Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Autumn of Life ❯ Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Sand billowed about as far as the crowd could see. It didn't matter. They still came for the games, sandstorm or no. The permanent stone platform spread wide across the dry lakebed was littered with jesters and prospective combatants. Thronging the playing field on all four sides, the people in all manner of dress and disposition gathered to view the carnage and make their bets.

"Next fight! Next fight" The crowd chanted in unison between the puffs of wind born sand. The scattering of contestants and entertainers disbursed from the playing field leaving only two figures standing.

One creature stood at least eight feet tall. His body was covered with bits and pieces of mismatched and corroded body armor. His alien features resembled a mix between the dull, dimwitted countenance of an ape and the slow, deliberate face of a camel. Most of his height consisted of a long, sinewy torso with equally long arms which extended almost to the ground. On each of his fur covered hands, were four gnarled fingers. By comparison to the rest of his body, the animal's legs were disproportionately short, causing him to lumber about the battle field. However, the camel-man carried on his back at least five wooden spears with gray metal tips-dispelling any first impression that he was an oaf, despite his appearance. In each of his hands he held a long sword. The creature's superior upper body strength allowed him to exorcise the use of both arms in a way to maneuver these huge weapons as if they were light daggers. He snorted as he faced his opponent.

"Hey! I want my money back! This fight is not fairly matched!" A dirty man yelled from the bleachers. He was referring to the diminutive size of the camel-man's opponent.

The second combatant stood calmly facing camel-man. He too, was covered in a hodge-podge of mismatched armor. He stood a little over five feet tall and what skin was showing through his battered armor, was definitely not covered with fur. The second warriors face was covered by an ornate metal mask which was hardly as threatening as the beast before him. The intricate metal working of this covering gave the illusion of a demon yelling and this gladiator carried a single sword, a metal long sword with a golden hilt.

"You gonna die!" The camel-man screamed as he lunged toward the other opponent. The shorter man stood calmly and waited for his advance. The beast raised one sword and then the next to pummel his foe with successive slices of the grimy blades.

Instead of dodging this assault, the other warrior calmly countered each strike by deflecting with his own sword in movements so quick, they stunned the camel-man. Not daunted, the creature spun around, flailing the swords in an attempt to slice his opponent. Again, the man neither flinched nor moved, but deflected the blows. He let out of sigh of boredom as the camel-man stepped back to reassess his method of attack. He decided that the double barrel long swords were not intimidating this little man, so, better use his weapon of choice-a long spear. He dropped the swords and grabbed a spear. Camel-man grinned, showing rows of blackened teeth and he set off in a jot toward the other warrior.

The two met again in close combat. Camel-man jabbed unsuccessfully at the smaller man's mid section, each blow deflected easily. On the fifth or sixth attempt, the small man grabbed the end of the spear with his left hand. The lumbering giant pulled and tugged but could not get it loose from the other man's grasp. He let go and reached back to grab another spear. As he did, a strange sensation flew over his body, the sensation of falling backwards as his opponent used his own spear to knock him off his feet. In an instant, the smaller creature was standing upon camel-man's chest, holding his own spear on his throat. The warrior smiled and sheathed his golden sword and then resumed his grip upon the spear held on camel-man's throat.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The crowd chanted. The smaller warrior raised his gaze toward the throngs of chanting observers.

"Finish him! OOOOOh boy! I'm rich!" Yelled the same dirty man.

The warrior turned his face toward his fallen opponent and smiled…then drove the spear through camel-man's throat. The fallen creature let out a quiet moan and then gurgled slightly as he expired. The winner ripped the spear out and flung it aside-leaving a trickle of green blood as it flew. The man slowly walked off the body of camel-man and calmly exited the battle field.

"Rich! Rich! I tell you! You have made me rich!" A pudgy man wearing a dirty robe rushed to the winner's side. "You are my lucky charm, little man!"

"Luck had nothing to do with this….that guy was right, it was a mismatched fight. That oaf had no skill or technique." He removed his gloves and sat down on a bench to remove some of his grimy armor. "Really Gento, If you want me to improve, like you say, you are going to have to give me something worthy to fight…..I could have won that fight unconscious!"

"Calm down, calm down, my boy….we have a new match next week. Some fresh meat and from what I hear, some really tough ones too. Oh, my boy! You are worth every penny I've spent for you! Let's get back to the compound. I want to train you some more before the days out." He bundled up the warror's armor and ushered the man to leave with him.

"Train? After fighting all day?"

"Don't back talk me," he smiled, "remember, I have the key to that thing you wear."

"Yes, you do." The man fingered his mask. It was a necessary burden: it kept the wondering eyes from knowing he was terribly different; and it also kept Gento's position as his master. The warrior strained to remember just how this had all come to be, how he had become the greatest Krta gladiator in the land quadrant. He pondered upon Gento for a moment. He never could get used to his strange appearance. He was short, to begin with, and his face carried a deceivingly pleasant expression at all times. It was this false façade that led the man to believe that he would be a kindly master when Gento purchased him so long ago. He shrugged and followed him out of the stadium.

He ached to remove the mask. The warrior had long grown used to relieving his itches by contorting his facial muscles. He also longed to rid himself of the metal buckle which constantly dug into his scalp. Weekly, Gento allowed him to remove the mask in seclusion, after the household servants had left, so that he could bathe. In retrospect, that was pretty humane of the old man, considering most Mgnis or strong arm owners, never removed their warriors masks in an effort to toughen or "mean" them up. Heck, most Mgnis only fed their wards raw meat and blood too, so in that sense, this warrior was pretty pampered. Gento was about the wealthiest man in the sector. His household lacked for nothing and in this land where water was scarce, he had full service hot springs and wading pools at his family's disposal.

"Tak!" Gento's voice boomed from down the marble hallway.

"Coming!" The warrior replied. He always felt slighted at his given name. Tak, was an indigenous word for what he was, a strong arm warrior. Gento never bothered to give him a proper name, a name like Dag the wicked, or Meliton the Bloody. Other warriors had such names, but his, his always would be plain old Tak. "Oh, well," he thought, "at least no one else in this household has that name….not until I'm killed in competition."

***

Ryoko exhaled violently. She was not about to let up. Not now, not ever. She, the greatest space pirate in the universe would win, she always did….well, except for that one time….700 years ago.

"NO WAY! You cheated!" She snarled and slammed her fists down on the chess board, causing all the pieces to scatter to the floor. A slightly confused Mihoshi blinked wide eyed at the opposite end of the board.

"No, Ryoko, I didn't. You just missed at least two, no three opportunities to put me in check. So, I was able to maneuver my rook…"

"Stop it!" She raged. "There is no way you could have beat me!"

"Ryoko, I…"

"Actually, little Ryoko, you did miss three chances to take her out, you can review the game on the monitor, if you like. I'm saving it for posterity, you know!" Washu chimed in.

"Can it…..moooommm!" The pirate left the bubbly blonde and red haired child and went to gaze out into space.

"Good job, Mihoshi!" Sasami winked.

"Oh, these Earth games are fun! I love chess, and checkers, and Parcheesi, and poker…"

"Poker, eh?" Washu raised her eyebrow.

"Sasami, we will orbit the planet in the morning, you need to go to bed." Ayeka strolled into the command room of Ryo-Ohki.

"But, Ayeka!" The child complained.

"No buts! Remember, you agreed to keep your earth bedtime in exchange for your coming with us."

"Oh, alright, but I don't have to like it!" She trudged toward far wall. "Good night everybody….good night Ryo-Ohki." The little girl stood before a blank wall. Suddenly, a black portal emerged and she walked into it. As soon as she was gone, the portal disappeared.

"Miya!" Ryo-Oki answered.

"Washu, Mihoshi, this planet, is it part of the Jurai confederation?" Ayeka turned toward the others.

"Well, let me see….." Mihoshi twisted her Galaxy Police issue bracelet and a holographic screen appeared she read out loud. "Planet A-34zb. Nitrogen/Oxygen atmosphere. Mostly an aquatic environment…..Ayeka, it says that there are several GP undercover envoys there, but it is considered too underdeveloped to become part of the alliance of planets…..like Earth!"

"They know you're here don't they?" Ryoko asked.

"Well, I asked the commander if I could patrol this sector for Tenchi once more time. He said I could investigate. I guess they don't know I'm actually going to investigate on the planet, but they don't know I'm not gonna do it either, so it works out both ways…."

"Huh?" Washu pondered.

"So, you basically LIED to `em?" The pirate smirked.

"Oh, no! How could you say that? I LOVE my job. I told my commander exactly what we were doing, he just doesn't listen to EVERYTHING I say……I can't help that…" Mihoshi giggled.

"Hmmmmm, not so dim after all, eh Ryoko?" Washu winked.

***

She was having that dream….again. This time, she was not so little. Sasami walked upon a dark floor of glass and she took ginger baby steps just to be careful. The room was also cloaked in darkness, not a single thread of light gave her any comfort as she slowly crept across the glass floor. Suddenly, the floor gave way with a sickening crack. The young girl fell through the glass, cutting her leg and back in the process. Wack! This was the sickening sound produced as her body made contact with the ground a great distance below. Again, the child lay dying in an ever growing pool of her own blood and her pitiful gaze came to rest upon her kind friend, Tenchi.

"Tenchi! Don't leave me this time….." She uttered.

The boy knelt and reached for her. Sasami didn't bother to return his gesture, but stared into his chocolate brown eyes and pleaded for the events to go differently than deep in her heart she knew they would transpire. Her heart was correct. Slowly, the large female hand wrapped its fingers around the boy's body and drug him quietly off into the darkness.

"Tokimi!" She screamed and sat straight up in her bed.

***

A great distance away from the alien women, a tremendous battle raged on a dusty planet. The Mgnis of the land quadrant had united their strong arm men, well, the ones Tak had not killed, into a great fighting squadron to hold a staged battle against the Mgnis of the mountain quadrant. This battle was held every rain festival to determine control of the wells to the north. Control of the water had caused great uprisings for thousands of years. Somewhere along the lines of history, someone concluded that it was better to engage your slaves in battle than risk your own neck, so the rain festival competitions were created.

The squadron consisted of about one thousand, tough, growling creatures in all shapes, sizes, and intelligence. Because Tak had become somewhat a minor marvel in the regular games, he quickly rose among the ranks of the land quadrant strong arms. Although he was far from the ranks of the actual leaders, his position in the onslaught was far back from the first wave of infantry. He griped the golden sword Gento gave him tightly, and his heart thumped violently-the man grew quite anxious for the fight. The thrill of hand to hand combat actually invigorated him. He remembered being trained by Gento's other warriors and how they were amazed at his skill. He soon surpassed his trainers so, Gento had to purchase the expertise of professional strong arm handlers. Under the tutelage of Mitir, a former strong arm, Tak's skill as a fighter grew as did his friendship with the beast, a camel-man himself.

The boy smirked beneath his metal war mask as the guttural vocalizations of his squadron's battle cry echoed through the dusty valley. They were now engaged in battle with the Mountain people.

"Stay back! Stay back!" Tak reminded his men as the first wave of land people rushed to the battlefield. The scene before him consisted of whirls of stirred up sand and dust with beautiful sparkles here and there from the sun reflecting off thousands of swords and spears. He could see that the mountain people were gaining ground, his men were being pushed back. "Alright! Go!"

With a rush of wind and the roar of lions, his group raged upon the mountain fighters. Tak met three men at once, initially, and with one fell swoop of his sword, each man lost a body part. The boy smiled as they fell and wiped their blood from his face. He marveled on just how happy the carnage mad him feel. At first, his stomach turned when Gento took him to the competitions and he saw just how brutal a thing he had to look forward to. Death concluded each match-no winner would be announced unless one combatant lies dead. Tak couldn't understand his first feelings of apprehension and disgust over the brutality of the games. However, these feelings soon left him as he took on the role as Gento's strong arm. His first kill was in practice session with a neighbor's tak. The creature was vicious, barely above an animal. Tak remembered the fighter could have been only one step up from a reptile, his resemblance to a lizard was that similar. The beast was so violent, his Mgni had to keep him on a chain. They released him into the fighting pit in Gento's courtyard and as soon as his slimy feet made contact with the ground, he lunged for Tak's throat with razor sharp claws. Tak did not have the golden sword way back then, he had a lesser metal one that was barely able to stave off the attack of the green beast. The reptile man grew fond of striking Tak below the belt, this tactic almost gave him victory over the masked boy. Severely beaten and wondering just how he could make a come back, Tak felt a surge of energy and he threw himself into battle as never before. From this point on, the beast never had a chance. Tak thrust his sword into the creature's heart. The warrior smiled wickedly as warm red blood gushed upon his hand and rolled down his forearm. Gento was laughing. The whole household cheered his victory. And somewhere, somewhere way, way in the distance, Tak could hear the laughter of a woman-a woman whose voice and laughter he had heard once before…long…long ago.

"Foreign scum!"

A mountain beast's sword clanged upon his armor, jolting young Tak from his daydream. He was surrounded by the enemy.

"Oh yeah!" He thought. This was the feeling he loved - the feeling of fear in himself before he unleashed his power upon them. He whirled around slicing through several behind him. He took a run toward a monster he had just struck who was standing there dumbfounded and without the realization that he was dead yet. Tak ran up the creature's body and flipped his own small form over high in the air. As he did, the fighters who were lunging at him from behind ran smack into their stunned comrade, spearing him in the process. Tak landed behind them and with quick consecutive motions, he struck them, leaving their bodies to fall to the ground. The boy smiled. He felt strong. He felt sort of free. He felt extremely powerful. Nothing could stop him. Nothing. Nothing, but the hilt of an enemy sword striking the back of his head. Everything went black.

***

"Are we ready? Does everyone have your swimsuits?" Washu asked as the girls assembled on the bridge of Ryo-Ohki. "Remember, when this cabbit lands she will get antsy to transform back…we won't have long to transport out of her."

"C'mon, Washu, I want to go to the beach!" Ryoko wailed.

"I'm ready," Sasami rubbed her eyes and yawned. She had not gotten much sleep in her little subspace room, not even after Ayeka had joined her. She longed to tell her about her dream, but stopped confiding in her sister long ago. Her dreams of Tenchi frightened Ayeka, so the child held it in to save her sister's feelings.

"Me too!" Mihoshi appeared clad in a skimpy string bikini.

"Mihoshi! Put some clothes on! We're going to get something to eat first…and this planet people may not be like we are used to!" Ayeka reminded.

"Oh, alright." The blonde took a shirt out of her bag and began to dress.

"She's right, you know." Washu fingered the keys on her floating laptop and a holographic projection of the planet below appeared before them.

"These people are definitely humanoid types so we should fit in quite nicely. I've also isolated fragments of Clay's ship off the coast, that's where we will start investigating. It is possible, although highly unlikely that Tenchi, if he survived, could have assimilated into this planet's population. I've got copies of his bio scans for each of you." She handed out a small button in the shape of a red crab. "This will measure the faintest trace of Tenchi's bio-chemical make up."

"A Tenchi detector?" Asked Ryoko.

"Well, if you want to put it that way. Just stow that pin on you somewhere, it will beep when it detects him." She sighed as the girls put the tiny badges on. "My surveillance tells me that the debris from Clay's ship are underwater, so, Ryoko, after we eat, I'm afraid you'll be the underwater recovery team, are you up to it?"

"Are you joking?" Ryoko smiled.

"Good. Once Ryo-Ohki rests up, we can observe from inside her and back you up. Ok, landing sequences are starting. Oh, and ladies?"

The girls looked quizzically at the scientist.

"Stay out of trouble."

***

His body rest upon a ground of blackness and dark. He was bleeding profusely. The loss of blood made him shiver in the silence.

"So…this is it?" He muttered. He knew that death was inevitable, Krta fighters rarely lived into their thirties, save for a select few who win their freedom in the grand game held once every ten years….like his trainer Mitir. So, although he planned to make it to the big event in a month, being killed in battle was not a surprise, a disappointment, but somewhat expected. Tak could not feel his extremities so without any pain, he waited for the long sleep to overtake him.

"I almost lost you…..again."

"That voice?" He thought. "I've heard that voice….before…."

"She's lost her hold on you, finally, my child." The bearer of the voice came into his blurry field of vision. He still could not make out her face but she glowed with divinity. Pale blue light enveloped her form and he could make out a beautiful smile upon the goddess's face and her lovely eyes.

"Who?" He asked. Tak realized that he was no longer on the bloody field of battle, but he was resting in some sort of cramped cockpit of a tiny craft. He lowered his eyes in the dim light and could see more clearly the red streaks of blood flowing down his left side to the floor. Suddenly, the door of the craft exploded outward revealing the dim light of a desert sandstorm. The wind roared and howled through the tiny opening. Tak raised his right arm to his face to shield his nose from the debris entering the craft.

"Shhhhhhh." The Goddess spoke. Her form enveloped the entire entrance of the craft. "Don't talk….." She leaned in closer, and closer until their faces were inches apart. "My gift….to you….." She kissed him gently.

His head reeled from the touch of the beautiful goddess. His senses ignited and he longed to grasp her in a warm embrace fueled by the passion of the kiss. However, his arms did not cooperate with his will, he still could not move. Something was happening within his body. He no longer felt at the brink of death, he felt stronger, increasingly invigorated and with each of his breathes, more alive.

"Tenchi……." She whispered and withdrew, smiling as she retreated.

"Who? Is that your name? Wait, Wait, don't leave me!" He leapt up to follow her outside in the sandstorm, but his foot was caught on a strap of the seatbelt and he fell flat on his face half in and half out of the escape pod. He watched as the goddess laughed….the same laugh he heard as he defeated the reptilian warrior in Gento's pit. He managed to stand up and run toward her, his arm outreached to grasp her. She faded away into the storm. The boy was left alone, once again, enveloped in a storm of sand.

"Get up!"

"Hmmm?" Tak moaned.

"Get up retch!" Gento screamed.

"Wha?"

"We lost! We lost the water! You had to go and get knocked out, just when they were retreating!" He pulled the boy up by his collar. "I also lost all my bets on you! I'm not sure how to recover my losses….maybe I should put you to work digging a well instead of putting you in the grand tournament!"

"No!" Tak was fully awakened by his master's last remark. "It is my right as a Krta! You can't take that from me, Gento!" He roughly removed the old man's pudgy fingers from his collar.

"You forget! You always forget!" Gento pulled from beneath the collar of his tunic a golden chain. Dangling from the end of the chain rested a dirty metallic pendant in the shape of a half moon. This pendant was the same muted red and blue tones as that of the demon mask Tak wore. Gento snarled and grasped the pendant in his grayish hands. It began to glow and with it glowed the mask upon the boy's face.

"Ahhh!" He screamed as the heat grew more and more intense. This was how the Mgnis controlled their strong arms, the only thing most the warriors understood was pain. "Ok!" He roared. "Stop!" He panted as the heat subsided and cringed at the thought of the small burns that would surely be upon his cheeks and nose.

"Good. Now pick up your things and let's get home." The boy slowly followed the man off the battlefield, stepping over bodies and pieces of fallen armor as they left.

Following his master, Tak could not help but wonder about the dream. It wasn't the first time he had dreamt of the beautiful goddess. He remembered that day, it was the first day of his life on this planet-the life of a Krta warrior. He could not remember a single moment in his life prior to that fateful day.

The two beaten men walked through the streets of their shabby town. Tak carried his own gear as well as Gento's belongings. Neither spoke. The warrior knew that they had lost the wells, which meant the town and most of the land quadrant would have to purchase water from the Mountain quadrant, therefore a huge fraction of their own revenue from water sales that no longer existed.

"Scum!" Someone yelled in his direction and flung a rock which deflected from his mask.

"I'm not the only one you let down."

"I'm sorry…." He lowered his head, not wanting to meet the gaze of the townspeople. Tak also noticed other warriors returning behind their Mgnis carrying the same sad disposition. Some walked behind their masters and some were carried on stretchers. He felt bad for the wounded ones. Tak knew that if they didn't heal quickly, they'd be sold probably for practice fodder for health combatants. Or worse, they'd be branded and released into the population. These homeless but free Krta's littered the alleyways begging. They were shunned by the free folk. A fate he considered much worse than dying in battle.

"I'm sending for Mitir, your training will resume in the morning. Reflect on how you were defeated." With that, Gento slammed the door to Tak's room, locking it.

"Ahhhh!" Tak yelled in frustration. He stormed over to his bed, basically a heap of cushions with a rough brown blanket. The boy plopped down and held his masked head in his weary hands. "Damn this thing!" He fingered the edges harshly, knowing that he could not take it off. He turned his gaze to his little window, through the metal bars, the triplet moons shown like a bright beacon of hope. Three moons. Tak had heard stories that the second moon was not actually a moon, but a planet. It was indeed larger than the rest, and he could see wisps of blue water on its surface. So much water. He wondered why the people of this backward planet never sought to leave its soil for the moon of water.

Escape. That thought wafted through his mind every night. He had planned to escape but always ran into the same problem-the mask. He simply could not bear the pain its key caused. He envisioned escaping during one of the rare times he was allowed to remove the mask to bathe, but Gento always made sure he was shackled in some way. Secretly, he had been practicing flexing his muscles in ways to make his limbs seem wider, so when the shackles were placed upon him, he might be able to wiggle free. There existed other problems to this plan. He didn't look like any of the free people. Hell, he didn't look like any of the Krtas he had seen without their masks. His different face and small stature would surely stick out like a sore thumb ensuring he wouldn't get very far from Gento.

"Oh, well." He sighed. At least he had some comforts until he could control his situation. And the killing. He had grown to enjoy the competitions and the killing immensely. That used to bother him, but now it thrilled him. Tak figured that he might as well go with the flow and enjoy the adrenaline pumping carnage his adept hands could create. He smiled. Someday, yes, someday, soon, he would get his chance with Gento. That thought carried him through each of the bad times. And there was always the grand tournament. If he won that, his freedom would be assured and he was certain to be victorious.

***

Ryo-Ohki transported her passengers quietly on a remote part of the sandy beach of the water planet. Once her friends had safely landed upon the hot white sand, she transformed herself back into animal form. The ladies took a moment to survey their surroundings. It was early, and thankfully, no one saw them appear on that tropical beach. They could see white sand for miles up and down the coast and pale blue water gently lapped upon the shore. A few inhabitants strolled along wearing swimsuits and some had just arrived to lay out their beach towels. To the girl's amazement, the people of this world appeared similar to themselves. They would blend in nicely.

"Ok folks! Here we are!" Washu adjusted her pink T-Shirt and addressed the group. "Everybody ready?"

"Miya!" Ryo-Ohki, now in cabbit form hopped into the arms of smiling little Sasami, who also wore a soft T-shirt in a pale green color.

"I'm hungry!" Sasami answered, placing Ryo-Okhi upon her head in the usual fashion she carried the little creature.

"Yeah, we need breakfast!" Ryoko slung a backpack over her shoulder and adjusted the straps. She wore pale blue denim cutoffs and a very tight red tank top.

"If I don't get something to eat….I think I'm going to die!" Mihoshi wailed.

"If you must, but I would rather get on with our search…." Ayeka trailed off, knowing that the appetites of her companions would win over her own desires.

"There! There's a food stand!" Sasami took off in a trot toward a small building on the beach. "Sir! Sir! Do you have miso soup?"

The large man behind the counter of the food stand scratched his head as he regarded the blue-haired child with the furry brown animal perched between her two pig tails.

"Never heard of that, missy. I can make you a delvian delight? Pretty hearty for breakfast." He gathered up some odd ingredients and waited for her response.

"Sister! I need some money!" Sasami yelled as Ayeka approached trying to catch her breath.

"That will be four genos." He smiled and held out his hand.

"Do you accept Juraian currency?"

"What?"

"Let me handle this….." Washu stepped up to the perplexed man. "Kind sir, I'm a collector of rare genos, a friend of mine said he swore he saw a very valuable collectible coin inadvertently given to you yesterday, do you mind if I check?" She blinked her green eyes adoringly.

"That's odd, little girl. Does your mommy want to buy it from me if I have it?" He motioned toward Ayeka. Ryoko held her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter at the vendor's insinuation that Ayeka was Washu's mother.

"Mommy?" Washu turned to Ayeka.

"OOOOOO! Yes dear!"

"Well, I don't see the harm, I'll help you…." He pulled out his register drawer and sifted through the coins.

"Oh! Can I see? Can I see?" Washu pleaded as the vendor handed her a coin. She regarded it quickly and gave it back. "Nope, none of these are the good one….I'm sorry. Mommy, why don't you and the others order breakfast and me and Grandma will get the money." She strolled over to Ryoko and drug her aside by her arm.

"Grandma!" The pirate snarled as Washu led them outside the vendor's view.

"Sure! I think we all want a delvian delight, and…." Mihoshi piped in and the vendor wrote down the orders.

"Washu!" Ryoko whispered. "How are we going to pay for this?"

"Just a sec." The scientist snapped her fingers and her holo computer appeared. She typed some calculations and suddenly a small black portal emerged. Washu held out her hand and a small brown sack materialized from the portal and landed in her palm. She snapped her fingers again and both the portal and the computer disappeared. "There! Indigenous money!" She opened the bag to reveal the sparkle of brand, new, genos.

"Washu……counterfeiter. I'm impressed." The pirate winked.

"Well, the Royal Science Academy is not free, you know. Tuition had to come from somewhere."

After paying for their meal, the ladies sat under a cool covered patio of the vendor. The food was exotic, but very tasty, so tasty Ryoko and Mihoshi had seconds and thirds.

"Well, that does it for me!" Ryoko patted her full stomach. "Who's ready for some snorkeling?"

"Meowwww?" Questioned Ryo-Oki.

"It won't take Ryoko long to survey the debris….here…" Another black portal appeared and the child put her hand into it and retrieved a small device. "This will help you locate it, then you just need to dive for it. Want a flashlight?"

"I've got all the light I need." Ryoko curled her hand and a tiny spark of energy formed into a glowing ball.

"Okie Dokie." Well be here if you need us, just call me." She tapped her head, referring to their mental link.

Ryoko stood up and smiled. She then stepped out of her shorts and removed her t-shirt to reveal a black swimsuit. She levitated and turned to leave.

"Ryoko!" Washu reprimanded. "Don't fly until you get out of sight!"

"Oh, crap! You want me to swim?"

"Just a ways….we don't want you on the news, you know!"

"Fine!" She lowered herself down and strolled toward the water.

"Will she be alright?" Sasami asked.

"Of course, you know that demon doesn't need air to live." Ayeka winked.

"Wow! Look at those guys fighting!" Mihoshi mumbled and pointed toward the television mounted on the vendor's wall. "That looks horrible."

"Hmmm?" Ayeka answered as they all regarded the news program on the TV.

`Centuries of fighting slaves murdered in battle, a backwards land of sand and evil…..this is sister moon Thea. Our undercover news crews have sent back some footage of yesturday's battle, Tom?'

`What we are going to show you is not intended for younger viewers and may be disturbing. For hundreds of years, Theans have trained and kept slaves to fight their battles. Such inhumane treatment. What we are showing is footage from a battle for rights to their only water supply.'

On the screen a battle played out. Huge beasts with armor and some wearing masks screamed as they clashed.

`Missionaries and delegates have tried to convert the Theans toward peaceful solutions, but sadly we've not made a dent in banishing this barbaric practice. Milly?'

"How horrible." Mishoshi sighed.

"hmmmmm." Replied Washu.