Chapter 65: No Need for Invasion
The usurper Oda stalks into the studio and says, "Dragonwiles has demanded that I perform the duties of this chapter's DJ, and as he is the author, I must acquiesce, even though I am an emperor!" With an enraged look, he presses a button to cause 'Requiem for a Tower' to emerge from speakers. He adds, "Dragonwiles also instructed me to tell you that he does not claim to own this song. Now, I have a throne to defend." He sweeps out of the room. The fast-paced, extremely dramatic music, sounding of enormous, pitched, and intense battles, begins to play.
Tenchi took a deep breath, held it, then let it out. He was ready. Tenchi held his arms in front of him as the Light-Hawk Wings appeared, and they smoothly covered him in armor. He dispersed the wings, then created another set, which he gathered into a sword.
Around him, the Juraians on the bridge of the space tree, including Ayeka and Yosho, were igniting key blades. Along with them, Tenchi took a ready stance. It was time.
Ken-Ohki, carrying Nagi in a nearly-human-sized form that could sustain her in space's vacuum, phased through the bow of the lead space tree. He shot forward rapidly, then, when he judged the distance to be aright, Ken-Ohki morphed into the familiar grey form of the other member of his race whom he had hunted for centuries, Ryo-Ohki. Without further ado, he shot towards Jurai. The space trees in Tenchi's group, feigning pursuit, sped after him.
Another patrol ahead of them soon noticed the intruder. They raised an astonished alarm - the invaders Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki had returned! The space trees in the patrol deployed their Light-Hawk Wings and formed a line of battle before him. Ken-Ohki accelerated faster, as he had seen Ryo-Ohki do countless times. Disguising the drain on his power the transformation imposed by taking the advice of advice of Lord Takebe, the space tree carver, and aiming for a weak point on the space tree, Ken-Ohki disabled the ship immediately before him. Though its Light-Hawk Wings had attempted to block him, his attack had passed entirely through them, just as he had expected. After all, if that Ryo-Ohki could make her attacks pass effortlessly through the galaxy's strongest defenses as though they were nonexistent, so could he.
Ken-Ohki passed by the disabled ship without destroying it, hoping that this would not expose the ruse. Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki had sometimes destroyed ships in such straits, but sometimes ignored them. He moved in haste to reach Jurai itself as the other ships in the fleet turned and attempted to fire on him. The evasive maneuvers he began allowed himself to avoid most of the shots. However, he could see that other ships were getting ready before him, and he detected some inbound missiles and torpedoes from the planet's orbital battle stations. Ken-Ohki began evasive maneuvers.
Ayeka realized with disappointment that Ken-Ohki and Nagi would not be able to continue the attack quite as far as they had been hoping. Ryo-Ohki, in a smaller form than usual, was in position, and Ken-Ohki had not taken much damage yet, but many patrol ships were approaching or had gotten between him and the planet. Keenly conscious of the fact that Ken-Ohki and Nagi's position in the van meant they might perish whatever happened, Ayeka hoped not to waste such an honorable end.
She turned to look at her brother, who nodded- it was evident to him, as well. He saluted her with his blade, the key of his rooted space tree Funaho. "May our blades be keen," he said. "Farewell, my sister."
"Farewell, my brother," she returned. She turned to Lord Tenchi. "Farewell, Lord Tenchi," she said.
"Farewell, Ayeka," he told her, resolved yet sad.
In the next moment, those two had teleported away. Ayeka grasped her key, and spoke through the space tree on which she stood, which spoke to all the other space trees nearby, to the nearby battlestations, and to various installations on the planet itself. She had read in histories of similar situations, and wondered what she would say in the position she now found herself. Ayeka had determined her words some time ago: "I am Princess Ayeka Masaski Jurai, come to overthrow the usurper Oda. All who love Jurai, rally to us!"
In the next moment, she and her landing party had teleported away as well.
"Commander", a sensor officer on one of the orbital battlestations was reporting, "the target that we presumed was Ryo-Ohki is morphing into Ken-Ohki, and we are detecting a growing energy signature from the real Ryo-Ohki approaching the pursuit vessels. The vessels that claim to be in the criminals' party have deployed Light-Hawk Wings."
"Presumptuous," muttered the commander. "Target the next torpedo salvo on the criminals' space trees."
The communications officer frowned. "Sir, several pursuit vessels have defected to the criminals." Correlating with his data, the sensor officer noted, "Sir, loyalist pursuit vessels are being decimated."
"Torpedoes away, sir," the weapons officer declared, hoping this prompt report would forestall an irritated query from the commander. It did, barely, but there was no time for relief, as the commander wheeled at the communications officer's gasp. The paling officer said shakily, "Commander, Battlestation Katsuki has declared for the Princ-for the criminals!"
"Fire all beam weaponry on Battlestation Katsuki!" the commander ordered furiously. His weapons officer complied, and almost simultaneously, the other battlestation's beam weaponry hit them.
"Target the next torpedo salvo at Battlestation Katsuki," the commander ordered, anger battling the resignation he wanted to keep in the face of death. "Prepare all point-defense weaponry for torpedo interception." The other, better equipped battlestation had probably had the same idea, after all, and they hadn't yet fired on any of the criminals, meaning their salvo would arrive first. If his crew moved fast enough, however, those traitors would still feel the last bite of this battlestation.
"Glory to King Oda," he said, moments before the first torpedoes to make it through their defenses impacted.
Mushima and Hishima sprang forward, dispatching a pair of Juraians who were guarding the exterior door to the communications hub. The two guards had brought their swords to the ready as they saw the party materializing outside of the anti-teleportation field, but they still lost the encounter.
Ayeka and Yume rushed forward to the door, while Mushima and Hishima stood where the guards had, examining the area around them, while Mihoshi took the rear, sweeping the landscape with eyes and bazooka. No further sounds had yet greeted their arrival.
Yume swallowed slightly as she stepped near the body of one of the Juraians, but focused on the door. She and Ayeka used their energy blades to carve open the door, and the group quickly ran inside. An alarm began to blare, and was soon answered by guards, but they were overcome by Mushima and Hishima in front.
In such a way they neared the broadcasting studio of the communications hub. Here their opponents had organized a stiffer resistance, with sentrybots and guards that ambushed them from behind as they tried to break through the doors. All of the party soon found themselves in a grave fight for their very lives. At the end of it, the foes were vanquished, but Mushima had shifted out of borrowed Juraian's form, and his right arm and clawed hand hung limp. Mihoshi quickly bandaged it while Yume and Ayeka cut through the security door, only to find another door - and another party of guards beyond. Mushima gestured urgently at Mihoshi, who had just taken up her bazooka again. She fired into the party of guards ahead, partly on reflex at seeing them charge. The explosion in the small room between the ruined security door and the door beyond caused the enemies' personal shields to short out and their persons to be thrown against the walls as they shouted in alarm. Mihoshi gritted her teeth and fired again. The Juraians lay still.
She turned back to Mushima, but he shook his head, and the party moved on to the next door. His breath hitched with pain as he strode to take point. Hishima looked at him, then extended a hand of his own. Mushima clapped his own hand against it, then the two traded sides so that Mushima's good hand would be in the best position. At their nod, Ayeka and Yume began to break down the next door, already bowed inwards.
Upon breaking it down, they found themselves in the broadcasting room. Here they found several men bowing, surrounded by fallen comrades. "Your Majesty," began one, "we are your humble servants, though for a time deceived-"
To the speaker's astonishment, one of the bowing Juraians launched himself through the air at Ayeka, igniting his key blade and slashing it forward in an attack. Ayeka was just bringing her key blade up, not sure whether she would block in time, when Mushima tackled the man. They fell to the floor at Ayeka's feet in a heap, each having slain the other.
Yume made a muted cry, taking a step towards the heap, though she already suspected what had occurred. Then, fixing the room with a pained glower, she held her blade at the ready and stepped closer to Hishima and Ayeka. Hishima's borrowed Gagutian form was visibly tense, and his gaze swept the room, whose other occupants prostrated themselves further.
Yosho, Minagi, Washu, Gohgei, and a sizable landing party of their Juraian allies teleported outside the logistical hub, which appeared similar to a large clearing, peppered with large boulders. Most of the party threw themselves flat on the ground, as the apparent boulders revealed their true purpose of defensive beam weaponry, and began firing at the intruders. Minagi, as had been discussed, flung herself through the air at them, and began destroying them with their sword. As the gunners began to realize the changed nature of the threat, they began training the beams upon her. Her agility helped her avoid most of the hits, and her Mass-enhanced constitution helped her endure the others. There were other defenses, however - from hidden projectors, bolas were shot to ensnare flying foes. Finding herself entangled in one, Minagi dropped to the ground to avoid others.
During this time, guards had begun to pour out of other boulders, which served as bunkers. They seemed both surprised and enraged to see a "second Ryoko," as they termed Minagi, apparently not yet seeing the subtle differences. She was still grounded, carefully cutting through the bola that bound her, trying not to think about those guns still active near her and the guards rushing closer. Enough of the guns had been disabled, however, that Yosho and Gohgei and the others had begun a charge to assist Minagi and take control of the bunkers and the hub's operations.
After engaging and dispatching some of her opponents, Washu found that her small group had no further foes to fight. She turned to look for other skirmishes, and saw some guards running angrily towards one of their own bunkers, engaging fellow guards defending it. Washu smiled. Apparently they weren't in this alone - although, of course, they could be, if she kept gawking like this, she reminded herself. She and the other Juraians ran forward to assist the loyalists.
Minagi and Gohgei were already in the thick of the fight, she flying overhead and engaging leaping Juraians, while Gohgei used his towering Gagutian form's strength and speed to match Juraian sword techniques. Washu and the other Juraians engaged the enemy in a pincer movement, and soon only they and the loyalist guards remained. Not wasting time on celebration or ceremony, the victors began introducing themselves to each other and coordinating what they would now do with the base - and how they would defend it against their enemies in its weakened condition.
Ryoko said to Ryo-Ohki through their mental link, "You sure you've got this alone?"
She replied, "I won't be alone, remember?"
"Right," Ryoko agreed, before phasing out of her chair on Ryo-Ohki's bridge. She phased through the wall and into vacuum, which she had long been able to survive even when in phase. Ryo-Ohki and their unexpected loyalist allies on Battlestation Katsuki had cleared one flank of enemy forces, but enemy reinforcements were threatening the rear. Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki knew they had to be stopped.
Ryo-Ohki rushed at them with blazing speed, firing at the oncoming Juraian space trees and spinning and tumbling to avoid their return fire. Ryoko flew at them as well, managing to avoid the fire only through constant effort and concentration. Ryo-Ohki used one of her shots to cause a space tree's Light-Hawk Wing to swivel in an attempt to block the attack. As usual, however, the attack went through the Wing unaffected, and Ryoko slipped past the tree's guard where the wing had been. Using what she had learned from Lord Takebe, she moved to a particular place on the space tree's hull, taking a painful hit from a point-defense beam on the way. Ryoko phased through the hull and emerged near the tree's motion roots. Juraians were teleporting in, leaping towards her in an attempt to prevent her from reaching the roots.
There was no time for thought or even emotion, only to do what she had steeled herself to do the moment Tenchi had given her the third gem - her best. Her three red jewels, one at her throat and one on each of her wrists, glowed. Billowing out from her came the white nightmare, its eyes glowing with the hue of her gems, reaching out a fist with incredible speed. It battled the Juraian blockers while Ryoko herself pivoted in the air, returning back into phase despite the danger, to save her energy. She destroyed two sentrybots and one late-coming Juraian who intercepted her new flight path, then plunged her saber into the space tree's roots. She stabbed it several times, rapidly, then withdrew from the ship as fast as she could while the white nightmare covered her retreat. It battled pale but desperately brave Juraians until it returned to her Masses, just before she phased back out of the hull of the space tree.
Yosho was talking to Ayeka through the key of his space tree Funaho, though he kept the blade extended in case of sudden attack. "We've taken the logistical hub, with the help of some loyalists, but enemy reinforcements are already arriving."
"Can you resupply Battlestation Katsuki?" she asked urgently.
There was a loud noise, and Yosho looked up to see a supply pod leaving the launching chute. "It's on its way, but we'll be overrun before we can do more. Therefore, we are sabotaging the chute and will make our stand in the bunkers."
"Be safe, brother." Ayeka said earnestly.
"Be safe, sister," he returned, hearing on her end a cue for her to begin another broadcast to the general public.
Nagi used her whip to entrap the sword arm of one of the Juraians who had teleported aboard Ken-Ohki, and then managed to skewer another Juraian with an energy saber. Ken-Ohki formed a massive stalactite in the bridge, finishing off the trapped Juraian. Two other boarders remained, and Nagi saw the sparkles indicating two more were preparing to teleport in. Ken-Ohki shrank the already small bridge, placing a wall where the sparkles were forming, forcing the enemy space tree to reverse the transport. Nagi managed to fend off one of the already-present Juraians with the whip, and defeated the charge of his fellow with two swift saber thrusts, vanquishing his shield and then him. The last Juraian closed the distance during that battle and cut off one of Nagi's arms. She collapsed to the ground with a scream. Ken-Ohki killed the last boarder before the pain reached him through the mind link, and then he began to spin out of control. Swift space trees of the foe swept past him, towards the princess' fleet.
Lord Mori took deep breaths as he continued to concentrate on maintaining the Light-Hawk Wings of his space tree Tetsuya. Before all this, he had only had one battle of consequence, against pirates - now he was part of a complex fleet facing overwhelming odds. He'd do his best, but he was wondering how sufficient his best would be, especially if the battle lasted much longer.
As much as he needed to concentrate on the battle he and Lord Haruhi was waging to protect the flank of the princess' fleet, he had the responsibility to keep his group coordinated with the fleet, and so he asked about the general situation. Tetsuya informed him, "Ken-Ohki defeated one wave of space trees from the planet, but is out of control after being boarded. A new wave of space trees launched from various research sites is attacking our van. They're pushing something odd in front of them - some sort of large crystal." Tetsuya's voice grew alarmed as he realized, "The crystals are lowering the energy output of the space trees in the vicinity!"
With a frown, Lord Mori took in this information. "Their own trees weakened as well?" he wondered aloud. Tetsuya answered, "These are being joined by many other space trees without crystals - overwhelming numbers is their aim."
Lord Mori suppressed the urge to charge in and assist. His duty was here, and it was hard enough. He returned his attention to the space tree preparing to assault his left, and gave the order for a fusillade.
Ryoko didn't like to admit it, but the Juraians were getting better, already adapting to her tactics - any space tree she came near now doubly-guarded his or her motion roots. There were other targets that Lord Takebe had told her about that were vulnerable to somebody who could phase through matter, but Ryoko suspected that they would now be similarly guarded. Not to mention that she was getting tired. It was so aggravating to have so much power to fight, and so much opportunity, but to still be limited in how much she could fight.
She wasn't at her limit yet, though, she considered, as she danced through Ryo-Ohki's blasts at a space tree, and its return fire. Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki wondered for a moment how Tenchi was doing.
Tenchi looked around quickly. Just as they'd said, it was the edge of a forest glade, and Azaka and Kamadaki were still by his side. Before him was the sole tree in the glade, Tenju, palace of Jurai, spreading colossal branches into the sunset. Now he'd just have to get inside that tree, do his part by finding and defeating Oda, and all of this would finally end-
There was a familiar sound, and a series of three sparkling forms appeared in front of him. The light from them faded to reveal two Juraians he recognized, Tetta and Tessei, and a third one he recognized only from the Galactic TV - Oda.
"Are you Tenchi Masaki Jurai?" Oda inquired, deadly serious.
Tenchi's surprise was already fading as he remembered the heinousness of their treachery. "Yes, I am. Are you Oda?"
"I am King Oda," he replied sternly. "Are you prepared to battle for the kingship of Jurai?"
"What have you done with King Azusa?" Tenchi asked instead.
Oda was looking at him incredulously. "You would truly ask that at this moment? Tell me now, so this may be ended - are you seeking the throne for yourself, or are you acting as a champion of Princess Ayeka?"
"I want the throne restored to its rightful ruler," Tenchi insisted. "Did you kill King Azusa?"
Oda was more incredulous than ever. "We stand on the battlefield of a civil war, and you concern yourself with the old order that was swept away? It is impossible to reclaim that now. I know that all your efforts to reach this place were either for the sake of yourself or the Princess, to gain this power for yourselves. Your pretensions are not meet for a nobleman."
Tenchi said coldly to them all, "You think what you want. I was going to ask how you could betray your king, but I guess I know now. I'll fight you. Let's end this."
Oda nodded, "Let us do so." Tetta and Tessei, who had been on either side of the king, marched towards the knights Azaka and Kamadaki. Azaka and Kamadaki advanced, and Azaka said, "We are your opponents, sirs." Tetta replied grimly, "That's our line."
Tetta, Tessei, Oda, Azaka, and Kamadaki, had now ignited their key blades. Tenchi took a ready stance. He was sure that no matter what, he had to win this fight. So many were counting on them.
Next Chapter
Tenchi steps out onto the stage and says, "Hey, everyone! First of all, thank you to the reviewers for your encouragement, and readers for your patience. Publishing this chapter about a huge battle was almost a long battle itself!
"I can't talk long - gotta get back to fighting King Oda. In fact, that's a lot of what the next chapter is about. But based on what I've heard Dragonwiles mumbling, the war might not even be over after that! What more is there to do?" He shakes his head in disbelief, then continues, "Anyway, enjoy the next chapter, 'No Need for Desperate Battle'". Tenchi then rushes offstage to return to his duel.
Yosho takes the microphone and announces, "Although we'd love to get out another chapter before the end of the year, realistically, we'd probably be better off, in the words of the poet, wishing 'Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.' We hope to join you again next year!"
Continuity With Dragoniles
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.
"This chapter is loosely based on the episode (or was it several episodes?) towards the end of the Tenchi Universe arc in which Tenchi and company, which has by this point in Tenchi Universe grown to include Ken-Ohki and Nagi, attack Jurai in order to depose the usurper. The main points of similarity in the battle action are that Ken-Ohki pretends to be Ryo-Ohki for a time, and that Tenchi and the fleshly Azaka and Kamadaki face off against Tettei, Tessa, and the usurper. Otherwise, the battles are rather different, especially because I've included manga characters (Yume and the surviving Shimas, Lord Takebe, Lady Asahi, and Gohgei) and my own characters (Lord Mori, Lord Haruhi) in the assaulting forces. Other differences are that, in Universe, Ayeka was captive on the surface of Jurai during the attack, rather than part of the attack as in my work. Further, I believe Kiyone was participating in the attack in Universe, while in mine, she and Sasami and Tenchi's dad are traveling elsewhere. Finally, my usurper is different. What else will be different or the same remains to be seen.
"I think that the manga first proposed that Yosho had the blade of his space tree Funaho in addition to the blade Tenchi. I thought that idea made sense, so I used it as well.
"Farewell until next chapter!"