Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I do not own any of the Tenchi 
characters. Instead I have to accept that I own nothing more than a handful of 
sad, pathetic, one dimensional characters that anyone could have come up with. 
They exist only because I needed someone to cause trouble for the Tenchi 
characters.
No Need for Royalty
Part II
There wasn't much left of the crashed ship. Its remains lay half buried 
in a crater big enough to swallow the Masaki home and shrine with room left 
over. Tenchi surveyed the wreak with despair. It seemed he had run all the way 
out to the middle of the forest with broken ribs for nothing. " There's no way 
anyone could have survived that," he thought. He turned to leave when 
something moved in the trees above him. Tenchi quickly leapt backward, landing 
on the edge of the crater, sword held ready. From the trees a figure slowly 
floated down. It landed in the shadows, making it impossible to make out any 
details. 
" Who there?", Tenchi demanded. " Show yourself." The figured slowly 
stepped forward. Tenchi let out a gasp of shock at what the light reviled. For 
a second he thought it was Ryoko, that she had somehow escaped. However as he 
watched her approach, he noticed several minor differences. Her hair was more 
blue than Ryoko's, and her frame slightly more muscular. Her face was thinner 
and she was a few inches taller than Ryoko. " Who are you?" The woman stopped 
only a few feet away from him. She was staring at him, as if searching for 
something. Despite the energy sword Tenchi was holding she suddenly stepped 
right up to him, thrusting her face inches from his. She took several deep 
breaths through her nose. Finally she spoke.
" Your Tenchi, aren't you? Ryoko's husband.", she asked.
" That's right," Tenchi replied. " And you are?"
" Where is Ryoko?", she asked, ignoring Tenchi's question. Tenchi ground 
his teeth together as he fought to keep his composer.
" She's gone. The same people who shot you down took her.", he growled. 
He fixed her a glare that could melt steel. " Now who are you!?" She seemed 
momentarily stunned by the menace in his voice and eyes, but quickly 
recovered. 
" My name is Ryoa, I am Ryoko's sister.", she told him. 

Katsuhito always felt uneasy in Washu's lab. He preferred the beauty and 
peacefulness of nature to the cramped, dark space where the greatest scientist 
in the universe worked. He couldn't imagine how she managed to think in such a 
stifling place. However he was careful not to show his distaste as he finished 
explaining the events that had led up to Ryoko's kidnaping to the brilliant 
redhead. 
"...so Tenchi and I will be heading for Juri as soon as he gets back 
from checking out the ship that was shot down. Now Washu, I was wondering..."
" I'll help," Washu said, cutting him off. For the briefest of moments, 
Katsuhito actually looked surprised, but he quickly regained his composer. 
" That wasn't what I was going to ask, but your help is gratefully 
accepted.", he said.
" Then what were you going to ask?", Washu questioned.


" I was wondering if you by chance knew anything about Ryoko's race? As 
it stands, we now nothing about her species at all. We don't even know what 
species she is.", he told her. Washu shook her head as she answered.
" I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about them. To be honest, up till 
now I wasn't sure what she was, a member of an alien race, a mutant, or an 
artificial creation. Hell, I don't even have any useful data on her makeup. I 
never got a chance to get any more than a few basic scans of her."
" I understand, she never was very cooperative with anyone other than 
Tenchi." Katsuhito turned to leave. " I'll be back with Tenchi soon, so be 
ready." He walked to door and opened it, but stopped before going through. " 
Washu, if you don't mind my asking, why did you volunteer to help?" He looked 
over his shoulder at the little woman.
" Why not? I got nothing better to do right now.", she answered.
" Oh, is that it?", Katsuhito asked, his tone making his disbelief 
obvious.
" Of course," Washu immediately responded. She chastised herself for 
responding so defensively. She knew she'd just blown her lie out the window, 
and she could tell Katsuhito knew it as well. " Well also it's a perfect 
opportunity to learn about Ryoko's powers and abilities. I missed my chance 
before but now I can make up for lost ground," she improvised. Katsuhito gazed 
at her with a look that seemed to penetrate her mind, as if he could see her 
thoughts. Sweat began to form across her forehead. " I'm doing it for Tenchi." 
Still no change. "I feel a little bit of kinship toward Ryoko, after living 
together in the same house for so long.", she said in desperation. Still 
staring. " It's the right thing to do?", she said softly. Washu finally broke 
down under Katsuhito's gaze. " Alright! Fine! Just stop looking at me like 
that! It's creepy!", she shouted. Washu took a deep breath to compose herself 
as Katsuhito allowed his gaze to relax. " Keep this to yourself. The real 
reason is that I owe her. If it wasn't for Ryoko, I'd still be stuck inside 
that cave. I know she didn't free me on purpose, but it is because of her that 
I got out." A small grin formed on Katsuhito's face. He turned back around and 
left without saying a thing. " Jerk," Washu muttered to herself. 

Tenchi caught himself staring slack jawed at the woman's announcement. 
He quickly snapped his mouth shut and straightened his spine. 
" You...you-r...you are Ryoko's sis-sister," Tenchi stammered. 
" That's what I said," Ryoa spoke with annoyance. Her tense words 
brought Tenchi out of his semi-shocked condition.
" Can you prove it?", Tenchi challenged. Ryoa's expression turned even 
more annoyed and increased her resemblance to Ryoko even further.
" And how exactly do you expect me to do that? I haven't seen my sister 
in person since I was four." Ryoa sighed and her face relaxed. " Look, does it 
really matter? If Ryoko's been captured than we've got bigger problems than 
trying to prove my bloodline. Ryoko is in trouble and needs help. I want to 
save her and I'm sure you do as well. You'll have a much better chance with my 
help." Tenchi watched her closely as she spoke. All the years of trying to 
read his grandfather carefully controlled expressions had given Tenchi a close 
to perfect ability to read people's true feelings. As far as he could 
distinguish, she was telling the truth.
" You're right. I'm sorry for doubting you, I'm just feeling pretty 
messed up inside." Tenchi took a deep breath to calm himself. " If you say 
your Ryoko's sister, then I believe you."


" Thank you." Ryoa said. She glanced at the remains of her space ship. " 
Unfortunately my ship is pretty trashed." Anger quickly built within her. " It 
will have to reproduce itself to recover from this kind of beating. I came 
here hoping I could save Ryoko, but I failed before I even got to see her 
again." Her anger faded and she hung her head in defeat. " I guess I'm not 
going to be much help after all." She turned away from Tenchi to stare at the 
crater. She spun back around as Tenchi laid his hand on her shoulder.
" Don't worry about it, things aren't as bad as you think.", he told 
her. 
" Oh really," Ryoa scoffed. " I don't see how things could be any worse. 
Ryoko's been captured and taken off planet. . The only space capable vehicles 
on this planet lack any sort of faster than light drive systems. We have no 
way of going after her."
" See now, that's were your wrong.", Tenchi said. " In fact, not only 
are we going after them, but we're going to beat them to their destination." 
" What?!", Ryoa exclaimed. " How? How can we go after them without a 
ship? And how can we arrive before them when we don't know where their going?"
" Well maybe you don't know where their going, but I do.", Tenchi 
informed her. 
" They're heading for Juri. And we don't need a ship, we've got something much 
better."
" What?", Ryoa asked. Tenchi didn't answer though. Instead he just 
smiled and beckoned for her to follow as he turned and ran off into the 
forest. Ryoa lingered for a second as she tried to make sense of what he had 
been talking about. She quickly gave up and flew after him. 

Tenchi stopped outside his house to give Ryoa time to catch up. She 
landed next to him looking amazed and slightly winded.
" How the hell can you run that fast!?", She gasped. " I've never seen 
anyone move that quick on the ground." Tenchi just shrugged and tried to 
ignore the sharp pain in his side. He had used a lot of his power during his 
run and didn't have the strength to answer. He lead her inside and met his 
grandfather waiting for him in the living room. 
" Welcome back Tenchi. Did you find anything?", he asked.
" Someone, actually.", Tenchi answered. He stepped aside so Katsuhito 
could get a look at Ryoa. He saw the slight look of amazement that briefly 
flashed across his grandfather's face. 
" Indeed, and who is this lovely young lady?", he asked.
" I'm Ryoa," she informed him.
" A pleasure to meet you, I am Katsuhito.", he said, extending a hand 
toward her. Ryoa shook his hand firmly.
" Shall we get going?", Tenchi injected. Ryoa let go of Katsuhito's hand 
and turned to Tenchi.
" And how exactly are we going to 'get going'," she asked.
" This way," Tenchi said as he headed for the stairs. He pressed the 
button next to the doorway set under the staircase and waited for a second. 
" Come on in," a voice spoke from behind the door. Tenchi opened the 
door and held it for Ryoa and his grandfather. Katsuhito strolled in and Ryoa 
followed him cautiously. Tenchi then entered and shut the door behind him. 



Consciousness came slowly to Ryoko. She became aware of the fact that 
she was laying face down on a very hard, unyielding surface. As her tactile 
sense returned, so did the pain. Her whole body ached and the slightest 
movement sent currents of pain through her body. She didn't want to move, but 
even more she didn't want to stay where she was. Slowly, very slowly, Ryoko 
carefully stretched, flexed, and bent her body. At first the pain increased, 
but after a few minutes it lessened, becoming little more than a slight 
discomfort. She gradually sat up and carefully opened her eyes. Light seemed 
to pour in like a river, flooding her brain. She immediately shut her eyes. 
For a brief moment Ryoko contemplated laying back down and drifting back into 
unconsciousness, but her fighting spirit kept her from giving up. She gently 
opened one eye slightly, barely enough to see past her eyelashes. The blurred 
image of her surroundings began to take shape and they did not make her feel 
any better. She was in what she guessed to be the center of some room, though 
it was just a guess since it was too dark to see the walls. The only light 
came from the cylindrical force field that surrounded her. The diameter of the 
field was only about four feet and it made her feel like an insect stuck in a 
jar.
 As if doubtful of its existence, Ryoko reached out and tapped the field 
with her finger. Instantly a jolt of energy shot through her finger and down 
her arm. Ryoko let out a short cry. She cradled her arm across her chest 
protectively. The shock had numbed her whole arm and moving it sent electric 
tingles along her skin. Deciding to try something more likely to succeed, 
Ryoko tried to teleport out of the force field, but she simply reappeared in 
the same place. She considered phasing through the floor or ceiling, but 
discarded that idea when she noticed the field extended past those surfaces. 
Most likely the energy field was reflected to ensure complete containment, and 
Ryoko didn't feel like getting zapped again to find out. That left her with 
one option.
 The light in the room increased slightly as Ryoko's sword formed in her 
grasp. Standing up, she thrust at the barrier, but her blade passed through 
without any resistance. It caught her completely off guard and she almost 
plunged her other hand into the field before she stopped herself. She pulled 
her blade back and noticed that it had simply gone through without affecting 
the barrier at all. Ryoko extinguished her blade and fired a blast of energy 
at the field. It too passed straight through, however when it reached the wall 
that happened to be only a few feet away, it bounced. Ryoko ducked as her shot 
ricocheted around the room a few times before fizzling out. Frustration and 
defeat swelled within her and Ryoko pulled her legs up to her chest and laid 
her chin on her knees. She felt very vulnerable and it was a feeling she was 
not used to.
" Damn it, it's not fair," she thought. " Everything was perfect, why 
did this have to happen? What the hell did I do to deserve this?" Tears 
threatened to form but Ryoko stubbornly refused to cry. " Tenchi, where are 
you?", She whispered. " I need you." Ryoko tried to stay strong, but the utter 
hopelessness of the situation crushed her spirit. She slowly fell asleep 
curled up, hovering a foot above the floor. As she slept tears gently rolled 
down her cheeks.

" Where the hell are we?", Ryoa asked as she looked around. 
" You know, I'm not exactly sure," Tenchi told her. " This place is 
located some where in sub-space."
" Zone thirty-seven, dimensional axis eight, quantum level ten of the 
third chrono stage," Washu announced as she stepped out of the shadows. " Of 
course the dimensional axises shift every five point three eight nine galactic 
years and the chrono stages do go through some fluctuations when excessive 
neutrino levels accumulate in hyper space and cause..."
" Washu please," Tenchi interrupted. " I'd really like to get going 
sometime this century." Washu gave Tenchi a look of surprise at the abrupt 
rudeness of his interruption. She felt a brief flash of anger, but let it go. 
Tenchi was having a bad day. 
" Sorry Tenchi," Washu said. She tilted her head toward the doorway. 
"Let's go." 
" Isn't that the door we came through to get here?", Ryoa asked.
" Yes, and it's the way we're going to get to Juri," Tenchi told her.


" By walking through a door?", she asked skeptically.    
" It's not really a door," Washu explained. " It only looks like one for 
aesthetic purposes. It's actually one of my most useful inventions. It allows 
for instantaneous transport of matter or energy between any two points in the 
universe." Out of nowhere the Washu bots appeared on her shoulders.
" You're such a genius Washu! The greatest in the universe!", they 
cheered. Washu threw her head back and laughed.
" That's right and I'm also cutest genius in the whole universe.", she 
added. " Now lets get going!" She reached out and stabbed her finger down on 
the button labeled 'Juri'. Everyone waited a few minutes for something to 
happen. Washu tried pressing the button again. 
" Come on, somebody answer the door!", she called out.
" Someone has to open the door from the other side?", Ryoa asked.
" Oh course, this leads to the hallway right outside Princess Ayeka's 
and Sasami's bedrooms.", Washu said. " It wouldn't be very polite to just walk 
on in. Unfortunately it seems neither one of them are home."
" So we can't get through?", Ryoa asked.
" Hah! You think I can't bypass my own security system?", Washu said. 
She held out her hands and her holo-top appeared. " I'm sure Ayeka and Sasami 
will understand us inviting ourselves over, after we explain what's going on." 
She typed in a quick command and then reached over and opened the door. " 
After you," She offered.

Ryoko woke up with the feeling that something was wrong. Something had 
changed. She opened her eyes and was blinded by the light. She tried to shield 
her eyes with her hand, but she couldn't move her arm. Squinting, she looked 
down to discover that she was strapped in a legless chair that hovered just 
above the floor. Miniature force fields held her arms and legs securely. As 
her eyes grew accustom to the light she realized she must be on the bridge of 
Hushira's ship. 
" Finally up are we?", a voice asked from behind her. Ryoko tried to 
turn her head to look behind her, but she couldn't move enough. She heard 
footsteps approach and stop behind her. Suddenly the chair was spun around and 
Ryoko came face to face with Hushira. She flinched back, uncomfortable with 
being in such close proximity to him. " What's wrong? Is something bothering 
you?", he asked in a mocking voice. 
" Yeah, I think you should consider bathing, or does this whole ship 
just stink?" she spat. Hushira laughed off her insult and pulled up another 
hover chair. He sat down too close for Ryoko's comfort and leaned back in the 
chair to study her. After a few minutes Ryoko got sick of him staring at her. 
" Why are you doing this?", she asked. Hushira waited a moment before 
replying.
" Curiosity I guess. I wanted to see what you're like," he told her.
" No! I meant why have you kidnaped me!?", Ryoko yelled.
" I was given orders to.", he said 
" But why!?", Ryoko asked. Hushira shrugged his shoulders.
" Important reasons," he replied. " Someone up the chain of command has 
decided that you are of some value. I was told to bring you in no matter what. 
So I have. Now all I have to do is pick up your ship and take both of you to 
the Xon alliance." Ryoko growled in frustration. She wasn't getting any useful 
answers


" What the hell is the Xon alliance?", Ryoko asked.
" We are a military organization formed of the Xanon, Ohutra, and 
Nojusta clans. We have come together because the present government of Rygoth 
is weak and misguided."
" Oh great, I've been captured by a bunch of rebels. How the hell can I 
be used to help overthrow a government?", Ryoko wondered. " I've never heard 
of Rygoth before, where is it?" Hushira gave her a curious look. " What, what 
is it?"
" You honestly don't remember Rygoth?", He asked.
" If I did why would I ask?", she pointed out. Hushira shrugged.
" True, I just find it odd that you don't know anything of the planet 
you came from," he said. 
" To be honest, I've never really given much thought about where I might 
have come from", Ryoko told him. 
" Really? Not at all?", he asked.
" It never mattered until now," she answered. " What species I belong to 
has never been important to me. Who I am is more important than what I am." 
" So you have no interest in learning about your homeworld? Or your 
family?", Hushira asked.
" Like I said, I don't give a damn about my species.", Ryoko told him. 
She paused as she considered his other question. " As for my family, I don't 
know what to think about them. I grew up alone. I never knew my family. Hell, 
I don't even know if they're alive. Maybe they all died and that's why I was 
on my own. Or maybe they didn't want me and got rid of me. And if that's the 
case I defiantly don't want to know them. So as far as I'm concerned, Tenchi 
is the only family I've got."
" Just him huh?", Hushira asked.
" Just him," she said.
" So it wouldn't matter to you if I told you that the pilot of the ship 
my squad and I shot down was your sister?", he asked. Ryoko's eyes widened and 
she gasped in shock. Hushira continued talking. " Oh yes, your older sister. 
She tried to get to you before we did, but she wasn't fast enough. Now she's 
nothing but carbon ash spread across the face of that primitive world. She 
gave her life trying to save you, but that's okay because she doesn't matter 
to you, does she?" Ryoko was too shook up to speak. She felt sad, which didn't 
make any sense to her. She didn't know the person Hushira killed. She was just 
some stranger that Ryoko had never seen. However she had been trying to save 
her. She had been family. Ryoko had always told herself that she didn't care 
about her family, because they hadn't cared about her. Why else would they 
have abandoned her? But she had come to rescue her. If they didn't care, why 
would they want to help? Ryoko tried to make sense of it all, but no answers 
came to her. She looked up to see Hushira smirking at her. 
" Tell me about my family," she demanded. Something told her he knew 
what she wanted to know. " Why was I abandoned as a child?"
" Do you really want to know?", he asked.
" JUST TELL ME!", she screamed.


" Alright, I'll tell you." Hushira leaned forward in his chair. " To 
begin with, the main reason your family never found you is that our species 
comes from another galaxy. When you were two years old you and Ryo-ohki were 
kidnaped by Xon agents and taken to this galaxy to be hidden. You see we had 
found a worm hole that connected our two galaxies. By bringing you here we 
felt certain you would not be found. Unfortunately our agents had a run of bad 
luck. The building where you were being held was next door to a gang drug lab. 
When the Galaxy Police staged a sting on the lab the gangsters fought back. At 
some point during the battle someone opened fire with a heavy artillery piece 
that struck the lab's power generator. The explosion leveled every building in 
a half mile radius. During the explosion, our agents lost track of you. They 
searched for three weeks before giving up. It was decided that you must have 
been vaporized by the explosion. That is why you grew up all alone, why no one 
came looking for you. We all thought you were dead. It wasn't until two weeks 
ago that we found out you were alive. That's when the first news transmissions 
concerning your rise to infamy as a pirate finally crossed the vast distance 
of space between our two galaxies. 
Of course we immediately came here and began to search for you. However 
a few days into our search we received some unsettling news. Rygoth military 
units, and not just any units, but the super elite soldiers of the Rygoth 
military, had found the wormhole and taken the base stationed there. For there 
they learned that you were still alive. They came through the wormhole to save 
you, but we had a head start and, more importantly, a lead. We found an 
information broker who claimed to know the location of you and Ryo-ohki. He 
was a smart man, not smart enough to save himself, but he was right about you. 
After taking care of his 'payment' we headed straight for Earth, certain we 
would get there first.
 It was quite a shock when we arrived and found your sister already in 
the system. I have no idea how she found you, or how she managed to reach you 
just before us. Unfortunately for her sake, her ship was not as powerful or 
well trained as mine or my team mates. We caught up with her just as she 
reached orbit and, well, you saw what happened." Hushira leaned back in his 
chair with his hands behind his head. He smirked at Ryoko as he watched her 
reactions. Ryoko felt numb inside. Her whole life, her lonely childhood, her 
rise to piracy, meeting Tenchi, it all happened because of some rebellion on 
some world she never knew of in some galaxy she'd probably never heard of. 
She'd been kidnaped away from her family to be used as a tool to further the 
cause of rebels. She could of had a normal life, but then she never would have 
met Tenchi. Ryoko didn't know how to feel. She knew she wouldn't trade her 
life with Tenchi for anything, but growing up she had often wondered what it 
would have been like to have a family.  Ryoko felt her sorrow melt into anger. 
She fixed Hushira with an evil glare that she had used many times as a pirate. 
It was a look that few had ever taken lightly, and most of them hadn't lived 
long enough to brag about standing up to the galaxy's most wanted pirate.
" Why me?", she hissed through clenched teeth. " Why did you assholes 
come after me? What was so damn special about me that you thought I'd be of 
some value to your dumbass rebellion?" Hushira just smiled wider at her anger. 
Ryoko growled low in throat. With an exaggerated sigh he sat back up.
" To be honest, I'm not totally sure. I have heard that we had a very 
special use planned for you, but I'm not sure what it is. However I do know it 
had something to do with who your father is", he said. 
" My dad?", Ryoko spoke softly. She tried to imagine what her father 
could be to warrant her abduction. " Is he in the military? A general or 
something?"
" HA! A general you say? Oh no Ryoko, a good guess, but not quite high 
enough." Hushira paused to take a breath. " Your dad's much more important. 
Much more." Ryoko lost her patience with Hushira's stalling.


" WOULD YOU JUST TELL ME ALREADY!!!", she screamed so loud it hurt. 
Hushira however was unfazed. He waited a few seconds until Ryoko was about to 
lose it before speaking.
" Your father Ryoko, is the current King of Rygoth", he told her. 

The royal palace of Juri was just as Tenchi remembered it, amazingly 
beautiful and overwhelmingly gigantic. It was a city in itself. It could have 
held the entire population of Tokyo. Yet every inch was spotlessly clean, 
every room tastefully designed for whatever purpose it served. The hallway 
they entered was long enough to accommodate a subway train. Where as a similar 
hallway might feel overly empty and impersonal, the soft coloration, gentle 
sloping ceiling, and intricately carved pillars gave for a friendly, welcoming 
atmosphere. The four Jurian guards standing in front of them, on the other 
hand, were none too welcoming. One of them pointed his staff at Tenchi.
" HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!", he warned. Tenchi quickly put his hands up in 
front of him. He was about to try and explain who he was to the guard, but 
before he open his mouth Ryoa took the offensive. 
She launched herself forward and forming an energy blade, sliced through 
the staff just above the guard's hand with a quick upward cut. The air filled 
with the smell of burnt wood. She brought her elbow down into his face and 
crushed his nose flat. The guard dropped like a rock. Before he even hit the 
ground Ryoa teleported behind the three remaining guards and swung her leg 
around at ankle height, sweeping their feet out from under them so fast they 
were airborne. Continuing her spin all the way around she swung her fist into 
the rightmost guard and launched him into the wall. She reversed her spin and 
brought an open hand chop down on the center guard and drove him into the 
floor. The last guard hit the floor with a thud and bounced. Ryoa sidestepped 
over to him and booted him in the ribs before he landed again, sailing him 
into a pillar. The whole fight ended a mere three seconds after it started. 
Tenchi let out a small sigh. This was defiantly not the way he had planned 
things. He was about to tell Ryoa how unnecessary her thrashing of the guards 
was when twin beams of energy came streaking down the hallway and caught her 
square in the back. The blasts pitched her forward and everyone else had to 
dive out the way as she flew forward and crashed into the doorway they had 
entered through. She quickly recovered and pushed off the door, spinning 
around and launching her return fire. Tenchi followed the blast and watched as 
it was blocked by the Jurian knight Azaka. Beside him, Kamidake launched 
another shot at Ryoa. She dove under the blast and skimmed over the floor as 
she flew toward them. 


" RYOA WAIT!", Tenchi yelled, trying to stop her. However it was too 
late for her to quit, she was committed to her attack. She pushed off the 
floor with one hand as her sword formed in the other. Kamidake leapt back as 
she swung at him. He brought his staff up over his head to block her next 
blow. Energy sparked and flew in all directions as Ryoa's sword tried to slice 
through the energy field surrounding Kamidake's staff. Ryoa used pure brute 
strength to push the knight down to one knee, but by then Azaka had recovered 
from her blast and had rejoined the fight. He swung the head of his staff into 
her mid-section. There was a flash of light and the blow knocked her into the 
wall. The elderly knight pinned her there by jamming his staff across her 
throat. Tenchi tried to get his attention by yelling," AZAKA STOP!" However 
just like Ryoa, he was too caught up in the battle to notice. Tenchi saw 
Kamidake was about to help finish the fight. He drew back his arm as if to 
throw his staff like a spear. " I said, STOP!", Tenchi bellowed. He threw his 
hands forward and let a wave of power loose down the hall. The blast caught 
all three fighters and swept them up like leaves in a hurricane. It slammed 
them all into the end of hallway so hard the wall cracked. They all fell to 
the floor with dull thuds and laid still. For a moment, Tenchi was afraid he 
had used too much power, but then Ryoa slowly rolled over and tried to sit up. 
She failed halfway and hit her head on the floor as she fell back. Cradling 
the back of her head with her hands she rolled onto her side. Azaka and 
Kamidake made similar attempts to get up, and failed just the same. It was at 
that moment that the door to Ayeka's room opened. The princess was wearing a 
robe held shut with nothing but her hand and her hair was rumpled in a way 
that suggested she had just woken up. Tenchi saw her eyes go wide in shock as 
she noticed the four unconscious guards scattered about. He watched her jaw 
drop as she turned her attention to the walls which Tenchi's blast had 
stripped of paint and the first two inches of material. And he heard her gasp 
of surprise as her gaze settled on the sprawled forms of Ryoa, Azaka, and 
Kamidake. She turned back to Tenchi and her mouth worked to form words, but 
failed to produce anything but incomparable sounds. Finally she took a few 
deep breaths to calm down before trying again.
" What...what in hell... what is going on here!?", she demanded.

Ryoko was too shocked to speak, too amazed to even think straight. 
Thoughts bounced and ricocheted around in her skull as her brain tried to 
arrange this new information properly. 
"My dad is...a, king? But that makes me royalty. I'm a princess. I'm 
royalty, princess. My father, a king, royalty, princess", she struggled with 
the concept. It was too unreal. It couldn't be real. Hushira had to be lying, 
but for what reason. After all, if she was royalty, then her kidnaping made 
perfect sense. " I don't believe it", she whispered to herself.
" Believe it or not, it doesn't change anything", Hushira said. His 
voice brought Ryoko back to reality. She looked at him, trying to find any 
deception, any signs that he might have been lying. 
" It can't be, there's just no way", she told him. 
" Well if you don't want to believe it that's your business.", he said. 
Ryoko was about to tell him she didn't believe it when a large floating 
crystal dropped down between them and started flashing. Hushira waved his hand 
in front of it and the giant man's image appeared in the structure. 
" Captain, my sensors have detected something that I think you should 
see.", he said.
" Very well, send the coordinates to Sui-noki", Hushira ordered. A view 
screen appeared and the blinding white backdrop of hyper space filled the 
room. Off in the distance Ryoko could just see the swirling effect that 
indicated the passage of a ship, like an insect flying through smoke. " 
Magnify" The image jumped closer and Ryoko sucked in a breath through her 
teeth. 
" Nagi",she thought. " Why would Hushira be interested in her?" She 
looked over at him and was surprised by the look of pure hate on his face. His 
hands were curled into fists so tight his arms shook. He spoke in a harsh 
whisper filled with venom.
" Ken-ohki" Electric energy sparked down his arm. 
" So it's Ken-ohki he's pissed at, but for what?", Ryoko tried to figure 
out. " Wait a minute. Ken-ohki is a cabbit ship. I've never given much thought 
to it before, but how did Nagi and Ken-ohki hook up. For that to happen he 
would have had to come here through that wormhole Hushira told me about. But 
why would he have wanted to. Maybe he ran away." Ryoko's thought's were 
interrupted by Hushira.
" All craft, alter course and engage the target! I want that ship 
DEAD!", he yelled. He grabbed the control spheres of his craft and jerked the 
ship around. 


" He's insane, you can't start shooting in hyper space", Ryoko thought. 
She watched with dismay as Hushira opened fire. The homing blasts sent by his 
ship curved through hyper space as they tracked Ken-ohki. One of the blasts 
hit a null energy pocket and dissipated back into real space. The rest flew 
unobstructed toward their target, but missed as Ken-ohki pulled a hard right. 
 Purple energy built up above the ship and shot out horizontally before making 
a ninety-degree turn toward Sui-noke. The shots struck home but didn't do any 
real damage. The other three Xon ships came at Nagi from beneath. Their shots 
rocked Ken-ohki violently and pitched the cabbit into a spin. Ryoko found 
herself holding her breath. " Come on Nagi, you can't be stupid enough to keep 
fighting in hyper space. Sooner or later someone is going to hit a temporal 
zone or an antimatter flow and take us all out." Even as she thought of all 
the reasons shooting in hyper space was a bad idea, one of the shots fired at 
Ken-ohki struck a gravity anomaly. The energy was drawn in and started up a 
reaction that defied all known scientific laws. The gravity waves reversed 
polarity and intensity, but the range of the gravity field remained the same. 
At the same time the energy blast was transformed into dark matter. The result 
was as if a huge shrapnel bomb had been dropped among them. The ultra dense 
matter flew out at ultrasonic speed. All four ships rapidly tried to pull 
away. The yellow Xon ship didn't make it. A sphere of matter the size of a 
basketball, yet weighing more than a small moon, struck the craft square in 
the center at over thirty times the speed of sound. The ship didn't explode 
though, it didn't have time to. The energy transfer was so sudden and so 
intense that the ship flash vaporized. The bonds between its atoms instantly 
separated and turned the once solid ship into a cloud a gas.
" Damn it!", Hushira swore. He swung back around toward Ken-ohki. Ryoko 
noticed that the other two Xon ships were on the other side of the blast 
point, leaving Hushira and Nagi alone for the moment. Instead of waiting for 
them to regroup though, Hushira pressed his attack on Ken-ohki. Nagi took 
advantage and led Hushira away from his teammates. Sui-noki's blasts tried to 
track Ken-ohki's wild moments, but the stark white ship was too maneuverable, 
its pilot's reflexes too quick. Hushira growled in frustration at his 
inability to hit his target. Ken-ohki's return fire was much more accurate. 
Dozens of energy bolts struck home, but Sui-noki shrugged them off without 
harm.
" It's a stalemate", Ryoko thought. " Sui-noki is much more powerful 
than Ken-ohki, but Nagi is a much better pilot than Hushira. As long as Nagi 
keeps the other two out of the fight, neither side can win. Of course the 
longer this keeps up the more likely it is that one of those shots is going to 
cause an explosion that will make losers of us all." As if waiting for those 
thoughts, one of Ken-ohki's shots struck an anti-radiation field. Generated by 
a star back in real space, the anti-radiation sucked in the shot, increasing 
in size. The field engulfed the two ships and sucked all present alpha, beta, 
and gamma particles from them. In doing so both ships experienced a complete 
power failure. Without energy to maintain their presence in hyper space they 
were violently shoved back into real space were they found themselves caught 
in the gravity of a supergiant star. Fortunately once out of the anti-
radiation field both ship's power systems started up again.


Ryoko however, had made good use of the power failure. As soon as they 
had struck the anti-radiation field her restraints had vanished. She had 
instantly leapt out of the chair before the force fields had a chance to 
reform. Wasting no time she charged at Hushira, hoping to catch him before he 
noticed she was free. Her sword blazed into existence as she aimed a swing 
that would have trimmed Hushira's hair down just above his ears. However at 
the last second he saw Ryoko's image reflected in the view screen. He 
teleported away and Ryoko only managed gouge the viewer. She swung around in 
time to dodge an energy blast. Outside Ken-ohki began to pull away. However 
when Sui-noki didn't turn to follow, due to its pilot being rather 
preoccupied, Nagi swung her ship around for a strafing run. Sui-noki shook 
under the onslaught and for the first time uttered a mild cry of pain. Ken-
ohki came back around and this time managed to penetrate Sui-noki's shields. 
The ship howled as several blasts detonated on its skin. The strike sent the 
ship into a wild spin that flung Ryoko and Hushira to opposing sides of the 
bridge. Through the spinning viewer, Ryoko could see Ken-ohki coming around to 
finish them off. 
Great, Nagi's finally going to get what she's always wanted. She going 
to kill me, but she won't even know it. What the hell's wrong with this 
universe. Suddenly blasts of energy flew on screen and smashed into the ship 
before it could open fire. Ryoko saw Ken-ohki's shields collapse and black 
scorch marks marred the white surface. Nagi fired several shots at the other 
Xon ships that forced them to shy off slightly. She then pulled away and 
headed back for Sui-noki. Ryoko began preparing herself for oblivion, but 
suddenly she saw a way to save herself, though for a moment considered wether 
or not it was worth it. " No choice" Ryoko waited until energy formed above 
Ken-ohki, warning of the income barrage. Ryoko focused her powers and 
teleported off Sui-noki. And onto Ken-ohki. 
Nagi spun around and the look of shock on her face was beautiful to 
behold. As much as she wanted to etch that expression into her mind, Ryoko 
didn't have time. Before Nagi could recover, Ryoko lunged forward and punched 
the bounty hunter square in the face, sending her skidding across the deck. 
Nagi's momentum carried her into the far wall where she came to rest. Ignoring 
Ken-ohki's angry snarls, Ryoko grabbed the control spheres and swung the craft 
toward the star that had helped pull them out of hyper space. Ryoko checked 
the sensors and realized she knew this system. " If I can make it to the third 
world there's hope". Throwing a glance over to make sure Nagi was still out, 
she settled into the controls. Behind her she saw that Sui-noki had managed to 
survive the last attack, and after having some power transferred to it from 
the other two ships, was back in pursuit and gaining. Ryoko checked the 
sensors and found that they would catch up with her a full ten seconds before 
she reached her destination. " Okay don't panic", Ryoko told herself. "You can 
out fly them for ten seconds." Ryoko wiped a layer of sweat from her forehead. 
" I hope"



Washu let out of small sigh of boredom. She was seated next to Tenchi at 
a large circular wooden table. Next to her sat Katsuhito. Ryoa was on the 
other side of Tenchi. Across the table from them sat Ayeka, with Azaka and 
Kamidake flanking her. Ayeka brushed aside some strands of hair that fell 
across her face. Though she had run a comb through her hair, she hadn't had 
time to style it. As a result, her violet strands swirled all around her, 
falling across her shoulders and occasionally sliding across her face when she 
leaned forward too far. It leant her an exotic quality Washu had never seen in 
the princess, but was only of marginal interest. Washu dismissed it after a 
mere three tenths of a second. Azaka and Kamidake on the other hand, managed 
to relieve her boredom for a full one and three fourths of a second. In 
battered and ripped clothing, both knights bore numerous bruises and Kamidake 
had a nasty cut from his right cheek, up across his nose, and into his 
forehead. However the bleeding had stopped and the wound had already began to 
fade, thanks to some powerful healing balm spread across the surface. All in 
all, they were unhurt, but they would be sore for awhile and Kamidake would 
have an impressive scar that would probably require surgery to remove. Washu 
decided this had to be the cause of the uneasy looks he directed toward Ryoa, 
who had used her powers to heal from the fight and repair her clothing. As a 
result her appearance was unmarked, as if the fight had never occurred. Washu 
took half a second to decide Kamidake was sixty-three percent jealous, twenty-
seven percent amazed, and ten percent upset at Ryoa's abilities. 
Washu searched for something else to occupy her time, but failed to find 
anything worthwhile. A small portion of her consciousness was directed toward 
Tenchi who was busy explaining why he, Katsuhito, Ryoa, and Washu dropped in 
during the middle of the night and started a fight with the palace guards. He 
was only three eights through the story, and Washu calculated it would take 
him another five minutes and seven seconds to finish. Washu resisted the urge 
to sigh again and tried to think of why anyone would want to kidnap Ryoko. 
There was, in essence, thousands of reasons to kidnap someone, but Washu 
rapidly narrowed it down to the three most likely, revenge, ransom, and 
punishment. Certainly there were plenty of people who had problems with Ryoko. 
You don't become a pirate without making some enemies. And since Ryoko had 
tended to think big in her raids, there would certainly be plenty of 
individuals against her with the money to hire a mercenary group to go after 
her. However Washu quickly scrubbed the idea. The kidnapers had been the same 
species as Ryoko, and had identified themselves as part of a military 
organization. Both of these facts compelled Washu to consider the abduction as 
part of a government sanctioned operation. And one thing Washu knew for 
certain was whenever a political body got involved, things became more 
complicated than a reverse sub-quantum equation. While a Washu could readily 
name five hundred sixty-two governments that would sanction a military 
operation for revenge, those were usually assassinations, not kidnapings. That 
made her consider option two and three. Ryoko was connected to the Juri royal 
family through Tenchi. However the idea of Juri paying for Ryoko's release was 
too ridiculous to contemplate. Washu abandoned two and focused on three, 
punishment. It was very plausible that Ryoko had committed crimes on her 
homeworld and was now being brought in. However the main problem with that 
theory was Ryoko had grown up alone, never know of her family or race. Or so 
she claimed. The possibility of her having lied about her past existed. 
It was no use, there just wasn't enough hard evidence for Washu to work 
with. Too many variables, too few certainties. Washu abandoned trying to 
figure out the kidnapers motives for the moment. By now another eight point 
three seconds had passed. Time was passing far too slowly and Washu cursed her 
accelerated mental abilities. A hundredth of a second later however, she 
changed her mind and decided to curse everyone else's inadequate mental state. 
It felt better that way. 

The first shot came in high and Ryoko dove Ken-ohki under it. She then 
slipped the reluctant cabbit sideways and up, spinning halfway before pulling 
up, which brought her back down relative to her pursuers. Ken-ohki's wild 
flight path managed to avoid the deadly energy being thrown at it. Ryoko 
changed course, making it seem like she planned to orbit the up coming planet. 
Coming along side the giant sphere, she suddenly reversed thrust, killing her 
forward momentum and letting the three other ships sail past her. She then 
banked hard and dove straight at her target, Pheal Prime. 


The world was a class eight gas giant, twice the size of Jupiter in the 
Sol system. A couple dozen more trillion tons of matter and it would have had 
the necessary mass and internal force to begin fusion and turn into a star. 
Other than being rather large though it was just a typical planet in an 
ordinary star system in a part of the galaxy more people actively avoided than 
visited. There was absolutely nothing special about it, which is what made it 
the perfect area to place a hideout.
 Ryoko drove Ken-ohki toward the planet like a missile, aiming the ship 
at a specific area of the planet that would allow for safe passage into the 
planet. Ken-ohki unfortunately, wasn't aware of this, and wasn't about to let 
Ryoko carry out an act that he saw as certain death. The ship tore itself out 
of the dive and moved into orbit, putting the planet between itself and it's 
attackers. Ryoko swore as Ken-ohki killed her controls.
" Damn it Ken-ohki! Give me control back you mangy parasite ridden 
excuse for a ship." Ken-ohki ignored Ryoko's protests and began drawing energy 
to reenter hyper space. " No, you dumb animal, you don't have enough energy 
left to outrun them! You go into hyper space and they'll catch up with us in a 
few seconds! Give me control! I know a place on that planet where we can hide 
until you can recharge!" Ryoko was about to launch into a much longer and 
nastier context of her feeling about Ken-ohki, but a soft but stern voice 
stopped her.
" Ken-ohki, do what she says." Ryoko spun around to see Nagi pull 
herself back to her feet. The bounty hunter wiped away blood from her split 
lip with the back of her hand as she and Ryoko locked eyes. Ken-ohki let out a 
wail of protest. " I said do it!", Nagi snapped back. 
" Ryoko isn't the suicidal type so there must be a hideout on that planet. 
Give her control." 
Ken-ohki kept complaining, but did return control to Ryoko. She grabbed the 
control spheres and steered them back for the planet. She kept glancing over 
her shoulder at Nagi, feeling very vulnerable having her back to the woman. 
However she had to concentrate on piloting, and had to trust that Nagi 
wouldn't shoot her from behind. Logically she wouldn't, since she was relying 
on Ryoko to save her life, but that did little to diminish her fear. As a 
result Ryoko was keyed up on adrenaline and feeling overly jumpy. Despite this 
she managed to guide Ken-ohki safely into the upper atmosphere. The opaque air 
quickly cut visibility to just a few hundred feet. Fortunately Ryoko wasn't 
relying on sight to guide her. She dropped a few miles into the planet and 
began drifting side to side, looking for a special wind current that would 
lead them to where she wanted to go. Ryoko checked the outside situation. 
Temperatures were still in the low negatives and the air pressure was over ten 
times that found on earth. So far they were fine, but she'd have to be 
careful. She didn't want to get to deep into the planet or the weight of the 
atmosphere would become enough to crush the ship like an egg. She also had to 
keep an eye out for wind sheers that could rip the ship in half like paper or 
push them hundreds of miles off coarse. 
Finally, after a few minutes of searching, Ryoko found the current of 
air she was looking for. It was a tunnel of high speed wind several miles in 
diameter, with air speed increasing near the center. Ryoko drifted into the 
outer edges and the current swept them in. Ryoko slowly moved deeper, letting 
the wind accelerate them enough before moving on. After a few more minutes she 
reached the center of the current. The wind there was moving nearly a thousand 
miles an hour faster than the surrounding atmosphere. It was this jet of air 
that kept the rest of the current moving. Ryoko knew that the current was so 
forceful that it actually orbited the planet's core. Once inside, Ryoko 
accelerated Ken-ohki to his maximum speed. Coupled with the force of their 
tail wind, it only took half a minute to reach their destination. Ryoko saw 
the dark form of the hideout appear in the distance and cut back on their 
speed.


" I take it that is our destination", Nagi said. Her voice came from 
right behind Ryoko and the former pirate almost teleported away before she got 
a hold of herself. Taking a deep breath she hoped Nagi couldn't hear, Ryoko 
forced herself to broadcast a calm she defiantly didn't feel.
" That's the place", she said as smoothly as she could. " Pirate's 
Heaven." Ryoko heard Nagi's gasp and resisted the urge to smile.
 Pirate's Heaven was a legend among criminals and law enforcement agents 
alike. Operated by a former pirate known as Darkblade, the hideout had one 
thing that made it the favorite crash joint of anyone looking to avoid the 
law. It could move. Unlike other hideouts that were stuck on whatever 
perspective planet, asteroid, or space station they were located, Pirate's 
Heaven was a full functional spaceship. This meant that whenever the local law 
enforcement began to home in on it, Darkblade could just take his hideout and 
fly off with it, setting up elsewhere. This fact, along with Darkblade's 
powerful information network, made Pirate's Heaven the bane of all law 
enforcement throughout the galaxy. It also made it the perfect place for 
someone who was looking to avoid the law. 
Upon seeing the familiar disk shaped craft, Ryoko had felt a great flood 
of relief. She had been worried that she'd find the hideout had taken off and 
relocated, but it seemed that Darkblade's latest hiding spot was still secure. 
At least it had been. Ryoko glanced over at Nagi. Now that she knew where it 
was, Darkblade would had to find a new place to hide. Ryoko felt a little 
guilty about it, she admired Darkblade, but she shook it off. It wasn't like 
she'd had a choice. Ryoko made a note to warn Darkblade that his hideout had 
been compromised.
" So what now?", Nagi asked. " You know we can't just fly up and request 
permission to dock. Ken-ohki is too well known. They would try to shoot us 
down in an instant."
" That's exactly why we're not going to get permission", Ryoko told her. 
" I know that ship very well, and I know a few ways to get onboard without 
anyone knowing." She pointed at the three engines that stuck out the back of 
the ship. " The sensors don't cover the back of the ship there, since no one 
could fly behind it while the engines are on, unless they want to fry 
themselves. However since the engines are off, we can fly in between them and 
land on the hull. From there I can phase us through into the ship." Nagi fixed 
Ryoko a look of scorn.
" Are you crazy, Ken-ohki will never fit between those engines, their 
too close together."
" No, it just looks that way because we're still three miles out", Ryoko 
informed her. She had to turn around to see Nagi's face. The bounty hunter's 
eyes were wide as dinner plates and her skin was much whiter than normal. 
Ryoko could see the muscles bunch at the jaw as Nagi worked to put what she 
was seeing into perspective. Pirate's Heaven was one of the largest space 
ships in existence. Five miles in diameter and a mile deep, the multimillion 
ton vessel could hold the population of a small city. The massive engines were 
half a mile long and could each produce more energy than every power plant on 
the island of Japan combined.
" Wha...that's, that can't...impossible," Nagi stammered. Ryoko forced 
down a laugh as she carefully brought Ken-ohki down on the ship's hull.
" Alright we're here," Ryoko announced. " Now, before we go any further, 
I think we need to have a talk." The bounty hunter shook herself and regained 
her normal look of contempt.
" Agreed," Nagi said. " You'll start. I want to know who those people 
were, and why they tried to kill me. Then you'll tell me what you were doing 
with them. After that, I'll decide wether to kill you or not. If not, we'll 
need to form a plan to take care of your 'friends'." 


Same old Nagi, what a bitch. Ryoko fought down the anger threatening to 
explode from her. Just calm down, being pissed at her isn't going to help. " 
Fine, I'll start. The people who attacked you are military rebels from my home 
planet. I was with them because my family is a strong opposing force to their 
actions and they planned to use me to their own advantage. Next, they weren't 
after you. They were after Ken-ohki. And as for killing me, your welcome to 
try, but keep this in mind. They captured me easily. It only took one of them 
to beat me, and he did so without effort. So if your willing to go up against 
them by yourself, be my guest." Nagi was taken back by Ryoko's admittance to 
being easily defeated.
" Without effort? ," Nagi questioned.
" I hate to admit it, be yes. The guy's got the personality of a tree 
stump, but he's an excellent fighter. Hushira isn't someone to mess with." 
Suddenly a violent hissing filled the air. Ken-ohki let out an angry snarl. 
" Ken-ohki? What is it? ," Nagi asked.
" That's pretty much the same response Hushira had when he saw Ken-ohki 
," Ryoko said. " Ken-ohki, you know Hushira, don't you?" The ship answered 
with a growl.
" Well then Ken-ohki, you'd better fill us in on the details," Nagi 
said.

"...and that's pretty much it," Tenchi finished. " I'm very sorry for 
dropping in unannounced, and for the fight, and for trashing the hallway." He 
turned his gaze down to the table, unable to look at Ayeka. The princess let 
out a small sigh and shook her head slightly.
" Some things never change," she said sarcastically. Tenchi's head shot 
up.
" What?!"
" Tenchi, what is it about you that makes you take the blame for things 
that are not your fault? You may have forced your way into the palace without 
permission, but you did so because it was urgent for you to get here and warn 
us of the danger approaching. You were not at fault to do so. As for the 
fight, how can you blame yourself for that? You didn't start it, in fact, you 
ended in a way that prevented any bloodshed. And don't worry about the 
hallway, it will be fixed by tomorrow. So stop worrying and quit trying to 
shoulder all the blame yourself, especially when you have done nothing wrong."
" Sorry," Tenchi said.
" NO!," Ayeka exclaimed, hitting the table top for emphasis. " Stop 
being sorry!"
" Sorr...uh, I mean, okay"
" That's better," Ayeka said. " Now we must decide how to handle 
these...trouble makers."
" If I may?," Ryoa spoke. " I have some information that you should all 
hear before making any plans."
" Please," Ayeka said. " Go ahead."
" Thank you, now..." Ryoa was cut off as the doors opened and Azaka and 
Kamidake, the wooden robotic pair, escorted Sasami into the room. The younger 
princess was now into her mid-teen years and had grown quite a bit, in more 
ways than one. She now stood eye level with Tenchi and walked with fluid 
grace. Her blue hair was pulled back into a single ponytail that stopped just 
above the floor. Her eyes however, still had that mischievous look from her 
childhood that so resembled Ryoko's sense of practical humor. Her new body 
also reminded Tenchi of Ryoko, and he had to force himself to meet her gaze. 
Sasami walked into the room with the dignity of a proper princess. However she 
only made it two steps in before giving in to her ever playful core. With a 
huge smile, she ran across the room to give Tenchi a big hug.
" Oh Tenchi! It's so good to see you.," she exclaimed. Tenchi returned 
the hug tentatively, overly conscious of how her body pressed against his. 


" It's great to see you too Sasami," he said. Sasami released Tenchi and 
turned to Washu. She gave the redhead a friendly hug.
" I missed you Washu" She looked down at the scientist. " You know, it 
feels strange to have to look down to see you."
" Well that's alright, just don't let it go to your head. It may have 
been a long time since I've had to turn anyone into a Kappa, but don't think 
that means I'll be rusty at it." Sasami laughed and hugged her again.
" Don't worry Washu, I won't say anything about your height, or lack 
of." Washu gave Sasami a look of mock anger that caused more giggles. Next 
Sasami addressed Katsuhito.
"Jiichan," she said with a bow. She then gave him a hug.
" It's nice to see you Sasami. You've certainly grown since last I saw 
you." Lastly Sasami turned to Ryoa. 
" Hello, I'm Sasami, what's your name?"
" Ryoa"
" Really? Wow, that's neat. Not only do you look like Ryoko, but your 
name sounds a lot like hers"
" That's because we're sisters"
" No way!," Sasami exclaimed. " Ryoko never told me she had a sister."
" That's because she didn't know," Tenchi cut in. " Ryoa just arrived 
today."
" Wow, I'll bet Ryoko was surprised." Sasami glanced around the room, 
looking for any sign of the pirate. " So were is Ryoko? Didn't she come with 
you?" Suddenly, the good mood left the room. Sasami's face took on a worried 
frown. " What is it? Did something happen to Ryoko?"
" Sasami, why don't you come sit down," Ayeka said. " We have much to 
talk about." 

Nagi did her best to follow Ken-ohki's story, but even after all the 
years she'd spent with him, she still had some difficultly understanding the 
cabbit. The ship only had a few different sounds it could produce, but it was 
the way the words were stressed, the exact pitch, and the duration of the 
sounds that determined what the cabbit meant. Trying to pickup and sort all 
the subtle clues was very difficult, and Ken-ohki's angry mood made even 
harder. It certainly didn't help that Ryoko seemed to understand Ken-ohki 
perfectly. That added a layer of frustration that made it harder to 
concentrate. However she managed to get the general plot of the story. 
It was a shock to learn that Ken-ohki came from another galaxy, and even 
more amazing to learn that Ryoko did as well. The surprises didn't stop there 
though. It turns out that Ken-ohki used to be Hushira's ship originally. 
However, the two of them didn't get along. Hushira didn't think Ken-ohki was a 
good enough ship for him, and he would constantly complain about his speed, or 
firepower, or sensor ability, or anything else he could think of. Finally Ken-
ohki had just had enough of him. During a mission to a remote planet, Ken-ohki 
abandoned Hushira there and struck out on his own. During the following weeks, 
Ken-ohki had wandered the galaxy, trying to decide what to do with his life. 
By accident, he had flown into a wormhole that brought him to this galaxy. 
That's when he'd found Nagi. 
The bounty hunter almost told Ken-ohki to stop there, she knew how they 
had met and finishing the story would only serve to fill Ryoko's curiosity. 
However, Nagi decided to let him finish. There was nothing that Ryoko would 
learn that she could use against Nagi, and Ken-ohki seemed to need to tell 
someone. Nagi barely listened to the ship as he told of the event. She was too 
busy remembering it for herself.


Nagi had been a bounty hunter for less than a year at the time. She was 
just starting to make a name for herself. Her target that day was an alien 
creature known as Shadowalker. The ten foot tall arachnoid was wanted for the 
deaths of hundreds of sentient life forms. It was the most dangerous target 
Nagi had yet hunted, and would claim that title until the day she met a 
certain spiky haired pirate. Nagi tracked the creature to a third world planet 
in a remote area of the galaxy. She'd spent four days trying to find 
Shadowalker. With some 'friendly' persuasion, she managed to learn that 
Shadowalker frequently visited a establishment called 'The Void'. The 
bar/strip club/bordello/hideout claimed to be 'the place to find whatever you 
are looking for'. That claim had held true for Nagi, as she found her target 
sitting in one corner of the bar section. The creature had broken the lights 
directly above and around it, bathing it's corner in darkness. Nagi was barely 
been able to see Shadowalker, but she had known it could see perfectly. The 
creature only had basic eyes, barely able to make out shapes. It's true 
sensory organs were a pair of antenna that used radio waves to let Shadowalker 
'see' in all directions and in perfect darkness. This made it all but 
impossible to sneak up on the creature. However, there was one major problem 
with radar, it could be jammed. 
Nagi had constructed a crude, but effective jamming device that she 
planned to use to blind Shadowalker. It would have worked perfectly, but if 
there's one thing Nagi had learned over the years, it is that no hunt ever, 
ever goes perfectly. Nagi had strolled into the bar and walked right up to 
Shadowalker, waiting until the creature had turned toward her before 
activating the jammer. The device had worked perfectly. Shadowalker jerked 
like it was hit by lighting. It backed into the corner, up against the wall, 
shaking it's head back and forth as it tried to see through the static that 
clogged it's vision. Nagi had been a second away from taking her shot at 
Shadowalker's exposed underside, when things went bad. A fight broke out at 
the bar and one of the combatants shot the other with a thunderprod. The 
weapon discharged nearly a million volts of electric energy into it's luckless 
target, vaporizing him. The shock also caused a pulse of magnetic energy that 
fried the unguarded circuits of Nagi's jamming device. 


No longer blind, Shadowalker turned toward her, massive mandibles 
dripping venom. The spider-like alien let loose a roar that rattled every 
bottle and glass in the bar and spit a glob of viscous acid at Nagi. She dove 
to her right and fired at the same time. Shadowalker reacted with impossible 
speed, moving its massive body out of the way of the blast and leaping at 
Nagi's rolling form. She just barely avoided being skewered by Shadowalker's 
fangs and stabbed upward, but her blaster sword failed to pierce the creatures 
hard carapace. The move did cause Shadowalker to step back however. This give 
Nagi a second to move out from under the alien, but Shadowalker jerked forward 
and slammed her with a headbutt to the stomach that sent the hunter crashing 
into the wall. Before she could recover it spit another acid blast at her. 
Unable to dodge in time, Nagi whipped the edge of her cloak up, intercepting 
the liquid. She quickly discarded the rapidly dissolving fabric and snapped 
her energy whip out, wrapping it around one of Shadowalker's antenna. Thumbing 
the controls to full, the elastic energy field tightened around the thin 
appendage. With a savage jerk, Nagi  ripped the organ off at the base. With a 
hideous shriek, Shadowalker jumped back, slamming into the bar and crushing 
several slow reacting patrons. Nagi slipped right beside the alien's body, 
using its bulk to shield her from its remaining sensory organ. She stabbed at 
a seam between parts of Shadowalker's exoskeleton and managed to pierce the 
connecting tissue. Driving the blade in up to hilt, Nagi pressed the firing 
stud. The blast incinerated the creature's organs, turning them into 
superheated liquid and rapidly expanding gas. Shadowalkers insides gushed from 
it's body openings in a bloody fountain. Nagi rapidly back peddled from the 
pool of corrosive fluid. 
The fight over, Nagi slowly become aware of her injuries as the 
adrenaline rush wore off. She had several broken and cracked ribs, along with 
a ruptured kidney from slamming into the wall. Her left arm was burnt from 
where the acid had seeped through her cloak before she had discarded it. Nagi 
suddenly realized she was in a very bad situation. She was tired, injured, and 
surrounded by unfriendly characters. She was a target, and it didn't take long 
for someone to take aim at her. Three unsavory individuals came walking toward 
her. The leader of the group was a tall, ugly, dirty man with a ragged beard 
and clothes. He had walked right up to Nagi. With a sneer that revealed 
yellow, stump-like teeth, he pointed at the crushed remains of one luckless 
man who had been smashed into the bar by Shadowalkers fall.
" That twas mi brothr', you carles' bitch," he spat. " Now yous goin' 
pay!" Nagi hadn't waited for him to make his move. She struck out with the 
half melted blade of her sword, catching the man in the throat. He died 
instantly. His associates began to draw their weapons and Nagi threw herself 
over a table, tipping it over to use as a shield. She nearly passed out from 
the pain of landing on her busted ribs, but Nagi had always had a high pain 
threshold and being a bounty hunter had given her plenty of time to learn how 
to deal with pain. 
The two men opened fire with old style slug throwers that lacked the 
power to pierce the metal table top. However the shots managed to keep Nagi 
pinned down, and it wouldn't take long before they began to move around to 
flank her position. Her blaster sword ruined by the acidic fluids of 
Shadowalker, Nagi couldn't even shoot back. Her whip still worked, but she 
would have to clear the table to swing her arm to use it. While she might be 
able to catch one of them before they fired, she'd never get them both. 
" Chao!" Nagi remembers looking down in surprise to see Ken-ohki for the 
first time. The cabbit was hunkering down behind the table with her. 
" Get yous ass 'round tat table and gets tat bitch!," one of the thugs 
called out. Nagi got ready to make a dive at him, hoping she could twist him 
around to use as a shield. Before either one of them could get into position 
however, Ken-ohki acted first. Nagi recalled how shock she was when the furry 
creature suddenly began to grow and change right before her eyes. His flesh 
hardened as massive spikes sprouted from his form, pushing the table away. For 
a second Nagi was exposed to fire, but the two thugs attention was on Ken-
ohki, not Nagi. Nagi had jumped back as Ken-ohki filled the room. Suddenly 
Nagi felt herself seized in an energy field and transported aboard the still 
growing ship. When she had realized what the cabbit was turning into, her 
knees had given out on her. Finally fully grown, Ken-ohki plowed straight 
through the roof, sending debris raining as the ceiling shattered. Though 
still shocked, Nagi managed to gather her wits about her.
" Wait! I need some part of Shadowalker as proof that I killed him," she 
had hoped the ship could understand her. Ken-ohki had and Shadowalkers head 
materialized inside an energy field on the bridge. Satisfied that she would 
get paid for her efforts, Nagi finally allowed herself to relax. Her energy 
spent, she laid down the floor and exhaustion overtook her.
Ken-ohki was just finishing his story when Nagi brought her attention 
back to reality. The days following her meeting with Ken-ohki had been 
strange, interesting, and frustrating. However, now was not the time to 
reminisce on them.
" Alright then, we're done talking about the past", Nagi said. " Time to 
deal with the present."


" Fine," Ryoko agreed. " As I see it, our only option is to lay low 
until Ken-ohki can regain enough power to escape."
" Typical Ryoko, go hide under a rock and hope the bad people don't find 
you," Nagi replied sarcastically. 
" Yeah, well what would you rather do!? Fight!? Their better than us and 
they outnumber us. I don't care for running and hiding but at least I'm smart 
enough to know when I'm out classed."
" Well that's for sure. You always were smart enough to run when you saw 
me coming."
" Don't push me Nagi, now's not the time!," Ryoko hissed.
" I disagree, now's the perfect time. You always acted so brave when you 
were picking on helpless people , Ryoko the fierce space pirate," Nagi mocked. 
" but when ever you met a challenge, someone who wasn't weaker than you, like 
me, then your true colors showed. You never stuck around for a fight, always 
running, only taking on those you knew you could beat. Your nothing but a 
bully Ryoko, picking on the defenseless. Well now things have changed, there's 
a new kid in town and he's bigger and badder than you and he's got you running 
scared. You're a coward! Well I'm not. He started a fight with me and I plan 
to end it."
" Fine! Go and get yourself killed! The galaxy will be a happier place 
without you!", Ryoko screamed. She turned and started floating away, anxious 
to leave.
" Wuss," Nagi whispered. Ryoko's sensitive hearing picked it up though. 
It was the final push that knocked aside Ryoko's restraint. She spun around 
and hurled a blast of energy at the bounty hunter. Nagi jumped aside, drawing 
her weapons. She barely managed to bring her sword up in time to intercept 
Ryoko's blade. The force of the swing knocked Nagi back and Ryoko continued 
her attack. Her blows came too quick and too strong for Nagi to make her own. 
She was pushed back across the ship, her sword beginning to smoke and bend 
under the force of Ryoko's strikes. 
Nagi was shocked. She'd never seen Ryoko so angry, never in such a 
frenzy. She was so taken back that she didn't see the punch coming until it 
was too late. Ryoko's fist slammed into the hunter's stomach like a 
sledgehammer. Nagi couldn't remember ever being hit so hard. There was a 
tremendous pressure pushing on her and it felt like she might break in half. 
It didn't hurt much because her body when numb from the force of the blow. 
Nagi tasted blood that trickled from her mouth. Her weapons fell to the floor 
as she wrapped her arms protectively in front of her stomach. Her knees gave 
out on her and it took a supreme effort not to fall on her face. Feeling 
returned and her stomach burned as if thousands of white hot needles were 
stabbing into her. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. She risked 
looking up, expecting Ryoko to be holding her sword over her head, ready to 
finish the battle. Instead she found Ryoko had extinguished her blade. She was 
stood stone still, watching. Slowly, painfully, Nagi fought her way to her 
feet. Ryoko watched and waited. Once Nagi was back up, she spoke.
" Want to go again?" Ryoko's voice was coldly calm. Nagi didn't answer. 
" Alright then, let me ask you this. You still think you can handle Hushira?" 
Again Nagi stayed silent, but she did turn her head away. " I didn't think so. 
Let's get on board Pirate's Heaven and find a place to hide. We're going to 
have to be careful though. We can't let anyone see you. Otherwise half the 
people on board would run away, and the other half would try to kill us."
" You don't have to worry about that," Nagi said softly. " No one will 
know who I am"
" Nagi, everyone knows who you are."
" True, but give me five minutes, and even you won't be able to 
recognize me"   



Sasami's usually cheerful face know wore such a pained expression that 
Ayeka couldn't bear to look at it. She just couldn't stand to see her sister 
so upset. Tenchi had given a retelling of the events that brought him to Juri 
to Sasami, and the news seemed to crush the life out of the young princess. 
Sasami and Ryoko were such good friends. Ayeka had been waiting for her to 
break into tears, but somehow she held back. As Tenchi sat down, Ryoa stood 
up.
" Now, is everyone ready to get started?" she asked. When no one spoke 
up, she continued. " Alright then. I suppose the best place to start is to 
tell you where Ryoko and myself come from and how we got here." Ryoa had their 
full attention as she told of Ryoko's origins, at least until she mentioned 
how she and Ryoko were of royal blood. Then all attention shifted to Ayeka.
" WHAT!!!" The princess shot to her feet, knocking over her chair as she 
gripped the edge of the table. " NO!! THAT CAN'T BE! IMPOSSIBLE, I DON'T 
BELIEVE IT! HOW CAN THAT, THAT...PIRATE BE NOBILITY?!! I, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! 
IT'S NOT RIGHT!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Ryoa took a step back in surprise. 
Everyone else just waited, their expressions shocked, but that seemed to have 
more to do with the news than with Ayeka's outburst.
When she finally wore down, Azaka picked up her chair and helped her sit 
down. With a groan, Ayeka laid her head on her arms, staring down at the 
table. A brief, awkward silence followed before Ryoa continued. She ran 
through the details quickly. The Xon alliance, Ryoko's kidnaping and believed 
death, the news cast, and the discovery of the wormhole.
"...and so I had to come look for her. My father told me to let the 
military handle it, but I just couldn't. I used my influence as a princess to 
get the latest information on Ryoko's location and to bully my way past the 
guards around the wormhole. Once here, I found I was much closer to Earth than 
any of our military was. I got there as fast as I could, only to be ambushed 
by the Xon just as I arrived in orbit. They shot my ship up pretty good. I 
only managed to survive because Ren-ohki, my ship, transported me away from 
herself. However I was still close enough to get hit by the shockwave when she 
blew up. It knocked me out and prevented me from being able to help Tenchi and 
Ryoko. I woke up just before Tenchi arrived to check out my ship." Finished, 
Ryoa sat back down. There was a moment of silence as everyone present mulled 
over the story. Washu spoke up first.
" I'm curious, why are Ryoko and Ryo-ohki so important to the Xon? There 
has to be something more than the fact that Ryoko is nobility, otherwise they 
would have captured you when they had the chance. So what is it that Ryoko and 
Ryo-ohki have or can do that is so important?" 
" I'm sorry, but I can't tell you," Ryoa answered. 
" Why not?" Ayeka asked. " It could be of importance." Ryoa shook her 
head.
" I'm sorry, really I am, but I can not tell you. To discuss it with 
anyone outside the royal family is strictly forbidden." She took a deep breath 
and raised her eyes to meet Ayeka's. " This entire incident has occurred 
because the knowledge regarding Ryoko and Ryo-ohki went beyond the royal 
circles. I will not allow it to spread any further." Tense seconds ticked by 
as everyone waited to see if Ayeka would relent, or push on.
" Very well then," the princess spoke lightly. " We will just have to 
make do without knowing why. What can you tell us?"
" Nothing more than I already have."
" It's not much to form a plan of defense by."


" Well maybe not for most people," Washu interrupted. " But...when 
you're the greatest scientific genius in the whole universe, you can afford to 
skip a few details."
" Oh, does this mean you have a plan Washu?" Ayeka challenged. The 
petite redhead nodded happily.
" Of course! I always have a plan." Leaning forward, she placed her 
elbows on the table and her chin on her hands. " Here is what we're going to 
do...."

Ryoko hated to agree with Nagi, but the bounty hunter was right. If she 
hadn't known who she was, Ryoko would never have been able to recognize Nagi 
now. She had changed her hair, dyeing the silver strands blond and braiding it 
into a single tail that hung over her shoulder. Her eyes were no longer red, 
but a light blue. She had discarded her cloak and body suit in favor of a 
tough but appealing blue jumpsuit with red trim. It was cut off at the knees 
and elbow. A black vest zipped only half way up reveled the low, v-shaped cut 
in the neckline. The result was rugged, but alluring. The perfect look for an 
outlaw, or pirate. The biggest change wasn't in her appearce, but her 
demeanor. Under the light makeup she wore, Nagi's face seemed far more open 
and inviting. Her posture was much less stiff and not as threatening as 
before. She gave Ryoko a slight smile and it seemed full of warmth and caring. 
" Well, how do I look?" she asked in a faint, almost musical voice that 
reminded Ryoko of Ayeka.
" Damn!" was all Ryoko could say. At that the smile turned into a smug 
grin and Nagi took on her normal pose. 
" I told you, didn't I?" she bragged.
" Shut up," Ryoko muttered. " Alright, so no one will recognize you, but 
what about 
Ken-ohki, how do you plan to hid him?"
" That's actually going to be even easier." Nagi held up a can of brown 
hair dye. " While we're on board, Ken-ohki will be Ryo-ohki. After all, your 
pretty well known yourself, and if you show up without Ryo-ohki people will 
get suspicious." Ryoko had to admit that Nagi had a point. Ryoko phased 
herself and Nagi on board Pirates Heaven and Ken-ohki joined them as soon as 
he transformed. The cabbit didn't respond well to the dye, in fact he hated 
it. Ryoko didn't blame him, the stuff smelled terrible, but it dried almost 
instantly. 
" He doesn't really look like Ryo-ohki," Ryoko mentioned.
" It won't matter," Nagi told her. " It's close enough. I doubt anyone 
will be able to tell the difference. Now lets go."
Ryoko took the lead since she knew her way around the ship. Ken-ohki was 
perched on her shoulder just as Ryo-ohki used to. It was a necessary part of 
the plan, but Ryoko hated it. It just felt, weird. 


They had arrived down in the engineering section of the craft. After 
sneaking past several security check points, not much of a challenge for 
someone who can walk through walls, they reached the center of the ship. 
Called The Dome, the ships core was taken up by one enormous room, three miles 
in diameter and half a mile from ceiling to floor in the center. The ceiling 
curved down to meet the floor at the edges, resulting in the rooms name. The 
ceiling was a pleasant green blue and contained a holographic sun that 
actually crossed the sky based on a twenty-eight hour day cycle.  In the 
middle of The Dome, there was Pirate City. Actually more of a town, Pirate 
City contained a mixture of structures and buildings of various type, size, 
and design. Some seemed brand new while others were on the verge of collapse, 
depending on how much care their perspective owners put into them. Darkblade 
made a good profit leasing the 'land' to clients who wanted to set up shop 
onboard his ship. As long as they paid rent, and didn't cause too much 
trouble, Darkblade let the 'landowners' do whatever they wanted with their 
property.
Nagi, Ryoko, and Ken-ohki had arrived through a set of doors that led 
them onto the property of a well known and well liked Jurian outlaw known as 
Pol. The only permanent resident of Pirate City, Pol was also the only person 
who truly owned his land instead of merely renting it. He had retired from his 
old life long ago and set up a modist but profitable bar. The building was a 
very old fashioned design, in that it had a front porch. Also, in yet another 
in a list of unique features, Pol's land had a lawn. It was just a tiny patch 
of grass, but it added what Pol described as " a feeling of a normal life." 
As they walked through the doors and onto Pol's lawn, Ryoko saw the 
elderly outlaw in his normal spot, sitting on the front porch. While he owned 
the bar, Pol rarely ran it. He preferred to sit outside and greet people as 
they came in. Often he would be found telling stories to anyone who would 
listen. Like most tales, Pol's stories were highly exaggerated and often down 
right ridiculous, but they were still fun to listen to. 
Upon seeing Ryoko, Pol's craggily face lit up in a bright smile and he 
pulled himself out of his chair. Leaning slightly on a cane he stepped off his 
porch to greet her.
" Ryoko! By all the trees of Juri, it's been a while!" Ryoko found 
herself smiling as well. She'd known him for years, and had often seen him as 
something of a father figure in her life. She gave Pol a friendly hug. 
" It's really good to see you Pol." Tapping the top of his cane with a 
finger, Ryoko gave him a lopsided grin. " When did you get the wooden spine?" 
" This?" He held the cane up. " I've had it about two years now. 
Smuggling and gunrunning are rough on the back. Too many high g turns and 
crash landing I suppose. But don't you worry about me." He turned his 
attention to Ken-ohki. " And how are you Ryo-ohki?" Pol reached out to give 
the cabbit a head rub, but Ken-ohki drew back suddenly and hissed at him. Pol 
quickly drew his hand back. " Well now...someone seems to be a bad mood 
today." Ryoko grabbed Ken-ohki by the back of the neck and held him in her 
arms.
" Ryo-ohki stop it! Pol is a friend, remember?" Ryoko gave the cabbit a 
glare as she spoke, then put the ship down on the ground. " I'm sorry Pol, I 
don't know what gets into her at times."
" Don't worry about, I've had worse greetings, and speaking of which, 
you haven't introduced me to your friend here." Ryoko turned her head to look 
at Nagi. The bounty hunter took a step forward and held out her hand.
" Nice to meet you, my name is Mazua," she said kindly.
" A pleasure," Pol responded, taking her hand. After relinquishing the 
handshake, Pol stepped between the two women and led them up the brief set of 
stairs to the bar entrance. " So Ryoko, what brings you back here? Last I 
heard, you had gotten married and settled down. Don't tell me you got bored of 
living a normal life already."


" Oh no, I couldn't be happier living with Tenchi. Unfortunately I'm not 
here by choice." Entering the bar, Ryoko paused to let her eyes adjust. The 
bar was just as she remembered it. Clean, but not spotless. Well lit, but not 
bright. Noisy, but not loud. Over all, very nice. She turned to Nagi. " Mazua, 
why don't you go have a drink. Pol and I have some catching up to do." For a 
brief instant, Nagi let her real expressions show, letting Ryoko know she 
didn't like the idea, but then quickly put her more friendly face on.
" Sure," she said sweetly. She turned and headed for the bar. Ken-ohki 
started to follow her, but Ryoko bent down and grabbed him.
" Come on Ryo-ohki, we've got lots to discuss with our friend Pol."

Washu had barely started outlining her plan when Ayeka interrupted her. 
" You can't be serious Miss Washu. I will not allow those misguided 
rebels to fly unmolested into Jurian space. And I certainly won't allow them 
to get within range of Juri." Washu resisted the urge to turn Ayeka into a 
Kappa. While it would shut her up, it was highly probable that changing the 
heir to the throne of a whole empire of planets into a half foot tall water 
fowl would not be taken well. 
" Ayeka, would you at least let me explain why I want them in orbit 
above Juri?" The princess said nothing, but gave Washu a look that said, " 
Continue."
" Now, the reason we should let them reach Juri is it is the best way to 
get Ryoko back. We can't destroy them until Ryoko is safely out of their 
custody."
" So how do we get her off Hushira's ship?" This time it was Tenchi who 
interrupted her. However Washu had phrased her sentence to get someone to ask 
just that question.
" Thank you for asking Tenchi. If I may, I would like to introduce you 
all to my latest improvement in matter transportation." Reaching into her 
vest, Washu pulled out a slender, pen shaped object. " Behold" Pushing a 
button on the end, the other side of the device telescoped out, bringing it's 
length to about two feet. At the base, a holographic display lit up. " This," 
Washu said as she held the device up," is the control unit for my galactic 
encompassing, teleportation and transit, high-speed energy, remote entrance 
machine, or for the simplicity you all seem to always need, my G.E.T. 
T.H.E.R.E. device." Washu waited for the question she knew was coming.
" So, what exactly does it do?" Ayeka asked.
" I'm so glad you asked. With this device, you can instantly travel from 
any known point in the universe to another." 
"WHAT?!!!" came the group's simultaneous reply. Tenchi was the first to 
recover from his shock.
" Wait a minute Washu, if that thing can take us anywhere we want, why 
do we have to wait for Hushira to arrive? Lets just transport over to his ship 
right now!" Washu let out a sigh. Why didn't anyone pay attention to details 
when she spoke.
" Tenchi, I said that this can transport someone between any two known 
locations. While we know where we are, unfortunately we have no idea where 
Ryoko is." 
" Oh, sorry"
" That's alright, but if everyone would please stop interrupting me, 
I'll finish explaining what it is we're going to do to rescue Ryoko and get 
even with Hushira. 

Even after all the years she'd known him, Ryoko was still amazed by how 
easily Pol accepted things. He never seemed to be surprised by anything. After 
hearing Ryoko's, slightly modified, account of the events that brought her to 
Pirate's Heaven, all he had to say was,
" That's some serious trouble." 
" Tell me about it," Ryoko sighed. She leaned on the table to take a sip 
from her drink, a rather fruity tasting concoction whose name most humanoids 
couldn't pronounce.


" Let me guess, your looking for a place to hide out for a while, 
right?" Pol asked.
" That would be very helpful, you know any good places?"
" I know the best place. There's a hotel downtown run by a friend of 
mine, Nivek. He has a way of helping people...vanish." He wrote down the 
address of the hotel and added a personal message for Nivek. " Just give this 
to the receptionist at the door, and they'll take care of you."
" Thank you so much, I don't know how to thank you."
" Oh don't worry about it." Pol looked over her shoulder at the bar. " 
It looks like your friend has attracted some trouble." Ryoko turned around to 
see three ugly, over-muscled men moving up behind Nagi. 
" Ooh, this is going to get ugly," Ryoko said. She spun her chair around 
to watch. 
" Your not going to help her?" Pol asked.
" Believe me, she doesn't need my help to deal with those three."

Nagi was just finishing her second drink when she became aware of a 
presence behind her. Holding up her wine glass, she could see a wall of muscle 
reflected on the surface. Tilting the glass slightly, she caught a glance of 
an ugly, leering face that was apparently looking at her. she turned halfway 
on her stool to find herself surrounded. The way their eyes traveled over her 
body told her what they wanted, and the grins on their faces told her they 
expected to get it. Not waiting for them to speak, Nagi cut off their 
advances.
" Go away," She said, using her normal voice and tone. The smiles 
vanished for a second, then came back even uglier.
" Now hold on good looking, you haven't even given us a chance to 
introduce ourselves. I am Suoedih, and this is..."
" I do not care if you are the King of Juri," Nagi broke in. " I am not 
interested. Now leave." Nagi turned back to the bar. She wasn't the least bit 
surprised when she felt Suoedih's hand grab her shoulder in a vice-like grip 
and spin her around roughly. 
" Alright bitch, lets try it this way. Me and my friends are looking for 
some fun, and you are going to provide it for us." Nagi's reaction was 
instantaneous. She thrust her glass at Suoedih's stomach, putting her full 
weight behind it. The rim of the glass shattered, but the stem remained 
intact, becoming a small but deadly spear that drove deep into Suoedih's 
innards. His eyes bulged out and his face turned white from shock. Nagi added 
an extra shove that pushed him back and Suoedih fell flat on his back, blood 
streaming from the wound. Before the other two could react, Nagi struck out, 
catching the man of her right with a knife edged strike to the neck that 
ruptured the veins and arteries running to his brain. The man staggered back, 
fingers skittering across the bar, searching for something to hold on to. His 
eyes fluttered and rolled back before he collapsed in a heap on the floor. Not 
even bothering to watch him die, Nagi wrapped her leg around the bar stool. 
She then whipped her leg, and the stool, around at the man behind her. The 
stool shattered on impact, as did the man's jaw. He fell back as parts of the 
stool rained across the bar. Nagi caught one of the stool legs as it bounced 
off the bar top and swung it like a club. The heavy wood made contact with the 
man's temple with a dull thud. The force of the blow slammed him into the bar 
and his momentum flipped him over. He came to rest tangled in the bar taps. 


Nagi tossed the leg causally over her shoulder, not caring where it 
landed. She made a quick survey of the room. There were looks of shock and 
surprise from several of the younger individuals. The older, more experienced 
outlaws tended to have looks of admiration and respect, at least for her 
abilities. Outlaws didn't respect people for the most part. A few groups were 
passing money around, paying off lost bets. From the number of unhappy faces, 
it was obvious few people had been betting on her. However Nagi didn't see 
anyone who seemed to care about the men she'd killed, or at least no one 
willing to do anything about it. 
She walked over to where Ryoko and Pol sat. Pulling out a chair she sat 
down as if nothing had happened. Without looking at him, she said to Pol,
" Sorry about the mess." The old man waved off her apology.
" Don't be, no one else is. Those three have always been trouble. 
Nothing but scum, always bullying around women. Galaxy's better off without 
them." Nagi nodded in agreement.
" We should probably get going," she said to Ryoko.
" Alright," Ryoko agreed. To Pol she said, " It was great to see you 
again. If anyone comes looking for us, you know what to say."
" I never saw you."
" Thanks, and thank you for helping us." Nagi started to walk away, not 
caring to listen to Ryoko's and Pol's farewells. She was almost to the door 
when a calm voice stopped her.
" Those were some impressive moves back there." Nagi spun around toward 
the source of the voice. The owner of the voice was a young man, probably in 
his mid-twenties. Clean shaven and hansom, with spiky blond hair and ornately 
decorated clothing. Thorna leather jacket, Jurian tree-fabric pants, and 
ultranium rimmed boots, all accented with gold, silver, and platinum. " Ken-o-
jaka fighting style, very rare," he continued. " I haven't seen many people 
who know that martial art." Nagi was momentarily shocked. Ken-o-jaka was an 
exceptionally rare style. 
" Who are you?" Nagi demanded. The man smiled and kicked a chair out.
" Join me for a drink?" Nagi rocked back on her heels in surprise. That 
was the last thing she had expected to hear. She slowly walked over to the 
table, but didn't sit down. She leaned on the table with both hands. 
" Who are you?" Nagi repeated.
" Rellik, Ydal Rellik." Nagi barely contained her shock. She knew that 
name. Ydal was one of the few people who had ever escaped her. He was so good 
and so hard to track that no one even had a picture of him. That alone was a 
remarkable thing, but even more amazing was that Nagi had been after Ydal 
eight years ago. He had been frustrating to track, even more so because he had 
purposely dropped clues for her whenever the trail ran cold. Seeing him now, 
Nagi realized that when she'd been after him, he would have been in his early 
teens. The idea that she had been led by a child made her sick to her stomach. 
Nagi slowly stood up, moving stiffly. She was tempted to kill him, but there 
was no point. The stature of limitations for his warrants had long since 
expired. She wouldn't profit from his death, and killing him for revenge 
didn't feel right. Nagi realized she felt respect for him, for his abilities, 
double so now because of his age. There was something not right about that. 
Nagi didn't respect anyone, not even Ryoko. She didn't understand how she 
could have respect for an outlaw.    
" I have to go," she said softly. 
" Are you sure?" 
" Yes" Nagi saw Ryoko was finally finished saying goodbye to Pol and she 
fell in step beside her.
" What did he want?" Ryoko asked.	
" Nothing," Nagi said 



Ydal watched them walk out the door. He hated to see them leave, but he 
enjoyed watching them go. He drained the remains of his drink and threw down a 
wad of bills on the table. Standing up, he straightened his jacket before 
making his way to the door. Pausing at the entrance, he saw them heading down 
the street to his left. A slight smile caressed his features.
" See you around, Nagi."
To be continued...
Wow! This story just keeps going. I never expected it to last this long. 
I thought I was going to end it with this chapter, but I kept getting new 
ideas. Now I have to write a third chapter, maybe even a fourth. I hope I'm up 
to it. Any support would be highly appreciated. After all I am writing this 
for you, the readers. It's now five am, so I'm going to bed before I pass out 
on my keyboard.