mephron@idt.net (Mephron)
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        "I stand before you today, people of the universe, to PROTEST!"
        The woman standing on the floating holopodium was young, a slender
girl who looked of barely adult age, with flowing auburn hair pinned into a
tail that fell across her back.  She stood rigidly behind the podium, her
green eyes flashing as she spoke; she wore a white jacket with ornate
epaulets and long tails over a pair of gray pants and heels.  "It is far too
obvious," she thundered, "that the United Galactica is preparing for WAR!"
        She paused, looking around at her audience.  "How can we possibly
condone the possibility of a war which will cost millions of lives?  We
simply CAN'T," she went on a few seconds later.  "This is why I am here, at
the heart of the United Galactica... to protest the actions of their war
machine, and to make sure no innocent lives are lost."
        She was delivering her speech from a small open-air platform that was
overlooking the gigantic central plaza of North Riezel's governmental region.
The sun was shining brightly down on the plaza, which was crowded with people
listening to her.  At the front of the gathering, in front of the podium, was
an assemblage of various media personalities pointing a forest of holocams
and minimikes at her... recording the event.  Exactly as expected.  "Now, I
ask you," she continued, "what does the UG have to gain from starting a war
with the Federation?"
        Most of the crowd didn't really reply, though a voice reached her
ears: someone had shouted "Nothing!"  She nodded.  "Exactly!  There is never
a way to profit from warfare, and the Council should know that!  We need to
ask the Council if they need to be reminded that war is always a loser's
gamble!
        "The Federation has mobilized its forces, though."  Relena
Peacecraft's voice lowered a few notes, gaining a somber tone.  "They are
currently on an extended exercise on the UFP side of the Frontier.  And maybe
- JUST maybe - we can keep it from turning into open battle and then a
horrible war that would hurt everyone on BOTH sides.  That's why I'm here."

        "So, Fleet Admiral, do you believe we can win?"  The blonde woman in
full UG naval dress uniform looked around the circular table, her face a
visible question mark.  Her eyes finally alighted on the silent form of
Koichi Ota at the 'head' of the table, his eyes hidden by the dimness of the
room and his mirrored sunglasses.  "This is exactly what we've feared for the
last decade - "
        "Doomsaying benefits no one, Captain Faisel," Goliath interjected in
his rumbling baritone voice from next to Koichi.  "However... we must not
rush into the situation with overconfidence ahead of us."
        Koichi finally spoke, for the first time in well over five minutes.
"We're not as prepared as I would have hoped," he said quietly, all other
talk stopping instantly.  "The problem is that our shipyards are severely
backlogged -  the ships that would certainly help us now won't even be ready
until the end of the year."
        "Those additional fifty ships would help," argued another, younger
captain.  "We've got the entire Federation fleet gathering right over the
Frontier, and we're still assembling our forces HERE!"
        "Group Captain," Goliath replied, "we are at about the same levels of
preparation as the Federation fleet.  We should both be at full strength in
another day or so, and Admiral Aznable would never attack with a fleet at
less than full strength."
        The captain nodded.  "I understand that, sir.  With all due respect,
however... they have numerical superiority."
        "Only by thirty-one ships, Group Captain Wilkes.  And those ships
are light frigates and destroyers, not battlecruisers."
        "Yes, but - "
        "Gentlemen," Koichi raised a hand, "please.  This certain line of
discussion - as lively as it has been - is useless.  We have what we
have...the ships at Point K and Black Oak, though, are being worked on
around the clock.  That gives us an emergency task force of twenty-four
ships, half capital... I've given responsibility for that to Captain
Lorraine, who assures me that we will have the additional ships ready in
three days."
        Faisel nodded.  "But, sir," she asked again, quietly, "can we win?"
        Koichi looked at her, then around the table.  Each officer's face
bore the same unanswered question, save Goliath's... even though they were
among the finest officers in the entire fleet, in fact these twelve
officers - the chain of command for the fleet - all looked to him for
guidance, for a tiny measure of confidence.  It occurred to him that this
was how officers had always looked to him, ever since he had achieved
command of any collection of officers.
        Even after over three hundred Standard years, nothing changed.
        Koichi finally answered, "If I were to say no, what would you do?"
He looked around the table, removing his sunglasses; his single eye slowly
narrowed to a slit as he stared in turn at each seated officer.  "But the
truth is that yes, we are NOT as fully prepared as we had planned.  Yes,
we are staring across the Frontier at a fleet that can destroy us.  But,
NO, I refuse to believe that will happen.  Traditionally, from a tactical
viewpoint it has always been the defending army that has the advantage.
And I am certain that we are powerful enough - in strength, and in the
strength of our own convictions - to stop Aznable's fleet.  It won't be a
textbook victory - in fact, it will in all likelihood be a costly one -
but we WILL prevail.  And that I know, in my heart."
        With that, Koichi rose from the table.  "Now, I need you all at
your posts.  We have an invasion to repulse.  Dismissed."

        Admiral Cima Garau looked out over her bridge.  HER bridge, for
now.   Until Grand Admiral Aznable arrived to take over command of this
ship and the fleet.  That was galling - she wasn't even allowed to keep
this new, magnificent ship.  But she would follow his orders.
        This lovely ship, the _Axis_, was to be Aznable's new flagship.
The _Destruction_ was a powerful ship, oh yes, but the _Axis_ had been
designed to take advantage of the sweeping developments in high-output
energy transfer technology made within the last year by UFP techs.  The
entire ship was a marvel of technology, nearly four kilometers of weapons
and armor protecting the most unique weapon the universe had ever known -
even Garau didn't know exactly how the reflex cannon worked, but she had
been present at the test firing over Einstein IV, and anything that could
carve an artificial riverbed into a planetary surface - from orbit - was
more than adequate for her tastes.
        Garau frowned, as the hairs on the back of her neck bristled.  It
had been happening to her ever since she had assumed command of the
_Axis_... something strange was on this ship, and she didn't quite know
what it was.  A glimmer she would sometimes catch from the corner of her
eye, something shimmering...
        Then it hit her.  Nesh'hazar!  He'd put at least one on board to
watch them.  That the Grand Admiral might not trust her.... that thought
had never occurred to her.  Then again, he trusted no one.  After the
capture of his prized scientist, Tomoe, who knew what he might be up to...
        Admiral Garau steeled herself.  No one would take the _Axis_ on
her watch.  She would bring the ship to the front, turn it over to the
Grand  Admiral, then stand back and watch him win his war.
        She smiled.  It would be glorious.
        "Admiral!" called one of the sensor techs.  "We have an spatial
fringe distortion forming beyond the escort fleet perimeter - something's
emerging from hyperspace."
        "Tell the escort fleet to stand ready, and prepare our own forward
secondaries.  Then get an identification on that in ten seconds."  Garau
kept high standards for her people... too high, some of her confederates
would say, but it was necessary.
        "Yes, sir.  We have the identification.  Hawk-class destroyer, the
UFP _Shang Tsung_.  We have a positive IFF response from it.  Records
show that it was late returning from a spinward patrol."
        "Hail it.  I want to talk to the captain of that ship."
        The comm screen came on.  The woman in the center was pretty, with
dark hair around her shoulders and one of the severe gray uniforms of the
UFP Fleet.  "Captain Kanzaki reporting, Admiral Garau," she said crisply.
"I apologize for the delay - we ran into a UG scout near the Frontier and
took some damage.  Took us a bit to get the engines running again."
        "Did it survive?" Garau asked.
        "No, Admiral.  We blew them to shards."
        "Excellent!  Well, Captain... Kanzaki, was it?"  The woman on the
screen nodded.  "We're waiting for a final systems checkout at this point
before traveling to the front.  I'm having the task force ship captains
travel here for dinner.  Will you join us?"
        Captain Kanzaki smiled.  "Thank you, Admiral.  It will be my
honor."  She saluted sharply.  "_Shang Tsung_ out."  The screen blinked
off.
        Admiral Garau smiled.  One more UG ship down.  How pleasant.
        Damn.  There was that shimmering again...


                 Studio Surrealism and The Gunbuster Project
                                   Present

                                  CHESSMEN:
                            ---------------------
                           CHECKMATE AND SACRIFICE

                      By Geoff Depew and Bill Crawford


        Kiyone turned around in her chair to me.  "Bingo, Max. It worked
like a charm."
        I grinned. "Well, according to the information that we got from
Koichi, Admiral Garau is one of the more, well..."
        "Intelligence-challenged," contributed Taison.
        "... admirals that we'd have to deal with.  And the IFF suite from
the REAL _Shang Tsung_ was quite a help."
        "Still," Youshou mused, "It seems strange that they wouldn't try
to identify us more."
        Taison leaned back in the pilot's chair.  "They probably figured
that there's no way in heck anyone would figure on sneaking into the
fleet like this.  It's a very stupid idea."
        "And, of course, we're doing it?"  Karin's voice had an edge to
it.
        "I never claimed we were smart, little lady."  Taison took a deep
swig from his ever-present jug and finished, "We're just good."
        "Teams?" Morobo grunted.  "I recommend leaving people behind."
        "I agree, actually," I said.  "Morobo, it'll be you, Farmel,
Karin... aaaaaand...damn.  Mihoshi."
        Mihoshi peered into the room, eyes large and curious as usual, and
said, "Who, me?"
        I shrugged.  "As 'Captain Kanzaki's escort team.'  Youshou and I
will be flight crew, with Daisaku as flight engineer.  Washu will be on
board, hidden.  Everybody else stays here.  I don't want anything even
remotely unpleasant sneaking aboard."
        "Is why stay?"  Ryuquir asked, her tail idly swishing back and
forth in Daisaku's face.
        "Yes, Ryuquir.  You, Junta and Savashtar are going to keep the
ship safe."
        "Actually, Max," Sav commented, "why AM I staying?"
        "Sav, you're obviously Serpenteran.  There's you, Goro, and maybe
two others alive in the entire galaxy.  None of them are UFP personnel.
Chances of them knowing that?  One hundred percent.  Plus tax, tip, and
donut fee."
        Farmel glanced at me, askance.  "I love you, Max, but this entire
donut thing is getting out of hand."
        "Ahem.  At any rate.  Let's be ready for this, people.  We have
three thousand meters of large, unpleasant weapon to turn into little
bits.  On the bounce, ladies and gentlemen and others.  Operation
Valkyrie is under way."

        The shuttle from the _Shang Tsung_ set down in the _Axis_'s
docking bay.  As the pressures equalized, the hatch opened.  Captain
Kanzaki stepped out, flanked by a Vargr and three women.
        She was met by a tall, dark-haired woman.  "Captain Kanzaki?" she
asked, in a voice that indicated her obvious superiority.  "Commodore
Quess Paraya.  I'll be escorting you to the banquet."  She obviously
didn't like it.
        Captain Kanzaki bowed in deference. "Thank you, Commodore.  I
appreciate that.  Should I leave my guard here?"
        The commodore looked over the four marines.  None of the others
had been allowed a guard.  "Yes," she said, "leave them here."
        Kanzaki nodded, then turned to address her guards.  "Remain here
until I return. Carnathas, you're in command."  The Vargr nodded, and
the two walked off to the dining room.  The guard walked back onto the
shuttle.
        Morobo unslung his helmet and tossed it on a seat.  "Max, Kiyone's
gone to the dinner.  We're clear."

        I turned around and nodded, then tapped a button.  A hidden panel
in the back slid open, and Washu peeked out.  "Are we okay?"
        "We're alive, Washu.  And aboard the _Axis_.  That's gotta count
for something."
        She nodded.  "Good.  I think I have some ideas about what to do,
but we'll need to get to the weapons control center to do it."
        As always, she was ahead of me.  I looked at Morobo. "Ideas?"
        "We have very little intel about the ship," Morobo replied.  "For
all we know, this entire place is blanketed with cameras.  However, they
have no idea we are here.  What we need to do is get to that room, and
let Washu do that voodoo that she do so well."
        We chuckled for a moment.  "Quiet or loud?"
        Farmel spoke up.  "Quiet.  We have Kiyone to worry about."  We all
nodded.
        "And we need to find a way to get Kiyone out..."  I thought for a
few seconds.  "Here's what we do, then.  Get to the weapons control room...
a tour of the ship, maybe.  Look starstruck, you two.  Washu, you're our
chief engineer.   I'm certain you can arrange something.  Then when you
get back, we call the ship, request a status report.  They know the drill
and they'll request that the captain return.  We fly back, we run, and it
blows.  Simple."
        They all looked at me like I was insane.  Then I heard a soft, dry
chuckle, from the vicinity of the hatch.  "Spies."  Damn me!  I hadn't
sealed the hatch, and we were so busy, we didn't WATCH.  I spun around,
ready, even as everybody else was pulling weapons out and pointing them
at the newcomer - a UFP commander in full dress, his hat partially
concealing his face.  "You would think there would be tighter regulations
for this sort of thing," he said softly, unfazed by the arsenal pointed
directly at him.
        Farmel smiled wryly, her pistol leveled squarely at the officer's
chest.  "The first prisoner of war," she quipped.
        The officer took his hat off, revealing a shock of black hair and
a pair of dark liquid eyes.  "Mr. Bishop.  I AM impressed.  Just getting
aboard?"  He nodded briefly at Youshou, who was standing in the doorway
to the cockpit.  "Hello, Grandfather."
        Farmel blinked in surprise.  "Masaki - ?"
        Tenchi Masaki, intelligence agent, smiled.  "At your service."
        I bowed to Tenchi.  "We did have help.  As I recall, you arranged
for us to have what we needed to get this far."
        He smiled.  "Well, yes, I did have a hand in that."  He turned to
the rest of us.  "Now, did someone say 'tour'?  I think I can help you
with that..."

        "To the destruction of the United Galactica fleet."  Admiral Garau
smiled broadly, raising her glass in a toast.
        The various ship captains she had invited for dinner were sitting
around a massive banquet table in one of the forward conference rooms.
Including Kiyone, who was sitting at Garau's elbow.  She smiled outwardly
and raised her own glass, as did the other officers, and sipped from it;
the warm rush of the wine hit her throat and moved on to form a calming
warmth in her midsection.  She inwardly commented Garau on her choice of
wines.  "To the UG fleet," she said, injecting a note of sarcasm into her
voice.  "And their last act."
        Many of the assembled officers laughed, including Garau.  She nodded
approvingly.  "Well said, Captain Kanzaki," she crowed.  "In a matter of
days, that fleet will drift in ruins through what will once again be part
of Federation space!"  She paused, taking another sip from her goblet, and
went on, "And things will be as they once were... as they should always
have been."
        Kiyone thought sarcastically, *You idiot.  You have no idea as to
how hard-fought a victory would be.*  Aloud, she said, "Still... with all
due respect, Admiral, the upcoming battle won't be an easy contest."
        Garau shrugged.  "Oh, but it will, Captain.  They have absolutely
no idea what's in store for them."
        "Really?"  Kiyone looked properly curious.  "Being on the Frontier,
communications with the fleet have been rare and noninformative.  What is
Admiral Aznable planning to surprise the UG fleet with?"
        "Among other things, the _Axis_."  Garau smiled broadly.  "This will
become his new flagship, once we rendezvous with the fleet at Sweet Water.
He has a plan, which he has told no one - except possibly Kagato, and the
President," she added.  "Once we reach Sweet Water, the fleet will receive
its orders of battle."
        *But you won't be there to see it.*  "That explains things," Kiyone
replied.  "Thank you, Admiral, for this dinner."
        "Think nothing of it.  I see nothing wrong with sending officers to
war... that is, once their stomachs are full."  Garau smiled broadly.
        Kiyone smiled back, taking another sip from her glass.  "Of course,
Admiral," she said.
        Garau leaned back in her chair, looking thoughtful.  "I wonder how
long it will take us to destroy the Galactica fleet," she mused, swirling
the wine in her goblet slowly.  "How long until we are in orbit around New
Eden..."
        *Never, Garau.  Never.*  "I'm sure," Kiyone said, "that our battle
with the UG fleet will be... historic."
        "Oh, of course it will!  It will be a glorious war!" Garau crowed.
        Kiyone managed, successfully, not to laugh.

        "... and this, Lieutenant Taki, is the heart of the _Axis_' power."
        Washu, Farmel, and Tenchi Masaki stood at a door flanked by a pair
of armored Federation soldiers.  Tenchi gestured expansively at the heavy
portal.  "The control room for the weapon that will without a doubt win
us the battle," he finished.
        "The reflex cannon control room?"  Washu sounded properly impressed.
"Is there any way I could have a look inside?"
        Tenchi appeared to think about it.  "Well... I've shown you most of
the rest of the ship," he said aloud.  "It probably wouldn't hurt--"
        One of the armored soldiers said, "Sir, no unauthorized access.  On
the direct orders of Admiral Garau."
        Tenchi looked shocked.  "What?  When was this?"
        "0400 hours, sir."
        Tenchi frowned, looking at the guard.  "We haven't even arrived at
Sweet Water yet!  Come on!"
        "I'm afraid not, sir.  No unauthorized access - "
        "Okay, Astonauge, you're looping here... "  Tenchi rubbed his chin.
"Now look," he said in a conspiratorial voice, leaning forward.  "You owe
me.  You owe me so many favors it's scary - you too, Hojo.  Besides, you
KNOW me."
        The other guard, Hojo, thought about that.  "Well... "
        "Besides," Tenchi said, "You know I'm clearance Lavender.  You have
to let me in anyway."  He winked, stepping back a pace.  "Now, gentlemen,
if you would... "
        Astonauge looked over at Hojo, the expression on his face hidden by
the visor of his helmet.  Then he looked back at Tenchi.  "Yes, SIR," he
said stiffly, saluting, then stepped to one side and tapped a control set
into the wall.  The massive door rumbled aside, revealing a small access
corridor.
        Tenchi smiled smugly, and stepped aside.  "After you, ladies," he
said with a flourish.  Washu and Farmel grinned back, and walked through
the doorway.  Tenchi winked at Astonauge as he followed suit.
        The reflex cannon control room was fairly cramped, about the size
of a large fighter cockpit.  It was manned only by two officers in work
uniforms, sitting at a pair of massive control consoles covered with a
dizzying array of status displays and monitor screens.  They didn't look
up as the trio entered.  *Good thing we ran into Tenchi,* mused Farmel.
*Check that... it's a good thing that he was here to take us through this.
Otherwise...,* Farmel thought.  She watched as the doors closed.  Tenchi
nodded.
        Moments later, the two men manning the guns were unconscious and on
the floor - Farmel had cold-cocked one, Washu had simply injected the other
with something.  As Washu's target fell onto the floor, she hopped up into
his chair and started tapping at controls.  Tenchi glanced over at her and
said, "You'll be wanting to set up some sort of accident.  You'll need the
new security access codes to get into - "
        Washu looked up.  "I think I have it."
        Farmel grinned.  Tenchi looked stunned.  "How...?"
        Washu just smirked.  "I'm special that way.  Anyway, to make it very
simple, I'm arranging a hidden power surge, like it was about to fire.
The fun part is that - " she tapped out a final sequence of commands, then
leaned back in the chair - "I disengaged the actual firing control systems
and safety discharge mechanisms."
        Farmel stared.  "My God."
        Tenchi swallowed.  "I guess this means..."
        Washu nodded.  "You're coming with us.  I'd hate to annoy Youshou
by telling him I let you get blown to bits."
        "I don't like that idea either," he replied dryly.  "How long do
we have?"
        "Half an hour to get clear.  Then in fifteen after that, this ship
is history.  By the time they notice the problem, there's not going to
be a way to stop it.  I set it that way."
        "Ladies, it's been fun, but..."  Tenchi bowed low.  "I think that
we should probably be going."
        Washu nodded, and slapped one last control with the palm of her hand.
"Let's go," she said, springing out of the chair.
        Moving through the security checkpoints was much easier this time,
since the setup was designed to keep people OUT, not from getting out.
The trip back to the shuttle was perfectly uneventful, thankfully.

        I looked up as Washu and Farmel entered the ship, followed by Tenchi.
"Mission accomplished," Farmel said.  Washu walked over to the compartment
she had been hiding in during the trip to _Axis_, opened it, and hopped
in, closing it behind her without a backward glance.
        I looked at Farmel.  She responded, "Don't ask me - Washu did it,
and it didn't make much sense.  But we've got," she checked her watch,
"about twenty minutes before this part of space gets very hot."
        "Just call me a passenger," Tenchi said by way of explanation.  "I
need a ride back to UG space, anyway..."
        Youshou was already paging "Captain Kanzaki" back to the shuttle,
and Karin and Mihoshi were in full UFP dress armor.  Mihoshi was pulling
on her helmet.  Backwards.  Karin sighed and helped her put it on straight,
then put her own on.  Then she flashed me a thumbs-up.  "Honor guard will
be prepared for the Captain's arrival."  She and Mihoshi walked out, down
the ramp... and I heard a thud, followed by a familiar squeal of surprise.
        The first thing that ran through my mind was *Oh, please, no.. let
her not have fallen, tripped, and given us away...*
        "Hey!  That's not a regulation sidearm!" someone outside cried.
        *DAMN!*
        I looked at Youshou.  He said, "I'll get the preflight going, you
get that taken care of."  I nodded and left him to it as I headed for the
hatch.  Looking down, I saw one FedMarine lying on his chest and another
on his knee firing.  Karin's blaster shot took him in the face, flinging
his headless body backwards.  Mihoshi was lying prone on the hatch ramp,
pointing her own pistol out into the docking bay.
        I spun around, and Farmel was standing there.  "Farmel... go get
Kiyone.  Then get back here in any way possible.  And I mean ANY way."
I hated saying it. I had to.
        And she knew both of those.  She nodded, and sprinted down the hatch
and out of the bay.
        Fifteen seconds later, there were a dozen more Marines and we were
shooting at each other.
        Youshou yelled back, "Max!  They're closing the hatch!"  Damn,
they were!  I did something I hadn't done in a long, long time.  Tenchi
was - there he was, facing away from me!  Good.  I grabbed one of the
blasters Kiyone had left behind, a wide-barreled one that I knew she was
working on.
        Then my jaw dropped, opening wider than any human jaw could.  The
tight-beam particle generator dropped into place from behind my nose and
upper palate, and I sent a blast into the mechanism, freezing it.
        "Good enough, Max!" I heard Youshou yell back.  Then I dropped the
useless pistol and picked up another, and started shooting into the mass
of Marines.  Seconds later, the hair on the back of my neck started
standing up.   Something was glowing green behind me.  I risked a look
over my shoulder to see Farmel and Kiyone materialize and fall.
        "Fall back!" I yelled, and they did, Karin just barely making it
in as the hatch closed.  Then we all flew backwards as Youshou hit the
power.  The shuttle blew out the hatch and we started to crawl forwards.
Then we started hitting the walls as Youshou went into evasive maneuvers.
When all was done, my head was pressed firmly into Karin's chest (not
altogether bad, but...) with someone sitting on my back, and my legs
hurting with someone on top of them.  As we disentangled, I quickly
looked away from Karin as I pulled away.  Ironically, Kiyone yowled from
somewhere behind me, "Hands OFF!"
        Morobo mumbled, "Sorry 'bout that..."

        Admiral Garau seethed, watching the destroyer escape into hyperspace.
Curse them!  Well, at least they hadn't achieved their victory.  The _Axis_
was still here, and intact, and it would keep moving until-
        A frantic beeping interrupted her.  "What is that?!?" she roared.
        The junior bridge engineer looked up. "I can't, sir!  The overrides,
the failsafes - they're inactive!  The reflex cannon is charging!"
        Her eyes went wide.  "Weapons Control!  FIRE!"
        No one responded.
        Admiral Garau's final act as captain of the _Axis_ was to punch
the junior engineer in the jaw.  He wasn't conscious for his own death.

        There was the sound of scraping again, and another surge of speed,
this one slightly different.  Then the shiver of what felt like a usual
transition into hyperspace.  We finally got untangled - to good-natured
commentary from Washu and Youshou - and headed for the hatch.  Savashtar
stood there, grinning toothily.  "Done already?"
        I smiled back. "Operation Valkyrie is a succ - "
        Then the entire ship abruptly shook, as if it were attempting to
pull off a cartwheel, tossing us all to various walls and/or the ceiling
again.   Washu, damn her, seemed unfazed by the thunder and shuddering,
not to mention firmly attached to the bulkhead she stood on.  She pulled
out one of her palm-sized computers and tapped it as the shaking subsided
and the _Fischer_ righted itself.  "Oh," she said noncommittally, eyeing
its display screen.
        I peeled myself off the port bulkhead and glared at her.  "Oh?"
        "Wow."  She nodded.  "Sorry. I hadn't realized a reflex cannon
blowing up like that would make a shockwave that big in hyperspace."  She
grinned, looking for all the world like the twelve-year-old she appeared
to be.  "Mea culpa!"
      I managed not to smack her.

      After a few hours, we popped back into normalspace just outside of
the UG fleet.  As per usual, we were directed to land on the _Gunbuster_
to report directly to the Admiral.  I had to admit, I liked this.  We were
outside the chain of command.  And telling most people to go hang - or at
least having the power to do that - was a pleasant feeling.
        The shuttle docked with the huge ship, and we got off as usual.
This time we were grinning.
        Koichi looked harried, and almost annoyed at our smiles.
        "Four capital ships, including the _Axis_, are now debris.  And we
brought you a prodigal."
        Koichi noticed Tenchi at this time, then turned to look at me.
"Do I want to know?"
        I shrugged.  "He was on the _Axis_, and Youshou insisted that we
bring him along."  Youshou chose that moment to smack me in the back of
the head.
        Tenchi saluted sharply.  "Lieutenant Commander Masaki reporting as
ordered, sir."
        Koichi returned the salute, then looked at him.  "For what you have
done in service of the Galactica, you should be awarded.  Unfortunately,
all I can say is this: good work," he said.  "Commander Blush has sent
her regards, and has lent you to me for the duration.  You are, therefore,
attached to the Strategic Intelligence Group aboard this ship as of now.
Your recent travels inside the UFP will prove most useful there."
        Tenchi nodded.  "Yes, sir."
        "Report to the SIG office on deck four in three hours.  Get a bit
of rest.  Dismissed."
        As Tenchi turned smartly and walked away, Koichi turned back to us
and nodded.  "A damned fine officer.  We need more of him.  Which reminds
me... Commander Bishop, who's your ship's captain?"
        I thought about that for a moment.  "That would be Youshou, actually.
He's the only one who has any actual experience in the military."  *Please
don't ask, PLEASE don't ask...*
        "Mr. Masaki, what military force did you serve in?"
        *... he asked.*
        Youshou straightened.  "Jyurai Royal Navy.  Granted, my experience
is somewhat old," he said formally.
        Koichi's lips flicked up at that, but all he did was nod.  "Good.
By United Galactica emergency battle directive one-four-seven-two, you are
hereby awarded the brevet commissioned rank of captain.  Report back here
at 1800 for Fleet Captain briefing."  He then turned to me.  "Max, for the
duration of this crisis..."
        I nodded.  "Understood."  Then I turned to Youshou.  "Do you accept
this responsibility?"
        Youshou nodded, as I knew he would.  "Of course."
        Koichi nodded.  "Let's go."

        "Welcome to the field of battle, ladies and gentlemen."
        Koichi stood to one side of the wall-mounted display that dominated
one wall of the cavernous meeting hall aboard the _Gunbuster.  In front
of him sat most of the captains of the two hundred and sixty-eight ships
that were assembled to form UG Fleet Groups One and Three.  Group Two,
which was enroute, was a hastily-assembled task force of seventy ships
under command of Koichi's protege, Rear Admiral Goliath.
        I sat next to Youshou, near the front of the hall.      As Chessmen
commanding officer, I was present at the Captain's briefing... but, this
time, as Youshou's adjutant.  It felt strange to be number two, without
Farmel or Sav at my side.  But Youshou knew fleet tactics far better
than I ever had.  Therefore.
        Behind him was a realtime strategic display of the region of space
designated by SIG as Vector Sigma One: the area most likely to become
the main battlefield for the war that was about to begin.  And possibly
end just as quickly.  It was entirely on the UG side of the Frontier
and was uninhabited except for a major communications and observation
station on the very edge of the Frontier.  UG space was delineated as
shaded green, UFP territory shaded red, and both were divided by the
winding black band that represented the Frontier.  It was this that
Koichi pointed at after a moment.  "Within thirty-six hours," he said,
"we will be at war.
        "This is REALTIME information we are gathering, from the Frontier.
The Federation fleet has assembled at their primary staging area, which
we know is here."  A set of crosshairs silently bracketed a small moon
on the UFP side of the Frontier, a small block of text appearing next to
it.  "We know this dead moon, code-named Sweet Water, is where they will
probably begin to come across.  Current ship count: three hundred and
twelve ships, one hundred and twenty-nine capital."
        A low murmur ran through the hall.  Koichi waited for it to vanish,
then continued his report.  "By all accounts, the UFP fleet will attack
at some point within the next thirty-six hours.  Most likely, within the
next Standard day.  From the moment this meeting ends, the fleet will be
on a constant battle alert status until they attack...and they WILL attack,
I promise you that.
        "The fleet will be divided into two main battle groups, Fleet Group
One and Fleet Group Two.  Group Two will be under the command of Rear
Admiral Goliath, and will consist of the Eighth, Tenth, and Fourteenth
Regional Task Forces.  Group One is the main battle fleet, under my direct
command, and shall be the force that will directly engage the Federation
armada - Group Two will be held in hyperspace until needed, when it will
jump out behind them and catch them in a pincer movement.  A secondary
subgroup of twenty-four ships is enroute to rendezvous with the fleet,
but will not catch up to us before we arrive at our destination.
        "Group One, which comprises all remaining active ships, is currently
enroute to our primary staging area at Vector Sigma One."  As he said that,
the strategic map zoomed in on a binary system on the very edge of the
Frontier, a system with one planet and a forward observation station on
the planet's only moon.  "You should all have your position assignments
by now.  The fleet must be in position by no later than oh-four-hundred
Standard time tomorrow," Koichi continued.  "Based on our intelligence
data we have set a tentative time period for the Federation attack which
is no later than ten hundred tomorrow.
        "Thus, we shall be prepared for their assault."  Koichi tapped his
cane against the deck once, hard.  "Our tactical position, though, has
changed significantly - due in no small part to the actions of our dear
Lady Relena Peacecraft of the Spiral Foundation, her positioning us as
the villains of the piece.  Thus, the existing battle plan is now still
the current battle plan."
        Most of the officers present, including Youshou, looked rather
puzzled at this statement.  Until Koichi finished it.  "But," he said
after a moment, "we will NOT use attack options one through ten.  The
fleet will adhere to attack options twelve and fifteen.  That should
provide enough of a difference to throw Aznable and his staff off, or
at least slow them down, once the battle begins."
        The strategic map blinked back to a view of the Frontier and its
nearby, surrounding space.  Koichi stood silently for a few seconds,
his head slowly tracking from side to side - he was looking at all of
the gathered personnel.  Finally he said, "Send status updates to the
_Gunbuster_ on the hour.  All final pre-battle reports by four-hundred
hours.  Questions?"
        There was dead silence.  Koichi nodded.  "Make no mistake, ladies
and gentlemen... we are in the fight of our LIVES.  Dismissed."

        According to the preliminary strategic ship placement charts we
were, thankfully, near the center of the fleet.  The _Fischer_ had been
assigned as one of the _Gunbuster_'s escort ships.
        Did I say "thankfully"?  Being in the center of the battle?  I
must be crazy.

        The other ships dropped out of hyperspace as we expected.  Another
24 ships, added to our own.  After that, Koichi looked slightly less
harried.
        The night before we expected the battle to begin, Savashtar,
Farmel, Washu and I shuttled across to the _Gunbuster_.  Since we had
Gold clearance, we were allowed to knock on Koichi's door.   It slid
open, revealing him sitting at his desk, looking worn.  More worn than
I'd ever seen him, poring over a report.  "Admiral?" I asked, quietly.
        He looked up.  "Oh," he said wearily.  "May I help you?"
        We stepped in, and the door slid closed.  "Actually, we wanted to
ask you that."  Savashtar stepped up from behind me, with the travel-box
in his hands.  He set it on a side table and opened it, then unloaded it.
Half a dozen delicacies from various worlds, as well as a vintage bottle
of champagne, came from it.
        Koichi looked briefly at the food, then back at us.  "Is this some
kind of plot to assassinate the commander of the fleet while his guard
is down?" he said in a perfectly deadpan voice.
        Washu grinned.  "I decreed you needed a break.  So I brought my
crack team of stuff-carriers."  She waved at us in a dismissive manner.
"You may go now."   We trooped out, and the door closed, then pinged into
privacy mode.
        Farmel, Sav and I all looked at each other and mumbled en masse,
"We don't wanna know."
        Walking back to the shuttle, Farmel looked at me.  "And what are
we going to do the rest of the night?"
        I grinned at her.  "Washu gave me her other bottle of Dom Perignon
2149."
        She aaahed, smiling back.
        We won't go into it.  Kids, you know.

        There is no dawn in space.  But the fleet was on a sync-Standard
clock, so we were up at the crack of Alpha Shift, waiting for them to
come out of hyperspace.  From the Fleet Captain's briefing, we found out
there was a web of no-fly generators in the area, keeping them from
getting through easily.
        Unfortunately, it made it hard for us to retreat, too.
        The first hint we had of what was going to happen was an
explosion, as one of the scoutships from the UFP fleet smacked into a
zone and detonated.   Then, the single largest emergence track I'd ever
seen appeared, and the UFP fleet practically boiled out of it.

        "Admiral!  The _Hummel_ has been destroyed!"
        Koichi spun in his chair, seeking out the eyes of Angelica Vanette.
"Report!"
        "Hyperspatial backlash generator, sir!" Vanette reported instantly.
"The forward ships are picking up trace energies... there are at least
forty of them ahead of the fleet."
        "Deploy drones," Koichi said evenly.  "Use them to destroy the HBGs,
then form a skirmish line ahead of the fleet at the border of the Frontier."
He turned to face a small holoscreen next to him, which was displaying the
angular visage of Rear Admiral Goliath.  "This is it," he said softly.
        Goliath nodded.  "We are in position," he replied.
        "Good.  They've managed to mine part of the Frontier with backlash
generators, so adjust your exit points to - " Koichi briefly consulted the
spatial map floating next to the holoscreen - "ten points inward, two left
and minus-five Z.  That should keep you out of trouble."
        "Good luck, Admiral."
        "To us all, Admiral," Koichi replied solemnly.  "_Gunbuster_ out."
        Goliath saluted sharply, eyes flashing ebon, and the holoscreen went
dark.
        Koichi stood alone on the flying bridge, gripping his cane tightly,
as the murmured noises of the main bridge became a din that rose to his
ears.  The destruction of the _Hummel_ had marked, for all intents and
purposes, the beginning of the war.
        Now, the voice of his strategic operations officer filtered through
to him.  "Admiral, we have a massive hyperspatial emergence track!  The
Federation fleet is dropping out of hyperspace!  Approximate central exit
point at Point K, coordinates - "
        Koichi cut him off.  "Display!" he boomed.  Almost instantly, the
giant main holoscreen lit up with a blinding white light which hurt his
eye; after a moment, the screen automatically dimmed to show huge dark
silhouettes moving through the white void.  Just as suddenly as it had
appeared on the screen, the void shrank to a series of glowing points and
vanished, leaving starships in its wake.
        A LOT of starships.
        "I need a COUNT, Mister Vanette," Koichi snapped.  "NOW."
        "Confirming," Angelica Vanette replied almost before he stopped
speaking.  Seconds later she added, "Current count, two hundred and
fifty-eight ships - correction, two hundred and seventy-four ships!
Half capital!"
        *Dammit!* Koichi thought angrily.  *How could we have been so far
off in our intelligence?!*  "All ships, alert status!  Move into defensive
formation!  Do not, I repeat, NOT engage the Federation fleet until they
clear the forward perimeter and attack!"
        "All ships responding," Vanette replied moments later.  "The fleet
is moving into defensive formation.  The Federation fleet has moved into
a forward assault formation and is moving across the UG border... wait.
They have halted their approach at one kilometer out from our side of the
border!"
        Koichi's lips thinned into a grim line.  "They've stopped?" he asked
tersely.  "Any communications attempts?"
        "No, sir.  They're silent."
        "Fleet status?"
        "Full alert and holding position."
        "They're testing us, no doubt."  Koichi frowned.  What in the hell
was Aznable doing?  A feint?  "Open a channel to the Federation fleet,"
he ordered.
        "Channel open," Brooklyn replied.
        "This is Admiral Koichi Ota of the United Galactica Fleet, to the
nearby Federation fleet.  Do not make any attempts to cross the Frontier
into UG space.  If you do so, we will regard such an action as an act of
war.  Return to Federation space immediately.  Close channel."
        "Channel closed, sir.  No response from the Federation fleet yet."
        "Ship movements?"
        "None as of - wait," Angelica reported.  "The Federation fleet is
moving into a retreat vector, away from us."
        "It's a trick.  Just track them."
        "Aye, sir.  So far they're holding to their course - Admiral?  We
have an incoming message from the _Arrow of Peace_.  Text only."
        "That's Relena Peacecraft's ship..."
        "Message reads: 'Finis.'"
        "That's it?"
        "Yes, sir.  'Finis,' f-i-n-i-s."
        "Terran French?"  Koichi paused, puzzled.  "Why in the hell would
Peacecraft send such a message in the middle of a fleet battle - oh,
blessed gods."  He spun to glare down at Vanette.  "Where is the _Arrow
of Peace_?"
        Vanette glanced down at her displays, then looked up at Koichi.
"Thirty-eight kilometers behind the fleet and closing, sir.  They are
transmitting a standard civilian transport IFF signal."

        Relena Peacecraft smiled sardonically, lounging in her chair.  The
hum of the _Arrow of Peace_ bridge had risen dramatically as the ship had
drawn closer to the rearguard of the United Galactica armada; now, they
were ready.  It was the last thing she would ever do, but it had to be
done.
        After all, she had to destroy the United Galactica in order to save
it.
        "Reflex cannon status?" she said lazily.
        "Cannon at full readiness," the FedNav weapons officer reported.
        "Target the rearmost vessel, align the cannon, and prepare to fire."
        Outside, the nose of the _Arrow of Peace_ seemed to split along the
horizontal axis, the upper half rising one third of the ship's height and
the lower half moving downwards the same distance.  It now resembled nothing
so much as an antique tuning fork, pointed at the UG fleet - only on the
insides of the 'tines,' an intricate series of clustered energy generators
and route conduits could be seen; they began to pulse with power, drawing
on the massive drive reactors for their fearsome energies.
        "Cannon aligned," the weapons officer said.  "Charging now... now
at thirty... forty... sixty percent charge and rising steadily."

        "Admiral," Angelica said, "we have a strange power signature coming
from the _Arrow of Peace_.  It has halted thirty kilometers behind the
rearguard."
        "How strange?" Koichi said urgently.  His insides suddenly felt ice-
cold and coiled around his spine.
        "It's far more powerful than normal, sir.  As in about four orders
of magnitude more powerful.  Perhaps a drive malfunction - "
        Upon later reflection, Koichi would never be quite able to figure
out why he had done what he had at that point.  He would chalk it up to
his natural sense of paranoia.  "Rearguard ships!" he shouted.  "Destroy
the _Arrow of Peace_ - repeat, destroy the _Arrow of Peace_!  It's some
kind of Federation Trojan horse!"
        Angelica's hands danced across controls, and she nodded.  "Rearguard
is moving to engage the _Arrow_.  It is holding position, and the energy
signature has increased another three orders of magnitude as of..."

        "Now," Relena murmured.
        Simultaneously, the weapons officer reported, "Cannon is now fully
charged."
        One of the other deck officers called out, "The UG rearguard ships
are changing course... they are moving to engage us - "
        "Too late," Relena said simply.  "Target the lead ship."
        "Targeted," the weapons officer replied.
        "So much for their ideas of war," Relena said.  "By all means...
fire."
        In the emptiness of space, the _Arrow of Peace_'s nose seemed to
vanish in a swelling glow of bluish-white energy, a field effect that
seemed to spark and twitch as it gathered itself at the extreme forward
edges of the vessel.  Flashes of light ran the length of the bisected
nose of the ship, rushing to the front where they added to the growing
ball of awesome power that would be soon released on the UG ships, which
were still turning to engage them.  In the near distance, small gray
forms moved through the night.
        And then the ball of energy became a blinding, searing beam that
lanced out like a searchlight from the nose of the _Arrow of Peace_, an
incandescent flash that sought out the rearmost of the UG vessels and
engulfed them.  The half-dozen ships that had been caught in the beam
appeared to simply melt away in the face of energies far more powerful
than the alloys and plasmers that had been used to make them.

        This event did not go unnoticed.

        "Admiral!" Angelica Vanette shouted over the din of alert klaxons
on the bridge.  "The _Arrow of Peace_ fired some kind of energy weapon!
Power output readings are OFF THE SCALE!"
        Koichi thundered, "DESTROY THAT SHIP!"  Relena Peacecraft had now,
after all these years, finally revealed her true colors - it was cold
comfort now to know he had been right, now with the Federation fleet
sitting across the Frontier watching her punch a hole in their defenses!
        Damn it to hell... the FLEET!
        Almost on cue, Angelica reported anew - but this time there was a
slight catch in her voice, a nervous hesitation.  "Admiral Ota... " she
said.
        Koichi looked at her expectantly.  After she didn't reply, he said
in an impatient voice, "What is it?"
        His operations officer looked up at him.  All the color had drained
from her face.  "The Federation fleet is moving across the Frontier," she
said in a quiet voice that still silenced the entire bridge.  "In attack
formation."  The look on her face said it all - *This is it.*
        Koichi himself paused for a long moment.  It all made entirely too
much sense now - the _Arrow of Peace_ had been just another UFP warship,
a Trojan horse that slipped through their defenses.  And now, they were
paying for not noticing it.  And now the battle would be joined in earnest.
        For the briefest of moments, the thought that he would not survive
the day echoed in Koichi's head.  And then he pushed it aside - *NOT on
my watch!* - and made a sweeping gesture that ended with his pointing at
the main forward viewport, out at the fleet that he couldn't see but knew
was coming to try to kill him.  "ATTACK!" he cried out.  "Divert ten ships
to engage the _Arrow of Peace_ from the rearguard!"
        Outside, legions of fighters of every known UG design screamed
around the central ships of the UG armada to reinforce the forward skirmish
lines.  Capital ships moved into new positions within the fleet as did
their outer, screening ships... the fleet was shifting into an elliptical
formation that stretched for kilometers, into a mode better suited for
defending from the invaders barely a kilometer away.

        "Lady Relena did her job."  Kagato idly brushed at the lapels of his
coat.  "She should be commended."
        In the massive throne-like chair at the rear of the bridge of the
_Destruction_ Char Aznable nodded thoughtfully.  "When we end this," he
assented, "she shall be remembered for her devotion to the Federation...
And she shall be honored."  He pointed at the small holoscreen next to
his chair, which was displaying an elongated strategic overview of the UFP
fleet as it moved to engage the UG ships.  "For her assistance in helping
to bring the Galactica back into the embrace of the Federation."  He
smiled behind the golden mask he was wearing, an angular and ornate
incarnation of a domino mask with flanges that extended down the sides of
his face to his chin.  "Fleet status?" he said languidly.
        "Moving to engage," his chief weapons officer replied crisply.  Out
beyond the _Destruction_'s viewports, the dark green and gray hulls of
capital ships could be seen pushing past the flagship and across the
Frontier accompanied by huge waves of fighters.  At last, the moment of
retribution was at hand.
        The thought brought a smile to Char's face.  It had taken nearly
thirty years, but finally he would be able to make Koichi Ota see his
great mistake.  *I wonder if he regrets leaving the UFPN now,* he thought
sarcastically, one hand tracing a line across the strategic overview
display between the UFP and UG ships that were displayed as green and
red dots, respectively.  "All ships engage the UG fleet," he ordered.
"Destroy their forward lines, and push on until their flagship is
ours!"

        I stood behind Youshou, who sat in the captain's chair.  I admit
to a small twinge at that, but... he was the captain for this particular
mission, not I.  It felt strange.  "Daisaku," Youshou said evenly, "your
status."
        "Robo's ready for launch," Daisaku replied.  His voice, even through
the com system, sounded hollow and flat; that was a sign that he was mostly
in Robo, not really in his own body.  It was almost an afterthought for
him to do just about anything except talk when he was linked up.  "The
Feds... they're coming, Youshou," he added after a moment.
        "Is the communications array still operational?"  Youshou referred
to the forward observation station, built into the surface of an asteroid
that had become the only moon orbiting Vector Sigma One.
        "Live and direct," Farmel answered from the com station.  "It's still
broadcasting observation footage."
        "On screen."  Youshou leaned forward in the captain's chair, as the
transparent holoscreen winked into existence overlaid on the forward ports.
It was showing a stretch of empty space, marked by a small sliver of rock -
the asteroid that the outpost and array had been built into the surface of.
        Suddenly wedge-shaped forms, their tails lit by the white flames of
high-powered drives, began rocketing past the camera's position in almost
solid waves.  They were moving at speeds that would make it difficult for
a normal person to track them without sensor gear; for me, it was fairly
easy to pick out the silhouettes of just about every type of fighter the
UG had ever made, from Lancet drone gunships to Blossom-class jump fighters.
As the sparkling white thruster tails disappeared into the distance, the
forward ships of the main force began moving past the array, great grey
and silver hulls gleaming in the light from the distant binary suns.
        And off in the distance, in the direction the fighters had vanished,
small lights could be seen appearing and disappearing at an increasing
rate.  Explosions.  The two forward lines had engaged in battle; the rest
of the fleets would soon follow.  Words suddenly seemed so useless.
        All anyone could say was Savashtar, who whispered, "By the halls
of the Shokan..."
        But the fleets were matched.   That was our only hope.

        "The fleet has just engaged the Federation armada," the sensor tech
reported.
        Biko Daitokuji stood alone at the rear of a cavernous chamber, filled
with technicians and naval officers.  It was the United Galactica's Command
Operations Center, a massive facility buried some forty kilometers beneath
the streets of North Riezel.  She was wearing her full dress uniform, a
black skirt and white blouse under a black jacket, and a frown creased
her brow.  "Okay, initial projections," she ordered.
        Nearby, a captain spoke up crisply.  "Initial projections: eight
ships destroyed or incapacitated within the first ten minutes.  Further
twelve ships destroyed or incapacitated within following twelve minutes.
Proportional from then forward."
        Biko scowled.  "Federation armada positions?"
        "Spearhead formation, left flank variance."
        "Fleet position?"
        "Adjusted to compensate.  Right flank forward, reinforcing ships
are diverting from midfleet positions.  The rearguard assault on Relena
Peacecraft's ship was successful."
        "DAMN her!" Biko spat out.  The sneak attack had destabilized the
rearguard enough that reinforcing the fleet if things took a turn for the
worse could become impossible... if the Federation fleet managed to punch
a hole through their lines, there would be fewer ships to reinforce the
rear.
        In one swift stroke, Relena Peacecraft had altered the odds.  Just
enough that things were no longer as certain as they had been.
        Biko wished she were here, so she could strangle her with her bare
hands.  A moment passed while she composed herself enough to get out one
more sentence.  "And what about the Council's transmission to Earth?"
        "No response as of yet, sir," one of the strategic communications
techs said. "But the signal hasn't reached the Terran system as of yet."
        "Right," Biko said absently.  "Anything from Minister Lambert,
Ministers Magami or T'kyr'dt?"
        "Minister Magami is enroute and will arrive within fifteen minutes.
The other Ministers are still in emergency session."
        "And yet," Biko said sourly, "they had the time to transmit a
priority
signal, to EARTH, asking for a possible territory negotiation.  Damn it,
the battle has only started!"  She glanced up at a holoscreen dominating
one of the walls, this one a strategic overview of the Vector Sigma system
including the Federation and UG ships that had just begun to fight each
other.  It was out of her hands, and that angered her beyond measure.
Either way, she was not in control any more.
        "Koichi," she said under her breath, "I really hope you're in top
form today..."

        Koichi had an iron grip on the arms of his chair, as the _Gunbuster_
rocked to port from a barrage of weapons fire.  "Forward lines, FIRE!" he
roared over the din on the bridge.  "Launch fighter groups fourteen through
twenty-two!"
        An electric crisscross of energy bolts cut through the space around
the ship, lighting the bridge with brief and eerie flashes as if multicolored
lightning were striking all around it.  Angelica Vanette shouted over the
noise, "The fleet right flank is weakening!  The _Kim_ and the _Black Lily_
have been destroyed!"
        Koichi held down his most prized epithet.  The Federation ships were
bigger, more powerful, but slower - and they had STILL managed to take out
some of the ships on the fringes of the front line.  "Move the _Gibson_,
the _Torie_, and their frigate cover to reinforce the flank!" he snapped.
"Align fleet on new heading, one-seven-four, and move the right flank
forward!"
        "Aye, sir," Vanette replied quickly.  "_Gibson_, _Torie_ and cover
ships are moving to compensate on right flank... fleet is angling to one-
seven-four, and the right flank ships are moving ahead."
        Koichi struck a switch on the arm of his chair.  "Dreadnoughts, form
skirmish line centered on Defense Point One," he said.  "Ready missile
and drone launchers.  Forward accelerator batteries on standby."  He hit
the switch again.  "Angelica," he said, "pull the fighter lines back to
Defense Point One on my mark... MARK!"
        "Fighters returning to Defense One," Vanette reported seconds later.
It was still too long for Koichi's taste, but that was the nature of warfare.
        "Target the heavier Federation ships."
        "Forty-five ships targeted."
        "Dreadnoughts...launch missiles and drones!"
        A series of massive flashes of light illuminated the _Gunbuster_
bridge once more.  Outside, some of the biggest ships in the fleet seemed
to almost disappear in the smoky contrails of missiles being launched,
forming a huge series of white streaks that corkscrewed away from the UG
fleet.  Hundreds of missiles and drones, all seeking new homes in the
hulls of Federation vessels, vanished towards the front lines.  "Missiles
away!" Vanette said.
        "As soon as they cross Defense One, have the fighters sweep in behind
them and around them.  We'll give them a lot of fast things to try and
shoot at."
        "Missiles nearing...they're across Defense One.  Fighters falling
in behind the missile wave..."

        "A second wave of fighters is crossing the UG forward line!  ETA in -
"
        "All ships, open fire."  Char folded his arms.  "Destroy the second
wave."
        "All ships firing, sir," the sensor tech said.  "Surviving fighters
incoming... ETA in ten seconds!"
        "Will the decoy ships take the majority of the attack?" Char asked
evenly.
        "Yes, sir!  Fighters tracking on - no, wait - they're MISSILES,
sir!  Missiles incoming!"
        The serene expression disappeared off Char's face in an instant.
He shouted, "WHAT?!?  Cover ships, fire!  Destroy the - "
        Forward of the _Destruction_, the missiles that had managed to
survive the fire from the Federation ships found their targets and
obliterated them.  Silent flowering explosions lit up the void, and the
ships that moved through it.
        "Majority of decoy ships destroyed or heavily damaged," the tech
said.  "Sensor readings indicate thermonuclear detonations among the
missile impacts.  The UG fighter wave is incoming!"
        "Nuclear weapons!" Char spat out.  He hadn't expected Koichi to
use such weapons this early in the battle; it showed that Ota wasn't
taking any chances, was playing most of his cards.  He had expected no
less.  "Open fire!  Target the forward ships in the Galactica fleet and
wipe them out!"
        "Destroyers and heavy frigates firing, Admiral!" the chief tactical
officer said a moment later.  "UG fleet is shifting position to place
strain on our left flank!"
        "Pull the left flank back and use our center ships and fighters to
cut off the ships they THINK they will use to cut through our defenses.
Let the midguard cut the stranded ships to ribbons and reinforce the
center."
        "Yes, sir!  Center groups moving to isolate... "  The tactical
officer reported after a few long seconds, "Seven UG ships cut off and
engaged."  He looked up at the Federation commander and smiled smugly.
"All seven ships have been destroyed."
        "Good work," Char said.  "Groups two and four, shift to spearhead
formation and punch a hole through the UG line.  Use missiles to cover
their advance."

        This was not a day to be fondly remembered, Naoko Faisel thought,
as the UGNV _Kuonji_ shifted hard to starboard.  The tactical officer
shouted over the noise of the fire suppression systems on the bridge,
"The Fed fighters--they're coming back for another pass!"
        Faisel shouted back, "Dammit, where are our weapons?!?" even as
the quartet of small Federation fighters swept past the viewports set
around the bridge.  The electrical fires were under control for the
most part - they had taken massive damage from the attack by four of
the Federation destroyers on the front line that had managed to break
through their defenses, but had given as good as they had got and two
of those ships would not be returning to Federation space.
        Damn right, an eye for an eye.
        And now, they had been ordered to reinforce the right forward
flank of the fleet.  They had lost one of the bigger ships right off
the bat to a concentrated barrage from two of the destroyers after
wiping out their fighter cover; in the wake of that, they had begun a
short-lived series of heavy weapons firing waves at each other, which
resulted in the destruction of one of the ships and the crippling of
the other.  But the _Kuonji_ didn't make it out unscathed... a power
feedback blew out two of the main power conduits on the bridge, and
they were fighting with the equivalent of periscopes and radar.  And
the weapons control systems were down.
        A goddamned lousy way to fight a war, Faisel thought.  "I NEED
those weapons, Guns," she shouted.  "NOW!"
        The tactical officer waved some smoke out of his face.  He had
been near one of the conduits when it exploded, and blood covered a
fair portion of his face, but his eyes were still narrowed with angry
concentration.  "I'm WORKING on it, sir!" he replied tersely, bending
over the weapons console.  "We're trying to reroute the - "
        "Don't talk about it!  Get it done!"  Faisel hit the intercom
button on her chair.  "Engine room!  Status!" she called out; after
a few seconds, when nobody replied, she snapped again, "Engine room!
Report!"
        An instant after that, a deep rumbling shook the entire ship...
Faisel managed to hold on to her chair as the _Kuonji_ all but tried
to do a forward dive, but she saw two of the bridge techs go flying.
One of them crashed into the side of the weapons console hard enough
to dent it, an obscene snapping noise punctuating the collision.  He
flopped to the floor, a heavy trickle of blood flowing from a tear in
his forehead, and Faisel knew he was dead.  Half the bridge crew was
dead now, and the other half was being supplanted by auxiliary crew
and trying to do at least two jobs at once.  *God DAMN you, Aznable,*
she thought furiously, dismissing the vision of the dead lieutenant
as best she could.  "Engine room!  Emergency report, now!"
        "Bridge... " came a voice almost before she had finished, the
voice of the assistant chief engineer.  He sounded terrified; Faisel
wondered if Federation troops had boarded for a moment before he
went on.  "Bridge, this is Assistant Engineer Darius!  Main drive is
gone!  Drive reactor three... it, it blew up, Bridge, it blew up and
we lost everybody working on it and - "
        "Understood," Faisel cut him off.  And she hated doing it.  "I
need main power back online immediately, Darius.  We've got to get it
together here.  Are the other reactors damaged?"
        "I... I don't know, Captain Faisel... "
        "Then do an assessment and get back to me.  Out."  Faisel hit
the intercom button again, and held back what would have been a record
string of expletives.  Darius was just barely out of training, and he
was NOT ready for battlefield conditions - if only they hadn't taken
as much damage...!
        "Captain," the officer manning the remaining sensor station said
a few seconds later, "we have two Fed frigates coming at us on attack
vectors.  Weapons are fully charged and locked."
        Faisel grimaced.  Defenseless, wounded - she did not plan to go
out of the battle without one last fight.  "Maneuvering thrusters on
full power," she ordered, sitting ramrod-straight in her chair.  "I
want to see their goddamned eyes when we run down their throats.  All
thrusters, NOW!"
        "Thrusters firing, Captain," the helmsman reported somewhere in
the smoke and flashing battle alert lights.  "And, Captain - I'd like
to say it's been nice serving under your command," she went on, with
what sounded like a laugh.
        Faisel had to laugh as well.  Battlefield humor at its finest.
"You're lying, Hiyama," she shot back, "but thank you anyway."  She
straightened her uniform jacket.  "Let's go," she finished.
        "We're moving, Captain.  Slowly, but we're moving.  Now on an
intercept course with the leading frigate.  ETA, twenty seconds."

        "The UG ship is moving in on a suicide course, Captain!"
        "All guns, fire!"  The captain of the UFN frigate _Vincent_ took
a moment to brush his shoulder-length brown hair out of his face.  The
UG ship had survived an engagement with two of their bigger ships, but
not without its own share of damage - and he was going to make sure it
didn't survive THEM.  "Target their forward section and engines!  That
will make an excellent prize to take with us!"
        "Aye, sir," the weapons tech said instantly.  The ship vibrated
slightly as the forward particle beam arrays began firing in perfectly
synchronized volleys, tightly-clustered bolts of purple energy cutting
through the void to carve even greater rifts in the hull of the huge
UG ship.  "All guns firing.  Major damage to the forward section of
the UG vessel," he reported shortly afterwards.  "It's still coming!"
        "Ready combined barrage," the captain barked.  "Target the main
engines!"
        "All guns linked and on standby, sir!  Target locked!"
        The captain smiled broadly.  Nothing like the destruction of
one of the UG's bigger ships to add some entertainment to his day.
"All guns," he said dramatically, "fi-"
        He was cut off as the _Vincent_ suddenly rocked to port, klaxons
going off across the bridge.  "What was that?!?" he shouted.  "Report,
damn it!"
        One of the senior bridge officers looked back at the captain and
did just that.  "Sir, we just took a hit on our stern, starboard drive
section!  It's been blown open!"  She briefly glanced down at a console
in front of her, then went on.  "We have taken considerable damage to
that area, sir!"
        "Was it a UG ship that got behind us?!" the captain demanded.
        "No, sir!  No UG ships detected behind us - wait!  There is an
unidentified object behind us, moving at an extreme rate of speed..."
The bridge officer looked at her console again, and frowned back at
him.  "It's registering as an unknown ship, sir," she said.  "But it
is too small for any type of warship--a shuttle, or a cargo transport
possibly, but not a warship!"
        As she finished saying that, the ship rocked again, this time to
port.  The captain glared down at her.  "It's got to be some kind of
UG ship, one we haven't seen before!" he snapped.  "Destroy it now!"
        And then the UG captain, as he glared out the forward viewport
at the UG ship he knew was there, saw something that would haunt him
to the end of his days: a broad shadow, moving almost too fast to be
tracked, that darted across his field of vision and out of sight.  A
moment later it was back, but it had substance and form and was right
in front of the main viewports - a machine of some sort, but it was
HUGE - a humanoid robot of some kind, that was actually looking into
the bridge!  The thing appeared to look almost... sad, even as it was
rearing a fist the size of a light fighter back in a move the captain
recognized instantly and which filled him with a sudden, final, and
grim realization: that he was about to die.
        The last thing he saw was the huge armored fist smashing through
the forward viewport, instantly crushing one of the bridge techs as it
moved.  And then he saw nothing else, forever.
        Robo finished tearing the bridge out of the ship.  Then, as the
vessel slowly began to drift, it gently bobbed away from it and spun,
then rocketed away on the twin fires of powerful engines towards a new
Federation ship moving towards it.  Spinning to avoid incoming fire, it
darted towards the capital ship's drive section...

        "Admiral, we've lost three capital ships on the front line!"
        Aznable blinked behind his mask/helmet.  "Damned Galactica ships,"
he replied angrily.  "Which UG ships were responsible?"
        "It's a small ship of some kind, something that isn't registering
as any kind of known UG design," the chief strategic officer commented.
"It appears to be...humanoid."
        Aznable's good mood had slowly dissipated over the last hour or so
since the battle had begun.  Now, it completely vanished with that news.
"How large is it?" he demanded.
        "Sensor scans indicate it is approximately sixty meters in height,
sir."
        Aznable looked over at Kagato.  "That damnable machine of Kusama's
is out there."
        Kagato looked up from the display device he was perusing.  "Robo?"
he said.  "The Chessmen are working for Ota?"  This was news!  And news
of a most interesting sort!
        Aznable nodded, frowning.  "I wasn't expecting to have to do this
this soon..."
        "Ota IS a formidable adversary."
        "...but he has to be shown his errors."  Aznable folded his arms.
"Alert the fleet," he ordered.  "Prepare to execute Maneuver Violet One
Five."
        The strategic officer looked back at Aznable in surprise.  "Sir?"
        "You heard me.  Maneuver Violet One Five.  Send the order."
        "Aye, sir," the strategic officer replied, turning to his console.
        Kagato commented quietly, "Do you think this will work?"
        "It will draw his backup forces out.  And that's what we need now,
to have all his cards on the table."  Aznable smiled expansively, waving
one hand at one of the holoscreens.  "So we'll have to play ours ahead
of schedule."
        "I don't think there's any harm in that," Kagato replied.
        Aznable nodded, just as the strategic officer reported, "All ships
report ready.  The fleet is standing by."
        "Very well," the UFP commander said.  "Commence maneuver."
        The UFP fleet, even though it was taking fire from the UG vessels
scant thousands of meters away, had quietly gathered itself into a huge
coherent single mass of ships in a roughly ovoid pattern.  Now, a dozen
ships broke off and slowly moved towards the UG front lines.  "Splinter
group breaking off and proceeding on approach paths," came the initial
report from the strategic officer.  "Broadcasting prerecorded surrender
message on all frequencies."
        "Excellent," Kagato said sharply.  "How is the UG fleet responding
to the message?"
        "No significant fleet movements as of yet."
        Aznable nodded.  "Open fire on the splinter group.  Fire at stern
drives and weapons arrays only," he ordered.
        "Forward ships firing, sir.  Minimal damage being inflicted."
        Aznable folded his arms.  "And what is Ota doing now?" he asked,
already knowing the answer.
        The strategic officer looked back at him.  "Part of the UG fleet
is breaking off and shifting left forward to protect the splinter ships
from us," he reported.
        Aznable couldn't help but smile.  "Exactly as intended," he said
with a smirk.

        "Why hasn't he sent the order yet?"
        Rear Admiral Goliath stood quietly at the rear of the main bridge
of the dreadnought _Patrickshire_.  "Admiral Ota is waiting for exactly
the right moment," he answered the ship's captain, "to bring us out of
hyperspace."  He'd been asking himself that question for a while now -
it seemed as if it had been far too long that they had been sitting in
hyperspace, waiting.
        The captain shrugged, looking out over the heads of the bridge
crew.  "I just hope it's soon," he commented quietly.  "Sir, with all
due respect - it's been long enough that we may have lost the battle,
and simply don't know it yet.  How do we deal with that?"
        "We don't," Goliath said evenly.  The thought had occurred to him
a few minutes before, but he had kept it to himself.  Koichi was fine,
that much he knew in his heart, and would be calling on them in a very
short time.  "We wait, and we do not jump to conclusions."
        The captain nodded.  "Yes, sir," he said softly.  "But it is too
damned frustrating to be waiting out here, like this..."
        Goliath was quiet for a moment.  "Yes," he said finally, "it is.
But there was no choice in the matter.  The element of surprise had to
be maintained."  He looked over at the captain, then around the bridge.
*And sometimes,* he reminded himself, *you have to cast everything to
the wind.*  "Time," he said after a moment.
        The captain consulted a small chronometer set into the wall next
to his chair.  "Battle time, 1143 Standard," he answered.  "Begin time
plus one hundred and three minutes."
        "If we don't hear anything by 1200 Standard time," Goliath said,
"we take Group Two out of hyperspace and engage the Federation fleet."
He looked around again, and made a low growling noise in the back of
his throat.  "Just in case," he finished.
        "Yes, sir!" the captain replied, bending to a nearby console to
relay the order.  "All ships confirm standby orders received.  Launch
bays on hot standby."
        Goliath narrowed his eyes at the strategic display.  What in the
hell was going on in realspace?

        Koichi frowned.  "Are the surrendering ships following the vector
we gave them?"
        "Yes, sir," Vanette replied.  "They're moving behind Group Faisel
One... and are now holding position.  The enemy fire has stopped."
        "So they're not shooting at the defectors any more... they're now
back to shooting at US."
        "Yes, sir."
        "Thank you, Angelica.  Prepare to dispatch securing forces to each
of the ships that surrendered."
        "Troops from the _Pandora_ and the _Torie_ are standing by."
        "Have the surrendered ships shut down their weapons systems?"
        "Nearly zero energy readings on all vessels, sir.  No, wait..."
        "What is it?" Koichi asked quickly, frowning at Vanette.
        She looked up at him a second later.  "We're detecting heavy power
fluctuations in the drives of all the surrendered ships!" she reported.
        "What kind of power fluctuations?  Overloads?"
        "No, sir!  High muon output!"
        "Muons..."  Koichi thought for a moment.  "Sabotaged.  They were
probably traps of some kind.  Have the ships' drives disabled."
        "Ordering the _Pandora_ to - oh, GOD - "
        Koichi was turning to look at Vanette, to ask her what was going
on, when a blinding light drew his attention to the forward viewports.
One, two, four, then a slew of energy discharges the color of fire were
being generated from somewhere ahead of the _Gunbuster_; after a moment
Koichi realized it was from the approximate position of the Federation
ships that had surrendered.  *Damn!* he thought, *Aznable!  It was some
kind of trick!*  "Report!" he exclaimed.
        Over the sudden increase in noise on the bridge, Vanette's voice
still clearly came to his ears.  "The surrendered ships just discharged
some kind of omnidirectional energy weapons!" she shouted.  "We've lost
the _Pandora_!  _Torie_, _Kuonji_, _Gibson_ and _Halliwell_ all took
heavy damage!  The surrendering ships are GONE, sir, destroyed!"

        "One of their heavy destroyers has been destroyed, Admiral.  Four
of their other destroyers have taken serious damage, two possibly out
of the fight for good."
        Aznable and Kagato traded broad smiles.  "Excellent work, Kagato,"
Aznable said.  "Your discharge mines worked perfectly."
        "Thank you, Emperor," Kagato replied.  "It was merely an addition
to your brilliant tactic of letting those ships surrender so they could
be moved into the Galactica fleet."
        "I knew the captains of those ships, their command staffs... I put
them there so they COULD surrender.  I just gave them... their chance."
Aznable laughed.  "And that's the price of treason."
        Kagato chuckled.  "Such a toll to be exacted... ah, if only they
had ever known...!"

        "GOD DAMN HIM!" Koichi swore.  Another of Aznable's brilliant acts
of insanity! - this time, he had managed to seriously damage four of the
bigger UG ships on the front line.  And all by using a truly underhanded
tactic - that of using surrender as a cover.  "That's IT!" he ordered in
a whiplash voice.  "Ota to _Patrickshire_!  Adjust your exit points to
minus-twenty-four Z and drop out of hyperspace!"
        Goliath's disembodied voice replied, "Acknowledged."
        Koichi stabbed a finger down at Vanette.  "All ships open fire!" he
snapped.  "And don't stop until the Federation fleet is destroyed!"  *If
it's a slaughter you want, Aznable,* he vowed silently, *it's a slaughter
you'll have!*
        "Massive spatial distortion at zero-mark-one-five-two!  Group Two
is coming out of hyperspace!" Vanette reported a second later.  "All ships
are resuming fire on the Federation fleet!"
        "Move us up behind the _Kuonji_ and use our escort ships to protect
her and _Halliwell_!  Forward accelerator batteries will begin firing as
soon as we're in range!  Rearguard ships move to flanking positions!  And
fighter wings forty-seven and ninety-two through one-oh-three remain with
us!"

        "Youshou, we're being ordered to the front lines," Farmel reported.
"As cover for the _Kuonji_ and the _Halliwell_."
        "Move us to the front lines, then."  Youshou hit a button on the
arm of my--his chair.  "Daisaku?  What was that energy discharge we saw?"
        "Some Fed ships that were surrendering... they were booby-trapped,"
Daisaku replied after a few seconds.  "Four ships took heavy damage - and
we lost one."
        "Damn," I said softly.  This battle was costing the Galactica much
in the way of troops and ships, even though we were hurting the Federation
fleet almost as badly - I had to wonder what was going through Koichi's
head at the time, how he was handling all of this.
        "Wait..." Farmel said suddenly.  "I'm detecting heavy hyperspatial
exit spike activity behind the Feds."  She looked back at Youshou and I.
"Group Two is coming out," she finished quietly.
        "Behind them?" Youshou said.  It wasn't really a question aimed at
any of us.  He thought for a moment.  "Risky.  If they lose enough ships
they're sure to be destroyed without reinforcements."  He nodded.  "Then
let's make sure they've got plenty of distractions," he said.  "Morobo -
target the nearest Federation capital ship."
        Morobo answered instantly, "Locked on a destroyer off to starboard
and charging weapons!"
        Youshou said evenly, "Fire."
        The _Fischer_'s heavy guns punched huge gaping holes in the hull
of the chosen ship.  Even that wasn't enough.  "Daisaku," Youshou said,
"we need to take out more of the Federation ships.  Use whatever power
you feel is necessary to do so."
        "Understood," was the only reply.
        Outside, Robo swooped through a quartet of fighters to a position
directly in front of one of the bigger Federation ships.  It reached up
behind itself and unclipped a huge cylindrical object from its back; it
then balanced it on its huge right shoulder, aiming it almost as if it
were some kind of missile launcher at the ship.  Daisaku commented with
a soft, fairly uncommon laugh, "More power?"
        And then Robo disappeared in a blinding bluish flash of energies
being dispersed and redirected.  Along with the ship it had been aiming
at, and another ship moving past its stern.  Daisaku quipped, "I don't
think they're ready for this..."

        Daisaku Kusama didn't know it, but he was right.
        "Admiral Aznable!" the strategic officer shouted.  "We've just lost
three ships to that unknown Galactica vessel!  It used some kind of high-
output energy weapon on us--readings indicate..."  He trailed off, trying
to believe what his displays were telling him.
        Aznable frowned.  It could only be Kusama's weapon.  "What is it?"
he demanded roughly.
        The strategic officer looked back at him.  His eyes were full of an
abrupt, surprising dread.  "Readings indicate the use," he said solemnly,
"of reflex energy weaponry."
        "Reflex weapons?!?" Aznable seethed.  Suddenly, he spun on Kagato.
"How could they POSSIBLY have developed reflex weapons in so short a time,
Kagato?"
        The _Destruction_ rocked hard to port before Kagato could reply.  A
second later, the strategic officer all but screamed, "Hyperspace exits!
Hyperspace exits to stern!  Ships incoming!"
        Aznable whirled and eyed the strategic holodisplay.  Telltale light
patterns signifying disturbances in the local fabric of space had suddenly
appeared directly behind the fleet, almost on top of the few rearguard
ships left there.  And then, as the light patterns faded, small dots took
their places - red dots.
        Over a hundred red dots.
        Aznable scowled.  Outflanked!  "HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET PAST THE
BACKLASH GENERATORS?!!?" he shouted, as the _Destruction_ shuddered from a
barrage of weapons fire from three UG ships that danced across its shields
like a heavy rainstorm.  "Concentrate fire on the original group of ships!
Punch through it and tear it apart!" he ordered.  "Divert midfield groups
two and seven to reinforce the rearguard!"
        Kagato shrugged.  "Kusama did the initial research, remember?  Robo
obviously was built with reflex capabilities," he said easily.
        Aznable shook his head.  "And Ota has access to it... I want it out
of this universe."  He glared at the strategic officer.  "I want it GONE,
Captain," he growled.
        The strategic officer swallowed, then quickly turned back to his
console and began firing off orders.  Aznable hissed in annoyance, turning
to face his chief scientist once more.  "And, somehow, our generators did
nothing to help us against Ota's favorite tactic."
        Kagato pointed at one of the nearby holoscreens.  "Actually, it was
Ota, not the generators," he explained.  "The fleet has been drawn out of
its original formation, and far enough forward that the rearguard is just
over seven kilometers BEYOND the generator line.  Masterful strategy."
        Aznable slammed a fist against the arm of his chair.  "DAMN him!"
he cursed.  If Ota had been in front of him, he would have surely ripped
his heart from his chest!  How could he have known?
        Kagato nodded.  "So we are being attacked on two fronts now.  Does
it change anything?"
        "It changes everything, and you know that.  Now, we stand a chance
of losing this war."
        *You have no idea.*  "So?" Kagato replied.  "You were planning your
revenge against Admiral Ota without even worrying about the battle we are
now involved in."
        Aznable nodded.  "True," he conceded.  "He WILL pay for what he has
done.  And one way or another, I will see it happen."
        "You might have to resort to your last tactic."
        "I know, Kagato.  But I know he would fall for it."
        "Then perhaps you should cut this short."
        "After only two hours?"
        "Time is of the essence, after all."  Kagato folded his arms.

        "The assault goes well," Goliath said on the holoscreen.  "We have
taken them completely by surprise and are inflicting heavy damage."
        "Excellent."  Koichi sat in his chair, riding out the shudders and
jolts that shook the _Gunbuster_ as it dove headfirst into the carnage
of the melee.  "We're far closer than ever to an even footing.  We took
them by surprise with that."
        "We're still outnumbered, Koichi."
        "I know.  Keep your ships together, don't let anyone cut you off."
Koichi looked away from the holoscreen, towards the explosions marking
the center of the battle line.  When he looked back, he said solemnly,
"We'll meet in the middle of their own lines, old friend."
        "Aye, sir," Goliath said, and the holoscreen winked out.
        Koichi paused for a long moment, deep in thought.  Nothing they had
yet done would be considered a crushing blow - yes, they were now causing
massive amounts of damage to the Federation fleet, but it had been them
who had come in with the superior forces.  Now, it could very well be an
even-odds wager as to which side would win the day.
        *We HAVE to survive this.*
        "Sir, the _Destruction_ is hailing us."
        The fight went on hold at the sound of those six words.  All of the
screens in both fleets went to the command channel.  On it, we saw a man
almost lounging in a large chair, almost a throne.  He wore a red uniform
and a mask-and-helmet combination.  Behind him, someone lurked in a near
shadow.  "Good afternoon, Fleet Admiral Ota," the man said.
        Koichi rose from his chair, the lights sparkling off his sunglasses.
His mouth was set into a thin, angry line.  The masked man continued, "In
case you hadn't quite guessed, I am--"
        "Grand Admiral Char Aznable," Koichi cut him off brusquely.  "What,
may I ask, could you possibly have to say to me in the middle of a war?
A request for our surrender, on the general command channel?"
        Aznable steepled his hands in front of him.  "Always to cases, Ota.
So my information on you IS accurate.  But, fine, to cases - your fleet
and mine seem to be evenly matched.  I suggest a... different battle.  A
battle from the old days of fleet actions."  He smiled.  "A duel."
        Koichi's glasses flashed as he eyed the screen.  "What conditions?"
        Aznable smiled.  "Simple ones.  Laserblade duel.  Third wound or
to the death, whichever is first.  How was it once said: 'the winner
stays, the loser pays.'"
        He leaned forwards in his chair, a smirk playing across what could
be seen of his face.  "Or, to be more blunt:  If you lose, then your fleet
loses - the United Galactica loses.  If you win, we leave.  And there is
peace for... oh, a decade?  Ten years of no worries... does that interest
you?"
        Koichi replied brusquely, "How can I trust you, Aznable?"
        "How can I trust YOU?" Aznable shot back.  "We are both honorable
men, Admiral.  Perhaps a show of good faith is in order."  Aznable nodded
to someone offscreen, then folded his arms.
        "Admiral Ota..." the sensor tech reported a few seconds later.  "The
Federation ships are pulling back!"
        Koichi almost said aloud *They're WHAT?!?* but held his tongue.  It
would be bad form to do something like that with his opposite number able
to see him doing it.  *Nothing that should be given away.*  "They're now
forming a defensive perimeter, two kilometers beyond the forward edge of
the fleet."
        Koichi looked briefly at the tech, then at the holoscreen.  Aznable
smiled back at him.  "Good faith, Ota."
        Koichi nodded briskly.  "All ships, hold here.  Maintain battle alert
status.  Do not engage," he ordered.  "Obviously, Admiral Aznable, I'll
have to consult with my superiors.  Will you agree to a cease-fire for the
time being, while we discuss this?"
        "Of course, Ota.  Go ahead, call your mistress.  We'll wait... but,
not for ever.  Let's say... seven hours."  The holoscreen went dark.
        The _Gunbuster_ bridge was silent for long seconds after that.  It
was Koichi who finally spoke.  "All fleet captains, report in immediately.
Full status reports from all ships.  SIG - updates on the UFP fleet status
and tactical projections.  And, Mister Brooklyn... put me through to New
Eden NOW."

        "There is a priority signal coming in from the _Gunbuster_, sir."
        Biko Daitokuji stood in the center of the cavernous Command
Operations Center buried far below the surface of New Eden.  "Put Admiral Ota
on," she ordered.
        Instantly a huge holoscreen winked into existence in front of her,
showing the sunglasses-masked face of Koichi Ota.  "Biko, we are currently
in a state of cease-fire," he reported without preamble.
        "A cease-fire?" she said, puzzled.  "What happened?"
        "Admiral Aznable has pulled the Federation fleet out of battle for
the next six hours and fifty-two minutes, so that I could contact you and
relay his... offer."  Koichi adjusted his sunglasses slightly.
        "He wants to negotiate peace terms?  Surrender terms?"
        "A laserblade duel," Koichi replied.
        Biko looked briefly stunned.  "A DUEL?" she asked incredulously.
"Why did he - with whom - "
        "With me, Biko.  He wants to fight me, one on one.  Winner takes
all."
        "He's serious?"
        "I think he's dead serious.  He may well be planning a doublecross,
but I think he's more than willing to hold up his end of the deal."
        Biko frowned, folding her arms.  "And what is this 'deal' he has
proposed, then?"
        "If he wins, we surrender.  If I win, the Federation fleet leaves
and a peace treaty will be signed ensuring that there will be a peace
between the UG and the UFP for a decade."
        "That's insane, Admiral," Biko said frostily.
        "Perhaps... but that's how he thinks."
        "And what if he IS planning a doublecross?  We lose our senior
officer on the battlefield - surely you didn't agree to this!"
        "No, I haven't," Koichi said.  "But I think I should."
        "Have you completely - "
        "Nothing will stop this battle, Biko.  One more lost officer won't
make a difference at this point."
        Biko argued, "Koichi, THINK about this.  You're the commander of
the fleet - we can't afford to let you go and engage in some kind of
personal battle."
        "I've been talking with SIG for the past few minutes.  We are still
at about an even readiness level with the UFP fleet.  We can still win,
even if I lose and get killed.  Either way, we stand to lose SOMEONE...
better it be one person than another twenty or thirty thousand."
        Biko didn't say anything for a few seconds.  "All right, let me
contact the Council.  They have to make this decision, not us."  She
furrowed her brow, thinking.  "If Aznable tries anything, stop him then
and there.  If he doesn't... just stand by for word from the Council."
        Koichi nodded.  "Out," he said briskly, and the holoscreen blanked
out.
        Biko leaned forwards, balancing her hands against a massive computer
terminal in front of her.  She said over her shoulder, "He's serious, Eiko."
        "I know he is, Biko."  Eiko Magami had just stepped out of an office,
and walked around to face the Grand Admiral.  "So is Aznable.  Intelligence
knows that.  We also know he's no doubt going to attempt a doublecross at
some point."
        "A duel with a crippled man."  Biko snorted.  "That's insane.  We
know Koichi would be DESTROYED."
        "Which WOULD," Magami said casually, remove one future problem."
        Biko looked sidelong at the Council minister.  "There is that, yes,"
she admitted slowly.  "It's still a damned harsh thing to consider, though."
        "If Koichi survives, SEELE could eventually be compromised.  Yes,
he's the best strategic officer we have - "
        "He's the commander of the FLEET, Eiko..."
        "And he's a boy scout, Biko.  You know that far better than anybody
on the Council, better than anyone.  There's no way he would approve of
SEELE, once he found out what it was - and he WILL find out," Magami said
brusquely.  "I think he's got a LOT of resources he's kept hidden from us
and everyone else... a hidden agenda nobody knows of but him.  Look at the
whole Ranger Team thing!  We can't have him where he is any more..."
        Biko narrowed her eyes, thinking.  "Eiko... there HAS to be another
way to do this.  We need to keep Koichi where he is.  He's the best fleet
officer we have.  PERIOD."
        "But with SEELE, he's a liability.  He's jeopardizing the safety of
the entire Galactica by doing what he's done."  Magami pointed at the
strategic holodisplay.  "The battle is already joined.  No matter who's
in charge of the fleet, the battle goes on."
        Biko considered that for a few quiet seconds, her eyes fixed on the
strategic display.  "The timing," she said after a long pause, "could be
a lot better."  She looked at Magami.  "But, with SEELE at the stage that
it is... he IS a security risk."
        "A risk we can't afford to take, Biko."
        "I know... if only we could be certain he wouldn't find out - "
        "We can't."
        Biko nodded, silent for long seconds while she quietly looked at the
strategic displays.  She finally said, "Then... the Council approves?"
        "If the two opposing generals of two warring armies," Magami said
in a measured tone, "want to fight each other face to face... well.  It
worked in ancient times."
        "Should I give Koichi the go-ahead now?"
        "No, wait.  Let everyone think we're considering this more than
we've done."

        Seven hours passed. Seven hellish hours.  Waiting for the word from
New Eden, from Grand Admiral Daitokuji and the Council.  Finally, it came
in the form of one word: "Accept."
        The terms were set.   Koichi surprised us, however, when he contacted
the _Fischer_ shortly after publicly accepting Aznable's challenge.  "Max,"
he said, "I want to have you, Washu, and three of your people with us.
My personal physician, and a bodyguard."
        I nodded. "It'll be Farmel, Karin and Taison."  He nodded once, in
agreement.  "Should we have Robo on overwatch?"
        "Too much of a chance of it being mistaken for an assault," replied
Koichi.  "We're going to play by their rules."
        "Good point.  We'll keep him back."
        "Damn," Daisaku said hollowly over the open intercom channel.
        "Rendezvous with the _Gunbuster_.  We'll shuttle over to Aznable's
ship once you arrive," Koichi added.
        Our shuttle docked with the _Destruction_.  I didn't like this at
all - the idea of fighting on the enemy flagship worried me.  But it was
part of the terms that had been agreed to, dammit.  After all of this
dying, they were still posturing.
        The doors opened to reveal the ring.  Char Aznable, in full UFP
dress uniform, stood near the ring.  He was conferring with Kagato.  As
we stepped out, the two of then turned.  A characteristic shimmer in the
air near the two showed the presence of a Nesh'hazar warrior.  Half a
dozen people were there as well, of various ranks.  I looked back at
my people.  Guns holstered, totally professional.  Even Washu, who had
more reason to hate Kagato than any of us, was completely under control.
        Aznable turned to watch us, then nodded to the shimmer, which
resolved itself into, as I expected, a Nesh'hazar warrior.  As we entered
the ring, he smiled.  "Mercenaries for your seconds?  I thought you far
better, Ota."
        Koichi shrugged.  "Trust falls where it may," he said evenly, turning
to look at the octagonal metal ring, bordered by a half-dozen silver beams
with lights embedded in their surfaces.
        Kagato, meanwhile, was uneasily eyeing Washu.  She turned to him
and favored him with her most impish smile.  I have seen professional
assassins, men who had killed with their bare hands, run screaming to be
arrested at the sight of that smile.  Kagato looked rather nervous at
the sight, himself, but recovered quickly and covered it with a sneer.
        Aznable nodded at one of his assistants, who walked over and handed
him two slender black metallic tubes - deactivated laserblades.  He
looked over at his opponent-to-be and raised an eyebrow.  "I assume
you took the precaution of bringing your own weapon, Admiral Ota...?"
        The muted swish of a laserblade being activated indicated that in
fact he had.  Koichi looked over at Aznable from behind a glowing beam
of blue energy contained in a magnetic field.  "Admiral Aznable," he
said in a quiet voice, "you seem to forget the basic fact that I don't
trust you.  You really should keep that in mind."
        Aznable activated his own laserblade, a red beam of energy lancing
out of the discharge chamber, and nodded.  "As I understand it, you trust
no one but your protege... Goliath, is it?"  He slowly swung the blade
in a small arc, the energy field humming as it cut through the air.  "Oh,
I did forget to mention one thing, Ota...Commander?  The holocam?"
        A UFP officer nearby took her place at the side of the ring, holding
a large holocam with the insignia of the Federation News Service engraved
on its side on her shoulder.  She pointed it at Koichi, and nodded.  "We
have signal.  Transmitting now, Admiral."
        "As I was saying, Ota," Aznable said casually, "I wanted this little
duel to be seen by as large an audience as possible.  Thus, it will be on
a relay to a civilian communications frequency which will be seen by most
of the people in both our fleets."
        Koichi nodded shortly.  "You were never one for privacy, Aznable."
        Aznable looked up at Koichi from behind the glowing red beam of his
laserblade.  "You remember," he said quietly.  "How interesting... you
see, I never FORGOT."
        The two took up their positions, the traditional ones.  Farmel
held Koichi's cane, while Washu held her medical bag, looking smug.  I
glanced at her, and she just nodded, the look in her eyes telling me to
wait and see.
        The duel began.  Each brandished their laserblade, checking it,
then moved to en garde position.  Even at that, the differences were
obvious - Koichi had assumed a high-defense position, laserblade angled
forward over his head, his bad knee and missing eye influencing his stance.
Aznable's traditional attack stance was flawless.  They began, judging
each other's abilities with a few feints and jabs, neither really believing
the other's attacks.  Then the two began in earnest, the blades starting
to clash.  A particularly close dodge made Koichi's glasses fly off and
slide out of the ring.  The Nesh'hazar made a noise that might have been
a laugh, and stepped on them.  The crack of the breaking sounded like the
snapping of a bone.
        A moment later, the UFP commander's mask flared, blindingly bright.
Koichi's hands came up to shield his eyes, and Aznable at that moment slashed
at his chest, leaving a vicious scar track across it.  Astonishingly, not
a sound came from Koichi; he just reeled backwards, shaking his head to
clear it and bringing one hand up to gingerly feel the extent of the
wound.  Aznable danced back a few steps, grinning a Cheshire grin behind
his helmet.  "You can surrender, if you want!" he said with a laugh.
        I heard Washu whisper, "Like HELL..."
        Koichi glared at Aznable.  "Surrender," he said in a low rasp, "was
NEVER a word I learned."  He hissed, obviously in pain, but would not
give Aznable the satisfaction of hearing him actually admit it - with
a short nod, Koichi swept his laserblade up and returned to his original
high-defense position.  "If you want this victory, you'll have to kill
me."
        Aznable paused, and I could see his mouth set into a grim line.
This was going to be a little harder than he expected.  "As you wish,"
he said, and rushed Koichi with a thrust and slash attack.  Koichi held
position until the last possible second and threw himself to one side,
whipping his laserblade across in an arc which connected with the top
of Aznable's helmet and sheared it away along with some of his hair.
Aznable let out a cry of surprise and anger, then snatched off what
remained of his helmet and hurled it away.  "Damn you!" he snarled.
        "After you," Koichi retorted.  And, suddenly, Koichi started moving
differently, more and more smoothly.  The eye socket was still closed
with the scar, but... suddenly his injured knee was moving like it was
whole, the entire thing changing the odds completely.  Koichi recovered
from a nearly-missed parry, dodged a vicious thrust, dove and slashed
Aznable in the leg.  Aznable stepped back, snarling, snapping his blade
up and back...
        Where it was, somehow, met with Koichi's blade.
        They glared at each other over the two blades.   For a moment, it
was the entire universe frozen in this moment.  Farmel clutched the cane
she held tightly in one hand.  Karin's hand rested on her pistol.  Taison
was tense, ready to leap.  Washu's eyes were alight with anticipation and
fear.  Kagato was smirking slightly.  The Nesh'hazar was unreadable behind
his breathing mask.  Aznable's face was contorted with suppressed fury,
his eyes narrowed.  And Koichi's own face matched his, anger for anger -
I don't think I had ever seen him that furious.  Then the moment passed.
        Koichi broke away and spun around, on his injured leg... far faster
than anyone expected him to... and knocked Aznable's laserblade out of
the way with a powerful rising slash.  And then, suddenly, he had reversed
his hold on his own weapon - and buried the laserblade deep inside Aznable's
chest.  As they faced each other in that manner, Koichi said two words to
Aznable's face just before the light went out of his eyes:
        "You lose."
        Then Koichi shut off the laserblade, and the commander of the UFP
fleet collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap.  There was absolutely
no sound, not from us or from Aznable's group.  Most of us were just
staring, frozen in place and unable to do anything but look at the scene -
and then Kagato spoke, in a conversational tone.  "All guns, fire."
        We all spun around to see one of the officers turn towards the comm
panel.  It exploded as Karin's blaster spoke.  "Think again," she said.
        Kagato laughed.  "If you think you can defeat us, you are wrong!  We
have you at our mer-"  He was cut off as Karin's second shot opened a neat
hole in his forehead.  He turned to us, still somehow alive, and SHRUGGED.
"You have still failed.  I am eternal."  Then the body fell backwards, and
crashed heavily onto the deck.
        Koichi stood silently, staring down at Aznable's corpse.  After a
few seconds he spoke, without looking up.  "Who is in command of the fleet
as of now?"
        One of Aznable's party, a woman wearing the insignia of a commodore,
stepped forward.  "Commodore Quess Paraya," she said tightly.
        Koichi turned around.  His eye held a fire I had never seen before,
one that easily paralyzed everyone in the room.  "Acting Commander Paraya,"
he said in a voice full of angry thunder, "as per the agreement with the
LATE Grand Admiral Aznable, I hereby accept the surrender of your fleet."
        Paraya started to speak, but Koichi didn't even give her a chance to
plead her case.  "Half of the remaining Federation ships will be evacuated
of all personnel and surrendered immediately.  You will then have twelve
hours to move the fleet back across the Frontier, back to Federation space,"
he said, his voice raising a hair as he went on.  He began walking towards
Paraya as he talked, only the barest traces of his limp showing as he did.
"A peace treaty will be signed at a future date to be determined between
the United Federation of Planets and the United Galactica, ensuring that
there will be a peace between them lasting no less than ten Standard years.
And if you do NOT agree to these terms, I will personally and immediately
order the complete destruction of this fleet and everyone in it."  He
pulled his communicator from a pocket and switched it on.  "Ota to fleet.
Prepare to fire."
        Just about every jaw in the room dropped, including mine.  That had
to be the most brutal thing I had ever heard Koichi say in the nearly two
decades I had known him...and it had basically shocked everyone else.
Especially Commodore Paraya, who could only manage a silent nod.  Koichi
nodded back. "And I claim this ship, this FLAGSHIP - " he spat the word
out, as if it were an ancient curse - "as a fortune of war.  Now... GET
OFF MY SHIP."
        Paraya finally managed to reply, "Admiral Ota... how can--"
        Koichi whirled on her, shirt torn open and the flesh underneath
seared from the laserblade duel.  "If Aznable wished to play games with
people's lives, I HOPE HE SEES THIS FROM HELL!" he spat out.  "And TURN
THAT DAMNED CAMERA _OFF_!"
        The tech manning the vidcam dropped it, her face white as a sheet.
        Koichi turned his attention back to his communicator.  "_Gunbuster_,
this is Admiral Ota.  You were monitoring that... show?"
        A woman's voice replied tinnily, "Yes, sir."
        "Patch me through to the _Patrickshire_."
        The unseen woman replied, "Yes, sir."  A few seconds later, the deep
and unmistakable voice of Rear Admiral Goliath filtered through the pickup
on the communicator.  "Admiral!  Are you all right?"
        "I'm all right, Goliath," Koichi said in a tight voice.  We could
see that he was lying, at least in part.  "Take command of the fleet and
supervise the surrender of one-half of the Federation ships.  I shall be
remaining aboard the _Destruction_ for the time being."
        "Aye, sir," Goliath replied.  "What about the _Gunbuster_?"
        "Escort for the _Destruction_, along with fighter cover and frigates.
The fleet stays here, retreat overwatch protocol.  Have a skeleton crew
and a security contingent transferred over here immediately."
        "Understood."
        "And, Goliath?  Good work."
        "Thank you, Admiral," Goliath replied.  After a moment he continued,
"I should say the same to you, sir.  _Patrickshire_ out."
        Koichi's lips quirked upwards in a thin smile.  Then he sat down on
a nearby chair, looking at his knee, flexing it. "What the HELL happened
to it?" he muttered, a distinct note of disbelief in his voice.
        Washu grinned.  "A little something in the sauce," she explained
with a wink, "the last time we had dinner together.  Just in case."
        "But you couldn't have known..."
        "No," she conceded, "but someday... I'm going to be carried
somewhere.
I don't know by who, but it might be you."  She grinned, dimpling.  "So
I made sure that you CAN, if it comes to it."
        He smiled back at her, his somewhat harsh features softening ever
so slightly.  "Thank you, Washu," he said quietly.

        "I don't believe it."  Eiko Magami stared incredulously at the
monitor screen, which was currently showing status reports from the fleet.
"I just don't believe it.  He WON."
        Biko, in spite of herself, smiled briefly.  "Koichi was never the
one, Eiko, to give up in spite of anything."
        Magami quietly made a soft tch noise with her tongue.  "I guess,"
she muttered quietly, "this means he gets ANOTHER award."  She frowned,
folding her arms across her chest.  "And SEELE may well be at risk."
        "We'll just have to be careful, Eiko - "
        "No.  We'll just have to think ahead.  And be very, very cautious
when we do what will inevitably have to be done."
        "After THIS?"
        "ESPECIALLY after this, Biko."
        "Have I ever told you how cold you are, Eiko?" Biko said.
        "Yes," Eiko replied simply, "you have.  And who's Minister and who
is the commander of the Navy?"

        And thus ended the Battle of Vector Sigma One.

        The remaining ships of the Federation fleet, battered as they were,
arranged themselves for the trip home.  The United Galactica Fleet, under
Rear Admiral Goliath, stood watch over Vector Sigma One.  The Federation
fleet, with Quess Paraya as interim commander, left in groups of three and
four at a time well before the twelve-hour deadline arrived... a group of
wounded animals seeking shelter from the angry predators that lay in wait
behind them.  Amazingly, the Federation fleet didn't try ANYTHING in the
way of sabotaging their abandoned ships, or trying a counterattack.
        The defeat of Char Aznable by Koichi Ota - a one-eyed, WOUNDED man!
There had been literally THOUSANDS of witnesses, thanks to Aznable; no one
seemed to want to incur the wrath of the man who had killed the commander
of the fleet in personal combat.  And, judging from the look in Koichi's
eyes right after killing Aznable, I didn't blame them.  Taison had said,
in a deadly serious tone, "Max... remind me never, EVER, to piss Koichi
off."
        The hidden anger within the UG fleet commander had surprised us all.
        Koichi remained on the _Destruction_, along with a few advisors and
a skeleton crew transferred from the _Gunbuster_, going through the files
stored in its computers.  Aside from intelligence data in huge quantities,
the kind of quantities that would make analysts weak in the knees, there
was very little in the UFP ship's data banks save for some engineering
specs for the next class of Federation warship, and a bombshell of a
discovery that was publicly announced about ten hours after the duel with
Aznable: proof - absolute proof - that Kagato had secretly led a double
life as the head of the Galactic Organization for Restriction of Genetic
Engineering!  Apparently, he had been doing experiments in genetics, and
thought that terrorism was the best tool to head off any possibility of
duplication of his experiments.
        The documents buried in the data banks on the _Destruction_ were in
the form of a series of communiques between Kagato and the late Tenzil Kem
of the Federation Combat Police - various status reports on a staggering
variety of 'assignments,' Kagato's euphemism for experiments.  The most
notable of these turned out to be a lengthy proposal concerning a 'most
troublesome species living in the universe' - the Serpenterans.

        When that announcement was made, a lot of people in the fleet felt a
lot better about things.  Junta and Karin, needless to say, were ecstatic.

        Hours passed as we made sure the area was secure, disabled the no-fly
zones, and basically watched over the UFP ships preparing to depart for
their home space.
        Then a small ship dropped out of hyperspace, requesting permission
to dock with the _Fischer_.
        I was on the bridge at the time.  "Sav, who is that?"
        "Max, you're not going to believe this."
        "Try me."
        "It's... a Uu ship."
        I DIDN'T believe it.  "Sav, confirm that," I said.  The Uu hadn't
been seen in civilized space in well over a century - why were they here?
And why did they want to talk to us?
        "Confirmed," Sav replied after a moment.  "The diplomatic vessel
_Fuuji_."
        "Uhhhh.... say yes."
        "I was going to, anyway."
        "I'll meet them at the hatch."   I turned on my heel and headed
out, calling for Farmel as I went.
        The hatch slid open to reveal two women.  One was had long blue
hair drawn back into a pair of long tails, orange pupil-less eyes, and
dressed in flowing blue robes that shrouded her entire body.  In the
center of her forehead were two small wedge-shaped marks.  The other had
hair of a rich brown, eyes like black pits, and dressed in what should
have been flowing robes, but seemed to cling to her.  Her face was marked
with a green stripe down each cheek, a green stripe from the left side of
her forehead meeting a golden one from the right in the middle of her
forehead.
        "Greetings," said the blue-haired one.  "I am Lady Tsunami, Regent
of the Uu.  This is Lady Tokimi, former regent and currently awaiting
execution."
        I bowed.  "What brings you here?"
        I heard a familiar voice behind me.  "That would be me."
        I turned.  It was Washu... but it was a Washu I had never seen
before.  She was swathed in robes of deep violet.  She was... mature.
She wasn't 12 physically.  Her hair still reached her ankles, however.
And on her forehead was a black infinity symbol.  "Children," she said,
"what have you done?"  Washu's voice was uncharacteristically severe.
        Tsunami bowed.  "Mother.  The Eldest must come home to give
judgement.  The Regent herself is condemned, and I do not trust my own
judgement in this matter."
        At this point, Farmel and I had stepped out of the way.  Mainly
on autopilot.  Washu... the Eldest of the Uu!  I could practically
feel the shock freezing me in my tracks.
        Washu turned to me.  "Commander Bishop, We require your
assistance.  Set course to Our world, and We will reward you."
        I bowed.  "No reward is needed, Eldest.  The ship is yours to
command.  The course will be set to Tamvaras Zhion."
        We were interrupted by a familiar pattering noise.  Ryuquir, at
full speed and in quadruped mode, took the corner by the expedient mode
of hopping to the wall and running partway along it before gravity
brought her back down.  She skid to a stop, and then hugged Lady Tsunami
around the waist.  Then she uttered the words that made us blink:
        "How you, mommy?"
        To our gaping expression, Tsunami smiled softly.
        "I was experimenting with an anti-changeling solution.  Ryuquir was
a lucky accident, and I could not bear to cause her to cease.  I had spoken
to Mother a few months before, and from her words, felt that the habit that
you had, Mr. Bishop, of taking in strays, that she would find a good home
with you."
        So the mystery of where Ryuquir came from came to an end.

        The course was set, the reason sent coded to Koichi's desk.  Koichi,
surprisingly, didn't even question it: all he did was send a message of
commendation for our work during the battle.  And we took off.
        Tamvaras Zhion was remote.  It would take us three full days, even
with the overpowered hyperspace engines of the _Fischer_.   Around
dinnertime of the second day, Washu came out of her quarters, walked into
my office (where I was talking over things with Savashtar and Farmel),
and fell into a chair.
        "Oh, good grief," she sighed.  "Some days, you just wish you had
the ability to smack people HARD."   I handed her a glass of brandy,
which she gratefully sipped at.  "You'd think they'd have gotten better,
but they didn't.  I think I'm going to have to do something very nasty to
my entire race now."  She closed her eyes.
        "Washu..."  She opened her eyes at Farmel's voice.  "Why didn't
you tell us?"
        She laughed - not her usual half-giggle-half-cackle, but a full
and throaty laugh.  A woman's laugh.  If this was the Washu that Koichi
Ota knew, I now knew why he smiled at her that way.  "Because I didn't
WANT to be known that way," she explained.  "I disappeared, and left the
Regency in charge... good heavens, not long after the official start
of the Terran Calendar.  Wandered the galaxy for a while, and then I
got captured by that bastard Kagato."
        She paused, her face twisting into an unpleasant frown for an
instant.  Then she shrugged, and it was gone.  "Youshou, Mihoshi and
Kiyone saved me from him, and I hung out with them.  I know I needed
something, but I didn't know what.  There was something missing from
me, my life, my race, and I felt I needed to find it.  I don't know if
I've found it yet.  I've gotten close, though, I know that much.  Very
close, thanks to you..."  She sighed.  "And now, I have to go back.  I
have to pass judgment.  It's my responsibility."
        We said nothing.  We merely were ready to help.  And that was all
she needed now.

        Tamvaras Zhion loomed in our screens.  We were prepared, all in
our full dress uniforms.  The ship would be empty while we all went down
to the surface, as honored guests of the Eldest.  We stepped out onto the
tarmac, to see thousands of Uu, a wave of colors, standing there.  Washu
stepped onto a dais, followed by Tsunami, and Tokimi (in shackles).   She
sat on the throne placed there, looking out across the tableau in silence
for a long moment.  As we quietly found our places near the dais, Washu
finally spoke:
        "Attention, Members of the Uu.  We have returned, and We are
displeased."
        A ripple passed through the audience.
        "The Uu have always styled themselves a race that is older and
wiser than the others.  Yet... we find ourselves using others for games,
for our entertainment.  We find this unacceptable.  As a race, the Uu
have shown themselves to be less than mature."
        "Immortality is both a gift, and a responsibility.  For the lack
of one, We cannot have it entire.  Therefore... I call for the Eternity
Trap."  A beam of light shone from the back of the throne, over the
entire crowd of Uu.  The only ones untouched were Washu and Tsunami.
        "When the Uu prove their readiness, then will the Eternity Trap be
broken, and Immortality returned to you.  When you prove you are
responsible, when you have relearned the art of caring instead of the
recreation of playing, then you will prove yourself.  Thus do I, Washu
Hakubi, Eldest of the Uu, state."
        "And now, to the punishing of Our Regent.  Through the rank struggles
of the Game, the unacceptable have gained rank.  This shall end.  All Games
in play at this time will end.  Restitution will be made to the harmed, as
best as can be.   But the act which has returned Me to this world... this
must be dealt with.  As it is the Endgame, it will be dealt with under the
rules of the Game.
        "And, for her loss in the Game, I declare that Tokimi Hakubi will
be executed."
        The words left a silence in their wake.  The Uu, their Eldest now
returned to them, had nothing to say.  The silence was broken, suddenly.
        "Wait."
        Max Bishop strode into the aisle, looking at his friend, doctor...
and the eldest of the Uu.  Their eyes locked.
        Then Washu spoke. "Give Us a reason, then, Commander Bishop."
        "Tokimi lost the Game, yes.  She wagered her life, and lost.  Yes.
But... we've just been through a war.  There's been enough killing.  Just
this once... let us choose not to kill.  You spoke of being better, a
kinder race.  Let this be where it starts."
        They stared into each others eyes again, for an eternal moment.
And then Washu Hakubi, Eldest of the Uu, realized something.  Everything
she'd done, her wanderings, her dealings with the Galaxy Police, her
being one of the Chessmen, her affair with Koichi Ota... all of it was
for one reason.  To restore to herself, and perhaps then to her race,
the two things they had put aside, and then lost, in their drive to
perfect themselves.
        Compassion.
        Love.
        She smiled.  "Your eloquence persuades Us, Commander.  So be it.
She will live her life in confinement.  She is no longer immortal, so
this is not as cruel as it could be.  She will have all the luxuries
of her station... except moving freely and dealing with others.  This
is Our judgment.  You are dismissed."
        Max said nothing more, but nodded, once slowly, in thanks.
        Before Washu, in chains, Tokimi's eyes burned with hatred in her
glare towards Max.  Deep in her heart, she swore she would have her
revenge.

        Tsunami and Washu stood before us, as we boarded.  We'd spent a
week on Tamvaras Zhion, taking care of some problems.  We'll tell you
about them later.  Suffice to say some people didn't take mortality well,
and a few had to have it demonstrated to them that they were, in fact,
mortal.  Violently.
        Washu said nothing, as Tsunami smiled.  "The Uu owe you much for
your help.  I apologize for my manipulation of you, but I saw no other
way."
        I bowed, my team next to me.  "I think my team will agree with me
that things worked out well enough in the end.  And the fee we've gotten
here goes a long way towards the helping."  I smiled.  "If you need a
hand, just call."
        Then I turned to Washu.  I wanted to say *Until we meet again,*
but somehow it just wouldn't come out.  So I said, "See you, Doc."
        Washu grinned at me, the impish glint in her eyes.  "You BET you
will."
        That didn't reassure me at all.
        We boarded and took off, heading back to the_Gunbuster_, which was
orbiting New Eden.

        A peculiar melancholy came over me as we flew back.  We'd lost two
friends in the middle of this. Gally, dead.  Washu, lost to the position
she hated...   The pragmatist in me said we needed to find a new doctor
and at least one new combat operative.  But the idea of replacing them...
no.  They couldn't be replaced.  They could just have others take their
place.  But it wouldn't be the same.
        Farmel hugged me from behind.  "What's wrong, Max?"
        "Just... wondering if we're going to have problems filling the
holes.  We've lost two friends.  How do we fit things through this?"
        She smiled.  "I have a little surprise for you, actually."
        I groaned.  MORE surprises.  But, I let myself be dragged to sickbay
anyway.
        The chair in the office there swung around to reveal...
        "Washu?"
        She grinned, looking like a kid again, no mark on her forehead.
"After how boring it was, there was no way I was going to hang around
much longer.  Tsunami's in charge for the nonce.  She can get in touch
with me if she needs me.  And frankly, Max, I needed a ride back to New
Eden."  She leaned back, shimmered, and was her older self again.  I
didn't think I would ever get used to that.  "Koichi," she said with a
wink, "owes me a victory dance."
        We all chuckled at that.  Hopefully, the victory celebrations
wouldn't be over by the time we got back.

        "I sign this document in the name of peace."
        The vidcams hummed softly around the circular strategic display
table on the bridge of the _Destruction_.  Four people stood around it,
surrounded by an army of media personalities--two people each from the
UFP and UG respectively, the ranking representatives of each government.
        Stuart Adenauer, President of the United Federation of Planets, was
standing with a pen in his hand, over a document lying on the table.  He
had just signed it, and was moving to one side.
        Minister Eiko Magami, resplendent in the flowing violet and green
robes of office, moved to where he had been standing.  "As do I sign this
document," she said solemnly, bending down to sign the paper.
        To either side, Admirals Koichi Ota and Quess Paraya (the latter,
in the aftermath of the Battle of Vector Sigma One, had been immediately
promoted to full admiral) observed the historic occasion.  Most notably,
Koichi was in full UG dress uniform, with the addition of a small silver
circle on a ribbon around his neck.  Paraya wore her dress uniform, and
looked on with a stony expression on her face while the vidcams captured
her face for the galaxy to see.  *You killed him,* she thought, the words
repeating themselves in her head like an ancient mantra.  *You killed
Char, Ota - and that I will NEVER forgive.  You are a dead man... a dead
man!*

        We broke out of hyperspace to a loud hello from the _Gunbuster_,
and shuttled down to the planet, where the celebration was, in fact,
still going on.  We had a lot of fun for the next few days.   After the
celebrations, the hangover recoveries, and the heading-off of one
assassination, we were ready to get going.
        As the last shuttle came back bearing food, Ryuquir, Daisaku, and
Taison, someone else was aboard.
        "Mr. Bishop?"
        I turned around in the chair to see Tenchi Masaki, a duffle over
his shoulder.   "Yes, Mr. Masaki?"
        He looked embarassed.  "After this war, and watching you people
work, I've realized that you have a gift.  For understanding people.  I
want to learn this."
        "Are you saying you want to join up with us?  What about your UGI
work?"
        "I'm on a leave of absence.  To be honest, part of it is wanting
to understand how to get together a set of individuals to do what needs
to be done.  Then I can go back and get my own team together."
        I nodded.   "Take suite 25.  It's empty - just  a bed, desk, and
fresher, and storage space.  Anything else, you get for yourself.  You'll
be added to the ship maint roster immediately, and the duty roster as
soon as we get your tests done."
        He swallowed.  "Tests?"
        I pressed a button on my chair's arm.  "Dr. Hakubi, Mr. Masaki -
Youshou's grandson - will be joining us.  Schedule a full battery of
tests for him, won't you?"
        Her voice, electronically filtered, still sounded gleeful.  "Sir,
yes, SIR!"
        I looked at Tenchi.  "You can still drop out now."
        He shook his head.  "Not my style, Commander," he said, a brief
flicker of rebellion flashing in his eyes.
        "Go drop off your gear.  Then get to the galley.  You CAN cook,
can't you?"
        "Errr..."
        Behind me, I could hear Savashtar, Farmel, and Taison stifling
laughter.  "Good.  Dietary restrictions are in the galley.  Get going
now."
        He saluted, spun,and left.
        Thank the Makers that the ship was on autopilot.  We nearly choked
to death from laughing so hard!
        I grinned at Farmel as we recovered.  "I think he's going to need
a lot of work."
        She nodded, and went into a load of laughter again, setting us all
off again.
        It was good to laugh. It was really good.

EPILOGUE

        Tokimi paced her prison.  *Me!  A prisoner!  I'd rather be DEAD!!*
        Then she felt a cool sensation, and then nothing.
        And then something. She was standing on the deck of a starship,
where a man in a grey cloak played a huge pipe organ.  He finished his
song, then stood up and turned around, bowing deeply.
        "Greetings, Lady Tokimi.  I am Kagato.  I understand that you,
like I, have a grudge against the Chessmen.  Would you like to assist me
in destroying them?"
        She smiled.  "You intrigue me with your offer.  Let us talk."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Authors' Notes:

Geoff:

And here we reach the end of this part of the story.  It's been a long
bumpy road, but here it is.  Yes, there's problems with things.  We know.
Bill and I have talked about doing "Chessmen: Endgame: The Special
Edition".  And since, at this point, he and I are living in the same
apartment, it might not be as impossible as it seemed six months ago.

To all of our friends that have waited for this:  We thank you for your
patience, and hope we've given you what you wanted.  There's more stories
to be told.  But I've learned my lessons:  No more piecemeal releases!
The next story will be one large piece.

And to echo the words of J. Michael Straczynski, the spiritual
inspiration of Studio Surrealism:  Faith Manages.

Bill:

Okay, so this took a biiiiit longer than expected.  We apologize for that
profusely.  Hopefully, the change of climate which delayed this will now
accelerate things in the future.

Hmm... what can you say when you finish a cycle?

I think we could both use a drink.

Sometime this summer: things get REALLY weird.  You have been warned.


                                                March 1998