Kamidake's Continuity Note: Since I've established the temporal setting for the whole story about nine times already, lemme just focus on this chapter right now. See, if you're just joining us, most of our players are way the hell out in space, where the space pirate Ryoko is on trial for her criminal past. Everyone left at the end of Part Seven, except for Tenchi, who took a bad bump on the noggin, and Ayeka, who chose to remain behind to care for him. This installment covers what our Earthbound heroes have been up to since Superman & Co. left, and so it runs concurrently with Parts 8-11. It's like a flashback, sort of.

Double Secret Note: This is basically a token of my appreciation for all the Ayeka fans out there, who have waited patiently for their fav'rit to put in a major appearance in the story. I make no apologies for holding off for eleven parts, but I felt that the best way to present the Tenchi cast was one at a time, and the angle I came up with for Ayeka just wound up near the end of the line. I wouldn't normally go into this sort of thing, but I find that Ayeka kind of gets the short end of the fanfic stick (like a certain Action Ace I know), and I figured you deserved an explanation.

As for those... people, who find some twisted fascination with whatsername, rest assured that she'll be back to blowing up something in good time. I know her...

Original Tenchi Muyo! concept by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi
Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

"Mr. Superman?"

He turned from the phone and raised his index finger to her in acknowledgment, and then quickly resumed talking on the phone. "Yes, that's right Ms. Lane. Just let everyone know that I'll be away from Metropolis for a little while, but I'll be back as soon as I can. Mmm-hmm, well say hi to Clark for me when he gets back from Europe. All right... good-bye!"

He then hung up the phone and turned back to her. "Sorry, but I had to make a few arrangements. Now what can I do for you, Your Highness? 'Ayeka' wasn't it?"

"Yes," she said politely.

"If you like, call me Kal. Superman is formal enough without the 'mister'."

"Er, very well, Kal," Ayeka agreed. "I wanted to speak with you alone for a moment. This isn't something I wanted the others to hear, and well--"

The man in the blue and red costume leaned up against the wall and put his hand to his chin. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's just that... I haven't always seen eye to eye with Miss Ryoko. I admit that. But I'd rather not see any harm come to her either, not after seeing her carted away like a rag doll today."

"I understand," Superman replied.

"Still, I just wanted to understand your interest in this matter. You only met all of us a short time ago. Now you've all but promised that you can not only find Ryoko, but bring her back from this Galactic Tribunal that's taken her off somewhere. I think you should know that she has a very shady history," Ayeka said softly. "It's entirely possible that whatever their motivation, the Tribunal may be right to have her arrested."

"You might be right," Superman admitted. "But knowing the Tribunal, they may not be as right as they think they are. At any rate, I have to be sure one way or another, and the only way to do that is to go and see for myself."

"But you're so certain that she's innocent," Ayeka objected. "And that you can save her. I--The others... they care for Ryoko and have grown quite fond of her in the time we've been living together on Earth. What if you're wrong? What if she's not as innocent as we think, and you can't bring her back?"

He looked at her intently for a moment and put his hand on her shoulder. "I can't be perfectly certain, of course," he said. "And I don't know her all that well personally, but I know the Tribunal wouldn't have made the arrest unless they were convinced she was guilty. Seems to me that someone has to raise the possibility that she's not. If that has to be me, I'll do it. Maybe it's naive of me, but I have a hard time believing a truly evil person could have such loyal friends like y--like 'the others'. I'll try my best not to let them down. I promise."

"In that case," Ayeka said slowly. "I want to thank you for your help. Good luck to you... Kal."

"Thanks," he said as he walked out the door to start his journey. "And don't worry about a thing. It'll be all right."

That had been several hours ago. While Ayeka had taken comfort in Superman's assurances, that sentiment wasn't entirely unanimous. She hoped the tea would smooth some of that over before the night was done.

She entered the living room from the kitchen with tray in her hands, vapors from the teacups trailing in her wake. He sat on the couch with his arms crossed and his head hunched over like a gargoyle. "I should have gone with them," he pouted, jerking his head to give frustrated glare out a nearby window at the night sky.

"Now, I'll hear none of that, thank you very much!" Ayeka scolded him gently. She set the tray down and took a seat next to him. You were badly shaken up today, and hardly in any condition to go rushing off on a wild monster chase. Superman himself agreed with that."

"So that's it?" Tenchi glowered. "Ryoko's facing who knows what and she'll have to take a raincheck on anything I might have done to help her?"

"Tenchi please! Superman and Mihoshi are taking care of the matter. I know you feel responsible for all of us, but past a certain point you have to consider your own well-being--"

"Yeah, but what if Superman hadn't been around to help us?" Tenchi demanded. "I mean, we would have had to do SOMETHING, right? I just don't see how I'm supposed to sit here like an old man and pretend like nothing's wrong!"

She picked up the cup on the left and sipped from it. "We ARE doing something, Tenchi," she argued. "I'm trying to make you feel better, and you're fretting over something that's out of our hands. Ryoko will be fine. If she's dissatisfied with her selection of rescuers, then she should have considered that before knocking you off that ledge in the first place."

"Y'know, the least you could do is acknowledge some small piece of responsibility," Tenchi shot back. "After all, I wouldn't have climbed up on that thing like a trapeze artist to begin with if you two weren't screaming bloody murder at each other."

She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He had a point. She had been fighting with Ryoko when Tenchi tried to interfere only to catch a stray blast from the battle. Of course, she had a good reason, or so it had seemed at the time, but in the final analysis, she'd lowered herself to Ryoko's level, and Tenchi had gotten hurt for it. "If it makes you feel better... very well, then. I apologize for my behavior."

"Thanks," he muttered, taking the left cup from the tray and cradling it in his hands. After some hesitation, he sipped it and he seemed to relax just a little. "With all the nuttiness we deal with these days, I don't think it's too much to ask that you two try to get along a little better. It's gotten to where I think every time I hear something break or blow up some new enemy is attacking us."

"You're absolutely right, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka conceded. "I'll try not to let it happen again."

"Good. Then maybe we'll have a little peace and quiet around here from now on."

"My thinking precisely."

"Get things back to normal around here."

"Of course."

"Is that a new nightgown?"

Ayeka blushed and looked down at the bedclothes she was wearing. "Well... ah, yes. As a matter of fact it is. My mother dropped some new clothing off for Sasami and me when she came to visit recently. Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's nice," Tenchi said. "You know, maybe this isn't so bad, after all. It's been a long time since the house has been so empty. It's nice to take a little time to slow down and appreciate the moment."

"Yes, I was wondering... where is your father?" Ayeka asked.

"Bowling," Tenchi groaned. "Some new thing he got into at work apparently. I saw his team jersey once when he came home in it. It's a pink shirt with the words 'Architects of Destruction' on the back. I'm sure we'll hear all about it tomorrow."

"And Washuu?"

"I was gonna give her the night off," Tenchi said, "but she's really taken to her duties in the restroom. I think she's still up there working at it as we speak."

"And I told Sasami she could go visit your aunt and play with their baby," she added.

"So it's just the two of us, then," Ayeka mused.

"Looks that way," Tenchi agreed.

"A-heh-heh. It certainly does..."

There was a long pause, as both of them took turns sipping tea. Ayeka started to fidget in her seat, desperately searching for something to say. Mercifully, Tenchi broke the silence after several minutes.

"Well, at any rate, I'm sure Superman can take care of this. I just wish he didn't ask me to stay behind as backup."

"Now, he said that the calvary was very important to insure his success," Ayeka noted. "Although I fail to see the purpose of tying up the phone line for ten minutes on an international call..."

"Cavalry."

"Hmm?"

"It's 'cavalry'. You said 'calvary'," Tenchi said, sipping his tea and leaning back on the couch.

"Oh, well so I did," Ayeka admitted. "Not that I know what it is, at any rate..."

"Haven't you ever seen those westerns Ryoko watches on TV?" Tenchi asked.

"Not by choice..." Ayeka muttered. "Those programs she watches are always so dreadfully violent and archaic. I much prefer the soap operas that air in the mornings."

"Huh... I almost never even watch TV," Tenchi considered. "But ever since all of you started living here, the set's practically paid for itself. Maybe we could find something on..." He dug up the remote control from behind the couch cushion he was sitting on. "There ya are! OK then..."

The set in front of them flickered to life and began to flash between images every few seconds as Tenchi flipped channels. Ayeka did her best to keep up with the rapid selection of shows.

"Ooh, that might be interes--um, well, there's something--oh. Hey, that's a good movie and--no, never mind. Ah, this fellow pesters various animals in the name of teaching us about Earth life--I see. TENCHI!"

"Yeah?" he said, still flipping channels.

"Were you looking for something specific to watch?" she asked in exasperation.

"No, I just wanted to see what was on."

"But you've cycled through the entire selection twice already!" Ayeka objected. "I can't... It's just that... Oh, I'm sorry. This isn't working at ALL!"

He hit the power button on the remote and set it down. "What's not working, Ayeka?" he asked.

"I just--I just thought that since we'd be by ourselves this evening, that we could spend some time together. Get to know each other better. Become... closer, Tenchi. But this serenity is so... awkward! It's all I can do just to think of some way to pass the time!"

"Oh, well that's nothing to worry about," Tenchi said confidently. He put his hand on Ayeka's and squeezed it. "After all, before all of you started living here, I used to spend lots of lonely nights by myself. I've had plenty of time to come up with things to do in a situation just like this!"

She sniffled and smiled at him. "Y-you have?"

"Sure!" He took her by the hand and led her off the couch. "Here, you get down on the floor. I have to go get something from my bedroom closet. Trust me, this'll be great, I promise."

"When you say it, Tenchi," Ayeka cooed, "I just know it will!" And she sat down on the floor and waited patiently while he ran up the stairs.

How long had it been since she last checked in with her lab? A day? Two days?

A fraction of a moment for someone who'd lived well over twenty thousand years, but it seemed like an eternity to Washuu. Since Tenchi helped her escape from fifty centuries of suspended animation, this would have been the longest she'd ever spent away from her research. And yet, she accepted this gladly. Tenchi had shown her great kindness since freeing her from Kagato, and since she began living under his roof, she felt it was only proper that she fall in with his rules. Cause trouble in a major Earth city, pester the local long-underwear character, and it meant hard labor, cleaning the Masaki toilet. Her visit to Metropolis was cut short, but the insight she'd gained from that brief time was more than worth it. Tenchi was tough but fair, and who could blame him? Five aliens living in his home, it took real guts to maintain some semblance of order.

She'd read somewhere that the average Earthman spent a year of his lifetime in the bathroom. Or two years. Something like that. Given that humans only had about a hundred or less to work with that was rather significant. That was a bathroom, though. Toilet, sink, shower, maybe a linen closet. When she'd visited Metropolis before, she'd seen how that setup was done. In Tenchi's house, it didn't work that way. There was the toilet in one room, and if you wanted a shower, you had to go down the hall. The Metropolis design seemed far more practical to her.

People didn't get that about her, she'd noticed. Back in the day, some blonde-headed twit decided she wasn't fit to raise a kid. Drivel. Washuu had mastered biochemistry to the point where she could alter her physiology at will. For millennia, she'd maintained the appearance of a prepubescent girl. Pediatrics was a cakewalk, but she wasn't considered fit to raise a kid.

So she built her own. Ryoko was problematic to say the least, but at the very least she served as proof of the blonde-headed twit's unmitigated twitdom. Of course, Ryoko didn't buy her as the motherly type either. She seemed to resent the shared genetics, the telepathic rapport, Washuu's running commentary on her physical stature and mental state. Nothing major. Washuu just broke the rapport for a while. Let Ryoko run off and experience life without someone watching over her all the time. The privacy would do her good, and she'd eventually grow to miss the psychic bond and appreciate it when she re-established it. Problem solved.

Same deal here. Superman, Tenchi... they both figured that if she caused trouble, the best way to discipline her was to keep her away from her cherished laboratory and busy her with chores.

"Silly boys," she mused as she lifted the porcelain cover off the back of the toilet, revealing an array of microprocessors and LCD displays inside.

"Nominal status," a mechanical voice announced from within the small technological jungle. "Lavatory efficiency at three hundred percent of original schematics."

Given twenty thousands years to learn, maybe they'd understand that being busy with chores was what led people like her to BUILD labs in the first place. All part off making things more practical...

"I can't believe this has happened!"

Tenchi shrugged his shoulders. "Don't take it so hard, Ayeka. It happens to lots of people. That's just how it is sometimes."

"Now I have to start all over again from the beginning! This is so frustrating, Tenchi!"

He pointed at the logo on the center of the board. "What else can I say? They call it 'Sorry!' for a reason. You'll just have to roll again, and see if you can catch up to me."

Ayeka clenched her jaw and exhaled slowly through her nostrils. "Very well, then," she said resolutely, taking the dice into her hands and shaking them with renewed vigor. After a few seconds of rattling, she released them onto the board, letting them settle onto a single face. "Eight!" she exclaimed. "It won't be long now..."

"That's the spirit," Tenchi cheered. "You know, if you get tired of this one, I can always pull out Connect Four--"

"I think I can handle this ordeal for a while longer," Ayeka smirked.

Truth be told, this wasn't how she'd pictured their evening. Of course, most of what she'd imagined seemed to wind up taking place on her homeworld of Jurai, and Tenchi would have been less frustrated with being alone while Ryoko was off doing who knew what. Still, she'd finally gotten him to relax a little, and he'd returned the favor by breaking the ice. He was using an exceedingly odd custom to do it, but that was Earth for you.

Still, his human heritage did have its advantages. After all, Ayeka had spent her whole life betrothed to his grandfather, and after he was lost, she spent all her time searching for him with no one but Sasami and her robot servants to keep her company. The simple fact was that she had little--quite frankly, zero--experience in 'playing the field' as one of the others might have put it. And when she finally found Yosho, he had not only rejected her affections, but he had long ago chosen to remain on the Earth for the rest of his days, living among his mother's people. Stranded on the Earth, her long quest finally over but ultimately fruitless, she latched onto Tenchi for one reason and one reason only: There was no one else left for her. A noble of Jurai might not have understood that brutally simple logic (Yosho certainly hadn't), but Tenchi, being a humble man of Earth, seemed sympathetic to her plight, if nothing else.

That was the downside to his humanity, Ayeka realized. It made him flexible enough to cross the cultural barrier and understand her situation, but that flexibility made him equally considerate of just about anyone else he knew as well. That Tenchi was descended from the royal family of Jurai was just icing on the cake to her--she'd been attracted to him from the beginning, even before that revelation was made. Still, it was an important bond between them, she felt, and something they shared that the others didn't. The trouble was that being part human, and growing up among other humans, Tenchi didn't seem terribly aware of this. He appeared just as close to her as he was to Mihoshi, or Washuu, or Sasami, or Ryoko... Being around them just made Ayeka another face in the crowd.

Well, it wasn't the best of circumstances, but she certainly had his undivided attention now... "Tenchi, may I ask you a personal question?" she asked.

"Hmm? Well, sure, go ahead," he assented, busily counting out the number of spaces he would move his game piece.

"Well, I was just wondering," Ayeka began, clearing her throat. "How do you feel about being part Jurai? Is it difficult to accept, having grown up among humans?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn't say that," he answered. "I mean, I was surprised when grandpa told me, but that was just because it was unexpected. After the initial shock, it started to seem less and less like a big deal to me. All the fighting and super-powers took some getting used to, but otherwise nothing's really changed, right?"

She raised an eyebrow at this and held her mouth slightly open as if searching for the next words. "But, ah... Tenchi, you do realize that there's more to Jurai than just gallivanting about in space. I'm sure that given time, Earthlings would be doing that as well."

"Yeah, that's how I looked at it," Tenchi said. "After that it seemed pretty normal. Well, less ABnormal, I guess."

She sighed. "Yes, but that's not my point. Jurai isn't just a technologically advanced society, Tenchi. Our people have a very complex and beautiful culture, and a variety of different forms of literature, art, poetry, romantic customs..."

"Mmm-hmm," Tenchi said. "I figured it was something like that."

"There, now you see what I'm saying!" Ayeka cheered.

"It's kind of like Earth that way," Tenchi added, busily rolling the dice for his next turn.

She slumped her posture and brought a hand to her forehead, slowly dragging it down her face in disappointment. "Or not..." she groaned. "Tenchi, my point is that Jurai's culture is DIFFERENT from Earth's. And you've experienced Earth society your whole life, naturally assuming it was all there was. Only recently have you been faced with the knowledge that you're a son of two worlds, and there's another society you're a part of that you've just now discovered."

"And you want to know if that bothers me?" Tenchi asked.

"Yes!" Ayeka said in exasperation. "Er, I mean to say... yes, I was wondering if it concerned you in any way."

He stopped tapping his game piece across the board, and lifted his hand up to his face, the red token still in his grip and now pressed up against his lower lip. After a moment he nodded and set the piece back on the board. "I guess it doesn't," Tenchi finally answered.

A verbal response died on Ayeka's lips. She looked at him as he held out the dice to her, and finally she took them from his hand and resumed playing the game.

"Well, as long as we're at it, you mind answering something for me?" Tenchi finally asked.

Her eyes lit up at this. "Certainly, Tenchi," she smiled. "Anything."

"Superman didn't want me or Little Washuu to come with him because we might be charged as accessories by this Tribunal thing. But you could have gone along, right? Why didn't you?"

She sighed in disappointment. It was Tenchi's selflessness that had made him so appealing to her, but it made him exceedingly restless when presented with a situation beyond his control. By now, it should have been obvious to anyone else that she stayed behind to take care of him, but the idea of putting Tenchi's needs above someone else's was incomprehensible to him. And so she figured it wouldn't accomplish anything to answer him directly. "This is about the superpowers again, isn't it?" she said.

"Well, I just thought they could use your help out there--"

"Tenchi, I've seen your Mr. Superman in action, and I doubt that anyone who can move that fast would have much need for a force field. Or an assortment of Jurai body fortifications. Or a pair of guardian robots. For that matter, if not for his diplomatic skill, Ryoko would likely be standing trial with a less than flattering haircut," she said as she snipped her fingers together for effect. "So I doubt my political savvy would help things either."

"OK, but even so, how can you just sit here and go on as if there's nothing to worry about?" Tenchi asked. "At least out there you'd be able to know what's happening--maybe pitch in in case something comes up--"

"Tenchi, I'm not a forklift for heaven's sake!" Another aspect of humans. They were so detached from their technology, regarding it only for its respective functions, as opposed to the sentient space trees of Jurai, which shared an almost symbiotic bond to their owners. As a result, humans seemed to regard their own capabilities as purely mechanical qualities, to be used or not used as deemed necessary.

"I'm not saying that," he backpedaled. "It's just that--"

"No, I understand what you meant," she relented. "But you have to realize that it's more complicated than that." She stalled for a moment trying to find the right words. "Tenchi, Mihoshi doesn't have any special abilities. I mean, beyond her weapons and instruments, she's a rather typical humanoid, right?"

"I suppose so," Tenchi nodded.

"So why does SHE rush off to go patrol the system?"

"It's her job," Tenchi replied.

"That is what I'm saying, Tenchi," she concluded. "It's her purpose to serve and protect the local beings in her jurisdiction. And it's Ryoko's lot in life to deal with the consequences of the life she once lived. Now, by that line of reasoning, what's MY role in all of this?"

"Well, you're a princess," Tenchi answered. "You could do whatever you want--"

She smiled knowingly at him. "I see... is that what you think?" She waited for him to nod in reply and she shook her head and reached for her game piece on the board. "Well, then I suppose there's no point in keeping up this charade, now is there?" she mused, dragging the plastic object all around the course of the board, making sure to tap Tenchi's piece along the way to knock it over and send it rolling off to the floor.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Tenchi demanded, scrambling to grab his token before it rolled under the couch.

"I wanted to win," Ayeka smirked. "So I merely circumvented the rules. I can do that, after all, right?"

"Well yeah, but that makes no sense," Tenchi protested. "If you do that, then you're not playing the game anymore, because you're not following the same rules I am. And you can't win unless you play the game the way it's supposed to be played."

"So it would seem," Ayeka agreed. "Tenchi, the first thing you have to learn about government is that there are no absolute rulers. One way or another, a king has to bend to the sentiment of his people. The good monarchs are always the ones who know when to take charge of a situation, and when to delegate the matter to his subjects. Failure to strike the right balance inevitably allows for a more competent person to come in and seize power. In essence, by cheating at this game, I've demonstrated that I'm not qualified to be playing it."

"Uh-huh," Tenchi murmured.

"And just the same, a regent is bound to follow rules like anyone else. Particularly because he or she is the one WRITING the rules to begin with. And besides, Earth isn't under Jurai control. That's why we all defer to you, Tenchi. You're the only one who understands this strange place.

"Right..."

"And you're much more than that to me..." Ayeka stammered. This was always the hardest part. Defending the values of the Jurai royal family was old hat--she'd given this sort of discourse almost as often as she'd explained the unique permissiveness her people had towards intermarriage--but telling someone like Tenchi how she felt about him was something far more difficult. She felt an uncomfortable warmth in the back of her head and neck, and finally she picked a less intimate choice of words. "You're family," she blurted out, cursing herself as she sounded it out. "You're my brother's grandson and that means I have to look out for your well-being, just as you would look after mine."

She pressed on with her point, furious that she'd fumbled what she wanted to say, but determined to see it through. "And no matter what happens, I have to prioritize, Tenchi. My first responsibility is to my people, and of all of them, I have to care for my family first and foremost. That's why I've been living with you and my brother and sister on Earth all this time, and that's why I've stayed behind now."

She looked up at him and saw a sad look in his eye. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know it must seem like I'm abandoning the others by doing this, but with you and Sasami here I had to make a choice... and while it was a simple decision to make, it wasn't easy, Tenchi. I hope you can understand that."

"You're right." he said softly.

"Hmm? About what?" she asked.

"About there being more to Jurai than power," Tenchi said. He held up his game piece and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. "Ever since all this came down on me, I've been treating it like a fantasy world or a video game. Something you can turn off and put away when you're done. It's not that simple. It's about making hard decisions and trying to choose the right thing, because the stakes are so high you won't get a second chance. The sort of thing Superman was doing when he told me to stay behind. The sort of thing I bet Juraians learn from the beginning. The sort of thing you've been doing the whole time and I haven't even noticed until now." He slowly rose to his feet.

"Tenchi, I didn't mean to suggest that--"

He waved his hand to dismiss what she was about to say. "Yeah, I know. But you've given me something to think about, Ayeka. I've been so worried about wanting to help Ryoko that I forgot to consider if my help was actually what she'd need at this point." He reached out with his hand and pulled Ayeka to her feet. "Tell you what, it's getting late, and I should probably get some sleep if I wanna be in good shape for tomorrow. And we can pick up Sasami in the morning and tell her that everything's gonna be OK. Sound good?"

"I think... I think that's very sensible, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka replied as he headed for the stairs. "Of course, it's entirely possible that they'll have returned by then. No reason we shouldn't keep optimistic, right?"

He turned from the stairwell and smirked. "That's what I was thinking. You know Ryoko, and I'd like to recover from one concussion before she gives me another."

She smiled and waved him off to bed. "Go on," she said. "I'll clean up down here."

As he left the room she sighed and looked out the window. Not quite what she had pictured she admitted, but at least tonight had confirmed that they could still connect. And of course, in the morning they'd either be surrounded with the others or preparing themselves for battle, and she'd probably have to start all over again. Well, if those were the rules, so be it. She was royalty. She knew how to live with the waiting. They'd be together soon enough.

He'd waited long enough.

Time had been on his side from the beginning. It was a simple matter to sow the seeds of his plan and wait for the fruits to be harvested. Now they were all gathered together for him. It was all right there in front of him. A very rewarding experience.

"Our captain has confirmed their location," Zaora announced. "Ryo-Oh-Ki was spotted in the Okuda System. Refueling or lodging, the point is that they've surely touched down on a planet and will be vulnerable for a short time."

"I've already ordered a course change," Legion mused. "We'll be there in a matter of minutes."

"Excellent!" Zod said approvingly. "Soon the murderer will be in our hands, and once he is dealt with, the others shall scatter like so much dust!"

"Hmmm... I have misgivings about this," Quex-Ul growled. "Suppose we tip our hand too soon? What if the murderer manages to slip away from us? Or one of his fellows for that matter?"

Legion rose from his seat and paced into the center of his quarters. The room was dimly lit, to the point where everything in it seemed a dismal grey to the naked eye. "You underestimate me, Zod...Quex-Ul. You imply that I am not powerful enough to confront them on my own. That I must neutralize the Kryptonian first and foremost, or that I would be lost should I fail to complete my task."

"Hardly," Zod replied. "We merely consider the possibilities inherent in your decision to do this task... alone."

A bitter chuckle fell from his lips. "Tell me, General. How far would you have come on your own? Any of you? Without my aid, you wouldn't even be here. Not to downplay your side of the pact, but let's be fair about this. Before you, I was alone. I managed, just as I will manage now. Your caution is appreciated, even warranted, but the decision is made."

His discourse was interrupted by the beep of the door chime. "Enter," he groaned as the door slid open and the captain entered the darkened cabin.

"Sir, thirty seconds to Okuda. You said you wished to be informed."

"Very good," Legion acknowledged. "Do you recall what else I wished?"

"Just that you wanted to disembark on the planet's surface by yourself," the captain replied. "And to send a security crew after you when you gave the signal."

"That's right," Legion confirmed. He crossed the room and hit the switch that activated the lights, suddenly illuminating the entire cabin to daylight conditions. He waved his arms to demonstrate that it was utterly unoccupied except for himself and the captain's head poking through the door. "When necessary, I will summon assistance, but ultimately, by myself, captain. I wouldn't have it any other way."

NEXT: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner...