Ayeka yelped in fright when she saw Trakal's undisguised form for the first time and nearly fainted. Ryoko chortled, gleefully, at her rival's distress, but Trakal stretched out a hand, casually, and placed it over Ryoko's mouth. Now it was Ayeka who, having overcome her initial fear, was laughing. Trakal moved his hand away from Ryoko's mouth, revealing a piece of duct tape now stretched over it. Ryoko looked mighty cross as she stood there and made a lot of muffled noises which Ayeka was sure were probably words she didn't want little Sasami to be hearing anyhow. Tenchi walked into the room, took one look at Trakal, and fainted. "You really have a way with people, don't you?" Washu asked him. Trakal blinked at her. "You don't seem too unnerved." "Why should I be unnervered?" She smiled. "I am Washu! The most brilliant mind in the universe!" "So, how come I found Kain before you?" "Hmph," Washu snorted, "even Mihoshi could find someone if they were right in front of her." "Just what are you implying?" "Oh nothing. Just that its hard not to know who you're dealing with when you already know they're here. Kain brought you here, that's the only reason you know he's the culprit." "Miss Washu," Ayeka asked, "if Kain brought him here, how do we know he's not one of Kain's servants?" "Kain doesn't have any servants." Trakal replied. "He's too much of a loner." "How do you know?" Ryoko asked, eyeing him with deepening suspicion. "I studied Kain's profile just after I got here." Trakal explained. "From where?" Kiyone asked. "I had to get Washu to link to the Yagami and that's in our home time-period. So where did you get your information?" "I was downloading a copy of the Kain file from the Galaxy Police main terminal into my internal computer when I was abducted." Trakal explained. "What do you mean 'abducted'. I thought Kain grabbed you accidentally?" Ryoko eyed him even more suspiciously, if such a thing were possible. The others waited for his reply. "Never mind that. Whether Kain brought me here deliberately or by accident is not the issue." "It is if you're working for him." Ryoko pointed out. It was a valid point, and they really didn't know all that much about Trakal. Special Section was barely more than a rumor to the rest of the Galaxy Police, including Kiyone and Mihoshi, so they had no way of knowing he was truly who he claimed. Still, the accusation that he would *ever* do anything to harm the Galaxy Police stung him deeply. Blushing in anger under his fur, he turned on Ryoko. "HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF BETRAYING THE GALAXY POLICE!?" he bellowed in a torrent of rage. A weeks worth of rage flooded out from him as he openned fire on Ryoko. Ryoko laughed and dodged this way and that with the greatest of ease while Tenchi watched whatever had been behind her get destroyed by the blasts fired by the ticked off Trakal. Tenchi groaned as he added the damaged items to the hotel bill. Eventually, Ryoko got Trakal close enough to Ayeka for the Princess to encase the Operative in a forcefield. Washu went over to him and deactivated the weapons system of his cyberarm. Trakal started to protest, but Washu waved and a moment later his muzzle was held shut with duct tape. Trakal muttered a long unintelligible string of Draalthese obscenities under his breath while Washu explained the plan. Something struck his bound muzzle and he looked up angrily in the direction the offending item had come from. "Listen up!" Washu commanded. Trakal growled, but decided not to comment further when Washu muttered something about the rarity of Draalthi fur and how much it would fetch on the black market. He was fairly sure that she'd never do such a thing, but he wasn't about to tempt fate. "These boosters need to be set up at each of the five temples." Washu instructed. "Trakal, you and the girls will each take one and target one of the temples. Tenchi, you'll go to Tokyo Tower and keep an eye on your mom while setting up the main booster." Trakal glared at her angrily. Washu explained the main booster to Tenchi outloud, but in his mind Trakal heard her addressing him. Was she telepathic, he wondered, or had she somehow hacked his internal computer. "Trakal," Washu's voice told him privately, "I cannot let you go after Kain. I know how badly you want to destroy him, but he's far too powerful for a single Galaxy Police Operative... even you. You're good. But you alone can't stop him. A part of you has already accepted that, that's why you agreed to come here." "I have to be the one. Kain destroyed the Galaxy Police HQ. He killed them all." "Listen to what you're saying, Trakal *HE KILLED THEM *ALL*...* If you try to face him by yourself, you'll also be killed." Trakal looked crestfallen. "Now, any questions?" Washu asked aloud. "Mmm...mmmph!" Washu ripped the duct tape off Trakal's muzzle. Trakal let out a shriek of pain and rubbed his muzzle for a moment. "Oops." Washu grinned, wickedly. Ryo-ohki ventured up to Trakal and began rubbing against his muzzle. The little cabbit playfully pawed the Draalthi's offended muzzle and nudged the Operative insistantly. "Miya?" she asked. Trakal scritched her absently for a moment and she began to purr contentedly. Trakal, hearing this, suddenly pulled his hand away and gave everyone a "you did *not* see me petting the notorious space-pirate Ryo-ohki." look and was rather disturbed by their respondant "Oh, yes we *did* see that." look in their eyes. "I think she likes you." Sasami told him. "Oh joy." Trakal's voice dripped with sarcasm. "There's the perfect reputation for a member of the Galaxy Police. Loved by Space Pirates everywhere!" "Well *I* love Tenchi." Ryoko pointed out, glomping onto Tenchi and nuzzling him. "And he loves me, isn't that right, Tenchi?" "What do you think you're doing?!" Ayeka demanded. "You take your hands off my Tenchi!" "What do you mean *YOUR* Tenchi?" Ryoko began to charge up her powers and little blocks of wood appeared circling her, curtesy of Ayeka. Trakal raised his cyberhand and took a defensive stance, snarling. "You stay out of this!" Both girls yelled at him. "If you both don't stop it, I'll arrest the two of you." "My statute of limitations is up, mister." Ryoko pointed out. "And I am crown princess of planet jurai." Ayeka added. "Ryoko, your statute of limitations isn't up for another twenty- six years and my dear princess, this is *not* Jurai." Trakal pointed out giving both of them a look that would freeze lava. "TRAKAL! JUST SHUT UP AND PUT THE GUN AWAY NOW... please?!" came a frustrated and frightened scream from Detective Mihoshi. To the surprise of everyone except Washu and Kiyone, Trakal put his cyberarm down and relaxed. "Trakal?" Ryoko asked. Trakal sighed, wordlessly. Ryoko blinked at Mihoshi. "How did you?" "Um, well..." Mihoshi offered, unhelpfully. "Detective Mihoshi has a higher rank than Lt. Trakal." Washu explained. Trakal fidgetted uncomfortably. "You mean Mihoshi is his *superior*?" Ryoko laughed. Trakal growled. Kiyone groaned and wondered how if she could get away with killing both Trakal and Mihoshi. "Let's not fight anymore." Tenchi decided, firmly. "We all have a very busy morning ahead of us, so we should *all*" Tenchi shot a glance at Trakal at this point, "get some sleep tonight." "Whatever you say," Ryoko yawned and started to climb into the bed. "Enjoy the floor, Princess." "RYOKO! HOW DARE YOU?!" Ayeka demanded. While everyone else was fighting, the Operative shrugged, figured they could fight well enough by themselves, climbed onto the bed they were fighting over, curled up, and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow. He'd meant to simply fake sleeping to annoy Ryoko, but he hadn't had any sleep since he'd arrived and the lack of sleep had taken its toll. "Um, Ryoko? Ayeka?" Tenchi tried to attract the attention of the pair. "You stay out of this!" Ryoko told him. "Yeah! This is none of your business!" Ayeka informed him as well. "Well, if you two are fighting over the bed..." Tenchi nodded toward the bed where Trakal was now sound asleep. Ryoko and Ayeka stopped their feud with a simultaneous pair of gasps and looked over at the now-occupied bed and the sleeping Draalthi who lie upon it. "Well, *he* certainly has a lot of nerve!" Ayeka stated. "Well, it's your fault I'm not sleeping there." Ryoko argued. "Well, what's stopping you?" Ayeka demanded. "There's no crime in a monster sleeping with a monster is there?" "You're a better match with him that me, Princess." "Just what's that supposed to mean?" "You're both full of hot air." Ryoko laughed. Trakal felt something pushing him and sat bolt upright, extending his cyberarm and gripping his wrist. Tenchi jumped back. "Sorry. Reflex." Trakal apologized, lowering his hand. "I've been under a lot of stress. I just saw Kain murder the closest thing I've had to a family, spent a week eating school lunches, and fell in love despite at least a dozen Galaxy Police rules which specifically forbid an operative from doing so." "I understand." Tenchi told him. "What are you going to do once this is over?" "Assuming Kain is destroyed, I plan to remain here with Tanaka. She's already agreed to be my wife." "Despite your being an alien." Trakal shook his head. "She thinks I'm human." "Trakal," Kiyone told him, "you *must* tell her the truth. If you really love her..." "Kiyone's right." Mihoshi added. "You've got to tell her!" Trakal sighed and nodded. "You're right." Trakal took a deep breath and knocked on the door to the hotel room where Tanaka was staying. The others were already on their way to the Fudo Temples and Trakal had been assigned the task of delivering one of the generator parts to the Black Eye Temple. He had decided that since he was heading to a temple anyhow, he might as well marry Tanaka at the same time. He loved her and he didn't want to wait if he didn't have to. But would she still love him when she saw what he really was? He'd been a special operative for the Galaxy Police for nearly a decade. In truth, he was a full ten years her elder, but he had figured if he wasn't going to let something like a difference in species bother him, then something as relatively trivial as age difference could get stuffed. Tanaka picked up the scoop for the ice and began to fill the bucket for her room. She reached down. This time a hand settled down over her own. It was artificial. A grey metal hand which was somehow warm, not cold as one might expect. "Tanaka," a familiar voice told her, "Don't turn around yet. Listen to me first. I love you, Tanaka. I always will no matter what happens. Now, what you are about to see will probably frighten you, and you might even be angry with me, but I want you to know that I didn't hide this from you to be cruel, but because I had to. Tanaka, I'm a member of an organization known as the Galaxy Police and we have a non-interference mandate. I'm not even supposed to be here. Truth is, I should have killed myself as soon as I arrived. But I couldn't. There's someone here. Someone evil. That someone killed the rest of the Galaxy Police except for two other officers who are also here. I have been given a chance to help destroy that evil being and I have every intention of taking it. If you decide you still love me after you've seen who I really am, I am going to the Black Eye Fudo Temple and I'd like to marry you there. It won't be an official ceremony, we'll have that one later, but..." he couldn't say anything else. Surely she'd reject him once she saw him. Still, best to get it over with. "Look at me, Tanaka." He half-sobbed. Tanaka turned and her eyes went wide. Trakal swallowed a sob and waited for the inevitable shriek of horror or look of disgust. Perhaps even a slap across his muzzle and a lot of yelling about how cruel he was to lead her on. "What... what are you?" She whispered. She sounded afraid and that nearly broke Trakal's heart. He turned away and started to leave. "Wait." She told him. Her heart was racing with excitement and terror at what she was seeing before her. An alien being, humanoid but not human, gazing at her with a softness in its eyes that a moment ago she was sure was love. But was it? Could such a being, who was clearly at least part machine, actually love someone. "How can you love me?" She asked him. There were other questions, of course, ones that most people would've asked first. But if he couldn't give her an answer for this one, there'd be no point in asking the others. She was on a trip to study Japan's culture, not alien beings. "You're a machine." "I am a living being, just like you." Trakal explained. "Normally a Galaxy Police operative is given a glove to wear over their hand which has an array of weapons built in, however, I was injured on duty and lost my right arm. The Galaxy Police just happened to have a prototype cyberarm they wanted to try out, and I agreed to be the test subject." Tanaka decided that remarks about him being a 'lab rat' would be in poor taste and might offend the creature, so she kept silent, though a tiny hint of a smirk failed to not cross her lips. Trakal noticed and scowled. He'd heard the jokes before, though in truth he was more like a bat than a rat. He placed a metal finger on her lips and grinned darkly. "Don't even *think* of saying it." he warned her. "Did it ever occur to you," she asked instead, "that the Galaxy Police might have set you up so you'd have to get the implant?" Trakal smiled. "I *know* they did." He told her. "Naoki?" Tanaka asked. "Actually, my name is Trakal." He told her. "Trakal?" She asked. "It's Draalthese." He explained. "That doesn't help." She sighed. "What are you? Where are you from? What are these Galaxy Police you spoke of?" "I am a Draalthi." He told her matter-of-factly. "I was born on the planet Ratala IV but was taken in by a Thurnian named Saarnd who..." "Thurnian?" "A race of humanoids resembling the earthen species known as the Lion." Trakal explained. "I was only five when my family was killed and Saarnd took me in." Tanaka listened to his tale. The idea of an alien rat, or maybe a ba5:02AM 1/16/98 "Saarnd must have cared a lot about you." She said, at last. Trakal nodded, silently. "I would have died if it hadn't been for him." he told her. "That's why I cannot let his death go unpunished." "Are you sure he died?" Tanaka asked. "Maybe he was sent to another time like you were?" Trakal blinked. He hadn't considered that, but now that she'd said it, he realized it was a possibility. Maybe Saarnd and the others had survived the destruction of headquarters in the same way he had. But no... he could not allow himself such flights of fancy. No, they were dead. He was the only survivor except for Kiyone and Mihoshi. He hoped they would be able to find and train new Galaxy Police officers and operatives in the future. He had made up his mind when Tanaka had accepted his proposal. He would not be going back to the future with them when they returned. This was where he belonged. With Tanaka. And if she rejected him, he wouldn't have any reason to live in any time or place. Ryoko, Ayeka, Kiyone and, and Sasami waited at the train station. It was getting late and they were running out of time. "Trakal, come on!" Kiyone said, through clenched teeth. Trakal ran up to the group with Tanaka in tow. "You're late." Kiyone told him. "I had to get my mask on." Trakal apologized. "Did you have to bring your girlfriend?" Kiyone sighed. "She wouldn't let me go without her." Trakal explained. "So, are you two in love?" Mihoshi asked. Tanaka blushed. So did Trakal at first. Then he caught himself and spoke. "Let's go. We have to hurry. Tanaka and I will target the Black Eye. The rest of you, select your temples, then meet me back at Tokyo Tower." "Trakal," Kiyone told him, "you are *not* going after Kain." "Kiyone..." "I mean it, Trakal." Kiyone told him, firmly. "Hey, Tanaka," Ryoko grinned, "you do know your boyfriend..." "...has a very cute muzzle?" Tanaka asked, smiling slyly at Trakal. "Yeah, I noticed. I wish he didn't have to wear the mask. He's quite handsome." Trakal grinned at Ryoko in triumph while Ryoko scowled. Trakal and Tanaka got off the train and hurried to the Black Fudo. The temple was deserted, fortunately. It would have been rather difficult to explain why they were placing something that would probably look like a bomb to the local authorities in the Black Fudo temple. They both stopped running at the steps and caught their breath. Then, Trakal pulled Tanaka into his arms and bent to kiss her, a bit taken aback when she shook her head in refusal. "Tanaka?" "Please," she whispered, gazing up into his eyes, "take the mask of first." With the temple deserted, there was no reason for him not to. He removed it carefully and then lowered his true face until his lips touched hers at last. Tanaka sighed as the furry muzzle touched her mouth, and her alien fiance held her tightly to him. She opened her eyes as he pulled back and gazed into her lover's eyes. She felt a sense of awe as she thought of all the things those eyes had looked upon; alien planets, extraterrestrial lifeforms, machines that could think for themselves. As if reading her mind, Trakal told her, at that moment: "Of all the wonders I've seen, your eyes are the most wondrous. Of all that I've heard, your voice is the sweetest sound, of all..." Washu's voice sounded in both their heads... "QUIT FOOLING AROUND AND GET THE GENERATOR IN PLACE NOW!" They ran inside and stopped two feet from the statue. "Wait here." Trakal told Tanaka as he kissed her and then stepped forward with the generator. "For the Galaxy Police" he said, simply as he placed the generator on the statue.