Chapter Eight
"And yet more problems rain down upon our heads."
Azusa took his seat with a heavy sigh, casting a grim look around at his surrounding companions. "I can't see that any progress is being made in terms of investigating the Kanemitsu murders, even with all the work you and Takeru-dono have put into it, Ayeka. Just like with the Galaxy Police case, we seem to have no evidence that anyone was ever aboard that ship. And then, last night..."
"What are we going to do about last night, Azusa?" Haru glanced up from where he had been reviewing a hefty looking document, a dark gleam in his eyes. "Because I for one do not trust Seiryo Tennan as a member of your council. And as for Tokimi - we only have the word of that mad scientist that she's harmless. Is Washu-sensei really able to be trusted in something like this? Lives are at stake - and we know what the woman was capable of before her arrival here on Jurai."
"Tokimi appears to have the mind of a child." Azusa shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "When she accosted us last night, she was as guileless as a little girl - completely unaware of what she was doing. Do you think that she could cover her tracks so easily?"
"We are talking about someone who plotted the downfall of Jurai for centuries." Haru reminded him. "And who has proven a threat to Sasami and Ayeka both in the past. Naturally, I'm not really happy about leaving it unexplored."
"I don't think Tokimi-san is dangerous, Lord Haru." Takeru said frankly. "I spoke to the doctors and nurses who have treated her since her arrival and up till Lady Washu removed her from the Infirmary's care. While she was unconscious, they were able to record no brain activity beyond the vaguest flicker - evidence that she lived, but certainly not of the magnitude needed to commit psychic murder. And even since she's been awake, when she hasn't known people are observing her, she's been just the same way as she is when she has company. Simple, gentle and easily confused. I think that whatever she was, it seems unlikely that she has the brain-power left to mastermind anything as skillfully plotted as this."
"Ayeka, what do you think?" Azusa eyed his niece keenly, taking in the shadowy eyes and the distant expression on her face. Ayeka jerked to attention, blushing as she realised her uncle had asked her a question.
"I'm sorry, Uncle. I was lost in thought." She said quietly. "Did you ask me something?"
"Only your opinion on Tokimi." Azusa offered her a smile. "You look tired, my child. You shouldn't work yourself to death, however keen you are to solve this matter."
"It's just preying on me more than it should. It and a multitude of other things." Ayeka sighed. "Sorry, Uncle. As for Tokimi, I've had little time to observe her. But I do trust Washu's opinion of her condition. If she says Tokimi is harmless, well, I'm prepared to believe she's harmless. Lord Tennan on the other hand - him I'm not so sure of. He's hard to read."
"Well, personally, I think that Lord Hirata's allegations of violence towards his son must be looked into." Haru rubbed his temples. "If just to keep Hirata-dono quiet on the subject. Otherwise...Asuza-oniisama, would you authorise me to use truth serum on Lord Tennan? It would ascertain once and for all his guilt or otherwise."
Azusa sighed, shaking his head.
"No, Haru." He said quietly. "We've used such tactics before to force truth from an innocent and it left me feeling very uncomfortable about how low we had stooped. We have no evidence against Seiryo Tennan. He may be supportive of Tokimi, but we have no indication that their connection is anything more than it seems. And yes, he was belligerent last night, but so were Lord Takaya and Lord Hirata, and I can't punish one without punishing the others, also."
"If Lord Tennan does know anything about the murders on the Sumire, he's too cunning to let anyone realise it until it's too late to do anything about it." Takeru said thoughtfully. "As a boy he was a hot-head - he'd pull his sword and challenge anyone on the least excuse. But he's been away since then and since his return I've noticed at least one change in his character. He was always a very private person, too proud to show weakness. But now he rarely shows any emotion at all if he doesn't have to. His manners are generally impeccable, and he is punctual and hard working. The picture, in fact, of a loyal and honourable member of Jurai's council."
"What are you saying, Takeru-dono?" Azusa asked quietly. "That he's putting up a very clever front to fool us?"
"Biding his time...perhaps." Takeru admitted. "Honestly, I don't know. I am afraid to let my own dislike for the man bias my judgement in this matter, but I do not trust his motives. He may have sworn his oath to Jurai, but I'm not sure he has Jurai's interests at heart. He seems to take part in his duties more automatically than with any real feeling or loyalty."
"Resentment is a dangerous thing to stir up in one such as that. As I think I cautioned you before." Azusa sighed. "I am not sure, myself."
"I still think Seiji-sama's death was more than suspicious." Haru said blackly. Azusa spread his hands.
"Perhaps, but without any evidence, that's another line of enquiry I won't pursue." He replied. "No, Haru, we'll stay in the present. Until we have something conclusive to bring to Tennan-dono's door, we won't take any action where he's concerned. If he's innocent, it will only put his back up - and if he's guilty, it will put him on his guard. Meanwhile, I think keeping a closer eye on him might be merited. Not in an obvious sense, but as discreetly as we can manage. If there is something going on with the Tennan family, we will unearth it more easily that way."
"And if it proves so, Azusa?" Haru asked. Azusa's expression became sombre.
"You may believe me, brother, that if Seiryo Tennan betrays Jurai's trust a second time, he will not find me so forgiving." He said quietly. "Let there be no mistake about it - whoever is responsible for the Sumire murders will face the ultimate justice that this planet has to offer."
------
"Where in hell is he?"
Kiyone paced up and down Washu's temporary laboratory, pausing to glare up at the clock that flickered on one of the big screens flanking the wall. Even in the space of a few days, Washu's electronic contraptions had multiplied in size and number as she made herself more and more at home, and now it was difficult to tell that the chamber had ever been anything but a workshop of invention and curious machinery.
She flopped down into an empty seat, shooting Washu a frustrated look.
"You did tell him to meet us here as soon as the Council session was through?" She asked, not for the first time. "That would have been at least half an hour ago. What is he doing? Where is he?"
"You sound overly keen to see me this afternoon, Detective Makibi."
A smooth voice cut through the conversation, preventing Washu from answering, and the scientist let out a low chuckle as Seiryo himself stepped into the laboratory, causing Kiyone to flush with indignant embarrassment.
"You're late!" She exclaimed. "I thought this was important - or was all that stuff you said last night a bunch of baloney?"
"It is important. And I got here as soon as I could - Council session isn't the sort of thing that ends with a school bell." Seiryo said frankly. "Stop complaining. I'm here, aren't I?"
"You two do amuse me." Washu put in absently from her corner, amusement flickering in her green eyes as she glanced from one to the other. "Arguing like an old married couple. Kiyone, you might want to choose your words better. Anyone who didn't know what we discussed last night might sense some sexual ambiguity about your encounter with Lord Tennan."
"Washu!" Kiyone was scandalised, and Seiryo raised an eyebrow.
"Sometimes, Washu-sama, I think you say such things just to get a rise out of those around you." He said thoughtfully. "And I'm not going to oblige you."
"Pity." Washu looked regretful. "Oh well. Kiyone is right, as it happens - you are late. What has the Emperor's knickers in a twist now? Was he talking about my sister's outburst during your session?"
"He didn't mention it once, which seems a bad sign." Seiryo admitted thoughtfully. "But no. The reason it took me so long to get away was because I had to make sure I wasn't followed. Since this isn't something we want to bring to Imperial attention just yet, I thought you'd understand my tardiness better than if I arrived on time with an armed guard in escort. It might be my paranoia, but they seemed especially keen on my actions as I left the hall. I had to go home, and then slip out a back way to get back to the palace."
"Spies, huh?" Washu tut-tutted. "Another low blow from Jurai's desperate King."
"As you say." Seiryo inclined his head slightly. "But in some ways I sympathise. I'm as frustrated as he is. I want to get to the bottom of this too."
"Well, now we're here, all I need from you is the radio frequency the Unko uses." Washu turned back to her screen, glancing at it briefly, then nodding her head. "I could randomly try and search it out, but it might attract suspicion if I was to accidentally hit the wrong vibration. I'm assuming that's information you know, Tennan-dono?"
"Yes." Seiryo nodded his head. "But it's an encrypted frequency. There's an entry code - to protect against people hacking in remotely to my systems."
"I doubt that will stand in my way." Washu said confidently. "Decoding files might not be my strength, but hacking ship computers is right up my street."
"In which case, try a double zero-six-eight frequency, on band A17." Seiryo came to peer over her shoulder. "But it's not the kind of system you can walk right through. I've been an Elite officer and I had top secret files stored on the computer. It had to be sealed against unwanted intrusion and some pirates and underworld figures have exceptional technological skill."
"I suppose you're talking to one of them." Washu eyed him mischievously, keying in the frequencies and setting her computer to scan the waves for a match. "Ah, here we go. 9983-443-5663-981. Code name, UNKO. Registration: Seiryo Tennan. Status: Docked."
"I suppose we'll see if your computer is a match for Washu's meddling." Kiyone got to her feet, sauntering over towards the screen herself while all the time keeping a healthy distance from Seiryo himself. "She didn't have any problem accessing Yagami, and that had police security on it as well."
"But this wasn't a police ship. It was my ship, adapted for use within the Galaxy Police. Different thing." Seiryo said quietly. "I don't fly in junk."
"Yagami isn't junk!"
"And that wasn't what I said."
"You might as well have done." Kiyone's eyes glittered with anger. "You implied it well enough."
"My apologies, Detective. I didn't realise you were so attached to your ship."
"Don't be patronising. Just because it isn't as glamorous as the Unko doesn't mean it's useless, or that it deserved to have been shredded by some unknown demon thing."
"No, but you need the help of my ship if you're going to solve what happened to yours - and you need my training and knowledge if you're going to clear your name!"
"Kiyone, Seiryo, will you both please grow up?" Washu's tone was impatient, and Kiyone flushed, looking discomfitted as she bit off the retort that simmered on her tongue. "It's amusing for a while, but you bicker worse than school kids. It would be nice if you'd remember that one of you is a Lord of Jurai and the other a highly esteemed Detective of the Galaxy Police...instead of ten year olds spatting over who stole whose lunch. I realise you both have issues to resolve with one another, but put a lid on it, will you? I need to concentrate if I'm going to fool the Unko into thinking I have clearance."
Seiryo eyed her ruefully.
"You really aren't afraid to say what you think, are you?" He observed dryly, and Washu shook her head.
"I'm far too old to bother with niceties when you children are squabbling around my feet." She said acidly.
"Can't Tennan-san access the computer, if you pick up it's frequency?" Kiyone questioned. Washu grimaced.
"Yes, except that he's denied access. Entering his codes would probably alert the Emperor to what we're doing." She replied. "I need to bypass the security and put it offline, rather than use the easy route."
"I see." Kiyone sighed. "That does make it complicated."
"Exactly. So a little more quiet, if you please."
Kiyone sighed, sinking back into her chair as she watched the flashing sequences of data dart up and down the screen. Washu's brow creased in concentration and every so often she typed in long and seemingly uncomprehensible combinations of keys, her eyes never leaving the screen. At length she let out an exclamation of triumph, as the logo of the Tennan family flashed up on the screen, followed by the words "Access granted."
"You're really not bad at this." Seiryo acknowledged. "You're a very dangerous person to have around, Washu-sama - I'm starting to realise that."
"I'm glad you think so." Washu's eyes twinkled. "I do my best. And now we're in, Lord Seiryo, I'm going to hand over to you. You know the computer and the programs you want much better than I do - it will be quicker if you access them."
"My pleasure." Seiryo nodded, and as Washu vacated her seat, he slipped into it, sliding his copy of the encrypted file disk into the machine and scanning the drives for the program that he needed. Before long he had found it, and as Kiyone looked on, she owned to herself a grudging amount of respect for the swiftness and accuracy of the Unko's computer system.
"If Yagami was being asked to do so much at once, it would probably whirr and groan at me a few times first." She admitted unwillingly. "I guess when you have money to spend, you might as well spend it - and you really did go to town."
"I wanted something I could have pride in." Seiryo pursed his lips, pausing to meet her gaze with a rueful one of his own. "The truth is that I was compensating for something, just as you said last night. My father sent me away from Jurai and the trappings of the court of which I was meant to be a part. My status as his son and heir was effectively denied me, so I found another way of exhibiting it, that's all. The Unko was my way of announcing to the universe that I was a Tennan, and that the Galaxy Police was just a part of the bigger picture."
"Your father was a hard man, wasn't he?" Kiyone observed. "He really expected a lot from you."
"No. He just wanted me out of his way and he hoped that I might die a heroic death in some outpost somewhere." Seiryo said frankly, turning his attention back to his work. "He was disappointed. I turned out better at the job than he imagined I would. And I was determined to go all the way because he had no faith in me. So I did. He didn't expect me to come back. It was a shock to him, when I did."
"Enough of a shock to kill him?" Kiyone frowned, and Seiryo's eyes narrowed.
"My father's death was an accident." He said levelly. "And the Emperor has closed the case. I am not going to discuss it with you, Detective. I was under the impression you knew it was not at my hand, so don't try and interrogate me on the sly. I know what you're doing, you know. It's not so easy to fool someone who's had the same training as you."
"Oh." Kiyone pinkened, shaking her head. "No, I didn't mean that...I mean, I suppose I did, but I asked without thinking about it. I guess I just don't like a question without answers...it's sort of instinctive to find those answers and put everything in it's proper place."
She sighed.
"For the record, I don't think you killed your father." She added. "I think you know something about who did and how, but I didn't mean to push the issue. It's a bad habit of mine."
"Not in your line of work." Seiryo shook his head, keying in a row of digits and then pressing the enter key. "But I'd prefer it if my family life stayed away from your microscope. I told you Father's death was an accident and that's the entire truth. You have your answer, so the matter can be laid to rest."
Kiyone tilted her head on one side as she considered this, but obediently dropped it, watching instead as the screen filled up with the coded digits of Agent Kuramitsu's sealed Elite file.
"How long will Unko take to decode it?" She asked instead. Seiryo shrugged.
"It should be more or less instantaneous, once I've told it what to use." He replied. "It's a top of the line program...it shouldn't take too long. As I said, if I'd had access to the ship before, I would have already unlocked the file."
"Well, you have access now." Washu put in, folding her arms across her chest as she glanced from one to the other. "You see? I knew you two could play nicely together, if you tried."
"Washu." Kiyone rolled her eyes, and Washu laughed.
"Well?" She demanded. "At least we're making progress now."
"Indeed we are." Seiryo sat back in his seat, and from his tone of voice Kiyone could tell he was pleased. "I think we're in."
"It still looks like Greek to me." Kiyone squinted at the monitor. "I thought Unko was going to decode it?"
"It has. That's in Old Era Juraian." Washu said thoughtfully. Seiryo nodded his head.
"As I thought it would be...it's nice when a hunch pans out." He observed absently. "I suppose it's no surprise that you're fluent in Jurai's ancient language, Lady Washu. Give me a second, and I'll convert the dialect to Galactic Tongue."
He keyed in a few more digits, and finally the text on the screen made sense to Kiyone's frustrated eyes.
"At last!" She exclaimed. "So what do we have?"
"Well, the file was definitely sealed by Agent Kuramitsu." Seiryo said decidedly. "There's his name, right there. And beyond that..."
"Interesting." Washu's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Kuroda, huh? I never heard that name before. Is it familiar to you, Seiryo-sama?"
"No, it isn't, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything." Seiryo admitted. "I didn't pay a lot of attention to people I didn't have to. There are a lot of people at Jurai's court, after all."
"But not that many of them are sentenced to death for high treason." Kiyone said softly. "Kuroda, Yukari. Convicted of demonic practices and sentenced to a high level Juraian execution. What does that mean, someone? High level? What is that?"
"Our delightful judicial system has a whole range of archaic ways of dealing with convicts." Seiryo said dryly. "Death is only usually used in cases of treason these days, because there are too many conscientious objectors. In such cases, the level of treason committed is taken into account and the nature of the criminal is also considered. A low level conviction might involve death by sleeping poison, for example."
"And a high level conviction?"
"Well, she was convicted of demonic practices. On this planet full of magics, gods and ghosts, that's about as high treason as you can get." Seiryo pursed his lips. "She was probably sent into Jurai's sun."
"What?" Horror flooded Kiyone's eyes. "But...but that's...that's completely barbaric!"
"Perhaps." Seiryo nodded his head. "But still, it's the most extreme form of Juraian execution still in use. It's used very, very rarely. But in this case, I think they wanted to be certain that there would be no chance of survival or return. Traditionally, belief in demons has been rife on this planet."
He sent Washu a rueful grimace, then,
"They were probably antagonised by their experiences on worlds such as Kihaku."
"Probably." Washu agreed. "They certainly were extremely suspicious of the Kii and of Kii practices. And Tokimi's escapades didn't do anything to breach that divide."
"Quite." Seiryo nodded. "In Juraian tradition, demons are not living entities like you or I. They are monstrosities created from the darkness, capable of re-creating themselves if even a tiny piece of them is left. In those circumstances, to eliminate them, they must be completely destroyed. Jurai's sun is the only place where such a fate is assured. Nothing could survive there - not even a demon with the most vile powers. Such is the archaic belief which still upholds our judicial system."
"So they sent her into the sun?" Kiyone murmured. Seiryo nodded.
"Sealed in a capsule." He agreed. "Alive or dead, I couldn't tell you. Such things don't appear in public reports...if the wider universe knew that Jurai sanctioned such a barbaric form of execution, there would probably be an outcry. But on the very rarest of occasions, superstition overtakes rational common sense and belief in witchcraft and demons wins through. Now you understand better why I am so sceptical of all things spiritual. To my mind, a lot of the crazier ideas are associated with old, backwards practices we could well do with losing."
"I still think it's inhuman. Whatever she did." Kiyone shivered. "It's a horrible way to do it."
"Does it say anything more about what she did...or just demonic practices?" Washu asked. Seiryo shrugged his shoulders.
"No more than that." He responded. "The file isn't really pertaining to that case at all. Agent Kuramitsu has gone into more detail about the woman's daughter - a young girl by the name of Yugi...for some reason, that does ring a bell with me. Yugi Kuroda...for the life of me, I can't remember why."
"So the child was orphaned by Jurai's government?" Kiyone asked softly. Washu nodded.
"Looks that way." She agreed. "She was just a girl of Sasami's age, when it all happened. But if you read Kuramitsu-san's account, it doesn't look like she was the innocent victim of judicial paranoia. 'Corruption and possession'...that doesn't sound like your average little girl to me."
"Yugi Kuroda was confined indefinitely for a multitude of crimes, including collusion with her mother's dark acts and the corruption and possession of a member of Jurai's Royal household." Kiyone read aloud. "Confined?"
"I suppose even Jurai balked at the idea of firing a child into the sun." Seiryo ruminated. "I expect she was exiled somewhere remote, where noone would ever be able to break the seal on her prison."
"But seals are made to be broken, whether on purpose or by accident." Washu said slowly. "I was confined on the Earth for seven of their centuries, and the idea was that I would never be set free. But Ryoko and Ayeka decided to have a fight in my cave, and they accidentally set me loose."
"You think that's what's happened here?" Kiyone looked anxious. "That something has broken the seal on Yugi Kuroda's prison and she's come back...looking for revenge?"
"For the death of her mother, almost certainly." Washu nodded grimly. "But they had an agenda before this even began. Before Kuramitsu-san and his companions took action against them. It's not too much of a stretch to assume that if she really has been released from her cage, she's trying to set in motion once more the plan from years ago. Is there a date on this file, Seiryo-sama? Do we know when Yugi was confined?"
"Let me see." Seiryo scrolled down the screen, pausing the cursor at the end of a paragraph. "Here we are. In the penultimate year of the Emperor Shigure IV. He capped his reign off with a flourishing finale, by the looks of it. Perhaps we should be relieved that Kain distracted his attention after that. Shigure-sama was a bold, frightening man who didn't take no for an answer easily. Who knows where it might have ended? Bad enough that he sanctioned executing a woman in a controversial manner and locking her child up somewhere in the wilds of space."
"No!" Kiyone leapt up, realisation dawning in her blue eyes. "Not in the wilds of space! In the solar system where that Seniwan ship was - the Tsubasa was guarding Yugi Kuroda's prison! She must have been sleeping there for years!"
"Until something woke her up." Seiryo frowned. Kiyone nodded.
"And what did it is pretty obvious, too, when you think about it." She responded. "Everything in that solar system has been constant for generations. Except for one thing. Six months ago, one of the planets ceased to exist. And debris from exploding planets..."
"Could easily have collided with the containment unit, breaking her free." Washu paled. "Then this is partly my fault...when Sasami and I went to free Tenchi and Mihoshi, I never dreamed..."
"I don't think that you can take the blame for it, Washu." Kiyone shook her head. "As you said, something would have broken the seal eventually. It might not have been Kihaku - but it seems too much of a coincidence to me that this happens so soon after your planet was destroyed. She must have been biding her time, regaining her strength until she had some way to leave the cell and return to the mainstream world. First the Seniwan ship, who radioed us for help. Then Yagami, to get to a busy hub like Headquarters. And from there..."
"The Sumire, in order to get to Jurai." Seiryo let out a low whistle. "Detective Makibi, I think you may have just hit the nail on the head."
"All those people were killed because they might have been potential witnesses, and she's learnt that talk is dangerous." Kiyone continued. "She'd have known that an agent of the Galaxy Police was involved in killing her mother and sealing her away, so she took no chances in leaving anyone behind. That's why she killed the crew of the Tsubasa, so they couldn't tell us anything about her or what they were protecting. And it's why she killed the agents who transported me and the ones on board the Sumire. It meant, of course, she had to kill all of the people on board the Sumire, just to be sure noone could possibly report back about her. She couldn't know whether the same man was still at Headquarters - her concept of time must have been shaken badly by the long confinement. She couldn't take the risk. It's never had anything to do with Kanemitsu or Seniwa at all. It's to do with the Galaxy Police Elite and Jurai."
"That does make sense." Washu acknowledged. "Time does seem to run backwards when you're imprisoned like that. She wouldn't have been aware of Kuramitsu-san's retirement or the fact that the contents of her file were sealed away from most people at the Galaxy Police. I think what we reasoned out regarding you, Kiyone, is also correct. She knows you duplicated files from the Tsubasa but didn't realise the importance of them until later. So now she's biding her time, hoping to find them and destroy them and while you're her only link to them, she's hoping you'll reveal something to her. That's why of all people, she hasn't launched an attack on you as such."
"And the Kumashiro girl? How did she survive all of this, in the midst of so much death?" Seiryo asked. Kiyone shrugged.
"I haven't reasoned that much yet." She admitted. "Perhaps she did hide, or perhaps Yugi was able to erase her memories so that she wouldn't know anything about what went on. She's just a child, after all. She wouldn't have provided much resistance. Who knows? Maybe some part of her took pity on Sakuya and spared her life because she was a child herself when she was orphaned and sent away from home."
"Some way to do it." Washu snorted. "Since this Yugi seems likely to be the one who killed the Kumashiro child's poor father. But I suppose it is possible she did hide...and was somehow overlooked when Yugi was on the rampage. I don't know how to tie that together, either...since we know that Sakuya and her father travelled from Kanemitsu together, and your reasoning eliminates Kanemitsu from this entirely. Those men were just in the wrong place at the wrong time...that's all."
"Yes." Kiyone nodded. "Precisely."
"I'm trying to think back to before I left Jurai...but so much has happened since then, and my brain isn't in the best shape it's ever been." Seiryo rubbed his temples. "I do vaguely remember a Yugi at court...but nothing more. In any case, she would probably have been younger than me by some years. I believe that might have been the same year my father and I fell out, and I was sent to join the Police Academy. Certainly it was around that time - and either way, I'm not drawing any results."
"Well, there are other lines of enquiry." Washu pointed out. "If this execution was so unusual, people must remember it."
"But we can't exactly tackle the royal family and ask them which of them got possessed years ago." Kiyone pointed out. "Now we know what we're dealing with, we can't go to the Emperor at all. Since he was Crown Prince when this happened, he must have been involved in this then and he might take exception to us digging up the past in the way we have. Washu, it wouldn't affect you - he's scared of you and we all know it. But Tennan-san and I have things to lose. Azusa-heika has influence at Headquarters and I might lose my position forever. And Tennan-san..."
"I'm already on tentative ground with Jurai's administrative powers that be." Seiryo agreed. "Detective Makibi is right. It's too big a risk."
"You're forgetting one other person who would have been here around the same time, though." Washu objected.
"We are?" Kiyone frowned. "Who?"
Washu smiled, spreading her hands.
"My daughter." She said simply. "Ryoko, of course. She was here on Jurai as a ward of Azusa until she was about twelve or thirteen. I know when she was born, so by a process of elimination, she must have been on Jurai when all of this went on. She and Ayeka would have been no more than eleven at the time, I'm sure. She's our next focus. We'll ask Ryoko what she remembers about Yugi Kuroda and her mother. Maybe she'll recall something that can help us."
"That's a thought." Kiyone's expression cleared and she nodded her head. "All right. Then I'll go and see if I can track Ryoko down. If I do, I'll bring her back here as soon as I can - if she can shed any light on this we might be able to work out where this Yugi girl is hiding and how to bring her down before she hurts anyone else."
-----
As Kiyone hurried across the palace grounds, she paused for a moment to glance up at the clear sky. A frown touched her expression as she shook her head in irritation, quickening her pace towards the main conclave.
"Doesn't it drive anyone else mad that it never rains on this wretched planet?" She muttered. "Always clear, always cloudless, always blue. What are they trying to say - that nothing ever goes wrong on Jurai? I'm sick of secrecy and cover-ups. If they'd thought to tell people about this girl before, then maybe all of this would already have been resolved. So many people dying and because of what? Because Juraian administration is so afraid of public outcry? And what about sending people into the sun? How can a planet as progressive as Jurai claims to be do something so horrible...even to a convicted criminal? Ayeka and Sasami, you might be my friends, but your world has a lot of issues and that's for sure."
As she stepped through the archway that led to the conclave itself, she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye and she paused, turning to see what it was. Although her panic impulses had begun to calm since she had started focusing on the greater need of her case, somehow the presence of someone else within the silent conclave set her nerves on edge.
"Ryoko?" She called. "Are you here? I need to talk to you - if that's you, come out and stop trying to scare me!"
There was no response, and Kiyone's frown deepened.
"That's stupid. Why would Ryoko be hanging around the Royal Conclave, anyway?" She muttered. "I'm still far too easily spooked. Get a grip, Kiyone. If you can handle spending time in a room with that man, you can handle this. Whoever it is is probably bent on their own business anyway. They don't care about you and you shouldn't bother about them, either. You're just a Detective with the Galaxy Police - friend of the Princess you might be, but most of the court probably don't even know your name."
She turned on her heel, preparing to head back the way she had come, but as she reached a fork in the path, she caught sight of the figure again. She frowned, her eyes narrowing as she took in the dark-clad form, pursing her lips as she considered what kind of errand involved being thickly swathed in black fabric on a sunny day such as today.
"Strange." She decided. "Or someone up to no good? Well, Kiyone, you're a Galaxy Police Detective. Discharged or not, if something amiss is going on, it's up to you to get to the bottom of it. Ryoko can wait - like as not she'll be somewhere in the palace itself and I should be able to find her without a problem. Right now, this looks more interesting - perhaps it will prove to be a clue."
She slowed her pace, slipping her hands into her pockets as she sauntered nonchalantly down the stone-coated path, all the while keeping her eye on the dark figure ahead of her. The other person seemed unaware that they had company, for they did not falter in their progress, and as Kiyone observed, she realised that their was something strange and unfamiliar about their gait.
"Almost as if they were gliding, not walking." She reflected. "But no, I see feet on the ground, so they're not flying. I don't think I've seen anyone move quite like that before."
So intent was she on her spying, she did not see that a stone was loose from the road ahead and she tripped, almost falling headlong. She muttered a curse at the noise her clumsiness must have created, but the figure did not even turn to see what was behind them, and Kiyone frowned, tilting her head on one side as she tried to work out whether the other person had even registered she was there.
"Hard of hearing? Completely deaf?" She wondered. "Or just playing a game with me - waiting to see if I'm fool enough to be lulled into a false sense of...hang on a minute!" As the figure made a sharp turn off the long pathway. "That's the Tennan estate!"
The stranger did not falter at Kiyone's exclamation, walking purposefully and calmly across the main forecourt of the Tennan family manor. Now certain something was amiss, Kiyone threw caution to the wind, quickening her pace as she sought to close the gap between her and her companion. As she reached the entrance of the Tennan grounds, she saw the figure place a hand on the door of the manor house, and even from that distance Kiyone was aware of the screeching click of a lock being forced back. The door swung cleanly open, and the dark-clad shape glided inside.
Kiyone bit her lip, hurrying up the steps of the estate and pausing briefly to glance at the door latch as she reached the entrance. The lock had been opened from the outside without a key, and yet neither the wood or the metal lock showed any sign of damage. Despite herself, a cold chill began to stir in Kiyone's heart. For a brief moment she felt an overwhelming desire to turn around and run far from this place and its strange visitors.
"If Seiryo Tennan proves to be involved in any of this, I swear..." She muttered, closing her eyes as she fought to get a grip on her rising sense of panic. Images of the attack aboard Yagami danced and teased across her senses, but she steeled herself, forcing them back as she stepped determinedly through the doorway and into the spacious hall. The door of the solar was ajar, and out of the corner of her eye Kiyone caught sight of a glittering metal poker, hung carefully beside the fireplace from an ornate silver hook. In an instant, Kiyone made up her mind, darting into the solar and retrieving the long, thin device. She glanced down at it, her grip tightening as she forged forwards, just catching sight of the edge of a flapping cape disappearing around the top of the stairwell.
"It's not my weapon of choice, but at least I'm prepared now." She told herself, taking the stairs two at a time as she remembered that not only did Seiryo's frail mother sleep in the upper echelons of the house, but also the vulnerable, unsuspecting Tokimi. "Maybe I've been too quick to be suspicious of Tennan-san. He's not here - he's with Washu. And maybe someone is taking advantage of that fact. It could be the Emperor, sending someone to find out information - in which case, they're protected enough not to care that I'm on their tail. Or..."
Another chill washed through her and she shook her head firmly.
"No, I'm not going to think about this." She told herself fiercely. "I'm just going to get to the bottom of it, like a good Detective does. I am not losing my edge, and I'm going to prove it. So what if I don't have my blaster or my stun gun with me? So what if I don't have my badge or my spaceship? This is still my job and I'm still sworn to protect innocent people. And I'm going to do that, damn it, whatever it takes!"
As she finished her pep talk, she reached the top of the stairs, and a brief feeling of helplessness washed through her as she registered the length of the corridor she had stumbled into. The previous night, accompanying Seiryo and Tokimi, it had not seemed to be such a huge house, as Seiryo had known exactly where he was going. But now, on her own and in the daylight, Kiyone hesitated. This was the same floor that they had come to the previous evening, of that she was sure. But there were so many rooms...how was she to find her mysterious attacker?
A sudden shriek from along the hall made up her mind for her and she darted forwards towards the source of the noise, placing her hands against the door as another blood-curdling shriek emitted from inside. As she forced the door to open, Kiyone recognised the cry as Tokimi's, and she burst into the room, poker wielded in readiness for whatever she was to find.
The dark figure stood over the bed, hands flickering with a white light as they advanced on a clearly terrified Tokimi, and Kiyone felt a burst of rage and adrenalin rush through her as she took in the alarm in the former Priestess's big blue eyes. Tokimi was huddled back against the carved head of the bed, and in comparison her would-be assailant seemed to tower over her, giving Kiyone the impression that she was dealing with someone both tall and powerful. She swallowed hard, uttering an inward prayer for strength. Then she leapt forward.
"Galaxy Police!" She exclaimed, surprised at how commanding her voice sounded despite the panic that sought to surge within. "Stop right there!"
The hooded figure turned, the thick, dark fabric hanging over their face in such a way that for a moment Kiyone believed the being had no head. She bit back the urge to scream, gripping her poker more tightly as her opponant moved slowly towards her, raising glittering hands towards her. The figure moved in eerie, methodical silence, and only the sound of Tokimi's frightened sobs punctuated the atmosphere. For a moment Kiyone froze, her mind flitting unbidden back to Seiryo's assault on her aboard Yagami. Then Tokimi let out a blood-curdling shriek for help and it jerked the detective back to where she was. Gritting her teeth, she tightened her grasp on the poker once again, bringing it down decisively across the side of her opponant's skull.
The white light flickered and died from the figure's hands and the caped assailant toppled forwards, dropping like a stone to the floor of the chamber. As she fell, the hood of her cloak dropped back, and Kiyone saw for the first time who she had brought down. Colour drained from her face as she shook her head, taking a step away from the fallen form.
"Ayeka!" She exclaimed.