After landing aboard the starship in orbit, Shane, Keiko and Maddie were escorted by a crewman to the captain's conference room. As they entered, the captain, a tall man with a goatee and long red hair, with bangs that hung over his ocean-blue eyes, greeted them, his deep baritone voice filling the room. "Lady Takeda. General MacDougal. Welcome aboard the space pirate ship Bentenmaru!" He offered his hand to both, who each gave him a firm handshake. The captain regarded the young man with them, and walked over to him and gave him a bear hug. Holding him out at arm's length, he looked him over. "You look just like your old man," he intoned. "He was the best helmsman I ever knew. Come what may, he always steered our course true, and always got us home in one piece. He was a great man, and a great friend."

Shane was moved by the captain's words. "Thank you, Captain Kato. I still remember as a little boy, how he spoke reverently of you. I hope that one day I may be worthy of such praise."

"Why don't you visit the bridge?" the captain suggested. "Perhaps your brother will offer you the wheel."

"Yes sir!" Shane bowed formally, and headed for the door.

As he ushered the ladies to their seats, he tapped the comm panel. "Con, this is the captain."

A young woman's voice came from the panel. "Yes Captain?"

"Young master MacDougal is on his way to the bridge. Have him take the helm, and have Kane watch over him."

"Yes sir…" the woman's voice answered tentatively. "Did you want me to join you for the meeting?"

"No, Misa. I'll fill you in on the details later. You have the con." Actually, he had no plans whatsoever to bring his second officer in on the discussion. He had become very protective of her after her lover, his wife, Blaster Ririka had left the ship without a word a few years before. It wasn't until a year or so after she left that he'd heard from a friend of a friend that she had given birth to a precocious blue eyed, red haired girl. Her departure had left Misa spiritually wounded, and all of this that was happening now was just too big to dump on her. Though he never told her, he loved Ririka, and he knew that she loved Misa. He would protect her, no matter what.

He turned to the ladies seated before him. "Thank you for coming. We have a lot to discuss."

On the bridge, Shane looked out across the expanse of the ship's control center. Down at the helm was his older twin brother, Kane. Seated at the weapon control station was his deceased father's best friend, Schnitzer. Schnitzer had survived the shuttle accident all those years ago. Mostly. Enrobed in a cyborg body, he was enormous, yet somehow had retained the grin full of teeth that he had always remembered as a child.

"Shane, take the helm!" intoned the ship's doctor, Misa Grandwood seated at the con. She was Saldanan, but probably from one of the empire's colonies. She didn't have the typical imperial accent or the regal, imperial tone to her voice. One could never tell how old one of them was. She looked very young, buxom and curvaceous, wearing cropped, blond hair with blue highlights, mahogany-brown eyes and typical Saldanan green lips. She wore a peach scarf, and a space-suit compatible quick-breakaway body suit with the lacings along the side of her very fit and nubile frame. Kane stepped aside, and took a seat next to the comm engineer. Engineer Hyakume was a very old, Japanese man close to retirement, who would probably pass his job to his eldest son, as was typical with space pirates. The junior Hyakume was a comm engineer on a smaller pirate ship. Shane stepped up to the wheel, put a hand on it, and looked at Kane, who nodded his confidence.

"Take us out of orbit, Mr. MacDougal! Set your course for a swing around Sand of the Red Star!" Misa called out. "Aye, sir!" Shane responded smartly, not really sure if he should call such a handsome woman 'sir'. He took the wheel, steered a course to break orbit, and fired the engines. The enormous vessel thundered out of planetary orbit and off into the heart of the Tau system.

"Have you read my father's proposal, Captain Kato?" Keiko leaned forward in her seat, folding her hands on the table in front of her.

"I have, my lady," he replied respectfully, leaning back in his oversized chair. Keiko could feel the genuine respect in his voice, and see it in his eyes. It was nothing like the slimy toadying of the Stellar Military officers and school officials on Sea of the Morningstar.

"It's an ambitious plan," he continued. "But I would expect nothing less from such a man as Lord Takeda."

Maddie spoke up. "Can we count on you, Gonzaemon?"

He regarded the two women before him. He had many encounters with General MacDougal over the years, and her younger brother had been his helmsman. She had raised Mac's young sons after the accident. She was family. His friendship with Lord Takeda also spanned many years, and that made Keiko family. To a pirate, family was always first and foremost. He keyed off the data pad in front of them, sat back in his chair and calmly said, "No."

Keiko choked. "…Captain…No…?"

Almost at the same moment, Maddie also sputtered in surprise. "Whadya mean, No?"

He closed his eyes and gave them a moment to compose themselves. "It's too soon," he finally said resolutely, as he opened his eyes again to look at them. "With all due respect to you and your father, Lady Takeda, he wants to spring the trap before the prey has committed itself. If we do that, the enemy will run away and regroup. That will drive them deeper underground, and that makes them more careful and harder to fight. Maddie, you know the drill….and frankly, what all of you are asking me to do, at this stage…it's simply too much to ask of me. I have other obligations that I will not ignore."

Keiko forced herself to stay calm. "Captain, if it's too soon, if now isn't the time…well, we have time. We couldn't risk sending this to you via subspace or even a bonded courier…please take a look at this…" and she slid another data pad across the table to him.

Maddie tried to see what was on the display as it slid away from her. "..Is that..?"

"Yes," Keiko replied, knowing the question before she asked. "Yes it is."

Gonzaemon Kato examined the pad closely, swiping each page of data, drawings and specifications. "Impressive," he said thoughtfully. "How well known is this?"

"Right now, it's the best kept secret in the empire," Keiko said proudly. "Pieces of it are being built in various shipyards, but the final assembly will be at the secure shipyard orbiting Saldanus seven. But the keel's barely been laid…she won't be combat ready for a few years, yet…"

"What's she called?" Kato's curiosity was genuinely piqued.

"She doesn't have a name, yet. My father wants you to name her. And he wants you to command her."

Kato stroked his goatee, looking over the data again. Gravity propulsion. Big guns. Really big guns. Missiles. Lots of missiles. Massive FTL drive. It was a tempting offer. But he knew that the only way it could work would be if Gonzaemon Kato disappeared forever. It would mean the end of the Bentenmaru's Letter of Marque. He sighed deeply. He had been a pirate all his life. He didn't want to let it go. Still, he thought to himself, in a few years, there might just be another option. A little, precocious, blue eyed, red haired option. And Gonzaemon Kato always kept his options open. He could fake his death and blame it on food poisoning. Ririka, with her horrible cooking, would probably get the joke, and realize the truth, but he knew that she could handle it, and keep it secret. He looked up at Keiko and Maddie. "You know, one of the greatest navies on old earth during the age of sail held a vast empire, that spanned the globe, with one simple motto: 'Si vis pacem, para bellum'."

"If you desire peace…" Keiko began.

"Prepare for war," Maddie finished, both well versed in Latin.

Kato nodded. "I'll call her the Parabellum," he said finally. "But, I have terms. And they're not negotiable. I have promises to keep, and I have always kept my word, no matter what."

Maddie jumped in. "If we can help you to fulfill those obligations, if there's anything that we can do, or arrange…"

Kato waved his hand. "No. I made these promises. I have to see them through. I've already lost too many good friends by delegating my obligations. You both knew of Professor Mugen, yes?"

Keiko chimed in. "The hyperspace explorer, right? The one who disappeared?"

Maddie cast her eyes downward sadly. "Aye, I knew him. God rest his soul…" She suddenly looked back up at Gonzaemon. "Are you suggesting it wasn't an accident, then?"

Gonzaemon shrugged. "I don't know. But there's more going on here than just a simple attempt to overthrow the Empire. Whoever they are, they're trying to control, or even obstruct passage through the hyperspace. Think about the ramifications of that. And the situation in the Kingdom of Serenity is almost certainly being orchestrated from Orion."

Keiko and Maddie just looked back in awe and shock. They had not imagined the scope of this conspiracy, and perhaps even Lord Takeda had not, either.

Gonzaemon grinned. He had their attention. He reached over and handed a data pad back to Maddie. "General, sometimes the only real peace is found at the end of an ugly and brutal war. War is coming, ladies. Make no mistake. But it's good to throw the enemy a few curves to see which way he swings. And Doolittle swings like a girl….uh…no offense."

Both ladies chimed in unison "None taken!" as they examined the data, and grins grew across their faces as well.

"See that Doolittle gets that information. The more he has to work at getting it, the more likely he'll believe that it's legit, and it should make him think twice before trying anything too soon. And in the best case, he'll expose more of his hand in all of this."

Keiko raised her hand as something in the data caught her eye. "Theodore Group? As in Senator Coolph?"

"Dunno," Kato replied. "But it's one of three major companies controlling the Yggdrasil Group. I doubt that it's a coincidence."

Maddie gushed. "Gonzaemon, I think I know a way to get this into the right hands, and solve a wee little bit of bother down on the planet…all at the same time."

"I know that look in your eyes, General," Kato said reverently. "I'll leave it to you, then." He turned to the comm panel. "Con, position?"

Misa's voice came back over the speaker. "We'll be back in orbit of Sea of the Morningstar in twenty minutes, Captain."

"Fine," he replied, switching off the comm panel. "Scotch, ladies?"

Keiko and Maddie answered in unison. "Please!"

As he handed them their shot glasses, and poured his own, he stood. "A toast to you, General. You raised Mac's sons to become fine men. But one of my terms will be that Shane disappears for a time. I'd like to have him serve on one of my friends ships, in the rough seas of the outer rim, and develop his piloting skills."

The three downed their drinks, and the captain poured three more.

"I'll arrange it," Maddie promised. She trusted Gonzaemon, and knew that he had a plan in the back of his head. She knew Shane would be proud to be a part of any such plan.

"To the Empire!" they all shouted in unison, and downed their shots.