segaman4

Sasami, Ayeka’s sister, curiously entered the factory room to see what the workers were doing. Happily, the little princess skipped up to Ami while she worked on a piece of cloth, and Ami turned her attention to Sasami with a tired grin.

“Hello there little one,” Ami said in a gentle voice, “How are you today?”

“I’m fine!” replied Sasami with a cheery smile. “I just wanted to see what you were doing.”

“Oh, me?” said Ami, holding one of the dresses she made. “I’m just making some dresses for the royal family.”

“May I take a look?” Sasami asked, looking at the dress in Ami’s hands. Ami cheerfully held it up for inspection. The princesses’ eyes roamed over the fabric in wonder. “It looks beautiful.”

“Why, thank you!” replied Ami, smiling at her. “What is your name? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“My name is Princess Sasami Misaki Jurai.” she said as she smiled. “And you must be the human exile I heard about. Is it true that you’re from Earth and not from Mercury?”

“You are correct little one!” answered Ami, “I am indeed a human being. With my friend Jerren, we travelled to Mercury by accident after our ship was damaged. We were looking for something we could not find on our home planet…The people of Mercury were friendly, teaching us their ways and culture, and they treated us as one of their own. But then your people attacked and destroyed everything. We were captured and brought here as slaves. Others…weren’t so fortunate.”

Sasamis’ eyes welled with tears.

“My grandmother gave orders to Seina Yamada to destroy planet Mercury. I don’t know why she did that.”

“Grandmother…?” Ami was taken aback, “So it wasn’t your mother or your father who commanded the attack on Mercury?”

“Oh no.” replied Sasami “It was all done at my grandmother’s bidding.”

“What is your Grandmother’s name?” demanded Ami. “And why did she do such a terrible thing?” But Sasami turned her attention back to Ami’s designs.

“May I hold one?” asked Sasami. “They look so amazing.”

“Certainly, your highness!” sighed Ami the fire dimming from her eyes. “Go ahead, the ones I’ve finished are in that pile over there.” Sasami took a red velvet dress with a rose on it, and felt it.

“It feels so soft and warm!” said Sasami. “Who’s this one for?”

“I believe that one was made with you in mind, little one.” replied Ami, smiling softly.

“Wow! Thank you so much Ami!” said Sasami. “You’re really nice.” She looked at the other dresses that Ami had made in amazement.

“Wow, these are neat!” said Sasami, excited by the other designs. “My parents will love these clothes!”

“You think so?” asked Ami nervously. “I hope so, because I’m working very hard on them.”

“How long have you been doing this?” Sasami asked in curiosity, “You must be a professional seamstress!”

“Not long.” replied Ami as she continued to sew. “Just for six years on and off. It’s my second favourite hobby next to math, and playing chess.”

“You know how to do math?” smiled Sasami.

“Why of course!” answered Ami. “It is really fun and simple if you’re into it. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I need help with my math homework.” said Sasami. “And maybe you can…?”

A flustered Jurain guard bustled into the room, and found Sasami talking to Ami.

“There you are!” said the guard, as he put his hand on her arm. “I’ve been looking all over for you. The emperor gave me strict orders to bring you to your class.”

“I have class today?” she grumbled. “Darn…”

The guard turned his attention to Ami.

“You, slave! Get back to work!” he said, placing a hand on his saber.

“Oh, yes sir, I will immediately!” she said, and quickly began sewing more clothes.

Meanwhile, Ryo-Oh, Princess Ayekas’ ship, touched gently down in one of the GP headquarters main docking stations. The structure turning out to be a vast space station filled with hover cars and a large variety of beings all going about their own business. Galactic police officers littered every corner and street. They had teleportation pods for workers, and huge buildings that reached high into a simulated skyline. Jerren and Ayeka, followed closely by Azaka and Kamadakie, disembarked from Ryo-oh and took a huge breath of air.

“Well, here we are….” Ayeka said, stretching her arms, “Galaxy police headquarters.

So, this is the police headquarters huh?” Jerren said as he looked around. “It’s huge!”

“Again you comment on size, truly you have a one track mind!” Ayeka shook her head.

As opposed to the more organic style of Jurain architecture, the GP headquarters were a mass of cold and sterile steel; efficiency precluded comfort, if not size, as space was lavishly allowed for. They went to the GP main centre where they were confronted by an officer on duty.

“Greetings, Princess Ayeka of Jurai.” the officer said, bowing his head in respect before turning his head to look at a screen. “I see you have come to promote two police officers, yes?”

“Correct!” replied Ayeka, “And I have a very special surprise for them.”

“And who is this boy?” asked the officer, looking at Jerren.

“He’s my slave,” said Ayeka, “Also my bodyguard. He goes wherever I go.”

“Very well then,” the officer said as he cleared his throat. “Follow me.”

They followed him into the building; inside the interior was even larger than the outside had suggested. Cops dressed in blue and grey attire, stood around on coffee breaks while others were signing reports, or reviewing files.

The officer took them to an elevator, and they all got in, setting it for level six and ascending rapidly; on their way up they saw police officers outside doing battle simulations while the cadets ran laps around the court. The elevator stopped and everyone got out. While they were walking, they heard some officers arguing about random matters in their offices.

Turning a corner down the end of a hallway, the procession found the office they were looking for.

“Here it is; office number 204.” the officer said, as he pointed at the door. “If you have everything you need Princess Ayeka I have other matters to attend to.”

Ayeka nodded and the officer teleported away.

They entered the office and saw two women on their coffee break.

One officer was tall, about 5′ 8″, Caucasian in appearance with long flowing hair, a mixture of blue and green. Her eyes were topaz and spoke of focus and dedication to her duties. Her uniform was just like the other uniforms the cops wore, blue jacket and grey pants, and she was sitting at her desk drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. Her name was Kiyone Makibi.

The other one was sleeping on her desk with drool coming down her lips. She had food particles all over her uniform as she had been eating cookies. She was not as tall as her partner being only 5′ 6″, she had the same uniform as her partner, but her skin tone was different, a tan golden brown colour. Blonde with eyes of a piercing blue that spoke heavily of an anxious and innocent personality, her name was Mihoshi Kurimitsu.

“Greetings officers…” Ayeka said as she came in. “I have a very special surprise for both of you”.

Kiyone saw Ayeka, and almost broke her coffee cup as she put it down on the desk.

“P…Princess Ayeka!” stuttered Kiyone leaping to her feet, bowing her head in respect, “To what honour can we attribute this royal visit to a pair of lowly GP officers?”

Kiyone patted the creases on her uniform self-consciously then turned her head and stared at Mihoshi contemptuously as she was still asleep with a puddle of drool pooling around her face.

“MIHOSHI,” Kiyone shouted at her partner as she slept, “MIHOSHI WAKE UP! THE PRINCESS OF JURAI IS HERE!”

“Who? What!” Mihoshi said as she was startled awake. She rubbed her eyes and got up from her desk. She saw the princess and clumsily bowed her head in respect.

“Why hello there Princess, it’s a pleasure to have you in our office.” As she bowed her head, spittle and cookie crumbs that marred her uniform fell to the floor and on her desk.

“Mihoshi…” Kiyone said as she squeezed the ridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb, “You’re completely hopeless! Just look at yourself. The Princess is here and you have spit dribbling down your chin and food falling from your jacket. Why did my superiors ever think that pairing me up with you was a good idea?”

“Sorry, Kiyone.” replied Mihoshi as she looked at the ground in shame her face going a bright red as she twiddled her thumbs. “I’ll try harder next time!”

“You always say that!” said Kiyone lecturing Mihoshi, “But you always end up embarrassing me! I’m the one always picking up after you and suffering for your mistakes!” Mihoshi’s eyes welled with tears and she turned and squeezed Kiyone in a bear hug. Jerren thought he heard a cracking sound.

“I’M SO SORRY KIYONE! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“MIHOSHI…!” shouted Kiyone, “YOU’RE EMBARRASSING ME!!!”

“Look at these two,” said Jerren observing the two officers, “They’re like roommates from a sitcom.”

“Alright, you two! That is quite enough of that!” Ayeka said in a stern voice. “If you are quite done with this silliness, I have something very important to tell you, though I begin to wonder if I have the correct officers.”

Kiyone and Mihoshi stopped bickering and stood to attention.

“Ooh! What is it?” asked Mihoshi. “Are we getting a free vacation somewhere? Or wait, wait! Let me guess….the GP headquarters is throwing a surprise party…for ME?”

Kiyone wearily rubbed her eyes.

“It is none of those things.” replied Ayeka. “You two are being promoted to first class detectives of the GP, all of your….hard work….in successfully completing cases has paid off.”

“WE ARE?” Kiyone squealed in excitement. “This can’t actually be happening, after my career took such a drastic downturn by being paired with…” Kiyone looked at an oblivious Mihoshi. “…Things are finally looking up.”

“That is not all…” replied Ayeka, “The two of you will accompany me and my servant to the treaty signing of the Ramzia accord, for the purpose of promoting the galaxies’ greatest law enforcement agency to the federation. We will set the two of you up as the shining example of the class of officers the GP produces.” Looking at Mihoshi, Ayeka became less and less certain of her words validity as she continued.

“You’re joking!” exclaimed Kiyone as she got more excited. “This is a dream come true!”

“YAAAAAAY!” Mihoshi burst out in excitement as she leapt around. “This is the happiest day of my life!” Then she hugged Kiyone again, this time Jerren was sure he heard cracking.

“Y.…you’re crushing me!” Kiyone said, suffocating in Mihoshi’s embrace.

“Oh, sorry Kiyone…” Mihoshi said as she let go of her. Then she turned to Jerren and to his surprise hugged him too.

“W….w….why t.…thanks!” said Jerren as he suffocated. “T…..hats v….very nice of you!”

“You’re welcome!” said Mihoshi as she beamed at him, then she turned to Ayeka.

“Touch me, and you will regret it!” said Ayeka as she put her palm in front of Mihoshi’s face. Azaka and Kamadakie appeared from nowhere and focused their attention on Mihoshi.

“Yeah, you’ll regret it!” they said in unison as they came closer to her.

“Okay then, no hug for Princess Ayeka.” Mihoshi quickly backed away from them.

“All right, enough of this! We are on a tight schedule!” said Ayeka. “Shall we continue?”

They all exited the GP main headquarters, and walked up the ramp into Ryo-oh. Mihoshi and Kiyone were stunned at the inside of the ship.

“Nice place you have here.” said Mihoshi. “It looks like a jungle!”

“So, this is the inside of a Jurain ship!” Kiyone said in amazement. “And I’m actually going to ride in one! Yes!”

Ryo-oh took off into space and set its sights for the Ramzia Federation.

Everyone was resting inside the ship. Mihoshi cheerfully blathered on as Kiyone put her head in her hands; wearily listening to her partner’s excited ramblings about their new promotions while Princess Ayeka practiced her speech.

“Let me see…” she went over it again, “We, Jurai and the galactic union alliance and the Remzia Federation here by cease and desist all violent action so we can….so we can….no, that does not sound right!”

“May I try, Miss Ayeka?” Jerren said holding out his hand for the paper. The Princess nodded and Jerren stood up to read it.

“We, Jurai and the Galactic Union Alliance, here by cease all militant action against the Remzia federation, that we may both enjoy peaceful relations and trade within the boundaries of our respective borders in the hope of a harmonious and prosperous collaboration. Hence forth by the official decree of the holy council of Jurai and the galactic federation, we hear by admit the Remzia Federation as a full member of the empire!”

“How was that Miss Ayeka?” Jerren said as turning his attention to the princess.

“That was…well done!” Ayeka said in surprise. ”That was very well done! Your timing and cadence were rhythmic and your voice…you sounded very natural.”

“Thank you Miss Ayeka.” Jerren flushed. “I did presentations like this on Earth all the time. The secret is to always look at the speaker and never lose your cool.”

“Indeed!” said Ayeka blushing a little bit.

“Hey, don’t be nervous Miss Ayeka,” said Jerren as he held her hand, “Just believe you can do it and you’ll do fine!”

Ayekas’ face flushed bright red and she pulled her hand away from him, and then slapped his face.

“Thank you for the advice but I did not really need it….SLAVE!” she said as she put her hands on her hips, speaking in a condescending tone. “You will NEVER touch me in so familiar a manner again. In case you have forgotten…you are my servant and I am your master; the Princess of Jurai!”

“Yeah, you’re welcome Princess!” said Jerren coldly, rubbing his mouth where he had been struck.

“I told you not to address me as Princess!” she said scolding him, “Next time it will not be a warning, you will be strictly disciplined! Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes Miss Ayeka!” Jerren sighed.

About half an hour later they arrived at the federation planet. The planet was surrounded by a beautiful green aura and was equally as large as Jurai. The planet was heavily industrialized, with many high speed hover vehicles crossing the skyline.

A nearby silver and bronze coloured city was the destination and Ryo-Oh set down smoothly at the appointed co-ordinates. Exiting Ryo-Oh, they all entered the city where they were met by the ambassador of the Federation flanked by a small contingent of armed guards.

“We’ve been waiting for you Princess Ayeka…” the ambassador said bowing gracefully, “This way, please! Everyone in the Federation is waiting for you.” Ayeka nodded to the ambassador who turned to lead the way.

“Oh sure, HE can call you Princess….!” Jerren mumbled under his breath.

The group followed the ambassador as he led them to a royal hall and entered. Inside, a large crowd of people cheered them as they entered. People crowded together to watch the dignitaries enter, the news media at the fore front to record the events about to unfold. Jerren shivered at the sheer scope of the proceedings, people stood in front of the stage as far as the eye could see.

“This is anchor woman Sakuya here to report on this history making moment,” The newswoman looked confidently at the camera, “A moment when the Remzia Federation; an independent coalition of planets, and the Galactic Union, which includes over two hundred planetary members, will sign a peace treaty and set aside several decades of war and fighting.”

“Wow, check this crowd out!” Jerren gawked at the people.

“Yes!” replied Ayeka with a little sneer, “These cheers are because they are expecting us to finally admit their little Federation into our Empire.”

“These cheers….” Kiyone said surprised, “They’re….for us? I don’t know what to say….!”

“Yay! We’re stars now!” said Mihoshi clapping, “They love us!”

The president of the Federation welcomed Ayeka with a bow.

“Welcome, Princess Ayeka, to the Remzia Federation. It is an honour to have you here in our humble Federation on this historic occasion.”

“The honour is all mine.” replied Ayeka, “And I apologise for the absence of my mother and father today. My grandmother is in a meeting with the holy council of Jurai right now while my father is quelling a rebellion on the planet Beta! My mother and aunt Funaho are engrossed in state affairs unfortunately and could not be drawn away.”

“I understand!” said the president, “Well, we shall not let it deter us from completing the treaty and being granted admission into the Galactic Union.”

The president cleared his throat:

“Ladies and gentlemen, humanoids of all species, we are gathered here today to make history. This treaty between the Galactic Union and the Remzia Federation cements our admission into the Jurain Empire and brings an immediate halt to hostilities between our peoples.”

The presidents’ voice boomed to every corner of the hall. Everyone clapped and cheered including Jerren and his companions.

“Now we will introduce our representatives starting with Mikami of the Kurimistu family, who will be the first to sign the treaty.”Mikami Kurimitsu was a middle aged woman with brown skin, blond hair wearing a robe that was a mixture of white and red. She walked regally to the table to sign the treaty which she did in a refined manner.

The crowd cheered even louder.

“Captain Balta of the Balta Guild….” He was also a man in his middle age with grey hair and a grey beard, wearing a theatrical blue cape, and he was clad all in white. He signed the treaty and everyone once again cheered.

“The High Priestess of Melma…” A little girl with blue hair and a blue robe walked onto the stage. She signed the treaty and the people just went wild.

“And lastly, the Princess of Jurai will sign the treaty making it a legitimate document. With this pen we give birth to a new era in peace and prosperity!”

The crowd cheered so loudly that Jerren, Kiyone and Mihoshi covered their ears. Ayeka took the pen, and a sudden explosion from the ceiling sent the guards scrambling to cover the dignitaries. Jerren moved to cover Princess Ayeka pulling out his Saber, while Kiyone and Mihoshi pulled laser pistols from their holsters. The once cheerful crowd gasped and screamed. Slowly silence fell as they saw a figure floating in the air. The figure was a girl. She had a Caucasian complexion, and spikey blue hair almost like that of a hedgehog. Yellow eyes glittered in malevolence at the crowd below her. Her suit was a mixture of red and grey and she looked like she was in her teens.

“Ryoko…it cannot be…!” Ayeka exclaimed as she saw her floating in mid-air. “What business do you have here spacepirate?”

“So this is how Jurai settles things these days, is it?” Ryoko rubbed her fist as she stared at the audience, “Admitting second rate federations into the empire? Pathetic…!” The floating woman laughed scornfully at the crowd.

“What was that you vulgar, disgusting criminal!” Ayeka said, crushing the pen in her hand. The people were silent as this new drama unfolded.

“Who is that?” Jerren gazed at Ryoko who was still floating in mid-air, “She looks like trouble!”

“That’s the space pirate Ryoko,” replied Kiyone, “She’s one of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy. She is known for the destruction of hundreds of worlds and for once attacking the planet Jurai with her ship Ryo Ohki, almost destroying it. She disappeared soon after a bloody battle with Jurai’s royal prince Yosho a couple hundred years ago, but resurfaced recently to continue her crime spree. It is rumoured that she runs her own gang of pirates which used to be from the Daluma Guild and has a bounty of 300 million on her head.”

“Wow!” Jerren was surprised, “That woman sounds crazy!”

“Tell me Ryoko, what business do you have here that is so important that you would ruin a treaty signing?” Ayeka barely contained her ire.

“Simple princess, it’s you….” replied Ryoko, “You’re taking a ride in my ship as my…guest.”

“You are joking? Take me, the Princess of Jurai, prisoner? Utter nonsense!”

“Space Pirate Ryoko, by the authority of the GP and the Union, you are under arrest!” Mikami, headmaster of the GP Academy, said materialising in front of Ryoko, surrounding her with a group of GP officers.

“Ha! You and what army lady?” sneered Ryoko, “A handful of cops won’t stop me!”

“ME and this army Ryoko!” replied Mikami. Suddenly armoured GP soldiers uncloaked themselves all around the hall. The officers had guns locked straight on her as she floated in mid-air.

“There were tactical officers present all this time?” Jerren remarked in disbelief.

“Yes, they used cloaking devices to camouflage themselves into the background.” Kiyone said softly.

“Now that’s something you don’t see every day….except maybe in movies.”

“You see Ryoko, we have known about your arrival here, and your plans to sabotage this signing from the start, and this time we came prepared for you! Surrender…escape is futile!”

Ryoko just grinned at Mikami and chuckled.

“Go ahead and try!”

“Ready…AIM…..FIRE!” Mikami repeatedly shot at Ryoko, the rest of the tactical officers quickly following suit. Lasers blanketed the area where Ryoko hovered, completely obscuring the space pirate from view. Mikami gave the signal to stop firing and as the smoked cleared, Ryoko’s laugh rang throughout the hall. The pirate was completely untouched; a force field glimmered in the dissipating smoke.

Enough firepower to level a building had been used on the space pirate. Ryoko laughed as she looked at the stunned cops.

“Now it’s my turn!”

Ryoko then expanded her force field and sent the GP officers and soldiers flying into the walls with sickening thuds. Ryoko laughed again and taunted them.

“Fools!” she confidently stated, “You’re no match for me. I’m Ryoko, the most feared pirate in this sector of the galaxy! You have nothing on me!”

Ryoko generated a yellow energy blast from her hand and aimed for the audience in the front row firing the deadly pulse at them. The people ran out of their seats in time to dodge the blast and the front row was reduced to smouldering waste. Ryoko started blasting indiscriminately into the stands; the people started to panic and run for their lives.

“Hahahahaha…!” Ryoko laughed manically firing random bursts into the audience, “This is so much fun! Hahahahaahhaha…!”

“This is getting out of hand!” Jerren covered his face from the flying debris in the midst of the chaos, “We need to stop her before she reduces this place to rubble!”

“Don’t worry….” Mihoshi said, looking up at Ryoko, “I’ll stop her! It’s time to gear up!”

Mihoshi activated her battle suit which was a mixture of orange and black form fitting body armour, and started to shoot rapid fire energy blasts at Ryoko from her gloves. Ryoko teleported behind Mihoshi and shot a blast at her, but Mihoshi dodged it as the ground she had been standing on became a crater.

“Stupid cop…!” Ryoko laughed at Mihoshi.

“Mihoshi,” Kiyone said turning her attention to her, “Do you have the thermal laser cannon with you?”

“It’s in my control cube!” Mihoshi pulled out the pink cube and activated it. A huge laser gun appeared and Mihoshi ran to her partner handing the weapon to Kiyone.

“Alright space pirate….” Kiyone said as she got an accurate lock on Ryoko, “Time to taste thermal blaster!” The weapon powered up and Kiyone fired, but Ryoko deflected the blast with ease, knocking its trajectory towards the ceiling leaving a perfect circle of destruction in its wake.

“No….way! That’s not possible!” Kiyone stammered, shocked, “I powered it at maximum and she deflected like it was a rubber ball!”

“I guess it’s my turn then….?” Jerren said reaching for the light hawk sword.

In a sudden shift in the one-sided battle, Ryoko suddenly found herself trapped in a force field generated by Azaka and Kamadakie.

“L…Let me go! LET ME OUT!” She said as she struggled to get out of the force field.

Ayeka laughed at Ryoko, “Who is laughing now, space pirate trash!”

“Let me go you spoiled little brat!” Ryoko said in rage, hitting the walls of the field with enough force to pulverise stone but to no avail. Azaka and Kamadakie shocked her with volts of electricity and she screamed in agonizing pain.

“Oh my, did that hurt?” Ayeka grinned, “Well too bad, justice is finally being served!”

The remaining people in the audience stopped running and instead started to cheer at Ryokos’ suffering. The media crew, who had recorded all the earlier action, filmed her misery as well.

“Whoa!” Jerren said wincing at every scream, “I actually feel sorry for her.”

“Pl…Please….please stop! You can stop now….P….Princess!” she stuttered when she couldn’t take any more.

“Stop? Are you still joking Ryoko?” Ayeka sneered, enjoying herself, “This is the most fun I have had all day!”

“Please stop, Miss Ayeka!” Jerren said pleading with her, “I know she’s a criminal but she can’t take much more of this, don’t you think she’s learned her lesson!’

“Silence, slave!” she snapped, “You do not get to tell me what to do. Five more minutes and then the GP may have what is left. But for now…Azaka, Kamadakie turn up the….?”

Just then a giant silver plated ship appeared, hovering over the hole in the ceiling, casting its immense shadow over the hall. Without warning blasts shot down Azaka and Kamadakie, leaving them severely damaged. A glowing green force field formed around a startled Ayeka.

Ryoko was freed from her confinement and clutching her sides in pain, floated towards the ship. Princess Ayeka dragged helplessly along in her new prison screamed in frustration.

“Mission accomplished!” Ryoko sighed in relief. “Before I leave, I would like to give all of you a going away present!”

A rowdy bunch of space pirates poured from above, bursting through the hole in the ceiling Ryoko had come through and also the entrance hall door. Hollering like maniacs they began shooting up the place with their laser guns, assaulting people in the audience as well.

“This is anchor woman Sakuya and it seems not only has the Princess of Jurai been kidnapped by space pirate Ryoko, but her blood thirsty gang of pirates have now arrived on the scene to cause absolute chaos and mayhem….” One space pirate assaulted a camera man throwing him to the ground. He then threw his camera into the audience. The anchor woman’s composure broke and she ran away screaming.

The remaining people in the stands fled to the nearest exit in their rows only to be blocked by more space pirates.

One space pirate in the top row about twenty feet up held a laser machine gun and started to shoot a barrage of laser fire point blank into the massed throng. The frightened people took cover as the mad pirate shot with wild abandon. Another pirate had a flame thrower strapped to his back firing gusts of flame; people fled from the searing heat before they could be burned.

The last few conscious GP officers were being swiftly overrun by the villainous horde of pirates.

The second row, now in flames; Jerren, Kiyone and Mihoshi helplessly looked on, trying to see a way to stop the madness.

To be continued….

She was always cheerful and happy, and her name was Sasami Misaki Jurai. Now the other one was a bit taller, being 5 foot 6 in height. She also had a Caucasian skin color, while her eye color was wine. Her hair was purple, and in somewhat of a ponytail with ‘spaghetti straps’ framing her face. This girl was barefoot with pink pajamas, and was looking at the ceiling with a bored look on her face. She was well-mannered, traditional, and aristocratic in nature and had a British accent . This girl was Princess Ayeka Misaki Jurai.

“Princess Ayeka,” the first guard said as he held Jerren by the shirt, “The human slave you bought at today’s auction is here”.

“Oh, goody!” Ayeka said in excitement as she hopped out of her bed. “My plaything is here! It’s about time; I thought I was going to kill over from all this boredom!”

“Play thing!?” shouted Jerren. “Look here, woman! I’m no play thing; I’m–”

The guard kicked him to the floor and held him tight by the head.

“You address your new master as Princess Ayeka, not Woman! Got that?” stated the guard as he held Jerren even tighter.

“Not this again!” commented Jerren with his face glued to the floor. “Do you have to do this every time I say something that seems offensive to you people!?”

“You can let go of him now.” mentioned Ayeka, snapping her fingers at the guard with a command.

The guard released his grip of Jerren, and the boy rose up. Ayeka walked up to Jerren and smiled at him.

“Hello there, my indentured servant!” Ayeka said as she grinned at Jerren, “My name is Ayeka

Misaki Jurai. And you are?”

“Jerren brandon gregory,” replied Jerren as he was wiping the dust off his face and hair, “but you can call me Jb for short.”

“Jerren…” Ayeka replied with a smile, “that’s a decent name for a human captive. It actually sounds nice!” Ayeka giggled while smiling at Jerren.

“We’re going to have a very nice master-servant relationship. This is going to play out well.” Sasami then walked up to Jerren, and Jerren looked down as she smiled at him.

“Hello there,” Sasami said as she gave a cheerful grin. “My name’s Sasami, and I’m Ayeka’s sister. It’s very exciting to see a real human in the flesh; you look exactly like us!”

“Hey I’m surprised you look just like us humans too!” replied Jerren “If you were on my planet

you would fit right in.”

Ayeka called Sasami, turning her attention to her. “I would like to speak to my new slave… alone.”

“Ah, but why? I just want to get to know this human a bit more.” replied Sasami.

“No buts!” Ayeka scolded. “And besides, you have your studies with your teacher in a few minutes so you can’t afford to miss that.

Sasami lowered her head and agreed. The guards then took her out of the room and they all departed.

Ayeka closed the door and locked it, then approached Jerren.

“I can’t believe I have an actual human as my servant!” she said cheerfully, “When I heard there were human captives on this planet up for sale, I had to get one for my own! It wasn’t easy, and there was tons of competition, but I managed to pull some strings with my parents to get one and my wish finally came true. And now, you’re officially my personal property.”

Ayeka put her finger on Jerren’s chest and said, “I have a big surprise for you tomorrow, so make sure you get up early… it will be a very busy day.”

“What suprise?” questioned Jerren, feeling uncomfortable as he heard all this, “and what do you mean by busy?”

Ayeka whispered in his ear. “Now if I told you all the details, it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?”

She then sat and crossed her legs, smiling at Jerren.

“Now run along to your room; it’s in the upper chambers of this place.” said Ayeka, still grinning.

Jerren nodded. “But what about my friend?”

“Oh, the other one…” said Ayeka. I’ll… ask my parents if she can have a room too.”

“Thanks.” Said Jerren as he walked out and closed the door behind him.

It was 9:30 in the morning and Jerren was in the upper chambers of his small room, sound asleep in his bed. There was a loud pounding on the door, but Jerren couldn’t hear it since he was so immersed in his dreaming. The door smashed open, and it was two Jurain guards who came walking in.

“Wake up!” the first guard said in a very loud voice, “The princess is waiting for you outside!”

“What!? Where’s the fire!?” Jerren yelled alarmed as he woke up, “What’s happening?”

“The princess wishes to see you immediately,” answered the second guard, “she’s been waiting for an hour now and she sent us to get you.”

“The princess!” shouted Jerren, getting out of his bed. “I forgot all about her!” Jerren was still in his slave clothes and barefoot. “Just let me go to the bathroom and brush my teeth and stuff and I’ll be ready.”

About 5 minutes later, he came out of the bathroom and followed the guards to the princess. They made it outside not long after, and Ayeka was at the front of the castle waiting.

“Well hello there, my servant!” Ayeka said as she moved towards Jerren, “I see you’re up and ready for what I have in store for you.”

“Yes princess,” Jerren said, as he gave out a huge yawn. “I am definitely ready for whatever today brings.”

“Do not address me like that, slave!” scolded Ayeka as she pointed her finger at him. You will address me as Miss Ayeka”.

“Yes, Miss Ayeka,’ sighed Jerren. “I’ll try to remember that next time.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear,” Ayeka said as she patted her servant’s head as if he was a pet, “a servant responding obediently to my commands.” Ayeka then sent the guards away, and the guards marched back into the castle.

“Princess… I mean… Miss Ayeka,” said Jerren, correcting himself, “Why did you send those two away? Don’t you need their assistance at all times?”

“Their assistance is not needed,” responded Ayeka, turning her attention to Jerren. “for you see, I have my own guardians to protect me. Azaka! Kamadakie! I summon you!” Ayeka said with authority in a loud voice.

The two guardians were cylinder-shaped artificial beings made of wood. Azaka’s single eye blinked red while Kamadakie’s blinked blue.

“Whoa! What are those things!?” Jerren asked while staring at the two anxiously. “Are they gonna hurt me?”

“Those are my two guardians, Azaka and Kamadakie.” answered Ayeka, “They go everywhere I go and obey every command I give them.”

“So… you’ve got wooden guards, huh? That’s not something you see every day! Oh, I forgot to ask what the suprise was that you had in store for me.”

“Ah yes, your surprise…” replied Ayeka with a smirk, “I have something very special for you so walk with me.”

Jerren and Ayeka, along with the two new companions, left the castle and went on the main road.

“Now for your surprise.” said Ayeka, “you will have the privilege of accompanying me to not only the GP headquarters, but also to the Remzia federation to sign a peace treaty. You should consider yourself privileged, being a slave accompanying Jurain royalty like me to very important places.”

“So we’re just doing errands?” replied Jerren, sighing in relief, “I thought you had something else in store for me.”

“Like what?” asked Ayeka, replying to Jerren, “what did you think I had in store for you?”

“Well…” said Jerren, looking up in the air, “stuff that’s too disturbing to mention.” He blushed a little.

“Oh I see,” said Ayeka, “well don’t worry; I’m nothing like that. Being a princess, I treat all my servants with respect and recognize their civil liberties.”

“Well that’s a relief!” commented Jerren, letting out a huge sigh, “but I have another question: what are the GP headquarters and the Remzia federation?”

“For starters, The GP headquarters are where the Galaxy Police conduct their operations. We’re going there to promote two hard-working Galaxy Police officers. Oh, I assume you’ve never heard of such people. The Galaxy Police patrol 66% of the galaxy, making sure that criminals are put in their place, especially space pirates.”

“There are space pirates too!? Now that’s scary to think about!” Jerren stated as he heard all of this. “I’ve heard about pirates that travel the seas to plunder, but pirates in outer space!? That’s something new.

“Of course there are space pirates. Geez, you humans have very limited knowledge of our ever- expanding universe, don’t you?” Ayeka said as she face palmed herself in disbelief. “Space pirates are the most notorious, organized band of crooks in the entire universe. They steal and plunder from cargo ships around the galaxy, leaving businesses bankrupt and thus disrupting trade and commerce. It’s the Galaxy Police who suppress their criminal activities and bring them to justice.”

“I’m surprised that my home planet’s never seen this going on in outer space.” Jerren replied. “I guess we have a lot more to learn about such a large universe. Now what about the

treaty thing that you’re signing?”

“That’s a different story,” mentioned the princess. “You see, a year ago, a Federation that was out of our jurisdiction called Ramzia were getting attacked by space pirates practically every day. They called us for help, but since they were out of our range and the Galactic Union’s range, we couldn’t help them. So they turned their anger and frustration out on us and started with the planet Balta by looting and sacking it. Then the planet Melmas by kidnapping the high preistess and Sinaiwa by kidnapping very important members of their family council, and finally they aimed at Jurai. We called out a militia of 35,000 Jurain soldiers and easily defeated them. We later agreed to settle an accord by admitting them in the union.”

“Wow,” replied Jerren. “That sounds like a nightmare you don’t want to live again. But at least you’re making amends with them.”

“Yes,” said Ayeka, “as the galaxy’s most dominant empire, it is our job to make peace with all planets.”

“Peace? That’s funny,” Jerren laughed, “you people don’t seem very peaceful to me.”

“Why do you say that?” asked Ayeka, “Is it because of that Mercury planet?”

“Yes, you just come in and destroy everything and take us captive. Why do you do that, and for what reason? You talk about peace, but when it comes to us, you’re a little hypocritical, you get me? I guess you only make peace when it benefits you or your allies, huh?”

At that moment, the princess paused and gave Jerren a cold look.

He covered his mouth in regret. Ayeka then moved towards Jerren and slapped him hard in the face. Jerren held his face in pain.

“Don’t you ever say that again about my planet, you hear me!?” Ayeka said as she scolded the boy in a serious tone. “And don’t you bring up the people of Mercury either, that’s a direct order coming from me. Say stuff like that again and you will be severely punished!”

“Yes… ma’am.” He said with his hands over his mouth, “never again!”

Three hours had passed and Jerren and his companions Ayeka, Azaka and Kamidake were travelling along the road leading to the space port.

Ayeka shakily stumbled to a stop, held her chest and took a few laboured breaths.

“Are you alright Miss Ayeka?” Jerren worriedly asked as he went to Ayekas’ side, putting his hand on her shoulder to steady her balance.

“Yes, yes I am fine!” Ayeka said with a stern tone as she brushed Jerrens’ arm off her shoulder. “I (huff) just need (huff) somewhere to rest right now (huff)!”

“Well we have been walking for a while now,” replied Jerren “so I’ll look for a spot for us to get some rest.”

Looking around, Jerren saw a gnarled tree overhanging a small pond.

“How about over there?” Jerren said, pointing towards it. “It will provide enough shade for all of us.”

Ayeka nodded wearily and walked towards the tree, going past it to the pond and taking her shoes off. Slowly the princess lowered her feet into the pond and looked towards the sky.

“That feels so much better!” Ayeka made a contented sound and sighed in relief.

“What, you don’t want to rest in the shade?” Jerren remarked.

“I will rest under the tree in a moment,” replied Ayeka. “Right now I must rest my feet!”

“Well, alright! If you’re doing that, I’ll just sit over here and get some rest!” Jerren said as he moved under the shade of the tree finding a comfortable spot and nestling into it.

“We’ll rest for about ten minutes!” said Jerren getting comfy under the tree.

Azaka and Kamidake silently moved into protective positions on either side of their Princess.

Jerrens’ eyes grew heavier and he quickly drifted into a light doze, the weariness of the long walk taking its’ toll.

Princess Ayeka lay back on the soft bank and stared upwards, failing to notice the steadily increasing bubbles moving from the centre of the pond.

Slowly a giant robotic head rose from the water and locked its’ sensors on the unwary people.

Lurching from the depths, the head rose from the pond towards the princess.

Princess Ayeka, startled from her reverie, jumped to her feet with a gasp of shock as Azaka and Kamidake fired at it with their lasers.

More rapidly than the eye could follow the robot shot Azaka and Kamidake throwing them to the ground.

Ayeka turned with worry towards her guardians and in that moment the robotic head enveloped the Princess in a force field.

Rising completely from the pond the disembodied robot head blasted its’ thrusters and zoomed into the sky, taking the captured Princess with it.

Jerren was awakened by a piercing scream as Ayeka was dragged into the sky.

Jumping to his feet, he surveyed the area and noticed Azaka and Kamidake each stunned, with smoke rising from a hole in their chests.

Jerren ran to Azaka.

“Where’s the Princess?” shouted Jerren. “She’s missing and I heard a scream!”

Azaka made repetitive bleeping noises and a second later shut down.

Jerren looked towards Kamidake but saw that the other guardian was in the same situation as its companion.

“This is horrible!” Jerren said a tinge of worry creeping into his voice “The princess is gone and I have no one to help me because these block heads are out commission!”

“Ah man! What do I do?”

Jerrens’ ears perked as a faint scream carried from within the nearby forest.

“She’s there!” Jerren said as he turned his attention to the forest, “Don’t worry princess I’m coming!”

Jerren charged towards the direction of the scream moving deeper and deeper into the dense foliage.

Reaching an open field deep in the forest, he saw the giant robotic head holding Ayeka in a glowing red force field.

“I found you!” Jerren said as he pointed at the robot. “So you’re the one who kidnapped the princess? Well whatever your plan is it stops here!”

Lasers fired from the robotic head towards Jerren but he managed to dodge them. Scrambling as more came his way. Jerren took out his sabre and activated it.

“Good thing Ayeka gave me this energy sabre to protect myself with! I’ll just use this to slice him to pieces.” The robot shot more laser beams at Jerren, but he wove through them and leaped into the air.

Slicing at its head, Jerren recoiled in shock as the beam of the sabre bounced off the robot fruitlessly.

A laser blast glaced against Jerren and he was sent hurtling to the ground.

“Jerren! No!” Ayeka shouted worried. “Get up! I command you!”

Jerren rose woozily to his feet, a small hole in his shirt where the robot had hit him. Bracing his stance, Jerren held his ground.

“Is that all you got Tin head?” Jeremey yelled showing no fear.

Suddenly a sword hilt slipped from Ayekas’ pocket and flew through the force field into Jerren’s hand and activated.

It was different from the regular energy sabre, glowing a bright blue instead of the common purple,and it and three red gems embedded in it.

“You can wield the sword that belonged to my brother Yosho?” Ayeka said surprised and shocked at the unexpected turn of events.

“But how? You are not of royal blood?”

“What is this thing?” he said looking at it in astonishment, “Its different from the other one.”

“It is the master key sword!” Ayeka answered. ”It is the most powerful weapon on planet Jurai. Only a family member of Jurai royal blood can wield it. But how can you wield it?”

“I have no idea,” replied Jerren. “I’m human not Jurai royalty. But if it’s stronger than the other one I used, then this robot is done!”

The robot shot more lasers but the sword deflected them effortlessly.

“Whoa! Jerren said in amazement, “It deflected those lasers like they were nothing.”

The robot flew at him shooting missiles, but the master key sword acting on its own

used a force field to protect Jerren and block them.

“It has force fields too! Awesome!” said Jerren. “This thing is amazing!” Jerren then leaped towards the charging robot and sliced the robot in two. The two halves exploded harmlessly to either side of him.

Ayeka freed from her energy prison fell lightly to the ground, dusting her dress she walked toward Jerren to commend him.

“Well human;” Ayeka said as she patted Jerren on his head, “You amazed me today, I can see there is a lot more to you than meets the eye! I was trying to use my strength to break out of that force field, but I can see it was specially designed to hold me in some way.”

“Question is though, who sent that thing to trap you?” Jerren said as he scratched his head, “It just came out of nowhere!”

“I do not know!” replied Ayeka. “But now you are not just a slave any more, but my body guard!”

“A bodyguard?” replied Jerren, “well I don’t know what to say.”

“I have some bad news to report miss Ayeka,” Jerren said firmly. “Azaka and Kamadakie are dead! The robot thing that kidnapped you shot them, and they disintegrated!”

“So they were destroyed then, hmm?”Ayeka asked in a distracted voice, “Well, no matter, I will just summon them again!”

“Wait….WHAT?” Jerren exclaimed, “But how?”

“Azaka! Kamadakie…” Ayeka commanded the air, “I summon you both!” Azaka and Kamadakie appeared in a shimmer of movement, no worse for wear, startling Jerren.

“T….They’re back….” Jerren gasped, “and all the damage is completely gone!”

“All right, let us now continue our journey!” said Ayeka walking towards the edge of the clearing, “Remember we are on a tight schedule and we cannot afford to arrive late to our destination.”

“How did…?” Jerren said to the Princesses back.

Shaking his curiosity aside he followed after the Princess.

With no more interruptions, the group made their way back to the road and made good time. Cresting a hill on the path, the enormous transportation centre appeared sprawling out before them like a bustling metropolis

“This place is HUGE!” Jerren pronounced in amazement.

“Humans….”Ayeka commented, with a face palm, “You are so easily impressed!”

The centre was a hub of space ships, all sizes and types, coming in and out of bays, buzzing the towers, generally swarming the airspace around the terminal where they were inspected by a multitude of Jurain guards, combing every passing ship with practiced eyes and high tech scanning equipment. Ayeka and Jerren made their way to the nearest portal and quickly entered inside where ships were docking, only to be confronted by a Jurain guard.

“My Princess!” the guard said recognizing Ayeka, bending to one knee and bowing his head in respect, “Your ship is ready to depart!”

“You may rise!” Ayeka commanded the man, lifting her hand with authority, “Thank you….you have done well in the performance of your duties!” The guard nodded and led them into an interior dock where a large Jurain royal cruiser sat with an imperial air.

“These ships….” Jerren gasped once more, “They’re amazing! They’re bigger than the ships I saw flying in the air when I first arrived here.”

“I can see this also amazes you!” scoffed Ayeka, “What is it with you humans and your fascination with large things?”

Without waiting for an answer the Princess swept away, Jerren scrambled to follow her as the guard then led them to Ayeka’s ship. The ship was mixture of wood and metal, the size of a small building.

“Now this thing takes the whole cake!” said Jerren. “THIS THING IS A JUGGERNAUT!”

“You mean Ryo-Oh, my ship?” replied Ayeka smiling fondly, “Indeed, it is a rather large ship is it not? Well you will be truly impressed by what the interior has to offer then.”

Jerren and Ayeka walked inside and the huge airlock slithered closed behind them as if a great many branches had sprouted from the sides of the ship and grown over the space that had once been there, closing the ship to the outside. The reason for this unusual method of action became quickly apparent as they moved deeper into the ship, revealing a living forest. Every hatch and space was filled by the living wood of the Jurian royal tree, giving Jerren the strange feeling he was inside a living tree house. One that seemed far more massive inside than the exterior had conveyed.

Silently Azake and Kamadakie withdrew, blending seamlessly into the ship.

“This ship….” Jerren whispered, surprised, “It’s like a jungle in here!”

The ground had vegetation and grass stretching from one end to the other while the flora eclipsed what seemed to be the sky. The full moon shone its light on crystal clear rivers while animals at once as familiar as rabbits and frogs, revealed their otherworldly origins with movements and sounds completely alien to the human, frolicking amongst the foliage.

“Is this a hologram or is it real?” Jerren tentatively asked, craning his neck to see more of the ship, “It looks so real.”

“Oh, it is genuine!” replied Ayeka, “It is indeed, extremely real!”

“How in the world did you fit all of this in a ship?”

“Easily….” answered Ayeka, “By warping the space into another dimension and settling it here. The mathematics are quite complex and would probably bore you, so suffice to say this ship is larger on the inside than the outside.”

“Amazing….!” he said, gazing at the scenery.

The ship rose majestically from the ground, gliding smoothly through an open hatchway emerging outside the terminal. In a blur, the ship seemed to disappear, and suddenly they were in space.

“So, when are we going?” queried Jerren. An image appeared before them and he saw a hazy green planet surrounded by a purple aurora with several regal moons orbiting around it receding quickly in the distance.

“Leaving? We have already left….!” Ayeka said with a little smile. “We shall reach Galactic Police Headquarters in a matter of hours!”

“So, that was Jurai?” said Jerren sitting in a seat that had formed from the living environment of the ship, “It’s so beautiful….!”

“I know!” replied Ayeka, “Jurai….my home, the pride of the Empire……”

Meanwhile, in the outer reaches of Jurian space, a silver plated ship was rotating in an elliptical orbit in the gravity of a massive blue star. Inside the ship, a man was playing an organ of great complexity in a macabre melody of chaotic and discordant notes when the computer screen off to his side gave a small sound and lit up.

“Master?” said the screen, “The drone you sent to capture Princess Ayeka has not reported back.” The music halted.

“Was it destroyed?” the man asked calmly.

“Preliminary scans indicate it was, Master! We can perform a more comprehensive scan to verify….” the screen reported solemnly.

“Don’t bother!” cut in the man, “There is only one event that could warrant the Princesses direct attention. When she arrives, I will strike! The secrets of the royal family WILL be mine!”

The man started to play once again….

to be continued….