Why not...

Project A-ko Battles: "Her Choice"
By Henry J. Cobb
$Id: her_choice.txt,v 1.3 1998/08/03 14:11:35 hcobb Exp $

Disclaimer: This parody is a work of fan-fiction, and is distributed
purely for it's subtle political effect.  A-ko and all related
characters are copyrighted by Soeishinsha/Final-Nishijima and Central
Park Media and are not used with permission.  All original material is
copyright 1998 by Henry J. Cobb.  Permission is granted to browse and
redistribute this material, but not to modify it.

Warning: Violates the CDA.  If you're socially conservative, you probably
shouldn't read this.

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Biko couldn't deny the signs any longer.  She was, as they say, "with
child".

Gail's child.  There wasn't any doubt about that.  There simply hadn't
been anyone else, not for years.

Whenever it had looked to be serious, Eiko had been there to mess it
up.  Biko had to admit that she had messed up Eiko's opportunities too.
Two co-conspirators, keeping each other honestly single.

Not that they had any interest in each other, not in that way.  Whenever
anybody suggested that she and Eiko were other than friends, Biko had
turned away, while Eiko forced a retraction.

Biko had been tempted a few times, but she knew that Eiko simply wasn't
like that.  Eiko was constantly exposing herself, but not as a come-on.
She simply was naturally at peace with her own body, at home in her own
wildness, instead of constantly fighting to keep it at bay.

And now Biko's body had betrayed her, or had it?  Isn't this what she
had wanted?  It's not like Gail had forced her.  Far from it, he had
been so painfully shy the first few times, but his secluded religious
upbringing had left him defenseless against her advances.

After their effortless victories, Xena would retire to her quarters, to
sleep off the exertions of the dragon, while Biko and Gail toasted the
extermination of billions of heretics.

Later they would turn off the gravity and turn down the lights in the
control room and drift in midair, slowly undressing each other while the
dragonship picked a safe path through the shattered remains of once living
worlds.

It had been by far the best sex Biko had ever had, freely given and
totally unprotected.  One simply didn't think to bring along that kind
of protection on a hostage rescue mission.  She had loved him so, even
at the end, when he closed his eyes forever.  She still loved him.

And now he had left her something, a part of himself.  What would you be
like, little one?  Biko imagined a little boy, as earnest and honest as
his father had been.  She relived the memory from another existence,
when he had been the orphan in the temple and was told of his destiny.

Could you be as mad as he was, little one?  Perhaps it's best to end the
bloodline now.  After billions and one, what's one more?  I killed your
father, why not you?

Why did he let me kill him?  Had he known somehow, with his incredible
perceptions?  Had he missed intentionally, twice in that last firefight,
to spare mother and child?

Maybe you're a little girl?  Will you be as sweet and cute and innocent
as Shiko?  Biko remembered how innocently Shiko had demanded to "blow up
more planets!"  They were just fireworks to Shiko, the dragon a new pet
with neat tricks.

It was Biko who had known better.  Who had stood and watched and done
nothing.  Even at the final moments of the Universe, she had been no
help.

It was Shiko who found the strength in her heart to overthrow the witch
and cast the deciding vote to save the Universe.  The source of that
strength was obvious.  Mr Kotobuki had opened his heart to his adoptive
daughter.  His freely shared affection had been the example she had
followed when she saved them all.

Surely Biko couldn't be that good of a parent.  But, I can't risk
putting you up for adoption, little one.  Like your father the orphan,
his cult will find you and raise you along the same path.  No, I must
raise you myself or kill you now.

Skipping from star to star is no way to raise a kid.  I would have to
settle down, take a steady job, give up the chase.

How would Eiko feel, if I gave up on punishing Maruten for his crimes?
Eiko wouldn't abandon me, she's always been so supportive.  But, is it
fair to make her give up the pursuit?  There is such hatred in Eiko's
eyes when she talks about "that ludicrous bulbhead".  Did something
happen between those two?  Is it right to force Eiko to give up her
vengeance for my sake?

Eiko need never know.  I'll slip away for a few hours on some planet and
have the procedure done.

Biko summoned up a star-chart of their plot, cross-referenced against
medical law.  The next planet was a good spot.  The procedure was legal
there and the doctors fairly reliable.  After that it got a bit dicey.

It would be best to make the decision quickly and put it behind her,
one way or the other.  There was nobody to whom she could pass this
buck, it was after all her choice.

	Henry J. Cobb	hcobb@slip.net          http://www.io.com/~hcobb