Copyright 2002 by Steve Robinson, All existing Tenchi characters are copyright Pioneer AIC. The character Ryeka is copyright 2002 by Steve Robinson (me) Disclaimer - Look, it's a fan fic, so don't get bent out of shape. I thought up this idea a while ago, so I'm unabashedly pirating the Tenchi universe and bending it to my own nefarious purposes. I haven't read the millions of lines of existing a fan fic, so I can't say for sure that no one else has written this story line, but if so, well great minds and all that. I am sure that if Pioneer and company refrains from suing me, so should you. Besides, I wouldn't be listening anyways, la la la.... This fic is posted in its entirety at http://www.viciousbunny.net/ ------------------------------------------------------------- Thicker than Blood Chapter 4 The Juraian battleship Senzo loomed in High Earth Orbit. The long graceful curves and elegant architecture dominated over all of the primitive Terran space vehicles that passed around it. The idea of using wood to build an interstellar vessel was beyond the psychological ability of the Earthling engineers to accept. Vaguely reminiscent of a Viking ships with dozens of oar-like protrusions extending from the sides, Senzo was simply accepted as miraculous alien technology, to be admired, but not necessarily emulated. That suited Commander Tomokon just fine. The weaker these creatures remained, the less of a threat they would be. Tomokon remembered too well the hoards of invaders that had poured off the Earth's surface two decades earlier, nearly bringing the Juraian empire to it's knees. Despite the protestations of the Earth governments that the invaders had come from another parallel dimension, and had merely used Earth as a staging ground, Tomokon knew too well that a megalomaniacal Earthling named Jinai had led the invaders. It just proved that Earthlings were capable of such action, even if they denied it. Tomokon intended to see that Jurai remained the dominant power in the Universe, even if some in the government were prepared to let that power slip away. The abomination before him represented everything he hated about the liberals in Jurai society who were so quick to forgive and forget. Tomokon stood in the center of a cargo hold converted to a prison cell. The demon Ryoko hung suspended from the ceiling, still encased in a crystalline shell like a grotesque pendant. This evil creature had rained destruction down on Jurai for centuries before being driven off. Upon her return, supposedly reformed, she had continued to pillage banks and destroy Jurai warships before finally being contained in marriage by the Jurai ambassador. The fact that she had also saved the Empire and Earth multiple times mattered not in the least to Tomokon. Even a snake can pretend to be a good pet, just before it strikes. Ryoko, for her part, silently stared out from within the crystalline shell. She would rather have been giving Tomokon a piece of her mind, but she had discovered that the shell cut out all sound waves. Communication was possible only when the Juraians attached a sonic transducer to the outside of the shell, allowing sound waves to vibrate through. The Commander was doing just this. "Well, Ryoko, how are you feeling today?" The stream of obscenities that followed caused even the Commander to blush and he disconnected the transducer again. Holding it up for Ryoko to see, he wagged a finger at her. Then when her lips stopped moving, he connected it again. "Let's try to be civil, shall we? There is no need for such vulgarity," he said, as one might speak to a child. Ryoko bit out her response, "Do you realize what you have done, you moron? I'm the wife of the Ambassador! This is treason!!!" "It's only treason if we fail," the Commander replied coldly. "If we succeed, it's patriotism. And, I might add, given how easily we captured the 'dangerous' Ryoko, I'd say our chances are fair to good." Ryoko glared at him, not responding. Tomokon continued. "Aren't you the least bit curious how we captured you, or why?" "Not in the least," Ryoko snapped, "Your reasoning would be so ludicrous that I am afraid I would injure myself laughing hysterically inside this shell. Tenchi will come for me, just you wait, and then you'll be sorry." Tomokon hid his disappointment at not being able to gloat over her capture. He could ignore her jibes and tell her anyway, but it wouldn't be as fun as if she really wanted to know. "Ah, yes, Ambassador Masaki, the legendary Master of the Lighthawk Sword. Of course he will come for you, as will the others I suspect. After all, if we were clever enough to discover a way to trap you, surely you would expect us to plan for those other eventualities as well." Ryoko still refused to bite. "I hardly consider inviting the wrath of five or six of the most powerful beings in the Universe to be clever. It's more like suicide. But, it's your funeral," Ryoko allowed some boredom to show on her face. "Be sure your estate is in order, you may not have time later." Tomokon yawned. "Oh, dear, how frightening. Threats, threats, threats. As for the six 'most powerful beings in the Universe', I look forward to their eventual involvement. I require it, in fact. I could have taken any one of them instead of you, of course, to set events in motion. You were judged the easiest." Tomokon abruptly ripped the transducer of the shell and turned away, ignoring Ryoko's livid form, blasting energy bolt after energy bolt against inside of her prison. With each blast, the chrysalis only grew thicker. Tomokon crossed over to a flashing console by the wall. "What is it?" he snarled, "I am ... ah ... interrogating a prisoner." "Sir," the ship's XO replied on the viewer, nervously, "There is an incoming transmission, a person of some importance, I believe." The last part was delivered conspiratorially, so as not to arouse suspicion of the bridge crew, although it doubtlessly had the opposite effect. Idiot! Tomokon thought disgustedly. "Well, pipe it down here, immediately!!!" "Sir!" Senzo's executive officer disappeared. His image was replaced with static. Whoever was calling wasn't using a visual signal. It could only be... "Milady," the Commander dropped to his knee. Just because he couldn't see her didn't mean she wasn't watching him. "Tomokon, my trusted servant," the voice came eerily clear across the comm. It wasn't like receiving a call at all; it was like she was there in his mind. He suspected that anyone eavesdropping wouldn't hear anything at all. "You have captured the daughter of Washu?" "As you required, Milady, everything went exactly as you foretold." "And the others?" The wispy, ethereal voice drifted around his head hypnotically. "Most of the ones taking action are of no consequence. The demon Ryo-ohki is on it's way to Earth. We will be prepared for that. Washu has been probing our ships for any clues, but as you predicted the chrysalis that holds Ryoko, also masks her from the scans." Tomokon paused, unwilling to deliver the bad news. "Tsunami?" The voice asked, menacingly. "There has been no contact," Tomokon trembled slightly. His answer was greeted with silence. "Good," the caller surprised the Commander, "the only thing that could stop us would be Tsunami's premature intervention. We will take the others out one by one, and when we have finished even Tsunami won't be able to stand against us." Ryoko watched from within her confinement. She couldn't hear what was being said, be she clearly saw that Tomokon was deferring to someone else. That told her that he wasn't in charge, but was following orders. Who could be running him? Ryoko had many enemies, but most of them were low-life scum. She couldn't imagine any of them commanding this kind of fealty from a Jurai military commander. It might be someone in the Jurai hierarchy perhaps, someone playing political games with Ayeka. Ryoko pitied that person. When Ayeka found out, she would deal with them ruthlessly. Ryoko frowned. Despite the years of friendship that had passed between herself and Ayeka, she had a brief moment of doubt. Would Ayeka really care if someone wanted to take out Ryoko? Ryoko would have shaken her head if the crystal weren't holding her so tightly. Ryeka's birth had permanently put an end to their bickering. The sudden thought of her daughter raised a lump in Ryoko's throat. Where was Ryeka now, she wondered? It was Ryoko's desperate concern for her that had slowed Ryoko's reflexes just enough to get caught. Instead of being disgusted with her weakness. Ryoko reveled in it. "It was so ... human of me," She thought proudly. "I can't wait to tell Tenchi." Tomokon was finished with his call. He returned to the chrysalis and re-attached the transducer. "Well, now, where were we?" "Well, I seem to recall having a battle of wits with an unarmed man. What did your master have to say?" Ryoko asked, feigning disinterest. "Did he ask you to fetch the evening paper for him?" "Pfft," Tomokon sputtered. "You won't be so smug once we eliminate your friends one by one. My greatest hardship will be deciding who will be next." Ryoko yawned. "Yeah, whatever. Bored already. Say when is chow time? I'm famished." Indeed, the rumble of her stomach was clearly audible through the transducer. Tomokon smiled. At last he had an opportunity to practice being menacing, something the Jurai High Command frowned on in day-to-day operations. "Chow? Oh, you mean food. Don't be silly," Tomokon rapped his knuckles against the chrysalis. "How could we possibly get food inside this? But don't worry, we estimate that you should survive long enough for our purposes." He disconnected the transducer and walked away. Ryoko felt more desperate than she had at any time since her abduction. There was no doubt he meant what he said. Suddenly, the chrysalis felt less like a cage and more like a coffin. "Please hurry, Tenchi." Commander Tomokon felt better than he had since they had captured that dreaded demon. He finally had managed to shut her up. What a precious expression he had seen on her face when her fate had finally dawned on her. Yes very satisfying indeed. After all the humiliation that the Jurai military had suffered at her hands, it was time for payback. Fortunately, he would have some time to torture her a bit longer. It had been calculated that Ryoko could survive for fifteen more days inside the chrysalis before passing into a coma. Because it had never been decided if she was really alive, Tomokon couldn't be sure the imprisonment would eventually kill her. But, it certainly would keep her contained until they could think of something better.