Outlaender<outlaender@yahoo.com>
<outlaender@hotmail.com>
<thiemo.guenther@planet-interkom.de>
Christopher J Olsen wrote:
And I'm glad he did. ^_^ This story has been very
easy to follow, despite my virtual ignorance of all things
SMJ. The prolouge helped set the scene perfectly.
This part caught my eye the most, with what it portends
for Ranma, Akane, and Nabiki. And, Lorelei.
The following comments are of course, my opinion, and
shouldn't be taken too seriously. ^_^
All the characters in this story are the creation of Akahori Satoru,
Kotobuki Tsukasa, and Rumiko Takahashi... or practically all of them,
anyway. The title is stolen from Heinlein... with one letter s added.
Strangers in a Strange Land
Chapter 12
<snip>
... As she entered the house she could hear the sounds
of laughter and talk coming from the restaurant area. She listened for
awhile, identifying Ranma's voice, as well as several of Otaru's other
marionettes, and some unfamiliar male voices that seemed to be in a good
mood.
She smiled to herself. "Looks like Ranma is as popular as ever. I
hope they haven't let Akane near the stove yet."
Cherry's voice came ringing through the door to her suddenly.
"Akane, no! That's cooking oil!" A sudden tumult followed the flash of
fire, but before long things had settled down and there was another
round of good-natured laughter from the restaurant.
Nabiki crossed her fingers. "Don't hit anyone, don't hit
anyone...."
Otaru came in behind Nabiki suddenly, carrying a bucket of water.
"I heard something about a fire?" He blinked. "Oh, Nabiki! Good,
you're back."
Ack. I see Otaru hasn't been paying attention during Fire Safety
Week. Water and grease fires _don't_ mix. ^_^
Sorry, I just couldn't resist that remark.
<snip>
And here, is what I found most interesting.
One middle-aged customer noticed Otaru and Nabiki entering and waved
drunkenly to them. "Otaru-san, welcome!" He attempted to pat Ranma's
shapely rear end affectionately as she moved past him, only to have the
petite redhead dodge the attempt with a wink, causing him to nearly fall
off of his stool. Levering himself back into place with a hearty laugh
the man slapped Otaru on the back. "That's a fine picture of a
marionette you have there, Otaru. How do you always manage to get such
beautiful marionettes?"
Otaru blinked. "Well, I...."
The man interrupted, turning to Nabiki with a lecherous smile. "Is
this one yours as well? She's a cutie too, ain't she?" He patted the
stool next to him. "Why don't you sit down next to me and keep me
company? What do you say to that?"
Nabiki's expression was icy calm. "I really don't think so." She
glared at Otaru once, then walked around to sit in on an empty stool to
the right of the stove, well out of reach.
The man blinked. "Hey, Otaru, what's wrong with your new one?
Don't tell me you're going to keep them all for yourself, are you?"
Otaru shook his head. "No, you don't understand, I...."
Nabiki interrupted, her right eyebrow twitching dangerously. "I am
not HIS!"
The man eyed her in confusion. "Eh? Not Otaru's? Who is your
master then?"
Nabiki's eyebrow twitched again, more violently. "I belong to no
one." She stated with deadly stillness in her body. "No man is my
master!" She stood up, staring down the quickly sobering man in front
of her. "Don't you ever forget that." Nabiki turned away and walked
out of the room, leaving silence behind her.
The can of worms has officially been opened.
As I see it, for practically every man on the planet,
female = marionette = servant.
It's never _been_ any other way, since marionettes
were first created. Faust, Ieyasu, and Otaru are the
only ones who believe differently. Otaru in fact, as
described in the prolouge, was derided for treating
Marionettes as people, even before he met
Bloodberry, Lime, and Cherry.
So, every marionette has a master right? Someone who
commands them, whose _property_ they are. Even
Bloodberry, Lime, and Cherry don't really break
that mold. They may not go around calling Otaru
"Master", but to all others not within Otaru and co's.
circle of intimate friends, it would seem more or less
like the usual master/marionette relationship. Marionettes
are supposed to be devoted to the one they're bonded too,
and the 3 Sabres are certainly that. Panther and Lynx
acknowledge Faust as their master. I suspect that the
average man on the street has no real inkling of
just what a maiden circuit is capable of, or the purpose
it's supposed to serve, most likely they just think of it as
a nifty gadget that makes a Marionette more lifelike, and
therefore better to serve a man's needs.
So now, there's 3 (count 'em 3) _unclaimed_ top-of-the-line
Sabre Marionettes, looking good enough to eat,
with these new-fangled Maiden Circuits ( Okay, Nabiki
isn't exactly "unclaimed", since she's bonded to Lorelei.
I doubt she's going to have that become public knowledge
anytime soon, though. Ranma and Akane, I assume, have,
or will, bond to each other. But that wouldn't count to
in the eyes of the general population). That guy Otaru,
undeserving as he seems, has 3 of his own. The other 2,
Panther and Lynx, belong to Faust, ruler of Garlant. But
the other 3... Why, if they don't belong to anyone, that
means just anybody could take them right? The very idea,
<<
"I belong to no
one." She stated with deadly stillness in her body. "No man is my
master!"
<<
that a Marionette, especially an advanced model like Ranma,
Akane, and Nabiki, could be _independent_, is anathema to
everything the people of Terra II "know" about Marionettes.
So there's bound to be more than a few, in positions of power
and influence, like the Kuno's, who will do their best to
claim them, I expect. Especially, the more the 3 ex-Nerimians
reject the very idea. Because _that_ directly contradicts
_the way the world is_, Marionettes exist to serve Man
(tasty, too) and anyone trying to tell people otherwise will
be ignored. Otaru, and his close friends, are the singular
exception to the attitude towards Marionettes, except
perhaps Faust. Ieyasu 13 is still in the process of being
cloned, and won't have Ieyasu 12's experience to fall back
on. So, if this "Maiden-circuit thingy" causes Ranma, Akane,
and Nabiki, to act so strangely, and resist becoming someones
property (as is proper, to Terra II society), why some
enterprising individual will take steps to remove it's
influence... Lorelei did imply that erasing the Maiden
Circuit was possible, and to some the loss of the original
personality of the Marionette would most likely be a small
loss... if it ensures a bonding with the first person it
see. Nabiki, I think, with her declaration, was just
the butterfly, setting up a cascade of stormy events.
Lorelei, to my mind, is in just as precarious a position.
She's a big celebrity right now, a real, living, breathing,
WOMAN! Whatever _that_ is. The men of Terra II's
experience with femininity has of course been restricted
to whatever the Marionettes have been programmed with.
She's unique, even more unique than a Sabre Marionette
with a Maiden Circuit- wouldn't you _love_ to have
something like that? That was General Kuno idea, after
all... what about the rest of the planet? Will they sit idly
by, while Japoness and Garlant monopolise the
Maiden Circuits, the female clones, and Lorelei
herself? I think not.
There's a storm brewing on the horizon...
When she was out of the room a wave of shocked whispers followed
her. "No master? She has a Maiden Circuit, doesn't she? Where did she
come from?"
The man who Nabiki had shouted at turned to the younger man in
confusion. "Just what is going on here, Otaru-kun?"
Otaru frowned slightly. "I was trying to tell you that they weren't
mine. They're just staying with me for awhile, like Panther and Lynx."
"So where are they from?" The man asked curiously. "Why does that
one say she doesn't have any master?"
Bingo!!
Otaru hesitated. "Well... that's a bit complicated really. It's a
long story."
Several men spoke up. "Tell us! Yes tell us the story, Otaru-san!"
Otaru glanced at Akane and Ranma questioningly. "Well...." Akane
had been frowning at Ranma from her place next to Cherry but when she
caught Otaru's look she just looked helplessly back and shrugged almost
imperceptibly. Ranma had been watching Otaru closely but gave no sign
of her thoughts.
Otaru hesitated for a moment more before turning back to the small
group of men. "Well why not?" He said, shrugging. "I guess it all
started when Lorelei-san asked us to come down to help her with a
problem...."
Otaru went on to explain, skipping much of the detail about what
Godai had claimed about Ranma and the others, giving his own thoughts on
the events. "You see, Godai Kuno was plotting to take over the palace,
so he didn't tell us the truth about Ranma and the others. Not only did
he give them Maiden Circuits, but also he gave them the memories of
women that lived on Earth. Kind of like what the Shogun did with
Tamasaburo and Baiko, only because they have Maiden Circuits they have
emotions too. From what Lorelei says, they're practically human."
Yes, well, the 3 Nerimans have certainly gained some notoriety,
but there's bound to be lots more like the Kuno's out there. They'll
do well, to guard themselves, and Lorelei (of course, Otaru and his
3, and Panther and Lynx will help).
Ranma frowned slightly. <Practically?> She shrugged and turned
slightly away. <I guess that's what we are... almost human, but not
quite. We're marionettes still, after all.>
Akane stared at the stove, trying not to react outwardly. <We're
just machines. What does it matter what we feel?>
Ouch, there's the point I was making. Marionettes are machines,
not people, in the minds of just about everyone.
<snip>
The next morning, it was back to business as usual for Otaru and the
others. Ranma continued to waitress at the restaurant, and Akane
continued to help Bloodberry with the chores, while Cherry continued to
attempt to teach her and Lynx to cook. Otaru had left early for his
boat, and Nabiki finished updating his books, having discussed possible
changes with Otaru the night before. By the time lunch rolled around,
Nabiki was finished with all the paperwork she could find. She ducked
into the restaurant to say goodbye.
"I'm going out." Nabiki announced as she came through the
restaurant door. "I'll be back tonight."
Ranma and Cherry both looked up curiously, and Akane walked over to
her older sister. "Where are you going, Nabiki? Shopping again?"
Nabiki shrugged nonchalantly. "I thought I'd see if I could find a
job somewhere. We do need to bring in some money if we're going to move
out to our own place sometime, you know."
Akane frowned guiltily. "I guess I should be looking too. They
don't really need another waitress here, and Cherry can handle the
cooking without me. It shouldn't just be you and Ranma that get jobs."
Ranma looked up quickly. "Hey, Akane, don't worry about it. I'm
just keeping busy. It was Nabiki's idea that Otaru hire me on a
salary...."
Akane frowned. "Don't think I can't find a job. I'll get a great
job in no time. You'll see!"
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. "If you say so Sis. If you need any help
looking, tell me. I probably could find you something too."
Akane shook her head. "I can do this myself. You'll see." She
started pulling off her apron and turned to Cherry. "Is it OK if I go
early? You don't need my help in the kitchen, do you?"
Cherry shook her head quickly, beaming. "Oh no, Akane! We'll be
fine here without you. Go ahead and go."
Akane nodded and tossed Cherry her apron. "I will. Wish me luck!"
With a wave, Akane marched determinedly out the door.
Nabiki shook her head. "Good luck, Akane. You'll need it." She
sighed. "Well, I'm off as well. See you all tonight." She nodded to
Cherry and Ranma, then walked out the front door. Turning the corner,
Nabiki headed directly toward the palace. She reached castle Japoness
after twenty minutes and was escorted in almost immediately upon her
arrival. Lorelei was working in her garden near to the top floor of the
palace when Nabiki arrived.
Somehow, I don't think that Marionettes just wander around looking
for work. That's going to cause a lot of consternation, I figure. Add
Akane's short temper, and anticipated frustration during the job search,
and I doubt Akane's day is going to end without an incident.
<snip>
End Chapter 12
Please C&C, it's why I write!
Again, I love the story, and I can't wait to read more.
One question though, what happened to Godai's son
Yusaku? Last I remember, he was out cold, in the room
he had been keeping Lorelei in.
Your Fan,
Outlaender