OK, OK, OK. I have a list of crap I need to rattle off before we start, k? I'm a long winded bastard and everyone loves lists. 1.Tenchi and all his affiliated characters aren't mine. We all know who I'm talking about and if you don't, then I recommend u don't read this. They belong to whom ever owns them (I think it's Pioneer and AIC.) Now go out and buy one of the series on either DVD or VHS so they wont sue me. Every one else is of my creation. So they're MINE! MINE! ALL MINE! NOT YOURS `CAUSE THEY'RE MINE!! 2. Yes, I'm a white guy, so by nature I don't speak more than one language fluently, and that happens to be English. So I'm not going to add the -sama and -san suffixes...can you deal with that? 3. This is part one of a whole lot in a series, AND this episode is a Dark fic. Don't know what they are? Let me explain. Dark fics are fan fics with dark undertones, meaning, more than likely the innocent die rather gruesomely. No one is safe from the wrath of the author (namely me). It's a weird, violent, and very unhealthy power trip and we LOVE it. 4.Feedback is great, flames are not. (hint, hint). If you have any (good, useful) feedback then I'd love to hear it. If you wanna flame me and provide no good reasoning then I'll just have to laugh at your patheticness and trash your evil mail. How do you feel about THAT?! (Author begins evil laugh) 5. One last thing, in the future, (not this episode) my fic will have some rather limey undertones. That means it may contain some adult themes. It also has violence, gore, adult language, bad acting, a poor scripting, underage nudity, and a `near-beasty' moment. ~Enjoy! Tragedy of the Dark Phoenix By The Dark Phoenix Eps.1 & Prologue - The Onset of Night The wicked man is in torment all his days, and limited years are in store for the tyrant; The sound of terrors is in his ears; when all is prosperous, the spoiler comes upon him. He despairs of escaping the darkness, and looks ever for the sword; a wanderer, food for the vultures, he knows his destruction is imminent. ~The Book of Job Fool! How can you be in two places at once?! ~Ghen the Wise I dunno, Thas' a good question. ~Lewt the not-so-wise A faint howl drifted over the forest and into Sasami's ears. She tripped and fell face first into the forest loam with a painful cry. Her breath was shallow and labored and her heart was beating in her ears. Her legs felt wobbly and unsure and her head felt like it was in a clamp. She clawed at the soft loam for a moment before collapsing back down. She felt so sore, so tired. She could feel the damp earth through her layers of clothes. She rolled on to her side and looked down the length of her dress. Her pretty dress was caked in mud and dead leaves. Sasami struggled to her knees and tried to scrape some of the mess off of her but to no avail. A corner of her apron, she was still wearing, looked like it was semi clean, so she took it and used it to clean off her face. As it came away she saw there wasn't only mud on her face. When she tripped, she hit a jutting root coming out from the ground. She gingerly reached up to her forehead and touched the long cut running across it. She'd cut her head and she didn't even notice it. As her head began to throb she let a fresh bout of tears come forth. She sat back on her legs in a kneeling position and tried to wipe the oncoming tears with her sleeves, but all that she did was dirty up her face even more. This seemed to bring on even more tears and even more wiping. She shook her throbbing head tried to once again wipe the grime off of her. A howl raked across the night sky once again. She shot her head in the direction of the sound. There was a look of fear etched onto her face. It was those horrible creatures. They were howling for her. She scrambled to her feet and began to run again. She feared the worst for Tenchi and Ryoko. They had stayed behind to fight, and their sounds of battle were heard rolling across the landscape along with the shrieking of those creatures. Tenchi's and Ryoko's screams stopped along while back, the creatures hadn't. She ran haphazardly through the forest tripping over roots, and hitting her head on low hanging boughs. Had this forest suddenly become thicker? She could hear the beasts getting closer. Their cries were getting louder. She turned her head behind her to the direction of the creatures. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw what was behind her. She could see them. They were coming through the forest. They were thin silhouettes making their way closer to her. Her legs began to pump up and down faster as she tried to gain ground. She turned back around just in time to see the tree bearing down upon her. She was helpless to stop and collided. She hit with an audible *UMPH* and collapsed to the ground. She lay there stunned for a moment, black flowers blooming across her vision and stars bursting inside her head. She brought her hands to her face and let out a moan as she tried to roll over. She was dimly aware that the monsters were to be sure to be upon her in any second. She rubbed her eyes and clawed at the ground trying to climb to her feet. All of a sudden an arm came down on her grabbing her shoulder. She let out a scream and tried to flip her self over, but the arm held her fast. She saw another one descend out of the corner of her eye and let out another shriek and began to thrash and struggle. She felt her self being lifted up and being turned. She clamped her eyes shut and began to lash out at her assailant. She didn't hear the voice coming from it until she was slapped across the face. Her shrieks and screams stopped at once and she opened her eyes in shock. There was a young man, of about 17 or 18 holding her up staring intently at her with a worried look in his eyes. "What's wrong? What's going on?!" he asked her. She didn't really answer. She stared at him a moment, in obvious shock of his sudden appearance, before letting out a strangled sob and grabbing at the young man, holding him close. He held her back and let her cry on his shoulder as he patted her on the back and tried to re-assure her. "Shhh, don't worry now, don't worry. I'm back. It'll be ok. Alright? It's all going to be ok." She didn't answer. She only cried onto his shoulder and clutched him close. He fell quiet and they stayed like that for only a moment. A monster let out a howl into the night and snapped Sasami out of her reverie. She looked up to her savior. "Quick, we need to go! They're coming now!" The young man gave her a quizzical look. "Huh? Who's coming?" Sasami gave a quick look over her shoulder before answering. "It doesn't matter. THEY'RE coming! We need to go now!" "B-but why-" She cut him off again by jumping to the ground and began to pull and tug on his hand. "NOW! We need to run now! Please!" He let her lead him a few feet before he pulled her close and lifted her up. He held her to him and she clutched him tightly. "All right, where to?" She pointed in the opposite direction of the Masaki house. "There. HURRY!" And with out another word he took off running. Sasami saw the world rush past as the man, carrying her as if she was no heavier than a small sack of rice, rushed on. She heard the beasts howl again, only this time they were further away. What had happened to them? Where had they gone? Was it only a moment ago that she could see them coming through the forest after her? They ran on for what seemed like hours, but it was only about thirty minutes. She listened to the howls and roars of the beasts fade until they disappeared. All the while she was sobbing out what had happened. How these creatures exploded out from Washu's lab. How nothing they did seemed to any effect on the creatures. How they'd killed her sister and near everyone else. How Ryoko and Tenchi stayed back and gave her time to run off into the forest. How she ran on almost blindly in the forest and how the sounds of Ryoko and Tenchi came to a stop, and the constant scream of the beasts still continued. The man slowed when they came to a river. He stopped and put Sasami down. At first she didn't want to let go. She gripped him tightly shivered as the very real and very painful shock of what happened began to set in. The man sat down on the ground and managed to convince Sasami to let go, that it was safe now. She slowly came off him and collapsed to the ground, still sobbing softly. He walked over to the river and bent down to take a drink. He cupped his hands and splashed water into his face before standing back up. He was wearing a long, dark, trench coat that made him blend into the dark forest, Sasami had to look hard to see him. He moved like a snake through the darkness. It was like he was gliding from one place to another. She watched as he glided over to her and leaned back up against a tree. "Jake?" she asked. "Hmm?" She crawled closer and leaned up close to him. "What were those...those things, back there?" she asked. Jake shook his head. "I don't know, they looked totally new to me." "You saw them?" she said looking up into his face. He shifted uncomfortably above her. "D'ummmm, uhh, yeah. They were hard to miss once we got going..." "Oh." She said shuddering again. She snuggled up closer to him, looking for his warmth and his safety. Despite what had happened, she realized she was getting tired. It was becoming harder and harder to keep her eyes open. Had her run really drained her THAT bad? She shook her head and looked up to Jake. "What will happen now? What'll happen if they find us?" He smiled and sat down. He lifted her up onto his lap and she lay back against his chest, hearing his soft heartbeat through his clothes. "Don't worry about those monsters. If they come back, I'll take care of them." Sasami couldn't help her eyes now. They felt like lead weights. She snuggled closer against him and let her eyes droop. For the first time that night, she began to feel totally safe, totally at ease. She didn't realize she'd begun to forget about her sister, and about Tenchi, or about Ryoko and everyone else. All the events of the night seemed to slip away as she lay against Jake's warm broad chest, feeling his heart beat underneath her, feeling the world slip into the dreamy like state of half-sleep. Jake put his arm up and held her close to him, wrapping his arm around her small waist, and brining a hand up, stroking her hair, which had finally fallen free of their ties and now hung loosely down her back. Sasami lie there and let her eyes open a crack. She could see the stars through the branches of the tree they were sitting under. She smiled as she let her gaze shift from between the branchy boughs of the tree and the soft shine of the stars. "...Yes that's right. I'll take care of those monsters. They won't hurt you any more. No one will hurt you any more." Jake cooed softly into her ear. Sasami let her eyes slip to a close once again. This time, just as her eyes closed, they came upon the tree trunk itself. Her eyes snapped back open and she focused on the trunk... "...No one will hurt you, not anymore." What the...Her eyes sharpened as her vision cleared. There was a mark on the trunk. "...no, the world will leave you alone." Jake's voice began to change. It became less comforting to Sasami. She lay there against him staring at that mark. It was a T, and an A cut underneath it. The realization of what she was staring at hit her like a thunderbolt. It was the same tree Tenchi carved almost three years ago. It was only a few dozen feet into the forest. She turned her head to the river and immediately recognized it. It was the one that ran close to the house. It was the same one that they, not two days ago, had a picnic by. It was the exact same river that- "No. You won't hurt any more, never again." Jake's voice came out in a low tone, more deep, more menacing. Sasami turned to behind Jake and the tree as saw the house. It was peeking over the treetops. The windows were still illuminated. She could see them shining just through the tops of the trees. What were they doing back here? What's going on? Sasami felt Jake's grip on her begin to tighten. "Jake, what's going on?" She began to feel that old fear bubble up from where it had lain before, just a terrible and malevolent as ever. "Jake?" His voice had changed. It was no longer warm and reassuring. It was cold now and it scared her. What was happening?! Jake's grip was getting tight around her. "Jake?! What are you doing?" Instead of answering, he only let out a small chuckle. "Hee, hee. Stupid girl. Stupid, stupid girl." Sasami began to struggle. "Jake! Jake, what are you doing? Jake, stop it. You're hurting me! Please! Stop it!" But he didn't stop. He held her to him fast and she began to kick and scream. "JAKE! Stop it! Please! Stop! HELP! Some body Help me!" This prompted Jake to chuckle some more. He talked to her in a sing-song voice. "Who's going to answer you? Hee, hee, hee!" Sasami began to cry again as she struggled violently. She began to scream again. She felt Jake move under her. He pulled a cord around her mouth and tied it tightly using one hand, muffling her screams. "There we go now, isn't silence beautiful? I think it is, how about you?" He cooed into her ear. She could only moan back. "That's good. Now what do you think little girl? Do you want to die tonight?" Sasami's eyes were full of tears as she shook her head. "No? And why not? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of blades?" he asked pulling a long sharp knife out from underneath him. He brought it close to her and her eyes widened as she began to thrash again. Jake only smiled and stuck the knife into the ground. He reached behind himself with his free hand and pulled out a long glass tube filled with a liquid of some sorts. Sasami whined through her gag. It was a very large syringe. Jake played with the syringe in front of her face. "Heh, you like this? I like this. This is one of my favorite parts. Do you know what this does? It makes the world seem a lot more real. It makes YOU more complacent. Heh heh, it also hurts like hell! Hee, Hee!" He chuckled before placing the tip right on her chest, above her sternum. Sasami began to let out a muffled series of no's, but Jake paid her no heed. With a joyful cackle he brought the syringe up into the air and thrust it downwards, right into her chest, piercing right into her heart. She let out a scream from around her gag as she felt her own heart seize up. It felt like he'd thrust a red-hot lance into her body. She cried out as Jake squeezed the tip and squirted the liquid into her body. Immediately the chemical shocked her heart back into its usual rhythm. She began to convulse as the liquid began to spread through her system. Her eyes widened and seemed to bulge as her body began to rock and shake. Jake loosened his grip a little and let her body react to the chemical. He let go of her gag and it came loose and fell to the ground. Sasami began to cry out. She could feel every muscle in her body begin to spasm and ache. Her back bowed and arched as she convulsed. She tried to scream, but found she had no control over any part of her body. Her back began to snapand writhe back and forth, the shocks getting stronger and stronger. Her entire body shuddered and shook like if she was in an epileptic seizure. Suddenly she felt a snap in her back and a mind numbing pain shot up her body. She could hear her self crying out in short breathless little bursts. Tears flowed openly down her face. Jake had let go completely now and pulled the syringe savagely from her body. It took her a full two minutes for the seizures and the shock to go away. When she finally began calm she realized two things. Every one of her movements was sluggish and heavy. It was like someone had strapped lead rings around all of her limbs and muscles. The second thing she noticed was that she couldn't feel any thing below her belly. It was totally numb, like all that flesh below it was simply deadweight pulling her body down. She'd snapped her spine clear in two during the convulsions. She moaned painfully and tried to pull her body away. Her tears had dried up. She found she had simply run out. There were no more tears to cry. The terror had dried them out. Jake watched her as she crawled about helplessly, much like a fly would crawl if all but two of its legs and its wings were plucked off and discarded. He grinned. This was just how he wanted it. She rolled over and saw him walking toward her. Raw panic began to set in. She realized how utterly helpless she was. Her legs were gone. Her back was broken, her limbs were heavy and numb, and every part of her body (that she could feel) was sore and aching. She let out a small cry and began to try and crawl away. Jake watched her for a moment before taking two big strides and stomping down on her back, pinning her to the ground. She let out a small cry and lay still. The exertion was becoming too much for her, she simply lay there, breathing hard, totally at the mercy of her captor. Jake bent over and grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back. He knelt down and flipped her onto her back, and dragged her over to the tree. Sasami tried to cry out to him, but it was no use. Her tongue was numb. She couldn't formulate words. All she could barely do was cry out helplessly. Jake laughed at her attempts. "What was that? I couldn't quite understand you there." He sat down at the foot of the tree and pulled her numb body on top of his so that she was facing up. He could feel Sasami trying to move on top of him. He heard her whimpers and her cries and he smiled. He was going to do his most favorite thing in the whole world. He snuggled back up against the tree and held Sasami's body close. "Now, now little girl," he said in a soft voice, "Are you ready for the next step?" Sasami moaned piteously and tried to struggle, but her limbs felt way too heavy. "Heh heh, I'm glad." Jake reached behind himself and pulled out something wrapped in a brown dirty looking cloth. "Do you have any idea what I've injected into your body?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "It was a stimulant. It'll keep you from going into shock so you'll see every last thing I do to your fragile little body." He pulled the cloth away and revealed a wickedly curved blade. It was dull looking, but had ridges and the tip seemed to be very sharp. "Isn't this a pretty little thing." He said after hearing Sasami whimper. "It's used to separate the head from the body. Isn't it nice." He held it close to Sasami's face and let the tip trace a trail down her forehead to her neck. As he did so, he continued to talk. "I've been told that in your culture, having one's head removed is very, very bad. You loose all your honor and pride being decapitated." The blade never pierced the skin once. He pulled it away and stuck it point first into the ground. He felt Sasami let out a strangled sigh of relief above him. "So I think that that'll be the best way to deal with you." She stiffened again. "You see, that blade isn't very sharp. I'm afraid that it has trouble piercing the skin, so that's why I brought this." He pulled the knife he had stuck into the ground out. He brought it up to Sasami's neck. He could feel her heart beat increase. She began to whimper and moan and the tears began to fall again. Some how she'd found a reserve of some sort and the fresh sorrow poured forth. Jake chuckled and began to cut. Sasami let out a cry as she felt the blade slice along her throat. Fresh warm blood began to leak out as he dragged his knife along from one ear to the other. The wound wasn't very deep. Not deep enough to do any damage. It was only superficial. He pulled his knife away and looked at Sasami's face. Her eyes were half closed in a wince as tears fell from them. Her mouth was hanging half open as she tried to call out and a drop of spittle was rolling down her cheek. The blood from her neck wound was dribbling down onto her dress, staining the fabric a deep crimson red. In Sasami's mind some perverse voice called out to her- "Great, the stain is going to be nearly impossible to get out!" Despite what was happening to her, she began to wonder what was wrong with her. Was she really loosing her mind? Was this all some weird sick dream? When was she going to wake up? Jake saw her expression change a bit. What was she thinking? He ran his finger along her cheek and saw her expression stay the same. Was he loosing her? He decided to hurry up and get to the grand finale. He picked up the curved blade and brought it up to her neck. He let it sit in the shallow grove the other knife had created and pressed down a bit. Her eyes widened with sock and she began to gurgle and cry out helplessly. She began to pull away at his arm with her hands, but only very weakly. Jake was surprised. The liquid fire he'd injected didn't seem to be doing a very good job of numbing her body. "Well now, let's start the show." She whined one last time on top of him. She began to tug on his arm again but this time he didn't even feel it. He paused and let the moment drag itself out. After a second he began to saw away, a huge grin splayed across his face. Sasami let out a shrill scream as the dulled blade began to bite and chew into the tender flesh of her neck. Blood began to dribble at first when he sliced, but then it really began to flow. Her scream wavered and then cut as he sliced through her esophagus and then through her voice box, severing her wind tunnel. Her hands were brought up trying to hold the blade back, but to no avail. Her head began to roll free as the dull cutting edge sliced her neck like a man would a tough piece of meat. Blood was spraying everywhere painting the forest crimson. Jake finally reached her spinal cord and began to meet some real resistance. He held his breath as he put more muscle into his thrusts and began to slice away at the bone and the precious nerve tissue. He grabbed a handful of hair near the roots and began to pull and tug as he cut. When he finally detached her head from her body, he did so with a sigh of mixed elation and pleasure. He smiled as he brought her face, now frozen in a look of mixed pain and horror, close to his. "I know you can still hear me." He chimed. "It takes almost three minutes before your brain cells die. Did you know that? Your mind can't go into shock. You're going to watch every thing until the moment you fade away." He set the head a few feet away facing him and the body and set about to his work. Unknown to him, what was left going on in Sasami's head couldn't care less about the outside world. The chemical injected into her body held true and prevented her mind from going into shock and if she was hooked up to a meter, it would show that yes, there was still active thinking going on and that she was still conscious. But right now, her mind was somewhere else. The pain and shock of having her own head removed changed her dying mind. Any traces of sanity she had was now gone. Her mind isolated itself away from nearly all stimuli. Her brain had been over stimulated and now it was trying to compensate. Pain and all feeling had been blocked out. Sight was fading, but not all the way gone. Smell lost all significance. Taste was the only feeling really left. The coppery taste of her own blood and fear were all that was left. Sasami lost her identity. She was simply `there'. Her mind simplified in order to try and repair the stimuli damage that had been done. She only knew a few things now. Black flowers bloomed once again across her vision and she felt she needed to take a deep breath, but the pain and pressure that was supposed to come from her lungs was not there. In stead there was a felling of pressure welling up and it began to scare her. Memories she could not identify began to surface. Her brain, now starved of oxygen, was reacting by itself. She could see faces and places that seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't seem to grasp them. She was slipping. Pictures and places swam around in the drying lake of her mind. She began to feel happy now. If she could smile she would've. She could tell these people should make her happy. Conscious thought had left her, but she still saw the images playing, as clear and as crisp as if it was in real life. A picture of a woman had surfaced and her emotions changed a bit. She was rather tall compared to her and had long flowing blue hair. She smiled and Sasami felt a feeling of longing come over her. She wanted to hold and be held by this person, she didn't know or care why, it was just a feeling. She tried to attach a name to this person but couldn't. Her mind had simplified now to the point where names had escaped her and held very little significance. In her mind she saw her self running to that person and embracing her. Feelings and emotions she couldn't identify came to her in a rush. She like these feelings. Everything began to get simpler and simpler as her mind died. All other feelings began to fade and go numb as she held this woman. She began to feel a warmth flow over her and the sensation that she liked came back stronger than ever. Her simplified mind was still trying to associate a name, an identity to this woman, but she was still coming up blank. The black flowers that bloomed across her vision faded and then was gone. All of her sensations had left her. The world as she perceived it in her mind became simpler, and simpler, until there were only three things left in her mind. Sasami embracing that woman, the feeling of happiness she had for her, and a name she had finally come to realize, Mother... Jake would've had a fit. If he had not injected that chemical into her body, Sasami would've gone into shock a scared and terrified little girl, knowing only pain and hatred and died that way. But because he had let the mind survive and still act itself out, Sasami he had defeated his whole purpose. When the mind Sasami Masaki Jurai finally died, she died warm, loving, and happy. Jake stood up and let the kinks out of his back. He'd been resting on a root that had been jutting out from the ground and it had put a knot in his back. He twisted himself around once or twice and heard his back crack and snap in response. He wiped some dried blood off his arm and it came off in flakes, leaving behind no stain. He rubbed his eye and watched as the fresh morning sunlight streamed down on the gruesome scene of death. There were body organs and blood everywhere. He'd cut Sasami open and gutted her clean out like he would a fish, and arranged them around the clearing. Her empty corpse hung from a tree by one leg and was already swarming with flies and insects. He held a small band in his hand. Sasami had been wearing this on her arm when he killed her. It was an ornate tracking device. This would help later on after he left. He let it fall to the ground. A small creature descended from the sky. It looked like a little squid with wings. It was gray and about the size of a small dog. Jake watched it descend and level it self with his head. It spoke to him in a series of small squawks and jitters, and vibrated when it did so. It was a messenger demon. "Gi gattak jouruai, hacta shisi norbrrouanai. Gat gate nah?" Jake seemed to understand and nodded. "Yeah this is her, a sweet little thing. It was almost a shame when I cut her head from her body. She writhed and struggled do innocently." The creature seemed to blink its large, dark eyes. "Ganna ne Je Uria. Kastk ga ne?" "Heh, yes. How do you like it? It IS rather uncanny. This what the real Jake looks like." "Hanada, usaguya gorom chit nesagante?" "It's a simple spell, that's all." The "fake" Jake turned and watched the sky. The sun had risen, and there were clouds were scuttling across the horizon and beginning to turn color as the sun rose higher into the sky. "Tell Legion I have a few more things to take care of over on this end. I'll head back after I've set up a few more surprises for Jake to return to. Is Spectre in place?" The flying squid flashed some colors across its skin before giving a low squawk. Jake nodded once. "Good. Then every thing is ready. I'll see you in a few days." The squid flashed a few more colors before taking off back into the sky. Jake watched it go before turning back to the carnage. The smell, the fresh stink, of human flesh out and open to the elements was thick in the air. He took a deep breath and turned to leave. He'd done his job. When the real one arrives back, this would be a lovely surprise for him. He felt pretty good. He picked up his blades from the ground and wiped them clean on a patch of grass. Walking over to the tree he carved a cross over the T&A that had been there before and put a slash through the entire thing. When the real one came back, he wanted to leave no doubt in his mind who had done this. He tucked them away and started to head back into the forest. A sniffling and a snort caught his attention as he was leaving. He turned and saw one of the beasts he had deployed last night trotting boldly into the clearing. It stopped when it saw the mess and the hanging body. It could tell this was the same person it'd been hunting all last night. He'd nearly caught her too, but at the last moment she'd disappeared and, to his surprise, he'd collided with a tree. He looked over and saw Jake standing on the other side of the clearing. He let out a howl. He could smell the girl all over him. He'd been the one who'd cheated him of his kill. With a roar of rage the beast charged right at Jake. He didn't move until the last moment, and with a sweep of his hand cleaved the beast in two. It let out a dismayed cry as it barreled past in two pieces and collapsed, twitching. Jake let out a small smirk holding a large sword in his hand. It was a brilliant white color and seemed to glow under the sun light. "I gave you life and I just as easily gave you death." He looked up and saw a small red star in the morning sky that wasn't there before. Must be the Yagami. "I'm going to have to take care of those two as well." He turned to walk away and stopped in half step. "Almost forgot." he mumbled stepping over to Sasami's fallen head. He tapped it lightly with his foot and let it roll a bit. Kneeling down he turned the head to his direction and spoke to the dead skull. "Life's a bitch, eh? I kill you and I'll get to go on and live to see another 'exciting' day. What do you think about that?" he looked as if he was really expecting an answer for a moment. He placed the head down and put his boot on top of it. "Adieu." He smashed the skull as if it were nothing more than a ripe cantaloupe, and bone and brain fragments flew everywhere. He kicked the pile of useless tissue once and turned to go away whistling to himself. This had turned out to be a very good day. The It-128 Khalis was the pride and joy of Intra-Tech War Industries. It was designed to cross the boundaries between the dimensions to cross from one set of universes to another, and provide transport, fire, or bomber support. At 30 ft. long, the fighter/bomber was the technological peak of the Intra-Tech war fighter series. The chiseled shape of cockpit allowed it to cut through space and with ease and the body was a rectangular shape, more flat than thick. She had two wings that shot downwards and away from the main body at a 45-degree angle. They abruptly ended and shot forward coming just out in front of the tip of the nose. Under them was an array of various bomb and missile payloads. Heavy laser cannon emplacements were placed on the main body and were independently run by the onboard computer. One IG-338 single plasma fusion reactor powered her. The power output could power the entire city of Los Angeles with ease. She needed that type of power to fuel her dual thrusters, her shields, her extensive weapon system, and I.D. cells. These cells gave all fighters, cruisers, carriers and other sorts of starcraft their ability to jump not only from point A to point B instantaneously, but to even leap across the void in-between the dimensions themselves. A given carrier equipped with I.D. cells could leap in- between dimensions with relative ease to calm uprisings or give fighter support where needed. The Khalis itself was equipped with multi-layered shields for added protection and maneuverability. The Khalis could maneuver its shields to act as a wing or even to cut a shape into space that would be more advantageous to the pilots maneuvering. That was why Jacob Matthias Duplex always felt a certain rush every time he entered her and started up her main reactor. It was like a natural high for him. Like a feeling of power that only he could harness was waiting only a few steps away begging to be tamed, to be controlled. It always gave him goosebumps. He was the high commander, a commander in chief on sorts, of the Intra-Tech armada and peace organization. He gave the orders and the others complied. He took orders from only the high counsel; they controlled ALL aspects of Intra- Tech. The organization was a mediator between the dimensions, and a bodyguard to service their inhabitants. If a dangerous variation in a prime chain of dimensions were ever detected by Geneva, the central intelligence system and the name of the main H.Q., a scout was sent out to investigate and if need be, protect the prime element of that dimension. In English that means if a dimension, a parallel world, were to ever pose a threat to other parallel worlds, a mediator would go into the `bad' world and try to correct what ever went wrong. They were an inter-dimensional policing organization dedicated to protecting the primary element of the dimensions. The primary element was the Keystone of that dimension. If the primary element were ever destroyed before its time, the entire dimension would collapse in apocalypse. Every thing described in Armageddon would come to pass, and the entire universe would cease to exist. The more beings there are, the greater chance the primary element could be destroyed. Any one could be a primary element, a dog, cat, bird, Dinosaur, human. When the element dies at it's time, a new one is conceived RIGHT at that moment. A dimension, for any given period of time, without its primary element was like a doorway with out a keystone, and will collapse. Jake was assigned to a particular dimension, and had been for a long while. He had grown to love that place and hoped to maybe spend some leave there. He was long over due for some company leave. He'd been on duty now for almost forty years. He was WAY overdue. He couldn't help but to chuckle as he landed his personal Khalis on the Masaki lawn, next to the lake. He opened the hatch and jumped down with an easy grace. He looked like an American who'd let his hair grow wild. It came all the way down to the ground right around his ankles. He tied it back near the base of his neck with a piece cloth much like a white ribbon, but instead of being tied to a bow, it was tied in a knot. He had long black streaks running through his auburn hair down to the ground. His eyes were blue and clear and his body was well built. He looked to be only 17 or 18 years of age, but in reality he was much, much older. He was closer to 17 or 18 thousand years of age. On an expedition in his younger days him and one other had been the only human to ever see a "Dark Star"; A star so collapsed it burned a new chemical in it's core and actually removed light waves from space and cast a dark 'nether glow'. The trip had been before the advent of decent jump drive systems so he spent years in cryogenic sleep, basked in the radiation of the sun before he awoke. When he did, he found another young girl of the some age onboard his ship with him. She was the survivor of a planet that had been torn by war and terror because of the star and had boarded the ship out of pure desperation. When he ended up taking her back with him, she too had been exposed to a great deal of the radiation. Its affects weren't obvious at first. Only when Jake was smashed by a loose container in the cargo hold of a transport were the effects made obvious. The radiation had extended their longevity exponentially and caused their cells to do a curious thing. They reconstructed themselves exactly as before when cut, sliced, burned, crushed, etc. They were impervious to viruses, other radiation spells, magic spells... the list goes on. Him and the girl had become `gods'. No one could harm them. They were invincible. He used his abilities to train himself and move up the ranks of Intra-Tech. It was kind of like cheating, `but hey', he would say with a smile, `The strongest survive'. He wore a dark blue uniform with black trimming and a long black trench coat. This, along with the very long hair, had always turned a few heads in the streets, but he loved the attention. He knew he was vain and full of himself, but he didn't care. He prided himself in being somewhat of an ass. He loved life and, it seemed, life had begun to love him again. "Computer?" he said, seemingly talking to no one in particular. [Yeah?] She responded inside his head. His computer was a super small microprocessor in the depths of his brain, spreading a network of microcables through out his body used to monitor and control different aspects of his body. She had a very feminine voice and a personality to boot. All Intra-Tech soldiers had one. They were the personal organizers of the entire organization. Shrinking technology had come far. Only the users could hear them buried deep within their heads. "Is it just me, or is it really funny that I think forty years of working on duty isn't anything big?" [What're you talking about?] He smiled. "Any normal person would think working a year straight with no vacations is a big, tiring, deal. I, on the other hand, find that working forty years non- stop is no problem. Don't you find that a little weird? I know I do. I've become a monster, some sort've freak-of-nature!!" he said with a laugh. [I think you're just happy to be home.] His computer said chuckling to her self. Jake stopped for a moment. `Home'? All this time he'd never thought of it as his `home' before. He let loose a smile again. Yeah, she was right. I guess this place has become my home. [You've been working here so long,] she continued, [that it's become more like everyday life rather than work.] Jake let a broad smile loose. "Yeahh!! I know. Only I can take work and turn it into a pleasure cruise. AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! I'm SUCH an avatar!" He continued to walk along towards the Masaki house with a huge foolish grin on his face. [I wouldn't say you are an AVATAR.] She said. Jake stopped. "Huh? What do you mean? I am too an avatar!" [No you aren't.] Jake became indignant. "Oh, and why not?" [Well for starters, an Avatar always wins, always has something witty to say, gets along with everyone else ALL the time except in situations where it would be humorous, they always have a plan B or they think quick and they never, NEVER have any faults] and then she added, [they're also ALWAYS handsome!] "WHAT?! I am too handsome!!" [Hah, don't make me laugh. You look like you're the very being that spawned the ugly tree that's used in all those jokes.] Jake began to turn a shade of red. "Oh Yeah?!" [Yeah!] His computer could be so cold, so heartless some times. "Well, I'll just ask someone who knows!" [Oh, like who?] Jake turned and faced towards the reader. "HEY AUTHOR!!" (Author's notes: Baka! You're not supposed to acknowledge me! I'm omnipotent!! What'd you want?!") "I'm an avatar Huh?" (Author's notes: Yeah, right now you are.) Jake's face lit up. "HA! See computer, I told you!!" [...] Jake let loose a cackle and began to walk towards the house again. He took two steps and stopped and turned back towards the reader. "Hey Author!" (Author's notes: WHAT!!??) "If I'm an avatar, where's the women?" (Author's notes: What?) "The women? Where are the women? If I'm an avatar, shouldn't I be swimming in women?" (Author's notes: ...) "Well?" (Author's notes: .If you don't stop bothering me and cutting into the story, I'm gonna give you 'women'.) "What?!" Jake's face lit up. "A Lemon?? This'll become a lemon??!!" (Author tries to respond but Jake bursts into a rapturous laugh) "YEAAHHHH!! All right!! I'm gonna finally get some!!" (Author's notes: ...) Jake's eyes go up into the traditional pervert look and he clasps his hands together. "AHAALL RIGHT!! Where are they??!! I can just imagine them now!!" The screen wavers and goes into a dream sequence. Jake is standing outside of the house and sees a door opening slowly. He walks over and finds Ryoko and Ayeka seductively smiling at him, wearing little and leaving even less to the imagination. "Hey there Jake." Ryoko coo'ed seductively at him. He walked over the traced her hand along his body. "How'd you like you and I going off for a little together time?" Ayeka walked over and tried to push Ryoko out of the way. "Nuh uh. He promised to take me on a pleasure cruise today!" "No. He's coming with me!" Jake, being the avatar her was, saw a fight brewing and put his hands on both of their shoulders. "Now, now ladies, there's plenty of me to go around. You both can share, right?" Ryoko and Ayeka smile at each other and each took one of his arms. "Alright." They chimed. And with that they all walked back into the house. The dream wavers and cuts back to the real world. (Author's notes: . . .You're sick.) Jake sniffed a nose that was beginning to bleed and came back into the real world himself. "Well huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? What do you say??" He was really excited now. (Author's notes: Well-) "YAAYYY!!! LEMON TIME!!!" and with that he rushed towards the house. He came around back and saw a door opening slowly. He paused with anticipation and waited for his dream to come true. It really was! It really wa- As the door came open, out stepped Washu and Sasami, both wearing little and leaving even less to the imagination. Jakes jaw dropped to the ground and a shocked expression crossed his face. (Author's notes: AAHAHAHAAAAA!!! Here's your lemon!!) Jake looked shocked for a moment longer but then quickly regained his composure and shrugged. "Oh, well," he said putting an arm around each girl. "Beggars can't be choosers." (Author's notes: !!!! ) Jake turned and began to walk inside. (Author's notes: No wait!!) The girl's disappeared and the door burst open again. "What..." Jake said. Out came Tenchi and his grand father Yosho dressed in G-Strings running joyfully towards him. Jake leaped back with a surprised yelp. "Are you crazy!?? A three way yaoi??!!" (Author's notes: Hmm, you're right.) The men disappear. The door opens again and Cabbit-form Ryo-Ohki steps lightly out wearing a two piece bikini that was slightly too large for her. Her shoulder strap was falling seductively off her shoulder. She smiled and gave Jake a slow, sensual meow. "AHHHHHGGGGGGGGGG!!!!! NOOOOOO!!! God almighty no!! Please!! Anything but THAT!! Anything!!" Jake collapsed to his knees and began sobbing uncontrollably. (Author's notes: You gonna behave now?") "*sob* ! *sob*!! O-okay, I'll be good. Please, j-just please don't." (Author's notes: ok then, be good.) The cabbit disappeared and the scene reverts back to Jake standing out side his ship once again. He looks around with a sigh of relief and collapses on to the ground shivering. Thank god. (Author's notes: Ok. Let's try that again. ACTION!!) Jake stepped away from his starcraft and began to head in the direction of the house letting out a small shudder from his near `beastie' moment. He couldn't help but fell a little sour. His glorious moment under the hentai sun had been cut short by a little brown animal. He was about to start grumbling when he heard a noise behind him. He turned to find Cabbit-form Ryo-Ohki looking seductively up at him from the grass. Jake's eyes bulged for a moment and he clamped his mouth shut. Turning he moved swiftly away from the spacecraft. (Authors Notes: Good boy...) The grass was tall and was difficult to walk through this time of year. He had to make a conscious effort to push himself through the ankle high ground cover. He looked around and felt a small feeling of nostalgia. This place had become so much to him. After nearly one hundred years of death and failure he'd finally found a place where he could sit back and enjoy life with good friends. He reached into a pouch on his waistband and pulled out a small object wrapped in cloth. He opened the cloth and revealed a small glass Pegasus. He examined it, searching for any flaws or cracks, letting the light it reflected play across his body; little rainbows and shards of pure white light colored his coat and reflected off his buttons. He smiled thinking of the look on Sasami's face when he'd give it to her. During the past few years, she'd come to love crystal animals, especially mythical beasts and characters out of legend. She had nearly twenty different objects, all crystal, she had collected and placed on display in the main room and this Pegasus was the one of the last pieces she was looking for. It was a piece of the Ambrose collection she had come to enjoy. This one had been particularly hard to find, there were only two hundred any where, and it was pure luck Jake had managed to stumble across it on the outer rim. He wrapped it back up in the soft cloth, satisfied it was fine, and placed it back into his belt. Maybe later... He was only about thirty feet from the house now. It seemed so quiet. He looked over to the garden Tenchi had out in the field and saw that it was empty. "Must've gone out." Jake mumbled. The winds began to shift the light breeze into his direction. It suddenly hit Jake HOW quiet it was. It was eerily silent. There were no birds, no crickets, no animals fighting, nothing. All the sounds of life had seemed to disappear. There were no sounds coming from the forest. There were no sounds coming from the field. It was as if life had been sucked out of the world and all that remained was Jake, standing alone in a field, his heart beating in his ears. He turned and looked around. Something was up. The previous avatar feeling faded. A sixth sense told him to run. This was wrong, all wrong, and he needed to get out of here now. He needed to escape this lifeless expanse. It was a little voice in his head, yelling and pleading for him escape. Leave all this behind and run. Run... The wind wasn't blowing in his direction at first. It played with his long hair, tossing it and twisting it, like a pair of ghostly hands. It turned and blew into his face. With the wind came a message. Jake's breath froze in his chest for a moment. He could smell blood in the air. It wasn't a small faint smell, a smell he would usually associate with small animals hunting in the woods. This smell wasn't animal. It was human. And it wasn't faint. He didn't need his heightened senses to tell him it was in the air. The very smell saturated the wind as it blew to him. It seemed to soak into his very pores, permeating his clothes. He broke into a sprint and bolted for the house. "No, No, No, No." he kept repeating under his breath. This was not happening again. It's not happening again. Not again, not again. This was not going to happen, it's going to be ok. `Just going to open the door and see Sasami, standing there in the kitchen cooking. It's just some bloody meat. It's just meat. That's all. Nothing else. Nothing else at all. Then why am I running? He came to the doorway. The smell was overpowering here. He stopped and paused as he put his hand on the handle of the door. Did he want to do this? There was still time, he could still turn back. He could still head back to his ship. He could leave. He could leave and go back to base. He could go back to his little bunk in side of his little quarters and he could sleep. He could still dream. Dream maybe of better days, or of good days yet to come. But not today, not now, not right now. The little voice was hysterical now. He could still go. Just get in his ship and leave, leave this all behind. But he knew he couldn't. He knew he could no more turn back and leave as to die from some thing as harmless as a paper cut. His heart was beating stronger than ever now. Beating in his temples, in his ears, and deep into his chest. He couldn't help his shaking hand. He took it away from the doorway and held it up to his face. He watched it shiver and shake. He tried to swallow, but it stuck. His throat was dry. What am I doing? What am I doing?! I'm stalling. I don't want to open it... I don't... I... His hand moved as if some one else were controlling it. He watched as it went back to the door handle and grip it. The door slid open easily and with out a sound. The little voice inside his head went silent as the portal slid open. A small gust of warm air hit Jake in the face and caused him to turn away for a moment. The smell nearly knocked him off of his feet. He turned back and opened his eyes. His hand fell lifelessly from the door handle to his side. Jake collapsed to his knees. He couldn't breathe, his breath was caught in his throat. But he didn't notice. He was kneeling in a pool of blood. But he didn't notice. Flies swarmed and collected in his hair and crawled over his clothes while searching for food on this new animal that had wandered in. But he didn't notice. He did notice the hooks, and the chains that hung from the ceiling. And he did notice the blood, all over the walls, pooling on the floor, still dripping, making little `plik.plik.plik' noises as they hit the wooden floor. He noticed all of that, but most of all, he noticed the bodies. Every one was there, no one had escaped the carnage of what ever happened. Ryoko, Ayeka, Kiyone, Nobuyuki, Tenchi, even old Yosho. Katsuhito had been no match for what had come through here. They were all on the hooks, hanging from the ceiling. They looked like meat strung out in a butcher's shop, carelessly hung up to let the blood drain. Their limbs where gone. They were pulled from the bodies and discarded somewhere else. Jake couldn't see them anywhere. Despite the terrible wounds that each corpse had sustained, it was the faces that really affected him. They were all frozen in a scream of some sort. The eyes (those that were still in their sockets) were all wide with terror. So were their mouths, every one's except for Ryoko's, Her lower jaw had been torn off. Most of the flesh that covered their faces had been ripped and torn off, and hung off their faces like torn rags. The flies had found the softer flesh of their bodies and were competing with each other to get at it. They were coming out their mouths and the empty eye sockets and any other orifice they could find, buzzing angrily. Crawling and creeping around their bodily cavities they- Jake couldn't watch any more. His legs found life and he scrambled on to them. He took off away from the house clutching his mouth and gagging. He only got about fifteen feet before he lost it. He fell back down to his knees and emptied the contents of his stomach on to the tall lawn. He stayed like that for more than five minutes, and he sincerely thought that he was going undo his stomach and bring that up as well. When the contractions finally calmed down, the tears came. They were hot, shameless and bitter. It had happened again. It was starting all over again. The deaths. Every one was dying again. As he knelt there, over a pile of his own vomit, crying out his eyes, a thought finally occurred to him. What happened to Sasami? He sat up tried to dry his eyes. What had happened to her? He couldn't remember seeing her. Had he? He climbed to his feet and wiped his mouth. He hadn't. Had he. He stumbled back to the house and looked inside again, this time only for a few seconds. He scanned as far as Ayeka's face before he pulled out. He groaned as his stomach began to twist and turn again. He fell back to his knees and began to gag again. But this time he couldn't help but feel a little better. He'd been wrong. Sasami had managed to escape what ever befallen the others. She was still alive out there. He leaned back and rested on his knees. He could still save her. He must save her. He'd just seen the death of his entire family. The one's who had taken care of him the past few years, the people he bled and fought for, an all for nothing they'd died for nothing. But he could still save Sasami. He could still save her and still have something to show for the past few years, someone to hold on to and remind him that he HADN'T been wasting his time. He was going to find her. [Jake...] "I'm a little busy right now computer." [But Jake.] "Not now!" [This is importa-] "What?!" he snapped. Rising to his feet. [I've found Sasami.] Jake nearly face faulted. "What?! Where?! Tell me!" [She's about 100 meters north of you, in the woods. She's still wearing that band you gave her.] Jake remembered that armband he'd given her as a birthday present when she turned five. It was after an incident where she had wandered off and nearly killed herself by walking into a launching pad for departing starcraft. The band had a little jewel embedded in it that acted like a beacon and gave Jake a pretty good idea where she was. Since they left Jurai, Jake had forgotten all about it. Now it came back to him as he ran. She was close, he could feel it. It was in his bones. All he had to do was find her and every thing would be alright. Every thing would work out in the end just a long as he found her. All he had to do was find her. All he had to do was see her. Just to hear her, just to hold her, just to see her. He come upon the clearing in mid dash; the beacon was still a whole fifteen meters away, and he ground to a stop. He'd found Sasami. Jake cast aside the shovel he'd used to fill the hole he'd dug. His face was covered with dirt except for two lines that ran down from his eyes to his chin that had been washed away of the grime. He knelt above the grave and stared. There was nothing else much he could do. There wasn't a glass or crystal coffin around for him to bury her in, he had to use a torn and dirty burlap sack. There weren't crowds of people weeping for her and crying out her name in sorrow. It was only Jake. There weren't any fancy ornamental tombstones decorating her grave, depicting her life and all of her achievements. There was nothing. Sasami Masaki Jurai was born a rich princess with a loving family with wealth and prestige, and a bodyguard who watched her and took care of her since her first few breaths of the clean Jurian air of the bedroom she was born into. Sasami Masaki Jurai died while being hunted like an animal, captured, poisoned, killed and then taken apart, and had been buried in a shallow hole in the ground, as many pieces of her that had been found, by the very same bodyguard that had brought her forth into the world. Jake knelt down and patted the freshly turned dirt. He didn't need stop his tears, they had simply run out. As he patted the dirt he felt the little glass Pegasus in his belt satchel. He untied the drawstrings and pulled the little animal out. The sunlight still caught and reflected of into a million little shards of color and light across Jake and the simple grave he had dug. "This was supposed to make you happy, Sasami. It was supposed to make you smile." He thought, "This was to be your little gift, my apology for leaving you like that. It's too late now. You'll never see it, won't you? You'll never see it. I know, It was all my fault. I should've stayed behind, I should've taken you with me, I should've listened, I should've. I should've spent more time here at home with you. I should've been by your side more often. I shouldn't have yelled at you whenever I did. I should've smiled more often, I should've held you more often, I should've made you happier. "You know, even if your parents were a little stuffy, and despite me going off on your father's errands all the time, you were like my daughter. We, We had some good times together, and a whole lotta bad. And you know what? I'll cherish them all. I'll always cherish them, always. I watched you grow, and now I've seen you die. I knew this day would come, it always does. I just didn't want to see it so soon. I just.I just, I..." Jake paused a moment before returning to the little winged horse he held in his hands. He picked up the little Pegasus and polished a wing. When he finished he placed it down on the little mound of dirt that was her grave and sat back. "Take this any way. Maybe, maybe it'll still make you smile , some where, where ever you are. I'll never see you again. I'll never talk to you, or hear you laugh, I'll never see the light in your eyes ever again. So please don't forget me. Please, don't, don't ever." He reached down past the collar of his shirt and pulled up a little golden locket. He snapped it open and it revealed two little pictures. One was of Sasami grinning foolishly at a photo booth she visited a long time ago with Tenchi, and the other was of Jake giving a slow smile. He was caught off guard when Sasami took it and had no time to remove that smile from his face and replace it with his customary indifferent look he always gave photographs. He'd always said he was never photogenic, and he away made a show to prove it. Jake clamped his eyes shut. He wore a grimace on his face. The tears were coming back. They were so hurtful. They hurt to shed. They were always supposed to be a promise, a sign that if you shed them, and got the poison out of our body, things could go back to the way they were. They were supposed to comfort, provide support. They were to be a promise. Now what? Where was the promise? That he lost his friends. That he'd lost everyone who meant some thing to him except Elizabeth again, who he hadn't seen in over three centuries. That he was going to wake up tomorrow, like he had been until recently for the past 300 years, alone, cold, without a home. The tears mocked him. They had lost their meaning. They only served to spit in his face. They brought no comfort. Only shame. Shame and grief. "I'll try not to forget you, god knows, I'll try. Just be there with me. Prove to me our years together weren't wasted, Prove to me I did a good job raising you. Please. Please." He sat there and let that thought finish. He let his mind wander to the past. He'd spent the last ten years in this dimension. He was assigned to protect the Royal family and their heirs at all cost. The ruler of Jurai took Jake into the castle and appointed him a bodyguard to the young princess, Ayeka. Then she was only eight. He also had a secondary job, one that very few knew about, especially Ayeka and the soon-to-be Sasami. The king sent him out on errands in areas of little or no Jurian control. His ship was different from the rest of the Jurian Armada. The Khalis could travel between the stars in hours or minutes instead of months and, more often than not, years. He was the king's special assassin. If there was a trouble spot and the king wanted to put a ruler out of commission, Jake was called in. Not everything was hunky dory though. Jake and the Emperor often got into heated debates. One was on the issue of child control. One time Ayeka had some how gotten her hands on a rifle that had been poorly locked in the armory. She raised some real hell and shot one soldier in the shoulder. Because he was in charge of protecting and taking care of the royal kin, he, needless to say, gave Ayeka a good, royal spanking. When she ran off and told her Mother what had happened she went ballistic and told her husband, the emperor, to fire and execute Jake. But at that time Jake was sorely needed on a southern front. There was a rebel leader who was causing uprisings and chaos and the emperor wanted him dead. The Emperor wanted to know why Jake `beat' his kid and wanted him to give a full apology to her. Jake refused. He said she deserved the spanking and was lucky she didn't get anything else. This escalated into a huge argument that lasted for weeks. In the end the king challenged him to raise a better child than his own. Jake took that offer and told the Emperor to choose the child. By then The Emperor's wife was once again pregnant, and he chose the child. She was, of course, Sasami. Unfortunately, The Emperor never had a chance to see who would've won the bet. In the following years there were fights and struggles that seemed to be getting closer to home in Jurai. A final invasion of the capitol eventually took place. In it, the Jurian armada had been unable to hold the approaching army. The Emperor told Jake to take his children and leave for Earth. Family was there. With the Emperor's and the Empress's blessing Jake fled the capitol near the end of the final battle. Both the Emperor and the Empress along with Tsunami were destroyed in the fight. He flew the orphaned children to Earth, as he had promised, and stayed with Yosho and his daughter Atchika. Atchika had already married and had a spunky little boy named Tenchi. Tenchi and Ayeka, at first, were very hostile toward each other, but in the end they hit it off pretty well and were in love by fourteen (although neither of them would admit it.). Ayeka lost her snobbishness and became a very compassionate and kind young woman. Tenchi was, as always, slightly shy and unsure of himself. It became ven more apparent at around thirteen or so, when he began to really notice Ayeka. Life had gone on like usual for numerous years until almost three weeks ago when he was called in to take care of some business on the northern end of the galaxy by Intra-Tech. He left and headed to that end to investigate. But there was nothing to report. It was as quiet and as peaceful as ever. Jake left that sector plotted a course home. He arrived with only the carnage and destruction to greet him. He knew who did it. It was a faceless demon who had been stalking him, ruining his life. Jake was supposed to be the best demon hunter in the fleet. His long blade was holy in the purest sense, and an effective demon killer. Intra-Tech and the demon horde, Goh-Uld, had a long standing war in affect. This one particular demon had been hunting Jake for a long while now. He killed any one whom he fought to protect, and made his life unbearable. He had finally thought the demon had left him when he came to this dimension, but he had been wrong. It made its mark near all its kills by carving a cross with a gash through it nearby. Jake found the mark on a tree close to where he'd found Sasami's remains. Little did Jake know what was on the horizon. Something terrible was about to happen that would change his life caused by this faceless demon. He won't be ready for it when it comes, and it will tear him apart. But that is for the future. Now, a new evil was on the rise. Something he was unaware of. It will wind its way very deeply into our story, but for now, lets leave the future alone and let it weave it self out. Jake had just managed to remove the bodies in side the house when an earthquake shook everything. It wasn't very strong, and it wasn't very loud, but it scared the shit out of him. This was the tremor he was looking for. It turned out that Jake was right. "...Dammit..." [I'm sorry Jake] He didn't answer as he felt another wave of tremors rack the building. "..." When the third set came he stood up and left. Sasami had been the critical element for the world. Her life had been the Keystone that kept order and peace in the environment and all that stood between oblivion and life. Because she died that keystone was gone. And with it, any hope of this universe surviving. He walked back out to the grave and said his final prayers and good-byes to Sasami, straightened the fallen Pegasus, which had tumbled during the quakes, and left. He climbed aboard his Khalis and powered up the engines. It took him about thirty seconds to power up his drives and within the minute he had left earth orbit. Along the way he caught sight of Yagami, floating like a large red ruby caught in the vastness of space. A scan brought up no life signs on board. She was dead and along with her, her crew of two. What ever had gotten to those on the ground, also got to Yagami. Jake flew on for a few more minutes before calling out to his computer. "Computer." His voice seemed to be very hollow and empty in the single seat cockpit of his Starfox. [Yeah.] " Power the primary cells and prepare to cross." [Affirmative. Routing primary power from drive and powering cells.] Jake used the rear camera and watched the universe behind him. It was already showing signs of collapse. He sighed and closed his eyes. He would miss this world. He would miss those he was leaving behind, or, more really, those who had gone on without him. They'd all gone on. Jake tried to think of something that would help alleviate his pain, but Sasami's face always resurfaced. She would be smiling; her little eyebrows turned upwards, a small disarming grin superimposed on a small and innocent face. She would always be holding little Ryo-Ohki, and she would always be holding a little carrot, giving an even broader smile. And then all the comfort he tried to build up to block his pain faded, leaving him alone with himself and his memories. What had happened? Where had he gone wrong? Jake opened his eyes. What ever happened to Ryo-Ohki? Where had she gone? He couldn't remember seeing her at all on the planet. What happened to her? Did she get eaten? Swallowed whole by what ever murdered everyone back on the surface? [Dropping out of reality in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Engaging cells.] His computer's voice snapped him out of his reverie. He watched as a two- dimensional portal opened up before his ship. A green swirling mass drew his ship out of normal dimensional reality and into the void. The shields came off line in the gap between the dimensions. Energy couldn't exist in a free state because of the state of reality there. Energy, kinetic, potential, or otherwise was rendered null and void. This also meant sensors and weapons. Thrust and maneuvering were the only things he could use outside the ship's hull. Even sensors were knocked off line. He took one sorrowful look back into the collapsing universe behind his ship as the gateway closed behind him. This was the last time he would ever look back at the place he had called home for the past eight years. It hurt him to watch it go. He was leaving behind everyone. He never even had a chance to bury them. Only Sasami slept below the ground. He was leaving the world behind, but not the memories. He would keep those. He'd never loose them. Never. The gateway behind him closed and the world along with the life he had lived faded from his vision forever. "Damn." [You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You know there was nothing you could've done] He collapsed back into his cushioned pilots chair. "That doesn't help the pain." [I know, I had grown quite attached to them myself.] "That shouldn't have happened, not to them, not to her. She never deserved that. She never did anything that deserved that." He cloosed his eyes, visions of his encounter played across his eyelids as he began to drift off into a quick catnap for the voyage home. [Plotting a course for Geneiva; Course-3,2,5,9er bravo, bravo, whiskey, delta, 5,5,6,7...Course plotted. We'll be about three days.] Jake grunted as he let the first tendrils of sleep creep across his exausted mind. Sasami's face still hung in his thoughts, but she had changed. She wasn't smiling like she had been before. She was crying. She looked like she was imploring him, yelling at him, screaming at him-why did he leave her behind? Why did he leave her to die? She was screaming at him. And crying, always crying... "Dammit, Dammit all." ~End of Eps. 1. ~~~ See, Eps. 1 CAN be good with out Jar-Jar! (ok, ok bad joke...) Feed back is good and flames will only be used to light the fires I will use to burn your evil mail in. (I don't care if that didn't make sense, if you send flames I'll give you more of the same non-sense)... Special thanks to MKeiichi001, KenhsinRC2000, and Vik-man for all the support, info, editing, and putting up with all my crap. Kenshin, your still a bastard! ^-^ Baka Ken! Write to me at: DarkPhoenix182@hotmail.com 'Till next time, This white guy's out!