Urusei Yatsura Fan Fiction ❯ The Senior Year ❯ Tales of the Daishi'cha: The Ones Left Behind ( Chapter 69 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

"I'm dying...aren't I...?"

The *wismih* struggles to stay alive. The bard gasps as the pain
lances through her chest. She felt faint. The trickster-spirits were trying
to fool them from entering the Hall of Honour like all brave Yehisrites
deserved when the Three-Faced One summoned. *Be strong...for her, be
strong...* she pants, then looks over. "Yes, my lady. We all are."

The young girl, no older than fifteen, smiles, then coughs up blood
from a shattered lung. The child was proceeding to Falcros City to be
confirmed by the *laqu'r* when a rival claimant ambushed her party in this
remote pass. Despite the valiant efforts of her escorts...being two of the
Most Dangerous Ones...the surprise was complete. The poor girl would never
see the *laqu'r*...not until she too entered the Afterworld.

"I'm afraid..." the girl confesses.

"Don't..." the bard warns. "If you...let them...scare you
before...we pass the gates, you're doomed..."

She nods, green eyes dulling. "I'll see you both soon...my lady..."
she smiles, shuddering as the pain overwhelms her.

The bard grimaces as the life fades from her. "Hold the gate
open..." she coughs, then glances at the leader of their attackers, impaled on
a tree thanks to a spear through her abdomen. Messy way to die, but she
deserved it. A would be-*wismih* herself, she'd never see the *laqu'r.*
Suppressing that snide thought...in the Afterworld, all were equal before the
Three-Faced One...she looks left. "You still...there?"

The other bard lay on her side, her black hair tossed across most of
her face, mortal wounds staining her jersey and pants red. Her eyes, a
curious copper shade, were still sparkling. "I'll not enter the
Hall...without you, my love..." she forces a smile, hoping her partner would
see it.

"I'll not go in...without you..." the first bard nods, then tenses as
another pain, more horrible than before, lances through her, slowly
overwhelming her.

None of them hear the slow rumble of a great starship approaching,
nor feel the tingle of transporter beams as they are taken away from the world
of their birth...

* * *

Urusei Yatsura - Tales of the Daishi'cha: "The Ones Left Behind"
by Fred Herriot
**** **** ****
Edited by E.B. Kushnir
**** **** ****
A story based on "Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year," in turn based on "Urusei
Yatsura," created by Rumiko Takahashi
**** **** ****

WRITER'S NOTES:

1) This story is set six years after the end of UY-TSY, over five years
after the Battle of Uru as depicted in flashback in the UY20YL story
"Tomobiki 2001." The flashback is set 800 years before this story. I wrote
this story since I didn't include Sylvie, Anri or Vision with the other
"Bubblegum Crisis" characters in the Daishi'cha List and I wasn't going to
revamp storylines.

2) Since I'm not to familiar with BGC's side characters (though I
believe Vision's real name is Reika), I'll use the Yehisrite translation of
her stage name, *his'rpizpif* with the "-na" ending for women, hence Hisrana.
Everyone calls her "Vision" anyway.

3) The rank structure on Yehisril:

giv'mil - emperor/empress
laqu'r - crown prince/princess
gizrip'l - grand duke/duchess
silpif'h - earl/earl contessa
tif'r - count/countess
wizmih - baron/baroness
hiznifi - knight/dame

4) A *daishi'cha's* birthday corresponds to the anniversary of the day
she became self-aware after regeneration. Foundation Day (Earth date: August
5) is the anniversary of the Fifth Republic's official founding, depicted in
"Great Father Ataru Stage Two: Remembrance."

5) Sagussan words:

Mashi - child's abbreviation of *mashi'cha* Monmoei -
Abbreviation of *monmoei'cha.* Used to denote a male living with their
mother who isn't their birth-father. Any female living with their mother who
isn't a bond-mate is called Shishoi (for *shishoi'cha*) Pugh -
north To - east Namgh - south
Sogh - west Soghmunrong - West Gate Street
Gungh - city district. Priss home is in Sogh-Tere'na-gungh
(West Tere'na District) Semghni - Crossroads. Name for a district
which has either spaceport (Ughju-), airport (Kongh-), seaport (Haeng-),
mag-lev rail (Chogh-) or hoverbus (Taghjagh-) hubs. Jonggh -
Downtown. Used to identify the area around administration offices. When
denoting City Hall, you use *jonggh* with the full city name, i.e.
Jonggh-Tere'na-chi Kyonggh - The part of a city holding the provincial
or Republic administration offices. Lynamei'na - Lyna's Soul.
vayae - My darling, my dear, my beloved. Anrivayae: my
beloved Anri. south gate - In Sagussan, namghmun. A woman's
vagina.

6) The kids: LUFY - Yolchong Airufi Moroboshi (F) and Mihagh Eirufi
Paama (F); CATTY - Kiboi Aikyatei Moroboshi (M), Ura Eikyatei Ryooki (M) and
Taghme Iikyatei Mendou (M); PRISS - Shunran Aipurisu Renning (F), Hanyagh
Eipurisu Moroboshi (F), Tenghdo Iipurisu Budou (F), Sunagh Oipurisu and Neghsu
Uipurisu Megane (F) (twins), Ganba Aopurisu Makisur (F) and Sekida Eopurisu
Chibi (F)

**** **** ****

Priss' eyes open.

Stifling a deep yawn, the coxswain of Pathfinder Troop Six stretches,
then relaxes, watching the burning glow of the Barrier fade, revealing the
pitch black of extragalactic space punctuated by the glowing balls of stellar
clusters and distant galaxies.

It had been a busy week for Sagussa's band of hell-raisers. As
negotiations for the Vos-Sagussa Treaty ended, neo-Mikadoites had threatened
to kill the delegations. That surprised the Troop and the *an'san-Mikado.*
While adhering to many of the dictator's principles, the neo-Mikadoites were
punks who'd never had any direct connection with that regime. Well, that was
for the Vosians to investigate, though Priss noted with pride there were
fewer of them to harass Gomasur's legion of hunters. She exhales, looking
forward in the "Hasei'cha's" lounge at the growing ball of light. Time to
put things behind; all she wanted now was to get home, look in on Sugoi and
the kids, then sleep.

The door opens behind her. Priss blinks as her well-honed senses
lock on the sound of footprints and the woman's psionic resonance in the
*te'a.* "Hi, Lufy," she sighs.

"Tired?" the blonde pilot sits by her.

"Not really," Priss smiles. "Just looking forward to some peace-and-
quiet...for however long it takes for something in the galaxy to go to Chaos
in a handbasket."

"Well," Lufy purrs, gazing intently into the coxswain's eyes as her
hand traces up Priss jersey to below her cleavage. "Care to celebrate? I
could get Catty up here..."

"Thanks, but no," Priss refuses her.

"*Ki!!*" Lufy spits out, crossing her arms. "I swear, ever since you
bonded with Sugoi, you've become as dull as paint!"

"Knock it off with the slurs about Sugoi, *Flightmistress,*" the
coxswain growls, a warning flash in her eyes. "You don't hear me making
cracks about Catty, do you?!"

"You wouldn't anyway since she's your doctor," Lufy snorts, her
fingers absently rubbing the single bar on her rank straps.

A year ago, after a nasty fight with Lannarkites which nearly cost
Sagussa some of her best, Eluza surprised her pilots by offering to give one
a commission as the sloop's flightmistress. It meant very little; the
informal atmosphere on the warpsloop made ranks inconsequential. Rabby and
Mie refused, which saw Lufy ending up buying rounds at the Navy Club in
Kyonggh-Tere'na- gungh. Priss still rubbed her over it. It hadn't affected
their teamwork. Priss and Lufy were still the team to beat among the
*pirpirsiw'r.*

"Sorry about that," Priss bites her lips.

"It's okay," Lufy shrugs, then unsnaps the top of her uniform and
slips it off to her waist. "Ah, I'm bored anyway. Catty's busy running
diagnostics in Sick Bay."

"Bored and horny," Priss laughs, replicating her friend's actions.
"Always makes Lufy a naughty girl."

The two slip into a tender embrace. Catty knew there were times when
Priss and Lufy had taken pleasure in each other's company. On a couple of
occasions, they'd ambushed the doctor for a hot menage a trois, usually on
her birthday or Foundation Day. Unfortunately, as time had progressed and
the *daishi'cha* began having more children, distractions like this became
rarer as they took up responsibilities elsewhere.

"I miss this," Lufy sighs, gently fingering a locket of Priss' hair.
"Do you ever wish it happened between us, Pri?"

"Many times, Luf," Priss kisses her. "But.. we'd've been at each
other's throats every chance we got. We're so damn arrogant and headstrong
that we couldn't stand the idea of bending backwards for each other."

"We do it for Catty and Sugoi."

"Because our love for them's different than our love for each other,"
Priss shrugs. "There're times we need tenderness, the chance to stop acting
so macho and be ourselves. Catty and Sugoi give us the chance. They ground
us in reality. I don't think it would've been the same were it just you and
me. As partners in battle, we're great. Partners in life...that's another
story."

"There'll come a time when we stop being pointwomen for Sagussa,"
Lufy muses. "When we'll settle down and relax. It could happen then. Shit,
it's happening to you right now. Six kids plus Shunran? You're like a
fuckin' genetic Xerox machine."

"I like kids," Priss rubs her abdomen. It was fortunate that
Sagussans had developed the technology to place unborn in gestation chambers
after first trimester. Aside from its convenience, not to mention protecting
the fetus when the mother found herself in hazardous situations, it helped
them keep their figures. Priss had her vanity. "'Sides, that's our primary
job, remember?"

"I like 'em, too, but isn't seven a little much, even with Sugoi
around?" Lufy wonders. These days, she was quite satisfied with her daughters
Yolchong and Mihagh, not to mention Catty's sons Kiboi, Ura and Taghme.

"Well, Makisur and Shinsur're always around to keep an eye on
things," Priss crosses her arms. "'Sides, look at Cinba and Junba. Both're
at 30 kids each and they're still goin' strong."

Lufy laughs. The twins in charge of Zoology had, right from the
start, birthed multiple births every time they decided to get pregnant.
Twins, triplets, even quads and quints, were common. The pilot wondered how
Kei and Yuri had adapted to caring for so many, not to mention the kids they
were having. Rumours about the sandpanthers being asked to help were
rampant. "That would tax anyone!" she smiles. "You sure you don't want to
have a little fun, Pri?"

"No thanks, Luf," Priss shakes her head. "Just hold me."

Lufy blinks, then nods understandingly.

So, she'd been thinking about *her.*

The one who had haunted Priss for eight centuries.

* * *

"Mama!!" a joyous cry erupts.

"Yol-chan! Mi-chan!" Lufy beams as Yolchong and Mihagh leap into her
arms. Spunky and energetic, they were enough to wear anyone down, even her.
"You behaved yourself when Mama and Mashi were gone?"

"Yes!" Mihagh nods, curly hair bobbing. "Mama, Ura-chan and I wanna
be child-mates."

Lufy blinks, then stares at Ura, now in one of Catty's arms. Four
year old Taghme was in the other arm and Kiboi stood at her feet. "Ura-chan,
is this true?" the pilot's voice turns very cold. "What have you been doing
with my daughter?"

"Mashi!!" the boy whines, his blue puppy dog eyes drooping behind his
glasses. "We just play together! She's the one talking about having kids!"

Lufy and Catty laugh. Sagussans taught their kids about sex and
childbirth as soon as they were old enough to comprehend it; the hesitancy
others, even advanced races, showed towards reproduction struck them as
illogical. The trust placed in their offspring reflected in the animated
chatter between them and their mothers as the "Hasei'cha's" crew and
Pathfinder Troop Six make their way out of the spaceport at
Ughju-Semghni-gungh. Kids reciprocated trust with trust, always coming to
their parents whenever a problem arose which they couldn't solve by
themselves.

Priss sighs. Sugoi hadn't come to the spaceport to greet them with
her daughters; she was on night shift at the Tere'na Daycare Centre. With
city construction almost complete, the twenty-four hour shifts would end as
engineers settled to a relaxed routine, putting more time into hearth and
family. Many had refrained from more than one child, but it still kept
Shiko's staff quite busy.

Parting from her troopmates and their families, the coxswain heads
across the concourse to a waiting mag-lev for Sogh-Tere'na. The driver tips
her cap to Priss as she sits. "Where to, Chief?"

"Home," Priss sighs.

"Right away," the driver guides the machine onto the street.

West Tere'na was one large apartment block and several dozen single
family homes in a gulley, mountains framing two sides, the Sogh'haeng to the
sough and the city spaceport to the east cutting it off from the other parts
of Sagussa's capital. Priss liked it here. The homes were built for large
families, those who didn't want the intimacy of the apartments. Those with
the very big families like the Zoology twins lived in farms around the
capital. While having not initially planned for a large brood but resolving
to give her children as much room as possible, Priss had fought hard to get
the split-level condo at 28 Soghmunrong.

Stepping off the mag-lev, Priss stops by the front gate to gaze at
her domain. The house was vast by Japanese standards. A hovercycle garage
lay to one side, both machines parked with the hovercar Makisur brought from
Vos. The lawn was well-maintained, the agro-droids stored in the tool shed
out back. Sugoi's sun-roses were curled up for the night, Sen'a having set
an hour ago. Priss smiles. Land, hearth, bond-mate, child-mate, family.
Who could ask for more? With that, she heads inside.

"Mama!" Hanyagh looks up as her mother slips off her boots, then runs
into her embrace. "When did you get back?!"

"Just now," Priss kisses her eldest natural child. "Where're the
others?"

"Shun-chan's seeing a movie with Kum-chan and Unmyon-chan," Hanyagh
sighs. "Ten-chan's at the library. Sun-chan and Ne-chan're still at nursery
school. Maki-monmoei put Gan-chan and Seki-chan to bed. He's downstairs in
his lab. Mashi's still at work."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Priss smiles, then notices the book.
"What're you reading?"

"Basic calculus. Boring."

Priss laughs as she kisses her child, then heads into the kitchen to
get some himgh-tagh. Walking downstairs, she knocks on one door. "Open up or
I'll bash it down!"

"It's open," a male voice calls.

Priss looks in, then stops. "What the fuck're you doing with that
droid, Maki?"

Makisur sighs, staring at the insides scattered on the table of a
companion droid, an Aimaiyite. After showing considerable aptitude for
cybernetics, the nineteen year old Vosian, one of the Colony Four hunters, had
been hijacked from being Pathfinder Troop Six's full-time equipment chief by
Techno-Entertainment Services. He hated working in a lab, so he converted
Priss' basement into his personal workshop. "She's had flutters in her gyros.
Her template's allowing her to transfer to Intelligence Support, so Henshu-
sempai asked me to prep her."

"Looks like you're dismantling her," Priss looks down at the face,
partially stripped of skin. "Shit, it's Rei!"

"Yeah," Makisur nods. "After that stink when Rei and Minako broke
up, she decided she didn't want to advertise herself. I guess Usagi must be a
better lover."

Priss laughs. The comedy of errors between some of Makoto's friends
had been as entertaining as what happened between Lufy, Catty, Shildy and
Rabby. Looking down, Priss runs a finger up the droid's inner thigh. "Worn
down. Usagi must've worn the girl right out. Shit, she's gotta be a better
lover."

Makisur guffaws. Many said you could tell the rampant lovers on
Sagussa by how often their mate's companion droid doubles broke down. Priss
then walks over to sit in his lap. "And when were YOU built?" she gently
wraps her arms around him.

"Huh?!"

"Unmask!"

"Priss...!"

"Unmask, you, or you're not gonna be functional when I get done with
you! Now!!"

Makisur concentrates. A break appears in the skin around his face.
Priss smiles, then slips the skin off the droid's head, revealing two eyes,
two rows of teeth and a nasal cavity framed in a forest of circuits and wires
and a metal skull. "Priss, that wasn't fair. I was built as your birthday
present."

Priss blinks, then looks down. Given how busy she was added to the
disorientation of adopting to another planet's time system, she had forgotten.
"Oh, shit!" she sighs, then slips the face back on. "Sorry about that, Maki.
Where's the real one?"

"The Engineer Commander dragged him to Sen'sha Seven to help with
servobot maintenance," the droid concentrates as the skin reseals, then kisses
her. "Now, how can I please you tonight? Sugoi's present's in your room."

"Oooh, this has to be checked out!"

They head to the upper floor. Sitting on the bed Priss and Sugoi
shared was a companion droid in the nurse's image, now nude save for a large
bright ribbon around her waist, a note tied to one wrist. Priss was
surprised; Sugoi had been loath to have a droid made of her. Being loyal to
one lover demanded that no one else had the right to lust after Sugoi.

Priss just loved her all the more for it.

In six years, Sugoi had matured to a stunning beauty. Having no
children helped, but Sugoi was of the type who would melt any heart no matter
what her physical or chronological age. Now as tall as her bond-mate, Sugoi
wore her hair in a ponytail, mostly obscuring her horn. Well endowed, she
normally went around in a tiger-striped one-piece suit with boots and arm
guards whenever she wasn't in uniform. She had matured emotionally as well.
Gone was the flighty yet inwardly brooding teen Priss had first met in an
alley in Tomobiki. In her place stood a responsible, caring young woman with
a saint's patience, who forgave Priss her many faults and loved her with all
her heart.

"I never tell her enough how much I love her, how much she really
means to me," Priss smiles, tears in her eyes, then she looks at the note on
the droid's arm:

"Pumpkin,
"Maki-chan and I had her and his double built for you whenever work
took us away. Sorry I couldn't be there for your birthday. We'll celebrate
tomorrow.
"Love with all my heart,
"Your Sugoi-chan"

She needed closeness tonight. "Wake up."

The droid then smiles. "Pumpkin!!" she leaps up to drown Priss with
a passionate kiss, then guides the coxswain's hand to her ribbon. "So...wanna
unwrap me?"

"Wouldn't mind that," Priss smiles...

* * *

Later, Priss lies on her bed, staring through the skylight to see
Sagurei high in the night sky over the disk of the Milky Way. The droids lay
in each other's arms, access panels open to allow them to cyberlink while they
were sleeping. It had been nice, but Priss would've preferred the real Sugoi
and Makisur. Maybe she should've taken Lufy on her offer and spent the night
with her and Catty. That was the reason she demanded the companion androids
unmask; it reminded her they were machines, programmed to be intimate with
whomever wanted them. A strange quirk, but everyone had them.

Tomorrow, she knew, everyone would get together and throw her a big
celebration in Kyonggh-Tere'na, perhaps at Saku's, a popular pub run by a
Tofunokoibito couple which had become one of the capital's popular meeting
places. Nene and Amy had gabbed about it in the "Hasei'cha's" cafeteria on
the trip back. Priss sighs. "Everyone remembered my birthday but me. You
always said I'd lose my head if it wasn't screwed on, didn't you...?"

Tears well in her eyes as she turns onto her side, allowing a pain
eight centuries old to surge from her soul. "Sylvie..."

* * *

"Priss..."

Sylvie gazes at the small nut cake sprinkled with cane sugar, four
candles on it. She cooked it herself, using Sagussan cooking methods and
food bartered from the village below. It had been rough living in the
abandoned hut since the day they awoke from their ages under the lake, but
not totally barbaric. She hadn't forgotten. "Happy Birthday, my love," she
blows out the candles.

"It is our birthday, too."

Anri enters from the kitchen, a plate of fish in hand. Kneeling
beside her, the younger would-be *daishi'cha* places two of the strips on
Sylvie's plate, two on her own, then sets it down. Sylvie's eyebrows twitch.
"Anri, you forget...we serve for three."

"She isn't here," Anri sighs. "She's out chasing lost glories with
the rage of a wounded landshark! If she can't accept what has happened, then
leave her to her fate!"

Sylvie sighs as Anri pours some fruit juice. While they had
remembered a lot of their previous lives, they knew that they could never go
back to being baroness and bard/bodyguard. They were Sagussans, though to
their sisters on that world, both were dead. Understandable given what Vision
did to herself...and subsequently to them...when their first lives ended
centuries ago.

Vosian traders had just introduced the concept of nanites to
Yehisril, usually employing them as an army of medical technicians in
surgical repair. Vision...then Hisrana of Falcros...had volunteered herself
to test the nanites. Many remained in her system right to the day she killed
Anri, Sylvie and Priss. She had defeated the first two at close quarters,
her nanite- laced blood intermingling with theirs even after they expired.
Priss, who had struck Vision with a thrown spear, was spared that.

When the Gatherer found them, then subjected them to the matrix and
basic social programming, it appeared as if all would become part of the
Grand Design. However, the nanites in the bodies of who would've been
*daishi'cha* numbers 22861, 22862 and 22863 reacted adversely to the
regeneration matrix, unleashing scores of critical wounds in their bodies.
Since Sagussan medical technology couldn't flush nanites out of a woman's
body, there was no way Henry could save Sylvie, Anri and Vision.
Regrettably, they were loaded in capsules filled with nanite-laced
regenerative fluid, then dumped in a deep lake on Yehisril.

Anri places the fruit juice down, then both raise their cups. "Happy
Birthday, Eieiioaoai," Anri smiles.

"Happy Birthday, Eieiioaoei."

They drink, eat. For eight centuries they remained. The nanites,
unable to overcome the matrix's effects, resolved to work in concert with the
potion to restore the women. A year ago, when they were judged capable of
living on their own, they were released. Moving into a cabin overlooking a
mountain village in what was now Chemlos principality, Sylvia and Anri decided
to wait until the Sagussans came to retrieve them. Vision, driven by a lust
for power typical of her Yehisrite roots, forged off on her own.

"I'll be going to the market later to get some bread and roots," Anri
announces.

Sylvie and Anri were soon noticed by the villagers. At first
thinking them ghosts (the former *pirpirsiw'r* still had her note-and-dagger
tattoo) peace was established when Sylvie caught highwaymen raiding the
village's only lifeline to Chemlos City and put the lot to the sword. It was
in clear violation of the Non-Interference Directive, but until her people
came, the would-be *daishi'cha* had no choice but to intermingle with the
locals if they were to survive. They hadn't given up hope yet; they could
wait a long time.

"Un," Sylvie nods.

The younger woman looks up, her green-tinted hair swaying with the
breeze coming through the open window. Sighing, she places her utensils down,
then moves to sit beside Sylvie. "My lady, you must forget her."

"No!" Sylvie growls.

"You must!" Anri insists. "She's bonded. Why are you having trouble
trying to reforge a bond with her, trying to tell her we're alive and waiting
to come home? It means her mind is elsewhere, locked on another. Sylvie..."

Anri looks down, fighting back her own tears. In a previous life,
she saw Sylvie just as a friend and protector. Now, living under Sagussan
mores, she loved the older woman, wanted to spend the rest of her days with
her. She would be happy if Priss never reyurned so she could be alone with
Sylvie. But she too wanted to live on Sagussa. Wasn't that the reason they
were reborn?

"I cannot believe that!" Sylvie exclaims, fighting her tears. "My
love for Priss is eternal! The gods and Lyna know it!! When she comes, we'll
be together again!"

Standing, Anri reaches up and unlaces her tunic, flinging it off to
reveal her slender form. The pants fall off next, then she stares at Sylvie.
The brunette was shivering, trying to avert her gaze from the beautiful
creature before her. "Love me, Sylvie!"

"No!!"

"You must!" Anri kneels, embracing Sylvie. "Put her behind you!!
She'd want that of you! Take me...oh, take me...!"

Sylvie grits her teeth. Making Anri change her mind was like taming
a hurricane. "I will not betray Priss!"

"Then kill me!!" Anri glares at her.

"No!!!" Sylvie looks away. Eight centuries ago, she had vowed to
keep Anri safe, at the cost of her life if necessary. She had failed in that
once. Never again, especially not by her own hand.

Anri smiles, gently turning Sylvie's face towards her. "You see, my
love...it's too late," she unties her blouse. "Zirko-sama and Lyna-sama have
decreed it. We are tested by staying here, to forego the pains of the past
and embrace a new future. The more you fight," she tugs the white fabric
from Sylvie's shoulders, breathing in on seeing the body underneath, "...the
more you'll hurt when you realize the truth. Please don't hurt yourself any
more," her hands untie her pants. "It hurts me when you hurt."

Sylvie shudders as Anri gently draws off the pants, trying to muster
energy to fight her off. Once both were nude, Anri rises, allowing her
companion to drink in her musk. "These cry for your lips," she strokes her
breasts, then seductively reaches between her legs. "My south gate cries for
your touch. I'll only have you, Sylvie...only you."

Sylvie felt herself weakening every time Anri's lust unleashed
itself. No matter how hard she tried to remain pure, the green-haired woman
was getting through. *I must know!!* one part cries. *I feel Priss' mind
touch mine! How did we get these names?! 'Sylvie,' 'Anri,' 'Vision?' She
still thinks of me, as I think of her! I must know...!*

Their eyes lock. *She is so beautiful,* Sylvie sighs as Anri lowers
herself, gently drawing the taller woman's arms around her. *Still so much a
child, as in a sense am I. Dare I give her what she wants...then betray her?
How could I do that?! I swore the oath, vowed my blood would run if she was
hurt! I can't break that, even now...especially now!*

"Don't you hear them?"

"Hear what?"

"Our hearts beating together," Anri smiles. "We are destined to be
one, Sylvie. No matter how much you try, Destiny will always bring you back
to me. Always..."

* * *

"Enter!"

Hassoko blinks as he steps into her chambers. The *laqu'r's* keep
overlooking Chemlos City was comfortable enough to permit the princess and
her close advisors a cozy hearth. Chemlos was not a large state; it was an
earldom in Falcros' heyday, before the wars four centuries ago shattered that
noble principality. The Lord Chamberlain of Chemlos felt awed when he was
permitted to speak to the Lady Hisrana. She had no official rank, though she
welded a grand duke's power when it came to dealing with Wakena.

"What is it, Hassoko?"

Hassoko represses a shudder. The brunette's voice was sharp, laced
with steel, iced with experience. Though neither tall or muscular, the
strength she projected was terrifying. This was someone to fear. "My lady,
we've news from Kyotos. Princess Shinobu Miyaki and her daughter will soon
leave to reside on Earth. Lord Chanko has been made her Principal Lord
Protector."

The woman snorts. "A *laqu'r* abandoning her realm to be ruled by
one not of her blood?" she tugs at the deep orange cape wrapped around her.
"What does one expect? An outworlder from a dungheap of a planet ruling a
dungheap of a principality. And our Princess? What says she about this?"

"The Council would prefer Kyotos to remain. Princess Wakena has
asked Princess Shinobu to come here for a feast. Perhaps then, we could
persuade her to remain."

The woman laughs, then gazes out the window to look upon the sizable
town below. "In the old days, no *laqu'r* would be stupid enough to enter
another *laqu'r's* keep...not unless she was at the head of an army of
conquest. What has happened to this world?"

"Battle between *laqu'rs* these days would be too costly," Hassoko
warns. "Were we alone in this galaxy, none would care what we do. But
without the Royal Kingdoms, the Federates would've been enslaved by the
Ipraedies or the Dominion. Vos still rebuilds and Zephyrus does whatever it
pleases."

"Then let them be enslaved," she snorts. "The true warrior doesn't
depend on another to fight her war. Feh! There are times I wish I still
slept under the lake!!" Turning, she seizes him with a glare, her
golden-brown eyes glittering. "Anything more?"

"N-none, my lady," he bows.

"You're lying."

He jolts. Times like this, he understood why Wakena had brought this
stranger into the castle, gave her so much power. No one could lie to her,
not even insignificant lies. Was she some ancient sorcerer who had frozen
herself in a lake, awaiting the day she could return and confound people? A
warmth then fills his heart as he fixes her with a smile. "Yes, my lady, one
more thing," he reaches into his jersey to draw out a leather case.

The woman remains in place as he walks up to her, drawing a lovely
diamond dagger necklace, slipping it over her head. "Happy Birthday, Vision,"
he bows, kissing her hand.

Vision jolts. "How did you know?"

"You confessed to the Princess once that the day you awoke from the
lake was the anniversary of your...re-birth," Hassoko rises, his mouth
twitching as he tries to imagine that. Rebirth was something Noukiites
believed in, not Yehisrites. "Today is the anniversary of that. You were
melancholic when you spoke of that, something that struck me as sad. Today,
melancholy looms over you like a shroud. Thus, it has to be..."

"It is," Vision nods, cutting him off with a hand. A smile twitches
her lips. "Thank you, Hassoko. I would've preferred if no one knew, but...I
am glad you did."

He remains still as she leans up, her lips gently caressing his.
Vision was the strangest woman he had ever met, one who had attracted his
interest the day they met. At first jealous of the time she monopolized with
the *laqu'r,* Hassoko soon felt the stirrings of love. Vision was both
physically and spiritually well-endowed, a woman in who's name any warrior
would fight and die for.

"You desire me?" Vision smiles.

"For the longest of times, my lady."

She steps back, untying the knot holding her dress up. It falls
away, revealing her exquisite body for his view. Hassoko was struck by the
fact that Vision never wore underwear or chainmail except when her monthly
cycle came, when she allowed herself a pair of panties. She always preferred
dresses or pants and blouse. She rarely went armed, at most a dagger. But
he had seen her kill warriors using her hands, some martial form he couldn't
begin to recognize. Was she some lost descendant of the Most Dangerous Ones?

Vision's hand takes his as they proceed into her bedchambers.
Sitting on her bed, she slips off the cape, tosses it aside, then lays back.
Hassoko remains standing, drinking in every detail. His eyes fall on her
raised thighs, then stop. "My lady..."

"What is it?" she muses.

"These tattoos...what are they?" he leans over, his finger gently
stroking her flesh.

Vision's hand take his away. "Reminders of a past I'd soon forget,"
she smiles. "Speak no more of them, Hassoko."

"As you command, my lady."

"So," one eyebrow rises mirthfully. "I command you, eh? Now give me
pleasure. Fail to please me...and I'll kill you."

"Then may your killing stroke be a merciful one," he unsnaps his
breeches...

* * *

A storm billows over Chemlos as night falls. At her chamber window,
Vision gazes at Yehisril's three moons, now in high orbit. Hassoko was sound
asleep in her bed. He had come to her with both passion and restraint. Her
gaze falls on him. The first time in either of her lives that she had allowed
a man near her. His love was genuine. Vision could only smile as she returns
her gaze to the moons. Now she wasn't so alone.

Around the moons, the tiny flickers of space colonies reflect
Gizrib'l's light. Not as strong as Sen'a's white fire, she knew, but
Yehisril's home star had been a bonus for this complex world, allowing dozens
of lifeforms to reach sentience. Yehisril was unique among the civilized
worlds. With its human population who had coined the phrase "Royal Kingdoms
of Yehisril," there were animal kingdoms, co-existing and colliding with one
another in brutal clashes which paralleled the dynastic fighting between
humans.

She blinks as her senses detect something approach. "You're late,
Afif," she whispers.

A ticklish feeling slides up her leg as the three-metre long
Yehisrite snake slithers to eye level. "I apologisse, Lady Vission," he
hisses. "You dessired ressultss, not time wassted on undissiplined sspeed."

"True. What have you to report about what goes on in Kyotos?"

If he could smile, Afif would. Vision knew something was afoot in
Kyotos' court long before Hassoko had brought the news of Shinobu's
departure; hence the reason he was dispatched. Who would notice a snake?
The thought of an outworlder ruling a principality was suspicion enough.
"Princess Sshinobu dessires to return home sso sshe may be able to raisse
Lady Junba without the threat of assassination bringing insstability to the
hatchling'ss life. The lordss and ladiess of Kyotoss have accepted that, ass
well ass accepting Chanko ass Lord Protector."

"I see," Vision hums. "At a different age, an 'accident' could be
arranged. With that, Kyotos would be thrown into chaos. For too long,
they've forgotten that without Falcros, they'd still be in the muck of
prehistory. A little reminder of that should stir the blood of the people
here and in the other old earldoms. Once someone unfurls Falcros' flag, all
will be as it once was."

She gazes once more on Yehisril's moons. Those three spheres had
once formed the central sigil of Falcros' flag, been the sign her legions had
marched under. It could happen again, if given the right opportunity.
Dameko was lost without Sheko to fight, Shinobu was abandoning Yehisril for
her pitiful homeworld light years away and Alko too weak without the little
principalities, twelve of whom had been formed when Falcros was dismembered,
to support him. If Falcros' parts was again united under one *laqu'r,* the
Royal Kingdoms would be unified as nothing else before. All it needed was
time.

"Anri...Sylvie...I laugh at you! I spit on you! You sit there in
the mountains waiting for Sagussa to come take us, eight centuries after they
abandoned us to our fate!" she icily sneers at the two other would-be
*daishi'cha* far away. "You still hope that you'll have a better life there
in the sand and unforgiving sun?! Fools! Rot in those hills for all I
care!! While you're wasting away, I'll be building a kingdom which would
outshine that hollow wreck outside the Barrier even on its best day!"

* * *

"Happy birthday!!!" Nene bleats a horn.

Priss smiles as she enters Saku's, a richly decorated pub in the
centre of Jonggh-Tere'na. A marquee with HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRISS! hangs on a
wall as Linna places a party hat on the coxswain's head. A considerable crowd
had gathered. With the remainder of the Troop and the "Hasei'cha's" crew,
there were representatives from the Pathfinder Brigade, Sagussan Internal
Security's Hostage Rescue Team, other defence units and a host of civilians.
"Thanks," Priss smiles as Lufy and Nene walk her to the head of the table.

Saku, a gregarious Tofunokoibito elder in traditional dress
resembling Abraham Shapiro, walks up, birthday cake in hand. Everyone sings
"Happy Birthday," then urge the coxswain to make a wish. She pauses, then
blows out the candles. Presents are called for as everyone comes up to pass
their wishes.

Lufy hangs back, a canvas in her hand as the others pass their
gifts. "Aren't you going to give that to her?" Catty wonders.

"I dunno. I mean, I painted this long before Priss bonded, but never
got the chance to give it to her. I'm not sure how she'll react, much less
how Sugoi'll react."

"If Priss hasn't told Sugoi about Sylvie, she obviously thinks her
old life has no meaning now," the doctor asserts.

"Can you be sure?" Lufy wonders. "When I saw Priss yesterday before
we got back, she was hurting. The only time she feels pain like that is when
she thinks of Sylvie."

Catty sighs. What had happened to the woman everyone these days
called Sylvie and the others found with Priss was regrettable, but only until
doctors found ways to flush out the nanites found at times in prospective
*daishi'cha* were such tragedies averted. "Give it to her...but warn her
first."

Lufy nods. "Hey, Luf, aren't you giving her your present?" Maya
walks up to her.

"Sure, May," Lufy heads over to Priss and Sugoi. "Happy Birthday,
Pri," she kisses the coxswain. "Many happy returns of the day."

"Thanks, Luf...eh?!" Priss notes her gift. "A painting?"

"Yeah...I did it some years back," Lufy nods as her fingers touch
her. <<Sylvie.>>

Priss jolts as if Lufy had electrocuted her. The two exchange looks,
then the former sadly nods. "Thanks, Luf."

"I did it before we got together with Ataru," Lufy explains, then
glances apologetically at Sugoi.

The Oni-Avalonian blinks confusedly. "Sempai, are you okay?"

"Nah," Lufy walks over, taking Sugoi's hand as she radiates peace and
friendliness. "I want you to know that at no time, I've ever wished you or
Pri ill-will."

Sugoi blinks. The apology in the pilot's eyes was real. Sugoi had
always known deep down how much Lufy and Priss cared for each other.
Obviously, there had been something Lufy had to get off her chest, something
she feared could hurt the coxswain and her mate. "Thank you," she kisses
Lufy's cheek.

"Open it!" Asuka urges. "Let's see it!"

"I..." Priss falters.

"Go on!!" Linna adds.

Priss looks down. One of Lufy's unknown talents was painting, a
skill some Sagussans associated only with engineers and architects. The
pilot had completed a series of gorgeous landscapes and elegant portraits
over the last few years, many of which hung on display at the Hall of the
Republic in Kyonggh-Tere'na. One had to do some cajoling to get Lufy to
paint something on request. To see her give one of her own works to a friend
as a birthday gift indicated how highly Lufy regarded Priss.

"Oh, okay," she smiles.

The wrapping comes off, then Priss turns it around to show everyone,
barely glancing at it herself. The chorus of stunned gasps and dropped jaws
causes the coxswain to blink.

"Priss...who is this woman?" Sylia gasps.

Priss looks...then represses a shudder as she tries to fight back her
tears. Lufy had painted Sylvie at an angle, prominently displaying the tattoo
which matched the one on Priss' cheek. The rich blacks, blues and silvers in
the hair, the glistening copper in her eyes, the gentle pinks, tans and beiges
in her skin lept out and grabbed you. Lufy had portrayed the bard in a simple
leather vest, in one hand a rose. Since it was a head-and-shoulders painting,
no weapons were seen. Priss was stunned by the accuracy. Lufy must've got
into the archives from the Gatherer to get pictures of Sylvie taken in her
short time as a *daishi'cha.*

Setting the painting on her chair, Priss faintly smiles as she faces
her friends. "She was my lover, Sylia...in my first life."

Everyone blinks surprisedly. Sugoi jerks, then gazes at her bond-
mate...

* * *

"Why did you never tell me?"

Priss bites her lips as she hangs the portrait in their living room.
Sugoi had said little after the party ended, the trip back to Sogh-Tere'na
shrouded in silence. Sighing, Priss faces her, then gently draws her into an
embrace. Sugoi doesn't resist. Priss was more than grateful. "Are you
angry?"

"Confused," the Oni admits. "And hurt. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, Sugoi-chan...with my life," Priss smiles,
gently kissing her.

It could be a fatal trust, the nurse knew. Sugoi was by no means a
fighter; she wouldn't stand a chance if she tried to defend Priss against
someone who possessed even an iota of the coxswain's fighting prowess. That
warmed her heart. "Why...?"

"Because it never happened in this life," Priss guides Sugoi to a
couch, allowing her bond-mate to sit in her lap. "She...was a *daishi'cha*
for a very short time."

"What?!" Sugoi hoarsely whispers.

"When Henry found me, he found three others. Big bonanza. One was
like me, a *pirpirsiw'r* and a bard. That's Sylvie. One was a low-ranked
noble. I call her Anri. The final one was the person I think who killed us.
Now, I call her Vision. You ever wonder how I got the name 'Priscilla?'"

Sugoi blinks. "I know it has something to do with your links to
Lum's husband." While she called Priss either "Priss," "Pri" or more often
"Pumpkin," she used "Priscilla" whenever she got very angry. No one else ever
called the coxswain by full name.

"When the Spirit War began, we were empathically bombarded by Ataru's
dreams," Priss sighs. "Those of us who were closer to him got the most of it.
In them, we saw that he loved reading manga and watching anime. One of his
ways of escaping Lum, I suppose. Well, one show he liked was the show where I
got my name. My namesake, if you will, was a singer and a fighter. She
matched me perfectly and since I wanted Ataru to remember me by something more
than by calling me 'Eieiioao-o,' I chose the name Priss."

"So why 'Sylvie?'"

"Sylvie's namesake came from that same anime," Priss shrugs. "So did
Anri's and Vision's, by the way...and Sylia's, Linna's and Nene's. Anyhow, in
the anime, Sylvie and Priss were good friends. Bond-mates, I'd say. In one
battle, Sylvie died. Priss was...hit real hard because of it."

"How awful," Sugoi gasps. "So...what happened to your Sylvie? Why
isn't she here?"

"Back then, Henry was beginning to discover something," Priss sighs.
"With the Vosians and the Yehisrites, doctors had begun to use nanites in
surgical repairs. Often, nanites remained in the system when people died. If
a woman was found and judged worthy to be a *daishi'cha,* Henry then had no
idea if she had nanites in her system. I was clean. Sylvie, Anri and
Vision...weren't."

"What happened?"

"Nanites in those days reacted badly to the regeneration matrix,"
Priss leans back. "At first, Sylvie showed no signs of illness. She survived
initial regeneration and social programming. She wanted to be a Pathfinder
like me. Then...then she developed severe internal bleeding. No matter how
hard people tried, nothing could be done. So...Henry had to place her, Anri
and Vision in capsules and buried them on Yehisril."

"No...!"

Priss feels her control fail as tears stream down her cheeks. She
allows Sugoi to draw her into an embrace. "Sylvie..."

* * *

Sylvie looks up. "Priss."

Even though there was no bond, despite Sylvie not knowing about the
Dreamscape, still she felt the coxswain's pain over the 7000 parsecs
separating Yehisril and Sagussa. "I'm here, my love...I'm still here..." she
gently smiles, her own tears flowing.

"Are you well?" Anri's sleeping voice tickles her ears.

Sylvie looks left, staring at the dozing Anri, curled up in the hook
of the taller woman's arm. "I'm alright," she nods...

* * *

"Priss..."

Priss looks up. That voice had been so faint, coming from so far
away. "What...?"

"Someone calling..." Sugoi shudders.

"Sylvie..." she gapes, then leans back. "Oh, shit, I never thought
my thinking about her'd make me imagine things."

"Yeah," the Oni fidgets. "Why don't I get you an appointment with
Misato-sensei? Maybe she could help you through this."

Priss sighs. "Yeah, sure."

* * *

Later that evening, Sugoi slips quietly out of their bed to head for
the kitchen to get some himgh-tagh. She enters the living room, then picks up
the videophone and dials a number. A moment later, a woman's face appears on
the screen. "Chamber of Eternity Galactic Situation Room, Asagao speaking."

"Asagao-chan, it's Sugoi Seq," the Oni smiles. "Listen, I need a big
favour..."

* * *

"Welcome, Shinobu!" Wakena smiles.

Dressed in the finery of Kyotos, Shinobu walks up to embrace the
older woman. Wakena looked to be in her mid-forties, still slender and
projecting an aura of strength. Though not as necessary these days, she could
still fight off any potential challengers. Shinobu was glad for it. Yehisril
needed stability if the grand march to union Alko envisioned was ever to
succeed. "Thanks, Wakena," she nods, then waves to the young girl at her
side. "You know Junba, don't you?"

"Hello, Juncha," Wakena gently grips the young girl's hands.
"Looking forward to returning to Earth?"

"I'll miss Kyotos," Junba confesses.

"I'm sure you will," their host waves them into the central chamber.
"Come, let's rest and drink! Save the talk until later!"

Shinobu whistles on seeing the feast laid out for her and her
entourage. Obviously, Wakena intended some serious bargaining before Shinobu
left. Around them, spears and swords were tied up by gold-chain peace
thongs, indicating that no war would occur between Chemlos and Kyotos. Even
the guards' weapons were tied into their scabbards. It could make things
quite hairy if someone tried to assassinate Wakena, but Shinobu knew that
Chemlosites viewed their princess with kindness, an elder mother figure
similar to the way Sagussans looked on Noa. The lords were peaceful and well
off. The common people, while not as democratically free as Kyotosites, were
healthy and prosperous, driven by the passion descendants of ancient Falcros
always projected.

She dismisses the thought as they sit down. While most around the
table attacked their meals with fingers and knives, devouring food without any
regard to what Terrans would call manners, Shinobu drew out chopsticks and
dabbed into the baked pork. Junba did the same. Shinobu was grateful for
that. Junba would go to Onigakkou Public School once they settled down in
Tomobiki. She couldn't act like a barbarian when she had lunch with her
classmates, not if she wanted to make new friends or impress the teachers.

"It pains us all that you desire to leave so soon after you came,"
Wakena pours bloodale into a tankard. "After all, the Slayer of Sheko is as
renowned here as her lover. Many would feel more comfortable if you
remained."

"Alko himself confessed that to me," Shinobu admits as people turn
their attention to the two *laqu'rs.* "However gracious your hospitality,
this isn't my world. I was not born here nor raised to deal with the
intrigues your people take for granted. It's no wonder Yehisrites are so
feared and respected throughout the galaxy. Your natural suspicion makes it
almost impossible for would-be enemies to catch you off-guard."

Grins cross everyone's face. "Yes, you do come from a...soft
society," Wakena frowns, wishing she could repay the kind words Shinobu gave.
"But your own personal experiences have brought forth strengths which make you
quite Yehisrite. One would think the blood of our people burns deep in your
heart."

"That may be right. Especially if you take up the theory that all
iron-blooded humanoids in this part of the galaxy are related, either through
the Sagussan Fourth Republic or the so-called Race X. How else could the
*dashi'cha* intermingle with so many when they launched the Fifth Republic?"

"Perhaps that is true," Wakena muses. "But the race-first elements
in our peoples would renounce such thoughts as gross heresy. Terrans are
starting to hear the bloody howls from its Earth-first elements, are they
not?"

"They are, admittedly," Shinobu nods. "But reality will shine in
sooner or later. Of that, I've no doubt."

The meal continues, conversation animated. Shinobu knew how much the
Council of Princes needed her. Dameko was becoming more erratic, his wife
Misana (rumoured to be the true power behind Varakos' throne) more
influential. Shinobu understood their fears. A Kyotos civil war, something
which could've spread to the other principalities, had been averted when
level- headed leaders, realizing the commoners would rise in rebellion if
Sheko's deprevations weren't soon lifted, made the groundbreaking decision to
recognize Shinobu's revenge-killing as legitimate, Sheko's kingdom hers for
the taking.

Some feared Varakos could succumb to chaos if there wasn't someone to
keep Dameko and Misana in check. Alko was politically weak and no other
principality matched Varakos. Shinobu however believed in the grass-roots
approach to reform. To make Yehisrites accept a more centralized government,
she had to give the common folk more say in their own affairs. With that,
she had ruthlessly sacked Sheko's cronies and installed more liberal people
at the city, barony, county and earldom levels, not to mention her own court.
Her departure for Earth was designed primarily to aid those reforms; with
her gone, those hotshots wanting to grab her throne would be forced to attack
her on familiar ground: Tomobiki.

"It's my intention to have my sisters help Chanko administer Kyotos,"
Shinobu continues. She almost said "rule," but remembered that Yehisrites
didn't believe in royal abdication. Death was the ONLY way a ruler lost her
throne on this world. "They expressed their desire to remain in Kyotos even
when I decided to go home."

"Ah!!" Wakena nods, smiling. "Very wise. Some of the lords in
Kyotos, I've heard, could never trust one of Varanko's kin in such a high
position. Your sisters would be good, especially the Lady Joshu. The Lady
Jijo thinks on similar lines. But the Lady Aijin is too much the courtesan
for my taste and the Lady Kigye too...logical to properly understand
Yehisrites."

Shinobu nods. Kigye, the Sagussan word for machine, was the name
Mecha took when she re-assumed organic form, transforming the body of one of
Sheko's slain courtesans for herself when Jijo, Joshu and Aijin desired to be
finally free of their "sister's" cybernetic influence. After the pain her
other "sisters" felt when Sheko had their husbands killed, Shinobu and Kigye
knew it was very risky to grant them total freedom, fearing they'd relapse
into the behaviour which had brought them back in time in the first place.

But after Shinobu became *laqu'r,* she placed her future-selves in
prominent positions. Joshu served as Lady Constable, chief of Kyotos' armed
forces. Jijo was Lady Chamberlain, in charge of relations between Kyotos'
central government and her subordinate earldoms and counties. Aijin was
Mistress of the Court, the chief courtesan. That caused some confusion;
Shinobu had rarely taken anyone to bed over the last five years. But Shinobu
knew courtesans made the best spies, so she kept Sheko's vast harem on her
payroll. And Kigye elected to become Thoughtmistress-prime (Shinobu preferred
the Sagussan title over its Yehisrite equivalent, Court Sage), the
principality's chief of education.

"Will you be heading straight to Earth then?" Wakena muses.

"No. I'll be making the rounds of all the courts, then I'll head
back to Kyotos for a bit before going home. After all, I have to thank my
friends for their support."

The elder *laqu'r* blushes at that compliment. Wakena had been the
first to suggest to Alko that the other principalities support Shinobu. If
nothing else, that guaranteed increased trade between Chemlos and Kyotos.
"Your kindness is always appreciated, Shinobu," she toasts her guest. "May
you always overcome your foes."

"And you," Shinobu replies...

* * *

High over Chemlos, a black-painted probe slides into orbit. Unlike
most rover units, those sent to observe the Royal Kingdoms like Rover Y-372
weren't painted tan, beige and gold. Someone in Intelligence had come up with
that idea. Still, despite the advances the Yehisrites had made over the
centuries, they were incapable of detecting a rover. Chances were the
Yehisrites wouldn't interfere even if they could; everyone below knew the
relationship between Kyotos' *laqu'r* and Sagussa's *daite'cha.* Still, it
wasn't sufficient reason to breach intelligence directives and reveal oneself.

As soon as its orbit is secure, the rover unit directs sensor probes
at the vast range of mountains which comprised three-quarters of that small
state's landmass. The request it just received from the Galactic Situation
Room was odd to say the least. Rover Why-Three-seven-two hadn't been assigned
to *daishi'cha* search during Stage One, concentrating on keeping abreast of
the Yehisrites' advances. Why was someone back home worried about discarded
*daishi'cha* now?

The question wasn't relevent, Rover Y-372 realizes. It had a task to
accomplish. Its programming forbade it from defying its human controllers.
Locating the lake where the would-be *daishi'cha* were buried ages ago, it
sends deep probes into the depths to locate the discarded regeneration
chambers...

There!

In a shallow bay near a village, three objects appeared as bright as
neon to the rover's scanners. Regeneration chambers, filled with discarded
nanites, long inactive and slowly dissolving as the lake's high salt and
oxygen content ate at their systems.

Now, what about the bodies? Scans switch to DNA probes, comparing to
records obtained from the Gatherer's sensory logs now archived in the Chamber
of Eternity. There were minute traces in the chambers. Expected, but nowhere
near enough to indicate intact bodies.

Scans probe the muck of the lake bed.

Nothing.

Scan the local waterlife.

Still nothing.

Rover Why-Three-seven-two pauses. If the bodies had drifted out of
the chambers, they would've been most likely consumed by the native fish and
fauna, or allowed to decompose in the lake bed. Still, eight hundred years
was too short a time for decomposition to be so thorough. Further, the
regeneration matrix would ensure that substantial DNA elements, whole cells,
would remain intact. They would've certainly mutated the local wildlife,
perhaps to the point where the lake's ecosystem would've been fatally
compromised.

Something had happened to the bodies.

Without hesitation, it expands its scan to the surrounding areas. If
somehow the women had survived, they would be either very old or recently
deceased if Yehisril's feudal society hadn't claimed them. Expanding its
scan, it sends a message to other rovers to muster over Yehisril. While it
could scan a whole planet, Rover Y-372 knew that multiple units could get the
job done much faster. With six other units on the way, it then scans the
area of the village closest to the lake.

There were some trace DNA elements from two of the women, the ones
known these days as Sylvie and Anri. Mostly excrement; quite recent.
Trailing the trail away from the village, the rover zeroes in on a family
dwelling several kilometres up the slope of a mountain...then its sensors
flash the alarm.

They were alive!

DNA comparisons were made, then cellular dating done. Sylvie and
Anri were only a year older than the day they were buried. No sign of the
third, called Vision, but if two were alive, the third had to be. Medical
scans confirmed both were whole and healthy. Even more so, neither had any
trace of nanites in them. If so, they were more than fit to be transported
back to Sagussa.

With that, it sends a message to the other rovers to hunt for Vision,
then extends its transmitter to send its report home...

* * *

Pathfinder Troop Six musters the day after Priss' birthday party at
Sylia's and Yedris' condo in Namgh-Tere'na, overlooking the vast basin which
had been blasted into the rock and soil when Tarun-Chong ignited the War of
Clone Rights. It was an informal meeting; intelligence analysis indicated no
threats of a nature which required the Troop's services. Along with the
shooters came Yedris, Sugoi, Makisur (he still was nominally part of the
Troop) and Shinsur, another nineteen-year old Vosian who lived with Rei and
Asuka. "What's the buzz?" Linna wonders as everyone relaxes.

Sylia sighs. "First of all, Rei?"

Rei stands. "As you know, I've been studying medicine for some time
now," she looks down. "It's always been my dream to be a doctor. After our
last fights, I've begun to feel that I may be a liability to us. Who do I
kill, do I have to kill...questions I've asked repeatedly over the last couple
of years. Our job is to eliminate things as quickly as possible, without
concern for the casualties we unleash. It's harder for me to bring myself to
do that now. To that end...I've decided to resign my commission and commence
medical training in earnest."

Silence drops like a heavy weight as the others gape. They knew Rei
was a pacifist by choice, but to lose her, their chief sniper as well as first
aid specialist. "Rei...jeez!" Priss walks up to her. "You sure...?"

"Hey," the first officer smiles, gently gripping her friend's hand.
The Troop and its guiding rules had been formulated by Rei and Priss long
before Linna, Sylia, Nene and Asuka joined. "We always knew if either of us
was going to quit, it'd be me. You're too much a glutton for punishment to
consider leaving."

"Rei..." the coxswain looks down.

"I'll be fine," Rei smiles. "Besides, someone has to be around to
stitch you back together. After my training, I'll come back as the Troop's
doctor. Fair enough?"

Priss fidgets, then reluctantly nods. "Well, if it's what you want."

They embrace. "You'll always be a part of us, Rei," Sylia embraces
her next.

The others extend their wishes. With that, everyone relaxes. "Given
that we're now short a shooter, I've sent word to Rayna that I need a
volunteer to fill Rei's spot," Sylia continues. "But, to ensure that our
lives aren't disrupted too much, I've asked for a sergeant-major, not a troop
officer."

Everyone relaxes. Despite their excellent training, the Pathfinder
Brigade's officers left a LOT to be desired. Many had inherited Rayna's
clumsiness or the team commanders' propensity for leading their troopers into
ambushes. It was a wonder no one had died. However, many sergeants-major and
sergeants could fit well into the Troop. "Any volunteers so far?" Priss
wonders.

"Nothing yet. Mink's one possibility; we could use another person
who can fly."

"Shoot her wings off, she'll be useless," Asuka warns, pointing to
her horns. "These're a little harder to hit."

Everyone chuckles. "True."

"Mink's too effective with her own squad," Linna adds. "Let her stay
put for now. Anyone else?"

"Some others from Team Two," Sylia sighs. "They were involved in the
Lecashuto fight and the work on Kurakoa."

The others nod. "In the meantime, we should look to our own," Sylia
pulls out a folded sheet of paper. "Priss."

"What?" the coxswain blinks.

Opening the paper, she reads. "'By authority vested in me as Prime
Councillor in respect to the commissioning of personnel as officers in the
Sagussan Defence Force, I, Sakura, *daishi'cha* #7728, do authorize the
commissioning of Master Chief Petty Officer Priss, *daishi'cha* #22860, of
Pathfinder Troop Six, to the rank of Troop Commander effective immediately.
This officer has served with distinction in many operations, has earned the
admiration of her fellow Pathfinders, and has substantially and consistently
improved the defense of the Fifth Republic and her allies.'"

Priss freezes, her jaw dropping in shock. "You...you...you're
kidding me...?"

"No, I'm not," Sylia smiles, reaching into her pocket to draw out new
rank straps, each bearing the green single bar of a Pathfinder officer.
"Congratulations, Priss."

Priss remains in place as Sylia and Rei remove the four tabs from her
uniform, then place on her new rank. "I...jeez!!" the ex-coxswain laughs. "I
don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything," Asuka stands, embracing her. "But
congratulations, anyway."

"Um...thanks," Priss nods.

The others pass on their wishes. Sylia then turns to Nene. "I hate
to say this, Nene, but you're out of uniform."

"I am?!" she blinks confusedly.

"Yes," Sylia holds up the straps once adorning Priss' uniform. "You
need these."

Nene's jaw drops. "Me?!" she squeaks, then points. "But...Linna
deserves it..."

"She asked me," the Troop demolition specialist smiles. "I said
'no.'"

"You didn't tell me?!!" Nene spins on her. "You're gonna pay for
that tonight!!"

"I can't wait," Linna meows.

The Troop's new coxswain groans, then shrugs as Sylia and Priss affix
the proper rank straps onto her uniform. A new round of hugs and wishes
occurs. "Remember, shrimp," Priss smiles threateningly. "I'm still your boss
and I can still whip your scrawny ass over the carpet whenever I want."

Nene is quick to rise to the challenge. "We'll see who gets respect
once your droids break down, especially those new companion droids Sugoi and
Maki got for your birthday," she warns. "He can fix them, but without me,
they're nothing more than dead circuits!"

"We'll see," Priss embraces her.

The secure phone rings. Sylia picks it up. "Troop Six," she hails,
then blinking, turns to Sugoi. "Sugoi, it's Asagao."

"Oh, thanks!" the nurse picks up the phone. "Talk."

Everyone stares quizzically at her as Sugoi listens to Asagao's
report. "Since when does a child services nurse tango with someone from
Intelligence?" Linna wonders.

"I know Asagao likes it when Sugoi's at the Daycare Centre, but this
is going far using a secure comm-line," Priss muses.

They tense as Sugoi seems to pale. "Yes...I understand," she nods.
"Okay, I'll tell her. Thanks, Asagao."

She hangs up. "What is it?" Sylia asks.

Sugoi turns to Priss, a mix of emotions in her eyes.

"Priss...Sylvie's alive."

* * *

"You desire me to go to Kyotos?"

Vision stares curiously at Wakena as the two walk through the grounds
around the *laqu'rs* keep. Shinobu and Junba had left for Dysos an hour
earlier. "That's right," the older woman nods. "I need to understand how
the people of Kyotos view the new power structure Shinobu has established.
It's understandable that the common folk would like a relative of Varanko in
control. But how do the lords view this situation? Are any of them planning
a coup? Your ability to see into a person's heart will help."

"Protecting Chemlos from a Kyotos civil war," the younger woman
muses. "Our eyes should be cast on Varakos, not Kyotos."

"Examining Varakos will be your next task, but that's for the
future," Wakena sighs. "Dameko hasn't made many bold moves recently, but if
the others send observers into his court, he'll become agitated."

"Agreed," Vision bites her lips. If either Varakos or Kyotos plunged
into civil war, the chances were good that the smaller principalities could
re- merge, allow Falcros to arise like the phoenix from the ashes.

"Patience, Hisracha," Wakena's hand gently grasps hers, projecting a
knowing gaze. "I've long known your true ambition."

Vision stares at her. "Wakecha...?"

"To rebuild Falcros will take a very long time," Wakena warns. "I'd
be lying to say I've never wanted that noble keep restored. You cannot act
like it was eight centuries ago. Your movement must be with a Freemason's
stealth, not an Executioner's rage. Only then, only with patience, will you
succeed."

Her cheeks redden. Were her intentions so easy to understand? "I am
a fool..."

"No. The fool is one who ignores advice given to her. I've never
known you to be anything but one who listens. In that way, you're more
Sagussan than Yehisrite."

"I've long wanted to forget that world."

"The Soultaker abandoned you because he believed he couldn't save you
or your friends," Warena reminds her. "Perhaps you did have friends in your
time as a Maiden. Perhaps they still live on Sagussa. Have you ever thought
of speaking with any of them?"

"No," Vision hoarsely sighs, tears threatening her eyes.

"This may be your chance; you know of Shinobu's bond to the Slayer of
the Mikado. You are as much my daughter as if you were born of me. I want
you to be happy...even if your happiness lies elsewhere."

Vision looks down. "Thank you, Warecha."

The two proceed on. "As well as top observing Chanko, I need to
fully understand how the lad will work with Shinobu's sisters. They are said
to be an odd lot. I need to know what their strengths and weaknesses are.
You'll keep a close eye on them."

"Of course," Vision nods...

* * *

"You okay?"

Priss looks up as Rei passes a medical scanner over her. The
"Kiboo'cha" was now warping to Yehisril. Sylia, pulling one of her infamous
UNODIR (unless otherwise directed) messages, had ordered the Troop on a
search- and-rescue mission for missing *daishi'cha.* It would be up to the
Defense Ministry to justify invading another state's territory to the Prime
Councillor. Sylia was dependent on Benten believing in the troop commander's
judgement. She hadn't been wrong before. But there was always the first
time.

"I'll be fine," Priss smiles.

This would be the old first officer's last job with the Troop. She
had already been accepted to apprentice under Surgeon-general Tanoshii at the
Tere'na City Hospital, soon to shed her Pathfinder blue-red-and-charcoal green
for medical light green-and-gold. She was already rated a nurse. In a year,
she'd be a doctor ready to come back to the Troop as their full-time medical
specialist.

It'd be odd calling Rei *I'sagh* after years of fighting beside her,
calling her by name or "Silver Bullet," taken from her hair colour and her
constant centimetre-wide target groupings at 1000 metres. How'd they find a
sniper of her calibre? Priss knew of no one who could beat Rei serving now in
the Teams. Mink was an demolition specialist. The others Sylia had scouted
were good shooters, but too excitable to settle into the cool, disciplined
routine a sniper needed to do in her target.

The warpsloop shudders as it breaks back into normal space, then
seems to dissolve slightly as cloaking screens are brought up. The blue,
green and brown bulk of Yehisril looms in the forward viewports as Nene
guides her into orbit. "We're over Chemlos," the new coxswain reports.
"Scans confirm that Sylvie and Anri are in the mountain village Rover Y-372
discovered. Vision is now in mag-lev transit to Kyotos City."

"Shinobu's planning to move back to Earth with Aiotoga so the reforms
she made in Kyotos'd have a chance," Linna hums. "But that doesn't explain
why Vision'd be heading there. Where's she live?"

"The rovers couldn't confirm. They first found Vision in the
*laqu'r's* keep."

"*Laqu'r?!*" Priss blinks. "Fuck, back in my day, Chemlos was just
an earldom! What's happened to this place?!"

"It's called 'progress,'" Asuka smirks.

"Some progress. Let's get down."

* * *

Anri stares at the boiling pot, the stew of mixed vegetables and
baked landshark meat emitting a delicious aroma though it was still some time
before it was ready to serve. Sylvie was out getting water. Nothing
considered close to modern plumbing for this place, but it was survivable.
The village had a decent bathhouse for the times Anri really wanted to be
clean. "We'll have to go down today," she smiles lasciviously. It was the
only place where Sylvie happily allowed her to touch her. Anri would have to
arrange with the matron for a private room.

As she turns to look at the potatoes, her senses shout an alarm. Her
ears pick up the twinkle of a transporter, something she never heard. But the
dramatic shift in the *te'a* patterns could only indicate the approach of
Sagussans. A rescue! Turning, she runs to the door. "Come in!!" she
squeals...then gasps as the first person walks in...someone she hadn't seen in
eight centuries.

"Hi, Anri," Priss smiles.

Anri shakes, silently screaming her rage at the gods for pulling this
cruel trick, bringing HER at the head of a rescue party. "Hello, Priss," she
looks away.

Priss stares at her, surprised by Anri's cold shoulder, then
realization dawns. Smiling, she gently shifts the younger woman's face to
gaze at her. "I won't take her away."

Anri blinks, then a smile crosses her face. "She must be a lucky
woman."

"I'm lucky to have her," Priss smiles.

At that moment, everyone tenses as the back door opens. "Here's some
more water, Anri...eh?!!" Sylvie stops.

Eyes lock on Priss' former lover as she emerges from shadow. Silence
falls as the two *pirpirsiw'r* face each other, silent messages flashing from
their eyes in a code even Sagussans would be hard pressed to understand. The
surprise in Sylvie's eyes soon turns to shock, then sadness, then acceptance.
Priss looks down, shame flushing her cheeks. Finally, she shrugs, smiling.
"Hi."

"Hi, yourself," Sylvie nods, then with tears bursting from her eyes,
lunges into Priss' embrace. "What took you so long?!!"

"Traffic," Priss kisses her cheek, then indicates her friends. "This
is Pathfinder Troop Six: Sylia, Rei, Linna, Nene and Asuka. Guys, this is
Sylvie and Anri."

"Dinner's almost ready," Anri shrugs. "Would you care to stay and
have some?"

"We'd love to," Sylia nods...

* * *

"So after the highwaymen were put to the sword, the village chief
came to us and said 'Do you always come back from the dead to help the little
folk?!'" Sylvie smiles as she relates the tale to the Troop of how the two
would-be *daishi'cha* made peace with the nearby village as Anri serves some
fruit juice. "Ever since, I've always made myself available as a special
constable to keep the highwaymen and other bandits away."

"Do many people outside the village know of you?" Sylia asks.

"Outside Vision, I don't think so," Sylvie sighs, realizing that the
troop commander was gauging what effect hers and Anri's departure would have
on the locals. "The villagers know that as soon as someone from Sagussa
came, we'd be moving on. Some, I guess, have prayed you'd never come back.
We'll have to talk to them before we go. What made you come look for us
anyway?"

"My bond-mate learned about you two and Vision at my birthday party
yesterday," Priss bites her lips. "Sugoi asked Intelligence to send a rover
unit. Lufy...a pilot I know, she came after us...painted a picture of you
sometime ago. She never had the chance to give it to me until now. Sugoi got
curious."

"Oh, I see," Sylvie looks down.

The others remain silent as the former lovers look for resolution for
their unresolved feelings. "Would you excuse us?" Sylvie stands, heading out
the front door.

Priss follows. Anri shudders, then moves to pursue, but is stopped
by Sylia. "Don't."

"Sylia!" Anri gasps.

"You love Sylvie, don't you?" the troop commander stares at the
younger woman.

"Aye."

"Then trust her to resolve what happened between her and Priss before
going after her," Sylia warns. "Priss isn't the type to break couples apart,
even if it's to recapture something she lost ages ago. If you keep pushing,
Sylvie won't come to you but run away. You don't want that, do you?"

"No," Anri shudders.

"Relax," Linna smiles. "If Priss does something stupid, we'll all
give her a swift kick in the ass to straighten her around. Meantime, how
about some more of that juice?"

"Oh...okay!" Anri heads to the kitchen...

* * *

Priss and Sylvie sit on a stone fence, gazing at the beautiful
scenery. "What's she like?" the latter wonders. "Your bond-mate?"

"Sugoi?" the former smiles. "She's an Avalonian, believe it or not,
created after an Oni. I met her six years ago, saved her butt. Our bonding
was by accident, but we've no regrets. She's a wonderful person, kind, sweet,
gentle, forgiving...what anyone'd want in a mate. I know...she wants to meet
you."

"I'd be a reminder of what she could never claim," Sylvie sighs.
"You never told her about me until yesterday, right? She always believed she
was your first true love."

"She is," Priss nods. "Sylvie...I don't remember our past lives.
All I remember is that you became a *daishi'cha* the same time I did...but
never could fulfil your destiny. That's why I've always mourned you. I've
always wondered what could've been, but until I had proof you were alive, I
couldn't waste my time daydreaming. I have my own life now."

"I remember some things," Sylvie smiles, tears flowing. "Making
love, swearing the oath to protect Anri, the times we fought the bandits
around Falcros City...but, Lyna, most of all, I've missed your voice. Every
night, I imagined us in the pub, singing to the crowd, telling stories. The
worst part about being marooned here is that I'd forgotten so many of the old
tales, yet didn't know enough tales from Sagussa to make up."

"There're pubs on Sagussa now," Priss smiles. "If you and Anri
decide not to join a work group, you could open your own pub. Her cooking's
some of the best I've ever had."

"You're kind," Sylvie pats her hand. "But would Anri want me now
that you've come back into my life?"

"I can't bond with you without Sugoi's input...and she's not the type
to share me in that manner," Priss warns.

"True," Sylvie muses, then straightens herself. "We best go to the
village and pass the news. They deserve to know."

* * *

"Welcome, Lady Hisrana," Chanko bows, placing a cordial kiss on
Vision's knuckles. "We're honoured one of Princess Warena's court chooses to
grace us with her presence today."

*Bowing for compliments, eh, Chanko?* Vision smiles as Kyotos' head-
of-government escorts her into the grandiose keep Sheko had built when he
became *laqu'r* over a century before. Shinobu tore down the extravagant
trappings when she took the throne, auctioning them off and using the proceeds
to launch soup kitchens in the poorer parts of Kyotos City. To Vision's eye,
the changes were positively prosaic. However, it was quite effective in
winning the hearts of the common folk. "I'm honoured to be here," she smiles
at her host. "I've never been to Kyotos before."

"I guess we must still seem...backward to one of Falcros descent,"
Chanko chuckles as they enter the reception hall. "Still, we try to advance
ourselves as best as possible. If I may be bold, what brings you here today?"

"My *laqu'r is concerned because of the changes your *laqu'r* has
made in the order of government," Vision clasps her hands behind her back.
"The other *laqu'rs,* even the Lord Protector, I suspect, feel the same way.
Will Princess Shinobu unleash the dove of peace or the jackal of war? Do your
lords accept it? Do the people accept it? Are there possible challengers?
They all have to be taken into account before Chemlos, much less others, can
feel safe in dealing with Kyotos."

"You make your point well, my lady," Chanko nods. "At first, even I
thought the Princess had taken leave of all her senses when she announced she
was retiring to Earth. There are those who've whispered suggestions about
removing her...peacefully, of course; after all, Sagussa and the Slayer of the
Mikado are always close by...and placing a native on the throne. But those
whispers are few and far between; the people would rise in rebellion if they
ever thought a threat to their prosperity loomed on the horizon."

"Surely the Sagussans aren't that close."

"Then you don't know the *laqu'r's* past," Chanko hums knowingly.
"The fire of the matrix which gave the Maidens new life burns in her as much
as it burns in the Slayer of the Mikado and his wife Lum. If nothing
untoward happens, Kyotos will have the longest-lived *laqu'r* in Yehisrite
history."

Vision jolts, then quickly recovers. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't know
that at all. Kyotos is really lucky, then."

"Aye," the former Executioner nods. "With her ability to see into
the people's hearts, the *laqu'r* understood the changes needed to give them
fulfilling lives. She used that to remove Sheko's allies and replace them
with individuals who think as she."

"I pray she succeeds," the would-be *daishi'cha* nods, mind racing.
If Shinobu could do all she did in five years with her abilities, imagine what
could happen if one like her sought to rebuild Falcros? It would just have to
be nurtured. "Meantime, may I seek lodgings here? When the *laqu'r* was in
Chemlos, I had no chance to pay my respects. I'd like to wait until she
returns."

"Of course," Chanko nods.

The *clack-clack* of stiletto heels on the stone echoes from one
hallway. Everyone turns to see a pale-skinned beauty adorned in form-fitting
clothing walk into the chamber. Vision's breath catches in her throat as her
eyes work overtime to drink in the vision before her. "Chan-kun, there you
are!" Aijin muses, then blinks surprisedly. "Who's this?"

"This is the Lady Hisrana of Chemlos," Chanko feels the heat build.
Few could escape Aijin's allure without feeling some arousal. "My lady, may I
present the *laqu'r's* sister, Lady Aijin Miyaki, Mistress of the Court."

Aijin's eyes lock on Vision. The would-be *daishi'cha* almost
forgets to breathe as she feels the former sex-vampire mentally undress her,
smiling in approval at what she imagines. Was it her imagination or was
Aijin purring? "An...an honour to meet you, Lady Aijin," Vision finally
stammers out.

"The pleasure's mine," Aijin grasps her hand, then turns to Chanko.
"Chan-kun, why don't you let me see to Hisra-chan? I'm sure you've got other
things on your mind."

"O-o-of course," Chanko nods, then quickly withdraws.

Vision remains rooted in place as Aijin makes a quick sweep of the
room to ensure no one was eavesdropping, then grabs her arm in a grip of steel
and drags her into an ante-chamber. Closing the door behind her, she relaxes.
"There. Now we can talk."

"So this is the one we sensed."

Vision gapes as three women appear, all Aijin's age. One, a less
well-endowed double of Aijin with shoulder-cut hair, bore a regal countenance,
as if she was born to command. The second, a woman with silver hair drawn out
in a long braid, seemed weathered by years of travel and tragedies. The third
was as pale as Aijin, with shaggy brown hair she seemed to ignore, an
emotionless mask for a face. So these were Shinobu's mysterious sisters.

Vision then blinks as her subliminal senses detect something all four
had in common. "You're all Sagussans!!!"

"As you," the emotionless one...Vision sensed this was Kigye
Miyaki...muses. "But what exactly are you?"

Aijin looks behind Vision, hiking up her skirt to see the numbers
22863 tattooed on her thighs. "Hey, you've even got the tatoos!"

"How strange," the regal one...Jijo Miyaki, Vision quickly
realizes...blinks. "I doubt Sagussan Intelligence would dispatch a spy
without removing them first."

"I'm no spy!!" Vision hisses, crossing her arms. "As far as I'm
concerned, I bear no allegiance to that world! I have as much to do with
Sagussa as you and your sister!"

"We're not accusing you of anything, Hisrana," the silver-haired
one...Joshu Miyaki, Vision concludes...hums. "You've been living here for
all this time, yet you bear the tattoos...then you must therefore be one of
the few Henry was forced to reject."

"Reject?" Jijo gazes at her sister.

"Something I heard a long time ago. Cases like Hisrana came about
one in five thousand...up to five centuries ago, when Catty-sensei and Pony-
sensei discovered how to get around it. After regeneration, girls like
Hisrana developed serious problems. Nanites in the body...ah!" she nods as
Vision jolts. "So that's what happened to you, eh?"

"I do not sense nanites presently in her system," Kigye hums.

"They've been long flushed from me," Vision sighs. "I and two others
suffered as you've described, Joshu. Believe me, you've no idea how I've
suffered. Stripped of everything which made my life worthwhile, then given
nothing in return."

"I know how that feels."

Vision feels the waves of sorrow radiate from Joshu...in fact, from
all of them. "I see. Well, then. Pardon me for casting doubts toward any of
you. If you'll excuse me, I'll go to my quarters and settle in."

"Please stay," Jijo stands. "You're right, Hisrana-san. We bear no
allegiance to Sagussa save for what the matrix did. Still, it is a treat
when those of Sagussan blood visit. So few understand people like us that
every time another who does visits, we cherish as much time as we can have
with her."

Vision feels her cheeks flame. "My ladies...my friends call me
Vision. I would be honoured if you would do the same."

Shinobu's sisters, even Kigye, smile...

* * *

"So, you finally came to look for them, eh?!" Uduko laughs as he
pours bloodale into everyone's tankard. "Well, we knew sooner or later you'd
come for them."

"We always look after our own," Sylia toasts the chief. While harsh,
bloodale did go down smoothly. Still, it hadn't the powerful kick of aged ru-
jugh or properly fermented ran-jugh. "However, before we do transport them
back, we have to ensure their departure doesn't disrupt your lives more than
necessary. Do you believe you will be safe from highwaymen with Sylvie gone?"

"Bah!! We survived them before Sylvina and Anrina emerged from their
prison! We haven't grown THAT soft, Commander!"

Sylvie and Anri blush. As soon as the village accepted them, they
each received the "-na" endings to the names their link to Priss gave them.
"Still, I'd feel safe if you were transplanted somewhere where the hill
bandits couldn't reach you," the former sighs. "Despite the losses I've
inflicted, they grow stronger by the day. You welcomed us without
reservation into your hearth. Honour demands I do something to repay that."

"Transplant them to Sagussa?" Nene hums.

"That's going a little far," Linna muses.

"Haven't you heard?" her bond-mate muses. "Ryooko'd kill for
experienced farmers working the fields. The woodsmen here could teach the
foresters how to plant trees to restart the forests and jungles. Everyone
here'd have a place to fit into. We can exercise our right to invite
outsiders to Sagussa, remember?"

Asuka nods. "Once Sylvie and Anri are accepted back into the
mainstream, they can exercise the same right."

"Can they withstand the transformation?" Sylvie wonders. "I can
sense a lot's happened since you started Stage Two, but you still have a long
way to go."

"Is it that different?" Uduko sits before the former bard. "Sylvina,
listen to your friends. We're strangers to them. You're as much a stranger
to them as we. Yet they open their world to newcomers who need a better
chance. Do you think even without the bandits, our village can survive in
these mountains? I'd sooner risk Sagussa's dunes and winds than live another
week here."

Sylia looks around. Nods from the others...representing a group of
about 200, the troop commander estimated...confirm their chief's words. "But
you realize the changes which will occur if you do come. It may not affect
you so much, but your children will be greatly affected. Sagussans and
Yehisrites do live in diametrically opposite societies."

"Explain how 20,000...was it twenty?...Maidens like Sylvina and
Priscilla here came to be accepted there?" Uduko cackles. "While your magic
matrix may change much, it can't change everything, surely!"

"Not really," Priss smiles. "I think they're sold, Boss."

"I guess they are," Sylia drinks the rest of her ale. "I best send a
message back home. Madoka's going to love this."

Hassoko feels his throat constrict as he interprets what was being
said. He had come to this village after learning that it was in the nearby
lake where Vision emerged. His curiosity had got the better of him; he HAD
to know who and what Vision was. Something about the woman nagged at him,
something he believed threatened Wakena's power. The old *laqu'r* loved
Vision like she was her own daughter. Rumours recently surfacing in the
court warned that Wakena might adopt Vision and declare her
*zig'l-mil-laqu'r,* heir and legal successor. Wakena was single and without
children, so the local lords had long kept a weather eye on her to see what
sort of person she wanted to take her place. And Hassoko knew the lords
didn't trust, actually feared, Vision.

Imagine his shock when he discovered two Sagussans living in the
village closest to that lake, two he now knew had been marooned on Yehisril
for some time. He had heard tales of the *pirpirsiw'r* ghost who protected
this village from the bandits. So, the village had used Sylvie as a special
constable. Wise, but few leaders on Yehisril would tolerate the presence of
even ONE of the Most Dangerous Ones alive and active on the homeworld. It
was good that Sylvie and her companion was leaving; Hassoko could only
imagine what could happen if news of her got out.

He turns back to his bloodale when Priss stares at Sylvie. "By the
way, what ever happened to Vision?!"

Hassoko nearly spits out his ale in shock. How did they know
Vision?! "Far as I know, she made her way into Chemlos City and became a
special advisor to Princess Wakena," Sylvie sighs. "Anri and I...lost track."

Anri snorts. "If she wants to chase ghosts and seize power, all the
world to her."

"If she is an advisor to the *laqu'r,* that'll explain the many
reforms we've seen over the last year," Uduko hums. "In many ways, Chemlos
has become like Kyotos."

Hassoko trembles. Yes, Wakena had brought forth many reforms since
Vision came to the court. All of which had slowly ebbed the lords' power and
given more freedoms to the common people. It hadn't gone as far as what
Shinobu had unleashed in Kyotos, but if Vision was of a similar train of
thought, Kyotos' social revolution would soon spread here...and from here, who
knew where?!

Staring at his hands, he remembers the beautiful night he spent with
her. She was ambitious, but content to remain the power behind the throne,
the advisor who could sway Wakena in whatever direction she chose. And she
cared. Where were his loyalties? Did the *laqu'r* even know?! Who could he
tell...?

Wordlessly, he drowns the rest of his ale, then returns the tankard
to the bar, pays his bill and leaves...

* * *

"You can't be serious!!!"

Hassoko looks down, averting his eyes from Saramko's burning gaze.
The senior earl in Chemlos, Saramko's keep lay very close to Wakena's. The
two had been friends for decades, ever since he, a newly-crowned earl, helped
Wakena assassinate Salyuko Blood-Hand and take his throne. That had been a
classic kill. Mad Salyuko had desired Wakena's mother as his personal
courtesan. She refused him and he had her and Wakena's father, a low-rank
knight, assassinated one night. Saramko's influence in court had been
absolute...until Vision came. "I am serious," Hassoko nods.
"Vision...Hisrana...is a Sagussan. Reborn and raised as one like the Maidens
now living on that world, but marooned on Yehisril until the day she awoke,
then came to court."

Saramko shudders. "It's bad enough we have to deal with a weak girl
as *laqu'r* of Kyotos...but this?! Will we ever have enough of outsiders
trying to change us?!"

"I remind you that Hisrana's loyalties are with the *laqu'r,*"
Hassoko reminds him.

"Loyalties...of an outsider?!!" Saramko laughs. "Don't be such a
fool, Hassoko!! One not born of us would never understand the Yehisrite
heart, the Yehisrite soul!"

"She is Yehisrite!" Hassoko reminds him, regretting now that he had
come to Saramko. "She was abandoned by the Maidens. She sees no loyalty to
that world, else she would've stayed with the other two in that village!"

"Pah!!" the older noble snorts. "You were alive when Colony Four
happened! You saw what Moroboshi did to the Mikado! You heard the rumours
about Yethis Seq and his brood on Uru! What Moroboshi's plotting did to
Sheko! Granted, that fool's time had long passed, but to have a Terran take
his place?!"

"I remind you, my lord, you did support the *laqu'r's* desire to
press Shinobu Miyaki's case to the Lord Protector."

"Aye, I did then...and I regret having done it now!" Saramko snarls.
"I expected the brat to not last a year! Damnation, young Chanko would've
been a better choice, if not Varanko himself! How were we supposed to know
what madness Miyaki would unleash?! Now, it's going to happen here...IF we
don't stop it!"

Hassoko shudders. "If the Princess hears of this, we're both dead!"

"It's not the same!" Saramko hisses. "Killing a *laqu'r* is a
monumental task. You have to ensure that you're strong enough to fight off
challengers AND win the commoners' support. If you have neither, you're meat
on the table! Hisrana has no rank! Besides Wakena's favour, she has nothing,
IS nothing!"

"But what of the Princess?"

"*Laqu'rs* make mistakes like the rest of us!" Saramko reminds him.
"We're all mortal beings, remember? There have been wise *laqu'rs,* strong
ones, foolish ones and weak ones. Wakena is a strong *laqu'r.* All she's
done is make a bad decision and could make a worse decision if Hisrana is
allowed to live further to influence succession. If you remove Hisrana, I'll
protect you. She'll be hurt, but in the end, Wakena will see the
righteousness of your act and forgive you."

Hassoko nods. "I'll see to it, then..."

* * *

To move a small village from Yehisril to Sagussa required some quick
shuffling of assets, Sylia knew. First, the "Kiboo'cha" had to be sent home
cloaked so as to not alert local sensors to her presence. Sylia always
wondered if Yehisrites knew about the tachytron radiation Sagussan ships left
even when cloaked. If they did, the Yehisrites obviously weren't scared of
Sagussa. That bode both well and ill for the future.

Next, the newly commissioned destroyer "Shinowataru'cha," commander
by Makoto and with Pathfinder Troop Six "seconded" to the larger craft, was
dispatched openly on a port call to Kyotos. Shinobu was still a Sagussan
citizen, one who had scored big elsewhere, but still deserving visits from
friends. While official attention was drawn to the larger ship, Uduko's
villagers would be quickly whisked aboard. By the time the Yehisrites could
suspect something had happened, all that would be left were ruins of a village
destroyed by bandits and two hundred missing people. If such an act provoked
Wakena to sweep the mountains free of the highwaymen, all the better. If not,
it wouldn't matter.

The news of the "Shinowataru'cha's" maiden cruise was spread across
the realm. So rarely did Yehisrite and Sagussan interact, many in the Royal
Kingdoms looked forward to meeting the women who transformed a simple boy and
girl into the lions who had crushed Sheko. Exchanges between the Kingdoms'
military and the Sagussan Navy were arranged, not to mention a reception for
the Lord Protector and the Council of *Laqu'rs.* Then, the destroyer would
take Shinobu and Junba back to Earth...

* * *

"You almost ready?"

Sylvie sighs as she gazes at the uniform laid out before her. A year
ago, the duty jumpsuits the *daishi'cha* had worn for centuries were
redesigned. The military two-piece uniform had been replaced by a
single-piece sleeveless jumpsuit with a closed neck, the rank mounted on
collar stands. Since the native-born generation had no sequential numbers,
the need to keep numbers visible for recognition became less important.
Sylvie liked the new design. She especially liked the sight of the three
green pips marking her a chief petty officer. While she still needed some
advanced training, her slot in Pathfinder Troop Six awaited her. "Just a
minute!" she calls out, then slips on the uniform.

A moment later, the door to her cabin opens, revealing Priss.
"Looking good."

"Feels good, too," Sylvie slips on the gun belt, then checking the
charge, holsters her sidearm. "You sure the high-ranks won't react too much
with us down there?"

"It's none of their business," Priss shrugs. "Not even the Lord
Protector has the right to override whomever Shinobu invites to her keep. It
isn't like Imperial days when being Emperor meant something."

"Definitely different," Sylvie chuckles, then reaches over to grasp
Priss' hand. "I'm glad we're working together."

"So am I. Let's go to work."

* * *

Hassoko grinds his teeth as he awaits the Chemlos-Kyotos mag-lev.
Shunning his normal uniform for discreet rider's clothes, he feels the heavy
weight of the assassin's blade strapped to his left thigh under the leather of
his pants. Saramko had heard of the pending banquet in Kyotos City, where
Shinobu would host the Lord Protector and the Council of Princes in a farewell
dinner prior to returning to Earth. It would be a private dinner, only
attended by Alko, Varanko, the Council and the senior ministers from each of
the principalities. Vision would be there with Wakena, an act which confirmed
Saramko's suspicions that the Sagussan would be made the *laqu'r's* successor.
That had to be stopped.

*Forgive me, Hisracha,* Hassoko bites his lips as the mag-lev
arrives, the conductor calling out for passengers to Kyotos...

* * *

"It is true, m'lady," Pilrana smiles, leaning back from feeling
Vision's abdomen. "You are now with child."

That morning, Wakena's chief advisor had awoke suffering from
considerable nausea. Pilrana Miyaki, Aijin's bond-mate, had been summoned
because she was trained as a midwife atop being one of the senior courtesans
in Kyotos. Hearing that, Vision smiles. "Now I am a *daishi'cha* in fact as
well as name."

"Congratulations, Vision," Aijin kisses Vision's cheek. "So, who's
the lucky guy who did the deed with you?"

"Hassoko, Lord Chamberlain of Chemlos," Vision sits up, then drinks
the herbal tea Pilrana prepared to overcome her nausea. "He's been in love
with me since the day I walked into court. I'm glad; he's a decent fellow.
He'd make a wonderful husband."

"Haven't you ever sought a bond-mate?" Aijin muses.

"Aijin, I told you I do not consider myself a Sagussan. That
means..."

"Neither do I, but one thing the matrix does to us is instill this
drive to seek a soul-mate, someone we aren't only physically intimate with,
but telepathically, too. Do you think Hassoko would fit that bill?"

The advisor considers the point, then sighs. "Doubtful. One thing
Hassoko has never really liked is my ability to sense other people's thoughts
and feelings. I suppose you have a point."

Aijin and Pilrana exchange looks, then the statuesque brunette
courtesan rises. "Be right back," she steps out of the room.

"Where's she going?" Vision wonders.

"You'll see," Aijin winks.

Pilrana returns. Accompanying her is a quite slender woman Vision's
height with shaggy blonde hair cut in square locks and beautiful turquoise
eyes matching Pilrana's. "Hisrana of Chemlos, I present my sister Yililna of
Kyotos," Pilrana smiles. "She is neither bonded nor has a male lover. Like
I and the other bond-mates to the *laqu'r's* sisters, we were abused and
mentally raped by Sheko during our time as his courtesans. She bears no
scars now but has...needed a soul-companion to help her overcome her many bad
dreams concerning her time with Sheko."

Vision bites her lips. She had heard of how Sheko treated his
courtesans. Shinobu had, on arriving, found a group of fifty physically and
mentally abused women who were too cowered to do anything save what others
ordered. Courtesans deserved full freedom of action normally since they, like
everyone on Yehisril, enjoyed the right to advance their positions should
opportunity present itself. People like Pilrana and Yililna were stripped of
that, turned into mindless robots to ensure Sheko could keep his allies on
their thrones; courtesans were renowned for their support of the common people
with the same viciousness as the Freemasons. It took Shinobu and her sisters
nearly a year to heal them enough to give them their own lives back.

They gaze deep into each other's eyes. "You are even more beautiful
close up, m'lady," Yililna blushes.

Vision smiles, feeling the surge deep in her *mei'na* as it sensed
the presence of one who desired her in a way Hassoko could not. "It will be
hard to bring you to Chemlos and allow the others the chance to accept you,
Yililcha. But if you desire me, you shall have me. Will you attend dinner
with me?"

"Aye...Hisravayae," Yililna embraces her.

Aijin and Pilrana grin as Vision then dresses. The four then proceed
out of the court mistress' quarters to the main dining hall. Already waiting
by the door were Jijo, Joshu, Kigye and their bond-mates Givrilna, Hiznina and
Pivmina. "So you finally got your sister bonded off, Pilracha," shaggy red-
haired Givrilna winks, hugging Jijo's arm.

The others laugh. Vision and Yililna blush. "Not yet, but soon,"
Pilrana nods. "In the meantime, let's get inside and get some good seats.
I'm starving!"

The others stream inside the large room, as big as an airplane hangar
on Earth. By then, several of the *laqu'rs* were already seated with their
senior advisors, engaged in the verbal wheeling-and-dealing Yehisrites
performed with the same fervour they exhibited while fighting. Wakena sits at
the position next to Shinobu's, two seats reserved beside hers. "Hisracha,"
she embraces her, then stares at Yililna. "Who is this, Hisracha?"

"Wakecha, may I present my future bond-mate Yililna of Kyotos, one of
Princess Shinobu's courtesans," Vision waves to the blushing girl. "Yililcha,
my truly beloved friend and *laqu'r,* Wakena of Chemlos."

"My Princess Wakena, I am honoured to stand in your presence,"
Yililna goes to one knee, bowing her head. "Without your support for Princess
Shinobu, the lives of myself and the other courtesans here in Kyotos would
truly have been darker."

"Rise. I'm honoured, Lady Yililna," Wakena nods, then gazes at
Vision. "I wondered when this particular Sagussan trait would appear in you,
Hisracha. Perhaps their presence might have done something to make you
remember more your ancient homeland."

She nods to the balcony overlooking the dining hall. Vision blinks
confusedly, then tenses as she feels a host of familiar sensations. Her head
snaps around, looking up to see Sylvie, Anri, Priss and the others of
Pathfinder Troop Six standing there. Their smiles and silent wishes of luck
cause Vision to blush deeply. Sensing their good will, Vision smiles
serenely, then slips her arm around Wakena's as they go to their seats.

"She's happy," Sylvie muses. "Nice girl she's picked."

"What about the one who desires you?" Priss gazes at her former
partner/lover.

Sylvie blinks, then senses Anri gazing at her. She immediately ducks
as if someone had fired an artillery round. "Well..."

"Maybe we should give this one a swift kick in the ass," Nene
whispers to Sylia.

The troop commander laughs...

* * *

Within an hour, everyone is seated and enjoying themselves, the
conversation brisk. Alko finds himself once again acting as Junba's big
teddy bear, the young girl crawling over the flustered Lord Protector as she
gazes at his many wounds. Shinobu and Wakena are trying not to embarrass him
further by falling over laughing as some of the other *laqu'rs* are doing.
Across the way, Dameko and his wife gaze neutrally at Alko.

Next to them, Varanko, Chanko and Sansura listen intently to Makoto
and Mie give a verbal description of the Sagussans' first battle with the
Niphentaxians, explaining Shinobu's pivotal role in helping them turn the
System Destroyer against Yethis Seq. Vision chats with Shinobu's sisters and
their bond-mates, trying her best to keep Yililna's eager hands from invading
her south gate.

Every once in a while, one of the Troop walks up to introduce
herself, asking her how she's doing, what her plans were. Feeling their
support for her desire to remain on Yehisril, Vision then feels a twinge of
guilt about her earlier loathing toward Sylvie and Anri. She privately vows
to see them later.

Nene winds her way through the kitchen, bustling with cooks and
waiters as they get food out. The smells were quite different to a Sagussan's
tastes, but still pleasant in their own way. "Would you care for some fruit,
Master Chief?" one of the cooks looks up from slicing some baked landshark.

"Later," Nene grins at her, then blinks as a surge of nausea rips
through her body. Her eyes then turn to stare at a nearby broom closet, her
hand falling to her pistol. She had sensed THAT feeling too many times. The
other cooks quickly sense the Pathfinder's unease, then tense as she slides
to the closet, snapping the door open...then gasping as a man stripped of his
clothes, a bloody shirt marking the wound that ended his life, collapses to
the floor. "Lyna!!"

The cook kneels beside him, gaping on seeing his face. "This is
Hifgivko!!" she exclaims. "He's one of the servers!"

Nene shudders, then stabs her wrist-comm as she runs to the door into
the dining hall, sounding the alarm. "<<Nene to Sylia!! Starlight!
Starlight!! Starlight!!! There's an assassin on the loose, disguised as one
of the servers!!>>" she barks in Sagussan.

* * *

Sylvie jolts on hearing the alarm, then picks up her heavy sniper
rifle. Bringing the scope to her eyes, she quickly scans the groups of white
shirts and black pants now standing at the sides of the room awaiting a
chance to refill drinks or get a new plate of food. Anri kneels beside her
as she takes binoculars in hand to scope the rest of the room. "I can't see
anything!"

"<<Nene, what happened?!>>" Sylvie asks.

"<<One of the servers was found dead in the closet, stab wound to the
chest.>>"

"Assassin's blade," Sylvie whispers to herself, then runs her mind
through the list of guests. Damn, too many potentially good targets. Dare
she take them all down...no!! "<<He'll be armed with a knife with a wavy
blade,>>" she announces. "<<It'll be strapped to one of his legs under his
pants. Look for the bulge in the upper thigh.>>"

"<<They're all armed!>>" Linna protests.

"<<But their blades have to be visible and chained down!>>" Sylvie
reminds them, then tenses on seeing something. "<<Wait!!>>"

Anri turns to gaze at whatever caught Sylvie's attention. Standing
behind Vision at five metres' distance was a tall fellow standing quite
rigidly, his eyes locked straight ahead. Comparing him with the others, who
were relaxed and chatting avidly with each other, his formal attitude
definitely didn't fit in Shinobu's court. Anri blinks, then takes another
look. "Sylvie, I recognize him!" she gasps. "He was in the village inn when
we met Sylia!!"

Sylvie looks. "<<*Lynamei'na,* that's Hassoko! What's he doing
here?!>>"

"<<Who's that?!>>" Priss demands.

"<<Wakena's Lord Chamberlain,>>" Sylvie replies. Suspect and
motive. It had to be him. "<<Sylia, I can take the shot.>>"

"<<Negative,>>" Sylia replies. "<<Wait until he makes a move. He
could be here just to protect Princess Wakena.>>"

"<<After killing a server?!>>" Sylvie blinks incredulously. "<<You
really don't know my people, do you?!>>"

Anri relaxes, concentrating. <<Hisracha, danger...>> she calls.
<<Look behind you.>>

Vision blinks as she gazes at Anri, then her head turns to the rigid
server behind her, her eyes widening. Hassoko jolts as he feels her gaze
fall on him, then realizing this might be his chance, moves, his hand darting
to his side to draw out his blade. "He's moving!" Sylvie barks. "Taking the
shot!!"

The rifle bucks in her hands as the depleted uranium round rips
through the air to catch Hassoko in the throat, nearly blowing his head off!!
Everyone jolts as he is thrown back from Vision to collapse against another
server before falling to the ground. Eyes swing around as Nene sprints up,
pistol out. "Perp's down!!" she barks over her wrist-comm, then kneels beside
the unmoving assassin to draw out his already bloodied blade.

"Nene, what's going on?!" Shinobu asks.

Alko takes Junba into his arms to avert her from seeing the gory
scene as Varanko walks over to examine him. Recognizing him, he gazes at
Wakena. "It appears, Princess, some of your earls may viciously disapprove
of your possible choice as your successor...and sent your chamberlain to deal
with it."

Wakena rises. "Hassoko...!"

"Honestly, Shinobu-chan, you've got to work a little better on your
palace security," Nene twirls the bloody blade in her hand.

Eyes then turn to Vision as she rises, staring at the blank eyes of
the man who had just fathered her child. Reaching to her neck, she snaps off
his birthday present, then tosses it on his corpse before turning away...

* * *

Sometime later, Vision sits on the windowsill of her guest bedroom,
gazing longingly at Yehisril's three moons. Her hands absently rub her groin,
her senses already detecting the life now beginning its first subtle steps in
this existence. No, she wouldn't abort the child because her father made such
a stupid mistake. Vision knew that Hassoko wouldn't've done this without
someone backing him in Chemlos. That someone, most likely Saramko or one of
the other earls, had better watch himself from now on, lest he find a fatal
surprise waiting for him one night.

She then blinks as the door opens, revealing Sylvie. "Can I come
in?" she gazes at her fellow would-be *daishi'cha.*

"Aye. Thanks for saving my life."

"I might not see eye-to-eye with you concerning our living on
Sagussa, but you're still a Sagussan," Sylvie sits beside her. "And a friend.
Will you and Yililna bond?"

"Aye, we will. And you and Anri?"

"I guess I no choice, now with Priss bonded to Sugoi," Sylvie hums.
"Oh, Wakena just told Shinobu and Alko you'll be gazetted as her successor as
*laqu'r* when you both get back to Chemlos. As far as she's concerned, if
there's someone in her principality who wants to stop her from choosing you,
that makes you all the better choice."

"I think I know who the person might be," Vision icily grins. "I'll
deal with him eventually; don't worry about that. I just want to make him
sweat a little before slitting his throat. What of you and Anri? I know
you'll be taking Reinoevan's place in the Troop, but what of your intended?"

"She'll be a special advisor in External Affairs for Yehisril, a
junior minister," Sylvie hums. "As a former baroness, she'll know how this
place works. It hasn't changed THAT much in eight hundred years."

"Aye, it hasn't, but a little change might do some good," Vision
wistfully muses.

"Reform Falcros?" Sylvie hums. "If it's you doing it, I can see it
happening."

"Thanks, Sylvie," Vision smiles, then both tense as they sense
someone approach. "Come in, Priss!"

"Yo, Vision!" Priss walks in. "Congrats on making the grade. Shit,
from a would-be resource management clerk to *zig'l-mil-laqu'r!* You're
coming far on this world!!"

"Thanks, Priss," Vision grins. "So, who's the one who stole your
heart while Sylvie was with us under the lake? After the way you two defended
Anri in our past lives, I'd never think you'd turn to anyone else."

Priss smiles as she proudly shows them a picture of Sugoi taken in
front of Tere'na-korgh. "Lyna, she's beautiful!!" Sylvie gapes. "I couldn't
compete against that!"

"You still want me with Anri around?!" Priss thumps Sylvie over the
skull. "Shit, you really are loyal, aren't you?!"

"Aye, Privayae," Sylvie nods. "To you and Anrivayae. If you'll not
have me as your *marei'cha,* will you still have me as your friend and
fighting partner?"

"I'll not ask for anything less, Sylvivayae," Priss kisses her, then
blinks as her wrist-comm beeps. "Priss."

"Oh, there you are, Pumpkin!" Sugoi's voice echoes over the line,
then turns to brittle ice. "You're not trying to two-time your loving bond-
mate, are you, Priscilla?"

"The temptation is something else, love," Priss chuckles, sensing
Sugoi's mirth. "Where are you? When did you come in?"

"Just an hour ago. I'm with Anri and Yililna in the latter's
quarters. Why don't you, Syl and Vision come down to join us?"

"Right," Priss sighs, then shrugs. "Wonder what she wants."

They proceed out of Vision's bedroom, then head down to the main
floor, where the courtesans had their quarters. Reaching the one with the
nametag marked YILILNA in Yehisrite, Sagussan and katakana, they step
inside...and stop. "Lyna!!" Sylvie gapes.

Yililna, Sugoi and Anri sit on the courtesan's bed, nude save for the
bright ribbons tied around their waist. "There you are, Pumpkin," the Oni-
Avalonian smiles contently. "Yilil-chan, Anri-chan and I decided our three
beloved warriors deserved all the pleasure, love and passion we could give
them. So, dearest Pri, would you, Syl and Vision care to unwrap us?"

Priss, Sylvie and Vision smile...

*** The End ***