The Mines of Alisbor teem with activity, a thousand thousand men and women from all over the universe labor constantly, working in shifts. They drop in exhaustion when they are allowed back to their barracks, and if they are too tired to take the small amount of food they are given, they will weaken and die. Those who cannot be roused when their shift begins are burnt in the furnaces that power the smelters, often before their last breath has been taken.

For the past decade, there have been no riots or revolts. The crafty human who keeps his ear to the stones knows every thought that passes through the minds of his fellow miners. No one speaks to the one called Corsair to tell him of dissent, but he knows everything anyway. No one knows how.

But he is diligent and wary, and though attempts have been made on his life because of this, he continues to inform his Shi'ar masters of impending insurrections.

He has reasons for being who he is now.

Lilandra's skimmer is not marked with the royal crest and she does not announce her arrival. The mine keepers come to greet her anyway.

"I have come to see the human Corsair." She says, regally, to the Shi'ar who have dropped to respectful knees upon recognizing her as bearing the plumage of the royal family. She slips her silver helmet on to cover it.

The Mine-keepers are used to the Majestor's visits with the cowardly informant and ask who questions. "Raza, escort the Majestor's emissary to Corsair's tunnel."

Raza, a Shi'ar man fitted with various cybernetics, looks at Lilandra with his one natural eye filled with a strange emotion that she cannot define. "The Kitten will be with him." He says, in a voice that sounds slightly metallic, like the devices have made him something more machine than man. "She will not like the looks of you, My Lady."

Lilandra, eyes flashing beneath her helmet, smiles, "I am not afraid of a slave."

Raza's half hidden face twitches in an expression of amusement.

The journey down into the tunnel is not pleasant. Screaming orders, slamming noises made by tools on stone and whips on flesh, grunted songs from some of the teams in languages she knew and didn't know, and lots and lots of moans from the workers. From the deeper pits, cold wind whistles. From still others, sparks from the smelters.

Lilandra shows no emotion as she passes the slaves. She might have grown soft in exile, but she is still Shi'ar. These people are here for a reason.

"Watch yourself, Lady." Raza says, "The Cat will be stalking around here. She is bold in defense of the Human. He saved her life from a rape gang, one of the few noble things that worthless coward has ever done."

"Sounds as if you disapprove of his helping the empire." Lilandra says.

Raza looks at her, "I disapprove of cowardice and treachery. Corsair has proven himself full of both." He sniffs as a slightly musky odor fills the close tunnel. "The Kitten is upon us."

As if cued, a blur of orange and white springs from the shadows with a growling hiss, ducking across the tunnel into another area of blackness, green eyes the only thing visible, shining in the dim light of the mines. Raza reacts with a blast from his arm mounted stunner, an energy bolt that slams to the rocky wall. "Next time it is in your head, Cat!" Raza spits.

"Hepzibah!" a voice shouts, hoarse and concerned. It is a name, apparently, though the rest of the shout is in a growling guttural language that Lilandra recognizes as mephitisoid. Explains the references to the creature being a cat. Mephitisoids are felinoid.

Sure enough, the creature emerges from the shadows, a thin but still shapely white and orange cat-like woman, obviously young but fierce. She growls at Lilandra and says, "Little birdie, come closer."

"I said that is enough." A man approaches, warily, putting his hand out to the cat. "You knew what I was when you chose to be my companion. You know what it entails."

Hepzibah looks pouting at the man, "I do not have to like it, Corsair."

"So this is Corsair." Lilandra says, looking the man over. He is dark from the dirt and the soot of the furnaces, and his long brown hair is pulled up into a top knot to keep it from the dirt and his face is clean shaven except for a mustache that frames a sullen mouth. There is nothing about him that resembles Alex, though Lilandra recognizes his older son Scott in the shape of his face.

Corsair narrows hard eyes and says, "And who might you be? I have no new information for the Majestor and your presence here only angers the miners. Hepzibah can only protect me for so long."

"I can protect you forever." The young girl growls, her long white tail swishing in anger. "I am not afraid of little birds and lizards."

His eyes soften slightly and he says, "I am afraid enough for us both, Hepzibah, I will not have you hurt because I am worthless."

"Raza, wait for us here." Lilandra orders.

"Your Ladyship..." the cyborg frowns.

"I can handle myself." Lilandra snaps. "It is what the Majestor wishes."

Raza bows his head, "I remain here."

Corsair sighs and beckons to Lilandra, "Come with me, My Lady."

She follows him, allowing the cat to take the rear. She is unafraid of Hepzibah, and shows her the disdain she deserves. "I have need..."

"Not here, Woman." Corsair says, coldly, "There are sharper ears than mine in these tunnels, and I am well-hated here."

He leads her to a dead end in the tunnels, the place where he works day in and day out. There is only one entrance because many threats have been made on his life. Hepzibah allows Lilandra to enter, unmolested, but she hunkers down at the opening, glaring and growling. "Can we speak now, Christopher Summers?" Lilandra asks.

Corsair spins to look at her, "Don't speak that name. That man is dead. I am barely Corsair anymore...I am just... the tool of the Majestor."

Lilandra shakes her head, "You are Christopher Summers, from Earth. What my brother has done to you is not unusual, nor irreversible."

He laughs a low bitter laugh, "It is as long as..."

She picks up when his voice trails off, "As long as he has your son."

The man once know as Summers shakes his head, "That boy is no longer my son. As long as I cooperate he is safe, but he isn't my son anymore."

Lilandra frowns, "Are all humans so stupid and selfish?"

Hepzibah growls, her claws and fangs bared. Corsair looks at Lilandra with a look of pure disgust, "You don't know a damn thing, Birdie. Have you seen him? Have you seen what he is?"

"Yes, and I have also seen him in another place, another world, where he is nothing but a shell, and still your wife tries to reach him."

Corsair's jaw drops, "Kath...you saw Kath? How? This is a lie. She's dead. D'Ken killed her. Her and my other son."

"Scott is a doctor of robotics, a man of great importance and stature in your world. I have never met him, but he is known to be a strong and intelligent man, a good man, like his father once was and can be again." Lilandra says, quietly.

"You overestimate me." Corsair says, "Besides, it is impossible. How can they still be alive?"

Lilandra sighs, "What is it you know about my people?"

"I know only what I have been allowed to know by my master." Corsair says, eyes never leaving hers.

"We are multi-dimensional creatures, Summers, we do not exist in just one universe but all at once. When we set our sights on a world that is to be conquered it is necessary that we take a sample of the population via a dimensional gate so that we can analyze them and discover which dimension they exist in." Lilandra explains, "You are your family were to be Earth's sample."

His brown eyes widen and he says, "The ship. I remember something out the window, sleek and silver. Then the boys began to cry and something... exploded. I woke up in a tube...and Alex was there..."

"It was my ship you saw, Summers. It was me who turned the gate on you, planning on taking the four of you all at once. Your plane would have crashed and no one would have ever known what happened to you. Earth would have been ours before your people could mount an defense." Lilandra says, "But something happened. Something that I still do not understand."

Corsair looks at her, too surprised to feel anything else, "My God..." he whispers, "What are you telling me?"

"There was a blast of energy from your ship." Lilandra says, and her voice has grown hoarse with memory, "It damaged the gate. Instead of taking four entire beings, it stole the consciousness of just two, leaving their bodies empty shells in their own world."

The man frowns and says, "Empty shells?"

"The body that you inhabited, Christopher, managed out of sheer will and determination to land the damaged plane, saving the lives of your family, but it was unable to save itself. You are dead in your own world, and your son, your youngest son is trapped helpless in a hospital where your brave strong wife tends to his body and mourns the loss of his mind."

"Because his mind his here, a slave of D'Ken." Corsair whispers.

Lilandra nods, "I have seen him." She says, "In both worlds. Whatever was done to my ship cause me to crash as well, and for the past fifteen years I have been searching for anyone who might help me return to my home world. I found your son and he was the key to bringing me home. Now it is my turn to return the favor. I will send him back to his world, but I cannot do it alone. I need you to help me, I need you to help him."

"Why?" the man asks, "I do not want to see him. We are strangers to each other. I would not be of any help to you."

"Because more than the life of your son is at stake." Lilandra leans close, "He is still connected to Earth. If D'Ken realizes this, or worse if Deathbird does, they will follow his pathways to your world and destroy it. He must be sent home or Earth is doomed."

"I thought that is what you wanted." Corsair says, his eyes narrowed.

"No." Lilandra says, "I want something more." She looks the human in his eyes and says, "I want the throne of Chandilar, I want the Empire for my own."