The Ramarian Crisis
By DarkHorse

Chapter 5: An Assault on the Pillar

*Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, Japan*


  Umi and Fuu were standing behind Hikaru in the middle of
Yoyogi Park. Neither of them knew why. All they knew was
that Hikaru had decided to transport them here. When they
stepped out of the portal, they were shocked to find several
people lying on the ground motionless. Didn't the government
tell these people to not go out? They immediately rushed to
the nearest of them to determine whether they were still
alive. Each Knight breathed a sigh of relief when they found
them to be merely unconscious. There were almost a hundred
of them, all over the park. People who had decided to go out
and picnic, ignoring the broadcasts that told them to stay
in their homes. The sounds of ambulances in the distance
told them that it was probably the same story all over Tokyo
and who knows where else.

  "What are we doing here, Hikaru?" Umi asked, still
stunned by the sight of all the prostrate people.

  "I don't know," Hikaru replied, looking down, thinking.
"I somehow willed us to come here." She raised her head and
looked at Umi and Fuu in turn. "I didn't will myself to go
to Yoyogi Park, just 'here'." She turned to look at her
surroundings. "Somehow I think this is where they landed."

  "If that were true, Miss Hikaru," Fuu said, stepping
closer to Hikaru. "Then shouldn't there be some sort of
evidence of a landing? I would imagine that when objects
enter our atmosphere like that, they would be extremely hot.
In which case, there should be massive scorching in this
area."

  "I can't explain it, Fuu, but I know deep down, that this
is where they landed."

  Fuu knew better than to doubt the First Knight. She
looked up towards the general direction that the alien
objects entered into Earth. "If these are truly enemies,
then they are formidable indeed."

  "How can they not be enemies, Fuu," Umi protested,
walking up to the blonde. "They have brought death and
injury with them!"

  "That is true, Miss Umi," Fuu insisted. "But it could
have been unintentional." Umi frowned at her fellow Knight.
Intentional or not, to Umi it was extremely rude to enter a
planet in this way.

  "We need to go back to Cephiro."
  
  Both Umi and Fuu whirled to look at the Fire Knight.
  
  "Now?" It was Umi who asked, a mask of incredulity on her
face.

  "No," said Hikaru, finally turning to face her
companions. "Tomorrow. Fuu, I need for you to find out
exactly what happened here today." Fuu nodded. Hikaru
focused on Fuu. "Also, is it alright if both Umi and I stay
at your place tonight?" Umi's eyes widened as she heard
this.

  Fuu, on the other hand, smiled brightly. "I would be
delighted and honored for you both to stay at my place
tonight!"

  Before Umi could voice out her question, Hikaru turned to
face her. "I have a feeling that man who visited me last
night, will visit me again. Tonight."

  "In that case, why don't we stay at your place?" Umi
queried. "After all, that's where he appeared to you."

  "He'll appear wherever I am," declare Hikaru confidently.
She took one more gaze around the park. There was nothing
she could do for the people lying seemingly peaceful on the
ground. She could, instead, make sure that this does not
happen again. With that, she turned and led the others from
the park.

                          * * * * *
                              
  "Are you trying to tell me that after traveling billions
of miles to get here, after killing off some of our best
pilots, they simply exploded over Tokyo?" the President of
the United States fumed.

  "Is there any possibility, General, that these objects
offloaded something before exploding?" it was the Chief of
Staff asking this time.

  "There is no evidence that they did. There are no
witnesses at all," General Masterson lamented. "However, it
is highly illogical for these objects to come here only to
vanish. It is for this reason, a thorough investigation
should be mounted." The General glanced meaningfully at the
Director of Central Intelligence.

  The President, having seen the eye contact between the
General and the DCI, decided to speak up. "Can we do this,
Tim? Do we even have assets in Japan?"

  The DCI turned towards the President. "Mr. President, we
only have one agent who is of Japanese descent that we can
set up in Japan. With all due respect," the DCI paused,
obviously trying to find the right words. "I believe that
the Japanese government will cooperate with us fully in
getting to the bottom of this."

  The President considered this thoughtfully, his unseeing
eyes centered on the stack of paper in front of him on the
conference table. Finally, he looked up, shaking his head.
"Those alien spaceships just outside of our solar system
worry me, gentlemen. I do not think they mean to just sit
there. I want more information about them." He said
forcefully, looking at the two astrophysicists that were
still present in the room. "Finally, I need to talk to the
Japanese Prime Minister again to make sure that they allow
us to help them in the investigation. Are we clear on this?"
He looked at every face around the table. Satisfied that he
got everyone's assent, he stood. "Let's get to work then."

                          * * * * *
  
  Rogo and Lam arrived at a busy warehouse filled with
boxes upon boxes of electronic appliances that Japan was
known all over the world for. They were led to the back
portion of the warehouse where they waited. This meeting was
surprisingly Lam's idea.

  As soon as Rogo sped them away from the park where they
landed, Lam insisted they be briefed on all information
gathered by Rogo's team thus far, as well as necessary
information that would allow them to adapt to the local
culture. This, of course, included the language and customs
of the Japanese. Because a Ramarian could easily plug
himself into a computer terminal and merely download the
information directly into his cerebrum, this task was
completed within an hour.

  Immediately thereafter, Lam took Rogo alone in a room and
engaged him in a discussion on how best to capture the
girls. And here again, Lam surprised Rogo.

  "In your report to Higon," Lam began, speaking in
Japanese, almost idly. "You mentioned that every major
country in this planet has a criminal network." Rogo nodded
cautiously. He was still unsure as to where Lam was taking
the conversation. "You said that a criminal network also
exists here in Japan, called the Yakuza. Am I correct?"
Lam's eyes bore into Rogo's, his face inscrutable.

  "That is correct," Rogo replied, also in Japanese. "What
of it?"

  "Well, from what I've read of your report, these girls we
are supposed to capture possess energy at uncharted levels.
If this were true, then I would rather see with my eyes
first exactly what these girls are capable of before
committing my men to engaging them directly. My men will
disagree, of course. But these are some of the very best we
have. I'm not about to gamble their lives and skills so
carelessly."

  It was difficult for Rogo to hide his pleasant surprise
at his counterpart's insight and.maturity. Finally, unable
to hide his astonishment, he shook his head, smiling. "You
surprise me, Lam."

  Lam gave a half-smile back to Rogo. "You think I don't
know what you and many others think of me." It was a
statement. "Who do you think selected me for this mission?"

  Rogo's eyes narrowed. All this time, he and his team
assumed it was his father. "Are you trying to tell me Higon
selected you?"

  Lam leaned back, crossed his arms on his chest and smiled
smugly. "A lot has changed since you left us, my friend."
Lam looked away, his face, a mask of deep contemplation. "I
grew tired of the constant war games. Restless from being
cooped up in battle ship, no matter its size." Lam turned to
eye Rogo. "I decided to spend a considerable amount of time
with our old friend, Higon." Lam suddenly slapped his thigh
and laughed. "You know what's funny, Rogo? I was already
good at war games but after learning from Higon, I became
even better, virtually unbeatable!"

  Rogo had to laugh with him. "Well, using your head,
instead of just your muscles, can be pretty useful in
battle." He decided that he liked this new Lam.

  Lam turned serious again all of a sudden. He leaned
forward, resting his forearms on the table between them.
"Our race is dying. Unless we do something about it, we will
disappear. Already the ships we have in our fleet are
breaking down. Do you know that we hardly go into hyperspace
anymore?"

  Rogo could only shake his head. Enraptured was he by
Lam's passion.

  "If those girls are truly able to create a wormhole, it
will save us almost 50 years of travel time. A wormhole
could bring our entire fleet just outside of this planet in
a second, and we can beat these puny humans into submission
easily."

  "You don't have to convince me, Lam," Rogo said, leaning
forward as well. "That's why I reported them in the first
place. What do you want me to do?"

  "Let's talk to the Yakuza."
  
  Rogo made the necessary calls and was able to arrange the
meeting. He also made arrangements for the three girls to be
watched by Grat and Crata. For the meeting with the Yakuza,
Lam decided to bring one of his lieutenants while he brought
Dasma.

  Rogo was now looking at the face of the warrior Lam
decided to bring along. He was relatively young and yet his
face was devoid of nervousness or even the eagerness that
characteristically marked a young Ramarian warrior's face.
Rogo wondered if it was just the synthetic dermis that they
had to put over their real skin to blend with the humans.
But then he looked at Dasma. Her face was the exact
opposite. Now there was a typical warrior. He said time and
time again that her anxiousness for battle would be her
undoing.

  The sound of footsteps interrupted Rogo's thoughts,
causing him to turn. Approaching them were four Japanese men
wearing expensive business suits. They seemed a bit burly to
be merely businessmen. The four stopped in front of Rogo.

  "Good evening," the lead Japanese said, bowing his head
ever so slightly. It was of course a breach of etiquette to
not perform a complete bow but then Rogo was a gaijin, and
these were criminals, after all. "You may call me Tanaka.
How can we be of service?" The man got right to the point
quickly.

  In response, Rogo reached inside of his jacket and
retrieved a fairly large brown envelope, which he gave to
the man in front of him. The man received the envelope and
took out three enlarged photographs, a sheet of paper and
another, smaller, envelope obviously containing cash. This
last item, he merely passed to the one on his right. The
photos he examined. Rogo saw his eyebrows rise slightly.

  "These are mere girls."
  
  "Yes. The instructions are on the sheet of paper. The
remainder of your fee will be paid after we have custody of
the girls."

  The right side of Tanaka's mouth curled upwards. "These
girls are extremely pretty. But," he said, glancing at the
man on his right before looking back at Rogo. "We already
have girls like these who are as pretty, and some even
younger. At a lower price." Tanaka winked.

  The thought of sexually violating three human females did
not even occur in the Ramarian's mind. It was for this
reason the meaning of Tanaka's wink did not register. "We do
not want your girls. The one's in the photos are the ones we
want."

  Lam smoothly stepped forward. "These girls are, shall we
say, very special," Lam said in very literate Japanese.

  Tanaka looked back blankly at the newcomer and then
smiled. "Very well. May I just say that you gentlemen have
excellent tastes." He passed the photos and the sheet of
paper to the man on the left. "It will all be taken care
of."

  "Tonight," Rogo said.
  
  "Tonight?" Tanaka clearly did not expect this.
  
  "Yes. We already have their location." Rogo told them the
address.

  "Indeed." The Japanese nodded contemplatively. He then
turned to the man on his right and whispered on his ear.
This one began nodding in earnest and then walked briskly
away. Finally, he faced them. "Very well. It will be as you
wish. We will be able to deliver the girls tonight. Please
wait for our call."

  "Thank you, Mr. Tanaka." Rogo said, duplicating the
slight bow he received from the Yakuza earlier. Without
another word, their four hosts turned and left. Rogo glanced
at Lam.

  "Well done, Rogo," Lam smiled and slapped Rogo's shoulder
good-naturedly.

  Rogo smiled inwardly and then caught himself. *I'm
behaving like a schoolboy receiving commendation from a
teacher.* "I guess it's our turn to go." With that, Lam and
Rogo, together with their two lieutenants walked to their
van.

  Upon entering the van on the driver's side, Rogo took out
his cell phone and punched a number.

  "Grat here."
  
  "We're on our way there." Rogo said and promptly hung up.
  
  "The girls are all in one house?" Lam asked. Rogo nodded,
smiling as he started the engine. "Well, if I was an
earthling, I'd say this was Luck smiling down on us."

  "Earthlings believe in the silliest things," was Rogo's
amused reply as he drove the van to rendezvous with his
surveillance team.
                              
                          * * * * *
                              
  Fuu was already busy on her computer when the doorbell
rang. She heard her elder sister, Kuu get the door. In a
minute she heard two sets of heavy footsteps running towards
her room. Fuu took one glance at her monitor before standing
and walking to her door. She opened it just as Hikaru was
about to knock.

  "Hey Fuu!" Hikaru rushed forward and embraced Fuu. Even
though Fuu wasn't normally demonstrative, she welcomed the
hug from her petite friend.

  "Fuu!" Umi said enthusiastically before joining in the
group hug.

  "Miss Hikaru! Miss Umi!" Fuu eagerly hugged her best
friends back. She felt her heart swell. She truly cherished
any time they spend together.

  "So, find anything useful?" Hikaru asked as they
disengaged.

  "I found something," Fuu replied walking back to the
computer on her desk. "I don't know if it's useful." She
gestured to her bed. "Make yourselves comfortable and I'll
tell you what I've found."

  Like the schoolgirls they really were, past adventures
notwithstanding, they bounded to the bed, dropping their
bags in the process. Umi and Hikaru were wearing denim
shorts and white sneakers. The former had a blue top tucked
into her shorts while the latter had a white halter-top that
only barely hid her navel. Fuu, on the other hand, was
already in her pajamas.

  "I'm simply amazed at how neat your room is Fuu!" Umi
enthused, looking around Fuu's room. "And I didn't realize
green could be a good color for a room."

  Fuu grinned at her azure-haired friend. "Well, your room
has a blue motif. It's only fitting that mine has a green
motif."

  Hikaru smiled at her friends. She flopped on the soft
bed, on her stomach, facing forward. "So tell me Fuu,
whatcha got?"

  "Oh c'mon, Hikaru," wailed Umi. "Can't we just relax for
a while and stop being Magic Knights for once?"

  "Well, what do you want to talk about, Miss Umi?" Fuu
grinned, turning her swivel chair away from her computer to
face her friends.

  "Oh I don't know," Umi said coyly. "How about boys?"
  
  Hikaru rolled her eyes and turned on her back. Umi caught
her expression and threw a pillow at her redheaded friend.
"What's so wrong about talking about boys?"

  "Nothing," Hikaru said, her voice full of mirth. "Except
that you talk about boys all the time!"

  "I do not!" Umi cried indignantly. "Just because both you
and Fuu already have boyfriends." Umi turned to look at Fuu
just as she said the word "boyfriends". As expected, Fuu's
face was turning pink, causing Umi to grin. She turned to
Hikaru who was covering her face with the pillow she threw
at her. Umi reached out to Hikaru and yanked the pillow from
the latter's grasp.

  "Hey!" Hikaru bellowed, giving Umi a mock glare.
  
  Umi was grinning defiantly at the Fire Knight. "Have
there been any guys trying to pick you up lately?"

  "Oh you mean besides that totally gorgeous Mr. Simmons?"
Hikaru teased.

  "Oh puleeease! He's not my type at all," the Water Knight
huffed causing both Hikaru and Fuu to chuckle. "Seriously,
though, nothing?" Umi pleaded for Hikaru to reveal
something, anything.

  Hikaru flopped back on the bed. "Well, there's this guy."
  
  "Alright!"
  
  Even the usually reserved Fuu leaned forward, eagerly
waiting for Hikaru to provide more details. Hikaru paused to
look at the eager faces of her friends and then giggled.

  "Oh you guys, you should see your faces!"
  
  Umi's response was to throw another pillow at Hikaru,
which the latter easily caught. "Hikaru!" Umi cried,
threatening to throw another pillow at her.

  "Okay! Okay!" Hikaru giggled, her hands blocking her face
preparing to block another pillow throw by Umi. "It's really
no big deal. He goes to school at a nearby all-boy's
school."

  "So how did you meet him, Miss Hikaru?"
  
  Hikaru's face fell and her shoulders slumped. She
expected a discussion about many things tonight, but not
this! One look at her friends' faces told her that she was
not going to escape at all. "I had a feeling he was watching
me for quite some time now. Then one day," Hikaru explained,
shrugging her shoulders, "He just came up to me and asked
for my name, although I think he already knew it."

  "And.?" Umi was totally engrossed.
  
  Hikaru shot her a look of disdain but continued. "And
then he asked me out."

  Fuu was nodding vigorously, urging her to continue.
  
  "And.and I said I was busy," Hikaru shrugged yet again,
helplessly, a sheepish smile on her face.

  "Aarrrgh!" Umi hollered in frustration.
  
  "What was I supposed to do? It's not like I have time for
boys, you know?" Hikaru insisted.

  "Was the boy handsome?" Fuu persisted.
  
  "Well, he was tall." Hikaru said tentatively.
  
  "Hikaru, everyone's taller than you," Umi said, rolling
her eyes and sinking back against the soft headboard of
Fuu's bed. Hikaru shot her a withering look this time.

  "Hey c'mon guys. Let's just talk about what happened
today," pleaded Hikaru impatiently.

  "Oh alright!" Umi conceded.
  
  With a sigh, Fuu turned to face her desk again to collect
the reports she printed off the Internet. She turned once
again and passed the reports to her friends. "These are all
the information I was able to gather. Apparently, not much
is known. The extremely bright light and the very loud
thunderous sound rendered unconscious anyone who would've
been a witness to the event."

  "That figures," Umi noticed. Hikaru, on the other hand,
was busy reading the reports Fuu handed to her. After a
while, she looked up and stared blankly at Fuu.

  "What is it, Miss Hikaru?"
  
   "They couldn't have just exploded," Hikaru stated after
a few more moments of thought. "I'm sure they left something
behind."

  "I do not doubt that, Miss Hikaru," Fuu said, nodding in
agreement. "Except that there are no witnesses nor evidence
to support that."
                              
                          * * * * *
                              
  "Well, it's not like we're a court of law," the voice of
the tallest one insisted. "All we need to do is just look at
the logic of the situation."

  Both Grat and Crata had been listening to the endless
chatter of the girls in the room across the street for over
an hour. They were using a special hi-powered microphone
mounted on the edge of the roof facing the house to
eavesdrop on the unsuspecting teenagers. Both looked up when
they heard footsteps coming towards them. It did not alarm
them in the least for they recognized the sound signature of
the footfalls. After a few seconds, both Grat and Crata saw
Lam and Rogo as they crested the apex of the roof.

  "There're still all in there?" Lam asked as he reached
the two members from Rogo's team.

  Grat merely nodded in response. He had not gotten the
opportunity to know Lam and therefore was still wary of him.
For his part, Lam did not seem to notice anything but just
peered over the roof at the window to the room that held the
three targets.

  "I'm curious as to how the Yakuza is going to manage
this." Lam said out loud to no one in particular.

  "Me too," this was from Rogo.
  
  "Well, I guess we'll have to just wait and see."
  
  "How long before they try anything?" It was Crata who
asked.

  "No telling," Grat opined. "I'd wait till the girls were
actually asleep before I try anything."

  Nobody had a rejoinder to that. As one, they settled down
and decided to listen to the ongoing conversation across the
street.
                              
                          * * * * *
  
  Tanaka was nothing if not careful. In the privacy of his
office, he was examining the photographs of the three girls
he was supposed to abduct. The guy that was with this "Roger
Simmons" character did say these girls were "special." He
decided to do a background check.

  It turned out the girls were all from well-to-do
families, especially the Ryuuzaki girl. Could this be a
kidnap-for-ransom thing? It didn't fit. This Roger Simmons
seemed not to want for money. He could tell. He prided
himself in being able to identify the really rich types. And
this guy seems to have access to a substantial amount
already. So therefore, this couldn't be about money.

  Could it be about sex? Tanaka shook his head. No, because
again, the Simmons guy was totally clueless. Besides, why go
to the trouble of kidnapping girls, when nubile and pretty
girls for hire were readily available. Although, these girls
do seem to be extraordinarily well endowed. Nah, it's not
for sex at all either.

  Then what? With a grunt, Tanaka set down the pictures and
picked up once more the three sheets of paper that contained
background information about the girls. Each of them seems
to be skilled in one form of martial arts. The Shidou girl
is a Kendo champion; Ryuuzaki just won a fencing
championship for herself and her school; and finally,
Hououji is a member of her school's distinguished archery
team. He should remember to caution his men about these
girls. He had gotten to where he is now by making sure to
never underestimate anyone, outward appearances
notwithstanding.

  Tanaka picked up the phone. "It's me. Assemble the men."


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