Hotaru fidgeted in the background as the devices were activated around the room.
The boy merely stood there.
"Okay, my boy," said the Professor. "Now, I'm going to repeat some of the questions I've had for you previously. It's just this way I can keep records of them and your answers, and analyze them later. Okay?"
"If Hotaru has no problem with this, then I do not," said the boy.
"Your name is?" asked the Professor.
"Ranma," said Ranma.
"And exactly what are you, Ranma?"
"I am a demon-god class weapons system, artificial life form, built in the kingdom of Hazzarad prior to the Great War. I was born through processes I myself do not completely understand that included biological remanufacturing and highly developed technological processes," explained Ranma.
"What was your role in this war?" asked the Professor.
"Originally defensive, but later I was used offensively," said Ranma, ducking his head away from where he'd have to see Hotaru.
"I won't press much further, but if you'd state some detail for the record?" asked the Professor. Not made of stone, but he thought he'd better get those details.
"Originally I was to protect the city of Roshnaal," said Ranma. "I would sortie out and intercept weapons systems targetting the city. This proved ineffective when Roshnaal was struck by an indirect weapons system. I was then shifted to attacking specific targets in enemy territory."
"The enemy was..." asked the Professor.
"Everywhere," answered Ranma. "When war came it hit everywhere at once, and entire communities were taken over by the enemy. I was not given details. Merely targetting information."
"So what are your capabilities as a weapon, Ranma?" asked the Professor.
"Flight, energy absorbtion and discharge, higher than human strength and speed, and if I am struck with an attack - I can analyze the patterns and duplicate it within my own power and structural limitations." Ranma shrugged. "I have access to a Northern School fire technique, a healing technique from my own former city, and an energy field disruption technique developed by my makers. In addition I have a standard attack and large scale attack used for large area devastation."
"How did you come to be within that mountain, Ranma?" asked the Professor.
"I wasn't being very cooperative," said Ranma, frowning. "I had to do what they told me, but I was always looking for loopholes. Like tellin' me I gotta go blowing someplace up, and tryin' to give the people time to get out first. Things like that."
"So what did they do?" prompted the Professor.
"Suicide mission," said Ranma. "They sent me to destroy this weapon called the 'Eye Of God' - and it threw me to this world about 150,000 years ago. Of course, it was a lot different back then."
"The people of that time were different?" asked the Professor, checking his scanners.
"Some," said Ranma. "There was an Earth Kingdom and this Moon Kingdom and the two groups didn't quite know what to make of me, and I wasn't sure what to make of them. I had a need to return to base, but didn't have a way to get there. So when I ran down on power, I think they put me away."
"Well, as I understand it, Hotaru wound you up, so she tells you what to do now," said the Professor.
"She is the holder of the Power Key Staff," said Ranma in a rote tone. "I must obey."
"I wish you'd stop calling me that," complained Hotaru.
Ranma shrugged. "Ya can change it to something else if ya like, it's just the default. Last gal holding it was my commander and she wanted me ta call her 'mistress' or 'commander' in public."
The Professor's glasses abruptly steamed over as the side meaning of that penetrated.
Hotaru had been thinking about this for over a day. "How about I call you oniichan or 'big brother'? Then you can call me 'sister' or neechan."
Ranma blinked, finding that settling into place. Well, it could be worse. He still had no idea why the commander had wanted to wear that leather outfit with the spike heels and talked all that talk about punishment. Yeesh, what a weirdo SHE had been.
"All right, sis," said Ranma, shortening it.
"Great," said Hotaru, more enthusiastic. Now she had a big brother! This could be cool!
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(Posted Fri, 10 Feb 2006 18:28)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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