The Terran soldier's eyes grew wide as he realized that his life would end soon. The dark barbed metal coils wrapped around his neck and chest and began to both squeeze and cut him to ribbons with a mind of it's own. With a final gasp he took his last breath. On cue the coils leapt away from the body in search of other prey. Finding none at the moment the metal began to retract into its normal form. A heavy black gauntlet worn by a seeming frail female rabbit who's frail appearance went out the window when you saw her eyes.

"HOW IN THE HELL DID THIS CUR GET ON MY BRIDGE!" She thundered to her command crew in general.

A female husky spoke up after a few seconds of tapping on a computer terminal. "The Terrans seem to be altering the frequencies of their transporters in hope of getting by the castle's defense screens. I've been altering the shield's frequency just to prevent this from happening. Evidently he got…um" She paused, looking at the mangled body "lucky I guess?"

"If that's lucky I'd really HATE to see unlucky." Quipped a red-haired rabbit that was walking onto the bridge after hearing the alert with a security detail. Her commander gave her a withering look. "No offence your Ladyship, but that toy of yours is not the easiest or most pleasant way to go."

The rabbit in question nodded in agreement, she was dressed in dark red and black battle armor her black hair was pulled up into a ponytail and two red slashes were over her right eye were a sharp contrast to her white fur. Lady Miyamato Mariko, Commander of White Star Castle was somebody you did not want to piss off; beings that did so may not be living much longer. She sighed and sat back into her command chair and picked up the PADD that she had dropped when the soldier suddenly appeared with a blaster to her head, almost as an after thought she stated. "Captain Triton could you and your staff kindly remove what's left of this fool and find out how exactly he was able to transport in here in one piece?"

The red head sighed and motioned to two of her men to pick up the body, or what was left of it. Being Security Chief of White Star was never dull, she'd give it that much, and it paid a lot better than being in her former occupation as a mercenary, though not by too much given the current state of things. As the security team left and things calmed down on the main bridge the battle armor that Lady Mariko was wearing slowly seemed to be absorbed back into the black gauntlet on her left paw. In less than five minutes she was now wearing tight fitting pants, knee high boots, a loose blouse and a long jacket belted at the waist, the gauntlet however remained. As she looked over the PADD she muttered. "Now that the fireworks are over, care to continue our discussion Counselor after you come out of hiding that is." Mariko remarked with a rare smile.

The raccoon dressed in formal robes came out from behind Lady Mariko's chair slowly. Despite the chuckles and the snickers traveling around the bridge he was able to regain his dignity and continue with his message. "There is no discussion, my Lady, you are being asked to relinquish your claim to as sole ruler of the Shiroishi Clan and turn over Command of White Star to the rightful heir as appointed by the Shogun."

Mariko glowered at the raccoon with ill-disguised contempt. "If you recall the Shogun approved the transfer of the clan's leadership from the late Lord Kiyoshi to my family, hence I am the rightful heir."

The Counselor took a deep breath; he was told by the Shogun that this was not going to be an easy assignment. "The Shogun does respect your claim my Lady, but he would prefer a strong military leader at the helm of White Star, hence a compromise." He let the sentence hang as his voice trailed off.

Mariko was immediately suspicious; she knew the main reasons for the Shogun's objection to her commanding White Star was her gender, despite she that was every bit the warrior and guardian to Lord Kiyoshi's family as her father and brother were. If it wasn't for the medical knowledge she gained during her training to become a Knight, Lord Kiyoshi would not have survived long enough to pass the Lordship to her family and keep the clan intact. "What kind of compromise?" She asked wary.

"It's quite simple my Lady, the Shogun asks that you simply marry the heir he has chosen, you can still remain on White Star and the Shogun will be assured that White Star will not fall into the wrong hands." The Counselor smiled warmly, hoping she would agree.

"It all depends." Replied Mariko, "Who has the Shogun chosen?"

The Counselor continued to smile. "Lord Oshiro." If he was going to continue it was cut short my Mariko's gauntlet giving off a sinister hiss just before destroying the PADD she was holding. As the pieces fell to the floor Mariko's look of contempt turned to fury.

"Lord Oshiro has been trying to secure my hand in marriage for years, that match was thrown out by my father, then my brother, and even Lord Kiyoshi and his father did not approve of it. I will be happy to consider any other names the Shogun has in mind, but I will never marry Lord Oshiro." Mariko finished coldly.

The Counselor swallowed; he did not like the look in her eyes. "I will have to speak to the Shogun about it."

"White Star's resources are open to you Counselor for as long as you are here. If you wish to contact the Shogun from here you may do so." Replied Mariko, "I am sure you will also tell him that despite recent events in the Imperial System, White Star is holding its own against the Terran threat." The raccoon nodded. Mariko turned to her staff, "Lieutenant Gray? Would you be so kind as to show the Counselor to a room where he can rest and contact the Shogun at his leisure?"

The female husky nodded and got up from her terminal, as an minor officer slipped into the place she just vacated she walked up to the command chair. "If you will follow me sir?" She asked giving the Counselor a short bow. He nodded and followed her off the command deck, after they left Mariko smiled, hopefully Lieutenant Gray would follow her orders to the letter, including what had not been asked in the conversation.

After traveling through the inner halls of the Station for about 10 minutes Lieutenant Gray opened a door to a very comfortable suite and made her way to a small communication console with vid screen on the desk in the room. As she tapped on it she explained. "Due to the recent Terran threat, we have had to restrict long range communications and transfers to prevent information from falling into the wrong hands."

"I see." Nodded the Counselor, looking over her shoulder "What exactly are you doing?"

She sighed. "I'm activating the long range communications on this console as well as installing safe guards to prevent tapping by the Terran spies." After a few more clicks she stated. "That should do it sir."

The raccoon looked at her oddly, "You are not Imperial by birth are you?"

The husky nodded, "Lylatian actually. I had stopped by White Star for refueling just before the Terrans Initial Attack. Helped assist her Ladyship and I guess I impressed her enough that she gave me a post on her staff afterwards. I've been here ever since."

The Counselor nodded in understanding, after she hurried out the door he sighed with relief. This mission was not going at all well, the Shogun was not going to like the situation on White Star. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down before opening a channel to the planet Edo and the Shogun himself.

Several hours later Mariko was walking back to her own rooms when Lieutenant Gray jogged up to her with a PADD. "As you requested." The canine smirked, handing her the PADD. Mariko smiled.

"Thank you, I'll look over it tonight. Is our guest comfortable? Does he suspect what you did to the console?" Questioned Mariko.

"He accepted the reasons I gave him well enough, though he did remark on the fact I wasn't Imperial, I think he noticed about all the members staff that are not Imperial. I hope that's not used against you." She replied.

Mariko sighed, "One way or the other I will hold onto the Castle, Bea. Count on that much, the clan's lords have sworn their loyalties to me, I will not let them down." The husky nodded and walked off to her own quarters. As Mariko entered her own suite she tapped a few buttons on the PADD, a text version of the Counselor's communications came up on the small screen:

TRANSMISSION BEGUN:
ORIGIN- WHITE STAR
DESTINATION- EDO

SENT: My Lord Shogun.

RECD: Ah, I hope you have good news to tell me. How goes your mission?

SENT: I believe that Lady Mariko is open to the idea of marriage, but she has objected to Lord Oshiro, quite strongly I might add.

RECD: That is unfortunate, no others in my court have the honor and the will to do my bidding is such a far off region. Did she give a reason for the objections to such an ideal match?

SENT: Other than her family's previous objections, no she did not, but she did state that she would be open to any other Lord from your court that you chose.

RECD: I see, I will give it thought, how are things at White Star? Is all well? How willingly to the Lords of the Clan follow and serve the Knight?

SENT: They are very loyal to her my Shogun. They serve her as well and as fiercely as they served Lord Kiyoshi. I feel if we try and force Lady Mariko into any agreement and she decides to go against us they will support her to their deaths, and do so willingly. We have to tread carefully with her, or we might lose everything.

RECD: And the rumors of outworlders within her ranks?

SENT: I fear they are true, most are from the Lylat System and hold minor posts, though a few hold high ranks. I believe this is a result of the attack on the castle, some were present and aided the castle in that time of need. Since they were short on personnel after the attack some stayed to help, others stayed on longer with her blessing and now have permanent positions on her staff.

RECD: This just confirms that a strong, loyal lord is needed at White Star. I will consider other Lords in my court for her hand, but stress to her that I would prefer her choice to be Lord Oshiro.

SENT: I understand my Shogun.

TRANSMISSION ENDED

Mariko tossed the PADD down with disgust, her gauntlet hissed in agreement. "Why won't the blasted fools just let me hold White Star on my own?" She muttered to nobody in particular. She sighed and slumped into a chair gazing at a holo-projector of her family. Her father a honored Counselor and advisor to the Lord himself, her twin brother Usagi was a tutor and personal bodyguard to the Lord's son, Prince Kiyoshi, and she had just been appointed to the Lord's Personal Guard after her training as a Knight was completed. The holo was taken about five years ago, just a year before her father was killed.

After her father's death Mariko and her brother served the Clan faithfully. She believed to this day that if she had been allowed to remain on the Castle during the Katori attack a year later her Lord might have lived, but she had been ordered to leave with her brother and the Prince to safeguard the future of the Clan. After the Castle was retaken and Prince Kiyoshi established as Lord of White Star, she went on a short pilgrimage to aid her fellow Knights and was given charge of a powerful weapon. An ancient gauntlet charged with the powers of many Knights from previous generations, it was formed of a living metal that changed its shape depending on the mood of the wearer and the current conditions. In less than a minute the gauntlet could give her weapons and protection to suit any situation needed, hence the quick end to the threat to herself on the bridge earlier. It also had a mind and a will all its own, therefore it's took a strong will and mind to keep herself from becoming no more than a puppet to the weapons demands. Lucky for Mariko she had been blessed with both, much to the dismay of the Shogun and his court.

In an age where women were seen as quiet works of art and lived only to serve their fathers and husbands, Mariko was different. At the age of 10 she met a stranger at the Imperial Court, less than a week later the same stranger had approached her father at her home. It turned out that he was a Knight Teacher and was telling her and her father that she was one of the rare beings who had the potential to become a Knight. Due to the Knight Wars, Knights were not held in much honor is some systems, though the Imperial System seemed to be the exception, Knights could still find honor and employment with many of the Systems Clans. Her father, with his Lord's blessing, allowed Mariko to be trained in the Knighthood. After it was complete she returned to White Star and through her unique skills and her family's high standing soon secured a post as a member of the Lord's Personal Guard.

After his death and his son assuming the control of the Clan things had gone well for a time. Then the Terrans came, at first they almost ignored the Imperial Systems, focusing on nearby Lylat. Until somebody noticed that the Imperials bore a striking resemblance to the Lylatians, they were not identical but it was uncanny. Since the Terrans were not having much luck with enslaving Lylat, they turned their attentions to the Imperials. In a sudden blitz attack a few minor clans were practically destroyed, the Shiroishi Clan came dangerously close to the same fate. Using their transporters they gained entrance into the very heart of White Star Castle and killed Lord Kiyoshi's young wife and seriously injured Kiyoshi himself. He survived, barely. Since the possibility of another attack was high he had the proper documents drawn up to transfer the reigns of leadership upon his death to the Miyamato family who have been privy to the inner workings of the Clan for generations. This way the Clan holdings would remain intact and not separated and given to other lords and the Shogun's favorites.

The approval for the transfer came just as a second attack came, this time Kiyoshi was killed, her brother's first act as Lord of White Star was to route the invaders that had taken his Lord's life. He reign was short lived though, less than six months later he was killed as his ship exploded on a diplomatic mission to Edo to secure more support against the Terran threat. Mariko was sure that it was no accident that destroyed his ship, after his death the Lords turned to her for leadership. She accepted the role but the Shogun did not approve hence her current problems. Though sorely tempted she steered clear of the sake {rice wine} tonight. She had a dark feeling that she would need all her wits for the events ahead.

Some distance away in deep space Starbase 601, Headquarters of the Neutraltic Alliance, a black cat darted through the hallways trying to catch up to a quick moving arctic fox. "Hey fearless leader!" the cat yelled trying to get the fox's attention and waving a PADD in his paw. The fox paused and rolled his eyes, John liked Shade, he really did, but at times…

"Yes Shade?" Finally stopping long enough for the feline to catch up. Shade skidded to a halt and paused to catch his breath.

"I am never going to get used to how big this place is." Grumbled Shade, "Well I got good news from our spy network and I got bad news, what do you want first?" He asked handing John the PADD.

"The good I could use the cheering up." Muttered John starting to skim the information on the PADD.

"Well the UW and the UT are not even trying to fight each other for the time being." Began Shade, John smiled looks the NA was doing it's job, "The bad is that the UT found somebody else to pound on." John groaned.

"Who are they trying to take over now?" Snarled John. Shade pointed to the PADD as John continued to skim it Shade explained.

"It's the Imperial Clan System apparently the UT has been pounding on them for quite a bit, but since this system loathes outsiders, let alone outside help we didn't find out until recently what the UT was up to." As Shade paused John shook his head as he read some of the damage reports on a few of the Imperial Worlds, it had the UT finger prints all over it.

"Weren't there any defenses around these planets?" Asked John as he saw the reports on men, women and children butchered just before the planets were stripped of resources and supplies.

"Yep." Replied Shade, "but not good enough to stop the UT, I think they had plans to enslave the people, but they fought too much for the UT's taste so they were killed. The only way we found out about this was the fact that the next group of Imperial worlds that the UT is targeting is on the borders of Lylat, and has very strong defenses."

"Get me more information on this group, and send a few scouts over, I may have contact whoever is in charge there, or send help. I need anything and everything on these guys that can be dug up." John ordered as he continued down the hall still reading the PADD. Shade shook his head and walked off to follow his orders.

"Thank gods I can speak Imperial." The cat muttered to himself as he walked down the hall.

Back on White Star, Mariko was in full formal dress and loathing every minute of it. The black kimono decorated with the image of a phoenix emerging from the flame was beautiful but heavy, her hair was twisted and pinned into an elaborate bun and decorated with several hair ornaments, that was giving her a headache. She kept telling herself that it was necessary for now, that to the Shogun appearance was everything, and the sooner he was off her back about who should rule White Star, the better things would be for everybody involved.

After a week of messages being sent back and forth between the Shogun and the Counselor about the whole affair, the Shogun finally insisted that he should talk some sense into 'that Knight' as he put it. Mariko quickly agreed to the talk, though it would be via com link, she treated the whole thing as if it was a face to face meeting. It did have its high moments though, seeing the Counselor's jaw drop as she entered the room in full formal dress was enjoyable. She carefully set herself down on her knees on the small pillow in the traditional fashion and politely waited for the Counselor to open the link to Edo.

After a few moments the image of the Shogun came onto the screen, Mariko bowed her head in respect and keeping her voice low and her eyes lowered for now she stated, "My Lord Shogun."

"Lady Mariko, may I offer my condolences of the deaths of your brother and your Lord. I only have your welfare and that of your people foremost in my mind."

Still keeping her voice level, she replied. "Thank you My Lord, your concern is touching I assure you that White Star is still loyal to a so wise and caring of a leader." A little flattery never hurt, she silently thought.

The Shogun beamed at the complements before continuing. "It is my duty to look after all my subjects and their welfare, in order to secure the future of your clan there must be an heir."

Translation: Thought Mariko, I got to get married soon. "I understand my Lord, whom do you suggest?" Though I know DAMN well whom you are going to suggest…

"Lord Oshiro has been asking for you hand for some time now." There was a tone of disapproval in his voice.

Mariko took a calming breath before answering; this was going to be tricky to answer without offending anybody involved. "With all due respect My Lord, his petition for my hand has been refused by my Lord and my family due to his questionable acts while at residence at White Star Castle. I understand that was years ago but some Lords of the clan still do not trust him, to place him as head of White Star my cause decent with in the ranks and that is last thing the Shiroishi Clan needs now. I am simply placing the needs of the Clan before my own." She hoped that would be good enough.

The Shogun's face twisted with disbelief, "What sort of 'questionable acts' Lady Mariko?"

She silently groaned, evidently Oshiro left a few details out when he left White Star and joined the Shogun's court, This will unearth a great deal of things that should be left buried, but I don't have a choice. Mariko's voice dropped to a whisper, "He was connected to a plot with Lord Kiyoshi's uncle, Lord Akara, to overthrow the ruling family. The marriage to me would have given him direct access to the Miyamato family and the greatest source of decent to the new rule. Though no direct evidence was found he was no longer trusted by the Clan as a whole, he was asked to leave White Star Castle shortly after the inquiry. Hence the continual refusal of his request for my hand in marriage."

The Shogun nodded, "You said no direct proof of his guilt?"

Mariko nodded, "Yes, but to many of the Clan's Lords even the hint of betrayal made him an unacceptable match to the only daughter of a family with as high of a standing as mine."

The Shogun paused for a few moments; She is more cunning than I thought, if I am to retain control of her clan I must tread carefully. "I'm sure in time the Lords will see that Lord Oshiro has mended his ways, why is decent such a concern now?"

It was a minor miracle that Mariko was able to retain her calm face. Is he deaf, dumb and stupid?! I know both Kiyoshi and Usagi sent him detailed reports on the attacks! Mariko quickly responded. "I am sure you have heard of the attacks on our peoples by the beings known as Terrans My Lord?" At his nod she continued, "As far was we can tell there are two warring factions of these beings, only one faction is currently attacking various Clans with in the Imperial System. The Mino clan and the Kitsune clan have already been completely destroyed in these attacks. White Star is still secure, but the attacks are still going on, why I'm sure your Counselor has informed you of the attempt on my own life while I was on the command bridge on his first day here." Mariko smiled sweetly at the Counselor, she knew from her tapping of his messages that he had not informed the Shogun of that little incident.

The raccoon cringed when the Shogun's gaze swiveled to him. The smart Counselor quickly explained the incident and the methods used to prevent such a thing from happening again. With a sigh of relief the Shogun looked back at Mariko. "This just proves my point my Lady, a strong military leader is needed at White Star."

Mariko's mouth twitched wryly, "I am not disagreeing with you my Lord. I just feel that Oshiro is not the best choice given the current situation at White Star. I am sure there are several in your court who would jump at this chance to prove their loyalty to you by safeguarding White Star." At least I hope so. She silently added.

The Shogun sighed. "I will give it thought Lady Mariko. I do recommend that you speak with your Lords and have them re-evaluate their opinions of Lord Oshiro before any further actions are taken." With that the transmission abruptly ended. Mariko sighed and started to get up, she had work to do and not much time to do it in if she was reading the Shogun right. She briskly walked out of the room and hailed a passing messenger.

"How many of the Clan's Lords are in residence?"

"All but a few, my Lady." Came the quick answer.

"Gather them in the council chamber with in the hour, have the Lords not in residence attend via vid-link and the communication shielded." Came the brisk order.

"And they reason if they ask my Lady?"

"I have just spoken with the Shogun and the news is not good." Mariko quickly walked off, she didn't have time to change but she didn't care about her discomfort now, too much was at stake.

An hour later found about two dozen lords gathered in the Castle's counsel chamber where the clan's most important decisions were discussed before being carried out. For a room of such importance it was simple, but elegant. Simple mats of woven material covered the floor, off white panels framed with a dark cherry wood covered the walls, a small platform made of the same cherry wood was at the front of the room. The double doors were at the back and various vid screens were set up there as well for lords who could not attend in person. The room's only decoration was a banner that hung on the wall behind the platform bearing the Clan's Mon . The Lords gathered and muttered among themselves on the recent events until Lady Mariko herself entered the room and set herself on the platform signaling the assembly to be quiet.

"Thank you for coming on such very short notice my Lords and my apologies to those who could not make it to this meeting in person but I fear time is off the essence." She took a deep breath before continuing. "As some of you may have already heard the Shogun is worried about the future of the clan, his fears have some basis, in a span of a few years we have lost three Lords and there is no heir at the current moment. As such he wishes me wed to a Lord of his choosing."

One spoke, "Who has the Shogun chosen?"

Mariko swallowed, "Lord Oshiro." The room exploded. Mariko held up her paws to call for order. Another Lord yelled out.

"The Shogun wishes to give that cur the leadership of the Clan he betrayed!"

Mariko quickly spoke before chaos erupted again. "I know well your feelings toward Oshiro, and I have made them crystal clear to the Shogun but he is still determined, remember Oshiro has been currying his favor in the years since he left White Star and in the Shogun's eyes he can do no wrong. I also fear that he has also underestimated the Terran threat I believe that our communications and reports on the attacks have either never made it to the Shogun or have been altered to show a less drastic situation."

"You cannot be considering marrying Oshiro my Lady?" Came another Lord.

"I assure you my Lord if there is ever a wedding ceremony between myself and Oshiro I will have to bound, gagged and sedated into doing it. You all well know how difficult that is." Mariko finished with a smile. The room relaxed only slightly.

"So what are our options my Lady?" came a question.

"Very few I fear, we all well know what happens to those who displease the Shogun, I am coming close but I have not invoked his wrath yet. So we have some time, but not much. Our most obvious answer is the one we will not do and that is I marry Oshiro." The room muttered in agreement. "A second is a marry another of the Clan's choosing and ask for the Shogun's blessing after the fact, preferably one who is also in high standing with the Shogun. Any suggestions?"

An older Lord spoke. "I wish there were my Lady, there are several Lords with the standing we need but all are past their prime if the Shogun wishes a strong military leader and sire for the next Lord of White Star." Mariko could easily read on every Lord's face that if they could they would marry her if only to keep Oshiro away from the clan. She sighed grateful for their loyalty; she was about to put it to the ultimate test.

"There in one more option, it carries the greatest risk and the greatest reward if we succeed." She paused for a second. "The Shiroishi Clan could break away from the rest of the Imperial Clans and survive on it's own as an independent alliance." Instead of the roars and shouts of objections Mariko only faced stunned silence. "Any comments?" She bravely asked.

One Lord spoke. "Is it feasible?"

A second stated. "Unlike other Clans we don't depend on trade with others for necessary supplies, we are self sustaining, many Clans do depend on us for supplies though."

Another piped up, "But couldn't those clans either turn to others or form trade agreements with us? In a way this could benefit the Clan in the long run, instead of the trade we have now with the Clans we could actually get a fair price for what we export, instead of the controlled prices and taxes we have from Edo."

"As I said." Mariko began again, "This move carries the greatest rewards, but with the Terran threat over our heads a ove to become independent would make us an easier target."

There was a snort of disgust, "We have been holding the Terrans off for months and aided other clans against them without support or assistance from Edo, we can continue to do so!" A few cheers followed. Mariko smiled.

"Another problem will be the fact the Shogun may not let us go willingly. As you all have stated we provide support for many other Clans, the Shogun is no fool he'll try to keep us with in the system. I also believe that he will not hesitate to use force if needed." Stated Mariko in a bland tone.

"Impossible!" Snarled one if the Lords watching via vid link. "The other clans would never allow a full attack on White Star! How would he explain it?"

"As you all know, we have had to accept help from outside the Imperial System to protect and preserve White Star, in particular and the clan as a whole. You all know how the Shogun feels about outsiders, let alone allowing them to assist and stay on. I believe this will be the focal point of the Shogun's reasoning to attack us, if it comes down to that." Mariko's words sobered the group. Finally one lord spoke out.

"Then we threaten to take away what the Shogun wants most, if he tries to attack us." All heads turned to the oldest of the Lords, a large gray cat, Mariko had known him all her life. All trusted him completely.

"What are your views Lord Neko?" Mariko asked politely.

"The Shogun wants the Clan intact, that's why he quickly approved the transfer of the reins of power to your family. He needs the Shiroishi Clan as a whole; it could not function as well scattered into numerous pieces to various Lords. He cannot remove you and place another of his choosing in White Star for fear of a revolt not from the Shiroishi, but from his own court, as a sign of favoritism. By suggesting marriage he places one of his own at White Star, and I am willing to bet that Oshiro's petition for your hand is a closely guarded secret. After it is done the Court rumors with come up with a plausible tale to smooth things over, and that will be that. Any attack he may attempt will be explained away as necessary to preserve it and that you are an unfit ruler due to the acceptance of outsiders in our ranks, so again Oshiro and the Shogun win."

"So how do we threaten to take the Clan away?" Asked Mariko, what Lord Neko said made perfect sense, but how to do it?

"The one thing that holds the clan together is White Star Castle, if it is removed…" His voice trailed off.

"The Shiroishi Clan almost falls apart." Finished Mariko. "The Castle has an emergency destruct program it could be done." There was dead silence from the assembled Lords, Mariko continued, "All those in favor of breaking away from the Imperial Clans if the Shogun forces us?"

All gave their consent.

"And if he tries to keep us in the System we shall destroy White Star and retreat to our own providences." Again not one of the assembled Lords disagreed. Mariko nodded her accent and the gathering broke up, she mentally prepared herself, the next meeting with the Shogun would be a showdown.

Within twenty-four hours all but one soul on White Star knew the decisions that had been made in the Lord's meeting. It went with out saying that the one person who did not know the plans was the Counselor that the Shogun had sent.

Lieutenant Beatrice Gray was in the hangers checking the inventory of jets and fighters gathered there. Her position as Head Engineer of White Star was more than just Bridge duty. She was responsible for keeping the entire castle in perfect running order including the systems needed for its defense were also in perfect working order. A large task for one 20 year old Lylatian husky, but Beatrice could handle the responsibility; the training she received while in the Cornerian Military Forces came in handy these days. After the failed Terran attack on Lylat, which resulted in the death of Fox McCloud, things were not well within the CMF general ranks. The powers that be needed a scapegoat for the death of one of Lylat's greatest heroes and Captain John Robertson was blamed and court marshaled for the death. Several groups inside the CMF were not to pleased with that turn of events, especially since just before the formal hearing, Robertson had saved thousands attending Fox's funeral from Wolf O'Donnell's mad scheme. Instead of a pardon or the charges and punishment reduced to a minor demotion, he was still court marshaled and in protest his entire squad resigned from the CMF followed him.

Months later the War between the United Terrans and the United Worlds erupted with Corneria siding with the UW and their archenemy, Venom, siding with the UT. As the war progressed a few assignments came across Beatrice's unit, which consisted of weapons and explosive specialists; the assignments sickened Beatrice to her very core. Her commanding officer not only wanted her to plant bombs in and around civilian targets on Venom, but they wanted her to have the evidence point to the UT. She flatly refused, her commander threatened to have her arrested for failure to follow orders, before he could toss her in jail, she resigned on the spot and was off Corneria in less than an hour in her jet.

She had heard rumors of a new alliance forming in deep space, but she needed extra fuel and some minor adjustments to her jet first. She left Corneria in too much of a hurry to take care if it there and the Shockwave wasn't ready for long range flight as it was adjusted currently. She set her course for the closer Imperial Systems and hoped for a port or station that would let her land to take on extra fuel and have some minor adjustments done to her jet. Well she ended up stopping at White Star Castle, after receiving clearance to land and as she was fueling up Terrans started appearing out of thin air and killing almost everybody on sight. Beatrice's reflexes took over and she decided to lend a paw. She soon wound up back to back with two white rabbits, one with red hair and green eyes, the other with black hair and a red tattoo over her right eye. Thankfully they all knew enough Standard to communicate that they were all on the same side. Between the three of them and the handful of Imperial Soldiers that remained in the hanger bays they were able to keep them in control and the Terran ships from docking and loading even more soldiers into the base.

When the smoke and dust settled introductions were made. The red headed rabbit was called Ariel Triton and was a mercenary originally from Lylat, but had been away for years; Beatrice filled her in on the details on what was going on. Needless to say, Ariel decided not to go back to Lylat, the other rabbit was Lady Mariko. During the attack Lord Kiyoshi was severely injured, and the defenses of the castle was shaky at best. Beatrice quickly volunteered to help. She wasn't too fond of the Terrans herself and with her experience in the CMF she could get the defenses up to par in no time. Ariel also volunteered to assist before moving on, she knew how to fight sneaky and even if the honor bound Imperial Samurai wouldn't stoop to using such tactics at least they'd learn how to defend against them!

Well what started out as a short-term stay, became a long-term position. Her mechanical skills impressed several of the castle's engineers. So she stayed on, a bit grateful that her other skills were being put to some use. Despite the fact she was a premiere designer and engineer, most of her time in the CMF was spent building or taking apart explosives. So she stayed, as an Assistant Engineer under Lord Kiyoshi, and one of the Main Engineers under Mariko's brother. The position of Head Engineer came with the rank of Lt. Commander, but due to the problems with Mariko's rule of White Star the formal promotion hadn't come through yet. But that was all show, everybody knew her skill and gave her the respect of a Lt. Commander though she was formally still a Lieutenant. Beatrice didn't really care about that, she was needed, and she was doing well, that's all that mattered. Though every now and then she wondered how things were going back in Lylat.

Back on the bridge Mariko was sitting in the command chair going through various missives and messages, one caught her attention. "What in the world?" she muttered aloud re-reading the PADD.

"Is there a problem my Lady?" Asked a female panda communications officer.

"No just something very unexpected, have Lieutenant Gray and Captain Triton meet me in one of the ready rooms in and hour." Mariko stood up from her command chair and briskly walked off the bridge. After she left the panda shrugged and followed through with the order.

Ariel strolled into the appointed room ten minutes early, a habit she picked up from her days as a mercenary. If you get there early they can't set a trap for you, or you'll catch them in the act. Ariel smiled to herself most would think it impossible for a non-Imperial, let alone someone who was not even a samurai to be in charge of the security of White Star, but with the Terrans attack, the tried and true method of honorable combat flew out the window. Ariel's challenge was to train the samurai to defend from such attacks and retain their code of honor. She did it, though she had to personally pound almost every member of the security force into the mats to gain their respect first, she did it. From what she heard Mariko's brother, Usagi, was laughing himself silly for a week when some members of the security force complained. He simply promoted her to Head of Security and told them to deal with it. After his death she kept her position under Mariko, and was wondering why she wanted to speak to Ariel now. Her train of thought was broken when Beatrice Gray entered the room.

"Ten to one odds that this chat has to do with Lylat." Stated Ariel. Beatrice nodded, but before she could answer Ariel, Mariko entered the room and handed them each a PADD.

"Comments?" Asked Mariko as they read the information.

"Blunt aren't they?" Hissed Ariel, as she quoted, "The Alliance of the United Worlds wishes to form an Alliance against our common foes and will be sending a delegation to discuss a treaty…" Ariel snorted with disgust, "Heck the date they are giving as the day after tomorrow!"

"Over confidant is more like it." Replied Mariko. "Part of me just wants to blow their delegation out of the sky when they arrive, but unlike them I have a bit more tact."

"Yeah you'll wait till they get here, then you'll tell them where to stick their treaty." Ariel grinned at Mariko. Mariko just rolled her eyes.

Beatrice plopped down in a chair, "Lord almighty, wait a second what do they mean by foes?!" She began to re-read the PADD.

Mariko looked at her own PADD, "They list the United Terrans and another group called Neutraltic Alliance, who the heck are they?"

"Know that the Corneria is part of the United Worlds, and Venom is part of the United Terrans, and I've heard rumors of a third alliance but I left Lylat before anything was confirmed." Replied Beatrice. Ariel also nodded.

"Lots of equipment and ships were quietly heading to a location in deep space just before I came here, it could have been this Neutraltic Alliance getting set up." Explained Ariel.

"So what do we do about this?" Asked Mariko, "The two of you are more familiar with the parties involved than I am."

Ariel quickly spoke, "We listen to what they have to say, they want something from us. Badly. We have to be on guard, from what Gray has told me they are as bad as the group that has been pounding on us, just more subtle about it."

"I agree, I also know a few on the delegation personally, on the surface they all seem alright, but I note a few engineers and weapons specialists on this list. Not the type you would bring along on a diplomatic mission." Stated Beatrice flatly.

"Any name in particular sticks out?" Asked Mariko casually, she had noticed it earlier but wanted to confirm her suspicions.

"One." Stated Beatrice, "Commander William Gray, my older brother."

"What?!" Yelped John to Shade has he read the information the black cat just gave him.

"You read that message right, Corneria and the United Worlds are approaching the Imperials for an alliance against the United Terrans and possibly us." Shade sighed, "If at all possible it could get worse."

"Define 'Worse'." Hissed John.

Shade walked to a nearby wall screen and tapped on the panel bringing up a file. "Since the Iriah has a advanced cloak I was able to get a good scan of this 'Clan's' main base with out being detected. If we are on the biggest Starbase in history this one is the second biggest, we are larger but barely." The statistics and structure of White Star Castle came onto the screen, John swallowed.

"Exact location?" He asked.

Shade pulled up a map, "Almost at the halfway point between us and Lylat, and smack inside the 'Neutral Zone' areas. As I said it can get worse…"

"If this group sides with either the UT or the UW it will rip the Neutral Zone to shreds and all our work will be down the drain." John sat up, "Why in the world haven't we seen these people sooner?"

Shade sighed, "From what I have gathered the Imperial System as a whole is not fond of outsiders. The system is broken up into different groups, or clans, each clan is run by a Lord, whose leadership is passed through family lines, the Lord's answer to a Shogun and the Shogun commands the entire system. The UW is seeking an alliance with only one clan, the Shiroishi Clan, who holds this station called White Star Castle."

"Since the leaders of White Star have to answer to this Shogun, wouldn't they not be able to form an alliance with anybody without his permission?" Mused John.

Shade nodded, "That's the theory, maybe they haven't done their homework like we have. I'm more worried if they don't agree to an alliance."

John shook his head, "Those poor people will have both the UT and the UW pounding on them, I can't have that Shade. You are going to take a message on my behalf to the leader of Shiroishi Clan. If the UW is going, I'm also going to be there, I want to make it clear what the NA does before they sign any agreements for or against us, but first can you tell me who is in charge over there so I don't offend anybody?" John finished with a grin.

Shade grinned back, "I already did that, the current leader of the Shiroishi is called Lady Miyamato Mariko, her brother was the Clan's previous Lord and died a few months ago. Will that do?"

John nodded his head and prepared a missive as well as making plans on the running on the station during his journey to White Star Castle.

Beatrice Gray was in her quarters getting into her full dress uniform, and was so nervous she could barely tie the sash right. The delegation from the UW was due in about an hour and she had to be in the hangers with Mariko and Ariel to greet them hopefully her old weapons friends will think twice before doing anything if they had darker plans for White Star once they saw her. She gave herself a quick check in the mirror, a royal blue kimono decorated with the clan's crest, black loose fitting black slacks, and dark gray boots. Her dark blond hair was pulled back from her face and into a bun at the base of her neck. She sighed, and muttered, "Here's hoping." As she marched out the door.

Ariel was sprinting through the halls. After getting into her dress uniform early, as usual, she decided to check the bridge to see if anything important had come in for Mariko. As soon as she had stepped on the bridge a request to land came in Ariel decided to handle it herself.

"White Star Castle. Please state the nature of your business."

Shade took a deep breath before answering in Imperial. "Shade Monroe, I come as a representative on behalf of the Neutraltic Alliance with a message for Lady Miyamato Mariko."

After he stated he was a messenger on behalf of the Neutraltic Alliance Ariel muted the comlink and shocked the entire bridge crew with her language. If things couldn't get any sticker for them, yet another potential problem erupted. Ariel had to calm herself before answering "Permission granted, I will notify her Ladyship that you wish to speak to her please enjoy the hospitality of White Star Castle."

After the com clicked off Shade was a bit wary, there was that odd pause after he stated his business, hopefully this would go off without a hitch. John would be leaving Starbase 601 tonight, and arrive here sometime tomorrow. Last minute business had delayed his leaving. So Shade went on ahead to sound things out, good thing he did by the sounds of it.

After giving the pilot permission to land and instructions for him to be shown to a small conference room. Ariel tore off the bridge and knew she better get to Lady Mariko quickly.

Beatrice was nearly knocked off her feet by the sprinting red head, and was grabbed by the aforementioned redhead and dragged toward Mariko's quarters. "What the heck?" Yelled the husky. Ariel just shoved a PADD into her paw and kept dragging her. After Beatrice got her eyes back in her head Ariel didn't need to drag her along anymore.

Lady Mariko was getting into formal dress to greet the delegation when there was a ruckus followed by somebody who was pounding on her door. She sighed and without turning around she called. "Come in Captain Triton."

Ariel burst in and without so much as an 'Excuse me.' launched into her reasons for entering like this. "We have a problem, there is a representative from the Neutraltic Alliance wishing to speak to you as soon as possible."

"Now don't they work fast?" Muttered Mariko, "I wonder if his appearance has anything to do with the UW delegation arriving in about 40 minutes?"

"It most likely has everything to do with it." Sighed Beatrice. "Now what do we do? From what I can tell the United World hates the Neutraltic Alliance, I don't wanna think about the reaction they would have if they found out that a member of the NA was aboard White Star."

"I second that emotion." Stated Ariel.

Mariko nodded, "Has anybody seen the NA representative?"

Ariel glanced at her PADD, "No, but according to this his name is Shade Monroe.."

"WHAT!" Yelled Beatrice. The two rabbits looked at her with eyebrows cocked up. "Uh. He was my boyfriend before I left Lylat. I had no idea he joined the NA."

Mariko smiled, "Well this makes things somewhat easier to handle, Lieutenant you can talk to this Shade Monroe, while Captain Triton and I play nice-nice with your older brother."

Beatrice gulped, "Dealing with my brother or my boyfriend, neither of whom have any clue that I'm even here. I guess Shade will be easier to deal with than Bill, my brother is almost loyal to the CMF to a fault. I doubt he was too happy with my leaving."

Mariko nodded in agreement. "Before we greet the delegation, there is one more detail we should take care of first. I wasn't going to implement this until later, but if we are going to have two warring factions aboard White Star, not to mention any spies the Shogun might have placed…" Mariko carefully outlined what she wanted both her Security Chief and her Head Engineer to do.

After she finished Ariel quickly nodded in agreement. "I'll summon your Personal Guard My Lady, I'll give them their instructions myself. All will be as you wish."

"I'll complete the adjustments after I deal with Shade, your Ladyship." Nodded Beatrice, "I don't know if I will be done before the UW delegation arrives though."

"That's quite alright Lieutenant." Sighed Mariko. "Get it complete as soon as possible though. Now if you two will excuse me I have to finish preparing myself for our guests."

After exiting the room Beatrice headed for the room where Ariel had sent Shade, while Ariel quietly assembled her Ladyship's Personal Guard, they had little time to put things in motion.

Shade was standing in the small conference room looking out the window. While Starbase 601 was more of a military post, White Star Castle appeared to be more like a royal residence. But if his scans could be trusted it was no lightweight of a station. Pound for pound its armament could match 601's, that and its location made it a desirable plum for all sides of the war. He sighed, hoping that things would turn out all right. His psionic powers told him somebody was coming to the door, whoever it was seemed… nervous…

Beatrice was taking several deep breaths before opening the door. She hoped to the gods that Shade would not be too upset at her. She was planning to contact him after she was settled at White Star, but she had lost track of him. Well the fact he was a mercenary pilot didn't help, but now? Oy! Time to get this over with… She opened the door and stepped inside. The first thing that surprised her was his appearance; he was dressed in a white kimono and a black hakuma. Either he was being respectful of the Imperial culture or he really had changed since they last saw each other. When he turned to see who had entered the room, Beatrice quickly noticed the green tattoo over his right eye, a Knight tattoo. Oh my God, this is getting trickier by the second. The powers that be must have a sadistic sense of humor. She thought and she tried to figure out what to say next.

Shade's jaw hit the floor when he looked up to see who entered the room. It couldn't be! Could it? The person who entered was a young female husky, with dark blond hair and dressed in a similar uniform to the person who had shown him to this room after he docked his jet. It was Beatrice Gray, his Beatrice Gray, but that was almost impossible, after she resigned from the CMF she took off to parts unknown and neither she nor the Shockwave had seen since. It was like she vanished with out a trace. The rumor mills had a field day with it, especially since her older brother was a high-ranking officer on Katina. He blinked then rubbed his eyes and looked again. "Bea?" He gasped, "Beatrice?"

"Hi Shade." She muttered.

"How? Where? When?" Shade was tripping over his words as he walked over to her.

"Very long story." She muttered.

His eyes narrowed, "I bet."

Beatrice swallowed as she did some fast-talking. "The CMF asked me to do some rather dirty jobs, I refused and resigned my commission before they could do anything about it." She began.

"I heard about that. When you didn't resurface after a few months I began to panic! I thought you were dead Beatrice!" Shade was almost at yelling volume.

"I'm sorry Shade. I tried to contact you after I got here, and figured out I was staying here, but well your not the easiest person to track down." Beatrice sighed. "And looking at you now I'm wondering if I was looking in the right places."

Shade sighed, "Okay I guess your right, but how did you get here? Why are you here?"

"I was heading for what is now the Neutraltic Alliance after I left Corneria, I stopped here for a refuel and to adjust the Shockwave for long range flight. That's when the Terrans first attacked White Star, I helped with the battle and stayed for the short term because they needed engineers to help with the repairs and it sort of became…" Beatrice shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

"Long term." Finished Shade. "So now what is going on here? I thought I was meeting with Lady Mariko."

Beatrice rolled her eyes, "Well she's kind of busy, something about the UW delegation arriving in about…" She checked her watch, "Twenty minutes?"

Shade's eyes bugged out, "Oh dear, Admiral Robertson in enroute here now to talk about that delegation."

"Whoa, Admiral Robertson, as in John Robertson? As in the poor unfortunate soul who got blamed for Fox's death and was dishonorably discharged for it?! He's in charge of the NA?!" Gaped Boomer.

Shade nodded, then began to grin. "Oh yeah you're a bit out of the loop about the CMF operations after his court marshal aren't you?" She nodded, "Sit down Beatrice this could take a bit. The gist is that they eventually re-instated John's rank and command, oh yeah Fox McCloud is still alive…"

Beatrice slumped into a chair. "Yipe…" She whispered, as Shade continued with his tale. About the 'Children's War' and how John eventually left the CMF for good for similar reasons that she had left. He was the one who gained access to technology that allowed for the creation of the NA as well as the construction of Starbase 601. Soon after it's completion he 'introduced' the Neutraltic Alliance to both the United Worlds and the United Terrans. After many problems and stumbling blocks he was finally able to get a peace agreement hammered out between the warring groups. It was simple; the NA's territory would run in between the established territories of the UT and the UW and act as a buffer to keep the peace.

After Shade finished his long tale Beatrice asked. "So why are the United Terrans and the United Worlds so interested in us all of a sudden? I mean the war has been going on for years, why now?"

"Three words Beatrice." Answered Shade, "Location, location, location. White Star Castle is smack dab in the middle of the NA's patrol zone and a pound for pound match for the Emancipator."

"Aw man." Groaned Beatrice. "As if we do not have enough problems lately, Lady Mariko is not going to like this…"

Meanwhile the aforementioned Commander of White Star was calmly waiting for the various members of the UW delegation to disembark from the small, yet well armed, transport that had just finished docking at the Castle's central hanger. As promised Captain Triton did exactly as she was ordered as the head of security stood with her ladyship on her right and two of her best officers from Mariko's Personal Guard on her left. One was a male lion named Kachini, and the second was a young female rabbit named Inazuma. Also as expected Lieutenant Gray wasn't able to make it back in time. There would be time for the Gray family reunion soon enough.

Bill Gray walked down the exit ramp with confidence, hopefully he'd have the treaty signed before the week was out and it would be business as usual with out the interference of Robertson or his Neutraltic Alliance. White Star Castle as well as its sizable resources would make a fine addition to the United Worlds. General Pepper had wanted to supervise this mission himself but various duties and responsibilities tied him to Corneria for now. So Bill was selected to act in the General's stead. As he finally reached the main floor of the docking bay he spotted five figures. Three were female and two were male. Three figures were wearing uniforms; they were most likely guards of some type for Lady Mariko. The other two, one was male raccoon and the other one was a female rabbit were in much more elaborate dress, he assumed the female was Lady Mariko herself, and the raccoon an advisor of some sort. He quickly and without hesitation walked up to the young rabbit and began the introductions.

"Lady Mariko?" The canine asked, at her nod he gave her a short bow at the waist and continued with the introductions. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Commander William Gray on behalf of the United Worlds I thank you for allowing us into your base."

The Lady Mariko gave the Katina Commander a smile; Bill had to keep his eyes in their sockets. She was not bad looking at all, actually she was very good looking. She was petite about five and a half feet with the ears, her jet black hair was tied up and pulled away from her face, she also had two red slashes across the right side of her face, a Knight tattoo, if Bill remembered correctly. She was wearing what he assumed was a kimono; it was dark purple decorated with what appeared to be water lilies in lighter shades of purple and embroidered with gold colored thread. He then gave a glance at the rest of the small welcoming party. On Mariko's left side were three guards, one was a female red haired rabbit, almost six foot with the ears and green eyes that missed nothing as she looked over Bill and the rest of the group as they came off the transporter. She definitely was the head of security, if not for the station, at least for her ladyship. The second was a male lion, well over six-foot and looked like he could rip somebody in two and enjoy it, not somebody you'd want to piss off. The last was yet another female rabbit with black hair but no tattoo like Mariko had but about the same height. On Lady Mariko's right side was a male raccoon, and appeared to be a deal older than Mariko herself, he was also dressed in a kimono but it was cut slightly different that Lady Mariko's was though every bit as elaborate. The symbol or clan crest if he recalled correctly, that was stitched on the sleeve was different than the one that the three guards had on their sleeves. She finally spoke in a soft cultured voice that almost melted the entire party. "Thank you Commander. I bid you and your fellows welcome to White Star Castle…"

Several Hours Later…

After going through the grueling introductions and putting up with Commander Gray's not so subtle hints on joining the United Worlds, not to mention the occasional snorts of disgust from the Shogun's Counselor, Lady Mariko and her three guards made their way back to her rooms.

"Finally." Hissed Ariel as Kachini stood guard outside the door. She pulled out a remote and pointed it at 'Lady Mariko'. The newly developed solid hologram image shimmered out of sight. "Did we fool them My Lady?" She asked 'Inazuma', the other rabbit grinned.

"Yes we did Captain, funny what a little makeup and a change of clothes can do to one's appearance eh? Good thing I created this 'Inazuma' identity some time ago. " The real Mariko, still in disguise as one of her own personal guards, grinned at her Captain. She then moved toward her desk and started to go through the small mountain of PADDs and reports that had gathered up while her holographic stand in was humoring the UW delegation, "Keep Kachini out there for the duration of the UW's stay here, I don't want uninvited guests."

Ariel grinned, "One step ahead of you there, he knows what to do to anybody that's not in on this trick who tried to get into this room." She motioned with her head to the door where the large lion was stationed just outside.

"Not too far ahead I hope." Mariko remarked as she continued to sift through the pile, "Have you heard from Gray yet?"

Ariel shook her head, "Not directly but I did get a message from her that the adjustments you requested were complete and that the same adjustments that were made on the Counselor's Com-link were also made to the ones in the rooms where the UW members are assigned. My guess is that she's with the NA Delegate now, most likely explaining her way out of the sticky mess she just got into." Ariel finished with a chuckle.

Mariko smiled, "Hopefully she'll have good news to report when she finally gets here, you better have her paged to let her know where we are, and what the Neutraltic Alliance's business is with the Clan."

Elsewhere…

"This place is incredible." Stated Shade for about the millionth time.

"Hard to believe that this was once upon a time just a stray piece of space rock." Chuckled Beatrice, they two of them were overlooking the 'Promenade' area of the station, various peoples, officers were milling about the various levels and balconies, conducting the day to day business of the Castle and the Clan. Shade nodded in agreement. After they had swapped stories and played catch-up, it was almost time for the UW delegation to arrive, so Beatrice asked if Shade would like a tour of the Castle since it appeared that he would not be able to talk to her Ladyship until after Admiral Robertson arrived. Shade quickly agreed.

"It's allot different than 601, I'll tell you that much." Smiled Shade, "Its located in deep space so we don't get too many visitors, but it seems like White Star Castle doesn't have that problem."

Beatrice grinned, "White Star Castle is in a major crossroads area in the Imperial Systems, you name it, it just might have come through here at one time." She was about to continue when her Comm began to beep suddenly and then went silent. "Ah nuts!" She growled, pulling the small device off her belt and looking at its screen.

"What?" Asked Shade.

She sighed, and re-hooked the comm to her belt, "A problem just came up, I gotta go now." She shrugged, "One of the drawbacks of being the Head Engineer of a Station this big, there are always problems."

Shade nodded in agreement and watched her run off. He decided to wander about the Castle a bit more before heading back to the quarters he had been assigned.

Beatrice quickly made her way to Lady Mariko's quarters, looks like the party was all settled in and it was time for a information swap on what they all had learned. Upon her arrival at the door Kachini moved aside so she could enter the room. After enter the room she announced. "We have a bigger problems."

Both Mariko and Ariel looked at her and said in perfect synch, "Now what?"

Beatrice ticked them off on her fingers, "One: Shade is now a Knight and might see through our little hologram. Two: John Robertson, leader of the NA is enroute here to talk with you Your Ladyship. And Three: I found out the real reason to why the UT and the UW want White Star so bad."

"What is the reason?" Snarled Mariko.

"The NA's chief job is to act as a buffer between the UT and the UW, White Star Castle is smack in the middle of this buffer zone." Muttered Boomer.

"So no matter which side we choose, we get screwed." Snapped Ariel, "And if we don't choose a side, we are still screwed! Either side will pound on us until we give up or destroyed!"

"Not if we side with this Neutraltic Alliance we're not." Muttered Mariko. At her companions stunned looks she continued, "We have seen examples of the United Terrans firepower, the United Worlds are most like likely a match for them, since what few reports we do have on their conflict indicates that the war has been going on for some time. Therefore we must assume that this Neutraltic Alliance must be either quite powerful, or quite cunning to keep the peace between those two. If we side with them, we become part of this 'Neutral Zone' and therefore…"

"The UW and the UT would be less likely to attack us, or willing to attack us…" Finished Ariel. "Good idea, but lets just hope the NA is a group we are willing to be a part of."

Mariko nodded in agreement. "If Lieutenant Gray's information is correct then we should know the answers for ourselves soon. When did your friend state that the Admiral was arriving?"

"Either late tonight or early tomorrow by our time standards." Answered Beatrice. "Last minute business delayed his leaving, evidently the NA's headquarters is a Space Station that is bigger than White Star itself."

"How interesting." Muttered Mariko.

Several Light-years away:

John Robertson paced on the bridge of one the four derelict ships that were enroute to White Star Castle. "Estimated Time of Arrival?" He asked.

"Thirty minutes by carrier, fifteen by fighter jet Admiral." Came the quick reply. John smiled.

"Well then I better get going. You all have your orders, stay under cloak around the station until I either give you the signal to act or I come back out to head back to the Emancipator. Understood?"

A chorus of "Yes sir's" traveled around the bridge. John smiled again and headed down to the hanger bays. Upon his arrival he spotted the rather non-descript fighter he intended to fly to White Star itself. It was a double seated Arwing that had been modified for long range flight, and had additional shields and armor but only single lasers and half the bomb capacity of a standard arwing. He also told the flight deck crew to simulate the effects of a long-range flight on the jet. He wanted everybody to think that he had flown the fighter all the way from the Emancipator, instead of the last 15 minutes or so. John quickly jumped into the cockpit and took off before they entered White Star Castle's sensor range.

Back on White Star Castle, Inazuma was busying herself checking the transport that the Bill Gray had arrived in. Though she expected no physical evidence of treachery, it was non-physical evidence she was interested in. She first double-checked to be sure nobody was around before gently skimming her paw over the interior of the ship. Picking up the mental residue of the people who were inside. Nothing there, just curiosity, some tension on meeting a new culture, nothing to indicate if they had other plans besides discussing a treaty. Inazuma sighed, and then here com began to beep. On reflex she pulled it off her belt and stated "Yes?"

Ariel's voice came through clearly, "A small single fighter as just requested clearance to land, the pilot had identified himself as Admiral Robertson. I believe you know the Ladyship's orders?"

Inazuma grinned; Ariel must be on the bridge and playing this up to the hilt. It wasn't that very often the Head of Security could order her leader about and get away with it. "Understood, I shall show the Admiral to his quarters and inform her Ladyship of his arrival. Inazuma out." She quickly put away the com and jogged out into the main bay to locate exactly where he would land. As she spotted the small fighter, she allowed herself a small smile. What would Admiral Robertson do if he knew that the Commander of White Star was welcoming him aboard?

John carefully climbed out of the cockpit and took in the large docking area. He gave a small whistle of appreciation. Shade was right this place was almost as big as 601, has he reached into the back seat for his gear a voice called to him in heavily accented standard.

"Admiral Robertson?"

John looked over his shoulder and spied a young female white rabbit wearing a variant to what Shade normally wore. She was rather small but extremely attractive, with dark eyes and jet-black hair that was pulled back into a severe ponytail between her ears. Her voice, though with a heavy accent, was smooth, she didn't stutter over her words like he had seen some people do when trying to speak something other than their native language. Evidently she was used to speaking in other languages. "Yes?" He answered.

Inazuma ran her paw gently across the wing of the jet, it was cool to the touch as expected after a flight, but it was what she sensed that caused her to blink. The residue of several people prepping the jet for take off was still quite strong. If their base was as far away as Beatrice told me, then there should be a faint residue or none at all! What is going on? After quickly regaining her composure she looked at the Admiral himself. He was an arctic fox, pure white fur without black tipped ears and tail. He appeared to be only a few years older that she was yet a peek at his mind showed he was much older than his appearance showed, more than met the eye, interesting was an understatement. "Welcome to White Star Admiral. I trust you had an uneventful trip?" She gave him a smile; she was going to enjoy this.

John was no fool; he saw her face change for a split second before she regained her composure as she touched the wing of the jet. If she's a psi I'm in such deep trouble. There is no way she could have missed the fact that the outside of this jet has had contact with living beings a short time ago. Dang it! "It was uneventful, thankfully. I'm assuming that Shade Monroe has already made it here since you were expecting me." John also smiled, hoping for a light note.

Inazuma nodded, "Yes we have a room prepared for you adjacent to his, will there be any others coming?"

By now John had reached the floor of the bay with his bag over his shoulder. "No, just myself and Monroe will be all. When can I see Lady Mariko? I'd like to talk to her as soon as possible." John hoped he didn't sound too urgent, diplomacy required a rather gentle touch. But with both the UT and the UW sniffing around here the sooner he got the facts before Lady Mariko the better.

"Most likely tomorrow," Inazuma answered, "and pardon my manners I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Inazuma, a member of the Ladyship's Personal Guard." John nodded in acknowledgement they continued to chat as they continued on through the castle.

In another wing of the castle, Beatrice Gray was again taking several deep breaths as she stood in front of another closed door. On the other side of this one was her older brother instead of her boyfriend, and she knew without a doubt that he wouldn't be so happy with her newfound position as Shade was. Time to pay the piper. She quickly rapped on the door before her courage failed her.

Bill blinked a few times at the knock, now who would be seeing him here? Most of the delegation was settled in preparing for the full-scale discussions that would start tomorrow. He shrugged and opened the door and came dang close to passing out then and there.

Beatrice had a sheepish smile on her face and muttered "Hi Bill."

"Bea?" He gaped. After her nod of acknowledgement Bill grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into the room. "Where in the hell have you been!" He bellowed after the door was safely shut behind her.

"Here." Stated Beatrice in a matter of fact tone. "I stopped by for a refuel and some repairs and well I stayed on after I heard they needed engineers and designers. Given the rather bad way I left Corneria I didn't think a message stating that I'm now the Head Engineer of this station would have been well received."

"You're the Head Engineer of White Star?" Bill's jaw hit the floor.

Beatrice nodded. "When the message about the delegation arrived, Lady Mariko took note of your name and asked me to be part of the welcoming party, but due to a slight disaster at the last moment I was knee deep in a repair job when you came aboard the Castle. So after I was done with the repairs I found out where you were and decided to say hi."

"Why the hell did you leave in the first place?" Snarled Bill.

Boomer sighed, she knew that question was coming a mile away. "Unlike most of my former comrades in the CMF I don't like committing wholesale murder to advance my career. I resigned before they could discharge me."

"It's only murder if you kill the good guys Beatrice. I thought you knew that." Bill sighed.

"Define: 'Good Guys' Bill." Muttered Boomer. "Blowing up civilian targets on Venom, and framing the UT for it makes us as bad, if not worse, than they are."

"So? They are the enemy! They deserved to die!" Hissed Bill.

Beatrice flinched. "Killing in combat, or destroying a known military compound where there will be casualties is one thing. I was more than willing to do that for the UW. But I am not so low as to sanction an unprovoked attack on a civilian base, UW or UT! Since I refused to do that for moral reasons the next words out of my commanders mouth were to either follow the orders or be placed under arrest so I resigned on the spot. That is why I left Corneria, period, end of story." She sighed. "What's done is done Bill. Neither of us can change what happened, can we just accept what happened and go on?"

Bill just growled and stalked away.

"I'll take that as a no then." Sighed Beatrice. "If you want to talk civil, I think you can find me around here." As expected she didn't get any answer, she shook her head and walked out of the room.

The next morning:

"You are hopeless John." Growled Shade as he carefully plucked the unidentified vegetable piece from between his ears where it landed after the latest attempt to teach Admiral John Robertson how to use chopsticks, so far food was winding up everywhere but inside John, on the floor, on the table, and on Shade...

John was glaring at the offending pieces of wood. "Why do they insist on eating with these things? It's a miracle they don't starve." He picked up one an looked like he was about to stab his food with one of the sticks instead of using both the pick up the food to his mouth, Shade's glare stopped him.

"I'm guessing that if you gave half the people here a fork, they wouldn't know how to use it either." Muttered Shade, dabbing the soy sauce off of his white bandana. John was about to pick up the other chopstick and try again when he was saved from further embarrassment by a knock at the door; he answered it in record time.

"Hello?" He asked when the door opened to reveal a female husky who was not Imperial. The husky smiled.

"Admiral Robertson?" She asked. After John's nod she smiled, "Beatrice Gray, Head Engineer of White Star Castle and ex-member of the CMF."

John grinned and let the young woman into the room. "How long have you been here?" He asked.

Beatrice smiled; John looked a heck of a lot younger than she thought he would. "A few years at most, I left Corneria after the war got really nasty." She looked over toward the room's table and giggled as she spotted Shade dabbing the last traces of sauce from his head. John grinned sheepishly, "We had a slight incident with breakfast this morning."

"Do you need help learning how to use chopsticks before the dinner tonight?" Asked Beatrice with a smile.

"What Dinner?" Both men asked in synch.

"The one that her Ladyship is having this evening with you two, and the United Worlds Delegation of course." She got glares in response. "Is this a bad time to say that Lady Mariko has a really twisted sense of humor?"

Shade groaned, "At least a dozen people at one table, eating with chopsticks, and most have never seen let alone eaten with chopsticks. Twisted sense of humor is an understatement Bea." She just grinned back.

"As for the food being served, all I the advice I can give you is to steer clear of the sushi." Snickered Beatrice.

John answered by sitting back down at the table and grabbing the chopsticks with determination. "I am going to be able to use these things by tonight even if it kills me."

"But it might kill us too." Muttered Shade. Beatrice was still grinning.

Bill Gray was attempting to keep a calm face. "Who are we having dinner with tonight?" He asked Ariel.

"Her Ladyship and the two representatives from the Neutraltic Alliance that have also just arrived at the Castle." Replied Ariel to the husky commander.

"You do know that the UW and the NA are on opposite sides here." Muttered Bill. "And the only reason the NA is here is because we are here."

"Yes her Ladyship is aware of the tension between your two sides, and your motives from coming to White Star, but she hopes that you can remain civil to each other while under her roof." Ariel replied with a slight smile, Bill Gray looked like he was about to explode. Good thing Mariko did take those extra precautions before hand; this could get messy fast.

"Understood." Grumbled Bill, regaining his composure. "No if you'll excuse me I have things to prepare." Ariel nodded and quickly left the room. As soon as the door shut behind her then Bill ran for the console on the desk and patched a transmission back to Corneria.

An hour later Inazuma was skimming a PADD in one of the Castle's observation decks trying to keep a straight face. If only Commander Gray knew about the communications tap on his console, she presumed that he'd be a bit more careful on what he was saying to his superior officer.

TRANSMISSION BEGUN:
ORIGIN- WHITE STAR
DESTINATION- CORNERIA

RECD: Ah Commander! How goes the mission?

SENT: Not good at all General Pepper. That meddler Robertson must have found out our intentions and is here as well.

RECD: What?! How did he find out about White Star Castle? Not even the United Terrans or Venom knew about our plans!

SENT: I have no clue on that yet sir, but I will find out. Seems like Lady Mariko is having a little dinner tonight with all of us in attendance, she's either smarter than we thought, or she's very naïve on what we can do to her and her Castle.

RECD: You know how important it is that we secure that Station Commander. We need it at any cost. If we cannot secure it, the NA and the UT must not secure it either.

SENT: I understand General. Also another hitch is developed, my sister is here at White Star.

RECD: That can be used to our advantage, can she be turned back to our side if needed?

SENT: Doubt it, I've already spoken to her, she is still not fond of the CMF period. She also holds the position of Head Engineer of this Station, if you catch my meaning?

RECD: Blast! She will smell our back up plan a mile away! Unless we can turn her loyalties back to the UW we haven't got a prayer.

SENT: I'm open to suggestions.

RECD: Discredit Robertson, to the Imperials, appearance in everything. Use it to our advantage, he's too honorable to do the same to us.

SENT: Understood.

TRANSMISSION ENDED

With a slight smile Inazuma tucked the PADD into her kimono and looked up to see the subject of the discussion wander into the room. She decided to get a bit of information since the opportunity presented itself. "Good day Admiral, I trust your stay has been pleasant?"

John nearly jumped out of his fur, he thought the room was empty. But there leaning against the wall of the observation room was Inazuma. "Yes, thank you. I would imagine that you would be physically closer to her Ladyship as a member of her personal guard." Chuckled John.

Clever, she thought, and observant too. "One would assume that, but we all have different roles in her Ladyship's protection. Captain Triton is the planner as well as our commander, Kachini is the strong arm of the group, and I'm the eyes and ears about the castle."

"Because you can get into places without notice that Lady Mariko herself cannot." Finished John. Inazuma nodded. "Will you be at the dinner tonight?" He asked before he realized what he just said. Now why in the hell did I just ask that? Asked the older and somewhat wiser half of his brain. Because she's cute? Came the quick reply from the half that acted like a high strung 16 year old. Shut up mind you are here on business! Snapped the wiser half. You will not impress Lady Mariko by making a pass on one of her guards!

Inazuma was able to catch a few bits of what went through his mind and was able to keep a straight face. Well what do you know a leader who is actually normal under the proper façade. Thought Inazuma before answering, "Unfortunately, no I will not. I have other duties. Or maybe that's a good thing, from what I have heard about State Dinners."

John began to laugh. "They are usually boring as all get out, and everybody usually wants to get it over with as soon as possible. At least the ones I go to."

"Hopefully this one will not be boring for you Admiral." Snickered Inazuma, If I have anything to say about tonight's dinner, boring will not be used to describe it at all. "Now if you will excuse me I do have some duties to attend to." She quickly left the room.

As John watched her leave the 'discussion' in his head continued. She likes you. No she does not she's being polite! She likes you and you like her. Shut up… The mind war continued all the way back to his quarters to get ready for tonight's dinner.

Later that evening:

Yep, Thought John, this is not boring. Like Shade said, less than half the people in this room have had experience with chopsticks, and it shows. Badly. John quickly stuffed a piece of meat in his mouth to keep from laughing at the majority of the CMF group's feeble attempts to use the chopsticks to eat. He could have sworn Lady Mariko did the exact same thing he did to cover up a fit of laughter, and John would have bet an entire month's pay that the Commander of this Station was enjoying every second of this.

Between the few survival tips he got from Beatrice earlier and Shade's 'mental' help, John was able to actually to eat with the chopsticks with only minor embarrassment. Bill was the only person in the CMF group who was not making a fool of himself with the evil pair of sticks. Though John was very careful of what exactly landed on his plate, Beatrice warned him, that though it all tasted good you may be grossed out when you actually found out what you just ate, especially the sushi plates.

Shade on the other had practically dived headfirst into the sushi plates, and was happily munching away at the sticky rice and fish treats. John chalked it up to cats and seafood and left it at that. The black furred-feline blended in so well you could have sworn that he was Imperial born, instead of Lylatian. He and Lady Mariko had quickly hit it off, the fact Shade was extremely fluent in the language and knowledgeable on the culture and customs added a few points to the NA's favor. Much to Bill Gray's disgust.

Over all the dinner was going smoothly, no weapons were present, discussions were calm and quiet. John stole another gaze at Lady Mariko herself. She was not bad looking at all, hell she could have given Star McCloud a run for her money. She was very petite, and appeared even smaller with the heavily embroidered black kimono. She was a white furred rabbit with black hair pulled up into an elaborate knot and decorated with several combs. The first thing John noticed was the red tattoo over her right eye, a glance at Shade confirmed what John suspected. Lady Mariko was a Knight. Translation, the image of the frail little doll sitting at the table was only skin deep. Now John could easily believe that she could have held off the UT for as long as she did, and still doing. Somehow he felt better now, there was no way Bill's smooth talking would fool her for a second. Maybe just maybe he might be able to sign her up with the NA, if not that at least keep her from siding with either the UW or the UT.

Mariko kept a careful eye on the diners as a whole, the Shogun's Counselor was hiding something, and Mariko had a sick feeling that she would not like what it was. Commander Gray's polite face was just a sham, between the transmissions she had intercepted and her own discoveries, all he and the United Worlds wanted was White Star Castle and didn't give a damn about her people, or herself. Beatrice was right they were every bit as bad as the United Terrans. She mentally sighed, despite his best efforts Commander Gray, would return to Corneria empty handed, if she had any say in the matter. Admiral Robertson on the other hand was different. With him what you saw what was what you got. A pleasant change from the puffed up officials who spent more time worrying about how they appeared then what impact their decisions made had on others. What few comments had made in response to Gray's accusations on what the NA was doing, made Mariko more confident that she was going to make the right choice for herself and the Clan. Little did anybody sitting at the table know that she had already made her decisions, all of this was just a formality.

Meanwhile Bill Gray was attempting to explain to the Shogun's Counselor the better points of the United Worlds. It was assumed that if he convinced the raccoon about their alliance then he could get the backing of some of the other Imperial Clans, maybe even the Shogun himself. He was getting nowhere fast. As he talked Bill grabbed something from a sushi plate. The rest of the table who knew exactly what the husky just grabbed with his chopsticks waited with baited breath. A single thought ran through their minds: Would he actually eat it?

As predicted Bill Gray tuned from the Counselor and stuffed the seaweed wrapped morsel into his mouth Beatrice, who was on the verge of breaking out into laughter, could not stay silent any more; she just had to something about what just happened. "Why Bill, I didn't know that you liked Tako Sushi?" She sweetly commented to her brother. Bill, who was still chewing had a blank look on his face as he tried to remember what 'Tako' meant exactly. Shade who knew exactly what it was stuffed another sushi piece into his mouth before he to died of laughter. One of the CMF officers that was seated next to Bill quickly whispered to his commanding officer's ear that he had just eaten a piece of slightly cooked octopus.

His face was priceless.

Lady Mariko smiled at the poor canine and asked. "Would you like some tea Commander?" Bill nodded, rather quickly

Ninety percent of the decorum left the room after that incident.

John stole a glance at Shade to see if he had anything to do with Bill's choice of sushi, he asked in a low whisper, "You didn't did you?"

Shade shook his head choking back snickers, "I only wish." Beatrice was making pretence of sipping from her cup to hide her own amusement. Bill shot his younger sister a dirty look, while still trying to convince himself to swallow the sushi instead or spitting it out.

Mariko kept up her tranquil appearance, but inside she wanted to die of laughter. She'd have to wait till later to let loose the laughter. She looked at Commander Gray who has at last swallowed the Tako was finally finished washing the taste out of his mouth. Thankfully he was silent for the rest of the dinner.

A few hours later:

Ariel, Beatrice and Mariko were all in Mariko's quarters, laughing their heads off. "Oh dear lord, his face was priceless!" Gasped Beatrice in between fits of laughter. "If looks could kill I'd be so dead."

"Captain, please tell me that the security cameras were working in that dining room tonight?" Snickered Mariko.

Ariel nodded, "Yep I almost fell out of my chair when I reviewed the tape afterwards. Did you have anything to do with that my Lady?"

Mariko shook her head; "No it was dumb luck, believe it or not." She calmed down. "On a less humorless subject, has there be any communication from Edo?"

Ariel grimaced, "No, not a peep. And I have a bad feeling about it."

Mariko cursed, "Well it's in the Shogun's hands now. He has all the facts, weather he'll believe them or not, that is the question that the clan's survival hinges on. But I would highly recommend that you keep a closer eye on the Counselor, he will be the first to know of the Shogun's plans." She quickly moved to a dressing table and began to apply the fur dye over her tattoo.

"Hey your off duty tonight Inazuma." Snickered Ariel.

Inazuma grinned, "You once told me Captain, that the best work is done while off duty, they don't suspect you as much."

Ariel shook her head as Inazuma slipped out of the quarters and into the main corridors of the Castle.

John was in an observation deck snickering like a madman; Shade was next to him, also dying of laughter. John finally wiped the tears from his eyes, "That was the least boring formal dinner I have ever been to."

Shade nodded, "The servants must be busy cleaning parts of the wall by now, I've never seen food flying like that without a food fight being in progress."

Inazuma had heard the chuckles and stuck her head into the room to see the two NA representatives doubled over with laughter. She grinned and put her shields up so Shade Monroe couldn't tell who she really was before entering to room. "I take it then that the dinner was not a boring affair?" She asked.

Shade looked at the white rabbit carefully. She was dressed as a member of Lady Mariko's guard, and there was just something odd about her. He was distracted from further analysis of the young woman by several 'interesting' thoughts coming from John. Oh so John likes her…a lot…I could have SO much fun with this… Shade smiled to himself.

"Hello Inazuma." Smiled John, "Yes you were right the dinner was not boring. Pity you were not there."

"Actually I delivered the security tapes to Captain Triton after the dinner, I saw the whole thing." Inazuma grinned. "Commander Gray's face was hilarious."

All three had another good laugh at the poor canine's expense. John finally spoke again, "Sorry I don't think you two have met yet. Shade this in Inazuma, a member of Lady Mariko's Guard. Inazuma, this is Shade Monroe one of my officers from the NA."

"Inazuma," Muttered Shade, "That means 'Lighting Flash' in Imperial right?"

Inazuma nodded, "It's nice to met someone who is familiar with our language. I hope you both are enjoying your stay here."

Shade was about to answer when John's communicator began to beep like mad. "Of all the timing in the galaxy." John growled reaching for the communicator on his belt.

Shade got an evil grin and snatched the device from John, "Oh don't worry, I'll take care of this John." Before the Arctic Fox could object Shade darted out of the room to answer the call. Leaving John alone with Inazuma, John was gonna kill Shade for this set up, and enjoy every second of it.

Inazuma was snickering like mad at John's face. Not to mention what thoughts were going through his mind at the time. "Knights seem to know things don't they?" She remarked.

John nodded then got a questioning look on his face as he looked at her. "What would you know about that?"

Yipe! Stupid move Mari; he's quicker that you gave him credit for! Time to back track fast! She thought. "Well." She began sheepishly. "Uh…"

John also looked sheepish. "Am I that obvious?" He muttered. Taking the lifeline he just tossed her without realizing it, she nodded. John swallowed, "Well, uh… Err" He stuttered. If Shade is in anyway responsible for Inazuma figuring out how I'm feeling about her I will kill him again after I kill him for this set up and enjoy every second of it…

"Are you okay Admiral?" She asked, his mind was a bit too muddled right now for her to get a clear view on what he was thinking.

"Yeah." John replied, Oh what the hell, I'll try something with her. After all you only live once! "Could you tell me if there would be any negative reactions to the possibility of an alliance between White Star and the NA if I did something, really, really, stupid?"

Inazuma cocked an eyebrow, "Depends, what are you planning to do that could be considered really, really, stupid?" The next think she knew John Robertson was kissing her, thoroughly. Oh boy! I don't know what is scarier, the fact he's actually kissing me, or that I am enjoying it… After he let her up for air, she muttered, "I don't consider that stupid."

John smiled, "Me neither." And the kissing continued.

Fifteen minutes later:

Shade looked at his watch; setting off John's communicator was a dirty trick to play on his commander. But the idea of leaving a squirming John alone with a lady he was very attracted to was too good to pass up! He decided he had punished John enough and walked back to the Observation Deck and peeked inside, nobody was there. Shade looked around the room but couldn't see anyplace that two people could hide.

"Oh well, she must have dumped John like a ton of bricks after he made a pass at her and he's back at the room sulking and plotting to kill me in my sleep." Shade snickered and casually strolled back to the quarters he and John were sharing. Shade keyed into the room, the rooms were basically two sleeping areas with a sitting and living area connecting the two, the rooms were not shabby at all, and palatial was more like it. Shade didn't spot John in the main room and figured he was in his room, stewing over the set up. He grinned and walked over to the closed door and was about to knock when a soft moan stopped him cold.

No way… Thought Shade. More noises followed. He mentally scanned beyond the closed door to confirm his suspicions on who was in the room and what was going on. Oh dear Goddess! Looks like the feelings John had for Inazuma were mutual! Shade carefully tiptoed to his room as he attempted to mentally block out the noises coming out of the room.

A Few Hours Later:

Shade poked his head out from under his pillow and grumbled "I thought Prolong was suppose to increase your life span not your endurance." He got dressed and stalked out of his room and paused in the main area glaring at the other closed door, he briefly considered the result of a few buckets of ice water in that room and quickly discarded the idea. He had risked his life enough tonight.

"If I'm gonna get any sleep tonight it's not going to be here." Stated Shade as he walked out of the room into the Castle's corridors.

Beatrice Gray opened her eyes sleepily at the knock on her door, "Who in the world could that be?" She muttered climbing out of bed and putting on a robe before opening the door.

Shade's rather frazzled face greeted her. "I need help." He muttered.

"More than you know." Replied Beatrice; "Do you happen to know who dangerous it is to wake me up in the middle of the night?"

Shade nodded, "I know I know but I can't sleep in my room tonight."

"Why not." Asked Beatrice.

"Well John is rather 'occupied' at the moment and it's keeping me up!" Snapped Shade.

Beatrice blinked, and then got the meaning of 'occupied' and grinned. "Okay he's only been on the station for less that two days, he works faster than you do."

"Shut up." Hissed Shade.

"Who's the lucky girl?" Beatrice continued to grin.

Shade yawned, "A member of Mariko's Personal Guard, Inazuma I think." He made his way to the small couch in her room, and was too tired to notice Beatrice's bug-eyed expression. After he was safely asleep, Beatrice covered him with a blanket and crept back to her room. Lady Mariko I sure hope you know what you are doing, or this will make things even worse…

Next Morning:

Inazuma yawned and blinked, and looked around her. The first thing she noticed was that she was not in her room, and it took a few minutes for her muddled brain to remember exactly what happened last night. Oh yeah, I'm in John's room, oh boy this could get so sticky so quick unless I handle it right. I'll worry about that later. She was about to snuggle back into the bed when her gaze rested on the clock. Oh crap! The Lord's Meeting! It's in less than an hour! I almost forgot! Inazuma quickly climbed out of the bed and began to look for her clothes, which were about everywhere in the room.

John woke up when the form next to him moved out of the bed, he blinked and looked to see Inazuma getting dressed. He yawned, and muttered. "I repeat my question from last night. Would this be considered stupid?"

Inazuma grinned, "Depends on who you ask." She finished tying her kimono's sash. "I don't consider it stupid at least." John smiled.

"I'm assuming you go on duty soon." He asked watching her yank her hair back into a ponytail. She nodded in agreement.

"I'll hopefully be around later today, unless, Gods forbid, a disaster happens." Inazuma rolled her eyes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before darting out of the room and coming face to face with a rumpled and grumpy Shade Monroe. He glared at her.

She gave the hacked feline a smile and with a happy "Good Morning!" she darted out of the room and into the Castle's halls with all possible speed.

"I hope you enjoyed it!" Snarled Shade as he stalked to his own room. " I had to sleep on a couch!" John was smart enough to stay in his own room and keep his muzzle shut. Overall John could not of asked for a better revenge for Shade setting him up in the first place.

"Are you insane!" Yelled Beatrice when Inazuma practically flew into Mariko's quarters. Beatrice had made sure she woke up before Shade did so he wouldn't be able to tell what exactly she knew about Inazuma. She had done a few adjustments in engineering before heading to Lady Mariko's quarters to wait for her Ladyship's return.

Thankfully Mariko was in too good of a mood to rebuke her Chief Engineer. "Yes I am." Grinned Inazuma as she quickly scrubbed her face and got dressed for the Lord's Meeting. "Other than Shade spending the night on your couch did anything else happen last night that I should know about?"

Beatrice rolled her eyes, and chalked it up to hormones, "I only hope you know what you are doing, Your Ladyship." Mariko tossed her a grin as she quickly changed her clothes to something more suitable for the meeting. Beatrice continued, "Other than that all was quiet last night. The only piece of interesting information was that parcel that arrived via special messenger from Edo." Beatrice motioned to the slim black lacquered box resting on a table. "He had this parcel for you and I do believe he talked to the Shogun's Counselor in person before retiring to his quarters for the night."

Mariko shrugged and decided to give the contents a quick peek before the meeting, she opened the lacquered black box, took note that it was the Shogun's crest imprinted on the sides of the box, and looked inside. Her roar of fury rattled the walls, and almost made Beatrice want to dive under the nearest piece of available cover; Mariko's next order surpassed the roar in volume. "BRING ME THE CUR WHO DELIVERED THIS TO ME NOW!"

Kachini tore off to where the messenger was quartered; Beatrice looked in the box to see what had set Mariko off. The blood drained from her face, inside were two swords, a matched set or a dashido consisting of a katana {long sword} and a {short sword}. They were badly damaged, the scabbards were singed and nicked, and the silk cording that wrapped the hilt was torn in some parts, but Beatrice knew them all too well. They belonged to Miyamato Usagi, Mariko's twin brother, and previous Lord of White Star; this almost confirmed the common belief that the destruction of his ship, causing his death, was no accident. Kachini ran back into the room, panting. "Pardon me my Lady, but the messenger is dead, suicide from poison by the looks of things. The body was still warm he must have killed himself soon after I ordered him to open the door. I had to break it down to enter the room."

Mariko looked again into the box and spotted a PADD, she snatched it up and read its contents her scowl deepened. She tossed the PADD to Beatrice; "I want copies of that for every single lord for the Meeting." Mariko snarled as she picked up the box and strode the Counsel Chamber. Beatrice gazed at the message and swallowed. "Oh lord as if things could not get worse." The canine muttered as she made the copies.

By means of subtle hints and borderline threats the Shogun's Counselor had gained entrance to the Lord's Meeting and he almost immediately regretted his move. Very few of the Lords present looked at him kindly. But if the information he had received from the messenger from Edo was correct. Mariko would be changing her tune to the Shogun soon, per the messenger he had delivered a message to her Ladyship that would change her mind on her feelings for Oshiro. The Counselor hoped so, the sooner this was over the better, and he did not like the overall feeling at White Star lately.

After a few more minutes Mariko finally entered the room, Beatrice Gray also entered and stayed to the back of the room, holding a stack of PADDS, her ladyship was carrying a box, she set it down in front of her and the room came to order. The Commander of White Star fixed the Counselor with an icy glare that caused him to cringe back. She then faced forward to the assembled Lords. "It seems we have a message from Edo." Mariko reached into the box and pulled out the swords, the room erupted in fury and horror. She held up her paw for silence. "This is for the Counselor's benefit, these are my brother's swords. The only way somebody on Edo could have them sent to me was if someone knew that the ship he was on would explode and was able to smuggle them off the ship. These are also family heirlooms, the only way these could have been taken from my brother was from his dead body, which was never recovered from the destruction of his ship."

The raccoon cringed at the implications. Regardless of the true reasons for how those swords got to Edo it was the merest hint that the last Lord of White Star was murdered and Edo was somehow involved that would destroy any hope of gaining Lady Mariko's and the Shiroishi Clan's cooperation. Mariko continued, "There was also a message with the swords, my Chief Engineer is passing copies out to each of you."

After Beatrice passed out the PADDS the volume of the room tripled, Mariko again called the room to order and again fixed the Counselor with her icy glare. "The message is from Oshiro my dear Counselor, promising that a far worse fate waits for me if I do not cooperate with him and the Shogun. Regardless of who was responsible for my brother's death is a moot point. This is clear threat against my life to force my cooperation in his and the Shogun's plans. Neither myself or the Shiroishi Clan will be forced into anything!" Yells of agreement traveled around the room.

One lord spoke. "My Lady do you feel that it is time to inform the Counselor of our plans?"

"Indeed." Nodded Mariko in agreement, and pointed her finger at the Counselor. "You will return to Edo with the following message for both the Shogun and Lord Oshiro, you will also carry back the body of the cur who delivered the swords to me. Evidently he committed suicide before he could be questioned on where the swords came from if he knew they were there. The message is as follows; as of this moment the Shiroishi Clan is no longer under the Shogun's control, we are independent from him and the other clans and our only wish to be left his peace. If he tries to take us back by force we will destroy White Star Castle to prevent his success. We will continue to defend ourselves and against further attacks against the United Terrans only, as well as prevent them from gaining any more ground in the Imperial Systems, and offer only humanitarian aid to other clans in the internal clan wars. Do I make myself clear?" She snarled.

The raccoon could only nod helplessly, that fool Oshiro had ruined everything! The Shogun would not be pleased with this. "Then leave!" Snapped Mariko signaling a few guards to escort the quivering Counselor to his ship and off the Station as soon as possible. After that was taken care off all the Lords present re-swore their loyalty to her Ladyship and the new Alliance they had forged. Then they got down to the real reasons for the meeting.

Commander Bill Gray was stalking through the halls anybody who looked at his face decided against a friendly greeting, he finally found somebody to confirm the rumors that were flying around the station. "Captain Triton!" He snapped, "I need some answers now!"

The rabbit in question turned around and sighed, "What can I do for you Commander?" All hell was breaking loose and she had no time for Gray's attitude problems.

"I heard a rumor that Lady Mariko was in a meeting discussing her alliances." He hissed, "I was wondering why neither myself or Admiral Robertson were asked to attend."

"I can confirm that her Ladyship is in a meeting at the moment, as to what is being discussed I do not know, I will tell you this Commander, Lady Mariko knows a great deal more about the United Worlds the United Terrans and the Neutraltic Alliance than you think. So watch your step Commander, Lady Mariko is more dangerous than you realize, be careful you do not anger her with your presumptions and demands." The red head pivoted and walked off. Leaving Bill Gray to contemplate the full meaning of her words.

Shade burst into the he and John's room as if his tail was on fire. "We have an incoming disaster!" He yelled. John was sitting at a table going over some material he had requested on White Star and the Shiroishi clan when he looked up.

"What now?" Muttered John ever since Inazuma left this morning the whole tone of the Station had gone from semi-relaxed to down right paranoid. It made John very wary, something was about to break and it was going to be huge.

Shade caught his breath, "Lady Mariko and the Lords of the Clan are in a major meeting, the Shogun's counselor was there as well. About ten minutes after the meeting started he was escorted out of the room under guard to the launch bays and sent back to the Shogun! There are also reports that a messenger arrived from Edo, the capitol planet, and he was found dead this morning, apparent suicide by poison. Rumors are that Lady Mariko is breaking away from the other Imperial Clans, and she just gave the Shogun the news."

John thought he had been hit by a freight train, "If these people go independent, then they will have to choose a side in the war." Shade nodded. The fox's eyes narrowed, "You talk to Beatrice, I'll find Inazuma. We need a few details and we need them now."

Shade nodded, "One jump ahead of you, Beatrice is in that meeting too, and nobody has seen Inazuma since she reported to Lady Mariko's quarters this morning. Bill has already cornered Captain Triton and she gave him a not so nice brush off." Shade swallowed, "I have a bad feeling about this John."

John's eyes narrowed, "Your not the only one Shade."

Back in the Counsel Chamber the arguments were being bantered back and forth on who to ally with now. It was a unified decision that they would not side with the United Terrans, now it was a toss up between the United Worlds and the Neutraltic Alliance. So far to was about a fifty-fifty split, much to Mariko's dismay. So much for a clear-cut decision! She silently thought as the debate raged on.

It was a heated debate, Mariko found out just how extensive her Lords information networks were. They had enough information on everybody involved that would make the Admiral and the Commander cringe. They had information on Admiral Robertson's actions while still working for the CMF and Commander Gray's attempted take over of Starbase 601, those were just at the top of the list. One Lord snapped out. "Why don't we just leave them both alone! Neither side has the clean hands they claim to have!"

Another answered, "If you recall only the United Worlds had claimed innocence in this conflict, and it was they who gave us Robertson's file from the CMF a rather incomplete one according to Lieutenant Gray. In my view this is a rather poor attempt to shift blame away from themselves." There was a murmur of agreement.

Mariko spoke out again, "The United Worlds must believe we follow the Shogun's lead and rely on the outward appearance alone to determine the worth of those we trust and ally with. Too bad for them we do not follow the Shogun's lead in that aspect. We learned that hard lesson thanks to Lord Akira and Oshiro." All nodded in agreement.

Lord Neko spoke up, "We have to make a choice eventually, if we do not we may find ourselves in the middle of a three way war with us as the prize."

"Maybe. Or maybe not." Answered one of the youngest lords. "We know the United Terrans will continue to attack us. The results of not siding with the United Worlds are not clear yet, but I feel assured that from the evidence I have seen today the Neutraltic Alliance will not attack us, they may even help even if we do not side with them." More discussion followed.

Lord Neko called for order again as he spoke. "You have heard all the evidence my Lady, which side do you feel is the best?"

Mariko could have sworn Lord Neko knew about what was going on between her Inazuma identity and John, but bravely went on with her reasons. Thankfully she had pretty much made her decisions before she and John became involved. "We are all agreed that we should not side with the United Terrans, they are directly responsible for the death of Lord Kiyoshi and that in a way has led to our current problems with the Shogun. I do not feel that an alliance with the United Worlds is any better for the Clan. The only motive they have to join forces with us is to break the joint treaty between themselves, the UT and the NA, since White Star and many of our worlds sit within the neutral zones. That leaves us with the Neutraltic Alliance, though Admiral Robertson's actions have been in question before the NA was formed, I see nothing since that point to warrant our complete distrust. His actions and the goals for his Alliance are noble, but unlike the UW I haven't seen any subterfuge with him that would endanger us."

Again more arguments followed, some wanted a deeper investigation of both the Commander and the Admiral, and finally Mariko had about enough and called for order. The events of the day had stretched her nerves and her temper to the absolute limit of her endurance. If she didn't vent soon, she may kill something. "If you wish for more answers on the true motives of these two representatives, and the organizations they represent, you seem to have forgotten that they are aboard the station, I say we adjourn for now and meet again tomorrow with both and allow them to explain for themselves." All agreed and the meeting adjourned.

Lady Mariko carefully picked up the box that contained the swords and made her way back to her quarters.

Beatrice Gray was relieved when the meeting was adjourned, she headed back to her own rooms to grab a bite to eat and track down Shade to tell him and John on some of the events, it all depended on what they already found out about what was going on. There was only so much she could talk about. She had changed into a less formal uniform and was about to dig into her late lunch when a soft creak behind her caused her to practically jump out of her fur. She pivoted blaster in paw to the wall panel and about fell over when Shade poked his head in. "Shade." She sighed with relief; "You about gave me a heart attack! What are you doing in those passages anyway!"

"Being a curious cat what else?" Shade stepped out of the wall and the panel slid back into place leaving no indication that there was an exit way there. "So who built them and why are they there?"

"The who, I have no idea. The why should be obvious, I'm less than two levels away from Lady Mariko's personal quarters, why do you think this area of the castle is riddled with secret passageways?"

"Ah security measures." Shade nodded, then looked at Beatrice. "Start talking, I know you were at that big meeting today so what is going on? This whole station is now on pins and needles now."

"Tell me what you know about things already and I'll fill in what I can. I can't tell you everything that I know or either her Ladyship or Captain Triton will have my hide nailed to the wall." She gave Shade a half smile.

"I get it, well I guess I can start from the time I saw that Counselor being ushered off of White Star in a big hurry…" Shade continued and Beatrice filled him in on what she knew about the Clan's break away for the rest of the Imperial Systems.

After Lady Mariko had returned to her quarters she changed back in Inazuma and heading for the nearest exercise area. She could have done so as herself, but various Lords asking for her permission, or a favor or something else that only she could handle might besiege her. In the mood she was in she may accidentally kill some poor soul at the moment so as Inazuma she stayed as for now. She entered the large almost empty room and strolled over to one of the wall panels. A few taps later began one of her more grueling workouts featuring low powered lasers that shot from the walls and spiked drone globes about the size of a fist that buzzed about the fighter like lethal insects. It wasn't lethal but one wrong move by a fighter could cause some serious injury if that fighter was not careful. She was not wearing her Gauntlet's armor, for one she was in disguise, and two it was not needed for a simple workout. Taking a firm grip of the two butterfly swords, one in each paw, she waited for the soft ping from the panel that signaled the program was beginning. When the first few globes launched at her she was ready. The goal was simple destroy all the globes in the time allowed while being careful not to get hit by the lasers. As Inazuma dodged she drew too close to a laser beam and it cut through the armor on her right shoulder. She yowled in pain and glanced at her shoulder, to Inazuma's horror the armor was cut clean through! Somebody had tampered with the program, making the simulated threats all too real. Under the simple armor the gauntlet's tendrils snaked around her adding much needed extra protection against the laser beams, she knew her only hope was to reach the control panel and shut the program down manually.

John was strolling down the halls trying to blow off steam, Shade had reported to him on what he had found out from Beatrice, it was not good. Per the canine the Counsel of Lords was almost divided fifty-fifty between the United Worlds and the Neutraltic Alliance. The only plus was that it looked like Lady Mariko was leaning toward the NA, though the reasons why puzzled John. He had only met her Ladyship once, at that dinner, and due to its atmosphere he couldn't tell her much on the NA or anything else for that matter. A loud explosion jerked him out of his train of thought, it came from the room next to him, reflexes took over and he ran inside.

Inazuma had thrown one of her butterfly swords into a set of wall lasers; the resulting explosion has taken out most of the globes and other lasers. She sprinted for the panel to deactivate the program, when one of the still functional globes struck her across the back of her skull. She went down hard stunned from the blow, before she could completely clear her head, the automated spiked ball u-turned and was headed back toward her for the kill. Inazuma swallowed and was about to fully activate the gauntlet when a blaster shot from the room's entrance blew the globe to pieces. The rabbit looked up to spot John holding a blaster and was about to ask what the hell was going on when Inazuma yelled first. "Behind you!" John pivoted to spot a few more of the globes making a beeline to him.

"Shit!" He yelled. Firing like mad and taking out a few of them and ducking the others as the zipped by him. "What are these things?"

"Spike globes." Yelled Inazuma back, as she slashed her way through a few more and reached the control panel. "Normally they are not this lethal."

One slashed through John's shirt and he yelped in pain, "I hope so! How do you stop these things?"

"Hopefully like this!" Snapped Inazuma as she quickly typed in to manual shutdown code to the program, the remaining globes dropped to the floor, inactive. Inazuma quickly hit the room's communication panel and snapped, "Lieutenant Gray, please report to Exercise Center 12 on deck 12."

"What happened?" Asked John, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, but somebody has tampered with this room, or that particular program." Explained Inazuma. She looked like a wreck, there were burns and scratches covering her armor.

"What would be the motive in killing you?" He asked.

"I don't think I was the target." Hissed Inazuma, "Her Ladyship uses this room on a regular basis, and that particular program to boot."

John swallowed realizing the full impact of what Inazuma just told him. His face hardened, "I need to know everything Inazuma, all the things going on behind the shadows, and what I don't know about what really happening in this Station. There is way too much at stake here."

Inazuma looked at John carefully. "Too much at stake for whom? The NA, or White Star?" This was it, the small opening she had been looking for, his answer would clearly tell her where his motives lay, for her, her people and the Castle itself.

John sighed, he was hoping it would be obvious by now, but he couldn't blame her for being cautious, after all there was a lot at stake here. Loyalty was a major factor in the Imperial Culture, if Lady Mariko found out that Inazuma had told sensitive information to a potential enemy, all heck could break loose. "Both." He answered. "One wrong step by any of us could cost hundreds of lives, I want to help here Inazuma, but you have to trust me!"

Inazuma swallowed, Thank the Gods, he isn't out for himself. But for his own safety I can't tell him everything! I hope he forgives me later. "What do you need to know John?" She asked softly.

John sighed with relief, she trusted him, now to get to work. Before he could ask one question, the door to the exercise room opened and Beatrice Gray entered and several swear words came out. "What the hell happened here?!" She yelled.

"I was hoping you could tell us that." Quipped Inazuma. "I set up one of the standard programs and it tried to kill me!"

Beatrice when pale and swallowed, "Please tell me it wasn't one that her Ladyship uses?" Inazuma nodded.

"You work here, I'll find Captain Triton." Inazuma quickly walked out of the door with John on her heals. As they left Beatrice shook her head.

"I know that look. That's the look Shade gave me when I almost died in an accident back on Corneria. The you-are-not-out-of-my-sight-till-I-know-you-are-safe look, be careful my Lady you are walking on very thin ice." Muttered Boomer to herself as she went to work examining the interior of the room's control system.

As the pair left a dark shadow watched the two of them travel briskly down the hall and vanish into the hallways. He smiled darkly. You may be able to fool the Admiral my dear Mariko, but you cannot fool me. Before the week is out both yourself and your precious clan will belong to me. The shadow then vanished into the castle.

Several Hours later John was pacing in the Observation Deck. Inazuma promised him he'd meet him there as soon as she reported the trouble at the exercise room to both her Ladyship and Captain Triton. Since it was a borderline attempt at her Ladyship's life John expected a delay, and tried to be patient. It wasn't working. He was about to give up when Inazuma finally walked in the room. He sighed with relief, "I thought you weren't coming." He muttered.

"Sorry." She replied, "Things took longer than I thought. Gray finished looking at that room it was tampered with. But by whom we have no idea." She sighed, she looked extremely worn out to John. "What do you want to know John?"

"Everything." He replied. "What's going on between Lady Mariko and the Shogun, the United Terrans attacks, and what went on in that meeting this morning if you know about it."

Inazuma nodded, and motioned to a bench after they both sat down she began. "I guess this whole mess started about a year ago when the United Terrans attacked White Star Castle and nearly killed Lord Kiyoshi…"

After she was done John asked, "Anything I can do to increase my chances tomorrow?" She swallowed and looked away, "Dammit Inazuma! If your people are going to have any hope you have to help me." She nodded.

"The truth." She answered, "She's a Knight she'll sense any deception or lies, that's all I can tell you. I'm sorry." He nodded and gathered her up. John felt like a heel using her like this, but in his own words, too much was at stake!

Later that night, if John did not feel like a heel before, he really felt like one now. After they had talked about the upcoming meeting, they had gotten a bit too close; the problem was that neither side was arguing about it. The only difference between last night and tonight was the fact they were in Inazuma's room instead of John's. He sighed and looked down at her, she was sleeping fairly soundly to his surprise. He however could not sleep, Inazuma had warned him fair and square that her Ladyship would be merciless in the meeting tomorrow, she would give no quarter during the discussions. He sighed again; his logical side nagged him to get back to his own quarters and try to get some actual sleep, while his other half told him to stay, but for some reason he felt that it wasn't just hormones that kept him close by the attractive Imperial. Oh this is the absolute LAST thing you need John! A relationship for Pete's sake! She cannot just up and leave her duties here at White Star…can she?

John shook his head and carefully climbed out of the bed, thankfully Inazuma did not wake up, and he carefully crept out of the room and back to his quarters. As he walked he could have sworn somebody was following him. But when he looked around he saw no one or nothing, he chalked it up to paranoia and entered his own room. Again the shadow smiled coldly, if things went well tomorrow then he could kill two birds with one stone in a few days. I hope you enjoyed yourself Robertson, for it may be the last time you will be with her…

The next morning John slowly got up hoping a shower would make him alert enough to be presentable at the meeting. As he was about to rub his face he felt something on his paw. He couldn't see anything, then he looked closer the stuff felt like the fur dye that spies used for disguises, and since he couldn't see it against his fur he assumed it was white. But whom did he come in contact with who would be wearing this type of make up? He heard Shade moving around and pushed the thought out of his head for now, he needed to give his full attention to the meeting ahead.

Inazuma looked into her mirror and was about to wash off the fur dye when she noticed a rather large smear on her cheek the bright red from the tattoo beneath barely showed through. She could only hope it had been too dark for John to notice, she sighed and mentally began to steel herself for the meeting, for the sake of appearance she could show no mercy or pity to either side. John had told her much last night, her only hope was that he took her advice to heart and not try to hide it from herself or the other Lords. She finished cleaning up and dressed in the dark red kimono, the red was so dark it almost seemed black at first glance, the decorative motif was white and gold maple leaves. She finished twisting her hair into an elaborate bun and only used a single decorative comb to hold it in place. As a finishing touch she picked up her brother's swords, during the discussion of the attempt on her life yesterday she had spent the rather harrowing afternoon cleaning and repairing them. Thankfully most of the damage was cosmetic and easily repaired. She tucked the blades into her sash and gave a silent prayer to her brother for guidance and headed for the counsel chamber.

John was in full dress uniform, the pure white top accented with royal blue, was a sharp contrast to the plain black slacks and boots, when he entered the simple, but elegant room he got a few looks and nods of approval. John was able to relax a bit; this would most likely be the only time where his penchant toward formality would be an asset rather than a drawback. All he carried was a single PADD with a few reference notes, and no blaster or other weapons, if he had swords he would have tied them to their scabbards as a sign that he had no wish to shed blood here. At least that's what Inazuma had told him when he enquired about the importance of the swords and all the customs attached, so instead he went unarmed. After he got settled down in his appointed place, kneeling like everybody else (his knees were gonna kill him later…) he spotted Bill enter, he too was in full dress uniform, of dark red and black, he carried no reference note but he did have his blaster. John knew where the first point in this match had landed, though he'd be damned if he was going to tell Bill that! The tone of the room was not stiff but far from casual, John looked around to see if he could read the crowd, no luck. The tone hushed quickly as Lady Mariko herself entered and set herself down at the front of the room, one glance at her face told John that he was no longer dealing with the little doll at the formal dinner. This side of Lady Mariko, was the leader, the strong force that had kept this group together since her brother was killed, he could have sworn he heard Bill let out a tiny whimper beside him. Heh! Thought John, That'll teach you not to do your homework!

"Good Morning gentlemen, I trust you both know the reasons you are here?" Stated Mariko in a clear strong voice.

John bowed his head and simply replied "Yes my Lady." As John looked at the kimono-clad lady again, he noticed an odd bracelet on her wrist; he had a feeling he had seen one before, or one similar to it. While Bill replied a similar greeting but didn't bow his head to the Ladyship. To the Imperials it wasn't a sign of submission, but of respect to another the deeper the bow the greater the respect you had for that person. Not bowing meant you had no respect for that person, point number two for the NA…

Mariko continued on, if she noticed Gray's lack of respect she didn't show it outwardly. "As you both may have already heard, the Shiroishi Clan has chosen to break away from the rest of the Imperial Clans and will continue to survive as an independent alliance. As such it also appears that we will not be able to remain neutral in the ongoing conflict between the United Terrans, the United Worlds and the Neutraltic Alliance. Therefore we have decided that we shall align with either the United Worlds or the Neutraltic Alliance. Your job gentlemen, is to convince us." Mariko finished with a smile that stated that she would not make it easy on anybody. John and Bill gulped in unison.

And so it began.

First Bill Gray spoke telling of how the United Terrans first attacked the Lylat System with dark plans to enslave it's people for there own uses. Later on, the enemies of this group, calling themselves the United Worlds had come forward to ally with the Lylantians and fight back against those who wished to enslave their peoples. How even after years of war they still had not given up the dark goals of enslavement. Many battles had been fought and there seemed to be no end in sight. Now since they now turned their dark designs to the Shiroishi Clan, Bill now asked the gathered Lords and her Ladyship to ally with then and hopefully put an end to the United Terrans dark reign forever.

After he was finished with his speech Bill looked to see that for all appearances Lady Mariko's face had not changed on iota, she simply nodded to the canine, "Thank you Commander, Admiral? What is the goal of you Alliance?"

John took a deep breath and went on. His own story started much like Bill's he was there when the United Terrans first came to Lylat, he knew from first hand experience what harm they could do. After his reinstatement after his discharge he proudly, even willingly followed the orders of his commanding officers believing that he was working to a greater good and a greater peace for all involved. As months became years, and as more innocent souls lost their lives John became disheartened and wondered why nobody asked for peace, or even a cease-fire. It became clear to him that they had lived under war for so long that they had forgotten how to live under peace. They only way either the United Worlds or the United Terrans would learn was if somebody forced them into it. Thusly the idea for the Neutraltic Alliance was born. John paused for a second and played his trump card, he then reminded all the Lords present that they once too lived under the banner of war. Many decades ago the Imperial Clans were rife with war between clans each struggling to be on top and battles were a day to day part of life, until the Shogun's reign was established and they all learned how to live in p