-Chapter 3-    

    'Naoki' tossed a few breadcrumbs to a flock of doves that surrounded 
him.
 He gazed down at them, serenely, watching their beauty as they dined on 
 the meal he'd given them. The birds seemed to be a family and he found
 himself longing for a family of his own. Not the makeshift family he'd 
had
 for years with his friends and colleagues, but a real family with a 
wife
 and children of his own.
    He smiled to himself as he thought of Tanaka, the pretty young 
student
 who had fallen in love with him.
    'Tomorrow,' he told himself, 'after my enemy has been vanquished, I 
 shall ask her to marry me. I know she'll say yes. I just know it!' He 
 looked at the doves who were still pecking at the remaining 
breadcrumbs,
 then sensed that he was being watched. He looked up, his eyes 
glistening
 with happiness, hoping to spot Tanaka. Instead, across the field, he 
saw
 the blue haired girl glaring at him.
    "He's a spy!!" She shouted, as she suddenly sped toward him, 
floating
 slightly off the ground and moving at high speed in his direction. The
 bench split in two as she passed through it.
    "Exceeding the speed limit, destruction of property, interfering 
with
 a criminal investigation, assaulting a police officer" he thought to 
 himself, running off a list of charges he could pin on the meddlesome 
 demoness as he sped down the path. He managed to outrun her, which 
surprised
 even him since he'd heard she was incredibly fast, but it had all but 
worn
 him out and eventually he'd resorted to using a cloaking field to hide 
 himself from her.

    'Naoki' and Tanaka were out together that evening, when 'Naoki' 
turned to
 Tanaka. "Tanaka," he told her, "would you do the honor of becoming my 
wife?"
    Tanaka gazed at him, her eyes full of delight, and nodded. "Yes." 
    'Naoki''s heart leaped with joy. "Wait here," he told her. "I'll be 
 right back." He leaned forward and kissed the tip of Tanaka's nose, 
then
 walked off. He strolled through the crowd toward the young couple he 
had
 been keeping watch over all week. He had to warn Achika of the 
impending
 danger, get her out of there before any harm could come to her. But 
then,
 when he finally reached her, he realized that he had no idea what to 
say.
 The truth would be simply too unbelievable. But he simply could not lie 
to
 Lady Achika. That would, in his heart, be unforgivable. 
    "Um..." he started to say, but nothing else emerged from his lips. 
He
 looked over and saw Ryoko, he had checked on her identity earlier and 
now
 he knew who she was, heading over to them. Annoyed at her interference, 
he
 wandered off again.
    He made his way through the crowds, toward the beach. He slipped 
into
 the shadows and hid, but he knew he would not be able to confront his 
foe
 until he dealt with this obstacle called Ryoko. As she stood there, 
 turning her head this way and that, 'Naoki' stepped up behind her and 
 pressed the tips of his fingers against the small of her back.
    "Don't move," he warned her. "Place your hands behind your head nice
 and slow."
    Ryoko moved her hands into the requested position and asked him what
 the heck he was doing there.
    "The space pirate Ryoko, case #80812029 I believe?"
    Ryoko was astonished. This wasn't Kain after all, but a member of...
    "The Galaxy Police!" She gasped. "So, are you working with Kiyone 
and
 Mihoshi?"
    "Gimme a break." He sighed, in exasperation. "I must admit Kiyone's 
not
 half bad, but Mihoshi... puh-lease!"
    "So, what's the deal then?" 
    "I'm a special operative assigned to cases involving the most 
serious of
 the criminals that the Galaxy Police are hired to deal with." He 
explained.
    "They sent you after Kain?" Ryoko asked.
    "No." He replied. "Actually, Kain tried to kill me, but lashed out 
at 
 me with a temporal energy blast by mistake."
    "Wow!" Ryoko was amazed. "I've never met anyone who time-travelled 
by
 accident before."
    "Now, let me ask you something," he scratched her spine, gently, to
 remind her that his hand was still pressed against her back. She 
laughed,
 ticklishly, and squirmed a little. "What are you doing here?"
    "We've also come to get Kain away from Achika." Ryoko told him. 
"Hey,
 why don't we team up? We could really use someone with your skill."
    "I work alone."  He replied.
    "Against Kain?"
    "Especially against Kain." He told her. "I've seen too many good 
people
 die by Kain's hand and I will not risk another person's life."
    "But you'll risk your own?"
    "I can take him."
    "Oh, right! And just who do you think you are anyhow?"
    The boy reached up and pulled off the mask he had been wearing. 
Beneath
 was the bat-like face of a member of a species that was all but 
extinct. 
 Known throughout the Galaxy, except on this primitive world, for their 
 speed, stamina, and highly evolved senses, the Draalthi had been a 
benign
 race, not despite their highly attuned senses, but because of them. The
 whistle of artillery fire hurt their ears and their eyes were 
hypersensitive
 to the flashes that came with laser-fire or explosions. Hunters by 
nature,
 they were highly adept at hunting down prey of any kind. 
    And then there was Lt. Trakal, a Draalthi who's senses had been 
 heightened even further than most by implants given to him by the 
Galaxy
 Police. But the implants and training he'd recieved had eliminated the 
 usual negative reaction to high noises and bright lights. A Draalthi 
who,
 rumor had it, was half-Juraian. Who had, in fact, been the very 
Draalthi
 Kagato had been seeking when he'd destroyed Ratala IV and decimated his
 race.
    It was a crime that Trakal had never forgiven. That he would never
 forgive. He'd tracked Kagato for months, and had been the only survivor
 from Whiterock's attack fleet nearly a year before Kain had escaped. He
 had been kept in the hospital for weeks that time, for physical 
injuries, 
 and had been greatly annoyed when he was finally released to learn that
 many of his colleagues had been spreading rumors to the affect that 
he'd 
 been in so long for psychological evaluations. Some of the particularly
 nasty rumors said he'd been committed and that he'd been overcome by 
grief
 and guilt over the death of Fleet Commander Whiterock. 
    Some of the people who'd said that had been speaking in high 
registers
 and limping a lot the day after Trakal was finally released from the 
 infirmiry. 
    And it was this Trakal that Ryoko was now face to face with. Looking
 at the markings on his face, she did have to admit to herself that he 
could
 have been part-Juraian at that. 
    "Trakal!"
    Trakal nodded.
    "Wait! Don't go!"
    "I have to face Kain and make him pay for what he did."
    "Then face him with us. Even you can't take him on alone."
    "What if you die?"
    "An acceptable loss."