Ep 13 – Startica, Part 2

I finally decided to change this silly header. *snicker*  Anyway, everybody 
knows the copyright information so I'll just forgo that.  The story is 
approaching the end.  I predict another 3 chapters give or take 2, and that'll 
be it.  It's been a lot of fun writing this little saga (which is surprising, since 
I have a hard time writing a 6 page term paper!) and I hope you've enjoyed 
reading it too.  I MAY do a second series or continuation of the story, or I 
may not end this at all.  It all depends.  Send all hate mail / fan mail to 
russael@mediaone.net.

Notice!  New Website is going up for the Tenchi fans!  Come check it out at 
http://russael.cjb.net and sign the Guestbook, letting me know you were 
there.  The fanfic will also be posted there, as will it be on the TMFFA, 
AND on www.fanfiction.net.

	For the family's third and final time, the sunlight of dawn chased 
away the shadows for the last day of the Startica festival, and the last day of 
everybody's vacation.  Even though they had been on the planet for three 
days, it seemed way less than that.  Time had just flown by, leaving 
everybody in the dust.  However, it was very satisfying for everybody to 
finally kick back and relax, and just enjoy each other's company on such a 
gorgeous planet.
	Everybody had gotten up fairly early and made their way to the 
breakfast table.  Everyone, except for Russ, who had seemed to vanish into 
thin air once more.
	"You have got to be kidding me!  Where is he now?" Aeka 
snapped, sitting at the table and glaring at the empty seat.  "I can't believe 
he misses meals like this.  It's really rude."
	Sasami rolled her eyes and leaned toward Misaki.  "Here we go 
again," she whispered, then started giggling.
	Already in a bad mood, Asuza was not about to put up with his 
daughters complaining.  "Be quiet!  All you ever do is whine and moan 
about where he goes.  Who cares!" Glaring hard at Aeka, he sat up 
straighter.  "No barbarian of that kind should ever even have the privilege 
of living with the crown princess of this planet let alone even consider 
courting her!"
	Everybody immediately became deathly quiet, turning their 
attention to the meal in front of them and trying not to look at the king, who 
had his eyebrows furrowed together and had an aura of rage about him.  
Aeka stared at her father like he had suddenly sprouted a third eye, and she 
failed to come up with a suitable retort.
Caught completely off guard by his nastiness and meanness, 
several tears welled up in Aeka's eyes as she stared hard at her father, 
letting the rage build higher and higher until it nearly reached the breaking 
point.
	"How dare you speak about him like that!  You don't know 
anything about him!" she shouted, the tears now streaming down her 
cheeks.  "What is your problem with him anyway?"
	"He's less than a peasant here.  He is nothing.  He has nothing to 
give to this kingdom or to you, which would even qualify as an offering," 
he dictated, as if giving a speech.  "You will not become involved with him!  
You will only see him for what he is, and that is just a dirty piece of trash."
	Staring wide-eyed, the tears continued to drip from the bottom of 
her chin.  "That's not fair!  I see him for what he is, and that is a kind, 
caring, considerate and an incredibly nice man!  I like him for who he is!  
Why must you meddle in this and treat him like you do?"
	"You know what I see?"  Asuza began, staring hard into her 
daughter's saddened eyes.  "I see a man who has no morals, is rude, 
conceded, has nothing to offer, takes up space, and is a waste of flesh.  He 
is so privileged to even know you, yet he continually shoves it in your face 
since he doesn't care.  You think he's a nice man?  Hah!  There are 
hundreds of suitors out there who could benefit you, care for you, love you, 
and contribute to the empire as well," he decreed, slamming his fist down 
on the table, causing a few droplets of miso soup to splash out of his bowl.  
He stood up from his chair.  "But you can't see that, can you?  You've been 
blinded by this piece of trash and have been seduced by him."  Asuza sat 
back down and continued.  "You're only seeing what you want to see and 
nothing more!  You can't see past the front he is laying down for you, can 
you?  No!  Of course you can't.  I don't know what that man has said to you 
to make you behave like this, but I can assure you that he is not the man you 
think he is, and furthermore…"
	"SHUT UP!" Aeka screamed, her face beet red.  "How dare you 
say anything like that about him!  You two haven't even SPOKEN to each 
other!  How can you draw conclusions like that!  The first thing you did 
when you met him was glare at him and turn away!  You've been nothing 
but rude to him, so it's no wonder he doesn't like you!  That's all you've 
done this entire time is badger and beleaguer him.  I've had enough!  He's 
more of a man than you'll ever be!  I hate you!"  She immediately turned 
and ran to the door, sobbing uncontrollably.
	Asuza just let her go, and turned his attention back to his breakfast, 
despite the horrified looks by both his wives, and a very sad face from 
Sasami.  The only sound in the hall was the door slamming behind Aeka, 
and the occasional scrape of silver on china from those who were still 
finishing their breakfasts, and a few sobs from the little princess.
	Misaki stood up slowly, wiped her mouth off with a napkin, and 
turned toward her husband with a vengeance.  She bent down slowly, 
placing her hand on top of his head and turning it toward her, looking 
directly into his eyes, so he could see the burning inferno in her own.
	"Get up.  You and I are going to talk about our daughter," she 
demanded quietly, through clenched teeth.  "Now."
	Looking back at her coolly, and with a slight hint of fear, he shook 
his head, despite Misaki's iron grip on top of his hair.  "After breakfast."
	Raising her eyes to look at Funaho, she motioned for her to stand, 
which she did.  Turning her attention back to her husband, she put her face 
directly in front of his once more.  "Not later.  Now.  Get up, and you're 
coming with both of us."
	Sighing in resignation, he rose from his seat, amidst the stares from 
around the table.  "Please excuse me.  My wives and I have something to 
discuss.  We will be back momentarily."
	Misaki shook her head.  "We'll be gone for about an hour.  Please, 
find something to do after breakfast, and we'll come and get you once we're 
done.  I'd recommend waiting within the palace."
	Nods from the various people sitting around the table gave her the 
acknowledgement she was looking for, and she regally, quickly, and 
roughly, led her husband out of the dining hall, trailed by Funaho.  Asuza 
looked very nervous at hearing how long this conversation was going to 
take.
	Tenchi turned toward Ryoko.  "What do you think is going to 
happen?" he whispered quietly.
	"I'm not sure you want to know, Tenchi.  Jurai customs are quite 
strange in comparison to what goes on back home," she replied, turning 
away from Tenchi and looking fearfully at the door that the royals had just 
exited.  "I almost pity the king right now."
	"Even after how he made Aeka cry?"
Ryoko became thoughtful for a split second, and an evil grin 
presented itself on her lips.  "Lets just say that he's going to get what he 
deserves."
	"I thought so, but what about Aeka?  Where did she go?"
	"Come on, Tenchi.  Let's go find her," Ryoko suggested.  "I'm 
sure she needs a friend right now."
	Tenchi nodded and stood up, and Ryoko did the same.  Azaka and 
Kamidake also rose from their seats, and approached the two.
	"We'd like to accompany you as well, if you don't mind," 
Kamidake asked.
	"Certainly.  You two probably know Aeka better than the both of 
us," Ryoko agreed.  "Do you know where she went?"
	"Not at the moment.  But we have a couple of pretty good guesses.  
She probably either went to her room, out into the garden, or possibly into 
the theater.  Most of those places are currently empty, and it would be a 
good place for her to be alone," Azaka said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.  
"Let's go."

	"Nine thousand, nine hundred, ninety-five…  Nine thousand, nine 
hundred, ninety-six…  Nine thousand, nine hundred, ninety-seven…" Russ 
grunted, performing pushups in the garden, where he was currently alone.  
The weather was so nice outside that he figured he might as well train in the 
outdoors, where he would be able to enjoy the scenery, the soft grasses, and 
the pleasant temperatures.  He had been exercising since he got up this 
morning, which was before everybody else.  It was still dark outside when 
he began his routine under intense gravity.  Increasing the gravity by ten a 
day had really begun to push him to his limits, and he could feel it making 
him stronger and stronger.  But just because he was on vacation didn't mean 
he could take a vacation from his exercise.
	"Nine thousand, nine hundred, ninety-eight…" he growled again, 
the salty perspiration dripping off of the end of his nose like a leaky faucet.  
Since it was still early, there was hardly anybody out and about, and it was 
very quiet and peaceful, except for a few insects that buzzed around his 
head and the call of some early morning birds.
	"Nine thousand, nine hundred, ninety-nine… Ten thousand!" he 
said triumphantly, and then he collapsed onto the grass, breathing heavily 
and giving his body a quick break.  Rolling onto his back, he looked up into 
the brightening sky, where the sun had already crested the distant horizon.  
He closed his eyes and could feel sleep tugging at him from the back of his 
mind, but he knew he would need to continue, and it was only the beginning 
of the day.  It was still quiet, aside from some elderly people who had left 
their homes and were already walking the streets.  The soft scraping of their 
shoes on the ground and their idle chatter just barely to made it to Russ, 
where he continued to lounge, near a flowerbed.  The sounds of four people 
walking down the nearby pathway finally reached his ears, and their voices 
reached him a moment later.  Listening to the conversation for a moment, 
he immediately recognized all four individuals.
	Grunting and straining to get himself into a sitting position, he 
looked over top of the short flowers and saw Ryoko, Tenchi, Azaka, and 
Kamidake coming down the path, slowly, but looking quite concerned at 
each other.  A moment later Ryoko noticed Russ sitting on the ground and 
watching them, and she quickly began to make her way over to him, while 
everybody else followed her.
	"What's up guys?  Is something wrong?" Russ asked, noting 
everybody's appearance.
	"Hey Russ.  What are you doing out here?" Tenchi asked, looking 
down at Russ's sitting form.
	Russ smiled.  "I was exercising.  Instead of doing it in the training 
room, I decided to do it here.  It's nice and comfortable out here, plus the 
scenery is nicer."
	"I see.  Have you seen Aeka yet this morning?"
	"No I haven't," Russ answered, watching everybody's changing 
expressions.  "Why?  Is something the matter?"
	"Well, no.  Not really," Tenchi began.  "But she got into a fight 
with her father at breakfast today."
	Russ's eyebrow twitched slightly and he unconsciously clenched 
his hands into fists.  "What happened?"
	Ryoko looked at Tenchi, and then back down at Russ.  "It was 
about you and Aeka again.  The king basically hates your guts and he 
doesn't want his daughter having anything to do with you," Ryoko said, 
drawing a look of shock from all the bystanders at her bluntness.  "She ran 
out of the hall and took off, and we've been looking for her, to keep her 
company and console her."
	Russ shook his head.  "Man, what should I do?  Most of you guys 
want me involved with her, and her father wants just the opposite.  And to 
be honest, I don't WANT to become involved.  You guys know that.  If you 
do find her, tell her that her father is right."
	Staring at him in utter disbelief, Ryoko nearly fell over.  "You 
WHAT?!  I'd never do such a thing to her!  You don't even know what he 
said about you!"
	Nodding his head, Russ shifted positions to a more comfortable 
posture.  "I don't need or want to know.  Her father is a jerk and I don't 
want anything to do with him.  He can blow all the hot air he wants.  I know 
what I am and so do you guys.  And I do not want to become involved.  Not 
yet.  Maybe not ever."
	Ryoko and Tenchi both facefaulted at hearing what he had to say.  
"I can't believe it.  Why?" Tenchi demanded.
	"Look who's talking," Russ retorted, becoming peeved.  "You've 
got no room to say anything, lover boy.  How long did it take you to 
become involved?  Hmmm?"
	Tenchi looked nervously over at Ryoko, who looked a little hurt.  
"It took me a long time to finally realize what I've been missing out on.  I 
don't want anybody else to go through that."
	"It's my choice and my life.  I live it how I want," Russ said, 
glaring at the two of them.  "I do not want a girlfriend.  Maybe when I'm a 
hundred and ten, but not now."
	"Russ, come on.  You're being ridiculous.  You're worse than I 
was," Tenchi said, folding his arms over his chest.  "I didn't want to hurt 
either of them.  In the end, it was Ryoko who finally made me realize who I 
wanted."
	Russ rolled his eyes.  "Whatever.  If you find Aeka, do whatever 
you have to do to cheer her up, but don't say anything like, 'It'll be okay.  
Russ will still be waiting for you.' or something along those lines.  She's a 
princess and I'm nothing.  And even though I treat her normally and as a 
friend, I haven't forgotten that she IS royalty.  What do you think would 
happen if she married me and had to come back here to perform her 
duties?"
	"Things like that only matter to the king, Russ.  Not everybody 
else," Azaka said from behind Ryoko.  He sidestepped a little and brought 
himself into full view.  "What the king says and what she wants are two 
entirely different things.  Do you really want to hurt her feelings?  Are you 
so stubborn that you won't even open yourself to any kind of relationship?  
I don't get it."
	Russ sighed to himself.  "Give me a break you guys.  So what 
you're saying is that I should become involved, even though I myself do not 
want to, just to make someone else happy?  That's going a little too far in 
my book."
	"What irks me is the fact that you won't even try it!" Ryoko 
growled.  "She's such a wonderful person and you just slammed the door in 
her face before she even got her foot in it.  It's amazing that she's still 
pursuing you."
	"I wish she didn't," Russ replied.  "I like being friends.  I do things 
for others because they're my friends.  What's so great about a relationship 
anyway?"
	"You have no idea because you've never tried it," Kamidake said, 
making his presence known.  "You have no idea what you're missing, 
especially with a beautiful, wonderful, and talented person like Aeka."
"That's probably true.  But the answer is still going to be no," Russ 
answered, standing up with great effort.  "Now, if you don't mind, I have to 
get back to exercising."
	"I'd rather have you come with us.  You said you were a friend to 
her, right?  And she needs a friend right now.  Would you please come with 
us and help us find her?" Tenchi asked, grabbing Russ's arm as he turned to 
walk away.
	Russ stopped and turned toward them, looking at all four of their 
faces, which all read the same thing.  Rolling his eyes once more, he 
growled a few rude phrases to himself in his native language and turned the 
gravity machine off.
	"Fine, let's get this over with."
	"Thanks Russ.  It'll really mean a lot to both her and us, and it'll 
prove to her father that you really do care."
Russ ignored him as he followed Tenchi down the path, trying to 
find Aeka.

	Sometime later and back onboard the Star Destroyer, Tom and his 
crew were still hustling about, prepping the Escort Transports for departure, 
which would allow the other half of his crew to join in the festivities.  Fuel 
hoses were brought out and connected to the massive fuel reservoir on the 
transports, cleaning and maintenance droids scooted around inside the 
massive hold, checking and re-checking all the necessary systems for 
problems, and the pilots were in the process of putting on their flight suits.
Tom held up a roster and made an announcement over the ship's 
communication system that the second group was to report to the hanger 
bay for departure.  The remainder of the crew was to remain onboard and 
keep the ship running properly, and to basically remain on standby just in 
case something happened.
	Returning to the bridge, Tom sat down in the captain's chair, and 
let out a huge sigh.  Yesterday was quite an adventure for him.  He had 
never seen so many games or different varieties of technology that was for 
sale during the festival.  It reminded him exactly of Christmas… but in the 
month of July.  A particular pale-faced girl remained on duty, and she 
elected to not go down to the planet for some unknown reason.
	"Is something bothering you, Sakuya?  You're free to go down and 
visit the planet.  Please go and enjoy yourself.  Engel here can take care of 
your duties just for today," Tom invited, hoping to get her to take a 
vacation.
	She shook her head slowly.  "No thank you.  I'm fine here.  There 
are some other things that I want to take care of."
	"Come on.  Something is bothering you.  What's wrong?  You 
look depressed," Tom pressed, wondering why she refused to budge from 
her seat.
	Turning toward him, she looked at him with sad, green eyes.  Her 
pale face showed nothing but depression and sadness, but her voice 
remained calm and steady.  "It's okay.  I just need to keep busy and I won't 
think about it, sir."
	Scratching his head a moment, Tom became thoughtful.  "I've 
never seen you like this before, Sakuya.  It all started when we picked up 
Russ and his friends.  Since then, you've acted kind of weird.  I thought it 
was only a fluke and that you were having an off day.  Would you please 
tell me what's wrong so we can maybe find a solution?"
	Sakuya's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Russ's friends.  
She instantly thought of Tenchi.  An image of him popped up in her mind, 
but was replaced by another one of Ryoko draping her arms around him.  
Ryoko looked at her and gave a sadistic little smile, and she could almost 
hear her chuckling to herself.
	"Sakuya?  Hey, come on now.  Look, if I take you down there 
myself, would you go?  Please?" Tom asked, seeing her changing 
expressions.  She snapped out of it a moment later.
	Once again shaking her head, she declined his invitation.  "No 
thank you.  I'd rather remain here.  Fairs or festivals never really appealed 
to me.  I don't like huge crowds of people."
	Tom shook his head and sighed.  "If that is what makes you happy, 
then you can stay."
	"Thank you, sir."
	Smiling, he shook his head.  "Don't worry about it."
	A small explosion flashed out of the corner of Tom's eye, and he 
quickly turned toward it, squinting at something outside of the windows.
"Did you see that?  Give me a status report on what's going on out 
there," he ordered, standing up and trying to get a better view.
	"Scanning," Sakuya responded.  "Sir, it appears that a small 
shuttlecraft is out of control, and is being chased by a couple Galaxy Police.  
I think the shuttle is trying to get away from them.  They're heading this 
way.  They're being very reckless."
	"I see.  Well, if they come this way, we'll lend our assistance," he 
said, sitting down at his chair and keying a few commands on the armrest.  
He turned on the communications system once more.
	"Attention.  This is the captain.  We're going to yellow alert.  All 
gunners are to proceed to your designated turrets.  Arm all ion cannons and 
arm all tractor beams.  There is a shuttlecraft that is evading the Galaxy 
Police.  If they come within range, open fire with ion cannons only.  We 
only want to disable them, not destroy them."
	A warning klaxon sounded and the warning lights around the entire 
warship flashed yellow.  A few more moments later, Tom could see most of 
the turrets begin rotating from the bridge.  Quickly diverting power from the 
engines to the weapons, all sixty ion cannons began charging up.  It didn't 
take long, and the shields were brought up.  The transports that were 
supposed to be leaving were still waiting in the hanger bay, ready to depart.
	Watching the shuttle on a monitor, he could see that whoever was 
piloting it wasn't very good, or he was just completely out of his mind.  
Narrowly missing other vessels in its flight path, it continually dodged side 
to side, up and down, and basically all over the place, trying to evade the 
GP fighters that followed it.  Every few moments he could see weapons fire 
from the GP, but they continually managed to miss the small and agile 
shuttle.
	It continued to approach the Gray Wolf, but the pilot made a few 
critical errors.  Nicking one vessel that was parked in orbit, he spun out of 
control and slammed into another Jurai Warship, which was parked two or 
three kilometers in front of Tom.  If it weren't for the shields on that craft, it 
would've been completely annihilated.  However, the Jurian Warship 
wasn't so lucky.  A small explosion erupted from the point of impact, and 
as a result, knocked it out of stationary orbit.  Slowly, it began to fall toward 
the planet surface.
	"Jesus Christ!  If that ship hits the planet, hundreds of people could 
be killed!  Broadcast a message to the Jurians now!  Tell them to get their 
ground based defenses up or something so they can blow it up before it hits 
the ground!" Tom shouted, directing his communications officer.
	The small shuttle entered firing range, and hundreds of blue bolts 
of energy began streaking from the turrets mounted on the warship.  Over 
three quarters of them impacted the shuttle, and it quickly shut itself down 
and began to drift, letting the momentum of its erratic course continue to 
move it forward.  A moment later, several tractor beams locked onto the 
ship and held it in place.  The GP fighters surrounded the derelict vessel, 
and one docked with it.
	"Great, we got them.  Did Jurai acknowledge the message or 
what?"
	"Yes sir, but they don't have any ground based defenses!  They 
always relied on their ships or some other kind of airborne assault 
weaponry!  And all of that is currently disabled!"
	"Oh my god.  I hope someone does something or hundreds of 
people are going to meet a very gruesome demise."

	Sitting on the palace steps, Misaki, Funaho, Aeka, Russ, Tenchi, 
Ryoko, Azaka, and Kamidake all sat quietly, not saying much of anything 
to anybody.  It was quite a contrast to the bustling activity on the streets of 
Jurai, where the Startica festival resumed in full force.  People were 
smiling, laughing, and completely enjoying themselves and the company of 
their friends, as they walked from booth to booth, or shopped at the various 
stores.
	Aeka's eyes were red from crying, and she sat silently with her 
head down, despite Ryoko and Tenchi's attempts to make her feel better.  
Russ sat at the foot of the steps, his chin resting in the palm of his hand with 
his elbow resting on his knee, resembling the statue of The Great Thinker.  
He too remained as silent as Aeka, lost in thought.
	"Aeka dear?  Your father didn't mean what he said.  He was 
simply in a bad mood and he unfortunately took it out on you.  We… 
discussed it with him, so I don't think there is going to be any more 
problems," Misaki said, squeezing her daughter's tense shoulder.  "There is 
no need to be sad anymore.  You came here to enjoy yourself, so do it.  
Don't let anything your father says bother you."
	Aeka slowly lifted her head and looked into her mother's caring 
eyes.  Her cheeks were still wet from weeping.  "I know, but he does it so 
often.  How can anyone not be hurt after going through something like 
that?"
	"I understand, Aeka.  But it's okay.  Everything is just fine now.  
Would you please enjoy your last day before you have to go home?  I know 
you guys are planning on leaving this evening, and I'd really hate for you 
guys to leave in a bad mood, or have some other event make you not want 
to come back next year.  I'd never forgive myself if that happened," Misaki 
said to Aeka, pulling her into a tight embrace.
	Aeka finally cracked a smile, as if a tremendous burden was lifted 
from her shoulders.  "I'm okay now, mom.  Thank you for everything.  I 
love you.  You're the best mom anyone could have."
	Misaki blushed slightly and crushed her daughter in one of her 
famous bear hugs.  "That means so much to me to her you say that.  I love 
you too, Aeka."
	"We all love you as well, Aeka.  You're a part of our family, and I 
wouldn't have it any other way," Tenchi said, grasping her hand and giving 
it a tender squeeze.
	Ryoko smiled and nodded her head.  "I feel the same way.  You've 
become like a sister to me.  Your happiness means as much to me as my 
own."
	Aeka's eyes widened at hearing this revelation, and she smiled, 
letting a few more tears stream from her eyes.  "Thank you… all of you.  
For everything."
	Out of nowhere, an alarm began wailing in the distance, and 
several more joined it a moment later.  Russ's head snapped up from his 
daydream and looked around, then back at Misaki.
	"What's going on?  What is that?"
	"That's the air raid siren.  But why is it going off right now?  There 
aren't supposed to be any tests for another three days."
	Sasami ran out of the palace, and she looked extremely worried as 
she approached the group.
	"Mom!  Thank goodness I found you.  A ship was knocked out of 
orbit and it's falling toward the planet!  It's going to crash into this general 
vicinity!  We have to take cover!" she shouted, now pulling on Misaki's 
arm.
	"What?!  What about the anti air defense grid?  Why aren't they 
trying to blow it up?" Misaki demanded, standing up and looking down at 
her daughter.
	"All of that has been disabled for the Startica festival!  They turned it 
off because there was so much traffic and they were worried about the 
automated defenses firing on suspicious vessels!  Come on, mom!  We have 
to take cover now!"  Sasami shouted in panic, continuing to drag her mother 
to the door.
	"Where is the ship?" Russ asked, looking skyward.
	"It's supposed to be right above us," Sasami said, looking up.
Everybody else turned his or her eyes to the sky and searched for 
the falling warship.  Sasami gasped and began pointing toward a glowing 
red dot in the air.
	"There it is!  I can see it!" she yelled, allowing more panic and fear 
to enter her voice.
	Russ also noticed the falling vessel, and he clenched his fists.  
"Does that ship have a crew onboard?"
	"Only a skeleton crew.  Just enough to run the ship," Misaki told 
him.
	"Then why aren't they trying to regain control?"
	"There must be something wrong with the engines, otherwise they 
probably would've been able to.  We're going to have to destroy that ship.  
There isn't anything else we can do."
	Russ looked back toward the group and smiled.  "I've got this one 
covered."
	Everybody turned and watched him stand up, sprint about ten feet 
away from the group and leap into the air, a green fireball of ki exploding 
around his body.  He rocketed off into the sky being followed by a green 
vapor trail, marking his flight path.

	Flying at near top speed, the ground below him got incredibly 
small, but the falling vessel got quite large really fast.  Stopping himself in 
mid-air, he began flying backwards as the ship caught up to him.  Getting 
directly in the ship's flight path, he pressed his hands to the hull and began 
to try to slow the vessel down.
	"OOOOOWWWWW!" he screamed, quickly withdrawing his 
hands and blowing air on his smoking palms.  "That thing is damn HOT!"
Looking back at the ship, he encased his hands in a shield of ki, 
and once again placed both his hands on the hull.  Pressing with incredible 
strength, he began to slow the ship's fall.  He didn't use all of his force, 
since he knew he couldn't stop the ship instantly or everybody inside would 
be killed.  It would be like slamming into the ground.
	Gradually applying more and more force, he finally reached a level 
of resistance to slow the ship down fast enough to keep from smashing into 
the ground, but not kill everybody inside.  It felt like three times earth's 
normal gravity inside the ship, and nearly everybody was pressed to the 
floor, unable to stand and move around.

	"He's crazy!  What is he doing?" Misaki yelled, looking at the red 
dot begin to grow larger and larger.  "He couldn't possibly be strong 
enough to hold up a ship of that size!"
	"Believe me," Tenchi began.  "He is way more than capable of 
doing what he's doing."
	Misaki just shook her head.  "Unreal.  And we could actually SEE 
his energy!  I've never seen anything like that before either."
	"My energy is blue, your highness," Azaka said, tapping his staff 
on the ground.  "All my energy blasts are blue that I shoot."
	"Mine are all red," Kamidake added, standing next to his friend.  
"But I don't think it really matters what color it is.  I've never seen someone 
charge up and fly like that before."
	"He also has a transformation that we haven't seen yet," Washu 
said, stepping out of the palace and drawing a bunch of curious stares.  "He 
says he's something called a Super Saiyan.  I have yet to know what that 
means, but apparently it is some sort of transformation he's capable of."
	"What does it do?  Do you have any idea, Washu?" Misaki 
inquired.
	"My only guess is that it makes him stronger, or gives him access 
to his maximum power.  He had given me a scouter a few weeks ago, and I 
measured everybody with it.  What the scouter does is takes a measurement 
of your life energy and gives it a number.  The higher the number, the more 
power you have.  However, some are capable of hiding it from scouters or 
other energy detectors, like him," Washu explained.
	"What was his number in comparison to one of you?" the empress 
asked, genuinely curious.  However, she kept her eye on the growing red 
dot in the sky.  It almost started looking like a ship at this time.
	"Ryoko came in at about two thousand, which is really impressive, 
even since she didn't have all her gems."  Washu stopped and let that sink 
in, letting everybody get a little anxious as she put on her most serious look.  
"Russ came in at over four million, seven hundred thousand.  That was over 
two weeks ago, and since then, I think he's gotten much stronger.  And not 
only that, that's only his BASE power level.  He has several abilities to 
increase it many times above that.  He used some technique called a 
Kaioken attack at a multiple of three, and his power rocketed to over twelve 
million."
	Misaki stared at her in disbelief.  "That's not possible.  You mean 
to tell me that he's…" she paused a moment, working the math out in her 
head.  "…Over two thousand, three hundred, fifty times more powerful than 
RYOKO?!" Breathing heavily, she tried to let this sink in.
	Having horrid flashbacks of Ryoko's original attack on Jurai and 
the massive destruction she caused, led her to believe that the number was a 
fluke.  "That number can't be right.  It's just not possible.  Ryoko was the 
most destructive force we ever encountered at the time.  Um… no offense, 
Ryoko."
	"None taken," the space pirate answered, a slight hint of pride in 
her voice.  Pride not because of what she did, but because she was 
considered very strong.
	"Believe me, it is very possible.  He's radically powerful, but he 
manages to hide it easily," Washu continued.  "When he did the Kaioken at 
level 3, I came down with a tremendous headache."
	"So what I felt WAS real," Azaka said, aloud.  "When I shook his 
hand on the first day you arrived, I felt it.  It was incredibly powerful."
	"And that was the tip of the iceberg too," Washu told him.  
Looking at the sky, she noticed the vessel still continuing its descent.  
"Look!  The ship is still coming down, but it isn't glowing anymore.  I hope 
he's okay.  He's trying to slow the ship down without killing everybody 
inside."

	"Slow down, you piece of crap!" Russ shouted at the spaceship, 
which was no longer glowing red hot.  He since then placed his bare hands 
on the hull and continued to apply a tremendous amount of force, and 
continually slowed the ship.
	Suddenly realizing that he miscalculated his descent velocity and 
how much distance he really needed to stop the ship, he applied more 
pressure to the hull.  Not straining or stressing in the least, he watched the 
ship carefully, making sure no parts or pieces fell off of it.
	However, several cracks began to form around his hands, and they 
began to snake around the outer hull of the ship.
	Russ's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.  "OH CRAP!  Too 
much pressure!  Come on, baby.  Hold together for me now!" he 
encouraged, continually applying a tremendous amount of force to the 
already overstressed hull of the ship, moving his hands to a different 
position.  "Just a little more!"
	Now only a mile above the ground, he could see people scurrying 
around, trying to clear the way of where the ship would impact the ground.  
However, clearing out enough space for a three hundred, seventy-four meter 
long ship would take time, and unfortunately, it was something that the 
people didn't have.  Some just stopped in the middle of the street and 
watched the spectacle, not afraid in the least, or realizing that they may as 
well see their death coming.
	The ship began to shudder and shake violently, as it now was 
trying to fall to one side or the other, since its center of balance was thrown 
off by its very slow descent factor.

	Finally only about fifty feet above the ground, he finally got the 
ship to stop in mid-air, just above the palace steps, where everybody 
continued to watch with awestruck eyes.  The massive warship just hovered 
there, as if it were in operation.  It began to tip and fall away from the 
palace, and everybody could see Russ dart away from the front of the ship 
to directly under it, and he caught it easily, quickly finding the center of 
balance.  Fortunately, the wood was extremely strong, so it didn't buckle 
around the single pressure point generated by the saiyan.
	Casually holding the ship over his head, he lowered himself and 
the warship to about ten feet above the ground and slowly began to fly off 
to the landing pad that was occupied by his Tie Defender.  Everybody 
quickly leapt up from his or her sitting positions and ran to the waiting pad, 
keeping pace with Russ.
	A few short moments later, he hovered over the pad, and he 
descended to the ground.  The concrete around his feet from his point of 
impact shattered, unable to withstand such a tremendous amount of weight 
in such a small area.  Russ looked down at the two holes and the hundreds 
of cracks that appeared, and he shook his head.
	"Aw man, I forgot about that.  Oh well."  Leaning back a little, he 
swung forward and threw the ship some ten feet away from him, where it 
hit the ground with a thunderous crash.
	Finally able to get a closer look at the ship, Russ could see the 
damage that was done and why it couldn't fly.  The shuttle in space had 
crashed directly outside of an engine exhaust port, where most of the thrust 
to keep the vessel aloft was generated.  It had collapsed in on itself and then 
exploded, taking the engine with it, and unfortunately, even though the ship 
had two engines, it could not stay in orbit with just one.  Not only that, but 
the power plant for the ship was in that general vicinity, and when the 
engine detonated, it knocked out the power plant.  The wood around the 
damaged site was still smoldering, and it looked like a complete wreck.  
Russ figured that it would probably be docked and in repair for quite a 
while.
	Everybody ran up the steps to the landing pad and got a look at the 
damaged ship, and at Russ.  Misaki continued to stare at him in disbelief, as 
Russ hadn't even broken a sweat, and he didn't even look like he had 
worked himself at all.
	"You saved the ship and everybody in this general vicinity, Russ," 
Misaki said, approaching him slowly.  "You have my humble thanks and 
appreciation.  That was incredible though.  How did you become so 
powerful?"
	Russ blushed.  "I'm not that strong.  I'm sure Azaka or Kamidake 
would not have had a problem holding up a ship of this size.  The legend 
had said that they had the power to destroy stars.  Isn't that correct?"
Azaka smirked.  "That legend was greatly exaggerated.  We're 
strong enough to destroy a small fleet of ships of this size, but not much 
more than that."
	"So Russ, what is this thing I hear about you being called a Super 
Saiyan?  I've heard that was a legend too," Misaki pried, standing in front 
of him.  She looked into his black eyes and tried to see if he'd lie to her.
	"Been talking to Washu, I see," he responded, looking over at the 
red haired super genius, who chuckled and waved her hand, giving her best 
sadistic smile.  "It's simply a transformation that allows me to use my full 
power.  I almost never transform since I don't need to."
	"Could you transform so I can see?  I'm sure everybody else would 
like to see it," Misaki pleaded.
	Russ smiled and shook his head.  "I'm sorry, but it takes a huge 
amount of energy just to transform.  I also don't like transforming all that 
much.  I hate showing it off," he frowned.
	"Aw, come on.  Please?"
	"No."
	Misaki frowned again and stood up straight.  "If you don't show it 
to me, I won't have my cooks feed you.  How's that for incentive?"
	Russ just grinned.  "Not good enough, I'm afraid."
	Everybody facefaulted, knowing how much Russ could really eat 
when he was hungry.  Misaki just became more determined.
	"Okay, if that isn't good enough, how about this.  I won't permit 
you to date or court Aeka in any way, shape, or form, so long as you live," 
she decreed, thinking that she had him on the ropes.  Azaka, Kamidake, 
Ryoko, and Tenchi all broke out in sweat drops, as they knew that this was 
probably a huge mistake.
	Russ frowned at Misaki.  He stared directly into her amethyst eyes, 
trying to determine her serenity and her confidence.  He decided to call her 
bluff.  But, if it wasn't a bluff, then it was what he was hoping for in the 
first place.  Even though Aeka was undoubtedly the perfect match for him, 
at least as far as he could see, he could not bring himself to say yes.
	"I'm sorry.  I will not transform, no matter how you threaten me.  I 
do not respond well to any kind of threat, whether it is against my life or 
something of a lesser cause."
	Misaki's eyes widened, and she stared at him in disbelief.  
	"What?" she asked, still unable to comprehend what he just said.
	"I said no," he answered, putting on his poker face and giving her 
an emotionless gaze.
	"You'd give up Aeka over simply transforming yourself into a 
Super Saiyan?"
	Russ nodded.
	Aeka looked at him in shock, and nearly fainted.  She began to 
tremble slightly, squeezing her hands into fists.  She gazed hard into Russ's 
face, which was still turned toward her mother, who had the same exact 
expression on her face as Aeka did.  She let out a quiet sob, then stopped 
herself, and continually repeated the same question to herself over and over 
again.
	"Why?  I don't understand!  Why?" Misaki nearly yelled, letting 
her temper flare slightly.
	"Because I don't want to.  Because it's better this way.  Because I 
don't want to see anybody hurt as a result of my actions.  Because a 
relationship is too soon.  Do I need to keep going?" Russ asked, standing 
tall, not faltering to any kind of persuasion.
	"But…" Misaki began.
	"No.  I'm sorry."  Russ looked at everybody's saddened faces and 
they just looked on him with pity and sorrow.  "I'm sorry to have invaded 
your lives and give you this kind of grief.  I never wanted or expected this 
kind of thing.  When we get back home, I'll move out and find some other 
place to live.  I'll manage somehow.  You guys would probably do better 
without me around."
	Sasami's eyes went wide, and she began crying.  Running over to 
him as fast as she could, she threw her little arms around Russ's waist and 
buried her face in his shirt.  "Please don't go!  I'd be so sad if you did!  
You've been such a great friend to me and I don't want to see you go!"
	Russ looked down at the little princess with surprise, and he looked 
up at the rest of the group once more, taking in each of their expressions.  
	"Please, Russ.  Please stay with us.  Everybody has been so much 
happier since you've been around.  You're such a nice man to talk to!" 
Sasami continued, hugging him tightly.  She continued to sob quietly into 
his clothes, until she felt a hand come down on top of her head, ever so 
gently.  Looking up into Russ's face, she became hopeful, and her eyes 
sparkled, despite the streaming tears.
	Carefully, Russ removed Sasami's arms from around his waist, and 
he knelt down, looking up into her face.  "Do you really want me to stay?"
	"I do!  Yes I do!" Sasami yelled, desperation in her voice.
	"I do too," Aeka added.  "Please."
	"Me three," Ryoko demanded.  "And if you leave, I'll find you and 
kick your ass," she added.  "And I owe you for moving in, as well."
	"I think I speak for everybody here when I say that we want you to 
stay with us," Tenchi said, stepping up to Russ.  "We will stop pressuring 
you about Aeka.  Will that be fair enough?"
	The Saiyan looked at him with surprise, and he nodded his head.  
"You got yourself a deal."
	Again, Sasami grabbed Russ around the neck in a warm hug, 
eliciting a chorus of "Aww" from everybody.  But there were way too many 
voices to be just Russ and the group.
	Suddenly noticing a massive crowd of people around the platform 
and several dozen other people who stood near the warship, Russ's face 
turned blue and he fainted dead away.
	Aeka couldn't help but laugh, and she felt happy and contented, 
and very satisfied that Russ would remain with them.  However, she felt an 
incredible sadness, since she now could see that he had no interest in any 
kind of everlasting love for her.  He was set in his ways, and it was almost 
too much to bear.  But, there was always the possibility of him changing his 
mind, and that was enough to give her hope.  However, she kept her false 
smile on her visage as the crowd of people swarmed around everybody, 
congratulating Russ on a job well done.

	Back in the Royal Training Room, several hours after the incident 
with the Jurian Warship, Russ continued his exercises in solitude.  Straining 
under intense gravity, he performed a rigorous routine of sit-ups, 
handsprings, and other various aerobic exercises.  The floor could barely 
handle the amount of weight pressing down on it, and it continually cracked 
and creaked under him.
	Finally finishing his routine exercises, he began to spar by himself, 
punching and kicking into the empty space.  The sounds created by him 
echoed around the room, making a considerable amount of extra noise, but 
it didn't bother him all that much.  His stereo system sat nearby, kicking the 
soundtrack of the Saber Marionette series that Tom had given him earlier.  
He continued to punch into the air at a rate of speed that couldn't be seen by 
a normal human, and then he changed over to kicking.
	After becoming bored with doing this for a while, he began to fly 
around the room, sparring against an imaginary foe, as he zanzokened 
across the room and back again, within the blink of an eye.  Several 
afterimages marked Russ's place as he appeared and vanished again, but 
they faded into oblivion after a moment.
	Salty perspiration continually ran off of his body as a result of 
pushing himself to his limits.  Continually changing styles of fighting, 
techniques, and other ways of fighting, he finally landed on the floor in the 
middle of the mat, and then fell over from exhaustion.
	He lay there for several minutes, breathing heavily and feeling the 
cold mat on his stressed body.  Rolling onto his back, he stared at the 
extremely high ceiling and relaxed, listening to the last third of Soshite 
Itoshiki Omoi from Saber Marionette J.
	"You are as strong as Washu says, aren't you?" a voice asked from 
out of nowhere.
	Russ turned his head to the source of the voice and smiled slightly, 
noting the empress who stood some ten feet away.  He nodded an 
acknowledgement.
	"But there was something that you had said yesterday that caught 
me off guard.  You can't form an energy weapon like a sword, can you?"
Russ struggled to sit up, and with great effort, he managed to prop 
himself up to face Misaki.  Reaching over to his stereo, he turned it off.  
	"That's correct.  I've tried, but it blows up in my face whenever I do it."
	Misaki chuckled.  "You're just trying to squeeze a ball and hope it 
forms into a weapon, right?"
	Wearily, Russ nodded again.  "Yeah.  Is there some sort of other 
trick to it?"
	"Yeah.  You have to focus your ki into the weapon.  Just squeezing 
an energy ball will always blow up.  Here.  Watch me," she said, moving 
over to the training mat.
	She stood about eight feet away from him, and she focused a little 
of her power into the palm of her hand, where a ball of blue energy began to 
glow.  She squeezed, and a sword about four feet long appeared, humming 
quietly with radiant energy.
	Russ smiled.  "Reminds me of a lightsaber out of Starwars," he 
said.
	Misaki looked at him in confusion.  "What's Starwars?"
	Russ's eyes bulged and he fell over.  However, he then 
remembered that he wasn't talking to an earthling.  "Starwars is a movie 
series back on Earth.  It's a science fiction film, but it's wildly entertaining.  
That massive ship in orbit is based off of the Star Destroyer you see in that 
movie series."
	"I see.  And this was a weapon in it?"
	"Sort of.  The blade was made from energy, but the hilt was a 
physical item."
	Misaki nodded.  "We also have our keys that act as a hilt, but some 
of us can form a blade without it."  She then began exercising with her 
sword, casually performing the swordplay routine that Yosho had taught 
Tenchi so many times before.  The shimmering weapon hummed through 
the air and around her body in a beautiful and very precise flow of motion, a 
result of thousands of years of practice.  She finished and extinguished her 
weapon.
	"Now, do you understand what I did?"
	Russ shook his head.  "Could you form the sword once more?"
"Sure."
	Again, the blue ball appeared in her hand, and when she squeezed, 
it formed into the blade once more.  However, this time, Russ felt a change 
in her energy, which he didn't see or feel before.  But now he had a pretty 
good idea of how it worked.
	"My turn," he said, dragging himself to his feet, still under a huge 
amount of gravity.  Forming a small green ball of energy in his hand, he 
squeezed it, and then placed the new power he felt from Misaki into it.  The 
ball flashed and then formed into a very crooked weapon, but it didn't 
explode.
	Misaki chuckled to herself as Russ concentrated very hard, doing 
his very best to keep the blade in existence.  He held it there for a few 
seconds, and then he released his hand, which extinguished the abomination 
that could only loosely be called a sword.
	"Very good!  Try it again, but this time, focus it into a straight line.  
Remember, with an energy blade, the sword can cut from any angle, unlike 
traditional weapons which are either one or two faced."
	"Yes ma'am," Russ responded, once again allowing his energy to 
flow into the palm of his hand.  Once again he squeezed, applying his 
newfound technique to his energy, and it formed into a perfectly straight 
blade, about five feet in length.  It hummed quietly, and Russ smiled in 
satisfaction.
	"Swing it around a few times to get the feel of it," Misaki 
suggested.
	Russ slowly brought the sword up and swung it down, and to his 
surprise, it had a little weight to it.  Swinging it in a wide arc in front of 
him, he brought it back down in a diagonal slash, then across his front once 
more with a horizontal slash, returning the sword to his right side.
	"This is quite amazing and easy too.  I'm surprised this thing has 
some weight to it.  I thought it wouldn't have any resistance at all."
	"If it didn't have any resistance, it would be harder to control.  
Once you master it a bit more, you'll probably learn how to remove the 
weight factor from it, or add more," the empress told him, smiling.
	Russ released his hand, allowing the sword to vanish into 
nothingness.  Feeling emboldened a bit, he formed another ball of energy 
into his palm, this time coloring it blue.  He held his hand out in front of 
him, and squeezed.  This time, the ball flashed and produced two blades, 
each about three feet in length - A perfect staff.  It hummed quietly and the 
glow from the blue blade changed the color of Russ's clothes slightly.  
Misaki smiled and nodded her head.
	"Excellent.  You're a quick study."
	Russ grinned and released the staff, which vanished.  "Thank you.  
I appreciate you showing me how to do that little trick.  It'll be most helpful 
in my battle against Zorpheus."
	Misaki smiled and nodded her head.  "You're welcome.  Now, it's 
your turn to teach me something."
	Russ looked at her in confusion.  "Teach what?"
	Misaki grinned.  "Did you forget what you told me two days ago?"
Thinking back to the day before yesterday, he quickly ran through 
the events in his mind and all the confrontations with Misaki.  Still coming 
up blank, he looked at her meekly.  "I'm sorry, but I've got a bad memory.  
What was it that I promised to show you?"
	"That dance you did with Tom."
	Russ's eyes went wide for an instant, and then he smiled.  "I did 
promise that, didn't I?  I had forgotten.  I'm sorry about that.  Well, sure.  
Let's get to work.  The song that was played was November, by a group 
called Mythos.  I'll see about getting you a copy of the song."
	"No need.  I already have it," she said, smiling.
	Russ nodded.  "Okay then, lets get started."

	Finally, after another long day of play, the sky finally began to 
darken once more, signaling the drawing close of the Startica Festival.  
Everybody was happy and contented, and had greatly enjoyed themselves 
over the last couple of days.  There were no major catastrophes aside from 
the one Russ averted, so the GP had it easy this year.  They were in the 
process of patrolling around the planet, checking to make sure all the ships 
that were departing could get out of their confined spaces.  Fortunately, all 
the vessels that parked around the Gray Wolf had departed, so it would be 
easy for Tom and company to leave the planet.
	Back inside the palace throne room, Asuza sat with both his wives, 
flanked on either side by Azaka and Kamidake, awaiting the last and final 
arrival from the group who had spent their vacation on Jurai.  He was 
scowling, and had other ideas for both his daughters.  However, he kept it to 
himself, and didn't let either of his wives know about it.  It was high time 
Aeka grasped the duty of being the Crown Princess of Jurai, rather than 
living with the lowly commoners on a backwater planet such as Earth.  He 
didn't bother dealing with Yosho, since he had made up his mind a long 
time ago, and he knew that Yosho would stick to it.  He was too old to be 
talked to.
	He still recalled the day Yosho left Jurai to hunt the Space Pirate 
Ryoko.  After immense destruction and terror struck into the hearts of the 
Jurai people, Yosho took it upon himself to leave the planet and chase 
Ryoko until he either captured or killed her.  And for some reason, Asuza 
knew that he wouldn't return when he departed.  Nothing was ever said 
about it, but it was a gut feeling, and he left it at that.  Funaho was really 
depressed after he left, but she did a remarkable job of hiding it and 
continuing on with her life.  Aeka should take her as an example and buckle 
down, and accept her duty as the Princess of Jurai.  He'd make sure of that 
this time.
	The King of Jurai lost his train of thought when the throne room 
doors swung open, revealing the entire group of Tenchi, Ryoko, Aeka, 
Sasami, Washu, Kiyone, Mihoshi, the log Azaka and Kamidake, Ryo-Ohki, 
Nobuyuki, Yosho, and lastly, Russ.  They all made their way down the 
long, red carpet, and their footsteps echoed around the massive room until 
they came to a stop in front of the King.
	"We're ready to head back home now, Father," Aeka said, bowing 
her head.  "I hope you and mother will be well once we're gone.  We had a 
very nice visit, and we'd like to come back next year."
	"Aeka!" he began, in his commanding tone.  "I want you to remain 
here.  You've been shirking your duties as the Jurian Princess for long 
enough!  Just how much longer do you plan on ignoring your obligation?"
	"I am not ready to be the princess.  I do not want to be the 
princess!  I've enjoyed my life back on Earth, and if I could, I'd live that 
life forever!" she shot back, glaring hard at her father.
	"Enough!  The finance I have chosen for you is still here, waiting 
for you," he said, gesturing to a set of curtains.
	Everybody turned to stare in the direction the king pointed to, and 
when the curtains pulled back, Aeka shuddered, and everybody else just 
stared in amazement.
	That pink haired retard stepped out from behind the curtain, his fan 
in his right hand, and that insufferable laugh of his rang in her ears.
"I take it you remember who I am, Princess?  I must say that you 
look stunning this evening."
	"Serio!  I thought Tenchi vanquished you!  How can you be 
alive?!" Aeka demanded.
	Serio smirked.  "That boy could never have defeated me, if it 
weren't for that tidal wave knocking me off of that platform.  But now I 
have another chance, since Tenchi is now occupied with… someone else," 
he said, glaring at the two.
	"How dare you!" Aeka shouted.
	Again, he laughed arrogantly.  "Do you really want to go back to 
that hellhole, instead of remaining here with me?  I've got so many ships to 
offer Jurai, and I can offer you, my darling, even more."
	Aeka's eyes went wide and she shuddered violently.  "You will do 
no such thing!  My heart is with someone else entirely, even though he 
hasn't returned it yet."
	Russ's face immediately went several shades of crimson, and he 
swallowed a growing lump in his throat, loudly.
	Asuza arose from his chair and glared down at his disobedient 
daughter.  "The challenge will remain the same.  You can have your wish, 
if, and ONLY if, that barbarian can defeat Serio in a duel!"
	Letting out a breath, she smiled, but a cold, evil, heartless smile.  "I 
don't think that will be a problem this time, Father."
	Aeka turned around and made her way over to Russ, who looked at 
her curiously.  She stopped in front of him, grasped his hand, and looked 
into his eyes, while her own eyes begged, pleaded, for him to help her.  Her 
face looked desperate, and he knew what she wanted.
	"I take it you want me to fight him, Aeka?" Russ asked, looking 
into her saddened face.
	"Please.  This is the only way I can remain with Tenchi, you, and 
his family.  I don't want to be anywhere else.  I know you do not want to 
return any kind of love, at least, not yet, but… please help me," she said, 
unable to say those three little words.  "And you did promise me that you'd 
help me."
	Funaho and Misaki both looked at each other, and then nodded 
their heads.  "If Russ defeats Serio, then you may go home with them."
	Serio laughed again.  "That is what I have to fight this time?  He 
looks even more of a pushover than Tenchi was.  At least Tenchi has a 
higher level of energy than he does."
	Russ's fists clenched as he fought to keep his power level from 
going up, as he was trying to keep it that of a normal human.  Looking back 
down at Aeka, he nodded his head.
	"Okay.  I'll fight him, since it is your ticket home," Russ said, and 
then smiled.
	"Humph.  This is going to be quite easy.  He hardly has any power 
to speak of," Serio said, stepping off of the platform and onto the floor, 
standing about fifteen feet away from Russ, directly in front of the King.  
Everybody else quickly stepped off to the side, giving them plenty of room.
	Serio looked into Russ's eyes and offered him the same offer he 
made Tenchi.  "Do you wish to concede?  That would be a wise decision, 
even for a stupid idiot like you," he laughed.  "But if you fight, I'll make it 
easy on you.  I won't use my maximum power.  But you're most likely to 
be killed anyway."
	Russ smirked, as he used his senses to judge his opponents power 
level.  Keeping his poker face on, he didn't give away what he thought.
	"You may begin when ready," Russ invited, not taking up any 
stance at all.
	"You're dumber than you look," Serio insulted once more.  
"Prepare yourself."
	Russ just stared at him, waiting for him to make a move.  He 
waited for nearly a minute, and he finally lost his patience.  He began 
tapping his foot impatiently, and then he placed his hands on his hips.  As if 
to prove his point further, he forced a yawn and then folded his arms over 
his chest.
	"This is rather boring," Russ muttered, looking at Serio's pink hair.  
"Why haven't you made a move?  And where in the world did you come up 
with that cotton candy hairdo anyway?"
	Serio looked at him in horror.  "What!?  Don't you dare insult me, 
you ignoramus."  He clenched his fists and began to power up.  His body 
began to glow red, but there was nothing much more than that.  After nearly 
a minute, he finished, and a brilliant orange sword came into existence in 
his right hand.  Looking at Russ, he smirked.
	"Afraid of what you see?"
	Russ shook his head.  "No.  But I've got a deal for you.  If I can 
power up higher than you, will you concede and walk away?"
	Serio looked at him in surprise, and then started laughing.  "You 
power up more than me?  You've lost your mind."
	Russ continued to give him the poker face.  "Well?  Do you 
agree?"
	Serio extinguished his sword and waved his hand carelessly.  
"Sure.  But I know I have this match won already.  I'm not even at my full 
power."
	"Then power up to your maximum.  Let's see what you're made 
of."
	Serio glared at him, then did as he was told.  Again, red energy 
outlined his body as he continued to raise his ki higher and higher.  
Everybody could hear him grunt and strain, as the glow became more 
intense.  A light breeze came from him, and a very slight shaking of the 
room could be felt.  Everybody who could sense a power level was 
watching Serio, curious as to how high he could go.
	It took him nearly three minutes, but when he was done, the glow 
around his body was enough to change the lighting of the room to a reddish 
color, and a strong breeze came from him.  The king grinned triumphantly, 
figuring that he had won.  But of course, Russ had yet to show anything of 
his own.
	"Ahhh, lets see if you can match this," Serio challenged.
Russ looked at him and judged his power.  "Impressive.  I'd say 
you're at about four thousand.  Not too shabby."
	Serio glared at him.  "Power up, you moron.  Lets see if you can 
put up or shut up."
	Russ shook his head.  "I can't even compliment you without you 
taking offense to it.  Sheesh."
	"Stuff it, already.  Power up and quit stalling," the king demanded.
Russ glared at him, and clenched his fist.  "I hope this building can 
withstand a heavy earthquake," he said, spreading his feet.
	Asuza looked at him curiously, but maintained his glare.  Misaki 
and Funaho looked at each other worriedly, and slowly began to back up.
	"You wanted to see me power up.  Don't run away now, your 
highness," Russ called, noticing Misaki continuing to back off.  She 
regarded him with a look of surprise, but she sat down on her throne, next to 
her husband.  "Azaka, Kamidake?  Shield them as best you can."
	The two knights looked at each other, their foreheads beading in 
perspiration.  Now they'd see what they were originally up against in that 
training room, and they'd see how much he was really holding back.
	Taking in a breath through his teeth and letting it out in a primal 
howl, Russ began to prep himself for a massive power surge.  Tensing every 
muscle in his body, and taking in another deep breath, his voice continued 
to echo around the hall, and everybody watched him.  Aeka had a slight grin 
on her face, knowing what he was about to do, and how he was going to 
blow the socks off her father and that arrogant fop, Serio.
	A huge, green fireball exploded around Russ's body, enshrouding 
him in flames, and blowing every single bystander off of their feet.  The 
wind from his energy was enough to knock paintings off of walls and cause 
everyone to shield his or her face from the hurricane of dirt and other 
objects that began flying around the room.  The floor under Russ cracked 
and shattered, causing several chunks of the marble tile to hover in the air 
and break apart, swirling and mixing in with the other debris.  He looked 
exactly like Vegeta did when the prince powered up to fight Recoome.
	Then, the earthquake began.  It started only slightly at first, but it 
continued to intensify, until the floor shook with such ferocity that nobody 
could keep his or her footing.  But Russ didn't stop, despite hearing several 
people scream in panic.  He continued to grunt and strain, pushing his 
energy level to its maximum.
	The king watched Russ through his arms, wondering what kind of 
freakish person he really was, being able to generate this astronomical 
amount of power.  It was unbelievable.  Never, ever, had he expected any 
one individual to generate enough power to surpass himself, let alone the 
entire Jurai fleet combined.  This man made his own energy seem 
insignificant, and he was the most powerful man on Jurai.
	The king knew he was the most powerful being on the planet.  
Azaka and Kamidake both knew it too.  He didn't need any kind of 
protection, because nobody was powerful enough to challenge him.  
However, this man shattered every single expectation that they ever had.  
And he wasn't even warmed up yet.
	Misaki kept her face shielded, and she finally had her question 
answered.  He was overwhelmingly powerful.  He went way beyond her 
expectations, and now she knew why he kept it hidden.  It was frightening 
to be in the presence of such energy.  He kept it low to be treated normally, 
but he could call on his power whenever he needed it, like now.
	Azaka and Kamidake did their very best to shield the king and 
queens, but even they could barely stand up against a force as intense as 
this.  Their forcefield continued to fizzle, and they were able to block only 
less than half of the junk flying around the room.  They both grunted and 
strained, and as they could sense his energy keep rising, they began to 
wonder when he'd stop.
	After only thirty seconds of powering up, Russ shifted himself into 
high gear, and doubled his rate of energizing himself, causing a massive 
shockwave which peeled away more of the floor and began to bring the 
palace down around him.  Bits of the ceiling began to break apart, the flying 
debris had destroyed the finish of the wood pillars, and the walls were being 
pelted with the marble chips that continued to swirl around Russ.
	The roar of his energy was deafening, and they could barely hear 
themselves scream.  However, they could hear Russ perfectly clear, as he 
yelled at the top of his voice, straining to take his ki to new heights.
	Moments later, which felt like hours to the bystanders, the shaking 
subsided, the wind died down, but all the debris remained floating in mid-
air.  The roar of energy was still present, albeit much more quiet, and 
everybody was finally able to uncover his or her faces.
	The entire throne room was blanketed in an eerie green glow, 
generated by the man who stood directly in the middle of it, his energy still 
burning brightly around him.  Marble and wood chunks still floated lazily 
around Russ, held up by some unseen force.
	His face was frightening.  His hair was swirling around and 
standing up, his clothes flapped in the wind of his energy, and his face 
spoke words that didn't need to be said.  Everybody just sat and stared, 
except for Aeka.
	The palace doors swung open and the throne room became flooded 
with Jurian guards, who immediately stopped and stared at the spectacle in 
the middle of the place.  They had their weapons at the ready, but they knew 
just by looking at him that they didn't stand a chance, but they were willing 
to die for the king anyway, to protect him and to serve him.
	Carefully, slowly, Aeka made her way around the debris, and 
slowly approached Russ, who turned his head toward her, and nodded 
casually, a slight grin presenting itself.  He nodded his head forward, 
indicating to her to have a look at something.
	Turning to what he found so interesting, she couldn't help but 
smile.  Serio was planted into the stairs leading up to Asuza's throne.  His 
body made a perfect imprint of himself in the steps, and they could see him 
lying there, his eyes looking like corkscrews as he moaned 
incomprehensible phrases.
	"Looks like I win," Russ said, letting out a deep breath and 
allowing himself to relax.  His green ki vanished and all the debris fell to 
the ground with a loud clatter, sounding like a heavy rain for about two 
seconds.
	Slowly, everybody returned to his or her feet, but everybody 
continued to stare at the Saiyan in absolute astonishment.  King Asuza 
looked at him in complete horror, and for the first time in his life, his face 
expressed fear.  He looked at the Saiyan as if he were a god, and not some 
lowly commoner anymore.  He realized that he made some major mistakes 
with him.  It was good for his sake that Russ had fair control over his 
temperament or he could've been killed easily, and nobody could've 
stopped him.  Not even Tsunami or the lighthawk wings.
	Misaki and Funaho both looked at him in amazement, and they 
were unable to think of anything to say.  They could sense his energy level 
and they almost couldn't believe that it was real.  It was scary being in the 
presence of such power.
	"I think that I should have you know, that what I just did was only 
my base power level.  That means I wasn't using any energy enhancements.  
To be perfectly clear, I can go much higher than what you just felt," he said 
coolly, staring into the Emperor's eyes.  "And I'm stronger than I was two 
weeks ago, when I first met the family."
	"That's impossible," he whispered.  "He's just too impossible."
	Russ heard him.  "I assure you, it is very possible.  I can destroy 
this planet and the ENTIRE solar system with the power I possess.  But I'm 
not going to do that," Russ told him, continuing to glare into Asuza's eyes.  
"I think it's time I give you a little advice, and you better listen to it.  Never 
judge a book by its cover.  You misjudged me, big time, and it came to bite 
you in the rear, in the end.  Look at this room."  Russ waved his arm around 
the place, which was utterly destroyed.  The floor was cratered around 
Russ's feet, which completely ruined the marble flooring.  The walls were 
trashed, and every single painting and ornamental item that had been on 
those walls was obliterated.  The wooden pillars were nearly destroyed, and 
some of them looked like Swiss cheese, as a result of the flying debris 
passing right through the wood like putty.  The ceiling had massive chunks 
fall out of it, leaving gaping holes throughout it.  All the remaining pieces 
of debris were scattered throughout the room.
	The king looked at his once beautiful room and shuddered.  He'd 
have to condemn the room until it was repaired, but that was insignificant in 
comparison to what could've been done.  Looking back into Russ's eyes, he 
couldn't find any emotion left in them, and it scared the daylights out of 
him.
	"This room was destroyed simply by me powering up.  What do 
you think would've happened if I focused an attack on you?  To put it 
simply, you would've been annihilated.  Oh, and one other bit of advice.  
Show more respect to those who are your subjects.  You were extremely 
disrespectful to me when we first met.  I wanted to kick your butt since the 
day I met you because you're arrogant, insulting, and in my opinion, a 
person who is unworthy of remaining the King of Jurai."
	Again, the king looked at him with a mixture of surprise and 
horror.  "How dare…"
	"Shut up," Russ interrupted him.  "This is exactly what I'm talking 
about.  You need a serious attitude adjustment.  You could take quite an 
example from both of your wives, since they are far more respectful than 
you will probably ever be."
	Funaho and Misaki looked at him in surprise and they both 
realized that he was probably right.  They'd have to console the king and 
find a way to make him more respectable, and a nicer man.  Perhaps if he 
were in the presence of Russ more often...
	"I'm sorry about destroying the room," Russ stated flatly.  "I hope 
you get it fixed up sooner or later.  But anyway, it's time for us to leave.  I 
appreciate all the hospitality that you extended to everybody and myself."  
Russ gave a slight bow, and stood up straight, relaxing himself and allowing 
his power level to fall to that of a normal human once more.
Everybody else dusted their clothes off and stood next to the 
saiyan, and also bowed.
	"I'll see you next year, Mother and Father," Aeka said, standing 
next to Russ, bowing her head.  "I hope you will be well this coming year."
Misaki and Funaho both made their way down to the floor, being 
careful to sidestep Serio, who was still out cold.  They made their way over 
to the group and they began to say their goodbyes, exchanging hugs and 
kisses to everybody.
	Carefully, stealthily, Russ slipped out of the throne room, being 
careful to shut the door behind him.  However, someone did notice him.
	"Aren't you going to say goodbye, Russ?"
	Stopping in his tracks, he slowly turned and faced Misaki, who 
frowned at him.  "I'm sorry, but I've never been good at goodbyes," he 
answered.
	"Now is as good as time as any to start."  Slowly moving over to 
Russ, she placed her arms around him and gave him a warm, caring 
squeeze.  "It was nice meeting you, Russ.  I hope you come back next year."
	Russ stood flabbergasted and he scratched the back of his head, but 
smiled warmly.  "Thank you for having me.  It was nice meeting you."
	"You were right about your power," she said, drawing a curious 
look from Russ.  "You ARE godlike with that kind of energy.  I don't know 
how you hide it, but I'm glad you're using it to protect Aeka and her 
family."
	"That's what I'm here for."
	Misaki smiled.  "Take care of Aeka, Russ.  I'll be counting on it."
Russ blushed, but nodded his head.  "Yes, your highness.  I shall 
do my best."
	Misaki hugged Russ once more, giving him a gentle squeeze.  
However, the sound of another pair of footsteps stomping on the ground 
became present a second later.
	"What are you doing, Mother?!?!"
	Turning around, the Empress smiled.  "No need to get jealous!"  
She released Russ and grabbed her daughter in a hug.  "I was just saying 
goodbye."
	Russ became several shades of red and had a huge sweat drop on 
his head.  Aeka looked surprised, and then she relaxed, shaking her head.
	"Well, it's time to go," Russ said, noting everybody else exiting 
the condemned throne room.  They all made their way over to Russ, and the 
entire entourage made their way out of the palace to the landing pad, where 
an assault transport was already waiting for them.  Tom stepped out onto 
the ramp and waved his hand.
	"Well, did everybody have a good time?" he asked, as Russ 
approached.
	"Sure did.  Are we ready to get underway?"
	"Yeah.  All your bags and belongings have been loaded already, so 
we're set to go.  And Russ," he said, lowering his voice to a whisper.  
"What did you do?  I've heard a lot of bystanders talking about an 
earthquake.  Did you power up or something?"
	Russ gave him a grin that told him exactly what he needed to 
know.  Tom grinned in amusement.
	"Well, everybody, hop onboard and we'll get ourselves out of 
here," Russ said, gesturing to the ramp way, and everybody made their way 
into the hold of the ship.  Misaki and Funaho both remained at the edge of 
the landing pad, waving their hands and having tears in their eyes.
	"Bye everyone!" Misaki yelled as the door sealed itself.
	Russ turned and waved one last time, as he climbed into his fighter 
and started it up.  Sealing the hatch behind him, he sat in the leather seat 
and sighed deeply.
	The roar of the ATR became extremely loud as a lot of dust and 
dirt came out from under it, and it slowly lifted itself off into the air.  Russ's 
Tie Defender lifted off as well, the landing gear retracting back into the 
body of the fighter, and he moved forward, flying over the heads of both the 
empresses, and then swinging around to follow the ATR, which had already 
begun its accent.
	Remaining on the pad, the mother of Aeka and Sasami, and the 
mother of Yosho both continued to wave, until both ships vanished from 
sight.  They looked at each other and smiled.
	"We're going to have to go visit them sometime soon, since they 
came to visit us," Funaho said, wiping away a tear.
	"I think that's a great idea.  But, how will we get there?  It would 
require almost a month of vacation time to go."
	Funaho thought a moment, then nodded her head.  "I think it would 
be worth it, don't you?"
	"Yes.  Yes indeed," Misaki responded, clasping her hands 
together.
	Turning back toward the palace, both the empresses of Jurai made 
their way to the air traffic control room, and they sat down at one of the 
available terminals, drawing a bunch of curious and worried looks from the 
various staff members.  It wasn't often that they had the opportunity to even 
see the rulers of the planet, let alone be in the same room with them.  They 
watched them punch a few keys, and they brought up an image of the Star 
Destroyer in orbit.  They zoomed in on it, and they watched both the ATR 
and Russ's fighter both enter the hanger bay of the massive warship.
	"That thing is huge, sis.  This is the first time I've seen it," Misaki 
whispered.
	"Me too.  What kind of ship is that?"
	Thinking a moment, her eyes lit up.  "Russ had said that the ship 
was based off of a movie called Starwars, back on Earth.  I think it's called 
a Star Destroyer."
	Again, several other staff members chuckled, thinking that was a 
ridiculous name for a ship class.
	"We're going to have to find a copy of that movie and see it for 
ourselves," Funaho declared.  But she silenced herself when the massive 
warship began to turn and move away from the planet.  "Well, it looks like 
they're getting underway."
	They both watched the huge ISD move a little distance away from 
the planet, which happened to be the end of the planetary system, and it 
stopped in place for a few moments.  Several GP vessels began to approach 
the ship, thinking that something had gone wrong.  However, a moment 
later, a bright flash from its engines and a streak of light later, the ship raced 
out of the star system in less than a second, and then it vanished from sight 
as it entered hyperspace.
	Both Misaki and Funaho looked at their screen, which was trying 
to track the ship, but it was gone.
	"That thing must be going so fast that our sensors can't detect it," 
Misaki said, punching a few more keys on the console.
	"They did say that it can get from here to Earth in about twelve 
hours.  I'd say that's moving pretty darn fast.  I don't even think the 
checkpoint even realized that a ship had flown right through it with them 
moving at that rate of speed."
	Misaki nodded.  "Well, lets go back to the throne room.  We 
should help with the cleanup."
	"Right as always.  We've got our work cut out for us this time."
Both empresses laughed as they left the terminal and made their 
way back to the great hall.

	Onboard the Star Destroyer, the first thing Russ did was head off 
to his quarters and went to sleep, even before he fell over and hit the bed.  
Aeka and Sasami watched him crash-land onto the mattress, and they both 
giggled.
	"He completely wears himself out every single day.  I don't know 
how he handles himself like that," Aeka whispered.
	"I know.  He's so strong though."
Aeka nodded, undressing herself, preparing to get into her 
nightgown.  "But, he does have the right idea.  We may as well go to sleep 
and be rested for when we get back home.  There isn't a whole lot to do 
onboard a starship."
	"There are plenty of things to do on this ship though.  But I am 
tired.  We'll probably still have a few hours to do stuff when we wake up, 
since I doubt we could sleep twelve hours."
	"I know Russ can," Aeka giggled.
	Sasami smiled.  "I can always order a can of whipped cream from 
the replicator," she cackled evilly.
	"Sasami!  You promised that you wouldn't pull any pranks on each 
other during this trip, and I expect you to hold to it."  Aeka glared down at 
her sister, as she wrapped her gown over her slender body and tightened the 
obi.  "Besides, if you do, he'll probably go berserk, and I won't stop him 
either," she added.
	Sasami looked worried for a moment, but she nodded her head.  
	"Yeah, you're probably right.  I'd probably wake up on the hull of the ship 
or something, knowing what kind of pranks he likes to play."
	Both Aeka and Sasami tossed back the covers to their futons, and 
they both lay down, pulling the comforter up to their necks.  They both let 
out a yawn at the exact same time and stretched themselves, allowing their 
bodies to relax for a nice and restful slumber.
	"Aeka?"
	"Yes?"
	"Are you… still upset over what father tried to do today?" Sasami 
asked, worried for her sister.
	Aeka looked at the gray ceiling and sighed, closing her eyes slowly 
and re-opening them.  "I just don't understand why father feels he must 
interfere in these things.  All he ever manages to do is make me upset, and 
make everybody else around him upset too."
	Sasami rolled over onto her side, so she could see her sister.  
	"Well, you know what mom thinks, right?"
	Aeka shook her head.  "No.  Actually I'm not sure what she thinks 
about the whole thing.  I know she got upset with father, but he continually 
tried to prove a point.  I know that I've been lax in my duties as the first 
princess, but why must he force me to chose someone that would benefit the 
empire, but make me miserable?"  Sighing deeply, she continued.  "But 
anyway, you're a little young to understand such things.  Not yet, anyway."
	Sasami grunted, her face becoming cross.  "I may be little, but I do 
understand some of it.  But what you don't know is how much mother really 
wants to see you and Russ get together.  She knows the relationship 
between you and Tenchi has been resolved to friendship, and she knows 
that Russ is completely available, and is the same age as you.  Mother 
doesn't care about what father thinks.  She wants you to be happy, and 
that's all that matters to her."
	Aeka let out a tiny gasp, and then rolled onto her side, facing the 
little princess.  "Are you sure, Sasami?  Did mother tell you this?"
	"Yes.  She wants to see you happy more than anything, and so do 
I.  I really like Russ.  He's like a big brother to me.  He's always sweet and 
kind, and a little mischievous like me," Sasami giggled.  "But he's stubborn 
too.  But anyway, I'm glad he's staying with us.  That makes me very 
happy."
	"Me too, Sasami.  He's so much like Tenchi, but a lot more easy-
going.  Tenchi was always uptight and very strict, and at times, quick to 
anger.  He always got mad at Ryoko and myself whenever we'd get into a 
fight, whether it be over him or not.  Russ, on the other hand, seems to take 
it in stride, as a way of life.  He just minds his own business.  I think I like 
that about him more than the strictness with Tenchi."
	"I see you noticed that too.  Tenchi hardly ever had time to do 
things with me or anybody else, since he was always busy doing chores 
around the house.  Russ has actually taken time out of his training when he 
saw me playing by myself to play a game with me," Sasami described, 
remembering a game of catch that was played about a week ago.
	"You're right.  Tenchi really hadn't done much of anything with 
us, in terms of enjoying ourselves and having fun.  For the most part, he 
only got involved when one of us was in trouble.  He'd always come to 
rescue us," Aeka sighed, remembering how he risked his life to save her 
from the Kagato that impersonated Yosho.  "But Russ would do the same 
thing, wouldn't he?"
	Sasami smiled.  "He already is.  He's here to protect us."
	Aeka thought a moment and smiled.  "You're right.  He is here to 
save all of us, isn't he?"
	Nodding her head, Sasami yawned and stretched herself under her 
blanket.  "He also comforted me when I had that bad dream back on Jurai."
"That's right!  You never told me what it was about, did you?" 
Aeka asked, becoming concerned.
	"No.  It was really scary, and I don't know why I dreamt it.  It was 
about Kain," Sasami said, her voice almost a whisper.
	Looking at her sister in surprise, she reached out from under her 
blanket, took Sasami's hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.  "It was only a 
dream.  Kain is dead.  We killed him, remember?  We used Washu's 
Dimensional Cannon and blew him away," Aeka said quietly.  "He won't 
ever bother us again."
	"Yeah, you're right, but it was still creepy.  Russ woke up and 
made me feel a lot better.  I'm glad he was there with me when I had that 
dream."
	Aeka smiled.  "I'm glad too, Sasami," she said, rolling onto her 
back once more, getting herself more comfortable.  "Let's get some sleep."
	"Yeah.  Goodnight, Aeka.  I love you."
	"I love you too, Sasami.  Goodnight."

	"Come on, Ryoko!  Don't you ever give up?"
	"But Tenchiiiiii!!"
	"You're being ridiculous, now cut it out, okay?  I'm too tired to do 
that again."
	"You're such a spoiled sport!"
	"I am not!"
	"Are too!"
	"Am NOT!"
	"Yes you are.  You don't want to, because you know you'll lose."
	"Ryoko, we've played five games already.  Give it up!  You'll 
never defeat me at chess."
	Both Tenchi and Ryoko were hunched over a traditional 
chessboard, with Tenchi's black army giving Ryoko's white pieces a good 
trouncing.  Ryoko's defensive line lay in ruins, and nearly all of her pieces 
were sitting off to the side, having been taken by Tenchi.  Only about a 
quarter of Tenchi's pieces sat on Ryoko's side of the board that she had 
captured, and they were all pawns.  Her king was completely surrounded, 
and Ryoko knew that she had lost.
	Ryoko continued to pout, folding her arms over her chest and 
turning away, an extremely peeved look on her face.
"You must cheat or something.  There's no way you could've 
beaten me this many times without losing once without cheating!" she 
muttered, still not looking at Tenchi.
	Tenchi shook his head and rested his elbow on the table, and rested 
his chin in his palm.  "Grandpa is a good teacher.  And I don't cheat.  You 
would've saw me do it if I had."
	"Humph!"
	"Now who is being a spoiled sport?"
Ryoko turned her nose up at him and repeated her discontentment.
	"Come on, Ryoko.  We should get some rest.  We had a long day 
today, didn't we?"
	"I'm not talking to you."
	Tenchi facefaulted.  "Aw, give me a break, Ryoko!  If you're 
going to be like this, we won't play anymore."
	"Fine!  See if I care!" she quipped, phasing out of existence and 
reappearing some distance away in her evening attire.  Or rather, lack 
thereof.
	Tenchi's eyes bulged a moment and a trickle of blood appeared at 
the edge of his nostril as he turned away.  Ryoko frowned at him.
	"Don't tell me you're still embarrassed of me, Tenchi."
	"It's not that.  I'm just still not used to seeing you… naked.  I wish 
you wouldn't do that."
	"We're born naked, Tenchi.  And we're naked under the covers 
too.  What does it matter anyway?  It's just you and me."
	Tenchi scratched his head and thought hard, trying to come up with 
a reasonable answer to her question without provoking her further.  
However, fatigue mixed with a racing heart did wonders for ruining his 
concentration, and only one thought came to mind.
	Standing up slowly and turning toward Ryoko, he casually made 
his way across the room, until he stood directly in front of the space pirate.  
She looked at him curiously, but she was swept off of her feet as Tenchi 
lifted her into the air and cradled her in his arms, a warm, caring, loving 
smile on his lips.
	"This isn't quite the answer I was looking for, Tenchi."
	"Would you…"
	Ryoko silenced him by pressing her lips to his, wrapping her arms 
around his broad shoulders, squeezing him tightly.  "But I like it."
	"Would you like to… you know… head off to bed now?"
	Ryoko smiled widely and she nodded her head.  "Anytime, Tenchi.  
Whether it is day or night.  I'm always here for you."
	Carrying his beloved to the bedroom, they both slid under the 
covers, continuing to hold each other close.  And, of course, getting ready to 
do this and that kind of thing.
	Ryoko turned out the light with the flick of her wrist, and the 
sounds of sensual pleasure muffled by the comforter were the only sounds 
in the room for the night.

	Some eight hours later, Russ had woken up in a very cramped and 
awkward position, as he had fallen out of bed sometime while he was 
asleep.  One of his legs had somehow gotten caught around the bedpost, and 
it remained in mid-air throughout most of the night.  It was ice cold and 
Russ knew that when the blood started flowing again that he was going to 
have that creepy feeling all over his leg, and he hated that kind of thing.
	Quickly jumping in the sonic shower, he shed his clothes and 
generated a fresh and clean karate gi, this time coloring it a steel gray.  He 
turned and left his room, noting Aeka and Sasami still asleep on his floor.  
Cautiously, he exited his room and made his way down the corridor to the 
lift, where he stepped inside.
	"Holodeck one."
	The lift quickly sped down its track to his requested level, and it 
came to a stop a few short moments later.  He made his way down the 
hallway to the holodeck, and he discovered that it was already occupied.  
Keying a few commands on a nearby console, he identified that the 
occupants were, surprisingly, Tenchi and Katsuhito.  He keyed another 
command, which opened a comlink with the interior of the room.
	"Hey guys, it's me.  Mind if I come in?"
	"Sure," Katsuhito answered.
The large double doors divided themselves and slid back into the 
wall with a hiss, revealing a large clearing, covered in grass and surrounded 
by trees, in much the same scenario as the training grounds back at the 
Masaki home.
	"What are you guys up to?" he asked, as the doors closed behind 
him and disappeared.
	"We're training again.  Grandpa insists that I do some catching up, 
since I haven't practiced for a few days," Tenchi responded, nursing a lump 
on his head.
	Russ grinned.  "I hear that.  I know what it's like to become rusty 
after not training.  But anyway, mind if I watch?"
	"Hey Russ, why don't you train with Tenchi here for a little while?  
I'd like to see how he fairs against you," Katsuhito invited, lowering his 
bokken.
	Tenchi regarded him with a look of stunned horror.  "Grandpa!  
You know I can't even touch him!"
	"Better for practice!  If you face someone who is superior to 
yourself, a lot of times you will progress a lot faster," Katsuhito instructed, 
tossing Russ the wooden sword.
	Russ caught it easily and grinned, swinging it a couple of times to 
get the feel of it.  "Don't worry, I won't be as rough as your grandpa is," 
Russ grinned evilly, taking up a defensive stance, looking like a samurai 
warrior.
	Tenchi mumbled his discontentment as he hefted his own weapon 
and taking up the stance Katsuhito had shown him many times before.  It 
was the most effective position for defending against an unknown attack, 
since it left almost no part of the body venerable.
	Russ watched him curiously, and out of nowhere, he released his 
stance.  He stood up straight and looked off to the side somewhere.
"I think we need a bit of music to spice things up a bit.  Computer, 
play Spybreak Short One from The Matrix."
	A courtesy beep and a slight pause later, the music began.  Russ 
grinned as he took up a new stance, but drawing a very weird look from 
both Katsuhito and Tenchi.  The music was quite loud, and the two 
opponents would have to shout at each other in order to hear each other.
	"Go!" Russ yelled, charging Tenchi and swinging the bokken in a 
wide arc, aiming for Tenchi's neck.
	He saw it coming and he ducked, and swung his own sword in an 
upward stroke, missing Russ by a few inches.  Russ countered by spinning 
around and swinging the sword in the same spot once more, keeping time 
with the music.
	This time Tenchi blocked the stroke, and took a swipe at Russ's 
chest, missing once again and countering a third blow aimed at his neck.  
However, Russ didn't stop, and he kept up a smooth, steady offense, going 
with the flow of motion and music, swinging toward Tenchi's neck for a 
fourth time.  By this time, Tenchi was expecting it and he ducked, and then 
thrust his bokken toward Russ's leg.  However, he missed again as Russ 
casually spun with the blow, and once again brought his sword down in a 
smooth sweep, and he cracked Tenchi in the back of the neck, causing him 
to fall over with his face in the dirt.
	Tenchi quickly looked up at Russ, who was bringing his sword 
down for the finishing blow, but Tenchi rolled out of the way as the sword 
impacted the ground.  He regained his footing quickly and began another 
offense, swinging his sword toward Russ's own neck, which missed as the 
saiyan ducked and thrust his own sword toward Tenchi's chest, which again 
impacted, knocking him back a few feet.
	Sprinting forward a few steps to catch up to Tenchi, Russ speedily 
swung his sword at his opponent's leg, smacking it hard and leaving a large 
welt, and he quickly withdrew the sword, and swung it again at Tenchi's 
other leg, missing it as Tenchi did a backflip to get away from the persistent 
saiyan.
	Mounting his own offense, Tenchi quickly took a jab at Russ's 
chest, but Russ rolled with the blow and whacked Tenchi in the ribs with his 
own bokken.  However, Tenchi closed his arm around the sword, but Russ 
was quick to push him off of it, and resume his intense attack.
	Beginning an all new offense, Russ began to swing the sword all 
over his body, taking jabs and swiping the sword at various parts of 
Tenchi's body, most of which connected, leaving bruises and welts 
wherever the sword smacked him.  He made an overhead swing, which was 
blocked, but he continued the flow of motion and spun around, swinging the 
sword at Tenchi's ribs again, which connected, making Tenchi howl in 
pain.  However, Russ did not stop, and he continued his flow of motion, 
spinning around again and making his sword impact into Tenchi's leg, 
knocking him over.  Still not finished with his attack, he changed his handle 
on the sword, now handling it like a knife, and he drove it straight toward 
Tenchi's head, which narrowly missed as it impacted the ground.
	Tenchi rolled away and sprung back to his feet, trying to nurse the 
fresh injuries and mount an offense against a whirlwind style maneuver by 
Russ.  Blocking nearly every blow that came near him, he desperately tried 
to find an opening in Russ's offense, but he was moving in such an irregular 
pattern that it was impossible to tell what he was going to do next.  It was so 
much easier fighting his grandpa, where he'd do the same moves over and 
over again, even though most of the time he couldn't block them because of 
his grandfather's superior strength.

	Katsuhito watched in amusement, as it looked like more of a dance 
than a fight from Russ's perspective.  He watched how Russ countered 
nearly every move Tenchi made, which was quite impressive, since Russ 
wasn't using any of his energy to enhance his speed.  Russ watched 
Tenchi's face and Katsuhito realized that he was able to read what Tenchi 
was about to do, just by the motion of his eyes or a change in a facial 
expression.  It was quite interesting to watch.
	Tenchi, on the other hand, was watching Russ's arms and legs, and 
not paying any attention to his face, or what he could possibly be thinking.  
His defense was very sloppy, even sloppier than when he spars with 
himself.  Of course, Russ was performing moves that he had never done 
himself, and that made it far more difficult to fight against.  He realized that 
he was going to have to show Tenchi some new techniques to improve his 
fighting ability.

	Tenchi once again took a swipe at Russ's leg, which was blocked 
with a smooth, flowing stroke from his opponents own weapon.  However, 
he stumbled backwards a few more feet when Russ's right hand planted 
itself square on his chest, knocking the wind out of him.
"Hey, I thought we were only using weapons!" he shouted, gasping 
for air.
	"My hand IS a weapon!" Russ shouted back, continuing his fluid 
offense and taking a quick jab with the sword at Tenchi's face.
	Moving to the side quickly, he swung his sword down at Russ's 
leg.  "It's not a bokken!  You're supposed to fight with the sword only!"
	Russ lifted his leg over Tenchi's weapon, and he spun around, 
sweeping his leg against Tenchi's, tripping him.  "Your whole body is a 
weapon!  Use it!"
	Tenchi quickly sprung back to his feet, blocking an overhead strike 
from Russ, doing his best to win a quick test of strength.  Russ didn't 
waver, but he released his weapon, allowing it to fly back toward Katsuhito, 
who was still sitting on a boulder.
	Grinning, Tenchi took up an offensive posture, set to attack.  
"Ready to give up?"
	Russ looked at him in amusement and shook his head.  "I can fight 
without a weapon," he stated, placing both of his hands in front of him and 
preparing for a fight.
	Tenchi looked mildly impressed, and he began by swinging his 
sword at Russ's arm, but he again missed as the saiyan leaned back a bit, 
letting the blade whip by him.  However, he was unable to counter a quick 
sprint forward by Russ and a punch to his chest, which again sent him to the 
ground, gasping for air.
	He lay on the ground for a moment, stunned, until he saw Russ 
leap over him, preparing to drive his knee into his chest.  Rolling out of the 
way, Russ impacted the ground and he leapt back to his feet, ready to 
continue.
	Tenchi made a swipe at Russ's leg, but he again moved just out of 
reach of the sword, and he again sprinted forward, closing the distance 
between Russ and himself.  Sidestepping a fist that was aimed for his head, 
Tenchi made a move to hit Russ in the head with the bottom of his sword, 
but he missed, as Russ ducked out of the way just in the nick of time.  
However, he didn't see the uppercut coming, and he was sent flying back 
several feet, flat on his back.
	Russ leapt into the air, trying to plant an elbow into Tenchi's chest, 
but he missed when Tenchi just barely rolled out of the way, and he 
impacted the ground with a heavy thud.  Springing back to his feet, he spun 
around and brought his foot up to Tenchi's head, trying to roundhouse him, 
but he narrowly missed.  However, he continued to spin, and this time made 
an attempt at a leg sweep, which caught Tenchi off guard, and he again fell 
over onto his back.
	Tenchi quickly returned to his feet, as he knew that lying on the 
ground was the absolute worst place to be in the middle of a fight.  Holding 
his sword steadily and shaking with the adrenaline rush of battle, he charged 
at Russ who had just completed his spin and returned to his feet, and he put 
all of his strength into a thrust for Russ's stomach.  However, he missed, as 
Russ had simply moved to the side, watching him go flying from the 
momentum of the blow, and he again fell onto the ground.
	Once again, Tenchi sprung to his feet, angry determination on his 
face, and a blank poker face on Russ's.  Swinging the sword in an overhead 
stroke, he missed once again as Russ quickly moved to the side, but he had 
the wind knocked out of him when Russ's knee smashed into his gut, 
causing him to double over.  He was sent to the ground once again from a 
double axe-handle planted on his back.
	Slowly, Tenchi returned to his feet.  His clothes were tattered and 
dirty, and so was Tenchi.  He was breathing heavily and sweating profusely, 
as he once again hefted his sword, preparing for an attack by Russ.  It was 
time to play the defensive game and wait for Russ to make a mistake.
	"Go faster, Tenchi.  You're much faster than this," Russ said, 
beginning a slow flurry of punches, most of which were hitting Tenchi on 
all parts of his body.  He didn't hit hard, but hard enough to leave a small 
bruise.
	Tenchi quickly jumped back, but Russ had leapt forward, and he 
resumed his punching frenzy.  However, this time, Russ hit him 
considerably less, as Tenchi was dodging at an increased rate of speed.
"Excellent!  Go faster, Tenchi!  Use your energy!  You're still 
faster than this!" Russ yelled, now adding kicks to his punches, and 
increasing his own speed a very slight amount.
	Tenchi continued to dodge, moving his body faster than he had 
ever done before, and amazingly, he could feel his energy enhancing his 
abilities, in much the same way the lighthawk wings had.  Thinking quickly, 
he remembered the words of Tsunami.  'Trust in your own power,' the blue 
haired goddess had said, while onboard the Tsunami.  This must be the 
energy she was talking about.  But he never expected it to enhance his 
abilities in this way.
	Russ continued to punch and kick at a rapid pace, not allowing 
Tenchi any time to mount an offense, and he kept him moving backward.  
Even Russ was impressed by how much faster Tenchi was moving.  He had 
already progressed beyond that of any normal human, and he knew Tenchi 
had even more potential than this.  
	Deciding to change the game a little bit, he caught Tenchi's sword 
in his hand, and yanked it away from him.  Tossing it away over his head, 
he continued his onslaught, punching and kicking.
	"Time to fight without a weapon!  Come on!" Russ encouraged, 
not letting up in the least.
	Tenchi increased his speed far beyond anything he had ever done 
before.  His mind was racing, and he could see everything clearly.  Russ 
never seemed to speed up, but he knew that they were both moving at a 
phenomenal rate.
	"I'm no martial artist!  Just a swordsman!" he yelled, dodging 
another fist aimed for his chest.
	Russ caught a punch by Tenchi and threw him over his shoulder, 
but Tenchi somehow caught himself and regained his balance, and landed 
on his feet.  Russ sprinted forward, and continued punching and kicking in 
various places, nearly all of which were missing.  Deciding to change that, 
he increased his speed a little more, until about half of his punches and 
kicks landed.
	Fighting at his hardest, Tenchi did his very best to dodge all the 
blows from Russ.  Strangely enough, most of the blows that connected 
didn't hurt as much as they did before.  And he realized that his energy was 
making him stronger.  He felt a tinge of excitement as he continued to fight 
Russ, dodging at such a high rate of speed and looking for an opening in 
Russ's defenses.
	Seeing one, he brought his foot up toward Russ's chest, but he 
again missed as Russ had sidestepped it, spun around, and then knocked his 
other leg out from under him, causing him to trip and fall once more.  He 
regained his footing at stared hard at Russ, but the saiyan was just smiling.  
The song was drawing to a close, letting Tenchi finally relax as he fell over, 
breathing heavily.
	"I'm extremely impressed, Tenchi.  You were moving fast enough 
to dodge punches that would've sent any normal human flying.  Excellent 
work," Russ said, extending his hand to Tenchi, who was sweating 
profusely.
	Smiling, he grabbed Russ's hand and hauled himself to his feet.  
His face was dirty and covered in sweat, and his lightweight t-shirt was 
drenched under the arms and down his back.
	"It'll take you some time to get used to using your energy to 
enhance your own abilities.  The stronger you get, the more energy you can 
have, and you can use that energy in any way, shape, or form you want.  If 
you need to use it to increase your strength, you can.  If you need to use it to 
make yourself go faster, you can do that too.  Katsuhito over there knows 
how to do that, which is why he continually beats you up so easily.  But 
now, since you used your energy for this kind of thing for the first time, you 
may be a much greater challenge to him the next time you spar," Russ said, 
glancing over at the master, who smiled and nodded his head.  However, 
Ryoko was sitting next to him, and her eyes were nothing but twinkling 
stars as she watched Tenchi.
	"Tenchiiiiii!" she yelled, flying over to him and crushing him in a 
hug.  "You were amazing!"
	Tenchi smiled.  "Thank you, Ryoko.  How long were you 
watching?"
	"I teleported in some time ago, since I woke up alone.  I wanted to 
go find you," she pouted.

	Russ smirked and shook his head, ignoring he rest of the 
conversation has he made his way over to Katsuhito, who was still relaxing 
on the boulder.
	"He'll be a much greater challenge to you once he learns how to 
control his energy in this way.  How come you never indicated to him that 
he could do that?" Russ inquired, sitting down on a smaller rock, about a 
foot away.
	"I was waiting for him to discover that power on his own.  He 
already had exhibited some remarkable powers when he fought against the 
first Kagato, but he still lacks the discipline to control or manipulate it 
properly."
	"That's the point of training him.  But you should've at least 
indicated to him that using his energy is a good thing.  Every time I've seen 
you two train, he does it all on his own, and you use some enhancements of 
your own to continually defeat him."
	Katsuhito grinned.  "I know.  But now that he knows he has this 
power, it'll be interesting to see how well he progresses with it."
"True.  Well anyway, once you two finish, I'm going to play a 
game here in the holodeck," he said, standing up and stretching.
	"We were just finishing up when you came in.  I just wanted to see 
how well he'd stand up to you.  It surprised me that you managed to get him 
to start using the Jurai power."
	Russ nodded.  "I call it ki, but it sounds similar.  But it seems that 
your Jurai power relies on some external source."
	"Correct.  Our trees are directly linked with us, and those are the 
things that give us power."
	"I see.  My energy is my own.  Nice thing about it is that nothing 
can cut me off from this power.  But I'm sure Washu would be able to 
figure something out.  After all, she is the universes greatest scientific 
genius!" Russ laughed.
	"Yes indeed," Katsuhito answered.  "Tenchi!"
	Trying to turn his head which had his lips still glued with Ryoko's, 
he shrugged his shoulders.  Katsuhito shook his own head.
	"We're done for today.  Russ wants to use the holodeck now, so 
lets get out of here," he said, walking toward the doorway.
	Somehow, Tenchi managed to nod his head, despite Ryoko 
continuing to kiss him and display her affection.  Russ turned away, trying 
to keep from staring.
	"Ugh, enough already," he muttered, never thinking that it could 
be him doing that one of these days.  "Computer, access the program Unreal 
Tournament."
	"Affirmative," it answered, as the landscape faded away, and was 
replaced by three ultra tall buildings, each with platforms and ramps placed 
all over each of the skyscrapers.  None of the buildings were connected, 
though.  Russ, Ryoko, Tenchi, and Katsuhito all stood on the tallest 
building, on top of the helicopter pad.
	"Computer, set game parameters as follows.  For mutators, use 
Instagib, the speed relic, the vengeance relic, and the redemption relic.  For 
bot difficulty, set it to godlike.  For bot parameters, load up 'Russ anime 
set' and use a maximum of sixteen players.   Set time limit to ten minutes 
per round, and set to default maps.  Game type is going to be deathmatch."
	The computer gave a courtesy beep, and all the weapons, med kits, 
and powerups vanished from all the buildings.  A long, slender weapon 
appeared in midair next to Russ, and he grabbed it, resting it in his right 
hand.  Three strange looking objects appeared in random places throughout 
the level.  One looked like an hourglass, another looked like a floating skull, 
and the last one looked like a spiked wheel with an eye in the middle of it.
	Tenchi, Ryoko, and Katsuhito all looked around the place in 
astonishment, wondering where they were.  Breaking his kiss with his lover, 
they both continued to gawk at how high up in the atmosphere they were.  
Looking down, they couldn't see the ground.  It just seemed endless.
	"What the heck is this, Russ?" Tenchi asked, still flabbergasted.
	Turning toward him, he grinned.  "This is based off of an earth 
videogame called Unreal Tournament.  I always had a ton of fun playing it, 
and you guys don't have a computer, so I wanted to get in a few games 
before we reach home.  Except this is a bit different than playing on a 
computer with a keyboard.  Here, you're actually IN the game, and it 
creates a whole new dimension of gameplay.  It's a ton of fun."
	"How is it played?" Ryoko asked, looking interested.
	"Well, with the instagib mutator, it's a lot like laser tag.  Have you 
ever played that?"
	"No."
	"Uhhh," he mumbled.  "Well, we take this enhanced shock rifle 
here," he said, waving the orange weapon around, "and shoot the other 
player.  If you hit them, they explode.  Quite messily, I might add.  The 
more you kill, the more points you get.  Quite simple.  The object of the 
game is to kill the most while dying the least," Russ explained.  "However, 
I always seem to manage to kill the most, but die the most too," he laughed.
	"Sounds like fun," Ryoko said, letting go of Tenchi.  "Mind if I 
play too?"
	"Uhm, I suppose.  But I recommend you sit this first game out.  I 
have the computer players at maximum difficulty, and since you're a new 
player, you'd probably get really pissed off real fast going against them.  
Besides, it'll also give you a chance to see how the game is played."
	Ryoko nodded her head.  "Okay, whatever you think is best."
	"The computer will ignore you, and you can move freely 
throughout the level.  You don't need to worry about falling either.  You 
can just walk anywhere you please."
	Tenchi and Ryoko looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders.  
Katsuhito had left the room a little while ago, unnoticed.
	"Well, time to rock and roll," Russ said, moving over to one of the 
available starting positions.  "Computer, add bots."
	A loud, booming voice echoed around the arena, as it introduced 
each of the characters.  "Vash the Stampede from Trigun!"
	The red-coated man appeared and quickly took up a starting 
position, holding his rifle at the ready, having the light reflect off of his 
glasses at just the right angle to make them glow yellow.  The computer 
continued to introduce the characters, and they all took up random starting 
positions.
	"Wolfwood from Trigun!  Lina Inverse from The Slayers!  Gourry 
from The Slayers!  Amelia from The Slayers!  Zelgadis from The Slayers!  
Xellos from The Slayers!  Heero Yui from Gundam Wing!  Duo Maxwell 
from Gundam Wing!  Wufei Chang from Gundam Wing!  Gene Starwind 
from Outlaw Star!  Spike from Cowboy Bebop!  Iria from the movie, Iria!  
Akito Tenkawa from Martian Successor Nadesico!  And lastly, Ryoko 
Subaru from Martian Sucessor Nadesico!"
	Each bot appeared as it was announced, and all the bots took up a 
random starting position, out of sight from each of the other players.  
Tenchi looked at all the characters, recognizing about half of them, since he 
had seen the anime that they had come from.  Vash the Stampede was tops 
on his list, and he became curious as to how the bots were going to perform.
	A device appeared over all the bots heads, and another one 
appeared next to Russ, which he promptly put on.  This device was the 
HUD for the game, and it would indicate everything that he needed to 
know, and who he killed, or was killed by.  The little screen was green, and 
it varied in color per bot.
	Once again, the loud announcer's voice boomed.  "Three… Two… 
One… GO!"  And in less than a second, the entire area was washed in 
orange laser fire, and it wasn't long before Amelia was the first to explode.
	"FIRST BLOOD!" the announcer roared, congratulating Gene 
Starwind for annihilating her.  A few seconds later, she reappeared in a 
different part of the level, and resumed playing, a pouty expression on her 
face.
	Russ was racing down the ramp, looking to get under the landing 
pad, but he ran into Lina Inverse, and he quickly took aim and fired, 
vaporizing her and watching the chunks fly.  However, Spike came up 
behind Russ and shot him in the back, causing him to explode in a gory 
mess.
	Tenchi and Ryoko both looked horrified, as it had looked real.  
However, Russ reappeared in one of the buildings and he sprinted off to go 
find himself another victim.  They simply turned, looked at each other, and 
facefaulted, leaving their feet straight up in the air.
	Quickly running up a ramp way, he approached the top, looked to 
his right, and spotted Zelgadis.  Pulling the trigger before he turned around, 
he turned him into slag.  In less than a second, Spike appeared on a platform 
across from him, and Russ zapped him too, watching him disintegrate.
	"DOUBLE KILL!" the announcer boomed.
	Seeing Gene Starwind run around the corner from the helicopter 
pad ramp way, Russ instantly pulled his trigger again, blasting Gene into 
slop.
	"MULTI KILL!"
	Lina Inverse respawned directly in front of Russ, and she fired her 
rifle, but missed.  Russ once again took aim and pulled the trigger, killing 
her off.
	"ULTRA KILL!" the announcer congratulated.
	Out of nowhere, Amelia shot Russ in the back, killing him.
	"DAMMIT!" Russ roared, after he respawned and nearly getting a 
monster kill out of the whole thing and going on a killing spree.
He respawned inside the building, and was blasted to bits by Heero 
Yui, before he even had a chance to take aim.  Respawning again, this time 
on top of the helicopter pad, he was killed off again by Ryoko Subaru.

	Tenchi and Ryoko watched him play the game for the entire ten 
minutes, watching him getting his butt kicked at certain points, and go on a 
killing spree once.  They were both grinning, as they could see Russ get 
extremely irritated, since he would be killed, sometimes up to five times in 
a row before he respawned in a room where nobody was around.

	"Five… Four… Three… Two… One…" the announcer boomed, 
signaling the end of the match, and shining a spotlight down on the winner, 
Russ.
	On a nearby monitor for everybody to see, and on all the HUDs in 
the game, it displayed the results.  Number one on the list was Russ, 
nicknamed Rustball, with sixty-six kills, and of course, maximum deaths, 
which tallied seventy-nine.  Number two was Spike with sixty-one kills, and 
number three was Gene Starwind, with sixty kills.  However, at the very 
bottom of the list, was Vash the Stampede, with zero kills, and zero deaths.
About ten seconds later, the Morpheus level vanished and replaced 
itself with the Gothic level, and a new variety of bots appeared, some of 
them selected from the previous round.
	Russ continued playing for another ten minutes, until he became 
irritated and getting killed at an average of eighty times a round.  The level 
reset back to Morpheus and he jumped over to the tallest building, and saw 
Tenchi, Ryoko, Aeka, and Sasami all standing around, smiling.
	"You're pretty good at that game, Russ," Ryoko congratulated.  
"Can we play now?"
	Russ nodded.  "Sure.  I'll set up some new parameters for us to 
play.  Sound good?"
	"Yeah!" Sasami agreed excitedly.
	Russ laughed and entered the parameters to the computer, and once 
again took up a starting position.  However, Russ couldn't help but wonder 
why Aeka would have a taste for this style of game.  She didn't seem like 
the type at all.  Fortunately for them, they were already dressed for action 
and excitement, and they didn't need to go change clothes.

	For the next hour, they continued vaporizing each other, each 
player turning the other into so much slag.  Everybody was laughing and 
having a good time, especially Aeka, since she had an uncanny ability for 
shooting Russ in the back.  The bot difficulty was set to novice, so it was 
easy pickings for everybody.
	Everyone exited the holodeck, all smiles and laughing warmly, 
having enjoyed themselves immensely.  They had never played a game like 
it before.  It was so action packed and fast paced that it filled them with 
immense excitement and joy.
	Everybody did quite well.  Russ came out on top, and Ryoko was 
in second place.  Tenchi got third, Aeka got fourth, and Sasami got fifth.  
The bots took up the other positions, having been nothing but target practice 
for the human players.  The standings continually repeated itself throughout 
every single round, except for two, in which Ryoko had fallen a position, 
and Aeka moved up.  It nearly started a fight between the two girls, over 
who was actually better, but Russ broke it up fairly quickly by vaporizing 
Aeka and Ryoko, making them respawn in a different part of the level.
	Exiting the holodeck, everybody was smiling, and congratulating 
each other on a job well done.
	"Well, did everybody have fun?" Russ asked, wiping off his 
forehead with a towel.  He tossed a clean towel to everybody, so they could 
wipe themselves off from the exercise.
	"I've never had so much fun in my life!" Sasami said excitedly.
Tenchi smiled.  "That was a lot of fun.  I've never done anything 
like it before."
	Russ turned toward him, grinning.  "You've lived an isolated life, 
haven't you?  Judging by your reaction when I started the game, you 
must've never even heard of Unreal Tournament."
	Tenchi just smiled and scratched the back of his head.  "I've heard 
of it, but never seen it.  I've heard my friends at school talk about it from 
time to time."
	"I see.  Well, I'm glad you all enjoyed yourselves.  I did too."
It was at that moment that the deck shook from an intense 
rumbling sound, which echoed down the corridor and making everybody 
look around in amazement.  Russ became a curious shade of red, and then 
started laughing.
	"Breakfast time!" he said, cheerily.
	Everybody facefaulted, then followed Russ to the cafeteria to get 
something to fill his or her stomachs.

	About three hours later, the Imperial Star Destroyer Gray Wolf had 
exited hyperspace and quickly made its way to planet Earth, sending out a 
jamming signal so the orbital satellites could not detect and identify his 
ship.
	Tom had come down from the bridge to the hanger bay, shaking 
everybody's hand once more and giving Russ a warm hug, inviting him to 
come back sometime soon to chew the fat.  As a going away present, Tom 
had given Russ all three volumes of Saber Marionette J, the boxed set of 
Saber Marionette J Again, Saber Marionette J to X, and Saber Marionette R, 
so he could see the whole thing in its entirety.
	Everybody's luggage was brought into the bay, and the men had 
started loading it onto one of the ATRs, but they stopped when Ryoko 
ordered Ryo-Ohki to transform into a spaceship.
	A loud meow and some other weird sound effects later, the 
crystalline ship hovered just above the floor, nearly touched the ceiling.  
Tom and his crew stared at the vessel in astonishment, and they grew even 
more amazed when the entire mountain of luggage vanished from their 
hands.
	Russ couldn't help but laugh, and he told Tom what had happened.  
Shaking his head and muttering something about getting too old for that 
kind of thing, he bid them farewell and left the bay, as everybody except 
Russ was transported onboard.
	Climbing onboard his new starfighter, Russ started it up, preparing 
to follow the cabbit down into the atmosphere.
	They were guided out of the hanger bay by the many tractor beams 
throughout the hold, and they were released when they were clear of the 
massive starship. However, a galaxy police patrol ship sped their way, and 
they immediately recognized it as Mitzuki's vessel.
	"I see you guys made it home.  It's about time.  I think I have 
cobwebs becoming attached to me from lack of activity," she grumbled 
through the open comlink to Ryo-Ohki.
	The Star Destroyer pulled out of orbit and made its way out of the 
solar system and then entered hyperspace, on its way back home.
	"We told you that you could kick back and relax here, didn't we?" 
Kiyone retorted, flashing her a wicked smile.  "We always have plenty to do 
around here."
	"Is that so?  Like what?  Dusting your ship?" she shot back, a few 
of her hairs getting out of place.
	"Hey!  You know I dealt with Kagato before," Mihoshi yelled, 
getting irritated.
	"Oh yes, the great Kagato, defeated by the worlds largest klutz," 
Mitzuki muttered, glaring at both GP officers.
	Kiyone clenched her hands into fists, and began grinding her teeth.  
"Go home, Mitzuki.  Your shift here is over.  You are OFFICIALLY 
relieved of duty, now GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" she yelled at the 
very top of her voice.
	Everybody who had been onboard Ryo-Ohki had suddenly begun 
to perspire, and they began to conform to their own little nervous habits.  
Tenchi began biting his fingernails, Aeka fumbled with her kimono, Ryoko 
looked off into the other direction, trying to look busy, and the others did 
various things.  
	"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Nobuyuki mumbled to 
himself, and then cracked a slight smile.
	Mitzuki looked completely astonished, unable to come up with a 
suitable retort before the comlink was cut off to her ship.
	"DAMMIT!  I can't STAND that woman!" Kiyone roared, way 
beyond the level of pissed off.
	"Oh, don't worry about it, Kiyone!  She's going back to 
headquarters and we won't have to look at her for a while, okay?" Mihoshi 
pleaded, hoping to calm down her partner.
	Still seething, she managed to stop grinding her jaw and sit back 
down on the plush chair, just as Ryo-Ohki sped through the atmosphere.  
The ship began to shake slightly and the temperature inside increased by 
nearly ten degrees, and the ground began to take on more and more detail as 
they approached their home.
	Five minutes later, everybody transported off of the cabbitship, and 
Ryo-Ohki turned back into the cute, cuddly cabbit that everybody loved.  
Russ landed near the lake and sealed the hatch to the fighter, and made his 
way over to the group.
	"Washu?"
	The red haired girl turned around, looking at him with brilliant 
green eyes.  "You need something?"
	"Yes please.  Do you have a place where I can put my fighter?  I 
don't want it to be seen by anybody," Russ fretted, looking back at the Tie 
Defender.
	"No problem.  You can use the subspace garage thingy that Kiyone 
and Mihoshi used to use before they upgraded to the Yagami," she said, 
pressing a button on her suddenly present keyboard.  A black hole opened 
up out of nowhere and swallowed up the fighter, and then it resealed itself.
	"Okay, great.  Now how do I get it back out of there?" Russ asked, 
looking worried.
	Washu handed him a small, one button remote controller.  "Just 
press the button and your fighter will be ejected from subspace.  Pure and 
simple."
	"Thanks a lot, Washu.  I appreciate it," Russ said, giving a slight 
bow.
	"Think nothing of it.  You were very kind to all of us in taking us 
to Jurai.  Anyway, I gave Tom's engineer some new technology, and I think 
that's going to keep them busy for a while."
	Russ grinned.  "I'm sure he appreciates that as well."
	Washu grinned.  "Yes he does.  They should have the transporters 
installed soon.  I explained why he was never able to beam through the hull 
of the ship.  As it turns out, he never put any emitters on the outside of the 
ship.  Once he does that, he'll be using the transporters rather than those 
bulky transports of his."
	"Wow, cool.  I'm sure he really appreciates that."
Washu smiled and nodded her head.
	"Well, what should we do today?  We've got the whole day ahead 
of us, since we fell asleep onboard the ship.  Anybody have any ideas?" 
Russ asked, looking full of energy.
	Everybody turned and stared at Russ, as if he were crazy.
	"Not everybody had gone to sleep, Russ," Nobuyuki grumbled, his 
eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.  "But that's exactly what I'm going to 
do.  I got to go to work tomorrow," he said, pushing open the door and 
walking inside, followed by everybody.

	Russ remained outside, looking dejected.  He hung his head and 
made his way over to the lake, preparing to exercise once more.  However, 
before he began, a meowing noise became present from behind him.
	Turning around, Russ smiled.  "Hi, Ryo-Ohki!" he said, sitting 
down on the soft grasses and allowing the cabbit to jump onto his lap.  
"You don't have anything to do either, I take it?"
	The little cabbit meowed a no, and rubbed her head on Russ's 
hand, encouraging him to pet her.
	Chuckling quietly, he did, causing her to purr softly.  Russ looked 
up into the sky and sighed.  "Man, what's with me anyway?  Trouble 
follows me wherever I go.  It really had a stranglehold on me while we were 
on Jurai.  I don't get it," he sighed, scratching under the cabbits chin.
	Ryo-Ohki looked up into Russ's eyes, which were downcast and 
sad.
	Russ continued.  "But still, I have to keep looking forward.  I can't 
let things like that get me down or I'll go crazy.  It's just that things like that 
happen so darn often," he explained, not realizing that the cabbit understood 
every single word that he was saying.
	Meowing words of encouragement, she managed to get Russ to 
smile.
	"I should stop dragging my feet and forget about that stuff.  That's 
what you're saying, right?"
	Ryo-Ohki shook her head, and tried to explain it to him once more, 
without having much success.
	Russ looked at her and thought a moment.  "Well, what the hell.  
Hold still, Ryo-Ohki.  I'll try reading your mind.  Maybe that way I can 
understand you."
	Gently placing his hand on the cabbits head, he concentrated, 
letting his mind be flooded with the images and sounds of the little cabbit.
	After several moments, he withdrew his hand and smiled.  "I still 
don't get it."
	Ryo-Ohki facefaulted and fell off of his lap, meowing something 
incomprehensible.
	"Oh well.  Thanks for trying to cheer me up.  I guess I'll go relax 
by those trees or something.  It's a beautiful day," Russ said, standing up 
and making his way over to the edge of the forest, where he found himself a 
nice, comfortable spot under an oak tree.  He set his stereo down on the 
ground and sat on the soft grasses, between two roots, and he leaned his 
back against the trunk of the tree.  "I may as well enjoy the day for what it 
is," he said, turning on the stereo and resuming the soundtracks of the Saber 
Marionette series.  He closed his eyes and let his imagination wander.  
Dozing off a short while later with Ryo-Ohki on his lap, they both dreamt of 
something pleasant, but they were unsure of what it was.