[center][h3][b][u]The Imperial Palace, Bushu, Musashi System, The Musashi Empire[/u][/b][/h3][/center]

	The rest of the trip to Musashi space had been quite uneventful for Rong and Morinth. Once the Dominion cruiser transporting them had arrived at the border with Musashi it had taken some time for Kau Rong to convince the border guards to allow the cruiser through, but eventually they had relented, although only after detaching a few cruisers to ‘escort’ them to the capital. Once they had arrived at the Imperial capital of Bushu only Rong and Morinth had been allowed off the ship, and they had been sent straight to the Imperial palace once they had made it planetside.

	Once they had arrived at the palace itself Rong’s status as Yuki’s retainer had granted them a fairly high degree of freedom. Rong had dispatched a guard to ensure Yuki knew of her return and to prepare to meet with an official from the Dominion. The pair of women had followed in the guard’s wake, but Rong stopped in a large room, the center of which was dominated by a katana and naginata that were each stuck in a massive rock.

	“Legend says whoever pulls one of those free will become a hero of great renown” Rong said as she gestured towards the weapons. “Care to give it a shot?”

	Morinth grinned, “Sword from the stone? That’s all?” she said with confidence. She made her way to the sword and grasped the Katana with one hand. After squeezing the grip a couple times to get a feel for it, she pulled to no avail. Almost feeling embarrassed, she looked around to make sure no-one else was watching. Feeling satisfied at the lack of spectators, Morinth climbed upon the rock just high enough to grasp the sword with both hands and have her feet at the swords base. It was an uncomfortable and awkward position but she had this!

	She was wrong. And with a mighty pull, she found herself empty handed and on her back. Morinth stood up quickly and pulled her hair back. “You know what, I got this.” but as she clinched her fists and started towards the sword, another person walked by, prompting Morinth to place her hands on her hips. “Yeah. pretty nice.” she said, trying to cover her actions.

	After a moment of reflecting on the attempts obvious failure, she walked towards Rong and with a sigh followed by a frown,  “You did that on purpose.”

	Rong let out a chuckle at Morinth’s obvious embarrassment before commenting “Oh don’t feel so bad. People have been trying to pull these weapons free for centuries.” Amusement was practically dripping from her voice. “There have been no known successes.”

	Quickly looking around to ensure no one else was nearby, she rested a single hand on the katana’s hilt. A quick, and seemingly effortless yank, had the katana sliding free from the stone. Rong looked at the sword’s blade for a moment before making a “shhh” sound at Morinth, holding a single finger up to her mouth. She quickly slide the katana back into the stone and, after a moment, something inside of the stone audibly ‘clicked’ into place.

“To be fair…” Rong said as she let go of the katana. “You never had a fair shot at it. Oh and don’t tell anyone else about this.”

	There was no response from Morinth, Rather a sharp and deep gaze at the trickery that was the swords in the stone. “Your secret is safe.” she said plainly before turning away and muttering, “Damn sword.”  

	Rong let out another chuckle as she said “Apparently there is a rather intricately designed piece of machinery in there that, when manipulated correctly by a psionist, will either grab or release the sword. I suspect few others knows about the true nature of the stone.” She shrugged as she began to walk away. “I wanted to show you it because no warrior’s trip to the Imperial palace is complete without taking a stab at drawing one of those blades.”

	By this point the pair of women had reached a door that was flanked on both sides by Imperial guards. The guards spared the women one look before one of them knocked on the door and announced their presence. They waited a moment for a muffled reply before opening the door to admit them access. As the pair walked in they saw Yuki, hunched over a rather large pile of official looking documents. A cup of tea sat forgotten to the side. Yuki turned a masked face towards the women as they approached.

	“Rong-chan!” If her voice was a good indicator, Yuki was clearly quite tired. “I was beginning to worry about you.”

	“Me?” Rong asked as she removed her mask. “Weren’t you the one who was kidnapped?”

	“Something like that” Yuki said. She turned her head slightly in Morinth’s direction. “And your companion is…?”

	“This is Morinth-san. She’s a Justicar, which is an important position in the Dominion.” Rong answered. “Morinth-san, this is Yuki-hime, first princess of Musashi.” Yuki bowed her head at Morinth as Rong introduced her.

	Morinth stumbled a bit and gave a rather lackluster bow. “Hi there.” she said plainly. To Rong, it would seem like Morinth had regressed to their first encounter in the Dining room with Faust. Her words began timid and she lacked eye contact. “Thanks uh.. For having us. Me.” and quickly moved for to a nearby wall, to try and evade further confrontation.

	Rong raised an eyebrow as she watched Morinth. “Faust-sama was a most gracious guest.” She said as she turned back to Yuki. “And he even sent Morinth-san to return with me in the hopes that she would aid in your rescue. Clearly we took too long.”

	“Morinth-dono, please tell Faust-sama that I appreciate his support.” Yuki said. Turning back to Rong she asked “So her presence here means things went fairly well in the Dominion?”

	“Definitely.” Rong agreed. “There was even some talk about Earth. Um.. Morinth-dono, would you care to speak on that matter?”

	Morinth was quiet at first as when Rong posed the question. A moment of silence was shared before the realization that Yuki was staring at her, waiting for an answer. “I-I well.. So, we. uh. The Dominion are currently on a mission to retake earth.” Her last remarks were nearly robotic, as if reciting Faust's words in a far less eloquent fashion. “The objective is to.” she stopped herself, feeling as if she was literally reading a battle report to Yuki.

She tried to reflect on being calm and open, then tried to force that outwards with a more personable tone, “We are taking Earth for the Dominion. There was some setbacks with the Imperium and Uther, but Faust got past that and as we speak, a war consumes the surface.”

	“That’s nice” Yuki dryly said. There was an awkward moment of silence during which Rong shot Morinth a what-the-hell look.

	“Faust-sama made it clear that he was interested in involving Musashi in the battle for Earth.” Rong stepped in. “Of course we didn’t set anything in stone…”

	Yuki seemed to be eyeing Morinth from behind her mask for a moment before asking “And why would he want to do that?”

Morinth stood dumbfounded, not really knowing how to answer this. 
She was trembling on the inside, it wasn’t part of her job description in any manner. This would’ve been an assassination had her orders been to actually act here. Damn it to hell she thought, damn it all.

	“Well, It’s been long said, even before Faust came about that Humanity was by heritage supposed to rule from earth, all men and women, created equal in some mandate to lord over all they see.” She paused, “Or something along those lines. Now, I know Faust personally and it’s not really a prize so much as a symbol. He desires this to be a beacon to unite humanity. Be it under the dominion or some other nation, it is a call for all people to put aside differences.” 

	It was strange as she felt almost out of body, her words coming out calmly and fluidly. “There’s been many writings in earth's past, be it from the industrial age to the early stages of writing that stated in essence, United we stand, divided we fall.” She smiled, “I sound like a preacher..”

	Yuki shifted her gaze towards Rong who, responding to the look, said “It is my opinion that Faust-sama does not wish us harm. Quite the opposite in fact.” Yuki seemed to accept this, giving a slight nod of her head.

	“United we stand…” Yuki quietly repeated. “If… Faust-sama offers me a hand of friendship I will reply in kind” She said after a moment. “Although I fear that my friendship is not worth much these days.” She looked down at the documents she had been working on as she said “Now if you’ll excuse me I have a lot of work to complete.”

	Rong visibly winced before putting her mask on. Gesturing towards the door she asked “Shall we Morinth-dono?”

	Morinth gave an awkward bow/nod before turning around quickly. “Yeah, let's go.” she said quickly, wiping some sweat from her brow. As they left the building altogether, Morinth took in the fresh air and began leaning against a railing, “This place, it’s beautiful.” She paused, watching the clouds above. “If you had ever seen the capitol of my Nation, Procyon. You’d know that beauty like this is not readily available where I’m from. The place is cold, a mass of urbanized complexes and gardens that are pretty much forced to give it an uplifting feel. A world that is more or less a city.” She turned to Rong, “I had long heard of Earth’s beauty.”

	“We tend not to talk about Earth, but when we do we can’t help but speculate on how beautiful it must have been. Morinth-dono” Rong turned towards her companion and gave a low bow. “I must apologize for what occurred when we spoke with Yuki-hime. She is usually a… warmer person.” Rong let out a long sigh. “On our way here I had heard some chatter about Yuki-hime struggling with Shoichi-denka for influence over the court. I fear that those rumors may actually be onto something.”

“Let me be perfectly clear,” Rong continued, “having Shoichi-denka on the throne will in no way benefit the Dominion. It will only force our two countries into a war.”

	“I fear for the future then.” Morinth said grimly. “This galaxy is just full of shit.” 

[center][b]*****     *****     *****[/b][/center]

	Princess Saeko had been the first of the three potential heirs to respond to James Conrad’s request of an official meeting. Dressed in a resplendent hanfu, she swept into the room with the grace expected from her upraising. The princess observed the room and its occupants from behind her mask before asking “Fren-dono, would you be so kind as to introduce me.”

As Nathaniel entered with the princess he smiled, now that he was around familiar faces even if James was wearing a mask as Nathaniel had suggested. Nathaniel quickly began to pull off his mask gave a quick salute to his commanding officer before introducing him “This, Princess is Executis James Conrad of the Dominion.” 

After hearing the doors open and turning around to see who had enter James simply nodded upon their arrival wearing a new made mask which was pure silver with odd red markings around the cheeks and pure black eyes. After allowing his friend to introduce him James spoke “It is an honor to meet you Saeko-Denka, as my friend here said I am indeed from the Dominion and hope to be an honored guest in your empire.” 

	“Then consider yourself to be among friends” Saeko said as she rendered a short bow. Locating a chair close to the room’s corner, she made herself comfortable and prepared to enjoy what she was sure to be an eventful afternoon. A few minutes later Yuki, accompanied by her faithful retainer Kau Rong, entered the room. Rong introduced Yuki and herself before taking up a position by the door.

	“Conrad-sama” Yuki said with a bow, “It is a pleasure to meet you.” Like Saeko she decided to keep her mask on, although Rong was quick to remove her own. Yuki, unlike Saeko, chose to take a seat much closer to James.

	James nodded to them both as they entered “Yuki-Denka I welcome you to the meeting and it is once again nice to see you again Kau-San, Please take a seat I believe we are waiting for one more if recall.” James said standing in the front smiling from behind his mask. 

	Morinth leaned over to Rong and whispered, “This James fellow, Pretty much Faust’s number two I suppose.” She glared at him from across the table then whispered again, “I don’t like him.”

	“You really won’t like Shoichi-denka” Rong whispered back. “I suggest saying as little as possible once he-” She shut her mouth when the very man she was speaking about stepped into the room.

	Yamamoto Shoichi wore the traditional hanfu that one would expect from Musashi, but his mask was in the image of an ogre. Something more suitable for a battleground than a diplomatic meeting. The man looked over the room once before saying “So I see you brought your ever faithful dog with you Yuki.” He slowly walked over to where Rong and Morinth was seated and placed a hand on her shoulder. “The offer is still open if you are interested...”

	“I’m afraid I must decline Shoichi-denka” Rong clearly was struggling to keep her facial expression and tone neutral. He simply shrugged as he assumed a seat a fair distance away from Yuki.

	“So why have you asked for this meeting foreigner?” Shoichi demanded.

James nodded “It is nice of you to join us Shoichi-denka, Now I can start the meeting. As you may know I am James Conrad from the Dominion. When I met Kau-San we were able to open light relations and allow a small free flow of trade between our two nations. However, with the Dominions recent intervention on Earth and the Confederacy’s hostile intentions against the Empire. I believe this should naturally allow us to grow closer.” James gave a moment to look around the room slowly before continuing. “The Dominion would be interested in offering the Empire China and Japan on Earth, As all humans should have a place on our Homeworld. Aside from that we’d like to propose a defensive pact from any nation that threatens either of us namely the Confederacy and the Alorians.” James finished and waited to address concerns

	“That is rather generous of the Dominion.” Yuki said after a moment. “And I must admit that in many ways the Dominion is something of a natural ally. However I am reluctant to take actions that would alienate the Confederacy, especially after we have just begun to normalize relations with them.”

	Shoichi let out a snort before saying “Musashi has no need for your scraps.”

	“You would simply give up an opportunity to control a portion of Earth? It's the birthplace of humanity!” Yuki shot back.

	“And it is the graveyard of a now defunct empire. What is your point.” Shoichi’s tone had taken an edge and for a moment it seemed like the two would continue their fight indefinitely.

	“The ancient lands of China and Japan” Saeko cut in, “should be viewed as sacred. They are the birthplaces of Musashi’s culture. Should we not place them under our protection? Revitalize them?”

	Yuki nodded in agreement before adding “And what would the terms of your proposed defensive pact be?”

	“The terms of the defensive pact are simple, should either nation become under attack from an outside force the other should come to their aide, of course if one nation had antagonized an enemy before hand the other would not be required to join them if they felt it was against their duty. That being said, if you’d prefer to make any altercations I’d be open to ideas.” James said with a stone cold face behind his mask.

	“In principle I have no issue with a defensive pact...” Yuki said.

	“Hah! There is no benefit for use in having a defensive pact!” Shoichi stated. “We already know we can beat the Confederation in an armed conflict and I doubt the Second Imperium are much of a threat. Your Dominion” Shoichi said as he looked at James, “has far more to gain from this than Musashi. Now I might be willing to consider a non-aggression pact instead.”

	“The war with the Confederation had a far from decisive conclusion” Yuki countered. “And there are other threats to consider.”

	“So you doubt the capability of our military?” Shoichi was either a brilliant actor and was legitimately shocked. He turned to Rong as he said “How does it feel to know that a potential heir to the throne feels that you” He pointed at her “are incapable of protecting the empire.”

	“That is not what I said Shoichi” Yuki didn’t quite snap.

	“Great” Rong whispered to Morinth. “Now he’s trying to drag me into the mess he’s making. Again.”

	“Again?” Morinth said with frustration, “Who the fuck does this prick think he is? Does he actually stand a chance of getting the throne?”

	“A month ago I would have said no” Rong whispered back. 

	James merely stood there, watching them bicker as if they were two children fighting for a toy. Perhaps he would butt in if this goes on to long but he wouldn’t want to interfere.

	“I think” Saeko spoke up again, cutting Shoichi off, “that a defensive pact with the Dominion is in our best interests. And perhaps the Dominion might be inclined to aid us in an issue that has been a thorn in our side for some time now.”

	“Saeko…” Shoichi’s tone was one of warning.

	“Conrad-dono” Saeko pointedly ignored her brother, “What is the Dominion’s view in regard to the Second Imperium?”

	“Well, for those that may not be aware the Dominion is very, Human-Centric society and the Second Imperium isn’t lead by Humans but instead upstarts who claim to be the Imperium’s true Successors. That being said they are able to hold off against the barbs not well but as a nice buffer zone none the less.” James said as he looked at Saeko and smiled under his mask.. As she is the only one who doesn’t wish to disagree with another. Unlike the sibling rivalry Yuki and Shoichi have been acting like.

	“The Second Imperium has certainly served us all well as a buffer zone” Saeko agreed. “However there has been a constant stream of refugees from their lands that we have had to deal with here in Musashi. We have never relished the thought of allowing refugees to… taint our culture and the Second Imperium itself has made no attempt to stop the refugee problem from its side.”

	“This refugee issue” Yuki added, “is also partially responsible for raising tensions between Musashi and the Confederation. We might not have had a war at all was this not an issue in the first place.”

“I’m sure you would have found some way of starting a war” Shoichi commented, eliciting a sigh from Yuki.

“Perhaps” Saeko said, “the Dominion would be interested in helping us resolve this issue? We all know that things are going to come to a head with the Second Imperium soon. Very soon. And the only outcome I see is an invasion. Could we count on Dominion support, either militarily or politically?”

	As James slowly nodded “Should the Musashi empire go to war with the Second Imperium, I am certain the Dominion would be more than willing to give aide.”

	“Excellent!” Saeko said. “Then I suppose the two of you would have no issue with a defensive pact given that the Dominion is will to aid us with our refugee problem?” Yuki slowly nodded while Shoichi took on a thoughtful pose.

	“Well…” He said after a moment. “In that case perhaps the Dominion might be interested in making… secret arrangements in regards to the Imperial Remnants?”

	“Oh please Shoichi-denka, The Imperial Remnant wouldn’t need to be enemies. They are on our side in reclaiming earth. They hold close to the old Imperium and it would be a awful if the Dominion or any other human were to declare war on them.” James then thought for a moment before adding “Though after having been the the Remnants capital they are on their last legs and sadly when Uther who is already an old man pass away I fear about what will have to the citizens within its borders.” James said with a smirk behind his mask.

	“Indeed” Shoichi said as he rose to his feet. “I shall consider what you have proposed, Conrad-dono, and advise the Emperor to do as I feel best suits the Empire. Now if you’ll excuse me…” He turned to leave, pausing for a moment to shoot Saeko a look.

	As Shoichi made his way to leave, James slowly put his hand out and said “It was an honor to meet you Shoichi-denka.” 

	“Of course we do not determine policy” Yuki said as Shoichi left the room, “that is the Emperor’s right. But we do advise him and influence his policies. We” She indicated Saeko, “will most likely advise a policy that you will find favorable in this regard. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?”
	
“I have nothing else to discuss unless, one of you wish to talk about certain issue?” James said smiling from the favorable responses he had received.

	“I do not” Yuki said with a slow shake of her head. “So I shall take my leave as well.” She and Kau Rong, who began to put her mask back on, rose to their feet and made for the exit, with Morinth following in their wake.

	As they left James once again put his hand out to shake “It was an honor meeting you Yuki-denka. As well as meeting you again Kau-san. Perhaps we can speak again sometime soon.”

	Yuki simply looked at the offered hand for a moment before Rong quietly stated “He expects you to grasp and shake his hand.”

	“How… odd” Yuki said, although she performed the described action.

	“That was most amusing” Saeko commented once Yuki, Rong, and Morinth had made their exit as did Nathaniel who left to prepare the ship.

	“Indeed it was. Was there something you had wished to talk about Saeko-denka?” James said with a smile and turned to Saeko.

	“I know what you are” She said as she looked at James. “The gods have told me.”

	As the rest left James slowly took off his mask and looked at her curiously “And what have the gods told you exactly.”

	“You are their servant too, just like Kau Rong. Just like me.” She answered. “Even if you don’t realize it.” She watched him for a moment before adding “I shall be watching with great interest to see how you serve them.”

	James acted surprised and confused “What do you mean I’m a servant like you and Kau-san? I’ve never been told as much nor do I feel special.” 

	Saeko let out a soft chuckle before she answered. “How can you not feel special? You are clearly a chosen one. I can sense their power in you. You can not be ignorant of it.”

	James once again acted confused “No… I am merely a servant of Faust granted a very loyal one. Though I’ve never had an “Power” that I’ve felt like you say?” James said

	“Don’t lie” Saeko said. She held out her hand, revealing a small metal ball resting on her palm. Suddenly the ball rose into the air, hovered in place for a moment, and then shot out towards James.

	James then gave a small smirk and immediately stopped the ball before it could hit him. “Well done, I knew there was a reason I liked you. At least over the bickering rivals.” James said with a chuckle.

	“Those two have their own roles to play” Saeko said. “Just as it is mine to guide them and utilize them for the betterment of Musashi.” She slowly rose from her seat and rendered a low bow. “I shall be taking my leave as well Conrad-dono. Perhaps we shall have the opportunity to speak again in the days to come.”

James gave a small bow back “I don’t plan on leaving till I have an answer from the emperor. I should hope to speak with you and perhaps Kau Rong on this matter soon, Saeko-Denka.” James said with a smile and once again put out his hand.

“Kau Rong is… broken” Saeko said after a moment, ignoring the offered hand. “It would be best if you did not speak to her about this.” She bowed her head towards James before turning and heading towards the door. She stopped there, turning slightly to look back at him. “I think” She said, “that you would look quite dashing in a hanfu or kimono.” She didn’t wait to hear his reply.