendo. Both of us were armed." Genma sat down in the chair
opposite his friend and hung his head. "We saw several battles with the
enemy while traveling. We did not become involved, but the cruelty that
they showed got to my son. I had to hold him back several times and
actually physically carried him away a few times as well. He's seen a bit
of combat on the handful of times I couldn't stop him."
"I see," replied the man somberly as he continued to gaze at the city in
the distance.
"Tendo, perhaps we should give in a little, give him something to do
during the battles?"
"What do you mean Saotome?" said Soun as he looked up at his friend in
surprise.
"My son is a very honorable man. A man among men, if we give him some
sort of duty, he will perform it without fail."
"Are you thinking of ... ?"
"Have him guard something, something he can't just leave behind," said
Genma with a small smile appearing on his face.
"I think I understand. I will have him join the guards who protect the
families within the complex," Soun sat back and relaxed somewhat with
their new problem seemingly solved.
"That should be enough to sate him," agreed Genma.
The intercom on the desk suddenly chimed and Soun leaned forward. "Yes?"
"Sir, someone is here to speak with you," said the secretary.
"Who?" said the man as he looked at his planner. There were no meetings
scheduled.
"Lou Xian, she claims to work in the armory department," said the woman
with a slight strain in her voice.
"Send her in," replied the man after a moment of consideration. His eyes
almost bugged out of his head at what he saw enter the room. A woman in
her mid twenties dressed in what appeared to be battle armor of some
kind. She was wearing Chinese clothes and had her hair tied up in buns on
top of her head. "Can I help you miss?"
"Mr. Tendo, I have come with a request," said the woman in a very formal
tone as she prostrated herself on the ground before him.
The secretary walked in behind her and was shaking with fear. Several
security guards were laid out in the waiting room unconscious. "She was
very insistent sir."
"I can see that," replied Soun as he stood up and reached into a small
drawer behind the desk. "What is this about young lady?"
"Yesterday I received a telegram that my home village in China had been
destroyed. A small group of survivors has managed to escape, but they
need help badly."
"I don't see what we can do for them," ventured Soun carefully.
Lou Xian continued as if he had not spoken. "This morning, one of the
elders contacted me again. This time it was a video communication. I
requested that they come here."
"Why?" said Genma dumbly.
"Indeed young lady, this outpost is not equipped to deal with refugees,"
agreed Soun. "I'm afraid I will have to turn them away. The security risk
alone ... " He was cut off as the woman spoke again.
"They are not idle, my people are warriors Mr. Tendo, and they have a
unit of their own. It is badly in need of repair, but still functional."
"My dear, we manufacture hundreds of those things. Surely ... "
"You did not manufacture this one Mr. Tendo. It is one of theirs. If we
delay, the Chinese Government will find and seize it for their own use."
That shut the man up. He looked at her carefully and sat back down in
his chair taking his hand from the drawer where it had been for the
entire conversation. "I make no promises, but I will speak with this
elder of yours."
"Thank you sir," replied the woman as she stood up and bowed to him.
After that she turned away and exited the room.
"We could use a few more men here," said Genma as he looked down at his
old friend.
"Another of their units? How did they get it to work? All of the ones we
have we had to make ourselves. No human could pilot that thing we found
all those years ago."
"What are we going to do about her though?"
"I'm afraid she'll have to be arrested. We cannot overlook her actions
here. She will be held for a short time and then released, to satisfy the
old men." Soun turned towards the window again and watched the city.
"She'll lose her job of course."
"I'm afraid so," agreed Tendo. "If what she says is true, I may find it
in my heart to allow them to stay. Especially if they have someone who
can pilot the alien units."
"It will remain sealed of course?"
"I have no intention of risking anything on this. They could be spies of
the enemy."
"They'll be found out quickly. We have ways of detecting their kind,"
said Genma sagely.
"We'll find out soon enough," said Soun calmly. "We'll get the details
from her while she's detained."
"Perhaps we don't need to allow them to stay? After all, once they bring
the unit to us ... " Genma didn't finish.
Soun nodded and hung his head. "I don't see the need for that yet. After
all, she said they had a pilot. There is no need to train a new one if
someone already knows how to operate the machine. I shall decide our
course of action after I speak with this village elder of hers. However,
I will not allow an opportunity like this to slip by, we will take the
unit by force if need be."
"A wise decision Tendo," said Genma with a smirk on his face.
Soun looked up at the clock on his wall and smiled. "Ah, it's almost
time. I have to go meet with the Major."
---------------------------------------
Akane fell to her knees and gasped for breath. "How many times are we
going to do this today?" Kodachi stood next to her in about the same
condition and merely gasped wordlessly.
"Until you get it right," replied Ranma with a small shrug.
"I already know the kata by heart!" snapped the girl bitterly as she
stood up and wiped her brow.
"Then why did you forget it on the battlefield?"
"What?" said the girl in shock.
"I saw you out there, running around like a gorilla or something. You
forgot everything me and pop taught you! You're lucky you didn't die! If
she hadn't been there you would have!" snapped the boy as he suddenly
became angry.
Both girls jumped back at the outburst and simply stared at him.
"What do you know about that? It's completely different out there!"
cried Akane defensively.
"No! It isn't!" snapped the boy as he rushed up to her face and shifted
into his female form suddenly. "You think you're the only one who's been
in a fight? I know exactly what it's like on the battlefield! You're
getting sloppy and it's going to get you killed!"
"Jerk!" screamed the girl as she punched him across the room.
Ranma jumped up and rushed forward with an angry scowl on her face. She
lashed out in a punch and stopped just in front of her nose. "You're too
slow, you let your anger get the best of you, and you're uncute."
"What did you say?" she cried in retort.
"I didn't stutter," replied the redhead as she jumped back from another
clumsy strike.
Akane's vision went red and she charged forward like an angry bull.
Ranma merely dodged around her blows and tagged her several times with
light punches.
"What are you doing? Fight me damn it!" screamed the girl in rage.
The redhead kicked out low and swept her feet from under her sending her
to the floor face first. Akane pushed herself up and blinked. "Look at
yourself! You call that martial arts? You're nothing but a brawler," said
Ranma as she put her foot on her back and forced her back to the ground.
"Why should I bother training you? As soon as you lose your temper you
forget all of it anyway."
Akane started to cry where she lay and simply gave up her struggle to
rise, but she was severely weakened by her training. "Why? Why do you
have to be such an insensitive jerk?"
"Do you think your enemy is going to ask you if you had a good day or
somethin? Jeez, Akane, get real! They're gonna do anything they can to
screw you up, and they've done a pretty good job of it so far." Ranma's
features softened somewhat and he helped her back to her feet. "Akane,
this anger is going to get you killed. You've got to learn to control
yourself."
The girl looked up at him and blushed as he smiled at her and walked her
back to her spot next to Kodachi. The other girl had been watching the
whole scene rather passively.
"Now, we're going to do it again," said the boy as he stepped back and
took up the first stance of the kata.
Both girls looked at him and groaned.
----------------------------------
"Our units are severely outclassed by these things they keep sending
down. We haven't been able to repel a single attack. The only thing we
use the damn things for is heavy lifting." A gruff looking man walked
next to Soun Tendo dressed in a pressed and neat military uniform. "The
General was supposed to come down for this next week, but since I'm here
anyway, we just decided to get it out of the way now. Tendo, this had
better be good."
"I'm sure we are glad to accommodate your busy schedule Major," replied
Soun with a small diplomatic smile. "It's the least we can do after you
helped us repel those invaders."
"Yes I appreciate the effort, and we are thankful for your hospitality.
My men are enjoying their stay here," said the man honestly.
"Ah, here we are," Soun stopped before a large hangar on one of the
lower levels of the complex. They passed by the guards and entered the
room. A large drab green painted robot, about half the size of the mechs
Akane and Kodach piloted loomed over them.
"Impressive Tendo. How does it perform?"
"As you can see it is still rather bulky. We are able to reproduce much
more of their technology now though. Any human, not just young girls can
pilot these, as with the units you use now. However, these are much more
maneuverable and much more agile," said Soun as he pointed towards the
massive form standing over them.
It was heavily armored and resembled an upright walking tanks, with arms
and a head that looked rather like a motorcycle helmet with antenna
protruding from it.
"What kind of firepower can it handle?" asked the man calmly as he
walked up and inspected it up close.
"A standard blast cannon is attached to the right arm, it also has a
chain gun and missile ports inside the right and left breastplates."
"That doesn't sound too much better than what we have now Tendo,"
commented the Major.
"There is still much we don't understand about their technology. We are
able to duplicate it, but some systems require something we haven't been
able to figure out yet. That is why only young girls are able to pilot
the more advanced models we use here. We still aren't sure why."
"So, we're still technologically inferior are we?"
"That cannot be helped," said Soun with a sigh.
"Still, it is better than what we have now," said the man as he turned
away from it and started walking towards the doors again.
"Yes, but we only have a few hundred of these models made at the moment,
and this is the only one we have on sight. The rest are still at the
Nagasaki plant."
"The General was pleased with the prototype demonstration."
"Yes, that was the impression he gave me Major."
"I'll be going now, there is something I want to speak with you about
later Tendo."
"I'm sure we'll speak again then."
--------------------------------------------
"So, playing around with women Saotome?" Ryoga Hibiki was leaning
against the wall outside the training hall as Ranma emerged from the room
with a towel across his shoulders.
"What of it?" said the boy as he paused and looked at him.
"Nothing, I just think it's amusing that you spend so much time around
your own gender these days."
"What's this about Hibiki?" said Ranma.
"Why did you run out on our fight Saotome?" snapped the man bitterly.
"I waited three days for you to show up."
"And when I arrived on the fourth day, you had already run away!"
"Ryoga, why did it take you four days to get there? It was five hundred
feet from your house."
"You shut up! I suffered to meet up with you, and when I arrived on the
fourth day, you were gone. Our homes were burned to the ground, and there
was nothing but death to come home to."
"Don't tell me about that. I was there," said Ranma firmly. "If you
recall, I was still waiting for you in that lot when they came. I figured
you were dead Ryoga."
The boy turned his head away and laughed humorlessly. "I guess we both
have our own problems to deal with, no time for childish quarrels."
"Right," said Ranma as he turned away.
"That still doesn't excuse what you did though."
"So, you want to finish it now? The dojo is right there," said Ranma
without turning to face him.
"Sorry, but some other time Saotome. I'll get in more trouble than it's
worth at the moment. Besides, you're in no condition to fight me right
now. I'll catch you some other time little girl."
"I'll see you later Ryoga," said Ranma as he started walking again.
"Right," said the boy as he turned and wandered in a random direction.
"Damn, I still don't know where the bathroom is!"
-----------------------------------------------
Soun stared at the withered figure on the screen in front of him and
frowned. "So, you'll be arriving tomorrow? How will you be transporting
the unit?"
"We have a ship," said the old woman calmly.
"There are about twenty five of you?"
"That is correct."
"Where shall we meet you then?"
"There is no need. We have a truck to transport the unit, we will come
to your complex and meet there."
Soun frowned, he could tell the old woman was suspicious of him, but
there was also a bit of desperation in her voice.
"I'll prepare some rooms here," he said calmly.
"There will be no need. We will not be staying with you. I only wish to
get rid of this damnable thing, and the Chinese government has not
exactly kept a good relationship with us. If we were to approach them now
they would destroy us in our weakened state. That is why we come to your
country."
"It's an awfully long trip just to unload an unwanted piece of
equipment," commented Soun.
"Our tribe has been destroyed Tendo, we will go where we feel we are
safe. The thing that Shampoo fought may return to finish her. We would be
completely wiped out if we chose to stay in our homeland."
"This Shampoo, she is your pilot?" Soun leaned forward with a sudden
interest.
"Yes, she is. That is another reason we come to you. She wishes to
continue to fight, and avenge the Joketsuko tribe. The Chinese would
merely take the beast away from us and use it for their own purposes. You
were the only option we had where there was a chance she could continue
her battle."
"I see," said Soun calmly.
"I shall see you tomorrow. Know this Tendo, we are entrusting you with
our future. Do not take this lightly."
"Indeed."
-------------------------------
Outside the complex a thunderstorm blew in the darkness. An expensive
looking limousine rolled up to the gate of the complex and passed by the
security guard. It pulled up the doors and stopped. A man emerged from
the driver's seat and rushed around to open the back door. A figure
emerged from the back in a heavy cloak that obscured its face and body
from view. It paused and looked up at the building before walking to the
doors.
"Genma, it has been a while," said a masculine voice.
Genma paused as he allowed the man to enter and began to walk with him.
"It has been a while hasn't it?"
"He is here?"
"Yes."
"I will speak with him later; I must say it is a surprise to see you
here."
"We arrived about three weeks ago," said Genma.
"Yes, I have come to see Tendo."
"He's in his office."
The man stepped into the elevator and Genma stopped just outside the
doors. "I shall see you again soon?"
"Of course, we have a lot to catch up on, Genma," The man raised his
head up and smiled. Genma could barely make out his features beneath the
cloak, but two golden colored eyes stared back at him. The doors closed
and he turned away with a small shiver running down his spine.
TBC...
Next Time: The unwanted residents.
C&C to: Carrotglace@juno.com
Url: Http://www.geocities.com/misatira/