---- Copyrights, etc: Tenchi Muyo! and all corresponding characters are the properties of AIC and Pioneer. I don't own any of 'em, even though how much I want to. If I did, I would make fanfics scripts for actual episodes of TM, making new eps almost daily. That really would be cool, wouldn't it? I do not owe our thief President George W. Bush a cent, as he is really a communist monkey disguised as an idiot, and a weenie. Notes: This fanfic might have a little bit of violence. It also takes place a few weeks after "For the Love of a Goddess", alias Episode 16B or Chapter 3B. My website, http://www.loknaroforion.org is open, providing links to my fanfics, as well as my email addys. This fanfic will also contain cameos for the mangas of one of my friends. I highly encourage everyone to go to her site: http://www.geocities.com/chani_booth/ Here goes a large amount of red mountain dew - That stuff rocks. It just came out. Take my advice - Stockpile it..... Loknar of Orion, 5/11/01, Late at night. Fanfic Began: 5/11/01. Fanfic Finished: 6/10/01 *Update: Spellchecked...I need to work harder on stuff like that. 6/29/01* ---- Tenchi Muyo! Episode 17: The Quiet Before the Storm (Orion Chronicles, Chapter 4) He looked inside the dark cavern, a sense of foreboding sadness permeating the area. The gate was open, the rusted old lock opened long ago by a curious boy. Joseph stared into the cave in which Ryoko spent thousands of years, in an unholy sentence for crimes that she did not willingly commit. He sighed slightly, and began to walk toward the gate. Recently, Kasuhito asked Joseph to take a look inside, and do some surveying. When he had imprisoned Ryoko there, millennia before, the old Juraian prince had other artifacts stored there, some of immense power. The wise old man had told him that he could keep most of what he found inside there. Joseph hesitated to this, as he considered this stealing and grave robbery; It was a tomb for Ryoko during those dark years, and identified the artifacts stored there as her property, and that she should keep anything found. However, the former space pirate wanted nothing to do to the dank hole in a mountain in which she spent the loneliest time of her life. The gate swung open as he gently pushed on it with his fingers, a creaking noise echoing throughout the cave. Rust drifted off the hinges, which had not been opened in years, the bronze powder falling on the ground like metallic snow. As he slowly entered this cavern, Joseph felt a small drop of water hit his head. He looked up, and sure enough, small cracks in the ceiling brought rainwater into the musty place. The atmosphere was quite damp, with the smell of rotting of some sort slightly perceivable. It was most likely a forest animal that had taken shelter during a storm, and died there. He couldn't see anything beyond the vantage point that he was standing, so Joseph turned on the shrine lantern that Kasuhito had let him borrow. Instantly, the area illuminated, Juraian writings covering parts of the walls, and the scene revealed. At the front of the cave was a split rock with runes, hastily tied together by vines of some sort, probably by a curious young man a few years back. There were rusted pieces of a sword lying on the ground, scattered about as if shattered. They were probably an old shell of the Tenchiken, broken after accidentally slammed against a dented rock. A small house-like object stood nearby the back center of the cave, with a Shinto-like design to it. Two little doors were open, a small hole inside the house, from where a sword had been stored. North of the rock and the house were two giant granite doors, Juraian warnings written on parts of it. Joseph looked at it, and tried to decipher the writing and the runes. Ayeka had been helping him learn Juraian for the past few weeks, and her lessons were valuable in this situation. "Warning! This door is to be remained shut by the orders of Prince Yosho of Jurai! Any persons attempting to open this and caught shall be prosecuted." One warning read. Joseph simply grinned; the Prince had directly told him to go into here. The warnings were long outdated. He put his hands between the crack separating the two doors, the gap itself being half an inch or so. He pulled the left one away from the right. However, they did not open. He tried for awhile, but the giant slabs would not budge. Frustrated, he sat down on the rock tied with the vines. His behind must have upset the gentle balance keeping them together, because the dried vines suddenly snapped, and the rock split once again. The doors opened. Joseph looked at the door, then the rock. Smiling, he slowly got up, and placed his lantern back in his hands. The door revealed a steep ramp of some sort, covered by geometrical patterns of rock, making maze-like grooves throughout the structure. Quietly, Joseph walked over to it. In the distance, he could see a small glowing light inside a giant well of liquid. "That must be where Ryoko slept for all that time..." He thought, as he went on his stomach, and meticulously climbed down the grooves. There were shoeprints at various points of the ramp, evidence of a teenager clumsily falling down what he now climbed. For fifteen minutes, he went down, until his feet touched some very cold water. He stood up, examining his new surroundings. The maze-rock covered the ground, water in between the grooves. The flooring surrounded a deep circular well, where harnesses for someone were immersed in a thick, soupy liquid. Out of his pocket, Joseph took out a small beaker, and gathered some of the water of the floor into it. "Dad and Washuu might want to examine this a little bit...." Joseph thought, as he also scooped some of the soup into another beaker, and corked both. A small light was down in the center of the well. Joseph looked toward it, the effect somehow mesmerizing. Suddenly, a tremendous headache shook him. He fell to the ground, clutching his head. As a Psionic Mage, he was much more attuned to mental energies than most, and there was a suprising amount there. Loneliness and pure emotional pain pervaded his thoughts, as he sampled a small part of the collected grief of Ryoko over uncountable years. The pain was so unbearable that he couldn't even scream. A small amount of blood dripped out of his ears. The pain was effecting his physical mind as well as his soul. Then the light blinked off, and the pain stopped. Joseph stood there, shivering, as the horror soon left him, and replaced by wonder; images of a small boy, that had lived near the cave brought out affectionate feelings, as another light illuminated. Images of watching him grow up entered him, seeing his tragedies and triumphs. "Ryoko really did know Tenchi when he was a child..." Joseph thought, that thought leaving him as well. Picking up the lamp, which had been dropped, he walked around the well. In a small section of the room, there was a small door. He twisted the knob, and it creaked open. Just as Kasuhito had told him, there were parts of this cave which were filled with Juraian artifacts. He had hit the motherload. Books, documents, clothing, and machines were littered about in a little closet that the door led to. Joseph scooped out all of its' contents, until he got to the last artifact there. It was a piece of parchment, with a seed attached. Concentrating hard, Joseph began to translate it from Juraian: "Upon this paper is the seed of Miri-Oh, the daughter-seed of Funaho. If planted and cared for correctly, that seed can turn into a holy Juraian treeship, with its own counciousness and ability to grow a ship around it. This is provided as a gift to those that awoke the sleeping demon, as they will need something powerful to keep her at bay, or at least her master. - Prince Yosho of Jurai." Joseph looked at this interestingly, and picked it up, placing it on top of the other artifacts, as he slowly climbed up the ramp, and out of the cave. He breathed a sigh of relief; the experiences in the cave were very odd, and the mid-fall air felt good against his skin. The leaves on the trees were a golden-brown color, conforming with the sky of the early morning. He walked down the path, past his Pylon, and towards the shrine. He didn't notice it as he passed by Funaho, put refracted beams of light exchanged between the tree and the seed, now not as dry and brittle as it was before Joseph picked it up. He soon reached the Shinto shrine of Kasuhito, quietly knocking on the door. "I'm back, Lord Kasuhito. I found some very interesting items in there." Joseph called, so the old priest should hear him. "Come right in, Joseph. I'd like to see them." He responded, Joseph soon opening the door. He sat by a table, as he wrote something with an old ink pen. Joseph placed the items down on the table, and sat on the opposite end of it as Kasuhito. "These items are your property, I will not agree to taking any of them." Joseph spoke. "Some should be yours, young Joseph. I can see from your face that you endured some of Ryoko's pain, and climbed the long ramp. Please take some as your pay." "I cannot. I do not wish to receive any of these." Kasuhito looks at the parchment with the attached seed. "At the very least, take the seed of Miri-Oh. It has already been awaken. As you walked back here, it made contact with it's mother-tree. It must be planted by he who has awoken it - You. Please do this for me, Joseph. Plant it outside the house. It will quickly grow, as all Juraian trees do. But I sense that this tree will have a lot of significance for you in the near future." Kasuhito said quietly, putting the seed next to Joseph. Joseph looks like he is about to protests, but stops, following his order. On the steps of the shrine, Joseph picks up a small shovel, and a can of water. South of the house, nearby where Sasami had planted some magnolias, Joseph digs a small hole, and places the seed inside, then covering it with the rich soil. He finished this process with a light sprinkling of water. Knowing how Juraian trees flourish with a surplus of water, he dug a small moat around it, just like Funaho's. After he finished, a strange beam of light shot up from the ground. He could see from where he stood that a similar light was refracting off of Funaho, and then Ayeka's Ryu-Oh. When he looked back at the recently- planted tree, there was a small, modest seedling, about two inches tall, with two leaves coming out of the stem. More light beams appeared on the leaves as well, some of them reaching it's parent-tree. Joseph stepped back, and smiled. "What did you plant, Joseph?" Sasami asked, standing behind him with the two cabbits. She then saw, and smiled warmly. "A Juraian seedling! Where did you find it?" "In Ryoko's cave. The tree is called Miri-Oh - Kasuhito told me to plant it a second ago. These things seem to grow pretty fast!" Joseph responded. Ayeka came over to him. "Greetings, Lord Joseph. Lord Kasuhito has told me that you planted Miri-Oh." Ayeka said, going over to him, and looking at the little tree. Ryo-Ohki and Ken-Ohki walked over to it, and sniffed it. The tree responded with a few kind beams, the Cabbits meowing happily as they saw it. It was communicating to them, sending them a greeting, specifically. "Yup. I just did. You don't have to call me Lord Joseph, Miss Ayeka. I'm a humble man - Titles aren't my thing." "But you are Tenchi's brother, therefore making you a Juraian prince, a position which is usually given the title of Lord." "Still, I don't really need to be called that title." "Well....." Ayeka said, blushing, as Joseph smiled at her. He turned to Sasami. "Ready to continue your Wretzokii training today, Sasami?" Joseph asked her. Wretzokii was an Orion martial art, focusing on both swordsmanship, intelligence, and chivalry, as well as the usual physical abilities. "Sure!" Sasami said, getting out a wooden sword from the porch, as Joseph pulled a rubber mannequin out from under the porch, and propping it up on a broom. "Let me see your Dsalihai attack." Joseph proposed. "Remember, this should only be used in extreme situations." Sasami did just that, suddenly slashing her sword at the figure, a huge cut appearing, right after she plunged the sword back into it's sheath. Joseph clapped and smiled, as Ayeka and the cabbits watched in wonder. Sasami had been getting quite good at this in the past few weeks, and was becoming a very cute little warrioress. They practiced for an hour or so, until they were both tired out. While Joseph was watching, he carved a small sword handle out of wood. It was pretty humble, just shaped to look like one, with no real design or anything, and it looked a little similar to the Tenchiken in size as well. As they finished, Sasami hugged Joseph tightly, smiling very warmly, and putting the sword handle into a small box nearby. "Thank you, Joseph." She said. "You're quite welcome, Sasami." Joseph responded, smiling, and hugging her back. Ayeka got a twinge of jealousy as she saw this. To her, besides Tenchi, Joseph was the most attractive man alive. If thinks didn't work out with her and Tenchi, Ayeka planned to try to court his brother. Seeing her little sister that close to him angered her a little. She was too nervous to try to hug him, and would blush when she thought about him in that way. As Ayeka sat in thought, she didn't notice that Sasami, Joseph, and the cabbits had gone back inside. A few minutes later, she finally got up the courage to go and hug Joseph. "Joseph, may I..." She said, stopping when she realized that they had went back inside. Joseph sat on the couch, resting a little bit. "Now is my chance..." She thought, tip-toeing up to him. "Joseph, may I please -" Ayeka said quietly, right before Ryoko interrupted, by hugging Joseph, as she knew what Ayeka was doing to ask. "Miss Ryoko! What are you doing?" Ayeka asked. "Just hugging My Joseph, just like I am going to kiss My Tenchi in a little while." Ryoko grinned. "Joseph is not your Joseph, you sick so-and-so! And Tenchi is definitely not YOUR Tenchi, Ryoko! He is MY Tenchi!" Ayeka angrily responded. Joseph blushed, as Ayeka suddenly hugged him as well, and tried to get Ryoko off of him. As they continued fighting over both him and Tenchi, Joseph was caught in the middle. "Uh...ladies..." Joseph said quietly, but they didn't hear him. Meanwhile, Sasami sat in her chair, shaking her head and sighing as she saw her sister fight with the Space Pirate. She picked up her favorite, and very popular manga, Aya Hotaru. It was a very-well drawn series, the plot focusing on the humorous lives of some high school students, and their funny triumphs and misadventures. She had become an avid reader of it, and had a poster or two of it in her room. Down by the lab, Mihoshi put her ear to the door. A few words trickled in from behind it: "Should I take that sample now, my dear?" Washuu asked, giggling. "Yes, you can. You have magic fingers, remember?" Loknar replied. Mihoshi mischievously grinned, thinking they were having an intimate moment. She opened the door, and rushed in, expecting to see what she thought she would. Instead, they were just standing by a table, ripping out magazine articles. Washuu gently tore out an article about love poetry. "You truly do have magic fingers, my love." Loknar said, smiling, putting his arms around her, and kissing her. They didn't notice Mihoshi for a moment. "...Mihoshi? What are you doing here?" Washuu asked. "Well...I was wondering if you could take a look at my ship." Mihoshi said. "Where is the ship?" "It's kinda broken at the moment." "How so?" "It's a pile of atoms or something." Washuu and Loknar sweatdrop. "Well, where is it?" Loknar asks. Mihoshi hands them a little baggie with scraps of metal and dust inside. "I had taken Yukonojo outside the ship before it happened." "WHAT exactly happened?" "I pushed a big red button with a glass thingie over it." "Was there any writing on the button?" "It said something like 'self-destruct mechanism." Loknar and Washuu sigh. "We'll try to work on it. If you need to go on a mission, you can ride with Joseph." Washuu told Mihoshi, as she examined what was left of Mihoshi's ship. Tenchi came into the room. "Hey, Washuu, Loknar, and Mihoshi. Sasami wanted to tell you guys that lunch was ready." He said. He then looked at the small bag that once was Mihoshi's ship. "What's in there?" "What is left of Mihoshi's ship." Washuu told him. "I...I see." He responded, baffled by it. Mihoshi hadn't destroyed her ship that much before. He went over to the kitchen, where everyone was about to sit down for their meal. As Joseph was just about to sit down, there came some kind of beeping noise. Mihoshi turned on her holographic watch, as it seemed she had received a message from the Galaxy Police. She read it quickly, and turned to Joseph. "It says something about a hostage situation a few light years from here." She summarized. "Let's go then." He replied. "But I wanna eat lunch first." "We can eat lunch in your ship." "My ship is atomized or something." "Well, my ship then." She thought about this for a second. "Well...Oki!" "We'll be back in a few hours, everyone." Joseph told the group, who silently nodded. Joseph went into a bathroom for a moment, quickly changing into his Galaxy Police uniform. His uniform was very similar to the standard issue, except that he had a badge indicating that he was part of the Psionic Legion of the Galaxy Police, and the cap that he had wore during the Battle of the River of Blood. The cap looked very old, dirty, and was stained with his own blood. He wore this out of homage for all the people that died during that battle, including his beloved Miranda. As he put on the cap, he sighed a little bit, his thoughts turning back to that horrible day. Suddenly, the smell of blood entered his nostrils, and his surroundings changed. "Oh dear God! Not again!" He said, as he knew he was having another flashback. Over the past few months, after he settled into the Masaki house, these flashbacks were more frequent than they were beforehand. He knew something was triggering it, but he didn't know what. Around him was a scarred and destroyed farm, the blood of millions on the ground, the carcasses of both Galaxian and Melkar, and discarded weaponry. The sky was a deep red, due to deliberate chemical changes by Melkars on the atmosphere. Nearby, a battle was happening, and he could hear it vividly; he heard the crunching of bones, the screams of men, the slaughter of the innocent, the crackling of the shrapnel as it hit steel, the firing of guns, the missiles of fighters hitting the ground, and most of all, the blast of the laser cannons on the ships floating nearby. He could see those ships, specifically, five of them. They were all painted black, with four smaller ships next to a huge one. The middle ship was the flagship of the Imperial Melkar Expeditionary Force, lead by a man known as Koros. In his mind, he could see Koros, in his second form, of a cybernetic Melkar.....He had a humanoid body, made of steel, with black blades protruding from his arms, a flame-thrower on his arm, and a large blade at his side. At this time, that madman was inhabiting a Melkar body, his Antaran body being rebuilt after a previous battle. None of the higher-ups in the Galaxian Intelligence Agency knew that Koros was really an Antaran. However, Joseph knew that Koros was really an Antaran, as he had been told by Loknar. Suddenly, the shots near Joseph were louder, as a lone Melkar scout saw him, and began to fire. Joseph ducked, unhit by the bullets. Joseph wore the uniform of a Galaxian Marine, and had a plasmatic shotgun at his side. He quickly pulled it out, and fired at the Melkar. It literally split it in half, hitting it in the stomach, separating the torso from the legs. Joseph was breathless. As he had dodged, he had injured himself on some rocks - Only now did he feel the pain. It was like a flaming sword piercing his heart, the sharp blade being turned around, destroying it. He screamed in pain, and he looked at his injured leg, which was severely bleeding. He turned his eyes to his right, and he saw a dark bunker, with a few Galaxian sentries nearby it. He tried to crawl towards it, but it was too far, and he blacked out. The image of Koros kept flashing in his mind as he lost counciousness. When he woke up, he was lying on the floor of the bathroom. "What's taking Joseph so long?" Mihoshi asked, outside the bathroom. "He's having another flashback." Loknar said, sadly sighing, and picking at his food. "Oh." Mihoshi said, frowning. Joseph came out of the bathroom. "Ready to go?" He asked Mihoshi. "I guess." She responded, in her uniform as well. They waved goodbye to everyone, and got into Joseph's ship, which was parked by the lake. Very quickly, they sped toward the system with the hostages, thanks to Joseph's navigational skills. They receive more information about the terrorists from Galaxy Police command, and begin to plan what they will need to do. As they land on the planet, they see the situation. A Swat-team like group has assembled around a warehouse, with crowds of onlookers nearby the blockaded structure. "Give in to our demands!" Shouted a terrorist from inside. Joseph begins his part of the plan. Stealthily, he dodges past the Swat team, and walks against the wall of the building, until he reaches an air vent. He quietly pulls away the grate covering it, and climbs in. Concentrating, he traces the mental signals of the terrorists, and goes through the vents, reaching the vent right above the room where the hostages were being held. There were about fifty of them, mostly workers in the warehouse. The terrorists wore black suits, but with one distinguishing difference from the way terrorists usually looked - On their arms, there was emblem of a flag, with a red Omega on it. As Joseph saw this, he almost choked. That flag was the emblem of the Melkar Empire. He began to try to take down a Psionic shield that the terrorists had used to prevent the Swat team from entering the building, but he was having much difficulty. When he finally took it down, he breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, the vent opened up, dropping him onto the ground, right next to the terrorists. They point their guns at him, and grin. Joseph thinks this is the end for him, but suddenly, - "Freeze!" Mihoshi shouts, a large shotgun in her hands, the swat team right behind her. The terrorists fire at them, but they aren't hit much, and soon get the terrorists arrested, and the hostages freed. He is amazed by this, as Mihoshi isn't exactly the kind of person that could pull something like this off, especially in the nick of time. "You..You saved my life." He spoke, walking over to her. She blushes at this, and blushes even more when he hugs her, and kisses her on the cheek. She giggles a little bit. "It's allright, Joseph. I know you'd do the same for me." She replied. A commanding officer walked towards them. "That was very well handled. I will applaud you both on that. But be careful with evasive measures such as using air vents. They usually end in a disaster, like they almost did." She told them. Joseph nodded, and was silent for a moment. "What was the name of that terrorist group?" Joseph asked. "You can ask one of the terrorists themselves. They're all handcuffed, and their weapons confiscated, so they can't hurt you." The commanding officer responded. Joseph did just that, walking over to a rough-looking terrorist. "Of what organization are you?" "What the hell do you care, you idiot?" The terrorist said. "Tell me, damn you. I want to know!" "Go rot in hell!" "Tell me!." "The Order of the Red Demon. We serve only He Who Is Lord Of All and the Crimson Star. Are you happy now, you inquisitive SOB? " Joseph shook his head as he heard it. Red Demon, 'He Who Is Lord Of All', and the Crimson Star were names commonly associated with Melkar leaders, especially Koros. His face was now slightly pale. He began to walk back toward the ship. Mihoshi ran up, following him. "Joseph, what happened?" "Nothing, Mihoshi." "You look like you just heard something horrible." "I did. Please don't worry about it. Let's get home as soon as we can." His voice was now very monotone and bland, not showing any emotion. It got this way when something horrible had just happened, or when he was depressed. They got back into the ship, and headed back home, silent the entire time. As they flew in the deep vacuum of space, Mihoshi wondered what had happened to Joseph. "He seems very depressed. The terrorist person only said a few things to him. Could they be that bad? I really really care about Joseph, and if he wants to be cheered up, I will easily do that." She thought, her mind, as usual, going fifty miles per minute. Soon, they landed back on Earth, right near the Masaki pond. Everyone was outside to greet them, smiling. Mihoshi smiled, but Joseph had no expression on his face. "Is something wrong?" Ryoko asked, teleporting near him. She thought she could cheer him up by being a little closer than comfortable. She put her hands on his shoulders, but he moved them off. She knew that something was definitely wrong. Joseph walks inside, and goes up to his room, and closes the door. "What happened to him?" Sasami asks. "I don't know." Mihoshi responded, sadly. "I'll go and try to talk to him." Loknar said, going upstairs. He knocks on the door. There is no answer. He opens the door, slowly, the hinges creaking a little bit. Joseph lied on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "What happened back there?" Said Loknar. "The terrorists knew of Koros, and seemed to be a division of the Melkarian-Human Deserters. I have no freakin' clue how they got here, but it scares the hell out of me." Joseph told him, his eyes blank, his eyes like that of a tortured prisoner of war. Loknar nodded, sighing. "Don't worry about it for now. I don't think there is any way in hell that Koros is in this universe. Dinner's going to be ready soon, so you might want to come down in awhile." Loknar spoke, then closing the door and going back downstairs. The mere mention of the Human Deserters made Joseph's heart tear into little scraps. The Human Deserters were those that defected to the Melkarian side during the Battle of the River of Blood, in which Miranda was subsequently killed by Koros. The Deserters had been influenced by merely the love of power and money, brought upon by the words of one man, Christopher Stygian. Stygian was an intelligence agent for the AGN at the time of the attack on Beta Pictoris IV, and served his nation well, until the months preceding the attack. He began to be secretive, shying away most of the time, shunning any form of contact, and was noticed to be increasingly picking missions involving the Melkars. During that battle, Christopher somehow took command of a medium-sized fraction of the Terran forces that were serving under the AGN during that time on the planet. They refused orders from other Galaxian officers, and did not follow the provisional emergency plans that came into play. Later on in the battle, to the horror of every other human, those groups of troops began to fight alongside the Melkarian forces, destroying civilian homes, villages, cities, forests, anything not involved with the battle. They showed no mercy, not even to the tiniest child, or the eldest owl. It was one of the darkest sides of an already dark war. Joseph put his under the pillow. He knew what he was going to think about next. Despite the huge amount of Galaxian casualties during that battle, which essentially became the flashpoint for a galactic-wide war, Joseph's squadron only had one casualty, being Miranda. After that battle, Joseph slipped into deep depression, slowly sinking into the endless void of sorrow. Joseph had seen a lot in that battle, things too horrible to describe. His friends in that squadron knew that he saw a lot more than any man ever should, and they comforted him, even trying to set him up with available girls in that squadron. To Joseph, that group of men and women became his family, and thought that he could somehow persevere. All of them were humanoid, but not exact Terrans. There were a number of Mrrshans in the squadron. The Mrrshans were a cat-like race, usually looking like normal humans, with the exception of the possibility that their human forms might have cat ears or tails. Their true forms were like huge, muscular, humanoid cats, with opposable thumbs, claws, teeth, and piercing eyes. They were usually a peaceful people, avoiding war whenever possible; The Mrrshans were one of the leading nations in the AGN. Others in Joseph's squadron were Darloks, biologically human, except for the fact that their skin color was not like that of a Terran; it could be greenish, bluish, yellowish, reddish, or any other color. They were a people heavily into Psionics, founding many of the grand Psionic institutions throughout the galaxy. There were a few more species in the squadron, but they all co-existed. The squadron won many battles, and pushed back the main Melkarian Invasion fleet from the center of the galaxy, but their last battle was an exception. About a year after the battle in which Miranda died, they were assigned a simple resupply mission on a planet near the fringes of the galaxy. There was no hint of enemy activity in the area, and everything was going fine, until one figure came out of the shadows - Christopher Stygian. Joseph knew what would happen, but it was too fast to make any difference. Several of the Human Deserters popped out of nowhere, and began to fire on his squadron, with weapons of all kinds. They were slaughtered, Joseph being the only survivor. As the killing continued, he helplessly watched almost everyone that he cared for die in agonizing pain. It was the death of Miranda all over again. As the last one was killed, the Deserters turned their attention to Joseph. Then he blacked out for a minute. Most of the Deserters that had attacked were lying on the ground, severely injured, but not dead. He saw Stygian limping into a waiting chopper, having taken an enormous wound to his right leg. Joseph did not know what to make of it, until he saw that in his hand, there was an odd sword. The handle was the color of gold, shining gently in the sunset, contrasting with the carnage and murder around it. Orion inscriptions were carved into it, and energy seemed the flow through it, certain parts of the image illuminating, while others remained blank. The blade seemed to be made of pure light, generated by unknown means. A hum emanated from it, yet the energy seemed constant and still. When Galaxian forces finally came, all of his friends were dead, and all the Deserters unconscious. Joseph did not kill the Deserters, even though he would have been easily able to - But he was not that kind of person. He didn't strike a person down when they lay dying, not even the most despicable villains. Joseph cried that day, his weeping as sorrowful as the day that Miranda died. Joseph was not a person to cry, being very tough emotionally; but even those with hearts of steel would weep at times like that. Joseph closed his eyes, and tried to rest, to try to stop these memories from appearing again. "So, what is wrong with Lord Joseph?" Ayeka asked Loknar. "Something from his past that he saw today. Please don't worry about it." He responded. The look in his eye showed that it was anything but. Ayeka felt like she needed to press, to get some straight answers. However, she realized that it was not the time to ask. Loknar sighed again, and went over to Washuu, putting his arm around her. She did the same, and they went into the lab. When they got inside, he hugged her tightly. It was very hurtful for him to see his son go through this, having the ghosts of his past awaken, and haunt him again and again. Hours passed, and Joseph didn't come down to dinner. He stayed in his room, trying to forget about what he saw today. Everyone tried to have a normal dinner, full of conversation and joyality as usual, but was quite awkward because Joseph wasn't there, and the way he had been that day. Sasami had prepared a delicious dinner, which everyone ate many helpings of. They all talked and ate, but the mood was broken for a moment, when someone mentioned Joseph. They knew he would come down soon enough, but they could not stop thinking about him. Joseph didn't care about anything at the moment. He was sitting on his bed now, in meditation, trying to clear his mind over what he saw, but it was very unsuccessful. He became very frustrated, and tried to sleep, but he kept waking up every few moments, for an unknown reason. Around 12:00 AM, there was a knock at the door, very quiet, and nervous. "Come in..." Joseph muttered quietly. The door creaked open, and Mihoshi came inside. "Are you allright, Joseph?" She asked, sitting down next to him. "I'll survive." He said, solemnly. "Can you tell me what happened today that made you this depressed?" "I really don't want to talk about it right now." She looked at him, puzzled. The puzzled look that she gave him was not the normal look that she had when she didn't understand something physical, like an explanation of a device, or the steps to preparing Miso soup. The look was of both understanding and questioning, of knowing something, but still not fully understanding the concept. "I've seen some pretty horrible things in my career as well. I'm thinking that you saw something today that reminded you of something very disturbing from a few years back." When she wanted to, Mihoshi could be quite intelligent, even clairvoyant. "I know how it feels to be helpless when very bad things happen. My partner, Kiyone, fell into a pit after helping the super-heroine Pretty Sammy and I defeat a space pirate. I think she sacrificed herself in order to save the lives of those that the pirate was threatening to kill. She really didn't have to go like that..." She trailed off towards the end. Thoughts of her long lost partner entered Mihoshi as well, saddening her as well. "Kiyone was the best friend that I had. She and I did everything together...We went shopping together, we went to the movies, we watched TV, we double-dated, and we beat up the bad guys together. She sometimes got a little angry at me, but she got over it quickly. We were best friends, and I had told her that it would be that way forever, and that nothing could stop us." She whispered quietly. After a moment, she hugged him, very tightly. He tried to object, but when he saw a few quiet tears in her eyes, he decided not to. She held onto him for awhile, weeping quietly. Joseph was eventually able to calm her down. But when he calmed her down, she fell asleep in his arms, still holding onto him. He smiled a little, and put her on his bed, and under the covers. "I'm...sorry Joseph..." Mihoshi whispered in her sleep. "It's allright, Mihoshi. I know how it is to lose people that are very very close to you." Joseph whispered, turning off the light, closing the door, and going downstairs. He looked through the windows, and saw the clear night sky. He walked outside, gazing at the vastness of the visible universe. The stars looked like small diamonds in a sea of dark red wine, the mountains in the background like the edges of wine glasses. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a beautiful woman that looked a lot like Ryoko, except with dark blue hair. She sat by Miri-Oh, gently watering it with a small pitcher of water. Joseph shut his eyes tightly as he saw this. "Why?" He whispers, his words quiet, his lips barely moving. As soon as he opens his eyes, the woman is gone. "Why must I be tormented with perpetual images of my long-lost Miranda?" He asked himself. Muttering to himself, he goes back inside, closing the door. He sits down on the couch by the TV, and quickly falls asleep, the starlight gently playing against the features of that tormented man. --- Somewhere, out near the outskirts of the galaxy, a woman with long black hair sat by a table with a radio, in the ruins of an old ship. It looked to have suffered a lot of damage, but was repaired, thanks to that woman. "This is Lieutenant Officer First-Class Kiyone here! Attention! This is Agent Kiyone! Can anyone read me?" She asked, speaking into a small speaker. There was no response but static. "Damn it!" She said, slamming the speaker down onto the table. She had been trapped here for about two years, in an immobile ship, her only contact with the outside world being a cheap holoTV. "It is all her fault!" She yells, glaring at a picture of a certain blonde GP officer, who will remain nameless. "If she just had the brains to send a cleanup crew to the wreckage of this ship after that battle, I would be at my house, drinking tea, and talking with a friend - A boyfriend, probably! But no, she forgot. She always forgets! Mihoshi forgets everything!" Kiyone continued ranting for a few more minutes to herself about her former partner. Even though she had been locked in this ship for a year or two, she had enough supplies, and was able to keep herself entertained. She was still quite beautiful, being only about 22, and much stronger than before, as she did a lot of exercise during the past few years. She planned to become strong enough to 'rip Mihoshi apart' with her bare hands. Out of nowhere, a sound came into the radio. "Agent Kiyone, we read you loud and clear." A voice said. Kiyone sweatdropped. She thought that she has to be dreaming, that this couldn't be true. "Agent Kiyone, are you there?" The voice asked. She ran to the speaker. "Heck yes, I mean, yes sir! I've been trapped here for years! Can you get me out of this floating barrel of nuts and bolts?!?!?!?!?" She said, ecstatic. "We can, and will. We are about to deploy a rescue team." The voice responded. Sure enough, moments later, a hatch opened, and a few Galaxy Police officers stepped in. "Lieutenant, are you ready to.....Oh, my." One of the officers said, stopping in mid sentence, because Kiyone was wearing her nightclothes. She had completely forgot about that. "Just a second!" She said, going into her bedroom, and jumping into her uniform, and collecting her possessions. She came back, and they saluted her this time. "Good. Let's get the heck out of here!" She said, racing into the GP ship docked onto hers. As the ship sped away, she grinned as she saw the small bucket of rust in which she spent two years become smaller, until it could not be seen anymore. She even chuckled as they reached a GP base, about an hour later. She was going home. She was going to be back on her regular missions. She was probably going to try to kill Mihoshi. ---- Joseph awoke to something licking his face, very early in the morning, right before the sun rose. "What the...Oh." He said, stopping after he realized that it was only Ken-Ohki. The cabbit meowed a greeting, and he petted him, the cabbit giving a little purr. He then realized that something was on his stomach. As he looked, it turned out to be Ryo-Ohki. She meowed a good morning as well. Another realization came to him when his stomach growled. He hadn't eaten lunch or dinner the previous day, so it was no wonder that his stomach was aching for food. But as soon as that happened, the cabbits wanted to be petted. He did that for ten minutes or so, thinking it would satisfy them. But when he tried to get up to go eat something, he was proved wrong when the cabbits changed into their cute-child forms, and snuggled into him. "Uh...guys......I'm really hungry....." Joseph said, but the cabbits couldn't hear him. They were snuggling him and purring too loudly. He shrugged, and tried to hold his stomach down. He snuggled into them as well, and before he knew it, he was asleep once again. The next time, he was awoken by being kissed on the cheek by some unknown person. His nose immediately bled a little, and his face blushed. It startled him completely. As he turned to whoever kissed his cheek, the person giggled. "Ryoko..." Joseph spoke, a little annoyed, but happy. "I didn't know if this would have worked on Tenchi, so I decided to try it on you first." She said, a mischievous smile on her face, and her tail waving a little. "So I'm your test man?" "I guess. You're a lot like him, so you react the same way." Joseph smiled. "Is Sasami up yet?" "I don't think so. It's only seven o'clock." Ryoko responded, a small stack of papers then catching her eye. "What the heck is this stuff? It looks like poetry." Joseph quickly took the papers, blushing. "Err....It's just some of my ramblings, that's all." "Why don't you want me to see it? Is there any poetry about me? Love poetry, Joseph?" She asked, emphasizing the last few words, and moving closer to him. He blushed deeper. "It's...um...private. Very private." "Oh well....I guess if you don't want to show it to anyone...It must be very private. Dreams and the like..." "Wha...What kind of dreams, Ryoko?" "You know what I mean. Romantic dreams." He giggled at the end, and teleported into the kitchen. Joseph breathed a sigh of relief. That stack of paper was the poetry and meditations that he had written over the past few months, mainly about the people that he lived around now, and the house itself. It took him awhile to put it all down on paper from his mind, but it usually came out good. He took a look at the meditation/poem that he had written recently, this one about Mihoshi... Sweet Mihoshi, bride of the Sun, the envy of Aphrodite. Her golden locks cascade like a waterfall, gently trailing down lovely canyons and hills. Her gentle skin is as soft as a blanket, the warmness only rivaled by her mind. She looks up at me, with those wonderful blue eyes, the children of the ocean, the sparkles in it like that of the lake on a sunny day, the water clear, pure, and cool. Her beauty is undeniable, comparable to the lovely maidens of heaven, in both spirit and body. Though others may see only her occasional clumsiness, she is not an oaf. What she lacks in dexterity, she makes up for in her love, a love for all things, whether adult or child, plant or animal, her care is unbridled. Her child-like innocence warms the souls of those around her, casting down all of their darkness into a basin of kindness. The angelic Mihoshi is but one of the beauties with which I dwell, with whom each moment I cherish like love itself. Joseph re-read that piece, and decided he needed to do some work on it. He had written many others about Mihoshi, Ryoko, and the other women that he now lived with, that were much better than this. Out of the realm of the unknown, a feeling of foreboding and dread came into Joseph's mind. He stopped correcting his poetry, his pen dropping to the floor with a little click, sounding like a gunshot had gone off in a library. He put his hands on his head, and closed his eyes. Images came into his mind, terrible images. The ghosts of his past were haunting him again, but this time, they were real. They were coming not just to haunt him, but to haunt his friends. "They can't come here. I won't let them." Joseph whispered, cringing. "I won't let them do it. Why won't they leave me alone?" Then the pain began. The intensity of the images increased fivefold, causing him to sweat profusely. Small drops of blood dropped out of his ear, like a rainbow reflected in the sunset, the droplets pelting the blue couch like a summer shower. He was not being truly physically harmed by these thoughts, but the power of them caused his soul to bleed somewhat, the blood somehow becoming part of the physical realm. This all was simply a prelude to the attack. ---- The piece of the old organ floats through the remains of an air pipe, some of the precious oxygen still within it. As it passes through the piece of the organ, a note is heard for a brief second. Of course, it can only be heard inside the tube, as there is no oxygen in space. However, an entity senses it. He was awakened months before, for unknown reasons. His soul rests around the area of his ruined ship, spread about like water in a lake. A red star glows in the southern sky, a red eye in a sea of blackness. Blood seems to drip from it, like it was a wound in the fabric of space and time. "Brother..." He whispers. Out of the star, there comes a portal, made of pure darkness, in a circular formation. Dark Psionic energies swirl around it, some moving in and out the of the portal, as if it was breathing. Oxygen suddenly fills the area, as a man steps out of the portal, not at all effected by the pressure of space. "We must prepare, brother. You and I must merge in order to save you." The man spoke, his voice quiet and raspy. "But I must get revenge on 'Her', and her companions. I will kill them all." The entity responds, in a deep, echoing voice. "We have been instructed not to kill 'Her'. We have come only for the two princes, the son of Earth, and the son of Jurai and Orion, and the goddess of Jurai." He said. "She has to die. Look at what happened here..." "We must merge now." The man says, demanding. He extends his arms, a mysterious force grappling onto it. The blood-red star glows darker, all the stars around it becoming its' original color. The whole area around the ruined ship seems to bleed, crimson liquids dripping over everything. Something seems to seep into the man's body. He stands, expressionless, letting it enter him. Dark lightning flashes many times, and black fire surrounds him. Then, it is all silent. Kagato has merged with Koros. "Let the end of Jurai begin." Koros said, quietly, stepping back into the portal, now in his merged form, his grayish-teal hair not even effected by the weightless-ness, not even waving as he walked. He entered the house of Tokimi, the Cathedral of Darkness. It looked very much like a cathedral, with stained-glass windows, pews, clocks, and inscriptions. However, there was no light, no pure light at least. An errie red light shined through the stained glass windows, causing haunting figures to appear on the floor. He walked around it, and soon found the throne room, where D3 floated. Before D3 could greet him, Tokimi appeared, in the height of a human. She seemed to float toward him. "I have merged, my queen." He whispers, bowing to her. "Excellent. I shall send down your old accomplice down first, to test whether they are strong enough to face us." She responds, without even moving her lips. "My servant, you mean? The one who betrayed his people for greed?" "Yes, him. He will serve well, Mister Koros. Continue your duties." Koros nods, and gets up from bowing. He walks toward a room filled with darkness, and helps prepare his servant. ---- Joseph lay on the couch, his head numbed by the images and the pain. He tried to concentrate, to cleanse his mind of this spiritual infestation. For minutes he tried, eventually balancing the attack with his resistance. But the deadlock held, and neither was winning. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Miri-Oh. Somehow, in a very short time, it had grown into a tiny sapling, with little leaves and branches, and a modest stalk to boot. Out of the leaves came beams of light, generating once it sensed Joseph's pain. The beams moved at Joseph, helping him fight the pain. Joseph couldn't quite understand how the tree was doing this. "Trees don't have minds, they can't sense things! Heck, none of this makes any sense." He thought, as the pain retreated back into a dark corner. He sat up, trying to wipe the cold beads of sweat from his forehead. He noticed the blood that came from his ears for a moment, so he hastily cleaned it up with a napkin. He walked into the kitchen, a little wobbly, but stable. Sasami was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Nearby her was an old cookbook, and a few riceballs to snack on. The two cabbits sat together on box-turned-cabbit bed, looking at Joseph. "Cao?" Ken-Ohki asked Joseph, the translation being "What happened?" "Nothing, Ken-Ohki. Don't worry about it." He responded quietly. "Good morning, Joseph!" Sasami said, smiling at him, while still working. "Hi Sasami. I might not eat much this morning." "Why?" She asked, setting down the food for a moment, and walking over to him. "Some things happened yesterday and this morning that well....Made me depressed. It's hard to explain. I'm sorry." Joseph responded. "It's allright. Eat a little bit, though. I want you to stay healthy!" She responded. Joseph nodded, and sat down at the table, talking to Sasami a little more, and petting the cabbits. While she was making breakfast, Joseph's thoughts turned back to the day before and moments ago....What did it all mean? Why was Koros following him like this? Who launched that mental attack against him? How did Miri-Oh grow so quickly? He was so lost in thought that he almost didn't notice the others coming in. He greeted them as they came, but he wasn't really aware of it. It was habitual by now. His mind was occupied until the food arrived. Any notion of not being hungry faded like an old picture, replaced by the need for food. He ate his quickly, making Sasami smile at how her cooking could change anyone' mind. He was eating as much as Ryoko and Mihoshi for once, leaving them a little quirked as to what was going on. Everyone else finished quickly as well, and went on their daily routine. When Joseph was about to leave, he noticed a lone figure standing in the field. When he saw this, he recognized the person. Joseph fell out of his chair, landing with noise onto the floor. Ryoko and Ayeka ran in quickly, hearing it before anyone else, as if it was instinct. "Are you allright Joseph?" They both asked at the same time, picking him up and then growling at each other. Joseph didn't seem to notice. His eyes were fixed on the figure, his pupils now pinpoints. In the middle of the field stood a man, with long greenish hair, piercing black eyes, and a scar on his right cheek. He seemed to wear the uniform of an AGN Officer, very formal and military-like. However, over on his heart, where the emblem of the AGN would usually be, there was a worn out, torn-up version of it, and put upside-down. The mutilation of an emblem was a direct insult to what it stood for. On the back of the man's right hand there was a red Omega symbol, with the trademark scratchy Melkarian writing below it, clear evidence that he was a higher-up in the Human Deserters. In his left hand was a large scythe, the blade itself made of some kind of black metal, which was already stained with blood. "Joseph? Joseph, what are you looking at? Why aren't you answering us?" Ayeka asked, confused by this. Ryoko saw the man, however, and motioned for Ayeka to be quiet. "Stygian." Joseph whispered, suddenly rushing out of their arms, and onto the porch. He ran as fast as he could, knocking over chairs during his quick sprint. Ayeka and Ryoko followed him outside, cautiously. "What in God's name do you want?" Joseph rasped at the man. "Interesting house you have, Joseph. Interesting women as well. What ever happened to your harlot?" Christopher Stygian responded, his voice low, and calm, and a vicious smile on his lips. "Don't you dare call her that, you maniac!" Joseph said, clenching his fists, and walking down the porch, towards him. "I can if I wish. I know you knew that this might happen. I caused that attack this morning." He grinned. "Tell me, damn it, what do want here?" Stygian didn't answer, only continuing to smile. "Answer me, you b@stard!" "I've come to kill you and your little friends." Stygian said after awhile. Joseph ground his teeth together. He knew that Stygian would say that. "Like hell you won't!" Ryoko yelled, ready to kill Stygian on sight. "Ryoko. Ayeka. Please stay out of this." Joseph said quietly. "Why? We can help you eliminate this barbarian!" Ayeka told him, confidently. "Please. For me." He responded, quietly. "That's nice. Flirting with more harlots that the master can cleanse." Stygian laughed, ready to use his scythe. "Oh, that's it. If you think I'm going to let even you near these two wonderful goddesses, you are very wrong. If you think they're going to let you get near them, you are dead wrong." Joseph whispered loudly. Ayeka and Ryoko blushed a little bit at this. "Fine then. Time for you to die." Stygian said, charging at him. Joseph dodged just in time, missing a slash to the leg. Joseph glared at Stygian. His pulse quickened as particles of light began to collect around him. The particles formed into lightning-like structures, which quickly orbited Joseph at a tremendous pace. As he concentrated the Pure Psionic energies, he made sure that he had it done quickly. The energy soon covered Joseph, other particles forming a cloud around him. Out of nowhere, all of the energy launched at Stygian, and a thunderclap sounded. Stygian grinned at this, absorbing much of the attack with his scythe. However, he cursed when part of it hit his stomach, pushing him back a little. Stygian responded to this with a large volley of dark energies, precipitating in his cupped hands, and in a moment next to Joseph. Part of it hit his side, causing him to bleed. "Damn it!" Joseph rasped. The battle continued, but without much injury. They seemed to be caught in a trench war, with no clear winner. But a few minutes later, it changed. Stygian lifted his hand up into the sky, and a huge flight of black birds came into view - Ravens. The black, elegant birds were silent in their flight, not disturbing anything, yet scaring off any other birds nearby. Their eyes were an unearthly red, and there were traces of blood on their beaks. Something was very wrong here. This was clearly shown when one tried to land on Funaho. After a brief hesitation, the tree emitted a beam of energy at it, destroying the bird. There was no blood, or soft organs. The bird seemed to be dead already, as it was just bones and feathers held together by some ungodly force. The rest of them flew at Joseph, their beaks open and sharp, revealing even sharper, boney teeth, not found on any natural bird. Joseph didn't see them coming. He was only able to fight a few off, until a huge amount of small logs appeared in the air, blasting most of them to hell. Others were destroyed by a woman with an energy sword. "Sorry, Joseph. We can't help not beating the crap out of this idiot." Ryoko said, killing more of the Ravens. "Heh. Having your harem help you, coward?" Stygian laughed. "Not anymore." Ryoko and Ayeka were suddenly hurled to the ground by an invisible force. Stygian lifted his scythe, ready to strike Joseph. Before that could happen, Joseph grabbed something out of a box nearby. It felt like the Tenchiken to him, so he picked it up. He was horrified when he saw that it was the sword handle that he was carving from before. But the terror turned to astonishment as it changed in his hands. The wood turned into a very tough, golden metal; Ancient Orion inscriptions were carved into it, three clear, dark blue gems sat in the middle of it, underneath the banner of Orion, the symbol of infinity. Energy permeated the sword at self, the feeling of something rushing felt while holding it. A huge blue stream of light came out from the top, just like the Tenchiken. The blade of pure energy stopped the scythe, knocking Stygian back. Joseph, bloodied, but now on the offensive, ran toward him, for seconds which seemed to be hours. Sasami watched this all from the window, not sure whether to intervene, or stay where she was. The others watched as well, Mihoshi, Washuu, Loknar, the cabbits, Tenchi, Noboyuki, and Kasuhito. At one point, Sasami was about to go out and help if she could, but a transparent hand stopped her. Tsunami stood behind her, gently holding her back, though only she could see her. "He can do it." She whispered. Sasami nodded, and just watched, Tsunami disappearing, but still watching. As Joseph ran at Christopher Stygian, for a brief moment, Sasami and Tsunami could see faint, transparent wings on his back, and five Lighthawk wings surrounding him. The wings on his back seemed to shine in the early morning sun, while the Lighthawk wings reflected the light like water, but still taking the energy in. Ryoko, Ayeka, or anyone else, including Joseph, couldn't see anything above or on him, let alone see him at all. Joseph closed his eyes, and swung the sword at the suprised Christopher Stygian. As he opened his eyes, he could see the remnant of a volley of pure energy, coming from his sword, hit Christopher, right before the blade struck him. "My body may be lost, but not my soul. Lord Koros will have yours in his possession very soon." Were the last words of Stygian, before he ignited, becoming a puff of smoke. Joseph dropped his sword, the blade de-activating. The new form of the handle and hilt stayed. Any of the remaining ravens suddenly dropped from the sky, their lifeless forms hitting the ground like rocks. Their features and bones immediately began to rot, leaving only a few limbs and bones here and there. Joseph blinked a few times at what happened, then fainted. Ryoko and Ayeka got up, and picked up Joseph. "Joseph! Are you allright?" Ayeka asked, worriedly. He only mumbled a response. He was only semi-councious. "I know a way to wake him up." Ryoko said, smiling, then whispering to Ayeka. They gently kissed his cheeks. He instantly woke up, blushing. "H-How did I? What did I?" He managed to say. He looked at the sword, still in his hands. His thoughts shifted back to the time in which he had almost defeated Stygian, and was shocked by the exact similarity of the blade then, and the one he used today. As he walked in, most everyone hugged him, only Kasuhito, Tenchi, Noboyuki, and Loknar refrained from it, mainly because men didn't usually hug each other. They just shook his hand. Loknar looked a little baffled when he saw the sword. "The Sword of Light." He mumbled, then shaking his head. "Wow! You truly are Tenchi's brother!" Mihoshi said, stating a fact that had been obvious for months. While everyone was talking, Loknar whispered something into Washuu's ears, and her eyes went wide. She nodded after another statement of his. "Could we see the sword for a second, Joseph?" Washuu asked. He quickly handed it to her. "Yup. It's definitely the Sword of Light." Washuu said, looking it over. "What is the Sword of Light?" Mihoshi asked, not even looking at the sword. "It's also known as the Zeratuloken. It's a powerful sword, equal to the Tenchiken. Its user has to be of a certain Orion lineage, or be of the Juraian royal family, just like the Tenchiken. Heck, it is the brother- sword of the Tenchiken, both having been from the same tree, in the center of the Multiverse." Loknar replied, giving a brief explanation. Eventually, everyone broke off into separate conversations. Loknar and Washuu still held the sword. They were puzzled that no one had asked about the gems on the sword, which were the same as those on the Tenchiken, except blue. They took a small sample of the sword, and left it on the table. For the rest of the day, Joseph healed his wounds and slept. He slept really peacefully, all unhappy memories gone, the ghost of his past seemingly exorcised. After waking up around 11PM to read Sasami a story, he fell asleep once more, but this time, something was different. His eyes kept drifting back to the window, and the clear night sky. There were only a few clouds, the rest of the sky unobscured, save for the pale full moon which was high in the sky. He woke up every once in awhile, and looked at it. Something seemed wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. At four in the morning, he woke up again. This time, he saw what was wrong. He put down the manga series that he had been reading for the past few months, the critically-acclaimed Aoi Hoshi. About thirty degrees from Mars, there sat a red star, which seemed to bleed. It was much darker than the orangey-red of the planet, and its' effect seemed to drift onto other nearby stars. He realized what it was. The Crimson Star. The mark of Koros, brother of Kagato, murderer of uncountable innocents. Joseph shut his eyes, and put his pillow over his head, trying to block out the light of the red eye in the sky. --- Somewhere, in Tokimi's chambers, Koros laughed to himself. Stygian's body was gone, but he could be reformed in a few years. Still, the damage had been done. The full attack would begin soon.