Ghosts and Avatars, chapter 3
by Aaron Bastin - kakapo101@hotmail.com
synopsis:  The chase to find Tenchi is on...

Disclaimer:  This stuff is owned by other people, except for the stuff that 
isn't.  If you own the stuff I've used, please do not sue me.  Chances are 
you already have one hell of a lot more money than I do.

Ghosts and Avatars - Chapter 3 (Reflections of the Wanderer)

	Kevin growled low in his throat as he paced the cramped confines of his 
quarters.  He hadn't had a very good day.  His brain had almost melted, 
Tenchi'd gone missing, and he'd been yelled at by Washu, snubbed by Ayeka 
and ignored by Ryoko.
	And now, as Ryo-Ohki hurtled towards their adversary through hyperspace, 
Kevin Walker found that he was completely incapable of falling asleep.
	He groaned as he threw himself on the low bunk, throwing one arm over his 
eyes.  This had never been a problem before - he would just slow down his 
body processes until he fell into sleep.  Now, though, he no longer had the 
control he once did.  His traitor body was prone to all sorts of things he 
had never concerned himself with before - being tired, being injured, cuts, 
scrapes, bruises, headaches, colds...and now, apparently, insomnia.
	"Crap," muttered Kevin, raising his arm and flexing his fingers.  Flesh and 
blood.  Mortal and weak.  He'd given it all up.
	Was it worth it?
	He didn't know.
	Grimacing in frustration, Kevin slung himself out of the bunk to stare out 
the window at the roiling fog of hyperspace.  At least the nightmares were 
gone.  No more uncontrollable rages, no more sick voices whispering in his 
ear.  Mostly.
	He finally took a deep breath and released it, allowing some of the tension 
to flow out of his shoulders.  This is getting me nowhere, he thought 
sternly to himself, and decided to get out of the claustrophobic cabin for a 
bit, take a walk.
	Throwing on the loose robe that he'd found in the cabin, Kevin stepped out 
into the hallway, and ran directly into Nobuyuki.
	Kevin blinked.  "Sorry...Nobuyuki?  I didn't know you were along for the 
ride."
	Nobuyuki blinked, pushing his glasses up on his nose, shrugging.  "We 
thought it dangerous for anyone to stay behind.  Until we know what's going 
on, we could all be at risk."  He sighed and looked out the nearby window.  
"Couldn't sleep?"
	Kevin shook his head.  "I'm having trouble adjusting.  Seems like every 
time I get out of bed I've got a new set of abilities with a new set of 
problems."  He wanted to go on, talk about his problems with Washu and 
Ryoko, but...he couldn't get around seeing Nobuyuki as Tenchi's dad, a 
harmless old hentai.
	"So," Kevin said with false brightness, trying to change the subject, 
"what's keeping you up?"
	He saw the expression that crossed Nobuyuki's face and winced, feeling like 
an idiot.  OF course, you idiot, he cursed himself.  Tenchi.  The man's only 
child was missing, in danger, and here he was bleating about his personal 
problems.
	Nobuyuki looked over at him and smiled gently.  "Don't worry about it.  
You've had a hard time."
	"Nobuyuki, I -"
	"I said don't worry about it."
	Long moments passed.
	"It's strange, you know," said Nobuyuki quietly, staring out the window.
	"Mmm?"
	"All this," Nobuyuki said expansively, waving a hand at the window, the 
ship, Kevin. "Here I am, a middle aged architect, on the run across the 
galaxy because my son is heir to some alien heritage that no one really 
seems to understand.  I never really considered leaving Japan, much less 
Earth."
	Kevin considered this, looking sideways at him.
	"So how do you deal with it?" he asked at last.
	"It?"
	"You know...the fights, the space travel, the girls -"
	"Heh heh.  That's m'boy."
	Kevin rolled his eyes.  "Most Earthers would be a quivering wreck.  What 
gets you through it?"
	"Hmm." Nobuyuki scratched his jaw thoughtfully.  "I think you just have to 
look at it from the proper perspective."
	Kevin, in the process of lighting a cigarette, arched an eyebrow.  "...and 
that is?"
	"That of a father."  Nobuyuki sighed.  "Every time something like this 
happens, I wish that Tenchi were just another normal man.  Or that I could 
somehow face the danger for him."  His hands clenched into fists.  "But I 
can't.  I'm just a human being."  He sighed.  "I've slowly come to realize 
that even if I could, it wouldn't be right.  There comes a time when every 
father has to step aside and let his son walk his own path, no matter where 
it may lead.  Knowing the girls are there for him helps."
	Kevin snorted, but Nobuyuki shook his head.  "No, I'm serious.  Ryoko can 
make people fear her, Ayeka can make people obey her, and Mihoshi...well, 
you can't help wanting to take care of her.  But Tenchi...people like 
Tenchi.  He has a way of getting people's respect, and a way of making them 
crave that respect in return.  Around him, people want to be better than 
they are.  And for that, more than anything else he's done, I'm proud of my 
son.  And I wouldn't want to get between the family and anyone who hurts 
him."  He smiled ruefully at Kevin.  "It helps a father sleep at night."
	Kevin took a deep drag, absorbing this.  It hit him for the first time how 
lucky he was to be alive after attacking Tenchi.  He opened his mouth to say 
something to that effect, when Ryo-Ohki dropped out of hyperspace.
	A ship hung in space nearby.  It was massive.  Not a ship in its own right, 
it was several different crafts connected with metal tubes and walkways, 
lashed together with cables and wires.  None of it was in spectacularly good 
repair - it looked more like an interplanetary junk heap than a ship.
	The cigarette dropped from Kevin's lips.
	"Oh shit," whispered Kevin.  "The Watarimono."

	"We're screwed," breathed Ryoko.
	"Huh?" said Washu, tearing her eyes from the ship on the screen to stare at 
her daughter.
	Ryoko shook her head.  "Ryo-Ohki," she said in a resigned voice, "display 
jump-points in the area."
	"Miya!"
	A screen appeared, showing Ryo-Ohki as a tiny green dot and the much larger 
red blot of the new ship.  Blue specks, indicating ion trails of ships 
entering hyperspace, began to appear on the screen, rapidly covering the 
image.  Within seconds there were thousands.
	"My god," Washu said quietly.  "This'll take weeks!  What IS this place?"
	"It's the Watarimono," said Kevin, entering the bridge with a grim 
expression on his face.  Ryoko shot him a look.  He shrugged.  "Did some 
business with them on the way to Earth.  Don't ask me what they were doing 
in the Sol system."
	"It's a...trading post, sorta," said Ryoko when Kevin fell silent.  "A 
meeting place for pirates, bounty hunters and thieves to hook up, get new 
jobs, fence their booty.  It's actually hyperspace capable, jumps around so 
much the GP hasn't been able to shut it down.  Kagato did some business here 
in the old days."
	Washu stared at the screen for a moment, then shut her eyes, thinking hard. 
  "Right.  Okay.  Fine.  We can deal with this."  Her eyes snapped open, and 
she turned to Kevin.
	"Split up?" he asked.
	"Ya read my mind.  Half of us will stay here, try to work out this mess, 
and half will go aboard, see if there's any leads."
	Kevin looked at the ship, hanging in the darkness.  There was an unreadable 
expression on his face.  "I'll go.  I don't have any experience looking for 
trails, and I might know someone on board."
	Washu nodded.  "I'll take Sasami - no way we want her on board there."
	"Agreed."
	Washu tapped a finger against her lips, thinking.  "Also Ryoko-"
	"Hey!"
	"-and Katsuhito.  So you can bring along Ayeka and Mihoshi."
	Ryoko stood up, seething.  "What's the deal, MOM?  Think I can't look after 
myself over there?"
	"That's not it, Ryoko-chan," replied Washu carefully.  "You're the only one 
here besides me who has experience following ion trails.  Not to mention 
your reputation - most feared pirate in the galaxy before disappearing 
suddenly 700 years ago.  Your old contacts probably think you're dead, and 
those that don't would think you're out of touch, probably try to capture 
you for a reward."
	Ryoko flopped down on the command chair with a growl, crossing her arms.
	"You just don't want me havin' any fun, that's all."
	"Yeah, yeah, it's all fun and games until someone's planet gets razed.  Oh, 
and Kevin, here."
	She snapped her fingers, and a small black hole appeared before Kevin, 
spitting out a cylindrical object about the size of a small flashlight.  
Kevin caught it, looking up at Washu quizzically.
	"Credstick," she explained.  "Kinda like your Earth debit cards.  It's tied 
directly to the Bank of Jurai.  Better take it with you."
	Ryoko blinked at it.  A suddenly suspicious look crossed her face.  
"Where'd you get that, Mom?"
	She shrugged innocently.  "Is it my fault the Academy forgot to cancel my 
research grants?  'Course, it didn't have much on it after 20,000 years of 
inflation, so I hacked into the records and made some changes.  That'll 
teach 'em for not naming the new multiphased physics building after me."
	"Washu-chan?  How much is on here?"
	Washu named a figure.  Ryoko fell out of her chair.
	Kevin frowned.  "I don't know how much that is.  What would that get me?"
	"Mmm...in Earth terms it would buy you, roughly..." Washu pursed her lips, 
doing mental calculations, "...Switzerland.  Have fun."
	Kevin put the credstick in his pocket.  Slowly.  Very, very slowly.
	"Well," he said brightly, "see ya later, Ryoko."
	"Hmm?  Yeah,"  she said absently, waving over her shoulder as she got to 
her feet and bent to the task of sorting through the innumerable 
jump-points.  Kevin sighed.
	"Yeah.  Fine.  Whatever," muttered Kevin, who turned to leave.
	"And stay out of trouble!"  shouted Washu as he walked away.
	"Hey," said Kevin, grinning, "it's ME."
	Ryoko and Washu looked at each other and simultaneously rolled their eyes.

	A gurney wheeled slowly down a long, long hallway.  It was dimly lit, 
casting shadows across the cracked surface of the walls, the dirt encrusted 
floors, and the trio that made their ponderous way down the passage.
	The taller of the two men pushing the gurney was a heavyset man, looking 
down the barrel of middle age and not being very graceful about it.  Stubble 
covered his pudgy face, distracting somewhat from his lank purple hair and 
his frighteningly blank gaze.  The younger man, in contrast, was whipcord 
thin, and had a lean, hungry look to him.  His longish black hair swept back 
in the popular, somewhat dandyish style common among youths in that part of 
the galaxy.  His pale blue eyes were intense and never at rest, flicking 
swiftly from object to object.  Both men wore doctor's coats.  Tenchi, 
strapped securely to the wheeled bed, gazed with fogged eyes at the ceiling.
	"It's good to have you back, sir," the younger man was saying.
	"Mnh.  Good to be back.  Alien food disagrees with me."
	"Sorry to hear that, sir," said the younger, his slight smile betraying his 
opinion that his superior had yet to meet the food that disagreed with him.
	"Seigan, we're on assignment.  You can dispense with the sirs.  I'm back to 
working for a living."
	"If you say so, Ono.  So, tell me.  What's so special about this one?"
	Ono grimaced.  What could he possibly say?  Few people truly believed in 
Tsunami these days, no matter what the puffed-up priestesses said.  And as 
for the old stories about the Champions...
	He shrugged.  "We're not sure of his capabilities.  He's already 
demonstrated remarkable control and ability to channel Jurai power..."
	"What?" blinked Seigan.  He took a closer look at the drugged Tenchi.  "I 
thought this kid was a Terran."
	"Hybrid," said Ono, allowing himself a sigh of relief.  "There's some 
evidence that Terran-Jurian crossbreeds exhibit Jurai energy level several 
times in excess of pure Jurians."
	Seigan emitted a low whistle.  They stopped and waited for access at the 
sturdy pair of doors at the end of the passage.  After some time, they slid 
open to reveal a brightly lit medical lab.  Several white-coated technicians 
scuttled around, preparing electronics and odd looking apparati.  Ono nodded 
to them.
	"All right.  Get him strapped down and give him an anesthetic."
	He picked up an instrument that looked remarkably like a cross between a 
scalpel and a fish hook.  And smiled.

	"Whaddya think?" said Kevin as he led his motley group through the gigantic 
chamber that served at the central floor of the Watarimono.
	"This is hardly the time for sightseeing," replied Ayeka curtly.
	"Wow!  Is this ever neat!" gasped Mihoshi.
	"I've never seen anything like it," murmured Nobuyuki.
	Privately, Kevin concurred with Mihoshi.  The Hall was as overwhelming as 
he remembered it.  It resembled nothing so much as a mammoth bazaar, with 
stands and even tents constructed in the middle of the Hall.  Beings of all 
shapes and descriptions walked, hopped, fluttered and oozed along the 
multi-tiered interior of the ship, calling out to each other in raucous 
cries in a thousand different languages.  Anything one could imagine, and 
frequently much that one couldn't, could be had here - for a price.
	A sudden crackle of energy weapon discharge added itself to the din.  Ayeka 
stiffened.
	"What was that?"
	Kevin shrugged.  "Weapon merchants.  Just displaying their wares, 
probably."  There was another volley and a brief gurgled scream off in the 
distance.  "Er.  Or not."
	Ayeka shuddered and shrank further into her cloak.  It had been realized, 
shortly before leaving, that it might not be best for them to wander into 
what was generally regarded as the worst hive of scum and villainy in the 
galaxy with a Jurian princess and a Galaxy Police officer in tow.  Mihoshi 
was simple - all they had to do was explain to her that wearing her uniform 
wasn't an especially good idea.  Ayeka was more of a problem.  They finally 
elected to outfit her as a bounty hunter, providing her with warpaint, a 
simple black outfit and a voluminous hooded cloak.  A lightsword hilt 
dangled from her belt, more for show than anything else.
	Nobuyuki, surprisingly enough, had insisted on going.
	Kevin made his way down the paths left between the various stalls, trying 
to orient himself.  He shook his head, trying to rid himself of his surly 
mood.  It was strange to be back in space after so long, rubbing shoulders 
with pirates, smugglers, petty thieves, forgers and traders.  His trip last 
time had been, of necessity, both furtive and hurried, and he'd had little 
time to get to know the layout.  In truth, he really only knew of a few 
permanent structures in the ever changing landscape of the Hall.  In fact -
	He stopped.
	"See, that's an Imrykanian over there.  See the feelers?" Mihoshi was 
explaining to Nobuyuki.
	"Amazing.  And what's that?" he replied, pointing surreptitiously.
	"Uhh...that's another Imrykanian wearing a different hat.  Hey - why've we 
stopped?"
	Kevin turned.  "You guys hungry?"
	The trio blinked.  "Ye-es, a little..."
	"All right.  There's a little food market over there - grab a snack and 
I'll be back in a few minutes.  All right?"
	"Sure!"
	Ayeka hesitated.  "What are you planning?" she asked suspiciously.
	"Relax, princess.  I know someone who might be able to help us."
	She hesitated, the nodded.  "Be careful," she warned.
	Kevin blinked.  "You too," he said, and turned to walk to the stall he'd 
noticed.
	"I need something," he said without preamble to the stand's lone 
proprietor, a tall, lanky furred individual who yawned voluminously in 
response.
	"You and ever'one else in the galaxy," he drawled lazily.  "What can I do 
for ya?"
	"Information.  Directions and a data disk..."
	The negotiations for the data disk and its contents were accomplished with 
a minimum of fuss, though Kevin paid more than he ordinarily would have 
settled for.
	"And the directions?"
	"Tsunami's Legs.  You know it?"
	The man arched a fuzzy eyebrow.  "Main concourse, starboard wall.  Just 
around that corner.  Can't miss it."
	Kevin nodded.  "What do I owe you for the directions?"
	"Forget it.  I figure I'll just wander up in a half hour and take my fee 
off your corpse.  Have a nice day."  He turned away without another word.
	Kevin blinked, shrugged and walked to what was widely regarded as the worst 
lowlife dive in the galaxy.  Then again, most aliens were not aware of the 
existence of Detroit.  It might afford humanity some small comfort to know 
that, in a universe of infinite wonders, mankind excels at something.
	Then again, it might not.

	Tsunami's Legs got its name in a fit of pique.  The owner, one Akusou 
Izakyu, was Jurian.  He'd spent most of his life as a Tsunamic monk, growing 
increasingly bitter at the matriarchal hierarchy of the Temples.  He became 
a crusader, endlessly petitioning his superiors in the church for equal 
rights for men in the priesthood, a career that ended abruptly when, in a 
moment of rage, he'd struck a senior priestess.  He was immediately 
defrocked, excommunicated, and exiled from Jurian space.  After some years 
of wandering, Akusou acquired the tavern and named it Tsunami's Legs.  When 
asked why, he'd smile slowly and reply, "Why Tsunami's Legs?  'Cause we 
never close."
	The bar itself was dimly lit, slightly cramped, but never very crowded.  
Kevin was inside for exactly ten seconds before he got into a fight.
	Walking towards the bar at the back, he brushed beside a tall, cloaked 
figure who had just gotten up.
	"Scuse me," Kevin said, putting his hand on the man's arm apologetically.  
The man knocked his hand away and shoved Kevin roughly, backing him up a few 
steps.
	"Don't lay your hands on me, scum," hissed the man, drawing himself up.  
Kevin regarded him carefully.  Unlike most of the patrons of the bar, this 
man was dressed with impeccable neatness, a carefully tailored crimson tunic 
accentuating his solid torso.  Slightly squinted violet eyes glared at him 
from beneath a shock of blue-black hair.  Jurian, realized Kevin.  He held 
his hands out placatingly.
	"Sorry," he said, and began to turn away.  The man grasped the lapel of his 
jacket and spun him around.
	"I don't think I like your attitude," hissed the Jurian.  The other patrons 
of the bar calmly scooped up their drinks and moved to tables further away.
	"Hey, I said I was sorry, a'right?"
	"You just watch your step."
	"I'll be careful," said Kevin, completely failing to hide the sarcasm in 
his voice.
	"You'll be dead," snarled the Jurian, reaching down for the lightsword hilt 
at his waist.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:  Man, this one took FOREVER to write...looking for gainful 
employment leaves little time for writing.  It's all good now, though.  
Probably due to Cav and Dav's review of the series, I've been getting lots 
more letters than usual - and I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone 
who took the time to send me their comments and criticisms. Thanks, Kevin, 
Cav, Dav, Ian, Robert and DivineShadow - keep it up!  I'm at 
kakapo101@hotmail.com.  Peace out, yo.