Chapter Sixteen

Sesshomaru sat down at the table in the center of the brand new projection room that had been installed while they were on Ragnarok. He had scheduled a meeting with the Inu no Taisho four hours ago, when they had finally left port. Pulling his screen out, he checked over the confirmation message sent to him.

Truthfully, he hated to go through the proper military channels to get a hold of someone who he had a private line to, but this was work. Adjusting his posture in his seat, he faced forward when the projector flared to life and the holo-image of the western commander was seated on the other side of the table facing him.

"Captain Taisho. You have requested this meeting." The Inu no Taisho not-quite-asked and eyed the stoic visage of his eldest.

"Yes, sir. I find it to be imperative that the rest of the crew be told of my new designation."

There was a brief silence as Inu no Taisho processed the assassin's request. "You…want to tell unsanctioned officers a classified secret that only the top brass of the military is privy to."

Sesshomaru remained still, already knowing that the fleet commander was not asking him a question. Hideaki Taisho sat back in his chair, lacing his fingers together as he mulled the request over. "What is your reasoning?"

"Keeping it a secret from the rest of the team is only causing unnecessary tension and aggression."

Inu no Taisho smirked and sat up straight once again. "Ah, yes. I was notified of your…indiscretion aboard the Ragnarok." His hand came up to rub his chin. "Naked brawling, I believe it was." His sharp eyes zeroed in on his son and the smirk on his face grew at the way Sesshomaru closed his eyes as if in a slow blink.

'Regret your actions, eh, boy?' He thought examining the captain's body language.

"That…was an unfortunate turn of events." Sesshomaru allowed, his brows coming down as he met the commander's gaze.

"I imagine that was the tipping point in your decision to request that for the rest of your team be included on the classified information?"

Sesshomaru tipped his head in agreement than added on; "It would be foolish to believe that my designation could be kept from the rest of the team as time goes on." His eyes flashed as he again met his father's gaze. "I don't understand why they were to be kept in the dark in the first place."

Inu no Taisho's face hardened as he sat forward.

"Are you reprimanding me, son?" His voice was soft velvet.

"No, sir. Merely seeking understanding." Sesshomaru's voice was equally smooth.

"Tell me, then, Captain Taisho. Do you believe those in your unit, including their psychics, can be trusted?"

"Is there reason to believe they cannot be trusted?" Sesshomaru adjusted in his seat to lean forward slightly. "Is there a reason this is to be kept such a secret? I highly doubt that the idea of a new kind of enemy attack is the sole reason many in the military are kept in the dark. The public, yes. But military veterans who have already engaged the enemy?"

Inu no Taisho kept his silence, studying the captain in front of him. Sesshomaru pressed on.

"Exactly what kind of trust in my unit are you looking for? Trust that they won't go running to the media about military cover-up?" His eyes narrowed. "Preposterous."

Commander Taisho allowed a small frown as he lifted his head to stare down into eyes a lot like his own. He did not like when his decisions were questioned, especially by those years behind his own experience. As a father, however, he had to admit he felt a bit fulsome. The boy was coming into his own and Hideaki was not looking forward to the day they would come to actual blows.

"Very well, your request is accepted." Truthfully, he had made the decision as soon as the captain had made his request known. "However, I will leave instructions for Butch to relay the information." He reached over and swiped the icon on his screen, effectively ending the brief holo-conference and leaving all asked questions unanswered.

Sesshomaru stood from his seat. Though he had obtained his goal, the old man had a way of making him feel like he had lost the battle. Shaking off his ire, and knowing he wouldn't get any answers just standing there, he turned and headed for the door. The debriefing for their mission was in a few hours and he was slightly curious over what they had done to the training rooms.


Naraku Hadani stared down into his screen, ignoring any and all that happened to be passing him by. The latest news report from the collective fleets was slowly scrolling by, and he felt his interest pique when a particular headline popped up.

"Eastern Fleet Commander Scheduled to Retire,

The council has named Senator James Keegan as their pick for the election. Commander Perez has announced Councilor Adriana Cortez as his nominee. The election is scheduled to be held within the next few months…"

The article went on, but Naraku stopped reading. A smirk curled his lips as an unexpected connection came to mind. Exiting out of the news, he turned his screen off and made a sharp left, changing his direction.

The many doors leading into labs gradually shortened as he got farther into the heart of the R & D laboratories. His eyes lit upon the plaque bearing his name beside a doorway and his grin twisted slightly. Placing his hand on the scanner, he entered his personal office and locked the panel behind him. Sitting down behind his desk he turned on his office screen and input a number he hadn't used in years.

As the waiting icon flashed, he wondered, absently, what he would do to the other person if they had changed their link number. His thoughts were in vain, because in the next moment the person he had been looking for was staring back at him with widened eyes.

"Well, hello there, Byakuya. How have you been?"

The man on the other end allowed a polite smile as his eyes narrowed. "Ah. Mr. Hadani. It has been…quite a while." His voice was subdued, and would have even been considered friendly, if it weren't for the gleam in his eyes.

"Let's get straight to the point, shall we?" Naraku asked, mimicking the pleasant tone from the other man. "I believe that when you…transferred…from the Western Fleet to the East, you got yourself into politics…?"

Byakuya watched the man in his screen closely, the polite smile still on his face. "What is it you want from me, Mr. Hadani?"

Naraku leaned forward, resting his head on the laced fingers before him. "You work for Senator Keegan, do you not?"

Byakuya Hirestuna kept silent, knowing full well the devious psychic had been keeping tabs on him since he had…left…the western fleet. Considering the recent article that had been submitted to the ether-news, he wasn't surprised the snake was contacting him now.

"Allow me to explain…" Naraku trailed off, his smile starting to look rather maniacal. Byakuya let out a silent sigh and got up to lock his office door. It seemed his job was about to get a lot more interesting.


"Come in and take your shirt off." Kaede's tone was aloof and professional, but the tilt of her head, as if she was trying to look down her nose, gave her away. Inuyasha scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Keh, just can't wait to get me naked, can you, brat?" He teased in a snide tone and lifted his shirt over his head, missing the venomous glare she shot him.

"I don't go for poorly developed meat-heads." She answered flippantly and turned her back with a dismissive sniff, picking up the small handheld injection gun. "Honestly, I was dreading the physical examination because I'm sure the sight of you alone will damage my optic nerves."

Inuyasha spun around to face the teenager, mouth opening to begin a tirade of curses, only to stop when she grabbed his arm and shot the prescribed antibodies into his bicep. "Now you're done. Get out."

Inuyasha's mouth was still hanging open when she tossed him his shirt and shoved him out the med-bay and into the hall. "I will certainly have to send a report to Kikyo-nee about your unimpressive physique. Hopefully, this will expedite her decision to drop your flabby ass."

He stood there in shock, clutching his shirt to his chest. Behind him, Kagura and Ayame were in tears holding onto each other.

"Oh, God! His flabby ass!" Ayame nearly shouted, trying not to strangle on her laughter. Kagura was laughing too hard to say anything. Kouga, hearing the ruckus from down the hall turned the corner to see what the hell was going on.

Noticing Inuyasha standing in a daze half-naked, he turned to the two girls clutching each other and laughing. Kagura calmed slightly and looked up to meet Wolfe's eyes. "Ahaha…I love our new medic." was all she got out before Ayame shouted "Flabby ass!" and the both of them were dying once again.

"Oi! Mutt! The hell is going on?!" Kouga turned to Inuyasha, watching as his face got red and his hands jerked his shirt over his head.

"Fuckin' little brat!" He shouted as he stomped down the hall, leaving a clueless Kouga and the cackling females, behind. "Better not tell Kikyo shit!"

The door to med-bay slid open and Kaede poked her head out, spying Kouga. "Ah, Wolfe. Perfect timing. Your exam still needs to be conducted. If you'd come inside and take off your shirt, please?"

Kouga glanced back to Ayame and Kagura, as to which both seemed to be coming to their senses. "Am I going to regret this?"

Both females grinned at each other and then back to the captain. "You might, but we won't." Kagura allowed and Ayame snickered.

"Wolfe! What are you doing?!" The teenager demanded from within the office and Kouga jumped, rushing through the door and allowing it to close behind him.


Sango let out a breath as she unloaded the last of her clothing back into her small closet. The outlay of the ship hadn't really changed all that much during the remodeling. Their rooms had remained mostly untouched and all of the basic amenities had remained the same. New equipment upgrades may have been added.

The major changes had been within the training rooms. Instead of the basic training room, they now had their own simulator, if on a smaller scale. They could now engage a simulated enemy in varying degrees of difficulty. Their transporter had also been tweaked, but Brandon's explanation on exactly what had been changed had only confused her.

All she could really get from it was their tracker and location setting had been amped up. Whatever that did for them. She wasn't an engineer, the hell did she know? Brandon was excited about it and she supposed that's all that really mattered.

Picking up her screen, Sango debated for a minute whether she should call Kagome back. Well, if she didn't pick up, she could always just shoot her a message. Sango nodded to herself and swiped the call icon, just as a knock sounded on her door.

Looking from the door to the dialing link, Sango stood indecisive for a minute; finally yelling out: "Who is it?"

"Ah, Taijya-san. I'm here to tell you that you are one of the last that still need a physical exam and shot."

Sango relaxed at the teen medic's voice and walked over to the door, placing her hand on the scanner to open the door. "Come on in, quick!" She half-whispered as she hustled the startled girl into her room and shut the door.

Just in time as, "Sango-chan?" came from her screen on her bed. Kaede stiffened as if she had been shot and whipped her head over to Sango, who winked as she walked passed and over to the bed.

"Sorry, Kagome-chan! Had to answer the door!" Sango apologized as she lifted the screen.

"Oh thank God. I was worried I was going to get that guy again." Kagome trailed off as the screen stopped moving and she was face to face with someone she hadn't seen since she had been a little girl. "K-kaede…?"

"Kagome!" Kaede choked out and Sango was startled to see the medic was on the verge of tears. Looking quickly into her screen, she watched as the psychic sniffed back her own tears and smiled.

"Oh gosh. It's been…years!" Kagome gushed and Sango was starting to feel awkward, being the one holding the screen. "How have you been?"

Kaede sniffed herself and rubbed a hand over her eyes. "Good! I wasn't expecting to be able to talk to you so soon!"

Both let out strained laughs and Sango shifted on her feet. "Uh, should I let you two talk…?" She wondered out loud and Kagome let out another laugh.

Kaede straightened from the slumped position she had been in and shook her head, a large smile on her face. "No that's ok! Kagome, trade link numbers with me!" Kagome nodded and the both of them quickly traded information.

"Oh, I also have Souta's numbers. Did you want his too?" Kaede asked looking into the older girl's eyes. Kagome laughed in embarrassment and scratched the back of her head.

"Yeah, kinda sad I don't have my own brother's number…" She trailed off and Kaede giggled while Sango shook her head.

"Nah, Souta told me he had changed it recently. When I had asked for your number he had had the same reaction as you."

"How'd you get in contact with Souta anyway?" Kagome asked eyeing the medic in curiosity.

"Eh, story for another time." Kaede shifted her attention to the soldier still holding the screen between them. "Sango don't forget to come to the med-bay before your debriefing."

Sango agreed and Kaede left the room, waving back to the two and hiding the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Sango turned her full attention to Kagome.

"Ok. What was that about?"

Kagome sighed and shifted in the chair she was seated at in her room. "Well, our family had a bit of a falling out when we were younger." Sango raised a brow and Kagome continued. "Kikyo and Kaede's parents were killed in a battle. Bad information, or something. Their grandmother on the other side took them in and things got…strained. I'm not sure on the particulars, but Kaede and Kikyo stopped talking to us."

"Oh. Uh…sorry I asked…?" Sango tried out tentatively, not sure how to read the blasé tone in Kagome's voice.

Kagome waved it off. "Nah. Don't worry about it. I've got a line to Kaede and Kikyo shouldn't be too far behind, we'll work it out."

"I kind of respect you for that positive outlook…" Sango murmured, not seeing the shadows moving in the psychic's eyes.

"Anyway, Sango-chan. What were we playing link-tag for earlier?"

"Oh, yeah! Kagome, what the hell happened between Captain Taisho and Captain Wolfe?!"

Kagome froze, her brows coming down and her lips forming a frown. "What happened with Taisho and who?"

"You know, Wolfe." Sango paused, a scowl coming to her face. "The one with the mashed up face that answered my screen."

Kagome jerked back slightly and her eyes widened. "Are you saying Taisho did that to him!?" A thought hit her and she leaned forward. "Oh God, he said the other guy looked worse! Is Taisho ok?!"

Sango blinked and felt her lips twitch. Taisho…hurt by Wolfe. The thought had a giggle coming out before she could stop it. "Ah, no. Wolfe lied. Taisho still looks as pretty as a picture."

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief and deflated her tense posture. "Oh. Why'd he lie, anyway? What did they fight over?!"

Sango shrugged. "That's why I was calling you. No one knows what they were fighting over and we thought since you are Taisho's psychic partner..."

Kagome shook her head. "Sorry. I didn't even know they had fought. Taisho and I weren't scheduled for any training until later today in the evening. That was canceled due to the emergency mission."

Sango sighed and sat back against the headboard on her bed. "Yeah, debriefing is in a couple hours." She paused, casting about for a topic of conversation now that the important stuff had been discussed. "Oh, yeah. Wolfe was asking for your name; why didn't you tell him?"

Kagome scoffed and crossed her ankles in front of her. "The whole time we talked was awkward and weird. He just stared at me like he wasn't all there. I think Taisho caused some damage upstairs, if you know what I mean. I made a quick excuse to get off as soon as I could."

Sango snorted. "He just stared at you?"

"Yeah, and his eyes were kinda buggy. Well, one was buggy the other was kinda swollen." Kagome answered trying to recall how the brief call actually went. Sango let out a giggle, followed by another and steadily worked her way up to full-blown laughter. The mental imaging going from awkward to ridiculous real quick.

"I think he was kinda drooling too…though I couldn't help staring at his purple nose…"

"Oh…God! Kagome! Stop!" Sango gasped out, clutching her sides as Kagome finally joined in on the laughter. "So I take it you don't want me to tell him who you are?"

Kagome shook her head, still laughing but looking slightly guilty. "Ugh, does it make me a bad person if I say no?"

Sango laughed again. "Nope, I don't think so. I'm kind of still mad at him for answering my screen, anyway." Looking to the psychic she raised a brow. "What have you been up to?"

Kagome grinned, remembering her relaxing day and the fact that she still had plans to traipse down to her hothouse later. "Absolutely nothing. I went window shopping, got something to eat... you know, lazy day stuff." Sango hummed and nodded her head, looking wistful. "I plan to go to my lab later though."

"Oh, yeah. You're a botanist. What's that like?"

Kagome shrugged, trying for an air of nonchalance but her sparkling eyes gave her away. "I experiment on plant species, trying to find the right way to cultivate them on inhospitable planets."

"Woah. Now that's trippy stuff." Sango rolled onto her side and propped her head in her hand. "How'd you get into that?"

"Well, see, I had this great teacher…"


Kouga grinned in self-satisfaction as he locked the training room panel and put in his earpiece, waiting for Hakaku to link up. Only one session at a time in the training room was allowed and he had managed to be the first one to snag it. Take that, Taisho. He thought in spite as he stretched his arms across his chest, one at a time.

The gentle prodding of Hakaku interrupted his inner cackling. 'Yo, Hakaku!' He greeted rather cheerfully and Hakaku found himself at a loss. Truthfully, Hakaku had expected Kouga to be a snarling ball of jealous fury. The giddy, smug feelings he was getting instead worried him a bit.

'Uh, hey, bro. You, uh, ok?'

Kouga stretched down to touch the floor by his feet. 'Of course! Why wouldn't I be?'

'Because you got your ass handed to you in the showers by Taisho.' Hakaku answered bluntly, hoping the wires in his partner's head hadn't been fried.

Kouga paused, a flash of irritation rising up, then he forced it back down. 'Keh, that doesn't matter anymore.' He stood from the pose he had been in and walked over to the titanium knuckles hanging on the wall. His fingers flexed as he pulled on the fitted gloves and gave a couple practice jabs.

'It doesn't?!' Hakaku asked incredulously as he monitored Kouga's energy pattern. 'I'm gonna regret asking this, but, why doesn't it matter…?'

Kouga grinned, his hand waving over the scanner to start the simulation. ''Cause, I met a girl.' A soft whirring filled the room and the blank white walls morphed into the dulled grey of a Baasratu ship. Their first opponent came through a fake doorway and Kouga launched across the room to attack.

Hakaku moved Kouga's energy into his arms and legs, adding to his speed and strength. Absently paying attention to the fight, he observed Kouga's mental state. His mind seemed stable…

'Where the hell would you have met a girl?' He finally asked, his curiosity and confusion winning over his caution. He felt irritation when Kouga let out a smug snicker.

'On Taijya's screen.' Kouga answered even as his fist punched into the chest of his enemy, disintegrating the simulation in the process. Another appeared as the first fell. This one moved faster, and had Kouga grinning in anticipation.

'Is that a euphemism for a dating site?' Hakaku asked dryly, directing energy to Kouga's shoulder to fend off an attack he wouldn't be able to avoid. Kouga let out a small grunt at the impact then swung his leg up, knocking the enemy to the floor.

'No! Our teammate, Taijya!' Kouga let out an exasperated sigh when he still felt his partner was confused. 'She left her screen on her bunk and someone was calling.'

'You answered her screen?' Hakaku asked, not sure why he was appalled, really. It was just like the brash captain to answer someone's screen without thinking.

'Well, it was annoying.' Kouga defended himself as he ended the next simulation and two more appeared. 'Not the point. The point is; the girl was the one calling.'

'Uh huh.' Hakaku allowed his voice to show his doubt, focusing on the enemies as they came. 'And this girl's name is…?'

Kouga faltered slightly then dodged to his left as the simulated Baasratu swiped at him. 'Well, I don't know. She didn't tell me and Sango's too pissed to let me know.' He paused as he delivered a blow to one of the two enemies and kicked the other back as it flew at him from the side. 'But I think she's in the military faction!'

'Oh, yeah? What makes you think that?' Hakaku murmured as he checked over the blow Kouga had gotten on his shoulder a bit ago.

'Well, Taijya's not exactly a girly-girl. Can't really see her having female friends, and especially not any outside the military.'

Hakaku grimaced at the unintended insult and hated to admit it, but he agreed. 'Yeah, I can see that. So what's this girl look like?' The second enemy dropped and a small timer flicked on from their left. They had a small break for five minutes before the simulation started again.

Moving his energy along Kouga's legs, Hakaku almost pushed his energy too hard when he was suddenly blasted with a fantasy from Kouga's head, featuring Kagome Higurashi. She was sitting on a bed, her body looking slightly disproportionate. Her breasts looked too big and her waist was impossibly tiny. She was batting her eyes and the voice Kouga was imagining was sickly sweet. "Oh, Kouga-kun!"

Now, Hakaku could admit, Higurashi was a very pretty girl, but he didn't suffer from delusions of grandeur. He knew without a doubt that Higurashi would only ever remain as eye-candy; like an actress or idol. Too far out of his reach to do anything but dream. The fact that his idiot of a partner thought that he'd get any further than acquaintances, irritated the hell out of him.

'Heh, sorry 'bout that Hakaku.' Kouga sighed, sounding like he was bragging. 'But, my woman is just so hot.'

Something within Hakaku snapped.

'Hey, you know her, don't you? I'm pretty sure that was recognition I felt from you…' Kouga asked and Hakaku swallowed his irritation.

'Uh, yeah. I know her.' Inspiration struck and Hakaku would have grinned evilly if he could have. 'Her name's Yumi.'

'Yumi? No last name?!'

Hakaku hummed as if in thought. 'Yeah, don't remember her last name. She is in the military. Works for the Northern Fleet.'

Kouga crowed in delight, taking out the simulated enemies as they began to reappear. 'Thanks, man! I really owe ya one!'

Hakaku mentally rolled his eyes, ignoring the brief stab of guilt. 'Yeah, ok. Let's focus on training now.' Kouga laughed in agreement and focused back on his simulation.


Kagome walked into the pod room, adjusting her suit. The happy bounce in her step went unnoticed as she walked over to her designated pod and picked up her electrodes. Miroku, however, noticed the pep in her step and raised an eyebrow.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" He asked as he lazily leaned over the top of his pod.

Kagome looked over and beamed a smile in his direction. "Just had a long talk with Sango-chan." Miroku jerked to attention. "We were talking over the particulars behind terraforming." He instantly deflated against the pod and put his head down on top of his arms.

"Of course. Kagome, the plant nut." He muttered just loud enough for Kagome to hear.

"Pft. Better than being: Miroku, the Sango nut." Kagome sniped back, not seeing the wicked grin that curved Miroku's lips.

"Heh. I want-"

"Finish that sentence and die." Kagome cut him off, her pervert alarms ringing. Miroku chuckled to himself and looked up as Wallace came in through the doors in a rush.

"Sorry! I had to show another tech how the pods operated over in the sixth room! Jeez, we have so many psychic's on board linking today! Must be a big deal." Wallace muttered the last part to herself.

Kagome cocked her head to the side and glanced to Miroku. "Will there be others using the four other pods in this room?"

Wallace turned around and shook her head. "Nope. The room is all yours for tonight. Tomorrow, however, is going to be jam-packed. I think this will be the first time we've ever used all the linking pods on-ship!"

Miroku let out a low whistle. "Must be a big mission, then. Guess we'll find out in the debriefing."

Kagome opened her pod and looked over at Wallace. "Do we have enough pods for everyone to be linked like that?" She asked. Never thinking she would be a battle-link, she had never gone over the exact figures on how many battle-links were actually on-ship. She did know that they only had a little under two hundred linking pods, though.

Wallace shook her head, a flush on her cheeks as she talked through her excitement. "No. We don't. We had to commandeer three battle cruisers to use their linking pods. They were not happy about that one, let me tell ya. A few psychics had to be debriefed early and sent to the port ship Amalla as well."

Kagome and Miroku both had theirs eyes wide at this point. Looking from a beaming Wallace to each other, they wondered exactly what was going on. "Lucky for you two, your part of the advance force, so you get priority when it comes to the pods. Tomorrow, psychic's will be using the pods in shifts. After your part of the mission is over, two others will be using your pods. So we'll have to work fast."

A chime sounded in the room and Wallace waved her hand in a shooing motion. "Alright in the pods you two get. Got lots of work ahead of us."

Kagome slipped into her pod, her nerves jangled over the abundant amount of information just shoved at her. The stasis gel rose quickly and she shut her eyes, regulating her breathing even as the stuff came up her chin and then over her face. Just as she felt the cold liquid close over her head she felt her link initialize.


Sesshomaru sat in the large meeting room, his arms resting on the dark table in front of him. A holo-projector sat in the middle of the table. Across from him and on the other side of the projector sat Butch. He was casually scrolling through information on his screen, most likely reading over their mission parameters.

The door to the meeting room opened and a damp Kouga finally sailed in. Inuyasha was the first to open his mouth but Butch's rough voice stopped him from saying anything.

"About time you got here, Wolfe. I hope spending all that time to make yourself smell pretty was worth it."

Kouga mumbled out an apology, and no sooner did he sit down then Sesshomaru felt the familiar feeling of his psychic forming their link.

'Evening, Taisho.'

Her voice soothed a tension he didn't even know he had still had since the incident with Wolfe in the showers. Making a small noise in acknowledgement, he allowed her energy to relax the muscles in his neck and shoulders. He held back a rumble in his chest as she continued down his arms and then back up to his neck.

'Geez. What have you been up to since the last time we linked?' There was a hint of mischief in her voice. 'Getting into fights in the showers?'

She felt a flash of irritation spike through his contentment and sent a thought of innocence. 'Hn. Who have you been speaking to.' He not-quite-asked and Kagome hummed in thought.

'It doesn't really matter, does it? Besides, I saw the other guy-'

'You what?'

Kagome paused at the maelstrom of emotions that simple statement created within her partner. Tentatively reaching out with her energy, she tried to understand what the problem was. 'Uh. I saw Captain Wolfe…' She wondered if she should tell him they had talked on a communications line. The frigid feelings she was getting just from saying the captain's name made her rethink it. 'A picture. My friend sent me a picture.'

He didn't believe her. She was a terrible liar. The stilted way she explained herself was proof enough that she wasn't telling him the truth. Getting a hold of his rage, Sesshomaru reined in his emotions, projecting the epitome of calm.

'I see.' Was all he said, deciding to drop it. The idiot Wolfe hadn't said anything, and until he did; he would wait.

'Anyway, I was told he looked a heck of a lot worse then you, so I assume you…won?' Kagome tried to get passed the awkward moment and mentally frowned when he didn't take the bait. Instead their conversation dropped to the wayside and the both of them were left to their own contemplations. Or, Taisho contemplated and Kagome worried.

The sound of the holo-projector starting up brought the both of them to the present as Butch stood from his chair and looked around the room.

"Alright, everyone synched and ready to go?" He asked, meeting each soldiers eye and making sure he got the affirmative to move ahead. "Great. So, as you know, we have been assigned an emergency mission. What you may not know is that everyone within the western quadrant was issued the same mission."

Butch paused as he passed his finger over his screen and a large planet was suddenly projected before them. "We have found a resource planet."

Shocked silence filled the room and Butch allowed the others the time they'd need to assimilate the announcement. Sesshomaru, while not shocked so much as trying to calculate what this would mean for the western fleet, had trouble blocking Higurashi's overwhelming excitement. A whoop from Inuyasha shattered the stunned silence and suddenly everyone was talking at once.

"Alright! Alright! Shut up!" Butch hollered over the din and slammed his hands down on the table. "Calm down and let me explain. Then you can go ape-shit." He straightened from his lean and lifted his screen. The picture of the planet zoomed out and they were looking at a sight that had the excitement draining from their faces.

Before the planet, and acting as a barricade, was a massive amount of Baasratu warships. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as Higurashi gasped in horror.

"Now you see why we need all hands on deck. Normally, we'd avoid confrontation and simply move on. Our resources, however, are dwindling. Water is getting low, and we aren't sure whether we'll find another resource any time soon." Butch paused to check his screen and scrolled down a bit. The image changed to single out three separate ships in the enemy's fleet.

"These three ships are going to be our target." He looked up at the soldiers studying the ships grimly. "They're the ships holding up the energy barrier around them and the planet. There are four others, but two other teams will be taking those on. Once we eliminate the ships, we're to get the hell out of the way. The battleships will take out the rest."

No one spoke as they thought over the implications. Confronting a large fleet of the enemy only happened once in a while. The majority of the time it was only one or two ships here and there. Thus the reason their battles were mostly close combat. Not to mention, neither race wanted to waste resources or materials that were already hard to find.

The battleships they were calling in, this time though, had energy cannons. It was going to be one massive mess, Sesshomaru thought, looking at the three ships singled out for them to take down. His eyes moved over to meet with Butch's gaze. The older pilot lifted his brow and raised his chin, silently asking if he was really sure. When Sesshomaru gave a sharp nod, Butch let out a sigh.

"There is another matter of business that needs to be discussed."

Kagome shifted her energy absently against Taisho's arm. 'Taisho? What's going on?' She asked, having noticed the silent communication between her partner and the pilot.

'He's going to tell the rest about what we are. What we're going to be doing.'

A flash of insight hit her and understanding dawned. 'The secrecy is what sparked the fight with Wolfe, isn't it?' He didn't answer, but he didn't need to. Letting out a satisfied hum, Kagome sent another wave of energy over his shoulders and up his neck.

'Good. I don't like keeping secrets.'


Kouga sat back in his chair and shot a glance at the stoic captain sitting not far from himself. An assassin class, huh? Taking out Baasratu that could disrupt a link with your psychic partner. His eyes wandered back to the black lacquered table in front of him. No one had said a word after Butch's explanation, trying to take in all the information they had just been given.

'I'm glad…' Hakaku's subdued murmur reached him and Kouga switched his attention to his partner. '…I'm glad it's not us.'

Kouga didn't say anything, but he agreed. Regardless of his brash nature and daring attitude, Kouga wasn't stupid enough to think he could take on the burden that Taisho was. To be able to fend off a mental and physical attack from multiple sources… His eyes closed at the thought and he felt the same distaste coming from Hakaku.

'Yeah. Me too.' Kouga murmured back to his partner before crooking his lips into a half-hearted smirk. "Geez, Taisho. You really are some kind of monster." He jabbed, his feelings not into it though.

Sesshomaru glanced to the other captain. "Hn."

His noncommittal response had the younger Taisho snorting. "Keh, just like the prissy bastard to take on something crazy."

"So, your saying that these Baasratu that can take out our links are on these ships?" Kagura asked on the behest of her annoying partner.

Butch let out a small grunt and nodded. "Yep. 'S why Taisho will be boarding first. Once the signal is cut we'll be sending you into the mayhem, so make sure you're ready. We ain't takin' no prisoners, so make sure you kill 'em all."

Inuyasha snorted again and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, that's a given."

"Another thing, this is all classified information. You tell anyone and the punishment is a court-marshal…on the light side. You don't wanna know what could happen to you otherwise."

'Hmph. As if this civilian can tell me what to do.' Naraku hissed and Kagura stiffened slightly.

'You'll listen to what he says if you don't want to be thrown out an airlock.' She growled back to him and clenched her teeth over the soft laughter that met her "ears".

'Why, my dear Kaze, I wouldn't dream of endangering myself in such a way.' His sly voice had a ring of seriousness to it that had Kagura's hackles lowering. 'Besides. It would be incredibly stupid of me to let the cat out of the bag with so many eyes watching.'

'Damn straight it would be, and I'd be the first to report you.'

His creepy chuckle reached her ears, again, just as the debriefing was called to a close.


"Transfer documents, if you please. Have them ready on your screens for verification." The soldiers voice carried over the conversations filling the large lobby. Taking out her screen she brought up the correct documents and waited in the que to board the ship. Her screen wobbling had her focusing on her hands. With a quiet curse, she realized they were trembling. Looking to the time posted by the door, she cursed again as she realized it was too soon for her to be showing withdrawal symptoms.

"Documents, miss?"

She startled at the voice from in front of her, not realizing in her revere that she had come to the fore of the line. She handed over her screen for verification, and hid her hands from view in the long sleeves she had decided to wear.

"Okay, everything seems in order. Welcome to the Western Fleet."

She gave a shallow nod by way of response and allowed a small smile at the grin the soldier flashed her as he continued on to the person behind her. Finally, one step closer, she thought, reaching into her small satchel and drawing out the small container that held her pills. She discreetly popped one in her mouth and swallowed it quickly. It wouldn't do to have an episode on the flight, after all.

xXx

Here's the next one. Things are picking up now, folks. Thank you very much to all of you that have reviewed, and I hope you continue to enjoy! Thanks for reading and please review!