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presence of
those not in the light. “Has the Falcanian Khan responded to your
summons?”
    Imperator Romulus scowled. “Drakonis refuses
to meet with me.”
    “The Falcanian are a threat to us.”
    JR Giovanni was not certain if Styx meant
that the Falcanians were a threat to the Imperium or only to his
Budjah. If he knew the bishop, Romulus guessed Styx meant his
Budjah Order rather than to JR Giovanni's restored nation.
    “They do not think we brought the Earth back
from the brink.” Whenever Styx spoke of this he seemed to faze out,
as if a program triggered, or he had a frayed wire. “The Falcanians
murdered an entire mission, they must be punished.”
    “I agree with you. The Falcanian must be
dealt with and we're intending to do just that. I cannot however
risk sparking a conflict at this time.” The Imperator grinned.
“There are secrets I wish to learn from these Falcanian. Our
intelligence tells us they are building a fleet of foldships. We
wish to learn how far along they are and if they will be a hazard
to our own expansion.”
    Politics. Styx was glad the helmet masked
his dismay. He always discovered his own plans to save the human
race hindered by the political and military agenda of his
Imperator. Had he the power, the bishop would reduce all of
Vanguard Island to ash. These Falcanian were unclean heathens not
worthy of the Light. They did not submit themselves to the Thirteen
Jahs. How could The One, the only true God permit them to
contaminate his creation? Thoughts of this stain caused Styx to
twitch under his bucket helmet.
     
     
    [Japan: Yokohama Port November 12, 2030]
    The dock was full of people boarding and
leaving ships. At the moment, Frederika gazed into the water, lost
in deep thought while she fingered the Thor's Hammer around her
neck which Oberon gave her before she had left for Japan and said
to her that it would bring good fortune. Oberon was not a man to
express such notions as luck, that he had done so for this
operation greatly disturbed her.
    Other women soon joined Frederika on the
dock. Frederika noticed most of them were dark-haired and busty. A
few were Japanese, a mix of other Asians and noticeably a handful
of Eastern Europeans were among the exotic dancers destined to
entertain the Falcanian Khan.There were about twenty girls in all.
Only one other blonde aside from herself waited for the master of
the ship, the Chrysanthemum Maru , to allow them to board and
head for Vanguard Island. Frederika eyed the other woman
critically. The other blonde was much shorter than she, and not
nearly as built. Frederika would stand out she hoped and catch
Hawk's eye.
    Frederika had already begun to fashion her
plan of seduction.
    “You're new?”
    The Morningstar girl turned, Frederika came
eye to eye with a lithe black haired woman about her age. The
girl's amber eyes were filled with a sense of adventure. Her
complexion a fair tan, and her features teasingly exotic. Frederika
guessed this girl to be a mix of European and Asian heritage. “I
am.” She was new to all this, though she surmised that this girl
had taken this trip at least once before.
    “Mia Smrhova.” The girl and extended her
hand.
    “Frederika Gotha.” Frederika smiled back and
took the offered hand. “So you've been to Vanguard Island
before?”
    “This is my second time. The Shotar asked me
back.”
    Before the two women could continue their
conversation, the ships' captain called them aboard. Although he
was an older Japanese man, he spoke clear English and instructed
them to hand over their paperwork as they walked up the gangplank.
After they boarded the ship, the dancer's luggage was taken to
their cabins and they were instructed to wait on the deck for the
Falcanian representative to introduce himself.
    What caught Frederika's eye about the ship's
crew were the many Techno-Samurai which stood at attention along
the upper deck. The Shogun honored his friend with this display of
the personal vassals sent to