Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters, places, or events from 
the Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki OAV's or Manatsu No Eve. These are the property of AIC 
and Pioneer. I do own all new events, characters, and places that have occurred 
during and after Tenchi Muyo! Will of the Goddesses.


Tenchi Muyo! Shadows of a Forgotten Sin


"On the Run"


	Sitting in the navigator's chair of the Phoenix Star's bridge, Sasami 
remained quiet as the cruiser came out of hyperspace at the edge of the Ginta 
system. The COM beeped, and Riley tapped his earpiece. "Ginta III, this is the 
Phoenix Star requesting docking space at the Ni-Trita spaceport." He was silent 
a moment while a response came through the earpiece. "Thank you very much. 
Phoenix Star out."

	"Well?" asked Sasami after a moment. They'd been traveling this route for 
two days, and she was itching to get off the ship.

	Riley spun around in his chair. "We've been given permission to land. 
It'll just be a little while more." He gave her a half smile. "Are you sure you 
want off my ship, princess? I really think you shouldn't be out there on your 
own."

	Sasami responded with a small smile. "Thank you, again, detective, but as 
I have already told you we shall soon be parting ways. My presence has already 
brought hardships on the Galaxy Police. I do not want anyone else to suffer in 
my place." She stood and moved towards the exit. "I'll be in my room until we 
land."

_____ 

	The suite was made up of a large bedroom, a den, and an impressive 
bathroom. Ayeka sat atop the cream colored linens of her bed and looked out the 
window of what was in reality her cell. The sun's warm rays streamed in through 
the window, but Jurai's beauty could not hide the true darkness that was beating 
within the Palace. Clean and dressed in a fresh violet and blue kimono, the 
Empress simply sat there silently. Thoughts of her family walked through her 
mind, creating a warm feeling deep inside that allowed her to find the strength 
to keep going. Her left ear twitched as the door to the suite opened and shut. A 
figure stopped at the entrance to the bedroom. 

	"The Emperor awaits you in the dining hall, Lady Ayeka," said the voice 
Ayeka identified belonging to the woman Timerra.

	She slowly turned her head to calmly stare at the other woman. Keeping her 
dark pink eyes on Timerra, Ayeka eased herself forward onto her feet. She 
straightened her kimono, folded her arms within her sleeves, and walked forward. 

	Timerra stepped aside. "After you, Lady." Ayeka glided past her without a 
word.

The two of them walked in silence down the Palace halls. Using the stairs it 
took them several minutes before they reached the dining hall. The hall was the 
size of an auditorium with a fifty foot long, oval table in its center. The 
walls were lined with ancient space trees that gave the room a fresh scent. At 
first glance Ayeka saw that there were only two places set at the immense table. 
Of course one of them was occupied by her father.

	No, that was not her father.

	She had been a prisoner inside the Imperial Palace for three days now, and 
on each day the Empress had been brought to dine with the being that inhabited 
the body of her father. This being called Gabriel had not taken very long to 
reveal himself to her. And for some reason he wanted to dine with her at least 
once each day. Ayeka slowly walked to the seat left of the entity. A soldier 
pulled the chair back, and Ayeka seated herself. 

	Gabriel stopped eating momentarily to greet her. His all white eyes looked 
at her with what had to be mock. "Good evening, Lady Ayeka. And how are you 
fairing tonight?"

	Her eyes returned an icy glare. "The same as I am every night, sir, 
disgusted by your mere presence."

	He chuckled while resuming eating a piece of undercooked meat. As the food 
passed his lips, he let out a satisfied moan. "One can so easily take for 
granted such things as the sense of taste when they are no longer there."

	Ayeka looked down at the plate of food before her. "Why do you bring me 
here day after day?" she asked finally. 

	"I enjoy your company, my dear," he replied after swallowing. "You will 
eventually be executed, Ayeka, but until that day I need you as healthy as 
possible." His following smile caused the bile in her stomach to churn. "After 
all, you are one of the only things keeping the Masakis in line. Of course I 
could eradicate them at any time, but only at a great cost to my forces and 
myself."

	"You cannot keep me nor my family at bay forever, Gabriel," she said 
menacingly. "I know Ryoko will not stay silent on Earth."

	Gabriel sipped at his wine. "Your confidence is amusing, Ayeka. 
Unfortunately it is also misplaced. You forget that you are only one of two aces 
up my sleeve. If you or Ryoko so much as threaten action against me your 
husband, brother, and Tenchi will suffer the consequences."

	Cold rage flooded Ayeka's senses. Instinctively she clawed for a hold of 
her Jurai Power, but a burning sensation from the black ring around her neck was 
the only response. Therefore, she did the next best thing. Ayeka quickly grabbed 
the knife to the right of her plate and lunged for Gabriel's throat. A roar of 
anger escaped her lips as she was halted inches from her target.

	"You continue to amuse me, my dear," chuckled the being inside her father. 
"Remember that any harm you do against me will actually be visited upon your 
father." Ayeka felt herself levitated into the air and away from the table. 
"Timerra, it seems the Lady does not wish to finish her meal. See her back to 
her room at once."

	Timerra disarmed Ayeka and lowered her to the ground. As soon as her feet 
touched down, the Empress was freed from her paralyzing state. Knowing the 
difference between when to fight and when not to, Ayeka let herself be escorted 
out of the dining hall and back to her "suite." Drawing on all of her royal 
composure, Ayeka kept her temper in check during the walk through the Palace. 
Timerra was silent as well, keeping her eyes forward.

	When they finally arrived at her room, Ayeka quietly and calmly walked 
inside. Timerra shut the door without a word, leaving the Empress to her private 
thoughts. She slowly continued into the sleeping chamber. With every step she 
took, a small smile started to spread across Ayeka's lips. She stopped in front 
of her bed and reached into her left sleeve to produce a silver fork. When she 
had attacked Gabriel, neither the entity nor his lackey had noticed her take the 
fork as well.

	"Bit by bit," Ayeka whispered, "I will create an opportunity to escape my 
prison."

_____ 

	Patience was one of Sasami's virtues. Unfortunately, it was wearing very 
thin at the moment. The princess was once again sitting at the Phoenix Star's 
navigator's station as the GP cruiser finally began the final docking procedures 
at the Ni-Trita spaceport. Riley merely sat in his seat whistling an obnoxious 
tune that was really beginning to grate on her nerves. Finger's drumming like 
small pile drivers into the arms of her chair, Sasami loosed a drawn out grunt 
as a sign of her displeasure.

	"How much longer can this possibly take?" she asked for the tenth time in 
five minutes.

	"Do you want to draw attention to us?" countered Riley over his shoulder.

	Sasami ceased her drumming and folded her arms. "No," she replied quietly.

	"Then we can't go flashing around our ID's to speed up the docking 
process," he continued. "If you don't want anyone to notice us, then we have to 
do things the way normal space travelers do."

	 "I don't see why we are docking here in the first place," said Sasami. 
"I'm not staying on Ginta III. In fact, I'll be summoning my ship as soon as I 
get off of this thing."

	Riley looked over his shoulder at her. "Despite your personal plans, the 
Star needs to refuel and stock up on supplies." A light started flashing on the 
COM unit. Riley reached out and tapped the COM on. "This is the Phoenix Star. Go 
ahead."

	"This is Ni-Trita control, Phoenix Star," came a nasal male voice over the 
speaker. "Docking procedures are now complete. You have two hours. Have a nice 
day." 

	"Finally," Sasami grumbled as she got up from her chair. The door to the 
cockpit opened, and the princess quickly headed for the exit hatch. 

	Footsteps echoed behind her, signifying Riley's pursuit. "Wait a second, 
Princess." Sasami was forced to stop as he grabbed a hold of her right arm. "At 
least let me buy you something to eat before you go running off into space."

	She turned her head to look at the detective. The man gave her a half 
smile that caused a small smile to creep onto her face. "Fine," she relented. 
Sasami removed her arm from his grasp and continued down the hall. "I'm not a 
cheap date, though," she added with a small laugh.

	In was not too much later that the two of them were seated in a spaceport 
cafe. The cafe was located on the perimeter of the spaceport itself so that the 
patrons were not all specifically visitors to the port that day. The detective 
and the princess sat at a circular table under a blue and white umbrella 
watching numerous alien races pass by. The air of Ni-Trita was slightly humid, 
but an occasional breeze served to alleviate the discomfort. Sasami added a 
little bit of sugar to the cup of tea in front of her as Riley continued 
speaking to her.

	Riley placed his green colored drink back on the table. "So tell me 
something. I understand that tree ships can do strange things, but since when 
can they just be summoned from anywhere in the galaxy?"

	Sasami sipped a little of her tea. Not quite hot enough, but pleasant 
nonetheless. "My ship is a...special case."

	"Really?" he said quietly. "What kind of ship is it? Battleship? Yacht? 
Cruiser?"

	"Well," she started to say. How could she explain that her ship was THE 
most powerful Juraian battleship? "I guess you could say it could hold its own 
in a fight, but still packs all the comforts of home."

	Riley's mouth opened to ask another question, but anything he might have 
said was cut off by loud calls from inside the cafe itself. Both of them looked 
towards the inner portion of the small restaurant to see a large group gathering 
around the Vid Net screen. Riley got to his feet and motioned for Sasami to 
stay.

	"Sit tight," he said. "I'll see what's going on."

_____ 

	Riley carefully snaked his way into the crowd until he could get a good 
view of whatever was on the Vid Net. He had to hold back a string of curses when 
he finally saw the screen. There was a live feed being shown of roughly a 
hundred Juraian battleships taking up positions around Ginta III. A Juraian 
officer soon replaced the picture of the ships. Any hopes of staying 
inconspicuous vanished when a picture of Sasami appeared next to the officer's 
head.

	"A reward of one million Juraian credits will be given to anyone who can 
give information that will lead to the capture of the Princess Sasami," the 
officer was saying.

	Not bothering to spare the scene another second, Riley quickly, yet 
carefully, extracted himself from the crowd and walked back to where he had left 
Sasami. The princess was still seated at their table and now watching him 
closely as he neared. The detective scanned the street to confirm that almost 
everyone was tuned in to a view screen. He slipped his hands beneath his coat 
and turned off the safeties on his blasters.

	"What's the matter?" asked Sasami when he was close enough.

	Riley stepped behind her chair and pulled it out. "I think it's time to 
leave," he said while taking her by the arm. 

	They started to move, but Sasami stopped short and pulled him around to 
face her. "What's going on, Riley?"

	"A Juraian force just took up orbit around the planet," he told her while 
keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. Several pedestrians were now looking 
in their direction. "They're sending a planet wide message with your picture and 
a one million Juraian credit reward attached to it."

	Sasami's face went white. "Oh, no," she breathed. "I have to get out of 
here immediately."

	"Right," agreed Riley. He took her by the arm again and started moving. 
"That's why we need to get you out of here, now, but on the Star." She was about 
to protest, but he cut her off. "Your ship will definitely tell them that you're 
here. Then we'll have the entire Juraian fleet here instead of just a few 
ships." 

	The princess closed her mouth and nodded. "I see your point," she said 
after a moment.

	Without further argument, the two of them headed for the Phoenix Star's 
docking bay. At every turn there were groups of aliens gathered around view 
screens. Despite her serious face, Riley could see Sasami shaking ever so 
slightly. The blue walled corridors of the spaceport were now teeming with 
conversations about the Juraian ships in orbit. Keeping his left hand holding's 
Sasami's and his other on a blaster, Riley did his best to hurry them along with 
attracting too much attention. They had finally reached the docking ring holding 
the Star, when they ran head long into a humanoid traffic jam.

	The final leg of their hurried trip was blocked by at least two hundred 
aliens and humanoid species milling about. "Damn," hissed Riley. He looked over 
at Sasami and managed a small smile. "Just try and keep your face down." She 
gave him a small smile and nodded.

	And so the two of them carefully waded into the sea of bodies. 
Unfortunately, as it is with many things in life, fate stepped in. Not a quarter 
of the way into the crowd, Sasami tripped and stumbled into a group of ursanoid 
aliens. Riley spun around as he felt her hand leave his grasp. The princess 
landed right into the arms of one of the bearish aliens. When she lifted her 
face up, it was only a fraction of a second before recognition registered on the 
creature's face.

	"Hey!" he started to shout. "Hey! It's the..." His final words were lost 
as Riley slugged him in the maw. The alien was rocked back into his fellows, 
sending them scattering in all directions. 

	The scuffle had succeeded in drawing a decent amount of unwanted attention 
from the rest of the crowd. The detective grabbed his charge by the hand and 
quickly pulled her a long. "No time to be subtle anymore!" he said over his 
shoulder. 

	He led them through the crowd with total disregard for everyone. Aliens of 
all shapes and sizes were shoved aside by the detective in his mad dash for the 
Phoenix Star's docking bay. The farther they progressed, however, the more 
shouts of recognition rose up in their wake. Riley breathed a sigh of relief as 
he spotted the archway leading to his ship. 

	That sigh turned into a curse when he spotted ten Juraian soldiers 
standing near it.

	He and Sasami pulled up short, but just a moment too late. One of the 
Juraians had already seen them. "There!" he shouted with a gesture from his 
force pike.

	"Sasami, get down!" cried Riley as he pulled out his blasters and began 
firing.

	His opening volley of shots succeeded in dropping three of the soldiers, 
but the remaining seven aimed and loosed their own series of shots from their 
force pikes. Riley dropped to his knees and rolled right. He was back on his 
feet instantly and weaving his way towards his foes. At the start of the 
firefight, the crowd had taken whatever cover was available leaving Riley solely 
alone in the corridor. Riley got off a few more shots before making it behind a 
vid-phonebooth. Force blasts from the pikes rained all around him.

	"Just once," Riley said to no one in particular, "I'd like a peaceful 
assignment. Something like giving out parking tickets." The glass around the 
booth shattered, sending shards everywhere. "Meter maids never get shot at!" 

	He raised both his blasters up, took a few quick breaths, and ran for the 
bathroom doorway ten yards away. Force blasts followed him all the way there, 
and the GP answered with blind shots over his shoulders. Somehow, he made it to 
the bathroom entrance without any new holes in his body. With sufficient cover 
for the moment, Riley took a second to try and catch a glimpse of his charge. 

	"Sasami?" he called out. No answer. He cursed silently for not keeping 
better track of the princess. "The captain's going to roast me alive." He was 
just starting to steel himself for another attack run, when a heavy rumbling 
noise made him pause.

	That was when Riley noticed that the Juraians had stopped firing at him. 
The detective peeked around the edge of the entrance just in time to see the 
Phoenix Star's V shaped hull explode out of the docking bay into the corridor. 
The Vector Class cruiser plowed through the hall sending chunks of metal and 
stone falling from the ceiling, and causing the Juraians and all other 
bystanders to run for their lives. Riley only smiled. He holstered his guns and 
ran for the ship while pulling out his control cube. A couple of quick taps on 
the pink object, and the detective teleported himself to the Star's bridge. 

	His smile broadened when he found Sasami seated in front of the ship's 
controls. The princess was busy doing her best to pilot the ship literally 
through the spaceport. She started mumbling Juraian curses while punching 
several buttons.

	"Having problems?" asked Riley. 

	"Where are the NAV computer controls on this thing?" she asked quickly. 

	Riley walked over to the pilot's seat and motioned for her to move. "Let 
me take the controls."

	Sasami hurriedly vacated the chair and resumed her normal seat at the 
navigator's station. "Fine by me." 

	The detective easily dropped into his chair and strapped in. "Buckle up," 
he told his only passenger. "This is not going to be a smooth ride." He grabbed 
the throttle and threw the ship into gear.

_____ 

	The Phoenix Star exploded out of the spaceport aiming for the heavens. 
Sasami didn't need to be an expert to know that the blips on the radar screen 
were all Juraian battleships. It took a few seconds, but she was eventually able 
to call up a visual of the ships. "All the battleships are third generation," 
she told Riley.

	"That's still plenty strong enough to turn us to space ash, Princess," he 
replied. Ten of the hundred battleships began targeting the Star. "Hell, one 
would be enough."

	Sasami watched the view screens as the tree ships released lances of 
yellow energy at them. Several of the blasts scored direct hits, but the Star's 
shields held out. "We won't be able to hold out against fire power like that for 
too much longer," warned Riley. "If you have anymore tricks to save us today, 
I'd sure be open to hearing them now."

	*There is one way,* Sasami thought. *But that will definitely call 
attention to us.* Her hands were now balled into fists. The ship was rocked by 
another series of blasts. There were now twenty battleships following them and 
more on the way. *But what good will it do us to die here?* 

	"Riley," the princess said calmly. "Set whatever hyperspace coordinates 
you need to." She unbuckled her safety straps and stood. "And don't be alarmed 
by what's about to happen."

	If Riley had a reply to that last statement, he didn't even bother to 
voice it. One moment the space ahead of the Phoenix Star was empty. Then, 
suddenly, the battleship Tsunami filled their eyes. The majestic, silver hulled 
ship phased into real space and opened up her batteries on their pursuers. Blue 
green lances of energy vaporized fifteen of the twenty battleships in the blink 
of an eye. The remaining five returned fire, but Tsunami's hull was not even 
blemished by the yellow beams. 

	Sasami took a deep breath and started speaking. "Juraian battle group, 
this is the Royal Battleship Tsunami. Break off your attack immediately, or 
else." Thirty more of the battleships came around the crest of the planet and 
opened fire. Tsunami's ten Light Hawk Wings opened up to absorb the attack. 
"Don't say I didn't warn you."

	The Light Hawk Wings vanished, and Tsunami opened fire on the advancing 
force. "You can get us out of here, now," Sasami told Riley. 

	The detective's face was a portrait of awe. "Whatever you say, ma'am." 
With the flip of a switch the Phoenix Star jumped into hyperspace away from 
Ginta III.

_____ 

	The beeping of a COM signal pulled Gabriel out of his thoughts. He reached 
out and tapped the control pad on his throne. "Yes?"

	"This is Ashra, my lord."

	"Have you found the Lady Tsunami, yet?" asked the entity coolly.

	"One of my task forces recently encountered the princess at a space port 
on Ginta III."

	Gabriel began tapping his fingers. "And?"

He could hear Ashra swallow. "She...she blasted her way out in what was reported 
to be a Vector Class Galaxy Police cruiser with the aide of the battleship 
Tsunami."

	A sigh escaped Gabriel's lips. "Were they able to track her hyperspace 
jump?"

	"For the most part, master," replied Ashra. "What are your orders?"

	Gabriel ceased his finger tapping and folded his hands. "I want *you* to 
follow every possible lead there is. Keep your ears and eyes open, Ashra. She 
may already have gone into hiding. Her guilt will eventually draw her out, but I 
want you to find her just in case. Time is not a luxury these days."

	"As you command, Lord Gabriel." There was a click and the COM unit 
quieted.

"You cannot run forever, Tsunami," whispered Gabriel as his pupilless eyes gazed 
about the throne room. "Your conscience will not allow it." He laughed quietly 
to himself and returned to his inner thoughts.

_____

Druz.

	The fabled Juraian prison planet where only the Empire's most sinister 
criminals were sent. 

	Druz.

	Thought to be only a feared rumor among the seedier inhabitants of the 
galaxy.

	Druz.

	Tenchi, Shoytal, and Yosho's new home. 

	The ship carrying the three men shuddered slightly as it docked with the 
prison planet. The three of them were shackled to the floor of a small room 
somewhere in the ship's lower levels. It was not long after the ship's landing 
that the door to the room slid open. A handful of Juraian soldiers entered and 
roughly pulled the three prisoners out. Each man kept his cool as they were 
pushed down the halls of the ship towards the exit hatch. At the hatchway, their 
chain shackles were removed and replaced by laser cuffs. A soldier smacked the 
hatch release, and Tenchi got his first look at Druz.

Painful light poured through the hatchway, forcing the three prisoners to try 
and shield their sensitive eyes. When his vision finally refocused, Tenchi saw 
everything, or more precisely, nothing. Endless desert stretched for miles all 
around. Golden sand dunes glittered under the light of the planet's three suns. 
The three prisoners were shoved out of the hatchway onto the sand. Each was 
momentarily shocked as the dune before them rose up to reveal a small, metallic 
dome. A new door opened up on the dome and something stepped out.

It was a fairly large reptilian alien standing about eight feet tall. Its bronze 
colored scales glittered in the sunlight. It smiled at them, revealing rows of 
sharp teeth within its oblong maw. Red eyes looked them over once, while a hot 
wind blew past rustling the black dreadlocks that fell from the back of its 
scalp to its shoulders. The alien wore a pair of black pants, no shoes, and what 
looked to be a steel vest with oversized shoulder pads.

"I am Sso'Traknal, the warden," it said in a gruff voice. "Welcome to Druz, 
gentlemen."


To be continued...

Notes- Are we wondering what the hell is going on yet? Good. 

All comments please go to Roas1@hotmail.com