Tempered Steel-The Forging of Washu Disclaimer: I don't own Tenchi and am making no money from this story. AN: This is my first ever Tenchi fic so go easy on me. Feedback: You can let me know what you think at skiwoofe@hotmail.com Unknown Number of Years in the Past For her there was no past, no future. Not because she wanted it that way but simply because the concept hadn't occurred to her yet. Now was all there was, and now she floated in a cold void somehow alive but not knowing or caring about that. A moment or possible an eternity passed she was found by others. To her it didn't matter. Now there was pain. And now there was none. She started to prefer none. How long she was aboard the slaver's ship no one ever knew for sure, but the first records of her aboard were over a thousand year old. The ship itself a generational slaver ship was close to five thousand years old and owned by a race of people whose prime had come and passed. But until the last of them died they would serve their Mistress Tokimi and had done so in finding the girl floating in the void. About Nineteen Thousand Years In The Past It was only after they met that she started to keep an account of her life. Before her encounter with him the past and the future held no meaning to her. It happened on a small planet owned by a family of minor Juraian nobles. The slaver's ship had been damaged in a battle with a Galaxy Police patrol ship and had been forced to land on the small planet. The GP ship only being a patrol ship had asked the local nobility to send in troops to secure the slaver's ship and rescue the captives. Most of the other captives were returned to their home worlds but no one could remember anything at all about her or where they had found her. She learned this only after she had left to go to the Academy and developed a sense of curiosity about her past. But from the moment he took her from the ship in his arms she began to hold on to thoughts of him. Having nowhere else to go she was allowed to stay with his family. As he showed the lost young girl around his home world she began to hold on to the memories of their time together with a quiet desperation. These memories lead her to the discovery of the Past. Slowly she began to anticipate his arrival to her room in the mornings with offers of food and to ask her what she would like to do today. In this way she learned to look to the future, even if at first the only future she could see was his arrival at her door calling her name. The first thoughts she could ever remember having were always about him. She didn't remember how she found out, but she always knew his name was Yoshin and that hers was Washu. Over her first years with him she learn many things about the universe she lived in, but most importantly she learned that she loved to learn new things. Her talent for science won her a scholarship to the Royal Science Academy near the capital world of Jurai and although reluctant to leave Yoshin he convinced her to get out live her own life. Over Five Hundred Years Later Washu ran around her quarters desperately throwing clothes and everything else into subspace portals even though she hadn't completely perfect them yet and she knew most of what went in would be lost. She had completely forgotten she was going to have a visitor today. She and Yoshin had written and even occasionally made n-space calls to each other many times over the years, but this would be the first time she saw him in the flesh in over five hundred years. The thought of seeing him drove all thoughts of science, teaching, and even her competition to see who was best with the recently hired Dr. Clay from her mind. She was taking one last look around the room when the door chime sounded. Taking a deep breath and wiping her sweaty palms on her dress she pushed the last of her nervousness down and opened the door. The sight that greeted her took her breath away. Seeing him on one of their calls to each other was one thing, but she had completely forgotten or had never noticed how hansom he was when you could see all of him. He held himself with the bearing and grace of a hero. Something Washu had learned was far from common among Jurai aristocracy. For his part, Yoshin noted that this Washu was not the same fourteen-year-old girl he had continued to think of her as since she had left for the science academy. As his eyes traveled over the well developed young woman he realized she had finally grown from the eternal young girl she had been for the half a century she had stayed with his family into a stunning young woman appearing no more than about twenty even though he knew she was much older. It came to him for the first time that it was possible that she might be of Juraian blood. The planned two days visit turned into a week and then two weeks as the two friends redefined their relationship into something no one had anticipated. It was at the end of the second week when Yoshin asked Washu to be his wife. Two months later they had been married and were living in Yoshin's family enclave on planet Jurai. The other nobles at court snared and made crude remarks but neither Washu nor Yoshin cared. The only thing that seemed to matter to the newlyweds was that they were together. That seemed only to make their detractors more spiteful and angry. But as Washu soon became pregnant, yet another blow to the Juraian nobles who had children few and far in between if ever, they became so caught up in each other and their happiness that they never thought the harsh words of others could have an effect on them. They were wrong. Nine Months Later "It's a boy!" the new father shouted holding up his crying son for his wife to see. Washu, the greatest scientific genus in the universe, and creator of unimaginable wonders was awed by this small life she had bought into existence. Even with all her knowledge and the many things she had seen nothing had prepared her for the wonder of making a new life. "He's perfect, " she stated as her eyes met those of the one man who had ever made her first consider science and later that something could be more important than its pursuit. He smiled lovingly down at her and answered. "Yes he is. Just like his mother" and with that leaned forward and kissed her sweat soaked brow. What Yoshin hadn't told Washu was that his family had started pressuring him to annul their marriage 'so that he could marry someone more fitting of the family's linage'. He had flatly refused even ignoring threats to cut him off from the family money and disown him. Yoshin knew that the true reason they wanted to get rid of Washu was because the talk form the Emperor's court was getting back home and with family fortunes low no one wanted to lose the favor of the Emperor. Yoshin's family had long given the Empire powerful knights who served as the Royal Guard and other trusted position in the empire. This put them in the envied position of being granted gifts and favors from whichever emperor was current. If anyone had bother to ask this Emperor they would have been disconcerted to learn that he did indeed approve of Yoshin's choice in a wife. In fact he often wished more of the women at court were more like the shy and intelligent woman Yoshin had been so lucky to find. Glancing over at the wife chosen for him by his father he found himself wishing he had been so lucky. Few emperors married for love, which was one of the reasons they were allowed more than one wife. There was always the hope that at least one would be a love match. Seven months later The small family was enjoying the summer day at one of the many parks that lay all across planet Jurai. Washu and Yoshin had awoken to the sun shining into their bedroom for the first time in what seemed like weeks and the decision to go on a picnic and enjoy the beauty of Jurai had seemed like a wonderful idea. They had eaten and spent most of the day relaxing in the light shinning among the great trees of Jurai. It was nearing time to return home, but both were reluctant to return to the trials of the Emperor's court and so they delayed leaving for watching little Mitshin crawl determinedly from flower to flower in pursuit of fleeing butterflies. It was the last time the family would all be together. When the two Knights followed by a group of arms men wearing non descript colors came rushing from the trees the attack came as a complete surprise to both of them. Washu sprang to her feet and ran to snatch up Mitshin before the child was trampled. She didn't know what was going on but she knew it was going to be bad. Yoshin drew his sword and stood between his wife and the oncoming knights in what he could see would be a futile effort to protecting his family. Futile or not he would stand his ground until the end if necessary. He studied their armor as they approached hoping to discover what was happening or who was attacking by the crest that they bore only to let out a shocked cry when he saw his family crest upon their breastplates. "That is the Hakubi family crest you're wearing. I am the second son Mitsu the leader of Hakubi family! Who are you?" The lead knight held up a hand bringing the men behind him to a halt. Yoshin received the second shock of the day when the removed the helm that had covered most of his face. "Brother. Father has sent me to bring you home and to put an end to the disgrace you have bought upon the Hakubi name." Roshini told him calmly. "If father wanted us to retu…" Yoshin began. "You misunderstand brother. Father has placed his grievance with your choice of a…wife before the council of nobles. They have annulled your marriage to this low born harlot and decided upon a suitable wife for someone of your standing." Looking at the odds and knowing there was no way out of this he asked harshly, "And what is to become of Washu and our son?" "Washu is free to go and will be given proper compensation for her…services" Roshini answered with a sneer. "As for the bastard, if you come along quietly he will be given a foster home among some non Juraian family along with a sizable trust fund. If you or Washu tries to resist us the council has given me permission to kill the half-breed here and now. Personally I hope you try to fight. It isn't appropriate to have halfblooded bastards running around ruining our good name." "You can't do this!" Washu cried out. She began to feel a build up of power within her body and she knew that if only she could find a way to direct it against her enemies that she Yoshin and their son could escape. But in her studies of the universe she had never really studied her self or what she was truly capable of and thus there was nothing she could do with the power she felt humming throughout her body. "It's already done. Consider yourself fortunate, Washu. Out of the goodness of his heart father has also allowed you to continue using the Hakubi name. I tried to talk him out of it, but… you know how stubborn he can be." Yoshin knew that this battle was lost. But he also knew that as long as they all still lived that there would be hope for them. He turned and gently took the woman he loved into his arms with their child held between them. "We can't win this, Washu. Even if we get past my brother's men we'll never make it off world. Not if the council has ordered this. And to try would mean the sure death of our child. We can't let that happen." With the stiff nod of agreement from Washu he gently took the baby from her arms. He leaned over and while giving her one last hug whispered into her ear, "Find him, Washu. As long as we live there will always be hope." He gave her one last kiss then took Mitshin and walked away between his brother's men. He didn't look back for fear that if he did so he wouldn't be able leave her. Washu stood in the clearing with tear streaming from her eyes looking in the direction they had gone for hours after they had disappeared into the trees. It was then that she decided she would never be to weak to fight back ever again. Her return to the academy was greeted with great enthusiasm. No one questioned her physical transformation back into the fourteen year old that had first arrived at the academy so long ago. Few of co-workers knew what had befallen her. All they knew was that her fascination with science had increased ten fold. In the following years even her critics had only praise for her inventions and her dedication to science. None of them knew that the inventions she gave to the academy were only the scraps of true work. I will be strong she would think to herself as she worked No one will ever take anything from me without at fight ever again! About Four Hundred Fifty Years Later. The attack on the Hakubi's planet came swift and silently. Unmanned ships (although no one knew they were unmanned) popped out of subspace portals into the space around the planet giving no warning to the defensive satellites or the six GP patrol ships in the heavily trafficked area. The satellites and patrol ships were out gunned and out numbered. Of the three Juraian Tree-ships in orbit two were third generation. Even with the light- hawk wings fully deployed they were destroyed nearly as quickly GP ships. The third Jurai ship was first generation and put up a much stronger fight before it was forced to retreat into hyperspace, but before it's departure it managed to turn the twenty-seven attacking drones that had survived the first assault into thirteen. The remaining drone ships moved into the planet's atmosphere striking at every military facility and noble house on the planet as even more subspace portals were opened and a new set of ground drones joined the attack. The drone that was to destroy the Hakubi palace first plugged itself into the house's computer system and transmitted all the data to the coordinator of the attack. Little Washu's heart broke upon find out that her beloved Yoshin had died over a hundred year ago. And there was no data on what had become of little Mitshin. Overcome by grief and rage at these people who had taken her family as if it were their right Washu sent the drones her final instructions. No one of the house of Hakubi or with a drop of Hakubi blood was to survive. When the GP battle fleet arrived at the planet they found very few survivors, no clues as to who had done this, and that all the members of House Hakubi had died very slow and painful deaths. The noble family was no more. In the entire universe there was now only one person who rightfully used the name Hakubi and who might have gained from such an attack. But when they checked it was confirmed that she was and had been where she had been for the last thousand years. First a student and now teaching at the Royal Science Academy. Looking for evidence was left to the up and coming young detective special class Mitshin. His scores, record, and arrest and conviction rate since joining the GP had surpassed that of any member before him. It was agreed that he was the most likely member of the GP to find who had done this and bring them to justice, so when he reported that there was no evidence to link anyone to this horrific crime no one questioned his word. Taking one last look around the devastated landscape before leaving, Mitshin causally threw a side panel from one of the attacking drones into one of the waste compactors being used by the clean up clue. Only he had see the crab marking of a certain academy scientist on it. Thirteen Thousand years later "How are our little projects coming along Professor Washu?" The Emperor asked gravely of young girl looking up at his throne. Only the foolish were taken in by her apparent youth. The woman in a girl's body who stood before him was undisputedly the greatest mind in the universe and much older than even he was. He held no illusions as to how dangerous she could be if she so chose. "I've nearly completed work on the ship and if I must say so myself it is quiet impressive" she answered. "Nothing short of First Generation Tree-ship will be able to match it for power and speed. But while this ship is much larger it will still be able to out maneuver any ship, even a Jurai a First Generation Tree-ship! I've named it the Soja." "So it should be ready soon?" he asked. "My drones are still making the final components I'll need to complete the construction." Washu paused and look up from her holographic keyboard into the Emperor's eyes, "I still think the construction of something this powerful is a mistake. What if it boarded by pirates or lost in battle?" Emperor Ken'suza frowned in thought looking down at her from dais upon which his throne sat. "If the Soja is as powerful as you say, once it's crewed with Jurai troops it won't lose and no one will be able to get close enough to steal it. Do you really think there is need for such concern?" he asked. With a snap of her fingers Washu's keyboard vanished. "Jurai Tree-ships are the most powerful ships in this galaxy and upon occasion even they lose. But they are tied to the Jurai nobility who are chosen to have them by the Royal Space-Tree Tsunami so even if they are boarded they can't be used against Jurai. The Soja will match that power and lack the safeguard of its crew being chosen by the Holy Tree. The Soja can be stolen and used against you. If anyone ever get their hands on that ship..." The Emperor sat back in his seat pressed his palms together elbows resting on the armrests a look of worry on his face. He stayed this way for some time before a resigned sigh escaped him. "I share your concerns Washu, but I am an old man and I must secure the Empire before death finally claims me." He gestured around him with his hand as if he could see through the walls. "Royal Space trees grow across Jurai in the largest numbers in our history and yet the Holy Tree is giving out fewer tree-ships than ever before. And those that do go out are usually small and not very powerful as if Tsunami is saving the more powerful ones for some reason. The last person to receive a first generation tree-ship was my son, Asuza. That was fifteen hundred years ago, Washu. Every day some new force arrives with ever more powerful weapons. Almost an entire seven-ship fleet was nearly decimated trying to help the Galaxy Police stop a group of common pirates. The pirates only had five ships. I don't know where they got the technology, but it far surpassed anything the GP could throw at them." Washu was suddenly indignant "Hey! I gave you my best designs to give to them! There can't be anything better!" The Emperor smiled at her show of outrage but held up his hand in a consoling gesture, "Most likely there isn't anything better" he told her. "But the Council of Nobles in their… wisdom voted to with-hold the majority of your work and give it to the GP over a stretch of years to ensure our alliance. They bought the vote of the Holy Council with a promise to vote with them on any one issue at any one time they ask. Needless to say that both groups changed their minds when our fleet returned in pieces." Ken'suza shook his head in resignation at the foolishness of the Jurai nobles, and then smiled at a sudden thought. Now the Noble council owes the Holy Council a vote for nothing! He chuckled to quietly. "As for the Galaxy Police," he continued turning his attention back to Washu, "they are even now building the first of your new ships and your control cubes have become standard issue. In the main time they are refitting some of their older ships with your new subspace drive engine. At the very least they'll be much faster to arrive or run in the face of another attack." "When those new cruisers are finished they should be almost as powerful as a second generation tree ship." Washu told him. "Anything that attacks them will regret it." Ken'suza nodded approvingly but said, "In any case you just proved my point for me. The fleet was nearly defeated against ships of lesser design than your own. As your designs and those of others improve and slowly become public anyone will be able to get their hands on them. We have less than three hundred second generation ships and only eighty-three of the first generation ones. Not counting Tsunami of course. We need ships like the Soja to ensure the continued peace." "Still, a ship like the Soja could easily fall into the hands of enemies. I don't..." Washu started at the sound of Ken'suza's fist slamming into his chair arm. "I must prepare Jurai for the future!" he cried out fervently. "Please Miss Washu. I know of your past dealings with my people and that you have no reason to love Jurai, but please give me your best." Washu nodded stiffly, "You're right. I really don't care much for Juraians, but I always keep my word. I expect you to keep yours as well" the threat in her voice was plain. The Emperor nodded back formally, "I already have the location of your son. He is doing well and has a family of his own now. The information is yours once you complete the Soja and the 'Warrior' project. The deeds for the five planets you requested have already been transferred into your name." Washu gave a respectful nod and opened a subspace portal. "I'll get back to work then" she said and started to step through. "Washu?" the Emperor called, cause her to pause but not look back. "You realize that in order for me to give you those planets I had to ennoble you? You are the first non Juraian to hold a Juraian title and lands." "Too bad it came too late" She murmured just loud enough for him to hear. She stepped through the portal back into the only world that held any meaning for her now. Her lab at the Academy. The 'Warrior' project he calls it! Washu thought to herself as she started the final tests. Little did Ken'suza know that a large part of the money and support he had granted her was being put to personal use. Washu had given the Emperor what he wanted and more with the Soja and now she was determined to gain back something that the Juraian Empire had taken from her so many years ago. She nodded to herself when the final test results came out positive. Now all she had to do was have her assistant go collect enough of the Masses and she would finally be able to have a child of her own. And with no father and her hard won control of her own power there would be no threat of anyone ever taking this child from her. "Is she telling me everything?" Emperor Ken'suza asked his spy. The spy a young noble who had been knighted and placed in the Royal Bodyguard smiled thinly and nodded to his lord. "She speaks truthfully, my lord" Kagato lied smoothly. As a distant relation to the royal family it had come as no surprise when he had rapidly surpassed the other knights of Jurai. It hadn't taken him long to catch the eye of the emperor and he soon gain his trust as well. He had enjoyed the position for a while, but was now ready for greater things. Although he made sure no one knew this, his own power had grown to surpass that of Ken'suza and combined with the knowledge he was rapidly gaining from his position as assistant to director Washu he knew that he would soon realize his dream and be the most powerful being in the universe. "Very well then. Return to the academy and keep me appraised of things" the Emperor commanded. With a bow Kagato turn and left the room. As soon as he was out of the emperor's site he vanished to reappear outside Washu's lab. The woman was so obsessed with her projects that she never even noticed the small changes he had made in the Soja or one change he had made in the design of her 'Warrior' project. It was the change to the latter that would give him the weapon he needed to take the Holy Tree, Tsunami. A change which would give him full control of what he thought would be a weapon so powerful that Washu intended to keep it for herself. Twelve Years Later "Mom! Look what I can do!" Ryoko called as came into their quarters. Washu turned away from transferring data from her academy computer into the computer in her new subspace lab to see what new discovery her beloved Ryoko had made this time. Her jaw fell as she saw her daughter floating two meters above the floor. "Ryoko! How did you learn to do that?" she asked. Not that this was the first time Ryoko had displayed powers Washu hadn't foreseen. The infusion of the Masses with one of her eggs had yielded many unexpected results flight just being the latest of them. Add to that the three gems she had fused to her daughter and anything was possible. And once Ryoko learned a new skill she was able to keep using them even without the gems, it to a lesser extent. "We were playing ball and Rikki hit it too high to catch but when I jumped for it I just kept going up" the girl replied excitedly. Washu sat looking thoughtful for a moment. Finally she said, "So. You were out playing ball when you were supposed to come straight home and start your training." There was thump as Ryoko upon realizing she'd been caught lost her concentration and dropped to the floor on her bottom. The look stunned surprise on her face caused Washu to burst into laughter. Washu went over and helped her to her feet. "And that is why you have to train!" she pointed out triumphantly. "Are you going to teach today?" she asked, looking to Washu hopefully. "I really need to finish transferring my data…" Washu began. "I'm not going if you won't be there!" Ryoko shouted defiantly, her small hands balled into fists. "I don't like…him." "And just what is it about me that you don't like?" came a voice from the doorway before Washu had time to reply. "I realize I'm a bit hard on you during your training Ryoko, but that's only because I want you to do you very best." Kagato continued smoothly. Ryoko had stiffened reflexively upon hear that cultured voice behind her. She recovered quickly and moved to stand behind her mother for comfort. Everyone always talked about how brilliant Kagato was and how he was such a gentleman, but Ryoko knew better. Still, no matter how much she wanted to tell her mother what she knew, she couldn't. Kagato had taken great pleasure in giving her detailed descriptions of what he would do to her and her mother if he ever thought she had told anyone, and after some of the 'training sessions' in which he had demonstrated his willingness to do them on her she had little doubt that he could and would do as he had promised. Nothing would make her put her mother in a position where that bastard could get to her. Missing the undercurrents Washu smiled at him gave an explanation for Ryoko's behavior "She just at that stage where she doesn't want to be separated from her mom for too long" she told him. "So which training session is it going to be today?" she asked. "We'll be working with the…Ryo'Oki today" he answered. He hated that cabbit almost as much as he hated the walking talking weapon that Washu insisted on making soft by treating it as a daughter. Washu had somehow manage to convince old Ken'suza that the 'Warrior' project he'd had her working on had failed, but Kagato had a little more knowledge of the project than the diminutive scientist knew he had. The slight alteration he had made to her work only gave him total control of Ryoko for short periods of time or partial control for an unlimited time and he intended for the girl to learn to obey him without question. Otherwise with those gems he still could not understand, she would become too powerful to let live. If he had known about them before he had started his 'training sessions' with little Ryoko he might have tried recruiting her in a less violent manner. Now that he had started this way he had no choice but to continue even knowing that once she fully learned the power of her gems she would be almost unbeatable. That was one of the reasons he went out of his way to destroy any self-esteem the girl started to build. Ryoko gave a sigh of relief. At least when they were working with Ryo'Oki she usually didn't have to worry about him taking over her body. And it was much better than the realistic holo simulations were he forced to kill everyone and everything that moved. Throwing plasma energy and forming an energy sword were two skills she was beginning to wish she had never developed. She could barely sleep at night because of the nightmares. Instead she would wait until her mom fell asleep and then sneak into her room to keep watch over her only to slip back out before Washu awakened. Somehow she knew that the day was fast approaching where Kagato would show Washu his true colors and she intended to do everything in her power to help keep her mother safe. A Little Over Two Years Later Once again Washu stared at the crystal Ken'suza had given her to complete their bargain before his death. Now that she had the information she had no idea what to do with it. All sense of lost she had felt when her husband's family had taken him and their child from her so many years ago had seemed to blow away in the wind with the birth of Ryoko. Now she had what she had spent so long searching for and didn't know what to do with it. Finally with a sigh she inserted the crystal into the computer. And found herself looking a mixture Yoshin's and her own facial features with a hairstyle similar to her own except that was the same blond of his youth. The brown eyes were the same as they had always been, only a little harder. But they were soft as he smiled and draped an arm over the dark haired blue- eyed woman beside him who was holding a toddler with his father's blond hair and his mother's blue eyes. The man suddenly looked at the camera almost staring back at her as if he could see her. Washu felt pride when she finally noticed that he wore the uniform of the Galaxy Police Vice Marshal and was nearly covered in neatly place metals of honor. The air of command about him was visible even recorded and she felt relief at knowing that her baby had made a good life for himself. She had called him and made plans to meet with him, but unfortunately Kagato made his move before they could get together. It wasn't until Vice Marshal Mitshin of the GP reported that the director of the academy had missed a meeting with him that anyone noticed that Washu and Ryoko Hakubi had gone missing. It was all too soon discovered that Ryoko had become one of the worse space pirates the galaxy had ever seen, second only to Kagato, destroying settlements and planet, raiding museums and archeological dig sites, stealing from supply ships, and killing anyone who managed to get within striking distance. Evidence was found suggesting that a former Jurai Knight turned criminal scientist named Kagato had kidnapped Washu. No one ever found a valid link between the kidnapping of the Director of the Royal Science Academy and the fact that her daughter turned to pirating at the same time, but a few people found it suspicious. One of those people was Vice Marshal of the GP. Because of his belief that the admittedly still young Ryoko was being lead or somehow coerced into her criminal acts her status in GP files never went beyond that of Galaxy Most Wanted. For Kagato however there was no excuse and because of the mass murders, planets destroyed, and one two occasions genocide he committed with his own hands his status rose to Eternally Most Wanted with no statue of limitation for his crimes.