I can never figure out why I can't effectively attach a plain
text file instead of pasting. At any rate, here is the story
in four segments. Previous chapters can be found at
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=637059

-------------------------

The Ramarian Crisis By DarkHorse

Chapter 12: Sacrifices

*Launch Control Tower, Autozam*


Zazu Torque, the youngest battleship commander in the
history of Autozam, watched as the huge transport vessel
began its slow ascension, its multiple nacelles spewing out
columns of fire and smoke, pushing against the planet's
gravitational pull. He continued to watch as the ship began
to hover, its nose slowly rising as it reoriented itself
towards a point in the sky. It was a marvel to see
something as bulky and heavy as this transport vessel
gracefully maneuver in mid-air, taking to the sky as if it
belonged there.

     Another burst of energy from the ship's thrusters
signalled the acquisition of its target. It began to gain
momentum, speeding into the sky faster and faster until it
was nothing more but a speck in the rapidly darkening sky.
Zazu lowered his head and examined his control panel. As
expected, it showed green across the board.

     "Good launch, people," he pronounced as he raised his
eyes catching the peripheral glances of his crew. As one,
the crew's attention went back to their terminals as they
began preparing for the next launch, which would happen the
next day.

     The young commander returned his focus to the now
empty launch pad. In approximately three months, five days
and seven hours, five thousand more of his people would
have transferred to Cephiro to begin a new life. A new life
in that green and lush paradise of a world. Each launch he
coordinated tugged at his heartstrings. Ten more trips and
Autozam would be devoid of a living civilization.

     One by one, members of crew stood and prepare to
leave. They said their goodbyes and goodnights as they
passed the commander on their way out.

     "Good night, guys. I'll see you tomorrow," Zazu said
to the last of his crewmembers. He returned his attention
to his bank of controls just to verify that everything was
in order. Once satisfied, he started the process of
shutting down his terminal.

     For the umpteenth time, Zazu questioned why a
battleship commander such as himself should be left stuck
babysitting transport launches. The answer, for the
umpteenth time also, came back to him in depressing
clarity: every single battleship that was still viable,
save for the NSX, was converted into transport vessels to
speed up the relocation process. It will be a while before
they will be converted back to battleships...if ever.

     It was a common fear of the commanders whose
battleships have been commandeered that it would take years
before they regain their posts. They feared that the
Autozam High Council would feel too secure in the magical
protection from Cephiro's many mages that the need to
rebuild the armed forces would be greatly diminished. It
was a fear that Zazu did not truly share. As long as he
still had access to the machines he so loved, he would be
content.

     With the help of the NSX's commander, Geo, Zazu had
begun to rebuild the FTO. It was actually almost finished.
Just a few more refinements, adjustments and tests. The new
FTO was a great improvement over the one that Eagle once
piloted. Stronger exoskeletal structure, more efficient
energy displacement, better weapons and more powerful
shields. He even retained the laser sword, even though he
knew he would not be able to wield it until he got the
necessary training. Well, he was counting on both LaFarga
and Ferio to help him in that area.

     Zazu secured the command center after giving it one
final ocular inspection. Walking down the corridor towards
his personal transport, he began to mull over the
adjustments and tests he was planning to perform on the
FTO. So deep was he in his thoughts that it took him awhile
to realize that he was already standing in front of his
hover speed bike.

     He looked down at the contraption and smiled. He was
proud of this machine. He built it with his own two hands
at the tender age of twelve. It was the same bike he used
to carry Hikaru that last time when Eagle captured her. His
smile grew to a grin as the memory played in his mind.

     Hikaru.

     It had been a long time ago. That he missed the cute
redhead came as a surprise to him. Zazu let out a sigh and
shook his head as he mounted his bike. *I can't believe I'm
still pining for that girl. She's the Pillar, for crying
out loud!* Besides, he reminded himself, Hikaru belonged to
Lantis. Zazu started the bike and sped homewards.

     Hikaru belonged to Lantis. Damn.

     * * * * *

     "Yes!" Rear Admiral Joshua Parker of the Third Fleet
said as he replaced the phone receiver. "We are going in."
He turned to an aide. "How many gunships do we have?"

     "We have three on standby, Sir."

     "Just as I thought. Assemble three teams. Also, I want
four planes in the air to intercept those helicopters we
just saw. We are inbound for Tokyo," Parker ordered,
turning to leave the control center.

     Chuck Tyler hurried to follow. "The Pentagon approved?"

     Parker spared his Science Officer a glance, his eyes
twinkling. "Well, it just so happens that the Japanese
Prime Minister himself has requested assistance."

     Tyler smiled and rubbed his palms together. "This is
going to be interesting."

     * * * * *

     The elevators were naturally turned off. Major Ronald
Cummings took to the stairs, bounding two, sometimes three
steps at a time. He rushed over from his stakeout as soon
as he heard of the explosions from the Yoyogi Park Mansion.
Since then, there had been no contact from his commanding
officer. "You had better not be dead, Scott," Cummings said
out loud.

     For someone close to forty, the Major was glad he was
in pretty good shape. After a few more minutes, Cummings
arrived at the 22nd floor. He could see the door to the
room that served as Raptor One's base. It was open. He
rushed towards it and found--

     "Sco--I mean, Colonel!"

     Biggs turned towards the door and found his second-in-
command standing there, his mouth agape. "What? You didn't
expect me to be lying dead from a puny explosion like that,
did you, Major?"

     "Well, ah, no, of course not, Sir!"

     Biggs gave a quirky smile and approached Cummings, his
hand outstretched. Cummings eagerly grasped the hand and
pumped it. "It's a relief to see you, well, alive, Scott."

     "It's good to be alive, Ron. Do you have your men with
you?"

     "They're on their way up, Sir."

     "Call them on the radio and tell them not to bother.
We're going down as soon as I make sure that our injured
are taken care of."

     "Yes, Sir. Any idea what just happened?"

     Biggs turned to face the open wall that used to be the
window facing the building they were staking out. "I have a
fairly good idea what just happened," he said. He turned
towards his second-in-command, a grim expression on his
face. "And I know where those alien *fucks* are going. So
get on your radio and prepare to deploy."

     "Roger that, Colonel!"

     * * * * *

     Subduing and securing the two paramedics and the
driver proved to be an easy thing to do, just as Machiko
expected. This was especially true for the two paramedics
who had to carry the alien down from the building. They
were grumbling incessantly about how heavy their patient
was. By the time they reached the ambulance, they were
almost already knocked out from the exhaustion. For a
while, it worried the Marine officer a bit. The last thing
she needed was for anyone to suspect that her "husband" was
actually a hostile alien.

     She brushed a stray lock of dark brown hair from her
face as she took one more glance at the people she bound.
Satisfied that they were not going anywhere anytime soon,
she turned her attention to her other captive. "How are we
doing there, Bono?"

     "I've seen better days," Bono replied in that same
bored tone he had been using ever since they encountered
each other. Machiko, however, noted that the alien's voice
was a bit strained, his breathing more labored. She
frowned. It would not good for her to lose him now after
she had gotten them this far.

     "Well, just hang on tight. It could be a bumpy ride,"
Machiko said as she turned and headed towards the driver's
seat. She started the engine and turned on the sirens.
Okay, Raptor's Nest was just over on the next building but
getting there using the direct route was out of the
question. She would have to first drive away from the
scene, pretending to head over to the nearest hospital, and
then head back towards the base from another heading.

     She eased the ambulance from its parked spot and
carefully maneuvered the vehicle, avoiding the various
obstacles composed of debris, body bags, paramedics and
police. When she was a fair distance away, she turned off
the sirens. *I hope the base is still there*, Machiko
thought darkly.

     * * * * *

     Umi stepped out of the taxi cab followed by Malor.
Malor looked up at the Ryuuzaki home with wide-eyed wonder.
"This is where you live?"

     The blue-haired teenager turned to face the old Knight
and smiled. "Yes, it is. What do you think?"

     "Well, I think you live very well, Umi."

     "My dad does very well in his practice. He's a lawyer."

     Malor merely nodded. He turned just as the cab driver
deposited their bags beside them. He reached in his pocket
and gave the fare. The elder Fire Knight turned back to the
Water Knight. "Well? Aren't you going to ring the
doorbell?"

     Umi started to say something but decided not to. What
she was feeling was rather hard to explain.

     "Your parents love you, Umi. That's the reason why
they were so upset the other day."

     "I know that they love me. I also understand why they
got upset," Umi said, her fists clenched at her sides.
"It's just that, I would have expected that they would know
why I had to do this. I've got responsibilities now. If I
had a choice, I wouldn't want this burden on my shoulders
at all!"

     The Water Knight turned to face her companion. "I'm
not na<ve, you know. I know that at the end of the day, I
won't receive any recognition for the sacrifices I'm about
to make, the risks I'm about to take. My parents should
understand that I'm not in this to be a hero."

     Malor took a moment to reply. The last thing he
needed, the last thing everybody needed, was for another
emotional confrontation to happen. Too much was at stake.
"Umi, listen to me. At some level, your parents realize
this. But it does not lessen what they feel about it. It
doesn't lessen their fear of losing you."

     The statuesque teenager sighed. "You are right, of
course, Malor. It doesn't make things easier, though."

     "I know, Umi. I know."

     Umi squared her shoulders. "Well, here goes nothing."
She stepped forward and rang the doorbell.

     * * * * *

     Fuu and Kuu were still shaking their heads in
amazement at the speed in which the Shidou brothers were
able to dispatch the large meal their mother prepared.

     "That was probably the best breakfast I've ever had,
Mrs. Hououji!" Kakeru said enthusiastically as Mrs. Hououji
finished clearing the remains of the meal from the table.

     "Indeed it was, Mrs. Hououji," Masaru agreed, his tone
more re strained. "We actually skipped breakfast at home in
our haste to get here. Thank you for your hospitality."

     "It was my pleasure, Kakeru, Masaru," Mrs. Hououji
beamed, extremely pleased that the Shidou brothers truly
enjoyed her cooking. "Now, I'm sure that you and my
daughters have a lot to discuss. I'll be back with tea."
She gracefully rose from the table and headed off towards
the kitchen bearing the used eating implements.

     It was only after the mother left did the two brothers
turn their attention to Fuu and Kuu. Masaru realized that
the two were staring at them. "What?"

     Fuu suddenly blushed at having been caught. "Oh, I'm
sorry. I was, um, just..."

     "She was just amazed at how you boys eat," Kuu
supplied coolly.

     "Kuu!" Fuu protested, clearly flustered by her
sister's candor.

     "Is there something wrong with the way we eat?" Kakeru
asked innocently, looking intently into Fuu's green eyes.

     "No! Nothing really...both of you were just
so...um...energetic," Fuu stammered, the color on her
cheeks deepening even more from embarrassment.

     "Nice choice of words, little sister," the elder
Hououji said, clearly amused.

     Masaru was equally amused but also slightly self-
conscious for having been so "energetic". He cleared his
throat. "I'm sorry for that. We really just enjoyed the
food. It's not everyday that we're treated to sumptuous
home-cooked meal."

     "That's okay," Kuu said, grinning, "we really enjoyed
watching you."

     "Kuu!" Fuu exclaimed, her eyes widening at her
sister's uncharacteristic irreverence.

     Masaru and Kakeru laughed more from Fuu's discomfiture
than anything else.

     "Well, I guess we can get down to business," Masaru
said after the laughter died down, much to the visible
relief of the younger Hououji. "Why don't we check out the
grounds?"

     "Good idea," Kuu said.

     The four went down and into the paved driveway that
led to the tall gate. Kakeru stepped forward, closely
studying the entrance to the Hououji residence. "It's a
good and sturdy gate. However, as we found out a few days
ago, this isn't going to stop our intruders."

     "What do you suggest we do then?" Fuu asked, trying to
see the same things Hikaru's brother was seeing.

     Kakeru all of a sudden felt totally inadequate. How
were he and Masaru going to protect the Hououji's? All they
had were their katanas. It didn't take knowledge in basic
military tactics to know that unless they had more in terms
of weaponry and more importantly, warriors, they wouldn't
stand a chance against a full-scale assault.

     "You look worried, Kakeru," Kuu said, stepping forward.

     Kakeru lifted his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't
realize his face was registering the sense of foreboding he
was feeling. "Well, I *am* worried. I don't think we can
adequately defend against another attack from the aliens."

     "Fuu is here," Kuu said confidently, turning towards
her younger sister. She was expecting Fuu to share in her
optimism. Instead, her face was guarded, skeptical.

     "During the night of the attack, both Hikaru and Umi
were here with us, Kuu. Kakeru is right. We have every
reason to expect the attackers to be back in full, if not
greater, force. If and when that happens, I don't think
I'll be able to fend them off by myself."

     "So basically, it appears that splitting up like we've
done wasn't such a good idea after all," Masaru said
gloomily.

     "But what could we do?" Kakeru asked.

     "Maybe it's not too late to gather in one place
instead of be split up like this," Fuu offered. "Umi's
place seems large enough to accommodate all of us."

     "I agree," Masaru declared. "We better call Hi--"

     Masaru's voice was suddenly drowned out by the
thumping sound of rotor blades slicing the air above. The
four looked up noticing that a helicopter was flying
unusually low. In a few moments it flew past.

     "That helicopter was flying unusually low, wasn't it?"
Kuu asked, her eyes still tracking the errant helicopter as
it sped away, banking to the right as it went.

     "Yeah, it was low," Kakeru said. "Hmmm, it seems to be
turning right..."

     * * * * *

     Four US Navy fighter jets fast approached one of the
air traffic control towers that lined the coast of Japan.
The radar operator that was tracking them since they took
off from the American aircraft carrier cast an inquisitive
glance at his supervisor standing behind him to the right.

     "It's all right. They have clearance," the supervisor
said. The operator turned back to his console as the
supervisor raised his binoculars towards the inbound jets.
They were approaching at incredible speeds.

     The supervisor tracked the inbound crafts as they sped
past the tower and towards Tokyo. He gave an inaudible
sigh. This was just the beginning. He was going to bet good
money that it was going to get a hell of a lot busier in
short order.

     * * * * *

     "We've got incoming!" A Marine yelled, his MP5 rifle
coming to bear.

     Ron Cummings whipped around in time to see an
ambulance clearing a curb at breakneck speed towards them.
He heard several guns cocked behind him.

     "Major, get out of the way, for crying out loud!" Col.
Biggs commanded.

     Just as the Major was about to comply, the ambulance
screeched to a stop several meters away. It was still too
far away to clearly see who the driver was but whoever it
was had his or her hands up as the door to the vehicle was
kicked aside.

     "Lieutenant Machiko Nomuri reporting for duty, Sir!"

     "Nomuri!?" Cummings took a step forward. The Marines
behind him all roared a "Huuyah!" greeting as they
recognized one of their own. They ran toward their comrade,
the feeling of relief shared by everybody.

     "No time! No time!" Nomuri pushed everyone aside. She
rushed to stand in front of Col. Biggs and Major Cummings,
smartly saluting.

     "Sir, I've got an alien in the back of the ambulance.
Sir!"

     "Say again, Lieutenant. Did you say *alien?*"

     "That's a roger, Sir! He doesn't look too good. I
think if we can get him to survive just a little longer,
we'll be able to squeeze some very vital information from
him."

     Biggs and Cummings shared a look. They both turned
back to the Marine in front of them, their faces straining
to control their disbelief. Nomuri caught the signal though
and led them to the ambulance. The Marines crowding her
immediately parted to give way.

     In no time, the doors to the ambulance were thrown
open. Biggs, Cummings, Nomuri and as many of the Marines
that could peek in, did so.

     Bono raised his eyebrows in mild amusement at all the
faces suddenly before him. He searched and found the face
he knew. "Machiko, shouldn't we be charging admission for
this?"

     * * * * *

     "Yes, Sir!" Jenkins said over the phone. He turned
just as Hashimoto came running towards him.

     "I just found Hirota. He's in the hospital," the
junior investigator said, breathing heavily.

     "In the hospital? What happened to him?"

     "He sustained a concussion, broken ribs and a broken
wrist. Some cuts and abrasions." Hashimoto gestured towards
the area immediately surrounding the Yoyogi Park Mansion.
There seems to be a ceasefire between the aliens and the
Japanese police. "Hirota was caught deep in the fire zone.
He was practically buried under debris. According to the
doctor I spoke to it was a miracle he was able to survive
it."

     "Well, he's a tough nut. Anyway," the American FBI
agent straightened, suddenly remembering the phone call he
just had, "it appears that your government has given us the
go ahead to assist you in this operation."

     Hirota cast a skeptical glance towards him. "Don't you
mean, 'take over' the operation?" Jenkins was about to
object and be defensive but the Japanese investigator held
up your hands. "It's okay, Agent Jenkins. I understand.
Frankly, I'm a bit relieved. I think we're out of our depth
here."

     "That's good then. We don't have much time to waste.
How much security do the girls have?"

     Hirota knew straightaway who the American was
referring to. "We've toned down the detail on those girls a
couple of days ago. They each have only a couple of
officers watching them."

     The FBI agent nodded. "Well, we need to beef them up--
and quickly. We think this," he looked back at the building,
"this whole thing is just a diversion. You got that?"

     The Hashimoto's eyes widened in realization. "The
helicopters."

     "That's right."

     "My God. Okay, I'm on it." The Japanese investigator
quickly spoke into his radio.

      Jenkins didn't bother to wait and see if the
instructions were going to be followed. He was on his way
on another errand.

     * * * * *

     "Raptor's Nest, this is Eagle One, target acquired,"
the jet pilot reported back to the battle group. "It's a
large civilian helicopter. It just completed a low pass
over the house of Subject One. Repeat, it completed a low
pass over the house of Subject One. Requesting
instructions."

     "Copy that, Eagle One. Do a flyby. Do not engage
unless provoked. Repeat, do not engage unless provoked.
Acknowledge."

     "Copy 'do not engage' orders, Raptor's Nest." Eagle
One looked out of his cockpit towards his wingman, flying
just slightly behind him on the left side. He switched to a
private channel. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could sometimes
just shoot first and ask questions later?"

     Eagle Two chuckled over the radio. "Roger that, Eagle
One."

     "Well, let's do what the Commander said. He wants a
flyby, let's give them a flyby they won't forget."

     Both jets went on thrusters, accelerating their flight
speed.

     * * * * *

     Dasma looked out the window of the helicopter and
spotted the two jets heading towards them at breakneck
speeds. Her eyes widened a fraction as she realized that
they were going to fly extremely close to them. True
enough, as the jets streaked past, the female warrior had
the impression she would have been able to touch the
wingtip of one if she was able to stretch out her hand
outside the window. The helicopter rocked from the wind
turbulence caused by the jet wash.

     "Whoa!" The pilot exclaimed as he struggled to right
the craft. "What the hell!?"

     Dasma cast a glance towards Lam. Seeing his calm
demeanor reassured her. They both then turned to Tanaka who
had gone pasty white.

     "Are you okay, Mr. Tanaka?" asked Dasma politely,
completely failing to mask her sadistic delight over the
other's obvious discomfort.

     "Th-those planes were from the United States." Tanaka
stammered. Both his hands were extended outwards, holding
onto the sides of the helicopter in a vain attempt to
steady himself.

     "Indeed, they were, Mr. Tanaka," Lam agreed, only
slightly hiding his own amusement. "I believe those are the
new F/A-18 Hornets. Especially built for aircraft carrier
operations. Very impressive, as far as human technology
goes, that is."

     "What the hell are you talking about?" Tanaka could
only stare incredulously at Lam. "This isn't a classroom!
They're gonna come back and finish us off!"

     "Come now, Mr. Tanaka. Stay calm. I don't think they
are going to fire on us. At least not yet."

     The Yakuza's mouth hung open in disbelief. "*Not yet?*
Gods, you people are unbelievable!"

     "Shhh," Lam said, no longer focusing on the noisy
Japanese. He glanced at the other warriors in the seats
behind. He faced forward again and said to the pilot: "Head
back to the Ryuuzaki property, quickly." The head of the
Ramarian Force Team glanced back at the other warriors and
gave a slight nod and then: "Get ready."

     Tanaka saw the exchanges among the aliens. "What are
we supposed to get ready for?"

     The other warriors winced at the loudness of the
Yakuza's voice. The pilot should not know what they were
planning to do. "Don't worry about it, Tanaka. We will take
care of everything."

     "I don't under--"

     "There is nothing to understand," Lam interjected with
a firm voice, looking the Japanese straight in the eye and
lifting his clearly alien looking rifle for emphasis.

     Tanaka was effectively cowered by this sudden show of
aggression. Nevertheless, it still wasn't able to remove
his extreme apprehension about what he thought was going to
happen. He looked out the window and could see that the
jets were already on their way back to them. Looking down
he saw that they were very close to the Ryuuzaki residence.
He glanced surreptitiously at the other warriors and noted
that they were all tensed, alert and poised to do
something.

     With a slight shake of his head, the Japanese braced
himself. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen
soon. *Dammit! I didn't sign on for this!*

     * * * * *

      "Uh oh," Joan said sarcastically, glancing at Bill as
they walked into the lobby of their hotel, "looks like
we've been caught."

     "Where the hell have you two been!?" Jenkins said,
glaring as he approached the two astrophysicists.

     "I'll have you know that we--urk!" Joan squawked as
the bulky FBI agent walked right between her and Bill and
then dragged them back out of the lobby, his hands clamped
on hers and Bill's elbows. "Let go!" Joan cried out as she
tried to pry the agent's fingers from her arm.

     "I have orders to take you somewhere," Jenkins said
calmly without letting up on his grip. He glanced at the
other astrophysicist, Bill Winters. The guy seemed resigned
to his fate. Just as well. The woman was a handful as it
was.

     "How dare you treat as this way? We are American
citizens!"

     "Shut up, Rumsen. Believe me, you're gonna want to go
where I'm taking you. So just come nice and quiet."

     "I will if you just give me a chance to do so!" Joan
gave one final tug at her arm but was dismayed to find that
it was all for naught. "Oh, you brute!"

     Jenkins cast an amused glance at the struggling woman
on his left. She sure had a lot of energy for someone so
diminutive.

     * * * * *


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