The Shrine office doors were open, allowing the sunlight to fill the room. The Guardians stood by the door, unmoving, yet their sensors were always active, ready for trouble. Inside the office sat Katsuhito and Tenchi, both having tea and rice balls. Katsuhito examined Tenchi's tired face and said, "How did your history lesson go with Princess Ayeka?" Tenchi sighed as he finished a rice ball. "It was somewhat interesting. She told me about the Pirate Guild and how it was made up of exhiled nobles from nearby planets. How they made an alliance with the trees of Jurai and fought to get back their honor, becoming the most powerful families in that sector of the galaxy." "You don't believe her?" probed his grandfather. "It seemed a tad pat," replied Tenchi, rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed to be questioning the Princess's word. "Let me tell you the real history," stated Katsuhito as he refilled Tenchi's tea cup, "as passed down by father to son since the beginning." ****************************************************************************** ************************************************************** Location: Uncharted region within Guild Space. Time: 27,084 BGU (Before Galactic Union). The stars in this area of space were close and old. Many of them were already growing larger, suns becoming fat from age. Starlight poured out from these bloated suns, mostly red and orange, but a few still shined bright with blue or yellow. Many would soon die and become the stuff of new stars. Among these stars appeared tiny sparks of death, miniature suns which came to life in moments and then faded away. A battle was in progress, a battle small in scale but huge in importance to galactic history. The battle was going perfectly from Lord Jurai's point of view. His newly commissioned ships, warships built with a mixture of known robotic technology and newly discovered organic energy sources, were easily out performing and outfighting the ships of the Yueh Clan and their last remaining allies. Lord Jurai watched the main viewing screen, his dark eyes bright with glee, his mouth a childish grin, as ship after ship of the enemy clans either exploded or fell back. The Yueh were fearless fighters and showed little desire to break off the engagement, but the odds were greatly stacked against them and their captains knew it. "They are honorable warriors," he murmured as he stroked his black beard, turning to his ship's captain. "Hail the command ship again." A flight of missiles expoded outside the ship, held back by an invisible wall of energy. The ship's gunners helped direct the computers' return fire, raking one of the Yueh's larger dreadnoughts with deadly lasers. Lord Jurai chuckled, as allied warcraft swarmed to finish off the wounded giant. The captain nodded and swiftly carried out the Lord's command. Lord Jurai was not only the head of a very powerful clan, but he was also known for having a temper that could appear at anytime. The fact that the members of his clan were rumored to have developed mind powers almost as powerful as the weapons their ships might of aided the captain in his efficiently. The Lord's calm appearance was nothing but a show. In fact, he was most dangerous when silent. Lord Jurai glimpsed at the minor viewing screens as radar operators tried to pick out the command ship of the Yueh and their allies, but such a thing was helpless. The Yueh, and the other pirate clans, had ships almost as diverse and colorful as the garments they wore and the items (mostly illegal) they "traded" in. They would bounce the radio waves between the ships so that he would never be able to trace it to the source during the verbal exchange. Finally one of the nearby monitors came to life showing Lord Yueh. His battle costume was downright bland when compared to the uniforms of other clans, a basic black robe with red trim. His oval face was thinner than most with eyes that were a light blue, the color of ice. His face was clean shaven, his white hair cut above his high collar. His expression seemed almost as cheerful as Yoto Jurai's. "Called to give up?" asked Tian Yueh, Lord of the Yueh Clan. Lord Jurai's grin broke and he snarled at the monitor as his crew tried to pay closer attention to the bridge's controls and displays. "FOOL!" he finally choked out, "My fleet is destroying your ships. Your beams and missiles are worthless against my battle screens. Your allies flee or surrender to me in mass." "Then you do me the honor of weeding out the weak or traitorous," replied the calm, smiling face. Before Yoto Jurai, Lord of the Jurai Clan, Ruler of the Six Planets and Judge of the Court Appeal, could reply the monitor turned off. Right after Tian Yueh made a very rude and very impossible suggestion. "Kill them ALL!" screamed Lord Jurai. ****************************************************************************** ************************************************************** "So," said Tenchi as he sipped some tea, "the Jurai took over and formed the Kingdom of Jurai by violence. Why would the trees ally themselves with such...people?" "The trees of the planet Jurai made bonds sometimes out of pure loneliness," explained his grandfather as he placed another rice ball onto his own plate. "The first bonds were with anybody who spent any time with them. Later, the trees developed more of a sense of taste or ethics." Katsuhito checked the level of the tea in his cup and added, "the bond also had a habit of mellowing people out." "Didn't seem to work in his case." "Yes," responded Katsuhito. "Let me continue with the tale." ****************************************************************************** ************************************************************** Location: In hyperspace, aboard the spaceship 'Fortuna'. Time: 27,084 BGU. Tian Yueh slowly woke up, finding himself under clean sheets, in a soft bed, surrounded by glowing globe-shaped lamps. He tried to get up, but found his body too weak to move. He tried to examine his room, his eyes blinking, adjusting to the low level of light. The room was small, only a few times wider or longer than the bed itself, which itself was just big enough to hold him as long as he didn't move too much. The bed was close to the floor and also to the ceiling, suggesting that he had been captured or rescued by very tiny people, no bigger than two or three feet high at the most. The globes gave off a golden light, that showed off the red and blue wall scrolls. In fact he could not see the wall, as it was covered, as was the ceiling by lovely scrolls, silk drapes and hand woven tapestries. The floor was also covered, mostly in overlapping rugs. The impression was of a tent (a very small tent). Suddenly that was a clapping noise outside one of the drapes and, after a few seconds, an alien stepped into the room. 'Wow, what a tiny creature,' is all Tian could think of as the tiny furry creature, dressed in loose fitting green robes, bowed to him, gesturing with its tiny paws. Its fur was short and a light yellow color, like the color of sand. Its large eyes were as black as the night sky. The green robes did little to hide the long furry tail that poked out the back. "Greetings," stated the tiny furry creature. "I see that our medical equipment under the bed is correct. You are awake. Do you understand me?" Tian nodded, as the alien was using one of the many trader's languages used by the civilized and uncivilized worlds within the galaxy. "Can you speak?" asked the alien as it approached the bed, its fluffy ears twitching, "Many of your crew are worried about your health and seem to be worried about you. Tian, Lord of the Yueh Clan, shook himself and answered, "Yes, I can speak. What happened? Where am I?" The creature nodded and said, "I will try to answer all your questions, but first, do you need food or drink?" Even before Tian could reply his tummy replied for him with a sound that could be compared to a faster-than-light engine being switched on. The tiny creature said something, something Tian decided must be words in its native tongue and then knelt next to the bed. The tiny alien pulled up one of the sheet and touched some controls built into the bed's soft frame. "I am turning off the robot healers," stated the alien, "as they are no longer needed. Let me answer your questions and, no doubt, some questions you have NOT asked." The alien pointed to itself and said, "I am Sub-Sovereign Kist, son to Sovereign Kist the Third. This ship is one of my father's, on its way to the home planet of Sanctus, were I am to attend finishing school. We were passing near the system of Tag when the ship's sensors detected your own ship. We were in normal space to take on Flowers of Harmony from our colony on on the fourth planet when the alarms went off." Kist became silent, as another alien came in. Dressed in a white uniform, with matching gloves and tiny cap, the alien placed a tray on the floor near Kist. Tian noticed how the white help set off the alien's redish fur. The newcomer bowed and left, as Kist preceded to pour Tian a cup of steaming tea. The tiny alien gave it to the Pirate Lord and then also handed Tian a dish of pastry. Tian realized that there were listening devices within the tent, listening and, no doubt, recording what was being said for future study. Tian glanced at the cup and dish, noticing they were silver, as Kist added, "It is safe for your metabolism." As Tian tasted the tea and stuffed a slice of pastry into his mouth, the tiny alien waited, as if giving the Lord time enough to get himself together. The tea was both warm and bland. The pastry was soft and filled with some type of white cheese, slightly melted and very mild. Just the thing for a half-starved stomach. Tian nodded and the alien continued his tale. "The ship's computers had delected your own ship's damaged engines. The captain sent shuttles with doctors and engineers over to your ship, which was holed in many places. They were able to reach you and nine others. The rest, I fear, were dead or beyond our help." Kist bowed his head and continued, sounding very serious, as if wishing Tian to believe his words. "The ship was, itself, falling apart even while our men tried their best to keep it together, to try to search for more of your crew. Praise the Great Ones that we were able to save so many. The captain had to pull our own ship away in the end, as your own ship's coolant system was leaking chemicals that were dangerous to our men, even within their suits." "My men?" murmured Tian around pieces of bread. "All around you," stated Kist with a tiny grin, "as this tent is in our main cargo hold. Your men have similar tents. This is the only chamber within the ship that could handle your...height." 'I have allowed myself to relax too much,' thought Tian, 'I must remember who I am. I am not just some animal, responding to heat and food, acting on emotions. I am a thinking, educated man of a great bloodline.' "I thank you," declared Lord Yueh, bowing from the waist while trying not to spill his tea. "I thank you with all my heart, in saving me and my men. I hope I, or my Clan, can one day repay you and your family in kind." Kist seemed to sit up straighter, his round ears twitching. "Oh, it's nothing," commented the tiny alien, "as we of noble blood have to stick together." ****************************************************************************** ************************************************************** "A colony designed to grow flowers?" chuckled Tenchi. "No," stated Katsuhito as he enjoyed the view of the valley outside the door, "the first colonists found the Flowers of Harmony on the fourth planet upon landing. The flowers were from their home planet, but nobody knows how they got there." "Maybe somebody from the planet visited the system of Tag before?" suggested Tenchi. "No," explained his grandfather. "The colonists were from the first wave of spaceships to leave Sanctus." "Then how did...?" "Listen and learn," replied Katsuhito. ****************************************************************************** ************************************************************** When he was well enough, Lord Yueh was allowed to leave his tent and join his waiting men. He noticed right away that while they were being treated well, with clean clothes, warm food and soft bedding, it was no where near the quality of the items within his tent. Kist's people either recognized him as a person of higher birth or his crew as men with sticky fingers. Yet, the bedding was well made, the clothes hand-stitched and the food was better than space rations that most pirate ships had. All of his men showed signs of being treated, from plain bandages to medical patches that continued to work on damaged or burnt skin. Tian shook his head, amazed, whispering to himself, "all this help given without demand for payment. Such wealth." The men stood up and saluted their Lord. He returned their salute and asked, "Are you all well?" They all nodded and the highest ranking officer, a Marine Captain, stepped forward and added, "We're well cared for sir, but we don't know what these Feles plan to do with us." "Feles?" asked Tian, frowning. "That is their name," said the Marine. "They told us their race's name after we kept calling them furs." "Captain," said Tian, as he pulled the officer to one side, "have you found out anything while I am been unwell?" "Aye sir," replied the Marine. "I did some scouting of the ship. It is large, well made, but no where near as advanced or as well armed as our own ships. Much of the cargo seems to be gifts for the home world and much of it seems to be some kind of blue flower. Everything seems to be designed for both function and beauty. Even the hallways have walls painted with scenes of nature and history." Tian nodded and said, "I was told the flowers are the reason they stopped at the system." "Sir?" inquired the Captain, confused. "Nevermind Captain. Make sure the men behave themselves." "Aye sir. They've even given us history cubes to read." Tian glanced at the cubes and the viewers placed near his men's tents. He stepped over to one and inserted the cube. Tian started to scan the index and soon found what he was looking for as the Captain peeked over his shoulder. "Got it," exclaimed Tian. "What is it sir?" "I found the chapter on the Flower of Harmony," stated Tian. "It was a flower that went extinct during their early industrial period. They found it growing wild on the fourth planet in the Tag system. Also on the planet were ruins." Tian gasped and stepped away from the viewer so the Captain might see the picture. "Is that what I think it is, sir?" ****************************************************************************** ************************************************************** "What was the picture?" demanded Tenchi as he placed his tea cup on the table, leaning forward as he waited for the answer. "It was a jar," stated his grandfather, "which could of been dated back to the Meowmeow Paleozoic Era." "So," said Tenchi, "these ruins showed that they visited the planet of Sanctus during prehistoric times." "The scientists of Sanctus believe that they are the result of tests carried out on the animals of the planet." Tenchi gasped and Katsuhito nodded. "Yes, Tenchi, the people of Sanctus understood that they were byproducts of a dead civilization, just like the ruins and decaying artifacts found on all the other planets." "But what is happening on Jurai?" ****************************************************************************** *************************************************************Location: Jurai Palace, the Planet Jurai (earlier known as Pirate Planet or 'That-planet-with-all-the-trash'). Time: 27,083 BGU "Your father is insane," stated Lord Mishi, as the other nobles kneeling before the prince nodded in agreement. The Prince of Jurai placed his biwa back onto its stand and turned his dark eyes onto one of his father's most trusted generals. "Really?" Lord Mishi tried to hide any fear he had and continued. "You know this to be true, Prince Aumer," pointed out Mishi, "or you, yourself, would be one of the many hounds, searching and killing those your father fears within the Pirate Guild." Prince Aumer folded his hands into his lap and glanced over the minor nobles that made up his father's court on the newly named Planet, Jurai. "My father hunts those who fled the last Battle of Jade Five," corrected the youth, "and to say otherwise is nonsense. To allow enemies to live is dangerous to one's house." Many of the nobles glanced at each other, at the boy's choice of words. All of them, including the most powerful within the Jurai Clan were descended from pirates or worse. The term Clan, suggesting an extended family, was a polite form of address among them. Almost a joke really. But to call a Clan a "House" suggested something more legitimate. "Your father is chasing shadows," countered Mishi. "Already many generals and major nobles within your own HOUSE have been sent away to tiny military bases and worthless colony planets. Many have NOT been heard from. One of his younger brothers has gone missing." "Already one of his cooks has been murdered by his guards," piped up a minor noble who was bowing towards the Prince, his eyes locked firmly onto the floor, "after your father said he over spiced his morning coffee." "Be plain in your thoughts," demanded the Prince. As the nobles looked up, many sweating, the Prince snorted and added, "The room has been checked for hearing devices. You know this or you would not be here." "The fact is, my Prince," pressed Mishi with a glare at the idiot behind him, "the Yueh Clan is dead and their allies either long gone or part of our own ranks. Your father's actions, if they continue, will start to break down the very alliance he has forged over the decades. The last battle has been won. Now it is time to part away the sword." The Prince met Mishi's eyes and grinned. "And I am the pen?" "I would never suggest-" answered Mishi before the Prince waved him to silence. "You are right," said Aumer as he swept the room with his hard eyes. "My own guard have been replaced by his own men. I have found bugs in my bed chamber and even in my water closet. He has unwisely spread the fleets out looking for enemies who no longer are a threat and have arrested people with charges even the lowest of garbage pickers won't believe. Many of the nearby Kingdoms and Nations are starting to get nervous." He nodded and gestured with his hands towards a holographic wall map on one of the walls, adding, "We must bring it to a halt, for even our new warships would not be able to withstand an all-out invasion by the rest of the galaxy." The Prince scanned the kneeling nobles and then looked Mishi right in the eyes. "How will it be done?" he demanded. "With care," answered the noble. ****************************************************************************** ************************************************************** "Prince Aumer became the first King, founding the Royal House of Jurai in 27,083 BGU or 27,083 years before the Galactic Union was formed," stated Katsuhito as he stared into his cup of green tea. "With the resources of six planets and the power of the new warships, he swiftly expanded the Kingdom. To be honest, this was done mostly by the carrot than by the stick." "What happened to his father?" "Yoto Jurai's flagship was destroyed when it was ambushed by a overwhelming force of unknown ships." Tenchi seemed shocked and dismayed. "Do you think it was set up by Mishi?" "Nobody can prove anything," replied Katsuhito. "A investigation carried out found nothing, though there were suggestions that the ship's fields were sabataged during or before the ambush." "That data does not fit with our history files," stated Azaka from its position at the doorway. "Guardians need not know truth, only facts," countered the heir to the Juraian throne. "I wonder how much of what Princess Ayeka has told me is true and how much is fact," commented Tenchi. "Well," pondered Katsuhito outloud, "tomorrow you can ask Washu about the Galaxy Academy and the next day you can ask Mihoshi about the Galaxy Police." "Shouldn't I ask Kiyone?" stated Tenchi, with a grin. "No," said his grandfather as he finished off his tea. "I picture Kiyone as a good student when it comes to weapons training and space combat, but Mihoshi is the one who would know the history. After all, her family is a part of it." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------- Tenchi Muyo! and related characters are owned by AIC and Pioneer. What a nice calm fan-fiction, yes? The time line I developed was based on the idea that Tenchi and the events from Tenchi Muyo! started in 1992, when the series was released in Japan. If Washu was kidnapped in 5912, 5000 years earlier, than 1992 Earth time is 10912 Galactic time. Of course, please remember that the years are not going to be of the same length, so 1995 is not going to be 10915. It could be 10914 or 10916.