Part 2:

	Ryoko sat under a tree and sighed.  Another day had passed, 
another series of fights with Ayeka were over, and Ryoko was still no 
closer to winning Tenchi's heart.  Sometimes when she was alone, like 
she was presently, she wondered if she would ever win Tenchi's heart.  
She had tried seducing Tenchi, cooking for him, openly displaying her 
affections, and even schemes from those blasted shojo comics Nobuyuki 
owned, but it seemed as though nothing helped.  With Ayeka actively 
after Tenchi, and Washu, Mihoshi, and Sasami in the running as well, 
Ryoko was starting to worry.  It should not have taken so long for Ryoko 
to capture Tenchi's affection.  How could she force Tenchi to realize 
how much he meant to her?
	The constant bickering with Ayeka added to her slight depression 
as well.  When they first met again on Earth, Ryoko had taken almost a 
perverse pleasure in destroying her long time nemesis in front of 
Tenchi.  Now, the fighting just got old and repetitive, cutting into the 
time Ryoko could be spending with Tenchi.  Plus it made her look bad in 
front of her beloved.  Ryoko sighed again.  One of these days, Ayeka....  
She left the thought unfinished.  After all, the best revenge she could 
plan against Ayeka would be to marry Tenchi.  Ayeka would have to live 
every moment of her life knowing that Ryoko had, through two very 
different means, stolen both of Ayeka's beloveds, Yosho and Tenchi.  
Nothing else Ryoko could ever plan would wound her rival so grievously.
	Lately, Ryoko had carved out a quiet place of her own.  Close to 
the Masaki Shrine, but not too close to that cursed cave, Ryoko's 
private enclave allowed her a place where she could think without 
interruption and, most importantly, an escape from the other girls.  
Often, Ryoko would flee to her enclave after spending too much time in 
the presence of Kiyone or a battle with Ayeka.  There were rather 
obvious reasons why Ryoko did not want to spend time around Ayeka.  
However, it was Kiyone who really aggravated Ryoko.  Even though the 
statue of limitations to her crimes had expired some time ago, Kiyone 
still viewed Ryoko with much suspicion.  Ryoko understood Kiyone's 
mindset to a certain degree.  After all, Ryoko was one of the most 
notorious space pirates the Galaxy Police had ever faced.  But constant 
suspicion grew weary, and Ryoko had been on her best behavior since 
Tenchi resurrected her.  Ryoko sipped on a cup of sake that she had 
"acquired" recently.  Okay, so she was still up to some of her old 
tricks, but nothing that directly concerned Kiyone.
	Ryoko started to grow melancholy as she watched Earth's star set.  
It was quite spectacular and even romantic.  Silently, she wished that 
Tenchi was with her now, watching the sunset as they sat next to each 
other.
	"Miya?" a quiet voice questioned her owner.
	"Hi, Ryo-ohki."  The voice was unmistakable.  Ryoko knew Ryo-ohki 
as well as she knew herself, especially since Ryo-ohki was the only 
other being she could communicate with after Yosho imprisoned her.  
However, whether the carrot-crazed being had assumed her cabbit or her 
recently acquired humanoid form was still beyond the power of their 
shared link.
	"Miya?"  Ryoko's mental link interpreted the cabbit's response as 
"What are you doing?"
	"I was just thinking," Ryoko replied, glad for the company.  She 
guessed, for amusement' sake, that her starship had chosen her humanoid 
from.
	Ryo-ohki, in her humanoid form, sat down next to Ryoko and gave 
her a big hug.
	Well, what do you know?  I guessed right.  Ryoko smiled.  I'm 
getting better at this.  Washu, who was presently listening in on 
Ryoko's thoughts in her lab, stifled the urge to lecture her daughter 
about the science of probability.
	Remember, he did risk his life to save you twice, Ryo-ohki 
communicated across the link she shared with Ryoko.  
	Ryoko was surprised.  Ryo-ohki could actually transmit thoughts 
now.  Must be an effect of Ryo-ohki's assimilation with the Mass.  Who 
knows, maybe sometime soon the cabbit would be able to talk.  Then the 
cabbit's message hit Ryoko.  Tenchi must have some feelings for her if 
he was willing to risk all to save her.  She already knew that Tenchi 
thought she was attractive.  After all, she did overhear Tenchi say as 
much when he thought she was dead during her little "stress release" at 
his school.  Filled with new hope, she smiled slightly.  Ayeka could not 
claim that Tenchi had done anything similar for her, could she?  In 
gratitude, Ryoko promised Ryo-ohki a plateful of carrots, something 
almost uncharacteristic for Ryoko.  After all, Ryoko did use Ryo-ohki's 
love for carrots for her own means, such as fishing with Ryo-ohki as the 
hook and bait.  The cabbit scampered off to the Masaki house, meowing 
expressions of joys as she ran.
	Somewhere, in the middle of a lab that encompasses four planets, a 
lone figure was rolling on the floor laughing.  Washu just could not 
believe her daughter could be so gullible.  After repeating Ryo-ohki's 
words out loud with a feline air, the genius scientist giggled 
uncontrollably.   After a few minutes, Washu walked out of her lab.  She 
just could not concentrate on her work after that last practical joke of 
hers.

					*	*	*

	"Sasami!  Its about to begin!"  Ayeka Masaki Jurai called 
upstairs.
	"I can't wait!"  Sasami called back.  Half a heartbeat later, 
Ayeka could see the twin blue pig tails of her younger sister's hair 
just before Sasami bounced down the stairs to join Kiyone, Mihoshi, 
Ayeka, and Washu in their weekly ritual, watching the continuing 
romantic saga of Chief and Popoko.
	"Where's Ryoko?" Mihoshi asked as soon as everyone present settled 
down on the couches.  Kiyone only frowned at her partner in response.
	Who cares?  Ayeka thought to herself.  Then again it was not like 
Ryoko to miss the show.  After all, it was Ryoko who introduced Mihoshi, 
Ayeka, and Sasami to the space soap opera that they were currently 
watching.  Some of the appeal of the show to the girls lay in their 
fantasies that Tenchi was Chief and they were Popoko.  Sasami was a bit 
young to understand all the nuance and innuendo of the show, but Tsunami 
certain enjoyed it.  Kiyone, on the other hand, was a romantic, enjoying 
the break in her usual activities of keeping Mihoshi alive and out of 
trouble.  She did respect Tenchi as a friend, but, unlike the other 
girls, she had no romantic feelings for him.  She was looking for 
someone closer to her own age, not someone almost a decade younger.  And 
lately, it seemed as though Kiyone would never find true love.
	"Don't worry about Ryoko," Washu said casually.  "she'll be fine."  
Washu decided to let her daughter have some private moments, well, as 
private as they can be when you are linked telepathically to two other 
beings.  Those moments for anyone in the Masaki household were few and 
far between.  That was part of the reason, in addition to her work, 
Washu isolated herself in the lab for long periods of time.  The other 
was tall, blond, and nicknamed "Bubblehead."
	"Quiet!  It's starting now," Kiyone hissed.
	And as another hour of alien soap opera began, Ayeka's mind 
drifted between the TV show and her own idealistic daydreams.  Her mind 
drifted into one of Ayeka's favorite fantasies.
	Ayeka had a vision of herself in a field of her favorite flowers.  
She stood there, alone, dressed in her finest clothes.  A breeze rippled 
through the meadow, toying with Ayeka's purple hair, teasing her by 
trying to pull her hair out of place.  She smiled, glad to have a moment 
of unadulterated solitude in the midst of the craziness that flowed 
throughout the Masaki household.  Here, she could be alone and think 
those private thoughts of reflection, so precious that they beg to be 
shared with someone close to your heart.
	The sound of a voice clearing startled Ayeka.  She whirled around, 
asking "Who is it?"
	"I'm sorry if I startled you, Ayeka," Tenchi replied, comforting 
Ayeka with the tones of his voice.  Ayeka smiled coyly, pleased both by 
her beloved's presence and the fact that Tenchi was clothed in proper 
Juraian finery.  It suited him well.
	"That's okay," she said softly.
	Tenchi looked slightly embarrassed.  "I have a gift for you, 
Ayeka."  He handed her a bouquet of roses and her favorite Juraian 
flowers.
	Ayeka accepted Tenchi's gift.  Her eyes shone brightly as she 
looked upon her beloved.  "Oh, Tenchi.  Thank you," she said, as she 
hugged Tenchi in return for his gift.  They silently held each other for 
seemingly an eternity, with only the breeze disturbing the silence of 
the field.
	"Ayeka," Tenchi whispered affectionately as his hand tilted 
Ayeka's head towards him.  Ayeka's pulse quickened.  This is what she 
had been waiting so long for.  She closed her eyes as her lips met 
Tenchi's.  Ayeka reveled in the sheer joy of both the embrace and the 
kiss while it lasted, and thus she was disappointed when Tenchi finally 
pulled away from the kiss.
	Ayeka opened her eyes.  She was shocked by the figure before her 
eyes.  Before, Tenchi stood before her.  Now it was Yosho, Crown Prince 
of Jurai in all his youth and splendor, who held the blushing princess.
	"My darling Ayeka," Yosho affectionately whispered the words Ayeka 
had not heard in over seven hundred years.
	"Yosho," Ayeka whispered softly before she kissed him with more 
passion than she realized she still had for her ex-fiancee.
	"What did you say, Ayeka?"  Sasami asked her sister in a whisper.
	Ayeka gasped, jolted out of her daydream by her sister's question.  
"Nothing, nothing at all," Ayeka snapped, blushing furiously.  That's 
the first time I have daydreamed about Yosho since after Kagato.  Oh my.
	Sasami did not buy Ayeka's explanation.  It sounded like her 
sister had whispered Yosho's name.  She did not know that her sister 
still had feelings for Yosho.  Not wanting to pry, Sasami gleefully 
giggled, since she could no see parts of the show that Ayeka would not 
let her see otherwise.  The distant part of her mind that was shared by 
Tsunami wondered how Ayeka would react if she knew that Yosho's old age 
was just a disguise.
	Mihoshi, Washu, and Kiyone stared at Ayeka for a moment, then 
turned their attention back to the show.

					*	*	*

	Mihai Tamarov swore vehemently in Romanian.  "You can't be 
serious!" he said, shocked at the news he had just heard.
	"I am," his commanding officer replied.  "We are to run the 
parakeet operation tonight."
	"What?  We need at least another day!"
	"I know, but the higher-ups want it done tonight."
	Someone next to Mihai mumbled a string of obscenities directed 
toward the pencil pusher who gave the order.
	Mihai sighed, resigned to his fate.  The parakeet operation 
basically required that the team sneak inside the Masaki house while 
everyone was sleeping.  Once there, the targets would be kidnapped, and 
brought to an Unsettled safe house for interrogation.  At best, all the 
targets would be acquired.  At worst, Echo Squad would be missing some 
of its members tonight.  Come to think of it, considering the targets, 
even if the operation succeeded, Echo Squad still might be short a few 
soldiers in the morning. 
	Presently, most of Echo Squad's fourteen members, except for the 
two soldiers on recon duty, were resting in a hotel about ten kilometers 
away from the Masaki shrine.  Most were resting, but some, like Echo 
Leader and his executive officer, were planning the night's raid.  
Special attention would be given to the aqua-haired alpha that could 
throw energy blasts.  No one wanted to relive the Tomobiki fiasco.  
Mihai drifted between the planning area and the rest of his teammates 
who were presently relaxing before the night's mission.  In three hours, 
they would be awake, readying themselves for their dangerous mission.
	Something about his upcoming mission unnerved Mihai.  It was not 
the danger of it.  After all, Mihai had volunteered for the job after 
surviving training gleamed directly from the America's Navy SEALs.  
There was not an airplane Mihai would not throw himself out of, or a foe 
he would not face.  He and his buddies did not fear pain either.  Pain 
came with the job from square one.  Training could only be described as 
a masochist's dream.  Not many other units in any nation's military used 
the slogan "Pain is good, extreme pain is extremely good" as a training 
mantra.   And for good reason.  For six grueling months, Mihai and other 
volunteers knew pain intimately.  But through the pain, they learned 
determination and perseverance.  After surviving training, pain become 
nothing more than a nuisance, something to be endured.  Pain did not 
make him uneasy. 
	What did disturb Mihai was the unknown factors surrounding the 
mission.  Even though Mihai and his comrades had staked out the Masaki 
house and its occupants for the better portion of three days, he still 
felt uneasy.  Operations go well if your opponent has a regular routine.  
The three days spent in recon had been enough to learn the basic lay of 
the land, and to figure out that getting in and out of the house would 
be easy, but not enough to figure out any routines or even what powers 
the alphas had.  That was enough to make anyone in Mihai's line of work 
anxious.  After all, in a profession where Murphy of Murphy's law fame 
appeared regularly with disastrous and often lethal consequences, 
anything unknown or beyond one's control was, if not feared, given 
healthy respect.
	Oh well, if there was one thing Mihai's past had taught him well, 
it was that life was never easy.  The orphan of Russian expatriates 
residing in Romania, he had quickly learned how to survive in Romania's 
streets without falling prey to the numerous schemes around him.  He 
also was fortunate to avoid the Romanian orphanage system, which a 
greedy government, caring only about money, had unmercifully used as a 
source of income from other unsuspecting nations.  When given the chance 
to go to school by a benevolent German missionary, the young Mihai leapt 
at the chance, if only to escape the streets for a season.  While in 
school, Mihai quickly learned that he had an aptitude for languages and  
leadership.  After school, he enlisted in the Romanian military, only 
because it was the easiest way to secure three meals a day.  While in 
the military, an Unsettled recruiter had persuaded Mihai to volunteer 
for the fledgling branch of the U.N..  A score of training schools and 
missions later, Mihai stood in the middle of a Japanese hotel, waiting 
to capture aliens, of which one had captivated his imagination.  It 
would be around five hours before he would have a chance to meet the 
object of his affections.  Mihai just wished it would be under better 
terms.

					*	*	*

	Inside the regional headquarters of the Galaxy Police, the 
Commander of the precinct sipped a drink resembling coffee at his desk.  
He sighed.  It had been a long day.  Since the unknown ship had 
purposely entered restricted area, the Commander and his staff had been 
frantically attempting to identify it.  Ms. Nimue had queried the Galaxy 
Police Central Headquarters concerning the new ship.  When Marshall 
Kuramitsu, commander-in-chief of the Galaxy Police had learned that a 
new ship design had been found, he had called personally for a situation 
report.  Afterwards, the precinct was busy preparing plans based on two 
possible scenarios.  If the ship turned out to belong to an as-of-yet 
unknown species, the Commander would attempt to open diplomatic 
relations.  On the other hand, wing, claw, or appendage, if it was a 
pirate guild or a hostile move by one of the lesser galactic kingdoms, 
the Commander would be required to launch a assault.  Having to prepare 
for the trials of combat and the trials of diplomacy simultaneously was 
neither pleasant or easy.  Unfortunately, the information from the 
Sentry ships was too inconclusive for the Galaxy Police to determine the 
ship's intentions.
	The Commander turned on his computer module at his desk.  He 
scrolled through his notes idly, waiting for his shift to be over in an 
hour.  I need a vacation, he thought, holding his head in his hands.  Is 
a break too much to ask?  Oh well, better review the plans.  He started 
to read, running through all possible problems and ways that the 
encounter can go wrong.
	Somewhere between plotting possible escape routes for the ships 
under his command and avoiding diplomatic faux paus, the Commander was 
interrupted by Technician Second Class Nimue's face appearing on a 
holoviewscreen in front of his face.  Ms. Nimue appeared to be Mihoshi's 
identical twin, down to the same hairstyle, if Mihoshi had the aqua hair 
and gold eyes of Ryoko.
	"Technician Second Class Scatha Nimue reporting, sir."  She 
appeared to be quite agitated and alarmed, a contrast to her normally 
calm and collected manner.
	"Yes, Ms. Nimue."
	Scatha took a deep breath.  "Sir, the Sentry probe reports that 
the unknown ship is under attack!"
	"What?!"  The Commander stood up, spilling his scalding hot drink 
all over himself..  He swore vehemently in his native language.  
"Transfer the data to my viewscreen," he barked.
	"Yes, sir!"  A moment later, the Commander could see real time 
video of the battle.  He gasped when he saw what the attacking ships 
were.
	"What in the darkest neutron stars?!  You have got to be kidding 
me!  Record this now, and send a copy to Marshall Kuramitsu," he said in 
shock.
	"Already on it, sir."
	"What would be the ETA if we sent _Desert Rose_ and her escorts?"  
The Galaxy Police Destroyer _Desert Rose_ and her three escort cruisers 
composed the fastest combat ready squadron the precinct could deploy.
	"About thirteen hours, sir."  The battle would be over by then.
	"Who's closer?"
	Scatha paused.  The Commander could hear keystrokes in the 
background.  "Detectives First Class Kiyone Makibi and Mihoshi Kuramitsu 
are based in the Sol system.  It should take them three hours at 
sublight speeds."
	The Commander considered his options.  A lot could happen in three 
hours.  The battle would most likely be concluded before the detectives 
arrived.  However, an investigation must be conducted.  Hopefully, there 
would be some survivors, and the two different types of ships could be 
studied.
	"Contact them, and meet me on _Desert Rose's_ bridge."
	"Yes sir!"  Scatha's image flickered out.
	The Commander sighed.  So much for my break.  He dashed off to the 
docking bay housing _Desert Rose_.

					*	*	*

	Kiyone lay still in her bed.  She sighed. To her left lay a 
sleeping Mihoshi, oblivious to the ruckus out in the hall, and on 
Kiyone's right lay an empty cot that Ryoko sometimes slept on, when she 
was not after Tenchi.  A loud shriek pierced what was left of the peace 
and quiet around the house.  Kiyone guessed that the shriek came from 
Ayeka, who must have found Ryoko trying to sneak into Tenchi's room yet 
again.  The sounds of a scuffle were heard outside in the hall.  It was 
times like these that Kiyone was thankful that her partner was a sound 
sleeper.  Otherwise, Mihoshi would try to intervene in the escalating 
arguement.  If that happened, then no one would be sleeping tonight.  
Kiyone closed her eyes in a feable attempt to sleep.
	I wish those two would just shut up and go to bed, the frustrated 
ploicewoman thought as she fantasized about a household without Ryoko 
and Ayeka.  Maybe I'll get that apartment by myself after all.
	The constant bickering had begun to take a toll on Kiyone's 
already considerably strained patience.  She just could not handle the 
3-4 fights a day, usually around meals, plus the odd fight for seemingly 
no reason at all.  It was Kiyone's constant temptation to throw the two 
of them off the tallest building on the planet.  However, Ryoko could 
fly, and take sadistic revenge afterwards, so that idea was out.
	"How dare you, Ryoko," an angry Ayeka shouted.  In moments like 
this one, Kiyone often wondered how Tenchi was able to sleep with all 
the fighting around the house.  Washu must have soundproofed his bedroom 
as a favor.
	Kiyone could not make out Ryoko's reply.  Knowing the the former 
space pirate, Kiyone guessed that Ryoko's response was quite sarcastic.  
Maybe, one day, if Kiyone tried hard enough, she could get used to all 
the noise and bickering around the house.  Yeah, right.  Satan would be 
skating to work before Kiyone would ever totally adapt to the madness 
and mayhem of the Masaki household.
	Mihoshi snored next to Kiyone, further frustrating her attempts to 
find sleep and blissful unconsciousness in which she was not stranded on 
a backwater planet.  Idly, Kiyone wondered if Ayeka, Sasami, or Washu 
snored.  Maybe she should move into their room.  It would be quieter, at 
least until Mihoshi moved in to be next to her partner.
	"What do you mean, your Tenchi?" Ayeka shrieked with indignation.
	"That's it, I've had it with their noise," Kiyone hissed as she 
threw the covers off of her bed.  Standing up, she slowly, deliberately 
stode towards the door, ready to deliver much discomfort and no joy 
whatsoever to the obnoxious duo who were rude enough to prolong her 
insomnia.
	Outside, in the hall that joined the girls rooms with Tenchi's, an 
unsuspecting Ayeka and Ryoko were still disputing each other's claims to 
one certain member of the Masaki family, when the door to Kiyone's room 
slammed open, revealing a livid Galaxy Policewoman.  The two rivals for 
Tenchi's affections froze in shock.  Ryoko swore softly.  This was not 
going to be pleasant.
	"Enough is enough!" Kiyone hissed.  Something in her eyes gave 
both the space pirate and the Princess pause.
	"This doesn't look good," Ayeka muttered.
	"No, this doesn't," Ryoko commented.  "I think I'll be sleeping 
downstairs tonight.  Bye, Princess."  Ryoko then teleported away, 
leaving Ayeka to Kiyone's tender mercies, or lack thereof.
	"That's better," Kiyone said aloud as she closed the door and lay 
back down in her bed to get some sleep.  Outside, one could faintly hear 
the muffled sounds of someone struggling.
	Out in the hallway hung Ayeka, gagged, bound, and most 
unceremoniously hung from the ceiling by her feet.  As the young woman 
squirmed in attempt to free herself, the rope twisted, sending Ayeka 
into a slow but nauseating spin.  In addition to this, Ayeka's blood ran 
to her head, inflicting more misery upon the sheltered Princess of 
Jurai.  Mentally, she cursed Kiyone for placing her in this predicament, 
Ryoko for causing the fight and running away, and her own foolishness, 
for not running like the wind when Kiyone first opened her bedroom door.
	"Really, I should have done that earlier," Kiyone mumbled 
contently to herself.  Normally, she was not that vengful of a  person 
by nature, but this time she allowed herself a slight indulgence.  
"Maybe now I can get some rest."  Sadly, it was not so.
	BEEP!  BEEP!  BEEP!  An alarm went off somewhere inside the room.  
Mihoshi just rolled over, oblivious to the cacophony.  Kiyone wailed, 
"Why me?" before she got up to silence yet another obstacle preventing 
Mr. Sandman's magic to take hold of her.  
	"That beeping sounds awfully familiar..." Kiyone thought out loud.  
She paused as its significance became clear.  Her space cube was giving 
off the signal.  Now where in the mess Mihoshi called her room was it?  
She groped in the darkness and in the piles of wrappers, toys, manga, 
and clothes for seemingly forever until she found what she was looking 
for.  Then she twisted sections of it, in a seemingly random order, 
untill a quarter-sized holographic image of Scatha appeared in front of 
her.
	"Scatha!  Its good to see you again," Kiyone greeted her friend 
from the Academy warmly.
	"Its good to see you too, Kiyone, but we have no time to chat.  
Early this morning, a vessel of previously unknown design entered your 
sector.  Ten minutes ago, it came under attack by at least half a dozen 
ships of organic design.  A new spacefaring species might be involved in 
this.  The Commander hereby assigns you and Detective Kuramitsu to 
investigate this matter, and the two of you are authorized to intervene 
in this dispute, using deadly force if needed."
	"I understand.  What are we up against?"
	"This is of a time sensitive nature, so further details will be 
awaiting you on _Yagami_.  Good luck."
	"Things never slow down , do they?"  Kiyone said, regretting the 
fact that she could not talk with her long time friend.
	"They never do.  Headquarters out."  Scatha's image faded away.
	"I swear, someone up there has it in for me," Kiyone grumbled.  
Well, a policewoman's work....
	"Hey, Mihoshi.  Mihoshi.  MIHOSHI!  WAKE UP!"  Kiyone shouted into 
her partner's ear.  Frustrated, Kiyone shook Mihoshi while she screamed 
her partner's name.  No response.  With a cry of "Why don't you ever 
listen to me?", Kiyone shoved her partner out of her bed.  Mihoshi still 
slept peacefully, only this time, she was on the floor.  Kiyone growled 
in frustation, kicked her partner, and cried, "Wake up, you lazy bum!"
	"Kiyone, it's not morning yet," Mihoshi complained.
	"It doesn't matter, we have a case."
	Mihoshi jumped to her feet, knocking down her partner in the 
process.  "Why didn't you say so?  What is it this time?"  Mihoshi 
pulled her cube out of her hair, and twisted it like a Rubik's cube.
	Kiyone blinked, than sat up.  "There's an unknown ship that has 
violated the Juraian protection zone surrounding Earth.  That ship has 
come under attack by at least half a dozen  other ships," she recited.
	Mihoshi's form flickered.  She now stood clad in her Galaxy Police 
uniform instead of the nightgown she had been wearing mere seconds ago.  
"I get it.  Won't we need more firepower than just _Yagami_, though?"
	Kiyone nodded.  "That's why you'll be piltoing _Yukinojo_."  
Kiyone found her own space cube and changed into her uniform.
	"What about _Ryo-ohki_?"
	"What about her?  She's just-"  Kiyone's eyes widened.  "You're 
right!"  I cannot believe I am saying this.  People tended to 
underestimate Mihoshi's intelligence.  She had an excellent mind for 
details and seemingly little else.  Kiyone groaned.  "I don't think 
Ryoko'll be talking to me after my little 'conversation' earlier."
	"Why don't you talk to Washu then?"
	"Good idea."  Kiyone pinched herself.  She had to be dreaming.  
She winced in pain.  No such luck.  "I'll meet you in orbit in fifteen 
minutes."
	"Okay, Kiyone.  Dectective First Class Mihoshi is on her way!"  
Mihoshi fiddled with her cube, then vanished.
	Kiyone dashed out her door, past a still bound Ayeka, and knocked 
on the door of Washu's shared bedroom.  Ayeka tried screaming at the 
passing blur, but the gag muffled any sound that came from her lips.
	"Go away.  We're trying to sleep," Washu yelled from inside.  
	"Washu, I need to talk to you now."
	"Oh, alright."  The door opened, and a sleepy supergenius poked 
her head out into the hall.  "What is it, Kiyone?"  Washu noticed that 
Kiyone had dressed in her uniform.  This should be interesting, she 
thought.
	Kiyone rapidly explained the situation as well as she could.  
Then, the police officer asked for Washu's assistance and the use of 
_Ryo-ohki_.
	"No.  I won't do it, unless you call me Lil' Washu."
	Kiyone rolled her eyes.  It would be so much easier just to 
confiscate the ship.  "Please, Lil' Washu," Kiyone pleaded, trying not 
to gag on the words as she spoke them.
	"Alright.  You know, you might want Tenchi to come along as well."
	Kiyone winced.  "But that means Ryoko and Ayeka are coming as 
well."  She was not sure whether her nerves could handle another fight.  
Unfortunately, everwhere that Tenchi went, that pair was sure to go.
	Washu nodded.  "You go get Tenchi, and I'll get the girls.  Oh and 
Kiyone, don't forget to cut Ayeka down before you leave."  The Galaxy 
Policewoman looked slightly embarrassed.   As Kiyone walked away, Washu 
wondered if she had forgotten to tell Kiyone something important.  Oh 
well, it would come to her soon.
	Kiyone walked down the hall to Tenchi's room.  As she moved to 
open the door, she was interrupted by a shout of "What do you think you 
are doing, Kiyone?"
	"I'm just conducting police business, so get off my back, Ryoko?" 
Kiyone shouted as she turned the door handle.  
	"Kiyone, wait!"  Washu shouted.  She had just remembered what 
Kiyone needed to know.
	Startled, and turning to face Washu, Kiyone pushed on the door.  
As the door separated from the doorjamb, a red LED flashed rapidly.  
When in stopped flashing, Kiyone disappeared.
	"Poor Kiyone.  I tried to warn her," Washu paused as a loud splash 
was heard from outside.  "About the system installed in Tenchi's room."
	"Oh well, at least she got what she deserved," Ryoko scoffed.
	Washu just ignored her daughter's comment. Otherwise it would be 
too tempting to turn her into a water sprite.
	Tenchi poked his head out of his room.  "What's going on out 
here?"
	Washu sighed.  "Ryoko, could you cut Ayeka down first.  Then I'll 
expain what the fuss is about...."

					*	*	*

	Outside the house and in the lake nearby, Kiyone surfaced, 
spouting water as soon as her head broke the surface of the water.  She 
wondered how she had arrived in the middle of the lake.  Then she 
remembered Washu's warnings and sighed.  It was nights like these that 
caused Kiyone to wonder if the gods were punishing her for something.  
She began the swim to the shore, cursing the day that she was partnered 
with Mihoshi.