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


"Game Plan"


	Kiyone was sitting in a secure room somewhere inside the base. The room 
itself was some sort lounge for soldiers, but the captain had been given 
complete privacy so that the children could rest. There was a black leather 
couch, which Kiyone and Achika were sitting on, three black leather chairs, one 
held Conner, and a few tables with chairs for dining. Conner was busy typing on 
his portable computer, only occasionally did he lift his eyes to look at his 
mother and Achika.

	Achika was lying in Kiyone's lap with her eyes slightly closed. Kiyone was 
slowly petting her hair. "Kiyone?" asked the child.

	"Yes?"

	"Will Mommy be all right?" Fear was clear in her tone.

	Kiyone continued to brush her hair. "Of course, honey. Your Grandma made 
her all better. She's just going to be sleeping for a little while, that's all."

	The little girl yawned. "That's good. I don't want Mommy to be hurt 
anymore."

	The door to the lounge suddenly opened, allowing Mihoshi to hurry inside. 
The blond, wearing a pair of slightly torn tan slacks and pink tank top, looked 
about wildly until she saw her old partner. "Kiyone!"

	"Shhhh!" the teal haired woman said quickly. "You'll wake up Achika."

	Mihoshi's eyes went wide, and she clamped her right hand over her mouth. 
"Sorry," she whispered. 

	Kiyone took a slow breath before speaking again. "Where've you been this 
whole time? Don't tell me you slept through the entire battle?"

	"Oh, no," replied the blond with a cheerful smile. "I was in the 
cafeteria."

	"Eating," Kiyone said with a sigh. "If it's not one it's the other."

	"Well, I was eating until one of them came in and tried to get me," 
Mihoshi explained. "But then I captured him," she added happily.

	Kiyone raised an eyebrow. "Captured who, Mihoshi?"

	The GP raised her right hand above her head. "One of those big lizard 
guys."

	The only thing that kept Kiyone from jumping out of her seat was Achika. 
The captain carefully slid herself out from under the sleeping child and walked 
over to her friend. "Are you telling me that you captured a Ssl'na? Alive?"

	Mihoshi nodded. "Yup."

	The teal haired GP just stood there with her mouth open. "Wh...where is it 
now?"

	"I've got him tied up in the cafeteria," Mihoshi told her.

	Kiyone grabbed the ditz with one hand and started pulling her to the door. 
"Conner, look after Achika until I get back." She stopped and looked over at her 
son. "And don't go exploring."

	"Sure, mom. No problem," he replied without looking up from his computer.

	Kiyone quickly pulled Mihoshi out into the hall. She thought about locking 
the door to the lounge, but decided against it when she realized that Conner 
could hack the locking program with ease. Satisfied that the children would be 
safe for the moment, the captain and the detective ran down the halls to the 
cafeteria. When they arrived, there were already several soldiers waiting 
outside. Kiyone nodded to all of them, and each one stepped aside to let her in. 

	The cafeteria itself was a disaster area. Tables and benches were over 
turned and scattered everywhere. A multitude of foods and beverages littered the 
area, making squishing noises under their shoes. But in the middle of it all, 
was a brown scaled Ssl'na warrior bound by several laser and gravity cuffs.

	"H...how d...did you do that?" stammered Kiyone with a shaking hand.

	Mihoshi started tapping her chin. "I was in here alone eating lunch, when 
this guy came through one of the windows." She pointed to a broken wall of 
windows. "He yelled at me in some language and came at me with a sword of fire. 
I didn't know what to do, so I ran."

	"What happened after that?" pressed Kiyone.

	"Well," continued the ditz, "he chased me around the room for a couple of 
minutes turning all the tables over. Then I remembered that I hand my gun." 
Mihoshi pulled out her GP issue blaster proudly. "So, I started shooting over my 
shoulder while I ran." Kiyone slapped herself in the forehead. "Then as I was 
running through the kitchen, I ran into a rack holding a big pot of soup and 
fell down. The soup fell down, too, spilling all over the floor. Well, then the 
big lizard guy came in after me, but he didn't see the soup on the floor."

	"And he fell, too," interrupted Kiyone. 

	"Yeah!" cheered the bubblehead. "How'd you know?"

	"Lucky guess," sighed the captain. "Go on."

	Mihoshi nodded. "He started to get up, and then he tried to hit me with 
his fire sword. I tried to get up and run, but I slipped on the soup, too. While 
I was falling, my gun went off and hit a pole that was holding a whole lot of 
pots up near the ceiling. The pole broke and the pots all started to fall on his 
head." The blond tucked her gun in her pants. "That was when he stopped moving, 
so I quickly found some soldiers, and they helped me tie him up." She smiled 
happily at Kiyone. "Can you believe it?"

	Kiyone was shaking her head. "No, I can't." She lifted her wrist COM up 
and twisted it once. "Washu, this is Kiyone. Do you copy?"

	"What's up, Kiyone?" came the genius's voice over the wrist COM.

	The captain laughed lightly. "You're not going to believe this."

	Less than five minutes later, Washu, dressed like an Earth surgeon, burst 
through the cafeteria door breathing heavily. She straightened to her full 
height and whistled. "Well I'll be damned. Look what Mihoshi dragged in."

	The Ssl'na, who had been silent up until this point, hissed at the red 
head. "Ishkra kal gura meil, Washu loiraga!"

	Kiyone leaned close to Washu. "What did he just say?"

	The genius was smiling. "He said he knows who I am, and that I am a devil 
woman." She stepped away from the GP's and walked over to the reptile. "Ishkri 
ni kal amma drakth juthda."

	"What did you say?" asked the captain again.

	"Basically, that he's in it up to his neck," she replied with a devious 
smile. "Get the guards outside," she ordered without turning around. "I have a 
few questions I want to ask this fellow...in my lab."

_____ 

	Dawn's light had just started to cast itself over Cylrya, when Washu came 
out of her lab. Her mane of red hair was pulled back into large ponytail, and 
she was now wearing a completely tan jumpsuit. Certain portions of the suit were 
stained green. The genius wiped a hand across her forehead.

	"Phew," she breathed. "That took a little longer than I thought." 

	*My, but it certainly was entertaining,* commented Tokimi. *It is nice to 
know that those reptiles are not as strong willed as we always believed.*

Ignoring Tokimi, Washu looked to her left and watched Ayeka, followed closely by 
Gerin and Nunar, coming towards her. "Morning, Ayeka."

	The Empress bowed her head slightly. "Good morning, Miss Washu. I was just 
coming to check on your progress with the prisoner." She stared at the stains on 
Washu's jumpsuit for a second. "Did you find out anything useful?"

	Washu followed her eyes to the stains, to which the genius gave her a wisp 
of a smile. "It took some persuading, but I managed to pry open his jaws, 
literally."

	Ayeka swallowed hard, and Gerin actually paled slightly. "Well, when will 
you be prepared to share this information?"

	"Just set up a meeting, and I'll be there," Washu told her. 

	The Empress nodded once, and continued down the hall. She stopped a few 
feet away to look back at Washu. "If I may inquire, Washu? What is the current 
status of the prisoner?"

	A shadow briefly passed over Washu's face. "I had to dispose of him," she 
said flatly. "Trust me, Ayeka. You don't want a Ssl'na around, period."

	Ayeka paled herself, now. "Pity," she said finally. "I would have liked to 
question him about his race." She shrugged and resumed walking down the hall.

	"Don't worry, Ayeka," whispered Washu to the Empress's back. "You'll learn 
too much about the Ssl'na soon enough."

	Washu was about to go find an unused shower, when a commotion from down 
the hall caught her attention. A handful of Juraian medical personal were 
crowded around a single figure, who was doing his best to make it down the hall 
without collapsing under his own weight. Washu placed a hand on each hip and 
just watched as Riley did his best to get down the hall.

	"Detective Keshera," one of the doctors said in a pleading voice. "You're 
injuries were very severe. You must get back to bed immediately, or you may 
suffer more damages!"

	Riley, wearing just a hospital gown, grabbed the doctor by the front of 
his white shirt and slammed him up against the wall. "Speak to me again, and 
I'll give *you* an examination you'll never forget!" he growled.

	That said, the doctors and nurses all made great haste to get out of his 
way. Riley shuffled down the hall and would have kept going if Washu had not 
barred his path. 

	"I didn't stitch you up just to have you go out and die, detective," Washu 
scolded.

	"Excuse me, Doctor Hakubi, but I have to get to a ship." The detective 
tried to get by again.

	Washu quickly poked him in the stomach, which caused him to double over in 
pain. "And what will you do when you get to a ship?" she asked, pacing around 
him. "Are you just going to go to Jurai and get yourself killed?"

	He raised himself up, glaring angrily at her. "I have to rescue Sasami."

	The genius folded her arms under her chest. "Not in this condition. Let's 
not forget that you are completely outclassed when it comes to facing her 
captors." Washu leaned forward until their faces were inches apart. "The people 
holding Sasami are basically demi-gods. If they so desired, they could destroy a 
planet in one action."

	She straightened back up and wagged her right index finger in front of his 
face. "What would you do against people like this? Bleed on them? Hit their 
fists with your face?"

	Riley looked back at her with a stone face. "I have to do something."

	Washu looked him up and down. "It's not much, but I think I can work with 
what we have." She took a few steps back and opened the door to her lab. "Step 
into my office, detective."

	He hesitated at first, but Riley was soon following Washu into the lab. 
The darkness soon gave way to Washu's personal medical facility. She led Riley 
over to a single regeneration bed. "Lay down," she ordered.

	As Riley spread out on the bed, Washu walked around the surgical laser 
unit. When she came around the other side, she was wearing a pair of cream 
colored pants, a black blouse, and a white lab coat with an ID tag that read 
"Doctor Washu Hakubi, MD."

	She stopped next to the bed and summoned her holographic laptop. "All 
righty then. Let's take a scan."  

	A group of small, metal globes dropped down to spray Riley with a series 
of red scanning beams. Washu read the results as they appeared on her screen. 
"Okay. Aside from the injuries you suffered yesterday, you're in pretty good 
shape, Riley. Question is, what can we do to beef you up?"

	Riley visibly swallowed. "Beef me up?"

	"It's too bad your connection to space trees is so weak," she went on, 
ignoring his question. "Otherwise, I could just pump you full of Jurai Power." 
She sighed. "Looks like I'll just have to tweak you a little bit."

	"Tweak?" gulped Riley. He started to try and get off the bed. "Thanks, 
Doc, but I think that..."

	Washu easily pushed him back down on the bed. "Do you want to save Sasami 
or not?" He relented and remained down. "Let's see," she mumbled while typing. 
"The fact that you're Juraian makes things easier. It means you should respond 
positively to anything I do to you."

	"Oh, man," he groaned. "What have I gotten myself into?"

	Washu continued typing, running several theories through her computer. 
"It's too bad I can't give out Light Hawk Wings anymore. That would make things 
much easier." Then it hit her. "Hold on a second. You can't get real Light Hawk 
Wings, but I think I can get you damn close."

	A small, subspace hole appeared, and Washu reached into it. She fumbled 
around for a second before going, "Ah ha!"

	The scientist pulled out a long, black plastic case. A table rolled up to 
her right, and she placed the box down. Washu opened it and took out a red gem. 
"My daughter, Ryoko, has the ability to make copies of her gems, which are the 
source of her powers." She held the gem over Riley's face. "This is the one she 
usually uses as an earring. I think I can pump a little bit of extra juice into 
this, thus making it almost as powerful as the real thing."

	"Then what?" asked Riley. 

	Washu gave him her cocky genius smile. "Then I stick it on you. If my 
guess is right, your Juraian make up should allow you to channel its power 
safely." Washu walked over to a glass sphere connected to a spiraling metal 
contraption that was attached to several cables.

	She dropped the gem, which proceeded to hover, into the sphere. "The power 
of this gem should give you just the wild card you need."

	The glass sphere was suddenly field by a storm of energy. The energy 
swirled around for several moments before finally being absorbed by the gem. 
Washu snapped her fingers, and the gem floated up out of the sphere and into her 
hand. She winced slightly from its heat. Next a robotic arm lowered itself down 
above the regeneration bed. Washu placed the gem in its three pronged hand and 
stepped back.

	Restraining straps suddenly sprouted from the bed and wrapped themselves 
around Riley. "Just a precaution," assured Washu. "The pain might make you do 
something wild."

	"What pain?" asked Riley worriedly. 

	A three foot glass wall dropped down between them. "This is really going 
to hurt." She started typing on her laptop. Two more robotic hands came out from 
under the bed and twisted his right wrist up. 

	One held the wrist down while the other sprouted a small laser. "Don't I 
get  anything to dull the pain?" cried the detective. 

	"Might hurt the bonding process," was all Washu said. "Brace yourself." 

	She tapped a key, and the hand with the laser shot out a thin red beam. 
Riley gritted back a scream as the laser made a small incision in his wrist. The 
hand holding the gem quickly descended to insert the red item into the opening. 
Almost immediately red electricity started running up and down Riley's arm. 
Roughly ten seconds later it was over. The straps and hands retracted, leaving 
Riley breathing heavily from his place on the bed.

	Washu tapped another key, and a glass cover came down to seal Riley in. He 
made a surprised cry as the bed began to work its magic. The bed turned capsule 
was suddenly filled with a blue light that lasted for a minute. When the light 
faded, the glass cover lifted away. Riley slowly sat up without any trouble.

	He flexed his hands and twisted his upper body. "Wow," was all he could 
say. Finally, he looked at the gem now imbedded in his right wrist. 

	"Try using it," suggested Washu with giddy smile. 

	"How?"

	"Can you feel the power in the gem?" she asked. He nodded. "Use it like it 
was an extension of your arm. Just picture yourself extending your arm with it."

	"Okay." Riley opened his right hand. The gem glowed briefly, and suddenly 
a red energy saber sprouted from his palm. The detective gripped it and made a 
few test swings. "Amazing! You're a genius, Washu."

	Washu dolls A and B popped up on her shoulders. "You damn straight!" they 
both cried before promptly disappearing again.

	"With that gem you can create energy weapons, blasts, and temporary 
shields," she explained. "It's just the basics, but I think that's all you will 
need."

	Riley gave her a cocky grin. "Lady, knowing the basics can win you the 
game."

_____ 

	Rei had to suppress her growing urges to start blowing things up. Over the 
night, her body had healed itself to a point where she felt that there was no 
longer a need for her to be in bed. A brief memory of Hiro escaping the hospital 
during the night only infuriated her more. Then she realized something. 

	"Why can't I just leave?" She looked down at the fuzzy creature sitting at 
the end of the bed. "Right, Ryo-ohki? If Hiro can leave, then why can't I?"

	The cabbit blinked at her. "Meow meow."

	"Right," she said, not really knowing what Ryo-ohki had said. The raven 
haired teen slid out from under the bed sheets. 

	It took her a few moments, but Rei finally found some of the clothes that 
had been dropped off for her. She winced a few times, but she was eventually 
able to pull on a pair of blue jeans, a black sports bra, and a yellow tank top. 
She ran her fingers through her long hair and shook it once. Ryo-ohki scampered 
up her left arm to take up her perch on top of the teen's head. Before the pair 
left, they stopped over at Ryoko's bed.

	"I'm just going out for a little while, mom," said Rei, with a gentle 
stroking on her mother's arm. "I'll be back soon." Ryo-ohki meowed at her 
sleeping mistress.

	Having checked on Ryoko, Rei and Ryo-ohki left the recovery room. "First 
things first. We find Hiro."

	"Meow?" 

	"Why?" huffed the teen. "Because he ditched me in there, that's why. He's 
probably in his room eating junk food and watching TV while I was laid up in 
there." Her stomach growled. "First I give him a piece of my mind. Then we get 
some breakfast."

	"Meeeow!" agreed the cabbit.

	Rei had just stepped out of the room housing Washu's mini-hospital, when 
Ukarit came striding down the hall. The gangster was holding a basket of fruit 
in his arms. "Hello there, little Masaki. I was just on my way up to see all of 
you."

	"Is that for me?" Rei's eyes were staring at the fruit basket. She licked 
her lips once. 

	Ukarit looked at it. "Uh, yeah. It's for everyone up there..." Rei 
snatched the basket out of his hands and tore the plastic covering off.

	"Mom's the only one left up there," she said before biting into a yellow 
fruit shaped like an apple. She handed something up to Ryo-ohki, who ate it 
without hesitation. 

	"So, kiddo," asked Ukarit as he dusted off his hands. "Where're you off to 
in such a hurry?"

	"Phind Hiro," replied Rei with a full mouth. She swallowed before going 
on. "Then to kick him in the head."

	"Uh huh," said Ukarit with a knowing nod. "Want some company?"

	Rei smiled at the pink man. "Someone's going to have to bring him back 
here when I get finished with 'em."

	The small group was soon walking down the streets towards the building 
where the Masaki family had been staying. Rei continued to eat the fruit as they 
went along. "So," she asked finally. "Where were you during the fight? You don't 
look that hurt."

	"Leah, Somar, the Twins, and I were in one of the hangers," he answered. 
"When the Ssl'na busted in we made a break for one of the shuttles. Leah got 
banged up a little bit when she tried to take one of 'em on, but a well placed 
grenade gave us all enough time to get on board. Once inside we turned the 
shuttles guns on them." 

	He chuckled heartily. "I don't care how tough those scaly bastards are, a 
ship grade plasma gun will turn anyone to dust. We spent the rest of the fight 
providing cover to the troops on the ground."

	The basket was now empty, and Rei dropped it in a trash disintegrator. "At 
least someone didn't get the crap kicked out of them."

	"Ah, don't worry about it, kiddo," Ukarit told her. "We all get the shit 
kicked out of us at one time or another." He reached out and patted her on the 
left shoulder. "Hell, you're still one of the strongest fighters I've ever seen. 
I'd always put my money on you."

	Rei started laughing. "You're a compulsive gambler. You'd bet on anything 
if the odds are good enough."

	The gangster started laughing with her. "Can't argue with that." 

	They continued to talk as they walked through the city. It wasn't too much 
longer before they reached the building where all the members of the Masaki 
family were staying. Not trusting the lifts in the building, they decided to 
take the stairs, although for Rei all she did was float up the seven flights. 
The group, with Ukarit breathing a little heavily, finally arrived at Hiro's 
room. Rei pounded loudly on the door. The raven haired teen was all ready to 
start yelling at her twin the moment he opened the door. When the door actually 
opened, Rei's jaw dropped.

	Leah was standing there, only wearing one of Hiro's black T-shirts. The 
trouble shooter looked equally as shocked as Rei. She looked past the wide eyed 
Rei and Ryo-ohki to the man standing behind them. "Uh, hi, boss."

	Hiro, wearing only a pair of red and green boxer shorts, suddenly appeared 
with his arms wrapped around Leah's upper body. "Who is it?" he asked before 
looking up. 

	"Ahhh!" he cried when he saw Rei.

	Everyone just stood there in the entrance to the room, shocked into 
complete silence. The quiet was finally broken by beeping from Ukarit's 
communicator. He grabbed the item from his belt and raised it to his mouth. "Go 
ahead."

	"It's Somar, boss. Just got the word from the Empress. There's a meeting 
in an hour. She wants you to get together as many people as you can."

	"I don't think that will be a problem," replied the gangster.

_____ 

	Tenchi was pensive. All he could do was pace back and forth next to the 
conference table. "You're going to pace yourself through the floor," commented 
Mayuka.

	"I can't help it," he said. "I just have a bad feeling about things."

	"Tenchi, please sit down," suggested Ayeka from the head of the table. 
"Pacing will not bring anything closer to a conclusion."

	Taking her advice, Tenchi seated himself next to Mayuka. "Calm yourself, 
Tenchi," Yosho told him. "You will need a clear mind for the tasks ahead, and if 
you are distracted, the worst could happen."

	"Thanks, Grandpa," he replied half heartedly. "I'll keep that in mind."

	The door to the conference room opened. Ukarit entered first, followed by 
Somar and the Twins. Next to enter was Rei. Finally Hiro and Leah walked in. 
Tenchi immediately picked up a strange vibe between his twin children. Rei kept 
looking at Hiro, and the cyan haired teen would blush ever so slightly. Deciding 
to deal with it later in private, Tenchi dismissed it for the time being. Not 
five seconds later, Washu, along with Riley, entered at last. The genius was 
dressed in all black with a long, high collared, black coat over the rest of her 
clothes. Everyone in the room watched as she seated herself at the center of the 
left side of the table. Ayeka nodded, and Washu cleared her throat. 

	"We survived yesterday," stated Washu. "Unfortunately, Gabriel has 
everything he needs, now."

	"What is he doing exactly?" asked Admiral Judroa. "Were you able to get 
anything from the prisoner?"

	Washu nodded. "Thanks to the efforts of Mihoshi," the blond giggled, "we 
were able to question a live Ssl'na. I can definitely say that he was Touched. 
In the end, though, that didn't help him at all. You remember what I told you 
about the Eye of the Universe." Everyone nodded. "From what I got from the 
lizard, I am confident in saying that Gabriel has found a way to get back 
there."

	She let that statement hang for a moment. "Sasami is the key."

	Everyone started whispering to each other, all except Riley who just sat 
there stern faced. Washu continued to speak. "From what I can put together, 
Gabriel has constructed some sort of ship. The ship is purely a conductor with 
Sasami at the center. Between the ship and Sasami, Gabriel hopes to create a 
portal to the Eye."

	"Can we stop him in time?" asked Yosho.

	"Depends on what you mean by time," Washu told him. "Can we get to Jurai? 
Yes. Using a Light Hawk Wing generated portal, we can get our fleet there same 
as we did during the Goddess War. Our problem comes in the form of getting to 
Gabriel and the ship once there. There are three hurdles surrounding Gabriel. 
One, his guardians, two, the Ssl'na, and three, the Touched Juraians."

	Washu slowly looked at everyone around the room. "We have our own warriors 
that are strong enough to take on his four guardians. When it comes down to it, 
our army can go toe to toe with the Ssl'na. The problem lies in dealing with the 
Touched Juraian fleet. Since Ayeka has declared that we are not to harm them, we 
can't just go in blasting. What we have to do is come up with a way to 
neutralize that fleet with a minimal loss of life."

	"Minimal loss of life?" Ayeka repeated. "There can be no loss of life."

	"We have to be realistic, Ayeka," Washu tried to explain. "There may be a 
way to save the majority, but there will inevitably be losses." 

	Ukarit whistled and sighed. "Man, it's too bad that the enemy fleet isn't 
like those demon tree ships that Ziasha created during the last war. I'd love to 
be able to take out a single control center again that'd shut 'em all down."

	"That's it!" exclaimed Washu. The genius was on her feet with a wild look 
in her eyes. "Ukarit I could kiss you!"

	The pink man straightened in his chair and grinned. "Really?"

	Washu pretended to ignore him and went on. "We can't shut all the enemy 
tree ships down, but I think I can come up with a way to slave them all to one 
control center."

	"Wait a second," interrupted Kiyone. "Do you mean you can force the entire 
enemy fleet to follow the commands from a single ship in our fleet?"

	Washu shrugged. "Well it doesn't have to be a ship. The control center can 
be anywhere with transmission range, but yeah, I can make it so that we can move 
the enemy fleet safely away until we are finished dealing with Gabriel."

	Ayeka was beaming from her end of the table. "Make it so, Washu."

	The genius was typing on her laptop again. "I've already got my computer 
working on it, but even with the fleet out of the way we might not get to 
Gabriel's ship in time. Even now he is most likely making preparations to open 
the portal."

	Tenchi finally leaned forward to speak. "Washu, is there any way we can 
get to the Eye before Gabriel?"

	Washu flashed him a smile. "I was just about to come to that. There is no 
conventional way to get to the Eye. When my sisters and I were goddesses, we 
could travel there any time we wanted to. As gods, it was our right. When she 
came over, Tsunami retained most of her immortal power. When she and Sasami 
merged, that power completely passed to Sasami as well. Therefore, Gabriel will 
use that power within Sasami to create a doorway to the Eye."

	"So where does that leave us?" asked Kiyone. "Tokimi's dead, and you don't 
have any power left."

	"There might be one way left," Washu told her. "It's a long shot, but 
we'll have to try it." She looked over at Ayeka. "Deploy the fleet and prepare 
for a ground assault. The Ssl'na told me that all the Juraian military is 
manning their fleet. The planet itself is guarded by an army of Ssl'na."

	The Empress nodded. "Right. Admiral, recall the fleet. Commander, mobilize 
our ground forces. The enemy fleet will be herded away by Washu's slave program, 
where the main portion of our fleet will keep them guarded. Then a ground 
assault force lead by myself will attack the planet and wipe out the Ssl'na 
infestation."

	Judroa and Yosho rose and saluted. "Yes, Empress."

	A steely look overcame Ayeka's face. "Gentlemen, ladies, it's time to go 
to war."
_____ 

	Washu grabbed Tenchi, Rei, Kiyone, and Mihoshi as they were leaving the 
conference room. "You three come with me." 

	"Where are we going?" asked Kiyone in an irritated voice.

	"You'll see," said Washu over her shoulder.

	The genius led them into her lab and directly to the workshop. She had 
them all stop directly in front of a ten foot, metallic door frame connected to 
a five foot computer terminal. Washu immediately started typing at the terminal. 
"This should only take a minute."

	Rei was walking around the doorframe. "What is this thing, Grandma?" 

	"It's my Dimensional Doorway," announced the scientist. 

	"Will this get us to the Eye?" asked Tenchi.

	"You wish," Washu said sarcastically. "Sorry, but no amount of normal 
dimensional travel can get us to the Eye. This thing is going to help us get 
something that can break the rules of dimensional travel, though."

	She finished typing and stepped back. "Mihoshi, come here."

	"Okay, Washu," chimed the blond. She walked over and leaned on the 
terminal. "What do you want me to do?" Seconds after the words left her mouth, 
the ditz slipped. 

	Mihoshi flayed her arms wildly in an attempt to catch herself. In the 
process, her hands repeatedly slapped the terminal keyboard. Washu smiled as 
coordinates began flashing across the screen. The blond GP finally regained her 
balance and stepped back to Washu. "Gee, I'm sorry, Washu. Can I still help?"

	Washu reached out and patted Mihoshi on the shoulder. "You already did." 
Next she tapped the coordinate seek key.

	There was an explosion of light inside the doorway, which eventually 
became a door of colored light. "Rei, I want you to stay here and keep an eye on 
the Doorway until we get back. Tenchi, Mihoshi, and Kiyone come with me."

	"In there?" gulped Kiyone. "Why do I have to go, Washu?" 

	The genius walked behind the captain, smiling the entire time. "Because he 
likes pretty girls." Before Kiyone could say anything, Washu pushed her into the 
colored door.

	"Wwwwaaaaaassssshhhhhhuuuuuuu!!!!" echoed Kiyone's cry. 

	"Now," Washu purred as she turned to the others, "doesn't that look like 
fun? Okay, who's next?" Tenchi and Mihoshi looked at each other.

	Tenchi waved a hand towards the doorway. "Uh, ladies first."

	Mihoshi gave him a shining smile. "Wow, thanks, Tenchi. That's so polite 
of you." The ditz happily walked into the doorway without argument.

	"Washu?" offered Tenchi.

	Washu smiled sweetly. "Thanks, Tenchi. You always were such a polite boy."

	The genius stepped through the doorway. All at once she felt her very 
being broken down beyond its basic molecular structure. Then as suddenly as it 
began, the feeling vanished, and Washu found herself standing in a long hallway 
lined with doors on both sides. There was a stumbling sound behind her, 
announcing Tenchi's arrival. Washu moved in front of the group and turned to 
face them all.

	"Now don't touch anything! That especially means you, Mihoshi," ordered 
Washu. "These doors lead to every known dimension in the universe, including 
Hell dimensions."

	"I don't want to go to a Hell dimension," whimpered Mihoshi.

	Kiyone grabbed her old partner. "Then don't touch anything." With Mihoshi 
in a secure hold, she nodded to Washu. "Okay, lead on."

	The former goddess started walking down what looked to be an endless hall. 
"So what is this place, Washu?" asked Tenchi.

	"It's a focal point of space and time," she explained. "Like I said 
before, this place connects to almost every dimension in the universe. Except 
the Eye," she added quickly. "The Eye exists outside of time and space. There 
are only two known ways to get there, and the other one should be here."

	One moment they were walking down the endless hall, and then suddenly 
there was a door before them. Washu knocked once. "It's open," came a man's 
voice from inside.

	The genius turned the knob and entered. What they found on the other side 
was an elderly man in the center of a cozy little library. Two of the three 
walls of the room were filled with books. The farthest wall was nothing but a 
large fireplace with a warm, crackling fire generating both a pleasant heat and 
light. The floor was wall to wall brownish red carpet. In the center of the room 
was a red lounge chair with enlarged arms and back. Next to the chair was a 
small coffee table with several books on it. 

	The elderly gentleman was standing in front of the chair, smiling 
pleasantly. His head was completely bald, and his wizened face sported a bushy 
gray mustache and a pair of completely purple eyes. He wore a pair of loose 
white pants with a similarly colored shirt and a burgundy robe over them. Washu 
continued into the room as if she had always been there.

	"Hello, Zeke," she greeted happily.

	Zeke bowed slightly. "Hello to you, Lady Washu. It has been quite a while 
since your last visit." His smile became a seedy grin. "You're looking quite 
well."

	Washu shrugged. "Mortality's been good to me. Unfortunately, I'm not here 
to catch up on old times. I need the Time Runes."

	"I'm sorry, dear Lady," he said while shaking his head. "I just loaned 
them out."

	"Dammit," cursed the genius, yet she began to chuckle at the same time. "I 
guess we're not the only ones with a universe threatening problem, huh?"

	Zeke chuckled as well. "Believe it or not, the universe is always in 
danger. It's an alternate reality, but the danger is just as great as Gabriel." 
Washu, intrigued, raised an eyebrow. "The Chaos," was all Zeke said.

	"Ouch," said Washu with a pained expression. "I wouldn't want to be the 
one dealing with that." She loosed a long sigh and wiped her forehead. "Then I 
guess there isn't anything you can do to help us."

	*I knew this would be a waste of time,* complained Tokimi. *This old fool 
is nothing but a watcher. He's no help at all.*

	Zeke leaned forward slightly, squinting. "Ah, Tokimi. I almost didn't see 
you there."

	"Tokimi!?" Tenchi, Kiyone, and Mihoshi said in unison. 

	Washu spun around with her hands raised. "I'll explain later." She turned 
back to Zeke and bowed her head. "Thank you for the time, old friend."

	Zeke mimicked her bow. "A pleasure as always, Lady Washu. Nice to see hear 
from you as well, Tokimi."

	*Go back to your duties, old man,* snapped the goddess. *You do not get 
paid to talk with your betters.*

	Zeke only laughed lightly at her remarks. Washu was almost out of the 
door, when he said one last thing. "There's only one place he can open the 
portal, Washu. And take door 5748 to get home."

	The former goddess paused for a moment. Washu smiled over her shoulder at 
the old man. "Thanks for the tip," she said before closing the door all the way.

_____

	Tenchi and the two GP's were waiting in the hall for Washu. "What was that 
guy talking about, Washu?" he asked as soon as she was in the hall. "Tokimi's 
alive?"

	The genius gave them a sheepish grin. "Sort of. To simplify it, her 
essence is inside my head and has been since you killed her physical form." She 
brushed past him.

	"You've got to be joking," Kiyone said. "You mean to tell us that Tokimi's 
been living in your head for the past twenty years? How long have you known 
this?"

	"Only a few weeks," replied the red head. "Now, let' see. Ah, here it is." 
Washu opened one of the doors. "Come on, we don't have time to waste." She 
stepped into the door without any more explanations.

	"I'm getting to old for this," groaned Kiyone. She grabbed Mihoshi and 
followed the genius. Tenchi just shook his head, took a deep breath, and went 
through the door, too.

	He wasn't very surprised to find them back in Washu's lab. The scientist 
was already powering down the Dimensional Doorway. "So, what happened?" Rei was 
asking.

	"It was a bust," Kiyone told her.

	"Not exactly," corrected Washu. "I think I know where Gabriel has to go in 
order to open the portal." She paused for a moment. "Yes, Tokimi, I know that. 
Now shut up and let me finish."

	"This is going to take some getting used to," muttered Tenchi.

	A console chair lowered down from above, and Washu hoped into it. "I want 
you guys to go and get ready for what's coming. I have to get that slave program 
completed, otherwise Ayeka's forces won't stand a chance."

	"Do you need any help, Grandma?" Rei asked enthusiastically.

	Washu shook her head. "No, honey. I'll work faster on my own. You go with 
your father and prepare for the fighting. You, your father, brother, and sister 
are going to have a real fight on your hands once you reach Gabriel's ship."

	Tenchi put an arm around his daughter's shoulders and started guiding her 
out. Kiyone and Mihoshi went with them, and they were all soon standing in the 
halls of the base again. "Come on, Mihoshi. Let's go get ready."

	"Okay, Kiyone," replied the blond. "Do we have enough time to get 
something to eat?" she asked as they walked down the hall.

	Tenchi and Rei started in the opposite direction. "Dad?"

	"Yes?"

	"What's going to happen now?" asked the teenager.

	"I'm going to be honest with you, Rei," he said. "We're going to try and 
stop Gabriel. There's a chance that some of us won't come back, though. I know 
you've seen a lot in the past few weeks, but the things you are about to see 
will be pretty rough."

	Rei looked down at the floor as they walked. "So, lots of people are going 
to die."

	"Yes," he replied. "People are going to die. Maybe even some close to you. 
Rei, you must be prepared emotionally for the possibility that even I or your 
siblings may die today."

	She sniffed and wrapped her left arm around his waist. "You can't die, 
dad. You're the strongest fighter I know."

	Tenchi smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Thanks. I needed to hear 
that." They entered the lobby of the base, where Tenchi stopped. "Now, go find 
your brother and sister. I want you three to start mentally preparing. We're 
going to be facing Gabriel's Light Hawk Warriors, and I want you three to be as 
focused as possible."

	Rei stepped back and bowed deeply. "Yes, sensei." She raised herself up 
and flew off in search of her siblings.

	With Rei gone, Tenchi went to take care of his own mental preparation. It 
didn't take him long to reach the mini hospital and Ryoko's room. When he 
entered the recovery room Achika was sitting in a chair next to the bed, with 
Ryo-ohki on her head, reading a book out loud.

	"And...so the...ad...adventur...adventurous space pirate found the 
tr...treasure chest..." The child stopped reading and looked up at her father. 
"Hi, Daddy," she said cheerfully with her small legs wiggling over the edge of 
the chair. "Me and Ryo-ohki were just reading Mommy a story. I know I like it 
when you read stories to me while I'm sick."

	Tenchi couldn't help but smile at his youngest child's optimism. He knelt 
down in front of her. "That's very sweet of you, honey. I know that Mommy's 
enjoying your story very much. I need to be alone with her for a moment, though. 
Why don't you take Ryo-ohki and wait outside? I'll be there in a second."

	Achika closed her book and floated off the chair up to Ryoko. The little 
girl leaned down and kissed her mother on the cheek. "Bye, Mommy. I'll come back 
and finish the story later." She dropped to the floor lightly and scampered away 
humming a tune with Ryo-ohki.

	When he was alone, Tenchi took the seat next to the bed. He reached out 
and took his wife's right hand. "I just came by to let you know I'm going out 
for a while. Don't worry, though," he said with a laugh. "As soon as I kick 
Gabriel's ass, I'll be right back."

	He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "I promise to look after 
the kids. No matter what, we'll all come back from this one. I'll make sure of 
that." Tenchi placed her hand gently back on the bed, stood, and kissed her 
still lips.

	"I love you," he whispered. 

_____ 

	Hiro found himself sitting on the roof of his apartment building. A brisk 
wind blew past, tussling his hair. His ears twitched at the sound of someone 
else joining him. Leah seated herself down next to him on the roof's edge, 
letting her legs dangle free. Hiro wasn't quite sure what to say, so he just let 
them sit there in silence.

	"Everyone's almost ready to go," Leah told him. "Word has it you're part 
of the group going after Gabriel."

	"Yup." He let that hang for a second. "You been assigned anything yet?"

	She shook her head. "No. There's one more briefing in half an hour. Ukarit 
says he'll volunteer us once everything's been laid out."

	"Hmm," was all Hiro said. Finally, he decided to say what both of them 
were dancing around. "What about us?"

	He barely caught her sniff. "What do you want me to say? Do you want me to 
say that I'm going to worry about you? That I'm afraid that you might die?"

	Hiro smiled and put his left arm around her shoulders. "No."

	Leah responded by laying her head on his shoulder. "Good, cause I'm not."

	He squeezed her with his arm. "Me neither."

	There was a rush of wind as Rei suddenly floated up to their eye level. 
"Come on, lover boy," she said with a smirk. "Dad wants us to run through 
focusing exorcises." She winked at them before flipping around to fly back to 
the ground.

	The pair watched her for a moment. Leah slid over slightly so that she 
could look Hiro in the eyes. "Go on," she urged. "You need all the focus you can 
get." She leaned forward to kiss him briefly.

	"I'll see you at the last briefing," he told her. The troubleshooter 
nodded and got up to leave. Hiro flashed her a grin and teleported to the 
ground.

_____ 

	Gabriel entered the bow of the Ark and smiled contentedly. "Perfect."

	The very front of the ship had been specifically constructed as a focal 
point to create the portal to the Eye of the Universe. The entire immense 
chamber was perfectly polished to a shine all around. In the very center was a 
huge circle with a twenty foot diameter. Fifteen feet in front of the circle was 
a ten foot metal slab with an indentation in the shape of a humanoid. The slab 
was then connected to a terminal directly in front of it. 

	Gabriel snapped his fingers, and his minions entered with the prisoner. 
Zorin and Ashra held the Princess Sasami between them. The princess didn't 
struggle against her captors, but simply let them lead her. They came to a stop 
next to Gabriel. 

	"Place her in the machine," he ordered.

	The two men walked her over to the slab. Sasami was then placed into the 
humanoid indentation. There was a white flash around her, which succeeded in 
holding the aqua haired woman in place. Gabriel slowly walked over to the bound 
princess.

	"How does it feel to be the key to my perfection?" he asked.

	"Your vengeance has consumed you to the point of madness," she answered.

	"That is where you are wrong, Lady Tsunami," he growled. "Not only will I 
get revenge on you and your sisters, but I will at last gain the perfection that 
you denied me."

	Her eyes dropped sadly. "I pity you, Gabriel."

	"Quiet!" shouted the entity. He levitated over to her and thrust his right 
index finger in her face. "Don't you dare pity me, Tsunami!"

	He dropped back to the floor. "Is the fleet deployed?" he demanded of no 
one in particular. 

	"It is taking up position now, my Lord," informed Zorin.

	"Are the Ssl'na in place?"

	"They are awaiting orders in the city," said Ashra.

	Gabriel spun around and walked back to the terminal. He began typing on 
the keyboard. "I want Rashoch, Clay, and Timerra on board immediately. Once the 
Ark has powered up, we are leaving for Nexus."

_____ 

	The final briefing was an exhibition of weapons and equipment. Ayeka stood 
at the head of the table wearing her Juraian battle garb. Shoytal and the Royal 
Guard were all wearing Juraian light armor with color insignias at their left 
shoulders. Kiyone and Mihoshi were suited up in blue and gray light body armor. 
Judroa and Yosho were still in their uniforms. Ukarit was dressed in his black 
vest and pants, except with a trench coat as well and an assortment of weapons. 
The Twins looked the same, as always, and Somar wore a gray jumpsuit. Leah was 
dressed in a black pair of pants, a sleeveless black shirt, a dark blue vest, 
and long sleeveless dark blue coat with handguns holstered at her hips. Riley 
was leaning up against a wall in his GP uniform minus the brown jacket and a 
metal breastplate in its place. 

	The doors opened, and Washu followed by the Masaki family entered. The 
genius was still wearing her all black outfit from earlier. The Masakis, though, 
were ready for war. Tenchi, Hiro, and Rei were already in their Light Hawk 
Armors. Mayuka was in a black jumpsuit with dark blue sleeves and a dark blue 
diamond on her chest and back. 

	"We're out of time, so let's get this over with," barked Washu. "My 
subspace sensors have picked up a strange reaction coming from the Juraian 
system. Whatever he has to do to open the portal to the Eye, Gabriel has 
started." She looked to Ayeka. "Is everything ready?"

	The Empress nodded. "From what you have been able to provide us, we have 
divided the attack into four groups. The fleet will be commanded by Admiral 
Judroa with Commander Yosho as his second. Our fleet's purpose will solely be to 
ward off the enemy fleet once it has been slaved to our control." She nodded to 
Washu.

	"We have a new problem here," began the scientist. "I tried to introduce 
my slave program into the Juraian network. Unfortunately, Clay has set up a 
series of protection programs. I could crack them, but that would take time we 
don't have. Therefore, someone is going to have to break into a Juraian 
communications center and upload the program from there."

	"The success of the slave program is crucial to our victory," continued 
Ayeka. "Volunteers?" as if she needed to ask.

	Ukarit raised his hand without hesitation. "We got this one, Empress."

	"We're going, too," added Kiyone with a gesture to Mihoshi. "We're better 
suited for a strike team than on a ship or a ground assault."

	Ayeka smiled gratefully. "Detailed layouts of the chosen COM station will 
be provided, and Miss Washu will give you the program. Anything else you need 
will be provided." She took in a deep breath. "Once the enemy fleet has been 
detained, we will commence an assault on the capital. Miss Washu has provided us 
with what information she could. At current count, there are said to be at least 
eight hundred thousand Ssl'na warriors in the city." The Empress's eyes thinned. 
"This is unacceptable."

	Shoytal rose from his seat. "After the attack yesterday, we have pulled 
together six hundred thousand knights and soldiers for the attack force. Her 
Majesty and myself will be leading the assault. The rest of our forces will be 
manning the fleet, should we be forced into a space battle. We must make sure 
that Gabriel will no longer have an army to use against us."

	"And lastly," Ayeka went on, "there will be the move against Gabriel, 
himself. A team lead by Lord Tenchi will go after Gabriel's ship aboard Ryo-
ohki. The rest of us must make sure that nothing gets in their way. After all, 
their success will decide everyone's fate. Any questions?" No one moved to 
speak. "Then let's go. Good luck."

_____ 

	Kiyone was fitting several plasma grenades on to her belt when she heard 
someone move behind her. "Shouldn't you be with Ayeka?" she asked without 
turning around.

	The captain's strong resolve threatened to melt as her husband's arms 
wrapped around her waist. "Your team is about to head out," he said in a low 
voice. "I had to wish you good luck."

	She turned around suddenly in his arms, grabbed his face, and kissed the 
knight fiercely. They parted, leaving their foreheads touching. "Don't you dare 
die on me today," warned the teal haired beauty.

	Mastir smiled warmly. "I wouldn't think of it." He leaned in, and they 
shared another passionate kiss.

_____ 

	Hiro was walking across the landing pad in back of the base. Ahead of him 
was Ryo-ohki, her black, crystalline hull shining in the sunlight.  The green 
strips of silk cloth on his Armor snapped in the air as he moved. The teen 
looked to his left and happened to spot the cruiser that Ukarit had 
commandeered. The name "Sure Bet" had been painted in red along the sides of the 
Juraian cruiser. Hiro altered his path and headed towards the ship.

	Ukarit was standing next to his latest toy, smiling his green toothed 
smile. "She's not much, but she's still something," the gangster told the teen 
as he approached.

	"So, when are you guys taking off?" asked Hiro.

	"Same time as the fleet," replied the pink man. "We're going to use the 
same ID trick that they used to rescue Ayeka. It should buy us at least one 
minute of no shooting." He loosed a hearty belly laugh. "How about you guys?"

	Hiro watched the ship. "We'll be part of the second wave. Aunt Ayeka 
doesn't want to take any chances that we'll be hit in the initial attack."

	Both men turned their heads at the sound of footsteps coming down the 
cruiser's ramp. Leah stopped at the bottom and looked at the pair for a moment. 
Ukarit took a big breath and exhaled loudly. "Well, I think I'd better take one 
last look at things before we take off." The gangster slapped Hiro on the back 
and nodded to Leah as he walked up the ramp.

	Hiro and Leah stared at each other quietly for several moments. The 
troubleshooter was the first to break the silence. "Good luck, Hiro."

	He started to scratch the back of his head. "Yeah, you too. I...uh better 
get going." The teen had only gone a few feet, when a pair of hands suddenly 
spun him around. 

	Leah pressed her lips up against his in an extremely passionate kiss. Hiro 
responded in kind and returned with a kiss of his own. She finally pulled back 
and punched him lightly in the chest. "Be careful, hot shot." That said, Leah 
ran back up the ramp.

	"You too," whispered Hiro.

_____ 

	Tenchi, his two eldest daughters, and Washu were waiting below Ryo-ohki 
when Hiro came running up. Tsunami's Knight was about to have Ryo-ohki beam them 
up, when another person ran over to them. 

	"Wait!" cried Riley as he came to a skidding stop. "I'm coming with you 
guys."

	Tenchi was already shaking his head. "No you're not, Riley. We'll be going 
up against Gabriel's best warriors. Each of them has the power to summon Light 
Hawk Wings. All you'll do by coming is get yourself killed."

	The GP took three steps forward, placing himself in Tenchi's face. "Sasami 
is on that ship!" he said passionately. "That's reason enough for me to go."

	Tenchi looked the detective directly in the eyes. For a brief moment, he 
saw himself twenty two years ago reflected in those eyes. Kagato had kidnapped 
Ryoko, and Tenchi had been possessed with the same determination to save her as 
Riley was displaying now, no matter how dangerous it was. He finally cracked a 
smile and nodded to the other man.

	"Okay, Riley, you're in," he said. "But you're going to be on your own. 
The rest of us are going to have our hands full."

	Riley flashed him a cocky smile. "Don't worry about me." He raised his 
right wrist and pulled back the sleeve of his shirt. Tenchi's eyes widened at 
the sight of Ryoko's back up gem. "Washu gave me an upgrade."

	Tenchi looked over at his mother in law, mouth open in an attempt to 
speak. She merely shrugged. "Oh give me a break, Tenchi. Like you didn't see 
this one coming. Now, let's get a move on, or Sasami won't be there to save." 
She clapped her hands, and Ryo-ohki teleported everyone to her bridge.

	When they reappeared, Tenchi dropped himself into the pilot's chair. He 
waved his hand over one of the floating crystals, creating a view screen with 
Ayeka in the center. "We're ready when you are, Ayeka."

	The Empress nodded. "The fleet is in position above the planet, Tenchi. 
The Strike Team is also ready. Just open the portals, and the attack will 
commence."

	"Right. Good luck." He closed the screen and placed his hands over Ryo-
ohki's control spheres. "Okay, Ryo-ohki! Let's go!" 

	"MMMMMMMMEEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!"

	The cabbit battleship rocketed off of the landing pad up through the 
atmosphere. The scene above Barella III was one most of those gathered on the 
bridge had never seen. Thousands of Juraian tree ships filled the local space. 
Hiro actually whistled at the sight. "Washu, please take the controls," said 
Tenchi as he got up and walked over to stand next to the twins. 

	"Are you guys ready?" he asked. 

	They both nodded. "I've done this before, dad. Rei's the one with no 
experience," Hiro told him with a smirk.

	"Shut up, Hiro!" snapped Rei. "At least I can fly without Light Hawk 
Wings," she said finishing the statement by sticking her tongue out at him.

	Tenchi, smiling the whole time, waved his arms in a calming motion. The 
fact that the two of them were arguing meant that they were very focused. If 
either one of them hadn't taken a shot at the other Tenchi would have been 
worried that they might be distracted. "That's enough, you two. Now, just do it 
the way we practiced. And pace yourselves, we'll have to hold the portals open 
until the enemy fleet has been secured."

	"Yes, sensei," the said in unison.

	All three of them closed their eyes and took slow, steady breaths. Almost 
immediately blue, green, and purple portals began to open up all around the 
fleet. The Royal Pride, with the Sure Bet flying close by, led the way through 
the first of the portals, beginning the final assault on Jurai.


To be concluded...


Notes- crunch time. 

Oh, and to anyone here who reads my Lunar fics...*wink wink*.

All comments please go to Roas1@hotmail.com