CHAPTER ONE

Lieutenant Wyldon gazed narrowly at the new recruits lined up in two rows in one of the empty storage bays. They stood more or less in formation, but it was obvious that they lacked discipline. He shook his head in annoyance. They get younger every year, he thought with disgust. They've given me children.

His eyes swept over the cadets in front of him, lingering on the few that seemed to have potential. One boy, a young man with bright red hair and purple eyes, stared cynically back at the lieutenant. This one has spunk, he mused.

Next to the boy was a second young man with intelligent eyes and a fiercely determined expression. Another one with fire in his eyes. These two just might survive the training, if they're strong enough, he thought.

Without waiting any longer, Wyldon launched into his standard initiation speech. As he began his patented 'you come as children, but you'll leave as adults', the launch bay doors slid open just enough to admit a slender girl in cadet black. The girl half-ran to the line, taking her place with downcast eyes. Angered, Wyldon stomped over to her, hovering menacingly in her air space. She stared at the floor, her hands clasped tightly behind her back. The eyes of every other cadet were riveted on the two of them.

"You're late, cadet!" he barked.

She flinched slightly, but she didn't lift her eyes. "Yes, sir," she answered in a quiet, almost timid voice.

"What is your excuse, girl?" he yelled, not bothering to keep his voice down.

"I don't have an excuse, sir," she murmured. "I was simply late." Her voice, though almost inaudible in its softness, did not waver.

The lieutenant stared at her in astonishment. Most cadets were so frightened of him that they could barely give their names, let alone coherent sentences. This one was profoundly different. "What is your name, cadet?" he demanded, his tone still menacingly harsh.

"Sammy of Mileld, sir."

Her words were lightly accented, but her command of the language, though obviously not her native tongue, was excellent. The lieutenant thought hard for a moment. Mileld was a colony planet near Jurai. In fact, the current emperor of Jurai had married a woman from that planet, but Wyldon couldn't recall any other details. Mileld was only one of thousands of colonies in that system. Still, from her distinctive blue hair, he guessed that she was from one of the larger of the colony planets. "Very well, cadet Sammy. As punishment for your tardiness, you will receive three extra hours of clean up duty. Report to the maintenance deck tomorrow after training. If I were you, cadet," he leaned even closer, bringing his face down to meet hers, "I would not be late in the future."

She nodded, but neglected the crisp salute that any other officer would have given automatically. He frowned, but decided to let up for the time being. He'd have plenty of time to push her into shape as training got underway. "All of you, report to the med lab for physical testing. Dismissed!" he barked, and the cadets filed out.

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Sasami kept her lovely pink eyes on the heels of the cadet in front of her as the group marched to the med lab. She absently rubbed the scratches on her arms, the legacy of Ryo-oki's fear of new places and the reason she'd been late.

She didn't know what kinds of testing she was about to undergo, but she doubted that it could be anywhere near as hard as her experience getting off Jurai. In fact, if it hadn't been for her friends in low places, she wouldn't have gotten out at all.

About a year before she'd left, the peacekeepers on Jurai had apprehended a thief only a little older than Sasami herself. Though this boy was barely past adolescence, he possessed an abundance of skills centered around forgery, lock-picking, and street brawling. Only a few hours after his capture, Sasami had been playing a game with Ryo-oki in the dungeons below the palace. By some quirk of fate, Sasami chanced upon the thief in his prison. Though Mahonori was gruff and rude, she'd immediately been charmed by him. She'd spent hours talking with him, trying to get past his cynical exterior. After a while, the thief had gotten used to the aqua-haired princess, and he'd opened up to her.

One night, several months after his capture, Sasami arranged for his 'release'. For many months after she'd helped him escape, Mahonori would sneak into the palace grounds to visit her. They spent hours together, hidden in the labyrinth deep in the palace gardens. He even taught her some of his more useful abilities.

Sasami had used each of these newly acquired skills to creep aboard one of the cargo ships headed away from Jurai. Sasami had spent the entire journey from her home planet to the planet called Misox in a cramped crate. The second she arrived on Misox, the headquarters of the famous Galaxy Police, she'd used Mahonori's tricks to forge a fake identity and letter of recommendation for training as a pilot. She'd been accepted immediately, of course. The Galaxy Police had been experimenting with a new type of combat planes, and most people did not want to mess with such dangerous machines. They were unpredictable, and not many people survived their first experience with them. As a result, pilots were at a premium.

Sasami was abruptly jolted from her thoughts as the cadet in front of her halted. She slammed into him, eliciting a glare from the cadets around her. "Watch where you're going," the boy hissed.

Sasami shrugged apologetically. In spite of his anger, she immediately liked this intelligent-looking boy. He was tall and gangly, with mousy brown hair and matching brown eyes. She smiled warmly at him, and the annoyance fell away from his expression as he gave a half-smile of his own.

As the boy turned back around, Sasami glanced at the other cadets waiting patiently for the doors to the med lab to open. There weren't as many girls as boys, but every cadet had the same nervous expression on their faces. The only person who seemed unruffled by the upcoming tests was a tall, strongly muscled young man with red hair. He waited patiently, eyes closed and arms crossed. Sasami decided to follow his example, and schooled her expression to one of utter calm.

The doors to the lab opened, and a friendly young woman with pretty blonde hair gestured the cadets inside. As they entered, Sasami looked curiously at her new surroundings. Tables and medical equipment filled every spare inch of the room. One section of the room was siphoned off by large, man-sized tubes. "What are those?" asked Sasami in a low voice to the intelligent boy.

He glanced at her, and then looked back at the tubes. "Those are the medical scanners. After we're sealed inside, they'll fill with a special fluid that will slow our bodies down long enough for the medical technicians to scan for illness or injuries. The doctors will then be able to heal us while we're still inside the tubes."

Sasami stared at him, awed by the casual way that he spoke of the procedure. Growing up a princess, Sasami had always had a healer who could fix injuries using just the powers of the mind. She'd never actually been subjected to one of these tubes, and she was just a little bit nervous.

"Relax," whispered the boy. "It doesn't hurt much at all."

Sasami gulped, but nodded quickly. She didn't want this boy to think she was a weakling. "I'm Sasa-Sammy," she whispered instead.

The boy grinned. "Taki." He shook her hand lightly. "It's nice to meet you, Sasa-Sammy."

She grinned back, relieved that she'd made at least one friend in this cold, sterile place.

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Sasami stepped into her tube, noticing that the red-haired youth was already standing in the tube opposite hers. His eyes were still closed, and he seemed to be completely comfortable as a slimy blue liquid filled their containers.

At first, Sasami started to panic. She tried to hold her breath, but she gave up as she noticed that the bubbles were issuing regularly from the redhead's nose. Sasami took a hesitant breath of her own, and was relieved to find that, while breathing under water was unsettling, she wasn't going to suffer from oxygen depravation any time soon.

Sasami closed her eyes, letting her body relax gradually. The pretty blonde spoke into a microphone, which relayed her soft voice into the tubes. "Just relax," she said. "This will be over soon. Don't be alarmed if you start to dream or hallucinate. That's a common side effect of the tubes, but the symptoms won't last once you step out. Close your eyes and enjoy it."

Sasami hadn't needed the explanation. She was already seeing visions. While she lay, peacefully suspended in blue liquid, the princess entered a misty dream-world of her own.

She was standing in the palace gardens, poised just outside of the labyrinth. Ryo-oki was at her feet, looking questioningly at the maze. Sasami hesitated, but Ryo-oki ran inside. "Ryo-oki!" called the dream- Sasami as she hurried to follow her pet. "Wait for me, Ryo-oki!"

Sasami ran swiftly through the maze, following glimpses of Ryo-oki's rabbit-like tail and ears. The two of them rounded a corner, where Sasami came face to face with her elder sister, Aeka.

Aeka stood, hands on her hips, fuming silently at her little sister. "That was an awful stunt to pull, Sasami! We've been looking everywhere for you! The entire palace is in an uproar! You're coming home right now, and I'll not tolerate any more disturbances from you. From now on, we're going to lock you in the dungeon so deep that you'll never be able to run away again! Maybe next time you'll think before you act!

Aeka latched onto Sasami, pulling her roughly by the wrist. "Stop, Aeka! You're hurting me! Ryo-oki, help!" But Ryo-oki was nowhere to be seen. Though she tried with all her might, Sasami was not able to free herself from her sister's bruising grasp. Aeka dragged Sasami into the palace, pulling her down into the dungeons. She tossed Sasami roughly into a cell, slamming the bars behind her as she stalked away, still fuming.

Sasami threw herself at the bars, calling her sister's name in fear. "You'll never get out that way," a calm voice announced. Sasami spun, spotting the thief that hadn't been there when she'd entered the cell.

Mahonori was perched on a chair, peacefully whittling on a bit of bone. Sasami ran to him, throwing herself at his feet. She grabbed one of his hands in an attempt to recapture his attention. "Mahonori!" she cried.

He lifted his eyes to meet hers. "Calm down, Sasami. Here," he said, handing her the little medallion that he'd been carving. The bone was shaped skillfully into a ring, and tiny symbols were etched onto the entire surface. It was as smooth as silk.

"I'm coming. We'll be together again in no time, brat," Mahonori winked teasingly. His body started to fade, and Sasami could no longer maintain her hold on his hands.

"Wait, Mahonori! Don't leave me yet!" But he was already gone. The ring had disappeared with him.

Sasami hung her head, weighted down by loneliness. When she lifted it once more, she found that she was in the labyrinth again. She jumped to her feet, running in the direction that she thought the palace was.

Sasami was an expert at finding the exit to the labyrinth, but everything looked different now. Corners that should have led one place ended up in a completely different section. No matter which way she turned, she always ended up in the very center of the maze. Finally, Sasami gave up and sat wearily by the fountain in the middle. She was hot from running around, and the water in the fountain looked cool and inviting. Roses bloomed in abundance all around the fountain, and Sasami's heart started to return to its normal pace.

As the dream-Sasami trailed her fingers in the fountain water, she thought she heard whispering. She leapt to her feet, searching frantically for the source. The whispers seemed to come from every direction, but they eventually settled into one place. They now sounded as though they were coming from one of the corridors nearby. Sasami waited, hearing the crunch of feet on the grass.

A woman stepped into the clearing, and Sasami took a fearful step backwards. The woman smiled apologetically. "Don't be afraid, Sasami," she murmured in a quiet, musical voice. Sasami stared at her. The woman's hair was long and blue, and her pink eyes were wise beyond her years. Her forehead was decorated by the kishtaka, the birthmark possessed only by members of her mother's race. She was young, but not nearly as young as Sasami. Her face was pale but calm. Allowing for minor differences, this woman could almost have been her mother's sister. Somehow, though, Sasami knew the woman was not her mother's sister. If she didn't know better, she'd almost have said that the woman was…

"That's right, Sasami," the woman encouraged softly, and Sasami winced. Even their voices sounded alike.

"How do you know my name?" Sasami demanded, though she already knew.

The woman continued to smile. "I know your name because it is my name, as well. We are one, Sasami."

Sasami grimaced. "You look like me," she acknowledged reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean we're the same."

The woman blinked. "I see that you are not yet ready to acknowledge your destiny," she said sorrowfully. "Very well, I will leave you for now. But you must be aware that time is running out. She is coming, and you must know and understand your abilities if you will save them." She turned and started to walk away.

Sasami ran after her, needing to know in spite of herself. "Wait! Who's coming? What is my destiny?"

Sasami ran, trying desperately to catch up with the footsteps that she could hear in front of her. As she ran, she realized that the maze had settled back into its regular dimensions. Sasami was running in a circle, heading back toward the center of the labyrinth.

Abruptly, Sasami re-entered the center. She stopped, gasping in astonishment. Moments before, the clearing had been vibrant with life. Flowers had grown so thick that the air was hazy with their perfume. Water had poured from the man-sized fish in the center of the fountain. Now, though, the flowers were all gone. The hedges that had formed the maze were dead, blackened as though they'd been burnt by fire. The grass under her feet was a brown thatch, and the fountainhead lay, broken and defeated, on the ground. Instead of water, mold and grime filled the fountain. The place smelled of death.

Sasami whirled as she heard footsteps once more. Expecting the woman from earlier, she was startled to find a second, blonde figure watching her with narrow eyes. This woman was nothing like the first. The first had been calm, almost gentle, but anger poured of this one like steam from boiling water. If the plants around them hadn't already been dead, Sasami suspected that the woman's presence would have shriveled them up anyway.

Sasami stared at the woman, who glared back mockingly. "Who are you, girl? You have Tsunami's power, but you are not quite the same. I think I should probably fear you." The blonde woman's eyes hardened. "On second thought, I think I should destroy you and save myself some time and effort later." The woman lifted a hand, and a ball of energy appeared in her palm. She was about to throw the ball at Sasami, but a spitting Ryo-oki suddenly ran into the clearing, sliding to a stop between Sasami and the woman.

Ryo-oki hissed again, shackles lifting in an anger that the normally sweet-tempered cabbit rarely showed. The woman frowned, and the ball slowly dissipated. "Very well. You win this time, Tsunami, but don't expect it to happen again."

She started to turn away, and Sasami let out a premature sigh of relief. Her breath caught in her throat once more as the woman suddenly whirled and tossed an even larger ball at Sasami's heart.

Ryo-oki leapt into the air, intercepting the energy ball before it could hit the tiny princess. Ryo-oki fell back to the earth, her chest a smoking ruin. "No! Ryo-oki!" Sasami ran to her little friend, pulling the animal into her arms. She held tightly onto the little cabbit, crying out in outrage as Ryo-oki's body slowly faded away to nothing.

Sasami's arms closed around the air where the cabbit had been. She felt as though a lead weight had settled over her heart. Ryo-oki had been one of the few beings in the universe that had understood Sasami, and the girl felt as though her soul had turned to stone.

Sasami was so caught up in her grief that she didn't notice Ryo-oki's killer advancing as silently as the wind. Sasami looked up just as the evil woman lifted yet another ball of energy. The woman didn't throw the ball immediately, choosing instead to enjoy the sight of Sasami's deadened eyes. "So, now I have won."

Sasami stared at the woman. Ryo-oki had died to save Sasami. The princess couldn't let this murderer escape unpunished, could she?

Sasami felt the anger building up inside of her, threatening to burn her up in its intensity. With the anger came power. The air around Sasami filled with a blindingly intense blue-green light. The two triangles on Sasami's forehead, a legacy of an accident from her childhood, began to glow. A look of startled fear crossed the woman's face, and she lifted her ball, ready for the kill. Sasami wasn't afraid any longer. She could sense the power inside herself, and she knew that she was far stronger than this dream-apparition. She was stronger, and for Ryo-oki's sake, she would win. This woman would not escape her wrath.

Finally realizing the danger that she'd put herself in, the woman struck. Far from causing any damage, though, the ball bounced harmlessly off the energy pouring from Sasami. Sasami closed her eyes, letting the remainder of her own energy form into a beam of blue light. As the beam struck the woman's shoulder, Sasami felt herself being pulled away…

The glass encasing Sasami suddenly shattered, unable to contain the energy around the girl. Liquid and shards of glass cascaded to the med lab floor, taking Sasami with it. She crashed to the floor, knees scraping the tiling, hair falling around her face in a wet tangle.

She pushed herself to her knees, panting from the effort required of so simple an action. The lights around her body slowly faded, but the triangles on her forehead continued to pulse. Slowly, they also faded, leaving only a slight, seemingly normal girl in a black uniform.

All around her, the cadets were pouring from their tubes. Their faces held mixtures of astonishment and fear. Sasami glanced around, seeing only suspicion on the faces of her fellow trainees. She sighed, knowing that she'd lost any chance that she'd ever had of making friends with these people. She glanced at the redhead, but his face was, as usual, expressionless. She couldn't read his eyes, but she somehow knew that he'd seen everything.

Sasami tried to stand, but her body was still weakened from whatever had just happened to her. She fell to the floor again, but did not give up. As she tried to rise a second time, she felt a pair of hands pulling her to her feet. She looked up into Taki's face, and was overjoyed to see that he, at least, wasn't afraid of her. He grinned ruefully at her, and she smiled hesitantly back.

As she leaned on Taki for support, Sasami finally noticed the alarms blaring throughout the room. "Wha-what happened?" she asked her new friend in a tired voice.

He gaped at her. "What do you mean, 'what happened'? You did something that made your tube explode. The technicians panicked and called for security. You were glowing," he announced matter-of-factly.

The door burst open as he finished speaking, and several heavily armed guards ran inside, looking hard for the threat. A tall woman with blue hair pulled severely from her face pushed past them, scanning the room with experienced eyes. "What happened here?" she demanded, gazing at each cadet in turn. Suddenly, her eyes focused on Sasami. "You!" she gasped.

Sasami cringed. "Hello, Miss Kiyone," she whispered. Of all the people I had to run across, she thought. Why did it have to be Kiyone? She'll tell on me for sure.

Kiyone's face had, indeed, become even more furious. "My. Office. Now!" she spat. Sasami smiled weakly at Taki before she followed the irate commander from the med lab.