Balance of Power

A Tenchi Muyo Fanfiction

Disclaimer: The characters of Tenchi Muyo belong to AIC and Pioneer LDC.
They are used without permission.

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Part II
Righteous Indignation
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Was that blood on his hands?

"Are you finished yet?" The young man asked with agitation clear in his
voice. He looked down at his hands and the tinge of bluish-crimson that
stained them. Maybe it wasn't blood.

"Not yet. Patience," his companion answered.

The young man subconsciously began to rub the palms of his hands against
the coarse fabric of his pants as he started to pace back and forth in the
small room. "How much longer?"

This time yesterday, he was sitting in a slightly noisy and comfortably
warm calculus class. Today, he was light-years away from home, breaking into
some police computer in a room that was too damned cold! He again looked
down
at his hands. Cursing at what he saw, he resumed rubbing them against his
legs.

"Almost there," his accomplice again answered with a calm voice.

"Well hurry up!"

"As you wish... my Prince," he added after a pause, a smirk coming to
his lips. Though his back was turned to the boy, Tenchi, he knew the
response his remark would elicit. He could literally feel the heat radiating
from the boy's anger. 'Such power, all it lacks was direction... a focus.'

"I told you not to call me that, Kagato! I have nothing to do with
Jurai!"

'...A focus I am more than happy to provide you with. You shall succeed
where she failed. It will be perfect!' "Of course, of course, my apologies.
Tenchi it is," Kagato said turning around to briefly face Tenchi and give an
elegant bow in acquiesce.

Tenchi did not know what to make of the gesture. He knew of what his
grandfather had told him of Kagato, and despite yesterday's events, he
still trusted his grandfather. He needed to be wary. Tenchi accepted the
apology with a slight nod of his head and continued his pacing of the room.

Kagato returned his attention to the computer terminal through which he
had hacked access into the GP mainframe. Though quite pleased with how
things were going so far, one detail was not occurring on schedule. They
were
late. Someone from the Galaxy Police should have been here by now. 'No
accounting for incompetence,' Kagato's mind spat in annoyance as he tripped
a
few more security alarms.

Still angered, Tenchi sat down by the entryway and tried to calm
himself. He drew his knees to his chest, rested his elbows on them and
covered his face with the palms of his hands. 'Tenchi, what do you think
you're doing?' He asked himself for what was probably the thousandth time.
For a moment he held perfectly still, his blood stained hands gaining his
attention again. He raised his head just enough to glance down at the man...
creature... thing, who had been working in the room when they arrived and
had the misfortune of meeting Tenchi Masaki this day. There was a pool
of... blood? that was forming at the base of its neck. Guilt began to well
with in Tenchi as feared he had hit the thing too hard.

'Did it feel pain?'

Tenchi had been surprised when he opened the door to the computer room
and saw the creature standing there. It was the first time he had ever seen
an alien... well, there was Kagato, but he looked human, mostly. But that
wasn't human, or so he tried to reason to himself. He had held nothing back
when he struck, moving more on instinct than on thought.

Still no movement, it hadn't moved so much as a millimeter since it had
been hit. There was no rise and fall of its chest.

'Did it need to breathe? Was it dead? Did I kill it?' His eyes bore into
the still creature as if attempting to see past the uniform and fur to check
for a beating heart. No longer able to take not knowing, Tenchi quickly
moved
the short distance to the creature's side. He gently turned it over on its
back.

"Having regrets?"

Tenchi turned his gaze from the fallen dog-like creature to stare
harshly at the back of the man who had opened his eyes to the truth and
destroyed his quiet simple life, all in one day. "I'm no murderer," Tenchi
replied evenly, trying to find a pulse. "You said that the room was empty."
Tenchi made no attempt to hide the mistrust in his voice.

If Kagato noticed, he gave no sign of it. He continued to bypass the
security lockouts that were guarding the information they were after. "The
Souja's scanners indicated minimal life signs. This is a remote relay
station
and isn't normally manned. He was probably out here doing scheduled
maintenance and the electromagnetic field from the equipment interfered with
Souja's scan. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. You
should read the thesis I wrote on the causality effect as it relates to what
some refer to as luck. It is quite fascinating if I may say so," Kagato said
in all seriousness, pausing in his work to address Tenchi directly. "You
still haven't answered my question." He returned his attention back to the
computer terminal but continued to speak. "Any regrets? Is she worth it?
Is she worth that?" He asked pointing behind himself to the unmoving form
on the floor.

Tenchi stopped his resuscitation efforts and stared at the man on the
floor. He had decided that it was indeed a person or at the very least had
the rights of a person, no matter what it may have looked like. His mother
had taught better than to think otherwise. He couldn't rationalize his
behavior by dehumanizing his opponent. What would she think of him? He
continued to look down at the figure as it lay there. Suddenly, it was no
longer some unknown alien, but a young woman with black hair that
reached the small of back. She was dirty. Her clothes were tore and a
thin line of blood ran down from one of the corners of her small mouth.
He was no longer on a remote terminal station out in space, but in a
small clearing about a hundred meters from the cave he played near.
He was six years old again and he was deathly afraid... but
not for his own welfare. Worst of all was the look on their attacker's face,
the contempt in her eyes as her lion's mane of cyan hair raged in the wind.
He found he could not look away from that face as she quietly laughed and
moved towards them. There was nothing the small six-year-old Tenchi could
do,
as he clung to the limp form of his mother for as long as he could, looking
into those cold eyes... nothing.

Emotion and power surged through him as he clenched both hands into
fists. He was no longer that scared little boy and he'd be damned if he
would
do nothing as his grandfather had done.

No... no regrets.

"I'll do whatever it takes," Tenchi said quietly at first, then again
with more confidence, "Whatever it takes. You can be sure of that Kagato. I
*will* see this through to its end."

Kagato smirked, which was a close as he could come to a genuine smile.
He didn't need the scanners of the Souja to detect the surge in energy
coming from the boy. He could feel it. It poured out of him like sweat at
times. Of the preliminary tests and scans he was able to conduct of the
young
prince in subterfuge, none had been out of the ordinary or could indicate
the
source of such power. It was a mystery, a puzzle, and a challenge, one that
the genius inside of him could not help but accept. 'Yes, Tenchi, you make
an
interesting study and a powerful tool.' Kagato turned to face Tenchi again,
he looked most pleased with the young prince's answer. "Good, leadership
requires strength. You will run into many pawns like him before you can
confront the King. Maybe even a princess or two."

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"You look like death warmed over," Ryoko noted as she and Yosho slowly
made their way out of her seven hundred-year-old prison. "Someone sure
kicked
the crap out of you," she continued to the old man's back.

Finally, the two of them emerged from the grotto and into the warmth of
a spring day. Ryoko looked up into the endless blue sky and stretched her
long arms. She couldn't help but smile. She wanted to touch everything,
smell
everything, feel everything. Gently she closed her eyes and drew in the
ambient energy of her surroundings using her three gems. She had to
remind herself to be frugal with the energy of her gems, less she become
intoxicated with their power.

Slowly she opened her eyes and hugged herself tightly. It all felt so
wonderful. She looked over to Yosho, who was leaning against a tree for
support. He had a small gash to his forehead, which caused crimson to
blend with the gray of his bangs. His glasses hung cracked and bent around
his neck. His clothes were tattered and dirty. 'Here was the Crowned Prince
of planet Jurai,' Ryoko thought mockingly to herself.

Yosho slumped to the ground, clutching at his left side in obvious pain.
Ryoko could tell from experience that he had several broken ribs. Someone
had
definitely done a number on the universe's greatest swordsman. A
satisfied smirk appeared on Ryoko's face. It was about time that someone
kicked his ass. She only wished she could have been the one to do it... or
at
least gotten to watch. Her cat-like eyes narrowed ominously. It wasn't too
late. In his current state, it wouldn't even be a fight. Justice for seven
hundred years in Hell was hers for the taking. She drew her palm closed, a
ball of pure energy coalescing in her hand.

Yosho raised his head and saw her unsympathetic smile. "Am I that
handsome that I warrant such a grin? I'm flattered," he said trying to make
light of his situation. He hoped that the rumors were true: that she hadn't
been in control of herself when she attacked Jurai and that the seven
hundred-year imprisonment had mellowed her fire. He was in desperate
need of her help. She may be the only being short of Tsunami, herself, who
stood a chance.

"Still cocky as ever I see. Juraians, the whole damned race, are a bunch
of arrogant know-it-alls." All except one, the one reason she wanted to be
free more than any other. She didn't have time to waste on this old man. She
had to find Tenchi, so they could play. For a moment she contemplated using
the ball of energy in her hands to destroy her prison, but decided against
it. It was where she and Tenchi met for the first time after all... sort of
any ways. No, she had a better use for that cave. She turned her attention
back to Yosho.

"Well Yosho, thanks for freeing me from the cave and all. It really has
been swell, but there is someone I need to introduce myself to," she said
waving goodbye before teleporting away. Yosho didn't even have time to raise
a word in protest.

Katsuhito (Yosho) Masaki sighed, as he lay slumped up against a tree.
Though it had been hundreds of years since he had held tenchiken in his
hands, he had still been able to get impressions from his tree-ship, Funaho,
during that time. Thank Tsunami those impressions had been correct. Ryoko
had changed. The fact that she hadn't ripped out his throat at first sight
was proof of that. Now, if what else Funaho had gleamed from her charge
was true, then he could wait here. Not that he could have gone after her in
his condition. Yes, she would be back if she wanted to find Tenchi. He only
hoped that desire was enough to give her the strength she would need to
confront her greatest fear.

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"Mihoshi!" came the shout from the floating monitor screen as it winked
on in the deserted cockpit of the Galaxy Police cruiser Yukinojo.

"I swear Detective First Class Mihoshi will be the death of me," swore
the regional chief of the galaxy police for sector 0300. It wasn't so much
that Mihoshi was a poor detective. In fact, she had an excellent arrest
record. It was because she took half the annual police budget to do it. She
was chaos embodied, that coupled with the fact she was the Grand Marshal's
granddaughter made Mihoshi the biggest source of stress in his life. Being
around her was like walking on glass in more ways than one.

"Coming... Coming!" Mihoshi's voice called from the interior of the
ship. "I'll be right there!"

"Hurry up, Detective," the chief said impatiently. While he awaited
Mihoshi's arrival, he busied himself with some of the reports and request
that were beginning to pile up on his desk. There was one in particular that
he was sure was going to add to his migraine. The First Princess of the
Juraian Royal Family, Princess Aeka, and her sister, the Princess Sasami,
were requesting escort through this sector of space. The Ryu-oh was also
requesting any information on the passage of the tree-ship, Funaho, through
this region. Well, he had no clue as to where the Funaho was, but now that
he
knew where to find the Ryu-oh, he'd have to report it to his Juraian
superiors. Which meant lying to his G.P. superiors, false reports and
doctored  logs... all in all, one big headache. He placed his head in his
hands and shook it in resignation. This job would be the death of him yet.

"Detective First Class Mihoshi reporting as ordered Chief!"

Upon hearing Mihoshi's voice the regional chief picked up his head and
quickly spun to face the opposite direction a moment later, blushing
fiercely.

"De... Detective Mihoshi... Please explain your appearance,' he choked
out.

Mihoshi moved a clump of her long blonde wet hair from in front of one
of her eyes, and tightened the towel she had wrapped around her otherwise
nude body. "Sorry Chief, I was in the shower when you called. Since you said
to 'hurry up', I thought..."

"Never... never mind. We have detected a breech at one of our top secret
data storage facilities," Mihoshi's boss said over his shoulder. "Attempts
to
contact the personnel on the station have failed." He finally gathered
enough courage to face the sight of a nearly nude granddaughter of a GP
Marshal. "Long range sensors have also indicated the possibility of the
Souja
in that area. As you know, the Souja is the vessel of the Most Wanted
Criminal, Kagato." Mihoshi nodded and the chief continued. "Detective
Mihoshi, you orders are..."

"Right! I am to investigate the break in at our top-secret base and
confirm the involvement of the Most Wanted Criminal Kagato! You can count on
me, Chief. If Kagato is involved, I'll bring him in!" Mihoshi said
excitedly.

"No! No! I wanted you to scan your sector for any indications of..." he
shouted, but to no avail.

"Detective First Class Mihoshi is on her way!" Mihoshi declared snapping
to attention and offering a crisp salute.

"But... but..." the regional chief cried out, but Mihoshi was no longer
listening. She executed a sharp about-face, so sharp that her towel fell
off and without noticing, Mihoshi left the bridge to put on her uniform.
"Butt! Butt!" the chief stammered, his eyes bulging before collapsing on to
the floor.

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Katsuhito Masaki stretched his sore arms and legs before sitting down
for a cup of tea inside the humble Masaki shrine. He thought about the
events
of the last two days and sighed. He had practically raised Tenchi since that
day twelve years ago. He had tried to guide Tenchi the best he could,
telling him what he needed to know and shielding him from what he didn't.
The
question that now floated through his mind was... had it been a mistake.

Refilling his cup, Katsuhito then produced a second glass and filled it
with tea as well. He slid it across the table and waited. He didn't have
long
to wait.

"Good evening, Ryoko," he greeted the empty air and sipped from his cup.

"Alright, where is he?" a threatening voice asked followed by the sound
of compressed air escaping, a half second later, Ryoko materialized into
the room. Her golden eyes flashed in the subdued light of the shrine and the
expression on the face left no room for doubt as to her mood.

"Where is who?" Katsuhito asked as if unconcerned of the glowing eyes
staring at him. "Please sit and have some tea," he said motioning to the
steaming cup of green tea in front of her.

Ryoko removed her hands from her hips and smashed the teacup with a
hand, shattering it and splitting the small wooden table in the process.
Still staring at Katsuhito, her expression unchanged, she placed her hands
back on her hips.

Katsuhito raised an eyebrow at the display and removed the splinters of
wood from his clothing. True, she had mellowed some, but apparently there
was
still a good amount of fire with in her. Good, she would need it.

"I'll ask you a final time. Where is he?"

"By he, do you mean Tenchi?"

"Who the Hell else would I mean! I've searched all over this damned
place!" She yelled, her anger and frustration growing with every word. "I
even remembered where his father lived and checked there!" Her arms swung
wildly as she spoke. "Not a sign of him. Where is he? Are you hiding him
from
me!" She opened her palm and it began to fill with balls of energy. "WHERE
IS
TENCHI!" She closed her palm and formed an orange blade of pure energy.
"TELL
ME!" She threatened and pointed her sword at the old man's throat. There
looked to be tears forming in her angry eyes and her voice nearly pleaded as
much as it demanded.

Katsuhito stood, slowly walked passed her and out of the shrine door
without so much as acknowledging her. He looked up at the darkening sky and
at the first sprinkling of stars. He wasn't ignoring Ryoko, nor was he
indifferent to her feelings. What he was doing was going over what he
wanted to say and working up the nerve to say it.

A moment later his thoughts were broken by a voice that was far
different than the one he had heard earlier. It was soft and forlorn. It was
like that of a child asking for a parent or the whimpering of a puppy. It
was
a voice that only a heart of stone would not answer. It simply said
"Please."

He turned around to look at another Ryoko staring back at him in the
doorway. Not the Ryoko who had attacked Jurai, nor the one he had freed from
the cave that afternoon, nor even the Ryoko of a moment ago, who demanded
to know the whereabouts of his grandson, she was almost completely
different.
This Ryoko was sad, almost pitiful. Tears were beginning to stream down her
flushing cheeks and her eyes implored him to listen to her. Her shoulders
were slumped and her arms hung loosely at her sides. She raised her head,
and
again simply said, "Please."

This was the Ryoko he needed. This was the Ryoko who could bring his
grandson home.

"Yosho, I know that we've never gotten along and that my past is..." she
began pleadingly, but Katsuhito raised a hand to quiet her.

"That is all in the past, Ryoko," he said and sat down on the porch of
the shrine. He took a deep breath. "Ryoko, there is something you need to
know and something I would like to ask you. Please, sit down."

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Kagato looked at the flashing indicator on his wrist and smiled. It was
about time the Galaxy Police had arrived; he had all but hung up a flashing
sign indicating their presence. He turned off the Souja's automated defenses
so that the approaching GP cruiser could approach the station unmolested.
There was someone he wanted them to meet.

"Kagato! Help me out here!" Tenchi yelled and pointed to the fallen GP
Tech on the floor.

Kagato smirked and knelt down besides Tenchi. "I'll see what I can do. I
am fairly versed in this species' anatomy. I should be able to render first
aid."

A look of relief crossed Tenchi's face and his body visibly relaxed. "So
he'll be okay?"

"I'll know in a moment," Kagato replied somewhat dispassionately. "I
believe there are some medical supplies on level four near the docking bay,"
he said looking up at Tenchi.

Tenchi immediately got the hint. He rose quickly. "I'll go get them
right away. I think I remember the way to the docking bay. It's where we
arrived, right?"

"Correct," Kagato answered and continued to administer first aid.

"I'll be right back," Tenchi said eagerly and ran from the room.

Kagato waited until he no longer heard Tenchi's footsteps and rose from
the floor. The boy would no doubt run into that Galaxy Police officer on his
way to the docking bay. He had confidence that the young prince would avoid
arrest and report back, which is exactly as it should be. Looking down at
the
unconscious Tech officer, Kagato's smirk darkened into an evil grin. He
was merely suffering from a concussion and would most likely regain
consciousness soon. The only reason Tenchi hadn't found a pulse was because
he hadn't known where to look for one.

'Assault of a Galaxy Police officer...' Kagato raised a hand, and the
limp body raised from the floor '...was that even a crime?' The tech
officer's head began to lift then fell again and his arms began to stir.
'Now
*murderer* of a Galaxy Police officer...' Kagato closed his fist and the
tech
officer's body began to jerk and struggle as if someone was choking the life
from it. As the body ceased its feeble movements and became still once
more, Kagato dropped his hands and let it fall lifelessly to the floor.

And it was a lifeless body that Tenchi found when he returned with the
medical supplies. "Hey, A ship just pulled into the docking bay. I think
we..." Tenchi said before noticing the body on the floor. The
technician's shirt had been removed and placed over his head. The case of
supplies Tenchi was holding dropped to the floor as both his arms and legs
became weak. Tenchi steadied himself by leaning on the doorframe for
support.

Kagato stood off in a corner of the room and observed Tenchi with a
careful eye. "We were wasting our time. I speculate your initial blow
ruptured one of his arteries. He passed on soon after you left." Kagato
walked over to stand beside the body and looked pointedly at Tenchi.

"I... I killed him? I..." Tenchi stammered, before his knees buckled
beneath him. He could feels his insides wrench and he doubled over
nauseated.

Kagato kneeled down and yanked the shirt off the deceased technician,
revealing the cold reality of Tenchi's deed. "Look," Kagato demanded.
Tenchi raised his head for a moment and looked at the unmoving form before
turning away again, his stomach emptying of its contents.

"This is what you have to look forward to," Kagato continued his voice
harsh. Now was the time to determine just how far the boy could be pushed
and
whether or not he would be of any real use. "This is what will be asked of
you if you wish to reach your goal."

Coughing and clearing his throat of the remnants of his stomach, Tenchi
forced himself to look a second time. Tenchi's breathing was erratic and his
chest heaved, but he didn't turn away. His eyes bore into the corpse on the
floor as Kagato continued to speak. "You think that he was innocent?" Kagato
asked pointing to the body. "You think you killed some protector of the law?
Allow me to inform you of what it is you have done and who it is that lies
before you on the floor."

Tenchi continued to look on. His breathing slowed, the air forcefully
leaving his lungs in controlled burst. Kagato inwardly smiled, the boy was
listening.

"Here before you is a member of the Galaxy Police, lapdogs of the Jurai
Royal Family. Their stated mission is to patrol the nonaligned sectors of
the
galaxy and police intersystem commerce. Nonaligned worlds see them as their
balance to the might of the Juraian Empire, but nothing is farther from the
truth. The Jurai are like a cancer and the Galaxy Police are not immune to
the malignancy." Reaching into the folds of his clothing, Kagato pulled out
a device that resembled a large pen and threw it at Tenchi. "This is just
some of the information I was able to extract from their data network."

Tenchi caught the device. It took him a few moments, but he was finally
able to activate it by twisting the pen along its length. A small screen
appeared between the two lengths full of information that Tenchi didn't
understand.

"You may not understand what it is you hold there, but in time you will
know. For now, think of it this way. Where were these protectors of the
innocent, this balance to Jurai's authority, twelve years ago? Where were
they when you needed them? Where were they when *she* needed them?"

Tenchi lowered his head deep in thought. Kagato allowed him a moment for
what he said to sink in. The information he had given Tenchi did indeed
contain data linking certain members of the Galaxy Police with Juraian
intelligence. It was a complicated list of coded transmissions and false
logs. Kagato knew that Tenchi would not be able to follow or even read the
strange symbols and letters in the report, but that was not point. Trust...
or the idea of it was.

Tenchi finally raised his head and stood. He shoulders straight and
stance firm, Tenchi put the pen into his pocket and again reaffirmed his
resolve. When he spoke, the quaver in voice was gone. "Was there any
information about her in the databank? Where do we head from here?"

Kagato smiled, bearing his pearl white teeth. "I still need to look at
the data in depth, some of it is highly encoded. I could easily break the
code manually, given time, however haste is necessary, so I need the
computers aboard Souja." Now for the hook... "But, I did notice a log entry
listing ships entering Earth's sector of space during the time period in
question. We need only identify and isolate those ships."

Tenchi smiled and Kagato patted him on the shoulder reassuredily. "Now
then, you did say we had guests?" Kagato asked.

"Ah! That's right! A ship pulled into the docking bay while I was
searching for medical supplies."

"It is most likely another G.P. officer. I need to finish downloading
the computer databank. We don't want to leave the job half finished. Tenchi,
you go delay the officer while I complete things here."

Tenchi hesitated and Kagato knew why. "You needn't eliminate the officer
just delay him." He handed Tenchi his wooden bokken. Tenchi took it
haltingly. "If it will help, think of yourself and your opponent as soldiers
in a war."

Tenchi nodded grimly and turned to leave, but Kagato put a hand on his
shoulder, stopping him. "Take this also," Kagato said, handing Tenchi a
metallic gray colored egg.

"What's this?" Tenchi asked curious.

"A gift and insurance if we should get separated," was all Kagato said.

Tenchi shrugged and placed the egg in the backpack he carried. He
quickly left the room, thinking how he could slow the approaching GP
officer.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

"This story really starts seven hundred years ago," Katsuhito began.
"However, we really don't have time for that. What you really need to know
happened twelve years ago. What happened that day is what led Tenchi to
leave."

"Leave?" Ryoko exclaimed. "Leave where? Where did he go!"

Katsuhito raised a hand and Ryoko calmed down. "Listen, I will tell you.
I had a daughter, Tenchi's mother..."

"Tell me something that I don't know. Like where Tenchi is!" Ryoko
demanded.

"Listen!" Katsuhito said sternly.

Ryoko again forced herself to calm down. The expression on Katsuhito's
face and the tone of his voice let Ryoko know just how serious the story she
was about to hear was.

Katsuhito began again. "Twelve years ago, my daughter, Achika, died or
so most people believe. In truth... in truth, she was killed or so I was led
to believe."

Ryoko opened her mouth to speak, but paused as Katsuhito continued to
speak.

"My father, the Emperor, is a very proud man and twelve years ago he
learned of my location on Earth and of my family here. It was his desire for
me to return to Jurai and reassume my role as the crowned prince and
eventual
heir. I had no such intentions and told him so numerous times. He sent
several messengers and we had several arguments through these proxies. Then
one day they stopped coming. I thought perhaps my father had finally
understood, I was wrong. Apparently, it was his view that the only thing
keeping me on Earth was my misguided loyalty to my earth family. With my
wife passed away, that family consisted of Achika, her husband and Tenchi."

Slowly Ryoko's eyes widened as her memory of the past returned to her.
She knew where this story was going. It had been on that day...

"I don't know the details of what happened that day twelve years ago.
What I do know is that my daughter when into the woods for a walk with
Tenchi. Only much later did Tenchi return and all he could say was that she
was gone. My father contacted me the following day. He said that now that
there was nothing keeping me on Earth that he expected me home. It was
then that I knew what happened. I don't know how Tenchi managed to
survive."

Ryoko did.

"Yosho, Crowned Prince of Jurai, died that day as well and as much as I
wanted vengeance for what he had done, I had Tenchi to think of. I could
honor his mother best by looking after her child. His father was in no
condition to do so."

"But... where is Tenchi now? How..." Ryoko pleaded.

"I *believed* my daughter dead, but yesterday evening I learned that
that might not be the case. I would have left in search of her myself, if
the
source of the information had not been so untrustworthy. Tenchi,
however, did not have my insight as to the nature of this man and was
completely blinded by the news that his mother may be *alive*. He left with
the man to search for the truth."

Sounded like something she would do, if she were in Tenchi's place.
Ryoko stood, happy to finally have a lead on Tenchi. With her three gems and
Ryo-Ohki, it would only be a matter of time before she found him. "No
problem, Yosh... I mean, Katsuhito. Just tell me who it was Tenchi went off
with and what their ship looked like and I'll find him!"

Katsuhito stood and fixed Ryoko with a stare. "Ryoko, it was Kagato, who
came for Tenchi."

<><><><><><><><><><><>

Detective First Class Mihoshi had her eyes fixed to the readout on her
sensor watch. Kagato was definitely in the station along with two other
lifeforms. One was crystalline based, the other seemed to be a carbon based
humanoid. There were no other life signs in a station that should have had a
crew of fifteen. Gulping, she drew her service revolver. The humanoid was
approaching from behind the next corner...

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Balance of Power
Part III: Black and White

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Thank you for any comments you might have.
damien_searight@msn.com