Princess of thieves

"What is worrying you ?" she asked, sensing his unease and mental distance as she turned the aerocar around a corner.

Guardian Ael Grene glanced at him when he remained quiet. Rakurai's head leaning against the window with a worried look on his face. "I am worried about my report. I submitted it to Emsio this morning. What if he does not like it ?"

"You worry too much, Cadet. You have to learn to loosen up a bit." Ael replied as she pulled the vehicle to a stop outside of a ritzy restaurant.

"Funny, that was what my roommate said." Rakurai replied. "Why are we stopping here? Was the place robbed or something ?" Rakurai asked as Ael stepped out of the side door and shut it behind her.

"We received a report about possible stolen goods being sold at the street markets a couple of blocks from here." Ael said as Rakurai walked beside her. "You and I are going to investigate."

"Going undercover. That was why we are not in uniform today."

"Smart kid." she gently chided.

A couple of minutes later they arrived at the night time marketplace bristling with people as they went between booths and stands trying to find a good deal. Rakurai fought his way through the streets trying to keep up with Ael. She finally stopped to allow Rakurai to catch up to her.

"See that table over there Rakurai ?" she said as she nodded her head toward a table. A dealer sat behind it wrapped in a black hooded cloak. "There he is. Isn't the cloak a little odd ?"

"Yes, but all he was selling was fruit and vegetables." Rakurai replied as he stared at the table.

"Do not stare!" Ael whispered angrily. "I got a tip from a guy I know down here. Walk beside me and play along with whatever I say." Ael said, grabbing his hand and pulled him along with her.

She stopped at the edge of the table and picked up a round piece of fruit. "This will go good with the roast tonight dear."

Rakurai gave her a puzzled look. She elbowed him hard in the side.

Rakurai winced, that he finally understood what she was doing. "Sure dear that will go great with the roast."

"We will need some of these too." she said, handing him an apple. She works her way down the stand handing pieces of fruit and vegetables to Rakurai as she did so.

"How would you feel about having these for appetizers at the party tomorrow."

"Fine I guess."

Ael sighed. He has to be the worst actor I've ever seen., she thought.

Finally Ael came to a stop in front of the seller. "We will take these." She said as she grabbed the fruits from Rakurai and lay them on the table. The seller held out his hand and said something Rakurai could not hear in the crowd. Ael reached into her pockets and gave the seller some credits. "Do you have any ykrys chips ?"

"I only have what you see on the table." the seller replied nervously. Rakurai heard it more clearly now. The seller was clearly a young male by the pitch of its voice.

"But I could really go for some ykrys right now. Are you sure you do not have any ?" Ael said as she brushed a fallen strand of purple hair from her face.

"Let me see. I might have a bag under here." the seller said as he reached underneath the counter of the stand.

... Rakurai tried to figure out exactly how he and Ael ended up on the ground knocked over by a table stand and covered in fruit. "Come on !" Ael yelled as she leaped to her feet and chased after the cloaked thief.

He picked himself up off of the ground and jumped over the overturned stand, running down an alley after them. The dimly lit alley suddenly branched off in two directions. "Rakurai go that way!" Ael yelled as she points down the right fork. "I am going to head her off." Ael said as she took the left fork.

He ran after the seller as fast as he could. The thief carried a box and was having trouble running while carrying it. "Halt. I am a Guardian. I said halt !"

The thief threw the box as it came to a fence then jumped up and started to climb it. He was not fast enough. Rakurai caught him by the cloak and pulled. In the battle of wits and strength neither would give. Rakurai pulled on the cloak and wrapped an arm around the escaping seller's legs trying to pull it from the fence. The figure held its grip and kicked and screamed. "Listen, I am not going to hurt you." Rakurai grunted as he tugs on the cloak as hard as he can.

The cloak's strap broke and fell to the ground. Rakurai was stunned as he saw that it was not a teenage boy he was chasing. "You are a girl !" Rakurai said as the pink haired woman (not Parmanian, but Edenian!) turned to look at him. She was about his age.

"I admire your natural gift of observation." the thief said sarcastically as she kicked his feet out from underneath him. He got up again in one fluid movement. She pulled out round cylinder and point it at him. Rakurai recogonized it as a medical device. The object emitted a faint blue beam caused him to gasp, falling to his knees as she hopped over the fence. The thief looked through the wire fence at him "Sorry," then turned away.

"So am I." Ael said, the thief caught offguard and surprised. Ael fired her phaser pistol.

"Hey! Let me go I did not do anything." the woman protested.

Ael secured the cuffs on the thief's arms. "Quiet, Hexx."

"I never said that was my name. You have got the wrong person."

"Its no use lying. I saw your ring. You are very famous down at headquarters. Still following in your mother's foot steps I see."

Hexx pouted. "You okay, Rakurai ?" Ael asked Rakurai who was on his knees breathing hard. "Give your head a good shake."

He takes a deep breath, "I am fine." he managed to say, his voice much higher than its normal pitch.

"Then get that box she dropped."

"I am on it." Rakurai said as he manages to stand up, slowly. He walked over to where the box was.

"Pick it up but do not open it Rakurai. You will have to find another way over to this side. I do not think you will be fence hopping after that kick she gave you." Ael laughed as she moved Hexx so the woman could sit up against a wall.

"I'll be taking this." Ael said as she unbuttoned Hexx's sword strap and slid a sword off of her back. Ael stared at the katana for a second before removing it from the sheath. "Remarkable craftsmanship."

The hilt of the sword is golden, ornate. The grip is red leather and well worn. The blade was slightly curved, some kind of rune script embedded on it. Ael tossed it, and the hilt coming to rest in her hand. She rolled her wrist, making the sword dance from hand to hand, from a backhand grip to a forehand. The sword halted in her right hand with a brief snap of arrested movement. "Fascinating. A parametallic blade with a ceramic core. A little heavy though."

Ael ran her index finger over the blade. She winced and pulled her finger away as she cut her self slightly on it. "Very sharp too. I'd say the point is definitely in the micron range -"

"Not even close nullhead. Try a lepton." Hexx said harshly.

"Wow, subatomic thickness." Ael said in mock amazement. "You know this kind of weaponry is illegal in this system. Looks like you just added another charge to yourself besides carrying and operating a modified medical device, resisting arrest and assaulting a Guardian." Ael smiled.

"Hey no fair." Hexx protested. "You are not seriously saying that goof you have for a partner is really a Guardian."

"He is a Guardian cadet, and no insult from you will change that."

Ael turned the hovering aerocar over the city.

Rakurai glanced over at her. She's beautiful, he thought before turning his eyes back toward the open window. Rakurai had loved her for sometime. It was her smile, the way she carried herself, a forcefield of confinence and strength, the way she talked, but mostly her piercing eyes. Only a few times had Rakurai seen pure joy in those eyes and he'd do anything to see it there more often. Maybe I should ask her out. I mean she's only a couple of years older than I am. No. She'd never date a cadet.

Ael glanced over at Rakurai when he did not reply. "Only joking, Rakurai." Ael replied as she patted his knee playfully.

"I know." Rakurai laughed. "I was just thinking about something else." He could not help shake the feeling Ael is flirting with him.

"Are you going home for the weekend or staying at your dorm ?" Ael asked in a normal tone.

"I'm going home for the holiday."

"I could give you a lift to the space port if you want."

Rakurai glanced at his watch. The afternoon is already half over. "Sure, Ael, I'd love that."

I'd love that! Why did you say that you idiot. Now it sounds like your flirting with her! Ah! Fix it, say something else.

"If it's not too much to ask, I mean." Rakurai said with a smile. A smile what are you thinking now you are flirting with her. Frown that will throw her off.

"It will be my pleasure." Ael replied as Rakurai starts to frown.

It will be my pleasure ? She is flirting with you. Stop frowning you idiot. You do not want her to think you do not like her. Smile. Rakurai thought as a smile quickly replaced the frown. Ael glanced at him an met his smile with one of her own, before turning her eyes back to the controls.

"I was thinking that we could grab something to eat before I drop you off at the port."

Whoa is she asking me out? Better play it safe. "Sure I'd like that, Ael." Good job, he chided himself.

"Great, Rakurai. I will swing by your dorm so you can get your stuff. Then we'll go drop the thief off at the locker." Ael smiled.

"I would not have been able to catch her without you. You did well today."

"You mean it ?"

"Yes I mean it." Ael said as the aerocar slowly settled on the ground.

"Thanks."

Laughter

Ael laughed, "I wish I could have seen the look on Emsio's face when he saw that mask where his shuttle had been."

She was sitting next to Rakurai on one side of a corner booth. Rakurai was wearing a green dress shirt and pants while Ael wore a stunning blue dress. He laughed, "Yes."

The woman they captured escaped her cell and took off with the highest ranking Guardian's personal ship, leaving behind her personal signature on the landing pad: a white ceramic mask of a smiling woman. The Princess of Thieves strikes again.

"Ael should you be doing this ?" Rakurai asked. "Remember Emsio is paying for it. Um won't he be a little angry ?"

She looked at him, taking a bite of her salad. "Don't worry he won't mind at all. If he gets mad I will take full blame."

She sighed. "Now there is only the matter of what was to become of you."

He paniced. "What do you mean ?" Did I do something wrong ?

Rakurai was nervous and scared, enhanced by her pause for dramatic effect. Ael was enjoying seeing him squirm. "You are officially promoted to Class five cadet for helping capture Hexx."

"So... I'm not a trainee anymore ?"

"No, from this day on, I get to train you as my full-fledged partner."

"Three weeks ago I was going to be shipped off to another system where I'd never see you again. Now I will probably get sick of seeing you."

Ael slapped his hand playfully. "Ow!" Rakurai replied acting as if the slap had hurt. He was in love with her.

"Still, I feel a little guilty that Hexx escaped." Rakurai sighed, rubbing his neck in mild embarrassment.

"It was an honest mistake. Hexx knows how we operate and used it to her advantage. As for the Prime Guardian ... It's sometimes hard to get the meaning of what Emsio said. He's always too serious and by the book."

"I know what you mean. The man only has two moods: angry and infuriated." Rakurai said as he counts the two emotions on his fingers.

"You forgot irritated." Ael added. They laughed.

For the Cause

Three months later.

The Guardian Collective located a major base of operations of the Naian-las strivs, the same mercenaries and murderders that created Slave Point, a central location where they sell slaves, mostly children age 4 to 11, to any buyers.

Laenia and Jate was onboard a Charger carrying two hundred Guardians heading towards a base located on a lifeless moon while Rakurai and Ael defended them in a strike cruiser.

Fingers touched her knee. Laenia jerked away, glanced at Jate who pulled his hand back and cast her an apologetic look. "Sorry. You just seemed unsteady." he said.

"I am fine." Laenia said, a weak smile on her face. "We are ready to dock." someone said. The old ram procedure, Laenia thought. surprise the enemy, cause them to panic and making them alot easier to capture.

Laenia and the others secured their helmets. Some senior Guardians were equipped with granades, both the stun and destructive types.

As soon as the breach appeared the front row of Guardians fired on the welcoming crew, paralysis pulses cut down rows of them. Laenia checked her small rifle. The first wave of Naian-las fell to the floor.

"Move." Jate ordered. Laenia rushed forward with Jate and the others. Her eyes briefly fell on a unconscious alien woman on the floor. She had a tattoo on her face, a symbol of dishonour and hatred.

The weapons fire alerted the ship of invaders. Jate seperated the teams, spread them around the cargo bay. The Naian-las strivs were going to try to stop the Guardians' systematic invasion. Crews poured out of quarters, thicker and faster, the closer Laenia, Jate and two others Guardians got to the command deck. Laenia moved fast to keep up with Jate.

Voices reverberated in her head and breath felt stuck in Laenia's throat. Laenia and Jate led a team as they moved though the ship, she fired her rifle as neccesary.

In the next couple of minutes, the edges of her sight grew fuzzy. One minute was forever breathing, and the next minute infinity exhaled. White and red-purple energy pulses raced back and forth between combatants. Purple bolts used by the Guardians would stun, but the Naian-las was not so kind. Atleast the Guardian-issue armor would have a 50 change of absorbing a direct hit.

"Deck up." someone ordered the Guardians. They continued to spread through the ship like a virus. Everything suddenly become curiously silent. Laenia did not see a single Naian-las in sight. "Where's our resistance?" Jate asked. "Maybe they're barricaded." an older woman told Jate.

Jate and Laenia moved down a corridor. The floor was very slippery for some reason, Laenia knew something was wrong as alarms went off in her head. Suddenly from behind, an explosion was heard. A massive fireball erupted and moved towards them. Jate threw himself onto her, knocking them to the metal floor.

A Guardian strike cruiser, small and sleek, dodged plasma torpedoes fired from surface launchers. This one was located on an asteriod.

"WARNING! SHIELDS CANNOT GIVE 100 PROTECTION," the computer announced warned urgently. "THREE SECONDS TO IMPACT."

The impact from the weapon jolted the small vessel, causing moderate damage to nearly every system onboard. Rakurai rotated the ship very rapidly, so that it fell with its belly first, and fired off the engines. He throttled it slightly, rotated the ship again, and set off another boost at a different angle. He braked, adjusted, braked ...

It took the pirates a few moments to understand what was going on. Their sensor grid relayed Rakurai's movements to them. Just as I had hoped, he thought. By ignoring the "common wisdom" of spaceflight and being deliberately wasteful with his fuel, in orbital space as if his ship flew through atmosphere; he "banked" off his expected orbit with repeated adjustments against the natural fall-orbit. In doing so, Rakurai created a rapid circling movement around the asteroid, while slowing down enough to eventually turn into the opposite direction.

"I've never seen that done against a free-fall orbit before," Ael said, sitting on his left. "There's no atmosphere here. Nothing to push against to make a circling movement around an asteroid."

"It only seems impossible," he told her, his intense attention focused on piloting. His console warned of a time-delay in the control signals, so that he could send the launch-order at the very right moment. His left hand moved toward the launch button and pressed it. The DF charge was ejected at a bad angle, flew out too slowly due to Rakurai's complex braking maneuvers, and drifted off toward the asteroid one kilometer "below" the ship.

His eyes followed the misfired torpedo as it was pulled toward the asteroid's rocky surface. It plunged into a hilltop - and detonated, pulverizing a 200-meter wide peak. The entire planetoid lurched a fraction of a degree from the impetus. Rakurai put his ship on a rapid accelerating course back away from the asteriod. Ael and Rakurai felt the G-forces push them into their seats.

With the ship on a steady accelerating forward course, the second launch was almost ideally timed. The light DF charge plunged into the asteroid just as his ship flew past at supersonic speed, and drilled itself a kilometer inside - then it went off.

Ael redirected all power to the aft shields to protect the ship. In the space of a few seconds, the accelerating ship put distance between itself and the disintegrating asteroid; in that time, Kasote inflated into a glowing sphere of molten rock and hot gases. For a moment, the fireball resembled a hot bright gas-planet, complete with swirling clouds - and it was gone, the light dying down to an expanding sphere of darkening gas. A single vessel escaped the destruction.

"There he is!" Ael announced, on her sensors was the visual of another vessel identical to the Guardian ship. The two ships danced a deadly high speed dance around each other, amidst a high density asteriod field. Their movements were quick and jerky. "Having fun yet ?" Ael yelled over the noise of wailing alarms.

"Yes." Rakurai said. Ael could tell he was enjoying the thrill of the hunt, and the obvious dangers involved. Phasers leashed out at them, striking the shields. "Shields at 33 " Ael announced.

Rakurai narrowly avoided a stray torpedo. There was an explosion on the asteroid in front of them. The two strike cruisers darted in opposite directions to avoid the huge chuck of rock and ice in front of them. The pirate cruiser flew around the asteroid, firing green-blue phaser beams. "He is directly behind us, I can not shake him!" Rakurai announced.

"You don't say." Ael added with sarcasm. Rakurai spun the ship around to dodge a volley of torpedoes. "Stay frosty Ael, I'm on him!"

The Guardian vessel flew around an asteroid, firing phasers at their opponent. Its shields was offline. Ael tried again by opening a wide-band hailing frequency. "Your are under arrest on the charges of murder and theft. Power down your engines and surrender."

Their ship shook again, the other pilot in his defiance and desperation kept firing at them. "I will accept that as a no," Ael said, sadly. "That's enough. Finish him off!" Ael ordered her charge.

He was targetted the rogue vessel, two purple tri-angles shifted into position on his console. The outline of the crosshairs turned gold as a large red M appears in the center of the crosshairs. Rakurai fired several times. One shot, then another hit the shuttle. One nacelle leaked warp plasma, another direct hit caused it to completely spin out of control. It smashed against an asteroid. No escape pod was launched from the doomed craft.

"Score one for justice." Rakurai whooped, the cockpit too small for a proper victory dance.

"Don't get cocky kid." Ael mock-warned him. She had to admit he was a very skilled pilot, but pilots with big egos tends to have very short lives.

Rakurai knocked lightly. The door swung inwards a little. "Laenia ... ?"

He stepped over the threshold into the cold gloom of his closest companion's dorm room. "Laenia ?"

"In here."

There was nothing in her voice. No expression, no feeling, just words. Dead words.

He pushed gently on the door to Laenia's room. She was sitting on the edge of the bed like a broken doll. "I heard," Rakurai said softly, with tears in his voice. Jate was burned to the death, lying right on top of her. "I'm so sorry, Laenia."

She suddenly crumpled. Rakurai moved forward quickly and caught her, holding her tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder, swallowing random breaths with little whoops.

Laenia cried for nearly five hours. Rakurai gently pushed Laenia away and looked her in the eyes. They used to be so pretty, Rakurai thought sadly, but now they were dark, puffed and tortured.

"Can I stay with you ?" Laenia asked quietly, her voice catching.

"Of course."

Vacation

Six months later.

Rakurai was naked, sitting on the edge of the island, staring at the rolling green waters, and felt a strange feeling, one of impending danger, like a cold hand gripping his neck. He heard footsteps approaching, and recognized them without even needing to glance over his shoulder.

"What are you doing ?" a white haired woman, Urd asked. Urd was a Parmanian, as was the current boyfriend, Tiiney. They too were naked.

Tinney and Urd was Hunters by occupion, an agency, similiar in function to the Guardians, but Hunters had less rules and restrictions on the methods of their operations, and they usually do Bounty Hunting. Bring down murderers for a price. Urd met Ael and Rakurai two months ago on a joint mission, and has since been good friends.

"Nothing." Rakurai answered.

Urd looked at him, "Something is bothering you. You look sullen."

"Come swim with us." Tiiney said.

"No." the Edenian answered.

"Why not ?"

"There's something ... wrong in there." Rakurai replied, pointing at the water.

They looked where he was pointing, both of them shielding their eyes from the bright afternoon sun. "Wrong ?" echoed Urd. "Wrong, how ?"

"I am not sure. I'm just getting a 'danger' feeling about it."

"This heat is killing me." Urd said. With a toss of her short hair, she loped across the shore and splashing into the water. A moment later, Tinney joined her. They grinned and waved at Rakurai, and he waved back.

He looked out on the ocean, lost in his thoughts about Ael. She is so beautiful. So close to me, yet so far away. The woman I love.

What ? He ran the phrase back in his mind. Is that really the case ? Do I truely love her, not just affection and admiration ?

He stopped, his mind suddenly regstering something. The splashing about had stopped.

Slowly he got to his feet, attention fixed towards the ocean, the surface of which was now clear and unbroken. Gentle waves continued to roll in, but there was no sign of either of the Hunters who had been bouncing around in it as careless as children.

"Urd ?" he called out cautiously. "Tinney." And then louder and with greater urgency, "Urd! Tinney!"

Still nothing, and Rakurai had started towards the water when Tiiney burst from beneath the surface, mouth wide open, deperately gasping for air. Rakurai sprinted forward and dove into the water. 15 seconds later he reached out, grabbing the Parmanian's short arm and hauled him to the shore. For a moment, Rakurai thought this might be some sort of prank of Tinney's part, but one look at the deathly pallor of his face told him, this is no joke. Tinney looked haunted, terrified.

Rakurai's head whipped around. There was no sign of Urd. "Where is Urd ?" he shouted, shaking Tinney, suddently not caring what sort of near-death experience he just endured. "Where is Urd ?"

Tinney turned with wide-eyed horror toward the water, and that is all that Rakurai needed. "Call for help." he told Tinney, before diving into the surf, going down like a missile, arms and legs moving effectively as he dove. He squinted through the murk, looking for the slightly sign of Urd without really knowing what it was he was going to see.

Then he spotted her. Urd was below him, and thrashing in frantic desperation. Something appeared to have her leg. Whatever it was, suddenly pulled her down another four meters. He knew that something was hauling her, trying to pull her down into darkness and oblivion. Even from his distance, he could see that her eyes were wide in terror, her cheeks puffed out of what air she had left in her lungs tried to force its way out.

With a deserate thrust of his legs, he propelled him downward. She spotted his movements, realized who it was, and tried to wave him off. Here she was on the brink of death, and instead of reaching towards him as potential salvation, she was concerned about his welface, trying to warn him away.

Her outstretched hand was only a couple of meters away, and then Rakurai was able to see a dark form below her. Worse, he saw there was a tentacle wrapped around Urd's ankle, pulling on her.

He kicked down futher, ignoring the steady pressure building in his chest. He realized he was about 30 meters below the surface. He reached for Urd's ankle, using his teeth to bite at the tentacle. He bit off a large chunk of skin, using his hands to pull hard, and seperate the tentacle. Something below writhed in agony as Urd floated up and away.

But she made no effort to swim. She hung limply, and a frantic Rakurai tried to get to her when another tentacle lashed upward and snagged him around the waist. He did not fight against the pulled. He realized he'd be wasting precious seconds if he did. Instead he thrust down into the murk, towards the creature that was obviously expecting him to resist.

In an instant he was face-to-face with it, whatever he'd been expecting, it was not in accordance with that he had found. The creature was build more like a biped than a normal lifeform found in the ocean. It had, by Rakurai's admittedly hurried count, four tentacles, two on either side, issuing from the area of its shoulders. Its head was shaped like a spearhead, a rather big mouth and nasty looking teeth, dark bottomless eyes and skin that looked like dusky leather. He knew of these creatures, biologically altered over a thousand years ago, and released into the wild when Parmanians turned their backs to technology. The thing was called a Brain Rot.

The Brain Rot to snake around tentacle around his leg. Rathering than surrendering to panic, he punched at its head. One, two punches. Third punch landed on its eye. Rakurai found a soft spot. He grabbed an eye and pulled. Rakurai detected a pained yelp from the thing and the thing's hold loosened on him. It let him go and swam off.

Rakurai wasted no time, propelling upwards. He knew he was almost out of air, of course under normal circumstances he would have enough oxygen for a 4 minute dive, surmerged, maybe 5 minutes. Not the case when battling a creature though.

He saw Urd's limp body floating there and snagged her with arm as deperately paddled for the surface. The thundering within his head was everywhere. He could not think, he could not feel, he was moving through sheer determination. About 5 to 10 meters to go, his legs gave out. He was no longer moving upwards.

Somewhere between the realm of the living, and the Dead, he floated, until hands grabbed him and pulled them somewhere. Next thing he knew, he was flat on his back on the shore. Somebody was pushing on his chest and he coughted violently, sending a geyser of water exploding outward.

He blinked and looked and saw a female, staring at him with her black hair soaked and the water he'd vomited up all over her face. "Thank you for that." she muttered, drawing an arm across her eyes.

Rakurai was in shock but recovering. Normally he'd apologize, instead he tried to stand up, but he couldn't seem to make his body function correctly, and instead staggered forward on his knees, seeing Urd lying a few meters away. Another man Rakurai did not know, was applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to her. She wasn't moving. No ... please NO! went through Rakurai's mind.

The mystery man pressed a hypospray into her neck. For a moment there seemed to be no reaction, and then suddenly her body seized up violently and shook. If Rakurai's mouth was a geyser, then Urd's was a volcano. It blasted out of her, her pink eyes wide and buglike, her arms flapping about, her legs seizing up.

The man rolled Urd onto her side, more water pouring out, and then her body shuddered and Tinney was behind her, and hand on her shoulder. He said something Rakurai could not hear, and Urd let out a low cry and cluched his hand, still trembling.

The mystery man stood up. Rakurai saw he was wearing the insignia of a medical technician. Rakurai to tried to get up again, only to fall forward, accidently throwing his entire weight on the female medicial tech. "Sorry." he muttered.

"What happened ?" the woman asked.

"A water type Biohazard." Rakurai answered.

"I will contact the authorities." the male medtech said. "You two need futher medical attention."

Urd was staring at Rakurai. Slowly full comprehension came to her, "I owe you my life ..."

Rakurai chuckled slightly, "I had to. Besides, I do not like the idea of Skuld bashing my head in with that red hammer of hers."

"For a sister she's really overprotective." Urd agreed.

"And insane." Rakurai added quickly.

"Prepare for transport." the older medtech told them. They rematerialized in a busy hospital a few seconds later. In the hallway, three medtechs, two females and one male, walking by noticed Urd, Rakurai and Tinney's lack of clothes. The Parmanian woman with the orange hair and black-blue haired male reacted with shock, making weird noises that confused Rakurai.

The female doctor who resuscitated Rakurai immediatly closed the door and sighed, "I suppose, we need to get some clothing first."

Love will find a way

"The trouble with men, Gorro," Laenia commented as the bartender passes over a flask containing her special order, then stopped before finishing the sentence.

"Having trouble putting it into words ?" Gorro asked.

"Having trouble narrowing it down to just one thing." she said, brushing her shiny aqua hair out of her eyes.

Gorro might (miracles have been known to happen) have tried to stand up for his gender, but just then the batwing doors at the front of the tavern creaks as they swung open, and Zelan walked into the bar.

"Wonderful," Laenia noted with a grimace. "A perfect example."

"Laenia !" he cried out upon seeing her. Zelan is, I have to admit, charming. Actually, he is what several of my friends refers to as a "hot piece of--"

No ! Laenia stopped herself, I don't even want to think of him in those terms. The problem with Zelan is that while he's cute in a certain way, his sense of humour is terrible.

Laenia tried avoiding him, lest he physically injury himself. "I'll have one of what she's having," Zelan ordered Gorro as he sat down next to Laenia. He affectionately looked at her.

If only she knew ... Zelan thought. Miau told him that it is long overdue that he gained confidence in talking to Laenia, yet his courage failed him everytime, and usually ended in embarrassing mishap of some kind.

"Um, Zelan, are you sure you want that. She's--" the Shokan began, but was quickly interrupted.

"Hey, did I stutter ?"

Gorro glanced at Laenia for guidance. She just shrugged. "Zelan knows what he wants. Give him the same thing you gave me."

Gorro nodded, then mixed up a second flask, and handed it to him.

"Y'see ?" Zelan intoned, and drained half of the flask. It took no more than five seconds for his eyes to roll up in his head and his body to slump forward, his face flat on the table. She burst out laughing.

Gorro sighed, "I tried to tell him."

Laenia was still laughing, "Look at it this way. Now I know that the knock-out potion actually works."

My Resolve

One night after sweeps Ael and Rakurai were sitting out on the balcony, not talking, just enjoying each others company. Ael broke the silence, "I don't understand you sometimes kid," she said looking out into the dark horizon.

"Really? I did not think I was that complex."

"Why do you do this?"

It took him a minute to think about the answer. Rakurai just had to think of how to phrase it so it would make sense. "I do it for the same reason you do. We let our emotions drive us. For you it was anger and maybe it still is in a way, but I think you don't give yourself enough credit Ael. But most of all, you do it because its right and you refuse to let people get away with what is wrong." Rakurai said still looking out into the night sky, not daring to met her eyes.

"Look at me Rakurai," she said breaking me out of my reverie. "Please?"

Rakurai looked into her eyes and saw worry there. "What drives you ?" she asked again.

He paused for a minute. "I hate injustice," he finally said with great difficulty.

They sat in silence for nearly twenty minutes, Ael looking at him once in a while, then she said, "It's late kid. You should get some sleep."

Next Chapter
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Author's notes: The mention of Biohazard has nothing to do with Resident Evil, or zombies. But a common Japanese RPG term to describe animals altered by human science.