(Spotlight comes on illuminating a bored Ryoko standing in front of a
red curtain.)
Author:  (Speaking with a megaphone from his director's chair
offstage.)  Okay, Ryoko, we're almost ready.
Ryoko:  (Yawns.)  Do I really have to do this?  It's so boring.
Author:  (Bolts from his chair and points an accusing finger at Ryoko.) 
Hey!  I did a favor for you!
Ryoko:  (Thinks back to her scene with Tenchi and blushes.)  Yeah,
okay.  I guess you did.
Author:  (Sits down in his chair.)  Good, now just read the cue cards.
Ryoko:  (Clears throat and begins.)  Tenchi Muyo is the property of AIC
and Pioneer LDC.  The author owns only the writing.  The author is doing
this only for fun and not for profit.  (She grins.)  Of course, if you
*want* to send money, just make your checks payable to, "Ryoko," and
mail them to...
Author:  Ryoko,
Ryoko:  Yes?
Author:  (Stares at her for a second.)  Are you *trying* to get me
arrested?
Ryoko:  (Thinks for a moment.)  Trying?
Author:  (Growls.)  Just...finish the announcement, okay?
Ryoko:  (Nods nods and continues reading.)  There is also a parental
advisory.  This section of the story contains adult language, so
consider yourself warned.
Author:  Thank you, Ryoko, you were great.
Ryoko:  (Grins)  For another scene with Tenchi, I think I could do
better.
Author:  Don't push it.  Now then, (Checks schedule.)  Oh, here we are. 
The Bonds of Sisterhood, Part Three:  Preparations and Promotions.

The Bonds of Sisterhood:
Part 3-  Preparations and Promotions


	"No, no, no, NO!"  Prime Minister Washu was saying.  "One more time,
this," a picture of a heavyset Jurain man with dark green hair appeared
on the screen in front of Ryoko, "Is Garuda Vakeya, he's the Minister of
Defense, this,"  a picture of a shorter, skinnier man replaced Vakeya's,
"Is Isana Tusa, Deputy Minister of State."  Ryoko repeated their names
and tried to commit them to memory.  "Now then," PM Washu asked in
frustration, "Who is the Jurain Minister of the Interior?"
	Ryoko racked her brain for an answer.  "Dulan...Yatana?"  she asked.
	Washu growled in annoyance and put her head in her hands.  "No," she
whispered.  "NOT...Dulan Yatana."  The two of them had been going at it
for three days in their cabin on the Soja, PM Washu trying to teach
Ryoko the intricacies of the Jurain court.
	Ryoko frowned.  "Hey!  It's not my fault if Jurai has too many damned
Ministers!"
	PM Washu looked up at her, "No, but it is your fault that you won't let
me enter your mind so you could learn these faces *instantaneously!*"
	Ryoko's expresssion became cold.  "I told you, I don't do that kind of
thing!"
	"Well why not?!"  PM Washu asked in desperation.
	Ryoko shot to her feet.  "It's an invasion of privacy!  That's why
not!"
	"'Invasion of privacy?!'"  PM Washu repeated in disbelief.  "Ryoko! 
It's one of your greatest advantages!  You're not limited to primitive
vocal communication!  You should *use* it!"
	"Forget it!"  Ryoko told her.  "I have to put up with it from *my*
Washu, I'm not putting up with it from you!"
	PM Washu looked up at her daughter's double and sighed.  "Your mother
enters your mind without permission.  Is that it?"
	Ryoko didn't answer.
	"Ryoko," Washu said softly, "I'm not your mother.  As such, I can't
enter your mind like she can without your help.  I understand if you
don't trust me, but our chances of success skyrocket if we can share
information through the link."  Ryoko's expression softened just a bit. 
PM Washu pushed it.  "Do you want us to get caught and have to go back
and tell Tenchi and Ayeka that we couldn't get Sasami back because of
your *privacy*?"
	Ryoko's angry expression disappeared.  "No," she breathed.
	"Then let me enter your mind.  Let me share my knowledge with you."
	"I," Ryoko paused and searched for the right words.  "I can't just let
you into my mind, Washu!  My mother doesn't give me a choice in the
matter, but I have one here!"
	"That's right, Ryoko," Washu told her, "It's *your* choice now.  *Your*
decision."  The demon took a breath and thought on this.  An idea came
to Washu.  "What if I let you into my mind?  Would that help you to
trust me?  If you saw that I really don't mean any harm or insult to
you?  If you could see my thoughts first, would you consider letting me
see yours?"
	Ryoko looked down and into PM Washu's eyes, searching for some hint of
sarcasm or trickery.  Finding none, she nodded once.  PM Washu reached
out to her daughter's double and touched her forehead.  She closed her
eyes and gently drew Ryoko into her mind.
	Ryoko was unsure of what was happening, but it *seemed* familiar.  It
was sort of like the time she and her double had gone into her Washu's
mind to erase the Emperor's memories, only this time, she was unable to
interact with them, only observe.  She looked around in awe.  It was
like a library.  Any memory she wanted to look at would appear before
her eyes, and when she was finished, it would disappear again to be
replaced by a new one.
	She saw her double's birth, how she looked about in fear and confusion,
naked on the floor of Washu's lab.  She saw Washu place a blanket around
her and touch her daughter's forehead the same way she had done with her
only a few moments before.  She heard words in her mind.  "It's okay.  I
won't hurt you.  It's me, Mommy."  That was the meaning of the message,
but it didn't come in words, only feelings, emotions.
	She saw the day Ryoko left her to be with the Emperor at Kagato's
order, Washu begging her not to go the entire time.
	Ryoko looked deeper and found Tenchi!  Not the Emperor, but *her*
Tenchi!  He was sitting at a campfire with the Empress.  They were
leaning toward one another, but Washu turned on her flashlight and
interrupted them.  That thought triggered other memories.  She saw
Tenchi and the Empress getting married in Washu's lab, an ancient, bald
man with a beard presiding over the ceremony.  Tenchi looked nervous
enough to have a heart attack, but when the time came, he leaned forward
and kissed her double tenderly.  She felt Washu's smile, how she
rejoiced for her daughter's happiness.
	Thoughts of happiness led to ones of sorrow.  Washu seemed reluctant to
let Ryoko see it, but she allowed it anyway.  Washu was sitting on an
ornate canopy bed, the Empress' head in her lap.  Ryoko mentally stood
there and watched as her double wept, and Washu gently stroked her
daughter's hair.  Her double spoke.
	"I love him so much, Mom," she was crying.
	Washu responded gently to her daughter.  "I know, Little Ryoko," she
said, "And I'm sorry you have to feel such pain because of it.  If I
could build a machine that could take that pain away, I would, but I
can't.  Not without taking away a part of who you are."
	"What good is it being an empress if I can't be with him?"
	That thought slipped away.  Ryoko angrily began to search for others. 
If this Washu had suggested that Ryoko go to Jurai instead of the
Empress in order for her double to get some time alone with Tenchi, she
wasn't sure what she'd do, but it would *not* be pleasant.  
	She tore into the Prime Minister's memories, searching Washu's  mind
like one would ransack a room in search of a particular item.  She felt
PM Washu recoil at the harshness of it, but she did not shut her out. 
After several minutes of searching, Ryoko had to admit that there had
been no scheme from Washu.  She was here to help them get Sasami back,
and that was all.  She mentally shook her head and left.
	She opened her eyes and saw Washu collapse in front of her.
	"Washu!"  She knelt down and cradled the scientist turned politician. 
Washu's green eyes fluttered open.
	"There," Washu whispered, "That wasn't so bad, now, was it?"
	Ryoko cursed herself under her breath.  This Washu hadn't deserved the
mental rape Ryoko had just subjected her to.  "I'm...I'm sorry..." she
began.
	Washu shook her head.  "Don't worry about it.  Are you satisfied,
though?"
	Ryoko slowly nodded.
	Washu closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths.  "Good," she
said.  "That'll make things easier."  Ryoko smiled down at her. 
"Ryoko,"
	"Yes?"
	"Do you think you could do something for me?"
	Ryoko nodded.
	Washu smiled up at her.  "Call me, 'Aunt Washu,' would 'ya."
	Ryoko face-faulted.  "'Aunt Washu?'"  she asked.
	Washu nodded.  "Sure, after all, your mother and I had the same mother
and father, genetically speaking.  I suppose the only thing that you
could call our connection is sisterhood.  And I've never had a niece. 
But if I did, I think she probably would've been like you.  Besides,
you're the only other person besides my daughter whose ever been in my
mind.  Like it or not, we're family now."
	"'Aunt Washu,' huh?"  Ryoko repeated, but this time in consideration. 
"Well, it beats the hell out of, '*Little* Washu.'"
	Washu smiled again and stood up.  
	"Um..." Ryoko began, "When do you want to go in and give me that
information on Jurai?"
	"Later," Washu told her, holding onto the back of a chair for support. 
"Later."

	Corporal Misa Rikari walked into the locker room and began to remove
the black, class four tactical armor she had worn to maneuvers that
morning.  She looked up as Lance Corporal Ren Tenza followed her in and
began stripping off his own armor.  Even though they were simple guards,
and pretty low on the food chain, they still had to go to maneuvers
during the day before their duty shift.
	The rest of Fourth Platoon, Delta Company were either already there,
changing back into duty uniforms, or straggling in behind them.  As she
was taking off the kevlar breast plate, she felt a tap on her shoulder. 
Turning, she saw Lance Corporal Wek No'lal standing there, shirtless.
	"You hear, yet?"  he asked her.  She shook her head.  No'lal
explained.  "Rumor mill's been buzzing about our little escapade the
other day.  According to the omniscient Corporal Vass, we ambushed a
personal guided tour Her Majesty was giving to the Queen of Jurai."
	Rikari's face turned red in anger.  "Are you bullshitting me?!"
	The tall, blonde Marine shook his head.  By this time, Tenza and PFC
Haz Gret'an had joined them.  
	Gret'an shook his head in disgust.  "Horseshit, man!  You saw it, they
came out of nowhere!  And where the hell did the Emperor come from,
any..."
	"Lock it up, Gret'an!"  Rikari snapped.  They had been given strict
orders not to discuss the matter with anyone, including themselves.
	"Rikari!  That was no damned tour!"  Tenza told her.  "Now *we* have to
catch flak because we did our fucking jobs?!"
	Rikari said nothing.  Suddenly, she felt as if the entire platoon were
pointing and laughing at them for a screw-up they didn't even make.  "It
could be worse," she ground out.
	Suddenly, the Company Commander, Captain Zertan, appeared at the locker
room door.  "Rikari!  Tenza!  Nol'al!  Gret'an!  I want to see you in my
fucking office, RIGHT NOW!"  With that, he turned on his heel and left.
	Gret'an threw his tactical helmet against the locker.  "Great!  *Now*
it's worse!"

	The four of them stood at attention in Zertan's office, directly in
front of his desk.  Zertan sat behind that desk in an old leather chair
that squeaked every time it moved, no matter what the direction.  He
shook his head at them.  "Well, I hope you're all very proud of
yourselves," he told them sarcastically.
	As the senior enlisted man there, Rikari felt she had to speak for the
group.  Unfortunately, the only thing she could think of to say was,
"Sir?"
	Zertan bolted up and leaned over his desk, his face only an inch from
Rikari's.  "Don't fucking, 'Sir,' me Rikari," he said low and
dangerously.  "I fucking *hate it* when Marines, 'Sir,' me."
	Rikari gulped.  "Yes, Sir!"
	He nodded curtly and sat back down.  "Well, I'm sure you'll all be
happy to know that your transfers have been approved."
	At the other end of the line from Rikari, Tenza shut his eyes and
muttered, "Shit."  Silently, Rikari echoed the statement.  Apparently,
they had embarrassed Her Majesty in some way, and now the brass felt it
was their duty to exile the hapless Marines for it.  They'd probably end
up guarding mine shafts on Banipal or some other shit duty.
	"You got something to say, Marine?!"
	Tenza straightened.  "No, Sir!"
	"Good.  Now I don't know where you four get the balls to go behind my
back, but let me give you a piece of advice.  You try that shit with
Colonel Stolykios, and he will seriously fuck you up!  Do you get me!?"
	The four straightened even more.  "WE GET YOU, SIR!"  
	Rikari blinked as his statement settled in.  <Colonel Stolykios?  He
commands the Palace Guard...>
	Zertan pulled four file folders out of his desk.  "Your orders are in,
your security clearances have all been approved.  Along with the
transfer, you each get bumped a grade."   His voice rose in anger. 
"What I should do is take you all outside and beat the shit out of you
for requesting a transfer behind my back!"  He threw the folders on his
desk.  Rikari looked at the top one, and, sure enough, it was a transfer
order for the Palace Guard, one of the most prestigious posts a Marine
could hope for.  But...they hadn't requested any..."Now get your gear
and get the fuck out of here!"  Zertan finished.  He waved them out. 
"Dismissed!"
	The four saluted smartly.  "AYE AYE, SIR!"  As one, they grabbed their
own folders, executed an about face, and made for the door.
	"Marines!"
	They turned to the Captain.
	He nodded at them.  "Congragulations."
	Rikari smiled and saw the others were grinning like idiots.

	"You see?"  Tenza was telling them as they reentered the locker room to
get their gear, "I told you it was nothing to worry about."
	"Yeah, sure, whatever," Nol'al told him.
	A cluster of Marines saw them approach and turned to them.  One of
them, a tall, dark haired Private addressed Gret'an.  "Hey, shithead,
what happened?"
	Gret'an grinned.  "That's *Lance Corporal* shithead to you,
motherfucker!"
	"You advanced?  No fucking way."
	"Serious,"  Gret'an told them.
	"That's nothing," Nol'al threw in.  "They made Rikari a Sergeant."
	"Congrats Rikari," they told her.
	"And, we've been transferred to the Palace Guards."
	The Private grinned.  "Now I know you're fucking lying!"
	Gret'an grinned and held up the transfer order.  Tenza, Nol'al, and
Rikari grinned with him as the Marines' jaws dropped.
	"Later, losers!"  Tenza threw over his shoulder as they left the locker
room.

	Tenchi descended the stairs at the Imperial residence and started
walking towards the dining room where he hoped breakfast would be
waiting for him.  He hadn't slept very well, and he had the circles
under his eyes to prove it.  He couldn't stop thinking about Sasami. 
Was she okay?  What was happening to her?  His teeth clenched as he
remembered Queen Ayeka.  How she had him suspended in a force field
between her guardians and tortured as she questioned him about the
Master Key.  His fingers absently trailed down to the energy sword. 
Ever since his encounter with this dimension, he had worn it almost
everywhere he went.  
	He was walking down the brightly lit, regally decorated hallway that
led to the dining room when he walked past a painting.
	He stopped dead in his tracks.
	He had seen other paintings in the palace.  It seemed you couldn't
throw a rock in this place without hitting one, but this painting caught
his eye in a way the others had not.  He stared at it for a long time. 
He then sat on a pillowed bench across the hall and continued to gaze at
it.
	It's impossible to say how long he had been admiring it before Ayeka
appeared at the other end of the hallway.  She saw him sitting there and
approached.
	"Tenchi," she began when she was within earshot.  "Tenchi, breakfast is
ready.  They're all waiting for us."  She saw him staring at a
painting.  She turned to see what was so great about it and blinked. 
The woman in the painting looked...familiar somehow.
	She looked at the gold name plate at the bottom of the frame and read
the Jurain script there.  "Princess Achika of Carissia," she recited. 
<Achika?  Wasn't that....>  "Tenchi, is this your mother?"
	He nodded slowly.
	Ayeka looked at the woman in the portrait.  She could see the
resemblance to Tenchi right away.  It was in the eyes.  She wore her
hair up in a style that was simple but regal at the same time.  Her
dress was a pale lavender, and she wore a smile, something Ayeka had yet
to see in any other portrait in the palace.  She looked down at Tenchi
and decided to try sitting next to him, to share in his experience.  The
princess sat on the bench next to him, trying to get close to him
without seeming to.  
	She looked at his eyes and saw the intensity there.  She sat there,
silent for a few moments, then mentally berated herself.
	<Come on, Ayeka!  This is as good a chance as any!  *Do* something,
dammit!  Don't just sit there!>  She tried to think of something to say,
then another thought occurred to her.  <Don't talk, act!  What would
Ryoko do!?>  The fact that she was having *that* particular thought
annoyed her, but it was one she was willing to entertain.  She reached
out to take Tenchi's hand...
	And pulled it back suddenly when she heard Ryoko's voice coming from
down the hall.  "She was a fine woman, and a great lady."
	Tenchi turned to see E. Ryoko standing next to them.  She was dressed
casually, or as casual as any Empress *could* get in a world that seemed
to revolve around pomp and ceremony.  Her hair was in it's usual
pony-tail, and she wore a red kimono with a gold obi.  Tenchi looked up
at her.
	"You knew her?"  He asked, his voice only a whisper.
	She nodded solemnly.  "I met her a few times.  It was a *real* long
time ago.  When Mother was still with me and Kagato.  She was a proud
and upstanding person.  She would've made a great Empress, the greatest
history had ever known, had she been given the chance.  If she had
assumed the throne after Yosho...I think everything would've worked out
all right."
	"What happened to her?"
	Ryoko sighed, her expression turned sad.  "Yosho had her executed.  He
saw her as..." her voice turned bitter, "A threat to the Imperial house
and its dignity.  He couldn't get over the fact that she had *chosen* to
marry a Terran, and a commoner at that.  When she had you...the Emperor,
I mean, it was the last straw."
	Tenchi went back to staring at the painting.  "I see."
	Ryoko stared at him for a moment.  Ayeka had watched the scene unfold
in front of her eyes.  All she wanted now was for E. Ryoko to go away,
to leave her and Tenchi alone just for a few minutes so she could say
what she knew she wanted to.  E. Ryoko, however, had other plans.
	"Would you like it?"  she asked.
	Tenchi turned to her.  "Huh?"
	Ryoko dipped her head at the portrait.  "Do you want the painting?  You
can keep it if you like.  I know you loved her very much."
	Tenchi considered the offer, but smiled and said, "Thank you, Ryoko,
but this isn't my mother.  She's *his* mother."
	Ryoko smiled down at him.  "I understand.  Well, breakfast is ready
whenever you're hungry, Tenchi.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few
duties that must be attended to."   With that, she started down the
hall.  Ayeka breathed a silent sigh of relief and prepared herself to
make her move.
	She was thwarted, however, when Tenchi suddenly stood up.  "Well, I
guess we should join the others for breakfast."
	Ayeka stood up.  "Tenchi,"
	He turned to her.  "Yes, Ms. Ayeka?"
	She opened her mouth, but said nothing.  Finally, she got the word,
"Nothing," out of her mouth.  
	Tenchi blinked.  "Oh, all right," he said, and turned, walking down the
hall.  Ayeka walked alongside him, but said nothing.

	"So let me see if I got this straight," PM Washu was saying.  "You and
Sasami are assimilated."
	Sitting across from her at the dining room table in the Soja's
Officer's Club, Tsunami nodded.  "Correct."
	"But you felt she should have a normal childhood, so you slowed the
rate of assimilation so that by the time she reached physical
maturity..."
	"We would be one entity," Tsunami finished.
	Ryoko watched as PM Washu nodded in thought.  "Sooooooo...." the Prime
Minister drawled out, "It stands to reason that the Tsunami and Sasami
in *this* dimension were also assimilated, which is why *Duchess* Sasami
died so soon after *General* Tsunami."  A questioning look crossed her
face.  "But if they *were* assimilated, how come they existed in two
separate bodies?"
	Tsunami had an answer ready.  "It would appear that the part of my
consciousness that resided in this dimension chose a method of
assimilation that I did not.  For some reason, she felt that it was
important to have a single mind with two physical bodies."
	"What reason?"  Ryoko asked as she took another sip of wine.
	"The war," Washu breathed.  "The Royal Family acts as commander and
chief, but there was no way the Jurain military would run the risk of
letting a royal family member take a field command.  It was far too
dangerous.  Your double felt that she could do more good on the front
line than in a palace on Belegast, so she chose to take on two forms. 
That's why she was treated so different."  This last part came in a
whisper.
	"Er...Aunt Washu?"
	PM Washu looked up at their puzzled glances.  "During the war, no one
could figure out where the General came from.  She appeared out of
nowhere with no references or anyone who could claim to know her, but
Ayeka gave her command of the *entire Jurain military!*  Some of us
thought she was an illegitimate daughter of the late Queen Misaki, and
that Ayeka gave her a military command to keep her quiet and avoid a
scandal.  She certainly resembled the Duchess enough to have the same
mother.  Other people thought she was a prophetess, that she could see
the outcome of battles before they happened, and that was why Ayeka put
her in charge.  And some thought..."
	"What?"  Tsunami asked.
	Washu looked up at her, and when she spoke, her tone was deadpan.  "And
some thought that she wasn't *named* for a Jurain goddess, but that she
*was* a Jurain goddess."
	Tsunami was silent.  Washu laughed.  "That's how legends get started!" 
She cackled some more.  "When your greatest enemy kicks your ass enough
times, you begin to wonder if maybe they *do* have a little help from
upstairs!"  She stopped laughing.  "But for the Duchess to be
assimilated with a tree of Jurai," she nodded, "That's one we hadn't
considered, but it does clear up a lot of questions."
	"How long until we reach Jurai?"  Ryoko asked.
	Washu did the calculations in her head.  "Say about another day.  It's
slow going because of the subspace fissures."
	"Subspace fissures?"  Ryoko asked.
	"Yeah.  What?  You don't have them in your dimension?"  
	Ryoko shook her head.
	"Well, that must be convenient," Washu commented.
	"So what are they, Washu?"
	PM Washu gave Ryoko a look which she had seen on her own Washu enough
times to instantly know what it meant.  "Aunt Washu,"  she corrected
herself.  Her "aunt," was really taking this  seriously.
	Washu smiled.  "I'm glad you asked."  Suddenly the table in front of
them disappeared to be replaced by two school desks upon which sat
pencils, paper, and books marked, "Theoretical Quantum Mechanics, 168th
Edition."  Tsunami looked around her new surroundings in shock.  She had
observed Washu's educational eccentricities in the past, but had never
actually been a part of them before.
	Washu appeared now in her Royal Science Academy uniform and stood
before them with a pointer.  She tapped it against a podium which seemed
to appear out of nowhere and began.  "Now then, " she turned and faced a
viewscreen which showed several strange graphs.  "No one is quite sure
exactly what the subspace fissures are, however, the current theory,
which I should add, is *my* theory, is that the fissures are areas of
subspace where the laws of quantum mechanics break down.  In short, it
is impossible for matter as we know it to exist there.  Therefore, any
ship that attempts to travel through a subspace fissure is deatomized on
the quantum and even the temporal level.  Luckily for us, the fissures
appear to only exist in the realm of hyperspace, however, given that
almost all spacegoing societies depend on hyperspace as a means of
getting from point A to point B, they have become quite the royal pain
in the ass."
	"How did they form?"  Ryoko asked.  She was answered by a dimensional
portal, which opened above her and dropped an Emmy on her head.
	Washu tapped her pointer on the podium.  "Please raise your hand if you
have a question."
	Ryoko growled and raised her hand.  
	"Yes, Ms. Ryoko?"
	The fake Empress stood and spoke in a syrupy sweet voice.  "Oh Great
and Wonderful Professor, how did the fissures form?"  She smiled, batted
her eyes like a prom queen and sat down again.
	Washu frowned at the sarcasm, but said nothing.  "As far as we can
tell, the fissures were formed as a result of universal expansion."
	Tsunami smiled and couldn't resist saying something.  "Are you sure
*you* didn't create them on accident?  Oww!"  This last part was cried
when an Oscar landed on her head.
	"Ms. Tsunami, I expect such behavior from my niece, but I won't
tolerate it from you.  Is that clear?"
	"As a bell," Tsunami said irritably as she rubbed the top of her head. 
Pain was something she had not had to deal with in quite some time.  It
was still a novel experience.
	"Now then, as I was saying, I have my own theory on their creation,
however, I have been reserving judgement until I see more data on the
matter."
	"You believe they are artificial, don't you?"  Tsunami asked seriously.
	Washu was so shocked, she forgot to drop the Academy Award she had been
readying in a nearby dimensional pocket.  "Yes," she whispered in
surprise.  "I believe they are."
	Ryoko looked at the two of them in puzzlement.  "But why would someone
create something like subspace fissures?"

	"Well, I went and solved *that* particular galactic mystery!"
	Tenchi looked over at Washu, who was sitting at the opposite end of the
dining room table from him.  "What do you mean, Little Washu?"
	Washu, who was typing away at her holotop, looked up and grinned. 
"Ever since you came back from this dimension, Tenchi, I've been
wondering why time flows faster here than in our dimension.  It
shouldn't.  After all, the speed of time, like the speed of light is
supposed to remain constant where ever you go, so I decided to look into
it when I got here!"
	Mihoshi stood up from the table.  "Really, Washu?!  That's wonderful! 
Let me see!"  The GP detective began to run to the other end of the
table.  
	Washu put her hands up and yelled, "STOP!!"
	Confused, Mihoshi stopped dead in her tracks and blinked.  "What is it,
Washu?"
	The pink haired scientist tapped a few keys on her computer.  Suddenly,
on another table twenty feet away, a second holotop appeared and
unfolded itself.  "I created a whole separate experiment for you to
destroy," she said pointing at the new holotop.  "It's over there."
	"Really?!  Neat-o!"  Mihoshi ran to the decoy computer and began
pressing buttons, seemingly at random.
	Washu rolled her eyes and turned back to Tenchi and Ayeka.  Aside from
them and Mihoshi, there was no one else there.  The Empress was still
seeing to her "business."
	"Okay, here it is," she began again.  "If you superimpose a temporal
flow graph of our dimension over that of this dimension, you find that
this dimension is roughly three hundred years ahead of us, right?"
	Tenchi and Ayeka didn't understand the meaning of the graph, but nodded
anyway.
	"However, if you superimpose that same graph of this dimension over
that of what a graph *should* look like if the temporal flow rate was
constant from the time of universal creation to the present as it
*should* be, you find that this dimension is *supposed* to be somewhere
in the area of three hundred *thousand* years ahead of us, not three
hundred years."	
	Tenchi tried to digest it.  "Which means?"
	Washu's voice turned serious.  "Which means that about three thousand
years ago, someone altered the temporal flow rate of this dimension."
	"Someone?"  Ayeka asked.
	Washu nodded.  "It can't occur naturally.  I'm sure of that.  For some
reason, someone *wanted* this dimension to move faster than the others. 
The only question that makes me worried, is why?"

	Sasami stood on the balcony of her room and looked up at the stars. 
<Tenchi.  Ayeka.  Where are you?>  she asked silently over and over
again.  She sighed.  She was in trouble.  Her sister's double was
certifiably insane.  She was sure of that.  Sasami had to wonder how
long it would take for Queen Ayeka to turn her rage on her "little sis."
	She sighed again and turned to see a tall man standing in the middle of
her room.  He had short, dark hair and was dressed in a simple white
kimono, unadorned save for a silver obi.  He was smiling slightly.
	Sasami blinked in shock.  She hadn't heard anyone come in, and Gensao,
who should've challenged the man when he entered was silently standing
by the door.
	"Excuse me," she said, "But who are you?"
	The man smiled at her.  "You can call me, 'Quintin,'"  he told her.
	"Oh," she said.  "Um, what are you doing here?"  She grimaced.  "Did
my, 'sister,' send you to get me?"
	"Hmm?  Oh, no!  No!"  he said, waving the accusation aside.  "I'm just
here to observe."
	Sasami blinked.  "Observe what?"
	Before he could answer, there was footsteps from outside her door and a
voice.  "Sasami?"  It was the Queen.  "May I come in?"
	Sasami turned back to the man.  "You had better..."  She broke off when
she noticed that he had disappeared.  She blinked again in surprise, but
didn't have time to think about the strange event anymore.  Ayeka had
come in with  Nagi in tow.
	Ayeka brightened when she saw Sasami.  "I just came to say, 'Good
night,' Sasami."
	"Good night,"  Sasami said deadpan.
	Ayeka's left eye twitched at her tone of voice.  "Things are going to
be a little more hectic around here the next couple of days, so I won't
be able to spend that much time with you."
	Sasami's brow creased in thought.  "Why not?"  Not that she cared.  She
would rather the Queen stay away from her, but this was a change in her
pattern, and Sasami wanted to know what had caused it.
	Ayeka beamed at the interest her sister showed.  "The Empress of Jurai
is visiting tomorrow for a summit meeting."
	<The Empress of Jurai?!  Ryoko!>  Sasami saw an opportunity and jumped
at it.  "Ayeka, could I meet her?  I've never met an Empress before." 
If she could talk with Ryoko, if she could just get within *earshot* of
Ryoko, she could be rescued!
	Ayeka smiled brightly at the idea.  "Well, I don't see why..."
	"No!"  Ayeka turned to Nagi in anger at being interrupted.  Nagi had an
answer ready.  "The Empress would surely recognize her for who she is
and wonder how she got here.  The princess should remain here, and just
as a precaution, we should tighten security."
	Ayeka seemed to digest this, then nodded.  "Very well, Nagi, do what
you feel you must."
	Sasami's spirits dropped.  So much for *that* idea.  
	Ayeka stepped forward and kissed Sasami's forehead.  "Good night,
Sasami."
	Sasami didn't say a word as the two women left.  Instead, she sat down
on her bed and began to make plans.
	Somehow, she had to get to the Empress.



Author's Notes:
Well, there's Part Three with a promise of more on the way.  Once again,
I'd like to thank "Seaver" for proofing my work and offering some
desperately needed input.  Thanks.
If you have any comments or questions, go ahead and send them to Thomas
"009" Doscher.  My E-Mail address is doscher009@hotmail.com

Part Four is coming.  I promise.