~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THURSDAY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tenchi drifted back to consciousness. He was aware instantly that something was not right. For starters, he was *floating*, a condition he had encountered before, but usually in rather bizarre circumstances. He opened his eyes, and knew that he was right back in bizarre circumstances again. "Story of my life," he muttered -- and then realized that he had been able to hear himself. The glowing bubble he occupied was quite warm, though the air was a bit stale. He estimated the sphere to be no more than three meters in diameter, and ambient light shone from every point on the wall. There were no strong shadows, but there was no glare, either. And there was no apparent way out. He didn't panic, because he was remembering the events that had put him in this spot in the first place. He also became aware that he wasn't alone. "How are you feeling, Tenchi?" Tsunami's voice seemed to rattle around inside the globe, and a moment later she shimmered into visibility. "Well," Tenchi replied, rebounding slowly off the wall, "this is a rather tight space. I would get creeped-out if I didn't know that I'd built this bubble." "So you remember? That's good. Are you ready to begin your lessons?" Tenchi nodded, aware that the motion started an unstable oscillation. Weightlessness wasn't all it was cracked up to be. "Close your eyes and open your mind," Tsunami instructed. Again, these were actions Tenchi was quite familiar with. "The first thing we are going to do is show you how to shift your awareness." "I'm lost already." "Then let me explain," she said patiently. "Imagine a house with many windows, all looking upon a courtyard. The view from each window will be different, though the courtyard remains the same. Do you understand this?" "Yes." "It is possible to gather vastly different amounts of information from each window. I'm going to show you how to move from window to window, and to look upon the world with different types of awareness." "Was I able to do this before?" "Only partially, and then only in a restricted manner." "But now I'm different." It was not a question. "Now you are different. Now you are physically able to do this, and many other things as well." And so it began. She showed him what his own mind looked like: an amorphous fog that extended well beyond his body, without any discernable edges, lit from within by many pulsating patterns of lights. The fog seethed with complicated eddies and currents, which reminded him of photographs taken of the planet Jupiter. He might have been satisfied just to watch himself for awhile, but Tsunami urged him to expand his perception beyond himself, and beyond the bubble. At first, he saw the many little minds in the waters of the lake beneath the dock, appearing as moving pinpoints of lights, like candles or lanterns swaying to unseen breezes. Looking further outward, he could perceive the minds of the creatures in the woods around the lake, each looking like a fog-enshrouded streetlight on a rainy night, made small and diffuse by distance. He gasped aloud when he saw the much larger minds of those humans in the house nearby, each a constellation of glittering lights embedded in a turbulent nebula. And then Tsunami revealed her true form, and Tenchi very nearly passed-out in fright. Tsunami was an enormous mind, whose size and scope rivaled the thunderclouds that sailed majestically over his homeland. He had known all along that she was a powerful being, but he simply had no concept of just how vast and ancient she really was. The word 'Tsunami' in Japanese means Divine Storm, and he knew without a doubt that her chosen name was extremely appropriate. She waited silently for him to adjust, to comprehend -- and then to grow curious about the wisps of fog that extended not only into his bubble, but into the Masaki house. The former was obvious, and he soon found a way to trace the latter tendril to its terminus: it was solidly anchored in one of the minds, whose signature he recognized as Sasami. Tsunami's and Sasami's minds fused seamlessly. They were assimilated. He looked again at the tendril that reached into his bubble, and realized that their minds melded together as well, though on a much smaller scale. What should have been scary, wasn't. It was comforting, in it's own way. He could almost feel Tsunami sigh with relief. "I'm glad this doesn't frighten you, Tenchi." "Well, it did at first. But this is way too cool to be frightening." She urged him to examine the minds of the humans in the house. Once he looked, he could see the filaments of thought that comprised the linkages he had forged with the galactics. They seemed so fragile, so tenuous, after looking at Tsunami's links. He picked one of the links and followed it down to Ryoko. Her mind, like his own, seemed formless and unorganized. He sent a question back to Tsunami: "How do I communicate with something so....chaotic?" "You are trying to place your own order on her mind. Ask instead how she views herself. You humans are so visually oriented that you must relate everything to images. Sometimes this can be very limiting." So how does Ryoko view herself, he wondered. Almost as soon as he asked, the mindcloud shifted, condensing inward, and in moments he was looking at a familiar, though bare-naked, female who was curled into a fetal position. What he could see of her face seemed lined in pain and anguish. He had always seen her as strong and independent, but she saw herself as very insecure and vulnerable. Her life had been pretty miserable, all things considered. She could be brash and irritating, but she couldn't really help it -- social skills are learned as children, not as adults, and she had never really had a childhood. That her inner core was still generous and compassionate was simply remarkable. He felt an overpowering urge to comfort her, so he placed a hand on her shoulder. It startled her, and she jerked her head up and around frantically. She couldn't physically hear him of course, but his thoughts rippled down their link. Apparently, she couldn't see him; then he remembered that he was converting a foreign awareness into familiar visual analogies, and the face he was seeing was not a 'real' face at all, just a useful construct. he replied. He placed his other hand on her other shoulder and squeezed gently, just as he had done often in the 'real' world. He began messaging her back, watching the muscles slowly unknot, feeling her shoulder blades moving in circles. He was surprised to see sparkles dancing around his fingers, and her skin glowed ever so subtly. She purred. He started to smile, until he noticed what looked like a gaping wound on her scalp. It looked raw and swollen with pus. He was confused for a moment, wondering where the hell she could have picked up such a cancerous-looking infection without his having observed it. He had to remind himself that it was another visual analogy, that this was not a physical wound in the normal sense. He intuited that he was looking at the festering injury that represented her memories of enslavement; memories that were still pestulent with grief and anger and guilt. Very gently, he placed his hands around the wound and began kneading it, forcing the bile out. As he continued to knead the wound it began to shrink, ever so slightly, and much of the inflammation faded. She relaxed visibly, and slowly started to uncurl. Full healing would require many such sessions, but he didn't think she'd mind. He started to withdraw, and she panicked when she felt him disengage. He sent a wave of Power down their link, expanding it many times its previous size. She gasped with realization. And with delight. And then he was alone once more. He felt Tsunami watching, approvingly. He chose another link and followed it to Ayeka. How did Ayeka see herself? The mindcloud condensed down into her recognizable figure, clothed in regal finery, and bound tightly in chains. Tenchi was more than a little surprised; he'd gotten the impression that her months on Earth had been reasonably pleasant and free of imperial responsibilities. Apparently, he'd misread her, and to some extent this would explain her often reclusive moods -- she was ever mindful of the duties waiting for her back on Jurai. Tenchi touched one of the chains, and felt it loosen slightly. Ayeka stirred from her reverie. he sent to her. He pulled on the chain and felt it come free. Before it faded from his hand, he instinctively recognized it as an obligation. He grasped another and tugged, but it held fast. He considered for a moment just why the first yielded, but not the second, and decided that the first had something to with him. Which meant that he could only ease some of the anxieties in her life. He began methodically tugging on all of her bindings, but was only able to remove three more. Ayeka became aware of her increasing freedom. he replied. He placed a hand on her face and watched a cloud of sparks swirl about his fingers. Her skin rapidly absorbed them, and she gasped in pleasure. He sent a Power surge down their link and watched it swell and thicken. Ayeka felt it, too, and giggled, a smile wrapped across her face. Tenchi's awareness returned to the confines of his own mind. "Two down," he muttered, more to himself than the observing Tsunami. He chose another link, and found himself looking at Mihoshi's mind. Not surprisingly, Mihoshi wore her Galaxy Police uniform. The surprise was the dark cloud that encircled her head and shoulders. Tenchi extended a hand into the cloud, which felt clammy and cold. He identified it finally as a jinx, which she had convinced herself was all too real. He sent a power burst down his hand into the cloud, shattering it into hundreds of wormlike fragments that started to dissipate. She become instantly aware of the change. Tenchi grasped her shoulders, watching fireworks twinkle around his hands. Her eyes widened. She was characteristically Lucky, too, because her predictably exuberant reaction led her to the immediate discovery that *she* could embrace *him*. Their junction was wreathed in sparks and lights, and he felt an incredible tingle spreading through him. She started to babble and gush, but was interrupted by the Power surge he sent down their link, expanding it. He disengaged quietly in her ensuing stupefaction, still reeling from the experience. He was starting to feel fatigued. With a deep mental sigh, he grasped the next filament and followed it down to Washu. He was not really surprised to see her wearing the uniform of a student. Tenchi supposed it was probably the most stable time of her life, and thus was the reference point around which everything else revolved. He had always considered her behavior a tad 'eccentric' (which sounded less harsh than 'loopy'), because she had spent so much time in isolation. That she had survived at all, against all the odds stacked against her, said much about the strength of her will and the power of her mind. That Ryoko shared many of these traits was no surprise, either. First, he sent a Power surge cascading down their link, enlarging it like the others. Then he placed his hands on her shoulders, and watched the sparks being absorbed into her skin. She emitted a satisfying gasp. he said, retreating. He paused, looking at the glowing strands-cum-ropes that connected his mind to theirs. They seemed to sparkle with an inner fire of their own. He had a momentary image of reins, rather than chains, of eager steeds just waiting his commands. He laughed it off, knowing full well how his future wives would react to such a suggestion: he'd be lucky to escape with minor bruises. Grasping the last slim filament, he followed it to Sasami. As with the others, at first all he saw was a mindcloud, but this one was different. There were layers to it, the outer fringes of which formed a smoky column leading back to Tsunami. When he made the 'conversion' to a decipherable image, what he saw was disconcerting: Sasami was dressed in her everyday play clothes and an apron, smiling happily, but she was embedded within the ghostly image of Tsunami. Like crystal matryushka nesting dolls. In fact, both Tsunami and Sasami were clearly watching him. Her reply had an odd echo to it, as if she and Tsunami were speaking together Sasami/Tsunami shrugged, accepting the fact with equanimity. he said, and sent a Power surge down their link. Sasami/Tsunami blinked, but that was about it. He reached over (through Tsunami!) and grasped Sasami's hands. The now-familiar flow of sparks and lights that appeared around her small hands was repeated around Tsunami's ethereal limbs, and they shared an expression of delight. Like Mihoshi, she reached forward and embraced him. Soft lightening jolted through his system, until he was released. Tenchi withdrew and slid back along the link. He was very tired now, and opened his eyes to look upon the inner surface of the globe. Tsunami's projection floated into his visual field, a satisfied smile on her face. "That was very impressive for your first effort. I am so pleased, Tenchi." Tenchi nodded his thanks, waiting for his feet to orient in the proper direction. He reasserted control over the Lighthawk Wings, and the globe promptly split along three seams. Cold air and gravity rushed in through the expanding cracks, and sunlight burst upon him in golden shafts. His feet crunched into the snow, and his normal weight returned with a sagging lurch. Each glowing wedge shrank back into its proper wing shape, and the Wings returned to their basic "Y" configuration, hovering obediently before his chest. He dismissed them with a gesture, and they faded away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They were all sitting around the breakfast table, picking at their food and glancing occasionally towards the incandescent sphere on the dock. Nobuyuki had just departed for the office, and the remaining occupants had resigned themselves to another day of waiting anxiously. The oppressive silence was suddenly shattered by startled gasps, clattering utensils, and spilled drinks, as one after another each galactic reacted to Tenchi's presence in her mind. And then it ceased as abruptly as it had started. Funaho and Yosho stared at the radiant faces of the ladies, and then at one another. They could tell that they had just been excluded from something, but they could not gauge the significance of it. Sasami recovered the fastest, being the youngest and the most experienced in such matters. "Oh, wow -- that was neat!" "Was it real?" Ryoko whispered, receiving an affirmative nod from Ayeka. There was a sudden shimmer in the air, and Tsunami's form materialized beside Sasami. Her face was wreathed with a triumphant smile. "He's ready," she announced. They all looked at one another, and then out the window -- and then to the living room, where Washu's keyboard alarm was chiming discordantly. Washu hurried to see what had triggered the alarm. Everyone else was soon crowded around her. "Well, what is it?" Ayeka asked. "Tenchi's vital signs are returning to normal. His metabolic rate is accelerating, his brainwave activity is coming back down into standard parameters, and -- " No one was listening. Everyone was clustered around the front window, rubbing the frost off the panes of glass. What they could see set them to cheering: the sphere was retracting, withdrawing back into it's three-winged configuration -- and then vanished completely. It left Tenchi standing on the snowy dock, staring absently out over the lake, the gentle breeze ruffling his hair and shaking his clothes. Clouds of steam hovered about him and dissipated on the wind. Ryoko phased through the wall and blinked across the distance in a heartbeat. She grabbed him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. They were clear, and his muscles felt relaxed and pliable. "Tenchi? Are you ok?" He smiled. "Yeah, I think so." He looked into her bloodshot eyes and asked, "Are you ok?" "I am now!" she sighed and wrapped her arms around him. Her Tenchi was back, and that's all that mattered. She was vaguely aware of footsteps, and then Ayeka's voice demanding that she move over. Ryoko shifted, nestling against his right ribs while Ayeka took her traditional spot on his left. Ayeka was speaking but Ryoko wasn't listening -- her eyes were closed and she was focusing on his even, steady breathing. She didn't open her eyes again until she heard rapid footsteps, and then she barely had time to brace herself before Sasami barreled into them, clutching Tenchi's waist and burying her face in his chest. Seconds later Mihoshi joined them, slipping her arms through whatever gaps she could find, and snuggling tightly against his back. They stood that way for several moments, until Washu, Funaho, and Yosho came walking down the dock, snow crunching lightly beneath their feet. "It doesn't appear there's any room for you, Washu," Funaho said. "That's ok, I can wait for my turn." "Aren't you cold, Tenchi?" Yosho asked. "Not now," he replied, indicating the thermal blanket draped around him, which giggled in four different voices. "How do you feel?" Funaho asked. "Well, I'm awfully hungry, and I could use a hot bath, but otherwise I'm fine." Tenchi's stomach emitted a thunderous growl, which caused Sasami to recoil from his chest. "I guess you *are* hungry. I'll go make you some hot food, Tenchi." And she ran laughing into the house. "And I'll help you with that hot bath," Ryoko said, leering seductively. Predictably, Ayeka answered before he could. "I think not! You aren't married yet, and the proper amenities will be observed!" "Oh, stuff it, Little Princess. He needs some TLC, and I'm the most qualified person to provide it." "Says who?" "Says me!" Tenchi groaned, from hunger and resignation. Some things would never change. But he smiled nonetheless. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tenchi pushed himself away from the table. He was finally full. The others had been eating breakfast earlier, but not with much enthusiasm. They seemed to be taking a much more active interest in it now, since he was back in the house. He felt just a little self-conscious about they're staring at him so much -- he just wish they'd blink a bit more often. "That was worth waiting for, Sasami." "I'm glad you liked it, Tenchi. Are you sure you don't want some more?" "No, I'm stuffed. Now, about that bath..." "Hold on a second, Tenchi," Washu interrupted. "Before you go getting all scrubbed, I'd like to run some scans on you. Think you can spare a few minutes down in my lab?" Tenchi nodded, wondering how they could stand to be around him while he was so fragrant. No one seemed to mind, however. "When?" "Right now, if you're ready." "Sure." He climbed to his feet -- followed by everyone else. "Uh, this could be rather boring. Are you all sure you want to tag along?" "Are you kidding?" Ryoko answered, grabbing onto his arm. "We've been kept away from you for four days. That's four days too long. We aren't letting you out of our sight." Ayeka latched onto his other arm before Mihoshi could grab it. "Please proceed, Washu." So down they went into Washu's lab, back to the dark recesses where ominous machines populated the corners. Washu sat at her desk and engaged various monitors, summoning seats for her guests, and producing a box of sensors. She had him strip to his waist, and started attaching the sensors to various parts of his exposed torso, arms, and head. She had to smile to herself, because in spite of the attention he was going to receive upstairs, she got him first. And since the bulk of the weight he had put on in the last few months was muscle, she was enjoying these intimate preparations thoroughly. Once everything was properly secured, she kissed his cheek and returned to her console. "What do I now?" He walked into the middle of the open area and started stretching and limbering-up. "Just a minute," she answered, entering commands into the computers. "Just start moving around. Calisthenics or something." "I have some suggestions," offered Ryoko sweetly. Tenchi gave her one of his pained looks, and she just giggled. Ayeka groaned. "Actually," Yosho offered, "why not perform one or two kata?" Tenchi liked that idea. The basic patterns were a good warm-up, and much more rewarding that simple exercises. "Did you bring a bokken with you?" "No. But you could use the Lighthawk Sword." Tenchi nodded. Performing a kata is much like moving meditation. The goals are predetermined, so the mind is not forced to concentrate on anything at all (and if it does need a focus, then it is free to examine foundation attributes like muscle movements and balance and proper technique and correct breathing). Within the flurry of movements is a calm center, like the eye of a hurricane, and a chance to build energy rather than expend it. His awareness looked inward. He saw new pathways, felt Power conduits that had been expanded and reinforced. He had been afraid of the Lighthawk Wings before, and even more afraid of the Sword, and now he could see that it had been the proper response: he had not been fully equipped to deal with such energies; he could have gotten badly hurt. But now, the landscape had changed. There were new capabilities, expanded possibilities, and he needed a new frame of reference, something familiar yet applicable. It didn't take long to find a usable analogy: if he had been a car, then his stock engine and drive train had just been replaced with high-performance racing equivalents. As he stood there, he mentally engaged the 'engine' and put himself in idle. He couldn't see his forehead, but the Emblem of Power flashed into visibility across his brow, pulsing rhythmically. The first kata began from a standing posture, and used the action of shifting the bokken from the left hip to the right hand as a way to initiate movement and enter the proper mindset. Tenchi lacked the bokken, but he had a ready substitute available: he located and crystallized the Quantum Pattern for the Lighthawk Sword. A ball of blue-white light coalesced out of the surrounding air to fill his open his right hand. The glowing sphere extended along an axis parallel with his palm, forming a meter-long cylinder that then flowed outwards into the familiar shape of the Sword. He studied the weapon for a moment, hefting its weight in his hands, savoring its balance. He had done this before, of course, but he had to marvel at the ease with which he did it now. No hesitation, no fear, and he was aware now of all of its properties, ready to serve in ways he never could have imagined. He located his grandfather and bowed respectfully, mentally shifted into 'first gear,' and brandished the Sword as he began the first kenjutsu pattern. The Sword sparkled in his hands, as he directed Power into the weapon. It left a shimmering wake in the air behind it, and repeated passes of the blade painted the air with a curtain of light. After four days of inactivity, the play of muscle against sinew felt invigorating. He was so glad to be active again that he passed through the first kata and into the second without pausing. And then into the third He decided it was time to 'push the envelope,' and mentally shifted into 'second gear.' The Emblem on his forehead and the weapon in his hands both flared with new energy, and he yielded to the desire to push himself, as well. He began moving faster, swinging harder, taking deeper breaths. He completed the fourth kata and moved into the fifth, the Sword singing through the air like a hunting siren. The aurora that encircled him thickened with repeated passes of the Sword. And at prescribed intervals, one of his hands or feet would pierce the veil with a punch or a kick. The fifth kata passed into the sixth, the patterns becoming increasingly more complicated and wide-ranging. Tenchi shifted into 'third gear,' pushing himself faster and harder. His breathing was becoming labored, drops of sweat were being flung from his head and arms as he stalked the imaginary opponents of the seventh kata. The Sword writhed through the darkness like an incandescent snake, hissing and coiling and darting everywhere. As he started into the eighth kata, he toyed with the notion of shifting into 'fourth gear,' but decided that prudence should be observed with his first venture. He ended the ninth kata with a flourish and an ear-splitting kiai. He bowed towards his teacher, chest pumping, skin flushed, drenched with sweat, and eyes blazing with zanshin. None of his companions moved. They just stared open-mouthed at him. Tenchi shrugged, removed Washu's sensor pads, and headed for the exit and that hot bath. He was quietly relieved when no one followed him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lunch was more sedate than breakfast had been. Everyone still watched Tenchi eat, but there was more concern and less enthusiasm. This morning's chatter was absent. Now that he had bathed and changed clothes, he felt calmer. This time, he stared back. Washu finally broke the silence. "I think now would be a good time to go over the results of this morning's examination." "Go ahead," Tenchi said around a mouthful of food. "I'm all ears." "More like 'all teeth,'" she corrected. They exchanged smiles. She summoned her terminal, and after a few keystrokes a large screen formed in the air above her. There was a rustle of bodies as the diners shifted to see the screen. "You haven't seen this yet, Tenchi, but the rest of us watched it first-hand. And I will say up front, it is quite impressive." Tenchi's image appeared on the screen, stripped to the waist and peppered with sensors. He spent a few moments pacing and stretching, talking to someone off-camera. After a pause, he frowned in concentration and the Emblem of Power appeared on his forehead. Another short pause, and the Lighthawk Sword appeared in his right hand. He bowed towards a point off- camera, raised the Sword into the ready posture, and proceeded into the kata. After several moments of chained techniques, there was a slight hesitation and then both the Emblem and the Sword brightened visibly. Tenchi realized that this is how it must have looked when he 'shifted gears.' At this point Tenchi's movements became faster and harder to follow. The Sword's energy wake became noticeably more persistent. A moment later came another hesitation, and then the Emblem and the Sword flared even brighter. His movements were now so rapid that they blurred into transparency, nearly masked by the Sword's ever-deepening contrail. The exhibition ended abruptly, with Tenchi standing quietly amidst the fading wake. Washu froze the image. "Washu, why did you speed that up so much?" Tenchi asked. "I didn't," she answered. "That's how fast you were really moving. And what the log doesn't show is what the rest of us felt during your little display -- we were practically mesmerized." Tenchi was speechless. They were all looking at him, a mixture of concern and awe. He drained his tea before looking once more at the screen. It took a moment to find his voice. "So, what's happened to me? Did I mutate into Sonic the Hedgehog? Am I even human any more?" "Oh, you're still very human. In fact, according to Tsunami, you're more human than the rest of us." "Huh?" "Tsunami told us that once inside your cocoon, you would metamorphose into an 'adult.' I didn't know what she meant at the time, but I think I do now. As a complete organism, Homo sapiens contains a lot of undeveloped potential. We galactics have had a head start on you colonials, but not all that much. I think you leap-frogged all of us, Tenchi. You are not so much a 'super-man' as you are a 'fully-realized man.' It's what the race as a whole will evolve into, eventually." "That doesn't explain how I was able to move so fast. No human being can move like that." "You can." "How?" "Applied Power. You know what psychokinesis is, don't you? Mind over matter. It's one of the basic manifestations of Power Adepts, and there are plenty of examples around here all the time: Ryoko hovers and flies, for instance. Well, instead of using Power to defy gravity, you use it to defy inertia. Same principal, different goal. You probably used PK to push your limbs, too. None of your muscles were modified by your transformation, Tenchi, but your brain underwent a 37% increase in neuron connectivity. Your astral pattern and psycho-layer pattern were heavily modified. Anything that has to do with higher mental processes and Power manipulation was upgraded. In a nutshell, you move faster, you react faster, your Power attributes have gone through the roof, and I wouldn't be at all surprised at any perceptive talents that start coming on-line. I've been saying all along your potentials are off the scales; well, those potentials are starting to be achieved. You've changed from a pussycat into a tiger in less than a week." Tenchi just shook his head. The image on the screen had a feral, predatory look; but that's not how he'd felt. Exhilarated, maybe...hyper, even....but not angry. He voiced his concerns. Washu nodded. "That's good to know. We wouldn't want our husband to become an arrogant, domineering prick, now would we?" "Or another Kagato," Yosho whispered. The temperature in the room dropped suddenly. "Well, I fully intend to listen to my counselors -- my wives -- to prevent that from ever happening." "Just another reason you'll need all five of us. Of course," Washu's face broke into a smirk, "one of the truly interesting experiments we have to look forward to is just how many of your new traits will be passed on to your offspring: OUR children. We ought to raise the standards significantly!" Her cackle had the desired effect of lessening the tension in the room. "I hope this means he isn't going to do *everything* quickly," Mihoshi said, and then blushed under the astonished stares directed her way. "If it does, that just means more repetitions per evening," Ayeka mused. She did not redden under the gazes, just smiled appreciatively. In fact, four contemplative leers were soon focused on Tenchi. "It always come back to sex, doesn't it?" Tenchi sighed. "And your point is....?" asked Ryoko, smiling like a hungry cat. "You should do well in the Great Game," Yosho observed. "What 'Great Game?'" Tenchi asked. "Washu described it earlier," Yosho replied. "Male Power Adepts compete among themselves for Dominance. It's not only a biological imperative, but it's woven into the very fabric of society. Every human organization in the galaxy has some form of it. You cannot avoid it; you will be Challenged." "What if I don't want to play in this Great Game?" "As I said, you cannot avoid it." "You're serious?" "Absolutely. Not only will your honor be at stake, but often your life as well. I was Challenged many times." "Did you ever lose a Challenge?" "No, or Ayeka would have been Crown Princess long ago." "Great. Just great." "Actually," Ayeka said slowly, "there might be a way to discourage any frivolous Challenges -- maybe even all of them." "How?" he asked morosely. "Release that video we just watched. As long as it can be verified as authentic..." "I encrypt all my sensor logs for that very reason," Washu informed them, "as well as date/time stamp them." "Yosho, wouldn't anyone watching Tenchi execute those forms seriously reconsider issuing a Challenge to him?" Ayeka asked. "I can't speak for others, of course, but I know I sure would." "Who do you release the file to, so that it gets maximum distribution?" Washu queried. "I can answer that one," Funaho responded, "the Grand Council. There's already a media leak among the members, and I guarantee that such a tempting revelation will not only find its way into public newsources, but into many baronial security organs as well." "Maybe we should also add a message from Tenchi to my father, allaying any fears of a Succession Challenge anytime soon," Ayeka offered. "That's an excellent idea," Funaho said. "In fact, perhaps it should be tailored to a more a general audience..." Washu turned to her ever-ready keyboard. "Let me make some notes...."