Ranmatech

Disclaimer: It's been a while since I continued this story so here goes...

Ranma is not mine, blah, blah... and neither is any other anime character

mentioned in this story.

(* *): Computer responses

< >: Thoughts

Chapter 4

Destruction, Chaos, and Utter Mayhem. It's Just Another Regular Day.

Ranma nodded as he finished with the last adjustments he was making to the

hovercycle he had gotten out of his cruiser's storage bay. After closing

the panel, he pressed the button and watched as the vehicle started its

transformation.

The Cataclysm Rider Mark XII was an extremely maneuverable vehicle and

could jet across the ground at 300 mph or cruise at an altitude of one

mile. Though Ranma could fly under his own power, he did find the

hovercycle to be very useful for reconnaissance, carrying supplies and to

give extra firepower without having to use his own weapons.

As he was trying to settle in on this planet, he had decided to go with the

appearance of a well-traveled foreigner. And since the general populace

usually didn't travel from place to place via anti-gravity fields, Ranma

had decided to use one of his vehicles as a mode of transport. His

Cataclysm Rider was more inconspicuous than his star cruiser, and with the

new adjustments he had made, no one would suspect that his vehicle as

otherworldly.

Hidden panels opened up and components were switched around and disguised.

The front and rear anti-gravity pods were shifted into hidden compartments,

to be replaced with tires. The outer shell became less streamlined and

rougher as the shape became more compressed. The instrument panel was

retracted and replaced with more primitive-looking dials. In less than five

seconds, the Cataclysm Rider's appearance became that of an American Harley

Davidson motorcycle. The vehicle now resembled a customized Fat Boy, but

ran on a meson/anti-meson thermoelectric battery hidden within the engine

housing. The tailpipes did emit fumes for show, but they were a harmless

gas mixture that resembled carbon monoxide fumes. The engine also emitted

sounds that perfectly imitated the noises made by such a motorcycle, also

for camouflage. The force-field generators, photon side-blasters and other

additional 'extras' were all available at the touch of a button. However,

to utilize the flight capabilities or the exo-armor reconversion units, he

would have to transform the bike back into its original state. He had

thought about just using a holographic image to hide the appearance of his

bike, but decided against it. A curious motorcycle fan would instantly

perceive the bike as non-Earth if he were to touch it and attempted theft

of the bike was always a possibility. To that note, he decided on a

transformational disguise and was confident that the anti-theft devices

would prevent even the most determined of motorcycle thieves from trying to

steal it.

Since Ranma's false records indicated that he had spent some time in the

United States, he thought that having an American motorcycle would help in

the charade.

Ranma smiled as he mounted his bike and kickstarted the engine. When he

heard the roar of the engine, he nodded with satisfaction and started

toward Furinkan High. As he approached the high school, his thoughts went

back to the events that had occurred a day ago.

Flashback...

"Well students, I am very proud of your progress these past weeks. You've

all improved substantially since I started teaching here." Ranma said as he

addressed his students.

"THANK YOU SENSEI!" All the Kendo Club members said in unison.

"Now, I believe that it's time that you select a new team captain."

All of the members became a bit confused as one of the boys spoke to him.

"A new captain? But sensei, we thought you would our leader." Though Ranma

was twenty-one, he still looked young enough to be eighteen or nineteen.

The students found it difficult to see him as their teacher.

Ranma shook his head. "No, I was hired to help guide you for a while.

You've all reached the level in which you can continue training on your

own. I'll still be around to help with any problems or improvements, but I

think that the best of this group should be the team leader of the Kendo

Club in any future tournaments."

"And that would be me!"

Ranma frowned when he heard Kuno's pompous voice. He and the students

turned their heads toward the entrance of the Kendo Club. Standing in the

doorway with his bokken held aloft in a dramatic pose was the Blue Blunder

himself.

"Tatewaki Kuno." Ranma said in a firm tone. "Just what are you doing here?"

<As if I didn't know. >

"I am here to once again take up my position as captain of this school's

Kendo Club. For should it not be the best to be the leader? Look no further

for none have come even close to the unmatched skills of the Blue Thunder

of Furinkan High!"

Ranma frowned as his scanners began reading Kuno's fighting power.

(*Overall level has risen to 28. Danger to host still less than negligible.

*)

<And what about the others? >

Ranma's biocomputer began gauging the other Kendo Club members. He had been

putting them through intense training regimens for the past few weeks and

all had improved substantially. (*Highest power rating at 55. Lowest rating

at 37. Any one of them would now be more than a match for Kuno. *)

"Ah! I see by your silence that you now fear the great and awesome might of

the Blue Thunder!" Tatewaki sneered.

Ranma shrugged, as he replied, "Not really. I was just thinking of how far

behind you are with your fellow kendoists."

"What?! You dare imply that these weaklings are now the Blue Thunder's

superior?" Kuno gestured with his bokken at his former teammates. "They

cannot possibly be a match for my glorious self!"

"Think what you like. My best student could wipe the floor with you easily

and the least skilled could still beat you without much trouble. In any

case, since you are not part of this Kendo Club, you have no right to

interfere with our selecting a new captain, much less take the position

yourself. If you have nothing else to say, then I suggest you leave and let

us go about our business."

"How dare you insult the great warrior Tatewaki Kuno!" Enraged, Kuno struck

forth with his bokken.

However, Ranma had expected it and simply grabbed the end of the sword made

a simple twist, and Kuno found himself without his weapon. The

techno-warrior twirled it about like a baton.

"Well, since it is obvious that you're not going to leave peacefully, it

seems that we'll have to settle this another way. Let's see if you can

prove that you're not all talk." The nanotech soldier gestured to one of

his students, a boy of medium build and height. The student walked up to

his sensei's side and gave him a curt bow.

"What is this?!" Kuno demanded. He recognized the boy as Sho Renzobuki, a

former teammate and the least skilled of the group. At least, he was the

least skilled when Kuno had been the leader.

"Yes sensei?" Sho said.

Ranma nodded to him then addressed Kuno while tossing back his bokken.

"This is going to be a challenge. Your skills against Sho's. If you win,

you'll be the captain of the Kendo Club again. You lose and you will swear

never to bother the Kendo Club again."

"Hah! What joke is this? Sho cannot possibly hope to compare to my skills!"

"We shall see. Do you accept the terms?"

"I shall! This will be no contest!" Kuno laughed. He had been taking

lessons from a private instructor ever since he had been ousted from his

position as team captain. He had been training for this moment and now he

will prevail and reassert himself as the undefeated star of the high school

fencing world! Sho's skills were less than average the last time they

fought. There was no way that Ranma could have trained Sho to be better

than he in two weeks!

However, unknown to Kuno, Ranma's skills went far beyond anything that was

found on Earth. He had been teaching the Kendo Club members in several

off-world sword techniques as well, including a few maneuvers from the

planet Jurai! Of course, he kept the more advanced moves secret as a novice

with such skills would be a danger to himself as well as others.

Both combatants faced each other off in the center of the Kendo Club as the

other members surrounded them. Ranma then gave the signal for them to

start.

Kuno started out with a downward strike that seemed to blur from sight, but

Sho countered it, then turned his parry into a side-slash.

Kuno winced as he felt a stab to his flank. Quickly recovering from the

unexpected counter, he then tried a wicked thrust to Sho's chest. Sho

easily dodged the strike and then tricked Kuno with a feint, before

slapping the flat of his wooden blade into Kuno's temple.

Kuno became enraged at this point. Sho was mocking him and his skills and

this could not be tolerated. He then yelled out his greatest technique.

"STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!"

The insane kendoist let loose with a volley of fast stabs at his opponent

that would have crumbled concrete with just the air-pressure alone.

However, Sho remained calm and amazingly dodged and parried all the strikes

with his own bokken.

<Master Saotome was right! > Sho thought as he could actually track each of

Kuno's attacks. <Kuno may be fast, but his moves are still simple! No

variation! I can actually see a pattern to his moves! He's so committed to

this technique that he can't do anything else until he stops! > It was then

that Sho saw an opening as Kuno drew back his sword for another stab.

Sho brought his sword up in the same disarming move that Ranma had

demonstrated previously, knocking Kuno's weapon to the side and throwing

off his rhythm. The insane kendoist was so surprised that his feared

technique was countered with such a simple maneuver that he was

off-balance. He looked up for a split-second and saw Sho's bokken coming

down toward his head.

THWACK!

Kuno was laid low by a strike between the eyes. It was lucky for him that

his opponent had pulled back much of the force behind his last blow. Sho

smiled as he watched him slump into unconsciousness. Today was a day that

he had been waiting for. When Kuno had been captain, Sho had been the butt

of many jokes and ridiculed daily by the pompous jerk. Now, he had proven

beyond a doubt that anyone could defeat the self-righteous jackass with the

right training. Kuno was no longer the invincible, fighter that many said

he was. The shoe was on the other foot.

"Well done... Team Captain Sho." Ranma said as he and the others applauded

him for his victory. The techno-warrior was quite proud of his student. He

had seen the hidden potential within Sho and had given him some extra

tutoring after school. Sho had very low esteem at the time and believed

Kuno's remarks about him being worthless. Ranma had helped the boy gain new

self-confidence and had told him that Kuno's moves could be defeated if one

would only analyze his fighting style.

End of flashback...

Ranma shook his head. Kuno just couldn't face reality. He had an IQ rating

that was lower than his fighting power level!

When Ranma arrived at the school's parking lot, many of the students looked

in awe at his disguised hovercycle.

"Cool bike!"

"Isn't that a Harley Davidson?"

"Whoa!"

The nanotech warrior smirked as he got off his bike and parked it. "Good

morning students."

"Good morning, sensei." The students replied. Several of the girls looked

longingly at Ranma as he began walking toward the main school building. One

girl however, simply snorted in disgust.

"Hmpf! I don't see what's so special about him." Akane scoffed as she and

Nabiki saw Ranma enter the school.

"Akane, are you jealous?" Nabiki said with a grin.

"ME?! Jealous of that jerk! No way!"

"You're still not sore at him for beating you so easily and showing that

you aren't the best martial artist in Nerima, are you?" Nabiki said in a

teasing tone.

"That time was just a fluke! I wasn't ready!"

"As I recall, you were the one that attacked first. Admit it Akane. Our new

teacher could wipe the floor with you with just his baby finger. And from

what I've heard, the Kendo Club has gotten a lot better than Kuno, ever

since Mr. Saotome started training them. Maybe even better than you."

"Hah! I've beaten all those perverts before!" Akane said smugly as she

recalled all those times the Kendo Club members had attacked her. It was

during Kuno's declaration that she be defeated in battle to be dated. She

had beaten Kuno repeatedly and he was the best of the Kendoists. Those

wimps couldn't possibly become better than she.

"Oh? Then I guess you didn't hear about Kuno being permanently ousted from

the Kendo Club."

"What?!"

"I had my girls check it out. Yesterday, Kuno tried to become captain

again, but Sho Renzubuki beat him. He's been ranting about how Sho used

some dark sorcery and cheated in their duel."

Akane became pale at this news. "Renzobuki? He's the worst member of the

Kendo Club!"

"Not any more. From what I heard, Sho beat Kuno easily. He's the new

captain of the Kendo Club."

"Why didn't I hear about it?"

Nabiki smirked as she replied. "Probably because you were too busy with

thinking of how to beat Mr. Saotome. Face it Akane. If he could teach a

loser like Sho to beat Kuno in two weeks, then you haven't a chance against

him. Come to think of it, the members of the Kendo Club might be good

enough now to beat you easily."

"Thanks for your support!" Akane said sarcastically. "It's never going to

happen!" Though she was very irritated at this news, she was also a bit

worried. If someone as poorly skilled as Sho could beat someone of Kuno's

caliber, then she had a reason to be worried. Her position as the premier

martial artist of Nerima was threatened. Furthermore, if what Nabiki was

saying was true, she might be expecting those Kendo Club perverts to

challenge her for a date. Even though she no longer had to fight those

idiots every morning, she was still on edge over this new development. She

made a mental note to up her training and break more bricks and training

dummies this week. She also wanted to see just how much Sho had improved

since she last fought him.

Meanwhile, at a certain shrine in Kyushu, a space pirate named Ryoko was

tensed up as she faced off against her greatest adversary. Behind her, the

Masaki family, Ayeka, Sasami, Kiyone and Mihoshi stood poised for the

violence that was sure to erupt between these two.

"Nagi!" The cyan-haired woman held her hands in front of her and prepared

let loose with a laser bolt. Beside her, Ryo-ohki stood by at the ready.

The intergalactic bounty hunter held up her hand as she addressed her

long-time adversary. "I'm not here to continue our battle... today, Ryoko.

I have bigger fish to catch."

Ryoko became very surprised and a bit insulted at Nagi's seeming

indifference to her. They had been fighting tooth and nail every other time

they had encountered each other. Now she was ignoring her? That didn't

sound right. "You're not here to fight?"

"Not today. I'm here for another reason."

"What do you want?"

"I'm need to see Washu."

"Washu?"

"Did someone call my name?" The greatest mad scientist in the universe

appeared via dimensional teleporter behind Tenchi.

"Yaaaahh! Washu, don't do that!"

"Do what?" Washu asked innocently then saw Nagi standing before them.

"Hello Nagi. Long time no see."

"Indeed."

"So what can I do for you?"

"I'll get straight to the point. I'm sure that you have been monitoring for

any ships that had entered Earth's system and landed here."

"Yes. My satellites even picked up Ken-ohki's energy signature. I'll admit

that cloaking device you used was good, but not good enough."

Nagi became a bit annoyed and mentally made a note to beat the living

daylights out of the hustler who had sold her that device. He had claimed

that it could even beat Washu's technology, but Nagi should have known

better. "I've tracked a person with a price of four billion credit units on

his head to this planet. Problem is, because of his unique...

characteristics, he's virtually impossible to locate by normal means. Not

to mention that he could level this planet if we're not careful. That's why

I'm here."

"FOUR BILLION?!" Ryoko whistled. That was even more than the bounty on her

head.

"Yes, it's Vorak."

"VORAK?!" Kiyone gasped.

"Who's Vorak?" Tenchi asked.

"Vorak is a very dangerous person." The Galaxy policewoman replied. "He's

responsible for destroying several hundred colonies and outposts and he's

feared throughout the galaxies as the Lost Destroyer."

"Lost Destroyer?"

"Yes, that is his main trait. He gets lost very easily. He has the worst

sense of direction in the entire universe. However, he's also got the

reputation as a destroyer of planets. Several civilizations have suffered

severe damage whenever Vorak got lost and tried to find his way back. He's

a menace."

Nagi nodded. "He used to be a fair bounty hunter, but a few years back, he

got some stiff competition from a rival as powerful as he was. Their

rivalry has been the subject of countless battles."

"Who is this rival?" Tenchi asked.

"He's here on this planet as well, though not for the same reason I am. I

found Ranma in Tokyo."

"RANMA?! 'THE' RANMA?!" Kiyone gasped.

"Who's he?" Sasami asked.

Mihoshi nodded while giving Sasami that silly smile of hers. "Oh, everyone

in the Galaxy Police knows about the famous bounty hunter and

troubleshooter."

Kiyone nodded. "Yes, he's helped out the Galaxy Police on several cases and

stopped many of Vorak's rampages." <Even though most of those times, it was

because of Vorak's hatred of him that started those rampages. > Kiyone then

added mentally.

"Yes, and I've already talked with him." Nagi continued. "He's here on some

personal business, but he will give us any support that we'll need. First

of all, we need to find Vorak. That's why I 'm here. I'm certain that the

'greatest scientific genius in the universe' shouldn't have any problems in

locating him."

"Of course." Washu replied with a smug grin. "No problem!" She then took on

a calculating look. "So what do I get out of helping you?"

Nagi frowned as she expected this kind of reaction from Washu. "I'm willing

to share the bounty and..."

Washu held up her hand and said, "Money doesn't really interest me.

However, I'm willing to do this favor FOR a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Nagi asked.

Washu's eyes glinted as she said, "Well, I've always wanted to meet up with

the famous Ranma. Do you think you can arrange for him to come here?"

"I... suppose I could." Nagi said with suspicion. "Why do you want to meet

with him?"

"Oh... to satisfy my curiosity about him, that's all." Washu replied. "So,

do we have a deal?"

Nagi considered the crab-haired scientist in front of her for a long while,

then nodded. "Very well, I'll give Ranma your message."

Sometime later, in Washu's laboratory, the mad scientist in question was

cackling with glee as she worked her console to reconfigure it to detect

Vorak's presence. Her thoughts were filled with delightful images of what

she was going to do when the famous Ranma was in her clutches. Ever since

Ranma had appeared on the spaceways, Washu had been gathering all the data

she could on the mysterious individual who could destroy an entire armada

single-handedly and could bring in the worst criminals in the cosmos. There

had been many rumors about Ranma having access to technology that was

unheard of and Washu was just dying to know what made him tick. She had her

suspicions that the bounty hunter was connected to an old experiment that

she had abandoned centuries ago. Furthermore, with the readings that she

had detected over the last few weeks, she was positive that her analysis of

Ranma would unlock the secrets to his power. Oh yes, she was going to enjoy

playing with her soon-to-be new guinea pig.

Back at Furinkan High, Ranma was finishing up with the day's gym class in

self-defense, when he was approached by Sho.

"Hello Sho. And how are you today?"

"I am fine sensei. I would like to speak with you about something, if you

have the time?"

"Of course. I'll meet you in my office in five minutes."

Five minutes later, Ranma and Sho were quietly discussing in his office.

"So how are things at the Kendo Club? How are you doing as team captain?"

"Things are all right. We're all getting set for the inter-school

tournaments this fall. We're still training as you have shown us and we're

confident that we'll do well. But I wanted to ask you. Why did you select

me to be the team captain."

"Why not?" Ranma shrugged. "Out of all the members, you showed the most

dedication and discipline. I wouldn't have put you through all that extra

training if you didn't have that potential."

Sho nodded as he remembered back to the intense, after-school training

sessions Ranma had put him through. The nanotech warrior had guaged his

fighting level to be a mere 13 and that was due to very low self-esteem and

a lack of will to improve. Ranma had quickly pulled him aside from the rest

of the group and secretly trained him in the off-hours to get him up to

speed with the rest of his fellow kendoists.

Surprisingly, Sho did have a remarkable ability to learn quickly, though it

was nowhere near Ranma's talents. It was that self-defeating attitude of

his that prevented him from realizing his gift. He had been shaken by

intimidation by both Kuno and Akane's ability and being constantly beaten

by them had made him feel pretty low. However, with the proper

encouragement, Sho soon got over his fears and his skills started to

increase substantially. With increased skills came an increase in

confidence level. Though Sho didn't know know it, his skill level was among

the highest in Furinkan.

"So you chose me to be team captain because...?"

"I did not play favorites. I gave you the extra training because you needed

spiritual guidance as well as physical to get you on par with your peers."

Ranma cut himoff. "Your duel with Kuno had proved that you were the best

among the club to represent it."

"Oh?"

"Yes. You saw through Kuno's attacks and used the most efficient way to

defeat them. You kept a level head and showed very good control. Those are

qualities of a good leader. Remember what I told you about powerful

people?"

Sho nodded. "You said that a truly powerful person almost never has to show

his or her strength. It is the ones who are ignorant, arrogant and fearful

that almost always have to display their power to others."

"Correct. I consider that a waste of good energy. That is what Tatewaki

Kuno and Akane Tendo had been doing before I got here. It is because of

those displays that they were able to intimidate you and make themselves

bigger than what they really are. People believed that they were

unbeatable, but in actuality, they are not that great. They may know a few

things, but for the most part, they rely on flashy displays and simple

brute power. They are almost all show and very little substance. All those

little victories had gone to their heads and they used those victories to

make themselves seem even more larger than life. That makes them no better

than bullies."

Sho nodded in understanding as Ranma continued. "And if there's one thing

that I hate, it's a bully. That was the reason why I kicked out Sakota,

Rechi, and Tenki."

Sho nodded again as he remembered how angry Ranma had gotten when he

learned that those three planned to use whatever skills they learned to

challenge Akane Tendo. Apparently, they still followed Kuno's decree to

defeat Akane in order to date her.

"So are you still set on defeating Miss Tendo?"

The boy straightened up and replied in a confident tone. "No sensei. I

couldn't care less who dates her. In fact the others also agreed that going

after her was not worth it."

"Oh really?"

"It was what you told to me and the others after you kicked out those three

from the Kendo Club. You were right, sensei. We all knew that Kuno-sempai

was an idiot, and that made us the same for following him. Many of us had

realized that we didn't even want to date Akane Tendo, but after Kuno had

made that decree, we just blindly followed it. That was just plain stupid

and we all got caught up in it. Plus... heh, heh... we also imagined what

it would be like to be dating someone like her. We prefer girls who are

less... prone to violence."

Sho's cheeks took on a faint, red tinge.

Ranma smiled at his pupil. "Very good Sho. I am pleased to see that my

teachings have not been wasted. Not only have you learned how to fight, but

you also know when NOT to fight, as well as think for yourself. That is the

true definition of a warrior."

"Thank you sensei."

After school, Sho was feeling pretty good about himself as he casually

walked home with his bokken slung over his shoulder. It was then that he

turned around a corner and found himself face-to-face with Akane Tendo and

her sister Nabiki as they were also heading home.

"Oops! Excuse me Nabiki, Akane."

"Hello Sho. Fancy meeting you here." Nabiki was already sizing Sho up and

saw that his form had filled out more and that he seemed more confident.

As soon as Akane saw him and his bokken, her body tensed up and her natural

dislike for boys reared up as she hissed at him. "So what do you want? You

come challenge me, Sho?"

Sho shrugged his shoulders and said, "Why? I have no quarrel with you."

Akane was taken aback at this sudden lack of interest. The last time they

had fought, Sho had gone all out to beat her during the usual morning

battle. Akane had defeated him easily of course, but that didn't stop him

from trying continually. "Well, I would have thought that for someone who

beat Kuno, you would have been wanting to challenge me for a date. Come on,

let's see what you've got!" Akane took a ready stance as Nabiki looked on

with interest.

Sho cocked his head to one side, then shrugged again. "Why would I want to

date you? You're not my type. I don't like girls with ill-tempers and

violent tendancies."

"What did you say?" Akane said as her anger began to rise. How this...

this... BOY call her that? She was getting ready to launch a haymaker at

him that would knock out most of his teeth.

Sho remained calm as he said, "Thanks to Master Saotome, I have finally

opened my eyes. Date whomever you please, but I shall not fight for your

hand as I consider it unworthy. Good day to you."

Akane was in a state of shock over his casual dismissal as Sho simply

turned to walk away. Her temper began to fume and then reach the boiling

point. How dare this boy ignore her like that! It was at that time, she

lost it completely.

"ARRRGHHHH!!!" Akane struck forward with her fist, aiming for the back of

Sho's head, but then winced as it impacted with wood.

THWACK!

Nabiki was surprised to see Sho pivot gracefully and bring up his bokken to

counter Akane's punch. He used a quick strike across Akane's knuckles, then

stepped back a few feet and waited for her next attack.

"OW!" Akane retracted her bruised fist, then became more angry and started

throwing some more punches, followed up by some kicks. However, she hit

nothing but air as Sho used some simple evasion tactics to dance around her

attacks. Unfortunately for the Tendo girl, she did tend to telegraph her

moves and Ranma's training had made Sho more proficient in analyzing his

opponent's fighting style.

<Hmmm, Master Saotome was correct in Akane's fighting style as well. She

tends to use brute force and relies very little on skill. > He easily

jumped over a legsweep, then noticed how slow Akane was in recovering. <Her

anger is just making her attacks even more predictable. What did I ever see

in her? > Sho swerved to the left to dodge a straight kick, then lean back

a bit to avoid a roundhouse. <She's always attacking and the holes in her

defense are big! > Sho continued to hold back from striking her as he

dodged her attacks with relative ease.

Nabiki was shocked to see how much Sho had improved and became even more

curious as to how ranma could have taught him. By this time, Akane was

breathing hard and was blinded with rage as she tried a suicidal lunge at

him.

"Don't just stand there! Attack me you coward! Fight me for real!"

As if in response, Sho twisted to the side, evading the lunge, then brought

the edge of his bokken up against Akane exposed throat. The Tendo girl

stopped suddenly as she felt the edge of the wooden blade against her skin.

Sho said in a calm voice, "If I did fight you for real then you would have

been a head shorter by now. I did not want to to fight in the first place,

but you may force me to end it." He then retracted the sword and gave a

slight bow before turning around and walking away. As he rounded a corner,

he called back to Akane. "Goodbye Akane Tendo. I really don't see why Kuno

would want you." It was on that note that Sho decided to give her the final

insult, Kuno-style as he struck a pose. "My infatuation with you was merely

a passing fancy of youth, gone with the morning dew as my tastes mature. I

now prefer more... womanly apects." He gave playful wink to Nabiki, then he

was gone.

Akane was in total shock at the moment. She couldn't believe it. She had

lost to Sho Renzubuki, the worst fighter in school! She was supposed to be

the heir of the Tendo School of the Anything Goes and but Sho had made her

look like an amateur! Grrr! It was intolerable! How could she have lost to

someone like him?! Furthermore, the boy dared to brush her off and then

flirt with her sister. That hurt her even worse than her defeat.

Akane began fuming even more as thought about the cause to all her

troubles. That new teacher had the gall to butt into her fights and

humiliate her in front of class. Now he was making the others forget about

her. Well, she'd show them all that Akane Tendo was not someone to be taken

lightly. She'd make them remember just who was tops around here!

Nabiki became very amused at Akane's humiliating defeat. Then she started

thinking about the financial possibilities about this development. She

could make some major yen with this kind of information. Then there was bit

at the end that made her think. Getting a date had become almost a distant

memory after that stupid declaration of Kuno's that sent every available

boy after her sister. Now, this new interest in HER instead of the spoiled

princess, made Nabiki speculate even further.

As this was going on, strange devices from another galaxy were zig-zagging

all over Japan as they continued in their search for a certain bounty

hunter-turned-high school instructor. The machines were probes from Vorak's

ship and were dilligent in their mission in locating Ranma's whereabouts.

They were saucer-shaped and were no larger than small ash trays. Each

device used a special cloaking device that hid them from sight as they

utilized their sensors to detect any sign of Ranma.

One probe made its way toward Furinkan High and began to give off a signal

to its counterparts, as it detected the unique energy emissions that Ranma

produced. The combination of ki and nanite technology was found in only two

people in the quadrant; Vorak and Ranma. The strange bonding of life energy

with the microbots made them almost undetectable by normal standards as the

ki masked the presence of the nanites. The nanites used their sensory

adaptation systems to blend the ki into the surrounding energy fields of

any enviornment, thereby hiding it. Of course, Vorak was far better at

evading detection, due to his innate ability to get hoplessly lost.

As the probe neared the second-story office of Ranma, the nanotech

warrior's own sensors went off.

(*Ranma. Sensors indicate that the area is being probed!*)

Ranma shot up from his desk and began scanning the area around him. As he

looked out the window, the scanners built into his eyes detected an energy

signature that indicated that some kind of surveillence device with a

cloaking device was in the front school yard. His eyes narrowed as his

bio-computer ran a diagnostics scan on the device.

(*Vikerian Seeker Probe Mark IV with cloaking device. Sensors indicate that

it is one of 50 probes detected within a ten-block radius of host's current

position. All seem to converging on our location.*)

<What are they looking for?>

(*Computer analysis of flight patterns and sensor calibrations indicate

that host is their target.*)

As if to validate the computer's response, the probe that was in the school

suddenly stopped, then zoomed toward the window of Ranma's office, sending

out a signal to the other probes. The other forty-nine probes also flew

toward the school.

Fortunately, all the students and most of the staff had gone home for the

day, leaving Ranma in a nearly empty building. Knowing that he would not be

seen, he raised a finger and aimed.

<Laser.>

A thin red beam of light shot forward and blasted the probe. The device

exploded and a small shower of debris was seen falling toward the ground.

It was then that Ranma's scanners began picking up the presence of the

other probes as they neared the area.

<Computer! Ion disrupter field! We can't let those probes relay our

position back to whoever sent them, though I have a feeling that they're

from Vorak!>

(*Affirmative. *)

Ranma held out his hands and aimed the palms down at the probes. Blasts of

red energy shot out and blanketed the entire schoolyard. Though they caused

no physical damage, the bursts of disruptive ions began scrambling the

transmissions of the probes.

Within his ship, Vorak began cursing as his viewscreen began showing

nothing but static. He had thought he had pinpointed the location of his

hated enemy, but now he suspected that Ranma had caught on and was

employing some countermeasures to defeat the probes he had sent to Japan.

His instrument console then indicated that his probes were being destroyed.

<No matter! I know his general location, though I don't dare leave my ship,

at least at the moment! > Since his landing on Earth, Vorak had discovered

that the Galaxy Police were also on this world, and the only way he had

avoided detection was by staying behind the protective shielding of his

craft. It was also because of the fact that he would get hopelessly lost if

he were to move more than a dozen feet. No, he needed something else to

draw out his enemy from hiding. He smirked as he thought up of an idea and

pressed a button.

<This will get his attention! I'll be able to confirm his presence on this

mudball and attack him without the Galaxy Police riding my tail! Heh! Just

you wait Ranma! I'll have my revenge. But for now, just think of this as my

way of saying hello to you.>

In the broom closet of the Masaki home, which housed the interdimensional

lab of Washu, the greatest mad-scientist in the universe looked up from her

computations as her satellite tracking systems had detected something had

been launched from somewhere from the western hemisphere of the planet. The

object in question was speeding along at Mach 15 and was set to land in

Tokyo in a couple of minutes.

"What the heck is that?" Washu began tapping on her holographic keyboard,

trying to analyze the object, but it was enclosed in a heavy outer shell to

prevent probing, and soon disappeared from her scanners as it landed just

outside the city.

In the main living room, Nagi was just complementing Sasami on the tea she

had made. Ryoko and the others were sitting opposite to her and were eyeing

her nervously. The space pirate was especially wary of her. Though Nagi had

called a temporary truce until the Vorak matter was settled, Ryoko wasn't

going to let her guard down for an instant. Ken-ohki and Ryo-ohki were

cuddling near the doorway.

"So how did meet up with Ranma?" Kiyone asked, trying to engage in

conversation and ease the tension in the air.

Nagi gave a nonchalant shrug as she replied, "I met him on Cygrus II, three

years ago when I was going after Baldar Shardita."

"Baldar Shardita?" Kiyone gasped. "He was one of the toughest and most

heinous of terrorists in the Centuron Quadrant!"

Mihoshi took on a blank look as she tried to get that vacant spot in her

head to process the information. "Hmmm, wasn't he a criminal?"

Kiyone restrained from facefaulting from her partner's unbelievable lack of

awareness. "Mihoshi! Baldar was one of the top criminals on the Most Wanted

Lists of the Galaxy Police! No one could track him down, let alone capture

him!" She then turned to Nagi. "That is, until I heard that he was brought

in three years ago by a bounty hunter."

Nagi nodded. "That was Ranma all right. I was pretty shocked to learn that

not only was I beaten to the punch, but also that he had single-handedly

destroyed Baldar's entire fleet of fifty battle-cruisers and his fortress

on Cygrus II. Ranma and I have crossed paths many times since then, but

we've always maintained a... professional courtesy toward each other. He's

my greatest rival as a bounty hunter." Nagi's cheeks had the slightest tint

of red in them before she quickly smothered it. She then turned to Kiyone.

"So have you met him?"

This time it was the Galaxy Policewoman's turn to become a little

flustered. "Yes, we've met a couple of times over the last few years,

before Mihoshi and I were assigned to this sector." Kiyone thought back to

all the times Ranma had come to GP headquarters, usually dragging a

battered and bruised criminal by the scruff of his neck. The people he

brought in were usually Class I or II bounties and were considered among

the most dangerous. He had also done the Galaxy Police several favors by

stopping terrorist attacks and defusing hostile situations with no

casualties, at least not on their side. The bad guys however, usually got

the worst of the exchange. He had become so efficient as a troubleshooter

that the commanding officers had repeatedly offered Ranma to join the

Galaxy Police. Though he had turned them down each time, Kiyone had been

having dreams about ditching Mihoshi and seeing herself standing

triumphantly with her new partner. She wasn't the only female officer who

had that vision.

It was then that Washu came running into the room. "Guys! I've just

detected something heading toward Japan!"

"What is it?" Nagi asked.

At Furinkan High, Ranma had just finished with dispatching the last of the

probes when his ship's sensors began picking up something approaching Japan

and relayed it to Ranma via cybernetic link.

<Computer, what's going on? >

The nanotech warrior turned his head in the direction of whatever was

coming his way. Engaging his telescopic vision, he began scanning the

skies. His eyes widened as he began zooming in on an object that was

crossing the Pacific Ocean at better than Mach 15.

(*Preliminary scans indicate that it is a military-grade transport casing.

Unable to determine its contents due to heavy shielding and interference

field being emitted. Estimated time of arrival to Japan's coast... 1.2

minutes. *)

<I'll wager that thing belongs to Vorak. >

(*Probability of connection to rival estimated at 92.3%. *)

<Point of impact? >

(*Object's estimated landing site is... three square blocks east of Nerima

and Juuban districts. *)

<Good grief! Vorak's aim has gotten better! We have to intercept whatever

that thing is before innocent civilians get hurt! >

(*Affirmative. However, host cannot risk being identified by locals. *)

<Then it's a good thing that my bodysuit covers everything. Let's go! >

Ranma raced toward his motorcycle and was soon speeding down the streets.

When he turned into a deserted alley, he pressed a hidden switch while at

the same time, mentally commanding his cyberweave clothes to alter his

appearance. The cycle suddenly took off and began shifting its form. The

anti-gravity pods extended from their hidden housings while the wheels

retracted back. The armor sections emerged, along with the side-blasters

and missile tubes. The rear thrusters engaged as they popped out, and soon

the intergalactic warrior was streaking across the sky at better than 250

mph. Ranma was now clad in his black, cyberweave bodysuit armor with

headmask and visor, making him completely unidentifiable.

At the same time, the transport casing had already crossed the coast of

Japan and was now descending toward its landing coordinates. Though Vorak

was unable to ascertain Ranma's precise location, he still managed to get a

general idea as to where his rival was, and programmed the transport casing

to land near those coordinates.

The people started shouting as they saw a huge, cylindrical object come

down from the sky like a huge missile. Panic began to spread as the

citizens began to scatter, thinking that this was some kind of nuclear

attack. The last time Japan had been under attack was during World War II,

when the Americans had dropped the atomic bombs on them, and they had no

desire to experience that again.

"Look up there!"

"What is it!"

"Take cover!"

People held their breath when the object slammed into the ground and dug a

wide trench into the pavement. Fortunately, the streets were mostly

deserted in this section of town. The transport casing slid to a screeching

halt after slamming into a traffic light and all became silent. Spectators

were relieved when it didn't explode, and wondered what was going on when

the cylinder suddenly split open and a sound was heard from within.

That was when all hell broke loose.

As Ranma neared the impact area, he saw a huge burst of light, followed by

a loud explosion of sound.

<Computer... that's no ordinary explosion! >

(*Confirmed. Disturbance matches that of high-grade thermal-meson charges.

Proceed with caution. *)

<You got that right! > Ranma then pressed another switch as he descended

toward the area. The hovercycle then began another transformation. The

entire structure began to shift and contort itself around Ranma's body as

sections began to fuse with his bodysuit. Armored sleeves and gauntlets

appeared on his arms. His upper torso became encased in a heavily armored

breastplate and epaulets. The side-blasters were relocated to shoulder

mounts while the front and rear anti-gravity pods became situated on his

back. The rear thrusters relocated to winglike projections mounted on

either side of the warrior. More armor units appeared and locked onto his

lower trunk, legs and feet. In less than two seconds, the Cataclysm Rider

Mark XII had reconverted to become a powerful battle exo-frame to augment

Ranma's bodysuit. The upper portion of the exo-frame formed a kind of

interlocking helmet to provide better protection. The entire frame was

packing more firepower than most third world countries. With thrusters

blazing, Ranma dove down toward the battle zone and saw... it.

Even by Ranma's standards, Vorak's battle drone was huge! It was roughly

humanoid in configuration, but had four arms instead of two. Its height

measured more than eighty feet and was looked like some mechanized samurai.

Bystanders began scattering as it released intense beams of heat, ice,

force and various explosive and armor-piercing projectiles. Tokyo wouldn't

last long if that monster was left unchecked.

(*Zetaorkinan Combat Droid Mark VII. Designed for heavy assault and armed

with high-grade energy and projectile weaponry. Analysis indicates that

this particular model has been recently upgraded from the standard. Outer

armor is composed of neutronium/plandanium alloy. Danger level rated at

2500. *)

Ranma nodded. He had wanted to get some more excitement in his life ever

since he took the job as a physical educator at Furinkan. Kuno was a joke

and was only good for a second or two of amusement every time they clashed.

The interplanetary troubleshooter had no doubts about being able to defeat

this new menace. The trick was doing it without reducing Tokyo to rubble

and endangering innocent civilians. As a result, using his more powerful

weapons was not an option.

As the nanotech warrior was about to engage it, his scanners picked up some

new objects approaching the area at extreme speeds. He put his exo-frame

into hover mode and turned to see what was coming. Hidden above some clouds

was a huge ship that Ranma recognized as a patrol vessel of the Galaxy

Police. His scanners zoomed in and saw two objects being released from an

exit port. One of those objects began flying in an erratic pattern. He

enhanced the image and saw that the two objects in front were in fact

Galaxy Police Battlesuits. One of them was blue and the other was red. The

blue one was in level flight, but the red one seemed to be going all over

the place, as if its pilot didn't have the slightest idea of how to control

the mecha.

<That's weird. Somehow that flight pattern looks familiar and… > It was

then that he remembered back to a time on Guradia III. <That can't be…

Mihoshi? > He began scanning the ship again and sure enough, saw the

registration numbers that belonged to the Yagami.

Inside the red-colored Power-Armor, the blonde detective was screaming

frantically as she tried to get her battlesuit under control, with very

little success.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! KIYONE HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLPPPPPPPP!!!!!"

"Look out Mihoshi!" Kiyone shouted as she deftly maneuvered her machine to

avoid a midair collision with her partner. Then a huge sweatdrop formed

behind her head as she saw the red-colored machine suddenly make a suicidal

power-dive toward the enemy Combat Droid. Apparently, Mihoshi was still a

bit rusty at being able to pilot a Battlesuit and mistook the afterburner

controls for the braking mechanisms.

Mihoshi desperately pushed buttons and controls in a totally haphazard way

in the hopes that she would be able to stop her machine before she crashed

into something. As she looked out of her cockpit, she blanched as she saw

the Combat Droid begin to take aim at her.

"STOP! STOP! PLEASE! STOP!"

It was no use however as she had accidentally locked her suit into the

dive. As she saw the automaton raise one of its arms and directed a

wicked-looking plasma blaster at her, she shut her eyes and whimpered.

That was when she was suddenly thrown forward as her suit made an abrupt

change in direction. Fortunately, she was wearing her harness and avoided

smacking her face against the front of the cockpit. She shook her head and

looked up, seeing bright flashes of light erupt off to one side. She

realized that she had somehow evaded the plasma blasts. It was then that

her suit's computer gave a holographic image of her own suit and something

holding onto it from behind. Her eyes widened as she saw that her suit was

being held by an advanced exo-frame whose pilot was smiling at her.

"Hey Mihoshi, long time no see."

"Ranma!"

"Don't worry Mihoshi, I got you." Ranma assured as he activated the

cyberlink jack of his exo-frame to take control of Mihoshi's machine. The

Battlesuit shut down its thrusters as Ranma zigzagged around the barrage of

laserfire being directed at him and Mihoshi.

At this time, the Combat Droid had identified Ranma as its main target and

let loose with a withering storm of particle beams, photon bolts and maser

torpedoes. Luckily for the denizens of Tokyo, the battle was taking place

in a sparsely populated area and most of the people had already fled.

Meanwhile, Ranma launched a flight of micro-missiles that detonated in

front of the Combat Droid and released powerful electroscrambler pulse

bursts to temporarily blind the machine's scanners. As the machine paused

for a moment to compensate for the sudden interference, Ranma guided

Mihoshi's suit to a nearby roof. Kiyone came down to the same roof a moment

later.

Ranma smiled as he saw Mihoshi's partner. "Hello Kiyone. Good to see you

again."

Kiyone became a little flustered at meeting up with the famous bounty

hunter and ally to the GP, that she started feeling like a nervous fan who

just encountered her favorite movie star. "Er, hello again, it's good to

see you… and, uh…" Kiyone shook her head to clear it. "I mean, thank you

for saving my partner. Is Mihoshi all right?"

Ranma nodded. "She'll be okay. You'll have to get her out of here though. I

was forced to shut down her Battlesuit's main systems. It looked like she

locked her thrusters and I had to shut the entire suit down to turn them

off. She's going to be stuck in it for a while. You can take care of her

while I take care of Vorak's little toy."

Without waiting for Kiyone's response, Ranma jetted off to engage the

Combat Droid. Kiyone shook her head and sighed at she gazed at her

immobilized partner.

Up above in the Yagami, the cabbits, Nagi, Washu, Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka

were watching the main monitor as the battle between Ranma and the droid

raged.

"Shouldn't we go down there and help him?" Tenchi asked.

Nagi shrugged and replied, "I don't think Ranma will have any problems with

that thing. He's gone up against far worse than a little heavy-assault

droid. We'd be in his way. Though I have to admit, that Combat Droid looks

a lot more advanced that what I though Vorak was capable of."

Washu nodded as she brought out her holographic computer and began working.

"Hmmm, it seems to have five to six times more firepower than the standard

galactic models. And despite its heavier armor, seems to be more

maneuverable." She looked back at the screen and became intrigued at the

power level readouts on Ranma. Oh yes, she was going to enjoy examining her

soon-to-be new guinea pig. Hmmm, she began wondering if she still had that

nurse's outfit.

At the battle scene, Ranma jetted around another volley of laser beams

while returning fire with his gauntlet blasters and shoulder mounted photon

cannons. The blasts hit home on the automaton's chest, but did little more

than scratch the armor's surface. The nanotech warrior jetted back to get

more fighting room and evade another attack as the droid released another

flock of missiles. Putting his suit into evasive measures, he avoided being

hit but then saw that the ordinance were heading toward a skyscraper and

his biocomputer told him that there were people inside!

Engaging his exo-frame's thrusters, Ranma zoomed ahead and managed to get

to the building before the missiles did. He turned around and began

shooting them down. Explosions lighted up the sky as the techno-warrior

intercepted every one of the missiles before they collided with the

building. However, as Ranma became preoccupied with his task, the Combat

Droid took advantage of the situation and advanced on him. Just as Ranma

blew up the last missile, the automaton swung one of its fists at him.

Ranma had no time to dodge and was struck hard, sending him flying backward

several hundreds of meters. Luckily, his exo-frame took the brunt of the

hit, as well as cushioned him from the impact as he crashed into a nearby

construction site that was empty at the moment. The automatic forcefield

generator kicked in as he hurtled toward the ground. He landed hard into

the foundation of a half-completed building; plowing into the concrete and

causing reinforced steel rods to snap like matchsticks. Ranma was dazed and

shook his head to clear it. When he looked up, he winced as he saw the

Combat Droid aim all four of its arms at him.

<This is going to sting. >

Autocannons began shooting out heavy-kinetic shells at high velocity,

causing concrete to crumble. Plasma bolts and laser beams ignited the

target area and caused steel and glass to melt like butter. High-energy

missiles caused gas mains to exploded and added to the carnage.

Construction vehicles and propane tanks blew up, causing firestorms. The

entire structure collapsed on top of Ranma, burying him under several

hundred tons of rubble. However, the Combat Droid didn't stop as it

continued to loose volley after volley of destruction. To say that it was

programmed for overkill would be an understatement. For a full minute, the

machine continued to pound away at the mound of debris.

Finally as it stopped in its barrage, there was nothing left of the site

but a large mound of scorched earth. Nothing the size of an amoeba could

have survived.

Then suddenly, the mound began to tremble and shake. The Combat Droid held

up its arms, ready for action. It was at that time that something exploded

up from the mound and slammed into the machine, knocking it back. The droid

fell backward and landed on its back, causing the street to tremble and

buckle as several hundred tons came crashing down. There was a huge,

smoking, hole in its chest. The machine's head looked up to see what had

knocked it down and saw Ranma emerge from the mound without his exo-frame

and several rips in his bodysuit. Slung over his shoulder and held with one

arm was a wicked-looking weapon that resembled an oversized bazooka. The

weapon's muzzle was smoking after discharging its payload.

On the Yagami, Washu grinned as the monitor zoomed in on the weapon.

"Ooh, a Mark IV Devastator heavy electromagnetic hyper-railgun! I didn't

know he had one of those!"

On the ground, Ranma glared at the machine as it struggled to get to its

feet. His Cataclysm Rider had sustained massive damage and he had been

forced to send it into subspace to be repaired later. Fortunately, the

frame had saved him from serious injury and he survived the attack with

only a few bruises and cuts, which were already being healed by his

nanites. A moment later and the cyberweave suit closed up the tears as the

Combat Droid was getting set to attack again.

<Computer, Exo-Armor, Phase I. >

(*Affirmative. *)

In an instant, his hyper-railgun disappeared and his body became encased in

new armor. A helmet appeared on his head and melded with the headmask.

Chest armor and backpack appeared and adhered to his torso. Gauntlets,

boots, belt and other pieces of the Exo-Armor appeared and joined with his

bodysuit. In less than a second, Ranma became outfitted with battle armor

that made Iron Man look like a Tinker Toy.

Washu whistled as her computer gave more readouts. The sudden appearance of

the new armor indicated that Ranma had access to a subspace pocket that was

far beyond Earth's technological capabilities and perhaps even most other

races. The way he summoned it was also a mystery as she saw no devices

being used and that strange energy being emitted again.

Ranma wasted no time in taking the Combat Droid apart. Just as the machine

fired at him again, his back thrusters ignited and he shot forward. He

aimed his gauntlets at one of the arms and focused his ki, releasing a huge

blast into the barrel of one of the autocannons. The weapon backfired as

the energy blew up the chamber, severely damaging limb in the explosion.

Before the robot could react, Ranma flew up to the junction of the opposite

shoulder and sent a powerful, ki-enhanced punch into the joint. His fist

was surrounded by an aura of power as it slammed into the junction where

arm met body. The circuits sparked and the limb was blown off in the

explosion.

The droid reeled, as two of its limbs were rendered inoperative. Using it's

remaining arms, it tried to shoot the darting figure that flew around him

like a mosquito. However, Ranma smiled as he zigged and zagged around the

shots, then dived toward the neck of the droid. With another high-intensity

ki blast, he separated the thing's head from its body, causing it to flail

about.

Ranma saw that the robot was almost done and was about to deliver the coup

de grace when his biocomputer began giving off alerts.

(*Warning! Combat Droid's main power core going critical. Explosion

imminent! *)

<Hmmm, should have figured that Vorak put some kind of self-destruct

device. Well, we can't have it detonate in the city, so…*)

Ranma made a mental command for several, disc-shaped devices to appear in

his hands. Each object was about the size of an ashtray and he quickly

began adjusting their controls. He then began throwing them like frisbees,

at the flailing Combat Droid, which was starting to glow with a red light

and emitting intense heat. The devices attached themselves to the robot's

surface and began emitting their own energy fields.

On the Yagami, Tenchi looked at the monitor and asked, "What are those

things?"

Washu nodded, as she understood Ranma's plan. "Those are graviton field

generators, which can either increase the force of gravity on an object or

nullify it. Judging by their settings, I'd say he's planning to get the

Combat Droid away from the city before it self-destructs."

"What?! Self-destructs?!"

Washu smirked. "Yep. My sensors indicate that the droid's main power core

is about to go critical. Don't worry about it. Even though there's enough

power in it to make the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima look like a

firecracker, it won't be able to hurt us. Watch. The droid should gone in

3… 2… 1!"

On cue, the massive machine suddenly shot upward at an incredible rate as

the graviton field generators increased the force of repulsion between it

and the surface of the Earth. It was incredible to see such a huge robot

suddenly fly upward like a rocket and when it reached an altitude of thirty

miles, it exploded in a blinding flash of light and a deafening sound was

heard. People who saw the explosion winced at its brightness, despite it

being so far away.

Down on the ground, Ranma nodded as his computer confirmed that the droid

had been totally destroyed. Though the immediate threat was over, he knew

this was only the first skirmish between him and Vorak. He sighed as he

began thinking about what to do next.

To be continued…

Author's notes

Wow! I thought I'd never get this chapter finished! If it seemed to be a

little rushed, well I've been really busy with real life and it's cutting

into my writing time.

Naturally of course, the media is going to have a field day with the battle

and who should see Ranma on TV but a few certain people on a

husband-hunting expedition? Nagi will also be getting more into Ranma's

life as she sees him at Furinkan, which will cause an uproar with the male

students. ^_- Vorak will also be causing trouble in his bid to destroy our

cybernetic hero and you can expect the Tenchi cast to get involved as well

as perhaps a few others. (Hint, hint) see you there!