Preface

The Princess of the Uruseian Empire was dreaming about the same people
every night. People that she had never met before. Destined for the
Imperial throne sooner than she imagined, the dreams were a cause for
concern. They were a cause for greater concern when it was discovered that
the people in the dreams were not simply a part of her imagination, but
were real. She was sharing dreams without another person, an alien boy who
she had fallen in with love with in the dreams.

She discovered where this boy was as she was invading his planet. With the
help of her companions Jariten and Benten and secretly her Father, the
Emperor, she snuck this boy, Ataru, aboard her fleet. From here on they
engaged in a battle with the oppressive feudal structures of the Empire in
order that their love could become more than just a dream.

In a short civil war, with unlooked for help, they defeated their enemies.
Flush with victory and hope, they came to Urusei and began to plan for
their life together. Undoubtedly, the end of their story should have been,
'and they lived happily ever after,' but a bomb in a android suddenly
dashed their hopes.

The Empire is vast, a complex web of power, and relationships. Inevitably
when one tugs on one of the strands of the web, the spider will come to
investigate.

* * * *

Alt - Urusei Yatsura: Still Dreaming
 by Lewis Burden <lburden@win.bright.net>
                                     

Chapter 1: "I wish this dream would never end."
                               
It was the afternoon tour. The Guide deftly steered the tour group through
the high stone arches of the Uruseian Imperial Palace. He had brought
hundreds of groups through the building, and he knew the history of every
stone. He told them of the worker's rebellion when the palace was only half
built. He told them of the bomb which destroyed most of the original
structure and how it was painstakingly rebuilt to look exactly as it had
before. He told them of the various artists who had been called in to do
the frescos as well as the wood and stonework.

He was only half surprised when upon bringing the group into one of the
large courtyards they happened upon the Princess and her new alien consort.
Often during the tours they might happen to glimpse a member of the royal
family going about their business. Catching the Princess, of course, was a
special treat because she was so rarely on Urusei, and of course, she was
so beautiful.

The Guide bowed respectfully and hoped that everyone else did the same. He
heard the Princess wish them good luck, and then out of the corner of his
eye he saw the boy rush out from the group toward the Princess. The Guide
swore silently and ran off after the boy. Children were often a hassle in
these groups. This one in particular, because his parents weren't with him.
The Guide hated when parents, in order to buy a few moments peace, put
their kids under the care of some unsuspecting tour guide.

The Guide had bought the kid some souvenirs and an ice cream cone in hopes
that he would be placated and well behaved. Surprisingly, he was. He had,
in fact, up until that moment, been one of the best behaved children that
the Tour Guide had ever led. Now, however, he was causing the Guide great
embarrassment and in front of the Princess, herself.

The Guide was quite relieved when the Princess smiled and signaled that she 
didn't mind signing an autograph. Then it happened, just as the Guide was
about to grab the child and bring him back to the group, the child became
strangely still. The Guide felt that there was something terrible
happening. It was milliseconds between the time that the Guide saw a
strange glow in the child's flesh and when he leapt to shove the child away
from the Princess and her consort. It was the last thing that he ever did.

* * *

Benten banked her bike hard to the right. Imagine the nerve of that
bastard, trying to get away. The enemy fighter slipped tantalizingly close
to her cross-hairs, but then pulled up. He was using a classic evasive
pattern. Benten wondered when these Uruseians would learn to be creative.

Benten anticipated the next move in the pattern, and the enemy dutifully
moved his fighter right into her awaiting sights. The computer pinged a
lock and Benten fired. There was a momentary hesitation before the guns
reacted. The lights dimmed and the enemy exploded.

Benten screamed in frustration and slammed her fists against the control
console. The starry background faded from her canopy and was replaced by
the metal panels of the hangar bay.

Benten began slamming her fists into her fighter in rage. She wasn't fast
enough! She was slipping! The computer hesitated because it was
compensating for the fighter moving out of lock again. This could happen to
a novice, maybe occasionally to a veteran Uruseian, but never to Benten.
She didn't really need the computer to target her prey. It shouldn't have
to compensate for her failure to react in time.

Benten was forced out of her rage by the pain in her hands. She had slammed
them against the walls so hard they were bleeding. Her face was red, and
she was breathing heavily as she brought her hands into her chest. Her eyes
were wild with rage. It was fortunate that no one was around to see her
like this.

She was a failure. She couldn't even be counted on to protect one person,
one very precious person. She had failed the galaxy, and she had failed
herself. Lum's protection was her responsibility, but she let herself be
distracted by all the celebrations. She let herself be distracted by
getting her world back, and she let herself be distracted by the terran
boy. She had let her guard down and paid the ultimate price. Better for her
to have died in that explosion than to lose Lum, the only real friend that
she had ever had.

"Damn the fucking universe!" she shouted, slamming her fists into the walls
one last time, and regretting it. She took a deep breath and worked to
relax. Destroying her hands wouldn't bring Lum back. She had to remember
the her favorite axiom, given to her by her first trainer. 'The angry
fighter gets killed that much quicker.'

This was one of the harder ones for her, because of her temper, but she
knew it was true. It was cold, undivided concentration that would put her
enemy between her sights. The time for celebration, short lived as it was,
was over. There was no room for the terran boy. There was no room for
festival dresses. There was only room for one thing. She had her vengeance
against the Azu's, now there was a new enemy, and Benten knew how to make
enemies pay.

She bent over and pulled the first aid kit from under her seat. She opened
it and proceeded to bandage her hands. Having this done, she replaced the
box, took a deep breath and reinitiated the simulator.

* * *

Ten sat in his favorite chair, deep in thought. He was doing, in his own
albeit more reserved way, much the same thing that Benten was. He was
damning himself for his failure. All his thoughts and schemes and plans
were worthless. It was such a game, wasn't it. So fun to play, he scoffed.
Why didn't he see it coming? How could such an obvious thing pass by
unnoticed? A bomb! He sighed and lowered his head.

There were no convoluted paths of Family intrigue. There was no hidden
power grab to strip the Princess of her authority before she was crowned.
Someone had simply placed a bomb in an android and marched it right up to
the Princess. Ten was caught completely off his guard.

When Lum needed him most, what was he doing? He was too busy patting
himself on the back. He was too busy planning a grand addition to the
palace, just for his own indulgences. Everything was working out so well,
and now it was all over, or soon would be. Lum wasn't dead. The heroics of
the tour guide had saved her and Ataru, but she could have been dead. And
certainly whoever sent the first bomb would send another. He wouldn't be
able to stop that one either if he didn't find out who it was. For the
first time in his life, Redet Jariten doubted whether he could find who was
responsible. He was doubting many things about himself now.

Ten stood and looked around his room; his play room in the command section.
The pretentiousness of it seemed so useless, so wasteful. It was beginning
to disgust him. He set his face and made his way to the door. He didn't
know where he was going, but he was certainly leaving this room.

He reached the door and opened it. He was surprised to see Ran there.

"I thought you might need someone to talk to," she said shyly.

Ten nodded and let her come in. He really didn't feel like talking to
anyone, but he was in control of himself enough not to take it out on Ran.

Ran sat down on the couch. "Everything seemed to be going so well," she
said.

Ten chuckled. "That's usually when things fall apart," he said and then his
face darkened. "I should have realized that simple fact and been prepared."

"You blame yourself for what happened, don't you?" she asked. She knew that
he had. It was why she had come. She had been sitting with Lum. She was
tired of feeling helpless, alone, so she came to see Ten.

Ran had just been there talking with Lum and Ataru moments before the
explosion. If she had only stayed. It was a servant's duty to die for her
mistress. She would have gladly, even with all blessings the future held
for her now. She would have gladly, even though Lum's death would likely
make her the Empress, if she married Rei.

Ran thought about being Empress. It was higher than she could have ever
dreamed, but it would be so hollow. She had failed her best friend.
Protecting the Princess was part of the duty of her servant. Oyuki would
never fail the Empress. Ran was too busy worrying about herself. She had
failed her friend, who had done so much for her. She had failed her job.

"It was my job," Ten said in an effort to explain his feelings, "to see
that plots like this didn't touch the Princess. It was my fault."

"Are you perfect, then?" Ran asked, talking to herself as much as to
Jariten. "You can't protect her from the whole universe."

"Can't I?" Ten said and stood. "I'm Redet Jariten, my dear, trickster
extraordinaré!" There was a definite sarcasm in his voice. "I can pull a
rabbit out of a hat even if there isn't a hat. No one in the universe can
weave a better scheme, nor with more style." His face contorted with rage,
and he slammed his fists into the wall. "Damn me! I'm such a pompous ass!"
He slumped to the floor.

Ran went to him. She knelt beside him. She saw he was crying, and rubbing
his hands. He turned to her and offered a weak smile. "I'm starting to act
like Benten."

"We haven't lost yet," Ran assured him. "They're not dead. They still need
us."

"They've been out for days," Jariten reminded her. "They're not coming
back. They have to want to come back, and I don't think they do. Why would
anyone want to return to this world?"

* * *

Lum sat in absolute darkness. She couldn't see anything. She felt air
against her body and she realized that she was naked. Where was she? Where
did she used to be? Her mind was all foggy. Was this Tomobiki? She couldn't
imagine being anyplace else, but why was it so dark.

Suddenly it became light, and she saw that she was in Tomobiki. She was
sitting in the middle of the street in front of Ataru's house. She was
still naked, but there was no one around. She stood. It didn't seem real
somehow. She was still very disoriented.

Not knowing what else to do, she walked toward the house and went inside.
No one was home. "Mother, Father," she called. There was no answer.

She made her way up the stairs. "Ten," she called. Still nothing. She went
into Ataru's room. It was empty. Draped on the open window was her
tiger-striped bikini. She looked at it curiously. "Now why would it be
there?" She wondered.

She walked over to the window, and picked up the top to her bikini. The fur
was soft. She studied the small piece of material. For some reason she
didn't want to put it on. She felt strange, like she belonged to a
different reality. There was something that she was missing. Something
important.

She was about to put the bikini down, when finally, she thought, "I have to
put on something. I can't remain naked, forever."

She was about to put on the top when she doubled over in pain. It was an
incredible burning sensation all over her body. She screamed and fell to
the ground. Suddenly Ataru was there with her. He put his hand on her
shoulder. "Lum, are you all right?" he asked.

The pain seemed to lessen with his touch. She looked up at him. 
"Darling..." She saw that he was naked too.

He smiled at her. "I thought that I had lost you," he said.

"Lost me?" Lum asked dazedly. "How?"

Ataru went blank. He stepped back. "I don't know. It is... It's just a
feeling. A feeling that you were gone. And when I... and you weren't
there, I thought."

Lum nodded. She understood perfectly. The pain had gone, and Lum sat up. "I
was in the middle of the street," she said. "I don't know how I got there."

"I was sitting at the neighbor's front door," Ataru explained. "I can't
imagine going there without any clothes on."

"I can't remember yesterday, or anything before I found myself on the
street," Lum said.

Ataru looked down, trying to remember anything at all. He failed. He got up
and went to the closet. "In any case," he said, "we shouldn't be going
around naked."

"Why not?" Lum asked coyly.

Ataru turned. She was smiling at him. Ataru returned the expression.

"There's no one around," Lum said with a wink. "You are my husband."

Ataru paused. Husband? "No, I don't think I am," he replied.

Lum stood. "Of course you are," she insisted.

Ataru thought again and slowly shook his head. He opened the closet and got
out a shirt. "I don't think we're married," Ataru said again, putting on a
shirt.

Lum's face fell. She quickly put on her bikini top. "You're just trying to
be mean. You love me, and we're married. Admit it!"

Ataru put on his underwear and pants. "We are not married! And I don't love
you!" he shouted. "It's all in your head!"

Lum finished putting on the bikini bottom. "Darling, how could you say such
a thing?!"

"Because it's true," Ataru replied, sticking out his tongue.

"I hate you!" Lum shouted and sent a lightning bolt at Ataru. He dodged it.
They were about to start a battle royal, when Ataru's mother called from
downstairs.

"Ataru, Lum!" she called. "Come down for dinner!"

"Food!" Ataru exclaimed and scampered out the door.

"Dahling!" Lum called "We're not finished arguing." She flew after him, but
paused at the doorway. She looked back toward the window. It seemed there
was something that she was supposed to remember.

"Lum," she heard Ten say, "aren't you coming down for dinner? If we don't
hurry the jerk will eat everything."

Lum turned her head. Jariten was floating in front of her.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

Lum smiled and giggled. "Nope, everything is fine."

* * *

Ataru wolfed down his food as usual, and began to think of a way to ditch
Lum so that he could go on a "girl hunt." Peeking up from his meal, he saw
that she was looking at him. Her expression was not at all an approving
one. It was as if she was reading his thoughts.

"Dahling," she said, her tone laced with accusation, "what are you planning
to do after dinner?"

"I thought I would do some school work and go to bed early," he replied.

His mother choked on her food. "Ataru, if you are going to lie to your
girlfriend, you should at least try to make it believable."

"She is not my girlfriend," Ataru insisted.

"That's right," Lum responded, "I'm your wife."

"You are not anything of mine," Ataru said standing. "You forced yourself
on me! I wouldn't marry you for any price!"

"Dahling..." Lum fumed. She started to crackle.

"Not at the dinner table, Lum dear," Ataru's mother said calmly, only
momentarily pausing her meal. "If you are going to electrocute him, please
do it outside."

"Yes, mother," Lum said obediently and grabbing the protesting Ataru by the
collar flew him outside. "Now," she said, holding him several meters in the
air, "say you love me."

"I will never love you!" Ataru proclaimed, and received the appropriate
punishment. Lum dropped the ashes to the ground.

She then dropped on him and asked again, "Do you love me?"

"Who's that?" Ataru asked suddenly.

Lum was taken aback. She looked up to where Ataru was looking. There was
someone, or something standing just out of the shadows on the other side of
the street. He appeared to be watching them.

Now they were used to having passersby watching their arguments, but this
person seemed a bit odd. He was short, about the build of Professor
Onsenmark, and that's who they would have thought it was, but there was
something eerie in the way he was watching them. Then they noticed
something even stranger. Even though he was in the light of a nearby street
lamp, he was casting no shadow. He noticed they were looking at him and he
disappeared around the corner.

Lum quickly leapt into the air and flew after him. Ataru got up and
followed her, but by the time they reached the corner he was no where to be
seen.

"That was strange," Ataru said.

Lum scanned the area, nervously. She felt as if they were still being
watched. "I want to go back inside," she said, and tugged at Ataru's arm.

"Yeah," Ataru agreed, also looking around. "I guess that'd be a good idea."

They both returned to the house, but they were checking behind themselves
all the way to the door.

* * *

Ataru lay awake, staring at the ceiling. It was the middle of the night,
but he couldn't sleep. He felt uneasy about something. He couldn't put his
finger on it, but something just wasn't right. It was a memory just
floating on the edge of understanding. He felt he could almost name it and
then it was gone again.

He could hear Lum's gentle breathing coming from the closet. There was
something very wrong with their relationship. His protestations against him
loving her seemed even more hollow than normal. No, he didn't mean it like
that. They weren't hollow, he thought, trying to convince himself. He did
really mean to say that he didn't love her.

That was the thing, though. Suddenly, he felt that he did love her and that
he had told her so very recently. He knew that wasn't true. It couldn't be
true. He would never tell her that he loved her. That would be giving in.

He looked over in the direction of the closet. She was so beautiful, he
thought, in so many ways. And she wanted him, desperately so. He never
understood how anyone could love him so much. He never believed that it was
possible.

Maybe it was time to make a break. Maybe it was time to admit what he felt.
It was really unavoidable. He would have to give in sooner or later. It
wasn't like she was ever going leave. It wasn't like he really wanted her
to. It was stupid to fight it.

He was about to get up and tell her when his good sense took over. I have a
harem to collect, he reminded himself. Then the uncomfortable feeling
returned with force. He once again felt a presence. Something was watching.

He slowly looked around and had to fight the urge to scream. Silhouetted in
the window curtains was the figure, back lit by the street lamp. Ataru's
heart was beating out of his chest. He drew an uneven breath. He was well
aware that his room was on the second floor and this being had to be
hovering.

He considered that it might be Jariten playing a joke on him, but he could
hear Jariten snoring. He drew up his courage. The shadow of the figure
wasn't moving at all. Ataru fell low to the ground and slowly crept over to
the window. He reached out to pull open the curtain, fully expecting some
grotesque monster to be revealed when he pulled the curtain aside. He
paused, and took a deep breath. His heart was pounding the blood hard
against his ears. In a rapid motion he pulled the curtain aside.

There was nothing there. There was only the street light and an empty
street. Ataru let his heart slow down some. He turned and slumped back
against the wall.

He froze! The person was standing right in front of him. A cold dark
figure, and then it was gone.

Ataru was immobile with fear. His eyes darted back and forth. He was alone
in the room. He jumped back from the window. The shadow was no longer
there. He pulled back to a far corner away from the window and just stared
at it, waiting for the figure to appear again.

What was it?! What should he do? What could he do? His eyes fell on the
closet. He had been too scared to call out, so Lum remained asleep. Ataru
decided that it was good. He wouldn't tell her. He would deal with it, if
there was something to be dealt with. Her happiness was more important.

He pulled his legs into himself, making as small a figure in the corner as
possible. He stared at the window and waited, and didn't sleep.

* * *

Ataru, of course, paid for his vigilance. In the morning, when Lum opened
the closet, she found Ataru, awake but drowsy. He looked horrible.

"Dahling, what happened?" she asked.

"Nothing," Ataru answered groggily. "I couldn't sleep. It's time to go to
school." Ataru got up. He was a little shaky, but fortunately he was young,
and was able to call on the hidden reserve of strength that he most
likely'd have needed forty years down the road. He stood up and smiled at
Lum. "Another day," he said brightly.

Lum was skeptical. "Something happened," she said as she followed him down
the stairs. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yes!" Ataru exclaimed. "That's it, a nightmare!" He turned to Lum. "I had
this terrible dream last night, and I couldn't get back to sleep, but I'm
fine now."

"My poor Dahling," Lum said, flying up to him. "If you had a nightmare, you
should have come and slept with me. I would have protected you."

"No, thank you," Ataru said sourly.

"Dahling!" Lum protested. "Why won't you let me help you. I am your wife,
after all."

"Ataru!" Ataru's mother called. "Hurry up or you'll be late for school!"

* * *

The walk to school was pretty normal, but Ataru couldn't get his mind off
the strange being that he saw. What could it possibly want with him? Or
maybe it wanted Lum. He couldn't be sure. Something was very strange about
the whole event, though. Ataru couldn't quite place it. He was certain,
however, there was something that he should be connecting this with. There
was a veil of forgetfulness over him. His thoughts were muddled.

Lum and Ataru turned the corner and walked into the school courtyard.
Dozens of students were wandering about talking among themselves in their
last moments of freedom before classes started. Ataru sighed. Back here
again. Why did he always end up back here. It seemed there was no escape.

They entered the building, went to their class, and sat in their desks. It
was the same as it was everyday. What a waste of time for someone as
important as he, sitting in a ordinary class just as if nothing had
happened.

Admist all the trouble that had recently befallen him, Ataru had hoped that
when he had left...

There was a scream and Ataru turned to see what was going on. Floating in
the window was the figure.

"Dammit!" Ataru stood. "What do you want?!"

"It's that man again!" Lum exclaimed. "He can fly!" With that Lum lifted
into the air and flew after him. The dark figure immediately flew off with
Lum in pursuit.

Ataru went to the window. "Lum, wait! I'm here now. You don't have to do
this alone!" She was gone. Mindless of protests from Onsenmark, Ataru ran
out the door, down the stairs and out of the school.

Once outside he scanned the sky for Lum. She was nowhere is sight. Ataru
didn't believe that figure was safe, not safe at all. He was very afraid
for Lum. He ran out the front gate, all the while scanning the sky for her.
It was times like this that he really wished he could fly too.

They originally headed off west, so Ataru turned in that direction. He had
never felt so helpless. It was like waiting in Ten's playroom all over
again. Ataru froze.

There was an idea. He knew it was an important one and he had almost had it
within his grasp, but then it eluded him. He strained his mind to get it
back. There was something that he really needed to remember. He scanned the
skies. There was still no sign of Lum. The feeling of dread in his gut was
rising. He started to run again.

What would he do without her, he asked himself. All these years of running
from her and now he couldn't bear to lose her. It was strange. Hundreds of
bizarre creatures had come to Tomobiki before. None of them had ever filled
him with so much fear as this one, this presence. Ataru wished he knew what
was different about this one. What had made the world so much darker?

That thought from before drifted into Ataru's grasp again and this time he
held onto it. He stopped running. He knew now why the world was darker, and
at the same time brighter. He had a good idea what the Presence was too.

Ataru knew that his worst imaginings about the Presence were a shadow of
the truth. This Presence was all that had tried to kill them, to kill his
Lum. It was that terrible reality that they had come from, brought to life
in their dreams. His face contorted in rage and fear. Lum was in terrible
danger. Ataru leapt into the air and flew as fast as his dreams could carry
him.

* * *

Ataru flew fast and far, but it didn't help. Lum was no where to be found.
Ataru eventually flew back to his house, and sat on the balcony railing
looking out to the sky.

It was quite clear to Ataru that the figure was not directly a part of the
dream, but more likely the cause. Its purpose was also clear. It was
keeping their minds muddled. It had meant to frighten Ataru and Lum so that
they would be distracted enough not to remember that they were in a dream.
Ataru was being difficult so it upped the ante. Now it must have hoped that
Ataru would be so busy looking for Lum that he wouldn't remember. Ataru
wondered if the Presence knew that Ataru had discovered the truth.

It was also possible that Lum had discovered the truth, and she was being
held, or worse. No. No, Ataru wouldn't accept that. She was alive. If the
link that had always existed between them was broken, Ataru was sure that
he would feel it.

Unless, of course, the link was created by the Presence. What if it wasn't
a 'what' but a 'who?' That thought disappointed Ataru. He very much wanted
the ethereal bond between himself and Lum to be something special;
certainly something more the alien machinations.

One thing was for certain. He needed to know a lot more about the Presence
and its purpose than he did now. The trick was how to find out. The
Presence had apparently captured Lum. Ataru knew that this was not easy to
do, especially when she had her dream powers.

Jariten floated into Ataru's room. "You're in big trouble," Ten began.

Ataru turned sharply. He was so deep in thought, that Ten startled him.

"The school called to say that you skipped today. Walked right out of
Onsenmark's class, they said. Your mother is going to get you, but good. By
the way, have you seen Lum?"

Ataru had grown to like the real world Jariten. Ataru hoped that Jariten
and he would become close friends. This Jariten however was a different
matter. Dream or no, he was annoying as hell.

Ataru stood up. The devil himself could not have sported a nastier grin.
Ataru walked up to Jariten and held him in a stare down. "So," said Ataru,
"I'm in big trouble, you say."

Even the dream Jariten was no dummy, something was amiss. Ataru had too
much confidence, even for an idiot. The only time Ataru was ever like this
was when he had something up his sleeve. Ten decided not to waste time. He
took a breath.

Ataru did have something up his sleeve. He also knew when Jariten was
warming up. His edge, however, was that Ataru knew he was in a dream.
Several possibilities crossed his mind, but only one seemed appropriate.
Ataru took a breath and flamed Jariten.

To say that Jariten was surprised wasn't quite enough to capture the full
range of emotions the Jariten was experiencing. Fear and wonderment were
also there in good portion. Jariten didn't know where Ataru got the ability
to breath fire, and he didn't care. More important was that Ataru might be
fighting at an even or better level than Jariten, which fitted with
Jariten's rules of combat not at all.

Ataru, however, was very happy. First he got to electrocute Lum, and now he
got to flame Jariten. He considered finding Mendo, and making his life
miserable, however a better thought occurred. If I'm dreaming, he reasoned,
and I know that I'm dreaming, then I can control just about everything. I
can have my harem! "At last there is nothing to stand in my way!" he
announced out loud.

Ataru was about to embark on creating a harem, when a little voice in his
head reminded him of someone whom he was missing. He wasn't free from its
influence yet, apparently. The Presence would always be trying to make him
forget. It would always be trying to get him to accept the dream as
reality.

He had to get away from anything that my help to make him forget. He had to
get away from Tomobiki and everyone in it. There was too much temptation
here. Much to Jariten's astonishment Ataru ran and leapt out the window.
Jariten tried to follow him, but was too slow to keep up.

Ataru stopped and looked back to see Jariten giving up and turning around.
Ataru really would have liked to have Jariten's advice at this point. In an
instant Jariten was floating in front of him.

"What happened to you?!" Jariten exclaimed, alarmed at his suddenly shift
of location. "Where did you get all these powers? Are you the real Ataru?"
Jariten started flying around him to see if there were any flaws that would
give away the disguise.

Not necessarily the advice of this Jariten, Ataru thought, and the dream
Jariten became the real Jariten. However the real Jariten wasn't able to
fly, and demonstrated this fact by falling. Ataru gave him a flying helmet,
and Jariten floated back up. He looked a little shaken, but he recovered.

"Well, lad," he said. "It appears we have a problem." He looked around. So
this is your dream. I suppose it's okay, as dreams go. I've had better."

It occurred to Ataru that this Jariten's advice probably wasn't going to be
of much use. He was either just a manifestation of Ataru's mind, or
controlled by the Presence. In both cases Ataru was just wishing for
something he couldn't have.

Ten noticed the look of disappointment on Ataru's face. "Well. People are
usually more pleased to see me then that." Ten studied Ataru a little
further. "You're worried that I won't be much use, aren't you? I'm not the
real Ten, after all. I'm just something you conjured up in your head." Ten
tapped Ataru on the forehead.

Ataru offered a slight nod in affirmation.

Ten continued. "I wouldn't be so sure. This is no ordinary dream. Both you
and Lum are present in this one dream, perhaps you actually invited the
real me in as well. Or I could be a part of your mind that you couldn't get
in touch with otherwise. But without a doubt, as all will attest, I'm
excellent company!"

Ataru looked at Ten skeptically. "Or," Ataru began, "I could have just
created a means for the Presence to misdirect and control me."

"Doubtful," Ten said thinking. "If the Presence could control every part of
this dream, then it wouldn't have used such an indirect way to distract you
earlier, and it certainly wouldn't be letting you fly now."

Ataru considered this and decided that even bad advice from the Presence
was better than what he had now, which was nothing. "So then how do we find
Lum?"

"Well you could just wish her back," Ten suggested.

"That sounds too easy," Ataru said. "Besides, how would I know that it will
be the real Lum and not just a creation."

"How do you really know that she was here at all? Here, reality and dreams
are the same thing. Even your own self is just a projection of your
unconscious mind into this world. Your body isn't here."

Ataru felt himself getting a headache. He hadn't considered that. Even he
wasn't real. Only his mind was real, Lum's mind, and that of the Presence.
He felt certain, though, that Lum was with him before. "Lum was here," he
told Ten. "I know that."

"Indeed," Ten smiled, "you both are linked. I imagine that, in truth, you
couldn't be fooled by a fake."

"I'm not so sure," Ataru said. "What if that link was created by the
Presence? It could turn it off just as easy as it created it."

Ten rolled his eyes, and leaned back with his hands behind his head. "Now I
know that you and Lum are made for each other."

He turned over and caught Ataru's eyes. "Is there no room for magic in
either of you? Search your heart. Can you really believe for even one
moment that Lum found you across the light years just because some alien
pushed a button on a machine?! Don't you believe that there is more to the
universe than that? Out of all the trillions of beings in the galaxy it was
you two who were brought together. It was you two who fell in love. How can
you doubt even the most outrageous notion when faced with that fact?"

Ataru's eyes grew wide. It was true. The fact that they met at all was more
incredible than anything they had ever encountered in their dreams. How
could the Presence have known how much they had needed each other? How
could it have known out of all of infinite space that these two beings
would fall in love. Maybe the Presence had made the link initially, but the
Presence, whatever it was, was guided by something higher. Love was always
a miracle, and couldn't be contrived.

At once Ataru could feel Lum near. The flimsy facade of Tomobiki that
separated them became just that. With an inner voice Ataru called out Lum's
name and the veil that separated them disappeared. Tomobiki vanished.

"Tell Lum that I'm sorry for letting her down," Ten said and vanished as
well. All that remained was Lum, Ataru and the Presence.

* * *

Shinobu sat next to Ataru's bed. Well it wasn't quite a bed. It was a zero
gravity chamber. Ataru floated in it peacefully. It was a useful technology
for caring for the comatose. They didn't have to be turned to prevent
blisters, and it eased the stress on the internal organs. Patients tended
to heal faster.

However, as peaceful as Ataru appeared to be, it was hard for Shinobu to
see him as he was. The blast had burned away most of his skin and hair. He
was now covered with a glossy pink synthetic skin that was supposed to
speed up the healing process. He didn't look quite human. At least he was
alive, she assured herself, but he should have been awake as well. At least
that's what the doctor said.

Lum floated in a separate chamber, next to Ataru. She looked about as good
as he did. Between them both a machine monitored their condition. It was
relatively restful, but at one point Ataru had become terribly excited
about something. Two Uruseian guards stood at the door. Shinobu saw that
they glanced over to Lum repeatedly. It was obvious that they were worried
too.

Shinobu had spent a great deal of time next to Ataru in the last few days.
She waited. She waited for them to return from whatever realm they had gone
to. It was certain that they were dreaming. Those subspace transmissions
were very active, and the doctor feared to block them out.

While Shinobu waited many others stopped in. Ataru's parents came, Lum
parents, Benten, Oyuki, Jariten, Ran and Rei. Many people that Shinobu
didn't know came to see Lum. Shinobu couldn't help but feel that they were
mourners coming to view a body. Very few ever said anything. Shinobu just
stayed and waited.

She wasn't waiting for them to wake up really. She was waiting for closure.
Either waking up, or never to wake up again, she hated to admit it, but
either case would be acceptable. It was their current state of being
in-between that was hard to take.

Sugoi came in and sat down next to her. Shinobu acknowledged her with a
brief smile and a nod, but said nothing. Sugoi was worried about her new
found friend. Shinobu had barely left this post that she had taken up.
Sugoi knew that she was eating, but she also knew that it was more by
insistence of the infirmary staff than by choice.

"No change?" Sugoi asked, hoping to start up some conversation.

Shinobu slowly shook her head.

"They're probably dreaming that they're in Tomobiki. I'm sure that they're
very happy."

Shinobu nodded, and said quietly, "Probably too happy to come back. That's
what Ten thinks. I don't blame them."

Sugoi sat back. "This is a depressing bunch we have here. I'm sure that
they wouldn't want us to mope around for the rest of our lives. Why don't
you come with me? I know some wonderful places to eat on Tolia."

Shinobu looked up at Sugoi, and then back to Ataru. She could certainly use
some cheering up, but she didn't feel comfortable about leaving Ataru and
Lum. She had left her Father and he had died.

Sugoi guessed her thoughts. "There are more doctors and guards here than
anywhere else in Tolia. That's the Princess floating there. No one is going
to abandon her. If they wake up I'm sure that someone will come and get
us."

"I know it's foolish," Shinobu said, "but I can't leave them. If I do they
might..." Shinobu looked away.

"So that's it," Sugoi said. "You're still not over your father, are you?"

"How am I supposed to get over that?! I ran off to the stars. I didn't even
know he was dead for two days! I was his only daughter. I should have been
there."

Sugoi studied Shinobu, wondering what to say. "I said that Ataru and Lum
wouldn't want you to give up your life mourning for them, I don't think
that your father would either. Your father is dead, and that is bad. I'm
sorry. Please don't make it doubly worse by giving up your life too. You
have to live for him, and you have to live for Lum and Ataru."

"I'm sorry," Shinobu said with her head lowered. "I know that you're right,
but I can't leave them yet. I need to see them alive or dead. I need to be
here for them."

Sugoi stood and shook her head. She started to go out the door but then she
turned around. She stopped and looked back to Shinobu. Shinobu was looking,
wondering what she was going to, almost pleading with her. "All right,"
Sugoi said. She went back and sat next to Shinobu. She giggled, hoping to
lighten the mood a little. "We'll wait together then."

* * *

Mendo lay comfortably on Benten's bed watching her busily pack things into
a large garbage bag. She had barely said two words to him since he had come
over, but she hadn't asked him to leave either.

Benten had quickly moved back into her room when they returned to Lum's
carrier. In other words she had emptied her garbage bags into the
appropriate areas of the room. Mendo finally had been given his own room.
In had been lonely the first night. Even after only a few weeks, he had
gotten used to hearing her on the top bunk. Since they had returned he had
to make due with visiting her often. She used to talk about all kinds of
things with him. He had almost come to expect that she would want to talk
about what happened to Lum and Ataru. That's why he had come over, but she
remained silent.

"Where are you planning to go?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Benten stopped what she was doing. There was a look on her face as if she
wanted to tell him something, but then she shook her head and went back to
packing.

"I take it that I'm not invited?" Mendo asked still hoping to break
through. Her silence was starting to get to him.

"No," she said simply, this time without stopping. "You're not invited."

"Because you're going someplace dangerous and you don't want me hurt,"
Mendo said.

"Partially," she said, and then added quietly, "There's been too damn many
hurt already." Benten closed up her garbage bag. She flung it over her
back.

Mendo got up out of bed. "And what if you don't come back? What do I do?"

"You live a long and happy life," Benten said and left the room.

Mendo followed her out. "That's not how it's going to work. Not any more.
Where you go, I go."

Benten turned back to him. She appeared to be getting a little irritated.
"I promised Lum that I would take care of you. I would like to keep at
least one of my promises to her. You're staying here!"

It was Mendo's turn to become irritated. "What?! Is that all I am to you?!
Someone you have to protect? Now you listen. Ataru was probably the only
real friend I had until I met you. I am tired of feeling useless while you
go out and fight. I don't like being cooped up while the action is going on
any more that you do. Further, I am not a child that you need to protect.
If we're going to be a couple, then we're going to be a team, or nothing!"

Benten studied Mendo, her emotions sliding between anger and compassion.
However, she knew what she had to do. Her face grew emotionless. "Then
it'll be nothing," she said plainly. She turned and continued on her way,
leaving him standing in the hall, stunned at the bluntness of her
statement.

Mendo recovered and raced after her. He caught her as she was approaching
her fighter. He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her around. "What do
you mean by that?"

Benten stopped. "Now is not a good time to be touching me," she said
through her teeth.

Mendo was confused by the venom in her voice, but he pulled his hand back.

"Maybe you can't read me as well as you think you can," she said. "You're a
distraction. You kept me from doing my duty. I have a job to do and you're
only in the way."

Mendo couldn't believe what he was hearing. His normal calm demeanor was
crumbling. It was one thing when the real world was just another imaginary
realm that he wasn't really invested in, but he had given up all that. He
had invested himself in this alien woman. Her words cut to a place that he
had always kept protected. She was the first person he had ever let get so
close to him, and now she was tearing herself away. Normally, he could read
her easily, but now his pain was clouding his vision.

"In the way?" he repeated. "How can you say that?! I thought you said when
a woman from your world danced for a man it was important."

Benten's insides ached. Mendo wasn't the only one who had let someone into
an otherwise protected space. This wasn't as easy as she thought it was
going to be. She wasn't nearly as cold as she used to be and that was the
problem. She needed to get the warrior back, she felt. She needed the
merciless killer that she had turned herself into to do the job she needed
to do. She needed to forget her softer side and she couldn't do that with
Mendo around.

"I fight alone," she said and resumed walking to her "bike."

"Fight what?" Mendo challenged. "Where are you going, anyway? Even Jariten
doesn't know who did this."

Benten reached the fighter and opened up the belly to stuff her belongings
in. "I do," she said as she worked, "and I'm going to make them pay."
Benten closed up the belly of her fighter.

"How did you find out?" Mendo asked. Even in his emotional state this story
was too blatant to miss. "You have no evidence."

Benten turned to Mendo. Her eyes were stern. "I have this!" She slugged her
gut. "This tells me who. It's those damn Azus'. They couldn't win honorably
in war so they snuck in a bomb. I'm not going to let them get away with
it!"

Benten started to climb up into the cockpit of her fighter. Mendo pulled
her back down. "This is insane!" he said.

"No," Benten said pushing Mendo away and then bearing down on him. "What's
insane is you grabbing me again. One more time and I might forget that I
liked you." She tried to use her eyes to make him back down. It had no
effect on him as usual, but the words stung to the heart.

Mendo was desperate to stop her now. "How are you even going to get to the
Azus'? Your fighter can't travel to other stars. You won't help Lum this
way!"

This was supposed to be a lot easier. She had planned to just hop in her
fighter and fly off. Once in space she could forget Mendo and focus on the
task at hand. She really had no plan beyond getting off the carrier, but
they were orbiting Urusei, passage would be easy to come by. Leaving,
however, was proving to be difficult. "What do you want me to do? Perhaps I
should sit around here and do nothing, hoping that whoever planted the
first bomb won't try again. The Azus' have to be taught a lesson!"

"I knew that my friend Benten would be approaching this matter with a cool
head."

Benten and Mendo were startled out of their argument by a voice coming
behind them. Looking back, they saw Jariten coming toward them.

"You are the last person that I want to see now," Benten said, dryly. She
pulled away from Mendo and straightened her uniform.

"I'm flattered," Jariten said coming up to them. "So you've decided that
the solution to this problem is to destroy the Azu family."

Benten crossed her arms. "I care little for your opinion."

"To tell you the truth," Jariten said. "I have to admit that I've been
thinking the same thing. I need a pilot."

* * *

They went off together, Benten, Jariten, Mendo and Shinobu. Shinobu was
reluctant, but she couldn't argue against Jariten's persuasion. Soon they
found themselves on the Azu family homeworld. They were in the capital
city, and of course by Jariten's insistence, in the central marketplace.

Jariten maneuvered confidently through the marketplace crowd. He knew this
place well. "Ahh, money changing hands," Jariten said to Shinobu. "the only
way this could be nicer would be if that money were all coming to me."

"It'd certainly be better than going to the fucking Azu's," Benten said.
Benten was in a thoroughly foul mood. She was on the Azu homeworld where
she wanted to be. That was fine. But she was there on Jariten's terms, not
on her own. That's the part that bothered her. Coming to the Azu homeworld,
Benten had always felt, was best done with the Azu mansion in the sights of
her "bike."

Ten had made her fly in an interstellar shuttle. She had complained the
entire flight. As much as Shinobu liked Benten, the complaining was
starting to wear thin. She didn't know how Jariten had even convinced her
to come on this trip. As usual he had filled her with so many wonderful
words that she didn't know what she was doing. Perhaps it was for the best
though. She needed to get her mind off things.

Mendo wasn't sure how to take Benten's complaining. She hadn't talked
directly to him the whole way. It was clear that she had decided to try and
forget about him. He wasn't too happy with that decision. However, Benten's
mood was a sign that she also wasn't happy with the decision that she had
made, so it gave Mendo hope.

Besides there was the exciting new place. Mendo could not get over all the
different kinds of aliens that were roaming the marketplace, and all the
strange things that were being bought and sold. Mendo's eyes wandered all
over the market. Again his imagination had never even dreamed that there
could be such of variety of things and people in the universe.

There were many Uruseians. They were obviously the wealthier of the
peoples. The other aliens paid deference to them. Occasionally though there
would be one or two who were seen talking and laughing with the others.
These were rarely dressed in the fancy clothes of the nobles, though. There
were also Uruseian soldiers. They bore the insignia that Mendo had come to
realize indicated allegiance to the Azu clan.

The soldiers had forgotten much of what their other duties were. They were
keeping their attention on Ten's party. Actually, most in the market
stopped to look at the travelers. Mendo heard comments about Earth, and
whether Mendo was the young human who would be Emperor. It didn't seem that
many people knew what had happened to Ataru and Lum.

Mendo was so involved with the sights that he hadn't noticed at first that
Jariten had stopped. A Uruseian dressed as a merchant had approached him
and they were talking. They were talking so quietly that Mendo couldn't
hear what they were saying. He also wasn't sure whether they were speaking
Uruseian or not. It occurred to Mendo that they were probably not. In an
Empire where everyone spoke the same language having a alternate language
for secrecy would be very valuable.

After he finished talking, Ten turned to the others. "This is an associate
of mine," Ten said indicating the smiling Uruseian. "He prefers not to give
his name..."

Benten let out a wordless comment.

Ten ignored it. "I have a one or two things I need to do," Ten continued,
"before we pay a visit to the family mansion. It won't be long, but it is
necessary. If you all would come this way."

"We are not here so you can make money," Benten said obstinately.

Ten stopped and turned. "What are we here for Benten dear?" Ten asked. He
hadn't actually told anyone what his mission was.

Benten narrowed on him. "We're here to prove that the fucking Azu's tried
to murder the Princess." Benten had made no effort to be quiet.

It suddenly got very silent around them.

"That wasn't smart," Shinobu commented under her breath. People had been
curious about them throughout their entire way from the space port, but now
they had the complete attention of everyone in earshot, and given the
growing whispers, Shinobu expected that word was spreading very quickly.

Three of the Azu soldiers could be seen making their way toward the party.
Benten didn't like it. Benten was used to saying things that she probably
shouldn't in public, but usually her trademark icy stare took care of any
rebuttal. That was play. Benten wasn't in the mood for play just now. She
had Azu soldiers in her sights. Benten was going for her gun.

Jariten was aware of every event going on around him. He saw the guards and
he knew Benten. This was not how he had wanted their trip to go. Before
Benten could start shooting, Ten took control of the situation. "Come
along, it is time to move!" He said urgently and quickly led them away.

Benten was reluctant, but Shinobu took her arm. "Remember the angry
fighter," Shinobu reminded her.

Benten took a breath and holstered her weapon. She followed Ten and the
rest. The soldiers, however, were not so quick to give up. When Ten started
to move, they gave chase. The Azu family name had suffered greatly due to
these people. They weren't going to be allowed to add another insult.
Additionally, there was always a reward for anyone who killed Benten.

The soldiers weren't going to be collecting any rewards. Ten and the others
turned the corner and by the time the soldiers reach the place, they were
nowhere in sight.

* * *

A hundred alien smells filled the air in the small darkened room where
Ten's party found themselves. It looked like an old curio shop. A young
humanoid male, who was sweeping the floor, stopped to notice them.

"The master is busy at the moment, perhaps I can help you." He seemed very
genuine.

Ten was about to answer when a shout came from a back room. "Don't you be
trying to act all high and mighty there, Inaba! You sweep the floors. I do
the selling!"

Inaba was obviously stung by the rebuke. He lowered his head and
apologized, and went back to sweeping the floor.

The owner of the stinging voice, appeared through a opening in the back of
the shop. He was tall, thin. His head was covered with a bony shell. His
eyes were two large pupils, with no whites. Initially he smiled at his new
perspective customers, but then his expression changed to unpleasant
recognition.

"You! You have the gall coming here! You've already ruined me and now I'm
sure you have come to drive the stake in further."

Ten, unflustered, approached the man. "It's good to see you as well, Minah,
old friend."

"Friend? I don't need friends like you. And who is this lot you've brought
with you?" His eyes fell on Mendo and then Benten and finally Shinobu. When
he reached Shinobu, his expression lightened somewhat.

He whispered to Ten. "Have you brought them here to make it up to me?
Finally decided to work a more profitable trade."

Ten soured. "You know I don't engage in that kind of thing. But if you tell
me what it is I have done to you, perhaps I can make it up."

The man went over to Shinobu, studying her. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"She'd fetch a good price."

He soon got an answer in the form of Benten's gun pointing right at his
nose. "He's sure. We're not for sale." She turned to Jariten. "What did you
bring us to this slave trading sleaze for?"

"Slave trading?" Minah said a bit insulted. "I prefer to call it dealing in
precious commodities. We're all slaves to the Uruseians anyway. What does
it matter if I make a little money from it?"

"That is going to change." Benten said angrily.

The man threw up his hands and went back to Ten. "Oh yes, change! You've
gone and changed everything haven't you? You're raising the masses, and
have gone and made the Azu a Minor Family. This planet is no longer a
commercial hub. We have to go over to a Pochik world, of all the insults.
On top of that, all the slaves think they got rights and privileges now. I
haven't had anyone sell their daughter to me since the war."

"Too bad," Benten said sourly.

The slaver nodded, and then turned to Ten. "Too bad is right. I'll may have
to close up shop soon, and that'll ruin my usefulness to you won't it?"

"Now now," Ten said. "I don't think we'll have to let that happen. It just
so happens that I did bring something to help you out."

"Uh huh," the man said skeptically. "I'll take your money, but special
information is a bit scarce. Most of what is going on in the Azu mansion is
common knowledge."

"Most?" Ten repeated.

Minah smiled. "Well, I suppose I managed to pick up a few things from my
girls that isn't known by every old woman on the street."

"And how much would this uncommon information cost?"

"Considering the straits that you've put me in, I'd say plenty."

Benten pulled out her gun. "If you have something useful to say, you'd best
give it for free."

"Benten, Benten," Ten said. "We negotiate with our clients, we don't
threaten them. It is bad business."

"Anything that we could get from this slime is bad business!" Benten said
angrily. "I can't believe that you'd sink so low as to deal with someone
like this. This thing stands for everything that Lum is trying to fight."

"It's for the Princess that we are here. Lum understands the necessity. I
don't know where to get better information about the Azu's."

While Benten and Ten argued, Shinobu's attention turned to the young man,
mostly because she had been noticing that he was sneaking glances at her.
He was trying not to be noticed, but his curiosity was overpowering his
caution.

Shinobu went over to him. "What is your name?" She asked.

"Inaba," he said quietly. "I hope that I wasn't bothering you."

"No, you weren't," Shinobu said kindly. "My name is Shinobu. What do you do
here?"

"Well I sweep," he said and proudly, and showed his broom to Shinobu. "And
I cook the master's meals, and clean his clothes and things."

"How long have you been doing all that?"

"Most of my life," Inaba replied sheepishly. "Sometimes I get to take care
of the girls when he is away. He trusts me."

"Does he own you, too?" Shinobu asked, not too sure if she wanted to hear
the answer. Helping the Princess or no, Shinobu agreed with Benten, she
didn't think they should be dealing with a slaver.

"Sort of," Inaba replied and turned away. "I had better get back to work."

"It is as simple as this," Ten explained, "we can work with Minah or go
home. I don't have the luxury of choosing whom I deal with. If I'm to serve
the Princess, then I have to use the best sources I can find. Sometimes
they don't have sources of income that you would approve of. That's just
the way it is."

"Well, why don't we free all the girls he has here, and I'll threaten the
information out of him. I'm usually pretty good at getting things that
people don't want to tell me."

Benten gave Minah a looked that started him to sweat.

"And then all my other sources dry up," Jariten said, "and the Princess
will have to work blind."

"Besides," Minah explained, "none of the girls would follow you. I don't
steal people off the street," He seemed genuinely disgusted by the
prospect. "They're brought here, often by their own parents. I'm selling
them into a luxury that they couldn't have otherwise. The alternative is
starvation on the street. They have no place to go."

"I've heard that argument before," Benten said coldly.

"Benten you are not helping Lum and embarrassing me," Ten said, his
irritation was plain.

"Benten," Shinobu implored. "I don't like this place either, but we can
help the girls better by helping Lum and Ataru first."

"Good point," Minah said. "Helping you might put me out of business. The
price for my information just went up."

Information gathering had always been so easy for Ten. He was questioning
the value of bringing these amateurs along. At least Mendo was being quiet,
too curious with the shop to make any trouble for him. "Let's you and I
discuss things in the back room," Ten said to Minah.

"Anything to get me away from these idealists," Minah said.

"Try not to break anything or get yourselves killed while I'm gone," Ten
said to Benten.

"Try not to lower your scruples any lower than the pit they're already in,"
Benten shot back.

"Inaba," Minah barked. "Make sure our guests don't get into trouble and see
that we're not disturbed."

"Yes, Master," Inaba said obediently. When Ten and Minah disappeared
through the back door, Inaba turned to the rest. "He really is a kind man."

Benten crossed her arms. "A kind oppressor, you mean."

"Do you think you could get us into any more trouble?" Mendo said, finally
speaking. He had been following the whole exchange quietly, disgusted with
the implications of both sides, but realizing that they had a job to do.

"I don't need to hear from you," Benten said dryly.

"Oh really," Mendo said approaching Benten. "I know what has gotten into
you, and it is not helping. You're not doing any good for Lum and Ataru by
fighting Ten."

"And what am I to do? Oh how nice, we're dealing with a guy who sells young
girls into slavery. Maybe you think we should help him out by making a
purchase, or perhaps you'd like to sell Shinobu and me? How can you be
defending this bastard?!"

"I'm not defending him!" Mendo replied. "There is a time and place. What
was all that you told me about being focused, and keeping a single goal in
mind above all else. But this wasn't what I was talking about. You've been
fighting us ever since we left Urusei."

"This isn't the way I like to fight," Benten said in her defense. "Skulking
around, asking questions. It isn't the way I work."

"It takes too long, doesn't it?" Mendo said and then, a little more
compassionately, he added "You see the image of Lum and Ataru burning away,
don't you? And you want to kill something to make it easier."

Mendo hadn't realized it, but he was talking to himself as well. In fact
his words struck all three of them. It would be so easy to just find the
enemy and kill it. That would make everyone feel better, for the sense of
failure that they all felt. There was a pause while all three searched
their feelings.

"Excuse me," Inaba asked. "When you say, Lum, do you mean the Princess?"

"Yes," Shinobu said sadly. "Somebody tried to kill her, and Ataru her
fiancé."

"I know," Inaba said. He lowered his head. Almost inaudibly, he added, "I
know who did it."

* * * *

Chapter 2: "Reality is Only Dreaming with One's Eyes Open"

Time stopped. No one breathed. No one moved. All eyes were on Inaba. No 
one could find the courage to ask him to reveal the name he held. It was 
now a deadly unrepeatable name. If it were to be spoken aloud, the world 
would surely explode. Seconds past and then what seemed like hours and 
finally days. All was silent.

Shinobu went to Inaba. "Who?" she was about to say, when Ten and Minah 
returned. They had apparently come to some sort of arrangement. "Inaba!" 
Minah bellowed. "Go get some Yuli for our guests."

"Yes, sir." Inaba bowed and hurried off through a door at the side of the 
shop.

Minah was about to say something to Jariten, when he stopped. He looked up 
and over to Benten, and then stepped back suddenly in fright. Everyone 
turned to Benten, who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. Ten glared at 
her suspiciously.

Benten noticed the attention. "What?!" 

"Her eyes," Minah whispered. He went over to Benten. He stood a good meter 
taller than she, but there was no doubting where the power of the pair 
resided. "I have heard about you," Minah said, stopping before he got into 
arms reach. "I suppose everyone has. Someone with your skills and 
connections could go far in business."

"Don't even bother," Jariten said, pulling Minah away. "She has an 
irredeemable honest streak."

"Really," Minah said surprised. "How do you manage, keeping her with you?"

"It has been difficult," Ten admitted. Benten grinned back at him. "I 
think since our business is concluded, we shouldn't wait around. Tempers 
are a little thin."

Inaba returned with a plate on which were glasses and a bottle. 

"Ten," Shinobu said. "I don't think we should go just yet. Inaba..." She 
noticed Inaba turn completely white. He tensed up, and his eyes begged her 
to be silent. Shinobu thought quickly. "Inaba went through all the work 
getting us the Yuli."

Inaba stumbled down a step into the room, but managed to keep the plate 
righted. "That's okay, Miss Shinobu," he said. "It wasn't any work at all."

"Uh yes," Minah said. He turned to Jariten. "I'm sorry that you couldn't 
stay."

"No you're not," Benten said angrily and left.

With Benten apparently making a decision of how long they'd be staying, 
after some good-byes, the rest also left. Shinobu watched Inaba as she 
went. He had turned to take his tray back to wherever he had gotten it. 
Did he really have their answers, she wondered. Perhaps Ten had also 
learned what they needed from Minah. In any case, she felt sorry for 
Inaba. Once all the slave planets were free, what would happen to people 
like Inaba who was even a slave to a slave. They would have to come back 
for him, she decided. 

* * *
    
All was dark, but not quite black around Ataru. There were faint images 
flashing all around him. They were images of Tomobiki, both the real and 
the dream. Ataru saw that he was naked again. Far ahead of him was a 
light. He could feel that Lum was also in the same direction, so he began 
walking. He was only slightly aware that he was walking on nothing. He was 
concerned with more important things.

It wasn't long before he could make out a figure standing before the 
light, and then hurrying he saw that it wasn't one figure, but two. Lum 
was just standing there. Her back was to him. She was also naked again. 
Only a meter in front of her was the Presence, with the light behind him. 
Neither of them were moving, and for some reason Ataru wasn't afraid. 

He came up to Lum and took her hand. She was startled by his touch, but 
turned to smile at him. They both looked down at the small figure standing 
before them. It wasn't so menacing now. It looked up and studied them 
curiously. It was waiting for them. They both knew what it was.

"We had stopped dreaming," Lum remarked. Once they had met each other for 
real on Earth, the dreams that they had shared became less frequent and 
finally stopped. They had each other in the regular world and didn't seem 
to need to share dreams. The cessation of the dreams, however, had left an 
empty spot in both of them. They had lost their route of escape all the 
horrors and responsibilities that crowded their waking existence. "If we 
leave now we may never be able to come back," Lum said, vocalizing her 
concern.

"This isn't real," Ataru said. "We can't stay here."

"I don't want to go out there," Lum said and dropped to her knees. The 
Presence circled the couple trying to get a better viewing angle. It was 
waiting.

Lum looked up at Ataru. Her eyes were full of tears. She was crying again. 
She felt so weak. She knew she had to try to be stronger. Ataru came to 
his knees beside her. "I'm so sorry," Lum said. "I'm so sorry I did this 
to you. I've hated my life and now I brought you here to suffer with me. 
You could have been killed."

"More times than I can count," Ataru admitted. "But you didn't do anything 
to me. My life was nothing. I was so hopeless. I was ridiculed by everyone. 
I didn't belong."

They looked over to the Presence. It stood between them and the light. 

Lum appeared to be only nine years old. Looking toward the light, she spoke 
again. "I hate that world. I hate everything in it. I just wanted to be a 
child. I just wanted to play games, to have friends. I don't want to be an 
adult!" Lum shrunk even more. She was six and then five. She buried her 
eyes and began to cry loudly.

Ataru looked down at her. He knew how she felt. He had become nine years 
old himself. Because of Lum the whole universe looked to him to lead it, 
and he knew nothing about it. He still felt like an outcast. There was no 
place that he really fitted in. He certainly never be worthy enough to 
become emperor of the Galaxy.

Lum was four and so was Ataru. She stood up and smiled. She was wearing a 
tiger-striped pullover smock. She tugged at Ataru. "Do you want to come 
and play?" she asked. 

Suddenly they were in a playground. Ataru was wearing jeans and a baseball 
shirt. "Uh-huh," he nodded back to Lum, and they both ran to the slide. 
The Presence watched them go. Approaching the slide, the Presence turned 
into Lum's father. She stopped at the bottom of the slide and froze in 
front of him.

"It is time for school," her father said, towering over them both. He 
reached out his hand for Lum to take.

Lum lowered her head and obediently walked toward him.

Ataru blocked the way and stood fiercely before the tall figure of Lum's 
father. They were both still four. "She's here to play! She's too young for 
school and all that responsibility. She doesn't want to go and study!" 

Ataru's mother slapped him across the face. "How dare you talk that way?! 
Show some respect to your elders. You are such a worthless boy."

Ataru began to cry, and Lum took him in her arms, shielding him from his 
angry mother. "My Darling is wonderful. He's the most wonderful person, 
ever! He's not worthless! I love him!" Lum protested.

The figures of Ataru's mother, and Lum's father disappeared. Lum and Ataru 
returned to their normal ages. They were naked again and still holding each 
other. The Presence was sitting with them, between them and the light.

"I should be stronger," Lum said. "My people need me."

Lum was beginning the circle again. She didn't know where else to go. She 
still spoke with the voice that her Father had given her to speak. They 
could go on this circle forever. Suddenly, Ataru found humor in the whole 
thing. "Baka," Ataru answered. 

Lum looked up. The circle was broken. Ataru shrugged his shoulders. "Baka," 
he said again. It was the only answer. "You're the responsible Princess 
and I'm the alien that no one likes. BAKA! Baka, baka, baka!" Ataru 
laughed. No one can take the whole universe seriously, he realized. In the 
end wasn't it all just foolishness, a game to be played for fun. Emperor 
and slave both die the same way, and all the responsibility and worry in 
the world can't change that. They were forcing themselves to ride a circle, 
a path with no solution. They were living in the expectations of others, 
in what others thought was important. They had each other now, and in all 
the universe only that was truly important.

Lum's eyes grew bright. It was the perfect answer, the one that she'd been 
seeking all this time. "Baka," she said and it filled her with mirth. The 
Presence faded away and they didn't even notice.

Lum laughed and jumped at Ataru, kissing him hard. "Baka!" she said. "I 
love you so much."

They both stood, and hand in hand they walked toward the light.

Ataru stopped, suddenly. Lum was stopped with him. She was curious, and 
waited for him to speak. He turned to her. "What if someone tries to blow 
us up again?"

"Baka." Lum said with a wink. 

"I think we really need to kick someone's ass though."

"I suspect Benten's already done it," Lum said.

"Baka, baka, baka!" Ataru said and they entered the light.

* * *

There are many stories told of great heroes. The victors always earn a 
special place in the lore of any culture. Azu Sree was one such victor. It 
was Azu Sree, five hundred years before, who had impressed the Emperor and 
earned the Azu house its place among the major families. There was a shrine 
in the Azu mansion dedicated to Sree, and a planet named after him. 

Five hundred years later, his descendant, Azu Des, had lost it all. No 
stories would be told of Azu Des. No planets would be named after him, and 
there would be no shrine. Azu Des wished it would have been otherwise.

Des turned from the immense window to the great table where only a few 
days before he had summoned the five great families to a conference. It 
was a conference about how they could ensure their control over the 
Princess. They were all fools, and Des was the biggest of them all.

Of the five, only the Azu family paid for their underestimation of the 
Princess and the Emperor. Dedron and Seq joined the Princess and were 
rewarded with a large portion of the Azu wealth. Although Pochik fought 
the Princess, Vel had the good sense to die, leaving his son Ando to speak 
for the Pochik family. Ando was well known to be sympathetic to the 
Emperor. They lost two planets for their part in the war. It was a token 
punishment. 

Finally, there was Uio, who wisely decided not to join the battle. That 
was a curious thing for a family that celebrates war and battles. They 
must have known about the Emperor's surprise. It was a pity that they 
couldn't have shared their information.

Only Azu suffered. To make it worse, even that damn slave whom Azu had 
tried so hard to kill, received an Azu planet. The planet was near death 
anyway, but it was a matter of principle. 

No, there would be no stories about Des. He sat down in the head chair of 
the great table. All the other families must be laughing at him. He could 
hear them. He could even hear the snide cackle of the late Pochik Vel. 
"Misplace a few planets, eh Des?" He would say. "Maybe if you go and grovel 
at the Princess' feet she'll give one or two of them back."

Of course, the Princess wasn't in any condition to return planets now. Des 
could find no tears for the poor injured Princess, even if she was his 
niece. If she were to die, then the place of Emperor's heir would need to 
be filled again. It wouldn't be Rei this time. Seq Yethiz wasn't around 
anymore to push his nephew. Perhaps an Azu might find his way to the 
throne. The Empress, Des's sister, might actually stand up for her house 
this time. An Azu, a nephew of the Empress, should be next in line. 

There was a knock on the door. Des really didn't feel like seeing anyone, 
but there was a little matter that he was hoping for news about. "Enter," 
he commanded.

One of the two large doors to the hall opened and the young man Azu hoped 
would be Emperor came into the room. It was Azu's son, Tobimaru.

Des didn't stand up. He looked to his son.

"We have the shuttle," the son reported. "There were no traps on it. The 
Redet spy and the slaves are stranded here now."

"I wouldn't say stranded," Des said. "The slave can pilot about anything, 
and I have begun to realize how resourceful Jariten can be. Have you found 
them yet?"

Tobimaru's eyes indicated his response before he said anything. "We traced 
them to a slave trader's establishment, but we haven't found where they 
went from there. The trader was easily bought, but he didn't know where 
they might have gone."

Des sighed and began to speak more to himself than to his son. "They've 
come here to destroy our family even further. They've got to be eliminated. 
The Emperor only cares about the Princess. He won't miss a few slaves." 
Then Des smiled. "And I have her. She's on the ground, without a fighter. 
Whoever can bring me the head of the slave Benten will receive his own 
planet." He nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, she'd be worth a planet." 

Des turned to his son. "Tell our forces that," he commanded. "The head of 
Benten is worth a planet. I do NOT want her alive."

"Yes sir," the son said and bowed as he left. 

Des turned and looked out the window. If only something would go right for 
him. 

* * *

Things were going right for Benten. She found herself in a situation that 
she liked the most, someone was shooting at her. After leaving Minah's shop 
it didn't take them long to run into more Azu guards. In fact, Ten had 
tried to go back to their shuttle, but they had found the shuttle missing 
and the area guarded. It was clear that Des had planned for them to stay a 
little longer.

After a quick change of plans, Ten had lead them away from the space port, 
through many back streets on his way to one of the places that he 
maintained on the planet. The soldiers were never far behind. It was clear 
that things had changed. The Azu soldiers were not simply suspicious of 
the travelers, they were under orders.

Since no attempt was made to get Ten's party to surrender, it was pretty 
clear what those orders were. Benten liked that. It was plain and to the 
point, kill or be killed. She had something to shoot at and clear reasons 
to do so. There wasn't going to be any of the political mucking about that 
Jariten liked. 

Currently, she was providing cover for the others. She had four soldiers 
pinned, and she herself was taking refuge behind a metal post. It was a 
very exposed position. She didn't like it. If the soldiers were to ever put 
their five combined brain cells together, they would be able to realize 
that all they had to do was send a couple around the buildings and attack 
her from the other side. Fortunately for her, they weren't that smart.

Benten checked to see if Ten and the others had gotten away. She saw Ten 
duck around the far corner. They were safe, but they didn't need the 
soldiers searching the area. They needed a diversion and Benten needed to 
continue this fight on her own terms. It was time for her to leave their 
little group.

* * *

Ten was for once grateful that he had Benten with him. She could likely 
hold off a whole army on reputation alone. She had seen him get away. He 
turned to see Shinobu entering the hidden doorway to one of his hideouts. 
The Azu soldiers would never find it on their own, and just because the 
door was here didn't mean the room was here.

Jariten rushed to the door, and waited for Benten. She didn't come. The 
fighting continued, and actually began moving away. Jariten sighed. "I 
could make a fortune predicting the future," he said to himself. He went 
inside. 

It was very dark. It was meant to be. He didn't want to make it easy for 
people to discover his refuges. 

"Ten?" he heard Shinobu call. She had traveled down the hall a ways. "Where 
are we supposed to go?"

"Just stay where you are," he said. He didn't need a light himself. He 
designed all his little entranceways the same way. He could navigate by 
memory. It was a useful precaution in case some pursuer should actually 
manage to follow him in. Shinobu and Mendo, however, would probably 
appreciate a light, so he decided to accommodate them. He always carried a 
small light with him. A thief never knows when it might come in handy. 

His light illumined very little, but it was enough to see faces. Grateful, 
Shinobu made her way toward Jariten. "Where's Benten and Shutaro?" She 
asked.

"Benten has decided to take on the planet by herself," Ten said cynically. 
"I thought she would eventually. She can take care of herself. Didn't 
Shutaro come in with you?"

"He was waiting by the door for you," Shinobu said. She was becoming 
worried.

"He must have figured out that Benten would leave," Ten explained. 

"He's no warrior," Shinobu exclaimed. "They'll kill him!"

Ten thought. "Well, he could find Benten. He seems to understand her very 
well. It's a little frightening, come to think of it. It frightens me 
whenever I start to believe I understand her. A very strange person all 
together..."

"Ten!"

"Sorry. Still, it's Benten they're after. If they find him, they'll try to 
capture him to get at her."

"We still have to go after him," Shinobu insisted.

Jariten shook his head. "Shutaro is safe enough. It won't do us any good 
to risk ourselves to go after him. I don't necessarily approve of Benten's 
choice, but she did it to get the soldiers away from us, so that I could 
work."

"When Benten and I were held prisoner on Earth, Lum didn't leave us to take 
our chances."

"No, but in that case Benten sent her fighter back to the ship. She was 
telling us that she wanted to be rescued. Do you think she wants to be 
rescued now, assuming that we could?"

Shinobu lowered head. It didn't seem to be the point, but she couldn't 
place words on what she believed at this time. "No," she admitted. 

"And neither does Shutaro. If they wanted to be safe, they'd be here. I 
know Benten well enough to know that helping her is more trouble that 
fighting the enemy when she doesn't want to be helped."

Shinobu knew that was true, but she still didn't like it. 

Jariten smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder. "We'll help them, 
don't worry, but we'll do it my way. It's less confrontational, but I think 
just a bit more effective, and always... always with style."

Shinobu looked up at him. Shinobu knew that he had done quite a lot on the 
carrier behind the scenes. Running out in the face of danger seemed the 
obvious thing to do, but Ten did have another way. She'd have to trust 
that. She nodded back at him.

He winked back. "Good!" he said. 

There were three doors in the hall. "Which do you think is the right one," 
he asked, indicating the doors.

Shinobu pointed to the one directly ahead.

"Ooh, bad choice. That one will put you back on the street, right in front 
of the local garrison. Try the one on the left."

Shinobu went to the door. There was no knob or buttons or anything that 
would appear to open it. She looked up at Ten.

"Hum for me," he said, and gave her a pitch.

She tried. 

"A little higher," he encouraged her.

"Good. Now sing with me. `There once was a lass in number nine, to all her 
callers she offered them wine. Off to her chambers she gladly led, for 
there, each evening she took one to bed.'"

When the song was finished the door clicked and opened. Shinobu blushed. 

"Anyone could think of, `my name is Jariten,' or some such," Jariten 
explained with a grin as he lead Shinobu into his room. "You should hear 
the one that I have for the Palace."

The room was a typical Jariten room. It was lavish, and comfortable, if 
not overly large. This room obviously had more of a functional nature than 
Ten's playroom on Lum's carrier. Shinobu turned to Jariten. "How many rooms 
like this do you have?" She asked.

"At all the places where it is important," he replied. He had already begun 
opening a panel near one of the chairs. Behind the panel was a computer 
screen. He continued to talk to Shinobu while he worked. "I been collecting 
information for the Emperor for many years. It is useful to have hidden 
places to work and hide at various locations. The allowance I receive 
allows me to maintain them comfortably."

Shinobu nodded. "Don't you stand out too much to be a spy?"

"A spy?!" Jariten said with indignation. "I am far more than a spy, but as 
far as standing out, well most of the smart families guess about what I do, 
but none of them are smart enough to catch me." Jariten laughed and then 
thought. "Except Sugoi, she scares me. It's a good thing that she's young, 
and working for us, or I'd have some difficult competition." He pushed a 
couple more buttons on his computer, and then apparently was done. Jariten 
escorted to Shinobu to one of his best chairs and then went to make a 
couple glasses of Yuli.

"So what are we going to do?" Shinobu asked.

"First," Jariten said replacing the bottle, and turning back to the Shinobu 
with glasses in hand, "we give the soldiers about seven or eight Benten's 
to chase, and then," his expression darkened, "we make Azu Des wish that 
he'd been killed in the war."

Shinobu was struck and frightened by Ten's last statement. It was the way 
his eyes changed most of all. All the fun and the jokes left them suddenly 
and all that remained was blood and revenge. Shinobu didn't like it. She 
remembered the boy Inaba. He had said he knew who the bombers where. What 
if it wasn't the Azu's? "How do you know it was Azu Des?" Shinobu asked.

Ten fell into one of his other chairs, and handed Shinobu a glass. "Motive 
mostly," Ten answered. He thought a moment. "Admittedly, I usually like to 
have more evidence, but whoever sent that robot was very good at cleaning 
up the evidence."

"Before you finished with Minah," Shinobu said. "The boy, Inaba said that 
he knew who sent the bomb."

This caught Ten's interest. "Did he? And did he mention how he happened to 
know who it was?"

"No," Shinobu admitted. "He seemed too scared to after Minah came back into 
the room."

Ten thought. The only things the servant would know he would learn from 
Minah. Minah hadn't told Ten anything useful, therefore either the boy's 
information was wrong, trivial, a lie, or Minah was lying. Minah lying was 
as equal a possibility as the boy having misinformation. Minah only told 
the truth when it profited him to, otherwise he would lie just on 
principle's sake. There could be a little intrigue here after all. That's 
what he got for thinking like Benten. There was fun about, and he had 
missed it.

"I think," Ten said, "that we might want to talk to this Inaba."

* * *

Mendo allowed Shinobu to enter the darkened hall of Ten's hideaway and then 
slipped away. He knew Benten. She was enjoying herself too much fighting to 
go into hiding. It was a hard decision to leave Ten and Shinobu, but the 
adventure was what he came for, besides he had something to prove to 
Benten.

Finding Benten wouldn't be too difficult. All he had to do was follow the 
sound of the shooting. He made his way around the building. 

Mendo was a little disappointed with the surroundings. It didn't look like 
the way he thought an advanced alien city should look. There were tall 
glass towers in the distance, but here it was a bit run down. Ten had 
definitely brought them to an uninhabited part of the city. There were no 
people around. Of course, with the shooting who could blame them? 

Benten appeared around the corner at the other end of the building. Her gun 
was at the ready. She was intent about what might be following her and 
didn't notice Mendo approach her. She took a couple quick shots around the 
corner and then prepared to go to the next building. It was then that Mendo 
did something very foolish. He said, "Hello."

If Mendo could have known how little extra pressure would have been 
required to fire Benten's gun now pointed at his head, or how many drills 
Benten had done to have the reflexes not to fire in situations like this. 
Mendo didn't deserve to still have his head on his shoulders.

For Benten, what she had to do to herself to keep from firing produced a 
similar feeling as slamming herself into a wall at sixty miles an hour. 
She was frozen in her firing stance, and breathing heavily. Her eyes showed 
raw fear, not from being surprised, but from almost killing a friend. 
Slowly, very slowly she pulled her finger back from the trigger, and 
relaxed her arms. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her heart was 
slowly coming down to the beat of an out-of-shape sprinter.

She looked back up at Mendo. There was no longer fear in her eyes, but 
intense anger. She didn't need to say anything. He knew what he had done 
and how close he had come. Benten stood and without a word, dashed past 
him. This was something Mendo was accustomed to. He followed her.

* * *

With effort, Lum eased herself up in her bed. She was not quite sitting up, 
but she was up enough for the maid to slip an extra pillow under her back. 
She and Ataru had been moved to more conventional accommodations. Lum was 
in her old room in the Palace. There was no zero gravity bed in this room. 
She missed her carrier. It was bad enough to be incredibly sore, but to 
also have to sleep in a regular bed was too much. Lum's body hurt, and she 
certainly didn't look her best. Even if Ran was still working for her, 
there was nothing she could have done to make Lum pretty the way she was. 

Her once long green hair had only started growing back. Her new synthetic 
skin was an unnatural shiny pink, and it hung loose about her body. Muscle 
tone was non-existent. Her only comfort was that she knew her hair would 
grow back and her skin would eventually heal. A couple good games of Ossak 
would take care of the muscle tone. She painfully settled back against the 
propped up pillows. Right, now however, Ossak was out of the question. She 
could barely move.

The maid who had put the pillows up, finished changing towels and rapping 
up the soiled linen. With the linen in hand, she bowed to the Princess and 
left. Sugoi passed her coming in.

"Good morning, Princess," she said bowing slightly.

Lum smiled back at her. "Good morning," she responded.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Sugoi asked cheerfully as she plopped 
on a chair next to the bed.

"Better, but still very sore."

"Ataru said the same thing. Megane and the others are with him now. They 
looked like they wanted to engage in boy talk so I thought that I'd come 
here."

"I appreciate that," Lum said. "I wonder what they're saying about us?"

"Oh most likely comparing breast sizes," Sugoi said plainly.

Lum laughed slightly, and not without pain. "I'm afraid I'm not much 
competition these days," she said looking down at herself.

"I'll give you a month's break, but after that you had better keep them 
high and firm or I'll show you up," Sugoi said with a wink.

"I'm afraid I might need more than a month. Being blown up took a lot out 
of me," Lum said weakly and winced. She tried to settle in a more 
comfortable position but found there wasn't any. "Have they been able to 
reach Ten and Benten."

Sugoi shook her head. "We found the shuttle orbiting a Uio world, but 
Jariten said that they were going to visit Des."

"I'm sure that's were they are. Des has probably decided that this would be 
a good time to kill Benten."

"Do you think that the Azu sent the bomb?"

"It's likely," Lum said.

"I don't trust likely," Sugoi said.

"Neither do I," Lum admitted. "But our only evidence blew itself to pieces."

"And then the pieces disintegrated," Sugoi added. "It was a very 
sophisticated device. The only way we knew there was a bomb there at all 
was because everything was blown up. Even the chemical traces of the 
explosive evaporated."

"How about the family of the tour guide?" Lum asked. "What was his name?"

"He was a Redet, actually. His name was Qui. His wife has been invited to 
stay in the palace, indefinitely."

"Good. I'd like to meet her soon, and thank her."

"I'll see that she's told. I'm leading the investigation of the site," 
Sugoi explained. "I'll tell you when we find anything. You had better rest."

"Thank you, but I've been sleeping for too long." With a further wince, Lum 
tried to set up even farther. "I have felt better though."

Sugoi got up. "I should be going."

Lum looked up at her. "I appreciate you stopping. I'm glad we're on the 
same side now."

Sugoi bowed. "Maybe," she said with a wink, and turned to leave.

"Sugoi," Lum called.

Sugoi stopped, and turned.

"I don't think Azu Des did it."

"He had the motive, but for all we know it could have been some psycho who 
wanted to get his name in the media. I'll call you if we ever get any 
evidence."

Lum nodded. 

Sugoi turned and left.

Lum worried about Ten and Benten. She wanted to tell them that she was all 
right. She guessed how worried they must be. She was worried about them. 
She knew that they were both resourceful. She wished she could help. She 
was restless. She had spent too much time in bed already. It was time to 
go to work.

Lum closed her eyes. There were no bombs, long convalescences or grieving 
widows in her dreams, she thought. She wished Ataru was there with her, 
but they put him in a different room. They were still connected, she knew. 
It was comforting. She could feel him there, almost, she thought, see him. 
She smiled. It was a warm feeling to have him so close. Now that they 
weren't fighting, or being blown up, maybe she'd have a chance to enjoy 
being with him, once they recovered enough.

She wondered if he was thinking of her. If he was, she wanted to believe 
they would touch in their thoughts. She thought about him and their new 
life together. She thought about their children. She thought about making 
love to him, his flesh against hers. This was a happier dream, she thought. 
She reached out to him with all her thoughts, and he put his hand in hers.

* * *

Scanners were useless. It had to be Redet Jariten's handiwork. According to 
the equipment there were seven Benten's rushing around the city and 
shooting up everything in sight. Thinking about it though, by Tobimaru's 
estimate, considering the damage that was being done and the fact that his 
soldiers couldn't catch her, there might just be seven Benten's. 

Tobimaru sat in a kind of hovering jeep. He was looking over the 
communication posts that he had set up to help track down the slave. It 
looked efficient enough. His father had given him this command so that the 
credit for killing Benten would be his. Azu Tobimaru wasn't all that 
interested in killing Benten. He wasn't much of a soldier. It was his 
sister who was the violent one. He felt that the chances of him being 
Emperor were pretty slim, no matter what his father said. Still, he did 
want to meet her, this Benten. She had such a reputation. He couldn't 
imagine anyone being so terrible that they'd be worth a whole planet. He 
wanted to see if she was as truly terrible as everyone said. She was almost 
a mythical demon in the Azu house. It was too bad that no one seemed to 
even know where she was.

He sighed and turned to his driver. "Let's see if the next post is having 
any better luck."

"Yes, my Lord." The vehicle effortlessly started to move. 

Tobimaru wondered about this alien. To his father she was no less than a 
ravaging demon, the greatest scourge that the Empire had ever known. Other 
estimates with more objective descriptions weren't much different. She must 
be some kind of demon to fight alone against the Azu army on the Azu family 
homeworld. He hoped that he could meet her before she got killed.

Tobimaru thought he heard the sounds of fighting. "Stop," he commanded.

The driver dutifully stopped the vehicle.

"I can hear gun shots to the east," Tobimaru said. It had to be the alien. 
He found that he was actually a little excited. Perhaps he, himself, could 
see this demon in action. Maybe he would be the one to defeat her. That 
would impress his father. "Take us there."

"It could be the alien, my Lord. It'd be too dangerous."

"We're supposed to be trying to catch her. Report the direction to 
Communications and then take us to the fighting."

"But my Lord..."

"I know your orders! How does my father expect me to be a soldier if he is 
always protecting me from fighting?" Tobimaru complained. "Rei gets to 
fight, Lum fights, Elle fights... no wonder I'm such a lousy soldier. Now 
take me to the battle or let me drive!"

The soldier thought for a moment, and then turned the vehicle toward the 
battle. Tobimaru was getting excited. He realized he didn't have much of 
a chance to catch her, but at least he'd get to see her, to see a real 
battle for once in his life.

* * *

Mendo's aim was terrible, but at least he followed instructions better than 
Shinobu had. There were no classmates to worry about here, Benten thought. 
Just a clear enemy to kill. Benten liked that. She had five extra clips 
now, from slain soldiers. The trick was to kill them before they had too 
much of a chance to fire. 

Benten was surprised that she had gotten as far as she had. She had 
expected that she'd be surrounded by the entire Azu army by this point. 
Obviously, Ten was already working behind the scenes. She had a chance. 
She could see the top of the Azu mansion. They were perhaps five kilometers 
away by Earth measurement. It was only going to get tougher, but she 
expected there would be more help from Jariten.

Mendo was just coming out of a state of shock. He hadn't killed anyone yet. 
He hadn't actually hit anything yet. This was partially on purpose. He'd 
now seen Benten kill twenty soldiers, some of them in hand to hand. That 
was a lot of death all of the sudden, and he was sure he wasn't ready to 
kill anyone himself. He hoped that he was being a little helpful just by 
firing.

This wasn't fun at all. It certainly wasn't like a video game. He was very 
aware that the explosions around him could kill him. It was worse than when 
he was on the carrier. At least there he couldn't see the fighting. He 
wished he could be useless again. 

Benten killed the remaining soldier firing at them and then motioned for 
them to go to the next building. Mendo followed. 

Benten approached the two bodies that used to be soldiers. One had his head 
partially blown off. His remaining eye was wide open in shock. The 
remainder of his brain was seared black. The other had a hole through his 
chest. His eyes were also opened in shock. It was yet another grisly scene 
that Mendo didn't want to look at, but couldn't turn away from. The 
expression in their eyes was too powerful. 

Benten descended on the bodies and quickly robbed them of their equipment. 
They already had a radio, so she threw that away. She took their clips and 
handed one to Mendo. He took it. She noticed the expression on his face.

"You wanted to come with me," Benten said. "Now you know why I have to 
pretend to be the warrior. I have to be hard, and so do you if you want to 
follow me. There'll be a lot more killing, and you'll probably won't be so 
lucky forever. You'll kill someone before the day is through... or be 
killed," she added reluctantly.

Mendo stepped back from the corpses. Was that the answer, did he have to 
become hard, and accept what he was seeing. If he did kill someone, then 
what? what would he be? Would he be a murderer? Was Benten a murderer? He 
felt so foolish for coming along with Benten. He was playing a game. He was 
going to follow Benten on some grand adventure. He hadn't counted that 
adventures often involve hardship, blood and killing. Books and movies had 
done nothing to prepare him for this. Adventure didn't seem to be such a 
wonderful thing anymore. 

Mendo drew himself up. Regardless of how anyone analyzed it, they were in 
danger, and there wasn't time to be afraid. He was here now, in the middle 
of it, and the point of it, for him at least, was to keep from getting 
killed. The best way to do that was to stay close to Benten, and actually 
use his gun. He looked at the weapon in his hand. Sooner or later he was 
going to have to kill someone, he thought, remembering Benten's words. He 
turned to Benten and said, "I can manage."

She studied his face, and nodded approvingly. She stood up and packed away 
the new clips she had borrowed. "I'm going to scout ahead a little," she 
said. "Stay here, unless you hear the sound of shooting. Otherwise, I'll 
be back shortly."

Mendo nodded. He did need the break. He knew that she wouldn't leave him 
alone for long. She was still charged to protect him. He slumped back 
against the wall. "Try to be careful," Mendo called to her.

"Heh," Benten chuckled as she started to leave. "If I wasn't being careful, 
we would have been dead a long time ago." With that she disappeared around 
the corner.

Benten didn't want to admit that she didn't think that they could get much 
farther. The closer they got to the mansion the more soldiers there would 
be. They would going to need more help from Jariten and soon. Alone she 
could go much farther, but with Mendo she wanted to keep a greater margin 
of safety. They had been in quite a few fights, but there never was much 
danger. He didn't seem to be quite ready for danger yet. 

Benten was torn. He was slowing her down, there was no question of that, 
but only here could he really understand her. Only this way could she see 
if he was the type who could keep up with her. He didn't have to be a 
warrior, but he had to be able to fight if there was fighting to be done. 
Benten would always have a lot of enemies. She was gratified to see that 
though he was shaken, he hadn't panicked. He would learn how to cope with 
battle given enough time. 

She saw movement up ahead and ducked behind a wall. Peering around the 
corner, she saw a vehicle approaching. It had a driver and an officer. A 
vehicle would be very useful, she thought, and Azu officers were just plain 
fun to kill. First of all, the vehicle. She spun around the corner, and 
fired on the driver. His head exploded and the vehicle weaved out of 
control. The officer panicked and jumped for the controls, but was thrown 
off the car. He rolled and ran behind a building before Benten could get a 
shot at him.

She kept her gun on the building where the officer disappeared, but there 
was no more movement. She went to check. The officer had apparently run. 
"Ah well," she said disappointedly. Still keeping her eyes open, she went 
to catch the vehicle.

Mendo heard the shots and immediately stood up. He drew his gun, and began 
to cautiously make his way in the direction of the shooting. It was strange 
that there was only one shot. The only situation that Mendo could imagine 
for one shot would be if a soldier got a lucky shot and had killed Benten. 
Soldiers didn't usually travel alone. It would take more than one shot to 
kill them all. 

Mendo was worried. What if Benten was dead? He had no idea where Jariten 
was. He certainly didn't know how to defend himself against a whole army. 
What if Benten was dead? He couldn't imagine being more alone. He was a 
least a thousand light years from Earth. He knew almost no one on the whole 
planet. 

Mendo continued walking until he heard a sound behind him. It was someone 
breathing heavily as if they had been running. It could be Benten, or it 
may not be. Mendo ducked into a doorway and waited. The breathing was 
getting closer. It was then that Mendo realized that he himself wasn't 
breathing. He desperately needed air, but he was too afraid to make any 
sound. He tried to take a little quiet breath, but his lungs wouldn't hear 
of it, and he gasped in a loud gulp of air. 

The breathing that was coming toward him stopped. He heard a sound like 
that of a gun leaving a holster. Every muscle in his body tightened up. 
His eyes were bulging out of their sockets as he waited for the unknown 
attacker to come around the corner. On the off chance that it was Benten, 
he geared himself not to fire right away, but he knew that he wouldn't have 
much time. Was this the time that he was have to kill someone? He heard a 
step.

Suddenly he was eye to eye with an Azu soldier. Each of their guns were 
pointed at the other's head. They were both frozen in the moment. Mendo 
could see that the Uruseian was just as terrified as he was. He could also 
see in his eyes that, like Mendo, he had never killed anyone. Mendo wasn't 
really eager to kill at this point either. 

"I won't shoot if you won't," the Azu soldier said quickly.

"Okay," Mendo nodded, nervously.

There was a very long pause. Neither gun moved. Mendo was becoming very 
familiar with contours of the barrel of his opponent's gun. He didn't 
really appreciate it pointed at his head, but he didn't know what to do.

"My name's Shutaro," Mendo said.

"Tobimaru, pleased to meet you," was the response. Neither one lowered his 
weapon.

Mendo's arms were starting to get tired. Finally, Tobimaru realized 
something very crucial. "I think my safety is still on," he said, mostly to 
himself. It only occurred to him after he said it, how dangerous a 
statement it was.

Fortunately for Tobimaru, Mendo wasn't a soldier. Surprised by the 
statement he lowered his gun and let out a laugh.

Tobimaru also saw the humor and chuckled. He lowered his gun as well and 
checked it. "Nope," he said, "I didn't turn off the safety."

"Good thing," Mendo laughed. "You could have been killed." They both 
remembered they were enemies, and became serious again, but neither raised 
his weapon.

"Are you the human with the alien Benten?" Tobimaru asked with a little 
tinge of awe and a lot of fear.

"Yeah, I suppose. I'm just tagging along. My name's Shutaro, Mendo Shutaro." 
He extended his hand.

"Azu Tobimaru," was the response while returning the gesture. He looked 
around, as if there was someone after him. "I suppose I shouldn't be 
staying around. She killed my driver. I'm sure that she'd like to kill me 
too. My father thinks she's some kind of demon."

That explained the shot. Benten was alive, and probably hunting Tobimaru. 
"She's not as mean as she wants everyone to think," Mendo said. "Though she 
really doesn't like Azu's."

"Yeah, I can imagine," Tobimaru said. He seemed to regret the situation. 

"You have better go," Mendo said. "She'll be back soon."

"What the hell is going on here?!" Benten said angrily as she pulled up in 
Tobimaru's vehicle. Her gun was drawn.

"I bet the safety is off," Tobimaru commented as he raised his hands.

Mendo agreed.

* * *

There are many places were one would never expect to find oneself and 
that's where Shinobu was. She could think of no one a month ago that would 
even have suggested that she'd ever be crawling in a sewer pipe on an alien 
planet on a mission to rescue an alien boy from a intergalactic slave 
merchant. No, that definitely never came up in any of the conversations 
that she had ever had. Of course, she was still young.

It wasn't a pleasant place to be. Even with the air masks and the rubber 
suits, that Ten just happened to have available and in her size for just 
such an occasion, the place stank and she felt miserable. Ten's light 
wasn't enough to make the inside of the pipe seem cheery. It wasn't as 
cramped at is could have been. She could stop and sit up. There just wasn't 
quite enough room to stand.

"Do you do this a lot?" Shinobu asked Ten, who was crawling up ahead of 
her. She never would have imagined that a person like Jariten, who loved 
luxury, would ever be crawling in a sewer.

"My dear," said Ten, "I could tell you such stories. Whatever is necessary 
to get the job done."

"Is this necessary? Couldn't we just walk over and sneak in?"

"A thief should always know his prey. Minah is a bit crazy, and extremely 
paranoid. Even I couldn't be sure of evading all the traps from the normal 
means of forced entry. But the sewer pipe... he'd never expect anyone to 
try to enter through the toilet."

"I certainly wouldn't. What kind of toilet does he have that we could even 
fit anyway?"

"It's a figure of speech. Minah keeps quite a few slaves, and they don't 
exactly have starship quality toilet facilities. The pipes will remain 
fairly large and there'll be places, with a little coaxing, where we can 
enter. Um..  we will be going into a smaller more active pipe though."

"More active?" Shinobu asked, worriedly. Vivid images of what `more active' 
meant were filling her mind. She was glad that she hadn't eaten recently. 
The fact that she was wearing a mask didn't comfort her.

"Whatever it takes to get the job done," Jariten repeated. "Don't worry, 
we don't have far to go, and we'll be able to leave by a more ordinary 
route once I turn some of the alarm -- uh oh."

Ten stopped suddenly, and Shinobu also stopped. "`Uh oh,' what?" she asked 
nervously.

"Minah has gotten even more paranoid as of late. There's a trip wire here. 
Thank the Spirits we're in a sewer pipe."

"Excuse me?"

"He couldn't use motion, heat or sound sensors in a sewer pipe, could he? 
If he had, we'd be already caught. A trip wire is primitive and relatively 
easy to disarm." Jariten was talking as he was working. Shinobu heard a 
sound of a wire snapping. "There, all fixed. Putting traps in a sewer pipe, 
now that's really paranoid."

"Well considering that we're here." Shinobu still had trouble believing 
that she was doing this. They didn't even know if Inaba would leave with 
them, especially smelling that way that they must have. The words `more 
active' still rang in Shinobu's mind.

"Here's our turn," Jariten said. "It's going to be uncomfortable and we 
won't be able to talk anymore. Sound travels well in a sewer pipe."

Shinobu peered ahead to see how small it was going to get. She wasn't 
encouraged by what she saw. Her only consolation was that Jariten was 
fairly large and she was small. In any case she was going to lose even the 
dignity of crawling. The rest of the way was going to be on her belly, and 
the pipe was indeed `more active.'

Shinobu took a last breath of relatively clean air and followed in after 
Jariten. She really should have gone with Mendo. She'd much rather be 
getting shot at, right now.

* * * 

Benten had grown to hate Terrans. Every time she leaves one of them alone 
they always have to go and get a friend. Ataru got Shinobu, Shinobu got 
Mendo and now Mendo goes and befriends one of the enemy. And what an enemy! 
Benten knew exactly who this was. For such a prisoner she was maybe willing 
to forgive the human race this one time, but she vowed never to leave them 
alone again.

Benten sat in the vehicle that she had stolen and contemplated Mendo and 
Tobimaru, both of whom appeared equally frightened. "Do you know who the 
hell this is, Shutaro?" She asked.

"He says his name is Tobimaru," Mendo replied. Mendo was trying to ready 
himself for Benten to just take her gun and blow Tobimaru's head off. He 
wasn't sure if he could handle it. It was one thing to see unknown soldiers 
being killed, it was quite another to watch someone you had just talked to 
die.

Benten didn't shoot his head off. She had no intention of shooting his head 
off. He was far too valuable as a hostage. "This is AZU Tobimaru," Benten 
said. "He's Des's first son, and heir to the fucking Azu throne."

Mendo looked over to Tobimaru, who nodded sheepishly. 

"Daddy would be most upset if you got hurt," she said cattishly.

"What are you going to do to me?" Tobimaru asked.

"If you behave yourself, nothing. It's your father I really want to hurt. 
He's got to pay for what he did to my world and for sending that bomb to 
the Princess."

"But we didn't send that bomb," Tobimaru protested.

"Sure," Benten said incredulously. 

"I don't think they did," Mendo added.

Benten turned on Mendo. "How would you know?"

"He's not lying," Mendo shrugged.

Benten stopped. She knew how well Mendo could see through lies. "Maybe your 
Daddy is keeping it from you," she returned.

"My father tells me everything," Tobimaru said. "He told me about all the 
times he tried to kill you. Besides, Lum is his niece, and I think he's a 
little scared of my aunt, the Empress. He may kill Lum in a battle that was 
acceptable to Family honor, but never with a bomb like he would you."

Benten was steaming. Mostly because she knew that Tobimaru was probably 
right. It just made her too happy to be able to pin something more on to 
Azu Des. She pounded her fist on the dashboard of the vehicle. "Damn!" she 
shouted. "Why can't people just stay evil long enough for me to kill them?!"

"So what do we do now?" Mendo asked.

"It doesn't change the fact that his Daddy has the entire Azu army roaming 
the city trying to kill me. We still have to fight our way off this planet."

"That's no problem," Tobimaru said. "I can probably get you off this 
planet, but we should move soon. I did call for reinforcements before I 
came over here."

It was at that point that Benten heard a lot of metallic clicking sounds 
behind her. If Benten didn't still have her gun trained on Tobimaru's head 
she'd be dead. 

Benten sighed. "I hope Jariten has figured a way out of this."

* * *

It seemed like forever to Shinobu, but she and Jariten finally came to a 
drain almost big enough for them to get through. Jariten was prepared for 
it, and he cut a wider hole. They emerged in a small concrete room with 
shower heads lining the walls. Shinobu couldn't think of a better place to 
be at that point. To be able to stand and be clean was just akin to heaven, 
but Jariten stopped her before she could start the water.

"Too much noise," he whispered. "I have a wonderful bath waiting for us at 
my refuge. You know how much I despise being dirty."

Shinobu was disappointed, but she obeyed. Jariten opened the one door 
slightly and peeked around. 

"Just as I thought," he said lightly closing the door. He turned to 
Shinobu. "We're going to be going into Minah's warehouse, for lack of a 
better term. There's going to be a lot of young girls and boys in cages 
that we'd all like to free, but we're here for one person and we want to 
leave with our lives. Do you understand?"

Shinobu nodded reluctantly. 

"Besides, if your Inaba says what I think he'll say, then we'll get our 
chance later."

"What do you think Inaba is going to say?" Shinobu asked.

"Greed is always a greater motive than revenge," Jariten answered and 
reopened the door. "Very quiet," he whispered as he went through. 

Shinobu followed. It was dark, and she could hear the sounds of a lot of 
people breathing, all sleeping. The place they were in was huge. She 
couldn't see far, but she could make out cages as far and as high as she 
could see. Minah's shop was so small, to think that it could hide all this. 
On occasion they came close enough to a cage to make out one or two small 
forms on the floor. Her heart ached, but she dutifully followed Jariten 
and she kept quiet.

Eventually they came to a lighted panel. Jariten put a small device under 
it and pushed a button. The display changed subtly. Jariten nodded, and 
retrieved his device. He opened the door next to the display as much as was 
necessary and slid through.

Shinobu followed. After a second door, they were in Minah's shop. They went 
into the shop and then through the door that Inaba had gone to get drinks 
earlier. It was a hall with three doorways, with old wooden poorly fitted 
doors. Jariten pointed to one and put his finger to his mouth. He then went 
to a different one and opened it. 

It opened to a stairway that led up. The stairs didn't look too sturdy. 
Jariten stepped on the first one and it made a loud creak. He stopped and 
pulled his foot back. He stepped back and motioned for Shinobu to try. She 
did and there was no sound. Jariten motioned for her to go up and come 
back. She nodded. She guessed that Inaba must have been up there. 

She slowly made her way up the stairs. She took off her mask so that she 
wouldn't frighten Inaba when he saw her. It was then that she got a good 
whiff of how bad she smelled. It made her dizzy. She stopped and put the 
mask back on and took a breath. She continued up the stairs. At the top was 
a small attic room. There wasn't any real furniture, just a mat where 
someone slept. She hoped it was Inaba.

She took the mask off again, and this time took only light breaths. It was 
still incredibly strong. Minah wouldn't have to hear them, he could smell 
them easy enough. She approached Inaba. He could smell her easy enough too. 
In his sleep, she could see him wrinkle his nose. He did it several times, 
and then with a cough, he awoke.

"Inaba," Shinobu whispered.

He turned with a start. "Is that Miss Shinobu?" he asked, and then covering 
his nose, he said, "You smell really bad."

"I know. I'm sorry," she admitted reluctantly. "I've come to free you." 

"I don't understand," he said, backing away a little.

"We're here to take you away from Minah. He won't own you anymore."

"It's too dangerous," he said. He was trembling. "Miss Shinobu should go. 
There's no place you could take me. You saw what they did to the Princess."

"`They' did?"

"It was the Slavers Guild who sent the bomb. They knew that she'd put them 
out of business, and with her victory she'd be powerful enough to do it. 
Now you can go. That's what you really came for, wasn't it, to find out 
what I knew. I've told you. You can go now. Minah isn't very nice to young 
girls."

Shinobu felt bad. That was what they came for. If Inaba hadn't said 
anything before, they wouldn't have dared to come. "I still want to free 
you. Jariten can protect you. He's smarter than the Guild."

"He couldn't protect the Princess," Inaba countered. "You better go. If you 
win this, I'll be here, and you can free me then. Otherwise, I'll still be 
here. Please go. You're too nice to get captured." Shinobu was struck by 
the sadness in Inaba's voice. She suddenly knew empathicly how much he was 
suffering, but he wouldn't come with her. She didn't want to go, but she 
was still very very sensible. She backed away, and turned to leave. "We'll 
win, and I'll free you," she said as she left.

"I know, Miss Shinobu. I'll be waiting."

* * * *

Chapter 3: "I'm Frightened... Will I Dream?" (HAL - 2010)

Inaba was on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor. Minah came out of 
his room and smelled the air. "What is that stench?" he asked.

Inaba stood. His head was bowed. "I'm sorry, Master. I was cleaning the 
latrines. I'm afraid I tracked some of the mess in here on my shoe. I'm 
cleaning it up now."

"The smell is so strong. You shouldn't have let the latrines get so dirty."

"No, sir."

"It was foolish of you to be so careless. Make sure you get this cleaned 
up, and spray something in the air. We don't want the customers smelling 
this."

"Yes, sir. I'll do it immediately."

"Horrible smell," Minah said covering his nose. He went into the shop. 

Inaba got back down on his knees, but he watched Minah. His lie seemed to 
work. Inaba had been very busy. It was his job to turn the alarms off in 
the morning anyway, so that Ten's sabotage hadn't been a problem, but they 
had tracked sewer filth throughout the warehouse, and the shop. If he had 
gone with them, then it probably wouldn't have been an issue. But since he 
didn't, it all had to be cleaned up. It had been hard work. Fortunately, he 
was almost done, so there was little to explain.

He regretted some that he hadn't gone. His life wasn't so bad, but he 
wondered what life would be like outside. He wished they could free 
everyone, but he really didn't believe it was possible. He knew how 
powerful the Slavers were. He was a very small and not very bright boy. If 
the Princess wasn't safe, then what chance did he have. He worried about 
that nice girl he had met. He hoped that she would give up and go back to 
her home. It had to a nice home for such a nice girl to be from. He wished 
he had a home like that. 

Inaba continued scrubbing.

* * *

Ran stormed into Lum's room, and went straight for the great curtains 
opposite Lum's bed. She threw them open and the room became bright with 
sunlight. "Time to get up, Mistress."

"Ran?" Lum hid her eyes from the sun. "I can't get up yet. I'm still 
healing."

"That's not what the doctor said," Ran countered. "You have to exercise."

Lum tried to shift in bed. She was still very sore. "Oh," she said, 
wincing. "Why are you here? You should be with Rei, planning your wedding 
or something."

"Rei is working with Ataru," Ran explained, standing next to Lum's bed. 
"I'm here because I'm your friend, and I doubt if anyone else could get 
you to do what you're told. As for the wedding, we are having an Uruseian 
wedding with you and Ataru as soon as you are healthy, so you had better 
get up."

Lum's eyes still hadn't adjusted to the light. Lum looked at Ran. She 
looked very determined. Lum sighed her resignation. "Well, I hope you are 
planning to help me."

Ran smiled. "Yes, Mistress." Ran pulled the covers off of Lum. "First, 
we're going to sit you up." Ran sat on the bed, and eased a hand behind 
Lum's back. "Ready?"

Lum knew that this was going to hurt a lot. Every little adjustment in bed 
hurt. She couldn't image how sitting up would be. In a moment she wouldn't 
have to imagine. "Okay," she said, and braced herself for the pain. 

She strained her muscles as much as she could, which wasn't much. Ran was 
very gentle. Slowly she eased Lum up. It was painful. Lum gritted her 
teeth, but soon Lum was sitting up.

"It's hard to believe that I'm on pain medication. I can't imagine how 
much I would hurt otherwise. What else do I have to do?"

"That's it," Ran said. "For today. I was just supposed to sit you up. Oh 
yes, and this." She handed Lum a piece of putty.

Lum looked at it. "What's this for?"

"You're supposed to mold it in your hands. It will help to strengthen your 
fingers."

Lum began to work the putty. It was very hard. She looked up at Ran. "Any 
word on Jariten, and Benten?"

"Just reports of a lot of fighting near the Azu family mansion," Ran said.

"I wish I could help."

"You'll do just fine if you can be healthy when they return." Ran was 
resolute. 

Lum nodded. There was no hope in arguing. "Tell Sugoi that I want her to 
report to me everyday."

Ran looked at Lum sternly. Her hands were on her hips. "I don't want you 
trying to lead the investigation from your bed. It wouldn't be good for 
you."

Lum was getting a vision of her future. It involved being hovered over, and 
over-cared for by Ran for the next month. It was going to be a prison, but 
Lum was in no position to do anything about it. "I just want reports," she 
explained submissively, "It'll help me rest if I know what's going on." 

Ran propped up some pillows behind Lum, so that she could remain sitting 
up. She smiled to herself. She knew how much Lum hated to be cared for. It 
was a pity there was nothing she could do about it. "I'm going to get your 
breakfast now. I'm afraid that it won't be much."

"Thank you, Ran. It'll be fine. You will give my message to Sugoi?"

Ran nodded. "Yes, Mistress," she bowed and turned to leave.

"Ran?" 

Ran stopped and turned.

"Thank you."

Ran smiled and bowed again. She was pleased, for all that Lum hated to be 
waited on, she was still grateful. There were rewards to being a servant. 
Ran wondered if she would be appreciated as much as a matriarch. She left 
the room.

Lum looked out the window. It was a beautiful view of the Imperial gardens. 
It made her think even more of Benten, and when they used to play those 
gardens years ago. She wished she could be with them now, on the Azu 
homeworld. She trusted Benten to take care of herself, but often her anger 
made her do foolish things. She needed a calm voice to go with her.

* * * 

"Benten, slow down!" Mendo shouted, trying to be heard above the rush of 
air. Benten was not about to slow down. She couldn't believe that they 
were still alive. It was important to have a good hostage. Tobimaru was 
laying down in the back of the hover vehicle hoping that the mad ride would 
end with him in one piece.

"This thing beats the hell out of that jeep we road on earth, remember?" 
Benten shouted back to Mendo.

Mendo did remember. He remembered that Shinobu was on his lap, and she was 
shot in the arm. He wasn't too concerned with how fast Benten was driving 
then. Now objects were wizzing by so fast, he was sure they must be on the 
other side of the planet already. In fact, they were still in sight of the 
mansion, which would indicate that they were not on the other side of the 
planet, but Mendo would have believed an argument that they were just on 
their second time around.

Benten was driving away from the mansion. As much as she wanted to hurt 
Azu Des, she wanted to hurt whoever sent the bomb more. She needed to find 
Jariten again. She hoped that he had found something out by now. She had 
brought Tobimaru along as their ticket off the planet. 

Tobimaru didn't mind. He was fairly sure that they weren't going to hurt 
him, and this way he got to meet the legendary Benten up close. He just 
wished that she'd slow down a little. He didn't even know that these cars 
could go this fast.

Soon he and Mendo got their wish. After a sharp bank, Benten stopped the 
vehicle. "That should be far enough," she said.

The area looked familiar to Mendo. Jariten's secret door was near here. 

Benten hopped out of the vehicle. "I hope you remember how to open the 
door."

Mendo wasn't sure, but he didn't say anything.

Tobimaru sat up. "You have a place here?" he asked. "No one lives here."

Benten looked around. "No Uruseians live here, you mean. That means no one 
will report us. C'mon." She pushed the car next to a building. It was 
floating, so it pushed easily. 

Mendo looked around for some sign of where the door was, but he really 
didn't remember, and it was hid very well.

Benten looked at his confused expression and rolled her eyes. "Fine, we'll 
just wait here until he notices us. He's probably in there, passed out 
drunk on Yuli. Damn! That's what I should be doing right now."

* * *

Jariten went straight from the door through the control room and into the 
shower. "Dirty, very dirty. Must get clean," was all he said. Shinobu 
followed right up to the shower room door. She stopped before going in. She 
guessed she'd have to remain dirty for a little while longer.

In a moment, Ten peaked his head out the door. "You prefer to smell like a 
sewer?" He asked.

"I can't take a bath with you," she explained, a little embarrassed.

"Spoil sport," he replied. "Actually, this is just a rinsing room. Come in 
and get that suit rinsed off, before you stink up the whole place."

Shinobu was reluctant.

"I promise, no one's clothes need to come off for this."

Shinobu went in. They were in a tiled room with shower heads lining the 
walls. 

"Here, you can turn on the water," he said referring to her attempt to turn 
on the water in Minah's `warehouse.' Jariten started the water.

Shinobu was glad, and followed suit. She was glad that part of the adventure 
was over. She wasn't looking forward to ever crawling in a sewer again. She 
wondered what Ten planned to do with the new information they got from 
Inaba. "Now what do we do?" she asked. 

"Well, since you aren't willing to take a bath with me, I guess I'll have 
to let you go first."

He was playing with her. "No," she answered. "I meant, what are we going to 
do about the Slavers?"

"Don't know," Jariten replied. "We need to get Benten back here. She's 
going to be so happy that she's been going after the wrong target. I can't 
wait to tell her."

"Does it mean that we have to go to another planet?"

"Well Minah did say that this wasn't a commercial hub any more. It all 
depends on how we go about this, and whether we can even get off the 
planet. And you know what... All cleaned up that suit does wonders to show 
off your figure."

Shinobu looked at herself and blushed. She usually didn't wear things that 
hugged her so tightly. She sometimes forgot that she even had a figure. 

"You're a very beautiful girl," Ten said. "You should never forget that."

"I'm just plain," Shinobu said, looking down to the ground. She never took 
compliments very well. It made her uncomfortable when people told her she 
was pretty.

Jariten went to her. "My dear lady. I am a conisuer of all that is 
beautiful and precious in the galaxy, and when I tell you that you are 
beautiful I am giving you my professional assessment. If I couldn't tell 
the difference between what is ordinary and what is precious, they'd laugh 
me out of all the best clubs in the galaxy. Now are you telling me I don't 
know my business? I'd be deeply offended if you are doubting my 
professional judgment."

Shinobu was affected. She knew that although Jariten was playing, he would 
never lie to her. She was overwhelmed by the compliment, but not so much 
that she couldn't respond in kind. "Thank you," she said and then smiling, 
looked him in the eyes. "But you still can't take a bath with me."

Jariten was momentarily taken aback, but then he laughed heartily. "I'm so 
disappointed," he said brightly. "You saw right through me."

"Actually," he continued, "if you'll go through that door right there, 
you'll find a very comfortable and expensive bath, which you may have to 
yourself for as long you like. As for myself, I'll just take a shower out 
here. I'm afraid I have too much to do to take a proper bath just yet, and 
certainly no time to take a bath in such charming company as yourself."

Shinobu bowed and went through the door. Jariten smiled. "I'm corrupting 
the poor girl," He observed. He then took a quick shower, and afterwards, 
wearing a comfortable bathrobe and relaxing in his favorite chair, an alarm 
pinged.

He got up to see what it was. "Wonderful," he said, "Benten has gotten 
tired of killing everything in sight and has returned on her own. And she's 
brought a friend and a car. Wonderful! I suppose I should go and let her 
in, before she decides to shoot her way in."

* * * 

Shinobu felt with a little practice she could get used to luxury. At one 
moment, she was crawling through a sewer and now she was perfectly relaxed, 
naked in a mass of water and soap bubbles. She felt she could stay there 
for days. The tub was wonderful. It was big enough for her to stretch 
completely out, though she wasn't that tall, and wide enough for her to 
extended her arms and not touch either side. Actually, it was big enough 
for several people. Ten amazed her. Here, at a small outpost of his, he 
maintained this huge bath, just in case there might be a party.

Just then the door burst open. Shinobu screeched in shock. By instinct, she 
reacted to cover herself.

"Party!" came the battle cry. Benten was wearing absolutely nothing. She 
rushed through the door and jumped into the tub sending suds and water all 
over the room. Shinobu wasn't able to close her mouth from her screech fast 
enough and was choking on some bubbles that she swallowed.

"How ya doing?" Benten said cheerfully. "Miss me?"

"Hi Benten," Shinobu said dispassionately, after she managed to start 
breathing again.

"Will ya look at this room," Benten said, while scanning the surroundings. 
She had settled into the tub, and was relaxing opposite of Shinobu. "Mind 
if join you?"

Shinobu had overcome her surprise and worked to rediscover that level of 
hedonistic Nirvana that she was just startled out of. "Did you storm the 
Azu mansion?" She asked. Shinobu assumed that since Benten was so happy, 
she must have killed something.

"No," was the disappointed reply. "That damn Azu didn't do it. Asshole."

"Ten told you already, then?"

"He told me about the Slavers. But I had found out about the damn Azu's on 
my own. This is going to be great! The only people I hate more than the 
Azu's are the fuckin' Slaver's Guild."

"Inaba was scared of them. He thought they were too powerful for us."

"They are," Benten admitted, but it didn't seem to bother her. The thing 
about seasoned soldiers is that they know how to relax quickly and in any 
situation. Benten had seen a lot of fighting and she had become so relaxed 
that if Azu Des walked through the door and got in the bath with them, 
she'd offer him some soap. The bottle of Yuli she drank before she came in 
didn't hurt either.

Shinobu was not a soldier, and Benten just added to the worry that she was 
trying to forget earlier. "What are we going to do then? They're certainly 
going to try again."

"Dunno," Benten said. "Suds now, death and destruction later." Benten dozed 
off.

Shinobu sat back. She couldn't understand how Benten was ready to destroy 
the universe one minute and snoozing in a bath tub the next. Of course, 
Shinobu was in the tub as well. She had felt she had earned it. That was 
probably the thing. Both of them were satisfied that they had at least done 
something. Shinobu sat back. She wished she had some concept of what they 
were up against. What a situation for a plain, sensible Japanese girl to be 
in.

She compared her plainness to Ten saying that she was beautiful. She 
thought about being beautiful. Ten said she was. He staked his reputation 
on it. It made her laugh to think of it. It was hard to think of herself as 
beautiful. It was also hard to think of herself on a different planet, 
taking a bath with an alien, and worrying about how to foil a galactic 
slaver's guild, but that's what she was doing. Maybe, just maybe, she could 
think of herself as beautiful too. It a tub like this, she could be 
anything she wanted. She closed her eyes, and let herself drift in the 
luxury.

* * *

A short time later, everyone gathered in main room of Ten's outpost. Ten 
was a little annoyed that Benten had plopped herself in his favorite chair, 
but he didn't feel like making a fuss about it. He still hadn't gotten over 
being annoyed at having soap and bath water splattered all over his 
pristine bathroom.

Tobimaru was still with them. Ten agreed with Benten that they might still 
need him to get off the planet, and Tobimaru really didn't want to leave. 
He felt like he was sitting with legends. He kept on looking over to 
Benten. It was obvious that she didn't appreciate it. She didn't seem too 
demonic, in his opinion. In fact, she was rather pretty. She finally got 
tired of him looking at her, and locked his eyes in a death stare. Tobimaru 
looked away. He decided that perhaps there was some merit to the stories 
after all.

"Well, we managed to get a couple clues," Ten began. "The first is 
Tobimaru's claim that his family had no part in the bombing. A claim which 
we choose to believe."

"For now," Benten said dryly. Tobimaru was not about to try renewing eye 
contact with her. He knew she was still looking in his direction.

"For now," Ten repeated. "The second bit, is Inaba's claim that it was the 
Slaver's Guild who sent the bomb to save their trade. It's a very plausible 
possibility. But it's not much to go on."

"We didn't have anything to go on when we came here," Mendo said.

"True enough," Ten agreed, "but all --I-- came here to do was to visit the 
Azu mansion and snoop around. It was another member of our little group who 
decided to force a frontal assault."

"That'd be me," Benten said, quite pleased with herself.

"Could you explain to us about the Slaver's Guild. How big are they?" 
Shinobu hoped that finally she get the answers she wanted, and maybe have 
an idea of what they were up against.

"They're huge," Tobimaru said, absently. They worked so much in the 
background that he had never tried to imagine the scope of their operation 
before. He suddenly realized how incredible it was.

"Where to begin?" Ten said. "I think first you need to know one or two 
things about Imperial commerce. In the Empire, all interstellar business 
has to have a Family connection. That's the way the Empire is. Everything 
that happens in the Empire revolves around the Families. Without Family 
endorsement nothing can be bought or sold between the planets, with one 
exception. The Slaver's Guild is the only interstellar business that is 
Family independent."

"It's the only anything in the Empire that is Family independent," Tobimaru 
added.

"And there's a reason for that," Ten continued. "Even though all the alien 
races are considered slaves, each of the races is from a planet which is 
controlled by a Family. That means that the citizens of these planets are 
under the protection of the Family which controls the planet."

"For all the good that is," Benten said.

"There are a lot of abuses true, but by and large all the Families adhere 
at least to the letter of the Imperial Codes Concerning Slaves."

"Imperial codes?" Mendo asked.

"It's a book of laws designed to protect the races ruled by the various 
Families, and it grants them certain rights, concerning treatment and 
punishment. It's designed to pit the Families against each other over the 
protection of their slaves, and it works pretty well. Slaves aren't 
wantonly abused, receive compensation for their labor, and are generally 
free to lead their own lives. That's where the Slaver's Guild comes in."

"The great loop hole," Benten said.

"Imperial Family law only applies to Families. Since the Slavers are 
independent, they can treat the slaves under their protection any way they 
wish."

"And they do." Benten apparently had built up quite a bit of animosity 
toward these people.

"Do they control any planets?" Shinobu asked.

"No. Only Families can have planets. They get slaves through various means. 
Mostly slaves sell themselves or parents their children to the Guild out of 
desperation. They'll fall down on their luck and have no place else to go. 
With the Guild at least they get to eat. Once with the Guild they lose 
Family protection. The Guild then sells these slaves to the rich, to Family 
Lords. It's a lease, that way the slaves are still legally independent."

"So the fucking Lords can treat them any way they like with no fear of 
Imperial punishment," Benten added.

"And no one has put any laws on the Slaver's Guild?" Shinobu asked.

"That's how powerful they are," Ten replied. "And who would propose it? 
Almost all the Lords buy slaves from the Guild. The Guild has actually 
pushed for tougher Family slave protection laws so that their independent 
business would be more desirable."

Shinobu couldn't believe what she was hearing. "We just fought a war 
because of how badly the Empire treats the conquered races, and you're 
saying that there are people who are even worse off."

Ten nodded. "They are hidden, disposable people. They are slaves in the 
true definition of the term. They are entitled to food and shelter and not 
much else."

Shinobu looked at Tobimaru. "Minah said that he had `girls' at the Azu 
palace."

Tobimaru was sweating. He hadn't actually considered the issue before. Now 
it didn't sound so good, especially with everyone looking at him. "Umm, 
most of the Azu menial staff are slaves bought from the Slavers Guild," he 
explained, and then in defense. "We don't beat them or anything."

"You just don't pay them or let them leave the palace," Benten said.

"Minah also said that being a slave in the palace was better than the life 
they would have had. He said their own parents sell them." Shinobu was 
having trouble imagining things getting so bad.

"The Imperial Codes are designed to keep the Families from abusing the 
slaves, it says nothing about helping them. It's a choice between slavery 
or starvation on the street."

"That's where Lum came in," Mendo said, coming to some understanding of the 
situation. "If suddenly there are no slave races, and the non-Uruseian 
planets can govern themselves... then maybe there would be a lot fewer 
slaves."

"More than that," Jariten added. "Maybe the idealistic princess, who can't 
tolerate slave races, and who just defeated the Families who opposed her, 
might decide that more severe forms of slavery should also be abandoned. 
The Slaver's Guild stays independent because families who fight among 
themselves don't notice them. Now they are the only power that the Princess 
has not subdued. They stand between her being the most powerful Empress the 
Empire has ever known. Now for the first time in their existence they stand 
out." 

Jariten laughed to himself. "It's funny. They been so successful working in 
the background, appearing as small shops, rather than a huge network. If 
they hadn't attacked the Princess and Ataru we might never have noticed 
them. Families are so prevalent in the Empire it's hard to think in any 
other terms."

"I would have noticed them," Benten said darkly.

Ten nodded. "And you are very likely the reason that they felt Lum would 
notice them."

"What are you saying? That the attack on Lum was my fault!"

"Benten!" Shinobu scolded.

Ten darkened. "The attack on Lum was the Slavers fault. If indeed they did 
it. The fact that you help Lum listen more to her gut rather than her head, 
I always considered to be a blessing. What the Slavers may think is 
irrelevant."

Benten was caught off guard. She was all ready to get angry, instead she is 
told that she is appreciated. "I... aw shit. Enough talk, what do we do?"

"We consult the Emperor," Ten replied. "I don't think we can go any 
farther without permission. Then we'll need a ship."

"Well call him up! You have to have a transmitter here," Benten said.

"I do, but someone is jamming all the signals."

Everyone turned to Tobimaru, who found reason to sweat again. "My father 
didn't want you calling for help," he explained.

"Fine!" Benten said. "We'll just steal our shuttle back."

"Umm," Tobimaru interjected. "We sort of sent your shuttle out of the 
system. It's orbiting another planet right now."

Benten got up out the chair, and went over to Tobimaru. Jariten seizing a 
opportunity, immediately took his chair back. Nose to nose with the 
sweating Tobimaru, Benten dared him. "Then we'll just steal a different 
ship."

It was clear to Tobimaru that Benten was not familiar with the old axiom 
about not killing the messenger. Still the message was there and he had to 
admit to it sooner or later. "Um," he began.

Benten's eyes narrowed and she moved even closer to him. 

"Um, my father really didn't want you to leave," Tobimaru managed to 
choke out.

"What did dear old daddy do?" Benten asked icily.

"Um, there aren't any ships in the spaceport. Dadd-um-Father sent them all 
into to orbit. Just in case you might think of stealing one."

Benten smiled devilishly at Tobimaru. "You know," she said. "I'm actually 
pleased to hear this." Benten stepped back. She was like a trap just on the 
point of being sprung. No one, especially Tobimaru dared to say anything. 
"Now I have another reason to kill your dear old Daddy. If he doesn't want 
me to leave his fucking planet then I'm damn happy to oblige him." Benten 
pulled her gun and made her way to the door.

"Just a moment there," Ten interjected, now quite comfortably sitting in 
his favorite chair. "We can't kill Des. Inconveniencing us is not a capital 
crime, I'm afraid."

Benten turned on Jariten. "He's not inconveniencing us, he's fucking trying 
to kill us!"

"Benten, Benten, if we went after everyone who was trying to kill us, then 
where would be? We do have more important things to worry about, and I have 
a faster way to contact the Emperor."

"Faster than blowing a hole in Azu's chest and stealing his personal ship?" 
Benten asked skeptically.

"It will take you days to kill all his guards to get to him. My solution 
will just take an evening."

"It doesn't involve crawling through any sewers, does it?" Shinobu asked 
worriedly.

"Sewers?" Mendo was confused. 

"No Shinobu, dear, no sewers." Jariten had the smile that he only wore when 
he had a wonderfully devious plan in mind. Benten had a different label for 
it. It was the smile that he got whenever she would have to do something 
that she wouldn't like. Jariten turned to Tobimaru, "Tell me, what is the 
one thing in the universe that your father wants more than killing Benten?"

Tobimaru drew a blank. He couldn't think of anything. Killing Benten was 
all that his father talked about. He blamed her for just about everything. 
Especially the Azu family losing its status. That was something. "I don't 
know if he wants it more, but Father would like the Azu's to be a 
Major Family again."

"Exactly, and what better way to accomplish that than to save the life of 
the heir to the throne. I think that we can convince Des to help us."

Benten is nothing if not adventurous. She likes to try new things. But 
there are two things in the universe that Benten would never considered 
doing. The first of these is anything that would help the Azu house. The 
second is letting Azu Des help her. Needless to say, Benten did not spend a 
lot of time considering Jariten's idea. There was so much pressure building 
up insider her, that she knew if she didn't control herself she would burst 
open with the anger that she now held at bay. 

She only allowed herself to speak one word at a time, and each of them was 
spit out with the force of a cannon. "For - what - do - we - need - help - 
from - him?!"

Ten was unconcerned. "You're angry. I can tell."

Everyone, except Ten took a step back. Benten's entire body was tense. 
Jariten was playing with her, on a matter that was very dangerous. "Why - 
do - we - need - his - help?!" she asked again. The force that she spit out 
her words had increased.

"I'll make it simple. The Slavers are perfectly happy to let us go where we 
like, since we've apparently decided to blame Azu Des for the bombing. What 
would they think if we just up and left the planet without killing him?"

"They'd think we found out that he didn't do it," Mendo said.

Jariten nodded. "And they might get nervous. Now what would they think if 
we left for Urusei in a shuttle with him on board?"

"They'd think that we captured him, and that we're taking him for trial," 
Shinobu said.

"And in that case, they would still be pleased to let us continue."

Benten had a third solution. "What would they think if we blew his fucking 
head off his fucking shoulders and then left?"

Ten shook his head. "I've already pointed out the flaws in that plan. We 
can kill a family leader just for inconveniencing us, and it would take too 
long for you to fight through all the guards."

Benten considered. "And how long do you think it would take to convince him 
to help us? He hates me as much as I hate him."

"We have the incentive of restoring the family name, and of course there is 
our friend Tobimaru here."

Tobimaru spoke up. "I don't know if Father wants to repair the family name 
enough to give up the chance of killing Benten."

"I'm sure with a little persuasion, and perhaps a few threats he'll be 
amenable."

The debate continued long into the night. Benten took quite a bit of 
convincing, and in the end she just offered an "I ain't makin' no fuckin' 
promises." It was enough for Jariten. He considered Benten to be the most 
difficult problem. The second problem was getting Azu Des alone and in a 
position where they could talk with him. That, Jariten considered to be a 
lot less difficult.

* * *

In a shop much like Minah's, but halfway across the galaxy, an accountant 
mused over his accounts. The numbers were all wonderfully positive. The 
accountant was quite pleased. He eyes fell on an expense for a small 
android. It was a large number. It was a large negative number. He had 
wanted to use a real child, but he didn't think he could have packed enough 
explosives inside it to do the job and not make the child uselessly ill. 

An android it had to be. It was quite an expense one, and it didn't 
entirely work. The accountant wasn't pleased about that. Along with failing 
its mission, it had made Redet Jariten angry. This worried the accountant 
some. People got very unreasonable when they were angry. He worried about 
Jariten. The Families didn't value him much, but the accountant knew him 
well. It was clear that he would figure the truth out sooner or later. They 
had planned to kill him from the start, but it wouldn't be as easy as 
sending a bomb after the Princess. It wouldn't be easy at all. Jariten was 
very cautious.

And the Princess wasn't dead either. That wasn't good. The accountant liked 
positive numbers in his books. The Princess wasn't good for positive 
numbers. He had to try again. And now he had to hurry. Jariten discovering 
the truth wouldn't be good for his books either. 

The accountant closed his book, and slid it neatly into its place on the 
shelf above his desk. He admired the row of books on the shelf. They all 
stood in their place. It was nice when things were in their place. Order 
was good for numbers. Chaos was also good for numbers. Either way was good 
as long as his organization went unnoticed through it all. 

Something would have to be done about Jariten, before he started to notice. 
Hopefully, the Princess would be taken care of this time as well. The 
accountant was terribly worried about being noticed. Being noticed was 
clearly bad for numbers. This was proving to be more dangerous than 
originally planned.

* * *

Shinobu looked up at the great mansion of the Azu. It was impressive. Even 
from ten kilometers away it dominated the view before them. It was a very 
complex structure, with many many windows, and great towers. Ten said that 
he had a way to sneak in. Shinobu didn't think that would be too hard. A 
building that large would be terribly hard to guard. A small place like 
Minah's would be comparatively easy to secure. Ten had promised Shinobu 
that they wouldn't have to crawl through any more sewers. Shinobu was 
pleased about that.

They were riding in the floating vehicle that Benten and Mendo had stolen 
earlier. They were riding in plain sight through the streets of the city. 
Shinobu thought that was a little strange. Even with Tobimaru with them, it 
didn't seem smart to be going around so openly just yet, but Ten said it 
was all part of the plan. 

Shinobu was happy for it. They had so little time to look at the city 
before. It seemed that they were barely out of the space port before they 
were on the run. The part they were in now wasn't like the slums where 
Ten's outpost was, or the marketplace. This was obviously an area for 
bigger things. Great white towers surrounded them. There were no buildings 
like them on Earth. They were all so beautiful, and so tall. Still the 
mansion towered above them all. 

They were making directly toward it. That was also part of the plan. Ten 
didn't think that Azu would be quite ready to let them in the front door 
yet. He had another way, or so he said.

Shinobu let her thoughts wander back to the boy in Minah's shop. She hoped 
that he was well, and hadn't gotten in trouble for what they had done. She 
wished that she could see him again.

"Shit!" Benten exclaimed, and stopped the vehicle suddenly. Shinobu was 
jerked forward, and would have flown out of her seat if it wasn't for the 
restraint that she was wearing. The vehicle came to a stop. Shinobu looked 
up. It was the boy from the shop. He was standing in the road right before 
them. He had the same penitential look that he always seemed to have.

"Get out of the damn road!" Benten shouted at him.

He came meekly to the car. He glanced at Shinobu and smiled at her. "I'm 
sorry," he said to Benten. "Minah wanted me to find you and to see if there 
was anything more that you needed. He had heard that you ran into a little 
trouble."

"Shit!" Benten commented.

"A little trouble," Jariten confirmed. "He got out of the vehicle and went 
over to Inaba, circling him. Minah sent you to us?" He asked skeptically.

"Well, sort of," Inaba said, nervously following Jariten's examination. "I 
suggested it. I was worried for you." He glanced to Shinobu again.

"He let you go?" Shinobu asked.

Inaba straightened up and smiled. This was a point of pride. "He often lets 
me out. He trusts me."

"Hmph," Benten huffed. "Sounds like an opportunity to put a knife in his 
back, to me."

"How does Minah propose that you can help us?" Jariten asked.

"I know how to get into the Azu mansion without being noticed, if that is 
what you are trying to do?" Inaba said.

"I have a plan for that," Jariten said.

Benten looked up to the Azu mansion and then back to Jariten. "This plan 
wouldn't have something to do with getting us captured and then brought 
before Des, would it?"

"It's a little more complex than that," Jariten said defending himself.

"But very close, I'll bet. I'd prefer a secret way in, if there is one."

Jariten cocked an eye over to Benten. "Are you willing to accept the help 
of a Slaver?"

"The boy is not a Slaver," Benten countered.

"Very well," Jariten said getting back in the vehicle, and then to Benten. 
"I wasn't sure if you could pulled off what I needed you to do anyway."

"Fuck you! You never even had a fuckin' plan," Benten countered. 

Inaba cautiously got in the back seat with Shinobu, Mendo and Tobimaru. It 
was a little crowded, but Inaba got to sit tight in with Shinobu so he 
didn't mind. 

"It is good to see you again, Miss Shinobu," Inaba said.

"It is good to see you too," Shinobu said. 

Inaba lowered his head. Something appeared to be troubling him.

"So where the hell are we going?!" Benten called back. 

Inaba raised his eyes. "Go east," he said.

"Is there something wrong?" Shinobu asked.

"No," Inaba said, and looked into her eyes. He was still very sad. "I just 
wish this could last."

Benten started the vehicle and turned down a east-west road. Inaba had 
turned away from Shinobu. She studied him, worriedly. Something was 
definitely bothering him. Mendo studied him too.

"So Minah sent me a little present," Ten said to himself, nodding.

* * * *

Chapter 4: "What a Nightmare!"

Megane, Pama, Kakugari, and Chibi found that there was really very little 
for them to do except explore the palace. This was by no means a boring 
task. The Imperial palace was huge. It was full of interesting passages, 
and obscure or even secret corridors. Still, it wasn't long before their 
sense of adventure brought them to the prime location of interest in the 
palace, the kitchen.

The palace kitchen was enormous. It had the capacity to serve a banquet of 
hundreds. There were pots and pans as far as the eye could see. The pantry 
had stores of exotic foods from dozens of worlds. The four looked on their 
find with awe. Shining pans as far as the eye could see and walls lined 
with freezers and food pantries. It was an inspiring sight.

"It is hard to know where to begin," Kakugari observed.

"This is what heaven must be like," Chibi added.

"Heaven indeed," Megane began. "Gentlemen, we have truly found the object 
of our search. The matter before us now, is to prove our manhood."

"Our manhood?" Pama said incredulously. "I think the matter is to eat 
ourselves sick."

"That was my plan," Kakugari said greedily.

Megane cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up. "Truly that is the 
base intention, but the manner in which we eat ourselves sick will be the 
measure of what we are made of. I propose gentlemen, that the last to pass 
out is the greatest among us."

"That is certainly going to be me," Kakugari said, patting his stomach.

"I would not be so sure," Pama retorted cockily.

Megane raised a hand. "Gentlemen, gentlemen, our mission is not in words, 
but in deeds. Our manhood resides behind that refrigerator door."

"Manhood?" Sugoi repeated as she entered the room. "I, a mere woman, can 
eat more than any of you."

This statement brought amusement to the four. "My dear Sugoi," Megane 
began, "as fond as I am of you, I must tell you that we are men practiced 
in the art of gorging ourselves. Even Chibi, a master in his own right, 
could eat such a slip of a girl as yourself under the table."

Sugoi's grin became cattish. "Is that so? Would you care to bet? I 
challenge you. If I win then we get married, Uruseian style, this week."

"Uruseian style?!" Kakugari, Chibi and Pama said simultaneously.

Megane brushed them aside and confidently approached Sugoi. "And if I win 
then we marry, Earth style, we wait five years, and I can date other 
women."

Sugoi locked eyes with Megane, studying her opponent. "Pull up a table," 
she said.

"Just one more thing," Megane added. "I choose as my champion, Kakugari."

Kakugari grinned devilishly and patted his stomach.

Sugoi was unfazed. "Fine."

The four stepped back in fear. Megane went to Kakugari, and whispered in 
his ear. "You have to do this Kakugari. My bachelorhood is at stake. Think 
vacuum, think emptiness."

Pama and Chibi pulled up a table. Sugoi sat down at one end. Kakugari 
glanced at her and at her small flat stomach. "This is not a problem," he 
said. "I am The Stomach!"

Megane patted him on the back. "That's my boy! Go get her!"

Kakugari let out a battle cry, and took his place at the table. "Bring it 
on," he said in a guttural voice.

In response Chibi and Pama, after sampling some of the food themselves, 
filled the table.

With the table filled, Megane laid out the rules. "Victory will be measured 
in volume as well as who lasts the longest. Each is responsible for 
finishing their own portion. If one falls significantly behind, or leaves 
the table unfinished that one forfeits the game. Agreed?"

Both sides nodded. Megane was becoming more and more concerned. Sugoi's 
eyes were far more eager than Kakugari, and both looked famished. 

Chibi also noted their eyes, and turned to Pama. "I suggest that no one put 
their hands near the table while this is going on."

Pama nodded.

"GO!" Megane called, and the contest began.

What transpired from this point was truly frightening, and for the sake of 
more squeamish readers it won't be relayed in detail. Kakugari took an 
early lead, but Sugoi held her own. A half hour into the match, Kakugari 
was beginning to turn green and it was becoming clear to all, as it was to 
the reader when the scene began, who the winner was going to be. Sugoi's 
pace was unchecked.

"Where does she put it all?" Chibi observed.

Megane was sweating. He went to Kakugari. "My man, what's happening to you? 
You can't lose. Think of what's at stake here."

"Don't say 'steak,'" Kakugari said woozily. "Even my sister can't eat that 
much." Kakugari's sister is bigger than he. "What kind of monster is she?"

Sugoi looked up and winked at Megane. "Manhood," she scoffed as she ripped 
off a hunk of beef with her teeth and swallowed it with one gulp.

Megane stepped back in fear. "This can't be happening."

Sugoi was about to say something in return, when she noticed movement out 
of the corner of her eye. Through an alcove off to the side of the kitchen, 
she saw a person walking by. It didn't look like any of the staff. Sugoi 
had taken the effort to familiarize herself with the entire staff, so that 
if someone different came, she would know. This was someone different.

"Excuse me," she said and stood up.

"She's forfeiting," Chibi announced. "We win!" Just as he said this, 
Kakugari's eyes rolled and he passed out into some kind of vegetable dish. 

Sugoi turned back, grabbed a dumpling from her plate and stuffed it in her 
mouth. "I win," she said. And then ever so cutely she said, "bye." She sped 
off like a cat toward its prey.

With the dumpling, so went Megane. He fell to his knees and raised his 
hands to heaven. "I'm doomed," he proclaimed.

Chibi and Pama lowered their heads in mourning. 

* * *

It was dark by the time they reached what Inaba had told them was a secret 
way into the Azu mansion. Tobimaru was worried. As they neared this 
mysterious site, he quickly realized where they were going. No one was 
supposed to know about it. Worse was how he was supposed to explain to 
everyone that he knew, but didn't mention it. No one was supposed to know. 
It was an escape route. Just in case family matters didn't work out, and 
the family needed a way to leave. All the mansions have them, but they are 
supposed to be kept a secret.

"This is the Azu family escape route," Inaba explained, after they had 
stopped their vehicle.

"Really," Ten remarked with interest. "I didn't even know where this was. 
He turned back to Tobimaru. "Did you know where this was?"

"Umm..."

"Thought so."

Benten turned on him. "You've been keeping some of Daddy's secrets from us?"

"Umm..."

Benten became annoyed. "Show some fucking backbone, sheesh," she said and 
turned away. Tobimaru began to breath again. "So how the hell do we open 
it?" Benten asked.

"It just needs that hand print of someone from the Azu family," Inaba 
explained.

Everyone turned to Tobimaru. "You promised that you are not going to hurt 
my father." He felt that every step now was bringing him closer to 
betraying his family. He didn't agree with his Father's war, but all this 
sneaking into his own house was making him nervous.

"I didn't," Benten said. Her eyes were challenging.

"But you are going to now, aren't you, Benten dear?" Ten said.

She just looked at him and said nothing.

"Well, it's too bad," Ten began. "I was going to let you scare the shit out 
of Des, but now you'll just have to wait out here."

"Scaring the shit out of him, while fun, is not as good as killing him," 
Benten protested.

"Benten please," Mendo said. "The longer we wait here, the longer it will 
be before we see Lum and Ataru."

Benten looked at Mendo, and sighed. "All right. I won't kill him."

"Or hurt him," Jariten added.

"Or hurt him," Benten agreed. "Now can we go in?"

"We have your word?" Jariten asked.

Benten strode up to him. "You don't trust me."

Jariten returned her stare, and smiled back at her. She hated him. "I know 
you'll keep your word," he said.

"Dammit, that's the fucking problem! All right! All right! You have my word 
I will not kill or hurt him. But I have your promise that I can scare the 
shit out of him?"

"I counting on that to put him in the proper negotiating mood. Tobimaru, if 
you would."

Tobimaru looked at Benten and then at Jariten. He was a bit reluctant. 

"I gave my word, already!" Benten complained. "Let's get this fucking over 
with."

Tobimaru looked to Mendo. "She gave her word. It's okay."

"I said that, didn't I?!" Benten's mood was souring by the second. When 
Tobimaru finally did put his hand to the panel and the secret door 
appeared and opened, Benten pushed through everyone and went in. "It's 
about fucking time."

Jariten shrugged and followed her.

As Mendo passed Tobimaru, he said, "She really is a nice girl."

"Uh-huh," Tobimaru nodded skeptically.

Inaba and Shinobu were the last to go in. "I suppose you won't be able to 
leave with us," Shinobu asked.

Inaba lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I have to stay."

"That's too bad. I wish you would trust us. We can help."

Inaba stopped. Shinobu stopped with him. "What's wrong?"

He looked up. "I'm afraid for Miss Shinobu," he said. "The Guild could 
hurt you. I think that you are too nice a girl to get hurt." His eyes 
looked away and he began to blushing.

Shinobu smiled at him, and kissed him on the forehead. "Thank you," she 
said. "But Lum and Ataru are my friends. How can I live if I let the Guild 
kill them?"

Inaba lowered his head even more. "I understand," he said.

Shinobu took his hand. "They're waiting for us," she said warmly. 

He looked up and tried to smile. There were tears in his eyes. "I've never 
met anyone so nice," he said.

Shinobu felt a tear welling up. "Ah... " 

Just then Mendo coughed. "They're waiting for you," he said.

Shinobu let go of Inaba's hand and they all went in.

* * *

Sugoi was in pain. She had never eaten so much in one sitting. It was very 
hard for her to concentrate on her quarry. Now that the contest was won 
she didn't have to hide how sick she felt. She knew that victory in any 
contest is purely psychological. If Kakugari had seen that Sugoi was 
affected, he would have drawn strength by the possibility that he had a 
chance. As it was he believed that she could have gone on for days. He gave 
up far short of his potential, which was good because Sugoi knew that she 
could never beat him otherwise.

It didn't matter, though. She got what she wanted. Megane was starting to 
get reluctant. He needed encouragement. She thought about being married. 
Perhaps she was still a little young, and being married to an alien 
probably wasn't the best career choice for her, but she never met anyone 
like him before. He was so pompous, and insecure. He was cute. He was also 
a lot of fun, and so tall. She was looking forward to their wedding night. 
She wondered how insecure he really was. 

She thought about her family. Her mother wasn't going to take this well. It 
was hard enough for her mother to accept Rei's choice, but at least he was 
marrying an Uruseian. Particularly an Uruseian who was already very good at 
playing the Family game. Ran had known exactly what to say to their mother. 
Sugoi was impressed. Sugoi's mother didn't know about Megane, and Sugoi 
didn't know if she had the right words. Jariten might be able to help, she 
thought. If he could arrange for the Princess to be married to an alien, 
certainly he could do the same for her. She was going to enjoy learning 
from him. That was in the future, however.

She had another concern now. She was in yet another contest. She was pretty 
sure that this mysterious target did not know that she was being pursued. 
Sugoi had to hold onto her meal for just a little longer while she chased 
her new prey. She wondered how this woman had gotten into the palace, and 
when. Security had been tightened since the initial bombing and Sugoi was 
inspecting things herself. Someone in the palace couldn't be trusted. 
Someone had allowed this stranger in. 

Once the stranger was caught, Sugoi would have another prey to track down, 
perhaps several. She wondered how compromised the palace was.

The stranger had begun to speed up. She knew she was being followed. Sugoi 
also hurried. The hunt was on. The thrill of pursuit made Sugoi forget her 
discomfort. What better way to work all that off, than with a fine chase. 
It was time to play. 

* * *

Ataru found himself standing. If not actually standing, at least upright. 
In truth, Rei was holding him on his feet. Rei's recovery plan, Ataru was 
discovering, was a little more aggressive than Ran's. Screams of agony, 
Ataru was sure from experience, Rei felt were an encouraging sign. Rei had 
decided that the next step from sitting up was walking, so he had lifted 
Ataru painfully from bed and was now holding him up on his feet.

"I will release," Rei warned.

"No! Rei don't! Don't let go!" Ataru panicked, but Rei was unheeding.

Rei let go of Ataru, and though Ataru tried valiantly to keep himself up, 
there was no strength in his legs, and he collapsed like a tormented house 
of cards. Ataru screamed in pain.

"Rei!" came Ran's accusation from the door. She had brought Lum on a 
floating chair. 

"Darling!" Lum called out.

Ran quickly pushed Lum over to Ataru and Rei. Ataru looked up at Lum. He 
hadn't seen her in a couple days. She was healing. The bright pink of the 
false skin was fading and firming up into her own natural tone. Her hair 
was still very short, but it was even and green. The burn patches had been 
cut away. She was beautiful again.

Ran confronted Rei. "What are you doing?! He's not ready to walk yet!"

"Supposed to exercise," Rei said submissively.

"Exercise, yes, but that doesn't mean he's ready to walk yet! You didn't 
even give him a lifter. People don't heal that fast. Now don't leave him on 
the floor. Pick him up and put him back in bed."

Rei roughly picked Ataru up. Ataru moaned in agony. This was very hard for 
Lum to take. She knew exactly how much pain Ataru was in. Ran didn't seem 
so rough to her now.

"Rei!" Ran scolded Rei again. "You are supposed to be gentle. Carry him 
like you carry me."

Rei stopped and questioningly looked at Ran.

Ran blushed. "Not like that. You know what I mean. Just gently place him 
back on the bed. You can carry me tonight."

Rei nodded. He adjusted Ataru in his arms. It suddenly became very easy for 
Ataru. Rei walked over to the bed, and lowered Ataru onto the mattress. He 
then pulled up the covers over Ataru. Rei smiled down at him. "Talk to Lum 
now. Exercise again tomorrow."

"Yeah sure, Rei." Ataru didn't want to imagine what was going to happen to 
him tomorrow. He thanked Rei anyway.

Ran pushed Lum over to Ataru's bed. "We'll give you a tenth," she said, 
"and then you both should rest." She went over to Rei. "I don't know what 
I'm going to do with you." Rei lowered his head submissively. Ran yawned. 
"Oh well. I'm tired. Carry me home."

Rei brightened and nodded. He scooped Ran off the floor, and began carrying 
her out. She nestled herself comfortably in his arms, and closed her eyes. 
Rei stopped and looked back at Ataru and Lum. His expression said it all. 
He was happier than he had ever been in his life. It was a wholesome joy. 
He had found a purpose in life. He would serve Ran in all that she needed. 
The devoted servant had a devoted servant, and there was nothing better in 
the universe. Rei turned and with Ran resting in his arms he left.

"I'm glad that he's finally happy," Lum said.

"Did you ever love him?" Ataru asked.

Lum turned to him, "No. I used to hate him, then I felt sorry for him. 
But things have turned out rather well. He has Ran, and I have you."

"It's too bad someone is trying to kill us."

"It's part of the job," Lum admitted. She eased her chair closer to the 
bed. And offered her hand. Ataru took it. "I am so sorry that I've put you 
in danger. You deserve to be safe."

Ataru squeezed her hand. "I'm not afraid," he said. "Here I am in a palace, 
with servants waiting on me. I'm with the woman I love. My mother even 
compliments me now and again." They both laughed. "You've given me a life 
that I could have never hoped for on Earth. You have nothing to be sorry 
about. Someday we'll have children, and we'll tell them about all the 
adventures we went through. They'll think that we're just making things 
up."

"Children," Lum repeated. "I want us to fill the palace with children. I 
want to feel your son growing inside me, and hear the giggling of your 
daughters. All I want now is to be your wife. I want to heal so you can 
hold me, and lie with me..."

"Stop!" Ataru exclaimed. "This is torture. If I could only get up."

"I'm sorry," Lum apologized softly. "But I do want you to know that the 
plans for our wedding is in the works. We will be married within the 
month."

"Will we be able to walk by then?" Ataru asked.

"We'll be as good as new by the end of the week. We have the best Uruseian 
doctors working with us."

"I'm not so sure about my physical trainer though." Ataru winced.

"He'll encourage you to heal faster," Lum joked.

"If he doesn't kill me, first." Ataru paused. "It's a shame about your 
hair. How long before it's long and beautiful again?"

"Tomorrow, if you like."

Ataru was surprised. "How? Will you wear a wig?"

"It's no wig. We have drugs that will speed up the growth of hair."

"Does it hurt," Ataru asked.

"No," Lum shook her head.

"I always loved your hair," Ataru said. 

"You've never told me."

"There are many things I didn't tell you in the dreams, because I didn't 
want you to know how much I loved you. I didn't want you to know how 
beautiful I thought you were. Now I know better. You are beautiful, and I 
do love you."

Ataru and Lum looked into each others eyes. If they could move they would 
have kissed. As it was, all they could do was dream.

It was at that moment that the door burst open and Sugoi dragged the limp 
form of one of the nurses into the room. 

"What happened?!" Lum exclaimed.

Sugoi dragged the body over to Lum's chair and dropped it on the floor in 
front of Lum and Ataru. "Got one," she mewed gleefully.

"Who is that?" Ataru asked.

"That is an assassin," Sugoi explained. I caught her sneaking around the 
halls with this. She held up a small black metal rod with a glowing tip. 
"She tells me that there is a very nasty bug on the end of this. She was 
going to come in and examine you and use this probe to insert the virus. 
You would have been dead in three days, and no one would know why."

Lum's eyes were wide. "She already used that on me," she said. "This 
morning, she came to take my vitals. I thought it was another test."

Sugoi was quick. She rushed to the panel next to Ataru's bed. She hit the 
emergency button. Within seconds a nurse came in the room. 

"Call the doctors now, and tell them to get here yesterday!" Sugoi 
commanded, "There's been another assassination attempt."

The nurse rushed out. Sugoi was glad to see that it was someone that she 
recognized. "Don't worry," she said to Lum. "I'm sure we caught it in time. 
We have the virus on the probe, so it will be easy for the doctors to find. 
Dammit, I can't believe she's been here a whole day and I didn't notice. 
Who are these people?!"

"How are you feeling?" Ataru asked Lum.

"I feel fine now," Lum said. "Now we know that it's me that they want, and 
not you."

"That doesn't help," Ataru said. "I'd rather die with you than be left 
alone."

"No one is going to die!" Sugoi corrected. "Where's that damn doctor?" She 
gave the unconscious assassin a good kick. She noticed that there was no 
reaction. She knelt down, and studied the body. She checked for a pulse. 
"Dammit!" She quickly stood, recoiling from the body.

"She's dead, isn't she?" Lum said.

"Of course," Sugoi said. Suddenly the probe became hot in her hands. 
Instinctively she tossed it away. With a snap the probe vaporized in a 
flash of light. There was no trace of it that fell to the floor.

"No evidence," Sugoi said, nursing her burnt hand. "They did it again."

"We have a body, and a virus yet," Lum observed.

A trio of doctors rushed into the room. Behind them came two orderlies with 
a floating gurney. 

"The Princess has been infected with some kind of virus," Sugoi explained. 
"It kills in a matter of days."

The lead doctor pointed the other two toward Lum. One started to push the 
chair away while other took the vital signs. Lum was quickly out the door. 
The lead doctor remained to question Sugoi and Ataru.

Ataru couldn't believe that it was happening again. He couldn't imagine how 
anyone could hate them so much. He wished he was healthy enough to join 
Benten and Jariten in their hunt. He had some serious scores to settle. He 
looked to the door that Lum disappeared through. "This can't be happening," 
he thought.

* * *

It was quite a tunnel that the party followed. Jariten was uneasy, to say 
the least. To suddenly have someone appear and show them the secret way in 
with no negotiation for payment said 'trap' in huge letters to Jariten. 
Minah never did anything without profit, and payment up front. This was a 
trap. The question was, why was Jariten still walking into it? It would be 
wiser to turn back and go to his original plan, which had a lot more to it 
than getting captured. He didn't want Inaba to know that, whether Inaba was 
innocent or not.

The issue was curiosity. He had to know whether the Slavers were on to him. 
It could be that they wisely decided that they couldn't trust him in 
either case. Of course, if it was a trap then what was he going to be able 
to do about it. Azu Des wanted them dead. Jariten's only hope so far was 
that Azu wanted them dead in slow and torturous ways, and that he would 
have some time to talk. He was sure he could convince Des if he was just 
given enough time.

It changed their mission quite a bit as well. If, indeed, the Slavers were 
trying to kill them, then it wasn't a matter of consulting the Emperor 
anymore for their next move. The next move was to get in touch with the 
Emperor and have the military close down all the Slaver shops all over the 
Empire. Jariten had enough proof now, and no time to waste. They had to be 
shut down. It also meant that even if he got by this trap there would be a 
lot more to come. He wasn't going to underestimate his adversary. They had 
already scored one victory under his nose. He wasn't going to allow them to 
score a second. He had to assume they would try to stop him at all costs.

He looked back to Inaba and Shinobu. There was something there, certainly. 
The way they were walking together, they were practically a couple already. 
Jariten was a little disappointed. He did have some hopes for himself and 
Shinobu, but Inaba had already touched her heart. Too bad. 

Too bad about Inaba. It made matters more difficult. In normal cases, 
innocent or no, he'd use Inaba as a tool to trick Minah, or just kill him. 
And he knew the Slavers. Inaba's life was in danger. They would most likely 
kill him as soon as his usefulness was over. He had to be sure that Inaba 
remained valuable to the Slavers until Jariten could determine Inaba's role 
in this, and how best to save him. He needed to change the rules a little.

He fell back to walk with Tobimaru. "Would you be so kind to tell me how 
long this tunnel is?"

"It is a full kilometer from the Mansion wall to the entrance," Tobimaru 
answered. There was no use keeping secrets now that they were in the 
tunnel.

"And we're about half that distance. Is it only one straight tunnel or are 
there some side tunnels?"

Tobimaru thought. "There are some small side passages to hide traps in case 
of pursuit."

Jariten nodded. This was good. "Is there any kind of surveillance?"

"Just at the entrance."

Jariten nodded. Then he noticed what he had been looking for all along. Now 
was the problem. He needed to inform Benten what he was thinking, but he 
didn't want to tip Inaba off that there was going to be a change of plans. 
Benten was bringing up the rear. He couldn't drop back without being 
noticed. Fortunately, Benten was terribly suspicious as well. "Tobimaru my 
lad, could you drop back and tell Benten to keep her eyes open."

Tobimaru hesitated. "She doesn't like me."

"I know, I know. It'll annoy her to no end. She won't hurt you. Go ahead."

Tobimaru looked back. His heart began to race. He dropped back until he was 
walking with Benten and Mendo. He could already feel the air grow colder. 
"Umm," he began.

"Spit it out," she said. "I saw you talking with Jariten. What does he 
fucking want?"

"Umm. He wanted me to tell you to keep your eyes open."

She stopped and looked at him. "Is that it?"

"Umm. Yeah."

Benten rolled her eyes. "Fine. Now get the hell away from me!"

Tobimaru was grateful he was still alive and ran back up to his earlier 
position. 

"He really isn't so bad," Mendo said. "You could give him a little chance. 
He's not his father."

"I know," she said with a wink. Mendo was a little surprised. Benten was 
worried. She understood the message. She wondered what Jariten had in mind. 
She was certain that she wasn't going to like it. 

Jariten called Tobimaru up again. He came reluctantly. "Did it go well?" he 
asked.

"She didn't kill me."

"That is always good. I've noticed a few air vents along the walls. They 
wouldn't be connected to the mansion venting system would they?"

"I think they are," Tobimaru said. 

Jariten nodded. He noticed that they had come to the first of Tobimaru's 
side passages. "I was wondering if you could take another message to Benten 
for me?"

Admittedly he had lived through the first message, but he really didn't 
want to try his luck. Still he nodded.

"Good lad. I want you to go back and tell her how well-vented the tunnel 
is. And make sure you stay with her this time. Okay?"

"This is really going to piss her off."

"You have no idea," Jariten said. "She won't hurt you. Trust me. We do this 
all the time."

Tobimaru wasn't reassured. He closed his eyes, and prepared himself. He 
didn't particularly like being used like this, but he didn't know how to 
argue with legends. Besides he was far too frightened. He slowed down and 
let Benten catch up with him.

"Another useless message?" she asked.

Tobimaru took a deep breath. "He wanted me to tell you all about our 
ventilation system."

"Ventilation system? That bastard! Why do you go up and tell him he's a 
bastard?"

"He wanted me to stay with you."

Benten nodded. She had her orders. Silently, she signaled that the three of 
them should slow. Jariten, Inaba and Shinobu started to pull ahead. She 
guessed that Jariten didn't trust Inaba. Benten didn't trust him either. 
Once the others were out of sight, she motioned the Mendo and Tobimaru to 
follow her back down the tunnel. Finding a vent that appeared to be large 
enough. She pulled off the grate and they disappeared inside. Tobimaru was 
a little confused, but he knew enough to be silent. He was beginning to 
understand what Jariten's messages meant.

Jariten, Shinobu and Inaba continued on. Inaba was so infatuated with 
Shinobu that he never noticed that the party was much smaller. It wasn't 
long from that point that they came to the end of the tunnel, and a door. 
It was then that Shinobu noticed that Benten was missing. 

"Where's Benten?" she asked.

Jariten looked surprised. "I can't believe she's run off again. This always 
makes things more difficult. Well hopefully she catch up with us. I hope 
she doesn't ruin this."

"Is she always running off like this?" Inaba asked.

"Always," Shinobu said. "What if she goes and kills Des?"

"She gave her word, and besides she has Mendo with her."

"And Tobimaru," Shinobu noticed.

"Well come along, we have work to do." Jariten noticed the tiny camera in 
the corner, but did nothing about it. He cracked open the door. They were 
coming out into what looked like a drawing room. It was dark, lit only by 
dim moonlight from the window. It didn't look like there was anyone there. 
Jariten opened the door a little more and went in. In the dim light he 
could make out the furniture. It was a poor decorating job. 

"Pitiful. All that money, and no taste." 

Shinobu and Inaba followed him out. "Now where do we go? We don't have 
Tobimaru to guide us."

"I know my way from here," Jariten said. He was suspicious of every shadow. 
He was almost certain it was a trap, he just didn't know when it would be 
sprung. He led them out of the room into the hall. There were still no 
guards. There was no one walking around at all, he found as they made their 
way to Azu's bedchambers. If he was sleeping that's where he'd be. There 
were no guards in front of that door either. This guy was pitiful. The 
entire planet is mobilized in a hunt for Benten, and he doesn't have any 
guards in front of his room. Who's going to be believe that?! Well, at 
least Jariten knew where the trap was. It was a shame to spring such a 
pitiful trap. 

Jariten stopped. "I can't do it," he said out loud.

"What?" Shinobu asked.

"I have my pride after all."

"What are you talking about. Isn't this the plan?"

"This is too pitiful." Jariten became louder. "I am telling the universe 
how pitiful Azu Des is, to try to trap the great Redet Jariten in such an 
obvious manner." 

Shinobu was terrified. Her eyes darted to all the doors to see if the 
guards were coming. "Ten, quiet! What are you doing?"

"I'm getting us caught while still retaining some pride," he said. He 
raised his voice again and continued. "Azu Des has to be the greatest loser 
ever to exist to think that he could fool me with such a sophomoric, 
unimaginative, uninspired trap. I am most insulted!" Jariten began pounding 
on the wall. "You insult me Azu Des! I made better traps when I was two!"

Inaba went up to Shinobu, "What is he doing? We're going to get killed."

Shinobu shrugged. "Either he's gone crazy, and we're dead, or he's right 
and we're dead. Benten is still free though. She rescued me once before." 
Shinobu thought about that for a second. "Of course she was the one who got 
me caught."

"Azu Des is the lamest, most asinine member of the Uruseian family 
structure... His mother was a hamster, and his father... 

Azu Des finally opened his bedroom door. He was in full uniform and 
followed by ten guards with weapons drawn. "I think you've made you point," 
he said dryly.

Ten's face brightened. "Azu Des, what a surprise! I didn't know you were 
there. Have I got a deal for you."

"I am not interested in your deals. Where is Benten?"

Jariten smiled a car salesman smile. "That's part of the deal. Interested?"

* * * *

Chapter 5: "Cockroach Dreams, and Stranger Things" 

It was only a matter of hours from the time that Lum was taken to the 
hospital before she was overwhelmed by the infection and fell unconscious. 
The doctors could not discover the identity of the virus. Their best 
diagnosis was that Lum was indeed sick. The explosion that destroyed the 
probe which had infected her was of the same type that had destroyed the 
android in the first attempt on her life. There was no trace of it to be 
found. 

Sugoi thought that she had one advantage because this time there was a body. 
Investigation of the body proved fruitless. It was a person with no past, 
and no records. Brain-scans only revealed that whatever had killed her had 
also erased her brain. Once again Sugoi had no leads.

Paranoia was filling her every waking thought. There had to be an agent 
among the Palace staff. This was a frightening concept, because she knew 
that Ten himself had checked the backgrounds of everyone in the Palace 
before he left, and many times before that. She also had double checked 
their backgrounds. Neither of them had found anything suspicious. This 
could only mean that either there was an extraordinary history forgery, 
Sugoi thought she knew all the tricks and she knew that Ten did, or it was 
someone who had been with the Palace for years, and was only now being 
used. With two attacks already, and the Palace on the highest vigilance, 
there were still no clues to who this person could be.

This frightened Sugoi. It was forcing her to restructure her picture of 
Imperial power relationships. None of the families had anyone skilled 
enough to do what was being done. No one had the kind of network to keep 
operatives, unused and undiscovered, in the Palace for years, right under 
Jariten's nose. 

There were also rules of engagement in Family espionage. Winners always 
claimed their prizes. Whoever was doing this was not Family. That was the 
thing. Sugoi didn’t know any other powers in the Empire besides the 
families. Certainly none so powerful, nor any who would want the Princess 
dead so badly. 

There was obviously someone doing this. Someone who could fool Jariten and 
foil Sugoi. If the situation wasn’t so grave she could would be enjoying 
such a challenging puzzle.

She sat back in the old chair which faced the picture window of her room. 
She took a sip of the geam that she had poured for herself. Her window 
looked out over the Palace gardens. It was very well maintained. There were 
thousands of flowers and more colors than one could imagine. Off to the 
side were rows of hedges shaped into a maze. It was small, but it looked 
complicated. The one in the Seq family garden was much larger. Sugoi had 
played there a great deal. She knew every turn and end. She could never be 
lost there. It was a second home to her.

Perhaps that was the answer, she thought as she took another sip. She’d 
been too busy playing their game, and waiting for whoever it was to make 
the next move so that she could collect some evidence. She had been playing 
in their maze long enough. It was only fair that they play in hers now.

* * *

Benten felt like she was a mouse in some kind of maze. The ventilation 
shafts seemed to go in every direction and none of them came out someplace 
where she could place her gun against the head of Azu Des. 

She cautioned herself at this thought. She did give her word. She wasn’t 
allowed to kill him, but if she did manage to scare him to death, that 
wouldn’t be a bad thing. The thought of him wetting himself while she was 
laughing, warmed her heart. She secretly hoped, however, that when the 
moment came she would have the strength to keep her word. She didn't care 
how much she hated him, Des was not worth the price of her honor.

She suddenly came to an edge. The vent didn’t go any further, just down or 
up. She turned back to Tobimaru, who was the last in their trio of 
ventilation maze rats. "Where does this go?" she asked.

Tobimaru had not, in his years living in the mansion, spent a great deal of 
time crawling through the vents. He was only slightly less lost than Benten. 
"Umm, down will likely lead to the air unit in the lower basement. Up will 
take us to the second floor. The living areas are up there."

Benten looked up and then looked down. One thing was for certain, she 
wanted out of these vents. She also didn’t want to be shredded in some 
machine. The vent was thin enough that she could press on the sides on 
climb it. She wasn’t sure about the others though. She wondered if it would 
be better for her to go first and help them up, or to go last to make sure 
that no one fell. She decided that going first, she could scout and maybe 
find something that would help. 

"We’re going up," she said. "We’ll take the first opening we see. I’ll go 
first. You wait for me to call you." The other two nodded.

She looked up and down and sighed. She couldn’t see an end in either 
direction. She turned over. Her hands were covered with an oily dust. She 
didn’t think she could get a hold. She wiped them on her uniform. She was 
so dirty it didn’t matter, but it was also fortunate that her work uniform 
was dark. She eased out into the shaft, and pushed her hands against the 
walls. She felt she had enough hold, and pulled the rest of her body into 
the shaft. It wasn’t too bad. There were seams in the metal to help. She 
was able to move up fairly easily. 

It was four meters until she came to the upper opening. It was a way out. 
She braced her feet to keep her up, and gently pushed on the grate to see 
how easily it would give. She didn’t want to just push it out and have it 
clattering all through the house. It seemed to snap easily. It opened high 
up on the wall. She squirmed her way out and into the room. 

It felt good to be standing on her two legs again. She looked around the 
room. It seemed to be some kind of library. It smelled dusty. She doubted 
if anyone had been in there for years. The Azu’s had so many rooms, they 
didn’t know what to do with half of them. Benten checked in the dark to see 
if she could find anything that’d be useful to help the others climb. She 
couldn’t find anything, and then Benten heard the sound of someone 
shouting. She went to the door to listen. 

It was someone cursing. It was Ten cursing. Benten smiled as she listened. 
She didn’t know what his plan was, but it certainly took balls to curse 
someone in their own house. He was probably counting on her to save his fat 
ass. She went back to the vent. 

"I can’t find anything to help, but it’s safe here," she said.

Mendo wasn’t sure if he could do it, but he wasn’t about to complain to 
Benten. Following her earlier example, he turned himself over, and pulled 
himself into the shaft. It was hard to hold himself up. He wasn’t sure that 
he could keep himself up, and climb at the same time. He made the mistake 
of looking down. There was no bottom to be seen. He closed his eyes. He 
could feel his heart beating. He imagined some horrible things happening to 
him, were he to lose his grip. Didn't she say something about being 
shredded in a machine? He tried not to think about it.

"You okay down there?" he heard Benten call.

"Fine," he said. He took a deep breath and pulled himself up with his 
hands. It was a few centimeters only, but he felt accomplishment when he 
locked his feet again. He took another breath and then went for another 
try. This time he went farther. Again and again, it was becoming easier. 
It wasn’t such a bad climb. Soon he was up almost level with Benten. She 
could have reached down and pulled him up, but she just watched him. 

"You’re doing well," she said approvingly.

He was nearly out of breath, but he was determined he was going to do this. 
He didn’t remember being so tired, sore and dirty when he told people about 
these sort of adventures in his stories. "Do you do this sort of thing all 
the time?" he asked Benten.

"Hmm," she smiled. "Often enough." She stepped back and let him climb 
through the vent. This was the second adventure that she had shared with 
him. She was pleased with how well he was doing. He wasn’t in the way, as 
she had thought before. Given time, he probably could keep up with her. 
Benten nodded. It was a good thing.

Mendo’s exit from the vent was less than graceful, but he did it without 
help. Benten helped him up, and hugged him. Mendo was a little surprised, 
but he certainly didn’t push her away. She pulled back, looking quite 
pleased. "Go listen at the door," she said.

Mendo nodded. He wasn’t sure what to make of this puzzle. He went to the 
door, and listened. Jariten had stopped shouting, and now there was quiet 
mumbling. He couldn’t make out any words, but he was certain that one of 
the voices was Jariten.

Benten went back to the vent opening and peered down the shaft. "Yo, Azu! 
It’s your turn!" She called down. 

She heard some noises and banging and soon she saw Tobimaru’s head sticking 
out into the shaft. He was uneasy, but he managed to pull himself into the 
shaft and began climbing. He was doing only a slightly better job than 
Mendo had done earlier. Benten leaned into the shaft and reached her hand 
down to help him.

"Here, take my hand," she called.

Tobimaru reached up for help, but then thought better of it. 

"What the hell is wrong with my hand?" Benten called angrily.

"I don’t feel comfortable. You hate me," Tobimaru said. He was almost up.

"Shit," Benten said. "It’s your father I hate. You’ve been okay so far, 
‘cept that you don’t seem to have any backbone."

Tobimaru reached the vent opening on his own. "But you always look at me 
like you want to kill me," he said.

Mendo turned back. "She looks at everyone that way, just ignore it."

"Smartass! You just keep watch."

Hesitantly accepting Benten’s help, Tobimaru crawled out of the vent. He 
quickly pulled his hand back after he was in the room. He was a little 
embarrassed. Benten rolled her eyes and went back over to Mendo. "Is 
Jariten still shouting out there?" she asked.

"No, they’re just taking about something."

"Jariten is probably buying time, so that we can get into position." Benten 
thought. She turned to Tobimaru. "I want you to remember that I gave my 
word that I won’t harm your father. As long as you do what you’re told no 
one gets hurt, right?"

Tobimaru looked back at Benten. This is what it came to. He was going to be 
asked to fight against his father. A good member of the Azu family would 
call for help and expose this enemy of the family. He felt like he was 
making a deal with the devil. There was a lot to be said for helping to 
protect the Princess, and helping to restoring the name of the Azu house, 
but helping people sneaking into his house, and attack his father was going 
too far.

Benten saw his hesitation. "Whatever you do, your father is going to blame 
you," Benten said, guessing Tobimaru's concern.

Tobimaru nodded. "Go ahead," Tobimaru said.

Benten smiled. "So you do have a little backbone," she said and cracked him 
across the head with her gun. With a slight groan Tobimaru crumpled to the 
floor. 

Mendo was startled by the sudden violence. "What was that for?" 

"Alibi," Benten said. "It was his decision." She took Tobimaru's arms and 
dragged him over to the wall. She sat him up against it, and then went back 
to the door. To Mendo, she said, "Now we have to figure out a way to get 
Ten’s ass out of the fire."

Mendo looked over to the unconscious Tobimaru. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He’s just knocked out," Benten said. "Hey, I’m good. He probably won’t 
even have a headache when he wakes up." 

Mendo nodded. He could see the necessity of it. Even if they convinced 
Azu Des to help them, he still might not forgive his son for helping the 
"demon" Benten. This way Tobimaru was still their prisoner. His actions 
wouldn’t be questioned. It was too bad, though. He was really starting to 
like the Azu heir. 

Benten went to the door, listened, and then opened it a small crack. 
It opened up to a great room, with a grand stairway going up on the 
opposite end. She could see Jariten and the others at the top of the stair. 
She could see Azu Des and all his soldiers as well. How easy it would be, 
she thought, just to take a shot from here. It was a distance, but she had 
a good chance of hitting him. Still, even if she hadn’t given her word, she 
wanted him to know who killed him. She wanted to see the look in his eyes 
as he died. A sniper’s shot wouldn’t give her what she wanted.

She sighed and wondered how long Ten could keep bullshitting with him 
before Des got tired of it, and shot them all. Probably for days, Benten 
thought. Still, he’d likely appreciate some assistance sooner rather than 
later. Benten scanned the room, now it just a matter of figuring out what 
to do.

* * *

Redet Enjo had learned early in his career that being the most powerful man 
in the galaxy didn’t spare one from feeling helpless any more than the 
lowliest slave. He had heard that there was another attack on his daughter. 
She was in danger again. Earlier, he had let himself feel relieved for a 
few days when she and Ataru awoke. Now that was shattered. Whoever was 
doing this, was a powerful foe. Any organization who could strike twice in 
the Palace, was a deadly enemy, far worse than any of the Families could 
be, he was sure.

The Emperor made his way through the infirmary to the IC room, where his 
daughter was held. He stopped to see the nurse before he went in. There was 
no change, and no clue about what virus it was. Uruseian medicine had long 
ago eliminated all the common viruses. Genetic enhancements to the Uruseian 
race had built up the immune system to the point where it required a truly 
exotic virus to even cause discomfort before it was eradicated by the body. 
This creature implanted in his daughter had to be an artificial virus 
designed specifically to bypass the Uruseian immune system. 

Enjo went to Lum’s room, and saw that the Earth boy was there with her. He, 
at least, was recovering. He was still confined to a chair, but his flesh 
had nearly healed. He looked up as the Emperor entered. The Emperor owed 
this alien a great deal. He stirred his daughter’s soul, and got her to see 
past duty, and to think like an Empress. Unfortunately his daughter’s 
awakening made her too dangerous for some people. 

It was a sad thing, but the elder Redet also knew how to think like an 
Emperor. In this case he had to plan for the worst. Some things needed to 
be explained to Ataru. They had to be ready in case the unthinkable 
happened.

"She’s not any better," Ataru said.

The Emperor pulled up a chair for himself. "I’m sorry that we haven’t had a 
chance to talk before. I thought there would be more time."

Ataru’s emotions were mixed. Lum was sick, and this time, he was well. She 
could die. He wasn’t sure how to understand that yet. On top of this, the 
Emperor of the galaxy was sitting across from him wanting to talk. As if 
this wasn’t enough, he was also their benefactor in the recent war, Ataru’s 
future Father-in-law, and an alien. Of course, Ataru had seen so many 
Uruseians in the last few weeks, the green hair and horns, didn’t seem so 
alien to him any longer. Still he wasn’t sure how much deference he should 
show to this man. 

"My lord," he said, and bowed his head. It was about all he could do in his 
current state.

"Son," the Emperor said warmly. "I want you to see me more as a father 
rather than an emperor. I am in debt to you, and your friends. Even if the 
worst happens you will always have a place in our family."

"Thank you sir," Ataru said.

Enjo stood. "Still, if the worst does happen, I must tell you that you 
won’t be Emperor. One of the other Families will eventually take over, 
though I won’t be retiring so soon in such a case."

Ataru lowered his head. They were talking about what would happen if Lum 
died. It was hard. Especially while sitting next to her. "Wouldn’t Rei be 
the next choice?" Ataru asked.

"The Families won’t like Rei so much now that he’s sided with us, but he is 
my first choice. His mother and I will fight for him, but I’m not sure we 
could win."

"What will happen to my world and all the other slave planets?"

The Emperor sighed. "Things will remain as they are now. The Redet family 
will take your world. We’ll leave it alone and make you the governor. We’ll 
probably take Benten’s world as well, and still leave it with her. We’ll 
have a little room, if... if the worst happens. The Families will give us 
that much for our loss."

Ataru nodded. He did not want to break down in front of such a great man, 
but the emotion of it all was getting to be too much. He didn’t like 
planning for Lum’s death as if it had already happened. He didn’t even like 
to think about it. "It seems so hopeless, sir. Even if we cure her, they’ll 
try again with something even more terrible. Why would anyone want to kill 
her so badly?"

Enjo was well practiced in appearing strong in front of others. If Ataru 
only knew the emotion that was building up in the Emperor, perhaps they 
both would be willing to cry a little bit for the precious woman which lay 
dying before them. Both men remained stoic studying each other’s eyes. The 
Emperor spoke, "I am not about to allow anyone to be able to strike at the 
Palace with impunity. The more they attack the closer we’ll come to finding 
them." The Emperor stood. "Attempting to assassinate a member of the royal 
Family is high treason. The punishment is death by force beam."

Ataru recalled the description of the guilty being lifted into the air and 
publicly ripped to pieces by force beams. At the time it sounded like a 
barbaric means of execution, now it seemed only too appropriate.

The Emperor sat down again. He tried to contain his anger, and sorrow. 
"Tell me about yourself, Son," he said.

* * *

Ten was beginning to wonder how long he could keep Azu Des occupied. He was 
also debating the need. Des was waiting for them as Jariten had thought. 
The Guild suspected him, and had decided he needed to be killed as well. 
They set a trap for him. If Benten had been with them, that might have been 
the end of their adventures. If it was true that the Guild was already 
after them, then they really didn’t need Des’s help. The only value in the 
relationship would be to piss off Benten, which gave the plan some merit, 
as far as Ten was concerned. 

Unfortunately, Azu was being less than cooperative. There didn’t seem to be 
anything more important to him than killing Benten, and he wasn’t willing 
to explain how he found out about Jariten’s entrance. At least he wasn’t 
willing to explain it in a way that Jariten could believe. 

"I’m not asking you to like us," Jariten continued, "just a short truce. 
A little aid on your part would go far in the mind of the Emperor, 
especially if I encouraged him."

Des was growing quite impatient. He never believed that one man could talk 
so long about nothing. "All I want is the head of Benten. I don’t trust you 
in the slightest, and I don’t believe that you are interested in helping my 
house. Beside there really isn’t much point in trying the help the Princess 
anymore." 

Ten reacted in the way that Des was hoping. He hadn’t heard. Of course he 
hadn’t, all outside signals were jammed. Only Des could receive news. 
That’s why they were here in the first place, so that they could contact 
the Emperor. Des felt a small sense of victory at being the one who broke 
the news of the Princess’s most recent setback.

Ten was caught off his game. Des knew something. The Slavers must have 
tried again, and this time maybe they succeeded. Or perhaps the original 
injuries finally killed her. Maybe all this was for nothing. They were too 
late. No, he couldn't rush to a conclusion. That’s what Des wanted him to 
do, and in no manner could he be forced into playing Des's game. Still he 
had to know what Des knew. "What happened to the Princess?" Ten asked.

"First let me assure you again, that my house has had nothing to do with 
the attempts on the life of the Princess. Although she has damaged me and 
my house irreparably, I remember our blood ties, and would do nothing to 
harm her."

"Ahh certainly," Ten rebutted, "evidence clearly shows how close the houses 
of Redet and Azu have always been, that’s why you sent your fleet after us."

"If I recall, I was going after the Pochiks and your Princess intervened. 
In any case, don’t you want to hear the news?"

Ten didn’t like this at all. Des had gained the upper hand in the 
conversation, and he didn't know how to get it back. He had information 
that Jariten wanted and he was playing if for all it was worth. The trouble 
was that Ten saw no point in regaining his position, especially if Lum was 
dead. If that was true, then the game was over, and little he did mattered. 
"What news do you have?" Ten said with a hint of resignation.

"Where is Benten?" Des shot back.

Jariten shook his head. "I really don’t know. I told her to hide. She could 
be on the other side of the planet by now."

"We both know that the demon is not one to hide. Still, I’m sure we’ll hear 
the explosions soon enough, and I’ll make sure she hits you first. In any 
case, I’ll take a little relish in telling you my news. It seems there’s 
been another attempt on the life of your Princess, a genetically engineered 
virus. She’s not expected to survive."

"YOU BASTARD!" Came the shout from the bottom of the stairs, followed 
closely by energy explosions. Everyone fell to the floor, except for the 
soldiers who foolishly felt obligated to defend their lord. They died. The 
explosions continued. Pieces of wood, stone and glass, were flying all over.

"Thanks a lot," Ten said to Des. "I had just about got her calmed down." 
Despite Ten’s statement, he felt that this turn of events was a good thing. 
The situation was improving, but he wished there was a quieter way of doing 
it.

"If you don’t stop her, she’ll kill us both," Des urged Ten.

"What do you propose?" Ten asked. A section of railing exploded next 
to them.

"Damn you!"

Jariten looked up. All the soldiers were dead, but Benten was still firing. 
One problem was solved but now there was another one. Ten knew how Benten 
felt. They were losing the war. They couldn’t be two places at once, and it 
didn’t seem to matter where they were, the enemy still scored victories. 

Jariten looked over to Inaba who was cowering with Shinobu. What to do 
about him, was the question. He had a mission, Ten was sure of that. He was 
too obvious a plant, though, to have some kind of betrayal mission. Whoever 
was doing this must be smart enough to know that Ten would be suspicious of 
such a blatant set up. 

This was an equation for another time, though. First, was the matter at 
hand. Benten was not trying to hit anything anymore. She was just firing. 
She was unleashing her frustrations on the Azu mansion, sending pieces of 
it flying in all directions. Only the Spirits knew when she’d be satisfied 
and ready to stop.

Finally, the firing stopped. She had gotten it out of her system, 
apparently, or Mendo stopped her. A few remaining fragments of plaster 
clattered on the floor, then it was silent. Des' ears were alert to 
everything around. He was scared. He had a right to be. He worked to 
control himself. He was the head of a great house, after all. The silence 
was broken. Footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. "I’m coming for 
you, you bastard!" Benten shouted.

Des had given up trying to be brave. His eyes were darting back and forth, 
looking for some kind of exit. He got up to make a dash, but Ten tripped 
him before he got very far. He hit, face first into the floor. Benten was 
on top of him before he had a chance to get up. She made sure he could feel 
the barrel of her gun at the back of his head. "You don’t know how long 
I’ve waited for this moment," she said. "You murdered my world. You’ve 
hunted me, and you attacked my friend. I’ve wanted all my life to rid the 
universe of you!"

"Benten don’t!" Shinobu called and started to go after her, but Ten held 
her back.

Azu sent all his hate back at Benten. "I hope you rot! Once your Princess 
is gone, so goes your protection. We know how to treat renegade slaves. If 
not me, then my son. My family will see you torn apart and disintegrated!"

Benten shoved her gun harder against Des’s head. She wanted to pull the 
trigger. She so wanted to do it. It would be so easy. She could see his 
head exploding. No one could stop her. 

"There is only one thing I want now," she said and paused. Her whole body 
was tingling. "I want to see my Princess and friend. You are going to give 
us your shuttle, and you are fucking going to come with us to Urusei, you 
bastard. I'll kill you some other day, be sure of that, but today I let you 
live. Try to deal with that, Fucker!" Benten got up, and holstered her gun. 
She walked past Jariten. Their eyes met and he nodded. 

Mendo came up the stairs, surprised that Des was still alive. Benten was 
sitting in a corner, with her legs pulled up to herself. She was shaking. 
He sat with her. She looked over to him. "That was hard," she admitted to 
him. Her eyes were glazed over. 

"You kept your word?" he asked.

"I kept my word," she replied.

* * *

Ataru sat next to Lum trying desperately to go to sleep. He had been trying 
for nearly the entire day, but he couldn’t manage it. He was too wound up. 
Lum was getting worse and worse. She was only taking a breath once every 
ten seconds or so. Sometimes she didn’t seem to be breathing for nearly a 
minute. Ataru was too intent on listening to her breathing to fall asleep. 
He wondered if each breath would be her last, if each pause was more than 
a pause this time.

He needed to sleep. He felt that if he could just dream, he could see her 
and maybe even help her. Of course, maybe she was too close to death to be 
able to dream. He couldn’t take being healthy while she was suffering. It 
was so hard to hope in something, or in someone, to come so close and then 
have her snatched away. There was no one around to blame. They still 
couldn’t put a name on the assassin. 

Ataru tried to relax. He tried to clear his mind. Lum took a difficult 
breath and Ataru was wide awake again. He might have a chance if he left 
the room, but if he did then she might die when he wasn’t there. 

He eased his floating chair over closer to her. She was floating in zero-g 
again. A force field kept him from touching her. Her immunity was very low 
now, and the doctor didn’t want anything else to get her. He also wasn’t 
sure if the virus was not contagious. It could kill all the Uruseians on 
the planet. Ataru studied Lum’s face. She had grown pale. It made her skin 
a strange color when mixed with the synthetic skin. She was scarred and 
injured, beset by a ring of unbeatable foes. Ataru wished he could join in 
the battle.

Ataru sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. He focused on Tomobiki and 
on Lum. He pictured her flying in her tiger-striped bikini. He thought of 
chasing girls, of collecting a harem, and running from Lum.

"Dahling! What are you thinking?" Lum asked accusingly.

Ataru turned to see Lum, perfectly healthy floating next to him. Overjoyed, 
he hugged her. Lum was surprised at first, but then accepted him. 
"Dahling," she cooed. "So that’s what you were thinking about. We could go 
to my UFO."

Ataru pulled back. "Lum think! You’re dreaming. You were given a terrible 
disease, and now you’re dying. We have to fight it!"

Lum floated away from Ataru. Her face showed confusion. "Dahling?"

Suddenly she screeched in pain, and quickly began to shrink. Before Ataru’s 
eyes, she shrunk to the size of an insect and then she was locked in a jar 
hammering her fists on the glass trying to get out. The jar was held by a 
large creature that looked like a giant cockroach. It wore a tie, and tiny 
glasses. 

Lum’s guard appeared, wearing assorted forms of homemade armor. 
"Gentlemen!" Megane announced. "There is the vile foe. He holds our dearest 
Lum captive. It is our sacred duty to free her. Your life is a small 
sacrifice for so holy a mission!"

"Our life?" Chibi asked.

"What about your life?" Kakugari asked.

Megane pushed up his glasses. "Are any of your considering abandoning our 
most precious Lum?"

The other three stood at attention. "NO SIR!" they said in unison.

"Charge!"

The cockroach didn’t quite know what to make of the charging students. The 
one thing that it did know, however, was that they weren't a threat. It 
scurried past them with its prize in hand, and went to the school. Climbing 
up a wall, it exclaimed, "Hah ha! Don't you know that cockroaches are 
invincible? I cannot be killed. Lum will be mine forever!" With that it 
scurried the rest of the way up the wall, and over the roof. 

"Damn!" Megane swore. "The foul fiend has fled." He turned to Ataru. "And 
you did nothing! You have failed our dearest Lum, and now she is held 
captive."

"I didn't see you doing anything useful," Ataru retorted. Then he realized 
again he was in the dream. This Megane wasn't real. He couldn't even be 
sure that defeating the dream representation of the virus would have any 
affect on Lum in reality. Of course, he didn't have a lot of options 
available to him.

At least in the dream he had powers to do things. He jumped into the air to 
fly after the cockroach, but was quite surprised when he fell back to the 
ground with a painful thud. He looked up and Megane was standing over him. 
"I see that your gracefulness has not improved." Megane offered a hand to 
help Ataru up.

Ataru turned him down and got up on his own. "Something is wrong here," he 
said. "I wish Jariten were here."

"Why would you want that annoyance?"

"I don't want the annoyance! I want the helpful one." 

"There are two of them? My dear lad, I believe that you are losing your 
grasp of reality. The capture of our dearest Lum is affecting you. Perhaps 
you should lie down while we charge off to rescue her. Of course, he who 
rescues her will surely secure her affection for himself."

"Yeah whatever," Ataru said. "If you guys can rescue her, then great."

"You are truly a cad," Megane scolded him, and then turning to the rest of 
the guard, "Gentlemen, we have a mission! Once again, we cannot count on 
any help from the fool Ataru."

"No surprise there," Pama said.

With that the four of them marched off in the direction that the 
cockroach went.

Ataru was glad to see them go. He had some things to work out. The first of 
which, was why Jariten hadn't come when Ataru wished for him. Ataru tried 
to fly again, but faced similar results. He got up and brushed the dust off. 
There was something wrong with this dream. It could have something to do 
with Lum's illness, he thought. 

He would have to solve this by more conventional means. First he had to 
find the cockroach. In normal cases one would expect to find a cockroach on 
a dark room that was full of garbage. In the dream, Ataru expected that the 
most obvious darkened room full of garbage, would be his. Odd creatures 
moving into his house for no apparent reason were a matter of course. 

Ataru started to make his way back home. 

"Oy Ataru," Ataru heard Benten calling from above him. Benten lowered her 
bike down so that it was floating next to him. "Is Lum around anywhere?"

"She being held prisoner by a giant cockroach," Ataru answered casually. 
They were in the dream. It was sort of normal here. 

"It figures," Benten answered. "Could you tell her that I'm looking 
for her?"

Ataru decided that since he had no powers anymore he could use Benten's 
help, if for nothing more than some transportation. "I could really use your 
help," Ataru called just as Benten was about to leave.

Benten turned. Leaning over the handle bars she asked, "You're going to 
rescue her? Are you finally admitting that you care for her?"

"Yes," Ataru said emphatically. "I love her."

Benten choked in surprise. "Did you just fucking say that you loved her?"

"Yes," Ataru said again. "I do, and I'm going to marry her. Please help me 
save her."

Benten jumped off her bike. She studied Ataru suspiciously. "Did she do 
something to you?"

"No," Ataru said. Ataru wasn't quite sure what was going to happen. He was
purposely acting out of character. Maybe that would give him some advantage ]
in the dream.

"Hmm," Benten said. "Booga!" She quickly opened her top, revealing 
her breasts, and then just as quickly closed it again.

Ataru couldn't help himself. Instinctively, his eyes bulged out, and he 
started to drool. "Benten-sama!" He said in a lecherous voice, before he 
even had time to think. Benten sent him slamming against the wall.

As he came to, he saw that she was standing over him. "You're fine," Benten 
said. "So what the hell is this about you loving Lum and her needing to be 
rescued?"

Ataru explained about the cockroach, and said that he had finally decided 
to give in to her affections. Benten remained skeptical about that. Given 
how badly his attempts at changing the dream had gone, he decided not to 
try to tell her about the outside world. They'd have to save her the dream 
way, with a great deal of impossible lunacy. With Benten's help, at least 
he had some firepower, if a bit random. It probably wouldn't hurt to enlist 
Ran and Oyuki as long as he was at it. Who knew, maybe even Megane and the 
others might be able to add something. 

The help he knew that he didn't need was Cherry. He hoped that he wouldn't 
run into him in this dream.

"Greetings! I understand that you have need of my unestimatable powers."

"Aaagh!" Ataru shreeked. Cherry was hanging on his back. Ataru was 
wondering why he had ever wanted to be in the dream in the first place. 
He hoped that they had a chance here. 

* * * 

Lum was having a lot of difficulty comprehending what was going on. 
Admittedly, the sight of a hundred meter tall image of a cockroach 
distorted by the glass of a house-sized mason jar wasn't helping her think. 
She couldn't imagine what was happening to her. Everything had become so 
big. She felt small and weak.

The cockroach was moving quickly through the city streets. It's huge claw 
was covering most of the glass, but she could see out the bottom. She was 
being jostled about in the jar as they moved. It was hard to keep her 
balance. Even floating in the jar was no help. The jar would jerk suddenly 
and she would be thrown against the glass wall.

She had no idea what this cockroach would want with her. Ataru had reminded 
her that she was in a dream. That explained some things, but it certainly 
didn't explain the cockroach, or where they were going.

Suddenly, the cockroach stopped. Lum was thrown roughly against the wall. 
She hit hard and was shaken by the impact. It was a few moments before she 
got her senses back. No sound came in through the glass, but she could see 
Benten and Ataru through the claws that held the jar. Benten was obviously 
threatening the cockroach, but no sound was coming through the glass. Ataru 
looked like he was sneaking away. 

Benten was getting more and more obnoxious and was moving toward the 
cockroach. The jar began to shake. The cockroach was shaking in anger. 
Whatever Benten was saying it must have been good.

The jar moved suddenly and the Lum was swiftly lifted into the air. The 
cockroach was holding the jar over his head. He must have been threatening 
to smash the jar. That probably wasn't going to be a good thing as far as 
Lum was concerned. She hope Benten would try to be a little more cautiously. 

Lum was glad to see that Benten did back off a little. The jar was lowered 
slightly as the cockroach relaxed. Suddenly though the cockroach tensed up 
again. It was looking all around. Before Lum knew it, she was being 
snatched away. It was human hands that held the jar now. The jar bounded 
away from the cockroach and towards Benten's bike. It was Ataru who had her. 

Benten was on the bike in one leap and soon they were airborn. The 
cockroach cursed them from the ground, but it could do nothing. This wasn't 
good enough for Benten though. She wheeled the bike around and made a 
charge at the cockroach. With a bazooka on her shoulder, she launched a 
dozen missiles at the cockroach. It danced around the explosions, but was 
uninjured. Eventually a shot scored close enough to send the creature 
flying in the air. It seemed unhurt, however. 

Once, the cockroach was out of sight. Benten stopped the bike. Ataru opened 
the jar and Lum floated out. She remained the same size, however.

"I can't believe we won," Ataru said, but his voice boomed in Lum's head. 
She was overwhelmed and floated back. 

"What's wrong," Ataru asked, scooping her up.

"It's too loud!" she called from his hand.

Ataru could see her speaking, but he couldn't hear any sound.

"How are we going to get you back to your normal size?" Ataru asked. It was 
almost bearable for Lum if she kept her ears covered. "We have to figure 
out some way to cure her."

"Ran could probably help," Benten suggested.

Lum felt a shiver. Ran could help, true, but Ran's cures in the dream 
always had, well, "side-effects."

Ataru was thinking the same thing as Lum, but he expanded the notion, 
realizing that all the dream cures had side-effects. The trouble was that 
Lum's current problem was not a dream problem. Ataru was still unconvinced 
that they were really doing anything to help Lum in reality.

Meanwhile, as Benten's bike sped away toward Ran's UFO, the cockroach 
returned and cursed the bike as it left. "You can't destroy a cockroach!" 
It yelled, shaking its claws at them. "I'm unstoppable! Lum was promised to 
me and she'll be mine again! I've already made out the wedding invitations!"

* * * *

Chapter 6: "Strange Bedfellows"

After some more convincing, some encouragement from Tobimaru, and a few 
more jabs from Benten's gun, Azu Des grudgingly decided to call a truce. 
What also helped his decision was some rather odd bits of sabotage that 
kept Jariten from being able to get a signal off the planet.

They tried to turn off the jamming tower that Azu had set up, but the 
controls from the mansion no longer seemed to work. Des admitted that he 
had a transmitter that was powerful enough to get through the jamming, but 
that also didn't seem to be functioning. Jariten was not surprised.

"Well let's just take Des' shuttle and call Urusei from orbit," 
Benten suggested.

"It's been sabotaged too," Ten stated.

"How do you know that?" Mendo asked.

"It's what I would do. It'll probably explode. That would be an easy way to 
get rid of us."

"Who is doing this?" Des asked. It was obvious that he was getting a little 
frustrated. There was an enemy in his mansion and it apparently wasn't 
Benten.

"Some new friends of ours," Ten said, and then glanced over to Inaba. 
Something was going to have to be done about him and soon. Ten didn't feel 
comfortable discussing anything while he was around. At the same time, he 
felt that Inaba himself was innocent and he couldn't just kill the boy 
outright.

Shinobu was also wondering about Inaba. He had gotten even more quiet than 
normal. "What do you think we should do, Inaba?" she asked softly.

Inaba's hands showed his discomfort. "I should be going soon," he said. His 
head was lowered. Then raising his eyes slightly, he said. "I wish that 
Miss Shinobu would come with me. I'll make sure that Minah treats you well. 
You could stay with me." There was hope and fear in his voice.

"How about my friends here? I can't be a slave," she said. "Can't you stay 
with us? We'd keep you safe."

Inaba paused. "I understand," he said. His hands were moving even quicker. 
Inaba had a hard decision to make. There was going to be an 'accident' 
soon. Everyone here would be lost. He could leave and be safe. He knew 
that. He had done what he was supposed to do. He had lead them into the 
first trap, and listened to discover what they knew. His heart was torn, 
however. He dearly loved Shinobu. She had always been so kind to him. He 
could not imagine how he would feel if she were killed. There was only one 
conclusion. It was better to die than to betray her. He nodded as he 
completed his inner dialogue, and came to a decision. He looked up at 
Shinobu. His eyes were fierce. "We should all leave the mansion, now," 
he urged.

"What was that?" Jariten asked.

"We should all leave," he said. "It isn't safe here."

"What's going to happen?" Shinobu asked.

"I don't know, Miss Shinobu," he said. "Minah just told me to leave before 
point 40, today. It's point 38 now. We should all leave."

"Minah, the Slaver?" Des asked. "What does he have to do with this?"

"He's the new friend I was telling you about," Jariten said. "I think we 
had better do what he says. Benten, find us some transportation." Without a 
word, Benten was gone. Mendo went with her.

Des turned to Tobimaru, "Tell the soldiers to leave the mansion. And then 
meet us at the garage. Don't bother telling the slaves, I expect they 
already know. Hurry!" Tobimaru ran off. Des turned to the others. "The 
garage is this way." They all followed him out the front of the mansion, 
and into the central courtyard. The blue sun was high in the sky. A warm 
breeze blew. Their hurried pace seemed to belie an otherwise pleasant day.

"Have you decided to come with us?" Shinobu asked Inaba.

"I couldn't see you hurt," he said. "I like you very much" He blushed.

She squeezed his hand. "I like you too," she said. "Don't worry. We have 
luck on our side."

Benten had found a large transport, and pull up along side of Ten and the 
others. "Hop on," she said. "I've already picked up Tobimaru. We only have 
a few thousandths left."

Everyone got on board, and Benten floored the vehicle smashing through the 
front gate. Everyone in the back struggled to hang on at the vehicle weaved 
through the city streets and away from the mansion. 

"Do you think it'll be a bomb?" Shinobu asked Ten.

"A bomb, gas, an ambush. It could be anything. I think it's best that 
we're away."

"They wouldn't dare blow up the Azu mansion!" Des was indignant. 

There was a bright flash, everyone was forced to turn away. Soon there was 
a rumble and the shock wave slammed the transport forward. Benten was able 
to maintain control. When the light dissipated the Azu mansion was in 
flames.

"It could be a bomb," Jariten said.

Azu Des nearly jumped out of the transport. Tobimaru held him back. 
"My mansion! By the Spirits, they destroyed my mansion. First our title and 
then our home!" He turned on Ten. "What have you done to me?!" Jariten 
offered him a 'who me?' look. Des tried to lunge at him, but Tobimaru was 
still holding him back.

"It was the Slavers who destroyed your home, Des," Ten said. "I'd say we 
have a common enemy now."

Des eased up and turned back toward the view of his burning mansion. Huge 
flames were shooting into the air. A smoke cloud billowed up and spread out 
over the sky. They were a distance away, and still receding, but he could 
feel the heat from the fire. "I will do anything I have to," he said. 
"Anything."

* * * 

When Ataru was discovered sleeping next to Lum's bed no one tried to wake 
him. Lum's condition was closely monitored and everyone allowed themselves 
to hope just a little, that their connection would find the cure that 
science couldn't. The hope was already proving well founded. Lum was not 
cured, but her condition had stabilized. She was no longer dying from the 
virus. 

Sugoi sat with them for a long while. She was perfectly silent. She was 
recalling a old American cartoon that she had seen on television when she 
was trapped on Earth. It was called "Tom & Jerry." She always took Tom's 
side, although it was obvious that viewers were meant to identify with the 
mouse. No matter what Tom tried he was always beaten in some humiliating 
way. She had watched many episodes of this show hoping that one time Tom 
would defeat the mouse. He had some minor victories, but never came 
completely out on top. This disappointed Sugoi. Why couldn't the cat win 
once in a while? She was feeling very much like Tom now. 

In the show Tom would often set very elaborate traps, but Jerry would 
always be standing right next to him when he was setting the traps up. 
Soon Tom would notice Jerry, chase him, and forgetting the trap spring it 
on himself. Sugoi wondering how she was going to set a trap, without Jerry 
looking over her shoulder. She didn't even know who Jerry was.

Of course, reasoning this way, if Jerry always won, then the only way that 
Sugoi could win was if she became Jerry. If she could switch roles with the 
mouse, then maybe she could get the new Tom alias Jerry to set a trap 
for her.

She had to become the mouse, and make Jerry feel like the cat. To be a 
mouse, she had to appear small, vulnerable, and annoying. She had to make 
Jerry feel large and confident, powerful. She realized that this was how 
she used to operate before she met Jariten. Perhaps it was time to stop 
trying to be Jariten and go with the tactics that worked for her. She 
smiled gleefully, and adopted her best "airhead" expression. 

She stood up. "Bye Ataru," she chirped. "Good luck." 

Leaving the ICU she waved brightly at the attending nurse, who with a 
curious look on her face waved back. Leaving the room, Sugoi said, 
"It's time to really start poking my nose into other people's business."

* * *

The Accountant sighed mournfully. They had gotten away. His news sources 
worked very quickly. He knew about Jariten's escape from the Azu mansion, 
almost before Jariten did himself. The Accountant wasn't too surprised that 
Jariten had escaped. He never thought that going after Jariten would be 
easy. There were rumors that the Princess was improving as well. It was all 
very disappointing. The Accountant considered leaving this game. 

Although the Accountant was familiar with numbers and trusted their precise 
logic, any wise investor was well acquainted with the effect that luck 
played on any speculation. For all the best research and analysis, 
sometimes the fool won and the veteran lost. The universe enjoyed irony. 
It was dangerous to fight against lucky people. Jariten was one such 
person. That worried the Accountant.

The Accountant pushed his reports aside, and took out a blank piece of 
paper. Dipping his pen into a small inkwell, he prepared to send additional 
instructions to those who were charged with stopping Jariten. The blank 
paper taunted him. He touched the pen to the paper hoping that words would 
flow from it, but nothing did. He frowned in frustration. He cleaned off 
the nib of the pen and placed in back in its holder. There was now a small 
black smudge on the white paper where the pen had touched it, but there was 
no grand plan.

If he gave up the fight, there was no guarantee that Jariten would stop 
coming after him. If he continued to pursue Jariten, he increased the risk 
of Jariten finding him, and he was fighting against luck. The Accountant 
didn't consider himself lucky. Luck was not a tool that he, himself, could 
trust. At all costs, Jariten must not being able to find him. He had found 
out too much already.

The Accountant took his pen again. He paused with it hovering over the ink 
well. Perhaps a hot trail with a satisfying finish would be in order, he 
thought. It was time to be even more indirect. Let Jariten score a victory, 
and perhaps he would be satisfied. The Accountant would have to hold back 
for a few years, but he needed a vacation anyway. The best of all worlds 
would be that luck would come to his side, and Jariten would be killed, but 
if he didn't, he didn't. That's how one defeated luck, by limiting its 
ability to win.

The Accountant smiled. He dipped his pen into the inkwell, and began 
writing furiously. He would send Jariten so much fun that Jariten would be 
in debt to the Accountant for making his life so interesting.

* * *

Jariten felt that the game was getting truly interesting. There seemed to 
be a block at every turn, and blowing up the Azu mansion was certainly a 
nice touch, though he never shared his opinion with Des on that subject.

Another thing that was interesting was how Des and Benten behaved around 
each other. Here were two people who were obviously cut out of the same 
mold. They were a mirror in the way that they avoided and watched each 
other. Benten's hand was never more than a few centimeters from her gun, 
and Des looked as if he was ready to lunge for her throat at any second. 
If Ten didn't need them both alive and reasonably cooperative, he would 
have loved to throw out a few choice words to see which would lunge at the 
other first.

The funny thing about two such people, was that would they either kill each 
other or became the closest of friends. That Jariten would like to see. 
Unfortunately, it was for another time. They still couldn't get a message 
to the Emperor, and Jariten was certain that they were being pursued. They 
had gone to the space port, hoping that they could at least get a message 
to one of the ships in orbit, but even that seemed to be blocked. This 
surprised Des because he was certain that all his jamming tower blocked was 
interstellar messages.

"Well then," Jariten said. "I think we need to approach this problem at the 
source. If our guess is correct, then Minah should be the center of all 
this. I would suggest that we pay him a little visit."

Des nodded. "Minah. I never would have thought. I'll have my soldiers 
surround the place."

"That wouldn't be a good idea," Ten observed. "The extent and scope of 
misdirection is this situation is impressive. If we go after him in the 
light of day, we might find that all the controls have been moved and Minah 
has left the planet."

"You think Minah has a ship on the surface," Benten asked, somewhat 
hopeful. All this ground travel was getting tiresome. She was ready to get 
back into space.

"I know he does," Ten aswered. "and I expect Inaba knows where it is."

Inaba was surprised to hear his named mentioned. He looked up at all the 
faces. "He has a small ship. It is only big enough to two. It is just for 
escape. He never uses it. I keep it in condition to run, but I'm not very 
good at such things."

"It'll do. Where is it?" Benten barked.

Inaba stepped back. Benten frightened him, but Shinobu took his hand. 
"There's a door above my room," he explained. "The ship rests in a secret 
upper attic."

"You can bet if Minah knows we're coming it won't work by the time we get 
there, or he'll take it himself." Ten commented.

"Could we try a different way than the sewer this time?" Shinobu asked.

Jariten looked to her. "You really didn't like that sewer did you? I 
suppose you just weren't cut out to be a thief. Pity." Ten sighed and shook 
his head. "It doesn't matter though. We have Inaba with us. I'm sure that 
he can get us in through the alarms."

"And if he can't, we can just kill Minah anyway," Benten said darkly.

"Actually," Jariten began, "I would rather like to have a talk with him, 
while you're flying up to get us a bigger ship."

"Whatever," Benten said. "I don't plan on restraining myself too hard for 
that sleaze, though."

"Fair enough," Jariten responded.

"I wonder," Mendo spoke up. "If these people are as powerful as it seems, 
won't they try to shoot Benten down?"

Benten smiled. "I'm sure they'll fucking try."

"We'll have to trust to luck on that one," Jariten said. "We have to get 
off this planet, and put an end to these games."

* * *

Ran smiled devilishly at the diminutive Lum standing on her table. It was a 
"payback time" type of smile. Oh, the games she was thinking about playing.

"You are thinking about a way to help her aren't you?" Benten asked 
skeptically.

Ran was about to answer, but stopped short when she looked up. Benten had a 
bazooka trained on Ran's head. "Heh," Ran said, and started to sweat a 
little. "Help, yes, help. That's what I was thinking about, yes."

"Uh huh," Benten said, skeptically. 

Ran turned to Benten and adopted a hurt expression. "I'm hurt that you 
don't trust me," Ran said in an over dramatized way. She sniffed. "Lum, 
after all is my dearest and oldest friend. Her welfare is more important to 
me than my own. I would do anything for her, and here you don't trust me."

Benten and Ataru sighed simultaneously. 

Ran went over and grabbed a large old book from a bookcase full of large 
old books. "It doesn't bother me at all that Rei went to Lum first. It 
doesn't bother me at all about all those times when we were young that Lum 
would do something and I would get punished for it." Her voice was getting 
a little edge on it. "It doesn't bother me at all that Lum put me in the 
hospital more times than I can count, damaged my spaceship, and messed up 
just about every scheme -er, dream I've ever had!" Ran stopped after 
slamming the book out on the table. She looked up at Benten and Ataru with 
a strained smiled on her face. "I would do anything for my friend Lum."

Lum wondered about this dream Ran. She could hear Ran's words of 
helpfulness, but they definitely had a different flavor than the Ran that 
she knew. She remembered Ran's old hints of envy that Lum was highborn and 
Ran was not. Was that what this dream Ran was formed from, or was there 
something deeper that she detected in her former servant? In any case, she 
was getting a little nervous about what kind of help this Ran would provide.

Ran was leafing through the book furiously. It was clear by her face that 
her mind was recalling some unpleasant incident. Ataru worried that she 
might convince herself to sneak in a little side-effect to this, just for 
good measure. He remembered one or two of the side-effects that had been 
inflicted on him. He really didn't need any more complications at this 
moment.

Ataru sighed, and looked around the spaceship. It wasn't quite like the 
spaceships he had become used to. There were a lot of useless gadgets and 
gizmos that were apparently just for show. This ship was designed by 
someone who had watched a lot of movies, not someone who knew about 
spaceships. The only conclusion then was that this ship was a product of 
his imagination not Lum's. That scared him. That scared him a lot. 

He was startled when he saw Lum floating in front of his eyes. At least she 
looked healthy, if not a little small. He wished he could hear her voice. 
He put out his hand and she lighted on it. Her eyes met his. She put her 
hand over her heart, and then pointed at him. It was like he had a little 
pixie is his hand. He mouthed the words back at her. Benten had been 
watching the whole exchange. 

"This is disgusting," she said. "What happened to you?"

"I just came to my senses," Ataru said.

"Senses?" Benten asked. "This is unbelievable. The last I saw you couldn't 
get far enough away. I guess we all figured you'd come around eventually, 
but it sure is a hell of a thing to see."

"I don't know why I ran," Ataru thought out loud. "I was a doing a lot of 
running then. I didn't want to believe that I was as useless as my mother 
always told me, and I couldn't accept that I wasn't. Now everything is so 
different. I have an incredible future ahead of me, if people would just 
stop trying to hurt us."

"Benten was confused. "What people? If somebody is trying to hurt you or 
Lum, you tell me and I'll take care them." Benten patted her bazooka.

Lum and Ataru shared a knowing glance. "We know you would."

Benten nodded. "Damn right." She turned to Ran. "You found what you're 
looking for yet?"

"Don't bother me," Ran shot back. She was still furiously flipping through 
pages. "Aha! There is it. I thought so!" After a maniacal laugh, she turned 
to Lum and Ataru. She giggled. "I'll be just a moment," she sang, and 
skipped off through a side door. 

"This worries me," Benten said, and went over to take a peek at the book 
that Ran had been looking at. Ran returned shortly, dressed in a ceremonial 
robe, and carrying all kinds of articles. There were candles of various 
colors, jars containing all kinds of bizarre things, and other stuff that 
Ataru didn't want to guess at. 

Ran saw Benten looking at the book and dropped everything. It clattered and 
smashed on the floor. She was over to Benten in a flash, and slammed the 
book closed. "This is a dangerous book!" She warned. "Not everyone can 
read it!"

"I just wanted to make sure than all this was really necessary."

"What do you mean?" Ran said innocently.

"I still don't trust you." Benten's eyes narrowed on Ran.

"Fine," Ran said angrily. "If you don't want my help, then that's quite all 
right. I'm sure you can find another incredibly powerful sorceress, with a 
vast knowledge of all the most ancient spells in the galaxy to help you. 
Maybe Sakura can help you. Her spells always work."

"Now now," Ataru said. He definitely didn't want Sakura's help. He didn't 
care what world he was in. "Of course we trust you. Otherwise we wouldn't 
have come here. Right, Benten?"

"Whatever," Benten said and went back to her vigil. She plopped on a chair 
to scrutinize every move Ran made.

Ran bubbled. A minor victory, was still a victory. "That's better," she 
said, and re-opened the book. "Now," she said, reading. She got a stick of 
chalk out from what she had dropped on the floor, and drew out a pentagram 
in the middle of the room. "Lum-dear if you would go to the middle of the 
drawing." Lum dutifully floating to the center. Ran brought out a huge wok, 
and a stand. She sat them just outside the circle. She lowered the lights 
of the room and began throwing items into the wok. Each one made a flash of 
some eerie color of light, throwing bizarre shadows all over the room. All 
the while she was singing incantations in archaic languages. Ataru was 
getting more nervous.

Benten was getting annoyed. She snuck around to take another peek at Ran's 
book. She noticed that Ran wasn't using it any more. Ran continued her 
spell, apparently from memory, not noticing Benten. It was hard for Benten 
to read, with the low light, but she caught a word or two at each of the 
flashes. "Fuck," she said, finally. She had found what she wanted. 

She strode across the room, towards where the mason jar that had contained 
Lum was set. Ran finally noticed her. "What are do doing?" she asked 
nervously.

Benten picked up the jar. "Don't touch that!" Ran exclaimed.

Benten smashed the jar on the floor, and instantly Lum returned to 
full size. 

"Dahling!" she exclaimed and ran to Ataru, who embraced her.

The lights returned to normal. Ran went over to Benten. "I hate you."

"What was with all the special effects in the first place, if all you 
needed to do was smash the jar," Ataru asked.

Ran was about to answer, when Benten cut her off. "You wouldn't be as 
grateful if all she did was smash the jar. She wanted to make sure you were 
really in her debt."

"That's not true at all! It was all necessary. I was getting to smashing 
the jar. It was part of the spell."

"That's not what the book says. All it says is to smash the jar."

"And who made you such a great sorceress?" Ran asked defiantly.

Benten was finding this all amusing. Even a small victory was still a 
victory, but this was no small victory. "Let's go," she said. "We have a 
cockroach to fry."

"Thanks Ran," Lum said as they were leaving. Ran just fumed. She looked 
over to the mess of stuff that she had dropped on the floor. There were a 
lot of expensive things broken. She felt to her knees, and lowered her head. 
"Someday."

Lum turned to Ataru as they were leaving Ran's ship. "It's over," she said. 
"We can wake up now."

"I don't know," Ataru answered. "I think Benten's right. We have to get the 
cockroach first. If that's the representation of the virus, then you'll 
still be sick when we wake up and we have to start all over again."

Lum nodded. "So where do we look for this thing?"

"Look no farther, my love," came a voice from atop of Ran's spaceship. 

Everyone turned quickly. The cockroach was standing on top of the ship. 
He had a mason jar in one claw, and a bouquet of flowers in the other. 
"I've searched over the galaxy for you, and now we are together at last."

"What are you talking about?" Lum asked.

The cockroach jumped down from the ship, and landed in front of Lum. 
He shoved the flowers at her, which she hesitantly took. "I'm talking about 
our engagement, of course. You are going to be my wife." He held out his 
new jar and opened it. "Now if you'll just get back in the jar, we can be 
off to our wedding."

Benten aimed her bazooka at the cockroach. "I think you must be confused." 
she said.

"Yes," Lum agreed, backing away "I never said I would marry you. I don't 
even know you."

"Well that's not surprising," the cockroach responded. He didn't seem to be 
worried about the weapon trained on him. "It's an arranged marriage after 
all. I was frankly quite worried myself. Never having seen you before. You 
are a bit homely, but I'm sure that I can get used to you."

"What if I don't want to get married to you?" Lum said.

"You have to. It's all been arranged, and there's really nothing you 
can do about it."

"Is that so?" Lum said. She started to crackle. "I already have a fiancé."

"You're going to attack me, aren't you," the cockroach said, apparently 
pleased at the thought. "I like fiery women, but really you can't hurt a 
cockroach."

"We'll see!" Lum shouted, and let out a burst of electricity. It didn't 
seem to bother the cockroach, so she turned up the power. Ataru stepped 
back. Benten started firing, but the cockroach just took it. It really 
appeared to be as invulnerable as it had claimed. However, Ran's spaceship 
was not so invulnerable. Rockets that didn't hit the cockroach, hit the 
spacecraft, and radiant electricity was melting the hull. 

Soon Ran was out of the ship, screaming for them to stop. She had a large 
mallet in her hand, and was prepared to use it. It wasn't necessary though. 
Soon Lum saw the futility of what she was doing, and stopped. Benten also 
stopped firing.

The cockroach brushed himself off. He was uninjured. "Now," he said, 
holding out the jar. "If you'll just get back in the jar, we'll get going."

"My poor baby!" Ran shouted at the injuries to her ship. The smoke had 
cleared, and the damage to Ran's ship was extensive. "How could this happen 
to me, again! Someone is going to pay!" Ran's eyes glowed red, and a red 
aura grew around her. The mallet burst into unearthly flame. 

"Time for me to go," Benten said, and in a millisecond she was on her bike 
and speeding away. 

Ran then turned to Lum. "Dahling, I think your mother is calling." 
Lum scooped up Ataru, and hurriedly flew off. 

Ran turned to the cockroach. "Someone is going to pay," she repeated. 
The red aura grew in intensity, and power crackled all about her. 
She appeared to grow in size and towered over the cringing cockroach.

For the first time in his life, the cockroach felt fear. It wasn't a good 
feeling. Equally unpleasant was the feeling of the large mallet smashing 
against his head. "You are going to stay here and fix this!" Ran ordered.

The cockroach came to attention. "Yes maam!" the cockroach shouted 
obediently.

Lum and Ataru floated above the scene minutes later. Ran was standing 
guard, with mallet in hand. The cockroach was nervously welding with one 
set of claws and pounding out the dents with the other.

"I think the situation is under control now," Lum said.

"We'll have to thank Ran when we wake up," Ataru added. "Of course, the 
cockroach still isn't dead."

"Ran will keep it occupied for awhile. I imagine the doctors will find a 
cure long before it completes repairs to Ran's satisfaction."

"But I've already sent the wedding invitations!" the cockroach shouted its 
frustration. 

"Get to work!" Ran returned.

"Yes, maam!"

* * *

In the room behind his shop front, Minah had a little office. It was a 
simple office. It had a small desk, dim lighting, and a healthy liquor 
cabinet. In the last hour, Minah had nearly emptied the liquor cabinet. 
His informants had told him that Ten and the others had escaped the 
mansion. It didn't take a genius to guess where they'd be going next. 
A message on his desk indicated how much help he could expect. 
Absolutely none. 

Protecting him was the most sophisticated security system on the planet, 
but it was no help either. His servant Inaba has switched sides, and Inaba 
knew the system better than he did. That was a mistake on his part. He 
should never had put so much trust in Inaba. He had lived this long because 
he hadn't put trust in anyone. He took another drink, and discarded the 
empty bottle to the pile containing his previous conquests. The plastic 
bottle bounced off the wall, and settled in with the rest. A good bottle of 
Yuli was always contained in old fashioned glass bottles. It protected the 
taste better. Jariten would never dream of drinking Yuli from anything else 
but glass. Minah was not so picky. He opened another plastic bottle.

He took a deep drink, but stopped in mid-gulp. He heard a sound, and his 
eyes were wide open. It was just a windy day, he assured himself, and 
finished his drink. Putting the bottle down on his desk, his eyes fell on 
the pill that came with the message. He stared at it for a long moment and 
then picked it up, holding it between his finger and his thumb. 

It was a small oblong pill, pinkish in color. He studied it. Such a small 
thing, he thought. Is this all his life meant? This pill was his greatest 
enemy, his destroyer. Such a small thing. He had plans for his life, great 
plans. He had dreams of a wife and family, of retirement in a large house, 
with servants. 

He could put away the pill, and talk to Ten. Ten was a dealer after all. 
He was always open to a trade, a fair deal. Ten would spare him. 
Minah started to put down the pill. 

How long would that last? Ten would spare him, but Ten wasn't his 
enemy now. Ten could be reasoned with, but Ten was small. Ten wasn't big 
enough to protect him. He wasn't a big as the pill that Minah held in his 
hand. 

Minah jerked to attention again when he heard another sound, a creak from a 
far off corner of the building. That wasn't the wind. Ten was close. Minah 
sighed. This was all that his life was. It was over now. Even his memories 
would be erased. He didn't matter. 

He took the pill and dropped it in the plastic bottle. It fizzed down and 
disappeared. Minah picked up the bottle. He studied the golden liquid. It 
looked so safe. It was a drink that he had enjoyed all his life. So safe, 
so warm. An innocent drink of cheap Yuli. Minah put the bottle to his lips 
and drank down its contents. In moments Minah closed his eyes and fell to 
the floor. A hidden figure behind the walls made a note on a pad and 
disappeared.

Benten burst open the door, and Jariten entered the room. 

* * *

Sugoi wore a long bright pink dress. It had a medium neck-line, and sported 
a large bow on the left shoulder. Her eyes were wide with vacuous thoughts, 
or was that curiosity. Sugoi bounced down the pathway through the gardens. 
She noticed the gardener working on a hedge, and paused to say 'hello.' 

Now one might say that her act would be transparent after spending weeks 
searching and investigating every lead as her true intelligent self, but 
Sugoi was very good at this act. Even in her earlier investigations she 
hadn't given up all of it. She knew that you never question people as if 
you were questioning them. That would be no fun at all. Sugoi's only true 
change now, was that of purpose. Not only was she looking for hidden 
truths, she was also working very hard at being annoying. 

She asked the gardener all kinds of inane questions about gardening, 
insects and obscure events on the planet Dellia five thousand years ago. 
Many of them were repetitious, different variations of the same useless 
question. Soon the gardener grunted and trudged away. 

Sugoi decided not to follow, but went to the guard house. There were all 
kinds of people doing very serious things there. Sugoi stuck her nose in 
everyone's way and asked about ever little detail of what they were doing. 
When someone had to be restrained from pulling a weapon on her, she felt 
that she was doing well.

From the guard house, she went to the kitchen, and then to the laundry. 
She stopped off in the offices, and finally even annoyed the Emperor's 
personal staff. They were helpless before her total lack of comprehension 
of the world around her. She giggled brightly as she waved goodbye to each 
and every one of them, twice. Or was it three times, the mind wanders. 

Closing the office door behind her, she fell back against it and sighed. 
This was a lot of work. She bounced back to her room, taking time to greet 
three waiters, two linen maids, and five errand boys before finally closing 
the door to her room, and falling onto her chair by the window. 

She took a breath and mentally recalled each scene of the day. She studied 
all the faces and reactions in her mind. She had done a lot of good work. 
It was an interesting study in itself, to see how different people react to 
an unstoppable nuisance. She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for. 
Someone who was already wary of her, trying too hard to react naturally to 
an intolerable situation. The indication would be subtle, since it was 
already clear that this person was a professional.

She went over each scene, and each face. She moved them back and forth in 
her mind. There was nothing obvious, nothing positive, but there were a few 
that looked suspicious. For all she knew they could all be plants, or none 
of them. It was very frustrating. 

There were a dozen faces that she picked out. There were a dozen faces that 
tomorrow, she would go and annoy with extra zeal. She opened her eyes. 
What she needed right now though was a good shower. It was good to be in 
the Palace. Water showers were plentiful here. 

She got up and was out of her dress before she reached the bathroom door. 
It felt good to be naked and out of those restrictive clothes. She was sore 
and very tired. It had been a long day. She went into the bathroom, but 
stopped short. Something didn't smell right. Something didn't feel right. 
She backed away slowly, and once she was clear of the room, she ran to hide 
behind the nearest piece of furniture. 

Nothing happened. She wasn't sure what was supposed to happen. It was a gut 
feeling. There was something wrong. Her instincts told her loudly that she 
had been targeted. It made her blissfully happy. She must have really 
worried somebody. The trick now was to find out what was done without 
getting killed by it.

She reasoned. A timer would be impractical, since the assailant couldn't 
know when she would return. A timer that started when she entered the 
bathroom could be possible. She might have already started it. Motion 
sensors were possible. Something attached to the water valve. Poison on any 
surface, or in the water itself would be possible. Sugoi's mind raced with 
all the devious ways that someone could try to kill her. She stopped 
herself when she felt that her guesses were getting too bizarre. 

The variable time displacement unit in the shower stall was a bit much and 
expensive, but impressive. She wondered what it would feel like to have 
different parts of her body operating at variable time rates, 
simultaneously. It'd probably hurt, except if her brain was on the slowest 
time, then her body would be dead hours before she knew it. Or maybe that 
would be the fastest time, well it didn't matter.

She had to be careful of being too speculative. These people were good at 
hiding any evidence, but rather basic at the methods of killing. It was 
likely a bomb, or simple poison. She got up. Nothing seemed to be blowing 
up at the moment. She went to her dresser drawer and got out a small energy 
detector. It should be able to read any timer or sensor in the room. 

Her bare feet padded across the thin carpet as she approached the bathroom. 
The sensor was on, but so far not reading anything. She was careful not to 
touch any walls, or doors. She stopped short of entering the room. 
The floor could be poisoned and there was nothing protecting her feet at 
the moment. The scan of the room revealed nothing. Could it be poison then?

She went back and put on some work clothes. She made sure that every part 
of her body was covered. She got another sensor, this time a chemical 
sensor. She went in and scanned everything. Opening the shower stall, she 
immediately noticed a tiny bit of steam rising from the walls and the 
floor. It was very faint. If she wasn't already very suspicious she 
wouldn't have noticed it, especially in the dim light of the room. She 
scanned the walls and the floor, and nodded. There was concentrated sodium 
painted on every surface, even the shower head The moment she turned on the 
water, she would have been engulfed in the flames of the chemical reaction. 
Cute. 

She made an adjustment to her sensor, and confirmed her suspicions that the 
humidity was extremely low. What was done, was done recently enough that 
the humidity hadn't balanced out to where the sodium would be reacting more 
than it already was. Whoever had done this had timed it very closely. They 
also knew her well enough to know how much she loved to take showers. That 
angered her a little. She really wanted to take a shower. She was still 
very sore, and the water would feel so good, but now she had to start a 
full investigation on this new incident.

She went back and fell into her chair, and sighed. Of course, unsprung 
traps were very useful. Someone was expecting her to be dead about now. 
Someone might stop back tomorrow to see why their trap didn't work, or to 
even set another one. 

Normally there weren't cameras in private rooms. She would have to make an 
exception. She would also have to keep her little discovery quiet, and give 
some plausible reason why she hadn't stopped to take a shower in her room. 

She quickly went to work. She changed back into her dress. She then set 
cameras all over her room. Satisfied that no area was left unmonitored, and 
also satisfied that at least half her cameras were impervious to electronic 
jamming, she left the room. Bouncing around the Palace she made a circuitous 
route to make sure just about all the Palace employees saw her. She finally 
ended up in front of Megane's room. She hoped he was in. 

She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. She frowned a little and 
knocked again. Still no answer. A maid happened by and she stopped her. 
"Do you know where my Manju-sama is?" she chirped.

"Excuse me, Mistress?" The Maid obviously didn't know what a Manju-sama was.

Sugoi rolled her eyes and sighed. "My boyfriend," she said with airheaded 
annoyance. "Do you know where he is?"

The maid looked at the door. "I believe the gentleman from this room has 
gone to the kitchen with the other Terran males."

"It figures." Then Sugoi had an idea. "Could you open this room for me?" 
She asked. She could pick the lock herself, but she wanted to leave a clear 
trail. 

"I'm not sure if I should, Mistress," the maid said.

"Please," Sugoi pleaded. "He's only a terran peasant after all. It's not 
like there are any laws."

The maid nodded. "Yes maam," she said and putting her thumb to a small lock 
panel, she opened the door. Sugoi thanked her and bounced in. She thanked 
her again as she closed the door. 

The room was a mess, but that was to be expected. Megane would be awhile if 
he was eating. She had a little time. There was only one thing to do. She 
took her dress off, and went straight into the shower. After a very 
satisfying shower, she dried herself off and returned to the room. 

She took her dress and shoes and put them in the closet. They were the only 
pieces of clothing in the closet. Everything else was strewn across the 
floor. She thought about cleaning up, but that would give her away. The 
covers where in a pile on the bed. He wouldn't notice until it was too late 
if there was an extra body in there.

She went to the bed, and then called for the lights to be turned off. 
Fully naked, she climbed into bed and hid herself under the covers. 
She laid there resting, waiting for her unsuspecting prey.

* * * *

Chapter 7: "Whose Dream is This?"

Qoesth was an outpost world of the Tenwan family. It didn't have much 
value, except to define a Family border. It had no minerals, and no 
atmosphere. It was the only planet of its similarly unspectacular brown 
dwarf parent star. A small monitoring station orbited the planet. 
The station was lightly armed. Near the station on a resupplying stop was 
an old style Tenwan cruiser. No one cared what happened this far away from 
the main traffic lanes. That's where the shiny new ships were. That's where 
all the excitement and activity was. There was nothing to do in the Qoesth 
system but be bored. Those assigned to this post were exceptionally good at 
being bored.

Another cruiser appeared out of hyperspace. It bore no markings and sent no 
recognition signal. The Tenwan cruiser charged its weapons and positioned 
itself for battle. It hoped that the other ship had not come to fight. 
It was obviously in better condition than the Tenwan ship. The odds of 
holding it off were slim.

Another hyperspace hole opened up and a second cruiser appeared. This one 
also had no markings, and didn't respond to hails. The Tenwan ship had 
changed tactics and was busy plotting an escape route. The outpost was on 
its own. It wasn't worth dying for. 

The two alien cruisers positioned themselves, and opened a hypserpace hole 
between them. Through the hole, first one fighter, then ten, then a 
hundred, appeared. These didn't stop to let themselves be identified. 
As the Tenwan cruiser was preparing to run, the fighters swarmed about it, 
fired and destroyed  it. The outpost didn't last much longer.

* * *

Sugoi was reduced to tracing circles in the bed sheets. Megane was very 
late and she was bored. All the excitement of her little game had 
disappeared. She sighed, and looked up at the door. It was resolute in 
remaining closed. Sugoi sighed again.   

She got out from under the covers and sat up on the side of the bed.  
She had been looking forward to a little more active night than apparently 
she was going to get. Despite the other circumstances in her room, this was 
important to her. It would have been her first time. Her eyes remained on 
the door. In the back of her mind she imagined Megane coming through the 
door, and the surprised look on his face at seeing her sitting on his 
bed naked. The door remained shut. Sugoi sighed.

She got up and went to the closet. After a glance to the door. 
Still closed. She opened the closet and slowly put on her dress. 
She looked back to the door. Nothing. "Computer, record a message 
for Megane when he returns," she called to the ceiling.

She computer pinged its acknowledgment.

Sugoi thought. She had to make sure that he felt her disappointment. 
"Manju-sama, this is Sugoi. I came to your room this evening, but you 
weren't here. I was lying in your bed for two whole tenths, but you weren't 
here. I was naked the whole time, but you weren't here." She paused to 
think up an appropriate closing. "Think about it," she added. "See ya."

With that Sugoi left the room. She was still within sight of the door when 
Megane came past her. She smiled at him, and he smiled worriedly back. 
"Hello, Sugoi," he said. "Did you want to see me?"

She giggled. "Not any more," she said, and continued on.

Megane was confused. He paused to watch her walk away. Shrugging his 
shoulders her went to his room. Once he was inside, Sugoi stopped and went 
back to listen at the door. She didn't need to. Shortly after Megane 
entered the room, there came a horrendous agonized scream.   

Sugoi giggled. "That'll teach him." She went to her room. She thought 
briefly about going back, but the mood was gone. There would be other 
times, but now she was curious if anyone had come to reset the trap. 
She stopped at her door.   

"Computer, who was the last person to enter this room?"

"Seq Sugoi at point seven-three-five."  

Well, she didn't really expect them to leave a computer record. 
Just to make sure though, she asked, "Computer, who was the last 
person to enter before point seven-three-five."

"Seq Sugoi at point three-one-eight."

She knew that wasn't true. This person was smart enough erase their 
computer records. Not surprising. The big question now was what if 
anything was done. Sugoi was very suspicious. "Computer, delay opening 
the door for one thousandth after my thumb print."

The computer pinged.

Sugoi pressed her thumb to the pad and then when back around the corner. 
The door opened at the appointed time. There was nothing unexpected. 
Sugoi left her refuge and went back to the door. She opened the door, 
and entered the room. She didn't call for lights immediately, but waited 
in the darkness. She waited to see if her gut told her anything. 
"Lights," she said, and the lights came on. It was her room, just as 
she left it.   

Gingerly, she went to the camera that was pointing to the bathroom door, 
removed the small device from its hiding place. She was filled with 
expectation. Recorded in the machine's memory could be the image of the 
person that she wanted. If indeed it was only one person. She studied the 
small black ball. She was almost expecting disaster. So many things had 
gone wrong, why should this work?   

She took the ball to the computer next to her chair, and inserted it in 
the interface. "Computer, playback from beginning."

An image formed in air in front of her. It was a camera's eye view of her 
setting up the camera. She was getting a little heavy, she thought. 
She was still paying for her contest with Kakugari.  

Having that camera situated, she went to place another.   
"Computer, double the playback speed."

The image of Sugoi began to move very quickly and soon she was out the 
door. "Computer, double the playback speed again."

The room remained dark. The timer in the top right corner of the image 
quickly counted off the hundredths. Then suddenly the lights came on.  
"Hold image," she commanded.

No one was in the field of view yet, but the lights were on and the timer 
read nearly a tenth before she returned. "Computer, play from this point, 
normal speed."

Sugoi didn't have to wait long. It was one of the maids. In fact it was the 
same maid who had let her into Megane's room.  

"I can't imagine how she left here without taking a shower," the maid said. 
"She's always taking showers."    

"Not always." Sugoi was hurt.  Had she become predictable.

Another voice off camera answered the maid. It was a man's voice. 
"She could have found us out."

"Why didn't she call an investigation then? She went all dressed up to her 
boyfriend's room? I think she was planning to take a shower with him, and 
barely even stopped here."

The maid went in the bathroom. Now the man came into the view. It was 
someone that Sugoi didn't know. That didn't seem possible. How could there 
be someone in the Palace that she hadn't seen?

"It's really starting to steam in here," the maid said.  
"This trap won't fool anyone now."

"Clean it up," the man responded. "We'll think of something later."

The maid hurried out of the bathroom. She looked agitated. "What if there 
isn't a later?  She was really snooping around the Palace today. 
She wouldn't leave me alone. I'm sure she's figured it out."

"She bothered everyone today," the man said. "It was a trick to make you 
nervous. She doesn't know anything."

"Then why are we going after her now?"

"Because we were told to, and because we don't take any chances. Now get 
back in there and clean up the sodium before she comes back."

'Told to?' That was interesting, Sugoi thought. Now who could it be that 
was doing the telling.

The maid laughed. "She won't be back for awhile. I made sure that her 
boyfriend and his friends had sleeping pills in all that food they'd be
devouring. She'll be waiting for him all night."

Sleeping pills, why that bitch! It wasn't her Manju-sama's fault at all. 
Not that he knew that she had been waiting for him in the first place. 
With all this good information, and two suspects on camera, she might very 
well be in the mood again tomorrow night. She would make it up to him.

There was a flash in the bathroom, and after some useless conversation, the 
two interlopers left. The room went dark. "Computer,  increase to triple 
speed." Again the timer sped up, but nothing happened until she saw herself 
enter the room. "Computer, stop playback." The image faded away.

Sugoi sat and thought. She had faces. One of which was not on the Palace 
staff. The maid could have let him in, or he was hiding on the premises. 
Perhaps there were more than just him. This was getting more and more 
interesting. This time she would have to make sure that they didn't know 
she was coming until she had them. She wanted to get a brainscan before 
they killed themselves and erased their own brains. She smiled cattishly 
as she thought of a wonderful bit of fun. She wouldn't capture anyone, but 
this very evening she would know everything that they knew.

* * *

Jariten was actually saddened to see Minah lying dead on the floor. 
Inaba took it even worse. He sat next to his old master and cried. 
Shinobu sat with him.   

"He wasn't all that bad," Inaba told her. "He never hit me."

Des stood next to Jariten. He looked thoughtful. "He was ordered to commit 
suicide, wasn't he?"  Des asked.

Jariten nodded. "Just so we wouldn't get any information from him. He could 
have escaped in his shuttle if he knew we were coming. He was told to leave 
the shuttle for us."

"Why, because it'll explode?"  Des asked.

"No," Jariten said. "There is only room for two. In no case would we all be 
killed. I think we're being allowed to leave."

"They have to know that if we go, we'll close them down."

"We'll close down the Slaver's Guild, but I'm beginning to think that there 
is more to this. Minah knew that he could bargain with me. He wasn't in 
danger, himself. If they know that we already suspect the Guild then what 
did they have to lose. What is there left to protect? The Guild is huge, 
but whoever is behind this is bigger."

Tobimaru came up. "How much bigger could they be? The Guild is as powerful 
as a Major Family. Someone bigger, must practically run the whole Empire."

Jariten nodded. "Indeed. We're out of our league. No wonder they want the 
Princess dead so badly. The battle of Uinod gave her sole power over the 
Empire. It was no longer so divided over squabbling Families. With that 
power, another power could no longer operate in secret. We'd be able to see 
that someone else was running things. By killing the Princess and throwing 
the Families back into chaos, this other power could operate without fear 
of discovery, as they have before. The Guild is just the tip, and they are 
willing to sacrifice it to give themselves more time, to keep from being 
discovered."

"That's quite a fanciful story," Des said. "I find it hard to believe that 
someone has been controlling us and the Empire for who knows how many years 
without anyone knowing it."

Ten turned to him and smiled. "Why not? I've been doing it. Before I put 
that little bomb in your mansion, did you have any idea that I was capable 
of such a thing? I've had the network to do that for years, and few of the 
Families suspect a thing."

"I fucking love this," Benten said. "So your telling me that the high and 
mighty Families have been dancing to some puppeteer's string for years? 
This is great. So the slavers are the slaves after all."

Des turned to Benten. "Maybe that is it. How do I know that it hasn't been 
you all along?" He turned to Jariten. "Maybe you blew up my mansion, and 
are telling me this crazy story to get me on your side. After all, as you 
say, how do I know how powerful you really are?"

Jariten rolled his eyes. "You don't. But what I reason would I have to blow 
up your mansion, apart from well founded architectural criticism, of course. 
We had you on our side before the mansion blew up. Besides, I do work for 
the Emperor. I, unfortunately, have rules that I have to follow and blowing 
up family mansions is just something that I'm not allowed to do," Ten said 
and then added, "No matter how offensive their design is."  

Des was not pleased at last comment, but he let it pass. He was finding 
himself believing Jariten and he didn't like it. There was something very 
big here. Like it or not, he had to help these people. He preferred to know 
his enemies. Vast invisible powers were not acceptable in his world.

Ten looked at all the expectant faces. They were looking to him to figure 
this out. This was a new thing for him. His job used to be to help others 
to figure things out. Let the others take the responsibility was his rule. 
He didn't like leadership. "Too bad Lum isn't here," he said out loud.

Benten smiled. "Heh. Ya know there's a lot of slaves held back in that 
warehouse of his." She indicated the body. "Let's everybody go and open 
some cages. Make us all feel good." Before anyone had a chance to respond, 
Benten started herding everyone through the back door that lead to the 
warehouse. Des, especially, was a little reluctant, but Benten insisted in 
her own special way. Soon Jariten had the room to himself. Benten was the 
last through the door. "It ain't one of your palace rooms, but it'll be 
quiet for a bit."

"Thanks. I guess we can work together after all."

"Don't tell anyone. All the same, I wish Lum were here too."

Jariten looked thoughtful. "She kept us sane, didn't she?"

Benten winked at him. "Well, she tried. But we can manage. You get us off 
this planet and the trio will be back together again."

Jariten sat in the chair that Minah was sitting in before he died. 
"Getting us off the planet is easy now. What we should do after that 
is the question."

"You think about it. We'll be in here opening cages." With that Benten 
closed the door.

Jariten looked down at the body on the floor. "Minah, and all this time 
and I never suspected that you were anything more than a common merchant. 
I don't know how I missed it."

He turned to the desk. It was clean, no papers, no computers. That in 
itself seemed odd. Minah wasn't all that neat. It was a mess the last 
time Ten was in here.

There was a pile of plastic Yuli bottles in the corner. Minah had no 
culture at all, but Ten had known that. Minah was killed and his desk 
emptied to keep Ten from finding out something. If Minah knew that he was 
coming after the mansion exploded then he knew that Ten suspected the 
Slavers Guild, and that Inaba had gone over to the Ten's side. There should 
have been nothing for Minah to reveal that Jariten didn't know. But 
apparently there was something.

Jariten frowned. He hated having something that he didn't know. If it was 
an organization bigger than the Slavers Guild then it was a big something 
that he didn't know and that bothered him all the more. Something that big 
to be hiding so long must protect its identity vigorously. It'd be big 
enough to be capable of anything. They'd already seen some examples of its 
power. It might even start a civil war if things got desperate enough.

Ten felt he had no hope of destroying the organization. He didn't know 
where to begin, and he'd never know if he got it at all, if he did destroy 
something. No doubt they'd love to give him something to destroy to make 
him happy enough to leave them alone. Maybe that was the answer for a 
little reprieve. Stop the Slaver's Guild as they had planned. Pretend as if 
that was satisfactory.

No, that wouldn't work. Lum would still be the sole power in the Empire. 
She'd still be a threat. But then they're apparently letting them go. 
They were sacrificing the Slaver's Guild. They wanted to be left alone so 
they could strike again in a couple years when Ten was no longer looking 
out for them.

Or a million other possibilities. Ten was getting a headache. How could out 
out-maneuver an enemy he knew nothing about? The Families were so easy. 
They were so predictable. What he needed was off this planet and back on 
Urusei. He needed more information, and he needed to see if Lum was all 
right.   

Ten got up and opened the door to the warehouse. There was quite a festival 
going on. A hundred dirty people celebrated their freedom. They hadn't 
remembered that they had no place to go yet. Jariten called over to Benten.

"Ya figure something out?" she asked.

"Not really. I want you to go up to where that ship is, and see if it 
works, and whether or not it'll explode on us. If it works then take it up 
and get us a ship. All I care about now is leaving this world."

"I'll just be fucking glad to be back in space. Are you sure we gotta take 
that damn Azu with us? I can't figure out any good reason to now."

Ten smiled. "It'll annoy you," he offered.

Benten narrowed on him. "I was almost starting to like you."

"Now, now my dear Benten. The only joy that I've been getting in life these 
days is making your life more difficult. Are you going to deny me even that?"

Benten studied Ten. "By the Spirits, you're a bastard."

Jariten bowed to her.  

Benten turned to leave the room. "I'll be back with a ship, shortly. 
You better be ready. I might just leave you all here if you make me wait." 
After she was through the door, she was still talking. "Anything to get off 
this damn planet!"

"It is amazing that Lum could ever put up with either of us," Ten commented.

* * *

It wasn't long after Benten had gone up to work on Minah's escape ship, 
that Shinobu and Inaba left the rest and went up to Inaba's attic room. 
Inaba took pride in showing her all the treasures that he had collected. 
It was nothing spectacular, or precious, but each thing meant something to 
Inaba. Each thing had a memory attached.  

"What's was it like to live with your mother and father?" Inaba asked while 
he was showing her one of the items.

Shinobu stopped for a moment. It was probably the most forward thing that 
he had ever asked her. It was such a strange question. "Did you ever know 
your own parents?" she asked.

"Never," Inaba said. "I've always lived with Minah. But that's over now 
too." He was obviously saddened by the thought.

"You have a home with us," Shinobu offered.

Inaba lowered his head. "Thank you. Miss Shinobu has been very kind to me. 
I think that maybe your parents must be very kind too."

"They are," Shinobu said, and then remembered a painful truth. "were. 
My papa was very kind to me. He died recently."

"I'm sorry. Are you an orphan now too?"

"No, my mother is still alive. She wouldn't talk to me for a while, though. 
She still seems a little distant. That's why I left home again. It felt 
better to be with my friends, but then Lum and Ataru were hurt..." Shinobu 
lowered her head.  "There's been so much death." She took a breath, trying 
to hold back tears. "I never thought I'd ever have anything more than 
getting married and raising a family. It was all I was prepared for.   

"Some girls my age think about starting careers, and making money, but I 
never did. I didn't think I could do that." Shinobu laughed a little, as 
she looked up at Inaba's sympathetic eyes. "Here I am talking about my 
problems to someone who never had a family and has been a slave all his 
life. You must think I'm pretty pathetic."

Inaba took her hand. "I never thought I'd be free. I never thought I could 
meet someone as nice as you. I'm the happiest, luckiest person in the world. 
I just wish Miss Shinobu was happy too."

Shinobu looked down at his hand holding hers. Was she falling in love? 
Was that what was happening? "Your life has been so hard, that even any 
break in the clouds would make you deliriously happy. I wish I could be 
like you. It does make me happy that you're going to be staying with us. 
I'm glad that you're free now." Inaba pulled back and went to studying 
one of the treasures he had collected.

Above them they could hear a faint hum with grew louder. The hum was 
followed by the sound of hydraulics and grinding metal. Suddenly Shinobu 
felt uneasy, light-headed.  

Inaba noticed that she was uncomfortable. "It's okay," he said. "Your body 
is just uncomfortable in the gravity shift caused by the shuttle lifting 
off. It'll go away."

Shinobu looked up to the ceiling. Benten was leaving. Shinobu hoped that 
she had checked the ship well enough. Too many accidents had been happening. 
Shinobu was starting to feel a little paranoid. She didn't trust staying in 
the building for so long. She expected it too to blow up at any minute like 
the mansion did.

She looked back to Inaba. He was fidgeting a great deal.  He avoided her 
eyes. "Is there something wrong?" she asked. She was worried that he would 
say that they had to leave this building too.

Inaba briefly caught her eye and then looked back down again. 
"Um no. Not really," he said.

Shinobu breathed a sigh of relief. Still, something was bothering him.  

"Umm," he began.

"Yes?" she answered.

He starled twiddling his fingers. "Umm," he began again. His face was 
growing red. "I umm."  He took a breath.  "I was wondering..."

Shinobu smiled at him, and took his hands. She took a step closer. She was 
surprised to realize that her heart was racing. She closed her eyes. There 
was a long pause and she wondered if she had guessed wrong, but then she 
felt him move closer. He let go of her hands and put his hands on her waist. 
She put her arms around his neck. She felt his lips on hers. A shiver ran 
down her back.  She hoped that he would pull her closer, and kiss her more 
passionately, but he pulled away.  

She opened her eyes. Inaba was bright red, and smiling shyly. She felt that 
she also must have been blushing. She wasn't ready for it to stop. 
She wanted to come out and tell him to kiss her again, but she too felt her 
throat freeze up. "It would be okay," she said at last.

Inaba looked up.

"If you kissed me again," she finished. "It would be okay if you 
kissed me again."

Inaba nodded shyly. And began to move closer to her. She closed her eyes 
again.  He took a strained breath, looking at her face. Her small lips 
pursed waiting for him. He put his hands on her waist and felt the curve of 
her hips. He pulled her closed to him, taking count of all the contours of 
her body against his. He put his lips to hers again. She tasted sweet.  
He had imagined another short kiss, but when he tried to pull away this 
time Shinobu held him close. They continued.

* * *

Benten surprisingly encountered no resistance reaching orbit. It was good 
to be in space again, even in the little buggy she was flying now. It was 
like flying a damn shuttle with an engine missing. When they got back to 
Urusei she was going to take out her bike and break every near planet 
flying ordinance she could think of. Hopefully, she could also convince 
them to invent a few more they hadn't thought of yet.

All the ships from the planet hung in orbit before her. She couldn't see 
their shuttle anywhere. Tobimaru did say that they had sent it out of 
system, bastards. In that case, she'd have to 'acquire' one. She looked 
around for a likely candidate. She was a little cautious. She still didn't 
quite believe that they were going to be let go after all they had been 
put through.   

Lum had better not be dead. She couldn't believe two attacks within the 
Palace. She didn't know what they were dealing with now. It wasn't as 
simple as it used to be. Hopefully, the Emperor would be able to work this 
out. All they had to do is point her in the right direction and she'd take 
care of the problem. She didn't like not having a clear target to shoot at.  

She finally found a ship that looked like a good choice. It wasn't the best 
ship on the lot, but it looked available. It also had Azu family markings 
on it, so with Des's help it would probably be easy to get without too much 
hassle. Of course, Des wasn't with her now, so if she had to kill a couple 
Azus to get it, well that was just too bad, wasn't it.

She hoped there was no one in there. The ship she was in couldn't defend 
itself from a child's blow pipe. She couldn't imagine how Minah ever 
thought he could escape in this thing.   

She approached the Azu ship. All but the running lights were off. It looked 
unused. She was having trouble finding the docking port thought. It'd be 
just her luck if the dock on the shuttle and the ship were incompatible. 
That was the most annoying thing about space travel. You would think that 
someone would standardize that stuff.

"Finally," she thought as she maneuvered to the other side. Anyone watching 
would have figured by now that she was going to dock with this ship, and of 
course there were not Azu markings on the shuttle she was in. Azu must have 
some police in orbit to watch all this stuff.

There was a thought. She checked her console. Sure enough, there was no 
radio. If someone was trying to question her, she'd never know. She was 
almost ready to dock. She looked around, but could see nothing. Of course 
her field of vision was extremely limited. Mostly all she could see was the 
Azu ship in front of her.

She docked with the ship, and made another peek around before opening the 
hatch. She entered the airlock and studied the hatch to the Azu ship. It 
had a simple keypad lock. She had to be a little careful. She did want to 
be able to close the door when she was done. She knelt down and began work 
picking the lock. This was more Ten's department, but she understood ships.

Soon, the door slid open. The Azu airlock was dark. She didn't turn on the 
lights, but turned on a small spot light that was attached to her gun. She 
entered the airlock. The door closed behind her. Their was a small window 
on the door into the ship. That was dark too. Benten took a breath. "This 
is too easy," she said in a sing-song voice.

She opened the second door. The air in the ship was stale. It was also a 
little cool. It hadn't been used in awhile. That was a little strange since 
someone had to fly it up here. It couldn't have been in orbit all along, 
could it? She followed the dim light of her gun toward the front of the 
ship. There were no sounds and no people. She found the room that must have 
been the bridge and entered. It was empty and dark. She went to the con, 
and turned on a computer. It was a little slow coming on, but it looked 
like it worked.   

She checked the status of the ship. She had a sinking feeling that she 
understood what was going on. Power levels were very low. It was running on 
reserves. The power cells were off. Then she found the message that she had 
been dreading, the repair notice. That's why there was no one in the ship, 
and no one guarding this lot. She was in a maintenance yard, and no one 
thought these ships could go anywhere so they were all guarding the good 
ones. All the good ones must have been in orbit over another part of the 
planet.

Benten was wondering if this ship could go anywhere. Assuming the power 
cells worked at all, they were cold. It would take a few tenths to warm 
them up. She read the repair notice. This ship must have belonged to some 
Azu kid. He burned out the engine. These supposed sports models couldn't 
take all that much without appropriate enhancements. Of course, the kid 
was too dumb to know that. He was an Azu after all.

So she had a ship with cold power cells and a burnt out engine. She turned 
off the computer. She would need what little reserves there were to restart 
the power cells. As for the engines, she would have to see how bad they 
were. There would be an escape shuttle on the ship, and she had the shuttle 
she came in for parts. She also had to find some way to inform Ten that she 
would be awhile. Either that or steal a better ship. Better ships were 
better guarded, she thought.  

She paused, and then shrugged her shoulders. Maybe the new parts were 
already on board.

* * *

Lum slowly opened her eyes. She felt weak. Ataru was looking over her. 
"Welcome back," he said.

"We did it," she said weakly.

"It is a miracle," the doctor on the other side of the bed said. 
"The virus is still present, but it is no longer multiplying. I don't know 
how this will last, but we have some time to cure you now."

"I'm sure he'll be repairing Ran's ship for awhile, and Benten's watching 
him now." Ataru said to Lum.

Lum concentrated on this. "But we're not dreaming anymore," she said.

"Well, I think if the cockroach was a representation of the virus, then 
maybe the other characters were your body's defenses. Maybe the dream was 
just telling your body how to deal with the invader."

Lum nodded. "Maybe. It's strange though."

"I'm glad your back," Ataru said.  

Lum's thoughts were cloudy. "Maybe I should sleep now," she said.

"I'd recommend that," the doctor said. He looked to Ataru. "We'll tell you 
if things get worse again."

"Thank you," Ataru said. "But if it's okay, I want to stay here. If 
something happens again, then they'll have to consider me too. I don't want 
to leave her side again until we're out of this."

The doctor weighed this for a moment. She didn't like it, but Lum nodded at 
her. "We'll set up a bed next to hers." the doctor said. "Just make sure 
you do your exercises. I expect you fully out of that chair in five days."

"Yes, doctor," Ataru said.

The doctor left.  Lum turned toward Ataru. She reach out her hand, but 
Ataru motioned for her to stop. "You're still in quarantine," he explained. 
"There's a field here."

Lum pulled her hand back. "It's enough to know that you're here with me. 
Maybe I'll see you in my dreams." With that she closed her eyes, and soon 
was sleeping normally.

Unfortunately, Ataru was no longer tired. Lum would have to deal with the 
cockroach on her own. He knew she had help now. He wasn't too worried. He 
studied her face. Her color was better. He was going to let himself hope 
one more time. This time things would get better.

* * *

The Emperor stood before the holo-image of the Tenwan patriarch. He was in 
a panic. Five outposts had ceased transmitting. Each of them separately, 
were minor targets, but together, it appeared that the Tenwan planets were 
surrounded by an unknown enemy. The Emperor promised that a Redet carrier 
would be on its way to assist the Tenwan fleet.   

Shortly after he broke contact with the Tenwan partiarch, Dedron contacted 
him to complain that two of the Dedron systems had been attacked by 
mysterious forces. The Emperor also promised her a carrier.

After that conversation, the Emperor waited for a third report, but none 
came. He put the fleet on alert and sent out the promised carriers. This 
was likely going to be a time that he needed his daughter back on the 
Imperial carrier, and in charge of the fleet. 

It was too organized an attack for pirates. Someone was sending out feelers 
for a full scale invasion. Checking his maps, it was pretty obvious who. 
This was not the time for another complication.

In moments, the Emperor's suspicions were confirmed. Uio Retah, was 
contacting him. The Uio patriarch did not have news of missing planet. 
He had a declaration. "Emperor Redet," Retah began. He was dressed 
imperially, far more regally than befitted a simple Family head. He had 
the expression of a person who had already won, and was announcing his 
victory. "The Family Uio announces its succession from the Redet Empire. 
The newly formed Uio Empire also announces that it will declare war on the 
Redet Empire unless certain worlds are delivered to us, and agreements are 
made to recognize the legitimacy of our succession."

The Empire considered his position, and the possible threat that this 
posed. It didn't seem likely that the Uio could hold out against the other 
Major Families as they were. The Uio could be reckless at times, but rarely 
stupid. They had something to gain by this move. Perhaps they felt that the 
Emperor would want to avoid conflict bad enough to give up some of those 
planets.   

That feeling was a serious miscalculation on their part. The Emperor, after 
suffering numerous attacks on his daughter, was angry, and not willing to 
back away from any fight. He was ready to score a victory. He had the 
Families, and a huge fleet of fighters backing him up.   

The Emperor was also good at acting imperious. He met the eyes of Uio, and 
delivered his response. "The Uruseian Empire is whole and cannot be broken. 
I will not suffer loss of any planet from those Families who share your 
borders, nor will I suffer the loss of the Uio worlds. Additionally, I 
declare before the Spirits, that for this act of willful treason Uio Retah 
is under the sentence of death and for the sake of his Family's possessions 
will surrender himself immediately."

Uio Retah was silent for a moment and then smiled. "I believe, Enjo, that 
you are not aware of how weak your position is. Allow me to spell it out 
for you. Your only daughter is dying. You have no heirs, whatsoever. 
Additionally, in the loss of your daughter, you have also lost the Admiral 
of your fleet and have not taken the time to choose a replacement. Your 
forces are leaderless. The other Major Families are still licking their 
wounds from the recent civil war, and most are still not happy with your 
decision to use slave pilots, and raise the status of the slave planets.   

"Please also consider that you are not the only person who can build forces 
in secret. Our forces are greater than the Redet forces. We have a leader, 
and we are Uio, the greatest warriors that your Empire had.

"Let me now make a declaration. I am no longer happy with a few planets. 
I declare that your reign over the Uruseian Empire to be dissolved. I am 
the new Emperor, and for your treason against me, the sentence is death. 
You will surrender to me."

The Emperor did not need any time to respond. "The Uio are also noted for 
idle boasting. My situation is not as hopeless as you seem to think. If you 
wish to fight, then know that you have doomed the house of Uio. I think 
that we have postured enough. Reconsider this action of yours."

With that the Emperor turned off the transmission. He sat back at his desk. 
So it was to be civil war. A real war this time, with billions dying in 
bloody conflict. He needed information. He needed to know how strong the 
Uio had become. Jariten could tell him if he were here.   

Uio was right, Enjo was in a weakened position. All his power was trained 
on an apparently fruitless effort to protect his daughter. Now he risked 
losing his Empire as well. The Empire under Uio rule would be too terrible 
to imagine. All the laws and protections that they had built up over the 
millennia would be lost. That was something that the Emperor had in his 
favor. The Families may be unhappy with the recent changes concerning the 
slaves, but they were certainly a long way from accepting Uio rule. Under 
the Uio there would be no Family autonomy at all.

The Emperor thought for a moment. It had been a long time since there 
was a Empire-wide war. The last time was before hyperspace travel was fully 
reliable. Now an enemy could jump anywhere in the galaxy. No planet was 
safe. Attack was easier than defense, but the Emperor had an obligation 
that the Uio would probably ignore. He had to defend his people. The Uio 
had also been preparing for this. They had already started. The Emperor had 
much to do. He needed Jariten. He needed his daughter. 

And he needed them now.

* * * *

Chapter 8: "In My Dream I Ran, But I Could not Move"

Sugoi wore the black body suit that she wore when she was in the mood to 
be particularly sneaky. She had high hopes that this time she would succeed 
and actually get some information about what was going on. The operation 
was a simple one. She had a face and a name. All she had to do is catch the 
person sleeping, and set up a brain scan. If the maid still didn't know 
that Sugoi was on to her, then there should be no road blocks this time.

Sugoi stopped. She was feeling very paranoid. Something was going to 
happen, she just knew it. She berated herself for her pessimism and 
convinced herself to continue on. This time it was going to work. 
This time she was going to get the information that she desired.

She reached the service door to the servant's building, at the far end of 
the Palace courtyard. It was late at night. Tolia shown in spectacular 
intricacy in the night sky overhead. It was a cold night for the summer 
season, but a breeze blew with the pleasant smells of the garden and the 
night. Sugoi could hear voices and music coming from the building. There 
were some people who were still awake. She would have to be cautious. 
She cursed these people for not keeping regular hours. It was only a few 
hours until dawn and she needed time to do the brianscan. She could wait 
any later. She hoped that her maid wasn't one of the people who was 
still up.

She reached for the door, and gently opened it. She had picked this door, 
because it was one of the few doors in the palace that wasn't mechanical. 
Such machinery was very loud in the middle of the night. She opened this 
door with no sound at all, and entered the building. All the lights were 
off. That was good. She had a vision enhancer strapped to one eye. 
She could see the room as a computer generated radar image.   

She was in a small store room. Boxes and barrels of food were stacked 
around the walls. There was a door at the opposite wall. If her mental map 
was correct there were stairs to the second floor just on the other side of 
that door. The maid's room was on the second floor. Crossing the room, she 
was well aware that the voices were getting louder. Whoever was still awake 
was standing at the stairwell talking with a friend. Once she was close 
enough to hear what they were saying she was depressed.

The conversation was about servant politics, general uninteresting things. 
They had probably been talking for tenths since the previous evening and 
had just lost track of the time. Sugoi was in no mood to wait for them. 
She looked around and found the over head lighting. She took out her gun 
and shot it. Immediately the talked stopped.    

Sugoi moved behind the door as it opened.  

"What was that?" came one voice.

"It sounded like a gun shot. Computer: lights." The lights didn't come on. 
The two people came into the room, but it was completely dark. The only 
light came from the open door, and that was dim. "Is there anyone in here?" 
They left the door, but Sugoi caught it before it closed and slipped 
through.

There was no one else there, and she was up the stairs before the two 
returned. She just hoped she'd be able to get out. All was quiet and dark 
on the second floor. That was a good thing. She found the maid's room and 
listened at the door. It was quiet. Sugoi adjusted her enhancer for 
infra-red. It looked like there was someone in there. Disabling the door 
mechanism, she slowly slid the door open with her hands. Getting a better 
look inside she could see the woman sleeping peacefully.

Sugoi moved in on light feet until she was next to the bed. Out of a side 
bag she was carrying, she took out a small circular device and placed in on 
the woman's forehead. It stuck there and began to hum. The woman's 
breathing became slower. Sugoi then took out another larger device, and 
placed it over the woman's head. Pressing a couple buttons, the device 
began blinking to indicate recording. Sugoi breathed a sigh of relief and 
went to find someplace to sit. It would take about five thousandths to 
download everything.

She wondered how much this woman would know. Certainly not everything. 
Such a secret organization would only tell its people what they absolutely 
had to know. Still it had to be more than Sugoi knew. She could at least 
hope for information on the Palace operation. 

Suddenly, an object was tossed into the room. It was a stun grenade.  

* * *

Benten was surrounded by engine parts, and covered with grease. She was 
using all her strength to try and wrest a melted joint free from its 
fitting. There had been a lot of melted parts, and Benten was starting 
to get annoyed. She vowed that she would find whoever owned this ship and 
she would make them pay for abusing this engine so badly. To Benten, 
propulsion was an art, a religion, and whoever had melted this engine 
had desecrated a sacred altar.  

The joint suddenly broke free. The wrench that Benten was holding was 
equally suddenly free to move. With all her strength she slammed her hands 
into another pipe. It hurt a lot.  

Benten pulled her hands back. The hand that still held the wrench threw it 
hard against the wall, and then she nursed her wounds. The new bruises had 
a lot of company. She eyed the joint lying free on the floor. She picked it 
up and threw it as well. Then she picked up the other twenty joints she had 
freed and threw them. Benten was a bit frustrated. But she was dirty and 
surrounded by machinery. Deep inside, she was happy.   

Benten found another tool and threw it so hard against the wall that it 
made a dent. She was breathing heavily. "I need to hurt somebody," she said 
angrily, and when back to nursing her hands.  

A ship came out of hyperspace just outside the system of the Azu homeworld. 
It was a small cruiser bearing Imperial markings. Once in normal space it 
sped toward the Azu homeworld.

* * *

Ataru looked down at his feet. He was very surprised to be standing on 
them. He did have help. He was wearing a lifter which was masking eighty 
percent of his body weight. Even so he was very stiff, and it was a strain 
for he legs to keep him up.   

Rei was standing against the wall nodding approvingly. "Walk," he commanded.

Ataru looked up at him with not a whole lot of confidence. It was hard 
enough staying up with two legs. He wasn't sure if he could safely shift 
it weight to one leg. He shuffled his leg forward without actually lifting 
it off the floor. That seemed to work. He moved forward. He was very 
pleased with himself, but Rei showed no sign.

"Walk," Rei commanded again.

Ataru sighed. He tried a bolder step, but still didn't lift his foot up. 
That was successful as well. Ataru looked to Rei for approval.

"Walk," Rei commanded.

"I am walking!" Ataru shouted.

"Not enough," Rei returned. "No cheating."

Ataru lifted his foot, and took a step. The foot that remain on the ground 
hated him for it, but he stayed up. Ataru took a step.   

Rei nodded his approval. "Walk for a hundredth," Rei said.

"However long that is," Ataru returned.

"I'll tell you," Rei grinned. "Walk."

Ataru decided that if he was going to walk for however long Rei decided, 
that he was going to go somewhere. He turned toward the door. Agonizing 
step by agonizing step he made his way closer to it. He promised to remind 
himself never to get blown up in future. It wasn't worth it. He made the 
door and leaned against it in exhaustion.

Rei opened the door leaving Ataru leaning on nothing. Ataru lost his 
balance and almost fell, but Rei caught him and stood him up. "Walk," 
he said. "Go visit Lum."

Ataru nodded. He wished Rei would have waited a little time before opening 
the door. Ataru gathered his strength and stepped into the hall. He turned 
toward the infirmary. Looking down the hall he began to despair. It seemed 
like it was kilometers away. Ataru took a step, and then another. It was 
hard to believe that the lifter was doing most of the work for him. He felt 
incredibly heavy.

Rei was walking next to him. He wasn't difficult to keep up with. 
"Rei," Ataru asked. "How long were you dating Lum?"

"Two years," was the response.

"Do you miss her?"

"It was hard. She hated me. Uncle said it didn't matter."

"This was the uncle that you put in prison?"

Rei smiled. "Yes."

"I take it you didn't like your uncle."

"No. He called me stupid. Said bad things about Lum. Said bad 
things about Ran."

Ataru had a few hard memories of Rei's uncle himself. He was glad they 
managed to resolve that one. "I'm glad that things turned out the way 
they did," Ataru said. I'm glad we didn't end up being enemies."

Rei smiled at Ataru "Anything for Lum," he said, and glanced at 
Ataru's feet.  "You walk well."

Ataru was surprised. He had stopped thinking about it. He did seem to be 
walking a little better. They were almost to the infirmary. Unfortunately 
since Rei reminded him of his walking, Ataru began to realize that he was 
very tired. He went to lean against a wall to rest.  

"Don't rest," Rei said. "Almost there."

Ataru sighed. He moved away from the wall and began walking again. 
"You're a hard man, Rei."

Rei smiled. "Yes."

* * *

An unearthly glow emanated from the engine room of Benten's new ship. 
It was the glow of a finely tuned, immaculately clean engine. Benten 
stood back to survey her work. She was pleased. She was very pleased. 
This was the way an engine should look. Whoever owned this ship owed 
her a lot. It was too bad the ship was hers now. It was time to go.

Benten put the casing on the engine, and left the engine room. She 
practically skipped up to the bridge. She was filled with the joy of being 
able to reap the fruits of her labor. She planned to go fast, very fast. 
Upon reaching the bridge, she was surprised to find that Ten was waiting 
for her.  

She stopped. "How the hell did you get up here?!"

Ten got up. "I was wondering what was taking so long. We have to go. 
We've been summoned back to Urusei by the Emperor. There's a ship waiting 
for us."

"A ship? I'm not leaving on another damn ship. I'm taking this ship."

"We really don't have time for you to fool around. There's a civil war 
beginning out there. We're needed.  Besides, Lum's better. It looks like 
she survived the virus." Jariten started to leave. "Come on. Everyone is 
waiting."

Benten shook her head. "No. New engine. My ship!"

Jariten stopped. "It is ready for hyperspace yet?" he asked.

Benten lowered her head. "No," she admitted. "I had to use some of 
those parts. But it will be!"

"Lum's waiting," Jariten said and left the bridge.

Benten looked back to the controls. "No, no. New engine."

"Benten," she heard Jariten call.

Benten lowered her head. And began to walk out. "Fuckin' asshole, damn 
bastard doesn't understand fuckin' art when he sees it. Shit, piss, fuck, 
damn, hell..."  and so on.

A couple days later repair crews entered the ship. They were surprised to 
find it fully powered. They were even more surprised to find the engine in 
far better condition than they could have hope to accomplish themselves. 
The yard man sweared that the engine was completely melted when it came 
into the yard. It had to be towed. He couldn't imagine how it got repaired.  

The foreman surveyed the work very carefully. He reached into the engine, 
and found a small red wire. He pulled the wire away from its connections. 
Somewhere on the ship a running light went dark. The foreman turned to his 
assistant. "Yeah, this engine is in bad shape. Radio the owner and tell him 
the work will take at least two weeks. Give him the usual estimate. Hurry 
back and we'll give this baby a test run. I bet it'll really move now." 
The foreman thought. "On second thought, charge double. Tell him we're 
doing a custom job so that he won't melt the engine again."

The assistant grinned. "Yes sir!" he said and ran off.

The foreman turned back to the engine. "Damn, I'd like to meet the mechanic 
who did this. It's a real work of art. It looks tuned like a fighter. 
I wonder why they left it."

* * *

Megane waited outside of Sugoi's room hoping that he wasn't in so much 
trouble that she wouldn't answer. It was hard for him to sleep the night 
before. It wasn't bad enough that he had missed a night of ecstasy, but he 
was continually reminding himself that Sugoi had been lying on the same 
place where he was, and she wasn't wearing anything. It gave him a nose 
bleed just thinking about it.

He really should have been back in his room before Sugoi left. He was late 
because for some reason he had fallen asleep in the kitchen last night. 
Probably ate too much. It wasn't a very relaxing nap either. Megane tapped 
the buzzer again. There was no response.

Megane looked up at the ceiling. He still wasn't comfortable talking to the 
walls the way that everyone did on this world. It was worse when the walls 
talked back. However, he was curious. If he knew when she left, maybe he 
could figure out where she went. "Uh computer," he said to the air, feeling 
very self-conscious, "when was Sugoi here last?"

"Seq Sugoi left the room at point 11:27," was the response.

Now what did that mean? "Couldn't you tell me in hours and minutes?"

There was no answer.  

"I guess not." When the hell was point 11, whatever, Megane thought. 
Maybe it'd help if he knew what time it was now. "Computer, time."

"Point 42:11."

Megane looked at his watch. It had been a bad fit. Uruseian days were 
twenty-two hours long, but Megane had to know what time it was, and he 
wasn't going to learn the Urusei way of doing it. His solution was to 
reset his watch every morning to what time he figured it was by the sun. 
His watch said it was quarter to ten. So if point four something was 
quarter to ten, then point one was... earlier. Megane worked his brain 
trying to get something more exact. Minus the square root, carry the one, 
add the logarithm of pi, take the cosine and... it was earlier.   

Actually, it sounded like it was very early in the morning. Why would Sugoi 
be leaving so early? She hadn't come back yet apparently. The only reason 
to leave so early was if she was going sneaking around, or getting a snack.   

He would have known if she was getting snack, that's where he had spent 
most of the night, after he couldn't get any sleep. He wished that she had 
told him a little of how she was doing. She had been so intent on this 
investigation that he had barely seen her, and had also missed seeing her 
bare. That really dug at him. If he had just returned a few minutes earlier. 

Sugoi hadn't been back in a while. Something was probably wrong. Maybe she 
had told someone else. Who would she tell? She talked to Rei on occasion, 
but he never seem to remember. He didn't want to bother Lum about it. 
She was still recovering. The only solution was to solve the matter 
himself. Sugoi wasn't the only investigator around here. Megane had an 
incredible grasp of deductive reasoning. He paused, and looked up at the 
ceiling. Except he could even figure out what time it was.

Megane thought for a moment. "Computer, what is two plus two?"

"Two plus two equals four," was the response.

Megane was pleased. "Computer, time."

"Point 42:13"

Megane thought how to word this. "Computer: what is point four two one 
four times twenty-four?"

"Zero point four two one times twenty-four equals ten point one one 
three six."

"Hah! So it's a little after ten. I got you figured out. Sherlock Holmes 
has nothing on me!" Megane wasn't even going to try to figure out how this 
all worked with a twenty-two hour day. He was happy just to have figured 
out some kind of frame of reference. It also meant his watch was wrong. 
He quickly reset it.

"Computer, when did Sugoi leave this room?"

"Point 11:27."

"Computer what is point one one two seven times twenty-four?"

"Zero point one three seven time twenty-four is two point seven four eight."

So that is quarter to three. It was very early in the morning. He needed to 
get the gang together. Something was wrong. He stood up proud. "Don't 
worry, your hero is coming to rescue you. You knight in shining armor is 
marching into the thick of battle of free you from distress. My dearest 
Sugoi, I will fight obstacles the overcome whatever what foul deed has 
become..."

Someone was coming down the hall. She had heard his announcement and looked 
at him as if he was a little crazy. Megane immediately got self-conscious. 
"Computer, time," he said, smiling innocently at the passerby.

"Point 45:15," came the response.

* * *

Ten had just spent a great deal of time on the radio, and now sat in his 
quarters deep in thought. It was good to be in touch again. It had been a 
few days. There was quite a bit going on. Everyone was talking about the 
Uio, and what that would do for commerce. Like the Pochik and the Redet 
the Uio had also been building their force. The Uio were renown fighters to 
begin with, so a large force at their command was something to be 
reckoned with.  

The question was, what did they have to gain from succession? The economic 
structure of the Uio planets would not support self-sufficiency. Even if 
they were building up, Ten found it hard to believe that they could take on 
all the families at once. He also couldn't believe that anyone would join 
them. The Uio were not easy to work with, and were merciless when asked to 
lead other Families. There might, however, be a few families that would 
abstain from helping the Emperor. It shouldn't be enough though.  

It was a puzzle. There were one of three answers. Either they were just 
incredibly stupid, they had more forces than Ten realized, or they were 
coaxed into it by another power. They last option was seeming very likely. 
Ten could easily think of a power who would have something to gain 
from this.

It could also be, Ten reflected, that they never intended to go through 
with it, and were hoping that the Emperor would back down and give them 
something. Uio pride would force Retah to take up the challenge if the 
Emperor didn't back down. Now they'd be in a spot, and are looking for a 
face saving way of getting out of this. That would be a more pleasant 
choice than the former one of outside help.

Ten figured that the Emperor would be expecting him to have some kind of 
solution worked out short of civil war. Ten didn't like the idea of civil 
wars either. Civil wars were always so messy. It would also meant that Lum 
and Ataru would never have a chance for peace. Peace was one wedding 
present that he thought they deserved. He was hoping he could give them 
that. They Uio were going to have to decide to behave and play nice.

It was going to be good to see Lum again. If there was a civil war, they 
could go back to the carrier, back to the old days. Back to a time when the 
hardest thing he had to do was pester Rei and keep Lum happy. Maybe there, 
there would be peace from this new enemy.

Ten's new understanding of their foe worried him. The closer Ten got to the 
truth the more dangerous it would become. Ten asked a little bit for 
information about the power behind the Slavers Guild. No one knew how the 
Slaver's Guild was organized, let alone who ran it. That was interesting. 
Strange that he hadn't noticed something so interesting before. Secrets 
usually demanded that they be found out. How was it that this one had 
escaped his attention?

In the middle of battle it was too late to get the answers. He should have 
had them before hand. He would have to meet these people who had kept 
hidden from him for so long.  

The engine roared and Ten stood. They were either speeding up suddenly or 
stopping. Either situation was not good. Ten left his room and ran to the 
bridge. He was nearly knocked over by Benten who had realized the same 
thing that he did. They were being threatened.

Reaching the bridge, they immediately saw that they were stopped. 
They were stopped because there were three Uio cruisers in their 
path. Their own captain stood in shocked before the image of the 
enemy ships. His job was to haul passengers in an Empire that was 
internally peaceful. No one had ever threatened him before.   

Benten rushed to the tactical station. "How many are there?" she asked 
the young Uruseian who manned than console.

"Just the three," was the response.

"More than enough," Des said, onto the bridge. "Communications, have 
they tried to contact us?"

"No, my Lord."

"Hail them."

Ten stepped back. Let those who understood face to face action handle this. 
Ten was sure the Uio knew who was on this ship. The question was whether 
they were interested in capturing them, or they meant to destroy them.

"They're not responding," the communications officer said.

"Are their weapons powered?" Benten asked.

"Yes, maam, and locked on us."

Des approached the windows. "They won't talk to us and they're not firing 
on us. What the hell do they want?"

"They're waiting," Ten said.

The stars behind the Uio cruisers rippled and there was a flash. A large 
Uio carrier came out of hyperspace.

"We're being hailed," the communications officer said.

"Acknowledge it," Des said.

An image form in the air in the front of the bridge. It was Uio Retah. 
He seemed to be rather pleased with himself. "Des, my friend, what an 
unexpected bonus. I expected to find you on your planet, but here you are 
in space on a small enemy transport, surrounded by my ships. This should 
make negotiations much easier. And the slave pilot. I had hoped to face you 
in battle. It's a shame really." Retah's eyes fell on Jariten. "I am told 
that the families have underestimated you."

"Indeed?" Jariten said. "I must have a secret admirer. I wonder who it 
could be?"

"A friend," Retah said. He studied Jariten carefully, curious for any 
indication that the reports he had heard were true.  

"A mutual friend, no doubt." Jariten could guess who it was. Uio was in 
league with those who were threatening the Princess. "Is this a social 
call? I wouldn't mind taking a few moments to chat. My calendar as usual 
is quite full, but I would be interested in catching up on a few things."

"I'm not yet sure if I trust my information," Retah said. "I do intend to 
invite you all on my ship, probably for quite a while."

"A request from your friends?" Jariten asked.

"Not really," Retah replied.

Now Des spoke up. "Retah, really. The Azu family has no disputes with the 
Uio. Surely you can let my son and I return home, with an emissary from 
your ship. I'm sure we can work something out."

Retah sighed. "You always were a coward, Des, and not a very trustworthy 
one. I think I'm better off with you where I can see you. We are sending 
a navigation beacon to you. Follow it onto my cruiser. Then we'll have time 
to talk. If you don't we'll destroy you."

"The Emperor would be very upset if you did that," Ten said.

"The Emperor is already upset. You have to thousandth to begin bringing 
your ship into our dock, or we take out your engines and pull you in. 
That would make me angry though. I suggest you keep me happy." The image 
faded away, and disappeared.

"I am not the hell going to be captured by the fucking Uio!" 

"I think we knew your feelings before you even said them, Benten dear," 
Ten responded. "I don't think we have much choice now. Besides, it sounds 
like Retah has some knowledge about the people we're looking for."

"He's actually going to take me captive," Des said. "Things 
have gotten black."

"Good attempt to save your skin there," Benten said darkly.

"It's smarter than getting captured. I might have been able to help 
you if I was free."

"If you would have even tried."

Ten walked up to the captain, who has sat down. He didn't look good. 
Ten tapped him on the shoulder. The captain jumped. Ten talked softly. 
"It's your ship. You should tell you crew to follow the beacon before 
we get shot at."

The captain looked up at Ten. His eyes were wild. "Shot at? Yeah. We should 
do what he said. Follow the beacon."

Ten turned to the expectant crew and nodded. They went to the controls and 
the ship began to move forward.  

"Captured again. I can't believe I'm letting you do this to me," 
Benten complained.

"Ah, but it'll be so much more fun this time," Ten said.

Benten turned on Ten. "How do you see that?"

"You have me with you this time."

Benten made an unflattering sound.

* * *

"This is how I see it," Megane began while pacing before the assembled 
members of the Guard, "Sugoi left early this morning and has been missing 
ever since. She must have gone on an investigation and was captured by some 
evil malefactor."

"An evil what?"  Chibi asked.

Megane sighed and pushed up his glasses. "Malefactor -- meaning someone 
who does evil."

"Why didn't you just say that?"

"He feels more important when he uses big words," Pama commented to the 
other three.

"It doesn't seem to work," Kakugari added.

"He's still one of us," Chibi said.

"STOP IT!" Megane shouted. "This is serious business! Sugoi's life could 
be in danger. We must rescue her."

"This Palace is full of soldiers, why don't we let them rescue her?" 
Pama asked.

"It'd be less dangerous that way," Kakugari added.

"Because," Megane began, his voice began mysterious, "Sugoi shared her 
investigations with me, and she had discovered that the Palace is riddled 
with spies and saboteurs. No one can be trusted! We must rescue her 
ourselves!"

"I think you're just trying to get points with her," Pama said.

Megane lowered his head. "Are you guys going to help me or not?"

The guys looked at each other and then Pama spoke. "Sure, we got nothing 
better to do."

Megane looked up. "None of you really like me, do you?"

"Got nothing else to do," Chibi offered.

Megane accepted that. Now the hunt was on.

* * *

Sugoi opened her eyes, but was unable to see anything. She soon found that 
she couldn't move her arms or her legs. She didn't feel as if she was tied 
up, she just couldn't get her limbs to respond.  

She became very still, trying to get some kind of other feeling that could 
help her. She felt as if she was moving, and she could feel that there was 
someone sitting very close to her. Probably a guard. She was caught. 
How embarrassing. Still, at least she was going to find out something. 
Sugoi decided to hope that no one had seen her open her eyes. She closed 
them again, and listened.

"It's too late," a male voice said. "I saw you open your eyes."

Sugoi sighed.  "Do I know you?"

"No," came the response.

"Why can't I see or move my limbs?"

"Guess."

"Neural inhibitors?"

"Not a difficult problem."

The voice sounded bored to Sugoi. She had hoped that her capture would have 
generated a little more excitement. "Who are you?"

"A friend."

Sugoi was startled. There was an odd response. "I don't usually consider 
being stunned and NI'd acts of friendship."

"I work by different rules than most."

"Does my new friend have a name?" Sugoi was torn. This was either a 
terrible inconvenience, or a wonderful new puzzle. It'd be neat to see how 
much information she could get out of her strange captor.

"Yes," was the response to her question. "Please don't ask me what it 
is now. I'm not going to tell you."

"Where are you taking me?"

The stranger sighed. "Who am I? What am I going to do with you? Who do I 
work for? Where are we? Those are all the questions you want to ask, but 
really I'm not in the mood to answer any of them right now. You'll find 
out soon enough."

"You're not a very good friend," Sugoi returned.

"Patience."

Sugoi wasn't very good at patience, at least not when she was eaten up with 
curiosity. They seemed to be traveling a long way. They couldn't be in 
space or she wouldn't be able to feel the movement. Still they could be any 
place on any planet for all she knew. Sugoi could move her abdomen and she 
cautiously settled back. The back of the chair she was in was hard and 
cold. The clothes she was wearing fit snugly to her skin. She was probably 
still in her black body suit. At least they hadn't stripped her or done 
anything perverted to her while she was out. As far as she knew.

Sugoi was getting fidgety, which isn't easy to do when you can't move your 
legs or your arms. "Couldn't you answer just one question?"

"Yes.  Now be quiet."

Sugoi threw a tantrum. "Aaaaaaagh! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"  

"All RIGHT!  ONE question."

Sugoi smiled and let out a little giggle.  "Thank you.  Who do you work for?"

There was a pause. "The most powerful organization in the galaxy, and if 
you behave yourself, possibly, your new employer."

* * *

It was now Lum's turn to try and get up. She had the same help that Ataru 
did. The lifter was nearly on full as she moved her feet off the bed. 
The virus was in remission, but she was still sick. There was no cure as 
of yet. Meanwhile, she was given a chance to heal and she was going to use 
it. She had heard about the rebellion. That coupled with the two attempts 
on her life made her angry. She wanted to be on her carrier and in charge 
of a battle fleet. She had never liked the Uio. Of all the Families, she 
had received the least respect and the most trouble from their contingent 
in the Imperial fleet. It would feel good to put them in their place at the 
end of heavy plasma cannon.

The expression on her face mirrored her thoughts. The maids who were 
helping her up stepped back. Only Ran stayed with her as Lum pushed off 
the bed and to her feet. It was too quick and she struggled to keep her 
balance. Slowly she straightened up and then looked at Ran. Her expression 
was set. She had made a decision. "I want everything moved to my carrier. 
The doctors will take care of me there. I'm going into battle. I'm tired 
of being an invalid." Lum temporarily lost her balance again but regained 
it before Ran needed to catch her. Lum reset her face and waited for Ran 
to respond.

Ran knew Lum. She could argue all she wanted. She could tell Lum how 
foolish it was to leave now, but Lum was prepared to be stubborn. Lum 
excelled at being stubborn. Ran did have one ace though. They were on 
Urusei, and there was a higher authority than Lum nearby. "You'll have 
to get permission from your father first, Mistress."

Lum wobbled a little. Ran had gone straight for the big guns. She didn't 
even try the usual arguments. "You will contact my Father then," Lum said 
and then explained, "Ran I can't stay here while my Empire is falling 
apart. Sick or no, I have to defend my people. Go and contact my Father."

Ran bowed. "Yes, Mistress. Please continue your exercises." Ran glanced to 
the guards before she left. They nodded. The guards were under orders to 
watch the maids and anyone who had contact with the Princess.

Lum watched Ran go before trying to take a step. That was easier than Lum 
thought it would be. She was sure her father would allow her to go. He 
needed her at a time like this. She didn't have to be in top athletic shape 
to command the fleet. She just needed to be alert. She was sure, however, 
that once she was back in space it wouldn't be long before she got her 
health back. Every muscle screamed for battle. She was ready to see someone 
fry.

She straightened her legs and then went to adjust the controls on the 
lifter. Slowly, heedless of the protest of her servants, she raised the 
gravity. She could feel the weight increase, but she legs still held her 
up. She stumbled over to the wall, and leaned on it. She turned the lifter 
off. She felt incredibly heavy. She set herself and took a step from the 
wall. It wasn't a good idea. She collapsed, but caught herself before she 
hit the ground. Unfortunately, this was not something she could rush. She 
turned the lifter back to the earlier setting, and again tried to walk.   

* * *

The Accountant made a scratch-scratch with his pen on the paper he was 
studying. The lines he made were so perfect that even a laser could not 
have made a more delicate line. On paper he acknowledged the recent events 
of his plan that had just fallen into place.

There were also a few surprises on the page. He had accounted for the 
troublesome ones, and the fortuitous ones were nice to see. The actions of 
the Uio were totally unexpected, but helpful. It created the confusion that 
he wanted, and now all he had to do was to nudge a few things. That was 
good. The Accountant allowed a slight recognition of hope to enter his 
thoughts.  He was still fighting against luck, and there wasn't much hope 
in that direction.

Finishing the final marks, the Accountant carefully began cleaning the ink 
off his pen, and meanwhile scanned the work he had just completed. The 
entire plan was still incomplete. Jariten was still alive and searching for 
him. Although he was no longer free, that minor convenience didn't quell 
the Accountant's concern. The Uio were easy prey for Jariten. He would only 
be held so long as he wanted to be held.  He would stay to get information 
from them.  

The daughter of the Seq house was also an interesting variable to his plan. 
He had not expected her. Unlike Jariten, she was still young and perhaps 
her loyalties could be swayed somewhat. 

The Accountant surveyed the nib of his pen to see if any ink remained. 
The gold was spotless. Pleased, he put it back in it holder, and went 
back to studying the paper. The Princess also had a place in the plan. 
She had survived his second attempt. That was a bit unnerving. He hadn't 
decided whether a third attempt was warranted. She was too lucky.   

The Accountant stood and went to a portrait of the Princess that hung on 
his wall. She was very beautiful. The Accountant had never really liked 
hurting someone who was so pretty. It was like damaging art. Marring the 
symmetry of her face was an offense to the right order of the Universe. 
If it had been quick, easily done, he had felt that he could live with 
the damage. Like an old bandage it is easier if pulled quickly. Now it was 
taking too long.   

The Accountant studied the eyes of the Princess. They were bright and 
purposeful, and also very young. She was still a child, and was motivated 
by a child's idealism. Too bad the Emperor did not choose to wait a few 
years before stepping down. Perhaps now he would. That would be one thing 
accomplished. In ten or twenty years the Princess would be more cautious. 
It would require less drastic means to get her to change her mind. Now she 
was too dangerous, but thanks to his efforts she was bedridden. She had her 
health to worry about, she would not be going into battle to make trouble 
quite yet. He would let her rest, nurse her wounds, and then he would see.

* * *

Riding in a lift chair the Princess of the Uruseian Empire entered the 
bridge of her carrier. Ataru was at her side. He still was not up to full 
gravity, but he could get around fairly well. Lum looked around at the crew 
who sat in expectation of her first command. It felt good to be in uniform 
again. It felt good to be at the bridge of the her ship again. Buzzing 
around the carrier were the fighters of the Moroboshi fleet. Their carrier 
was still unfinished, but by rotating the fighters between hers and the Seq 
carrier they could maintain all the fighters. She intended to use them.

"Order the fleet to get underway," Lum commanded.   

"Aye Princess," the carrier captain responded and relayed the order.

"Plot a course for the Dedron homeworld. We'll start by retaking their 
planets, while we wait for the rest of the fleet to assemble. By order of 
the Emperor the Uio are declared enemies of the Empire. Any Uio ship 
encountered is to be destroyed on sight."

"Aye Princess."

Ataru looked at the forward viewer. The image of Tolia slid away to reveal 
open space. They were heading out again. "How hard a fight is this going 
to be?" he asked.

Lum didn't look up. "They pissed me off, and you know how I get when 
someone pisses me off."

* * * *

Chapter 9: "In a Dreamy Mood"

At the risk of overstating the painfully obvious, let us begin by saying 
that Benten was not in a good mood. Benten had numerous reasons for not 
being in good mood most of which have already been explained. Lum was 
being attacked and Benten couldn't protect her. She was not at Lum's side 
and no where near her 'bike.' She forced to work with Jariten on his 
terms. She repaired a ship's engine to its maximum performance, but didn't 
get a chance to fly it. She couldn't find who was responsible for the 
attacks on Lum. The person responsible was not Azu Des. That had really 
angered her. She had a chance to kill Azu Des, but couldn't because she 
had given her word. She had to travel with Azu Des on their way back to 
Urusei. They were captured on the way back to Urusei. And finally, what is 
really grinding her guts at the present moment is that she has found 
herself sitting opposite Azu Des in the cell that they were sharing. 
Someone was playing a little joke on her.

It was a small cell. Benten had to make a bathroom stop, badly. There was 
a facility in the cell. She wasn't about to use it with Des present. She 
fixed herself to give no impression of her plight or discomfort. She hoped 
that someone would get one of them before she burst.

Curiously enough, Azu Des was dealing with the same dilemma that Benten 
was. He also had no plans to use the available facilities. The two of them 
sat facing each other, sitting on the bunks on opposite walls. Both were 
stone faced and silent. Both were very uncomfortable, and neither was 
really in that good of a mood.

* * *

Jariten was not in such a good mood either. The cell was too small and it 
lacked any notion of tasteful decor. He had always hoped that when he was 
taken prisoner that he would be held in some place comfortable. He also 
noted that there were no less than four cameras on him. No cell was escape 
proof, but apparently this one was meant to challenge him. 

Mendo sat hunched, knees to his chin, in the corner. "Sitting in a cell is 
not all that exciting," he said.

"I take it that you no longer fear for your life?" Jariten asked. Mendo 
panicked a little one they came face to face with the Uio soldiers. He 
froze up for a time. Benten had less tolerance for it than the Uio. 
Jariten had thought that was interesting, but an issue for a later time. 
Preferably sometime when their lives weren't in danger.

"I'm too bored to be afraid," Mendo said. He paused. "I don't know why I 
did that. I had all kinds of people shooting at me a couple days ago. I 
think I was in a lot more danger then. It was the same when Benten 
surprised me on Earth. Benten didn't like it."

"Why is that, do you think?" Jariten asked. He hadn't stopped scanning the 
cell for weaknesses. In fact he was working harder. An unrelated 
conversation was just the thing to placate the guards who were watching on 
the other end of the cameras.

Mendo thought about an answer to Jariten's question. "I disappointed her. 
She wants me to be tough like her. I've been trying, but..."

"Do you want to be tough like her?" Jariten asked in his best counseling 
voice.

"I need to be if I want to live the adventures I dreamed about."

Jariten nodded. "I don't know if you answered my question."

Mendo looked up. He nodded. "Yeah. I guess I don't really know. There's a 
softer side to her, and I used to think that I could get around her 
violent side, to just love that part of her, but there's no getting around 
it. I watched her kill several Azu soldiers. There was no remorse or 
hesitation. She was like a machine performing a task. I don't want to be 
like that." There was a long pause. "I'm not sure if I can stay with her 
if she is going to be like that."

"Benten's a very complex woman," Jariten observed. Jariten noted two small 
locations in the cell that the cameras probably couldn't observe. Also, 
none of the the cameras were pointing toward the ceiling.

"She's very complex," Mendo continued, "I thought I had her all figured 
out. I was pretty dumb."

"Why dumb?"

"I can usually read people easily, but up until now I've never spent 
enough time with a person to see much deeper. I assumed that what I could 
see was all that there is."

Ten was starting to like Mendo and more and more. He was young but had a 
lot of wisdom. "Only myself, Lum and hopefully Benten's parents knew that 
there was a less abrasive side to Benten. Lum knew because she had known 
Benten before she became a warrior. I know because I'm me. You saw it 
immediately, on first impression. That's quite a gift. I think you should 
look at this positively. You've just gained a little wisdom. Don't damn 
your earlier self. You didn't have the benefit of the knowledge you've 
just gained. No one gets everything at birth."

Mendo looked over to Ten. "How did you learn to read people so well?"

Jariten shrugged. "I had a gift, the same as you. I've been working on it 
for several years, and I've been in a few close situations, like this 
one." Jariten got up and started to pace a little. "I've done some pretty 
stupid things, but I can't damn the mistake with the understanding I 
learned from it." Jariten stopped in one of the areas that he didn't think 
the cameras could pick up. He leaned against the wall, and began scanning 
the walls from that perspective to see if he missed any cameras.

"I suppose so," Mendo said. He was totally oblivious to Jariten's 
deliberate actions. Hopefully the guards would be equally fooled. Jariten 
was satisfied that none of the cameras could see him. He sidled over to 
the other place where he felt the cameras were blind. 

"Of course you also understand that we're in exceptional circumstances. If 
Lum were not under attack, Benten might be a very different person. She 
was almost in a good mood before the bomb."

Mendo let out a little laugh. "What are exceptional circumstances? I used 
to go to a little high school on a small planet with no prospects other 
than finding a really boring job as a salaryman in some no name company, 
if I was lucky. That was normal. I doubt if I'll ever go back to that 
again. Another thing is that I've stopped dreaming. That's the funny thing 
about all this. I've stopped dreaming. I used to be able to come up with 
all kinds of fanciful tales. Now I can't think of even one."

Ten was now in the second place, and was pleased to discover that he was 
right about that place as well. He couldn't be seen. Two hiding places, 
and two people was just too convenient to pass up. "Not dreaming is 
serious. That's what this is all about, I think. I know Benten. She may 
think she wants you to be a fighter, but what she really wants are your 
dreams. That's what convinced her to take you up to the carriers in the 
first place, I think. There was wonder in your eyes. Benten is seldom in a 
good mood, because she doesn't like the world she sees around her. You saw 
the world in a different way, and I think she would like to look through 
your eyes. I would forget about trying to be tough, and get your dreams 
back. 

Mendo looked up at Ten, and thought about his words. Things had been very 
dark for him lately. Their present situation not included. There was a lot 
of truth and hope in Jariten's words. Mendo nodded.

"Good lad. Now could you do me a favor and stand over by that wall."

* * *

One person who was in a good mood was Sugoi. Even though she couldn't move 
or see, she knew that she was in the middle of an information candy store. 
She could hear a great deal of movement. If they were still near the 
Palace, then there was an incredible complex operating secretly right 
under the nose of the Emperor. Right under Jariten's nose as well, but she 
had ferreted it out. Now the trick would be telling someone about it 
before she got killed.

The voice that she had talked with earlier had been silent for some time. 
No one talked to her. The car that they had ridden in had stopped and she 
had been taken to the place where she now sat. The voice now spoke again. 
"I have a question for you now," it said. "How many people are in this 
room?"

"I can't see anything," she said. "I don't know."

"I believe that you do know," the voice said. "This is a test. If you do 
well, it will help us to know whether we can use you."

Sugoi was uncertain. It was not usually a good idea to reveal the extent 
of one's abilities, but it would be helpful to gain the trust of these 
people. Assuming that there was any chance of that, or that the 
possibility of her working for them wasn't just a game. If she revealed 
how much information she could get from her ears, they could guess how 
much she might have picked up about her journey.

"There are seventeen in this room," she said finally. "Four behind me, 
working at desks. Eight to the left of me walking back and forth and 
loading something large. Two to the right of me, taking notes, and then 
there is yourself and the two who are with you."

She heard a gasp from one of those who was with the one who was 
questioning her. She must have been right. Of course, she had known that 
she was.

"Tell me what you know about the three of us before you," the voice 
requested.

"All three are Uruseian, two men, one woman. The woman is standing to the 
left of you. She is overly made up." The last comment, elicited a snicker 
and a vocal rebuttal. Sugoi was pleased. "You are tall, a bit heavy, 
raised on Wellinzar with a minimal education. You belong to a Minor 
Family, probably Garra." Sugoi had to watch herself. She had to be careful 
not to have too much fun showing off. She could reveal too much. If he was 
from the family of Garra, then she had a pretty good idea who he was, 
which also dropped one or two other things into place. 

"That's quite a bit of information for one who hasn't had the use of her 
eyes. I'd like you all to consider how much she would know if she could 
see us, or how much she already knows about our organization from her 
earlier investigations."

The woman spoke up. "You have made your point, which means all the more 
that we should kill her."

"That would be wasting a valuable resource," said the third voice. "She'd 
have unlimited access to the Palace, the Emperor, and especially the 
Princess."

"You assume she can be trusted," the woman said. 

The first voice spoke up, "I assume no such thing. She is a spy by trade, 
and therefore cannot be trusted, but she could be useful nonetheless." The 
first voice bent down, and he whispered to her. "You know who I am, don't 
you. You know my reputation. I joined this organization because I'm 
foresighted. I expect you are as well. We'll let you go, and if you behave 
we'll use you from time to time. If you betray us, then I will deal with 
you as I dealt with the others. Do you understand?"

Sugoi nodded.

"Know this. The Princess is no longer a target. She has been given other 
concerns. As long as she stays otherwise concerned she will be safe. If 
you stop your search for us, then all will be well. We will find you when 
we need you."

Sugoi thought about this. Admittedly belonging to a secret organization 
intrigued her, but they had tried to kill the Princess. "You said this was 
about foresight. What future does you organization see, Cenek?"

There was another gasp, but again not from the first voice. It was from 
the overly made up woman, whom Sugoi had decided not to like. Cenek 
laughed. "You are good. Alright. We are the butterfly, and the Empire is 
the cocoon. This fuedalistic Empire of bickering Families can't go on for 
much longer as it is. Before your Princess we expected it to crumble 
within twenty or thirty years. When that happened, there would be no dark 
period because we would be there, already powerful, already organized. 
Because the Princess was able to defeat the Families in battle and 
consolidate her power, and also because she is planning to bring the 
slaves in, we estimate that the Empire may last another hundred years or 
more, depending on who the heir to the Princess will be. As you can 
imagine, we weren't too pleased about this. The death of the Princess 
would revert the process back to the original time schedule, perhaps even 
accelerate it."

"Except that you couldn't manage to kill her."

"Exactly. We've also decided that the threat of an uncontrollable civil 
war would be too great."

"Isn't that what you wanted to start all along, Cerek?"

"In my younger days. Now I have found something better. The Families will 
destroy themselves. They don't need me to help them."

"What will this new butterfly of yours look like? How will it be better 
than the Empire's five thousand year reign?"

"It will be better because the priviledged few will be gone. We won't be 
at the mercy of the merciless greed to the patriarchs and matriarchs. It 
will be ruled, as it has been, by us behind the scenes and in secret. 
Planets will govern themselves and work together. If they don't work 
together, then things will happen to convince them.

"It'd be a shame if I or Jariten discovered and exposed your leaders then 
wouldn't it?"

"You understand why you must give up trying to find them. You said that 
the Empire has been around for five thousand years. How long do you think 
that we've been here?"

Sugoi thought about this. It was a good question, and a frightening one. 
She could think of many curious historical events that could have been 
explained by a secret organization. Then they could have been 
coincidences. With enough speculation one could convince themselves of 
anything. "How long?" she asked.

"No one knows," came the reply. "We speculate that some individual 
centuries ago, someone not unlike Jariten, turned a vast smuggling and 
imformation empire into the controlling power behind the Families, but who 
it was, no one knows. No information that could lead anyone to the center 
is ever released. Only those at the center know who they are. You may 
think that you are at the heart of our organization, but you have only 
seen the outer outer edge. You will never be allowed in farther."

"That'd be a shame," Sugoi said under her breath.

"Now is the time for you to decide. Are you going to join, or do you wish 
to end your promising career here and now?"

Sugoi's mind raced. There was only one answer, but what she would do with 
that answer was the question. She had to accept. There was no point in her 
being killed, and no way she could escape restrained by the nerve 
suppressors as she was. The question was how to proceed with her 
investigation without them knowing it. Perhaps Jariten could help when he 
returned. If the Princess was truly safe now, she had time. "I can see 
where it'd be profitable to join your little group. I accept."

"We didn't really give you a choice. Remember we will be watching you. 
Death of a betrayer will be far more painful than the death of an enemy 
would have been."

"I'll remember that," Sugoi said.

"You had better," was the response. 

Sugoi opened her eyes. It was dark. She felt that she was alone. 
"Computer, light," she called out. The lights came on. She was in her own 
bed, in her room. "Computer, time." 

"Point 98:34."

At least a day, she thought. She had a lot to think about. With that, she 
rolled over and tried to go to sleep. Her mind was full of glorious plots 
and schemes. Jerry was being most cooperative. She had to be careful not 
to pounce too soon.

* * *

Debris bearing Uio markings were deflected aside by a force field 
surrounding the hull of the Imperial carrier. They had entered the Dedron 
home system. The Uio were negotiating with Dedron at the end of the plasma 
cannon. Lum wasted no time in carrying out the Emperor's mandate. There 
were no Uio ships left. A shuttle left one of the remaining Dedron 
cruisers, and entered Lum's carrier.

Lum and Ataru were waiting in the hanger for the shuttle to land. Lum's 
health was still improving. She had graduated from a chair, to a personal 
lifter. She was standing at a greatly reduced gravity, but she was 
standing. So far the virus that was still in her body remained dormant. 

Ataru, had just that day laid aside his aid. Thanks to Rei's vigorous and 
merciless exercise regimen, Ataru was a week ahead of schedule. Ataru was 
almost in better shape than he was before the explosion. He had never 
worked so hard.

The shuttle came to an easy rest on the floor of the hanger. The door 
opened revealing Dedron Elle. She smiled broadly and rushed out to her 
friend. She stopped short of the Princess and gave her a careful hug. "It 
is good to see you on your feet again, my friend. You were just in time."

"It is good to be on my feet again," Lum said. "Thank you. I'm glad we 
arrived in time to see you in one piece."

"It was close." Elle turned to Ataru. "And what do I say to you, Terran? I 
still have trouble seeing you with her. Still, I am glad that you also 
survived. And since the Emperor has given the fighter fleet that saved us 
to you, I guess I am in your debt as well."

Ataru wasn't sure how to take all that but he offered a bow anyway. 

Elle smiled. "A little more polite that our last encounter. Good." She 
turned back to Lum. "I have never trusted the Uio. I hope that you have a 
plan for putting them in their place." 

"I can't understand what threat they think they are," Lum admitted. "One 
family, and an unpopular one at that, is hardly a match for the Imperial 
fleet."

"Do you think that they're behind the assassination attempt."

Lum laughed. "The Uio? Hardly. The Uio have never been that subtle. They 
might be working with whoever did it, or being used by them."

"Then you still don't know," Elle asked.

Lum and Ataru exchanged looks. "No," Lum admitted. 

"This makes things difficult and frightening," Elle said. "Could it be the 
Azu's?"

"No," Lum said. "I received a report from Ten. He was certain that it was 
none of the Families."

Elle shook her head. "It is hard to imagine. But in any case, allow me to 
extend the hospitality of my house for your stay. I hope that you can 
spend some time here."

"We can stay for a day. I want to move around quickly. Make the Uio think 
that we're in three or four places at once."

Elle smiled, "Then you and your consort will join me in the family mansion 
for dinner at point 60?"

Lum bowed, and Ataru followed suit. "We would be honored. May I authorize 
shore leave?"

"Of course."

* * *

Even the limits of Benten's endurance were being tested. She didn't know 
what she was hoping for. Maybe that Des would go to sleep and that she'd 
have a chance to quietly relieve herself. No, that wasn't quite accurate. 
She was hoping that Des would die, and her problem would be solved that 
way. Unfortunately, he wasn't dying, and he wasn't going to sleep. He was 
just sitting there across from her. It was as though he knew her plight 
and was determined to make her suffer. He was doing a fine job of it, and 
if he was purposely trying to torture her, he could certainly hold out 
longer than she. She was doing her best to hide it, but that did change 
the fact that she was ready to burst.

Des didn't know how long he could hold out either. The demon watched his 
every move. He had suspected that she never slept and now he knew. It took 
all his concentration not to show any sign that he was in discomfort. He 
wasn't about to give in, and he wasn't about to use the urinal in front of 
her. All kind of horrible scenarios played out in his mind at the thought 
of that. Not the least of which was the inevitable attack on his ego. 
Maybe the guards would come and take one of them away, or many he would 
eventually explode. Des was becoming convinced that despite his best 
efforts that she knew of his discomfort, and she could wait much longer 
than he.

* * *

Megane and the others had searched the Palace from one end to the other 
with no sign of what might have happened to Sugoi. What they did find, 
however was a new secret door that they had yet to explore. The Palace, as 
one would expect, was riddled with secret passages. In the days that the 
Guard has spent in the Palace they had explored all of them. Most of them 
led to the kitchen, which the four felt was quite sensible. Two led to the 
maids' quarters which turned out to be a gold mine of panties for them 
until they were discovered by the matron of the building, an impressive 
Uruseian woman who was nearly two meters tall in all directions. Kakugari 
did not make it out in time, and he had yet been unwilling or even able to 
recount the horrors that he had faced. 

Three other passages led, from various rooms, to out beyond the Palace 
walls. Apparently, they were intended as a means of escape if things 
weren't going well in the Empire. Other passages led to unused dungeons 
and storage rooms. A final passage led from the Emperor's suite to Oyuki's 
room. The Guard assumed that this was for an earlier time, and did not 
wish to speculate beyond that. 

They had totally missed the door that they were standing in front of at 
the present time. This was due to how well it was hidden and where is was 
located. The location was in the maids' quarters. Once the four had 
realized they were in the women's bedrooms earlier they had totally lost 
interest in looking for more doors in that room. The other reason was that 
unlike the other doors, which were merely well constructed trick walls, 
this new door was more technologically sophisticated.

It was a holo-image, and a very good one. They wouldn't have found it at 
all except that the matron had caught them in the room again, and Chibi in 
his panic had made a dash in the direction he was facing which appeared to 
be a wall. All were quite shocked, when he ran right through the wall 
instead of smashing into it. Megane was not so lucky.

Megane attempted to bend his glasses back into place while the others 
inspected the door. The matron was standing guard in front of the 
dressers, but did not hinder the investigation otherwise. Kakugari never 
looked at the matron, but noted her position and nervously kept his 
distance.

"My instincts tell me that there is a good chance that Sugoi has been 
taken through that door," Megane said while inspecting his glasses.

"Do you instincts happen to know what's back there or whether we'll get 
killed if we go in there?" Pama asked.

"It could be just another way to the kitchen," Chibi said.

"That'd be okay." Actually for Kakugari any room that wasn't in the 
presence of the matron would have been good, but a kitchen trip was 
especially welcome.

Megane put on his glasses and stepped forward. "Gentlemen, let us not lose 
sight of our mission. We are in grave times, and if this passage does lead 
to Sugoi, then it will also lead to her kidnappers, who are also the same 
people who tried to kill the Princess. Were we to discover them, then we 
will surely be heroes, heroes on a galactic scale, no less."

"Or dead," Pama added.

"I don't think I want to be a dead hero," Chibi commented.

"It would be preferable to being labeled a coward."

"No one would call us a coward if we just told the Emperor what we found. 
They would reward us," Pama said.

"With food maybe," Kakugari added.

"And if this passage does lead to the kitchen then we'd be called fools." 
Megane returned. "We have to at least explore to determine where it leads."

The others thought about this. "I think we should explore it," Kakugari 
spoke up. "It could lead to the kitchen."

"Okay," Pama agreed. "We'll explore it. But we're not going to try to be 
heroes!"

Everyone waited. No one was making a move to enter first. Everyone then 
turned to Megane, who really wished Ataru was with them. Megane swallowed 
and stepped forward to the wall. He peeked his head through the wall. There 
didn't seem to be anyone there, but then he couldn't see very far. He 
motioned everyone to follow and then he went completely in. 

They were in a dark hall. There was a light far down the hall, and what 
illumination they received from the maids' room. The entirety of which was 
quite visible from where they were standing.

"You know," Chibi said. "It's too bad that the matron knows about this 
door."

Everyone shushed him. "Don't mention her name. We figured it out. We'll 
talk about it later." 

They began moving down the hall. The walls appeared to be a type of 
plastic. There was no seam anywhere to be seen. Megane was gliding his 
hand along the wall, in case there was another hidden opening. 

Finally, they reached the next light. Another could be seen in the 
distance. No sound could be heard coming from anywhere. It was also a 
little chilly. 

"This isn't like any of the other tunnels," Chibi said. 

"No," Pama said. "It's much newer, and it's clean. There are none of those 
green insect pods that were the other tunnels."

"Which means people have been using this one," Megane proclaimed in 
justification. "Let's continue."

They continued to the next light, And finally came to the end of the 
tunnel. At the end was some kind of rail vehicle. It was a cylinder with 
narrowed ends. It was made of metal and glass. Inside were seats. Megane 
approached what appeared to be a door. It didn't open for him. There was a 
thumbprint pad just to the right of the door. 

"Now what do we do?" Chibi asked.

"We try it," Megane said. "We have Palace access. It could work."

"What if it doesn't and we set off some alarm?" Pama asked.

"I don't think we need a car to go to the kitchen," Kakugari observed.

"It'd save us having to carry you back to our room after you've gorged 
yourself," Megane said. 

"I think that Kakugari's right, though. If they need a vehicle to get 
there, this must be something important. We can tell the Emperor now."

Megane didn't want to go through the arguing again. Before anyone had time 
to bring anything else up, he touched the thumbprint pad. Surprisingly, 
the door opened. "Gentlemen, shall we?"

The others hesitated. Megane again wished that Ataru was with them. He got 
in, and the others followed. There was a keypad on a small control post at 
the front of the car. The button that closed the door was easy enough to 
recognize. The others were more difficult. There were just numbers.

"We must need a combination. We still can't go anywhere." Chibi said.

"It is definitely time to stop and go to the Emperor," Pama stated.

"We could get lucky?" Megane said and against all protest started pushing 
buttons. The others lunged at him to try and pull him away from the pad. 

"We have to rescue Sugoi!" he shouted. 

In the struggle Chibi was pushed back into the pad. A acknowledging beep 
from the car, instantly stopped the fight. Everyone stopped and waited. 
The car jerked and began to travel down. Made lighter by the rapid 
acceleration down, the four had a difficult time getting to a seat. 
Struggling didn't matter any more. They were on their way somewhere.

After a while the car halted it's downward journey and shot forward. 
Suddenly they were out of tunnels, and entered into a vast chamber. They 
could see hundreds of people all very busy. There were several very modern 
buildings that people and cars were going in and out of. There were many 
high rails to support the cars. They were on one of them. They passed many 
places that looked like they could be stops. They only accelerated faster. 
Soon they entered another tunnel. 

There was no reference to how fast they were going. The ride all along had 
been smooth, but they knew that they hadn't stopped accelerating since the 
ride began. 

It looked like they were coming out of the tunnel again. There was a light 
ahead. When they hit the light, however it was just a flash, and they had 
a queasy gut feeling that they recognized. They had just gone through a 
hyperspace fold. They had gone to another planet.

* * *

It wasn't long before a the small opening in the door to Ten's room opened 
and a guard peeked into the cell. He saw Ten and Mendo sitting quite 
innocently against the walls. Ten even smiled and waved at him. The guard, 
a little confused, closed the opening. Then the door opened. 

The guard entered the room. Another guard was standing at the door. He 
looked at Ten and Mendo again and then up toward the ceiling. The first 
guard went to where Ten has spotted one of the camera's and studied it for 
a moment, and then looked back to Ten.

"Is there something I could help you with?" Ten asked.

The guard frowned, but said nothing. He turned to the other guard who 
shrugged, and then both left the room, closing the door soundly behind 
them.

"What was that about?" Mendo asked.

Ten smiled. "Nothing important. Just don't move for a while longer." Ten 
stood up, and dragged the bed toward him. Standing on it, but still 
remaining in the same place he was earlier, Ten pushed at the ceiling. It 
was solid. 

Mendo was about to speak again, when Ten shushed him.

Ten studied the ceiling vent. It was a little too small for him, but Mendo 
might be another matter. Ten got down off the bed, and went over to Mendo. 
When he reached him, he whispered, "Go to where I was, stand in the bed 
and see if you can figure out a way to get into that vent."

"How about the guards?"

"They're having technical difficulties. Trust me."

Mendo shrugged and did as he was told.

* * *

Dedron is by no means the greatest house in the Empire. It is one of the 
smallest of the major houses. It is far less powerful than the Seq, Pochik 
or Uio. It is even less than the Azu even though they had been demoted to 
a minor house. Still, this did not keep the Dedron from putting on a major 
feast for its imperial guests. 

Lum recalled that the last formal dinner she had with Ataru was with her 
parents. Ataru showed at that time that he wasn't accustomed to state 
dinners. He didn't really do anything embarrassing, except perhaps eat a 
little fast. Lum had expected that. It was just that he was obviously 
uncomfortable with all the formalities.

He sat next to her, wearing a Uruseian dress uniform, which had him 
continually tugging at the tight fitting collar. Lum liked him in the 
uniform. He looked regal, she felt. She thought about what a fine image he 
would make on the Imperial throne. Lum glance over to Elle, who had caught 
her getting a little dreamy eyed. Lum blushed at being caught. 

Elle looked to Ataru and studied him a moment. "He does seem to wear the 
uniform well," she said. 

Ataru looked up from his food, and became immediately self-conscious. 

"Yes he does," Lum agreed. "He'll make a fine Emperor."

Ataru started to open his mouth but couldn't think of anything to say. 
He wasn't given the chance anyway.

"Unfortunately being an Emperor has more to it than just looks," Elle 
said. "He will need some kind of formal training."

"Training?" Ataru said nervously. That sounded a lot like school.

Lum thought about it. "I suspect that we'll hire a tutor to teach him 
about Urusei history and law."

"Not to mention formal protocol," Elle said.

"Now wait just a minute!" Ataru protested, eliciting a laugh from Elle and 
Lum.

"We both had to go through it, Darling," Lum said. "It won't be so bad."

"Then why are you both grinning?" Ataru asked.

"We're just happy for you," Elle said. "You'll have the joy of learning 
about five thousand years of Family intrigue. You'll get to learn about 
Family names that haven't existed for thousands of years. Revel in the 
tales of the ludicrously wealthy and inbred."

"Inbred?"

"Of course. That's what happens when no one else is worthy of your 
bloodline."

"Umm. Is there something I should know?" Ataru asked looking at Lum.

"My mother is four generations separated from father, if that's what 
you're worried about. We learned of the genetic problems of inbreeding 
centuries ago. It's not done any more."

"But when it was done," Elle added with a smile. "It made for some 
interesting tales."

"Speaking of inbred," Lum began, "What did the Uio want?"

"What you'd expect. They wanted my house to join their side in war... 
or else."

"And your response?"

Elle paused. "They said you were desperately ill. Near death. My sources 
confirmed it. The Emperor would never be able to rally the Families 
without an heir."

"And so you decided to protect your house, and told them that you would 
fight on their said against the Emperor," Lum finished.

"I didn't have the chance. You came before I gave my decision." Elle 
paused again. "But I would have. The Uio are brutal and not worthy to 
govern the Empire, but they have their forces. And without you, the 
Emperor can't protect us."

"But I'm very much alive," Lum said.

"Now. But for how long? You still haven't caught the bomber. You haven't 
caught the people who infected you. Did you know that Jariten and Benten 
have been captured by the Uio with Azu Des? How will you ever discover 
who's been behind the attempts on your life?"

"And so you'll turn your back on me, and my Father. You'll put the Uio in 
charge of the Empire."

"You know how brutal the Uio can be. I'll follow your banner to the death, 
but you have to guarantee to me that you'll be around to carry that 
banner. If not I'll have to join the Uio, and I'm not the only one. I've 
been in contact with Pochik and Tenwan. They both feel the same. 

"I can understand your feelings," Ataru said. "but there is a third way."

Elle stopped at hearing a voice from a direction she wasn't expecting. 
"What way would that be?"

"You've narrowed the choices between Lum and the Uio. You're not sure if 
Lum will survive, but you don't like the Uio. How about Rei? No one's 
tried to kill him."

"No one is going to rally behind that idiot," Elle protested.

"I'm not so sure," Ataru said. "They were going to make him Emperor. Why 
not make him the hero of the Empire. With Ran behind him, and us to start 
the move, we can easily make Rei a hero that anyone would follow. He'll 
look good on a poster if nothing else."

Lum was rubbing her temples. "Darling, I should never have left you alone 
with Ten."

"No one is trying to kill him. It could work," Ataru continued. 

"What happens when he wins the war?" Elle asked. "Do we make him Emperor?"

It was Lum's turn to answer. "If Ataru and I are finally killed then 
you'll have no choice. But if we live then we'll win enough battles that 
we can keep the job. We'll make Rei our Minister of War or something. I 
think it'll work. Rei has what he wants. He has to be the only Family 
prince who isn't ambitious."

"Anything would be better than following the Uio," Elle conceded. "And 
after all the nasty things I did to him when we were growing up. It's 
done!" Elle stood. "The house of Dedron will follow the banner of Seq Rei. 
I think I can convince Tenwan to join us as well, but you'll have to talk 
to the others."

"We have to talk to Rei," Lum said.

"He'll do whatever Ran tells him," Ataru said. "We need to get Ten back, 
though. How are we going to free him from the Uio?"

Lum laughed. "I really don't think the Uio will be able to hold him."

* * *

Benten was reaching the breaking point. The contest, which was what the 
both knew that it was, had gone on for four hours. They had gone long past 
the point where they could both hide their discomfort, and so it became 
clear that both were waiting for the other to break. With the increased 
humiliation that losing the contest entailed, neither was about to give 
in. Both were suffering.

Both were contemplating ways to relieve themselves without losing to the 
other, when the door to their cell opened. Jariten was standing in the 
doorway, grinning at them.

"Well, well," he said. "It appears that I've broken into a little love 
nest. Perhaps it would be best if I left you two alone." Jariten started 
to close the door, but Benten was quick to block it. She regretted the 
movement. She had been sitting all the time. The quick movement almost 
caused her to lose it.

"Now is not the time to play games," she growled, and then noticed Mendo 
standing behind Jariten. He was bruised and dirty and his shirt was torn. 
"What did they do to you?"

"Nothing," Jariten said. "They just didn't want to let us out of our cell. 
Shutaro here changed their minds."

Mendo stood proud. "It seems some of those fighting tactics you taught me 
work pretty well."

Benten smiled, and walked over to Mendo. She was about to put her arms 
around him, when they all heard the sound the water running. Benten's head 
shot back toward the cell. "I win!" she announced, and then doubled over. 
She rushed into the cell. She threw out Des, who had only just finished, 
and slammed the cell door. 

Shinobu turned her head and Des was busily fumbling with his clothes. 

Jariten looked thoughtful. "There must be a wonderful story behind this."

"I bet." Tobimaru concurred.

"How are we going escape?" Mendo asked. "I can't beat off the entire crew."

"Escape, my dear lad?" Ten began. "Why would I want to escape from my own 
ship?"

* * * *

Chapter 10: "The Dream of a Hero"

The concept of being Emperor had never quite sat well with Rei. It sounded 
to him like being stuck in a palace dealing with a lot of tedium and 
bureaucracy. Rei was a pilot, a warrior, and he wanted to be in the field. 
That's where he was happy. Rei followed along with his uncle's plan to 
make him the next Emperor, but his heart was never in it.

Now becoming the Emperor's champion, a war hero, that was a whole 
different matter. Rei had often hoped he'd become a war hero someday. He 
imagined himself striking a heroic pose in the cockpit of his fighter, 
while a dozen... no, five dozen women stood around the ship looking 
longingly at him. War heroes get to stay in combat, and war heroes don't 
have to do anything but act heroically. War heroes didn't have to deal 
with bureaucracy. And war heroes have a lot of sex, or so Rei wanted to 
believe. He could handle acting heroically.

When Lum suggested their plan to him, he was ecstatic about it from the 
start. He was practicing heroic poses before they even finished the 
explanation of why they needed him to be a war hero in the first place. 

Rei was quickly brought before the Emperor, and in a much publicized 
ceremony Rei was named the Emperor's Champion. This involved receiving a 
shiny medal, which Rei also liked. There hadn't been an Imperial Champion 
in two thousand years. Both situations and champions were not dissimilar.

At the earlier time, the Emperor Wenji Ara, who was without heirs, faced a 
challenge from curiously enough, the Uio family. Ara was finding it hard 
to gain Family support against the challenge so he named a Champion. The 
Champion was a Redet which was a minor Family then. Redet Tiglas was 
quite popular with the ladies, and with most of the Families. He was no 
genius by any stretch of the imagination, but he was handsome and socially 
adept. He was also a fair pilot. As it turned out, all the Families 
quickly turned to the banner of Tiglas and the Emperor. The Uio knew they 
were beat and gave up without a shot. The house of Redet was awarded two 
Uio planets, which at that time was quite a bit. It was then that they 
became a major Family. Memories are long in the Urusei Empire. The Uio 
still remember Tiglas.

Lum, Ataru and Lum's Father hoped that history would repeat itself. They 
immediately sent Rei out in the Seq carrier with some of the Moroboshi 
fighters to key locations in the Empire. The press went along with them. 
Rei was quick to strike a pose whenever a camera was pointing his 
direction. Ran was desperately trying to teach him about subtlety, but Rei 
was having too much fun. 

* * *

Sugoi was quite surprised to find that Megane and the others had 
disappeared. She became worried when she found out that they had gone 
looking for her. She feared the worst. The Matron of the maid's quarters 
had turned up dead. Her brain was erased as expected. Sugoi was reluctant 
to start an official investigation. She knew that she was being watched. 

Megane's absence was very frustrating, since she had wanted to get married 
soon. She had to figure out a way to find him without appearing to look 
for him. She wished that she had been given a way to contact her new 
employers, so she could ask about Megane. If it ended up that they had 
killed him, she decided that she was going to be very upset.

Sugoi had gone back to her room, and sat in front of her window. The 
morning was wearing on, and she was not getting any closer to a solution. 
Sugoi leaned her head back on the chair, and closed her eyes. This was a 
lot of activity is such a short amount of time. She had no idea that being 
a spy was so busy. Still there was something to be said for being 
professionally curious. 

One thing she knew the boys had done was explore the Palace. She had gone 
with them on occasion. She was surprised and delighted when they had found 
passages that she didn't even know about. The connection was clear. They 
must have found the same passage that Sugoi had been abducted through. The 
Matron was probably killed because she knew where it was, which meant that 
it was in the maids' quarters. That would fit with the fact that she was 
abducted from the maids' quarters. She had been within meters of their 
secret entrance to the complex she was in, and hadn't known it. 

Megane had found it, when she hadn't. She'd be proud of him if he wasn't 
in danger. Since there were no bodies, she had to assume that they got in, 
and were possibly still alive. They could even be getting the same 
proposal that she got. Her Manju-sama could be stupidly loyal sometimes. 
He'd probably flatly turn them down. That wouldn't be good. She was going 
to have to find that entrance, and do it more quietly than she had before. 
She couldn't afford to be caught a second time, or there'd be no telling 
where she'd end up.

* * *

Megane and the others had no way of knowing where they had ended up. The 
car had finally come to a stop and the door opened. They were certain that 
they were on another planet. They appeared to be still underground. A gas 
fed flame was the only light for the small chamber that they found 
themselves in. As soon as they had all left the car. The door closed and 
the car sped away. There was no leaving now.

"Well isn't this nice," Pama said.

"What if there's no one here? We could be trapped here," Chibi said.

"What if there is someone here?" Kakugari exclaimed. "We could be killed 
here!"

"In either case," Megane began, "we must behave like men. We represent our 
planet in this Empire, and should faint hearts cause us to falter it will 
surely be a stain on all humanity."

"I don't think any of us were ever meant to be heroes," Pama said.

"No one is meant to be a hero. It is thrust upon them by the events. We 
live in privileged times. Our heroism will come to us, if we do not let 
fear consume us."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Chibi said.

"Me too," Kakugari agreed.

Megane cleaned his glasses and peered forward. In the dim light there 
appeared to be a door at the far end of the room. It was a wooden door, 
with a handle. They all thought this was rather odd. They hadn't seen a 
handle on a door since they left Earth. Yet there was no place for a 
thumbprint anywhere on this door. 

Megane cautiously approached the door. He was waiting for alarms to go 
off, or guards to come crashing through the door. There were no guards, 
and no alarms. Megane reached the door, but hesitated before taking the 
handle. 

"I don't think we should open it," Chibi said.

"That's the kind of door that some kind of creature would be held behind," 
Kakugari said.

"Of course, it's not like we have any other choice," Pama observed. "We 
can't stay in this room forever."

Megane reached for the handle of the door.

* * *

The Accountant looked up to see a small blinking light above his desk. 
That was odd, he thought. He wasn't expecting anyone. It could be some 
unwanted guests, but how could they have gotten to him? There was only one 
way in or out. The place he was in was hundreds of meters under the 
surface of the planet. No one could just dig down, and even if they tried 
it would set off a different alarm.

The Accountant cleaned off his pen, and replaced it to it's holder. He 
stood. He was stiff from sitting for so long. He left his office, and went 
down a flight of stairs into a Victorian style drawing room. He wondered 
if some of his lieutenants had come with some urgent business. It was 
strange that they wouldn't have tried to contact him first. That was the 
way it was normally done. 

The Accountant didn't like change. Things were supposed to be done just 
so. Even if the universe was behaving very badly, at least things in his 
own home should be orderly. It wasn't too much to ask, he thought.

The Accountant walked through the drawing room, and entered a long hall. 
At the end of the hall was a large wooden door. He could hear voices on 
the other side of the door. They were strange voices, young voices. He 
couldn't imagine how they had come. For someone to come through all the 
traps, guards, passwords, and not to mention pick this place out of the 
immensity of the galaxy without being invited seemed impossible. 

Such a feat would require the wildest stroke of luck. The Accountant 
paused. Luck frightened him. How could he deal with someone who was so 
lucky? He decided it was too much to dwell on. He was curious to see who 
they were. The Accountant reached for the handle of the door.

* * *

All Jariten needed was a computer terminal. They found one in the prison 
control center. From there Jariten turned off certain security systems 
that made it possible for Benten to do what she was currently doing. That 
was crawling through another vent.

The plan was to take the armory and the engine room before anyone noticed 
and then Jariten would close down the whole computer system. Benten 
approved of this plan. There promised to be a lot of fighting. Behind her 
was Mendo, Des and Tobimaru. Shinobu and Inaba were also with them, but 
they weren't there to fight. They had come to take some weapons back to 
the prison center so that they could defend it better should things go 
wrong.

Benten looked through the grill at all the stacks and nice shiny weapons 
and felt the urge to drool. This promised to be fun. There were no guards 
in sight, but she knew they were around. The cameras were supposedly 
off-line. Benten didn't quite trust Jariten that much. She was still going 
to be cautious.

Benten unsnapped the grating and silently sat it on the floor. She peeked 
her head into the room. There was a desk with a guard. He seemed to be 
engrossed in some video, and hadn't noticed any of her actions. She pulled 
back into the vent. She looked back to others, and signaled that there was 
one guard. The door was to the left, the guard to the right. She put away 
the gun she had stolen from a prison guard and pulled out a knife. She 
motioned for the others to rush out with her, and be prepared for whoever 
came through the door.

She peered out of the vent again. She guard was still watching his video. 
If he just looked up, he would see her. She knew that any motion on her 
part would get his attention. She had to be on him, and at his throat in 
an instant. She pictured her actions, her exact movements to get to him. 
She then closed her eyes and cleared her mind. She took an even breath and 
then pushed herself out of the vent. 

The Guard stood, but Benten was already on her feet and coming toward him. 
The Guard fumbled for his gun, and started to shout, but it only came out 
as a gurgle. His throat was slit. As he lost consciousness, Benten eased 
the Guard back down into his chair. She looked up and was pleased to see 
Tobimaru and Des already guarding the door. Mendo had taken up position at 
a point where he could hit everything in the room. All was very good. No 
one came through the door.

Security screens outside the weapons room showed a short loop of the Guard 
watching his video. Jariten had programmed Benten's thumbprint into the 
system, so she was able to open all the lockers. She gave Shinobu and 
Inaba some rather impressive looking weapons, and they took them away 
through the vent. 

Afterwards, each powerpack was systematically taken from all the devices 
in the room. They were all placed in a bag, and after Benten took a gun 
that was more to her liking, i.e. larger. Mendo, Des, Tobimaru and Benten 
disappeared through the same vent they had entered. The next stop was the 
engine room.

Many of the crew were already armed, but there was nothing they could do 
about that. The ship which was a light cruiser and was small enough that 
they were not hopelessly outnumbered, assuming that Benten could ever be 
outnumbered. What was guaranteed that if the Uio crew did try to retake 
their ship, they would run out of ammunition long before Benten and the 
others would. Not that they would be given the chance to get that many 
shots off.

Still crawling through the vents, they reached the Engine room. This 
particular vent was high against the wall. They would have to jump from 
this one. Fortunately they had a plan for that. There were five maybe six 
in the Engine room that Benten could see. Only two were armed. 

Benten turned back and sent the others on their way. Jariten had charted 
that there were three air vents into the Engine room. These were to be 
used as sniper ports.

The trouble with engine rooms was that one had to be very careful about 
firing weapons. It would be quite a shame if a stray shot damaged one of 
the reactors. For this reason, Mendo and Tobimaru were only allowed to 
fire once. Des and Benten, who were more seasoned, could pick off the 
others. They would coordinate visually which each would pick off. If 
everyone scored in the first volley, only two should remain. Benten could 
take both with her next shots. They should be able to take Engineering 
without the Uio getting off a single shot. 

That was the idea anyway.

Benten was getting impatient waiting for the others to get to the vents. 
Des was first to his. He chose one of the armed guards as his targets. 
Benten indicated that she would take the other. 

Mendo and Tobimaru arrived in their vent. Benten pointed out the targets 
she wanted them to take. These were targets away from the reactor, and 
away from important controls. They nodded. 

Mendo looked at the man he was going to kill. He was going to have to hit 
this one. He hadn't had to kill the guards earlier. His heart was beating 
out of his chest. If they could do this then the rest would be easy, but 
they had to take this room. He had to hit his target. 

Benten watched Mendo worriedly. She could almost hear his thoughts, he was 
thinking so hard. This was going to be his first kill. She remembered her 
first. It was something that no one could know about. One of the many 
secrets she kept locked away. The kill was an Uruseian, a Azu on her home 
planet long before Benten had joined the Uruseian fighter corps. Benten 
couldn't have been more than ten. She was angry then too. 

Something had snapped in her. She had been raised to hate the Azu. Her 
father had often commented how he wanted to break all their necks. Little 
Benten had thought this was acceptable. Her father had told her stories 
about great battles against the Azu where thousands of them were 
slaughtered. Her father was often the hero of these stories, and his kill 
count went up with every telling. It didn't matter that the Azu had taken 
the world before he was born. 

Little Benten believed everything her father told her. When this young Azu 
soldier had kicked her, she thought that she would make her father proud. 

She followed the soldier for the rest of the day. She stayed back so she 
wouldn't be noticed. When the soldier had gone to use the lavatory, Benten 
saw her chance. Benten waited a few moments then rushed the stall, and 
stabbed the soldier repeatedly. The woman's blood gushed from a dozen 
wounds. Benten saw the look in the woman's eyes change from surprise to 
anger and then as she saw herself covered with her own blood to fear, and 
then she collapsed.

Benten stared at the body and the knife in her hand for a long time. She 
felt queazy, but she knew that her father would be pleased with her. She 
became almost proud of her first kill. She could add her kill onto all 
those her father had said he accomplished. She was now a hero like him.

So she was quite surprised that when she got home and boasted of her deed, 
her parents weren't pleased at all. They left the village that very day, 
packing only the essentials. They moved in the night, and then Benten was 
sent to live with her grandfather, who tended the gardens at the Imperial 
Palace. Benten later found out that her entire village had been burned to 
the ground as a punishment for the slain Azu soldier. 

Her first kill had changed her life. It was because she was living with 
her grandfather that she had the opportunity to learn to fly, and then be 
noticed by the Redet officer her recruited her. It was because she was 
with her grandfather that she met the Princess for the first time, and 
became her friend. Still she wept for her village, and carried the guilt 
of that first violent act that forged the life she lived now. Not even 
Lum, and hopefully not Jariten, knew she had killed that soldier. 
 
Benten wanted to laugh at the irony. Her she was working on the same side 
as the leader of the whole Azu clan. Of course now she had killed dozens 
of Azu, in space and on the ground. Why was she so afraid to tell people 
of the first one?

Benten met everyone's eyes. They were all waiting for her. She took a 
breath. It was Uio soldiers who were in her sites today. She showed the 
others her hand with three fingers raised, then two, then one. With all 
her strength she shoved open the grate. Before it rattled to the floor she 
had fired and killed her target. She saw Des's target fall as well. 
Turning her attention to the rest of the room, she saw Tobimaru's target 
crumple to the floor, and then Mendo's. He had done it! He had killed. 

She sought the remaining two, and killed them both. Six dead Uruseians 
littered the floor. Not one had time to sound an alarm. The room was 
theirs. In effect, the ship was theirs. 


Benten jumped out of the vent and went to work disabling the self-destruct 
systems. Des reported to Ten the message that all engine repairs were 
completed. It would sound routine enough. With that signal however, 
Jariten locked all the doors of the ship, and disabled every terminal and 
voice command location except his own. 

It wasn't long before the crew realized what was going on. Benten saw the 
self-destruct light go on. Nothing happened, of course. The self-destruct 
was computer independent. It could only be shut down manually, which was 
what made it rather important to take the engine room. 

While the members of the bridge crew waited for the ship to blow up, 
Jariten's grinning image appeared before them. "So sorry to change plans 
in the middle of our journey, gentlemen, but I really need to get to 
Urusei. I've just been in contact with the Emperor himself, and he tells 
me that he misses me. Now you have a choice, you can be good little Uio 
and pile up your weapons beside the nearest entryway and then stand on the 
other side of the room while someone comes to pick them up, or I can purge 
the air from your rooms and solve our problem that way. You have a 
thousandth to decide. Have a nice day."

* * *

It was a pleasant surprise when the small Uio cruiser which warped in 
almost directly in front of Lum's fleet sent friendly hails. It was a 
better surprise when she found the source of the hail was her cousin 
Jariten. Jariten invited Lum and Ataru over to see his new 'toy.' He was 
quite pleased with it, and even more pleased with the 'dashing' uniform he 
dug out of the previous captain's closet.

When Lum and Ataru arrived on board they were suprised to find that none 
of the original Uio crew were on the ship. "What did you do with the 
original crew?" Ataru asked.

"That was a problem," Jariten admitted, "but it was Tobimaru who hit upon 
a solution."

"And that solution was?" Lum asked.

"Uh well," Tobimaru said nervously. "We certainly didn't want to have to 
baby-sit them forever. It was really Shutaro's idea though."

"Mendo?" Ataru asked. "Where's the Uio crew?"

"I can't take credit for it. It was Benten who did all the work."

"Benten," Lum asked getting a little impatient. "Where's the crew?"

Benten adopted an innocent look, and stared up to the ceiling. The others 
followed.

Lum became concerned. "You didn't send them into space did you?"

"Fuck no!" Benten said. "I'm not that cruel. They weren't Azu after all."

Des coughed.

"Then where?!" Lum shouted.

"We -uh- stopped at Kendi and dropped the whole kit-n-kaboodle off 
there," Benten said.

"You gave them to the Kendi?" Lum asked.

"We dropped them off at the capital city where they'll be no trouble at 
all."

"Who are the Kendi?" Ataru asked.

"It was a Uio world about a century ago," Des said. "The Emperor gave the 
world to the Azu, but the Kendi still remember the Uio."

"I'll say," Lum said. "The reason my family took that world from the Uio 
was because it was the most brutally treated planet in the history of the 
Empire."

"Well we figured the Uio would appreciate the homecoming," Jariten said.

Lum lowered her head trying to hold back a laugh. "Well, in any case it is 
good to see you all again."

"Fuck yeah!" Benten shouted and rushed to give Lum a hug. Lum moaned in 
pain. "Oops, sorry." Benten apologized.

Lum turned to Des. "It is good to see you, Des," Lum said.

In later years Des would remark that it was at this point that he first 
saw Lum as an Empress. He had known her since her birth, and until 
recently had always discounted her as a child. But now, he could see the 
experience in her face. She had gone through a lot. Her bloodline shown in 
her eyes and in her bearing. She had been changed. Here was a goddess. A 
worthy member of a worthy line. He was awestruck. 

He then glanced to Ataru. This young man standing next to the Princess. He 
was an alien, yet he wore an imperial uniform. He had first met him before 
the battle at Uinod. He had secretly impressed Azu then, and now there was 
even more. He too had gone through much. His eyes didn't show a regal 
bloodline, they showed something different. Something powerful. He was 
surprised to realize it, but he could follow this alien. He could call 
this alien Emperor.

This was the hope he had always sought. He had a vision of them. He saw 
them as Empress and Emperor. He couldn't believe the thoughts in his mind. 
Looking at them, he suddenly knew, these were the ones. They must be 
allowed to lead the Empire, and he and his house would follow.

Des was confused for a moment, unsure about what he should do with his 
vision. Des dropped to one knee. His head was lowered, and his voice was 
reverent. "I know we have been enemies in the past, but I now pledge my 
house to your service. It will be yours to do with as you will as long as 
my line shall last."

Tobimaru came up beside his father and also dropped down on one knee.

Benten's mouth dropped open. She could see the sincerity in his actions. 
He had pledged himself to serve her Princess. How could she hate him now? 
It was one thing to be chance allies as part of one of Ten's schemes, but 
here she could see was a declaration of love. Something had touched him. 
She could see in him the same worship for this woman, that she felt 
herself. She damned the whole thought of it, but the war was over. Benten 
moved next to Des and dropped to one knee herself.

Ten looked at the scene and smiled. He nodded to himself. He had known it 
all along. Birds of a feather, all they needed was something in common to 
bring them together. It was too bad though. He was going to have to find 
his fun somewhere else.

Lum raised Des and Tobimaru. "You don't know how much this pleases me. We 
accept your loyalty, and if you actions match your words we will reward 
your house greatly."

"I ask for nothing else, my Princess," Des said. "My words will be matched 
with deeds."

Lum turned to Benten and raised her up. "My friend," she said. "You don't 
have to kneel to me."

Benten smiled. There was a tear in her eye. "You still don't understand, 
do you, my Princess?" Benten whispered. "You don't know who you are. I 
love you. I love you both. And my life is yours. When I thought you might 
die, I knew my life would be over as well. Now you're well, and we're 
together again. I'm reborn. I can be happy again."

Shutaro came forward and put a hand on Benten's shoulder. She covered it 
with hers. "You were both meant to be great," he said. "Including you, 
Ataru. We all saw it, even at school. That's why you never quite able to 
fit in. But it's our job to take care of you. All of ours. We're friends, 
sure, but it's more than that now." Mendo dropped down on his knee, and 
Benten followed him. Everyone else in the room followed suit, the Azu's, 
Shinobu, Inaba, even Jariten all knelt around Ataru and Lum.

Ataru recalled a similar scene when he had just beaten Lum at Ossak. At 
the time he was terribly embarrassed by all the admiration, now he 
understood. Ataru knew that he was standing before these people not 
because of anything that he had done, except to accept the situation 
around him as it happened. 

It was as Jariten had said, out of all the trillions of beings in the 
galaxy it was these two who had fallen in love. There was nothing more 
miraculous than that. And these others had seen the miracle and loved it 
themselves, and wanted to share a part of it. How could he deny them? What 
right did he have?

"Lum and I have survived, thanks to you," he said. "We appreciate and 
accept all that you are offering. I only hope we can be worthy of it."

Lum added her own. "We are still in the middle of a civil war, and those 
who have been trying to kill me have not been caught. Until these problems 
are solved Ataru and I cannot be married nor can we take the throne. If 
you wish to serve us, this is what we require."

Benten stood and glowered at the others. "You heard her, you bastards! So 
everyone get the hell up and get to it!" Benten punctuated her words with 
a clap. Everyone stood. 

Lum went to Jariten. "Do you have a conference room on this ship?" she 
asked.

"Of course."

Lum turned to Benten. "I want you and Jariten there in a hundredth. We 
have a lot to talk about." Lum turned back to Ten. "I don't supposed you 
have quarters for Ataru and myself here," she whispered. "They won't let 
us have anytime alone on my carrier."

Jariten smiled. "Follow me," Ten said. "What's an Imperial ship without an 
Imperial suite?"

* * *

On board Ten's new ship a certain euphoria reigned. Everything seemed to 
be back to normal, back to the good days before the bomb. Benten and Des 
were even known to talk to each other without exchanging death threats. 
Yet even with their common goal of serving the Princess, that relationship 
was still uneasy.

There was one person, however, who did not share in the good feelings that 
everyone else carried. Inaba felt out of the place, and although things 
seemed good, he wasn't certain that it wouldn't last. Inaba had found a 
place to be alone in one of the many unused cabins. It was a bare room 
with a small window. Little light came in through the window, since they 
were in open space. Inaba sat in a corner and stared at the window. From 
his angle all he could see was blackness. 

That was how he felt, because he didn't know who he was. The world he had 
known was gone, and his understanding of it was proven false. He had 
thought that the Slaver's Guild was all powerful, but now he knew they 
were just pawns. Before he was a servant, but who was he now? Baggage 
mostly, he felt.

He had met the Princess. She had talked to him. That was a dream that he'd 
never thought he'd experience. It was very confusing. Was he one of her 
servants now? Were they going to drop him off somewhere and then he'd have 
nothing. Were they all going to die when whoever told Minah to kill 
himself came for them?

Inaba drew himself up even tighter. A tear formed in his eye. His life 
wasn't easy before, but at least he knew who he was. In his mind he saw 
the smiling face of Shinobu. She sure was pretty, and she liked him. She 
had told him so. 

Inaba was startled when the door to the cabin opened. Light poured in from 
the hall. "Inaba?" he heard a quiet voice say. He saw Shinobu's head peak 
into the dark room. She was so pretty. She saw him sitting in the corner. 
"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He stood up. "Just thinking," he said. 

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'll leave you alone."

"No!" Inaba was quick to say. "I mean. I'd like it if you stay." 

Shinobu came into the room. The door closed behind her, and it became very 
dark. Shinobu almost called for the lights, but then thought that maybe 
Inaba wanted it dark. She could make out his form in the dim light, and 
sat down next to him. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"Things," he said. "Do you know what they're going to do with me?"

"Do with you?" Shinobu asked.

"Well," Inaba started hesistantly. "I'm not really part of your group. I 
wondered if they were going to drop me off somewhere."

"Do you want to leave us?" Shinobu asked. There was a little concern in 
her voice.

"I don't really belong here. There's so many important people. The 
Princess is here and I..." Inaba stopped when Shinobu took his hand.

"It's all right," Shinobu said softly. "Nobody is going to send you away 
if you don't want to go."

Inaba lowered his head. Everything he was thinking of saying was too 
forward, too revealing of how he really felt, so he remained quiet. His 
mind focussed on the feel of Shinobu's hand holding his. Her hand was 
warm and soft. He absently stroked it. He was so intent on her hand, that 
he had forgotten that there was someone attached to it.

Shinobu tingled a little, immediately becoming conscious that she was in a 
dark private place with a man. Her heart started beating faster, as she 
worked to decide what she should do. She wasn't sure where she wanted this 
relationship to go, or what she was ready for. His hands were rough, 
strong. They were the hands of someone used to hard work. She liked his 
touch. What if she encouraged him, and they went too far? What if she 
became pregnant?

Inaba suddenly became conscious of what he was doing. He looked up into 
Shinobu's eyes, blushed and let go of her hand. Shinobu blushed too, but 
more for how far she let her mind wander.

There was an uneasy silence between them. Finally Shinobu spoke. "Do you 
want to stay with us?" she asked.

Inaba built up a little courage. "I'd like to stay with Miss Shinobu," he 
said. 

Shinobu couldn't stop her mind from wandering, and it was starting to 
bother her. She felt warm. Shinobu wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she 
had been having trouble seeing Ataru and Lum together. It wasn't so bad 
when they were away, but now that she had seen them again it brought it 
all back. 

Seeing them together just reminded her how alone she was. Now here was 
this young man, this young handsome man... this young handsome man who did 
nothing but compliment her and treat her with absolute respect, who's eyes 
never wandered, who never even tried to take advantage of her... who as 
far as Shinobu was concerned was absolutely perfect. She had to face it, 
she was in love, and she wanted to be held. She wanted to belong to 
someone. She wanted to belong to him.

If he were to take her into his arms at that moment and smother her with 
kisses, she would melt. But he didn't, and she knew he wouldn't, unless 
she encouraged him. That's the way he was. They had a moment in his room 
back on the Azu world, but it had embarrassed them both, and they hadn't 
touched since then. They had to start all over again. She had to make a 
decision. 

Nervously, Shinobu stood up, but she didn't know why. With all the tension 
that was building up in her, her muscles felt they had to do something. 

Inaba looked up at her. He had forgotten the identity crisis he was going 
through earlier. Well, that wasn't quite true. Now he was feeling 
absolutely unworthy, and not knowing who he was, felt he didn't have 
anything to offer this goddess who was standing before him. Seeing her 
stand, he felt she was getting ready to leave. He was worried that he had 
offended her by holding her hand the way he did. He stood up too. Maybe 
she'd let him walk with her, and he could work up the courage to ask her 
to forgive him.

Shinobu's mind screamed. He had stood up. He had thought that she was 
leaving. Now she was leaving. They were walking out. The moment was gone! 
The opportunity lost! She had hesistated! She should take charge and 
suggest they go back, she thought, but she didn't. They continued to walk 
down the hall toward her room.

Shinobu was walking tensly and Inaba noticed it. He had really offended 
her, he felt. He had better apologize quick. He stopped walking, and took 
a breath to build up some courage. "Miss Shinobu," he said, his head 
lowered. "I'm sorry I touched your hand like that. I shouldn't be so 
forward. I hope you weren't offended."

Shinobu stopped. He was apologizing! Her head dropped. "It's all right," 
she said. She had to calm down. She had gotten too worked up. There would 
be other moments. She liked how shy he was, she kept telling herself. She 
sighed. Ran had jumped right into Rei's arms, and Shinobu remembered very 
well how bold Lum had been. Shinobu was almost as shy as Inaba was. They 
were never going to get together at this rate. 

Shinobu looked up at Inaba. He looked worried. "It was really all right," 
she said. "I didn't mind." She wanted to shout out that she liked what he 
did, and she wanted more, much more, but she didn't have the nerve.

Inaba smiled as if he had been forgiven of all the sins of the universe. 
"I'm glad," he said. He drew another breath to take in some more courage. 
"Maybe Miss Shinobu could sit with me again sometime, and maybe... I could 
hold her hand again."

Shinobu glowed. "I would like that," she said. She took his hand and gave 
him a peck on the cheek. "I would like that a lot." With that she left him.

He watched her leave down the hall. He was very pleased with himself. He 
decided that he would have to do something to make himself worthy of her. 
He had to make a name for himself, so that she would love him. He had to 
do something heroic, because she deserved a hero. He just wish he knew 
what he could do. 

* * *

Sugoi was wearing black. It was time to be sneaky again. This would be a 
particularly fun night to be sneaky, because if those people had any sense 
they'd be watching her room, and possibly a few other rooms that she might 
just happen to be in. Sugoi viewed this as a challenge. 

The first task was to get out of her room without anyone seeing her. This 
was an easy one since one of those many secret hallways which riddled the 
Palace came into her room. It was one of those which exited outside the 
Palace grounds. This was the hall she was currently in. It was dark, dank 
and unused. The only sign of previous use were the footprints of Megane 
and the others who had explored this tunnel only a couple weeks earlier.

There were creatures crawling around in the hall. Sugoi had never been 
very good with insects. This was a part of the job that she didn't like 
all that much. Wearing the vision enhancer she could see in minute detail 
all the little critters which were crawling around the floor. She was 
starting to wish that Megane had stayed put.

Eventually she came to the opposite end of the tunnel. It was a stone 
door, cut into one of the outer Palace walls. She went to open it, and 
then stopped. What if they knew about the tunnel? She opened the door 
slowly and peeked out of it as soon as there was enough room for her head. 
She saw nothing with the infrared except small animals. Turning it to 
detect power sources she also saw nothing. She opened the door a crack 
more and exited. She was now outside the Palace complex.

Sugoi peeked around the wall back into the Palace complex. It was quite a 
ways back to the Maid's Quarters. She hugged the wall, making her way 
around the edge of the complex. When she came close to a building she 
jumped to that, and then moved around it until she came to another. She 
had studied the maps very carefully and had plotted her route. It was a 
long circuitous route, probably more than a kilometer in length, but it 
offered the most concealment. Plus she had a short-cut, if she'd be able 
to use it.

There was one passage that Megane had not found that Sugoi knew about. She 
knew because she had been curious about something, and had listened in to 
one or two key conversations. There was a tunnel that led from the Guard 
House to the Maid's Quarters. This was not overly surprising. The Palace 
was three thousand years old. Someone at some time had to get 'inspired' 
enough to dig a tunnel.

The trouble was sneaking into the Guard House. She was almost to it. The 
fortunate thing about the tunnel in the Guard House was that the entrance 
was isolated. Whoever wanted to sneak out for a rendezvous certainly 
didn't want to be seen by their Commander. Sugoi reached the Guard House, 
and went around to a window. Closed and locked windows were not a problem. 
A small sonic device opened it right up, and she crawled in.

The room was dark and smelled sweaty. It was the men's locker room. There 
was a certain locker that she had to find. She knew about where it was. 
Suddenly a light came on, Sugoi ducked quickly behind one of the locker 
banks. 

A half dressed man entered the room. He was well-built. Sugoi was 
appreciative. He went to a locker, opened it and took out a towel. The 
locker was a bit disorderly. There were pictures on the door. He had a 
girlfriend apparently. Too bad, Sugoi thought. The man took off his shorts 
and scratching himself, made his way toward the showers. Sugoi was flush.

The lights were still on. She heard the sound of water starting, and 
fought the urge to risk another peak. She felt vulnerable with the lights 
on. She had to hurry. She looked at locker after locker. There was a 
special mark on the correct one. She found it just as she heard the water 
stop. That was a quick shower, she thought. 

She opened the locker door as quickly as she could without making noise 
and ducked inside. It appeared to be an ordinary locker, but Sugoi knew 
that there was a latch that opened a back door. She didn't try it quite 
yet though. Peeking through the grate of the locker, she saw the man come 
out of the showers. He was still naked. The towel was draped around his 
shoulders. He was certainly well-built, she thought to herself. He made 
his way to his locker, dressed himself, and then left turning the light 
off after him. 

Sugoi suddenly noticed how hot it had gotten in the locker. It was 
certainly tough being a spy. She turned around and felt for the latch. 
Finding it, she opened the back door, and entered the tunnel. It was a 
crudely dug tunnel, lined with wood, rather than stone. This tunnel 
however, was well used and maintained.

Sugoi made her way quickly, hoping that it wouldn't be used that night. 
Soon she was at the other end. This was where it got dangerous since she 
didn't know where to start looking. She stopped at the exit and went over 
her plan. 

She knew about the other tunnel to the Maid's Quarters that the boys had 
found. She also knew that they had been caught. Served them right, too. 
That was a likely room, since it would provide easy access to a passage 
that went into the Palace. Another room would be the maid's room that she 
had been caught in. She didn't really want to go there again, so she 
decided to start on the first room. 

Unfortunately, Sugoi discovered, at night, the first room was occupied. It 
was occupied with a maid and a guard who had just used the tunnel and they 
were definitely not sleeping. Why were there always complications?! 

Sugoi entered the room on her hands and knees, and hoped that the couple 
would be too occupied to care. So far they were. Sugoi was getting warm 
again listening to them, though. She was reminded of the night she spent 
in Megane's room... alone. She really had to find him. 

Sugoi scanned the room. The entrance would have to have a way to get to 
it. She checked for power sources in case the room was monitored by those 
watching her. She was pleasantly surprised. There was her door, as plain 
as day. Sugoi looked up to see what the couple was doing. The rocking bed 
was making enough noise that she could have sang an opera while crawling 
across the room, and they wouldn't have heard. Crawling, she made her way 
to the door. 

She put her hand to the wall. It felt solid. She could see the outline of 
the door, by its power signature, but in normal light she could see no 
grooves. Looking down she saw a power signature on the floor. It was a 
pressure pad. She put her hand on it. 

When she did the woman groaned as if the button had done something to her, 
Sugoi looked back. It had to be a coincidence. She looked up at the door. 
The power signature had lessened. Sugoi touched it again, and her hand 
when through the wall. Sugoi crawled through the wall. Once inside she sat 
against the opposing wall and breathed a sign of relief. She had found it. 

* * * *

Chapter 11: "I Saw You in My Dreams"

It was at this time that the fabric of the universe altered slightly. 
Planets all over the galaxy aligned themselves, and on a far off world that 
no sentient had ever visited a brightly colored flower bloomed that only 
blooms once every thousand years. And most astoundingly of all, Benten 
found herself in a good mood.

She had this indomitable feeling that things were going to work out. She 
knew it was indomitable, because she had been fighting it all morning. 
Things were going too well for her to believe that things were going to 
continue to go well, but the feeling persisted, despite her best efforts to 
depress herself. 

She even tried to hang around Jariten, hoping that he would say something 
that would anger her, but then Lum came into the room and said something 
hopeful which reinforced Benten's good mood. Benten had finally settled on 
being pissed that she was so happy, and figured that at least that was 
something. 

She had come to talk to Mendo. She had made a few decisions about her life 
with him. He had proven to her satisfaction that he could keep up with her. 
Also now that her heart was lighter since Lum was better, she felt that she 
could worry about their relationship again. They hadn't talked in a while 
and she missed that. She was willing a let the warrior go for a few moments.

She hit the buzzer next to his door, and the door opened for her. 
Mendo Shutaro was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He was wearing 
Earth clothes.

"Hey!" Benten said and dropped herself into a plastic chair that belonged 
to a small table. 

Mendo glanced over to Benten. "Hi," he said weakly, and went back to 
looking at the ceiling. "I'm a little confused."

"What about?"

"I killed a sentient being, but he wasn't human. He wasn't one of my own 
species. If it wasn't in battle, and I killed an alien would it be murder 
or is there another word for it?"

Benten's brain skipped off the tracks. "What?"

Mendo rolled over to face Benten. "The definition of homicide is killing 
someone of one's own species. But if I kill an alien, it's not homicide, 
it's xenocide. Is xenocide murder? Can it ever be?"

Benten blinked at him. "I --uh--" Heavy philosophical debate was not what 
she had come for.

"That's what I've been thinking about," Mendo said plainly, rolling back to 
face the ceiling. "First I got to wondering about who that soldier I killed 
was. I suppose the computer knows, but I've been too afraid to ask. Then I 
got to thinking about the morally about killing even in battle. They had 
put us in prison and would probably have killed us sooner or later. We were 
defending ourselves. I think that makes it a little okay. Then I got to 
wondering whether it mattered at all since he wasn't human in the first 
place. Have you ever killed someone of your own species, even in battle?"

"No, of course not," Benten said. 

"I wonder if it makes a difference, or whether the issue is really 
sentience rather than similar species."

"I haven't really given it a lot of thought." Benten said. She got up and 
jumped on the bed next to Mendo. "You okay?"

Mendo rolled over to face her. He was smiling. "Strangely enough, yes." he 
said. "I'm just bothered that this isn't bothering me more. I thought that 
I'd be devastated if I ever killed anyone." He frowned. "I just can't seem 
to get worked up about it. I've been trying."

Benten began to caress Mendo's cheek. "It'll come. Sometime when you're 
lying in bed at night, it will all hit you. But don't worry. I plan to be 
there for you."

"I used to imagine myself being a hero dressed in white. I carried a long 
bright sword, and I would slash into all kinds of enemies. There's never 
was any blood in my imagination. I suppose there should have been. There 
will be now. I've seen a lot of it. All the faces of all those people you 
killed. And then all the faces on Earth, after the invasion. I can see them 
as well. I ignored that for a long time, I was so infatuated with aliens, 
and going into space. Now my mind is full of death." Mendo stopped as if 
listening to his own words. "I guess it's hitting me now." He offered a 
weak smile.

"I know what you see," Benten said. "I'm come to realize something about 
that. I'm even surprised to hear myself saying it. The trick is not to 
confront the faces alone." Benten rolled on her back. "I know I was pretty 
hard on you after the explosion, trying to push you away like that. But 
fuck, you didn't back off. You stuck with me through everything we did. 
I've done everything I could to scare you off. I don't have anything left 
so I figured I might as well keep you with me. I'm sorry you have to share 
this particular horror, but its part of who I am. Now that you have it, it 
would be good if we could share it together."

"I'm not a warrior," Mendo stated.

"I know. I don't want a warrior. I'm warrior enough for the both of us. I 
just don't want anyone I have to protect. I protect Lum, and now Ataru. 
Nothing in my life comes before that. You'll have to accept that."

Mendo laughed a little. "That was a given. I don't have any problem with 
your devotion to Lum and Ataru. That's what we're all about, after all. I 
fought because I had to prove something to myself, to you. I didn't know 
what it was really about. Now I do. It's time to find my real calling. It's 
your job to protect Lum and Ataru from physical attackers. Ten protects 
them covert attacks. My job is something different. I'm not sure what it is 
yet."

Benten turned toward Mendo and took his hand in hers. "Your job is to see 
the truth. To keep us from playing games with ourselves, and from being too 
rapped up in our pain to see how happy we could be. People in Lum and 
Ataru's position need that more than anything else, even a warrior. I need 
that as well." A tear began forming in Benten's eye. "You were the first 
person after Lum who loved me for what I am. You're not afraid of me, and 
now you've even looked through my eyes. You don't know what that means to 
me." Benten stopped to study Shutaro's eyes. "Or maybe you do. I danced for 
you and gave you the chi ribbon. I want to dance for you again soon. Will 
you take my ribbon again?"

Shutaro thought about it. She was proposing to him. There was no doubt that 
this was it. He had thought that he was supposed to do the proposing, but 
with Benten involved it wasn't too shocking that it would be her. Now he 
had to answer. 

They were lying very close to each other on the bed, almost touching. He 
was aware of her weight, the heat of her body, her breath. She was real. He 
forgot the other faces, and just saw the one before him. She was a real 
woman, another thinking being who wanted to be mated with him, to spend her 
life with him. He knew how stubborn she could be too, once they were 
married it would be for life. 

And she was alien. She looked human on the surface, but he had explored her 
body. He knew there were differences. She came from a difference planet 
than he. Forget the questions about killing someone from another species, 
how about mating with someone from another species. What was that called?!

But he was comfortable around her. He was comfortable with a woman that the 
rest of the galaxy was terrified of. He wanted to be with her. She was the 
most interesting puzzle that he had ever studied. She surprised him, and 
very few people could do that. She helped him to live the adventure that he 
had only dreamed about before, and she needed him as well. If their life 
together so far was any indication they would never ever be bored. 

Shutaro nodded. "I'll take the ribbon again," he said. "Do you still want 
me to rip your dress?"

"Fuck yeah!" Benten exclaimed. "We'll have to have children after all." 
She kissed him.

Mendo kept his eyes closed. "Tell me the truth," he said. "Can we hold each 
other hard enough to make the faces go away."

"I don't know," Benten said, and she held him as he did her.

* * *

The cockroach had finally finished repairing Ran's ship to Ran's 
satisfaction. The reader will have to suspend disbelief long enough to 
believe this to be possible. The repair involved repairing and rerepairing, 
altering, redecorating and finally putting it back the way it was. Ran 
employed an electron microscope when inspecting workmanship. Fortunately, 
the cockroach had four arms. 

Now the work was done, and the cockroach was determined to get back to the 
business at hand, which was mating with Lum. Ahh, what a beauty she was. 
Soft light-colored skin, long green hair, four slender limbs, actually to a 
cockroach she was rather homely, but one had to take what one could get. 
She would bear him a brood of thousands, and they would be happy together, 
in a little garbage pit for two. The cockroach was chuckling to himself as 
he imagined their life together. 

"Oy!" He heard someone call from behind him.

He looked back. It was the human who had taken Lum from him earlier. "I 
have no time for you now!" The cockroach said and prepared to run. "You 
can't keep me from the one I love."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Ataru said. "Everyone here knows I'd be glad to 
see her go."

"Really," the cockroach was skeptical.

"She been a nuisance since she arrived. She thinks I love her. I'd be glad 
to help you take her away from me, but I can't understand why you're here 
in the first place."

The cockroach stood up proudly. "We've been pledged together since 
childhood. Our parents made an agreemen... what?"

Ataru was shaking his head. "Won't work. It's been done."

"What do you mean it's been done?"

"It's been done. Some old mushroom guy poisoned Lum's grandfather, and made 
him promise that Lum would marry the guy's grandson when they were old 
enough."

"Oh. How about we met when we were children we pledged our love... ?"

"Done too."

"I saw her as I was passing and fell madly in love with her?"

"That one's been done to death!" Ataru approached the cockroach and put a 
hand on his shoulder. "Look if you're going to do this right, you have to 
come up with something original or Lum is never going to fall for you."

"How about alternate di...?"

"Done. Just a moment," Ataru said and disappeared behind a wall. He 
returned riding a forklift. On the forklift was an immense stack of papers. 
Ataru dumped these on the cockroach. He turned off the forklift, and got 
off to remove enough of the papers so the cockroach could emerge. He was a 
little dazed. 

"What is all this?"

"This is everything that has ever been written about Lum. Manga, fanfic, TV 
and Movie scripts, everything. If you read through all this, then you'll 
know what's been done already, and will be able to come up with something 
original."

The cockroach looked around at the insurmountable task set before him. "I 
understand the importance of being original, but all this?"

"You don't want Lum to be bored do you?"

The cockroach lower his head. "No," he admitted. He sighed and picked up 
one of the sheets. Suddenly his eyes grew wide. "This is horrible!" he 
shouted.

"What?"

A tear grew in the cockroach's eye. "I'm too embarrassed."

"What?" Ataru wondered what a cockroach could possibly be embarrassed about.

The cockroach swallowed. "I can't read Kanji."

Ataru shrugged. "See you in school." He turned and left. The sounds of 
cockroach whimpering faded behind him.

"How am I ever going to read all this?!"

Ataru was quite pleased with himself. He was quite sure he had solved the 
virus problem. Lum was safe for good. Now if they just could make sure that 
no one tried again.

* * *

Rei's image was everywhere. Through Ran's media handling, Rei had become 
the most famous Uruseian ever to exist. The press about him was so 
intrusive that it was convincing even those who knew him. All were starting 
to believe that he might be as brilliant as the commercials claimed. After 
all, 'few words hide great thoughts.' That was one of Ran's favorite 
slogans. 

The Uio were repeatedly bludgeoned by the press war. Their military defeats 
at Rei's and Lum's hands were insignificant compared to the war they were 
losing in the minds of the people. The Uio weren't popular to begin with. 

They even started their own press campaign featuring a rather buxom 
green-haired (of course) spokesperson, whose IQ was only slightly higher 
than Rei's. Their slogan was 'beware our phalanx thrust,' or some such. 
Their hope was to mount some kind of defense on this new battlefield. It 
wasn't a battlefield that the Uio were comfortable in, but they couldn't 
afford to lose anymore in this new war. The manager of their campaign was 
not Ran.

It didn't help the Uio's campaign at all that when the two champions to 
debate, the Uio champion threw herself at Rei's feet in front of the whole 
galaxy and begged him to sleep with her, "and to dominate her with his 
animal passion," as she put it. It was later found that she was pumped full 
of hormones which increased sex drive, but the Uio accusations fell of deaf 
ears. The damage was done. 

All ambivalence and any Family support fell away. All other Families 
declared their loyalty for Rei and the Emperor. The war was over, but 
though it had only lasted for two weeks, there were ten thousand dead. 

* * *

Jariten had always had an aversion to being locked up. Most people do, but 
Jariten disliked it in particular because it marked a failing on his part. 
He felt if he was doing his job, no one should get close enough to him to 
put him in prison. He had a fear that someday he would be caught for good 
and spend the rest of his days in a dark prison just waiting to die.

He was thinking about this as he looked over Uio Retah who sat in a prison 
cell on board the Imperial cruiser. The charge was treason. It was a 
serious charge, but even so, normally after a audience with the Emperor, he 
would be publicly remonstrated and then the Uio family would lose a few 
planets, and all would be well. This time, the feeling was that it was 
going to be different. If the Uio were not connected with the organization 
who were trying to kill the Princess then their timing was terrible.

The Emperor, frustrated by the attempts on his daughter and his inability 
to protect her, wanted blood. Additionally, part of Ran's media campaign 
hinted at a connection between the Uio and the attempts on the Princess. 
The people of the Empire didn't need much coaxing and no evidence. 
Uio Retah was now a scapegoat. He was the face of the invisible enemy who 
plotted the destruction of the beloved Princess. There would be a public 
execution. 

Ten was quite certain that Retah had done nothing directly to attack the 
Princess. He did wonder about Retah's motives for attacking at this 
particular time. This was the purpose of this visit. There was a 1% chance 
that Retah would choose to be cooperative, and reveal something of what was 
going on. Ten would take that chance, after all, he could also end up dead 
and have his memory erased like all the other leads in this case. Ten 
needed information.

Retah's face showed defiance, pride, but to the trained eye, fear. He 
noticed Ten watching him. "Do I amuse you, Redet?" he spat.

"Yes," Ten said brightly. "You do." 

Retah wasn't amused. "What do you want?"

"I am curious," Ten said. "Earlier you mentioned some 'friends' who had 
told you about me. Who were they?"

Retah smiled. "I have my sources."

"I know your sources. I have arrangements with them all."

Retah's expression darkened. "What do mean 'arrangements'?"

"Maybe an understanding would be a better term. But it really isn't an 
issue now. If you're willing to be cooperative, I might be able to lessen 
your sentence. You know you are being accused of plotting against the 
Princess."

"I declared war on the whole family."

Ten brushed it aside. "That kind of stuff happens all the time. What people 
care about are the honorless assassination attempts on the Princess."

"The Uio had nothing to do with that!" 

"I didn't say you had anything to do with it, but the people of the Empire 
seem to feel differently. I, myself, am wondering if you've had dealings 
with the people who did."

Uio's eyes narrowed on Jariten. "I see no reason to help you. If your 
doomed Empire wants to kill me, so be it. When everything falls, they'll 
remember me, and wish that I had won this war." Uio turned his head away 
from Jariten.

Jariten was wondering whether that last statement was an idle boast, or if 
there was something behind it. He also wondered, whether it was worth the 
effort to continue this. The Uio could be horribly stubborn. Fortunately, 
Ten did have one card.

"Very well," Ten said. "I didn't want to go this far, but I think I can get 
the Emperor to dissolve the Uio family altogether."

That got Retah's attention. "You can't! What would that serve?!"

"I believe that you have information of vital importance to the royal 
house. It is illegal to brainscan members of any Family in the List of 
Families. Normally the Emperor would refuse a request as drastic as 
dissolving a whole Family for the sake of a little information, but 
considering the threat to his daughter and public opinion, I think this 
could be an exception."

"You're bluffing! You wouldn't dare. The Uio would never go quietly. We'd 
fight to the death before we'd accept that."

"I think the Emperor would enjoy it if they did. I know Rei would. A lot of 
people don't like you, I'm afraid. For the sake of your Family, I think you 
should tell me what I want to know."

Retah studied Jariten, and considered his options. Ten had him. He knew he 
himself was lost once he was captured. Retah was no fool. He still hoped to 
save his family. "For the last several months I've been receiving letters 
on paper," he explained. "They contained tips and predictions on various 
happenings in the Empire. Everything was accurate. They knew about the 
Emperor's surprise at Uinod and suggested that we not join the battle. They 
told us to begin a build-up for an event that was coming in the near 
future."

"For your rebellion?"

"No. The letters said that the Empire would fall soon. If we were strong, 
then we could be the army of the new Empire. The succession was my idea. We 
had so many ships, and if the government was going to fall anyway we could 
just leave so we wouldn't be involved in the collapse."

"And then you got greedy."

Retah frowned. "Without the Princess it was easy to see how the Empire 
would crumble. How could we have guessed that anyone could make that idiot 
look like a hero?"

"That's the media."

"Enjoy your jokes. Whoever these people are, they're powerful enough to 
make things happen in the Empire. You may have me, and maybe I'll be 
executed but you still haven't caught the real assassin. Maybe you'll 
placate the people, but you've still failed."

It was now Ten's turn to frown. The word 'failed' shot through him with 
perfect accuracy. Uio's information only reinforced Ten's understanding of 
how powerful his foe was, but did nothing to tell him who this person might 
be. 

"Do you still have these letters?" Ten asked.

"I was instructed to destroy them after I read them."

"Of course," Ten acknowledged. He would have been surprised at anything 
else. Still no physical evidence. Unless one counted Retah himself, and how 
ironic it was that the Emperor himself was going to destroy that evidence. 

Ten had about as much as he thought he could get, but he couldn't leave 
without one more jab. "You know," Ten said silkily. "it's true that I've 
been having trouble against a foe whose been manipulating the Families and 
Imperial politics behind the scenes for years, but you were defeated by 
Seq Rei. Good day, sir." Ten turned to leave.

"What about my House?!"

"Your house is secure, at least until our mutual friends, as you say, 
topple everything." 

* * *

Sugoi was suspicious. She had come to the rail transport at the end of the 
hall. She was convinced that she had entered the lair of the enemy. This 
had to be the same tunnel that she was taken through. Here was a vehicle 
that could take her right to them. She had entered fairly easily, but she 
still detected no alarms, and no surveillance cameras. Could they really be 
that sure of their door? Of course, no one had detected it up to this 
point. How many years might it have been there. Sugoi was certain the car 
was monitored. It had to be. Who would leave a vehicle at the end of a 
secret entrance without putting any surveillance on it. She wasn't about to 
get in it. 

She peered beyond the car. There was enough room for her to squeeze past 
the car. She could make the tunnel, and then travel wherever she needed to 
go. This assumed that the car stayed where it was. It didn't look as if 
there was room for her if the car came by.

Peering inside the car. She could see several seats, and a single number 
pad. Checking for power sources, she couldn't see any detection devices. 
That was also very odd. She tried her thumbprint, and the door opened. It 
just seemed all too easy, but she had to do something. Her Manju-sama was 
waiting for her. Cautiously, she put a foot in the vehicle, and checked for 
any power changes. There was nothing. She climbed into the car, ready to 
run at the slightest movement. Still nothing.

Once in the car, she stared at the number pad. An access code could be 
required and then most likely an address. Typing random numbers without 
even knowing how many digits were required wouldn't lead anywhere. The car 
was useless to people who didn't know the codes. Of course Sugoi was 
special. She didn't need to use the programmed courses, to use the car. She 
pulled out her sonic device and went to work on the box.

* * *

Ten had been very busy. Going on the admission that Uio had been receiving 
these letters, he set his network to work in search of other mysterious 
parchments. He found many, and everyone who received one were surprised to 
discover that they weren't the only one. Each letter contained special 
information. Predictions about coming events that always came true. Piecing 
all the letters together, Ten quickly found that the predictions were 
brought about by another letter. Sometimes, the predictions came with 
advice.

The advice was masterful. No one was ever told to do anything. On the power 
of the earlier predictions they were simply advised. It was hard not to 
take the advice of so accurate a predictor. The side effect of this system 
was that the letter writer's hand was never seen in any event. It was 
always someone else who received letters from an unknown source, and who 
guarded the knowledge of these letters out of greed. The letters provided 
them a special edge, an edge they couldn't afford for the enemy to have. 

The letters never pushed too hard. Never demanded any kind of sacrifice 
that would make one question the source. More forceful motivations weren't 
needed. With a little nudge here and there with the right people the letter 
writer had all the power anyone would want.

The trouble came in with the Princess. Ten didn't image that anyone could 
be convinced to perform high treason by assassinating the Princess. The 
letter writer had to use his own resources, which risked showing his hand. 
He had to be desperate to take that kind of risk.

With such an elegant system in place, Ten couldn't imagine what this letter 
writer had to fear from the Princess. The only thing that could kill the 
system would be discovery.

Ten thought about that. Or it could be greed, he supposed, on the part of 
the letter writer. What was this about the Empire falling, and the Uio 
becoming the military police of the new order? It was exactly the thing 
that the Uio would have liked to hear. Ten had dismissed it as just that, 
but what if this letter writer was expecting the Empire to fall? A strong 
Princess would be a deterrent to that plan.

Ten stood from his communications board. His mind was close, very close. 
There was one piece, a slight turn of the facts, he felt, and everything 
would come into focus. 

He went over to his favorite comfy chair. He loved this chair and it loved 
him. It embraced him as he sat, contouring itself perfectly to his form. It 
was truly a masterpiece in comfy chair design, and Ten coveted it greedily. 

No one knew about this particular room in the Imperial carrier, or about 
this chair. He had found the chair some years back in a hotel on a backward 
planet. The accommodations were abysmal, but the chair was beyond belief. 
He never even tried the bed. Instead he spent the entire night in the 
chair. The next day, while others were stealing soap, ashtrays, bath 
towels, and robes, Ten managed to leave the hotel with the chair. As far as 
he was concerned, it was the most valuable theft he had ever made.

His body in absolute ecstasy, relaxed beyond all bounds, Ten closed his 
eyes, and resumed his train of thought. There was only one word in his 
head, 'no!' Ten couldn't imagine anything to be gained by killing the 
Princess that would make it worth risking discovery. The system was too 
elegant, too perfect. No power would be gained by toppling the Empire. It 
didn't matter whether the Empire was operating or not. The letter writer 
could still control events. The Uio were told what they wanted to hear, and 
besides the near collapse of the Empire would not be something that Ten 
would miss. The Empire was healthy, and made more so by the Princess.

Only discovery could destroy the plans of the letter writer. The Princess 
somehow represented the threat of discovery. Ten wondered if the Princess 
or the Emperor were receiving letters. It seemed doubtful, but existence of 
these letters anywhere in the Empire without Ten knowing about it, was also 
doubtful.

Also, just discovering the system didn't lead to the source. Ten's 
knowledge of the letters didn't place him any closer to the writer. It was 
a big galaxy. Additionally, it wasn't really in Jariten's interest to 
expose the letters. He might want to use the idea himself. 

It was a marvelous idea. The purpose was clear. If one can predict the 
future, one can profit by it. All the militaries of the Families suffered 
in the war except the Uio. The letter writer had the Uio building ships. 
The Uio were known to be excellent warriors, and could build an impressive 
warship. There was a market and a supplier. How long would it have been 
before the letter writer pointed this out to the Uio? Ten felt bad that he 
hadn't thought of this himself. The best way to predict the future was to 
create it.

Since the Princess didn't seem to represent a threat to the system, it must 
be to the writer. That was the answer. Whoever it was had to be close to 
the Princess, known by the Princess. Ten couldn't believe it. Whoever it 
was, might even be known by Jariten. That was embarrassing. It was bad 
enough that someone was operating such a system in the same galaxy as 
Jariten without him knowing it, but could this person be on the same ship. 
The Princess knew something about this person, but didn't realize it yet. 
If that was true, the letter writer would be forced to try again, no matter 
what the cost. Ten had much to do. 

* * *

Sugoi sat in a pile of wires. She had pulled out every wire that was in the 
box. She had forgotten the function of most of them. She thought she could 
get by without marking them. She was wrong. She knew which one was the 
power wire. It had reminded her of its purpose repeatedly. Sugoi had very 
sore and burnt fingers. She was unhappy. 

It was in this pile of wires that she was surprised to see a face, outside 
the car, looking down at her. It was the man she had seen in the camera. 
The one who had helped to sabotage her shower. He didn't look happy either. 
She smiled at him. He took out his gun and went for the thumb pad to open 
the door. Wearing her black "sneak-about" suit, and a multi-spectrum 
eyepiece, Sugoi didn't think she could convince the man that she was just 
lost. She certainly didn't want to be captured again. The car had to move.

She took the power wire. She studied the mess of wires, all of various 
colors and thicknesses, and shoved the power wire in the pile and hoped she 
was lucky. There was a loud electrical snap and the car jerked. The man 
stepped back. 

The car jerked a second time, but it didn't move. The man got over his 
surprise and went for the thumb pad again, and Sugoi jiggled the wire 
around, and closed her eyes. The car jerked, sputtered, and finally began 
to move. Five meters down the tunnel it stopped again.

Sugoi opened her eyes, and cursed. "Move! You damn hunk of metal, move!" 
She began jerking her body in hopes of coaxing the car along. It didn't 
move. Sugoi began to whimper. "Aww, please move..." 

The man realizing that the car had stopped again, climbed into the tunnel 
and was coming toward the vehicle. Sugoi did not want to be captured. She 
took the wire and actually connected it to another wire. 

The car sputtered as she made the connection, and then in a burst of speed, 
jerked back to where it had started. The man was in the tunnel at the time.  
Sugoi had heard the thud when the car hit his body. She peered out the 
window to see if he was around. He was lying on the tracks, just ahead of 
the car. Sugoi unhooked the wires, and secured the power wire away from 
the others.

She got out to the car, and went to examine the body. The first part of her 
examination was to remove his weapon. She then checked to see if he was 
still alive. He was. Alive, and under her power. This was a good turn of 
events. If she could keep him from killing himself, she finally had someone 
to question. He might even be able to help her with the car. 

She wished this wasn't taking so long. She knew that Megane must certainly 
need her help by now. 

* * *

In the cave where Sugoi's car had left them, the Megane, Pama, Kakugari and  
Chibi stood before a tall wooden door, which they had finally gotten up 
enough courage to open. Megane tugged on the door, but it didn't open. It 
seemed to be jammed somehow. He couldn't see any lock on it. All four knew 
that they had to get the door open before their courage ran out.

After examining the door thoroughly all four of the gang grabbed the handle.

"Ichi," Megane began.

"Ni." 

"San!" Megane shouted, and they all pulled. The door opened a little as it 
pulled against them, but then under their combined strength it firmly 
closed itself. They quickly saw what the problem was.

"Idiot! You push this door to open it," Pama said.

"I think we've all figured that out," Megane said and pushed on the door. 

It opened, rather quickly in fact, as the Accountant was pulling at the 
same time they were pushing. The four saw the Accountant, and the 
Accountant saw who his unexpected guests were. 

The Accountant was shocked. "How did you...?"

"Professor Onsenmark?" The four said in unison.

* * * *

Chapter 12:  "Living from Dream to Dream"

At one point in the great station of Tolia all the interconnecting lattices 
come together. They come together to form a great domed circular plaza, 
several kilometers in diameter. In the center of the plaza is a high golden 
platform formed in the shape of the Imperial seal. 

The plaza was full of people surrounding the platform. Standing in the 
center of platform was Uio Retah. He was naked. 

Behind him, sitting in great chairs were the Emperor and Empress. Lum and 
Ataru sat next to them, on the Emperor's side. Azu Des sat with them as 
well. It was a clear sign that he had regained favor with the Imperial 
house. Rei, the Emperor's Champion also had a seat, next to Des. The Royal 
family was surrounded by the elite guard. In addition, Benten, in full 
dress uniform stood on duty next to Lum. 

Huge images of Retah and the Royal family floated around the plaza. Every 
sound that occurred on the platform was reproduced perfectly throughout the 
plaza, as well as on every video receiver in the Empire. Viewing was 
mandatory. No one was going to miss this moment.

The Emperor glanced and nodded to an official who walked before the 
Emperor, bowed to him, and then went to stand next to Retah. He produced a 
small electronic pad, and began to read it.

"Citizens of the Uruseian Empire. Retah of the Major House of Uio stands 
before you accused of treason. He has raised arms against the Empire and 
the Royal house. He has attacked bases, and ships of his own people. He has 
threatened the life of your Emperor and Princess. What is your verdict?"

As if with one voice the entire assembly called out, "Guilty!"

"And the sentence?"

"Death!"

The official turned to Retah. "The people declare you guilty and demand 
your life. Have you any words?"

Retah stood silent and defiant. He shook his head.

"Very well." The official went to stand before the Emperor. He gestured 
before him. "My Emperor, your people have declared Retah of the Major House 
of Uio guilty and ask you to take his life." The official offered the pad 
to the Emperor.

The Emperor remained seated and placed his thumbprint on the pad. "I so 
acknowledge the wishes of my people, and charge you to carry them out."

"As you wish, my Emperor." The official stood and went to a post on which 
was a single button. The official slid the pad into a slot, and then waited. 
Retah closed his eyes. 

Ataru swallowed. He had forgotten his thoughts about the number of people 
who were present, or his own position as part of the royal family. He had 
even forgotten how tight and uncomfortable the clothing he was wearing was. 
He knew what was about to happen, and couldn't believe he was going to see 
it. He hoped he wasn't going to do anything embarrassing like throw up or 
faint. His heart was racing as his eyes went from the official to Retah.

Finally the official looked to the Emperor, who nodded back at him. The 
official pressed the button. The execution process is relatively quick, 
lasting less than a Earth minute, but time was slowed in the moment. At 
first nothing seemed to happen, then slowly Retah widened his stance. He 
threw his arms out. It took Ataru a moment to realize that this wasn't a 
voluntary act, but the result of force beams taking a hold of his limbs.

His arms and legs out, Retah rose into the air. Ataru glanced to one of the 
monitors that showed Retah's expression. He seemed relaxed, at peace. The 
spotlight on his body gave him a glow as if he was some kind of angel 
floating above the crowd. It was almost magical.

Suddenly, his face tensed up. He was gritting his teeth against some kind 
of pain. He was fighting against shouting out, and then one of his legs 
jerked farther out. The bone must have been pulled out of the socket. At 
this Uio screamed.

He screamed again when suddenly his right arm turned blood red.  Those in 
the crowd gasped. Ataru was having trouble keeping steady. He fought to 
keep a hold of himself. Retah's screams of pain fought against his 
concentration. He then felt a touch. Lum put her hand in his and was 
holding his hand tightly. He looked over to her. She was staring intently 
at Uio, she was slightly pale. 

She felt his eyes on her, and turned to him. "You never get used to it," 
she said. "But it's necessary," she explained half to herself. "How are you 
doing?"

"I'll make it," he said, and then came the most horrible sound that Ataru 
had ever remembered hearing. Microphones where amplifying perfectly every 
sound that Retah made, including this new sound of ripping flesh. Ataru 
looked up. Uio's left arm had come off. It floated suspended next to torso. 
The blood that poured from the wound also was held aloft by the force beams. 
It coalesced into undulating bubbles of red liquid.

"Why doesn't he call for mercy?!" Lum exclaimed. Lum turned to her father. 
"Father, that's enough!"

The Emperor looked to his daughter and then to the official. He raised his 
hand. The official, in turn announced, "The Emperor declares mercy."

The soldiers who were standing guard around the Royal family stepped 
forward. They all took out their rifles, and aimed at Retah. They waited.

The Emperor looked up at Uio, who in his pain was still coherent enough to 
know what was happening. He looked back at the Emperor. "Mercy," the 
Emperor said. At his command, the soldiers fired. Multiple shots hit the 
body, chunks of flesh and blood exploded and then remained suspended. Retah 
was dead instantly. Soon all that remained of him was ash, still floating 
above the assembly. 

"My Emperor," the official declared. "The sentence has been carried out."

"Bring forth the Uio," the Emperor said.

Surrounded by Imperial soldiers, several Uruseians, some of whom looked 
much like Retah were brought up to the platform and before the Emperor. 
None of them looked too pleased. Once in front of the Emperor they were 
forced to kneel.

"Your Patriarch is dead," the Emperor declared. "Who speaks for you now?"

A woman spoke up. "I do," she said. "I am Uio Karis."

"Step forward."

Karis stood. She was a middle-aged, stately woman with very intent eyes. 
She walked like she was ready to explode, holding in an intense amount of 
anger and hate. The Uio were not going to be friends of the Empire any time 
soon, but Karis knew they were in no position to fight, so she was ready to 
restrain her pride, and legendary Uio fighting spirit. There would be 
another day.

Karis stood before the Emperor.

"Retah, your leader, was accused of treason and convicted by the people. Do 
you agree with their verdict?"

Karis did not speak immediately. "Yes," she said hesitantly. She glanced to 
the side, and saw the faces of all the people who were watching her. She 
saw her own face floating, magnified largely above the people. The whole 
Empire heard her words. The whole Empire saw her weakness. She had to 
convince herself. There would be another day. She had to focus on the 
moment, and save her family.

"Do you reject all his actions, and declare you loyalty to me and my 
successors?"

Another pause. "Yes."

The Emperor sighed. He could see the rebellion in her eyes. The Uio were 
going to be a constant problem for many years. Still, as long as she went 
through with the ceremony there was nothing he could do. "Kneel and declare 
your loyalty."

Karis, with theatrical reluctance knelt before the Emperor. When she spoke 
there was no feeling or expression in her voice whatsoever. "I Uio Karis, 
Matriarch of the house of Uio, declare my loyalty and the fealty of my 
House to Uruseian Empire and its Emperor Redet Enjo. We will serve you and 
your successors unwaveringly all our days."

"So speak you," the Emperor said. "I accept your house in the name of the 
people of the Empire. Failure of the promise you make today will punished 
with most terrible death. Loyalty will be as quickly rewarded."

The Emperor stood. The Uio family was moved aside. "My people!" the Emperor 
began. His arms were raised as if he was trying to embrace them. "You have 
witnessed the just execution of a traitor to our Empire. The war is over. 
We are at peace. Our Champion has won glory to his House, and I hereby take 
five planets once held by the Uio and give them to the Seq house." There 
was a loud cheer.

After it subsided, the Emperor continued. "In addition my daughter, after 
evading twice the attacks of a cowardly enemy, has also gained glory for 
her name. Her service to the Empire is uncontested. Your love for her is 
unwavering. For this reason, this day, I abdicate my position as your 
Emperor, and name Redet Lum, my daughter, my heir and your Empress! 
Esha epah Lum!"

The audience was stunned by the unexpected announcement.

The Emperor repeated the ancient cheer. "Esha epah Lum!" 

The audience repeated the Emperor's cheer, in great volume.

Lum's hands were clasped permanently to the arms of her chair. He hadn't 
told her that he was going to make this announcement now. 

The audience repeated the chant, "Esha epah Lum!"

Lum knew she was expected to stand and greet the people, but she didn't 
have the nerve. Empress? Now!? She could hear Benten chanting behind her. 
Ataru stood, and smiling offered his hand to her. She took it and allowed 
him to bring her up. Her legs were unsure. The audience kept encouraging 
her, "Esha epah Lum!"

Lum glanced to her mother who was in tears. She nodded her on. Looking up 
she saw her father, tall and powerful, waiting patiently for her to take 
her place with him; to take his place. 

She drew herself up. If she was going to be Empress, she was going to be 
Empress. The people didn't need to see her fear. She set her face, and 
locked her arm around Ataru's. "Take me to my place," she whispered to him, 
hoping the microphones wouldn't catch it. They did, and the audience just 
cheered all the louder. "Esha epah Lum!"

Once they reached the Emperor, he took her hands. "I wasn't ready for 
this," she said to him even quieter than before. The microphones didn't 
pick it up.

"I know," he said smiling. "Another privilege of being Emperor. It is your 
privilege now. Use it well." With that, he turned and went back to his 
seat. Lum stood alone before the people, her people. No, not alone. Ataru 
stood with her.

The crowd quieted down, waiting for her first words as Empress. Lum looked 
out all the faces. There were so many. Among the images floating above 
them, along with her face, were images of gatherers of other planets; the 
other major houses. Her father had planned this from the beginning. They 
all were waiting for her to say something important, something of 
historical weight. Whatever she said now would be written down and taught 
in schools for millennia. It would have to be good.

"Umm..."

Ataru took her hand and squeezed it gently. Lum responded by squeezing his 
hand tightly, almost crushing it, drawing strength from it.

"People of the Uruseian Empire," she began, "my people, I knew from my 
earliest years that I would be your Empress. All my life up until now has 
been preparing for this moment." She paused and in a less formal manner 
said, "I just didn't know it would be today." She was hoping they would 
laugh to take some pressure off the moment. No one did. Still, no one was
frowning. They hung on her next words. Lum glanced to Ataru. She could see 
in his eyes, he was with her. They all were with her. 

"You see standing next to me, someone you all have heard about. My consort. 
The alien that I hope you will accept as your Emperor. I know many of you 
cannot believe such a thing, an alien, a slave, as the Emperor of Uruseians, 
of our Empire. Our Empire has grown bigger than we. Currently there are 
one-thousand-ninty-two separate races populating our Empire. Of these, 
the slave races number one-thousand-ninty-one. They are all part of the 
Empire. We conquered their worlds and made them part of the Empire. We are 
judged by how we treat them, and we are judged poorly. We are capable of 
better.

"There is only one way that an alien, a slave can be your Emperor, that is 
if he weren't an alien or a slave any longer. As my first declaration as 
your Empress, I say we are one Empire, one people. There are no slaves!" 
Lum waited for her words to sink in. She could hear murmuring. She hoped 
she hadn't gone too far, too soon.

"You have to be asking yourself, 'what does she mean?' and more importantly, 
'how will it change my life?' Will slaves be kicking you out of your homes? 
No, the other races have their own worlds. There is room for everyone. 
There always has been. Will Families lose the control of the planets they 
hold? Am I negating my Father's gift to the Seq? No. I have no wish to 
bring chaos to my Empire. 

"What will change is all races will receive the same protection under the 
law as any Uruseian. Additionally, beginning today the List of Families 
will not be restricted to Uruseians only. I name two non-Uruseian Families 
today. The house of Moroboshi, whose patriarch is my consort Ataru, and the 
house of Nesengelt whose Matriarch is my personal guard Benten. Each has 
governorship of their respective home planets, and will be entered into the 
Book of Families as Minor Families."

Lum turned and went to the center chair, the one the Emperor had sat in. 
The Emperor and Empress had moved to Ataru and Lum's chairs. Sitting in the 
huge chair of the Emperor, Lum felt very small. Still, it was her chair now. 
She had been preparing for this day. She knew what she had to do. She 
waited.

The official announced, "Will the leaders of the new Families come and 
declare your allegiance to the Empress."

Ataru and Benten both came before Lum. When Benten reached Lum, she 
whispered, "You look good in the chair, but where'd the hell you get the 
name 'Nesengelt'?!"

"It's your Father's name, isn't it?"

"No, and it's not my family name either."

"I didn't know you had a family name, sorry."

"Goddamn Uruseians!" the speakers proclaimed. "It's 'Echaeba-u'."

"Echaebau?"

Benten grew angry. "Nobody calls me that, not even you! Ech-ae-bah U!"

Lum looked out at all the people. "I already said your name was Nesengelt. 
I can't change it now. Couldn't you just..."

"My name is not Nesengelt!" Benten said out-loud. This was obviously 
something important to her. "It's a goddamn stupid name, and I'm not going 
to take it just so you won't be fuckin' embarrassed. I don't care if you 
are the high and mighty fuckin' Empress." The microphones picked up every 
word perfectly. The was a collective gasp all throughout the Empire. 

Lum lowered her head and began rubbing her temples. "You're making it real 
hard to honor you."

Benten smiled. "Ain't I wonderful. That's what you get for makin' up stupid 
names." Benten turned to the crowd. She realized that she was making a mess 
of something that was supposed to be very serious. "Sorry. I do this sort 
of thing all the time. We're friends, really. Hell, maybe I talk a little 
rough, but I'd do anything for her. It's like the Uio chick said, except 
that I really mean it." 

Benten was becoming painfully aware that it was time to stop talking. She 
got down on her knees before Lum. "Ya know I love you. Me and my planet, my 
home, we'll do anything for you. You know I'd die for you in a second." She 
thought for a moment. "Hell, I'll even be a Nesengelt, if that's what you 
want. My house will serve you for all time."

Lum tried hard to hold back a laugh. She knew her friend was sincere, she 
just hoped the Empire understood. "Echaeba-u Benten, I accept your loyalty 
and the fealty of your house. Your deeds are known throughout the Empire 
and deeds speak louder than words, thank the Spirits. I have no cause to 
question your loyalty to me. I welcome your name into the List of Families." 

Lum waited. It was time to see if the people accepted Lum's bold move, 
especially after Benten's display. Her father didn't pick this time idly. 
They had just won a war, and so had the respect of the Empire. Lum had 
beaten off two threats to her life, and so had its sympathy as well. And 
she had always had their hearts. She hoped it would be enough. It remained 
silent until one brave soul began to clap, and then another. The people's 
acceptance spread. Lum had won this one. "You are very lucky," Lum 
whispered to Benten. 

"My Empress," Benten said, flashing a quick smile. She stood and took a 
step back, leaving Ataru.

"My name is Moroboshi," Ataru confirmed with a wink to Lum.

"I know," Lum responded quietly. "It is very important that you do this 
right."

Ataru took a breath. He knew exactly how important this was, and could feel 
the eyes of every person in the entire Empire on him and him alone. He was 
the alien who would be their Emperor. "I Moroboshi Ataru," he began, 
"Patriarch of the house of Moroboshi, declare my loyalty and the fealty of 
my House to Uruseian Empire and its Empress Redet Lum. I will love you and 
serve you and your successors unwaveringly all our days." 

It was absolutely perfect. Somehow he had memorized the speech, with a 
little addendum. "I accept your loyalty and the fealty of your house, and 
your love most of all. I welcome your name into the List of Families."

The acknowledgment came a little quicker this time. They had won this 
battle. Ataru took Lum's hand again and brought her out before the people. 
"Esha epah Lum!" he shouted, and the people followed. 

* * *

Many days earlier, while Lum and Ataru were still talking with Dedron Elle 
about naming Rei as the Imperial Champion, and Jariten and the rest were 
taken as Uio prisoners, Sugoi was roaming through the vast hidden caverns 
within the planet of Urusei. From what she could see much of the operations 
of this organization that she had joined were here. The organization was 
immense. The thought that there were complexes as large as this on several 
worlds made Sugoi reel.

With the help of the man named Eddin, the one who had sabotaged her shower, 
an unforgivable crime in Sugoi's book, Sugoi had found how to manually 
operate the cars. Her new mobility wasn't helping. There seemed to be no 
end to the tunnels. The car zipped over monorail after monorail. She passed 
buildings and warehouses. Hundreds of workers went about their business. 
Machinery gnawed at the earth digging new ways, and making the caves even 
larger.

Sugoi had uncovered the greatest secret in the Empire, and she wanted to 
explore every inch of it. She was amazed at how much was going on secretly 
in the heart of the Uruseian Empire. It was no wonder these people had the 
resources to attack the Princess with impunity. Sugoi was curious why they 
had struck so weakly. They had the power to do anything. However, as much 
as her curiosity was getting the best of her, she did have a mission. She 
had to find her Manju-sama.

Sugoi indulged in a little bit of justice by having her captive NI'd. 
Eddin sat in the back of the car unable to do anything. She felt that he 
might be of continued use, so she kept him. She had to figure out some way 
to navigate these caverns. She hoped that Megane was still on this world or 
finding him would be a lost cause. There were so many people. It seemed 
unlikely that Megane had even managed to remain free. Sugoi was beginning 
to despair. He may already be sitting in some sort of prison. Sugoi needed 
access to a computer. She needed some assistance from her captive. He was 
proving to be uncooperative, but a nudge here and annoyance there...

"This is quite an operation," Sugoi said to her captive. 

Eddin did not respond.

Sugoi was unperturbed. "It looks like you've been doing pretty well for 
yourselves. Doesn't it seem a bit greedy to want to run the Empire as well?"

"We already run the Empire," Eddin said defiantly.

"Well there you are. If you already have the Empire, why would you want to 
topple the government? It doesn't make sense."

"You're going to have to find your own answers."

Sugoi was shifting from cute to bubbly. The pitch and rate of her words 
steadily increased. "I don't think it would hurt to talk a little. Cenek 
already told me that the organization is trying to topple the government 
and then take over Empire. I'm just saying that it seems like a stupid 
thing, and not a little greedy for an organization that is already very 
successful to try and take more. Dontcha think? I mean, what are you going 
to get out of it? Maybe you could point that out to your superiors."

"Cenek is a very small man," Eddin said.

"You know, I never did much like him myself. He sounded all sinister, a 
real loser. Of course if he is small, then maybe you're not."

"You do know that you are dead, don't you?" Eddin said.

"You mean when they catch me, they're going to do icky things to me. Yes, I 
figured that. It doesn't mean I can't have a little fun though." Sugoi had 
navigated through quite a few tunnels, and great chambers full of busy 
people and machinery. She was guessing that she was following a circular 
path, but she was getting to know some of the layout. If Megane was around 
someplace he certainly wasn't going to make himself easy to find. Sugoi had 
mobility, a hostage, and a general map of the area. Now she needed 
specifics and a plan. Eddin wasn't wearing out as fast as she thought he 
would, but his voice was beginning to show that his nerves were wearing 
thin. "You know," she said, "like I thought it was real cool to be accepted 
into your organization and all. I don't know why you're so hostile, like 
we're on the same side."

"I had heard," Eddin said. "But it appears to me that you've gone traitor."

Sugoi giggled. "I don't do that traitor thing. That's like way too serious. 
I just don't like to play by the rules. I'm on a mission right now, you 
know."

"Sure." 

"I am. There are intruders here and I'm trying to find them. You certainly 
don't want intruders roaming free in the heart of your secret workings. I 
think it would be in your self-interest to help me find them. They might 
make us heroes or something. That'd be cool."

"If they exist, they will be found soon enough without your help."

"Will they? I don't know. They've been here for almost a day. They've 
probably seen all kinds of secret stuff. I mean that can't be good."

"If you really were on our side you'd inform security about them."

"The same way I'd tell Palace security about your little entrance if I was 
working for the Emperor? I don't think so. That wouldn't be fun at all. I 
like to hunt by myself." Sugoi was sending the car down various side routes, 
having mapped the main route.

"I'm not in any position to stop you from hunting."

"You could be helpful though. If they were in a car like this one, and 
wanted to go someplace to hide, where would they go?"

"You want me to tell you where a good hiding place is? Not likely."

Down one side route she stopped the car, and turned on Eddin. "You are not 
making me happy," she said, and approached him. She knelt in front of him 
and caressed his cheek. "Like you've been no help at all," she mewed 
sorrowfully. "I'm wondering why I need to keep you alive."

Eddin shuddered at her touch, but the inhibitors kept him from turning away. 

"Is there some way I can trace the routes of the cars that use this rail?" 
she asked.

Eddin looked at her with a sly grin. "Is that all you wanted to know? The 
computers that operate the cars are at address 3782. You go into that 
building right through central security, and ask one of the operators for 
the courses."

Sugoi smiled, and pecked him on the lips. "Thank you," she chirped. She 
typed 3782 on the keypad and the car began to move.

Eddin was confused. "You did hear me say security was in that building, 
didn't you?"

"I'll think of something," Sugoi said brightly. "This is going to be all 
kinds of fun."

* * *

"I can't believe they finally sent someone to rescue me," Onsenmark 
exclaimed. He rushed past the four, into the cave. "How did you get here? 
Did you bring a way out?"

Megane, Chibi, Kakugari and Pama stood dumbfounded. 

"Umm," Chibi began, "how did you get here?"

Onsenmark turned back to them. "I was captured. They've been asking me all 
kinds of questions about Moroboshi and the dreams. We have to get away from 
here quickly. Where's the vehicle you came in?"

All four lowered their heads. "It left," Pama said.

Onsenmark fell on his knees. "Then I'm still trapped here." He grew angry 
and rapped each of the boys on the head. "And now I'm stuck with you idiots! 
How could you come here and let our only means of escape get away?"

Megane rubbed his sore head. "It just took off. It was doing what we told 
it up to then."

"No it wasn't," Pama said. "We just pushed a bunch of buttons and it 
started moving. We're lucky it brought us here, instead of someplace with a 
lot of guns."

"Lucky," Onsenmark repeated under his breath.

"There aren't any guards here, are there?" Kakugari asked fearfully.

"Fortunately not," Onsenmark said. "Not that it helps us. You might as well 
come in, since you'll be here a while."

Onsenmark let them through the door into the house. The four gaped at how 
richly decorated the rooms were.

"It's rather fancy for a prison cell," Megane commented.

"My captures have been treating me well, but I haven't seen anyone in over 
a week. It's still a prison."

"Is there a kitchen?" Kakugari asked hopefully.

Onsenmark stopped. He felt great danger brewing. How many sacrifices was he 
willing to make? "Yes," he said reluctantly. "But there's not much there. 
Just rice, they don't really feed me much."

"Doesn't matter," Kakugari said. "I'm starved. Which way?"

Onsenmark lifted a weak finger and pointed in the direction of the kitchen. 

"Food!" Three of the four shouted and ran off in the direction of the 
kitchen. Megane remained.

"Didn't you come with us to Urusei? When did they capture you?" Megane 
asked.

"It was soon after we arrived." Onsenmark grew cross. "And of course, none 
of you noticed that I was gone."

Megane, shamefaced, started rubbing the back of his head. "It did seem a 
little quieter."

"Hey Megane!" Chibi yelled from the kitchen. "There's all kinds of food 
here. Lot more than just rice."

"Not for long," Onsenmark muttered worriedly.

Megane started to study the artwork. "This is quite a place. Strange that 
it is a European design. It's funny that they would know so much about 
Earth so soon."

"I thought it was odd," Onsenmark said. "I suppose they wanted me in 
familiar surroundings. I don't really like this style."

"Of course," Megane said. "Do you know what has been happening to Ataru and 
his dream girl?"

"I haven't heard anything. I imagine they're married by now," Onsenmark 
said. He sat down.

"No. The same people who captured you have been trying to kill them. But we 
have found their secret lair! If we can ever find our way out, we can 
inform the Emperor, and put an end to this evil organization! Did you learn 
anything about them? Anything that would help us escape?"

Onsenmark seemed lost in thought. "What?"

"Have you learned anything about our captors?"

"No. They never show themselves. I just hear voices, asking me questions."

"They are indeed cowards, unwilling to show themselves. As cowards they 
will surely fail." Megane remembered why he had come into the tunnel in the 
first place. "Have you been alone here, then?"

"Yes."

"I would have thought that Sugoi would have been kept here. Now I'm trapped 
here, with no way to rescue her."

* * *

Once Sugoi realized which building the car was heading for, she took 
control of it again, and headed into a side tunnel. She could have guessed 
which building it was without the help of the vehicle. It was tall and 
black, different from all the others. Several monorails entered it. Somehow 
she had to get in undetected. The caves were artificially lit. There was 
use in waiting for night time. Not knowing the layout of the building her 
options were limited. 

There was the front door, but that could only get her in so far. It would 
afford her a look at what was inside. She wasn't worried about capture. 
There were swarms of people going in and out of the building. With an 
appropriate change of clothing, she could easily blend in with the mostly 
Uruseian crowd. That seemed to be her best bet, once inside she could 
determine what to do next. Now all she needed was a change of clothes. 

Her stomach growled. She probably could use a little food, too.

She yawned. And some rest. She had gotten up in the early morning and had 
been searching all day. She had lost track of how many tenths she had been 
roaming around. Perhaps a little catnap before she went out wouldn't be 
such a bad thing. Checking her surroundings, she satisfied herself that the 
car was in an out of the way place. She checked Eddin's inhibitors to see 
if everything was in place, and there was enough power. 

"If you want to get caught," he said, "you don't have to go through so much 
trouble. I could take you in myself."

Sugoi paused. "Nah. I'm rather picky about who captures me, and you're just 
not cute enough. Besides it's much more fun this way." Sugoi yawned again. 
Satisfied that she was safe for the moment, she went to the front of the 
car and curled up on the floor. She yawned sleepily. "Now behave yourself 
and take a nap. We're going to have a busy day in the morning." With that
Sugoi dozed off.

* * *

Sugoi woke up and was surprised to see that it was dark. She could barely 
see anything. Sugoi was suddenly afraid that she had been captured and 
taken to a cell while she slept. She felt around. It felt like the car. She 
felt her way to the wall, and strained her eyes out the window. She 
couldn't see much. There was nothing to indicate that she wasn't where she 
had started from. Why was it so dark?

She listened and could hear Eddin breathing in the corner. Actually, he was 
snoring. She hadn't been captured. She might had made a false assumption 
earlier. They must turn off the lights at night, to simulate night time. 
Sugoi remembered her visual enhancer. If she could just remember where she 
had put it down. 

She patted her hand around the dashboard looking for it. Finally she placed 
her hand on it. She strapped it over her eye. It occurred to her that even 
if they turned the lights off at night, there was no reason that it would 
be so dark. They'd have a couple lights on so people could see. 

She was about to turn on the computer map, when she decided that its 
scanner might be a little too active. It was best to start with a passive 
view. She turned on the infra-red. She was not in the place where she had 
parked. The car had moved while she was sleeping. It was no wonder. The 
cars ride so smoothly anyone could have slept through it. They weren't 
captured, it must have been some kind of automatic system. Since the car 
wasn't moving the system must have marked it as unused and moved it to 
someplace that would be more useful. Where that might be was anyone's guess. 


She thought of typing in the address again, but one mustn't be too hasty. 
The move could have been a stroke of luck. She needed food and clothing, 
and maybe there was a computer here that she could use. She appeared to be 
in some kind of garage. There were five other cars. Being in a garage could 
explain why it was so dark.

She could detect no people. It occurred to her that if someone came in, it 
would be difficult to hide. Sugoi saw a computer terminal on the wall. She 
was willing to take the chance that it was exactly what she needed. And if 
it wasn't, well, she could convert it. 

Sugoi opened the car door. The door seemed to make a monstrous amount of 
noise, but it wasn't even enough to wake Eddin. Sugoi climbed out of the 
car and went to the computer. Sugoi strained her ears. She felt she could 
hear the dim sounds of movement and maybe even voices, or could have been 
the beating of her heart. 

She remonstrated her heart for beating so loudly and touched a key on the 
computer. It beeped the screen lit up. She turned off the enhancer. The 
room was now bathed in computer light. She was right. It was a garage, but 
a surprisingly well-kept one.

Sugoi turned her attention back to the computer. With a few keypresses she 
had the car routing system on the menu, but that was as far as it would let 
her go. Why were there always passwords? 

She looked back at the car. It was unlikely that Eddin would help her. She 
tried two combinations and determined that it wanted six characters. She 
wasn't about to try a third time. Too many alarms get set off on the third 
failure. Fortunately, she had come prepared to be sneaky. 

From her belt she brought out a small device which she placed on the 
keyboard. Computers are a rather noisy lot. Sending out waves and waves of 
radio buzz for anyone to decipher if they have the right equipment. Sugoi's 
device could listen to the computer operating, and it was waiting for the 
password routine to come up.

Sugoi type another failed password. After she pressed enter, the computer 
called up the password checker to see if she had typed the right code. Her 
machine read the code, determined what password the machine was looking for 
and changed her entry to match the password. She was in, and her machine 
stored the password for further use. Sugoi could have done that before she 
typed in the first two failures, but it was more exciting if she was close 
to being caught. Besides luck, like anything, has to be exercised, or it 
atrophies. 

Once in it was an easy matter to track down the car the boys used. Sugoi 
was disappointed to discover, however, that the machine was unwilling to 
give the address that they typed. When she accessed her car, she was easily 
able to obtain all the numbers that she had typed in. What was so special 
about where the boys had went? Sugoi was becoming excited.

The machine told her that she didn't have clearance to find out what the 
boys' number was. That meant there were several levels of passwords. She 
exited the program, and then restarted it, instructing her machine to wait 
for a second password. It did, she got in again, but it still wouldn't give 
her the number she wanted. She had to try her machine five times before she 
finally was allowed to see where the boys' car went. It was a sixth time 
before she was finally allowed to see what number they had typed. She was 
surprised to see that it was an eight digit number. The address for the 
security building was only four digits. How could the boys have happened 
upon the eight digit number that required such a high security clearance? 
Sugoi was definitely curious to see where they had gone to. 

She took out a small computer pad, and stored the eight digit address, 
along with all the passwords she had uncovered. It occurred to her that 
since she had such a high password she could find out anything she wanted 
from this computer. It was tempting, but it could take days going through 
everything, and there was always the danger of someone coming in. Besides, 
now that she knew where her Manju-sama was she had to go and rescue him. 

Sugoi's stomach growled again. She had found her information, but she still 
needed food. She turned the enhancer back on and found the door. She went 
up and after listening at it, she opened it. It lead to a hall. It was lit. 
There were three doors at the end. One of them, she was sure, had food 
behind it. 

She closed her eyes and spun around three times. When she opened her eyes 
she was facing the way she had come in. She knew there wasn't any food that 
way. Sugoi closed her eyes again. She turned around three times. This times 
was pointing at the door opposite the entrance. "Food!" she exclaimed 
quietly, and opened it.

Sugoi stopped cold. There were twenty -- no, thirty -- soldiers who had 
stopped what they were doing to notice her. She was in the security 
building! She smiled at them. "Any of you have a sandwich?" she asked.

All of them drew their guns on her. She hit the thumbpad again to close the 
door. She was back through the other door just as the first was opened. She 
was glad that she had left the car door open. She was inside with the door 
closed in a moment. She fumbled hurriedly to get her computer pad out. 

Eddin was awake. He glanced from Sugoi to the open door. Soldiers were 
pouring into the garage. "I told you you'd get caught," he jibed.

Sugoi ignored him and typed the numbers from her computer into the car's 
control. No one had told the car that it needed to hurry, and Sugoi had no 
way to convince it. Slowly the car turned as the garage door opened. It 
paid little attention to the twenty soldiers who had surrounded it, with 
their guns trained on it. Sugoi sat passively inside the car, her hands 
raised in surrender.

The soldiers didn't know what to do. Their captive was surrendering, but 
the vehicle she was in wasn't. They just watched as Sugoi sat in the middle 
of the car with her hands raised as the car slowly turned. She was like 
some kind of mechanical doll in a glass ball. At any moment she might have 
begun dancing to some light music box melody. 

They were so mesmerized by the sight, before anyone thought to fire on the 
track or the engine to stop the car, it had completed its turn and began 
moving out of the building. Some eager soldiers fired a few shots at the 
retreating vehicle, but it was already too late. Attempts at using the 
computer to track the car failed. No one had high enough access. 

Eddin watched his hope of rescue recede in the distance. "Where are you 
taking us?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sugoi admitted. Her stomach growled again. "But I hope they 
have food there."

* * *

Kakugari was finishing off the last of a triple-decker salmon and pickle 
club sub. The others who had already gorged themselves were snoozing on the 
couches. Kakugari offered a satisfied belch and began to doze off himself.

Onsenmark mourned for the ransacking of his larder. He studied the four 
resting peacefully. They were completely in his power, but he wasn't 
interest in killing them. He wasn't sure how he was going to he was going 
to let them go either. How had they ever found him?

He heard three plaintive beeps coming from his study. He lowered his head. 
It was all over. What he feared had happened. Only Jariten himself could 
have done it. Someone had used his personal access code. Jariten had 
discovered him.

Onsenmark trudged sadly up to his study. He sat down at his desk, and took 
his pen from its place. He studied the nib. Defeated in the end by his 
arch-enemy, luck. Only luck could have lead Megane straight to his hideaway. 
Jariten must have been tracking them. It was a one-in-a-billion chance of 
ever finding the code accidentally, and an even greater chance that it 
would be his own students from Earth who would have found it.

His plan had been so simple. The risk was minimal. Everything that he had 
built was gone. He lowered his head on the desk and allowed a tear to 
emerge in his eye.

* * * *

Chapter 13:  "No More Dreaming"

The chalkboard eraser is a simple tool. It was designed specifically to 
clear chalk dust off of blackboards. It was not designed for flight. It's 
general block design has no aerodynamic value whatsoever. For this reason, 
those who wish to use an eraser as a projectile must be masters of their 
art in order to hit their targets. Therefore, the young man whose head 
deflects a finely thrown eraser should feel a sense of pride and humility 
at being in the presence of true greatness.

The eraser cracked perfectly against the head of the sleeping student. 
"Onsenmark-kun!" the teacher yelled. "Where do you think you are?! Japan 
will never be a great country again if left to lazy students like you!"

Onsenmark stood penitently. "I'm sorry, Gaichi-sensei," the young 
Onsenmark replied. "It will never happen again."

"That's what you said the last fifty times. Now sit down and try to pay 
attention!"

Onsenmark sat back in his chair, and made a feeble scratch-scratch with 
his pencil on the blank piece of paper. His mind was already elsewhere. It 
wasn't like Sensei had anything interesting to teach. Onsenmark's 
attention fell to the girl's volleyball class who were getting ready to 
play in the school courtyard. Thirty sets of shapely bare legs held his 
attention.

"Onsenmark-kun!" came the shout and another well thrown eraser. "You will 
see me after class."

Onsenmark was immediately on his feet. "Yes, Sensei! Sorry, Sensei!" 
Onsenmark fell back into his chair. Held after school again. He looked up 
at the clock. There was only a half hour of school left. He had almost 
made it the whole day. Onsenmark had been held after school so many times, 
he almost knew the lecture he was going to hear by heart. At least he had 
learned one thing in school.

After a half hour of struggling to keep his attention, or least an 
appearance of attention, the bell rang. Everyone got up out of their seats 
except for him. He could hear the other students talking about him. They 
laughed and tittered about him as they left the room. Why was it always 
him who was held back. 


Gaichi-sensei stood at the door, talking with one of the other teachers. 
Onsenmark tensed up preparing himself for the expected lecture. Why 
couldn't they get this over with? Gaichi-sensei finished his conversation 
and went over to his desk. He didn't look at Onsenmark. They never do, 
when they're preparing 'The Lecture.' The teacher opened a drawer in his 
desk and pulled out a stack of papers. He leafed through them until he 
found the one he wanted. Onsenmark recognized the papers as the last 
composition assignment. Apparently he was not only going to get chewed out 
for daydreaming, but for writing a bad paper as well. He knew he should 
have stuck closer to the lesson plan and not gotten carried away. 

Gaichi sat down in the desk next to Onsenmark. "How many times does this 
make it this month?"

"Seven, sensei," Onsenmark said reluctantly.

"And more warnings than I can count. Why do you supposed that is?"

This was not starting as the lecture he was used to hearing. 
"I'm lazy, Sensei?"

"Hmm, I wonder." Gaichi-sensei picked up the paper. "I just finished 
reading your assignment. As you probably expected, you flunked. Nothing of 
the assignment is here."

"Yes Sensei. My mind wandered."

"It seems to do that a lot. This is a brilliant paper."

Onsenmark raised his head. "Sensei? But you said I flunked?"

"Yes, you didn't do the assignment. But you describe the relationships of 
the classroom perfectly. The predictions you make about their futures is 
insightful."

"It's just a story. I wasn't writing about students."

"Nonsense. It's obvious who you were thinking about. I've suspected 
something about you, but this is the first proof that I've had. Your main 
character here says he doesn't feel like he fits in with the other 
students. Is that how you feel?"

Onsenmark lowered his head. 

"I thought so. Maybe that's why you have so much trouble being a part of 
the class."

Onsenmark remained silent.

Gaichi-sensei, studied his reluctant student for a moment. "I've decided 
to tutor you. We'll see if this paper is just a fluke or if there is 
really something worthwhile in that head of yours. Since you are so fond 
of staying after class anyway, from now on you will plan on staying after 
twice a week for extra lessons."

"Sensei?" To Onsenmark it sounded like a lot of work, and a lot of 
lectures.

"Do you have a problem with it, Onsenmark-kun?" The tone of the teacher's 
voice indicated that there was only one correct answer to his question.

Onsenmark lowered his head. "No Sensei. I am honored that you have chosen 
to tutor me."

Gaichi-sensei nodded. "As well you should be. We'll start tomorrow."

That's how it started, with the lessons, but Onsenmark was acutely aware 
that he was being tested, studied. He learned quickly under 
Gaichi-sensei's tutelage. Soon, school assignments were little more than 
busy work, leaving him more time with the projects Gaichi gave him. 
Onsenmark was eager to learn. They studied everything, writing, history, 
politics, math, science. Gaichi gave him a lot of hypothetical cases, 
usually involving a make-believe feudal empire from some distant time and 
place. 

By the end of Onsenmark's senior year, he and his mentor had become close 
friends. Onsenmark almost hated to graduate. He knew where he was going, 
though. He was going to go to college and become a teacher. He was going 
to give someone else what had been given to him.

It was on the last day of school, and unfortunately his last tutoring 
session that Gaichi-sensei gave Onsenmark-kun his graduation present. At 
one point with what had begun as a pleasant goodbye chat, Gaichi led 
Onsenmark to the back of the room. There was a locker there, for school 
supplies and various oddments. Onsenmark had expectations that the Sensei 
had stored some kind of present in the locker.

Gaichi-sensei opened the locker. He look at Onsenmark and smiled. "I want 
to give you something. There is something in this locker that no one on 
Earth has ever seen. I have had it since I was just a little older than 
you. It was passed on to me by my teacher many years ago and now I'm 
giving it to you."

Onsenmark blushed and lowered his eyes. "Sensei, I am really not worthy."

Gaichi-sensei laughed. "You have no idea how unworthy you are."

Onsenmark looked up. "Sensei?"

"I'm not giving you a bauble my son, or a book. I'm giving you an Empire." 
Gaichi turned a loose screw inside the locker door and in response all the 
shelves full of books and papers, and pencils disappeared, replaced by a 
blue mist.

Onsenmark stepped back in surprised. "What is it?"

Gaichi-sensei smiled. "Your reward for being a good student and also my 
happy retirement. I've been waiting for you for a long time." 
Gaichi-sensei turned and stepped into the mist. He disappeared.

Onsenmark stood and stared at the mist for what seemed hours. "An Empire?" 
he thought. He expected a book, maybe a little money. All he saw before 
him was some glowing blue mist. Through it he supposed, lay his graduation 
gift, his empire.

Onsenmark moved so that he was standing directly in front of the mist. He 
took a deep breath and steeled his courage. He closed his eyes and stepped 
into the mist.

* * *

Sugoi's car stopped at a cave entrance. A short stout man waited for her 
there. She immediately recognized him as the teacher from Earth, 
Onsenmark. When she opened the canopy of the car he seemed very surprised.

"You're not Jariten?"

Sugoi looked around herself. She smiled. "You noticed. You were expecting 
him?"

Onsenmark saw that she had a man restrained in the back of the car. He 
barely recognized him as one of their operatives. He was down a ways on 
the ladder. Only those directly under Onsenmark knew who he was and what 
he looked like, and sometimes he felt even that was too much. This was 
going to be a tricky thing to pull off. Somehow he had to save his 
organization. Onsenmark sidestepped so he would be out of the man's line 
of vision.

"I was," Onsenmark said. "But since you've come, I can talk to you."

Sugoi looked up, a little surprised. "Indeed?" She smiled. "Is my 
Manju-sama here?"

Onsenmark nodded. 

Sugoi squealed and jumped out of the car. As soon as she was out of the 
car, Onsenmark hit a button on a remote he was holding. The canopy closed 
and the car sped away. Onsenmark hit another button. The car sped down the 
track normally, but when the car entered the hyperspace jump it didn't 
return to Urusei, but appeared in the core of a star. Even if the man in 
the car hadn't seen his face, he knew Sugoi and where she had gone.

Sugoi turned to catch the car as it left, but it was too fast. "What the 
hell did you do that for?!" She shouted.

"I can call another when we need it," Onsenmark said calmly.

Sugoi looked into his eyes. "Can you? Are you the one with the highest 
password then?"

Onsenmark reluctantly nodded. 

Sugoi squealed and started dancing around him. "I found you! I found you! 
All by myself, I found you!"

"Stop it!" Onsenmark yelled as he was accustomed. "Be still!"

Sugoi didn't know why, but for some strange she did as he said.

"For finding me, you get a gift. A reward."

Sugoi beamed, gleeful at getting a present, she began to dance again. "I'm 
getting a present. I'm getting a present." This time however she stopped 
herself. A thought came to her, "But wait a minute. If you're running 
this, you're not a nice man. Why were you trying to kill Lum? And what did 
you do to my Manju-sama?"

Onsenmark shook his head. "I didn't do anything to him. He's sleeping in 
the other room with the others. They just cleared out every scrap of food 
I had, and now they are full. Unfortunately."

Sugoi's eyes grew wide. "Every scrap of food? They didn't leave anything? 
I'll starve!"

Onsenmark nodded slowly. "Umm... yes. Won't you come in?" Onsenmark made a 
motion for them to go to the door. 

Sugoi's eyes focused on Onsenmark. "You still didn't answer my question 
about the Princess."

Onsenmark stopped before going in. He seemed to be thinking about 
something. "Yes, perhaps it would be best to talk out here. The problem is 
Jariten." Onsenmark looked over at Sugoi. "At least I thought he was the 
problem. He has built quite an organization, and I discovered recently 
that many of my contacts were also his. I felt that we had too much 
commonality."

"And so you went after the Princess? That makes a lot of sense."

Onsenmark sighed. "Maybe you don't understand the forces that we are 
dealing with. Moroboshi entered the picture. Jariten alone was worrisome. 
Jariten with Moroboshi is a catastrophe. I knew that something horrible 
would happen so I was trying to head it off."

"You were after Ataru then?"

"No. You can't kill Moroboshi. He's too lucky. So is Jariten. They're 
equals. I could lay traps for them for eternity and never get them. I was 
after the Princess because I hoped that she might have been vulnerable. I 
don't know if it was because of Moroboshi or because she is full of luck 
as well, but obviously she also turned out to be unkillable. Although I am 
rather fond of her, I hoped that with the Princess gone, Moroboshi and 
Jariten would lose their influence and thus my organization would be safe. 
But then you showed up. I hadn't been counting on you."

Sugoi grinned. "I'm hurt. But what do you mean, luck? You don't actually 
count chance as an ability, do you?"

Onsenmark nodded. "Of course I do. It's a potent weapon. What makes one 
person rich and another poor? What makes one get killed in a cave-in and 
another live? It's pure chance, luck. Some people possess luck to such a 
degree that they become unkillable. How do you think Moroboshi met Lum? It 
was Moroboshi's damned luck. His power stretched across the universe to 
snatch her up. He's the most dangerous creature in the universe and 
Jariten is only better because he understands how to use his luck as a 
weapon, a weapon that I'm afraid I no longer possess."

Onsenmark leaned against the wall. "I used to have it. It's how I came to 
be here in the first place. But not anymore, so I'm surrendering, in 
effect." He turned to Sugoi. "You are here, which means you are also 
blessed. In fact, you are so lucky, I barely even noticed you. I wasn't 
looking out for you. But you found me so it's yours. My whole Empire is 
yours. I've been meaning to retire anyway. It's not like I don't have 
enough stashed away."

Sugoi walked up to Onsenmark shaking her head. "You tried to kill the 
Princess. I should take you to the Emperor."

Onsenmark smiled confidently at Sugoi. "You won't do that. You see this 
empire of mine, only works if no one knows it exists. If you turn me in, 
then my empire crumbles and you miss your chance of having an organization 
bigger than Jariten's handed to you on a platter."

Sugoi studied him skeptically, but there was a also a twinkle of interest 
in her eyes. "But if Jariten was a problem before, and I'm sure he's found 
out a few things by now, maybe your empire is already about to crumble."

Onsenmark shook his head. "You found me first, so your luck must be 
greater than his. You'll figure out some way to turn him aside, or even 
enlist him if you want."

"And all I have to do is to let you go, and not tell anyone what I found? 
What about the boys?"

Onsenmark shrugged and pushed a button on his remote control. "I told them 
I was being held prisoner here. You just came to rescue us. Only you and 
they know about the entrance you found. I'm sure you can handle them as 
well. The empire is yours if you want it. Spy networks, businesses, 
manufacturing, manipulation, small armies, assassins, its all here."

A car rolled up to the cave entrance, Sugoi turned to see it come in. 
There was no way in the universe she was going to turn this offer down. 
She just wished she could figure out what the downside was. There was 
always a downside, wasn't there? She turned to Onsenmark. "It's a deal. 
One more question though. Did you cause the dreams?"

Onsenmark grinned. "What motive could I possibly have for unleashing 
Moroboshi on the Empire?"

* * *

It is anachronism that stirs people's hearts. Especially when a culture is 
so full of technology as the Uruseian Empire was. In a shrine of stone and 
exotic marble, the Spirits who watched over the Empire resided. It was the 
great Palace Temple. It was as ancient as the Empire itself, and nothing 
was ever done to it to make it look otherwise. Candles lined the walls 
throughout the room. Each candle was unique and represented a specific 
Spirit. All the candles were kept continually lit, lest a Spirit feel 
neglected. There were thousands of candles. No electric lighting was 
needed.

In one of the alcoves of the Temple was a large book. It was was an 
anachronism, a real book of paper, cloth and ink. It wasn't nearly as old 
as the Temple, but it had outlived the life spans of most of the names 
that were written in its pages.

This day, gathered around this book, were representatives of all the Major 
Families of the Empire, and many of the minor ones. Cameras floated above 
the heads of the people, recording the event for posterity. The previous 
Emperor and Empress were there, along with the current Empress and her 
fiancee. Jariten was also there. He observed the people and the events 
with a certain amount of satisfaction, and not a little amusement.

The fact that this day had come at all was somewhat of a miracle. That 
this day came with all the key players alive confirmed Jariten's faith in 
his favorite Spirit represented in this temple, the Spirit of Luck.

A priest of the Temple stood next to the Book. He held a scroll, another 
anachronism, that held the names of those who would sign the Book this 
day. In all the signing ceremonies to take place in the history of the 
Empire, more controversial names had never been written on the scroll. 
Jariten noticed that the priest was uncomfortable. Actually, quite a few 
of the attendees were uncomfortable. This pleased Jariten. They would just 
have to live with it, and he would have no end of enjoyment sticking it to 
them.

As Jariten's eyes scanned the faces in the room he came across Sugoi. He 
paused. There was one that he would really have to watch out for. He had 
heard rumors that she had made quite an investigation in the Palace, and 
was rather crafty about it. Then strangely she disappeared for a couple 
days, and when she returned became very silent. The investigation 
continued, but for the past couple months since she returned there had 
been nothing to investigate. No attempts, no evidence, no nothing. 

Jariten had spent some time following his own leads, but they dried up 
too. Admittedly he was reticent to ask about any letters that people might 
have received. He wouldn't want to give that away since he planned to make 
use of it. This made investigating rather difficult, but he was 
unconcerned. He felt he had the prime witness in the room with him.

There was an additional something in Sugoi's expression, more confidence, 
more... authority. Jariten was certain that she had received a great deal 
of power recently. It was a good thing she was young. She probably didn't 
even know she was giving herself away. Jariten was very curious about what 
kind of power she had come into.

She noticed him watching her and smiled back at him. He returned the 
smile, and she winked at him. He nodded, and continued his scan around the 
room. Yes, he was going to have quite a bit of fun with Sugoi in the 
coming years. It was good to have someone worthy to spar with.

The priest opened the scroll and read the first name. It was Uio Karis. 
Her mood hadn't softened any since the execution of Retah. She stepped 
forward, yanked the pen away from the priest, and signed her name in the 
Book. She wrote, 'Uio Karis, Matriarch of the house of Uio, minor family, 
seven planets.' 

Ten couldn't read what she wrote from his vantage point, but he knew the 
sentence. The Uio family had over thirty planets before the war, and of 
course they were a Major Family. The planets were divide between the 
houses who fought with the Emperor and his Champion, including one house 
that was only now being added to the Book.

It was quite a debate which of the two alien houses would sign their name 
first. Because of pride of place, it was felt that Moroboshi should be the 
final signee and then the event could ride on that moment without any 
additional signings. But there was also the consideration that Moroboshi 
would be opening the way if he were first. In the end it was clear that 
Moroboshi should be the first non-Uruseian to sign the Book.

The priest called out his name, and Ataru Moroboshi stepped forward. He 
was dressed in royal attire and actually cut a rather handsome figure. He 
stepped forward and took the pen from the priest. He glanced back to the 
Empress who encouraged him, and then began to write. He wrote, 'Moroboshi 
Ataru, first Patriarch of the house of Moroboshi, minor family, two 
planets.' He was given one of the Uio planets, the most brutalized 
actually, so that he and the Empress could be sure it was well looked 
after. Also it didn't seem fitting that the house of the future Emperor 
should only have one planet, and a primitive one at that.

It was completely silent as Ataru wrote. What was written in the book was 
sacred and couldn't be unwrote except by Imperial decree and agreement 
from the majority of the Major Houses. That wasn't likely to come in this 
case. After he wrote in the book he turned to face the representatives of 
the Uruseian houses. They remained silent until Dedron Elle began to clap, 
followed by Seq Rei, Azu Des and Pochik Ando. Most of the other houses 
followed. Some didn't. Uio, of course, remained quite stoic throughout.

Azu Des surprised Jariten most of all. Here was someone, who having been 
their archenemy, now seemed to be turning into a close friend. In fact, he 
and Benten had become almost chummy. Ten had even heard, though no one was 
willing to confirm this, that Des had invited Benten and Shutaro to spend 
their Honeymoon at one of his family's retreats. Jariten would have liked 
to believe that was true just for the irony of it. Of course, they would 
have to be married first, and that was yet to happen.

Now came the moment that Jariten had been waiting for. The priest just 
stared at the name written on his scroll. He didn't seem to be able to 
speak the name. Echenba-u Benten was dressed in her best uniform. She 
stood at stiff attention and it was clear to Jariten that she was 
terrified. Jariten smiled. He caught her eye and he just smiled all the 
brighter. It was her very favorite sort of smile too. It was the one that 
told her he knew how nervous she was. She frowned at him and it almost 
looked as if she would lunge, but she turned her eyes stiffly back to the 
priest and the Book.

Behind Benten were members of her family, and a few others of her planet. 
Never had any non-Uruseians ever attended one of these services and now 
there was a crowd. It was obvious that the people tried to dress their 
best, but they were too poor. The clothes were worn, and even tattered in 
places, but the pride on their faces made up for all, at least to Jariten.

Finally, the priest spoke the name on his scroll, albeit quietly. Benten 
caught the slight, but stayed in control. She marched over to the Book and 
took the pen from the priest's hand. He seemed reluctant to give it. When 
she wrote her name, she made up for the priest's silence. She spoke as she 
wrote, "Echenba-u Benten, first Matriarch of the house of Echenba-u, minor 
family, one planet." She wrote her name in a large scrawl so it almost 
took up twice as much space as the others. 

Years later, after this page was full and turned, people would have no 
trouble leafing back and finding her name written in the List of Families. 
The same Book that contained the names of Uruseian heroes and Emperors for 
five hundred years, a volume of many volumes that went back to the 
beginning of the Empire, now contained the name of the most infamous slave 
pilot in the Empire. Benten, the slave pilot, had her name written with all 
those others, and there was nothing those stuck up Uruseians could do 
about it now. Benten was glowing.

She finished writing and turned to face the representatives. They just 
stared back at her. Rei clapped a couple times, but no seemed to follow 
him. Benten was starting to get a little peeved and it showed. Finally 
Ataru stepped forward and began to clap, Lum followed him, and then Rei, 
and finally reluctantly some others followed. Enough to fulfill the moment 
at least. Benten returned to her place, rather pleased. She got one she 
wanted. "Fucking aristocrats," she mumbled rather loudly as she left the 
Book. 

Now it was Lum's turn. She stepped forward, and faced the assembly. She 
spoke briefly, saying how happy that this day had come and so forth. But  
although she was dressed as the Empress, one thing remained to complete 
her attire. An acolyte came through the crowd. He bore a pillow, on which 
sat a crown. He brought it up to Lum and knelt before her. Everyone else 
in the room also knelt. The Uio were slow about it, but they did kneel. 
The priest took the crown from the pillow. 

"Redet Lum, do you accept this crown as a sign of your reign and love of 
the people of Urusei?"

"I do," she said.

The priest placed the crown on Lum's head. She then turned and signed her 
name to the Book. "Redet Lum, Empress, High Priestess of the Spirits, 
Matriarch of the house of Redet, Major family, eighty-seven planets."

Lum then turned back to the representatives. Jariten actually had to brush 
a tear from his eye. She stood there in white and gold, wearing the crown 
she was meant to wear. No one clapped. They weren't supposed to. They 
lowered their heads. Lum for her part reached for Ataru, who stood and 
took his place next to her. Then the priest began the acclamation. 
"Esha epah Lum!" 

"Esha epah Lum!" came the response, and the sound reverberated throughout 
the temple, echoing the acclamation over and over again. When the echoes 
stilled and silence returned, the music began. The March of the Empire was 
an ancient and rather bombastic piece, but it got the point across. Those 
listening knew they were in the presence of great leaders of a great 
empire. 

Acolytes cleared a way, and Lum and Ataru walked through the crowd, made a 
turn and walked up to the thrones that awaited them. When they reached the 
thrones Lum sat down, but Ataru remained standing. The Emperor's throne 
would be empty for now.

The people stood and each in turn walked up to the throne, knelt before 
the couple and declared their loyalty. Benten had to be prodded, not 
realizing even after all the ceremony that she was now a matriarch of a 
house and as such had duties. 

When Benten came up she made the customary gestures, but then added 
quietly with a smile, "So can we nail those fucking aristocrats to the 
wall now?"

Lum smiled down at Benten, "I've done worse already. I made you one of 
them."

Benten grinned evilly. "And I'm going to enjoy it."

Lum nodded. "Stand up, go down two steps and stand guard."

Benten nodded and did so.

Lum looked up to the representatives who stood in expectation before her. 
"I now make official what you have already known. Ataru of the minor house 
of Moroboshi is my fiancee and will one day fill the vacant chair. My 
second decree shouldn't be a surprise either. I hearby appoint the house 
of Echenba-u as Protector of the Emperor. Benten of that house and her 
heirs will be charged with the protection of the Royal house in 
perpetuity." Benten stiffened with pride. Lum continued, "Benten for years 
has already been fulfilling this post, I now make it official. Finally, I 
declare Redet Jariten, my Vizier."

An acolyte walked up to Jariten and handed him a scroll and a medal. 
Jariten studied the medal curiously. He felt it was worn and rather 
understated, but it was the office that counted. Jariten bowed to Lum.

Lum smiled to Jariten, all seemed to be going well, but as she looked 
across to all the faces she saw something that made her stop. It was a 
shadowed figure standing next to one of the pillars. A squat humanoid 
figure -- it looked exactly like the shadowy figure in their dream. Lum 
stared at the figure, trying to make it out. Ataru, noticing her distress, 
followed her eyes and also stopped at the figure. 

The figure stepped out of the shadows but remained a shadow itself. It 
walked through the crowd, who in shock stepped away from it. It walked 
toward the thrones. Benten stepped forward to stop it, but Lum called her 
back. The figure stopped as it stood before the thrones. Even in the full 
light of the Temple, the Presence was only a shadow, a black silhouette of 
a man.

Jariten looked at it curiously, noting that Lum and Ataru seemed to be 
familiar with it. Lum, on her part, began to doubt reality and wondered if 
she had fallen into the dream again.

The figure stood silently, and no one had the courage to speak. After a 
moment, the shadow bowed to the couple. 

"Who are you?" Lum asked quietly. She was almost too frightened to speak.

The figured cocked its head curiously. He took a couple steps towards Lum 
and extended his hand. She didn't know how to respond.

"Empress, step away. I'll take care of it," Benten hissed.

Lum ignored Benten. She didn't feel it was a threat, although even at such 
a close proximity there was still no details to be seen in the blackness. 
Lum cautiously offered her hand to the Presence. The figure took her hand 
and placed it in Ataru's, clasping them together. It looked at their 
bewildered faces and almost seemed to smile. The figure stepped back and 
bowed to them again. 

Lum looked at Ataru and then back to the Presence. "Thank you," she said 
quietly. 

The Presence raised a hand and shook it's head. It bowed again and faded 
away.

After a moment, Lum's father strode up to the throne and his daughter. 
"What was that?" he was obviously quite concerned and a little angry.

"I wonder," Jariten said, also approaching the throne. He turned to Lum 
and Ataru. "You look as if you had seen it before."

Ataru nodded. "It was in our dreams. At least the most recent one, after 
the bomb. I don't remember seeing it before."

Lum thought. "I don't remember it either. Do you think it started our 
dreams?"

Jariten looked thoughtful. "Maybe. Or maybe you two touched something 
beyond our simple reality. In truth, aren't we all just shadows? The 
products of minds from greater worlds? Maybe it just came to say it was 
grateful to share a little time with you."

* * * *

Epilogue: "Kekkon wa onna no ko no yume desu."

Shinobu made her way down the hall of, well, The Shinobu. It was the ship 
they had stolen from the Uio. Ten had claimed it for his own and named 
it after her. She was flattered, but it felt a bit odd -- whenever she 
overheard the crew talking it always felt as though they were talking 
about her. Arriving at the door to Inaba's quarters, she pressed the 
buzzer. There was no response. This was the seventh time she had 
checked. She hadn't seen him in two days. He didn't seem to be the type 
to just disappear. She couldn't imagine where he would go anyway. The 
Shinobu wasn't all that big of a ship.

Shinobu stood at the door and stared at it, wondering what could have 
happened to him. Finally, she shrugged and went to the bridge. She knew 
that Ten would be there. He seemed to find a certain satisfaction from 
sitting in the Captain's chair. The ship was docked. It wasn't going 
anywhere, but Ten justified himself by saying he was communing with the 
ship. Since the ship was named Shinobu, this also made her feel a little 
odd.

* * *

Ran screeched. "Watch what you're doing with that," she yelled to her 
servant. This young woman definitely didn't have any experience in this. 
Ran would have shown her how to do it, but alas she herself was the 
subject. It was rather uncomfortable to think that once you become 
important you suddenly lose the ability to dress yourself. Ran let 
herself be dressed and made up with no small amount of annoyance, but 
then began to find the whole situation amusing. She remembered all the 
times Lum complained to Ran. Poor Ran, now she has to suffer being 
served. It was going to be a tough life, that was for sure. Ran let out 
a small giggle.

"What is it, Mistress?" The servant asked. 

Ran caught herself. "Nothing," she said. She looked at the young girl, 
and wondered if she had the dreams that Ran had of wealth, power, and 
position. Tomorrow Ran would have it all. All her dreams would be 
fulfilled and she would have the man she wanted. She hardly deserved to 
be so happy. 

Another tug at her hair and Ran became aware of her servant again. She 
looked crossly at her, and the servant apologized. Ran sighed. Still, 
there was something to being a servant. Lum was her canvas, the model 
for her creative muse. When Lum looked good, and she always did, Ran 
felt good. That was all Ran had to concern herself with. Imperial 
politics were just a sideshow. Now as the wife of the Patriarch to the 
second house of the Empire, life would be much more complicated. "I was 
happy as a servant," she said out loud, but to herself.

"Mistress?" the girl asked.

Ran was about to pass if off again, but then she said, "I was just 
thinking that I was happy when I served Lum."

The girl nodded. "Served Lum, Mistress? Don't you still? She is the 
Empress, after all."

Ran thought about that. She smiled. "I suppose I do. Thank you. Still I 
used to serve her, doing the same duties you do for me."

The girl didn't seem to believe this as considered Ran. "Aren't you 
marrying Master Seq? A servant girl could never hope to marry so high."

Ran grinned. "I used to think the same thing, but that didn't stop me 
from dreaming of better things, and sometimes dreams come true."

* * *

Benten sat on her bed and stared at her room. It was a mess, but that's 
how she liked it. She also liked living alone -- well, to a point. 
Tomorrow night, she thought, she would share her bed, share her life, 
forever. It was a frightening thought. 

Mendo was currently in training. He was taking classes in espionage and 
tactics, special weapons. He wasn't going to be so geared for face to 
face combat as she was. He would learn about rules and plans, problems 
and solutions. He would help give her abilities direction, so when they 
fought together, they would be unstoppable. They would make an 
incredible team, she felt. She grinned devilishly at the thought.

She stared at her room some more. Maybe this was more about change. She 
enjoyed being with him, and she knew that he could hold his own in a 
fight. It sure would be nice not to have to sleep alone, but she was 
becoming very much aware of all the changes she would have to make. All 
the allowances in her life. She couldn't just throw her stuff wherever 
she willed. She'd have to talk it over with him. Discuss it. Maybe even 
clean her room, now and again. That'd be terrible.

Benten had to smile. She never thought she would have anyone. She'd be 
the lone fighter for all time. Now she would be with an alien. She 
laughed. At least she knew that everything worked the way she expected 
it to.

Benten jumped out of her bed, and went over to her closet. There it was, 
her festival dress. All the ribbons were tied to it and ready to be 
pulled. She picked up the 'chi' ribbon and held it in her hands. It was 
the final ribbon. She felt the front of the dress. Once it is ripped, 
she thought, it's ripped forever. She would only get one festival dress.

* * *

Lum walked into the empty hall, all decorated as if for a royal wedding. 
She took a deep breath as she entered. The seal of her house hung behind 
two great chairs, thrones. It was the seal of her new house, not the 
house of Redet. After tomorrow the house of Redet would no longer be the 
first house of the Empire. The house of Moroboshi would fill that place. 
The thought pleased her. She felt a sudden rush of joy and flung out her 
arms, with a broad smile on her face she danced the rest of the way into 
the room. She jumped up on the platform and ran her finger along the 
fabric of the arm of the royal chair. 

She still didn't quite feel like an Empress, however an Empress was 
supposed to feel. Actually for the first time in her life, she felt like 
a young woman; innocent, expectant, happy, in love. Ataru had given her 
so much. She knew she would devote her life to pleasing him, because she 
knew he would do the same for her.

Lum sat down in the throne, and looked out over the empty room. She 
imagined it filled with people, with dignitaries from all the family. 
The entire Empire would be watching. Lum shuddered as she imagined the 
ceremonies. She wasn't sure if people would be ready for what she 
planned, but she had promised. Lum smiled to herself. What was another 
scandal, after all? If only to see the look on people's faces, it would 
be worth it.

Lum got up out of the chair. She needed to find her Darling to get a 
good night's kiss. Tomorrow would be an incredible day.

* * *

The sound of Jariten's laughter filled the halls as he returned the 
following night. He fell back into the Captain's chair of his new ship. 
He almost split a gut, he was laughing so hard. He couldn't believe how 
far Lum had gone. What a wedding! 

"Somebody, get me a bottle of Yuli," Ten shouted. "I have to celebrate 
the royal couple again." The Yuli was brought, along with a glass, and 
Ten downed another glass before he said another word.

"What happened?" the crewman asked.

Ten looked up at the young man, incredulously. "You don't know? Weren't 
you watching the Trid? The whole Empire saw what she did."

The crewman looked down. "I was on duty."

"Duty!" Ten laughed. "Ah well, its good to have someone in the universe 
who didn't know what happened so I can tell the tale all over again."

Jariten cleared his throat and began the tale. "Well, you know that 
today was the day of the royal wedding. A wedding which I had a great 
deal of influence bringing about, I might add. Ataru came into the room, 
all regally dressed. He actually cuts a pretty nice figure." 

Ten patted his belly, "Apparently he has yet to acquire one of these, 
but I'll help him with that. Anyway he comes in, and I'm off to the side 
watching all the faces. It was fascinating. There's still a lot of those 
stuffed pigeons who don't accept him, and not a few who I suspect are 
plotting against him. A shame really, but then if no one was plotting 
I'd have nothing to do."

Jariten took a drink of Yuli. "He comes in, looking rather awkward, when 
thank the Spirits, Rei comes up and start introducing him to people. 
That helped break the ice quite a bit, and once Ataru got started he 
didn't do too bad. I've been coaching him on Imperial politics and 
protocol. He won a few more friends and managed to make a few people 
squirm too. You have to like that."

Ten paused and looked up at the crewman. "Have you met our new Emperor 
yet?"

"No, captain," the crewman replied.

"He's on board you know. He and the Empress are all alone in the 
quarters I prepared for them. You can imagine what they are doing. You 
can join me when I walk in on them."

The crewman blushed. "Captain, you couldn't." 

Ten grinned. "I can, but I'm not quite that crass." Ten thought, 
mischeviousness flooded his eyes. "Well, maybe."

Ten shook his head from his thoughts and continued his story. "They 
started the wedding, Uruseian style. Ran and Lum stood together, 
opposite Rei and Ataru. Ran was wearing a rather loose fitting wedding 
gown, although I'm sure no one else noticed." Ten laughed.

"I don't understand," the crewman said, looking puzzled.

Ten smiled. "You're not supposed to. Back to the ceremony. Ran, Rei and 
Lum were all ready for the ceremony, but Ataru looked somewhat pale. I 
was concerned. When they brought out the blade, I thought he was going 
to pass out. It was probably a good thing that the priest cut his palm 
first. He didn't cry out, and once Lum was cut and their hands joined he 
looked better. He looked fine when the time came for the vows. He 
remembered the vows flawlessly."

"But that's just the normal service. What's so surprising about that?"

Ten narrowed on the crewman. "Don't interrupt. As it happened, that was 
just the first part of the service. Lum had made additional plans that 
she didn't tell anyone about. After the wounds were treated, Lum and Ran 
left the hall. No one noticed, of course, except me. Finally, after a 
few thousandths, Lum, Ran and Benten entered the room all wearing 
traditional dresses from Benten's home planet. Then they started dancing 
and singing in Benten's language all around their intended husbands. 
Giving them ribbons one by one. Following Shutaro's lead, all three men 
took the final ribbon, and tied them around the women's neck. Then 
came the fun part." Ten was grinning from ear to ear. In all my wildest 
dreams, I never would have expected..."

"What?" The crewman asked in anticipation.

Ten grinned. "It's a curious ceremony, this native dance from Benten's 
planet. It's almost a prayer to luck, a favorite Spirit of mine. I'm 
sure it doesn't even raise an eyebrow on Benten's planet, but on Urusei, 
with the entire Empire watching..." Jariten laughed again.

"Please Captain," the crewman pleaded. "What did they do?"

Jariten thought. "Ataru was a little skiddish about this one too." He 
chuckled, and then looked up at the desperate crewman. "Well it seems, 
that Benten's people have this little ceremony to determine the number 
of children the couple will have. Mendo was the first. After he tied the 
red ribbon to Benten's neck, he took hold of the neck of Benten's dress 
and pulled, ripping the front nearly off, and bareing her breasts before 
the entire Empire."

The crewman gasped.

"Apparently, that's a good thing. If he rips open the whole front then 
they'll have a lot of children. Of course, everyone was appalled, but 
Benten started dancing again showing her nipples to all who wanted a 
good look. I don't know what she was happier about, the prospect of a 
big family, or making so many Uruseians uncomfortable at once."

"I don't believe it."

Ten smiled. "Believe it, it's recorded for all time. I got a copy 
myself."

"But that would mean..."

Ten nodded. "That's right, Ran was next. Rei was followed suit, but the 
rip didn't go as well. One of Ran's breasts remained covered. I guess 
that means they'll only have one child. Ran blushed, but she still 
started dancing with Benten, who had taken to jiggling herself in front 
of the nobility. Her audience was distracted however, because Ataru was 
moving toward Lum."

The crewman was turning pale. Jariten was pleased. He paused for a 
moment before continuing. "A couple people stepped forward to stop 
Ataru, but the guards had been prepared. Apparently Lum's Father was 
also told in advance. He was actually smiling. Ataru stepped toward Lum 
and took the neck of her dress. He hesitated, and the room was 
absolutely silent. I heard Lum encourage him. She giggled and nodded to 
him. It was then that he did it. He tore the dress."

The crewman staggered back. "The Empress, naked before the entire 
Empire." 

Ten scowled. "Not naked, just topless. Actually it was nearly a tragedy. 
Obviously by this point someone had told people the rules of this 
because the next gasp was more serious. Ataru held the entire fabric in 
his hand. He had pulled the whole thing away. Apparently if the tear 
comes loose, it means the woman will die in childbirth."

The crewman was noticeably disturbed by this. 

"Benten ran over to them, and almost began to cry when she saw, and then 
suddenly, she looked up at them and smiled. There was a thread, a single 
thread still connecting the torn fabric to the dress. She snatched the 
fabric out of Ataru's hand, giving him one of those icy stares she likes 
to fling at people, and then carefully stuffed the fabric until the 
waistband of the dress. Then all three women danced. It was a sight to 
see. Some appreciated it, some walked out, most just gossiped. I'm sure 
it's a wedding that'll be remembered for a long time."

The crewman just stared at the reclining Captain. "You have to be making 
that up."

Jariten shrugged. "I'm just hoping that Benten convinces Shinobu to go 
through the same ceremony. In fact, since the Empress did it, maybe 
it'll catch on." Jariten grinned. "The Empire's getting to be a livelier 
place already."

"She did put something back on, didn't she?"

Jariten made a face. "I really don't know. I sort of got distracted 
after that."

"Distracted? With what? What could be bigger than the Empress dancing 
bare-chested in front of the Empire?"

Jariten took a sip of Yuli, "What indeed? But I'm afraid my story is 
ended. You'll just have to wonder about the rest of it." He studied the 
inside of his empty Yuli glass deep in thought. The crewman remained. 
Jariten looked up. "Dismissed," he said absently, and then after a 
moment he muttered thoughtfully, "What indeed?"

* * *

Shinobu was somewhat upset. She loved the wedding, even with the 
surprise, and was seriously considering doing the same ceremony, but of 
course her wedding wouldn't be televised galaxy-wide. That wasn't what 
she was upset about. She was upset because she attended the wedding 
without a date. Inaba had never shown up. She marched to his quarters, 
vowing that if he wasn't there, he would lose a limb, or something worse 
the next time she found him. 

Still, she was almost surprised when she knocked on the door and Inaba 
called back, "Who's there?"

"Shinobu," she called back angrily. "You missed the wedding."

"Oh dear, sorry Miss Shinobu," she heard Inaba say admist the sound of a 
lot of movement. "I'll be with you in just a moment."

"What are you doing in there?" she asked, getting impatient. There was 
no answer. She waited a few moments. "Inaba, answer me!" Still nothing, 
but she thought she could still hear some activity. Shinobu's impatience 
was mixing with curiosity and not a little bit of anger. She pounded on 
the door. "Inaba open the door, now!"

Finally, after the several pounds on the door, it opened. The room was 
dark and Inaba was standing in the doorway. He was dressed in the 
uniform of a servant of high standing. He bowed. "Welcome, Miss Shinobu. 
Everything is prepared."

Shinobu looked confused trying to see past Inaba, into the room, but it 
was too dark. "What is prepared. Why weren't you at the wedding?"

Inaba seemed to ignore her, and continued. "Oh dear, the madam isn't 
dressed. That won't do at all. Half a moment." The door closed again. 
Shinobu just stood and stared at it. What is going on, she thought.

A moment later the door opened again. Inaba was standing in the doorway 
holding the most beautiful fabric Shinobu had ever seen. Inaba bowed and 
presented the gown to Shinobu. "I made this for you. I'm afraid I had 
to guess at the measurements, but I'm sure I'm right. Please go and put 
it on. I'll wait for you." 

Shinobu hesitantly took the gown. Inaba then took a step back, bowed, 
and the door was closed again. Shinobu looked down at the fabric, she 
held in her hands. "He made it?" was all she could think. Shinobu 
shrugged and went back to her quarters to put on the gown. 

Not surprisingly it was the best fit she had ever had. He obviously knew 
the shape of her body better than she did, and this with barely ever 
touching her. That was definitely going to have to change, she decided. 
She looked at herself in the mirror. She felt like a movie star, or 
royalty. She couldn't believe that a piece of fabric could do so much to 
change her image of herself. Shinobu turned in front of the mirror. She 
was beginning to get a little excited, wondering what Inaba might have 
in store for her next.

Wearing her new gown, Shinobu put on some make-up and then left to 
return to Inaba's room. She was quite pleased with the stares she 
received from the crew as she walked through the halls of the ship. When 
she finally got to Inaba's room, her face was glowing. She pressed the 
button on the door, and waited. This time the door opened immediately. 
Inaba was there, dressed as he was before and the room was still dark.

Inaba's expression when he saw Shinobu was everything that she could 
have hoped for. She smiled gently, and waited for him to close his mouth 
and comment. "You're beautiful," he said finally.

"That's because the gown you made me is perfect," Shinobu said. "Thank 
you." She bowed.

Inaba blinked and shook his head slightly, trying to get his mind back 
to the task at hand. He offered his hand, and invited Shinobu in. 
"Please," he said.

Shinobu looked around. "Aren't you going to turn on the lights?" 

Inaba, shook his head slowly. "You'll have to trust me."

Shinobu giggled and put her hand in his. "Okay," she said. 

He let her into the room, and the door closed behind her. It was nearly 
black in the room. Only the stars through the small portholes on the 
opposite wall could be seen. They did nothing to light the room. Inaba  
seemed to know what he was doing, though. He lead her around the room, 
and she trusted him. They didn't run into anything, and finally they 
stopped. Inaba moved her around, and sat her in a chair. He then left 
her.

"Inaba?" she asked. "What happens now?"

There was no answer.

"Inaba?"

Suddenly there was a flash. Inaba had lit a match, which he touched to a 
candle. With the light of a candle she could see that she was sitting at 
the head of a table. Another candle was lit, and forms on the table took 
shape. A third candle and the forms became dishes. The fourth candle 
revealed a elegant banquet arrayed before her. Inaba picked up a bottle 
of Yuli, and brought it over to her. With practiced skill he filled her 
glass, and then bowed.

Shinobu's eyes sparkled in the candlelight. "Inaba it's beautiful. Did 
you make all this yourself?"

Inaba blushed and nodded. "I wanted to show you that I can take care of 
you. Do you like it?"

"Take care of me?" Shinobu asked.

Inaba nodded again. "I was sort of hoping..." he fumbled. "I'd, well, 
I'd like to take care of you a lot, if that's okay."

Shinobu smiled. "You've made be feel like a queen. But is that all you 
wanted? Just to take care of me?"

Inaba looked down. "Well... I guess, I'd sort of like, well... I think 
you're very nice. I like you a lot."

Shinobu stood up, and walked over to Inaba. She took his hand. "If you 
asked me to be your wife, I'd say yes."

Inaba didn't look up, "Well, yes, that's... but I'm not really, umm." He 
looked up, and met Shinobu's eyes. "Yes?"

Shinobu nodded. "Are you going to ask?"

Inaba turned quickly and rushed to a stand at the side of the room, 
nearly tripping over a chair. When he came back, there was a ring in his 
hand. 

Shinobu looked at it. "Did you make this too?"

Inaba looked down at the ring and then back up at Shinobu, "Umm, no, not 
really. Should I have?"

Shinobu smiled, and offered her hand.

Inaba took a deep breath. His face became determined. He took her hand, 
and placed the ring on her finger. "I'd like to take care of you for the 
rest of your life. Marry me?"

Shinobu nodded, and hugged Inaba tightly. They held each other for a 
long moment, and then finally pulling back, they kissed. And somehow all 
thoughts of the wonderful meal that Inaba had fixed for them, were 
forgotten.

* * *

Upon returning to his stateroom, Jariten's thoughts returned to the 
events at the wedding. It had disturbed him that he had never really 
solved the attempts on Lum's life, but he had the distinct feeling that 
Sugoi had. This was on his mind when his eyes met Sugoi's at the 
wedding. She was arm in arm with the terran boy, Megane. Marriage plans 
had been set and then canceled, set again and canceled again. There was 
disagreement about wedding arrangements and Ten wondered whether or not 
Sugoi had yet told her family. The Seq matron was there, but was not 
giving the customary glares one would expect from a mother who seriously 
disapproved of her daughter's upcoming marriage.

The matter of the marriage was a trifle. What Sugoi knew about the 
attempts on Lum's life was of far more import, not to mention the fact 
that she wasn't telling anyone. 

Sugoi left Megane and made her way over to Jariten. 
"Something bothering you?" She asked.

Ten glanced over to her. "I'm in a quandary madame. You see, both you 
and I know exactly what each other's thoughts are, and in such a case it 
seems wasteful to use my usual banter, but I do regret asking anyone 
anything plainly."

Sugoi smiled knowingly. "I understand. Is it enough for me to say that 
their will be no more attempts on Lum's life?"

"Just the fact that you can make such a statement, arouses my 
curiosity."

Sugoi nodded.

"You see my dear, I found evidence of a vast organization. A secret 
organization that regularly manipulates Imperial politics, and 
practically without a trace. An organzation that until this matter with 
Lum, I knew nothing about. I believe you found this organization. And I 
could make some other assumptions as well, concerning yourself and 
Onsenmark."

"I guess I could expect no less, but if such an organization exists it 
has to maintain it's secrecy to be useful, don't you agree?"

"Useful to whom?"

Sugoi just nodded thoughtfully.

Jariten also nodded. "I wonder how such an organization would react to 
an occasional suggestion, because if such an organization was in some 
way opposed to the plans of the Emperor, it would have to stopped, but 
if it was amenable to offer assistance now and again..."

"Then it would be in your interests to give it some room to work, and 
drop your investigation," Sugoi continued.

"Just so," Ten replied.

"Do you have the information you need now?" Sugoi asked.

"My suspicions have been confirmed," Ten agreed. "And alleviated... for 
now."

"Just so," Sugoi replied. She smiled and giggled. "I think we're going 
to have a lot of fun together."

Ten laughed, and then glanced to Ataru who danced with Lum. "We all 
will, because we're living in a dream. And in dreams there are no 
limits."

* * * *


Alt - Urusei Yatsura: Still Dreaming
*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-*
Based on characters and situations created by Rumiko Takahashi. 
No infringement is implied -- don't sue us, we're broke.
Original Text (c) Lewis Burden. 

Readers are encouraged to distribute this story however they wish on the 
condition that such distribution is free of charge and that the file is 
not modified in any way, shape or form without the express written 
permission of the author.