MF Max Intel Ch. 06-10

Vika took a deep breath and nodded, "it is time."

Yumi began, "To put it succinctly, Asa-chan: You are descendant from a long line of warriors of the line of Hojo Masako who was the first onna-bugeisha. Our lineage has not faltered through the eons of human existence. The vast wealth your father possessed was but a drop in the ocean of the assets our ancestors have accumulated over time. Assets that will be yours when I pass on. This is why I was never worried about your mother's machinations before now."

"However, I cannot allow her to continue with her plans now that she has tried to own your soul. Steps have been taken and my most loyal and capable students have been dispatched to deal with her."

Astrid wept.

"You know she will never leave you alone. And now she knows how powerful you and your family truly are. She will not underestimate you a second time. I am so sorry Asa-chan. But you know I am right. I tried to warn my brother when she latched onto your father, but he was so lonely after your mother died in childbirth. She will no longer be a thorn in your side or the side of this family."

"I suspect my brother told her of the family legacy and that is why she so desperately wants to control you. As the only one left from my generation of our lineage, I cannot stand by and allow such a sociopath to lay waste to our heritage."

"If it helps, know this: she killed your father, my brother, because he left her out of his will. For that reason, I have been watching over you even when you knew it not. Her time of reckoning was always going to come, Asa-chan. There is a time and place for all things under the sun."

Astrid became livid, "I should have killed her when I had the chance!"

Agatha reached out to Astrid, *Calm, my beloved wife. Focus on your new family and your aunt. We love you and will never betray you. Be at peace.*

Astrid felt Agatha's warm embrace as she pushed serenity into her and she took a deep breath. "Obasan, thank you for your wisdom all these years. Thank you for being there when I needed you, even when I could not see you. I have always felt this warrior spirit inside me and now I understand why. Tomorrow, I would like to show you my response to that spirit of the onna-bugeisha."

Yumi and Astrid stood and hugged and there was not a dry eye in the whole family as they gathered around the two in a group hug.

Mercedes looked to Howie, "You know you have some explaining to do now, yes?" she said with an arched eyebrow."

Howard shook, knowing real fear for the first time in his life... "Uh Oh."

"The only fear I have," Yumi sighed, "Is you will be the last of our line. I support your life's decisions, Asa-chan. But children don't seem to be in your future."

"Obasan, what you don't know is Max is packing. So," Astrid winked at Yumi, "That really is not an issue."

Vika looked at Agatha and raised an eyebrow. Agatha smirked at her and said, "Okay! Okay!"

Everyone looked at Agatha and waited.

"Well," Agatha began, "You all know I have been enhancing the family. And, well, I even made Paula younger. Did everyone not realize you are immortal through me?"

Everyone but Vika did a double take, "What do you mean, immortal?"

Agatha smiled coquettishly, "I could never let the loves of my life die of old age. How could I?"

*Does that mean we cannot be killed?* Joon asked in the stunned silence.

*While you are gaining impunity from projectiles, you are still susceptible to laser fire. But you can die. If you do, and I am still alive, I can bring you back from the dead...but it would not be the same as before.* Agatha replied to the family.

Yumi smiled, content with those revelations.

0o0

The family walked up on the stage which had been set up with microphones and a few chairs for making announcements. The cats took up positions at the access points to the stage as well as lining the edge of the stage, lying down, equally spaced, and facing the crowds.

Paula and Astrid took one look at the speakers and Paula decided to not use them and just cast projection spells on Joon and her double necked guitar. There was a very large Holographic screen available above the stage and Astrid immediately deployed her drones and tapped them into the projector.

Agatha walked up to the front of the stage in her cat form, appearing also on the hologram above her, and announced: "Ladies, Gentlemen, children! I have the pleasure... no! The HONOR of introducing the most gifted vocalist and guitar player of all the known worlds for your viewing and listening pleasure! She is known to you as Jooniper Smith, and she has just returned from her visits to other species where she was renowned and celebrated for her latest videos featuring both Slarmian and Dau cultures! The ONE! The ONLY! Jooniper!"

There was maddening applause as Joon swiped her Glamour before she walked up with Max who handed Joon her guitar. And when the drone shot her image to the holographic projector... awed gasps and enraptured silence.

"Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen" Joon spoke in a honeyed voice that everyone could hear even though she didn't use the microphone. "I will be singing some ancient songs from artists that have been forgotten over the eons. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do playing and singing them."

With that, Joon began singing Geoff Castellucci's rendition of "GHOST RIDERS IN THE SKY." Joon effectively recreating his deep bass voice as well as his multiple overlays with her single voice as she sang to the audience. At the end of the song, Emma gave out her frightening moan, causing everyone to gape in fear. It was short lived, however and when she finished the crowd erupted for over a minute before she was able to continue.

Joon then sang Disturbed's version of "THE SOUND OF SILENCE." Again, with this song, her voice mimicked the original singer's voice in timbre, pitch, and resonance, with a clarity and depth and dynamic range with accompanying vocal overlays that were inhuman in their full measures.

Joon then followed with Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For A Hero". With this the cats bellowed as one at the pause after singing 'Hero'. Joon also added yearning and earnestness in her vocals, and they had a profound effect on the audience. Agatha, Howard, Samira, and Max pulled out all the stops and did fight routines with Naginata, Ca'tagri fighting knives and Wakizashi short swords.

With the audience enraptured, Joon sang Hot Chocolate's "I believe in Miracles" imbued with the hope and faith her 'Hero' would appear. She then went softer with Sammy Johns' "Chevy Van" while vocalizing the emotional, sensual, and enrapturing love of her 'Hero' coming to her rescue only to have to depart.

Joon then spoke of the emotional instability of losing her 'Hero' with the Eagles' "Hotel California" and "Desperado": finishing with the lament and the self-medication of grief with Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet".

Joon began to pick up the beat a bit with Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" and George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone" as she allowed her audience to rise from the ashes of loss. She then went full energy with ZZ Top's "Tush" and "Tube Snake Boogie" in again celebrating life.

When Joon began singing Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger" in celebration of triumph over loss, Yumi got on stage and began a dramatic Kata with her swords and Samira created a hard light rendition of a fighting tiger above her; all of which was shown next to Joon on the Holograph.

Joon then followed with a sensual rendition of Shocking Blue's "Venus" where she used sub-harmonics to elicit lust and desire. She did the same with Joan Jett's "Do You Wanna Touch Me" before making an announcement for her last two songs.

"These last two songs are offered in memory of the Lion of the Federation and his Lionesses who fought on Terra against the Kintark invasion and delivered the human race from a future of slavery and eventual eradication!"

She went directly into Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" and AC/DC's "Thunderstruck", eliciting massive and protective strength with her vocals as Astrid pulled up the most dramatic scenes of the battle as a backdrop to Joon's dynamic performance. During Thunderstruck, Paula let loose with massive lightning bolts with accompanying thunderclaps every time Joon sang the title word in the song and Nike let loose with blasts of fire into the air.

The crowd went totally nuts and the applause afterward was deafening.

When she finished, Max brought her some tea and packed her guitar as Joon waved to the crowds. No one could speak as the thunder of the crowd's appreciation rolled over them in waves as if the family was standing in the middle of a class 5 hurricane. Max then picked up her wife and the family mounted their Panthers. Max's cat was now even larger to handle the added weight and the entire family flew off into the early evening sky, waiving to all as they flew past.

0o0

Joon, cuddled in Max's arms with her head on her wife's shoulder, asked her family, *Was it as good as it felt?*

Astrid replied amidst all the murmurs of agreement, *Second wife: It was as good if not better than Dau. The emotional responses you elicited with your sub-harmonic vocals were overwhelming. I captured everything in Ultra High Definition, including all the sub-harmonics and family additions and I am putting the finishing touches on it now. I will send it out to your online playlists by the time we land.*

*Mmmm, that's nice.* Joon replied as she nodded off in a short nap.

0o0

Upon arrival at Yumi's estates everyone went to their rooms. Agatha, however, pulled Yumi to the side and spoke to her about the family's dream parties. Yumi was very enthusiastic about joining.

Three hands monitored the digital traffic during the night while also sending out the new holo-vid to the outlying family members.

Each of the bedroom suites featured a unique time in ancient Japanese history.

Howard's and Mercedes' room was decorated in the Tokugawa (Edo) period which saw the rise of the samurai feudal system of government. Astrid's and Samira's room displayed the Meiji era which was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization by Western powers to the new paradigm of a modern, industrialized nation-state which pulled power and authority back to the emperor.

Similarly, each room was faithfully decorated depicting other epochs, including the Kemmu Restoration, Muromachi (Ashikaga) period, the Kamakura period, and the like. The only concession was one of comfort with modern bedding and pillows... though the furniture and artwork were authentic to each period. Each room had mannequins dressed in period specific and authentic ceremonial apparel.

0o0

Agatha noted all the news in and around Jericho centered around the family's visit and impromptu performance at Fanta-Con. There were lots of pirated, low quality holo vids out, so Agatha just released the ultra-high quality video Astrid had made to each of the sites. This caused the local nodes to almost crash with the downloads and an hour and a half later there were cries, pleadings, and official offers from the sponsors to have the family back tomorrow evening. Agatha was a bit worried about security, though and began to make arraignments, letting the sponsor of the event know a decision would be made at breakfast the next morning.

Agatha on Depot 3 contacted Mary, asking her for permission to visit and bring some entertainment with the intent to get permission to broadcast the new holo-video on the station's network.

Agatha, having secured the invitation, walked unescorted to Mary's home with a portable holo-vid projector and the data fob with the video. Knocking on the door, Mary called, "Please, come in Agatha! I am always excited to have you over for tea. In the last several hundred years, I cannot ever recall having this much fun or feeling more alive!"

Agatha entered and noted tea was already set and Bob was also present. "Hello Bob, it is wonderful to see you again; this time in better spirits!"

Tom's antennae vibrated rapidly and he replied, "Thanks to the work of you and your family, the Bract Conglomerate has retrieved our prized ship from pirates, saved half of the crew, broken through the barriers to shipping with the Terran Federation, created new shipping contracts that look to be very promising, kept our secrets safe, and helped us root out very serious trade infractions on all our depots. Yes, I would say my spirits are much better, thank you. And if you were Bract, I suspect you would soon be invited to the Board of Governors as you play the game better than most."

Agatha smiled, "Oh my! Such a compliment! Thank you, Bob! I have no desires for recognition, though. I have found my niche, and I am very happy where I am."

Mary smiled, "The Star Child who serves. You will be written down in the annals of our people and the entire M.E., Agatha. But what of this new music video you mentioned? I am most curious."

0o0

It was very obvious that both Bob and Mary were deeply moved by the video. Bob looked to Mary and then to Agatha, "Her skills are improving exponentially."

Mary nodded, her body's brightness evidence of the emotional waves the video elicited. "I detect sub-harmonic vocals in the Exquisite Lady Jooniper's voice that pulled emotions unbidden from the depths of my heart. Talented, indeed! I see you are not the only entity we should be thankful is benevolent, Agatha. With that voice she could bend entire species to her will."

Agatha smiled, "She and I are not agents of chaos. We are friends. Friends who are sincerely wanting the best for your people."

Mary turned to Bob, "What is your perspective on allowing it to be broadcast among the depots?"

"If I didn't know their character beyond the shadow of a doubt, I would be wary. As it is, I think it will go far to enhance relationships with the Terran Federation."

Mary agreed, "You have your permission."

Agatha also broadcast it in the Consulate on Staverka and Dau as well as providing it to their digital nodes. The Dauchazi and Daurazzu, both having been pushed Terran speech by Agatha, were awed that such emotions could be conveyed by the Terran voice of their now beloved Ambassador.

Zess was beside herself and immediately approved its broadcast on the Dau net.

Teffa forwarded her copy to Ambassador Crinx.

Ambassador Crinx, after viewing the video, immediately called the First Secretary.

"First Secretary, Ambassador Crinx is calling. Are you available to take the call?"

Agatha smiled, "Yes, please. And thank you."

The holographic display coalesced, and the exuberantly happy Ambassador Crinx was all smiles. "Firsst Ssecretary! I beg of you! Allow me the privilege of possting the video of the Exquissite Lady Jooniper'ss latesst concert!"

"Of course, Ambassador, with our compliments."

Crinx was so excited he bid the First Secretary a quick farewell and plowed into making the video public, creating the subtitles so the citizens of Staverka might understand the song while feeling the emotions pulled up by the Exquisite Lady's voice.

0o0

In freeport, Soumii and Mosira watched the new video and after it was finished, Mosira whispered, "By Assheron the Profound, the ambasssador iss the mosst talented ssinger in the cossmoss. Sshe pulled my emotionss from me with such easse. I wass being manipulated, knowingly sso; but I didn't care."

Soumii immediately had the video looped over Freeport's digital news network. She also sent a copy to the Orithion foreign office for them to do with as they wished.

0o0

Breakfast was light, filling, and very nutritious. Miso soup, made with tofu, wakame seaweed, mushrooms, and green onions was served with lightly gingered warm rice, oven baked bok choi, salted and grilled salmon, folded egg squares, and a dilled pickle wedge. The eggs were combined with some of Agatha's milk which made them very fluffy and light while still imbuing her essence into the family. This process was explained to Yumi during the shared dream and offered as a way to bring back Yumi's youth.

Yumi was given several pints of frozen breast milk to allow the process to complete.

Joon then asked, "Obasan, you have been very stoic with all the revelations from your new family. If I may boldly ask without offense, I am curious about your reactions."

Yumi smiled, "Joon-san, Japanese culture is steeped in a pantheon of demons, both benign and evil. My intelligence reports indicated Agatha-san to be a gentle, benign spiritual being. As such, I merely had to open my mind to any forthcoming revelations."

"Speaking of reactions," Agatha added, "The impromptu concert has had over 1.6 billion hits as of this morning just in the Terran sector. That is not including Dau, Staverka, the Bract Depots, or Ortherion."

Howard replied, "That seems a bit low, considering how good it was."

Agatha grinned, "Well, dad, it was a bit late last night. I note that in the last hour the video is being downloaded with an exponential rate of increase as word gets out. Also, the sponsors of Fanta-Con were hoping for a repeat performance this evening. They promised a much larger stage and audience with multiple larger holo projectors and state of the art electronics. They also said for you to name your price."

Joon was excited but Max was more cautious, "What about security? It is one thing to have an impromptu concert for one night and quite another to have a repeat performance the next evening that will be widely publicized."

"I anticipated that concern and have enlisted the help of the entire Jericho police department as well as local military to provide security at the event... should the family agree."

Joon replied, "I would love to, but I don't want to take away from our time with Obasan."

Yumi responded, "Oh Joon-chan, I had the time of my life last night. I would love to relive that again this evening!"

Max sighed, knowing it was now decided. Agatha let the sponsors know so they could begin preparations.

0o0

Far away on another world, Ingrid Komatsu walked into her favorite coffee shop for her regular morning ritual. She was frustrated with her failures to bring Astrid back into the fold. She had wanted to avoid the legal hassles of getting access to the family fortune if Astrid were to just suddenly die; but it was looking more and more like that was her only option left.

An oriental waiter came to her table and took her order. She sighed, evidently her regular waitress was off today. "Yes, I would like a double chocolate espresso with whipped cream, double sugar."

The waiter filled her request and surreptitiously painted the outside of the cup with a particularly deadly strain of Puffer fish poison mixed with a liposome delivery agent so it would be absorbed through the skin.

The waiter delivered the coffee on a saucer and left. Ingrid picked up the cup, appreciating the warmth in her hand as she sipped her espresso. Yes, she needed to enlist a top-notch assassin, it was the only way.

Ingrid didn't notice her hand going numb until her cup dropped from her hand onto the table. The waiter was there quickly and, with gloved hands, whisked away with the cup in hand. Ingrid was about to ask for a replacement but she was suddenly unable to talk. Within another 10 seconds, she leaned face forward on the table... dead.

The waiter walked out of the back of the coffee shop and stepped into a hover car with the cup in a sealed biohazard bag. "Let mistress Oyumi-sama know it is done."

0o0

Paula then levitated a pair of magical Oricalcum Katana swords, their handles wrapped in layers of strips of very soft kangaroo hide that were then wrapped in a diamond pattern of Oricalcum stranded threads. The pommels were tiger heads with inset emerald eyes. "Obasan, I wish to gift you these Katana. Asa-chan made them for you and they are made of magical metal that is stronger than any known substance in existence. They are also 99.999% laser proof and the edge is exactly one atom thick; making them sharper than razor blades. Razors that never need sharpening."