Urusei Yatsura Fan Fiction ❯ The Senior Year ❯ Great Father Ataru Stage Ten: Revelations ( Chapter 64 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

"Computer, run the message received here on Day 115, Sixth Igh, Second Fung,
Eighty-third Daigh, Fifth Matagh."

Shinobu reclines on her bed as the holoscreen deactivates, then projects
Lum's image from Ataru's bedroom. "Hi, Shinobu," the Oni smiles. "By the
time you see this, I'll be on Uru. I...I'm going to be busy for the next
while, what with helping the Alliance implement the referendum. So much is
still unsure. I..." Lum pauses, her voice breaking.

Tears of exasperation and shame flow down her cheek as she gazes at the
camera. "Those words Yethis and his friends spoke have filled me with such
shame. Everything I believed in for so long is...worthless...hollow. Every
time I look at Darling I shudder at the thought of what could've happened to
him...to all of us!"

Silence, then Lum bows. "Therefore, I ask you...to become Darling's
bond-mate," she gazes at her audience. "You say there's nothing further to
concern ourselves with, that all will be well. My sense of honour forbids me
from accepting that until all possible or probable threats which could come
from Uru are eliminated. Darling fought so long and so hard for us. I must
do the same. Please, Shinobu...watch him. I love you both...and if the worst
happens, I know you'll be happy together. Take care."


The message ends. "*Further request?*" the computer inquires.

"No. End of message," Shinobu sighs.

Silence falls as the nursing assistant gazes at the deckhead. Outside
of taking lessons from a horde of doctors and nurses, Shinobu exercised her
new powers with the help of Mie and Makoto. Now, she had quite the decision
before her. What was wrong?! True, Lum had been lied to, used by so many for
their own ends. That she recognized it was a good sign. But to fly into the
lion's den without her friends was madness. Only the "Hasei'cha" was over
Uru; Lum had returned without Noa, which hurt the *ashi'cha* a lot. It was as
if Lum was isolating herself from every person she had touched, fearing that
continued contact would exacerbate the damage.

"Damn, Lum, why are you doing this...?" Shinobu mutters...

* * *

Urusei Yatsura - Great Father Ataru: "Stage Ten: Revelations"

by Fred Herriot
**** **** ****
With thanks to Philip Gavigan for a plot suggestion
**** **** ****
Edited by E.B. Kushnir
**** **** ****
Forty-ninth of a series of fanfiction stories based on "Urusei Yatsura"
created by Rumiko Takahashi
**** **** ****

WRITER'S NOTES:

1) The Sagussan calendar year has 420 *hi* (days), each the equivalent of
20 hours, 54 minutes. Each *hi* is composed of ten *igh* (2 hours, 5 minutes,
24 seconds). Each *igh* is composed of ten *fung* (12 minutes, 32.4 seconds).
Each *fung* is composed of one hundred *daigh* (7.524 seconds), those in turn
split into ten *matagh* (0.7524 seconds). The date and time on Sagussa would
be read as follows: 1-ATARU'CHA-001.115.6.2.83.5 ("First age of Ataru'cha,
Year One, Day 115, Sixth Igh, Second Fung, Eighty-third Daigh, Fifth Matagh").

2) Part of this story is inspired by a short side-story Philip wrote called
"First Impressions," which served as a reunion of sorts for the Miyaki family
sometime after Ataru and Shinobu bonded. Thanks, Philip!

**** **** ****

The red disc of Mars floats past the "Ossa'cha's" bridge viewports as
Christine Yama takes in the breathtaking view of Earth's closest planetary
neighbour. The Sagussan cruiser, an eight-kilometre long stork-shaped warship
bristling with enough weapons to put her in the Gatherer's class of firepower,
had been assigned to Earth sovereignty patrol two weeks before, shortly after
that incident between Ataru and cybernetically-augmented Mikado Marines bent
on avenging their slain dictator. The reporter cherished every chance she
obtained to get close to the Sagussans; her reports about those people had
helped make the Earth-Sagussa Treaty a reality.

Not that Earth needed much in the way of protection, Christine felt.
Having established some contacts with INN after the Colony Four incident, she
learned that most races expressing interest in her homeworld were now cooling
their heels, unwilling to provoke the Sagussans further. Christine felt
relief; she doubted Tomobiki, home to her fiance's clan, could continue to
take the pressure. Either Earth relaxed Resolution 444 to allow other Terrans
contact with extraterrestrials, or the United Nations made it a total ban.

A hand slides onto her shoulders. Christine sighs as she leans into
Kuzo Murakami's side, allowing the doctor to embrace the reporter. "Ever
thought you'd come out this way?" she wonders.

"Actually, given my familial relations, my chances matched yours," he
gently kisses her on the earlobe. "But, it is a beautiful view," he sighs,
gazing as the mound of volcanic rock known as Olympus Mons, the solar system's
highest mountain, passes to starboard.

"Yeah!" Christine sighs.

"Shipmistress on the bridge!" the duty watchmistress announces.

Christine and Kuzo watch as Ranma relaxes in the command chair.
"Report," the recently promoted pigtailed shipmistress stares at the duty
datapadd beside her chair.

"Ma'am, Sergei Ivanovich reports the surface explorers are ready to be
deployed to the surface," the watchmistress/combat officer reports. "I've
already informed Flightmistress Oksana to have the Gladiators on standby to
take them down once Vladimir Aleksandrovich has certified their readiness."

"Thanks," Ranma relaxes, then notices the couple. "Enjoying the view?"

"Yes, you bet," Christine smiles as the shipmistress joins them. "I
just hope the family enjoys it when they arrive."

"That reminds me," Ranma turns to the duty officer. "When's Shuttle
One-zero-one due?"

Echoing the shipmistress' question is the tan bulk of the warpshuttle in
question sliding alongside the "Ossa'cha." A transporter beam teleports in
Ataru and Shinobu. The watchmistress calls the bridge to attention. "Welcome
aboard, you two," Ranma smiles as she embraces the arriving couple.

"Thanks, Ranma...Christine! Kuzo-chan!!" Shinobu beams as she embraces
her cousin and future cousin-in-law.

"Hi, Shinobu-chan!" Kuzo smiles as he returns her embrace, then gazes at
the uniform. "Since when did you start wearing this?!"

"Oh, since I was allowed to work on Sagussa as a nursing assistant,"
Shinobu twirls around to show off her jumpsuit. "I still find it hard to
believe that people on Sagussa have welcomed me to live with them."

"Good for you," Christine smiles. "Be careful, Shinobu. I might be
tempted to ask for an interview with you."

"Well, I wouldn't mind it," Shinobu slips her arm around Ataru's as he
walks up. "Who knows, Kuzo-chan. After I'm finished training on Sagussa, I
could come help you do your research work on the Kinshasa Highway."

"With their medical prowess, I'd hire you on the spot," Kuzo admits,
then turns to Ranma. "Um, Ranma, I hope the crew doesn't mind, but I'm really
not interested in going to bed with any of you, even if it's to have children.
Olga made a pass at me when we were in sickbay discussing AIDS pathology."

Ranma looks repentant. "Sorry about that, Kuzo. You should know we're
mentally primed to seek out good genetic stock...and in my humble opinion, you
would rate as the cream of the crop. Keep it in mind if you ever come aboard
a Sagussan ship again."

"I'll try," Kuzo perspires as Ataru and Shinobu titter.

Ranma returns to her station as Warpshuttle 101 returns to Sagussa,
replaced by the courier assigned to the Republic's Earth embassy. Another
transporter beam produces a deceptively frail eighty-year old in an ice blue
kimono decorated with doves. Her brown eyes, more befitting someone who loved
to control her situation, are wide with panic as she feels herself, ensuring
all the parts are present. "Am I still alive?" she wonders.

"Grandma!!" Shinobu walks over to embrace her. "How are you?!"

Ebi Miyaki jolts on seeing her granddaughter, then she embraces her.
"Oh, Shinobu, my sweet, NORMAL child!!! Thank the gods you're here to talk me
out of this madness...eh?!" She pauses, looking down at Shinobu's revealing
jumpsuit. "Shinobu!!! What sort of rag is that?!!"

Shinobu sighs. "Grandma, I'm now apprenticing as a nurse on Sagussa.
This is the proper uniform a nursing assistant wears."

"This...this...this is a harlot's clothes!!" Ebi exclaims. "Shinobu,
how could you present yourself to your family dressed like this?!!"

The Sagussans on the bridge gaze insultedly at their elderly visitor,
some also appearing sympathetic for Shinobu. "Where did Shinobu find THAT
sociological Neanderthal?!" the duty watchmistress hisses to Ranma.

"Sophia, get Nodoka up here with her sidearm," the shipmistress orders.

"Aye, ma'am!"

Another courier arrives, beaming in Shinobu's parents. "Mom, Dad!!" she
cries out, embracing them. "You're here!"

"Hello, Shinobu-chan!" Kimiki smiles, then notices her uniform. "Um,
when did this happen?!"

"I was invited to live on Sagussa," Shinobu blushes. "I'm sorry I
didn't tell you when Ju-chan and I visited the house earlier. Adjusting to
being a Sagussan takes a lot out of someone."

Ebi gasps. "You mean to say you're...you're actually one of them?!!"
she exclaims, pointing at the bridge's occupants, then spins on Kimiki.
"Kimiki, how could you let this happen to your poor, suffering daughter?!!"

"Mother, Shinobu-chan was very badly hurt when they found Junba-chan on
Colony Seventy-one two weeks ago," Kimiki's voice drips scorn, reminding Ataru
of the many spats between Kinshou and Nagaiwakai. "The Sagussans regenerated
her. While they were doing that, they asked her very kindly if she'd want to
experience what Lum and Ataru have experienced. Shinobu said 'yes.'"

"What?!!" Ebi gasps, then spins on Ataru. "You!!! This is all your
fault, you trouble-making scoundrel!!! You can't leave my poor Shinobu-chan
alone, can't you?!! After making her suffer for all those years, you can't
make her suffer enough, can't you...?!!"

The doors part and the ship's coxswain appears, a very intimidating
pistol strapped to her side. "You wanted to see me, Shipmistress?"

Ebi turns to see the pistol partially drawn from its holster, then clams
up. "Just stay here, Chief," Ranma smiles. "We might need some crowd control
when Hitomi and Shinobu's sisters arrive."

"Yes, ma'am," Nodoka nods.

Silence falls as darkness surrounds Ebi. "'S-s-sisters?'" she stammers,
then angrily spins on Kimiki. "Sisters?!! As in PLURAL?!?! YOU DIDN'T!!!!"

"I did! What did you expect me to do when they came into our lives,
Mother?!" Kimiki smiles, delighted by her mother-in-law's suffering, then
blinks as a transporter beam is heard. "Ah, that must be them now!"

Everyone turns to see Shinoko, Nintaiko, Hitomi, Aijin, Joshu and Jijo
arrive, along with their husbands/life-mates, Shinoko's and Atako's adopted
daughter Junko and Nintaiko's and Donna's adopted daughter Annabelle. Ebi
feels the strength go in her legs as Kimiki walks up to embrace them. "Oh,
its so good to see you all again!" she beams. "I'm so happy you came!"

"Someone isn't," Sophia whispers to Ranma, indicating Ebi.

The shipmistress chortles. Soon enough, the crowd gathers around Kuzo
and Christine, welcoming the latest person to join Shinobu's extended family.
The reporter is taken totally by surprise on hearing their origins, especially
Shinobu's reformed future-selves, now happily married to the former members of
Furinkan High's Chemical Club. Nintaiko, Donna and Atako are visibly ready to
give birth, while the others have yet elected to reap the joys of childbirth.
"You look like you're about to explode, sis," Ataru kisses Atako's cheek.

"I feel like it sometimes," Atako exhales noisily. "Especially when
Junko-chan wants to hog all of my time! I'm concentrating too much on
ensuring nothing goes wrong when I give birth to Tatsuko-chan. I wasn't
emotionally primed from birth to do this, you know."

Nintaiko shuffles up. "Be at peace, dear sister," she pats Atako's
stomach. "Pamela and Anna are just as nervous. Little Tatsuko will not be
alone when she embraces the wonders of the Cosmic Chain of Life."

Ataru shudders. Reiko had told him how Nassur's and Benten's daughter
Junba had taken control of her mother during the latter stages of her
pregnancy. It had caused some pretty interesting incidents, especially since
the baby had taken interest in Ten-chan. He hoped his sister and the two
Nendo-kata were being spared this "joy." "Well, we might as well leave the
bridge so Ranma and her crew can get back to work. The Soviets need to get
their probes onto the surface."

* * *

Unnoticed by the "Ossa'cha's" scanners, an Urusian battlewagon slips
past Saturn, having de-warped after a full-speed run from Toshitto, the Union
colony closest to Earth. On the bridge, the crew assumes yellow alert as the
captain, a rougish young Oni dressed in something Captain Harlock would not
consider odd, scowls at the tactical schematic of the solar system. "Cloak
the ship, slow to three-quarters sublight," he orders.

The tiger-striped warship vapours and disappears. "Ship is cloaked, all
weapons are on standby," the first officer, a well-toned Seishin woman, calls
from her station. "Captain, you've yet to explain to us what we're doing in
this solar system."

"We're on sovereignty patrol," the captain reports matter-of-factly.
"Regardless of what the monkeys on Earth say, this is still nominally Urusian
space. We're here to ascertain if other races are building bases here."

The crew exchange worried looks. Ever since the Sagussans made their
interest in Earth public, a state of total chaos enveloped the Urusian
military. The Tribal Council had yet to express clear policy about the
newcomers and their treatment. Sayan Renning's death had thrown the high
command into disarray. Then to add the political problems, the Union
leadership had to face the Democratic Alliance. It was understandable that
uncertainty adversely affected morale throughout the ranks.

The first officer chews on her lower lip. Sunda Hoth was not a
descendant of Imperial stock; her family, like hundreds of others, adopted
family names after the Revolution. But Sunda had served often enough with
Imperialists to know the contempt they held for other races, especially the
Terrans. Were Earth still without official diplomatic contacts of any sort,
missions like this were possible.

However, the Federation worked at placating the Sagussans, giving them a
free hand in this sector to force the Dominion and the Ipraedies to back off.
Sunda personally had no opinion about what Earth did with itself; in the end,
it was their business. But Imperials like her commanding officer, bearing a
two century grudge for their lost fortunes, looked upon Earth as their private
possession, to be brought to heel when the right climate came.

She stares at her scanner, then blinks as an ominous blip detected over
the fourth planet. "Sir, sensors indicate unknown contact over Mars!" she
reports.

The captain braces himself, then nods. "Helm, alter course to
intercept. Sensors and ECM, commence scans when we're within range."

"Aye, sir," the officers respond as the battlewagon heels over.

Sunda shudders, then turns on a tape recorder secluded in her pocket.
If things went out of control, she would need all the evidence she could
bring...

* * *

"...so Catty-sensei said to me 'What is the logic of carrying a child to
term?'" Shinobu snickers. "I told her that it was the only way to keep roving
eyes off you...and she STILL didn't get it!!"

Everyone, now in the cruiser's observation gallery below the main
bridge, laughs as the vodka and sake are passed around, the former brought
aboard for the Soviet space agency delegation now deploying unmanned
observation posts over Mars to enhance Terran understanding of the red planet.
After meeting all her granddaughters, Ebi got herself soused, praying that
something would come along to restore her family to "normal." Everyone
ignores the matriarch's inebriated mutterings save for the ship's doctor,
Olga, covertly watching her protectively. "Well, I'm happy that things are
pleasant for you," Kimiki pats her daughter's knee. "It's so nice to have the
whole family together, even if it is briefly."

"Well, we're welcoming a new member to the clan," Shinobu indicates
Christine relaxing beside her fiance.

"Not to mention other new members," Atako inhales as her daughter
fidgets.

Olga immediately walks over, tricorder out. "Sensei, no," Shinobu pulls
out her own scanner. "It's all right. I'll do it."

Olga nods, then returns to Ebi's side. "They're...quick, aren't they?"
Toshoba muses.

"Best-trained medical corps in the galaxy, according to Nassur-kun,"
Shinobu runs her scanner over Atako, then Nintaiko and Donna for good measure.
"But they still need a lot of training in bedside manner," she whispers.

"Well, you'll teach them that," Kimiki smiles.

Shinobu blushes. An intercom bleeps. "Attention all decks," first
officer Malanka reports. "Gladiators, commence observation base deployment.
All Soviet personnel to Science Scanner Room One to monitor operation." The
announcement then repeats in Russian.

Ataru strolls over to the closed windows, flipping a control. The
shields open, revealing the dusky red ball of Mars. Launching from hangar
decks forward, the cruiser's compliment of Gladiators race off to various
points on the surface in Guardian mode, their arms holding small observation
bases. Everyone gathers by the windows to watch. "If the Soviets did this
without our help, their rockets would be just getting here," Ataru explains.
"And then, there wouldn't be any guarantee that the bases would land in the
right places."

"Life goes on," Shinobu crosses her arms. "It's good."

The nursing assistant spares a glance at her former boyfriend. Lum's
words echo in her mind. After all the jealousy, anger, misunderstandings and
blind hatred, the proposal from the Oni scared her. Actually become
bond-mates with Ataru? Such an idea went along with Mecha's warnings about
isolating herself...but at the same time, it still frightened her. She had
mind-melded with Ataru in the past. But *marei'cha* implied something more
permanent, more intrusive. Even now, understanding what she was capable of
doing, Shinobu was scared. Should she bring forth the subject now, in front
of her relatives?

Absently, she reaches out to hold his hand. Ataru blinks as the gently
psi-probes bounce off his shields. Something was bothering Shinobu, something
very important if what he felt was accurate. It was good that Shinobu was
touching base with her family again; unlike the maddening comedy of errors he
had to deal with, her relatives were very supportive. Even now, her parents
and sisters supported her move to Sagussa, her drive to expand her knowledge,
open her horizons. He hoped she would be in the mood to talk about this when
they were alone. He gives her a gently squeeze, then moves to allow others
the chance to stare at the panorama before them...

...and as luck would have it, the red alert sounds off. "All personnel
to action stations!!" Sophia's voice barks, then repeats in Russian. "All
civilians to designated security zones!! Red Alert! A cloaked alien vessel
now entering defence zone!! Red alert...!!"

"Now, what?!" Ataru looks up, then presses the intercom. "Ranma, what's
going on?!"

"We're not sure, sir!" the shipmistress reports. "Long-range scanners
reported a disturbance in local quantum energy fields. Nothing which other
units could detect, which produces a high probability that we have something
coming in...and it's not local!"

Ataru bites his lip; the Tritonians eschewed cloaking devices. "Bring
the Gladiators in once they're done with the observation units! Get someone
down here to escort everyone to sickbay; it's the safest place on this ship!"

"Aye, sir!!" Ranma replies, then cuts the link...

* * *

"Single vessel in orbit over Mars," Sunda reports. "Vessel ID's as a
Sagussan Type 47 heavy cruiser, pennant number NCS-474, R.S.S. 'Ossa'cha.'
Sensors also indicate smaller craft on Mars' surface. ECM configuration makes
them to be Gladiator fighters, perhaps the 'Ossa'cha's' point-defence flight."

The bridge crew tenses as the giant ship appears on the forward
viewscreen. Having never engaged something that big before...the only ship
compatible to Sagussan ships-of-the-line was a Kamahanite Planet Destroyer...
everyone wonders what awaited them at day's end. The captain scowls at the
tan ship, uncaring that the "Ossa'cha" outgunned him two-hundred to one.
"What are those smaller ships doing?!" he wonders.

Sunda stares at her scanner. "They seem to be deploying unmanned static
probes on Mars' surface. But...ECM indicates that the probes' technologically
can't be Sagussan. I'd say they're from Earth."

The captain's scowl deepens. "Terran probes deployed by Sagussan ships.
What a pathetic disguise! I knew they were establishing a base here!!"

Several of the bridge crew stare at their commanding officer. Sunda
blinks, then calls up an official translation of the Earth-Sagussa Treaty
provided by the Federation. Scanning down the paragraphs, she stops at Clause
Seven:"

7.1 The Fifth Republic of Sagussa agrees that if an intergalactic force
continuously threatens the sovereignty of the United Nations of Earth and/or
her member states, that defence bases to be operated and administered by the
Republic of Sagussa Navy will be constructed on Sol-IIIA (Luna) and Sol-IV
(Mars). However, to ensure the galactic peace, the Fifth Republic of Sagussa
will notify the following parties of the intent to execute this clause:

a) The Kingdom of Neptune-Triton;
b) The Galactic Federation and/or successive alliances to which
the Kingdom of Neptune-Triton is a member state;
c) The Holy Republic of Zephyrus; and
d) The Confederation of Vos."

Looking up, she calls out, "Captain, should we not contact the
Tritonians and ask them if they've been told about a possible Sagussan defence
base on Mars?"

The captain spins around. "What are you talking about?!"

"Captain, the Sagussans are bound by treaty to notify neighbouring
powers if they intend to establish a base on Mars. A simple confirmation
would prevent any misunderstandings between us and them."

Many of the bridge crew visibly sigh, relieved that someone was trying
to keep the situation calm. Unfortunately, the captain has other ideas. "The
Tribal Council doesn't recognize that scrap of paper those zombies signed with
those monkeys, Number One!" he icily snarls.

"But the Galactic Federation does," Sunda warns. "And we're a part of
the Federation, Captain. What they decide, we have to follow..."

"Enough!!" he snaps. "Weapons, all guns and missiles at the ready!!
All fighters to the catapults!! Stand by to de-cloak!!!"

The crew leaps to action. Sunda blinks, horrified at his orders!

* * *

"ECM reports the bogie's guns have gone hot!" combat chief Manya states.
"ECM also reports the bogie is an Urusian battlewagon, Kashin class."

Ataru stands behind the watchmistress' post, his eyes locked on the
wavering bit of distortion now growing as the cloaked ship approached the
"Ossa'cha." "Are you sure it's Urusian, Manya?" he gazes at her. "It could
be a stray Niphentaxian."

"Negative, sir," she shakes her head, staring at him. "SIGINT has run
their command and control intercom messages through the warbook. Definitely
UDF, confirmed five times."

Shinobu stands beside Ataru. "What are they doing here?!" she hisses.
"They can't be here because of what you did before Colony Four..."

"Only Captain Invader and his family knows that...and I know Lum's dad
enough that he won't do anything until he knows the whole story," Ataru cuts
her short, then stares at Ranma. "Let's be friendly...but cautious."

"Aye-aye," the shipmistress nods. "Sophia, up shields and weapons.
Manya, pass it on to Lily that all Gladiators are to stay on Mars until the
situation is secure. Once you've done that, open hailing frequencies."

"Aye, ma'am," Manya makes the signal.

A minute later, the cigar-shape of a Kashin-class warship appears off
"Ossa'cha's" starboard bow, all her long guns and missile launchers trained on
the cruiser's superstructure. Ataru once lost self-control every time he saw
those tiger-striped warships; before he met the Sagussans, the largest ships
he had ever seen were Zephyrite battlecruisers, Windy's command being about
the same size as Invader's. He fights the surge of contempt; given a
three-century occupation added to six centuries of technological feudalism and
two centuries of a military junta, the Urusians had come very far. "Incoming
message," Manya reports.

"On screen," Ranma relaxes.

The battlewagon's captain appears, contempt leeching from his features.
"This is Captain Sakimu Tenwan of the U.D.F.S. 'Repia,' 'Ossa'cha.' You are
trespassing in Urusian-claimed space! Withdraw at once or be fired upon!!"

The screen goes dark. "He's got to be kidding!" Ranma snorts.

"He must be related to Cal Tenwan," Ataru muses. "He's on our hit-list.
Manya, can you get TECHINT to tap into that thing's computer and find out
where this ship's based?"

"Already done that," Manya smiles. "'Repia' is a part of the Sixth
Battle Squadron based on Toshitto."

"Shades of nepotism," Shinobu muses.

Ataru's eyes roll. "Manya, open hailing frequencies."

"Aye, sir," Manya keys controls.

"Sakimu!" Ataru barks. "This is Ataru Moroboshi!! You're the one who's
in contravention of a lot of things, primarily the First Tag Race agreement!
Since you Imperials constantly insist that Resolution 442 has no legal status,
you better remember that by making ME Earth's tag champion, you gave me the
power to state whether or not I'd allow your people to come into *this solar
system!* Therefore, you have five minutes to clear out of this system,
*relav'sh*...or else it's war!!"

He draws his fingers across his throat to get the line shut down.
"Ataru-kun, are you sure you can do that?!!" Shinobu pales.

"It's the only language some idiots understand," he sighs...

* * *

"HOW DARE HE?!?!?!" Sakimu howls over some barely contained giggles from
the younger crewmen, his body trembling from Ataru's brutal insult.

Nearby, Sunda smiles admiringly at Lum's fiancee. Ataru must have heard
that insult...its translation is so vile, it makes this writer blush...from
either Lum or Invader. Out of curiosity, she calls up the official transcript
of the First Tag Race agreement. Sure enough, Clause Ten stated that if he
won the match, the Earth tag champion had the undisputed right to order
Urusians off-planet if he felt Earth's culture and society threatened. A
counter-punch by Invader in response to Yethis' threat to re-launch the Tag
Race if Ataru was incapacitated or killed. She turns to Sakimu. "Captain, he
is correct," she reminds him. "Under the rules of the Tag Race, he has every
right to order us away from this system."

"WHAT?!?!?!" Sakimu spins on her. "How dare you take that monkey's side
over ours, you traitor?!! Weapons, lock all guns on that thing and blow it to
hell!!!"

Everyone gasps, staring in disbelief at him. "Captain, say again...?"
the weapons officer pales.

Incensed, Sakimu whips out his pistol and aims it at the officer's face.
"I said, open fire!!! NOW!!!!

"Captain, you can't...!!" Sunda gapes.

"SHADDUP!!!" Sakimu swings the pistol on her. "FIRE!!!!"

Gulping, the weapons officer presses the red toggle...

* * *

The "Repia's" guns open up, bolts of supercharged energy slamming into
the "Ossa'cha's" shields with little effect. However, given both ships' close
proximity to Mars, the shock of the blasts rocks the giant cruiser. From a
distance, it seems as if the "Ossa'cha" was caught in a gentle wind. However,
inside, some inertia dampeners, untouched by maintenance engineers since the
cruiser's re-activation over Den'sha Two, fail. One is the one covering the
ship's primary medical station.

Chairs are knocked over as everyone tries to keep her footing. Atako is
one of those who fails; she slams hard into a bulkhead, then collapses as a
sharp pain lances across her abdomen. "Atako!!!" Shinoko gasps as she kneels
beside her life-mate. "Are you okay?!!"

"No...no...oh, Tatsuko-chan, not now...!" Atako's eyes glisten with
tears as she tries to stop the inevitable.

Shinoko yanks open her kimono, eyes widening. "Oh, damn, her water
broke!!" she gasps. "Get her on a table!!!"

Olga is right at work. "Computer, modify Diagnostic Table Six to natal
configuration," she orders. "Activate sterile fields around patient,
childbirth configuration. Shinoko, get her ready. Rest of you, out of here!"

Others immediately withdraw to the waiting room outside. Before she
could depart, Nintaiko blinks. "I...believe Pamela has also decided it is
time, Sensei."

Donna gently supports her to another table, then sits herself down.
"You, too, Donna-san?" Olga wonders.

Donna nods, still quite calm. "Since my life-mate and I conceived at
the same time, it is probable that..." She suddenly gasps as a pain brings
her to her knees. "Correction...make that definite."

"Damn!" Olga sighs. "Sickbay to bridge. Nursing Assistant Shinobu
Miyaki, report at once. Your three siblings are giving birth!"

"Birth...NOW?!?!?!" Shinobu screams, then replies, "On my way, Sensei!"

"Good!" Olga breathes out. "Computer, configure Diagnostic Tables Two
and Three to natal configuration. Same stipulations as Table Six. Activate
Emergency Medical Hologram, run child-care program. Replicate two times."

As Shinobu arrives, three holographic Kuramas appear. "Please state the
nature of the child-care emergency," the doubles of the child services chief
politely inquire.

Shinobu gasps in disbelief as Olga faces them. "Three women are giving
birth," the doctor reports, pointing out the three mothers-to-be. "Patient
One: Donna Miyaki, crossed-over Nendo-kata, template Ellsian. Patient Two:
Nintaiko Miyaki, crossed-over Nendo-kata, template Terran. Patient Three:
Atako Moroboshi, Avalonian, template male Terran."

"Acknowledged," the three holograms reply, then proceed to work...

* * *

"Damage?!!" Ranma barks.

The "Repia" continues her assault on the seemingly unfazed "Ossa'cha."
"Save for inertia dampener damage, negative," chief engineer Katarena reports.
"All weapons and shields at maximum power."

"Response, sir?" Sophia stares at Ataru.

The *daimon'cha's* jaw is set, though regret shines in his eyes. "We've
given them the warning. They fired first. Return fire."

"Aye, sir," the weapons officer smiles as she presses a red toggle...

* * *

"Ossa'cha's" starboard long guns level on the diminutive Urusian craft,
then discharge their lethal loads. The bolts of energy laugh at the puny
shields, then shred the hull like tissue paper. Inside, the crew screams as
many abandon their posts, watching the warp core disintegrate from one volley.
On the bridge, everyone is flung to one side as the "Repia" takes on a deep
port list. Inertia dampeners and gravity control go haywire as the
battlewagon's forward motion slows, her mass now falling under the gentle
influence of the red planet below.

Sunda is one of the first on her feet. "Report!!"

"All engines gone, ma'am!" the engineering officer coughs, staring at
his shorting-out console. "Weapons out, shields are wrecked...we've had it!!
Mars' gravity's got us! We're going down!!"

The first officer looks around. Panicking faces stare back. "Signals,
hail the 'Ossa'cha.' Inform them we surrender and are preparing to evacuate!"

"Aye-aye, ma'am!!" the communications officer nods.

Several crew tense at Sunda's order, confusion and wonderment shining in
their eyes. "I know," she smiles. "We provoked this mess. Right now, if
cool heads don't prevail, we're facing a war with a race we can't defeat. If
we move quickly, we can salvage this situation and save millions of lives.
I'll speak for all of you. Where's the captain?"

The helmsman is kneeling beside the captain's chair. A fragment of
steel had lanced into Sakimu's neck, sending him to the floor. "He's dead,
ma'am."

"Okay," Sunda nods. "Everyone to the lifepods..."

* * *

A half-hour later, "Repia's" shatter hulk burns up in Mars' atmosphere,
her surviving crew safely in the "Ossa'cha's" brig. The repairs to the
Sagussan cruiser are swift, the mood in her crew upbeat after the announcement
of Atako's, Donna's and Nintaiko's daughters being born is relayed from
sickbay. Even Ebi, now somewhat sober thanks to the brief battle, is more
than happy to hold her new great-granddaughters Anna, Pamela and Tatsuko in
her arms as their mothers recover.

As senior surviving officer, Sunda is personally interrogated by Ranma
over her captain's actions. Her personal tape recorder is copied, providing
evidence of Sakimu's plans to launch a battle regardless of the new political
situation. With selected crew interviews, Ataru decides that the battle was
solely instigated by one demented individual hell-bent on upsetting the
current reform drive on Uru. To that end, after the Miyaki clan and the
Soviet team are transported back to Earth, the captured Urusians are turned
over to the Royal Tritonian Defence Force for eventual repatriation to Uru.

However, such does not end this day for Ataru or Shinobu...

* * *

"Lum-chan asked that?!" Noa gapes. "What is with that girl?!"

"I don't know!" Shinobu shrugs. Presently, she and Ataru relax with
Noa, Mie, Makoto, Shiko and Reiko in the Chamber's master bedroom several
hours after returning to Sagussa. "It's as if she's afraid that being near us
will cause more trouble! I've never seen her like this, Ataru-kun! I'm
starting to get really scared!!"

"I know, I know," Ataru sighs, handing Amora to Noa. "I did all that
work for us. Acting like the typical male protecting the home, keeping my
'helpless' wife safe. Now she wants to do something in return, prove herself
equal to the relationship. Damn, I should've done something to help her
understand that she doesn't have to prove herself anymore to me. I just hope
that it isn't too late."

"She knows that, Ataru," Noa cuts in, giving Amora her formula. "But
right now, she has to prove this to herself. The responsibility was always
there waiting for her; it's only now that she's taking it. In a sense, she's
at the same point you were a year ago."

"When Ataru-chan was in Takenotsuka, Mom told me something," Mie gazes
at her former classmate. "When someone grows up, he walks that path alone.
We're still Lum-chan's friends, Shinobu. We'll be there when she needs us.
But our being there when she goes through this may do her more harm than good,
especially now that Reiko-chan and Amora-chan are involved."

Shinobu sighs, then gazes at Ataru. "Well? Do you want to do it?"

"Do you?"

The nursing assistant sighs, then smiles. "I don't want to second-guess
you anymore," she looks at the Esanta'cha. "I want you to be a part of my
life, Ataru-kun. I've always wanted you to be a part of my life."

He sighs, then nods. Their hands gently touch the other's face as
psi-shields drop, their minds gently merging. Thoughts, feelings, dreams, all
intertwine. They feel the others lending their support to the bond, help it
solidify. Finally, the two, once separated, reunite, never to be parted.

"Do vanan'cha, marei'cha-Shinobu," Ataru intones.

They kiss. "Do vanan'cha, marei'cha-Ataru," Shinobu smiles.

Mie and Makoto embrace. Shiko holds Reiko, beaming in approval. Noa
stares at Amora, who watched Ataru bond with Shinobu with wide eyes. The baby
then reaches out. "Dada," she burbles. "Oba-...chan."

Shinobu rises, then takes Amora from Noa. "Hi, Amora-chan!" she gushes,
rubbing her nose against the baby's forehead, eliciting a giggle. "You wanna
be with your daddy? Here you go, Amora-chan!" she hands her to her father.

An intercom signal sounds off. The image of Asagao, intelligence chief
concerned with Uru, appears beside Ataru. "Sorry to interrupt, Ataru."

"What is it?" Ataru wonders.

"You better see this," Asagao keys a control.

The image changes to portray a richly-detailed throne room, a
tiger-striped tapestry hanging behind the throne. Sitting there is Yethis
Seq, bedecked in the finery of a Lord of the House, sigils of the Seq House
and the Urusian Empire draped over his dress uniform. Beside him is a thin,
gangly middle-aged man similarly dressed. Both look displeased.

"This is Lord Yethis of the Seq House, leader of the Imperial Round of
Uru," the chief-of-staff gravely intones. "I am transmitting to you from the
mansion of the former governor of the colony of Toshitto, Lord Cal of the
Tenwan House, co-leader of the Imperial Round. This message is a warning to
those who would sell the birthright of the Urusian Empire to lessers and
slaves...and their allies.

"Two hundred years ago, a traitor to the Urusian Empire, Syl Aruka, made
the lessers and slaves believe they had the right to ordain their own destiny,
disobey and rebel against their rightful rulers, seized property which was not
theirs and bring down the ancient compact which ruled Uru for centuries. She
paid for her betrayal with her life. Unfortunately, her poison made others
believe their leaders were worthless, unworthy of the respect due them. With
that, they destroyed the Empire, replace it with a bastardization calling
itself the Urusian Union.

"Since then, those who understand the true order of things have worked
to ensure that the Union would fail, ensuring the restoration of the Empire
and the Imperial Houses. However, during that period, other traitors have
tried to 'progress' the cause of the lessers and the slaves, unleash mob rule
and the Terran perversion called 'democracy.' The Imperial Round does not and
will not accept this. Urusians were meant for better things than considering
themselves equal to slaves like the Noukiites...or potential slaves like the
Terrans," the general sneers at the camera.

"To that end, the Imperial Round declares the colony of Toshitto free
from the control of the traitors in Onishuto," Yethis continues. "While we
would not desire the break-up of the Urusian Empire, this is a necessary
measure to ensure the destiny of our people. The only way Toshitto will be
restored is if the following conditions are unilaterally met:

"First, the Tribal Council must disband. President Lana must resign,
then surrender himself for trial. The Articles of Union and the present Union
Constitution are to be scrapped. The Imperial Round is to be acknowledged as
the only ruling body in the Empire. All ancient powers given the Imperial
Houses are to be restored. The Urusian Defence Force will surrender all
command and control of their forces to the Round.

"Second, the traitors leading the Democratic Alliance are to be arrested
and tried for their treason. Those supporting the Alliance will be subject to
re-education, reminding them of their proper place in the Imperial order.

"Third, the Dominion of Noukiios will be re-annexed to the Empire, her
citizens returned to their prior status as slaves. Education programs will be
initiated to remind them of their proper place.

"Fourth, the planet Earth will be annexed to the Empire, her citizens
made slaves to the Imperial order. Education programs will also be initiated
to instruct them in their place in the Empire.

"Finally, the so-called fiance to the Empress Lum, Ataru Moroboshi, is
declared a criminal terrorist for his involvement in the murder of several
Heads of Houses. He, his family and that planet of zombies he leads are
considered forfeit to the Empire for their attacks against the Empire and the
Imperial Round..."

"That's enough!" Ataru waves the screen away. "Asagao?"

"Yes, sir?" the intelligence officer responds.

"Call Benten," the *daimon'cha's* eyes narrow. "Operation: Silent Night
is a 'go.'"

* * *

Minot Air Force Base.

The colonel, in charge of one of the United States' strategic weapons
reserves, stands before a gathering of his command. Flags flutter in the
early morning breeze as the airmen, the people in charge of one part of the
American nuclear triad, await the arrival of their guests. Orders from
National Command Authority...the President of the United States...had arrived
the previous night. The United States, along with the other declared nuclear
superpowers, were, on behalf of all of Earth, going to war with another race.

The airmen tense as the distant rumble of impulse jets thunder through
the North Dakota morning. Behind them stood row upon row of America's nuclear
might. Poseidon, Trident, Minuteman III, MX. Soon, they would be retrofitted
with counter-ECM systems meant to spoof Urusian Defence Force sensors,
reprogrammed with new target information, then shipped onto the Gladiators of
the Fourth Sagussan Fleet for the hop to Toshitto. What would happen next
depended on the rebellious entity now calling itself the Urusian Empire.

For those gathered here today, this operation, Silent Night, is the high
point of their careers. Before the First Tag Race, they were poised, ready in
training if never psychologically in spirit, to unleash Armageddon to save
America and her allies from the godless hordes of Communism. The revelation
of aliens had hit them hard. What good were MIRV-fitted ballistic missiles
when seemingly magical technology would knock them out of the sky...or worse,
return them to rain on American homes, American families?

The Tripwire incident offered a ray of hope for these people and their
counterparts around the world. Once the shields and high-tech ECM were gone,
Urusian starships were just as vulnerable to a well-aimed Trident as a
wet-navy battleship. That incident served as the basis for Silent Night. The
Sagussans would swoop in, knock out all of Toshitto's defenses, thus lay the
colony bare to a massed nuclear attack from Earth. If the Urusian Empire did
not surrender, it would die in radioactive fire.

The impulse roars become muted as the Gladiators switch to retrojets,
allowing the giant fighters, thrice the bulk of a B-52, to coast to a landing
without disturbing the neighbours. As five flights, fifty Gladiators, of the
First Defence Squadron wheel up, the base band strikes up "Book of Days." The
colour guard raises the United States, UN and Sagussan flags in salute. The
pilot of the first machine disembarks, then with her wingmate, marches up to
the reception party. The airmen snap to attention as salutes are exchanged.

"Flightmistress Tita, Republic of Sagussa Navy, Colonel...?"

"Colonel Mark Tibbits, United States Air Force. Flightmistress, if your
mounts are ready, we can start loading our birds."

"Very good, sir. We need fifty volunteers to fly with us. Pilots,
RIOs, nuclear missile techs...just as long as they're willing to fly."

"Ma'am, the whole damn base'd come out if they could. I'll see to their
assignments right now."

"Good. Let's go to war!"

* * *

Lan sometimes hated the men in black. Field agents of the United
Nations Special Committee on Alien Affairs, these black-suited people wearing
dark shades meant to make them unrecognizable in a crowd were the real banes
of her life on Earth. Outfitted with the best Zephyrite technology (no doubt
imported by Nagaiwakai Moroboshi) until recently, when Sagussan technology
became available, they always were around to ensure Lan was not doing
something stupid, like exporting weapons to terrorists. While Lan understood
their purpose, ensuring the damage that could be inflicted by aliens kept to a
bare minimum, she wished they would leave her alone and allow her to carry out
her plans of vengeance against Lum. None the less, there were two of them now
driving up, along with the science advisor from the Sagussan Embassy, Sora.

She could guess why they were here. Yethis' announcement had caused a
firestorm throughout the Galactic Federation. Naturally, President Lana
declared Rei's uncle a traitor, then declared a state of emergency. No other
government, not even the Seifukusu Dominion, refused to recognize the Urusian
Empire until all threats against non-Urusian races were eliminated. Invader
was field-promoted to admiral and put in charge of all Urusian military forces
to ensure order. For the most part, it worked: only a hundred UDF warships
rebelled and redeployed to Toshitto. Noukiios declared war on the Empire,
then dispatched a powerful expeditionary force to destroy one Imperial
formation near Machibusu. To prevent reprisal, Zephyrus sent a crusader fleet
to the Urusian-Noukiite frontier, augmented with a Vosian fleet. All of Uru's
other borders were shut down as the other Federation worlds sought to contain
the rebellion, prevent it from blowing up into an intergalactic conflict.

The doorbell rings. Lan walks over to open it, smiling. "Hi, c'mon in!
I knew you people would come sooner or later."

She recognized one SCAA man, an elderly Caucasian with salt-and-pepper
hair known only as Kay. Lan liked him very much; he was straightforward and
honest. The second, an athletic African-American, was unknown. "Hi, Lan,"
Kay smiles. "This is Jay, my new partner. You should know Scientist Sora for
the Sagussan embassy."

"Hi, Jay...hello, Sora," Lan shakes Jay's hand, then nods at Sora.

"Nice place for a spaceship!" Jay whistles, taking in his surroundings.

Space cadet, Lan concluded. "We don't mean to bother you at a time like
this, Lan, but I take it you know about General Yethis," Kay sighs.

"The whole galaxy knows by now," Lan's eyes roll. "It's actually been a
quiet two weeks since Mom and her *friends* came by." She indicates a couch.
"Here, relax. Want some tea?"

"Please," the two Terrans and the Sagussan sit.

Lan returns a couple minutes later with a tray of tea and biscuits. "I
notice the change," Kay smiles, indicating Lan's tapered ears and fangs.

"Actually, Koosei and Aisuru Megane talked me into it," Lan pours them
tea. "After dealing with Mom, they suggested that it was time to stop
pretending I was a native. Everyone knew who and what I was...and after they
learned of Mom, everyone wanted me to feel at home here...but as I really am."

The two SCAA men absorb that information. "We heard there were some
marriages," Jay muses.

"Gods, everyone's hitched now...or having kids! Hei-chan and
Ookako-chan just gave birth to theirs two days ago, right along with the other
Nendo-kata!" Lan laughs. "Sakura and Tsubame are married, the guards are
engaged, Mendou has agreed to marry Asuka even though Osooko just gave birth
to her daughter..." A forlorn sigh escapes her. "It's like everyone's moving
away from everyone else. We're wondering where did the time went."

"Everything evolves," Kay smiles. "Anyhow, as you can guess, there are
those in higher echelons who want to ensure that no Urusian transmitter can
operate on Earth. We'll just temporarily disable it, then restore it when the
emergency's past."

"Sure!" Lan shrugs, waving Sora upstairs. "You know where it is; you
people've been here often enough!"

"I'll just be a minute," Sora smiles as she heads up.

The two Terrans exchange concerned looks. "There's one more thing," Jay
sighs. "Where's your boyfriend?"

"Oh, he's my fiance, now!" Lan giggles, then shudders as tears flow down
her cheeks. "He...Aijooa, that's Chibi's girlfriend, she believes he has
dyslexia and dysphonia. She volunteered to give him special tutorials to help
him speak and understand things more...he...he..."

Lan breaks down, burying her face in her hands as sobs escape her.
"When did he leave?" Kay gently inquires.

"Th-this morning..." she sniffs. "He...he saw the message...heard what
his uncle was planning...then took off without saying a thing to me..."

"Lan...Admiral Invader requested that we ask you," Jay fidgets; he had
heard how volatile this woman could be. "Do you have any idea which side
he'll join when it all goes down? We know his squadron's based on Toshitto."

Lan helplessly shrugs. "I...I don't know."

Both Terrans sigh. "Lan...we'll visit Sakura and tell her what's
happened," Kay smiles. "Why don't you stay with her or your other friends? I
think you really need them right now."

Lan tearfully nods...

* * *

"Citizens of Earth...the President of the United States of America."

Of the Big Five, the American president, because of his previous career,
was asked to speak for five billion Terrans; they did not call him the "Great
Communicator" for nothing. His message is translated into the major Terran
languages plus various intergalactic languages so all those concerned,
especially on Uru and Toshitto, got the message. "Good evening, my fellow
citizens. Normally, I would say 'my fellow Americans'...but this time, I
speak for all Terrans, who this day face a threat unlike anything we have
previously met. It is a sobering thought.

"For the last thirty years, we have hosted travellers from abroad, who
have come to Earth for many reasons. We've welcomed them. Even though we
felt unsure and afraid of their strange powers, we met them in peace and in
the spirit of Unity shared by all sentient beings. Even three years ago, when
the existence of extraterrestrial life became general knowledge, our doors
remained cautiously open. For the most part, those who have arrived have done
their best to feel welcome, allow themselves to merge with our customs and
traditions, so they could enjoy the fruits of living on, what to them was, a
strange world, full of mystery.

"Notice, I said 'most.' For there were those who conspired to bring
misery and war to us, destroy us as a race so they could press their own evil
agendas. The First Tag Race three years ago was a calculated response to a
threatened invasion by one of the galaxy's rogue states, the Ipraedies Empire.
Earth is sandwiched between several great powers, all of whom covet our sector
of space. Further, there were those from beyond, those who cared not about
what their acts would do not just to us, but our galactic neighbours. Our
system-mates, the Tritonians. The Urusians, the Noukiites, the Zephyrites,
the Seifukusu and their allied races, the Gomianites.

"Eventually, we said 'enough.' The time had come for Earth to shed her
veil of innocence and embrace the galaxy beyond. We joined forces with a
vast, newborn yet ancient power, the Fifth Republic of Sagussa. Four months
ago, our first bold step for all mankind beyond the veil of our solar system
became possible when we signed a treaty of friendship and alliance with the
Fifth Republic. For the most part, the outside galaxy welcomed this alliance.
It guaranteed stability, it kept the peace. Those who opposed it, for one
reason or another, have been dealt with. Save one.

"Two days ago, rebel elements in the Urusian Union declared the colony
of Toshitto independent of Uru. Their leaders are fanatics, people determined
to overthrow their current government and resore a feudal tyranny known as the
Urusian Empire, which ceased to exist two centuries ago in the revolution
which ushered in the modern Urusian Union. This act has caught the Urusian
people in the midst of devastating change. As we speak, many Urusians are
working for the full democratization of their Union, to bring the breath of
freedom and justice to all Urusians.

"To those people and those who support them, Earth wishes you well. We
have no conflict with you nor do we seek one. It is with those who would
destroy your gallant efforts that we now take to task. It is with the entity
called the Urusian Empire that the United Nations of Earth, supported by the
Fifth Republic of Sagussa and the Dominion of Noukiios...now declares war.
You think us slaves, tail-less monkeys, primitive fools worthy only of your
contempt, mere targets for your conquest and control.

"Well, General Yethis, we think you and those with you are nothing more
than butchers of a caliber even lower than Aldoph Hitler and his Nazis...and
you know what the people of Earth finally did with them. If, by chance, you
do not...you will soon learn ."

* * *

"Toshitto is one of three Urusian colonies which act as a lynchpin in a
layered defensive strategy guaranteed to prevent the Union from being attacked
by Uru's three main galactic rivals; the Dominion, Noukiios and Ipraedos,"
Asagao briefs the Gladiator squadron commanders and their Terran support team
leaders in the "Lyna'cha's" planning room. "Toshitto itself was the last
world settled by Urusians to be freed from the Seifukusu Dominion eight
hundred years ago. It cost the Urusians, then equipped with technology some
decades ahead of Earth's current levels, six million lives to clear the
Dominion from the planet. This was when the Dominion fleet was cut off from
reinforcing the garrison or performing a Dunkerque-like evacuation.

"Today, we face the same situation...but this time, we have several
advantages. First, thanks to our Terran friends, we have the ICBMs. Once the
Urusian Defence Force nets are neutralized and all planetary defence batteries
eliminated, nothing will stand in the way of a massive nuclear attack. All
squadrons will converge on Toshitto like we did over Phentax Two. Second
advantage is that all civilian habitations, which are relatively safe from
possible nuclear fallout, are undoubtedly strife with Democratic Alliance
supporters waiting for the chance to overcome Cal Tenwan's internal security
forces. When the Urusians attacked the Seifukusu garrisons, there was no
fifth column supporting them. Third, there will be no ground campaign; the
ICBMs will be doing all the work. Questions?"

"Actually, I have one...concern," a British officer raises his hand.

"Yes, Group Captain?"

"Ma'am...there are four hundred Gladiators in the Fourth Sagussan Fleet.
Each is now shipping six ICBMs. On the average, seven MIRVs in each missile.
That's approximately 16,800 twenty-megaton warheads you're about to unleash on
one planet. Don't you think that's overdoing it?"

Asagao smiles, then turns to an American major. "Major, what's the area
of Los Angeles and everything out to San Bernardino and Santa Anna?"

"I'd say about 7500 square kilometres, ma'am."

"Comrade Colonel, how many ICBMs would you call on to destroy that
amount of territory?" Asagao turns on a Soviet rocket forces officer.

"Well, Comrade Chief Investigator, our missiles are designed to destroy
everything to a radius of thirty kilometres from Ground Zero..."

"Twenty-nine thousand square kilometres, give or take," Asagao cuts in.
"Thank you, Comrade Colonel. In other words, four ICBMs would be enough to
wreck Los Angeles. Now...imagine an area that large...and EVERYTHING in that
area is a military reservation. Toshitto has twelve of these."

The Terrans blink in disbelief as a schematic appears before them.
"Each were originally Dominion military bases, all built of both concrete and
reinforced duranium, many times tougher than the U-boat bunkers in France
during World War Two," Asagao explains, indicating the bases' many features.
"Over the last eight hundred years, the bases have been expanded and improved
to include full shipbuilding and ship maintenance facilities, quarters for a
corps' worth of UDF Marines, hundreds of sovereignty patrol fighters..."

"In other words, twelve bloody Gibraltars," the British officer muses.

"Exactly," Asagao nods. "Yethis chose the place to launch his rebellion
well. Toshitto sits at one end of a corridor between Zephyrite and Ipraedies
space which links one wing of the Federation...Uru, Noukiios, Fukunokami, Elle
and Tengu...with the others. Earth-Triton sits at the other end. With the
Imperials in control of Toshitto, the corridor is effectively blockaded, the
Federation is severed. The Urusians have no choice but to either give in to
his demands or allow others to preserve the Federation."

Everyone grimly nods. Feb walks up. "Those who accompanied you will
fly back-seat with our pilots. Please inform your troops to keep conversation
to a minimum; our pilots will have a lot on their minds. Don't be afraid;
each of you will have a flight suit which, in the worst case, will see you
beamed back aboard the monitors long before you come to harm. Once the
missiles are on their way to target, the Gladiators'll have to deal with
fighter patrols and small ships; we'll hopefully catch the capital ships in a
Pearl Harbour situation. If any get away, the monitors and other units will
deal with them. Other than that, good luck and let's get it done!"

* * *

Due to a slower maximum speed, the lone Urusian warp-capable fighter
finds itself some distance behind the Earth-Sagussa force as it dewarps on the
outskirts of the Toshitto home system. Its pilot is characteristically quiet,
though the urge to shout in anger shudders his taunt frame. He pulls out a
small photo, displaying him with the woman of his life, an icon of couples
across the galaxy. He left without explaining things to her. Despite his
speech problems, he always knew she understood him. But before, Rei only
asked simple things of Lan.

Now...

He smiles. Aijooa had offered to help him overcome his problems, allow
him to understand things others took for granted. Rei was surprised. Aijooa
even helped him muster the words to propose to Lan after Sakura and Tsubame
married, not only his expected "Will you cook for us for the rest of our
lives?" but "Will you marry me and love me?" It confirmed for Rei that
Tomobiki was now his home. Lan loved it there. She had friends there. He
now had friends there.

And now...now he had to ensure it stayed that way.

Rei blinks at an incoming signal. Pressing a toggle, he is surprised to
see Kitei, his commanding officer, appear, now in her fighter. "Rei!" the
golden-haired Oni breathes out. "There you are! What are you doing here?!"

"I...came for Uncle," Rei's lips quake.

Kitei blinks. After five years, she was used to reading Rei's unspoken
intentions. "Are you crazy?!" she exclaims. "The Sagussans are everywhere
and they're out for blood!! If you fly in there, you're bait for a
Gladiator's guns!!!"

"I...have no choice," Rei sighs, then clicks off the monitor.

Bracing himself, Rei powers his machine towards Toshitto...

* * *

"They actually declared war on us?!!" Cal Tenwan exclaims. "Who do
those monkeys think they are?!!"

Yethis chuckles as the remains of the Imperial Round gather in the
governor's main reception hall overlooking Toshitto's capital city. Internal
security forces were fanning out to shut down elements of the Democratic
Alliance, close off avenues of resistance. The Urusian Defence Force units
under Imperial command were now rearming, preparing for the Empire's first
move of conquest: Earth. While the Noukiites proved surprisingly able to
eliminate some loyalist forces before they could join their brothers, with
Toshitto's vast armouries supporting them, the Imperials would deal with their
former slaves soon enough.

"It was a wasted performance, I admit," the former chief-of-staff
sneers. "Then again, I have heard he was a pathetic actor. It doesn't
matter, Cal. We've suffered a lot to get here, but now that we're here, I see
a golden road ahead of us all!"

Everyone echoes his statement with cheers and raised glasses. A servant
then enters. "M'lord, the chief of internal security is here," she bows.

"Show him in," Cal orders.

A gruff brigadier general marches in. "Sir, begging to report, but
riots are now in progress in all the major city centres. The Alliance's
lackeys are proving to be more than a passing nuisance."

"I'll have military forces dispatched to augment your troops," Cal
sighs. "Is that all?!"

"No, sir. We've done an accounting of all local forces based here.
Several sovereignty patrol squadrons and minor ships got away." His eyes fall
on Yethis. "The Seventh Frontier Group was among them, sir."

Yethis closes his eyes. Rei was gone. Damn Des and his blood-thirsty
desire to eliminate Yedris before Yethis could convince his nephew to join the
cause! "Thank you for informing us of that, General," he nods.

"Sir," the officer salutes, then departs.

Cal stares at his friend. Spending so much time on Uru had kept Yethis
too close to devious sorts like Des Azu and Vel Pochik. Cal wondered if all
the back-dealings had twisted Yethis the wrong way. The Empire needed bold
leadership to take it to a new tomorrow. "Losses are always expected, my
friend," the former governor sighs. "You should know that."

"Yes, they are," Yethis adjusts his glasses. "But even when they come,
they always hurt...especially the personal ones."

Cal nods. At that moment, a distant rumble is heard, like the clap of
lightning from far away. It is quickly followed by another...and another...
and another. Soon, the air echoes with one rolling wall of faint noise.
"What the hell is that?!" Cal demands, rising.

"Look!!!" an aide points out a window.

Everyone rushes to a window, eyes widening in horror as a reddish glow
rises over the mountains to the north of the castle. Everyone here knew that
Toshitto's sun always rose in the east!

* * *

"Same strategy, different planet, different targets," April muses as the
battle progresses. "Ataru's right, Feb. We must be living right."

The Strategic Defence Director laughs as the "Lyna'cha" assumes high
orbit over Toshitto. As expected, most of the Imperials' ships were in
drydock; there were just two picket lines of destroyers to interest the
Sagussans when they swooped in. Already, rover units outside the system were
intercepting and cutting off all Imperial communications. However, this time,
the reconnaissance droids intercept Democratic Alliance communications, switch
them to Imperial frequencies, then beam them in. With the resulting chaos,
there was no way Yethis and his cronies could be warned about what was going
on before it was too late.

Already, the monitors were in position, the first flights of Gladiators
leaping from their decks, their wings carrying almost half of Earth's total
ICBM arsenal. Normally, the Sagussans would play this out like they dealt
with the Niphentaxians; destroy mobile forces, then let ships blast surface
targets from orbit. However, given that Earth's leaders wanted a hand in the
battle, as well as the uniqueness of attacking Toshitto, the inclusion of
thermonuclear ballistic missiles became a factor in Feb's plan.

Toshitto's bases were constructed of materials designed to resist beam
and particle weapons from orbiting starships. Given the awesome output a ship
like the Gatherer could unleash, that type of shielding was useless...if you
did not care about the effects such bombardment unleashed on the planet's
crust. The plan demanded that Toshitto remain a viable colony, which would be
impossible if the planet's surface was catastrophically destabilized. The
Niphentaxians were experiencing this problem resettling Phentax Two. Tuning
down the weapons would prolong the agony, perhaps run the risk of enemy forces
escaping. Hence, a short-range vapourizing blast which would have little if
no effect on solid bedrock was required.

Sagussa had no thermonuclear bombs. Earth did. Case closed.

"First waves going in," Jun reports from her station.

"Give them the green light," Feb orders. "No parlay. We've warned them
enough. Now they learn it the hard way."

"Aye, ma'am."

* * *

"What's going on?!!" Cal screams.

The Round had assembled in the colony's defence command centre, located
in the basement of the governor's residence. Presently, Toshitto was besieged
from all sides by alien fighters. "We didn't see them until they were atop
us, sir," an exhausted major reports. "The picket lines were wiped out in the
blink of an eye, then the alien carriers launched their fighters. All our
main bases are under attack."

"What are they using?!" Cal wonders.

A technician looks up, quite surprised. "Sir...solid-rocket missiles
carrying multiple plutonium thermonuclear warheads."

Everyone exchanges looks. "Earth's atomic arsenal!!" Yethis exclaims.
"Those flying scrapheaps shouldn't be penetrating our defence nets! Get them
to fire back on their launch platforms!!"

"We can't punch into their on-board computers, sir," another technician
reports. "Each of the missiles has a jamming system which shields them from
our interference...and they arm the instant they launch!!"

"Then shoot them down with surface-to-air units!!" Cal snaps.

"They're being jammed and targeted by the orbiting fleet as they
activate!" a third technician explains. "And the static units on the bases
are vapourized when the missiles strike!!"

Everyone exchanges desperately angry looks. The Sagussans were not just
destroying the Empire's means of expanding its power, they were doing it
employing primitive rockets which would have never come close to hurting them
had they not been shielded. Earth's arsenal was destroying the Urusian
Empire! "Open hailing frequencies to the enemy commander!!" Cal snaps.
"She's that Toukonokouen woman, I think...Feb's her name!"

"Aye, sir," a technician punches controls.

The main viewscreen melts into Feb's bored features. "Oh, what do you
want, Governor?" she sips her snifter of brandy.

"That's LORD Cal to you, Feb!!"

"That's FLEET SHIPMISTRESS Feb to you, GOVERNOR Cal!" Feb's eyes narrow
as her voice turns to ice. "Or should I say EX-Governor Cal! That now makes
you less than nothing...which is what you were in the first place!! President
Lana has dismissed you and charged you with treason! Since he's busy working
with the Tribal Council preparing the Union for the Alliance's referendum, he
has no time to spare...pardon me, WASTE...on you and your playmates! So the
United Nations decided, as a good neighbour, to help take out the trash! Now,
unless you're here to talk about terms of unconditional surrender of what
forces you may have left after we're done, don't bother me."

The screen goes dark. A chill falls over the room as everyone realizes
that the Sagussans were no longer playing games...and were not going to give
the Imperials a break until they were battered and dying. A choked sob echoes
from behind them as technicians quickly abandon their posts, exiting for the
safety of the streets. "Wait!" Cal barks. "Traitors! Where are you going?!"

"You saw what they did to Phentax Two!" a major barks. "If you want to
die, go ahead!! You're not taking us down with you!"

"I'll have you all shot," Cal draws his pistol.

Another technician draws hers and shoots the governor through the neck,
then runs out before Yethis or the others could respond! "What do we do?!"
one demands, trying to keep the wounded governor alive. "We're cornered and
we have no way out!! We have to surrender!"

Angrily, Yethis grabs him by the throat and yanks him back to his feet.
"We will NOT surrender!!!" the chief-of-staff barks. "Think!! The Sagussans
are concentrating their attack on the military garrisons!! They're keeping
the cities intact so that the Alliance can sway the lessers against us!!
We'll force them to attack the cities by having the internal security attack
the lessers! Once the Sagussans move to stop them, all of Uru would rise up
to destroy them!! Now, fetch the commander of the colony's internal security
force...now!!!"

"Yessir!!" he barks, running out of the room.

"Can you do that?!" another exclaims. "What if the Sagussan decide to
hold off and allow it to happen!!"

"Don't be an idiot!" Yethis sneers. "Moroboshi and Lum are a pair of
bleeding hearts!! They'd kill themselves or kill the aggressors before they
allowed innocents to be harmed! In the fight, innocents will die...and when
they do, the Sagussans' ambitions for this galaxy die with them!!"

Yethis shudders as a maniacal laughter escapes his lungs...

* * *

Rei guides his machine over the smouldering inferno which had once been
the home base of the Seventh Frontier Group, his home away from Lan and
Tomobiki. Two hundred ICBMs levelled the place, butchering thousands of
lives: sailors, marines, pilots, civilian support staff. He shudders at the
horror of thermonuclear war visiting an Urusian world for the first time since
the Union Revolution. Uru had evolved away from such "dirty" weapons. Earth
and Sagussa were reacquainting Uru with them. With a gentl e press of his
control stick, he flies off. His uncle would not be there. No location close
to the obvious targets. The Sagussans were out to de-claw the Imperialists,
then chop off the heads of their leaders. The same as Phentax Two, this time
scaled back to spare millions of trapped civilians in the cities...

Cities?

Rei smiles. He knew where Yethis would be.

* * *

"Tita, you're close! Confirm who that fighter is!" Yookihi barks over
the comm lines.

"I see him! Tally-ho!!" Tita barks as she banks left, her Gladiator
having long fulfilled its strategic bombardment mission, now on combat air
patrol. The lone Urusian fighter had flown into the free-fire zone virtually
unopposed, which surprised the ace. Well, another flag on the carapace, as
the old Warsuit saying went.

"Okay, pal, who's side are you on?" she licks her lips in anticipation
as her fingers arm the wing particle cannons...

* * *

Rei's eyes narrow as he sees Toshitto's capital loom before him. The
garish castle, used by Cal Tenwan as his headquarters, was in a hill
overlooking the city. Typical Seifukusu-Imperial placement of a lord's keep
above their vassals. The pilot switches to thermal scan. A small stream of
personnel scampered from the lower command centre. Several were moving back
to one of the towers. Rei smiles. His mother always described Yethis as
pompous, always wanting to stand above others. There is where he would be...

* * *

"All the installations are gone, sir!!" an aide reports as Yethis and
his friends return to the meeting hall. "Casualties number in the millions!!
We have to surrender!"

Growling, the chief-of-staff draws his pistol and shoots the aide
between the eyes! "Surrender if you want!!" he snarls, then tenses as the
sounds of a fighter echo through the walls. "What the...?!"

Running to a window, he blinks on seeing a sovereignty patrol fighter
race at the castle, gun ports blazing. The governor's home shudders as shell
and particle shot rip through the old masonry, collapsing whole sections in
one pass. Yethis ducks as shrapnel kills several of his remaining allies,
then looks out another window at the identification markings.

Seventh Frontier Group. D Squadron. Fourth Flight.

Rei.

Gritting his teeth, the chief-of-staff scrambles out of the meeting
hall. Cal had thoughtfully provided a modified warp-fighter which could act
as his escape vehicle in case things got out of control. Time to use it...

* * *

Tita smiles as Rei strafes the castle, bringing down half of it in one
pass. One glance through the long-range camera told her who was now involved.
"He would fight because of his mother," she smiles as she banks her machine
away from Toshitto's capita l.

"Um...mind telling me who that guy is, ma'am?" inquires the American
flight sergeant acting as her number-two.

"Just a very misunderstood fellow," the Sagussan smiles, then blinks as
an intact part of the castle explodes, revealing a souped-up warp-equipped
fighter. "Lyna!!" she exclaims, then watches as the new machine banks towards
the unsuspecting Rei...

* * *

Rei arcs a lazy loop for another pass when a storm of cannon fire nearly
shreds his port wing. Looking up, he barely discerns another fighter emerging
from the glare of Toshitto's sun. Gritting his teeth, he banks hard left and
up, trying to gain altitude on his attacker.

The fighter frequency comes alive. "Always beware the bandit in the
sun, nephew!" a cold voice warns. "You should've listened better!"

Rei pales as his uncle's icy features appears on his main viewscreen.
"You!!" the pilot gasps. "Why?!"

"Why?!" Yethis smiles. "Why not?! Fate selects our tasks, Rei! You
were chosen to be a pilot! I was chosen to save our people from the dregs
they allowed themselves to stumble into all these years! But why do you care?
You've never been able to understand the more important things in life!"

Rei goes into a weave, attempting to prevent Yethis' locking on him. He
knew that his uncle had decades of experience piloting machines; even now, he
spent time in a fighter to keep his skills on par. Rei's missions rarely got
him involved in actual combat. The Earth sector was surprisingly quiet; the
forces which could move into the system always being too large for one
solitary sovereignty fighter pilot to deal with.

The macabre dance between uncle and nephew continues over the skies as
the civilians below watch in morbid fascination. Some turn to watch as Tita's
Gladiator transforms to Battledroid mode, then demolishes the remainder of the
governor's residence. Seeing that, the internal security commander grits his
teeth, then passes on an order to lay down arms.

Aloft, Rei struggles to stay alive. Weaves, dives, yawls, spins; every
move at his disposal to shake Yethis from his six fails. Several shots have
already pitted his machine's wings. If they got close to a magazine or fuel
cell, he was finished. Yet...it seemed as if Yethis would not kill him, not
yet. "Uncle...don't you care?!" he pulls right.

Yethis slides with him. "About what?"

"Mother?! Sugoi?! Lan?!"

The chief-of-staff muses. "I've always cared for Yedris and Sugoi, Rei.
It wasn't me who ordered their deaths! Des Azu did...and he paid for it!" He
then growls. "But any relation of Mamoko has no right to live! Once I've
dealt with you, I'll find that little bitch and personally package her for
Chena to abuse to her heart's content!!"

Hearing that, Rei howls as he tries to spin away from Yethis. The
general calmly keeps his machine on his nephew's fantail, smiling at the sight
of Rei losing control. This should not take long...

* * *

"Ma'am, the kid's losing it!" the staff-sergeant warns.

"I see it," Tita smiles as she guides her Gladiator towards the ongoing
dogfight. Far be it for her to interrupt a matter between family, but Ataru
had ordained that Yethis was the one who had to die today.

Smiling, she thumbs the concussion missile control, sending a volley at
the second Urusian fighter...

* * *

Yethis screams as the small fleet of angry hornets race for his engine
exhausts. With a hard bank, he pulls right just in time, allowing the
missiles to flash past him, exploding harmlessly against the side of a
mountain. In doing so, he loses track of Rei.

Fatal mistake.

Rei banks left, sweeping around in a tight turn, then inserts himself
aft and above his uncle's fleeing machine. Unsuspecting, Yethis banks up in
an attempt to get the drop on the interfering Sagussan...and places himself
right in Rei's path! As crosshairs fall on target, Rei closes his eyes, then
thumbs the trigger. Twin beams of energy slam into Yethis' machine, severing
control leads and shattering fuel lines, causing an explosion in one engine.
The general screams as an explosion shatters the aft firewall, shredding the
seat and his spine. With almost no control, the wrecked machine drunkenly
banks right, soaring toward a waiting cliff.

"Damn..." Yethis spits up blood as he stares at his mangled chest.

"Uncle, eject!!" Rei calls over the line. "Get out!!"

The chief-of-staff shudders as the mountain races to meet him. "I'm
glad...at least," he manages a smile. "You...Yedris...Sugoi...stuck to...what
you...believed in..."

His words are then forever silenced.

* * *

Lan sits on her front lawn, gazing at the clear sky over Tomobiki. With
the emergency ended, Sora had returned to reset her ECM and communications
boards, permitting her to learn of the Earth-Sagussa force's smashing victory
over the Imperials. Toshitto was under martial law, the leaders of its
internal security force under arrest and the troops now directly responding to
the local cells of the Democratic Alliance. But grandiose moves by
planet-states does not concern her now...

"Lan."

She blinks. She turns to see Rei standing there. Shaking her head in
disbelief, Lan cries out as she races to her fiance, tears glistening in the
morning light...

*** To Be Concluded ***