Vacation Days
Chapter 2


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I'll warn you this is a good bit more serious than the last chapter.

All C+C appreciated. You can contact me at sommer@3rdm.net

All of my works, including previous chapters of this, can be found at.
http://angcobra.jumpfun.com/dbsommer.html

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The morning sun had broken the horizon not more than a half hour earlier
as the handful of people gathered to see Tenchi and Mihoshi off.

"It looks like only Grandpa, Dad, and Sasami are here to say goodbye."
Thank god, Tenchi silently added.

"Miya."

"And you too, Ryo-Ohki," Tenchi apologized to the cabbit standing next to
Sasami. A pang of guilt shot through him at the idea of being glad the
other three girls weren't there, but in an unusual gesture, his common
sense scolded him for being na�ve enough to believe anything good would
have come if they had been there to see him off.

"Actually, I dropped by Washuu's lab and said good-bye already," Mihoshi
said.

"You did?" Tenchi had wondered why the redheaded scientist wasn't there.
Aeka and Ryouko were probably exhausted from their late night carousing,
but to his knowledge Washuu hadn't done anything that would have prevented
her from being there.

As if reading his mind, Mihoshi said, "She was sort of all tied up in one
of her projects. She told me to say good-bye for her. At least I think
that was what she was trying to tell me. She was mumbling a lot and was
hard to understand."

The image of Mihoshi entering the lab, touching a button, and having some
machine whip out metal coils that bound and gagged the short scientist
intruded itself upon Tenchi's mind. The whole scenario, as silly as it
seemed, somehow fit perfectly with what Mihoshi had said.

Nah. Too obvious. Washuu was probably just in the middle of an experiment
and couldn't be interrupted.

Sasami went up to Tenchi and gave him a hug. "I'm going to miss you,
Tenchi."

"I'll miss you too." He hugged her back. A "Miya" around Tenchi's ankles g
ained his attention. He picked up Ryo-Ohki and gave her a hug as well,
then placed her on her usual perch on top of Sasami's head. "I'll only be
gone a little while. Try to keep Aeka and Ryouko out of trouble."

"Okay." Sasami's mood brightening considerably at her newfound
responsibility. "You make sure to have fun on your vacation. Both of you."

"We will," Mihoshi assured her.

It was Yosho's turn to say his farewell. He placed a reassuring hand on
Tenchi's shoulder, then bent down so that he could speak softly enough
into Tenchi's ear without the others hearing. "Taking time out to review
each of the girls alone, without the interference of the others, is a good
idea. It'll give you a chance to see if any of them are suitable for you
in a long term relationship."

"Grandpa! That's not why I'm doing this!" Tenchi protested. "I just want a
take a little vacation and get a break from this place!"

"Of course you do," Yosho said while adjusting his glasses, making it
clear by his tone of voice that he didn't believe a word of it.

Nobuyuki snapped several photos of them as they waved good bye. Tenchi
started to make his way up the landing ramp of Mihoshi's space cruiser,
then took one last look around to make sure neither Ryouko or Aeka were
charging it, hoping to prevent him from taking off. Remarkably, neither of
the girls was in sight. It appeared a plan of his might actually work out
for a change.

Noticing Tenchi's apprehension, Yosho said, "Don't worry about the others.
I'll see to it you have enough time to make good your escape."

"I wish you wouldn't put it in those terms," Tenchi said, even if he did
feel like he was making a break out of a prison camp.

The three humans and cabbit waved as Tenchi and Mihoshi boarded the Yagami
and took off. They continued watching until the ship reached the upper
atmosphere and white glow of the engines faded out of sight.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Sasami asked.

Yosho patted Sasami on the shoulder. "It's just Tenchi and Mihoshi up
there this time. I'm sure that whatever happens to them, it won't be all
that disastrous. Usually the really bad things happen only when everyone's
together."

"That's true," Sasami conceded. "When Aeka and Ryouko find out-"

"-we'll have our hands full around here," Nobuyuki said, entering the
conversation. "I have to go to work. Do you two think you can keep the
house still standing when I get back? I'd appreciate it."

"No problem," Yosho assured him.

"I thought you gave Tenchi the Master Key," Sasami said.

"Don't you worry," Yosho assured her. "I have other means at my disposal
for diverting their attention."

"Okay." As hard as she tried, Sasami could not quite convince herself
things were going to go along as peacefully as Yosho was implying.

"I have some experience with women," Yosho said confidently as he turned
to go to the house. "I can handle the situation."


"Where did he go?!"

"Yes, Brother! You must tell us!"

Yosho held up both hands up in an appeasing manner. Things were not quite
going along the way he had wanted. Maybe giving Tenchi the Master Key
wasn't such a good idea. It appeared he was going to need it far more than
Tenchi would.

It wasn't that much of a surprise. He had known the girls were going to be
agitated; they both cared a great deal about Tenchi and were concerned
that he had neglected to inform them of where he had gone. However, the
concept of personal space still eluded them, and neither felt inclined to
listen to Yosho's explanations for Tenchi's behavior. The best he thought
he could hope for was mollification. So he gathered the girls together in
the living room and brought Sasami along as a calming influence. At least
he hoped she would be.

"Now, now, girls. There's nothing to worry about. Tenchi's just going to
be gone for a little while. He'll be back before you know it."

"Whaddaya mean 'there's nothing to worry about'?! Tenchi's been
kidnapped!" Ryouko shouted.

"He has not been kidnapped," Sasami said as she sat in a nearby chair with
Ryo-Ohki in her lap.

"Of course he has," Aeka insisted. "There must be some sort of deviltry
afoot. Had Lord Tenchi desired to go on a holiday with someone, he would
have chosen me. As a member of the House of Jurai, we would have had
access to the most luxurious of vacations spots in the galaxy. He would
have been treated in a manner befitting of the nobility that he is. Then
Lord Tenchi and I would have...would have..." Aeka began to turn bright
red at the fantasy of the things Tenchi would do with her.

A smack to the back of her head knocked the daydream off course and
shifted Aeka back to reality.

"Get real, Princess," Ryouko said. "Tenchi hates all of that uppity snob
stuff. He would have gone with me. I know where all of the really fun
places to hang out are and we'd have had a blast. Unlike you, I know how
to have a good time."

"How dare you imply Lord Tenchi would debase himself by going somewhere
with a vile creature such as yourself!"

"Oh yeah? Well he'd go out with me a hell of a lot sooner than he would
with a stuck-up snob like you."

"You flatter yourself. When one has a choice between a monster or a
princess, who do you think would be chosen?"

"Since Tenchi has good taste, I think the answer's obvious."

"Indeed, it is," Aeka said, folding her arms under her breasts. "And it
certainly would not be with a scatterbrain like Mihoshi."

Ryouko nodded sagely. "Well, if you and I can agree on that, then it's got
to be true."

"Mihoshi didn't do anything to Tenchi," Sasami insisted as she finally got
a word in during the break in the argument.

"Don't be so certain," Aeka said. "I believe this is a carefully
orchestrated plot on Mihoshi's part that somehow has been successfully
implemented. Despite outward appearances, she is a Detective First Class
among the ranks of the Galaxy Police. You don't achieve that by accident."

The room began to darken as a host of clouds darkened the sun. A dog
howled in the distance as the winds began to pick up and lightning flashed
outside. With the mood properly set, Aeka eyes almost glowed in the
darkness as she began her tale. "There is a sinister scheme afoot. I
believe Mihoshi did something dire to influence Lord Tenchi's judgment,
perhaps a drug or mechanical devise designed to affect his very thoughts.
With that heinous deed accomplished, she then approached him when he was
particularly susceptible to her suggestions. I'm certain Lord Tenchi tried
with all of his might to resist, but he was a helpless thrall before her.
After successfully bending his will to hers, she manipulated Ryouko and I
into an exhaustive battle, guaranteeing our non-interference. And then, in
the early hours of the morning, she ambushed Washuu, eliminating her as an
obstruction as well."

Ryouko held up a small, red-haired scientist that was bound and gagged
with long metal coils. Washuu's face resembled the shade of her hair as
she squirmed against her bonds, incoherent noises issuing from behind the
gag.

"We found her like this down in her lab a couple of hours ago." Ryouko
shook Washuu around, thrusting her in Yosho, Sasami, and Ryo-Ohki's face.
Curiously, that only served to increase Washuu's struggles.

Aeka gave everyone an intense glare. The explanation was complete. At
last, action could be taken. "As you can see, all of it is clear evidence
pointing to some insidious scheme that the devious Mihoshi has devised to
steal Lord Tenchi away. There is no telling what evils she intends to
perpetrate on his noble f...Ryo-Ohki! Stop rolling on the ground and
laughing this instant! Ryouko and I are being quite serious!"

"Miya miya miya."

Ryouko shook Washuu angrily at Ryo-Ohki. "Whaddaya mean using 'insidious
plan' and 'Mihoshi' in the same sentence is an oxymoron? It's the truth,
I'm telling you."

Sadly, Sasami shook her head. "I think Mihoshi asked Tenchi to go along on
a trip with her because she was already going on one. He said yes because
he wanted to go on a vacation. You two fought because you always do.
Mihoshi accidentally messed up Washuu's experiment, just like she always
does, and Tenchi wanted to leave early before you guys woke up so you
wouldn't try doing what you're doing right now and keep him from going on
his vacation. I think you two cooked up this paranoid conspiracy theory
because you're jealous that you didn't think to ask Tenchi on a vacation
first."

Both of the girls stared in surprise at Sasami's accusation. The surprise
lasted all of five seconds before Ryouko broke down and began crying.
"It's not fair that Mihoshi gets to spend time with Tenchi. It should be
me that gets him." She wiped her tears, then blew her nose on the back of
Washuu's uniform.

Aeka followed. "It should be myself that travels with Lord Tenchi. After
all we've been through together, we deserve the quality time alone."

"I don't think it would be a good idea to bother Tenchi on this trip,"
Sasami warned. "If he really wanted you guys to tag along, he would have
said something."

"Nonsense, he'll be happy to see us," Aeka insisted.

"Yeah. We'll keep him out of trouble like we always do," Ryouko joined in.
"So tell us where they went, pretty please."

Sasami gave an exasperated sigh that implied a tiredness beyond her years.
If her sister and Ryouko remained at home, they would drive her crazy
within a day. "He said that he and Mihoshi were going to a beach."

"Which one?" Aeka asked.

"He didn't say."

"What?!" Ryouko snapped. "You have to know. Was it on Earth, or some other
planet?"

"I don't know," Sasami insisted.

Ryouko and Aeka gave each other a helpless look. "Perhaps we should ask
Miss Washuu for assistance," Aeka suggested.

Ryouko held Washuu up for a closer examination. Both she and Aeka could
not help noticing the murderous glare the diminutive scientist was
shooting at them.

"Then again, perhaps not."

Ryouko laughed nervously as she gently set Washuu down on a chair. "Why
don't we take off now and decide on the way?"

Aeka turned to Sasami, giving her the sweetest look that she could. "Could
you do us a small favor? Don't release Miss Washuu until long after Ryouko
and I have departed."

Neither Aeka nor Ryouko waited for the reply. Both of them took off
running, Ryouko grabbing Ryo-Ohki as she shot past.

It was turning into a really bad day for Ryouko and Aeka.


Milky Way Galaxy
Sector 25W.773.2FX
Class 4 Nebula: Arecheox

Often referred to as 'Hell's Gate,' the class 4 nebula, Arecheox, has been
listed as one of the most hazardous areas of space, being rated just below
a black hole in destructive capability. It was something of an aberration,
as the red hued nebula had constant, savage solar storms tear through the
it's entirety, making it one of the most perilous environments ever
discovered. It was said that even a top of the line Juraian battleship
would last no more than fifteen minutes in the sector. Once inside the
area, sensors were of minimal use and even the most powerful of shields
would buckle in short order under the fury of the storms. No one ever
willingly traveled there; even the outer fringes of the Hell's Gate were
too furious to withstand. For all intents and purposes, it was a vast
cosmic wasteland.

There were rumors, of course, that there were constant, stable pockets
within Hell's Gate that one could hide out and reside in, but most
discounted such tales as mindless talk. No one would ever consider wasting
the time to try and find such things. The only people that sometimes went
into the area were those that were completely lost, and criminals that
would try to run through the fringes of the nebula to avoid the pursuit of
people that were chasing them. But the few that were bold (or stupid)
enough to try the run never survived the experience, though there always
remained the rumor of at least one smuggler who had found a safe pocket
and gotten back out alive, avoiding the police that were pursuing him. No
one was ever able remember his name, however.

Most dismissed such stories as old wives' tales, like the 'Sargasso of
Space' legend in which there was a graveyard of derelict ships that sat in
the middle of nowhere, waiting for other spacecraft to stumble upon it.
Once there, the ships that found it would be trapped as well, adding to
the number of crafts in graveyard. No one asked the obvious question that
if all of the newer ships ended up trapped with the others, how did word
of it get out. Hell's Gate safe havens were the same way: a silly story.

But as with many stories, there sometimes is a grain of truth in them. And
such was the case with Hell's Gate. The Galaxy Police were pursuing a
felon, Yurishori Omuri, who had killed two people in the course of his
robbery. The criminal became desperate enough to flee into Hell's Gate to
elude his pursuers, as some desperate criminals tried to do, even though
no one ever emerged from the nebula. The two Galaxy Police spaceships that
had been chasing him waited the required three hours to make sure Omuri
hadn't just skirted the nebula, and left, reporting him missing and
presumed dead.

Much to their surprise, a week later Omuri was brought in on a raid by
planetary police several systems away. The Galaxy Police took jurisdiction
over the mysteriously alive prisoner and transferred him to their custody.
After an interrogation, Omuri revealed that when he made a run for it, and
through blind luck, he had stumbled onto a pocket of space in the middle
of the nebula that was completely unaffected by the forces around it. In
return for having his sentence reduced to life imprisonment instead of
disintegration, he gave the Galaxy Police the data necessary to locate the
safe pocket inside Hell's Gate. The path was erratic, and rocked by
powerful, though not fatal, storms, which would have hid the pathway to
any who were not specifically looking for it. Somehow, it remained where
it was, allowing one a harrowing, but ultimately safe, access to the haven
inside.

Examining it would earn the safe pocket the name of, 'The Anomaly'. It was
a small sphere of space, about fifty kilometers long and a hundred wide,
that was calm. Completely calm. None of the storms pierced the sphere in
the slightest, something forcing them to remain outside, almost as though
there was a glass wall separating one from the other. The nebula outside
the sphere could be seen, but that was it. It was dead space. There was no
natural phenomenon that could explain how the Anomaly existed, but it was
still there. Most speculated that some higher power, greater even than the
royal family of Jurai, must have created it, but for what purpose, no one
knew.

The High Command of the Galaxy Police, in compliance with the Juraian
Security Directorate, kept the information concerning the Anomaly secret
until the matter could be properly investigated. Deciding that no others
similar pockets could be found, and hoping that the Anomaly was truly
unique, both organizations kept its location a secret. Its complete
isolation, its size, the fact that it was surrounded on all sides by
highly destructive energies, and that there was only one safe way to
approach the Anomaly without being destroyed, made it the perfect location
for a project that the leaders of the Empire had been trying to implement
for years.

And thus Tartarus was born.

Like a giant bird of prey, silhouetted against a sunset, Tartarus stood
out in the vast field of red that made up the nebula called Hell's Gate.
Tartarus was a space station, constructed in secret using the Emperor's
personal funds, and designed in appearance to resemble a smaller version
of Galaxy Police headquarters, although it was only three kilometers long
and four kilometers wide. It bristled with weapons and heavy shielding,
able to take on any four space cruisers at once and defeat them. And with
the narrow corridor in which the Anomaly could be entered, no more than
one large ship could come at them at any one time. The station was manned
by a dozen scientists, thirty elite members of the Galaxy Police and
twenty members of the Jurai Security Directorate.

For all intents and purposes, Tartarus was impregnable.

Due to the secrecy of the project, all of the members on board, save the
scientists and four ranking officers, two of the Galaxy Police and two of
the Jurai Security Directorate, volunteered for mind wiping of all
information about Tartarus and the secrets contained within once their
tour of duty was over. Considering what was contained at the facility, no
one doubted the necessity of the procedure.

There were only a handful of people, not counting the personnel assigned
to the station, that knew of Tartarus's existence: the four highest
ranking officers in the Galaxy Police, eight members of the Jurai Security
Directorate, twelve members of the Imperial Science division, the Emperor,
and his Inner Council of ten. No one else was allowed to even remember the
facility, under penalty of either mindwipe or execution.

Major Hiroyoshi Matsuda, the current commander at Tartarus, gazed out the
viewscreen of the command bridge of the space station and cursed. It
wasn't at the turbulent (and oh so aptly named) nebula around him, but
rather what had just come out of Hell's Gate and into the Anomaly. It was
a visitor that Matsuda knew all too well, the man having visited on far
too many occasions and wearing out his welcome. Matsuda felt a headache
coming on, for things had been going so smoothly too. There were only two
weeks left in his six month tour, and this had to happen. Some people had
nothing but bad luck

The sleek, jet black, Taromaki Crescent Wing with the Galaxy Police
insignia was easy to identify. Only the trio of highest ranking officers
in charge of the Galaxy Police used the expensive craft, and of those
three vehicles, only one of the was painted black.

Once the recognition code sent out from the Marshal's ship was decrypted
and analyzed as being valid, the major deactivated the defense system's
targeting computers from continuing to track the ship. His next move was
to go to the communications console and thumb the button accessing the
public announcement system. "Attention all personnel. Marshall Alexi
Malgaunt will be arriving at Tartarus in a few minutes, most likely for
another surprise inspection. I want all hands at their stations and
looking sharp, or you'll answer to me as well as the Marshal."

Turning off the system, Major Matsuda left the bridge, saluting the others
as he left. He knew the surprise inspections were necessary. Work at
Tartarus was boring and monotonous, the two most dangerous enemies to
maintaining a high level of discipline and readiness. Matsuda took his
duties seriously and had drilled his crew regularly, ensuring they were in
top condition and prepared for any emergency. But that wouldn't matter to
'Ballbreaker' Malgaunt. "There's always a flaw," was the marshal's motto.
He could find and point out the imperfections in Heaven, given a chance.
Somehow, in some way, he would find fault with Matsuda's performance and
rub his face in it. Probably Malgaunt enjoyed doing it. That was the only
reason Matsuda could come up with for the Marshal's frequent visits.
Frequent meaning about once a month instead of the pattern of twice every
six months that had been used before this last tour of duty.

In the early days of the station, any one of the three Marshals might have
come to inspect the facility, but in the last two years that 'privilege'
had entirely fallen into the hands of Malgaunt. Even with his scathing
reviews, he had kept his visits to only twice every half year, but things
had changed of late and in the last six months he had visited four times,
and now a fifth. And never for any reason for anything other than an
inspection. The marshal hated Matsuda. That had to be the reason.

Walking at a brisk pace while enroute to the docking bay, Matsuda made
certain that he was not sweating; he refused to allow Malgaunt to see the
least bit of discomfort on his features. If there was nothing else, he
would deny Malgaunt that satisfaction.

Arriving at the door to the docking bay, Matsuda was relieved to see Saito
and Klancy as the guards assigned to the post. They were solid officers,
and their appearance was immaculate. Malgaunt would have to find fault
elsewhere.

The sound of the Crescent Wing's clamps locking onto one of the three
entry ports on Tartarus signaled that the ship had connected safely.
Everything went smoothly as a light next to the docking bay's sensors
indicated three humanoid lifeforms had exited their ship and were now on
Tartarus. Matsuda glanced at the readouts in the wall as the sensors in
passageway leading from the bay to the station's interior began scanning
the occupants. The process always took a while as security was paramount a
the installation. Retinal, epidermal, voice, heat signature, and internal
body scans, as well as an additional entry code, were all needed for the
Marshal and his two aides to pass through the bay and into the main
section of the station. Failure at any level of the identification
procedure would result in over a dozen laser, ion, and particle beam
blasters, that lined the corridor to target on the various individuals.
Any perceived hostile action would result in the weapons opening fire.
During every inspection, the major sometimes had an idle fantasy where the
weapons would misfire, just once, upon Malgaunt. It would mean an even
greater inconvenience on Matsuda's part in explaining what happened, but
there would be many officers in the Galaxy Police that would have cheered
anyway. That was the sort of devotion Malgaunt inspired in most people.

The fantasy came and went, leaving Matsuda to concentrate on the matter at
hand. Internal sensors scanned all three occupants waiting to enter and
gave the major the results. The system verified that the trio were Marshal
Alexi Malgaunt and Lieutenants Arisa Funuyaki and Masa Onita. The other
officers' names were familiar to Matsuda; they were the same duo that
Malgaunt had brought with him on the last two visits. It was not a
surprise since anyone accepting the mission knew in advance they would be
mindwiped afterwards. There were few people that enjoyed having two days
worth of memories erased, so officers accepting the missions were usually
hard to find. Most likely, both officers were trying to get ahead and
hoped that by accepting the mission Malgaunt would give them a good
review. Matsuda hated kiss asses.

The scans confirmed that the only weapons the trio bore were standard
issue officer's sidearms. After that inspection was confirmed, Matsuda hit
a button and the door opened. The three officers stepped through the
doorway, Malgaunt leading the way. Matsuda noted that nothing about the
man had changed. Even under the formal black uniform of the marshal, one
could tell the man inside was thin. Sharp angular features defined his
clean shaven face, making him seem younger than his forty-five years of
age. His oily black hair reached his shoulders, though was immaculately
groomed and did not detract a bit from his professional appearance.

The one feature about him that caught everyone's attention was the
piercing gaze that was reputed to make even the Emperor flinch. When the
Ballbreaker looked at you, he could see right through you, at least that
was what was said by those that fell under his gaze. Certainly there
seemed to be some truth to it, considering throughout the man's career he
had one of the highest arrest rates ever in the history to the Galaxy
Police. That, combined with a sharp mind and a knack for politics was what
had allowed Malgaunt to rise like a comet through the ranks until he was
third in command of the entire Galaxy Police, though most agreed that was
far as he would rise. Both the Grand and First Marshals were still in the
prime of their age, and both were secure in their positions. That suited
Matsuda just fine. The idea of Malgaunt running everything would have made
even the major consider an early retirement.

The other famous characteristic about Malgaunt that had earned him a
reputation, especially in his early days, was one not physically
noticeable. His reflexes were reputed to be lighting quick, which was
combined with him being a crack shot. It was said that in his early days,
he had been on an undercover assignment where his cover had been blown.
Armed with only a sidearm concealed under his jacket, he found himself
surrounded by five gunmen with their weapons drawn, prepared to fire upon
him. The story said that he made a surprised eye glance over the shoulder
of one of the assailants, distracting several of the gunmen for a split
second. He then drew his gun and began firing. The fifth attacker was dead
before the first hit the ground. Only one of the gunmen got off a shot,
one that was reputed to have glanced the back of the neck of the Marshal.
Rumors said that he still carried the scar to the present day, as a
reminder of what it meant to be too slow. Matsuda believed the first part
of the story; Malgaunt still radiated danger, despite not being involved
in a field operation in over fifteen years. As to the scar, Malgaunt
usually wore high collared outfits. That, combined with the long hair,
made it impossible for him to tell if it was true, and Matsuda was not
about to ask the Marshal himself.

The Major went from examining Malgaunt to the two aides he had brought
with him. On Malgaunt's left stood Lieutenant Funuyaki. Like her
commander, she wore the matching black uniform of an inspector, though
under her outfit one could easily determine that she was a curvaceous
woman in obvious superior physical shape. She had raven black hair, though
it lacked the oily gleam the Marshal's had. The hair was currently tucked
under her hat so that only the smallest portion of it could be seen. Her
face was the intense mask of professionalism that one needed to maintain
continuously before Malgaunt. Funuyaki was every inch an officer.

Onita, though also immaculate, differed from Funuyaki. He was a taller
man, very large and had obviously spent a great deal of time in the gym
working out. His outfit was the same style as Funuyaki's and just as
immaculate, and his face bore the same look of intensity as his partner's.
It was in the eyes that he differed so greatly from both the marshal and
other lieutenant. There was a faint gleam in them which Matsuda could not
identify and made him uneasy. It was like Onita was anxious for something,
perhaps an end to his mission with Malgaunt, if he was a normal officer.

Whatever the mysterious look was, it was not a concern of Matsuda at the
moment. All of his attention had to be riveted on his superior officer,
who was even now looking at the chronometer on his wrist.

"I want to run through a full defensive simulation this time, Major
Matsuda. And you're already running twenty seconds late," Malgaunt warned
in a voice that was sharp and commanded everyone's full attention.

A crisp salute, along with a "Sir!" was Matsuda's outward response as he
spun on his heel and quickly hurried towards the bridge. He didn't bother
to look behind him, knowing that the three inspectors would be following
in his wake, trailed by Saito and Klancy, once they locked down the
docking bay behind them.

Matsuda cursed his luck. Obviously he had shown too much efficiency in the
past, so now the Marshal was turning up the pressure. No matter how
efficient he was, Malgaunt was going to find something wrong with his
performance. It was only a matter of how many things there would be at the
end of the review. Matsuda swore he would make it as difficult as possible
for his superior.

The party entered the command bridge. Matsuda was relieved to see everyone
was at their assigned posts. Two soldiers were standing at the ready next
to the door, and the communications and science division officers were at
their proper stations. Everyone was in a state of readiness.

Funuyaki and Onita each went to the opposite sides to one of the door
guards, well out of everyone's way. Saito and Klancy came through right
after them, taking positions across the room where they would have a clear
line of sight of everything on the bridge. Everyone was right where they
needed to be. Oh yes, Malgaunt was going to have a hard time of it on this
occasion.

Matsuda went to the main computer and entered the seven digit code that
activated access to the full weapons systems control. Once the panel to
the control opened up (without a bit of mechanical hesitation, he noted)
he allowed the sensor to determine his identity and then inserted his
personal control key. With a turn of the switch, the control board lit up.
Everything, from shields to the anti-missile defenses to the self-destruct
system was under Matsuda's complete control. The status board gave a loud
"Breep", the self diagnostic's program indicating everything was
functioning normally.

Malgaunt's finger tapped his wrist chronometer. "Right on time. You made
up that twenty seconds you were running behind. The system is running
normally and the station is under your complete control. You have my
congratulations."

Despite being in the service for fifteen years, Major Matsuda was in
shock. He had never heard of Malgaunt congratulating anyone, save at
official public service functions. Instincts took over as he saluted and
said, "Thank you, sir!"

"And thank you, Major. Your professionalism makes everything easier."

Matsuda stared at the Marshal in confusion. "Easier, sir?"

"Yes," Malgaunt answered.

Major Hiroyoshi Matsuda's own reaction time was quite impressive. He had
just enough time to think, as he found Malgaunt's gun moved from the man's
holster to his face in the blink of an eye, that the stories did not do
the Marshal justice. Malgaunt was even faster than they said.

Then the laser fired, and Matsuda never had another thought again.


Lieutenant Arisa Funuyaki was in motion the instant she became aware that
her superior had drawn his sidearm. She had heard he was fast, but even
she couldn't believe what she saw before her eyes. Even a cybernetically
enhanced assassin specifically boosted for speed could not have been
quicker.

In spite of being surprised, her own intensive training took over as she
drew her sidearm and spun, aiming for the right door guard's face. She saw
his eyes bulge as she pressed the trigger and sent a red shot through the
man's head. As she turned to acquire her second target, she saw that her
partner, Onita, was in the process of dispatching the other guard at the
door. They had known in advance the numbers and positions of the personnel
in the room. The plan had been for Malgaunt to eliminate Matsuda first,
then move on to the man at communications and then the science division
officer. Funuyaki and Saito were to take the door guards, and then the
other two guards across the room, each one aiming for the officer on their
side.

Funuyaki was just drawing a bead on her target, noting the woman was only
now reacting by bringing up her rifle, when a laser sliced through her
chest, quickly followed by another one to the head. As Funuyaki's eyes
darted across the room, making certain there were no other targets, she
saw that it had been Malgaunt who had taken out her secondary target.
Smoking bodies with holes in them sat at the communications and science
consoles. Onita had done his work in shooting his second target before the
guard had a chance to get a shot off with his rifle. It was over in less
than three seconds after it had started.

Funuyaki was already heading towards the communication's console as
Malgaunt reexamined the defense control. Onita took the time to shoot his
secondary target's prone body two more times, then went to the other
bodies in the room to make certain no one was still alive.

A quick examination told Funuyaki what she already knew. "She didn't get
off a message, sir."

"Excellent," Malgaunt said as he looked at his watch. "Onita, please hurry
and lock the door to the room. We wouldn't want any unwanted visitors, now
would we?"

"No, sir." Onita moved quickly to the door and did as he was instructed.
Once the primary doors were electronically sealed, Malgaunt touched
another button and an interior set of blast doors irised into position in
front of the primary ones. The blast doors were a foot thick and composed
of specially treated osmium alloys. It would take someone with the right
equipment at least fifteen minutes to burn through them.

Malgaunt's hands began playing over the command console as he began
talking. "I gave Matsuda an extra entire minute and a half. His efficiency
makes our job much easier. We now have complete control over the majority
of this stations defenses." He moved to a set of green switches. "First
we'll disarm the destruct control in the science labs. We don't want them
destroying the prize we've fought so hard to gain."

"What exactly is the prize, sir?" Funuyaki asked.

"All in good time, lieutenant." Malgaunt said in a voice that betrayed
only the slightest hint of anticipation. He looked at his watch, then
gazed at the viewscreen that dominated the far side of the bridge. "We
must time this carefully. If Major Matsuda trained his men well, and I
know he did, two of the exterior gun stations are manned. Once they see
that the automatic tracking system is off-line, they'll arm the manual
overrides. That means they'll have the ability to fire upon our guests
once they arrive, unless I time this just...right."

Malgaunt tore his gaze from the chronometer and punched several buttons in
quick succession. "The shields and automatic firing controls are now
deactivated. Those manning the weapons are probably now engaging the
manual overrides." He stared at the viewscreen. A smile broke out across
his face. "But it's too late."

Funuyaki followed his gaze and looked outside. From the safe passage into
the Anomaly, a ship erupted through the field of red and into view. It was
long and cylindrical in shape, reminding Funuyaki of a Juraian ship. Four
small sets of wings on the sides, as well as a large set of external
engines at the rear of the ship, ruined the image. She estimated the craft
at about fifty meters, only about three times larger than the Crescent
Wing that Funuyaki arrived in. As it approached at a dangerously fast
speed, Funuyaki could see that the sides of the craft appeared to be black
wood with the symbol of three stars prominent near the bow. If the wood
was real, and not simply painted that meant it was a corrupted Juraian
ship. That was what triggered her memory. There was only one ship like
that and bore a trinity star symbol.

"That's the Rack n'Ruin," Funuyaki said under her breath.

Onita recognized the ship as well, and who it belonged to. "Sa'bre
Stargrave," he said in just as much awe. "He's the fourth most wanted
criminal in the galaxy."

Onita's utterance snapped Funuyaki back to reality. "The ship's coming in
too fast. She'll crash into the station!" In anticipation, Funuyaki, began
to brace herself for the impact.

Malgaunt remained where he was, a smile across his face. "Hardly. I know
her pilot. Believe me when I say you have nothing to worry about."

The Rack n'Ruin continued approaching Tartarus at a speed almost ten times
faster than the maximum safety standards. It had closed to half the
distance to the station when one of the exterior guns fired upon it. The
craft banked left, the lasers missing by a wide margin. The second shot
was even further off as the craft got in under the line of fire of the
guns and came closer to the station. When it was within a half kilometer
of Tartarus, jets erupted across the surface of the vessel, changing its
direction so that it was now approaching the station sideways. The ship
shook violently as the laws of dynamics tried to tear it apart. It was a
race against time as the Rack n'Ruin neared the docking bays, slowing down
at a rapid, though perhaps insufficient pace.

Funuyaki winced as she watched the scene from the outer monitor located
next to the docking bay. At the Rack n'Ruin's rate of speed, she was
certain it was going to slam into the side of Tartarus. Time seemed to
stand still as an additional set of jets erupted from the exterior of the
smuggler's ship, slowing it down enough that it at last came to a halt,
leaving only two meters of space between it and the hull of the station.

On the bridge of Tartarus, Funuyaki and Onita breathed a sigh of relief.
Malgaunt allowed himself a bigger smile.

"Now I'll deactivate the weapon systems in the corridor of the docking
bay." Malgaunt pushed another button. "They'll still have to blast their
way through the doors, but they know how many there are and what they are
composed of. They'll already have the necessary equipment to tear right
through them." As if in response to his statement, an explosion came from
the direction of the docking bay.

Malgaunt stared smugly at his subordinates. "It is possible that one of
the sergeants on duty has divined what is transpiring and gathered some
men together to try to repel the boarders. It's possible that he might
even send a squad up here to see what has happened. However, it won't be
enough. I've gone over every aspect of this plan for the last several
months, taking into account every possible factor and contingency. What
obscure chance the personnel on this station had of stopping us ended the
moment we took command of this bridge and the Rack n'Ruin docked. Now it
is only a matter of time."

Funuyaki and Onita looked at each other. After a moment, Onita relaxed and
smiled. Funuyaki wasn't surprised by that. Onita was a little too trusting
of Malgaunt for her taste. Perhaps it wasn't surprising though. Malgaunt
could inspire trust in people when he really tried, especially with those
that were not all that stable to begin with. Onita fit that bill quite
nicely, unfortunately.

As to the lieutenant herself, Malgaunt's confidence failed to overwhelm
her. It had been in her experience that there was no such thing as the
'perfect plan.' Life was full of too many random variables for them all to
be accounted for. Even when a plan was designed to be flexible, it still
wasn't perfect. Anything could happen. Those that thought otherwise tended
to freeze up when a situation fell apart around them.

Sounds coming from the direction of the sealed doorway caught Funuyaki's
attention. She went to the external monitors and looked outside the room,
Onita joining her at her side. The image showed several Galaxy Police
officers moving around outside, trying to use the keypad to the door.

"We've got company," she warned Malgaunt, who seemed content to remain
where he was next to the command console.

"It doesn't matter," he assured her. "Stargrave has already boarded the
station and will be heading this way. They don't have enough time to cut
through the door before he gets here."

Funuyaki kept her attention riveted to the monitor. It took them several
minutes, but she watched as her fellow Galaxy Police officers had gotten
some cutting tools and were preparing to cut through the door. They were
just about to begin when they came under fire from a position further up
the hall. With no real cover outside the doors, the action turned out to
be brief as the crew was cut down in a matter of seconds.

Several men and women came into range of the camera. The appeared to be a
ragtag assortment with no two members dressed remotely alike. They bore a
wide variety of weapons, from laser pulse rifles to a strange metal sphere
that dangled from a chain that one of the women was holding. After
determining that all of the crew outside the doors was dead, the motley
band of newcomers parted to allow a man to step forward before the doors.

He was a tall, over six feet in height and with long black hair that
cascaded down his back, stopping just above his rear end. He had an
average build, neither excessively muscled like Onita, nor wiry, like
Malgaunt. His features were bold, making Funuyaki note that he one of the
more handsome men she had seen in some time. There was also something
familiar about his features, though when she tried placing a name with his
face she came up with nothing. The man held himself well, radiating an
aura of confidence that could be felt even through the camera. His outfit
consisted of a formal looking purple tunic and azure pants that fit
loosely upon him. Slung across his back was a purple cloak with a white
fur trim. The only visible weapon he wore was an expensive snub-nosed
laser blaster in a hip holster.

As Funuyaki completed her appraisal of his outfit, she realized why he
looked familiar. The outfit was reminiscent of the style worn by the
Juraian royalty. That, combined with the man's own features, gave him a
striking resemblance to the Emperor himself. A younger, leaner, clean
shaven version anyway. It was a look undoubtedly cultivated by the man.

The man stared up at the camera. Funuyaki could almost have sworn he was
somehow able to see her through the camera just as she could see him. He
cocked his head slightly as the corridor audio links allowed the trio
behind the layers of osmium alloy to hear the man say, "Honey, I'm home."

Malgaunt smiled then looked down at his watch. "Right on time." He
retracted both sets of doors.

Funuyaki tensed as the leader of the assorted band entered the bridge,
approached the marshal, and shook the his hand. "Malgaunt."

"Sa'bre," Malgaunt acknowledged. "It's about time you showed up. I see
Velocity got you here with her usual style. Do you enjoy taking your life
into your hands like that every time you fly?"

"I wouldn't complain too much. She's your ticket off this station too,"
Sa'bre warned.

Funuyaki looked over the rather infamous figure of Sa'bre Stargrave over.
She was a little surprised. She had pictured one of the most wanted
criminals in the galaxy as being bit more unkempt. He appeared very calm
and regal, at least on the outside. Instincts took over as her senses went
into their inspector mode, taking in every nuance and detail of the
captain and his crew. Ten years of undercover work had her mind working on
automatic as she categorized what type of criminals the crew of the Rack
n'Ruin were. Even if after today she was not going to be a member of the
Galaxy Police ever again.

Further thoughts on her situation were interrupted as Malgaunt began
talking to Sa'bre again. "Is everything on schedule?"

Just as Stargave was about to reply, his head jerked slightly and he
brought his hand to his ear. From where Funuyaki stood, she could make out
a tiny audio receiver nestled in his outer ear.

"Everyone has been accounted for except for one slight problem. It appears
a number of your men have barricaded themselves in the barracks and refuse
to come out." Stargrave said. "They've even welded the doors shut and have
somehow electrified the floor. I've lost four men trying to take it. Any
suggestions?"

Malgaunt thought about it for a moment. "The barracks are located about as
far away from the labs as possible and there are only those two doorways
leading from the crew's quarters. Just leave a unit of men there to keep
the crew penned in. Also have your men watch the ventilation shafts at
junctions eight and nine. The crew might try to travel through them and
flank you. That should take care of the problem long enough for us to
finish what we came here to do."

A tall woman, lean like Malgaunt and with a cruel smile, made her way to
Sa'bre's side.

Stargrave spoke up. "You haven't been properly introduced," he said to
Malgaunt. "This is my first mate, Arianna Taguyu."

Arianna directed a look towards Malgaunt. "Are you sure its wise to leave
them there? They might cause us trouble."

"They might be smart, but the only things they could do to effectively
hamper us would take more time than they have," Malgaunt assured her as he
set up a remote control unit to the main computer. He ran a quick
diagnostic on it. Once he was convinced it functioned properly, he pulled
out his laser pistol and fired upon both the command and the communication
consoles." He looked them over, and assured himself they were no longer in
working order. After that he held the remote high enough that everyone
could see. "This is the only means of controlling this station. Now, we'd
best get underway to the labs. Time may be on our side, but we still have
a rendezvous to keep and we'd better not miss it."

Malgaunt headed for the door. At Stargrave's gesture, his crew fell into
place. Several of his people took the lead, keeping their rifles at the
ready as they headed towards the laboratory on Tartarus.

As the group made their way through the station, Malgaunt began speaking
again. "Sa'bre, I'd like to introduce my two aides to you. There are
Lieutenants Funuyaki and Onita. Without their help, even I would have been
hard pressed to accomplish my mission."

Sa'bre gave a slight nod to each of them. "So, what did it take for two
dedicated defenders of justice, such as yourselves, to turn against their
former employers in such grand fashion?"

Onita was caught off guard by the question and had no idea of how to
reply. Funuyaki snapped, "It's none of your damn business!"

Arianna and the rest of Stargrave's troops tensed up. A gesture from their
captain, and the group relaxed slightly, returning their attention to
possible attacks from outside the party once again.

"No need to get defensive. I was just curious because in my line of work,
one frequently has to bribe Galaxy Police officers to get anything done.
Think of it as a hobby of mine, if you will."

"I think it would be better if we waited until after we finished the task
at hand before we try questioning personal motivations," Malgaunt said,
trying to defuse the potentially explosive situation.

Sa'bre responded by giving Malgaunt a sharp look. "If I'm going to work
with people willing to stab their supposed comrades-in-arms in the back, I
want to know what their price is just in case someone starts trying to
offer them a better deal."

"You're a murderous smuggler that deals with the scum of the galaxy every
day of your life," Malgaunt pointed out in a calm voice, stating it as
fact rather than opinion.

"But those are criminals. I expect it from them." Stargrave kept his
steely gaze on the two lieutenants. "When a couple of Galaxy Police
officers turn on their own kind, I want to know why."

The tension in the group built even as they moved onward, though if
Malgaunt noticed he gave no indication of it. "For now, let's just say
they're visionaries, like myself."

"I'd prefer something a little less ambiguous."

At last, Malgaunt began to show signs of irritation. "Then let's try this.
I picked them myself for this mission and you know my motivations for
doing this. Do you believe I would have brought them along if I didn't
have complete trust in them and their abilities?"

Sa'bre gave a Malgaunt a wide smile and seemed to bow even as the group
moved continuously onward. "Of course not. I have complete faith in you
and you abilities. My apologies."

That seemed to unofficially signal an end to the discussion as the group
continued on their way in silence. They traveled onward until they came
upon a section of the station where biohazard warnings were displayed
everywhere. Funuyaki tensed up slightly. When Malgaunt had all but forced
her to join him on this hijacking, he had only told her that the object
was something valuable and located in a secret Galaxy Police station,
remaining deliberately vague about exactly what it was they were taking.
Supposedly, it was for Funuyaki and Onita's own protection; the less they
knew about the plan the better. But there was something about Malgaunt's
evasiveness that tripped off her detective skills. She had been fairly
certain there was some other reason as well.

At the time, Malgaunt had also implied that they would receive some sort
of assistance from outside the Galaxy Police. Never had any mention been
made of working with a criminal as ruthless as Sa'ber Stargrave. Over
twenty thousand deaths, including more than fifty Galaxy Police personnel,
could be directly attributed to him and his organization. And those were
only counting the crimes the police were aware of. Now more than ever
Funuyaki was convinced the whole operation was for something much greater
than money. Of course, once she had gunned down one of her fellow (or
perhaps that was former, now) Galaxy Police officers, it had become far
too late for her to ever back out, no matter what future recriminations
she might have.

As that thought went through her mind, the group arrived at a huge set of
sealed osmium alloy doors. In addition to that, there was an active energy
field surrounding it, making penetrating them nearly impossible.

Unless of course someone had the entry codes.

Malgaunt walked up to the control panel's retinal scanner. Once his
identity was confirmed, the pad's numerical control was activated for his
exclusive use. His first action was to deactivate the energy field. After
that he turned his attention to Sa'bre.

"Inside there will be about a dozen scientists. They'll be armed with
nothing more powerful than standard issue laser pistols. However, all of
them have been trained in their use."

"Well we've got these," one of Sa'bre's men brandished a wicked-looking
modified laser rifle before him.

Malgaunt shot the man a disdainful glare before returning his attention to
Stargrave. "I recommend throwing in a couple of stun grenades the moment
the doors are opened. They won't have any defense against that sort of
attack and it'll make them easier to shoot. Also," he said louder so
everyone could hear. "Any stray shots might damage the systems that
control our prize. I don't know about you, but I have no desire to handle
it directly."

Stargrave nodded his head in obvious agreement. "Do what the marshal
suggests. I want precision firing in there. Anyone shoots the wrong target
and they answer to me."

Sa'bre turned back to Malgaunt as his men prepared themselves for the
upcoming attack. "Do you think they'll try to destroy what we're after
rather than letting us get a hold of it? Surely they were told to do
anything rather than to let it fall into anyone else's hands."

Malgaunt removed his hat and threw it to the ground. He shook his head, as
though free of some burden. "They would if they had the opportunity,
however I disarmed the detonators from the bridge controls and they don't
have any manual overrides down here. They don't even have the equipment
necessary to cut through the shielding surrounding the prize in less than
an hour. That stuff is so thick you don't even have to worry about one of
your men accidentally hitting it with a sonic grenade. Once we kill
everyone in that room, we've won."

At her position to the left of them, Funuyaki overhead the conversation.
She could not help noticing that as different in physical appearance as
the two men were, they still possessed identical hungry gleams in their
eyes. Marshal Alexi Malgaunt and Sa'bre Stargrave were alike in all the
ways that mattered.

The crew had prepared themselves. Two men were at the front of the group,
stun grenades at the ready, as the rest prepared to storm into the lab
after the grenades went off.

Funuyaki allowed the group to maneuver in front of her, hanging back
towards the rear. She had no desire to kill anyone else today. The one man
she had already shot was bothering her far more than she had originally
thought it would. It wasn't the first time she had killed someone. It
wasn't even the first time she had shot someone that didn't deserve it,
but still the action seemed to trouble her, and she was not able to as
casually dismiss it as she thought she should.

With disgust, she saw that Onita had moved to the front of the pack, all
too eager to add to his body count today. She went from simply disliking
the violent thug to loathing him. She had always detestd being saddled
with the man when he was chosen as her partner by Malgaunt almost six
months ago. Working with him had only proven that he was violent, had a
short temper, and frequently displayed poor skills when dealing with
criminals. It was a surprise to her that someone like that could still
have remained in the service for as long as Onita had, let alone risen to
the rank of lieutenant. She was almost certain that Malgaunt must have had
something to do with the man's undeserving promotion, probably so that he
could be on this mission. Even now, after she had essentially quit the
Galaxy Police, she was still saddled with the man. Perhaps it was the
universe's way of getting back at her for all of the terrible things she
had done.

Once everyone was in position, Sa'bre gave a signal. Malgaunt entered the
override code on the doors and the attack began. Funuyaki waited outside
with several of the others as the majority of the group went charging in.
It wasn't until the sounds of fighting stopped and someone yelled,
"Clear!" that she and the others entered the labs, at last having access
to the much sought after prize, whatever it was.

The chamber itself was quite huge. It was the largest room on the station,
outside of the one that housed the fusion reactor that powered the
station. A host of complicated machines that Funuyaki failed to identify
were strewn throughout the chamber, though most of them seemed centered
upon a metal column in the center of the room. Her eyes took an inventory
of everything in the room, trying to figure out what the precious cargo
that they had gone to all of this trouble for was. There was one thing she
picked up on rather quickly that made her feel even more uneasy than
before. All of the dead scientists were wearing full environmental
biohazard suits. Something was horribly wrong with the entire situation.

Malgaunt went up to one of the control boards and began punching in
several codes. After several moments, he said two phrases at the panel.

"Identification code Choate ZXX4GY6V. Code name: Apocalypse."

A loud thrumming sound began to fill the air. Slowly, the metal column
that was in the center of the room began to retract. All eyes were riveted
to it as a clear cylinder was revealed to have been concealed within the
metal column. A light coating of frost could be seen on the inside as the
metal column continued moving downward, until at last an object, nestled
at the bottom of the container, could clearly be seen.

At his console, Malgaunt loudly announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen. Allow me
to introduce you to the greatest killer the universe has ever known."

The object was a flower, no bigger than a foot in height. The stem and
leaves were brown, though vibrant, and the flower itself was a silky
yellow in appearance with azure petals surrounding the middle. Looking at
it, one would never have suspected it of having gotten around to killing
almost half a trillion sentient beings.

Funuyaki stared at it in disbelief; an apocalyptic legend that had been
reborn before her eyes. The words for it were on most of the others in the
lips, but Funuyaki was the only one that gave voice to it.

"Shihana."


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yes. The Tenchi cast are going to reappear next chapter, so don't worry
about the focus changing too much. We just needed to be introduced to the
villains of the series. Yes things have turned more serious, but some
humor is going to remain as well.


Special thanks to Kara-Ohki for looking over this and for Lara Bartram for
giving me the name of the 'Death Flower'

Also thanks to Slashley, JJ Corley, Burnett/Edwards, and Angcobra for
their input