The young martial artist looked left and right, expecting someone to come and bash him for being hugged like that "Er... Could you let me go? Pretty please?"
The girl blinked. Then she seemed to teleport a few meters from him so quick was her departure. She began bowing in earnest "Oh, I'm so sorry, Master! I was so overjoyed at your return that I forgot all about protocol. Please forgive me!"
"Ain't no master of anybody," grumbled Ranma, knowing such words and pretty girls should never mix if he wanted to live, "Where am I exactly? And who are you?"
The girl put her right hand on her cheek and seemed positively distressed "Oh dear... You don't remember anything!?!" Her face took a contemplative expression "Maybe I can jog your memory with... THIS!"
Suddenly, the girl's maid uniform exploded into particles of light. For one second, she was totally naked (Ranma had been taken by surprise and a minor nosebleed started) then they coalesced back on her into a different set of clothes.
Lights went up all aver what Ranma supposed was the bridge of the Starship he had found himself on, giving him a rather majestic view of it. And yes, it was Earth outside, there could be no doubt about it.
Ranma gawked at the sight. His eyes slowly returned to the girl with him and he really looked at her, gulping nervously.
She looked sixteen, had clear blue eyes and long golden hair. The latter was done in two long ponytails behind her back with two buns, like odangos. She wore a white dress crossed with a toga, leaving her shoulders bare and with a nice cleavage. It was tight in the right places and flowing in the others, the small butterfly wings and twin ribbons behind her added a nice touch to the whole getup. Her most distinctive feature, however, was the mark on her brow shaped like a crescent moon. A few pieces of jewelry added to her image of otherwordly princess.
She was waiting for a reaction, her eyelashes batting in a sultry way. There was only silence...
Tears wetted her eyes. The girl collapsed and began wailing "WAAAAAH! My master doesn't remember me! How could you!? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
Of course, seeing a cute girl crying because of him, Ranma panicked. He dashed right next her, arms beating like mad "Aaaw! Please stop crying! It ain't like that, honest!"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAH! You're just saying that, you meanie! WAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Ranma scratched his head, searching for a way to stop her Soun Tendo impression. A lighbulb went up in his head. Oh well, he could always humor her... "Look, miss. I'm sorry. If you told me about it, maybe the memories will come back..."
*Sniffle* "Really?" Seeing no sign of duplicity on Ranma's face, she reigned her tears in and nodded in assent.
Ranma smiled "Okay, let's start. What's your name?"
The girl rose from the floor and took a regal pose "I am Serena, the Artificial Intelligence of the Crystal Moon class Dreadnaught Serenity Ascendant, the Moon Kingdom's flagship. The appearance of my holographic interface was directly patterned from princess Serenity herself for morale issues"
"Oh..." What could Ranma answer to that, especially since he didn't understand half of the words she used.
"And you," Serena pointed at Ranma, "Are Ranma Saotome, human reincarnation of my late captain, admiral Ruby of the Moon Kindom's Star Fleet. And as such, you are my Master!"
"Uh...?"
*****
It took a while, but Serena's patience paid off. Ranma seemed to finally get it.
"So, let me get this straigth... There was this war between Earth and the Moon ten thousand years ago. Except the Earth forces were manipulated into it by some kinda ancient evil. I... I mean, Ruby, was killed at this ball thingy while you were still in drydock somewhere. The queen used her magic crystal thingy to banish the bad guys and cast a spell to reincarnate the souls of her people on Earth in the future, which is now the present," Ranma was looking incredulous, to say the least, "And during all this time, you stayed hidden in orbit, waiting for me, the only authorized personnel for you at the time, to return"
Serena wasn't fazed in the slightest "Essentially, yes"
Ranma was weirded out. This was over the top, even by Nerima standards "Ooookay... So how was Ruby?" If this story was true, he hoped his old self hadn't been some wuss. In his mind, military officers, especially naval ones, tended to stay behind and sent their men to do the job.
"Admiral Ruby comes from a long line of distinguished military officers from the jovian colonies, related to Sailor Jupiter herself. The Queen, the Sailor Senshi and the Knights all held him in high esteem. Simply, he was the best so that is why he was appointed as captain of the Moon Kingdom's most recent and powerful warship" Somewhere in the middle of her talk, her tone switched from detached and proper to genuinely appreciative.
"Sounds like he was quite a guy... You sure seem to like him" Ranma was torn. So in his past life, he had been some kind of great hero. The problem was how to live up to that? Give him a martial arts fight and he would win hands down. Commanding a starship in a battle? Nope, ain't no way he could pull it off.
Serena sighed "I suppose I did. So, with all I've told you, are you remembering your life as Ruby now?"
"Can't say I have. Sorry to disappoint..." Ranma had humored Serena as much as he could. He had even put Ruby's Moon Kingdom High Guard uniform on. He had felt some twinge in his mind when he did. Serena had also taken him on a tour of the ship. There were a few impressions there, small surges of emotion elsewhere but nothing more "So, what do we do?"
"Well, Master, I suggest..."
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See other episodes by Jamil Nate
(Posted Sat, 22 Oct 2005 21:02)
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