Alternative Urusei Yatsura Fanfic by *Lewis Burden* (file: jad13_uy.txt ) ==================================== ftp: ftp.std.com /pub/uy-fanfic email request: uy-fan@lexicor.com ********************************* ********************************* This Fanfic was first uploaded to GENIE and is now available on the Internet. note: This is the final episode of the Alternative UY Series, I hope you ===== enjoyed it and on behalf of Lewis Burden wish to thank all of you for you kind words and support to this particular fanfic. Enjoy, Yat Siu - ysiu@lexicor.com Dec. 26,1993 Alt-Urusei Yatsura XIII "The House of Moroboshi" ____________________ Benten swung her fighter around to better train the computer lock on her elusive Azu target. Benten was almost willing to admit that this guy was good. He had already broken two locks. After a hard right, the computer bleeped a renewed lock. Benten squeezed the trigger and the lights dimmed momentarily as the ship released the energy charge. There was a flash as the energy struck its target, which was immediately vaporized. Benten smiled, and turned the fighter to find a new target. It had finally happened! Lum had announced Ataru as her fiance and declared the end of slavery as it had been known for the last three millennia. The families did not take the news well, as was expected, but there were also some surprises. Not all the families rejected Lum's proposals. Lum and Ataru had first announced their intentions to the crew of the reduced Imperial fleet, and the Redet fleet. The crew had been largely prepared for this announcement so there wasn't too much backlash. A few of the higher ups rejected it, but they were outnumbered, and if they were still determined to cause trouble, they were detained. Benten's computer beeped indicating an attempted lock-on. "Damn!" she said out-loud. She pulled hard on the stick. The engines roared and the ship flipped around. She got a look at the Azu bastard who was making a futile attempt to match her move. No other craft had the power hers did. After some fancy turns, she maneuvered behind the Azu ship. "He's got to be a rookie," she thought, "or just plain stupid." Most pilots knew better than to go after Benten alone. One didn't want to get her attention without some serious back-up. He was easy to get a lock-on to. He must be a rookie. Benten was in such a mood that she almost considered holding the lock for a while before firing, or letting him break it once or twice just to increase the agony, but it wasn't honorable. As much as she hated the Azus, even they deserved a clean kill. Torture was not a game she played, not out here. She fired. Benten noticed that she was getting very close to the Azu carrier. A Seq fighter flew past her. One of the engines had been blown off, the other was severely damaged. She pulled up before she got in range of the carrier's defenses, but watched the progress of the Seq fighter. The defense guns struck the disabled fighter twice, but weren't able to destroy it. The pilot must have been still alive, because he managed to get a couple shots off before impacting into the hull. That was someone that Benten would have wanted to know; duty until the end. Most pilots would have just panicked, fearing the impending collision. The shots didn't do a lot of damage, but they were a statement. Benten hadn't realized that Rei had so much support in his family, or perhaps it was his mother, Yedis. She was at the meeting when Lum invited all the involved families to her flag ship. Yedis screamed with the rest of them. Later, Benten overheard some of the things that she told her son in private. She asked him if he realized what he was giving up. Benten wasn't sure what changed her mind. On the surface it seemed that reading some of her brother's personal logs which Ten acquired for her did it, but Benten knew that wasn't true. It was because Rei would not back down. Cynically, one could say that he actually came to fear Ran more than his mother. Ran, in such a short time, had dug her claws in deep. However, there was a growing softer side in Benten's heart that told her Rei loved both Lum and Ran enough not to deny either of them what they wanted. Rei's mother, for her own part, unable to dissuade her son, loved him too much to turn her back on him. The entire Seq fleet joined Lum and Ataru. It was too bad that it was all coming to naught, though. Benten couldn't believe it, but even with full Seq help, they were losing. It made Benten's own act in the fighter bay earlier futile. She had come to a decision as she lay in her bed the night before. She spent most of the night listening to Shutaro's steady breathing. Hearing him so close to her got her to thinking how lonely her own bed was. She had even climbed down with the intention of waking him up and getting in bed with him, but she didn't. She just sat in the dark, thinking; staring at his faint silhouette in the lower bunk. Nearly naked, a pair of panties was her only sleeping attire, she felt her own breasts. She wouldn't say she was masturbating, she was just thinking. The desk chair she sat in was cold against her bare skin. She hadn't undressed in front of him the evening before. For all her brash words, she wasn't really ready for it. In fact, she had considered sleeping fully clothed because he was below her. She eventually decided she was being silly, but still she undressed on the top bunk after he was firmly settled and sleeping in the bottom. She wondered what she would do if he woke up now and saw her sitting watching him. She thought that she might go to him. Why did Lum have to put her through this? Benten had told him to wait, but did she really want to. Her upbringing told her that it was going too fast. She barely knew him. On her own planet courting could last years, certainly not less than a season. Four days was ridiculous. It was perhaps a full tenth before she came to a decision and climbed back into her bunk. She realized that this day would be a black and white day. Either they won and the Empire would begin a new era, or they lost and Benten, Mendo, Lum and Ataru would surely be dead. Benten met Mendo in the hangar before she entered her fighter and gave him the final ribbon. "I'll dance for you if I come back," she said and kissed him. "I love you." Mendo clutched the red and gold ribbon in his hand as he watched the fighter take off. Benten had kept a camera on him as long as she could. She had let herself cry then, and found herself crying now. She was not going to let them win! She fought getting angry. The angry fighter just gets killed all that much faster. She directed her anger to concentration. She found a new target and dove at it with cold precision. The target was quickly taken care of, but it didn't make the odds any less hopeless. * * * Jariten was confident, but nervous. There was little for him to do in the heat of battle, so he just stood by and watched. The bridge was a flurry of activity. People were running in and out with reports. The twenty who crewed the bridge were talking all at once to their respective stations. Lum and Rei went from station to station monitoring and giving orders. Ten was impressed. This seemed to be something where Rei was almost good. He was indeed a fair tactician. Even Ataru was put to work. He had been taught how to use the sensors and was helping to keep an accounting of positions and losses. For the moment, Ten had to admit that it wasn't going well. They got more help than Ten had thought they would. They had complete support of the Seq fleet, as well as many of the minor houses who had less to lose. They also had Dedron help. Ten was pleased about that. It was a great weight from Lum's shoulders. Ten remembered when they had broken up. It was hard on Lum then. She had turned to Ten and Benten for support, but Ten knew that there were things that Elle understood about Lum that no one else could. Ten could see the Dedron house and the Redet getting much closer in the future. When Dedron Elle first entered the conference, she regarded Lum and Ataru coldly. Her mood did not change for the better as Lum outlined what she really intended. When Lum dismissed the assembly to give them time to think it over, it was obvious what Dedron was planning, but Lum caught her before she reached her shuttle. "Please join me," Lum pleaded. Initially it looked as if Dedron was just going to ignore her old friend and continue in, but she stopped. Without turning she said, "Benten has corrupted you beyond my comprehension. To join you I'd have to destroy everything I believe in. I'd be betraying my family and the Empire." Lum went to her old friend and put a hand on her shoulder. "I've felt the same way. I know what duty is. You know that. This is my duty." Lum climbed the ramp and moved in front of Elle. "I've been keeping track of the kind of orders that you've given since you took power," she stated. "You've given a lot back to your planets. You and I aren't that far apart. The model I'm thinking about is not too different than what you're already implementing." Elle met Lum's eyes. "All right. I agree that my family and the others have been abusing the slaves and that reforms are necessary, but that's not the point. You're the Uruseian princess. You're supposed to be an example for the rest of the Empire. You're on a pedestal. You can't marry a slave, and you certainly can't make a slave the Emperor ruling over Uruseians. He's an alien, by the Spirits!" "So what if he is? Elle, my heart, on its own, called out to him. Out of all the beings in the Universe, he is the one. I need him more than I need air to breath. I think he is a gift from the Spirits, and he is a gift that I want." Elle's eyes narrowed on Lum. "And what gives you the right to have what you want? People like us don't have that luxury. You can't abandon your duty and you cannot abandon the Empire." Lum looked to the ground, avoiding Elle's accusing stare. Elle was making sense with words straight from all that they had been taught since childhood, but Lum was beginning to realize that being a good ruler was more than just duty. Lum renewed her resolve and looked up again. "It's not true, Elle. I love the Empire, and for all their foibles I love the people in it. An Empress needs more than just duty and education. She needs to be able to follow her heart. My heart is telling me that this is what I need. It is what the Empire needs. That's the voice that I've decided to listen to." Elle's expression softened somewhat. "You want to follow your heart, " She repeated. Elle sat down on the ramp, her legs hanging over the side. She looked up at Lum and smiled. "Do you remember the Mistress Erri." "Our early Uruseian politics teacher?" "Yeah." "She was a stern old bat, wasn't she?" Lum sat down next to Elle, not understanding the change of tone, but happy to see it. "Not really. I was following her one day, hoping to get an opportunity to place a rather large insect I found in her satchel, but she went to an orphanage." "An orphanage, Why? I got the impression that she hated children." "Believe me, I was curious about it. I found out that she had been volunteering there for years, working in the infirmary. I following her all the way in; I couldn't believe it. Hiding behind the door frame, I watched her work with the children. With everything they needed, she was there. One small boy was screaming. He was yelling for his mother. I guess he was only recently orphaned. She held him and held him even though he hit her and accused her of keeping him from his mother. Eventually he fell asleep. When she got up to put him in bed she looked up and saw me. I guess I was so fascinated that I had stepped out into the doorway. She just smiled at me." "You never told me that before," Lum said. "I didn't think you would believe me." "You're probably right." "Anyway, you know that soon after that year I became an orphan myself. All I had was my grandfather, and then he died last year. And at the same time I lost you to Benten." "You never lost me. We had that fight, but we just couldn't agree about the slaves." "Slaves, Lum? I don't care if the slaves are free or not. I've know enough Uruseians to know that we're no superior race. It was just an academic thing to argue about. You were spending more time with Benten and less with me. Benten was getting that side of you that you only had shared with me." "We were just on the same ship. You had your duties, and I had mine. There are still some things that I couldn't never talk to Benten about." "Old Erri had taught me then that there was more to life than duty and politics long ago. I was just trying to show you that you couldn't hurt me." Elle paused, looking to the ground. She sighed and looked back to Lum. "But on the Ataru question, I still think that you are going too far." "I think so too," Lum agreed, "but it's what I have to do. I won't back down." Elle smiled. "I know how stubborn you can be. You've put your foot in it. The only way you can be Empress now is to win this battle." Elle stood and stepped down from the ramp. She genuflected before Lum, and said, "The Dedron house offers its support to the Emperor and his daughter." "And Ataru?" Lum asked. Elle paused, but then said, "as well as the fiance of the Princess." "You don't know how pleased I am to here this." Lum guided Elle up and hugged her. "Welcome back, old friend." "I always thought Rei was a horrible match for you, anyway." * * * Mendo was quite convinced that he was the most useless being in the universe. He lay in the bottom bunk in the small room that he shared with Benten. The universe was engaged in pitched battle and he was doing absolutely nothing. In his hand, he held the ribbon that Benten had given him. He studied the shape of the letters. What was the word? "Chi." What was he supposed to do with this? Benten was talking about marriage. Mendo was not sure he was ready for marriage, especially marriage to an alien. That's not something that happens to Earth people too often, although he had imagined it enough. He thought about gorgeous alien women worshipping at his feet as he strode confidently up the center aisle to his throne. Sitting on the other throne waiting for him was Benten. She wore a white satin gown, and her long dark hair flowed about her. He wore his usual pressed whites, but with a long red cape with gold trim added for effect. He brushed a hair back from his forehead as he walked up the tall flight of stairs. He sat next to Benten, and scantily clad maidens brought perfumes and fruit. Mendo took a bright red apple from one of the offered trays and took a bite, then he offered it for Benten. She turned to him, her eyes sparkling, her smile radiant. She opened her rose shaded lips to speak. "If you fuckin' think I'm going to take a bite from that after you've slobbered over it, you've got another damn thing comin'!" Mendo opened his eyes with a start. He sat up in the bed, and looked at the ribbon again. He fell back on the bed, with a sigh. There was no doubt that he had to take both sides, but he worried if maybe there was even more sides to her. Courting an alien was one thing, but he knew he wasn't ready for marriage. * * * Ataru concentrated on what the numbers were telling him. He had to work hard to remember that the numbers being tallied up were the real life slaughter of hundreds of people. It was all beyond him. Ataru didn't like war, but he understood how it could be necessary, and he could even convince himself that it was necessary now. Lum came up behind him and looked over his shoulder, "How's it going, Darling?" she asked. "Poorly," he admitted. "We have a slightly higher kill ratio, but they have at least twice as many fighters, plus a slight edge on small cruisers. I thought that we were suppose to have superior numbers with the help of Rei's fleet." "We were, Darling. I blame myself. Pochik had been stockpiling. He would have wiped Azu out quickly if we had let him." "So, you have a plan. We can still win this, can't we?" She moved closer to his ear and whispered. "With prayer, luck and a little brilliance, anything is possible." "You don't sound too confident," Ataru observed. "A good leader is always confident, no matter what the odds. You remember that too." "Heh," Ataru let out a small laugh. "Then again, I think we'll probably kick ass." Lum kissed him on the cheek. "Keep track of those numbers. We'll win." She went on to the next operator. Ataru watched her for a second and then went back to his own screen. Ataru knew that everyone watched Lum to see what she thought of the situation. If she was seen to be giving up, then their cause was hopeless. Ataru hadn't considered that he was also in the spotlight. He watched the numbers tally up against them. "Well, it's not something that I'll have to worry about for too long," he thought gloomily. * * * Sugoi's first night in a Terran home was a bit rough. There were quite a few Uruseian amenities she was used to that weren't available in a typical Japanese household. Real eating utensils was one thing. She had thought of many unpleasant ways to dispose of those damn sticks. They made her feel like a child. She also didn't like sitting on the floor so much. The doors wouldn't open on their own accord, and the bathing accommodations! The house was kept clean enough, but everything was so primitive. She was given a mat to sleep on in the guest room. It was comfortable enough, but she missed her nice warm bed at home. She stared up at the ceiling, listening to all the alien sounds in her new home. She fought the urge to hide in a corner. She couldn't guess as to what kind of terrible creatures were making all that noise. All planets had certain night sounds. Sometimes it was plants, sometimes small harmless insects, and sometimes it was the quite disarming sounds of large meat eating monsters coming in for the kill. Sugoi tried not to let it get to her. There were no reports of dangerous creatures roaming the cities on Earth. The buildings certainly wasn't made to withstand such an attack. All the same though, she had to figure how to get out, and back onto an Uruseian ship. She had to get to that transmitter. She sat up. She had to get to it now. She thought of Megane. In a quick midnight raid she wouldn't need him. She could find it and be gone before anyone knew. She doubted if Lum told anyone on the crippled carrier that Sugoi was supposed to exiled. They'd be all too happy to rescue her. Her thoughts turned to Megane again. She was considering that she might miss him. He was cute, if not a bit long winded at times. If Earth was made a slave planet then she could make him her servant. That would be fun, she thought. All the more reason to get the fleet here as soon as possible, and make Lum pay for her crimes. Sugoi got her Uruseian clothes and put them on. That school uniform looked a little silly, besides it was too tight in the bust. Sugoi went to the window. She was in a first floor room. She opened the window and climbed out. Sugoi had a good sense of direction and had kept track of their earlier trip. She made her way quickly through the dark streets to the school. It was black and quiet. This was going to be easy. If only their weren't so many night sounds. They still made Sugoi nervous. She went to the front door and found it locked. She went around the building and found all the other doors locked as well, then she tried the first story windows. The first one she went to opened easily. She climbed in, and closed the window behind her. Now it got difficult. She hadn't been to Onsenmark's office, or to any place else in the building, save the infirmary and she didn't want to go back there; too many bad memories. She started from what she knew. The infirmary was on the second floor. They had put her there to hide her from the agents, who probably met Onsenmark in his office. It wouldn't be too close to the Infirmary then. It was probably on the first floor. She remembered that there was a unique symbol on Onsenmark's helmet. She would look for that. It was hard going. Street lamps lit the grounds and shone dimly through the windows. She read the doors by that meager light. Most of the symbols were complex and meant nothing to her. Finally, thought she found the one she was looking for and went in. Shinobu and Onsenmark were waiting for her in the dark. When she turned to leave, Sakura blocked her path. Sakura turned on the light and went to sit down. Sugoi noticed that Onsenmark was holding the transmitter in his hand. Sugoi cursed herself. She had been so foolish. What kind of idiot would try on the first night? Of course there would be people waiting for her. "I'm such an idiot," she said out-loud. "I agree," Shinobu said coldly in Uruseian, "but for different reasons, I'm sure." Sugoi was surprised. She didn't know about this one. She had thought that the only two Terrans who spoke Uruseian were Megane and Ataru. "So who taught you our language?" Sugoi asked. "Benten," Shinobu responded. Sugoi smiled, "Yes, I recognize the accent. So now you got me. I'm not to be trusted, but you knew that. Do you shoot me? Lock me in a cage?" Shinobu turned to Onsenmark, "She wants to know what we're going to do with her." "We can't wait here every night," Sakura said. "It was fortuitous that we caught her at all." "She's only dangerous if she gets this transmitter," Onsenmark explained, "It's the only one. I think we've made our point. We can send her back now." "I do not agree," Sakura said, "If she wasn't dangerous and crafty, Lum would not have exiled her." "If she was too dangerous," Shinobu offered, "I don't believe Lum would have left her with us." "So how did you get involved in all this?" Sugoi asked Shinobu. Shinobu had to shake her head back to Uruseian. "I came up with Ataru. I was a stowaway. Why do you want to see this planet destroyed so badly?" "What?" Sugoi asked, genuinely surprised. "I don't want to see it destroyed. Then it would be no use to the Empire. You've seen what we have. Don't you want to be a part of the Empire? Lum's going to destroy the Empire. You should be helping me." Shinobu switched languages again. "I think Lum left her here so that we could teach her. Maybe teach her the same lesson that Ataru taught Lum. We won't do her any good by throwing her in prison." "Is it fair for Megane to have to bear the brunt of it?" Sakura asked. "What if some of her treachery falls on him? I am not all convinced that we should have accepted this charge from Lum." "I am," Onsenmark interjected. "Are we teachers, or aren't we? She's a child, as moldable as any of our other students. We have to think on a galactic scale now." Sugoi looked around at the faces of her judges. Once again people were talking about her, but she couldn't understand a word that they were saying. In the course of her time already on Earth she had picked up a couple words, but definitely not enough to follow any dialogue. She was caught. It was a stupid mistake on her part. The question for her now was what to do about it. If they let her go, should she try again? She wondered if it mattered anymore. Any information that Sugoi had would quickly become outdated and obsolete if Lum made her move. It made Sugoi feel a bit useless. Shinobu spoke to Sugoi. "We have decided to take you back to Megane's house. I'm going to walk you back to make sure that you get there." Sugoi looked between the faces of her captors, and performed a Japanese bow, trying a rough approximation of "Thank you." As they walked back, Sugoi decided to put her innate curiosity to more current use. "So how 'cum you decided to stow away?" she asked. Shinobu hesitated, preferring to maintain a wary attachment to this new Uruseian. Still, she didn't want to be rude. "I didn't mean to stow away. I just wanted to convince Ataru not to go." "You didn't want him to go to the Princess?" "No. We thought that she was a monster then." Sugoi's curiosity meter was peaking. There was definitely some fun here. "So you were trying to keep him from the clutches of some monster." "Yes, Cherry and I tried to talk him out of leaving, but then the doors closed and the ship took off." "Cherry?" Shinobu stopped short. She had forgotten that Cherry was wanted. Well, Sugoi was going to meet him sooner or later. "He was the one that you ran into, the one who blew up the engine." "Then Lum was responsible for the saboteur!" "No! Lum wouldn't blow up her own ship. Benten almost killed him for it. He got away from us. He thought he was saving the Earth." "From the terrible Uruseian monsters, huh?" "We have every reason to hate you, you know. Thousands of people died in the initial invasion." "It was on Lum's orders. I wasn't even there," Sugoi pointed out. Shinobu was becoming angry, remembering all the stories that Benten had told her. "Lum stopped it! It was you and your kind who were responsible! I learned a lot about what you people do to other planets. Your Empire is disgraceful! If Lum and Ataru stop the families they'll be saving the Empire!" Shinobu stopped walking. She tried futilely to control her outburst. "Here's the house. You had better go in." Sugoi considered Shinobu and her anger for a second. "If Lum has announced her plans already, then millions are dying in a bloody civil war. There'll be nothing left of the Empire when it is done, and then billions will die of starvation and disease. The darkness will last forever. Is that what you want? What's more disgraceful, Lum's selfishness or mine?" "It wasn't Lum who fired the first shot," Shinobu said under her breath after Sugoi left to go back to the house. Shinobu watched Sugoi enter through the window she had left and then turned to go home herself. She looked up toward the sky as she walked. She wished that she was still up there. Her mother had become so moody, and possessive. Shinobu had to sneak out of the house. She hoped that her mother would be able to forget, and start over again. And how did Shinobu herself, feel about the loss of her father? Strangely numb, she had to admit. She hadn't cried yet. She did miss him. Shinobu looked up at the sky again. It's just that she lost so many things in the invasion. There was nothing left of the Shinobu with two parents, who went to school everyday and was dating a boy that she hoped to marry. She didn't dream about becoming a wife, having children and being all the things a Japanese woman is expected to be. She dreamed of space travel, and an Empire in the stars. She dreamed of being a fighter pilot, like Benten. She shook her head and directed her view to her moving feet. Solid earth is what was in store for her. Maybe she needed to learn to begin life over again. Maybe she was playing a similar game to what her mother was playing. She hadn't cried because she was keeping her head in the clouds. "Daddy," she whispered. She let the walls down and felt the wave of grief wash over her. She stopped walking. The impact was too great. She went to the side of the road and sat down in the gravel. "My Daddy's gone," she said again and began to weep. * * * Ran busied herself cleaning Lum's room. It didn't need it. It had only been used one night, but there was nothing else for her to do. When the occasional shock wave hit the ship it was all she could do to keep from screaming. Ran was not made for pitched battle. Ran was more for cold wars. It was especially bad because she knew that every hit took her a little further from Rei. She could feel in the air that the battle was not going well. Ran noticed that part of Lum's bedspread was slightly uneven, so she tore it apart and went to make it again. It would be the fifth time. Ran had been so enjoying the taste of her success. Rei was indeed irrevocably hers, and she had even managed to gain some acceptance from Rei's mother. Ran imagined herself sitting as matriarch of the Seq house. She liked the vision. It didn't even matter that Lum was planning to severely cut the power of the families. There would still be more wealth than Ran had ever hoped for and there would be Rei. An intense shock wave rocked the ship, tossing Ran against a wall. She was a little dazed as she tried to stand. That was far worse than the others. It had to be a direct hit. The battle had come here, which meant most of the fighters had to be defeated. Ran's vision was fading away. At least she had the chance to dream for a little while. * * * Sweat ran down Benten's forehead. Her fighter's cells were beginning to run low. She would have to return to the carrier soon, but she didn't know how she could. There were so few friendly ships out now. Everywhere she looked were enemy fighters. The battle had moved much closer to the Seq carrier, too close. Then she saw the view she was dreading: bombers! They had brought the bombers out. They were going after the carriers. It was the beginning of the end. The fighter cover had to be nearly obliterated. Benten turned from her target and rushed toward the bomber group. She could at least slow them down. Why did she push Lum? Lum was right. They should have waited. Now it was too late. They had played their cards and their hand was wanting. "Damn it!" Benten yelled. "Damn it to hell and back!" She cried for her home as she tried to get a lock on one of the bombers. Soon she would be gone and then there would be no hope. In a hundred years or less, her world would be barren and lifeless; no different from the small moons that circled it. "Damn the Azus," she yelled and fired. The lights dimmed again, and one bomber exploded. It didn't matter there were ten more. A red flashing caught her eye. It was the power indicator. She had to return to the carrier, and soon. Another shot would drain her ship completely. She steeled her determination and turned to the next bomber. * * * On the bridge of her temporary flag ship, Lum watched the approaching bombers in silence. They had lost. It was just a matter of time. "Princess," one of the operators called out. "Benten's fighter reads past the red line, but I can't get her to return to the carrier." "Damn her!" Lum spat and started to go to communications, but then stopped herself. She thought for a second and then continued. She raised Benten's ship. "Benten do you know that your cells are nearly dry?" "Fuck, yeah! I'm going to nail these bastards out here! They're not going to catch me lounging around waiting for my fucking batteries to charge up!" "I understand. Good bye, old friend." There was a pause and then the speaker crackled. "Good bye, my Empress. Dammit! I do like the way that sounds. Almost got him. Hey Lum, watch this one go!" Ataru spoke up. "There's something wrong with this thing. This huge blotch just appeared on my screen." Another operator confirmed his assessment. "I have the same thing Princess. There's a large mass approaching us. It apparently just came out of sub space." "Any identification?" "It's still too far away, but we'll know in a moment." * * * Benten took her time lining up her shot. Since it was going to be her last one, she felt that it should be a good one. Something to remember as she slowly froze to death, coffined in a lifeless hunk of metal. A flash caught her attention and she turned to look behind her. It was a wondrous sight. A wall of lights was rapidly approaching. Thousands of tiny points, like stars, but more intense and moving. Benten forgot what she was doing as she watched them. She was in no danger, for everyone else had also stopped fighting. What was it? What could it be? Had the Spirits taken an interest in the battle and come to participate? Ataru stood as he looked out the windows that lined the bridge of the Seq carrier. Everything was quiet. Lum absently took his hand. "What are they?" Ataru asked. "A wedding present," Ten said interrupting the moment. Lum turned, "You know what this is?" "Of course, it's my job to know." "What are they?" Ataru asked. "Wait for it," Ten said, now lounging back on the captain's chair. "The Emperor sure does know how to put on a show." "My father?!" "Shhh. Savor the moment," Ten whispered. Lum turned back to the spectacle in utter amazement. She could not imagine that anything could be so great, so wondrous. The lights sparkled all around the ship. "The blotch is separating now," Ataru said looking down at his instruments. "It's huge. It'll overtake us in a thousandth." Ataru looked back up. "Fighters," Rei said, coming to the realization "Thousands of them." Indeed even as Rei named what it truly was, the first of them past by the Seq carrier. Ship upon ship passed by, some of them roaring so close that their exhaust rattled the ship. "Those are Redet markings!" Someone shouted. "Told you," Ten said confidently. "But how?" Lum asked, "Where did they all come from? Everything we have is already here except for the fleet around Urusei, and they don't have near this many fighters." "It's not the homeworld fleet. It belongs to . . ." "Princess!" The communications officer shouted. "The commander of the fighter group is signaling, asking for orders. He wants to talk to Moroboshi. Who's Moroboshi?" Lum and Ataru stood in stunned silence. "As I was saying," Ten began, a little annoying at being interrupted. "They belong to the House of Moroboshi. It's a wedding present." "What?! How did my Father know? Who's flying them? Where did they all come from?" "They're mine?!" Ataru asked feeling a little dizzy. "Yes," said Ten. "And they're waiting for orders. Perhaps you should tell them to take out those enemy bombers heading our way." "Yeah sure, I . . . " Ataru just sat down. His eyes were wide with confusion. Ten nodded to the communications officer, who relayed the order. Lum walked over to Ten. She was becoming aware that there were many things going on that a certain person, supposedly under her employ, was not telling her. Ten, without getting up, glanced up at the glowering Lum. He smiled disarmingly. "Yes?" he said. "Explain," Lum said darkly. "Hmmm, where should I begin?" "They're tearing the Pochik fighters apart!" Someone yelled. "Princess, Benten has landed. She's on her way up," The communications officer stated. Lum glanced her way, and let a brief sigh of relief. She then turned back to Ten. Ataru came up. "How is it that they're my fighters?" "Simple," Ten answered. "You can't be Emperor without your own fleet. How would you defend your throne?" "How did my father know his name?" Lum asked between her teeth. She knew the answer and it made her a bit angry. "That's obvious," Ten admitted, utterly unaffected by Lum's anger. "I told him. Your father likes to keep tabs on things. I've been giving him daily reports." "You're supposed to be working for me!" "And I am. Haven't I been doing a good job? It's not like I was selling secrets to the enemy." It was all beginning to make sense. She had always believe that her father had a magical sixth sense into his daughter's psyche. Now she knew the truth. He had an inside man. "All the same," she said, her anger building, "I expected you to keep my secrets." "I know, but your father hired me first." "What?! How long have you been reporting to him?" "Since I entered the service. It was his idea. He has an eye for good talent." "Damn you, Ten! I trusted you." Lum rushed out of the bridge. Ten sighed. "I thought she would understand." Ten got up. "Ataru, my lad, it's a rough job. Her father wanted her to feel like she was acting on her own." "I think the point is that she really wasn't." "She was, for the most part, but that's not the point. She thinks I've betrayed her. I think she needs you to be with her." Ataru started to go and then stopped. "Have we won now?" "Oh yes. There was never any real doubt. Congratulations, my Emperor." Ataru left the bridge. Ten watched him go. "Please don't hate me, cousin," he said quietly. "I did it because I love you." * * * Lum ran down the hall, crying. She was betrayed by the one person who had helped her through so much. Her friend who played the family game for fun, but was never stained by it, was in it as deep as everyone else. And her father, her dearest father had hired someone to spy on her. He didn't really trust her. He wasn't really letting her take charge. He too was playing politics with her. Their was no love anywhere. It was all power and mistrust. Lum stopped in the middle of hall and shouted. "Damn you all! Damn the universe and everything in it!" "Well," Benten said. "That's some way to celebrate. We've won. Why aren't you happy?" Lum turned hard on her old friend. "Did you know that Jariten was reporting to my father?" "Oh," Benten said stepping back. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't anyone tell me?" "Your father told us not to. He wanted to see how you would handle things on your own." "Waiting for me to botch things up so he could come to the rescue! It seems I can't trust anyone." "Now wait just a damn minute, sister," Benten said pointing a finger at Lum. "No one's fucking betrayed anyone. Your father had this whole revolution thing planned, but he didn't want to pressure you into it. I wanted to tell you, but he said that you had to be allowed to decide things on your own. If you had decided to just go and marry Rei, that would have been the end of it. We had to live with your decision." "Why was he waiting for me? Why didn't he just take the fighters and defeat the families himself?" "It takes a while to build up a fleet like that without anyone knowing it. And then he had to train the slave pilots." "Slave pilots? They aren't Uruseian?" "No, of course not," Benten said, letting her pride show. "He wanted good pilots. Besides where would he get that many more Uruseian pilots, and who better to free the slaves with. He just got everything done, shortly before he told you he was retiring. He knew that it was about time for you to take the throne, but he didn't want to just leave you with a Empire torn by civil war. It had to be your choice. I was wondering if you'd ever make it. Thank the Spirits for Ataru. It couldn't be more perfect. Now that he has his own fleet, he can easily claim the throne. The families will be too scared to challenge him." Lum leaned back against the wall, to try and digest everything that had happened. "It was all a test then?" "Not really. There was no wrong answer, though I would have been a bit peeved if you had just let things go." Ataru came running down the hall. "Benten," he said through heavy breaths. "I'm glad you got back." "Yeah, me too. If you'll excuse me, I have someone to attend to." Benten turned to leave. "I'm glad you're here as well," Lum said to Benten before she was gone. Benten half turned back to Lum, she was grinning devilishly. "We fuckin' won! Hah!" She cheered and went off down the hall. After Benten was gone, Ataru put a hand on Lum's shoulder and said, "Ten didn't mean to hurt you." Lum turned, and embraced him. "I know, Darling. I know. Let's go see how well your fleet can fight." They separated and taking the other's hand they walked back to the bridge. "We won, didn't we?" Ataru asked. "Yes, all our dreams have finally come true." [End of Part 13]