Tenchi Muyo! Beginings Part One: Washu A Tenchi Fan Fic by Jacob McDonald Chapter One: The Genius and the Pirate Disclaimer: I don’t own Tenchi Muyo! or Washu, or the Tenchiverse in which this is set. Those all belong to Pioneer and AIC. I made up the rest. I think. If I used any of your characters, I’m sorry, they were probobly just names floating in the back of my head. I’ll change them if you want me to, but I’d rather not go to the trouble. This fanfic starts over 20,000 years before Tenchi Muyo begins. You’ll see in a second.... “Washu!” Gadman called from the platform nearly 70 meters below her. A head of spiky read hair stuck out over the edge of the huge construction scafold and the sparkeling green eyes blinked once. She wore a smile as huge as her intelect. “Yes Sir?” “Come down here at once!” he yelled. Washu’s head vanished and she came down on a hover pad a few seconds latter, still smiling like little girl at play, “Yes Sir? What can I do for you Sir?” “What is that?” he asked pointing to a panel of the hull of the ship that was dry docked in the scafold. It had been removed and the wiring had been pulled out and re-done. “Oh... uh...” Washu looked at the mess of wires, “I re-wired part of the drive system on this side of this ship.” “And why did you do that?” Gadman asked her. “Well you see sir, I was looking over the prints, and the wiring was all wrong! The way I did it, with the illithium resistors and trasistors, and the gold/remnicorit wires the computer will be able to respond 0.00352 seconds faster then it would have been able to otherwise. And that’s just in this part of the ship. If I were to do the whole thing, the ship would have a computer that was faster by 0.0136 seconds as a whole.” Washu nodded. “Washu...” Gadman massaged his temples, “As a graduate student at the Accadamy I am alowed to bring you here to get hands on training on ship construction and technicalities. You do not have free licence to re-wire and modify ships that are in for repair! If it were a brand new star cruiser, and it hadn’t already been wired, that might be a different story, but in this case, I’ll have to ask you to put it back the way it was.” “Yes Sir.” Washu was obviously dissapointed. “If it makes you feel any better, you were right.” Gadman put a hand on her shoulder. She was growing up quickly this one. Quite an atractive young lady already, the top of her class, and probobly one of the most brillient minds in just about every field of science there was. It had only taken her six years to compleat all the requiered work, and then some, for the enginearing school. It was the last degree she needed to officially be the first, and probobly the only student ever to get doctrate level degrees in ever school of the Accadamy. “Thank you Sir!” Washu brightened again, and went immidietly to ripping apart the re-wiring job, to re-re-wire it. Gadman sighed. She was only too happy to take things apart and put them back together. He wouldn’t have been suprised if she was better at this kind of stuff then he was... Washu fell into her bed back at the Acadamy dorms that night with an ‘oof!’ Another long day at the ship yards, repairing ships that had come in damaged from pirate attacks, or meteor swarms, or just in need of standard matnence. It was exhusting, but she loved it. “Hey Washu.” her room mate said as she walked in. Kimi was a young woman of average build and height, but that’s where the word ‘average’ stopped describing her. She had a figure to die for, long lusterous green hair, red lips, a fair complection... the ideal of all the young Acadamy men. Her eyes were probobly her most striking feature. Golden and shimmering, they seemed to always be staring into someone’s soul. She had a knack for seeing lies and telling how people were just by looking at them. This of corse had led Washu to ask her several times if she could run a few expeariments on her room mate and see if it was some sort of psychic ability, or just plain blind luck, or something else... Kimi had refused, but Washu still wondered. “So how were the ship yards today?” Kimi asked the red haired girl. “Great! I got to program a new computer componet for a sub space warp system on a battle cruiser! No one else really knew the programing for that kind of computer, so Gadman had natrally come to me...” “Natrally.” Kimi agreed. “...and I did it in an hour flat. And it worked too!” “That’s all way over my head... I’m just a Geneitic Biology major, remember?” “I don’t know... Gene Bio and Space Flight Enginearing might have more in common then you’d think...” “How’s that?” Kimi gave Washu a funny look. “Oh I don’t know... just an idea I was kicking around in the back of my skull a while back...” “You’ve been here too long...” “Hmm? Why do you say that? It’s only been...” Washu counted quickly, “37 years...” “That’s way too long for me... I want to start a carrer soon... it’s been what? 12 years for me, and we started in the same major.” “Hey, I can still help you with your home work though!” Washu said. Kimi was a bright student as well, but Washu wasn’t just the top of her class. She was in her own class. She sucked up information like a sponge and retained all of it. She hadn’t even sold back her text books from Gene Bio because she knew that Kimi would need them when she got to the classes Washu took years before her. They made a good team, Washu thought to herself. Where Kimi was beautiful and bright, Washu was lovely and brillient. They were both good looking, but Kimi was more so. They were both smart, but Washu was more so. Together they had survived for 12 years living together. Washu was already a vetren when Kimi had been assigned as her new room mate (her old one had graduated and moved on) and quickly showed her the ropes of the Accadamy. They had started in the same classes, but Washu moved much quicker then any one else, and had graduated in only six years. Another six years latter, and she was ready to graduate the Enginearing school, and Kimi was graduating the Gene Bio school. “Speaking of home work...” Kimi groaned. She dumped a text out of her bag and punched a few bottons on the computer pad. Washu leaned over her shoulder as she sat down at her desk. “Hey! Gene alteration through electro-carbon redefinition! I remember that!” Washu smiled, “That was a fun chapter...” “You remember everything, and you always think it’s fun. Can you show me how to work this equation? I’m so lost...” Kimi threw her hands up. “Sure. It’s like this...” Washu started to explain and Kimi asked questions now and then. They worked long into the night. Washu picked her head up off of her pillow. Looking around she saw that she was in her dorm room and the sun was shining brightly in through the window. Kimi was no where to be seen. Getting up out of bed, she found that she was in her clothes from the night before, and there was a note on her desk from her room mate. Hey Washu! Thank you for all your help last night! You zonked out while I was working through the last few equations so I just stuck you in bed. Hope you don’t mind! Oh, I left breakfast for you too. See ya at noon! -Kimi Washu looked over to Kimi’s desk and saw a tray with a bowl of health nut ceareal on it and some fresh fruit. “You watch your figure too much Kimi.” Washu said out loud, but dug into the food any way. She was hungry. As she ate, Washu let the sun light play across her face and body. It felt good to feel the sun light on her skin for once. She was usually up in orbit in the repair station all day, and didn’t have time to see the sun in the morning before she got there because it wasn’t up. “Oh shit!” Washu jumped up and looked at the window in horrer. The sun was up? She looked over at a clock. Four hours late! How could she not have noticed that she was late when she first woke up? So much for being the most brilliant scientist in her class... Washu ran down the path that led to the loading bay for students. She took a taxi up to the docking station every day, and just hoped that today she’d be comming in after the heavy morning trafic. She wasn’t. The lines of students waiting for transportation were stretched back through the doors of the loading bay, and there was no hope of getting in and up to the docking bay any time soon that way. She needed an altrenet rout... “Think, damnit!” Washu berated herself. This couldn’t be that hard. She ran to a building marked, “Matter Trasportation Lab.” Bursting in through the doors, Washu ran down the hall ways, pushing people out of her way and yelling to let her by. People would look back and see who it was, and they moved. She had a reputation at the Acadamy, and no one wanted to be on her bad side. Washu’s pranks were devestating, and had put many a student out of classes for weeks at a time. Finnally comming to a door she knew well, Washu walked in calmly, smoothing out her uniform as she did. Several students and a proffesor looked up at her as she came in. “Washu!” the rather young looking professer said with a suprised tone, “To what do we owe the pleasure of your compony this morning?” “It’s good to see you too Harvey.” she said and gave him a hug, “It’s been a while.” “Since we graduated together!” he said with a laugh, “Almost 20 years ago! You haven’t changed a bit!” “You either.” she smiled as she remembered Harvey’s irripresable sence of humor and wit, “I need your help this morning, and thought that I might be able to teach you and the class a little something while I was getting it.” “What can I do for you?” he asked. “Well, I need to get to the repair dock in high orbit. I need to be there now. What better way then matter transportation?” Washu asked as she walked over before the class. “Except that it’s still highly exparimental with organic matter and you could end up as a blob of ectoplasmic jelly when you get there?” Harvey asked with a raised eye brow. “That’s the way it is now.” Washu explained. She pulled a panel off the front of the matter trasnporter in the middle of the room, “I’ve been thinking lately, what if we reversed the partical flow in conduits 325 and 972? Then we reprogramed it to except organic cells as part of it’s transport veriencey, and scaned in a biological specimin....” she stood back and a scaning beam shot out of the device and played over her body for a few moments. Harvey watched and jotted notes as Washu went back to working at a rapid pace. Seeing their proffesor taking notes on what the weird red haired lady was doing, the students started scribbiling furiously at their computer pads and typing in new equations to keep up with Washu’s frantic programing. “There it is!” Washu said, standing up, “Now all we need is a test subject!” she turned and looked around the class. All of the students shrank back from her wild gaze, “Well fine! Don’t trust me! I’ll do it myself!” She jumped up on the transport pad and called to Harvey, “Hit it!” Harvey shook his head and smiled. If anyone could make it perfect on the first try, it was Washu. He pushed a few buttons on the control pad, and flipped a switch. There was a humming noise and Washu vanished. “Today class, we have witnessed the first organic matter transportation with the new Washu Special! Let’s see if we can figure out what she did, and I’ll get some detailed notes from her tomarow.” Harvey walked over and looked at the mess Washu had made of the front panel area. He scratched his head. Where to begin? “So you’re sure she’s not comming today? We really need someone to program the weapon system so that we can make sure the damn pirates don’t blast us up again!” the captain of the ship docked in port 15 said to Gadman as they stood looking at the brand new guns that lined the cargo cruiser. “I’ve called her home twice now and there was no ansawer. I’m guessing that she had some personal buisness to attend to. Being the most brilliant mind in the acadamy right now, I’ll give her that liberty.” Gadman said in a firm voice. “Damn. We need to ship out soon too!” the captain seemed desperate. Washu suddenly materialized next to him and stumbled back a bit. “Wha... Washu! Where did you come from?” Gadman asked in a shocked voice. “I modified a matter transportation unit to send organic matter and beamed myself. The lines were too long at the taxi station.” she said simply, “Though it did feel kind of funny...” “You did what?” the captain was confused, “No one can do that!” “I just did.” Washu said blankly, “Sorry about being late sir. I was up helping my room mate with her home work all night and I was tiered...” “Say no more, Washu. You’re leaving at noon today any way, remember?” Gadman replied. “I am? For what?” Washu looked confused. “You and Kimi are going to meet some boys or something?” Gadman said, “I can’t remember what you said. You’re meeting Kimi for lunch at the central square by the fountian at noon.” “Oh yeah!” Washu smacked her forehead, “I almost forgot! Thank’s a bunch! She would have killed me...” Washu shook her head and started to walk off to find some work to do. The captain shook his head, “So this girl isn’t comming in to program my guns today?” “She just came in.” Gadman said with a grin. “That’s her? No way. She’s not touching my ship...” “She just modified a matter transportation unit to beam herself here, and you think she’s not capable of some simple defense programing? You’ll probobly end up with targeting systems that will shoot the pirates for you, and be able to identify all known pirate ships in the galaxy!” Gadman laughed, then called out, “Washu! I have some defense programing for you to do!” “Where? I’ll get right on it and be done before I have to leave!” she called back. Standing in the shadows of a stack of huge crates that the ship was about to load, a tall dark man with fine silver hair watched and listened. He let his hand drift over to the blaster at his hip, then back to his side. Washu was her name then.... True to her word, Washu had the ship’s defence system programed and running in three hours. She had uploaded GP records of all known pirate ships in the galaxy, programed in auto fiering, training programs, holographic combat simulations, and her own voice as the computer response system. And it all worked. Now she stood by the fountin waiting for Kimi to show up with the boys. She didn’t know why she always agreed to go on these blind dates with her room mate, but they were the best of friends, so if Kimi said a guy might work for her, Washu trusted her. She hadn’t been right yet, but the red haired student passed it off as bad luck. Some things just couldn’t be explained by science, and love was one of them. Kimi tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to see her friend standing there with two guys who looked like something out of a bad Galactic Mob holo-movie. They were dressed in pin stripped suits, and had hats to match. The coat tails were too long, and the shoes were too shiny. Kimi was dressed like a gun mole. “Washu! I told you how to dress!” Kimi said with an annoyed look, “Now we’re gonna’ be late while you change!” “Sorry, I’ve had a long day.” Washu sighed. She’d forgoten that they were going to a dress up party. “What happened?” Kimi asked as they walked off towords the dorm the two girls shared. “Well, have any of you ever been transported through a MTU before?” Washu started. The boys both looked at each other with exprestions of confustion and fright. Latter that night, at the party, Washu and Kimi had lost track of their dates. It didn’t matter though, becasue they were by far the sexiest ones there, and men seemed to flock to them. Kimi held up under the constant lavishing of affection, but Washu ducked out of the ring of young men and drifted over to the refreshment table. She lifted a glass of wine and snached up a few candied fruit slices before turning to go to a table by herself. Once seated she nibbled at her food and sipped her wine, while staring off into space blankly. Her mind was busy with equations and a hypothisis that wouldn’t seem to stop nagging at her. That sub space warp system that she had installed in the battle cruiser the day before was intriging. It had brought an idea into her head that she wanted to work on... “Hello, Washu.” a voice jarred her out of her day dream and she looked across the table to see a man who looked to be just a little older then most of the students around the large room. He was about six feet tall, but he was built quite well. The tux he wore fit him in all the right places, and he was a good looking guy to boot. His eyes were bright green, just like hers... “Do I know you?” she asked him as she leaved forward to get a better look. She was then suddenly aware that his eyes had drifted down to her brests, which were almost falling out of the low cut gun mole dress she wore. She sat back quickly and ahemed. “No, you don’t know me, but I know you.” “That’s not suprising. Almost everyone knows me.” Washu passed off the comment like it was nothing. “My employer is looking for some one like you to work for him.” the man said. “I didn’t catch your name.” Washu replied. “I didn’t give one.” he stopped smiling, “But I’ll tell you that it’s Kirva.” “Kirva? Sounds kinda’ shady to me.” “Really? Why’s that?” he raised any eye brow. “Because I happen to have just uploaded all the GP records for known pirates into a defense system on a cargo ship today, and the name Kirva came up a few dozen times as being a Class B criminal. You kinda’ look like the mug shot too, with that scar on your neck.” “Very good. What else do you know about me?” he smiled again and leaned forward on his elbows, with his chin resting on his hands. “That the scar is from a fight you had with a GP officer and that you killed him before several more apreahended you. You escaped from a maximum secruity prison three years ago, and haven’t been seen since.” Washu looked him in the eye, “And now you’re working for someone else? He must be one hell of a bad ass...” “Indeed.” Kirva smiled even wider, “So what do you think?” “About what?” “The offer. Do you want to come with me and join our merry little band of pirates? You could have all the time and money you need for any research you want to do, and expariments...” “Tempting, but no. I have my morals.” “I think you’d like our cause.” “No.” Washu said with a degree of finality that stopped any further arguing. “Fine. Just one more question then, and you can say no to this too if you want to.” “What’s that?” “Would you like to dance with me?” he asked with a smile. Washu hesitated for a moment, then replied, “I’d love to.” she took his hand and they walked to the dance floor as the next song started. “What the hell,” she thought, “We’re in a room full of people. It’s not like he could kill me or kidnap me right here...” As it turned out, she had made the right choice. He danced like a dream. When the next song started they danced that one too. And the next. And the next. After almost two hours, they finally walked back to the table they had been sitting at, laughing and talking about their favourite kinds of music. Kirva turned out to be a lover of clasical music, as was Washu. They were discusing their favourite works of Yerginima the Thelcarian when Kimi walked over with hers and Washu’s dates in tow. “Well Washu, it seems you’ve found a new date...” one of the guys said. “How rude of you.” Kimi said with a wink. “It’s okay, I don’t mind sharing Kimi...” the other guy said. Washu rolled her eyes, “Acually, yes how rude of me. Kirva, this is my room mate Kimi and her... uh... two dates Ujimo and Reska. Everyone, this is Kirva, the notorious space pirate, and class B criminal by GP records.” “Hello!” Kirva said in a cheery tone. “Is that what you’re suposed to be?” Reska asked. “No, that’s what I really am.” Kirva replied in the same cherry tone. “So what’s a space pirate like you doing in a place like this?” Kimi asked as she leaned against the table. She apparently hadn’t caught on that he wasn’t lying yet. Washu bit her lip. “Acually, my boss wanted me to come here an recruit Washu to join our gang becasue she’s sure a super-genius. She said no though, and I’m not going to force her to go, because I kind of like her.” he smiled at Washu and she smiled back. “So are you going to go back and tell your boss the bad news or what?” Kimi asked him. “He’d probobly kill me, so I have to think of some way to change Washu’s mind acually.” Kirva frowned. He really didn’t want to have to do that. “Nothin’ doin’.” Washu said firmly. “At least come tell him that so he wont just kill me on the spot.” Kirva pleaded. “Maybe. I’ll think it over. Get back to you in a year or so.” “You guys! Stop kidding around! We have class tomarow and it’s late! Come one Washu...” Kimi laughed and tugged at Washu’s arm. The red head didn’t move. “Kimi, no one is kidding here. Kirva really is a Class B criminal, and he really does want me to go talk to his boss.” Washu was deathly serious now. She’d taken a liking to Kirva, and didn’t want him to get killed because of her. “Uh...” Kimi was at a loss for words. “I’ll go.” Washu said and stood up. “Washu...” Kimi sounded concerned. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Washu hugged her, “Just tell Gadman where I am if I’m not back tomarow.” “Okay.... but you be careful. No getting yourself killed before you become the first student to ever master every field of science at the Accadamy!” “She’s THAT Washu?” Ujimo exclaimed, “Oh man, did we miss out!” “Bummer!” Reska said, “No one to do our home work for us!” Washu and Kirva both rolled their eyes. “This is your ship?” Washu asked as they stood on the deck of the repair station where she worked every day, “I must have walked past this thing at least 40 times in the past week! It doesn’t look like a pirate ship...” “It’s not really...” Kirva said as they climbed the entrence hatch walk way. “What is it then?” Washu stopped and looked at him. “Please Washu. There’s not much time. We have to leave soon.” he looked desperate. “Leave? I’m not going any where! You said all I’d have to do was tell your boss no, and I was free to go!” “I had to get you here though! It’s a matter of saving the universe! Please Washu, you must come with us!” “What the hell are you talking about?” Washu yelled. “Don’t move!” came an amplified voice from the darkness. Suddenly a bright spot light was shined on them, “We have you surounded! Come down with your hands up...” Kirva turned and yelled up into the ship, “Let’s go!” and the hatch started to close. Washu jumped for the opening, but Kirva’s hand shot out faster then she could move and grabbed her. He held her up and ran inside the ship as blaster fire rained all around them. Once inside, he tripped and fell to the ground. Washu turned and punched him in the face. He fell back and asked, “What was that for?” “You kidnapped me!” she screamed. “I saved your life!” “I wouldn’t have needed saving if you hadn’t brought me here!” she noticed the black mark on his left leg, “You got hit!” she said, he voice suddenly full of concern. “I’ll say! Damn!” he whiped some blood off his face. “No, your leg!” she ripped a strip from the hem of her dress and carefully wrapped the blackened burn. “Thank you.” he said and touched her hand. “I’m still pissed at you.” she said with a smile. The ship rocked, “Damnit!” Kirva yelled, “Will someone return fire and blast us out of here?” he yelled down the corridor to the bridge. “Yes sir!” came a reply. “Sir? Are you the Captain here?” Washu asked. “No, I’m the first mate,” a tall man with silver hair and striking black eyes walked down from the bridge. Kirva pointed, “He’s the Captain.” The tall man helped Washu up, and then Kirva. Kirva thanked him and walked to the bridge to take command. “Who are you? And what’s going on here?” Washu asked the tall man as the ship rocked again, then returned fire. “My name is Altron Silverhawk, leader of the Triumveret of the Sisters, and you are Washu Hakubi, the one I’ve been searching for all my life.” “Really? Why’s that?” Washu raised an eye brow. “Because you are the Prophet of the Middle Goddess.” Silverhawk said. Washu stared at him blankly as she felt a hyperdrive engage and the ship take off. The ship took off into deep space, speeding away from the Accadamy of Science, and Washu left the place for the first time in over 30 years.