Vos...fifty years ago...

As the sun sets in the countryside surrounding the Vosian capital
city of Lecashuto, a young Nassur, perhaps no more than fifteen or
sixteen Earth years old, watches lost in thought. He gazes in the
direction of Lecashuto...its tall skyscrapers visible from his vantage
point...as if inviting him to come closer.

*My destiny doesn't lie there.*

After a few more seconds of staring at the distant buildings, the
young Nassur then looks up at the darkening sky. The stars are
beginning to wink in. Their blinking lights, also inviting him to come
closer.

*THERE is where my true destiny lies.*

* * *

Urusei Yatsura - Endings and Beginnings
Nassur's Story
by Mike Smith
**** **** ****
Edited by E.B. Kushnir
kush1@iaw.on.ca
**** **** ****
Thirty-seventh of a series based on "Urusei Yatsura" created by Rumiko
Takahashi
**** **** ****

WRITER'S NOTES: Well, here is the first instalment of the "Nassur
Saga." We hope that it's worth the amount of hype we've been giving it
in the previous stories.

And now some announcements:

1) Lecasur: Lecasur is responsible for uniting Vos into one world
government nearly 2,000 years ago. After Unification, Lecasur spent
some time as Vos' first President before retiring from politics to go
into deep-space exploration. Among the planets he visited were Earth,
Uru and Fukunokami. Lecasur was lost with most of his crew in an ion
storm. Whether he died or not during that storm is conjecture. A
novelization of his voyages became popular on Vos.

2) The Sceptre of Lecasur: This was one of the most sacred objects
on Vos. Its true origins are unknown but according to legend, Lecasur
discovered it during one of his early space voyages and used it as proof
of the Vosian president's right to rule. When the Mikado took power,
someone took the Sceptre and returned it to the Planet of Shadows.

3) Planet of Shadows: A sort of cosmic Stonehenge, its beginnings
lost to history. A dyson sphere (see Niven's "Ringworld" series)
located in Delta Quadrant (next over from Gamma, home to Nagussa),
accessible only by a wormhole (the Bajoran Wormhole, perhaps?). It has
been used by several races for several reasons...including gladiatorial
combats.

4) The Keeper: Another mystery wrapped in an enigma. No one is sure
who the Keeper is.

**** **** ****

Earth...today...

A small starship with Vosian markings enters the solar system. A
youthful crew of Mikado Marines captained by only a lieutenant man the
ship. The mood on the bridge is sombre, for Earth has always been a
source of trouble for the neighbouring planets...despite its lack of any
true deep space capability or a world governing body. Several members
of the Mikado Marines and some of the Hunter Corps have gone to Earth
and never returned.

But finding out what happened to those who came before is not why
this ship is here. "Nearing Earth," announces the helmsman. "No signs
of any pursuit nor any attempts at attacking us. We'll be in teleporter
and drop off range within a few minutes."

The young lieutenant looks relieved. It had been a harrowing
journey. They had left what was left of Mikado-controlled Vos, gone
through Rebel-controlled space without escort, and reached Earth without
being discovered by anyone. Although the voyage was half-finished,
everyone could relax only for a few moments. "Thank you, helm," the
lieutenant smiles. "Inform Junba that she may leave the ship to carry
out her part of the mission while we carry out our part."

"Understood," the helmsman announces.

Minutes later, from the underbelly of the ship, an object the size
of a truck ejects and immediately enters Earth's atmosphere. As soon as
the object leaves, a white beam is emitted from her bow and heads to
Oshika while the object heads towards Tomobiki.

* * *

Oshika...a few minutes later...

At the home of Ataru Moroboshi, there is a scene most unusual:
Lum has a cold.

It was hard to say HOW Lum was exposed to the virus that brought
on her cold. It could have occurred while she was recovering from her
injuries. There had been a virus around and even Nokoko and the other
Nendo-kata had been stricken with it...and they caught it from
Reiko...who got it from Ten-chan...who caught it from...(You get the
idea...M.S.)

Ataru was been the only one not stricken with Lum's cold (no jokes
about disease not visiting the fool...M.S.). Since then, Ataru himself
has been playing nursemaid to almost everyone on the Moroboshi property
in Oshika.

"AH-CHOO!!!!" Lum sneezes loud enough to make the windows wobble
violently from the sound waves. "I feed do awbul, Darsing!" she gasps,
her eyes red and her nose running.

"You look terrible, Lum," Ataru notices her pallor. "This cold is
knocking you out."

"I neber been sick libe dis beforb," Lum gags, blowing her nose
loudly. "I hope I ged bedder soon. I can't breathe, everyding tastes
libe paper, and I feed do hot!"

Lum sneezes again so hard that it produces a wind that sends
Ataru's hair flying. "Not to mention the fact that your sneezing is
hard on the house."

Ataru produces a small bottle of red cold medicine and a spoon.
"Take some of this," he pours some of the medicine onto the spoon.
"It'll make you feel better, I hope."

"Promizez, promizez," Lum snorts as she takes the medicine in one
gulp.

Meanwhile, outside the house, light sparkles and a young blonde
Vosian woman wearing a green and orange outfit similar to Nassur's
appears. She holds in her slim hands a box wrapped in a colourful paper
accented by a ribbon. Once fully materialized, the woman warily sneaks
up to the front door of the house to place the box on the step before
ringing the doorbell. She presses a hidden button on her uniform and
dematerializes.

Reiko opens the door and looks around. "Hello?" the Noukiite
wonders, looking around for whomever rang the doorbell. "Strange,
there's nobody here." Then she notices the box. "What's this?" she
asks herself. She stoops over and picks it up to read the note attached
to it. TO LUM FROM A SECRET ADMIRER.

Reiko enters the bedroom just after Lum has knocked Ataru over
with a heavy...and this time, messy...sneeze. "Sorry, Darsing," Lum
apologizes as Ataru wipes himself off.

"It's okay," Ataru sighs. "I needed to change this shirt anyway."
He notices what Reiko brought in. "What's that, Reiko-chan?"

"I don't know." Reiko replies as she hands it to Lum. "It's for
Lum."

"Me?" Lum points to herself with surprise as she takes the gift.
"Who coulda dent it? Nadzur? Benden? Ryooki-zenzei? Gramma?"

"Open it and find out," Ataru demands, his curiosity getting the
better of him.

"Dure," Lum tears open the wrapping paper and opens the box it
covered. "Whad is it?" she removes the object from the box.

The object is round, thick and about the size as a small plate.
It is gold in colour, except for a small round, red button in the
centre. "Don't look at me," Ataru touches Lum to get a better look at
the object. "You know more about this stuff than I do."

Lum notes button. "Dis red buddon," she muses. "Whab habbens
when I touch it?"

*What if it's not a gift?!* Ataru realizes, then tries to stop Lum
from pressing the button. "Hold it...!"

Too late. Lum touches the stud. Both she and Ataru
dematerialize, leaving their clothing. Reiko stands still, shocked. It
then registers what happened. "They're gone? What happened to them?
Why did they leave their clothes behind?! What do I do...?!"

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

In Tomobiki, Shinobu makes her way to Tomobiki High for the latest
in a series of cram school sessions newly-graduated Japanese high
schoolers must take to prepare for university or college. No longer
dressed in her high school uniform, Shinobu wears a pink blouse with a
green plaid skirt. In her arms rest some books necessary to study for
the entrance exam of the local nursing college. But, her head is not
filled with thoughts of a future nursing career...it is filled with
thoughts of romance. To be specific, a romance with a man whom she
doesn't know is already happily married.

"It's springtime," Shinobu sighs, noticing the buds of trees
beginning to open their leaves. Soon the sounds of summer birds will
warble through the air in Tomobiki. "Maybe this summer I'll get Nassur-
kun to notice me. But, how can I get his attention?"

Without warning, Cherry pops up in from of the lovesick young
woman! "Today is going to be a VERY bad day for you!" the old monk
points at her. "A VERY, VERY bad day!!"

She gives the usual response...punching the old monk into orbit!
"Didn't you get enough of that when Ataru was here?!"

"It's fate...!!" the monk yells as he approaches escape velocity.

Shinobu's annoyances don't end there. As soon as Cherry reached
the ionosphere, a pair of strong arms appear from behind her and the
hands attached to them move towards her breasts. "Oh, a nice young
woman," a man's voice says sweetly. "She's so soft and warm."

After clobbering the offender with a tanuki statue, Shinobu
discovers her 'chikan' is Chiezou Budou. "Chie Budou?!" Shinobu gasps.
"What were you trying to do?!"

"Oh, Shinobu," the middle-aged priest groans. "I thought you were
someone else."

"Who DID you think I was?" Shinobu growls back before walking
away.

Chie appears before her. "You mustn't go to the school today," he
states. "Something unbelievably horrible will happen to you...!"

Shinobu clobbers him with a larger tanuki statue! "Yeah, sure,"
she storms off. "I don't go and I'll fail my entrance exam and have to
take it over again!! Beat it!!!"

Moments later, Shinobu arrives at the front gate of Tomobiki High
School. Standing there, smoking his pipe, is Kotatsuneko. Shinobu was
used to the presence of the cat-spirit but it was unusual to see him
standing at the front gate alone. "Oh, Kotatsuneko," Shinobu bows to
the cat-spirit. "What are you doing out here?"

Kotatsuneko shows a sign: SOMETHING'S GONNA HAPPEN TO YOU TODAY!
TURN BACK NOW!!

"Forget it!" Shinobu snorts.

YOU'LL BE SORRY!!!

Unfortunately, the warnings didn't end there. Next came Kitsune,
then a couple of Yamadas carrying a poster telling Shinobu to return
home. Sakura then had a turn, then finally Q from "Star Trek: the Next
Generation" appeared (but he thought Shinobu was Captain Jean-Luc
Picard). Choosing to ignore the demands to turn back, Shinobu finally
enters the classroom and walks up to Mark Onsen. "Oh, Miyaki-san,"
Onsen smiles upon seeing her. "There you are."

Shinobu gives the vice-principal a horrible glance. "LOOK!!!!"
she screams at him. "I KNOW SOMETHING HORRIBLE IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME
TODAY!!!! SO SHADDAP!!!!!!"

"Hey!" Onsen reeling beck, intimidated, "Relax, I didn't say
anything about that!"

Among the surprised students in the classroom, Mendou, Megane and
the guards watch as Shinobu storms in to take her seat. "Why is
Shinobu-san so upset?" Mendou asks Megane.

"I don't know," Megane shrugs. "Tan-chan was upset about
something bad that's going to happen to me at school. She said that
you, Shinobu and I should be wary today as well."

Mendou doesn't look impressed. Sure, Tanoshii is an apprentice
Shinto priestess, but even she makes mistakes interpreting what she sees
in the flames of the altar fires. "You don't say," the scion of the
Mendou clan nods in polite understanding.

Once the last of the students enter the classroom to take their
seats, Onsen begins with the lesson. "We'll start today with Question
Forty-four," the vice-principal begins. "Who will do it on the board?!"

Before any hands go up, a low, but increasingly loud, rumble
interrupts the class. Suddenly, the whole building begins to shake as
if one of Japan's many tremors had begun. "What is it?" Chibi yelps as
he dives under his desk. "An earthquake?!"

Kakugari looks out of the window to see a box-shaped object
landing in the front yard of the school. "There's a rocket landing on
the front yard," he points.

Everyone spots the object immediately, including the residents of
the Seikou home. "What in Buddha's name is going on here?!!" Mie yells
as she rushes into the living room half-dressed. "What is that
thing?!!"

"Looks like a Vosian space probe!" Makoto uses a small tricorder-
shaped device to identify it. "It's an old model, for sure."

"Where is it landing?!" Mie asks.

"Where else? Tomobiki High School."

"Why am I not surprised? Too bad the Troop went back to Sagussa
to get ready for Ataru! Sylia could get Priss out there for a recon and
find out what its true nature is."

"That is if she isn't sleeping off one of her binges," Makoto
sighs.

"Well, I'd better get up in my Gladiator and do a recon job," Mie
sighs. "This could be important!"

* * *

While Mie heads for her Gladiator, the object lands right in front
of the startled faces of the staff and students of Tomobiki High. None
are no more startled than those in Onsen's class. "W-what is this
thing?" gasps Ryuunosuke, wiggling from so much tension.

"I don't know," her father gasps fearfully. "But, why don't you
go look at it closer...it's a *man's* job!"

"I'M A GIRL!!!!" she belts him.

"This is an old joke...!!" Mr. Fujinami yells while approaching
escape velocity.

"What do we do now?" Lan shivers. "That thing looks nasty."

The object is rectangular, about 20 metres tall by ten in width.
Its metallic skin, pitted and burned from the heat of entering Earth's
atmosphere, makes it look even more intimidating than it actually is.
After landing, the object remains quiet save for the sound of its
engines shutting down. "Maybe it's just a greeting from some other
planet?" Lan hopefully muses.

Unfortunately, Lan is wrong. A hatch on top of the object lifts
open, allowing a gun to deploy. It begins to point toward the school.
An infra-red beam shines on the school as if it were looking for
something. Everyone froze as the scanner searched through every room
and hallway of the school before stopping at Onsen's classroom. "It's
pointing that gun this way!!!" Paama screams.

In seconds, the nervous quiet in Onsen's classroom is destroyed by
a crashing retreat by most of the people in the classroom! Among the
first ones out are Chibi, Lan, Paama and Kakugari. The gun fires an
orange beam which immediately hits Shinobu, Mendou and Megane. In a
wink of an eye, all three dematerialize into nothingness, leaving their
clothes behind!! Once the three victims are gone, the gun then turns to
a nearby windowless wall. With a red beam, it writes SEND NASSUR HOME!

"Send Nassur home?" Sakura blinks. "What does that mean?"

"Search me," Koosei hisses. "But, if it's **who** I think it is,
we're in trouble!"

* * *

Home Base...

Things are quiet. Nassur, Benten and Hazel dine together.
"Nagaiwakai-oba-chan wants me back at Rishiri-tou to continue my social
training," Hazel mutters between bites. "She seems to know a lot for
someone living on a backward place like Earth."

"Nagaiwakai Moroboshi seems to know more than what she tells us,"
Nassur muses. "And she seems only to want to tell us what *she* wants
us to know."

Benten eats another bowl of rice, this time with soap flakes
sprinkled on it. Nassur and Hazel look at the Fukunokami hunter
strangely. "Say, Benten," Nassur quips. "Since when do you eat rice
with soap flakes?"

"I don't know," Benten shrugs. "I just wanted to eat it, that's
all."

"Funny," Hazel sighs while watching Benten eat. "Whenever I saw
someone eating soap that way, that meant they were pregnant."

Benten nearly chokes! *Pregnant?!* she gasps. *Impossible!
Nassur and I have only pillowed twice since he recovered from that weird
time-trip he took with Lum and Ataru!! But, I never craved soap
before...and this battle suit has been getting a little snug lately!*
"Perhaps I'm getting used to living with Vosians," Benten muses.

A communicator beeps. "Darsei to Nassur," a voice announces.

"Nassur here," the hunter replies.

"You have two Priority One messages coming from Earth," the oldest
hybrid says. "One is from Tomobiki, the other from Oshika."

"Tomobiki I could expect," Nassur muses. "But Oshika?! I thought
Lum and Ataru would want Dake-chan to see to their needs."

"It must be important," Benten nods. "Or else they wouldn't call
by Priority One."

"True," Nassur excuses himself to go to the communications room.
"I shudder to think what's been going on Earth now!"

Later, the silence of space rocks from the vibrations from the
yells from Nassur and Benten. "***THEY'VE BEEN WHAT?!?!?!***"

* * *

Hours later on Earth, news of the disappearances in Oshika and
Tomobiki is disclosed to the world. In Tomobiki, everyone is horrified
upon the discovery Lum missing from Oshika. In Oshika, Nokoko is doing
a perfect imitation of Souun Tendou once she discovered both Ataru and
Lum have been kidnapped. It took both Ten-chan and Reiko to calm
Ataru's sister to the point that she could take a trip to Tomobiki where
both groups planned to meet with Nassur and Benten to discuss what has
been going on.

The meeting takes place at Tomobiki High School, where Shinobu,
Mendou and Megane were absconded. Among the people waiting there are
Koosei, Mie, Paama, Kakugari, Chibi, Lan, Ryuunosuke, Sakura, Onsen,
Cherry, Chie, Nokoko, Ten-chan and Reiko. "Ataru-chan!!! Lum-chan!!!"
Nokoko incessantly cries.

Everyone tries to ignore her. "I hope Nassur and Benten get
here," Sakura sighs.

"So do I," Koosei nods. "I've haven't seen Nokoko so upset since
Ataru, Lum and Nassur took that trip into the past."

"You shoulda seen her when I first told her what happened to Daddy
and Lum," Reiko adds. "I thought she had gone mad."

Finally, the sounds of thrusters are heard in the failing
daylight. Everyone looks up into the sky, relieved that the source of
the thrusters is Nassur's "Renegade" making its final approach towards
Tomobiki High School. "About time," Mie snarls.

Meeting in one of the classrooms, Nassur, Benten and the others
discuss the facts as they know them, still ignoring Nokoko's continuous
Souun imitation. "So, Lum, Ataru, Shinobu, Mendou and Megane all
disappeared in a similar way?" Nassur checks his facts.

"That's right," Sakura nods. "But, it's only here that they left
any evidence."

The priestess points to the teleporter and the message it left
behind, both of which could be seen clearly from the windows. "I see,"
Nassur nods in understanding.

"Do you really think it's *him*, Nassur?" Koosei asks. "Not
someone else."

"Who else is so bold? And so ruthless?"

Confusion crosses most of the other people faces. "Who are you
talking about?" Paama yells. "Who is responsible for stealing our dear
sweet Lum-san and the others?!"

"My greatest enemy, Paama," Nassur looks to the sky. "The
Mikado."

"The Mikado?" Kakugari gasps. "Isn't that a Gilbert and Sullivan
play?"

"No, it's not," Benten corrects him. "The Mikado makes those
people Ataru killed on Noukiios look like angels. He's the leader of
Nassur's homeworld of Vos. Although, I thought he would have been
finished by now."

"So, why don't we get him?!!" Chibi announces. "Let's free Lum-
san!!!"

A roar of acceptance is added to Chibi's declaration from Paama,
Kakugari and Lan. "It's NOT that easy!!" Nassur announces.

Everyone shuts up. "The Mikado isn't a person to take lightly!"
Nassur turns to the remaining bodyguards and Lan. "He'd torture the
likes of you in public for nothing more than a moment's diversion!!"

"Shit," Mie snorts. "I'd torture these goons in public for
something like that."

"Who asked you?" Lan snarls.

"I asked me, airhead!" Mie snaps back before turning to Nassur.
"Don't worry, Nassur! All I have to do is call Sagussa and this Mikado
is history!!"

"Much as I'd like you to do it, Mie," Nassur smiles, tempted by
Mie's offer. "I'm afraid that I must do this alone!"

Mie faints! "What do you mean?!!" she yells. "This Mikado took
the *daimon'cha* and his Other, both citizens of Sagussa...!"

Nassur looks at Mie sternly. "Despite that, the Mikado is STILL
the ruler of Vos...and I'm afraid to say, Vos' destiny must be carried
out by the Vosians...alone."

"That's an arrogant thing to say," Mie counters. "But I can see
your reasons. If half of what you're talking about is true, then I'LL
keep out of direct involvement. But, I can't say about Noa and the
other *daishi'cha.* If Ataru-chan is hurt...or worse...the others'll
blast Vos to stardust!!"

"Unfortunately," Nassur nods, remembering the tales of the War of
Clone Rights. "But call them and tell them to meet me outside this
solar system as soon as they can."

"Of course," Mie nods.

"We're leaving already?" Benten gasps.

"I'M leaving already," Nassur announces.

"B-but, why?!" the Fukunokami hunter snarls with anger. "I'm your
wife!! I SHOULD be fighting at your side!!!"

"Not while pregnant with our first child, you're not!" Nassur
counters.

An explosion occurs!! "Pregnant?" Benten gasps with surprise.
"H-how do you know?"

"Two sets of brainwave patterns within you," Nassur point to
Benten's forehead. "One here," then points to Benten's protruding
stomach. "And one here. Plus, I talked to Naosu after he did his last
exam on you."

"That moron!" Benten snorts, remembering the only hybrid who
developed healing powers. "He promised to keep the news secret until we
were sure of the facts!!"

"I thought Benten was looking a little pudgier since I last saw
her," Lan quips.

"I knew she was pregnant," Nokoko blurts. "My powers could sense
the child as well."

"I thought you were mourning Lum-chan and Ataru's disappearance?"
Ten-chan replies.

"Oh, yeah," Nokoko replies and returns to her blubbering. "Ataru-
chan!!! Lum-chan!!!"

As everyone ignores Nokoko's blubbering, Benten grabs Nassur by
the arm. "Please, Nassur!!" tears well up in her eyes. "Let me go with
you! I'll be fine!! I promise!!!"

Koosei takes Benten by the hand. "You know the dangers the Mikado
can dish out, Benten," the teacher calmly states. "If the Mikado finds
out that you're pregnant with Nassur's child, that baby won't live long
enough to make you a mother!"

"But...!"

"No buts, Benten," Nassur turns to his wife and looks into her
eyes. "You must stay here on Earth to keep a lookout over everyone.
Koosei can get you accommodations anywhere he can. I'll call Varanko
and he'll take care of the hybrids while we're gone." He then holds
Benten close to him. "I'll be sure to be back in time for the birth of
our baby."

Before Benten can voice a reply, Nassur kisses her on the lips
then leaves the classroom. "Take care."

Mie stops Nassur. "Hold it," the Sagussan points to the
teleporter. "What about that thing in the front yard?"

Nassur looks at the teleporter. "For safety's sake," the hunter
muses, "...you'd better take your Gladiator and get rid of it, Mie. The
Mikado has a reputation of leaving 'surprises' in things like this."

A broad smile replies. "Oh, great!! I've been wanting to use
that new kicking program Patty installed in my Gladiator!"

"Knock yourself out," Nassur replies.

* * *

Minutes later, the "Renegade" and its sole passenger leaves while
Benten watches from the safety of a classroom. *Be back soon,* the
Fukunokami hunter thinks to herself. *For our child's sake.*

As the "Renegade" disappears from sight, the ground rumbles as
Mie's Gladiator lands on school property, then alters to Battledroid
mode. Everyone remaining on campus looks surprised to see the sixty
metre tall hominoid machine walking towards them. "What's that?" Lan
gulps before seeing the Gladiator.

"Mie-oba-chan's Gladiator!!!" Reiko yips.

"Cool!!!" Ten-chan adds. "Where does she hide that thing?!!"

"On Monster Island," Reiko reports. "Gojira's always trying to
wreck it!!"

"No kidding," Paama mutters.

* * *

In the cockpit, Mie is strapped to the Battledroid tracing
monitors as she sets the targeting computers for the teleporter.
"There's the target. Now, kicking mode!"

Mie presses a button...

...and the Gladiator transforms from normal Battledroid into a
monster wearing a rugby uniform consisting of a red and white striped
long sleeved shirt, red shorts, white socks and black shoes! "She's
using the kicking mode," Makoto watches from the safety of their home.
"Looks good so far."

Mie makes the Gladiator take a run at the teleporter. Like a
rugby player, she kicks it into the sky where it disappears with a
flash! Everyone looks in awe over what Mie just did.

"GOAL KICK!!!!" announces a Yamada dressed like a rugby referee.

The teleporter narrowly misses the "Renegade," a couple of
commuter jets, some satellites and the space station Salyut before
flying uncontrollably into the sun!

"I DID IT!!!!" Mie yells in celebration in the cockpit once her
sensors confirm where the teleporter ended up...

...but somewhere on Sagussa, a group of Gladiator engineers are
crying over the abuse one of their machines has just taken...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

An hour or so later, outside the orbit of Pluto, the "Renegade"
waits for the Gatherer to arrive. Nassur is not long in waiting as the
monstrous ship appears out of warp. "About time," Nassur thinks aloud
to himself before answering a hail from Henry.

It is Noa. "***WHAT'S THIS ABOUT THE MIKADO KIDNAPPING ATARU AND
LUM-CHAN?!?!?!***" the Seishin-turned-Sagussan snarls loud enough to
push Nassur across the bridge.

"Oh, I see you got Mie's message."

"Got it?! I nearly had kittens when I was told what happened!
Doesn't that old fool know whom he's dealing with?!"

"Apparently not," Nassur hums. "So, I'm going to need some help
from you, if we're to see Ataru, Lum, and the others again alive."

"We don't need a cheering section," Noa grins. "We can blast this
guy's buns off without your help!"

A dozen *daishi'cha* suddenly appear behind Noa, roaring their
approval. Some carry high tech weapons and look ready to fight at a
moment's notice. "And HOW do you plan to do what you boast?" he asks.

Silence for a moment, then Noa looks innocently at the screen. "I
don't know," she reluctantly admits, causing everyone there to faint in
realization about how inexperienced they are about such things!

"Just as I thought," Nassur sighs. "You have the technology and
the training but you don't have the experience to use it. No matter;
I'm going to Vos alone...but you can use the Gatherer as an emergency
back-up just in case anything goes wrong."

"Okay," Noa nods. "What else?"

"We must be ready for anything," Nassur replies. "How about
asking your engineers to give my ship a quick refit to keep out any
hidden bugs or other surprises?"

A sly smile comes to Noa's face. "I think that can be arranged,"
she says.

* * *

Meanwhile, Benten moves into Ataru's house in Oshika. With some
of her belongings fetched by Koosei from Home Base, the hunter enters
the house under the tow of both Koosei and Reiko. As one can expect,
Benten is not happy with her surroundings. "Why am I being placed here
and not in Tomobiki?" the Fukunokami demands immediately upon arrival.

"Because you're less likely to be a target for any Mikado
supporters here," Koosei responds. "Besides, Reiko-chan could use a
babysitter until Ataru and Lum come back."

"What about the Nendo-kata?" Benten asks.

"They're...indisposed," Koosei answers.

Reiko takes Benten by the hand. "Lemme show ya why Nokoko-oba-
chan can't babysit me."

Reiko takes Benten to Ataru's and Lum's bedroom and inside they
see Nokoko sitting on the bed looking like she is in some sort of coma.
Mal is beside her mate, trying to break the matriarch out of it. "Now,
Beloved, you must put this grief aside for the moment," Mal consoles her
life-mate. "Neither Ataru-kun nor Lum-chan would want you to act this
way."

No response. "Shit," Benten looks on, having never seen anyone
react in such a fashion to a pair of disappearances. "I thought Ataru
and Lum overreact to everything that happens to them. Nokoko's
catatonic."

"The scary part is," Reiko frets, "it's like Nokoko-oba-chan's not
in her body any more. I can't sense anything in her mind."

"According to Mal," Koosei adds. "This is common as far as Nokoko
is concerned. She can be this way for WEEKS at a time."

"No kidding," Benten shuts the door to give the Nendo-kata some
privacy.

"Now you see why I brought you here?" Koosei smugly adds. "Mal
and the other Nendo-kata have their hands full running the Tiger Cub and
bringing Nokoko back to reality without the added responsibility of
looking after Reiko-chan."

"Okay," Benten sighs. "I'll stay. But, remember, if something
happens that I have to save Nassur and others, I'm gone."

Koosei puts his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. If that
occurs, I'll go with you to protect that child of yours. Until then,
relax and have a healthy baby."

"That's easy for you to say," Benten thumbs the closed door. "You
don't have to live with THIS!"

"True," Koosei nods. "I'll make sure nobody disturbs you and
makes things worse. The only exceptions are myself, Ten-chan, Oyuki,
Mie, her shipmates and Sakura."

"Sakura?!" Benten looks confused by why the priestess would be
included. "Why her?"

That is when Sakura suddenly appears in front of everyone! "I'm
here to protect your baby from untold harm!" she announces, pointing her
spirit sensor at Benten.

"What untold harm?!" Benten snarls.

"Nassur's told me about your occasional drinking binges, Benten,"
Koosei reminds the Fukunokami hunter. "Although the baby's part-Vosian,
alcohol could still damage it. Sakura has nurse's training and will
make sure you won't have another drink while pregnant."

Benten looks upset. No one, not even Nassur, has prohibited her
from drinking. "But Earth alcohol is like pop to me!"

"No matter," Sakura makes a sudden swipe of the house to remove
EVERY single container of alcohol. In seconds, Sakura places the
bottles onto a large blanket and ties it into a makeshift bag to be
carried on her back. "I'll make sure these are NOT replaced."

Benten looks ready to explode. "Wait a minute! Who gave you the
right to do this?!"

Sakura turns into a huge scary monster. "I WAS GIVEN THIS RIGHT
THROUGH BOTH KOOSEI AND YOUR HUSBAND!!!!" the priestess screams. "I'VE
ALSO GOT PERMISSION FROM NAGAIWAKAI-SAMA TO USE THE KUROMOROBOSHI TO
MAKE SURE MY ORDERS ARE CARRIED OUT!!!! UNDERSTAND?!?!?!"

"Y-yeah," Benten replies.

Sakura shifts to normal. "Good," she turns to leave. "I'll also
return in a couple of days to give you a complete examination."

Once she leaves, Benten turns to Koosei. "Was she that scary when
she was my age?"

"She was worse!" Koosei sighs. "She could make someone leave a
puddle behind."

"I nearly left one," Reiko shivers.

* * *

While Benten settles in Oshika, in a room somewhere unknown, Ataru
wakes up in a bed covered with white sheets from head to toe. "Oh, what
a party," he groans before noticing he is no longer in his home. "Where
am I?"

He sits up and notices his clothes are missing while having gained
a white watch-like device on his left wrist. "What the hell is this?"
he mentally notes before scanning around the room to see where he could
be.

The room was sterile white and resembles some sort of hospital
room. Ataru notices a couple of machines nearby that looked like some
sort of replicators and monitors if he knew his machines correctly. He
also notices another four beds, all occupied. All the bodies were
covered like he was so he could not tell who is in the room with him.
Ataru then notices at the foot of each bed, orange clothing neatly
pressed, folded and ready for use. *Could we have been taken back to
the Twentieth Millennium?* Ataru remembers the adventure in the far
future where Lum is a religion. He then notices his nudity and quickly
drops that notion quickly.

Ataru then stands and looks around the room. He felt a little
dizzy, more likely drugged by whomever brought them here, but he seemed
fine. After scanning the room, Ataru notices there are no windows, no
works of arts, or anything that could tell the *daimon'cha* of Sagussa
where he was. There was only one door, and in Ataru's current dizzy
state, it seemed miles away. *It will be awhile before I can think of
escape!* he moans. *Let's see who else is here with me.*

Ataru dons the clothing provided him. It was a one-piece outfit
of bright orange with boots sewn on the legs. It looked vaguely like
the outfit Hazel wears, except not as daring. It was easy to slip on
and it stretched over Ataru's body where it needed to and felt like it
was a wet suit. Despite that, it fit comfortably although it showed
every bulge and flaw his body had.

Then, Ataru turns to the bed on the right of his. *Who could be
here?* Slowly, as the dizziness in his head allowed him, he walks up to
the bed and removes the covers...

...revealing Lum. She was as nude as Ataru, save for the same
watch-like object on her left wrist, but looked healthy. "Lum!" Ataru
wakes his girlfriend. "Wake up!"

Slowly, Lum opens her eyes to look at Ataru. "Darling?" she says
clearly, then blinks. "My cold! It's gone! Who did that?"

"I don't know," Ataru shrugs before handing Lum the clothes. "The
last thing I remember is getting teleported from home."

"So do I," Lum nods. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Ataru replies before pointing towards the other
beds. "But, we're not alone either."

"*Tcha!*" Lum gasps noticing the other occupied beds nearby.
"What's going on?"

The covers on bed to the left of Ataru's bed begin to stir. Ataru
notices the groaning sound very familiar to him. It was Shinobu for
sure. "Don't talk so loud, Ataru..." she moans before noticing where
she was and her current state of undress. "Where am I?! WHAT AM I
DOING NUDE?!?!?! ATARU?!?! LUM?!?! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?!?!"

"We're in the dark like you, Shinobu," Ataru tries to calm down
his former girlfriend while Lum dresses. "What are you doing here? How
did you get here?!"

"I was heading for cram school," Shinobu discretely covers
herself. "When some weird rocket landed at the school and zapped me and
some others from the school."

"Others from Tomobiki High School?" Ataru gulps before smelling
something burning.

"Moroboshi, you animal!" the familiar voice of Mendou, who is
burning with anger, is heard coming from behind. "I KNEW you were
involved in this!"

Mendou had dressed quickly upon waking and, though he was
weaponless, grabbed Ataru by the shirt and started shaking him
violently. "How dare you take liberties with the next heir of the
Mendou Corporation?!" he snarls with his characteristic anger.

Ataru clobbers Mendou with a hammer! "I DIDN'T have anything to
do with this, you moron!" Ataru retorts. "Of all the people to grab,
why you? Who else did they take?"

"Is that Ataru?!" Megane's voice is heard from nearby. "Where is
that reprobate? I wish I had my glasses so I can see him and give him
heaven-sent punishment for this!"

"It's Megane," Lum announces.

Megane, who's glasses are as missing as his clothes, looks happy.
"Oh, Lum-san," he smiles. "You're here?! You must reject Ataru and
return to Tomobiki where you belong!"

"Doesn't Megane know he's talking to the wall beside his bed?" Lum
sighs.

"I guess he really does need his glasses," Ataru shrugs.

"I don't understand," Shinobu finishes dressing. "Who brought us
here and why?"

Suddenly, the door to the room opens and someone enters. "I'm the
one who brought you here," a woman's voice declares.

Everyone turns to see a blonde Vosian standing there. Lum notices
a resemblance between her and someone else she once knew...but who?
"Who are you?"

"I am Junba," Junba says. "You are now prisoners of the Mikado of
Vos. You will be taken care of until the renegade hunter Nassur arrives
to surrender himself."

"Why would Nassur-kun surrender to the likes of you, bitch?!"
Shinobu snarls.

Junba responds with a slap to Shinobu's face which floors the
Terran immediately! "So, you are SHE that the renegade has recognized,"
Junba looks at Shinobu with disgust. "So small busted and large
bottomed. I thought Nassur would pick someone better looking to replace
my sister."

"S-sister?" Lum gulps. "You mean..."

"Cinba," Junba declares. "The woman Nassur corrupted into
becoming his wife."

Lum feels angry. She had met Cinba before and felt she and Nassur
were the most perfect couple she'd ever seen. "That's not true!" she
retorts. "I knew Cinba before and she and Nassur loved each other
dearly. But, what does a Mikado hunter know about love?"

Junba looks at Lum. "Oh, yes," the hunter sneers. "You're the
flighty Oni girl whom is Nassur's first student. Pathetic."

Mendou and Megane appear. "You dare call Lum-san pathetic?!!"
they yell together.

Junba floors both of them with ridiculous ease! "This is what Lum
calls guards?!" she hums. "No wonder you're always in trouble. No
trouble for even a novice hunter!"

"Okay, Junba," Ataru sighs. "What the hell's going on here? Why
did you kidnap us?"

"Why else?" Junba answers coolly. "To bring Nassur to Vos. He
has been a renegade from the Mikado for nearly sixty Earth years and
needs to be punished."

"R-renegade?" everyone gasps as they sense everything go dark
around them.

"That's right," Junba adds. "Now, stay here and you MAY live to
see him." She then turns to leave. "Bye, now."

Once Junba is gone, everyone relaxes for now. "Small bust and a
large bum?!" Shinobu snorts as she rearranges her assets. "Who says I'm
like that? I'LL show her!"

Ataru turns to Lum. "What did Nassur do to make the Mikado so mad
at him, Lum?"

"I wish I knew," Lum shrugs.

* * *

A few days pass and at the Lecashuto Spaceport, the routine
shuttles filled with people leaving the besieged capital city are
stopped to allow one ship to come in. This ship is, of course, the
"Renegade."

The control tower crew was surprised to hear a starship requesting
to land at their spaceport. Most of their traffic had been leaving the
spaceport as per the request of the rebel forces now coming closer to
this final stronghold of the Mikado's influence. A city of twenty
million people, weakened by shortages and illness, began to leave any
way they could as the imposed deadline neared. Still, the person in
charge of the control tower called the Mikado's office and a squad of
Marines were ordered to arrest the one many believe caused the civil
war.

In fact, the squad arrived just as the "Renegade" had landed and
taxied to the main terminal. Filled with refugees and Mikado personnel,
anyone inside the terminal who did not get out of the way in time were
cruelly shoved aside by the incoming squad. The squad is lead by a
young colonel, an average-looking thirtysomething man dressed in a finer
uniform than the faceless, armoured enlisted personnel that made up the
rest of squad. Quickly, they make their way to the gate the "Renegade"
is docking at and move to board the ship.

The Colonel and his troops were surprised to find Nassur alone.
They had heard rumours he had a new partner plus a large group of
trainees. The ship itself is built for a twelve-man crew. Still, the
squad had their guns ready when they arrived on the bridge to capture
Nassur. "Hold it!" the Colonel orders as he and his squad surround the
hunter to disarm him. "You're now a prisoner of the Mikado of Vos.
Resistance is useless."

"I don't plan to resist...yet," Nassur responds. His tone carried
enough menace that the younger members of the squad look nervous. There
had been enough stories circulating around the Marine units about how
Nassur had evaded capture from units larger than this one to embarrass
the Mikado more than once. Those stories are more or less true, but to
see such a man surrender so peacefully was unexpected. He must be
planning something.

"I am Colonel Sussur," the Colonel postures before Nassur. "I'm
to take you personally to the Mikado's own office where you're to have
the privilege of being personally tried by the Great Leader himself."

"I know you, Sussur. Didn't I fight you ten years ago on Reiner's
Five?"

"That's right," Sussur nods. "I was only a lieutenant then under
Colonel Arunba. You wiped out my whole squad except for myself."

"You tried to ambush me," Nassur smiles. "It was Cinba who wanted
me to spare you."

"True. But, I still must take you to the Mikado...just like I was
ordered to then."

"Lead on, then, MacDuff," Nassur nods.

Minutes later, Nassur rides through the shattered, near-empty
streets in a Vosian hover-limo under a heavily armed escort. His
appearance in the spacedock shocks even the most sickly of refugees.
They are silent as he is escorted to the Mikado's office by Sussur and
his squad. Even the soldiers, mostly recruits from the street kids from
the city are shocked to see what was thought to be impossible for such a
man...to be captured by the Mikado. "So, how goes the Mikado's 'just'
rule?" Nassur asks Sussur finally.

"Not well, I'm afraid," the Colonel sighs, knowing what he says
may get him in trouble. "The rebels control everything: the colonies,
the fleet, the people's minds, and most of the homeworld except the area
around Lecashuto. From the look of things, this stronghold isn't going
to lasting much long. The Mikado has been in hiding since the remaining
officers of the Hunter Corps were assassinated and he sees only his
cabinet. There's rumours the Mikado has lost what sanity he had after
you went renegade and he still thinks of plans to win this civil war."

"It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," Nassur quips.

The building housing the Mikado and his cabinet is unusually well-
maintained standing out among the burnt-out and abandoned ruins that
once were buildings and homes. Before the civil war, this section of
Lecashuto was Vos' equivalent to the more affluent sections of Tokyo or
Kyoto. Now, the buildings stand as a mockery to what they were,
forgotten and uncared for. During the last few months the rebel forces
routinely attacked this area with their bombers. Save for the forces
guarding the Mikado's building, no people or animals were about when the
hover-limo carrying Nassur and Sussur arrived at the front steps. When
they left the hover-limo, there is deafening silence around the area, as
if even the very air was abandoning the Mikado.

Nassur is escorted into the building through the front doors. The
headquarters of what is left of the Mikado's government is still a bee-
hive of activity with officers rushing about their business of preparing
for the inevitable fall of this place. Although no one voiced it,
Nassur could sense the despair of a group of people whose time in
history is all but over, yet like most of their kind, they wished for
something to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

After a seemingly long elevator ride to the offices on the 100th
floor, Nassur and Sussur arrive at the Mikado's main office. There,
they are met by a secretary, a young, brown-haired, chubby-faced woman
barely out of her teens dressed in an ill-fitting marine uniform.
*Obviously, she was a new sudden recruit,* Nassur muses. The Mikado
Marines are noted for the amount of effort in keeping the look of
professionalism.

Upon seeing Sussur, the girl immediately stands and salutes her
superior officer. "Is the Mikado in, Private?" Sussur asks.

"Yes, sir, he is," the girl replies.

"Tell him we have Nassur," the Colonel then orders. "He's ready
to meet with him."

"I'll tell him right away!" the girl salutes before diving into
the room. Seconds later, she returns. "You may enter now, sir!"

"Thank you," Sussur returns the salute before nudging Nassur
towards the door. "You may return to your duties."

The Mikado's office is a huge room with dark oak panelling on the
walls and a dark stucco ceiling lit by small lights and a huge picture
window overlooking the ruins of the city. The walls themselves were
covered with many photographs and paintings, all of which had something
to do with the Mikado and his long military career. There were
bookcases filled with books and files, too numerous for Nassur to put
into order in his mind. The Mikado's desk was huge and grandly designed
with only a small, neat pile of papers and reports and a small flag of
Vos sitting on it.

The Mikado himself, a roguishly, bearded, grey-haired man between
fifty or sixty, sits behind his desk waiting patiently. He is dressed
in a black uniform roughly designed like an Earth general's dress
uniform complete with naval-style black cap and a barrage of medals.
More piercing than Nassur's, his eyes make people think there was
something mentally wrong. "There you are finally, Nassur-san," a
churlish smile comes to his bearded face. "You were overdue for this
visit!"

Nassur notes there was no sign of Ataru, Lum, and the others. It
was not beyond the Mikado to kill prisoners that had loyalties to the
hunter for some imagined slight Nassur had performed...but to act like
this was a visit to a social visit is laughable. "All right, Mikado!"
Nassur snaps back. "Where are Lum and the others you kidnapped? I came
as soon as I was told about what happened on Earth."

The Mikado looks serious then presses a hidden button on his desk.
A television screen begins to lower down from the ceiling. On it is a
live feed from the room which Lum and the others were held. They seemed
fine, all dressed in their orange wet-suit-like outfits. sitting around
waiting for action. Shinobu was busy trying to improve her looks by
stuffing her bust with tissues, Lum was trying to keep Ataru and Mendou
apart, and Megane was holding a conversation with a replicator thinking
it was a person. "As you can see they are fine," the Mikado says.
"They've been model guests so far."

"So I see," Nassur nods in agreement. "So send them back to
Earth. They're innocent in this war between ourselves..."

The Mikado bangs his fist on the desk, then looks Nassur in the
eye. "There ARE no innocents in our war, Nassur," the Mikado says with
a taunt in his voice. "Surely, you should know that by now. Besides
they are still useful to me to get you to obey."

The Mikado then produces an object out of one of his uniform
pockets. It is white and looks like the size and shape of an Earth
walkman but with several buttons clearly marked where an audio tape
would be. *A cardiac band control?!* Nassur looks nervous. He had seen
them used before; a sadistic weapon only one better than the pregnancy
bombs which were used on condemned female criminals before the time of
Lecasur. Pregnancy bombs were banned, of course, but cardiac bans were
still legal. "I take it you know what these are! In case you've
forgotten, let me show you how they work!"

The Mikado presses a large red button on the cardiac ban
control...

...and in the room below, Shinobu feels chest pains. "I feel
funny," she says before the pain of her own heart stopping strikes her.
"Oooh!! I think I'm having a..."

Shinobu collapses clutching her chest. Everyone else looks at the
former high school classmate in horror. "Shinobu!" Ataru yelps, the
first one beside her. "What's wrong?!"

Before Shinobu can answer, Megane is stricken next. "M-my heart!"
he groans before turning purple and falling to the floor.

"Megane!" Lum gasps in horror.

Then Mendou. To his credit, the scion of the Mendou clan tried to
ignore the pain the cardiac band on his wrist causes to his heart. But
finally, he collapses. "My heart!!!" were his only words before he too
fell.

Lum and Ataru look at each other. Of everyone in the room, only
they were unfazed by the cardiac bands. "Darling," Lum whispers to
Ataru, notices a small red light on her band glowing. "...these things
are causing everyone to have heart problems...except us!"

"It's probably what the *daishi'cha* and the Cyborg did for both
of us made us immune to these things," Ataru whispers back.

Lum looked concerned. Sure, they were immune, she thinks, but
Shinobu, Mendou, and Megane were not! In spite of being morons, she
couldn't let them die...especially since Ataru had tried to get his
'revenge' on them all. "Darling," she whispers. "Whomever is doing
this wants us to act the same way, too. Until we can find out what's
going on, let's play along...if not for the others' sakes, but for
Tanoshii and Sil-chan's sakes."

"Okay," Ataru sighs, after seeing Lum's logic. "But I'm not much
of an actor."

In the Mikado's office, both Nassur and the Mikado notice Lum and
Ataru's lack of acknowledgement. "Hmmm," the older Vosian snorts. "It
seems the Oni and her mate are a little more resistant than I thought.
No matter, I'll set their's a little higher."

But, as the Mikado attempts to play with their controls, Ataru
swoons like a puppet with no strings. "Oh," he says woodenly. "I think
I'm having a heart attack!"

"Oh, my," Lum adds. "So am I."

With a pair of groans which would be REJECTED from a Gojira film,
Lum and Ataru fall to the floor to play dead. The act is convincing
enough for the Mikado...but to Nassur, he had seen better. "And I
thought all the plays and movies those two were in high school," he
mutters to himself, "that they would be better actors!"

"Now, Nassur," the Mikado turns to his enemy. "Are you going to
do what I say? Or do all five of these people have to die?"

Nassur looks silent for what seems like an eternity to himself.
To help the Mikado in ANYTHING was against everything the renegade
hunter had fought his whole life to prevent. Yet...refusing this offer
of clemency would surely doom at least three of the five people to a
very painful and long death. "Okay," Nassur lowers his head in defeat.
"You win for now. What do you want me to do?"

The churlish smile on the Mikado's face grows in the knowledge
that for the first time in sixty years, he had Nassur right where he
wanted him. First things first, the tyrant thinks. Pressing a green
button on the control, he ends the torture on the five teens from Earth.
Slowly, they recover their health but a look at Shinobu's eyes tells
Nassur that this was a near thing for them all.

"I want you to find the Sceptre of Lecasur," the Mikado announces.

"The Sceptre of Lecasur?!" Nassur replies in surprise. The
Sceptre had been missing ever since the Mikado came to power. No one
was sure where it went to or who took it. "That myth? You must be mad
if you're looking for lost ceremonial objects!"

"It's no myth!" the Mikado counters. "We have received
information that the Sceptre was returned to the Planet of Shadows and
given to the Keeper of that place. Your mission is for you and your
friends to retrieve it for me!"

"Why?" Nassur asks.

"Why?" the Mikado counters. "I'll tell you why. Since the
Sceptre was taken from Vos shortly after I took power, there has always
been a perception that the people never truly accepted me because I
never held the Sceptre. Proof of this is how they embraced the
Rebellion although it took a long time to come to the Homeworld. If I
can get the Sceptre back, then the people will abandon the rebels and
return to my side once more...and if YOU bring it for me, the key piece
to the rebel's existence will be destroyed!"

The Mikado laughs maniacally. *His waves are crashing against the
breakwaters!* Nassur thinks. "So, who are you making go with us? You
don't expect my friends and I to go to the Planet of Shadows unescorted,
do you?"

"Of course not," the tyrant looks into Nassur's eyes. "I've found
the perfect person to watch over your group." The intercom buzzes.
"What is it?" the Mikado answers.

"Hunter Junba is waiting for you, sir."

"Bring her in," the Mikado smiles then looks at Nassur. "You'll
find that Junba looks a little familiar to you."

The door to the Mikado's office opens and Junba enters
immediately. Nassur is shocked first by the brainwave pattern then by
how much Junba looks like Cinba, his dead first wife. "C-cinba?" he
gulps in shock.

"My name is Junba," Junba looks at Nassur as if the hunter was a
piece of refuse. "I am Cinba's twin sister."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Nassur looks confused. Cinba never mentioned a twin sister, nor
had her parents, with whom Nassur had lived several years before he and
Cinba married. "It seems your late wife had a sister who passed the
power tests when she was born," the Mikado triumphantly explains.
"Cinba probably never knew of her existence. Unlike you and she, Junba
is totally loyal to me."

"So I see," Nassur sighs unable to get over Junba's brainwave
pattern being an exact duplicate of Cinba's. Twins were similar in
looks, but genetically and mentally, they were as different as those not
born twins. *So, why are Junba's brainwaves so much the same?*

"I was told about Cinba and how you corrupted her into becoming a
renegade," Junba points an accusing finger at Nassur. "It was YOU who
led her to an early death!"

"If I led Cinba to anything," Nassur counters. "...it was to a
life full of happiness...DESPITE all the horrors visited by the Mikado
and his followers on us!"

Nassur and Junba spend what seems like an eternity staring at each
other. Finally, the Mikado intervenes. "Enough!" the dictator barks.
"Junba'll be your commanding officer. She'll make sure that you and
your friends go to the Planet of Shadows and retrieve the Sceptre of
Lecasur. To keep you all honest," the Mikado hands the cardiac band
control to Junba. "...Junba will have the cardiac band control," the
Mikado continues. "Plus, I'll have other ways of making sure you obey."

"I have no qualms about using this, Nassur," Junba taunts Nassur
with the cardiac band control. "Those five morons who say they're your
friends mean nothing to me...especially the one called Shinobu."

"I understand," Nassur nods, unimpressed by her taunting. "So
when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," the Mikado says. "Just as soon as we...get
your ship ready."

"I see," Nassur snorts. He knew most of the tricks the Mikado
could pull. That is why he put some 'safeguards' aboard the "Renegade"
before he came. But, that is a digression. "Even though I am in no
position to demand anything...I would like to visit someone."

"Out of the question!!" Junba screams.

"No, it's not," the Mikado interrupts. "I understand Nassur.
With his friends in our care, he won't trick us."

Junba looks confused. "But, sir..."

"Nassur and I have been enemies long enough to develop respect for
one another," the Mikado counters. "You are new to this game. You
wouldn't understand us."

Junba looks surprised by the Mikado's statement...he admitting
that he respects Nassur in spite of the years and lives he spent trying
to destroy him. But, the Mikado is right. Junba is a newcomer in this
battle. "Okay, you can go," Junba sighs without looking at Nassur.
"But be back at your ship by ten o'clock in the morning...or else."

Nassur nods. "I'll be back by then," he says. "Don't worry."

Nassur then leaves the room. Junba then looks at the Mikado
anxiously. "Why did you let him leave?! He could be setting us up."

"If he does," the Mikado looks uninterested in Junba's question.
"He does! I may be a dictator...but I have honour!"

* * *

Meanwhile in Oshika, it is Sunday. The sun is up high in the sky
and deliciously warm. Benten wakes up in Ataru's guest room to yet
another day of watching over Reiko while everyone tends Nokoko. After
dressing in a plain T-shirt and gym shorts left over from Lum's high
school days, Benten breakfasts with Reiko. "Mal says Nokoko's getting
better," Benten reports while serving Reiko a bowl of rice. "She
actually blinked her eyes last night. Another few weeks and she'll be
back to normal. I didn't think she'd take Ataru's and Lum's
disappearance so hard."

"Nokoko-oba-chan likes both Daddy and Lum," Reiko quips. "To see
them disappear like that is scary."

"To see Nokoko like that," Benten thumbs Nokoko's bedroom. "...is
scary..."

Reiko finishes her breakfast then looks at Benten's ballooning
waist. "What's the matter?" Benten looks self-consciously at the
Noukiite. "Is there something wrong?"

"I'm just trying to listen in on your baby's thoughts," Reiko
replies. "I'm already beginning to pick some up."

"I'm not surprised," Benten pats her stomach. "Vosian babies come
to full term in seven months, not nine. But surely you must be used to
pregnant women by now with Mal and most of the other Nendo-kata
pregnant."

"Oh, yeah," Reiko nods. "But they're not Vosian. Nendo-kata
babies are too serene. This is the first time I've encountered a baby
Vosian. They're so noisy."

"Er...right," Benten blushes, remembering Reiko's limited
telepathy. "So, since today's Sunday, what are we going to do?"

"Well, since it's a nice day," Reiko hums. "Why not go to the
beach?"

"I guess we could."

The doorbell rings. "Who's that?" Benten wonders. "I hope it's
someone with some good news about Nassur and the others."

Benten opens the front door and sees Ten-chan, standing there with
his school chum Minami Michini. Both are dressed in T-shirts and shorts
while carrying small bags. "Hiya, Benten-chan!" the young Oni lands in
the Fukunokami's arms. "We're here!"

"Jariten," Benten smiles. "What brings you here? Hi, Minami."

"I just came to get away from those weird parents Ataru has," Ten-
chan explains. "We just wanted to on a day trip together."

"You mean run away together!" Reiko hums. "I planned a quiet day
until YOU came!"

"I'm glad to see you, too, Reiko," Ten-chan snarls at the
Noukiite.

Minami bows. "Good morning, Reiko."

"'Morning," Reiko bows back. "How come you're hanging out with
this fire-bug?"

"I like him," Minami smiles, causing Ten-chan to blush. "Plus, he
asked me to come. Ryooki-sensei said it was all right."

"What's the plan?" Benten asks Ten-chan.

"Well, we did bring our bathing suits..." Ten-chan scratches the
back of his head.

"Okay," Benten nods. "As soon as I can get a bathing suit, Reiko
and I'll join you!"

Reiko looks horrified by what Benten said. "Me, go to the beach
with this fire-bug?" she gasps. "No way!"

"Do you want to stay here and look after a catatonic Nokoko?"
Benten asks.

"It's better than playing with a fire-breathing Oni!" Reiko
retorts.

Benten tries a different tact. "Okay. Then I guess what Mal says
is wrong?"

Reiko stops. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she tells me that you go to the beach a lot," Benten
dramatically pauses, "...to see that twelve-year-old boy who works at
the tea shop there."

Reiko blushes twelve shades of red at once. Shortly after Ataru
and Reiko moved to Oshika, she noticed a Japanese lad working at a local
beachside tea shop. His name is Yamasaki and for some reason, Reiko has
a crush on him. Every day she can, she goes to the beach to see
Yamasaki. Of course, Yamasaki is too busy to pay much attention to the
young Noukiite, but that does not stop her from going to watch him work
or, on occasion, help him by secretly using her psychic abilities. It
was Lum who noticed first and brought it to Ataru's attention. Since
then, Ataru has found the whole thing more proof of Reiko becoming a
normal little girl.

"Well..." Reiko gulps nervously, knowing she would lose an
opportunity to see Yamasaki.

"Go get changed into your bathing suit, Reiko-chan," Benten
announces before walking towards the guest room. "We'll be leaving as
soon as I can get one that fits."

* * *

A hour later, after Benten wrestles with four or five bathing
suits, she finds one that fits right. At the beach, she suns herself on
a beach towel while Ten-chan and Minami play in the water and Reiko has
gone to the tea shop further down. She chose a one-piece blue tank suit
from Mal which hid her pregnancy enough. As she watches the Oni and his
girlfriend play together, she slides into contemplation. *How carefree
those kids are. Could the child I'm carrying have such a life? Or will
this child have problems from people like the Mikado all the time? Who
knows?*

Then Benten feels a shadow creeping over her. She sees that the
shadow belongs to Lum's father, Captain Invader. Benten always
respected Lum's dad, mainly because of his size and strength. Few dared
get on his bad side. Even those who would cat-call him "Pig-Boy" during
the yearly Setsubun Festival never said it to his face. But, most of
the time, Captain Invader was a gentle man...however, this did not seem
to be one of those times. Lum's dad is so angry even the sky seems to
cloud over menacingly. "Benten," he snarls, his eyes glowing red and
steam coming out of his nose. "How DARE you and your husband NOT tell
me about what happened to my daughter and her future husband?!!"

Benten nervously sits up. Deliberately, she and Koosei tried to
keep Lum's and Ataru's disappearances secret from Invader to avoid his
trying to rescue them by himself and make things worse. "W-who told you
Lum and Ataru were missing?" Benten gulps.

"Lan did," Invader replies.

*Lan!* she thinks. *I knew she'd find a way to get around
Koosei's jamming.* "Well, it's true," Benten says simply. "Lum, Ataru
and some people in Tomobiki were kidnapped by the Mikado. Nassur went
to rescue them."

"I don't mind his going to rescue them," he nods. "But why
without ME as a back-up?"

"Mie Seikou tells me Noa's backing him up," Benten remembers the
Gladiator pilot informing her of the "Hasei'cha's" deployment to Earth
prior to coming to Oshika. "Their technology for rescues is better than
yours."

"I don't dispute that," Invader growls. "But Lum is STILL my
daughter!" He then blinks, realizing who he is speaking to. "By the
way, Benten, why are you here in Oshika and not with Nassur on Vos?"

"Because I'm pregnant, that's why!"

Invader faints! "P-pregnant? You?"

"You have a problem with that, too?"

Suddenly, Invader's angry scowl turns into a happy smile. "Oh,
how nice. It's about time you and Nassur-kun had children!"

Invader playfully slaps Benten on the back which sends her face
first into the sand! "Oops," Invader realizes what he has done.
"Sorry, Benten. I hope you're all right."

Benten pulls her face out of the sand and sighs. "I think I was
SAFER when he was mad. I hope Nassur's doing better than I am."

* * *

Night has fallen on Lecashuto. Nassur wanders around the ruins
aimlessly. He remembers this section of Lecashuto being filled with
shops of all kinds. Now, the only things sold here are memories. The
fading light of the sun blunts most of the harsh wreckage which
surrounds the renegade hunter as he chances upon a huge building which
bears more than a passing resemblance to a shopping mall on Earth. Like
most of the buildings in Lecashuto, it is a ruined mockery of itself.
Its windows and doors are broken and burned from fire and explosions.
The walls are covered with dirt and ashes from fires around the area and
bombs landing nearby. Whatever was inside was long since looted by
gangs or burned to ashes. Nassur stands in front of this building and
looks at it. *This is the place!* he thinks as a tear falls down his
cheek. *It was here that all of you died.*

Nassur's mind races back through the years and to a woman who
looked vaguely like a younger Shinobu. He remembers five other people
with them, all fugitives from some prison, happy to be free, yet all
cautious about losing their newly-won freedom. Nassur remembers the
building being a mall that would put anything on Earth to shame in terms
of beauty and amount of goods on sale. To the young Nassur and the
others...this was Heaven.

But it turned out to be Hell. A troop of Marines attacked the
seven young people in the mall. They tried to make a stand...but one by
one, they fell until only Nassur and the girl who looked like Shinobu
remained. Nassur remembers her. Tenba. Unfortunately, a sniper would
diminish that number. Nassur remembers the pain of seeing Tenba cut
down in front of him, then the further pain of getting winged in the
shoulder before he managed to shoot down the sniper. He remembers the
horror of every brainwave in Tenba's mind turn off like someone turning
off a light.

Then it happened...

In his haze of semi-consciousness, Nassur noticed a huge, glowing
rectangular shape in the sky. He remembers the Mikado Marines he was
fighting stopped to look in awe of this thing. Then a light came from
the shape and shone upon Tenba's still form as if it were the light from
Heaven itself. A British-accented voice then rang out. "*You have been
chosen to be the final servant of the Grand Design. Congratulations.*"

Then Tenba's body, the light, and the shape in the sky disappeared
in a colourful flash. Nassur...unaware that what he just saw was the
Gatherer obtaining the final *daishi'cha*...somehow managed to escape
the Marines to hide further into Lecashuto...

Then, Nassur senses a group of people surrounding him, ending his
reminiscences and is on his guard. "Hold it, you!" a male voice yells
from behind some rubble. "Hands up!"

It is a group of rebels...probably on a recon mission. He sensed
about a dozen of them and by the sounds of it, only lightly armed. One
brainwave pattern seemed to be familiar. Nassur feels a point of a gun
on his back. It is obvious they did not recognize him due to the
darkness of the shadows, so Nassur mentally prepared for the worst as he
raised his hands in the air.

"You're now a prisoner of the Rebel Alliance Army. Don't try to
resist, hunter!"

Nassur feels a hand turning him around so that he could see his
captor face-to-face. He was a man only a few years older than himself.
A thin, but muscular young man with black hair and the stubble of the
beard on his mildly handsome face. He was dressed in dark clothes as
most covert operatives wore in the field. He had some sort of handgun
in his hand with a silencer on it. "Who are you?" the man demanded.
"And what's a hunter doing wandering around without any weapons?"

Nassur remembered his gun was confiscated by Sussur. "Would you
believe I'm already a prisoner...of the Mikado?" Nassur answers.

Then a woman's voice is heard. "Hold it, Hessur," the voice
pleads as it nears the two Vosians. "That's Nassur."

"Nassur?" he gasps as turns to the woman. "But, Commander
Hunba..."

"But, nothing," Hunba admonishes Hessur. "He's the person
responsible for our getting to this point. Treat him with respect."

Hunba is an attractive woman Nagaiwakai's age, despite an eye
patch over her right eye and some minor scarring around that portion of
her face. Her brown hair is tied into a long braid, the symbol of
widowhood. She wears the same type of black uniform worn by the rebels.
Nassur remembers meeting her before. She was once a reporter for the
Vosian News Service. Her husband Ninsur was a Captain in the Vosian
Navy. She later joined her husband as a leader of one of the largest
rebel sects...run by the Vosian Defence Force...shortly after Nassur and
Cinba left Vosian space. Despite the scars of battle on her face, Hunba
still had the look of a civilian about her. "Sorry about this, Nassur-
san. We're on a recon mission to gauge the Mikado's strength."

"No problem," Nassur nods. "I'm here on the Mikado's request, it
seems."

"He wants you to find the Sceptre of Lecasur, doesn't he?" Hunba
asks.

"You know?"

"Our spies have reported such rumours as have rumours that the
Mikado is secretly moving his forces away from Lecashuto to a more
secret location," Hunba reports. "The Mikado must be desperate if he
needs you!"

"Well," Nassur sighs. "He kidnapped some of my friends to bring
me here."

"Really," Hunba gasps. "So, do you want us to rescue them?"

"I already have a plan," Nassur shrugs at her suggestion. "But,
until I get back, why not hold off any attack on the Mikado? I want the
Mikado for myself...and some friends who're not pleased by his actions."

"I understand," Hunba smiles. "A hold on direct attacks won't be
popular with the other commanders, but I can convince them."

"I'm sure Ninsur wouldn't mind."

"I guess you don't know about Ninsur."

"I guess not," he hums, seeing her frown.

"Ninsur died in our last major engagement before we invaded the
Homeworld."

"I'm sorry to here that," Nassur frowns. Ninsur was a very good
man with a strong sense of honour and integrity. For the most part,
both he and Hunba were the leaders of the rebellion, facing the hard
task of keeping the various factions together. It was not easy to,
especially in the early days of the rebellion. Nassur felt as if his
father had died when Hunba told him the news.

"He died a hero," a tear escapes her good eye. "That's what he
would have wanted."

"I must go," Nassur sighs. "Good luck."

"Good luck to you, too," Hunba nods.

Nassur disappears into the night. Hessur walks up to Hunba.
"Hunba-san. Why didn't you tell him that Ninsur was his father?"

"The civil war isn't over yet," Hunba sniffs. "When it is, I'll
tell him that Ninsur and I are his parents."

* * *

"Get up!!" Junba screams as she literally kicks Shinobu out of her
bed the next morning.

Shinobu winds up on the floor from the force of Junba's kick and
looks sleepily confused by such treatment. "What's going on?" the
former high school girl yawns.

"'Renegade' is here," Junba announces as she gets everyone up.
"We're going aboard."

"'Renegade?'" Lum hums. "That means..."

"...Nassur's surrendered to the Mikado," Junba finishes Lum's
sentence. "We're going aboard with him on his ship in about an hour!"

"What for?" Ataru yawns.

"The Mikado wants us to find the Sceptre of Lecasur and bring it
back to him!" Junba answers. "The mission is a long one and you five
have volunteered to be part of the crew."

"But, only Lum-san knows how to fly a starship!" Mendou announces.

"You'll learn!" Junba snarls before pulling out the cardiac band
control. "Now move it before I activate your cardiac bands and we have
to recruit more crewmembers!"

The threat of the cardiac band controls is enough to spring
Shinobu, Mendou, and Megane into action. Lum and Ataru take their time.
"Another space journey," Ataru ho-hums. "Why can't I be left in
peace?!"

"I know what you mean, Darling," Lum sighs. "But at least both
you and I are together...unlike last time."

"True," Ataru kisses her.

Observing this, Mendou is struck by a touch of envy, remembering
Sil back home...

* * *

Later, after Ataru, Lum, and the others are loaded onto a
personnel carrier, the group is escorted by a squad of Mikado Marines to
the "Renegade." A group of technicians finish overlooking the ship and
preparing her for the long voyage. Junba salutes an older woman who
looks like she is in charge. "Have the modifications been completed?"
Junba asks.

"Yes, Hunter Junba," the head technician salutes. "Nassur is
aboard familiarizing himself with the new technology. We have planted
plenty of listening devices aboard his ship. But, we can't break
through his computer codes to insert a remote self-destruction program.
Something wipes the program out every time we put it in."

Nassur appears. "Oh, Junba," Nassur nods to the hunter. "You're
late. I've been busy getting ready. The 'Renegade' is a good
ship...which runs better without *these!*"

Nassur drops a handful of listening devices into the startled
technician's hand. "Our listening devices?!" she gasps. "But, they're
undetectable...!"

"Not with the new scanners I had installed in the 'Renegade' a
while ago," Nassur smiles. *Thanks, girls.*

Ataru, Lum, and the others come out of the personnel carrier and
all look glad to see Nassur. Especially Shinobu, who immediately runs
into Nassur's arms. "Oh, Nassur-kun!" she cries into his chest. "It's
been so horrible! They kidnapped us and have been torturing us with
these things!"

She shows Nassur her band. "I know. I've seen cardiac bands work
before."

Junba then looks over her "crew." "All right," she begins. "I'll
be the commanding officer of this ship from now on! Our mission is to
go to the Planet of Shadows and retrieve the Sceptre of Lecasur for the
Mikado. The voyage will take a long time... almost six months round
trip, if our intelligence is correct. Since you're all friends of
Nassur, you will be crew. But, just because there is only **one**
Mikado agent coming with you, doesn't mean I'll be helpless." She shows
the cardiac band control to everyone. "Everyone on this mission is
expendable...save for me! Obey me and you'll live to tell the tale!"

She stares at Shinobu cruelly. "Don't and you die! Be warned. I
do NOT like Nassur or anyone affiliated with him...especially those
PERSONALLY affiliated. If it were up to me, this would be a suicide
mission for you all. Now, get aboard this ship and let's go!"

Slowly, everyone boards the ship. "She's a great motivator,"
Ataru muses.

Shinobu sticks close to Nassur. "That girl doesn't like me at
all! Please protect me, Nassur-kun." She hugs Nassur tightly.

"Relax," Nassur smiles. "I plan to have everyone...Mikado
supporter or not...survive this mission and come back home."

"Your concern is touching," Junba snarls. "But, I don't share
that concern."

After everyone boards the "Renegade" and the ship taxis to a
nearby runway, the ship launches itself into space and history. On the
bridge, everyone is anxiously quiet as they wonder what Fate has in
store for them...

* * *

After the "Renegade" leaves the Vosian solar system, the Gatherer
watches, cloaked and from behind the outermost planets. On the bridge,
Noa watches alone. "So, where are they going now?" she asks Henry.

"*If our intelligence is correct,*" the Gatherer's central
computer states. "*...to a stable wormhole about three months from this
system at 'Renegade's' maximum warp.*"

"Wormhole?" Noa thinks aloud. "The only wormhole I know is the
one to that mysterious dyson sphere in Gamma Quadrant...where that
creepy Keeper lives. Why are they taking the *daimon'cha* and his Other
with them?"

"*As insurance, I believe. Orders?*"

"Nassur wants us to follow them," Noa replies. "So, let's make
sure we're well out of Nassur's scanning range and cloaked, too."

"*Understood.*"

The Gatherer goes into warp...

* * *

On Earth, a few days have passed. At Tomobiki High School, things
are as normal as they could be...even with workcrews cleaning up the
damage the Mikado's teleporter left to the building and the grounds. In
room 337, Onsen-sensei continues with his entrance exam teaching
although three students are missing. "Even though we're busy cleaning
up from what happened over a week or so ago and we're missing a few
students," the vice-principal announces grimly. "...we are continuing
with this cram school class regardless of the difficulties. Any
questions?"

Everyone groans a "no." "Fine," Onsen nods before taking the
textbook in hand. "Now open your books to page 44..."

In the nursing station, Benten, dressed in a hospital gown, is
having a check-up from Sakura. Koosei watches, giving advice to the
Shinto priestess on what to expect from a Vosian-based pregnancy. "Your
weight has increased by a kilo," Sakura happily reports, "...and your
healing and immune systems are increasing in speed and strength."

"That's natural," Koosei smiles. "When a non-Vosian woman gets
pregnant with a Vosian child, her metabolism changes to that of a
Vosian. She'll even age like a Vosian."

"Really. I didn't know that."

"That's why Vosian men are so popular with non-Vosian women,"
Koosei reports.

"But, what about the baby?" Benten asks.

"Chance are that baby of yours will inherit both a Vosian lifespan
and the psychic powers," Koosei smiles.

"How do you feel?" Sakura asks Benten.

"Apart from wanting to eat detergent all the time," Benten
reports. "I have a gassy feeling in my stomach."

"Do you feel nausea?"

"No, more like..." Benten burps...loudly. "Excuse me," she
blushes.

"That's a normal sign," Koosei smiles. "Vosian women start to
burp when they get to this stage of pregnancy...like Terran women get
morning sickness. Don't worry, that will go away in about a month or
two and you'll be fine...unless you develop a case of hiccups."

Benten burps again. "Thanks a lot," she sighs. "I thought
Fukunokami women did weird things when they got pregnant."

Sakura finishes. "You and the baby seem to be fine...just take it
easy and keep to your diet and you'll stay that way."

"Promises, promises," Benten sighs.

Lan then enters the room. "Oh, there you are, Benten," the
Seishin girl smiles upon seeing her. "I hope you're not mad about me
telling Lum-chan's dad that Darling and Lum-chan were missing?"

"Apologize to my back," Benten snarls back. "It's still sore from
where he slapped me when he found out I was pregnant."

"If you were still a student here, Lan," Koosei growls, "...I'd
give you a YEAR'S detention for doing that. But, no harm's done.
Luckily, Benten was able to convince him to go home and wait for news."

"Yeah," Benten changes into a T-shirt and gym shorts. "I hope we
hear something soon. Lum's dad isn't known for his patience."

"Don't remind me," Koosei says.

Sakura looks at a nearby clock. "Well, I have to go," she hangs
up her lab coat.

"Something important?" Koosei asks.

"I have a meeting with the principal," the Shinto priestess
answers. "He wants to meet with Onsen and I for something."

"What is it?" Koosei asks.

"I don't know," Sakura replies. "I won't know until I go to the
meeting."

"Good luck then," Koosei nods.

"Yeah," Sakura replies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Sakura enters the Principal's office to find him and Onsen with
Kotatsuneko. "You wanted to see me?" the Shinto priestess bows.

"Oh, Sakura-sensei," the Principal smiles as he sips some tea.
"You're just in time. We were just talking about you."

"I see," Sakura nods before helping herself to a cracker. "So,
what's up? It's unusual for you to ask me into your office."

"It seems the Principal has something to ask you," Onsen replies.

Sakura turns to the Principal. Since she became the nurse and
health teacher, she had few direct dealings with him. The Principal was
a hard man to understand, but he always gives his employees a fair
shake, even if he is a little bizarre. "As you know, Sakura-san, I've
been the principal of this school for a long time. I've outlasted at
four vice-principals who have either retired or taken jobs elsewhere. I
think it's time for me to step aside and let someone new take over."

"Why," Sakura blinks, "I'm surprised." She waits a respectable
time before she continues. "So, who is taking over your job?"

"He's recommending me," Onsen coughs.

"That's nice," Sakura smiles. "The extra money will come in handy
for you and your wife...plus any additions to the family."

"Let's not get into that, please."

Sakura takes another cracker. "So," she asks. "Why are you
telling me? I'm one of the newer teachers around here."

"Well, I..." Onsen nervously starts.

"What?" Sakura eats another cracker.

"I want you to be my vice-principal."

Congratulation banners burst over Sakura, who looks more shocked
than touched! "You want ME to your vice-principal?!!" she gasps.

"Are you a parrot or something?"

"But, I've only been here for three years," Sakura replies.
"Surely, there must be someone around here who has more qualifications
to be vice-principal!"

"Oh, there's plenty," the Principal sips some tea. "But, NONE of
them want to be vice-principal here."

"I'm the nurse and health teacher," she hums. "Why not Koosei-kun
or Mitsu Hanawa?"

"Mitsu-kun's too much of out of reality to make a good vice-
principal," Onsen replies.

"We're sitting here having tea with a six-foot cat spirit in a
school that had aliens as students," Sakura counters, "...and Mitsu's
too much out of reality?"

"And we asked Koosei Ryooki...but he recommended YOU to take the
post."

"I see," Sakura nods. *Koosei-kun must be thinking about his
relationship with Oyuki to turn down the job!* "Give me a while to
think about it."

"Take all the time you need," the Principal says.

Sakura bows to her superiors. "Thank you," she says before
leaving.

Once out of the office, Onsen turns to the Principal. "Do you
think Sakura-sensei will accept the job?" he asks tensely.

"It's hard to say," the Principal muses. "I think she'll make a
good vice-principal. She's has been good at her job as nurse..."

"YAHOO!!!!" Sakura's voice suddenly explodes from behind the door.
"I'M GONNA BE THE VICE-PRINCIPAL!!!! YAHOO!!!!"

The sudden yell nearly sends both Onsen and the Principal crashing
through the floor in surprise. "I think she has accepted," the
Principal says while he adjusts his glasses.

"I think so, too," Onsen nods.

Kotatsuneko sips his tea.

* * *

While Sakura celebrates her coming promotion, in the "Renegade's"
dining area, Nassur gives Megane a new pair of glasses while Shinobu,
Lum and Ataru watch. "Here you go, Megane," Nassur says. "I hope
they're close to your original prescription."

He looks through the lenses, seeing Lum clearly for the first time
in days. "Oh, Lum-san," he smiles weakly, then looks sad.

"What's wrong, Aisuru?" Lum asks noticing the frown. "Are your
glasses not correct?"

"No, it's not that. It's just that the more I look at you, the
more I miss Tan-chan."

"That's all right," Ataru pats Megane on the back. "I miss Reiko-
chan as well."

"Thanks, Ataru," Megane acknowledges the gesture. "I'd better get
back up to the bridge. Junba and Mendou are waiting for me."

Megane leaves the dining hall. "I never thought I'd see Megane
act like normal around Lum," Nassur quips. "I guess Tanoshii really
broke him of his infatuation with Lum."

"Well," Ataru scratches his head. "Tan-chan could always crack
the toughest nuts."

"I wish all our problems were so easy to solve," Shinobu moans.
"Junba really hates me and goes out of her way to make me feel bad."

"She thinks you like Nassur," Lum says. "And she doesn't like
Nassur."

"But, I DO like Nassur," Shinobu says while putting her arm around
the hunter's.

Everyone sighs by Shinobu's display of affection towards a married
man. "Say, Nassur," Ataru changes the subject, "...what is going on
between you and the Mikado? It is the bitterest feud I've ever seen.
It makes the fracas between Mendou and me look tame."

"'Feud' isn't the word for it," Nassur sighs. "'War' is a better
description."

"So what's the story?" Lum asks. "You've never told me about why
you became a bounty hunter or why the Mikado hates you so much."

"My story..." Nassur looks sad. "It started shortly after I was
born. I grew up in a school for the Special Hunter Corps."

"You're an orphan?" Ataru blinks.

"Maybe...maybe not. On Vos, every newborn child is tested for
tracking powers ability. Those who have the highest potential are
'recruited' into the Hunter Corps."

"It sounds like the parents weren't given much choice," Lum quips.

"They weren't. As soon as the results were known, the child was
removed from the parents...by whatever means possible."

"So, all this time," Shinobu sniffs, "...you never knew your
parents?"

"That's right. Living in the hunter's school wasn't easy. You
think Tomobiki High was tough, Ataru? This school was tougher. If it
wasn't bullying students, it was abusive teachers. I mean abusive! The
most abusive teacher or bullying student at Tomobiki High School you
could think of was an untalented amateur compared to those in hunter's
school. And there was no way to stop the abuse...save for the ultimate
defense. The worse person was the Commandant...a psycho named Osur."

Silence rules the room as the three think of the "ultimate
defense." "In that school," he continues, "I grew up."

"What about this Osur?" Ataru asks. "What made him so special?"

"Osur was 'the Mad,'" Nassur explains. "He was a great teacher
but psychologically, he should have been committed. He was a Silent
One...a sect of highly-trained martial artists, the equals to your
Kuromoroboshi. He was unbeatable because it seemed his madness helped
him utilize moves no other person would make. He wasn't above
personally killing a student who displeased him outright...or even a
teacher. The whole school feared him."

"Then you had no childhood," Lum states.

"That's right," Nassur nods, bitterness and anger radiating from
his eyes as he recalls his youth. "Then came graduation. I was
sixteen. My classes graduation mission was to storm a house occupied by
'anti-government rebels' and leave NONE alive. Osur supervised the
mission personally."

"That doesn't sound like a happy time," Shinobu says solemnly.

"It wasn't," he continues. "The 'rebels' we found out during the
fighting were street kids rounded up from local cities. They were about
as rebellious as anyone aboard this ship. But, by time we discovered
this fact, it was too late...all were dead...except one."

"Just one?" Ataru asks.

"She was a kid about twelve years old," Nassur remembers as the
sound of the fighting rings in his memory. "A girl, half-starved and
dirty from life on the street. She was trying to escape, but I stood in
her way. I stood there and saw that there was no way she could be a
rebel. I wanted to let her go, but my training at that time wouldn't
let her. She was paralysed because she was too terrified to run. So,
we stood there for an eternity...until Osur found us. Osur grabbed the
girl by the arm and shoved her in front of my gun...and ordered me to
shoot her or die."

"So, what did you do?" Lum asks.

"I shot her to death," Nassur answers.

Everyone is stunned. "Y-you shot her to death?" Shinobu sobs in
horror.

"That's right," Nassur continues, memories of the yells of the
girl he killed replacing the sounds of fighting in his ears. "I tried
to resist, but couldn't. The girl pleaded for her life...even offering
sex to both of us to survive. But, all I could do was close my eyes and
pull the trigger..."

Silence falls over the room. "It was then I started to rebel,"
Nassur continues, his eyes watering. "I managed to get at least twenty-
two of my classmates to join me...but the school was heavily fortified
and protected. Only seven actually made it out."

"Not good odds," Lum replies.

"Not at all," Nassur nods in agreement. "The remaining members of
my group continued until we got to Lecashuto."

"Why did you go there?" Ataru asks.

"Well," Nassur shrugs. "According to the Constitution, military
formations composed solely of psi-hunters are illegal. The Mikado got
around that rule. We planned to make our feelings known to the media,
thus embarrassing the Mikado and his government. But..."

"There's always a 'but,'" Ataru adds.

"We got lost. You have to know how we felt. All things you're
used to...the ability to come and go as you please, to play, to live
without fear, to be free...we never had. Coming to Lecashuto...we
quickly got lost in those freedoms denied us. We soon lost our
way...and that was our downfall."

"What happened?" Shinobu asks.

"We got cornered in a shopping mall one night by a troop of Mikado
Marines led by Osur himself," Nassur sniffs. "And we were massacred.
Only I survived. Barely."

More silence. "I was badly wounded and wandered through the
streets of Lecashuto," Nassur continues. "I don't remember much about
this time because I think my mind closed down. But, somehow I made it
to a hotel where a man named Bishop Namasur was staying with his wife
and daughter."

"Namasur," Lum hums. "Wasn't he...?"

"He was Cinba's father and the governor of Colony Seventy-one,"
Nassur adds. "The Bishop was on Vos for a conference. Somehow, Cinba
found me and brought me into the hotel where she helped bind my physical
wounds. It was on that night we recognized each other."

"So that's how you met Cinba!"

"Namasur was a kind-hearted man and approved of me immediately
when I told him my story," Nassur relaxes. "He knew I was telling the
truth. He fooled the immigration department by saying I was a part of
his party so I could go to Colony Seventy-one. Once there, I could
begin to heal some of the mental scars. Cinba helped me."

"So, what happened next?" Shinobu asks.

"Well," Nassur continues. "It took a few years for the Mikado and
Osur to find me...but by then I was married to Cinba and Namasur
wouldn't CONSIDER extraditing me, no matter how much the Mikado begged,
demanded or threatened. Unfortunately, this only further advanced
events. Finally, Osur came with a Vosian Defense Force task force lead
by Captain Ninsur and Lieutenant-Colonel Dosur to get me back to
Vos...any way he could. Three hundred thousand people died, almost the
entire population of the colony, in a surprise attack that couldn't have
been authorized by Ninsur. Ninsur was known as a top diplomat
throughout Vos and the Galactic Federation. Luckily, both Cinba and I
were among the survivors...Namasur and his wife were not."

The silence is almost deafening as Nassur continues his tale.
"Osur and his troops captured the remaining survivors, Cinba and I
included, and planned to execute us all. But, Ninsur intervened and had
Osur executed. He announced that his fleet would rebel against the
government. Once news about the massacre of Colony 71 spread, other
ships and whole colonies joined. We wanted to join the fighting but for
some reason, Ninsur and his wife Hunba would have nothing to do about
it. Ninsur gave us a ship...that was the original 'Renegade'...and told
us that our destiny laid in the stars, not on Vos. So we left, made our
way to Reiner's Five, which is where we met Varanko...and the rest is
history."

Silence continues as Nassur's origin sinks in. "All that you went
through," Shinobu breaks the long silence. "I feel so inadequate to
even think I had a bad life!"

"So do I," Lum adds.

Ataru nods. "No wonder you and the Mikado hate each other! I
can't believe a person would do that to his own people!"

"Believe it, Ataru. Believe it."

"Why did they tolerate him for so long?"

"When the Mikado came to power," Nassur tries to remember the
history he was taught, "Vos was a stale power. There was a lot of
corruption and inefficiencies in all sectors of society. The Mikado,
then a general in the Defense Force and a hero of the Vos-Ipraedos War,
understood this. He took power in a bloodless coup. He brought in
reforms which removed the corruption and staleness that had built up.
That made him popular with the common people. No one questioned a few
bends of the Constitution at the time...until the Colony 71 massacre
occurred."

"In other words," Ataru sums, "the people accepted him, even if he
was a dictator, because he 'made the trains run on time.'"

"That's right."

"So, why does he want this Sceptre of Lecasur?" Ataru then asks.

"According to Vosian tradition," Nassur answers. "the leader of
Vos was given the Sceptre of Lecasur. It was something Lecasur
discovered while exploring. The Sceptre was proof of a president's
right to rule. It is said that Lecasur gave the Sceptre as a gift to
the person who succeeded him. The people of Vos weren't sure of
accepting the new president until in a ceremony, the incumbent
personally gave his successor the Sceptre."

"So, how come the Mikado doesn't have it?" Ataru asks.

"Someone stole it before the ceremony," Nassur answers. "In over
a century of his rule, the Mikado has been without the Sceptre. Because
of that, many have always thought that the Mikado's rule illegitimate."

"So, that's why he's sending us to bring it back," Lum says.

"That's right," Nassur nods. "And until I can find a way to get
rid of those cardiac bands...we'll have to do what he wants."

"I'm not effected by them," Ataru says.

"Me neither!" Lum adds.

"Hey!!! I AM!!!!" Shinobu snarls.

"True," Nassur pats Shinobu and Lum on the back. "But Junba
doesn't know Ataru and Lum are immune. Let's keep it that way...just
like I want to keep secret that Benten's on Earth pregnant with our
first child..."

Silence falls as Shinobu gapes at him. "'F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-first
child?!!'"

"I knew she was pregnant," Lum smiles. "When I saw her on Home
Base, I was surprised to see her eat soap chips. I mind-scanned her and
well..." she shrugs, chuckling.

"Congratulations," Ataru shakes Nassur's hand. "I hope the baby
will be healthy! So that's why she isn't here."

"WHAT FIRST CHILD?!?!?!" Shinobu screams. "Nassur, you and Benten
aren't married!!!"

He blinks. "Didn't you know? We married shortly after that trip
into the far future."

Shinobu points to her angry face. "Does my face look like I
knew?!!"

Nassur notices Lum and Ataru failing to look innocent. "Why
didn't you tell me?" Shinobu spins on them. "I could've stopped them
from doing such a bad thing!"

"We were going to," Ataru snarls. "By the time Lum and I heard
about it, it was a done deal! No one wanted to tell you because they
were afraid that you'd kill them!"

"Besides," Lum snorts, "Nassur RECOGNIZED Benten, NOT you!!"

The anger in her face turns to sadness. "R-recognized?" she sobs.
"It can't be." She turns to Nassur, grabbing him by the tunic. "You
didn't recognize Benten, did you?!"

"Sorry, Shinobu," Nassur removes her hands. "I did. There's
nothing you can do about it," he shows Shinobu his wedding ring.

Horrified, she runs out of the room crying. Nassur looks at Lum
and Ataru strangely. "I thought she knew Benten and I were married,"
the hunter muses.

"She knows now," Ataru shrugs, then gazes out the window. *Now
that she knows the truth, why don't I feel happy about it?*

* * *

A few hours pass. Shinobu spends the rest of her night crying in
her cabin. Her sobs are audible all over the deck. Even Nassur, Lum
and Ataru can hear her in their adjoining cabins with the door shut. In
their cabins, all three felt guilty.

In Lum's cabin, the Oni tries to sleep but with Shinobu's wails,
sleep is impossible. *Poor Shinobu,* Lum shakes her head. *She's lost
TWO people recently...Inaba and Nassur. I want to go to her and help
her get over this sad time in her life...but I can't! I'll only make
her even worse.*

Lum closes her eyes and tries to ignore the world around her...

* * *

In Ataru's cabin, Ataru feels even more guilt-ridden than Lum. *I
wanted to make sure she'd never control me again,* he rationalizes his
behaviour towards Shinobu since the Spirit War. *Was that so much to
ask?*

*Was that so much to ask?*

The question echoes mentally in his mind. *Didn't she have a
right to know Nassur and Benten were married before this? If I really
loved her, shouldn't I've told her regardless of the consequences? Why
did I blow it?*

Ataru remembers growing up with Shinobu, how she tried to be more
than a friend and a playmate. She didn't care that at the time, he was
a skirt-chasing moron who DESERVED the blame Tomobiki heaped on him.
She was one of the first girls to love him for himself. Not Elle and
long before Windy, Shinobu was always there when he needed a shoulder to
cry on. In some way, Shinobu was Ataru's sister after Nokoko
disappeared. She always thought of him...and only him it seemed.

Then Lum came, followed by Mendou.

Still, she didn't forget him and tried to do things for him that
Ataru could not do for himself. *And how did I repay her?* A tear
slips down his cheek as he remembers when he and Windy broke up the
first time, Shinobu was there to give her support. When Ataru
mistakenly thought Lum had left him, but only went to get her visa
renewed, Shinobu was there. Every time Lum and Ataru were close to
breaking up, Shinobu was there.

*And what did you do in return? Where were you when Mendou
announced he was getting married to Asuka and broke Shinobu's heart?
When that delinquent from another school began harassing her, where were
you? Where were you when Inaba got transferred? And in your grand
scheme of 'revenge,' what was going to be your 'revenge' on her?* These
and other questions filled Ataru's mind so full that they even drove out
the sounds of Shinobu's sobbing.

*Would it have hurt your fragile ego to TELL her? It wasn't
Nassur's responsibility nor Lum's nor anyone else's job. They didn't
know Shinobu as well as YOU do. But, for all SHE did for YOU...YOU
betrayed HER!!!!*

*Happy?* he asks himself.

*No,* he answers.

* * *

In his cabin, Nassur tries to ignore Shinobu's crying. Vosians
were used to lots of 'noise' when they slept. Some can sense even small
animals with their powers...but brainwave patterns are different than
spoken noise. Finally, Nassur's conscience can stand no more and he
dresses into his duty uniform, and walks down the corridor towards
Shinobu's cabin. Once there, Nassur presses the doorbell. "Shinobu,"
he asks anxiously. "It's me, Nassur. Can I come in?"

Inside, Shinobu stops crying and a nervous silence appears.
Finally, an eternity later, the door slides open. "Sure," Shinobu says,
her voice hoarse from crying.

Nassur enters. It is undamaged even after hours of Shinobu's
sadness. Shinobu lays on her bed, her uniform and hair are a little
dishevelled, her eyes red from crying. Nassur feels nervous when she
looks at him. For once, Nassur is at a loss for words. "I'm sorry,
Shinobu," Nassur tries to break the silence. "I thought someone had
told you that Benten and I were married."

"Why?" Shinobu snarls. "What does Benten have over me? I'm cute!
I can be tough when I want to be! I can fight if I have to! Why did
your genes chose Benten and not me?!"

Nassur finds he cannot answer those questions. Recognition, like
love, is hard to control and even harder to explain. Nassur remembers
Tenba, a girl he grew up with in the hunters school, much like Shinobu
in looks and attitude. They never recognized each other even though
they were *pe'cha.* "That is the way things are," Nassur answers. "We
Vosians can't control recognition any more than you Terrans can control
your falling in love."

Nassur was right, Shinobu realized. But being right did not take
away the pain. How could she face the fact that the man she gave her
heart to...more than anyone else...married someone else? What is worse,
that woman is now pregnant and thus Nassur is even further from her.
And because of recognition, Shinobu had learned from the "Renegade's"
computer, an affair is next to impossible...not to mention shameful to
her and her own family. With Mendou and Ataru with their mates and
Inaba gone to Sagussa, what happens to her now?

"Does Benten love you?" she asks.

"Yes! I think she does," Nassur answers immediately. "Besides,
she IS going to have my child. That means she must like me."

Shinobu looks seriously at the hunter. "Let me tell you one
thing," she warns. "If anything happens that causes Benten to betray
you or break your heart...I'LL make sure that she'll never lives to
enjoy it!"

"I see," Nassur says. "I have something to ask of you. Do you
want to be *pe'cha?*"

Shinobu looks surprised. "*P-pe'cha?*" she stammers. "What's
that?"

"*Pe'cha* is equal to your Earth term, 'blood brothers,'" he
explains. "It's given to those we think are our closest allies. Lum is
*pe'cha* as was Benten before I recognized her. It's only a simple
thing, but it's all I can give you to say 'I'm sorry.'"

Shinobu thinks to herself. *Pe'cha?* Lum had spoken of that when
talking about the close bond the Oni and Nassur shared with each other.
"What does it do?" she asks.

"It's sharing our innermost thoughts and desires with each other,"
Nassur explains. "And an expression of our love. Think of it as a
milder version of the *marei'cha* bond Noa has with Lum. You can say
'no' to it if it's too embarrassing for you."

"What do you have to do?" Shinobu asks after a long pause.

Nassur simply touches Shinobu's forehead with his finger. In
seconds, Shinobu feels a rush of thought entering her head. Then, she
feels it stop. She turns to Nassur and senses...his loneliness for
Benten and his coming child. "I can sense how you feel!" she says
excitedly. "You miss Benten, don't you?"

"I do," Nassur nods. "And I sense your heartbreak and your fear
around Junba."

"Is that all *pe'cha* is?" Shinobu asks.

"*Pe'cha* is anything you want it to be."

Then the intercom goes off. It is Junba. "Nassur," the Mikado
hunter announces. "We're passing Colony Seventy-one. You can look at
it for a remembrance if you want."

"Okay. Sorry, Shinobu. I've got to go."

"Well," Shinobu replies, rising to follow. "We'll always be
together."

* * *

Some distance away, the Gatherer follows the "Renegade." On the
bridge, Noa sits alone looking bored. "So, they're going to the Planet
of Shadows," the *ashi'cha* snorts. "I hope it's soon. I'm bored of
waiting and anxious to get both Ataru and Lum on Sagussa!"

"*The 'Renegade' is slowing down.*"

"What for?" Noa looks at a scanner.

"*It seems it's passing by a Class M planet that has a high
radiation level,*" Henry reports. "*My records show it is Colony
Seventy-one, a Vosian Colony destroyed several years after I picked up
Gilnira and Tenba.*"

"Oh," Noa remembers. "This colony was the one that started the
Vosian Civil War."

"*Correct. Nassur and Cinba once lived there,*" Henry adds.

"While they're stopped," Noa presses a few buttons. "Let's get an
accurate DNA scan on who's aboard the 'Renegade.'"

"*Beginning DNA scan,*" Henry reports.

In a matter of minutes, hundreds of data readings flash across
Noa's screens with a speed faster than any computer on Earth. "Let's
see," Noa hums. "Ataru is there. Lum is there. So are Shinobu Miyaki,
Shutaro Mendou, and Aisuru Megane. Lyna's Soul, what persuaded that
*kimei'ne* to get them for this job?! Nassur is there...WHO'S
THIS?!?!?!"

"*Is something wrong?*" Henry asks.

"There is only ONE other person aboard the 'Renegade,'" Noa yells.
"And SHE...I mean IT...has the same DNA as Cinba of Vos!!"

"*That is impossible,*" Henry replies. "*Cinba of Vos died seven
years ago.*"

"I've checked the scan three times," Noa reports. "It's Cinba.
The only explanation is...that thing...is a clone!!!"

"*A clone? Are you sure?*"

"*There is little genetic deviation! Some of that thing's strands
match Cinba's precisely!! Even identical twins vary in some way!" Noa
explains as dark thoughts storm through her mind. "It's a clone!
Cinba's clone is holding our *daimon'cha* and Lum hostage?! Lyna's
Soul, this is an outrage!!"

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)