Here it is!  The fifth part of "Destiny's Balance."  I hope you're
enjoying reading this trash as much as I enjoy writing it...which
is quite a bit.  ^_^  Tenchi Muyo is the property of AIC and Pioneer
LDC.  Ssedrey is the property of Ssedrey and is on loan for this fic.
I'd like to thank Cav and Meg for helping me with this.  Thanks guys.


Destiny's Balance part 5:  The Balance in Doubt



	Meg was walking through the upstairs hallway in the palace when
she heard it.
	Someone was crying.
	It had been two days since the Assassin had shot Kiyone and made
her escape.  It was discovered that the woman was a member of the
Guild, the knife the guards had confiscated from her when she was
captured was an Assassin's Guild relic.
	The palace had changed overnight.  There were guards everywhere,
tense and alert.  Mihoshi, normally bright and cheerful, was sitting
next to Kiyone's bed on the third floor medical wing, refusing to
leave the side of her comatose partner.  Tenchi and Ryoko had both
been moved by the event.  Surprisingly, it was Ryoko who seemed more
hurt by it.  She spent a good deal of her time with Mihoshi in
Kiyone's room.  Ayeka seemed to be hit hard.  She hardly left her
room the past two days.  Meg hadn't known the princess and the
detective were that close.  She wasn't sure about how Davner was
taking it.  He hadn't been seen the last two days, so it was
impossible to know.  And Cavis...
	Cavis had become terror unleashed.
	He and Kamidake were investigating the attack.  Cavis was leaving
no stone unturned in his quest to find the woman who had shot Kiyone.
Meg supposed that Cavis saw it as a personal insult.  She wasn't sure.
	The crying seemed to trail off for a minute, then resumed.  Meg
followed the sound to a nearby bedroom and quietly opened the door.
She blinked as she saw Achi sitting on a bed, her knees held tightly
to her chest as she cried.
	"Achi?"
	The little, purple-haired, empath didn't answer.  Meg approached
quietly and sat on the bed next to her.
	"Achi, are you okay?"
	Once again, the little girl didn't answer.
	"Did something happen Achi?"  The girl shook her head.  "Achi, if
someone hurt you, you have to tell someone."  Achi shook her head
again.  "Listen to me, Achi,"  Meg tried again.  "Whatever
happened..."
	"Nothing happened!"  Achi spit out, finally.
	Meg reached out and touched the girl's shoulder.  "Then why are
you crying?"  Achi turned from her.  "Achi, why?"
	Achi began to sob again.  "Because it's all too much!"  Meg
blinked.  "Everyone...everyone is so angry, or scared!"  She sniffled
again.  "And it's all crashing down on me!  All the negative emotions!
I can't block it all out, Meg!  I can't!"  She broke down crying again.
Meg gently reached out and pulled the little girl closer to her.  Achi
responded by burying her tear-streaked face in Meg's shirt and sobbing.
"It hurts!  It hurts..."
	Meg hugged the girl, unsure of what to do.  She wasn't an expert
on empaths, but it seemed that all the anger and fear in the palace
caused by the Assassin's attacked was having an impact on her.  It was
*hurting* her.
	She came to a decision.  "Achi, if you were away from the palace,
would it hurt less?"  Achi nodded, her face still buried in Meg's
chest.  "Okay, why don't you come stay with me on the Megami until
things quiet down?  How would that be?"
	Achi sniffled.  "Really?"
	Meg smiled and hugged the girl.  "Yeah, really."

	"We *still* don't have an ID on her?!" Cavis asked amazed.
	Kamidake nodded.  "The SIS is clueless."
	"Bullshit, Kamidake,"  Cavis told him.  The two were standing
in the center of the palace sitting room.  Tenchi and Ryoko shared a
couch.  Meg and Achi sat on another couch just opposite of them.
Ayeka sat in a chair adjacent to them, Sasami was not there.  Her
mother had insisted on keeping her youngest daughter close to her.
Washu sat in her own chair and sipped at a cup of tea.  Ssedrey
leaned against the wall near the door.  Mihoshi was sitting in
another chair near Tenchi.  Davner was conspicuously absent.
	Kamidake arched an eyebrow at Cavis' angry comment.  "Don't you
see?"  Cavis continued.  "The SIS isn't clueless!  They're dragging
their feet!"
	"That's a serious charge, Mr. Darktower,"  Kamidake informed him.
	"Either way, it's obvious we're not going to get anything out of
the SIS.  We need another source of information."
	Cavis and Kamidake looked to Mihoshi.  Mihoshi felt their gaze on
her and looked up.
	"Um...."
	"Mihoshi,"  Cavis began.  "Can you get into the GP database?"
	Mihoshi sighed and shook her head.  "Sorry, Cavis.  No.  Only
command level officers can do that."
	Cavis bit his lip.  "Can we hack into it?"  He turned to Washu
who shook her head.
	"Sorry, Cavis.  There's no direct links to the GP computers.  If
I could physically get into the computer core, I might be able to do
something, but not from here."
	"Damn,"  Cavis said.  "Now what?"
	"Well,"  Mihoshi began enthusiastically, "We could ask Mitsuki!
She'll help us!"
	Cavis arched an eyebrow and sighed.  "Couldn't hurt to ask, I
guess, but I'm not holding my breath on this one."

	"Don't hold your breath."
	Cavis rolled his eyes and turned away from the monitor with a
shake of his head.
	"But why, Mitsuki?!"  Mihoshi asked, genuinely perplexed.
	Standing alone with Cavis and Kamidake in the room adjacent to
the sitting room, Mihoshi blinked at Mitsuki's image in puzzlement.
	Mitsuki's expression was one of haughty indifference.  "It's
clear that this is an internal matter that Kiyone just got caught up
in.  After all, the Galaxy Police has no jurisdiction over Jurain
affairs."
	"You bitch,"  Cavis breathed.  "You're enjoying this.  What about
Kiyone, huh?!"
	Mitsuki's eyes narrowed.  "Kiyone shouldn't have gotten involved
in the first place."
	Cavis pushed Mihoshi out of the way and glared at Mitsuki's
image.  "I want to speak to your CO."
	Mitsuki smiled.  "My CO?  A most wanted criminal wants to talk to
my commanding officer?"
	"Mitsuki..."
	"A fucking *murdering traitor* wants to speak with the Captain?"
	Cavis said nothing.
	"This conversation is over."  With that, Mitsuki switched off her
monitor.
	Cavis punched the screen in front of him.  "FUCK!!"
	"Now what?"  Kamidake asked.
	Cavis bit his lip.  "Mihoshi?"
	Mihoshi put her finger to her lips and hmmm'd in thought.	"I
*suppose* I could try to talk to Mitsuki's boss."
	"Forget it,"  Cavis told her.  "You'll never get through the
front door.  Mitsuki will stop you cold."
	"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mm..................................."  She said.  "Well....I could
go to GP HQ and petition Vice Marshal Pochenkin directly."
	Cavis walked up to her, took her face in both hands, and kissed
her.  "Great!  How long?"
	Mihoshi was deep red.  "Huh?"
	"How long, Mihoshi?"
	".......Uh....OH!  Yes!  Um...A week depending on how long it
takes to get there and see him."
	"Think he'll let you into the database?"
	"He might.  I don't think it could hurt."
	Cavis bit his lip.  "A week," he mused.  "And it's only a
*chance*..."
	Kamidake arched an eyebrow.  "You have another idea, Mr.
Darktower?"
	"Maybe," he said.  He started for the door.  Mihoshi and Kamidake
started after him.  "Mihoshi, give GPHQ a try and see what you can
do."  He opened the door and addressed everyone there.  "Okay,
everyone, Mihoshi has a lead, but it could take weeks."  Everyone's
face fell.  "I think I may have another way, but I'm gonna need to
talk to Davner.  Anyone seen him?"
	Achi saw Ayeka tense nearby.
	Cavis was met by shaking heads.  "Okay, we need to find him,"
he told them.  "Tenchi,"  Tenchi looked up, "Why don't you come with
me, and we'll check the spaceport.  Princess Ayeka and Sasami will
stay here.  The rest of you start checking Dav's usual haunts."
	Kamidake raised his hand.  "Such as?"
	"Any place that serves alcohol,"  Ssedrey rumbled.
	Cavis nodded.  "That about covers it."
	"I'll detail guards to search the city for him,"  Kamidake told
him.
	"All right, let's do it."  With that, the group began to break
up.
	"Achi,"
	Achi turned and saw Meg there.  She smiled.
	"Why don't you come with me?"  Meg asked.  "You know Davner
pretty well, you'd know where to look."
	Achi nodded enthusiastically.  "Sure, Meg!"  She started towards
the door but paused when she felt something in her mind.  She stopped
and looked up at Meg.  "I'll catch up."  Meg blinked and nodded.
	Achi turned to the source of the mental disturbance.  The rest of
the room had cleared out.  Ayeka was still sitting in her chair.  Achi
stepped forward and sighed.
	She took a breath and growled in annoyance.  "I'll tell him if
you want," she finally said.
	Ayeka looked up at her and blinked.  "Huh?"
	Achi took another breath and crossed her arms over her chest.
She didn't like this woman, but for Davner's sake...
	"I'll tell him you miss him if that's what you want."
	Ayeka looked away from her.  "I...I don't want to hurt him..."
	Achi fought down a bitter retort.  "A little late for that,
Princess," she hissed and walked out of the room.  Ayeka watched her
go and took a painful breath.

	"Are you okay, Achi?"  Meg asked as the two walked down the busy
Jurain avenue.
	Achi nodded.  "Yeah, I'm okay."
	"You sure?  You seem down."
	"I'm fine."
	"Okay,"  Meg said, unconvinced.  They stopped at the door of a
tavern.  Laughter could be heard from inside.  The sign above the door
read, "The Dry Well."
	"Hmmm,"  Meg said.  She pulled her blaster and checked the action.
"Maybe you oughta wait out here, Achi."
	Achi snorted derisively.  "Oh please.  Meg, who do you think
drags Davner out of all the other bars and taverns all over the
galaxy?"
	Meg smiled.  "Okay."  She opened the door and gestured to it.
"After you."  Achi threw her nose in the air and went inside.
	It was pretty boisterous for mid-day.  The bar was dark and
smokey.  Men and women sat in groups, drinking and laughing.
	All except for one table.  The people there weren't exactly in
the best of moods.
	"Come on, Tsunami dammit!"  One man growled.  "I don't have all
day!  Show!"
	"Well..."  slurred a familiar Mollidoni accent, "Aren't ve
impasshhent now..."
	Meg and Achi made their way to the table and found Davner sitting
with three other men, all holding Redjack cards in their hands.  A
nearly empty bottle of Callidonian bourbon sat in front of him next to
his rather ample pile of winnings.  His eyes were bloodshot, and he
swayed from side to side.
	"Now, now, darl'nsssss,"  he drawled.  "I'll get around to..."
He broke off as he began to cough.  When  the coughing subsided, he
continued.  "I'll get arrrrround it to..."
	Meg took a look at the men playing with Davner.  They *looked*
like low lifes.  They were angry, drunk...
	And armed with blasters.
	"Uh oh,"  Meg said.  Her hand trailed to her own gun, but Achi
stopped her.
	She looked up at Meg and nodded.  "Watch and learn."
	One of the men took a breath and started speaking dangerously.
"Listen to me, you piece of shit," he said slowly.  "Either show us
your cards,"  He pulled a knife from his boot, "Or fold, but I'm
getting tired of your bullshit."
	Davner grinned and swayed to his left.  "Well....I do beliebe
we're angrrrrry."  He leaned forward and spoke as if cooing to an
infant.  "Are we angrrrry?  Hmmm?"
	The man started to raise the knife.  Suddenly, something slammed
into Davner.  Knife man paused and blinked at the sight.
	"Daddy!  Daddy!"  Achi cried as she hugged Davner.  "Mommy and
I were so worried about you!  She's very, *very* cross at you!"
	Davner seemed to blink through the alcohol induced haze.  "Achi?"
	"Mommy wants you home, Daddy!  Right now!"
	"Davner!"
	Everyone at the table looked up to see a very angry Meg glaring
at him.  The other men at the table grinned and arched eyebrows at the
apparently luckless Mollidoni.
	"I should've know I'd find you here!"  Meg bit out.  "Come on!
We're leaving!"
	"Megggg?"  Davner asked questioningly.
	"Now, Davner!"  Meg told him firmly.
	"Better go, shithead,"  Knife man told him.  "Take your money
and get the hell out of here, while we're feeling generous."
	Davner stood up, grinned, and stuck his tongue out at them.
Meg grabbed him and began dragging him out of the bar just as the men
were standing up to attack.
	Meg and Achi pulled Davner outside into the light of day.  He
winced and stumbled after them.
	"Woah!  Woah!"  he cried out.  "Too fast.  Too fast."  He
stopped and leaned against the wall, trying to overcome his dizziness.
	"Okay, Davner.  Okay,"  Meg said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
He leaned against the wall and looked at her.  "You're a gooood woman,
Meggg," he drawled.  "You shhhould find yourshelf a good man.  Shettle
doowwn."
	"Oh yeah?"  Meg asked in amusement.  "Know any?"
	Davner laughed.  "I thought you and Cavissh had a thing."
	"Hmmm,"  Meg said.  "Still not sure on that.  He's a little
preoccupied right now."
	Davner smiled.  "True.  Don't mind that.  That'sh jusht the way
he ish.  Cavish is a crushader.  He don't mind dy'n long as he can
make a point while he doesh it."
	Meg smiled wearily.  "Yeah, I guess so."
	"Can't blame him, I guess,"  Davner told her.  "If Kiyone were
my woman...I'd want revenge too."
	Meg's eyes widened.  "Wha..."
	"Hey!  Let's go!"  Achi spoke up irritably.  Davner's hands went
to his head as he moaned.  Achi took his hand and started dragging him.
Meg blinked for a moment in confusion before taking Davner's other
hand.

	Lezell Charis woke up screaming.
	She struggled to control her breathing as she sat up in bed.
Her sheets and clothes were soaked with sweat.  Tears ran down her
face unchecked.  She buried her head in her hands and cried.
	She had the dream again.  Sudorin had come to her and told her
how disappointed he was in her for her failure.  She had come so close
to success and allowed it to slip away.  Sudorin remained unavenged,
and every night, his ghost came to her in her dreams and tormented her
for it.
	"Myash?"
	Charis lifted her head slightly and saw Death-Ohki hop up onto
her bed.  The cabbit jumped into her lap and looked up at her.
	"Myash."
	Charis picked the cabbit up and hugged him close to her cheek.
Death-Ohki purred.
	"I *will* avenge you, Narkaya," she whispered as another tear
ran down her face.  "I swear I will."
	It would be difficult.  The Jurains had doubled their security.
They weren't going to ease up until the threat had passed.  Not only
that, but the client was threatening to pull out of the deal.
	Inspiration struck.
	She grinned.  Yes, this would work.  She threw the covers off
her and got out of bed.  She had work to do.

	"Tsunami, Dav,"  Cavis said as he looked down at his friend.
	Meg and Achi managed to get Davner back to his ship, at which
point Davner had unceremoniously collapsed into a chair in the kitchen
compartment.  His head rested in his hands as he tried to banish the
pain in his head.
	Cavis, unfortunately, didn't have time to wait for him to sober
up.  "Listen, Dav, I know you're hurting, but I need you.  The SIS
can't be trusted and the GP won't give us anything.  The way I figure
it we only have one other option for the information we need.  We need
records, visual records, of Guild members."  Davner tried to pay
attention through the pain in his head.  "Now, we know the GP has
them, but like I said, they won't talk.  The only other people who
might have records like that are clients, people who've used the Guild
before."  He took a breath and continued.  "I know Free Mollidon has
hired the Guild in the past.  They might have the records we need.  I
need you to use your contacts to..."
	Davner started laughing.
	"What?"  Cavis said in annoyance.
	Davner looked up at him with bloodshot eyes.  "I'm...afraid my
former...contacts will not be axshious to help me...Cav..."
	Cavis took an annoyed breath.  "What did you do?"
	Davner shook his head wearily and reached for a bottle of
bourbon sitting on the table.  Cavis reached out and snatched the
bottle away.  "What the hell did you do, Davner?!"
	Davner coughed and looked up at him again.  "I shot Guyorge."
	Cavis shook his head in annoyed disgust.  "Son of a bitch," he
whispered in awe.
	Davner laughed.  "Yeah, can you  believe it?"  He whispered, "I
shot a man I've known ten years..."
	Cavis turned on him angrily.  "What the hell were you
thinking?!"  he shouted.  Davner winced, his hand went to his head
to try and stop the pounding.  "What?!  It's not enough we have
entire governments trying to kill us?!  You have to go and add a
*known terrorist group* to the list!?"
	"Cav, I..."
	"Shut it, Davner!"  Cavis shook his head in utter disgust.  "We
have *nothing*, Dav!  Nothing!  *Maybe* Mihoshi will be able to come
through for us, but I sincerely doubt it!  Now you go and tell me that
the one hope I was *certain* I could count on is gone!?"
	"I'm...I'm sorry, Cav.  I..."
	Cavis shook his head again and regarded Davner in contempt.
"You really fucked us this time, Dav.  You fucked us hard."  With that,
Cavis walked out of the room.

	Achi jumped back from the door and saw Cavis start down the
corridor.  LKT gurgled in surprise but managed to keep his balance on
the young girl's head.
	"Cavis!  Wait!"  Achi ran up to Cavis, who had paused and turned
to her.
	"What is it, Achi?"  Cavis asked.  His voice held annoyance.
Achi knew that he was very upset about Kiyone, now Davner.
	"Cavis...Don't be mad at Davner...please?"
	"Achi..."
	"It's not his fault!"  she cried, coming to Davner's defense.
"Please, Cav?  I know you're upset about Kiyone, but please?  How was
he supposed to know?  Do you think he would have done something like
that without a good reason?"
	Cavis sighed and bit his lip.  "Okay, Achi.  I'm sorry."
	Achi smiled slightly.  "Please don't be mad at him, Cavis."
	The faint traces of a smile appeared on his face.  "Okay, Achi.
You win.  I'll apologize to him later when he sobers up, okay?"
	Achi's smile broadened.
	Cavis sighed and started for the hatch.  Meg was standing there
as if she was waiting for him.  He smiled.
	"Hey, Meg."
	"Hmm,"  she said, her only words of greeting.
	Cavis blinked.  "Something on your mind?"
	She looked up at him, her face expressionless.  "No," she said
finally.
	Cavis paused for a moment in confusion, then started down the
ramp.  Meg fell into step beside him.
	"So now what?"  Meg asked.
	Cavis sighed.  "Now...I do something stupid."

	"Detective Mihoshi will require a ship,"  Kamidake told Misaki.
Standing next to him in the Queen's quarters, Mihoshi nodded.
	"How long will you be gone, Mihoshi?"  Sasami asked sadly.
	"A week, I think.  It depends on how fast the ship is."
	"Then you will have a fast one,"  Misaki told her.
	"She can take my ship,"  a voice called out from the door.
Mihoshi and Kamidake turned and found Azaka standing there, flanked
by Ayeka's two Guardians.  He held a box in his hands.
	"Azaka!  You're back!"  Sasami cried.
	Azaka smiled at the princess.  "Yes."  He bowed to Misaki.
"Your Majesty, I managed to retrieve the Guardians, the Tenchi-ken,
and Her Highness' headband."
	Misaki beamed.  "Excellent, Azaka."
	Azaka bowed at the praise.  "And since I no longer have use of
it, Detective Mihoshi can take the Arc Royal to where ever she needs
to go.  It's the fastest ship in the Jurain Empire, after all."
	Kamidake nodded.  "She'll be able to get to GP HQ and back in two
days."
	Misaki nodded.  "Excellent, Kamidake.  You will leave at once."
	"Er....Your Majesty?"
	"She will need a pilot,"  Misaki pointed out.  "After all, we
cannot have a guest of the palace fly herself to HQ.  It would be
rude."
	The Queen had put enough emphasis in this last statement to make
her true meaning obvious to Kamidake.  She didn't want Mihoshi flying
one of the most advanced ships in Jurai's fleet.  Apparently, the
detective's reputation preceded her.
	"Very well, Your Majesty."
	"When do you wish to leave, Detective?"
	"As soon as possible, Your Majesty."
	Misaki nodded.  "Then the Arc Royal will be ready to leave at
your convenience."

	Kiyone's chest rose and fell in time with the steady beeps being
emitted by the life support machines nearby.  Mihoshi watched her
friend and partner silently.
	"Hi, Mihoshi."
	Mihoshi turned and saw Ryoko standing at the doorway.  She
approached the GP slowly.
	"Oh, Ryoko.  Hello."
	Ryoko stared down at Kiyone and spoke.  "I heard you're
leaving."
	Mihoshi nodded.  "In a few minutes.  If I can get my superiors
to release the records we need, we might be able to find out who it
was who did this."
	Ryoko nodded.
	"Ryoko...Will you watch out for her while I'm away?"
	Ryoko smiled.  "Sure."
	Mihoshi smiled.  "Thank you.  You know, I never would've thought
that you...I mean...What I'm trying to say is..."
	"You want to know why I'm up here,"  Ryoko finished.  Mihoshi
simply nodded.  Ryoko sighed.  "Kiyone...Kiyone never treated me like
I probably deserved."
	Mihoshi blinked in confusion.
	"What I mean is...Whenever I've encountered GP or Jurain
military, I've always gotten the rough treatment.  Even when I've been
cooperating, they made sure I knew they thought I was trash.  You and
Kiyone never did that.  Sure, you guys tried to bring me in, but after
that..."  Ryoko trailed off.  "She's my friend.  Let's leave it at
that."
	Mihoshi nodded.  "Okay, Ryoko."  She checked her watch.  "I have
to go."
	"Good luck, Mihoshi."
	"Thanks, Ryoko.  I'll see you when I get back."  She went up and
gently kissed Kiyone's forehead.  "I'll be back."

	Ayeka turned a corner and saw Ryoko up ahead.  Ryoko saw her
and smiled.  Ayeka sighed.  She wasn't sure what to make of her
friendship with Ryoko.  It seemed that since Tenchi was no longer an
issue, they didn't *have* to fight anymore.
	"Hey, Ayeka.  Have you seen Davner?  I've been looking for him
all morning.  He was on the Megami earlier, but he's disappeared again.
I thought you might..."
	"I have no idea.  Excuse me."  She made to walk past Ryoko, but
the pirate reached out and took her arm.
	"Hold on a sec, Ayeka.  What's wrong?"
	Ayeka didn't face her.  "There's nothing wrong."
	"Horse shit.  There's something bothering you.  What is it?"
	"Ryoko, please.  I don't know where Davner is, now leave me
alone."
	Ryoko didn't release her.  She stared into Ayeka's eyes and
shook her head wearily.  "That son of a bitch," she whispered.  Ayeka
blinked.  "He did it, didn't he?" Ryoko hissed.  "I warned him.  I
*warned* him about what would happen and he left you anyway."
	"Ryoko, no,"  Ayeka said.  "It's...It's not like that."
	Ryoko blinked.
	"We...did break up."  Ryoko didn't say anything.  "But *I* left
*him*."
	Ryoko's eyes narrowed.  "What?"
	"It's complicated.  My position as princess..."
	"Your position as princess!?"  Ryoko cried, not allowing her to
finish.  "That man adores you!"  Ayeka said nothing.  "That's why he's
not here, isn't it?!  You kicked him out!  Ayeka!"
	"I know.  I know,"  Ayeka told her, closing her eyes.  "But it
can never be, Ryoko.  It just can't.  There are too many
entanglements...too many...I..."
	Ryoko was shaking in anger.  "You know, Ayeka," she said softly,
"I pulled Davner aside one day and warned him that if he ever hurt you,
he would answer to me."  Ayeka blinked in shock.  "I'm beginning to
think I gave that speech to the wrong person."
	Ayeka's eyes flashed with anger.  She looked up at Ryoko for a
moment...
	And then slapped her across the face.
	Ryoko blinked in shock.
	"How dare you!?"  Ayeka hissed.  "How dare you pass judgement
on me!?  You have no idea what's going on here!  You don't know the
whole story, just your tiny part in it!"  Ryoko watched flabbergasted
as tears began to stream down Ayeka's face.  "You stand there and act
so damn high and mighty!"  Ayeka cried out.  "Well how the hell would
you know!?  How the hell would you know what kind of problems I have!
AT LEAST YOU CAN BE WITH THE PERSON YOU LOVE!"
	With that, Ayeka stormed down the hall, not looking back at the
shocked pirate who stared at her retreating back in confusion.


	"Can I get you anything, Detective Mihoshi?  Tea?"
	Mihoshi waved the offer aside.  "Oh, no, Kamidake, I'm fine!
And call me 'Mihoshi,' okay?  We're friends, right?"
	Kamidake smiled.  The Arc Royal had entered hyperspace right on
time, and they were due at Galaxy Police headquarters in twelve hours.
	"Do you think they'll let you see the records, Dete...er...
Mihoshi?"  Kamidake asked, making conversation.
	Mihoshi sighed.  "I certainly hope so.  Cavis and the others
are counting on me."
	Kamidake smiled.  "Well, you have my total support, Mihoshi.
Anything I can do to help, I will."
	Mihoshi looked at him and blinked.  She smiled.  "Thank you,
Kamidake!  That means a lot to me!"
	The Arc Royal continued through hyperspace.

	Cavis reached under his bed in the quarters the royal family had
provided for him and pulled out a black suitcase.  Just as he was
opening it, he heard someone come in behind him.  He quickly shut the
lid on the case and turned.
	"Ryoko."
	Ryoko nodded.  "Hey, Cav."
	They faced each other for a moment, neither one speaking.
"Something I can do for you?"  Cavis asked.
	Ryoko approached him.  She shook her head and began, "Cavis,
I don't think Mihoshi's gonna be able to help us on this."  Cavis
said nothing.  "Don't get me wrong, she'll try, but...You know how
anal the GP is about their intel files."
	Cavis sighed.
	"We need something else."
	Cavis nodded. "I'm already working on it, Ryoko."
	"That plan you mentioned with Davner?"
	Cavis laughed.  "No."  Ryoko gave him a questioning look.  Cavis
shook his head in annoyance.  "I was hoping to get some information
from Free Mollidon through Davner, but it turns out he *killed*
Guyorge Aridan.  Can you believe that?  Gunning down a terrorist
leader.  What was he thinking?"
	Ryoko blinked in shock.  He remembered what Ayeka had told her
about Penwa, and that Davner had left out the name of the man whose
ship they had stolen to get away.
	Cavis shook his head.  "Why the hell would he do something that
stupid?"
	Ryoko took a breath and began.  "Cavis...Davner and Ayeka are...
were...seeing each other."  Cavis looked at her in shock.  "Ayeka
told me about it.  Back on Penwa, Davner called Guyorge for help.
When he arrived...He tried to take Ayeka."
	Cavis looked up at the ceiling, closed his eyes, and whispered,
"Shit."
	Ryoko just nodded.
	"Don't I feel like the asshole,"  Cavis muttered to himself.  He
laughed.  "Achi told me he would've had a good reason."
	"It's a pretty messed up situation, Cav.  I'm looking for him
now.  Have you seen him?"
	Cavis shook his head.
	"Okay.  What about this new plan of yours?"
	"Don't worry about it.  I have it taken care of."
	Ryoko nodded again.  "Okay.  Well, see you later, Cav."  With
that, Ryoko phased through the floor.
	Cavis turned back to the case and opened it.  He looked down at
the part of his past he could never bear truly parting with.  He
picked up the blaster and holster in the case and sighed.
	"Back into battle..."

	"Your Highness."
	Ayeka looked up and saw Azaka coming towards her, Tenchi in tow.
"Azaka!" she said in greeting.  Azaka kneeled before her.  Ayeka
tensed.
	<Must all the people I care about be forced to see me as a
princess before they can see me as their friend?>
	Azaka rose and held out a small box with both hands.  Ayeka took
the box and opened it.  She saw what was inside and smiled.  She
removed her headband and stared at it for a moment.
	Her smiled slipped.
	A symbol of power and heritage.
	She hesitated for another moment, then placed it on her head.
	Azaka smiled.
	"Bet you're glad to have that back, Ayeka,"  Tenchi said with a
smile.  Ayeka simply nodded.
	"Yes, I trust then that the Tenchi ken was also found?"
	Tenchi held the sword up.
	"Next time...It's going to be different."

	Meg opened the exit hatch of the Megami and found Ryoko standing
there.  "Hello, Ryoko."
	"Hey, Meg.  Is Achi here?"
	Meg grinned.  "Achi!" she called out.  "One of your little
friends is here to play!"
	"Coooommm-ing!"
	Ryoko and Meg laughed.
	"What's up, Ryoko?"  Meg asked.
	Ryoko sighed.  "Same as always.  Trying to keep the gang from
falling apart single handed.  You?"
	Meg looked from side to side and stepped outside onto the ramp.
"Ryoko, I want you to tell me something."
	"Sure."
	"What's the deal with Cavis and Kiyone?"
	Ryoko blinked.  "Meg..."
	"I don't like being jerked around, Ryoko,"  Meg said with a
touch of acid in her voice.  "Just give it to me straight.  Are they
a thing or what?"
	Ryoko sighed.  "They used to be...I think...It's hard to know,
neither one of them talk about it."
	"Are they a thing now?"
	"No," Ryoko said.  "That is...I don't think so."
	Meg said nothing.
	"Hi Ryoko!"  The two women looked up the ramp to see Achi there.
	"Well," Meg said dryly, "I'll talk to you later."  She walked up
the ramp.  Achi stared after her a moment.
	"She's pissed,"  Achi commented.  "And hurt too.  Ever since
this morning."
	Ryoko nodded.  "Achi, I need to talk to you.  About Davner."
	"I don't know anything," she said quickly.
	"Bullshit, Achi,"  Ryoko said with a smile.  "They wouldn't have
been able to hide it from you."  Achi said nothing.  "I think we can
help them."
	Achi arched an eyebrow.  "Why should I?"
	"Achi!"
	Achi turned from her.  "Why?  Huh?  You didn't see him this
morning, Ryoko!"  Her voice turned sad.  "I've never seen him like that
before."  She turned back to Ryoko.  "Why should we help some snob who
cuts and runs at the first sign of trouble!?  He doesn't deserve
someone like that!"
	Ryoko looked down at Achi and sighed.  "Achi..."
	"He needs someone who'll love him and take care of him,"  Achi
went on.  "He needs someone...someone who'll keep him in line...Someone
who'll..."
	"Achi..."
	Achi trailed off.  "Why should I?" she repeated quietly.
	"Because he really loves her,"   Ryoko said quietly.  "And I
think she loves him.  Does she?"
	Achi said nothing.
	"Achi, you're the only one who would really know for sure."
	The purple haired empath didn't look at her.  "Yes," she
whispered.  "Are you happy now?  Huh?"
	Ryoko kneeled down and hugged her.  "Thank you, Achi."  The
empath didn't say anything.
	Now all Ryoko needed was a plan.

	Kamidake waited outside the office of Vice Marshal Pochenkin and
ignored the stares GP officers were throwing his way.  Honestly, it
was if they had never seen a Jurain Knight before!
	The door opened and Mihoshi exited the office.  Kamidake turned
to her and approached.  Mihoshi had a disturbed look on her face.
	"Mihoshi?"  he asked.
	"Um.....Well...I hit a snag."
	Kamidake blinked.
	"The Vice Marshal says no."
	"Ah.  Now what?"
	Mihoshi's face adopted a determined look.  "I can't let the
others down.  I have to get that information."  The two of them stepped
into a lift.  The elevator proceeded down.
	"How?"  Kamidake asked.
	"Hmmmmmmmmm.....I still have my control cube, and I *should* be
able to access the Intelligence Division's mainframe with it if I can
get to a terminal in that area."
	"Okay.  How can I help?"
	"Well..."
	"Yes?"
	"There is *one* thing..."
	"Anything, Mihoshi.  I have been ordered to assist you in any
way I can."
	"Then...could you...would you..."
	Kamidake waited.
	Mihoshi smiled.  "Could you go to the food court and get me a
soda?"
	Kamidake facefaulted.

	Count Seiryo of Ragidagan entered his office and closed the door
behind him.  As one of the Ministers of the Interior, he was granted
a spacious office in one of the larger government buildings downtown.
His desk was made of living Jurain oak.  The chair was almost regal
in appearance and comfort.
	Of course, the woman sitting in it was an added bonus.
	He grinned at the woman.  "And who might you be?"
	Lezell Charis grinned at him and said, "I'm the woman who killed
you."
	Seiryo's face fell.  He turned as two men stepped from the
shadows and took hold of his arms.  They pushed him to his knees in
front of the desk.  Charis got up and rounded the desk, in her hands
was a tiny, pearl handled blaster.  It was more jewelry than weaponry.
A nobleman's bauble.  Seiryo had bought it for himself as a trinket.
	Charis leaned against the desk and regarded him intently.  "So
you're the man who would be king," she said quietly.
	Seiryo blinked as he realized who she was.  "You're from the
Guild," he whispered.  "What in the name of Tsunami do you think
you're doing?!  I hired you!  Despite your blatant incompetence, you
are still in *my* employ!"
	Charis smiled.  "Yes, about that.  I'm afraid I must tender our
resignation."
	"What?!"
	Charis nodded.  "Mmm hmm.  Also, we require a favor from you."
	Seiryo swallowed nervously.  "Wha...What kind of favor."
	Charis smiled and approached.  She reached behind her back...
	And produced a datapad.  "Sign this," she ordered.
	The Assassin on his right released his arm.  Seiryo reached out
and took the pad.  He began to read.
	"'Your Majesty, It is my regret to inform you that I have been
disloyal to you and have made attempts on your government and your
family...I sincerely regret what I have done, and I intend to atone for
it in the only way left to me...."  He continued to read.  His eyes
went wide.  He began to struggle.
	The Assassin on his right grabbed his hand and pressed his thumb
against the pad, affixing Seiryo's signature to the letter.
	"Wait," Seiryo begged.  "You don't have to do this."
	Charis smiled.  "Believe me, if it weren't necessary..."  she
grimaced and growled at him, "I wouldn't even bother with you."  She
handed the tiny pistol to one of the Assassins, who took it and
checked the action.
	"Wait a second!  JUST WAIT A SECOND!"  He screamed.  "I can pay
you...thirty million Jurai...In cash....RIGHT NOW!"
	"You can provide something more valuable than money, Count,"
she said.  "Time."  She nodded at the Assassin.
	Seiryo blubbered as the Assassin pressed the pistol into the
Count's hand and took hold of it.  The Assassin began pushing Seiryo's
hand up to his head.
	"Wait!"  Seiryo begged.  "Please!  PLEASE!"
	Charis watched as Striker pressed Seiryo's hand so that the
muzzle of the pistol was against the Count's head.  Charis waved.
	"Buh bye!"
	"PLEASE!!"
	Striker pulled the trigger and quickly let go.  The shot echoed
through the room.  Parts of the Count's head struck the far wall.
Seiryo's body hit the floor with a thud.
	Charis fought down an urge to spit on the man.  "Move out," she
ordered.  "No traces."
	When they left, it was as if they were never there.

	Ayeka lay on her bed and stared up at her bedroom ceiling.  Her
hand went to her ear and removed the earring that hung there.  She
brought the amethyst up to the light and stared at it.  Her fingers
clenched around it.  She held it to her chest and sighed.
	She didn't hear the knock until the second time around.
	She looked up.  "Who is it?" she called.
	No one answered.
	The knock came again.
	Ayeka blinked and got to her feet.  "Who's there?"
	No answer.
	Another knock.
	Ayeka growled and walked to the door.  She reached out irritably
and pulled the door aside.
	"Who's...What the!?"

	The GP at the front desk checked the ID card and swiped it
through the computer terminal for confirmation.  A light on her
computer screen turned green.  She handed the card back and saluted.
	The Detective returned the salute and started down the hall.
His eyes darted to and fro, checking each passing face for suspiscion.
Finding none, he began to breathe a little easier.  He stopped outside
an office on the ground floor of the Galaxy Police's Jurai bureau and
read the nameplate there.

				Lt. Mitsuki Murasume
				Special Investigations
				Intelligence Division

	The Detective removed his control cube from his pocket and
twisted it twice.  Then he held it up and pressed it against the
lockpad.  After a few seconds, the cube turned green and the lock
clicked open.  The Detective pressed against the door and entered.
The door shut behind him, locking with a click.  The lights were out,
but he didn't bother turning them on.
	He took a few steps before a face appeared in front of him.
	"Lieutenant, did you forget something?"  a dome shaped AI aid
asked as it dropped from the ceiling in front of him.  It saw him and
blinked.  "You are not Lieutenant Mitsuki," it stated flatly.
	"I'm here to pick up something for her," he told the AI.
	The aid stared at him for a moment.  "I'm calling security..."
	Before it could act, the Detective reached up with the control
cube and pressed it against the AI's dome head.  The AI's electronic
eyes went wide, the cube cracked with electricity.  He twisted the cube
and half of it came away with his hand.  The other half kept the AI
incapacitated.
	The Detective went to the computer terminal on the desk and
waited for it to boot up.  He placed the other half of the cube on
top of the terminal and waited.  The control cube searched through
the computer, bypassing security codes designed to keep criminals out.
	It had no defense against GP.
	The cube half turned green and beeped.  The Detective picked it
up and turned the terminal off.  So far so good.  He started for the
door and paused as he heard someone entering a code number on the
other side.
	<Shit!>
	He drew his blaster and waited.  He decided to act first.
Reaching out, he tapped the door button.  The door slid open, and his
arm darted out, grabbing the person standing on the other side.
	Someone shrieked in surprise.  He shoved the person against the
wall and blinked in shock.
	"Meg!?"
	Meg, pressed against the wall, looked back at him.  "Cavis!?"
	Cavis heard someone else coming.  He roughly turned Meg around
and pressed her face first into the wall.  He pulled her arms behind
her back and pulled his cuffs from his pocket.
	"Cavis!?"  Meg cried out in surprise.  "What the hell!?"
	Cavis turned and saw two GP officers approaching.  "Go get
reinforcements,"  he ordered.  "I caught this one trying to break
into the Lieutenant's office.  She's says there are more upstairs.
Go!"
	The two GP saluted and started down the hall.  Cavis slapped
the cuffs on Meg and started leading her down the hall.  He leaned
over and whispered into her ear.  "Stay quiet or we're both dead."

	Davner walked out of the bar and looked up at the Jurain night
sky.  On a clear night like this, you could see a part of the Jurain
Planetary Defense Grid, a string of satellites streaming across the
sky.  He sighed.  He wasn't drunk tonight, although he tried.  He had
ordered a bottle of Beleguese rum, but before he could lift the bottle
to his lips, Cavis' face would appear and torment him.
	<Dammit, he's right.  I fucked up this time.>
	He started down the street.  He tensed suddenly.
	He was being followed.
	His step faultered, but only for a moment.  He continued walking,
whistling a light tune as he went.  If someone was going to be stupid
enough to follow him, then he owed it to them to give them a proper
hello.  He turned down a nearby alley.
	Walking a few steps, he suddenly turned and drew his blaster,
pointing it down the alleyway behind him.
	There was no one there.
	The blaster didn't move.  He coughed, the blaster twitched
slightly as a result.
	Still nothing.
	"Who's there?" he called out.
	He started forward, his pistol raised and tensed for an attack.
He still saw nothing.  He frowned and lowered the blaster.
	"Dammit."  He turned...
	Just in time to see a fist fly at his face.

	Cavis led Meg, her hands cuffed behind her back, to the front
desk.  Neither one of them looked at the armed, GP secretary until
she stood up and said, "Hold it."
	Cavis and Meg stopped and turned.
	"Where are you taking her, Sir?"
	Cavis thought fast.  "Prisoner transfer."
	"Do you have her papers?"
	Cavis grit his teeth and adopted an annoyed look.  "Look, is it
my fault if admin screwed up her paperwork?!"
	"One moment, Sir.  Just give me her identification."
	"You don't need to see her identification."
	The woman blinked.  "I don't need to see her identification?"
she repeated in disbelief.
	"This isn't the woman you're looking for."
	"She's not the woman I'm looking for?!"  The secretary stood up
and put her hands on her hips in annoyance.
	"We can go about our business,"  Cavis told her.
	"ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS!?"
	"Move along,"  Cavis muttered.
	The secretary drew her gun and pointed it at them.  "HOLD IT
RIGHT THERE!"
	"Uh oh..."  Cavis said.  "Meg...Would you be a dear and..."
	Meg jumped up and lashed out with her foot, knocking the GP's
blaster aside.
	"Run!"  Cavis shouted.  The two ran down the hall.  The
secretary hit a button on her terminal.
	"Intruder alert!  Repeat!  Intruder alert!"  She hit another
button on her terminal.  Walls of pink light appeared in front of
them.  Cavis and Meg ran through them.  Information appeared on the
secretary's screen as the light scanned them.
	"Confirmed," the secretary's voice came over the loud speaker.
"Subject is former Detective Cavis Starvallian Darktower!  Seal off
the exits!"
	The door in front of them sealed shut.  Cavis pulled his blaster
and his I.D. card.  "Here!  Swipe this through and open the door!"
	Meg gave him an exasperated look and turned so she could get
the card with her hands.  "You always got to make it difficult, don't
you?"
	He fired a few shots down the hall, making sure to keep them
high.  He didn't like killing GP.  He'd been forced to do it in the
past, and he always hated it.  He knew Galaxy Police, for the most
part, were good people just doing their jobs.
	He saw a familiar head of red hair and lowered his aim slightly.
<Of course,> he thought, <Some actually deserve it.>  He fired.
Mitsuki jumped back around a corner, barely evading the shot.
	Meg fumbled with the card and finally managed to swipe it.
"Got it!  Let's go!"
	Cavis fired a few more blasts down the corridor and followed
Meg out the door.

	Ayeka paced and rubbed her arms.  It was cold up here at night.
She looked down over the edge of the palace's tower roof again.  A
gust of wind struck her, blowing her purple tresses out in front of
her.  She stepped back and began pacing again.  Why had she been
brought here?  Her kidnapper had said nothing, just deposited her up
here and flew off.  There were no stairs, no ladder, no way to get
down.
	She was trapped up here.
	Ryoko appeared a second later.
	<Speak of the devil!>  Ayeka turned to her.
	"Ryoko!  What do you think you're doing!?  Why have you brought
me here!?"
	Ryoko unslung something heavy from over her shoulder and dropped
it on the roof next to Ayeka.  The princess blinked.  Lying there,
unconscious and tied up was Davner.
	"Davner!"  Ayeka knelt next to him and pressed a finger to his
neck, checking his pulse.  "Ryoko!"
	Ryoko dusted her hands off.  "That oughtta do it!"  She flew up
a little and said, "Now you two behave, and I'll let you down in a few
hours."
	"RYOKO!"
	"Oh, and just so you know, Ayeka, I checked this place out.
There are no cameras, no listening devices, and no prying eyes."
She smiled.  "So you can say what you have to without worrying about
who hears you."
	"Ryoko!  Wait!"
	"Toodles!"  With that, Ryoko vanished.
	Ayeka stared after her for a second.  <Damn her,>  she thought.
She turned as she heard Davner begin to come around.  She knelt next
to him and untied him.  He blinked up at her.  He quickly looked
around and took stock of the situation.  He found his weapons gone
and no one else here but Ayeka.
	"Ryoko?" he asked.
	Ayeka nodded.
	He nodded and stood up.  He faced her and gave her a quick bow.
"Good evening, Your Highness," he said dryly.
	Ayeka felt as if she had just been slapped.
	"Davner..."
	He turned from her and looked over the side of the tower.  The
wind picked up again, whipping his trench coat about him like an angry
thundercloud.  He stepped back and sat crosslegged on the floor,
facing away from her.
	"Ryoko says we'll be here for a few hours,"  Ayeka told him,
trying to break the silence between them.  Davner's response was to
simply pull a deck of cards from his jacket pocket and begin shuffling
them.
	Ayeka gave up.  She sat down, her back to him and waited.

	Cavis pulled Meg around a corner into an alley and into the
shadows.  He held his blaster up and waited for a pursuit to stick
its head around the corner.  They were both breathing hard.  They had
been running for miles it seemed.  After a few minutes, Cavis lowered
the blaster.
	"I think we're okay,"  he whispered.
	Meg cleared her throat.  He turned and saw she was still
handcuffed.
	"Oh...yeah."  He removed the keys from his pocket.  Meg turned
and allowed him to uncuff her.  She rubbed her wrists to work the
circulation back in.  "Okay," he began seriously, "What the hell were
you doing there?"
	Meg gestured to his uniform.  "I could ask you the same thing."
	He held up the remaining half of his control cube.  "Getting
the information we need."
	Meg bit her lip.  "So was I."
	Cavis arched an eyebrow.
	"Well," she said, "I've broken *out* of tougher places than
that, didn't think it'd be that hard to break *in* so I..."
	Cavis nodded.  He checked around the corner for GP, but found
only empty street.  "Come on."
	The two started walking.  Meg looked over and eyed his GP
uniform.  "Um...That uniform's a loaner, right?"  She remembered the
secretary's warning over the loudspeaker.  "*Former* Detective," she
had said.
	Cavis sighed.  "If I tell you about it, will you promise not to
tell the others?"
	Meg nodded.
	"Okay, then I'll tell you a little story.  But not here.  Let's
go back to your place."

	Ayeka took a deep breath as she listened to Davner shuffle the
deck of cards for the sixty-first time.  "Would you *please* just say
something," she begged quietly.
	"What would Her Highness like me to say?"  he asked.
	"And stop calling me that!"
	"What would Her Highness like me to call her?"
	She turned to him.  "You don't think this hurts me too!?"
	He turned to her for the first time.  "After everything that's
happened, Your Highness," he said quietly, "I don't know what to
think."
	She turned from him angrily.  "You don't know what you're
talking about.  My duties and responsibilities..."
	"Didn't keep you from sleeping with me," he finished.  "Or lying
to me."
	"As if you've never done the same!"  she shouted back.
	He turned to her, his grey eyes flashing with anger.  "No.
Never.  I may be a drunkard and a lech, Ayeka, but I'm not a cruel
person.  I don't toy with people for my own amusement."
	"That's not what happened!"  she cried.
	He turned away from her and began shuffling the deck again.
	"Why won't you understand?"  she whispered.
	"What am I supposed to understand?" he asked quietly.  "One
minute, we're discussing the future, the next you're thanking me for
my help and sending me on my way.  How the hell am I supposed to
interpret that?"
	"It wasn't my choice," she told him.
	He looked at her.  "You should've thought of that before you made
me fall in love with you," he whispered.
	She turned away from him painfully.  The wind picked up again,
and she rubbed her shoulders to work some warmth into them.  She
shivered slightly.  She turned as she sensed movement behind her and
found Davner draping his coat over her shoulders.
	"Thank you," she said.  Davner returned to his place and sat
down.  She turned so that she was facing him again.  He still wouldn't
look at her.  He coughed into a handkerchief.  She frowned.  "Are you
okay?"
	He waved her concern aside.  "Just coming down with a bug."
	"Oh."  She stood up and stepped a little closer.  "Davner...If
I had had any other choice..."
	He sighed.  "I know."
	"I'm sorry..."
	He turned to her.  "Don't be."  He stood up.  "One day, Ayeka,
you're going to be a queen.  I think you'll be a great one."
	"But the cost, Davner," Ayeka told him, "The cost."
	"Just...don't forget me, all right?"  he asked, putting on a
smile for her benefit.
	She leaned forward and embraced him, crying into his shoulder.
"I miss you so much," she whispered.
	Davner's arms slowly encirlcled her, pulling her into a tender
embrace.  He rocked her back and forth, neither of them speaking.
Finally, he said something.
	"This is the kind of goodbye I would've preferred."
	Ayeka leaned up and kissed him.  "The last one," she told him.
	They continued to hold each other.

	Staring out the window from her room, the only place in the
entire palace with an unobstructed view of the tower roof, Ryoko
sighed.
	"Ryoko?"
	She turned and saw Tenchi standing in the doorway.  "Tenchi.
Come in."
	"Whatcha do'in?" he asked as he approached.
	"Stargazing," she said simply.  She reached out and took his
hand.  Standing up, she kissed him.  Not a deep, passionate kiss that
she had used so often, but something lighter, more tender.
	Tenchi blinked, a little surprised at her behavior.  Ryoko
smiled.
	"Are you feeling alright, Ryoko?"  he asked.
	"Tenchi, I've never felt better."

	Mihoshi swiped her ID and inputted her authorization code.  The
light on the door turned green, and she and Kamidake entered the
Galaxy Police Intelligence Archive.  She knew that if the information
Cavis needed was anywhere, it would be here.
	They were met by a long corridor that ended with another door.
Mihoshi started down it, trying to contain her nervousness for
Kiyone's sake.  If they caught her here...
	The two came to the other door.  Mihoshi swiped her card and
once again entered her command authorization.  Kamidake looked from
side to side for challengers.  There were none.  The door opened and
they slipped inside.
	The room was devoid of people.  There were nothing but computer
terminals and large databanks.  A large, black, tower stood in the
middle of the room, rising up through the ceiling for at least three
more floors.  AI aids hanging from the ceiling swung around this
shaft, stopping at certain areas and attaching control cubes to the
tower, downloading information or uploading it, it was impossible to
know for sure.  The AI's ignored them.
	Kamidake blinked at how empty the room was.  "I don't like it,"
he commented.  "It's too easy."
	Mihoshi, relieved that they wouldn't be challenged smiled and
waved his fears aside.  "Half of everything is luck, Kamidake."
	Kamidake smiled.  "And the other half?"
	Mihoshi hmm'd in thought.  "Snapple?"
	"Actually,"  a voice called from the shadows, "I always heard
it was fate."
	They turned and found a detective with Captain's insignia step
forward, his blaster drawn and pointed square at the two would-be
spies.  From behind him appeared a squad of GP shock troops, complete
with tac armor and meson carbines.
	Kamidake stepped between Mihoshi and the GP.  He grimaced.
"You've been waiting," he accused.
	The GP, Trevelyan, by his nametag, nodded.  "Yes, usually we
don't leave the doors unlocked...or did you really think a mere
Detective Sergeant could access the Archive?"
	Mihoshi blinked in shock.  The trap was so obvious even she
could see it.
	Trevelyan waved his blaster at them.  "The Vice Marshal would
like a word with you, Detective..."

	"Okay, we're here,"  Meg told him.  "Spill."
	Cavis looked around the room with interest.  "Got anything to
drink?"
	"Got a reason to keep stall'n?" she countered.
	He nodded in acquiesance.  "Fair enough."  Meg went to the
freezer and produced a bottle of whiskey anyway.  "Where should I
start?"
	"How about you and Kiyone,"  Meg suggested as she poured him
a shot.
	Cavis sat down on the couch and bit his lip anxiously.  "Before
I became the man I am now...I was a GP," he told her.  "I met Kiyone
during my last year at the Academy.  We became friends...then lovers...
then enemies."
	"How?"  Meg asked, still shocked that the third most wanted man
in the galaxy was once a Galaxy Police officer.
	"After we graduated, she, Mitsuki, and I were assigned to the
Carissian post, plum assignment.  We spent a few years with the usual
cases:  theft, arson, etc..."  He paused.
	"Go on,"  Meg ordered.  She wasn't going to let him get away
this time.
	"I reached Detective First before her, so I became Kiyone and
Mitsuki's superior officer.  One day...a girl was kidnapped.  About
Sasami's age, maybe a little older."  He looked at Meg.  "We caught
the guy.  We caught the bastard who took her.  We had him *cold*!"
He sighed.  "There was just one problem...We didn't have the girl...
and he wouldn't tell us where she was."
	Meg blinked.  "Why not?"
	Cavis shrugged.  "He was playing some sick power game or
something.  Said he'd tell us if we released him in a ship and let
him go, that he would send a communique with her location if we did."
He paused.  "GP standard operating procedure dictates that we *never*
negotiate with terrorists, and by making that kind of demand, that's
what he became.  We threatened him with prison, exile...but he
wouldn't crack.  Kept taunting us."
	"And?"
	Cavis took a breath.  "I knew we were running out of time.  I
could *feel* it.  Where ever that girl was, she was probably totally
dependent on that snake for food and water, and she was probably dying
of thirst while that bastard ate food in a GP cell!"  He took another
breath.  "So, one night, after Kiyone and Mitsuki left for the
night...I went into his cell...and made him tell me where she was."
	A knot formed in Meg's stomach.  "How?" she asked, not knowing
if she really wanted to know.
	"I beat it out of him,"  Cavis told her coldly, staring directly
into her eyes.  "There's a course at the Academy," he continued, "That
teaches you what to expect if you're ever captured by a hostile enemy.
It goes over...preferred torture methods of various races..."  He
shook his head.  "That's what I did.  I tortured that man," he
whispered.  "I took off my badge, walked into his cell, and tortured
him.  Before too long...he was *begging* me to let him tell me what I
wanted to know.  And I let him."
	"Gemini's Torch..."
	"We found the girl an hour later.  She had been tied up and put
in the cargo compartment of a decommissioned freighter at the scrap
yard."  He looked into Meg's eyes, almost begging for understanding.
"When we found her, she had about two hours of air left!"
	Meg didn't know what to say.
	Cavis laughed.  "I was a hero!  The girl's mother hugged me and
offered to adopt me."  He grew wistful.  "Kiyone kissed me and called
me her, 'hero.'"  His expression turned sour.  "And then the bastard
died.  Died from the injuries *I* gave him.  The next thing I know,
Kiyone's putting the cuffs on me while Mitsuki's reading me my rights.
And I'm on trial for Murder One."
	Meg gaped in shock.
	"My so called friends testified against me, though to be fair,
Kiyone looked miserable while she did it.  I was found guilty.  Before
I could be sentenced, the family of the little girl I rescued arranged
for a rescue mission from the Carissian militia, and I made my getaway.
They had gone to my apartment, found my stuff, including..." he
gestured at his uniform, "And arranged for a ship to send me anywhere
I wanted to go."
	"What did you do?"  she asked.
	He sighed.  "I tried getting other jobs, changed my name, but
eventually, the GP would always find me, and I'd be on the run again.
I started using my knowledge of GP strategies to my benefit, signed on
with a pirate gang, and I've been a space pirate ever since."
	Meg was silent.
	"Nobody...knows about me, Meg," he told her quietly.  "Not even
Achi, though I'm sure she suspects something."
	She reached out and took his hand.  "I won't tell," she whispered.
"I promise."
	"Thank you, Meg."
	She moved closer and sat down on the couch next to him, keeping
a tight hold on his hand.  "Is that why you've never been close to
anyone else?" she asked.  "Were you...afraid of what your past would
cause if it came out?"
	He smiled wearily.  "If it ever got out," he told her, "I'd be
blacklisted.  Rival gangs would hunt me down, thinking I'm a deep
cover operative...then it's over.  Every once in awhile, the GP release
rumors saying that, but given the source, I've always been able to
deny it."  He smiled.  "Kiyone already knows, so it's no big deal
with her, but anyone else..."  He trailed off sadly.
	Meg took his face in her hands, turning it to face her.  "*I*
know now too," she whispered.  She leaned forward and kissed him.
Cavis embraced her and kissed back.  The two fell back onto the couch,
locked in each other's arms.

	"Detective Zergeant Mihoshi,"  Vice Marshal Pochenkin began in
thick, guttural, Artellian accent.  "You vere caught trying to
inviltrate the Galaxy Polize Archive."  He leaned back in his chair
and laced his fingers together.  "Have you an expwanation for thiz?"
	Mihoshi came to attention in front of the Vice Marshal's desk.
"Sir!"  She licked her lips as she searched for something to say.  "I
believed that...that your orders to *not* search the archive were
given to me to divert responsibility from the GP High Command and
were in fact, a tacit approval...Sir," she finished.
	Pochenkin arched an eyebrow.  "Egzactly vhat point ov 'You may
not acczezz the Archive,' did you mizconztrue?"  he asked.  "It zeems
perfectly obviouz to me."
	Mihoshi gulped nervously.  "Sir!"  she licked her lips again.
"I thought that...." She trailed off.
	"'Thought?'" Pochenkin repeated.  "It appearz rather obviouz to
me that vone thing you vere certainly *not* doing vaz thinking,
Detective Zergeant."
	Mihoshi tensed.  She knew she wasn't the brightest bulb in the
chandelier, Kiyone had made that no secret, but it was quite a
different thing when the Vice Marshal of the entire Galaxy Police
called you stupid.
	Pochenkin sighed and leaned forward.  "It iz apparent to me that
thiz vill have to be dealt vith in the most extreme vay possible..."

	Kamidake waited between the two GP guards and tapped his foot
anxiously.  Mihoshi had been in there a long time.  The guards kept
a close watch on them.  Kamidake nearly laughed.  Even if he *did*
decide to attempt an escape, two GP guards would hardly be enough to
stop him, even unarmed as he was.
	He heard the door hiss open and saw Mihoshi exit the office with
tears in her eyes.  She was running to the lift.
	"Mihoshi!"  Kamidake cried and started after her.  The guards
made as if to stop him, but a voice from the office stopped them.
	"Let him go," Pochenkin ordered.
	Kamidake managed to get into the lift car just before the doors
closed.  He and Mihoshi were the only ones there.  Mihoshi was leaning
against the wall, crying as she pounded her fist against it.
	"Mihoshi,"  Kamidake whispered.  "What happened?"
	Mihoshi wiped the tears out of her eyes and tried to control
her sobs.  She didn't turn to him.  "The... the Vice Marshal....thinks
I've become..." she started crying again but managed to continue over
her sobs.  "Too close...to....to Jurain affairs.  He thinks...He thinks
Jurai sent me here to spy on the Galaxy Police..."  Kamidake said
nothing.  "I'm...I've been...I've been dishonorably discharged!"
Mihoshi started crying again.  "I'm no longer...a..a Galaxy Police
Detective!"  With that last phrase, she broke down and sunk to the
floor, crying her eyes out.
	Kamidake stood there in shock.  He knew from his own experiences
with Mihoshi that being a Galaxy Police woman was her proudest
achievement, the thing she cherished most of all with, perhaps, the
exception of her friendship with Kiyone.
	Now she'd lost that.
	Kamidake knelt next to her and reached out.  Mihoshi saw this
and quickly embraced him, latching onto him like a lifeline.  She
buried her face in his chest and cried.

	The sun came up over Jurai the next morning, hailing a new day.
	Washu grinned as she showed Davner the finished modifications
to his ship.  Davner was becoming more and more impressed with Washu's
handiwork as she went about pointing at various devices on the
command deck.
	"Pulse blasters...here,"  Washu said pointing.  "Multi-Phasic
Smart Missiles here,  Multispectrum Heads Up Displays here, here, and
here.  Tractor beam projectors fore and aft, and I updated your
computer.  And *this*," she said, pausing for effect, "I'm especially
proud of..."  She pressed a button and several horizontal rings
appeared at various points around the command chair.  Washu beamed
in pride.  "*Eight* beverage cup holders!"
	Davner took a seat in the chair and shifted around in it.
	"Problem?"  Washu asked.
	Davner blinked at her.  "I miss my old chair."
	Washu facefaulted.
	Before she could reply, there was a knock on the door.  Davner
turned in his chair and pressed a button on his chair that opened the
door.  Cavis appeared there, a slight smile on his face.
	"Hey, Dav.  Can I come in?"
	Davner nodded.  "'Course."
	Washu handed Davner a datapad.  "I went ahead and forged you a
registry.  Just input a name for the ship and sign off on it."
	"Thank you, Washu darl'n.  I appreciate it."
	Washu grinned.  "No problem, Davner.  You've been a great help
to my research."
	Cavis arched an eyebrow.  "Speaking of which, where is Ssedrey?"
	Washu blinked and cleared her throat.  "Er...um....How would I
know?"  She quickly left the command deck.  Cavis and Davner shared a
look and laughed.
	"Poor Scales,"  Davner commented with a shake of his head.
	"Nah, he likes Washu,"  Cavis commented.  He grinned.  "So...
this is the new ship, huh?"
	Davner nodded.
	"Hey, Dav...Look, about yesterday morning..."
	Davner smiled.  "Don't worry about it."
	"Heh,"  Cavis said.
	"You look happy,"  Davner commented.  He coughed into a
handkerchief.
	"Yeah, well..."  Cavis said uncomfortably.
	Davner said nothing.  Cavis decided to change the subject.
	"So what are you going to name her?" he asked, pointing at the
pad.
	Davner took a look around the command deck, then back to Cavis
before saying quietly, "The Violet Cloud."
	Cavis took a breath and nodded, realizing exactly who inspired
that name.  "Good name."  Davner nodded.
	"Hey guys!  Check this out!"  Ryoko said, appearing on the
command deck.  She reached out and hit the button activating the
viewscreen.  A Jurain newscaster appeared there.
	"Our top story:  The body of Minister of the Interior Seiryo
Ragidigan was found dead in his office this morning, the result of a
self inflicted gunshot wound to the head."  The scene changed to an
ornate office filled with Jurain security officers.  "Preliminary
reports indicate that Count Seiryo was involved in treasonous
activities against the Crown and committed suicide rather than face
the consequences of his actions..."
	Cavis took a breath.  "I wonder..."
	Ryoko blinked.  "Wonder what?"
	He shook his head.  "Nothing."
	"Well, it looks like we found the traitor,"  Davner commented.
	"Yeah,"  Ryoko said.  "Now what?"
	Cavis faced them.  "Now we finish it."  He held up the control
cube half.  Ryoko and Davner blinked.  "GP records," he told them.
"Including files on the Guild.  Their names, pictures, ships..."
	Davner grinned.  "Now it's *our* turn to kick some ass."
	Ryoko gave them a feral grin.  "Time to go hunting."
	"Ryoko, go get the others.  Let's meet at the Megami in two
hours."
	Ryoko nodded and vanished.
	Davner turned to Cavis.  "Tally ho."


Author's Notes:
Well, that's it for now.  Let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading.

Thomas "009" Doscher
doscher009@hotmail.com