Crossover Crisis Side Story 1

Disclaimer: Kojiro, B-Ranma, Prototype, Trainer, Draco and the 
cast of Outlaw Star either belong to someone else or is based on 
someone else's work.

Introduction: Ever since I started the Great Crossover Crisis, I have 
been getting requests to expand on the scenes that were depicted in 
flashbacks or clips. Therefore, I shall be writing a five-part mini-
series of those adventures depicting one or two of my Ranmas 
during their romp through dimensions. First up is our Cat Fist 
fighter Kojiro Shinkara from Cat Fist Fury as he goes claw-to-claw 
with the cast of the Outlaw Star.

Note: This story takes place between Chapters 4 and 5 of the Great 
Crossover Crisis, just after Trainer had joined the group.

< >: Thoughts
(* *): Computer responses

B-Ranma: Fighting Blind (Ranma)
P-Ranma: Fist of the Pikachu (Trainer)
D-Ranma: Dragon Child (Draco)
T-Ranma: Ranmatech (Prototype)

 

 

 

Cat Fist Star
Part 1
Universe XP-1511TG...

Four of the five Ranmas were currently stationed at Blue Heaven as 
T-Ranma's ship was undergoing repairs and restocking supplies. 
The technological Ranma was haggling for lower rates with the 
repair crews while his three counterparts had decided to take in the 
sights and get something to eat. The cruiser was docked beside a 
red-colored Grappler Ship.

"I've got to admit, I've never seen a ship quite like this one. And I 
thought the Outlaw Star was special." Swanzo said as he looked 
over the scans of T-Ranma's cruiser. "I've never seen a sub-ether 
drive design like this one. The modifications and the modular 
components of this vessel are way beyond anything I've ever seen or 
heard of. Heck, this thing could be converted into a Grappler Ship 
with no problems." He looked up at the nanotech warrior. "For a 
little extra, I COULD add some components that will allow you to 
convert your ship into a Grappler-Type."

Prototype shook his head. "Nah, we won't be here for very long." 
<Not very long in this universe at all.> "Besides, this thing already 
has manipulator arms."

"Where? I don't see any and the scanner didn't pick up any 
manipulator arms."

"They're right here." T-Ranma snapped his fingers while his 
bio-computer sent a signal to the ship's systems. Over the years, 
T-Ranma had modified his ship to adapt to any situation, and after 
encountering some Kei Pirates and their Grappler Ships, the cruiser 
had constructed for itself some extra mechanisms and systems to 
deal with those kinds of enemy craft. Hidden panels opened up and 
components within began to shift and transform, forming 
appendages that were composed of liquid metal. Two large grappler 
arms formed at the bow of the ship and held themselves out at the 
ready. 

Swanzo gave a low whistle. "Now that's sweet!"

"That's just the tip of the iceberg." T-Ranma said as he sent out 
another signal. Within the mounts of the main arms, smaller arms 
extended near the wrists. "Those smaller arms are for fine-detail 
work and can pick up things as small as a nanochip. They are also 
equipped with various scanners, mini-laser projectors for fine 
cutting and welding, and computer-hacking systems that can take 
control of virtually any other ship's computer by contact alone. You 
can imagine how useful that can be in a grappler fight."

"Man! Those are some very interesting options."

"The main arms are also armed with various heavy weaponry and 
other equipment. Allow me to demonstrate." The technological 
Ranma gestured to the ship as the main arms began forming 
weapons at the ends of the hands. First a heavy-particle cannon, 
followed by a multiple-missile launcher, then a heavy mace, a 
vibro-axe, a disrupter-wave projector array and many other kinds of 
weapons and equipment before returning to their standard grappler 
configuration. Unlike normal Grappler Ships, T-Ranma's did not 
need to carry weapons and equipment in a separate storage pod, but 
formed what they needed due to built-in synthesizers and whatever 
was stored in a subspace pocket.

"Now that's what I call a Grappler Ship!" Swanzo exclaimed. "But, 
we can't arm or supply a Grappler-Type ship in Blue Heaven."

"No big deal." T-Ranma then mentally commanded the ship to 
return to its cruiser configuration. When the arms disappeared into 
the bow, he turned back to Swanzo. "There, you shouldn't have any 
trouble outfitting and supplying my ship in its present form. Now 
about that repair and supply bill..."

"Four hundred thousand wong." Swanzo flatly stated.

T-Ranma smirked as he mentally commanded his ship's 
synthesizers to start creating some high-grade Dragonite. This 
universe's technology was unable to accomplish it, but for 
Prototype's systems, it was child's play.

"Do you take Dragonite?"

As the two continued to negotiate, T-Ranma thought back to when 
they first entered this dimension and wondered how their missing 
member was doing. It had been an unfortunate turn of events in 
which they had lost one of their party.

----------

Flashback...

"Okay, so where the heck are we now?" Kojiro asked as the ship 
reappeared in real space. 

"Hold on a second..." T-Ranma said as he began taking initial 
sensor sweeps of the area of space they had entered.

It was at that time that the sensors began giving off alerts as 
unidentified blips showed up on the monitors.

(*Alert! Alert! Enemy ships detected and closing in on our position 
in an attack formation! Ship going into red alert status! *)

The pirate ships in space had picked up the appearance of 
T-Ranma's ship while on patrol for prey, just after it had exited the 
dimensional vortex. Deciding that it was an easy target, the five 
grappler ships quickly brought out their weapons and sped toward 
the five Ranmas' position.

End of flashback...

----------

T-Ranma sighed as he thought back to what had happened 
afterwards. Unfortunately, the transporter systems of the ship had 
taken a hit by some cannon fire during the battle and activated 
itself. Kojiro had been the one closest to the transporter panel and 
vanished in a flash of light. T-Ranma's ship took no other damage 
and easily finished off the five relatively primitive pirate grappler 
ships. However, the remaining Ranmas found themselves short one 
member and had no idea as to where their comrade had disappeared 
to. The transporter had beamed him toward one of the neighboring 
star systems and fortunately (according to the computer readouts), 
to one of the inhabited worlds. However, without the correct 
coordinates, the four remaining Ranmas were forced to search each 
world one by one. As of now, they had stopped at Blue Heaven to 
rest and restock supplies. Though through it all, they knew in their 
hearts that Kojiro was still alive and kicking somewhere. They just 
had to find him.

----------

Meanwhile, aboard the most technologically advanced ship in the 
galaxy, (though nowhere near as advanced as T-Ranma's craft), the 
crew of the Outlaw Star were discussing their plans for earning 
income.

"Come on Gene! We really don't have any choice! We're down to 
pocket change again!" Jim Hawkings said as he showed Gene 
Starwind their account balances. The young computer genius of the 
crew frowned as he pointed to the amount that was in their account. 

The captain of the Outlaw Star sighed as he drummed his fingers on 
the conference table. It was a situation in which he was very 
familiar with. He was still trying to make a name for himself among 
the ranks of Outlaws, but as always, his luck was against him. He 
now owed more than two million wong to Fred Luo and the last job 
he had taken to lessen the debt had turned out badly with very little 
profit. There were no big bounties to go after and job offers were 
few and far between for Starwind and Hawkings Enterprises. 
Behind him, the android and heart of the navigational systems of 
the Outlaw Star, Melfina, placed a sympathetic hand on Gene's 
shoulder as she set a cup of hot tea in front of him. Opposite to 
them was the professional assassin and master swordswoman, (she 
makes Kuno look like an amateur with a toothpick), Twilight 
Sazuka. 

"Don't worry Gene, I'm sure that a job will come up."

On a maintenance rail, one of the repair units that comprised of the 
ship's computer, Gillium II, whizzed by and said, "I certainly hope 
so. The ship is in need of some repairs and restock of supplies."

It was at that moment that Aeisha Clan Clan came into the 
conference room while waving around a poster.

"Hey guys! Look at this! This job is right up our alley! And the 
payoff is really big too!"

"What is it?" Jim asked the Ctarl Ctarl.

Aisha placed the poster that she had downloaded from the 
computer, down on the table and smiled. "Look at this! On Tiberius 
IV, there's a big bounty for one million wong!"

"A million?!" Jim said in disbelief as he grabbed the wanted poster. 
He then began to read. "It says here that some huge cat beast has 
been sighted on Tiberius IV and is causing a lot of havoc with the 
mining company there. The owner of the mining operations is 
willing to pay one million wong for anyone who can either capture 
or kill the thing. It also says here that it's been sighted being able to 
transform into some kind of humanoid." Jim addressed his partner. 
"Gene, do you think that it might be a metamorph like Aisha?"

Gene nodded as he pondered it for a moment. "Could be. We have 
encountered them before. What do you think Aisha?"

"What I think is that this cat beast may be a renegade Ctarl Ctarl. 
Hee hee! This is my big chance!" Aisha rubbed her palms together 
eagerly.

"What do you mean?" Melfina asked.

"Even though I'm not barred from the Ctarl Ctarl Empire any more, 
I still need to get back in good with my superiors." Aisha replied. 
"Bringing in a renegade Ctarl Ctarl can help me get back my rank. 
Of course, having one million wong wouldn't hurt either! Just leave 
this up to me! I'll bring down that cat beast, no problem!"

"Heh. I guess this job would be suited for an animal like you." Gene 
teased.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN ANIMAL?!"

Sazuka took a sip of her tea, then shrugged. "Why not? It might 
prove very interesting."

Gene nodded as he turned to Gillium II. "Okay Gillium, set a course 
for Tiberius IV!"

----------

"So that's where you think Kojiro may be?" B-Ranma asked.

"The reports about some huge, long-toothed, black cat roaming 
about on Tiberius IV does sound like our Felinar friend." T-Ranma 
replied as he and his other counterparts were heading toward the 
same system that the Outlaw Star was going to. "It's the best lead 
that we've got and it is in the general location in which my 
transporter system had sent him to when it malfunctioned."

"Okay guys! Let's go!" Draco said.

Prototype nodded as he engaged his ship's main drive and laid in 
the course.

----------

On Tiberius IV, in a small town outside of the mining facilities...

"Kojiro!" A small boy called out as he ran toward the Cat Fist 
fighter who was currently cutting logs... with his bare hands.

The Felinar nodded to the youth as he used his Quick Swipe 
technique to cut a massive timber into smaller logs with one slash of 
his ki-powered 'claws.'

"Wow!" The boy exclaimed as he saw the huge tree trunk fall apart 
into several neatly sliced fire logs. "How do you do that?"

"Oh, it's all in the wrist." Kojiro replied nonchalantly as he piled up 
the logs in a stack behind the house he was staying at. It had been a 
week since he had appeared on this strange world, but the locals of 
the small town were friendly and the family that had found him 
gladly gave him a place to stay. Kojiro had been doing some heavy 
labor to earn his keep, and the peaceful surroundings were a 
welcomed change from what he had experienced during his travels 
through dimensions.

"Oh by the way, Kojiro, Mom's got lunch ready!"

"Thanks, Alex." The other-dimensional Ranma said as he finished up 
stacking the logs and walked with the six-year-old boy to the front 
of the house.

A few minutes later, Kojiro was wolfing down the delicious meal 
that Alex's mother had made for them.

"Mmmm, now that was great!" The Cat Fist fighter remarked after 
he had finished off the last of his lunch. 

"Thank you." Alicia Verinda said as she took the dishes away to be 
washed. She was a gentle-looking woman with short blonde hair 
and was about in her mid to late thirties. "It's the least that we can 
do in return for all that you've done for us, Kojiro. Having you 
around is like having a dozen hired hands."

"Yeah!" Alex piped as he gave Kojiro an idolizing look. "You're 
really strong and I've never seen anyone do what you can do! Are 
you sure you're not a Ctarl Ctarl? I've heard that those people are 
like cats and you cut those logs as if you have claws or something."

"No. Like I said before, I know a few techniques in the martial arts 
that mimics the way a cat cuts with its claws."

"Can you teach me how to cut trees with my bare hands and stuff?"

Kojiro became a little edgy as he politely turned him down. "Uh, 
sorry Alex, but the training I had was very hard and I don't think 
you'd want to try what I went through."
"I can handle it!" The little boy said.

Kojiro shook his head again. "Sorry squirt, but the Neko Ken is a 
lot more dangerous than you could ever imagine. It only works for 
certain kinds of people and if you do it wrong, well... let's just say 
that you wouldn't like what would happen." <And I have intention 
of throwing Alex into a pit of starving cats. Besides, he's not a 
Felinar. > "Besides, there's no need for you to learn it, is there?"

"Sure there is. If I could do what you can, then those mean men 
from that mining company wouldn't bother us again! I'd cut them 
up like you do to those logs and..."

"Alex! I won't have you talking like that!" Alicia scolded then 
bowed apologetically to Kojiro. "Please forgive my son's behavior. I 
don't want him to get into any trouble with the Galaxy Mining 
Corporation and..."

Kojiro waved it off. "That's okay. Though he does have a point. 
Have those guys from that company been bothering you again about 
selling your land rights to them?"

Alicia nodded as she continued washing the dishes. "Yes, and this 
time they've tripled their offer. It's very tempting, but this land has 
belonged to my family for generations and it happens to be one of 
the few areas on Tiberius IV fertile enough to farm, along with the 
surrounding forests. Most of the planet has already been exhausted 
of its natural resources due to all the Dragonite mines. Galaxy says 
that a supply of Dragonite is in a huge vein beneath us, but if they 
mine that out, then this entire area will be destroyed. Once that 
Dragonite is all tapped out, then Tiberius IV will become a 
wasteland. Personally I don't care about the Dragonite, since the 
farm gives us more than enough to survive on. The town needs us as 
well as the few farms that are still out there."
"I see."
Alicia nodded. "Galaxy has been trying to buy the other farms as 
well, but so far, we've all managed to hold out against them. The 
town needs the farmers for food and to keep the remaining areas 
alive and well. If the mining corporation strip mines the area, then 
our town will die once the Dragonite is all tapped out. It's been 
rumored that the corporation has been trying some strong-arm 
methods to get the other farmers to sell their lands. But lately, they 
have been backing off, due to some attacks made by some strange 
animal."

"Animal?" Kojiro asked, though he knew exactly what she was 
talking about.

"According to what witnesses claim, some huge cat has been 
attacking the facilities at their main headquarters and the company 
has been too busy trying to track it down to put any pressure on the 
farmers. I don't know what this is all about, but I am grateful to 
whatever it is that is keeping those men away from us."

"It's a Ctarl Ctarl, I just know it!" Alex said.

"A Ctarl Ctarl?" Kojiro asked.

Alicia shrugged. "Some of the witnesses say that they saw this giant 
cat transform into some kind of humanoid person, though no one is 
totally sure, since the sightings only occur at night."

----------

Kojiro sighed as he finished stocking supplies and the inventory list 
in the storage building. Ever since he had come to live with Alex 
and Alicia, he had been secretly been going out at night in his tiger 
form to run through the forests. Every now and then, he had to go 
out as a tiger. It was during one of those runs that he had come 
across some men that were from the mining company, who were 
secretly planning to force Alex's family into selling their property 
by blowing up the storage areas. After giving them the scare of their 
lives and running them off, the Cat Fist fighter soon found himself 
as self-appointed guardian of the land as it seemed that the Galaxy 
Mining Company was determined to get a hold of the remaining 
areas. The goons that the corporation had hired were supposed to 
sabotage the area and get the other land owners to sell out. 
However, Kojiro had been waging a private war against the 
company; secretly attacking facilities and thwarted their attempts to 
force Alex's family and all the other farmers from their homes. It 
was the least he could do to repay Alex and his mother for taking 
him in.

However, the CEOs of the company had decided that enough was 
enough and hired outsiders to take care of their feline adversary. 
Outsiders who had come in on the Outlaw Star.

----------

"So it's a deal then. We get rid of this wild animal that has been 
attacking you, and you pay us one million wong in cash." Gene said 
as he and his crew stood in the main office.

The head executive nodded. "Yes, this creature is a menace to our 
operation here on Tiberius IV. Its attacks have my men so scared 
that they won't even come to work until it's gone. We're way 
behind schedule and we need to mine out that Dragonite as soon as 
possible! Tiberius IV has some of the best high-grade Dragonite 
we've ever come across and we can't just stop now." He then 
glanced over to where Aisha was standing and said, "You there! 
You're a Ctarl Ctarl, right?"

Aisha nodded as she stepped forward with pride. "That's right! I'm 
Aisha Clan Clan of the Ctarl Ctarl Empire!"

"Well then, this job should be right up your alley. There have been 
rumors that this giant cat transforms into a humanoid, so it might 
be a Ctarl Ctarl, maybe a renegade."

"Heh, leave everything to me!" Aisha said confidently. "If it is a 
Ctarl Ctarl, then he just met his match!" Aisha made a muscle 
gesture by holding up her arm and flexing her bicep. "And if it's 
just a giant cat, then it won't stand a chance against a proud warrior 
of the Ctarl Ctarl Empire"

"Whatever." Gene said as he led his group to the door. "Be sure to 
have that money ready when the job is done, okay?"

After Gene and his group left, one of the executive's aides came up 
to him.

"Sir? Do we really have to pay out one million wong to a bunch of 
bounty hunters to get rid of that big cat?"

"It's no big deal. Compared to what we'll get from that high-grade 
Dragonite that we mine out of those areas, one million wong is 
nothing but chump change! Why the vein beneath the Verinda 
property alone is worth a thousand times that amount! Once that 
giant tiger is out of the way, then we'll be able to force the Verindas 
and those other farmers to sell out and then there will be no one to 
stop us!"

"But sir...?"

The CEO waved it off. "In any case, we've got a couple of other 
aces in case those bounty hunters fail." He snapped his fingers and a 
figure suddenly appeared in front of them. She was a woman whose 
face was half-obscured by a hood.

----------

"So where do we start Gene?" Jim asked as the group headed 
toward the area where the giant 'tiger' had been sighted.

Gene Starwind nodded as he replied. "Well, first of all, we need 
some information about this giant cat, and the locals here have 
reported to have seen this monster." He then stopped the rental car 
as it pulled up in front of the Verinda residence. "Many of the 
sightings have occurred here in this area, so here's where we'll 
start."

As the group got out of the car and headed toward the front door, 
Sazuka paused as her eyes caught a glimpse of a very well-built 
young man toting a heavy piece of equipment over his shoulder.

"Sazuka? Is something the matter?" Melfina asked.

"No. Nothing is wrong." Sazuka said slowly as she watched 
Kojiro's movements. "It's that person over there. He moves... too 
well to be just a hired hand." She turned back to her companion 
after seeing him disappear into the barn.

"What do you mean too well?"

"In my line of work, one is able to tell if a person is a fighter or 
possesses exceptional skills, and that young man over there is 
extremely skilled. His movements are sure and precise, like a large 
predator's. Also, didn't you notice what he was carrying? That 
industrial water purifier must weigh at least two hundred kilos!"

"Well, I guess that means that he's very strong and must work out a 
lot."

"No Melfina. He didn't have the correct build for a weight-lifter and 
he toted that piece of equipment as if he were carrying a feather 
pillow. His walked as easily as he would have without any burden. I 
would say that young man is either not human, or is trained in the 
martial arts."

"You can tell all that? Just by looking at him?" Melfina asked.

Sazuka nodded. "This may prove to be very interesting indeed."

----------

Kojiro placed down the water purifier and glanced back out to 
where those strangers had passed by him. He had gotten a strange 
feeling from all of them, but he got the strongest sensation from that 
woman in the kimono. He could tell that she was far from ordinary 
and moved quite gracefully. He also managed to catch a glimpse of 
wood within her sleeves and guessed that she may be skilled with a 
bokken. However, unlike Kuno, he sensed that this woman would 
give him a far greater challenge. He would have to keep an eye out 
for her and that strange-looking girl with large, catlike ears and 
whiskers. For some reason, he felt a kind of kinship toward her.

----------

"Wow! You're a Ctarl Ctarl, aren't you?" Alex said excitedly as he 
and Aisha talked behind the house. Inside, Gene and his group were 
questioning his mother on the whereabouts of the monster tiger.

"That's right." Aisha said with pride as she sat down on a pile of 
logs. "I'm here to bring down that monster cat that's been attacking 
the mining company. I believe that he might be a Ctarl Ctarl like 
me."

"Really? That's what I think too. I've never met a Ctarl Ctarl 
before, but I've read all about them! Is it true that you're stronger 
than human beings?"

'That's right. Here, watch this!" The young Ctarl Ctarl smirked as 
she picked up a huge log with one hand and hefted it over her head 
with one hand.

"Cool!" Alex said as he clapped his hands. "You're almost as 
strong as Kojiro is!"

Aisha smiled at the compliment, then frowned a bit. "Almost? Not 
to be insulting, but no human could ever be as powerful as a Ctarl 
Ctarl!"

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Both turned their heads and saw Kojiro causally leaning against the 
back of the house. His arms were crossed over his chest as he smiled 
at the girl who was holding up a timber log that weighed several 
hundred pounds.

"Who are you?" Aisha asked as she tossed the huge timber away.

"Kojiro Shinkara." The Neko Ken fighter said as he stood up. "I'm 
one of the hired hands on this farm."

"One of the hired hands?" Alex said incredulously. "You're the 
ONLY hired hand we've got! But since you're so strong, we don't 
have to hire anyone else. You're strongest guy that I know!"

"Or so he tells me." Aisha said with nonchalance as looked him 
over. "Alex here says that you're pretty strong."

"Oh, I work out a lot." Kojiro shrugged as he walked over to where 
Aisha had put down the log, dug his fingers into the wood, picked 
up the log and tossed it into the air. He then leapt up after it and 
hovered in the air with the log. He then made several quick swipes 
at it with his arms and legs. His movements were so fast that to the 
naked eye, they only appeared as blurring flashes. He then landed 
back down on the ground. The timber in the air exploded into three 
dozen, perfectly cut fire logs, which landed in neat pile beside the 
ones he had sliced earlier.

Aisha stared in a amazement as Kojiro shrugged. "And I also 
practice some martial arts."

"Indeed."

All three looked back to the house to see Sazuka standing at the rear 
door and applauding lightly.

Kojiro nodded at her. <She's good! I almost didn't sense her 
approach!>

Sazuka then approached the group while keeping her gaze on 
Kojiro. "That was very impressive. As I suspected, you are quite 
skilled, though I don't recognize your fighting style."

The Cat Fist fighter became a bit edgy, but managed to not let it 
show as he replied to her comment. "Well, let's just say that I use a 
fighting style that's... not too well known." He then gestured to the 
wooden sword that she carried in her robes. "And I can tell that 
you're quite handy with that wooden sword of yours."

Sazuka was a bit startled but then gave Kojiro a slight smile as she 
took out her weapon. "Very good. You are familiar...?"

"I've... come across a practitioner of Kendo, though his skills are 
nowhere near to what I suspect you're capable of." Kojiro's eyes 
narrowed as he could feel the hidden power and skill within 
Sazuka. Kuno's pitiful skills were as nothing compared to this 
woman's.

It was at that time that the rest of Gene's group came out to the 
back yard. Gene waved to the two females. "Come on, you two! 
We've got a job to do!"

Sazuka gave Kojiro a slight bow as she and Aisha followed him to 
their parked car, leaving Kojiro to wonder about them.

----------

"Ah, he may know a few things, but I could still take him out, no 
problem!" Aisha remarked as the group rode down the road back to 
mining facility.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Aisha." Sazuka said quietly.

"What? Are you saying that he could actually beat me?!" The feline 
female said with indignation. "No mere human could defeat a proud 
warrior of the Ctarl Ctarl Empire!"

"Human he may be, but I suspect that he is far from ordinary. Also, 
it takes more than brute strength and ferocity to win a battle."

"It's worked for me so far. Besides, he's not someone I should be 
worried about anyway, Suze."

"I told you before, don't call me that!"

As the two girls continued to bicker, Gene and his partners Jim and 
Melfina continued to plan.

"So what do we do now, Gene?" Jim asked.

"Well, since that monster tiger has been attacking the Galaxy 
Corporation's facilities, it makes sense to wait for it to appear there 
and set a trap for it."

"So we're going to stand guard at Galaxy?" Melfina asked.

"You got it." Gene said. "You and Gillium will keep surveillance of 
the area while the rest of us will patrol the complex."

----------

That night...

Gene and his group began patrolling the inner and outer perimeter 
of the complex as the Outlaw Star kept its sensors active while 
parked out on the landing bay. They each took a an area of the 
complex, which would be a likely place where they would encounter 
the beast. For a long while, nothing out of the ordinary occurred. 
Then, sometime after midnight, Melfina and Gillium detected the 
presence of an intruder.

----------

"Gene! Everyone! The sensors have just picked up an intruder that 
just breached the outer perimeter and is heading toward sector 5!" 
Melfina said as she was immersed in the control module of the 
Outlaw Star.

----------

Aisha was the one closest to where the disturbance was as she 
rushed toward sector 5. She grinned a feral smile as she readied 
herself for combat. Tiberius IV had a natural moon, which was in 
its last quarter phase, thereby increasing her beast power 
substantially. She had also eaten a full meal before going on patrol 
so she had plenty of calories to burn.

She rounded a corner and then heard an explosion. She looked up 
and saw that a storage facility had been destroyed, as well as some 
very important power conduits, causing several lighting fixtures to 
go out, plunging the local area into darkness. However, Aisha 
wasn't concerned. Along with enhanced hearing, she also possessed 
extraordinary night vision and a good sense of smell. She could find 
her prey, no matter how dark it was.

The Ctarl Ctarl decided to transform partly as she neared the area of 
the disturbance. Her body became even more muscular and slight 
fangs appeared, as well as a tail. Her fingers elongated and became 
more pointed as she readied her claws.

It was at that moment that she caught some movement in the pitch 
black darkness and prepared to pounce.

----------

Kojiro nodded as he observed his handiwork. A few slashes and an 
entire storage area was reduced to a flaming wreckage, destroying 
all the precious Dragonite within. A well-placed Tiger Bolt and a 
power substation was rendered inoperative. The mining company's 
schedule was set back at least a month for repairs, and therefore 
would have to leave Alex's family and the other farmers alone for a 
while. Kojiro figured that if he continued with his guerilla raids, the 
Galaxy Corporation would eventually have to pull out.

Just as the power substation went up, Kojiro's sixth sense went off 
as his enhanced hearing and sense of smell picked up something... 
someone attacking him.

"RAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!"

A shape leapt at him like a large jungle cat as Kojiro caught a 
glimpse of some kind of beast woman leaping toward him with 
claws extended and fangs bared. Then his Neko Ken powers took 
over as he used that split-second to retaliate.

Kojiro ducked under Aisha as she leapt toward him, and then sent a 
fist into her gut .

WHOMP!

----------

Aisha Clan Clan gasped as she felt something hard slam into her 
belly with the force of a speeding truck. She dropped to the floor 
while clutching her stomach. She then looked up and saw that the 
intruder was not the monster cat she had been hoping for, but a 
human... who happened to smell familiar. Then, the fires of the 
exploding storage area lit the area and her eyes widened as she saw 
who it was.

"YOU?!" Aisha exclaimed as she staggered to her feet. He was the 
one who had been attacking the Galaxy Corporation? She growled 
as she tensed up and faced off against Kojiro. "So you're the one 
who's been keeping them from mining the Dragonite?"

Kojiro said nothing as he went into a battle stance. He mentally 
chided himself for not transforming into his tiger or hybrid form 
sooner, as he was now recognized. However, those concerns would 
have to be put on the back burner as Aisha smiled smugly at him.

"Well, you're not exactly what I was expecting, but I'm still going 
to have to turn you in. A million wong is a million wong after all."

"Don't count that money until after you've earned it!" The Neko 
Ken fighter said as he tensed up and just kept his own tiger's rage 
from welling to the surface.

Aisha gave off a short laugh at her opponent's defiance. "Heh. 
Sazuka said that you were someone special, but that still doesn't 
make you a match for a proud warrior of the Ctarl Ctarl. No mere 
human could stand up to the power of my race and I'm only 
partially transformed. Even in this form, my beast power is more 
than enough to tear you to shreds. So why don't you make it easy on 
yourself and surrender?"

"Bring it on!"

"As you wish." Aisha then leapt forward and slashed at Kojiro with 
inhuman speed, but the Neko Ken fighter surprised her with his 
own agility. He ducked out of the way and then swerved to avoid a 
follow-up kick. Then he hopped back to get more fighting room, 
then delivered a hard sidekick. Aisha dodged the blow but was 
surprised to see the foot leave a deep indentation in the steel wall 
behind her.

"Hmmm, not bad for a human. You're pretty quick too."

"I'm just getting started." Kojiro growled.

"Heh, well it ends now!" Aisha then sent a fist hurtling toward 
Kojiro's face, but the blow was suddenly stopped by an open hand, 
which then gripped her fist in a tight vise. She then sent her other 
fist at his face, but that too was intercepted by his other hand.

Kojiro gritted his teeth as he increased pressure on Aisha's hands. 
The Ctarl Ctarl girl was strong, really strong! It felt like he was 
fighting Brittany Diggers and Felicia all over again! He applied 
more pressure and began forcing her back.

Aisha was shocked to find herself being forced back by a human 
and began calling on more of her beast power to overcome him. Her 
fangs became more pronounced and her hair started waving in the 
air. She then began to think about something else. Maybe this 
person wasn't a Terran, but actually an android or even... a Ctarl 
Ctarl.

<Not good! Not good at all! > The Neko Ken fighter knew that in 
her present form, Aisha had the advantage of raw power as 
compared to his enhanced human form. He considered shifting to 
his hybrid form, but time was short and he had to escape while he 
could. He had no time for a prolonged battle. 

Fortunately, Aisha's fighting style relied mostly on brute power and 
ferocity, so she was unprepared when she applied more force and 
was put off balance as Kojiro suddenly put her into a Judo throw. 
She slammed hard into the opposite wall, making a large dent into 
it. She shook head to clear it, but at that time Kojiro turned to 
escape.

Aisha then pounced at him to try and bring him down, but the Cat 
Fist martial artist dodged the charge and then turned to slam a knee 
to her face. He followed through with several fast punches to her 
gut, then brought his head down on hers. Every attack was thrown 
with enough force to shatter concrete.

Aisha was dazed from the fast delivery of blows and though her 
reflexes were superhuman, she lacked the overall skills to 
effectively defend against Kojiro's fast and brutal attacks. She had 
been trained in basic hand-to-hand combat in the Ctarl Ctarl 
academy, but her fighting style consisted of wrestling maneuvers, 
which used her beast strength to her advantage. However, Kojiro 
was a master of the Neko Ken, a martial art that was created by 
Sekhmet and Bastet. He had also been trained in the Anything 
Goes, which allowed him to adapt to any situation. Finally, after 
facing off against the former kohlinjar of the Felinar, the former son 
of Genma Saotome had reached a level of power in which few could 
match. Despite all of her powers and abilities, Aisha Clan Clan was 
a novice compared to Kojiro. She lacked both the experience and 
training.

Aisha was seeing stars as she was backhanded back toward the wall. 
Her vision was swimming as she saw her opponent glowing with a 
blue aura. He then cupped his hands before him.

"RAGING TIGER BOLT!"

"What the...?!"

Aisha was slammed back as the ki projectile exploded against her 
chest. She was sent flying back and crashed into another wall. She 
then slumped down as her line of sight began to dim. Just before she 
blacked out, she caught a glimpse of her opponent as he suddenly 
changed shape into that of a huge, black, saber-toothed cat and 
bounded away.

"He's... a Ctarl... Ctarl."

Aisha then slumped into unconsciousness.

----------


"Gene! Look over there!" Jim said as he pointed toward a rooftop. 
The others had converged on an area that was close to where Aisha 
had run toward when the alarm sounded. They all gasped at the 
sight of Kojiro's tiger form as it let off a roar.

"Whoa! It's even bigger than Aisha's transformed state!" Jim 
gasped as he and the others watched the beast gracefully leap down 
from its perch and began to dash away.

However, the crew of the Outlaw Star could not pursue it as they 
realized that they had to go look for their comrade and help put out 
the fire.

----------

Later...

"Owie!" Aisha winced as Melfina wrapped a medicated bandage on 
her forehead. The rest of the group were gathered around her bed in 
the Outlaw Star.

"So that guy you saw at the Verinda farm was really a Ctarl Ctarl?" 
Jim asked.

"He had to be! No human could ever hurt me like that!" Aisha said 
with anger. "When I see him again I'm going to... ow, ow, ow!"

Melfina shook her head as she gently pushed Aisha back onto the 
bed. "Now, now. You must rest and let your body heal up."

"I'll be fine! Just give me a while and I'll be as good as new! And 
when I get out of bed, I'm going to make that guy pay! He cheated 
by using some kind of Tao spell on me!"

"Tao spell?" Sazuka asked with interest.

"He blasted me with some kind of energy from his hands! It must 
have been a Tao spell 'cause it really stung!" Aisha winced again as 
another stinging ache was felt in her chest. "Regular weapons don't 
have much effect on an immortal Ctarl Ctarl, but you guys know 
that Casters and Tao spells can hurt us pretty badly! <And he threw 
some pretty mean punches too. >

"I don't know..." Sazuka said slowly. "He... didn't strike me as 
knowing any Tao magic."

"Well whatever or whoever he is, he's our man and if we expect to 
collect that million wong, then we have to bring him down." Gene 
said.

----------

Meanwhile, in orbit around Tiberius IV...

"So this is where you think Kojiro is?" B-Ranma asked.

T-Ranma nodded. "Yeah, this is the only planet that the transporter 
could have sent him to. Well, we'd better prepare to make a 
landing. Who knows what we'll encounter down there."

End of part one.

To be concluded in part two.

Author's notes

Well, what do you think of the first part of the first chapter of the 
side stories of the Great Crossover Crisis? Give me some more 
suggestions and ideas for future episodes.


