“There is nothing I can do here now.” “What do you mean?”
“…”
“Dammit! Ryo-Ohki!!”
The flashes of light and explosions subsided, and Yosho, realizing that he was unhurt, ran to the opening just as Ryo-Ohki, having collected Ryoko, rose up towards the sky. “That was fast, but…” He called for Funaho at once. Ayeka ran in, having disembarked from Ryu-oh.
“Yosho-oniisama!”
“I’m going to go capture Ryoko.” It was the last direct conversation they had. Yosho leapt into the air, and Funaho transported him to the bridge. He had her search for Ryo-Ohki and opened a channel to Tatsua, who had returned to the command center. “Tatsua-dono, the diplomatic order I received from the Emperor of Jurai was concluded as of 27.1.28.138 when I entered Jurai space.”
“What are you saying? You mustn’t—anything but that!”
“As Crown Prince of Jurai, I order you with First Generation Funaho.” “Please, no further!”
Ignoring Tatsua’s heartrending pleas, Yosho continued, “With the completion of the Emperor’s order, I, Yosho hereby order command on Jurai to transfer to me.” Those words meant that Yosho would take full responsibility for the entire string of events after Ryoko invaded Jurai. Yosho cut off the channel, burst through the atmosphere, and flew off into space once again.
Tatsua might think that taking full responsibility may resolve the problem, but even if he died (and he would sacrifice himself for this), Shuzan would not stop pursuing House Masaki for liability. The current head of House Masaki was Yosho’s mother Funaho, from the point that his father, Azusa, became Emperor of Jurai. Shuzan would seize onto this fact. But if the responsibility fell on the top candidate for the next Emperor of Jurai, it would be possible to direct his ire at Yosho alone. Of course, the line to the throne was meaningless for people who were only a couple decades apart in age, considering their lives spanned several thousands of years. But with Shuzan’s abnormal obsessiveness, he was ecstatic to have even one person to blame.
But then, even if Yosho successfully captured or defeated Ryoko, it would not solve the problem. Allowing a single ship, a mere lone pirate, to invade the home planet was that humiliating for Jurai.
“Well, if Ryoko and I were to die at each other’s swords, Shuzan-dono would be on cloud nine and conduct a lavish state funeral with all expenses covered by House Amaki… Mutual destruction, huh…” Perhaps Yosho dying with Ryoko was the best solution. “Once I’m gone… Heh heh, hahaha…” Even though he was facing what could be a fatal battle, he could not help but laugh. It was not from fear. He was enjoying this. He felt he was going to finally experience true freedom.
“Liberated…? What am I thinking? Do I desire death?” Looking back, he had been bound to Jurai due to Funaho. But now he would be liberated to benefit Funaho.
It wasn’t that he had suffered in his life so, but the eyes young Ayeka had turned to him weighed heavy. It was a cliché, but she was in love with the idea of love. Those eyes held not passion but a desire for sanctuary. She had not realized this, but even now, they had not changed. Whenever Ayeka spoke of marriage, it stabbed Yosho’s heart. It was all he could do to simply nod.
“Poor Ayeka…” Yosho repeated what Airi had said years ago. Airi had given him peace from his feelings for Misaki. But Ayeka would not be able to give him peace from his feelings for Airi. No matter how much he loved her, Ayeka was a little sister to him. And ironically, Ayeka herself was making it worse.
While he indulged in ruminations, he was hailed by Kirito. It was Azusa. “Yosho!”
“Father.”
Azusa stared blankly at Yosho. He had accepted everything he had done. “I received the report. I know you will be successful in your hunt of the intruder.”
Yosho bowed deeply and accepted his orders. “I will bring back the space pirate Ryoko’s head!”
The battle data sent from Tatsua back on the home world to Funaho held terrifying facts about Ryoko. Initially, Jurai’s main computer detected three energy clusters within Ryo-Ohki, which were thought to be her reactor. But once she approached Tenju, the reactor was gone…or rather, it had moved off of Ryo-Ohki. That mobile reactor was Ryoko. An unimaginable amount of energy was being generated from locations on her wrists and neck. Yosho furrowed his brows.
“That’s the source of the power that overwhelmed even a First Generation ship?” No matter who Ryoko was, this was way beyond the kind of energy any one individual could possess. He looked over at Funaho tracking Ryo-Ohki, who was on a course into deep space, exiting the galaxy. Yosho paused to ponder.
“Come to think of it…there’s an asteroid belt relatively close to here, full of rare metals and a gigantic hyperspace transport device that warps them to Jurai. It uses a Third Generation ship as an energy source, but if a First Generation ship was used, it should be able to transport even further. With that much energy, the device will explode and the destination will be impossible to specify…” He thought it was an ingenious plan. Jurai would never find out where he was headed. Warp somewhere unspecified with Ryoko, defeat her, and he would remain missing. At the time, he thought it was a brilliant solution. He found a reason to escape from Jurai. The plan made him excited.
He decided to go to Earth, where his mother was born. On Tenju was a garden that recreated her homeland. She had told him stories of her home there since he was young. The thought that he could see that planet and even go there made his heart beat faster. So much so that his upcoming battle with Ryoko did not bother him…
“So I failed to seize the Tsunami Unit… I wonder what Kagato’s face will be like.” Just report the truth, Ryoko thought. It did not matter what he thought. He could come up with a plan himself. She was his tool. Tools did not have emotions.
Kagato only lectured the minimum amount necessary for Ryoko to carry out the mission as a sophisticated tool. But being in contact with society had brought her information. Ryoko may have been just a tool before, but a faint sense of self had arisen within her.
And at the same time, emotions.
At first, Ryoko did not feel any remorse about killing people. That did not mean she killed indiscriminately. She did not feel any pleasure in taking a life, and moreover, she was admonished by Kagato, who considered actions that were unrelated to carrying out objectives as inefficient. She eventually began to look forward to Kagato’s orders. That was the dawning of her own emotions and ego. She desired to see emotional fluctuations in others. In that sense, this was the period during which she was most cold towards those who tried to thwart her. But even that was in the past. Anger, hatred, fear; the emotions directed at her had become too predictable.
I’m tired of it. They all make the same faces all the time… Kagato no longer made any comment on whatever she did, as long as she followed his orders. For him, even her emotions were objects of his research, she thought. The only thing she was forbidden to do was defy orders.
Even trying was pointless. I hate wasting time. She could see the puppet strings twining around her. In actuality, continuing to accept Kagato’s orders was diminishing her budding feelings, cutting off her growth. But Ryoko desired emotion. The apathetic tried many things in search of thrills and pleasures. Drugs did not work. They were broken down the moment they were absorbed by her body, and she hated the rancid stench of those types of humans.
Her lack of a distinguished palate thwarted her gluttony. She simply needed to fill her stomach to satiety. She could get properly drunk on her favored spirits if she did not let her body break the alcohol down.
As for her sex drive—she tried various things, but being a famous pirate meant most prospective partners fled at the sight of her. Even if she hid her identity, most lost their nerve when they saw her eyes, and it had become tedious. Directly stimulating the brain through senses of sight, sound, and touch did not work, as there was some kind of security shield on her brain.
Therefore, she did not get much satisfaction from sex or masturbation.
She found much more pleasure in destruction. By destroying things, she could witness the emotions of those who protected them, those who escaped, the fleeing bystanders—they were all so expressive. She never felt in danger herself. Killing was one directional, no different from play. She would rather have fun. She remembered Ayeka, her emotions raw and bare.
That girl made me laugh…
It had been a while since she felt her lips twist into a smile. Soon she was laughing out loud.
Ryoko clicked her tongue as she fired volleys to keep the Juraian fleet in check. They were all around her but staying neither too close nor too far. “They’re plotting something. Ryo-Ohki, show me the star charts for a 100- light-year radius and his flight path so far.”
“Meow.” Ryo-Ohki displayed the star chart on the monitor instantaneously, and Ryoko noticed that Yosho was using the fleet to lead her to a specific location. There was even a giant transport system there.
“I get it.” Ryoko let it happen because of her unprecedented experience decades ago, of fighting Kirito, the ship of the current Emperor of Jurai. She had enjoyed that battle. Funaho, the ship Yosho was chasing her with, had the same powers. If he desired a duel, that was favorable for her.
Ryoko reduced speed and waited. She opened a channel and hailed Funaho. Yosho’s face appeared on her screen at once. “Hey, where are you taking me, my Prince?”
“I wanted to show you my mother’s homeland… Ha ha, I sound like I’m making a proposal.”
“You’re sure you can afford to be so relaxed? Fine, I accept.” His eyes reminded her of her own… She did not know why she thought so, and it made her a little angry. She wanted to obliterate him, right now. Ryoko ordered Ryo-Ohki to fly into the waiting transporter. Funaho followed her, and there was a slight shock, like tripping on a pebble. Yosho did not notice it was Ryoko’s pod.
The transporter exploded with the pressure of the two high-energy ships, and they disappeared light-years away. Hyperspace travel lasted only an instant. In less than a blink of an eye, Funaho exited into normal space. Yosho saw before him a planet with large rings, referred to the star charts, and confirmed that it was Earth’s solar system.
“Where’s Ryo-Ohki?” He searched for the other ship, lost in the time- space fluctuation.
“This bridge sure is different.”
Yosho whirled around at the unexpected voice behind him, only to see