* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
                 F O R G I N G   A N D   S H A P I N G
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Artist:   Matthew Sweet
Album: "100% Fun"
Track:  "Walk Out"

When you look into a mirror 
The reflection that you see 
Is a shell of what you were 
It's not who you want to be 

But you're gonna change 
You've just about made up your mind 
(You're gonna change) 
You're gonna change 
And when you leave it all behind 

What will the past remember? 
What will the future bring? 
When you walk out 
When you walk out 

You were brought into this world 
With a head full of good ideas 
But the person you became 
Well you just couldn't be for real 

But you're gonna change 
You've just about made up your mind 
(You're gonna change) 
You're gonna change 
And when you leave it all behind 

What will the past remember? 
What will the future bring? 
When you walk out 
When you walk out 

But you're gonna change 
You've just about made up your mind 
(You're gonna change) 
You're gonna change 
And when you leave it all behind 

What will the past remember? 
What will the future bring? 
When you walk out 
When you walk out 
When you walk out 
When you walk out 
When you walk out 

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

	Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi was falling.  But it wasn't an ordinary fall: she 
had tumbled off a gantry high over an experimental power reactor.  Normally, dropping a 
distance of several stories to impact on the structure below should have taken only a few 
seconds.  Her death should have been instantaneous and messy.  But these weren't normal 
circumstances:
   * Kiyone and her partner had originally been given a search-and-rescue assignment for a 
     kidnapped Galaxy Police Detective -- one of their own.
   * In the course of their investigation, they discovered that their fellow GP officer had 
     been kidnapped.  
   * The kidnapper was a lieutenant of the crime lord who had been stealing all available 
     supplies of a hazardous new element.  The crime boss, one Naja Akara by name, had an axe 
     to grind against the Juraian Empire.  And she intended to use the extremely dense, 
     poisonously radioactive, and highly unstable material to build a super-weapon to use 
     against Jurai.
   * Naja Akara was located by Juraian Intelligence in the bowels of a large space station, 
     originally carved out of an iron asteroid over three kilometers in diameter.  The 
     lieutenant and the missing GP officer were also on the station.
   * Kiyone and her partner were given permission to accompany the JI assault team.  They had 
     successfully recovered the kidnapped officer, and had cornered the crime boss in her 
     command center.  It was during the ensuing firefight that Kiyone, gun in hand,  had been 
     bumped off the gantry....by her partner.
   * Rather than face capture, Naja initiated the self-destruct sequence of the main reactor, 
     which was powered by the stolen material.
   * The reactor promptly did a fine impression of a collapsing star, vanishing into a 
     singularity of its own creation, and taking most of the station with it.
As she fell, Kiyone watched the structure around her shred into long fragments of steel and 
plastic.  Much of the detritus fell into the singularity immediately, disappearing like 
ingested noodles.  Other loose fragments, like herself, fell at a slower rate.  She could see 
the roof far above her crumble, and even caught a glimpse of the stars beyond.  She grabbed 
hold of a column that was tumbling slowly beside her, hoping to avoid being caught between it 
and a falling section of wall.  The lights around her failed, and the scene was lit by the 
hellish light of Cherenkov radiation from the singularity's event horizon.  She knew that the 
pocket of air around her was dissipating rapidly, and it was just a question of what would 
kill her first: being crushed between falling fragments, asphyxiated by the encroaching 
vacuum, freezing solid as the heat rushed into space, or having the molecules of her body 
stretched apart and scattered by the gravitational forces.  With her last breath, she 
screamed a final message for her partner: "Mihoshi!  I swear I will KILL you!" 
	And then the universe flickered, and she was no longer falling. 
	Floating, but not falling.
	And she had air to breathe.  And it was warm.  And there was light, provided by banks 
of lamps.
	Kiyone panted, trying to force her respiration rate back to normal.  And she blinked 
repeatedly, trying to acclimate to the sudden brightness.  And the realization that she was, 
miraculously, alive. 
	Weightlessness was a familiar feeling for her, so she relaxed.  She twisted her head 
around slowly, examining her immediate environment.  She was in a sphere made of a 
transparent material, approximately eight meters in diameter.  The sphere was placed in the 
center of a large room, which looked like a laboratory or small warehouse.  The lights came 
from one surface, which she assumed was the ceiling, while the opposite surface contained an 
assortment of consoles and tables, which she assumed was the floor.  And as she rotated 
around her own center of mass, she became aware of someone watching from just outside the 
sphere. 
	The observer was a woman, quickly determined by large breasts and a mane of spiky red 
hair that stretched nearly to the floor.  She wore a white lab coat, whose big pockets hid 
her hands.  And there was a gaily-colored tummy pouch which hung from her shoulders, which 
appeared to contain a red-haired infant.  The woman smiled with the patient air of someone 
who's just discovered a new puzzle.  "Hello, Officer." 
	"Uh, hello."
	"Impressive.  Not the usual panicky, 'Where am I?'  You're good." 
	"Well, I know where I'm not.  I suppose I have you thank for rescuing me?" 
	"Yes, you do.  And I am just dying to hear how you happened to be falling into the 
event horizon of a mini-black hole." 
	Kiyone hesitated.  She knew that the standard procedure for any JI Special Ops team 
was a mind-block, and that any member of the team attempting to relate the tale would end-up 
babbling some nonsensical story.  Doubtless she and Mihoshi would have gotten the same 
treatment.  "I was on a covert operation," she finally replied, "and I'm not at liberty to 
talk about it." 
	"Ah, that would be the Ultra Energy Matter fiasco." 
	Kiyone gasped.  "You know about that?" 
	"Mmm-hmmm," the observer nodded.  "Naja Akara and I are old acquaintances.  Let me 
introduce myself: I'm Princess Washu Masaki, and this little lady is my daughter Achika.  And 
you would be...?" 
	"First Class Detective Kiyone Makibi." 
	Washu removed a small control pad from one pocket and began typing on its keypad. 
Kiyone felt gravity start to appear, pulling her feet toward the bottom of the sphere.  "'Old 
acquaintances?'"
	"We went to the Galaxy Academy together, a long time ago.  She disappeared later near 
K1190, after being attacked by pirates.  She surfaced some years afterwards, and I've been 
keeping an eye on her ever since.  By the way, you can put that pistol away.  You're quite 
safe here." 
	"Huh?  Oh!  Sorry about that."  Kiyone was still clutching her service-issue sidearm, 
which she slid into her shoulder holster.  With a satisfying *click* her feet connected with 
the bottom of the sphere, and her weight returned to normal.  A wedge-shaped opening appeared 
and swung outwards, and Kiyone stepped onto the concrete floor.  She noticed that Washu was 
typing on a shadowy keyboard that hovered at waist level, and that an equally-shadowy panel 
was displaying graphic information for her.  With a start, Kiyone recognized her own image 
flash across the screen.  "What are you doing?" 
	"Verifying your identity.  Yes, indeed, you are Detective Kiyone Makibi, reported MIA 
three years ago as a casualty of the Ultra Energy Matter incident.  No effort was made to 
scan the remains of Naja's space station, and it was quarantined by the GP and the Juraian 
Navy." 
	"What do you mean, 'three years'?  I couldn't have been gone that long." 
	"Actually, you have.  You have to remember that time slows down near the event 
horizon of a singularity -- so for you, it's only been a few moments' subjective time.  Good 
thing, too, or you'd have been dead long ago.  Here, I'll update your Personnel File and 
notify your family, as well as your regional commander." 
	"You have that authority?" 
	"Being a member of the Jurai Imperial Family has certain privileges...not to mention 
that the GP computers are an easy hack for someone like me.  Just how did you get dropped 
into that singularity in the first place?" 
	"My idiot partner lost her balance and pushed me off an observation platform." 
	"'Idiot partner,' eh?"  Washu typed a string of instructions into her keyboard, and 
then grinned wickedly at the information returned to her.  "H-m-m-m, I thought your name 
sounded familiar." 
	"Now that you mention it, your name sounds familiar, too.  But I don't remember any 
*Princess* Washu." 
	"I married into the Imperial Family a year ago."  Washu made a gesture and the 
keyboard vanished.  "Well, we're done here.  Let's go upstairs while I feed the baby."  She 
removed her lab coat and laid it over a hoverchair back, then started towards a door that 
Kiyone hadn't noticed before. 
	"By the way, just where are we?" 
	"Down here we're in a pocket in psuedospace; upstairs is the North Wing of the 
Imperial Palace." 
	"The Imperial Palace?"  Kiyone straightened her uniform vest, not that it did much 
good -- she was pretty frumpy-looking after dodging blaster bolts and rolling around the 
decks of Naja Akara's space station.  She expected an elevator or a stairs, but the door led 
directly into a large room.  The room was obviously a common area, full of comfortable 
furniture, bookcases, and closed doors.  The wall opposite the doorway opened onto a kitchen 
and dining room, and Washu headed for the latter.  Kiyone was just walking past a sofa, 
looking interestedly at the decorations -- and stopped dead in her tracks.  A group portrait 
hung on the wall, of four young women and a girl encircling a young man.  Kiyone's eyes 
locked onto one of the figures, her eyes bulging and mouth dropping open.  Finally, she was 
able to mutter one word:  "Mihoshi?!?!" 
	Washu turned, grinning.  "She's the 'idiot partner' you mentioned, isn't she?" 
	"Yes," Kiyone finally managed to say. 
	"Well she hasn't changed much in three years."  Washu unzipped the outer layer of her 
belly-pouch, and the infant within stirred.  Tufts of pinkish-red hair wavered slowly above 
the lip of the pouch.  A moment later, she had the infant free and laid upon her shoulder. 
	"Wait a minute -- she's wearing Detective Captain's bars!!" 
	"She's been promoted a couple of times since her wedding.  I guess the GP figured 
that their PR superstar needed some window dressing."  Washu put a blanket on the dining room 
table, laid the baby on the blanket, and then shed the belly-pouch.  She flexed her shoulders 
wearily, dropped into a chair, unfastened one of the catches on her blouse, and positioned 
Achika for breastfeeding.  Kiyone barely noticed. 
	"And after all my efforts to get promoted...."   She studied the image of Washu in 
her university robes.  "Ah, hah!  Now I remember you: Washu Hakubi, kidnapped by the criminal 
Kagato." 
	"It's Princess Washu Masaki now, and yes that was me." 
	"How did you escape?  Did Kagato ransom you?" 
	"No.  Tenchi killed him in a duel." 
	"Your husband?"  Kiyone examined the central figure in the portrait.  "Wow, he must 
be a tremendous Power Adept." 
	"He is.  He's the great-grandson of Emperor Azusa." 
	Kiyone digested the information, putting the pieces together.  "I don't remember the 
Emperor having a grandson.  But I do recognize Princess Ayeka and Princess Sasami."
	Washu shifted her daughter slightly.  "Yep.  Ayeka is married to the Prince, too, and 
Sasami will be when she's a little older.  Right now they're formally betrothed." 
	"All these women are married to Prince Tenchi?  Even Mihoshi?  But I thought polygamy 
was illegal in the Juraian Empire." 
	"Juraian law permits it for the heir to the throne, and if the consorts are all Power 
Adepts." 
	Kiyone tuned sharply to stare at Washu.  "Mihoshi?  I knew she was an empath, but a 
Power Adept?  I find that hard to believe." 
	"Believe it.   She's an electrokinetic, as well as able to stack probabilities in her 
favor.  If she ever learned to control those talents properly, she'd be a formidable Adept." 
	Kiyone shook her head, more than a little dazed by the revelation.  "Who's this?" 
	"My daughter, Ryoko." 
	"Ryoko, the space pirate?!?  Your *daughter*?!?"
	"Yes, she was a pirate, and, yes, she is my daughter." 
	"She had been missing for centuries...." 
	"She went 'underground' for a while, until the Statute of Limitations had expired on 
her charges.  Not long after that it was revealed that Kagato had enslaved her, forcing her 
to commit all those crimes.  She was publicly pardoned just before she married Tenchi.  You 
look like you could use some tea." 
	"Yeah, that's not a bad idea." 
	"You'll find a pot brewing in the kitchen.  Cups are in the cupboard on the left." 
	Kiyone pulled herself away from the portrait and drifted into the kitchen, all the 
while muttering about *Princess* Mihoshi.  Washu lifted Achika and rotated her, allowing her 
to reach the other breast.  Kiyone sat next to them at the table stirring the tea before 
sipping it. 
	"Hey, this is pretty good.  Who made it?" 
	"Sasami.  She's an absolute sorceress in the kitchen.  By the way, there's a book on 
that shelf over there that you might find interesting reading."  Kiyone rose and walked to 
the indicated bookshelf.  "Second shelf, third book from the left end.  That's it, the skinny 
one." 
	"Oh my god," Kiyone whispered.  "This looks like one of Mihoshi's reports." 
	"It is.  She wrote it right after the Kagato Incident.  It started a chain of events 
that took two years to resolve.  It also explains how we all met Tenchi, who no one knew even 
existed."
	Intrigued, Kiyone returned to her seat and started thumbing through the pages.  She 
hadn't gotten very far when she heard voices.  She looked up casually, and then snapped 
smartly to attention as she recognized the first two women to enter the common area.  She 
bowed deeply from the waist as Empress Funaho and Empress Misaki strode into the dining room, 
chatting amiably with a third woman.  Before Kiyone could utter a polite, "Your Majesties," 
the third woman gasped loudly and practically vaulted the table. 
	"KIYONE!!!"  Mihoshi wrapped her arms around her old friend and put The Squeeze on 
her. 
	"Mihoshi...can't breathe...too tight!" 
	"Oh, Kiyone, I just *knew* you weren't dead!  I just knew it!"  Mihoshi relaxed her 
grip, but maintained the embrace.  "How did you get here?" 
	"Princess Washu rescued me," Kiyone gasped. 
	"Oh, Washu, thank you -- thank you so much!" 
	"Don't mention it," Washu replied. 
	"Who is your friend, Mihoshi?" Funaho asked.
	"This is my former partner and best friend in the whole universe, Detective First 
Class Kiyone Makibi!"
	"Nice to meet you, Detective," Funaho replied.
	"Uh, thank you, Your Majesty," Kiyone managed to wheeze, embarrassed by Mihoshi's 
emotional gush, and her own predicament.  She would have bowed, but Mihoshi held her in an 
iron grip.  She at least nodded her head.
	"Detective," Misaki said, and chuckled slightly.
	"Your Majesty," Kiyone nodded towards Misaki.
	"Lady Misaki, I just finished feeding Achika.  Would you like to burp her?" Washu 
asked.
	"Oh, absolutely!"  Misaki replied.  She took the offered blanket, folded it, and put 
it over her shoulder, then carefully lifted the baby and placed her on the blanket.  She 
wandered away from the table, making cooing noises and patting Achika's back.  Washu and 
Funaho grinned at each other, watching Misaki's bobbing backside.
	"What did you discover, Washu?" Funaho asked, taking a seat at the table.  She 
gestured to Kiyone and Mihoshi to join her.  Kiyone managed to regain her seat, with Mihoshi 
plopping onto the chair next to her.
	"There are definitely gravity waves being generated at random intervals up and down 
this galactic arm, but the GP reports no similar occurrences anywhere else.  Since the 
Juraian Empire occupies most of this arm, it seems logical to assume that Jurai is being 
targeted somehow.  I was running deep scans on all of the known singularities within Jurai 
space when I discovered Detective Kiyone.  The GP Sector office calls me daily asking for 
status updates."
	They all knew that each of the spiral arms tended to be dominated by one species and 
one government.  In the case of Jurai, humans started expanding and colonizing along this arm 
nearly 50,000 ago.  In the consolidating wars that followed, Jurai emerged as the largest 
political structure in human space, controlling thousands of star systems and hundreds of 
occupied planets.  The neighboring arms were controlled by other species, a pattern which 
replicated itself clear around the galactic spiral.  The Galaxy Police, however, was less 
homogenous and far older than any of the local governments.  It's primary mission was to 
offer disaster relief and assist with local law enforcement -- 'controlling chaos' was how 
their Mission Statement defined it.  The GP recruited officers from all over the galaxy, 
apportioning an even mix of locals and aliens to follow it's mission and support the 
peace....although this last task often proved difficult, and in its zeal to remain neutral 
would often evacuate a combat zone until the shooting stopped.  Strictly apolitical.  
Naturally, if the Juraian Empire was about to become a new Theater of Engagement, the GP 
wanted to be ready to yank all of its personnel until the dust settled and they knew who was 
in charge.  
	"Very prudent of them," Funaho answered levelly.  She looked over at the two GP 
officers across the table from her.  As head of Internal Security, she was quite familiar 
with Mihoshi's GP record, and as a matter of course had read the dossiers on all of her 
partners.  It only took a moment to recall Kiyone's record: she had been an extremely 
competent officer.  Such expertise could prove very useful.  "So, Detective Kiyone, where are 
you assigned to?"
	"I have no idea, Your Majesty.  Princess Washu only notified them an hour ago of my 
rescue."
	"We have guest facilities in the West Wing, Detective.  You would be welcome to stay 
here until your schedule is sorted out."
	"That is very gracious, Your Majesty.  Thank you."
	"And this gives us a chance to get all caught up!"  Mihoshi burbled.
	"Yes, I can see a lot has changed...." Kiyone sighed absently.  While she grudgingly 
admitted that she did want to chitchat with Mihoshi, the short conversation between Funaho 
and Washu had roused her curiosity.  
	Funaho, used to dealing with security types, noticed her interest.  "Perhaps I can 
get you assigned to the local office, if only temporarily."
	"Thank you, Your Majesty."  Actually, the suggestion was a mixed bag: working in the 
Imperial capitol could be a terrific assignment -- but she wasn't sure if she wanted another 
tour with Mihoshi.
	"Washu, were there any unusual properties about those gravity waves?" Misaki asked.
	"Well, there was one curious property: their signature strengths were graduated, not 
quite the abrupt generation you normally see with singularities.  Almost muted, both at 
origination and termination."
	"Oh, like a door opening and closing?" Mihoshi suggested casually.
	Washu stared at her open-mouthed.  "Damn, why didn't I think of that!?!  Mihoshi, you 
do have your moments."  With a gesture Washu summoned her shadow keyboard and began typing 
furiously.
	"I do?  What did I say?"  She looked from Kiyone's confused expression to Funaho's 
gentle grin and back to Washu.
	"Hot damn," Washu muttered through a smug smile.  "Those *are* dimensional doorways, 
all right.  But, extremely large doorways."
	"How large?" Funaho asked.
	"Big enough to pass a battleship through," Washu replied.  Achika burped audibly, and 
Misaki laughed.  
	"You said it, Little One," Funaho smiled. Then she was lost in thought for a while, 
and the others kept quiet to let her ruminate.  "You realize, of course, that this could be 
interpreted as a possible precursor to invasion?"
	"Yes," Misaki replied.  "We should probably inform Azusa."
	Funaho nodded in agreement.  "But he'd demand confirmation, and rightly so, which 
would take time.  I think there are some precautions we should start now.  Where's Tenchi?"
	"I sent to him Earth for a visit, to spend some time with his family," Washu replied. 
 Funaho gave her an appraising look, and Washu returned a subtle, seemingly-casual gesture 
with her fingers.  Funaho's reaction was nearly imperceptible, but Washu saw it -- and knew 
that Funaho had correctly interpreted her private communication.  "It's his father's 
birthday."
	"Ah," Funaho replied softly, nodding.  "Actually, that might be to our benefit.  
Yosho should be appraised of the situation."  She looked across the table at Mihoshi and 
Kiyone.  "Mihoshi, what's your schedule look like?"
	"You've got me booked-up pretty solid for the next three weeks, Lady Funaho.  That's 
why I didn't go with Tenchi."
	"I'm clearing your schedule, effective immediately.  I think you need a vacation, and 
you should spend it with your husband."
	Mihoshi beamed.  "I like it already."
	"This way you can also deliver a diplomatic packet to Yosho without attracting undue 
attention.  How soon can you leave?"
	"As soon as Yukinojo is replenished.  Six hours at the most."
	"Very good.  Start packing.  I'll see to your schedule, and call the GP Sector office 
and get Detective Kiyone assigned to us for a while.  There will be a diplomatic pouch 
delivered to your ship before lift-off, but it will be done discreetly.  Ladies, I have a bad 
feeling about this.  Leave quietly, but make haste.  I want Tenchi back here as soon as 
possible."  She stood, effectively bringing all conversation to an end.
	Mihoshi and Kiyone leaped to their feet, saluted, and bowed.  Misaki gently passed 
Achika back to Washu and followed Funaho out of the common area.

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

	Ryoko stared out the portal, watching the stars pass.  They weren't the diamond-hard 
lights of realspace, but the fuzzy lanterns of psuedospace.  They had been traveling for 
nearly five days, now, though sometimes it seemed much longer.  When Washu had first 
suggested this trip, visions of a second honeymoon had flashed through her head, and she had 
even laughed with Ayeka about it.
	Until Washu told them the real reason: "Tenchi is starting to metamorphize again."  
Ryoko had cursed, and Ayeka had paled.  "He doesn't know it yet.  He's resisting the change, 
and this environment is adding to his stress."
	"What's wrong with this environment?" Ayeka had asked.
	"Those pointless errands your father keeps sending him on, and the long hours he 
spends at the university and studying.  The only time he really unwinds is with us, and I'm 
afraid he needs a few days to relax and let this phase occur.  Sadly, there is another 
element, as well."
	"And what's that?" Ryoko had asked.
	"At this point, it would not do him any good to go through another change where all 
the palace spies and spooks can witness the whole thing.  God alone knows how it will be used 
against him, but you can be sure it will.  Azusa would probably be first in line to exploit 
his circumstances."
	"I'm afraid I have to concur with that," Ayeka said.  She loved her father, but her 
husband came first.  Period.  "How serious is this phase liable to be?"
	"I have no idea.  I couldn't even predict the first one.  Tsunami says this phase 
won't be nearly as critical as the other one was, but she agrees that he should be isolated 
for a while.  I know he'd like to see his father and stepmother again, and he hasn't been 
back to Earth since their wedding.  Maybe sleeping in his old room will calm him down enough 
to let the process run its course."
	"Just what have you told him?" Ryoko asked.
	"Nothing.  I merely suggested that since he's on semester break, this might be a good 
time to visit Earth."
	Ryoko and Ayeka had looked at one another and nodded.  They had sworn to protect 
their husband, no matter what.
	So Ryoko spent the long days watching, either outwards at the changing 
constellations, or inwards at her semi-comatose husband.  And drinking lots of tea (good 
thing she was going back to Earth -- her supply of sake had been depleted and her cache of 
Bavidian Brandy was nearly gone; time to hit the Okayama liqueur stores).  
	Ayeka joined her at the window.  She had brought along her needlework on this trip, 
and had spent many of the hours silently flipping her needles in rhythmic patterns.  Ryoko 
approved, if for no other reason than that it reduced conversations to a minimum.  (Her 
missions with Mihoshi, though often of similar duration, were always so busy that there was 
never time to sit around and twiddle their thumbs.  Always plans to make on the trip out, and 
reports to write on the trip back.)  "I never get tired of the view, particularly when 
passing near the nebulae."
	Ryoko nodded.  "It can get a little boring sometimes."
	"I guess I haven't traveled enough, then."  She poured a cup of tea and offered it to 
Ryoko, who accepted it.  She poured herself a cup.
	"I'm worried about Tenchi.  He's sleeping too much and too fitfully."  Both women 
turned to look at the man draped across the futon.  Blankets had been twisted and tossed so 
many ways that they were a chaotic jumble.  Even across Ryo-ohki's Command Deck, they could 
see him sweating heavily.
	Ayeka shrugged.  "We have to trust Washu's advice on this.  I must admit, I was 
reluctant to come along, as I haven't been feeling well lately.  But I also sense that 
something bad is about to happen, and I wanted to be near Tenchi."
	Ryoko looked at her with a raised eyebrow.  "Oh?"
	"Sasami has been having more precognitive dreams lately, and I've had my own 
premonitions."
	"Is that what has been making you ill?"
	"No.  I'm pregnant."
	"Really?" Ryoko gasped, grinning.  "That's wonderful!  Boy or girl?"
	"Boy."
	"Wow.  Does Tenchi know?"
	"No, I was informed just prior to departure."
	"Uh, shouldn't you be telling Tenchi before anyone else?"
	Ayeka slowly stirred her tea.  "I remember asking Funaho once how she was able to 
accept my mother into her marriage.  She replied that, once they had settled upon a working 
relationship, the two women became close friends.  I was skeptical at the time, but I have 
since learned to appreciate that statement.  Ryoko, even when we were rivals for Tenchi's 
affections, we still had much in common.  I really didn't like you back then, but I did 
respect you.  We have been through a great deal together since, and now that we are 'Sisters 
of the Serail,' I must admit that you are my closest friend.  I feel that you will keep my 
confidences, as I will keep yours."
	Ryoko was clearly touched.  "Thank you, Ayeka.  I never had a friend before meeting 
you, other than Ryo-ohki.  I'm just glad that things worked out the way they did."
	"Of course, having said all that, don't think I'm willing to relinquish even one 
minute of my time with Tenchi."  She grinned and raised her cup in salute.
	Ryoko returned both grin and salute.  "Absolutely.  I wouldn't have it any other 
way."
	"How soon to the Sol system?"
	"Three hours 'till we drop into realspace, another nine to cross the distance to 
Earth."
	"Good."
	Tenchi stirred in his sleep, drawing worried glances from his wives.

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

	"No offense, Darling, but you look like hell," Ryoko said.
	"Yes, Beloved, if you open your eyes any wider you'll bleed to death," Ayeka said.
	Tenchi shrugged.  "If you think the outside is bad, you should try the inside.  I 
feel exhausted."  Tenchi sat on the deck next to the main portal, watching the blue crescent 
of Earth growing with proximity.  They would be in Japanese airspace in less than an hour, 
and he needed to be awake and ready.  He looked again at the pile of blankets on his futon 
and cringed.  "I must have been running laps in my sleep."
	"With that enhanced speed of yours, you were bruising our legs," Ayeka replied.  "We 
moved our futons over there."
	"I'm sorry," he answered sheepishly.  "I didn't think my Power would manifest while 
I'm asleep."
	"This is the first time I've seen it happen," Ryoko said.  Ayeka nodded in agreement. 
	"The dreams are getting longer and more intense," Tenchi explained.  "Maybe I should 
take some kind of tranquilizer."
	"If Washu thought that would help, I'm sure she would have given you one by now," 
Ayeka replied.  "I'm as confident as she is that it's all just stress-related.  This vacation 
will do you some good."
	"And that means it will do us all some good," Ryoko added.  "In fact, I'm looking 
forward to a little shopping.  You wanna tag along, Ayeka?"
	"Absolutely."
	"Now, be a good boy and get showered and dressed, will you?  You've only got about 30 
minutes."

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

	The courier 'bot had arrived three days earlier, announcing the scheduled arrival of 
Ryo-ohki.  It had been just one of several shuttles slipping unseen through the overlapping 
radar nets of the numerous Terran governments.  Most of the denizens of Planet Earth were 
completely ignorant of the Galaxy Academy's science station nestled quietly above the Masaki 
Shrine in the mountains of Okayama Prefecture.  Some of the Juraians present were monitoring 
the Terrans and their cultures, descendents of Juraian colonists thousands of years in the 
past; some were laboring over the Royal Tree that was semi-rooted in a pond below the Shrine; 
others were simply transients moving personnel and cargo in and out of the station.  There 
was a steady (though discreet) amount of traffic up and down the mountainside, but it 
studiously avoided the Shrine itself and the Masaki family residence.  Everyone on-site knew 
who lived at the Shrine and the residence; there was modest interaction between the two 
groups, but it was kept to a minimum. 
	Crown Prince Yosho Jurai liked it that way.  He had lived on the mountain for seven 
centuries, and he didn't like seeing it's natural rhythms disturbed.  He divided his time 
between attending to his duties as the local Shinto priest, and keeping an eye on the 
galactics.  He had long since resumed the aged facade of Katsuhito Masaki, primarily for the 
benefit of the locals, but the extraterrestrials saw right through it.  He was still young 
and healthy, a master swordsman, and heir to the throne of the Juraian Empire.  He was held 
in high regard.
	Nobuyuki Masaki, Terran son-in-law of the Crown Prince, lead a much more mundane 
existence.  His time was spent between the architectural firm he worked at, and being with 
his new family.  His first wife had died many years earlier, and he had raised his son under 
the watchful eye of his father-in-law.  It had seemed an isolated life for the young Tenchi, 
and might have remained that way had unusual circumstances not intervened...circumstances 
like Ryoko, and Ayeka, and Sasami, etc.  Nobuyuki had been forced to deal with a new reality, 
and did so reasonably successfully.  When his son had finally gotten married and moved out on 
his own (albeit hundreds of lightyears away!), Nobuyuki had resigned himself to returning to 
a quiet and monotonous existence.  Then he'd met the widow Airi, and their whirlwind 
courtship, and the wedding, and the mini-invasion of Juraian researchers, and...well, it was 
fortunate that he had learned how to live with uncertainty.
	Airi Masaki brought her children, 6-year-old son Ken'ichi and four-year-old daughter 
Kiyoko, to the mountain expecting a peaceful, rural lifestyle.  Her future husband had 
described the place as rather idyllic, and her frequent weekends had seemed to justify the 
label.  Of course, that was *before* the full import of the family's little secret had been 
revealed to her.  She had learned to be flexible after the death of her first husband, and it 
had proved good training for the subsequent turn of events.  Every morning she walked into 
the living room and faced the portrait of her stepson and his *wives*, and the knowledge that 
they possessed talents and skills that were totally beyond her experience.  Not so for her 
kids; having been raised in the Age of Anime, they accepted it all with equanimity.  They 
never tired of Grandpa's stories about Tenchi and the girls and their adventures.  Their 
biggest single regret was being sworn to silence (and even they could see that no one would 
believe such tales anyway).  They leaped for joy when they heard that Ryo-ohki was inbound.
	And so it was a small group who waited on the dock outside the house, watching 
Ryo-ohki drifting silently from the sky in the early morning sunshine: Yosho, Nobuyuki, Airi, 
Ken'ichi, Kiyoko, and a small delegation from the science station.  The bioship hovered above 
the lake, and three figures shivered into existence as Ryoko teleported Tenchi and Ayeka onto 
the dock.
	There was a solemn moment where the two groups exchanged bows, and then all of the 
Masaki family members broke out laughing and smiling.  Tenchi stepped forward and embraced 
his father and grandfather affectionately.  Ayeka received hugs from the kids, who then 
leaped at Ryoko with wild abandon.  Ayeka embraced Airi, the two women having long since 
recognized kindred spirits in each other.  "Hey, how are the best kids on this planet, eh?" 
Ryoko exclaimed, setting one on each of her shoulders.  There followed a flurry of chatter 
and gossip and teasing, while Tenchi and Yosho approached the waiting station personnel.
	As a group, they bowed formally to the future rulers of the Empire.
	Yosho and Tenchi returned their bows, and then there was a round of introductions, 
and small talk, and an invitation for Tenchi to visit their facilities.  Tenchi promised he 
would, there was more polite conversation, and then the Academy personnel beat a quiet but 
hasty retreat.
	Ryo-ohki emitted a loud "Miya!" and Ryoko slapped her forehead theatrically.  "Sorry 
kids," she apologized, setting them on the dock, "but I've gotta get the luggage before I do 
anything else.  I'll be right back!"  And with that, she levitated into the air and vanished.  
She appeared moments later carrying an assortment of suitcases and boxes.  Ryo-ohki chittered, 
and then began the shrinking/compressing action that she used to revert to her quadruped form.  
She had no sooner landed on the dock before being scooped-up by Kiyoko, who produced a carrot 
from a pocket and dangled it under the cabbit's nose.  Ryo-ohki "Miya'd" appreciatively.
	"It's good to be back in Okayama," Tenchi said, returning to his family.  "Springtime 
in the mountains...."
	"You look rather worn-out, Son," Nobuyuki replied.  "Don't tell me they're turning 
you into a Salaryman out there!"
	"You're closer to the truth than you know, Dad.  In fact, Washu was very specific 
about getting some rest while I'm here."
	"Well, your old room is ready for you, though I wasn't really planning on *three* of 
you sleeping there..."
	"Not a problem!" Ryoko said, grinning wickedly.  "We've found a way to 'stack-up' 
vertically!"
	"Oh, Ryoko..." Ayeka sighed.
	"That's my son!" Nobuyuki beamed.  Tenchi was too tired to blush.

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

	"That didn't take long," Ryoko said, materializing in the dining room.
	"So quickly....maybe he is finally relaxing," Ayeka replied.
	"I no sooner threw a blanket over him than he was snoring.  I left Ryo-ohki with 
him."  Ryoko sat next to Ayeka at the table.
	"Well, the snoring is a good sign."
	"What is going on, Little Sister?" Yosho asked.  He nodded to Airi, who was 
distributing cups of steaming tea. 
	"Is something wrong with my son?" Nobuyuki asked.
	"Er, we really aren't supposed to say anything...." Ryoko began.
	"Washu thinks he's about to enter another 'change.'  He's been under such a lot of 
stress, lately, that he's resisting the process.  He has not slept well in two or three 
weeks.  She thought a few days here would relax him enough to allow the process to begin."
	"A 'change?'" Airi asked.  "Into what?"
	Yosho explained briefly about Tenchi's Power Attributes, and their incremental 
expansions.
	There was an awkward silence for a moment, before Nobuyuki cleared his throat.  "So, 
how is that little grand-daughter of mine?"
	"Growing like a weed," Ryoko grinned.
	"Yes, her hair is turning the same shade of red as Washu's, though she has Tenchi's 
eyes," Ayeka added.
	"What other attributes has she inherited from her father?" Yosho asked.
	"Washu says it's too early to tell for sure, but the indications are promising," 
Ayeka answered.  "Sasami hasn't started manifesting her Power Attributes yet, but it should 
happen in the next couple of years.  There's no reason to assume Achika won't follow the same 
pattern."
	"How is Sasami?" Airi asked.
	"Taller," Ryoko replied.  "And playing more practical jokes than ever.  Although of 
late she has been targeting her tutors, rather than us."
	"I like what you've done to your hair," Airi said to Ayeka.
	"This is my natural color," Ayeka said, lifting one of her azure-colored ponytails.  
"It looks more like my mother's and Sasami's now.  I grew tired of the darker tint some 
months ago."
	"Does Tenchi like it?"  Ayeka nodded, smiling.  Airi turned to Ryoko.  "And how about 
you, Dear?  How are you doing?"
	"I'm doing quite well," Ryoko replied.  "Never better, in fact.  I have a husband, 
and a family, and a home, and a career.  I couldn't ask for anything more."  She looked 
sidelong at Ayeka, who returned the glance.  Yosho noticed the exchange.
	"Are you sure it's not too sedate a lifestyle for you?" he asked.
	"Your mother keeps me from getting bored.  She sends me out on assignments with 
Mihoshi, and those are anything but dull.  Guarding Tenchi on his various errands is almost a 
relief."
	"And Affairs of State keep me occupied," Ayeka said.  "Since Tenchi is often away 
from the capitol, I stand-in for him at Council meetings and Parliamentary sessions.  I never 
really realized just how full my father's calendar is."  She sipped her tea, looking at her 
older brother.  "Tell me, Yosho, when will Funaho be ready to fly?"
	"Not for another 18 months at least.  The botanists say that there has been 
tremendous progress, but the process cannot be rushed.  So, I remain here for the foreseeable 
future.  But I trust you're doing an admirable job filling my seat at all those meetings.  
You always did appreciate them more than I."
	Ayeka nodded, confirming the statement.
	"So: what's on today's agenda?" Ryoko asked.
	"Well, I took a couple of days of vacation, once I knew you were coming.  We thought 
we'd leave it up to you kids to decide," Nobuyuki replied.  "Was there something special you 
had in mind?"
	Ryoko and an Ayeka exchanged grins, and said in unison: "Shopping!"
	"What about Tenchi?" Airi asked.
	Ryoko shrugged.  "He'll sleep for several hours, and he won't need us hovering over 
him the whole time."
	"And we did inform him of our intentions on the voyage here," Ayeka added.  "If he 
wakes up early, he can spend his time just walking about and resetting his biorhythms.  It 
will do him some good."
	"Are you coming with us, Airi?"
	"Go ahead, Dear," Nobuyuki said.  "I'll watch the little ones."
	"Well..." Airi paused, considering.  "Ok."  A big smile spread across her face.

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

	The GP Cruiser Yukinojo slipped into psuedospace after receiving its clearance from 
the Juraian Space Traffic Control Authority.  With five days of confinement to look forward 
to, the two passengers addressed the lists of unpacking and maintenance tasks that awaited 
them.
	Kiyone looked around Mihoshi's cabin in amazement.  "Mihoshi -- this is so clean!  
Not like your quarters on the old Yagami."
	Mihoshi giggled.  "Yes, Tenchi showed me how to organize the clutter, and then made 
me promise to clean it once a week."
	Kiyone grinned and shook her head.  She sat on Mihoshi's bed and looked at the 
graphic mounted on the opposite bulkhead.  Tenchi and Mihoshi, shoulder-to-shoulder, smiling 
to each other as much as to the photographer.  "I envy you, Mihoshi.  He's quite a catch."
	"Thanks, Kiyone.  I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't met him."  She sat 
next to her friend and partner, staring at the photograph with her clear, blue eyes.  "It was 
pretty tough after you disappeared.  I went into a long slump; I had a string of partners, 
and cases, which all ended disastrously.  No matter how hard I tried to stay positive about 
it, everything kept going wrong.  I got a terrible reputation.  All sorts of comments were 
whispered behind my back, just nasty things.  It was awful."
	"What were they saying?"
	"They called me the 'Luck Vampire,' that I always solved my cases by siphoning all 
the luck from my partner, that my career was made at my partner's expense."  She looked 
sidelong at Kiyone, and Kiyone realized she had often made similar comments herself.  She 
swallowed silently.  "They called me 'Bubblehead' and said that if I let my hair down, I'd 
lose my memory.  That the only reason I was allowed to stay in the GP was because of my 
grandfather.  Stupid, spiteful things like that.  I was convinced I was jinxed.  Even Kagato 
had heard the rumors, damn him."  She drifted into silence.
	"Then what happened?" Kiyone prompted.
	"I finally hit rock-bottom when Yukinojo ejected me to keep me from being pulled into 
a subspace pocket that I had blithely ignored...and I was rescued by a 17-year-old boy."  She 
nodded at the photograph.  "Little did I know at that moment that I had been saved by the one 
person in the galaxy so powerful that he couldn't be harmed by my 'talents.'  It didn't take 
very long to fall for him like a ton of bricks."  She sighed, smiling at her memories.  "The 
competition for him was pretty stiff: Ryoko and Ayeka were so possessive of him that they 
literally fought for his attention (the house was repaired any number of times).  And there 
was always Washu in the background, and Sasami..." She stood up, walking over to touch the 
portrait.  "I didn't think he noticed me.  Or cared.  The happiest day of my life was when he 
proposed to us.  He started with Ryoko, and then Ayeka, and then Sasami....and I was thinking 
the whole time that I would be left out, that I should probably go pack.  And then he asked 
*me*, too!  God, I was so excited I almost wet my pants."  She giggled, and Kiyone grinned.  
"I haven't had a bad day since."
	"So, just what have you been doing?"
	"Lady Funaho got me attached to her security office.  She sends me and Ryoko out on 
intelligence-gathering missions, or fleet security evaluations.  Pretty exciting stuff, 
really.  I go in the front door in my usual spectacular fashion, while Ryoko sneaks in the 
back door.  Some of our missions get pretty wild.  We even took Tenchi along once, although 
Ayeka got really angry when she found out."  Mihoshi fiddled idly with her wedding ring.  
"The question now is, what are *you* going to do?  I doubt that you want to be stuck with me 
again, so between Lady Funaho and I we can probably get you posted anywhere you want to go."
	"I honestly don't know, Mihoshi.  I feel so out of place now.  That three-year-long 
bite out of my career may be terminal.  I haven't aged a day, but the general feeling seems 
to be that I've been on the shelf, getting rusty and lax.  I really love the GP...but maybe I 
should consider other options."
	"Well, let me know what you want to do.  I'll help any way that I can."
	"Thanks, Mihoshi."

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

	The Juraian Admiralty had been warned about possible dimensional doorways appearing 
suddenly, but nobody expected one to appear in the central star system.  Approximately four 
million miles from the system primary, out between the orbits of the fourth and fifth 
planets, a massive ring shimmered into existence.  Its arrival was announced by gravity waves 
and photon spillage, and a squadron of cruisers and destroyers was immediately dispatched to 
investigate...and to intercept whatever might emerge.
	Like most such doorways, it was black and completely featureless, other than the 
faint glow of its verge.  No background stars were visible through the portal, and 
orientation of the doorway meant nothing without knowing the point of origin.  It hung silent 
and menacing for nearly two hours before the first vessel appeared.  The starship was a 
lumpy, ungainly-looking structure, covered with the abundant sensors and weapons' blisters 
that denoted a combat vessel.  It was small, and easily matched by the Juraian reception 
committee.  It made no overt actions, just advanced slowly away from the doorway for a 
thousand klicks and stopped.  It sat quietly and waited, which gave the Home Fleet a chance 
to identify it.
	"It's a K'vimm corvette," Captain Shalareron reported to Emperor Azusa.  The captain 
was Azusa's current naval attaché, wearing the shoulder cords of his office, and presently 
walking a respectful distance behind the Emperor as he strode across the Palace grounds.  
Empress Misaki kept pace with her husband, occasionally glancing at his profile in an attempt 
to discern his mood.  Azusa was seldom a jolly man, and when distracted or engulfed by 
events, he cloaked himself in an unreadable dour facade.  Today was no exception.
	"Who are the K'vimm?" Azusa growled.
	"One of the three dominant species in the galactic arm east of us, Your Majesty.  
They are considered insectoid, with a history of random and aggressive behavior.  They rarely 
venture beyond their borders without good cause."
	"So what brings them this far into Jurai space?"
	"Unknown, Your Majesty.  The corvette appears to be waiting for some action to take 
place, possibly a similar gesture on our part."
	Azusa led them to the airfield, where his security guard was waiting for him: seven 
troopers decked-out in battle armour and assault rifles, and a similarly-equipped officer.  
The officer saluted smartly upon their approach.  Misaki had summoned them, knowing that her 
husband would soon transport himself to his Royal Tree, knowing she would be sent to her own 
vessel.  Protocol (and common sense) demanded that he have an escort.  
	"Well, why don't you proceed with this 'gesture' then?"
	"We were waiting for your permission, Your Majesty.  Standing orders prohibit any 
First Contact scenarios without the express consent of the Monarchy."
	Azusa waved aside the objection.  "Get it done, Captain.  Let's hear what they want."
	"Yes, Your Majesty."  Shalareron produced a personal terminal and began speaking 
quietly into it.  At the same time, the security officer produced a similar device and spoke 
into it.  In seconds, the squad, Shalareron, and the Emperor flickered and vanished.  Misaki 
sighed; she would have preferred to accompany her husband, but she had lost that argument so 
many times it wasn't worth raising any longer.  She produced her own terminal and issued 
instructions.
	There were many elements of the Home Fleet in orbit around Jurai and its moons, but 
the largest and grandest were the Royal Trees.  It was said that the most ancient Trees did 
not grow in rich soils and warm climates, but struggled mightily in harsh soils and high 
altitudes, like Brobdinagian bonsai trees.   Thin clear airs and dense ultraviolet radiation 
toughened these leviathans, whose dense resinous woods and meter-thick bark were virtually 
impervious to insects and bacteria.  Crystal structures in their trunks, nurtured and 
accumulated over many millennia, eventually reached a critical mass, and consciousness arose.  
A slow, sonorous form of mind, rich in memory and cognition and power.  They observed the 
frantic creatures living and dying around them with a curious amusement, a perspective 
possible only to an organism whose life span was measured in thousands of years.  Inevitably, 
their own sentience was recognized by one of the fervent, far-ranging species, and 
communication was established.  Dialogs 	yielded to discourse and eventually to deals, 
and one of the ancient ones then bonded with a leader among the humans.  Each submitted to 
genetic manipulation, and a symbiosis was formed.  For the tree, whose bark was already 
highly radiation- and temperature-resistant, adaptation to the vacuum of space was easy; its 
leaves and roots were reengineered to seek nourishment in the harsher environment; it learned 
to become ambulatory and, eventually, to sail across the sea of stars.  The human's basic 
physiology was modified to accept energy from the tree, extending his lifespan considerably 
(a must when dealing with the long-lived trees).  Emperor Ashisato of Jurai had christened 
his tree Tsunami, and the asexual tree accepted the feminine endowment gracefully while 
bestowing gifts of knowledge in return.  So successful was the pattern that it was bred into 
the offspring of each symbiont, replicating down the generations as successive pairings 
continued, inevitably wrapping the arrangement in ceremonies and traditions.  
	However, in time a flaw was discovered: unlike the humans, descending generations of 
Trees experienced a loss in their ability to manipulate Power.  The first-generation Trees 
contained only a fraction of Tsunami's attributes, the second-generation trees manifested 
even less.  By the third and fourth generations, their abilities were almost nonexistent.  
Dilution and dissipation of some critical quality had occurred.  Both species were deeply 
disappointed, and so the nature of the linkage was wrapped in secrecy, and public perceptions 
were altered.  In the end, first-generation Trees were paired to members of the Royal Family, 
second-generation Trees partnered with ranking nobility, and third-generation and 
fourth-generation Trees were parsed to various Juraian fleets, to be used as flagships and 
diplomatic couriers.  There were less than a hundred of them.  The fifth generation were even 
now growing in the Imperial Arboretum, but expectations were not high.  (The Navy, however, 
relished the prospect of more 	Trees for its fleets -- they were still formidable by normal 
standards, and vastly preferable to traditional steel-hulled vessels.)
	The Corral was a Lagrangian Point of gravitational balance between the planet and its 
moons.  This was the gathering place of the Royal Trees, feeding on sunlight and patiently 
waiting for interesting events to unfold among the humans.  Three of the five 
first-generation trees were floating quietly in The Corral: the largest and most powerful 
being Kirito, whose latest companion (of only 800 years) was the Emperor.  She was 
accompanied by her peers: Empress Funaho's companion Mizuho and Empress Misaki's companion 
Kajin (each also bonded less than 1000 years).  The other two first-generation Trees were 
many light-years away: Yosho's companion Funaho was still on Earth, and Yuubu and her 
companion Fleet Admiral Kasumi Jurai were stationed on the frontier.  Of the dozen 
second-generation Trees, only Ayeka's companion Ryu-oh was present (she was regenerating, 
having been critically damaged on her last voyage to Earth).  The Sentinels -- five 
third-generation and five fourth-generation Trees -- floated nearby.
	The grandest of the Royal Trees was Kirito, The Heavens Tree, the Flying Palace.  The 
vessel was immense, and was large enough to carry hundreds of passengers in luxury, hundreds 
of servants to pamper the guests, and hundreds of crew to attend to the ship's needs.  Azusa 
schemed to spend as much time aboard as he could finagle, commanding in regal isolation from 
his elevated throne.  The view out the immense portals was spectacular, and he could see the 
Trees moving into formation with Kirito -- except Mizuho and Ryu-oh.  He tossed the obvious 
question to the crowd of courtiers at the bottom of the steps.  Once again, Shalareron 
answered.  "Empress Funaho is looking into reports of other doorways appearing throughout the 
Empire, and will not be joining us.  Princess Ayeka is presently on Earth with Prince 
Tenchi."  Left unspoken was the simple fact that neither Tree would budge from The Corral 
without her companion aboard.  Only one Royal Tree had the inclination to act independently, 
and did so frequently.
  	As if reading his mind, Shalareron added, "Tsunami's location is unknown, although 
Princess Sasami may have knowledge of her whereabouts."
	Azusa grumbled, but maintained his composure.  "Very well, set a course for the 
dimensional doorway.  Let's meet this K'vimm representative."
	Kirito ponderously rumbled to life, her gravimetric 'legs' propelling her out of The 
Corral and into interplanetary space.  Kajin paced the flagship as the Sentinels formed a 
ring around them, and an escort of heavy cruisers and destroyers broke orbit from the 
Imperial Naval base on the outer moon.

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

	"Dinner time?  Geez, I didn't mean to sleep the whole day away."   
	"Well, look who's awake!" Nobuyuki exclaimed.
	Tenchi stood in the doorway, yawning.  The bags under his eyes had dwindled, and his 
gaze appeared alert.  "Yeah, I really needed that nap.  I feel much better."
	Ayeka and Ryoko swapped relieved smiles.  They made room for him at the table, in his 
old seat between them.
	"I'm glad to see you up and around," Airi began, setting a place for him.
	"This is excellent," Ayeka said.  "Here, Tenchi, try a little of this."
	Tenchi did, and nodded appreciatively.  "She's right, Airi.  This taste's great."
	"Thank you," Airi said, smiling.
	"You look refreshed, Beloved," Ayeka said.
	"Actually, I feel pretty good.  Restless, in fact."
	"Tenchi, have you continued to practice?" Yosho asked.
	Tenchi nodded.  "I'm afraid your sensei had passed away during your absence, but his 
oldest daughter has assumed his position as head of the school.  Ryoko and I have been 
studying with her."
	"I'm guess we've been something of a challenge for her," Ryoko added.  "Still, she is 
one creative lady, and a terrific teacher."
	"Grandpa has started teaching me the sword, too!" Ken'ichi exclaimed.  "He said you 
were my age when you started learning."
	"That's right, I was."  Tenchi stopped eating for a moment, recalling memories.  "You 
should pay close attention to what he says, because there is no better teacher anywhere."
	"I don't see much practical use for it," Airi said quietly.
	"Aw, Mom, it's fun.  And it's great exercise."
	"It is impossible to foresee the future accurately," Yosho said.  "Such skills may 
prove very useful in due time."
	"Maybe I could go to Jurai with Tenchi!"
	"Maybe."  Tenchi saw the look on his mother's face.  "But that kind of decision is 
many years in the future.  It will depend on a lot of things, including how well you do in 
school."
	Before Ken'ichi could persue the thread any further, Yosho added: "All this talk of 
swordplay.  Perhaps you'd like to visit the practice area after dinner, and show an old man 
what you've learned."
	Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka laughed, both at the 'old man' reference, and at more 
unbidden memories.
	"Sure, Grandpa, I'd love to."
	"Count me in," Ryoko said.

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

	Misaki sat in her command chair, brooding.  Her staff recognized her pensive mood and 
found excuses to be elsewhere, so she had the Bridge of Kajin to herself.  She watched Kirito 
sailing majestically alongside, her many lights both festive and harsh.
	Which rather matched her husband's personality, she decided.
	There was distance growing between the principles of the Imperial Family, and had 
been for a long time.  The intimacy between Azusa and his wives had been allowed to wither 
over time.  The fire of their early years, their unified sense of purpose, appeared to have 
cooled and gone out.  She slept alone most of the time, as Azusa's visits became rarer...a 
condition also shared by Funaho.  And Misaki had to face the fact that Azusa rarely slept 
alone (Funaho's operatives had more than enough evidence of his promiscuity -- and they were 
very efficient in dealing with any 'loose ends').  The truth hurt, but not as much as she 
thought it might.
	She loved her husband, but she was no longer in love with him.
	She had considered playing the same games he did, seeking comfort in the arms of 
paramours, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it.  Her loyalty ran too deep.  She had 
confided her fears to Funaho, who had voiced similar sentiments.  They had taken oaths and 
would stand by them.  But neither had the answer to the root question: how do you keep the 
romance alive in a marriage measured in centuries?  Others had found the means (her own 
parents, for instance), so what had fractured their own union?  She didn't think it had 
anything to do with its polygamous structure, but she couldn't prove it.  The only thing she 
knew for certain was that she was increasingly lonely, and did not relish the thought of 
facing the coming centuries in an empty bed.  Neither divorce nor perfidy were acceptable, 
since the scandal would bring shame upon their House, but the current situation was becoming 
equally unacceptable.
	Funaho had found an avenue of escape in her duties, an option not open to Misaki.  As 
head of the Royal Bodyguard, Misaki faced her husband on a daily basis.  So she would have to 
seek another venue.  There had been a time when she had lavished her attentions and 
affections upon her daughters.  But now those same daughters were becoming independent and 
distant, as children inevitably do.  She had experienced severe misgivings when Ayeka had 
married into Tenchi's growing household, but her daughter's happiness was plainly evident.  
And Sasami remained fervently focused upon joining her older sister.  She wondered idly if 
Tenchi would one day succumb to the temptations that had corrupted Azusa, and leave her 
Little Girls sad and abandoned as well.  But that scenario just didn't fit -- Tenchi was not 
flamboyant and prevaricating, but stalwart and dependable.  Perhaps Azusa perceived the 
dichotomy as well, and added that to his list of reasons to resent his great-grandson.
	For the foreseeable future, at least, House Jurai would not know peace.

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

	Azusa, too, was contemplating his great-grandson.
	The boy's popularity was growing by leaps and bounds, and his Power Attributes were 
growing beyond 'formidable' to 'legendary.'  Accession to the throne was determined by 
fitness -- the strongest ruled.  He had wrested the crown from his father, as his father had 
before him, and his father.  That his own son was too weak to make the attempt was galling; 
that none of his children was really strong enough to face him was a painful disappointment.  
He had heard that his grand-daughter had possessed spirit and strength, and he  regretted the 
lost opportunity.  But as to his great-grandson....
	Tenchi could vanquish him at any time.  Courage and spirit and Power in abundance -- 
and the boy simply dismissed the opportunity as irrelevant.  Which, in essence, deemed his 
great-grandfather irrelevant.
	Azusa considered himself a warrior of high renown.  To be rejected as unworthy of a 
Challenge was the foulest of insults.  The problem was that the boy was right: he could not 
provide a worthy struggle.  Having been Top Dog for so long, being overshadowed so *easily* 
was humiliating.  It might have been more tolerable if the boy affected an arrogant and 
swaggering demeanor -- nobody liked a bully, after all -- but he was polite, sensitive, 
intense....in short, chivalrous.
	The situation placed his own future is doubt.  What action or decision of his would 
convince the boy to issue the Challenge?  When would Tenchi's native ambition get the better 
of him, and push him to seek the crown?  Should Azusa moderate his policies to meet the boy's 
approval, and thus remain on the throne, or throw caution to the winds and rule as he saw 
fit?  The latter option was his first choice, but there still remained many tasks to 
accomplish before being banished into retirement/obscurity.  He had not slept well in two 
years.
	Although sleeping was not always the activity of choice.  He studied the collection 
of beautiful women milling about the chamber.  He had bedded many of them, and would pursue 
the remainder when it suited him.  He allowed a grudging smile to touch his face: he would 
give Tenchi credit in his choice of women.  At least one family trait carried true to form.

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

	Tenchi stood on the deck, wrapped in a bathrobe against the chill autumn breeze, 
looking at the stars but not really seeing them.  The dreams had come again: whether confined 
in a box, or a ball, or an amorphous cage, he was trapped and couldn't get out.  No matter 
how much he shouted and pounded on the walls, he could not get free.  As usual, he awakened 
sweating and gasping.  As quietly as he could, he'd donned his bathrobe, and then slipped out 
to the deck to calm down.  
	Practically every time he slept, the dreams haunted him.  He didn't know how much 
longer this could continue.  
	A pair of feminine hands appeared out of the darkness and wrapped around him, and he 
felt breasts pressed into his back.  He saw shadowy cyan hair out of the corner of his eye, 
and felt a chin sink softly into his shoulder.  "Bad dreams again, huh?" Ryoko asked.
	"Yeah," Tenchi answered.  No use trying to hide the obvious.  "I hope I didn't wake 
you."
	"No," she lied, trying to muffle a yawn.  "I was just checking on you.  It's a habit 
in that bedroom."  There had been a time, once, when she had hovered over him all through the 
night, just watching him sleep, afraid that something might happen to him.
	"Have you talked to Washu about your dreams?"
	"Yes," he replied.  "She doesn't think they're precognitive, but that they reflect 
something I'm worried about.  In fact, she was the one who suggested I come back here for 
Dad's birthday, to take my mind off of the university, and the palace, and my duties."  
Tenchi sighed, absently massaging Ryoko's arms.  "I don't think it's helped much."
	They stood locked together for a while, lost in their own thoughts.
	"Aren't you getting cold out here?" she asked, feeling him shiver.  She, of course, 
was impervious to the temperature.  "Come on, let's go back to bed."
	Tenchi allowed himself to be dragged back into the house, shutting the sliding door 
behind them.  He stood by the bed and removed his bathrobe, standing naked in the starlight 
from the windows.  He gently lifted the covers and climbed in next to Ayeka, trying not to 
disturb her.  She was facing the wall, as naked as he was, with the covers pulled tightly 
around her.  He had just settled onto his pillow when she said quite clearly, "The next time 
you two decide to go out for a moonlight stroll, would you *please* close that door tightly?  
There's a considerable draught."
	"I'm sorry," Tenchi sighed.  Ryoko slipped under the covers on his other side, as 
naked as her husband, while Ayeka rolled over to face them.  He lay on his back and spread 
his arms, as both of his wives snuggled up to his ribs.  He could smell their hair as they 
put their heads on his chest, and he felt each of them drape a leg over his knees.  "Hey, 
watch the extremities," he growled.  They giggled back at him.  "You know, I don't remember 
this bed being so cramped before."
	"I don't think it's cramped," Ayeka replied.
	"Me, neither," Ryoko added.
	"Miya," Ryo-ohki chirped from the foot of the bed.
	Tenchi started chuckling.
	"What's so funny?" Ryoko asked.
	"What I do remember is the first few weeks after you two came here, and how I used to 
lay here and fantasize about you both."
	"You could have done something about it, you know," Ryoko said.
	"Think of all the grief you could have prevented," Ayeka added.
	"Do either of you have any idea how scared of you I was?  I'd never met a Power Adept 
before, let alone *two* Power Adepts, let alone two *beautiful* Power Adepts.  I didn't know 
which one of you was going to kill me first, but I was pretty sure my days were numbered."
	"As a bachelor, anyway," Ryoko replied.  She drew circles around his navel with her 
fingertip.
	"If you're trying to start something," Tenchi warned her, "I should point-out that 
I'm really too tired."
	"As am I," Ayeka added.
	"You both ought to be," Ryoko replied, her grin evident in her voice.
	"If you find that so amusing, perhaps you can explain to the children in the morning 
just exactly why the three of us were making so much noise in here," Ayeka said.
	Tenchi stiffened, and both women felt him blush.  "Oh, geez."
	"No problem," Ryoko replied.  "I'll even wash the sheets, if that will make you feel 
better."
	"Thank you, Ryoko, that is very considerate," Ayeka yawned.  Tenchi merely groaned.
	There was a long silence, broken finally by Tenchi on the verge of falling asleep.  
"I love you ladies."  He got a kiss in return from each of them.
	Ayeka waited for his breathing to deepen into a slow, regular rhythm, before 
whispering, "Well?"
	"Washu was right," Ryoko whispered back.  "It's happening again."
	"Our poor Tenchi."
	"You haven't told him yet, have you?"
	"No, I just couldn't, not with this problem worrying him so much."
	"It might actually help him take his mind off this problem," Ryoko prompted.  "A 
little good news can go a long way."
	"You have a valid point, Ryoko.  I will reconsider the matter."

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

	Ayeka, Ryoko, and Tenchi followed Yosho into the clearing that cradled 'The Holy Tree 
of Masaki Shrine.'  It had changed dramatically over the last two years.  The pond that had 
once sheltered the little isle in its center was only half as deep now.  There were 
weather-proof shelters constructed all along the original waterline, and many sprouted cables 
that snaked into the water like tentacles.  Juraian botanists busied themselves with monitors 
and equipment attached to Funaho's exposed surfaces.  Hoverbarges drifted over portions of 
the pond, with mounted sensors pointing into its depths.  A radio blared from somewhere, 
playing music from one of the popular Tokyo stations.
	Funaho had changed, too.  The tree had once resembled a bristlecone pine, whose roots 
seemed to grip the ground firmly before vanishing into the pond.  Being a young tree, it was 
densely clad with non-terrestrial leaves, sweating sap in the sunshine that filled the air 
with resinous scents.  It had sat long enough that gravity had begun to sculpt its limbs into 
beautiful and distinctive shapes, and youth and vitality had radiated from its corrugated 
skin.  But now its roots were withdrawing from the muck of the ponds' bottom, coiling slowly 
back into the sunlight and the wind.  It's trunk had nearly tripled in diameter, and it's 
canopy was slowly shrinking and condensing, giving the tree a passing resemblance to a Sea 
Anemone.  A complex pattern could be discerned by correlating limbs and roots, as the tree 
metamorphosed slowly back to its original shape.
	Ryo-ohki had inflicted severe combat damage upon Funaho, who had been forced to 
revert to a more-primitive state to seek sustenance from the soil.  Consequently, the tree 
had been dormant for seven centuries, finally rising to a lethargic wakened state with the 
revival of Ryo-ohki and the appearance of Ryu-oh.  Now, Funaho was fully awake and aware, and 
eagerly co-operating with the team of scientists restoring it to full functionality.
	Funaho was typical of Royal Trees: for the bulk of her juvenile years, she had 
maintained the standard configuration (i.e., "ground-bound and roots-down").  But as she 
matured she began rousing from semi-dormancy and started communicating with her far-flung 
siblings.  At that point the botanists of the Imperial Arboretum had begun the process of 
preparing her for a life in space.  Her unit had been placed in a zero-gravity chamber and 
continually sprayed with nutrient baths and DNA-modifiers.  Her outer skin had began to seal 
itself while her limb structure began shifting and reshaping in random directions (no two 
Trees looked alike, even in their advanced configuration).  As the outer shell solidified, 
organic-based equivalents of gravitic drives, weapons blisters, sensor arrays, and 
jump-drives were grafted onto her at strategic points.  These were incorporated into her 
internal network of crystals and capillary systems.  A residential module for the human crew 
was attached to the spreading skin, and also integrated into the Tree's 'wiring'.  The 
habitat was usually just big enough for a handful of humans: little more than the Bridge and 
living quarters (except Kirito).  The Tree provided everything else.  Where Funaho was 
atypical of other Royal Trees was in her size and Power manifestations.  As a 
first-generation Tree she was capable of projecting three Lighthawk Wings, and could 
manipulate these in both offensive and defensive dispositions.  Nothing in the Juraian Navy 
could match them for versatility and efficiency.  Later generation Trees were less capable of 
such brute force, but the Navy was happy to have them: self-sustaining, self-repairing, 
wide-ranging, and requiring small crews.  They preferred to bond with individual humans, and 
winning the command of such a vessel (and the cooperation of the Tree herself) was considered 
the ultimate goal of every officer in the fleet.  To the knowledge of the Admiralty, and the 
reassurance of the Galaxy police, there was simply nothing like them anywhere in the galaxy.  
The Jewels of the Juraian Crown.
	The botanists nursing the invalid Funaho were duplicating her original maturation 
process....to a point.  Many of the later adaptations were already in place, so it was more a 
question of healing rather than growing.  She would soon be ready for zero-gravity, and in 
the planning stage was a dome that would completely cover the pond.  Once erected (and 
camouflaged from the locals) she would begin her final resurrection.  She would probably look 
nothing like her original incarnation., and new elements would have to be grafted onto her.  
Funaho was looking forward to it -- as was Yosho, when he cared to admit it.
	Yosho led them onto a railed gantry that had been extended out over the rocks and 
roots.  He walked up to the side of the tree and placed a hand gently on her bark, 
communicating silently through their shared mental link.  Funaho returned the greeting with a 
cascade of coherent beams and trilling notes from the branches above him.  Yosho stood thus 
for a moment, before stepping aside.  
	"Hello, Old Friend," Ayeka said, placing her hand as Yosho had.  She was treated to a 
similar display of lights and sounds, which conveyed a warm welcome to The Companion's 
half-sister.  "You look so different now, it's amazing."
	Ryoko stepped in front of the tree, bowing slightly.  The greeting she received was 
more reserved, polite and respectful.  Even though they had once been enemies, they both knew 
that without Ryoko's gems Yosho would have long-since died, and Funaho would have been 
permanently stranded.  "It's okay, Funaho, I don't expect us to be friends -- but just 
remember: we're on the same side now."  Ryo-ohki chittered similar sentiments from her place 
on Ryoko's shoulder.
	And then Tenchi stepped up to the tree, and the reception he got was nearly blinding. 
 As bright as spotlights, the beams that danced and examined the Crown Prince were 
accompanied by musical tremors of approbation and homage.  Ryoko leaned over and whispered to 
Ayeka, "Geez, he gets that treatment from everybody -- even the plants!"  Ayeka shrugged, and 
whispered back, "That's our Tenchi."
	Tenchi remained still for several moments, apparently communicating with Funaho.  He 
touched the bark-like skin, watching the fleeting shadows cast by the tree's coherent 
flashes.  Then he turned and studied his family.  "What was it like that day on Jurai?  All 
three of you were there."
	They all knew which day he meant.
	"It's been over 700 years, Tenchi," Ryoko replied.  "I don't remember all of the 
details.  I don't really want to -- I was enslaved most of time, and there was so much 
destruction...."
	"I'm not asking you to relive it, just recall it.  Sometimes valuable lessons can be 
learned from such experiences."
	"Nothing valuable can be learned from that," Ryoko responded sullenly, crossing her 
arms and looking away.
	"I disagree, Ryoko," Yosho said quietly.  "If nothing else, consider the military 
implications.  I'm quite sure the Juraian Admiralty did a lot of soul-searching and 
reorganizing afterwards.  That can only make them stronger."
	"Who'd be stupid enough to attack Homeworld?"
	"You'd be surprised.  Peace and prosperity depend upon strength and vigilance; and 
Jurai has many enemies, human and otherwise.  The empire will not last forever."  Yosho 
relaxed against the railing and bowed his head.  "I remember that day vividly, even after 700 
years.  My mother and father were away on a diplomatic mission, and the first- and 
second-generation Royal Trees had accompanied the bulk of Home Fleet on maneuvers.  Primary 
defense rested with the few third- and fourth-generation Trees that comprised the Sentinel 
Squadron.  The Sentinels were considered a sufficient force to deal with any of the expected 
threats -- and Kagato was not on that list.  I was en-route home from the Galaxy Academy 
aboard Funaho when we started receiving reports about an attack on Homeworld.  By the time we 
dropped into realspace, you had damaged or destroyed the Sentinels, as well as the Imperial 
Navy squadron and orbiting fortresses."
	"Yeah, Kagato wouldn't settle for anything less than a first-generation tree.  In 
fact, what he really wanted was Ouke No Ki, the 'First Tree of Jurai'."
	"Tsunami," Ayeka whispered.  
	"Tsunami," Ryoko echoed.  "He was convinced she was housed somewhere on the Palace 
grounds, probably in the Arboretum where the Sentinels were cultivated.  It was after 
eliminating the defense forces that I realized Kagato's intentions, and I tried to run away.  
And that's when Kagato reached out and locked my mind in an iron vise.  He made me leave 
Ryo-ohki and attack the Palace.  I couldn't do anything afterwards but watch, as he casually 
torched whole city blocks just to divert emergency services away from the Palace, and 
summoned demons to attack the Palace Guards.  I was screaming the whole time, but it was his 
laughter that spilled from my lips."
	"I remember running frantically to the airfield," Ayeka said, "summoning Ryu-oh to 
come and get me, so we could defend our home."
	"It wouldn't have done any good, Ayeka," Ryoko whispered.  "Ryu-oh is a 
second-generation tree, and back then she was still immature.  She might have been able to 
hold her own against Ryo-ohki, but I had all three gems.  And you wouldn't have been fighting 
me, you'd have been fighting Kagato."  Ryoko shuddered.
	"I know," Ayeka said, placing a hand on Ryoko's shoulder.  "But I would have tried 
anyway."
	"That's when I finally entered orbit," Yosho added.  "I saw Ryoko heading for the 
Arboretum, so I transported down to confront her while Funaho and Ryo-ohki started dueling."
	"That was really the turning point," Ryoko replied.  "Funaho is a first-generation 
ship, more than Ryo-ohki could handle alone.  Kagato gave-up and I escaped aboard Ryo-ohki."
	"And I persued you," Yosho said.  "All the way here to Earth."
	"The very saddest part of it all is that Tsunami wasn't even on Jurai," Ayeka said.  
"She hasn't touched a planet's surface in millennia.  She was in contact with the saplings in 
the Nursery and the juveniles in the Arboretum, and she directed Sasami's rescue and 
regeneration.  Had she been physically present, she would have intervened directly."
	"And where was Kagato?" Yosho asked.
	"Hiding in Jurai's Oort Cloud, pulling the strings like a master puppeteer.  He had 
every intention of following us, but he got a little distracted by the Imperial Navy just 
then."  Ryoko smiled grimly.  "They chased his ass for a thousand parsecs -- so he was too 
preoccupied to keep track of us."
	"Fortunately."
	"Yeah, but he found us eventually, didn't he?"
	"And that was his final mistake," Tenchi said.  They all turned to look at him, 
having forgotten he was even there.  "This is the first time any of you have discussed this, 
isn't it?"  He received slow nods from them.  "Tell me, doesn't it feel better to get it off 
your chests?"  
	They each looked at him in amazement, realizing the simple truth of the statement.

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

	Yosho entered the Masaki house and removed his sandals.  The morning sun glittered on 
the dew-dappled grass behind him, and the breeze contained invigorating scents and promises.  
Ayeka and Ryoko were just descending the stairs.
	"Good morning, Yosho," Ayeka said.  Ryoko simply nodded.
	Yosho returned the greeting.  "Where is your husband?"
	"Still asleep."  Ayeka chewed her lip nervously, which Yosho couldn't fail to notice.
	"Is there a problem?"
	"Well....yes, there may be.  He did not respond when we tried to wake him.  It is 
unlike him."
	"Should I examine him?"
	"Thank you, Brother, that would be comforting."  Ayeka turned and started back up the 
stairs, followed by Yosho.  Ryoko simply teleported directly to their room.
	Tenchi still occupied the center of the bed, but rather than the loose-jointed 
posture of normal sleep, all his limbs appeared rigid.  Even his brow seemed tense and 
constricted.  Ryoko pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, to keep him warm and cover his 
nakedness.  Ayeka and Yosho entered moments later.
	Yosho sat on the edge of the bed, checking Tenchi's fingers, pupils, rate of 
breathing, and other signs of his condition.  "Ryoko, would you close the blinds, please?  
Ayeka, would you extinguish the lights?"  Once the room had been shuttered, Yosho cupped his 
hands over Tenchi's forehead and peeked between the fingers.  "Just as I thought.  Take a 
look, ladies."
	Ayeka leaned forward and stared intently through a small gap Yosho opened between his 
hands.  "His Emblem is glowing!  But it's so faint...."
	Yosho nodded.  "Was it visible last night?"
	"No," Ryoko replied, looking between Yosho's hands.  "We'd have noticed."  Ayeka 
nodded in agreement.
	"Did you three indulge in any, eh, 'conjugal exercises' last night?"
	"Yes," Ayeka said, blushing modestly.
	"And the night before," Ryoko grinned.
	"Well, my congratulations, then.  Between returning here," his gesture swept the 
room, "and your, eh, 'tranquilizing ministrations,' you have succeeded in relaxing him enough 
to let the process begin."
	"Well, he did fall asleep with a smile on his face, "Ayeka said.  
	"So did we," Ryoko added.  Ayeka blushed again.
	"At any rate," Yosho drawled, rising, "since we don't know what will happen next, I 
would advise you ladies to put some clothes on him.  I'm sure he'll appreciate it."  
	Both wives nodded.

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

	Empress Misaki was getting tired of waiting.  She had been staring at the lone K'vimm 
vessel for three days, and staring at the Kirito for three days.  The activities aboard the 
former were a total mystery, the activities aboard the latter were painfully obvious.  She 
had not been allowed to join her husband since they established this position, on the grounds 
that, "Anything could happen at any time, and we should be able to react instantly!"  Misaki 
figured the truth had more to do with whatever mistress he was currently entertaining. 
	She sighed.  Funaho's spies aboard the Flagship would be very busy.
	What actually amazed her was the fact that the dimensional doorway was still open.  
Such constructions had voracious appetites for energy, and the fact that this one was so 
large and had been kept open so long spoke volumes about the commitment and resources of the 
K'vimm.  One of the cruisers had repeatedly launched probes into the doorway, but they had 
been destroyed within fractions of a second after appearing on the far side.  So far, the 
K'vimm were keeping their secrets effectively.
	She reached a decision.  One press of a button on her command seat's armrest and the 
face of the Kirito's Communications Officer appeared on a monitor.  "Yes, Your Majesty?"
	"I wish to speak to the Emperor."
	"He is in conference, Your Majesty, and left explicit orders not to be disturbed 
unless it is an emergency."  Misaki translated the message into ‘realspeak’: 'I'm presently 
screwing a voluptuous young opportunist, and will execute whoever interferes.'
	"Well, please inform His Majesty that I am tired of waiting on some intelligent 
insect to make the first move.  I'm taking Kajin over to examine that ship.  And, given a 
chance, I will board it."
	"But, Your Majesty, the Emperor left strict instructions --"
	"Yes, yes, Commander, I recall his orders quite clearly.  And since this exchange is 
being recorded, you can play it back for him later.  Then he can see that it was his 
impatient wife who over-ruled his commands, and we can discuss it in private."  Misaki 
terminated the communication.  Kajin's Key was shaped like a tiara, similar to Ryo-oh's Key 
that Ayeka wore, and she absently stroked it as she sent a query to her life-long Companion.  
It took only a second to explain her desires.  Kajin responded immediately, her gravitic 
drives causing the entire vessel to vibrate gently.  The Royal Tree crept away from Kirito, 
and Misaki breathed a sigh of relief to be finally *doing something*.
	She studied the K'vimm vessel in the monitor.  That it was bait was obvious.  But 
what kind of teeth would the trap contain?  And why hadn't any of the other curious Navy 
elements triggered a reaction?  Well, she would know soon enough.  However, prudence 
recommended a few precautions.  She made the suggestion to Kajin, who complied willingly: she 
deployed the Lighthawk Wings, as well as some lower-level defensive shields, and extended the 
barrels of her secondary batteries.
	Misaki felt much better, now that they were armored, and their weapons were coming 
on-line.
	Kajin closed to within one kilometer of the vessel, before the first movement was 
detected.  "Part of the ship's sensor array is repositioning," one of the Bridge officers 
announced.
	"Put it on the monitors," Misaki commanded.  Two video panes appeared in the air 
beside her, one showing a camera image and the other showing a computed schematic.  Both 
showed movement, as the antenna array at the bow of the vessel was moving.  They appeared to 
be centering upon the approaching Kajin.  "How odd.  The damn things do look like moth 
antennae, don't they?"
	"I'm starting to see some changes in baseline energy readings, Your Majesty," said 
another officer.
	"How strong?"
	"Low-level, but increasing in frequency.  Looks like we're the invitation it's been 
waiting for."
	Misaki nodded her agreement...not that it made any sense.  But then, that's why the 
Monarchy had put such restrictions on First Contact Scenarios.  Wars had been started in the 
past over misinterpreted actions.  She urged caution of Kajin, and repeated the request to 
her Bridge staff.
	"Range now 500 meters."  She directed Kajin to stop and hold this position.
	"Energy output increasing in intensity and frequency."  She directed Kajin to target 
the ship.
	"We're being scanned."  She directed all available power into Kajin's secondary 
shields.
	The K'vimm ship detonated.  Gouts of flame roiled outward in a globular blossom, 
spraying metal and radiation into the interplanetary depths.  Fragments and debris impacted 
Kajin's Wings and richotted harmlessly, and radiation pattered across her secondary shields 
like wind-blown rain.  Kajin shrugged-off the explosion with no damage.
	Misaki was just imagining the Imperial lecture she was going to get, when: "Sensors 
show an object still occupying those coordinates.  It appears to be some kind of crystal.  
And it's emitting a Power signature."
	Misaki's instincts screamed a warning, and Kajin reacted instantly -- she jumped into 
psuedospace.
	Misaki felt, rather than heard, Kajin's exertions.  They had been too far into the 
gravity well to jump safely, and now the Royal Tree was straining to climb back out.  With a 
nauseating surge of disorientation, the Tree-ship dropped back into realspace several 
lightseconds away.  Just far enough away to witness what was transpiring at the dimensional 
doorway.
	A globe of force could be sensed expanding outwards and away from the crystal object. 
 It was directed at the formation centered around Kirito.  Lighthawk Wings could be seen 
materializing in front of the Tree-ships, while the steel vessels were hastily erecting 
conventional shields.
	Misaki was not paying much attention, as she was comforting her distraught Companion. 
 But her staff was observing and recording.  And cursing and swearing, which drew her 
attention back to exterior activities.
	"It's some kind of Power-dampening field, and it's aimed at the Trees.  Look: the 
Wings are being extinguished!  We're losing contact with the flagship and the Sentinels."
	"Dammit -- look at the doorway!  There are more K'vimm vessels coming through.  And 
they're huge! Galleon class.  And frigates.  Lots of them.  They're opening fire on the 
escorts.  The escorts are returning fire.  The escorts are trying to engage Kirito and the 
Sentinels with tractor beams, and tow them back to Jurai.  The K'vimm are deliberately 
avoiding the Trees."
	"Here comes the tactical analysis: The device appears to be some kind of neural 
stunner, used to disable the Trees.  High probability that the K'vimm seek to hijack the 
Trees, and are bringing sufficient forces through the doorway to suppress local defenses."
	Misaki was momentarily stunned.  Someone wanted to steal the Royal Trees!  She might 
have laughed, had she not been witnessing the initial engagement.  Kajin was recovering, and 
concerned about the sudden silence from her sisters.  She instructed the Companion to return 
to their original departure point, as quickly as possible.
	So they did -- back through psuedospace.  Only this time, they weren't fighting their 
way 'out' but 'sliding down', and Kajin needed only to calculate their approximate point of 
reentry.  They emerged into realspace within shooting distance of the crystal device.  An 
aurora of Power materialized about Kajin's bow, thickening and condensing into an eye-burning 
sphere, before being launched at high velocity towards the generator.
	The device detonated in a horrific fireball, many times the size of the previous 
explosion.  Even though Kajin's secondary shields were raised, her Lighthawk Wings were not.  
The biovessel staggered violently when the shockwave hit her.  She screamed down her link 
with Misaki, who screamed in reaction.  Acting on her own instincts, Kajin applied her 
gravitics at maximum power and retreated in whatever direction her bow was pointing.
	The Sentinels are coming back on-line, and are returning fire.  Still no response 
from Kirito.  Heavy cruisers Reventin and Binoptin have grappled with the flagship and are 
towing her back toward Homeworld.  The Trees are starting to come under fire."  Someone had 
raised an image of two Sentinels linked side-by-side, the energy rod stretched between their 
bows blossoming into Lighthawk Wings.  The pair were trying to maneuver into a covering 
position between Kirito and the advancing K'vimm.  "Oh my god!"
	There was a tremendous series of explosions as Kirito took multiple simultaneous 
impacts, the concentrated fire from several K'vimm galleons stitching a fractal pattern 
across the flagship's enormous surface.  Fragments and splinters rippled into space, and 
sinuous tears appeared throughout her skin.  Clouds of gas could be seen billowing into the 
vacuum from cracks in the huge residential module, freezing into ice crystals instantly.  
Four-limbed shapes could be seen tumbling among the debris spilling into the darkness.  
Nearby, a steel-skinned destroyer split in two, consumed by internal fires and uncontrolled 
energies.  Two more escort vessels reeled under impacts, their shields buckling.  One of the 
Sentinels pinwheeled past, burning furiously.  In the distance, K'vimm vessels could be seen 
dying in similar fashion.
	Misaki roared in anger, echoed by Kajin's soundless snarl.  Kajin did not need to be 
told what to do next: her gravitics kicked-in at maximum thrust, and she threw herself into 
the gap between the opposing forces.  The nimbus of Power shimmered into existence, raw and 
ravenous, and another ball of lightning hurtled towards the K'vimm.  It struck the nearest 
galleon, converting it into a miniature sun.  Burning fragments tumbled into neighboring 
warships, overloading their shields and sending them careening.  She engaged these cripples 
with her secondary batteries, punching gaping wounds through their armored shells.  She 
launched another Powerball into their formation, and was rewarded by a sensor-searing blast.
	But vengeance was not without cost.  Kajin's main defense -- her Lighthawk Wings -- 
were not available when being used offensively.  And while busy condensing yet another orb, 
her secondary shields were swamped by the combined fire of the closest K'vimm dreadnoughts.  
Kajin screamed, as she recoiled under the blows.  The shields held, but the residential 
module was shaken violently.  Internal  frameworks collapsed, crushing furniture, appliances, 
consoles, and people.  Misaki was tossed head-first into a bulkhead, and she slid to the deck 
in a limp pile.  Fires started in three chambers, and surviving crewmembers fought them while 
Kajin retreated.  The balancers failed, and debris -- organic and fabricated -- floated about 
the smoke-filled module.
	Misaki was unconscious, and so did not witness the quartet of K'vimm corvettes that 
raced though the fleeing Juraian flotilla, launching several torpedo spreads.  Four missiles 
hit the flagship and atomized it, killing everyone aboard -- including her husband.  She did 
not watch as multiple impacts rippled across the rear-guard destroyers, breaking one in half 
and gutting the other two.  Nor did she see the ignominious retreat by the survivors, limping 
frantically towards the expected safety of Homeworld.

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

	Yosho was sitting at his desk in the Shrine office, working through a stack of 
paperwork, when he felt Funaho's warning.  His instincts took over: he retrieved the Master 
Key, donned his sandals, and was bolting down the mountainside in less than a minute.
	When he burst into the clearing, science station personnel were running in all 
directions, yelling in anger and panic.  Explosions blossomed among them, throwing clouds of 
debris and sprays of pond water high into the air.  Looking upward, Yosho saw two vessels 
hovering along the edge of the valley, slowly descending as their landing gear unfolded.  A 
third was flying back and forth above the clearing, firing bright beams of energy from belly 
guns.  His experienced eye discerned that (1) none of the covering fire was aimed at people 
or equipment, so carnage was not the intruders' primary intent, and (2) the orbiting vessel 
kept its pattern centered on Funaho -- which meant the Royal Tree was the target.
	The vessels were squat and ugly in design, the size of a city bus.  They proved to be 
troop transports, as multi-legged man-sized beetle-shaped figures shambled down the boarding 
ramps from each ship and began racing towards the pond.  Yosho did not recognize them, nor 
the designs of their vessels, so dismissed the question until later.  He ran into the 
clearing and began shouting instructions, commanding the scientists and technicians to 
evacuate into the woods.  He assisted those who had fallen, spoke encouragements to the aged 
and infirm, and actually snarled at one lab-coated individual who was brandishing a stick at 
the approaching combatants.  Once he was sure that the civilians were on their way to safety, 
Yosho strode down to the railed gantry, turned to face the invaders, and ignited the Master 
Key.
	A moment later, Ryoko and Ayeka materialized beside him.
	"We heard the explosions," Ryoko said, igniting her own energy sword.  She began 
watching the orbiting transport, timing its patterns.  She summoned Ryo-ohki through their 
link.
	"How is Tenchi?" Yosho asked.
	"He remains asleep," Ayeka answered, as a swarm of log-shaped guardians appeared 
about her.  She wished that she'd brought Azaka and Kamidake along on this trip.
	"What are those things?" Ryoko asked.
	"I don't know, but I believe they have designs on Funaho."
	"We'll see about that," Ryoko muttered, just as the first intruders entered the 
clearing.  They opened fire with their oddly-shaped weapons, which fizzled uselessly against 
Ayeka's shield.  They continued to advance, dispersing rapidly.  The transport overhead 
continued to fire upon them.  "I'll take care of that one," Ryoko said, pointed upwards, and 
vanished.
	"What are those creatures doing?" Ayeka asked.  Some of the invaders were rummaging 
through the shelters, carrying equipment into the open and coiling many of the cables.
	"It looks like they are trying to retrieve the diagnostic instruments."
	"Shouldn't we try to prevent them?"
	"I do not want to leave Funaho defenseless.  She is still too weak to conjure her 
Lighthawk Wings."
	"I will defend her -- you deal with those vandals!"
	Yosho nodded once, and Ayeka restructured her shield to allow him to exit.  He ran at 
the nearest group, raising the Master Key.  He dodged some blaster bolts, deflected others 
with his own shield, and closed the distance.  There was a blue-white blur as he applied the 
Master Key, and alien bodies began collapsing (some in pieces).  He moved on to the next 
group.
	Blaster bolts continued to rain down on Ayeka's shield, but she was able to adjust it 
to allow sections to pulse outwards in narrow spikes.  She impaled three of the aliens that 
ventured too close.  She tried to keep track of all of the activity going on around her.
	A tremendous blast from the sky surprised everyone, and the orbiting transport 
tumbled to ground trailing smoke and flames.  It crumpled upon impact, spitting sparks and 
shards in all directions.  Ryoko's victory laugh could be heard faintly above the weapons 
fire.
	Then a shadow blanketed Funaho.  Ayeka looked up to see a starship descending, it's 
cloaking field shimmering as it was deactivated.  In seconds the entire pond was enveloped in 
the spreading pool of shade.  The ship ceased its descent to hover directly over Funaho, and 
a cone of light reached down from the keel to pinion the Royal Tree.  Ayeka watched as loose 
equipment canisters, cables, and Funaho's limbs began to drift upwards.  Then Ayeka felt it, 
too, as her own weight began to diminish.  "Tractor beam!" she shouted to her companions.
	Yosho was carving his way through the insect-like creatures, who did their best to 
avoid him and continue tossing cabinets into the tractor beam.  Cables slithered from the 
pond with snake-like intent, looping and twisting like drunken cobras.  Portable terminals 
and documents floated upwards in a bizarre ballet.  Clouds of mist rose from the pond's 
surface like steam wraiths.  Funaho creaked audibly, and her root structure quivered.  The 
beam brightened visibly as the power increased.
	Ayeka backed onto the gantry, wrapping the shield around her and anchoring it to the 
ground.  Blaster bolts continued to ripple brightly on its surface, but the invaders had 
figured out how to stay sheltered and thus evade her spikes.  The gantry began to shake, as 
it -- along with Ayeka and her shield -- were being tugged skyward.  With a sudden lurch, the 
gantry slid out from beneath her and rose into the air.  She followed for a few seconds, 
until she frantically realigned her shield with boulders extruding from the pond bed.  She 
dangled like a tethered balloon.
	And then a second explosion lit-up the sky, and the tractor beam snapped off.  Ayeka 
screamed and tumbled to the ground, rolling around inside her shield like a hamster in a 
Plexiglas sphere.  Objects of all sizes clattered across her shield surface.  Her 
concentration wavered under the buffeting and disorientation, and failed completely when one 
edge of the gantry struck her forcefield.  The shield collapsed, and she passed out.
	Yosho spun about to locate the origin of the explosion, and discovered Ryo-ohki 
hovering above the edge of the valley, pumping fire into the alien starship.  Ryoko flew 
towards her ship and then disappeared as she teleported aboard.  With a violent roar, the 
alien vessel zoomed skyward like an artillery round, chased by Ryo-ohki.  About him, the 
creatures were retreating towards their transports and, to his horror, two of them gathered 
Ayeka from the rubble and scurried into the woods.  Yosho skipped sideways to avoid a blaster 
bolt, bisected the attacker with the Master Key, and ran after Ayeka.
	Yosho only got halfway up the hillside when he heard the transports lift off, their 
ramps closing and their landing gear retracting.  Cloaking fields shimmered about them, 
wiping them from visibility, and the resulting crystal-like distortions raced off over the 
mountains.
	Yosho stood alone on the battlefield.

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

	Dreams....walls....barriers.
	In the half-conscious state he lay in, Tenchi's dreams and memories blurred.
	He was sitting on his front steps one summer day, not long after his engagement to 
his galactic houseguests.  It had been one of those rare moments when he had been alone, and 
he sat watching Sasami and Ryo-ohki chasing one another through the grass by the dock.  It 
had been peaceful, and he had almost objected when he felt someone drop onto the steps beside 
him.  Irritation had changed to surprise, however, when he realized who it was.  "Hi, Washu."
	"Hi, yourself.  What are you doing out here?"  She was still in her adolescent form 
then, and her voice was higher-pitched.
	"Oh, just watching Sasami and Ryo-ohki."
	"Ah."  She had a book, and was obviously looking for a quiet place to read.  But 
before she could get too immersed in it, Tenchi interrupted her.  "Washu, can I ask you a 
question?"
	"Sure."
	"I've always wondered how little Ryo-ohki turns into something as big a space ship.  
I get the impression that there's more to her than meets the eye."
	Washu studied him a moment, a glint in her eyes.  "That's not a bad assessment, 
Tenchi.  Yes, there's more to her than meets the eye.  Much more.  Ever wonder why she eats 
so many carrots?"
	"Well, yeah.  She'd clean-out all of the fields if we gave her the chance.  I think 
she eats a lot of other plants besides."
	"She does, and I give her some high-protein supplements as well.  She *has* to eat a 
lot, because she's so big."
	Tenchi watched the cabbit romping in the grass, and considered.  "I'll bet it has 
something do with other dimensions, doesn't it?"
	Washu beamed.  "Oh, I am so pleased!  Yes, Tenchi, she's a multi-dimensional 
organism.  What you see there is only a fraction of the total creature.  The rest of her 
resides in psuedospace, and only ventures into realspace when she needs to."  Tenchi chewed 
that one over, with Washu watching him the whole time.  "Having trouble visualizing it?"
	He nodded.  She took him by the hand and walked him out onto the dock.
	"See that fish?  If you were to lean over and put a fingertip into the water, what 
would the fish see?"
	"A tiny bump, bigger than an insect, smaller than itself."
	"And the tiny bump could move around, and do all sorts of things, couldn't it?  But 
the fish can't see the whole finger above the surface, can it?  Or the hand attached to the 
finger, or the arm attached to the hand, or the rest of your body -- until you entered the 
water.  Do you see the analogy?"
	"Yeah, I do.  That's pretty impressive, Washu."
	"I thought so.  Ryoko is the same way, you know."
	"I am?" said a voice behind them.  Tenchi started, but Washu appeared nonplussed.  He 
felt Ryoko's hands on his shoulders.
	"Sure are.  That's how you can phase through walls and teleport.  Only most of you is 
on this side of the barrier, while most of Ryo-ohki is on the other side of the barrier."
	"You know, I was always so busy using the gift, I never wondered much about how it 
worked."
	"Washu, what about the ship-like parts of her, the Command Deck and such?"
	"Why does a turtle have a hard shell?  It's just the way she is, Tenchi.  And she 
lets us make use of it.  You, of all people, should have learned by now that what is on the 
surface seldom reflects what is in the depths.  Look at Sasami.  Look at yourself."  She 
kissed his cheek and headed back to the steps, humming happily.
	"Tenchi?" Ryoko asked nervously.
	"Yes?"
	"Do...you...think differently about me...now?"  There was fear in her eyes.
	His smile was genuine, as was his hug.  "Of course not.  It's just another example of 
how special you are."
	Dreams....walls....barriers.
	He was back in his dream, enclosed in a box, too small stand, too small to recline, 
too small to do *anything*.  He slapped and punched and kicked at the walls, screaming to get 
out.  But it wasn't enough, the barriers held fast.
	And then he heard Washu's voice, drifting out of his memory, "That's how you can 
phase through walls and teleport.  Only most of you is on this side of the barrier."  And, 
"Do you see the analogy?"
	Of course.

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

	"What's happening to him?" Ken'ichi asked.  "What's that thing on his forehead?"
	"The Emblem of Power," Yosho replied.  "Better stand back kids, something is about to 
happen."
	Something was happening.  The tripartite symbol on Tenchi's brow continued to glow 
brighter and brighter, becoming painful to look at it.  In fact, his whole body seemed 
swathed in blue-white light.  The hair on everyone's necks began to bristle.
	"It's happening again, isn't it, Father?" Nobuyuki asked.
	"Yes, it is.  This is why he came home.  Perhaps we should -- "
	There was a flash of light and Tenchi disappeared.

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

	He recognized the feeling.  It caressed his nervous system every time he teleported 
an object, like warm water trickling across his skin.  Only this time, he was immersed in it. 
He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the rocks outside Ryoko's cave.  His special 
retreat, or Fortress of Solitude (a term his father had once borrowed from a comic book).  He 
sat up, feeling Power coursing through him at a fever pitch, and his mind expanding in a 
direction he had never experienced before.  He knew what it was, what he had finally 
accomplished.
	He'd broken into psuedospace, and he had teleported.  Like Ryoko.
	He thought about the dock in front of his house, it's familiar wooden planks 
simmering in the summer sunshine, and the sound of water lapping at its supports.  He reached 
out and through the new dimension, searching, and then applied Power.  There was that 
familiar feeling, like traveling with Ryoko, like 'shifting' small objects, and suddenly he 
was sitting on the dock.
	He built an image of his room, and *leapt*.

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

	"Tenchi!"
	"Oh, hi, Dad."
	"What happened?  Where did you go?"
	"I teleported.  Like Ryoko.  I went up to the cave, and then out to the dock.  Wow...."
	"You're glowing," Kiyoko said, peeking out from behind Nobuyuki.
	Tenchi looked at his hands.  "I guess I am.  It'll probably fade after while, once I 
get the hang of this."  He looked around.  "Where are Ayeka and Ryoko?"
	Yosho sighed.  "They're gone, Tenchi.  Much has happened while you were asleep."