DISCLAIMER: It is with deep regret that I don't own Inuyasha. If I had then I'd have tons of money...plus Sesshoumaru! LOL!

A/N: I love Star Trek as well and I couldn't help myself on patterning some of the scenes here with the show. But I will not copy the Enterprise bridge layout, of course.

DEDICATION: It is with gratitude that I thank my sensei Shuji Tada for letting me use his name for my character. Arigatou gosaimasu, sensei!

IMPERIAL CHRONICLES The Imperial Majesties

Clutching a report pad, Commander Shuji strode through the halls of Heaven's Sword. The commander rolled his shoulders with a groan to remove some of the kink put there by tension. For hours now he could feel exhaustion gradually seeping in; it had been a long and tiring cycle. Though his race was legendary for their stamina and vigor even the strongest of them all succumb to fatigue. As his long legged stride carry him to the engineering section of the ship he could see and feel the same exhaustion among the workers and the officers. Some of them have been on duty for more than three cycles (days).

A day in their home planet is about thirty hours per revolution around their sun, Dainichi, so most of their people, including himself and their lord-captain had been at their post without rest for more than ninety hours since the attack ended. It is his duty to make sure the repairs are hastened. Until then they might count another cycle. He sighed heavily. He prays to the kami it would not be so before everyone could even get some well-needed rest.

Thinking about rest made the lanky commander stride faster, his arm snagged open the elevator door just before it shuts. With eyes closed he leaned back on the wall with a tired sigh. It would probably be the most rest he could ever get for the moment. The Commander could almost hear his bed beckoning him like the mythical tori (birds) singers. A shadow of a smile broke from the young commander's lips as the elevator closed on his handsome visage.

~ O ~ O ~ O ~

Aboard the warship Goraishi, Lord Kouga stroked his chin as he walk up and down the length of his own bridge; ten paces to…ten paces fro. "What the hell is going on over there?" His finger stabbed the view screen where the tracking lights from the Inu fleet looked like hotaru (fireflies) bugs against the dark backdrop of deep space. The Ookami lord scratched his fingers against the stubble of his chin in deep thought.

"What I wouldn't give to know what was in that missive…" His lips broke into a smile when his eyes fell on one of his people. "You! Ginta! Hack that message for me, would you? And be quick about it."

~ O ~ O ~ O ~

Up on the subdued lighting of the Heaven's Sword bridge the lord-captain remained at his post despite his first officer's appeal to rest. The request was turned down softly but firmly. A puzzle has been plaguing his mind since the battle with the Hagetaka.

Though Heaven's Sword was one of the fastest in the fleet they still sustained some damage during the Hagetaka encounter. It shouldn't be so unless….

"What happened to the Hagetaka?" The baritone voice rang clearly throughout the bridge breaking Sesshoumaru's rumination.

"His majesty General Inutashio on deck!" The second officer stood up smartly, and in unison everyone stood on stiff attention and bowed low at least three times.

"At ease." Sesshoumaru languidly commanded his officers. "Father." The lord-captain stood in acknowledgement and deference for his sire. This excessive bowing and standing for royalty should be stopped, the lord-captain thought, making a mental note to add this to the bridge protocol.

"Son." The general nodded somberly as he strolled towards his son. "How is the fleet?"

"We sustained damage among the fleet but nothing that we could not repair. We also lost some people." Sesshoumaru stepped aside to offer the general his own seat.

Sesshoumaru turned when the bridge door opened once again bearing the first officer of Heaven's Sword. With some trepidation the lord-captain noted the grim look on his first officer's drawn face. Commander Shuji handed Sesshoumaru the report pad, the golden-eyed captain's stomach knotted in anxiety when he quickly scanned the contents. The first officer took his post beside his captain after greeting and bowing to his emperor.

"It is never easy to lose people, son." General Takeo Taisho, emperor of the Inu daiyoukai clapped his son's shoulder as he sat down. "I heard that you gave those impudent birds a beating." General Taisho's golden eyes swept the cosmic panorama in front of him. "Did some of them survive for interrogation?"

"Yes, I will visit them in the holding cells."

"Ah." The general gushed. "I look forward to that. Tell me when."

"Your arrival was perfect, your majesty. I need to confer with you on a discovery."

The emperor frowned. "That would have to wait until we finished this." He indicated the view outside. "By the way, what was the status of the communications I've been waiting? Did it come through?" The emperor turned his head left and right as if looking for answers to his question.

Commander Shuji nodded to Sesshoumaru to acknowledge the non-verbal command when his captain's eyes slid to him.

"Contact estimated in one minute, your majesty." Sesshoumaru nodded his satisfaction at his people's alacrity.

"I couldn't help but notice that the message was heavily encrypted." Sesshoumaru said under his breath. "May I ask where the message was delivered?" It galled the lord-captain that he, of all people, was not privy to sensitive information on his very own ship, of all places.

"Son, patience is a virtue. You will know soon. Ah!" The emperor craned his head when the door of the bridge hissed open.

The first officer leaned closer to his captain. "My lord, your…" Sesshoumaru and Commander Shuji turned as one at the door when their whispered conference was interrupted. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed when two people stepped on the bridge. He didn't recall summoning them for a meeting.

The emperor stood up and beamed at the newcomers. "Right on time! Good!"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes when his father smiled but avoided his own. "Father..."

"My lord," Commander Shuji called but he realized his mistake when both men turned to him. "Rather…captain…" He amended. Sesshoumaru raised a brow. "Encrypted message coming through."

"Go on full stop." Sesshoumaru turned his head towards Shuji, the dark-haired first officer in turn nodded.

"Full stop!"

"Await decryption protocol." The captain strode to his command chair and tapped the decryption release codes. The emperor next tapped his own codes.

"Decryption protocol ready. Standing by." Intoned the commander. The screen was filled with the sigil of the House of the Moon and then a timer began to count the seconds down.

"My lords…," The first officer bowed and nodded to the screen and immediately the glittering darkness of the stars was replaced by a non-youkai face.

~ O ~ O ~ O ~

"I am WHAT?" The bellow had enough force to vibrate the walls of the captain's office and the various medals and weapons hanging from it. Raucous laughter followed the violent reaction.

Inuyasha couldn't contain his glee and the second son almost fell off his chair laughing. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his half-sibling; a warning that the latter chose not to heed.

"Lower your voice." The general admonished his fuming son. Granted, the captain's office was noise proof but his first-born had always had a strong set of lungs. "Inuyasha, shut up." Silver-haired like his first and second-born, the three actually looked like brothers. Compared to the easygoing nature of the sire the first-born son seemed more mature than his elder. But everyone could feel the unmistakable power emanating from the pony-tailed emperor that bespoke of his status.

"This is great!" The younger son slapped his leg in amusement seeing how his older brother tried his best to remain stoic. "If this is true then I wanna have ring side seats for this!"

Sesshoumaru had held his outburst after the transmission ended but everyone could feel how his energy spiked at the news.

"Marriage?" Sesshoumaru felt like smashing his fist through the bulkhead, but getting sucked into the cold void of space wasn't his chosen way to die so instead he paced like a caged wolf.

"Would you look at that." Inuyasha tried hard to contain his glee at the news. "Someone's gonna be placing a leash around our neck, stupid."

"Inuyasha, cease!" The emperor snarled at his second son. "Yes. Marriage." He gentled his voice as he turned back to his pacing son. "This is purely for political reasons." The general waved his hand dismissively.

"Political reasons…" Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

The emperor shrugged his shoulders and tried hard to ignore the sigh that came from his mate. Actually, had Emperor Taisho been face to face with the human he would have clawed his face off at the slip. Damn, he'd have wanted to break the news slowly...no, rather subtly to Sesshoumaru. Well, that was the original plan and he even had the perfect item to bribe...No! Not bribe...ah...ease the pain? The general winced at his ruined plans. Oh well...

"Why wasn't I told about this?" The silver-haired captain snarled. "Father, don't you think that our current predicament is more important to devote time to than focusing on marriage plans?" His stoic demeanor was surely being tested. "According to our investigation…" He held up a pad. "We have a spy in our midst."

"A spy?"

"Please refrain from repeating what I have just said, Inuyasha." Lord Sesshoumaru rounded at his half-brother in irritation. Sesshoumaru couldn't make himself rest nor sit still with repairs going on about the fleet. Though his body is tired his mind is on hyper drive. And then his father had to dump this bizarre news upon him! Someone in hell must have been rejoicing for this anguish being inflicted upon him by his very own family!

"I heard what you said, stupid!" The equally silver-haired captain of the Tetsaiga banged his fist upon the heavy conference table. "But doncha think it's kinda hard for a spy to hide their agenda among us?"

"It is not that difficult." Everyone turned at the mellifluous voice in the room. "There had been some incidents before." Kimiko, the Empress of the Inu Wakusei raised her brows to the assembled captains and royal members of the House of the West from her seat in front of the captain's desk. "Espionage is an art, my dear. The goal is to blend among the enemy so perfectly."

Sesshoumaru growled and couldn't believe that they, his own flesh and blood, were having this four way outrageous talk. He tried to keep a rein on his temper...and the impulse to smash everything on sight. He wants to focus more on repairing his ship rather than discuss marriage plans. "I do not want to get married." Sesshoumaru halted in front of his own desk.

"We did not come this far just to be sidelined by espionage or sabotage." Ignoring his son's protest Emperor Takeo Taisho spoke up sprawled untidily in his son's chair, his clawed fingers laced on top of his stomach.

"Damn it! Sabotage too?" Inuyasha fumbled to catch the report pad Sesshoumaru sent sailing from across the room. "Hey, watch it!"

"Where's the report I sent you a while ago?" The lord-captain couldn't seem to sit still and pacing seemed to be the best recourse. "You didn't read it, did you?"

"I don't have the time to read your stupid reports." Inuyasha retorted as he scrolled at the pad. "I'm overseeing the repairs on my own ship, doncha know?"

"Cease squabbling." emperor Taisho growled at the latter.

Trying to steer the topic away from marriage and all that entails, Sesshoumaru pressed his argument to his parents and rulers. "The attack caught everyone by surprise; the Hagetaka attacked without provocation. Despite numerous calls for parley the communication line was left unanswered. Before we proceeded to this area our sources informed us that there would be no undue problems that would arise even if we pass near the Ookami home world." Sesshoumaru braced both hands on the table. "My own ship was tampered with a computer virus that slowed it up."

"What did you do? How come you still got to help the fleet out?" Inuyasha asked.

"It's called foresight, pup." Sesshoumaru smirked when his sibling 'Keh-ed!'

"Leave this to me. I have people who are good at surveillance." The empress pointed at her son. Sesshoumaru nodded.

"May I repeat: I do not want to get married." Sesshoumaru thumped his fist upon his desk and then winced at the act on his favorite desk.

"It's out of your hands, son." The general waved a finger at the silver haired captain earning him another growl.

"Why me?" Sesshoumaru clenched his fist. "Why not Inuyasha?"

"Hey! I ain't the one getting hitched so doncha drag me into this, baka!" He stood up and backed away before his older brother strode to him to give him a whooping up his head.

"Excuse me?" The general snorted. "I think you know the answer to that question, son." The general leaned back on the leather backed chair and frowned. "First born." And he pointed at the panting captain.

"Aren't we civilized enough to forego this..." Sesshoumaru shook his head as if to dislodge the needed words into his brain. "...this barbaric ritual?" He literally spat the words out as he shoved Inuyasha out of the way.

"I have tried to dissuade your father into this lunacy…" The empress looked askance at her mate. "but the council had backed him up."

"Barbaric ritual or no..." The general stood up from the chair with a frown. "you are entitled to follow it."

"You mean forced to follow it."

"Sesshoumaru." The emperor slashed the air. "End of discussion."

"Here we go again…" The empress sighed.

Two sets of golden eyes met...and clashed. Trails of youki began to permeate the air until it would seem the room would explode. Everyone looked at both men with worried expressions. The empress tried to bite back the order to cease and desist.

But before a full minute passed Sesshoumaru lowered his eyes and backed down, mindful of his status AND the danger of issuing a challenge to his general and sire in full view of family. He pulled his youki back.

The emperor sighed as well and his anger dissipated at the hard expression of his son.

Once more he stepped aside to allow his superior officer to depart his office. The red painted doors parted smoothly. The general clapped his son on one shoulder as if to console him but the general sighed when his son refused to raise his eyes to his and exited, his long cape trailing behind him.

~ O ~ O ~ O ~

Commander Shuji had planted himself unobtrusively right outside his captain's door, hands clasped in front of him; not eavesdropping but attentive to his captain's moods. His turquoise gaze swept the back of the bridge. His mere presence keeping away curious ears and eyes for what was transpiring behind the captain's closed doors. The commander sighed as he allowed his youki to spread out and cover the entrance like a shock absorber and right in time too as he flinched a little at the strong blast like wave of anger.

Whoa! He blinked and shook his head it was then he noticed one of the bridge crew looking at him curiously. He stared down the junior officer until the young woman quickly turned back to her readings. The feeling had ebbed and then the door parted and out strode the Emperor and Empress Taisho and Lord Inuyasha from the captain's office and out of the bridge to the elevators.

The tall officer turned and faced his captain. He raised his brow in surprise and quickly did an about face. He repressed an urge to clear his throat and instead strode to the middle of the bridge and sat in the captain's chair as he has the conn. "Report!" He barked to the bridge in general, it snapped everyone's attention.

As he listened with half an ear to the various bridge reports the tall raven-haired first officer wondered what news his captain received for him to slump over his desk as if the entire world of the Inu no Wakusei were on his shoulders.

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