Chapter 18
     Plot course to Earth  (small intermediary chapter)

     "So," Washu said, leaning back in her chair, looking up to the space
ship ceiling.  "Why exactly did we bombard the police headquarters and 
cause about one-million credits in damage?"
     "I had to meet someone," Nagi said, watching the monitor above the
control panel from her pilot's chair.
     "Who exactly?"
     "What do you care?"
     "Curiosity.  I didn't become the greatest scientific genius in the
universe by not asking questions, you know."
     "A captain by the name of Tathers."
     "Tathers.  Hmm.  Tall, skinny guy with a stupid looking mustache?"
     "That's him.  You know him?"
     "I have most of the profiles of everyone in the galaxy police 
commanding personnel memorized.  Captain of the commanding post of GP
for almost twenty years running.  One of the few fortunate ones who escaped
when Kain was freed."
     "Correction," Nagi said.  "The only fortunate one who escaped when 
Kain was freed."
     "You're not saying that he was the one that let that monster escape,
do you?"
     "I don't know.  He does have a violent history with the Jurain empire,
though.  He was the one who had tried to put the Jurain royal family up for
treason against their own government.  He was responsible for that thing
carrying out so long.  He barely escaped the end of that without a court
martial."
     Washu remembered reading about that when she had done the history 
research of the last seven-hundred years after she had awakened.  Seemed
that someone in the GP had tried to hold Aeka and the remaining royal family
responsible for the actions of one Kagato since he had been a cousin of the
royal family.
     "He was a general during that fiasco, but Aeka and the royal council
had him demoted down to Captain afterwards.  What's ironic about it, though,
was that he didn't even lift a finger when Kagato's corruption was in force,
but he was plenty eager to hold the new family responsible for the
corruption to save his own skin and reputation after the fact."
     "So you're saying he let out Kain to take revenge on the Royal
family?"
     "I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised.  But that hardly
matters to me anyway."
     "So then why did you meet him?"
     "He was responsible for my sister getting killed."
     "I thought you said Ryoko killed her."
     "She did, but Tathers was the one who had set it all up, putting my 
sister and myself in danger to get us out of the way so we couldn't be 
promoted above him."
     "You sure that's what happened?"
     "I was there."
     "But I thought you said-"
     "I didn't want to tell you cause I didn't trust you, and I still 
don't, so don't expect me to tell you now."
     "So you are going to get revenge on Tathers?"
     "And Mitsuki."
     "Who's that?"
     "Someone else involved.  She was a part of it and she knows 
something."
     "Where is she, then?" Washu asked, looking up to the monitor which
showed the ship's present course.
     "Earth," Nagi said.  "We should be there soon."

     "Are we almost at the GP, yet, Yagami?" Kiyone asked.  They had 
been traveling for over six hours.  Jinqual was one of the most remote
places in the galaxy, and it was a long trip there and back.
     "Bleep, bloop," the ship answered back, flashing its gas gauge.
     "Low?" Kiyone asked.  "But I just filled it two parsecs ago!"
     "Bleep, beep, bop," the ship responded, flashing its speedometer,
which read a cool 120 light years per hour.
     "Groan.  Fine.  Where's the next planet suitable for fill up?"
     The monitor flashed a map of the surrounding areas and then brightened
a solar system of one sun and nine planets.  The third planet was the 
brightest, and thus had the most life living on it.
     "Hey!  That's earth!"
     Yagami bleeped a quick affirmative.
     "Cool!  You think you can land us close to the Masaki Shrine?  I wanna
see an old friend."
     The ship gave out another bleeped affirmative and set course.
     Suddenly, a huge red message flashed on the upper monitor: Incoming
Message!
     "Patch it through," Kiyone ordered.
     Suddenly, Mitsuki's face appeared on the screen.  "Sargent Kiyone,"
she said, surprised.  "I didn't recognize your ship.  I didn't expect you
to be way out here."
     Kiyone's face faltered.  "What are you doing here, Lieutenant?" she 
ordered.
     "Uh, just on routine business.  Nothin unusual.  Well, gotta go!"
     "Wait!  Tell me what's going on here!"
     "Well, I was sent out here to track down a ship thief."
     "A ship thief?  Is the suspect dangerous?"
     "Apparently."
     "What is the suspect's name?"
     Mitsuki sighed and looked to the ground away from Kiyone.  "Mihoshi,"
she said.
     "MIHOSHI?!!  What's that bubble brain done now??"
     "She took a valuable ship without anyone noticing, and we don't want
her to damage it."
     "You better get it quick!  If I know Mihoshi, and believe me, I know
Mihoshi, she's probably already crashed it!"
     "I've spot her coordinates on Earth, but I can't seem to pinpoint any
landing pads around the area."
     "Earth doesn't have any landing areas for space ships!"
     "But a totally automatic shuttle can not land without a landing pad
unless the pilot lands it herself!  And that's extremely difficult with a
ship as large as the Yukamojo!"
     "Mihoshi can barely land her own small little ship without crashing
it!"
     "I'M DOOMED!!"
     "Don't worry!  Follow me and I'll lead you in there.  I know people on
Earth, and I need to fill up on fuel there."
     "Does Earth have the proper fuel for an AK style craft?"
     "Every gas station on Earth has unleaded gasoline.  It's primitive, 
but it should get me all the way to the GP."
     "Ok, but remember, this is my mission, and I get to take full credit."
     "No one's trying to steal your mission.  I'm just here to help."
     Mitsuki's face disappeared, replaced by the flashing map.
     "Yagami," Kiyone shouted to the ship.  "Plot course to Earth.  On the
double!"