Nothing is known about him before he showed up on the most wanted list. But that was the biggest problem.”
“What had he done?”
“He annihilated an entire brigade of some idiots from a certain major country who were poaching on a planet designated as a special protection reserve. By himself.” Azusa was at a loss for words, as this was a fairly famous incident in inner circles. “The important thing is, there was someone else on that planet there for conservation research. Who do you think it was?” Seto asked happily.
“Mother.” Misaki immediately pointed to Seto. It was a joke, implying Seto could be involved in such an extreme incident.
“That person…” Seto, Funaho, and Azusa huddled to talk. Beside them was Misaki, crying with a lump on her head from Seto. “…was Hakubi
Washu.”
Funaho’s eyes were round in astonishment. “Washu?! You mean the founder of the Galaxy Academy? That… eccentric?”
“You mean back when it was Jurai’s Imperial Academy,” said Azusa. “Yes. And the assistant with Washu on the planet at the research institute was called Kagato.” Seto showed them a photograph of Washu and her assistant, except it was a woman.
Azusa rubbed his jaw and frowned. “That looks different from the one I met… But it must be one and the same person.”
“I’ve gathered evidence on who Kagato the assistant was. She was unaffiliated with any organization.”
“But… I’ve seen this face before, Mother…” Misaki stared at Kagato’s face, puzzled.
“Isn’t this the one?” Seto brought out another photograph, also taken with Washu.
“What’s this…?” Misaki looked at Seto quizzically.
“Washu’s expression…” Funaho murmured. Like she said, Washu’s expression was completely different. One was tense, and the other was peaceful and relaxed. “These two are different people?”
“Yes. The second picture is of Akara Naja, Washu’s friend. Kagato seems to be her clone.”
“What happened to the original?”
“About 5000 years ago, she died in a pirate attack during an archaeological excavation on uninhabited planet K1190… Well, technically missing, since her body was never found. Circumstantial evidence states she shouldn’t be alive. She was supposed to have been a philosopher rivaling Washu.”
“K1190? Isn’t that Mother’s…”
Seto nodded, “Yes… where my foster father rescued me when I was six years old.”
“You, Seto-dono?!”
“There were a number of treasure hunters besides Akara Naja’s excavation team. My foster father, Kamiki Ushio, annihilated the pirates and rescued the survivors. I was an orphan of those treasure hunters, though I had lost my memories through the shock of the attack.” Seto smiled sadly, then smoothly switched back to her usual smile. “Anyway, the problem is with Washu. She was left in front of an orphanage on Kanamitsu, a planet in Juraian territory, 20,000 years ago. The rest is a cliché. She was estimated to be around three when she was taken in, but she didn’t have any memories.
Nothing was ever found out about her past. She tried a lot of things in her Galaxy Academy days to make herself remember, but nothing worked. The only concern is this.” The screen showed the three red jewels.
Azusa, suspicious, wondered, “What’s this?”
“The only things she had with her. I can understand how nobody thought the possessions of a child were important. But it was a little careless.” Seto pressed some buttons and brought an image of Ryoko up on a screen. “When I examined the databanks of the Galaxy Police and the battle data on Jurai, I found that Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki’s energy source is located in her wrists and neck. Look.” The three locations were magnified.
“What’s this?!” Everyone but Seto opened their eyes wide. What was shown were the same red jewels as Washu had.
“I don’t know if they’re the exact ones that Washu had, but even if they were appropriated or replicated, it’s unmistakable they’re the same thing… It’s a shame it was 20,000 years ago. Might as well go ask Tsunami.”
“Her past holds the answer,” said Funaho.
“In the 15,000 years after, I haven’t been able to find anything that’s considered related, for now… But I’m amazed a single person has done so much. I’d say she’s the most powerful person I’ve ever seen or heard of. I sense consistency or a policy in her principles; at least, that’s my impression. There’s no sign that there’s been any outside influence on her ideology.”
The trouble was, Azusa thought, that Seto’s impression was most credible.
“In conclusion, this assistant is using something Washu-dono herself had developed for personal purposes. What we feared the most hasn’t become reality. Other countries haven’t placed as high an importance on it.”
“If they find out about what happened in Jurai, things will change.”
“The simulations show that Jurai is the most likely to capture Ryo- Ohki. Specifically, the Royal Trees. Other countries would have to pull off something on a large scale. And that increases the chances of leaking information… It makes sabotage too easy.”
“Mother… you look like you’re enjoying yourself.”
“I would think most countries would rather destroy them than give them up to someone else… In any case, we can’t do anything until we figure out where Ryoko and Kagato are.”
Azusa nodded, “So with Ryoko, we’re going to avoid the worst case scenario of upsetting the balance of military force. Now the question is how to obtain this technology before other countries… Please continue with the investigation, Seto-dono, Misaki.”
“This profile on Washu-dono was written up like a biography by a playful employee of mine. It’s quite an interesting read. Check it out.”
This was how the first Supreme Council on Ryoko ended. They were not able to find the whereabouts of Yosho or Ryoko. They sent a secret investigative team to Earth, but they could not outsmart a First Generation Tree’s cover-up and had to return without finding any clues.