Revelations Ryouko's Loss Part 4 By GenSao Converted to text by Hakubi Ryouko Ryou-ouki screamed across the vastness of space attaining a speed far greater than had ever been asked of her. And still Ryouko asked for more. In her heart she knew it was too late. Tenchi had been gone for hours before she left. Time enough for him to get to the randevous. More than time enough for Washu to do whatever she'd planned to. Washu. Ryouko should have known. She should have guessed. She cursed herself for a fool at not having seen the obvious. Achika hadn't been -- couldn't have been Aeka's idea. The princess was too proper to come up with something like this. Oh, she was intelligent enough to see an opportunity when it presented itself but not devious enough to come up with the initial idea. ~Faster. Faster.~ she chanted to herself, her thoughts slipping over into Ryou-ouki's mind. The ship was already pushing herself beyond safe maxims and she knew that if she went any faster she'd cause irrepariable damage. But she reached down and coaxed out an erg more energy -- a bit more speed. Tenchi needed her. * Across the cosmos a Jurai Battleship also raced towards its destination. Aeka cursed. Here she was heading back to Jurai while her husband's life was in the hands of that pirate. She paced across the bridge of her ship angry at herself for letting Ryouko dictate their course of action. But she had been correct. Aeka was the better choice to go to Jurai. "You better save him, Ryouko." she growled out. "Ma'am?" one of the two guardians queried as it turned to her. "Nothing, Joururi. What is our ETA to Jurai?" "At our current speed we will arrive within two days, seven hours, twenty-one minutes." he replied. Aeka nodded. An alarmed shreiked to life suddenly causing Aeka to jump. "What is it!?" she demanded. Joururi turned back to his station as a holographic display appeared. "A ship is on an intercept course with us." he said. "What ship? Show it to me!" "Yokai!" A large screen appeared above and in front of the guardians. Aeka gaped at the image it showed, her eyes widening and her head shaking in denial. "It's not possible." she whispered. * Tenchi paced passed the Jurai Guardians for the tenth time. Asaka and Kamadaki followed his progress with their single "eye" awaiting the inevitable -- "Anything on long range scanners?" Tenchi asked one again. "Nothing Tenchi-sama. Nothing has been on the LRS since we arrived." Azaka explained. "Where could she be?" Tenchi growled out softly. He arrived at the randevous a little ahead of schedule but Aeka did not arrive when her message said she would. Nor had she an hour later. Or the hour after that. Tenchi had begun to worry when she was initially late, but now he was nearly frantic. "Nothing on sub-space radio?" he queried as he moved to stand between the Guardians. "Nothing." Kamadake replied. "Aeka-sama is not answering any of our pages. But as I explained, there are any number of reasons why that could be." "She could be in trouble." Tenchi stated firmly. "Hai. That is one of the possibilities." Kamadake agreed. Tenchi continued his his pacing, head bowed in thought. "Enough." he growled out. "That's it. I'm not waiting any longer." "Azaka! Kamadake! Take us back to Earth! There's something very wrong here!" "Yoka-- " Azaka began when the early warning alarm sounded. Surprised, the Guardians and Tenchi turned to the main screen as it came up. The crosshair pattern with concentric circles displayed a fast moving ship bearing down on them. "Identify!" Tenchi barked out. "Yokai! Ship Identification is -- " Azaka paused then turned to Tenchi. "Tenchi-sama! It's the Ryou-ouki!! And she coming in fast!!" * "Raise the Wings of the Lighthawk!!" Aeka screamed out. "Joururi!! Get Achika to safety!!" The Guardians complied, one breaking from his station and gently taking the Jurai princess child off of the bridge and into the depths of the ship. The other raised the utlimate defense system of the Jurai fleet. The three "wings" of energy unfolded, their brilliant blue-white light bathing the Jurai battleship in a majestic aura. The wings rotated to blocked the first beam of energy lancing towards the battleship, then rotated again to block a second. And a third. Soon more lances of energy were flashing towards the Jurai battleship than the Lighthawk Wings could effectively block. Aeka was thrown to the floor as the ship lurched violently from the energy strikes. She screamed out as her shoulder bounced painfully off of the floor. She pulled herself to her feet just as one of the consoles exploded in a shower of bark and flames. She stumbled back while covering her face. "Ashito!! Status?" she called out as she wiped blood from her brow. "Lighthawk Wings are down to twenty-five percent, Aeka-sama! We have massive damage all along the superstructure." Another explosion rocked the ship. "HULL BREACH!!" Ashito warned as debris showered, briefly, down into the bridge. "SHIMATTA!!!" Aeka screamed. * Ryou-ouki blazed into the space sector her weapons primed and ready. Ryouko's eyes scanned the empty space, looking for debris of Tenchi's ship. Instead her eyes lighted on the Jurai battleship floating peacefully -- alone. What the? she thought as she double checked her coordinates. This is the right place. And yet -- Her comminication beacon cried out and Ryouko opened a link to Tenchi's ship. "RYOUKO! What's wrong?" Tenchi demanded. "WHERE'S washu!! WHERE'S THAT WITCH AT?" "What? What are you talking about Ryouko?" "That message was a dupe Tenchi!! Washu sent it to get you out here so she could trap you!!" "What?" Tenchi asked blinking owlishly. "But, how -- " "That's not important now." Ryouko interrupted. If Washu isn't here then -- "Oh my god." she gasped. "What? WHAT?" Tenchi demanded. Instead of answering Ryou-ouki screamed off in the direction she'd come. "Damn it!! FOLLOW HER!!" "Yokai!" Azaka replied. Ryou-ouki raced back towards Earth and, more importantly, towards Jurai. The ship's communication beacon chirped again and Tenchi's face appeared in the viewscreen. "Ryouko! What's the rush?" he demanded. "Washu wasn't setting a trap for you, Tenchi. She couldn't have been. I don't think she'd hurt you. But Aeka... I sent her back to Jurai, to warn her family. It's just possible that -- " "No." Tenchi interrupted. * Wooden debris streamed from what was left of the bridge section of the Jurai ship. Seated in a high-back command chair Washu blinked at the massive damage very peturbed. "I said DISABLE the ship, not destroy it!!" she screamed. "My apologies." a voice said from the shadows of the ship she was in. Washu sighed. "Any life signs?" she asked. "No." the voice replied. "All life signs have been extinguished." "Kusou!" the scientist growled out. "Oh well. I guess I'll have to do this the hard way." "Take us to Jurai." she ordered as the chair swivelled to point her at the shadows. "And engage the cloaking device." "Yokai, Washu-sama." the voice said. Slowly, almost regally, a silhouette banked away from the destroyed battleship. Momentarily the rays of a nearby star pulled the object from the shadows and the ship beneath was revealed. The Souja pointed her nose toward Jurai space then the cloaking device engaged and she vanished from prying eyes.