Shogo: Never Too Late
By Hamish Paul Wilson.
Edited by Graham L. Wilson.
http://www.blood-wiki.org/Shogo/Expanded-Canon/

Thanks to Monolith Productions for the Shogo game and characters.

	Man had gone through a lot to get here; for thousands of years men had toiled and lived trapped on the planet that had birthed them. They had survived the fall of ice ages, the dawn and decline of new and monstrous species, and all sorts of other almost unimaginable perils just to reach this one point; the point where they could finally escape the place of their inception and fly off into the stars. This was destined to be the ultimate achievement of the human race. And now one man sat, a vista of sparkling lights and the flashes of distant stars before him, a truly wondrous display of the spectacle of nature and the universe around it. And yet the man just could not give a shit toss.

	Sanjuro was bored again. He had now been an Admiral for well over a year and yet the incredible boredom of it all still managed to overwhelm him. Not that it did not have its moments of course, those incredible moments when he could feel the almost mind-blowing power of being able to control a directed mass of people and resources that could do potentially anything. But that assumed that there was anything to do in the first place. And for the most part there never was anything that needed doing. For the most part, his time being in-command was just spent hanging around in dusty control rooms making status reports. And how he hated it.

	The man looked over his shoulder at the clock, which ticked back to him softly. Not that there was really any reason for it to be ticking; all clocks were made digital a long time ago. But somehow it was thought that these simple devices lacked something without the characteristic mechanical ticking that made waiting a nightmare. The characteristic ticking which would somehow manage to drill so successfully into Sanjuro’s skull. And thus were fashioned by man little tiny speakers that were embedded in the clock and programmed to make that all so familiar tick once every half a second. Damn ‘em all.

	Sanjuro tapped his fingers irritably against the side of his chair, vaguely in tune to the various bleeps and bongs that the terminals around him were making, as well as to the ever present ticking. As he continued he began to tap a vaguely interesting tune against the cushioned surface. Sanjuro smiled. “Finger orchestra” he thought to himself, amused. It was then that he knew beyond a doubt that he was indeed completely and utterly bored. A fly buzzed above his head, proof that it was not just men who had made it to the stars. Sanjuro contemplated what his chances of hitting it would be if he drew the dual pistols that he almost always kept by his side.

	Bullet trajectories and mental calculations flashed trough his mind, drawing on his years of training and experience as a soldier. He felt his hands reaching towards his holsters. He gave the fly one last squint. Then he stopped. What the hell was he thinking? Was his mind so desperate for something to do that he was going to attempt shooting something smaller than his own finger nail? In the middle of a crowded bridge full of other officers no less? He sighed and relaxed into his chair. He knew his mind would only think of such things only if it had nothing better to do. It would not be much longer. He would just have to wait it out.

	Like the sound of a thousand angels singing, the klaxon sounded and Sanjuro breathed a sigh of relief. He leaped out of his chair with the force of a man possessed, and in one swift swoop caught the troubling insect in his hand and squeezed. And with that he smiled, turned, and walked towards the door. “Notify the night shift that I leave the bridge to them” he said to the personnel controller, as the door slid shut behind him.


 	If there was one bright light in Sanjuro’s life, one thing to hold on to, one thing to make life worth living, it was the two people with whom he was fortunate enough to share most of his company. And in this he did feel lucky, for it was them that somehow managed to make his life special. First there was Kathryn, the only person Sanjuro ever knew who could somehow get inside his mind just by looking at him. With long reddish-brown hair and a face to die for, she was quite easily the most gorgeous woman Sanjuro had ever had the privilege of meeting. When he stared into her beautiful green eyes Sanjuro could almost feel all the troubles he had felt and all the problems he had faced simply fade away. He simply could lose himself in them.

	Not that he could actually see them at the moment. As he walked into his quarters he could see her lying slumped face down on the kitchen table. Usually she would be busy and waiting for him to come home with vigour, as her own shift ended quite a bit earlier than his. He walked up to her slowly, not wishing to wake her, but as he approached he saw her stir slightly. She then slowly started to raise her pretty head.

	“Sanjuro?” she murmured quietly, her eyes blinking, adjusting to the light. “What time is it?”

	“Approaching six-thirty” he responded, seating himself next to her. “Are you okay?”

	“I’m fine” she answered quietly. “I was just getting ready to start on supper, but I guess I just nodded off.” Something about her did not seem right to Sanjuro. She seemed to have lost some of the colour in her face and her eyes seemed to have lost some of the intensity that he loved.

	“Let me feel your head” he commented, reaching a hand out to her.

	“I said I'm fine” she replied a little abrasively, pulling herself out of her chair. “I should really get something ready before Kura comes home.”

	“Kathryn...” Sanjuro said, getting up to follow her. “Just let me feel your head.”

	“I said I am alright” she responded, her family's characteristic stubbornness coming to the surface. Sanjuro ignored her, and reached out his hand towards her anyway. “Sanjuro!” she exclaimed, as he grabbed her roughly from behind and pressed his palm against her forehead. Stubborn or not, he was going to make sure that she was alright. With a look of indignation still plastered on her face, she finally stopped struggling.

	“You have a fever” Sanjuro eventually declared.

	“I did not sleep very well last night, that's all” Kathryn stated dismissively. “Now, if you will excuse me, I need to cook you your supper.”

	“No you won’t” Sanjuro declared sharply. “I know you. You will just keep keeping yourself busy and ignore the fact you are unwell until you get so sick that you have to recognize it. We’ll eat out tonight.” Kathryn let out a slightly exasperated sigh, but seemed to have lost the will to argue.

	“Anyways, you deserve a break once in a while” Sanjuro added. “I’d hate to make you feel unappreciated.” At this her face finally softened, and she even began to smile.

	“Sounds fine to me” a voice from the doorway called out, as the other person who made Sanjuro whole entered the room. Kura and Kathryn were sisters, although this was not obvious at first glance. She was not nearly as pretty as Kathryn, although she still did have her charms. For the most part this never seemed to be a problem for her, as she tended to rely more on her personality rather than her looks to make an impression. Tall and muscular, with messy short cut brown hair that always seemed to fall over her eyes, she could easily be considered the definition of a soldier: strong and brimming with confidence. It was this confidence which first made Sanjuro fall in love with her, and it was this confidence which propelled her to where she was today. No matter what she wanted to do, she always somehow manged to end up doing it. And anything she wanted to get, she always seemed to receive.

	“Fine...” Kathryn said finally. “But there is still nothing wrong with me you know.” Sanjuro simply smiled and shook his head as he leaned down to kiss her.

	“I guess there is no need for me to take off my shoes then...” Kura commented, as both Sanjuro and Kathryn moved to walk out the door. As they walked out, he took both their hands fondly in his own as the door slid shut behind them. They were his real accomplishments. Mankind had travelled so far just for him to find happiness in what they already had at home.


	The next morning, Sanjuro found himself once again walking down the familiar corridors that led to the ship's communications centre. Not that he had actually had that many opportunities to talk with Toshiro as of late; the Leviathan never seemed to be flying close enough to be able to maintain a transmission with Cronus for very long now that things had cooled down. That should hopefully be all different now of course. In the interest of intergalactic peace, the UCA and its various commercial backers had finally agreed as part of their negotiations with the Fallen to do something which in reality should have been done from the beginning.

	The UCA had agreed to set up a number of repeater stations located on various different moons and asteroids, the upshot of which was that transmissions from Cronus could now be heard on Earth and some of the other colonies. They would no longer be alone. Sanjuro could not help but wonder if much of the bloodshed which had plagued this world could have been avoided if this infrastructure had been provided earlier. Much of the unrest on the planet had come from the fact that the populace, many of which were poorer settlers desperately seeking a better life, had felt abandoned by their home planet and isolated from the rest of humanity. At least if they could have talked with home they could have had some sense of support. But in the end, the only support they did actually receive was at the barrel of a gun. At least until now.

	He finally reached his objective, and entered the Command Communications Office, which in basics was his own personal terminal to the outside world. Most officers had to fight over the few remaining public terminals, but Sanjuro could just stroll in here whenever he wanted. At least there were some perks attached to the boredom of command. He sat down in his chair and typed in the appropriate commands. The terminal screen flashed to life, as it began streaming the image of him sitting patiently in his chair through the depths of space from station to station until it reached its final destination.

	 Toshiro’s face smiled on the large view screen. “It is good to see you again, brother” he greeted warmly. Toshiro did look something like Sanjuro, although any similarities were hidden under the strong resolve that Toshiro always seemed to have carved onto his face. He always gave the look of having something hidden and unreachable to the outside world, somewhere buried in the depths of his mind, which always seemed to make people who did not know him nervous. It did not help that his intelligent eyes always seemed to be scanning you, as if by simply looking at you he could uncover all your secrets. It was unusual to see him smiling, but to Sanjuro’s satisfaction it was becoming a more and more common occurrence.

	“You too” Sanjuro replied amicably. “How’s life in the embassy then?”

	“Going well, brother. Before long we will have a formal treaty thrashed out for kato mining and we can finally lay that issue to rest.” Sanjuro knew that this was not the only reason for Toshiro’s good mood though.

	“And how is Samantha?” Sanjuro asked.

	“Doing very well, thank you” Toshiro nodded, his smile widening ever so slightly. Changing the subject, he added that “Baku is waiting to get in contact with Cara again, you know.” It was Sanjuro's turn to smile.

	“Enjoying himself is he?” he commented lightly. Baku had been Sanjuro, Toshiro, Kathryn, and Kura's mutual childhood friend for longer than any of them could remember. Somehow he never really seemed to have luck go his way, making him always seem distant and fairly annoyed with the world around him. His time under Cothineal’s influence had not done much to help matters, but Baku was finally beginning to be at peace with the world. And the world, for its part, was also finally seeming to be able to start making peace with him.

	“You could say that” Toshiro replied. “We have been wondering when is the next time you will be winding up in our neck of the woods, as the old saying goes. All due discretion and secrecy aside, you are not undergoing anything particularly important and demanding at the moment are you brother?”

	“I wish!” Sanjuro blurted out. “No such luck I am afraid though. Just me and a full compliment of skilled people sitting in a giant tin can waiting for something interesting to finally happen.” Sanjuro leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs out onto the console. “I take it Baku wants to see her in person at some point?”

	“Well, yes...” Toshiro answered. “And there are other reasons.” Sanjuro raised his eyebrows.

	“Something I should know about?” he inquired curiously. Toshiro smiled and shook his head.

	“Not at the moment” he replied. “Well, at least not yet.” Toshiro's attention was suddenly diverted to something else on the terminal screen. He studied this new distraction for several moments before he finally turned his attention back to his brother. “I am sorry Sanjuro, but we must continue this conversation later.”

	“Something important?” Sanjuro asked.

	“Well, not really...” Toshiro admitted. “But it is something I need to attend to. Good day brother.”

	“Bye” Sanjuro said, waving. “At least you have given me something to guess about.” Toshiro nodded and cut the transmission. Sanjuro resettled himself in his chair and closed his eyes for a few moments, considering what Toshiro may be up to and wondering how Kathryn was doing. “A short lived moment of peace” he thought, as he pushed himself back onto his feet. Despite everything else, not even Admirals were allowed to sleep on the job.
  

	A young and upset Kathryn ran through the maze of hallways, while all around her all hell was breaking loose. Soldiers were running about in a mad frenzy as the situation outside the base somehow manged to worsen still. At least they had the knowledge that they were supposed to be here and that they were following orders, which was more than what Kathryn had. Though to be perfectly honest, Kathryn did not particularity care one bit about any of that right at that moment. And luckily for her, no one around her seemed to care about that at the moment either.

	She finally entered the base's communications centre where Commodore Nathaniel Akkaraju stood in the corner of the room, an expression on his face she had never seen before. Kura was already standing beside him, screeching at him from the top of her lungs, but even this noise was mostly lost in the cacophony of sound which seemed to have swallowed the whole building, if not the entire colony.  What she was saying however managed to cut through Kathryn like a steak knife to the heart.

	“Come on, don’t just stand there you coward!” Kura was screaming loudly. “What the hell is wrong with you!” Commodore Akkaraju did not respond, his face stone cold, almost dead. Kathryn could not help but feel sorry for him, even though it was his fault that they were all in this position in the first place.

	“Father, please...” she stammered, barely able to speak. He turned his face towards her, still frozen almost as if it were cast in stone.

	“I tried... they wouldn't listen” he said weakly.

	“You did not try at all you COWARD!” Kura exploded, grabbing him roughly by his shoulders “You did not try at all, if you were truly trying you would be out there looking for her!” Commodore Akkaraju lowered his face towards the ground, unable to hold his daughter's glare. “What are you afraid of!? What is more important to you!?” she continued. A single tear streaked down his face. Kura refused to back down, shouting increasingly abusive statements at the top of her voice. Kathryn could only just stare, feeling like her insides were going to leap out from her throat in sorrow.

	A klaxon sounded, and everyone's attention briefly turned to the large view screen in the centre of the room. “We just lost contact with Strike Force Carnivore” the screen announced ominously. “Troops near their last position report that they have seen no survivors and no sign of most of the squad.” The announcer paused reverently for a moment, before continuing with his message. “All other squads and teams intact, although still with heavy casualties.” Kathryn did not even feel her knees hit the floor, although she would later find out that they had become severely bruised. Her entire body had become numb, except for the feeling of the tears which began to cascade down her cheeks. Her mother was part of Strike Force Carnivore.

	Kura was in disbelief, standing stiff, her mouth gaping, at a loss for words. Commodore Akkaraju's body seemed to lose all life, drooping awkwardly against the wall. He just continued to stare at his feet, mouthing words that only he knew the meaning of. He and Kura had already figured out it was all over. Kathryn on the other hand was still not quite ready to accept the inevitable.

	“They could still find her...” she mumbled desperately, “she could still be alright.” She looked back up at them. “We can still find her!” she exclaimed awkwardly. Kura simply looked down at her, shaking her head.

	“She’s gone” Kura declared bitterly, her anger covering the pain. She turned her glare back to her father. All the colour that was left in Kathryn’s cheeks flowed out of her body. It was too late, she had finally accepted it; her mother was gone. There was a long silence, as all three of them attempted to control their overwhelming emotions. Then, for the first and only time in their lives, the Akkaraju sisters saw their father cry. Kathryn could not stand it anymore. She ran out of the room.

	“Lieutenant Commander?” a voice echoed, stopping her in her tracks. “Lieutenant Commander?” the voice asked again. Kathryn blinked. She opened her eyes. She began wishing she had not done so. The light seemed to sear into her head.

	“Lieutenant Commander?” the same voice called out again. She looked up, and found someone standing beside her.

	“What?” she mumbled, knowing a serious headache was advancing its way merrily into her head. The man froze at the sound of her voice, and Kathryn squinted to see who it was. She recognized him as Ensign Duncan Mathews, a capable commutations operator, if still a little inexperienced. Just recently out of the Academy, this was his first real post. Although a bit shy, he was a nice enough person to be around, and had, unless Kathryn was very much mistaken, a little bit of a crush on her.

	“Lieutenant Commander?” he asked again, being careful not to look directly at her.

	“It’s Kathryn” she said in what she hoped would come off as a personable tone. In the back of her mind, she almost seemed to think that if Mathews heard it as anything else he would flutter away like a startled bird. Instead, he flashed a weak smile and returned his gaze towards her. His features hardened upon seeing the look on her face, however.

	“You look like hell, Lieutenant Commander” he commented, frowning. After finally thinking over what he had said, his face went deathly pail. “I mean... I did not mean to say that you look like hell... I meant to say that...”

	“It is okay” she cut him off. “I understood what you meant. And my name is not Lieutenant Commander.”

	“I am sorry... Kathryn” he replied after a pause.

	“Better” Kathryn smiled. Just as she said that however, her hand bolted to her forehead as another stab of pain streaked through the pathways of her brain. She resisted the urge to call out by biting her lip.

	“Are you okay?” Matthews asked.

	“Yeah, I am just a little dizzy” she lied, unconvincingly.

	“I may be new here, but I am aware you do not usually fall asleep on your console” he responded straightly.

	“I was not asleep!” Kathryn protested. She cringed as another burst of pain arced across her brain. It was clear her argument was not going to go far.

	“I have already had to handle some of your calls” Mathews continued politely. “I am fully prepared to handle a few more.”

	“I can deal with them” she muttered, but even she knew whatever point she had once had was already lost.

	“Kathryn, please. Get some rest.” Mathews insisted. Kathryn sighed.

	“Alright, fine” she acquiesced finally. Mathews smiled weakly and started to look at his feet again, unable to hold her stare. Kathryn frowned. “Thank you for this” she added pleasantly. “And for waking me up when I was supposed to be working.” For the first time since he had started working with her, Matthews laughed. Kathryn smiled back, got to her feet, and started what suddenly seemed like a hellishly long trip back to her quarters and hopefully some sleep.


	Commander Kura Akkaraju paced back and forth around the assortment of tables that lined the mess hall. Carla the barmaid watched her, bemused from her vantage point behind the bar. 

	“Are you just going to be patrolling there or are you going to buy a drink?” she asked, wiping an already clean beer glass.

	“I am on duty” Kura replied, and continued to pace.

	“It is just that I feel you should have something to slow you down, as the day shifts end soon and I can see you scaring off potential customers” Carla commented with a wink.

	“Don’t worry, the way today is going you can be sure that I am going to be one of them” Kura responded, finally stopping to lean up against a wall.

	“Something bad happen?” Carla asked curiously.

	“I wish” Kura snorted, “nothing interesting has happened all day. When I agreed to this security gig while not preforming combat operations, I thought it would be more interesting than this.”

	“So you are telling me I do not need to fear being robbed then?” Carla inquired.

	“At least not while I am around” Kura replied with a sigh. Carla smirked. 

	“You know, anyone else would think that is a good thing...” she laughed.

	“Commander?” a voice called out as Lieutenant Bernie Lipsitz entered the room.

	 “What is it Lieutenant, something you need me for I hope?” Kura asked pressingly. Lipsitz understood her drift and shook his head sadly.

	“Not at the moment” he answered disappointingly. “I just thought I should inform you that we have had to deal with Schultz again.”

	“Who is Schultz then?” Carla interjected amused.

	“He is an ‘entrepreneur’ who feels that just because we are in space it means that there are no rules that he has to follow. We have been trying to show him otherwise, but he is a slow learner” Kura elaborated irritably.

	“Come to think of it, I think I may have seen him around here the other day” Carla mused.

	“Just don’t but anything off him” Kura cautioned. “He does not even know where some of that stuff comes from.” Just then, the clock chimed five. “Ah, thank god today is over with. Make sure the night-shift is in place before retiring Lieutenant.”

	“Yes, Commander. Have a pleasant evening.” Lipstiz replied before turning to leave. 

	“You too” Kura responded politely. She turned over to Carla again. “You know, I think I will have that drink after all.“ Just then her communicator bleeped to life.

	“Commander Akkaraju” it transmitted urgently.

	“God, of course now they need me” Kura groaned, as she pressed transmit. “What is it?” she demanded quickly.

	“You better come down to sick bay” it responded, something almost dire about its inflection.

	“Are you having a problem?” Kura asked.

	“Not exactly. It is about your sister” the communicator replied carefully. Kura arched her eyebrows.

	“Okay, I’ll be right there” Kura replied, flicking off the communicator. “Guess I will be having that drink another time then, huh?”

	“I hope everything's alright” Carla commented, concerned. She liked Kathryn.

	“We’ll see” Kura answered, as she left the room.


	About a half-hour earlier, Sanjuro walked down one of the Leviathan's many winding corridors, heading as always back to his quarters. For yet another day there had been nothing of significance for him to deal with, just another day of tedium which was only lightly interrupted by his conversation with Toshiro. At least his rather cryptic remarks had given Sanjuro something to think about for a little while at least. He had always prided himself on being able to second-guess someone accurately, although if you asked anyone who knew him they would probably be surprised to hear that. It was not that Sanjuro could not actually predict people's actions, but simply that he had a personality that made it so he did not always care to follow those predictions. Or so he liked to think, at least. 

	Still, he could only think up some small theories as to what Toshiro could be alluding to. Not that it was that important of course, but at least it gave his mind something to do while his body stayed for the most part inert. Hopefully his day would improve now at least. He turned a final corner and approached the doorway to his quarters. They appeared to be empty.

	“Kathryn?” Sanjuro called out, wondering if he had forgotten about something. After a long while, she finally emerged slowly from the bedroom. “Are you alright?” Sanjuro asked, looking her over. She looked seriously pale, and her face broadcast a severe case of fatigue. Every so often it would also flash a grimace, almost as if a bolt of lightning had struck in the space between her ears.

	“I have been better” she admitted quietly. “I am sure I will be feeling better by....” She was cut off by another grimace. “...morning” she finished uncomfortably.

	“I would not be so sure about that” Sanjuro commented, feeling her forehead. “You have a disturbingly high fever.”

	“I am sure it is just a flu or something” Kathryn responded, although her voice did not have much conviction. She then seemed to collapse into his arms, and Sanjuro held her for several moments, as she buried her face into his shoulder. He did not like how warm it felt. He also felt her move as she, almost imperceptibly, shifted her weight onto him. She was feeling too weak to even stand on her own.

	“You are going back to bed” Sanjuro concluded. “And you are certainly not going to work tomorrow.” She nodded slowly, having lost the energy to argue. 

	“I will get you something to drink and something for your headache” Sanjuro said, as she started to hobble back to her bed. As soon as he had entered the kitchen, he heard the thump. He rushed back to find her lying face first on the floor. “Kathryn?” he asked slowly, his voice oddly calm. She did not respond. “Kathryn!?” he asked again, this time with more force. Still nothing. He crouched down beside her and turned her over. She looked back up at him, expressionless, her eyes clamped firmly shut. He simply stared at them, unnerved by how different she looked when she had no life in her face.

	It may seem odd that a soldier would be so transfixed by an unconscious form. After all, death was part of his job description. But the people whom he usually saw in this state were strangers or at least hidden behind a uniform. They were not people he knew, at least not usually thankfully. Sanjuro still had nightmares that he would wake up one day to find that someone he was close to was dead again. Staring down at Kathryn’s pale form, that worry seemed to temporarily take over. After a longer time than he would have liked to admit, he finally got a hold of himself. Nothing was going to be accomplished by just staring at her. He got up, and notified the medical staff.


	Sanjuro and Kura stood next to Kathryn’s bed, a doctor beside them, as all three stared down at her. Some of the colour had returned to Kathryn’s cheeks, but she had still not woken.

	“Is she going to be alright?” Kura asked.

	“Well, we are still not sure what is wrong with her...” the doctor replied worryingly. “But we have gotten her fever down and have brought her blood sugar up. We expect her to reawaken in the next couple of hours.”

	“What do you mean you do not know what is wrong with her?” Sanjuro interjected, still a little shaken. The doctor considered the best way to put it to him in that state.

	“We are still unsure why she fell ill” the doctor elaborated. “Currently we suspect it may either have been some virus that we have not been able to diagnose, or she is coping with an unusual case of food poising. We have not had time to determine any of this for sure.”

	“You mean with all this you still can not find out what is wrong with someone!?” Sanjuro exclaimed, waving his arms to the piles of medical equipment that lined the walls and ceilings of the medical bay.

	“Admiral, I am sorry, we are doing the best we can” the doctor replied in a well rehearsed tone. Sanjuro was about to open his mouth to speak before he checked himself. The doctor was right. And besides, he was a soldier. Why was he having such a hard time controlling himself?

	“Sanjuro...” Kura said coolly. “Calm down, alright?”

	“I’m sorry” Sanjuro sighed. “It's just been a hard day.”

	“I understand, sir” the doctor replied. “I suggest you return to your quarters. We will notify you when she awakens.”

	“Thank you doctor” Sanjuro mumbled. Kura took Sanjuro by the arm and led him out of the medical bay.

	“I do not know what came over me...” Sanjuro commented. Kura smiled up at him reassuringly.

	“You have had a long day, you have not eaten yet, and finding her must have been difficult for you” she commented reassuringly, “you need someone to calm you down, and I think I would very much like to take you out for dinner.” She then kissed him gently in a way Sanjuro did not know that she was capable of. And for the first time since he had entered his quarters earlier that day, he managed to smile. They went the rest of the way arm in arm.


	Sanjuro was not able to get that much sleep that night. After his meal with Kura, he spent the rest of the night with her, but she unfortunately did not have the luxury of spending all that time with him. She did, after all, still have security work in the morning. Sanjuro plopped down on the couch and sighed. It somehow seemed odd to him that Kura, ranked at Commander, was infinitely more busy than he was. It was almost like when they gave him his promotion to the admiralty, they compensated for the extra responsibility by giving him a lighter schedule. Maybe that would work for other people. Maybe...

	Sanjuro closed his eyes and tried to see if the world would close with them. The universe, being the perverse creature that it is, decided not to grant him his request. He got up again and decided that trying to sleep was still a mistake. After Kura turned in, he too had tried as well, but fate had other plans for him. That is, it would if he believed in fate, which he did not. He never understood why someone would, especially out of a sense that it would make them feel more reassured. If our fate was predestined, why would that make bad things happening any better? Surely that would mean that, whatever the deciding force of the universe is, it would have something against you personally. Why would that knowledge be a reassuring thing?

	Sanjuro thumbed through the books that were stacked in his bookcase looking for one he had not read, at least not recently. He had been forced to endure so many breaks or periods of free time recently that he was presenting himself with quite a task. Even the ones he did not like, such as the few owned by Kura or Kathryn which he did not particularly care for, had at least been read by him once. Even the combat and regulation manuals that every soldier in the U.C.A received he had read at least once. And not just his own ones: he had read each of Kura and Kathryn’s ones as well. Sanjuro smiled to himself. He bet he was the only Admiral in the entire U.C.A who could actually claim to have RTFM!

	After going through a series of books marked “to be burned” (evidently Kura got a little cross at some point), Sanjuro found something distinct from the stream of reference materials and novels. At the bottom of the lowest shelf in a lonely neglected corner was a just as lonely and forgotten photo album. Sanjuro pulled it out and seated himself back down on the couch, casually flicking on one of the nearby lights. He opened the album and turned to the first page. A picture of Kura and Kathryn, aged six, smiled back up at him. It was their first day at the Academy. He turned the page and saw them yet again during their first day at the Academy, only this time standing proud next to their father. He then turned to the next page, this time seeing a group photo of the whole family together.

	It had been awhile since he had seen a photograph of Kura and Kathryn’s mother. He had not known her as much as he would have liked, having spent most of his time with the two sisters at the Academy. But in the little time that he had spent with her, she had always been kind to him, and the sisters talked of her often. In many ways it seemed as if they were prouder of their parents than even their parents were proud of them. Their mother was Kura’s role-model, and she took much of her strength of arms as well as character from her. Her affect on Kathryn was harder to tell, but she seemed to have taken some of her thoughtfulness and caring. Kura, on the other hand, seemed to have based her attitudes on that more on her father.

	Sanjuro turned to the next page. This time it was a picture of the two sisters from later on; Sanjuro guessed that they were eight. Already, Sanjuro noticed how their features were beginning to grow apart. When they were younger they looked eerily similar, but as time went on their bodies, as well as their personalities, began to diverge and gain characteristics of their own. He yet again turned the page. This time it was a group photo of them, still aged eight, standing next to himself, Toshiro, and Baku. Sanjuro laughed. Whenever he looked back at photos of himself or his brother from when they were growing up he could not help but find it amusing. They always looked so disproportionate, like a bolt that was fitted wrong and was being forced onto too large a screw. Baku looked surprisingly normal, though that was probably due to him having wider girth than he or his brother did. Strange that it had bothered him at the time.

	“What are you reading?” a voice asked as Sanjuro raised his head. Kura was standing in the doorway.

	“Nothing in particular” Sanjuro stated, closing the album and placing it on the bedside table. “What are you doing up?”

	“I just jolted myself awake somehow, and I figured I should see how you were doing” she replied, walking up to him. “Have you had any sleep yet?”

	“Not as such” Sanjuro replied, as Kura sat herself down next to him.

	“You are aware the clock is now only displaying three digits?” she commented, concerned.

	“I know, but I just have not been able to” Sanjuro answered, exasperated. “Besides, it is not like I have anything I have to do especially tomorrow.” Kura laughed.

	“I am beginning to wonder what they are paying you so much for” she grinned. Sanjuro smiled back warmly.

	“What makes it worse is that I ask that myself” he replied lightly. Kura giggled.

	“Well, I actually do have some real work to do, and you need to get some sleep. And I think I would much rather crawl back into that bed with you than without you.” Sanjuro closed his eyes for a moment. The world finally did seem ready to leave him for awhile.

	“Whatever you say, discontented taxpayer” he commented. Kura smiled and laughed again.


	As soon as Sanjuro walked into the medical bay, he was greeted by a smile; for him it would be the greatest thing he would see all day. He had made quite sure that he was to be informed at the exact moment that she had regained consciousness. Considering his stature, the medical staff willingly complied. Once again, there were at least some perks to accompany the boredom of command.

	“You gave us a bit of a scare you know” he commented, reaching out to hold her hand. Kathryn frowned.

	“I am not that sick” she replied gingerly. Sanjuro smiled softly.

	“They still do not know what is wrong with you, you know...” he informed her gently.

	“Let them wonder” she declared unperturbed. “I am fine, I assure you.” As she was saying this, her eyes continued to scan the medical bay curiously. “No Kura?” she eventually asked, putting her thoughts into words.

	“No... she is busy with her squad” Sanjuro answered simply. Kathryn’s face contorted into a slightly odd smile. The kind of smile that a pessimist shows when they are once again proven to be right; the smile of somewhat melancholic self-satisfaction.

	“Ah...” she muttered under her breath, “I guess I thought as much.” She turned back to Sanjuro. “So why is it that the all important Admiral has got enough time to visit little old me then?”

	“For you, I will make the time” he replied sweetly. Kathryn raised an eyebrow. “And of course it also stops me from being bored out of my skull” Sanjuro admitted quietly. She grinned, in another apparent victory for pessimism.

	“Seriously though, I really did worry about you” he continued. She squeezed his hand softly.

	“Don’t worry” she said in almost a whisper. “I will always be here for you.” Sanjuro squeezed her hand back. It was true that over the years it was always Kathryn that had never disappeared or supposedly died on him. For a moment they seemed at a loss for words, as they both just stared back at each other in a way that only those in love can. After a long while, Sanjuro leaned over until her face was just inches away from his. It was then that he felt her lips press against his...

	“Don't!” someone dramatically called out. Sanjuro turned to see the doctor who originally examined Kathryn standing behind them. “Until we are sure what exactly is wrong with her, and if it is contagious or not, she should have as little contact with everyone else as possible.” Sanjuro felt Kathryn pull her hand back away from his, making him feel strangely detached.

	“Fine” Sanjuro sighed, as the doctor returned back to his business. Kathryn frowned back at him weakly, and under her breath mouthed the word “sorry”. Sanjuro's eyes darted away from her and back to the physician. As soon as he was sufficiently satisfied that the doctor was no longer paying them enough attention, Sanjuro quickly reached out, grabbed her arm, and kissed her gently on the back of her hand.

	“Thank you” she glowed back at him. It was the healthiest she had looked in quite some time. Evidently there are still some kinds of medicine these doctors had yet to consider.


	After visiting Kathryn, Sanjuro once again returned back to his post on the bridge. It was nice to see her awake again, although he wished that Kura had been there with them. While it was true that they had been getting along better together as of late, Sanjuro could not help but feel that he had managed to destroy something special that had existed between them in the past. Growing up they were very close; now it was almost awkward when they were left alone in a room together. There was no actual hostility, at least not anymore, but it was almost as if they were now just acquaintances, dealing with each as if they were one of their friend's annoying cousins. Well, maybe not that bad, but they certainly were not as close as they once were.

	As Sanjuro moved to seat himself in his chair, his thoughts were broken by the officer who had taken command in his absence. “Sir, we have received a communications request from high-command” the officer informed him quickly. Sanjuro raised an eyebrow. It had been quite awhile since he was unable to get into his chair.

	“All right, I can talk with them here” Sanjuro replied, pulling on his uniform. Best not talk to the brass with wrinkles.

	“They say they want to speak with you privately, sir” the officer responded. Sanjuro’s eyebrow raised even further.

	“All right, I best go down to communications then” he commented intrigued.

	“Very good sir” the officer replied compliantly as Sanjuro made for the door. Today was certainly being a lot more interesting than usual, but what would they not want his bridge staff to hear about? He was glad of the diversion of course; now he would actually have something to think about other than Kathryn. Still, he reminded himself, it would probably amount to nothing. As he passed by Kathryn’s console and empty chair on his way through Communications, he certainly knew that the day could not really turn out to be that much more eventful. 

	As he entered his own Command Communications Office, he was greeted by a flashing red light glowing from his console. He sat himself down in his chair, making sure to keep good posture, and clicked the button labelled “Respond”.  And as soon as he did, he realized that he had been wrong. The day could in fact still get more interesting. A lot more interesting.

	“Admiral!” he exclaimed surprised. The man on the screen smiled.

	“Not anymore” Nathaniel Akkaraju responded. “And you bloody well know why.”

	“Yes...” Sanjuro replied, barely stopping himself from adding a “sir” to the end of all of his statements. “It is just that I was not expecting that it would be you that I would be talking to.”

	“Yes, I'm sure you didn't” Nathaniel commented, considerably more relaxed than the actually acting Admiral. “So how are my daughters?” he inquired politely.

	“Kura is keeping herself busy and Kathryn is a little under the weather” Sanjuro answered uneasily. He did not really want to go into too much detail about the state of Kathryn's health at the moment. “I had assumed that we would be talking about something operational.”

	“And we will be” Nathaniel acknowledged. “You are ordered to move the Leviathan back towards Earth, and I am to be coming aboard.”

	“In an official capacity?” Sanjuro asked surprised.

	“Well, with the support of the U.C.A high command” Nathaniel replied smiling. “Don’t worry, I am not going to be taking your ship back from you.”

	“The thought never crossed my mind, sir” Sanjuro commented, letting one “sir” slip out.

	“At ease soldier” Nathaniel laughed. He had become quite a different man after his retirement, much more affable and friendly. Of course, there was also the possibility that he had not changed at all and it was only now that he was truly able to express this side of himself. One thing was for certain though; Admiral Nathaniel Akkaraju would never be cracking jokes, not to someone who was on active duty. It all just made the situation even more confusing to Sanjuro.

	“May I ask why you are coming aboard?” he inquired perplexed. “After all, I was under the impression that your 'retirement' was going to be permanent.”

	“It was” Nathaniel responded, his face starting to harden again. “But there is something I must do first, something that is vital to all of us. However, we can discuss this when I arrive.”

 	“I will be sure to send Kura and Kathryn your regards...” Sanjuro said, straitening out of his chair. The old man frowned back at him, disturbed.

	“I would actually prefer it if they were not aware that I was coming” Nathaniel replied, his face remaining serious. Sanjuro stared back at the screen curiously.

	“If that is what you wish...” he replied confused. “What exactly are you planning?”

	“You will find out in time” Nathaniel answered cryptically. “I bid you good day Admiral.”  With those parting words, the large communications screen flickered and died. Sanjuro stared at it for a few moments, thinking the conversation over. After collecting his thoughts, he started moving towards the door, his mind still no closer to an answer.

	“Well” he said to no one in particular, “at least now I have something new something to think about.” 


	Sanjuro waited patiently for Kura in the Leviathan’s mess hall, having both agreed to meet each other there earlier that morning. With Kathryn now stuck in sick bay for the foreseeable future no one else seemed to want to pick up the task of cooking. Actually, to tell the truth, Sanjuro was not even sure that Kura even knew how to cook. He certainly knew that he himself could not – simply being able to unpack combat rations had seemed like more than enough. So for now it seemed mess hall food it would be, in all its mass produced glory.

	“What's this I hear about you turning the ship around?” Kura asked, entering the room and walking up to him.

	“I was contacted by someone from high command earlier today” Sanjuro stated calmly.

	“What are they up to now?” Kura responded in a voice that would probably get a cadet whipped. Well, except for on Sanjuro’s ship; he would probably give a standing ovation.

	“Not sure yet, but they are planning something” Sanjuro said, taking his meal tray and heading to be served. Kura raised her eyebrows.

	“Who was it?” she asked, moving in line beside him. Sanjuro bit his lip. Being the daughter of a former Admiral and a significant other of another, she would probably have a good chance of knowing quite a few of the top brass, at least in passing. And of course she would ask about them if she recognized a name, meaning that Sanjuro could not just pick one and use it as a means of dodging her question. Damn.

	“I do not remember” he replied uncomfortably, as he started serving food onto his tray. He did not like having to lie to Kura. In fact, he had rather hoped that she would not ask that question directly so he could have at least gotten away with only bending the truth a little. Then again, it was true that she herself had done a lot worse to him in the past for the sake of duty. Kura had, after all, convinced him that she was dead so she could keep her cover during her spying mission on Cronus. At least Sanjuro was not forced to lie in such a way as to give her nightmares she would have for the rest of her life. Somehow this realization did not seem to make him feel any better. Thankfully Kura decided not to pursue the matter any further.

	“Okay, fine” she responded quietly, proceeding to serve herself some food of her own. The two of them then sat down together at a secluded table in the corner of the room. Sanjuro was fairly sociable by nature, but he still did not appreciate it when he had to talk over the voices of everyone else in the room.

	“How is Kathryn?” Kura decided to ask, as she stuck her fork into her hamburger.

	“Getting better the last time I saw her” Sanjuro replied, glad for the change of subject. “She wished you could have been there to visit her as well though.” Kura looked up at him as she started to chew her dinner, something strangely fetching about the expression on her face.

	“When I have the time, I will” Kura assured him. Sanjuro smiled back and nodded. It would be good for them to have some time alone together for a change.

	“Does that squad of yours ever give you some time to yourself then?” he commented, deciding that it would be best to change the topic yet again.

	“Hey, just because you are bored...” she replied dryly, before giving in to a smile. “Seriously though” she continued, “I am beginning to be able put more responsibility onto Cara now, especially with the more green recruits.” Sanjuro smirked. Cara Carmack was a young ensign assigned to Kura’s security team with dark reflective black hair and an excess of energy. Her and Kura had spent much of the past year rubbing off each other before they had finally managed to make peace. Now she had gone from being Kura’s bitter rival to her second in command. “Besides, I have a whole evening to spend alone with you tonight” she added with a wink. Sanjuro smiled back, though in the back of his mind something about that statement bothered him.

	“To Kathryn’s health” Sanjuro said, raising his glass in a toast.

	“To everyone's health” Kura added, clinking her glass against his. As Sanjuro drank, Kura flashed one of her special smiles back at him, the ones she reserved for when she had something special planned. Sanjuro’s eyes looked the other way, and he continued to drink from his now charmed glass.


	The next morning, Sanjuro set off for the medical bay as soon as he possibly could. He had enjoyed his night with Kura in the end, but only by promising the voice in the back of his head that he would also spend some time with Kathryn at the next possible opportunity. It was an odd juggling of responsibility that he was forced to deal with. On the one hand, he did in someways owe some time to Kura as it was true in recent times he had spent more of it with Kathryn than with her. On the other hand, there did seem to be something vaguely distasteful about doing it while she was ill, making it feel like they were at it behind her back. But then again, was that not what Kathryn had been doing for months? Taking advantage of Kura’s busy schedule to spend more time alone with him?

	It was a mental puzzle that, much to Sanjuro’s chagrin, was not solvable with the help of a walkthrough. Thankfully, these thoughts dissipated as Sanjuro finally reached his destination. As the doors slid open, Sanjuro was greeted by a different doctor than usual. Sanjuro smiled. Maybe his luck was improving.

	“You are here to visit the Lieutenant Commander?” she asked, only slightly glancing up from a pile of medical papers.

	“Yes, if that is not a problem” Sanjuro answered politely. The doctor shook her head.

	“She is still sleeping, and needs her rest” she replied curtly. “Please come back at another time.” Sanjuro sighed. Maybe it had not.

	“I am sure she would not mind...” Sanjuro started.

	“She needs her sleep” the doctor declared, cutting him off.

	“Fine...” Sanjuro said, giving in. “I guess I will have to come back at another time.” As he turned to go back to the door however, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

	“I’m awake!” it exclaimed from somewhere behind him. Sanjuro turned to see Kathryn staring back at him from her pillow, now looking fully alert and awake. The doctor looked her over for a few moments, and then let out a begrudging sigh.

	“I guess you can see her now then...” she commented flatly. Kathryn grinned as Sanjuro approached, taking his hand as he sat himself down beside her.

	“I take it they no longer think you are an infestation waiting to happen?” Sanjuro asked, smiling back down at her.

	“I have no idea...” she replied. “All I know is the only doctor that complains' shift does not start for a few more hours.” Sanjuro leaned down to give her the kiss that she had missed the day before. It felt good to take care of unfinished business.

	“How did you know I was here?” he asked, once he had finished.

	“I heard your voice in a dream...” she replied sweetly, staring up at the tiled ceiling.

	“I got a message from high command the other day” Sanjuro said, changing the subject. “They want us to head towards Earth. Apparently they want us to pick up someone.”

	“Speaking of which, who is manning my station?” she asked curiously. Sanjuro grinned, in spite of himself. He was glad that she did not ask who the passenger was. After a few moments, his mind finally realized her question.

	“An Ensign Duncan Mathews, I think” Sanjuro responded distractedly. Kathryn’s face contorted into another odd smile.

	“I thought it would be him” she commented quietly. Sanjuro raised an eyebrow.

	“And who is he then?” he inquired questioningly

	“Just someone from the Communications staff” she replied, considering. “To tell you the truth though, I think he may have a little bit of a crush on me.” Sanjuro’s eyebrows continued to stay up.

	“Anything I should be concerned about?” he stated facetiously. Kathryn moved her head forward to look him directly in the eye.

	“What do you think?” she asked, keeping him in her entrancing stare. He could not think of any better responses, so he just did what came naturally. He moved forward and snaked his arms around her, as she craned her head to be inches away from his. Sanjuro felt her soft hair brush against his cheeks as she softly pressed her lips against his mouth. He closed his eyes while she closed her's, allowing the room around them to become nothing but a memory. And the world seemed to stop. Kathryn never wanted it to end. Unfortunately, they both still needed oxygen, and after what seemed like an eternity their lips parted and Sanjuro slowly moved his head back.

	Sanjuro glanced briefly towards the desk where the doctor was working, only to find that she was staring at them, an awkward expression on her face. It was not everyday that she would be subject to such a viewing. He turned his gaze back down towards Kathryn and saw that she was also glancing in her direction. A brief moment of silence passed between them, until finally Sanjuro and Kathryn could not hold it in any longer and they both started laughing. The doctor quickly went back to even more intently staring at her papers.


	Later that day, Sanjuro found himself wandering once again in the direction of Communications. With the new infrastructure for easy interstellar transmissions between Cronus and the rest of the galaxy in place, both he and Toshiro had agreed to start contacting each other again on a regular basis. As far as the U.C.A High Command was concerned, these were diplomatic calls to help strengthen relations between them and the Fallen. As far as Sanjuro was concerned, he was finally being to be able to fully reunite with his brother. “For once work and life seem to have found an amiable agreement” Sanjuro thought, as he reached his destination.

	As Sanjuro passed Kathryn’s empty chair, he gave a polite nod in the direction of Ensign Mathews, who sat in the chair beside. Matthews looked up sheepishly from his console, giving a quick salute in response before turning his head back to his console. Sanjuro smiled. He could see he was not going to cause anyone any problems. Entering the Command Communications Office, he promptly plopped himself into his now familiar swivel chair and quickly typed the commands that would call up Toshiro on Cronus. After a few moments, his brother's face appeared on the screen.

	“You're late” Toshiro declared. “Going back to familiar habits are we?”

	“I would have been on earlier, but something came up” Sanjuro replied curtly.

	“Yes, I was meaning to send my commiserations about Kathryn” Toshiro commented. Sanjuro stared at the screen.

	“How the hell do you know she is ill?” he asked surprised. Toshiro may be his brother, but he was still the figurehead of a foreign power and government. He should not be privileged to that much information.

	“I have my sources...” Toshiro responded cryptically. Sanjuro raised an eyebrow.

	“And what else have these sources told you?” Sanjuro inquired. Toshiro leaned back in his chair, contently studying the earnestness in his brother's expression.

	“Well, besides the fact you have turned the ship around and you have not been told the real reason why, not all the much” he stated calmly. Sanjuro’s eyes narrowed. The bastard was enjoying this. He tried to think of who else would have been in a position to access this information. Although everyone on board the Leviathan knew the ship had been turned around, only a few would have known that he did not even know why. And Sanjuro knew who those people were.

	“Baku told you this didn't he?” Sanjuro thought out loud. “He must have heard it from Cara, who must have of heard it from Kura.” Toshiro played a poker face. “I’m right, aren't I?” Sanjuro realized smugly. Toshiro straightened in his chair.

	“I also know that you almost chewed the head off a doctor when Kathryn was admitted” Toshiro added. Sanjuro glared at the screen.

	  “I am going to have to talk with Kura about what she says to Cara” he muttered. Toshiro laughed. Sanjuro continued to glare.

	“Seriously though” Toshiro continued, his expression returning to its normal composure. “I can assure you that nothing I know is mission critical, or anything that I could not obtain through other means. I just like being kept abreast of events, that's all.” Sanjuro’s expression did not change. Toshiro began to frown.

	“Well, I promise not to tell high-command if you don’t...” Sanjuro stated finally. Toshiro nodded. Then there was a brief pause. Then there was a long pause. Then they both started laughing. After all this time, they were still brothers.

	“Okay then...” Sanjuro commented. “What secrets should I know that are you not telling me then?”

	“Nothing you will not find out about soon” Toshiro replied. Yet another cryptic answer.

	“And what exactly does that mean? Sanjuro asked, not for the first time when dealing with his brother.

	“Exactly what I meant it to mean” Toshiro responded. “But I am afraid my time grows short and I must again bid you good day brother.”

	“See you later then” Sanjuro said, shortly before the screen once again went blank. He shook his head and smiled. “No one but Toshiro...” he mumbled, as he pulled himself out of his chair.


	Kathryn lay with her head buried deep within her pillow, acting as if she were asleep. She often gave the impression that she was a deep sleeper even though she really was not. While Kura and Sanjuro usually seemed to be able to drop off at the drop of a hat, excluding for Sanjuro’s more rough nights, Kathryn always found that it took her about a half hour to fully succumb to sleep's warm embrace. So she spent a lot of her time instead thinking with her eyes closed and her body not moving, trying to slowly ease herself into a state of mind where she was comfortable enough to be able to lose control of her world for a little while. This also meant that she was often able to hear what people were saying when they thought that no one could hear them. At the moment, she was listening to the some of the doctors bemoaning about some of their more eccentric patients.

	“Yeah, I hate it when you get the ones like that” one of them commented irritably.

	“At least the ones we have at the moment are not too much trouble” the other, a woman, responded. A backhanded compliment, Kathryn thought, but still a compliment none the less.

	“Except for the fact we have to deal with the Admiral obsessing over the Lieutenant Commander” the first doctor interjected. So much for the compliment.

	“Yeah, but he is no worse than you get with other couples” the female doctor replied.

	“True, but it is different when the person heavily outranks you” the other doctor stated perturbed. “Plus they are not exactly a couple are they?” Kathryn half-opened one eye.

	“What exactly is going on with them anyway?” the female doctor asked, allowing herself to succumb to the gossip.

	“Not too sure. He seems to be going with both of them” the male doctor replied with a chuckle. Kathryn wondered where this was going. “The rumour going around is that he goes at them both at the same time” he added in almost a whisper.

	“You can not believe everything you hear...” the female doctor replied curtly.

	“Hey, I just said it was the rumour going around” he deflected, a childish grin still plastered on his face. “Besides, I am pretty sure that the Commander at least would be up for a threesome...” Thankfully for Kathryn, the main door opened and the room was filled instead with the comparatively pleasant noise of someone in pain.

	“Here, put your weight on me instead” a voice called out. It was Kura’s voice.

	“Commander!” the male doctor said rather sharply. “What seems to be the problem?”

	“Ensign Carmack had a little ‘accident’ during training” Kura answered, guiding Cara to one of the available beds, which happened to be the one next to Kathryn’s.

	“That was not an accident, I swear he tripped me!” Cara added upset.

	“It does not matter” Kura said, cutting her off. “All that matters is that you are going to be here for a little while.”

	“Why can’t I just rest at my quarters?” Cara moaned.

	“Because you will not rest and just make yourself worse” Kura stated decisively.

	“And what makes you think that?” Cara replied in what she hoped sounded like an innocent tone of voice.

	“Because I know that is what I would do in your position” Kura snapped. Cara opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it. She could not argue with that logic.

	“Figures someone had to get hurt for you to come and visit me” Kathryn said in an entirely too pleasant tone, turning her head to face them.

	“Ah, so you are awake” Kura replied, at least acting as if she did not hear the reproach in Kathryn’s voice. The two doctors did look at each other a little sheepishly when they realized what else she might have heard though.

	“I think we can deal with the Ensign from this point on Commander” the female doctor interjected, moving to inspect her ankle. 

	“Well, in that case I am afraid I have to go” Kura declared. “I do not feel comfortable leaving the squad under the charge of Ensign McCormick for longer than I have to.”

	“I hear you” Cara replied, before wincing as the doctor applied some small pressure to her ankle. Kura turned and started walking towards the door.

	“She could have at least said a ‘hello’ first...” Kathryn thought, as Kura exited the room.


	For once Sanjuro was given an order that was direct and to the point. Never mind the fact that it came from Kura. Earlier that day he had received a message from her that instructed him to meet with her back at their quarters after completing his shift, rather than at the mess hall as they had been usually doing recently. As Sanjuro opened the door, he was greeted by darkness only punctuated somewhat by the filtering light of several burning candles. On the kitchen table was, in addition to the candles, two plates covered with what he would discover after further inspection to be food from the cafeteria. Seated at the opposite end of the table was Kura, dressed in her formal dress uniform and smiling too much.

	“You have really put an effort into this” Sanjuro commented, seating himself in his own chair. Kura’s smile somehow continued to widen.

	 “I figured that if we are going to spend the night alone together again I might as well try and make it special” she replied, emptying a bottle into two wine glasses. She handed one to Sanjuro, and they started eating in a somewhat awkward silence. Somehow neither of them could seem to think of anything more to say.

	“So, I hear you were actually able to visit Kathryn today?” Sanjuro asked, trying to start a conversation. Kura did not even look up from her plate.

	“In an offhanded way” she responded, her smile receding ever so slightly. “I could not stay for long.”

	“I see” Sanjuro replied, a little more curtly than he had intended. Kura put down her fork.

	“I needed to get back to my squad” she stated defensively. Sanjuro nodded.

	“Of course” he responded, again in a tone he had not intended. He was beginning to wonder if his mouth had a death wish. Kura looked him over with a cold hard stare.

	“Do you have a problem?” she inquired, her mind still deciding whether or not she should be angry. Sanjuro bit his lip.

	“Well, you could have put in more of an effort to...” he started, before being cut off by Kura’s cutting glare. It seemed that she had just made up her mind.

	“I do not believe this!” she exclaimed angrily. “I put in all this work so we can spend a romantic evening together and you spend it trying to make me feel guilty!”

	“That was not exactly what I meant...” Sanjuro elaborated quietly. Kura seemed to pay him no notice.

	“Just for once I wanted to spend an evening alone with you, is that so much to ask?” she continued bitterly. “Why can’t we just have one night where you do not have to bring up Kathryn? Surely you owe me that much!” Sanjuro was taken aback. He did not know what to say. He just sat there, gaping, as Kura continued to hurl abuse at him.

	“I mean, how much time have you spent with her recently?” she hissed. “Surely you could forget about her for at least one evening!  I get precious little time to spend alone with you!” Sanjuro could feel the back of his mouth going dry.

	“I know I spend a lot of my time with my squad, which means I can not spend as much time with you, but I would have thought you would have at least put in the effort to try and enjoy the time we do get together! I would have thought you would know me well enough that you would understand why I need to keep myself busy, and that you would love me enough to give me all the time we do have together!” Sanjuro felt like a cornered animal, with absolutely nowhere to run.

	“It makes me wonder sometimes how much you still love me!  You spend most of your time with Kathryn, and the time you do not spend with her you spend talking about her! Don’t you still love me?”

	“Of course I still love you” Sanjuro answered in almost a whisper. Kura seemed not to hear.

	“Why do you always have to bring her up! Have you been lying to me all this time? Do you like her more than me?”

	“Of course not” Sanjuro mumbled, still feeling as if he were pinned against the wall. Kura seemed to just get even more ruffled.

	“Then what is it then?! Why do you keep bringing her up?!”

	“Because I feel guilty, all right!” Sanjuro screamed, not able to take it anymore. Kura froze, mouth open, in the middle of speaking. Sanjuro looked down at his feet.

	“What do you mean?” she asked in an unusually soft voice. Sanjuro looked up.

	“I can not help but feel that I destroyed something, well, special between you two” he elaborated quietly. Kura looked at Sanjuro curiously. “You two used to be so close, now you hardly even take notice of each other sometimes, let alone treat each other as friends. I feel guilty.” 

	“I’m sorry” Kura said, her turn to be taken aback. “I didn't know.”

	“I just wanted you two to spend some more time together, on your own. I was not trying to make a judgment on either of you.” Kura frowned.

	“I still do love her” she commented quietly. “I always will”. Sanjuro began to smile slightly.

	“I don't know why I got so worked up” she continued. “I mean, it is not like we have not had this argument before. We should be past all that by now. I guess I'm sorry.”

	“No, I am sorry that I wrecked your evening” Sanjuro replied, somewhat melancholic. Kura’s face changed to adopt an unusually funny expression.

	“I would not say that” she smiled deviously. “Not yet anyway.” She got out of her chair and walked over to where Sanjuro was sitting.

	“You might still be able to make that up to me” she whispered into his ear. Sanjuro felt her arms wrap around his back as she began to pull him out of his own and force him to his feet. 

	“What are you doing?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Kura simply smiled, as she hauled him by the arm over to the nearby couch, where she carefully placed him down before she herself toppled on-top of him dramatically.

	“Guess” she whispered into his ear, just before Sanjuro felt the force of her lips interlocking with his. 


 	Kathryn stared up at the still unfamiliar ceiling by the dim illumination supplied by the medical bay's few remaining lights. She had tried to get some more sleep, but for the first time in quite awhile she just could not seem to muster the will. An optimist would have construed this as meaning she was finally recovering from whatever was afflicting her. Kathryn on the other hand took it as meaning the less happy truth that she was now trapped in bed with nothing to do. She slowly turned her head to look over at one of the many clocks that were embedded in walls all over the ship. It flashed back the numerals “23:00” back at her, being programmed to display in militaristic 24-hour time. She sighed. It was going to be a long night. In the bed beside her own, a bored Cara looked over at her quiet companion somewhat amused.

	“You don't talk much, do you?” she commented. Kathryn slowly turned her head to face her.

	“I did not want to disturb you” she responded quietly. She had met Cara before of course, but she had never really talked with her on her own before. In her mind at least, she was still very much a stranger. Cara grinned.

	“You do realize that is politeness that borders on the edge of being rude?” she jibbed. Kathryn just shrugged, and returned to looking at the ceiling. Cara considered her curiously. “You are quite different from your sister” she observed to herself.

	“How so?” Kathryn asked, her attention temporarily shifting to focus on her again. Cara thought it over for a moment.

	“By now Kura would have already made up her mind about me and would stand by it to the end of her days” she answered eventually. “You are still not sure, and you are still making your mind up about me.” Kathryn considered her statement.

	“So what are you saying?” she questioned tersely. “That she is belligerent and I am paranoid?” Cara simply laughed.

	“That was not quite what I meant” she responded smiling. “Seriously though, you two do seem to be surprisingly different.”

	“I guess” Kathryn mumbled, once again turning back to the ceiling. She really was not in the most friendly of moods.

	“She does think the world of you though” Cara commented, trying to rouse her attention back. Kathryn immediately rolled over in her bed to face her.

	“What do you mean?” she inquired, a little too curiously.

	“You would be surprised how much she talks about you, how much she has told me about you”  Cara answered. Kathryn's eyes widened slightly.

	“What has she told you?” she demanded, her cheeks beginning to redden. Cara tried to summon up a relevant observation.

	“She has told me that you shut people out because you fear what people would think of you if they knew what you were really thinking, but even if they did, they would not care so you do not have any real reason to worry” Cara elaborated ruminatively. Kathryn looked her over quizzically.

	“More goes on than us paying the barmaid's salary you know” Cara commented with a wink. Kathryn smiled back thoughtfully.

	“What else has she told you?” she asked, still more intensely than she had intended.

	“Nothing that should give you any reason to be worried” Cara grinned. Kathryn smiled back.

	“Sure, but how exactly does she talk about me?” she pressed. She did not want to sound self-centred, but she somehow needed to know. Cara thought for a moment, just glad that Kathryn was finally talking back for a change.

	“This might sound odd, but she talks about you almost as if she was referring to a lost friend” she eventually mused.

	“It’s not that odd” Kathryn muttered. As she had seemed to have already done many times this night, Cara studied her face curiously.

	“May I make an observation?” she inquired. Kathryn nodded slightly. “There seems to be something awkward between you two” Cara continued lightly. “Something lingering and unresolved.”

	“Bad homecoming” Kathryn commented quietly. Cara looked puzzled.

	“What do you mean?” she asked. Kathryn tried to mass her thoughts into words.

	“I thought that she was dead. You have no idea how that can change one's perceptions about someone, especially someone close to you. And then when she did come back, one would have thought that I would be overjoyed. But of course by then things had changed and I was with Sanjuro, and everything seemed somehow different. Then she suddenly announces that she only pretended to be dead. Do you have any idea how I felt?”

	“Angry?” Cara offered. Kathryn shook her head.

	“I felt guilty. Guilty about what I had done in her absence, guilty about getting involved with Sanjuro so soon after she had disappeared, guilty about not being overjoyed at her sudden return... I was even feeling guilty about letting myself feel guilty!” Kathryn moved her head again to stare down at her covers.

	“Then I was worried. Worried about what Sanjuro was going to do, worried that I might lose him, worried about what was happening to his mission, worried about what Kura was asking him to do, worried about how everything was spiralling out of my control...”

	“Then what?” Cara asked quietly. Kathryn took a breath.

	“And then I was angry. Angry at Kura for putting me in this position. Angry at my father for not telling me that she was still alive. Angry at Kura for dragging Sanjuro through a war-zone. Even angry at Sanjuro for helping in his own way to put me through this. Angry that there was no one I could talk to. I was angry.” A lone tear streaked down Kathryn's face.

	“And of course then she got captured. Then I felt guilty again, and worried. But in a way I was glad to be worried; it meant that I still did love her. But at the same time I was still angry. I felt angry, worried, guilty... it felt almost as if my stomach was being drained through a colander, all going in different directions.” She began to well up.

	“Then what?” Cara whispered again. Kathryn tried hard to take a breath through the mask of tears cascading down her face.

	“Then my professional side started to take over, just when it was beginning to feel unbearable. Suddenly I was able to hide all of that under a mask and just concentrate on our mission again. For the first time since I found out that Kura was alive I was able to drop the issue for awhile, almost as if I had a stone around my neck and I was finally able to drop it somewhere and take a break.” Cara handed Kathryn a handkerchief.

	“Then what?” she asked again, as Kathryn dabbed at the tears that were still gushing from the corners of her eyes.

	“Then suddenly we were all together in person again. It almost seemed surreal. But it brought it all back again, the worry, the fear, the guilt, the anger....” She paused for a moment, still thinking over what she was going to say. “Kura was taken aback by all this of course” she continued finally. “She felt rejected, almost as if I had suddenly turned on her... and in a way she was right of course. At the same time, Sanjuro was trying his best to make us get along, but he was just as much out of his depth as we were.”

	“But you did work it out in the end didn't you?” Cara commented. Kathryn sniffed into her handkerchief, the tears finally beginning to dry.

	“Somewhat” she answered between blows. “We did manage to work out how we were going to live with each other, how we were going to deal with Sanjuro, but something like that you can not just put behind you. I do not know if I will ever be able to think of Kura the same way I did before she disappeared.” Cara frowned slightly.

	“You can try though can’t you?” she asked quietly.

	“We have tried, in our own ways” Kathryn replied, “but it somehow never seems to work out. We never seem to be able to trust each other, at least never fully. I mean, it took us this long to get this far simply on learning how to share Sanjuro, let alone anything else! Every time we offer something approaching an offer of peace someone always seems to go and shoot down the bloody dove!” Kathryn smiled slightly. “Maybe it is true, Kura is belligerent and I am paranoid. That's the problem.”

	“No, you're not” Cara replied. “You just have not learned how to talk to each other properly. You probably just always focus on something else when you are together, such as Sanjuro, or your work, or what you are going to be having for supper that night... anything but what you really think about each other. Have you ever just sat down and talked to her alone about this the way you have just talked about it with me?”

	“Not exactly” Kathryn answered quietly. Cara smiled encouragingly.

	“Just think about it” she commented. Kathryn smiled thoughtfully.

	“Thank you for this” she replied. “Letting me vent to you.” Cara shrugged.

	“I wanted to get to know you, and besides, it is not like there is anything better to do around here is there?” she stated with a grin. Kathryn simply smiled back, and at long last felt like her mind would allow her to get some more sleep. Having finally accomplished getting her to talk, Cara was thinking much the same as well.


	Two figures walked together side by side through the crowded spaceport, being for the most part lost in the moving seething mass of people, equipment, and ships that littered the mammoth structure. The only thing which could distinguish either of them as being particularly unique was the badge which the senior of the two gentleman wore emblazoned on the front of his uniform. Even then, there was still very little sign of the importance that these two men had at one point, or even currently, held. For the second figure, an intimidating old man with arctic white hair and matching facial hair, this was exactly how he wanted it.

	“I think that is your shuttle they are loading” the second man, the one with the badge, remarked. Nathaniel Akkaraju nodded.

	“Perfectly nondescript” he commented. The other man also nodded his head, a thoughtful expression on his worn features.

	“You are still sure you are up to it?” he asked, although he already knew the answer. Nathaniel bobbed his head once again, his face hardening into its once requisite glare of determination.

	“I have done many things in this life; some that I am proud of, some that I regret, and some things that lead me to responsibilities I have still yet to fulfill. You tend to only get one chance to set things straight in this life, and this time I refuse to back away from the tempting offer of opportunity.” The other man nodded in an eerie mime of his current companion, a gesture of remarkable yet unspeakable relevance in the eyes of the two men.

	“I think crediting the whole situation to opportunity is a little shortsighted, it took more than a little cajoling to get us where we are now” he replied gravely. “I had to use my reputation as a shield just to convince High Command to let you get this far. And even then, it was only under the condition that you would be under the watchful eyes of Admiral Makabe.” Nathaniel again bobbed his head slowly. If the view of them supplied by the ever present watch of the security cameras was sped up, it would surely use their constant nodding to turn them into bobble-heads.

	“I am well aware of that and I am quite grateful, but this is something I simply must do on my own.” Nathaniel responded. “Even without your help, I would still have found another way. And besides, I bear no ill well towards the Admiral; whatever problems I may have had with him in the past have been resolved.” The other man smiled slightly, though whatever muscles that had been moved were cloaked behind the rigidness of age and wrinkles.

	“I guess you would have, considering...” he commented quietly. Even with the air of mutual respect that the two men shared between each other, some statements could not slip by unnoticed.

	“How my daughters choose to lead their lives is entirely up to them” Nathaniel said in a low growl. The other man simply raised an eyebrow.

	“I am not here to judge” he replied calmly, before being interrupted by the piercing voice of the  spaceport's announcer.

	“Passengers to board the shuttle LZ Kraken are advised to proceed to the launch bay. Shuttle launch in eight minutes.”

	“I guess I should get going” Nathaniel commented. His companion turned and bobbed his head, and together they shook each others hands one last time respectfully.

	“Bring her back, for my sake as well as yours” he whispered. Nathaniel smiled as he picked up his case and started moving towards his final destination.

	“I would not have it any other way” he replied, just before disappearing into the vast launch bay doors. Admiral Cartwright simply allowed himself another nod.


	The first thing that Sanjuro saw, as always, was the piercing light. It was the familiar but still intolerable shine that greeted him to each and every new day, at least while he was on board the Leviathan. In another ghastly move to help acclimatize the traditionally terrestrial human race to the broad and expansive universe of the stars, it was decided early on that all ships should be equipped with a computer program to recreate the traditional solar and lunar cycles of which the human race was accustomed to. In basics, this boiled down to almost all the lights on the ship being set up to ape the effect of nights and days. Tied to the ship's clock, as time progressed the lights would grow steadily brighter until what was calculated to be the closet approximation of midday, at which point they would instead become progressively and persistently darker, until at last they would become just a faint clear glow. 

	Things were even further complicated when someone had the even brighter idea to account for Earth’s lunar cycles as well, meaning that even at night the lights were prone to change. Important lights were for the most part excluded from all of this of course, but everyone's quarters were still rigged in such a fashion. Sanjuro closed his eyes and wished for thicker eyelids. Somehow Kura and Kathryn never seemed to be bothered by the lights, almost as if their lids were made of extra thick light resistant scales. Before wiping that rather unpleasant mental image from his still somewhat dormant mind, he turned his head slightly to gain a better view of the ever present wall clock, featuring its even more persistent ticking sound. He sighed, and with the grim realization that it was probably best for him to get up, turned his head back and looked right into the face of Kura, who was still laying partially on top of him to his right 

	A deep and somewhat contagious smile still flashed on her lips, a remnant seemingly permanently entrenched on her face from the activities of the night before. Noticing this, Sanjuro finally realized that despite it all he really should still be happy. And for some reason he could not really explain, he was. With surprisingly well practised grace he slid away from his eye catching captor, who stirred slightly but for the most part seemed undeterred from the loss of her primary source of external body heat. Now free, Sanjuro dressed and walked out of his bedroom into the adjourning living room only to find his wall screen flashing back at him. After taking one last cautionary look at himself in his bedroom mirror, he sauntered over and quickly type the respond command into his terminal keyboard. Almost instantly the flashing was replaced by the face of the officer currently in charge of Sanjuro’s job on the bridge.

	“Admiral, we have received a message on a restricted channel. Someone important on a nearby shuttle wishes to talk with you immediately” he stated, seemingly relieved to have finally attracted his superior's attention. Sanjuro wondered how long his screen was left flashing.

	“Alright, put it through here” Sanjuro replied, seating himself down on his couch. A look of consternation appeared on the officer's features.

	“But sir, the Commander...” he started. Sanjuro grudgingly understood, getting up to close and lock his bedroom door.

	“Satisfied?” he asked, his tone only ever so slightly suggesting that he could possibly be annoyed.

	“Yes, Admiral” came the Commander's reply, as the screen morphed from the face of the young and somewhat inexperienced officer to the worn and intimidating stare of Nathaniel Akkaraju.

	“Good morning” Sanjuro greeted amiably, for once being able to expect his effective father-in-law's presence before arrival. Nathaniel returned the favour with a curt nod, before going on to more pressing matters.

	“Admiral, the shuttle I am currently aboard will be in docking range with the Leviathan in about forty eight hours. Upon arrival I and the rest of the crew are to be coming aboard, where I shall be directed to one of your conference rooms. I expect you and my daughters to be there.” Sanjuro chewed over this statement for a moment.

	“I will do what I can...” Sanjuro commented, his thoughts on Kathryn’s current position in the medical bay. Hopefully she would be discharged in time. 

	“You do that Admiral. While I admit that in many ways I am in no position to be giving you orders, I will not see my mission being compromised for any reason.”

	“I am sure that I would be more sure of that mission myself if I were to be made aware of the circumstances behind it” Sanjuro responded, somewhat surprised by the determined commanding intent in his voice.

	“I am sure you would, but unfortunately circumstances force me to remain silent on that point for the time being” Nathaniel replied, his face softening somewhat, much to Sanjuro’s relief.

	“Can I at least finally tell Kura and Kathryn that you are coming at least?” Sanjuro asked. Nathaniel seemed to be uneasy about the comment.

	“For the moment I would prefer it if they too were still left in the dark” he answered quietly.

	“Well, I guess they will find out soon enough...” Sanjuro responded in a low tone. “I guess I will be seeing you later then?”

	“Indeed you will” Nathaniel replied. “Good luck and godspeed Admiral.” Sanjuro nodded, as the screen returned to its standard black composure. He leaned back in his chair, thinking over his conversation. Why would the old man not tell him what was really going on? Indeed, what mission would involve having Kura and Kathryn left in the dark for so long and yet would require their immediate presence upon his arrival? Come to think of it, why was their presence needed at all? It did not strike him as odd at the time, probably a lasting remnant of being used to following almost everything that his former commanding officer told him. But after deeper thought, there really seemed to be no reason at all for Kura and Kathryn to be picked out exclusively like this; other than the fact that they were his daughters of course, but in an operational matter that should be of no consequence. So why did they seem to be so incontrovertibly involved in the whole matter?

	He eventually decided that these questions were best left for another day, and got up and proceeded to his bedroom. As the door unlocked and slid open, Kura was revealed leaning in the doorway wearing only a bathrobe.

	“And a good morning to you too” she commented, still wearing that same infectious smile.

	“Sorry, I did not mean to wake you...” Sanjuro replied before being cut off by Kura, who reached out an arm to him.

	“Who were you talking to?” she asked playfully, her finger now moving distractingly down his chest. Sanjuro grinned despite of himself.

	“Nobody important” he said awkwardly. Kura chuckled.

	“And what does that mean?” she persisted. Sanjuro tried his best to divert his eyes from her's, and blushed to the floor. Kura stared at him curiously as he continued to look away. “I guess it doesn't matter” she answered herself, deciding it was best to leave it alone for now. She was still in too good of a mood to ruin one for somebody else. “At any rate...” she continued, “why don’t you and I go out and get some breakfast?” Sanjuro smirked.

	“Not dressed like that I hope” he commented dryly. Kura smiled back.

	“Now that would attract quite a few pairs of eyes...” she laughed. “And for the moment, I am quite happy to simply do with yours.” She gave him a playful kiss on the cheek.

	“I will just keep on staring then” Sanjuro replied. Kura shook her head and grinned.

	“Only if I can not give you something better to focus on” she whispered, before planting what she hoped was the biggest kiss of his life. The effect may have been slightly less diminished if it were not for the fact that she always tried to give people the biggest kisses of their lives. Somehow Sanjuro did not seem to mind; Kura was now certainly in a better mood.

	“And after we have finished eating...” she whispered in his ear, “and since I have some free time before I have to report back to duty...”

	“Yes?” Sanjuro whispered back, the back of his mind wondering worryingly about how much this woman wanted from him.

	“After we have finished eating why don’t we go and see how Kathryn is doing together?” she finished. Sanjuro’s smile broadened.

	“Thank you” he replied simply, because no other words could do it more justice.

	“I do try and listen when I can you know” she responded. “Now, I will go and see if I can find myself a clean uniform.” Sanjuro watched as she retreated back to the bedroom and continued to smile to himself. He seemed to have finally done something right for a change.


	A figure walked aimlessly through the somehow quiet halls, not knowing where she was going or even if she was going anywhere in the first place. Although the klaxons had at last gone silent, the cacophony in her mind had not lessened. Somehow the silence of the outside world only seemed to heighten it, the scream of thoughts and dread that held her mind hostage in its foul grip. The figure reached out for the door release, although she was not truly aware that she was doing it, and entered, out of ingrained habit more than conscious thought. Habit and instinct seemed to be all she had left now. Thinking seemed unbearable.

	Reaching out for anything, she grabbed hold of something tall and held it tightly, almost fearing the force that had somehow managed to hold her upright until now would suddenly fail on her. Sanjuro cradled her awkwardly, as Kathryn began crying into his shoulder. Had she been in a different frame of mind, she probably would of enjoyed it; but now it did not seem to matter. She was dead, and there was nothing that she could have done about it. And the only one that could, would not.

	“I’m sorry” Sanjuro commented softly, feeling somehow out of his depth. An equally uncomfortable Toshiro hovered behind them, his mind processing but somehow unable to come up with something helpful for the situation. “I really am sorry” Sanjuro added, hoping emphasis would somehow help matters. Kathryn just wept louder, as being reminded of her problems only made her feel even worse.

	“If only...” she sniffled sadly. “If only there was something I could have done.” Sanjuro glanced over at Toshiro, tenuously glad she was at least talking now. But for one of the few times in Sanjuro’s life, Toshiro was unable to give him the advice he needed. So he just cradled her, swaying from side to side comfortingly.

	“You did all you could” he offered reassuringly. Kathryn extracted her face from his shoulder and stared at him curiously. Sanjuro was not sure if she was going to scream at him or tear up again.

	“Then how come she is still dead then?” she replied, her eyes piercing him harshly. Sanjuro looked away, unable to hold her cold hard stare.

	“There was nothing you could have done” Toshiro interjected cautiously. “You can not blame yourself.” Kathryn turned her head sharply to look over at him, taking some of the heat off of Sanjuro for a moment.

	“Can’t I really?” she said, her voice eerily calm. Then she laughed, if the almost demented sound that came from her mouth could be called laughter. “That does not seem to be stopping me now does it?” she cackled. Her composure finally failed, and she was suddenly on her knees again and balling. Sanjuro knelled down beside her.

	“It is not your fault” he commented reassuringly. Kathryn just stared down at her hands, now the only thing keeping her face from hitting the carpet.

	“If I could have made him listen...” she muttered. “Maybe... maybe...” Her voice trailed off into eternity. Sanjuro bit his lip. Toshiro stared down at them both, his mind still whirring, trying to think of something useful to say or something productive to do. For once his mind seemed to be failing him.

	“We tried to... but he would not.... he could not...” she continued to ramble, her voice seeming unsure of itself. It came in protracted gasps, never seeming to be able to stabilize into coherent speech. “Maybe he was just as helpless as we were.”

	“He would have been dead too if he went after her” Toshiro allowed himself to comment. “And you would have lost them both.” Kathryn wheezed, choking on a fresh burst of tears. Toshiro shuffled uncomfortably. Somehow everything he said was only seeming to make matters worse.

	“You can’t blame yourself” Sanjuro interjected again quietly, seating himself down beside her on the carpet.

	“Who are you to tell me how to feel sorry for myself?” she snapped, still coughing. Sanjuro was taken aback by this comment.

	“I lost both of my parents, you know” he replied curtly. “I think I know of what I speak.” Kathryn looked over at the both of them, before hanging her head again.

	“I'm sorry” she said in a whisper. “I am sorry for everything.” Sanjuro sighed. This was not quite the reaction he was going for. He placed his arm around her and held her for a moment, unsure of anything else he could do. Kathryn somehow managed to smile, however weakly. Toshiro and Sanjuro smiled nervously back.

	“You're right of course” she mumbled. “There was nothing I could have done.” With this realization finally managing to reach her grieving brain, she started to feel better. Not better about her mother's death, she never truly would, but at least she felt somewhat better about herself. With this release also came a dreaded realization, however.

	“Father...” she thought out loud. “Poor father... the things Kura said...” Sanjuro and Toshiro looked at her gravely. “Oh god, the things she said... the things I let her say...” she moaned. A thought struck Sanjuro, and as he looked up he could see that Toshiro was thinking the exact same thing.

	“Where is Kura?” Toshiro asked. Kathryn, who seemed to have a fresh set of tears on the way, simply shook her head. Sanjuro looked over at him urgently. She could be doing anything right now.

	“I better find her” he commented, before getting up and running out of the room. Kathryn stared blankly at the spot where he had been sitting, her mind still slow at processing information. She suddenly felt cold and alone. Toshiro walked up and sat down beside her, the most comforting thing he felt capable of doing. Kathryn looked at him, and as she would be doing for several weeks to come, let herself cry again.

	She heard a familiar voice calling her, although she was not sure who it was from. It seemed unearthly, almost as if it was coming from inside her head. She looked over at Toshiro, who not only seemed not to hear the voice but did not even acknowledge that he was being stared at. “Kathryn” it called almost hollowly. “Kathryn...” With each voicing, her side somehow seemed to shake, almost as if some invisible force was pulling or tugging on her arm. She decided that she only had one option. She tried to open her eyes...

	“You alright?” Cara asked, as she pulled her arm back. Kathryn blinked, her eyes slowly becoming accustomed to the light.

	“What?” she responded, squinting as her eyes surveyed the room.

	“You were muttering in your sleep” Cara answered. “I assumed you were having a bad dream.”

	“It was not exactly pleasant” Kathryn admitted. Cara looked her over questioningly.

	“You do not seem too bothered by it” she observed. Kathryn smiled.

	“I do not see why I should be really” she replied wryly. “It happens often enough.” Noticing that she was awake, a doctor approached to check on her.

	“I do not like this fever” the doctor commented, her palm pressed flat against Kathryn’s forehead. “How are you feeling?”

	“Surprisingly not that bad” Kathryn answered. “Actually, I feel better than I did last night.” The doctor considered this for a moment dubiously.

	“Well, you are not leaving until we get this fever down” she stated finally. Kathryn's ears perked up simply at the mention of the word.

	“Leaving?” she asked quickly. The doctor frowned.

	“There seems to be very little point in keeping you under observation much longer” she replied flatly. “Assuming that fever goes down, it is likely that you could be released by this time tomorrow.”

	“What about me?” Cara interjected. The doctor allowed herself a slight exasperated sigh. This was not the first time Cara had asked that particular question.

	“You will be allowed to leave when we tell you to leave” she responded gruffly, before returning back to her paperwork. Cara shifted restlessly.

	“I am not going to get out of here after you do” she whispered in Kathryn’s direction. Kathryn just shot her back a well practised eye roll. She had done the same because of Kura many times before. They really were a lot alike.

	
	That same Kura was at that very moment eating at a rapid but still somewhat civilized pace. This was not exactly unusual for her; why should someone take their time to do a task which would not be hampered by completing it just that much faster? This was the philosophy that she applied to most of the things in her life, from her work to her approach in the bedroom. Not that she did not have an understanding of pacing; when the situation required it she could be slow and careful, and at this moment she had a good reason for not wanting her meal to take too much time.

	“When does your shift start exactly?” Sanjuro asked, prodding the remnants of his porridge with a spoon.

	“Not for another hour or so” she replied between laboured chewing. “We should have enough time.” Sanjuro simply nodded before returning to what was left of his watery mush.

	After awhile, Kura put her fork down, before then, now finished with her mastication, pushing herself out of her chair. Sanjuro moved to follow her, dropping his spoon rather nosily into his empty bowl.  Kura grabbed his hand fondly as the two of them started wandering through the ship's various winding blue tinted corridors on their way to the medical bay. This relatively peaceful scene was disturbed by the sudden arrival of a disembodied voice from somewhere on Kura’s person.

	“You there Commander?” it asked loudly. Kura sighed, shooting Sanjuro a look which somehow managed to break through the agitation to showcase her best facial qualities. She actually looked her best annoyed.

	“What is it Lieutenant?” she asked flatly.

	“I would not have bothered you with this until your shift started, but you wanted us to inform you if we had to deal with Schultz” the voice responded. Kura shot Sanjuro an odd exasperated smile.

	“What is he up to now?” she inquired, now interested.

	“We caught him selling questionable goods in the mess hall again” the voice answered dourly. “We warned him of of course, but knowing Schultz it will probably be for naught.” Kura bobbed her head in acquiescence.

	“Alright, thank you Lieutenant” she replied, switching her communicator to mute.

	“What does selling ‘questionable goods’ mean?” Sanjuro asked curiously. 

	“Usually crap that has not been quarantined or otherwise been authorized for human use or consumption” Kura responded, practically quoting her Security Enforcement manual, with the exception of the swearing. “Nothing overtly illegal in of itself, though still not fit to be sold.”

	“Meaning that there is very little you can do about him” Sanjuro commented dryly. Kura nodded.

	“Unless we can actually show him to have caused actual harm to someone we can not detain him” she continued. “So basically, we are just waiting for the first body to hit the floor.” Sanjuro considered this rather macabre notion for a moment. This was one of the reasons why he had never volunteered to spend some time as security; in combat you never had to consider these kinds of situations. With that thought, Sanjuro and Kura finally made their way to the medical bay. Kathryn lay in bed, sitting up and talking calmly with Cara. Noticing their arrival, she smiled towards them warmly.

	“Good morning” she commented amiably, as the two moved towards her bed. Kura and Kathryn looked over each other thoughtfully, both of their thoughts focusing on their conversations of the previous evening.

	“Managed to pull yourself away from the squad for a little then?” Cara observed, not wanting to be ignored.

	“Yeah, though they had to deal with Schultz again” Kura replied, before reminding herself that she should keep focusing on Kathryn.

	“So how are you feeling?” Kura asked, suddenly realizing that the this was the first time she had asked her that question since she had fallen ill.

	“Much better” Kathryn answered pleasantly, glad to have been finally asked. “They are even considering letting me out of here tomorrow.”

	“Yeah, but they still do not know what is wrong with her” Cara commented, answering Sanjuro’s question before he even had a chance to pose it.

	“Then how do they know you are alright?” he inquired, still wishing for more information. Kathryn simply shrugged.

	“I feel fine” she elaborated cheerily. “I guess they thought that, if I am going to be acting healthy, I might as well be acting healthy in my quarters instead of in here.”

	“Which is more than they are doing for me” Cara managed to interject bitterly.

	“That is because they know you better” Kura spat back. “Besides, it is just a torn ligament and a little sprain. You should be out of here soon anyway.” Cara did not seem convinced.

	“Much as I enjoy your company...” Kathryn commented. “Shouldn't the all important Admiral be making his way to the bridge?” Sanjuro followed her gaze to the wall clock and sighed gloomily.

	“You are right, unfortunately” he replied. He gave Kathryn a quick kiss on the forehead, before beginning his journey to the seat of command. Kura also looked at the clock; she still had half an hour left before her shift started. It was not often her schedule was lighter than Sanjuro’s. An awkward silence passed as the the two sisters continued to stare at each other contemplatively, still unsure how to act around each other. After a few moments, Kura decided she had had enough and started heading towards the door.

	“Kura?” Kathryn asked suddenly. Kura spun on her heels to face her.

	“I was wondering...” Kathryn began. “When I get out of here, how would you like it if the two of us spent an evening together, just the two of us?” Kura smiled sightly, glad that the question had finally been aired.

	“Sure, why not?” she replied lightly, before turning back again to face the door. Kathryn was vaguely aware of Cara smiling at her knowingly as the door behind Kura slid closed behind her.


	Much as he detested the increasingly onerous stretches of time he was being forced to endure  swivelling around in his command chair, it at least gave Sanjuro plenty of time to think. He never was a great thinker, and would fully confess that he had gone into many situations in the past without the careful preparation and planning that he would later be forced to admit that he should have. In recent times, this dud seem to be changing however, and as time went on he was slowly losing much of the impulsiveness which had previously defined his turbulent character. This could partially be blamed on past circumstance; the loss of Kura, Toshiro, and Baku and then their sudden return back into his life had forced his mind to fight in order to overcome his own personnel demons and to reconcile personal crises in a manner which sheer action or force of will alone could not solve.

	Of course, on a less profound level, there was also the fact that there was not much else to do when you were effectively tied down to a chair for hours on end. So Sanjuro had learned how to think, and at that particular moment was taking the time to consider his video communication of the previous morning. The situation was already strange enough as it was, and he still had no real explanation as to the secrecy of it all, even going so far as to extend to Kura and Kathryn. Actually, it seemed to especially involve Kura and Kathryn, as for some reason Nathaniel absolutely did not want them to know that he was coming on-board. Sanjuro could not think of any reason why he would want his own daughters not to be involved in whatever he was planning, or why he would not want them to be aware of his impending arrival. The only options that Sanjuro could think of was either he was sheltering himself from them or that he was sheltering them from himself, but Sanjuro could not think of any reasons why. What would he want to be protecting?

	An almost insignificant but still somehow piercing noise jostled him away from his thoughts. Acknowledging the persistent squeal of the reminder, he got out of his chair and handed control of the bridge to a more than willing Commander, who had probably been hoping to be bestowed the honour for weeks. Strange that he sought it so much when Sanjuro himself found it so enjoyable to leave it. As he once again proceeded through the ship’s many winding corridors, he followed the now familiar path to the communications centre; now finished thinking about his previous video discussion, he had had decided to embark upon another. Upon reaching his destination, he sat himself down in his chair and called up the commands that would begin the communication link to Cronus. After processing his commands, a familiar face appeared on the view-screen, but it was still not the face that Sanjuro was expecting.

	“Good afternoon Baku” Sanjuro said surprised. “What happened to Toshiro?”

	“He is currently unavailable due to personal matters” Baku replied formally. “So I was sent to talk with you instead.”

	“Personal matters?” Sanjuro asked. Baku bobbed his head in confirmation.

	“So I understand” he added politely. An awkward silence passed, as both tried to get used to each others company again.

	“So how are you then?” Sanjuro inquired eventually. “I guess the last time I saw you was when I attended the Admiral’s Ball.”

	“I am doing alright” Baku answered. “My work here is keeping me busy.”

	“And Cara” Sanjuro added. Baku blushed slightly, still somewhat uncomfortable discussing such intimate affairs, even with such an old friend.

	“I guess you could say that” he responded quietly. “She has been trying to organize a trip to see me, as a matter of fact.”

	“Well, she will not be going anywhere for the moment at least” Sanjuro commented. Baku once again nodded, seeming almost sagely.

	“Yes, I am aware you have some sort of mission going on” Baku replied, quite enjoying his insider knowledge. Sanjuro, who had not forgotten his previous discussion with Toshiro, was going to relish sticking a pin in that of course.

	“I was referring more to the fact that she is currently stuck in the medical bay” he commented casually, as if he were looking up at the clouds and voicing that it might just rain.

	“What?” Baku blurted out quickly. “Is she alright?” Sanjuro waved a hand nonchalantly at the screen.

	“She is fine, she just hurt herself during training” he explained calmly. “She is keeping Kathryn company.” Baku tried his best to regain his composure. 

	“Well, send her my regards” he stated finally, Sanjuro having to suppress a smirk at how oddly distant that sounded from her noted lover. “And extend that to Kathryn as well.” Sanjuro squinted as he noticed something moving behind Baku as a new figure appeared on the screen. As Baku turned to see who it was, she finally revealed herself to the camera. Sanjuro recognized her as Samantha Sternberg, Toshiro’s bodyguard and, at the moment, his girlfriend. Sanjuro had unfortunately  engaged in several antagonistic encounters with her during his final tumultuous mission on Cronus and while all of this was now forgiven, it did cause a certain amount of drama when they were first introduced to each other again in their new social roles. Despite her downright rude demeanour during combat, Samantha was actually rather sweet and even somewhat shy in person. The fanaticism of the Fallen showing itself.

	“Sorry to disturb you Baku, but Toshiro would like to have a word” she stated, her eyes flitting between him and the view-screen displaying Sanjuro’s image. Baku nodded, and after saying his final goodbyes to Sanjuro, obediently left the room.

	“Is there something going on which I should know about?” Sanjuro asked, somewhat lightheartedly. Samantha studied his face for a moment and shook her head.

	“Not at the moment” she replied cautiously, before she herself said her goodbyes and left the room. Sanjuro killed the link and his screen once again faded back to black. He leaned back in his chair, staring up at the multiple panels that made up the office's roof, allowing himself a moment to think things over again. It seemed everyone had some kind of conspiracy going on except for him.  Sanjuro sighed and pulled himself out of his chair, grudgingly making his way back to the bridge and boredom once again. 


	Kathryn laid with her eyes closed, barely breathing, her mind thoughtless and blank. Or at least, that was the model that she was attempting to emulate. The previous day seemed an agony of drawn out torture, with her now healthy body feeling restless and trapped as if it were a caged and shackled animal; and she still had one more night to get through until being discharged. She was now fairly sure that she was going to be lying in her own bed by this time tomorrow, as her fever had come down almost as quickly as it had gone up the previous morning. There really did not to seem to be any real reason why they would need to keep her under observation for much longer.

	So in the meantime she just laid there, trying her best to attempt a near meditative state in the hopes that this could lure her body into the sleep that it currently seemed to feel was an insult to its good workings. Unfortunately for her she was still an Akkaraju, and that meant that she could not consider the prospect of lethargic resting that easily, no matter how much she wanted it to be morning. Actually, it was also because she so wanted it to be morning. The cause for her wanting the escape of sleep had in the end become the reason why she was finding it so exceedingly difficult to actually succumb to it. She had wrapped herself in a conflicting mental enigma with seemingly no means of escape. Realizing this, she decided to give it up for now and opened her eyes to world once again.

	“For a moment there I was wondering if you were dead” Cara commented jokingly. “Since you were breathing so sparsely...”

	“I was attempting to lure my mind into a truly passive state so that I could get some more sleep” Kathryn responded, sitting up in her bed.

	“And did it work?” Cara asked dubiously. Kathryn shook her head.

	“If it did I would not be talking to you, now would I?” she replied, her eyes casually swivelling to see the wall clock. It flashed back the numerals “22:18” back at her, indicating she still had quite a ways to go until her eventual liberation. 

	“Yeah, I can't sleep either” Cara commented. “Spending too much time wondering what Ensign McCormick is doing to the squad without me being there to correct him.”

	“Is that all you think of?” Kathryn inquired harshly. “Even when you are not working you still just sit there and concern yourself with work?” Cara shrugged.

	“For the most part I guess” she answered unperturbed. “Why, what do you think about?”

	 “Well, I think about Kura, and my father, and Sanjuro...” Kathryn thought for a moment. “I guess mostly about Sanjuro” she admitted quietly. Cara smiled.

	“See, I am not the only one with a one-track mind” she replied amused. Kathryn blushed slightly.

	“Well, you can not really say that you are in love with you work” she shot back weakly. Cara looked at her curiously.

	“Well, no, but it is still important to me” Cara responded. “And it is not the only thing I think about.”

	“I should hope you give Baku at least some of your thoughts” Kathryn stated captiously. Cara’s eyes narrowed.

	“I think that comment was unfair” she said slowly, finally taking some offence. Kathryn sighed and nodded, not intending to come off as overly critical.

	“Yes, you're right, I'm sorry” she apologized. “I am just restless and tired of being stuck in bed.”

	“Now that is something I think we can both agree on” Cara stated more charitably. Kathryn smiled slightly and proceeded to stare up at the ceiling, now less unfamiliar but still all the more disheartening. It had become the symbol of her banishment here.

	“I sometimes wonder what exactly it is you see in Baku” she thought aloud, allowing her mind to wander. “He does not, at least at first glance, seem to be your type.” Cara considered this thought for a moment.

	“I don’t know really” she answered eventually. “I guess I like the fact he asks so little from me. He is perfectly fine with me pursuing what I want to pursue, even if it means we end up light-years away from each other. He is just happy that he does have someone he can meet and talk to when we can finally see each other.”

	“That makes a certain amount of sense I guess” Kathryn commented ruminatively. “Baku always was fairly accepting.” She thought back to their days at the Academy, where he would often just sit in the corner of the room and watch, sometimes with Toshiro, as everyone else was having fun except for him. No one would have minded if he had actually decided to make the effort to try and join in, but he never did like to impose and instead opted to take it in from the sidelines. Even though they would have always willingly accepted him, he never like to impose. He had to, if anything, be forced to be their friend. Kathryn suspected that Cara must have been the one to force his hand with regards to their relationship as well.

	“As to what he sees in me...” Cara added cheekily, “I have absolutely no idea.” A thought suddenly struck the young ensign. “You have known him a lot longer than I have” she stated intrigued, “maybe you would know why?” Kathryn bit her lip. She did in fact have more than a few ideas why Baku would be attracted to her. Not that she wanted Cara to know any of them.

	“Well, I don't know really” she replied awkwardly. “I guess he was just happy to have found someone that would take time out for him, especially someone like you.” Cara seemed to stare right through her, as if she knew that Kathryn was thinking more than what she was saying.

	“Take time out for him?” she asked somewhat perplexed.

	“Well, he has always had trouble impressing himself onto other people” Kathryn elaborated, thinking quickly. “I mean, the only reason he hung around with us back at the Academy was because Sanjuro would protect him from bullies. So he has always been a little insecure. To meet someone who would actually appreciate him for that would seem fairly special I guess.”

	“I guess I can see your point” Cara responded, thinking over what she had said. Kathryn breathed a slight sigh of relief. In actuality, she had a completely different theory as to what Baku saw in Cara. He always seemed to have had a crush on Kura; everyone but Kura herself seemed to know this, but for obvious reasons this was never to be. So when he finally did meet Cara, a person who in most respects could of acted as Kura’s double, it seemed as though he had managed to simply transfer his feelings over to her. Kathryn sometimes worried that Baku had never truly learned how to love Cara for herself, and that it was all just his own fantasy fulfillment, although she never wanted Cara to be aware of this fact either.

	“You have gone quiet” Cara commented, breaking Kathryn’s thoughts.

	“Sorry, you just got me thinking again” Kathryn answered wearily. 

	“About Sanjuro, no doubt?” Cara grinned. Kathryn gave her a foul look.

	“You know, that does not make people want to confide in you” she stated coolly. Cara rolled her eyes, continuing her majority pattern of just rolling with anyone's punches.

	“Whatever, we have already established that you're the one with privacy issues” she replied levelly. “Still, since we were already on that topic, what is it that you see in him anyway?”

	“What, Sanjuro? Kathryn asked. Cara smiled again. 

	“Well, I was not suggesting you were seeing anyone else, was I?” she teased. Kathryn gave her another nasty look.

	“You know, I think you need a time out” she stated irritably. Cara’s grin grew even wider.

	“Okay, okay, I promise I will act grownup now” she said, putting on her best innocent face, which was only slightly detracted by the fact she could still not contain her gleaming grin. Kathryn could not help herself and started to grin right back.

	“Ha, got you to smile” Cara declared triumphantly.

	“Oh, shut up” Kathryn replied, her patience wearing thin of Cara's shenanigans. 

	“You know, you never did answer my question” Cara reminded her. Kathryn exhaled loudly.

	“It all relates to a quite long and complicated story” she warned, getting it all straight in her head again.

	“I don’t care, we got all night” Cara replied, resting her chin in her hand, setting herself up for the tale. Kathryn bit her lip again; she was still not used to bearing her soul. But she somehow felt comfortable with telling it to Cara, even though she had no idea as to the reason why. Kathryn took a deep breath and started telling her story.


	Kura blinked. As she had registered light, she kept her eyelids open. She had basically programmed herself to get up as soon as she knew that there was daylight, or at least the ship's approximation of daylight. That way no matter how late she had stayed up the night before, or for that matter how much she had consumed the night before, she would never sleep in and risk being late for her shift. Sanjuro, on the other hand, had no such training and still had his head buried deep into his pillow. As she had done so many times before, she quietly slipped out from under the covers and got herself dressed. Having completed this task, she stood by the foot of the bed, looking down at its dozing occupant, thinking of the best way to rouse it to action.

	She tiptoed over to where Sanjuro lay, careful not to make a sound. Extending an arm, she left it hovering over his chest for a few moments, before she slowly placed her fingers around his shoulders. He stirred for a moment, and she froze. Once she had managed to convince herself again that he was still asleep, she started to gently shake his shoulder blades.

	“Not today, you don’t!” Sanjuro exclaimed, grabbing Kura and throwing her face first on the other side of the bed. She quickly turned over, and proceeded to give him the dirtiest of looks.

	“You're awake?!” she asked irritably.

	“You think I would sleep in this morning?” Sanjuro answered grinning.

	“Then why did you not get up?” Kura loudly demanded. Despite his affections, he still manged to quite enjoy the look of hatred on his girlfriend's face.

	“You force me up almost every morning, and I saw an opportunity” he answered simply. Kura pushed him on the shoulder, and he fell back onto the bed. Sanjuro laughed.

	“Aren't we charitable this morning?” he commented dryly.

	“You keep those comments to yourself or I will make you take Kathryn’s place in the medical bay” Kura warned gravely. Sanjuro rolled his eyes.

	“What, and have to be separated from you for a time as well?” he replied, in what he hoped was an endearing tone. Kura smiled, despite of herself.

	“Go on, get up and get yourself dressed” she ordered, chucking his uniform at him. Sanjuro quickly did as she requested, as Kura left the room. He met up with her in the hall outside.

	“Shall we see if we can have Kathryn join us for breakfast?” he asked pleasantly.

	“If all goes well” Kura replied, as they turned and started walking in the direction of the medical bay. With familiarity comes speed, and it took them very little time before they were walking through the bay’s sliding doors. Kathryn was lying on her back in her bed, her head pointing towards the ceiling, her eyes closed, breathing softly. Sanjuro and Kura walked up to her cautiously.

	“Should we get her up?” Sanjuro whispered. Kura gave him an incredulous look.

	“Oh, so it is okay to jolt people up now?” she shot back, her voice remaining low while at the same time forceful, a task only Kura seemed to be able to fully master. Sanjuro, however, simply brushed it off. He slowly leaned forward until his nose was mere millimetres away from his dozing darling's. Kathryn twitched sightly, her body noticing movement even if her mind was not yet in a fit state to register it. Sanjuro jolted his neck upwards, and then gently pressed his lips against her forehead. By this time, enough data had been collected that her body had instructed her mind to start booting up.

	“Good morning Sanjuro” she commented, her mind already made up as to who’s head was floating so near to her own. She opened her eyes and smiled up at him.

	“How are you feeling?” he asked, grabbing hold of one of her hands. Kathryn yawned.

	“I did not get much sleep last night” she admitted. “But other than that, I think I am okay.”

	“So would you be interested in joining us for breakfast then?” Kura interjected, stepping forward. Kathryn turned her smiled over towards her.

	“As long as the doctors are fine with it” she replied, managing to bury her eagerness for a moment. As if on cue, the current doctor on duty stepped away from her desk and started walking towards them. She held a clipboard in her hand. 

	“Alright, you are free to go Lieutenant Commander” she declared as she moved beside them. “We think we now know what was afflicting you.”

	“May we know what it is then?” Sanjuro asked, his interest piqued. The doctor looked down to check her clipboard.

	“We now think that at some point she must have ingested trace elements of a mineral compound     that, as far as we know, is only found on Cronus. It is commonly found as an airborne particulate, which is part of what makes prolonged exposure to non-purified Cronian air so dangerous. Little is known about the substance, although it seems to be related to kato in some ways.”

	“If it is only found on Cronus, how did she get exposed to it?” Kura asked. “We have not even been near there in months.”

	“Well, anything that is stored outside the city walls of places like Maritropa or Constantine can easily become contaminated with it, so it is not uncommon for smuggled or other illegal goods to contain certain amounts of the substance” the doctor explained. “At some point she must have come in contact, potentially unknowingly, with such a substance.”

	“But if I was poisoned, why did it only manifest itself as headaches and fatigue?” Kathryn inquired. “Why did I not experience stomach or even liver complaints?”

	“It is simply a matter of how the body reacts to the compound” the doctor elaborated. “In layman's terms, when ingested, the body actually tries to break it down and use it as it would if it were dealing with things such as proteins or vitamins. As it does not affect the digestive tract, your body is unaware it has been poisoned, and so none of the body's natural precautions are taken. It acts almost as if it were a Trojan Horse, sneaking through enemy lines and then catching them unawares.”

	“So how badly could this affect someone?” Sanjuro asked, concerned.

	“Do not worry Admiral, she was actually fairly lucky and only came into contact with a very small amount of the compound. This is the reason why we were not able to identify it earlier, before we tried to do some finer blood work, as at this level it only produces symptoms which could have potentially been related to a wide variety of ailments. In cases of large contamination, the compound will eventually cause parts of the brain to simply shut down, instead of simply hindering them as it did in the case of the Lieutenant Commander.”

	“So if it had been just a little bit more it would have killed me?” Kathryn commented flatly.

	“Well, yes” the doctor replied awkwardly. She had not intended her enthusiastic delivery to affect her patient in this way. “As I said, you were fairly lucky and you should no longer feel any ill effects, and there should be no long term damage.”

	“So she can just get up and leave now then?” Sanjuro inquired hopefully.

	“I can not see any reason why not” the doctor replied, the closest she could get to satisfied.

	“What about me then?” a voice called out. Cara had awakened and was sitting upright in her bed. The doctor, however, did not even need to look to know who it was.

	“Alright, I suppose you can go” she acquiesced finally. “I guess there is not too much harm you can do to yourself now...” The doctor was evidently more than happy to do without this current patient. With the two of them gone, they might have some peace around here again. Cara grinned.

	“Don't worry, I will behave” she replied enthusiastically.

	“Not likely” Kura muttered under her breath, causing Cara to give her a dirty look. The doctor sighed and retreated back to her desk. 

	“Want a hand up?” Sanjuro inquired in Kathryn’s direction. She smiled back, and with Sanjuro’s help pulled herself up out of her bed and back on her feet. It felt to her as if she were a bird being let free of its cage.

	“It will be nice to see you beside me at breakfast again” Sanjuro commented. Kathryn nodded, but seemed kind of dismissive.

	“Somehow I have trouble stomaching food right now” she responded, her thoughts still lingering on their previous conversation.

	“Well, I would be more than happy to eat what you can’t finish” Cara interjected brightly. “That is, if I may join you three for breakfast of course.”

	“I guess I can stand your company for a little while longer” Kathryn retorted. Cara rolled her eyes, as the four of them together made their way through the medical bay doorway and back into their lives as normal, at least for now. Kathryn gave one last contented look back as the large doors swooshed closed behind her.


	Sanjuro once again sat in his swivel chair on the bridge with his head placed restlessly in his hand, elbow pressed against the armrest, his wrists beginning to scream from the pressure. And yet somehow this did not motivate him to shift position; at least discomfort was able to occupy some of his mind for a period. Still, even though it did seem to compound the sense of empty boredom he was facing, the events of the previous morning had managed to lighten his mood somewhat. He finally shifted his arm, which immediately numbed slightly in an apparent display of gratitude, and began to sway gently from side to side, like a captive tiger slowly prowling in its cage.

	His eyes idly scanned the room around him, filled with monitor readouts and people intently studying console displays. Sanjuro wondered how much of what they were reading really deserved that much attention, although it did strike him that many of the people around him were probably just acting focused to try and impress him. And yet here he was studying them like a birdwatcher observing a sparrow desperately catching insects on his front lawn. With that thought in mind, he quickly spun around to face the officer who was closest behind him, who jolted in surprise.

	“Sir?” she exclaimed, startled.

	“What do you think I am doing right now?” Sanjuro asked, his stare hitting her point blank in the face. She thought for a moment, visibly uncomfortable.

	“I would assume that you would be planning and thinking over the operation of this vessel” she stated, surprisingly calmly. Sanjuro was impressed by her regained composure.

	“Not really, at least, not at the moment” he replied dismissively. “What else do you think I was doing?”

	“Well, then you would be trying to be in a state of readiness in case your input is called for” she offered questioningly. Sanjuro simply shook his head.

	“We should all be in a state of readiness when on duty Lieutenant” he explained. “I do not see why I need to sit in a special chair to be doing so.”

	“Alright, what is it you are doing right now then?” she inquired finally, somewhat flustered.

	“Absolutely nothing” Sanjuro answered, matter-of-fact.

	“Then, if I may ask, what was the purpose of your question?” the Lieutenant shot back, agitation clearly audible in her tone. Sanjuro was pleased.

	“Because I wanted an answer to that question myself” he responded, before swivelling his chair around to face the view-screen once again. The officer's face twitched, and continued to stare at the back of his chair. Sanjuro slowly took in a breath and placed his head back into his hand.

	“I guess...” the officer stated quietly, breaking the silence. Sanjuro tardily span around, pointing his gaze back at her.

	“Yes, Lieutenant?” he probed. She gritted her teeth and tried again.

	“I guess it does not really matter what you do now. That is not really important. It is what you will do and what you have done that really counts.” Sanjuro paused for a moment before speaking.

	“In what way?” he asked finally. Encouraged, the Lieutenant began to elaborate more clearly.

	“Well, you got where you are today based almost entirely on your actions and decisions in active duty. And after you assumed command, you have shown that you are quite capable of making right decision when it counts. So...”

	“Yes?” Sanjuro prompted again, now increasingly intrigued.

	“So... in the end we really can not expect much from you right now. As long as when you are needed you do the right thing, and in the past you always have, you have fulfilled your purpose. And we all respect you for it.”

	Just as she had finished, the clock chimed to signify the the start of a new hour of freedom for Sanjuro. He pushed himself out of his chair and got on his feet. Upon doing so, everyone else in the bridge stepped up, and in surprising unison began to give him a standing ovation. Sanjuro stood flabbergasted as the entire room clapped his praises, led by the Lieutenant, who smiled up at him. He did not know if this was a group display of sycophancy or loyalty, but he would take it all the same.

	“The bridge is yours” Sanjuro commented quietly as he passed the Lieutenant on his way to the door. Once he had left the room, she finally allowed herself a grin. Whether it was for her sycophancy or her loyalty, she had gotten what she wanted all the same.


	As Sanjuro approached the way into his quarters, he stopped and studied the door for a moment, and decided he was going to savour this moment. Too often before had he lost what he held sacred in life, and although he had more than his fair share of luck in recovering the mental anchors that kept his consciousness grounded, he was always too preoccupied and hurried to truly enjoy those moments at the time. He would not let it be so this time, and even though it was but a small victory, he was intent to fully realize and appreciate just how good life could sometimes be. He finally closed his eyes, slowly lifted his arm, pressed his palm against the door panel, and stepped inside.

	Kathryn was visible in the kitchen with her back to him, just where Sanjuro expected her to be, her mind preoccupied with the meal she was busily preparing. Sanjuro smiled at the sight of her, and slowly started to walk in her direction. If she had registered his presence, she made no attempt to try and express it. “This is a sight for sore eyes” he stated, peering over her shoulder. She quickly turned her head in his direction, the slightest of acknowledgements, before quickly turning back to the task at hand.

	“Me standing or the sight of a woman preparing you food?” she allowed herself to comment wryly, though her expression showed no sign of levity.

	“Well, I can not argue with either” Sanjuro acknowledged in response. Kathryn turned one eye wearily towards him, and then quickly called it back into service. Once again, Sanjuro realized, something was not quite right with her. “What's wrong?” he sighed, allowing himself some display of irritability. Although a certain amount of this was expected from her, at the moment it did seem a little out of place. But in the end, he loved her for it. Somehow facing her problems helped him come to terms with his own. Kathryn let out a deep breath before turning to face him.

	“You're right, I'm sorry” she said quietly. “I know, I should be pleased right now... I mean, I was pleased...” She stopped mid-statement, her mind suddenly failing to supply her with suitable words. She released a pained laugh, moved her gaze away from Sanjuro, her right hand playing absently with a strand of her long hair.

	“I'm listening” Sanjuro encouraged. Kathryn lifted her head and let out another odd laugh.

	“I don't know...” she replied lightly. “I guess I started to think things through too much again. I am my own worse enemy.”

	“What bothered you?” Sanjuro prompted further.

	“I guess it was hearing how close I could have been to dying” she elaborated. “I mean, the doctor said it would not have taken much of that stuff. It was luck more than anything that I did not get exposed to too much.”

	“You were worried about your own mortality?” Sanjuro inquired. Kathryn shook her head.

	“Not really, I mean, we all have to get accustomed to that. Especially when you get trained to be a soldier. I was not really worried about myself. It is just that, it kind of fed into some dreams I was having.” She paused for a moment to think over what she was saying. “This might sound odd” she warned, craning her neck awkwardly.

	“I'll hear you out” Sanjuro encouraged. Her eyes flicked back towards him, and then quickly moved away again.

	“Well, of course when you're ill you have odd and unsettling dreams. What was especially distressing about mine was the fact that they were all focused on the death of my mother. And it got me thinking about the fact that, even though we all have had our brushes with death, she seemed to be the only one to succumb. For some reason, luck failed her.”

	“So you were feeling a variation on survivor guilt?” Sanjuro postulated. Once again, Kathryn shook her head.

	“I do not think she would want me to be guilty about being here, I mean, I know she wouldn't.  It just got me thinking about it all over again. I hope this makes some kind of sense.”
 
	“Yes, it does” Sanjuro responded, “but I also do not think she would want you to be worrying about it either. And I agree with her. You've got too much life ahead of you to continue to carry the mistakes and misfortunes of the past.” Kathryn looked over him curiously.

	“And are you willing to drop them yourself as well?” she asked. Sanjuro was surprised by this answer. “Even if you do not express them as much, I know you still are just as troubled as I am.” Sanjuro did not know what to say.

	“Just as troubled?” he replied after a pause.

	“You still have your own share of nightmares and haunting memories. And I think that is the only human response to what has happened. You can not just bury it under a veneer of current experiences. That would be acting like you do not appreciate what happened.”

	“Then how do you suggest one handles what has happened?” Sanjuro inquired, still surprised by her sudden turn from patient to councillor. She stopped and thought for a moment.

	“I guess I already said it” she realized finally. “You have to appreciate and understand what happened. That is the only way to walk away from it. Only if you appreciate and understand your past can you approach your present and your future.” She took Sanjuro's hand and held it up to her chest. “Do we both understand?” she asked. Her eyes watched as Sanjuro stopped and thought, happy to see him taking her point seriously.

	“I guess in the end, I do” he decided. “I mean, we would not be taking these things as seriously if we did not fully appreciate them.” Kathryn nodded and for the first time since the start of their conversation started to smile.

	“You know, when I came into the room, I was thinking about how I never was able to fully savour certain things” Sanjuro thought out-loud. “I guess you can say I was upset that I never got the chance to fully appreciate them. And after all the concern and worry, I wanted to make seeing you back here different.”

	“I am sorry if I had gotten you down then” she commented quietly. Sanjuro smiled and shook his head.

	“No, actually, I think you helped. It was not quite what I intended, but maybe it was what I needed.” He stopped and scanned her face. She was still smiling back at him, and Sanjuro could not help but succumb from the warmth it generated. He looked away from her ever penetrating green eyes and allowed himself a deep grin.

	“What?” Kathryn asked amused. Sanjuro moved his gaze up again, quickly stepped forward, closed his eyes, and kissed her. Kathryn tensed reflexively, then loosened up and snaked her arms around his back and neck. Sanjuro blindly but tenderly moved his arm up her own back until he reached the top of her neck, where he stretched out his fingers and allowed them to comb through her thick reddish-brown hair. After several moments, he pulled his head back and opened his eyes to see her face. She had her eyes still closed, her lips still smiling but closed, looking almost as if she were asleep and was having a good dream. Sanjuro then saw her lips part and, as she opened her eyes to stare back up at him, release a strong laugh.

	“What's so funny?” Sanjuro asked, laughing himself even if he was yet to get the joke. She took a deep breath and and cleared her throat, letting the last of her mirth die down, before uttering a response.

	“I was just thinking about how much time your tongue spends in my mouth, or my tongue spends in your mouth” she answered cheekily. Sanjuro raised an eyebrow at this rather unusual comment.

	“Hmm.... still not enough time in mine...” she decided, grabbing Sanjuro to her, initiating a repeat performance. They stayed like that for quite awhile, becoming so immersed in what they were doing that they did not even realize that the door to their quarters had swung open and shut behind them. The new presence stopped and watched them for a moment before deciding it was time to make herself known.

	“Enjoying being out of bed again Kathryn?” it asked impishly. Kathryn peered over Sanjuro's shoulder and spied her crossly.

	“Oh, shut up or you will not get any lunch” she warned. Kura laughed and rolled her eyes, before walking into the kitchen to join them.


	All had gone to darkness once again, save for the dim red light glowing from under the doorway to the cell. The light from the fixture that hung above from the ceiling was conspicuously absent, as it had been for the past several months at this time of night. They simply did not have enough resources to keep the electricity flowing to everyone anymore. The whole place smelled of a creature on life support, not yet dead but still not far off it. Even the most furious flame will turn to smoke in the end, and it seemed as if this one's time was soon to be up. As such, the loss of light seemed a fitting reminder of that fact. The fire was burning out, both the one in men's hearts and the ones that turned the generators to produce the electricity.

	Not that all of this mattered terribly much at the moment. The cell's only occupant peered into the veil of black, trying to discern the various shapes that were laid out around her. Even with the lack of light, her eyes had already become quite accustomed to the dark, and it was not as if her surroundings ever varied that much, making this a fairly easy task. The only reason she bothered to do it at all was that there was simply nothing else to be done, and sleep did not seem willing to take her yet. It had not always been like this at least. There was a time when she was given books and diversions to keep her occupied, and had a cellmate to talk with. But the books were taken away, and the cellmate slowly withered also. Her health had deteriorated almost in step to the deteriorating state of the world around her. But for the the cell's only current occupant who had never truly fit in, her mind and body stayed static, refusing to give in.

	They had finally taken her companion away too around the time the power went off at night. Despite the loss of a friend, it had been something of a relief. Seeing her downward slide had been becoming just too depressing, not only for the spectacle in of itself, but also for the heavy reminder it had started to become. A reminder of how the whole place was decaying, and how the world seemed to be moving ever forward without them. Without her. She still thought about her cellmate frequently, when she was not thinking about the others she had lost along the way. She wondered what they were up to, what they were doing, what they were thinking. Did they still think of her, for instance? She smiled as she recalled their faces. Now that she was all alone, she was thinking of all of them a whole lot more often, wondering and fantasizing, thinking of what they were doing with their lives.

	Still, she could never truly feel sorry for herself. This was partly due to her own resilience, but also to the knowledge that, in many ways, she was better off than most here. She had always been treated special, even if special here was considerably less than respectable out there. She recognized that her captors had treated her better than the others, giving her better food, better treatment, a better life. She was worth more to them than the others, more than her cellmate. Still, as conditions worsened her own treatment lessened with them, even if for the others it was still far worse. It almost felt irritating, as if the right for truly righteous fury had been robbed from her, her own sense of sympathy and fair play overriding any complaints of her own.

	Even with the better treatment, she could not escape the sense that she had been forgotten, at least by the real world. Not this fake world of cells and guards and set rules, but the real world; dynamic, changing, exciting. She wanted to break out, live again, see the world move around her, instead of merely wither away from a previously set plan. But the real world seemed out of her reach, as if it had turned its back to her. She felt no antipathy towards it, she knew better, but frustration was still there, under the surface, bubbling away under the lid that was her resolve. She would still not let it show, even if she was not sure who she was acting for anymore. Or what she was doing here anymore. Or even where she was anymore. What time was it? What year was it? What day was it? Whose life is it? Whose life am I even leading anymore?

	A burst of light beamed into the cell, blasting her eyes in a sharp and painful fashion. She pulled her arm over her face, shielding them, as she heard the approach of footsteps. She squinted, wondering who it was and what they intended to do. One of the guards was standing in the doorway; his face was familiar to her. She had first seen it earlier in the week, delivering food to the inmates. He was new here, seeming far too young and lively to truly belong. He looked down at her, compassion in his eyes. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled something out and placed it on the ground in front of her. He then straightened, saluted, turned, and left.

	As the door closed and the darkness returned, she simply stared at what the guard had given her, unsure what to do with it. She eventually reached out and grabbed it, a thin object with a smooth surface. It moved at the touch. With a loud thunk of a switch being thrown somewhere outside of her room, the lights in her cell came back to life. It flashed on the envelope she held in her hands, and on it gleamed a symbol, that of a large red diamond. It took her brain a few seconds to recall its meaning. Once it had, she quickly tore the envelope open, and pulled out the note inside.

	“We have not forgotten about you. Expect us soon.”

	She slipped the note back into the envelope, and hid it under her bedding, it had been so long since they had bothered with full inspections. She laid her head on her pillow, and stared up at the fixture dangling above her. The light had come on again. It seemed brighter than ever. She was in the real world again.


	Sanjuro relaxed, his body moulding comfortably into the couch in his quarters, enjoying the noise. Kura and Kathryn were busy in the next room, and Sanjuro closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of muffled voices and objects being shuffled around. He was tired, but not ready to give up on his senses just yet. Besides, he knew that he still had more work to do before he could even think of heading off to bed. He could not miss this opportunity, especially when time was running so short. Sanjuro opened his eyes and took in the world around him, letting his body know it was not the time yet. There was still work to be done. As he did so, the door to his bedroom swung open and Kura walked out brashly. 

	“You look ridiculous” she chided, as Kathryn followed suit. She was clad quite dashingly in her dress uniform, a perfect accompaniment to the spring in her step which continued unabated despite her sister's attitude.

	“What is wrong with dressing up for the evening?” she replied, still fiddling with her clothes in an oddly appealing fashion. Sanjuro cast an eye over the two of them; despite the similarities in the facial features and gestures, at first glance they did not seem very alike, at least for the moment.

	“We are going to the ship's bar to lose our senses and celebrate our continued existence in that fashion” Kura reminded her in a low tone of voice. “I do not see why you want to do it looking like some commando princess.”

	“That is what you're going to do. I actually want to remember the evening” Kathryn hit back, studying her reflection in the large view-screen that ordained the living room wall.

	“For what it's worth, I like it” Sanjuro chimed in, doing the same thing only with the genuine article. Kathryn smiled and walked over to him and they shared a quick appreciative kiss.

	“You going to be alright on your own tonight?” she asked politely.

	“Just as long as I have something warm besides me in the morning” he commented. Sanjuro looked past her over to Kura, who was standing impatiently by the doorway.

	“You have a good time too Kura” he encouraged. “Just do not get too rat-arsed, you never know what tomorrow could bring.”

	“Like what?” she asked incredulously. Kathryn thought the question over for a moment.

	“How about an invasion of genetically engineered cybernetically enhanced aliens intent on saving humanity from itself?” she postulated, moving towards the door. Kura smiled at the thought.

	“In which case, I think a hangover could benefit me” she decided, as the two of them left the room together. Sanjuro waited a few minutes to ensure that they did not come back for anything before springing into action. He walked over to the view-screen and seated himself by its input console. With a few quick key presses, he started a communications link and the image of a burly mechanic popped up on the screen.

	“Admiral” he saluted, crumbs falling gratuitously from his beard. Sanjuro smiled at the hand the world had played him with the realization of this stereotype.

	“Sometime in the next twenty-four hours a ship will approach flying the UCA's colours. I want you and the rest of docking to let them in and handle their arrival immediately, with no security checks or questions asked. You will, however, notify me directly when the ship does arrive.” The man considered Sanjuro's request, trying in his own way to second-guess what was going on.

	“It will be done, of course” he replied finally. “May I ask why the hurry and all the secrecy?”

	“It will be explained to all in time, I imagine” Sanjuro answered. The man looked back at him oddly.

	“You imagine, sir?” he inquired perplexed.

	“You heard me. Shall you carry out the rest of your duties now?” Sanjuro stated dismissively, summoning a commanding tone he did not even know he had in him. Somehow echoing the words of others gave his own purpose strength, even if he was still left just as much in the dark for the meaning behind those words as the dock worker was. The man nodded, saluted again, and quickly closed the comm-link, returning to the ever comforting safety of anonymity. 

	Sanjuro returned to the couch and laid his weary head against one of the arm rests. More time to think it over had not really given him any real answers as to what Akkaraju would be willing to give up his retirement for, and still want hidden from his two daughters. With the death of his wife, they had become the two most important, and in many ways now, the only important things in his life. Sanjuro would have thought that it would only be for them that he would leave his new found peace at home to reenter the demands of military life, even if it was only for a short while. But then, why would he not want them to know? Maybe it was because he was doing something for them, or at least very close to them, that he wanted this level of subterfuge.

	Still, what the UCA was doing giving force to his whims was another question entirely. Sanjuro figured that his rehabilitation had been real enough and that he still had enough friends that he could definitely arrange something like this, assuming UCA command had a direct interest in the matter as well. What that matter was, Sanjuro was not sure. He just hoped it was not some lose end coming up to bite him again. He had had enough of that in his life already. Maybe he would welcome all this more in the morning, with a clearer head and a warmer bed, and someone sleeping beside him. He pushed himself up and headed to the bedroom, his weary eyes closing as soon as head was finally allowed to hit the pillow.


	In the darkness of space, the dimming of the ship's lights was the only real visible indication that it was either night or day; humanity simply could not face going into an alien world alone. So they as a species tried their hardest to make space seem as close as possible to their home planet, with the help of their myriad array of machines and electrical devices. This included the obvious steps of providing a breathable atmosphere, tolerable gravity, and ensuring comfortable temperatures, to more frivolous steps, ranging from the light level changing to suit the time, calming ambient sounds seeping their way through thousands of tiny embedded speakers, and, on more expensive ships, even fully formed expanses of outdoor vistas which were arguably more impressive than those that were still left on Earth. All to trick the mind into thinking it was back home.

	This being a military craft however, such comforts were of course kept to a minimum. Two figures were hunched over a small table, each sitting on their respective bunks, which were carved into the hollow of the walls. Their light, a thin strip of florescence embedded in the roof, oozed a thin veil of luminescence above their heads where it was altogether of very little use. They instead played their game of cards by utilizing the search light embedded in the younger of the two's assault rifle, which pointed towards them menacingly from a rack on the wall. Even for a military ship, this one was rough. Space was at a premium on these carrier shuttles however, and comfort was traded in for expedience. For Nathaniel Akkaraju, it was a refreshing return to his old form.

	“Your move” his bunk mate observed, realigning the six or so cards he had wedged between his fingers. He was still unsure what to make of the old man he was inexplicably expected to share his quarters with. Now, he was fully aware that the ship was already exceeding its normal capacity, with some people even being forced to bunk on the floor of some of shuttle's cargo decks, so he was expecting to have to share his quarters with someone else. But this was still an unlikely companion for a mission such as this, and he had been given limited information about who the old man actually was. Nathaniel considered his cards for a few seconds, and then purposefully placed one on the centre of the table. His opponent mouthed a silent curse. This was the third game in a row which the old man was going to win.

	“It is all right, nothing you could say would be anything I have not heard before” Nathaniel acknowledged knowingly. In truth, if he had wanted to, Nathaniel could have easily picked a more comfortable place to rest his head, but this was his last chance to relive the old military life and he wanted to enjoy it to its fullest extent. Standard rations and claustrophobic living conditions included. His bunk mate looked him over curiously.

	“Who are you?” he asked finally. It had been on the tip of his tongue for the past few hours now, but the question had always seemed too impertinent to ask. Nathaniel smiled.

	“I am that out of place am I?” he replied amused. Thinking the situation over, the guy had a point. Despite all of his allusions, Nathaniel was not really the same as the soldier sitting opposite him. He was once of course, and he never really did come to grips with the fact that he no longer was anymore. Upon accepting his exile back on Earth, he did realize that he could no longer necessarily act like a soldier, but he always still felt like he was one. While there, he had developed a deep interest in strategic games, ranging from tactical computer games to the venerable game of chess. Anything to keep that part of his mind active. He also made sure that he still kept himself fit, completing the same old exercises that were drilled into his head back when he was a cadet. Old habits die hard.

	It was not until now that he realized how this must seem to everyone around him, especially to those who actually were still soldiers. It must look to them like an odd parody, and one that he was playing off them; this grizzled old man in the midst of all of these young ensigns and lieutenants. He sighed as his smile faded and he leaned back against the hollow of the bunk. “I am just an old man chasing what I have lost” he answered finally, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly weary. He called up the image of her face again, and with that thought mustered some of his former strength. Who cared how he looked? He was on a mission, one that he was intent not to fail. “And I am going to find it, damn it!” he added forcefully, straightening in a dramatic fashion. His bunk mate continued to stare.

	“So, you have something to do with where we are going then?” he surmised, unsure where he called up the bravado to inquire again. The man's eyes were still burning rather threateningly. Nathaniel's smile returned to his lips.

	“You might say that” he responded, casting an eye back down to his cards. His bunk mate frowned and grudgingly tossed one of his cards on the table, next to Nathaniel's.

	“So why are you here then?” he added, anything to distract him from his awful hand. Nathaniel did not respond immediately, tossing his response on the table first in an irritatingly competent fashion.

	“Let me show you” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small leather wallet. He fished around inside, before sliding out a small polaroid sized photograph. His bunk mate leaned forward as Nathaniel placed it directly into the rifle's beam of light. It was a picture of Kura and Kathryn, hand in hand, standing next to each other in full dress uniforms.

	“Very pretty, both of them” he observed. “Your daughters?” Nathaniel nodded.

	“When you come to my age, you will realize what you really value in life” he elaborated ruminatively. “Myself, I think I realized almost too late.”

	“Almost?” his bunk mate replied, continuing to humour him. He was still not quite sure what any of this had to do with anything.

	“Thanks to you” he said. “You and the rest are going to help me slay my demons.” Nathaniel casually placed a card on the table without even giving it another thought. The final blow. He had won again, and sooner than he had expected.

	“Cunning old devil” proclaimed his bunk mate, as he moved to start putting away the cards. Nathaniel's face gave way to another smile. Maybe he still did have it after all. 


	Kathryn took an exploratory sip of her drink, as Kura proceeded to down all of her own. Kathryn eyed her dubiously from the rim of her glass, as Kura immediately reached out and quickly poured herself another one. Noticing her siblings reaction, she grinned, raised her glass to her, and then with a considerable amount of flourish promptly swallowed its entire contents. Kathryn could not help herself, letting out an encouraging chortle. Kura grinned even wider.

	“And I am only just getting started” she quipped, reaching out for yet another refill. Kathryn simply shook her head, her hair gently swaying from side to side in rhythm to her thinly veiled laughter.

	“You were not always like this you know” she commented after a pause. Kura lowered her glass from her lips and looked at her quizzically.

	“Oh yes?” she inquired, amused. Kathryn's eyes flashed back at her devilishly and her finger started to make circles along the rim of her glass.

	“I remember the first time you got drunk” she continued, as Kura's grin started to falter. “You somehow managed to find the key to father's drinks cabinet, and also managed to sneak out a bottle of brandy or something under that long dress we used to have. You only ever wore that when you wanted to hide something.”

	“Yeah, I remember” Kura replied quietly, clearly now wishing she had not bothered to ask.

	“You were so exited that you brought Sanjuro, Toshiro, and Baku over from the Academy and dragged me and them out to that old shed that used to be by the garden. You made this silly bet with Sanjuro that you could hold your liquor better than he could, which was stupid as you had never drunken before and he was bigger than you.”

	“It was not like he had either” Kura protested. “And he was not that much bigger, and I was stronger than he was too!”

	“Yeah, but you can not cushion it with muscle tone” Kathryn responded sedately, still fingering her glass. “At any rate, you volunteered to go first, of course, and took a massive gulp. I still remember the look on your face when you finally got a chance to taste it. You looked like a puppy that had just taken a bite out of a lemon.”

	“Yeah, well, I was young then” Kura stated dismissively, pouring another glass for herself in response.

	“It was a good thing that we were doing this outside; it would have been awful to have to clean up the floor after all that” Kathryn added chirpily. Kura swallowed her drink and eyed her caustically. 

	“Thank you so very much from reminding me of all that” she commented sourly. Kathryn smiled, her face softening until Kura's glower started to fade again.

	“Sanjuro may have won the bet, but you should probably know that he did not have that pleasant an evening either” Kathryn added for Kura's benefit, recalling a past conversation. “Only, the toilets at the Academy are a lot worse to have your head down than the ones at home. He only got a couple hours of proper sleep that night.”

	“Good” Kura acknowledged viciously. Kathryn chortled again, and the two of them returned to how they were before, with Kathryn eyeing her glass and Kura continuing to drink from her's. Several more drinks and an empty bottle later, Kura eventually decided to break the silence.

	“I remember when you screwed it up for yourself too” she recollected quietly. “It was the first time you failed a test.” Kathryn raised her head.

	“Yes?” she prompted curiously. Kura shifted uncomfortably before starting to elaborate. “I do not know why this came into my head, but it was around the same time as what you were describing. You had studied very hard for it, but the questions on the test were awful. Still, you were mortified.”

	“I do not recall this” Kathryn said, trying to remember. Kura paused for a moment to see if any lights were going to flash and then continued.

	“You really thought that father was going to kill you, although it was mother you really did not want to face. You did not even tell me or the guys that you had failed. We walked home in silence. When we got there, you sneaked off to your room.” She stopped to collect her thoughts. Kathryn stared back at her intently. She still did not remember.

	“Eventually, when you did not show for supper, we went up to look for you. You were not there; you must have gone out through the window. Father acted calm, but he looked really worried. It was the first time I saw him actually really upset about something. So the three of us went out to look for you. You had covered pretty good ground.”

	“I was one of the fastest runners at the Academy. One of the few physical things I was better at than you” Kathryn interjected quietly. Kura nodded and carried on.

	 “Several hours passed, and we were all getting concerned by this point. I was beginning to fear that I was never going to be able to see you again. After a long time, I managed to find you cowering away from us in a tree. Mother and father were a little ways away, and you begged me not to tell them you were there. I said they were really worried about you and just wanted to know that you were alright, but you did not listen. You started crying, and kept calling out to me.”

	“You got to help me Kura” Kathryn interjected softly. “You get me out of this Kura. You need to help me Kura.”

	“You remember?” Kura asked quietly. Kathryn nodded. “I eventually managed to get you to come down, and I took you back to mother and father and explained the whole thing to them for you. They seemed kind of horrified that you had taken it so hard. They stopped trying to push us quite as hard after that.”

	“Thank you” Kathryn commented reflectively.

	“For what?” Kura replied confused. Kathryn smiled softly.

	“For helping me” she answered simply. Kura nodded thoughtfully. The two of them simply sat and stared at each other for a few minutes, wrapped up in their own thoughts. All of the time that Kathryn had been stuck in the medical bay, Kura had never really given any thought to how she would have reacted if something more serious had happened to her. It was not until now that she realized how devastating that would have been for her, how much importance Kathryn had in her life. And to think, Kathryn had to have already faced that grim prospect herself. No wonder Kathryn did not know how to feel when she had made her sudden return back into her life.

	Kura looked at the expression on Kathryn's face, and wondered what she was thinking about. Knowing her, she was probably worrying about whether or not she had been taking her company for granted too. She was also probably worried that she had never truly appreciated the gift that was her coming back, but Kura knew that she had nothing to apologize for; it was her who should be apologizing to Kathryn. She reached out a hand and took hold of her's. Kathryn looked back at Kura surprised, but did not pull her arm back. In doing so, she had shown that they had both accepted each others apologies. After a few moments, Kura finally took her hand away from her's, and with one quick sweep of her arm quickly grabbed Kathryn's still mostly full glass before preceding to down its contents in one swift gulp.

	“It is not like you were going to finish it anyway” Kura explained, noticing the amused look that had returned to her sister's face. Kathryn let out another chortle, her hair once again swaying, but this time Kura was not looking at her. She was looking past her to something that was happening over her shoulder.

	“What?” Kathryn asked, still smiling. Kura continued to peer behind her back, craning her neck like a chicken eyeing a fly that it planned to eat. After a few minutes, she finally relaxed and returned her focus back to her sister.

	“Sorry about that” she apologized. “Just wanted to see what Schultz was doing.” Kathryn raised an incredulous eyebrow.

	“What were you doing?” she asked again dubiously. Kura shifted her gaze once more to stare petulantly over her shoulder, before suddenly falling back in her chair, her mouth gaping slightly. Kathryn looked her over even more critically.

	“Smuggled or other illegal goods...” Kura muttered to herself, the spark of realization appearing on her face. Suddenly, she shot back up, her eyes surprisingly focused considering how many drinks she had already drank that evening.

	“Before you got ill, did you ever buy anything off him?” she asked intently. Kathryn blinked.

	“Sorry?” she replied, confused.

	“Schultz. Shifty man, looks like a bald rat” Kura elaborated quickly. “Did you ever buy anything off him?” Kathryn paused, wrapped her head around what it was she was being asked, and finally answered.

	“Well, there was this one man who cornered me on my way to work...” she recalled quietly.

	“But did he give you anything?” Kura pressed intently. “Something to eat maybe?” Kathryn nodded, remembrance dawning on her features.

	“Well, yes, I just bought it so he would leave me alone. I was late for duty and he was bothering me...” she replied timidly. Kura's eyes levelled with her's seriously.

	“But did you actually eat it?” she asked in a low tone.

	“Well, yes, since I had it anyway” she answered sheepishly. “It was awful stuff though, I could not even finish it.” Kura's fist hit the table in an exclamation of triumph, sending their glasses jumping in the air before landing musically back on its smooth surface with a satisfying ping.

	“We got him! You got him!” she proclaimed excitedly. Kathryn stared back at her weakly.

	 “Excuse me?” she asked, wishing she still had something to drink. She could have actually used it now. Kura took in a deep breath and tried to regain her composure.

	“For months now I have been looking for a reason to put Schultz away” she responded conspiratorially. “Now, thanks to you, I have it.” Comprehension finally flashed on Kathryn's features.

	“You mean it was because of him that I was stuck in the medical bay?” she realized finally. Kura beamed back at her.

	“And now I can finally get him!” she replied cheerily. She moved to activate her communicator to get backup, but was stopped by Kathryn reaching forward and grabbing her arm.

	“I've got a better idea” she said, a wickedly devilish smile appearing on her face.


	Carla continued wiping an already clean glass, as she listened with altogether too much patience to the sales pitch that she was being offered. “With my unique method of supply, I can sell my products at half the cost of other retailers” Schultz elaborated, with an unsavoury enthusiasm and an even more distasteful smile. Carla put the glass down on the bar, and gave him a cold level stare.

	“In case you have not noticed, this is a military ship” she said in slow clear tones, as if speaking to a child. “I have to follow the rules to the letter to operate here.” Schultz upped his smile up another notch.

	“You are also a private business, and every good businessman knows not to look a gift horse in the mouth” he responded unfazed.

	“If I wanted to make a lot more money, I would actually give a drink to every soldier who comes in here on duty. There are good reasons why I don't, and they also apply to you too” she stated dismissively. Schultz leaned forward conspiratorially. 

	“Things have changed, you know. We no longer have to worry about old man Akkaraju breathing down our necks anymore” he commented. Carla laughed.

	“You think he was all you had to worry about?” she asked, amused.

	“Do you really think Makabe is going to be watching the likes of us the way that old bastard did to everyone?” Schultz stated frankly. “I mean, it is not like he has never been known to break the rules himself occasionally either.” Carla grabbed another glass to clean.

	“I don't think you know the Admiral quite as well as you think you do” she replied sternly. “And besides, there are still far too many Akkarajus on this ship for me to ever even consider starting to think like that.” Schultz's smile wavered slightly.

	“All I am trying to do is sell you some over the bar snacks” he reminded her calmly. 

	“Speak of the devil” Carla said quietly, noticing someone behind Schultz's back. He turned to see a young woman watching them from a few tables back. She was leaning against the wall, her legs crossed, quietly listening to their conversation. Something about her seemed familiar to Schultz, but he could not quite remember who she was. He did not know why she would have any reason to be watching him, but at the same time she was not that bad to look at herself. He decided he would return the favour, slowly spinning round to look her over. Noticing his shift in attention, she smiled and walked over to where he was sitting. Now, something about that smile definitely did seem familiar. It was friendly enough, but there was something about it that started to put him on edge. She really did remind him of someone.

	“It's Schultz's, isn't it?” she inquired pleasantly, taking the seat next to him at the bar. Carla suppressed a grin, turning to stack the glasses on the shelf behind her, pretending not to be paying any attention to the two of them. She knew perfectly well who it was.

	“That's me” he said, putting on his most charismatic smile. “How can I be of service to such a pretty young lady?” Kathryn showed nothing but congeniality.

	“I bought some stuff off you a few weeks back” she stated, brushing away some of the hair that had previously been hanging over and obscuring her face. Now that he could see her better, she really did look familiar. In fact, she looked like someone else he knew. “I just got out of the medical bay” she interjected softly.

	“I am very sorry to hear that” Schultz replied, placing his hand on her's consolingly.

	“You know what?” she stated, leaning towards him closely. “I think the two were related.” Kathryn's face suddenly darkened into a glare as she grabbed him by the arm and forcefully dragged him towards her. “And I am not very happy about it” she added through clenched teeth, speaking directly into his ear. “Do you know what happens when I am not happy about something?” Schultz pulled his arm back and got out of his chair.

	“I know who you are...” he commented, finally understanding why he recognized her smile. It was the same smile Kura always had when she was taunting him.

	“Oh yes?” Kathryn said, rising from her own.

	“Kathryn Akkaraju. Lieutenant Commander. Daughter of Nathaniel Akkaraju. Communications Officer” he elaborated loudly. “Currently in an intimate relationship with Admiral Sanjuro Makabe, alongside her sister Kura Akkaraju with whom he shares his considerable affections.”

	“How do you know?” Kathryn asked, somewhat taken aback.

	“And most importantly, a pacifist who has sworn off violence” Schultz added smugly. “In my business, it pays to know a little about the people around you.” Kathryn levelled her gaze to stare him straight in the eye.

	“I may have sworn off violence” she stated coolly, “but my sister hasn't.” Schultz knew that Kura was standing behind him even before she had placed her hand on his shoulder.

	“You want to make this interesting?” she quipped triumphantly. Schultz bolted, running for the barroom exit, disturbing tables and jolting other patrons as he went. Kura turned to run after him, but he had already gained a considerable amount of speed and was able to reach the doorway several strides ahead of his pursuer. Kura skidded to a halt as Schultz turned to make his exit before colliding with something hard. It was Lieutenant Bernie Lipsitz.

	“You wanted me Commander?” he asked, as he grabbed Schultz gruffly by the collar.

	“Yes, would you please take this man into custody?” she ordered, quite politely. Lipsitz's eyes lit up with satisfaction.

	“You mean you actually got evidence of real harm?” he inquired, unable to shroud his obvious excitement.

	“Quite good and close evidence in fact” Kura replied, smugly. “Now, get him out of my sight.”

	“With pleasure Commander” he enthused, yanking Schultz out of the bar like a dog on a lead. Kathryn, who had by now made her way to stand beside Kura, waved goodbye to him amiably. As she rested her arm back by her side, she suddenly became aware that everyone in the bar was now looking at the two of them. A long quiet pause filled the room. Then everyone, including Carla, started to clap their hands. The two sisters looked at each other and shrugged. There was nothing else for it. They both turned to their respective audiences and performed a long deep bow. The clapping intensified. Kathryn curtsied. Somebody in the back whistled. They decided it was time to sit back down at their table.

	“Sorry for the fuss” Kura apologized as Carla walked up to them, two additional glasses and a full bottle in her hand.

	“No problem” she replied, smiling warmly, filling the glasses. “The drinks are on the house.”

	“That is very generous of you” Kathryn acknowledged, taking her glass. Carla shook her head.

	“As long as it gets get him out of my bar, I don't care if you break or drink enough to bankrupt me” she said dryly, before turning to clean up the damage. Kura grabbed her drink and lifted it in the air for a toast.

	“To the two of us” she proclaimed, as they both clinked their glasses together and brought them to their lips. Kura watched as Kathryn swallowed the entire contents of her own glass and immediately went to get a refill. When she returned, Kura gave her sister a look. Kathryn smiled back bashfully.

	“I went out with you to have drinks; I do need to actually get drunk on something” she explained, before taking another gulp out of her glass. Kura smiled and proceeded to do the same with her own.


	Sanjuro had managed to forget about what had happened. For a little while. It was not even his problem, really. But that is why it was so hard to forget. Because they never did, and he could not help them to either. That was his problem, and it came right back into his mind as he opened the door. Kathryn turned her gaze over to him briefly, before summarily turning it back to the textbook that she was reading. Kura also failed to look up, and she was not even reading.

	“How are you doing?” he asked as pleasantly as possible.

	“Fine” Kura answered flatly. Sanjuro shifted uncomfortably. She did not pay it any mind. Kura was being cruel for no reason again. She always got like this when something bad had happened, and something bad had certainly happened recently. He decided he would try Kathryn.

	“And you?” he acknowledged politely. Her eyes flicked up from the textbook.

	“Fine” she responded. They quickly came back down again. She was deciding to be cruel as well. He could not really blame her.

	“Is there anything I can do?” he offered quietly. Kathryn finally put the textbook down.

	“What do you think you can do?” she asked, her face not betraying any kind of emotion.

	“I don't know” Sanjuro admitted, seating himself down on the chair opposite them. “That is why I asked. I want to help.”

	“Why do you even try?” Kura's voice cut through. Her face was betraying everything.

	“Because I love you” Sanjuro answered. “And I want you to be happy again.” She eyed him for a moment. He shifted again.

	“I don't want to be happy” she said slowly, clearly, painfully. “I want my mother to come back. That is what I want.”

	“But you can't get that, she's dead...” Sanjuro explained weakly. She stared him down just long enough for him to feel the full heat of her gaze. Then she stormed off, slamming the door behind her. Sanjuro sighed. This was still not going well.

	“Kathryn...” he started, but she had gotten up and was starting to leave too. She slowly span around upon hearing his voice, but her face still bore no discernible expression, as if she no longer had any conception as to how to demonstrate her feelings.

	“Sorry Sanjuro” she apologized, before turning back the way she was going, closing the door quietly, almost soundlessly, behind her. Sanjuro just stared at it, his mouth still open, the words he was going to say still lingering on the tip of his tongue. They would both apologize for this later, he knew, but that did not make him feel any better. He had never felt so alone. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was no longer in his chair. He had been dreaming. Now he was doing it too.

	He moved to get up, but felt a weight dragging down the bedding on top of him. He stopped and turned, his eyes happening upon two feet, stacked elegantly one beside the other at the foot of the bed. His gaze continued up the figure's outline, passing over its pleasingly crossed legs, over its flowing skirt, covered midriff, ever present bosom, and finally resting upon its friendly face. Not that he needed any more information; Sanjuro knew it was her by the time he had spotted her white socks. Kathryn's eyes were closed, her lashes seeming surprisingly apparent, her head resting upon her forearms. Her lips wavered, almost as if she were trying to speak, but Sanjuro was sure that she was still asleep.

	Ever so slowly, he slid out from the grasp of the covers and sat himself upright. He continued to watch her, a habit he did more often than even he could admit. It was something he had started to do with them, both Kura and Kathryn, as if he thought he needed to keep an eye on them to make sure they would not go away and disappear on him. She seemed somehow perfect tonight. Still, she must be cold without a blanket covering her. Her legs were left bare after all. He picked one up that had been kicked off the bed, and gently placed it on top of her. 

	“You were watching me again, weren't you?” she asked quietly. Sanjuro did not even know that she was awake.

	“Yes” he admitted simply. “I was.”

	“That's nice” she replied, a smile appearing on her lips. “I thought I was dreaming it.” She finally opened her eyes to him.

	“It's late” Sanjuro commented, checking the clock. “You should probably get some more sleep.”

	“Why? I finally feel awake” she responded, arching her elbow and placing the weight of her head in her palm, causing her hair to fall over her face. She pushed it away lightly with a brush of her other hand. She had a look of almost contented weariness on her face. 

	“Where is Kura?” Sanjuro ventured, finally realizing her absence.

	“She's fine, she just collapsed on the couch as soon as we came in” Kathryn stated dismissively, her tone unusually varied.

	“So how was your evening then?” Sanjuro inquired politely. She studied him thoughtfully and giggled. This was new...

	“It is not over yet silly” she said in a way that made Sanjuro feel stupid for even asking the question. He looked over her face again. Her cheeks and her nose were still red.

	“You're still drunk” Sanjuro observed amused. Kathryn giggled again.

	“Maybe” was the best that she could respond. “But am I still pretty?” Sanjuro was not even aware that Kathryn thought about herself in that way.

	“You're beautiful” Sanjuro answered honestly. For once, Kathryn seemed to fully take the compliment.

	“If you could, what would you want to do with me right now?” she added cheekily. Okay, how much had she drunk?

	“Right now?” Sanjuro replied, somewhat perturbed. “I don't know if I should do anything right now.”

	“You don't want to take advantage, that's cute” she replied lightheartedly, placing her arm around his shoulders.

	“I am not joking, Kathryn” Sanjuro said, still unsure. He knew how he thought she would normally react, but he also knew how Kura would react, and she was acting much more like her sister than she was like herself tonight. That's what worried him. Kathryn's smile collapsed to be replaced by a look of utter seriousness.

	“Look, Sanjuro, I appreciate this” she said, her voice sounding reassuringly more like normal. She took her arm out from around his shoulder and sat up. “But all I have done is have a few drinks. I did that knowing that I would probably end up like this. Actually, in some ways I had those drinks because I wanted to end up like this.” A wistful expression appeared on her face. 

	“What are you saying?” Sanjuro inquired.

	“I think too much, about too many things sometimes” she offered. “But right now, I just want to think about you. I love you Sanjuro, I really, really do, and tonight I want to be with you. And only with you. No thoughts or worries. No one and nothing else.” A reverent silence passed between them, as the two looked away from each other for a moment. “Well, what do you say?” Kathryn asked finally. Sanjuro looked up and grinned.

	“Why the hell not?” he offered, reaching forward and grabbing her as she fell back on the bed, laughing louder than Sanjuro had ever heard her do before. “Lock” she commanded, as the door to their bedroom clicked shut behind them.


	Nathaniel watched, blankly, as the outline of the ship that he had once commanded appeared before him, just one part of the larger vista revealed to him from his tiny vantage behind one of the transport's numerous view-port windows. He could have watched it all from the large view screen which was displaying the exact same scene just a little off to his right, but somehow it seemed more appropriate to see it this way. After all, he was no longer that massive ship's commander, nor did he command this smaller vessel. He was no longer the ever present Admiral. So instead of trying to view his return in those terms, he had decided to try viewing it as he imagined everyone else probably did; as something large and imposing that he did not control. At least, not anymore.

	“How much longer, Lieutenant?” he inquired, turning his gaze to the other occupants of the control deck.

	“We will be docking soon, sir” the man replied, altogether too much lingering respect in his voice. “In fact, we should announce our presence.”

	“All right, use the channel that we specified” Nathaniel directed. “The Admiral should have someone waiting to receive us at the other end.”

	“Right” the Lieutenant responded, giving a quick nod to the person manning the communications desk. As soon as the other man had finished typing, the image on the view screen transformed to become a view of somewhere inside the larger ship. Inside the Leviathan. A young man, ranked at ensign, looked back at them nervously.

	“This is Ensign Duncan Matthews of the Leviathan” the man commented in as controlled a fashion as he could muster. “State you identity and intent.”

	“We are who we are supposed to be. The code we are now sending to you shall verify this” the Lieutenant answered, as the communications officer once again typed furiously at his keyboard. Mathew's attention shifted to something else on his screen.

	“Yes, this looks right” he stated quietly. Something moved behind him. Nathaniel's eyes focused to try and see who or what it was.

	“You are cleared to dock at Bay 4” Mathews added hurriedly, his gaze darting over his shoulder at the approaching object. “Welcome aboard the Leviathan.” A face appeared hovering over his, before the image flashed back to become an external view of the ship once again. Nathaniel continued to stare at it thoughtfully.

	“She was smiling” he observed quietly.

	Back on the Leviathan, Kathryn gazed at the black screen.

	“What was that? Something I should know about?” she asked playfully, her voice increasing in pitch in just the right way to get a response out of the young ensign. She was in altogether too good a mood this morning. Mathews turned his face awkwardly over to her's, his cheeks turning red, not used to having her so close.

	“Just a transport ship. Nothing important” he answered simply. Kathryn raised an eyebrow, and returned back to her station still very much amused.


	Kura heard the noise of her boots striking the ground as she walked down the corridor. She always did like that sound; an almost constant reminder to the world of her presence. When she was walking, she wanted the ground beneath her feet to know it. People who would pass her by, even those who were running past, could not help but hear the sound. She smiled at the thought of people turning their heads as she walked calmly and collectedly by. Her walk could tell her life story for her. For the members of her security team, it was also the sound to listen for when they were trying to determine where to find her.

	“Commander Akkaraju” a voice called out from behind. Kura turned to see Lieutenant Bernie Lipsitz moving briskly towards her.

	“Yes, Lieutenant?” she acknowledged expectantly. Lipstz stopped for a moment to collect himself before speaking.

	“It is about the prisoner...” he started. Kura's smile widened to a grin.

	“Schultz, yes?” she asked pleasantly. Lipsitz nodded.

	“He wants to know what he is charged with” he continued, “but I am still not quite sure on the circumstances myself.” Kura's eyes darkened slightly.

	“Well, put simply, he put my sister in hospital” she answered flatly. “What he is actually charged with is smuggling non-inspected food stuffs and the endangerment of ship's personnel.”

	“I see” Lipsitz added quietly. “If I may ask, how is your sister doing?”

	“She seems fine to me” Kura responded plainly. “Actually, that is kind of where I was heading” she said, gesturing down the corridor.

	“Alright, I will leave you to it then” Lipstz replied, turning to leave. “Thank you Commander.”
    
	“See ya” Kura nodded as they both went their separate ways. Marching down the corridor, she heard her accompanying chorus start playing again and the grin returned to her face. It stayed there right up to the moment she reached the doorway to Communications.

	“Morning” Kura greeted amiably, as she walked over to Kathryn's station. Kathryn, in turn, steadfastly waited until she was finished what she was doing before turning her attention away to see her sister. Some level of professionalism had to be maintained, after all.

	“Don't you have work to do?” she asked, a feigned expression of weariness on her features. Kura shook her head and leaned herself against the wall.

	“Well, you see the good thing about being in security is that we have a very vague mandate” Kura replied coolly.

	“And that is?” Kathryn pressed, still trying to make herself look busy.

	“All we have to do is attempt to keep the peace, and with my presence here, I doubt that Communications is going to start contemplating mutiny any time soon” Kura explained dryly, finally coaxing Kathryn to display her actual inner good mood.

	“I see...” she grinned, before pointing to the station beside her. “May I suggest you watch this one though?” Ensign Mathews stiffened in his chair as if he were stung by a hornet.

	“I beg your pardon, Lieutenant Commander?” he inquired quickly. Kathryn laughed lightly, as Kura raised an eyebrow.

	“Well, you have taken several calls today and have not told anyone what they were” Kathryn stated genially. “You have just piqued my curiosity, is all.”

	“It is nothing important” Mathews effused unconvincingly. “And besides, the Admiral told me not to tell...” Kathryn and Kura quickly turned to face each other.

	“Okay, now this is interesting” Kura commented, intrigued. Mathews smiled weakly.

	“It's alright, I did not mean to get you upset” Kathryn soothed, putting her hand on his shoulder, which just made him even more nervous. Kathryn shook her head.

	“I can not believe he likes me...” she mused to herself internally.

	“At any rate, how are you feeling today then?” Kura interjected, sensing the awkwardness in the room. Kathryn turned her attention back to her sister and shrugged. 

	“I feel fine” she answered simply. Kura grinned.

	“Even after all of those drinks I saw you consume last night?” she probed mischievously.

	“Well, you are one to comment....” Kathryn responded, brushing off the allegation with a look of sheer indignation. Mathews sat in his chair and pretended that he was not listening.

	“Okay, fine” Kura replied dismissively. “You must admit, you did have a good evening though.” Kathryn's eyes flicked between her and the ground before finally coming to rest on the person addressing her.

	“Yes, yes I did” she acknowledged finally. “Thank you for inviting me.”

	“Actually, I was more referring to what I heard you laughing about with Sanjuro later on...” Kura said through a smirk. Kathryn's stare latched on to her with fresh intensity. 

	“Could you please shut up, sister dearest?” she snapped quickly. Mathews was now really trying to make himself look like he was not listening.

	“Alright, no need to get worked up” Kura stated quietly. Kathryn's features smoothed out and a small smile returned back to her lips.

	“How was Sanjuro this morning? He was gone before I woke up” she asked.

	“He looked more tired than I was” Kura replied. Kathryn allowed herself her own little smirk.

	“Should I take that as a compliment?” she added in a low voice. Kura smiled and shook her head.

	“Actually, it seemed more like there was something on his mind. Something he did not want us to know about...” Both of their eyes returned to Matthews, who just stared down at his console. Kathryn leaned back in her chair and breathed in and out loudly.

	“You know, I think it is time you moved on and prevented a mutiny somewhere else on the ship” she postulated softly. Kura turned to the clock and nodded.

	“I guess” Kura acknowledged, turning to the door. Just then, a voice cut through the room.

	“Will Commander Akkaraju and Lieutenant Commander Akkaraju please report to Conference Room 1A” it intoned, as the two sisters once again span around to look at each other.

	“Or not” Kura commented slowly. “Come on then, I guess we are about to find out what is going on after all.”


	Sanjuro leaned against the corner of the room, legs crossed, watching the door. Soon they would know. Soon he would know. Sitting behind the table in the centre of the room was Nathaniel Akkaraju, the old man himself, looking more like the Admiral that Sanjuro remembered than he had ever done since he had begun his retirement all that time ago. Of course, coming here was bound to make him seem more like his old self, but there was also something else. There almost seemed to be some kind of aura surrounding him; an aura that projected strong focused determination. Old man Akkaraju was back. The doors swung open and Kura and Kathryn stepped into the room, both of them freezing at the sight of him.

	“Father?” Kathryn exclaimed, confused. Kura studied him levelly.

	“Please, take a seat” Nathaniel suggested, his arm beckoning them to the two available chairs. Kathryn shot Sanjuro a surprised glance as she and her sister sat themselves down. Sanjuro just stared back blankly. Nathaniel, meanwhile, took a deep breath and steadied himself for the task he was about to embark upon. “There are a lot of things I have done with my life” he began slowly. “There are things that I am proud of, things that I regret, and things that I should have done differently.” He stopped for a moment to allow some time for his words to sink in. “All on my own in my self-induced exile, I had a considerable amount of time available to ponder over my existence. I also had a lot of time to think over what it is I should be doing with the time that I have left in this world.”

	Kathryn shot Sanjuro another concerned look, but he simply looked away. He had no answers to give her. “After I had pulled myself back together again, I resolved that I would set certain things right” Nathaniel continued, his voice growing louder and more resolute with each passing syllable. “I would make my peace with the both of you. I would apologize for my past actions. I would face Sanjuro. And I would fix some of my other earlier mistakes. To that end, I started digging for the answers I should have been looking for over a decade ago.” The clock on the wall chimed to signify the start of a new hour. The three of them kept on listening.

	“I still have many friends inside the U.C.A, whether I deserve them or not. One of these friends has a position in intelligence. With his help, I looked into the records of several fallen U.C.A soldiers. Many of them were never properly located, and their bodies were never found. I started digging deeper, and I discovered that many of the people they were fighting had yet to be accounted for either. So I started looking for the present locations of both of these groups.” He allowed himself another pause. “In the end, I did find them. I found them both.”

	“Found who?” Kura blurted out, before catching herself. Both sisters were by now completely enthralled with the weight of his words and the promise they seemed to bring. Nathaniel ignored her question and carried on with his story.

	“I managed to deduce the only place where they could reasonably remain hidden for all of this time on a growing colony world. Based on my conclusions, a survey was conducted. It confirmed my suspicions.” Sanjuro noticed Kathryn's fingers starting to grip into her armrests. She already knew what he was going to say and she was bracing herself. “We then sent an agent in to make absolutely sure. He sent back the answer I was waiting for. The answer we were all waiting for. The answer we had been waiting all of these years for, ever since that terrible day.” Kathryn's arms started to shake as her clenched hands started to grip tighter and tighter into the armrests. 

	Nathaniel paused, closed his eyes and took in a heavy breath. “Kura, Kathryn” he started, his voice beginning to waver. He took in another breath before speaking. “She is alive. Your mother is alive.” He opened his eyes. An awkward silence enveloped the room as the words finally hit them. Kathryn sat flabbergasted, her mouth hanging open. She knew that was what he was going to say, but she still could not believe it. Kura wore a poker face. Whatever she was feeling, she did not want anyone else to know about it. Nathaniel watched the both of them anxiously. “She is being held in a cell in what is left of their compound, tended by a rogue army of fanatics” he continued. “She is older and she is frail, but she is still alive.”

	“What are we going to do about it then?” Kura asked, pinning him down with her stare. Nathaniel gazed back. This was the moment he had been really steadying himself for. He took in another breath.

	“We are going to go there and break her and everyone else out. We are going to finish what they started all of those years ago.” He smiled at his daughters encouragingly. “We are going to finally set things right.” Kura stood up. A flame burst forth from behind her eyes.

	“Yes... yes” she murmured malevolently. “We are going to bring her back to us!” Kathryn stared at her sister blankly, almost uncomprehendingly. Her mind was still preoccupied with other things. After all that had happened, her mother could still be alive? She was still alive? It somehow did not make sense. Surely all of those years were not a lie? After everything she had done, giving up the life of a solider, swearing off violence all because of the memory of her mother, she could still be alive? It did not make any sense. She felt numb, unreal. She was too shocked to be happy. Nathaniel looked her over concerned. The joy would come, he decided.

	“You must have a lot on your minds right now, and there is a lot that is left to do” he stated with the spur of a commander. “Please, go and prepare yourselves. We have a lot of work ahead of us.” Kura smiled at him viciously and punched the air, before turning to head for the door. Kathryn continued to sit in her chair as her mind ran circles around her. She eventually registered her father's words, and she weakly pulled herself out of the chair and onto her feet. As the door to the conference room opened in front of her, she turned back to look at Sanjuro, who was still standing almost forgotten in the corner. She needed something to anchor herself with, something her mind could understand. Sanjuro understood and nodded back. He would be there for her later.

	As the door behind Kathryn shut behind her, Sanjuro turned his attention to Nathaniel. He was still sitting at the table, leaning forward, his arms arched, his chin placed in his entangled hands. Sanjuro now understood the need for all the subterfuge. He understood why he had demanded that it should happen this way. In reality, it had nothing to do with security. It had nothing to do with the mission. It was none of the excuses that would inevitably be bandied about. Nathaniel knew that his daughter's lives had never been the same since the day that they thought that their mother had died. He knew that Kura had never really forgiven him for his actions during that day. He knew how important his efforts and words would be to them.

	Sanjuro now knew why he had handled it this way. He had to show them himself. He had to show that it was by his efforts that this had been accomplished. He had to prove to them that he still did care, and he had to make sure that Kura had forgiven him. All that malice and hate and anger that she had shown just then at the conference table, all that had once been directed against him. He had to lift that burden. Not just for himself, but for the both of them as well. Noticing that Sanjuro was staring at him, Nathaniel folded his arms on the table and smiled.

	“Come Admiral” he commented serenely. “Let's get to work!”


	Kura paced from side to side, wearing down the carpet, as Kathryn watched her move from the comfortable position of the couch in their quarters, observing her sister march from one side of the room to the other. They had long since finished their remaining duties for the day, although it was not as if either of them had really been able to concentrate on what was being asked of them anyway. Kathryn still did not know what to feel, and the fire that had ignited behind Kura's eyes had yet to extinguish itself, and it was now proceeding to put her through the motions. Kathryn could almost see the smoke emanating from her face. Or was that the carpet?

	“I wonder what they are still discussing in there?” Kura inquired, without pausing. Kathryn leaned her head against her palm, her arm resting on the couch's armrest.

	“We will just have to find out I guess” she acknowledged quietly. She still had trouble believing that this was really happening. Kura continued to pace compulsively. 

	“What I do not understand is how this could be hidden from us for so long” she mused. “Why did no one figure out that this had happened before?” Kathryn thought over the question.

	“We all thought they were dead, even if we never did find all of the bodies” she answered, more to explain it to herself than to Kura. “And you remember how hectic it was. Things could easily have been forgotten.” Kura finally paused from her incessant marching to stop and shake her head.

	“But they shouldn't have been” she muttered to herself dourly. “Still...” she added brightening, “at least he is trying to make up for that right now." Kathryn frowned. The person she was referring to was more than obvious. Kura had never forgiven their father for what had happened, and it would still take a bit more to happen for her to truly forgive him for it now. Her thoughts were disturbed as the door to their quarters finally opened and a tired looking Sanjuro stepped inside.

	“Hello, what happened?” Kathryn asked sweetly as Sanjuro seated himself beside her. She immediately cuddled up, placing her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes, her moral support finally arriving. Kura also decided that she had now finally had enough of pacing and proceeded to plop herself down beside them.

	“We spent most of the afternoon talking with the agent that was sent in to what remains of their compound” he explained wearily. “Despite everything, taking it is not going to be easy. They are older and weaker, and their resources are stretched, but they are if anything more determined. We are going to have to be careful.” Kura smiled vindictively.

	“Don't worry” she encouraged darkly. “Once I am through with them there will be nothing left of their precious compound!” Sanjuro sighed.

	“Yes, but this is primarily a rescue operation. You have to take the prisoners into account.” Kathryn's eyes flashed open upon hearing the word “prisoners”.

	“This agent...” she began, a thought striking her. “He is the one that has actually seen mother?”

	“Alongside everything else, yes” Sanjuro responded. Kathryn bit her lip.

	“Did he mention how she was?” she inquired cautiously. Sanjuro nodded.

	“He mentioned her briefly. She is in a better state than most of the other prisoners. They seemed to have been keeping her as a bargaining chip, after they found out that her husband had been promoted to Admiral.” Sanjuro noticed Kathryn's eyes staring up at him intently. “Assuming we can pull this off, she should be fine.”

	“So, all that is left to ask is when are we going?” Kura declared, getting back to her feet. She could not sit still for long. Sanjuro watched her move from side to side and envied her enthusiasm. He could not help but see all the ways this mission could go wrong, and if it did go wrong, he knew what that would do to the both of them, the two loves of his life. Sanjuro could not live with himself if he messed this up. It would hurt both Kura and Kathryn too deeply.

	“We are already heading there now” he stated without conviction. “Your father came with reserves. In terms of numbers, we are as ready now as we are ever going to be.” Somehow saying that did not make him feel any better.

	“Come on” Kathryn commented, noticing the look on Sanjuro's face. “I am sure we will all feel better after we get something to eat. It has been a long day.” He turned to her and nodded, and the two of them slowly helped each other back to their feet. Once upright, Sanjuro reached out and grabbed both Kura and Kathryn's hands in his, realizing now how their father must be feeling. Just like himself, he knew that he could not let them down. Sanjuro took a deep breath and together, with varying levels of that all important conviction, the three of them walked out the door.


	The next morning, Sanjuro found himself caught up by routine. Walking through one of the ship's many snaking corridors, it was obvious that the news of at least some of what was going on had already been leaked out to the general public. A feeling of tense excitement seemed to have suddenly gripped every single person on the Leviathan, from the regular soldiers to the ship's crew, and even some of the cleaning staff. Sanjuro had encountered a group of them gossiping intently to each other in a secluded corner. As soon as they had noticed his presence they had of course quickly dispersed and returned back to their duties, but Sanjuro still wondered what it was they were talking about exactly.

	Not that any of this was a problem, as they would all be told the truth soon enough anyway. It was also not as if they could even try to explain away the arrival of the new reserve troops that Nathaniel had brought with him, so speculation was bound to happen. Nathaniel himself, as someone else must have noticed his presence by now, also must have gotten people talking. None of this was unexpected, even if the plan was to go into this assuming that the people on the other end had no idea what it was the U.C.A were about to do. Considering no one had noticed their camp for so long beforehand, it made sense that high command wanted them to still think no one knew of their existence. In the end, all that meant was that Sanjuro had to get this done as quickly as possible. That was the part that he particularly did not care for.

	Having finally reached his destination, he seated himself down in his increasingly familiar chair in the Command Communications Office and called up the also increasingly familiar sequence of commands that would bring up Toshiro's image. Once his face did appear on the large black screen, he gave Sanjuro his customary polite nod. “Nice to see you again, brother” he greeted quietly.

	“You too Toshiro” Sanjuro replied pleasantly. “I missed you the last time I called.”

	“Regrettably, I was consumed with other matters” he acknowledged, while studying the look on his brother's face. “Your mind also seems to be primarily focused on different places” he observed in an almost zen like fashion, having already satisfied himself with his own conclusions on the situation. Sanjuro smiled and shook his head.

	“Is it that obvious?” he inquired simply. Toshiro again nodded.

	“If I may ask, what is it that is troubling you?” he asked, a slight hint of care in his voice. Sanjuro leaned back in his chair.

	“You may ask I guess, but I can not necessarily give you any answers” Sanjuro responded, his turn to be cryptic back at his brother for once. Toshiro registered this with yet another nod. What was with these people and nods?

	“But in vague, loose terms, can you try to describe it to me?” he pressed, eerily like a psychiatric doctor. Sanjuro thought about it.

	“I guess I can try...” he replied, knowing that he would in the end be thankful for his brother's council. Toshiro's eyes sharpened on him as Sanjuro continued to think over what he was going to say. “Okay, say I have just been given a very important assignment” Sanjuro started, constantly having to remind himself to keep his details obscured. “Actually, it is in fact more important than simply just being important, if that makes any sense.” He once again considered what he was saying. “I guess not...” he admitted to himself quietly. Sanjuro decided to close his eyes for a minute and think before starting again. “What I mean is, it is not just important to them, high command and the like, but it is also very important to me. Or more specifically, it is very important to those around me.” Toshiro's eyebrows raised imperceptibly higher.

	“You paint a very interesting picture for me, Admiral” he interjected. He always switched to titles when he was trying to be an impassive observer. For Sanjuro, it just made his words come out harder.

	“So I am not only concerned about the mission, but also about what will happen to them if something goes wrong” he managed to continue. “I am also concerned about how they will try and force my hand regarding their own involvement in this, and whether or not what they want to do is necessarily the best way of handling it.”

	“So, in basics, you are worried about what it will do to both Kathryn and Kura, and you are especially worried about what Kura will to try to impose upon herself because of it” Toshiro summarized for his own satisfaction. Sanjuro winced.

	“I was not naming names Toshiro” he chided, clearly annoyed. Toshiro simply shrugged.

	“But who you were referring to was obvious, so I took the liberty of assumption” he explained impassively. “I also assumed that knowing it was Kura and Kathryn you were referring to would not actually shed any light on the real subject of your current predicament. Unless it is somehow directly related to them in some way...”  Sanjuro glared at the screen.

	“Shall I just flick this off now then?” he asked flatly, eyeing the toggle switch. Noticing Sanjuro's change in emotion, Toshiro decided to pull back.

	“I apologize brother” he stated meekly. “Sometimes my curiosity can get ahead of my good judgment.” That was of course an understatement, but the problem had, if anything, gotten worse since he had become 'possessed' by Cothineal. Although her hold over him was less now than it once had been, Sanjuro could always tell when her presence was also staring out at him through Toshiro's ever-watchful green eyes. Of course, by this point Toshiro himself barely even noticed her presence, it having become so normal to him as to be almost mundane. But with both Toshiro and Cothineal being intently curious and reflective beings, they tended to feed into each others habits in this regard. Which resulted in these interrogations.

	“It's alright” Sanjuro conceded, his features softening again. “You are always just trying to get a grasp of the larger picture.” He could not really blame either of them for that; someone had to have an idea about what was really going on.

	“If I may make a recommendation...” Toshiro began, his mind having already dropped the previous tract to return to the heart of the matter.

	“Go ahead” Sanjuro granted more charitably. Toshiro once again gave him a quick nod before proceeding.

	“I would suggest that the first thing you do is give Kura something specific and direct to do, something she can focus her passion on. The worse thing you can do is make her a spectator, but at the same time you are correct that she will probably need to be reigned in somewhat if the situation is as you described.”

	“That is an interesting turn of phrase...” Sanjuro commented to himself. Toshiro did not appear to be listening.

	“Make it something important that she would be good at. Something that she would be forced by habit not to screw up. She may be wilful and a little hotheaded, but we both know that in the end she is not stupid.”

	“Such wonderful ways of describing my girlfriend since high school...” Sanjuro interjected again, wondering if he would now finally acknowledge the criticism. Toshiro paused from his lecture to consider his audience again.

	“I know brother, but I am just being honest” he answered frankly, figuring that honesty was probably the best policy.

	“Unfortunately, you are probably right” Sanjuro acquiesced quietly. “Alright, so what should I do about Kathryn then?”

	“That is more tricky” Toshiro admitted. Sanjuro brought his hand to his face and exhaled loudly. There were no arguments there. “What is your primary concern, that she will be too worried?” Toshiro asked. Sanjuro shook his head.

	“I do not think she has grasped it enough yet to really be worried” he explained grimly. “She is in almost a kind of daze, not really truly accepting that this is happening. That's the problem. If something does go wrong on this, I do not know if she would ever come out of it.”

	“Then you must anchor her in reality” Toshiro declared boldly, his mind once again already made up. “It is the only way she will accept what happens, no matter how it turns out. You must not let her run away.”

	“Run away from what?” Sanjuro stated, confused. Toshiro leaned forward dramatically.

	“From the real world. From her own life. She has been hurt too much in the past. I can see her simply refusing to accept it, and if that happens she will never be able to comprehend it, let alone deal with it. You must make her embrace reality.”

	“But what can I do?” Sanjuro called out, immersed by the strength of his brother's delivery.  Toshiro's face froze and locked onto him, before uttering eight stark words.

	“Prove to her that reality is actually real” he stated, surprisingly simply. Sanjuro nodded.


	The door swished open almost soundlessly as Sanjuro walked into the conference room. Nathaniel was, predictably, already seated at the desk studying maps and papers. He did not notice that Sanjuro had entered the room, and Sanjuro was struck by just how much the sight of him active and busy again compelled him to straighten his face and stiffen his back. This was the man he used to know. 

	“Morning Admiral” he greeted formally, distracting the old man from his work. Sanjuro was barely able to keep his arm by his side, only just fighting off the urge to engage in the customary salute that used to be the required greeting for the two men. Nathaniel paused for a second, slowly raised his head, and gave him a cold level stare.

	“Please do not call me that” he commented stiffly. Sanjuro smiled and shook his head.

	“You will always be an Admiral to me, sir” he replied, his tone rising in mischief. Something about Nathaniel's current outlook also always made Sanjuro want to return to his cheeky side. It was very much like the suicidal urge to grab a police officer's sidearm when it is being dangled from their holster in front of you. You did not mean any harm; fate was just tempting you, that is all.

	“Hmm...” Nathaniel mouthed loudly. “Some would not say the same about you.”

	“Some?” Sanjuro pressed, curious. Nathaniel exhaled and leaned back in his chair, beginning to return to his new more jovial self.

	“Do not worry Sanjuro, I am not one of them” was all he could add. The man he was addressing once again smiled and shook his head.

	“It is alright, I do not blame them for thinking it” Sanuro admitted, finally seating himself down in the chair opposite the old man. “I often wonder what I am doing here myself.”

	“As I said, I do not” Nathaniel repeated. “I could always see that you had it in you, even when you were a boy.”

	“I was an arrogant child” Sanjuro stated dismissively. “I do not see how that made me leadership material.”

	“And yet people looked up to you, my own daughters for one” Nathaniel laughed, a rare show of acceptance and pride in his eyes. Sanjuro knew enough to take the compliment.

	“Okay, why was that then?” he questioned. “It was certainly not anything I set out to do or anything.” Once again, Nathaniel had an answer.

	“It was because you led by example. You always put yourself into whatever you were doing, and most importantly, you expected nothing of anyone else that you would not do yourself. That is what it means to be a leader.”

	“A bit of a platitude, don't you think?” Sanjuro commented flatly. Nathaniel shrugged.

	“It does not make what I said not true” he answered simply. Sanjuro allowed himself to acknowledge this with a wry smirk. The man had a point.

	“I would have thought it was your own offspring you would have picked for Admiral material” Sanjuro stated, thinking out loud. “They are Akkarajus after all.” Much to his surprise, Nathaniel seemed dismissive.

	“I accept the compliment, but I do not think they would want it” he explained. “I think I know both of my daughter's pretty well, and their talents have led them down different paths from yours.”

	“Kura is the leader of her squad and security team” Sanjuro reminded him. Nathaniel wore a father's smile and nodded.

	“And she is doing very well in that capacity, I understand” the old man agreed, pride evident in his voice and features. He could see the confusion plastered on Sanjuro's face. “There is a distinction between the two positions which I think you may have missed” he offered for an answer. Sanjuro was still perplexed.

	“I fail to see it” he admitted, wondering even more if he was in the wrong profession. He simply could not see the difference. Nathaniel grunted, disappointed.

	“Kura is, I think you will agree, a very focused individual. She also likes to connect directly with people. She is inward looking and proficient at what she does” he elaborated. “An Admiral has to be outward looking and grasp the big picture, and have a vision. It was my lack of these things which led me to where I am today.”

	“She is too much like you?” Sanjuro asked. Nathaniel smiled wistfully.

	“I too once lead a security team, and I was even involved in the defence and occupation of an entire colony. We are the generals and we are the administrators. We do well in an area where we can focus, where obsession becomes an asset. Kura and I are best left to our own little empires.” His eyes glazed over with the weight of memory. It was something he was doing a lot this trip.

	“And I am different how?” Sanjuro interjected, somewhat tersely.

	“You were, as you said, just as confident and arrogant as we must appear to other people. But there is a difference – you think of others when defining your own personal identity.”

	“So, you are saying I can lead because I am insecure?” Sanjuro concluded, almost insolently. Nathaniel grunted again and shook his head.

	“Do not think in such limited, defeatist terms” Nathaniel snapped. Sanjuro felt his spine straighten again. “If you would listen, you would understand what I am saying. I am explaining that you are not satisfied with your own answer to any problem. You have to involve everyone.”

	“That is not what you would have said when I was serving under you” Sanjuro pointed out. Nathaniel sighed.

	“Why do you think you disobeyed my orders?” he inquired firmly. This proved to be an awkward question.

	“You want to know why I went against you?” Sanjuro asked weakly. The two men had both never fully discussed the matter with each other before. It was something which, even if both had found ways to accept it, they had never directly faced together yet.

	“I think we both know the reasons why Sanjuro. I just want you to actually say it to me” the old man replied. Sanjuro gritted his teeth and exhaled uncomfortably.

	“Well...” he started, the words not coming easily. “It was because you were disobeying the dictates of high command, and were threatening to hurt the people around me, including yourself.” Much to his relief, the old man smiled and nodded.

	“Yes, as you said, I was threatening the people around you” Nathaniel agreed. “You saw things that I myself could not, and saw past yourself to the people around you. That is what I lacked; I became consumed with myself. That is what I have always seen in you – that ability to look beyond yourself.” Sanjuro considered his response.

	“Maybe, but I was also doing it to save my brother. That is a deeply personal motivation” he commented after a pause.

	“We are all human, Admiral” Nathaniel replied thoughtfully. “But please consider why you made the decisions you did. The easiest choice would have been to go after Toshiro yourself. It would have been consistent with your mission and it would have given you the most direct opportunity to try and recover your brother. Instead, out of the two, you chose the choice that gave the least chance of personal gain but had the best opportunity of benefiting the most people.” Sanjuro did not know what to say to this.

	“It is an honour for you to say so, sir” he settled upon after some thought. Nathaniel grinned.

	“No, thank you for thinking of me. As you said, you set out to save me as well as everything else. You gave me the opportunity to think over what I was doing. Without that, we would not be here today and I could not put things right again.” Sanjuro watched as the smile faded and the resolve started to flash again from behind the old man's eyes. His mission could not leave him for long, and Sanjuro envied him for it. It had been so long since Sanjuro's own determination had governed his features. It was in many ways a refreshing sight. A thought then struck him.

	“What about Kathryn?” Sanjuro asked. Nathaniel seemed distracted.

	“Sorry, what did you ask?” he replied, as if he had become stolen from his own thoughts.

	“You only mentioned Kura, but I asked about both of them” Sanjuro explained. “Why is Kathryn not suited? She is one of the most empathetic and caring people I know.” Nathaniel's face lit up at the mention of her name, with an almost surreal veil of affection infecting his features.

	“She is a special person” he commented quietly. “She is not what either of us, her mother and me, expected her to be. She is someone neither of use could believe came from either of us. She has, as you said, a certain quality about her that makes her almost seem to read your thoughts. But she also never seems to feel sure about how to use them. She is afraid of power.”

	“Afraid of power?” Sanjuro interjected, intrigued. He never had thought of it that way.

	“Why do you think she gave up violence?” Nathaniel offered. “It was not so much that she was disgusted or upset that something happened to her mother, it was because she was scared of the idea that she could do the same to other people. Trust me on this, I still remember when she came and explained her decision to me. She was so anxious about telling me and yet still so sure of herself. I was proud of her for it.” Nathaniel studied Sanjuro closely. “You must see these same things in her yourself” he commented softly. “You must see these things in both of them.”

	“Yeah, I do” Sanjuro acknowledged, finally accepting his points. “It is interesting to hear the perspective of someone else who knows them as well as I do though.” Nathaniel shined with enthusiasm.

	“Well, we are doing this for them. And for her. And, as you have always served to remind me, for everyone else involved too.” He looked down once again at the maps and papers assembled on his desk. “We still have a lot of work to do. Let's get started again, shall we?”


	A red light flashed on and off in sequence, emanating from somewhere on a computer console, communicating a message that was being entirely lost on its observer. It was not that she did not know what it signified, but rather that she did not care to worry about it. The only reason it had entered her mind at all was due to its persistence. Most of the other lights on her desk either maintained a steady flat tone or continued to remain dark, with only this one persistent beam of red to remind her of the job that she was supposed to be doing.

	“Would she be proud of me, ignoring my work like this?” Kathryn thought bitterly to herself. In the past few weeks she had only put in the amount of real service she would normally have accomplished in a number of days. Not that there was actually all that much that was calling on her time at the moment, at least when it came to her active duties, but that was not really the point. She sighed and decided to take a quick look at the world around her. She found that not much was going on for anyone else either. That still did not make her feel any better.

	The only one that seemed focused on anything was Ensign Mathews, who was studying his console with a level of determination that was frankly unconvincing. He must have been trying to shut out the rest of the world again. At the moment, that particular issue was not Kathryn's problem. She did not feel particularly haggard or consumed by the world. Instead she felt separate, detached; an isolated observer watching events go by with weary but still passive bewilderment. Matthews, for his part, must have realized that she was watching him as he turned away from his console for a brief moment to give her a weak if timid smile. It was primarily her that he was ignoring.

	“Slow day, Lieutenant Commander?” he inquired politely. Kathryn considered the statement and nodded, even though in her mind it was not the day but her that was slow. She turned her attention back to the light, still flashing from her console. She finally realized that it was signifying that someone had left her a message. Kathryn wondered why it had taken her so long to make the connection. She gathered up her headset and wrapped it over the top of her head, brushing the hair from her ears as she placed the speakers around them. With a quick flourish of well practised movement, she called the message up on her screen and began to watch.

	“Lieutenant Commander, I was instructed by the Admiral to leave you this message” the man on the screen announced. “I have seen your mother, and the world that she is living in. After so much time, it can be hard to accept that certain things can change and that certain assumptions can in fact be wrong. It is my job as an intelligence officer to shake those assumptions, to provide fresh light on the real, adaptive, and ever changing world around us. I provide information to those who can not reach it for themselves. And so, at the Admiral's insistence, I offer you this bit of truth. May it provide you perspective on the trials ahead.”

	The image of the Agent faded to be replaced with shots of a strange facility, of guards and dim lights, rows of enclosed rooms, and finally, among the darkness of a cell the still image of a person, barely discernible against the drab backdrop of the cell wall. Kathryn stiffened as she realized what it was she was actually seeing. The image was dark and grainy, the figure almost indistinguishable, but she knew for sure that it was a picture of her mother. She stared at it, her mouth hanging open not in a gasp but simply because she had forgotten to instruct her body to keep it closed, letting gravity command it as it will.

	In a sharp sudden jerk of her arm she suddenly discarded the image from her screen. She looked away stunned, the significance of what she had just seen still making its way to the deepest recesses of her mind. Mathews turned to her apprehensively, wondering what was going on. Something about the look of concern on his face she somehow found amusing. She started to laugh, finally feeling a connection to the universe again. Mathews blinked confused, unsure how to handle this new change from his increasingly erratic workmate. She put a hand on his shoulder and got a hold of herself.

	“Do not be alarmed” she said calmly. “That was just my brain switching gears on me.” Matthews looked her over again and gave her a cautious nod. Working next to her was always going to be complicated, he decided.


	The door slid shut behind him as Sanjuro made his way out of the conference room and away from another exhausting session of detail and planning. All in all, he knew that all that should be done had been done, but he still wished for more time, even more time to get it right. As a Commander he had shown an impulsive streak which had irked many of his superiors, including old man Akkaraju himself, but it was a trait he was finding increasingly hard to carry with him into the Admiralty. He was now either bored out of his skull or constantly worried that he was doing something wrong. Sanjuro sighed and wished again for the steadfast determination and almost impish disregard that used to come to him so readily. So much had changed since then; he was now even getting to his appointments on time. Damn it all to hell!

	Looking out a window, the shape of a planet was now readily visible in the distance, past the vast array of lights and stars that seeped into the ship through every exposed port now that the lights had been toned down for the night. They were showing a planet that still was very familiar to him, even after all of time that had now passed. The planet was the colony world on which he was born, where he went to school and graduated, the place on which he met his friends, and the place where he had fallen in love for the first time. To contemplate the idea that it could still contain mysteries to him almost seemed stupid, and yet somewhere on the planet's surface was an isolated compound guarded by fanatics holding onto another bit of his past. It somehow did not seem right. He could now understand why they had managed to stay hidden for so long.

	Granted, the planet itself was never known as a haven for peace and stability; it was due to its many troubles that Sanjuro and Toshiro had lost both of their parents. The rebellious streak of many of the colonists was what also lead to the U.C.A creating such a large presence on the world to begin with, and it was this unease that lead to Kura and Kathryn's parents being posted there. It was because of the large amount of military families stationed on the world that the Academy where Sanjuro and Toshiro had studied and lived for the best part of their lives, and where they had first met Kura, Kathryn, and Baku, had been constructed. It was also due to the world's problems that Sanjuro had finally managed to leave it behind, flying off to other more distant trouble spots. Now it was it was this troublesome streak that was drawing him back to it again.

	He took a strange turn and walked down an unusually unfamiliar hallway. It was a quiet part of the ship, and one that Sanjuro had only taken the time to learn about during those unfortunate instances when walking through the more well known halls of the Leviathan had not been a viable option for him. He still remembered walking though these corridors listening for Nathaniel Akkaraju's loyalists or sneaking through them with Kura in pursuit of Donovan Disraeli. There was one spot, however, which he had found during the former excursion which he had bothered to save to memory, and it was to this place that he was preceding to go. He eventually found the door he was looking for, and stepped inside.

	In front of him was a large starscape allowed in through an unusually large window, with a small platform leading out to a computer console that seemed to be in the centre of it all. Underneath and above him was a large empty expanse filled merely with well processed air that the ship's life support system was dutifully, if unnecessarily, putting out to fill the rather unexplained void. It was perhaps not the best of designs thought up by the builders of the ship, but it was still an impressive sight, and one that was inexplicably shoved off into an almost forgotten, abandoned, corner of the ship. It was for this reason that he came here to be alone with his thoughts, as it offered him the best chance for solitude of anywhere on the ship. Only this time he was not alone; a figure was sharing the room with him, leaning against the guardrails at the end of the walkway.

	Sanjuro decided to walk up to to his unexpected companion and see who it was. The figure regarded him with a slight turn of her head before quickly returning her gaze back to the planet that was slowly but surely increasing in size before them. “It feels strange to be coming back here again” Kura commented, breaking the silence. Sanjuro nodded solemnly and leaned himself against the guardrail beside her. “But now we are going to set things right” she added firmly, her voice descending once again into malevolence. “All we need to do is get a little closer...” There was evidently no lack of will from her.

	“How did you find out about this place?” Sanjuro asked eventually, gesturing towards the wide expanse surrounding them. Kura smiled and shook her head.

	“I was actually just going to ask how it was you found me” she replied, considering the room. “I wandered into here during one of my security patrols. I was not aware that anyone else knew of it. Such a strange place to have such an interesting room.” Sanjuro once again bobbed his head in agreement.

	“I sometimes come here when I want to spend some time on my own” he explained quietly. “Much as I appreciate both of your company, it does mean that I can not count on my quarters to offer me a place just for myself.” A smirk appeared on Kura's face.

	“Funny, I come here for the same reason” she said, turning to him. “So where are we going to go for a place of our own now then?” Sanjuro laughed, and Kura grinned as the door behind them opened and a third person joined them on the platform.

	“Hiding from me are you?” Kathryn inquired, walking towards them. Kura and Sanjuro shared an awkward glance as yet another person discovered their haven of tranquility. “I have been looking all over the ship for you two...” Kathryn continued. “I had supper ready and no one to share it with.”

	“How did you find us?” Sanjuro asked, causing a vaguely devious smile to appear on her lips.

	“I managed to log into my console at Communications and used my authority there to track your communicator” Kathryn answered smugly. “You should really learn to turn that thing off when you go off duty.” Sanjuro instinctively reached for the communicator's off switch as Kura gave him a peeved glare.

	“You went to all of this trouble just to tell us that we missed supper?” she directed at Kathryn, who still wore a self-satisfied expression on her face.

	“Well, that and to thank Sanjuro for what he did today” she replied, finally taking in the view around her. “It really is an amazing place you have got here” she added quietly. Her eyes spotted the planet that was now looming before them and locked on, she too also understanding the world's true significance.

	“I never really wanted to go back there, not after what happened” she stated wistfully. “To think I would so willingly abandon my own history due to one disaster. All of those fond memories I had of all of us down there clouded by that one event.”

	“Yeah, but we are going to put it right again” Kura said, repeating what had now become her mantra. “No more needing to hide from it. We are going to make them pay for what they have done!”

	“And we are going to get her back” Kathryn added, her eyes still focused on the colony world. Sanjuro turned to look at her. That sounded encouraging, maybe she was finally beginning to accept it. She returned his glance with a knowing nod.

	“We all are going to have a long day ahead of us tomorrow” Sanjuro declared, suddenly beginning to feel more comfortable in his own skin again. “We better make sure that we are all ready for it.”

	“If we go now, your food might still be somewhat warm” Kathryn commented, as the three of them turned to leave. “Best not to sleep on it all with empty stomachs.”

	“Full stomachs, rested minds, and clear hearts. I think we'll be ready” Kura cheered, as the three of them left their place of serenity to once again enter the real world.


	Sanjuro awoke the next morning more rested than he had expected. Sleep had somehow come unusually easy to him, his worries melting away to be replaced by an odd feeling of resolve. It was almost as if his body had actually managed to accept the true weight of the situation and had, for once, taken steps to make sure he was prepared for it accordingly. Thankfully, the same appeared to be true for both Kura and Kathryn as well, who appeared to have fallen asleep as soon as their heads had hit the pillow the night before. Although, by the time that Sanjuro had finally awoken, they were already busying themselves and getting ready for the day ahead; they evidently could not keep themselves asleep for too long.

	“Good, you're awake” Kathryn observed, noticing him beginning to stir. Sanjuro could not help but notice that she was already in full uniform. “Father contacted us to say that he was waiting on you to get things moving. I had to lie and say you were getting yourself dressed.”

	“Late again, eh?” Kura interjected, an intimidating and commanding swagger already evident in her step as she entered the room. They both seemed ready for whatever was going to come. Sanjuro, meanwhile, was still blinking and getting his eyes adjusted to the light. Still, he was actually somewhat comforted by this turn of events; he was already beginning to feel more like his old self again, and it was his old strength which he needed so badly today. Even some of the old vigour that he used to always feel before going on missions was beginning to flow through his veins again. And he was certainly no longer bored.

	“I got some breakfast ready for you on the table” Kathryn added, before turning to leave the room. “Do not leave him waiting too long, okay Sanjuro?”

	“I won't” he assured her, finally climbing out from under the covers and getting up. Kura, her sidearm already swinging threateningly from her side, sat herself down on the edge of the bed and watched idly as Sanjuro proceeded to get himself dressed.

	“So what's the plan then?” she asked, the fire having already returned to her eyes. In retrospect, it was rather amazing that she had been able to keep it extinguished during the night in order to allow herself to fall asleep. Or was it merely smouldering during all that time?

	“I need to talk with your father again to get some final details worked out” Sanjuro answered, buttoning up his collar as he spoke. “You should get your squad ready and listen for my announcement. Nathaniel's reserve troops have already been briefed, but to our people this is still going to be a surprise.” Well, probably not a total surprise. Word of what was going to happen had undoubtedly already leaked out, at least partially. He certainly hoped that his men were smart enough to realize that something must be up. They would not have been paying attention otherwise.

	“Do not worry Admiral, my men will be the first ones on deck when the order comes” Kura enthused, the flame in her eyes flashing with even more searing warmth. “Just give the order, Admiral. We'll be ready.”

	“I am not on duty yet, Kura” Sanjuro reminded her, slipping on his jacket. Kura smiled and shrugged, a rare show of humanity escaping from her features.

	“Just getting in character” she said weakly. “It has been awhile since I really had to. I need to get myself back in practice.”

	“Worried at all?” Sanjuro asked, turning around to face her. Kura looked back up at him and and shook her head firmly.

	“Not a chance” she answered, grinning, as she leaned her head forward and allowed the two of them to share one last supportive kiss. Afterwards, Sanjuro felt the power of her eyes starring up at him, locking the two of them together for several moments as they both mutually considered the path ahead. Finally, her gaze turned away, allowing them both to escape back to their own private thoughts. “But please do not leave me sitting and waiting on this for too long, okay?” Kura commented, that slight hint of insecurity returning to her voice.

	“We will get this done together” Sanjuro warmed, as Kura smiled back at him and proceeded to get up and leave the room. Sanjuro sighed and looked himself over in the mirror. He would do, he decided. No matter what the day was going to throw at him, he would be ready.

	“I will get this done for them” he muttered quietly, as he too made his way towards the door and the world that awaited him outside.


	Nathaniel gestured for Sanjuro to join him at the table before he was even sure that it was Sanjuro who had entered the conference room. Sanjuro, in turn, compliantly sat himself down in the chair opposite him, once again feeling more like himself as a Commander again. It certainly did not seem like Nathaniel had called him here because he needed his go ahead, even if that was in fact the real reason why Sanjuro was here, and not that he himself was to be briefed on the mission and then shipped out. For his part, Sanjuro accepted and appreciated this illusion; he trusted Nathaniel's work on this matter much more than he trusted his own. He still did not feel comfortable with all of the planing involved, especially his own. Still, when he was on the ground that would be a different story. But Nathaniel did not in fact know everything about that yet.

	“I won't ask what took you so long” the old man commented, looking over his compatriot with a wry eye. “At any rate, looking everything over, I could not think of anything else to add. I guess that is as good a signal to get started as any.”

	“Agreed” Sanjuro acknowledged simply. Nathaniel nodded and started to again study his papers.

	“Let us go over it all again then. We have already sent our agent in to infiltrate the compound. He has already done what he can to provide us with its structure and scout the place out for us. For our attack, we shall split our men into three different groups. First, your best MCA pilots will begin to assault the military heart of the compound, while my ground troops do their best to engage the enemy elsewhere. Meanwhile, a small team of our most proficient soldiers will infiltrate the prison complex and try and ensure the security of the men and women inside.” Nathaniel paused before looking up at Sanjuro again. “Our agent will of course be accompanying them to make sure they know where they are going, but who else do you intend to be on this squad?”

	“The rest of the team will be Commander Akkaraju and myself” Sanjuro responded as nonchalant as he could. “We do not want too many people to accompany us as that will simply draw attention to our presence.” The old man just stared at Sanjuro blankly. This was not part of the plan.

	“Kura and yourself?” he asked, his voice surprisingly calm. Sanjuro nodded.

	“That is what we both agreed between the two of us” he answered. “Lieutenant Commander Akkaraju will also be our primary contact on the ship.” Sanjuro held Nathaniel's increasingly incredulous stare. “Problem?” he inquired, feigning misunderstanding. Sanjuro winced as Nathaniel's fist hit the desk.

	“What the hell are you playing at Admiral?!” he exclaimed, striking a tone Sanjuro had not heard from him since that fateful day when Nathaniel had stared down at him from the bridge of the Leviathan before going to set off the Kato cannon. “First of all, you are an Admiral now, you are not supposed to leave the ship! Secondly, my daughter should be nowhere near that prison! What the hell are you thinking of?”

	“She wants to be a part of it” Sanjuro replied, still holding the old man's increasingly threatening glare. He had hoped that this would not happen, but he had still been expecting it. Sanjuro knew about Akkaraju stubbornness all too well.

	“Then she can be a part of the regular ground assault. They need good people there to!” Nathaniel countered, rising from his chair. “She is too emotionally involved to help storm the prison. If something goes wrong and something happens to either of them... I can not put her in such a difficult situation again.” Sanjuro shook his head, before putting his hands on the table and leaning forwards to face him.

	“With all due respect sir, you are not the one in charge here. You are not sending anyone anywhere. That is my job. I have actually fought alongside your daughter, and I know her true abilities much better than you do. You will remember that she is a trained infiltrator? I need someone with her skills with me.” Nathaniel almost could not keep himself from laughing. That defence was absolutely comical.

	“But you are not even supposed to be there!” he stated, throwing his arm into the air. “All you two are doing is feeding into each others fantasies and neuroses and dulling each others senses!” Sanjuro remembered the words that Toshiro had said to him about what to do with Kura. If he was not someone who always kept to his senses then no one did. Sanjuro decided to stand his ground.

	“As I said, this is not your responsibility anymore. Your part has been played, and it is now up to me to decide how this is to be handled, and I have made my decision. This is my mission now.” Nathaniel appeared absolutely livid. Sanjuro hoped he had chosen his words right.

	“I was instructed to work with you again because they wanted you to reign me in” the old man said, his voice low but deep. “But now you are the one who is going too far. God damn it Sanjuro, can't you see you are acting just like me?!” Sanjuro did not know how to reply to that. Nathaniel pressed his advantage. “Maybe I was wrong about you. You're just as narrow-minded as the rest of us. You are just another one of us. And I thought I saw something in you!”

	“I have made my decision” Sanjuro repeated. “If you are not willing to work with it, than I suggest you simply walk away and leave this to me. If not, then I would appreciate your leadership. Your help will, and always will, be appreciated. But this is something that I have to do.” Nathaniel sighed irritably. Sanjuro watched and waited.

	“Of course I will do what I can” Nathaniel stated finally. Sanjuro nodded and began to head for the door. “But...” the old man cut in. Sanjuro paused.

	“Yes?” he asked quickly. It pained Nathaniel to say this.

	“I am going to have to inform high-command about my concerns over this” he said quietly. “I  can not just let it go.” Sanjuro turned to him and nodded.

	“Then you would be returning me a favour” he commented dryly. “I will now go and inform the men. You do as you see best fit. We still have a mission to accomplish.” He then turned the other way round and left the room. As the door shut behind him, Sanjuro paused and steadied himself. “I better be right about this” he thought as he proceeded down the hallway, headed for the Command Communications Office. It was time to get this show on the road.


	“Can you hear me Admiral?” someone asked in his ear, only to be crowded out by the sound of the dropship landing on the planet's surface. He felt his body leap up out of his seat as the ship's landing jets uneasily settled the vessel to a stop, leaving it motionless on the hard ground outside. The voice decided to try again. “Can you hear me Sanjuro?” she stated again, a slight increase in tone and a harder inflection evident in her transmitted voice. Sanjuro smiled upon finally recognizing it.

	“It is good to hear your voice inside my head again” he acknowledged warmly. Kathryn casually brushed off the compliment.

	“Good, I was beginning to suspect we were experiencing problems” she replied, her voice as rigidly professional as Kura's had been that morning. “Whereabouts are you now?”

	“We just landed on the planet's surface” Sanjuro answered, making his way down the ship's gangplank. “Just looking at it brings back memories. It is a shame you can not see it.”

	“I am not sure I would want to” Kathryn responded, a slight waver coming across just as it had done for her sister. “At least... not yet” she added quietly. Sanjuro understood. It all hinged on what would happen today.

	“Anyone ever tell you that you have a wonderful radio voice?” he inquired, changing the subject. Kathryn could not help but dig for the compliment this time.

	“How so?” she asked softly, her voice hitting an exact frequency that when mixed with the crackle and interference of the communicator always made Sanjuro's cheeks warm.

	“It takes the best out of your voice while taking the edge of your expressions” he explained, eyeing the mass of ground troops that were assembling in the valley ahead of him. “Everything is so smooth and calm, even when you are saying something important. It makes it very easy to listen and responded to.” The commanders were already getting their squads assembled. Everything was looking ready.

	“Well, that's nice” she commented distantly, her focus returning back to her work. “The MCAs have finished being deployed; all they need are people to pilot them. You better get things moving.”

	“Understood” Sanjuro replied, approaching the now uniform lines of men that were lining up before him. He felt like some classical or medieval emperor surveying his troops on an arranged battlefield. Unfortunately, his adversaries were not arranged in straight ranks and ordered lines but were instead hidden away in a crumbling fortress in the hills ahead of them. It would have been so much simpler if they were assembled before him just as his own troops were now. Then it would simply be a straight fight, with no need for concerns over storming onto hidden traps or staged encampments, and no worries about harming prisoners or captives. Everything would be so much simpler. Why were wars not handled like that now?

	“Admiral, our agent has managed to send us an encrypted message saying that he is in position and is ready to let you and your team into the prison grounds” another voice said in his ear, one that was certainly not Kathryn's. “He also informs us that most of their men are still inside their barracks. The time for attack is now.” It was Nathaniel Akkaraju.

	“Nice to hear you have my back on this too, sir” Sanjuro responded. Nathaniel grunted on the other end of the line.

	“Do not think I have forgotten about our words from before” the old man replied, no hint of humour or goodwill in his voice. “But I will see this through to the end. We will see how your leadership fares here.”

	“What words?” Kathryn asked quickly, evidently able to hear their conversation. Sanjuro decided to ignore both of their comments for now.

	“Ladies and gentlemen!” Sanjuro barked, beckoning the various commanders away from their squads and towards him. Everyone had already been briefed about the mission back on the ship; all they needed now was their specific instructions. Once all of the faces that Sanjuro could recognize had assembled themselves before him, he decided to start speaking again. “As was previously stated, our initial assault will consist of a barrage from a large force of MCAs, followed by ground-forces whose job it will be to hold and secure the area. These MCAs will need pilots.” He surveyed the faces of the men and women standing before him, as if he were making up his mind on who's squads would be piloting. In actual fact, this had all been taken care of back on the ship.

	“Requesting permission to have my squad be pilots, sir!” one of the Commanders exclaimed, the man's enthusiasm exceeding his patience. Sanjuro squinted against the sunlight to see who it was. Upon closer inspection he could see that is was Commander Dussault, a man who had served under Sanjuro back when the man was a Lieutenant. He recalled the last time they had properly met was during his last mission on Cronus before being sent to kill “Gabriel”, back before he knew that Gabriel was in fact his brother, or that Toshiro, Kura, and Baku were even alive. The situation had gotten hairy with the Fallen coming at them from all sides, and he and the rest of the squad had to make an emergency evacuation. As he recalled, the man could be pretty fast on his feet. Sanjuro smiled at the familiar face.

	“Granted” he acknowledged, his eyes finishing their sweep over the soldier's heads. “Commanders Hubbard, Kohler, Whitmore, and Bernstein are with him. I have transmitted the coordinates of the unit's locations to you, and you will receive further briefing upon arrival. Do us proud.” The five Commanders nodded before heading off and reuniting with their squads, mobilizing them to move out. Sanjuro turned his attention to the remaining officers. “The rest of you wait here, prepare your troops, and await further orders. You will make up the ground assault.” They all uttered a weary acknowledgement; everyone would rather be an MCA pilot. Sanjuro remembered the scramble that went on among himself and his fellow soldiers when he was younger, all over who would be chosen to be in the cockpit of one of those mighty beasts. It was rather childlike, really.

	“And where will you be Admiral?” one of the bolshier men asked. None of them had been informed about the prisoners and were only told that they were to avoid storming anything other than the barracks. They had certainly not been told that he was going to be leading a team tasked with defending them. Sanjuro once again smiled and tried to channel back some of his old charm. 

	“I will be around” he replied cryptically. Sanjuro noticed a smirk appear on Kura's face, who had slowly made her way to the front of the group. “However, I suggest you instead concern yourself with getting your own troops in order. And that applies to all of you.” The remaining Commanders swiftly saluted and moved back towards their men. Sanjuro followed, keeping a casual distance behind Kura. Once the two of them had made their way back to her squad, Kura stopped to address them.

	“I know we have all been practising hard, preparing for this day, and I know you will all do me proud” she stated, looking marvellously composed given the circumstances. “However, I shall not be personally among you. There is... something else that I must take care of.” Everyone's eyes flashed from her to Sanjuro, who was now hovering a short distance behind her. They knew that something was going on. “I shall leave you instead in the capable hands of Ensign Carmack. I wish you all the best of luck and a safe return back to the ship.” Kura, her little speech finished, gave a quick salute before turning away from all the eyes that were now firmly fixed upon her.

	“I am afraid that is not possible Commander” a voice called out, its source emerging from the crowd. That source was in fact Ensign Cara Carmack. “It is not possible because I am going with you!” she declared, stepping right up in front of her Commander. Kura cast her a dubious stare, as all of the other soldier's eyes settled on the new focus of interest. 

	“I gave you an order Ensign” Kura reminded her slowly, channelling her father. Cara managed to stand her ground.

	“Look, I think I know where you are going Commander, and I also know how much this mission means to you. Knowing what I know, I think the best place for me is by your side. For your sake, as well as for the good of the squad, I can not let anything happen to you. As such, I am to be going with you and the Admiral, whether you want me to or not.” Cara shifted on her feet, her body eager in anticipation. She had a fire in her eyes too. Kura frowned and sighed.

	“All right, you are with me” she decided quietly, as Cara produced a wide grin. “Command of the squad is hereby transferred to Lieutenant Lipsitz. It should have been yours by rank anyway.”

	“Understood Commander” Lipsitz acknowledged, as Cara followed Kura to where Sanjuro was standing. The other squad members turned away as Lipsitz started to bark out his own stream of orders.

	“You are a real piece of work, you know that?” Kura commented in a low voice. “I grant you command of the squad on an active combat mission and you turn it down in favour of challenging me to take you on some mission when you do not even truly have any idea what it is about!”

	“I did it for you” Cara stated simply. The two stopped for a moment as Kura thought that over.

	“Well, thank you, I guess” she replied, allowing a little smile to part from her lips. Cara smiled back as Sanjuro moved to join them.

	“So, where is she being held then?” Cara asked him, betraying more than Kura thought she knew. Kura's eyes darted back to her new compatriot as Cara let out a light laugh. “Okay, I admit I am not completely in the dark...” she grinned. Kura and Sanjuro shared an awkward glance.

	“Everything going according to plan then Sanjuro?” Kathryn chimed in, having heard it all through Sanjuro's and Kura's communicators.

	“Well enough” Sanjuro decided weakly. Cara continued to grin. 


	All the lights had gone out again. While this was probably for the best, when considering the greater mission, it did make navigating the winding corridors of the prison exceedingly more difficult. Especially troubling was the fact that he knew that, no matter how useful it could prove to be, he could not risk powering on his weapon's search light. He would hate to run into a lingering guard and have to explain his presence at this most critical time. This was always the most agonizing time to be an infiltrator – that anxious moment right before you are forced to finally break cover, where one misstep could not just lead to your own capture but the death of others as well.

	A sudden burst of light blasted into the room, disturbing his thoughts. The agent immediately straightened, his arm instinctively but cautiously reaching for his rifle, as three figures entered the room. “Don't worry Agent, all the guards will be busy elsewhere” a familiar voice declared, as the compound's lights dramatically came to life. The agent allowed himself to relax and present his commanding officer a respectful salute.

	“Admiral, I did not believe them when I heard that it was going to be you that was coming” he commented quietly. “It is not exactly standard protocol to send in your command staff on a rescue mission.” Sanjuro nodded gravely.

	“This is something I have to do for myself” he explained soberly. The agent looked him over somewhat doubtfully. He did not like last minute changes of plan.

	“But not by yourself” Kura reminded him, exerting the true force of her presence.

	“We've got your back Admiral” Cara chipped in helpfully. Sanjuro decided it was time to introduce his compatriots to the agent.

	“Ensign Cara Carmack and Commander Kura Akkarju” he directed, as the two women nodded politely. The agent raised an incredulous eyebrow.

	“Akkaraju?” he inquired dubiously. Sanjuro quickly decided it was time to change the subject. He had had enough of this particular topic for one day.

	“You may be pleased to know that the Commander has both training and field experience as an infiltrator” he commented positively. Kura allowed herself a brash smile in response to this acknowledgement of her talents.

	“Well, it won't do us much good if we do not get a move on soon” the agent replied earnestly, betraying no hint of real confidence. He was much more at home being an elusive intelligence officer than a would be action hero. “Come ladies and gentlemen, there is work to be done.” Sanjuro nodded and motioned for the others to follow as the sound of their marching feet resounded around the empty halls, the noise of each making the agent slightly wince.

	“Listen, I am going to have to maintain radio silence for the next little while” Kathryn informed the group though each of their communicators. “So until you have located and secured the prisoners, I am afraid you are going to be on your own.” Sanjuro sighed softly to himself.

	“Great, thank you” he commented facetiously as an audible click shut off their only remaining contact to the outside world.


	The group of four moved from one block of empty cells to the next, places once inhabited but now left empty and abandoned to all except the rats that seemingly managed to follow mankind everywhere. The sounds of their leathery, scurrying feet could be heard running along the floors, the pipes, and the ducts; seemingly the only living creatures to have manged to survive living down here. “This place has obviously seen better days” Sanjuro decided to himself solemnly, trying to focus on where he was going rather than where they were moving. Just as the group rounded the next corner, the lights suddenly cut out again.

	“Must have lost power because of the attack” Kura observed irritably. The agent immediately shot out his arm and forced them all to stop.

	“Set your searchlights to a low beam and be careful where you point them” he instructed tersely. The three of them proceeded to do as instructed except for Cara, who had unwittingly forgotten to bring a light with her when she had departed from the ship.

	“I will remember to discuss that point with you later, Ensign” Kura chided her quietly. Sanjuro simply shook his head as they all began to move again. The sounds of the rats were getting even worse now, almost as if the sound of their scurrying was being amplified by the darkness. Or maybe it was simply their minds heightening their sensitivity since they could no longer see them? Sanjuro noticed a large metal door in the near distance that appeared to be bolted to the surrounding walls, much like a bank vault. The agent noticed the direction of his attention and nodded.

	“Hopefully we will have more luck through here” he commented, striding towards it. Sanjuro, Kura, and Cara moved to follow, but the agent turned and motioned for them to stop and kill their lights. “Squeeze up against this wall” he ordered, gesturing for them to assemble at either side of the door in breach position. “After all, we do not know what's in there” he added darkly, as the three of them decided to do as they were told. Once everyone was in position, the agent decided to speak again. “After we get this door open, I want Commander Akkaraju to accompany me and help scout ahead. Might as will try and put some of that training to good use.”

	“Understood” Kura replied, enthusiastically. Sanjuro, Cara and Kura waited as the agent tapped in a key-command that opened the large vault door. Everyone froze as the door slowly swung open, but besides the audible creaking of its movement no other sounds could be heard. The agent gestured to Kura, who slowly nodded back, as the two of them slowly skulked their way inside. Then they waited. Minutes passed as both Cara and Sanjuro exchanged uncomfortable glances in the dark. What exactly was taking them so long?

	“The way is clear, Admiral” a voice said from behind them. Sanjuro and Cara quickly whirled around. They had not even noticed that Kura had sneaked past them again; she was staring back at them from the shadows, wearing a Cheshire cat smile. “We had to take out a couple guards” she explained, her smile quickly receding and returning to a more serious mood. “But we should now be able to explore the cells.”

	“Lead the way” Sanjuro ordered, reactivating his rifles search beam, an audible click popping in his ear, originating from somewhere. Kura proceeded to do the same and then led the pair of them to the first new cell. The agent was already standing outside it.

	“We can move onto the next one” he stated nonchalantly. Sanjuro peered into the little room. A body lay seemingly lifeless in the far corner. Kura stared at her commanding officer, her face ghostly white.

	“It is not your mother” the agent stated flatly, perturbed by their lack of progress. “She is a few blocks down.” Kura took in an unusually deep breath as the group proceeded to search the remaining cells. Most were empty, although one did contain another corpse.

	“This ones been recently shot” the agent commented, clinically examining the back of the body's neck. The dead man looked back up at him blankly, mouth hanging open, its still staring eyes glistening in the beam of the various search lights. “We have got to keep moving” the agent reminded them all earnestly. The four took another corner and started to proceed through yet another long cell block. This place had obviously been built with greater things in mind. After taking a few more steps down the dark corridor, the agent once again shot out his hand and gestured for the group to stop.

	“This one should be your mother's” he stated, moving to open the cell door. Both Cara and Sanjuro turned to look at Kura, who was watching expressionless as the agent entered the door opening code. As soon as the door had began to slide open however, Kura ran up and shoved the agent out of the way, bolting inside the cell. Sanjuro and Cara streaked after her as the agent watched from the door grimly. Inside Kura was stepping towards another body lying in a corner.

	“Mother!” she called out, bending down onto her knees and extending her hand forward. Sanjuro heard someone sucking in their breath through his communicator. Kura placed her hand on the back of the bodies neck, and felt that it was still warm and intact. “Mother!” she cried out again, trying desperately to coax out a response. The body on the floor shifted, its head turning to consider the new visitors.

	“Kura?” it asked in a familiar if dazed voice, an unreal expression on its face. Kura reached out both hands and gathered her mother up in her arms.

	“Oh thank god, thank god, thank god...” Kathryn murmured quietly into their ears. She must have been listening the whole time.


	“You're... you're a Commander?” she asked slowly. Kura simply nodded, silent tears streaking down her face. Her mother smiled up at her reassuringly.

	“It's alright, it's alright” she cooed softly, as if talking to a baby. Kura sniffled and cleared some of the tears away from her face, trying to regain her composure.

	“We have come to take you home” Kura commented softly. Her mother simply nodded. It was then that she noticed the figures standing in the doorway. 

	“Come in, won't you?” she beckoned, her curiosity piqued. Sanjuro and Cara did as they were told, with the agent refusing to move, staying in position to guard the doorway. She squinted in the dim light to see them. “Admiral?” she asked surprised. She looked him up and down, trying to take in as much information about everyone as she could. She then turned her attention back to Kura. “You mean you let Sanjuro get promoted ahead of you?” she inquired slowly. Kura laughed. 

	“Yeah, in the end” she replied, beginning to sound more like herself. It was no secret that back at the Academy, Kura had always fiercely piled on her honours, not letting anyone approach her status, but that was a long time ago now. So many years.

	“How are you Mrs. Akkaraju?” Sanjuro addressed her politely, unsure whether to refer to her by her honorific or by her rank.

	“Well, we are all a little older, but I'll be okay” she answered, continuing to look about at the various faces in the room. It was then that a thought struck her.

	“But what about Kathryn? Where is she? Is she alright?” she asked quickly, her eyes bolting from left to right scanning the cell intently. “Please let nothing have happened to her! Where is she?”

	“I'm fine mother!” a voice boomed from Kura's, Sanjuro's, and Cara's communicators, forcing the three of them to cradle their ears in pain. Sanjuro did not even know that she could remotely control their communicator's volume. Her mother had evidently heard her, as her eyes had stopped their frantic pacing and had focused themselves back on Kura 

	“Kathryn?” she asked confused. “Where is she?”

	“Back on the Leviathan” Kura responded irritably, still cupping her ears. “She's a Communications Officer now.”

	“Sorry” Kathryn apologized weakly, having cranked their communicators back down to a sane level.

	“The Leviathan?” their mother inquired quickly. “You were assigned to the Leviathan?” It actually was a big a deal; the ship was still the flagship of the UCA after all. With that, a smile returned to Kura's lips.

	“Sanjuro commands the Leviathan” she answered proudly. “But there will be plenty of time to talk about it all later.”

	“Indeed” the agent stated impatiently from the doorway. Just as he was finishing his statement, the lights decided to come dramatically back to life. Everyone grimaced as their eyes forced themselves to adjust to the new light levels. The agent's mind raced. Something big must be coming.

	“Sanjuro, listen. A squad of rebel soldiers broke off from the main battle and are converging towards your position” Kathryn informed them quickly. “We have sent you some backup but it may take them some time to reach you. For the moment, you may once again be on your own.”

	“They must have turned the lights back on” Kura commented, getting to her feet.

	“You are going to have to defend the prisoners until they get there” Kathryn continued, worry tinging her voice.

	“I recall that you were once a pretty good shot” Sanjuro said, turning his attention back to their mother. She looked back up at him unsure. “I know this is asking a lot, but can you still fight? We need all the help we can get.” Kura helped ease her up to a standing position. She considered the situation and took in a deep breath.

	“Give me a weapon” she acknowledged finally. Kura handed her her sidearm.

	“You may recognize it” she commented quietly. Her mother inspected the weapon carefully.

	“My old target pistol” she realized, getting a feel for it. Kura nodded. They could hear footsteps in the distance. 

	“We should separate and fortify ourselves each in separate cells” the agent declared, looking down the empty hall. “That will give us our best chance.”

	“Good luck Sanjuro” Kathryn said softly into his ear. “Good luck everyone.” They all reloaded their rifles. There was work to be done.


	As he settled himself in his newly fortified position, Sanjuro closed his eyes and listened to the world around him. There were so many sounds that he would normally have filtered out, but now he heard with amazing clarity; things like the slow creaking of the aging support beams, the slow but heavy breathing of his companions, not to mention his own, plus the scurrying of the oft mentioned rats, and of course the footsteps that were by now undeniably coming closer and closer to then by the second. Sanjuro's arms stiffened reflexively as one particularly hard stomp echoed around the cells. One thing was certain, they were definitely coming, but Sanjuro felt ready for them.

	“Remember, we do not want to leave any of them alive” a voice in the distance, barely audible but still recognizable, commented malevolently. “We have kept them for this long, and I am not content with letting them take them either.”

	“But what good are they to us if they are dead? Does it really make a difference?” someone else inquired, sounding considerably less sure than his compatriot.

	“Do you not yet understand? Nothing matters anymore!” the first voice replied darkly. “Nothing but scorched earth. We are finished, and so are they. That is all that matters.” Sanjuro was beginning to wonder if they even knew that they were here. Did they only come here to kill the prisoners?  They certainly seemed to be paying little head to keeping themselves concealed, that was for sure. “Kill Akkaraju first” the first rebel trooper ordered, rounding the corner, finally visible in their sights. “We have kept her around for long enough.” Sanjuro heard movement in one of the opposite cells.

	“You son of a bitch!” Kura exclaimed, her patience at an end. The rebel commander fell to the ground in a hail of assault rifle rounds. The others stood stunned for a few valuable seconds before retreating out of the line of fire. By that time Cara had also joined in, and together with Kura they had managed to make two more bodies hit the floor. Sanjuro and the agent held back, trying to determine how many adversaries remained. It would have been useful if Kura had waited for them to reveal there true numbers before beginning the assault, but that was in the past now. There had to be another way of ascertaining that most necessary figure. 

	“Kathryn, any idea how many?” Sanjuro whispered into his communicator. He was not hopeful, but it was worth a shot.

	“Too many. I am sorry, but we only have vague reports” Kathryn replied, confirming his suspicions. Her voice sounded surprisingly loud in his ears, causing Sanjuro to irrationally worry about it being overheard. “You can not lower your guard until backup reaches you. We are trying to get them to you as quick as we can, we truly are.” Somehow she sounded as if she were having a worse time than he was. Sanjuro decided not to spend too much time thinking about it.

	“They are moving, I can hear them” the agent added, finally utilizing his own device, his voice sounding more subdued in Sanjuro's ears.

	“Okay, then how many prisoners are there?” Kura asked, her voice still full of fire even through the hiss of the communicator. “We are supposed to be protecting them after all.”

	“Do not worry too much about them. The reinforcements will be securing the cells as they go” Kathryn interjected quickly. “Just hold where you are and make yourselves safe. Remember, I am monitoring your location; they do know where you are.” Sanjuro whirled around to see a figure leap to a standing position in his doorway, taking him by surprise. The rebels must have sneaked past while they were consumed by their radio chatter. Sanjuro raised his rifle but had it tossed out his hand, as the soldier kicked him to the floor. Sanjuro saw that the other cells were in a similar position, with one soldier assembled in the entrance to each cell. These rebels were not noobs; they knew how to operate when pressed. Sanjuro began to marvel at how this was a rather stupid way to die, as the soldier levelled his pistol directly at him.

	Just seconds later, Sanjuro had to quickly roll out of the way just in time to prevent the solider from landing on top of him, as a series of methodical blasts permeated the corridor outside. Sanjuro felt a renewed feeling of energy as he grabbed his assault rifle and launched himself back to his feet. “That was my mother!” Kura stated quickly, regaining her own composure. The soldier taking Kura's cell had failed to notice her mother lurking in the shadows. Sanjuro allowed himself a quick glance at the body of his own would be assassin, a bleeding red hole placed directly between his eyes. It was a perfect take down. She evidently still had it. Sanjuo considered the situation; the remaining rebels must still be all around them. It was finally time for them to take the initiative.

	“Come on, let's take these bastards down” Sanjuro commented, eyeing the hallway. “Kura, you are with me. Cara, you go with the agent. We move in opposite directions. Understand?”

	“Yes Admiral” Cara answered back quickly. Sanjuro turned to Kura, who nodded from the other side of the corridor. “Move out!” Sanjuro exclaimed, as both he and Kura popped out of their respective cells, firing a steady stream of fire from both of their assault rifles, the bullets ricocheting off the walls. Then they just kept walking, marching in a uniform order, holding a steady fire that kept any would be aggressors paralyzed. They both increased speed as they approached the end of the corridor, and then leaped forward, concentrating their fire in opposite directions to defend each others flank, each taking the turn at the same time but now marching down opposite paths. It was only then that the bullets they were spraying started hitting their targets.

	“Die, you hear me!” Sanjuro screamed, as he continued to mow down the troops that had assembled to take him out as soon as he had poked his head out from his cell. Sanjuro knew that at this point the most important thing was to keep their momentum going; they had to take everyone down before their ammunition ran out, and it would not be long now. There must have been about twenty of the bastards lined up in his sights alone; now there were only ten. Then there were eight. Then six, then four. Then two. His gun stopped firing with a heart stopping click. There was still one soldier left.

	Sanjuro reached for his sidearm, but knew that he did not have enough time. In another apparent miracle however, the soldier inexplicably fell to the floor. Sanjuro noticed that it to also had a hole right between the eyes. He turned to see a figure run towards where Kura was still firing her assault rifle at the opposite end of the hall. Sanjuro smiled as the gunfire finally died down. Hopefully Cara and the agent were granted as much luck as he and Kura had enjoyed. “Regroup back at Mrs. Akkaraju's cell” Sanjuro barked into his communicator. He was relieved to see four figures join him as he reached the rendezvous. The agent looked dismayed, Cara looked wired, and Kura overextended, but other than that everyone looked intact. Surprisingly, the person who seemed the calmest and most collected was their former prisoner.

	“You saved my ass out there” Sanjuro said warmly. “You saved all of us.” Mrs. Akkaraju simply nodded. It still all felt unreal to her.

	“Reinforcements are now storming the facility” Kathryn intoned, relief more than evident in her voice. “How is everyone?”

	“We will be a little sore and more than a little scared, but I think we will be fine” Sanjuro replied, looking everyone over. 

	“Good. A drop-ship is landing to pick you up at the southwest entrance to the facility” Kathryn continued. “It is not far from your current position, so hopefully I will be seeing you all soon.”

	“Let's get out of here” Sanjuro instructed, as everyone started to move out. A few minor altercations later, they finally popped out into the welcoming rays of the colonial sun.

	“Good to see you are alive Admiral” Captain Evans, the pilot of the LZ Minotaur shuttle, greeted them warmly through their comm-links. “Get everyone on board. We have a lot to tell you.” The group of five made their way onto the shuttle, back onto the Leviathan and back to a future some of them had once thought they had lost forever. 


	Nathaniel Akkaraju stared down patiently at one of the ship's many docking bays, awaiting the return of the shuttle containing his wife and daughter. The battle had gone well, all things considered. The initial bombardment supplied by the MCAs had successfully overwhelmed almost all of the rebel soldiers, most of whom were still trapped inside their barracks when the assault had began. Those that remained were almost completely overwhelmed by the UCA cleanup forces, who took only marginal casualties. There was the issue of the one squad that got away and made its way to the prison compound, but he would let Sanjuro elaborate to him on that before making his final judgment. For now there were other things to be concerned about anyway.

	“Hello father” a woman's voice quietly greeted from the doorway, as Kathryn entered the room. Her face was still flushed from her experience and her eyes still betrayed her worry, even if her emotion was slowly beginning to die down. Nathaniel knew that her fear was soon going to be replaced with something new, however.

	“They should be landing in a few moments” he commented, as Kathryn took her place beside him. They both began to consider the landing bay reflectively.

	“It really has been a long time since it happened” Kathryn stated out loud, voicing something that had been troubling her for some time now. “I wonder if she will be angry with us?” Nathaniel turned to face his daughter.

	“I honestly do not know” he answered back, looking Kathryn directly in the eye. “But that will be her decision. It is up to her decide how she wants to approach her new life, and we will find out what her choice is soon enough.” Almost as if on cue, the docking bay doors chose that moment to swoosh open as the comparatively minuscule shape of LZ Minotaur settled itself neatly in the middle of the huge expanse that was the still largely empty bay. Nathaniel caught his daughter's glance again.

	“You ready?” he inquired softly. Kathryn nodded back slowly. “Then let's get moving” he beckoned, taking her hand, helping to lead the way. They both descended down a narrow walkway, taking them away from their lofty considered vantage back down to the comparative reality of the docking bay floor, reaching the ship just as the last of its landing jets cooled down and died. A small hatchway opened, and a series of figures disembarked single file down the ramp to meet them.

	“Sir” Sanjuro acknowledged, stepping off the ship. He was followed by the agent, Cara, and finally Kura, her mother hanging on to her arm for support. Kathryn froze at the sight of her, unnerved by the age evident in her face but at the same time still surprised by how much she still managed look just like the woman who resided in her most distant memories. Her mother nudged Kura to stop, allowing her the time to also consider her daughter, much of the same thoughts running through her mind as had ran through Kathryn's. 

	“She looks so grown up” her mother realized, her eyes still gazing over her daughter. “But in ways I never expected. She... she is so beautiful.” As they both watched, the two increasingly struggled to find the right words to say to each other. Nathaniel decided to solve the issue for them.

	“You are looking well” he said awkwardly, stepping forward. Finally realizing his presence, she turned his attention towards the old man. He looked exactly as she had pictured him at least. “I have missed you” he added, his voice unusually plagued by unease. She continued to stare at him blankly.

	“You have been taking care of them?” she asked finally, after a gutting pause. Nathaniel did not know how to answer. He did not know how to explain. Kura decided to change the subject.

	“You're back now mother” she commented, trying to lift away the awkwardness. Her mother looked as if she were blinded by bright headlights, as if her current reality and her perception of it were somehow at odds with the real truth. “We have finally taken you home.” The agent had lost his patience of waiting on other people's neuroses.

	“May I be excused Admiral?” he inquired, eyeing the door. Sanjuro nodded, causing the agent to gruffly salute before finally leaving the room. The moment broken, Sanjuro also decided it would be best to move things along. Everything was still too heavy for everyone to handle.

	“We should get her to the medical bay to be looked over” he commented, turning his attention back to the group. “Nathaniel can help her from here. We all still have other duties to perform.” Unwillingly, Kathryn and Kura nodded and moved to follow him, their thoughts still managing to stay rigidly fixed to the room. While heading to leave the docking bay, Sanjuro wrapped his arms reassuringly around the two sisters. Their mother watched this somewhat perturbed, questioning everything she had seen. She turned to face her husband again.

	“You have to tell me everything Nathaniel” she stated, her eyes burning just as brightly as Kura's had done earlier that day. “I need the truth. I need to know everything.” There was so much he had to tell her, so much he had to explain. He hoped he had the strength for it. He looked back into her hard eyes and slowly nodded. He did owe her the truth. He owed her everything.


	Sanjuro walked wearily out of the conference room, the stresses of the day seeming to have finally caught up with him. From running down hostile soldiers to sitting in a surprisingly uncomfortable chair for the past few hours listening to the reports of various commanders, his body was now saying that it had had enough. It was not as if he could have gone to sleep even if he had tried, though. His mind was still racing, not yet content to mark the days event's complete and let him rest on his accomplishments for a while. Sanjuro stopped to lean against a guard rail and look out of one of the ship's numerous view port windows, considering for a moment those that now were permanently sitting on their achievements. Thankfully for him at least, they were mostly on the opposing side.

	Still, they had incurred some loses, and no matter how many times he had to face that fact it always still bothered him. There was also the matter of the recovered prisoners. While Mrs. Akkaraju had come out of her experience surprisingly unscathed, the same could not be said for most of the others. Many of those that were suspected or confirmed to have been held at the facility still remained missing, and several others were found dead, with the long-term health of the rest still remaining suspect. It also did not help matters that Sanjuro had now learned why Kura and Kathryn's mother was playing dead when they had finally reached her. In the past, when an attack on the facility had appeared imminent, the guards had in certain instances gone and executed some of the prisoners before being informed that it had all just been a false alarm. Because of this, some of the prisoners had learned to take certain precautions.

	It was a very good thing that when the actual attack did come, the rebels had remained unaware of it until it was too late for them to mount an effective reprisal. The guards had taken out some, such as the man that they had found with a newly placed hole in the back of his head, but Kura and the agent had thankfully taken them out before too much lasting damage had been incurred. On the other hand, because of their protective subterfuge, Sanjuro and his team had actually missed most of the survivors, who were in the end recovered by the more thorough and less hurried reinforcements. Even then, their numbers were few and their states were grim. There was at least one ray of hope; Mrs. Akkaraju was found to be fine, although they were still keeping her in overnight for observation. The exact same bed that Kathryn had been occupying was now being lain in by her mother. There was a certain symmetry in that at least.

	He thought of his argument with Nathaniel again, and wondered whose point he had ended up proving. There was so much left to think about. Sanjuro allowed himself one last glance out to the expanse of stars outside. It really had been a busy day. He closed his eyes for a moment and attempted to shut down his mind, but it continued to keep whirring and overclocking on him as if it were under the control of some buggy computer firmware. He sighed, opened his eyes, and pushed himself back erect. What he really needed was someone to talk to who also did not need someone to talk to themselves. He glanced at the clock flashing from a nearby display and ran the necessary time conversions through his head. “He can probably still be reached” Sanjuro decided to himself. He made a u-turn and started to make his way to Communications and the Command Communications office.

	Passing so many empty chairs, upon reaching his destination he promptly plopped himself into his own and proceeded to type in the commands necessary to call up Toshiro's image on the screen. He only hoped that someone on Cronus was there to answer. As requested, an image flicked to life on his screen. “Admiral” his brother stated, looking somewhat uncomfortable and distracted. “What is it that causes you to call me?”

	“Can we talk Toshiro?” Sanjuro asked, feeling as if he were interrupting something.

	“It is unusual for you to take the initiative to contact me on a whim” Toshiro stated awkwardly. He glanced off the screen at something for a second before his eyes returned back to what was for him merely the image of his brother.

	“You look like you need to unburden your soul” he observed, before exhaling gruffly and looking away again. “Regrettably, this is not a good time. Talk to me tomorrow morning. We shall have a lot to discuss.” Sanjuro simply stared at the screen, suddenly feeling as if he had no reserves left. Eventually, he got up his strength enough to let out a slow nod.

	“As you wish Toshiro” he replied quietly. His brother gave one last apologetic glance before the screen went dark again. Sanjuro leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. There was no escape for him anywhere. He allowed his eyes to close for a moment, all the various facets of the day floating through his mind. He watched, impassively, from some distant vantage as everything he had done slowly unravelled before him. When he did finally open his eyes again, he discovered that several more hours had inexplicably passed. He must have fallen asleep in his chair and never noticed it. “Kura and Kathryn must be wondering where I have got to” he realized, pushing himself out of his chair. He had done enough hiding. Now that he had managed to put everything back into perspective it was time for him to face his life again.


	Kathryn slowly twisted one of the shower's control knobs as more and more hot water cascaded down onto the top of her head from the water fixture above. She closed her eyes for a moment and simply focused on the feeling of the water running down through her hair. She allowed herself a satisfied smile as the fixture quickly proceeded to coat the rest of her body in the water's moist warmth. One of the benefits of being an Admiral, or in this case simply living with one, was that they no longer needed to frequent the public showering facilities. As such, one of the luxuries that she had once had to enjoy only during the infrequent times she was off ship was now almost always provided for her; that of a truly private shower. She slowly applied some shampoo onto her hands from a dispenser before  finally running them through her now thoroughly soaked wet mop of hair. In here, it always felt good to be alive.

	What she found to be especially pleasurable about a personal shower was how it seemed to be the only way to let her mind and her memories flow out of her body. In here she was warm, clean, inert, and contented. Nothing could trouble her, and it was not until now that she had truly felt contented again. Their mission had been a success; the events of the previous day had returned her mother back to her, and despite her still lingering questions she could for the moment accept and appreciate that fact. She grabbed a bar of soap and began running it over herself, covering her body in a purifying and cleansing lather. She raised her head and felt both the soap and her worries wash away down the floor drain. They would come back of course, but for now they were exploring the plumbing. She liked that.

	After a not inconsiderable time interval, she finally noticed the tips of her fingers and toes starting to wrinkle, causing Kathryn to decide it was now time to leave her little paradise. She killed the water, slid open the door, stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel down from the rack. She brought it to her nose and sniffed it. It was also still warm, clean, and fresh, having just recently been laundered. She liked that. She began ruffling it through her hair, before stepping forward again and wiping the condensed steam off of the mirror with it. She gave herself a considered glance over. There was no denying that she was starting to look a little more mature, but she was carrying it off well. She slowly ran the towel down her torso and lower body, and wondered how fetching Sanjuro would have found her doing that. She also liked that.

	The chime of someone signalling that that they were at the door separated her from her thoughts. Realizing that she was the only one in, she quickly grabbed a bathrobe off its hook and tied it around her midriff tightly. “Be there in a minute!” she called out, proceeding to head for the door. She walked over and pressed the door release. It swooshed open, revealing a figure which was still yet to become familiar again. “Mother?” Kathryn asked, confused. She was not expecting to see her again so soon. No matter. She was ready for it, right?

	“I have just been released from the medical bay, and I had heard that you had yet to report in for your shift” she said in way of an explanation. “May I come in?” Something about the way her mother looked at her made Kathryn feel extremely uncomfortable, as if she were seeing more than Kathryn herself could tell. She found herself wishing for a reason to deny her mother entry; that thought alone made her feel even more ill at ease. She eventually nodded and moved out of the doorway, finally allowing her mother into the quarters.

	“May I get myself dressed?” Kathryn asked, hoping that a change of clothes would change her feelings as well. She took a quick glance down at herself. It suddenly seemed all too personal – her robe, her body, her room, her life. But this was her mother – surely she had no reason to hide it from her? But what would she think of it, now that so much had changed? Had she let her down? Had she done something wrong? Was that why every time she was with her it was so awkward? Is that what she was trying to hide? Kathryn forced herself to look back up again. Her mother nodded, seating herself down in a convenient chair. She did not look angry or upset. Kathryn swallowed and walked into her bedroom, trying to lift her unease. She did make a point of locking the door, however.

	“I have got to get a grip” she realized, digging through her drawers. “I am just nervous. I just need something to lean on for the moment.” She grabbed one of her UCA uniforms and put it on carefully, taking care not to have it wrinkle or crease. She had to fit the part perfectly; this was to be her new persona. She reached for her hair brush - it had once been her mother's - and started brushing her hair back into order. She watched as she sanitized herself in the mirror; she was missing just one thing. Kathryn reached back into her drawers and found her red military cap, a mostly unnecessary addition to her regular uniform, and placed it on her head. She had barely ever worn it before. Nobody did. But maybe that was the point?

	“Let's move out, Lieutenant Commander” she whispered to her reflection in the mirror. It smiled and saluted back at her reassuringly. She looked respectable now – she did not look like herself. She would not show or betray anything. She was in control. Kathryn took a deep breath, unlocked the bedroom door, and walked out to where her mother was waiting. She eyed her daughter questioningly, now even more curious than before. Kathryn tried to ignore it as she seated herself on the couch opposite. An awkward silence passed between the two until her mother decided it was finally time to break the deadlock.

	“So, you're a Communications Officer now?” she inquired, her eyes still fixed on her daughter,  searching for ever more meaning on her. Kathryn felt that this was a good opening. It was an accomplishment that she could focus on.

	“Lieutenant Commander Kathryn Akkaraju at your service” she smiled, giving her mother a  quick salute. She nodded back at her distantly. Kathryn did not like that. Had her choosing this path been a disappointment to her?

	“I always had this image in my head of you and Kura going out on missions together, just like you always pretended to be doing when you went out and played together” her mother commented, her eyes going glossy from memory. “I remember wondering what you two were doing as I lay in my cell, imagining all the things you could be accomplishing together. I never thought it would just be you whispering something into her ear.” Kathryn shifted apprehensively.

	“I did it for you” she explained, her voice coming to her uneasily but still firmly. “After we thought that you were dead, I just thought about it and realized I could not bring myself to do the same to others as I thought they had done to you. I could not stomach it anymore.” Kathryn looked back at her, hoping for a little sympathy. If there was any on her mother's features, it was hiding among all the other thoughts that it was still trying to express for her.

	“Your father has explained the situation to me” she replied, as if trying to defer the question in her daughter's eyes. “He has informed me about everything that has happened.” Kathryn looked away. That meant that she already knew. It had been a silly thought anyway; she could not have hidden it from her indefinitely. I mean, her living in these quarters would have been indicative enough, but the fact that her mother had admitted to it showed that she now had to face it. She did not like that.

	“Everything?” Kathryn asked quietly. Her mother nodded again. They were both trying to keep their distance from each other. Kathryn could not stand it anymore. She closed her eyes and prepared. “What do you think of it then?” she said, opening them again. Her mother considered the question. Kathryn waited.

	“You are very special to me Kathryn” she answered finally.  “I always knew you had so much potential. You have grown in so many different ways. You are more beautiful than I ever imagined you could be.” Kathryn felt a knot untying in the pit of her stomach. Her mother looked away, letting her daughter escape her gaze for the first time since she had reentered the room. She could not look at her and say this at the same time. “However, I can not help but feel perturbed about some of what has happened. You are not who I thought you were, nor who I thought you would be.”

	“What am I then?” Kathryn asked, suddenly finding it hard to even move. Her feeling of hope had died. Now she did not know whether to feel angry or ashamed. Regardless, she did not like that.

	“I have trouble accepting some of your choices” her mother continued solemnly. “I can not help but feel that you have wasted some of your potential, and I saw so much in you - I saw so much in both of you.” Kathryn was waiting for her to bring up the real issue. “And I can not understand your current relationship with Sanjuro, or how it relates to Kura. What happened to make your life go so unpredictably?” Kathryn had heard enough. She had made up her mind. She had decided that she was angry.

	“I love him mother!” she exclaimed, rising from the couch. “And I will not let anyone take him away from me! Anyone! If you can not accept that, then you can not accept me!” She paused for a moment to gauge her mother's reaction. “I love him mother! If Kura can accept that now, why can't you?”

	“Because I am your mother” she answered simply. Kathryn's eye twitched.

	“Then you can live without your daughter” she replied, before turning on her heels and marching towards the door and out of her quarters. As she felt the door slide shut behind her, Kathryn brought her hands to her face and allowed herself to shake and moan violently. She felt something move on the top of her head. She grabbed the offending object and looked at it carefully. It was her red military cap. She scowled down at it. It had all been for nothing. She threw it to the floor. She stared down at it one last time before leaving. It had all been for nothing. She did not like that.
	

	“I do apologize that you were not able to avail yourself of my counsel to ease your troubled mind last night, but I felt the weight of my present announcement lay heavily upon me, and as such I decided not to speak with you until certain things had been fully realized and defined” Toshiro said, his words a mental maze that he expected Sanjuro to willingly wander through. He was becoming if anything even more cryptic with the passage of time. It was an odd thing that, just as he was beginning to more easily express his own humanity in his personal life, his relationship with Cothineal was causing him to realize and converse in so deep a manner as to make his humanity even harder to understand for other human beings.

	“I have something important to tell you” Sanjuro commented, intent not to loose track of the conversation due to his brother's rich mind. Toshiro smiled.

	“Then we both have something interesting to disclose” he replied intrigued. “As yours seems to have been weighing heavily upon your mind, I will allow you to express your situation first.” Sanjuro hoped that their entire discussion would not continue to seem this impersonal.

	“You know how I mentioned that we had a mission, how I said that it was an especially important one?” Sanjuro inquired quickly.

	“Yes, you stated that it related somehow to Kura and Kathryn and that you were worried about how they would respond to its conclusion” Toshiro recollected. “I take it I am finally going to learn the reason behind their involvement?” Sanjuro nodded.

	“I have been reacquainted with an old friend” he stated, enjoying watching the look of fervent thought evident on his brother's features. It was good to know that he did not always hold all of the cards. “Their mother is alive Toshiro. We have her aboard the ship.” Toshiro's eyes froze, before slowly rising up to reconsider his brother's image.

	“Mrs. Akkaraju?” he asked, that formal title having been ingrained into their minds since they were children. “How is that possible?” Sanjuro grinned.

	“Now that is a long story which I think our former Admiral could explain better than I can” he responded. “She is alright though. She has had quite the experience, but she is alright.” Toshiro nodded fervently.

	“Yes, she would have” he commented distractedly. “And how are Kura and Kathryn taking it then? I can now understand the true reasons behind your concern.” Sanjuro exhaled loudly as he thought the question over.

	“Kura is happy, I think she is accepting it fine” Sanjuro answered finally. “I am still a little worried about Kathryn though.” Toshiro smiled comfortingly.

	“That situation will resolve itself in time” he stated reassuringly. “I guess this means I will need to be extending yet another invitation out to her then. My list keeps on growing.” Sanjuro looked over at him confused. “Ah, but you forget that I too have an announcement as well” Toshiro realized, his smile widening to a grin. “We have been planning it for weeks, but the final details have now been finally agreed.” Toshiro paused, preparing himself. “I am getting married Sanjuro.” His brother blinked.

	“To Samantha?” Sanjuro asked. Toshiro nodded happily.

	“Who would ever have thought that I would be committing myself to marriage long before you do?” he mused, his face beginning to glow. Sanjuro nodded and smiled back.

	“Life can be unpredictable sometimes” he stated quickly. “Congratulations. When is the big day then?” Toshiro was still grinning widely.

	“The real question is when can you get here?” he inquired, more expressive than Sanjuro ever recalled seeing him. “We can not start anything without our best man, can we brother?”

	“That is your way of asking me then is it?” Sanjuro commented coolly. Toshiro nodded.

	“It is important for it to be this way. This wedding will be about more than just Samantha and myself; we want it to be a ceremony to celebrate the peace and tranquility we have managed to achieve on this planet. We wish to welcome our past enemies as well as our friends. Having a UCA Admiral at the ceremony, even if it is only you Sanjuro, would send a powerful message. Won't you help us express this grand thought?” Sanjuro smiled at his brother's delivery. He was becoming quite a capable politician.

	“Of course I will be your best man Toshiro” Sanjuro replied finally. “I will be honoured to help you in anyway I can.” Toshiro nodded, a thought entering his mind.

	“I assume given the current circumstances that you would have Nathaniel Akkaraju on board?” Toshiro asked, opportunity being realized behind his still stark eyes.

	“Yes, he's here” Sanjuro answered, his thoughts briefly returning to the discomfort of his previous conversation with the old man. “You wish to invite him as well?”

	“I wish to invite everyone brother. It is especially important for him be there, however.” Sanjuro knew what his brother meant.

	“Are you sure that is such a good idea? You may have forgiven him, but can the same be said about your followers?” Toshiro shook his head gravely.

	“That is what we hope to change. So many wounds have been healed already. We must keep pressing this process forward. As I said, we wish to welcome our past enemies as well as our friends. Everyone is welcome here.” Sanjuro nodded.

	“I will talk to him then” he replied simply. “As long as you know what you are doing.” Toshiro looked at him seriously.

	“Always brother” he commented brashly. “Always.”


	Kura was fully aware that she was smiling too much, moving the expression from being an endearing deceleration of companionship to simply being just plain unnerving. She attempted to catch herself and keep her face under control. It was not easy. She had not expected her mother to just drop in on her as she was finishing off her shift. As far as she knew, her mother should have still been stuck in the medical bay. The two had so far gotten on well, but Kura still felt as if she were meeting with a stranger, albeit a stranger that knew her altogether too knowledgeably for comfort. At least for the moment; she hoped that they would learn to trust each other again fairly soon.

	Mrs. Akkaraju, for her part, was at that particular moment paying less attention to her daughter than to the place that her daughter was taking her. Kura had rarely ever thought about how comparatively large and vast the corridors and rooms on the Leviathan were in comparison to most other vessels, having now gotten so accustomed to living and working on the flagship. To someone who had spent a good deal of her life inside a tiny cell however, it was still very much a big deal. “I remember hearing about when this ship was originally being built, but I never thought I would be able to one day step aboard it” Mrs. Akkaraju marvelled, her eyes exploring the various facets of the hall. “And you managed to get yourself posted to it, and live with the person who commands it.” Kura allowed herself to smile at her mother's show of pride.

	“Well, it is not exactly the most impressive ship in the fleet anymore” she added modestly. “Now that the flow of Kato has been reassured they have already started work on the Ambuscade and are drafting plans for the Anomalous. We may not be able to hold onto our lofty status in the fleet for long.” Her mother did not seem all that interested in the technological update; it all still seemed impressive to her. Ensign Carmarck, who had somehow managed to invite herself along, did feel the urge to comment however.

	“Yeah, but we have got prestige now” she enthused. “This is still going to be the ship everyone wants to be assigned to, simply because it is the one that was involved in the Croniain Revolution. We've got history.” Mrs. Akkaraju turned to consider their bubbly companion.

	“You're the Ensign that was with Kura as part of the team that recovered me, correct?” she inquired, having yet to make a formal introduction with her. Cara nodded and grinned.

	“Yep. Ensign Cara Carmack, Ma'am” she answered enthusiastically. “I also work under your daughter as part of her security team. It really is an unexpected pleasure to be able to finally make your acquaintance, Ma'am.” Kura's mother nodded back affably.

	“I noticed that you were pretty quick on your feet down there” Mrs. Akkaraju commented. “Is that your own initiative or did Kura have to beat that into you?” 

	“Oh, a bit of both” Kura interjected, responding to Cara's level stare. “She is a very good soldier, but she does need to be reigned in on occasion.” Kura was not certain that her mother had wished for anyone else to tag along, but she was kind of glad of Cara's company herself. She felt as if it gave her something normal to lean on.

	“You show promise Ensign” Mrs. Akkaraju stated genially. “I can see you commanding a squad of your own someday.” Cara accepted the compliment.

	“Thank you Lieutenant” she replied, remembering something either Kura or Kathryn had told her at one point. “That is your rank, right?”

	“Used to be, yes” Mrs. Akkaraju responded, having not really thought about it until now. “I suppose it does still apply.”

	“Well, whatever your rank, it does not really matter tonight” Kura interjected, taking her party to their final destination. “I say we go and toast the fact that we have all somehow managed to keep on living.” Carla recognized Kura from behind the bar and smiled amiably towards her. There were no frowning faces here today.

	“Ah, you again. I am afraid you are going to have to pay for your own drinks this time Commander” she stated apologetically. “I may still be grateful for what you did to Schultz, but I do still have to earn a living you know.” Kura nodded and ordered their drinks. “Who is you and Cara's companion then?” Carla asked, spotting Mrs Akkaraju hovering behind them.

	“She's my mother” Kura smiled, handing over her credit chit. Realization dawned on the barmaid's face.

	“Oh yes, I had heard about her recovery. Always a pleasure to meet an Akkaraju, especially another one that has been brought back from the dead” she grinned from behind the bar, extending a hand. Mrs. Akkaraju took it and smiled back weakly.

	“Thank you” she replied quietly. Kura led them to a quiet table away from most of the noise and sat herself down. “So, this is how you spend your evenings is it?” her mother asked, seating herself in the chair opposite.

	“Some of the time” Kura admitted, taking a sip from her glass.

	“A lot of the time” Cara added cheekily. It was Kura's turn for the level stare.

	“Most of my time is taken up with work, and when it is not devoted to my squad, it is spent at home with either Kathryn or Sanjuro. This offers me the best opportunity to do something of my own.” She took another sip from her glass.

	“How well do you get along with your sister?” her mother inquired, eyeing her own but not committing to drinking it. Kura could tell that this was a deliberately probing question. She took another sip.

	“Fine, I kind of have to” she answered awkwardly.

	“I say they get along fairly well” Cara interjected helpfully. “They spend most of their time talking about each other if anyone is willing to listen.” Mr.s Akkaraju smiled and finally allowed herself a drink from her glass. Seeing that made Kura feel a lot more comfortable. Still, she noticed that something about the situation still seemed to be troubling her mother. Kura wondered if she had already dropped in on Kathryn or not. She also wondered how such a meeting would go.

	“Can I have a moment with her on my own please?” Kura asked Cara, who registered her companion's thoughts and nodded understandingly. Even she knew better than to overstay her welcome for too long. She picked up her glass and headed off for another table, her eyes still watching the drama unfolding in front of her from a distance. She would not let herself miss out on all of the fun. Kura's mother stared at her daughter quizzically. Kura took in a deep breath before speaking.

	“Look, about Sanjuro, Kathryn, and everything...” she started, aware that her father had already filled her in on their present situation. “I want you to know that it does work. It took awhile, I admit, for everything to get back to normal between the three of us. But I did come back from the dead, and you can not just walk away from that. You will learn just how hard that can be, and I was only away for a relatively short time. I hate to think about what you are going to have to go through.” Kura's mother nodded solemnly.

	“I am beginning to understand” her mother replied, a sad smile appearing on her face. “Everything is so different from how it was.” Kura leaned her head forward sympathetically.

	“Is that what is primarily bothering you?” she inquired. Mrs. Akkaraju shook her head.

	“No” she stated quietly. “It is that everything is different from what I expected it to be. What I imagined it to be.” Kura thought the situation over.

	“I guess I can understand that” Kura commented. “Things were not going at all how I imagined them to be here when I went missing either.” Mrs. Akkaraju's features hardened upon hearing her daughter's expression.

	“You should never have been put through that” she said, her voice clouded by both concern and regret. “That was never supposed to happen to you. To any of you. It all could have been so different.”

	“And you were never supposed to have died on us either” Kura remarked dismissively. “These things happen, and we have to put them behind us.” She decided that she needed a bit more honesty in order to make her case. “I do admit I was bitter for awhile about what happened with Sanjuro, about father sending me on that mission, and even about loosing you. But, looking at these things in perspective, I now realize now how much of my life I wasted doing that, and to be honest, I do not think you have enough life left to waste.”

	“Most of my life has already been wasted” her mother replied, her voice heavy with melancholy. “But I will spend the rest of it doing right by both of you. I just need to figure out how.” Kura decided that she needed to actually voice her question.

	“Have you spoken with Kathryn about any of this?” she inquired. Her mother looked up sharply. Kura sighed. There was trouble on the way.


	Nathaniel Akkaraju emptied a bottle of liquor into two drinking glasses before handing one of them over to his still uneasy guest. Sanjuro attempted to study the old man's face as he poured, but it still bore no discernible expression, at least as far as he could figure out. He did know that he would have had to talk things over with the old man eventually, for Toshiro's benefit if nothing else, but he was still surprised when he found out that it was in fact Nathaniel who had actually taken the initiative, having invited him over for a drink in his quarters. He just hoped that the old man was trying to rebuild bridges, rather throw more fuel onto the flames that had began to consume them since their last real conversation.

	“To all of the fairer Akkarajus, all of them” he toasted, handing Sanjuro his glass while at the same time moving to raise his own. Sanjuro proceeded to do the same with his, the gesture causing the younger of the two men's thoughts to once again turn to the current status of both Kura and Kathryn. He had not yet had the opportunity to check on either of the two women since the proceeding morning, his usual lunch break having been taken up by the ever continuing quagmire of processing even more post-mission matters, work that made him feel more like an administrator than a military commander. He just hoped that they were still handling things as well as they had seemed to be earlier in the day.

	His thoughts were disturbed by Nathaniel gesturing for him to take a seat on the rather large couch that actually took up much of his guest quarters, with Nathaniel seating himself in an also rather large chair on the opposite side of the strangely claustrophobic room. “You are probably tired of telling your story to everyone by now” he said, his eyes fixing themselves on his guest. “But you have now debriefed everyone but me, and I think I have the right to know what happened during the mission I planned.” Sanjuro hoped that was not reproach he detected in his voice.

	“What do you want to know?” he asked, taking a nervous sip from his drink. It turned out to be considerably stronger than he had anticipated, but he managed to contain his surprise behind a slight wince. Nathaniel's features softened slightly at the sight of his apparent discomfort.

	“Do not feel too wretched Admiral” he stated calmly. “It is I who should have felt the wrath which I have been rather unfortunately spared, but she proved a far more forgiving soul than I had feared.” Sanjuro understood who he meant.

	“Am I going to be reported then?” Sanjuro inquired, deciding that this was probably the most tactful time to bring up their previous conversation. Nathaniel took a considered breath.

	“I heard you had some trouble in the cells” the old man reminded him. “You were still never supposed to be down there, and if things had turned out differently, I do not know what it would have done to them.” Sanjuro nodded, not disputing the point.

	“But they did do their jobs” Sanjuro pointed out, figuring it best to incorporate his praise for Nathaniel's daughters as part of his argument. “And we did recover her, and I think they are the better for knowing that it was them who did it and not some random strangers. I mean, we are really discussing a personal point and not a matter of procedure, are we not?” This time it was Nathaniel's turn not to dispute a point.

	“Yes, you did recover her” he acknowledged, his mood appearing to have become a tad sanguine. A little smile appeared on his lips, contrasting the rather dark mood that permeated the rest of the room. “She did say that she was pleased that it was Kura who had found her, as if it were something out of her dreams. Did you somehow guess that Sanjuro?”

	“Not really” Sanjuro replied, considering his motivations. “I just felt it was the right thing to do.” Nathaniel nodded solemnly.

	“I spent most of my time as an Admiral doing what I thought I had to do, rather than what I thought I should do” he explained quietly. “I ascended to the admiralty because of something I didn't do rather than something I did do, and it was not until now that I was finally able to rectify that.” He stared into his glass, analyzing his reflection in the almost clear liquid. “I was wrong” he admitted finally. “You were not acting like I would. You were just acting like the man I always knew you were, and I once again could not look past myself to see it.”

	“You were going to get them to chastise me because you were worried about me seeming to be too much like you?” Sanjuro asked, the thought striking him as amusing in some oddly deep way. The question also caused a smile to return to Nathaniel's lips, a reaction that Sanjuro had once again not been anticipating, only this time there was no need to hide any discomfort over the incident.

	“Just taking a word out of your own book” the old man explained sedately. “When I was in the U.C.A, I devoted myself to the organization and tried to align myself to its own principles and practices. You no doubt remember me as being quite the disciplinarian. But to truly contribute to a service you can not simply follow its edicts, you have to contribute your own thoughts and views, and as such improve the whole. You need to pledge your mind as well as your body.” Nathaniel paused to take another sip of his glass, hoping that a little time would help aid his message in sinking in. Sanjuro watched this all quietly from his position on the couch, having become quite accustomed to being lectured back in the days when Nathaniel did in fact not follow his current advice.

	“How do you refer to the organization that you pledge allegiance to? Do you speak of it as being some external force, or as something that you are a part of? I do not think I ever truly grasped the distinction when I was in command. You need to act for it by expressing yourself, using it to advance the universe as you see fit. In order for you to contribute to it you have to make it your own. If you don't, you just breed cynicism or dogmatism, and that basically sums up what I had become. You were different through. You always tried to use it to advance what you thought was right, and by doing so you not only benefit yourself but the U.C.A as well. You saw things I could not. You contributed more than I ever could have.”

	“So by contributing your concerns you hoped to benefit the organization by contributing yourself” Sanjuro concluded, stopping Nathaniel's speech before he could have the chance to start repeating himself. Nathaniel nodded, for once seeming happy about the apparent brightness of his self appointed pupil. Sanjuro considered what had been said and decided that it provided a good opportunity for him to segue in another important matter of discussion.

	“There is someone else I know that wants to benefit the world by advancing himself” Sanjuro stated, constructing his statement from his elder companion's previous words. Nathaniel turned a curious eye over to the younger man, astute enough to realize that this was a leading statement and that it was a statement that was somehow going to evolve to involve him at some point.

	“Yes?” he prompted genially. Sanjuro ran his words one last time through his head before giving speech to them, something he always did when he wanted to be charismatic.

	“My brother revealed to me today the he was getting married. You have met her, and I am sure you will be comfortable with the relationship. But he wants you to offer more than just your good will and kind sympathies. He wants you to be there.” Sanjuro let the enormity of what he said sink in, the significance of which was not lost on Nathaniel.

	“On Cronus?” he asked, his voice flat and expressionless. Sanjuro knew that the old man never expected to ever see the world he almost cursed ever again, but Sanjuro also knew that Toshiro was depending on him to sell the idea to him. His brother's goals were lofty, and Sanjuro's enthusing had to be sincere. He quietly cleared his throat and began to speak again.

	“He is hoping to use the event to try and heal his world, and he wants you to be a part of it. Plus, you are the closet thing to a father we have left, and I am certain that he would want you there just for that. But he does have something more profound in mind.” Nathaniel nodded, an expression of resolution contorting on his considerably wrinkled face.

	“He makes a noble invitation, and one I have to accept” he assented, his current feelings seeming philosophical and well in tune with the phrasings both Toshiro and Sanjuro had used to make the offer, helping wrinkle over notable, but on the whole still niggling, misgivings. “I just hope that he knows what he is doing.” Sanjuro grinned at the old man's addendum.

	“That was my response to it all too” he stated warmly. “Perhaps we are more alike than you think.”

	“I would consider any resemblance to you to be an honour” Nathaniel smiled back, raising his glass for the final toast of the evening. Sanjuro raised his own, happy to share in one rare moment of symmetry and duality finally allowed upon them by a hostile and often unforgiving universe. 


	Kura noted the digits being displayed by one of the wall-clocks as they passed, her mind shocked by how much time they had spent together that evening. Her mother leaned on her arm, her strength having long since left her. It bothered Kura how weary she seemed, even though she knew that she really should be grateful about how healthy her mother actually was. Word had reached her about some of the other prisoners, and what word there was always turned out to be grim. Kura gently guided her mother through the winding corridors, her mother's eyes flitting about in their sockets, not due to any particular force of will or interest, but rather due to the fact that she seemed to feel no need to compel them to focus on any one thing at all, and instead just let them bob about as they pleased, her weariness now that complete.

	Having finally reached their intended destination, Kura moved to apply some pressure to the door chime with her free elbow and was surprised to see that it was Sanjuro who greeted them in the now open doorway. Her mother's listless eyes regained some of their previous vigour, focusing on him almost with the same inescapable scrutiny that she had previously applied to her daughters, betraying the fact that Sanjuro must now be weighing heavily in her thoughts. Kura wondered what kind of picture she was building of him, and whether it was a positive one or not. “Good evening” Sanjuro stated politely, aware that he was being observed. He then quickly moved out of the way to allow Kura and her mother past, with the older of the two women directing her daughter to place her down on the couch in Nathaniel's guest quarters, her tired form collapsing on its soft surface.

	“How is she?” the old man asked Kura from his position on the opposing chair, Nathaniel also noticing the decline in his spouse's livelihood.

	“She just had a long day” Kura replied, masking her own concerns. Considering it all though, it did make some sense that such activity as she had experienced today would have worn her down to this somewhat disconcerting degree. Such exertions would genuinely seem rather new to her, considering she had now spent so much of her time in a cell with very little opportunity for physical exercise or exertion. Kura also contemplated on the state of her mother's mind, wondering how many mental challenges and activities she had been offered by her captors. She thankfully seemed to still be quite lucid and composed, meaning that she must have had something to occupy her thoughts other than vague reminiscences and fantasies. She speculated that she must have been given at least a little company some of the time, as her interpersonal skills had not degraded to any real perceivable degree, at least not that Kura herself could tell.

	Such ideas were inevitably left as conjecture however, as every time Kura pressed her mother for some more concrete details about her life in the cells she always endeavoured to change the subject, as if she considered the time she spent there to be of complete irrelevance to anyone. She seemed to be burying all of those empty years, while at same time tangibly feeling their loss when it came to more productive pursuits. Kura did not know if that was healthy, but did not know how to voice her concerns. There must have been something of value that lessened her loss and kept her going through much of those dark days, and Kura was keen to find out what. Still, for the moment the best thing they could probably do for her was to just let her rest for now.

	“You two can go off together, I promise I will take good care of her” Nathaniel commented, grabbing a blanket from the bed and placing it on top of his wife. She stirred slightly upon registering that the two of them were going to be leaving together, and jerked her head up in order to face them.

	“Good night and thank you Kura” she said weakly. “I am glad to know that I can still talk to you after all these years apart.” Kura nodded, although her eyes suggested that something about the remark caused her to feel a little disquieted. Sanjuro grabbed her hand and led her out the door, his eyes now gazing over her with concern.

	“How are you holding up?” he inquired, still cognizant of the the fact that this was the first time that he had been able to see either of the two sisters since earlier that morning. Kura smiled slightly and shook her head dismissively. 

	“Don't worry about me, I'm fine” she reassured, squeezing his hand warmly. “She came to see me as soon as I had finished my time with my squad, and we had a nice long talk together.” Sanjuro nodded and allowed himself a weak smile as well.

	“Yeah, I did the same with your father” he commented, the recollection reminding him of his other conversation with Toshiro earlier in the day. “I had something important to tell him, and I need to tell you about it as well.” Kura raised a curious eyebrow.

	“What else can happen to us now?” she asked, an expression of almost weary amusement pasted over her features. Sanjuro grinned at the sight of it, her mirthful cynicism seeming to him to demonstrate a reassuring level of normality that the past few days had been sorely lacking of.

	“Nothing like that. Toshiro is getting married” he explained, the two of them pausing for a moment in the corridor. Kura nodded knowingly.

	“Finally gotten around to asking Samantha has he?” she asked, already contented with the idea of such a union.

	 “Actually, I get the impression that it was her that was pressing for it more than him” Sanjuro replied, remembering a previous conversation that he had with his brother during an event on Earth in what now seemed like a considerable amount of time ago. “He wants to make an event of it, make it a public demonstration of the healing ties between Cronus and Earth.”

	“That does not sound like Toshiro” Kura interjected intrigued. “He really has been coming out of his shell. I would have thought he would have preferred a much more private event.”

	“Well, he is as much of a politician now as he is an ambassador” Sanjuro commented, mulling it over. “He must be getting quite used to grandstanding things. He asked me to be his best man, and I am just worried that I can do my part nearly as well as he can.” Kura looked over her companion affectionately.

	“I would not worry, everyone always likes you” she observed, her eyes studying him with some level of adoration. “We always have.” Sanjuro smiled and moved to plant a kiss on her cheek.

	“I just hope that he does not expect anything that special out of me” she said, grinning and bending her neck sensually away in response to Sanjuro's attentions. “Kathryn will probably love the whole thing though.” Sanjuro finally pulled his head away from her's.

	“Have you had a chance to see her at all today?” he asked, the two of them having now reached their own doorway. Kura shook her head as the two of them commanded the door to open and stepped inside their quarters. The lights were dimmed to their automatic levels, as they would be if no one was in. There seemed to be no sign of Kathryn in the room. “Where is she?” Sanuro asked, concerned.

	“I don't know” Kura admitted simply. “All I know is that mother said that she went to see her earlier.” Sanjuro took in this fact with some alarm.

	“Kathryn?” he exclaimed, but received no reply. The two of them split up and started to search their quarters, with Kura heading for the bedroom and Sanjuro deciding to scour the kitchen. There was no sign that she had cooked anything for herself either.

	“She's in here!” Kura called out, causing Sanjuro to rush out of the room. He spotted Kura starring down at something in their bedroom, were he saw among the darkness the shape of Kathryn passed out on top of the bed covers, an empty bottle of wine laying on top of the nightstand next to a tipped over and also empty glass. Sanjuro slowly approached, noticing still wet tears upon her face and the feeling of consternation that was still present about her even among her dreams. What the hell was it that the two of them had been talking about?

	“Is she alright?” Kura inquired from somewhere behind him.

	“I don't now” Sanjuro replied, repeating Kura's own words back at her. “I honestly don't know.”


	Sanjuro leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on his desk, finally releasing a weary sigh that had been building up in him since he had started work earlier that morning. He had just finished processing the last of the paperwork. His mind wandered and began to consider the ceiling titles, each one slotting neatly in place beside its compatriot, efficiently meshing together to from a larger whole. He did not need to shuffle paper to ensure that they could work together. Still, at least it was finally done. All he had to do now was make sure that some of the changes that were prescribed actually took effect. With that thought still resting in his head, the universe decided to oblige him with an opportunity to fulfill this role.

	“Good morning, sir” Kathryn said stepping into the room, affecting a militaristic guise. She had refused to provide any definite answers when it came to explaining her little bender last night, at least as far as it went. Instead, she had pretended that nothing had happened, and took some offence when both he and Kura had tried to probe her about what she and her mother had actually discussed. “You wanted to see me Admiral?” she inquired respectfully. Sanjuro knew that her little act here was to try and ensure he did not try to return to the subject. Considering what he was being asked to do, it was probably for the best anyway.

	“Please take a seat Lieutenant Commander” Sanjuro responded, straightening himself in his own. She sat down in the opposing chair awkwardly, inspecting Sanjuro's face intently. Noticing that Sanjuro had caught her doing this, she quickly replaced the look on her face with a visage of cool reverence. Sanjuro smiled at her lightly, with him finding that her present countenance too caused him him to feel extremely ill at ease, making it seem as if he were looking into the face of an oddly familiar stranger. He decided that it would just be best to press on with what he had summoned her for in the first place. “I have recently finished processing the last of the paperwork regarding the retrieved prisoners. I think you will find that more than one of the names will seem familiar to you.” He slid a piece of paper bearing the names of all of the recovered personnel across the table. She quickly picked it up and began reading.

	“My direct superior at Communications is a Nemoto” Kathryn commented, recognizing the name from the list. “A relation?” she asked intrigued.

	“It's his wife” Sanjuro explained. “She apparently spent a great deal of time in the cells with your mother, being her cellmate for a large part of the time. Her convalescence is unfortunately going to be a lot more difficult than her's is however, and Commander Nemoto has resigned in order to spend more of his time taking care of his wife.” Kathryn nodded sympathetically, a frown darkening her features. “This of course leaves me needing to look for someone else to replace the role he filled at Communications...” Sanjuro continued, his voice continuing to be crisp and professional.

	“You're asking me for advice on who to choose sir?” Kathryn replied, her use of the word “sir” making him constantly feel as if there were someone else in the room with them. Still, he noticed a little something of hope gleaming in the back of her eyes. Sanjuro smiled and finally decided to let a little of his humanity through.

	“Actually, I am rather inclined to just go with Nemoto's own recommendation. I was quite relieved when his word came in, as it made my own decision that much easier.” Sanjuro tried but failed to suppress a grin as he slid yet another piece of paper across the desk towards Kathryn. “She looks to have the makings of a great leader, don't you agree Commander?” Kathryn grabbed the paper and quickly brought it up before her eyes, rapidly scanning over it contents. It was her updated personnel file. She thrust it back down on the table.

	“Sanjuro, thank you!” she exclaimed, dropping all pretense of decorum and lunging herself forward, collecting Sanjuro up in her arms from across the desk. Sanjuro laughed as he proceeded to do the same, working his hand through her hair affectionately.

	“You know, I am not used to having subordinates leap for me from across my desk” he commented, as Kathryn planted a kiss on his cheek.

	“I should rather hope not” she responded in his ear, giving him one last tender squeeze. Then she pulled herself back and seated herself again, her left hand resettling her hair, and smiled at him. Sanjuro just carried on grinning, happy to see her warming to him again. “But why me?” Kathryn asked, finally allowing herself to think things over. “As much as I enjoy the gesture, I actually would like a good reason for being promoted.” Sanjuro nodded understandingly.

	“I know you do” Sanjuro acknowledged reassuringly. “But Nemoto picked you, and I am primarily following his decision. I was quite glad of his support; it should hopefully help silence any awkward questions.”

	“I have not been the best of officers recently” Kathryn admitted, frowning. “What with my illness and the other recent happenings, I must admit to not seeing how he could have come to see my better qualities through all of this.”

	“He said that he saw potential in you, and said that you got on well with the other officers” Sanjuro replied. “Besides, you always have done the best work you could. As long as you keep that up, you have already earned his trust. And I can say from experience that you have always been a fine voice to have in my ear.”

	“I guess” she acknowledged, turning her gaze away from Sanjuro for a moment. She thought of Ensign Mathews and all of the other Communications staff that were now going to be her responsibility. She was going to have to do something about Matthews, she decided. They could not really continue their current relationship now that she had been given such a strong position of authority over him. But she could deal with that little problem at another time. “I guess this all must have been a big surprise for you huh?” she asked brightening, turning to face Sanjuro again.

	“Yeah, and I have already had so many different decisions and announcements I have had to make recently” he replied, suddenly feeling the weight of the past few weeks again. He realized that he had yet to bring up Toshiro's wedding with her yet, one more thing to do on an exceedingly large pile of errands “And I still have another which I am going to have to make to you later, but that can wait until tonight.” Kathryn raised her eyebrows.

	“You've been a busy boy” she said teasingly. “At any rate, if you will excuse me Sanjuro, I do still have a busy shift to return to.”

	“That should be Admiral, Commander” Sanjuro reminded her.

	“Sorry Admiral” she replied grinning, walking to the door. She then froze as the door opened and she saw her mother standing at the other side of the doorway. The two stared at each other for a few moments, the smile having long since fallen off of Kathryn's face. She eventually shook herself free from her mother's ethereal grip and made her way past her and out of the room, her mother wistfully watching her depart with some awkward sadness. Sanjuro observed this whole performance from his vantage behind the desk with a feeling of definite gloom.

	“You wanted to see me Admiral?” Mrs. Akkaraju inquired, inadvertently repeating the same words her daughter had said to him mere moments before. Sanjuro composed himself and gestured for her to seat herself in the opposing chair.

	“First off, a personal question” he stated while watching her sit down and press her elbow into one of the armrests, an action that allowed her to rest her chin in her cupped hand and consider the situation with an even greater composed attention. Something about the way she moved strangely struck him as being similar to Kathryn. “After seeing how you were last night, I just wanted to know how you are feeling this morning?”

	“I am fine Admiral” she replied simply, brushing off the question. Sanjuro noticed something a little distant about her demeanour.

	“Glad to hear it Lieutenant” he responded, watching the curious features of her face upon the mention of her old rank. “You are still listed as a Lieutenant you know. It is actually because of that that I wanted to see you...” Mrs. Akkaraju nodded, seeming strangely uninterested.
 
	“You want to know if I am willing to give up my rank” she commented, her eyes briefly glancing over the stack of files that were on Sanjuro's desk, including Kathryn's updated personnel file. Sanjuro tried his best to casually shove it under a stack of file folders, not wanting to betray anything that Kathryn would want to deal with herself. He got the impression that her mother could be a rather quick reader, however.

	“I am asking if you see a future for yourself in the U.C.A” Sanjuro corrected, shifting his gaze back to her. “You are still a good soldier, and you demonstrated yourself admirably during our little operation down there. As your commanding officer, I must admit that it would be a shame to the service to see you go.”

	“My commanding officer...” she commented amused, leaning back a bit in her chair and letting her eyes wander. “Yes, I suppose you would be. Now there's a thought...” She smiled and returned her attention back to Sanjuro. “I am afraid I am going to have to disappoint you Admiral. I have a life I need to pick up and start over. My rank really does not matter to me anymore.” Sanjuro nodded and slipped a form across the table.

	“I thought as much, and speaking as a friend, it is a position that I can definitely understand” he commented, handing her the piece of paper that would formally place her resignation into effect. “I hope you do not find it forward for me to still think of you as a friend.” She glanced at the paper and then at Sanjuro, thinking things over.

	“No, I do not find you to be forward” she replied, signing her name on the page. “Besides, the last thing I can do to make things better is to not talk to you, considering everything.” She handed him back the form. “But I would like to know one thing” she stated calmly.

	“Yes Mrs. Akkaraju?” Sanjuro asked.

	“Do you honestly feel that you are doing right by my daughters, the way things are?” she commented, fixing him once again with a piercing stare. Sanjuro took in a considered breath and frowned, mulling the question over.

	“Honestly?” he replied after a pause. “Honestly, you would have to ask them that. I can not speak for them, and I do not feel it is my place to comment for them. All I know is that I love both of your daughters and try to do the best I can for them.”

	“But if things had worked out differently...” she pressed. “If things had worked out differently, do you feel that they would be happier about things than they are now?”

	“I don't know, I honestly don't know” he responded quietly. Mrs. Akkaraju continued to look over him for a minute, before nodding and getting out of her chair.

	“Thank you for talking to me Sanjuro” she commented, forcing herself up. Sanjuro decided he might as well get one more thing dealt with while she was here.

	“Before you go, I have an invitation to extend to you” he stated, temporarily preventing her exit. “I do not know if you remember my brother Toshiro, or if you have been filled in about everything regarding Cronus and the Fallen. But he has just announced that he is getting married, and he told me that he would like you to be there, now that he knows you're alive.” She turned her head slowly to face him.

	“Toshiro?” she asked distractedly, trying to recollect the name in her mind. “I think I can remember something about him...” she acknowledged slowly. Then she suddenly nodded, memories flashing back into her mind. “Yes, I remember. He was the shy boy who followed you all about. What was the name of the other child, the other one you all used to hang out with?”

	“Baku” Sanjuro reminded her, not sure if he should be worried or not. Seeing the look on his face she smiled and shook her head reassuringly.

	“Don't worry, it just sometimes takes a little longer for me to remember things than it used to, especially now that everything is no longer so clear.” She turned back to face the door. “You can tell him that I would be honoured to go. It might help to keep getting things settled in my head to see some more old faces again.”

	“I am sure he will be glad to hear that” Sanjuro replied as the door swished shut behind her. Sanjuro stared at it for a few moments, before once again leaning back in his chair and beginning to regard the unity of the ceiling tiles once again, all lined up in perfect order and harmony. He decided he should actually take comfort in what he was seeing. It was the first time he had seen peaceful order in a good long time. “If only I could do the same with people” he commented wistfully, before straightening and getting back on with his now suddenly startlingly busy life.


	An awkward Kathryn smiled winsomely at her coworkers, now her subordinates, as she gently pushed her way through the crowd, while everyone else simply tried their best to enjoy the party. The whole thing had been Commander Nemoto's idea, as the now strangely old man knew that this was probably his last chance to say goodbye to the team that he had spent so much of his life preparing for his now imminent absence. As he knew full well, it was unusual for Communications staff to go beyond the position of Commander, with most either retiring to a teaching position at an academy or simply leaving the service altogether upon reaching a certain age. They could of course in theory ascend to past that rank and eventually become one of the Admiralty, but it was still quite uncommon. This did of course make that much greater an honour for someone to become a Commander however, a fact that Kathryn was also very much aware of.

	“Commander Nemoto, sir” she called out, attempting to grab the man's attention. The genial old man turned and smiled as his replacement approached, noticing with approval the force of will that she was managing to place in her steps.

	“I can say the same to you now, yes?” he commented as Kathryn made her way beside him, the both of them then moving to head off towards a quiet corner of the room to talk. They both knew that she would have only but one question on her mind.

	“Why me?” Kathryn asked, finally giving voice to it. Nemoto stopped, gestured for her to seat herself down at a nearby table, and proceeded to grab himself the chair opposite.

	“What did the Admiral tell you?” he inquired, considering his new companion with a thoughtful expression. Kathryn dismissed the question.

	“Just that you said you saw potential in me and that I got along well with others. It does not mean much coming from him. I want to hear it from you.” Nemoto nodded, satisfied with her reply.

	“You want to know if you deserve it or not. That it was not just approved because of him, and I just happened to make it easier.” Kathryn chose not to give voice to her doubts by confirming them, and instead decided to attempt to dodge the observation.

	“Just tell me why you really did it” she replied earnestly. “Sir.” 

	“I have been blessed with some good officers” he explained calmly, not at all concerned with the shortness in her tone. “I could not just take the best of them and make them my replacement. I had to consider each one of you: your strengths, your weakness, and the symbols you would make.”

	“Symbols?” Kathryn stated confused. Nemoto smiled again.

	“This is the last opportunity I have to make a statement Commander; maybe the most profound  statement in my entire career. Who I chose now would symbolize forevermore how I wanted everyone to see my team, as well as the legacy that I wished to give it. When you spend enough time building up something as I have, you will begin to think about these things a lot more than you yourself have yet to even possibly imagine.”

	“And what is it that I symbolize?” Kathryn interjected quietly. “Sir.”

	“Someone who understands” he answered simply. Kathryn laughed unassuredly.

	“Really?” she asked unconvinced. “What do I understand that the others don't exactly?” Nemoto sighed and went on with his explanations.

	“You are of course aware of the reasons I am leaving the service. My wife is very ill, and I feel that my duty to her has now become more important than my duty to you or the Admiral. And by you, I mean my entire team, and that is an obligation that I do not leave lightly. But I feel that, after having given so much to the UCA, it is now time for me to try and repair the damage that has come because of it, to both myself and to my family.”

	“You sound like my father” Kathryn commented dryly, finally allowing herself to relax a little in her chair. “Does everyone come out of the service ending up like this?” Nemoto considered the inquiry.

	“We come out of life like this Commander. We all devote ourselves to some cause, no matter how large or how insignificant, and that cause takes something from us. What it takes can be large or it  can be insignificant, with there being no specific discrimination shown for any particular individuals or the paths that they choose to take. But the service does have a bad record of taking a lot more than many of us are willing to give.”

	“And that is what I understand is it?” Kathryn interrupted. “That much can be risked in war?”

	“Well, you are a pacifist, so you obviously also know that the risks that war does want to be played are almost always more than can really be considered acceptable. If you must know, that played into my decision as well.”

	“I never knew you to be a philosopher king Commander” Kathryn replied, a little sardonically. Nemoto smiled and nodded his head indulgently.

	“Forgive me for not understanding your allusion there. What I do know is that you have a real world understanding of the realities we are facing, and know enough to try and avoid them. And with your access to the Admiral's ear, you can not only do your job better but also play as his conscience as well.”

	“I think I understand” Kathryn replied, giving off her first friendly smile of the evening to Nemoto, finally feeling the matter beginning to settle in her mind.

	“Then you are doing better than I did when I first started...” he replied, moving to get up. “Take that as a good sign for the future.”

	“I will” Kathryn agreed. ”Oh, and Commander?”

	“Yes?” Nemoto acknowledged, turning his head back to her.

	“Thank you. That is probably what I should have said the first time I saw you, but at least you know that I really mean it now.”

	“You always mean it” Nemoto smiled as he turned to leave, disappearing into the rest of the room. Kathryn paused and considered this statement for a moment, and then stopped and tried to consider the rest of the crowd that was all around her. There were actually not that many people in the room, only a couple dozen officers, but to her there seemed to be thousands and they were all now her responsibility. She sighed and decided that it was time for her to start acting like they actually were one, and with that thought in mind, pulled herself up out of her chair and attempted to mingle. Wafts of congratulations and handshakes greeted wherever she stepped, so many faces emphatically trying to show their support. That is until she eventually came upon the form of Ensign Mathews. He had also been spending his evening hiding in a forgotten corner of the room, not seeming at all comfortable with all the people around him. It was most definitely time that she started to act like he was her responsibility, she realized uncomfortably.

	“May I have a word Ensign?” she inquired pleasantly, taking the poor man by surprise. He pulled back and nodded, his back noticeably stiffening. “In private?” she added, causing Matthews to freeze for a few awkward moments as if she had walked up and pressed his reset button. Eventually he rebooted and got to his feet.

	“Of course Commander” he acknowledged nervously, following her lead. Kathryn marched him into the next room, which was thankfully deserted of any other potential occupants, and beckoned for him to take a seat. Mathews complied and sat himself down in front of a large table, and waited for his new commanding officer to start making her point. Kathryn neglected to take the chair opposite and instead opted to send what ever message she was hoping to send while walking on her own two feet, inadvertently making her presence seem that much larger and more intimidating.

	“You understand that you are all going to be my responsibility now” she commented, pacing back and forth. “As you are still fairly new here, I would like to know how, well, how you feel you are fitting in with everyone and if anything about the place is still bothering you.”

	“Nothing Commander” Mathews replied quickly, his apprehension not doing him any favours when it came to expressing the sincerity of his words. “Congratulations on your promotion, Ma'am” he embellished, trying his best to deflect the question.

	“Thank you” Kathryn smiled lightly, accepting the compliment. “But we both know that is not exactly true, what you said, is it?” Mathews frowned.

	“Sorry Commander?” he asked, still hoping she was not going to ask that question. Unfortunately for him Kathryn knew full well that she was now going to have to.

	“You like me, don't you Matthews?” she stated calmly, the question falling into the air like a stone. Matthews feigned that he did not understand the true meaning behind her question, and attempted to fill the void with pleasantries. 

	“You are a competent and affable officer” he offered. “It is a pleasure to serve under you.” Kathryn brought her hands flat down onto the table and captured him in her gaze, a bit roughly.

	“I did not ask for your opinion of me. I asked if you liked me. and I think you know what I really mean. Is it true?” Caught in the force of her personality, Mathews bobbed his head up and down shyly, unable to conjure up the strength to answer her inquiry with words. Kathryn's face softened as she looked almost piteously down at the unhappy creature that was now before her. “Look, it is nothing to be ashamed of. You are a nice young man and maybe if things were different I might even have considered it. But I am truly happy with Sanjuro, no matter how strange the situation is, and you still are a very young man and I am now your commanding officer and I can not have you shying away from me due to all of those pent up feelings you are keeping to yourself.”

	“I know Commander” Mathews replied weakly, still not feeling strong enough to meet her gaze. Kathryn smiled and placed her hand lightly on his.

	“It is still just Kathryn. The new title was flattering for a while, but you would be surprised by how old it gets before too long.” Mathews allowed himself a little smile.

	“I am still getting used to mine” he commented quietly. “I never planned on joining the UCA, but it seemed the best way to get off the rock of a world where I came from, and by becoming a Communications officer I hoped to stay out of too much trouble. Still, it is awfully lonely being here alone, knowing no one, and having no one to talk to. You were the first person here to ever show any interest in me.” Kathryn was surprised by how talkative the previously secretive ensign had become.

	“You did me the favour first” she replied softly. “I never properly did thank you for everything you did for me when I was ill.” 

	“It was my pleasure Commander” Mathews assured her, just before realizing his mistake once again. “It was my pleasure Kathryn” he corrected smiling. Kathryn smiled back warmly as the door behind them opened and Commander Nemoto poked his head in.

	“Sorry to disturb you Commander, but I have warmed the crowd up for you. Now would be a great time for you to give your little speech.” Kathryn was not aware that she had needed to perform such an obligation, but accepted it as just another speed-bump on her way to command. She also never knew that Nemoto could manage to be this sly before.

	“Be right there sir” Kathryn answered politely, as Nemoto popped his head back out like a gopher diving back underground. She returned her attention back to Mathews. “So for now on, we can be friends?” she asked amiably. Mathews nodded his head in immediate acquiescence.

	“Only if it is okay with you” he replied quickly.

	“I need someone here to watch my back, and you have done it for me before” she commented, straightening. “Now come and see what I can manage to think up when it comes to addressing our noble little crowd out there.” The two of them departed the room together, with Kathryn walking over to the spot where Nemoto was now standing, with the old man graciously handing the floor over to his younger counterpart. The words came to here quickly, a surprising feeling of ease taking a hold of her as she addressed the crowd. She spoke of her father, her history with the UCA, her plans for the outfit, and her admiration for everyone here, tapping into a strange sense of fulfillment with herself that must have sprung from somewhere deep in her bloodline. Her little speech done, she excused herself for the night and headed for the exit, her social reserves now having finally been exhausted.

	She stopped as the door swooshed shut behind her and proceeded to lean against it, looking up towards the roof above her sorrowfully. So many busy days where she had accomplished so much, gained so much, and yet that nagging thought of her mother continued to tug at her soul. She realized that everything would be going swimmingly without their little argument dampening her mind, and just how much that one event could so plague her spirit. If only she could have gotten out of it, if only she had presented herself differently, if only she could have cared less, maybe this would not have happened. Such thoughts were useless, she knew. A tear streaked down her cheek, her stoic performance having worn down her persona to her bare id, which was still upset and strangely afraid. 

	She sucked in the now rushing stream of tears from her face and headed off down the corridor suspended in the endless night of space and wished, not for the first time in her life, that the universe could just leave her alone for a little while. But it had never done so for her before, and it would never do it for in the future. Still, the closet thing to it was probably waiting for her in her quarters, and she quickened her pace and hastened her steps to find closest thing to peace she could find, namely the hopefully waiting arms of one Sanjuro Makabe, the cause and solution to all of her present problems.


	A brief lurch jostled Sanjuro, Kura, and Kathryn, as the shuttle headed down to the surface of Cronus, the turbulence of the trip unsteadying the small transport craft as they went. “At least getting this far had been relatively straightforward” Sanjuro thought as he felt his buttocks shifting beneath him, another jolt having blasted the ship. Toshiro had already raised the idea with UCA high command long before he had even bothered to get Sanjuro's consent for the trip, making Sanjuro's request for the journey already approved by the time he had asked for it. Toshiro had explained it to them as a necessary diplomatic matter, making Sanjuro's presence not just a nice a personal commitment but part of his official duty. In the end, his gesture of inviting him had just been a matter of pleasantries.

	”Manipulative bastard” Sanjuro cursed under his breath, but without any real malice. After all, Toshiro probably thought he was doing him a favour by reducing the amount of time and trouble it would take for him to get here, and based on how Samantha had been acting, she was probably getting anxious for the ceremony to actually take place. Still, Sanjuro could not help but think that his brother's recent aptitude for machination may have more to do with Cothineal than his brother's actual fiancee, with her preference for subterfuge and conspiracy having become quite clear to him during the events of the Cronian Revolution. Sanjuro never truly understood the level of his brother's connection with Cothineal, but he would not have been surprised if her presence and ideas were in part manipulating some of his brother's actions.

	Sanjuro felt another aggravating jolt as more turbulence struck the bottom of the craft. It was always the case with these smaller shuttles, but Sanjuro wanted it to be a quiet trip and so opted for the humbler and more personal confines of this particular shuttle, a decision he was now beginning to regret. He let out another weary sigh and turned his attention to the craft's other two occupants. Kura it seemed was watching the progress of a small bolt as it jumped and slid across the floor of the ship, an amused expression on her face. Kathryn was staring at the rapidly approaching ground through one of the shuttle's view-ports, seemingly able to ignore the ship's increasingly active gyrations, a considerably more solemn expression on her face than the one worn by her sister. Sanjuro placed his hand on her's warmly, causing her to turn and grant him a small if meaningful smile.

	After a few more bumps and jerks, the craft finally made its way to an almost insultingly smooth stop, considering the problems it had experienced during the trip. Sanjuro led the two girls to the exit and then down the ever extending ramp that took them down to the planet's surface, the distant Cronian sun warming their faces through the terraformed atmosphere provided for the Maritropa colony. Sanjuro noticed that Kathryn had stashed away her melancholy and was now wearing an enthused expression, as the three of them approached the entrance to Cothineal's Embassy, what was formally the old CMC headquarters. A familiar figure waited for them at the building's main entrance.

	“Good day Admiral, welcome once again back to Coth” Baku greeted formally, using the Fallen preferred vernacular when referring to the planet. He extended his hand in a gruff expression of fellowship, which Sanjuro accepted. He knew Baku well enough to know that even now it would take some time for him to truly warm to their presences again. “Not to forget about either of you, of course Commander, Lieutenant Commander” he commented, extending the reach of his welcome. He had evidently not yet been told about Kathryn's recent promotion.

	“That would be both Commander now, actually” Kura corrected him boastfully, her voice full of pride, causing Kathryn to colour a little with abashment. Baku's brow also furled with concern at Kura's words.

	“Great, now how am I going to be able to keep you two apart?” he stated plainly, causing Kathryn to regard him with a hard cool stare.

	“You know, we do have names Baku” she snapped, causing Baku to shrink back slightly due to the strength of her reproach. Sanjuro smiled to himself, noticing how easily the four of them fell back into their old and familiar roles despite current circumstance. Baku recovered himself and attempted to plod right along anyway.

	“The Ambassador is waiting for the three of you further inside” Baku commented, gesturing for them to enter the large and impressively adorned building. Kathryn, Kura, and Sanjuro complacently followed the Fallen soldier's wishes, entering what amounted to a temple with the same odd sense of awe they had always felt since seeing the building's transformation from a bureaucratic organizational centre to the physical representation of Cothineal's power on Cronus. Walking down the long and spacious hallway, Sanjuro tried his best to imagine back to how it once was, back when he was forced to rescue Kura from the clutches of the CMC and save her from assassins sent by the very people with which he was now going to spend the evening with. It really was a rather impressive transformation.

	“Welcome brother, it has been far too long” Toshiro's low voice boomed as the four of them entered the same room that he was in, the Ambassador standing impressively above them up an incline of stairs, with Samantha clinging dutifully beside him. Sanjuro ascended the stairs and was surprised when Toshiro stepped forward and grabbed him in hearty embrace, the diamond UCA logo on Sanjuro's arm coming to touch its Fallen counterpart on Toshiro's, forming a powerful if odd symbol of new found harmony. Toshiro then stepped back and considered Sanjuro with a familiar smile.

	“I take it the journey went well?” he asked, looking Sanjuro over.

	“Fairly. I understand you were arranging it for me even as we were battling rebels” Sanjuro replied, allowing his tone to make a little dig at his brother. “You could have at least waited until you had asked me about it first.” Toshiro continued to smile unabashed.

	“I do apologize Sanjuro, but timing is everything” he stated dismissively, peering over his shoulder at his other visitors. “Please, step forward. Sanjuro is not my only most wanted guest.” Kathryn and Kura approached, still considering the room with awed interest. Toshiro's keen eyes locked in on them, looking them over with the same care and attention he had given his brother. “I notice that Kathryn has a new pip on her shoulder” he observed warmly. “I always knew you would do well Commander.”

	“Thank you” Kathryn replied, quite taken by this charismatic outgoing stranger who had seemed to have assumed Toshiro's place. Baku, meanwhile, allowed himself a little annoyed glance at Kathryn's collar. Toshiro now cast his eyes on all of them and got ready to make his announcement, reaching an arm out and gently grabbing Samantha to him again.

	“All of you probably already know why you are here, but you might as well hear it again from me. Samantha and I have finally decided that now is the time for use to be married, and we are delighted that you are all going to be here to celebrate this big moment with us. As you probably also already know, I have asked Sanjuro to be my best man, and I have full confidence that no other could fulfill this purpose better than you, my brother.”

	“You must not have heard than what I have been putting down in my speech...” Sanjuro interjected drolly, causing a little polite laugh from the room's other occupants, including curiously enough Toshiro. This was the first time that Sanjuro had ever seen Toshiro be the most comfortable person in the room. Toshiro cleared his throat and began to continue with his speech.

	“Carrying on, there are a few other tasks that we would like to ask of you all. While I also have complete confidence in the ability of my own forces to keep everything secure, this is going to be a large event and they could use all of the help they can get. I would like to invite Kura to take command of security at the venue and to help coordinate things between both the UCA and Fallen personnel who will be working there.” Kura's eyes lightened up as soon as the offer was mentioned.  

	“Sounds like a challenge” she stated excitedly, thinking the logistics of the proposition over in her mind. “It also sounds like a lot of fun.”

	“I thought you would approve” Toshiro nodded with a grin. Samantha then looked up at Toshiro, causing him to graciously surrender the floor to her, placing his hand on her shoulder affectionately as she stepped forward.

	“I do not have any family of my own left, and few close friends stayed with me long enough to survive the war. With that in mind, assuming you do not feel it to be somehow inappropriate, I thought it would be best if I were to ask you Kathryn if you would be my maid of honour. You have always treated me with kindness and I would appreciate your presence and assistance in the days ahead.”

	“Of course” Kathryn smiled, nodding her head. “I would be honoured.” Her request finished, Toshiro pulled her back to him and took command of the room again. Sanjuro had also rarely ever seen him be this assertive before.

	“Now, with all of our big pronouncements over, you all must be hungry. Let us all go eat and catch up in a much more personal and relaxed manner. If you would follow me please.” Toshiro placed his hand in Samantha's and the two of them started leading the group down yet another hallway and out of the room.

	“He can be rather charming now that he has learned how to master himself” Kathryn commented to Sanjuro, who was walking with Kura beside her.

	“Yeah, but you do not have to live with it all the time...” Baku stated sourly as he walked past them and went to join his fellow Fallen. Evidently not everyone here was as much at home with things as others.


	It was a small room that Toshiro had decided to put them all in for the night, but Sanjuro appreciated the reasons for his consideration. Kura was the first to set foot inside the room's premises and almost immediately vaulted herself onto the bed, landing on its soft surface with a satisfyingly audible plump. Kathryn watched this display from behind Sanjuro's shoulder with her usual demonstration of knowing disinterest, having long gotten used to Kura's more vigorous antics. Kura stared at the ceiling tiles with a curious intent, as the room's other two potential occupants made their way into its compact yet still inviting contours.

	“It is nice to be off the ship again” Kathryn commented, delicately seating herself down on the foot of the bed in a much more courteous fashion than her sister had done, while she herself also began to regard the room. “You start to miss the feeling of real earth beneath your feet when you spend so much of your time up there.”

	“But this isn't Earth of course” Kura reminded her, turning over on the bed. “Me, I can not really tell the difference.”

	“You get off the ship more Kura” Sanjuro pointed out, staring at the two of them in the mirror of the room's dresser as he started to take off his jacket and shoes. “Kathryn has not seen atmosphere since the last time we went to Earth, let alone stepped foot on Cronus.”

	“It has been awhile hasn't it?” Kathryn replied, slipping out of her own. “You can still tell the differences in gravity, even with the terraforming. They can never artificially get it quite the same.”

	“You know Kathryn, sometimes you observe too much” Kura declared loudly. “Maybe you would get less bothered about things if you just closed your eyes for once.”

	“I am not getting bothered” Kathryn shot back, glancing at her sister coolly. Kura just clicked her shoes together and continued to stare up at the ceiling.

	“Says the girl who is always hiding something underneath the surface” Kura stated under her breath, although she still failed to actually keep it quiet enough to actually obscure anything. Sanjuro decided to interject before Kathryn had the chance to comment.

	“Kura, please” he cut in, hoping to prevent another argument.

	“Someone needs to get to bed I think” Kathryn replied, agreeing that it was best to just to let it go. With that, the three of them finished taking off much of their now superfluous attire and arranged themselves snugly together on the bed, with Sanjuro taking the unifying position in the middle. He felt the familiar softness of Kathryn's hair settling on his shoulder as she placed her head in the hollow beneath his, as Kura continued to stare up the roof at his other side.

	“This place seems familiar” she observed, finally moving to become closer to Sanjuro.

	“Surprised you noticed” Kathryn responded, allowing herself a little dig at Kura's expense.

	“Okay, why is it then?” she inquired, turning her head to face her sister. For once it was Sanjuro who was the first to voice the answer.

	“It is the room where all three of us spent our first night together as equals” he explained, rather cryptically. “Another one of my brother's brilliant schemes.”

	“The night after Hank's funeral” Kathryn further clarified, resting herself back down again on Sanjuro's shoulder. “Seems so long ago now.”

	“Time bores me. Let's just get some sleep already” Kura replied, issuing the command to kill the lights. Sanjuro closed his eyes and waited for a feeling of peace to envelope his body.

	“Goodnight Kura” Kathryn called out, somewhat teasingly. “Goodnight sweetie” she added more softly, whispering it into Sanjuro's ear. She was feeling rather close tonight. Sanjuro murmured lightly in the affirmative, sleep's grip coming over him too fast to mount any other kind of organized response. He had clearly experienced enough for tonight.


	“We have to replace all these cameras with ones that will be compatible with our UCA systems” Kura commented to Cara, who had that morning departed from the ship along with the rest of her squad to help assist Kura in getting the security arrangements settled for the wedding. Cara, who had never prided herself on the technical qualifications of her work, eyed one of the cameras dubiously.

	“What is wrong with them?” she asked, unconvinced by the task that she was now being asked to perform. Kura hauled her step-stool closer to the camera and climbed it, examining the back of the camera with a critical eye. 

	“These are all Fallen equipment, and as such they were all altered to make sure they could not be easily used by either the UCA or the CMC should we attempt to take control of them. The trouble is the Fallen will still not allow us access to their networks, but we both need to be monitoring the security footage.” Cara continued to look nonplussed.

	“But I thought we were invited here?” she responded confused. Kura's face grew into a grin as she considered the naivety of her little protege. 

	“Toshiro invited us in, yes” she explained, starting to unscrew the fittings holding the camera in place. “But things are never that simple Cara. I somehow doubt that all of the Fallen have been really sold on the idea of having us around, and they certainly do not want us learning their little secrets. As much as our wars are built on blood they are also built on secrets, and they do not want us learning what took them years to figure out just because we have a treaty signed now.”

	“So we are replacing the cameras...” Cara replied, taking hold of the now unsecured camera that Kura handed down to her.

	“With our own cameras, which we ourselves of course have made sure do not have any particular technical value outside of the ordinary either. We also do not want to lose our secrets.”

	“So why are we here then?” Cara inquired, starting to feel the weight of her surroundings. She had gotten her first taste of combat on Cronus, and even though she was now dating one of the head members of the Fallen hierarchy she could still remember what it was like to live and die down here at the hands of fanatics. She sometimes wondered how everyone could keep such a straight face about it, how she herself could keep a straight face about it.

	“I am here because Toshiro wants me to be here” Kura answered, taking the new camera out of its container. “You are here because Toshiro wanted me to be here. And because he wants to make a message, to show that we can work still work together and still recognize our common heritage. At least, that is what he kept telling us over the dinner table last night.” 

	“Bit of an odd way of going about it, having us tear out each others cameras” Cara stated in response. Kura nodded in agreement.

	“Yes, it is” she replied calmly. “Welcome to the wonderful world of proprietary.” She ascended the steps again and demonstrated how to mount the new camera to her unwilling helper, who just as unwillingly agreed to start work on the other cameras at the other end of the building. Kura smiled as she started work on the next one, enjoying this all too brief experience of silence. Unfortunately for her, nature does tend to abhor a vacuum, even when it is just due to a lack of persons.

	“You're getting to work quickly” Kathryn commented, walking up to her from down the hall.

	“Well, I was given a job to do and I am going to do it” Kura replied, unscrewing the camera from the wall and handing it down to Kathryn, who awkwardly placed it on the ground next to the one that Kura had taken down previously. “What is it you are up to then?” she added, seeing the wandering look in her sister's eyes.

	“I do not have much to do until the day, so I guess I am just taking some R&R for the moment” she answered, looking around the room. “Sanjuro is with Toshiro talking things over still, so I was kind of left on my own.”

	“So of course you come to bother me” Kura replied, getting Kathryn to hand her the new one.

	“Yes...” she responded simply, rubbing her forearm and looking away awkwardly. A long silence passed as Kura proceeded to secure the camera to the wall and attach its various connectors and cables, with Kathryn watching the whole performance uncomfortably from below. Once she had finally completed her current task, Kura decided it would be best to to try and break the ice again.

	“You have got something on your mind, that is why you do not want to be on your own” Kura commented, swiftly hoping back down to ground off of the stool, before hauling it over to its next chosen destination. “I am right, right?” she added while mounting the stool again, noticing that Kathryn had indeed followed her to their new location. Kathryn shifted uncomfortably.

	“I probably should have brought this up earlier, but I did not want to and I have been so busy” she admitted, looking at the floor. She pawed irreverently at the ground with her foot, wrapping her head around the problem again. “How well have you gotten on with mother?” she asked, bringing her head back up again to stare at her sister. Kura stopped what she was doing and exhaled loudly.

	“Fine, I guess” she answered, turning her head around to face her. “I noticed we never got around to talking about it much.”

	“We got into an argument...” Kathryn replied, the words seeming somehow silly and out of place when it came to what she was actually describing. “She asked me about what happened with my career and with Sanjuro, and stated that she had some reservations.”

	“I see” Kura responded, turning back to work on the camera again. Kathryn continued to fidget behind her. “Have you talked with her about it since?” she prompted, without taking her eyes off her work. Kathryn took in an audible breath and sighed.

	“No, we have avoided speaking since then” she answered, her voice high pitched and yet still heavy with frustration. “I do not think either of us have found the right words for each other yet.” Kura nodded as she forced yet another camera out of its socket.

	“But with the wedding coming up you both know that you do have to think of something” she commented, descending the stool's steps with the camera in hand. Kathryn bobbed her head in agreement.

	“Yes, but I will not give up Sanjuro or change my career!” Kathryn replied, the passion adding a startling force to her words. Kura studied her sister's face inscrutably.

	“Did she ask you to?” she inquired, turning back round to deposit the old camera and to once again reach for the new. Kathryn's mind paused upon hearing this statement.

	“No...” Kathryn eventually admitted, looking a little bit confused. She had never managed to even think about that point yet. Kura grabbed what she needed and ascended the steps again, leaving her sister slightly gawping at her as she went.

	“Mother and father are not going to be coming down for a few more days” Kura explained, securing the camera. “It was deemed safer to keep father off of the planet's surface until closer to the day, what with his past history and all. You can give her your answer then.”

	“Answer?” Kathryn replied, still perplexed. Kura finished tightening in the camera's screws.

	“She did ask you it as a question, did she not?” she inquired, moving on to deal with the wires. Kathryn did not respond and instead continued to stare up at her awkwardly. “Collect yourself, talk things over with Sanjuro, and then face her. Meanwhile, I have work I need to finish.” Kathryn nodded, looking more and more like a deer caught in someone's headlights.

	 “I'll let you be then” she stated quietly, turning to leave. Kura smiled to herself as she worked. She had gotten her silence back again, and not without inconsiderable effort.


	Sanjuro looked up at the darkening sky with both a reverent sense of awe and an odd feeling of planet bound nostalgia. Although even this view was itself obscured by the terraformed colony all surrounding them, it still beat the increasingly familiar panorama of space that had now become his mind's accepted norm. Besides, they had both grown up on a colony bound to the ground much like this one, meaning an unrestrained vista itself would have been the truly unreal sight for them. Kathryn studied the clouds and tried to gauge the weather, a skill that most of the time would have been an entirely unnecessary preoccupation for her. “Looks like rain” she observed quietly, taking Sanjuro's hand in her's as the two of them quietly departed from the Fallen's progressively ever guarded compound into the also increasingly busy streets of Maritropa.

	Things were already ramping up in preparation for the wedding, an event which was proving to be the largest social ceremony held on the planet since the celebrations that ensued after the Fallen's end of hostilities with the UCA and the surrender of the CMC. If it was spectacle that Toshiro was after, he was certainly going to have it. But, at least for the moment, Sanjuro wanted to have no part in it. He had after all just spent the day discussing everything over with his brother, a conversation which cycled quickly and repeatedly from points that were deeply personal to those that were deeply political or diplomatic. It was going to be a ceremony that was as profoundly complicated as Toshiro was himself. There was at least some symmetry in that at least.

	“With me spending the day with Toshiro, and Kura starting work on the security arrangements, you must have felt a little lonely being stuck here all on your own” Sanjuro commented, turning his attention back to his ever pleasant companion.

	“A little” Kathryn admitted, smiling back at him in a remarkably winsome fashion. She quickened her pace slightly to get ahead of Sanjuro, pulling on his right arm as if to lead him even further away from where they were, and out into the comparative freedom offered by the wide open streets, not to mention the relative comfort of anonymity that they would also provide for them. She wanted to talk about something, it was evident in her steps. Sanjuro smiled as he realized how well he was beginning to be able to read her.

	“Where are we headed?” Sanjuro asked amused, as Kathryn continued to drag on his arm.

	“Anywhere” she responded playfully, taking a sudden turn that caused them to embark down yet another strange street. She seemed to be enjoying being out in the open air again. Before long, the streets started to become a little narrower, as the more organized construction of the city centre gave way to more sprawled and less well controlled urban development. Kathryn continued to duck and weave through the now tightening alleyways, with Sanjuro still loyally following wherever she was beckoning. He thought of all the talk Toshiro had said about security arrangements, and wondered what he would of thought of them running blindly through the Maritropan streets. Things had calmed down a lot of course, and it was not as if he himself was probably that large a target for anyone, but it still was a little dangerous for them to be doing this. Kathryn did not seem to care.

	After what seemed like a surprisingly swift if still momentous eternity, Kathryn suddenly stopped and quickly span around on her heels to face Sanjuro again, almost as if she was worried that she had somehow let go of of his hand and left him somewhere as one could have done with a small child. Once she had convinced herself of the fact that her favourite person in the universe was still by her side, she started to further study the place that she had spontaneously decided to take them to. The grandeur of the colony had died down considerably the further they had gone from Cothineal's embassy, the scene now having been replaced with a tightly contained sprawl of residential buildings, as well as noticeably active construction projects most likely necessitated from wounds that were inflicted during the planet's most recent conflict. It was not the most soothing place in the world to be, but it was oddly quiet and private, which was probably what Kathryn was shooting for all along.

	A light patter of rain began to fall from the sky, and Sanjuro decided to once again voice the question that had been hanging on his lips for their entire journey. “Where are we?” he inquired, unfamiliar with the place despite his past experiences navigating Maritropa. Kathryn, whose actual first-hand experience with the colony was considerably less than what Sanjuro's was, nevertheless had a more academic understanding of the layout of the place from the numerous street-maps and satellite views she had been forced to learn as part of her work as a communications officer. As such, it did not take her too long to correctly if still sketchily identify their present location based on certain apparent markers, and then subsequently chart the most appropriate path for them to take to get themselves back to where they had started in the first place.

	Sanjuro had his doubts as to whether the route she had chosen was the most direct way they could have taken, as he knew she would never have pulled this little stunt on him if it were not for the fact that she had something fairly large that she wanted to get off her chest. The slightly inclement weather had favourably thinned the outside wandering population, leaving them basically alone in the dampening streets of the now lonely city. Kathryn began feeling the burden of being the leader, having already dragged Sanjuro out here in the rain, and decided it would be best for her to begin the experience that she herself had already seen unfold in her mind's eye. She cuddled up closer to him, the two of them enjoying the feeling of each others personal warmth against the slight chill present in the moist air.

	“Something's on your mind isn't it?” Sanjuro finally inquired, studying the expression on her face as he asked this. Her eyes flicked towards his, although her expression remained constant.

	“I love you Sanjuro” she commented, not actually supplying him with an answer to his question. Sanjuro smiled despite of the fact, coaxing a similar response out of Kathryn.

	“Then you should not feel it that hard to to tell me” Sanjuro insisted, causing the pair to come to a halt. A brief moment of silence followed as Kathryn once again attempted to collect her thoughts.

	“Well, the thing is its kind of about you” she revealed finally, the words coming out slow and hard. “The day after we rescued my mother, she came to see me, while you and Kura were working. She wanted to talk to me about things.”

	“I see” Sanjuro replied, as the two of them started to walk again. The rain struck the ground with a noticeable patter as they both searched again for the right words to say to each other. As it happened, it was Sanjuro who stumbled upon them first. “She came to see me too, later on. You probably would like to know the question she asked.” Kathryn tilted her head towards him in an oddly fetching fashion, although her expression had returned to being just as hard and inscrutable as it was before. “She asked me if I thought I was doing right by you. I said that I could not answer that question and directed her back to you and Kura.”

	“She say anything else?” Kathryn pressed, getting ahead of herself and inadvertently leading Sanjuro by the arm again, her mind not properly focusing on her feet. Sanjuro decided to let her drag him about as he proceeded to answer her question.

	“She wanted to know if I thought you two would have been happier if things had gone differently. I said that I honestly didn't know.” Kathryn kept on walking, the words not seeming to have truly hit her. “Care to provide me with an answer to that question yourself?” Sanjuro asked, his arm beginning to tire. Kathryn finally slowed, although she did not relinquish the pressure on Sanjuro's arm.

	“Define differently” she commented, ascending a piece of exposed pipe popping out from under the ground due to all of the recent construction. She walked, one foot in front of the other, arms outstretched, with Sanjuro still clinging to her arm, supporting her weight on her left side. She had decided to treat it as a podium. “Do you mean how would I feel if I had never met you? Or if I had never gotten involved with you? Are you asking about what would have happened if Kura had never been ordered to pull off her little stunt on us? Or are you asking what would have happened if she had simply never came back from it?” Sanjuro guided her back down to earth, her descent surprisingly full of delicate grace.

	“She didn't say” Sanjuro replied wearily, glad that Kathryn had finally started to simply walk back by his side again, her pace now having seemed to have slowed down to a more reasonable if still forceful march.

	“Then I don't know either” she stated, before once more falling silent. Sanjuro knew her well enough to know that was not the end of the matter, and that she was merely waiting on him to voice to her the right response. Sanjuro thought he had found it.

	“Then what do you know?” he voiced, studying her expression again. The face was starting to break.

	“I know that I don't want to lose you...” she commented quietly. A tear streaked down her already moist blushed face. “I know that I don't want my life judged for me by someone who was not even there to see a good deal of it. From someone who does not even understand.” It was then that the face finally broke. “But who am I calling someone!” she exclaimed, her demeanour failed. “She is my mother, and by some strange act of fortune she has been returned to me, and all I do is get into an argument with her! I have not even exchanged a word with her since then! You have had more contact with her than I have, and you are the root of the problem!”

	“Thank you for that” Sanjuro replied, mildly sarcastic. Kathryn pushed her face into his shoulder and started to weep, as Sanjuro placed his arms tentatively around her. He allowed her a few more moments of self-pity before he grasped her by the shoulders and righted her, her puffy red eyes staring back at him through half-closed slits. Sanjuro looked her up and down with a militaristic air, before focusing his eyes on her's again. “How many scenes are we going to have that end up like this?” he asked, continuing to view her critically. She stared back at him perplexed.

	“Pardon?” she voiced quietly, taking in a sniff. 

	“You always dig yourself into holes” Sanjuro expounded, his face softening a bit now that he had succeeded at getting her attention. “You stood in my and Kura's shadow all of those years because you could never own up to how you felt, and now you are doing the same thing when it comes to you and your mother. Doubt and bother build up in you like an incestuous flower, attractive on the outside but causing pain at the root. You grab at circumstance, but then pale at the thought that you need to take command of it yourself.” Kathryn took in another noisy breath of air. “Your mother simply wants to know if you yourself are in control of your own destiny. She wants you to justify it to her. We have all been jostled around by fate, but she wants to know if the choices you have made have, in the end, been dictated for you by you yourself.”

	“I have nothing I need to justify” Kathryn commented quietly. Sanjuro nodded.

	“Then convince her of that. If you truly love me you can surely convince her of it.” She looked up sharply at this comment.

	“I do Sanjuro, I do” she acknowledged quickly, brightening somewhat.

	“You are happy being a communications officer, and doing very well at it I might add?” Sanjuro continued, encouraged.

	“Yes, I am” she shot back, inspired. Sanjuro grinned in triumph.

	“No more letting these things build up until you and I have to have a scene about it and you drag us off into the middle of nowhere Matritopa?” he finished, good humour in his voice. Kathryn's eyes narrowed slightly.

	“You do not like going on walks with me?” she inquired coolly, now having fully collected herself again. Sanjuro laughed.

	“Let's just jump to where all these little jaunts always end up and kiss me” he stated calmly, before leaning forward and locking his mouth in on her's, kissing her with her face cold and wet. The distant sun was now beginning to break its way through the clouds, beaming a perceptible warmth onto the forms of their two moist bodies as they continued their embrace. After a few more moments, the figures eventually stepped back from each others graces, and then took the time to finally look around them at the now brightening air. The storm had resolved itself, it seemed.

	“Do you really not like walking with me?” Kathryn asked again, this time with a little less spite in her voice.

	“I like you” Sanjuro responded simply, still aware of the taste of her mouth on his tongue. Kathryn thought over this reply and shrugged, before once again taking his arm and leading him on back to the Embassy. Maybe he had begun to figure her out too well.


	Deep beneath the surface of the planet, the creature stirred, sensing all while being sensed by none. Only those that had the honour of touching her thoughts were now given the privilege of sensing her. All seismic and other invasive observational techniques had been ceased; any Kato mining was now directed by herself and carried out at the request of her chosen overseers, those who she allowed to touch her thoughts. Her privacy, her security, and her safety were all now assured, and yet the creature was not happy still. It was really a small matter that troubled her, something which could hardly tax her large and almost infinitely complex mind, but it was still distressing.

	 His thoughts had been increasingly distracted as of late. At first it was something she could tolerate and even embrace, having only known thoughts of fear, anger, and loss from the humans before. His feelings for this other, one she had touched but had not allowed to touch, were something different, and she revelled in his sensations just as much as he himself had indulged them. It had revealed a side to the humans that she had never known before. But as much as she had enjoyed these sensations, she became aware of his growing disregard for her herself, and an increasing willingness to engage with others on his own accord without inviting her along.

	She allowed this, to an extent, having been cognizant of his needs as an individual. He was as much a friend as a servant, and she did realize the need to pay him some liberties. Things only got worse for her, however, as alongside this increasing disregard and cries for independence came thoughts of home and for greater restoration of his old life. Again, she granted the liberty, allowing him to travel and see those who he longed to see in person, even the one she still still feared most of all. She contented herself with the knowledge and experience that these travels brought her, expanding her own awareness through the eyes of his. But it still worried her.

	Now things seemed to have gone too far. He had proposed to this other something she could not understand, and had invited the one she feared to come to her precious Coth. He was careful, addressing her directly about it and taking the time to explain everything to her, but her thoughts and fears failed to be soothed by his determined counsel. She kept her concerns from him, fearing that by objecting she would lose her chosen and prompt him to reject what hold she still retained on him; she now felt that she would not be able to force her possession onto him again, with her now being too close to the man to risk the damage it would cause. But something still needed to done.

	She would be forced to deal with it on her own, she decided. The creature pondered from the deep. There were still others who she was less disposed to. She could use one of them.


	“Come in!” Kathryn called out in response to the door chime, as she continued to busy herself by rearranging the scattered furniture. The blame for the present disorder in the room's decor rested quite squarely on Kura, who had gotten herself worked up into a bit of a mood the night before after getting into a “professional disagreement” with her Fallen counterpart. She had then subsequently taken it upon herself to assault what was ostensibly also Fallen property, although for Kura the distinction of ownership did not matter so much as the fact that the variety of chairs and tables in the room offered her an unparalleled opportunity to let off some steam. As Toshiro had drolly commented when Sanjuro inquired to him about the matter soon after the disagreement had become known, the fact that the violence was now being safely contained in the two dissatisfied officers' quarters and was not spilling into the streets was already a very important sign for the better.

	Just as Kathryn had finished righting the last pushed over end-table, the door behind her swooshed open and a less familiar figure than expected entered the room. Kathryn gave it a slight glance before finding her head to have become frozen mid-rotation. The figure merely continued to study the room's other occupant with a cautious detachment. “Mother?” Kathyn asked, expecting her visitor to have been Kura or Sanjuro, or at the very least Toshiro or Baku, even though none of them had signalled to her any intention of them coming to her guest quarters that morning. She had not been told of her mother's coming to the planet either, truth be told. Kathryn was by now getting quite wearied of these surprise meetings with her, and absentmindedly wondered if they were due to circumstance or design.

	“May I sit down?” her mother asked, with Kathryn soon moving to quickly but silently lead her to one of the vacant chairs that she herself had just recently redressed.

	“I was not aware of your coming to Cronus just yet” Kathryn commented while taking the seat opposite, trying to strike back against the oppressive atmosphere that had gripped the room with some  polite conversation.

	“I only arrived this morning” her mother responded lightly. “Truth be told, I find this whole place to be rather bewildering, not least this building here.” Kathryn wondered how they could so easily be talking like nothing had happened between them.

	“Is father with you?” she asked, unwilling to break the comfortable cordial rhythm they had somehow established. Her mother shook her head in the negative.

	“It was determined that his time on the planet should be as contracted as possible due to security concerns. As such, he has been ordered to stay on the Leviathan until closer to the day in order to limit the potential risk he faces.” Her complexion and demeanour suddenly changed to that of restraint. “I only came down to the planet myself because I knew that I needed to talk to you myself beforehand” she explained cautiously. “I trust that I did not come at a bad time?”

	“No, you didn't” Kathryn answered, almost unwillingly. “Kura and Sanjuro are going to be out helping prepare for the rest of the day, so I am quite on my own for the moment.”

	“Yes, well...” her mother replied awkwardly, the words not coming to her as easily as she had hoped. Kathryn, in a cheering moment, realized that it was pity that became her upon seeing her mother struggle with her thoughts, and reflectively acted to relieve her of that pain.

	“I am sorry that I ran out on you when you came to see me last” she commented softly. “While I must admit I still do not resent the sentiment, I do regret how I expressed it. I am sorry, it was cowardly and disrespectful.”

	“I never should have provoked you like that” her mother protested. “You just showed to me how out of touch with everything I had become.”

	“You were the one put through the anguish and torment, not me. I should have treated you with much more decorum.” Kathryn noted with some surprise as a smile appeared on her mother's lips upon hearing this.

	“Your language has improved from all that Communications training” she explained admiringly. “You are now most definitely the clearest spoken in the family.” Kathryn listened to this declaration with great import. “Is she actually complimenting me on my work?” she thought excitedly.

	“Well, for the moment I am much more willing to hear rather than be heard” she replied humbly, not wishing to overbear on her mother's recent charity. Her mother considered her daughter again for a moment before she continued speaking.

	“During all of those lonely nights on my own in my cell, I occupied myself with my imaginings of what you and Kura were doing, what you had become” she elaborated pensively. “By the end, I must admit that you both had become more characters in my own mind to me rather than my own flesh and blood daughters. What I had imagined you doing started to become just as real to me as what I actually remembered you having done.”

	“What did you see?” Kathryn pressed, now genuinely intrigued. Her mother collated her memories, trying to weave a presentable narrative for her.

	“I imagined you both becoming decorated officers, with you and Kura fighting together as part of the same squad. The squad would be under your sister's command, of course, with your father kindly watching over you as Admiral. I imagined you, Kathryn, finally coming out of your shell and becoming very popular, having admirers wherever you went. It was all rose coloured and wonderful. I imagined Kura and Sanjuro eventually getting married and giving me a grandchild, not that I could meet it. That is the truly odd part of all of this; throughout it all I was conscious of the fact that I was not there, that I could not really have been observing it, and yet these thoughts started to seem just as real to me as those remembrances that I did have of you both.”

	“And so when you did come back to reality, your perceptions were shattered” Kathryn observed, understanding flashing on her face. Her mother simply smiled again.

	“It was all rather silly, really. I never gave any weight to anything, least of all my supposed death, which I never really thought of it affecting you. I suppose in the beginning it was just something that I did not want to think about, and by the end it was just something that I had avoided for so long that it became something that I just couldn't even think of affecting you anymore.” A lone tear streaked down Kathryn's face.

	“It did hurt mother, it did hurt” she interjected waveringly. Her mother nodded.

	“Yes, I know. I can now see that I was at least right about one thing: you both are no longer the two girls I knew back when you were at the academy. It was truly naive of me to think that you two could have experienced so much and have changed so little, even if I was unaware of most of what happened afterwards.”

	“Most?” Kathryn interjected, struck by her mother's use of a linguistic hedge.

	“Even in my fortress of ignorance, some things did reach me. I did know, for instance, about your father's promotion to Admiral. It was one of the reasons that they bothered to keep me alive for so long, as they told me that I could be useful to them as a bargaining chip if they ever had anymore formal dealings with the UCA. I also knew of his retirement, and even heard some of the circumstances of it; they started to treat me a little differently after that, and not in anyway better. It also helped that my cellmate was a bit of a eavesdropper at times, when she was able.”

	“Mrs. Nemoto” Kathryn commented, nodding her head. 

	“She was about the only good thing I found in that place, until she started to get ill. Together we helped keep each other sane, and gave each other something else to focus on other than our own memories and imaginings. I am so very glad that you came in time to save her, even though they told me her road to recovery may be very long.” She paused for a moment, a sad smile on her lips. “I understand her husband was the one behind your recent promotion.”

	“Yes...” Kathryn responded, a little surprised that this was how she chose to bring it up in the conversation. Seeing this, her mother decided it was time she brought her compliments to bare.

	“I am sorry that I had not been able to congratulate you on that earlier, Kathryn. To have both daughters be promoted over you is a lesson in of itself, but to have them both reach Commander is an absolute blessing. But she often told me that Nemoto was a fine man, and I am sure that his faith in you is well placed. Everyone I have heard speaks highly of you as a Communications Officer, and I suppose I am a bit late in offering my own regard.” Kathryn shifted in her seat upon hearing this extolment from someone from whom it meant so much.

	“I did it all for you, you know” she replied, her thoughts going back to day she finally decided to put down her gun. “After we thought you were gone, I just could not stomach being a part of it all anymore. I am what I am today because of you.”

	“A bit of an odd gesture to pay in remembrance of a solider” her mother commented. Kathryn sighed and unconsciously turned away, fully aware that she still did not understand.

	“Well, I guess I did kind of do it for myself as well” she elaborated, staring down into herself. “I was mortified by the thought that by shooting another person I could be inflicting all the pain that I had experienced onto some other poor soul, someone who could even not be directly involved in the conflict I was fighting. I just could not accept that anymore. Communications may not have been the perfect solution, as I was still involved, but at least then I had gotten myself out of it. And besides, I still could not turn my back on everything I had ever known.”

	“Or everyone” her mother stated perceptively. Kathryn turned her head back to her mother and nodded, content that she was finally beginning to understand.

	“That too” she agreed solemnly. “The last thing I wanted to do was lose them as well.” Her mother let out a caustic breath.

	“That should never have been allowed to happen to you again” she replied, her voice filled with feeling. “I trusted Nathaniel to take care of you two, after I was gone. He never should have let you think that Kura had died, or the others. He never should have let what happened happen.” Kathryn inadvertently drew back at the strength of her mother's reproach.

	“Do you still blame him for it?” she inquired quietly. Her mother stopped for a moment and attempted to calm herself, aware of how she had made her daughter shy away so quickly.

	“I blame the man who did it, yes” she answered, still considering her reply as she spoke. “As for the Nathaniel you know now, well, I don't know. The problem is he has already accepted all the blame for it; he has already attempted to atone for it, he knows he has done wrong, and nothing I could say could further convince him of that fact. I can not punish him as he has already been punished. It makes my anger feel hollow, somehow.”

	“Maybe you should just try and release it all then” Kathryn suggested. “He was just as shaken by what happened to you as Kura and myself were, and his actions were simply a reaction to that. The fact he knows better about what he did now means that being angry is simply not a luxury either of us can afford to have.” Her mother stared at her confused.

	“You mean to say that you never blamed him yourself?” she asked surprised. Kathryn thought about it and then shook her head.

	“When you went missing, I saw how Kura blamed father for not saving you. I saw what it did to him, and what it did to her, and I did not want to be a part of that either, even though the circumstances were different. So no, I didn't blame him. I acted against him when I had to, but I never blamed him.” Her mother studied her in silence.

	“Do you feel any malice about how things turned out at all?” she inquired, still pondering. Kathryn shrugged.

	“I have a man who loves me, and who I love back. I have a sister I have learned to live with who was returned to me from the dead, and a mother that has now done the same. I still have my father and my friends, and a career I am good at and happy doing. If that is the final result, why should I be bothered by any of the little details involved?”

	“So you are happy, even with everything?” her mother asked finally.

	“No mother, I am happy because of everything” Kathryn answered. “In many ways I have been lucky. I don't want to disrespect that.” Her words were cut off by her mother's laughing. “What's so funny?” Kathryn inquired bemused.

	“I just had this notion of you being hit hard in the head with an apple, and then turning around and thanking the tree for condescending to give you one of its fruits” her mother replied, checking her mirth. “I guess my imagination has become more fluid due to it being one of my only friends for so long.”

	“Well, at least it is not always wrong about me” Kathryn responded smiling. Her mother titled her head.

	“What, about being hit in the head or about you coming out of your shell and having lots of admirers?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. Kathryn coloured and shifted her gaze away from her mother's probing eyes.

	“Well, there might be one or two” she admitted quietly. It was now her mother's turn to smile.

	“And you do assure me that you are happy? With Sanjuro and Kura, and everything?” she inquired again, still seeking a firmer answer.

	“Yes, I am happy” she answered back. “And I think that applies to all three of us.” Her mother exhaled loudly.

	“Then I guess any objections I could have to it no longer matter” she declared, rising from her chair. She walked up to where her daughter was sitting and placed her hand under her chin, raising her face into the light and studying it appreciatively.

	“You really did grow into a very beautiful and sweet woman, didn't you Kathryn?” she observed warmly. “To think that your father and I could have produced such a wonderful thing as you.” Kathryn shifted and took her face out of her mother's grasp.

	“Please, you are going to make me blush” she replied, still turning away. Her mother respectfully backed off, moving instead to seat herself back down in her chair.

	“I understand you have been asked to be the Maid of Honour at the wedding” she commented, breaking the silence.

	“Yes, Samantha said that she did not know of anyone else she could ask, so she asked me” Kathryn responded quietly. “Most of the people she knew from when she was younger died in the conflict, and she had no other family she could ask.” Her mother nodded gravely.

	“I was a bridesmaid once” she replied, changing the subject. “A friend of mine got married to a friend of your father's, and I was the only woman she knew well enough where we were posted at the time.” Kathryn was glad that her memory was beginning to work so well again.

	“Any advice?” she inquired thoughtfully.

	“Yes, keep an ear out for the sound of bullets” she answered quickly. Kathryn smiled. Her mother had said the comment in the spirit of jest, but there was still truth in it nonetheless. “The base where the wedding was at fell under attack at exactly the same time as the big day.”

	“Well, I don't think that is going to be a problem at Toshiro's wedding” Kathryn said, counting her harvest before the grain was yet in the bin.


	Toshiro unlocked an almost forgotten cabinet door in his surprisingly non-ostentatious office and reached for the cabinet's few remaining contents: a wine bottle and two glasses. Immediately upon doing so he turned and offered one to the room's only other occupant, who accepted it in a fairly gracious manner, even though he was still considerably surprised by the offer. “I thought the Fallen were not supposed to drink” Sanjuro commented as Toshiro proceeded to fill his glass for him.

	“We don't” Toshiro replied, while paradoxically moving to fill his own. Sanjuro raised his eyebrows. “Are you aware of the reason why?” Toshiro inquired, noticing the curious expression now plastered on his brother's features.

	“No” Sanjuro admitted quietly. “But I do know that it did help entrench your image as strange religious fanatics, what with you embracing this whole temperance tract.” Toshiro allowed himself a smile before taking a casual sip from his glass.

	“Moral objections have nothing to do with it” he explained, seating himself down behind his desk. “The link between Cothineal and the human mind, while very powerful, is still very susceptible to certain mitigating factors. Alcohol happens to be one of them.” Sanjuro studied his brother's eyes and found that they already did lack some of the usual peering intensity that almost always signified Cothineal's presence. Although, as Sanjuro would readily admit, the wine was probably going to do the same to his own eyes as well.

	“You are permitted to leave Cothineal's gaze?” Sajuro asked, finally permitting himself to partake some of his own while Toshiro was already well into the process of actually finishing his. It was a considerably strong vintage that Toshiro kept in his cabinet, Sanjuro realized as he continued to imbibe from his glass.

	“We came to an understanding that sometimes I needed my own thoughts to myself” Toshiro answered, moving to fill his glass again. He was going through it fast enough to make Kura proud. Sanjuro wondered what it was Toshiro wanted to think about.

	“And do you not trust her?” Sanjuro asked, dubiously eyeing him take yet another sip.

	“If there is one vice that we and Cothineal both share, it is that of temptation.”

	“And is this evocative of her's or yours?” Sanjuro commented dryly. Toshiro gave his brother a stern level stare.

	“Don't inquire into matters that you don't understand” he responded flatly. Sanjuro leaned back in his chair and started to stare up at the ceiling.

	“Don't I indeed” he commented lightly to one of the roof titles. Toshiro paused and considered this statement for a moment.

	“Please explain” he requested, his usual curiosity showing itself in force again. Sanjuro righted himself again in his chair with a satisfyingly click.

	“Let's just say I am not the only one with two people who are in love with me” Sanjuro answered simply. Toshiro thought about this, and eventually nodded.

	“I suppose you do have a point” he admitted quietly. It was now Sanjuro's turn to allow a smile. “It is not love as anyone human would understand it, but an attachment is there certainly.” Toshiro still did not want to give his brother the point carte blanche.

	“Do you think she is jealous?” Sanjuro inquired plainly. Toshiro responded by finishing off his drink. Sanjuro wondered if that was what Toshiro had wanted to think about.

	“What is your opinion of the wedding Sanjuro?” he inquired, changing the subject. Sanjuro simply shrugged.

	“You both seem fairly happy about it” he responded noncommittally. “I guess that's a good sign.”

	“And you no longer feel as if it is being rushed?” Toshiro pressed, recalling a previous discussion the two had previously had on the matter. Sanjuro smirked and shook his head.

	“I never intended my words to bind you to anything Toshiro” he stated dismissively, a little amused at the idea that Toshiro could take any of his words of wisdom so seriously. “As I said, you both seem happy with it, and that is a more important consideration than anything else can be.” Sanjuro attempted to study his brother's face again and began to feel concerned. “Not getting a case of nerves are you?” he asked surprised.

	“Just answer the question please” Toshiro replied quietly. Sanjuro exhaled loudly.

	“Well, you did leave it alone for a little while. I honestly don't think you have anything to worry about.” Toshiro let out a faint smile and nodded.

	 “Thank you. I just needed to hear it from you.” Sanjuro smirked.

	“It is about time I was actually offered the opportunity to be your best man and not just a foreign power's diplomat” he chided lightheartedly. Toshiro simply shrugged.

	“The two are necessarily linked. It simply has to be this way.” Sanjuro simply sighed and once again leaned back in his chair and examined the ceiling tiles, not wanting to consider the politics of it all yet again. That is all he had been doing since he had come to Cronus in the first place.

	“Just another part of our altogether too complicated lives” he stated absently to the floor above.

	“Our lives are what we choose to make of them” Toshiro responded, falling back to his tendency to state in an all inclusive declarative.

	“And what sort of life are you going to make with Samantha?” Sanjuro inquired, the wine in his system making him wax sentimental. Toshiro smiled back lightly, also seeming to feel the buzz.

	“I think you should be the one asking yourself that question about Kura and Kathryn” Toshiro replied softly. “I mean, I am the one who is actually making a firm commitment about my future.” Sanjuro eyed his brother wearily. He had gone from a bag of nerves to morally superior in about the same amount of time it takes for Kura to change the clip on her rifle, which if one could not guess is not that long at all. Or maybe it was just that he himself was simply starting to feel irritable as the wine started to sing a different tune. He never could hold his liquor like Kura could.

	“And what is it you would wish me to do?” he asked, controlling his tone. Toshiro stared impassively at his brother.

	“You sound as if you are tired of hearing the question” Toshiro observed calmly. Sanjuro simply shrugged.

	“Let's just say you are not the only person to ask such questions of me as of late.”

	“I take it you had to ford that particular river with our dearly returned Mrs. Akkaraju?” Toshiro inquired, filling himself another glass of wine.

	“More accurately Kathryn did, although the weight of it got rested on me. She told me she is going to have a proper talk with her mother about it though.” Sanjuro leaned back in his chair again. “Still, yet another trial for my all so complicated life.”

	“Love life” Toshiro corrected him absently, before taking yet another sip from his glass. Sanjuro wondered if Cothineal's presence was what was allowing him to handle drinking so much when he himself was already feeling very much drugged out. He had only himself to fight with. “Still, what is in the future for you three?” Toshiro asked once again, having finally decided on how to rephrase the question. “You must have given it some thought in the past.”

	“Well, yes” Sanjuro admitted. “But other than carrying on doing what we are doing now, I really don't know what else we can do. Marriage is of course out of the question.”

	“If something unfortunate happened and you lost one of them, would that change anything in that regard?” Toshiro thought out loud, the wine allowing his mind to wander. Sanjuro was also drunk enough to actually be able to answer the question.

	“I suppose so” he stated quietly. “That is really not something I want to dwell on, but I suppose it would be a prudent thing to do in such a circumstance, if the survivor were willing.” Sanjuro hated the fact that those words sounded so familiar.

	“And children?” Toshiro interjected, changing the tone. “You must have thought about what you would need to to do if any of you wanted children.” Sanjuro bobbed his head.

	“I suppose we would have to treat it the same way we do sex” he explained unashamedly, the wine also giving him a little more confidence. “Do you know how much time it took for them to come to grips with the fact that they both wanted to have sex with me? That they both were going to have sex with me?”

	“You and your problems...” Toshiro smirked, the full effect of the alcohol in his system starting to hit him. Sanjuro was too inebriated to mind.

	“If it happened, I suppose it would just have to be between me and the mother, with the other just being content with the fact that the same rights would extend to her as well if the situation called for it. At least, that seems to be what we have worked out for ourselves with regards to sex, and I suppose that thought can just be simply extended on from there.” Toshiro nodded thoughtfully.

	“Do you think either of them would want one?” Toshiro asked, more serious. Sanjuro thought the matter over.

	“Kathryn, I think, always had it in mind. With her it might come up someday. Kura I am not so sure on, although I can not help but think seeing Kathryn with one would be enough to get her own maternal side going, which might change things. They always did seem to hang on to each others coat tails.”

	“They came as a unit” Toshiro observed genially. Sanjuro eyed his brother again.

	“You looking for something of yourself in these questions or something?” he asked, beginning to feel tired and worn out from the booze.

	“When one sees another person's problems they almost always draw parallels to themselves” Toshiro stated, making another declarative. “Your description of my relationship with Cothineal and Samantha is actually quite apt, and I suppose I am just going to have to learn how to juggle it just as you do with Kura and Kathryn.”

	“There is one distinct difference though” Sanjuro interjected quietly. “Despite their protestations, neither Kura or Kathryn can actually read my mind.” Toshiro nodded.

	“That is true...” he replied, looking down at his glass. Sanjuro now knew what it was his brother wanted to think about. “If you will forgive me Sanjuro, I am beginning to feel quite weary and still have quite a lot to think about. Will you please leave me alone to my thoughts?”

	“Of course Toshiro” Sanjuro acquiesced, proceeding to pull his weary frame out of that of the chairs. “See you when I see you.”

	“In good time brother, in good time” Toshiro nodded, beginning to lean back in his own. Sanjuro observed this with a still muddled mind as he proceeded to leave the room, and for the first time wondered how Kathryn was going to receive him considering how drunk he had managed to become so early in the working day. She would probably forgive him for it, he decided dismissively. Still, it was a very good thing that, unknown to Sanjuro, her important visitor had only recently left the building. Having Sanjuro stagger in like this would have far from done to have helped her prove her case of contentment to her still observant mother. Then a thought of a different character entered his head.

	“I wonder if Kura did actually have that secret little nerve settler before that assassination mission on Cronus” Sanjuro wondered to himself, turning a corner. It certainly would help to explain how she had managed to keep her mind to herself while Toshiro and Baku's were taken. Still did not explain how he himself had managed it though. “I guess my mind must just be naturally inebriated” he smiled to himself belittlingly, just as he approached the door to his guest quarters that would take him to the doubtfully observant eyes of Kathryn Akkaraju.

	
	“Well?” Kathryn asked the bedroom door in Toshiro and Samantha's quarters, expecting a coherent response. Interestingly, no sooner had she asked then she was provided with one.

	“Just give me a minute!” came the somewhat exasperated reply. Kathryn tapped her weary foot down on the carpeted floor, which only generated the softest of muffled thumps. As she looked down to observe its futilely rhythmic movements, she considered herself and wondered what was causing the soon to be wed to take so long. Her own dress, a tight fitting strapless blue number with pretensions to modesty, was basically thrown on and yet remained unwrinkled and lacked a single crease. Now, she understood a wedding dress was a slightly different animal, but Samantha had already been eight minutes according to her watch and still had failed to present herself to her for inspection. The Fallen must have sloppy military discipline, she decided irritably to herself.

	“Here I am!” the expected bride to be exclaimed, throwing the door open and stepping out into the hall, showing a large enough grin that it could be easily spotted even through the thick veil that was obscuring her face. Kathryn gazed over her present responsibility with admirable thoroughness, before walking forward and lifting the veil.

	“Well?” Samantha inquired, her grin beginning to subside. Kathryn extended a gloved hand and briefly streaked her forefinger across Samantha's shoulder, before slowly bringing it before her eyes and examining it in a haughty fashion.

	“You'll do” she decided finally, allowing her arm to come to rest again. Samantha looked at her incredulous.

	“Do?” she asked, eyeing her maid of honour dubiously.

	“Alright, you'll more than do” Kathryn admitted with a smile, as Samantha started to regrow her own. It was an altogether pleasing effect, although the starkness of her dark blue hair to the virginal white of the dress did create a somewhat odd contrast, not that any of that mattered. Such pretensions and formality were there as a vessel for Toshiro's politics more than anything else, even if Samantha did seem quite happy to play along with it and act out the part. Nothing better than strained tradition to appease the often forced world of diplomacy.

	“Thank you Kathryn” she beamed back, just as the two heard the sound of a door sliding open somewhere in her quarters. Her maid of honour quickly shoved her back into the bedroom as Samantha herself tried her best to scurry away and lock the door, clicking it shut just as Toshiro rounded the corner.

	“Am I interrupting something?” he observed calmly as Kathryn backed up to the bedroom door and spread out her arms protectively.

	“You do know it is bad luck for a groom to see his bride before the big day don't you?” she scolded, as Toshiro continued to stare at the present scene with an impassive expression.

	“I had heard of such a thing, yes” he responded, his eyes continuing to rest on the somewhat comical scene before him. Kathryn, despite her glare, looked in her present getup to pose as much of a deterrent to him as flower pedal. Still, the sight was more then enough to push such mischievous thoughts out of his mind. He had always been far fonder of Kathryn than her sister, and once even favoured himself to have had a good chance with her, back when the two of them were often left alone together as both of their siblings set off on some wild night without them back during their academy days. He never had the gumption to pursue such thoughts of course, and he knew full well that Kathryn's eyes always did follow Sanjuro out the door even when the man's hand was in the hand of her sister. He still found her presence to pose quite a distraction however, even though he was now also quite sold on another. “I hope you realize that as part of your duty to the bride you must make sure that you do not outshine the bride herself on the big day” he complimented, still looking Kathryn over.

	“Flirt!” Samantha called out from behind the bedroom door. Kathryn coloured a little.

	“I am still saving my best compliments for when I do get to see you, dear” Toshiro assured his fiance, as Kathryn quietly shifted out of their path.

	“They better be nice words!” Samantha exclaimed. Toshiro, realizing that his current position was untenable, moved to follow Kathryn who largely ignored him until they were out of earshot.

	“What is this business of having Sanjuro drinking this morning?” she asked him coolly, turning to face him again. Toshiro managed to wear a perfectly innocent expression, but Kathryn still did suspiciously notice that he himself showed no sign of of having drank anything at all, being of course unaware of Cothineal's influence over that side of him. He ignored the stare and payed it no mind.

	“An innocuous solitary event” he stated dismissively. “I assure you that I do not intend it to become ritual.”

	“Hmm...” Kathryn hummed lowly, before casting an eye back towards the bedroom hallway.

	“Make sure she is ready for me Kathryn” Toshiro added, his gaze following her's. “I really don't have eyes for anyone but her, and I want her to look her very best.” With that, Kathryn finally allowed her features to soften.

	“I will Toshiro, I will” she agreed nodding. Toshiro smiled and reverently grabbed her arm, kissing her softly on the hand.

	“Thank you for everything” he commented, before turning to leave the room. Kathryn heard the bedroom door creak open as a veiled eye peaked its way through the narrow slit that formed between the door and the door frame.

	“Is he gone yet?” Samantha inquired loudly.

	“Yes, the coast is clear” Kathryn replied, before walking over to see her again. She still had a job to do, after all.


	“I am still surprised that you even bothered to learn to cook” Mrs. Akkarju commented, watching her daughter work over the hot stove. Toshiro had graciously allowed her full access to his private dining room earlier that day, which was still awhile after Kathryn had suggested the idea of a home cooked meal to her mother even earlier that morning. Now that their relationship had been somewhat repaired, Kathryn was keen to show off her still developing culinary skills. Upon hearing her mother's statement, she turned to her and frowned slightly.

	“Why?” she responded before bending down to access a nearby cupboard. “You cooked.” Her mother smiled and shook her head.

	“Not like this” she answered, observing her daughter pull out a variety of boxes and bags containing a variety of different ingredients. “I never had time to. Instead, I just cheated and used mostly prepackaged foods. Your father never ate anything proper in his entire life. He couldn't tell the difference.”

	“Poor him” Sanjuro interjected, arriving in the room. Kathryn straightened back up as he approached.

	“You got my message to come here then?” she asked awkwardly as Sanjuro casually walked over and gave her a friendly peck on the cheek. Kathryn's eyes widened and a crimson blush spread across the affected area, as she pulled back and impulsively snatched a glimpse of her mother, who watched the whole display with a look of unaffected detachment. She did not seem to be bothered, much to Kathryn's still mortified relief. Sanjuro, meanwhile, was already peering into Kathryn's sizzling frying pan.

	“I see you are being ambitious again” he observed pleasantly. “I hope it goes better than it did the last time you experimented and managed to set a fire that triggered the Leviathan's automated warning system for the entire floor.” Kathryn irritably shoved her all too jocular lover aside and reclaimed her cooking area.

	“It is not my fault it had no understanding that people might actually wish to cook in their quarters” she shot back, deciding that it would be best to avoid going into the details as to how the fire had actually started in the first place. Her mother had heard enough already, and although she still wore her look of unaffected detachment, Kathryn knew that she had keenly heard every word. Nothing gets  by a prisoner, or past a spy, and her mother had been both in her time. She decided it would best to change the subject. “Besides, I don't know why I even bother. You and Kura are just as bad as father was. I bet when you were growing up at the academy you never even heard of real food.”

	“Admittedly so” Sanjuro acquiesced, realizing he had hit a nerve. “I understand it is due to your presence that we are being given this particular honour” he stated making nice, directing his statement in the direction of her mother. She smiled and imperceptibly bobbed her head.

	“Yes, Admiral” she replied cordially. “Nathaniel is still waiting on board the Leviathan, but I decided it would be best for me to have a few days off ship before your brother's big event.”

	“I hope Kura also got my message” Kathryn fretted to herself loudly, eyeing the clock in between agitating the frying pan's contents. “It is not like her to be less punctual than you are Sanjuro.”

	“Don't worry, she'll come” Sanjuro replied, allowing her little dig at him in penance for his own. “She is probably still caught up with coordinating the security arrangements.” Kathryn said nothing, but continued to sneak glances at the clock anyway. “Not finding everything getting back to normal to be too difficult?” Sanjuro inquired, turning back to her mother. Mrs. Akkaraju considered the question for a moment before deciding to pose her own.

	“With all due respect Admiral, is this what you consider normal?” she asked plainly. Sanjuro smiled and laughed, before nodding his head in agreement.

	“I suppose not” he agreed, amused. “At least, not for you. For us I would hardly say this is an aberration from form.”

	“Don't worry, you'll get used to our ways” Kathryn chimed in, before busily moving to tend to another pot. Kura chose that moment to make her entrance.

	“Well, this is going well!” she exclaimed, marching into the room. “First I get into a fight with the Fallen's head of security, and now my right hand has had a major falling out with the right hand of the groom! So much for a smooth wedding!” It was then that she saw the still unfamiliar face in the room. “Oh, hello mother” Kura acknowledged quietly. “I was not aware that you had come down yet.”

	“Yes, your father will be following later” she explained softly.

	“So Cara broke up with Baku?” Sanjuro inquired, concerned. Kura blinked and then turned her attention back to him.

	“I caught the two of them going at each other when she was supposed to be testing the last of the new cameras. Baku must have approached her and evidently said something to upset her. When I approached to see what was going on, Cara simply asked me if she could be relieved and then took off back to her quarters. Baku was no better, and simply clammed up and apologized for bothering me. I have no idea what you are going to tell Toshiro, Sanjuro.”

	“This does complicate things” he agreed perturbed. “It is hardly the show of unity he wanted when a UCA officer loudly breaks it off with the second in command of the Fallen.”

	“Leave it alone for now, I'll deal with it” Kathryn declared, flipping off dials on the stove. “I'll have a word with her tomorrow morning. I owe as much to Samantha to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.”

	“You sure you can handle it?” Sanjuro inquired, a little surprised by her offer. Kathryn moved to get plates and cutlery set out on the table.

	“Whatever the problem is, it can't be too bad” Kathryn answered dismissively. “Now, I want you all to sit down and eat your dinner.” The room's other occupants did as they were told, as Kathryn proceeded to serve out her now elaborate meal.

	“To my new normal” Mrs. Akkarju toasted tentatively, after Kathryn had seated herself down beside them.

	“To all of ours!” Kura added, as the four clinked their glasses together appreciatively.


	Kathryn was having social interactions with a door again. Having received no response from it after her first attempt, she moved to press the door panel anon. “I am not on duty for another three hours!” it replied, angrily. “Go away!” She pressed the panel again. Kathryn heard a huff transmitted through the panel's low-definition speaker. “Is that you Baku?” it asked sharply, the poor sound quality only amplifying the voice's violent timbre. “No, it would not be Baku...” it then added in a more solemn tone, a temporary respite from outrage. “He would never have the guts to come.” Kathryn decided it was best to ignore that comment and held down the chime button afresh. “If that is you Kura, I don't want to talk. I don't want to talk with anyone.”

	“Its Kathryn” she commented, deciding it was finally time to introduce herself to the speaker properly. That generated a protracted pause. Finally, the door slid open and a dishevelled and loose robed Cara stared back at her through the emptied doorway.

	“What is it you want?” she inquired flatly. Kathryn observed her unwilling companion with her mother's look of unaffected detachment from the night before.

	“To talk” she stated simply. Cara let out a huff again.

	“I thought I told you that I did not want to talk with anyone” she reiterated archly, seating herself back down on the bed in her temporary quarters. The room itself was quite small, consisting only of the bed, a nightstand, and one lonely chair; a beam of light forced its way in through a tiny window in the top right-hand corner of the room. Most of the other U.C.A. personnel working on the wedding were being shuttled back up to the Leviathan for accommodation, what with all of the other formal guests and foreign dignitaries arriving and taking up space, most of whom had never even met the man they knew simply as Gabriel in person before. There would be more strangers than there would be friends at Toshiro's wedding. Kathryn installed herself in the vacant chair and got to her point.

	“I know you did” she answered, unaffected by her companion's reproach. “But I am here for Samantha's sake, not yours.” Cara looked at her curiously.

	“How does this affect her?” she asked, finally dropping her impugned demeanour.

	“Come on, both her and Baku are Toshiro's primary supports. Do you really think she wants him to be distracted and miserable on Toshiro's wedding day?”

	“That is not my problem” Cara observed dismissively. That raised Kathryn's ire.

	“Well, it is mine!” she rounded on her, moving up out of her chair. Cara had never seen Kathryn properly angry before. She observed her visitor's countenance with a strange mixture of apprehension and an almost playful curiosity; she did not know that Kathryn had it in her, and the sight of it somehow started to make Cara begin to warm to her.

	“Alright, fine” Cara relented finally. “What exactly is it that you want to say to me?”

	“First tell me what started this mess in the first place” Kathryn replied, seating herself back down in a stiff and firm fashion. “And then you can let me have my say.” Cara nodded and started to collect her thoughts.

	“Do you remember that conversation we had back on the Leviathan, when we were both stuck in the medical bay for those few nights?” she offered, attempting to place her impressions into some sort of context.

	“Which one?” Kathryn inquired gently, her features already beginning to soften. She could not stay angry for long.

	“You asked me what it was I saw in Baku, and I answered that it was that he wished for so little from me” Cara continued, her voice staying low but still tinged with a light feminine air that Kathryn was not accustomed to hearing from her. “Well, turns out that was because he never really wanted to be with me at all.”

	“That's not true!” Kathryn protested instinctively. “You two seemed so happy together!”

	“But he always loved your sister more” Cara answered quietly, immediately silencing Kathryn by providing vindication to her doubts. “Why did I ever let myself get caught up in you guy's messed up love lives...”

	“How did you find out?” Kathryn asked finally. Cara moved to study the expression on her company's face.

	“Wait, you knew?” she asked suddenly, less spite in her voice than even she expected considering the knot that was still twisting at her the bottom of her stomach from the thought of it. Still,  there was enough there to make Kathryn blanch.

	“I knew that he was infatuated with Kura” she explained reactively, her voice moving faster then her thoughts. “I knew that he always had a crush on her, and I did suspect that he was attracted to you due to your similarities to her.” Cara bobbed her head in agreement at the end of every word.

	“Yes, that is exactly what Baku said to me as well” she confirmed brightly, a false acceptance temporarily taking hold of her anger. “He came to see me you see, when I was working my last security shift. He said that he wanted to be honest with me. He seemed rather pleased with himself for doing it.” Kathryn looked back at her confused.

	“He wanted you to know?” she inquired, puzzled. That did not sound like Baku at all to her.

	“Oh, he did try and frame it for me” Cara related, a strange levity still plaguing her spirit. “He did not just say it all outright. No, first he said that with Toshiro and Samantha getting married he wanted to do better by me, and then said that the first step was for us to both be more honest with each other, and so he told me that he always did like Kura more.”
	 
	“Did he now?” Kathryn asked, regaining her composure. “Or did you just imagine that he did?” Cara lost her's.

	“I know what he said, Kathryn” she sniped, her fake bubble of reassurance having finally popped. Kathryn was having none of it; she was now in familiar territory. She had made all the same mistakes herself, interpreting a situation and stewing over her recollections without actually ever taking the time to see them clearly. Now was the time for her to show that she could learn a lesson.

	“But did he ever say that he liked Kura more?” Kathryn pressed, much like her sister had done  to her only a few days before.

	“Not in so many words, but...” Cara began, wearing a similar look to one that Kathryn had worn  during that previous event.

	“Tell me what he said exactly” Kathryn instructed confidently. Cara screwed up her face and thought.

	“Well, he talked to me about the day we met actually” she related, staring up at the ceiling as if it were a screen displaying her memories down to her. “He was still coming to grips with being himself again somewhat, after throwing off the Uziel personality, although he refused to show that to anyone. Keeping a pleasant demeanour around all of you was beginning to weigh on him, especially with everyone 'flaunting their conjugal happiness' in front of him.”

	“You mean he was jealous of Sanjuro and Toshiro being with us and Samantha” Kathryn rectified, restraining a mild twinge of offence. Cara granted the point.

	“Those were his words, not mine” she explained, before returning her view back up to her recollections. “He was wondering absently around the Leviathan, when he inadvertently stumbled upon  the room we use to train in, our squad I mean. Baku saw Kura's name on the door plate, and became curious. He found the door was not locked, and stepped inside.”

	“It should have been restricted only to assigned personnel” Kathryn interjected, feeling a professional obligation to lecture her on the point. Cara again conceded to her comment.

	“Yeah, but someone had left the lock disabled” she replied dismissively, insistent on continuing her narrative. “The room was empty, and there was not actually much to see apart from the locked weapons cabinets and lockers. We had kept to those regulations at least. He eventually sat himself down on one of the benches and gradually fell asleep.”

	“And where do you come in?” Kathryn inquired. Cara smiled.

	“I had left something in my locker before training a few weeks before and kept forgetting to retrieve it. Eventually I just decided I would have to go and make a special trip for it, and when I went to approach my locker there he was, lying on the bench with his head slumped against the wall.”

	“That must have seemed unusual” Kathryn observed quietly.

	“Well, he is unusual” Cara responded, unable to hide the affection in her voice. That was a good sign, Kathryn decided.

	“Naturally, I moved to wake him and ask him who the hell he was” Cara elaborated. “Do you know what Baku told me what he was thinking when he laid eyes on me for the first time?”

	“Tell” Kathryn instructed empathetic. Cara sighed.

	“In his blurry eyed vision, he thought he saw Kura” she answered perturbed. “One can feel a strange confidence upon first waking which causes them to say things that might otherwise go unsaid at any other time of consciousness. Do you know what his first words to me were?”

	“I love you?” Kathryn ventured. Cara laughed inadvertently.

	“That would have made him sound like a creep” she responded through a chortle. “He said I was beautiful. His response completely disarmed me. I was never expecting to suddenly get a compliment. It seemed to speak to the fact that he was that grateful that somebody had finally noticed him in the world at last.” Kathryn turned her head.

	“And that is what got you upset? The fact that the compliment was not actually directed at you?” she asked unimpressed. Cara gave her a scornful look.

	“Not just that, my boyfriend always preferred another women, my best friend...” she protested angrily. Kathryn simply presented her the palm of her hand.

	“So Baku had a crush on Kura, big deal...” Kathryn stated flatly. “You know what? You should actually be pleased with yourself.”

	“I don't follow” Cara replied, temporarily veiling her displeasure.

	“You stole Baku from her. You actually stole something from her, Cara.”

	“But he was only with me because of her!” she protested again. Kathryn exhaled irritably.

	“Do you really think he would tell you what he did if if that was still the only thing attracting him to you?” Kathryn posed. “He said he wanted to be honest with you. Do you really think he would want to go through all that unless he actually did deeply care for you?” Cara did not know quite what to say to that. “You stole him from her Cara. You actually stole someone from Kura. That is more than I have ever done and I've tried, believe me I've tried. The best I've done is to force her to share.”

	“That is different, she never ever wanted to be with him” Cara responded, dodging the point.

	“But you do. It does not need to be anymore complicated than that” Kathryn advised softly. “I think that is what he was trying to accomplish by telling you this. He wanted to make it clear to both you and himself that nothing else mattered anymore. For your own sake, do not foil that for him.”

	“You want me to let him finish telling me what he was trying to say?” Cara asked after a pause.

	“That would be a good start” Kathryn acknowledged encouragingly. “Be better than I often have and do not get hung up on a fear or misunderstanding. Do not read your angst into everything, even this. It has taken me long enough to acknowledge that in myself, don't you go down the same path.” Cara thought about this for a moment and then finally rose from the bed.

	“I suppose I better get dressed and go out then” she stated, moving to the nightstand.

	“I suppose I better leave you be then” Kathryn replied as she got up out of the chair and headed for the door, a smile on her lips. Cara paused and turned back to her.

	“Thank you for talking to me” she stated, warmly. “You were right to ignore my orders to the contrary.”

	“I didn't do it for you, I did it for Samantha” Kathryn insisted dismissively, standing in the doorway.

	“Sure...” Cara grinned as she left the room, not believing it for a second. She knew full well that Kathryn had done it for herself as well.


	A resettling of dust beckoned the landing shuttle as it finally made contact with the Cronian surface, carrying a passenger that had never imagined that any part of this planet would ever want to welcome him again. Four figures in particular were standing together in the bay of the newly renovated and expanded star-port, waiting on extending their own personal salutations to their party's newest, if perhaps still not the strangest, arrival. Taken by straight numbers however, the fact that only two other persons in the group that was beckoning him were also never thought to be dead may actually start to qualify them as being the odds ones, numerically speaking. They were slowly losing their majority.

	“Father!” the two sisters exclaimed, stepping forward and embracing warmly the passenger that had just descended out of his transport with a ruminative eye. He smiled and hugged them right back.

	“I was missing you two already” Nathaniel Akkaraju stated affectionately, if still a little absently, his full attention still being somewhat consumed by the weight of the occasion. He spied a larger glimpse of the bay over Kura and Kathryn's shoulders. It was so big and massive and a lasting tribute to what others had managed to accomplish despite his own best efforts to the contrary, but rather than trying to shut him away from all this glory, they had invited him to extend his own hand in the spirit of fraternity and try and build something better of it for himself. He had been given the opportunity to indict his own legacy. Suddenly, his eyes stopped as he spotted the two other members of his welcoming committee, with one in particular catching his eye again.

	“Hello Nathaniel” his wife said, acknowledging his presence, yet another example of how he was being allowed to take his own mistakes back. She was observing him with much the same intensity that he was observing her. Sensing the burden of their presence, their two daughters stepped aside and allowed their father to walk forward and formally return his wife's polite if still too formal greeting.

	“It also surprised me how quickly I started to miss you, even after all the years that had prepared me for it by your absence” he commented, finally approaching her and taking her hand in his. She continued to stare at him undecided, her feelings for him still seeming hard to quantify.

	“It weighed on you again because you were not sure if I had forgiven you” she observed, her eyes then moving to look towards Kathryn, who tried her best to give her mother her best non-verbal counsel. The look on her daughter's face was enough to get her feelings across. Nathaniel, meanwhile, simply bowed his head in vague acquiescence. It was enough for his wife to finally settle her mind on the matter. “They have forgiven you for it already” she added, acknowledging her daughters' presence with a slight turn of her head. “It does not really seem to be my place to question their judgment. It is not my privilege.” Nathaniel lifted his head.

	“But do you forgive me for what I have done to you?” he asked, staring her directly in the eye.

	“You have never done anything wrong by me” she answered softly, returning his gaze. Nathaniel understood her meaning. She did not blame him for his actions during the attack, for following orders and not going out to find her. “I will leave it to others to judge the wrongs you have inflected on them” Mrs. Akkaraju added, no harshness in her voice. “It seems that they have all already forgiven you. You are a very lucky man.”

	“But that all means nothing compared to my knowing that you don't hold it against me” Nathaniel stated quietly. His wife smiled lightly.

	“You are still my husband, Nathaniel” she reminded him warmly. With that, the two shared a formal if still meaningful embrace, grabbing each other close in each others arms for the first time in so many long years. Kathryn from her vantage grinned uncontrollably, a giddy exclamation just managing to escape her control as her two parents finally reconciled their differences. Kura wore a more restrained if still appreciative smirk on her face, not as much a party to the accomplishment to be as overwhelmed.

	“I am sorry Admiral, I seem to have ignored your presence” Nathaniel commented after he and his wife's moment had passed, turning to address Sanjuro who was standing awkwardly away from the group, having been seemingly left out of the proceedings.

	“No problem sir, I understand that family comes first” Sanjuro replied, intent on not spoiling everyone's good mood.

	“You are family Sanjuro” Mrs. Akkarju interjected, causing Kathryn to grin again. “Today is a family affair, and we have to get ready.”

	“Yes, we should probably get moving” Kura agreed, stepping forward. “I need to escort father to the embassy first, and then I need to supervise the setting up of the final security arrangements.”

	“I should probably go and check in on Samantha” Kathryn added busily.

	“And I should see how Toshiro is getting on” Sanjuro stated calmly. “But we will all have time for that. Today is going to be a very long day.”

	“Shall we?” Nathaniel asked his wife, extending his arm. She slipped hers around his and the two started walking away out of the star-port together.

	“Wait for your bodyguard!” Kura called out rushing after them, leaving Sanjuro and Kathryn standing alone together by themselves in the wide open landing bay. She was still wearing her infectious grin.

	“You look like someone who has just had everything go according to plan” Sanjuro commented, Kathryn's gaze turning to him with no decrease in her level of merriment. 

	“It happens so rarely that I think you have to enjoy it” she responded contentedly. Sanjuro extended her his arm much like her father had done, and she accepted it with much the same quiet appreciation as her mother had just moments earlier.

	“I don't know, I think all of our luck has been improving” Sanjuro observed, his mind going through all of the triumphs and accomplishments of the past few weeks. “I wonder if it will hold for the rest of the day” he inquired absently. The past few days had been largely uneventful since Kathryn's little talk with Cara, in what he hoped set up a good precedent for Toshiro and Samantha's big day.

	“We'll see” Kathryn stated brightly, as the two of them went off in pursuit of the faster members of their party.


	For all of Toshiro's designs of grandeur, the actual wedding was kept a small and intimate affair, much more in line with the literal personalities of Toshiro and Samantha both. Most of the spectacle of the day was kept for the reception, which had a much larger guest list and much more inflated budget than the actual event the day was meant to mark. Those that were present for the actual genuine wedding ceremony were limited only to family, close friends, and a few of the more important dignitaries from both the UCA and Fallen that were merely included as a grudging sign respect. Journalists were barred except for the one person who had been hired by Toshiro as his publicist, who quietly took pictures and filmed the event in as discrete a matter as possible.

	Security on the other hand remained far more visible, but there was very little anyone could have done to avoid that, given the wide assortment of important people that were going to be in the room. Both the best of Kura's security squad and the most trusted of the Fallen prowled around the building making sure nothing slipped past their notice, particularly each other, and everyone was frisked before entering in an even more onerous measure of security. Originally Kura had intended for Cara to handle the admittance at the door alongside the Fallen's head of security, partly due to her being her most trusted right hand, but also because she knew that they would not get on terribly well on a personal level. Kura had still not forgotten her colourful disagreement with her Fallen counterpart from a few days past.

	Upon hearing of this however, Samantha swiftly moved to free Cara from this unpleasantness and made her a bridesmaid, a decision also taken to allow her to spend more time patching things up with Baku. Cara woefully noted that she was once again going to be directly under the thumb of another Akkaraju, namely Kathryn in her role as maid of honour, but Kathryn actually had very little design for her, so Cara was instead mostly left to her own devices, which mostly amounted to her being  the other set of eyes that Kura had already trained her to be. This had also forced Kura to chose Lieutenant Bernie Lipstz to assume the important role of doorkeeper, a person who got on with the Fallen head of security much more amicably. Kura meanwhile, as a personal guest, had to remain separated from most of the operation she had spent so much time planning, but still wore her communicator in case she needed to be contacted in case of an emergency.

	The ceremony was kept surprisingly traditional, a decision Toshiro took to emphasize to the outside world its distinctly human character despite all of the other myriad differences that had emerged between the people of Coth and the planet of their origin. Clothing proved to be a very important identifying factor; Samantha of course was dressed in traditional white, with Kathryn also eschewing her military dress in favour of the strapless blue number mentioned earlier. Toshiro however was garbed in his familiar Fallen uniform, as it was decided that his presence as head of state still needed to be asserted even during such a personal event as his own wedding. Sanjuro was also dressed in his dress uniform, being an important diplomatic figure as well as best man, as were all of the other U.C.A dignitaries and security personal, including Kura. The rest of the Fallen were also dressed in a similar fashion, Baku included, although their uniforms were always made to to much more practical and considerably less dressy than those worn by members of the U.C.A.

	Being no longer members of the organization, both Mr. and Mrs. Akkaraju like Kathryn wore more traditional formal wear, and lacking parents of her own, Nathaniel was chosen to give the bride away, causing him to emerge as a father figure for both the bride and the groom. Being Toshiro's second in command, Baku was actually made in charge of conducting the marriage ceremony, as he was the person besides Toshiro with the most authority on the planet. As a Fallen function, promises were made up to Cothineal instead of a professed god, an almost religious like display that replaced previously more spiritually induced overtures, but other than that removed little from the preferred rote back on Earth, with promises to cherish, love, and hold, in sickness and in health, and until death do they part all being included as part of the bargain. Once sealed with the customary kissing of the bride, the actual marrying of the day was promptly made a done and finished deal.


	“Hello my new brother!” Samantha greeted warmly as she and her husband approached both Sanjuro and Kathryn, who had agreed to spend a few moments with them alone before moving onto the reception. She then embraced her now legally ordained sibling with an enthusiastic giddiness that betrayed nothing but absolute satisfaction with regards to the progression of the day's events so far. Kathryn watched this scene with a polite but indisposed countenance, and Sanjuro himself smiled down at the still glowing young wife with a somewhat forced smile of affinitive appreciation. Kura and Baku had also been expected to be there in what would have been something of a reunion of their childhood “friends for life” pact, but Kura was insistent that she needed to go and oversee the final security arrangements for the reception and Baku for whatever reason was nowhere to be seen.

	“And a hello to my old brother” Sanjuro stated after he and Samantha had parted, directing his acknowledgement towards Toshiro. The new husband also could not help but show by the expression on his face that he also thought that the scene his wife had just enacted was just a little bit too precious, despite the induced sedateness of his manner brought on by the wedding, and so moved to direct the conversation into more systematic matters.

	“So I suppose it is off to dinner first, and then it will be up to you to make your speech” he said, his voice low but light in the fashion of someone who is willingly allowing themselves to be blown away by a gust of wind into the sky. Samantha's voice, on the other hand, had seemed to be more evocative of someone hurling themselves into a strong breeze; she was trying to be over the moon, and was not willing to wait for some external force to come and then calmly and contentedly push her there on its own.

	“Yeah, his speech...” Kathryn cut in, moving to assert herself into the conversation. “That would not be that thing I spent most of last night writing down for you, would it Sanjuro?”

	“Hey, I dictated some of it and gave you my thoughts” Sanjuro responded, defending himself. “Besides, you are so much better at arranging the words than I am.” Kathryn conceded to the compliment.

	“Shall we get going then, dear?” Samantha inquired eagerly, swiftly turning back to her husband. “We have people to meet, treaties to sign, and a whole universe just waiting for us to arrive!” It was almost too much for someone to bear, but Toshiro's cheeks still grew coloured not from embarrassment but from the warmth of his wife's bright eyes burning into his. Whatever restrained weariness he felt soon gave way to a most deep seated affection that went on to further hold and strengthen his nerve.

	“Yes, as long as I can do it with you” he conceded quietly. Samantha reached out and softly grabbed those flushed cheeks to her before planting a kiss on him that Kura would have been proud to bestow. Sanjuro and Kathryn just stayed quiet and watched the scene in the unspoken knowledge that, no matter how ridiculous this all looked to them, it was nothing they had not done many times before themselves. It really never was a production meant for broader public consumption.

	“Kiss me for good luck” Kathryn ordered suddenly, some barrier in her finally breaking, allowing her to also be consumed by the moment. Sanjuro likewise relented, and the two went to join the festivities with a long passionate kiss. Upon its completion, Sanjuro and Kathryn turned to see that Toshiro and Samantha were now staring at them in much the same manner that they has been looking at them just moments before. Then everyone laughed, Samantha releasing an ever more giddy giggle, as the four became suddenly aware of just how precious the whole scene had managed to remain.

	“Come one, let us just keep the day moving” Toshiro instructed, as the group moved to join the larger party assembling in the hall outside.


	If it was spectacle that Toshiro had wanted, it was spectacle that he had received. The large hall that played host to the reception ceremonies was already alive with energy long before the bride and groom arrived, as the voices of friends, family, comrades, former adversaries, diplomats, dignitaries, journalists, and security forces created a soundtrack of absolutely deafening humanity, just the message that Toshiro wanted to hit home to those that still doubted he and his follower's own. The catering for the event was munificent, showing off the planet's new found wealth, made possible by the more equitable trade agreement reached with Earth and the UCA that both respected the rights of the people of Cronus as well as the needs of the source of all of their livelihoods, Cothineal. The final draft of those agreements, which would cement both the already enacted trade concessions as well as the granting of formal recognition to Cothineal's governance of her planet of Coth, was to be signed later that day in this very room.

	The now legally joined couple sat together around a dignified white clothed table, with hundreds of other similar tables stretching out behind and alongside them far off into the distance, all of which were oriented towards the stage in which Toshiro and Samantha now dined beside, granted a special front row seat for the rest of the day's festivities. Their best man and matron of honour were stationed around a table directly to the left of the matrimonial pair, with Sanjuro directing only the most idle of attentions to the bountiful pile of food on his plate, more intent on studying the best man speech that the two of them had spent most of the night before writing with an uncomfortable earnestness. Observing this, Kathryn took a break from eating to place her hand on his from across the table. “I am sure you will do fine” she commented reassuringly.

	“Yes, you do not want to disturb everyone's best laid plans, do you Sanjuro?” Kura interjected all too helpfully, dragging a chair behind her. She then proceeded to insert herself down between the two of them, the table only being designed for use by two people, before forcing her plate onto the now crowded tabletop in an awkward display of forced conglomeration. There was enough symbolism in the room to make one's head spin.

	“And where were you then?” her sister asked archly, as Kura descended on her meal with lavish appreciation.

	“Making sure no one disturbed my own” she answered simply, only pausing briefly from her feasting in order to make her reply. Sanjuro could not help but smile at Kura's enthusiasm for her meal, and with her as his guide began to more aggressively tackle his own. Kathryn could not help but feel off put by this; her own heartfelt entreaty of comfort had been rebuffed in favour of Kura's more blatant example of carnal satisfactions. She subsequently began to poke at her own food in a quiet and slightly dejected fashion, having now lost her appetite, as Kura and Sanjuro shared a moment in a manner which she frankly had trouble even comprehending.

	As the bustle of eating finally subsided, and the conversation in the room reached a natural lull, Toshiro picked up his spoon and tapped his glass percussively, generating a loud chime that silenced all of the remaining chatter in the room and prepared the stage for its next speaker. After giving a curt nod to his brother, Sanjuro rose and ascended the steps that led him to the podium that was now being highlighted intimidatingly by the overhead lights, Kura and Kathryn's quiet but heartfelt best wishes still ringing in his ears. After taking one last final glance at the speech that he had laid down on the flat slanted surface of the podium, he began speaking the words which he had been scrutinizing so thoroughly earlier.

	“There was a time when all my brother and I thought we could depend on was each other” he began, his voice steady and for the moment unaffected. “Having lost our parents when we were both very young, it really did seem as if it was just us against the world. This is a feeling which I am sure our blushing bride also felt all too well, with her own family having been torn apart by war.” Sanjuro paused for a moment to check whether or not the bride was indeed blushing, and soon became satisfied that his words had indeed produced the desired effect. “Naturally, as we grew older our interests and allegiances began to change, but if there is one thing that has managed to remain constant throughout all the years of struggle and heartbreak, it is the fact that I have always felt that it was my duty to look out for him.” Another pause, far more dramatic. “In this, I have to admit that I have failed him.”

	The room was silent. Sanjuro saw Kathryn bring her hands to her face with emotion, before turning his attention to Toshiro, who looked on with an ever more inscrutable stare. “I was not there to save you when you needed me, and even knowing what I know now, I can not escape that truth. I accepted your death and then through my own actions put you in even further danger. I do have some defences; both my ignorance and my other duties blinded me to what it was I was truly doing, but such rationalizations always feel hollow to me. My actions still betrayed what I have always felt to have been my first and foremost obligation to kin, the one that I had to you as my brother, and for that I can never give enough apologies. It is no wonder then that with such a heavy heart and such a great burden resting on my shoulders, I am so willing to give up my responsibility to someone else.” Sanjuro then turned his gaze from Toshiro to Samantha, whose expression in contrast to her husband's could be read like ink on a page.

	“We first met as enemies battling on the streets of Avernus, neither one of us aware of the true extent of our actions or of the strange irony that they would paint over all of our future acquaintances. Then you fought for my brother as I should have done and yet couldn't do myself, and now you sit beside him as his wife. That you also became his bodyguard should be of no surprised to anyone, as it is a role that you had taken over from me long ago. Now, upon seeing what you have done with that role, I am compelled to formally offer you the post that I had allowed sit vacant for far too long. Today is a day for much such arranging, to make things that have somehow already happened firmly recognized, and as such I take this opportunity to extend to you my sincerest praise for the job that you have already done as well as my heartfelt recommendation. Do you, Samantha Sternberg, now also a Makabe, agree to take on this role that I am offering you, along with my blessing?”

	Samantha, too choked up to speak at first, simply looked up at Sanjuro with a warm expression. After a moment she closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and answered.  “Of course brother” she offered quietly, making it so only those nearby could hear. “I thought that I already had.” 

	“Yes, you probably did” Sanjuro stated to her confidentially, before looking back up to address the crowd. “Thank you for your patience, ladies and gentleman. I will now vacate the stage.” Applause greeted him as he made his way down, back to the table where Kura and Kathryn were waiting for him. “They seem glad to see me gone” Sanjuro commented, suddenly whimsical, as he seated himself back alongside the two of them. “I guess I did not give proper justice to your material Kathryn.”

	“Shut up, Sanjuro” she ordered, still visibly affected by his actions on stage. “Don't ruin a moment.”

	“You did good” Kura added quietly, doing all she could to restrain her own feelings from coming out. She could see too much of her own actions with regards to Sanjuro and Kathryn in them to not help but be affected by it.

	“Thank you, brother” a voice said from directly behind them. Sanjuro turned to see Toshiro standing over him. “I just want you to know that I have always felt the same way.”

	“I know” Sanjuro answered simply. With that, Kathryn started to cry, just as Toshiro moved back to his table to comfort his own tearful wife.

	“An expression of professional pride Kathryn?” Kura asked, beginning to return to her own wry self. Kathryn eyed her caustically for a moment before suddenly giving in to a smile, just as Sanjuro had done in response to Kura's previous expressions of exuberance.

	“I suppose you could say that” she agreed, having now learned that the best way to enjoy her sister's actions was to appreciate them in the amiable manner in which they were given.


	Also seated near the stage, at the table directly opposite of Toshiro and Samantha's on their right, was another man quietly fretting over the speech he was about to give. Unlike Sanjuro however, he had no need to nervously consult a pre-written account of what he was going to say. Nathaniel Akkaraju never wrote down a speech, never gave himself a script, and never constrained his thoughts to any formally prescribed narrative. Every single word he spoke was both of that moment and entirely his own, and while this candidness had gotten him into trouble in the past, he now hoped that it would provide him with the means to win over a still largely hostile crowd and give rise to an understanding that he so wanted to inspire in a people that he now considered himself to have betrayed.

	He like Sanjuro was about to admit a mistake, express a regret, and pass the torch of responsibility onto another. It was the enormity of what he wanted to do that now caused him to perspire, just as he had done on countless other occasions before every other important battle he had ever fought. Still, he managed to keep up both his stern face and steely eye in spite of his present concerns, just as he had also always managed to do before, with him never wanting any of his own doubts to enter the minds of another. His wife, however, looked on at him and could still see through the disguise, and with an understanding which he had found so hard to find in any other person reached out a hand to him confidentially in the dark. She herself represented a constant reminder of why he needed to do what he was about to do, and he was thankful for it. He had already managed to mend one of his mistakes; now it was time for him to try and mend another.

	After a suitable pause that followed Sanjuro's best man speech, the floor was opened up to anyone else that wanted or needed to address to the crowd. Toshiro cast a knowing gaze towards Nathaniel's table, prompting the old man to rise and slowly but surely make his way away from the relative obscurity of the crowd and onto the still vacant stage. An audible murmur permeated through the audience as recognition of who it was that was now standing before them spread among the hundreds of eyes all watching from somewhere in the darkened room. Some of them had already known of his presence in the room, and others had guessed at it, but the revelation that such a man as he had not only been invited to attend such an important function, but was now actually being allowed to speak as part of it, still came as a shocking blow to those that were unprepared for it.

	“My presence here must come as a surprise to some of you” he stated from the podium, echoing their sentiments. “It certainly comes as a shock to me.” Not a sound followed his words, not even a cough, murmur, or groan. The room had suddenly fallen completely silent. Nathaniel carried on undeterred. “It is a privilege which I never thought would've been extended to me, despite my having known the bridegroom for many years. His understanding and forgiveness of my past actions has been boundless, far more than I ever deserved. The fact that I am now turning to you, the people of Coth, asking for the same treatment as I have already received from him should not be construed as a desperate attempt to repair a prideful old man's shattered ego. I am more than aware of my faults, and of the terrible toll that my thoughts and actions must have had on you all.” 

	If anyone were listening for it, they might have heard the sound of someone walking onto one of the many balconies that over-hanged the hall. As it stands however, everyone was too enthralled with the spectacle on the stage to give any particular notice to anything else that was happening around them. “I was never one to mince my words, so I will just get on with my acknowledgements. I fully admit to all of the Fallen assembled here today that I once did plot the destruction of both your people and of your world. I intended to use a weapon of mass destruction powered by the very being I sought to control to devastate your planet and obliterate your cities. This I did fully cognizant of the fact that my intended course of action would've destroyed millions of lives, something I felt was justified due to both my own personal hatred of the Fallen, and due to my own regrets over the many sacrifices that such wars had forced me to concede in the past.” Nathaniel paused, as now all of the eyes in the room were watching him. “I now know that I was wrong.”

	A powerful bang permeated the room as Nathaniel went down onto the stage-floor. The first person other than the shooter to have recognized what had happened was Kathryn. “Father!” she exclaimed, before rushing from her table and onto the stage, helping to incite a cacophony of similarly sounding exhortations and exited chattering from almost every other person in the hall. Kura, who knew better than to rush headlong into a fire zone, quickly reached out in vain for her sister's departing form, before swiftly moving to toggle her own emergency communicator instead.

	“I want all of the exits from the upper balconies sealed off!” she ordered, painfully aware of the fact that she had already made it quite clear to everyone under her command that thiswas supposed to have been the case anyway. “I want that shooter!” she added sharply, her voice harsh but still admirably composed given the circumstances. By this point Sanjuro had moved to cover Kathryn, who was visibly kneeling down over a prone figure lying adjacent to the podium. Kura, who had now satisfied herself that more shots were no longer to be expected, promptly marched off to join them.

	“So this is what she has decided to do” Toshiro muttered to himself miserably from his table, his wife fearfully clinging to his arm. It was not her that he was referring to.

	“Father...” Kathryn repeated, this time far more plaintively, unable to muster the strength required to touch and probe his paternal body. Sanjuro and Kura simply bent down and delicately placed their hands on her shoulders, the pair of them also waiting for the the old man to show any obvious signs of life. All was suddenly quiet in the room again, the crowd's attention having already reverted to the events unfolding on the stage once again, back away from the fears for their own personal safety that had managed to keep them all in its narcissistic grip just moments before. It was then that the form of a separate figure appeared before them all, casting a stark shadow over the huddled mass gathered over the presumed corpse, blocking out the stage light in what seemed like a strangely powerful display of control to all of those that were present. The figure was that of Mrs. Akkaraju.

	“Get up Nathaniel” she directed at him softly, leaning down to turn over her husband's fallen form with a stunning grace that somehow managed to cast off most of the oppressive atmosphere that had previously pervaded the hall. Kathryn gasped, and her sister finally allowed herself a breath. The face that their mother revealed to them, the face of their father, bore a surprise. His eyes were not only still wide open but were also now actively staring up at them, dazed but still possessing the fire of life. Suddenly remembering her first aid combat training, Kathryn immediately started checking her father for any lethal or otherwise life threatening wounds, but to her astonishment found that he had somehow managed to come out of his ordeal almost completely unscathed.

	“I don't believe it...” she cried, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks for not the first or the last time that day. Nathaniel simply blinked up at them, still unable to speak or move from his current state of forced repose. His eyes turned and focused on those of his wife, who stared down at him almost completely unaffected by all of the drama that had just transpired before her. She then reached down and slowly offered the old man her arm. With a strength that she herself could never have possessed just mere weeks ago, she slowly but steadily lifted her husband back up to the podium, standing him up in front of the ever gawking crowd. “You were saying?” she pressed, still standing next to him as a pillar of support. Nathaniel grinned back at her, as his daughters looked on astonished. Such reversals simply did not happen, or at the very least, they did not happen quite as quickly as this present one had set itself up to transpire to.

	“Well, obviously many of you have still yet to forgive me” Nathaniel commented into the podium's microphone, having now almost completely regained his past composure. “I can not say that I blame you. In many ways I deserved to have had my speech ended there, before it had even really began. Let us take the fact I am still able to speak with you all today as a sign that second chances are indeed sometimes allowed to happen.”

	“Or third and fourth chances” Sanjuro thought to himself, thinking over all of the remarkable recoveries that they had all managed to accomplish over the past few years. He cradled Nathaniel's still too overly befuddled daughters in his arms, as the old man himself carried on with his address, his oft proven and readily dependable wife still perched by his side.

	“I have now admitted the extent of my mistakes to you, but have yet to give any real reason for  you to grant me any of your forgiveness” he continued, realigning himself back on his train of thought's originally intended track. “It is a broke man that relies purely on the kindness of human sympathy, and I do not intend to use it as my one and only key to human salvation. After all, it is also for the sake of your planet and of your people that I stand before you all here today, something which your leader Gabriel has already had the foresight to understand.” At this Toshiro rose from his chair and vigorously smiled and nodded his head, the relief of his guest's sudden return providing a tonic only equalled by the powers of his own wife's restorative presence beside him. “That is the true reason I have found the courage to speak before you all today.”

	“Old grudges and unsettled business are not the stuff that peace is made of. I am an old man now, and I have made many mistakes. Any victories that I might have had in my less than stellar carer were left sour by the taste of them. My actions were further coloured by them. Such a cycle of anger and regret can not only consume a man, but a people and their world as well. My own heart has been torn, but this planet has been torn even more, by human wars and human greed. We as a species brought those here, and inflicted them on a being who had never ever encountered them before. We must not allow them to further consume our lives, for its benefit as well as our own. We must look past our hate and our fears, and move to correct our mistakes rather than compound them. Only then can we as a race justify our further involvement with this planet.”

	“But I am moralizing now, and I am in absolutely no position to do that to any of you. Take what I say not as a judgment but as a warning, issued by someone who has transgressed rather than abided by his now more enlightened sense of understanding.” Nathaniel sighed and stared out at the crowd, hoping to see glimmers of acknowledgement in their eyes. “Well, I have now said my piece in the hopes that it will help you make peace. Whether or not any of you accept what I have said, or find it in your hearts to forgive me for my past actions, is something that is entirely out of my control. That is not my privilege. A privilege needs to be earned, and I have no right to determine my own posterity. Condemn me or redeem me as you will, I am glad that I was here.”

	Nathaniel stared out again, still waiting for some sign that his words had been marked. The first person to clap was Toshiro, whose obvious enthusiasm had carried on throughout the course of speech, but his forgiveness he had already gained, and it was to the rest of the crowd that his words were  properly intended. He simply did not know how any of them were going to react to it. So far the only definite response he had received was an attempted murder about halfway through, and that was far from the mood that he had wanted to engender with his chosen words of conciliation. Toshiro's lonely acclaim reverberated around the hall, managing only to heighten Nathaniel's anxiety. He need not to have worried. The silence would soon be broken.

	Following his lead, the rest of the Fallen soon added their own applause to that of their leader, with an enthusiasm which only the most cynical of observers could deny. The UCA members in the audience soon joined them, including those in high-command who had previously been forced to discipline Nathaniel for his prior actions on Cronus, who now saw his change of views with a most earnest sense of relief. Among them was also Admiral Cartwright, who had the distinct pleasure of being able to realize his own part to play in the former disgrace's present return to form. Nathaniel turned to see his wife clapping along with the rest of them, and then saw both Sanjuro and his two daughters applauding with just the same vigour as Toshiro. “Thank you for listening” he concluded cheerily, finishing with the microphone. His words were almost lost in the continuing tumult of adulation. If that was not a demonstration of forgiveness, he was not sure what was.

	Things stayed like that for a long while until Nathaniel finally departed from the podium and moved back to his table, still being guided by the faithful arm of his wife. Sanjuro, Kura, and Kathryn promptly followed them off before turning away and heading back to their own seats, with Kura once again moving to toggle her emergency communicator. “Do you have the shooter?” she asked, concerned that no word had yet come as to what had become of him or her.

	“Negative” answered the solemn voice of Ensign Cara Carmack in her ear.

	“Nothing?” Kura replied, far less angered or surprised than anyone had been expecting.

	“I am sorry Commander” Cara apologized, sounding as if she felt the entire incident had been her own fault. “At least your father is still with us.”

	“I thought you were with Baku?” Kura inquired confused, shifting the conversation and absolving the blame.

	“He needed to go off and deal with something. Besides, when I found out what had happened I could not just sit idly by. I needed to go out and help.”

	“Keep me informed” Kura added dismissively, before sinking into her chair.

	“You two okay?” Sanjuro asked, eyeing the sisters with a concerned eye. The three of them then turned to look at what was still the root cause of all their concerns. Nathaniel Akkaraju was currently engaging in a toast with his wife, made in honour to the future that they still had somehow managed to find together. Their two daughters watched as their parents both brought their glasses together, took a deep drink, and then grinned at each other from across the table.

	“We'll be alright” both Kura and Kathryn suddenly replied, before moving to pour themselves a drink of their own.


	From there, things carried on far smoother than anyone ever could have wished. Following Nathaniel's speech a few more of the crowd's distinguished members ascended to to the podium in order to share their own particular words of wisdom, but none had the same emotional punch as the dramatic display put on by the man that had preceded them. Once the speeches were done, there was nothing left but for Toshiro and the most senior official of the entire UCA to sign the treaty that they had both spent so much of the past few months crafting together. In it was official recognition of Cronus as an independent entity, including Cothineal's right to self-determination and her ultimate right to control the governance of her planet of Coth. In exchange, the practice of Kato mining would be allowed to continue as before, under certain set guidelines administered by the Fallen.

	It was ultimately a win for both parties, and the smiles on the faces of both the signatories were genuine, not even requiring the encouragement provided by the multitude of cameras that were now free to record the event unabated. Before long however, interest began to fade as the day's importance became noticeably less pronounced, and the once bursting crowd began to shrivel down to a much more manageable size. The reporters left soon after, and only the most dedicated of dignitaries remained for what was left of the festivities, now that the food and drink had been exhausted and the rhetoric safely addressed. The tables were cleared in the hall and the floor opened up, as a hired band assembled on the stage to serenade all that remained in one last attempt to further mark the occasion.

	Toshiro and Samantha were the first to rise to the occasion, hitting the dance floor with an eloquence of movement that made the whole room appropriately their own. What remained of the once vibrant crowd soon joined them, with Kathryn promptly taking Sanjuro's arm and dragging him to the centre of the floor before he could bid her still present sister even a polite adieu. Kura did not mind, and instead decided to go look for Cara and her other officers in order to get a clearer picture of what had happened to allow events to have conspired as they had done earlier that day. Before she even got a chance to talk with her aspiring second however, Baku suddenly arrived and quickly collected Cara without even saying a word. Something about his demeanour struck Kura as odd even for Baku, but she simply shrugged it off and left the room in order to find Lieutenant Lipstz instead.

	“I did not know he could dance” her mother remarked as both she and her husband swung near the also dancing couple. Kathryn smiled, and without removing her gaze from her partner, offered her own considered response.

	“No, that is one thing that Kura could not teach him” she replied, suddenly moving in a mock quickstep that Sanjuro was almost unable to follow. Mrs. Akkaraju smiled at this benignly, before the flow of the room caused the group to slowly break apart.

	“I take it you have learned to accept things for how they are?” Nathaniel Akkaraju asked, as the shapes of his daughter and her lover moved further from view.

	“They have; it is not my place to complain” his wife answered, a contented expression still born on her face. “I have to admit, they do make a lovely couple. Or should I say trio?” Now it was her husband's turn to smile. Their quiet revelry was disturbed by the shape of another familiar face steering their partner towards them.

	“My dear Mrs. Akkaraju, it has been ages!” Admiral Cartwright greeted warmly, fully aware that he was speaking too loud. The person the comment was directed to paused and blinked for a few moments, trying to fire up long dormant neurons.

	“John?” she ventured, unsure of any answer based on a long forgotten memory called up by a changed and aged face. Thankfully for her it was the right answer, and the typically old and severe Admiral now bobbed his head with enthusiasm, rather than its usual bland display of simple dull acceptance.

	“I could not have rescued you without his help” Nathaniel interjected in a strangely forced fashion, his kinship with the man suddenly feeling a little strained. He always suspected that Cartwright was a bit too enamoured by the charms of his wife, and an old protective feeling suddenly began to wash over him. Remembering himself however, he soon managed to make such feelings evaporate, especially since they still were in the presence of his current wife.

	“I am just sorry I was not able to see you sooner” Cartwright added, his voice finally levelling out to a tad more restrained level. “It was of course the first thing I wanted to do upon hearing of your successful recovery, but unfortunately I had other duties.”

	“We should all get together at some point and catch up” Nathaniel offered more helpfully.

	“Yes, we should” Cartwright's wife, who had remained notably silent throughout the rest of the exchange, assented with a feigned grace.

	“Well, until then” her husband added, able to pick up on the hint, before they too were enveloped by the rest of the lessened but still thronging assembly.

	“She does not seem to like me very much” Mrs. Akkaraju observed quietly.

	“That is Hasumi” Nathaniel clarified, leading his wife back into a dance. “I believe you served with her back home.” Recognition flashed on his wife's features.

	“I thought I knew that face...” she replied, finding the mental workout of recollection and cognition to be rather stimulating after all these years. “A wonderful officer, but I was under the impression that she rather fancied you instead?” The two caught a glimpse of Sanjuro and Kathryn dancing from the other side of the room, and suddenly felt introspective.

	“Who are we to judge them?” Nathaniel asked, as his wife bore a knowing grin. At the other side of the hall, Sanjuro and Kathryn were spying on them as well.

	“It is good to see them smile” Kathryn observed, watching her parents over her partner's shoulder. The two span round, allowing Sanjuro a similar vantage, until the crowd moved and blocked each of them from each others sight again.

	“Not bad moves for a dead man” he admitted, before twirling Kathryn around with his arm. She grinned back at him, impressed by this sudden but still rare display of skill, and accepting enough of his altogether too wry comment.

	“Remember when I first got you to dance?” she ventured, placing her head on his shoulder as the band moved on to a noticeably softer melody than what was playing before.

	“It was a joke, as far as I could recall” Sanjuro commented, his cheeks being tickled by his partner's hair.

	“I would not quite say that” Kathryn bristled, slightly offended. Sanjuro restrained an urge to shrug, still aware of the soft but heavy burden that weighed on his shoulders.

	“You were trying to cheer Kura up after you two got into a fight, so you decided to hurl me about the room” he elaborated, his memory clear. Sanjuro felt Kathryn's warm breath on the back of his neck as she exhaled in quiet acquiescence.

	“Well, we have improved since then” she offered into his ear, closing her eyes.

	“Yes, we have” Sanjuro acknowledged quietly, aware of the double meanings. The two remained like this for quite a long while, with Sanjuro looking on thoughtfully as Kathryn rested on him in a near doze, more content than she had ever been before. Sanjuro spied his brother dancing with his bride among the throng of other dancers, their relative positions seeming an imitation of his own. Baku and Cara were dancing someways to his left, content in each others company once again. His effective mother and father in-law were lost somewhere among the crowd.  “Yes we most definitely have, in more ways than we ever could have expected” Sanjuro added, applying even more layers to her already multi-layered statement.

	Kathryn stirred from his shoulder, her dozy eyes staring into his as she pulled back to face him. Then a smile appeared on her lips, which grew into a grin. It was a sight Sanjuro would cherish for the rest of his life. Nothing was bothering her, and as long as that was true, nothing could bother him. Not even an assassin's bullet. It was the makings of a true peace. Toshiro knew what he was doing after all. 


	Underneath the surface of the planet, the creature's thoughts were still in a whirl. The day had not gone at all how she had planned it to; she had by her own actions spared the man whom she had most feared while at the same time giving pain to all of the people she cared for the most. Never before had she felt so misguided or naive. Throughout all of her previous contact with the humans she had always been sure of one thing, something that gave her the strength and fortitude needed to withstand the actions taken by her aggressors and to plan a peace that was built on wisdom rather than on individual prejudice. She had always been sure of her own intellectual and moral superiority, that her vast intelligence far outstretched that of any single human mind, and that her ethics were always left pure even in the face of increasing human immorality.

	She now cursed her arrogance, and wished that she had actually bothered to listen to her chosen's previous eloquent counsel. She had never really understood the idea of forgiveness, or of redemption; in her isolation she had never encountered anything that really deserved righting, and her first encounters with greed and folly soured her to the point that she believed only she through her own actions could truly make right the mistakes of the past. She had never expected an overture such as the one the old man had made to her, and to her people. She had never thought that they could feel the way she did as well. His words transfixed her like a magical incantation, making her own hate and unwillingness to forgive seem an unbearable shame. She had failed to learn the human's true hearts, and had acted out accordingly.

	The fact she had misjudged him was bad enough, but the fact that she had also misjudged the one she thought she knew best out of all of them was a shame even greater than the one she felt about her feelings and actions towards the old man. She had feared for his judgment, when he was actually displaying a wisdom far in advance of her own. She had feared his intentions, when they were actually still being derived with her in mind. She had feared for his actions, when he had already taken great pains to show that they would not be harmful to her, and tried to make her understand. Her anointed champion was still pure, and it was she that had managed to foul his plans. It was her who had misbehaved, and not the humans she had completely failed to understand. Her view of superiority in this matter had now been completely shaken.

	Her actions were not based on some higher understanding, but on her own personal hatred, jealousy, and fear. She had forced her will on one of her servants and had used him to commit the same immorality that she had so prized herself as being incapable of doing before. She was no better than the humans, and had previously only really learned from the worst aspects of their natures, with very little view of the positive. She thought of the old man again, and of how he had responded to his own doubts and misgivings about his prior acts. She decided that she too would also make amends. She would be completely honest with her chosen protector, her special voice to humanity, and would seek his council and his forgiveness. She now understood the process of redemption. It had been illustrated to her well.


	In apparent defiance to his usual habit of tardiness and sleeping in, Sanjuro successfully managed to sneak out of bed the following morning without waking either Kura or Kathryn, a genuinely impressive feat given that they had both been laying quite comfortably on either side of him on a bed that was designed only for two occupants at best. The fact that they all had too much to drink the night before had both helped and hindered Sanjuro's efforts, increasing the depth of their slumber while also harming both Sanjuro's dexterity and patience for his task, his hangover throbbing painfully as he attempted to uncoil himself from the web of warm limp limbs that had managed to entangle almost seamlessly around him as he slept. “And they wonder why I am always the last to rise...” he thought irritably upon finally freeing himself from this bosom prison, before moving soundlessly towards the bedroom door.

	There was a purpose to his struggle however, as it was for Toshiro's benefit that Sanjuro underwent such strenuous labours. Toshiro had previously given his brother the instruction to see him sometime the following morning just before they had closed down the final reception ceremonies for the night, while also insisting that no one else should be made to know of their meeting. Why Toshiro would want to see him so early the morning immediately following his wedding night, or why he would demand such a high level of secrecy be attached to it, was never clarified. Sanjuro grabbed a quick bite to eat and downed one of the many hangover cures that he had perfected during his academy days, back when he needed a quick fix solution after having previously gone out drinking with Kura. He grimaced as the noxious concoction flowed down his throat, and then started to think over the present situation again.

	Truth be told, he was getting rather sick of being treated as his brother's puppet, especially since he had already had to go through much the same strained ordeal of secrecy for the sake of Kura and Kathryn's father just a few weeks earlier, but Sanjuro was in the end able to content himself in the knowledge that there always did seem to be some reason to Toshiro's madness. Having regained some of his focus and composure, Sanjuro managed to clean and dress himself without arousing the attention of either of the two sleeping sisters, before reluctantly heading off to complete the task that his brother had assigned for him. The Cronian sun shined ever too brightly through the embassy windows, indicating that, despite Sanjuro's present weariness, it was not actually as early as his still aching head had thought it to be.

	Upon reaching his brother's rooms, Sanjuro was at least pleased to find that his brother had decided to keep the blinds drawn and the lights left low, something much better suited to his presently pained mind. Toshiro and Samantha were sitting, waiting for him, on the couch in their living room, both clean and dressed in a manner that belied any of the activities that they may have gotten up to the previous night, seemingly shining even through the room's dull light. Upon noticing Sanjuro's arrival, Samantha greeted her brother in-law warmly from her position beside her husband on the couch, while Toshiro himself wore a more sober expression on his face that suggested that their meeting was going to have more to do with business than with pleasure. ”Please, take a seat” he instructed, gesturing to an armchair that faced the couch from its position backed up against the opposite wall.

	Sanjuro willingly complied, glad to no longer need to be either walking or standing, and took the opportunity of letting his still swaying senses settle down a little before speaking. Surprisingly, relief came to him almost the instant his hind end hit the chair, his hangover lifting from his body just like a bird leaping from its perch to soar through the air. He truly felt as if he had just been blessed. “What is it you wanted to see me about?” Sanjuro inquired, his tone far lighter than it would have been had he voiced his words just a few moments before. Sanjuro then saw Samantha turn her gaze back away from him and return it to her husband, squeezing his hand softly with her's. Clearly whatever it was that Toshiro wanted to talk with him about was something that both husband and wife seemed to find distinctly uncomfortable.

	“Has Kura made any progress with her investigation into the shooting at the reception?” Toshiro asked his brother politely. Sanjuro suspected that Toshiro already had a more than clear idea of what his answer was going to be before he even asked him the question; he always did seem to be two or three steps ahead of him, and the Fallen would of course be keeping him notified as to their own progress into the investigation of the incident as well.

	“Not really; the shooter managed to slip away despite the best efforts of her squad and those of the Fallen security team” Sanjuro answered flatly. “To be brutally honest, she spent a large amount of last night bending my ear over how she felt that the Fallen officers she was working with were being too uncooperative. She even began to suspect that the Fallen were hiding something.” Toshiro listened to this without even a hint of outrage or concern, despite the blatant damning of the men and women under his command. Instead, he just maintained his ever serious stare.

	“As she should” he stated calmly. “They have, after all, been working against her from the very beginning.” Now that the wheel had been turned and it was Sanjuro's turn to react, he did not show nearly the same level of unconcern for the disrespect and mistreatment of his fellow soldiers and officers as Toshiro had done. “It should probably be noted though that for many of them it was a purely unconscious action on their part. I would not want you to get the wrong impression.”

	“What the hell is going on Toshiro?” Sanjuro demanded, his voice low and short. It was a good thing that the effects of his hangover had departed when they had done, or his response would have been far less controlled than it presently was. His brother, realizing the need for quick clarifications in the face of rising mistrust, wasted no time in offering them.

	“The truth is, it is not actually the individual shooter that matters in this case. She could have picked any number of her followers to do the job. It is very important that you understand this before I reveal the true identity of who it was that actually pulled the trigger on Kura and Kathryn's father.” Toshiro had chosen his words carefully, highlighting Nathaniel's real importance to Sanjuro as well as allowing his brother's now suspicious mind to come to its own conclusions as to the true underlying meaning of his statement, rather than trying to force feed him his own conclusions. It did not take long for Sanjuro to register in his mind what “she” meant.

	“Cothineal did this?” Sanjuro asked, his voice still low but now more controlled. Samantha squeezed her husband's hand again.

	“She wants you to know the truth” Toshiro replied, his eyes now burning with an intensity stronger than just his own. “After the wedding, she picked the most fanatical of her followers to assassinate the one you call Nathaniel. She demanded the loyalty of all those she had touched, and they gave themselves to her willingly, although for the most part unknowingly.” Toshiro's speech flowed quickly and freely from him, and Sanjuro could not help but notice his use of wordings and phrasings that were obviously not his own. “They allowed Uziel to pass by unhindered, clearing the way to the balcony where the deed would be carried out.”

	“Wait, what!?” Sanjuro interjected, reflectively rising from his chair. “Baku did this?”

	“She controlled the one you know as Baku, returning to him the mind of Uziel” Toshiro clarified, again in phrasings not his own. “As he prepared, Cothineal listened. She heard the words of Nathaniel, and her mind was turned by them. Still, her resolve remained unshaken, until from the mouth of Nathaniel came an acknowledgement, a confession that all he had done before was wrong. By this time, Uziel was already prepped to fire. There was little she could do.” Sanjuro watched in almost quiet horror as his brother's eyes suddenly burned with an even sharper intensity, before just as suddenly burning out entirely, leaving just Toshiro's own subdued thoughtful stare behind. “She made him throw the shot Sanjuro” he explained, his words now purely his own. “It was all she could do to save Nathaniel's life.”

	“Because she had already put it in danger in the first place!” Sanjuro responded angrily, before suddenly realizing the folly of his words. Cothineal was already more than aware of this, and Nathaniel was hardly innocent of threatening her own life in the past either. “What made her do it?” he asked, finally allowing himself to calm down and seat himself back in the chair. “What drove her to it?”

	“What drives anyone to commit such a desperate act?” Toshiro ventured, before immediately following up with an answer to his own question. “Fear, jealousy, and hatred can turn even the most wisest of minds. Cothineal is not immune to this; she can be far more human than she would have liked to believe.” Sanjuro now realized the significance of Cothineal returning Toshiro his own voice. She was shying away from him, and letting her most intimate friend explain her actions for her. She felt ashamed to be in Sanjuro's presence. Sanjuro felt a deep sense of pity rise up in his soul.

	“Just like everything else that has tried to tear this planet in twain” Sanjuro offered, far more charitably. Toshiro appreciated the observation.

	“Which was precisely what the old man's speech was about” he commented, intent on continuing with his explanations. “He could not have chosen a better collection of words to use if he had known that his life depended on it, which of course it did.” Sanjuro saw Samantha squeeze her husband's hand for yet a third time, causing Toshiro's mood to once again fall more sombre and downcast. “Of course, to say that Nathaniel was the only thing weighing on her mind would be more than a little misleading...” he admitted awkwardly, her eyes staring over at his. Sanjuro now felt confident enough to make a deduction of his own.

	“She was still unsure about the wedding?” he speculated, recalling in his mind their conversation of a few days prior when Toshiro had managed to corner him alone with his thoughts. To some surprise, it was Samantha that decided to speak up next.

	“I believe that this particular area is one that you yourself would be quite familiar with” she observed calmly, seeming far less consumed by the weight of the matter than did her husband. “I would imagine that you have had to face your own fair share of jealousy and fear as an enduring facet of your continuing relationship with both Kura and Kathryn?”

	“The parallel has been drawn before” Toshiro commented to his wife quietly.

	“I would imagine that either or both of them must have acted out at one point or another, in order to get your attention or to simply express their frustrations?” Samatha continued, allowing herself to think out loud. “Well, I should think that there certainly must have been a little of that expressed in her actions, even if she chose a rather dramatic way of showing it.”

	“I must say that you do not seem to be very threatened by it” Sanjuro noticed, impressed. Neither Kura or Kathryn had shown nearly as much patience or understanding when faced with as palpable a threat to their preferred positions as Samantha currently faced. For her own part, Samantha immediately appreciated his words for what they were, and gladly accepted the compliment.

	“It is something I have had to understand from the moment I got involved with him” she explained, casting her eyes back to those of her husband. “I must admit, for awhile I did feel a little insecure, which is why I pushed him to marry me. In time though, I learned to accept that I would never be the only being residing in his heart.” Toshiro simply stared back at his wife, admiration glowing from his features as she spoke.

	“And yet Cothineal was unable to come to the same understanding” Sanjuro deduced, a clear picture now forming in his mind. “All of this, along with her very real fear and still lingering hatred of Nathaniel, caused her worries to get the better of her and made her take an action that she would later come to regret.” Toshiro nodded, looking completely serious again.

	“I feel I must take some responsibility for that” he stated, his eyes moving to uncomfortably stare down at the floor. “I tried my best to be open with her, and explain things as clearly as I could. And yet, she failed to understand the real reasons behind the wedding, or even more importantly for Kura and Kathryn's father, the true reason for Nathaniel's presence on her planet. In that respect, I am as culpable as anyone else.”

	“But it was not you that was there to pull the trigger” Sanjuro interjected quietly. “As long as that is true, you can not feel too bad about it.” Toshiro promptly raised his head, now feeling roused to come to the defence of his friend.

	“You do not blame Baku for his part in this?” he inquired, trying his best to gauge his brother's reaction. Sanjuro thought over his own response further before commenting.

	“I still do not understand how he could have been made to do such a thing, or how he could have so casually concealed it from all of us after the wedding” he answered, trying his best to express his thoughts in an acceptably neutral tone. He knew full well that he was now venturing into areas which he was likely unprepared to truly understand. Toshiro bobbed his head fervently before moving to offer a quick reply.

	“That could be considered to be my fault as well” Toshiro confessed, now turning his full attention to his brother again. “We never did make it fully clear to you how Cothineal is able to influence people's actions, how she is able to touch people's thoughts.”

	“And she is ready to have me know now?” Sanjuro inquired, knowing full well that it was likely Cothineal that had actually been the one to enforce such a prohibition on his understanding in the past, despite Toshiro's current protestations. 

	“She wants you to know the truth” Toshiro repeated, his need for censure apparently having been lifted. “To a certain extent, Cothineal can touch anyone whom she is aware of. She can influence their actions, and even help relieve their suffering by bearing it upon herself.” Sanjuro suddenly realized where his hangover might have gone. ”That being said, in most cases she can only act as a purely external presence, suggesting but never actually enforcing her will on those she interacts with.”

	“You say that she can only influence those beings that she knows of” Sanjuro interrupted, playing with the idea in his head. “Is that part of the reason that she has a such a fierce desire for greater knowledge, as by increasing her knowledge, she also increases her ability to influence the world around her?”

	“That is certainly part of her motivation” Toshiro agreed, impressed by his brother's astuteness in the matter. “As I said before though, her influence is still severely limited unless she is able to form a more permanent bridge with her host. To do that, the host must be made on some level to desire the merging.” Sanjuro raised an eyebrow.

	“Is that why you and Baku were taken during that fateful mission in Avernus while Kura and myself were still left with control over our own thoughts?” he postulated, ideas rushing into his head. Toshiro nodded. Sanjuro thought further. “Which means that both you and Baku had wanted to become connected with her, that it actually was not forced on you at all.”

	“Neither Baku or myself had any conception of joining with her as such” Toshiro explained, his thoughts now growing more introspective. “I know I never did consciously consent to such a merging. Instead, Cothineal subconsciously appealed to a part of me where I felt deficient in myself, and through that gap built the bridge that still exists between us.” Toshiro took in a deep breath, and allowed himself some time to collect his thoughts before elaborating further. “You should take it as a compliment that I never felt able to escape your shadow, brother. While you covered yourself in accomplishment in both your personal and professional life, I always found myself falling behind, unable to achieve what I always felt capable of succeeding. Cothineal offered me a means to express my true ambitions, and I accepted her offer without hesitation, even if it meant betraying my past loyalties and my friends.”

	“And Baku? What did she offer him?” Sanjuro asked, unable to deny Toshiro's feelings. He had known them to be true even then.

	“Something far darker. A means to express his own bitterness and resentment.” To that Sanjuro had even less to reply. “Baku had been bullied as a child, and always felt that he had been dealt an unfairly rough hand by the universe. Cothineal was able to channel that rage, and create something far more dangerous than even she was able to predict. Remember, at this time she was still unfamiliar with the true depths of human emotion, and had no way of gauging which thoughts and intentions would prove to be more powerful than the rest.”

	“Baku's insane, I do not know what he has become, but he's dangerous” Sanjuro quoted, wishing that the thought would seem less familiar to him. Toshiro looked at his brother curiously. “That is something Kura said to me after it had been revealed to me that she was still alive. I never truly understood what she meant by it until now.”

	“Kura was unfortunately correct” Toshiro commented, unfazed by the conclusion. “Following the end of the conflict, Cothineal released the minds of many of her former hosts, including Baku and my dear Samantha.” Toshiro stopped and turned to his wife, him being the one to squeeze her hand this time. “Any bridges formed by hate she knew were spawned by something far more dangerous and powerful than even she was willing to accept, and she instead returned these hosts to their original personalities, albeit still leaving them in a position where they would still be very susceptible to her continued council.” Sanjuro considered the point thoughtfully.

	“Am I right in assuming that the bridges themselves can never truly break?” he inquired, thinking the point over. “After all, you seem to be implying that it was not Baku that was in control of his actions during the shooting, meaning that Cothineal needed to do more than just suggest the action to him. She needed to be the one to take control.”

	“Once it is joined, a bridge can never fully disassemble” Toshiro agreed, continuing with his lecture. “Still, after a mind has been freed, the use of the bridge can actually become dangerous for the the host, as they now have a greater working understanding of the bridge and how to try and combat it. I fear that her resurrection of Uziel may have done at least some short term damage to Baku; he has already reported to me a degree of memory loss surrounding the event, for instance.”

	“No wonder he was able hide his actions from us, if he himself did not truly know of them” Sanjuro realized, thinking back to how aloof Baku had seemed to everyone later that day. Something certainly did seem to be affecting him.

	“As for the rest of the Fallen involved, it was merely a matter of having them conveniently not concern themselves with Baku's movements during that period. All of this she was able to achieve through suggestion, and not direct control.” Sanjuro nodded, the whole matter now finally seeming to be clear in his mind.

	“No wonder Cothineal was able build up her Fallen army so quickly” he mused to himself quietly. “Being on a planet that happened to be inhabited by the disposed  and oppressed portions of our society must have given her a great opportunity to take advantage of our human frailties and appeal to both the darker and lighter sides of our natures. It is a wonder that we were not all consumed by her exploitation of our own weaknesses.”

	“Cothineal is really not a domineering being” Toshiro replied. “She has no desire to control the human race; all of her actions are based purely on her need for self-preservation.”

	“A model for us all” Sanjuro praised. To this Toshiro stopped, his eyes flashing strongly again due to the influence of something unseen.

	“She is not a perfect being; Cothineal is subject to her own flaws and insecurities. She is deeply humbled by what has happened, and has come to realize just how much she actually has in common with us as a species. It was arrogance that caused her to falter in her reasoning and commit an action she now deeply regrets. We decided to make this address to you because we feel you alone are best placed to help her make amends. She trusts you Sanjuro.”

	“What does she want me to do?” Sanjuro asked, feeling honoured to have such a special place in her thoughts. Toshiro's eyes peaked and died down again.

	“Merely what you deem to be right” he answered thoughtfully. “We know that you must reveal some of what has been said, but we do ask that you be discreet in your actions. It would be a shame if the healing that we have managed to achieve here would be damaged by any of this, but we both know that you will act accordingly. I trust you too, brother.”

	“I will do my best” Sanjuro promised, rising out of his chair and moving to shake his brother's hand. Upon doing so he noticed an old fashioned clock hanging on the wall, and saw the minute hand hand come close to signifying a new hour. He himself had only the dimmest idea of how to read them, digital clocks having become so ubiquitous as to make full knowledge of the old displays a rarity, but it did remind him of how much time he had spent talking here with them.

	“Thank you brother” Toshiro replied, accepting his hand. “I take it by your eyes darting towards the clock that you are worried about how much time has passed with us?”

	“Kura and Kathryn are probably awake now and wondering where I have gone” Sanjuro explained, not wanting to seem rude to his hosts. Toshiro nodded, and sat himself back down on the couch. Samantha then rose and gave her brother-in-law a friendly kiss on the cheek.

	“Take them my love, and have some for yourself as well” she smiled at him warmly, before returning to dutifully take up her previous position beside her husband on the couch. Sanjuro allowed himself a few moments to observe the happy couple before leaving to attend to his own special someones.

	“They really did make an attractive couple, all things considered” he thought idly to himself, but then quickly corrected. It was after all three of them that made such a lovely grouping, Cothineal included. Sanjuro smiled to himself as he left the room, no longer feeling as strange about his own situation at all. It was becoming the new normal.


	All grand events require subsequent quiet denouements, and Toshiro's was no exception. Aware of the fact that by that time tomorrow all of their necessary paths would no longer be able to cross in the manner desired, both he and Samantha had arranged for all of their intended guests to assemble in their parlour for a quiet drink and a chance to talk later that evening, something which the hustle and bustle of the wedding and reception had simply failed to allow for the day before. Included on he and his wife's favoured guest list was his brother, right hand man Baku and his own choice of guest, and all of the surviving Akkarajus, whose number had managed to so remarkably re-surge over the past few years. All things pointed to a charmed and remarkable evening, and nothing proved to disappoint.

	Sanjuro found being in the presence of Baku again a far less awkward experience than he had expected, and for his part Baku showed nothing but respect and genuine warmth to the man who he had only yesterday been compelled to fire upon in fit of fanatical hatred. There really was truth in Toshiro's conviction that Baku was not in control of his actions at the time of the shooting, or that was even properly aware of them. Sanjuro had already informed both Kura and Kathryn about the shape of events as far as he felt able to, something which was made necessary due to Kura's involvement in the investigation and continued consternation over the secretive nature in which it was being handled. Both had agreed to observe their father and offer their advice as to whether or not he himself should have any of the information divulged to him, but it quickly become apparent during the course of the night that Nathaniel no longer showed any particular interest in the matter, and instead seemed focused on far more fruitful areas of discussion.

	Conversation flowed freely and openly across the table as friends both old and new swapped stories, recounted old adventures, or outlined their hopes and dreams for the future. Both Toshiro and Baku took the time to catch up with Mrs. Akkaraju, whose place in their childhoods could neither be understated or shifted from the top of their minds, her own recollections of the events surrounding their thoughts becoming ever sharper as the evening progressed, old mental cobwebs clearing to be replaced by new cerebral pathways that helped grant her renewed access to her now ever burgeoning memory. The tale of her trials as a prisoner and subsequent rescue were told and retold several times throughout the night, helping to provide further context to the events and soothe any remaining wounds that still remained due to the trauma inflicted by them.

	Not all of their discussions revolved around such weighty matters as these, however. Discovered again was a sense of camaraderie that had not existed between all of them for many a long year, and all chatted with a warm grace that belied either rank or station, with even newcomers such as Samantha or Baku's chosen guest Cara finding themselves easily at home in everyone's minds, with never a thought given to their unfamiliarity. Toshiro and Samantha outlined their plans for a grand galactic tour that would encompass the true extent of their exorbitant honeymoon, a trip which they would begin to embark upon just the following afternoon. Sanjuro could see a lot of Cothineal's curiosity shining through as Toshiro commented on all of the great sights that they would now be able see, and Sanjuro actually felt the better for it. There was much that could be learned on such a trip, and he was glad that Toshiro was going to be able to share it with all of those that the he now so intimately cared for.

	Baku explained how he was going to handle the business of his impermanent takeover of Coth, and Cara surprised everyone by asking for a period of extended leave in order for her to continue spending more time with him, something which Kura granted reluctantly. She did not really like the idea of going back to running her squad all on her own again, and expressed her concerns about the matter loudly, but she did appreciate the sentiment and became sufficiently assured by her second that such a move really was going to be temporary that she at last became forced to give the idea her eventual, if still deeply unwanted, blessing. Kathryn, meanwhile, gushed about her promotion and excitedly laid out her own plans for her new command, both of her parents looking on proudly as their daughter spoke. Sanjuro heard much and said little, his mind consumed by the moment, filled with recollection and deep gratitude for the situation that they now all found themselves to so happily be in.

	All good things must eventually come to an end, and it was with a deep regret that the older members of their group found themselves to be on the wrong side of the time, eventually forcing themselves to rise from their chairs and bid all assembled a fond goodnight. Things mellowed after Nathaniel and his wife had left, and those who now remained became far more focused on their drinks then they had been earlier that night, their spirit of conversation beginning to die down as their consumption rates began to increase. Eventually thoughts of a different sort began to enter all of their heads, as was first given voice by Samantha in a series of whispered words into her husband's ear. A smiled appeared on the newly married man's lips, and he turned to address the his guests in a rather winsome fashion. “My wife has drawn my attention to some other matters that need my attention” he commented. Samantha giggled. “Don't let our leaving deter you all from still having a good time.”

	“I wonder where they are going?” Kura inquired absently, watching them exit the parlour arm in arm. Her present manner made it quite apparent to all concerned that Kura really did not actually need for anyone to provide her with an answer to her question.

	“I think I know!” Cara called out unnecessarily, turning to face the man who was presently sitting beside her. “I think they have hit on a rather good idea, don't you dear?” Baku flushed, but none the less bobbed his head in quiet acquiescence of his girlfriend's cheek. Understanding his drift, Cara made their own excuses for leaving and then led her own uneasy lover out the door, leaving Sanjuro alone with Kura and Kathryn once again.

	“I wonder what has gotten into everyone” he observed quietly. To some surprise, he caught the two sisters engaging in meaningful looks as he spoke. 

	“I have a little undercover assignment in mind for you” Kura declared, getting up out of her chair and grabbing hold of his arm. Sanjuro instinctively turned to gauge Kathryn's reaction to her sister's obviously blatant comment, but was startled to see her getting up and moving to do the same thing as Kura had done.

	“I look forward to debriefing you” she said in an ever so sweet voice, as Sanjuro felt himself be forced out of his seat. His eyes moved from sister to sister, and saw in both the same look of steadied determination that was present on its opposite. It suddenly did not seem to be so out of place to him. After all, they had all gone through so much together that certain things eventually just had to change. Sanjuro took in a deep breath and smiled at the pair of them as they both continued to drag him back to the inviting warmth of their guest quarters. One thing was certain; no one here felt the capacity for feeling bored anymore. There was simply too much to account for.

February 6, 2010 – February 2, 2014 (Three years, Eleven months, Twenty-Seven days)

February 6-7-28, March 2-13, April 23-24, May 29, June 4 -5-7-20-30, July 3-11-15-18-20, August is lost due to data loss, September 9-12-18-26, October 4-10-16-17-23-24, November 4-10-14-20, December 3-12-22 2010, January-February-March-April lost, August 14-30, November 26, December 17-18-29 2011, February 5-12-18-19, March 03-10-11-15-18-26-27-28, April 01-14-29, May 01-05, June 17, July 2-5-9-16-17-29-31, Aug 3-5-8-9-12-13-20-22, Oct 20-27, Nov 10-18-25, Dec 2-9-16-22-27 2012, January 5-6-12-19-27, February 3-16, March 30, May 4, June 2-8-9-25-26, July 7-9-17-20-28, August 2-4-24-26-30, September 8, 14, 28, October 6-20, November 17-30, December 7-15-19-24, 2013, January 4-6-9-11-15-21-22-25-26, February 2, 2014

Review read on June 30, July 11, 2011. Review read again on February 25,  July 1, 2012, August 1, 27, 29, 30, 31, September 3-8-9-16-23-30, October 6-7-14, Nov 2, 2012, April 28, July 10, August 19, October 26, 2013, January 28, 2013.

Final Thoughts:

	Well, by the time I am finished writing these words it will have been four years since initial writing began on this piece, far longer than I had originally anticipated. Granted, the story is also far longer than I had originally expected it to be, and had significant portions of it rewritten due to file corruption problems that plagued me twice in a row. To say that finishing this story was a learning experience would be a significant understatement. When I started writing this, I was barely in High School, and now I am a qualified High School graduate. Taking the trilogy as a whole, I have spent almost six years working on these tales, almost a third of my entire life. Of that, the majority has been spent just writing this story.

	Not that I spent all that time devoted to writing it – indeed, for significant periods it had been left dormant, sometimes for months at a time. After the second significant data loss, I was close to throwing in the towel altogether. To think that I was less than sixty pages in at that point, and it has now grown to be over one hundred and sixty pages. The initial idea of the story that I cooked up in late 2009  was considerably different than this, and much more like the second part of the trilogy whose creation was then still very fresh in my memory. Still, it evolved from the same basic idea, which was to take two distinct stories, that of Kathryn's illness and the recovery of her and Kura's mother, and merge them into one coherent tale.

	I recall the panic over the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak as contributing to the first plot, which actually became rather insignificant in the end when considering the whole piece. The rest of it, such as Toshiro's wedding, Kathryn's promotion, the troubles with Cothineal, and Cara and Baku's angst all came later, although much of it had already been decided fairly early one, even before I had started writing it. Indeed, the reason for addressing the wedding came from a summary of the first part of the trilogy which was made right before a reading of the second, which gave Samantha's needling of Toshiro into wedded matrimony a surprising prominence which made me realize that I had not actually addressed it at all in my second instalment.

	I also intended to continue to follow the lesson that I had learned when writing the second part, which was to let the characters experience actual pain, without any form of immediate resolution. Now, I can see it being said that I may have gone a little bit overboard with this novel, with some of Kathryn's drama especially being played up an almost undue amount, but it is at least true to the original vision I made long before I had any notion that the work would actually become the length of a proper novel. I spent most of late 2009 bouncing ideas around in my head, developing them into a rough idea of what the story would become, and actually feeling a little intimidated by them. It was not until seeing several episodes of I, Claudius in February 2010 that I actual felt inspired enough to begin writing, something that continued up until the Summer when the first disaster struck.

	Due to a system crash while saving, the entire file that was my infant story became corrupted. Thankfully a backup had been made of the entire system I was writing on just a few months before, meaning that I had not lost all of my work, but it still took until nearly the end of the year before I had finally recovered to where I was before in story. Writing then continued swimmingly right up until the final day of April, when disaster part two reared its ugly head. Due to the same problem, I had my file corrupted again. Now, one would have thought that I would have learned to backup my work better by then, and truth be told I had. Problem is, the backup I had made was on a separate hard drive which had subsequently died of a mechanical failure.

	This was not a good time. A few days later a disastrous election unfolded, which further proved to dampen my spirit. We had also had no running water coming into the house due to a frozen pipe for several months already by that point, and had one of our cows lost their calf in the interim, alongside several other different computer problems. I tried what I could to recover what had been lost, but was eventually forced to conclude that the data was not salvageable. I would have to start again from my latest extant backup, which was from the end of the previous year and finished right where Kathryn is finally freed from the hospital. I did not jump to the task, suffice to say. Instead, I started going over my old stories again, looking for both inspiration and motivation. It was a very beneficial endeavour, and it gave me both the perspective and ability to consider writing again.

	I subsequently moved my work from the laptop that had now bitten me twice and onto my main workstation, which I fitted with a second head for the specific purpose of helping me with my writing. Work had finally begun again, but I still needed a little extra push to get things properly moving as they had been before. That came early the following year in 2012, when I watched for the first time the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. It may seem odd for me to say this, but despite being a fan of Shogo and having already devoted so much time to writing fan fiction for it, I still had not actually seen a proper anime series before then. It proved to be a very rewarding experience, and I could not help but notice that my work was actually far more genuine to its estranged source material than I might have once given it credit for.

	With yet another source of inspiration tapped, things went into high gear. I blew past my initial goal of rewriting what I had lost and plowed right into my next big challenge, properly introducing the mother plot and setting the stage for her eventual recovery. I wrote more in that year than I had done in any of the years prior, even rivalling the amount of work I achieved in 2008 when I wrote the bulk of the fan fiction that is still in my name. I took a few small breaks to look over my old material or to simply rest my mind, but overall it was an outstanding year. My page count skyrocketed, and I even had hopes that I would be able to finish the story by the third anniversary of initial writing in February 2013. I ended the year by writing Sanjuro, Kura, and Kathryn's initial arrival on Cronus, now feeling fully ready to get the final part of the narrative accomplished.

	Unfortunately life had other plans for me, and while this time I did not actually lose any of my data like I had done in both 2010 and 2011, it had other ways of getting me down. The beginning of 2013 proved to be another hard time for me, and I sailed past my desired deadline with the end maddeningly in sight, but with absolutely no hope of actually being able to meet it. Then things really began to fall apart. We lost another two calves, which consequently forced us to lose three head from our herd later in the year. That and other issues further slowed down my progress, and then in June disaster almost struck again. The hard drive on my main computer died, an all too common event with regards to theses writings, and it was only due to some very quick recovery work and the fact that I had temporarily moved back to the laptop due to a period of absence from home that I did not lose any of my progress again.

	By this point I had only one thing in mind, to get the story done. I set my sights on the fourth anniversary, and forced myself to write. Progress still remained slow, but by December I had finally managed to fully regain my nerve, and over the next two months the ending finally took shape. The final month was like a marathon, but I did finally achieve my goal. The story of writing this story truly is a story in of itself, and one which deserves remarking upon. I have taken the time to write these few final words to not just say goodbye to this particular work, but to the Shogo universe entirely. I had long decided that this would be my last foray into their lives, and I have packed so much content into it that I scarcely feel that I have much left to say. Instead, I shall now focusing on one of my old Blood stories which has long languished while this story prospered, and once that is done focus on writing a new work that is entirely my own.

	Despite it all, I am still feeling this a fond goodbye. I have spent so much of my life making this that I can say with full sincerity that it has actually changed me as a person, and made me a far greater writer than I would have been without it. I am truly grateful to the people behind the original game for giving me these ideas to play with, and to all those that had gotten me writing about it in the first place. It has been a long hard road for both me and the characters I have been writing about, but I think we have all now reached places that none of us had ever felt were possible. Goodbye everyone.

Hamish Paul Wilson
February 6, 2014