Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Half a War ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: Standard I don't own Ranma 1/2 or the Homeworld universe, suing me is a waste of money.

Half a War: Chapter 5

Genma was showing off the fighter design to Soun and Akane as Nodoka chatted with Kimiko.

"As you can see the cockpit has an excellent field of view and the controls are all with in easy reach. The control panels are uncluttered because we use a layered touch screen for many of the systems. No command is less than three touches away and the computer uses voice recognition to assist the pilot. Of course what really makes this fighter special is the interface that you can't see. Here you two climb into a fighter and put the helmets on. I already initialized this system and if you'll give me a second I'll ready the second fighter." With that Genma hopped down and headed over to set up the second fighter so Akane could experience it.

"Saotome I don't see what the big deal is. The helmet is definitely more comfy than most but I don't see what there is to boast about." Soun was wondering what Genma was talking about. The HUD on the helmet was nothing special. It was standard on every fighter craft.

"Just wait while I get Akane setup here." Genma finished typing in a few commands as Akane strapped on the helmet. "Okay you're both set to go, just hit the ready icon on the screens beside you."

Akane and Soun both did so and then let out a startled exclamation as system came online. "What in the maker is this?" Akane nearly shouted.

"That Akane is the mind machine interface and it makes the Senken partly what it is. Right now both of you are being fed the spatial coordinates of every ship currently with in sensor or communication range. The helmet is translating the binary computer code and sending small bioelectric pulses to your brain in such a way that your mind will translate it into a sense of where each ship is. Right now you're being given position and rough mass. Once a pilot has been trained they can also perceive all sorts of extra information, including ship type, specific details and contours, current firepower, which direction it is facing and a rough idea of the ship's physical condition. And they can do this with dozens of ships at once."

Now that Akane and Soun realized what they were experiencing they could focus on it and try to understand it. It was incredible once you could begin to comprehend it. Akane also found it disconcerting as she could sense the distance of the patrolling ships outside as well as the size of the frigates standing guard around the Senken carrier as well as her C-Chan. What was really staggering was the new sense of size that the ship around had. Not the fighter she was sitting in, which felt like a second skin but the carrier that the fighter was resting in. The fighter was thirty tons at best. The carrier was millions of tons and capable of holding nearly a hundred ships like the one she was sitting in right now. The carrier also contained housing for over twelve hundred crewmembers stationed aboard it. It made her feel incredibly tiny and insignificant when she experienced it all.

"Saotome this is incredible. How did you ever create something like this?" Soun loved it. "To be able to control the machine directly must give you an incredible advantage over your enemies."

"Actually we haven't created a system that lets you control the craft just yet. Signals in and signals out are two different things. Also to actually control a craft even as simple as a fighter is incredibly complex. The human mind can only handle so much information at once. To try and control the craft directly is next to impossible; the concentration required on the parts of the pilots negates the advantages that it might have. Ranma has been using this system his whole life and can integrate with system to an untold level. That's what I mean when I say it might as well be magic. We could never do what he does simply because our minds are slaved to the senses that we grew up with. Ranma might as well be the man with one eye on the island of the blind. In space he rules supreme."

Akane was tired of hearing this gender-swapping perverts praises being sung. "What about the Bentusi? They're actually part of their ships. Wouldn't they be mightier than Ranma?"

"Well I was only referring to our kind and those races that are on near equal standing, like the Taidan." Genma said. He sounded a little deflated. Akane smirked.

"So that's why Ranma led the recon petrol. He could use these ships systems far better than anyone else could." Soun felt better knowing he had solved one mystery if only a small one. "How long does it take to train some to use this system?"

"Not very long, only three months for most new recruits. Some of the older vets that we recruit take longer and rarely achieve the same level of harmony with the system that the young ones do. That's why a lot of the crew you see here is young by military standards." Genma explained.

Nabiki and Kasumi had found the lounge quite easily and where beginning to understand just how young the crew of the Senken was. There were nearly sixty occupants in the lounge right now and only seven of them were over thirty years in age.

"My this is a young crew" commented Kasumi.

"I hope this doesn't mean they have a high turnover rate." Nabiki said.

Kasumi turned to the nearest person at hand "Excuse could you tell is where Ukyo is? Ranma said we should find her while we waited."

"Sure, Ukyo is over there, near the center of the room. The one with brown hair in a ponytail." answered a young fighter pilot.

"Thank you very much" Kasumi replied politely.

As Nabiki and Kasumi headed towards Ukyo's table they noticed she seemed to be in a heated discussion with two young men, also seated at the table. Both men had short hair and similar builds. One man had light brown hair while the other had dark hair. Other than that was nothing particularly distinct about the two men. Ukyo had long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and handsome features. All three also appeared to be Ranma's age. As they approached one man said something to Ukyo and then gestured towards the two sisters. This caused Ukyo to whip her head around so fast that her hair hit one of her companions in the face.

Ukyo was mind was still in a state of disarray. She was about to loose her Ranchan to some girl she had never even heard of. Not only that but there were three potential candidates. If the first Tendo girl didn't work out there were still two more to try and win his hand. Ukyo new from experience that Ranma was hard to win over and that it would take a while for him to really be comfortable with the idea of being engaged no matter how well he acted. That wasn't the problem however, that his parents supported the engagement and would do their best to ensure its integrity was. As Ukyo looked over at the two approaching women her hopes dropped even more. Both were very attractive and moved a certain confidence despite being in a strange ship and just being attacked by the Taidan Empire merely an hour ago. That sort of confidence had to come from somewhere. All that made Ukyo feel like she was way out of her league.

"Hello." greeted the taller of the girls. Her hair was done in a simple ponytail that she wore over shoulder so that it fell down the side of her chest. She had quiet and friendly air about her. She seemed like a girl who would be nice no matter what was happening around her.

"You must be Ukyo. I'm Nabiki and this is my sister Kasumi. Ranma said we should look you up while he got ready to take us on a tour of the ship." She spoke with an assured confidence, as if she knew that no matter the situation, she would be in control of it. Ukyo's only consolation was that her attitude would take a beating after spending any time around Ranma. When Ranma was involved, nothing was in control.

"So where's the third potential fiancée?" Ukyo tried her best to keep the hostility out of her voice. She was pretty sure she failed when Nabiki looked her hard in the eye.

Still looking her in the eye Nabiki answered "Akane our youngest sister won't be taken into consideration for Ranma's future wife do to concerns of incompatibility." Nabiki was still looking Ukyo in the eyes and smiling slightly. "So who are your two friends here?" Nabiki already knew what she really needed to know about Ukyo. It was interesting; she hadn't foreseen any serious competition for the mystery Ranma's attentions. She had figured the Saotomes would have made sure that Ranma knew he was spoken for. Or maybe the Saotomes didn't know about Ukyo's feelings for Ranma. It made sense; Ranma didn't seem like to the type to send his future fiancée to meet his girlfriend. Nabiki wondered what Ukyo's actions would be. Ukyo didn't strike her as the type to give up easily.

Ukyo was caught a little off guard by the seemingly normal question. "Uh this is Hiroshi and that's Daisuke. They're pilots under Ranma's command."

"And two of his best buds. You can't forget that part Ukyo. No one looks out for Ranma quite like the two of us." Added Hiroshi.

"You mean no one makes as much money betting on Ranma as you two" Ukyo corrected.

"Hey it's just one of the perks of being close and personal buds with the Man. Only fools bet against Ranma." Hiroshi still hadn't lost the grin he had acquired after the Tendo sisters walked up to the table. "Oh and have seat, Ranma will probably be a while. He really likes his showers." he commented to Kasumi and Nabiki.

"Thank you" Kasumi was always pilot. Nabiki gave a short nod and a smile as she took her seat.

"At least Ranma likes to be clean. You two haven't even bothered to go anywhere near the showers." Ukyo said towards the two while wrinkling her nose as if catching a bad odor.

Daisuke quickly answered "Hey we have to go back out on Recon patrol again in half an hour. It just seemed like a waste of water to get clean than get dirty again in such a short while."

"I hope those cockpits don't smell too horribly bad." Kasumi remarked.

"Nah the cockpits hardly smell at all. A lot less than your normal air filled ones actually." Hiroshi said. Maybe he could get one of these girls interested in him. After all only one could be Ranma's wife (the lucky dog). Hiroshi turned his best smile towards the sisters.

"Not until you actually get out of them and have to smell yourself covered in that briny water right?" Nabiki could smell both pilots from across the table. The odor wasn't too unpleasant, just sort of strong.

"We should be going. They'll probably want us ready to go out early again. They're being cautious after we arrived only to find the Taidan here. That was a nasty surprise. Good thing the Senken always hyperspaces ready for combat." Daisuke knew what Hiroshi was up to, he also knew that the sisters were way out of either of their leagues.

"That's you're cue to leave Hiroshi. Get out of here or be prepared to listen to girl chat until Ranma arrives." Ukyo smirked. She knew what Hiroshi was up to, just as well Daisuke did.

Hiroshi got up with a look of mock horror on his face. "Oh no anything but that. I'd rather face a beast cruiser with nothing but a pointy stick first." Daisuke stood as well.

"It was a pleasure meeting the both you. One of you will make Ranma a very lucky man." with that the two pilots exited the lounge and headed towards the hangar. Nabiki managed to overhear Hiroshi comment to Daisuke as they walked away "how come Ranma always manages to get all the really good looking chicks?" To her it sounded like question that was asked almost out of habit, if not ritualistically. Nabiki found it amusing and let her smile show on her face, after all it wasn't as if the two pilots could see her right now.

"A pleasure meeting you as well even if it was only for a brief moment" Nabiki knew when to be polite. And these two she knew would be good to have on her side, regardless of what she decided her side would be. She turned back to Ukyo "So Ukyo, how long have you been with Senken? You seem pretty comfortable and everyone seems to know who you are."

"I've been here three years now. I fly strike craft, usually corvettes but sometimes fighter or missile ships when necessary." Ukyo answered

"That's unusually versatile. I thought most pilots concentrated on single craft and flew only that particular type." Kasumi was pretty sure that was how it worked, but she couldn't remember all of her military training, only what was necessary for command.

"That's one of things Commander Saotome doesn't like about the military. They focus too narrowly on one field at a time. A fighter is just a fighter, a missile ship just a missile ship. In the Senken everything and everyone is versatile." Ukyo decided to elaborate "Our missile frigate doubles as a minelayer as well drone frigate or a hive frigate if need be. The fighters we use also have plasma bomb technology that can be switched on in the middle of flight. You lose some speed and maneuverability but you get more firepower. Everyone here is expected to be able to pilot multiple ship types and fill a variety of roles within each ship type. Anyone assigned to a corvette is expected to be able to act as a both gunner and a pilot, just not both at once. If you're normally a gunner on a frigate ship or the Vengeance you're expected to be able to handle the turrets on a corvette as well."

"Doesn't that detract from your pilots efficiency, after all they have to learn so many systems and they can never truly master one of them." Nabiki didn't actually believe her own statement but she wanted to play devil's advocate just to see how Ukyo would react.

"Maybe in the military it does, but we have a different class of personnel here. Here the idea is that if you understand the limitations and strengths of each class of ship you're able to handle your own ship better because you know precisely what it's capable of." Ukyo loved to brag about the Senken. Being part of the best was an incredible feeling, especially when you among the best of the best.

"Still doesn't it take a long time to train everyone on all the different systems and how do you decide what everyone's position is?" Kasumi asked.

"Not as long as you would think and we don't teach everyone everything at once. Also when it comes to organization we have some pretty powerful computers to help us, and every one does have their particular specialties."

Nabiki decided it was time to dig some more dirt on Ranma. "And what is Ranma's specialty exactly?"

"Ranma, he doesn't have a specialty. He's incredible at everything." Ukyo had been warming up to these girls, until they had to ask about her Ranchan.

Nabiki sensed Ukyo starting to clam up a little and decided to try and diffuse the situation some. "Well speaking of Ranma, when he gets back do you want to help him give us a tour? You know fill us in on everything forgets."

Kasumi was quick to endorse the idea. "That would be very nice Ukyo. That is, if you have time? It would probably make Ranma less nervous as well. He's really hasn't had time to deal with the engagement." She liked Ukyo and could tell that Ukyo thought very highly of Ranma.

"Well okay." Ukyo answered. She wasn't too sure how to decline graciously. And as she thought about she realized that this way she could see Ranma's reaction to the girls as well.

"It's settled than. Now all we need to do is wait for Ranma to show up." Nabiki smiled at Ukyo. She'd see just how deep Ranma's and Ukyo's feelings ran for each other.

Authors Note. I know it's been slow and a little dry but I promise to get into the actual plot a bit more in the next chapter. Please have patience, as I am not a fast and have also restarted classes.