This is a sequel to my first story, Tenchi Muyo: No Need for the Past. It takes place about one year after the first one. But for those who did not read my first story, here is a little description about this universe. This series is based in the future of the OAV universe. Say about 50-60+ years after OAV 13. Since Juraians have a very long life span, everyone is still relatively young (i.e. Azusa). I know that Tenchi is part Terran, but lets not get into that argument for now. Tenchi has married both Ryoko and Ayeka and is the Emperor of Jurai (Hey, it could happen!). He has a son with Ryoko named Devon, and a daughter with Ayeka named Achika. Devon grew up and married Sasami/Tsunami and they have a son named Tenchi Hakubi Jurai Masaki II (who is called Hakubi and is the main character of this series). Kiyone is in this story too, and she is the Galaxy Police ambassador to Jurai with her bodyguard/assistant Mihoshi. Rye- Ohki is Hakubi's cabbit that was introduced in the first story. So on with the fic. As usual, I do not own these characters, except for Hakubi and Rye-Ohki and the other characters I created to make this story work. Tenchi and crew belong to Pioneer and AIC, I only own this story. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Mental Link' "Spoken or sounds" Tenchi Muyo? Rye-Ohki! Part 1 of 2 "Now it's over, Kain," said Hakubi. He walked closer towards him, preparing to give the final blow. "It's not over till I say so," Kain replied in a whisper. He fell forwards onto his face and exploded. The crater was instantly filled with black energy, blasting Hakubi up and out of it. The blast was so strong that Hakubi was sent straight through the ceiling of the castle and into space. "Wha...What's going on?" Hakubi stuttered, surprised to still be alive. The one ability he did not share with his grandmother is to be able to survive unprotected in space. "I told you it was not over," Kain's voice floated through space followed by a sickening laugh. An outline of a ship appeared far away, masked in a fog. "What's going on here? Where are you?" "It will never be over, boy! I will have revenge!" The voice of Kain drifted by again, followed by his haunting laugh. The ship moved closer, but never cleared the fog. It moved even closer and fired a huge beam of energy. Unable to move, Hakubi watched in horror as the massive bolt of energy came right for him. The only thing he could do was scream as the beam engulfed him and as his body started to disintegrate. "Ten-chan! Wake up!" said Sasami loudly to her sleeping son, "You're just having a nightmare." She reached over and gave him a good shake. Hakubi woke with a start. He was sweating and his hands started to shake. "It was a dream, only a dream," Hakubi said to himself, and gave his mother a hug. "The same one as before?" Sasami asked as she stroked his head. "Sort of," Hakubi replied, "It was about Kain again, but this one was different." Hakubi closed his eyes trying to remember anything specific about his dream. "That's the fourth one this month." Sasami let go of her son and watched him sit up in bed. "I know. They are getting more intense each time." Hakubi sat on the edge of his bed and looked out the window. It was a beautiful day on Jurai. There were a few clouds in the sky and a cool breeze blew outside. "I just have this feeling that something bad is going to happen very soon." "Don't worry about it, it was only a dream," Sasami replied. She made a mental note to tell Devon and Ryoko to keep an eye out for trouble, knowing how her nightmares as a little girl sometimes came true. "Was there anything you wanted to tell me? You're usually busy by this time," Hakubi asked his mother. "Yes there was. I am having a conference with the king of the Syrean Empire this afternoon. I would like for you to join us if you have time after you date with Kiyone." "It is not a date," Hakubi replied quickly. "We're just going to get a drink when she gets back from headquarters." "Whatever you say," Sasami replied, hiding a smile. "Then in that case, you will have plenty of time to drop by." "Alright, alright. I will meet this King Creias or whatever." "That is King Creyass. And you better behave yourself. Remember, you represent the Juraian Empire wherever you go. And your actions reflect upon all of us," scolded Sasami. "Fine, fine. I get it, I get it," Hakubi replied, rubbing his eyes with his hands. "Good. Have fun on your date," Sasami joked as she left the room. "It is not a date!" Hakubi yelled back at the closing door. A tall lady with a long red hair was working hard over a piece of machinery when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Washu yelled. Hakubi walked through the door and entered the lab. It was in fact the same lab as in the Masaki Residence on Earth. Washu just created another portal to it on Jurai. Even though Washu would have had no problem finding space on Jurai for her work, she told the others that is was for safety reasons that she liked to keep her lab in subspace. The many explosions caused by Mihoshi proved that it was a good idea. He was dressed in a simple shirt and slacks, not the usual robes of the royal family. "Miss Washu, can you do me a favor?" Hakubi asked his great- grandmother. "Sure! What do you need?" Washu replied while still working on her latest invention. "I need a disguise." This was one of the few things that caught Washu by surprise. "A disguise? What for?" Washu asked, looking up from her work. "Well, you see..." "Come on, spit it out." "Whenever I go out, I always get mobbed by the media. For once I would like to go around as a normal Juraian, not as a prince." "I see. Is this for your date today?" Washu asked with a smile." "It is not a date!" Hakubi replied defensively. "Whatever," Washu tried to hide a snicker, but was not as successful as Sasami. "It is not a date! Why does everyone keep thinking that? Can't two people go out for a drink?" asked Hakubi, exasperated at the whole situation. "Sure, whatever you say. I can get a get up ready for you in about half an hour." "That would be great," said Hakubi, relieved that she did not turn him down. "What are you working on today?" "I'll tell you when I'm done. It started out as a new microwave, but now it's turning out to be some type of new weapon of dimension bending destruction," answered Washu as she struck a pose. "I'll just come back in half an hour," replied Hakubi as he backed out of the lab with a sweat drop forming on his head. "Are you sure you don't want me to wait with you?" Mihoshi asked Kiyone. "Yes, I am sure," Kiyone replied and she stepped out of the hover car and onto to the sidewalk near a caf‚ called The Juraian Sunspot. "I'll be fine. You go on ahead to the palace." "Alright, if you say so," Mihoshi replied in a sad voice. "Well, have fun on your date then!" Mihoshi cried out cheerfully. "It is not a date!" Kiyone slammed the door of the hover car and it sped away. "Now where's that Hakubi?" "Kiyone, over here," a voice called out over the crowd. Kiyone turned towards the voice, but did not see Hakubi. All she saw were ordinary Juraians, no prince with yellow eyes and two-colored hair in sight. "Kiyone. It's me Hakubi." Kiyone looked at a Juraian that was standing right next to her. He had dark purple hair tied in a short ponytail, and dark purple-red eyes. "Hakubi, is that you? Why the new look?" "So no one will recognize me, and it works too," replied Hakubi as they hugged. "Even you didn't notice me until I called out to you." "Trying to get away from the press huh?" Kiyone asked. "That's one good thing about being a simple civil servant. No one cares about the after hours lifestyle of an ambassador." They walked into the caf‚ and sat down at the bar. An hour or so later... "Is there something wrong?" Kiyone asked, checking to see if she had missed a button or something. "No, nothing," Hakubi replied. "Did anyone ever tell you that you are a horrible liar?" Kiyone asked and gave a Hakubi a stern look. "What's on your mind?" "It's nothing really. I was just thinking about Kain." "Kain? What about him?" Kiyone asked. "I don't know. Just some stuff about him coming back to get me or something." Hakubi took a big gulp of his drink. "Don't worry about it. It may have only been a year for you, but Kain was killed well over 40 years ago. If he survived, he would have done something by now," replied Kiyone, hoping that it would help settle Hakubi's mind. "I never really thought about that. I guess it's kind of silly. Even if he did come back, he can't harm us anymore." In the background a group of drunken soldiers from the Syrean Empire had another round of drinks amidst a rally of cheers. Hakubi checked his watch and drank the rest of his drink. "Do you want to leave? It is getting kind of noisy here." The soldiers heard this comment and made even more noise. "Yeah let's go. I should check to make sure Mihoshi isn't causing any trouble," Kiyone answered with a smile. "Don't go pretty lady. The party just started!" a drunk soldier yelled to Kiyone. "Yeah! What's a hot babe like you doing with a shrimp like him?" another soldier joined in. "Come an party with some real men!" "Sorry guys, but the Ambassador has to leave," Hakubi told the soldiers, hoping that by dropping her rank, they would get the hint and leave them alone. "Oh! I'm so scared, a little Juraian and an Ambassador," A large soldier called back. "Why don't the Ambassador come with me, so I would like to make diplomatic relations with her!" The joke was met with a roar of laughter. "Come on Hakubi, let's go. I know who they are, the Syrean consulate will get a formal complaint this afternoon." Kiyone ushered Hakubi to the door. "Fine then, run to that wuss of a Emperor and the rest of his whores!" That stopped Hakubi cold. "That's right, I know who you are, Ambassador Keyonee. Another one of the Emperor'ses screw toys" slurred the large soldier. "What did you say?" said Hakubi as he turned around to face the soldier. "He's just drunk Hakubi, ignore him. I'm sure he didn't mean it," Kiyone quickly said to Hakubi, trying to stop a fight from breaking out. "I meaned it! And what are you going to do about it little man?" the soldier jeered at Hakubi. Hakubi walked up to the soldier and they all stood up. "If you don't apologizes right now, you will find out." "Let's see what you are made of little man." The solder swung a right cross that Hakubi easily ducked under. Hakubi retaliated with an upper cut that sent the soldier falling backwards onto the table with a crash. The rest of the soldiers joined in. Hakubi ducked and dodged a series of punches from all sides. A quick roundhouse kick sent two more soldiers to the floor. "Oh jeez!" Kiyone muttered, edging towards the wall to avoid the fight. Hakubi tripped one of the soldiers with the heel of his foot and chopped him on the neck on the way down. The soldier gasped for air and rolled away. The instant the soldier hit the ground; Hakubi spun around and delivered a sidekick to another soldier in stomach. He went down like a sack of rice. Hakubi dodged another punch that came from his side and grabbed the arm as it went by. He threw the soldier into two others, hard enough to push all of them back into the wall with a sickening crunch. They did not get up. Another soldier pulled out a knife and charged slashing. Hakubi easily caught the soldier's wrist and with his other hand delivered a hard punch to the face. Hakubi let go of the soldier and let him fall limp to the floor bleeding from his broken nose. The last soldier got the smart idea of drawing his blaster. Kiyone saw this and quickly yelled, "Ten-chan! Behind you!" Hakubi reacted instantly. He spun around as his energy sword came to life. He chopped the barrel of the blaster off and let go of his sword, distinguishing it before anyone knew it was there. Hakubi delivered two lightening fast punched to the soldier's face and one to his chest, pushing him a good four feet back before he fell to the ground. Even though all the soldiers were wearing body armor, Kiyone thought she heard some ribs crack. "Hakubi! I told you to ignore them, but boys will be boys..." Kiyone trailed off as she surveyed the damage to property and people. "At least you didn't kill any of them," Kiyone said over the groans of the fallen soldiers. "Sorry about the mess. This should cover the damage," Hakubi dug a wad of bills from his pocket and gave them to the elderly bar tender. "Eh, they deserved it. I would have done the same if I were young and strong like you, your Highness," the Bartender replied. "How did you know it was me?" Hakubi asked, surprised that anyone saw through his disguise. "I may be old, but I know a fighter when I see one. I saw the sword and the power behind those blows." "I was hoping no one would notice," Hakubi replied sheepishly. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," "Come on, let's get out of here before the police arrive. I've been embarrassed enough today," Kiyone said to Hakubi and she dragged him out the door. Meanwhile back at the palace, the king of the Syrean Empire, Creyass Syreas IV, and his general of the armies Hermous Zove, were on their way to their conference with the Juraian royal family. "Jurai is quite a beautiful planet," Creyass mentioned to his general. "Yes indeed," Zove replied roboticly. As they approached a corner, a small child dressed in a carrot-patterned jumpsuit raced around it and collided into Creyass. "Hold on there little fellow," Creyass said to the little boy as he helped him up and dusted him off. The brown furred child had white hair over his pointed ears, and black hair over his forehead. In it was a small blue gem, placed above two purple eyes. "Meow, meow!" Rye-Ohki replied to the King. He meowed once more, bowed and ran off. "Strange child," the King commented to their Juraian escort. "Who was that?" "That was Rye-Ohki, the Prince's cabbit," the escorting guard replied. "That was a cabbit? I thought they where supposed to be like a cat?" asked General Zove. "They can transform into a humanoid form when they get older," the guard replied, giving them the simple explanation. "The older cabbit Ryo-Ohki should be near by." As if on cue, Ryo-Ohki turned the same corner and almost ran into General Zove. "Miya, miya," mewed Ryo-Ohki as she bowed. "He went that way," King Creyass told the cabbit and pointed down the hall. "Miya!" Ryo-Ohki bowed again and raced down the hall after Rye-Ohki. "Filthy creatures. I don't know why they let them run loose like that," General Zove muttered. "I think they are adorable," Creyass told his subordinate. "We are all allies here. I don't want you to start a war with your mean disposition." "Of course your majesty," Zove replied and bowed. They walked the rest of the way to the conference room in silence. The conference was going smoothly and was nearing its end when Hakubi stepped through the door. He had taken off his disguise and changed his clothes into something more suitable. The whole family was there except for Achika and Washu. "I thought you wouldn't show," Tenchi said to Hakubi. Introductions were made and the conference continued. "There is not much more to say," Sasami continued. "We will leave the matter of the pirates to your police, and we will take extra precautions in the transportation of your new planetary shield generators. We will send you the specific details when we have gotten everything ready." "Excellent. That wraps things up then," Creyass said to everyone. Everyone got up to leave when General Zove's communicator beeped. "This better be important," the General barked into his communicator. "Yes sir!" came a reply. "I am calling to inform you of an altercation between some of our men, the Galaxy Police, and Jurai." "What altercation?" Creyass said into his communicator. "Some of our men, while off duty, went to a local bar and got into a fight with the Galaxy Police Ambassador and her escort, your Highness." Hakubi looked at the ceiling, trying to look innocent. "What does that have to do with Jurai, soldier?" Zove asked impatiently. "Witnesses say that our men made some off colored remarks about Juraians and the Ambassador's escort was Juraian." "I see," sighed Creyass, "how many people where hurt in the fight?" "Ten of our men are being treated as we speak for concussions, broken ribs and one broken jaw." "This is the Empress Ayeka," Ayeka spoke up loud enough to be heard through the communicators, "was the Ambassador hurt at all?" "No your highness. Only her escort was involved in the altercation," replied the soldier nervously. "Was anyone in her escort hurt?" pressed Ayeka. "No." The reply hung in the air for a moment before it sunk in. "You mean to tell me that ten of our highly trained soldiers got beaten without inflicting a single injury?" General Zove practically yelled into the communicator, his face started to turn red. "What did they do, stand still and let themselves get hit?" "Of course not, Sir. The escort was simply too much for them to handle." "That must have been a large escort, how many men does the Ambassador need for protection?" asked Creyass. Ryoko, Sasami, and Devon tried to hold back their laughter as they realized who the Juraian escort was. Hakubi did not dare look at Ayeka, who was fuming. "There was only one man sir," came a weak reply. "Can you repeat that? It sounded like you said only one man," Creyass said into his own communicator. Zove was too overcome by embarrassment to say anything. "You are correct, your Highness. There was only one man escorting the Ambassador," the soldier sounded like he was going to die that very moment. "Our men were very drunk sire," added the soldier, trying to save whatever dignity was left. "I want these men suspended from duty without pay until this thing is cleared up," ordered Creyass. "Yes sir!" came a reply and Creyass turned off the communicator. "I apologies for the remarks made by my men, and they will be punished appropriately. I assume you are going to punish this Juraian for his involvement in this altercation as well," Zove said to Tenchi, trying to regain his composure. "Of course General," Tenchi replied. "If there is nothing else to discuss, then we shall leave," Creyass told the others. Everyone bowed to the King and he left the room with General Zove in tow. "Ten-chan, you didn't..." Tenchi asked after the door had closed. "If you heard what they said, you would have done worse than a broken jaw," Hakubi defended himself. Ryoko, Sasami, and Devon could not hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. Ryoko almost fell out of her chair from laughing too hard. "Did you see Zove's face?" Ryoko asked the others, "It was priceless." Ryoko continued to laugh some more and fell out of her chair. Tenchi started to chuckle, leaving only Ayeka mad. "Irregardless of what they said, you should not have allowed the situation to escalate into a common beer hall brawl," Ayeka scolded. "Give him a break Ayeka," Ryoko said after calming down a bit and getting back into her seat. "I'm seen you blow your top plenty of times." "True, but he should know better," Ayeka countered. "Did you see the way his eyes bugged out when he heard how badly they where beat?" Ryoko asked the others, starting to laugh some more, pounding the table with her fist. "Yeah that was kind of funny," Ayeka answered, starting to laugh. "But you should still be punished," Ayeka tried to tell Hakubi as she suppressed her laughter. "I'll think of something later," Ayeka said, giving in and bursting with laughter. Hakubi sighed, glad that they were taking the news well. "I can't believe it! One man did all this!" General Zove was in his office aboard the King's flagship the on their way back home, reading a report on the "Sunspot Incident" as it became to be known. "One man, with his bare hands, bested ten of our soldiers! Who is this man?" Zove asked his assistant. "The Juraians won't tell us anything because they say it is a Galaxy Police matter, and the Galaxy Police Embassy would not divulge that information because they say it pertains to the safety of their ambassador," the assistant replied. "I don't care what they say, find out who he is. No one makes a fool of the Syrean Empire!" "Withdraw that order!" Creyass told the assistant as he walked into Zove's office. "Sir?" Zove asked his king, "This man must be found. He is no ordinary guard, for all we know, the Juraians could be conspiring with the Galaxy Police." "Why would the Juraians need to set up anything with the Galaxy Police when the ambassador is a close and personal friend of the Emperor? And according to the report, our men started the fight. The Syrean Empire will take no further action in this matter. Is that understood?" "Yes Sire," both Zove and his assistant answered. "Good. Now what news do we have about the generators?" "Princess Sasami sent us a communiqu‚ a few minutes ago," said Zove as he pulled a sheet of paper from a stack on his desk. "There will be two convoys. One will be a decoy with a full military escort. The other will be a modified freighter that will carry both generators alone." "Those damn space pirates are really a bother," Creyass muttered. "The Princess hopes that the pirates will be fooled into attacking the decoy convoy and let the smaller freighter slip by." "What do you think about the plan?" "It is a good one. Recent intelligence about the pirates shows that they do not have enough ships to be able to attack both convoys at the same time. Two brand new Juraian planetary shield generators will most definitely draw their attention, and who would think that it was on a simple, solitary freighter instead of in a convey with a large military escort?" "How soon will the freighter arrive?" "The convoy is scheduled to leave in two days, I assume the freighter will leave at the same time." "What information do we have on the freighter, what is the name of the ship and so forth?" "We have nothing," Zove lied, "The Juraians are keeping it a secret. You know how paranoid they are." "I see. Then we better have everything ready before it arrives." "Yes Sire, we will." Zove saluted to the king and watched him leave. Zove thought to himself, laughing under his breath. Two days have passed since the fight with the Syrean soldiers, and a suitable punishment was found for Hakubi. Hakubi walked up to Washu's lab door and knocked. "It's open," came a reply. He walked through the door and into the lab. "Auntie Ayeka told me to come here for my punishment," Hakubi said to Washu as walked up to her. "He, he. Yes, your punishment..." Washu trailed off and Hakubi started to sweat. "Well, I have no idea what it's going to be. Sasami will be here soon to tell you that." Hakubi face faulted. "You mean I don't have to be your slave for the day?" Hakubi asked, slightly relieved. "I sure hope so! The walls of terrarium three need to be cleaned if you want to get a head start. Those slime monsters of Seraxis VII really make a mess," Washu suggested, "No, no. That's ok. I'll just wait for my mother to tell me what my punishment will be." Hakubi sat down on a floating cushion and waited. A few minutes later Sasami came through the door, with Ryo-Ohki and Rye-Ohki following her, both in their humanoid forms. "Good you're already here," Sasami said to her son. "Miss Washu, is the ship ready?" "Yep, waiting at the docks ready to go," Washu replied with pride in her voice. "Now Ten-chan, I have spoke with Kiyone and have come up with a suitable punishment." Hakubi imagined himself scraping slime off walls and shuddered. "You are going to pilot the ship carrying the two shield generators to Syreius." "What? That will take at least three days, one way!" Hakubi expected something bad, but this was worse. Freighters were not known for their luxury. It will be the six most boring days ever. "Don't you think that is a little excessive?" "Nope. Six days of flying in a straight line with nothing to do will give you plenty of time to reflect on your actions," Sasami replied with a smile. Rye-Ohki looked at Hakubi and then to Sasami, not knowing how to react. He could feel sadness and depression from his mind link with Hakubi, but Sasami was smiling, and happy. He gave up and looked to Ryo-Ohki, who had more experience with humans. She was trying not to laugh, so he knew that everything was all right and he started to explore the lab. Washu had all sorts of interesting creatures in large glass cases that he loved to watch. "The conference we had with King Creyass was about the problem of space pirates in their sector," Sasami started to explain, "They seem to be attacking ships that are carrying military hardware, especially those coming from Jurai. We have been forced to travel in convoys with a military escort. The pirates are becoming bolder and are attacking more ships, even those with escorts. The King hopes that with a planetary shield, he can move most of his fleet away from defense of their planetary system to hunting down these pirates." Hakubi slumped down in his cushion, accepting his fate of becoming a freighter captain. "There is a leak in our security somewhere and these pirates know exactly which ship is carry important goods. So we are going to use that against them," Washu continued. "We are setting up a standard convoy with extra escorts, knowing that the information will be leaked that the generators will be in this convoy. But this convoy is only a decoy. Another freighter, without any escorts will be carrying the real generators along a different route. You will be piloting that ship." "The only people who know about this ship are us, King Creyass, General Zove, and a Juraian agent that is going with you to help make sure things go smoothly," Sasami added. "The ship leaves in eight hours." "Well, I better get packing," said Hakubi in a deflated voice, as he got up. 'Are we going on a trip?' Rye-Ohki asked mentally when he saw Hakubi get up. 'I am, but you don't have to go. It'll be boring.' 'You sure?' 'Yeah, it's going to be very boring. You'll have more fun if you stayed here.' 'If it's so boring, why are you going?' Rye-Ohki grabbed Hakubi's hand and he walked out of the lab with him. "This is supposed to be a punishment for the Juraian guard that got in a bar fight, not the Prince of Jurai. So remember to put on that disguise of yours," Sasami told Hakubi just before he walked out the door. 'That's why,' Hakubi told Rye-Ohki mentally. 'I want to play secret agent too!' Ryo-Ohki had stayed with Sasami as she discussed some last minute details with Washu. Hakubi walked down the hall to their room. 'If you come, you may blow my cover anyway. You really should stay here.' 'Fine. But bring me back something from Syreius.' 'Ok. I'll get you a stuffed animal or something.' 'Yippee!' Rye-Ohki thought back, adding a "Meow!" for emphasis. They had reached their room and Hakubi opened the door for Rye-Ohki. Rye- Ohki turned back into his cabbit form and jumped onto a carrot shaped cushion on the bed. Hakubi walked over to his dresser and opened a few drawers. "Now what should I pack?" Hakubi asked out loud. "I wasn't briefed on having a partner!" a surprised Juraian officer said to Sasami. "You are still in charge of the operation, Lt. Suno. He will just be your pilot," Sasami replied. "I can pilot the ship by myself-" "Not this ship," Sasami cut him off. "You were briefed on the freighter weren't you?" "Yes. It is a modified battleship disguised to look like a standard bulk freighter." "Exactly. And the tree has not chosen you as a user of its key, so you will need a pilot." "I see..." Suno trailed off. Suno thought to himself. "Stow your gear and get ready for departure," Sasami ordered the lieutenant. "Yes Ma'am!" Suno picked up a duffel bag and teleported into the ship. "I'm here," Hakubi yelled across the dock as he approached his mother. "I see that you are dressed properly," Sasami noted. Hakubi was wearing his disguise with Ryo-Ohki and Rye-Ohki tagging along. "So this is the 'special' freighter. Looks like a normal bulk freighter to me." Hakubi put down his bag and looked the ship over. "Of course it does, I designed it to look that way!" Washu called out after she had teleported from the ship. "I finished making some minor modifications. These are for you." Washu handed Hakubi a new set of contact lenses. "Put them on." Hakubi took out the ones that Washu had given him to change the color of his eyes, and put in the new set. "So what's new?" Hakubi asked Washu as he looked at himself in a mirror he had pulled out from his bag. His eyes were still purple-red. "They complete your new identity. You are now Lt. Hakubi Misaki of the Juraian Space Force. Now you can get scanned and not worry about giving away your true identity. Here's a hard copy of your new identity." Washu pulled a set of papers out of a subspace pocket and handed them to Hakubi. "Does he really need all this stuff?" Sasami asked a smiling Washu. "Of course! Every secret agent needs a complete disguise," Washu replied. "This isn't a game Miss Washu, it's a punishment," said Hakubi. "You're just like Tenchi, always so serious." Hakubi sighed. "Let's go aboard," Sasami suggested. Everyone teleported aboard to the center of the ship, "Welcome aboard the spaceship Hondaioh." Sasami brought Hakubi up to the space tree. 'Do you recognize this man?' Sasami asked mentally to the tree. 'Yes Mother, I do. He is your son, the crown prince of Jurai,' the tree replied. 'He will be your pilot, but do not tell others that he is the Prince.' 'I understand, Mother.' "Introduce yourself," Sasami told her son. "I am Lt. Misaki. I will be your pilot," Hakubi told the space tree. 'I know who you are young Prince,' the tree thought back to Hakubi as beams of light came out of its leaves. 'Our mother has told me about your situation. It will be an honor to serve you.' "I am honored to make your acquaintance," Hakubi replied. Like his mother, Hakubi can mentally communicate with all the space trees and does not need a key of any sort to command them. He is himself, after is namesake, a master key. Lt. Suno walked up to the group and bowed to Sasami and said, "Your Highness, the cargo has be loaded and we are ready to lift off." He glanced at Hakubi and made a quick evaluation, . "Lt. Suno, this is Lt. Hakubi Misaki, he will be the pilot under your command," Sasami replied. Hakubi stood at attention and tried to like he was in the military. "Take your post Lieutenant, and prepare the ship for lift off," Suno ordered. "Yes Sir," Hakubi replied and he walked up to the bridge. Part of the conversions that Washu had made to the ship was the addition of a bridge like in normal freighters. This way, no one would see the tree in the background during communications and keep up the appearance of a normal freighter. During the conversation, Rye-Ohki slipped away from Ryo-Ohki, changed into his cabbit form, and climbed up the space tree. He found a nice perch where he could see everyone and sat down. "Before you jump to subspace, send us a message. Do not make any further communications until you have delivered your cargo," Sasami ordered Suno. "Do you have anything to add Miss Washu?" "There is a big red button on the control panel that will explode the exterior hull, exposing the real hull of Hondaioh so you can fight if necessary. There is another black button that will jettison the cargo module and cause it to self-destruct. These generators must not fall into enemy hands. Destroy them if necessary. I have already briefed Lt. Misaki on this matter," Washu explained. "I understand, you can count on us," Suno bowed and Sasami, Washu, and Ryo-Ohki teleported away. Suno turned around and walked up to the bridge. "You are cleared to jump, Hondaioh. Have a safe journey," the Juraian traffic controller said over the communicator. "Thank you Control," Suno replied. He pushed a button on his chair and brought up the intercom. "Misaki, get up here! Do whatever you're doing later." "Just a second, I'm almost done," Hakubi replied. Since they had left the dock, there had been a pressure in the back of his mind. It felt like Rye-Ohki, but he should have teleported away with the others. Hakubi walked up to Hondaioh and asked, "Is there someone else aboard besides Lt. Suno and I?" 'Yes,' the tree replied. "Rye-Ohki I know it's you, come out," Hakubi shouted up into the branches. "Meow?" came a small voice. "I'm not mad, just come out of there, I have to go up to the bridge." "Meow!" Rye-Ohki cried as he jumped out of the tree and landed on Hakubi's head. "Misaki! What are you doing down there?" Suno yelled through the intercom. "We have a stowaway." "A what?" "I'm bringing him up to with me. Contact the Princess." "Rye-Ohki! We turned the whole palace upside down looking for you. What do you have to say for yourself?" Sasami's face filled the bridge view screen, glaring at the little cabbit trying to hide behind Hakubi's head. "Meow, meow, meow?" "Do you really want to go with them?" Sasami asked. "Meow," mewed Rye-Ohki nodding his head. "Fine, you can go. Lt. Misaki, you are in charge of Rye-Ohki. I'm sure the Prince will want him well looked after." "Meow!" cried Rye-Ohki and he changed into his humanoid form and jumped up and down clapping. "Yes Ma'am. We are ready to jump anytime." Hakubi looked at the monitors and everything was in order. "Good luck you two. I'll expect a call in three days." With that, Sasami's face vanished. "Alright let's go." Hakubi pressed a few buttons on his control panel and a subspace portal opened. A minute later, they were gone. "So this is the cabbit Rye-Ohki," said Suno after they where safely underway. "I'd think the Prince would be mad that his pet ran away." "Oh I don't think he'll mind," Hakubi replied. Rye-Ohki had changed back into his cabbit form and sat on top of a monitor, looking out the window. "Whatever. You're in charge of taking care of him. It'll be your head not mine." "The Prince is a very understanding person." "Do you know him?" "Um, not personally." Rye-Ohki got tired of looking outside and jumped onto Hakubi's lap to take a nap. "He seems to like you." Rye-Ohki started to purr and was soon fast asleep. "I just have that way with animals. How long have you been in the service Lt. Suno?" Hakubi asked, trying to change the subject away from himself. "Just call me Suno." "Sure, you can call me Hakubi." "Fine. I served the Juraian Empire for 47 years now. I joined up right before the new Emperor took power. How about you?" "Well," Hakubi tried to remember the date he saw on the papers that Washu had given him, "it would be about five years now." "Only five years? How did you get this assignment? I know plenty of guys that got passed up for this position that have served longer than you," Suno asked. "Well I was assigned as a personal escort to an ambassador, but I messed up and this is my punishment." Hakubi thought to himself. "Punishment? The Princess must trust you a lot. Which ambassador were you assigned to anyways?" "Ambassador Makibi of the Galaxy Police." "So you're the one who got into that bar fight," Suno said with a laugh. Suno thought to himself. "Yeah that was me. So instead of guarding the Ambassador, I'm guarding some generators." "Ha, it all makes sense now. I guess they do trust you quite a bit, enough to let you take care of the Prince's pet without a second thought." "Well, I hear cabbits are low maintenance, just as long as you have enough food, they take care of themselves." Hakubi petted Rye-Ohki absentmindedly as they spoke. "Did you really take out ten guys at the same time?" "It was nothing really. My grandfather could have taken them on," which was true. "Don't be bashful about it. You should be proud about what you done. The Syreans aren't anyone to be pushed around." "Well...I had the advantage, they were pretty much sloshed and I wasn't." "People don't need to know that part," Suno replied, laughing at the situation. Suno started to laugh some more and Hakubi joined in. A loud "Meow!" came from a very annoyed cabbit, awakened by the noise. The laughter stopped and they both looked at Rye-Ohki. Rye-Ohki jumped off of Hakubi's lap and walked out of the bridge, hoping to find a quieter place to sleep. "Sorry," came a response from the bridge followed by more laughter. The days passed by slowly. 'I'm bored Hakubi,' Rye-Ohki told his other half. 'I told you it would be boring, but you wanted to come anyway.' Rye-Ohki was lying flat on top of a monitor looking outside. Hakubi looked at his control panel for the hundredth time that hour and slumped in his chair. Suno was sitting in his command chair behind Hakubi reading a book. Hakubi thought to himself. It was near the end of the second day that the crew of the Hondaioh got a change of scenery and dropped out of subspace outside of the Syrean border. The Hondaioh flew towards a large space station and slowed down. "Control, this is the freighter Hondaioh. We're here to refuel," Hakubi spoke into an open channel to the space station. "We have you on our flight plan Hondaioh, you are cleared to dock in bay seven," a voice replied. "Thank you, Hondaioh out." The ship slowly made it's way into the bay and docked without a problem. "Nice landing. I'm going aboard to get a drink, you want to come?" Suno asked Hakubi as he unbuckled himself. "Sure." Hakubi got up and Rye-Ohki jumped onto his shoulder. "Maybe I can get you some carrot juice," Hakubi told an excited Rye-Ohki. A Juraian space tree does not require fuel to fly, but to keep up appearances, they would have to dock and refuel. Washu had built in special tanks for such a situation. They met at the hatch and prepared to leave the ship. They had changed into clothes of a non-Juraian cut and Suno had a wicked looking blaster strapped to his right thigh. "Is that really necessary?" Hakubi asked Suno, looking at the blaster. "Yes. This isn't a Galaxy Police run space station. You should take your own sidearm for protection." "I think I'll be fine without it," Hakubi replied. Hakubi never had a need to own a blaster so he did not bring one along. "Suit your self." They stepped out of the hatch and Suno locked the door. The bots had already started to refuel the ship. "How much longer?" Suno asked one of the robots. "Seventy two Juraian minutes sir," the robot replied in a mechanical voice. "Come on. Let's go." Suno walked off towards the bay exit. "Hey, wait for me!" Hakubi ran after him, not wanting to get lost in this unfamiliar space station. Suno led Hakubi into a dark bar and said something to the bartender. The bartender pointed to a booth in the corner where a man was sitting in the shadows. Suno gave him some money as Hakubi walked up to him. "You expecting someone?" asked Hakubi as he surveyed the crowd. Mostly freighter pilots like themselves and a few who looked like they were on the wrong side of the law. "Yeah, a friend. Wait here, it will only be a minute." Suno walked towards the booth and sat down. "What will it be?" the gruff looking bartender asked Hakubi. "Um, just a Juraian beer for me and some carrot juice for my friend here." Hakubi pointed to Rye-Ohki who was sitting on his shoulder. "Carrot juice? Never heard of it." "It's an exotic plant, look it up in the Juraian Bartender's Guide and you will find out how to synthesize it." "Fine, but it will cost you extra." "That's ok." The bartender lumbered off to the back and started to get their drinks. Hakubi thought to himself. The bartender came back and set down their drinks. Hakubi grabbed a straw and put in the glass of juice for Rye- Ohki, who jumped onto the bar and slurped with gusto. "Is everything going according to the plan?" the dark figure asked Suno. "There needs to be a minor change to it." "What change?" the man asked. "See that Juraian at the bar?" The man nodded. "Only he can fly the ship. We'll need to tow the whole ship back to the base, no big deal." "He looks familiar," said the man as he studied Hakubi. "He should. He's the one Zove put a bounty on. I'm going to bring him in alive, so make sure there's a cell free. I'm sure Zove will want to question him." "Heh, it looks like someone else noticed him too." Suno turned around and saw a large green skinned alien with two antennae on his head walk up to Hakubi. Suno started to get up, and the man pulled him down. "Let's see what happens." "You Jurai person?" the alien asked Hakubi in broken Juraian. "Yes I'm from Jurai," Hakubi answered. The alien was a good eight feet tall, and three feet wide. "I hate Jurai people," the alien spit out. "Sorry to hear that." Hakubi learned his lesson and tried to avoid another fight. "Furry animal yours?" the alien motioned to Rye-Ohki who was looking straight up at him, still sipping his juice. "Yes he belongs to me, and I think we are leaving." Hakubi took some money out of his pocket and paid for the drinks. "I hate Jurai people and furry animals." The alien towered over Hakubi, who had gotten up. By this time the whole bar was looking at them. "I smash furry animals!" The alien slammed his fist on the bar, just barely missing Rye- Ohki who had jumped away. He tried to grab him, but Hakubi caught his wrist before he could get to Rye-Ohki. "That's enough of that." Before Hakubi could do anything else, the alien lifted his arm and threw Hakubi back onto a table. He turned around, made a fist with both his hands to hammer down onto Hakubi. Hakubi was about to teleport away when he remembered that he couldn't reveal his powers and caught the blow instead. Hakubi pulled the alien closer to him, and kicked him in the stomach. As alien staggered back, Hakubi flipped off the table and jumped up. When he was at the alien head's height, he gave a huge right cross, putting his whole body into it. The alien's head whipped to the side with his eyes rolling back. When he landed, he punched again at the alien's stomach. The alien just stood there for a second and collapsed onto Hakubi. Hakubi staggered under the alien's weight but he managed to put him on a barstool and shoved the rest of him onto the counter. Hakubi looked around, expecting another attacker. The bar patrons looked at Hakubi and turned their attention back to their drinks as if nothing had happened. "What is it with you and bar fights?" Suno asked as he walked up to Hakubi. "Thanks for the help back there," Hakubi tilted his head towards the unconscious alien. "You were doing fine on your own. Come on, let's go. They should be done refueling by the time we get back to the ship." Rye-Ohki hopped onto the alien's head and used it as a springboard to jump onto Hakubi's shoulder. They followed Suno out of the bar, back to the ship. "He is very strong indeed," the man said to himself, still sitting in the shadows, sipping his drink. We're nearing the Syrean System," Hakubi called out from his station, "Dropping out of subspace in three, two, one." The Hondaioh returned to normal space and continued into the Syrean planetary system at normal speed. The Syrean System consisted of two inhabited planets orbiting a large yellow star. The larger planet, Syreius, was home of the King and the Empirical Counsel. The capital city of Surius was their final destination. "We made good time. We should arrive at Surius five hours ahead of schedule." "Mmm hmm," Suno replied, not looking up from his monitor. A small, evil smile appeared on his face as five blips glowed on his monitor. "We have five ships approaching," Hakubi called out. "Who are they?" Suno asked in a calm manner. "Hondaioh does not recognize their markings." Hakubi quickly scanned a readout on a monitor. "It appears to be a large cruiser of an unknown configuration and its escorts." "Is that so?" Suno reached behind his chair and pulled out a small, black case. "Hondaioh is getting a large energy build up from the vessels. They're going to fire!" Piercing beams of light shot out of all five ships, heading straight at the Hondaioh. Three light hawk wings immediately came to life, absorbing the blasts. "We're under attack!" Suno thought to himself. He snapped open the case, as the ships sent another volley of fire at them. The Hondaioh rocked from the blasts, listing 30 degrees to the right. "Whoa!" Suno yelled out. He dropped the case and grabbed the sides of his seat to steady himself. "Meow?" Rye-Ohki groggily asked Hondaioh. He was taking a nap on one of the large space tree's branches when the fighting started. "Meow!" Rye-Ohki cried out in surprise as the ship rolled to one side. Rye-Ohki hugged the branch with all four limbs, digging his claws into the thick bark. The ship shook again and Rye-Ohki lost his grip and fell. He saw the ground come rushing up to him and closed his eyes, hoping that it would be soft. The expected impact never came. Rye-Ohki opened one eye and saw the ground move farther away. He opened his other eye and looked up. Hondaioh had caught him with a few of his vines and was slowing pulling him back up to a branch. 'You should be more careful little one.' Hondaioh set Rye-Ohki on the thickest branch and let him go. 'What is going on, Hondaioh?' 'We are under attack,' the space tree calmly told Rye-Ohki. 'Under attack? I'm going to bridge to see what's happening.' Rye-Ohki jumped off the branch, but Hondaioh caught him before he touched the ground and pulled him back up. 'It would be safer for you to stay here with me.' Rye-Ohki grumbled a bit and sat down, crossing his front paws across his chest. "So you want to play rough, do ya?" Hakubi asked the image of the attacking ships on the view screen. He slowed Hondaioh to a stop and pressed the red button on his panel. The outer section of the hull blew off revealing an array of laser cannons, ready to fire. "Damnit! Where'd it go?" Suno looked under his chair and then under a pile of candy wrappers for the case. Hondaioh fired, sending a wave of lasers beams into the nearest ship. The ship twisted to one side and small fires could be seen erupting on its hull. It spun out of control and exploded, showering the other four ships with debris. "Found it!" Suno lifted the lid and pulled out a hypo spray. Hakubi let out a cheer and targeted the next ship. "What do you think of that, Suno?" Suno replied by pressing the hypo spray to the back of Hakubi's neck and injected the contents into him. "Suno..." Hakubi fell face first onto his control panel, out cold. Suno slapped the communicator on and shouted, "Stop firing, I've got it under control. I repeat, stop firing!" The four remaining ships immediately stopped their attack and cautiously approached the Hondaioh. "About time Suno!" The view screen came to life and an unpleasant looking face appeared. "We lost one of our ships! This better be worth it!" "It's definitely worth it." The man looked down at Hakubi, sprawled across his control panel and said, "He better be dead." "He's our reimbursement, worth a whole lot more alive. Get someone over here to take him to the brig. I gave him a large injection, but I don't know how soon he'll wake up." "All right. Prepare to dock." 'Hakubi, what is going on?' asked Rye-Ohki. He got no response. 'Hakubi?'