Once aboard Lillandra's flagship, Charles transferred to the Shi'ar hoverlift that served him aboard instead of his wheelchair. They conversed casually as they proceeded to the Majestrix' quarters.

"So," the Imperial Consort inquired, "How do things stand in the Empire?"

Lillandra acknowledged the salutes of crewmembers passing by as she replied. "Much the same as always. Plotting, intrigue, alliances that shift with the wind. Pompous nobles who think they should be running the empire, merchants who know they should be running the empire, religious that are convinced I need saving or slaying. Minor wars, famines, droughts, uncounted crises caused by idiots who couldn't manage to get themselves out the door in the morning without the assistance of an army of servants."

Xavier concluded softly, "And every one of them convinced that they are the Gods' gift to the universe, having the right to do whatever they wish to whomever they wish, because they are Shi'ar."

The majestrix winced at the accuracy of the observation. "Even so."

That evening over dinner Lillandra brought up the subject of Xavier's newest student. "Charles, your new student, Jeryn. What she said…."

The Professor leaned back in his chair. "Yes, it concerns me as well. It's obvious that she knows more than she's admitting. If we have a security leak, we must seal it immediately."

The majestrix nodded, still thoughtful. "Her ability intrigues me. You said that she can duplicate both power and physical aspects of an individual?"

Xavier confirmed, "We've tried her out on most of the mutants at the school, including the staff."

Lillandra seized on the opening that the statement provided. "Even your Dr. McCoy?"

The professor was puzzled by the avidity of the question. "Yes. Her mutant power made her a smaller, female version of Beast, but all his other characteristics were duplicated perfectly. Why do you ask?"

She toyed with her wineglass and paused before responding. "Do you think that her power would enable her to copy me?"

Xavier was floored by the question. "Copy you? What for? Why would you want her to do such a thing?"

The Shi'ar stood and began slowly pacing the floor. "You know that the nobles are becoming more and more agitated by the lack of an Imperial Heir, particularly a Neramani Shi'ar heir." Lillandra looked at her husband apologetically. "If your Jeryn could duplicate my appearance…."

Charles was astounded by her implication. "Pass Cat off as a Neramani Shi'ar?" he burst out incredulously.

The majestrix replied stubbornly, "If her ability lets her copy me exactly, a gene scan would confirm a Neramani Shi'ar. She's too old to be a clone."

Objections poured out of the Professor. "You're not a human mutant. She may not be able to copy you at all. The transformation would only last 24 hours. How would you explain her sudden appearance? How can you even contemplate putting her in such a position?"

Lillandra regarded Xavier bleakly. "In my position, Charles, I have to consider all possible options. You know that."

The Professor paused in shock. "Has the situation with the nobles become so desperate?" he asked quietly.

His wife hung her head, "Very nearly so. I've already had to move quietly against the more outspoken." The father of the X-Men was appalled. Lillandra continued, "Since there was nothing you could do about the nobles, I felt it unnecessary to trouble you further."

Xavier wrapped his wife in a telepathic hug. "You should have told me. If there was nothing I could do about the nobles, I could at least have helped you bear the burden."

She returned a telepathic wave of gratitude, but demurred. "There was no way to advise you of the situation without alerting my enemies."

Xavier was still seriously disturbed. "Lillandra, even if she could copy you, what you propose…."

The majestrix hastened to reply, "If she could pass as my younger sister, even for just a little while – a few months at most…." She let the sentence die out, then said quietly, "You know that the most likely diagnosis my physicians can come up with for my inability to conceive is stress." The Shi'ar looked at her husband, pleading for his understanding. "If she could get the nobles off my back for just a couple of months…."

Xaver had to concede the point, "It might permit your body to normalize enough to conceive. But Lillandra, the danger! What will the nobles do to her when they discover she's an imposter?"

She replied, "We'll return her to your Earth, the mimicking will wear off, and there will be no trace of the imposter left for the nobles to find!"

Xavier shook his head vehemently. "The child has been too traumatized. She isn't stable enough to carry off such an imposture, even for a short time. And the time limit on her ability…."

His wife interrupted, "Can be circumvented. If her power depends on living donor cells, then a small skin graft would provide a permanent supply. She could duplicate me for as long as necessary – and would revert as soon as the graft was removed."

Charles was astounded. It was a simple, elegant solution. "I can't ask her to do this, Lillandra. It's far too dangerous."

The majestrix looked at her consort unhappily. "I wish it were unnecessary, Charles, I truly do. But according to your culture and mine, she is of legal age. The choice is hers to make, not yours." She had to look away from him. "I appreciate that you are trying to protect the child. At the same time I must point out that no one on your planet will be safe if a Shi'ar galactic civil war breaks out. You know very well that there are those among my people who would welcome any excuse to destroy Earth, because of you. How will you keep her safe then?"

Xavier was appalled. "What would you have me do?"

His wife looked at him with a plea in her eyes. "Only permit me to speak with her. Allow me to inform her of our situation. The decision will be hers entirely, I promise you."

Faced with that, the Professor could hardly argue. "We will both speak with her, then," he conceded unhappily. "It must be made clear to her how dangerous this situation would be."

Lillandra was incredibly relieved. She crossed the room to hug him fervently, "Thank you, my love, thank you."