Last time on Hearts Divided… Kal was leaving Lois behind on earth, so he could go resuce his fiance, but one of the crewmen wanted entertainment for the trip, so he kidnapped the Metro Club's dancers. So now they're all leaving earth behind.

"I demand to know why you have abducted me." Zara stood tall, her chin held defiantly high. This was the first time she'd seen her captor since being forcibly removed from her own home, and the days in solitary confinement had stretched her nerves to the breaking point. Not that she had any intention of letting her weakness show.

Lord Nor pursed his lips disapprovingly. "Well, you may call it an abduction if you wish; I prefer to think of it as ... a romantic elopement. I apologize for neglecting you on the voyage, my dear, but this ship is a trifle short-handed, and I felt it necessary to ensure our safety above all. Besides, we are already well-acquainted, are we not?"

"I believe I know everything I need to know," Zara agreed grimly, trying not to give anything away. She had always forced herself to remain civil to this man, regardless of her personal feelings, because she had a duty to her society to pick their next leader carefully. The closer she had investigated Nor, however, the stronger her conviction had been that he would be a disastrous choice. His estates were in disarray, the result of poor management, and some of the rumors circulating through the lower city hinted at an unsavory personal life.

"So then," Nor concluded with a falsely pleasant smile. "No one will be surprised when you return and announce that you've married me, will they?"

"I can think of a few," Zara commented, thinking of her formidable Aunt Alys.

"Yes, well, Lord Kal-El will have to recover from the shock," Nor said, misunderstanding her. "But I feel sure he will manage. Especially when you assure him that this was your free choice."

Zara raised an eyebrow. "You're expecting a bit much, don't you think?"

Nor moved a half-step closer, stopping his advance when she stiffened. "My dear Lady Zara," he coaxed in a soft tone. "I will allow you time to make your decision, but only consider ... Our society is so protective of a woman's honor that the only time she is allowed to be alone with a man ... as you are now alone with me ... is when that man is a relative or her husband. While I do of course have a great fondness for you, I am not a relative. That, I fear, leaves you little choice. There is really only one honorable path to follow. I am infinitely sorry to have placed you in such a position," he smiled, with incongruous charm, "but time ran short. No, don't reply now. I prefer that you take time to consider your position, and your options - or lack thereof. This crew really does need me, so I must go. Take care, my dear." With a mocking bow, he retreated out the door of her cell, leaving Zara alone once more.

She sat down slowly, retaining only enough control not to fall. After days of anticipation balanced out by functional boredom, the excitement of the confrontation had been a bit much. Nor's comments on society did make her pause. In general terms, of course, he was right. A noble lady simply didn't entertain a man alone, let alone go off on a space ship with him. The fact that she had been given no choice in the matter would be considered irrelevant; she *had* been alone with him - still was, technically - and the damage was done. The only way to retain her honor was to marry him.

Zara rebelled at the thought. This situation was about far more than just her personal reputation. Whoever she married would be the next First Lord of New Krypton, and Zara was not about to succumb to these despicable tactics. Besides, she was pragmatic enough to know that this little misadventure would not seriously damage her marriage prospects. The Council might not like it, but by law she was the only gateway to continued peace. If they stripped her of her position, they would provoke civil war, and they knew it. No one wanted to provoke war if there were any alternative. Nor's elaborate scheme to trap her into marriage only proved the point. Of course, if he gave up hope of marrying her ... he might be desperate enough to try anything.

She closed her eyes, feeling a headache build. Realistically, what were her options? She simply couldn't face going through with a marriage to Nor; even a ritualistic consummation would be too sickening to consider, and when she contracted with the birth center to begin an embryo, she wanted *much* higher quality paternal DNA. A flat-out refusal, on the other hand, held risks as well. She would have to stall as best she could.

A rescue attempt was underway, she felt sure. Aunt Alys, although female and technically powerless, held great influence in the capital, and would certainly maneuver some sort of rescue effort. Kal-El had been about to return from his surveillance mission; it was possible that he would be involved. Ching was nearly due home, as well, but would the family that had sent him away in the first place send him after her now? She doubted it. Zara wished she knew more about various types of spacecraft; it had been difficult enough worming economic information out of the Council. The rescue might well fail.

Perhaps she could somehow influence the odds. If only she were allowed out of this room, she might find opportunities for sabotage. Destroying the ship would be too extreme; not that she would shrink from giving her life for a just cause, but with the succession undecided, her death would cause chaos back home. Zara sighed, feeling the heavy weight of responsibility she carried. There had to be a more rational way to rule a planet.

The room they were being held in was dimly lit, with four padded benches that seemed intended to be beds, and a small pile of women's clothing in various sizes. After prowling the edges of the room in vain hopes of finding an escape route, Lois joined the other women sitting on the benches. "I'm sorry. I can't find any way out."

Francine opened weary eyes long enough to say, "Don't apologize, Lola. We all looked. And it isn't your fault we're in this mess."

Lois couldn't accept absolution that easily. Here she was, a trained and competent officer in the United States Army, the world's finest fighting force - in the Intelligence Division for pete's sake! - and she had meekly walked right into a trap. Sev was going to pay for that next time she got close to him. "I should have done something," she muttered glumly.

"Like what?" Brenda demanded. "They had us surrounded. No, it's not your fault." She squeezed her eyes shut. "It's mine - isn't that what you meant, Francine? Yeah, I fell for their line, but I wasn't the only one, honey. You were right there with me - we all fell for it."

"Lola didn't," Melanie said quietly, watching Lois closely.

Brenda glared at Melanie. "Oh thank you so much, that makes me feel so much better. Okay, so I was desperate enough to buy their story, and I wanted you guys to come too, but if you hadn't been so busy making eyes at that Zak guy-"

Lois winced at the rising tone of anger. "Maybe I should make a confession here," she interrupted. "I'm not really Lola Dane."

That got Brenda's puzzled attention, and Francine opened one eye. Melanie continued to study her.

"My name is Lois Lane, and I'm an Army officer investigating the Toasters. There were rumors that they were connected to the Metro Club, so I wanted to get inside. I'm sorry to have deceived you all."

Francine closed her eyes again, seeming to lose interest, while Brenda looked annoyed. "I lost a gig to you and you're not even a pro? Man, that bites. I could just *kill* Johnny."

Melanie nodded. "I knew there was something about you. That explains the gun, too."

"A gun?" Brenda yelped. "Girlfriend, if you were packing, why the hell are we here?"

Lois winced, fighting her own guilt. "I could have taken Sev - probably - but I didn't know if Zak was armed, and I thought I'd get a better chance if I waited. I'm sorry." Of course, so far nothing irrevocable had happened; Sev and Zak undoubtedly had some sort of plan, but if they thought Lois Lane was going to tamely play along, well, they obviously hadn't read enough Superman comics in their misspent young lives. "But it means we're not defenseless. We'll probably be able to get away in the morning. I can't do anything until they come back, but they must have something planned for us, so when they make their move, I'll -" Frowning, she stopped talking in order to listen. The strange distant hum she'd noticed when first entering the stairwell had abruptly intensified, and she was feeling a gentle vibration in the floor.

Brenda was looking around, too, and gently touched the wall. "There's some powerful machinery in this building ... are they running the air conditioning?"

The vibration and hum increased again, this time accompanied by a high-pitched whine, and Lois suddenly felt herself pressed against the floor. A quick look told her the others were feeling something, too.

Francine opened her eyes, looking around fearfully. "I don't suppose this is just a really big elevator."

Melanie shook her head solemnly. "I thought something was strange when we came onboard, but I wasn't sure, and-"

"Onboard?" Brenda asked sharply.

"I think we're on a spaceship," Melanie replied simply. Abruptly, the downward pressure ceased. "And we've just achieved lift-off."

"No way," Lois said flatly. Every logical thought she'd ever had rebelled at the idea of spaceships, let alone her presence on one.

Francine echoed the sentiment in blunter language, and went on to say, "You've been to too many crystal parties, girl."

Melanie looked mulish. "You guys have a better explanation? Go ahead, I'd like to hear it."

"Come on, guys," Brenda coaxed. "This is just a cargo elevator, right? I mean, it's kinda big, but..." Her voice trailed off as it became evident that no one, including her, believed this theory.

"There aren't any buttons," Melanie pointed out stubbornly. "And why would you have to go up a flight of stairs to get to an elevator?"

Lois was silent for a moment, ignoring the elevator digression. "There are aircraft that do vertical takeoffs."

Melanie just looked at her in silent challenge.

"But I don't know of any that are this big," Lois admitted. "It's not exactly my field - I'm Army - but we usually hear about them sooner or later, 'cause anything this big would probably be a troop carrier."

"The space program have any breakthroughs lately?" Brenda asked belligerently.

"Not since Space Station Luthor went up." Lois frowned, trying to remember any scraps of insider gossip to come her way. It wasn't really her field of interest, but some of the guys on base were space nuts, and it generally took threats of violence to shut them up when they got excited over something new. Even the slightest rumor of a spacecraft this large would have whipped them into a positive frenzy. "They're still chasing their own tails to figure out what went wrong with the Messenger."

They looked at each other for a moment before Francine asked the obvious question. "Are these guys from outer space or something?"

Brenda looked pained. "They look human enough."

"And Kal's been hanging around the Metro Club for a couple of years, you said, right?" asked Melanie.

Francine frowned at her. "What's Kal got to do with it?"

Lois took another look at Melanie; she hadn't realized the younger woman had made the same connections she had.

"Sev and Zak wore uniforms," Melanie explained. She shot an inquiring glance towards Lois. "I didn't recognize them."

"Me neither." Lois said. "And I'd recognize most of the world's major uniform styles. I just figured they were making up their own."

"But it was the same sort of uniform as Kal's friend was wearing."

"Yeah, I saw them come in together," Brenda reluctantly added. "When I was waitressing earlier. They sat at two tables, but they were all chummy. So are you guys telling me that Sev and Zak are *aliens*? That *Kal Lewis*, who's been a regular at the Metro Club for at least three years, is an alien?"

For a moment, Francine looked inexpressibly sad. "I always liked Kal; he was a gentleman..." she murmured softly.

Lois squeezed her eyes shut. Sometimes she hated logic, and it was far too late at night for world-altering revelations. "Maybe," she replied, firmly postponing the debate for later. "We don't know. Although I don't know of anybody on Earth that could build or fly this ship." With an inner groan, she realized that she'd already accepted the premise that they were on a spaceship. From here it was only a short step to the loony bin. She couldn't quite decide whether that would be better or worse than aliens intruding on her reality. "I guess we'll find out when they come back."

The thought chilled her. If Melanie were at all correct, then this situation was more serious than she had thought. In a building in the West River district, it would be a relatively simple matter to overpower their captors and go blithely home. On an enclosed craft, far, *far* from home, the situation was vastly more complicated.

And how did Kal Lewis fit into this? His intent scrutiny of her earlier began to take on a sinister interpretation. Had he sent those two...? She hated to think so, irrationally sure he was above such tactics. But there was no way to find the truth from here; she would have to wait until someone came to get them.

She kicked herself for ever letting them get into that alley. She had thought she could protect them - it was no less than her duty as an officer. Well, she still would, as much as she could. Spaceship or not, Lois Lane was not going to play by their rules any longer. She watched her companions to see how they were handling themselves; they were silent at the moment but looked scared.

"Well, there's one good thing," she made herself say, keeping her voice as steady as she could.

Brenda laughed, a half-hysterical giggle. She clasped a hand over her mouth to contain the sound, but still looked on the edge.

"What's that, Lola - I mean, Lois?" demanded Francine, wavering between anger and despair.

"Well, it's just, with all of us here..." Lois swallowed, hoping this would distract them. "The Metro Club's not gonna have much of a floor show tomorrow."

Francine stared at her for a moment, then a corner of her mouth began to twitch. "Yeah, Johnny's gonna have a tough time finding four or five new kids in half a day, isn't he?"

Brenda's eyes lost some of their wildness and began to dance. "Hoo-boy, that boy is in trouble."

"Maybe he'll have to fill in, himself," Melanie suggested wickedly.

"He could use my chicken outfit," Lois suggested with a grin. Apparently, the news of Johnny's demotion had been kept secret; Lois would tell them later, but right now they needed the comic relief.

"Oh, no, Lola!" Brenda corrected, "that white dress would be more his style." In a gravelly voice, she imitated Johnny's accent and began singing "I've Got a Crush On You." The other three laughed harder until Brenda was laughing with them, unable to keep singing. If the laughter was a little on the shrill side, no one mentioned it, glad to have temporarily escaped the intolerable tension.

Kal sat in his command chair, watching the cloudy blue globe of Earth in a secondary monitor. The planet was already far behind them, and he was never likely to see it again. He should just put it out of his mind - the mission, as Lt. Ching had so emphatically reminded him, was the important thing.

He was just as glad when Sev entered the control room, shuffling his feet apologetically at the intrusion. After they had safely cleared the planet's airspace, Ching had set the ship to auto-pilot, and Kal had sent the three Kryptonians off to their rest period. Kal had rested too, but as long as the advantages of his stay on Earth lingered, he found he didn't need much sleep. "Yes, crewman?"

"Sir," Sev began, then paused, seeming uncertain of himself. "Well, m'lord, I have a confession to make."

This sounded mildly interesting, and possibly alarming. "What sort of confession?"

"Well, m'lord, I know you gave us lists of supplies - and we obtained everything on the lists - but I thought ... well, for a long journey I thought we might need another sort of supplies. For morale purposes."

Kal watched, intrigued by this stumbling explanation. So Crewman Sev was showing initiative, was he? That could be good, but it was more likely disastrous. "So what did you do about this oversight?" he asked, keeping his voice neutral and sent out a tentative mental probe. He was out of practice, of course, but he found himself emphatically blocked. Either Sev had an excellent natural shield, or he'd had some training.

Sev looked up, seeming to gain confidence. "I planned it all carefully, m'lord. Took everything into account. I wasn't sure I'd have a chance to manage it, but fortune favors the bold."

This was surely going to be disastrous, Kal mused, as the other man carefully talked around the subject. "What did you do, Sev?"

Sev faltered at that level question, then looked sly. "Perhaps you'd best see for yourself, m'lord. It's the secondary storage room."

Kal gave him a pained glance, but perhaps a first-hand look would be worth more than a thousand words. He stood and passed Sev on his way out the corridor, leaving the crewman to the difficult task of leading the way while remaining the proscribed foot behind his commanding officer.

As they reached the section of wall where subtle markings betrayed a closed door, Kal stopped, turning with an ironic flourish to allow Sev first access to the opening. Sev flushed and looked flustered, but stepped forward. Faintly, Kal thought he heard voices within the cargo hold. Had Sev brought televisions or something? He'd have had a difficult time hooking them up to power, if so.

"We needed some recreation," Sev said, as if that explained everything, then opened the door.

It was only due to his enhanced senses that Kal could make sense of the ensuing chaos. As soon as the door opened, a diminutive female figure appeared in the opening. With deliberate movements, the woman swept a kick at Sev that brought the unsuspecting crewman to his knees. From there, he was in easy reach of an overhand blow that crumpled him to the floor. Before Kal could do more than gasp in startlement, he was face to face with the last person he ever expected to see again. And she was now holding a pistol, aimed right at him.

"You!" he gasped, and heard her echo him a half-second later, her brown eyes going wide. Her grasp of the pistol wavered for only a fraction of a second, however, he noted.

"Brenda, tie this guy up," she ordered, kicking Sev lightly. One of the other dancers then approached, makeshift rope in hand, and set to work none too gently.

"I am Lieutenant Lois Lane of the United States Army," his dancer announced crisply, "and you are in big trouble."

"You're in the army?" he asked. He had heard that Earth allowed women into some of their military units. He would not have guessed that his dancer was actually a soldier, but it certainly explained a lot.

She scowled at him. "You have a problem with that?"

Kal gave her his best innocent shrug. "Not at all. Thank you, by the way."

Lois - he savored the name in his mind; it was somehow much nicer than Lola - narrowed her eyes in suspicious puzzlement. "For what?"

"Showing Sev here the error of his ways." As the shock of Lois's presence wore off, the enormity of Sev's crime was starting to make itself known, and Kal sobered. "I must apologize to you - to all of you," he added, peering around Lois to see who else was there. Good God, Sev had grabbed the whole floor show, he realized; there were four of them altogether. Sev must have been trying to be fair - four Kryptonians, four concubines, including the one Kal had been so openly admiring. He flushed in shame. If he had controlled his reactions, Sev might never have gone through with this horrible scheme.

"Forget the apology," Brenda grumbled. "Just put us *back* and we're cool."

"Sev should never have treated you like this," Kal said slowly, "and we will take you back."

"I don't want to go back," the youngest dancer announced, fixing Kal with an entreating stare. He'd never spoken to her, but he was almost certain her name was Melanie. "At least, not yet - you're aliens, aren't you? I mean, you're not from Earth, right?"

Kal stared at her as he frantically tried to calculate how much he could reveal without earning the Council's wrath. How much did they already know? Perhaps he could still hide the full truth ... turning, he caught Lois's eye, held cold and steady above the pistol, and something within him rebelled at the thought of keeping any secrets.

"Yes, you will take us back," Lois said, waggling the pistol slightly for emphasis, her accelerated heart rate at odds with her calm appearance. "So turn this spaceship of yours around right now, mister."

Very well then. "You deserve the truth. I am Lord Kal-El, of the house of El, of the planet New Krypton." He bowed to all of them, enjoying the look of delight on Melanie's face. Which stood in stark contrast to the hostility emanating in waves from Lois. "And if you know it's a spaceship," he told her mildly, "you should realize it wouldn't be a good idea to fire that. Projectile weapons and pressurized craft just don't mix."

She just smiled back. "You're assuming I'd miss."

Assessing her familiarity with the weapon in her hand, Kal decided that it was far more likely that she'd hit him, especially at this short range. The impact likely wouldn't hurt him, but with his luck, the bullet would ricochet, possibly hitting one of the women. "Lois," he began, then at her raised eyebrow forced himself to use her stated rank, "Lieutenant. I am not your enemy here. Sev was acting against explicit orders, and he *will* be disciplined. I give you my word that you will be returned to Metropolis in perfect health, unharassed. However, we're in the middle of an urgent mission, and we simply cannot delay-"

She was looking entirely unconvinced.

"About a week ago," he explained rapidly, "the Lady Zara was kidnapped. She's the last of the royal family, and if she is harmed, it's almost certain that our world will slide into civil war. Besides, she and I - " Kal hesitated, unwilling to mention marriage while looking into Lois's eyes. "We are friends. I don't want her to be hurt. I have to go after her and get her back." He ran out of words, and simply let her read the truth from his eyes, holding nothing back.

She stared at him for a moment, then rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine," she snapped, finally lowering the pistol.

"Fine?" protested the older blond dancer. "Hey, I've got to get back to Earth before I lose my job! Without that paycheck I lose my apartment, and my rent is due soon. I don't have time for a joy ride around the galaxy!"

"Um, Kal?" Turning, Kal saw that the younger dancer - Melanie, he thought her name was - was looking at him bashfully. "You won't be too hard on Zak, will you? I mean, he didn't really do much..."

"Melanie!" Brenda scolded, "Just because you think the boy is cute does *not* mean he gets off the hook, here!"

"Oh come on, it was obvious he had no idea what was going on."

"He knew enough to herd us into this room, Mel; how innocent could he be? And quit your caterwauling, Francine; at least you've got a paycheck to go back to!"

"That's what you think - Johnny's not gonna like being left high and dry like this."

"And the high heels will make his feet hurt, so he's bound to be pretty grumpy," Lois murmured, to Kal's complete confusion. The others grinned at the comment. "But actually ladies ... I was eavesdropping yesterday, and Toni's taken over the whole Metro Gang - she escorted Johnny out under armed guard, and I don't think he was gonna be coming back."

That statement impressed the women into stunned silence for a moment. Kal let himself smile. Good for Toni.

"She was keeping it under wraps," Lois added at their questioning looks, "but you know he wasn't there last night."

"True enough," Brenda nodded. "Hmm... I guess it doesn't make any difference to me now, but..."

"Serves the bastard right," Francine spat out, looking as if she'd bitten into something nasty. "And forced out by his sister, too. Hah. Good for her."

"So, um, Kal..." Melanie approached him cautiously. "Do we get a tour of your spaceship?"

"So explain this to me again," Lois said to Kal, taking advantage of a relatively quiet moment. Kal had led them all on a tour of the ship, ending up in a room clearly designed for eating. The furnishings were subtly different than the cafeterias Lois was familiar with, but the purpose was plain. Kal had somehow produced food for everyone, then sat at one of the two tables. Brenda, Francine, and Melanie had clustered at the other, speaking in low tones. Lois had seized the opportunity to approach him.

Kal looked up. "I thought you'd want to eat with your friends," he said carefully.

Lois took that as tacit permission and sat down across the table from him. "I'm the ranking officer - sort of - and I wanted to clarify a few things. Like, you say you're off to rescue a woman who's been kidnapped ... except you seem to be carrying along a few kidnapped women of your own." Despite her resolve to not antagonize him, a note of derision crept into her voice. "Does this happen a lot on your planet?"

Kal winced. "No, definitely not, and I apologize again. Sev was acting against direct orders-"

"What, you felt the need to tell him *not* to kidnap anyone?"

"I told him not to have contact with the locals," Kal explained, a touch of annoyance interfering with his apologetic tone.

"And obviously that worked real well," Lois commented acidly. "For that matter, how do I know he wasn't following orders? I saw the way you were looking at me."

Kal flushed, his eyes narrowing. "Lieutenant, I apologize for the circumstances of your arrival on this ship. And I admit I underestimated Sev's audacity, but I have never-"

Lois held up a hand to ward off his apology, her momentary doubt and anger fading, washed away by the hurt in Kal's eyes. Nothing in his actions had earned him that accusation, and on some level she had known that. "I'm sorry; I'm angry right now and I got carried away. I know this wasn't your fault. It's just that I'm supposed to be on my way to a beach right now." She took a deep breath, calling on years of discipline to reign in her temper. This was not how she had planned to spend her leave time, but at least it was leave time. If they got back to Earth quickly enough, she might yet avoid a court-martial for going AWOL.

Kal took a deep breath as well, composing himself. "Your irritation is understandable. And I sincerely regret not being able to return you immediately, but that would delay us another day, possibly two, and I cannot be sure Lady Zara has that time to spare."

"What do you think her situation is, exactly?" Lois asked, forcing herself to concentrate on tactical analysis rather than spend any time wondering exactly how close Kal was to his 'friend' Zara. Kal didn't strike her as the type to have platonic friendships with women, not after the way he'd been so intensely focused on her during her song. Not that it mattered. At all. "Are they on another ship, a planet, what?"

He shrugged. "We don't exactly know yet. Nor took her away from New Krypton in his personal ship, but we don't know where they went. He owns several installations that we can search."

"And how long will all this take?"

Kal hesitated. "If we find her quickly, only a few days. If Nor is better hidden ..." He sighed. "If it takes much longer, I will return you and your friends to Earth."

"You hate the idea of it taking that long, don't you?" Lois asked gently. It was clear that he worried about his friend.

"I won't be satisfied until Zara is free and safe," he admitted, "but that doesn't justify further disrupting your lives. This week, right now ... there's an urgency. If we can find her quickly, she should be fine. Lord Nor is an evil man, but in a lazy way, if you see what I mean. He doesn't like to get his hands dirty; he prefers to manipulate and bully others into doing his bidding. He must be hoping he can persuade Zara to marry him."

Lois blinked. "Interesting method he's got."

Kal grinned briefly. "It's a political thing. New Krypton is a very formal society; you'd probably think us terribly constrained. But for hundreds of years, we have maintained peace among us by maintaining certain traditions. One of those is hereditary leadership."

Lois rolled her eyes. "I've heard of that. Whichever son is born first gets the crown, whether he's qualified or not ... that's a recipe for disaster."

Kal smiled. "We're not quite that unsophisticated. The leadership passes from father to son-in-law. Zara's father was First Lord of New Krypton, and whoever she marries will be, too. It's her choice."

"That's nearly as bad," she informed him. "What if she falls in love with a jerk?"

"Falls in love?" Kal asked, looking surprised. "It is her duty to choose the best available ruler; she has been brought up knowing that responsibility. Traditionally, her father would help her decide; unfortunately, he went to the stars about four years ago."

By the faint tinge of sadness around that last statement, Lois deduced that going to the stars was a polite term for death. She brushed that aside, annoyed by the idea of political, loveless marriages. It was beginning to look like New Krypton was a pretty cold society. At least there was some concession to merit over birth. Though perhaps not much. "So Zara's had to, um, interview all the men on New Krypton?"

"Oh no," Kal replied easily. "The noble class is not that large, unfortunately, so she's known most of us her entire life."

"Somehow I suspected that." Not only a patriarchy, but an oligarchy, too. She tried to remember instances in Earth history where oligarchies had been successful, but her memory failed her. "And I'll just bet that Zara's not allowed to do the job herself, is she?"

Kal looked faintly scandalized by that idea, and Lois rolled her eyes. "Sexist creeps."

Before she could launch into a diatribe about the evils of sexism, a motion in the corner of her eye distracted her; looking up, she saw that the mess hall door had opened. Kal's companion from the previous night was standing in the opening, staring tight-lipped and disapproving at the occupants.

Kal followed her gaze and startled guiltily. "Lieutenant Ching," he greeted the man, then stood and switched over to another language to continue the conversation.

Ching had difficulty comprehending what he was seeing. The mess hall was filled with colorful, chattering women. Accompanied by Lord Kal-El. For one confused moment, Ching suspected Kal-El of smuggling them aboard, and resentment flared. The Lord Kal-El was promised to the Lady Zara, and the least he owed her was discretion. But then saner counsel emerged; Kal had been with him last night, and had had no opportunity to arrange any of this.

Kal-El turned, alerted by his companion. "Lieutenant Ching," he said in English. Kal rose from the table and crossed the room to Ching. "We have a problem," he spoke softly in Kryptonian. "Although I trust it is manageable. These ladies were brought on board by-"

"Sev," Ching finished, now regretting his decision to let the crewmen stay at the club. Kal-El had been in command, true, but Ching knew better, and it had been his duty to recommend against leaving Sev unsupervised. "I'll kill him," he muttered, shame giving way to anger. In a louder voice, he said, "I apologize, my Lord. I should not have let him out of my sight."

Kal shrugged uncomfortably. "We were both at fault. And what's done is done. The ladies have - reluctantly - agreed to stay with us for a short period, so as not to delay our search."

That worry hadn't even yet occurred to him. "Very good." Still feeling off-balance by their presence, Ching began mental calculations. "We have extra crew quarters they can use if we all double up, and our supplies should be sufficient." He paused as another thought struck him. "Where is Sev?"

Kal's mouth twitched into a grin. "He's confined to his quarters - he was starting to regain consciousness when I left."

Ching blinked. He knew from his own practice sessions that Sev was a capable hand-to-hand fighter. "Did he resist your orders, my Lord?"

"He didn't get the chance," Kal told him, still looking unaccountably amused. "Lieutenant Ching," he said, suddenly switching back to English and turning slightly towards the rest of the room's occupants, "it is my great pleasure to introduce Lieutenant Lois Lane, of the United States Army. She's the one who flattened Sev."

Kal's former dining companion turned, and for the first time, Ching noticed that she had been drifting in this direction all through the conversation. Not that it would have done her any good to overhear it, unless she spoke Kryptonian.

"Lieutenant Ching," she greeted him in a cool voice, and Ching saw her face properly for the first time. She had changed clothes and hair style, but surely...

"Aren't you the singer?" he asked, bewildered not only by her apparent shift in profession, but also by the very idea of a female officer.

She made a hand motion that he assumed was a salute, but he was too confused to return it. He looked at Kal-El for assistance.

Kal-El was watching the singer. "Actually, that's a good question. What were you doing at the Metro Club, Lieutenant Lane?"

"Investigating the Toasters," she replied crisply. "Half of West River was burning down, and from the descriptions of their flame throwers, they could have been using stolen military technology."

Kal frowned at her. "What did you find out?"

"I never did find the Toasters," she admitted. "But I believe they were being directed by Toni Taylor."

The name meant nothing to Ching, but it was obvious it meant something to Kal-El. His face darkened. "Toni was involved? People were getting hurt in those fires! I can't believe that she'd -" He paused, sadness stealing over his face. "Or maybe I just never wanted to believe it. I wasn't supposed to get involved, and it was easier if I didn't."

The singer - no, officer - made an abortive movement towards Kal's hand. "There probably wasn't much you could have done," she offered in a soft voice.

"I could have-" Kal stopped himself, glancing at Ching, then continued in a more controlled tone, "There is always something that can be done."

Ching searched for a way to change the subject, uncomfortable with these careless displays of emotion; Kal-El had obviously been contaminated by his stay on Earth. Ching looked forward to seeing the effect wear off. "My lord, what shall we do about Sev?"

Kal-El turned his attention to Ching once again, his face sobering. "He will need to be tried and punished for his crimes. Possibly Zak, as well, as he seems to have been involved. It's a pity this ship is so short-staffed."

"We have enough for a trial," Ching replied, "and it should be straight-forward." The question of punishment was worrisome; they really couldn't afford to lose both crewmembers in the middle of the mission, but penalties could be delayed for later, if necessary.

Kal-El nodded. "Very well. Sev is confined to his quarters for now, and the ship is already on automatic pilot for this portion of the voyage. We'll convene the trial today."

"Abducted by aliens," Brenda said when they reached the privacy of their makeshift quarters. Francine and Melanie would share another cabin. Lois was just as happy with her assigned roommate; when Brenda wasn't in a state of high dudgeon, she seemed the most reasonable of the three dancers.

"I know," Lois said, still a little in shock when she let herself contemplate the revelations of the past few hours. "Seems unreal, doesn't it?"

"Sure does."

The reality of the situation was hard for Lois to grasp. She'd always been skeptical to the point of derision about the possibility of other life in the universe, and especially dismissive of the idea that this other life would be visiting Earth on the sly, observing for their own purposes. And yet that had turned out to be quite literally true, at least in one instance - according to Melanie, Kal had been around for several years. She had known that Kal, no matter how attractive, wasn't right for her, but to find out that he was an alien was mind-boggling.

Why had he been spying on Earth, anyway? Apparently, the New Kryptonians weren't planning an invasion this week, but Lois couldn't feel too certain about the week after. She missed the smug assurance that her planet was alone and unnoticed by any others, and was left feeling small and vulnerable.

That vulnerability, however, provoked feelings of annoyance, and she used that energy. She might not know their intentions yet, but after all, she was a trained Intelligence officer, and she was better placed than anyone else in the Army to gather data on this potential enemy. Some small part of her protested that categorization of Kal ... but she savagely shut it down. He might seem like a decent guy in some ways, but she didn't know him well enough to label him a friend. She would have to be on her guard.

She pulled herself together and applied herself to exploring the tiny room. There were two beds, one against each side wall, with a tiny cabinet between them along the back. The bathroom facilities were communal, and located down the hall, but Kal had promised them they would have the area to themselves. "I'll say one thing," Lois commented, opening the grocery bag Kal had given her, "Sev was very thorough about this. We've got a couple of different kinds of shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste ... even toothbrushes."

Brenda surveyed the collection. "Those aren't my usual brands, but I guess they're better than nothing. No make-up?" She poked through the bottles for a moment. "Oh well, he wouldn't have gotten it right anyway. At least there's deodorant." She looked up at Lois. "So tell me, what's up with you and Kal?"

Lois flushed, but managed to keep her voice calm. "Absolutely nothing. I'd barely even spoken to him before this morning - and he was pretty rude to me before."

"Uh-huh," Brenda nodded, a wicked gleam in her eye. "So why did you ditch us at breakfast?"

"I was trying to find out more about our situation," Lois replied with as much dignity as she could muster. She was suddenly unsure that Brenda would take the "ranking officer" idea very calmly, as Lois really had no authority over anyone, and civilians might not understand the burden of responsibility that came with the title. "You'll have to ask one of them about their political system; talk about neo-feudalism - not to mention their attitude toward women. This Lady Zara he's trying to rescue is sort of their Crown Princess; whoever wins her hand gets the whole kingdom - or planet, in their case. So they trip all over each other and she's just the pawn in the middle. Sexist creeps."

Brenda sighed. "As what's-his-name says - you know, the guy that Garner beat for President - I feel her pain."

It was very unfair of the universe - aided and abetted by Sev - to dump Lois Lane in his lap, Kal decided. He'd already given her up, had steeled his heart to forget her and had determined to do his duty by his people ... and yet, here she was again, tempting him. If he had found her attractive in her role as a dancer it was nothing compared to how her professionalism was affecting him. It was funny, really. She had dropped the exaggerated femininity of her onstage persona, but her body remained as shapely, and she was so poised and self-confident that she exuded a powerful allure all her own. She was also far more intelligent than he'd suspected, which delighted him. He had recently discovered a taste for lively conversation, and Lois was anything but intimidated by him.

The circumstances, of course, were just as bad as before, if not worse. One of the men under his command had kidnapped her, and the flush of shame at the thought almost extinguished his desire. He should have known, should never have left Sev alone ... should have controlled himself better. Now her life would be disrupted for at least a week, possibly with longer repercussions, and there was nothing he could do to fix it. Except proceed with the court-martial, of course. He would provide justice for Lois and her friends.

And then, perhaps... the long journey to their first search area suddenly seemed fraught with opportunities. Lois would be on board for at least a week, after all. She had seemed annoyed by what he'd told her about his world, but she just didn't understand; he would have to explain the interlocking duties and privileges, the way the strong were pledged to protect the weak. She was an officer; the concept couldn't be too foreign. Perhaps he could make his way back into her good graces ... perhaps even into her bed. It would be difficult, but worth it.

Kal tried to feel guilty at the thought of betraying his birth-wife, but he couldn't manage it. Zara and he were friends, true, but first and foremost they were business associates. Both dedicated to the good of New Krypton, over all. Noble wives were never jealous of concubines. Were they? He'd never really considered the matter before. Suddenly, he was convinced that if he were lucky enough to win Lois, she would be jealous...

If he were lucky enough to win Lois, he told himself, leaving the fantasy behind, it would only be temporary. She had a life to return to, and honor demanded that he take all the women safely back to Earth.

Still, a little voice pointed out, anything could happen in a week.

"This court-martial will come to order," Kal stated clearly, in English, then quickly ran through the formalities of establishing his authority as Lord of the Court, the name of the accused, and the charges. The secondary supply room had been turned into a court, since it was the largest unused space on the ship. Sev and Zak sat on a bench at the side of the room while Kal sat at the front, facing the makeshift courtroom floor. Lois and the dancers were present, as befit their status as victims and witnesses; they sat on the two remaining benches across the room from Sev. Ching stood, ready to perform his duty as prosecutor.

"Crewmen Sev and Zak," Kal addressed them, "you are charged with disobeying direct orders and kidnapping." Sev kept his eyes downcast, hunching his shoulders defensively, while Zak showed signs of bewildered panic. "You are further charged with assaulting an officer."

That startled Sev, and his gaze came up, disbelieving and defiant. "No, m'lord! Lieutenant Ching..." He sputtered to a halt.

Kal smiled maliciously. "I was referring to Lieutenant Lane, over there."

If possible, Sev's eyes got even bigger as he gazed at Lois, who very carefully saluted in Kal's direction, not at Sev.

"Now, let us hear from the witnesses." One by one, he called the four women to stand before him and tell their story. There were minor variations, of the sort that were inevitable in situations like this, but overall their stories were identical. "Thank you ladies, Lieutenant."

"Lieutenant Ching, have you anything to add?"

As planned, Ching came forward to list the extra supplies that Sev had purchased - supplies clearly meant for women and found nowhere on the list Kal had given him. "This establishes forethought, m'lord. His crimes were clearly premeditated."

"Indeed." Kal paused. "Zak, did you take part in any of this planning?"

"No, m'lord, I swear it," Zak answered in Kryptonian, better able to understand English than to speak it. "The first thing I knew Sev had anything in mind was at the club last night, when he started talking about recreation, and about the way you-" Blushing furiously, Zak stopped himself, looking down at the floor. "He said it'd be a good idea, m'lord, and that you'd like it, and well, they were just so pretty..." He trailed off in confusion.

"Your orders," Kal said gently in English, "were to look, but not touch."

"Yes, m'lord," Zak muttered miserably, emanating enough remorse that even the humans might be able to sense it.

Kal sighed, glancing at the humans. They seemed sympathetic, and Melanie was smiling encouragingly. Zak was young, and had been away from home a long time. His main weakness was following too blindly, but Kal was honest enough to know that blind obedience to one's superiors was taught by the class system, and reinforced by the military. "I pronounce you guilty. Your punishment will be fifteen days in solitary confinement. However, punishment will be delayed, and will commence the day you return to New Krypton."

Kal watched Zak's face as it sunk in that his homecoming, reunion with family, and chance to chase girls, had all been postponed, and tainted by disgrace. Perhaps that would make him think just a little harder next time about whose orders to blindly follow.

As Zak sank back against the wall in relief from escaping the spotlight, Sev stirred, looking more hopeful.

"Crewman Sev," Kal said softly. "Do you deny any of this testimony?"

Sev squirmed a little, then lifted his chin. "No, my lord."

"Have you any justification for your actions?" Kal glanced at Lois, who had completely lost her earlier expression of sympathy. Sev seemed to inspire only animosity.

"Well, you see, m'lord, it's like this," Sev began, his body language excessively submissive, even as he attempted to get his own way. "You didn't want any of the locals to know about us ... well, no one back on Earth knows a thing. So I didn't really disobey the *spirit* of the orders. And begging your pardon, my lord, but I saw how you were looking at that singer." He glanced slyly across the room, and Kal followed his glance. Lois was looking frostier than ever, and she shot a cold look his way this time, too.

"You kidnapped free individuals," Kal said, ignoring his embarrassment and trying to bring Sev to a realization of what he'd done. "Deprived them of their liberty - permanently, if you had your way. This is simply unacceptable."

Sev blinked up at him, the picture of innocence. "But, my lord - they are only women."

And that seemed like a fun place for a chapter break... next chapter will probably be longer and hopefully posted soon.