Disclaimer- All original characters and previous events in the world of Tenchi Muyo are not mine. They are the property of AIC and Pioneer. The following story and any new characters are mine and mine alone. This story has been written because I love this series and felt that if Pioneer is not going to be prompt with a 3rd OAV then I might as well throw my hat in the ring. This story is just for fun, and I hope that anyone who reads this enjoys it. The following events will take place in the OAV timeline and one year after MNE. Well that's all for my opening rant. I hope you enjoy the show. Tenchi Muyo!- Will of the Goddesses "The Raging War" Princess Ayeka and the commanders of the Juraian fleet were sitting in the war room of the Black Star Alpha base. Seeing that everyone was seated and awaiting her to begin, Ayeka rose from the head of the table and addressed the room. "Gentlemen, it is time to begin the retaking of Jurai space." View screens appeared behind her. Ayeka pointed to one at her left. "This is the Dritos system. It is one of the nearest system of colonies to Black Star Alpha, and these colonies are also large agricultural producers. If we are to wage war, we must have food to feed our forces. Commander Yosho, what is the current status of the fleet?" Yosho stood and looked over at a data pad in his hands. "Current fleet count is at three hundred ten tree ships. We have gathered all our ships that either escaped the battle at Jurai, or were scattered through out the outer colonies. All tree ships are fully manned with crews. Word of our latest victory has spread to all the remaining free colonies. Transports bearing Juraian citizens who wish to join the fleet have been added to our troops. According to the latest count, our troops number over fifty thousand knights and soldiers. More Juraians from the colonies are continuing to enlist, so that number is likely to grow some, yet." He finished and sat back down. Ayeka nodded to her brother. "Very good. Thank you, Commander." She touched the screen that held the map of the Dritos system. It flashed and the system map was replaced by a blue and green planet. "This is the planet Humar. It is the key to holding the Dritos system. By reclaiming Humar, we can sufficiently extend the Jurai Power shield that keeps our enemy from further expansion. Once that has been accomplished, we can retake the rest of Dritos easily." She motioned to Admiral Judroa. "Admiral, please explain what our strategy for retaking Humar will be." Judroa cleared his throat and rose with his hands clasped behind his back. Ayeka took her seat as the Admiral stepped to the head of the conference table. The view screen containing Humar was overlaid with a grid. "We must note several things before I speak of our strategy. The enemy fleet that we defeated a week ago was the only one of its kind. As far as Intel knows, the enemy does not have another fleet of that size to use against us. The only resistance that is expected to be in the Dritos system are the demons that occupy each colony." The screen flashed, and several different colors covered the surface of Humar. "Preliminary scans tell us that Humar and the other colonies have been equipped with some sort of demon related planetary defense system. The main plan is the divide the fleet into two parts. Fifty battle ships will remain behind to guard this instillation. The remaining portion of the fleet will attack Humar. The fleet's main purpose is to provide cover for the troop transports." Humar was replaced by a layout of a city. "This is Humar's capital, Jin'Tu," said Judroa. "From what Intel understands, this is where the demon horde of Humar is controlled from. It is believed that a stronger demon or overmind is how the demons are unified and controlled. A force of fifteen thousand knights and soldiers will descend upon the city and attempt to retake it by finding and killing the greater demon." Admiral Judroa looked to the view screen to his right. It flashed, and the map of Dritos appeared again. "When Humar is ours, the Jurai Power shield will be extended, thus keeping the enemy from entering Dritos. With our victory at Humar our forces will immediately spread out and retake the remaining colonies in similar fashions." The Admiral nodded and sat back down. Ayeka rose and resumed control of the meeting. "The fleet will be under my direct command. Admiral Judroa and Commander Yosho will be my seconds for this mission. Are there any questions?" "Will fifteen thousand troops be sufficient to handle the demon hordes of Humar?" asked a gray haired officer whom Ayeka remembered to be General Trake. "That is all that we can spare, General Trake," replied Ayeka. "The ground forces have been divided into different groups to avoid exhaustion among the men. Those who will take part in the on planet battles will most likely be required to do so several times before the expedition is over. The fleet in space will also provide the necessary bombardment in an attempt to keep other portions of the horde from flanking our forces." She looked all around the table. "Are there anymore questions?" She was met by only serious looks. "Then this meeting is at an end. Report to your assigned stations. The fleet will depart in one hour. Good luck." The all bowed their heads to the princess and left. Yosho and Admiral Judroa were waiting for her at the door. Both men were giving her serious looks. "Do you still plan to go down to Humar when the time arrives?" asked Yosho. Ayeka nodded her head ever so slightly. "I must. In order to extend the shield, I must come in direct contact with the central tree on Humar." "That does not mean that you must join the attacking forces, Highness," stated Judroa. "It would be much safer if you went to Jin'Tu after the battle is over." Ayeka let a little warmth through her serious exterior. "I thank you both for thinking of my well being, but I must be with our troops when they land on Humar. They are fighting for me, and I cannot shame them by standing safely behind the fleet while they risk their lives." "So, there will be no talking you out of this?" asked Yosho. Ayeka shook her head. "Then the least you can do is allow us to assign a Royal Guard to protect you," suggested Judroa. The tone of his voice told Ayeka that no matter what she said "no" was not going to be accepted as an answer. "Fine," relented Ayeka. "I will accept a Royal Guard." Both men smiled simultaneously. "Excellent. Shall we go and meet them now? Your new Royal Guard is waiting in the docking bay outside the Royal Pride," explained Yosho. Ayeka raised an eyebrow and smirked at both of them. "Meet them? You were going to tag me with them no matter what I said, correct?" Yosho gave her an innocent smile. "Why, Princess? I have not idea what you are talking about." The door slid open, and he extended his hand. "After you, Highness." Ayeka huffed at them and walked out of the war room. Smiling like two young boys, Yosho and Judroa followed several steps behind her. Eventually, the three of them entered the main docking bay of Black Star Alpha. Technicians and soldiers were running all about making ready to leave with the fleet. Five Juraian knights stood out from the all the others in the room. Four of them were either leaning against containers, sitting on the floor, or lounging in some fashion. The remaining figure was standing in front of the other five with his back turned to the approaching princess. The purple haired princess stopped several feet from the standing knight. "Ahem," went Ayeka. All at once, the five knights jumped to attention. The nearest knight spun around, and Ayeka was mildly surprised to see who it was. "Why Captain Shoytal, I thought you were a tree ship commander?" The young Juraian's lavender eyes were all business. "I am a captain of a tree ship, your Highness, but I am first and foremost a Knight of Jurai." That was when Ayeka noticed that he was no longer wearing his military uniform. Instead he was wearing the robes and light armor of a knight. The shoulder buckle of his armor was a blue circle. A Juraian tree weapon was snapped to his belt. It looked like a longer version of Tenchi-ken except with two blade ends. Shoytal bowed deeply. "Allow me to formally introduce myself, Princess Ayeka. I am Captain Shoytal Ruhanal of the Juraian Knighthood." He raised himself up and extended his left hand behind him. "These are my men." He pointed to the first knight on Ayeka's left. "This is Gerin Iost." Gerin was of average height with short red hair and green eyes. The circular buckle on his armor was also red, and he was holding a five foot staff made from a space tree. Shoytal continued moving right. "This is Nunar Araol." Nunar was quite a bit smaller than Gerin with long black hair and burgundy eyes. His circle was colored green. A two foot tree weapon was hanging from his right side. "Verka Jeheden," was the next knight's name. Verka was tall and very muscular with a shaved head. His blue eyes shone with a fighting spirit. There was a white scar running from his left temple down to his chin leaving a bald spot in his black goatee. Ayeka noticed a pair of gauntlets made from space trees on his hands. His circle was a deep purple. "And this is Mastir Segrey," said Shoytal gesturing to the final knight. Mastir's long, blond hair was drawn back into a ponytail. His eyes were gray, and his upper lip sported a thick blond mustache. The circle on his armor was silver. Two swords also similar to Tenchi-ken were strapped to his sides. All five knights clicked their heels together and bowed to Ayeka. "We are your Royal Bodyguards, Princess Ayeka," stated Shoytal. Ayeka looked each of the knights over and nodded. "I thank you all and welcome you as my personal guard." She turned back to Yosho and gave him an icy stare. "I'll get you for this one," she whispered in a venomous tone. He merely gave her another innocent smile. The princess turned and started for the Royal Pride. "The fleet will be leaving soon. We must board the Royal Pride and prepare for departure." She stopped and looked back at the knights following her. "I do suggest that you five do whatever it is you do to prepare for battle. I do not know if the Commander or the Admiral told you, but we will be taking part in the ground assault on Humar." "Oh that's just wonderful," muttered Gerin Iost in a sarcastic tone. His voice was high and trite. "Fine," was all Nunar Araol said in a whispering voice. "Good, I could use the workout," said Verka Jeheden in a deep voice. He cracked his knuckles to emphasize the point. "Hmm, this may prove an interesting assignment after all," added Mastir Segrey in an even toned voice. "Cut the chatter," ordered Shoytal. " He looked back at Ayeka with a serious expression. "We will be ready, your Highness." Ayeka gave the captain an official nod and resumed walking to her flagship. The princess could not help thinking that her new bodyguards were going to make things very interesting for her. Something told her that they had the ability to cause as much trouble as prevent it. _____ It only took the Juraian fleet a few hours to jump to the Dritos system. Two hundred sixty tree ships of various sizes came out of hyperspace not far from the planet Humar. Ayeka stood on the command platform above the bridge of the Royal Pride. "All ships go to red alert and merge into Chain formation. Every other ship deploy Light Hawk Wings, while the ships in between begin to bombard the enemy defenses." The fleet stretched out into a chain pattern around the planet Humar. Light Hawk Wing shields opened up all around the fleet. "All ships, fire at will," ordered Ayeka. Beams of energy rained down upon the planet's surface. In response, the demonic defenses released blasts of pure plasma into space. The space around Humar was a literal firestorm. Ayeka turned and started for the exit. "Admiral Judroa, you have command of the fleet. As soon as my transport joins the others, deploy Blockade Runner Group A." Admiral Judroa saluted her. "As you command, Highness." Ayeka left the bridge and her Royal Guard fell into step behind her. The small group made their way to the shuttle bay and boarded a transport. The small transport left the Royal Pride and joined with the troop transports that were hanging back just behind the main fleet. Several tree ships took point positions in front of the troop carriers. Their Light Hawk Wing shields opened, and the landing force started for Humar. Orange plasma blasts roared at the descending force, but the Wing shields successfully absorbed or deflected them. Ayeka watched as they passed through Humar's atmosphere, and the capital city of Jin'Tu appeared not too far below them. The landscape surrounding the city was covered in black mounds of rock spewing plasma into the sky. Ayeka keyed on the COM unit of her transport. "This is Princess Ayeka. All transports unload troops half a mile from the city." She changed the COM frequency to that of the Royal Pride. "Royal Pride, this is Royal One. Do you copy?" "This is Admiral Judroa," came the old Juraian's voice over the com. "I hear you, your Highness." "We are about to commence our attack, Admiral," explained Ayeka. "Please direct some cover fire just a half a mile from our touch down point." "Understood, your Highness," replied the Admiral. Ayeka shut off the COM system and turned to the five knights standing at attention behind her. Despite her earlier thoughts about them, each knight was now surrounded with an air of battle readiness. "We are touching down now, Princess," said the shuttle pilot. The small ship landed, and the princess with her knights disembarked. The bulk of the attack force was already gathered on the scorched earth, and the transports were lifting off. All heads turned to Ayeka as she strode to stand in front of the army. A soldier handed her a voice amplifier, and she turned it on. "Raise your weapons and join me in taking back our Empire!" she shouted out to the assembled troops. All fifteen thousand troops cheered and moved as one towards the city of Jin'Tu. Ayeka turned and broke into a dead run leading the charge. Great beams of blue energy streamed down from the heavens, clearing a path for the charging Juraian army. Filled with adrenaline, Ayeka barely noticed the half a mile run to the city. Her forces charged past the charred bodies of demons as they entered the shattered city walls. While any demons outside the city had been killed, the horde of monsters inside the city was very much alive and ready to kill the invading Juraians. Both forces roared in challenge and crashed into each other. All the Juraian troops had been briefed on how the ground battle would most likely turn out. The demons attacked with no sense of order. They merely charged seeking only to spill blood. The Juraian forces had been told to try and remain in unit formations and push into the center of the city. Once they had secured the center of the Jin'Tu, all troops were ordered to maintain defensive positions while a select group tried to destroy the demon overmind. Ayeka and her Guard were among the first to enter the city and meet with the demons. The princess's force field shimmered to life, and Jurai Power began to gather as blue spheres in both her hands. Her five knights moved to guard her flanks and rear. Shoytal ignited his weapon, and two blue blades extended from both ends of the hilt. The red headed Gerin's staff sprouted small red blades on both ends. The short Nunar lifted his weapon creating a green double bladed axe from its tip. Thick, three foot, purple blades extended out from the mighty Verka's gauntlets. The lithe Mastir ignited a pair of silver bladed swords and joined his fellows in the battle. The princess was familiar with some of the demons they first encountered. Black scaled lizard creatures and turtle bats threw themselves at the Juraians. There were other types of demons among the horrific horde, but Ayeka only paid them attention to vaporize them. Guns blazing and energy weapons flaring, the Juraian army pushed their way to the center of Jin'Tu. Ayeka stopped a pack of lizards cold by surrounding them in power logs and showing no mercy. What could only be described as hellhounds darted towards Ayeka from the left. Shoytal and Mastir were there in a flash leaving none of the hounds alive. The army moved as one down the streets of the city. A gigantic centipede rose up to block their path. Jurai Power flew from Ayeka's hands and melted the monster out of existence. It was only about thirty minutes before the Juraian force successfully plowed their way up to the steps of Jin'Tu's capital building. The Juraians surrounded the building, and in turn were surrounded by the demon horde. "Hold position and fight on!" shouted Ayeka. A turtle bat zoomed down at her, but it was cut down by Nunar's axe. The small knight landed on the ground without a sound. Ayeka signaled for her Guard to move into the building. The princess and her knights along with thirty more soldiers charged up the steps and blasted through the doors. Demons with the upper bodies of the lizards and the lower halves of spiders scaled down the walls at Ayeka's strike force. The princess and the Royal Guard continued forward while the thirty soldiers kept the demons pinned down. "I can sense the controlling demon in the main council chamber!" shouted Ayeka over the battle. "It has placed itself around the space tree!" "Then we will have to move it," stated Verka. Ayeka blasted down the council chamber's doors with a bolt of Jurai Power. In the middle of the circular chamber was a full and green leafed space tree rising up through the ceiling. Sitting at the base of the tree was a large, pulsating organism. It was a mass of vibrating black and brown matter. With the appearance of the Juraians in the room, a multitude of barbed tentacles shot up around the mass. A series of deep roars echoed in the chamber as several bipedal, green scaled demons with wings dropped down and attacked as well. The princess and her knights exploded into action. Verka and Nunar broke left to engage some of the winged demons. Mastir and Gerin moved right to take on the remainder of the monsters. Ayeka, followed by Shoytal, continued towards the mass in front of the space tree. Tentacles shot out at both of them. The tendrils bounced off of Ayeka's shield, while Shoytal was forced to duck and dodge them. Power logs filled the entire center of the chamber releasing waves of electrical energy. The mass writhed in pain as the tentacles were withered and turned to ash. Circlet glowing brightly, Ayeka extended both hands towards the mass and fired a beam of pure Juraian energy. The blue blast struck the demonic mass causing it to explode. Ayeka lowered her hands and looked around the chamber. The remaining winged demons suddenly lost all sense of direction. The other four knights were quick to cut them down. Satisfied, Ayeka walked over the remains of the overmind and placed her hands on the space tree. Thin beams of prismatic light rained down from the tree's leaves. The ancient life form welcomed the touch of the Juraian princess. Ayeka melded her mind with the tree allowing it to know her intentions. The space tree acknowledged Ayeka's plans and opened its power to her. The princess closed her eyes and began to build up the Jurai Power in her body. With a single thought, Ayeka released it all causing the space tree to release a prismatic beam into the sky and out into space. "The Jurai Power shield now extends to this system," said Ayeka between deep breaths. "Are you all right, Princess?" asked Shoytal. Ayeka turned and nodded to him. "I am fine, Captain. I am just not used to using so much Jurai Power at once." Ayeka lowered her hands to her sides and started walking out of the chamber. The air around her shimmered as she reactivated her force field. The Royal Guard raised their weapons and encircled the princess as they made their way to the front of the capital building. When they all came out to the steps, Ayeka was not surprised at the scene before them. The demon horde was no longer throwing itself at the Juraian army. Instead, the demons were killing each other in a chaotic frenzy. The Juraians were simply adding to the chaos by continuously firing at the horde. A communicator on Ayeka's belt began to beep. She lowered her force field and raised the com to her mouth. "This is the Princess, go ahead." "Princess Ayeka, this is Admiral Judroa. The enemy has ceased firing on the fleet, and surface scans show demons all over the planet attacking each other rather than our forces. I take it you were successful in killing the demon overmind." "That is correct, Admiral," confirmed Ayeka. "Deploy the rest of the ground forces to wipe out the rest of the demons on the planet. Once that is done, we must find and release any surviving colony citizens. I will meet with their leaders and begin reconstructing the local governments. After all that is done, we will pull out and move to the next planet in this system." "It will be as you order, Highness," said Judroa over the communicator. "Shall I send your shuttle down now?" "No," replied Ayeka. "Do not send it down until I have met with Humar's leaders." Weariness suddenly flooded her awareness, but Ayeka kept her face emotionless. "Let me know when the demons planet wide have been eliminated. Ayeka out." She clicked the communicator off and returned it to her belt. The battle around the city was dying down. After turning on themselves, the demons had not lasted long against the Juraians. Ayeka looked to her Royal Guard. Each of the men had deactivated their weapons, but she could tell that each man was still ready for anything. "Verka. Mastir." The two knights stood up straight and looked to her. "Yes, Princess?" they asked in unison. "Take a detachment of soldiers and make sure that this building is clear of all demons," ordered Ayeka. "I want it cleared out completely so that I may have someplace to speak with Humar's leaders." They bowed their heads. "Yes, Ma'am." Verka waved over some soldiers, and they all entered the capital building. "The rest of you come with me," said Ayeka. "We must look in on how our men have fared after this battle." Shoytal, Gerin, and Nunar encircled the princess as she headed down the steps of the capital building. Ayeka spent the next couple of hours walking among the troops congratulating them on a battle well fought. Admiral Judroa called Ayeka again to tell her that Humar was once again theirs. On the outside she was the emotionless, steel faced leader that all the Juraian soldiers were telling stories about. Each one had a story of how the Crown Princess had lead the charge into the city and slayed demons by the hundreds. Ayeka's blood and dirt smeared white coat billowed behind her as she walked down the streets of Jin'Tu. With every step, Ayeka made herself the physical manifestation of all those stories. Inside, however, Ayeka was exhausted beyond anything she had ever felt before. Every step was a struggle to take. Her legs ached, and her lungs burned. More than anything, Ayeka wanted to flee from the crowds of soldiers and soak in a warm bath, but that was not an option. She still had to meet with the leaders of Humar. Juraian citizens had been discovered locked in underground detention centers. Ayeka soon learned that the colonists were let out for a few hours a day to do their jobs, and then they were all shuttled back into the centers until the next day. As she walked, the Humarian leaders were being escorted to the capital building to meet with her. Ayeka took a deep breath and readied herself to be diplomatic. These people would be very happy to see her, but they were all still politicians and their natural argumentative instincts would most likely take over. Ayeka's only purpose with speaking to them was to get their allegiance to her cause, and then make sure that all of Humar's industries were producing equipment and supplies for her army. The princess suddenly realized that she was back at the capital building. Verka and Mastir rejoined her group at the foot of the steps. With another steadying breath, the First Crown Princess Ayeka Jurai steeled herself and entered the capital building of Jin'Tu. _____ The Dark Heart came out of hyperspace over Jurai. Ziasha opened a view screen and smiled at what he saw. Floating in front of the planet was a massive Souja class battleship. The dark warrior opened communications with the battleship to make sure that his people had followed his instructions. "This is the Dark Star to Tokimi's Chariot. Do you read me?" The COM crackled and a male voice answered. "We read you, Lord Ziasha. Welcome back, sir. Do you wish to come aboard?" "Not yet," replied Ziasha. "Have a schematic of the ship sent to my office, immediately. Once I have gone over it expect a visit." "We await your arrival, my lord." The COM crackled again and the voice was gone. Ziasha piloted the Dark Heart down to Jurai. He docked the ship and disembarked. Humanoid soldiers in black armor bowed as he walked past into the Imperial Palace. Followers of Tokimi bowed repeatedly as he made his way through the halls to his office. Ziasha entered his office and sent out a mental call to his subordinates. It was only a few moments before Draytif, Sezen, and Ortav walked in. The dark man was seated behind his desk. Ziasha's red eyes focused on Draytif. "What happened?" The human was visibly sweating. "W...what d...do you mean, m...my lord?" Ziasha folded his hands in front of his face. "Why is my fleet short four hundred ships?" "I don't know how to explain it, Lord Ziasha," said Draytif quickly. "The Juraian's had some sort of master strategist. I was..." Ziasha slammed his fists down on the desk making all three of them jump. "It was that damned princess, you fool!" he shouted. "Master, I promise not to fail you again!" Five black triangles appeared on Ziasha's forehead. "No, you won't." Two black beams of energy shot from Ziasha's eyes leaving a gaping hole in Draytif's chest. The human sputtered once and dropped to the floor dead. Ziasha opened his left hand and released a black sphere of energy. The sphere passed over the corpse dissolving it. The triangles disappeared, and Ziasha leaned back in his chair. "As for you two," he began. "You have done well, Sezen. Lady Tokimi is pleased." Sezen bowed his golden scaled head. "I live only to ssserve Her Majesssty'sss glory," he hissed. "How is Garthinial, Ortav?" asked Ziasha. Ortav gave him a mad scientist's smile. "It will take a little time, but the demon will survive and be more powerful than before." Ziasha smiled and nodded. "Very good. Sezen, you are dismissed until I have need of you again. Ortav, I want you to continue working on Garthinial and update me when he is finished." Both of them bowed and left his office. "Now, what do you have to say, D3?" asked Ziasha after a moment of silence. "I do not think it was very wise to kill Draytif before questioning him about the battle, Ziasha," came the demi-god's voice from everywhere. "He was a simpering and arrogant fool," snapped Ziasha. "Anything he could have told us would have been useless. I will command the fleet myself from now on." Ziasha began to tap his fingers on the desk. "How are our demon tree ships?" "One more month until they reach maturity," replied D3. "The Galaxy Police have massed a larger fleet to search for the one that was destroyed several weeks ago. This time they will be coming straight for Jurai. I estimate it will be at least four hundred ships strong." Ziasha chuckled. "That is more than half their fleet strength. They certainly are worried, aren't they." He continued to tap his fingers. "I will take Tokimi's Chariot and the remaining three hundred ships and deal with this problem. And while I am at it, I'll take out their pesky head quarters, too." "It will be several more days before the GP fleet will be assembled," said D3. "If you are going after the GP's what shall we do about the Princess Ayeka's fleet? Even I am unable to get by the Jurai Power shield she has created." "We will deal with her in good time," assured Ziasha. "When the demon tree ships are completely formed, her pathetic fleet will be at our mercy." "What about the colonies she will retake during that time?" asked D3. "It will not be good to let the princess gain the strength they can provide." "You worry too much, D3," scolded Ziasha. "Her fleet will not get any stronger. She cannot grow any new tree ships, and no other sensible government in this galaxy would get involved in this war. And I would not even start to worry about aid from outside the galaxy. None of Jurai's allies know anything about this. So, let the princess recapture her colonies. It will not matter in the end." He smiled broadly. "Nothing will stop our Lady's Will." To be continued... Notes- not much to say. I hope that all who read this are still enjoying the story. All comments go to Roas1@hotmail.com.