Disclaimer: I don't own Tenchi in Tokyo, as I'm sure you all already know. I do own a stuffed Ryo-ohki, and I wish somebody would make a Hotsuma plushie. Get your minds out of the gutter! Author's Note: Thank you to Royal Observatory Greenwich. I primarily used their website to research the information on supernovas. I blended facts into the sci-fi events as best I could, but if there are discrepancies, well, it's fiction anyhow. ;) ******************************************************************* "My, my! You both seem exceptionally well rested," Zeltris sniggered when they walked back into his hangar two days later. The weekend had indeed been wonderful for both pirates. Ryoko had been roused from all her feelings of loss and loneliness, and Hotsuma finally had what he'd wanted since their first meeting-her at his side. The sexual tension between the pair had far from ebbed though. Hotsuma had driven Ryoko crazy with flirtation and foreplay, reveling in his newfound powers over her all weekend, but he was deferring the consummation of this union until they were somewhere more romantic in his eyes than a common hotel. As distracting as the need between them had become, it pleased something deep within them both that every caress spawned a torrent of illicit thoughts. "Casino living must agree with us," Ryoko sneered. "Ri-ight!" Zeltris nodded sagely. "Well, she's all done! I met your specifications and I think she's my finest work to date. Amazing that it was even possible, those specs were insane! I mean no laser weapon in existence produces the type of heat that this shielding can protect against. 15 million degrees! That's the core of a star!" The greenish man grinned and wiped his forehead, as he waited for them to praise his handiwork. Hotsuma scrutinized the hull of his ship carefully. Zeltris obviously wanted to do business with the space pirates again, because his workmanship was in fact exemplary. Not a weak spot to be found. Satisfied, Hotsuma turned back to the lecherous black-marketer. "It looks perfect, but it's a shame we can't field test her first," he mused. "Man, if you wanna dive her into the sun, I'd offer to pilot her myself. The job's that good," acknowledged Zeltris with a good ol' boy grin. He'd covered his ridged skull with a brightly colored cap, and he adjusted it as he spoke. "Just say the word." "No time for fun now," Hotsuma replied efficiently. He extended his right arm and offered Zeltris a black satchel. "Your other half, plus a million extra. If your work is as good as your words, you'll be doing business with us again." He noted the man's hungry smile. Yes, he'd keep the dealer in his employ-at least for now. Hotsuma opened the hatch and allowed Ryoko to board first. She strode up the gangway with her held high and an air of complete control. He calmly followed her inside, and triggered the doors behind them. No sooner had the door shut, than he felt Ryoko's weight suddenly force him up against the cold steel wall. Her mouth greedily consumed his, as she pushed against his chest with her flat palms. She pulled back and breathed heavily, "I swear if this little stunt you have planned gets me killed, I will never forgive you." "I never plan little stunts," he clarified as he peeked out from the long blonde strands that framed his face. He stared down into her lovely face. He'd been learning to look through the masks she presented. Since she'd kissed him, Hotsuma had assumed power in this relationship, and she was making it known that she wanted equal partnership. He pulled her tightly against him, so that she could feel every inch of his all too willing body touching her, as he planted eager kisses on her sensitive throat. "This one's challenging even by my standards, and no one will ever be able to top it," he groaned against her skin. He could feel her fingers reflexively digging into his arms, and with a gasp she pushed away from him. His respect for her control raised another notch, as he grabbed his luggage and started up the corridor. "Are you finally willing to enlighten me, partner?" Ryoko pressed, as he led her to the bridge. Her footfalls sounded loud in her ears after becoming accustomed to the noises of the resort and the forests. She was going to miss the bustle of people again. "You know just the little details, like where are we going? What are we doing? What the hell is this plan of yours anyways?" The tall blonde man dropped his bag inside the door, reached for Ryoko's, and deposited it alongside the first. "You've been around the galaxy, Princess. Tell me if you've ever heard of the Olmecks," he began as he swung into action behind the curved propulsion console. "Gangly, buggy-looking things, right?" Ryoko yawned. "Rich planet, peaceful dopes, easy pickings," she drawled unimpressed. "Mm hmm," Hotsuma agreed, "They got caught in a land dispute with some space squatters recently, and it escalated into a dirty little war. Planets who were interested in the Olmeck's wealth immediately showed their 'friendship' by supplying them with weapons. With most of the planets in the sector against them, the squatters decided that if they couldn't have the planet, no one would. Four days ago they sent a fusion accelerator into the core of the Olmeck's sun." Hotsuma cleared his throat as he prepared to break atmospheric service ceiling. "Any guesses what happened next?" "Well, if they were smart they hauled ass off that rock fast," Ryoko ventured acerbically. She had a premonition about the direction this was taking. She'd heard rumors about fusion accelerators, but she hadn't believed that anyone was really crazy enough to create one. Well, maybe Washu, but even she wouldn't use it. If the reality of one was anything like the whispers told in dark corners, this was going to be the most insanely dangerous scheme she'd ever gotten mixed up in. "The Olmecks are ectotherms living on a normally cool planet near the outer part of their solar system," Hotsuma said. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before continuing, "When their sun suddenly heated up at an exponential rate overnight, a very large percentage of the population died. The survivors did as you so wisely suggested and left with only the shirts on their backs. All those riches are still on that planet. Every pirate out there would love to claim any bit of it, but between the planetary catastrophes occurring and the impending supernova, no one dares make a move." "Except us," Ryoko finished, cocking her eyebrow sardonically. "Except us," the icy pirate confirmed with a grim smile. He'd finished programming the coordinates into the ship, and he could now focus all of his attention on explaining the details to Ryoko. She had assumed her favorite pose on the bridge and was seated on the floor watching the stars flash past the forward screen. She watched as the cunning pirate stalked towards her with cat-like grace and seated himself at her right hand side without touching. "So what do we have that they don't?" she asked gruffly. "An accurate estimation of the time table for this supernova, and the shields and speed to make it to an achievable safe distance before we get fried. Not to mention our own peculiar talents to help us on the planet. Other pirates would kill for our gifts," he noted. The stars filled the room with dizzying trails of light, as they sped away from Kittros IV. With Gaiyan's smooth propulsion drive, it was the only hint of their movement. "So it's your brains, my brawn, and the best shielding money can buy?" she quipped, drawing her legs close to her chest with her arms and resting her chin on her knees. In the periphery she could see Hotsuma smile appreciatively. "That's one way of stating it," he chuckled. "Would you like to hear the particulars, Ryoko?" He reached out and stroked her unruly blue hair before he could stop himself. She could be so soft, but this woman was many disparate things. Soft but hard. Loving but closed off. Cruel but kind. Strong and weak. She was the most complete and amazing creature he'd ever seen. Whereas, he was something unfinished, a shadow, a dream, the creation of a scared, twisted child. He pulled himself away from the thought, and concentrated on the here and now. He would have further chances to fathom Ryoko after they'd accomplished their next great feat, and maybe it would finally make him complete enough to be worthy of her. He realized that she was waiting for him to continue and quickly launched into his explanation. "The fusion accelerator works by raising the core temperature of the star, thereby speeding up the fusion process. By studying the reports I've hacked from the scientific community's probes, I've determined the rate of acceleration. Next, I plugged in the star's mass and a few other variables and used it to calculate the amount of time the star will need to consume its fuel." He paused to make sure she was still following him. At her nod he continued, "It will take us two days to get there, at which point we will have four hours to grab anything of value. I've given us an hour to reach minimum safe distance, but in reality it should only take us half that. With this shielding we can safely orbit the system closer than any other vessel in existence. At that point the Olmeck's star will have used up its helium and will enter its red supergiant phase. As it's core shrinks, its outer layers will expand and burn off its planets." He smiled darkly. "While we watch from a distance, and count our loot," Ryoko beamed. "Hey, how long after that will the star go supernova?" She leaned towards him, showing off her ample cleavage as she ran her fingers up his thigh. Hotsuma jumped at the unexpected touch. "It will remain a red giant, converting its light elements into successively heavier elements and cooling its surface for ten hours," he continued, trying to ignore the fact that Ryoko was crawling towards him like a cat stalking a small, helpless bird. "By then the core will have created 1.4 solar masses of iron. It will be out of fuel, and without that fusion reaction to balance the pressure of its outer layers, its core will be crunched." Ryoko had moved on to kissing his collarbone, and his final words came out with a small squeak as she unexpectedly pinched his nipple. He had a feeling she was about to put his self-control to the test. "The core will collapse from a size approximating half Earth's diameter to a mere hundred kilometers in a few tenths of a second. As the outer layers rebound off it, a shockwave is produced which causes fusion in the outer layers as it travels outwards," he nearly purred as she kissed a hot trail up his neck and began to nibble his earlobe and tease him with her hot breath. As he continued, Ryoko lightly clawed her fingers down his back. "Two hours later the shock wave will reach the surface of the sun, bringing the surface temperature to two hundred thousand degrees." She plunged her tongue into his ear. "That's when the star explodes at a rate of 15000 km/second, which observers see as a super nova," Hotsuma gasped. He immediately sought out her lips and kissed her forcefully, before she could get any further. "You could have just said twelve hours, you know?" Ryoko advised him, as she drew back and planted her hands on her hips. "That's the problem with you bookish types," she yawned. "You just make everything too complicated!" She prodded him with her foot. "Millions of years worth of activity is being compressed into a week! Princess, for a few days that star will rival the combined light output of all the other stars in the galaxy, and we have ringside seats. Is that simple enough for you?" he asked hotly. "Sounds a little too bright to actually watch," Ryoko noted. "You were supposed to find that impressive," Hotsuma nudged her. "First we get to steal the wealth of a forbidden dying planet, and then we get to ride the firestorm of an exploding star. It's dangerous and beautiful and has never been done before." "Well, when you put it that way, how could I say no?" Ryoko assented. She stretched her shoulders. "You know, I bet I can steal more stuff from that deserted rock than you can!" she told him with a wicked grin. "Is that a bet, Princess?" he challenged. He had assumed his all-business space pirate persona, but his eyes held a roguish glint. She nodded. "You're dead meat, pretty boy!" she crowed.