Disclaimer:  Tenchi Muyo is the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC.
The author owns only the writing and the characters he, himself,
creates.  Ssedrey and the Asconian people are the property of
Daniel Powell.  I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Cav and
Meg for prereading this work.  Thanks guys.  This is a post TF
series, so if you haven't seen the movie Tenchi Forever, you might
want to before reading this.

Destiny's Balance part 3:  The Fellowship and the Balance

	Meg hit the door button and watched the hatch roll aside,
revealing a small docking bay in front of her.  The walls were made
of stone, although the deck was duranium alloy.  Aside from a few
overhead lights and a forcefield generator to keep the harsh vaccuum
of space out, there was very little here.  An oddly designed ship
was the Megami's only company in the landing bay.  Meg took a step
outside...
	And regretted it two seconds later when something grabbed her
from behind!
	She tried to scream, but a scaly hand covered her mouth.  She
felt the cold tickle of something very sharp being pressed against
her throat.
	Something behind her hissed.  "Identify yourself, prey mammal."
	"Ssedrey!  It's okay!  It's just us!"
	She felt the thing behind her tense as Ryoko's voice called
out from the Megami's hatch.  Slowly, it released her.  She turned
and looked up...
	And up...
	A large, green reptile looked down at her and hissed.  Meg's
eyes widened in fear.
	"My apologies,"  Ssedrey rumbled.  "One cannot be too careful."
	Cavis, Ryoko, Tenchi, and Kiyone started down the Megami's
boarding ramp.  Cavis smiled at the lizard.  "You made it, good."
	Ssedrey opened his mouth and smiled.  "You as well, it would
seem."
	Cavis reached out and patted him on the back.  "Come on.  Let's
go inside.  I'm starving."

	Ssedrey led them to the main room of what the gang had dubbed,
"the Chapel."  Ryoko looked around and sighed.
	"Boy, this brings back memories,"  she said to no one in
particular.  The main room was small, but comfortable.  It housed
a couch, a couple of chairs, a vid screen, and a small table.  There
were three doors.  One led to the tiny kitchen, another to the
tunnel that led to the landing bay, and another that led to the
gang's quarters.
	"I'm sure it does,"  Kiyone growled.  She threw an angry look
at Cavis.
	Cavis grinned.  "Oh, come on, Kiyo-chan," he said.  "You're
not still mad about me drugging you on the way in, now, are you?"
	Kiyone ignored him.  Ssedrey threw Cavis a questioning glance.
Cavis grinned and said.  "Well, she *is* GP after all.  Can't have
her sneaking a peek at the way in now, can we?"
	Ssedrey blinked.  He hadn't thought of that.  He wondered how
observant Mihoshi had been as Ssedrey piloted the Talon of the Blood
Mist through the asteroid field to the large hunk of rock that
contained the Chapel.  Not *too* observant, he hoped.
	Sasami saw Tenchi and Ryoko and ran up to them, embracing them
both.  Mihoshi saw Kiyone and promptly began to blubber.
	"KIYONE!  YOU'RE OKAY!  I WAS SO WORRIED!"  Kiyone tried to
pry her partner off of her, with little success.
	Sasami looked around the group, then back up at Tenchi.
"Tenchi, where's Ayeka!?"
	Tenchi blinked.  "We thought she was with you."
	Sasami shook her head.  "No, she isn't!  Tenchi, where is
she!?"
	"She must be with Davner,"   Ryoko said quietly.  She bit her
lip.  The others watched as Ryoko's shoulders began to shake.  Tears
began to stream down her face.  Sasami thought she was crying for
Ayeka.
	Then Ryoko started laughing.
	Tenchi blinked in surprise.  "Ryoko?"
	Ryoko continued to laugh hysterically.  "Ayeka....trapped on
a small ship...with *Davner*!"  She laughed more, trying to catch
her breath enough to speak.  "She....she...."  She laughed harder.
	Sasami blinked in puzzlement.
	"Don't worry, Sasami,"  Ryoko said, wiping tears from her
eyes.  "Ayeka's okay..." she laughed some more.  "If she and Davner
haven't killed each other yet!"  She started howling in laughter
again.
	"I don't think it's very funny,"  Tenchi told her seriously.
	Ryoko cleared her throat and tried to contain more laughter.
"Neither do I..."  Her eye twitched and she started laughing again.
	Tenchi gave up and turned back to the others.  "I guess Washu
is with him too."
	Ssedrey shook his head.  "No, she was with us.  She is in her
lab."
	"She made *another* lab?!"  Kiyone asked.
	Ssedrey nodded.  "One here and one on my ship.  She does not
waste time settling in."
	"No, she certainly doesn't,"  Ryoko agreed, her laughing fit
slowly coming to an end.
	The lights in the main room began to flicker.
	"I guess you should've paid your bill,"  Kiyone remarked
snidely.
	The insult fell on deaf ears.  Cavis pulled his blaster, and
Ssedrey had a vorpoia in his hand in less than a second.  Tenchi
looked puzzled and turned to Ryoko, only to find her activating her
lightsword.  She saw his curious expression and explained.  "We
rigged the lights.  Someone's coming."
	Sasami and Achi hid behind the couch.  Ryoko stepped between
Tenchi and the door to the landing bay.  Kiyone drew her own side
arm, Meg not far behind her.  Mihoshi blinked in confusion, but a
stern look from Kiyone prompted her to pull her own weapon.
	They waited and listened as the sounds of bootsteps came from
behind the door.  The sounds stopped.  The door slid open...
	They all tensed and raised their weapons...
	Davner stood on the other side of the door, his double
barrelled anti-matter gun was pointing at them.  He saw them and
relaxed, lowering the weapon.  Cavis and the rest of the group
followed suit.
	"Hey, Dav,"  Cavis greeted him.
	The pirate nodded and spoke seriously.  "Is Sasami here?"
There was something about his tone that made the hairs on the back
of Tenchi's neck rise in fear.
	Sasami stepped forward worriedly.  "Mr. Davner, where's my
sister?"
	Davner took a slow breath and looked at the little princess.
	Then he grinned.
	"Brought you a present,"  he said gamely.  He stepped to one
side, revealing Ayeka standing behind him.  She wore a green dress,
and her headband was missing, but her smile at seeing Sasami there
proved beyond all doubt that she was Ayeka.
	"Ayeka!"  Sasami cried and ran to her sister.
	"Sasami!"  Ayeka knelt down and embraced the little princess
as Sasami jumped into her arms.

	Warshan De entered the back room of the Hotel Scarla and
pressed the toggle that would open the hidden door next to the
holovid.  He walked into the secret tunnel and made his way downward.
	The headquarters for the Assassin's Guild was a secret one did
not learn until one became a member of the Guild.  The many patrons
of the hotel above Warshan's head had no idea that lying below them
was the most efficient groups of killers in the galaxy.
	Nor would they ever know.
	In the event of discovery, the explosives the Guild had set
all throughout their headquarters would level the hotel and every
building near it for a ten block radius.
	As Warshan entered the underground cavern, another Assassin
and long time friend, Apis, walked up to him.
	"*She* wants to see you,"  he told Warshan.
	Warshan took a nervous breath and nodded.  Apis walked off,
and Warshan started for what was once Sudorin's inner sanctum, the
place he held his meetings with higher level Assassins such as
Warshan.
	As he entered the office, he saw her and paused in apprehension.
Lady Charis was sitting in Sudorin's chair, petting a coal-black
cabbit with a white jewel in its forehead.  The cabbit was purring
contently until it sensed Warshan's presence.  It leapt from its
mistress' lap and stood on the desk, placing itself between Warshan
and Charis.  It hissed at the Assassin.
	Lady Charis smiled and faced him.  "De,"  she greeted.
	"Lady Charis,"
	Warshan moved to sit in the chair across from Charis, but the
cabbit hissed at him again.  Warshan paused.
	Charis looked at the cabbit.  "Death-Ohki," she said, her voice
monotone.  The cabbit turned and jumped up onto her shoulder.  It
stood there and glared at Warshan, giving him another quick hiss,
before sitting down and allowing his mistress to continue.
	When Lezell Charis spoke, she cut right to the heart of the
matter.  "Sudorin is dead.  I lead the Guild now.  Do you have any
problems with that?"
	Warshan shook his head.  "No, Lady Charis."
	"Good.  Then take the Vendetta, the Shrike, and the Stormhawk
and begin searching for the royals.  Apis will take the Death's Head,
the Grappler, and the Blade.  I will take the Chimaera and the..."
	"Lady Charis,"  Warshan interrupted.  "That contract is void..."
	Charis looked at him with contempt.  "Nothing is voided,"  she
told him dangerously.
	"But the Code..."
	Charis spit on the floor next to her desk.  "For the Code!"
she growled.  "I want the royals dead."
	"Lady Char..."
	"Are you challenging me, Warshan?"  she asked quietly.  Warshan
swallowed in fear.  "If you think you should lead the Guild, Warshan,
just say so.  I'll spare you two minutes."  Her hand rested on the
blaster she wore on her hip.
	"No....Lady Charis....I'm not."
	Charis smiled.  "Good."  She stood up and circled around her
desk.  She came within a foot of Warshan.  Sitting on her shoulder,
Death-Ohki growled at him.  "We're going to fulfill the contract,"
she told him, quietly.  "As a tribute to *him*.  If you can't support
that decision..."  Her smile slipped as she looked up at him.  He
stood nearly a foot above her, yet *she* was the one intimidating
*him,* and they both knew it.
	"Then I suggest you start running," she finished with a growl.
	Warshan took a nervous breath.
	"Yes, Lady Charis."

	Stories were exchanged, introductions made, and soon the group
was sitting around the small table eating the meal Sasami, Achi, and
Washu had made from whatever they could scavenge from the Chapel's
meager supplies.
	"Looks like we all had our share of close calls,"  Ryoko
commented as she spooned some instant noodles into her mouth.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
	"The question is, what do we do now?"  Tenchi asked.
	"If the Guild has reprieved us, then the danger from them is
passed,"  Ssedrey pointed out.
	"But the people who hired them are still out there,"  Ryoko
chimed in.
	"We could stay in hiding,"  Davner suggested.  "Get a message
to Jurai and hole up until they can get a handle on it."
	"We can't run forever,"  Ayeka told him quietly.
	"What else can we do?"  Achi asked.
	"We can go to Jurai,"  Tenchi told them.  They looked at him
in shock.
	"Jurai?"  Kiyone asked.
	Tenchi nodded.  "I've been thinking on this.  The only reason
the Guild came so close to succeeding is because Ayeka and Sasami
were on Earth, practically defenseless.  If we can get them back to
Jurai and behind four or five hundred members of the Royal Guard,
then they should be safe until the conspirators are captured."
	No one spoke for a moment.
	"I don't like it,"  Davner said.  "It's too dangerous."  He
threw a look at Ayeka.
	It was Ayeka who responded.  "Hiding won't work forever.  Until
these traitors are rooted out, Sasami, Tenchi, and I are in danger
where ever we run."
	"I agree with Ayeka,"  Tenchi spoke up.  "We have to solve the
problem, not run from it."
	"Tenchi,"  Ryoko, sitting beside him, said worriedly.  Tenchi
reached over and gave her hand a comforting squeeze.  Ayeka's eyes
widened in astonishment.  It seemed that something happened on the
Agamemnon that Tenchi and Ryoko hadn't chosen to reveal.
	Of course, there were things *she* hadn't chosen to reveal as
well.  She glanced at Davner, who was looking at her in frank concern.
	"'Solve the problem,'"  Ssedrey repeated grimly.  "Better to
*eliminate* the problem."
	"I'd like nothing better, Scales,"  Davner told him.  "But I
think taking on a part of the Jurain government may be just a tad
over our heads."
	Ssedrey hissed in reluctant agreement.
	"I guess we should leave it to a vote,"  Cavis told them.
"All those in favor of going to Jurai?"  He raised his hand.  Tenchi
followed suit, followed by Ayeka, Kiyone, Ssedrey, Washu, Mihoshi,
Achi, and Sasami.  Ryo-Ohki raised her paw and miya'd.  Davner and
Ryoko raised their hands a second later.  Meg, who felt it wasn't a
decision she should be a part of, didn't vote.
	"Okay,"  Cavis said.  "We're going to Jurai."

	"Ayeka, can I talk to you?"
	Ayeka stood in the open doorway of the room she was sharing
with Sasami, and Achi.  Space was a little scarce on the small,
asteroid base, and they had to make the best of it.
	She looked at Ryoko and sighed.  "Of course, Ryoko."  She turned
to Sasami and Achi and asked if they could give her and Ryoko some
privacy.  The two girls grabbed Ryo-Ohki and LKT and walked out the
door.  Ryoko stepped inside.
	"I wanted to tell you myself, because I know it would hurt
Tenchi too much if he did."  Ryoko seemed nervous.  She sat down on
Achi's bed and faced Ayeka.  "Tenchi and I...we...um...."
	Ayeka sighed and looked at the floor.  "I see..."
	Ryoko waited for the sky to fall, and was just a little
disappointed when it didn't.  "Ayeka?  Are you okay?"
	The princess sat down in a small wooden chair.  "It's okay,
Ryoko,"  she said quietly.  It was impossible to hide the sadness
in her voice.  "I...I knew it would happen sooner or later.  To be
perfectly honest with you, I'm glad it happened when I wasn't around."
	Ryoko bit her lip.  "I'm...glad you understand."
	Ayeka gave her a short smile.  "I do understand.  I also
wanted to say...that I'm sorry...about everything."
	Ryoko's eyes widened.  "What?"
	"Be good to him, Ryoko.  Please."
	Shocked, Ryoko could only nod.  Her eyes narrowed.  "There's
something wrong here."
	Ayeka blinked.  "What?"
	Ryoko got up and stood next to her.  "You're different somehow.
I don't know what it is yet, but I know it's there."
	Ayeka stood and went toe to toe with the pirate.  "And just
what are you implying?!"
	Ryoko folded her arms over her chest.  "You tell me."
	"I don't know what you're talking about!"  She turned away from
Ryoko with a "Hmmph!"
	"I don't buy it,"  Ryoko told her.
	"It's not for sale!"
	"Uh huh."  Ryoko leaned close and took a couple of sniffs.
	Ayeka recoiled.  "Wha...what are you doing?!"
	Ryoko looked up at her and grinned.  "I see..."
	"See what?!"
	"Heh heh..."
	Ayeka's eyes went wide.  "Ryoko!  Just what are you implying?!"
she repeated.
	"Come on, Ayeka,"  Ryoko said with a grin.  "I can smell it on
ya!"
	"What!?"
	"You know..."  Ryoko told her slyly.
	Ayeka went pale.
	Ryoko clasped her hands in front of her, batted her eyes, and
began speaking in a fair imitation of Ayeka's Jurain accent.  "Oh,
Mr. Davner!  I'm so scared!  Hold me!"  With that, Ryoko rushed up
and hugged Ayeka.
	Ayeka turned deep red.
	"THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT HAPPENED AT ALL!!!"  The second she said
it, she clapped her hands over her mouth.
	Ryoko stepped back and blinked in utter astonishment.  "Ayeka?"
Ryoko took the princess by the shoulders.  Ayeka was blushing a deep
crimson.  "You didn't..."
	Ayeka didn't say anything.
	Ryoko grinned.  "You *did*!"  She took a step back and placed
her hands on her hips.  "Heh, and to think, I was just teasing you."
	Ayeka's eyes went wide.  She stared at Ryoko in shock.  "You
mean...you didn't...You..."
	"What?  Smell Davner on you?  Come on, Ayeka, what am I, a
bloodhound?  I was just teasing."
	Ayeka shook her head in astonishment.  Ryoko grinned and guided
Ayeka back into a chair.  "Okay, we're going to handle this like two
rational adults.  Maturely."  She sat back down on Achi's bed,
clasped her hands in her lap, and faced Ayeka.  She cleared her
throat and smiled.  "How was it?"
	Ayeka balked.  "WHAT!?"
	"Well, come on!  If you want, I'll tell you about Tenchi."
	Ayeka's eyes glazed over with sadness for a moment, and Ryoko
cursed herself for an idiot.  "I'm sorry Ayeka.  I shouldn't have
said that."
	Ayeka wouldn't look at her.
	"I really am sorry."
	Ayeka looked up at her and smiled wanly.  "I know."  She paused
for a moment.  Then, "Ryoko, please don't tell anyone."
	Ryoko blinked.  "Why?  You regret it?"
	"No!"  Ayeka told her quickly.  "Not at all!  It's just that...
things are complicated.  It'd be better if no one knew until I could
figure out a way to...uncomplicate matters."
	"I see."
	"Please, Ryoko.  I'm asking you.  Please."
	Ryoko nodded.  "Okay, Ayeka.  I won't tell anyone."
	Ayeka sighed in relief.  "Thank you, Ryoko."

	Ryoko was walking out of the room as Davner turned the corner.
He saw her and smiled.  "Even'n, darl'n."
	"Hi, Dav."  She passed him, and stopped.  Turning back toward
him, she raised her voice and imitated Ayeka's Jurain accent.
"Goodnight, Mr. Davner."
	She had the grim pleasure of watching his step falter.  She
laughed and walked on.
	Davner walked up to Ayeka's door and raised his hand to knock.
He was saved the trouble when the door opened, and Ayeka was standing
there.  She blinked, surprised to see him there.  "Davner..."
	"Princess,"  he said.  "I was wondering..."  He checked left
and right for signs of anyone else in the hallway, before dropping
his voice to a whisper and continuing, "I was wondering if the
princess was aware of how much I missed her last night."
	Ayeka blushed.  She reached out and took his hand, squeezing
it, answering without words.
	"Walk with me, Neria."

	Standing just down the hall and around the corner from Ayeka's
room, Ryoko listened and smiled.  She had been worried when Ayeka had
finally told her what had really happened on Penwa.  Ryoko loved
Davner like a brother, but she knew he had a tendency to be rather...
promiscuous.  She didn't want to see Ayeka hurt.  Especially so soon
after losing Tenchi.  That fear had evaporated when she heard what
Davner had called her.
	Neria.
	She had been around Davner long enough to know what that word
meant to the Mollidoni.  The literal translation was, "beloved," but
she knew it held a deeper meaning.
	"Way to go, Ayeka," she whispered.
	She sighed and started down the hall.  She paused outside one
door in particular and grinned.  "Speaking of romances..." she said,
and phased through the door.
	Tenchi was waiting for her there.
	He looked up and smiled.  "Hi, Ryoko."
	She grinned and walked right up to him, wrapping her arms around
him and kissing him fiercely.  She stepped forward and pushed him
down onto the bed.  Tenchi laughed.  Ryoko continued to kiss his neck.
	"Ryoko," Tenchi began.  "We have to talk."
	Ryoko paused and blinked.  "What about?"
	Tenchi sighed.  "Ayeka.  We owe it to her to tell her about..."
	Ryoko started kissing him again.  "Don't worry about Ayeka.
She's fine with it."
	Tenchi blinked and broke away from Ryoko.  "What?"
	"Yeah, I talked to her.  She said it was okay."
	"She did?"
	Ryoko nodded happily and began kissing him again.  "You know,
Tenchi," she said between kisses.  "Those six months you were gone,
I dreamt only of you."
	Tenchi blinked sadly.  "I'm sorry, but I can't say the same."
Ryoko paused.  "I have no idea what I dreamt about.  Sometimes, I
try to remember what happened."  He shook his head slowly.  "But it
seems the harder I try, the more confusing it gets."
	"Do...do you remember anything?"
	"It's...I don't know how to describe it.  It's like trying to
remember a dream."
	Ryoko licked her lips nervously.  She didn't *want* Tenchi to
remember what had happened, what Haruna had done to him.  She and
Ayeka had avoided telling him about it.  She kissed him again.
	"It *was* a dream, Tenchi, just a bad dream.  I'm just glad
you're here.  Come on, Tenchi.  Let's not talk about it.  There's
other things we can be doing."
	Tenchi laughed.  "Like a cat playing with a mouse..."
	She grinned.  "You can be the cat if you want, Tenchi."  She
grabbed his wrists and rolled over, pulling him on top of her.
"How's this?"
	Tenchi gulped nervously.  Ryoko just lay there and smiled.
	"Tenchi?"
	"Huh?"
	Ryoko grinned.  "Well?"
	Tenchi gulped again.  "Um...well..."  Ryoko's smile got wider.
He looked down at her as she smiled up at him.  He remembered the
first time he saw her, unconscious, hurt.  He had cradled her in his
arms and given her a drink of water.  When she had woken up and
looked up at him for the first time, he should've known he was going
to fall in love with her.
	He ran his fingers through her soft hair and smiled.  Ryoko's
eyes lit up as Tenchi bent his head forward and kissed her.  She
wrapped her arms around his neck.  "Oh, Tenchi..."

	Achi walked down the corridor, the Little Kawaii Tentacle
perched precariously on her head.  She paused outside a door and
blinked.  She looked to her left and frowned at Ryoko and Tenchi's
locked door.
	"OH, GROSS!"  she cried and started walking down the corridor
again.  She blushed and shook her head as she tried to get the
feelings she had sensed out of her mind.  "Pervs," she muttered.
LKT gurgled at her tone.
	She continued walking and found herself in the landing bay.
She liked coming here and looking at the stars through the forcefield.
It could be very lonely at the Chapel.  She was happy that Sasami
was here to play with.  And Washu had already told her she could
keep LKT, so now it wouldn't be as lonely.
	She paused and blinked as she saw two figures sitting alone on
a cargo container near the edge of the forcefield.
	"What the..."

	Davner reached out and gently took one of Ayeka's ponytails,
draping it over his neck and down his shoulder like a scarf.  Ayeka
smiled and shook her head ruefully.  He took her hand and gave it a
reassuring squeeze.
	"I like coming here,"  Davner told her quietly.  "It's very
peaceful."
	"You never struck me as someone who would enjoy simple peace
and quiet."
	He laughed.  "No, usually not.  But it makes for a nice change
every once in awhile."
	"Hmm."  She said nothing for awhile.  She wanted to ask him
something, but couldn't find a way to word it.  Finally, she decided
to just come out and say it.  "Davner, back on Penwa, after you
were hurt, I...found a picture of you."  Davner tensed visibly.
"I was wondering..."
	"Who they are?"  he finished quietly.
	She nodded slowly.
	He didn't answer immediately.  Then, "My wife, Elsa, and my
daughter, Risa."
	Ayeka looked over at him in shock.  "W..wife?  You're
*married*?!"
	"I *was*," he said quietly.  "Not for about ten years now."
	Ayeka blinked and remembered something he had said back on the
Azure Cloud, just after the rescue,
	<"I tried to go back for...I tried to go back, but I couldn't
get past the border patrols.">
	"They died in the Coup, didn't they?"  she asked quietly.
	He turned from her.  "If it's all the same to you, Neria...I'd
really rather not talk about it."  His playful tone had been
replaced by one of sadness.
	"Of course, I'm sorry..."
	He turned back to her and squeezed her hand.  "Don't be."
He leaned forward gave her a quick kiss.  "You know," he said, "I
still don't know that much about you."
	She blinked at this.  "Well...what would you like to know?"
	"Start at the beginning,"  he told her.  "I have time."
	"Well," she said, "There's really not much to tell..."
	Davner chuckled.  "This from the princess who was once the
most wanted woman in the galaxy..."
	"So you heard about that,"
	He shrugged.  "It was difficult not too."  He smiled at her.
"You know, we tried to find you guys...to help out."
	She smiled.  "It's too bad you didn't.  We could've used the
help."
	His grin got a little wider.  "We arrived on a small, out of
the way planet.  Pacifica, a pleasure planet.  Nothing but beaches.
We arrived just as the GP were.  It turned out that a *swimsuit*
contest prize was stolen by a Ryoko and Ayeka look-alike team that
had entered the contest."  He gave her a sly look.  "You wouldn't
happen to know anything about that, now, would you?"
	Ayeka turned a little red.  "Well...we needed the money, and
we were certain at least *one* of us would win, so..."
	"Heh, I wish I could've been there to see it,"  he whispered
in her ear.  She turned an even deeper shade of red.
	"You know, Davner, I think you actually *like* embarrassing
me," she told him haughtily, trying to regain some of her dignity.
	He grinned  "Of course.  You turn the most wonderful shade of
red."
	"Stop that!"  she cried, but her smile told him she didn't
really mind the ribbing.
	He poked her playfully in the side with his finger.  "Maybe
you could model it for me sometime,"
	She smacked him in the arm.  "Scoff all you like,"  she told
him, "But if Nagi hadn't shown up, I would've won that contest!"
She grinned up at him.
	He wasn't.
	"Nagi?"  he asked quietly.
	She blinked.  "Yes."  She saw the expression on his face and
became worried.  "Davner?"
	"Hmm?"
	"Are you okay?"
	He smiled.  "'Course, Neria."
	"You appeared unsettled for a moment."
	He smiled and pulled her closer.  "Nothing terribly important,
Neria,"  he told her.  "Just an old thought."  He took the ponytail
he had draped over his shoulder and threw it around his neck and over
his other shoulder like a pilot's silk scarf.
	"Now, then," he said, "About that swimsuit..."
	Ayeka grinned and jerked her head to the right.  Davner
flinched and gagged as the ponytail tightened around his neck.
Ayeka laughed and leaned back toward him, loosening the purple noose.
	"Well, it serves you right!"  she told him, giggling.
	Davner grinned then dropped backwards onto the cargo container.
Ayeka shrieked in surprise, and was dragged down next to him by her
hair.

	Achi stood up slowly and started walking back down the corridor
to the main room.  "Come on, LKT," she said softly, almost sadly.
"Let's go."

	"You know, Kiyo-chan, no matter how hard you stare, looks
really *can't* kill."  Cavis smiled and took another swig from the
canperra fruit juice carton before placing it back in the fridge.
	"I'm just making sure you don't take off in the middle of
the night,"  she told him acidly.
	He grinned at her.  "Now would I do something like that?"
	"Yes,"  Kiyone bit out as she turned from him and started down
the corridor.  "Twice," she added, calling over her shoulder.
	Cavis grinned.  "Three times," he muttered, correcting her
even though she was now out of earshot.
	He walked back into the main room and took a look around.
Mihoshi was playing with Sasami and Ryo-Ohki.  Aside from that, the
room was empty.  "Anyone seen Meg?"
	Mihoshi blinked.  "I think she's talking with Washu in her
lab."
	"Okay,"  Cavis started walking, but stopped when he realized
he had no idea where the dimunitive scientist had placed her subspace
lab.  He turned back to Mihoshi.  "Which is..."
	Mihoshi pointed to, what appeared to be, a doorknob without
a door.  It was just sticking out of a stone wall.  Cavis shrugged,
walked up and turned the handle.  A dimensional door appeared in
front of him.  He stepped inside.
	Washu and Meg looked up in surprise at his arrival.  The
scientist looked back at the freighter captain and said, "We'll talk
more about this later."  Meg nodded, and Washu turned to Cavis.
"Hey, Cavis.  What is it?"
	"Actually, Little Washu, I need to talk to Meg."
	"Sure thing, Cavis,"  Meg said as she walked up to him.  "What
can I do for you?"  She smiled coyly.
	Cavis got to the point.  "How would you like to make some more
money?"
	"Hmmph!"  Meg said, putting her hands on her hips.  "I'm *not*
that kind of girl!  No matter what the other captains say!"
	Cavis blinked.  "Wha.."
	Meg grinned.  "I'm just kidding, Cav,"  she told him.  Cavis
blinked.  Meg had never used the shortened form of his name before.
"I'm assuming you'd like to charter the Megami transport your friends
to Jurai,"
	Cavis nodded.  "We will, of course, pay you well."
	"Hmmm," she thought.  "Hazardous job.  Ten thousand credits."
	"Five, the danger's past."
	"Nine, there's still a risk."
	"Six, the risk is minimal."
	"Eight, I still have expenses.  My entire schedule has to be
rearranged."
	"Seven,"  Cavis offered,  "This isn't life or death, it's a
matter of convenience.  I doubt we'd want to try fitting everyone
on the ships we have."
	"Seven-five,"  Meg countered.
	"You pay for fuel?"
	She nodded.  "You get us past any...Royal entanglements."
	"Done."  He held out his hand.  Meg took it and shook it,
allowing her hand to linger there for a moment longer than necessary.
	"Good,"  Cavis said with a smile.  "We leave tomorrow morning.
Bright and early.  See you on deck."  He turned and left.
	Meg sighed and watched him go.

	"God, he's dense!"  Dee commented as Meg walked down the hall
towards the hangar bay.
	"Shut up,"  Meg muttered.  "He's a *man*.  You know how dense
they can be."
	"Hmmph!"  Dee replied.  "Yeah, but I'm honestly beginning to
wonder about him.  Maybe he only has a thing for guys, lizards, or
little girls."
	Meg didn't answer.
	Dee looked over her shoulder.  "And speaking of little girls,
I really wish that one would stop following us."
	Meg looked back and saw Achi following her, LKT sitting on
her head.
	"She's creepy, don't you think?"  Dee asked.
	"You're one to talk!"  Achi told her before the Geminite
could answer.  Meg gasped and whirled around.  Dee looked absolutely
awe struck.
	Achi was standing there, her arms crossed over her chest.
"After all," the little Penzatan pointed out, "*You're* the one
scaring her!"
	Dee blinked.  Meg just stared in astonishment.
	Dee got over her shock and grimaced.  "Hey, who asked you,
huh?!"
	Meg was still in shock.  "Achi...you can *see* her!?"
	Achi didn't reply.  She was glaring at Dee.  "Hmmph! I don't
have to take that from a mental projection!  Beat it!  Can't you take
a hint!?  She doesn't want you around!  Scram!"
	Dee growled.  "Hey, you little bitch!  Who do you think you're
talking to?!"
	Achi stuck her nose in the air.  "No one," she said.  She
looked right at Dee and glared.  "A big...fat...*no one*."  LKT
seemed to sense what was happening and gurgled an emphatic agreement.
	Dee clenched her fists and growled at the little girl.  She
turned to Meg.  "Fine!  I can tell when I'm not wanted!  I'll see
you later, Meg!"  With that, Dee vanished.
	Meg just blinked.  "How...How..."
	"Jeez, who was that, your sister?"  Achi asked.  Meg just
nodded.  "Hmmph!  Freeloaders,"  Achi commented.
	"How did you do that?!"  Meg asked, finally finding her voice.
	Achi shrugged.  "She's a projection of your own mind.  It wasn't
hard.  You were broadcasting her all over the place."
	Meg just blinked.
	"Well, I'm gonna go find Sasami and Ryo-Ohki!  Bye, Meg!"  With
that, Achi took off down the corridor in search of someone to play
with.
	Meg stared after her, her mouth agape.  Finally, she commented
on the spectacle she had just seen.
	"Holy shit..."

	"Little WaSshu?"
	Washu turned from her experiment and saw Ssedrey standing there.
"Hey, Ssedrey.  What can I do for ya?"
	Ssedrey hissed.  "I wished to thank you."
	Washu blinked.  "What for?"
	"For allowing Achi to keep her Little Kawaii Tentacle.  I know
it means a lot to her."
	Washu grinned.  "It's no problem Ssedrey."
	"Thank you."  Ssedrey began to turn.
	"Of course, now you can give me something in return."  Ssedrey
turned back and saw Washu grinning at him.
	Ssedrey hissed and started backing toward the door.
"Respectfully, Little WaSshu,"  he began, "I do not believe that
would be a good idea."  His claw rested against the dimensional door
knob.  He tried turning it but found it locked.  He looked up at
Washu who was reaching into a dimensional pocket.  A second later
she produced a white feather head-dress.
	Ssedrey gulped and tried the handle of the door again to no
avail.
	Washu put on the head-dress and checked it in nearby mirror.
"Now, now," she warned him as she heard the rattle of Ssedrey's
attempt to turn the door knob, "Don't make me use the tentacles
again."  She grinned as she heard the rattling increase frantically.
She reached out and tapped a key on her holotop.  She heard the
metallic *whish* as six robotic tentacles shot out from the ceiling.
	"Warned ya, didn't I?"

	Sasami peered into the darkness and tried to make out the
shapes in Washu's lab.  She giggled.
	"Sasami, are you sure we should be in here?"  Achi asked.
	Sasami giggled again.  "Washu always has something fun going
on in her lab."  Ryo-Ohki miya'd her agreement from Sasami's shoulder.
	Achi blinked.  "Ssedrey?"
	Sasami looked at her.  "What?"
	"I think Ssedrey is in here,"  Achi told her.
	"Hmmm,"  Sasami replied in thought.  "Well, let's go find him."
	"Whatcha girls do'in?"  A friendly voice asked from behind them.
	"Hi, Mihoshi,"  Achi said while Sasami jumped in surprise.
	Mihoshi munched on an oatmeal raisin cookie as she kneeled down
next to the two girls.
	Sasami recovered from her surprise quickly.  "We just wanna see
what Washu's doing."
	"Oh,"  Mihoshi said as she took another bite of the cookie.
	Achi looked at her and blinked.  Her face pinched in annoyance.
"Hey,"  she whispered angrily.  "Those are *my* cookies!"
	"Shhh!"  Sasami ordered.  "I can hear something."
	Achi and Mihoshi listened.  From just ahead of them, they could
make out the sounds of two people talking.  They inched closer.
	"Stop wriggling!"  Washu's voice called out.  "It'll take the
sensors longer to do their job if you make it harder on them."
	The response was, "Ssssmmmfffmmmssssss."
	They all looked around the corner to see Ssedrey, dressed only
in a loin cloth, hanging by his arms which were held over his head by
a pair of metal tentacles.  His snout was clamped firmly shut by a
brown leather strap.  He wriggled around in his bonds.
	"I'll be right back,"  Washu said from somewhere out of sight.
"I just have to get something."  They heard another dimensional door
open and close.  Achi didn't waste time.
	"Ssedrey!"  she cried and rushed to him.  Sasami and Mihoshi
followed close behind.  When they got to him, Achi started jumping
up and down, trying to get to the buckle on the leather strap.
Sasami looked up in awe while Mihoshi observed the scene calmly as
she munched on the cookie.
	Ssedrey looked down at them.  "Ssssffffmmmmmmsshhshshhsh!"
	"I...(jump)....can't....(jump).....reach....(jump).....IT!"
	On top of her head, LKT gurgled and reached up with the end
of himself.  He latched onto a hanging section of the strap and swung
himself up onto Ssedrey's snout.  Using the end of his tentacle self,
he manipulated the buckle until it was loose and fell to the floor.
	Ssedrey hissed.  "Get me down from here!"
	Achi blinked.  Sasami looked around.  "How?"  the blue haired
princess asked as LKT jumped down onto Achi's head.
	Mihoshi finished the cookie and clapped her hands off.
"Hmmmmmm,"  she pondered.  "Let's see..."  She wandered over to
Washu's holotop and began pressing keys.
	"Um..."  Ssedrey began, "Do you know what you're doing,
Detective?"
	Mihoshi waved his concern aside.  "Don't be ridiculous.  It
can't be *that* hard to...."  Suddenly, sparks shot up from the
holotop.
	"Ssiranus the Firstborn..."  Ssedrey muttered shaking his head.
	"HEY!  WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"
	They all looked up to see Washu standing behind them.  She was
wearing the feather head-dress and a green, form-fitting outfit that
shimmered in the light.
	Mihoshi jumped out of the way as Washu rushed up to the berserk
holotop.  "What did you touch!?"  she screamed.
	"Nothing!  I was trying to get Ssedrey down!  I...I...."  She
began to cry.
	That didn't help matters.
	"It's out of control!"  Washu cried.  "RUN!"  She ran past
Ssedrey and hit a button on the wall.  The lizard promptly fell to
the ground as the tentacles released him.  He grabbed Achi and
Sasami and made tracks for the exit.  Washu and Mihoshi were hot on
his heels.
	They made it out the door just as Washu's lab exploded.  The
entire Chapel shook under the power of the destruction of Washu's
lab, even though it was in a completely separate dimension.

	Tenchi paused and looked up.
	"Did you feel that?"  he whispered in alarm.
	Ryoko giggled.  "Boy, did I!"
	"Ryoko,"
	She blinked and found he was serious.  "Yeah, I did.  Felt like
an explosion."
	"Come on!  We need to find out what's going on!"  He threw the
covers off, got up, and began to dress.
	Ryoko growled.  "If it's not one thing, it's another," she
sighed and got up.

	Cavis put a little too much weight on his leg and winced.
Thanks to the medical bay on the abandoned station, Cavis hadn't lost
too much blood to Sudorin's knife, but it still hurt like hell when
he wasn't careful on it.
	"You okay?"
	Cavis turned and found Kiyone leaning against the corridor
wall behind him.  He put on a weary smile.  "Fine, Detective Kiyone.
Kind of you to ask."
	Her eyes narrowed.
	"What?"  he asked with  just a tinge of sarcasm.  "Afraid I'd
tell your commanders it was police brutality.  Not even I would go
*that* low."
	Kiyone grit her teeth.  "I was just asking if you were okay,"
she bit out.
	"Why?" he asked.  "It's not as if you give a damn,"  he shot
back.
	"You know, Cavis,"  Kiyone began, "I really don't understand you.
I've seen you be the most decent man in the galaxy, and I've seen you
be the worst slime there is, and I really don't know which is the real
you."
	Cavis took a few steps toward her and leaned close.  "The real
me died on Carissia," he hissed.  "When the two of you sold me out to
save your own careers!"
	"That's not what happened, Cavis!"  she shot back.  "It didn't
have to end the way it did!  You chose for it to end that way!"
	That's when the entire Chapel shook.
	They looked around in surpised fear.  "What the hell!?"  Kiyone
shouted.
	Cavis started for the main room.  "Come on!"

	Ayeka sipped at the tea as she sat in kitchen compartment of
the tiny ship that had brought them to the Chapel.  Davner sat across
from her and drank from his own tea cup.  The ship was cold.  She
hugged Davner's grey trench coat closer to herself.
	"Ayeka,"
	She looked up at him, his face was a mask of concern.
	"Don't go to Jurai."
	She blinked.  "What?"
	"Stay here when we leave tomorrow."
	She sighed.  "I can't."
	"Ayeka,"
	"Please, Davner," she asked.  "I have duties and
responsibilities you could never understand.  One of those is a duty
to show my people that Jurai fears nothing.  I can't do that if I'm
hiding here."
	He reached across the table and took her hand.  "I don't want
to see you hurt," he whispered.  "Politics *kills* people, Neria.
Believe me, I know."
	She smiled.  "We'll be safer on Jurai," she told him.  "I can't
hide forever, and I don't really want to."  He said nothing.  "You...
you will come with me, won't you?"  she asked.
	He smiled.  "Well, I don't know.  I *do* have this whole pirate
slash scoundrel thing to take care of.  It's a pretty awesome
responsibility..."  He saw the concerned look on her face and nodded
slowly.  "Every step of the way."
	Suddenly, the entire Chapel shuddered.  Ayeka shot up in her
chair and blinked fearfully.
	"What was that?!"
	He stood up and listened carefully.  There was no further noise,
but still...
	  Davner picked up the AM gun he left by the door and broke it,
checking the load.  He flicked his wrist and the barrels swung back
into place with a sharp, "click."
	"Come on."

	Cavis and Kiyone entered the main room and found smoke pouring
from Washu's lab door.  Luckily, the air recyclers were sucking the
smoke up and into the ventilation filters.  Ssedrey, Washu, Mihoshi,
Achi, and Sasami were getting to their feet.  Sasami and Achi were
coughing, Mihoshi was crying, and so was Washu as she looked at her
lab door.  Ssedrey said nothing.
	Cavis saw Ssedrey's state of undress, and then saw the way Washu
*was* dressed.  He grinned.
	"Damn, Ssedrey," he chuckled.  "That's all I can say.  Damn."
	Ssedrey looked down at him and hissed in annoyance.  "What is
*that* supposed to mean!?  What kind of lizard do you take me for?!"
	Cavis crossed his arms over his chest.  "One who's having a
helluva lot more fun than I am..."
	Ssedrey grabbed Cavis by the front of the shirt and lifted him
three feet off the ground with one hand.  He stuck his snout into
Cavis' face and hissed.  "I am *not* a lizard of loose morals!"
	"Is everyone okay?"  Ryoko asked, tying the front of a robe as
she and Tenchi entered the room.
	"Yeah, we're fine,"  Sasami told them.
	"What happened?"  Tenchi asked worriedly.
	"My lab!  My lab!"  Washu wailed.
	"If you will excuse me,"  Ssedrey said, "I'll go put on
something more appropriate."  The lizard threw Cavis and Washu a
dirty look then started down the corridor.
	Cavis watched him go.  Once he was out of earshot, he began to
laugh.  Washu glared at him.
	"It was strictly medical,"  she bit out, her arms folded over
her chest.  The green suit she wore shimmered, giving the appearance
of scales.
	"I'm sure it was,"  Kiyone muttered.
	Davner and Ayeka entered the room a moment later.  "What
happened?"  Davner asked, his AM gun pointed at the ground.
	"Sasami?!"  Ayeka cried and ran to her sister.  "Are you
okay?!"
	Sasami coughed again and nodded.  "Yeah, I'm okay, Ayeka."
Ayeka hugged her sister.
	"What happened?"  Ayeka asked her.
	Washu turned to her.  "They were playing in *my* lab!  That's
what!"
	Achi turned on her.  "You're the one who tied up poor Ssedrey!"
	"What the hell is going on here!?"  Meg cried as she entered the
room.
	Cavis and Davner began to inspect the hole that was once Washu's
lab.  Davner shook his head.
	"What do you do when a large dimensional hole explodes in your
asteroid hideout?  We'll find out today on, 'This Old Starbase,'"
Davner said in a fair imitation of a commercial.  Cavis shook his
head ruefully.
	"There doesn't appear to be any structural damage."
	While they were inspecting the damage, Tenchi made his way to
Ayeka.  "Ayeka, can I talk to you?"
	Ayeka turned to him and nodded.  Tenchi led her out of the main
room and into the kitchen area.  He turned to her, but couldn't find
anything to say that sounded appropriate.  The best he could come up
with was,
	"I'm sorry, Ayeka."
	Ayeka blinked.  "Tenchi?"
	"Ryoko told me that she told you about...us.  Ayeka, I know
that...Dammit," he said, shaking his head.  "Why does this have to
be so hard?"
	"Tenchi,"
	He looked up at the princess.  She was staring down at her feet.
"I...know you love her.  I've known for awhile.  I...I didn't want
to admit it for the longest time, but when the time came..." she
shook her head, "I couldn't deny it any longer."
	"Ayeka,"  he whispered.
	A tear rolled down her face.  She absently wiped it away with
her fingers.  "What's really ironic is that it was *my* choice," she
told him.  "*I* decided to give you up.  It was the only way to..."
she broke off, and Tenchi blinked in confusion.
	"The only way to what?"  he asked quietly.
	She shook her head.  She and Ryoko had both agreed not to tell
Tenchi about what had happened while he was with Haruna.  She wasn't
going to tell him that she had urged Ryoko to go after him alone,
told her that she alone could get Tenchi back.
	That in order to save him, Ayeka had to give him up.
	"Did you know that you were the first man I ever loved, Tenchi?"
Ayeka asked him sadly.  "That before you, I had resigned myself to
a marriage based on politics, on whatever would be the most
beneficial for Jurai?"  She wouldn't look at him, she continued to
look down at her feet.  "In all those marriage meetings, I never
once met a man who treated me like a person.  Then I met you and..."
She broke off.  "Tenchi, you taught me what love was."
	"What?"  Tenchi whispered, dumbstruck.
	"It's true.  Before I met you, I had no idea what it was or
what it felt like, and I was sure that I would never know."  Finally,
she looked up at him.  "You changed that."  She reached out and took
his hand.  "And I'm grateful for that."
	"Ayeka,"  he whispered and reached out, laying his hand on her
shoulder.  He felt the material of Davner's coat, which still hung
off her shoulders, and his eyes widened as the significance of this
finally hit home.
	"I'm...I'm always going to love you, Tenchi,"  Ayeka told him.
"But if you and Ryoko are happy..."  Another tear rolled down her
cheek, "Then I can be happy for you."
	Tenchi reached out and embraced Ayeka in a hug.  "You're like
family to me, Ayeka," he told her seriously.  "I don't want to see
that change."
	"Neither do I, Tenchi.  Neither do I."
	From the kitchen entrance, Davner watched for a few moments,
then turned and walked away.

	"Meg."
	Meg turned and saw Cavis approaching, leaving the gaping hole
in the wall unattended.
	"I just wanted to let you know we'll be leaving tomorrow."
	Meg nodded.  "I'll have the Megami prepped and ready.  Who'll
be on her?"
	Just about all of us.  Ssedrey can take two comfortably in the
Talon, and Davner has space for one more.  The princesses will
probably ride with us.  I'm sure Kiyone and Mihoshi wouldn't mind
riding with Ssedrey, and I'm sure Ssedrey wouldn't mind too much if
Washu rode with Davner."
	Meg nodded.  "Sounds good."
	Cavis nodded.  "Well, see you tomorrow morning, then."  He
smiled and turned.
	"Hey Cav!"
	He turned back to her.
	"I got a bottle of Carissian brandy back on the Megami," she
told him.  "It's a few thousand years old, and I've been looking for
a good excuse to pop the cork on it.  What's say you and I go back
to the ship and toast a couple of rounds?"
	"Actually, Meg..."
	<Dammit!  What am I gonna have to do!?  Club him over the head
and drag him by the hair back to my ship like a fucking neanderthal?!>
	"Well, look.  If you're not doing anything later,that's where
I'll be,"  she told him in tone that conveyed disappointment,
frustration, and just a tinge of hope.  She turned and walked down
the corridor to her ship.
	Cavis just watched her go.

	"Never a dull moment,"  Ryoko commented as she snuggled up
next to Tenchi.
	"Hmm,"  was Tenchi's only reply.
	Ryoko looked over at him as he lie there and stared up at the
ceiling.
	"Tenchi, whatcha think'n about?"  she asked him.
	"Ayeka."
	He flinched as Ryoko slapped his arm.  "That's not funny!" she
told him seriously.
	Tenchi looked at her and blinked.  "Huh?"
	"Telling me you think about Ayeka in bed!  Hmmph!"  Ryoko
turned away from him.  "Well, fine then!  Go!  Go to Ayeka!"
	"Wha..."
	Ryoko began wailing dramatically.  "And while you're at it,
you can just stop off and sleep with Mihoshi!  Hell, if Kiyone's
there it's a two for one sale!"
	Tenchi frowned.  "Ha ha..." he said sarcastically.
	She turned back to him and grinned.  "What?"  she whispered.
"All of a sudden I'm not enough for you?"
	Tenchi kissed her forehead.  "Sometimes, Ryoko, I think you're
too much.  No, that's now what I meant.  I mean I talked to her after
the lab exploded."
	Ryoko's face fell.  "Tenchi, I told you I handled that.  You
didn't have to..."
	"Yes, I did, Ryoko."  He put his arm around her shoulder and
pulled her closer to him.  "It's okay.  But we *did* need to get
things out into the open.  But...I'm still worried about her."
	"Why?"
	"Um...Ryoko...Do you know if Ayeka and Davner are...well..."
	"What?"  Ryoko asked with a slight smile.
	"Nah, forget it,"  Tenchi told her.  "I'm just imagining
things."
	"Tell me, Tenchi."
	"Well..."  Tenchi said, unsure how to word it.  "You don't
think that Ayeka and Davner would...I mean...that is to say..."
	Ryoko blinked. "Oh, you think they're sleeping together, is
that it?"
	Tenchi face faulted, then laughed.  "Yeah, I know.  It's pretty
ridiculous.  After all, Ayeka would never fall for someone like that."
	Ryoko blinked.  "Why do you say that?"
	"Well, come on Ryoko.  I mean, he's a pirate, a wanted criminal.
Ayeka's not stupid enough to get involved with someone like that."
	Ryoko looked at him in frank disbelief.  "What the hell is
*that* supposed to mean?"  She asked him point blank.
	Tenchi just blinked.
	"*I'm* a pirate, Tenchi,"  she told him.  "A wanted criminal.
So if Davner's not good enough for Ayeka because he's a pirate, what
does that make me in your eyes?  A mistake?  An error in judgement?"
	Tenchi shook his head and cursed himself for making such a
stupid statement.  "That's not what I meant..."
	"Yeah?  Well, that's what it sounded like."  She rolled over,
turning from him again, this time in true pain and anger.
	"Ryoko...I'm sorry.  I really didn't mean it that way.  I'm
just worried that she might make a mistake..."
	"You know, Tenchi," she told him.  "I know you don't know
these guys that well, and that you don't really trust them..."  She
turned back to him.  "But they're the closest thing to a family
I've ever had until I met you.  They're good people.  They saved my
life more than once and I've saved their's.  They gave me a home
and friends, and how dare you judge them!?"  She turned away from
him again.  Tenchi gulped in embarrassment.
	Tenchi reached out and touched her shoulder.  "I'm sorry, Ryoko.
I..."  He trailed off, not willing to risk saying something that
would make things worse.  "After everything's that happened...I
guess...I just don't think of you as a pirate anymore.  I see you
and I just can't see the most wanted woman in the galaxy."
	"Then what *do* you see?"  she asked, still not facing him.
	"I see the woman who risked everything to get me to Jurai,"
he told her softly.  "I see the woman who saved me from getting
pulled into subspace with Kain.  And I see the woman...I see the
woman I want to be with for the rest of my life.  Ryoko.."  He
squeezed her shoulder.  "I'm sorry about what I said.  The only
mistake, the only error in judgement I made was not realizing that
I loved you sooner."
	She turned back to him slowly.  Her eyes locked with his as
she searched for sincerity.  When she found it, she smiled and
kissed him.
	"Well, I guess I can forgive you."
	Tenchi smiled in relief.  "I promise, I won't say anything
like that about your friends again."
	"Tenchi, could you do something for me?"
	He pulled her close.  "Anything."
	"Try to be their friend too.  I know you don't really trust
them, but I know you guys could be close if you tried."  She grinned.
"After all, you didn't trust me at first, and look where we are now."
	Tenchi nodded.  "Okay.  I will."
	Ryoko grinned.  "So you don't think of me as a pirate anymore,
huh?"  Tenchi arched an eyebrow.  "Well, I guess I'll have to find a
way to remind you,"  she said and kissed him.  "I know.  Let's play
the GP and the evil pirate."  She kissed him again.  "Let me go see
if Kiyone will let me borrow her handcuffs!  Then you can arrest me,
interrogate me, and show me the error of my evil ways!"
	Tenchi turned red.  His nose began to bleed at the thought.
Ryoko laughed and dabbed at the blood with her finger.
	"Maybe Mihoshi will even let me borrow her hat,"  she said
with a grin.
	Tenchi laughed.
	Ryoko got out of bed and put on a robe.
	"Um...Ryoko...you *are* joking, right?"
	Ryoko threw him a grin. "Be right back."
	"Ryoko!"
	Before he could get up to stop her, Ryoko phased through the
door.

	Davner lay back on his bed, his hands behind his head, and
stared up at the ceiling.  He was still thinking about what he had
overheard between Tenchi and Ayeka.
	<"I'm always going to love you, Tenchi.">
	He took a deep breath and shook his head.  "Dammit,"  he
muttered.  He knew that Ayeka had a thing for the Earth kid, but he
never realized just how deep her feelings went for him.  Now he did,
and it scared him.
	He thought back to Penwa and smiled slightly.  Scared, alone,
pursued by the Assassin's Guild, their first time had been a release
of pent up tension and emotion.  Neither of them had planned it, but
once it did happen he felt...changed.
	He had thought Ayeka felt the same way, but if she was still
carrying a torch for Tenchi...
	But Tenchi was with Ryoko.
	<I cannot believe how fucking selfish you're being,>  A voice
in his head told him.  <Did it ever occur to you that while you're
moping in here, Ayeka is out there and in pain?>
	Davner blinked.  "Dammit,"  he said again and got up.
	<It's been too long since I've had to think about someone other
than myself.  I'm out of practice,>  he thought to himself irritably.
	He thought about her as he walked out the door.  He didn't
*want* her to be just another girl.  He *wanted* more with her than
just a cheap thrill.  He felt things for her that he hadn't felt
since...
	Elsa died.
	He paused midstep.  That was another lifetime.  Even so, he
could remember how he felt during his courtship of his late wife.
It had been a different time, a different place, with different
rules, but he had never felt more alive than he did then.
	Now he had the chance to find something like that again, and
it frightened the hell out of him.  Those who said it was better to
have loved and lost than never to have loved at all must have been
morons or men who had never lost, because to lose a loved one, to
feel the warmth of their lives affect your own and then to lose it,
was the absolute worst feeling a man could feel.
	Could he risk feeling that again?  He wasn't sure.
	<Gamble,> a voice told him.  <It's what you do best.>
	He increased his pace.
	He found her in the landing bay, sitting on the same set of
cargo containers they were sitting on earlier in the day.  His coat
was still draped over her shoulders.  She was looking at the stars
through the forcefield, watching the asteroids float by.
	He walked up to her quietly, not wishing to disturb her.  He
sat down next to her.  She didn't turn to him.  He smiled and started
to say something, perhaps make a joke to bring her out of her
depression, but saw the look on her face as she looked out at the
stars and realized it wasn't the time.
	He could see the pain on her face, the loss.  Her eyes were
red and puffy.  She had been crying.
	He reached out slowly and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
He pulled her closer and held her as she began to cry again.

	"Well, everyone ready?"  Cavis asked.
	They were all standing in the landing bay, preparing to leave
for Jurai.  The Megami, the Talon of the Blood Mist, and Davner's
stolen ship were warming up on the deck.
	Kiyone chose that moment to walk into the landing bay.  "Has
anyone seen my handcuffs?"  she asked.  She threw Cavis a chilling
look.  "Don't get any ideas about cuffing me again," she warned him.
	Tenchi turned red.  Ryoko grinned and began to whistle
innocently.  Kiyone didn't notice.  She was staring at Cavis.
	"Kiyo-chan, I swear," he told her,  "I don't know where your
cuffs are."
	She turned from him, and Cavis grinned.  "Okay," he said.
"Ms...er...*Little* Washu will ride with Dav."  He threw a
questioning look at Washu.  "You okay with that, Professor?"
	Washu nodded.  "Sure."
	Cavis nodded.  "Good.  Ssedrey, you take the good detectives
Kiyone and Mihoshi."
	Ssedrey hissed.  "It shall be done."  Mihoshi gave them a GP
salute, and Kiyone simply nodded.
	"The rest of us will go in the Megami."
	"SHOTGUN!"  Achi yelled and ran up the Megami's ramp.
"Betcha can't catch me, Sasami!"  Sasami giggled and ran after her.
	The rest of the group smiled at them.
	"It is good that they are friends,"  Ssedrey commented.
	"Yes," Ayeka replied.  "I worry about Sasami sometimes.  She's
never had many friends her age."
	Cavis smiled.  "Sasami is nowhere *near* Achi in age,"  he
pointed out.  "But I'm glad she finally has someone to play with."
	"Well,"  Meg said, "Are we ready?"

	Warshan stood on the Vendetta's bridge and sighed.  Another
dead end.  Not only that, but two ships had been stopped by the
Galaxy Police and the Assassins arrested.  All so Lezell Charis
could have her revenge.
	"That bitch is going to get us all killed," he muttered.
	"Sir,"
	Warshan turned to the communications station.
	"Lady Charis is calling, Sir."
	"Speak of the devil,"  Warshan muttered.  "Patch her through."
	Lezell Charis' face appeared on the screen.  "Report," she
ordered.
	"Nothing,"  Warshan told her.  "Lady Charis, while we waste
resources in this search, there are contracts not being met."
	Charis stared at him.  "We will continue as I dictate,"  she
hissed.  "We will, however, alter our approach.  We could search
the seas of stars forever and not come close, so we will wait for
them to come to us."
	Warshan arched an eyebrow.
	Charis smiled.  "We will wait for them on Jurai."

	"Thank you, Ssedrey,"  Kiyone said as she took the cup of tea
from him and took a drink.  She was standing on the bridge of the
Talon of the Blood Mist, keeping an eye on the instrument panels.
This time, she was going to get the information she'd need to come
back here with a few GP cruisers and...
	She broke off in her thought as she was overcome with a flash
of drowsiness.  She blinked and shook her head.  She raised her tea
cup to her lips and paused.  She could see a thin, white, crust
collecting on the edge of the cup.  She looked up at Ssedrey in
disbelief.
	"Forgive me, Detective," he told her.  "But you *are* GP,
after all."
	Her eyes went wide as she began to wobble on her feet.  "You
green, scaly, bast..."  She broke off as she fell forward.  Ssedrey
caught her and eased her into the co-pilot's chair.  He smiled as
he heard Mihoshi snoring in the compartment behind them.
	"Pleasant dreams, ladies."

	"So, Little Washu,"  Davner drawled.  "I have a little favor
to ask you."
	Washu arched an eyebrow.  "Oh?"
	Davner threw on his most debonair smile.  "Yes, you see, this
ship is...sort of a loaner.  I had to abandon my own ship on Penwa,
and I've found this one...lacking...in certain key areas vital to
my profession."
	Washu saw where this was going.  "And you would like me to
upgrade your ship while I'm here, is that it?"
	"Well," Davner drawled slyly, moving closer to her.  "You
*are* the greatest scientific genius in the universe."
	Washu smiled.  "Davner," she whispered.
	"Yes, darl'n?"
	"Do you honestly expect that silver, sugar coated tongue to
work on me?"
	Davner arched an eyebrow and cleared his throat.  "Er..'course
not, darl'n,"  he said.  "I know that the great Washu could never
be swayed by sweet words."
	"Mmmm hmmm," Washu replied.  "I tell you what, Davner.  I'll
upgrade your ship.  In exchange, I want you to tell me about
Ssedrey."
	Davner blinked.  "Ssedrey?"
	"Yup."
	Davner's eyes narrowed.  "Why?"
	Washu looked at him for a moment and came to a decision.  "If
I tell you and promise that I don't mean any harm to him, will you
keep it to yourself?"
	"I will."
	She nodded.  "Ssedrey is an Asconian.  I encountered them
hundreds of years ago, and found something incredible about their
race.  They possess a power not unlike that of the Jurai Power."
	"Wait a second,"  Davner interrupted.  "The Asconians have
Jurai Power?"
	"It would seem so.  I know certain elements of Ssedrey's past,
but I need to know more.  So if you answer a few questions about
your time with Ssedrey, I'll upgrade your ship."
	Davner grinned.  "Little Washu, you have a deal."

	Meg hit the bulkhead as Achi and Sasami bumped into her and
continued running down the corridor.
	"Hey!  No playing tag on my ship!"  she yelled after them.
They either didn't hear her or just pretended they didn't.  Meg
smiled and shook her head.
	"Rugrats,"  Dee commented, appearing beside her.  "I can't
believe you actually *want* a pair of those."
	Meg shook her head again and started walking.
	"So how long are you gonna keep hanging around with these guys.
I mean, getting wrapped up in politics is always trouble, Meg."
	"It's a nice, easy charter, Dee."
	"Hmmm,"  Dee said, unconvinced.  "You're thinking about *him*,
aren't you?"
	Meg didn't answer.
	Dee grinned.  "Those kids you're thinking about.  Do they have
sandy blonde hair and blue eyes?"
	Meg paused.  "Dee, I swear on Gemini's torch, you are such a
*bitch* sometimes."
	Dee laughed cruelly and disappeared.
	Meg sighed and started walking again.  When she got to the
bridge, she found Cavis sitting in the command chair.  Cavis saw
her and got up.  "Your watch?"
	Meg nodded.
	"See you later, then."  He smiled.
	She reached out, took his arm, and pulled him back to her.
Before Cavis or even Meg realized what she was doing, she was
kissing him.
	"AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!"
	They broke apart as they heard the young voices behind them.
	"HOW CUTE!!"
	They turned to see Achi and Sasami standing there, giggling.
	Cavis blinked and cleared his throat.  "Your welcome," he said
with an uncomfortable grin.  "Next time you want me to take another
watch, you need only ask."  With that he walked out the door.
	Meg watched him go, then glared at the girls.  "We need to
work on our communications skills, girls.  You see, when the door
to the bridge is closed, you're supposed to *knock* before you barge
in and ruin a moment!"
	Sasami looked embarrassed.  "Sorry, Captain Kaizuko.  We
didn't mean it."  Ryo-Ohki added her own apologies from atop the
princess' head.
	Achi said nothing.  LKT gurgled apologetically.
	Meg sighed.  "It's okay.  But the bridge isn't a place for
kids.  Find somewhere else to play, okay?  We'll be landing on
Taneurilla soon.  I suggest you go get ready."
	She chased the girls into the corridor and watched the door
slide shut behind them.
	They giggled.
	Sasami started down the corridor.  She didn't notice that
Achi wasn't following.  She turned back and saw Achi still standing
by the bridge door, looking at it.
	Achi sighed.  "First Davner, then Ssedrey, now Cavis," she
whispered.  She reached up and grabbed LKT off her head and hugged
him.  "LKT!" she wailed.  "You're the only *real* man in my life!"

	Taneurilla was a necessary stop if they intended to keep a
low profile.  It was home to Kerts, an expert forger known for his
fake I.D.'s.  And if they didn't want a repeat of the incident
that almost got them captured during the coup last year at the
checkpoint station, they were going to need some insurance.  That
meant forged travel documents that would get them through the border
stations without tripping any red flags that the conspirators might
be looking for.
	As Ryoko descended the Megami's ramp, she looked up at the
bright yellow sky of Taneurilla.  Nearby, the ramps of the Talon of
the Blood Mist and Davner's ship were descending.  Ayeka followed
her down the ramp and took a quick look around.  She still wore the
green dress she had traded her kimono for on Penwa. Tenchi, Cavis,
and Meg followed a few seconds later.  Ryoko turned as Sasami and
Achi came running down the ramp.
	Ssedrey, Kiyone, and Mihoshi approached from one side of the
Megami while Davner and Washu approached from the other.
	"You think he's still here, Cav?"  Ryoko asked.
	"Who?  Old Kerts?" Cavis asked.  He smiled.  "Kerts has lived
on Taneurilla for three thousand years.  He's not going anywhere
anytime soon."
	"Kerts?"  Kiyone asked.  "The forger?"
	"The same,"  Davner told her.
	Cavis took a look at Kiyone and hmm'd in thought.  He faced
the others and announced.  "Ryoko and I will handle this."  They all
looked up at him.
	"Are you sure, Cavis?"  Ssedrey asked.
	Cavis nodded.  "It's been awhile since we saw the old man,
and it's not a good idea to put all our eggs in one basket, so a few
of us will go make contact while the rest stay here."
	"Maybe I should go with you,"  Davner piped up.
	Cavis frowned.  "Sorry, Dav, but last time you saw Kerts, you
tried to deck him."
	Davner looked offended.  "He offended my delicate Mollidoni
sensibilities!"
	"He called you an, 'ass.'"
	"There!  See?!"
	Cavis grinned and reached into his pocket.  He produced a wad
of bills and handed them to Davner.  "Take the kids to a holovid or
something."  He leaned forward so only Davner could hear him.  "And
keep an eye on Kiyo-chan, would ya?  The last thing we need is for
her to get ambitious and try to make a move on Kerts.  We'd be
blacklisted for sure."
	Davner nodded.
	Cavis turned to Tenchi.  "Whaddya say, kid?  Care to live
dangerously?"
	Tenchi blinked.  "You want *me* to come along?"
	"Sure, why not?  You might learn something."  Ryoko beamed.
Tenchi wondered if maybe Ryoko put Cavis up to it.
	"Well, I'm coming too,"  Washu spoke up.  "I still can't
make perfect fake I.D.'s, and if this guy's so great, I want to
observe his technique."
	Cavis nodded.  "Probably not a bad idea.  Anyone else?"
	"Me."  Cavis turned and saw Meg checking the safety on her
blaster.
	Cavis said nothing  except, "Okay, you're in."  He saw
Kiyone start to raise her hand.   "But that's it.  I don't wanna
scare the old guy off."  Kiyone dropped her hand and grimaced.
	"Which way?"  Tenchi asked.
	Ryoko pointed.  "Other side of town.  We have to take the
tubes."
	"Let's get moving,"  Cavis told them.  They started down the
street towards a sign marked, "Tubes."
	Kiyone watched them go.
	Davner turned to Achi and Sasami.  "Well now, girls,"  he
said, "How about a holovid?"
	Achi and Sasami walked off a few paces and began whispering
to one another.  There was some headshaking and a few nods.
Finally, Sasami and Achi were both nodding along with Ryo-Ohki and
LKT.  They approached Davner again.
	"We want ice cream,"  Achi told him.  Sasami nodded sagely.
	"Carrot flavored for Ryo-Ohki,"  the blue haired princess
chimed in.  Ryo-Ohki miya'd happily.
	"Ice cream,"  Davner repeated.  "Right.  Okay.  Well, there
must be a parlor around here somewhere."  He looked up at Ssedrey
who just shrugged.  "Wonderful."

	After a short ride in the city's mass transit tubes, Cavis,
Tenchi, Ryoko, Washu, and Meg found themselves standing before a
door on the fifth floor of a dirty, downtown apartment building.
Cavis knocked twice and waited.
	A few moments later the door opened, and fourteen year old
boy with orange hair was standing there.  He saw Cavis and smiled.
	"Cavis, my boy!  Come on in!"
	Cavis grinned. "How've you been, Kerts?"
	Meg and Tenchi raised eyebrows.  "*This* is the old man?"
Meg asked.
	The teenager grinned at her.  "Hallo hallo," he said.  "And
who might you be?"
	"Eyes on the prize, Kerts,"  Cavis told him.
	"Quite right.  Ryoko!"  He held his arms out.  Ryoko hugged
him, and Kerts kissed her on either cheek.  "You're looking fit,"
he commented with a grin.
	Ryoko laughed.  "Kerts, take your hand off my thigh or you'll
never forge a check with it again,"  she said, the smile never
leaving her face.
	Kerts cleared his throat.  "Er..yes."
	He took a step back.
	"I don't get it,"  Tenchi said.  "I thought this guy was
three thousand years old."
	Kerts smiled.  "Would you be more comfortable if I looked..."
He spun around, and his body seemed to change.  When he had turned
three hundred and sixty degrees, his hair had grown longer and
turned grey.  His face was wrinkled and one of his eyes was missing.
	"Like this,"  he finished.
	Tenchi and Meg blinked in astonishment.  Kerts laughed.
	"Neat trick,"  Washu commented.
	"Now, then Cavis, what can I do for you?"
	Cavis smiled.  "We need travel documents, I.D. cards, and
phony IFF transponders."  He held up three fingers.  "Three of them."
	"Heh.  Usual price."
	"Your usual price is for suckers, Kerts,"  Ryoko told him
flatly.
	"Surely you can do better for old friends like us, Kerts,"
Cavis told him.
	Kerts chuckled.  "I might.  If the young lady would be
willing to give me a quick kiss."
	Meg frowned.  "How 'bout a quick kick in the ass, instead?"
	"Oooh!  She's a feisty little one!  No kiss I guess?"
	"Wish for something else, Kerts,"  Cavis told him.
	"Oh, all right.  I'm sure we can make a deal."

	Ayeka almost jumped out of her skin when she felt Davner's
boot gently rub against her foot under the table.  She looked up
and saw him smiling slyly at her from the other side of the ice
cream parlor's corner booth.
	She turned red and checked to make sure Achi and Sasami
weren't watching.  They weren't.  They were playing at a hover
hockey table on the other side of the ice cream parlor.  Kiyone
had wanted a real meal, so Ssedrey had taken her and Mihoshi to a
diner across the street.
	Which left Ayeka and Davner relatively alone.
	Ayeka picked at her sundae while Davner smiled at her.
"Three days in space without you, Neria," he told her softly.
He grinned.  "I missed you."
	Ayeka blushed again.  "I really wish you wouldn't do things
like that," she told him for about the fiftieth time since she'd
met him.
	His grin intensified.  She should've known by then that
saying that just spurred him on.  "But I like watching you blush,
Neria," he told her.
	"You know, Davner," she said, trying to change the subject,
"I still don't know that much about *you*."  She leaned closer.
"Tell me about Davner."
	"Did you miss me?"
	Ayeka blinked.  "Huh?"
	"I want to know if you missed me,"  he repeated.
	Ayeka smiled.  "Well...maybe a little."
	Davner grinned.
	"Now, about you..."  She took a drink of the soda she had
gotten with her sundae.
	Davner looked at her for a few seconds.  Then, he leaned
forward and whispered conspiritorially.  "I'm really an Asconian
spy in disguise."  He put his finger to his lips.  "Shhhh."
	Ayeka burst out laughing.  Davner sat back in his seat.
	"I was being serious!"  she told him.
	He shrugged and sighed.  "That's why I don't tell anyone
that anymore.  No one ever believes it."
	Ayeka giggled.  "I wonder why."
	"It's the outfit,"  he told her.
	"Now, really.  Tell me about yourself.  I want to know."
	Davner took a breath and began.  "I was born in the city
of Vessnas on the shores of the Trelian Sea.  I was raised as a
proper Mollidoni gentleman.  I married young, which isn't uncommon
on Mollidon."
	"How young?"  Ayeka asked.  Her own experience with marriage
meetings made her curious as to how other cultures handled marriage.
	"Sixteen."
	Ayeka balked.  "Sixteen?!  But that's so...so.."
	"Young?"
	She nodded.
	He smiled.  "We Mollidoni can be an impatient lot," he told
her.
	She nodded again.
	"Well, I worked in the family business, mostly in small
scale negotiations and the like."  His tone turned sad for a moment.
"After the Coup, I couldn't go back to Mollidon, so I started
wandering.  That's how I came upon Cav."
	"Then what?"
	Davner shrugged.  "We did a few jobs, pulled a few heists.
Met Ssedrey and Achi and Ryoko.  Four years ago, we broke up, went
our separate ways.  We...figured it would be safer."
	Ayeka remembered something she heard when she had first met
them last year.  "Nagi," she said.
	Davner bit his lip.  "Yeah.  She caught me on Belegast after
chasing me around the quadrant for a few weeks."  Ayeka took a
breath.  She remembered some of her own encounters with Nagi.
She'd swear that Nagi was the only person in the galaxy that Ryoko
was actually *afraid* of.
	"I was taken to the authorities, tried, and sentenced to
three years."  His smile returned.  "Luckily for me, I still had
friends on Belegast who managed to fiddle with my records.  I only
did six months."
	She reached out and took his hand.
	"I missed you too," she whispered.
	Davner smiled.  That smile melted away when he looked up at
the entrance to the ice cream parlor.
	"Damn," he muttered.
	Ayeka turned her head and saw two Taneurillan police officers
entering the ice cream parlor.
	"Davner!"
	He turned his head and saw Achi making her way toward them,
Sasami in tow.
	"Achi, are they here for us?"
	The policemen were ordering something at the front counter.
Every once in awhile, one of them would throw a look their way.
	Achi nodded.  "You've been made, Dav."
	Davner bit his lip.  "Don't suppose running is a good idea."
	Achi shook her head.
	"Sasami, I need you to do me a favor."  Davner was jotting a
message down on a napkin. "I want you to run across the street and
give this to Ssedrey.  He'll know what to do."
	"Escape plan B?"  Achi asked.
	Davner sighed and nodded.  "Escape plan B."
	"What's Escape plan B?"  Ayeka asked as Sasami left the ice
cream parlor.
	Davner smiled.  "Just be ready to play along."

	"I couldn't eat another bite!"  Mihoshi cried, then promptly
burped.
	Kiyone nodded and sat back in her booth.  "I agree.  That
was delicious.  It's been awhile since I've had a *real* meal."
	Sitting across from them, Ssedrey hissed.  "Consider it an
apology."
	Mihoshi blinked  "What for, Ssedrey?"
	Kiyone frowned.  "Don't you remember, Mihoshi?  He drugged
us on the way out of the Chapel so we wouldn't see the way out."
	"He did?"
	"Actually,"  Ssedrey corrected her.  "I only drugged *your*
drink, Detective Kiyone.  With Detective Mihoshi it was not
necessary."
	Kiyone put her head in her hands.  Mihoshi brightened.
"Wow!  Thanks, Ssedrey!  It's nice to know you trust me so much!"
	"Er....yes."
	Suddenly, Sasami burst into the diner and ran to their
booth.
	"Sasami!  What is it!?"  Kiyone asked.
	Sasami panted and handed Ssedrey the napkin with Davner's
message.  The Asconian read the message and hissed.  He looked
at Kiyone.  "You agree that getting to Jurai and finding the
conspirators is our top priority?"
	Kiyone nodded.
	"Then listen to what I'm about to say *very* carefully..."

	"AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!"  Achi screamed.
"HELP ME!  PLEASE DON'T LET HIM KILL ME!
AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!"
	Standing behind her, with his gun to her head, Davner snarled
at the two policemen.  "GET BACK!  I'LL BLOW HER BRAINS ALL OVER
THAT BACK WALL!  I SWEAR BY THE GODS I WILL!"
	Achi was hysterical.  "DO WHAT HE SAYS!  PLEASE!  I DON'T
WANT TO DIE!  MOMMY!  MOMMY!"
	Ayeka, standing behind the police played her impromptu role.
"Please!"  she cried at the policemen.  "Just do what he says!"
	"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!  PLEASE!  HELP ME!  I BET HE'S SOME
PERVERT WHO LIKES TO FEEL UP LITTLE GIRLS!  DON'T LET HIM HURT
ME!"
	Davner shook his head in disbelief and looked down at Achi.
"Hey!" he whispered.  "You don't have to be *that* viscious!"
	Achi replied by screaming again.
	The policemen had their guns drawn, but had no idea what
to do.
	Ayeka continued to play her role.  "Please!  Don't hurt her!
Take me instead!"
	Davner paused and grinned at her.  "Maybe later." Ayeka
blinked.  "First, Taneurilla's finest are going to put their guns
down, or I'm turning the girl's head into a canoe!  Guns!  Floor!
Now!"
	"Please!  Just do what he says!"  Ayeka begged them.
	The police looked to one another in nervous confusion.
Suddenly, there was a voice from behind Davner and Achi.
	"Freeze!"
	Davner tensed at the sound of the voice.
	"This is Detectives First Class Kiyone and Mihoshi, *busting
your ass*!  Now drop the gun and let the girl go!"
	Davner slowly knelt down and placed his blaster on the ground.
Achi ran to Ayeka and began to cry.  Davner felt Kiyone grab him
and pushed him against the wall.
	"Make love to that wall, pervert!  You're under arrest!"  She
pulled his hands behind his back and slapped the cuffs on them.
	Meanwhile, Mihoshi was talking to the policemen.  "Don't
worry," she said, showing them her badge.  "We've got it all under
control."
	Kiyone grabbed Davner and began to lead him out of the ice
cream parlor.  He threw an angry look at Achi and growled.  "Would've
gotten away with it if it weren't for that pesky kid!"  Achi
responded by sticking her tongue out at him.
	"Shut it, scummer!"  Kiyone growled as she led him out of
the parlor.
	"Um...perhaps we should go too,"  Ayeka said.  "To make a
statement or something?"
	Mihoshi snapped her fingers.  "*That's* what I was supposed
to say!  Thanks for reminding me!  Yeah, you have to come with us."
	"Very well, Detective.  Lead the way."  Mihoshi threw one
last, crisp salute to the policemen.
	"Carry on, Officers!"  she told them and led Ayeka and Achi
outside.
	As soon as they were safely in a nearby alley, Kiyone removed
the cuffs.
	Davner rubbed his wrists. "Why thank you, darl'n. I app..."
He was cut off as Kiyone belted him in the jaw.
	"If I *ever* see you put a loaded gun to that girl's head
again, I'll kill you with it!"  she hissed.
	Davner rubbed his jaw and held out his hand.  Reluctantly,
Kiyone handed the blaster to him.  He raised it to his own head.
	Kiyone's eyes went wide.  "Now wait a minute..."
	Davner grinned and pulled the trigger.  Kiyone flinched as
she heard the electronic *click* signalling an empty weapon.  He
reached into his pocket and pulled a small, black, power cartridge.
	"I'm not *that* stupid, Detective," he told her as he loaded
the power pack and worked the action.
	Kiyone grit her teeth.  "Good to hear."
	It was at that point that the others joined them.
	"That was close,"  Ayeka told them, looking down the street
to see if they were being followed.
	Davner rubbed his jaw.  "Well, darl'n's, hope you enjoyed
your day out.  We should go back to the ships and lay low."
	"Agreed,"  Kiyone said.

	"I can't believe you kissed him,"  Meg commented.
	Washu shrugged.  "Sometimes sacrifices have to be made in
the name of science."
	Meg shuddered.  "But he was so creepy!"
	"The point is, we got what we needed," Cavis pointed out,
patting his jacket pocket where the phony I.D. cards were safely
nestled.
	They arrived back at the landing pad to find the other half
of their party waiting for them.  Cavis walked up to Ssedrey.
	"How was the vid?"
	Ssedrey hissed.  "Never saw one, but the acting was
excellent."
	Cavis arched an eyebrow.  "Where's Davner?"
	"On his ship."

	Ayeka's eyes opened slowly.  She could feel his warmth behind
her, his arms wrapped around her possessively.  She smiled and
kissed one of those arms.
	Her smile fell from her as she remembered the dream she had,
the dream she had been having for the last few nights.  She bit her
lip in  worry.  It was a dream that could very well turn into
reality.  She held onto his arm like a life preserver.
	The dream was frightening.  In it, she returned to Jurai
and found her parents waiting for her there.  She tells her mother
about Tenchi, then about Davner.  Her father flies into a rage and
has Davner arrested.  Then they turn around and tell her about
this wonderful prince they found for her and arrange a marriage
meeting.
	And so she's back to square one.
	And that scared her.
	She didn't want to go back to that.  She didn't want to go
from planet to planet, listening to pink-haired fops try to impress
her with the size of their fleets or how grand their palaces were.
In all those marriage meetings, she hadn't once met a prince, count,
or duke who treated her like a human being.  One even got her name
wrong, calling her "Princess Aika."  When she met Tenchi, she had
finally met someone who saw her as a person.  Maybe that's why she
was with Davner now.  He had treated her kindly, and as a human
being.
	After feeling like that, she had no intention of going back
to the way it was, to being a well dressed nonentity.
	But what could she do?
	She was afraid.
	Afraid for herself.
	Afraid for him.
	She felt him stir behind her.  His arms tightened around her,
pulling her closer to him.
	"Good morning,"  he whispered.
	"Good afternoon," she corrected, turning to him.  He looked
at her and blinked.
	"Are you all right, Neria?"
	She put a smile on.  "I'm fine."  She reached out caressed
his cheek.  He hissed as her fingers grazed his jaw.  "Does that
still hurt?"
	"Oh, you know me," he told her.  "I'm a total baby when it
comes to pain."
	She reached over to the nightstand where the cold compress
lay in a puddle of cold water.
	Davner flinched as Ayeka pressed the ice pack against his
chin.
	"She shouldn't have hit you,"  she told him.
	Davner smiled as he lay there.  "Detective Kiyone just has
a problem expressing her emotions verbally."
	"Still, she should have checked first."
	"I'm just glad it worked,"  Davner told her.  "Breaking out of
a security cell is a bitch."
	"Hmmm,"  was her only reply.
	He reached up and placed his hand over her's as she dabbed at
his jaw with the ice pack.
	"You have a gentle touch, did you know that?"  he asked her.
"After the reception I got last year, I wouldn't have counted on
that."
	Ayeka cleared her throat nervously.  "Yes, well, one does not
simply walk up to a princess of Jurai and ask if she would like
some 'Mollidoni sugar,'"  she said, throwing a shade of arrogance
into her voice.
	"I'll remember that the next time I try to seduce a princess."
	She frowned and pressed the compress on his jaw a little more
roughly.  Davner yelped.
	"Care to rephrase that?"  she asked as she resumed dabbing at
his jaw.
	He grinned.  "I had no idea you could get so jealous, Neria."
	"Jealous?!"
	He grinned.
	She lowered the compress.  "Davner, we need to talk."
	"Oh?"
	"Davner...once we get to Jurai..."  She tried to find a way
to say it.  "Once we get to Jurai, we must be extremely careful.
I wasn't joking on Penwa when I told you it would be dangerous.
There's a risk."
	"Risk is part of my business," he whispered.
	"Please don't joke.  This is serious."
	"I'm sorry,"  he told her.
	She took a breath and started again.  "You must take no risks
for me.  You mustn't.  If my parents were to find out before I
could...prepare them..."  She took a breath.  "It would be bad."
	"So...you *do* want more?"  he asked, his voice the most
serious she had ever heard it.
	She leaned forward to kiss him...
	"Yoo hoo!"
	They screached in surprise and looked up.  Ryoko had phased
her head through the wall and was grinning at them.
	Ayeka screached again and pulled the covers over herself.
	"Your timing is utterly impeccable, darl'n,"  Davner told
Ryoko, just a hint of annoyance creeping into his accent.
	"Ryoko!"  Ayeka cried, finally finding her voice.  "How long
have you been standing there?!"
	Ryoko's grin intensified.  "Long enough to hear a few
interesting things,"  she said.  "Oh, come on, Ayeka.  It's not
like I haven't seen it all before."  She threw a grin at Davner
and winked.  Ayeka's eyes went wide.  "By the way, when you two
are finished, Cav needs to see us on the Megami.  Seeya there!"
With that, Ryoko vanished.
	Ayeka blinked and turned to Davner.  "You didn't,"  she
whispered.  "Please tell me you didn't..."
	He looked at her.  "I didn't," he told her.  "Not that I
didn't try.."  he added with a shrug.
	She smacked his arm in annoyance, and he laughed.  "I'm
going to have to keep an eye on you, aren't I?"  she asked.
	He grinned.  "Who?  Me?"
	Ayeka rolled her eyes and crawled out of the tiny bed.  She
found her clothes and began to dress.

	"Understand?"
	Cavis looked around the group gathered in the Megami's docking
bay.  They were each fingering their new I.D. cards.  They all nodded
or made some other gesture of assent.
	"Okay," he said, "We'll leave in two hours, right after
preflight.  With a little luck we'll be on Jurai in three days."
	With that, the group began to break up.
	"Ryoko,"
	Ryoko turned and found Davner walking up to her.  "What's up,
Dav?"
	"I'd like to talk to you, darl'n,"  Davner told her and led
her away from the group.  When he was content they were out of
earshot, he began.  "About what you saw..."
	She brought her hand up to stop him.  "Davner, I already knew."
He arched an eyebrow.  "Ayeka told me."
	"Did she?"
	She nodded.  "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone.
Still, you can't hide something like that forever."
	He sighed.  "I'm hoping it won't be for long," he told her.
	"Davner, I have to say this," she began nervously.  "I don't
want to insult you or anything, but Ayeka's been through a lot
recently."  Ryoko's eyes narrowed slightly.  "She's not one of your
trollops.  She's my *friend*.  So if you're thinking of tossing her
aside a week or two down the road, old friend or not, I'll cut your
heart out.  Do we understand each other?"
	Davner's eyes widened.  He nodded slowly.
	"But it isn't like that, is it?"  she asked seriously.
	"No," he said utterly serious.  "It's not."  He bit his lip
as he thought of how to continue.  "Ryoko, I told you about my wife
and daughter.  Ever since they died, I felt as if I were walking
around with a great, black emptiness right in my soul."  Ryoko
listened attentively as he went on.  "And no matter what, I could
never drink enough, or carouse enough, or...cry enough to ever fill
it.  So I learned to accept the fact that I would never feel...whole
again."  He looked at her seriously.  "I feel whole now."
	Ryoko looked up at him and leaned up, kissing him on the cheek.
"Then I'm happy for you," she told him.  She turned and started for
the door that led out of the Megami's cargo bay.  She paused and
turned back to him.  "See you on Jurai, Davner."
	He smiled.  "See you on Jurai, Ryoko."

	"This is insane!"  Apis said.
	Gathered together with several other Assassins in the Guild's
Great Hall, his statement was met by some grumbling and a few nods.
The Hall was where the ancient members of the Guild met to pray to
their gods.  Now it was the meeting place where any Assassin could
speak his mind.
	Apis had been speaking his mind all morning.  Sitting off to
the side, Warshan De watched Apis sympathetically.  Under Sudorin,
such statements would be met with debate.  That would be the extent
of any reprisals for his words.  Sudorin had the greatest respect
for the old ways, just as Warshan did.
	Lady Charis would meet his words with a blade.
	"I have the greatest respect for Lady Charis' abilities,"  Apis
told the gathered Assassins.  "But this cannot continue!  While we
pursue a dead contract, our other contracts walk free!  Clients we
have had for *six thousand years* are beginning to lose faith in us!"
He turned and addressed Warshan.
	"War, you have to do something!  Lord Sudorin would never have
approved a course such as this!"
	Warshan said nothing.  He knew better.  He had no love for
Lezell Charis, but he also knew that if he spoke out, he'd not have
long to live.
	"Lady Charis leads the Guild,"  Warshan finally said.  "It is
not our place to tell her where she should lead it."
	Apis looked at him in disbelief.  "War,  I can't believe you
would say such a thing!"
	"Apis, trust me.  Just let it go."
	Apis shook his head.  "The hell I will," he growled.  "We've
been friends a long time, Warshan.  I never thought you'd betray
your beliefs so quickly.  I thought you'd be the very *first* to
stand against her.  But apparently, I was wrong."
	"Is there a problem, Apis?"
	Every Assassin's eyes turned to her voice.  Lezell Charis
stood at the entrance to the Hall, her hand resting on her blaster.
	Apis grit his teeth.  "You're damn right there's a problem."
	"Apis!"  Warshan hissed in warning.
	His friend ignored him.  Apis stepped forward and faced Charis,
who looked as if she hadn't a care in the world.  "You are leading
us into ruin!"  he growled at her.
	Sitting upon her shoulder, Death-Ohki hissed at him menacingly.
	"Oh?"  Charis asked innocently.
	"Our entire Guild is going down the tubes to satisfy *your*
private vendetta!"
	"Anytime you wish to challenge me for control of the Guild,
Apis," she said with a smile, "You need only ask."
	"Then I'm asking," he growled.
	"Apis!"  Warshan warned again, standing up from his chair.
"What are you doing?!"
	Apis threw his friend an angry look.  "What you should have."
He faced Charis again.
	Charis smiled.  "Ready whenever you are."
	Apis took a deep breath.  Warshan watched on in apprehension.
Charis grinned.
	Suddenly, Apis' hand flew to his blaster!
	He was dead before his gun left his holster, a thin wisp of
smoke rose from the burnt hole above his right eye.  Apis fell to
the ground.
	Charis returned her blaster to its holster and started forward.
When she reached the center of the hall she turned and addressed
the Assassins.
	She spat on the floor in front of Apis' body.
	"Next?!"
	There were no takers.
	Charis looked down at Apis' body.  "Burn it," she ordered,
pausing momentarily to spit on it.  She turned and walked out the
door.
	Warshan watched as two Assassins picked up the body of his
friend and carry it out of the hall.
	"This can't continue," he whispered.


End Notes:

Please send C&C to:

Thomas "009" Doscher
doscher009@hotmail.com