Gundams Travel To The Land of Stars Written by Metal Sonic v2. Part Six "Oh, Ryoko!" Ayeka called in a singsong voice. "YOU again?" Ryoko growled as she turned around. Several stories of metal and guns loomed over her. "Oh." Ryoko managed to utter as she stared in disbelief. "Take that!" The giant's gun arm raised and lead sprayed the area sending up huge gouts of dirt into the air. "Hoo hoo hoo!" boomed from the red giant's speakers. Ryoko, who was busy dodging bullets, suddenly snapped her fingers in mid-teleport. Oh yeah! I'll just borrow that black one again! This should be interesting, she thought to herself. Moments later the eyes of the black suit glowed green as it's energy scythe extended. Many tons of black flew toward the wall of red, and soon after, the ground began to tremble. Grey streaks whizzed all around and a greenish glow filled the air as the two combatants fought with both weapons and wit. Tenchi bolted up and darted toward the relative safety of the trees. "Those two are really dangerous when they're mad at each other!" A familiar voice broke the silence from beside him. "But -I- never get tired of watching those two fight. Aheh heh heh!" Tenchi lost his balance due to the sudden surprise. "WHA-?!" he stammered. Luckily, he caught himself on a nearby tree before he fell out onto the battlefield. Regaining his composure he uttered, "Oh, hello Little Washu. I wasn't expecting to find you here too. Where did you come from?" "Oh, you know, I was in the area and decided to see how things were going." "Uh...okay," Tenchi mumbled in resignation. It was not worth the trouble to pry it out of the scientist. "How are we going to get them to stop fighting?" "More importantly is why. If we don't get the dimensional travelers back to where they came from, the door between our two universes will become a permanent feature. If the pilots of those mobile suits do not return to their own dimension, the door cannot close. Eventually it will not...which brings me to the first thing we have to do: stop those two from fighting long enough to take back their mobile suits. I thought I would send YOU out there." Washu had no trouble volunteering the boy as peacemaker. This slightly unnerved Tenchi. Seeing his expression she continued, "Ayeka and Ryoko are sure to stop once they see you. Get out there and break up that fight, Tenchi! I'll be cheering for you!" Two flags materialized from out of nowhere into her hands, and she shoved Tenchi toward the clearing where the two women battled. The boy stumbled out, falling on his face directly in the path of a huge metal foot. Tenchi was a lightning bolt as he sprang to his feet and dashed back into the trees. "What are you trying to do, Washu? Get me KILLED?!" Tenchi demanded of Washu, shaken from having a second brush with the feuding pair. Washu ignored the question. "Well, that didn't work, heh heh! Let's try plan B!" Tenchi rubbed the area of his face he fell on. "I hope plan B works better than plan A did," he grumbled. "Of course it will!" the scientist answered pleasantly. "Now let's go get you a mobile suit of your own." And with that Washu began walking to the same clearing several others of the Tenchi "clan" had already found. Mihoshi had just woken up from her nap in the chest of the winged mobile suit. "Oh! I must have dozed off!" She stretched. Moments later a yawn followed. "It looks like my clothes dried while I slept! I'm now in perfect condition to resume my search for the villains." The sound of voices could be heard coming from the forest floor. "Those must be the villains coming back from a break. I didn't expect them so soon! Where did I put my gun? There it is! I don't know if I'm ready yet!" Mihoshi scrambled around the cockpit to get in a better position for the arrests she was about to make. Far below the policewoman, Tenchi studied the metal behemoths. Washu, who stood nearby, urged him, "I'm sure you'll be able to figure out the basic controls with a bit of practice. Just remember that time is of the essence, Tenchi." She looked at him expectantly. "Alright. I guess I'll ride in that one with the dragon arm, but how will I climb up there with my arm broken?" Tenchi asked while examining the sling his arm rested in. "Nothing could be simpler. Raise your broken arm as high as you can, please." Washu cracked the joints on her fingers almost as if to greet the keyboard that materialized in front of her. In moments an energy field appeared around Tenchi's broken arm. In a few more, bones mended and tendons straightened out. "Nothing a genious like me couldn't handle. I just accelerated the time inside the subspace parameters of your arm, effectively speeding your body's natural healing process. You should be back to peak performance. But just to be sure, what say you come to my lab after this is over and I run a few experiments on it? Hmm?" "Uhh...it feels great Little Washu! Just great! No need to trouble you with any tests! Heh heh," Tenchi laughed nervously. Several drops of sweat appeared on his brow. Remembering the matter at hand, he flexed his arm a few times to test its strength. "Wish me luck!" He waved and began his climb into the "dragon suit". The climb up to the cockpit was not difficult; the next step was not quite so clear. "I guess my feet go here...and this makes it walk..." Leaves flew into the air as the suit took a few small steps. "These levers must be the arm controls..." As commanded, the suit raised and lowered its arms. "That's not so bad. I think I'm actually getting the hang of this! Now...hmm? What does this button do?" Tenchi pressed one of the red buttons on the arm lever causing the dragon arm to shoot out. A deafening clang rung throughout the clearing as the arm knocked into the winged suit next to him. "Whoa! I'll have to be more careful with this arm. I'm sure glad nobody was in that thing." The mobile suit that was to play mediator began its trek back from whence its pilot had come. Inside the teetering winged suit, Mihoshi panicked. "Hey! Stop falling! What do I do? What do I do?! Think Mihoshi...!" Mihoshi mashed every button her eyes happened to chance upon. "Maybe this will stop it?" she asked herself, worry starting to set in. The hatch closed. Machine guns mounted on the head fired and stopped. A beam sword extended and retracted. "Oh, no!" Mihoshi covered her eyes with one hand while still activating buttons with the other. In a stroke of luck, the suit transformed into jet and sped into the sky just meters from hitting the ground. Somehow, through all the loops and dives, the policewoman's newly converted jet meandered off in the direction Tenchi had gone moments before. Tears formed in the corners of Mihoshi's eyes as she fought to control her careening jet. "Stay calm! Stay calm! Oh! What am I going to do?!" Exhaust from the jet rose sluggishly into the sky. "If I know Mihoshi, and I'm pretty sure I do, she somehow managed to get into that thing and now doesn't know how to get down." The small scientist heaved a sigh. "I guess I'd better go after her." Moments later, the final mobile suit sped off in the direction of the others, its curved heat swords glinting in the sun. "That's it, Ryoko! Run like the coward you are!" Ayeka managed to shout between spasms of laughter. The enormous gun attached to her vehicle's arm leveled at Ryoko's cockpit and spun for a fraction of a moment. Bullets sprayed out and sped toward their target with deadly efficiency. Ryoko responded, "Who's running, princess? I'm just getting into a better position to SLICE YOU IN HALF!" The black suit nimbly jumped high over the bullets. Air whooshed around the suit as it fell out of the sky with its energy scythe held high preparing to make good on the pilot's threat. The red suit lunged aside at the last moment as the green blade cut a vast swath in the ground. Dirt and greenery burned easily with but the slightest touch of the blade. Ayeka whirled around for a counterassault and punched the black suit square in the head. Metal impacting metal and princessly laughter mixed and echoed about the fighters. Ryoko's fighter reeled at the impact, the force having stunned even her for a moment. But only for a moment. Her suit shot a massive leg out in a vicious kick, and more sparks flew from the two beings. Ayeka's fighter hurled through the air presenting the perfect opportunity for Ryoko to taunt her foe. "Why'd you stop laughing, Ayeka? Did that hurt? I'm SO sorry!" Many tons of red metal hit a towering tree and then plunged to the ground with enough force to cause tremors kilometers away. The ancient plant snapped in two scattering a cloud of leaves and splinters into the air. Ayeka braced her fighter with the massive arm-gun and pushed herself back to a standing position. "You've had it, Ryoko!" she declared. Almost immediately a counterchallenge shot back from Ryoko. "Bring it on, Ayeka!" Each metal adversary squared off against the other, both women preparing for a final attack. Missiles zoomed for the black cockpit. A black, metal shield with another green energy blade whooshed through the air toward the red cockpit. High above the two fighters, Mihoshi's jet began its descent in a tight spiral aimed directly between the red and black suits (despite unheard protests from the pilot inside.) Jet engines whined as they increased their output to the maximum. It looked as if a catastrophic explosion was imminent, but centimeters before impact the swooping plane straightened out and zipped back into the air where it did a loop and went back the way it came. Mihoshi's mobile suit managed to escape intact. Washu, who was in close pursuit of the policewoman, was not so lucky. The blade-shield and missiles slammed into her mobile suit from both sides as the red-haired genius attempted to turn and chase her quarry in a new direction. Several explosions complete with oily, black smoke enveloped the tower of metal. Washu very accurately noted, "Looks like it's time to go!" while she pulled the eject handle in her cockpit. Her chair blasted high into the air, slowly parachuting down in the path of yet another incoming mobile suit. Once she landed Washu stood up and waved at the cameras mounted in Tenchi's vehicle. "Hey, Tenchi! How about a lift? Nobody THIS cute should have to walk, you know!" Tenchi must have agreed because a mechanized hand reached down to scoop her up. The boy's voice issued through a speaker. It seemed somehow disembodied from the giant head that stared down at Washu with an unblinking gaze. "Little Washu? What happened to you?" "An airhead at ground zero." Speakers on Tenchi's mobile suit crackled to life in reply. "You should probably ride up here in the cockpit where it's safer. It'll be a little crowded, though. Is that okay?" The chest hatch opened to reveal Tenchi working the controls. Exactly as he said there was barely room enough for one more person to squeeze in. Washu crawled through the opening and sat on Tenchi's lap. "I'm ready to go, Tenchi!" she happily exclaimed. "...I think there's a little room behind my chair..." Tenchi began nervously. "That's okay! I'm comfortable here!" Washu countered. Tenchi began to turn red. "I can't really see what I'm doing, Washu..." "Well, I suppose in that case..." Washu crawled behind the seat and peered over Tenchi's shoulder at the screens, a smile still on her face. "Let's go!" Tenchi closed the hatch. Moments later they arrived at the outskirts of the battlefield where the big mobile suit came to halt and peered between a clustering of trees. Ayeka and Ryoko were in a deadlock. Each machine had numerous gouges, burns, and discolored patches of metal. One was even missing the left index finger. Any observer could readily tell the machines had been pushed all the way to their limits. This, however, did not stop the pair from continuing their duel. The two women's suits stood with feet braced against the ground. Each leaned forward and gripped its opponent's forearms with all the strength the mechanical servos could muster. Judging by the small piles of dirt gathering about all four robotic heels, it had come to the point where the decision of victor would be made by the one who broke the standstill. Just one throw was necessary for all to be decided... The red giant, now with its gun-arm lying useless on the ground, announced in a strained voice, "I'm not giving up, Ryoko! Quit now while you can!" The black giant, its energy scythe now lying forgotten on the ground behind it, responded, "Well I'm certainly not stopping! But I'll understand if YOU give up." "Fat chance! I guess we'll be here the rest of the day!" "Fine! Have it your way!" Ryoko shouted as she tried to coax more power from her suit. The giants continued to strain against each other unaware that Mihoshi's jet had made a full circle and was now on a second collision course with the battling women. Tenchi had not seen the jet either as he studied the viewscreens displaying the fight in rapt attention. "How are we going to get them to..." he began to ask Washu. A sort of whistling sound pierced the sky. It steadily grew in intensity as the jet neared the ground, and then, without warning, many tons of metal collided directly into the midst of Ayeka and Ryoko. Explosion upon explosion rocked the ground as light flashed into even the deepest of shadows. Thick smoke rose from the wreckage to block all but the most determined rays of sunlight from the midmorning sky. A bead of sweat formed on Tenchi's face. "...stop...?" Washu fell on her face in disbelief. Ten minutes later the group stood in front of the solely remaining mobile suit and watched intensely hot fire consume the wreckage. Mihoshi rubbed her head in embarrassment. "That had me worried! Thank goodness I was able to find an eject button!" She smiled and laughed. However, Ayeka was not quite so happy. "Miss Washu, shouldn't we put out that fire before it spreads?" "There wouldn't BE a fire if you would have just given up!" Ryoko glared at the Juraian princess. Ayeka's slowly clenched her fists as she fought to control her anger. "Yeah?! Well maybe I wouldn't have had to give up if YOU wouldn't have acted like such a demon! Oh! I'm sorry! You ARE a demon! How silly of me to forget!" "Haven't you two had enough?" Washu struck them both on the head, and the two fell over in pain. Ryoko quickly stood up, rubbing the sore spot on her head. "Hey! What's the big idea?" "Normally I would be content to let you two argue, but we have more pressing matters to attend to. If we don't get all the pieces of these mobile suits, as well as their pilots, back through the dimensional rift they came through, it will remain open permanently." Washu closed her eyes in anticipation of the questions she knew would follow. Ryoko looked irritated. "Yeah? So what if this rift stays open?! What do I care?" "Because, LITTLE Ryoko, as long as the door is open, so to speak, there is the possibility that more beings just like those," the scientist gestured to the wreckage, "will come through. Any more questions?" Ayeka covered her mouth and cleared her throat very delicately. "About how long do we have to complete this, Miss Washu?" "Oh, I'd say about five minutes." The group fell over in unison leaving Washu as the only one remaining on her feet. "Listen up! The dimensional tear is right outside Ryoko's cave. Ryoko! I need you to fly back to the house and retrieve the pilots. Oh, and make sure you pick up the one you tossed into the forest. Tenchi! Take your mobile suit and gather up the scrap from this pile. I'll be riding with you." For the first time in a few hours, Ryoko and Ayeka agreed. Almost at once they chimed in. "Just a minute, Washu! Why don't you..." After a brief moment of thought, they continued. "...put out that fire first so it doesn't spread? In the meantime TENCHI can start gathering the wreckage!" Washu did not twitch a muscle. "Alright then. Ayeka! You're going to help me. As for you, Mihoshi, just stay out of the way." "Okay! I think I can manage that!" The policewoman rubbed her head again. "Meet at the cave in four minutes. The clock is ticking, everybody," Washu finished in a tone that suggested the very safety of the universe depended on their speed. Perhaps it was because it did. The group worked at their given tasks without saying much, time weighing heavily upon each. Through the help of Washu's computer, a portion of a desert halfway across the world appeared over the fire. It fell after a stroke of her keyboard's "enter" key tidily extinguishing the flames. Ayeka's job was to clear away the sand so Tenchi could pick up the metal lying about. This was no problem with Azaka and Kamidake around to help generate a force that would blow away the sand. Upon consideration, Ayeka gladly accepted her work in hopes it would win her favor with Tenchi. Tenchi climbed back into the dragon-handed suit and, when Ayeka and her guardians had finished clearing away the sand, pushed what was left of the other four suits into a large mass. Quite by accident he discovered that his dragon hand could also shoot flame, so the metal that had not melted together soon was. He picked it up in one hand, gingerly held the two women in the other, and dashed toward the cave. Mihoshi stood by and watched the cleanup operation. It was not long before the others accidentally left her behind in their haste to get back to the cave. The policewoman shouted, "Hey! Please wait! I don't know my way around this forest!" However, Tenchi and his two companions did not hear her pleas for a slower pace nor did they ever remember to pick her up. All the way back to the cave Mihoshi continued to shout for them to stop, and when she finally arrived, she collapsed from exhaustion. Ryoko had no trouble meeting her deadline as all the pilots were either bound, unconscious, or immobilized. She could not help but compare them to Tenchi, if only for curiosity's sake, as she flew to the cave. But just as she knew in her heart, not one of them came close to comparing with the boy she loved. The group arrived at the cave with one minute to spare, and encountered the portal, just tall enough to accommodate the largest of the mechanized giants. Its only perceptible characteristic (other than the lack of a cave entrance on the other side) was an almost imperceptible shimmer, much like heat rising off asphalt. The unwary dimension-hoppers and their mobile suits seemed strangely drawn to the opening. They slowly slid toward the energy field making it seem like a magnet had been setup just on the other side. If the portal was eager to accept its own kind back, Tenchi and the others were certainly eager to be rid of them. When the last of the boys and their mobile suits were through the haze, two opposing points of glowing energy traced the tear's outline. A bright flash accompanied the intersection, and Ryoko's cave came back into view. However, this was not what Washu had expected, and she seemed surprised. "While I'm glad those travelers are gone, I must admit their departure was rather unexpected. I thought I was going to have to seal the tear myself. As unlikely as it is, maybe I miscalculated a variable in my equations..." "Does this mean something went wrong?" Tenchi asked, not looking forward to another epic match between Ryoko and Ayeka. "It is possible," the scientist responded. "But I wouldn't worry too much about it. The rift is gone now, and that's all that matters." They stood, silently reflecting upon the events that befell them that morning, then, almost as if on cue, stomach rumbles roared the presence of five underfed appetites. Mihoshi, holding her midsection to keep the noise in, exclaimed, "I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since breakfast, and that run really drained my energy!" "I suggest that we all go back to the house and eat lunch. Is that okay, Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka waited for a response. Tenchi started to say, "Sure. That sounds great!" but his stomach answered for him with an assenting growl long before he could get the actual words out. The women all laughed as Tenchi, now thoroughly embarrassed, rubbed his head, and they started back to the Masaki residence (or at least the half that contained Sasami's cooking.) Ayeka stopped halfway back to the house. Something had tugged at the back of her mind every since they began the walk back, but she could not put her finger on what it was. In a flash of sudden insight, she stood bolt upright and asked, "That reminds me. Where is Sasami?"