Lord Shelik drew out his sword, the moment he saw what had happened to the Earthman. Found himself facing down both Lord Mazenku and Lord Nyin — teaming up on him from both sides.
"I am an old man, of no consequence," said Lord Shelik. "Please, see fit to spare me the—"
Mazenku lunged at him, and Lord Shelik parried, hastily. Then spun around to fend off another blow from behind, as Lord Nyin began in.
He had trained in the sword as a boy. And while he was not as young as he'd once been… Lord Shelik was still able to fend off the vicious attack — at least for a little while.
He felt himself tiring, quickly, though. Struggling to keep up with the two younger nobles, who seemed to have limitless energy and dexterity.
"There is no honor in this!" Lord Shelik shouted at them.
"When I am Emperor, I will decide what has honor and what doesn't," Lord Mazenku retorted. "And I will put your daughter to death for daring to cross swords with a member of the Imperial Family."
"These words are nonsense!" cried Lord Shelik. "My daughter has never…!"
"Oh, she's done many things behind your back, Lord Shelik," said Mazenku, lunging at his side. Shelik blocked it, quickly. "An inquisitive, unladylike wretch. A scar on the face of Draconian traditions! From the way she commands others, you'd think that she was the Emperor!"
"But this simply cannot be true!" said Lord Shelik.
"She has learned science with commoners," said Mazenku. "Conducted secret experiments! Created theories and theorems of her own, as if he were a man!"
He swung at Shelik's head, and Shelik ducked.
"In my regime, I will make an example of her!" said Mazenku. "I will strip your family of its nobility, once and for all. Confiscate your lands and your titles, and make her air her shames in public. I will—"
He cried out, suddenly.
As a figure appeared behind him — an old Draconian, sword in hand. And, with a single, precise slash, severed Lord Mazenku's head from his shoulders.
"An Emperor is always at risk of attack from his nobles," said the Emperor. Turning on Lord Nyin, towering over the Draconian.
Lord Nyin dropped to his knees. "Please, most excellent highness — may you live forever!" he pleaded. "Forgive my treachery. I see the error of my ways, and prostrate myself before…"
"You did not ask my permission to speak, Lord Nyin," said the Emperor.
Lord Nyin froze.
Then, bowing his head, "Your majesty. May I have permission to address the Emperor?"
The Emperor raised his sword, and swung it down in a sharp arc.
Lord Nyin's head tumbled from his shoulders.
"You have forfeited that claim, Lord Nyin," said the Emperor. He lowered his sword. Turning to face Lord Shelik. "But you, Lord Shelik, may have that honor."
Lord Shelik knelt by the Emperor, kissing his hand. "My life at your command."
"Indeed it may be," the Emperor replied. He gestured at the fallen Earthman. "Is this the Earthman who claimed he was sent by the Doctor?"
Lord Shelik glanced back at the dead man. "I apologize, highness," he said. "I failed to protect him."
"Yes, you did," said the Emperor, standing over the body. "The Doctor's emissary is dead, Lord Shelik. There will be consequences for this. And horrors beyond any of our imaginations."
"Highness, I—" Lord Shelik began.
The Earthman gasped back to life, sitting up, suddenly.
Both Draconians jumped. Staring at the Earthman in alarm.
"Whoa, that came out of nowhere!" said Jack. Then, realizing he was staring at a Draconian in the fanciest dress he'd seen, yet… figured out who this had to be.
Immediately knelt onto the ground, and bowed, deeply.
"If, Lord Shelik, you may tell the Emperor of my request to speak — though a mere commoner and an alien who holds no sway within this court — in the presence of the Emperor of Draconia, I wish to warn him of a great evil," Jack requested.
Remembering what Arasine had warned him — You're a commoner. With no rank in a Draconian court. Don't ever address the Emperor directly, unless you get specific permission to do otherwise.
The Emperor seemed impressed that Jack actually knew the correct procedure.
Lord Shelik… seemed shocked. Not sure how his daughter could possibly have known enough to teach Jack such things.
"I grant you permission to speak within my presence," said the Emperor — but, Jack noted, not permission to speak directly to him. "So long as you begin by explaining how you can be dead one minute, and alive the next."
Jack got up, a sheepish grin on his face. "Ah," he said — carefully addressing Lord Nyin. "Wouldn't you know? It's all thanks to a girl."
Seo bustled around her ship, helping the other three Draconians rebuild their experiment. "It's the only way I'll be able to see the Glarnov weapon," she explained. "And since he's got too much power in the mirror dimension to let me harm him, I'll have to do it while he's in our world."
"Good," said Tileka, fixing a lense in place. She shuddered. "That mirror dimension… is an evil place. I could feel it."
Arasine hesitated.
Then looked up and met Seo's eyes. For the first time… looking scared and vulnerable.
"Who am I?" Arasine asked. Then, with a shake of her head, "No. Who was I?"
Seo hesitated.
Bit her lower lip.
"Do not keep this from me, Lady Seo!" Arasine hissed. "I know you know the truth. Or have at least guessed. Why won't you tell me?"
"You really wouldn't believe it," Seo replied.
Arasine leveled an even stare at Seo. Not backing down.
But Seo wasn't backing down, either.
And one of them had to give.
"Fine, then," Arasine sighed, at long last. "An exchange. I will answer your question, if you answer mine."
"I haven't asked you a question," Seo said.
"You don't need to," Arasine replied. "Look at us, two ladies of Draconia. Both longing for approval, but rebelling against the rules. You are my mirror image, Lady Seo — for you know who you were. But no longer know who you are."
Seo's hearts skipped a beat.
"It's the question you're too scared to ask," said Arasine.
"Don't tell me," Seo pleaded. "I don't want to know."
She thought she knew the answer already.
She was a Cyberplanner. A prosthetic personality patched across an interior that wanted to tear apart the universe just because she had a bad day. She was pain and grief and loss, through her whole soul… and she just wanted to beat the crap out of someone every time she thought about that loss too hard.
She was like the Glarnov weapon.
Built for war, death, and destruction.
"I don't want to hear it," Seo insisted, again. Put her hands over her ears. "Don't tell me!"
"You are a woman of honor," said Arasine, "integrity, and courage. A woman of peace."
Seo paused.
Dropping her hands, a little. "Not… a Cyberman?" she double-checked. "Not a weapon? Not a hell goddess?"
Arasine shook her head.
"My Lady speaks the truth," Tileka chimed in. "When you saw Hiffom was missing, you thought nothing of yourself — but raced back to rescue her."
"And you refused to speak against us, under interrogation," said Hiffom, "even though it meant your execution."
"Don't forget that you protected the Lady Arasine from the Glarnov weapon, when we escaped from Lord Nyin's prison," Tileka added.
Arasine nodded. Her eyes friendly and kind, as they looked at Seo. "If you were a monster or a Cyberman… you would not do such things."
Seo let her hands fall down to her sides. Wanted to protest that she'd almost ended the universe last week, had burnt out people's minds for the fun of it, had been tempted to tear Arasine and the rest of them apart more times than she could count, today.
But didn't.
Instead, she looked straight at Arasine, the hints of tears in her eyes.
"Thank you," said Seo.