No Need For Twins
Capt. Nobeyama is seated behind his desk in his office at the Galactic Police Headquarters. He looks up from a particularly complicated piece of paperwork and states, "My name is Capt. Nobeyama of the Galactic Police, immediate superior to Officers Mihoshi and Kiyone. I finally managed to fill out the necessary forms, and my superior has approved Dragonwiles' request that I be the DJ for this chapter. I've selected as the theme song for this episode, 'Deep Forest,' which also happens to be the second ending theme song for the animated series Inuyasha."
He returns to his paperwork and a thought strikes him: he raises his head and adds quickly, "Not that this fanfiction has anything to do with Inuyasha, of course, and neither the GP nor Dragonwiles owns Inuyasha or 'Deep Forest.' In fact, maybe you should just forget that I mentioned it. This fanfiction is confusing enough as it is." He presses a button to play the song and returns his attention to the intricate forms he must fill out.
It was Kiyone's duty cycle, on the day after the royal family of Jurai had left Earth, that the warning network surrounding the solar system gave off a peculiar signal. Kiyone read its signal and caught her breath- "Juraian first-class battleship Shorai, partner Yakage. High velocity - illegal protected zone entry imminent."
Kiyone quickly checked the files, and as she anticipated from her history lessons, found none. Like Ryoko, the criminal files of Yakage had been expunged according to the statute of limitations. If he continued on his present course, however, he'd enter the protected zone. Without permission, that was a serious offense.
Unfortunately there was nothing Kiyone could do about it whether Yakage had permission or not. Her Yagami and Mihoshi's Yukinojo combined couldn't fight him off. Only Ryo-ohki stood a chance against Shorai.
There was no point in worrying about things she couldn't control. The thing to do now was alert everyone she could and handle what came next. Kiyone sent a brief missive to headquarters and sent an urgent message to Mihoshi.
Slowly, slowly, the color drained from Kiyone's face as she came to a horrified realization.
The others could not be alerted. The only means of contact with them she had was Mihoshi.
Mihoshi always, always, took a nap at this time of day.
Mihoshi's communicator rang and burbled from where it rested on her hip. Her secondary communicator on her wrist chirped. She herself was stretched out on the porch, knees slightly bent and arms folded in repose by her head. Since the signal was urgent, the ring from her hip communicator was fairly loud, but Mihoshi didn't stir from her slumber.
Attracted by the noise, Ryo-ohki trundled out to the porch in her humanoid child form. She grabbed Mihoshi's shoulder and tried to gently shake her, but overbalanced and fell on her instead. Mihoshi remained asleep. This did not surprise Ryo-ohki, who decided to try answering the call for her instead. Ryo-ohki reached carefully and retrieved the communicator from her hip carefully, and managed to reach it without having to lean over so far that she'd fall again.
Ryo-ohki frowned in concentration, then recalled how Mihoshi answered incoming calls and manipulated the communicator appropriately.
Kiyone's startled voice emanated from the communicator, and she said, "Mihoshi, is that you?"
Ryo-ohki meowed happily at it. She'd worked it!
"Oh, it's you, Ryo-ohki," Kiyone said disappointedly.
Ryo-ohki proudly responded, "Meow meow meow meow."
Kiyone thought fast. "Look, can you please intercept an incoming vessel?" If she could convince Ryo-ohki to morph into spaceship form and stop Shorai some distance from Earth, they might be able to limit any trouble it might cause.
Ryo-ohki gave the communicator a puzzled frown and questioning meow. What incoming vessel? Where was it in the solar system? Why intercept it?
"Well, look, can you please wake up Mihoshi?" Kiyone asked desperately. Shorai was coming closer by the moment.
Ryo-ohki meowed decisive affirmance. She set the communicator down gently and morphed into her cabbit form, then bounded up to Mihoshi's face and nuzzled against her cheek.
Mihoshi began to awaken and giggled sleepily, "Your whiskers tickle, Ryo-ohki."
Ecstatically meowing, Ryo-ohki bounded back to the communicator. She shifted back into humanoid child form to pick it up, and tried to run back to Mihoshi with it, but fell down. This was actually a good thing, as Mihoshi had been returning to slumber, but the impact woke her up again. She rubbed at her eyes with her hands and asked, "Are you OK, Ryo-ohki?"
Ryo-ohki scrambled up and with a determined expression, presented Mihoshi with the communicator.
"Oh, thank you, Ryo-ohki. For me?" Mihoshi asked. She took it from her and said to it, "Hello, Kiyone? Were you calling me?"
"Yes, there's a Juraian ship in orbit! It just sent someone down to the surface near your position!" Kiyone said quickly.
"Oh, really? Wow, thanks for getting me up, Ryo-ohki!" Mihoshi said with interest, then involuntarily yawned.
Ryo-ohki did her best imitation of Mihoshi's salute and meowed proudly: mission accomplished!
A tall Juraian man in a large cloak was rapidly approaching Tenchi's house, borne by two wooden half-cylinders which hovered a few centimeters above the ground. The Juraian's ash-white hair billowed behind him.
Ryoko hovered above Tenchi's house, alerted a few seconds ago by the transmission that Ryo-ohki had helped Mihoshi recieve. Ryoko raised her eyebrows. Washu had a lot of memories about this fellow.
He did not slow as he approached the house, but instead leapt off and used his Juraian abilities to fly towards the house. His transportation automatically throttled down and eventually came to a halt.
In the meantime, Ryoko had descended and interposed herself between the man and the house. He appeared unsuprised by her actions, and alit calmly. He nodded, and she returned it. The man then called, "My name is Yakage. Is there a man named Tenchi inside?"
Tenchi hadn't yet been informed of any of this, and was in his room. He hurried down to the living room and came out the sliding door onto the porch. "You were asking for me?" he said, looking at him. He couldn't help but note a long, wide scar across the man's nose and onto his cheek just below the right eye.
"I've come to test your sword," Yakage said.
"Wait, I've got to arrest you first!" Mihoshi called, stumbling out behind Tenchi in her battle armor. Ayeka followed in normal clothes, watching Mihoshi resignedly. "Wait, wait, just a little bit more," Mihoshi said desperately as she fumbled with her space cube.
"This is an affair of honor, and my life's purpose," Yakage huffed, then suddenly found himself on the porch behind Tenchi. Tenchi was standing up, buried to his shins in the lawn. As he squawked in alarm, Mihoshi reversed the manipulations she had just performed on her cube, and Yakage and Tenchi were returned to their former positions. Mihoshi tried doing something else to her cube, and a bazooka materialized on her back. "There it is!" she cried happily.
Ryoko growled at Mihoshi. Mihoshi, not noticing, told Yakage, "You're under arrest for entering the protected zone without permission, Yakage!"
"Enough of this; I must test your sword, Tenchi!" Yakage insisted.
Washu walked up with her arms crossed behind her back and asked sadly, "Not even going to say hi to me first?"
Yakage started and turned to her, although his head was bowed. "Washu," he said slowly, "I shall explain it all to you."
"I'm listening," Washu said, her arms still behind her back.
"I left because our paths were diverging, Little Washu," Yakage told her haltingly. "In the past I had been able to aid you and learn alongside you, but after some time I felt I was able to do so no longer. You were pursuing the research on the Masses even further, but I had learned all I needed from them already. I felt you were slowing me down, and I was slowing you down. I had no skill at the work you were pursuing. I had to leave you for a time. I always intended to return to you, and thank you properly, after I had perfected the sword."
Washu stared at him and said diffidently, "I didn't realize that's what you were thinking at the time. So that does explain some things I wanted to know. It doesn't explain many others. Yakage, why didn't you tell me then? And why did you steal my daughter's DNA?"
Yakage's face twisted downward a moment. He brushed back his cloak with both arms so it fell over his back and not over his shoulders as it had before. He then spoke, "It has taken so long! All of it! When I first conceived of the idea of creating a perfect sword, I thought it might take three centuries at most. A great length of time even for a Juraian, but not inordinate for such a great work. Yet now I have been engaged for a millennium and a half!"
Washu frowned for the first time. "If you had asked me for what you stole, I might well have given it to you. Did you ever even consider that?"
Yakage looked down, then up again. "I had not," he admitted. "But time grows short." He quickly turned his gaze to Tenchi and demanded, "I need to test your sword. Only then shall we see if the sword I have made is perfect. We must meet in combat. It's the ultimate test of a sword."
Tenchi protested, "What did I ever do to you?"
"Nothing," Yakage acknowledged, "but you have the Light-Hawk Wings!"
Ayeka gasped. Tenchi gawked and asked, "How did you know?" Yakage did not respond, but instead took a large sword off of his belt. It looked like a Juraian sword key, a wooden hilt which drew power from a Juraian space tree, but this sword was larger and heavier than any such sword Tenchi had seen. It also had a cylindrical, wooden addition at the top.
Tenchi took the sword Tenchi off his belt, moved several paces away from the others, and assumed a defensive stance. He wasn't really looking forward to a fight, but didn't have a choice. Maybe if he managed to beat this Yakage guy he'd go away.
Yakage bowed, and Tenchi did so automatically. After they both came up, they each took a few steps to the side, keeping their distance and carefully watching each other.
Yakage ignited his sword, a giant blue blade appearing atop the hilt, as he came at Tenchi. Tenchi ignited his sword and parried the first few attacks, observing Yakage's sword. Tenchi didn't know what Yakage meant by a perfect blade, but he could see Yakage's sword was a good one. Yakage's blade was large, but it wasn't as large as Kagato's, so was more maneuverable; Tenchi was having trouble keeping up with Yakage's swift strikes. Every time Yakage's blade hit Tenchi's own, he could feel the shudder.
Tenchi tried some offensive strokes, and found Yakage to be as good as his blade. This was going to be a tough fight.
Yakage suddenly used his Juraian abilities to soar a short distance into the air and several meters away from Tenchi and the house. He landed smoothly and bowed, saying in a loud voice, "My apologies, I must not have made myself clear. I need to test my perfect sword against your best sword, against the sword you can make out of your Light-Hawk Wings."
"Eh?" Tenchi asked, then laughed awkwardly. "You know, you've got a good sword as it is, and you're a good swordsman. Isn't that enough?"
"I thank you," Yakage bowed. "You are also a good swordsman, and I meant no disrespect to your sword, the master key. Nevertheless, I must test my blade against your Light-Hawk Wing Sword. Currently your Light-Hawk Wing Sword is the preeminent blade in existence. If mine can overcome, I shall know if I have achieved the perfect sword at last."
Tenchi shook his head, "I meant, well, I'm all for self-improvement, but maybe you've done enough. Isn't there anything else for you to do? Have you really only been pursuing a perfect sword for a thousand years?"
"A thousand five hundred," Yakage corrected him. "Please, we can be done today if you will simply take out your Light-Hawk Wing Sword."
"You want me to take it out?" Tenchi asked, interspersed with awkward laughs. Washu and Ayeka looked uncomfortable while Ryoko shrugged. Tenchi had never been able to consciously create his personal Light-Hawk Wings, and they always disappeared after a short time. Not even Washu was quite sure how he made them during the fight with Kagato.
"I think of myself as a worthy opponent," Yakage told him tightly.
Tenchi hurriedly told him, "Of course you are! You're really good!"
Yakage bowed and now spoke in a more relaxed voice, "Nevertheless, I had some anticipation of this. We must follow the scientific method, must we not? If fighting against me does not prompt you to use the sword, perhaps using an opponent consisting of Masses, like Kagato, will. With your permission, we shall change combatants. I shall leave the fight, and you shall fight her."
A woman flew down from high overhead to land beside Yakage, and he handed his sword to her. Washu noted with admiration that this woman had been flying so high that she had passed almost unnoticed, though this woman had been following Yakage since he came to the house.
"Ryoko!" Tenchi gasped as he saw her.
"Still here!" Ryoko called from behind him, raising her hand. Tenchi looked back at her, then to the woman who had landed beside Yakage.
That woman looked almost exactly like Ryoko, but her eyes appeared more like a human's, and her face had large lightning designs painted on her cheeks. She introduced herself in a voice very similar to Ryoko's, "My name is Minagi. I am honored to battle you, Tenchi Masaki," and she bowed.
Tenchi bowed back, then said quickly, "Now look, I don't really want to fight anyway." He still remembered how well Ryoko fought, and how well Kagato fought. He had no desire to fight a similar being.
"I'm sorry to take your time like this," Minagi replied contritely, "but please, could you do us this favor? It'd mean a lot to Yakage and I."
Tenchi, taken aback, said nothing.
Mihoshi commented to Ayeka, "These intergalactic trespassers sure are polite."
"You are still going to arrest them, aren't you?" Ayeka asked with a dubious look.
"Sure, they're a lot nicer than Dr. Clay. I wouldn't mind having them in the brig for a few days," Mihoshi said cheerfully.
Minagi flew straight for Tenchi at high speed. He blocked her sword slash, but stumbled back a few paces. She had flown past and as she turned back, she said gratefully, "Thank you very much!"
"You're welcome," he mumbled back, wondering just why this sort of thing was always happening at his house.
Minagi proved to be a good swordfighter, and the fact that she could fly and hover made it even tougher to fight her. Tenchi started to use some of the jumping tactics that his grandfather had employed against Kagato and had some success. Minagi was forced to phase through most of his attacks.
Ryoko frowned. She didn't care about the honor of Juraian duels, which required that onlookers could not assist in any way. Tenchi was a good fighter, but it was tough for him to fight someone made out of Mass. He might well get killed before the Light-Hawk Wings manifested. Ryoko didn't intend to let that happen.
Yakage stepped closer with an irate expression and said tersely, "What possible incentive do you need that I have not yet provided? Fight with your full power!"
Ryoko clenched her fists.
"Are you going to attack Tenchi while he's already fighting Minagi?" Washu asked disparagingly. "Go ahead and throw away what little honor you had left."
Ayeka said darkly, "He did that the moment that he challenged Lord Tenchi."
Tenchi could see that Minagi was perturbed by these remarks. Her attacks became more fierce as she insisted, "We are seeking something noble! Take back your words! "
"Why should they?" Tenchi grunted after a particularly difficult block. Minagi flew above him to land behind his back, and he had to turn quickly to parry her strike. He continued, "You guys just showed up and picked a fight with us!" He was getting rather angry himself. Minagi looked troubled, but it was only making her fight harder. Ryoko growled as Minagi made several particularly good moves.
Yakage turned to the porch and addressed himself to Washu, "I do not see how you can place yourself in judgment over us, Washu. I know you burn with the same fire I do. Always you needed a new discovery, a new design, whatever the consequences might be. You resisted arrest, you melded species," he gestured to Ryoko, "all to satiate your desire for knowledge. It was your desire for a perfect species that maintained me when I faltered in my quest for the perfect sword. Washu, your desire was fulfilled, and what was wrong with it? Can you deny me my dream? Am I not to be allowed the same privileges as you? Ignore her, Minagi. She has no right to speak as she does."
Tenchi wasn't quite sure what was happening on Minagi's face. He was having to look in about a dozen directions at once, since she kept teleporting to his sides and back, to strike where his guard was weakest, and he was constantly pivoting to prevent her scoring. So far as he could tell, Yakage's words were not calming Minagi. She could've been shedding tears.
Ryoko decided she'd held off long enough and suddenly barreled into Minagi, saying, "You're mine!" They slammed into the ground some meters away. Yakage's face twisted in rage as he followed them with his eyes. Ayeka stepped in front of him and demanded, "Break off your duel with Lord Tenchi and submit to justice at once. Your honor can still be reclaimed."
"My honor comes from holding my course," Yakage replied haughtily.
Ayeka stood her ground and asked, "Even if it requires injustice?"
Ryoko and Minagi were throwing bolts of energy at each other as they twisted and spun through the air like falling petals.
Yakage came to a decision. "Enough delay. Kuze, Hakkou!" he called. His two wooden half-cylinders, upon which he had ridden to Tenchi's house, suddenly leapt off the ground and advanced towards Ayeka. It was now clear that they were Juraian guardian robots.
Ayeka's own guardian robots, Azaka and Kamadkai, teleported in-between Yakage's oncoming robots, Kuze and Hakkou. Azaka grunted as he shoved against Kuze, "Don't do this!" Kamadaki told Hakkou, "Your cause is unjust."
The intervention of her robots had given Ayeka enough time to activate her armor and shield network, and she prepared to advance on Yakage.
A burst of energy and light made everyone look at Tenchi. His three Light-Hawk Wings burned in front of him, and as he held out his arms, they engulfed him and formed white armor. He formed another Wing, and shaped it into a sword which he took hold of. His face was fierce as he cried, "That's enough, Yakage! I'm not going to allow this to go on any further. I'm not going to wait until you kill us all to get what you want."
Yakage's eyes gleamed and he shouted, "At last! The Light-Hawk Wings! To think I should finally see them! The test of my sword, nay, my life, is at hand!" Minagi paused in her aerial battle only long enough to throw Yakage the sword, and he caught it. He then sprang towards Tenchi, swinging the sword, and Tenchi ran at him as well.
Tenchi ran and swung horizontally at Yakage, but Yakage ducked slightly as he dodged to the side. While Tenchi ran past, Yakage lunged, hoping to score on Tenchi's armpit. Tenchi, however, was going too fast, and Yakage failed to make contact. Tenchi, in one motion, spun on his heel and swung at Yakage's outstretched sword arm, but Yakage retracted it in time. Yakage feinted at Tenchi's stomach, then went for his head, but Tenchi brought his Light-Hawk Wing Sword close to his body and parried the real blow.
Ryoko took advantage of the moment to grab Minagi in a headlock as they both hovered, watching the fight. Minagi was startled a moment, and Ryoko began to dive, intent on smashing Minagi's head into the ground, but Minagi phased through Ryoko's grasp and appeared above her, firing energy bolts. Ryoko phased through them, regained altitude, and the two began to dodge and weave as they alternately attacked and retreated.
Restraining herself, Ayeka allowed Lord Tenchi to fight his own duel. She would bring dishonor on both Tenchi and Yakage to intervene, and at the moment such intervention seemed ill-advised in any case. She felt fairly certain Lord Tenchi would need all his concentration on his opponent. Kuze and Hakkou, without further orders, stood ready, and facing Azaka and Kamadaki.
Yakage was panting, but he looked energized, maniacally happy. He lashed out again and again, overjoyed as Tenchi halted each new offensive. Yakage seemed to take as much delight in Tenchi's skill as his own. "Yes," he raved, "this is what I have craved! The fullest test! The best swordsmen with the best swords! The winner will achieve perfection! My life will be fulfilled at last!"
He swept his blade towards Tenchi's chest, but it was a feint- he changed his aim towards Tenchi's sword arm as Tenchi moved his arm to intercept the initial attack. Tenchi leapt to the side, brought his sword arm down from its defensive position, and thrust his sword to attack Yakage's exposed middle. Yakage stepped back and brought his sword down, trying to strike the top of Tenchi's blade and force Tenchi's weapon into the ground.
Tenchi stepped to the side and forward, lifting his blade to chest height and avoiding the onslaught of Yakage's perfect blade. Tenchi's own Light-Hawk Wing Sword smoothly stabbed Yakage in the chest. Pain erupted across Yakage's face as he crumpled to his knees, then fell full on the ground.
Yakage was silent and still a moment. Then, he rolled onto his back and said in a strangled, bewildered voice, "But I still had time. A little bit of time before the final decay into senescence. It ends now, doesn't it?" His body began to shudder as he stared in horror at the skies. "Why is it I only see now, when I have no time, what I should've done before?"
It was a few seconds before Minagi in the skies noticed that Yakage had fallen and Tenchi had dissipated his Wings. Minagi gave a loud cry and rushed to Yakage's side. Ryoko teleported in front of Tenchi to protect him, but all thought of battle had left Minagi's mind. Instead she clutched Yakage's hand as his labored breath rattled through his teeth.
"Then my dream dies with me," Yakage gasped. "I bow," he couged in pain as he nodded his head, then continued, "as best I can, to you, Tenchi. Yours is the perfect sword, and you are the perfect swordsman."
Tenchi shook his head. "I can't claim that title," he explained. "I only fought you because I knew you were going to kill Ayeka and Ryoko if I didn't."
"No, Lord Yakage!" Minagi wailed. "I am so sorry! I didn't train hard enough, I didn't fight hard enough, I was not as observant as you taught me to be! All your time spent sparring with me, it was time wasted! You could've improved yourself, your sword! I have brought you down!"
"No, Minagi, no," Yakage said quietly, and a tender look, a calm look, such as had never been seen before on his face, came over him. His face before had always been either stoic or consumed with madness, but now it appeared still and tranquil. He coughed again, and Minagi doubled over his ruined chest, weeping openly.
"I am sorry to leave you nothing, Minagi," he whispered sadly.
Minagi shook her head and said into his rib cage, "No, father. You gave me everything."
His rib cage stopped moving.
During a pause in Minagi's wails of heartfelt grief, Washu said in a very small voice, "Farewell, Yakage. I am glad Ryoko finally got to meet her sister."
After some time, Mihoshi knelt down to Minagi and told her with deep sympathy, "Look, Minagi. I'm very sorry, but I have to take you into custody now. You can help with the funeral arrangements aboard my ship."
Minagi nodded and said in a ghostly voice, "The duel isn't over." She straightened and looked at Tenchi.
He looked at her sorrowfully and said, "I feel so badly. I only wish there could've been another way."
"When at last I am free, we shall duel again," Minagi said, tears still streaming down her face. She slowly walked away, eyes full of anger, leaning heavily on Mihoshi.
Ayeka grasped her key and quietly asked Ryu-oh to inform Shorai of his death. Ayeka and Ryu-oh spoke softly to Shorai for some time as it, too grieved. Eventually, Shorai asked, "So what is to become of Minagi, Lord Yakage, and me now?"
Ayeka told Shorai, "Take up Yakage's body, and preserve it for burial on Jurai. You will return to Jurai and face the judgment of Lady Tsunami."
Yakage's body teleported away, onto Shorai, leaving only bloodstained ground and indelible memories on Earth.
Sasami had been playing with some of her alien pets which roamed in the woods. When she returned a few hours later, they told Sasami what had happened, with many long pauses between their words.
"It seems like such a sad ending," Sasami said a moment after it was done, her eyes tearing up.
"I can't deny that it is," Ayeka said in a choked voice, hugging her tightly from behind. "But it is happy as well. Lord Tenchi is safe, as are we all." She broke off.
"Only safe for now," Ryoko growled. "That woman-"
Washu inserted, "Your sister, Ryoko."
"You know we're unrelated," Ryoko hissed.
"But you are close," Washu insisted. Seeing everyone's eyes on her, she explained, "I ran some tests on Minagi's DNA on a hunch. Ryoko is my daughter, my egg cell and another Mass supplying another chromosome. Minagi was made from a Mass made into an egg cell similar but different to mine. Yakage made another Mass into one of his own chromosomes, and that's Minagi's other half."
Ayeka said thoughtfully, "Then Yakage had an heir after all- Minagi. Not that it matters. His property was confiscated long ago for his crimes."
"So is no one else disturbed that she's going to come after Tenchi again?" Ryoko asked exasperatedly.
"Ryoko," Tenchi put in, "Minagi just lost her father, and she's going to stand trial. I don't think we should worry about it just now. I'll face her again when the time comes."
He looked out the window at the setting sun. Everyone stared at the horizon as the sky turned a deep crimson, tinged with gold, then faded into oblivion.
Ryoko had nothing to say that had not already been said. She simply squeezed Tenchi's shoulder again. He didn't squirm away, but instead grasped her hand. They were all so absorbed in their own thoughts that no one noticed, not even Ryoko or Tenchi.
Next Chapter
Ayeka and Dragonwiles are engaged in a fairly serious argument, unfortunately just as the preview of the next chapter is supposed to be starting. "I have been sidelined while that monster woman flies about every five seconds! In addition, I have not had a proper dialogue with Tenchi in the last five chapters, at least! Why not have a romantic scene with Tenchi and I looking at the sunset at the end of the day? I command that you add a scene to the denoument of this chapter!"
"Are you jealous, brat?" Ryoko laughs at Ayeka.
Dragonwiles remonstrates with Ayeka, "Maybe I'm trying to make everyone think I'm not pairing Tenchi with you, but I really am. Did you ever think of that?"
Yakage strides forward and declares, "Since it's obvious that no one else will do it, I shall do the next chapter preview." He says loudly and with an icily melodramatic voice, "Sasami's betrothed suddenly shows up on Earth. Is another duel in the future? What'll happen in 'No Need For Another Betrothal'?"
"Now, see, that was entirely the wrong tone of voice for that preview," Dragonwiles complains. "It was supposed to be peppy, or energetic, or at least ironic."
"He's supposed to be dead! You are clearly unable to control this fanfiction!" Ayeka accuses Dragonwiles.
"Obviously," growls Dragonwiles through gritted teeth.
Continuity with Dragonwiles
Dragonwiles reposes in state in the library of his lair. Looking up from his book, he greets, "Welcome to this special segment, in which I give a few brief continuity notes.
"Yakage and Minagi, as well as the robots Kuze and Hakkou and the Juraian tree ship Shorai all hail from the manga by Hitoshi Okuda. Their backstories are basically the same, but with some differences. I changed Minagi's genetic background, and then her physical appearance to logically reflect her genetic background, and I don't recall if she is supposed to be born of Washu's egg or not. Otherwise, I believe their appearances and personalities are basically the same. It doesn't look quite like Minagi's personality is the same now, but it will be. I didn't give Shorai's mobile computers as much independent volition as they had in the manga- I basically decided that only the space trees would be sentient and alive. Of course, Shorai's mobile computers didn't show up in this chapter at all, but they did many chapters ago, so of course I'll mention this here rather than there. They were mentioned back at Chapter 14 and earlier.
"I did greatly change the action of the Yakage story arc. In the manga this segment is a relatively long one, and involves amnesia on Minagi's part and a kidnapping of Ayeka and a foiled rescue attempt by Ryoko. I just wanted to do the segment differently, and I also needed to resolve Yakage's plot threads from the historical interludes, since he left the story at Chapter 14."