In orbit over Ceres…
"We're secure from warp, Boss."
"Good," Invader said with a nod as he gazed onto the small planetoid now lying to Kashin's port side. "Wide sensor sweep, Lookout," he then instructed the sensor officer. "Let's get a close look at what the Terrans might have out here."
"Yes, Boss," she said with a smile as her hands tapped controls on her console. A moment later, she nodded. "A group of twenty contacts, bearing 191 mark 004, distance 0.75 A.U. from us. Two battlewagon-class ships, clearly Earth design as noted by the observer team on Callisto. Multiple smaller contacts and what appears to be two support vessels of some sort. Moving to check profile with what we know…"
"Can you put them on screen, Commander?"
She turned to see Pukaze now standing by the turbolift landing, and then she nodded. "On main screen, Field Marshal," she said as she tapped controls.
Everyone turned to look. "Holy…" the first officer breathed out.
"Damn!" Invader breathed out.
"United States Ships Arizona and Utah," Pukaze reported. "Named after two of the ships permanently lost at Pearl Harbour in 1941. Two of six space battleships in American service, along with their space action groups: four Baltimore-class star cruisers, two Supply-class replenishment and supply ships and a mixture of Fletcher- and Sumner-class destroyers." Noting Invader's surprised look at her show of knowledge, the Neptunian princess/field marshal blushed. "We've noticed them doing sweeps of their side of the asteroid belt as well as go out of system to examine the systems the Seifukusu let the Terrans take over. Not to mention work with other national space combat groups, usually British, French and Italian. Even the Russians and Chinese."
The large Oni hummed. "I thought the Americans and the Russians were still adversaries. I know the Americans and the Chinese are economic rivals."
Pukaze giggled. "True, but given that their natural resource base has now expanded by a factor of thirty — and that's just the inhabitable planets — I think…"
"Boss, new contact!"
"Report, Lookout!"
"Single craft, frigate-class, approaching from Earth. No other ships."
"On screen, please," Pukaze asked.
"On screen, Field Marshal."
The image changed to reveal the bow-end view of a small yet clearly sturdy and well-armed warship. Seeing it, Pukaze nodded. "Sackville-class. No doubt, Fort Erie."
"Boss!"
"Go ahead, Signals."
"Incoming message from the new contact. They have universal translation capacity."
"On audio! Let's hear it."
The speakers on the bridge then came alive: "Urusian Union warship Kashin, this is the Canadian warship Fort Erie, representing the United Nations Earth Defence Force," a woman spoke out. "We come in peace in response to your recent contact with the Special Committee on Alien Activities. We have you on scanners in orbit over Ceres. Please respond." A pause, and then the signal repeated itself again.
"Response," Invader called out.
"Yes, Boss," the communications officer replied.
"Canadian warship Fort Erie, this is Captain Invader of Uru," a gruff man's voice called back. "We've been expecting you. Am I speaking to the captain of your ship?"
Shinobu tapped a control on her seat. "Yes, Captain. Lieutenant-Commander Miyake Shinobu at your service. I have aboard my ship at this time our tag race champion, my husband Saotome Ranma, with me now; as well as my force commander, Brigadier-General Misaki Natsuko."
A delighted laugh. "Ah, wonderful! Do you have visual capability?"
Shinobu looked over. "Signals?"
"Linking in now, Captain," Petty Officer 2nd Class Tamachi Hiromi, the chief naval communicator, then said before gesturing to the main screen above the forward bridge view ports. "Go ahead, Captain Invader. We have visual reception."
The screen melted into a fierce visage, which then broke out in a delighted smile as people shifted around to get a closer look at him. "Ah, good morning!" Invader stated as he gazed intently at the people there, and then he focused on Shinobu by the gold stripes on her shoulder boards and her face. "You must be Commander Miyake. A very nice ship you've got there." He then looked around. "Where's your hubby?"
"He's gone down to the wardroom to get some tea, captain," Natsuko spoke up, which made him focus on her, he then quickly spotting her shoulder rank insignia. "I'm General Misaki Natsuko, Commander Canadian Forces Joint Task Group 31-3. Welcome to our side of the Sol system, captain. I understand you wish to challenge us in a game of tag."
"We do," Invader said, glad that these people were willing to get down to business. "Much that I don't mind speaking to someone over the space waves, I prefer to do the talking right up front and personal. I understand you've got a shuttle…"
"Bridge, E.W.!"
Shinobu looked over. "What is it?!"
"Captain, we've picking up a tight-beam transmission that's locking in on our on-board computer systems," Petty Officer 2nd Class Nishina Kurumi, the senior naval electronic sensor operator, called up from the ship's electronic warfare control room.
"What?!" Invader called out.
"Countermeasures!" Shinobu barked.
"Already activated, Captain," Kurumi responded. "Hacking attempt has been blocked."
"Source of hacking?" Natsuko demanded.
"The Kashin, General."
"WHAT?!" Invader screamed out…
Aboard Kashin…
Thought I sensed something funny, Benten mused as she stood beside the doorway of one of the equipment rooms that supported the battlewagon's many combat systems. In the Fukunokami's hand was a stun pistol she had obtained from one of the junior servicemen (with some empathic assistance and a little flash of her breasts to entice him into going along). She then blinked as a spike of outrage radiated from the person inside the room. Shit! Someone's not happy about something…!
"Ops, Bridge."
"Bridge, Ops," Petty Officer 2nd Class Naruse Kaori, one of the senior naval combat information operators aboard Fort Erie now, called back. "Getting sensor feed from E.W. and Sensory now. Moving to triangulate source location on Kashin."
"Bridge, Ops Chief."
"Go, Yoshiko," Shinobu ordered.
"Bridge, sensors now picking up Arizona, Helena, Toledo, Hazelwood, Bennion, Marshall and Sarsfield now on direct approach to our position," Petty Officer 1st Class Serizawa Yoshiko, senior petty officer of the Combat Department (she was of the same trade as Kaori), called out. "All ships have shields up and it looks like Arizona and Helena are moving to get targeting solutions on Kashin!"
Invader gaped in surprise as Natsuko turned to Hiromi. "Raise Arizona! Tell them to back off now and drop weapons lock on Kashin! This is our first contact and I will NOT have this go to a war situation because some fool is trying to trigger something!"
"Aye, ma'am!"
"Bridge, E.W.!"
"Go, Kurumi!" Shinobu barked.
"Got a location. Deck 31 forward port side, aft of frame 449!"
"Get security patrol on that station, NOW!" Invader bellowed.
"Right, Boss!" the Kashin's first officer called back…
Inside the room in question, the shuddering form them growled as he tapped controls to try to refocus the computer link on Fort Erie to deny the lovely women inside any chance of defending themselves before friends could come up and restore them back to what they should have been all along. "You won't get awa-…!"
The door exploded inward, causing him to spin around in shock just as a stun pistol levelled on his chest. A blast of energy later, darkness claimed him.
"Bridge, Sensory."
"Go, Miho!" Shinobu called out.
"Locked in on source of hacking attempt," Petty Officer 2nd Class Suzuki Miho, the chief naval sensor operator aboard Fort Erie, called out. "Two life forms in the room in question with six more approaching from forward. Two people in the room include one Fukunokami-form Avalonian and one…" A gasp. "Oh, Lyna…!"
"What?!" Shinobu and Invader demanded, the Oni looking VERY pale.
"A Niphentaxian, Shinobu-san!" Miho called out.
"Bridge!"
Eyes locked on the image of Kashin's bridge. "Benten?!" Invader called out.
"I stunned some creep!" Benten snarled out over the battlewagon's internal communication network. "He's disguised as an Oni, but he's not…!"
"Security patrol!" Invader barked.
"We're there, Boss!" a man's voice called back. "Oh, Maidens…!"
"Report!" the large Oni snapped.
"Wait one!" A pause, and then, "Boss, I think we've got one of Ōgi's bastards on this ship! He looks like Sergeant Ayamari, but his horns fell off his head when Miss Benten stunned him! His ears're all wrong, too! Sensor drone's checking his D.N.A. out now!"
"I see! Get him in the brig!" Invader snapped before he turned to gaze on Natsuko. "General Misaki, given your willingness to keep this peaceful, once we stabilize the bastard and I learn what happened to my crewman, I offer him up as a war prize."
The general blinked, and then she smiled. "In the name of Her Majesty the Queen, I accept your more than gracious offer, Captain. If you like, we'll send our shuttle over to you to pick him and carry him over to our ship. We have intelligence operators and military policemen — ALL Avalonians — from the army brigade group I'm also in operational command of aboard Fort Erie as I speak. Once he's aboard here, he falls under Canadian military law and we have identified his race as hostile to Earth's better interests." A smile then crossed her face. "I'm sure a spell at the service prison in Edmonton — AFTER some very intensive psionic interrogation by my people — will forever remove whatever passion he may still feel for your daughter."
"I do appreciate that, Gen-…"
"Boss! We got someone locking missiles on us!" Kashin's sensor officer called out.
Natsuko looked over. "Hiromi, raise Arizona! NOW!"
Hiromi tapped controls. "American warship Arizona, this is Canadian warship Fort Erie! Stand down all weapons! I say again, Commander JTG 31-3 requests you stand down all weapons! The situation is resolved! Say again, the situation is resolved!"
"Fort Erie, this is Arizona," a man's voice called back. "Commander SAG-72 wishes to speak with Commander JTG 31-3 under emergency contact code protocols. We have detected an attempted computer viral attack launched on your ship by an alien vessel entering our airspace. We confirm your call to stand down, but per E.D.F. Emergency Contact Code Protocol, we need proper authentication codes to confirm."
"General?!"
"Damn!" Natsuko hissed as she walked over to Hiromi's station, drawing out a card from her shirt pocket. Sliding that into a reader on the left side of the console screen, she tapped controls. "Commander SAG-72, this is Commander JTG 31-3. Transmitting authentication codes for request for Arizona to cease weapons lock on Kashin now."
She tapped controls and then hit the TRANSMIT button. A moment later, the sensor officer on Kashin called out, "Weapons lock down, Boss!"
"Commander JTG 31-3, this is Commander SAG-72. We confirm all authentication codes," another man's voice called back from Arizona. "Sorry about that, General Misaki."
A chuckle. "No problem, Admiral Mitchell. I suggest you contact the MIBs to get an update." Natsuko then looked over to Invader. "Captain, given what just happened, if you wish, I'll have Commander Miyake dispatch our shuttle over to bring yourself and your party — not to mention your prisoner — aboard Fort Erie at this time."
Invader smiled. "Your friend on Arizona is quick on the draw."
"We're brothers, sir," Natsuko replied. "Even the adopted ones like me. We always somehow end up fighting each other's wars when they come up."
The large Oni smirked as footfalls echoed from below decks. "Hey, what's going on here, Shinobu?!" Ranma then asked as he came up, cups of tea in hand, a confused look on his face. "Everyone in the Ops Room looked like World War Three was about to start!"
Everyone gaped at him, and then Invader howled with laughter as we…
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(Posted Fri, 14 Jan 2011 04:19)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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