Alternative Urusei Yatsura Fanfic by *Lewis Burden* (file: jad1_uy.txt) ================================= This Fanfic is not yet finished and currently consists of 12 parts. Every part will be uploaded and made available on a weekly basis on the Internet. Files are available via email request or ftp at world.std.com in: ftp: world.std.com /pub/UY email request: uy-fan@lexicor.com *************************** ********************************* Fanfic was first uploaded to GENIE and is now available on the Internet. note: This is very alternative UY and highly recommendable UY fanfic ===== Enjoy, Yat Siu - ysiu@lexicor.com Lewis Burden July 1, 1992 For over two hundred episodes, six movies, and many OVA's we watched the adventures of the Earth boy Ataru Moroboshi and the alien girl Lum who moved in with him. Their adventures together broke the rules of reality with a vengeance, and forced the viewer to accept the outlandish as commonplace. What if . . . What if all that was just a series of dreams shared by these two people of very different worlds? "JUST A DREAM?" Written by Lewis Burden Edited by Joseph Rispoli, Jr. (Based on characters and situations created by Rumiko Takahashi in her series URUSEI YATSURA.) Lum woke quickly from her dream. This was usually a problem. Whenever she made a sudden move in the zero- gravity cubicle where she usually slept she would start spinning. It was a very disorienting experience for one who had just woke up. She reached out for a wall to stop herself. Often it was a toss up between the rough awakening and the comfort of free-floating. But she enjoyed the sense of flight too much to sleep on a conventional bed. Stopped, but still a little disoriented, she tried to gather her thoughts. She had one of the those dreams again. It was almost every night now, and it was really starting to worry her. She would always find herself on some alien planet, with beings her own age. The planet was quite primitive by Uruseian standards. The beings there spoke a strange language that for some reason, she understood. "Computer, normal gravity," she commanded. The computer beeped an acknowledgement and slowly turned on the gravity. Lum gently floated to the ground. A beep came from the entrance. "Who is it?" "It is Ran, princess." "Come," Lum said and pushed a button, unlocking the door. The door opened, revealing Lum's serving girl, Ran, holding some folded clothes. "How is my mistress, today?" she asked politely. Ran was always polite to a fault. In Lum's experience she had never seen Ran angry, or even annoyed. Lum wondered, though, if underneath there might not be a seething cauldron of emotion just waiting to get out. Lum stood patiently while Ran dressed her with the clothes she had brought. "Did you have another dream last night?" "Yes," Lum answered reluctantly. Her dreams had become the talk of the fleet, and she was certain that Ran was the main source of fresh news on this subject. Lum really didn't like everyone talking about her, and she knew that there was more than just concern over her recurring dreams. It wasn't the same dream over and over again, but ua continuing stream of different experiences on that other planet. It was almost as if she was living another life. Her experiences in her dreams often were bizarre, and even though she hated to admit it, sometimes fun. People were interested in hearing the ongoing story that was unfolding in her subconscious. They were also interested, because many of them appeared in dreams, although usually in radically different roles. She smiled. Certainly her innermost feelings about the various individuals were coming out in her dreams. Whenever she told Ran her latest dream, she was careful not to reveal too much about these characterizations. "Was it a bad dream?" Ran asked, hoping to get more information. "No," Lum responded, "We went on a class field trip, and I threw a sentient fruit at that boy so hard that it stuck to his head, and he became the fruit." "Sentient fruit?" "Yes, there were two of them, male and female who were in love with each other. Ataru had the male one, and the female landed on all kinds of people, including Jariten." Ran chuckled. "And so he started acting like the girl." "Yes," Lum laughed, "and the girl fruit forced him to run to Ataru." "Did I get Rei in this dream too?" This was one of Ran's greatest interests. Rei was a squadron commander, and a part of the aristocracy. He was far out of Ran's reach, but it was obvious to everyone, except Rei, that she had a crush on him. Lum thought he was rather stupid and ate too much, but unfortunately it was already arranged by their parents. Lum had to marry him. That date, which was not too far off, was not one that Lum was looking forward to, but it was one of those alliances that needed to be made in order to keep the Empire going. She was a princess and had to marry out of duty rather than love. Perhaps that was another reason she almost looked forward to the dreams. In her dreams she had told Rei what she really thought of him. She had always wanted to do that. She could be her own woman in her dreams. Strangely, although she was still a princess, she had none of the political responsibilities she so hated. She was free to pursue that alien boy, her "Darling", with no concern for anything else. There were certainly times when she wished she could stay in her dreams. Lum's train of thought was broken when Ran asked her question again, "Did I get Rei in this dream?" "Oh yes, I remember that you two were sitting under a tree, and you were feeding him." Wasn't it strange, Lum thought, how easily she could retain the memory of these dreams. Ran smiled and sighed, "Too bad it is only a dream." "Yes, " Lum thought out loud, "too bad." Ran finished her fussing and Lum checked the mirror. Once again, Ran's work was exemplary. From a sleepy mess, Lum was transformed into the military princess, beautiful and dangerous. "Thank you, Ran," she said, "What is my schedule for today?" "There's a war council at point 35. You'll be making the final arrangements for the invasion of Earth next week. . ." "Hmm, another planet. This constant expansion of the Empire is getting tiring." "The Empire needs the slaves and the resources, my lady." "Yes, I know. What else?" "You have a holo-audience with your father at point 52. . ." Lum shivered. She still felt like a little girl around him. The amount of power he held made her feel small, even though she was by no means without authority herself. "Dinner with Rei at point 60 . . ." Lum made a face. "And finally the doctor's appointment at point 74." "Doctor?! Who said I needed to see a doctor?!" "Your family is worried about these dreams. You've been having them almost every night. As benign as most of them seem, it could be a sign of something serious. Besides, it was your father's order, so there is nothing you can do about it." Lum looked at Ran, who eyes showed nothing but concern. Lum almost sensed a bit of satisfaction at that last statement. It was true, Lum was just as much a servant as Ran, just to different people. She wished they could all be free. Lum sighed, "I'll be having supper tonight late, apparently. After I get done with the doctor, about point 80. Something light." "Yes, my lady, " Ran said and bowed out. "Computer, what is the time?" "Point 32:57," the computer answered. * * * Ataru Moroboshi made his way toward school, desperately trying to deflect the questions of his friends. It was yet another day of fielding the insatiable questions about Lum, the demon girl that he was having recurring dreams about. "Did you kiss her?" Megane asked. "No, " Ataru answer grumpily. "Did I kiss her?" Pama asked. "She would never kiss you!" Kakugari quickly said. "More than she would you!" Pama responded. "She didn't kiss anyone!" Ataru shouted. Megane put his arm around Ataru's shoulder, "You know, I'm starting to worry about you. Here you have this gorgeous girl chasing after you and you have never even kissed her." "She's just a dream, Megane." "You have to take what you can get," Megane observed. "I have Shinobu. She's all I really want." At this the other four burst out laughing. "You lust after every girl in the school," Pama stated. "Just like the rest of us," Chibi added. Megane held up his hand and motioned for silence, "Now, now. We must understand Ataru's plight. After all he has a beautiful girl chasing after him in his dreams, whom he only runs from. Considering what dreams say about the unconscious I'd say that we must conclude that Ataru Moroboshi is gay." "I am not!" "It's true" Kakugari said. "Perhaps he would prefer a handsome guy chasing him in his dreams?" Pama said putting his hand on his hip and batting his eyes. "You take that back! It's not true at all! I'm a bigger lech than any of you." "But after what gender is our question?" Megane said. With this, the four began laughing hysterically, and ran off with Ataru chasing them. After a short sprint Ataru asked himself why he was chasing them. He wanted to be alone, let them run away. He resumed a more leisurely pace. "Why do I run from her?" he asked himself. "She is beautiful. Normally I would be all over a girl like that, especially if she wanted me to. Horns or no, that's not the part of her body that I'm interested in." Ataru chuckled to himself. "Ataru," came a feminine voice from behind him. It was his girl, Shinobu. "Ataru," she said again moving up along side of him. "I know that laugh, you were thinking about other girls." Ataru thought quickly, and decided he could get further with honesty in this case. "Just thinking," he responded. Shinobu looked skeptically at him. "You had better make sure that is as far as you go. You dreamt about Lum again last night?" This, believe it or not, was a touchier subject than him chasing real girls. Shinobu had become insanely jealous of the imaginary girl that haunted Ataru's dreams. Being able to honestly say that he was not accepting her advances was the only thing that had saved him up until now. There was no good way out of this one. She knew he had dreamt about Lum, or would find out, so he couldn't lie. But she didn't want to hear the truth either. Before the dreams started, he had never seen this side to Shinobu. She was much more relaxed, much gentler. They had been sweethearts since kindergarten, but now a dream was destroying their relationship. Ataru was having second thoughts about Shinobu, as he knew she had about him. He wasn't sure this would change if the dreams went away. "Yes," he said meekly. The best he could hope for was to be submissive. "Did you kiss her?" "It always came down to that, didn't it," he thought to himself. Everyday that was the question, from Shinobu, from the guys, his parents, relatives, everyone. Everyone wanted to know whether or not they had kissed yet, and they hadn't. Maybe that was the reason that he was running from her. It's was like if he did kiss her the whole fabric of existence would come tumbling down. "No," he answered, "There's only one set of lips that I kiss." he smiled at her and put his finger on her lips. She looked up into his eyes and returned a weak smile. She kissed his finger and her face softened. "Oh Ataru, this is so hard. I can't compete with a girl who isn't real, but she has you every night. What can I do? What can I say? For me, please stop dreaming about that girl." The stopped and held each other. "I wish I could, Shinobu dear. I wish I could." But did he? * * * Lum watched the rotating holo-image in the center of conference room. It displayed a small image of the third planet in the Sol system along with all the data they had on the inhabitants and their defenses. The technology was fairly primitive, but the planet was making fast progress. In another hundred years or so they might start developing weapons that would challenge the Empire. They were very warlike. Best to get them now, before they developed interstellar travel and became a problem. "Computer, time?" Lum inquired. "Point 33:70," came the response The generals and commanders would show up shortly. Lum liked to come early to study things in silence without all the bickering that usually went along with these meetings. Lum sighed loudly. It was always a power game. There was rarely any discussion of strategy. It was whose division gets the glory missions. More aristocratic bickering is what it actually was, family honor and all that. There was never any consideration about the death and destruction. Once they had bickered out positions, or more than likely after Lum put her foot down, it was Lum who then actually organized a campaign that would really work. Planet after planet, it was always the same. Lum was about ready to shove a fist through the control panel in frustration when Jariten bounced into the room. "Hiya Lum," he called brightly. In general, Lum liked Jariten. He was a bit heavy, roundish. If he wasn't well born he would have never been allowed in the fighter corps. He was also a bit of a practical joker, but Lum liked him anyway. He took very little seriously, and knew how to make the right people mad. He stirred up a lot of trouble, but was very rarely ever caught. Lum liked to watch his antics, as long as he didn't lose his temper. Ten had a fiery temper. He never did anything to her though, because he liked her as well, and he also knew as long as he had her silent approval he could get away with almost anything. "Hi Ten," she answered with a brief smile. He came up next to her and began studying the map. Actually, he was studying her. The biggest part of his ability to get away with things was a power to read people quickly. He knew well the cage she was in. It often sought to close him in as well, but he was too fast for it. Though, he had to admit, he was a bit lower down the succession line. Lum was too close, and too responsible. He felt for her, and tried to do what he could. His jokes were for both of them. "So," he said, "ready for the prewar war?" Lum chuckled. He was reading her thoughts again, "You know how I feel. I'd like to give them all a big zap." Ten was confused for a moment. "Oh, the dreams." "Yeah. But I have to see the doctor this afternoon, so I suppose I won't be having them for much longer." Ten shoved his hand through the holographic planet. "Ahh! We're being attacked by the great space hand!" he yelled. Taking his hand out he turned back to her and asked, "Family's idea?" "Yes." Ten chuckled. "You found a way to escape the cage for awhile so they rush to close up the hole. Even your dreams are no refuge for long." Lum was about to answer when Rei walked in with General Nevens. Rei was in the General's division, and was currently sucking up. Another reason for Lum to despise him. He was one of them. Ten watched Lum's eyes, knowing her thoughts, and tapped her on the shoulder. He smiled, gave her a wink, and bounced over to Rei and the General. "Hiya, Rei!" he said and smiled brightly. Rei looked at him coldly. "That's Commander," Rei responded in his customary short sentences. Ten, for obvious reasons, was never promoted, except to keep his family's embarrassment to a minimum. Rei, on the other hand, moved up the ranks rather quickly. This fact was Rei's only ammunition in a battle that Rei was horribly ill-equipped for. "Titles? Between close kin? Cousins?" Ten was still smiling brightly. The fact that the two were related was one of Ten's better shots from a vast arsenal. "Distant cousins." "Not too distant," he said and changed the subject, "Hear you had trouble with your replicator again. Dinner was a little unsettling, though you do eat too fast." Rei began to grumble a response when Ten launched his third and most devastating volley, "Oh yeah, I have a message from Mara." "Mara?" Rei asked with interest. Mara was Rei's current fling. Rei didn't feel his impending marriage was any reason for fidelity. "Yeah. No dice on the date. She's busy that night. Someone. . . I mean something came up." With that Ten turned and went to his assigned seat. Rei was red with anger. Lum forced back a chuckle. Rei was undoubtedly the most handsome man in the fleet, but he was no match for Ten when it came to women. Ten was fat and short, but for some reason women flung themselves at him. He often amused himself by going after Rei's girls, and Lum loved him for it. The General saw the amused look on Lum's face and shook his head. "Don't let it bother you, Commander. Come tell me what you think of the fourth squadron." Rei swallowed his pride and resumed sucking up. Lum and Ten exchanged smiles and the rest of the generals showed up. Lum began the meeting and the bickering commenced. * * * Ataru sat under a tree in the school courtyard. It was his second favorite time of the day, lunchtime. His favorite time was, of course, suppertime. He was about to wolf down his meal when out of the corner of his eye he saw the school nurse, Miss Sakura, coming toward him. "Oh great, she heard," he thought. Sakura was a competent nurse, and the object of every young man's lust in the high school, but she had a preoccupation with the supernatural and had made Ataru and his dreams a mission of hers. At first, he loved the attention. He was the envy of the rest of the guys. When she examined him he was in heaven. The other guys had to make things up, but he had a real illness. Now however, he was getting a little tired of it. She wouldn't leave him alone. She said she had a medical interest, but Ataru figured that she probably thought he was possessed and wanted to exorcise him. She was as bad as that damn monk, Cherry, who hung around his house, raiding the kitchen. Ataru thought they must be related or something. She stood over him. Ataru hoped for a good wind. "I understand you had another dream last night," she said with a hint of the same accent that the Shinto clergy used. "Yes," he said reluctantly. She sighed. "I wish you would take this more seriously. It is not normal to dream about the same thing every night." "I know that!" Ataru snapped. He was very tired of being pestered about his dreams. He stood up. "But what am I supposed to do about it? I can't stop sleeping. Besides, for the most part, they're not bad dreams. It's reality that gives me a headache. All these people continually asking me about my dreams is getting on my nerves. Why don't you figure out a way to take care of that?" He marched off. Sakura walked after him. "You say you like your dreams better than real life. You are beaten often in these dreams." "It doesn't hurt that much." Sakura stopped. "You can feel pain in your dreams?" Ataru also stopped and turned, "Yes, but it's . . . " "But it's what? Just a dream? I don't think so. Come to my office. I need to examine you again." Ataru nodded submissively, and they went back to the school. * * * Lum stormed out of the conference room. It was everything she thought it would be and worse. There was only one release for the anger and the frustration she felt now, that was the fighter corps and her friend Benten. Benten was not a friend that Lum was really allowed to have. She was not Uruseian, but a member of the one of the slave planets that they had conquered. Occasionally, an exceptional pilot from one of these planets would be noticed and be allowed to fight for the Empire. But although Benten enjoyed many privileges that her people did not she was still considered to be a slave and far below Lum's station. Lum found Benten in the fighter bay doing what she was normally doing, fussing over her fighter. Benten's fighter was undoubtedly the cleanest and best cared after fighters in the fleet. The bay crews didn't come near it. Benten did all the work on it. They wouldn't understand some of the modifications she had made on it anyway. She called it her 'bike' because she considered it to be just a larger version of the air bikes she had flown at home. Even more than with Jariten, Lum felt free around Benten. Benten saw Lum coming. She had heard that there would be a war meeting that morning and was expecting her. Benten offered a sarcastic bow, "Your highness. What can your humble servant, a mere slave, hope to offer your loftiness." Lum let loose with a light backhand across the top of Benten's bowed head, "Stop that!" "War conference over?" Benten asked straightening up. "Yes, but how did you. . ." "The only time I get to see you anymore is after one of those damn conferences. They must keep you pretty busy." Lum sat on a floater disc which hovered near the fighter. She lowered her eyes. "Not too busy. I'm sorry." "Oh shit, Lum. I know what's going on. Your family doesn't want you to see me, so they schedule your day for you. That's why you've been so damn irritable lately. You don't have any time for yourself. Those Uruseian aristocrats are such asses." The last sentence was accompanied by a smile and a wink. Lum smiled back. "They are, aren't they?" "One of these days, I'm going to lead my people in revolt and we're going to nail their hides on the wall for target practice." "You shouldn't talk that way out the open like this, but when you do lead that revolt count me on your side." "On my side?! Shit, I thought you were leading my assault force." Lum smiled. These types of conversations was why Lum liked coming here after the conferences. Benten wasn't really in too much danger because of her talk. Her incredible kill ratio made up for a lot of sins, and then there was her friendship with Lum. Though there were those who waited for Lum to turn her back for just a moment. "Dammit Lum, one of these days you and me will take out those bastards. You'll see." "I just wish I wasn't one of those bastards." "Hell, you're the number two bastard about to be number one." "When I lead the assault, I'll be leading it against myself." "It should be one hell of a confrontation." "It usually is." Benten sighed and put her arm around Lum's shoulder, and said quietly, "Hey kiddo, you remember it's not just talk with you. You'll have the power someday. My people know that. All the slave planets know that. We're waiting for you. And when you come into power you'll have the greatest force the universe has ever seen behind you." "But I have to marry Rei. He'll be the Emperor." "Rei," Benten spit. "He can't put three words together to save his life. You'll walk all over him. Let Jariten stay with you. He'll keep Rei busy." Lum chuckled. "You should have heard what he said to Rei before the meeting. All the barons are after my father to . . .MY father! Computer, what time is it?" "Point 53:02." Lum's eyes grew wide with fear. She stood up quickly. "What's wrong?" "I had a holo-audience with my father at point 52. I'm late. He's going to kill me. I'm sorry Benten. I have to go. I'll try to come back this evening." With that, she flew off as fast as she could. Benten watched her run through the exit. "Sure Lum," she said, her eyes showed the sadness she felt for her friend. They'll wear her down before she ever reaches the throne, she thought. She turned and resumed cleaning her fighter. Lum burst into the communications chamber quite winded from her run. The attendant looked at her. Lum met her eyes and then motioned toward the holo-viewer. The attendant nodded gravely. Lum's head dropped and she sighed. She reluctantly went over to the viewer and the attendant worked to reestablish the link. After a few seconds an image of her father talking to a subordinate focussed in the chamber. Her father turned toward her. He did not look overly pleased. "So my daughter has graciously deemed to make contact with her father?" "Father, I am sorry," Lum pleaded," but the war meeting went on so long and I had to talk to Ben . . . someone." "Someone, meaning Benten," The Emperor of two-thirds of the explored galaxy sighed, "My poor little girl. We'll discuss your meetings with Benten in a bit, but first tell me about the war council." Lum's face became angry. "Father, they are such idiots!" "Given, but I would rather hear about invasion strategies." Her father said evenly. Lum caught herself. The multi-relationship that she shared with her father was sometimes confusing. Father-daughter, Emperor-subject, Commander-lieutenant, Teacher-student, each requiring a different tone, a different language. Each revolved around a different aspect of her life. She almost had to be several persons. She didn't know how her father did it. "I'm sorry, " she apologized and drew a breath. "Earth does not have the technology to withstand our forces. They are militaristic, and have nuclear technology, but are cumbersome in space. I decided only to use four divisions. I probably won't go down myself. I don't think it will be necessary. . ." Lum's father nodded attentively as Lum continued her report. She went over the whose divisions would be used and what kind of hardware would be necessary. When she had finished, he father smiled. "Quite satisfactory, as usual. How many forces will you have to leave?" "Two divisions should be enough to hold them. I am worried that they seem to have a long history of rebelling against government. Though the populace has extensively mined the planet, it is still rich in resources and water. I suggest giving the planet to the Tenwan family." Lum's father nodded. "Very good. I assume you hope to give Tenwan Undau a little extra edge on the Azu's?" "Yes," Lum responded, smiling at her father's recognition of her political cleverness. "It is a good choice, but have you considered the Efuan family." "Efuan Randa?" "Yes. Her family is competing for a water contract against Azu. You might be able to do Tenwan a better favor by helping Efuan get that contract. A heavy water planet like Earth would swing the contract in her favor. Tenwan really doesn't have the resources to make use of the water on that planet, but Efuan does. Not to mention that we won't be directly seen as taking sides in the Tenwan-Azu conflict. By giving the planet to Efuan you can attack Azu on two sides." Well, so much for Lum's cleverness. But this wasn't the first time her father had done that to her, and it wouldn't be the last. She hadn't yet learned to see the situation as completely as her father could. "That would be better," she agreed, "I failed to take that into consideration." "Yes, but don't despair. Your suggestion was valid and well thought out. Someday, you'll add the edge of experience to you judgments. Truthfully, when I was your age, I don't think I would have even thought of Tenwan, let alone Efuan." "Thank you, father." Their roles had switched again. She was no longer a lieutenant reporting to her commander, now she was a student. Lum's father looked around him, and motioned for someone off screen to go. Turning back to Lum he said, "Tell the attendant to set our transmission on scramble, and then tell her to leave." Lum turned to attendant who was already completing the coding to scramble the transmission. They nodded to each other, and the attendant left. Lum turned back to her father. She was curious as to why they needed such secrecy. "I wanted to talk to you about your future," he began, "Many things are happening very quickly now, and we must be careful. I got another report about Jariten. It is getting harder and harder to defend him. Please ask him to refrain from badgering Rei." "Father, please, he hasn't done anything too bad." "I know, I don't like Rei much either, but he is your fiancee." "You don't like him, then why do I have to marry him?!" "Why is very simple. I had no sons. There are some in the Empire who claim that since I had no sons, I have no heir to put on the throne. I don't hold with that in the slightest, but some of them like Rei's father are very powerful. I had to bend to get you on the throne. I want you on the throne, Lum. The Empire needs you. I believe that strongly." "Rei will still be Emperor. We've still lost." "You have to learn to look deeper. Rei will be Emperor, but you'll be empress. Your will is much stronger than Rei's. He'll be busy strutting while you rule the Empire. And then there is Jariten. Why do you think I keep him with you? He will be invaluable as an advisor to you, and he has other talents. He assesses people quickly, and he can help you keep Rei in check. I want him to teach your sons, not Rei." "But father, what kind of life is that? Constantly having to keep the political upperhand on my husband." "My poor girl, it is no life. I am fortunate that I do love your mother, but it was a political marriage, and on many subjects we are opposed." Lum's mother was from the Azu family. She and Rei got along well. Like Rei, Lum's mother believes in station, and family glory and honor. Lum shares her father's more universal viewpoint, Empire over families, people over power. All Lum's life, her mother lectured her on comportment and the need for rank and pomp. It sounded more like gibberish to Lum's ears. "Is there no way I can rule without him?" "I wish there was. You must believe me. It is with him, or not at all. He will be Emperor either way, or there will be civil war. Do you want that? "I'm sorry it had to come to this, my daughter. Our family has lost much of its prestige. I'm afraid I did not run it well." That admission hurt and surprised Lum. To her, her father was great, and nearly perfect. A master strategist, a warrior, the Emperor, but now he appeared to be a tired old man. Worn beyond his years, and admitting defeat. Yet beyond her inflated image of her father, Lum knew the truth. Her father ran her family as best as anyone could. He only had one flaw. He had no sons. In many respects this fact made him a lame duck. By tradition, his daughter could not come directly to the throne, she had to marry. This was an Achilles heel that other families often used to their advantage. Her father would have to cave in to one of them, eventually. Only two other women had ever succeeded to the throne in nearly 5000 years of Uruseian history. Lum knew the stories of both of them very well, Saras Tretha and Yon Onhu. Both were women of incredible will. Saras Tretha's career was uneventful, however. She maintained the Empire well, but that is all she did. It did not expand during her reign. She died with no heirs. Yon Onhu, was quite another matter. She rose to power in the midst of civil war. It was started precisely due to her gender and succession. Her father did not force her to marry to one of the more powerful families as Lum's father was doing. However, Yon was not overthrown. She defeated the rebels, and died in her bed. She had five sons from a husband of her own choosing. The eldest, Redet Wai, ruled after her. Lum was a Redet. Yon Onhu was her five times great grandmother, and she was Lum's favorite study. Lum even knew what the Empress Yon's favorite childhood song was. It was Lum's favorite as well. If only there weren't so many killed in that civil war. "Benten is also on that ship for a reason," her father continued, breaking Lum out of her thoughts. "Are you surprised? Perhaps you thought I didn't want you near her." "Yes, that's what we both thought, " Lum said taken aback. "Depth, Lum. Think it through. If I had wanted you separated I would never have assigned you to the same fleet." "I requested her with me," Lum said. "And I approved. You're not the Empress yet. Everything has to go through me. I know about your relationship, and I know what you talk about. You should be more careful. Your relationship with her is well known among the families. That is another reason you need Rei. They are frightened of you, and her. Did you know that there have been no less than seven attempts on her life?" Again Lum was surprised. "No, I knew there were plots, but. . ." "She didn't tell you? She killed them all. Two in her fighter, three in the hall near her room, and two on her home planet during leave. All because of your relationship with her and what she stands for." Lum had no idea of any of this. She had known Benten for years. Benten had never admitted to actual attempts on her life. Was their friendship that important to Benten, or perhaps her reasons were political as well. Lum would have to find out. "Lum, nothing is too crazy to be true. These are things you should know, or at least should have guessed about. This is the world that you were born into, and the one that you will rule. But still, I want Benten with you. She will give you the power of the slave planets to use against the families. It is a great power. When you are Empress make her your personal guard and advisor. You will need her. "Finally, your dreams. I don't need to tell you that these are the last things you need now. The whole Empire knows of them. Many are beginning to call you mad, and are trying to use them to keep you from the throne. That is why I made that appointment for you with our doctor," Lum's father took a deep breath, "Lum, this is very important. The doctor will cure you of these dreams, whether he does or not. Do you understand me?" "Yes, father." "Tell Ran you had a normal dream tomorrow morning. This has got to stop. "I wanted to tell you these things so that you'll be more careful. The dreams have made our situation more dangerous. I want my daughter to succeed me, and I want the succession to be a smooth one. You are not a little girl anymore. You are going to be treated as an adult now, and you live in a field of land mines." Lum felt tears welling up around her eyes. Her father noticed them, and his face softened. "I understand," Lum responded quietly. "Goodbye, my precious darling. I love you." With that the image of Lum's father decomposed into many scattering dots, and disappeared. "I love you, daddy." Lum went to the attendant's chair and sat down. Tears were rolling down her face and she buried her head in her hands. Why did her father have to do it. All her friends, and her relationships, everything she knew was political. Everything so neatly arranged. She didn't hate him for it, because he had taught her well. She knew it was all necessary. She knew the stakes. Civil war or the Empire ruled by Rei and his ilk was unacceptable. It had to be her, and her life had to be arranged just so for that to come about. Everyone wanted her to be the savior of the galaxy. The weight crushed her young shoulders. She longed for the embrace of her dream lover, Ataru. She longed for the kiss that would free her from all this. * * * Ataru Moroboshi left Sakura's office after being poked and prodded for fifteen minutes. No great revelations about his situation were forthcoming. Ataru was not surprised. Fortunately, there were still fifteen minutes left for lunch. Ataru went back out to the school yard and to his favorite tree, where he found Shutaro Mendo finishing his own lunch. Shutaro Mendo was a bit of an odd sort as far as Ataru was concerned. His family was extremely poor, but Mendo did his best not to show it. Mendo had the best imagination in the whole school. He would often entertain schoolmates by telling fantastic stories about samurai, and ancient battles. He considered Ataru his best friend, though Ataru was less than enthusiastic. Mendo would often tell Ataru about what he would do if he were immensely rich. Mendo would have soldiers, and planes. His land would stretch as far as the eye could see, and his army would be greater than the combined force of the planet. These stories amused Ataru at first, but now they were getting a little old. Mendo seemed almost to live in that fantasy world of his imagination. With all this in mind, Ataru sat down next to him anyway, fully aware that more stories of this incredible wealth would be forthcoming. "Hello Mendo, " he said as he sat down. "Greetings," Shutaro responded, "Another examination from Sakura?" "Yes," Ataru said."She never lets up." "Poor Ataru. Every boy in school feels sorry for you. What did you do to get her so interested in you." "I didn't do anything. It's just the dreams," Ataru protested. "I have all kinds of dreams, but she never takes such an interest in me. Last night I dreamed of an alien princess." Ataru was surprised. Maybe he wasn't alone after all. "Was her name Lum?" he asked. Mendo turned to Ataru and smiled. He had Ataru hooked for another story. "You mean did I dream about your girl, no. I would never steal your girl away from you. Her name was Elle. She had ten thousand men who wanted to be her suitors, but I was her favorite." "Oh," said Ataru quickly losing interest. He had heard this story before. Mendo was disappointed, but he continued, "And she had red hair, not green. Really Ataru, why green hair? That's a little odd. Is she some kind of plant creature? I thought it was I who had the imagination." "No, she's no plant creature. She has the body of a beautiful girl. Her skin is very soft, and her eyes are a deep blue. Her voice is like a song. Her green hair is long and flows all around her when she flies." Mendo studied Ataru as he described the girl in his dreams. Ataru's eyes looked far off. It all seemed pretty obvious to Shutaro. "You're really in love with this girl, aren't you?" Ataru was quickly shaken from his images and turned hard on Mendo. "What?" he snapped. "You're in love with this Lum, this dream girl of yours," Shutaro repeated. "I am not! She's not even real. Everyone knows that Shinobu is my girl." Ataru's outburst was what Mendo wanted. It would pay him back for being inattentive. Mendo smiled smugly, as he stood and brushed the dirt from his school uniform. "Well, whatever you say." He brushed his hair back from his eyes. It's time for class. You had better get your lunch eaten. See ya later." With a wave, Mendo walked off toward school. Ataru watch him levelly. He then looked down at his as yet untouched lunch. The school clock read five minutes to one. "Damn!" Ataru spat under his breath, and wolfed down his meal. 'Of course I don't love her,' he thought as he got up to throw his lunch bag in the garbage. 'She's a dream. No more real than any of Mendo's stories. What kind of weirdo falls in love with a dream girl?' As Ataru walked up the steps to the school he noticed his reflection coming toward him in the glass of the main entrance doors. He stopped for a quick moment in front of the door, and then angrily whipped it open and went in. * * * Lum chastised herself for indulging in the luxury of self-pity and stood up from the attendant's chair that she had sat in after her conversation with her father. Suddenly Ran burst through the door. "My princess, oh thank the spirits that I found you." "What is it?" "It is nearly point six-zero, princess. You have to get ready for your dinner with Rei." Lum was beginning to feel a headache coming on. Dinner with Rei, she would be late. Her whole day was running behind and it was barely half way through. "Okay," she sighed, and went though the communications room door, with Ran close behind. "I don't know how I'm going to get you ready in time, my lady. There is so little time left." "I'll go basically as I am," Lum stated, "Just comb my hair and add a little touchup makeup." "Oh no, my lady," Ran protested as they rounded a corner at a rushed pace. "That won't do. You're having lunch with your fiancee, you should look your best." Lum sighed. "I know how you feel about Rei, but I don't share those feelings. Besides, I think the battle dress turns him on. Hmm, perhaps I should change after all." Ran stopped for a moment outside Lum's quarters, trying to sort her thoughts out about what Lum had just said. She continued into the room, where Lum was picking out something appropriate to wear. Her best clothes went unchecked. "That is such a terrible thing to say, My princess. Rei is such a handsome man. You should feel fortunate to be allowed to marry him." Lum shoved one of her more tacky dresses at Ran. "Here, I want to wear this. You really have to get to know him to despise him as much as I do. Marrying him is no privilege." Ran gave it a brief glance and then threw it on a chair. She went to the closet to get a better dress, while Lum took off her clothes. Taking out one of Lum's finer garments, Ran hung it against Lum and looked it over. "There, that'll do. You'll be beautiful." The switching the conversation back to Rei, she said, "Nonsense! He's a member of the Seq house, they're very powerful. He'll give you a much higher station, and he is so very handsome." "Higher station, Ran? I'm the daughter of the Emperor. How do you get higher than that? What is this dress you're putting on me? It's my best one. I wanted the other one." Unheeding of the last comment, Ran pulled the dress over Lum's body and straightened it around her. She took out a small molecular connector closing the zipper seam, and then finished straightening the dress. Ran stepped back for a look. "Beautiful," she decided. "I wish I could look that beautiful, but then I'm not nobility, am I?" There was a slight bite in Ran's last statement. "If I had your position. I would marry Rei like a shot. All the girls on the ship like him except for you. Best do something with that hair." Lum winced as Ran pulled the comb roughly through her hair. "I'll tell you what, when I'm Empress I'll give you permission to marry Rei." Ran's spirits shot through the ceiling when she heard this, but then shot through the floor when she remembered one important fact. "Don't tease your servant, Mistress. When you're Empress, Rei will be married to you." Ran finished Lum's hair and started working on her makeup. "Ran, believe me when I tell you that I want nothing more than for you to be married to Rei." Ran smiled a little servant's smile, but it was more than that because she knew that Lum was serious. Ran would take any hopeless chance she could get. "When I marry Rei, perhaps you and I could have a joint wedding." Lum smiled. "Who do you have in mind for me, or are we both marrying Rei?" "Spirits no, mistress. You would marry your dream lover, Ataru. Since my getting married to Rei is only a dream, it is only fitting." Ran finished and turned Lum toward the mirror. Perfect as usual. Far better than she would have liked to look for Rei, but perhaps this was better. She remembered the caution that her father said she needed. "It is fitting, Ran. It's a date, then. Thank you." "Thank you, mistress," Ran said bowing. "Computer, time," Lum commanded. "Point 59:70," came the response. Lum smiled to Ran, "and as efficient as usual." She made her way to the door. She paused before going out and turned to Ran. "Unfortunately, I am afraid that Ataru won't be in my life anymore." "Mistress, what do you mean?" "Well, I have the doctor's appointment at point 74. He is sure to cure the dreams." "That would be a shame, Mistress." Ran was genuinely disappointed at the thought. "It would be. Be sure I'm notified in plenty of time for my appointment. I want time to change. I don't want to go looking like this." "Yes, my mistress," Ran said and bowed again. Lum left the room. After Lum left, Ran began cleaning up the discarded clothes. "Not that it matters anyway, " Ran said to herself, "the doctor will have you strip down to your birthday suit no matter what you are wearing." ( On command ships like Lum's there was a luxury not found on most Uruseian ships. This was the aristocratic dining hall. It was a large ornate room, totally impractical on a space ship, but didn't nobility deserve the luxury? It had real wood finish, and gold trim. The ceiling was 5 meters high, apparently supported by marble pillars. Around the walls were portraits of the long line of Urusean emperors. The rise of technology was apparent in the pictures. The gallery showed first an increase in art sophistication and pigment quality, later there were black and white photographs and then color, finally holographic images of increasing quality lined the remainder of the room. There were some one hundred and twenty images, ending with her father. All reprints, of course. The originals were in the central palace. As she entered the room, Lum looked at the portrait of her father and remembered what he had said about Rei. 'I will behave myself,' she thought. Then her eyes moved to the portrait of Empress Yon, and she allowed herself a slight smile. She glanced at the table. It was already laid out. Servants stood by and smiled at her entrance. They all bowed respectfully as she approached the table. The Head Waiter motioned her to her seat. "Good afternoon, my princess, " he said. "Rei has not come yet?" she asked, noticing the empty seat across from hers. The waiter coughed slightly. "No mistress, but I'm sure he will be along shortly." "He's late again," Lum said, "I wish Ran wouldn't rush me so. Computer, time." "Point 60:10." "You see, Mistress, it is not very long. He will be here shortly." "He won't be here until Point 61 at least, but I will wait. Please bring me some water." "Yes mistress," he said and bowed out. Lum had postulated many reasons why Rei always kept her waiting. Anything from a demonstration of his male dominance, to the possibility that he didn't know how to get the time from the computer. It annoyed Lum to no end. She did not like to be kept waiting. Her time was important. Not that she looked forward to seeing Rei, but rather the sooner this meal started, the sooner it would be done. Lum looked back at Empress Yon's portrait again. It was a regular two-dimensional color photograph. The last one, however, her son's was the first hologram. Her picture was taken on the anniversary of the thirtieth year of her reign. She looked old, but still strong. Her eyes were very wise, and there was a hint of a smile on her face. Lum had wondered at times, what she was smiling about; a joke told by the cameraman, or maybe a little conceit at surviving so long with such odds against her. Lum had in her possession one of the few surviving photographs of Empress Yon when she was nearer to Lum's age. It was taken with her father two years before he died. Yon Onhu was nineteen at the time. There was little family resemblance between she and Lum. Perhaps the eyes, or the horn ridges, but not much else. Too many generations were intervening. In any case, Onhu was a beautiful woman when she was young. Lum's eyes wandered back to her father's image as the waiter brought her the water. Lum had never liked the picture. She felt it was unflattering. It made him look older than he actually was. She didn't know what it was, the lighting or something in his expression. She had begged him to take another, but he had said he liked that one, so it stayed. Finally Rei showed up. As he made his way to the table, Lum noted how regally he was dressed. Lum was undecided whether to be impressed or sickened by his incredible ostentation. A quick glance back at her father's portrait convinced her to be at least outwardly impressed. She stood and went to him. They embraced and gave each other a slight peck on the lips. Rei stepped back and noted Lum's dress. "You look nice," he said. "Thank you, " she said, "You are also looking well." He nodded at the complement and then showed her back to her seat. After he had seated her, he went back to his. Lum was a little shocked at all this. She had always thought of him as some kind of beast, but now he seemed very gentlemanly. No doubt it was a matter of acting out one's station rather than any kindness in his heart, but this different side of Rei fascinated Lum. She watched him sit in his chair and deftly unwrap his silver. He lay the napkin across his lap while the servants brought out the soup. She waited for the accustomed loud slurping as he drank his soup, but he merely sipped it from his spoon. He looked up at Lum and smiled at the attention he noticed he was getting. "Very good soup," he commented. "Try some." Lum suddenly noticed the untouched bowl sitting in front of her. She too began to eat. Someone had been coaching Rei, she thought. She had eaten with him before. For him, it had been a question of how fast he could stuff the food in his mouth. She didn't like watching him. "Good strategy," he said. Lum looked up at Rei, surprised. "Excuse me?" "The War council, good strategy." "Thank you," she said, and quickly tried to think of something nice to say about him. Finally she blurted out, "I like the way you eat your soup." Now there was an intelligent thing to say, she thought. Rei just smiled and raised his spoon to her before he sipped it. Despite Rei's much improved table manners, the rest of the dinner went as normal. The servants brought out each course and they ate it in nearly complete silence. They had nothing in common and Rei was not a conversationalist. It was uncomfortable for both of them. As they finished desert, Rei said, "Ossak?" Lum smiled enthusiastically. "Yes, let's." Ossak was curious game, popular among the aristocracy. It was a game like fencing, in that it revolved around a martial skill. It was like the shock game that children play in dry weather brought to its ultimate conclusion. The uniforms were very sparse, leaving as much skin open as possible, while still remaining in good taste. Each also wore gloves with a woven metallic cover. Inside the gloves was a small power unit which fed and amplified the body's natural electric charge. Like the children's version, the object was to build up an electric charge from the carpeted floor, and unload that charge on the opponent. Of course, also like the children's game, this drained the opponents' charge as well. This is where the similarity ended, because thanks to the added electronics, the voltage did a lot more than sting, it burned. The winner was the one who scored enough touches at enough power to get one hundred points. The more power one hit the opponent with the more points were received. And, if this wasn't fun enough already, the game was played in a low gravity room which was filled with plastic and metal bars. All the bars were made to look the same, but the plastic ones were safe. Hitting a metal bar grounded out your charge and left you vulnerable. In real combat, this was the weapon of choice for all Uruseian aristocrats, except that the amperage was turned significantly higher. A touch would kill. Both Rei and Lum, loved this game, and they loved to play each other. It was the only thing they shared in common. Lum was much better than Rei, and was unbeaten by anyone near her own age. She enjoyed the chance to take her frustrations out on Rei in an accepted and even encouraged form. Although Rei always lost, and although his inability to defeat Lum was a source of shame for him, he enjoyed playing her for several reasons. The first was the constant possibility that someday he could beat her. The second was the rough physical contact with her, which he enjoyed for his own reasons, not to mention the skimpy uniforms which hid little. The third reason had to do with his own feelings towards Lum. Despite what she may have thought about him, he wanted their relationship to be more than political. He did love her. This game was the only pleasure the two had together. The only thing that she enjoyed doing with him. He knew she didn't like him, and underneath, it hurt. If only someone would tell him how to win her love. The only advice he got involved dominance, control and forcing her respect. He was meant to take control of her and the empire and rule both with an iron fist. He didn't like this advice, but he didn't have anything else. He had taken some table etiquette lessons from the Head Waiter in hopes that it would impress Lum. He was pleased at the result, but what else could he do? This dream boy really bothered him. He felt that she was doing this to spite him. She was creating competition for him out of thin air that he couldn't touch. It frightened him. It was only a figment of her imagination, but he felt that he could lose her to it forever. Coming out of the changing room into the low gravity area, Lum felt the familiar jolt of suddenly becoming lighter. She tested her weight a little, and then jumped into the air for a backwards flip. The gravity was turned down to .1 g. In the room it was not a matter of being able to jump high enough. It was easy to hit the ceiling. The problem was having the control not to hit it too hard. Lum was supremely good at low gravity control. Rei walked out from his side of the room, absently putting on his left glove. Lum allowed herself a brief ogle at the firm muscles of Rei's upper body. 'If they only weren't attached to that brain,' she thought. Rei also did a bit of ogling of his own. Lum wore her usual tiger striped uniform which was little more than a bikini and boots. Lum had always liked tiger stripes. Each sent each other an evil grin and began dragging their feet on the carpeted floor to try and build up a charge. Suddenly Lum leaped into the air and grabbed one of the higher bars over Rei in order to position herself for a vertical dive at him. Unfortunately she grabbed one of the metallic bars. She felt the energy drain from her body. She paused for a moment to change plans, which gave Rei enough time to leap into the air after her. She saw him coming and swung around the bar and back to the ground. He missed and rebounded off the ceiling down to one of the lower bars, which was plastic. Lum was on the ground, trying to build up another charge. Rei smiled and made note of the bar she had touched. This was one of the main strategies of the game, the ability to remember at high speeds which were the metal bars, and which which were the plastic ones. The bars were changed each day, so in each game there was a whole new field to remember. This was one of the reasons Lum always won. Her memory for such things was nearly perfect. Rei might accidentally touch that metal bar again during the game, but no matter how much pressure Rei put on Lum, she wouldn't never repeat her mistake. Rei leaped down from his bar at Lum, not wanting to let her build another charge. She leaped right back at him. The surprise of her move knocked him off guard. When they passed, her hand slid against his arm. The combined force of her partial charge and his full charge tingled up and down his body. His arm stung and his muscles tightened. His leap lost all its grace and he bounced back first off the floor and slammed into the wall. Lum grabbed the bar that Rei had been holding. "Touch," she called. The computer's voice rang out, "Lum 4, Rei 0." 'Only 4 points,' thought Lum. She didn't have time to get a good charge and it was still the beginning of the game. The best charge she had delivered to Rei was after several minutes of near misses. She touched him for 35 points. She only needed ten to win. There was an arc of electricity long before she touched him. It had made a loud snapping sound and Rei's hair stood on end. He fell unconscious and later nursed a large second degree burn where she had touched him. She was accused of trying to kill him. Rei defended her then, and they played again shortly afterward. Lum was careful now, not to let her charge get too great. It was playing the same game, that Ran found them at point 71. Lum was ahead of Rei by only two points. Each were within five points of one hundred. Lum had 97 and Rei had 95. Ran didn't go through the door, but watched them through the spectator's window. They had been playing hard. Both were sweating and she noticed each had their share of bruises and burns, but both smiled at each other as they gasped for air and got ready for another leap. Ran's attention quickly focussed on the sweat on Rei's glistening body and stayed there. "I have enough," Rei said as he dragged his feet to build up an even greater charge. "So do I," Lum responded,"But don't think I'm going to let you touch me." Ran sat on the edge of her seat. Rei could win this game. It would be the first time. Ran honestly didn't know who she wanted to root for. Yes she did. She was rooting for Rei. Lum leapt into the air and grabbed a plastic bar. Swinging quickly from bar to bar, she circled the room. Her eyes remained constantly on Rei, who was getting dizzy trying to keep her in view. Finally, he decided he had had enough and also leapt to a bar. Unfortunately, it was a metal bar. He cursed himself. Lum saw her opportunity and lunged at him. He moved to the side at the last minute and touched her leg as she passed. His charge was gone, but hers wasn't. Surprised at getting caught, she barely grabbed a bar before hitting the wall. It was a metal bar, but that didn't matter now. "Touch," Rei called, smiling brightly. "Lum 97, Rei 98," came the computer's response. "What?!" Rei said in shock and glanced at Lum who smiled at him. "I only use what I need," she responded. "We're not done yet, but you are leading." She let herself fall down to the floor. It didn't matter anymore, she was going to build up a big charge. A grand finale. Rei also fell to the ground to do the same, but before he could hit the ground, Lum leaped at him hands first. Tackling him. There was only a slight twinge, but he had been touched. "Touch," Lum called. "Lum 98, Rei 98," came the response. Lum smiled at the surprised Rei. "I hate having you ahead." Lum pushed herself off Rei and landed on her feet at the other end of the room. Rei got up, cautiously eying Lum and they both went about building up a new charge. It was a standoff now. Who would jump first? Almost any hit would do it. Rei was rarely ever this close. He tried not to let it ruin his concentration. Lum was confident and wary. A perfect record was a perfect record. She was determined to get this touch. They began to circle each other all the while dragging their feet. They were building up quite a charge. Suddenly Rei dove and pushed himself off the ground with his hands. He flew over Lum, and twisted around. Lum in response, lunged toward the opposite wall, rebounded with her hands higher into the air. She flipped around to grab hold of a safe bar. She made a quick check of Rei's position as she swung toward a better bar to attack from. Rei shot into the air and used the ceiling to send him to the bar where he felt Lum was heading. She saw his move and twisted her body so that she could catch a bar halfway to stop her. Rei caught the bar that Lum was going to earlier and was shocked to find that it was metal. He immediately understood the trick, but it was too late, Lum had swung around her bar and continued her momentum after him. With a loud snap, she scored the touch. It was only half the power it could have been, but Rei felt his whole body going numb. He fell to the floor. There was a burn where she hit him. "Touch," she called, landing next to him. "Lum 119, Rei 98. Victory goes to Redet Lum. Rei got up slowly. He could afford to feel the pain of the game now. Lum, too felt the protective adrenalin slipping away. Her muscles began to scream at her for the punishment they had been put through. He offered his hand to Lum. They shook hands. "Worthy opponent. Good game," he said and staggered off to the showers. "Good game," she called back, and staggered off to her end of the court. Ran ran up to help her. She smiled at Ran who tried to support her. "I love this game," she said hoarsely through heavy breathing. "I can't imagine why, " Ran said. "You're sore for days after you play him. I thought you were going to have lunch with him." "That was boring." Ran carefully and slowly got Lum washed and changed back into her uniform for her appointment with the doctor. "He's going to have a fright when he looks at you, that's for certain," she commented. "Nonsense," said Lum, "I feel more alive now than I've felt in days." Feeling a little fresher, invigorated but a little sore, Lum made her way to medical department. She walked into the examining room, where she found the doctor. "Ah Lum," he said noticing her arrival, "you're late. Strip." Lum was a little taken aback at his abruptness, but began to take off her clothes. "I see you've been working on your beside manner," she jabbed. "Perhaps," said the doctor, "but there's a certain ego trip to telling young beautiful women to take off their clothes and having them do it without getting them drunk first." Lum shot her doctor a questioning look, "Excuse me?" The doctor smiled broadly. "I just love being a doctor, that's all." Lum suddenly felt very naked as she took her last bit of clothing off. She tried to cover herself as she stood there before him. He laughed. "Oh don't worry. I've been your doctor for years. Of course, I enjoy it more now than when you were five, but..." Lum tried to cover herself even more. "Come now, you know that won't help. Go over and stand on the pad with your arms spread out," he commanded and pointed her on her way to the large dark raised disc in the center of the room. Lum obeyed, while the doctor went to the control console in front of the platform. Lum stood on the platform, spreading her arms and legs wide. Her embarrassment was a little easier to take with the familiarity of the situation. The doctor worked the controls and she felt gentle forces wrap themselves around her body, taking hold of her arms and legs. She felt her body being pulled taut and then lifted into the air. A transparent force bubble formed around her. She floated two meters off the floor among a vast array of sensors and emitters embedded in the ceiling. The doctor stepped forward. "There, now that I have you where I want you, we can talk." Lum looked down at him. "You know I hate this thing." "You used to love riding in my little bubble." "That was before I hit puberty. Now it's demeaning." "Welcome to adulthood," quipped the doctor. "Everyone feels that way. But it's far better than the cold metal tables we used to use. I'm going to do some preliminary tests. Meanwhile I want you to tell me about your dreams." The doctor went back to his controls and the bubble moved closer to the sensors. She was turned around to various angles as the doctor ran different tests. "Well, they started about six months ago," she began. "It was just a couple days a week, but soon it was every day." "The same dream." "No, different dreams, but always the same place and the same people." "People from the ship?" asked the doctor, still manipulating the controls. "Some, but there are a lot of people that I've never even met. They're aliens." "Aliens? From one of the slave planets?" "No, I don't think so. We've never been to this one, I don't think. At least there is no sign of Uruseian rule." "Hmm. You've been playing Ossak again, haven't you?" "Yes," Lum answered reluctantly. "It's a good thing that you're young. What else about the dreams? I'm almost done." "Well, I can fly, and I can fire lightening bolts." "That's interesting." "There's also this alien boy, who I call 'my darling'. He's wonderful, except he's always chasing other girls. We're going to get married." "Oh really. Does Rei know?" "Probably." Lum felt herself fall and then turn horizontally. "Well, let's see what that subconscious of yours is doing when you sleep. I'm going to induce sleeping and monitor your dreams. Then we'll see." Lum's bubble floated across the room, until her head was inserted into a rounded metal cavity. Suddenly she felt sleepy, and the examination room faded away. She looked down and saw her Darling run through the metal door. "Darling!" she yelled. She realized that she was no longer in the examination room, but instead she was shackled by her arms and legs onto a cold stone table. Over to her right she saw a small evil man sharpening a knife. He was chuckling to himself. "Darling!" she yelled again, "Rescue me!" "Lum!" Ataru yelled, and started to make his way to her, when he was trampled by Mendo and the guard. It was at this point that she realized that she was still naked. Her biggest reminder was the five guys who were currently drooling over her. Mendo tried vainly to protect her, and turn their heads, but he couldn't do all five of them at once. All of this did nothing to help free her. The evil man finished sharpening his knife. "Begone, you fools!" he yelled. "I will destroy this demoness, and thus free our world from her oppression." "Darling!" she yelled again. Ataru jumped up and threw himself at the man who was poised over Lum, but was thrown off. His head hit hard against the wall and he was knocked unconscious. Then the man raised his knife and plunged it into her heart. Intense pain rushed through her body. "There, that ought to do it," she heard the doctor say. Lum shook her head to try to get her bearings. The doctor's kindly face was over her. "How do you feel? You were dreaming again, but I fixed it." "What happened? I was stabbed," she said faintly, and tried to look to see how bad the wound was. "Really!" the doctor was genuinely surprised. "That's interesting. I detected a subspace transmission being directed at you. I assumed it is what was causing your dreams. I cut it off." "A transmission?" "Yes, it seems your dreams are coming from outside." "From where?" "Well, that will take a while longer, and is more in the realm of communications experts, not doctors. I do want to do a couple more tests to determine if there was anything permanent done to you." "A transmission," Lum repeated quietly. Even her dreams were political. There'd be no kiss from her Darling now. * * * Ossak was curious game, popular among the aristocracy. It was a game like fencing, in that it revolved around a martial skill. It was like the shock game that children play in dry weather brought to its ultimate conclusion. The uniforms were very sparse, leaving as much skin open as possible, while still remaining in good taste. Each also wore gloves with a woven metallic cover. Inside the gloves was a small power unit which fed and amplified the body's natural electric charge. Like the children's version, the object was to build up an electric charge from the carpeted floor, and unload that charge on the opponent. Of course, also like the children's game, this drained the opponents' charge as well. This is where the similarity ended, because thanks to the added electronics, the voltage did a lot more than sting, it burned. The winner was the one who scored enough touches at enough power to get one hundred points. The more power one hit the opponent with the more points were received. And, if this wasn't fun enough already, the game was played in a low gravity room which was filled with plastic and metal bars. All the bars were made to look the same, but the plastic ones were safe. Hitting a metal bar grounded out your charge and left you vulnerable. In real combat, this was the weapon of choice for all Uruseian aristocrats, except that the amperage was turned significantly higher. A touch would kill. Both Rei and Lum, loved this game, and they loved to play each other. It was the only thing they shared in common. Lum was much better than Rei, and was unbeaten by anyone near her own age. She enjoyed the chance to take her frustrations out on Rei in an accepted and even encouraged form. Although Rei always lost, and although his inability to defeat Lum was a source of shame for him, he enjoyed playing her for several reasons. The first was the constant possibility that someday he could beat her. The second was the rough physical contact with her, which he enjoyed for his own reasons, not to mention the skimpy uniforms which hid little. The third reason had to do with his own feelings towards Lum. Despite what she may have thought about him, he wanted their relationship to be more than political. He did love her. This game was the only pleasure the two had together. The only thing that she enjoyed doing with him. He knew she didn't like him, and underneath, it hurt. If only someone would tell him how to win her love. The only advice he got involved dominance, control and forcing her respect. He was meant to take control of her and the empire and rule both with an iron fist. He didn't like this advice, but he didn't have anything else. He had taken some table etiquette lessons from the Head Waiter in hopes that it would impress Lum. He was pleased at the result, but what else could he do? This dream boy really bothered him. He felt that she was doing this to spite him. She was creating competition for him out of thin air that he couldn't touch. It frightened him. It was only a figment of her imagination, but he felt that he could lose her to it forever. Coming out of the changing room into the low gravity area, Lum felt the familiar jolt of suddenly becoming lighter. She tested her weight a little, and then jumped into the air for a backwards flip. The gravity was turned down to .1 g. In the room it was not a matter of being able to jump high enough. It was easy to hit the ceiling. The problem was having the control not to hit it too hard. Lum was supremely good at low gravity control. Rei walked out from his side of the room, absently putting on his left glove. Lum allowed herself a brief ogle at the firm muscles of Rei's upper body. 'If they only weren't attached to that brain,' she thought. Rei also did a bit of ogling of his own. Lum wore her usual tiger striped uniform which was little more than a bikini and boots. Lum had always liked tiger stripes. Each sent each other an evil grin and began dragging their feet on the carpeted floor to try and build up a charge. Suddenly Lum leaped into the air and grabbed one of the higher bars over Rei in order to position herself for a vertical dive at him. Unfortunately she grabbed one of the metallic bars. She felt the energy drain from her body. She paused for a moment to change plans, which gave Rei enough time to leap into the air after her. She saw him coming and swung around the bar and back to the ground. He missed and rebounded off the ceiling down to one of the lower bars, which was plastic. Lum was on the ground, trying to build up another charge. Rei smiled and made note of the bar she had touched. This was one of the main strategies of the game, the ability to remember at high speeds which were the metal bars, and which which were the plastic ones. The bars were changed each day, so in each game there was a whole new field to remember. This was one of the reasons Lum always won. Her memory for such things was nearly perfect. Rei might accidentally touch that metal bar again during the game, but no matter how much pressure Rei put on Lum, she wouldn't never repeat her mistake. Rei leaped down from his bar at Lum, not wanting to let her build another charge. She leaped right back at him. The surprise of her move knocked him off guard. When they passed, her hand slid against his arm. The combined force of her partial charge and his full charge tingled up and down his body. His arm stung and his muscles tightened. His leap lost all its grace and he bounced back first off the floor and slammed into the wall. Lum grabbed the bar that Rei had been holding. "Touch," she called. The computer's voice rang out, "Lum 4, Rei 0." 'Only 4 points,' thought Lum. She didn't have time to get a good charge and it was still the beginning of the game. The best charge she had delivered to Rei was after several minutes of near misses. She touched him for 35 points. She only needed ten to win. There was an arc of electricity long before she touched him. It had made a loud snapping sound and Rei's hair stood on end. He fell unconscious and later nursed a large second degree burn where she had touched him. She was accused of trying to kill him. Rei defended her then, and they played again shortly afterward. Lum was careful now, not to let her charge get too great. It was playing the same game, that Ran found them at point 71. Lum was ahead of Rei by only two points. Each were within five points of one hundred. Lum had 97 and Rei had 95. Ran didn't go through the door, but watched them through the spectator's window. They had been playing hard. Both were sweating and she noticed each had their share of bruises and burns, but both smiled at each other as they gasped for air and got ready for another leap. Ran's attention quickly focussed on the sweat on Rei's glistening body and stayed there. "I have enough," Rei said as he dragged his feet to build up an even greater charge. "So do I," Lum responded,"But don't think I'm going to let you touch me." Ran sat on the edge of her seat. Rei could win this game. It would be the first time. Ran honestly didn't know who she wanted to root for. Yes she did. She was rooting for Rei. Lum leapt into the air and grabbed a plastic bar. Swinging quickly from bar to bar, she circled the room. Her eyes remained constantly on Rei, who was getting dizzy trying to keep her in view. Finally, he decided he had had enough and also leapt to a bar. Unfortunately, it was a metal bar. He cursed himself. Lum saw her opportunity and lunged at him. He moved to the side at the last minute and touched her leg as she passed. His charge was gone, but hers wasn't. Surprised at getting caught, she barely grabbed a bar before hitting the wall. It was a metal bar, but that didn't matter now. "Touch," Rei called, smiling brightly. "Lum 97, Rei 98," came the computer's response. "What?!" Rei said in shock and glanced at Lum who smiled at him. "I only use what I need," she responded. "We're not done yet, but you are leading." She let herself fall down to the floor. It didn't matter anymore, she was going to build up a big charge. A grand finale. Rei also fell to the ground to do the same, but before he could hit the ground, Lum leaped at him hands first. Tackling him. There was only a slight twinge, but he had been touched. "Touch," Lum called. "Lum 98, Rei 98," came the response. Lum smiled at the surprised Rei. "I hate having you ahead." Lum pushed herself off Rei and landed on her feet at the other end of the room. Rei got up, cautiously eying Lum and they both went about building up a new charge. It was a standoff now. Who would jump first? Almost any hit would do it. Rei was rarely ever this close. He tried not to let it ruin his concentration. Lum was confident and wary. A perfect record was a perfect record. She was determined to get this touch. They began to circle each other all the while dragging their feet. They were building up quite a charge. Suddenly Rei dove and pushed himself off the ground with his hands. He flew over Lum, and twisted around. Lum in response, lunged toward the opposite wall, rebounded with her hands higher into the air. She flipped around to grab hold of a safe bar. She made a quick check of Rei's position as she swung toward a better bar to attack from. Rei shot into the air and used the ceiling to send him to the bar where he felt Lum was heading. She saw his move and twisted her body so that she could catch a bar halfway to stop her. Rei caught the bar that Lum was going to earlier and was shocked to find that it was metal. He immediately understood the trick, but it was too late, Lum had swung around her bar and continued her momentum after him. With a loud snap, she scored the touch. It was only half the power it could have been, but Rei felt his whole body going numb. He fell to the floor. There was a burn where she hit him. "Touch," she called, landing next to him. "Lum 119, Rei 98. Victory goes to Redet Lum. Rei got up slowly. He could afford to feel the pain of the game now. Lum, too felt the protective adrenalin slipping away. Her muscles began to scream at her for the punishment they had been put through. He offered his hand to Lum. They shook hands. "Worthy opponent. Good game," he said and staggered off to the showers. "Good game," she called back, and staggered off to her end of the court. Ran ran up to help her. She smiled at Ran who tried to support her. "I love this game," she said hoarsely through heavy breathing. "I can't imagine why, " Ran said. "You're sore for days after you play him. I thought you were going to have lunch with him." "That was boring." Ran carefully and slowly got Lum washed and changed back into her uniform for her appointment with the doctor. "He's going to have a fright when he looks at you, that's for certain," she commented. "Nonsense," said Lum, "I feel more alive now than I've felt in days." Feeling a little fresher, invigorated but a little sore, Lum made her way to medical department. She walked into the examining room, where she found the doctor. "Ah Lum," he said noticing her arrival, "you're late. Strip." Lum was a little taken aback at his abruptness, but began to take off her clothes. "I see you've been working on your beside manner," she jabbed. "Perhaps," said the doctor, "but there's a certain ego trip to telling young beautiful women to take off their clothes and having them do it without getting them drunk first." Lum shot her doctor a questioning look, "Excuse me?" The doctor smiled broadly. "I just love being a doctor, that's all." Lum suddenly felt very naked as she took her last bit of clothing off. She tried to cover herself as she stood there before him. He laughed. "Oh don't worry. I've been your doctor for years. Of course, I enjoy it more now than when you were five, but..." Lum tried to cover herself even more. "Come now, you know that won't help. Go over and stand on the pad with your arms spread out," he commanded and pointed her on her way to the large dark raised disc in the center of the room. Lum obeyed, while the doctor went to the control console in front of the platform. Lum stood on the platform, spreading her arms and legs wide. Her embarrassment was a little easier to take with the familiarity of the situation. The doctor worked the controls and she felt gentle forces wrap themselves around her body, taking hold of her arms and legs. She felt her body being pulled taut and then lifted into the air. A transparent force bubble formed around her. She floated two meters off the floor among a vast array of sensors and emitters embedded in the ceiling. The doctor stepped forward. "There, now that I have you where I want you, we can talk." Lum looked down at him. "You know I hate this thing." "You used to love riding in my little bubble." "That was before I hit puberty. Now it's demeaning." "Welcome to adulthood," quipped the doctor. "Everyone feels that way. But it's far better than the cold metal tables we used to use. I'm going to do some preliminary tests. Meanwhile I want you to tell me about your dreams." The doctor went back to his controls and the bubble moved closer to the sensors. She was turned around to various angles as the doctor ran different tests. "Well, they started about six months ago," she began. "It was just a couple days a week, but soon it was every day." "The same dream." "No, different dreams, but always the same place and the same people." "People from the ship?" asked the doctor, still manipulating the controls. "Some, but there are a lot of people that I've never even met. They're aliens." "Aliens? From one of the slave planets?" "No, I don't think so. We've never been to this one, I don't think. At least there is no sign of Uruseian rule." "Hmm. You've been playing Ossak again, haven't you?" "Yes," Lum answered reluctantly. "It's a good thing that you're young. What else about the dreams? I'm almost done." "Well, I can fly, and I can fire lightening bolts." "That's interesting." "There's also this alien boy, who I call 'my darling'. He's wonderful, except he's always chasing other girls. We're going to get married." "Oh really. Does Rei know?" "Probably." Lum felt herself fall and then turn horizontally. "Well, let's see what that subconscious of yours is doing when you sleep. I'm going to induce sleeping and monitor your dreams. Then we'll see." Lum's bubble floated across the room, until her head was inserted into a rounded metal cavity. Suddenly she felt sleepy, and the examination room faded away. She looked down and saw her Darling run through the metal door. "Darling!" she yelled. She realized that she was no longer in the examination room, but instead she was shackled by her arms and legs onto a cold stone table. Over to her right she saw a small evil man sharpening a knife. He was chuckling to himself. "Darling!" she yelled again, "Rescue me!" "Lum!" Ataru yelled, and started to make his way to her, when he was trampled by Mendo and the guard. It was at this point that she realized that she was still naked. Her biggest reminder was the five guys who were currently drooling over her. Mendo tried vainly to protect her, and turn their heads, but he couldn't do all five of them at once. All of this did nothing to help free her. The evil man finished sharpening his knife. "Begone, you fools!" he yelled. "I will destroy this demoness, and thus free our world from her oppression." "Darling!" she yelled again. Ataru jumped up and threw himself at the man who was poised over Lum, but was thrown off. His head hit hard against the wall and he was knocked unconscious. Then the man raised his knife and plunged it into her heart. Intense pain rushed through her body. "There, that ought to do it," she heard the doctor say. Lum shook her head to try to get her bearings. The doctor's kindly face was over her. "How do you feel? You were dreaming again, but I fixed it." "What happened? I was stabbed," she said faintly, and tried to look to see how bad the wound was. "Really!" the doctor was genuinely surprised. "That's interesting. I detected a subspace transmission being directed at you. I assumed it is what was causing your dreams. I cut it off." "A transmission?" "Yes, it seems your dreams are coming from outside." "From where?" "Well, that will take a while longer, and is more in the realm of communications experts, not doctors. I do want to do a couple more tests to determine if there was anything permanent done to you." "A transmission," Lum repeated quietly. Even her dreams were political. There'd be no kiss from her Darling now. * * *