[Ranma/Battletech][FanFic] Battletech: The Saotome Gambit Part 23

[Jamie and Bridget Wilde]

The City of Gondolin
Planet Nerima, Capella System
The Nerima Confederation
27 April 3025

"--the diplomatic implications of this shocking assassination are as
yet unknown," the talking head on the television set declared, his facial
expression suitably grave for the event. Nabiki had one of her bodyguards
increase the volume as her limousine sped up the roadway from the starport
to the city proper.
"There has been no official comment from Grand Duke Tendo," the news
anchor continued. "But in a bizarre twist of events, your Forty-Four News
Team has received information linking the assassin, Lord Rolf Thuringia of
Tikonov, to the Duke's inner circle of advisors."
Nabiki smiled. The beauty of modern journalism for her was that it was
so hungry for 'breaking news' that it would swallow just about anything to
be the first to broadcast, and that meant little or no research of its own
for independent verification.
"Again, this breaking development," the anchor intoned. "League of Five
Nails Ambassador Tetsuo Gosunkugi was assassinated shortly before Sixteen
O'Clock Gondolin Mean Time, on the Oyama Commerce Space Station. The
Ambassador was rumored to be in the Capella System to broker an alliance
against the Furinkan Combine with Grand Duke Tendo, and was murdered by a
lone assassin in a station hotel conference room. The assassin was himself
killed by the Ambassador's bodyguard immediately after the attack, leaving
his motive for the brutal slaying unclear at this time."
"Go on," Nabiki urged the screen. She and her staff-in-exile had been
working frantically for the last four hours since her return to the planet to
set this in motion, and she had greased all the right wheels with the media
to make it happen.
"There are, however, unconfirmed reports that the murder was not simply
the act of a lone assassin, but a well-orchestrated execution sanctioned from
within Azure Cloud Castle - again for motives that are unclear at this time."
The anchor looked away from the camera for a moment as he received something
important off the TelePrompter.
"We've just received word from the Castle. Grand Duke Tendo's Press
Secretary has vigorously denied any involvement by His Grace in such an act."
Nabiki watched as her father's Press Secretary took the rostrum in a
hastily prepared press conference called as the first of her carefully
planted news leaks began to spill.
"His Grace, Grand Duke Soun Tendo, categorically denies any involvement
in this terrible tragedy, and furthermore denounces the rumors that any of
his advisors or staff were responsible. This is a grave moment in the history
of the Nerima Confederation, and His Grace is even now ordering an official
investigation into this incident to show his sincere goodwill towards the
League of Five Nails."
Nabiki stifled a laugh. The personal DropShip of Tetsuo Gosunkugi was
speeding back to the Jump Point that very moment - without Tetsuo's remains,
thanks to her behind-the-scenes meddling. The gung-ho Navy had unwittingly
helped her in her plot by threatening to destroy the ship if its crew made
any unsanctioned attempts to take the Ambassador's body off the station. The
League of Five Nails was going to get her version of the story first, and
they would not be inclined to listen to any of her father's waffling
rhetoric and apologies.
She felt confident about herself for the first time since the death of
Tetsuo. It had taken an act of near-divine inspiration to turn Rolf's
incomprehensible act of stupidity to her advantage, and she was rolling on
the momentum of her decision to act. The nobles had fallen in line almost at
once - though Count Baldur of Thuringia was understandably shaken by the
death of his son, and of Rolf's culpablity in the murder of the Ambassador.
It was vital for her that they never know the true details of the murder.
She was playing it up as another sign that her father was insane - that he
was throwing away every opportunity for the Confederation to survive the
war against the Combine - and even the nobles whose support was lukewarm and
skeptical at best were lapping it up.
___________________________________________________________________________
J. Austin Wilde and Fission Park Press proudly present:

BATTLETECH: THE SAOTOME GAMBIT
PART TWENTY-THREE

by J. Austin Wilde
Safety Control Rod Axe Man,
Fission Park Press
wild...@gci-net.com
http://www.gci-net.com/users/w/wildeman/

The characters and situations of Ranma 1/2 are the
creation and property of Rumiko Takahashi and
Shogakukan/KITTY/Viz Video. Battletech and its
related materials are the property of FASA, inc.
No infringement of copyright is intended nor
should be inferred by this work of fanfiction.
___________________________________________________________________________

Chapter One

The Grand Duke's Personal Chambers
Azure Cloud Castle
28 April 3025

"I'm here," Nabiki announced, stepping through the doors of the Duke's
chambers with her escort. Soun was there, along with Kasumi, some of his most
loyal supporters, and an attractive woman of middle-age whom Nabiki did not
know. It was just past midnight, and the atmosphere in the room was grim.
Riots had started in Gondolin as her rumors and dark innuendo continued to
grow - fueled by the seeming futility of the war in spite of their daring
victory at Oni - and further implicating the Duke as a man insane, who had
ruined the country's only chance at victory over the Combine by ordering the
death of Tetsuo Gosunkugi. It was most certainly the act of a man who had
lost his mind when the League was lending such dramatic support to the
Confederation war effort these past few weeks.
"And I want to make something immediately clear, Daddy," she continued.
"I'm here because I choose to appear before you, not because I've been
commanded to come."
Soun was livid. He whirled on her, eyes flashing.
"What have you done, Nabiki!?" he demanded.
She brushed his accusation aside.
"From what I'm hearing, it's what *you've* done, Daddy," she returned
coolly.
Soun was having none of it. "You've murdered the League Ambassador!" he
shouted. "Murdered! On Confederation territory, right before he could meet
with me! Do you realize that he was here to propose highest level talks that
would aid us in the war?"
She motioned for one of her bodyguards to fetch her a drink, ignoring
most of his tirade.
"So why did you have him bumped off, then?" she accused in a dry,
faintly mocking tone.
Soun reeled, speechless. Kasumi stood from the divan to approach the
two of them.
"Look, Daddy," Nabiki said in a business-like tone. "Let's get down to
brass tacks. I've been authorized to act for the Confederation's Peer Circle
in this matter." She produced a crisp parchment document whose ink had
barely dried, and showed him the menagerie of seals and signatures affixed
to it. "By near-unanimous consent, it has been determined by the Peers of
the Confederation that you, Grand Duke Tendo, are mentally unfit to rule,
and that you are to abdicate immediately to me as Confederation Regent,
pending a formal investiture of the Confederation Heir - assuming of course
that my little sister ever returns from that misadventure you sent her on."
"Arrest her," Soun ordered his men. They took a hesistant step forward.
Nabiki waved them off. "Arrest yourself," she returned. "You should
realize that it's all I can do to keep the people of the city below this
castle from storming the gates," she said to him. "They want your head for
this, Daddy. As far as they're concerned, you're a deranged lunatic who will
sacrifice all of us for some foolish pride in your war against the Combine."
Her bodyguard brought her the drink as the household troops remained
where they were. She sipped at it as her father seemed to fall back upon
himself. After watching him writhe for a moment, Nabiki pressed home the
attack.
"If you don't abdicate, you will only further convict yourself in the
eyes of the people, and the Peers will be obligated to remove you forceably
from the throne. You should also know that Count Thuringia's regiment has
already moved to secure the castle and the starport against the mob, and
Counts Stark and Tarrega have mobilized the reserves to declare and impose
martial law."
Soun read the deeper implications behind her statement. Three of his
senior nobles were already in position with their units to depose him, while
on the surface appearing to act in the name of restoring order to the city.
He had failed to take her seriously as a threat, and she had completely
outmaneuvered him.
"You have one hour to make your decision," she added. "Naturally, you
and Kasumi, as well as your senior advisors, will have to be removed to a
secure location - for your own safety against the mobs, of course."
Kasumi gave her a bitter look, knowing exactly what her younger sister
had in mind.
"I won't abdicate," Soun declared. "This is nothing short of High
Treason against me."
Nabiki made a tsk-tsk sound. "Then you give me no choice but to remove
you." She made a subtle sign with her hand, and her bodyguards produced
submachine guns, keeping them visible, if not directing them at anyone.
Soun's own personal guard reached for weapons of their own, and a standoff
ensued.
"Call them off, Daddy, before someone gets hurt. You know that I
wouldn't have come here if I hadn't already won."
The middle-aged woman rose from the divan where she had been sitting
with Kasumi. Nabiki watched her coolly as she approached Kasumi and the
Grand Duke. There was something about her appearance that was vaguely
familiar.
"Soun," the woman said in a calm voice. "I don't think that this will
solve anything."
He remained resolute. "Nodoka, I..." His voice tapered off. Finally, he
directed his wounded eyes toward his middle daughter. "You'll have to murder
me the way you murdered the Ambassador."
Nabiki shot Kasumi a penetrating look. "If you have any influence over
him, sis, I suggest that you exercise it."
Kasumi also remained resolute. "No, Nabiki. What you are doing is wrong.
I'll have no part of it."
Nabiki sighed wearily. "Kasumi, you will never understand the sacrifices
I've made for this country. If I thought for a moment that we could actually
defeat the Furinkan Combine, I would have been behind you a hundred percent.
"But the fact is that the country is about to be overrun in a matter of
weeks - if not days - and the only one who seems to be willing to prevent
even more bloodshed and destruction is me."
Kasumi bowed her head. She had wrestled with that very issue on Oni.
"Do the Peers know that you intend to surrender the Confederation to Prince
Kuno?" she asked her.
"Of course they do," Nabiki replied. "It's the only option that not only
saves lives, but allows them to keep their titles and their wealth. Don't
worry, I've thought about our family too. I intend to have us remain rulers
of the Confederation - we'll just have a liege lord over us like any other
noble."
"Tatewaki Kuno," Kasumi spat. Nabiki was unaccustomed the venom in her
older sister's voice. "The one man responsible for so much of the Inner
Sphere's violence and ruin. You want to make him our liege."
"He's the one person who can unite the Inner Sphere," Nabiki countered.
"It's true that he'll do it by conquest, but was there ever any doubt that
he would be the one to do what two centuries of Successor Lords couldn't?"
She looked to her father again. "Last chance, Daddy. Do the honorable
thing, and abdicate."
Soun closed his eyes and silent tears began to spill down his cheeks.
"I will not abdicate," he declared. "But it seems that I am in no
position to resist my removal." He made a dismissive wave to his troops,
who lowered their weapons grudgingly.
"So be it," Nabiki replied. She snapped her fingers, and a covey of
lawyers, minor nobles, and a High Justice of the Court appeared to act as
witnesses. "As of this moment, I, Nabiki Tendo, acting under the authority
of the Peers of the Confederation, and in the best interests of the Nerima
Confederation, do hereby strip you of the title of Grand Duke of the
Confederation." She paused. This was all theater, of course, the Peers
having little real power over the Ducal Throne save outright revolt, but
as long as the right people were willing to play along...
"Furthermore," she continued. "I, Nabiki Tendo, under warrant from
the Peers of the Confederation, do hereby assume the title of Sole Regent
of the Confederation, to execute the duties and responsibilities of the
office pending the return and formal investiture of the Confederation Heir,
Akane Tendo, as Grand Duchess."
She looked to the witnesses, who nodded their assent.
"My first act as Regent is to place the royal family in protective
custody, pending the restoration of order and as their physical and
psychological conditions dictate."
Which was to say that her father would be declared completely insane,
and therefore unfit to be released from guarded psychiatric care, and that
Kasumi would suffer an emotional collapse from the stress of her battles on
Oni, and require extensive rest and therapy somewhere far removed from the
seat of power, and somehow never quite recover. All nice and neat. She could
almost see the mountains of sympathy mail from their loyal subjects rolling
in...
She motioned for her men to take the former Grand Duke and his retinue
away. The South Tower seemed appropriate for the moment, at least until she
could reestablish order and consolidate her power. Removing her father had
been the easy part. Now she had to face Tatewaki Kuno head on in a struggle
for the fate of the Confederation.
There was never any doubt that the country would become a vassal state,
the challenge for her would be to arrange the most favorable terms for its
surrender. Shogun Kuno would be her most valuable weapon against Tatewaki
taking the entire country by force. She would trade him for her concessions,
as well as the hand of her sister, Akane, in marriage.
She could see why Tetsuo had been so eager to get rid of the Combine
Shogun. He was a total nutcase. The lunatic father of Prince Tatewaki Kuno
was currently on his way to a remote seaside estate on the other side of the
planet, where he and his entourage would be looked after by her personal
staff. They had been cashiered out of hand by her father, and they were only
too willing to showcase their loyalty to her and her alone.
She eased herself down into a chair as her father and his people were
taken away to exile in the South Tower. Count Tarrega assured her that he
could have order restored by sunrise, and with minimal violence once it was
announced that Grand Duke Tendo had abdicated. She wasn't due to appear on
television for another hour, and she wanted to rest up to appear fresh for
the people.

Chapter Two

Nerima Confederation JumpShip _Dragonfly_
Wexford System Nadir Jump Point
Wexford System, the Federated Shiratori
11 May 3025

Ranma Saotome knew that he was no florist, but as far as he was
concerned, the selection of flowers and flowering plants he had chosen
looked pretty good. He had even thought far enough ahead to have a vase
with water ready for them in the stateroom he shared with his father,
though the vase was a bit of an improvisation on his part - it was the
plastic shipping tube for an electromagnetic decoy countermeasure, cut
down with a hacksaw borrowed from the ship's tool crib from its original
one meter length. All in all, pretty impressive, he thought.
Getting the flowers was the easy part. Actually delivering them to
their intended recipient was going to be the challenge. Was there some
kind of strategy involved in the process, or did he simply go up to her,
thrust out the vase, and say something along the lines of 'this is for
you'?
He had a mind to pay a quick visit to Doctor Tofu and get a little
more advice on the subject, and quickly cast it aside. The Doc was giving
Shampoo an exam in the Ship's Brig, to make certain that their latest
prisoner wasn't hurt worse than she appeared to be. He wasn't sure what
to think of Shampoo, since she had wanted to kill him for close to five
months now, and had nearly killed Ucchan and Konatsu in the process.
That wasn't even considering the fact that she had stolen the database
disc with the Ryuugenzawa System on it.
And then there was that kiss she had given him, the kiss that had
him on this florist's errand to get back in Akane's good graces.
He was disturbed by the matter, especially given her homicidal
intentions where he was concerned. Why a kiss? Was it some kinda kiss
of death? And that weirdo remark about guys defeating Amazons having,
er, 'privileges' with them? Part of him just didn't want to know. The
other part was all fired up to find out.
The door to the stateroom opened as he put the finishing touches
on the arrangement. Ranma turned guiltily to see his father stepping
through the door in his panda body. The panda stopped short at the sight
of his son arranging a bouquet of flowers, and fumbled for his signboard.
[Good idea, boy,] the sign read. [The room could use a little a
little color.]
Ranma relaxed, realizing that there would be no interrogation
forthcoming.
"What's up?" he asked his father. "Why don't you turn back into a
human?"
[Sometimes it's just easier this way, son,] Genma replied. [No one
bothers me when I'm like this.]
"Yeah, well, I can see why."
[I'm going to take a nap for awhile. Wake me before dinner.]
Ranma shook his head. "Whatever. Sleep 'til you're hungry, eat
'til you're tired, eh, Pop?"
The panda gave his son a penetrating look.
[The path of a true mechwarrior is fraught with peril, boy.] Ranma
could almost hear his father's voice as he read the sign. [You should
understand better than most the importance of sleeping and eating whenever
the opportunity arises.]
"It still sounds like a dodge to me," Ranma threw back. He stepped
out of the room, resolving to come back in twenty minutes to get Akane's
flowers. His father would be asleep by then.
No sooner had the door closed behind him then he was accosted by his
pint-sized nemesis, Happousai.
"You've been avoiding me, Ranma," he intoned ominously.
"Well, *DUH,*" Ranma returned. "Who wouldn't?"
Happousai was not amused. "It's been weeks, months even, since the
last time we trained. I'm concerned that the heir to my Anything Goes
School of Martial Arts won't measure up to the challenges before him."
"It's more like you're lusting after my girl body, and you haven't
had your grope fix since Azusa's wedding," Ranma countered, even less
amused than his so-called 'master.'
"We could skip the preliminaries, and go right to the part where I
splash you," Happousai wheedled, confirming Ranma's suspicions. He nudged
the pig-tailed mechwarrior in the arm. "How about it, eh, Hot Stuff?"
"Howsabout I beat the living daylights out of you, stuff your shattered
carcass in a TDU can, and shoot you with the rest of the trash tonight before
we Jump?" Ranma counter-offered. The thought of stuffing Happousai into a
sheetmetal Trash Disposal Unit can just 30 centimeters in diameter and a
meter long, and then shooting that can out into deep space, made him feel
warm and fuzzy with satisfaction.
Happousai looked him over.
"I don't know..." he replied in a speculative tone. "I don't think
you've got what it takes. Frankly, Ranma, I'm not very impressed with you.
Why, your father was a better martial artist at your age than you are now."
"Him?" Ranma snorted, casting a thumb to the door of the stateroom.
His father was already asleep within, and snoring loud enough to be heard
through the door. "Gimme a break."
Happousai tsk'ed. "It's true that he's gone to seed since then, but
back in the day, he was quite a fighter. Soun Tendo, too, if you believe
it."
"Which I don't," Ranma retorted. "Duke Tendo, maybe - at least he can
still see his toes every morning, but Pop? Don't make me laugh. The only
people he intimidates are the owners of all-you-can-eat buffets."
"I understand, Ranma," Happousai remarked casually. "You're just afraid
of being proven wrong. I know how that goes - I was your age once - thinking
that I had all the answers."
"Hey!" Ranma protested. "Who says I'm afraid?"
"If you aren't afraid, then meet me in the gym in half an hour, and
prove to me that I'm wrong about you," Happousai returned.
"I'll be there, freako!" Ranma growled, stabbing a thumb at his chest.
Happousai nodded with some satisfaction, and then turned away.
"I couldn't lead him along any better if I dragged him by his nose," he
observed quietly. "Sucker..."
Ranma watched him go, suddenly getting the feeling that he had been had.

* * *

He walked with flowers in hand along the curved race of 'D' Deck,
resolving to give them to Akane in time to keep his appointment with
Happousai in the ship's gym. In spite of his apprehensions at facing the
perverted old goat in what was certainly a set-up to change him into a
girl and then grope him, he wasn't going to back down from a fight. It was
possible that he might even win.
Ukyou stepped out of her stateroom as he approached, her eyes lighting
up. Ranma cringed in spite of himself, knowing that he was just two doors
shy of Akane's room. He liked Ukyou, and thought that she was pretty darn
cute, but her possessive attitude towards him since she had joined the
expedition was really getting on his nerves. It was almost as if she was
in love with him or something.
He decided that he would rather not think about that. His life was
complicated enough.
"Hiya, Ranchan!" she called to him.
He thrust the flowers behind his back.
"Hiya, Ucchan," he returned in a friendly, if somewhat neutral, voice.
She stopped short of him, eyes flicking to his hip.
"What's that?" she asked, all smiles.
"What's what?" he returned uncomfortably.
She chuckled. "What are you holding behind your back?"
"Uh, nothing," he said lamely.
"It's a very pretty bouquet of nothing," she observed. "Is it for me?"
"...uh..."
She leaned in close. "It was very thoughtful of you."
Now Ranma was starting to turn red. She had backed him into a corner,
because he could not bring himself to tell her that the flowers were meant
for Akane.
"Uh, well..." he muttered. "Not, er, exactly."
She laughed. "So shy," she said warmly, sidling up to him uncomfortably
close. It was uncomfortable in that she was in fact extremely cute, and even
he noticed it.
"How's Konatsu doing?" he asked, desperate to change the subject.
She gave him a sidelong glance. "He'll be okay. He needed some stitches,
but nothing serious." She cuddled up closer to him. "So, about that bouquet
of flowers...?"
"How's the arm?"
She gave him an exasperated look. "Fine. A hairline fracture from that
Chinese bimbo's mace. I've had a lot worse." She tried to sneak another look
at the flowers. "So... Flowers for an injured friend?"
"Hey, um, aren't you making okonomiyaki tonight for the crew?" he
asked, trying for a third time to steer the conversation away from his gift
of flowers for Akane.
She huffed in frustration, but played along.
"Sure am, Ranchan," she replied. "I'll be sure to make a special batch
of them, just for you." She fluttered her eyelashes at him. "You be sure to
come into the galley tonight, and I'll whip them up right there. We can eat
them together, just the two of us."
"Sounds great!" he enthused, a little too hastily. "Oh jeez, I'm
supposed to be in the gym right now, getting my ass kicked by Happousai.
I gotta go."
He started off in the opposite direction, cupping the bouquet close to
his chest.
"Happousai?" Ukyou called after him. "That little satyr? Tell me those
flowers aren't for *him!*"
"Of course not!" Ranma replied indignantly.
"Then who are they for?" she demanded.
He decided that it was better not to say anything. Worse, his hands were
starting to itch.

* * *

The ship's gymnasium was a small affair, a compartment slightly larger
than the average living room. Its purpose was to provide a place for the crew
to work out, since their prolonged exposure to periods of free-fall and the
meager artificial gravity provided by the Grav Deck meant waging a war against
muscle atrophy and bone deossification that exercise helped forestall. The
exercise machines folded out of the bulkheads for use, leaving the room
empty when they were stowed. Padding along the walls, deck, and overhead
made a decent, if small, dojo for martial artists to practice.
Happousai was there, standing in the far corner as he entered the
room. Akane was there too, dressed in a shimmering white bodysuit, and
peddling furiously on one of the exercycles. Ranma could tell by the look
of irritation on her face, and by Happousai's greasy countenance, that he
had been ogling her in silence the whole time.
"You're here early," Happousai said to him. "Hey, nice flowers," he
added, cackling. Akane looked up, surprised to see Ranma holding a makeshift
bouquet of them in his hands. "Not exactly what I'd select to put on your
grave, but at least you were prepared," the tiny mechwarrior finished.
"Bite me," Ranma returned curtly. "You'll get these from me the hard
way, I promise."
"You mean they're for me?" Happousai gushed, his eyes dewing. "Ranma!
You shouldn't have!" He leaped over to the pig-tailed mechwarrior, reaching
for them. "Why, no one's given me flowers in ages!"
"Back off, freak!" Ranma retorted, slamming Happousai to the deck.
"They ain't for you!"
"Who *are* they for?" Akane asked from the exercycle. Her hopeful look
made him weak in the knees.
Happousai popped up in full recovery, catching the look that passed
between the two young mechwarriors with a low whistle.
"Say..." he opined. "Do my eyes deceive me? Is my star pupil actually
growing a pair of _cojones?_" He leaped at Ranma's chest, catching a handful
of red mandarin blouse in his tiny hands and bawling. "Oh, happy day!" he
wailed. "You really aren't gay! Oh, how I'd been worried about you, but
you've vindicated my faith that one day you'd actually figure out what girls
are for!"
Ranma, his face reaching a previously undocumented shade of red, stood
trembling, his free hand clenching and unclenching furiously.
"Are those really for me, Ranma?" Akane asked him, her voice shy and
cute, and... And he was about to lose it with Happousai standing there
making wet kiss-kiss noises at him.
"Answer the lady, smart-guy," Happousai reproached.
"Shut up, you!" Ranma roared, lashing out with a kick that utterly
failed to connect. Happousai bounded clear, cackling laughter at him.
"Ranma's in love with Akane!" Happousai taunted him in a schoolyard
voice. "Ranma's in love with Akane!"
"Shut up!" Ranma howled. "Stop sayin' that!"
Happousai waggled his tongue at him as he bounded around the room
with the pig-tailed mechwarrior in hot pursuit. "Get a load of this, Akane,"
he called to her. She was just as red-faced as Ranma in that moment. "Your
mighty fiance, laid low by a school-boy's taunt!"
"Leave him alone," she admonished him.
Happousai grabbed the bouquet of flowers out of Ranma's hand in a
flash, and dumped them on his foe's head. "You don't deserve a girl like
her, Ranma!" he cried jealously. He then clouted Ranma on the head with
the plastic vase for good measure, and bounded out of the gym, bawling
miserably.
Ranma stood stock still, soaking wet, her face turning purple because
she had decided not to breathe.
Akane stepped off the exercycle and padded quietly over to her. She
knelt over the ruined flowers at Ranma's feet, eyeing them dispassionately.
"They *did* look nice," she said to her.
Ranma said nothing in reply.
Akane picked up the plastic countermeasure tube and looked at it. In
spite of herself, she smiled at his ingenuity. "They *were* for me, right?"
"I was just trying to apologize for lettin' Shampoo kiss me," Ranma
finally grumbled. She was really starting to itch now, and not just on her
hands.
Akane gave her an appraising look. "What's to apologize for?" she asked
her. "She caught us all by surprise with that one."
Ranma's face fell. "You mean that all this time you weren't angry?"
"Of course I was angry," she returned. "At first. Then I got over it."
All this hell for nothing! Ranma cursed. She wiped at her eyes, which
were starting to sting, and wondered if there wasn't something seriously
wrong with her.
"Still," Akane added. "It's the thought that counts."
"That's what the Doc said," Ranma replied.
Akane grinned at him. "You went to Doctor Tofu about this?"
"Gimme a break," Ranma snorted. "I don't know the first thing when it
comes to apologizing to girls!"
"I never would have guessed," she deadpanned. "Thank you, Ranma. It
was a very nice thing for you to do for me."
"It was a disaster," Ranma countered. "Nothing turned out the way it
was supposed to, and, ow, jeezus!"
"What is it, Ranma?" Akane asked her worriedly.
Ranma squirmed painfully in place.
"My face and neck, my hands... God, they itch!"
Akane looked him over closely. "Wow," she intoned. "You've got these
tiny little welts all over your skin..." She looked at the flowers again.
"Some of these aren't poisonous, are they?"
"How should I know!" Ranma barked. She began to itch in spite of herself.

* * *

"Yup," Doctor Tofu said gravely as he consulted the ship's greenhouse
inventory. "They're poisonous. A genetic analogue of poison sumac; indigenous
to St. Ives, actually."
Ranma, her face, throat, and hands smeared with pink dabs of ointment,
made a choking sound. "What the hell is something like that doing on board
a starship?!"
Tofu read the detailed description. "They counteract the tendency of
one of the volatile organic atmosphere contaminant-fixing plants to turn the
hydroponic solution acidic," he replied. "They secrete a tiny amount of a
strong hydroxyl group into the solution, and the two plants strike a fairly
neutral pH balance."
He gave the ointment-smeared mechwarrior a look of disapproval. "You
didn't get the cooks' permission to do this, did you."
Ranma cast a brief look to Akane before answering.
"They wouldn't let me," she replied. "So I went ahead and did it."
"Well, I'd consider this a lesson learned the hard way," Tofu sighed.
"How long will he be like this?" Akane asked him.
"Two or three days," the doctor replied. "He'll need to take cool
showers twice daily, with a mild soap that I'll provide out of the Pharmacy
in a moment, and he'll need to keep using that ointment to stop the itching."
"Marvelous," Ranma groused.
Tofu shook his head sadly. "Trust me, Ranma. I can tell you that at
least one person on this ship has a much bigger medical problem to deal
with." He set a bar of the soap down on the examining table for her, and
then started for the door. "Excuse me, please, I have some important news
for the Captain."
Ranma eyed the soap, then Akane, as the doctor left Sick Bay. "What
the heck was that about?"

* * *

"She's what?" Captain Hinako Ninomiya cried in disbelief.
"Shampoo is pregnant," Doctor Tofu repeated. First Ranma's mildly
poisonous plant encounter, and then this!
"You're certain?"
He nodded. "I'm afraid so, Captain. Both the urine and blood specimins
I took during the physical exam I administered following her capture seem to
confirm this."
"How pregnant?" Hinako pressed.
Tofu shrugged. "Barring the results of a more detailed exam, and then
allowing for the fact that I'm not exactly trained for obstetric medicine,
I'd say not very, but 'not very' is still just enough."
"Terrific," Hinako spat in her sultry bedroom voice. "This makes her
final disposition a bit more delicate."
"To say the least," Tofu agreed. "I haven't told her yet. It's so soon
that it's possible that she doesn't even know."
Hinako thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. On the one hand,
if Shampoo knows that she's pregnant, she might be more inclined to behave
herself. On the other hand, she might use the fact that we'll be reluctant
to get overly physical with her, against us."
"True," Tofu said, nodding. Both of them were enlightened enough to
feel that while Shampoo was guilty of trespassing, attempted murder, and
espionage, any unborn child of hers was an innocent, and deserved to be
protected.
"I guess we can't execute her, either," she sniffed. She hadn't looked
forward to spacing the Amazon, but after Tarou, she had learned her lesson
when it came to potentially dangerous prisoners, and in this case, Shampoo
was guilty of a crime - espionage - for which the death penalty was most
certainly indicated.
"What are the chances that we can turn her over to someone?"
Hinako shook her head. "That's part of the problem. After Tarou, I have
little faith that even one of our frontier worlds will want to take over the
case, and her legal status is dubious. We aren't at war with the Jusenkyo
Commonwealth, so she isn't technically a P.O.W., and this criminal matter
would normally fall under my jurisdiction as Captain, since it happened
aboard my ship. On the other hand, the crime of espionage is one that falls
under the High Justice of the Confederation, and isn't a matter for a local
planetary court."
She shrugged her shoulders absently.
"I guess the best thing we can do is hold her in the Brig until we
return from the Ryuugenzawa System."
Tofu nodded. "I suppose that means that I'll be hitting up the medical
library for some prenatal care procedures." He paused, his distaste for the
subject clear. "There is one final option."
Hinako looked up from her review of the day's logs.
"I'm listening, Doctor."
"I hesitate to present this, but Shampoo could always opt to abort," he
said. "The procedure for terminating a pregnancy this early is very simple,
and we have the necessary drugs on board."
"This would have to be her choice," Hinako declared. "I won't sanction
anything else, and I certainly won't order it."
"I understand, Captain," Tofu replied, wiping the lenses of his glasses
uncomfortably. "I don't think that she'll be interested, considering that she
has to be aware of the penalty for espionage, but it is an alternative that
would make handling her more convenient."
Hinako gave him a surprisingly cold look. He realized that because of
her unique metabolic condition, she could never have children of her own,
and almost certainly envied someone who could.
"I'm repulsed by the thought, Doctor, that terminating the unborn
should ever become a matter of convenience."

* * *

Shampoo lay face down and away from the clear polycarbonate door of
her cell in the brig, her tattered clothing replaced with a simple shipsuit
coverall that was bereft of the usual insignia and nametags. Doctor Tofu
swallowed hard at the sight of her, for the Amazon looked good even in drab
ship's blue. The off-watch crewman detailed to Brig Duty looked up from his
book at him.
"She's been real quiet, Doc," he said to him.
"That's good," Tofu returned. "I'm going to speak with the prisoner,
if that's okay with you."
The sailor shrugged. "As long as it's business, I suppose there's no
problem. You wouldn't believe how many of the guys have been trying to get
in here to talk to her."
"It's a medical matter," Tofu confirmed, understanding how the single,
male, portion of the crew might feel about the exotic looking Amazon. "A
*private* medical matter."
The sailor lifted his book to his face. "So who's listening?"
Satisfied that the sailor would at least keep up the appearance of not
eavesdropping, he stepped over to the cell, and tapped on the transparent
door. Shampoo ignored him.
"Shampoo, it's Doctor Tofu Ono. Do you remember me?"
She continued to ignore him.
"Shampoo, I have something very important to discuss with you."
"Go away," she growled.
"I can't do that," he returned. "This is a medical matter, and at the
moment, I'm your doctor."
"Doctors no matter," she said, staring at the blank wall opposite the
door. "Not when Shampoo to be executed."
"That's not going to happen, Shampoo."
"Shampoo not believe you," she retorted. "Shampoo know what is penalty
for spying."
Tofu sighed. "That might be true," he said at length. "But as you are
currently pregnant, there is no chance of that happening."
She stiffened on the sleeping pallet.
"Yes, Shampoo," Tofu told her. "Pregnant."
She sat up, turning about to sit on the pallet, facing him.
"You lie," she said curtly. "Is not possible. Shampoo have implant. No
can have babies unless removed."
Tofu pulled up an extra chair and sat down across from her, with only
the centimeter thick wall of transparent polycarbonate separating them. He
opened up the thin manilla file he had started on her, and showed her the
results of the automated analysis unit on her blood and urine samples.
"The machine found traces of certain chemical breakdown products in
your bloodstream," he said to her. "The breakdown products detected are
related to a certain class of antibiotics. Have you been sick recently?
Say, in the last two months? Did you take anything for it?"
Shampoo thought about it. She had contracted a nasty upper respiratory
tract infection on the outbound trip from Tau Ceti - no doubt due to the less
than savory conditions aboard the _Domingo._ But she had been over it by the
time she and Mousse had sex!
"Shampoo have bad cough," she replied. "Take antibiotic for two weeks."
Tofu nodded. He had suspected as much. "Some antibiotics interfere with
contraceptive function," he replied. "Even with contraceptive implants, there
can be some complications."
She took this in. What had passed for a doctor aboard the _Domingo_ had
said nothing about that when he prescribed her the medicine!
"Shampoo really pregnant?" she said in a tiny voice.
"I'm afraid so," Tofu confirmed.
She was speechless. This was simply not possible! To be carrying
Mousse's child - the child of a man who had been removed from the Breeding
Program - within her!
"I can tell that this was unexpected," he said lamely.
"Shampoo no wonder when she miss period," she said in a soft voice.
"Sometime stress make period come few days late. No worries."
Tofu offered her a sympathetic look. "Shampoo, I want you to know that
I'll be looking after you and the baby for the foreseeable future. If you
have any problems, if you experience any pain or discomfort, a little
morning sickness, whatever... I'm available to help. Just ask the guard to
have me come down, and I'll be there."
She nodded numbly.
"I'm also going to start you on a prenatal care diet," he said. "That
includes vitamin supplements. It's hard to provide everything you and the
baby need with the food stores we have on board - even counting what we
might have available in the Greenhouses - so I want you to take them without
fail. The first trimester is critical to the baby's health."
Shampoo remained silent, eyes downcast in despair.
"What if Shampoo no want baby?" she asked at length. It was a painful
thing to say, because her clan had always celebrated life, and considered
children the Joketsuzoku's greatest asset. There was also a long-held
Chinese objection to abortion - a holdover from the dark days of pre-Jump
Earth, when the state had dictated how many children a woman could have.
"A-Are you saying that you want to terminate your pregnancy, Shampoo?"
He had hoped that she wouldn't ask.
Her eyes closed. "Shampoo not know." Bear a worthless man's child,
or throw away every personal and cultural value she held dear to get rid of
it?
Tofu nodded, understanding the terrible choice she faced.
"You've got a little time to think about it," he said to her. "Three or
four weeks maybe, before surgical intervention becomes necessary. I'm not
trained or certified to do anything about it after that point; you'll have
to wait until we reach civilization, if it comes to that."
Shampoo nodded ruefully.
"In the meantime," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "You're going
to eat, and you're going to take your vitamins, because I'm willing to bet
a year's pay that your baby will be one the most beautiful in the Inner
Sphere."
She tried to smile for him, for he was treating her with far more
compassion than she would have expected from an enemy, but the expression
simply wouldn't come.

* * *

NCJS _Dragonfly_
Sagrada Familia System Nadir Jump Point
Sagrada Familia System, the Federated Shiratori
Near the Federated Shiratori - Confederation border
17 May 3025

Akane Tendo floated near the Captain's Station as the _Dragonfly_
completed sending its coded transmission to the MV _Eastern Star,_ a Merchant
Class JumpShip of the Confederation's Merchant Marine returning from a six
month trade run throughout the Federated Shiratori.
The _Eastern Star_ was a ship Hinako and the rest of the crew of the
_Dragonfly_ knew from encounters while they were undercover as merchants,
and their Confederation Merchant Marine crew was trusted with and cleared
for vital dispatches to the Grand Duke.
"We're taking a chance with this," Hinako warned her.
"I'm aware of that," Akane countered. "But in all fairness, the country
most likely to intercept this data through Comstar is the country most likely
to already have it. We're in a race against time, and we need a transport
fleet to rendezvous with us at Ryuugenzawa."
Hinako chewed on her lip. They had been over this several times, and
every other alternative seemed inadequate to the necessity of getting ships
to Ryuugenzawa quickly, before the Commonwealth could reach them.
"Captain Ninomiya," the Communications tech called to her. "_Eastern
Star_ acknowledges receipt of our transmission, and will relay it to the
Capella System via the Sian System HPG station as soon as they materialize
from Jump."
"Very well," Hinako replied. She licked at a lollipop absently. "Send
Captain Avgerinos my regards."
"Yes, ma'am." She did so.
They watched as the _Eastern Star_ glowed with brilliant light several
minutes later, and then winked out of existence.
"Conn, Sensory; Contact Romeo Two has Jumped," the Sensory tech
announced - unnecessarily, Akane thought, as they had all watched it leave
with their own eyes.
"Our turn next!" Hinako said happily, flapping her arms with excitement,
and lifting herself out of her seat in zero-gravity. "Helm, commence the
countdown for Hyperspace Jump!"
"Commence countdown for Hyperspace Jump, Helm, aye. Captain, the Helm
is slaved to the Astrogation Computer for Hyperspace Jump."
She licked at her lollipop contentedly.
"Very well, Helm."
"Jumpcore internal temperatures stable," the Acting Assistant Engineer
informed them. "Inverters Alfa through India are green. Ship's Battery
indicates sufficient charge for Jump." The lights shifted for a moment as
the starship's powerplant adjusted loads for the Jump.
"Clock synchronization is green," Helm reported. "Helm remains slaved
to Astrogation. Reaction Control System in automatic. T-minus twenty minutes
to Jump, mark."
Akane watched the activity on the bridge. Counting this one, they had
just three more Jumps to make before they reached Ryuugenzawa, a period of
over two weeks allowing for recharge time, and yet there was a growing sense
of anticipation within her. The crew was feeling it too, and morale was the
highest it had been since the expedition left Nerima.

Chapter Three

Azure Cloud Castle
19 May 3025

Nabiki Tendo pored over the morning reports as she had done evey day
since she assumed the throne of the Nerima Confederation. The riots had been
quelled as expected, but the public was still anxious about the outcome of
the war. She had been obliged to tread lightly over the subject of outright
surrender to the Furinkan Combine, instead warming the people gradually to
the subject, and couching it in terms of an alliance.
In truth that was what she was after all along, but perception was all
too often equated with reality - an axiom she had put to good use in deposing
her father, and she had to be careful. There were indications that public
opinion was in a state of flux regarding the subject, a volatile mixture of
war-weariness and national pride. Few within the Confederation had any more
illusions of outright victory, and she planned to capitalize on this in her
latest address, knowing that Prince Kuno was nearing the planet with a small
escort force to discuss the terms of surrender.
He had answered her call for another surrender summit with glee, and
particularly when he had learned what she had available in trade. The daimyo
were getting extremely restless back home in the Combine, and there were
muttered rumors of replacing the Kuno family outright as the rulers of the
Furinkan Combine for a family that inspired more confidence in the people.
Recovering the Shogun and gaining the Confederation as a valuable ally would
put Tatewaki beyond all reproach, and he knew that.
Kuno was also salivating over the prospect of having Akane Tendo for
his bride, no doubt, she mused as she read a communique from a distant
outpost near the Federated Shiratori marked MOST URGENT, and at the highest
security classification.
She almost dropped the paper. It was a dispatch from the NCJS
_Dragonfly,_ the JumpShip detailed to carry her sister and the damned
Saotomes on their fool's errand to find Ryuugenzawa. She read on, not
believing her eyes.
"I'll be damned," she muttered, taking an absent sip of her coffee.
"They actually think they've FOUND it?"
One of her aides cocked his head at her questioningly. She ignored
him. The rest of the dispatch was a series of astronomical computations
that supposedly revealed the location of the Ryuugenzawa System. According
to them, the star system had been removed from the astrogational charts
centuries ago, and with the computations provided, a database patch could
be derived that would allow for a Jump to the system.
They were on their way there even as she read the dispatch, and they
were requesting that JumpShips loaded with DropShips be sent immediately
to the system to carry off whatever they could recover from the place.
"Son of a bitch," she added, taking another sip, and nearly spilling it
in her distraction.
She had a mind to destroy the paper that very moment. She had a very
personal prejudice against the idea of Ryuugenzawa, and to find that it might
actually exist was infuriating. To say nothing of the fact that a fat fool
like Genma Saotome might be right about something where she had been wrong.
"Your Grace," one of her staff called softly to her. Though she was
not the Duchess - yet - she had not been adverse to such a form of address
from the staff.
"What is it?" she asked him.
"General Prince Tatewaki Kuno has arrived in orbit."
She steeled herself. "Very well. Send his Highness my regards. I'll be
adjourning to my quarters in preparation to receive him."
They had arranged to meet in orbit, ironically, at Oyama Station. It was
the closest thing to neutral territory available in the Capella System that
wouldn't put either party to much disadvantage. Kuno was close to his ships;
Nabiki had the planet at her back. The fact that the last diplomat to arrive
at Oyama had died with a stiletto in his chest was quietly put aside. The
League was still raging about the death of Tetsuo, but Tatewaki Kuno's defeat
of Hikaru Gosunkugi had rendered their military non-effective as a striking
force for some time.
She wondered idly about what had become of Hikaru. His fate was unknown
at the moment, even to the League of Five Nails. It was likely that he had
been killed on Condorcet. Kuno was keeping mum on the subject.
Nabiki put it aside for the moment. She had other concerns, and the
Confederation military was one of them. They were chafing under the general
cease fire that had been arranged to allow this bit of diplomacy, a cease
fire that extended to the guerrilla operations on the occupied worlds. The
armed forces had paid a heavy price for their victory on Oni, and the fact
that it was swiftly becoming public knowledge that the Confederation was due
to submit to the Combine was salt in their wounds.
The nobles and the more tractable flag rank officers were keeping them
in line, but it only took one over-zealous moron like Rolf with his finger
on the button of a torpedo launcher to ruin everything.

* * *

"Greetings, your Highness," Nabiki offered Tatewaki Kuno. She did
not bow or curtsy to him, making it clear to everyone present that she was
treating with him as an equal. They were in much more luxurious settings
than the furtive and tragic meeting with Tetsuo, and there were soldiers,
functionaries, and diplomats of every rank present in the gilded grand
salon of the Oyama Palace Hotel.
Tatewaki Kuno was resplendent in a formal kimono, his family swords
tucked into his sash. He was flanked by Ambassador Domitian - apparently
brought out of exile for this occasion - and curiously enough, a subdued
and silent Hikaru Gosunkugi. Nabiki caught sight of the grisly wounds on
his wrists as he adjusted his plain if expensively tailored attire, and
shuddered at the thought of what had clearly happened to him in Kuno's
custody.
"Nabiki Tendo," the Combine Prince returned curtly. "I am a man
possessed of little time for pleasantries. Let us sit at table and discuss
these matters, that we might settle once and for all the conflict that
lies betwixt us."
Nabiki inclined her head in concession. "Agreed, Kuno-baby," she
replied, determined not to let him control the summit. He flushed angrily
at her in return, but said nothing. "I see that Domitian has returned to
favor with you."
Tatewaki's jaw clenched. "Do you have my father, the Shogun, or do you
not?" he demanded.
She smiled, amused by the ease with which she had set him off. This was
going to be less of a challenge than she thought.
"Patience, Kuno-baby," she replied. "Yes, he is in my custody as Royal
Hostage. We have a long way to go, I think, before you can have him returned,
and as you have said, there is little time for pleasantries. Let us retire
then to our respective positions at the table."
Angry and impatient, Tatewaki Kuno stormed past her with his entourage,
and headed straight for the table prepared for the principal diplomats.

* * *

"Fine fine fine," Tatewaki snapped at the Confederation side of the
table. "Methinks it is clear to all that we are in agreement with the forms
and measures of this treaty. Let us then proceed!"
Nabiki pursed her lips in thought. They had been at the table for four
hours, and Domitian had said very little, other than to parse the various
phrases and clauses of the treaty with her phalanx of lawyers. Even that had
been unnecessary, since the agreement was nearly a carbon copy of the one she
and Domitian had worked out prior to the arrival of the Saotomes. In spite of
this easy arrangement, the Combine Prince had taken a personal hand in the
affair, and brooked no interference with the presentation of his demands.
Most of the delay was in fact due to his boorish interruptions.
She wondered at the purpose of Hikaru's presence at the table, for the
frail and beaten looking Heir to the League of Five Nails had hardly stirred
in his seat, and had said nothing, even to the servants who offered them
refreshments. Perhaps it was to demonstrate to her what Tatewaki Kuno did to
people who crossed him. Perhaps he meant to carry the Gosunkugi Heir to
Angbad, and bargain the surrender of the League the way he was bargaining
the surrender of the Confederation. With the Commonwealth mustering for total
war, he would need all the troops he could get if he wanted to conquer them.
"Agreed," she declared. "But first, let us recap our positions."
Tatewaki nearly exploded with exasperation at this, and for a moment she
expected him to leap across the table at her in a blind rage.
"The Nerima Confederation shall recognize the Furinkan Combine as its
rightful and lawful overlord," she began. "Furthermore, the Tendo Family shall
renounce all claim to the Star League throne as First Lord, and shall swear
personal fealty to the Shogun of the Furinkan Combine, as shall all of the
lords holding Confederation titles, and all commissioned officers of her Armed
Forces; active duty, reserve, and retired. The ranks of Grand Duke and Duchess
of the Confederation shall remain in perpetuity, to be held by a member of the
Tendo Family by blood or by marriage, as shall the titles and grants of land
established by the Confederation for their respective holders, provided that
the oaths of fealty - to be renewed with each succession to the ducal or
lesser seat - are upheld.
"All regular Armed Forces of the Nerima Confederation, to be defined as
the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Guard, Merchant Marine, and their associated
reserve components, shall revert to immediate control of the Furinkan
Combine, known henceforth as the Furinkan Combine Mustered Soldiery. The
rank and grade of all members of the above-named forces shall carry over to
equivalent rank and grade within the FCMS hierarchy, as shall all benefits
conferred by time in service, time in grade, disability, pension status,
and grant of land.
"Levies and duties imposed upon the Nerima Confederation shall be not
more than ten percent of the Gross Domestic Product, to be established
annually by independent review of auditors with the Bank of Sol and confirmed
by the fiduciary agents of Comstar. Levies of troops for the Furinkan Combine
Mustered Soldiery shall not exceed those demanded per capita of marches
within the Furinkan Combine proper.
Nabiki went on, her voice adopting a nasal singsong that was annoying
to all but career attorneys, politicians, and diplomats. Essentially, the
treaty established the continued autonomy of the Nerima Confederation so
long as it paid its taxes and provided troops for the Furinkan Combine
military. It was a very good deal for both parties, as it meant that very
little changed in the lives of the ordinary people of the Confederation,
the nobles not only had their titles, but had them guaranteed, and the
Tendos remained as their rulers. For the Combine, it meant an increase of
territory and tax base without having to wage a costly and tiresome campaign
against any Confederation insurgents, and freed them to continue their
prosecution of the war against the League of Five Nails and the Jusenkyo
Commonwealth.
Nabiki was very proud of the document.
"We have heard this before, Nabiki Tendo," Tatewaki sniffed. "Let us
then come to those recent measures which are of most interest to me."
"Of course, Kuno-baby," she grinned at him. "In exchange for the
granting of the aforementioned terms by the Furinkan Combine, the Nerima
Confederation shall release their Most Royal Hostage, the Shogun of the
Furinkan Combine, and shall pledge the troth of its Most Sublime Daughter,
Akane Tendo, to General Prince Tatewaki Kuno. Akane Tendo shall forfeit all
claim to the Ducal Throne of the Nerima Confederation upon her marriage.
The Ducal Throne of the Nerima Confederation shall then pass to Nabiki Tendo,
and then through her to other heirs designated by future decree, and in
keeping with the terms above - defining the rule of the Confederation."
Her arrangement as Regent was contingent upon the investiture of
Akane Tendo, but if her sister was married off to Kuno before such could be
arranged, the power of the Confederation would remain in her hands throughout
the entire surrender process and beyond.
Tatewaki Kuno nodded imperiously. At last, he was getting what he most
desired. Akane Tendo as his bride, and, quietly, the Pig-Tailed Girl as well
once he was made Shogun.
"Now we come to the hard part, Kuno-baby," Nabiki said to him, breaking
the spell of rapture that had come over him. "The turnover process."
"I do not see how such trivia would be cause for concern with thee,
Nabiki Tendo," he returned.
Nabiki pushed a slip of paper over to him. He picked it up and looked
it over, frowning as he did so.
"What manner of gibberish is this?" he demanded.
"The location of the greatest treasure in the Inner Sphere," she replied
with a catlike grin. "Akane Tendo."
Tatewaki clearly did not understand.
"Refrain from such nonsense and riddle, Nabiki Tendo," he cautioned her.
"I am not a man to be trifled with. Explain yourself."
"That's an astronomical abstract," she told him, having been briefed on
the subject by one of her naval attaches. "It gives the location to a star
system that you won't find on any of your charts. It's located, I believe,
within the Magistracy of Canopus."
Tatewaki looked it over once again. "And what, pray tell, hath this to
do with the arrangement of Akane Tendo as my bride?"
"You'll have to go there to get her," Nabiki replied. "You'll probably
have to fight the Saotomes first, though," she added. "After all, they do
seem to have a claim on her. This fair treaty might make your betrothal all
nice and pretty, but I do seem to recall that possession is nine-tenths of
the law."
"They are in this system, you say?" Tatewaki snapped, crinkling the
paper in his fist as he clenched up in ire at the mention of the hated
Saotomes.
"They're either already there, or else they're headed that way," Nabiki
replied. This was one way to get rid of those two meddlers, and ensure that
Akane did not escape to start some damned revolution once she got word that
Daddy had been deposed. "Once you get my sister away from those two jerkoffs,
my nobles and I will sign the treaty, and hand over your father as a wedding
present." She looked over the table at him. "Not before."
"Outrageous!" Tatewaki thundered. "Thy assurances of a peaceful exchange
of power are what brought me forth!"
"And you have them," Nabiki returned. "Once you eliminate the Saotomes
and return Akane to Nerima, you'll get everything that's coming to you."
"Placing conditions upon the Blue Thunder of the Furinkan Combine?"
he raged, spraying spittle upon the table in his fulminations. "Madness!"
Nabiki eyed him warily. "Look, Kuno-Baby, right now you are not in much
of a position to dictate anything to me. One word from me turns your little
escort fleet out there to ashes, and then the Combine is fresh out of rulers.
Furthermore, as I continue to hold your father as my hostage, you are under
an enormous amount of pressure to get him back." Her voice lowered an octave,
and a chill spread through the room. "Do you think you can manage it by
making threats to me?"
Tatewaki returned her glare, but said nothing.
"Now I'm not really making demands for anything that you wouldn't
already want for yourself, Kuno-baby," she continued, her voice sweetening
considerably. "After all, I know that you'd probably be happy to see those
upstart Saotomes dead, and I know my sister won't come home quietly."
Tatewaki relaxed somewhat. "Perhaps, Nabiki Tendo." He offered a subtle
glance towards the silent Hikaru Gosunkugi. "But perhaps I have yet found a
way to break the sorcerous hold over her."
Huh? Nabiki wondered to herself. What the hell is he talking about?
Sorcerous hold? Oh well, you knew he wasn't all there upstairs when you
first tried to cut this deal with him...
He whirled away from the table with the astronomical abstract in his
hand. "Come!" he barked to his retinue. "Make haste! We sail for yonder
shores, and Akane Tendo!"
Nabiki watched him go as Domitian made apologies and scooped up the
armloads of documents. She hadn't expected him to pull up stakes like this,
but supposed that he was a man on a mission, after all.
Goodbye, Saotomes, she offered to the ceiling of the grand salon. Hello,
peace and prosperity for the Nerima Confederation. And especially for me...

Chapter Four

Provisional Headquarters
Black Rose Terror Regiment
Planet Mansveldt, Mansveldt System
The Federated Shiratori
24 May 3025

"Tell me, Sasuke," Kodachi purred absently. "What news of my brother?"
The diminutive ninja manservant bowed for his mistress.
"I have received reports that he has at last captured Hikaru Gosunkugi,
and put the League Army to rout," he replied.
Kodachi admired her nails. "A pity," she sniffed. "I owe the little man
much for the disaster he wreaked upon dear Tachi. No doubt he was put to a
swift death."
"No, Mistress," Sasuke countered. "It is reported that your brother
keeps him for some purpose related to Ranma Saotome."
Kodachi raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh?"
"I have no hard information at this time, Mistress," Sasuke apologized.
"I regret that in the wake of your brother's purges following your escape,
that my remaining agents are few and far between within Prince Kuno's fleet,
and those that remain active are naturally being very cautious."
"Naturally," Kodachi returned, clearly bored with the direction the
conversation was taking if Sasuke wasn't going to discuss Ranma. "And what
is this I hear that Grand Duke Tendo was deposed?"
Sasuke brightened. He had more information in this regard to offer.
"The middle daughter, Nabiki, had her father declared mentally
incompetent, and took the throne as regent. Most of the nobles backed her,
as did the civilian population, apparently, but there is something about
the whole affair that stinks of deception."
"That would be Nabiki Tendo's perfume, Sasuke," Kodachi observed dryly.
"She's a snake in the grass after my own heart."
"It's believed in some loyalist circles that Nabiki was responsible for
Tetsuo Gosunkugi's assassination," Sasuke added. "The League is certainly
angry enough about it, but after the disaster at Condorcet, they aren't in
much of a position to do anything about it."
"Murder doesn't seem like her style," Kodachi said thoughtfully. "But
then, I could be mistaken." She cast a pointed look towards Sasuke.
"Never, Mistress," he replied on cue.
"You're right," she chuckled, and sipped from a tumbler of iced sangria
through a gilt-edged straw. "Enough gossip, Sasuke. What is the status of
our deployment preparations?"
Sasuke consulted a small digital notepad that he kept secreted on his
person.
"Mistress, the regiment is currently in the final stages of outfitting
for our first assignment. We should be ready to depart within two days. Our
battlemech strength is at sixty-five percent, and we've organized into three
rump battalions of two companies apiece."
"That will change as we continue to recruit," Kodachi declared. They
were receiving new mechwarriors almost every day as adventurers and freelance
mercenaries from the Furinkan Combine and the Federated Shiratori flocked to
her banner. Though her Black Rose regiment was now a renegade unit of
deserters from the Combine, her fearsome reputation remained untarnished,
and many of her recruits were eager to get a piece of glory and wealth under
her command.
"We do have another mechwarrior to interview, Mistress," Sasuke said
to her. "I can send for him if you wish."
"Dispossessed?" Kodachi asked. Lacking spare battlemechs, she was
very choosy about bringing on board mechwarriors from the ranks of the
Dispossessed. They had their uses, however, and most of them were willing
to take foolish risks to distinguish themselves enough to earn a captured
'mech.
"Mounted," Sasuke replied. "Hunchback. Very good condition, if I may
be so bold, Mistress. I had scheduled him for an interview tomorrow morning."
Kodachi nibbled on her finger. "Hmmmm... We are rather short on
close-in firepower, and a 'mech is a 'mech." She took another sip from her
sangria. "Yes, Sasuke, send him in. I've nothing better to do today."

* * *

Pansuto Tarou was a man who was running out of options. He had been
unable to find passage to a system close to the Furinkan Combine border,
and as the days ticked away, he knew that the information he possesed was
becoming less and less valuable as a bargaining chip. When he heard that
the Black Rose regiment had surfaced on Mansveldt, he spent the last of
the cash the Confederation had given him to reach the planet.
It was true that the Black Rose regiment had gone renegade, but at the
very least its commander would have a personal interest in finding the
whereabouts of her rival, Akane Tendo. If Kodachi Kuno showed no interest
in Ryuugenzawa, his chances of realizing the destruction of the Joketsuzoku
and the Cult of Azusa dwindled away to nothing. He had to play on her hatred
of the Tendo girl if he was to succeed.
One of the regiment's soldiers showed him to a luxurious pavillion that
Kodachi used during the day. As he was led past the open flap, he noted the
expensive rugs at his feet, the fine antique furniture for guests, and the
sweet smell of incense burning near the chair where Kodachi sat.
He was breathless for a moment as he looked at the Combine Princess.
She was dressed in a black leotard with embroidered roses of the deepest
purple upon her breast. Her long pale legs were crossed at the knee, and
she affected a look of detached ennui for him from beneath bangs of dark
brown hair.
"You didn't tell me that he was handsome, Sasuke," she purred to her
ninja manservant, while keeping her coal-black eyes fixed upon Tarou. Sasuke,
knowing better than to respond, remained silent.
Tarou came to a halt at what he felt was a respectful distance, and
stood at self-conscious attention. Kodachi rose from her velvet upholstered
chair, taking up a riding crop from its place by her side. Tarou kept his
eyes fixed straight ahead, determined to put on his usual haughty expression
of disdain for her.
She stopped before him at a distance just inside what might be
considered his 'personal space.' Her eyes flicked over him appraisingly,
lingering here and there as she assessed him. Then, satisfied for the moment,
she turned and began to walk behind him for a more extensive inspection.
The sensation of her riding crop touching him just above his tailbone
made him start, and his face burned red with humiliation as she gave an
amused chuckle at his expense.
The riding crop began to tickle along his hip as she completed her
circle. She drew it up along his lean flank, then over and across his chest
to play gently with the sweep of his collarbone.
"Tall," she remarked with a smile that was regal and aloof. She brought
the riding crop down his sternum. "Handsome." The crop dipped down to his
belly. "Mysterious." She caught a length of the pantyhose sash he kept tied
at his waist with her riding crop, and lifted it up to eye level for him to
see.
"What's your name?" she asked him.
He cleared his throat. "Tarou."
She gave him a toothy grin.
"Just Tarou?"
The intensity of her look was confounding to him, and he found himself
answering her.
"Pansuto Tarou."
Her approving smile was both immediate and striking. "Pantyhose?" she
asked him teasingly, leaning in close to whisper the word in his ear. "I
*like* pantyhose..."
He did not reply, a little unnerved by her obvious come-on, and the
fact that he was finding the Black Rose of the Furinkan Combine to be more
desirable than he had ever imagined her to be. Certainly not after his last
encounter with her on the streets of Capra.
Kodachi stepped close to him, so that as much of her lithe body as
possible was in contact with his. He fixed her with a look of crushing
arrogance, his trademark weapon in battles of will. She seemed to eat it
up like candy, flushing visibly at her bosom and throat as she returned
his glare with one of equal disdain.
"Sasuke!" she barked, keeping her eyes upon Tarou.
"Yes, Mistress?" the ninja replied. Tarou caught a hint of weary
resignation in the manservant's voice.
"That will be all," she said, dismissing him. "I won't be receiving any
more visitors today."
"Yes, Mistress."
Sasuke bowed and scuttled out of the pavillion, muttering something that
Kodachi chose to ignore - having found a source of distraction and amusement
for at least a few hours.
She took up the pantyhose sash in her hands, remaining close to him as
she did so, and displayed it once again for him.
"There are so many things you can do with pantyhose," she remarked to
him, giving him an incendiary look. "But I'm certain that you're well aware
of that."
Tarou nodded for her, the corners of his mouth turning up in what
passed for a sly smile with him. Ryuugenzawa could wait just a little longer,
he supposed.

* * *

"Tell me how you came by your name," Kodachi whispered in Tarou's ear.
She watched as the muscles of his bare chest tensed and rippled in
agitation.
"I'd prefer not to talk about it," he replied.
"A shame," she sighed, laying her head upon his shoulder once more.
She traced her finger absently along the washboard lines of his stomach.
"I find your name to be quite intriguing." She sat up, kissing his throat.
"Not as intriguing as you are when you're naked, mind you," she added,
kissing him once more on the throat - this time close to his ear. "But
very intriguing."
Tarou remained silent, his eyes falling upon the thin neat scar that
ran from the base of her sternum and down the hard, flat stomach to a point
just above her navel. He found the scar's silvery white tracery against the
cool ivory of her belly to be surprisingly attractive.
"So you wish to join the Black Rose regiment," she said at length,
amused by the distance he wrapped himself in.
"Such was my intention," he returned.
"I think I could find a place for you," she replied. Her hand drifted
down his torso to his groin. "The headquarters detachment, I think." She
found something down there that interested her, and chuckled. "I feel the
need to keep you close at hand."
Somewhat distracted by her attentions, he cleared his throat to speak.
"I can be of much more use to you than as a bodyguard," he said to her.
"You already have," she returned dryly.
"I'm serious. I know the location of the Ryuugenzawa System."
Kodachi laughed softly. "And I know every position in the Kama Sutra,
my dearest Pantyhose. Why should I care about the mechwarrior's myth when
I have my own legend close at hand?"
"It's not a myth," Tarou retorted, growing annoyed now instead of
aroused. "I was recently aboard the Confederation JumpShip carrying Akane
Tendo and the Saotomes."
Kodachi's grip tightened reflexively, eliciting a hiss of pain from
him.
"What was that, did you say?" she said through clenched teeth.
"I know where the Tendo girl is going," Tarou said, biting back the
pain. "The Saotomes found the Ryuugenzawa System, and they are all on their
way there. If we leave immediately, we can catch them before they finish
their search, and the secrets of the place will be ours."
"That harridan," Kodachi hissed, thinking black thoughts about the
Tendo Heir. She reined in her fury with an act of will. "You came here
specifically to tell me this, didn't you. You aren't simply looking for
employment."
"Correct," he said tersely, his look of disdain returning.
She leaned over him to reach for her riding crop, her temper cooling
though her breaths came in pants, and her bare breasts flattening against
his chest.
"Have I mentioned that I find your arrogance terribly erotic?" she
said to him, tracing the riding crop down the inside of his thigh.

* * *

Musk Dynasty JumpShip _Invictus_
Eta Carinae System Nadir Jump Point
Eta Carinae System, the League of Five Nails,
near the Nerima Confederation border
29 May 3025

Mechwarrior General Herb looked up from his desk as Mousse entered
his stateroom. Mousse was dressed in flowing indigo robes which swallowed
the sound of his passing and concealed the movements of his limbs. Combined
with his luxuriant mane of straight black hair which fell to his waist, his
appearance mirrored his dark mood. He stopped short of Herb's desk, and
presented himself with a crisp salute.
Herb approved of the new Mousse. The man had changed considerably from
the fawning, lovesick fool he had been on Tau Ceti. He had grown, in hatred
and in presence, since then. Herb valued both qualities in his officers.
"Welcome aboard," he offered him. Mousse had only just arrived from the
JumpShip _Domingo,_ the spy ship having journeyed across much of the Inner
Sphere for the rendezvous. Herb had taken the chance of discovery by ordering
Mousse to transmit the database patch via Comstar through the guise of a
mercantile report of the dummy company the _Domingo_ operated under, and
having the location of Ryuugenzawa, he decided to press ahead - and meet
Mousse on the way. There was no telling how much time he had before the
Confederation looted the place - and especially with a greedy opportunist
like Nabiki Tendo ruling the beleaguered country.
He was now well away from the Jusenkyo Commonwealth, leaving Peony and
Cologne to scratch their heads and wonder. He had claimed to be carrying out
a campaign in the Periphery, but it didn't matter to him if they believed him
or not. If they became paranoid at his absence, so much the better.
Mousse inclined his head towards the general.
"The Star League was most clever," Herb continued. "Not only did they
put the Proving Grounds out in the Periphery, but they even removed the
star's location from the charts." He steepled his fingers together. "Even
back then, few would have thought to check every star against an
astrogational database."
He motioned for Mousse to sit. The nearsighted mechwarrior did so
silently.
"You've done tremendously well, Mousse," he said to him. "Mechwarrior
*Colonel* Mousse," he amended.
Mousse reacted immediately to his abrupt promotion.
"*Colonel,* sir?" he asked, surprised.
Herb made a absent gesture with his hand. "I have a very important place
for you within the Musk Dynasty, Mousse. Rank commensurate with your value to
me, and for what will be expected of you. A Crusader in mint condition also
awaits you aboard my personal DropShip."
Mousse nodded quietly. He was no longer one of the Dispossessed.
Herb then fixed him with a basilisk stare. "So tell me, Mousse, at what
point did you finally come to your senses? I'm very curious."
The mechwarrior looked away.
"When she fucked me, sir."
Herb raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I presume by your remark that you
mean literally as well as figuratively."
Mousse looked back at him, the blue of his eyes growing colder.
"I realized then that everything you had said to me about her was true.
Shampoo never loved me. I had hoped that someday she might warm to me, but
even as we made love together, she was only using me." His jaw set against
his anger. "I'm tired of her, General. I'm sick of her."
In spite of himself, Herb felt a pang of jealousy towards his new
subordinate. Shampoo had been the object of his own personal desire for many
years, and while he was intelligent enough to realize that there would never
be romance between them, he was content to settle for lust.
But now, Shampoo was likely no more.
"What can you tell me about her end?" he asked Mousse.
"I don't know, sir. She gave me the database patch, but by then she had
already been exposed. She intended to find the Saotomes and kill them before
she could be killed or captured by the crew, but I don't know if she was
successful, or what has become of her."
"Of course," Herb replied. Mousse's communique had said as much, but he
had been hoping for more details than the mechwarrior was willing to provide
over an HPG dispatch. He made a dismissive gesture with his hand, then reached
over to pour brandy into two glasses prepared for the moment.
"Enough of her," he said to Mousse. He handed him a glass. "To our
success at Ryuugenzawa," he toasted.
"To the end of the Joketsuzoku," Mousse added, his voice tremulous with
hate.
Herb gave his subordinate a smile of approval. He would drink to that
indeed!

Chapter Five

Nerima Confederation JumpShip _Dragonfly_
Ryuugenzawa System Zenith Jump Point
Ryuugenzawa System, the Magistracy of Canopus
3 June 3025

The NCJS _Dragonfly_ materialized into realspace at the Ryuugenzawa
System Jump Point with a shudder and a flash of light.

"What was that all about?" Hinako asked, referring to their shaky
reentry.
"Engineering reports no damage," the Acting Assistant Engineer
responded. "Jumpcore powering down as normal. No apparent malfunctions
detected."
"Main Computer operational. Star-finding position trackers are aligning
normally."
"Helm is green. Reaction Control System responding normally."
"Sensors operational. Scanning for close contacts."
"Communications operational. No transmissions or hails detected."
Hinako took the reports from the various stations. Everything seemed
all right. Perhaps it was just an anomaly.
"Make a full sensor sweep," she ordered. "Go active on the main radar."
"Sensory, aye."
The _Dragonfly_ continued its adjustment burns as it aligned itself
into a stable orbit above the Ryuugenzawa primary. No further malfunctions
were noted.
"Conn, Sensory; Contact designated Romeo One, bearing zero-four-eight,
minus four-nine. Range, four-two thousand kilometers. Contact Romeo One
appears to be a recharge station."
Hinako consulted the main holotank, which projected a representation of
local space around the Jump Point based on sensory data.
"A bit out of position, don't you think?" she asked the sensor techs
aloud. Recharge stations were supposed to be out on the edges of the Jump
Points to prevent an accidental collision. 42,000 kilometers was considered
close range in deep space.
"We're starting a track on Romeo One now, ma'am. We should be able to
calculate an orbit within a few minutes, but yes, it does appear that they've
drifted some from their expected position."
"And that's all that you've found?"
"Yes, ma'am. Romeo One remains the only contact at this time."
Odd, she thought absently. No defensive emplacements?
"I guess they were counting on secrecy," she said to herself. Several
minutes passed as the _Dragonfly_ completed its maneuvers with no other
difficulty.
Still, she had expected more than this.
"Conn, Sensory; we've detected a bit of an anomaly."
Hinako floated over to the Sensory station, almost relieved to find
something else out of the ordinary.
"What is it?" she asked.
"We're detecting some unusual sunspot activity on the Ryuugenzawa
primary," the operator replied. "In addition, it seems as if this star has
a companion."
"We'd have spotted it in the telescope surveys before we jumped here,
I think," Hinako sniffed her disbelief.
"It's not a very luminous object," the operator countered. "Given the
way it's drawing off plasma from the star's surface, though, I'd almost say
it was a neutron star, or possibly even a small black hole."
"That might explain our bumpy reentry," Lieutenant Davidge said,
approaching them. "An unaccounted for gravity vector from a dense, massive
object like a neutron star or a black hole would certainly shake up the
space around the Jump Point."
"How close is this object?"
The sensor operator fiddled with his instruments, taking sightings,
and comparing them against his Target Motion Analysis system for an answer.
"Approximately fifteen million kilometers," he replied.
"I don't like the idea of being even that close to a black hole,"
Hinako declared.
"It's probably a neutron star," Davidge soothed, observing it through
the passive EMS scope, which offered data on the object throughout the
electromagnetic spectrum. "I'm not detecting enough x-rays from it to be a
black hole, even a small one."
"All the same," Hinako said, uneasy about something she did not fully
understand. "What other effects could this neutron star, or whatever, have
on us?"
"Well," Davidge opined. "We'll probably be better off keeping the
JumpSail stowed. High energy particle flux and other radiation is a lot
higher here than for most G-type star systems. There's also a greater
potential for a damaging solar flare with that neutron star shaking things
up."
"Wonderful," Hinako snapped. "I can see why so few ships ever came
here. Would you say that we might be better served by taking the _Dragonfly_
deeper into the system rather than keeping it here?"
Davidge shrugged. "We have the fuel for a transit. I can't think of
any reason why we should tempt fate by staying here."
"I'm convinced," Hinako declared. "Plot a course for the planet
Ryuugenzawa. We can detach the _Palomino_ for a landing when we approach
within a half-million kilometers."

* * *

"So what do we really know about this place?" Captain Ninomiya asked
Genma. The elder Saotome was seated at the wardroom table with the other
principal members of the expedition.
Genma thumbed through his notes.
"Very little," he replied. "From what Chance King was able to dig up
about the Proving Grounds, there should be a space station in orbit above
the planet, with drydock facilities and a recharging station. There is some
mention of an extensive system of satellites - probably for global position
indication, weather monitoring, and communications. On the planet, the main
area was supposed to be a primary facility with a starport, and a handful
of outlying test areas."
He set down his notes. "That's all I know."
"In other words, we don't really have a clue," Ranma remarked.
"I'm all for continuing on as quickly as possible," Akane added. "We
really should get an idea of what is there before the transport fleet shows
up."
"Agreed," Genma grunted. He looked to Hinako. "How long will it take
us to reach the planet if we use the _Dragonfly_ for transit?"
"Four days," she replied.
"It's do-able," Genma nodded. "Any time we lose getting there will be
made up when the transport fleet has to do the same. I don't think they'll
want to stay at the Jump Point either."
"The fact that they had a recharge station in orbit above the planet
is telling," Hinako concurred. "No Star League ship probably ever spent
much time at the Jump Point. The recharge station we found there looked
through our telescopes like it had spent the last two hundred years getting
blasted apart by solar flares."
She put her hands on her hips.
"From what I've seen so far, Commander Saotome, the Ryuugenzawa System
isn't very friendly."

* * *

Nerima Confederation DropShip _Palomino_
In low orbit above Planet Ryuugenzawa
Ryuugenzawa System, the Magistracy of Canopus
7 June 3025

Sensor Technician Third Class Thaddeus Howard chewed absently on his
lip as a flicker of color appeared on his passive EMS scope. He observed it
for a moment, deciding if it was something worth pursuing or just a random
anomaly to be ignored. He tapped a few controls on the touchpad by his hand
out of boredom, activating several automated analysis routines.
What he saw surprised him. He punched at the flight deck intercom
controls as he trained the _Palomino's_ main telescope over to the contact.
"Conn, Sensory; possible contact bearing three-five-one plus two-eight."
Captain Grant turned around in his chair to face Howard directly.
"What are we talking about, Tad?" he asked his Sensor Operator.
Tad studied the data as it streamed in.
"I'm detecting an energy source at that bearing, sir," he began.
"Infrared and visible spectrum emissions are consistant with an active
maneuver drive, but whatever it is, it's..." He frowned as some new data
posted itself.
"It's what?" Grant asked, growing concerned. There wasn't supposed to
be anyone here.
"Well, sir," Tad replied. "Pardon my French, but whatever it is, it's
fucking BIG."
A strident tone sounded at his station. Lines of red and amber colors
and alphanumerics popped into the corner of his display.
"Active radar sweeps," Tad announced. "Point of origin along contact
bearing track. X and S-Band track-while-search and range-while-scan arrays;
very high power output."
Grant consulted the repeater display at his command station.
"Orbital detection satellite?" he asked himself aloud.
"Not with a maneuver drive," the DropShip's Pilot corrected ominously.
"Coming up on final burn for atmospheric entry in two minutes, mark."
"Contact fading," Tad replied. "The curvature of the planet as we
descend is obscuring us from whatever it is."
"Any ideas?" Grant asked him.
"Warbook's chewing on it, sir," Tad replied. The DropShip's Warbook was
a database of Inner Sphere technology dating back to the end of the Terran
Hegemony. If there was sufficient sensor data available, the DropShip's
computer could eventually identify the contact's classification.
Grant reached over his panel to tap the Co-Pilot on the shoulder.
"Contact _Dragonfly_ and tell them to turn their sensors towards the
direction of the contact. They're farther out; they might have a better
angle to look at it than us."
"Yes sir," the Co-Pilot replied. He tapped at the commo panel to open
a channel with the starship.
"Goddamn," Tad spat in distress.
Grant whipped his head around. "What?"
"Sir, the Warbook says it's a Yamato-no-Orochi Class Automated Orbital
Battlestation!"
"Sweet Baby Jesus Cookies on Christmas!" Grant cried, his colorful reply
getting the better of his sense of command decorum. The dreaded Orochi Class
Automated Battlestations represented the very acme of the Star League's
technological achievement. They were a cluster of fully automated, mobile,
orbital defense satellites. The primary unit was the size of a battleship,
and the seven autonomous auxillaries it directed were light cruiser class.
The automation system was the closest thing the scientists of the Star League
could create to approach true AI, and while the Orochi was not by any means
intelligent, it was programmed to be very clever in its tactics and very
aggressive in their execution.
It was believed that the last remaining examples had been destroyed in
orbit above the planet Earth by General Kerensky's loyal Star League Defense
Force fleet during the Reunification War against Stephan Amaris, although
Comstar currently had several smaller defense systems of a similar nature
in place to maintain the Sol System's neutrality during the Succession Wars.
"The Warbook's gotta be wrong," Grant said hopefully. "Run it through
again."
Tad nodded and began to scrutinize the data for signs that pointed
away from such a frightening conclusion. "No dice, sir. It still says the
contact is an Orochi."
"Let's get the hell out of here," Grant advised his pilot. "Adjust
our descent course to a full Combat Drop."
"I heard that," the Pilot replied. He began tapping at his computer
to calculate the maneuver change from a liesurely descent to a full-bore
battle insertion.
"Signal the _Dragonfly,_" Grant ordered the Co-Pilot. "Tell them
what our Warbook says about the contact, and see if their computers
concur."
"Course adjustment calculated and the clock is running," the Pilot
announced. "Manuever burn in nine-zero seconds, mark."
Grant checked over the _Palomino's_ engineering status. The ship was
rigged for a combat drop, and the powerplant indicated that it was ready to
give its all.
"Execute course adjustment," he ordered. He thumbed the 1MC intercom,
and spoke into the microphone. "All Hands prepare for Combat Drop!" He then
set the microphone down and stabbed at the General Alarm switch.
Akane Tendo's voice echoed over the 'white rat' intercom speaker on
the Flight Deck. She was mounted within her Warhammer pending their arrival
on the planet Ryuugenzawa.
"What's going on, Captain Grant?" she asked.
"Ma'am, we may have spotted some kind of orbital defense system," he
hedged. He did not want to cry wolf and tell her they had possibly detected
something like an Orochi Battlestation before his fears were absolutely
confirmed. "I judged it prudent to avoid any possible confrontations, so
we're making for the surface in an expeditious manner."
"Very well," she replied. "Lance Commander!"
"Yo!" Ranma's voice crackled over the speaker.
"Deploy your fighters for an escort drop," she ordered.
"Sure thing," Ranma replied. "You heard the lady," he continued
to Yuka and Sayuri over the tac-net. "Launch when ready and maintain a
standard screening separation."
"Aye aye," Sayuri acknowledged him. Yuka made a noncommittal grunt.
The _Palomino_ continued its descent towards the planet, all signs of
the contact lost.
"Fighter Bay Doors One and Two indicate intermediate," the _Palomino's_
Co-Pilot announced as the two Air Lance pilots prepared for launch. "Fighter
Bay Doors One and Two indicate open."
The _Palomino_ trembled as the two aerospace fighters launched from
the DropShip on either side of the bow.
"Commencing maneuver burn in one-zero seconds," the Pilot called out.
Grant watched as his two Gunner's Mates finished strapping in to their
stations within the 'gunnery pits' set below deck level on either side of
his command station. Fire Control panels came to life as the two ran
preliminary status checks.
"Set lasers fore and aft to 'preheat,'" the first gunner commanded his
partner.
"Fire Control boards indicate ready. Target Motion Analysis system
online and receiving feed from Sensory. Lasers fore and aft set to 'preheat';
autocannons and missile launchers indicate loaded."
"Burn in five," the Pilot announced. "Four...Three...Two...One...Mark!"
The _Palomino_ lurched as its Main Engines fired, increasing their
velocity and putting them into a much steeper angle of descent.
"Stow all nonessential detection and commo gear arrays," Grant ordered
the Co-Pilot. They would be coming up on Ryuugenzawa's atmosphere within
minutes, and at their steep angle of descent, their entry into the atmosphere
was going to be a hot one - hot enough to burn away anything not protected
by a few centimeters of aligned crystal steel armor plate.
"I'd like to keep the Passive EMS array extended for as long as possible,
sir," Tad called out.
"All right," Grant agreed. He was all in favor of keeping an eye on that
contact - should it reappear.

"Captain Ninomiya," Communications called to her. "_Palomino_ reports
detecting a contact in orbit above the planet." He paused. "It's tentatively
identified as an Orochi Class Automated Battlestation. They want us to confirm
their observations."
"They must be kidding," Hinako said to herself. "Sensory, go active with
our radar. I want some answers."
"Aye aye, ma'am."
Hinako watched the sensory holotank as it projected yellow points of
light against the blue sphere of the planet. The space station was there, as
expected, as were a constellation of small satellites in varying orbits.
"I don't see anything," she protested.
She spoke too soon, as a large object resolved itself near the curvature
of the planet.
"There's something there," Sensory declared.
"Run it through the Warbook."
"Running now."

"Where the hell is it, Tad?" Grant asked tersely.
"I've lost it, sir," Tad replied. The _Palomino_ bucked as it began to
make contact with the planet's atmosphere.
"I see nothing on my scopes," Yuka added over the tac-net from her
fighter.
Akane chimed in from her Warhammer in Mech Bay #3. "Captain Grant,
what exactly are we expecting to find?"
"I'm still not certain," Grant replied.
The DropShip made deeper contact with the atmosphere, slowing down
as friction forces converted kinetic energy to heat. They had to stow the
passive EMS array, leaving them blind on sensors and communications until
they had slowed down sufficiently in the atmosphere to redeploy their
antennae.
The DropShip began to shake with a steady vibration as they bit deeper
into the atmosphere, a wash of bright plasma from the superheated air
engulfing them. The Pilot kept a steady hand at his station, letting the
computer handle the drop, but ready to assume control at a second's notice.
_Palomino_ fell further into Ryuugenzawa's embrace.
Minutes passed before they lost sufficient velocity to end their fiery
pass through the dark Ryuugenzawa sky. Grant checked his displays, noting
that were still moving at twelve times the speed of sound, fifty kilometers
above the surface of the planet.
"Commencing first braking S-turn," the Pilot announced.
Gee-forces pulled at them as the _Palomino_ went into a wide slaloming
turn intended to bleed even more speed from the ship. The altimeter ticked
away the meters as they fell to thirty-five kilometers. Their speed was still
hypersonic, at eight times that of sound.
"Commencing second braking S-turn."
Again, the crew of _Palomino_ felt the tug of gravity pulling them
towards the bulkhead.
"The hull's cool enough to deploy the sensors and antennae," the Co-
Pilot declared. "Velocity: one point five klicks per second."
"Do it," Grant ordered him. He turned back to Howard. "Okay, Tad, tell
me what you see."
Tad scanned his scopes, searching for a sign of the contact. There
was nothing that he could see with his passive instruments. His radar's
efficiency was too limited in the atmosphere to reach very far - perhaps
five hundred kilometers at best for their altitude.
"I've got nothing so far," he replied.
"What about below us?" Grant asked tersely.
He scanned.
"No radar, no beacons, no overt signs of civilization," he replied.
"A big zero."
"Commencing final braking S-turn."
Tad's radar warning board lit up like christmas morning.
"GUN-DIRECTING RADAR!" he shouted. "BEARING: ONE-SEVEN-SIX, PLUS
EIGHT-NINE!"
"That's right above us!" Grant cried. "Evasive man--"
A particle beam of incredible power lanced through the side of the
_Palomino,_ striking from the darkness in front of them like the wrath of
God. The bolt blasted through the starboard side of the DropShip, hitting
them amidships in a cloud of plasma and flying shrapnel.
The DropShip slewed across the sky, streaming smoke and fire from
its wound. Alarms screamed on the Flight Deck as the crew fought to keep
their hold on the ship.
"Fire in Starboard-Aft Main Engine!" the Pilot cried. "Losing power!"
"Main Reactor coolant breach!" the Co-Pilot added. "Starboard Heat
Exchange Loop indicates isolated."
"Sensors down!" Tad called out. The particle beam hit had ionized
the surface of the hull, blinding his radar and his passive instruments.
"Can you keep us in the air?" Grant yelled above the din.
"I think so," the Pilot replied, his hands full with the controls.
"Another hit like that last one though, and we're well and truly fucked."
"Get us the hell down," Grant ordered. "We're a sitting duck up here."
"Aye!"
Grant turned to his Co-Pilot as the alarms continued to wail. Damaged
systems were still reporting in as he watched the boards. The particle
beam's radiance glowed before them in the sky where it had ionized the thin
air.
"How bad?" he asked.
"Major hit on the starboard side, amidships to aft," the Co-Pilot
threw back. "We've lost some power output when part of the cooling system
ruptured, and the starboard side atmospheric maneuvering engine is off-
line."
"I can manage on one maneuver engine," the Pilot assured him.
"What the hell was that?" Ranma asked over the tac-net.
Grant didn't have an answer. The radar beam that had fixed them for
the particle bolt had come from above and just behind them, but the bolt
itself had come from in front of them, striking them along almost half the
length of the ship. One satellite spotting for the other?
"Break!" Sayuri's voice cried out over the tac-net. "Emergency!"
"What is it?" Grant demanded, having no time for this. The _Palomino_
continued to zig-zag across the sky, but thus far, no finishing bolt of
charged particle fury had come.
"Akane's Warhammer has fallen overboard!" Sayuri cried, her voice
strangled with desperation. "She's falling!"
Grant's eyes flicked back to the Damage Control boards. There was a
depressurization alert for Mech Bay #3 - which hadn't concerned him at
first as the Warhammer within was sealed against vacuum. His blood now
ran cold.
"Open Mech Bay #2 Door!" Ranma demanded, hearing this over the
tac-net.

Ranma was fighting his seat straps in his agitation to get the Mech
Bay Door open. He didn't know what had happened, and at that point he
didn't care. He just wanted out.
The Bay was pumping down to equalize pressure, and he slammed a fist
from his Phoenix Hawk LAM against the door in frustration. The hard metal
door yielded slightly to his blow, a feat considering its thickness.
Ukyou's Hatchetman occupied the bay with him, the slender battlemech
braced in the close-quarters of the bay on the inboard side of him. At least
he wouldn't have to squeeze past her to get out.
"What are you doing, Ranchan?" she asked him.
"I'm going after her!" he replied angrily. "Come on, goddammit!" he
yelled to the bozos on the Flight Deck. "Open the door, already!"
The Mech Bay Door began to roll up even as he said it. The sky
outside was black and starless at an altitude of thirty kilometers, and
his viewport frosted over with the sudden biting cold. The curvature of
the planet was starkly beautiful this high up, though Ranma was in no
mood to appreciate this.
He dove out of the open Mech Bay Door, engines firing as he cleared the
ship, and fell out of sight.
"Ranchan, be careful!" Ukyou called after him, her Hatchetman gripping
the edges of the open door and watching the LAM spiral down, transforming
to Fighter Mode as it fell.

Ryouga Hibiki had never felt so utterly helpless in his life. Here he
was trapped within the confines of his mighty BattleMaster, while Akane was
in mortal danger. He could do nothing, lacking jump jets of his own to
control his fall, let alone hers.
"Save her, Ranma," he intoned, over and over again, like a mantra.

Chapter Six

Phoenix Hawk LAM #T-507
30 km above Ryuugenzawa

She was a tiny smudge of computer-generated light boxed in green on
his HUD.
Range counters ticked off the intercept time as he poured on the
speed. She was falling at close to three times the speed of sound, and
he was closing at the upper limit of his velocity envelope, main engines
raging behind him with blue-on-blue shock diamonds lighting the dark
heavens. He had to reach her before aerodynamic forces in the lower
atmosphere ripped her battlemech apart.
Without jump jets or a special high altitude Drop Kit, her Warhammer
was a seventy ton falling rock. She was too high up to eject; the air was
so thin and so cold up here that it was more of a statistic than a warm,
comforting envelope of life, and unlike himself, she had no pressure suit.
Even if she were down in the troposphere, she was falling too fast for an
unprotected human to survive the experience.
He shoved the throttles forward, past the stops, trying to squeeze
out just one more newton of thrust from his engines.
A glint of reflected sunlight caught his eye far below. It was Yuka's
Corsair, circling helplessly around the falling Warhammer. He noted the
distress setting on her transponder, and thanked her for having the sense
to do something to mark their position. Sayuri's Sparrowhawk wheeled farther
below.
He made a hypersonic diving pass to assess the situation. The
battlemech was scorched black in places, but apparently intact, tumbling
as it fell. He eased off on the throttle and pulled up into a climb,
rolling out into a Cuban-Eight maneuver, and racing back to reengage the
falling battlemech.
"She won't answer me!" Yuka cried over the tac-net.
If she was still alive within the cockpit, the acceleration forces
from her tumble had probably rendered her unconscious, a part of him was
saying. The other part was trying not to panic at her lack of response.
He matched velocity with her, still in Fighter Mode, and eased as
close to her Warhammer as he could. Saying a prayer, he tugged on the
transformation lever, knowing that he was well above rated speed for
such a maneuver, and not having any other choice.
Phoenix Hawk LAM T-507 screamed in protest as it pinwheeled through
the black sky, its arms and legs clearing the protective aerodynamic
fuselage as it took on its armored Battlemech Mode. If the air had been
thicker, the effect would have sheared all four limbs off. He was fighting
for stability as it was, his LAM's thrusters flaring wildly as he maneuvered
in free fall at three times the speed of sound to reach the tumbling
Warhammer.
He finally caught her in his mech's arms, the added aerodynamic
drag altering their tumble into a sickening end over end somersault that
pulled at him in his ejector seat, and threatened to submerge his own
consciousness. He rallied against the gee-forces as his pressure suit
inflated with an angry hiss around his abdomen and thighs. He forced the
LAM with his will to fire its thrusters and stabilize their fall. The
Phoenix Hawk's gyro groaned in protest as automated systems tried to cope.

"Find it yet?"
"No sir," Tad lamented, forcing himself not to think about Akane falling
through the empty sky to her certain death. "It's throwing up some hard core
jamming." He pointed to the radar display, which was awash with multicolored
static. "I can't see a damn thing up there."
"Jamming on the radio bands too," the Co-Pilot added. "I lost line-of-
sight track with the _Dragonfly_ when we got hit, so nothing on the tightbeam
lasercomm, either."
A second bolt of particle beam fire punctuated his statement, narrowly
missing the _Palomino,_ but coming close enough to make her instruments
squawk in protest.
"Goddamn!" Grant swore. "It's shooting at us again! Put us on the deck!"
The Pilot forced the control column forward, and the DropShip went into
a steep dive. A third beam lanced into them in a glancing blow that careened
off their dorsal armor and threw up a cloud of blinding motes.
"Whatever it is, it's shooting from the other side of the planet at
us!" Tad yelled. "The atmosphere is refracting the beams just randomly enough
to keep it from drawing a good bead on us."
Captain Grant did not want to think about the kind of particle beams
that could travel hundreds of kilometers through the upper atmosphere and
still hit them as hard as they were hitting. There was no longer any doubt
in his mind that their assailant was an Orochi Battlestation.

Ranma's Phoenix Hawk LAM was in Battlemech Mode, clutching Akane's red
Warhammer from below at the waist. His main engines streamed fiery blasts of
white hot plasma in an attempt to slow their fall. He could not hope to lift
her battlemech - not seventy tons of it in addition to his own fifty. He was
barely making a dent in their velocity as it was, and they were quickly
running out of sky.
The battlemech's limbs groaned in protest under the load as aerodynamic
forces increased. He was stressing the myomer bundles close to their limits
to keep the Warhammer stable and upright. Tiny flashes of thruster fire from
his verniers added to the glow from his engines, illuminating the Warhammer,
and allowing him a better look at it.
The cockpit appeared to be intact. That was all he cared about. The
cockpit visor was tinted against the glare of his engines, so he could not
look inside to see if she was okay.
"Akane!" he called to her over the tac-net. There was some radio
jamming present, but not enough to affect them when they were so close.
"Akane, answer me!"
There was no reply. If he had a free hand available, he would have
slammed his console in frustration at her silence. He had to wake her up,
because no matter what he was doing for her benefit as they fell, only
she could pull the ejection lever. They were dipping into the troposphere
now; at twenty kilometers the air was getting thicker, and they were running
out of time.
"Dammit, Tomboy!" he yelled. "Wake up!" He squinted away tears.
"PLEASE!"
The two battlemechs continued to fall at almost twice the speed of
sound.

Yuka watched the two falling below her. Ranma was trying everything he
could to save her, but if she didn't wake up...
Particle beam fire raged around her as she contemplated the inevitable.
It was the same hellfire from out of nowhere that had struck the _Palomino,_
and was now directed at her and Sayuri.
"It's shooting at us!" she screamed, throwing her fighter into an evasive
snap-roll. One hit, even a near miss, from one of those beams, would utterly
incinerate her.
"Get out of here!" Ranma answered suddenly.
"What about--?"
"We'll be all right!" he shot back over the harsh static caused by the
proximity of the weapon fire. "Get out of here before you both get fried!"
"Yuka!" Sayuri called to her.
"Dammit!" she yelled back hopelessly. "Let's go!" She dove for the
planet's surface, and, she hoped, safety.

Whoever it is that's attacking the girls, it don't seem to care
about us, Ranma thought as he fought to keep his hold on Akane's 'mech in
the wildly bucking atmosphere. I guess that's something to be thankful
for...
"Ranma...?"
The voice lifted him up out of his despair.
"Akane...!?"
"Ranma... What's... What's going on?"
He could barely hear her over the rush of atmosphere and the howling
dirge of his engines.
"Are you all right?" he asked her, keeping an eye on his engine status
displays. He was running out of reaction mass for the plasma drive, and soon
he would have to shift over to his less powerful turbojets.
"I don't know," she replied. "I hit my head or something, and--" She
screamed in terror, realizing at last that they were falling through the
air from almost fifteen kilometers up.
"We're falling!" she wailed.
"I was gonna tell you about that part," he managed tersely.
"How...?"
"No time for that!" he barked. "Akane, you gotta get ready to eject.
I can't do much more right now than slow down your fall."
"But--?"
"No arguments! Your Warhammer is about to make a hole in the ground
big enough to park a DropShip in. You *don't* want to be there when that
happens!"
An alarm warbled in his cockpit as his reaction mass tanks ran dry.
The plasma engines sputtered out and were replaced by the rush of
superheated air from his fusion turbojets.
"What was that?" Akane asked him.
"Nothing!" he snapped. "Are you ready to punch out?"
Another alarm wailed, and the two mechs suddenly whipped through the
air in a tumble. Ranma wrenched at the controls as Akane yelped in fright.
The left arm elbow actuator was starting to fail under the load, and had
slipped enough to disrupt the stability of their fall. He fought back with
compensating blasts of thrust, and barely managed to arrest their tumble.
"Ten klicks!" he called out their altitude. "Too high for you to punch
out. We'll try for three, but if I tell you to go, you go, okay!?"
"Okay," she replied in a whisper.
His engines shrieked in protest behind him, trying to put out a level
of thrust they had not been designed for. More red lights winked on in his
cockpit as the rest of the LAM's myomer bundles began to overheat. They
were still travelling just above the speed of sound in spite of his efforts
to slow their fall.
He closed his eyes, reaching out through his neurohelmet as he had done
so many times before. He needed to know his LAM on an intimate level of
control if he was to estimate how much longer he could hold her steady. The
muscle bundles were straining into the red, overheating, and stretching
beyond the snap-back tolerances. His airframe shook with a subsonic bass
tremor, rattling the stress-gauges and loosening connections. The engines
howled miserably in the pit of his stomach against their load.
"Five thousand meters!" he called out. She could probably survive an
ejection from that altitude, though they were still moving too damn fast.
The left arm elbow actuator failed, making the arm flop uselessly at
his LAM's side. He wrenched up with the right arm to compensate, but it
was too late.
"NO!" he screamed as they tumbled once again. His thrusters sputtered
ineffectually without reaction mass, making him unable to correct their fall.
"I can't stop it!"
"Ranma," Akane cried to him. "Don't kill yourself because of me! Let go!"
"I ain't lettin' go!" he retorted. "How can you even say somethin' like
that!?"
"One of us has to live, you moron!" she begged. "Let go!"
The right arm actuator began to fail. He could feel the myomer bundles
singing in protest like piano wire about to snap. An ominous vibration from
the engines rattled him in the base of his ejector seat. More warning lights
flicked on as the main engines started to overheat.
"I AIN'T LETTIN' GO OF YOU, AKANE! NOT NOW! NOT EVER! GOT IT!?"
The vibration from the engines grew louder, drowning out her reply.
Desperate for an idea to stabilize their fall, he fully extended the wings
of his LAM. The shock of their extension wrenched him in his seat straps,
but did little to stop their tumble at first. He flexed the control surfaces
in response, hoping that they had enough bite against the air to do some good,
and was rewarded with a sudden cessation of their reckless somersaults.
He had his hands full trying to keep them stable by using the wing's
control surfaces, and still the engines' vibrations grew louder, their pitch
suddenly increasing to a banshee keen.
"The turbine bearings...!" he said to himself, realizing what was about
to happen, and powerless in that instant to act.
The fusion turbojet bearings flashed, upsetting the micrometer-fine
tolerances that balanced the high-speed ceramic turbine rotors within the
engine mounts. Turbine blades spinning at ten-thousand RPM contacted the edge
of the induction venturi and disintegrated, throwing hypervelocity shrapnel
from the engines with two dull, rapid-succession *booms.*
Phoenix Hawk LAM T-507 began to explode; bits of armor plate, myomer
bundle, and structure flying out in brilliant fiery clouds. The useless
left arm sailed clear of the falling battlemechs. The wings splintered and
snapped like balsawood.
"AKANE - PUNCH OUT!" he yelled as his LAM came apart around him.
He watched the cockpit roof of the Warhammer separate, as his controls
failed and his instrumentation crashed to static, and then saw the flash of
an ejector seat launching from within, before part of his cockpit structure
came loose and struck him on his helmeted head.

END OF PART TWENTY-THREE