[FFML] [FFML][Fanfic][Ranma] The Road to Cydonia Chapter 4

[Justin Wagner]

First, I'd like to quickly say, for the FFML, it has been some time
since I stopped getting stuff from my old undergrad email address. I
just recently re-subscribed with a new one, around the time all the
'FFML reform debates' started up. It was really too late then to
contribute much, but I am hoping to get back to writing Ranma fanfics,
and that means my foremost project is once again TRTC, and all other
distractions be damned! I've already made minor fixes to the old
chapters (looking over, once more, the excellent comments and criticism
I got from FFML peeps), so: on to the new stuff!

Previous chapters can be found on FFN here:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2314624/1/

Or on my website here:
http://www.wagnergrp.com/JBW_Website/

On my website, I've also set up a New UFOpedia, with all the info from
the XCOM game, plus more in-depth fluff on the universe, the weapons,
base locations, etc.

-----
-----

The year is 2005. For six years, mankind has waged a Secret War against
an enemy from Beyond the Stars. Ranma and Ryouga are initiated into the
secrets of UNETCO, but the fate of the Tendo family has not yet been
decided. Their fates, and those of martial artists across Japan and
China, now hang in the balance.


-----

The Road To Cydonia
Chapter IV : Strength in Numbers

-----

Written by: Capn Chryssalid
jbraveboy (AT) gmail (DOT) com

-----

The flight back to Japan seemed to take forever. Ranma wasn't a patient
person to begin with, and being confined to a plane, even under the best
conditions, he quickly found himself longing for some greater variety in
surroundings. In another way, he felt a little bad about that - after
all, how many people ever got to fly in a private jet like this? It was
infinitely preferable to having to fly coach, packed in like sardines
with screaming children wailing every couple minutes.

On his way back to the front half of the plane from the bathroom, he
passed two of the three Tendo girls. Akane was blissfully asleep, and
Kasumi had her nose in a book, reading by a soft light just over her
head and behind her shoulder. The oldest sister wasn't a problem, and
probably never would be, but Akane... it really had been best to wait
for her to doze off before they got to business.

Back in the front compartment of the private jet, the mood was more
somber. Nabiki, unlike her sisters, couldn't be so easily worked
around. She was naturally more than a little nosy about the politics
they're ended up involved in, and she didn't like being kept in the
dark. He supposed he couldn't blame her. So rather than even try, they
had decided to let her in on their little strategy session, and she'd
been content to just listen for most of it.

Mr. Tendo had a pencil and a pad of paper, since he'd volunteered to
keep notes of their ideas. It was almost strange seeing him in anything
but his normal brown clothes, but with those back in Nerima, he'd
appropriated a respectable white business shirt and black pants. Ryouga
sat in the seat directly in front of Soun, swiveled slightly so his back
wasn't to the others, wearing almost the same ensemble. Of the three
men, only Ranma had opted to wear a more casual button-less t-shirt.

He sat down opposite Ryouga, and leaned back in the business chair.

"What were we up to again?" he asked, getting comfortable. "Ucchan,
right?"

Ryouga nodded.

"Yes," Soun added.

Ranma crossed his arms, and the small group was silent again. They were
making a list, checking it twice, even. Ryouga had jumped right into
joining XCOM with typical thoughtless bloody-mindedness, and after that,
Ranma had felt compelled to also step up to the plate, if more
reluctantly. They'd had a quick talk with the base commander back in
Peru, and he'd told them that they'd be sent back to the Japan Branch of
UNETCO, and that by the time they got there, they should be ready to
give a report.

The commander there wanted a list of all the martial artists and
"exceptional individuals" they knew, along with their locations and
their abilities. Said commander also wanted a much shorter list of local
martial artists to form two experimental squads for field duty. Ryouga
had no problem with the idea, but Ranma wasn't quite so eager to send
friends and acquaintances into such a dangerous situation. Wasn't it bad
enough that they were targets for these aliens, now? XCOM had promised
to keep as many of them safe as they could, but from what he'd heard,
the East Asian alien problem was getting worse and worse, and he had
some doubts as to the effectiveness of the supposed 'protection
program.'

They'd covered pretty much all of the minor martial artists already,
along with general information about the china gangs. Most of the latter
were too specialized and obscure in their applications of the Art to be
truly useful. A perfect example of that problem was Mikado Sanzenin, who
(if he was even still alive) was a fairly impressive opponent on the ice
with his Martial Arts Skating, but otherwise rather useless. Like Ryouga
and Mr. Tendo, Ranma had agreed that only the strongest martial artists
should be recommended to actually fight.

Which, of course, also ruled out Akane, but they left that unsaid for
now.

"Ukyou..." Ryouga spoke up, finally. "No. She's too weak."

"Too weak?" Ranma snapped back, if only to defend his old friend. "She's
one of the strongest people I know! How can you give Kuno a passing
mark, and count out Ucchan?"

Ryouga huffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if I know her fighting style
better than you do, Ranma. I don't think she's ready for something like
this. Besides, she has the same baggage Shampoo does. She'll want to
work with you, and it will lead to the same mess as before. Plus, she
lacks the same willpower Kuno has, I think."

"You and her have worked pretty well together before," Ranma countered.
"While I've never seen you do anything but fight with Kuno."

"Ukyou and I only worked together to try and break up you and Akane.
When I told her I wasn't going to do that anymore... " Ryouga looked
down at his hands. "I can't say I want her watching my back, Ranma. And
she won't want to be with me when she could be with you."

"Are you sayin' you two had a fight?" Ranma asked, and he shook his head
a little. "Geez, man. I thought you two were friends or something."

"I thought so, too, for a little while," Ryouga said the last two words
softly, but quickly snapped back to the real topic: who was strong, and
who he could take with him on his crusade of revenge. Ranma could almost
see when the anger in his eyes replaced the sadness and disappointment,
smothering it ruthlessly.

"Ucchan can get better. She just hasn't had any reason to train in a
while. It doesn't help that Konatsu is around to help her, now."

"Fine, if you want to stick your neck out for her, go ahead!" Ryouga
grimaced after saying it, obviously remembering some sort of bad blood
that had passed between him and the okonomiyaki chef. Ranma frowned at
that. Why couldn't his friends just get along, for once?

"Speaking of Konatsu," the lost boy continued, changing the topic
somewhat. "I've heard he's good, but I never got the chance to fight
him."

Ranma let the matter with Ukyou drop, and moved on. "Konatsu. He's quick
and has a heavy reliance on weapons. Sorta like Mousse, but his reach
ain't so great. When he ate that battle medicine, he put out a real good
aura, but didn't know how ta use it. A lot'a his techniques aren't very
useful, but he's got some body replication and body replacement and
those other high-end ninjutsu down. He's pretty stealthy, too, but his
danger sense ain't so great."

Ryouga and Soun made similar 'hmm's as they took in that information.

"What do you think, Tendo-san?" the lost boy asked, after a few seconds.

Soun answered seriously, "Genma would know more, but from what little
I've seen of him, he has good balance, and understanding of advanced
techniques. One of his problems seems to be a lack of experience with
stronger martial artists like yourselves. I've never detected any strong
ki from him, though."

"Should we try and pick him up, then?" Ryouga asked. "He may or may not
already be a target. It could be we're only putting him in danger."

"He'll also want to go where Ukyou goes," Ranma pointed out, and the
three lapsed into silence again.

"Perhaps we should focus first on a more obvious candidate," Soun
suggested.

"Mousse," Ranma said, and Ryouga nodded.

"If he's still with us, then he and Shampoo are definitely targets,"
Ranma continued. "Cologne, too."

"According to the information we were given," Soun replied, looking from
one of the boys to the other. "The Nekohanten burned down the night of
the attack."

"I'm sure Cologne was fighting," Ryouga interjected. "I had an easier
time getting to the ship by the dojo because several of the aliens ran
towards the Cat Cafe. I could feel her energy, too. Whatever she faced
off against must've been..."

He closed his eyes, and remembered that horrible face, those empty
sockets where eyes should have been, that terrible and irresistible
power. If those aliens had been the ones assigned to abduct the Tendos,
he doubted he'd have been able to save them. They'd have ended up like
Akari, or worse. He clenched his fists tightly at his own weakness, his
helplessness, in the face of such a demonic opponent.

"Let's assume they're all alive and hiding out," Ranma said, sensing his
tension in among them. "Ok? Cologne we can work with, but what about
Mousse and Shampoo?"

"You do realize you'll have to break them up," Nabiki interrupted them,
and the three men turned to give her their attention. She was here
mostly as a guest, since her knowledge of martial arts was minimal.

"Good luck with that," Ryouga said with a dismissive snort.

Nabiki continued, ignoring his tone. "I can't speak for their skills
like you guys can, but they're transparent enough in their intentions.
You think Ukyou is bad? Shampoo will demand to go with Ranma, and I
doubt anything will stop her. And she'll bring Mousse along with her,
because he still won't trust her around you, Ranma."

"You mean he won't trust me around her?" Ranma asked, giving Nabiki a
questioning look.

"I meant exactly what I said," Nabiki replied. "I'm sure Mousse knows by
now you're not interested in Shampoo, and I think he probably trusts you
more than her at this point."

"I think so too." Ryouga piped up, but didn't elaborate.

"Alright." Ranma shrugged. "Whatever. So what do we do?"

"You..." Nabiki pointed at the pigtailed boy. "Have to be firm with
Shampoo, and get her to back down a little. And you." Here, the directed
her attention to the lost boy. "Will have to keep Mousse in line."

The two martial artists seemed to think it over for a few seconds,
before coming to an agreement. Soun took note of it, and quickly got to
writing something down on the pad of paper he held propped up to his
right knee. Nabiki went back to listening, while the males in the group
hammered out who else they would try and recruit, and who they would
recommend for the 'protection program.'

It had taken longer than she had thought, at one point pulling Ranma and
Ryouga into another particularly heated argument about sealed and
forbidden techniques. Still, she waited patiently and let them sort
things out. Only once they were done, did she tell them what they would
do with her, Akane, and Kasumi. To their credit, they didn't even try
and argue with her. She smiled at that.

They were learning.

-----

Genma didn't feel entirely comfortable around Shampoo.

He never had, even after she had stopped trying to dismember him. It
wasn't just the memory of her chasing him and Ranma around China, sword
(or other weapon) in hand. He was rather used to people chasing after
him in a rage, and he didn't hold it against anyone. It was so much
easier to forget a grudge than to dwell on it.

No: it was that intense look the girl sometimes had, like a cat staring
at a mouse from behind a cage. He could almost feel her warrior
intention, and it was to strike him down, if only he wasn't Ranma's
father. So she held back and mostly ignored him. This arrangement had
made the last few days rather uncomfortable, to say the least.

He hadn't forgotten that whole turning him into a slave, Mistress
Shampoo stuff either, back at Jusendo. A sound at the window got his
attention, and he saw white wings, and a cursed body. Genma quickly
reached over, unlocked the window, and let Mousse in. There was already
a glass of hot water ready, and he upended it over the duck without
ceremony.

Mousse rose, shrugging on his clothes, and then sat cross-legged without
a word.

"Well?" Genma prompted. "Did you get it?"

Mousse reached into his right sleeve, and pulled out two plastic bags.
Putting one down, he handed the other to the elder Saotome. The second
he put between himself and Shampoo. The Styrofoam packaging held a
variety of yakitori, still hot and fresh. Mousse seemed to wait for
thanks, but both Genma and Shampoo went straight for the food. If he was
perturbed by it, he didn't show it in his features, and all three ate in
relative silence.

There was nothing exceptional about the food, or the accommodations.
With the Nekohanten burned down, Mousse and Shampoo had emerged from the
rubble in their cursed forms. Cologne was nowhere to be found, and she
hadn't come for them. To their surprise, a peculiar panda had been the
only familiar face among police officers and firemen.

Cologne had left plans in case of emergency, and one of them was a tiny
makeshift loft, nothing more than a single living area and a bathroom.
They were about two miles from Nerima, a little closer to Tokyo proper.
Genma later explained that he had gone to see Dr. Tofu, but that the
other man was missing. After confirming that Ucchans was no better off
than the Nekohanten, they had unenthusiastically agreed to stick
together.

That had been little under a week ago.

Mousse chewed on the yakitori, and massaged a piece of chicken out from
between his teeth with his tongue. It wasn't bad, really, even he was
rather sick of going out under cover of his curse and misusing his
hidden weapons skills. Yesterday, it had been KFC, and the day before
that he had been sent to get American style pizza, in addition to his
other work. Still, the food was nothing to complain about, and even the
Spartan apartment was quite livable, if very crowded between the three
of them.

What Mousse didn't enjoy was how they seemed to sit in silence for such
long tracks of time, and how they couldn't figure out what to do next.
It was true he didn't know Genma at all, and had never really given him
a second thought, but he had expected it to be easier for him and
Shampoo to iron something out. Apparently not, he inwardly remarked with
a cringe.

Mousse wasn't normally someone who was needy when it came to friends or
attention, but he found himself wishing he'd ended up with some actual
peers. If Ranma and Ryouga or even Kuno had been around, they'd all have
come up with some (probably hair brained and shortsighted) plan, but at
least they'd have been together. Fighting and bickering, of course, but
still together. Those bozos were probably the best friends he had right
now, wherever the hell they were.

To no one's surprise, Genma finished eating first. Both Chinese Amazons
inched away, shielding their food with their bodies. The gesture never
seemed to insult Genma, and if anything he looked smug about being a
notorious food thief. He certainly hadn't hesitated to take more than
his fair share of KFC the other day, and as for the pizza... well. The
fight over the last slice had been almost a welcome break in the
tension.

"I assume you used cash," Genma asked, once Mousse and Shampoo finished
at around the same time.

"We're almost all out after this," the longhaired boy replied
despondently. "We'll have to risk using an ATM or a credit card, unless
you've stashed away some pachinko chips or something somewhere."

"Is that safe to do yet?" Shampoo asked, and Mousse shook his head.

"I flew over Nerima before I got the food, and there are still
suspicious guys hanging around; a van near the Nekohanten and a sport
utility vehicle down the block from Ucchans. Didn't look like normal
Immigration Bureau types, but at least most of them were Japanese."

"You mean at least they look Japanese!" Shampoo said, but kept her voice
low. "You no can say for sure. They looking for us, waiting for us!"

"I went by the dojo, too. It's still mostly intact, and there wasn't
anything aside from the police tape. Looks like they closed Furinkan,
too, but the Kuno place seems to be untouched, so I doubt the Principal
is anything other than spooked. Not that I know if he's there or not,
anyway." Mousse lifted his thick coke-bottle glassed up to rest on the
top of his head and give his face breathing space.

Genma nodded at that, but asked about something else that had been
mentioned. "You said most of them were Japanese? Not all?"

"There was an American, too. I think. He spoke English, drove from
Ucchans to the Nekohanten, and then to the Tendo Dojo. From the way he
walked when he stepped out of the car, I think he's ex-military," Mousse
observed, and then amended himself, "Or maybe still military. Who
knows?"

"You should have jump him. Make him talk!" Shampoo grumbled. "Now he
gone and we back where we started."

"I thought we were trying to keep a low profile and not attract
attention?" Mousse replied, but tried not to sound too critical of her
plan, even if did think it short sighted and impulsive (and wasn't that
ironic, coming from him). A lot of their important personal property and
documentation had been lost with the Nekohanten, including their landing
permission papers.

"What about Nodoka?" Genma then asked, with a little urgency to his
voice. "Is she still...?"

"She's still there, yes," Mousse confirmed that one positive fact. "I
saw her myself. WITH my glasses on."

"Good." Genma coughed, and corrected himself quickly. "Not that I'm
worried about her, but it wouldn't do for the house to be destroyed.
Again."

Shampoo at least had the decency at that to look somewhat ashamed.

"Look," Mousse spoke up, a little louder than before. "I don't think we
can stay here much longer like this. Either we withdraw money, risk
someone tracing the card, and go back to hiding somewhere, or we take
action."

"What kind of action we possibly take, stupid Mousse?" Shampoo replied,
her tone icy. "You think we can rescue airen or even others from alien
monsters? Maybe you have plan how to go to space? You think you can beat
creatures what kill great grandmother?!"

Mousse instinctively shirked away from her, at first not even risking a
reply.

"No," he replied, in a quiet voice after a few seconds. Shampoo was
still simmering with pent up anger and fear, but she deflated a little
and looked away to an empty wall.

"No. This isn't like with Herb or Saffron or any of those other times,"
he admitted. "This is out of our league and I know it. I think at this
point, we have to choose. Either we can keep hiding, maybe even try and
get back to China and give up here... or we can see what those black
suits want. Maybe they can even help."

"Or maybe they're the ones behind all this. Maybe they're the ones who
arranged for all this to happen," Genma spoke up, when Shampoo didn't.
"What I saw... it wasn't human."

"Maybe was trick? Martial arts illusion?" Shampoo spoke with a hint of
hope, now. An alien from space was out of her reach, but a human being
using martial arts, or even magic and trickery, was a foe she could
face, even if it had somehow bested her powerful great grandmother
Cologne.

Genma just shook his head. "No. The only thing I've ever seen that was
close to this... was back when I was training Ranma, about six years
ago. We stopped by this shrine in a town to the north. It was winter,
and we were looking for some free shelter. The shrine was to a kappa, a
water imp, but this wasn't like the pictures of them you see now. The
eyes were wide and round and it had no hair or shell. The statue had
this mouth full of little teeth, and webbed hands, and it sent a chill
down my spine. Even after seeing real demons, facing real monsters, that
statue still made my skin crawl."

"The villagers said that they sometimes found their livestock,
especially pigs, drowned in the river or lake nearby, and that they were
always missing their entrails. They blamed the kappa, and said that
sometimes children disappeared too, and that the kappa were even known
to assault women. I'd dismissed it at the time, since I know what can
happen to a body if it's been in the water for a few days. But now, I've
seen the models for those... things. They're real. They're real."

Mousse couldn't see, but he could feel a chill run down his spine as
well. He looked in Shampoo's direction, and could feel the vague
fluctuation in her ki somewhere amid the blur of his terrible vision.
They hadn't seen anything like Genma had, not first hand, but they had
felt it. The simple presence of whatever had battled Cologne had been
like cold hands around his neck.

"Shampoo think... we should go home," the Amazon girl finally said. "We
have to tell tribe about what happen. Have to make sure it not happen
there!"

Mousse had to agree, even if he didn't exactly love the place of his
birth. "So that's it, then?"

Genma was silent, and the trio were hard pressed to continue on that
train of thought. Mousse actually felt sort of bad about it, in fact, he
felt downright rotten. Ranma wouldn't have run if Mousse and Shampoo had
been taken, not even by an enemy like this. Thinking it over, he was
certain that the pig-tailed boy would have seized even the smallest,
most remote chance, if it meant helping out his friends.

He'd have gone to the authorities, not ran away.

"I..." Mousse started to say, but wasn't sure how, or even if he really
meant to follow through with what he was thinking. Why should he stick
his neck out for Ranma, or even for the Tendos? The smart thing to do
would have been to go back to China with Shampoo, support her through
the tough times ahead, and hope for her to fall even a little bit as in
love with him as he was with her. Who cared about Ranma?

After all, Mousse had tried for so long to get rid of him, and now he
was gone. Forever. As good as dead. He didn't know Akane or Nabiki or
Kasumi or any of them very well, and it wasn't like he was inclined to
defend every hard case he came across, like a certain lost boy. Screw
'em, right? Ranma - good riddance! Right?

A year ago, he'd have probably shed tears of joy.

Why did that make him feel so bad, now, just thinking about it? Sure
Ranma had helped him a few times, worked with him a few times, and after
the big fight at Jusendo they'd come to a sort of understanding. Ranma
was also the biggest obstacle between him and Shampoo. Ranma was also an
arrogant jerk who got in the way as much as he helped, and caused
trouble for everyone around him.

"Damnit," Mousse cursed, but at a whisper's volume.

"You can both go," Genma said, breaking his silent spell. "I'm going to
do what little I can to find my boy.... Nodoka would kill me if I
didn't."

"You is stupid if you think..."

"Yeah." Mousse let out a long sigh, and slapped his thigh. "Yeah. I'm
going to stay, too."

Shampoo looked at his with disbelieving eyes. It was a pity he couldn't
see them clearly, or the expression on her face. What he did see was the
blurry figure that was Genma, giving him a grateful nod of approval.

"Mousse...." Shampoo said, softly. "You... you such stupid male..."

"Don't either of you think I'm doing this for Ranma. As a man, I just
can't let this sort of thing go unpunished!" Mousse smirked, and ducked
his hands into his sleeves. "That's all it is."

"Shampoo no can back down when both too-cowardly male and weak Amazon
male go try risk their lives to fight monster." She remarked, trying to
sound serious and solemn. "One maybe, but not when both go. Must go also
for Amazon Pride."

"And the Tribe?" Mousse asked. He wasn't really sure he wanted Shampoo
to risk her life on such short odds of success.

"Shampoo write them letter explaining everything; hope they no think it
joke."

"Then it's settled." Genma faced the two Chinese amazons directly, and
bowed his head low. He didn't outright speak his thanks, but the gesture
was honest, for once, and they recognized that fact. Oddly, the more
Mousse thought about what he was doing, the more he became resigned to
it. Even if they did get Ranma back, it wouldn't change the fact that
the pigtailed martial artist preferred even Ukyou to Shampoo. Yes, he
would bide his time, and eventually, Shampoo would be his.

Besides, it would be nice to have Ranma owe him one for a change.

-----

Ukyou didn't like being away from her yatai, but she wasn't about to
raise a big stink about it. She'd left the vending cart in Osaka with
her father, so she knew it was in good hands. Outside the scenery passed
by at high speed below her, illuminated only by night-lights from houses
and flanking the highway. It was different from flying in a plane, and
she felt another little rush of excitement.

Sitting next to her in the helicopter, Konatsu fidgeted with his kimono,
a sure sign he was anxious. She gave him a confident smile, and he
brightened up instantly, though his nervous hands still wound into the
fabric of his obi. She understood why he was like this, from what he had
told her about the latest chaos in Nerima, but Ukyou was pretty sure he
was exaggerating.

It was only natural, since Konatsu had never been around for the truly
crazy adventures. He had arrived late on the scene, and so he'd missed a
lot of the action. According to the poor cross-dressing boy, real
honest-to-god monsters had attacked the town. Following his ninja
training, he'd gone into hiding outside the restaurant, and not a moment
too soon. According to him, the whole building had gone up in a
tremendous explosion, spontaneously combusting from out of nowhere, no
more than a few seconds since he'd left it.

Ukyou had been furious at that, even before he had told her that the
Nekohanten had also been destroyed, and that the Tendo Dojo was empty.
She was sure that Ranma and the others had escaped somewhere, but her
store... she was only leasing it, and while her insurance covered a wide
range of damages, she doubted they'd like to hear that it had
'spontaneously combusted.' Hopefully she could get away with claiming it
was a gas leak, or an electrical fire, or something that didn't sound
too fraudulent.

Regardless, she had been getting ready to head back to Nerima to find
Ranma, and offer her help beating down whatever Chinese Prince or other
lunatic was responsible, when a man from the Ministry of Justice had
contacted her. Again, that wasn't too unusual, though the feds normally
didn't get involved in martial arts skirmishes to her knowledge. She'd
talked to them before, so she hadn't been about to snub them now.

Konatsu had been more leery of the authorities, but she had forced him
to give a statement as well. They'd need it for the insurance company
anyway, but Konatsu had to have even the simplest business sense ironed
into his thick skull, so she forgave his naivete. Far worse than the
Ministry suit they'd sent over had been her father, when he'd realized
Konatsu was a cross dresser, and staying with his daughter no less.
She'd never bothered to tell her old man about Ranma's curse, and that
whole mess had served to remind her why she'd held her tongue.

She'd still planned to take the train back to Tokyo when she'd gotten
another call, this time from an official at the National Police Agency,
telling her to stay put. Apparently, they'd designated Nerima the
"latest victim of endemic terrorist activity" and that, because of the
ongoing investigation, they wanted her to come to a "secure facility."
Martial artists had been attacked specifically, they'd said, and almost
as an afterthought added that leaving Osaka would "constitute
noncompliant action resulting in criminal prosecution."

That had been a little sobering, so she'd stayed at home between her
father and Konatsu (who had swung from nervous fear to fits of jubilee
over having a 'daddy' again). At least she'd still been able to do
business for a while, before some men in a sedan had picked up her and
Konatsu. Then, to her surprise and excitement, they'd been transferred
to a black helicopter, and it was a real beauty of a machine, too.

Going to an all-boys school, she'd been deluged by images and
information about the toys and machines that gender tended to like. All
that had included indoctrination into the faith of military machinery
and vehicles in general. Later, after getting her license, she'd had fun
driving different vehicles (though never buying one). It was too bad
none of her Nerima friends seemed interested in cars or bikes, but she'd
surprised her elementary school friends by not 'binding up' at the last
reunion, and they'd been more than happy to indulge her.

Helicopters, like jets and missiles, were almost universally cool, and
over the years she'd picked up bits of info about the usual commercial
ones in use, along with a lot of the military machines used by the JSDF.
Seeing this one, and actually riding in it, had topped out that time
she'd touched a Type-90 tank (the world's most expensive!). It was ultra
silent running, with sleek lines and a profile that would wet the pants
of a conspiracy theorist. She almost giggled at the thought, and that
was something Ukyou Kounji rarely did. Chuckle, maybe, but giggle, not
likely.

"I think we're landing," Konatsu interrupted her thoughts. He was
looking out the window on the other side of the passenger compartment.

"We've only been flying for a little while," Ukyou replied, also looking
out the window. "I think we passed by Akutagawa, and look at all those
lights. Kyoto, I'd bet."

"I'm still a little worried about all this, Ukyou-sama..."

"Don't worry sugar," she reassured him, but she knew he wouldn't be back
to his normal self until things were back to what passed for normal. "If
we were really in any danger from these guys, do you think running would
help? Let's just ride this out and see where it takes us, ok?"

Konatsu nodded, mollified for the time being.

The helicopter descended swiftly, but with very little turbulence, in
the middle of a field. From her window, Ukyou could see a parked car,
black in color. It wasn't like she wasn't a little nervous, too, about
all the spy-type stuff; it was just that she found it really
interesting, too. A few shapes emerged from the parked vehicle, and made
their way towards the helicopter, but they were difficult to make out in
the darkness.

The government man sitting across from them stood, and opened the door.
A gust of air made Ukyou turn her head and cover her face, and she
wondered who they were meeting with. She considered this a pretty formal
occasion, so while Konatsu had worn a kimono, she'd put on a light blue
shirt, black pants and navy blue blazer. She'd also brought a tie the
same color as the clip in her hair (just in case), but for now kept her
collar unbuttoned and open. She prided herself on being a businesswoman
under these circumstances, as well as a martial artist, and she was more
comfortable wearing boy's clothes when meeting with other important
people, like at the bank or the police.

When she caught the first clear glimpse of who two of the men were
helping up and into the helicopter, she gasped.

"You!" she cried, and pointed. "What are you doing here?"

Tatewaki Kuno, age 19, struggling freshman and rising star of the
University of Kyoto Kendo Team, looked up at her and snapped his fingers
in recognition. Ukyou waited for him, but he plainly couldn't remember
where he had seen her, and after a few seconds of thought, he settled
for:

"Do we know each other?"

The other man in the passenger compartment helped Kuno up, and closed
the door behind him. The college freshman took a seat opposite Konatsu,
who waved at him shyly. Watching with more than a little disgust, Ukyou
wondered if Kuno knew the gender of the 'cute girl' in the kimono. The
former Furinkan student was, like Ukyou herself, dressed in formal
business clothes, except his jacket wasn't a blazer, and it was a darker
shade of blue like his tie.

Of course, he wore a bokken strapped to his silver-buckled belt.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you don't remember." Ukyou refrained
from calling him an idiot, only because he had never interacted with her
very often. They'd talked briefly at the last Christmas party Kasumi had
held, and he'd been in the background for some events (like the wedding
melee a couple months ago), but even back in Furinkan they'd never
interacted really.

"Ukyou Kuonji," she introduced herself, and bowed her head politely.
Since she'd brought them for this occasion, she decided to part with one
of her business cards, reaching into one of her blazer's pockets and
handing the small piece of paper to the kendoist. He took it and she
gestured to the giant spatula on the floor near Konatsu. It had been too
big to fit behind her, or anywhere else really. "Ring a bell?"

"Ah, yes. I remember now! Tatewaki Kuno, age 19." Kuno inclined his head
after pocketing the business card. He then assumed a leisurely posture,
with his legs planted firmly on the floor. A second later the helicopter
started to rise. "You went to Furinkan, am I right? I've seen you in the
company of Akane Tendo and the pig tailed girl."

Ukyou was sorely tempted to say, "You mean Akane and Ranma?" but instead
just nodded.

"I have not been able to see my true loves in some time," Kuno continued
to say, tangling his fingers into his unruly bangs. "Tell me, are they
well? Do they know the former Blue Thunder of Furinkan High has them in
his heart, always? That he keeps their images safe from the capricious
vandalism of drunken louts and roommates?"

Ukyou looked away and rolled her eyes. "Last I saw, they were both
fine."

"And who is this fair maiden?" Kuno asked, obviously meaning Konatsu.

"Go ahead," Ukyou prompted, sounding bored.

"My name is Konatsu," the boy said, sounding more like a woman than he
had a right to. He bowed his head demurely, to Kuno's obvious delight.
"I am honored to meet you, Kuno-san."

He reached out and took Konatsu's hands in his own.

"Truly it is!" Tatewaki preened happily. "Such a light as you will make
this long flight seem as fleeting as the deadline for a midterm paper!"

"Which reminds me," Ukyou interrupted, propping her cheek against her
hand and her elbow on the armrest. "What brings you out here, anyway? Do
you know where we're headed?"

Kuno deflated a little, and he returned to his seat. "No. I do not.
However, it was made clear to me that I was to meet some important
people, and take a break from my important studies. I believe there had
been some trouble back home."

"I suppose we'll find out when we get... whatever," Ukyou replied,
making the decision not to tell Kuno the stuff Konatsu had told her. The
last thing she needed was him getting hysterical about his two loves
safety in a helicopter a couple hundred feet in the air. That they had
also gone to the trouble of picking up Kuno, however, made the gears in
her head spin.

How serious was this new crisis, anyway?

The black helicopter swooped silently across the sleeping countryside.

-----

West-Central Honshu

Toyama was not a small city, and it lit up the horizon as a black
helicopter landed on a small landing pad flanked by warehouses. It
attracted no attention, and went unseen and unreported by officials at
the major commercial airport, just a few miles away. It was late, so
late that public transportation wasn't available, leaving most of those
still awake to work or party solely by foot. Even then, the airport
conducted business, and a large airliner took to the air with a distant
roar.

The area around the landed helicopter belonged to a privately owned
shipping concern, one of the many publicly visible faces of UNETCO. It
did the normal amount of legitimate and wholly uninteresting shipping,
and a discrete amount of business that was a little more unusual. Amid
the boxes and crates, there were those containing frozen alien corpses,
military grade weapons and explosives, and some items of a fantastic
nature that crossed the line into science fiction.

However, even if one became curious enough to risk a personal
investigation, against the advice of local and federal law enforcement
and customs officials, the site was still well patrolled by officers
from a very private and exclusive security firm. This, too, was a branch
of UNETCO, as even mundane facilities could be discovered, and attacked
by the Enemy. This facility was considered both secure and perfectly
located for its purpose.

This was the main transit point for supplies headed to and from the
Japan Branch of XCOM. Nestled amid Hide Mountains to the east, bordering
between the Nagano, Toyama and Gifu Prefectures, in a warren of
structures termed Seiran Mountain, that elite organization saw to the
defense of the Japanese home islands, much of the Pacific, Oceana, both
Koreas, and parts of China and Russia. For several years, it had been
more than sufficient, and even seen as an easy assignment.

Not anymore.

While sophisticated electronic surveillance watched the warehouses and
the property perimeter, far more advanced equipment many miles away
watched the skies. The information made available to XCOM included that
gathered from radar dishes across Japan, including the instruments at
Toyama Airport. The star strewn skies were clear and seemingly benign
this night, but for those who knew, they were fickle and could bring
danger at any moment. The last few months, things had escalated
dramatically, and the night skies had grown increasingly threatening.

Mousse adjusted his glasses, and took in his new surroundings. He was
familiar with warehouse districts, but there was an ordered and stark
precision to this place. He was instantly struck by the hunch that it
was a military facility - as if the fact that he'd come here in a black
stealth helicopter hadn't already given him that impression. The area
around the landing pad was not bathed in light like one would expect,
even though there seemed to be lights.

"Probably ultraviolet," he mused to himself, but didn't bother Genma or
Shampoo with the educated guess. Mousse wasn't an idiot when it came to
hardware. Not only did he have to know, at least generally, about the
dangers of flying in an urban area, he was a Hidden Weapons master. He
knew his grades of steels and the weapons of others, just like he knew
how to maintain his own vast arsenal.

He'd been forced to explore and learn, first hand, about the world
outside the Amazon village. It was the only way he could get strong;
much less get a proper education. He was a man with something to prove,
to Shampoo, and to the village as a whole. He was a male, but he was
determined to make something of himself - make a name for himself! One
day, he swore, he would make the village elders acknowledge him and show
him respect.

He'd live long enough to be an old prune like Happosai, if it took that.

The man they had ridden in the helicopter with also disembarked behind
them. He wore a black suit and tie, but his two friends walking up to
the martial arts trio didn't bother with the pretense. Both wore white
and gray urban fatigues; in a glance, Mousse discerned all the weapons
they carried, including the knife one had tucked into his right boot,
and the small pistol the other thought he was so clever hiding below his
left armpit. The one thing he couldn't find were their flags or their
rank insignia.

"This way, please," the short man in the black suit ushered them
forward, and towards one of the warehouses. Halfway there, Mousse was
struck with a familiar feeling, and from Shampoo and Genma's posture, he
knew they sensed it as well. Still, none of them were sure whether that
was an entirely good or bad thing. If Ranma was here, and alive, it
didn't necessarily mean he was present of his own volition.

They entered through one of the small personnel doors. Unlike the dark
exterior, the inside of the warehouse was bathed in warm and welcoming
light. It was entirely open, with a ceiling that towered far over their
heads, and it was large enough to easily conceal two or even three large
fighter craft. The two guards hadn't entered, but the black suit had,
and he stepped aside to let them take in those already present.

There had to be about a dozen people, including three he didn't
recognize. With his glasses on, he saw the faces of those he'd assumed
missing at best, dead at worst. Ranma was there, along with the Tendo
clan, and so were Ukyou, her waiter friend, and even Kuno (who had, of
course, taken up the occasion to annoy his 'beloved Akane'). Shampoo and
Genma ran forward to meet up with the group, but Mousse hung back and
looked around.

There was a reinforced catwalk around the inside of the warehouse; going
along the sides and at two points crossing over the center. He also
noted that the exits were closed, but seemed unguarded - at least from
the inside. There were cameras in several areas; watching and recording
what went on below, but no easily identified ventilation to take
possible advantage of. Sighing, Mousse walked over to where Ryouga stood
by himself, near a small pile of unfolded metal chairs.

The lost boy gave him a single nod as he approached.

There was a table with snacks, too, but it was near the normal center of
attention: Saotome Ranma. The pigtailed boy was caught in Shampoo's vice
like grip, and withering under an enraged stare courtesy of Akane.
Genma, after checking in on his son, quickly headed to the table to
appropriate some food, and talk to Soun who had anticipated where to
rendezvous with his old friend.

Most of the gang were all here, safe and sound, and he started to feel a
little silly for worrying so much about them. It wasn't really his
style, and how annoying was it that when he finally worked himself up
into caring for a bunch of people, they didn't even end up getting into
any real trouble. All that aggravation for what? Nothing, it seemed.

Except that Cologne was still gone, and probably dead. Happosai wasn't
around either, but was he just out on his own, hiding somewhere, or gone
too? He thought back to who else should have been there, but wasn't. The
only other face missing, he determined, was Dr. Tofu, but there was no
role saying he had to get involved at all. The doctor was a man who
lived outside Nerima's chaos more often than in it.

"So what's all this about?" Mousse asked, keeping his hands in his
sleeves.

Next to him, Ryouga looked up at the ceiling. "You'll find out in a
minute or two. Before that, I'd like to ask you something."

The lost boy seemed a little intense, even for him. Mousse shrugged.
"Sure. What?"

"I'm going to pick the biggest fight either of us have ever seen."
Ryouga looked at the Chinese boy out of the corner of his eye. "Bigger
than the Musk. Bigger than Saffron."

"You mean whatever killed Cologne," Mousse clarified.

Ryouga bared a big of fang. "That one... and every one like it."

"How many are we looking at?" Mousse asked, totally serious in the light
of the fact that that whatever had managed to take down Cologne, was
just one of many.

"Thousands," Ryouga said, slowly. Mousse flinched visibly.

"You want my help, huh?" Mousse made a dismissive grunt. "And why would
I do that?"

Ryouga actually smiled, just a little. "Because you're already a target.
There are only two places you can go from here. One is to a safe house
in the middle of nowhere to twiddle your thumbs and waste away. The
other is to come with me and fight. Really, you can die either way, but
do you want them to come for you, or do you want to hunt them down?"

Mousse chuckled at the question. "Do you even have to ask?"

The lost boy nodded, slowly. "You can also go with Ranma, if you want.
We both know that's where Shampoo will run to."

"Good point," Mousse said, and thought about that. Shampoo would want to
fight by Ranma's side, and while Mousse could work with Ranma, he wasn't
exactly keen to. Plus, it was hard watching the love of his life
throwing herself at the pigtailed boy, time and time again. Could he
really stand to be around that for an extended period of time? He knew,
rationally, that Ranma wouldn't do anything with her, but his heart was
less prudent.

"You'll still see her. We're all going to be working locally," Ryouga
spoke up, as if sensing Mousse's indecision.

Mousse purposefully removed his glasses, ruining his vision.

"Yeah," was all he said.

A door opened, getting their attention, and a woman walked in. Mousse
flipped his glasses on briefly, and then returned them to his sleeves.
He and Ryouga walked up to the group, all of whom were congregating
around this new arrival. She was fair skinned, Japanese, with plain
black hair clipped professionally behind the back of her head. Like two
of the men present, she wore an actual uniform.

It also drove home that this wasn't a normal JSDF operation. Rather than
the expected blue, the coat or tunic and trousers were olive grey. The
woman had hers buckled, displaying two stars to the left of her chin,
but the two men wore it loosely. Their turndown-collar shirts were
white, and both also wore identical black neckties. Unlike with the JSDF
uniform, the belts were also black, and the service caps were the same
olive grey as the coats they wore. All three also wore black gloves.

The two men saluted the woman, and she returned the gesture.

"Welcome, all of you," she began to speak, in a soft and rather plain
female voice. She didn't sound very commanding, but everyone dropped
what he or she was doing and listened when it became obvious this
newcomer was in charge.

"My name is Lieutenant Commander Noriko Yasuda. I have been fully
apprised of your situation, and have accepted responsibility for the
introduction of all thirteen of you into our organization. I see quite a
few confused faces, so let me clarify for most of you what we do here."

She tapped the metal stars on her collar. "Those of you who assumed this
was a military outfit were half correct. We do not operate under the
jurisdiction of any one nation state. We work for UNETCO: the United
Nations Extraterrestrial Combat Organization. Several of you have seen
these aliens firsthand, and others have had contact of the first or
second kind. I will not waste time attempting to convince you of the
existence of these creatures, and will simply tell you to accept it as
fact."

"We have been engaged with these unwelcome visitors since 1999, and a
base was set up and made operational here in Japan in March of 2000. I
assumed command here fourteen months ago. Due to recent events, we have
come to the conclusion that the aliens are making an ongoing and
systematic attempt to abduct or assassinate high caliber martial artists
throughout this hemisphere. The two largest attacks have coincided with
terror attacks in other areas, thus diverting the attention of UNETCO."

"We are fortunate that the aliens underestimated the tenacity and
resourcefulness of their quarry, and that a number of you escaped and
returned to Earth. However, for those who are considered compromised and
in danger of abduction, we can only offer two possibilities. The first
is confinement to a Safe Haven Facility in Oregon, on the west coast of
the United States. We have an operational Mind Shield there and housing
where you will stay with other at risk personnel to wait out the war."

"Alternatively, you can join UNETCO in an active capacity, here in
Japan. For most of you, this means you will enter combat operations, or
provide additional training for soldiers on base. Aside from occasional
leave, you will eat, sleep, and live on our base in the mountains.
Quarters will be provided for your immediate family, and you can
continue your education, which may or may not include officer's
training. You will also receive a salary contingent on your rank and
services rendered."

She took a deep breath, and let the group digest what she had been said
so far before finishing. "Six of you have already agreed to work with us
here in Japan, and I have spoken before with Mr. Tendo, Mr. Saotome, and
Mr. Hibiki. I wish to create not just two active duty squads of
exceptional individuals, but also establish a dojo in the base, under
the supervision of Mr. Tendo, who has told me he wishes for one of his
daughters to assist him. The other two, who I have been told are not
martial artists, will be employed in other areas as interns."

Ranma, Ryouga, and Soun all stepped forward, and took up positions next
to the UNETCO officers, with the two younger martial artists on the
sides and the Tendo patriarch in the middle. There was surprisingly
little discussion. Genma was only a few steps behind his old comrade,
and the Tendo sisters quickly joined him.

Mousse spared Shampoo a look, as the girl seemed to be hesitating.

Then, Ukyou and Konatsu headed towards Ranma, and Shampoo sprinted to
keep up. Mousse shook his head. He truly doubted Ranma would be able to
control his 'harem' any more than before, and if he caused chaos on a
military base, there would definitely be hell to pay. He had a bad
feeling in general about that whole setup. On the other hand, it would
be pretty funny to see Ranma get in over his head.

With a suffering sigh, he walked up to Ryouga, where one of the guests
he hadn't recognized already stood with his arms crossed. He looked to
be about Ranma's age, but was built more like the lost boy (with a white
bandanna even), and already seemed to have the military look down pact
with black combat boots and camouflage cargo pants. He even had a
military style belt, and a black sleeveless muscle shirt.

"Mousse," he said to the stranger, as a small introduction.

"Ryu," the boy replied curtly. "Ryu Kumon."

"Well," Mousse thought to himself with a smirk. "At least he's not
Pantyhose Taro..."

"Hold!" Kuno, the left alone and standing by himself, held up his right
hand. "To take all this as truth is difficult, even for so sympathetic a
soul as Tatewaki Kuno. Surely, it seems at first this is an elaborate
and fanciful jest, yet at the same time... who is to say that the
unfathomable depths of the universe beyond our tiny globe are devoid of
life? You tell me now that these creatures come not in peace, but with
malicious intent?"

"Very well!" Kuno whipped out his bokken and held it dramatically in the
air. "The challenge, if true, is accepted! As is the chance to get away
from abominable classes and graduate elsewhere!"

He headed towards the group, but couldn't seem to decide where to go. He
wanted to fight, that much was obvious, but he didn't want to do it with
Ranma. Then there was the natural inclination to follow Akane around,
wherever she ended up. Before he took the chance to curse the fates or
anything similar, Ryouga snapped his fingers loudly.

"Kuno," he said, simply.

"Very well!" the swordsman proclaimed, as he made his choice. "I will
lead you three. You may address me as Kuno-sempai."

"This guy for real?" Ryu asked, and there was a dangerous, challenging
edge to it.

"Very well," Noriko spoke up again, apparently pleased with the turnout.
She inclined her head three times, to Soun first, and then to Ryouga and
Ranma. "I have high expectations for all of you. We will leave for
Seiran Mountain immediately, and there you will be sworn in. Now, since
none of you have served in any armed force or police unit, I will say
this...."

Her dark brown eyes narrowed a fraction. "I am well aware of the trouble
you have caused in your home town. I will not have a break in disciple
under my command. I want to make that crystal clear. Any violations of
protocol, any damage to base property or facilities, and I will have
your balls on a platter. This isn't high school. I won't make you wait
in the halls with buckets. Step out of line, and I will hammer you into
the ground! That goes for you girls as well as the boys. Understood?"

The suddenness of it all surprised the assembled teenagers, but Ryu and
Ryouga were the first to recover. Both bowed their heads.

"Yes, ma'am!" they chorused. The others quickly muttered similar phrases
of agreement and compliance.

"Good," Noriko said, her tone more pleased but still strict. "As UNETCO
Regional Commander, you will report to me, or to the designated officer
I have assigned to you. For the next month, you will be under the direct
supervision of a mentor, after which I hope to have two fully
operational squads ready for active duty. During that time, you will
undergo Pedagogical Instruction, and will be required to keep a daily
log. Once a week, you will submit this log to your mentor for review. It
is my hope you will learn from them as they learn from you."

"You're my soldiers now! Kill for me, and I'll treat you as well as I'm
able. You all may even live to see the day when we're hailed as heroes."
She smirked as if amused by their veiled anxiety, and saluted them.
"Welcome to XCOM."

-----

Seiran Mountain

The Hide Mountains rose and crested like white-water waves, all the way
to the black outline of the horizon. The helicopters flew low to the
ground, in eerie silence, and like before many of the passengers took
the opportunity to take in the view. For a martial artist of their
dedication and inclination, training in the mountains was almost second
nature (and for one of them, it was practically a state of nature), yet
none had seen them like this before.

They were past the more heavily forested regions, and into the higher,
craggy peaks crowned with snow year round. The detail and exact lay of
the ground was impossible to discern in the darkness, which stretched
like a veil. The flight, however, was not long, and one after another,
the helicopters dipped down on approach to a hidden landing field.

Within the darkness below, something opened wide, like a mouth. Seiran
Mountain did not exist on any official maps, but a half century ago the
Imperial Army had dug it out to serve as a bombproof hangar and weapon
depot. After the war, the Americans had cleaned it out, and left it to
its own devices - it was too out of the way to effectively deal with in
any other means, and the road that had led out so far into the mountains
had ceased to be functional decades ago.

XCOM had leased it, and erased the relevant records from public
databases. The aliens could not only steal information remotely from
electronic libraries and the like, but they had sympathizers and would-
be quislings to aid them. Most of those fools were opportunistic dupes,
ignorant of their Master's true aims, and over the years the aliens had
infiltrated (through coercion, mind control, or outright replacement) a
great many organizations and even governments.

The gaping maw of Seiran welcomed them in, and the view transitioned
suddenly from a stark mountain-scape to an expanse of hangars and
sophisticated equipment. Two saucer shaped craft, larger looking than
the helicopters, sat unobtrusively in landing 'nests' with servicing
equipment running along the floor of the hangar spaces. Their surfaces
were smooth, save for semi-regular protrusions pointing downward and
outward that faintly glowed purple. Two men in orange vests or uniforms
stood nearby, in avertedly juxtaposing themselves with the otherworldly
craft, and also providing a size contrast. The saucer seemed to be at
least 20 meters in diameter.

As the helicopters flew deeper into the hangar space, a red "X" came
into view, emblazoned on the saucer craft. It was followed by two
numbers: "16" and - amazingly - a small silhouette of a woman holding a
very long rifle or musket, with "Magic Bullet" below it in English.
Further into the hangar space, past the saucers, two more conventional
looking aircraft were fueled up and ready, their own ultra-high
technology and cutting edge design overshadowed by the genuine human
piloted flying saucers in their company.

The hangar doors closed and sealed behind the landing transport
helicopters, fully immersing the new arrivals in this surreal world of
human and reverse engineered alien technology. The hangar alone was
incredible and difficult to take in all at once. It was rectangular, and
perhaps five hundred meters in length, while the ceiling towered high
enough to easily accommodate a building like the Tendo Dojo within it.
Catwalks and service machinery snaked around the man made cavern, as did
pipes and storage areas for yet more equipment.

A short distance from where the helicopters landed, a large antechamber
or alcove housed at least eight small tanks, which seemed impossible for
human to actually enter and drive. More amazingly, four of the vehicles
weren't on treads, but instead seemed to have the lower body of a UFO,
sliced through the middle. They sat, like their larger cousins, in a
cushion built like a nest, made of silver and black metal coils. Another
man wearing an orange vest seemed to be working on one of the craft, as
he had tools and a computer with him as he sat by its side.

The sixteen arrivals exited their respective aircraft, and all but three
of them looked around in undisguised wonder. Even Ranma, Ryouga and
Soun, who had spoken previously with UNETCO officers, had not yet been
inside Seiran itself. For the two young martial artists who had seen El
Dorado, and many of the amazing wonders of that place, Seiran was
impressive simply by its size, and the fact that it existed in secret
not on some distant continent, but here in the heart of Japan.

One by one, they were directed to the unisex decontamination facility.
The men went first, taking off their clothes in a strip down room (to
Konatsu's slight embarrassment), before being put through wash down and
rapid drying. To the relief of those with Jyusenkyou curses, the decon
spray of mist was warm, and kept that way by the softly shining lights
above them. After being scanned by a medical device and giving a blood
sample from their index finger, each of them entered the last isolated
room to get changed.

By the time the five girls were done, and changed, their male
counterparts had been milling around for a few minutes. Soun and Genma
were busy discussing their future plans for the dojo, while Ranma tried
to fill Mousse in on any information about the adventure he'd had on the
alien ship that the nearly blind Amazon boy hadn't already heard. Ryouga
stood by while the conversation happened, present but not really
accounted for, feeling rather like a third wheel while Ranma talked.
Kuno sat by himself, pretending not to listen, and Ryu leaned against a
wall also by himself, sending the occasional strange look at Konatsu
(who he had just learned was a boy who only happened to dress like a
very convincing girl).

Then the girls emerged, wearing much the same clothes that the men had
been given: olive gray pants, black leather loafers a half size too
large, but comfortable, a black belt with a steel buckle, and a white
turndown-collar shirt. There was a strange conformity that hit just
then, as the normally exotic ensemble of outfits the Nerima Wrecking
Crew normally wore became replaced by uniform professional attire.

For a few silent seconds, everyone just looked at everyone else. Ukyou
without her chef's outfit or gear, Shampoo wearing normal clothes,
Mousse without his robes, Kuno without his bokken, Ranma and Ryouga
looking even more like each other than normal (especially without the
latter's bandannas) - it seemed to take a little while to sink in. It
was almost as if a line had been crossed, and they hadn't even fully
realized it until after the fact.

A door opened, and one of the men from before, the chosen subordinates
of the base commander, beckoned them to follow him to be sworn in. The
group walked in relative silence, looking around at their new... home?
It seemed like it was to be something like that well into the
foreseeable future. After the amazing sights in the hangar, this next
tour was extremely mundane. There were offices of metal and glass,
arranged neatly, including people working in front of computers, with
books on tables and pictures on walls. It was a sight out of any
business place in the world.

At the end of the hall, they entered a large boardroom, with a detailed
map of the world on the longest wall, and the Seal of UNETCO on the
adjacent one opposite the door. Another wall had the flags of more than
a dozen nations hanging from it, one after another, the Japanese flag
wedged between that of the United States and Russia. The commander was
there waiting for them, and they lined up in two rows, raised their
hands over their hearts, and repeated after her in Japanese to defend
the Earth, to fight for Humanity, to respect the Charter of UNETCO, and
to subject themselves to military regulations and the chain of command.

Thirteen stapled sheets of papers rested in front of thirteen chairs
around the central table, each one on top of a manila folder. They were
walked through the paperwork, signing and writing where appropriate
before leaving the papers in a pile in the middle of the table one on
top the other. And that, they were told, was that. Inside their
respective manila folders, they found information on where their
quarters were, guidelines on what they were allowed to have and what
they weren't, documents about medical fitness and related programs,
basic information about the base and UNETCO, and at the end of it all: a
picture of their individual mentor along with a short description, and a
small rank insignia for themselves.

As everyone looked through what they had been given, one of them raised
a hand.

"Ah, Mrs. Yasuda, I mean, ma'am." Ranma seemed to struggle with how to
address someone, for the first time anyone but Genma could remember.
"Commander, sir, what about our curses?"

Mousse, Shampoo and Genma all gave Ranma a surprised look that he would
mention it so suddenly and openly, but quickly realized the
possibilities of getting cured. They all faced Lieutenant Commander
Yasuda with open and obvious hope and anticipation. Ryouga just sat
still, facing his papers but letting his eyes wander. For her part, the
XCOM base commander treated it professionally, and completely overlooked
any initial unfamiliarity with protocol on the part of her new soldiers.

"There is actually rather extensive documentation regarding this
Jyusenkyou curse several of you have," she explained. "We have placed
inquiries and orders with the Preservation Society that runs the Nature
Preserve the springs are in. As you requested, we should have the water
here in five to seven more business days. You can do whatever you need
to do then."

The cursed martial artists, even Ryouga, perked up at that, and
exchanged smiles.

"Congratulations, Ranma!" Akane was more vociferous, from where she sat
next to her father and Ryouga. Her heartfelt congratulations, as if he
was all but cured already, set off the other girls lest they be left
out.

"That's right, Ranchan!" Ukyou added, quickly. Of course, she was
sitting to his right, like her namesake. "Soon you'll be cured!"

"Shampoo so happy for you!" She took it one step further, and reached
over to hug him. He seemed to make a token effort to avoid it, but with
her sitting to his left, it was largely futile. Just a few feet away,
Mousse started to visible fume.

"We get married once we back to normal, yes?" she cooed.

"Don't joke about stuff that ain't funny!"

"Hands off Ranchan, you Chinese hussy!"

"Raaaanma... can't you get her to stop that?"

"Oh dear, here we go again..."

"Saotome! Shampoo!" This time, a new voice cut into the usual round
robin of Nerima infighting. Noriko Yasuda never really raised her voice,
but she spoke with the deadly inflection of someone with both authority
and the weight of real life-or-death responsibilities for the lives of
millions on her shoulders. Shampoo bit back a snap at Akane, and all
eyes returned to the woman they had agreed to serve.

"I will not have a... spectacle... take place during a meeting. Your
personal affairs are your own, both of you, but I will not allow it to
compromise your combat effectiveness. If necessary, I will separate your
group to maintain order. Our base in Dongchuan in China is also planning
to create a Special Martial Artist squad..."

"Shampoo," Ranma quickly said, and he lifted her arms off from around
him. "Let go. Please."

Shampoo hesitated only a second, out of surprise. She extradited
herself, and returned to her seat. She seemed to be conflicted, between
her sense of independence, superiority, and defiance, and her more
rational side, the one that had Amazon adherence to the decrees of one's
(female) elders strongly imprinted into it.

"Shampoo sorry," she finally said, clearing her throat. "It not happen
again."

Noriko nodded, and the matter was (or seemed to be) settled. "Is there
anything else?"

Genma didn't bother to raise his hand like his son had done, but he did
speak somewhat guardedly. "There is the question of my wife, Nodoka..."

"At risk married couples are given appropriate housing, yourself
included," the commander replied, and by her tone she obviously thought
he should have read this in the documentation already. "Your son has
already argued that she is in danger, given that the enemy knows your
name and likely suspects you are alive. We have been watching your house
for several days, and we will bring her here immediately."

Genma lowered his head deeply, for the second time in as many days. "The
Saotome family expresses its deepest thanks."

"Anything else at the moment?" Commander Yasuda looked around the group,
and satisfied that things were in order she tapped a recessed button on
the table. "Lieutenant. They're ready."

A second later, the door to the conference room opened, and one of the
men from before stood by himself. He was not a large or imposing figure,
a little shy of six feet tall with brown eyes and dark brown, slightly
curly, hair cut short. On his collar, he wore a gold bar and three
stars. For the first time, he spoke, with a quiet tone and an unusual
accent.

"Hello everyone," he said, sounding friendly enough, but didn't bow. "My
name is Captain Joshua Ben-Solomon. Your other mentors will meet up with
you after you've had your first trip on the Reading Rainbow - the
Pedagogical Psionic Interface. We'll be putting in English reading,
writing, and speaking, along with a few maps and some other information.
It'll really help you find your way around the base. This way."

Leaving the room, Ranma couldn't resist leaning over to Ryouga and
quipping, "You better ask 'em for a double dose before you end up in
those woods outside."

Despite seeing the comment coming from a mile away, the lost boy didn't
seem to have prepared a defense. So he settled for something tried and
true.

"Shut up, Ranma," he growled, but the other boy just laughed good-
naturedly. Or to be more exact: it was meant to sound good naturedly,
but ended up sounding more than a little snide.

Ben-Solomon took them down three levels, into what he explained was the
"Psionic Research, Development and Education" wing of the base. Ranma
and Ryouga already had a basic understanding of what that meant, but for
the others, the Captain gave a brief description. He explained that the
technology was originally alien, but had been re-engineered and adapted
for human uses, and that basic sorts of information could be imprinted
into the brain, though for more complex fields of study it was not as
successful at imparting actual understanding of a subject. Human brains,
he added, adapted to language imprinting more easily than other forms of
information.

They were led, finally, to a medium-large room with a high ceiling. The
walls were white, but had posters with safety information written on
them in several languages, including Japanese. There were three
computers along one of the walls, and a long glass case containing a
multitude of labeled trays. Arrayed across the rest of the room,
however, were eight beds, and each one was within a cylindrical metal
tube much like a MRI machine.

It had already been decided that the eight martial artists who had
active duty officer mentors should go first, followed by the others.
Ranma was the first to take one of the beds, and as he tried to relax,
he wondered to himself how the experience would go. He also found
himself thinking back to that little mess before, in the conference
room. Back on the plane, both Ryouga and Nabiki had openly doubted
Ranma's ability to hold together the group he had ultimately decided to
lead.

Coming from Nabiki the criticism wasn't bad, but Ryouga had been totally
unsympathetic. Really, the lost boy had always been that way, but for
some reason, Ranma always expected something of a more open ear and mind
from him. He and Ryouga had been through a lot together, and he
considered him his best friend, so why were they so often at odds, or
worse: at each other's throats? Over stupid things, no less? It couldn't
still be all about Akane, could it?

He just couldn't figure it out.

Regardless, in the end, Ranma had let Ryouga have Mousse and Ryu Kumon,
though the circumstances around the latter had caused more than one
argument. The lost one had never meet Ryu, but he had heard of him and
the Yamasenken, and gotten it in his head that he was potentially the
most useful of the local martial artists they'd run across to recruit.
Ranma was of a totally different opinion. He had forced Ryu to seal the
Yamasenken school of techniques, and didn't want to be put in a position
where he had to renounce that. Moreover it was highly debatable if Ryu
Kumon was in the sort of clear and present danger that made picking him
up and encouraging him to fight... well: ethical.

They hadn't actually resolved it amongst themselves. Instead, Ryouga had
written up a personal addendum to the list they submitted. Ranma had no
idea what he had said in that note, but it was obviously enough to
convince XCOM to track down the impoverished and dojo-less fighter and
shuttle him over to be put into the martial arts program. Frankly, Ranma
was unhappy with the whole arrangement surrounding Ryu, but at this
point there was nothing that could be done about it.

Needless to say, Ryouga had been more than willing to pick up Ranma's
enemies to work with. Mousse had been another point of contention, since
Ranma wasn't personally opposed to fighting alongside the Chinese boy,
and he felt he could trust him by now. On the other hand, Nabiki had
been right about Shampoo, and all his fiancees. They wouldn't leave him
alone, and they wouldn't work with Ryouga if he wasn't there (except
maybe Ukyou, but the lost boy was doubtful of that).

That left him to "baby-sit" the two girls: Ukyou and Shampoo. Ryouga had
agreed to pick up Kuno and let Ranma have Konatsu, which gave his team a
semi solid backbone at least. On paper, his squad was weaker than
Ryouga's, but had the potential to work better. Konatsu, despite the
connotations of being a kunoichi ninja, was a team player; eager to
please and be accepted, plus he had some nice skills. Ukyou and Shampoo
were also individually weaker than, for example, Kuno going all out or
Mousse at even half effort, but he had seen them work together before.

Ryouga's team, on the other hand, was all over the place. Ranma had
doubts that Kuno could be trusted, much less relied upon to follow
directions and orders, and while Mousse and Ryouga could work together,
it was usually only a matter of time before they ended up butting heads
over something. Ryu was the anomaly; he was a loner like Ryouga normally
was, which could work to that team's benefit or detriment. Then there
was Ryouga Hibiki himself, who had the bloody-minded determination to
form a team to fight in his new crusade against the aliens that killed
Akari, but had no experience in that respect.

Really, Ryouga had the social skills and diplomatic ability of a
retarded porcupine.

It was almost unfortunate that both he and the lost boy had been
assigned to lead their squads, but none of the others had the
"motivation." None of them had really seen, first hand, what the
invaders from the stars were capable of. Realistically, Ranma gave the
whole endeavor a fifty-fifty chance of blowing up in their faces.

Then there was Akane... he didn't even want to dwell on that. His
thickheaded fiancee had, typically, decided that she wanted to fight,
too, even though she was plainly not ready and under-qualified in
comparison to almost everyone else. He had taken the somewhat cowardly
route of letting Mr. Tendo explain to his daughter how she could
continue her training while she worked in the new dojo. She had accepted
that decision under pressure from her family, but Ranma secretly hoped
she never got the chance to risk her life like he was going to be doing.

Not that he valued her life more highly than Ukyou's or Shampoo's, but
that she was much more likely to get killed or wounded. She was plenty
strong, and she could kick like a mule on PCP, but her actual physical
endurance was pretty low. She wasn't used to being hit or beat on, and
she couldn't even use her ki to protect herself from damage, which also
meant she didn't have the ability (yet) to form proper mental defenses.

He tried to turn his mind away from Akane, and back to Ukyou and
Shampoo. He knew things couldn't go on like they had before, with all
the girls fighting over him. On the other hand, he didn't want to lose
any of them as friends, or feel the sense of failure that came when he
imagined them leaving him for someone else (except Kodachi, who he would
happily pawn off for a plate of yakidofu). It was a strange thing,
wanting them to stop chasing after him, but not wanting them to think of
him as any less of a man. He supposed what he wanted was for them to
still be attracted to him, but not to really love him, at least not
openly.

It was a mess: his mess. Alone with his thoughts, he knew he loved Akane
more than his old childhood friend Ukyou or the exotic Chinese Amazon
Shampoo. He knew it. But he just couldn't find it in him to say it. He
could just tell they'd fly off in a rage, or even try and take their
anger and pain out on Akane, who couldn't defend herself against either
of them if they got serious. More than even his own distaste at "losing"
two of them, he didn't want to risk losing Akane like he almost had back
at Jusendo, when Saffron had nearly killed her.

It was around then that Ranma realized he couldn't feel his body. At
some point, he had slipped off to a light sort of sleep. It was very
strange, how it had happened without him really noticing, but he could
feel his thoughts drifting and coming back together, before - like a
switch - something in his brain turned on. The blackness turned blue,
followed by a small rotating hourglass.

A second later, a picture appeared, and then some writing. Ranma
couldn't remember when, or if, he'd ever had a dream with text in it
before. The words "Please Wait" flashed several times in rapid
succession, along with the background, before settling into a black and
red scheme. Then it changed, and a smaller block of text appeared, like
a window on a computer at school. It was a privacy statement, and a
consent form, and... it was far too long and convoluted to read through
(much less understand).

He mentally agreed, and the screen disappeared and was replaced another
picture. This was an installation screen (he wasn't computer illiterate,
after all), showing a download and a progress bar. A second later, the
window under that began to scroll downwards rapidly, far too fast to see
anything in it clearly, and next to that he saw a picture of what had to
be his brain, with some parts a cool blue, and others degrees of red.

There was nothing otherwise interesting about it, and so he just sort of
waited. Normally, stuff happened in dreams, one event after another as
if the brain itself had a naturally short attention span. So just
waiting was rather annoying, but still, the download bar was soon full,
and then he just had to wait for the slower progress bar. There was
nothing to occupy himself with, but at least the whole process seemed to
only take a few minutes.

A screen popped up, announcing it was done. When he thought about that,
it closed itself, and then another disclaimer appeared. He repeated what
he had done before, and it started up another installer. This one,
however, only took a few seconds. Ranma closed it when it was done, and
another small screen came into being, asking if he wanted to wake up. It
also had a digital clock with the time on it, moving much faster than
normal.

Similar to before, the instant he thought about wanting to wake up,
Ranma opened his eyes and looked up at the smooth white plastic surface
of the MRI-like machine he'd entered. He shook his head and groaned,
feeling little dizzy, like he'd spun around a few too many times. Other
than that, he felt pretty good, and as soon as he was confident of his
balance he reached under the platform supporting his back, and found a
small handle. Squeezing it, the small bed retracted out of the metal and
plastic enclosure, and he slid off it without even wondering how he'd
known to find and use the release lever in the first place.

He did immediately notice that a few people were up and about, and that
a few were missing. His father and Soun Tendo were gone, but Kasumi,
Nabiki, and Akane were present, as were a large number of other people.
The only one of them that he recognized was immediately was Ben-Solomon
from before, yet if actual recognition eluded him, he did find himself
strangely knowing their names. The feeling was almost out of body, like
knowing something before you learned it.

He heard groans and other sounds nearby, and saw Ukyou emerge from her
Pedagogical Psionic Interface Chamber. That he suddenly knew the name
off hand like that also came as a mild surprise. Seeing Kuno scratching
his head and mumbling something to himself, Ranma thought about where he
was, and suddenly he felt as if he had lived in the base for years. He
couldn't recall what places looked like, but he could remember roughly
where those places where and how to get there.

"Ranma?" Akane asked, keeping her voice low as she walked up to him.
"Are you ok? How do you feel?"

"Yes," Nabiki added, trailing behind her younger sister. "How was it?"

"Weird. Just... weird." Ranma took in the appearance of the three Tendo
sisters. They wore the same clothes as before, except that Nabiki now
sported a black jacket and Kasumi wore a white bow to keep her hair in
place. "How long was I out?"

"All night," Akane replied, and Nabiki clarified.

"Eight and a half hours," the middle Tendo said with an amused chuckle.
"The rest of us went to sleep and woke up an hour ago."

"Akane Tendo! After emerging from such an uncanny slumber, how joyous it
is to see you again! To hold you again in these arms of mine...!" Kuno
never got past those words and the crushing embrace he'd seized her
with. Akane's fist soundly planted in his face; he groaned and fell to
the floor.

"Ranma!" This time, it was Ryouga. Ranma turned partly around to see the
lost boy and the others heading towards him as a slower pace.

"Hey. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Ryouga asked, slowly, in
English.

"As much as I usually do," Ranma replied, and smiled at his friends.
"Everyone of you guys get that?"

"All those years of English classes, wasted!" Ukyou shook her head
sadly. "With machines like that, I bet you could finish a year of school
in a week."

Mousse seemed to agree. "Truly impressive. I just wonder what the limits
of it are, if there are any. Did anyone actually read that disclaimer we
agreed to?"

"I didn't..." Shampoo volunteered, speaking uncharacteristically
quietly. Then, sure that her new vocabulary was free of the errors that
plagued her Japanese, she smiled and continued more confidently. "It was
in Chinese for me, too, but I think it was either tailored for us
individually, or... maybe we all saw it differently, in our native
languages?"

"Both seem likely," Ryu said, also smiling a bit, caught up in the new
experience. "I wonder if you could train martial arts with these
machines?"

Konatsu laughed girlishly. "This is so neat, right Miss Ukyou?"

Kuno suddenly popped up, showing no sign of having just eaten a five-
fingered sandwich, and striking a dramatic pose. "Yes! Truly a
magnificent technology indeed! However, there is also the matter of how
this process affects the mind to consider. No doubt the puissant
personality of Tatewaki Kuno can survive any attempted deception, but
the same may not be true for more corruptible souls..."

"Amazing how you can be perceptive and idiotic from one sentence to the
next," Mousse replied with a smirk, adjusting his glasses on the bridge
of his nose.

"Alright. We're all impressed. Let's move on," Ryouga cut off Kuno
before he could make an angry retort. "We have company we're rudely
ignoring."

"Quite," Kuno settled for saying. Standing quietly near the door and
assortment of men and women, eight in all, ended their own quiet
conversations and faced the Nerima Crew. Their expressions ranged from
unhappy to relaxed and friendly. They were the mentors, and with the
benefit of the pictures from before still fresh in the minds, it only
took a few seconds for each of them to recognize who they had been
paired with.

"Now that I have your attention," Ben-Solomon spoke in English this
time, and he was plainly more familiar and comfortable with that
language than he was with Japanese. "The Commander has high hopes for
you kids, and she convinced me to let you all benefit from the
experience of these seven fine individuals, most of whom are from Seiran
Mountain's first, second, third and fourth combat squads, all under my
command. The exception is the man to my right, but I won't hold that
against him. His name is Captain Bruce Banks, and he, too, has
charitably volunteered to help whip you boys and girls into shape."

"Bruce, you may as well go first," Ben-Solomon said, his voice a little
lower. "I believe you've got the pigtailed kid."

Hearing that, Ranma stepped forward, and held out his hand a little
nervously. "I'm Ranma. Ranma Saotome. Of the Saotome School of Anything
Goes Martial Arts."

His mentor was an American, so he figured a handshake would be expected.
Bruce Banks was a large man in his thirties with a bald head and a well
trimmed black moustache. His size suggested he may have played football
in his youth, and he shook Ranma's hand firmly.

"Pleased ta meet cha," the older man spoke with a bit of a southern
inflection, still Ranma easily followed what he said, despite being new
to the English language. "Captain Bruce Banks, formerly of DEVGRU -
United States Navy Special Warfare Development Group."

"Hibiki?" Ben-Solomon prompted the lost boy to come forward. Ryouga
seemed a little more relaxed than Ranma in meeting his mentor, and the
two shook hands briefly.

"Ryouga Hibki," the martial artist introduced himself simply.

"Captain Joshua Ben-Solomon. Formerly of Shin Bet and Mossad."

After the first two, the rest of the Nerima gang took the initiative to
meet up with their mentors as well. Ukyou's mentor was a woman with
bright blue eyes and short blonde hair that swept to her left and
covered her forehead. She was tall, but slim, and looked German or at
least Nordic.

"Ukyou Kounji," the younger girl said, not surprised they were all
paired up by gender. "Okonomiyaki chef and martial artist."

The woman greeted Ukyou with a warm smile. "Sergeant Kimberly Lofquist,
formerly of the Ordningspolisens Nationella Insatsstyrka. The Swedish
National Rapid Response Unit."

Given how Mousse and Shampoo were both paired with the two Japanese
mentors in the group, it also became obvious that the pairings were
designed to cross ethnicity and cultures as well. Mousse's mentor was a
barrel-chested Japanese man with a serious expression and a full head of
plain black hair. He seemed to be all business, which suited the Chinese
boy just fine.

"Mousse. Hidden Weapons and Bird Style Kung Fu."

"Lieutenant Raizo Tsuchihashi," his new mentor spoke in a sharp, curt
voice. "Japan Civil Aviation Bureau, Flight Inspection Section and
Tokushu Kyushu Butai, Fukuoka unit Special Assault Team."

Shampoo's handshake was a little awkward, but genuine. "Shampoo. Chinese
Amazon Tribe."

"Sergeant Linda Kinoshida," the woman seemed only a little more amiable
than Tsuchihashi, but then she smiled a bit and released Shampoo's hand.
Despite looking mostly Japanese, her hair was a lighter brown than
Ukyou's, and her eyes were the same shade. Her hair was medium length,
and clipped to run functionally between her shoulders. "Served in
Kuwait, back in 91. PSYOPS for two years, Bosnia in 96 and 97, and then
took a crack ad Detachment-Delta before XCOM picked me up."

Shampoo had heard of those places, of course, but she hadn't really ever
imagined meeting anyone from a genuine war zone. A woman no less! Her
mentor was Japanese and American, but she had seen real fighting, and
Shampoo found herself quite happy with who had been assigned to her.

"Ryu Kumon." Also seemed to approve of his new mentor. "Of the Reformed
Style Kumon Dojo."

"Piotr Karpov, UNETCO Sergeant," Piotr was another large man, almost
typically Russian, with plain brown hair that ran straight down from the
crown of his head, and a heavy set almost square jaw. For all that, he
had friendly brown eyes and an indescribably approachable manner. "I was
in Alfa until 1991, then did private security work. In 1998, I was asked
to participate in a special attack unit within the 41st Army to defend
the Transbaikal. The aliens were too strong for us then, and in 2000 I
joined UNETCO. It is rewarding work. You will like it here I think!"

Konatsu, unlike the others, did bow to his new mentor, a black haired
man with a Mediterranean complexion. He was clean-shaven and relatively
young, but a small scar under his lower lip on the left side marred his
otherwise good looks. His black eyes and expression were intense, but
not necessarily intimidating. He returned an appropriately sized small
bow, and the ninja genius introduced himself.

"My name is... Konatsu, of the Sexy Tea House School of kunoichi
ninjutsu," he said, a little shyly. "Pleased to meet you, sir."

"So formal," the man replied, obviously a little amused. "Name's
Sergeant Feretti. Mario Feretti. Comando Carabinieri Antidroga and
Gruppo Intervento Speciale."

Kuno, not surprisingly, was the last. He seemed to scrutinize his mentor
for some time, while the other man did likewise. Tatewaki was fairly
tall himself, and his assigned tutor was just about eye level: a dour
looking fellow with entirely plain looks. His hair was somewhat sparse,
and just a regular brown, neither very dark nor light, and it hung
limply over his forehead. His expression looked bored, as if he wasn't
looking ahead to the chore he'd been encouraged to volunteer for.

Finally, Kuno bowed once, and extended his hand. "I am Tatewaki Kuno,
heir to the House of Kuno, aged 19. Among some, I am known as the Blue
Thunder of Kendo."

"Right," the other man took his hand, and gave it a single firm shake up
and down. "Sergeant Jon Hanley, Royal Marines, two tours British Special
Air Service SAS."

Two by two, mentors headed off with their charges, talking to them about
what they had in mind for their training, and what sort of improvements
they expected. The Nerima crew were all extraordinary physical
specimens, but they still had a lot to learn about equipment, firearms,
base facilities, and of course, the strengths and weaknesses of their
new enemy. Only with the basics down could the advanced work, including
admittance into the base Psi Lab for Psionic Training, begin.

Ryouga was the last to leave only because his mentor stayed behind to
set up the Pedagogical Psionic Interfaces for Nabiki, Kasumi, and Akane.
Shortly after almost everyone had left, Genma and Soun finally made
their entrance, and Ryouga listened as the girls filled them in on what
they had overheard. Mostly, they were excited about everyone being
paired up with an adult, and the fact that the others had learned fluent
English in eight hours.

Ryouga had even obliged when Akane brought him over to show her father
his new proficiency in a foreign language. A year ago, the attention
would have left him stuttering and bemused, even after he had 'given up'
on getting the youngest Tendo daughter to reciprocate his feelings for
her. Now, he couldn't find it in him to really care. Oh, he still had
feelings for Akane, and he even still had a great fondness for the Tendo
family in general, but his drive was elsewhere.

It was on his martial arts, and on how he would get his 'team' to work
together effectively. He couldn't do it alone. He couldn't get his
revenge alone. Mousse, Ryu, even Kuno... they would be extensions of his
hate for the aliens that had killed Akari. And if the tidal wave of
aliens attacking the Earth never abated, he would content himself with
drowning in a sea of black and green blood. Akari had asked him to be
happy, but without her, he had nothing.

Nothing except one last reason to live.

He listened, and said words, but it was like he was only there by proxi.
They were so enthralled by the amazing learning machine they were about
to use. Ryouga resisted chiding them - the interface, like all the
advanced technology of XCOM, was only useful in as much as it could be
used to defend the Earth, and destroy the Enemy. Some of the others had
mentioned the legalese they had agreed to while in the machine, and
Nabiki (who already had a basic grasp of English, it seemed, from high
school and college) also brought that fact up.

Ryouga wasn't sure what the consent form had in it. With the fate of the
planet in question, what price shouldn't be paid? He glanced at Ben-
Solomon, his new mentor, and silently vowed to dedicate his every waking
moment to being everything he had promised the base commander. He had
said that the martial artists of Nerima could be forged into a special
killing squad; an elite group of shock troops. Ranma and his girls could
falter in that, but Ryouga swore he would not. Behind his eyelids,
haunting his dreams, he still saw that face with hollows for eyes.

HARVEST

He would find that face, that creature, and destroy it.

No matter what it took...

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[seb ren]

<snip>
Regardless, she had been getting ready to head back to Nerima to find
> Ranma, and offer her help beating down whatever Chinese Prince or other
> lunatic was responsible, when a man from the Ministry of Justice had
> contacted her. Again, that wasn't too unusual, though the feds normally
> didn't get involved in martial arts skirmishes to her knowledge. She'd
> talked to them before, so she hadn't been about to snub them now.


The term 'feds' is not appropriate for Japan. You probably should change to
something like 'police', 'Criminal bureau' or something along these lines
(you can find out about the police system here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_System_of_Japan


<snip>


>
> The man they had ridden in the helicopter with also disembarked behind
> them. He wore a black suit and tie, but his two friends walking up to
> the martial arts trio didn't bother with the pretense. Both wore white
> and gray urban fatigues; in a glance, Mousse discerned all the weapons
> they carried, including the knife one had tucked into his right boot,
> and the small pistol the other thought he was so clever hiding below his
> left armpit. The one thing he couldn't find were their flags or their
> rank insignia.


Though the ability to do so perfectly fits Mousse's own specialty, I feel
there's something slightly wrong in saying he's discerned everything _with a
glance_...


<snip>



> She took a deep breath, and let the group digest what she had been said



Should be 'what she had said '


so far before finishing. "Six of you have already agreed to work with us
> here in Japan, and I have spoken before with Mr. Tendo, Mr. Saotome, and
> Mr. Hibiki. I wish to create not just two active duty squads of
> exceptional individuals, but also establish a dojo in the base, under
> the supervision of Mr. Tendo, who has told me he wishes for one of his
> daughters to assist him. The other two, who I have been told are not
> martial artists, will be employed in other areas as interns."



<snip>

"Ryu," the boy replied curtly. "Ryu Kumon."



Probably should be the other way around - Kumon, Ryu Kumon.


<snip>


The gaping maw of Seiran welcomed them in, and the view transitioned
> suddenly from a stark mountain-scape to an expanse of hangars and
> sophisticated equipment. Two saucer shaped craft, larger looking than
> the helicopters, sat unobtrusively in landing 'nests' with servicing
> equipment running along the floor of the hangar spaces. Their surfaces
> were smooth, save for semi-regular protrusions pointing downward and
> outward that faintly glowed purple. Two men in orange vests or uniforms
> stood nearby, in avertedly juxtaposing themselves with the otherworldly


inadvertently


craft, and also providing a size contrast. The saucer seemed to be at
> least 20 meters in diameter.
>
> As the helicopters flew deeper into the hangar space, a red "X" came
> into view, emblazoned on the saucer craft. It was followed by two
> numbers: "16" and - amazingly - a small silhouette of a woman holding a



'...followed by the number "16" and...' seems better

very long rifle or musket, with "Magic Bullet" below it in English.
> Further into the hangar space, past the saucers, two more conventional
> looking aircraft were fueled up and ready, their own ultra-high
> technology and cutting edge design overshadowed by the genuine human
> piloted flying saucers in their company.
>
> The hangar doors closed and sealed behind the landing transport
> helicopters, fully immersing the new arrivals in this surreal world of
> human and reverse engineered alien technology. The hangar alone was
> incredible and difficult to take in all at once. It was rectangular, and
> perhaps five hundred meters in length, while the ceiling towered high
> enough to easily accommodate a building like the Tendo Dojo within it.
> Catwalks and service machinery snaked around the man made cavern, as did
> pipes and storage areas for yet more equipment.
>
> A short distance from where the helicopters landed, a large antechamber
> or alcove housed at least eight small tanks, which seemed impossible for
> human to actually enter and drive. More amazingly, four of the vehicles
> weren't on treads, but instead seemed to have the lower body of a UFO,
> sliced through the middle. They sat, like their larger cousins, in a
> cushion built like a nest, made of silver and black metal coils. Another
> man wearing an orange vest seemed to be working on one of the craft, as
> he had tools and a computer with him as he sat by its side.
>
> The sixteen arrivals exited their respective aircraft, and all but three
> of them looked around in undisguised wonder. Even Ranma, Ryouga and
> Soun, who had spoken previously with UNETCO officers, had not yet been
> inside Seiran itself. For the two young martial artists who had seen El
> Dorado, and many of the amazing wonders of that place, Seiran was
> impressive simply by its size, and the fact that it existed in secret
> not on some distant continent, but here in the heart of Japan.
>
> One by one, they were directed to the unisex decontamination facility.
> The men went first, taking off their clothes in a strip down room (to
> Konatsu's slight embarrassment), before being put through wash down and
> rapid drying. To the relief of those with Jyusenkyou curses, the decon
> spray of mist was warm, and kept that way by the softly shining lights
> above them. After being scanned by a medical device and giving a blood
> sample from their index finger, each of them entered the last isolated
> room to get changed.


Maybe you should somewhat expand with Kuno's reaction to Konatsu. It'd have
the added bonus of breaking a flow of not uninterresting but somewhat flat
and long description.



> For a few silent seconds, everyone just looked at everyone else. Ukyou
> without her chef's outfit or gear, Shampoo wearing normal clothes,
> Mousse without his robes, Kuno without his bokken, Ranma and Ryouga
> looking even more like each other than normal (especially without the
> latter's bandannas) - it seemed to take a little while to sink in. It
> was almost as if a line had been crossed, and they hadn't even fully
> realized it until after the fact.


Whereas I can picture everyone going with the same clothes (uniform), I have
difficulty to believe everyone would go without their trademark accessories
(at least those who have them). Once again, if you go that direction, you
should show why they comply (and the previous little speech from the Lt
Commander Yasuda isn't going to cut it, I'm afraid).



<snip>



>
>
> "Hello everyone," he said, sounding friendly enough, but didn't bow. "My
> name is Captain Joshua Ben-Solomon. Your other mentors will meet up with
> you after you've had your first trip on the Reading Rainbow - the
> Pedagogical Psionic Interface. We'll be putting in English reading,
> writing, and speaking, along with a few maps and some other information.
> It'll really help you find your way around the base. This way."
>
> Leaving the room, Ranma couldn't resist leaning over to Ryouga and
> quipping, "You better ask 'em for a double dose before you end up in
> those woods outside."


You know, I really wish you're not going for such a cheap cop out as for
Ryoga's 'first curse'.


<snip>


Coming from Nabiki the criticism wasn't bad, but Ryouga had been totally
> unsympathetic. Really, the lost boy had always been that way, but for
> some reason, Ranma always expected something of a more open ear and mind
> from him. He and Ryouga had been through a lot together, and he
> considered him his best friend, so why were they so often at odds, or
> worse: at each other's throats? Over stupid things, no less? It couldn't
> still be all about Akane, could it?


That's a mistake, I feel. I do believe Ranma thinks of Ryoga as a friend,
but that the one person he feels is his best friend is Ukyo. Personnal
opinion, of course.


<snip>


That left him to "baby-sit" the two girls: Ukyou and Shampoo. Ryouga had
> agreed to pick up Kuno and let Ranma have Konatsu, which gave his team a
> semi solid backbone at least. On paper, his squad was weaker than
> Ryouga's, but had the potential to work better. Konatsu, despite the
> connotations of being a kunoichi ninja, was a team player; eager to
> please and be accepted, plus he had some nice skills. Ukyou and Shampoo
> were also individually weaker than, for example, Kuno going all out or
> Mousse at even half effort, but he had seen them work together before.


Debatable as to the relative abilities of Mousse, Ukyo and Shampoo.

<snip>


His mentor was an American, so he figured a handshake would be expected.
> Bruce Banks was a large man in his thirties with a bald head and a well
> trimmed black moustache. His size suggested he may have played football
> in his youth, and he shook Ranma's hand firmly.


Good japanese characterization here. Reminds me of real life situations I've
been in.


> <snip>
>
> He would find that face, that creature, and destroy it.
>
> No matter what it took...



Interesting, overall. I'm sure to keep reading.

Thanks



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[Justin Wagner]

On 6/29/06, seb ren <sebastien.renon (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:
> <snip>
> Regardless, she had been getting ready to head back to Nerima to find
> > Ranma, and offer her help beating down whatever Chinese Prince or other
> > lunatic was responsible, when a man from the Ministry of Justice had
> > contacted her. Again, that wasn't too unusual, though the feds normally
> > didn't get involved in martial arts skirmishes to her knowledge. She'd
> > talked to them before, so she hadn't been about to snub them now.
>
>
> The term 'feds' is not appropriate for Japan. You probably should change
to
> something like 'police', 'Criminal bureau' or something along these lines
> (you can find out about the police system here:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_System_of_Japan
>
>
> <snip>
>
Quite correct. I've tried to be very accurate in my refering to foreign
special
services and the like. XCOM, by necessity, must work with local and national
law enforcement organizations. For Japan, in most of the fic, this is the
Ministry of Justice. That mention there is a slip up I will correct
immediately.


>
> >
> > The man they had ridden in the helicopter with also disembarked behind
> > them. He wore a black suit and tie, but his two friends walking up to
> > the martial arts trio didn't bother with the pretense. Both wore white
> > and gray urban fatigues; in a glance, Mousse discerned all the weapons
> > they carried, including the knife one had tucked into his right boot,
> > and the small pistol the other thought he was so clever hiding below his
> > left armpit. The one thing he couldn't find were their flags or their
> > rank insignia.
>
>
> Though the ability to do so perfectly fits Mousse's own specialty, I feel
> there's something slightly wrong in saying he's discerned everything _with
a
> glance_...
>

As an interpretation here, I'd planned it to be along the lines of Mousse
being
able to instantly access the weapons of a foe, but not so much anything
else.
In other words, he's great at seeing hidden weapons, even minus his glasses,
but has much more trouble discriminating people (even from statues and
stuff)

To correct the above:
Basically "everything (weapon related)" with a glance

>
> <snip>
>
>
>
> > She took a deep breath, and let the group digest what she had been said
>
>
>
> Should be 'what she had said '
>

Will be corrected.


>
> "Ryu," the boy replied curtly. "Ryu Kumon."
>
>
>
> Probably should be the other way around - Kumon, Ryu Kumon.
>

Yep.
Will be corrected.

>
> <snip>
>
>
> The gaping maw of Seiran welcomed them in, and the view transitioned
> > suddenly from a stark mountain-scape to an expanse of hangars and
> > sophisticated equipment. Two saucer shaped craft, larger looking than
> > the helicopters, sat unobtrusively in landing 'nests' with servicing
> > equipment running along the floor of the hangar spaces. Their surfaces
> > were smooth, save for semi-regular protrusions pointing downward and
> > outward that faintly glowed purple. Two men in orange vests or uniforms
> > stood nearby, in avertedly juxtaposing themselves with the otherworldly
>
>
> inadvertently
>

WBC

>
> craft, and also providing a size contrast. The saucer seemed to be at
> > least 20 meters in diameter.
> >
> > As the helicopters flew deeper into the hangar space, a red "X" came
> > into view, emblazoned on the saucer craft. It was followed by two
> > numbers: "16" and - amazingly - a small silhouette of a woman holding a
>
>
>
> '...followed by the number "16" and...' seems better
>

hmm. I'll fool around a bit more with that.


> >
> > One by one, they were directed to the unisex decontamination facility.
> > The men went first, taking off their clothes in a strip down room (to
> > Konatsu's slight embarrassment), before being put through wash down and
> > rapid drying. To the relief of those with Jyusenkyou curses, the decon
> > spray of mist was warm, and kept that way by the softly shining lights
> > above them. After being scanned by a medical device and giving a blood
> > sample from their index finger, each of them entered the last isolated
> > room to get changed.
>
>
> Maybe you should somewhat expand with Kuno's reaction to Konatsu. It'd
have
> the added bonus of breaking a flow of not uninterresting but somewhat flat
> and long description.
>

Not a bad idea at all.
I'll look into it immediately and make necessary corrections/additions.

>
>
> > For a few silent seconds, everyone just looked at everyone else. Ukyou
> > without her chef's outfit or gear, Shampoo wearing normal clothes,
> > Mousse without his robes, Kuno without his bokken, Ranma and Ryouga
> > looking even more like each other than normal (especially without the
> > latter's bandannas) - it seemed to take a little while to sink in. It
> > was almost as if a line had been crossed, and they hadn't even fully
> > realized it until after the fact.
>
>
> Whereas I can picture everyone going with the same clothes (uniform), I
have
> difficulty to believe everyone would go without their trademark
accessories
> (at least those who have them). Once again, if you go that direction, you
> should show why they comply (and the previous little speech from the Lt
> Commander Yasuda isn't going to cut it, I'm afraid).
>
>

Well, they were stripped just naked. They'll get their more specific gear
later.
I'll clarify it the justifications for it.


>
> <snip>
>
>
>
> >
> >
> > "Hello everyone," he said, sounding friendly enough, but didn't bow. "My
> > name is Captain Joshua Ben-Solomon. Your other mentors will meet up with
> > you after you've had your first trip on the Reading Rainbow - the
> > Pedagogical Psionic Interface. We'll be putting in English reading,
> > writing, and speaking, along with a few maps and some other information.
> > It'll really help you find your way around the base. This way."
> >
> > Leaving the room, Ranma couldn't resist leaning over to Ryouga and
> > quipping, "You better ask 'em for a double dose before you end up in
> > those woods outside."
>
>
> You know, I really wish you're not going for such a cheap cop out as for
> Ryoga's 'first curse'.
>

Hope, you mean, not wish?
No. There is no 'cure' for Ryouga's bad sense of direction. It is, however,
a handicap he will try throughout the fanfic to work around or mitigate.


>
> <snip>
>
>
> Coming from Nabiki the criticism wasn't bad, but Ryouga had been totally
> > unsympathetic. Really, the lost boy had always been that way, but for
> > some reason, Ranma always expected something of a more open ear and mind
> > from him. He and Ryouga had been through a lot together, and he
> > considered him his best friend, so why were they so often at odds, or
> > worse: at each other's throats? Over stupid things, no less? It couldn't
> > still be all about Akane, could it?
>
>
> That's a mistake, I feel. I do believe Ranma thinks of Ryoga as a friend,
> but that the one person he feels is his best friend is Ukyo. Personnal
> opinion, of course.
>

The Ranma's Best Friend thing does have a few proponents on all sides
(Akane/Ukyou/Ryouga). However, as I recall, Ranma mentioned to Akari
that Ryouga was his best friend in the manga, or something close.

Ranma's friendship with the Nerimites is meant to be an important aspect
of TRTC, in that he has to work a lot of stuff to work out for his team to
operate effectively. You can already see that Ranma and Ryouga are close
friends in their own, somewhat antagonistic, way. Likewise, Ranma was
quick to defend Ukyou earlier when he thought the lost boy was
disrespecting her. Again, Ryouga and Ukyou have a more post manga-ish
relationship, which will be expanded on later... the sort of theme being
building some semi-healthy relationships and friendships amid the struggle
against the aliens.

>
> <snip>
>
>
> That left him to "baby-sit" the two girls: Ukyou and Shampoo. Ryouga had
> > agreed to pick up Kuno and let Ranma have Konatsu, which gave his team a
> > semi solid backbone at least. On paper, his squad was weaker than
> > Ryouga's, but had the potential to work better. Konatsu, despite the
> > connotations of being a kunoichi ninja, was a team player; eager to
> > please and be accepted, plus he had some nice skills. Ukyou and Shampoo
> > were also individually weaker than, for example, Kuno going all out or
> > Mousse at even half effort, but he had seen them work together before.
>
>
> Debatable as to the relative abilities of Mousse, Ukyo and Shampoo.
>

True.
But to be fair, this is a Ranma-influenced PoV, so expect some bias.

Is end-manga Mousse "twice" as formidable as end-manga Shampoo?
It is difficult to really quantify, especially as Shampoo did give a good
account of herself in the Jusendo Arc.


> <snip>
>
>
> His mentor was an American, so he figured a handshake would be expected.
> > Bruce Banks was a large man in his thirties with a bald head and a well
> > trimmed black moustache. His size suggested he may have played football
> > in his youth, and he shook Ranma's hand firmly.
>
>
> Good japanese characterization here. Reminds me of real life situations
I've
> been in.
>

Thanks!
When I went to Japan, I could never really figure out how to 'measure' a
bow.
XCOM is still a very westernized organization, despite the fact that it
draws
people from all over the world into its ranks. Hence why, even in Japan,
English
is the primary language used and western mannerisms predominate. Later, it
is shown that even most of the commissary food is thematically western.

>
> > <snip>
> >
> > He would find that face, that creature, and destroy it.
> >
> > No matter what it took...
>
>
>
> Interesting, overall. I'm sure to keep reading.
>