The Making of Mine Enemy

by JadeHeart

What makes a person into who they are?

Title: The Making of Mine Enemy

Author: JadeHeart

Located/Archived: If anyone would like it, please ask me first!

Creation Date: 1994

Fandom: Blakes 7

Rating: M

Summary: What forms a person into who they are?

Disclaimer: I do not own the idea/outline of Blake's 7, this belongs to the original creators, nor am I making any profits from this.

"Are they gone?" Vila asked worriedly.

"We've lost them." Tarrant said, checking the scanners.

"This time." Dayna put in grimly.

"Do you always have to be so cheerful?" Vila complained to her.

They all left their positions to sit on the couches, snatching what rest they could.

"Where do they keep coming from?" Vila complained again, sighing.

"The same place the rest of them do!" Tarrant said sharply. "The Federation has hundreds of ships. The Liberator is just one. That means that the odds of them finding us are pretty high. Sooner or later."

"I hope it's later." Vila said, yawning. "I'm tired. Can't they give a fella a chance to catch a nap?"

"Well, I'll remember to hang a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the air lock to let Servalan know." Dayna quipped.

"Ha, ha." Vila said without humour.

"I don't understand why Servalan keeps sending her ships after us." Cally said, quietly, leaning forward with a frown on her brow. "We're not really all that important."

"Oh, thanks, Cally, but I happen to think I'm very important!" Vila put in.

Cally shook her head. "Not in the grand scheme of things we're not."

"What about you, Avon?" Vila said. "Do you know what makes Servalan tick?"

Avon looked dispassionately at Vila. "I would give a great deal to know what makes Servalan 'tick', as you put it." He glanced away from them all. "When you know what made your enemy, you then have the power to defeat him. Or her."

Vila pursed his lips. "Now you come to mention it, it does make you wonder how she turned out the way she did."

"What's there to know?" Dayna put in hotly. "She's a heartless monster, that's all there is to it. And she's only going to get worse."

"My people don't believe anyone is born 'bad', Dayna." Cally put in. "Events make them so. They simply get misled on the path of life."

"Well, you can believe what you want, Cally, but we've all seen what Servalan is capable of doing and no 'normal' person could do that. She was born that way."

They all stood, apart from Avon, to go about their own business, so no-one heard his quiet whisper, "I wonder."

"Lani! Lani!"

The young girl raised her head from the flowers she clutched in her small hands and ran towards the sound of the voice. Her mother stood in the doorway, watching with open delight as her daughter came closer. As the child reached her, she leant down and swept her up into her arms with a loving smile. Her child smiled back in response.

"For you, Mama." she said, pushing the tiny bunch of bright flowers at her mother. Her mother took them with a smile of thanks and a hug.

"Come inside and say hello to our visitor, Lani." she said, carrying her daughter into the interior of the house. In the living section her husband sat opposite a tall, rangy man, who looked up as the woman entered. He bestowed a smile upon mother and daughter.

"Hello, Lani. And how's my beautiful girl?"

"Uncle Peso!" the child cried with delight and wriggled impatiently until her mother put her down with a laugh. Little Lani ran to Peso and threw tiny arms around his neck. Her mother smiled upon the scene fondly.

"She was out the back picking flowers." she said by way of explanation holding up the small bunch as evidence and putting them carefully in to a glass vase at the side, replacing the old. Lani had settled comfortably on her uncle's knee by this time.

"Always doing nice things for her mother, eh?" he said, ruffling her hair. She pouted at him, then giggled as he poked her ribs, before settling back again.

"I don't know about this, Peso." her father said, obviously continuing the interrupted conversation.

"It's a good opportunity, Markus, the best that is likely to come your way."

"I know. I know I'm being foolish to even be thinking about not accepting, but it's a long way to go and a long time to be away. Lani's only five and I would be gone at least eight years. With few chances to come back. I don't know whether I want to miss her growing up."

His wife sat down next to him, taking his hand in hers. "Does it really have to be for so long?" she asked.

Peso nodded. "I'm sorry, Betha, but that's the conditions of the contract. And they do say that the amount of work that's there warrants the time frame."

"Won't they consider altering the conditions of the contract so we can go also?"

"There are no facilities available for families." Peso put in. "And they won't take responsibility for having a child in the vicinity. Or females for that matter. There is some concern that the natural enzymes found on the planet could have an affect upon the female reproductive system."

"I don't mind if I can't have any more children." Betha began, but Peso interrupted. "But what about Lani? Will you condemn her to being barren before she has the chance to make the decision for herself?"

Betha looked upon her daughter, beginning to nod off to sleep in Peso's arms. She shook her head. "No, of course not. I just don't want to be separated for so long." turning to look at her husband.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I haven't said that I'm going, love."

"You must." she replied firmly and continued before he could interrupt. "You must, Markus. This is something that we have both dreamed of happening, especially you. I can continue working here and Lani will be fine. We can still keep in touch via the communications satellite. It's not as though you will be completely cut off from us."

Markus searched his wife's face. "Are you certain?"

She waved a hand before her. "Of course I'm not certain!" she said sharply. "The very last thing I want is for you to be gone for eight years! I shall hate every minute of it! But," and her voice softened as she reached out gently to touch his cheek. "I want you to go. You have the chance to do what you have always wanted to do. And I am very proud of you."

Markus smiled lovingly at his wife, then looked over to Peso who held the now sleeping Lani. "Well, Peso, guess I've just signed on."

"I know it's a difficult decision to make, Markus, but I do think you're making the right one. I'll make certain that they provide some compensation for you in the way of satellite time so you can keep in touch."

"That would be appreciated." Betha said with relief.

"Well, now that's settled I had better get back and organise the paperwork. If you would care to relieve me of this delightful armful!" Betha laughed as she reached out to remove Lani's slumbering form from Peso's arms. "Ah, but she is a beautiful child." he said, gazing down at the raven haired, aquiline profile. "And such a loving soul."

Betha smiled with maternal pride. "Yes, she is."

"But she's also got a will of iron." Markus put in, standing behind his wife to gaze down upon his sleeping child with a smile. "Go against something she feels strongly about and she can be the very devil. Takes after her mother."

"She merely stands firmly by her decision." Betha replied staunchly in defence of her child. Markus smiled again.

"Well, then I shall remember to never cross our lovely Lani." Peso said, taking his leave.

Lani almost ran the entire way home. She was so excited! Today her father would be coming home after eight years. She had spoken to him at least once a week during that long period and was able to send letters and gifts and receive them from him, but it wasn't the same as having him there. She couldn't wait to see him. She rushed up the steps of the house arriving breathlessly in the living room.

"Uncle Peso! You're early! We won't be ready for the party for another three or four hours!"

Her Uncle Peso didn't smile at her as he normally did, and the silence in the house suddenly seemed 'wrong' to young Lani.

She looked at Peso with a growing sense of foreboding. "What's the matter? Where's Mother?"

Peso rose slowly to his feet and crossed to stand before her. He placed his hands upon her shoulders as she looked into his drawn face. "Your mother's upstairs, Lani. Go to her."

"Why? What's happened?" Lani was becoming more and more fearful.

Peso shook his head, gently steering her to the stairs. "Speak to your mother. Go on."

Lani looked up the stairs, then threw a frightened look back at Peso.

"Go on." he repeated and she steeled herself and ascended. Peso watched her go and then with drooping shoulders left the house silently.

"Mother, what is it?" Lani knocked on the door again. Why wouldn't her mother answer? "Mother? Please open up. Please talk to me."

The door swished open to reveal her mother, a mother much changed from the one she had spoken to only that morning. Betha's eyes were red and swollen from weeping, her nose red also. Even as she stood there, tears began to fall again and with a sob she reached out to gather her daughter into her arms. Betha struggled to gain some control over her emotions as she led her frighted, confused daughter across to the bed, seating them both. She took both of Lani's hands in hers, looking her daughter in the eye.

"Lani, there's been an…" her voice nearly broke but she took a breath and continued "accident." she swallowed again. "The ship carrying your father was destroyed."

"How?" Lani's voice was almost a whisper.

For a moment, Betha considered lying to her but then decided that the truth needed to be told. "It was a bomb. With the upheaval of the Federation, with so many corrupt people, there is always trouble. The project your father was working on was important to some people, but to others, if they destroyed all that work then it would give them a power advantage instead." Betha felt a wave of bitterness build in her. "Your father was killed because of politics. That's all. How can the Federation survive when there is no one power? The President's are all weak, just mere puppets for the Councillors. We need strong people in government, people who will hold the Federation together, make them all work together in one direction for the common goal. We need to make it all work for the good of us, the Federation."

She stopped short, realising that she had spoken what could be considered treason by many, and looked at her uncomprehending daughter. Thirteen years old, but looking like the bewildered five year old who had insisted that her father take her favourite toy with him to keep him company.

"Oh, my Lani. I am so sorry. Forgive me. It's the shock. He was coming home after so long, everything was going to be fine. And then this. But don't worry, we can get by. I've still got my job, and your father worked very hard these past eight years and he was paid well. We don't have anything to worry about." She reached out to give her daughter a hug, trying to reassure.

"But….. Father," Lani said in a small voice, with tears beginning to fall. "I didn't get to see Father."

"Oh, Lani." her mother said softly, as thirteen year old Lani buried her face in her mother's lap and cried.

"What's happening?" Lani cried out, trying frantically to reach her mother as the guards pulled her away.

"Mother!" she cried out loudly, pushing against the bodies blocking her. "Mother!"

"Lani!"

Her mother's voice reached her and through a gap in the crowd Lani could see Betha searching the sea of faces for hers.

"Mother!" she called out again, raising an arm to wave, to catch her attention. She was nearly to the front of the crowd now. The guards were pulling the struggling Betha towards a van, when she spotted her daughter.

"Lani, remember what I've said! We need strong people. The Federation must be strong!"

One of the guards swung his truncheon at Betha, catching her a glancing blow that made her stagger back, blood running from a split lip. While she was dazed they picked her bodily up and pushed her into the back of the van, the doors slamming shut firmly.

"Mother!" Lani shouted, trying to reach the van as the engine roared into life and it moved away quickly.

"MOTHER!" Lani screamed in despair.

Strong arms then engulfed her and she struggled, thinking the guards had come for her also.

"Lani! Lani! It's me, Peso!" She ceased her struggles to look up into the face of her Uncle Peso. He gazed compassionately down upon her tear stained face. "Come on, quickly. Let's get you home." Looking furtively around him he bundled her into his vehicle.

All the way back home tears ran silently down her cheeks. Her house was dark when they arrived but Peso still carefully checked that no-one was present. Once he was certain he hurried her inside and sat her down in the lounge room.

"Lani," he said quietly. "I know this is all a shock to you but please, you must listen carefully to me and do what I ask you to do."

She glanced up at him, becoming more frightened. "Where have they taken my mother?" she asked.

He shook his head. "We haven't time for that now. I want you to pack everything you need, and anything you think you should take of your mother's or father's. You can't stay here, you'll have to come with me, but it wont take them long to come here, and when they do they will leave nothing behind. So take what you can now. And we must hurry."

Lani looked at him a moment longer, her large eyes shining with unshed tears and for a moment he though she would not be capable of following his simple instructions, that she would break down completely. But then he saw the subtle shift in her gaze, as she took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter.

"I shall pack now. If you could help me get the trunk from the top of the cupboard in mother's room?" He nodded and followed her.

Lani moved quickly and efficiently, burying her emotions for the time being. She didn't have a great deal to take. Clothes were necessary, but faced with this flight most she discarded without a thought, the same with other items in her room. She packed a few mementos but the rest could remain. They had no real meaning now she was faced with leaving them.

Next she went to her mother's room. Again it was fairly spartan, her mother was not one for useless frippery. Lani took what personal items she knew her mother had; jewellery, heirlooms, also a few clothes so when she saw her mother again she would have a change of clothes.

The only other room to go to was the study. This had been her father's Since his death two years ago, her mother had cleared most of it out. What remained were vid-disks he had written, notes, etc. Again she made this into a compact bundle and placed it in the trunk. Peso locked it and between the two of them they carried it out.

Standing by the car Lani looked back at the house that had been her home for the past fifteen years. It seemed very empty; dark and almost forbidding. There seemed to be nothing left of the love and joy both her father and mother had shared.

"Lani?" Peso said quietly.

"Coming." she answered and she didn't look back as they left.

Peso's fast thinking had saved Lani that day. He was able to convince the authorities that Lani had spent most of her time with him, at his home, and not with her mother. That, and her age, made the authorities leave her alone.

The fact that Lani also came from the so-called 'upper class' helped. Both her parents had been Alpha grades, from privileged backgrounds, well-educated, and known in society. Even with her mother's denunciation of the Federation, Lani was still in this privileged group. This shielded her during that time.

A week after Lani's mother had been arrested they received word that Betha had died from cardiac arrest. Both Peso and Lani knew this to be untrue. There had been nothing wrong with Betha's heart, and when they were told that her body had already been cremated it was clear enough that Betha had died from torture.

All this opened Lani's eyes to what was happening around her. More and more she heard and saw of incidents that showed that the government of the Federation was corrupt and festering. There was no central unit to hold it together, and Peso agreed.

"Your mother was right." he said one time. "But don't ever say that. You will always be monitored because of her views so you cannot appear to follow them."

"But you said she was right." Lani insisted.

"She was, but you have to appear to be a loyal Federation citizen. Lani, you have to learn that if you want something, going by the direct route is not always the best way. You have to learn to hide your feelings and thoughts, and bide your time."

"But what can be done?"

Peso shrugged. "I don't think anything can be. Somehow the Federation has to be unified. So all this infighting stops and the citizens no longer fear it. Then it can be ruled properly."

"Then someone should do that."

"Who?" he said rhetorically. "The only people in the government are there for greed of wealth and power. They have no desire to see a unified Federation because that would mean they would have to share that. No, the Federation needs someone who doesn't care about the wealth but is strong enough, and ruthless enough, to forge it into a solid unity. It wouldn't be easy, and it would have to be subtly done, working carefully. And it would take time. No, there won't be any changes in a hurry."

During the next three years Lani finished her schooling and moved onto higher education. She was popular, her long black hair, flawless white skin and large eyes attracted a great deal of attention, namely from the boys. She flirted and dated as any normal girl would, but in the back of her mind she thought upon what Peso had said.

The Federation was corrupt, that she believed whole-heartedly, and it was corrupt because those in power were greedy. There lay the root of the problem. Lani had no real interest in money. Her parents had taught her that it was only of use to gain something else, that was the purpose of money. There were more important things in life. So she began to ponder the problem some more. If greed was the problem, how else could someone control besides with money?

Power, she thought. If you gain power, you gain control. The more power you have, the more control you have and so it grows. But how do you gain that control and power? If you are trying to break the cycle of greed, how else to make people do as you want?

Fear, was the answer. As much as she found the thought distasteful she knew it was the truth. People in power are always fearful – they fear that someone with more power will pull them down. So you would need to make people fear you above all others so they would come to you seeking protection so as not to incur your wrath. Once they do that, you have control over them, and so it goes down the chain of command. Like a pack of wolves there can only be one dominant leader, the rest must fall into line. Any challengers for supremacy must be fought and despatched, unless they submit completely. Yes, if you approach it from that point of view, likening it to a pack mentality, it made a great deal of sense.

So whilst she flirted with the boys, talked fashion with her girl friends, she thought long and hard about how the problem could be solved and how the Federation could be purged before it ate all its people, as it had her parents.

"Hey, Lani!" the shout reached her where she stood talking to two friends. She turned her head to pick out the waving figure of Bart. She waved back and with a quick smile to her friends ran across the lawn, clutching her books.

"Hi!" he said, with an engaging smile.

"Hi to you to!" she replied an answering smile.

"So what are you doing tonight?"

Lani screwed her nose up with distaste. "I've got an Economics assignment to finish."

"Is it going to take all night?" Bart asked in a wheedling tone.

Lani grinned at him. "Oh, I don't suppose so." she said. "But that depends if I've got anything more interesting to do." Bart was by far the most personable of the boys she had been dating.

"Well, there's a big dance going on down at the Hall. It should be a good night. Want to come?"

"Sure!"

"Great! I'll pick you up at eight. Is that going to give you enough time to be done?"

She nodded. "I'll make certain it is!"

"Okay, catch you later!" he gave her a quick kiss and jumped in his car.

The Hall was crowded with people from all walks of life. Lani enjoyed dancing, she enjoyed going out and mixing with people. At times like this she could forget her dark thoughts about the Federation. She had taken Peso's caution to heart and spoke to no-one of her thoughts, not even to Peso himself, just in case somehow, someone heard her. She knew they still checked on her, there were the tell-tale signs through the computer files, over the vid-phones, around the house and even her locker. She dared not speak to anyone of her views, nor write them done. They only swam in her head. But tonight she could forget all that and enjoy herself. Bart was a good dancer and Lani was soon having a wonderful time.

During a break they found a small space near the bar. Bart managed to commandeer a stool for her to sit.

"Be back shortly." he shouted above the noise. She nodded to show she had heard and watched him disappear into the crowd. She felt happy and relaxed. Suddenly she was pushed hard from behind and nearly fell from her seat. A firm hand steadied her.

"Are you alright?" a voice shouted in her ear.

She turned her head to gaze up at a tall blond man. He had blue-grey eyes and wore a Federation uniform. She nodded. "Yes, thank you."

"What?" he said, leaning closer.

"I said thank you!" she shouted louder. He turned his head quickly and their skulls met with a resounding crack.

"Oh!" Lani said in pain, putting a hand to her head, whilst he did the same.

"Sorry!" he shouted again.

Just then Bart returned and touched her shoulder. She turned to acknowledge him and when she looked back the stranger was gone. She looked across the crowd but couldn't see him. She shrugged, it didn't matter. Bart was tugging her back onto the dance floor and, laughing, she followed.

Two days later she left her last class, strolling across the lawns, breathing deeply. The air was getting cooler as winter settled in but it was still pleasant. She wandered along in a pleasant day-dream state, enjoying the evening.

"Hey!"

The voice startled her, making her jump. Turning she saw a man sitting on the front of a vehicle. She looked at him warily as he was in Federation uniform. Was she being arrested? Had she not been careful enough? Had they also taken Peso? The man stood up and walked towards her. She refused to run, although she wanted to.

"It was just too difficult to talk to you that night at the Hall. So I had to find some other time."

Peering at him in confusion, it finally made sense to Lani. This was the same officer who had bumped head with her at the dance.

She smiled at him warmly. "It was little noisy." she said in agreement.

"Yeah. Look, I know I'm being terribly presumptuous here. I guessed you were a student, I thought I had seen you before, so I asked around a bit and decided that the only way to meet you properly was to sit outside each day and see if you came out."

"What would you have done if I hadn't?" she asked, curious.

He shrugged, then smiled. "Gone in and looked in very classroom." She laughed with him. He had an engaging manner and an infectious smile. "Well, let me introduce myself properly now. I'm Don, Don Keller. Just graduated from the Federation Academy."

"Very impressive."

"Not really, but they do say that the uniform will get the girls."

"And does it?" she asked teasingly.

He smiled widely at her. "I'm waiting to see." She laughed again. "Look," he continued. "I know your name's Lani. I told you I asked around. But I don't know where you live and it is getting dark so can I do the gentlemanly thing and give you a lift home?"

Lani looked at him, liking him. So she took the risk. "That would be very kind of you."

He opened the door for her and they chatted amicably until they reached her house.

"There you go. All safe and sound."

"Thank you."

"My pleasure."

From that meeting, a romance bloomed. Lani felt like she was floating on air. For the first time in many years she felt free of her dark thoughts of the past. Don was everything she had dreamed of in a man. He was charming, kind, gentle, loving. That he was eight years her senior didn't matter to her. He often told her he loved her. It had been many years since anyone had told her that. She hadn't realised how much she yearned to hear those words. They spoke of being together for many years, but they also both knew there were no guarantees.

"I love you, Lani." he said, kissing the palm of her hand. "My emotions are deeper than the depths of space."

"You'll not leave me?" she asked once, seeking reassurance.

"I would not wish to leave you anytime, Lani, but you know how things are."

She buried her face in his shoulder. "I know. I just wish there was never any fighting. That everyone was happy. Why can't it be like that?"

Don gently raised her chin, smiling down at her. "I know a land where love reigns free."

"Where?"

"In my dreams." he answered. "Perhaps it will be reality one day. If I could, I would make a world like that for us."

"Then we will always be together?"

Don looked at her deeply, touching her cheek gently with his finger tips. "Perhaps we shall be lovers for a little while or a long while, who knows? Unexpected things can happen, you know that. I do love you. I don't want to lose that. We need to make the most of what we have now."

Peso worried for Lani. To begin with he was concerned that Don Keller was a spy, sent to make Lani incriminate herself. But then he worried that Lani was becoming too attached. Don was a Federation officer, he might not always be here.

And so it happened just as he had feared. Don received new orders, he would be leaving. Lani was devastated. She wanted to go with him but he refused.

"Lani, I can't take you with me. Look, it's been great what we've had, but this is what I've been waiting for, this is what I've been trained for. Now I've got the chance to prove myself. I'm not ready to be tied down, not when I can start to build my career."

Lani was shocked to hear this. Her parents had taught her that love was more important than anything – be it money, wealth, fame, everything. But Don was leaving her for a career.

As he walked away from her, he turned to say, "Lani, what ever happens, remember, I do love you. But I've got things to do. I hope one day you'll understand." And so he left.

Peso tried to console her but she would not be comforted. Locked in her room she fell into a depression. She twisted a lock of her long black hair as tears ran down her face. Her parents were wrong – love wasn't stronger than everything else. Love hurt you, let you be hurt, it couldn't protect her. Her parents loved her and each other and yet both were dead. Don loved her but left her.

Twisting her hair, she recalled Don's words as he ran his hand though it. "You have wonderful hair, Lani. It's beautiful, so soft and so thick. It's like dipping my hand into a deep pool of water. Or reaching into the night sky to try and catch the stars."

With a cry of rage she picked up a pair of scissors and ruthlessly cropped her hair, crying harder as each handful fell to the floor. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, eyes full of tears and black hair cut short to her scalp.

Her hurt and anger needed a target and she found one – the Federation. The Federation was responsible for killing both her parents – on nothing more than a whim. The Federation was responsible for sending her Don away, most likely to be killed over something just as senseless. She knew they frowned upon their officers having personal attachments, like wives and family. If they didn't, then Don would have taken her.

All her prior thoughts of how the Federation could be changed came flooding back to her. Right, she was tired of sitting around waiting for someone to make the changes. One thing she had learned from her parents was that if you wanted something changed you did it yourself, you don't wait for someone else. Since she had already worked out most of the reasons why the Federation was the way it was and how they could be solved, then she was the perfect person to make those changes. She would take on the Federation – and she would win!

That decision made, she immediately put it into practice. The first thing was to enrol in the Federation Academy as a cadet. Her application was accepted and she soon found herself dressed in battle fatigues and crawling through mud on the training fields. She was still suffering severely from depression but Peso could not make her see a counsellor and so felt that work might be the best thing for her.

He kept cautioning her though. "Remember, Lani, never let yourself get sucked into the same pit you are trying to drain." he warned. "Trust no-one, for they will all be trying to bring you down. They all want to reach the top also, and all for different reasons. You must be strong, but don't let yourself grow hard, child."

"I'm fine."

He shook his head. "No, you're not. But you must heal yourself as you won't let others help. I don't want to lose my little Lani to the Federation as well."

She reached over to squeeze his hand and smiled at him. "Oh, Peso, without you I don't know what I would have done. You've been everything to me since my parents died. I won't let you down, and we'll beat the Federation. Somehow."

"That's my girl." he said, smiling back. "Full of fighting spirit. You'll do the right thing. Just hold onto that thought and don't let yourself be dazzled by other goals."

"I'll be careful."

But then she was dealt another blow. Once again a politically motivated terrorist attack struck down someone she loved. Peso was one of the eighty victims, vaporised completely, nothing left to remember him by. Lani wept for two days.

Peso would never know just how far reaching the effects of his death would have on her. With his death Lani focused entirely upon her thoughts of the Federation . She did not recognise when the anger turned to hatred, which in turn became obsession. She would become the ruling power in the Federation – or die trying! She withdrew further into herself, cutting herself off from her former friends, immersing herself in her training. She was determined now that nothing, and no-one, would stop her succeeding in her goal. And she was now prepared to do anything necessary to reach it. So Lani threw herself into her training and she took her frustration and anger out in this, and also upon the other cadets.

Coldly she began to put into practice what she had analysed for so many years. Fear, make them fear you, become a power. She needed to start now, at this level, right at the beginning and build her power base from here.

Her commanders changed over the years. Most encouraged her in her ruthlessness, some didn't. One such commander was Kasabi. Kasabi was a senior political officer in Space Command and a Training Officer for the cadets. She had the power and authority and she, too, knew that the Federation was degenerate, rotting from within. Kasabi was a great commander and in many ways Lani admired her. She was the sort of person who should be in power, who had the morals and convictions. But, Lani realised Kasabi didn't have the strength of will that was needed, and she wasn't ruthless enough to ever reach the top where she could do some good. Kasabi didn't desire power. Kasabi was full of fighting fire and unfortunately was somewhat narrow minded in her view and focussed on Lani and those like her as the cause of the problems. She abhorred the abuse of power by the 'upper classes', and saw Lani as a perfect example of the excesses of this group. She didn't know Lani's full background, she only knew who her parents had been and her upbringing. Kasabi often cited that the 'upper classes' were spoilt, idle, vicious, greedy and sick. They used power only for their own gain and benefit, ignoring the masses that the Federation should be caring for.

Kasabi disciplined Lani a number of times for her behaviour, citing in her reports that Lani used excessive force in dealing with her subordinates, but Lani refused to be daunted by this and continued. Eventually, Kasabi reported that she believed Lani was unfit for command and should be removed from the ranks. Lani could not afford to be removed from the Federation. It was there that she had to succeed. She had come so far, and she could not let Kasabi stop her now. She knew she had no choice. Many things that Kasabi said to the cadets could be taken as treasonous, if the information reached the right people. So steeling herself, Lani took steps in reporting Kasabi's views. She hated herself for doing so, as Kasabi's views were the same as her mother's but she also knew that Kasabi had many powerful friends and Lani intended to ensure that they knew of Kasabi's plight with time to help her. And so it was that Lani reported Kasabi to her superiors. Kasabi was placed under arrest and there was an official inquiry into her activities. She was imprisoned but immediately her friends took steps to prevent anything happening to her.

Lani was commended for her actions and she carried on. She knew she was right to do as she had. She had no doubt that Kasabi would soon be free and would join the growing ranks of rebels on the many Federation planets. In some ways, Lani would almost prefer to be with the rebels herself, but she knew all too well that the only real chance of changing the Federation was from within. She had to eat, breathe and live as the Federation, learn everything about it and everyone in it. She had to gather her strength, build her power base and then, when the right moment arrived, she had to strike. For her quick thinking, she was immediately promoted to a position of assistant in Space Command, and her training began in earnest. She applied herself diligently and Kasabi's superiors watched this young woman even more closely.

When Lani received her first promotion she knew that she was right in her approach. To get to the top she had to be the best, she had to defeat all opposition, she had to let nothing stop her, and only that way would she attract the attention of those in power. Once they thought they could mould her in their image they would give her opportunities to rise further. And when the time was right she would be the one in power, not they

So over the years this took all her time and energy and it followed as she knew it would. She rose through the ranks quickly, ruthlessly eliminated any opposition as she found it, and those in power smiled benignly upon her, never guessing they were nourishing an adder in their bosom. She became the youngest Space Commander and then received a far greater honour, a sure sign of her benefactor's blessings. She was the first woman to become Supreme Commander.

Standing before the President, waiting to receive her promotion, she watched the man who held the power of the Federation, at least in theory. That power was now almost within her grasp, but she could wait a little longer. The President stepped down a couple of steps, smiling ingratiatingly at her. She ground her teeth in silent frustration. Oh, how she would like to wipe that smug smile from his face! He raised his voice so all could hear. Finally, she thought, power. Absolute power was almost in her grasp.

"Let it be known, that on this day we honour one who has done great service to the Federation."

Yes, she thought, soon it would all be hers. She would unify the Federation!

"Congratulations, Supreme Commander Servalan!"

Yes, absolute power …………corrupts absolutely.