* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * R E F I N I N G T H E E D G E * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Artist: Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page & Robert Plant) Album: "Led Zeppelin IV (Zoso)" Track: "Battle of Evermore" Queen of Light took her bow And then she turned to go, The Prince of Peace embraced the gloom And walked the night alone. Oh, dance in the dark of night, Sing to the morning light. The dark Lord rides in force tonight And time will tell us all. Oh, throw down your plow and hoe, Rest not to lock your homes. Side by side we wait the might Of the darkest of them all. I hear the horses' thunder Down in the valley below, I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon, Waiting for the eastern glow. The apples of the valley hold The seeds of happiness, The ground is rich from tender care, Repay, do not forget, no, no. Oh, dance in the dark of night, Sing to the morning light. The apples turn to brown and black, The tyrant's face is red. Oh, the war is common cry, Pick up you swords and fly. The sky is filled with good and bad That mortals never know. Oh, well, the night is long The beads of time pass slow, Tired eyes on the sunrise, Waiting for the eastern glow. The pain of war cannot exceed The woe of aftermath, The drums will shake the castle wall, The ringwraiths ride in black. Ride on. Sing as you raise your bow, Shoot straighter than before. No comfort has the fire at night That lights the face so cold. Oh dance in the dark of night, Sing to the mornin' light. The magic runes are writ in gold To bring the balance back. Bring it back. At last the sun is shining, The clouds of blue roll by, With flames from the dragon of darkness The sunlight blinds his eyes. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "The long-range probes have returned, Admiral," Balinor reported. "Uploading has commenced." "Very well." Mobinita had parked the task force out in the Juraian Oort Cloud, spread his pickets and sensors, and sent one or two probes skirting deeper in-system on discreet orbits, all the better to sneak a peek without getting detected -- or shot at. He wanted current information about K'vimm deployments, rather than relying on obsolete data. He also wanted some solid information to pass along to the Crown Prince. He found working with the future emperor to be far less arduous than he had first imagined. The young man knew little about naval tactics, and said so up-front. But he wasn't stupid, either; he asked intelligent questions, digested the answers carefully, and made no attempt to interfere with how Mobinita ran his command. But he also minced no words about who had the final say -- this whole operation fell upon his young shoulders, and he accepted the responsibility without complaint. All very exemplary traits. That he was also personable and charismatic, and that the younger officers and crew were warming to him rapidly, didn't hurt anything either. He had to admit that he liked Crown Prince Sir Tenchi Masaki. "Upload and analysis completed." "Put it on-screen," Mobinita replied. Balinor placed a detailed schematic on a large floating pane, festooned with colored blips, shaded turf, and sparse verbiage. The image looked remarkably like a cancerous cell: the K'vimm had established an egg-shaped zone of occupation, anchored on the sunward-side by Homeworld, and enclosing a massive (or gigantic, or immense, or hideous, or any of a dozen other descriptives) dimensional doorway further out. Hundreds of ships patrolled this volume of space, defining a perimeter that effectively sealed-in the imperial capitol. A screen of Juraian vessels could be seen defending Homeworld and its moons. Mobinita swore softly. "There are approximately 750 K'vimm vessels blockading the planet Jurai," Balinor explained, "and approximately one-third of those are galleon class capitol ships. The majority of heavy elements are divided evenly between guarding the dimensional doorway and engaging elements of Home Fleet, with the remainder stationed at strategic points along the outer perimeter. There is extensive damage to the orbiting industrial facilities, as well as a lack of observable activity at the boundary commercial space stations. An analysis of debris clouds in the disputed area suggests that a temporary stalemate has been achieved after extensive fighting." It was painfully obvious that the doorway's appearance had caught Home Fleet completely by surprise, and a whole battle fleet had swarmed out of the dimensional portal and overwhelmed the defending squadrons. Assuming that the commanding fleet admiral survived, he/she would face a court martial when the dust settled. First and foremost, though, was the doorway -- they needed to close it to prevent reinforcements from arriving. "How close is that doorway to the jump drive boundary?" "The dimensional doorway is nine light-minutes sunward of the boundary." Mobinita cursed again. Modern deep-space mariners share many of the same problems as their ancient deep-water forebears. For the sailors of old, the size of the hull was the basic yardstick: when approaching the shoreline, they had to be ever-mindful of the rising sea-bed lest they run aground in the shallow waters. The modern sailor used the jump field diameter as the basic yardstick: when entering the gravity well created by large concentrations of mass (such as stars), the energy requirements to maintain the field increased exponentially until the generators failed. The deep-water sailor had two options to get his cargo ashore: offload it to smaller draft vessels, or locate a harbor (whether natural or man-made). The deep-space sailor faced two similar options: use the sub-light engines to reach the final destination (which was expensive in transit time), or transfer the cargo to smaller vessels at a space station. The space station was by far the most common solution; these huge structures were built in solar orbits where the 'slope' of the gravity well became too steep to be dealt with. As a rule of thumb, this transitional boundary was usually three to five AU from the primary star, or approximately the orbit of the fifth planet. And the K'vimm doorway was well inside the transitional boundary, meaning that his task force could not drop out of psuedospace and open fire on it. They would have to use the sub-light drives to get within shooting range, running a gauntlet of K'vimm warships for the entire distance. And his task force stood no chance against so many galleons. "How soon before our frontier squadrons arrive?" "Twenty-three days at best estimate, assuming immediate departure." The war would be over in 23 days. Home Fleet was taking a pounding, unable to replace its own losses, while K'vimm reserves could be summoned quickly through the doorway....or doubled....or tripled. He didn't have to ask Balinor to know that Jurai would be forced to surrender in the next few days, or face possible nuclear bombardment from orbit. Immediate action was required. Mobinita ordered Balinor to open a communications channel to Ryo-ohki. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Ok, Ladies, it's about Showtime." Tenchi had been standing beside the large portal, looking at the formation around them. As he moved, the Emblem of Power appeared on his brow. The Lighthawk Wings appeared, hovering just before him, before merging together into one Wing. He stepped through it, the phosphorescent foam of Power coalescing into his shimmering Lighthawk Armour. Without hesitation, Ryoko stepped through the hovering Wing as her husband had done. She reappeared with her own Armour hardening around her limbs. Ayeka stepped through seconds later. T R A T R A Mihoshi appeared on the other side of the Wing, looking down at the lustrous carapace forming around her. She was about to explain to Kiyone what was going on when she saw her partner twitch once, spasmodically. Kiyone turned to stare at Tenchi, who just smiled back and gestured towards the floating Wing. Hesitantly, the GP officer stepped up to and through the Power manifestation. She gasped audibly as the blue-white fog settled around her, forming the combat armour that was so similar to what the other women were wearing. "Oh, wow -- Kiyone gets Armour, too? Terrific!" T R A M K T * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The War Room was a commandeered conference room where banks of computers had been added around the walls in a haphazard manner. What space wasn't eaten by the conference table and chairs was clogged with power conduits and snaking cables. One had to be careful how one maneuvered into the room, as well as extricating oneself from it. Washu sat near the door, not only because she lacked seniority, but because it also gave her a better shot at escape when the stress or the boredom got too intense. Little Achika stirred contently in her chest pouch, occasionally gurgling in her sleep. Washu liked to play with the reddish tufts that floated out of the top of the pouch, enjoying their soft texture or nuzzling them with her chin. She missed the baby's father, as well as the three half-mothers that were with him. "Washu, can I get you some tea?" "Thank you, Sasami, that would be very nice." At 10-years-old, and naturally slight to begin with, the princess had no problem navigating through the clutter. She didn't fully fathom what was discussed here, but as a member of the Royal Family, and fourth in line for the throne, she had the right to be present. More often than not, she asked Washu for interpretations of events, or simply ran errands for the adults. Further into the room, closer to the center of the table, were the chairs traditionally reserved for the Emperor and his wives. Sadly, two of those seats would remain vacant for some time to come. Empress Funaho, however, made it her highest priority to be in attendance. At the moment, she was watching Washu blow puffs of wind into Achika's hair. "Is my great-great-granddaughter awake?" "No, Lady Funaho, she's not the least bit impressed by all of this." "Smart girl....like her mother." Washu exchanged grins with Funaho. They had gotten along well since their first meeting, on a set of stone steps too many lightyears away to think about. Where Washu brought raw intellect into the family, Funaho had brought cunning and force of will. They complimented one another, a fact they had both recognized early. "Ah, thank you Sasami. Very well, let's get this meeting started." Military uniforms and civilians alike hustled into their chairs, and very soon the room's climate controller (already burdened by the extra electronics) was straining to keep up. "Thank you," Washu whispered to Sasami, and set the drink on the table. Sasami slipped into her own chair, placing a teacup on the table beside Washu's. Princess Achika murmured in her sleep, and Princess Sasami giggled quietly at the expression on her face. "Admiral Nogumo, any word yet from Admiral Mobinita's task force?' "Yes, Your Majesty. They have just dropped into realspace. They will be reaching the outer perimeter of the K'vimm blockade within the hour." The crusty old warrior made a motion to his adjutant, who's fingers danced across the keyboard on his lap. A large monitor flickered into existence above the table, and schematics appeared. "His task force is not only intact, but he is accompanied by the Galaxy Police cruiser Yukinojo and the royal yacht Ryo-ohki." Washu, Funaho, and Sasami exchanged glances. "Any word about Prince Tenchi or his entourage?" Funaho asked. "Mobinita's communiqué mentioned that Sir Tenchi was instrumental in the destruction of a K'vimm squadron -- in fact, it states he destroyed half the force by himself." Funaho's eyes locked with Washu's, both running parallel calculations. "Washu, can you speculate on just how he might have accomplished such a feat, considering what happened when Emperor Azusa confronted the first K'vimm units?" "I can only guess that he's harnessed some new property of the Lighthawk Wings. As to specifics, I can't imagine. But whatever it is, it must be pretty damn effective." Washu's pride was obvious, mirrored by the young princess beside her. "Please continue, Admiral Nogumo." Nogumo nodded, indicating the monitor. "The K'vimm are doing their best to jam communications, so details are sketchy at best. But our own sensors have managed to confirm this." The image on the screen swelled in size, until the only figure visible was a slowly-rotating cone composed of two dozen small dots. As they watched, each of the dots sprouted a label and verbiage. "This is the formation Mobinita's forces have assumed." "A cone?" Funaho asked. "While a little out-of-date, it is still a very practical arrangement for concentrating maximum firepower while offering optimum protection. His units are not big enough to establish over-lapping shields, but by rotating the entire formation around the center axis he can minimize the amount of time any one ship is exposed to a given threat. Of course, the major emphasis of this formation is upon convergent fire -- multiple ships all attacking the same target simultaneously. It would seem a questionable tactical move in a sky full of targets." "Unless they don't expect to encounter 'a sky full of targets.'" "Which ship is at the vertex?" Washu asked. "Ryo-ohki, Sir Tenchi's flagship," Admiral Nogumo read from the screen, "which seems a bit unusual." Not to Washu, it wasn't: doubtless Ryoko was spoiling for a fight, and just as doubtless Tenchi was willing to indulge her. "And Yukinojo is in the third tier down from the vertex, alongside Admiral Mobinita's flagship Balinor." "Excuse me, Admiral," the adjutant interrupted, "but we are getting an incoming transmission from the task force, unscrambled, commercial as well as military bands." Other displays appeared in the air, all projecting the same image. "It must be a very powerful generator to burn through the K'vimm jamming." Replicated around the room was a view of the Command Deck of Ryo-ohki. Tenchi was seated in the pilot's chair, and around him stood Ryoko, Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Kiyone. They all wore Lighthawk Armour and matching predatory grins. Washu's heart leaped to see them all alive and well....although she did wonder why Kiyone was included in this grouping. "To the K'vimm forces who are presently occupying Juraian space: this is Crown Prince Sir Tenchi Masaki, warning you to leave now or be destroyed. This is your one and only warning. Alpha circuit." The last statement was a command to all military units to switch to the standard secure channel. Most of the monitors in the room flickered off, but the few that remained lit added a small glyph in the lower right corner that indicated an encrypted transmission. "Well, Admiral, do you expect any response from the K'vimm?" Admiral Mobinita's face opened in a panel in the lower left corner. "No, Your Highness, they are a singularly uncommunicative lot." Tenchi shrugged. "We had to try. Very well, proceed according to plan. Please pass along my compliments to all the commanders and their crews, and wish them Good Luck and Good Hunting." "Yes, Your Highness. The same to you." "And to any sunside forces who can pick-up this transmission, we're going to stir up some trouble out along the perimeter. If you see an opportunity to distract our K'vimm guests in the next few hours, we would surely appreciate it. Tenchi out." The screens went blank. Washu and Funaho exchanged glances. "*Crown* Prince Tenchi? Has something happened to Yosho?" Funaho asked. "I have no idea," Washu replied. "Admiral, how soon 'till that formation makes contact with the leading K'vimm elements?" "No more than fifteen minutes, Your Majesty. In fact..." he looked at a small readout to his left, "...they are accelerating as we speak. K'vimm forces are beginning to sortie for an interception. *Major* K'vimm forces. Looks like they monitored His Highness's broadcast." "Send word to the fleet to be prepared for immediate engagement. Let's give His Highness and Admiral Mobinita a chance to get the ball rolling, but be ready to offer support." Funaho was about to add something else when she noticed the expressions on Washu's and Sasami's faces. T S W T W T W T S T S T W T S T W S T "Washu? Are you feeling alright?" Washu blinked a couple of times, and then exchanged grins with Sasami. "Never better!" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Tenchi stood slowly, turning. He opened his arms as Ryoko slipped into them. A hug, a kiss, and a whispered farewell. Ayeka followed, and then Mihoshi. He shook hands with Kiyone, and wished her good luck. Then he stepped away from them, summoning the full Power at his command. The Wings appeared, stretching and englobing him in their blue-white embrace. And then he was gone. "We'd better get back to Yukinojo," Kiyone said quietly. Mihoshi sniffed once and nodded. "Good luck," Ayeka said. Ryoko echoed her. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "His Highness has left the flagship," Balinor said. "He is approaching the leading K'vimm primary on an intercept vector. Time to contact: eight seconds." "Open a channel to all task force units and pipe it to the main board. I want to see my captains." "Acknowledged." One entire wall of the Strategic Bridge was blanketed by ghostly panels, each showing the operations center of a ship in the formation. Of those displayed, the most striking were the images from Ryo-ohki and Yukinojo: each of the occupants wore glowing Lighthawk Armour. Mobinita had heard of this, but had never seen it. Most impressive. It felt good to be fighting with the Royal Family again. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "What is *that*?" Admiral Nogumo asked. The miniscule sphere was racing ahead of the formation at incredible speed, and the computer was forced to rapidly redraw the schematic in an effort to keep everything in the image. "Unknown," his adjutant replied. "But our sensors register it as a Power manifestation." "Confirmed," said another officer. "Source?" "It came from Ryo-ohki. It doesn't match any torpedo configuration in our library." "That's no torpedo," Washu exclaimed, "That's Tenchi!" She pushed the teacups out of the way and gestured over the empty table space, where her spectral keyboard materialized. Her fingers danced excitedly over the keys, and small schematics appeared in the space over the table. She started cackling, a smile spreading from ear to ear. "What is he doing, Washu?" Funaho asked. "Oh, this ought to be good!" she replied. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The K'vimm dreadnought was enormous, a mountain of metal and mayhem. Tenchi's altered perception saw it as a multi-layered structure coursing with energies, and honeycombed with chambers and halls and symmetrical tunnels. Lifeforms skittered throughout the vessel, like agitated ants. With an effort, he ignored the crew and concentrated on locating the reactor, seeking the heart of the ship. The dreadnought opened fire on him, raking him and his path with energies that would vaporize granite. Such threats couldn't harm him, so he dismissed them. Tenchi was almost upon the monster, and was awed by its size. But size couldn't protect it. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "K'vimm galleon destroyed. His Highness has been reacquired, now targeting nearest K'vimm primary. Contact imminent." Mobinita watched with interest. K'vimm ships were racing to intercept them, doubtless expecting an easy victory over a motley collection of cruisers and destroyers. Ah, the Element of Surprise was surely the Great Equalizer. Keep coming, you bastards, there's plenty to go around. "Second K'vimm galleon destroyed. Third primary targeted. Contact imminent." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Gods, there goes another one!" Admiral Nogumo gasped, straining his composure. Funaho watched open-mouthed. Azusa had been killed and Misaki had been critically wounded by these creatures, and here her great-grandson was ripping through them like a white-hot poker. She finally found her voice. "Admiral, how soon before the task force reaches the perimeter?" "Two minutes, Your Majesty." "Washu, have you figured out what your husband is doing out there?" "I have a pretty good idea, Lady Funaho. And if I'm right, there's no defense against it. The tide is about to turn in our favor." "There goes another one! And another!" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Fourth K'vimm target destroyed by direct effects, fifth target destroyed by collateral damage. Secondaries are maneuvering away from the combat zone. His Highness is employing a spiral pattern outwards from the first point of contact." "Well, that's what he'd told us he was going to do. How close are we?" Mobinita asked. "Maximum firing range in 30 seconds, optimum firing range in 45 seconds." "Princess Ryoko?" "Yes, Admiral?" "As captain of the flagship, would you do us the honor of launching the first salvo?" "It would be my distinct pleasure, Admiral. Thank you." Mobinita savored the irony. He had been a wet-behind-the-ears ensign in the Imperial Navy when this cyan-haired woman had attacked Homeworld seven centuries earlier. Incredibly, she had slipped through the same defensive layers that had recently caught and held the K'vimm. She had caused catastrophic damage to the capitol city, scorched a fair-sized chunk of the surrounding landmass, and had erased a high percentage of the Home Fleet. And now here she was, married to the Heir, and willing to fight just as hard to protect the people that had forgiven her. The Hand of Fate was truly an unpredictable force to be reckoned with. "Balinor, track Ryo-ohki's first salvo and direct all weapons to the same target. Successive targets to be determined by greatest threat assessment. Select K'vimm secondary units when possible. Convergent fire when possible. Complete global coverage." "Acknowledged." Balinor was going to be very busy for a while: not only was the AI assisting Captain Istanaka with combat functions, but it was calculating a continuing series of course corrections for every ship in the formation to maintain station, as well as feeding constant figures to each ship's fire control computers. "We are now in range." "This one is for Tenchi," Ryoko's relayed image said. "Ryo-ohki: fire!" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * An energy bolt rippled away from the formation at lightspeed, impacting the shields of the K'vimm frigate and generating eye-popping auroras. The alien's shields were tough, though, and could handle the single assault well enough; but they could *not* withstand the hundreds of beams that arrived a heartbeat later. In fractions of a second the shields overloaded and collapsed, the outer hull vaporized, and the inner hull imploded at dozens of points. Rivers of photons burned their way through the center of the vessel and beyond, releasing pressurized gasses to the vacuum. The ship's reactor was pierced in five places, and it detonated in a fireball that consumed the entire vessel. An expanding cloud of charred fragments and ionized dust were all that remained. Within three seconds two nearby K'vimm frigates were blasted into oblivion, and the guns of the task force began hunting for prey in earnest. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "All K'vimm forces at the point of interception have been destroyed," the adjutant informed them. "Where's the Crown Prince now?" Funaho asked. "He has changed course, and is heading for the K'vimm dimensional doorway. He's just destroyed his fourteenth ship. Their forces are regrouping nine light-minutes downrange, either to attempt to overwhelm him or to defend the doorway." "What about the forces on the inner perimeter?" "They are being redeployed. Heavier elements are being pulled back to the doorway." "Admiral, wouldn't this be a good time to start those 'distractions' the Crown Prince mentioned?" "I was thinking the same thing, Your Majesty," Admiral Nogumo replied, grinning wolfishly. "So that's his plan," Washu said thoughtfully. "Brilliant. Come on, Sasami, we have an errand to run." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "We have reached the breach, Admiral," Balinor reported. "Thank you. Ladies and Gentlemen, His Highness was gracious enough to open a door through their perimeter, and it would be bad manners on our part to refuse his invitation. Execute the course change, Balinor." Every ship in the task force stopped shooting as the stream of data broadcast from the heavy cruiser assumed a new priority. From the Command Deck of Ryo-ohki, the rear view was spectacular. As the vertex of the cone, the task force literally revolved around her, and as her position in space changed so did the ships slaved to her wake. The stars appeared to spin in a dizzy pirouette, though in reality the ships in the formation were executing a complicated three-dimensional spiral. The Juraian sun swam across the sky, from the forward quarter to a position abeam. Facing them now was a growing collection of wrecks and debris clouds, breadcrumbs left by the blue-white sphere on its march to the far-distant dimensional doorway. Specks of light could be seen and identified as K'vimm vessels attempting to stop the Crown Prince. "Realignment completed. Returning to combat mode. Assuming new course and accelerating along planned vectors." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Combat is often described as long hours of monotony divided by moments of extreme terror. "You wanna go over that again?" Ryoko yawned. Ayeka nodded. She was using balls of yarn laid out on the floor as markers. "Perhaps a visual reference will help. These two represent Sasami and I. This one is Misaki Jurai, our mother. Her parents are Seto and Utsumi Kamiki." "I've heard of Lady Seto," Ryoko said. "Didn't they call her the 'Ogre Princess?' She's supposed to be ungodly strong." "Quite right. She broke several of my grandfather's bones during some of their, er, intimate activities." "Which would explain your mother's strength -- and your ability to keep up with me." Ayeka's nod was noncommittal. "Grandfather Utsumi married into House Kamiki and assumed their surname --" "Shouldn't Tenchi have done that? Tenchi Masaki Jurai?" "Yes, he should. And he will probably have to when he's crowned emperor. Which means our names will change, too." "Does that make your's Ayeka Jurai Masaki Jurai?" Ryoko smirked. Ayeka rolled her eyes. "I'll let the College of Heralds make that decision. Anyway, this is Lady Seto's father, Ushio Kamiki. Lady Seto was an orphan when he found and adopted her. He was quite strong, too." "Must be something in the water," Ryoko muttered. Ayeka restacked the yarn balls. "Now for my father's side of the family. This is Emperor Azusa Jurai. This is his sister, Kasumi Jurai. This is his mother, Amame Jurai...." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * There was little for the crew to do but wait, as the ship fought and danced like a metal marionette. "Mihoshi, what are you doing?" "I'm keeping track of Tenchi. According to Balinor, he's just destroyed his twenty-third enemy ship!" Kiyone shook her head. During their tours together, Mihoshi had always been something of a ditz. Not a total idiot, really, just scatterbrained enough to be downright annoying. But when she rose to the occasion, it was *always* spectacular. Her empathic talents proved extremely useful during interviews and interrogations, and her blind luck had saved their tails more than once. She had earned her commendations, absolutely. But meeting and marrying the Heir to the Juraian Empire (nevermind sharing that privilege with four other Power Adepts) was simply an incredible achievement, even for her. Kiyone's emotions were tied to a pendulum that swung between envy and awe. Power, prestige, plum assignments, promotions... So where did that leave Kiyone? Well, assuming she survived the next few days, the best she could expect was to be back out on patrol. And for some reason, that thought was unsettling. After all, she'd been considered *dead* for three years, long enough for everyone to mourn her passing and move on -- except for the blonde in the pilot's seat. Even Kiyone had to admit, the one person who'd never given up on her was her partner. And friend. Kiyone sighed. R K R A R M A R K R A M R M R<*Now* you tell me> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Starships fly. Starships die. Mobinita's Cone sailed through a target-rich environment, shooting at everything that moved. Wrecked ships and radioactive dust clouds formed a glittering necklace in the interplanetary medium. The task force maintained a constant acceleration, making it increasingly difficult for enemy ships behind them to pose a threat. Some of the faster, corvette-sized vessels did manage to get close enough to cross Balinor's comfort zone, and were met with the combined fire of the formation's stern batteries. Balinor also seeded their trail with mines, and the occasional explosion from astern provided evidence that the trick was working. Still, they received casualties, some serious. "Admiral, I have been analyzing the K'vimm tactics, and I have noticed an increasing shift towards lateral assaults." "Elaborate, please." "They are attempting to attack from the sides, thus forcing us to abandon convergent targeting and deal with multiple threats. This is the primary weakness of a conical tactical deployment." "Can they succeed?" "Unlikely. At our present velocity, it is too difficult to intercept and maintain contact long enough to inflict any critical damage. They are passing astern too quickly." "They expect us to begin decelerating once we reach midpoint, at which time they can swarm over us." "That is a logical assumption." "Then they're in for another surprise. Keep monitoring their movements, and let me know of any further indications." "Acknowledged." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Current status, Admiral Nogumo?" "Admiral Mobinita's task force continues to accelerate, Your Majesty. We detect no major casualties in their formation, and we are beginning to pick-up internal transmissions. K'vimm jamming is beginning to break down." "What about K'vimm casualties?" "The Crown Prince has just accounted for his forty-ninth warship. He has been concentrating on their galleons, leaving the secondaries for Admiral Mobinita. A very successful strategy up to this point." "Shouldn't they be slowing down soon?" "We expect that, Your Majesty, but so must the K'vimm, who are placing most of their forces close to the dimensional doorway. They must be confident of overwhelming Mobinita's task force." "What about the Home Fleet?" "They have broken through the sunside perimeter in four places, and are attempting flanking maneuvers on the remaining K'vimm vessels." Funaho studied the schematics, letting the facts settle into her mind where her intuition could grasp them fully. At first glance, the battle was becoming a K'vimm rout, but something worried her. "The Crown Prince seems awfully isolated..." "Indeed, Your Majesty. But more K'vimm are fleeing from him than staying to fight. His appearance has totally decimated their morale and boosted our own." The Empress of Jurai gnawed at her lip as she watched the monitors. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The attack was sudden, vicious, and totally unexpected. A K'vimm corvette streaked past the task force at an unbelievable rate of speed, spilling hundreds of small canisters into it's path. Balinor recognized the wildly maneuvering objects and opened fire with the formation's anti-personnel batteries, spraying needles of energy into the cluster. "What are those things -- mines?" Mobinita demanded. "No, Admiral, they are troop transport tubes. We are being boarded." Half the task force rolled through the cloud of canisters, unleashing volleys of blaster fire. But there were so many of them that dozens got close enough to make contact with the formation's defensive shields. Bursts of energy appeared, forcing local contraction of a shield and allowing the canister to adhere directly to a hull. It took only seconds to burn through the metal and inject the contents into a Juraian vessel. "Status?" Mobinita barked. "Intruders aboard eleven vessels. Marines have been dispatched in all but two instances to deal with the threat." "What are the two exceptions?" "Ryo-ohki and Yukinojo." Mobinita searched the wall of images until he located the two images in question. Both screens were filled with movement and energy discharges. He blanched when he realized that three of the Crown Prince's Consorts were now in dire peril. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Kiyone popped-up from behind the console and opened fire, her pistol spitting blobs of radiant plasma at the armoured attackers spilling onto the Bridge. They were insect-shaped, shorter and wider than humans. They were having some difficulty slipping through the hatch, which gave her an extra second to aim. Her target staggered under the round that hit its chest, and collapsed. It lay on the deck, twitching, kicking its comrades. Another K'vimm fell as Mihoshi pumped a round into it. "How many are there?" Mihoshi yelled from her position behind a stanchion. "There are six intruders aboard," Yukinojo replied. "I am unable to use the defensive systems due to the proximity of the crew." "I got one!" Kiyone called. "That leaves five." "And I got one, which leaves four!" Mihoshi replied. She dropped to one knee and leaned around the stanchion, taking a shot at another intruder's head. "Correction," Yukinojo drawled. "There are *four* intruders, at present occupying the corridor abaft the Bridge. I detect energy weapons as well as a chemical compound which --" Whatever the AI was going to say was lost in an explosion as the hatch framework blew inward, falling in fragments onto the deck and the dead. A cloud of black smoke billowed about the chamber, and the ventilators kicked-in to deal with it. Energy bolts flashed both directions through the murk, weapons snarled, armored limbs banged into bulkheads, and humans coughed. The noise was deafening. K One of the intruders had grabbed the hatch and was using it as a shield, absorbing Mihoshi's pistol blasts as it charged forward. Another was hot on its heels, spraying random blasts at Kiyone to keep her pinned down. Except Kiyone refused to stay down; she ignored the erratic fire and place two carefully-aimed rounds into the intruders. They crumpled like disjointed boulders. M The remaining two intruders had taken advantage of the distraction and slipped through the shattered doorway. They aimed their weapons at Kiyone's chest and fired. Twin beams of energy lanced outward and hit her squarely....and vanished. Amazed, she looked downwards to see the Lighthawk Armour casually dissipating the beams. Shock turned to fury, and she shot the closest intruder at the same time that Mihoshi burned the other. "No remaining intruders," Yukinojo said. "I will inform Balinor of our status and then commence repairs." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The blast wave caught Ryoko and Ayeka from behind, throwing them both forward into Ryo-ohki's control crystals. Several things flashed through Ryoko's mind in quick secession: * Ryo-ohki howled in pain as the organic wall shredded, leaving a tear large enough for an armoured K'vimm to crawl through. * The pressurized atmosphere inside the Command Dome was doing its level best to evacuate through the hole -- but was repeatedly blocked by a bulky figure squirming through the breach. * There were now three of the horrors standing on the deck with their weapons poised, and a fourth was working it's way inside. * Ayeka was not injured, as she had reflexively erected her personal shield before impacting the console -- but if the pressure loss was not stanched quickly then she would slowly suffocate inside her bubble. * Ryoko herself was not injured, not affected by the sudden pressure loss, but was royally pissed-off. She teleported across the Command Deck, materializing next to the tear. She staggered for a moment as the current of air roaring into space caught hold of her, then ignited her energy sword. The four insectoid intruders were unaware of her presence, and all had their backs to her. She stepped forward and swung the sword horizontal to the deck, cutting the nearest K'vimm in half at the thorax. The blade cauterized the wound it made, preventing any spray of fluids or tissue, so the convulsing alien failed to alert its companions. Ryoko grabbed the falling torso and shoved it head-first into the hole. This plugged the leak, and the rushing winds subsided. Unfortunately, the abrupt stillness alerted the three remaining K'vimm, who spun about and opened fire on her. She was in the midst of standing when the energy beams stitched a pattern from her hip to her shoulder. She gasped and looked down, expecting to see gaping wounds. Instead, she saw the beams sparking uselessly against her Lighthawk Armour. Then she felt another concussion wave, only this was one generated by an angry Juraian princess, and was directed into the undefended backs of the K'vimm. They slammed into the hull with enough force to break armored joints, crack pressure seals, and shatter bones. "Are you injured, Ryoko?" Ayeka asked, seething with fury. "Nah, I'm ok. Thanks to this," Ryoko replied, tapping the glowing breastplate. "As usual, Tenchi's fears were well-founded. We should report our status to Admiral Mobinita immediately." "I will, just as soon as I check on Ryo-ohki. And toss this trash back into space." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Admiral Mobinita's forces were just attacked, and they have sustained some casualties." "Very serious?" asked Funaho. "No, Your Majesty," Admiral Nogumo replied. "They remain on course, and are still firing upon any K'vimm vessel they encounter. Curiously, they have just passed the midpoint but show no signs of deceleration." "What does that mean?" "It appears that Admiral Mobinita intends to make a high-speed fly-by of the dimensional doorway." "For what reason? He lacks the firepower to destroy it." "By himself, yes -- but the Crown Prince is aiding him, and he does appear to have the capability. Perhaps their sole intention from the start has been to coax the K'vimm back to the doorway. It is impossible to discern clearly at this point." "And where is the Crown Prince?" "Within a 10,000 klicks of the doorway. It is getting very hard to locate him, due to the increasing number of K'vimm ships, the torrential amounts of energy being released, and the high density of debris filling the area. We have definite confirmation on his seventy-fourth victory, but that was three minutes ago -- the number has probably risen since. An astounding achievement." "And the Home Fleet?" "We have full control of the inner planets again, and are harassing the retreating K'vimm." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Admiral, overall task force energy reserves will soon reach the marginal state." Mobinita stood and stretched. The battle was well into it's third hour, and the strains were starting to show in the hardware and wetware. The stars crawled visibly across the plates, they were moving so fast. The guns of the task force had not been needed in almost a quarter of an hour; they had outraced their pursuers, and space ahead of them was practically empty -- until you got within spitting distance of the K'vimm's dimensional doorway. There were hundreds of vessels orbiting the giant structure, some engaged in defense, others performing an orderly withdrawal down its gaping maw. They were getting close enough to actually discern individual galleons stationed as pickets. Of the Crown Prince, there was no sign. His last reported position had been within a dozen klicks of the doorway, raising merry hell and panicking the K'vimm ship captains. Then he had simply vanished in the chaos. Which made Mobinita nervous. But, it was not his place to question orders. "Balinor, how long before we reach the rendezvous point?" "Eight minutes." "Very well. Ladies and Gentlemen," he said, addressing his wall of screens, "It's time to begin the final phase of this operation. Send your crews to Condition Yellow, give them a chance to unwind a bit, but keep them close to their stations. Balinor, execute the reorientation." "Acknowledged." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "What's happening?" Funaho asked as she entered the War Room. "Admiral Mobinita is reorienting his task force." Nogumo indicated one of the schematics. "He's performing a precessional alignment of the formation axis perpendicular to their present vector." "Meaning...?" "He's rotating the formation to keep it pointed straight down the throat of the doorway." "How are the K'vimm reacting?" "They're building a wall of ships between the task force and their ticket home. If I were in command of that fleet I'd be sweating buckets right now, trying to determine if two dozen second-tier warships are really a threat, or if it's just a giant bluff." "Where's Crown Prince Tenchi?" "Still undetermined." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * R A M K A M R M K A R * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Admiral, there is a vessel decloaking in our forward quadrant." Mobinita watched the monitors. There was a shimmer in the starfield, like heat waves rising from hot asphalt, and a shape began to emerge. Long and lean, graceful and glorious, one end was dominated by bulbs and planes, while the other branched and forked into a set of buttresses and stout limbs. The surface of the whole ship was corrugated, like tree bark, and knotted in many places. There was no mistaking the Flagship of the Juraian Navy: "Tsunami." "Confirmed. Tsunami is matching vectors and velocities with the task force." She was doing more than that. She was assuming a position directly ahead of Ryo-ohki, becoming the new vertex of the cone. "Admiral, we will reach perigee in one minute." "Very well. Commence final deployment." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "What are they doing?" Funaho asked. Everyone in the War Room was watching the monitors, as Mobinita's cone began unraveling, reforming into a column behind Tsunami. A blue-white nimbus began to radiate from the bow of Tsunami, as buds of pure force blossomed outwards into leaves of enormous size. Funaho counted ten of them. At full extension, the Lighthawk Wings began to merge into a seamless parasol nearly half a kilometer in diameter. The ships of the task force moved as close together as possible, huddling within the shelter of the penumbra. "Your Majesty, they are approaching perigee." "Perigee?" "Their closest distance to the dimensional doorway." The wall of K'vimm vessels opened fire. Energy rained down on Tsunami's shield in a reversal of tactics: the task force now felt the weight of convergent fire. Everyone watching the monitors could see the flagship shudder under the constant pressure; the Wings shook like palm fronds in a hurricane, twisting and warping with the strain. But they held together; and Tsunami kept her station. Mobinita's ships launched successive torpedo spreads, clearing their path of K'vimm mines. Space around the task force flashed and sparked continuously. A burst of text flashed across the screens as a small object appeared from Tsunami's bow and accelerated straight for the doorway. "Ah, it's the Crown Prince! He must have been aboard Tsunami." Half the monitors in the room shifted to follow the object, the remainder watching the task force. The object continued to accelerate, approaching the mass of K'vimm galleons and frigates that formed the barrier. Every weapon in the K'vimm formation targeted the approaching threat. Beams of energy and massive explosions bracketed the blue-white sphere, but nothing stopped it. In moments, it had passed through the lethal zone, slipped between (or completely through) the K'vimm leviathans, crossed the kilometers-wide gap to the mouth of the doorway, and vanished. "We've lost sensor lock on His Highness," the adjutant said. It was confirmed by one of the civilians. "The task force has passed perigee, and their distance of separation from the doorway is increasing." The Juraian column was just passing beyond the range of the K'vimm barrage, when all the monitors in the room flickered and blacked-out. "What's happened?" "One moment, Admiral." his adjutant replied, as he and the other military and civilian technicians were typing furiously on their keyboards. The screens returned to life, those showing the task force unchanged, the others showing an expanding ball of fire. "What the....?" "Is that the sun?" "No, Sir -- that's the dimensional doorway. Or where it used to be." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Mobinita watched the explosion in real-time. Gouts of incandescent gas then spewed outwards, expanding in clouds of roiling flame at hypersonic speeds. It reminded him of vids he'd seen once of lava bubbles ballooning and bursting from vents in a volcano. Only this dome of white-hot plasma was the size of a small moon and growing rapidly. It took less than a second for the doorway to collapse, it's generator on the far end consumed by the same cataclysm witnessed here. With one hemisphere no longer restrained, the plasma expanded in an irregular-shaped cloud. Those K'vimm vessels caught in transit simply ceased to exist, while those orbiting the doorway disintegrated under the horrendous heat and pressure. K'vimm ships forming the barrier realized what had happened, and tried frantically to escape the death blossom. But their shields flared briefly and collapsed, and the cloud incinerated them instantly. Mobinita had known this was coming, of course. His Highness had carried a sunbuster bomb through the psuedospace tunnel, just as he had promised, and then had set it off. The roaring residue here was nothing compared to the inferno now blazing at the other end; this little bit of leakage was just a fraction of the total output that was scorching a star system someplace else. His task force sailed away from the doorway at nearly 25% of lightspeed, and so escaped the tide of million-degree plasma. His task force had survived. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "By the gods," Funaho whispered. A new nebula was uncoiling in the sky beyond the fourth planet, visible from every location in the solar system. Depending upon which part of the electromagnetic spectrum it was viewed under, it would appear as anything from a pale, diaphanous ghost to a radiant blossom. It was a fleeting structure, though; it would expand until it was too dispersed to be visible, and eventually be blown away by the solar wind. "That whole quadrant of the sky has been scoured clean," Nogumo said. "Other than Mobinita's task force, there's nothing left." "Did that explosion catch all of the K'vimm?" "There are a few remaining ships left a little further out. They'll be burned pretty good when the shockwave catches them. For that matter, some of our own forces had better batten down, too." Funaho stared at the screens for a moment, waiting for the concern in the back of her mind to bubble to the service. And then the blood drained from her face. "What about the Crown Prince? We all saw him enter the doorway...." Nogumo conversed quietly with his adjutant, and then other technicians in the room, before answering. "There is no indication that he returned to Jurai space before the explosion." The Empress of Jurai slowly collapsed into a chair. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A M R A K M K R A * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Incoming transmission from Tsunami," Balinor reported. "Unscrambled, all commercial and military bands." Mobinita turned to the main screen, unconsciously straightening his tunic. The image that appeared surprised him, even on a day when he'd thought he'd seen everything. There was the Crown Prince, sitting in the pilot's chair, looking exhausted. But the light in his eyes was undiminished, and glowed almost as bright as the Emblem on his brow or the Armour he wore. Behind him stood Princess Washu and Princess Sasami, both encased in their own Lighthawk Armour. "This is Crown Prince Sir Tenchi Masaki, ordering all remaining K'vimm vessels in this solar system to stand down and surrender or be hunted down and exterminated. You've lost the war, and you're stranded thousands of lightyears from home. Continued resistance is pointless. Don't throw your lives away...there's been enough bloodshed already, on both sides. You have one hour to comply. Alpha Circuit." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Funaho retained her composure, but just barely. Others in the War Room were not so successful. Nogumo had to silence their cheers with a hiss. "Admiral Mobinita?" "Yes, Your Highness?" The task force commander's face appeared in a panel on screen. He looked almost as haggard as Tenchi did. "What's our status?" "We've secured from Battle Stations, Your Highness. And we will initiate deceleration as soon as you give the word." "Consider it given, Admiral." "Yes, Sir." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The stars spun around the task force, as the ships spread out and assumed a safer distance of separation. Not many aboard them were watching the view, though. There was damage to repair, injuries to attend to, and dead to mourn. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * T R,A,M T R A T S W T K