Dark are the Shadows

Prologue1

Chan Lee raced through the forest, bolting in full Crinos form, the shaggy hairy beast hideous to behold – but Lord, it was fast! The werewolf surged forwards after his prey; Chan could smell its hot breath stinking of fear. He allowed himself a smile as he knew he was coming on his next meal. 2

The hexadeer surged forward into an open clearing, hoping to use its faster speed to clear the almost human creature that chased it, but it was a failed instinct. Lee’s instinct was to pump his muscles faster, using his gifts to power his increased speed. In a burst of power, Chan lurched ahead and leapt, digging his claws deep into the six-legged fawn’s rear.3

A terrible squeal arose from the beast as hunter and prey tumbled down on to the ground with incredible speed. Even with only four good legs, the hexadeer still tried to escape, but the werewolf had it in his grasp. With a quick jump forward on his knees, he reached around the pale creature’s throat, squeezed, and heard the fine crackle of bones as his victim finally surrendered and choked to death. With blood on his hands, he raised his paws to the moon, and howled in triumph. The hunt was over.4

Several hours later, the wolf returned with the food draped across his shoulders. He walked into their camp; several rock homes covered with branched, with roaring fires and welcome hearts in them all. The children of the town cried out to see their hero come back with enough meat to feed the tribe. Their squeals of delight called everyone out of their homes, and soon, they were joining their cheers to that of their kids. None of them were afraid of the beast-man, for they themselves were the same type; with the fall of the Federation, they had found each other and had come out to the wastelands where no one would every find them again. Now these werewolves lived in peace, living in the R34 system in tune with this planet’s mother strength, in a place that was once home to an entire planet full of Vin Shriak.5

As Lee approached the centre square, they had already lit the communal fire, so that they could all share in the bounty of the fresh kill. There was his friend, Crescent Sun, already waiting for him by the fire. Chan was quickly relieved of the hexadeer and he morphed back into his human form. He was oriental, thick muscled, bit his face was hideous to look at, with three deep gashed across his face. It was as if the mother of all wolves had decided to expel her runt spawn… and yet, he survived. 6

“A hexadeer? A noble kill, worthy of Gaia’s hunters. You truly are a prince.”7

“Knock it off, Cres, I got lucky.”8

“Sorry, your highness,” Sun taunted, “I simply wanted to honour my friend.”9

“Then call me Habor, like you normally do when you insult me.”10

Crescent Sun laughed and embraced his friend. Already, the juices of the roasting deer were filling the community with a joyous scent. “No insult, Habor. But tell true, how did you bag such a magnificent beast?”11

“I outran it.”12

“Tsao ni zuzong shiba dai!” Sun shot back. “No creature in the forest runs faster than a hexadeer.”13

“Okay, I got it drunk on fire water and sold it some lead weights for its feet. Told it they were running shoes.”14

Crescent laughed. “Now that sounds like Habor! Could talk the fangs off a snake.”15

“You must be thinking of another Habor.”16

“The same Habor who beat me at poker? I think not.”17

“When one is as dumb as you, Sun, it’s hard not to take your money.”18

The friend laughed louder and slapped Chan Lee on the shoulder. “Come my friend, I have something that will whet your appetite.”19

As the prince followed him down the streets, he moaned. “Not more of that cranberry liquor.”20

“Better than wine, better than women, better than all the beasts of the forest.”21

“And what is that?”22

They turned a corner and saw the simple tarp covering the mount of electronics they had been accumulating over the years. “Freedom, my dear Habor. Freedom.”23

“Spare parts is freedom?”24

“Take a closer look,” Lee looked doubtful, but Sun insisted. “Go ahead and look.”25

Reluctantly, Chan stepped forward and lifted the tarp gently. Underneath the old faded tarp was a space fighter – an ancient one, to be sure, but patched together in loving detail. “An old Valkriye II?”26

“That’s right. Night Fang had been working on it while you were away from camp for the past month or two. I think he’s got too much of that silver strider streak in him for this community.”27

“You’re saying that it’ll fly?”28

“That’s what my nephew says, but I’m afraid you’ll have to test it yourself to be sure.”29

Lee was lost for words. When they finally came back to him, all he could say is “Why?”30

“There’s a hunger in your heart, Habor – more than be sated with mere survival and the hunt. In the twelve years I’ve known you, you’ve never taken a mate… though there are many willing females. You’ve never wanted to settle down, stay too long in camp, or truly follow the ways of the ancients. You need to do something… out there. And ever since you crashed your ship on our world, you still look at the stars with longing.”31

“I don’t want to leave you…”32

“Then don’t. Wolves in this pack owe you their life, and as you should know, we don’t take that debt foolishly. If you travel for a while, your blood still belongs to the tribe. If you need us for… whatever heart hunger lies out there, return with a ship large enough to hold us, and we will be by your side.”33

‘If I leave, I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back.”34

“Are your ears full of bees? Have they honeycombed your brain into wax? Habor, I told you that you’re our blood. Should you die here or out there, your blood and your spirit are with us. If we don’t see you in this life, we will meet in the council fires of all our people.”35

Chan straightened up and smile at his friend. ‘Then I accept gladly. And I will return.”36

“Good. Then go, but not until after dinner.” Crescent led him away from the fighter. “After all, It’s not every day we get weal – even with your piss-poor hunting skills.”37

They all said goodbye; every last one of the tribe – and as he stepped into the cockpit, they all howled their good luck to him as he activated the fighter. With quick movements, they stepped away as the anti-grav kicked on, and slowly reached high enough to hit the thrusters. Within minutes, he had left the only TRUE home he had known since Showa, since the Emperor… Crescent Moon was right, I suppose. There is a heart hunger. I must revenge myself and retake my honour.38

The answer he sought could not be found on the planets of R34. Once he found stars, Lee thanked Night Fang that he had bothered to check the atmosphere sealants on the cockpit before letting him take it out. Chan activated the navigation computer… and nothing happened. After a couple of seconds fiddling with the buttons, the prince slammed the console, and sure enough, the navcomp came to life. Finding the jumpgate, he speeded towards it, punching in his next destination.39

His exile had made him stronger, Chan knew, and now he was ready to face what twelve years before he had failed to do. He was ready to face this challenge, no matter what. As his scrap fighter stepped through the gate, Lee awaited the future as hyperspace enveloped him into its sweet chaos.40

Chapter One: Artemis Calls41

It was dark when Chan Lee managed to regain consciousness. Just before he had blacked out, he had been reminded that he hadn’t floated for quite some time. As the orange and black swirl began to slow in from of his eyes, Chan noticed that there was something different. Turning his head to check outside his fighter, he stopped, his head swimming. Grimacing, Lee forced himself to breathe slowly and rhythmically. After a brief stillness, he reopened his eyes and looked out the cockpit window. The swirl was dark.42

“Strange,” he muttered to himself as he prepared to pull out of the jumpgate. Flicking his fingers gently over the control board that Night Fang had been able to salvage, Chan waited for his body to slam against the restraints of the pilot’s seat. Nothing happened. Tapping the controls again had the same response as before. As Lee prepared to place in the instructions one more time, something moved outside. Chan leaned forward and peered into what he presumed was space. A hand suddenly appeared against the window and he flinched, suppressing a cry of fear. What the chen she deh is going on? Lee leaned forward again and looked out the window. It was dark… real dark! Chan morphed into the being within him, werewolf in its most horrid form, and blinked on his night vision.43

Joy Ryan had watched as the junk fighter hit the atmosphere of Artemis. Even though it burst in to flame a mile away from where she was standing, she could still feel the heat of the impact as it washed over her. Joy immediately threw the auto extinguisher in the back of her hovertruck and funned the flitter to life. With the high oxygen content of this terraformed moon, fire could spread quickly, getting out of control before anyone could stop it. There are too few people here anyways.44

It took her mere moments to reach the crash, sending the golden rice paddies splashing around her. Already, the flames were starting to spread out – she yanked the extinguisher out and activated it. Suddenly the whole area was covered in asphyxiating foam; smothering the fire, eating up the oxygen faster then the flames could reach it. Ryan covered her mouth from the plastic stench until it was finished. Freaking monkey on a stick, she thought, I hate that thing. I wish my fiancé had bought something more…45

The thought of John sent a cold chill down her spine. As her eyes saw the glow of Alpha Centauri in the sky, she remembered the day when John joined up with the Resistance to free Mars – and never came back. Bloody heck, that was two years ago.46

Joy thought she heard a cough; she looked into the mass of smoke and metal and saw a body in the wreckage. Then it moved. Someone survived a crash like that? She stepped into the heat and got closer to the man. In his ripped leather clothes, the Asian man looked grotesque – his face gashed out like that. Probably from the crash, Ryan thought, but otherwise he wounds were minimal. She carefully touched the unwounded part of his face.47

The body jerked at the touch; Joy pulled her hand back as his form changed into a large hairy beast. “A werewolf.” She said out loud, shocked by the oddness of it. She had heard stories; her grandfather had told of the time he had served with them in the Tech Infantry, back in the old Fed, but she had never seen one before now.48

“Hey! Are you okay?!” Joy yelled out to the still quivering form.49

“A werewolf?!” came over the fighter’s static-filled com.50

Chan finally got a message – but that was impossible in hyperspace, unless there was another ship near the jumpgate.51

“Hey! Are you okay?!” sparkled in that same female voice.52

Lee immediately punched the com button. “Where are you?”53

“Where am I?” she responded. “I’m right in front of you.”54

“I don’t understand. I can’t see you.”55

“I’m sorry?”56

“I said, I don’t understand! I can’t see you!”57

The werewolf was speaking – but he was mumbling terribly, like he was speaking from a dream. It was hard to understand. Finally he said, “I don’t understand. I can’t see you.”58

“Your face – I think it got hurt in the crash. That’s why you can’t see me. Can you stand?”59

“Stand?” the beast warbled out. “I need you to activate the gate.”60

“What gate?” Joy was confused. Can you stand?”61

This lady must sure be out of her mind, Lee thought, how in the pi khu am I supposed to stand in a cockpit? “Sure, I can stand, but I need to get through the gate.”62

“Fine, I can help you through the gate, but you need to stand first. Here – I’ll help.”63

Suddenly the fighter lurched away from the jumpgate, spiralling out into the infinity of swirls. “What are you doing?”64

“Trying to get you on your feet.”65

“Couldn’t we do this easier in normal space.”66

“Yes, but we need to get you clear of this fighter.”67

“What? I can’t leave the fighter!” the beast roared out.68

For Pete’s sake, Ryan thought, its like trying to move a cow – the man is shell-shocked.69

“Come on. You’ll never make it unless you help me.”70

“What in the t’ien she deh do you want me to do?”71

Was that Chinese? Maybe that strange pi-yi those Asians keep talking. Thankfully they leave us alone. However, she did think that knowing it might come in handy today. “I want you to get up and follow my lead.”72

“Okay – activating thrusters now.”73

Jo rolled her eyes, continuing to pull him through the wreckage, but this time, he actually managed to stand and walk with her.  74

Suddenly, the fighter was able to turn around and he re-established his link with the beacon. Soon enough, the jumpgate was in his sights; was this girl using a tractor beam? Why didn’t her ship appear on his sensors? “On target.”75

“Looks like it, don’t it?”76

“Can you activate the jumpgate sequence?”77

“Sure, once we get back to my truck.”78

“I’m sorry?”79

“My truck – right in front of you.”80

“Do you have a cloaking device or something?”81

They had finally cleared the wreckage and the two of them were meters away from her hovertruck. The sooner I get him to Doc Gavenny the better – he’s really out of it.82

“Remember? I told you, your face is hurt.”83

“It’s always been hurt.”84

“Oh really?” Just a few more steps…85

“I fought him – his guards, really. They were weak, but there was so many of them…”86

The jumpgate opened up and his little fighter got sucked into the vortex between dimensions. However, instead of stars, the universe became a barrage of light. He squinted against the brightness.87

“We jumped to close to the sun.”88

“Bloody, if we were any farther from the sun, we’d be freezing.”89

Soon enough, the lightness started to become bearable, and a large figure began to appear in shadow against the power of the illumination. “Do you see that?”90

“What?”91

“In front of us – that image.”92

“That’s me, wolf boy.”93

The fighter dissipated around him and the figure became more distinct. Before his eyes, a young adult woman smiled at him, rubbing sweat that ran down from her dark brown hair. Looking at him through brown eyes, she asked, “What’s wrong?”94

“You’re beautiful,” Chan replied, then collapsed in the back of Joy’s flitter, dropping into unconsciousness. 95

~96

For the third time in less than three hours, Habor regained consciousness. Finding that he still had a massive headache, he kept his eyes closed and didn’t move. For one, he didn’t know where he was, how deep he was in hexash*t and two, whether or not all his body parts were intact. After a few minutes of silence and stillness, Chan peered out carefully through one eye. The room around him was dark but Chan noticed that he was still in Crinos form. Nothing appeared red around him so Chan, guessing that there was nothing living around that could harm him morphed back into his human form. 97

“Ah, I see our friend has awakened.”98

The voice so shocked Chan that he morphed sporadically.99

“Whoa,” came the voice again, “Calm down my friend, there is nothing to fear. Except maybe my niece here who managed to pull you out of your burning wreck. I can’t ima…”100

His sentence was abruptly interrupted by Chan’s sitting up and staring at him.101

“Spirited young wolf huh? Well no matter, you just lie back down until we can get you back into perfect form. 102

Chan didn’t speak but looked in amazement at the two people that sat at the edge of the bed he was lying on. One, who he expected was the speaker was a small, stocky looking old man with white hair, dark yellow eyes and a nose that barely held his glasses on his face. The other was a beautiful woman with short, shoulder length hair, piercing brown eyes and a athletic form. She was about he same height as the old man, maybe a little taller. 103

He heard the old man whisper to him but noticed to his surprise that the old man’s mouth didn’t move. “Pretty isn’t she. Yes, she was a favorite of the people before they left.” Peering closer, he saw the old man smile. 104

“Friend,” the old man said out loud. “Lie still, we shall not harm you. I need to give you a few more rubs of gentle weed and then you’ll feel perfect.”105

The old man reached under the bed, Chan’s eyes following his every move. When the man’s hand returned from under the bed, he carried what looked like a small weapon. Chan morphed instantly and swung his legs over the edge of his bunk. He heard the small thing spit gas and he felt a small sting on his back. Rushing towards the man and the woman he watched in amazement as they disappeared before his eyes; watched as everything disappeared before him. And then for a fourth time he was out.106

When Chan finally awoke his face had stopped hurting. His whole body had stopped hurting and he felt a quiet peace about himself. Lifting his hand to scratch his face, Chan felt a slippery substance slip off his arm. Looking at it, he saw it change shape and turn into a miniature copy of himself.  Watching closer he saw it act out a small scene where it wobbled all around and finally fell to the ground. Snickering Chan swatted the glob, but the magic was gone.107

Habor felt, rather than saw, the presence behind him. “What… was that?”108

“Gentle weed,” the female voice replied, “grows naturally. Killed dozens of colonists when man first came here. Then someone figured out if you dilute the poison, it makes for a powerful pain killer.”109

“And the shapes?”110

“In your head, friend It also makes you hallucinate. What is your name, by the way?”111

Lee decided to be careful. “Habor.”112

“Rather unusual.”113

“It’s what they call me.”114

“And what in Buddha’s name were you doing out here?”115

“Passes out in my fighter. Made a crash landing.”116

“Part of a convoy? A Carrier?”117

“No.”118

The female voice finally made her appearance as she stepped around the table. Brown hair, brown eyes, but the face… it was so familiar. “Just taking a stroll them? Taking in the sights of the wasteland?”119

“What’s your name?” Chan dodged the question.120

“Joy. Joy Ryan. Doc Gavenney’s my uncle.”121

“Rather unusual.” Lee smiled.122

Joy smiled back. “Its what they call me.”123

“And what a pialoliang like you doing on this piece of gosa?”124

“Huh? What’s that you speaking, Chinese?”125

“Pi-yin. I said, what’s a pretty girl doing in the middle of nowhere?”126

“I was raised here. It’s one of the few places safe for our kind, better than the Free State.”127

“And what are you?”128

She closed her eyes and shook her hair. Suddenly her hair turned blonde and her eyes a blazing blue. “I’m different.”129

Lee recoiled, but he couldn’t move – suddenly he realized he couldn’t shift. “What go sch did you do to me?”130

Ryan tapped her neck. “Feel this?”131

Chan touched a circular piece of metal around his neck. “What is it?”132

“Control collar. Used in prison to keep you boys in check.” She read the panic in his eyes. “Don’t worry, we’re not the freaking Bloc. That’s there until you’ve healed. We don’t want you hurting yourself or others.”133

Lee pulled himself up into a sitting position and felt the world swirling around him. Somehow, he kept his concentration on the woman, despite the fairies dancing at the edge of his perception. “So what are you?”134

“A gentleman wouldn’t ask a lady those questions.”135

“But I’m not a gentleman… and you’re certainly no lady!”136

Joy’s eyes flashed to yellow. “All right, wolf boy, it’s quite simple. I’m a hybrid.”137

“Hybrid of what?”138

“K’Nes and Human.”139

“You’re part cat?”140

“Yeah… if I hold my breath, I can even float a couple of inches off the ground.”141

“And that lets your hair and eyes change?” 142

“No, just simple nanotech implants. Parents slipped them in after I was born. Came in handy in running form the Feds… or anyone else.” She let her hair turn brown and her eyes back to brown. “These are natural – at least I think so.”143

“You’re in the Resistance?”144

“Parents were, fiancé was. They’re all dead now; dead fighting a cause that ain’t worth a rat’s ass.” Joy looked out the window for a moment. “The Bloc leaves us alone here, we’ve got enough to survive. What else do you need?”145

“Justice,” escaped his lips before he could stop it. 146

“All life is suffering,’ ain’t that what the monks say? Where’s the justice in that?”147

“Never studies the Great Buddha.”148

“Neither did I, wolfie.” Ryan turned away from the window and walked over to the door. “Once the drug wears off, if you’re well enough, maybe you can help us around here with a few chores. Then we’ll give you some food for your belly.”149

“Sounds good.”150

Joy flashed red eyes back at him. “When you’re ready,” she hushed, and left him with his glowing butterflies.151

~152

Chan took his time. Lying down and getting back up, stretching his sore muscles as he did so. After a while he lifted his arms and felt around the control collar for some sign of a release button. There was none. So he waited and looked out the window. After about an hour of boring laziness, the control collar buzzed, gave Chan a slight shock and fell to the bed. Chan again stretched, finding it to be more refreshing when he could lift his arms above his head and let out a groan. 153

Turning towards the door that Joy had left through, he made his way over and carefully stepped through. He found himself in a clear tunnel. The end being a door about a hundred meters from where he stood into a large dome that hovered far above the room he had been in. Looking out across the campus, a huge area, about three hundred acres, surrounded by walls, he caught his breath at the sight. Green covered everywhere. Vines clung to the walls, twirling in the slight breezes of Artemis. Trees shot from the ground and their limbs reminded him of home. Habor, sighed and leaned against a wall. The door to the dome opened and a small stocky man limped over to Chan, stopping right in front of him, and looked from his altitude at the towering height of Chan’s body.154

“Mighty fine specimen if I don’t say so.”155

Chan looked with some bemusement at the old man. 156

“And who are you?” asked Habor in a cocky voice.157

“I’m the one who saved your scrawny neck, son and you’d better watch yourself. You’re not the only one with supernatural powers. As the old man said this he chuckled and poked Chan in the stomach. 158

“Hey!” 159

“Can’t the doc give his patient a physical?” the old man asked.160

He continued to prod the werewolf to Chan’s embarrassment as Joy entered the tunnel.161

Turning, both men watched her approach. Chan watched her, through glinting eyes. Joy gave him a dirty look but smiled beneath it and stood beside the old man.162

“So, see you old fella’s have met now. I’m surprised you haven’t beat him up uncle Gav.” She said this with a laugh.163

“I’d like to see that!” Habor said to himself.164

I bet you would, came a voice from behind him.165

Chan whirled to find the window, but no person to go with the voice.166

It isn’t such a good idea to turn your back on the enemy. You should no that CHAN LEE!167

Habor turned to see not an old man but a soldier twice his size, muscles bulging from arms of steel and a hand ready to grip his throat. He morphed. Nothing happened. It wasn’t working. Chan froze.168

Chapter Two: Fear of the Old Man169

Chan braced himself against the wall and waited for the attack, his body pulsing in defence mode but the attack never came. Instead only a laugh and the gentle fading of the large soldier that stood before him. When the image of the soldier finally disappeared, Chan observed the old man with watery eyes, his shoulders heaving with laughter and Joy holding her laugh in shinning brown eyes filled with her smile. 170

“What the go sch was that?”171

“A figure of your imagination.”172

“Whoever you are, you’d better…” Chan looked down at himself. He was in full Crinos form.173

“Young man,” the old man said. “You’re full of anger. I’m helping you release that anger without a danger to others. You have a story that is far complicated than ours. I can help, but you’re going to have to do a lot of work on that temper.”174

But you have to admit, that was quite funny. Chan watched the old man this time. 175

You learn fast my Chan, now lets not scare the young lady. How ‘bout a drink and a warm meal?176

“That sounds great.” Chan smiled again and followed the old man towards the dome.177

The dome turned out to be a huge reservoir, filled with sparkling water. Huge species of unknown name to Habor swam in the bright depths of the tank, their bodies creating ripples on the top of the water. Doc Gavenny led Chan down stairs that circled the tank, descending the entire length. A large fish bumped the wall, teeth glinting in the artificial light. 178

“What are those?” asked Chan as a large mammal swam by, flippers pushing its long neck, elephant like body and hind feet cleanly through the water.179

“That is a hemtaphohelian. We breed them here and then let them loose back on to the planet. They are extremely useful in re-furnishing the ground with nutrients.”180

At the end of the stairs, a large circular space lay. It was filled with comfortable seats that faced the tank. Everything seemed to be made of glass and Chan searched the area with amazement, without trying to show too much curiosity. 181

“Take a seat.”182

“Thanks,” Chan began to sit and then straightened himself. “Please, sit,” he asked Joy.183

“Gentleman huh? I thought you chose the rough side of the world?”184

“Stop bugging him,” doc Gav said. “He’s trying. I don’t remember John…” He stopped.185

Silence filled the area. The swimming of the fish in the tank was deafening.186

“Joy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it in that way.”187

Joy lifted her head from its bent position and smiled lightly. “It’s ok, I know. I think I’m going to go though and take a break. I’ll see you in a little.”188

“You sure you don’t want something to eat?”189

“You guys go ahead and eat, this guy needs something in his stomach.” She pointed at Habor.190

Slowly she turned and exited through a door to the side of the living room. Chan watched her go.191

She’s missed her John since he left for war and went missing.192

“I’m sorry.”193

“Well, that’s the pi chi way things go.”194

“Let me get some of that grub, sit down.”195

Chan sat and watched as the Doctor sat beside him on the couch and tapped something into a panel on the side of the armrest. Two droids appeared from the walls and approached dragging gurneys. In a few moments a steaming plate of food sat on Chan’s lap. He ate.196

After filling his stomach, Chan left the doctor and went looking for Joy. Following her path he found her sitting beside a pool. Small red fish swam joyfully beneath her feet. Her hair was brown and the pool reflected her beautifully. Chan moved towards her and rested his hand on her shoulder. 197

“You ok?” Chan was surprised with himself. Normally he wouldn’t have cared a pentera su what this woman was thinking.198

“Yeah.” Joy was surprised with herself. Normally she wouldn’t have showed her emotions to a stranger.199

“You don’t look ok.”200

“I’ll be fine. It’s really nothing.  She smiled up into his face. You get enough to eat?”201

“Maybe.”202

“What’s that supposed to mean?”203

“Its just something I used to say to Cres back on R34.” He laughed remembering their last conversation. “Cres was one hell of a good joker. You wouldn’t have liked him though; too crude.”204

“I’m not that civilized.”205

“Really?” 206

“Shut up.”207

Silence.208

“So what’s planned now?”209

“Hard Labour, Sanitary Tank Cleaning, Training the monkeys; the usual around here.”210

“Sounds fine.”211

“You’re very agreeable at some times aren’t you?”212

“Only after I’ve eaten.”213

“Ok, chow boy, then lets get to work.”214

~215

Joy watched as Chan lifted up the large scrap pieces of metal she had recovered from his ship and place them in a pile to one side of the second courtyard in the compound. With interest she drew on his upper body as he sweated. Some of the scars that creased his face seem to follow down from his right shoulder diagonally. She watched as he stopped to take a breather after working for several hours straight. So he wasn’t all talk. Habor must have noticed himself being watched and turned to look up at her. She looked with bemusement at him, on eyebrow raised slightly. 216

“What do you guys plan on doing with this san chi?”217

“Huh?”218

“What do you guys do with this shit?”219

“Use it to build fish tanks like the ones inside, repair our own fighters…”220

“You have aircraft?”221

Oh heck, I’ve said too much.222

“Yeah, just a few fighters that we’ve redone to fit our needs.”223

“Fighting off the Bloc,” Habor said with a hint of sarcasm.224

“More like saving the skin around your incomplete brain.”225

“Whoa, take it easy. No personal offence.”226

Silence interrupted their conversation again. Habor finished picking the metal blocks up and walked over to Joy’s side. “Now what?”227

“You can take a break until tomorrow and then we’ll see about finding a way to get you on your way.”228

“Sounds great, me flying off this section of hell and back to….”229

“To what?”230

“Never mind. So, where’s a good place to take a dip? Do you have a place to take a dip? Do you know what a dip I….”231

“We have a small pool, don’t worry ‘bout the pirhanese, as long as you don’t bother them they won’t bother you.”232

“Phiranese?”233

“Carnivores, tear a man to pieces in the old days, now their just fun to look at.”234

“Ok, whatever you say, so where’s this, pool?”235

“Follow me.”236

Chan did. It took about a minute or so for Joy to lead him out of the courtyard and into a small garden. A glass floor shown beneath their feet and steam arose from different corners of the circular room. Flowers bloomed from hanging pots and the gentle call of the Arian CallinHer swung down from the open roof. After a few steps the glass floor slowly dipped away into a pool clearer than the glass that surrounded it. Small, blue fish circled the ripples created by drips from green vines that hung from mesh walls. Habor watched this in quiet gratitude. 237

“Jump in when you’re ready.”238

“You coming in?”239

She’ll come in later, trust me. You go on in and relaz. She was joking about the fish, they’re perfectly harmless.240

The voice woke Habor again and he searched the area for the sign of the voice.  241

~242

The water was great. The steam that rose from its depths sunk in without burning the skin to devour the mind. Chan lay back, his clothes plastered to his body. He didn’t care if they got wet. He felt the fish swim past his feet and he smiled. Life was getting better. All he needed now was a kiss from Joy, a jet and an easy way to get to the emperor.243

“You doing ok?” Her voice startled him and he whirled around, scattering the fish and making waves across the pool.244

Joy stood behind him in a dark blue robe. Brown hair splashed lazily about her shoulders and her dark brown eyes sparkled dangerously.245

“You coming in?”246

“Not while you’re around.”247

“Funny, why not?”248

“Partially because I don’t like swimming with werewolves.”249

“Ok, suite yourself.”250

Be a little more persistant.251

“What?”252

“What?” Joy asked, still watching him.253

“Never mind. Come on in, it’s not like I’m going to drown you or anything.”254

She’ll come in later, trust me. You go on in and relax. She was joking about the fish, they’re perfectly harmless.255

The voice woke Habor again and he searched the area for the sign of the voice. Once Joy left him in peace, he whispered. “Doc, is that you?”256

Doc?257

“Look, old man, I’m tired of this t’ien shu deh game you feel like playing with my head. If you wanna speak, use your gan tsao voice.”258

“Fine” responded a voice that didn’t sound anything like Gavenny. From behind one of the giant planters came a rather small-built han, only slightly younger than himself. He dressed in purple silks, studded with a couple platinum pins, and a rather strange earring in his right ear. Most importantly, though, he was a complete mystery to him. 259

“Who the fei hua are you?”260

“You mean you don’t remember? I’m hurt, Chan, truly I am. I who looked up to you all those years, but you never seemed to notice poor little me.” The stranger sniffed. “You’re so cruel.”261

“Who…” then Lee saw the face, and he realized who it was. “Hoon?”262

“Prince Hoon to you. You forget - we no longer share the same title anymore. You should show the proper respect.”263

“Ni you piaoliang de lu maozi!”264

“But I’m not married, Chan, not even close over the past fourteen years you’ve been away. However, I understand, it’s not like you’ve been reading the social pages…”265

“What do you want?”266

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say to your old cousin, after I’ve flown so far from the imperial court just to see you? Really, I thought that you would have learned manners from… well, wherever the hole you dropped yourself into.”267

“What… do you want?!”268

“You, my dear Chan, you! Since you decided to be foolish enough to get your… um, extra-curricular activities exposed, everyone thinks you’re dead. You dropped… as it were, off the face the worlds. That’s not an easy thing to do in this day in age. That makes you a valuable commodity.”269

“Chee wo de shi, Hoon.”270

“Thanks for the offer, but no. I’d rather eat whatever nastiness is swimming in this pool than your excrement. Besides, I’m here to do you a favor.”271

“Get to the point.”272

“Fair enough. The Emperor thinks you’re dead, the court thinks you’re dead, everyone thinks that Old Man Chiang overreacted with that whole Canteern business…”273

“How did you know I wasn’t?”274

“Dead? Wasn’t easy. Luckily, I’ve done some favors for Minister Dane, and as a result, he provides me with rather juicy bits of information that float my way. To suddenly hear you were alive was a bit of a shock.”275

“But how…”276

“What? Do you think that the Middle Kingdom ignores this piece of rock? The empire doesn’t ignore anything, Chan. True, there’s no civil police on this moon, but that’s for a very good reason. That doesn’t mean we don’t know what happens here.”277

Lee was tired of this business. All he wanted a swim with a beautiful lady, then a flight off this rock; now he had his past roaring up in front of him. He felt his body shift into Galabro form, half man, half werewolf; although to him, it only look like he needed a shave. Habor’s nails became claws.278

“Naughty, naughty…” Hoon tsked, then flicked his wrists. Suddenly the water spurted up from the pool and hit him in the face. “You should really cool off when I’m doing you a favor.”279

“Then SAY IT!” His rage was building.280

“You want revenge against the emperor, yes?”281

“YES!”282

“Good… then I can help. That is… if you’re willing to listen.”283

~284

When joy reached the pool, Chan had disappeared. With a quizzical look on her face she stripped off the robe that she was wearing and dove into the pool. The skim of her chameleon suit knifed through the alien water giving her an extra few feet of depth. Slowly she swam around in a circle and then with an arch of her body dove deep beneath. The water rushed past her head as she dove deep into the clear water. The blue and red streaks of the Baldese Rainbow fish flitted past her peripheral vision. 285

The pool was deep as always but the light from the sky above stayed as bright as it was at the top. Joy reached the bottom and gently let her foot rest on the sandy bottom. She loved it down here, where no one could bother her. The only pain about this place was that she could only be down here for a minute or so. 286

Out of the corner of her eye Joy saw something big move and shifted her gaze. John stood before her, in his white uniform. He had a smile on his face and his arm was outstretched. With a small shout which turned to bubbles before her she jumped towards him. She felt him pick her up in his arms and lean down to kiss her. Then he began to fade….287

She felt arms around her and looked into his face. Before her was Chan, scars rooted deep across his cheeks. Strangely she was not afraid, nor surprised. Then darkness overtook her.288

~289

Chan leaned over Joy at the edge of the pool. She had just started to breathe again and was coughing up water. Hoon watched as Chan gently lifted Joy into an upright position. Hoon watched with some amusement at the amount of care Chan used on Joy.290

“So, Chan, who’s the pretty one?”291

“None of your fu***** business Hoon!”292

The illegitimate prince looked at the couple and smiled to himself. What a strange pair they make, he pondered, looking at the two, and how sad. I can read her history like a bad romance. How ironic that I’m sending the second man to his death? Of course, he might live, but against the Emperor and his guards? Hmph… we’ll see.293

Hoon made his way silently out of the dome, leaving the couple to their delights. After all, it’ll be some time before they see each other again.294

After a couple hours, Hoon found Chan again, looking very pleased with himself. “I suppose there’s some other reason for your continued delay?”295

“What?”296

“Never mind… now, are you ready to leave?”297

“Not… quite yet?”298

“The Emperor is dying. You know that, of course?”299

Lee suddenly felt an anxiety building inside him; what if the shi ren bastard died before I could kill him? “No, I didn’t.”300

“He’s very sick. Some in the court suspect poison, but it’s hardly that. Age creeps up on us all, even you. It is a very efficient killer.”301

“So am I.”302

“I don’t doubt it. Make up your mind soon, Chan… I wouldn’t call this the ‘ass end’ of space, but it’s not my first choice for a pleasure cruise. My shuttle is waiting in the forest, past the first checkpoint. I will leave at 0700 tomorrow, with or without you.”303