The Uli Rouge

[Craines]

The Uli Rouge was finally complete. The many subterranean levels had been completed, with an array of vast security measures to ensure privacy, and had met deSicev's inspection. The two-story villa, the Uli Rouge, had met Fiona's inspections, and she had even moved some things around. It was nice to have everything meet everyone else's expectations, even if Fiona wasn't aware of the underground super-facility.

The modest dining room was set for a party. The tottering old man, Richard Walters, scurried about in a dusty tuxedo, a fading green that had a few stains on it, trying to make sure everything was in order for the Ambassador's favored guests. Even deSicev had decided to contribute something, putting the DNA of the few allowed members into the defense system. If anything else tried to get in, the results would be catastrophic. Of course, deSicev had nothing to fear - nothing would interrupt this night.

The invitations were sent out. "Waverly, Reggie. Deckard, Rick. Kell, Alan. Kane, Julius. ?, Jay."

All that was left now was for the men invited to hike up the mountain to the little villa. A small shuttle-pad had been installed, but so had the aerial shielding devices. Even if the Phantoms wanted to join in, they'd have to jog up the path to the ~3000 foot altitude of the Villa.

Fiona sat on the porch, wearing jeans and a tank top. It was still warm, even this high up, and the multiple suns of Gran Canaria didn't help her temperature. She sipped quietly on some tea, and rocked back and forth. The old Bretonian man came out and joined her.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Madam deLuna? I am here to aid you, as you know."

"Mr. Walters, please, call me Fiona. And go ahead, you can help me by helping yourself to some tea."

"Madam deLuna, please! I am hired help, here to help you, not indulge in your no-doubt delicious tea! And for me to be on first-name terms with you would be an honor I'm certainly not worthy of! Please, call me Richard, or Mr. Walters, or servant, or even Butler. But I shall not refer to you as anything other than Madam deLuna!"

"Statement: Mr. Walters, I reprimand you for your long and verbose explanations. I must really warn you that stealing the attention of Fiona while I am around will be punishable by shock. Query: You are aware of sarcasm, I assume? Mocking addition: If not, you most certainly couldn't be hired here!"

"Oh, deSicev, shut up. Richard, drink some tea. And let's be sure not to bicker when the guests arrive, okay?"

---

[Malaclypse 666]

Reggie felt better than he had in years. Mostly due to his frequent trips up the very path he climbed now.

Every few days, he had taken to circuitous path up the shaking mountain (which had finally ceased its shaking), to view the progress being made on Villa Uli Rouge. During the months of construction, he had also seen changes in the path itself. In some places on the steep mountain face, small tunnels had actually been excavated into the mountain itself, to avoid blasting the granite cliff faces. In other places, where the path climbed steeply, steps had been cut into the granite, and a mortared safety wall a meter in height had been added to the outer edge of the path.

The result was a serpentine climb of well over a miles length to climb the 3,000 feet to the top, with spectacular views of the city and spaceport.

Reggie stopped briefly at a small natural alcove about halfway up the path. Stone benches had been laser-carved directly into the face of the alcove, so that one could rest during the ascent. From here, he could look down onto the Veranda Incognita. He could barely see his cadre of agricultural bots tilling and preparing the plantations soil for next seasons planting. There would be plenty of seeds, as the seed-bearing male plants had been culled last season for that purpose alone.

When Fiona had been on Canaria to oversee the Uli Rouges construction, they had shared dinner and a quite evening on the Veranda several times; and now, the young woman was ready to show off the small but magnificent Villa on the mountains top to her friends and previous reluctant fellow hostages. It would be an interesting evening. With so many significant events and changes occurring throughout the Sector, Reggie was curious to see just how many of the invited guests would be able to attend. He hoped they would all be able to attend; but according to Fiona, the responses from the other invitees had been rather tentative in nature.

He glanced one more time towards the spaceport. There was indeed a shuttle landing at the very moment, but from this distance he could not be sure of the crafts design, let alone its markings.

He still had a good twenty minute climb to reach the Uli Rouge himself. Reveling in his new-found stamina, he set out with a spring in his step, and a pleasant smile of anticipation on his weathered features.

Madam, you have done a magnificent job on the design and construction of your new Aerie. I would imagine the appointments and decor will be just as delightful. But please, Goddess, hopefully the meal will not include either fish or hot dogs just this once!

---

[majkp]

<Somewhere in Cambridge system...>

~ Rick you were invited to the grand opening of Uli rouge but you forgot the auto-answering machine in the 'tentative mode'! ~

~ Oh bugger, did I? Fnordie, I'm glad you noticed it before the message got deleted. Set course to Grand Canaria, I'll confirm our presence immediately. I hope we won't be late. ~

Deckard's Whale turned and headed to the nearest jump hole of the fastest route to Omega 49.

***

<At the orbit of Grand Canaria...>

~ Rick, do you still have that orbital parachute and the special suit? ~

~ Hmm, I think I do, but what do we need it for now? I even don't remember last time I was using it. ~

~ I'm planning to surprise them a bit. ~

Fnordie's real reason was that he didn't want to climb those 3000 feet using his little feet but he obviously didn't tell that to Rick. Orbital parachuting was a very dangerous sport but Fnordie knew Rick once was excellent although he forgot it. It always started in an orbiting ship, one had to use thrusters of the special heat-proof suit which prevented him from burning in the atmosphere and once deep enough in the atmosphere, the 1st small parachute (made of azbestos composites) had to be opened to slow the speed and then finally the main parachute was opened 1000-3000 feet above the surface. During competitions there was a landing disc, and the winner was the one who managed to get into the 100 yard perimeter in the shortest period of time. Given the random atmospheric conditions on different planets, orbital parachuting was one of the most dangerous sports known in Sirius. The main issue was to calculate the starting point from the orbit.

Fnordie ran the simulations again. Even landing inside a 100 yard perimeter was a tough task but landing on a mountains peak would be considered as a total lunacy. Fnordie finally seemed satisfied, set up the final orbit course while Rick was in the process of getting himself inside the suit. It was obvious he forgot how to dress some parts of it but then he finally seemed ready.

He looked at Fnordie and sent him a thought:
~ Well then, I'm ready, but what about you? You'll land with the ship? ~

~ No, I'm going with you.. ~

~ What?? Are you ins... ~

~ I'll be in a pet-pod strapped with a rope to your belt so when the parachute opens, I'll be bellow you and you'll have no problems with steering it. ~ Fnordie thought that over well before.

Rick already knew that there is no point in resisting Fnordie so he just thought about something close to 'very well' and prepared the pod and the straps.

***

They were lucky. The weather was nice and there were no clouds in the air and the winds were exactly the same as in the calculations. Everything was going well, they passed the ionosphere, and Rick opened the first parachute to slow them down a bit as they were falling too hot. They both had some time to observe the Uli Rouge from above. It looked like a normal mountain with no signs that there might be something inside it.

The scenery was breathtaking. Rick recognized Reggie's Veranda, the lake, the plantages which seemed already harvested, Alan's Hangar, the mountains, the Cafe. But something detained him, he looked back at Uli Rouge and saw hundreds of small flashes from all over the mountain. Well, this wasn't very natural. The whole mountain was flashing like a christmas tree. If Rick could open his mouth in the helmet he certainly would have done that. But finally the reality caught him up. He saw lots of little dots flying in their direction.

~ Rick, hang on, that's the flak cannon defense system a very complex one I must admit. Just don't forget to open the main parachute when I tell you, it's almost the time. And don't get disturbed by the flak. ~

Rick didn't say anything, he didn't have to, his eyes were wide open, and if the windshield of his helmet wasn't coated with a reflex layer the Grand Canaria would see such a frightened look, that it couldn't be described. He then closed his eyes and tried to pretend it's just a bad dream and he actually isn't there.

~ Hmm, that's not going to work, Rick. Wake yourself up, and open the parachute NOW. You still have to steer it so we don't end in some gap. ~

The parachute opened and the air in their vicinity literally turned into hell. Thousands of flak explosions must have been well visible from long distance, but Fnordie & Rick were right inside it. Fnordie created a force shield around them so if anyone dreamed of flying through hell in a buble this was exactly what was happening. They were getting close to the top of the Uli Rouge. The flak parade finally stopped and Fnordie could bring down the shield.

But due to the fuss he didn't notice another threat - a cloaked Nova missile. Who would have expected something like that. Fnordie 'detected' it too late. Their only luck was that targeting system of these missiles was not designed to deal with a man on a parachute so it missed them very closely. The parachute on the other hand was not that lucky and it was not only ripped up, it was also set on fire by the jet of the missile and became pretty useless. The missile continued it's way up and finally locked itself on an innocent victim - Whale class freighter on the orbit. The explosion must have been visible from the ground.

Fnordie & Rick were falling like two rocks. But then their fall was becoming slower and slower and then it stopped. Rick's eyes were still closed when he heard a robotic implacable voice: "Hands up!". He opened them and saw DeSicev who was upside-down pointing with his finger in his face pretending it was a gun. Rick was so confused that he raised his hands and when they hit the ground he realised that it's not DeSicev but himself who is upside-down.

In this very moment Reggie, Fiona and another unknown man appeared, attracted by the massive fireworks. Reggie and Fiona both fell into uncontrollable laughter as they saw a pet-pod floating in the air and then Rick, upside-down in his smoked suit, strapped to the pod, touching ground with his hands with DeSicev's 'gun' in his shocked face.

"So much for the orbital parachuting", Rick said. The balance sheet was incredible, destroyed parachute equipment, destroyed Whale, total embarassment right in front of lady Fiona again.

He'll have to talk to Fnordie later when he chills out a bit...

[Craines]

The old Bretonian had an ornate looking shotgun aimed at the man in the strange looking gear. The flak hadn't been able to penetrate it, Richard thought, but these special 'bullets' would be just the trick...

Fiona made a sign across her neck, indicating to Walters that these people were friends. Lowering the weapon, the old man walked forwards and raised the goggles from his face. "You are in a heap of trouble, you rapscallion! How you survived the aerial barrage is beyond me, but do one wrong thing and I'll... rectify it. Madam deLuna! What should I do with this fool?"

"Mr. Walters, this is Rick. And that pod is where Fnordie is... although I advise keeping the little pup inside it for a moment longer. The defenses, such as that Nova missile, were simply against air. I don't fear that front as much as ground: ever heard of a Tremor? Nasty device deSicev whipped up... it literally emits sonic waves so high that it juggles your insides out. Can be deadly, he speculates... I'll just need a hair sample from Fnordie and we'll be good to go. I don't know if the little doggie could protect himself against it, but I don't really want to find out, either! Okay, here is the hair; deSicev, go and program it in, please."

"Irritated statement: Mistress, I am not some AI that will allow itself to be degraded in such a manner! I am highly sophisticated! I can play the Immortal Game out easily! Run//:command/%sound/sigh.wav. Resigned sigh: If I must, I see I have no choice in the matter."

Rick looked at the little droid, about to bustle on with it's work. "Can you... show me that chess game you were talking about?"

"Angry response: Obviously, you fool. I have over 1,000,000 LED Optic Devices installed in this screen! I could show you your own face in clearer detail than you've ever seen! But, since you asked so nicely... I apologize. Matter-of-fact addendum: Here are all the steps that must be taken to replicate the Immortal Game:

Does that make sense, sir?"

"Perfect..." Rick said, trying to remember something. Something he had seen before... but it had to have been nothing. The image in his mind was gone. Just like that dream he had had not to long ago.

"Rhetorical query: If there is nothing else, may I continue on my subroutine run//:defense.reprogram/insert?php%=Fnordie?" And with that, the little orb continued on, entering the house and slipping through into a specially designed chute, curved precisely to the sphere-shape of the robot.

Fiona apologized for the defensive measures. DeSicev wouldn't have let her throw the party unless she hadn't turned anything off, but simply toned everything down. It would be a horrific event for a traveler to wander up the mountainside without his or her DNA being in the defense grid, as the defenses would obliterate the poor soul. Fiona continued on to say that a bar was located in the back, next to the bathrooms, and that a billiards table was nestled in the middle. "And an old Terran game. No Limit Texas Hold'um!" she said with obvious glee. Apparently, it was authentic.

Reggie wandered in the halls, enjoying the craftsmanship of the house. The fine wood had been curved, so that the hallway had no definitive edges. If the hall began to turn, it would be impossible to see the difference, other than if you were standing in it. The lights on the ceiling were magnetically held, so they followed the inhabitant of the hall back and forth. Extremely power effective, Reggie noted.

He was looking for one thing in particular, and he wasn't proud of it. Reggie knew that the mountain had been carved out. But why? And where were the fruits of the labors? Surely not all that blasting for a few yard-deep pylons... and then he saw it. In the back of the guest bedroom, which he had inadvertently wandered into, a curtain fluttered in the breeze. The problem being, Reggie thought, that there isn't a breeze for the curtain to be fluttering in... no windows, no fans blowing, nothing. So what was causing it...?

He moved towards the curtain, arm outstretched, when a voice casually said, "Master Waverly, may I aid you in an endeavor today? The guest bedroom is nice, yes, and that old tapestry is lovely, but I do not believe that you should turn in tonight... not yet, at least. The night is still young, and only two of Mistress deLuna's guests, yourself included, have arrived! So here, let me guide you to the bar. Mr. Deckard and Mr. Fnordie are currently there as well." The old Bretonian man took Reggie by the shoulder, and led him away.

I'll be back, Reggie thought, whether this old joker wants me to or not!

---

[Kane]

Once again, the strange black shuttle descended to the surface of Gran Canaria. The defenses of the Uli Rouge were quite formidable, however they were static. Only ships entering the restricted air space would be shot. Since the shuttle's trajectory didn't enter the zone, the guns were content to wait. It didn't make matters any worse that the shuttle in question absorbed passive tracker signals like a sponge, or scattered them about like shotgun pellets bouncing off of an energy shield. Ricochet at its best.

What exited the silent machine was nothing less then a deja-vu to anyone who had seen Julius Kane appear before hand at the Veranda. One man dressed in fine green and blue flowing silks, veil still wrapped about his face. The other two were bodyguards, encased in the advanced powered armor of the Phantoms and carrying the Flechette cannons that was their trademark. It wasnt quite a perfect recreation, however

Come on then, lets not keep anybody up there waiting. The man and his defenders began their walk to the gate of the Uli Rouge. The shuttle behind them closed up and with a little flicker of light disappeared from sight. Even active trackers lost sight of the vehicle; the computers behind them insisting that nothing existed over there. Inside the belly of the invisible beast resided a whole squad of Phantom Marines, plus one of their dreaded Heavy Assault Armor units.

For those of you who dont know what a HAA unit is, imagine a tank. Now make it look humanoid, but replace the legs with a combo rocket and anti-grav drive. Each arm is a weapon platform, and the crash-cage protected head displays a single red eye. Mounted in those terrible hands were three weapons; Small homing missiles, the tank variant of the Nomad Energy Cannon, and the .80 caliber machineguns each HAA used to punch large holes in well, just about anything short of star-ship plate, and even then transport armor could be dented. Dark Star was taking no chances this time.

However, the squad and its support are not the primary subjects of this story. What is the subject would happen to be the silk-clad man and his two heavily armed and armored guards. The odd trio had now reached the gate at the base of the path, and awaited the inevitable paranoid servant to appear and request them to hand over their guns. No fuss would be made, so long as the weapons were returned after the meeting. Besides, the Phantom Marines could handle themselves quite well without guns, or even knives. And when the object is to protect a certain person and personal survival was not important, the marines became excellent shields. A fact Dark Star hoped not to test on this particular visit, but then again he expected nothing from the first visit either. No chances; they had been there and done that, and had no intentions to let there be a repeat.

"Oh Miss DeLuna! It's Julius, dear! I got your invitation and was in the neighborhood, and thus here I am at your front gate once more." He looked behind him at the two guards for a moment before speaking again.

"I hope you don't mind if I brought a pair of friends with me. Some of yours were a tad rude last time, and I want to be sure nothing happens this time."

---

This is the real true story of rock and roll; it was not about anything more then, how to live your life, as a gangster, in sartorial splendor, and turning the world into a place where normality would never return again...- Malcolm McLaren

[Fellow Hoodlum]

Jay walked slowly up the path to the villa. He borrowed JW's ravenclaw once more to fly down from Honshu,
unfortunately events up there were going to have a grave impact on the evenings proceedings.

He'd sat down in the town plaza in one of the pleasant cafes for a time, drinking a couple of the fine local blends
of coffee, with a two large maltese brandy accompaniments from his small hip flask.

Ambassador De Luna's decision to allow an officer of the KNF to bad mouth and threaten the [GoR], then very
recently actually place a small expeditionary force in very close proximity to their home world, was going to
have massive repurcussions on a lot of relationships.

Someone had not being doing their diplomatic homework. Jay suspected the advisors had not been briefed on
past and deeply buried histories. Not ones that were widely available for public consumption , though well
documented somewhere in the vaults of LSF and Bretonian military intelligence archives. Nothing had ever been
proved, of course. A team of exceptionly good lawyers, and payments to the right greedy little palms had put
paid to any action ever having been taken.
Money always talks, and the [IND] had banks full of it, shouting from very high places.

He rounded the last bend , and climbed the final few metres to the Uli Rouge, quite a sight.
"Good evening, Mr walters, I believe we have not had the pleasure."
He spoke quietly to the gentlemen preparing to greet him. The blasted little droid DeSicev hummed in the
background, Jay knew it was checking for weapons.
"Hello you bucket of bolts, what sorts of trouble have you in store for us this fine evening ?"
Pointless exercise he knew, addressing the robot. Lacking any sense of humour as it did.

New bonds would be forged tonight, and he suspected, old ones would be broken. Ah well when it comes
down to it, the company was number one. Looking after his colleages was the most important agenda.
Lives were not to be trifled with, because diplomacies and egos got in the way.

"Lead on MCDuff, lets get the jollities underway, apologies for my tardiness. Never a strong point."

Jay followed Walters into the building ...

---

Some say he is a proud member of: "The most paranoid group of people in the Community."

[Ant]

Message to: Fiona deLuna, The Uli Rouge
Comm. ID: Alan Kell, ZN-2362

Message begins

Due to unexpected technical difficulties, I will be unable to attend your housewarming party.

message ends

[Craines]

The air was tense and solid on board the Kusari Science Vessel Hakobune. The ship had been dispatched to the solar system right outside of Kyushu; no naturally occurring jump holes could be found, and the thick nebulae which surrounded it smothered the rays of light from the single star in the center. There were six planets circling Star 1.564.26h.98, each one showing signs of once having liquid water, an atmosphere, and magnetic fields. However, each had a catastrophic disaster which caused the atmosphere to dissipate. The solar system, called 'Ophelia', had only recently gained notice, and so, the Hakobune had been sent to investigate.

Of course, the new system was not the reason for the tension. No, the Hakobune had been sent to newly discovered systems before. The tension spawned from the cargo and research that the Hakobune was carrying. It was a missile, but it was unlike any other previously developed; it was the Terraforming Ballistic Missile Drone, codenamed 'Deius Prime', and it was the pinnacle achievement, culminating from 40 years of research, 51 billion credits worth of grants, and near limitless materials. In short, it was the product of one man's lifetime. That man's name was Doctor Dishaoi Hiia, and he currently paced back and forth on the bridge.

The Hakobune slowed down, now orbiting the planet Adelai. The two moons of Adelai, Galamae and Hiramae, were in a slow orbit around the planet, one with a horizontal axis, the other with a vertical. Dr. Hiia made a note that the two would eventually collide, but that this did not appear to have happened yet. His reverie was cut short by the captain, who requested permission to launch the Deius Prime. "Begin the sequence, and let us hope that we have the luck of our ancestors," Hiia replied. The captain nodded to the first officer. The launch bay was cleared of personnel, and the countdown began. 5...4...3...2...1...

The bay doors opened wide, releasing the Deius Prime rocket. At first, it drifted down, tugged on slightly by the gravitational pull of Adelai. Then, the entry thrusters ignited, propelling the object into the planet's path. Everyone held their breath. The rocket continued on, the thrusters a deep blue, slowly shifting into a light white... and then, they cut off. The rocket was in the gravity of Adelai, and began on a crash course with the surface. The collective breath of the crew was still deep in their lungs; the hard part wasn't over yet.

And then...

"Launch complete. Deius Prime has landed on the planet Adelai. Awaiting clearance to begin Initialization," the computer chimed. There were many cheers, the crew pleased that the missile hadn't shattered after hitting the planet's surface. Dr. Hiia, however, did not breathe with delight. He had seen this happen three times before; it was what happened next which would decide whether or not he would return to Kusari space in pride.

The captain typed in the codes, and the computer chimed that it was ready to begin. Dr. Hiia typed in his code, and the computer chimed again. The computer screen now showed a loading screen, the word INITIALIZATION flashing above it. Hiia knew that on the planet, the Deius Prime was lifting itself off the surface, the six mechanical legs raising it into an upright position level with the ground. The computer chimed a third time. A third code was put in. A new loading bar was shown on the screen. "IMMUNIZATION AND INDUCTION" was now flashing, and this time, Dr. Hiia knew it would work. It had to!

On the surface of Adelai, the Deius Prime was releasing a small mixture of carefully selected chemicals. Terraforming gases, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and uranium-192 were all dispersed into a vicinity outside of the missile. Then, alien organisms were exposed to this limited atmosphere. If the planet would bear life, this initial mix would force it to. The aliens began to reproduce rapidly, the uranium-192 providing the perfect growth medium. The computer chimed a forth time. Dr. Hiia sighed. It had worked.

The second part of the experiment, however, would take a little more time. A subspace signal was sent to the Kusari Academy of Scientific Thought and Research, requesting the Plasma Conduit Energizer. This device would, when properly placed on Adelai, super-heat the iron-3 molecules that made up the core of the planet. This would, of course, generate the magnetic fields once more, and more terraforming techniques could be exercised. Hiia knew that the battle was only half over, and that re-energizing the core would be the hardest part of the experiment, but he allowed himself a temporary respite. He had made history, giving life to a barren planet that had been deemed impossible to terraform. This would be a monumental event in history.

The captain looked at Hiia, smiling. Suddenly, though, the captain changed. It was a subtle thing, entirely impossible to tell the difference, but Hiia knew that there was something amiss. The captain opened his mouth, and in his voice, began to speak to Hiia. But it was not the captain who spoke.

"Fool! Infidel! You force me to come here, to this system once barren of life, after I was in Omicron Theta? You! How dare you! You brought life here, HERE, of all places? Why? I demand to know!" Hiia could not answer; he was to stunned to form words or even open his mouth. The captain continued on. "Idiot, idiot, idiot. I have lived well over ten thousand eons, have seen more information than even the most powerful of computers could hope to begin to store, have jumped from body to body learning that which each knows. I have driven men mad with my whisperings, entering their minds and telling them of the most horrible secrets, forever dooming them to suicidal thoughts.

"I have just recently encountered something of such import that I must divert my attention to it, the C'Tan people of this galaxy, and you have the audacity to draw me away? I will not kill you, Hiia. No, that would be to easy. I shall let you live, and you will never tell anyone of this. Sadly, the Captain here won't return to his body - I devoured his conscience. He'll appear to be in comatose, but it is a vegetative state. I advise jettisoning him. But remember, Hiia, I will always be watching you. And you will one day know what I have in store for you. Until then, have fun with the experiment. Oh, a word of advice. Check to make sure the conduit is aligned with the magnetic conductor correctly, or the reactor could go critical and fracture the planet in twain." And with that, the captain fell over, his eyes lulling into the back of his head. Hiia slumped to the ground, his mind racing with thoughts.


===


Meanwhile, at the Uli Rouge, Fiona welcomed her friends to the Villa. She had been sad that not everyone could attend, but saw many familiar faces. Ringing a crystal bell, she summoned her guests to the dining room. She recognized Jay, Rick, Reggie, and Julius Kane. However, he had a man next to him that she was not familiar with. She peered at deSicev, and on the screen words appeared:

PHANTOM GUARD COULD NOT CONVINCE TO LEAVE WANTED TWO BUT WAS MOLLIFIED BY ONE DO NOT FEAR SECURITY IS TIGHT ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH THEM BOTH WITHIN TWO SECONDS OF HOSTILITIES.

Well, what should she have had expected?

Sitting down at the table, each guest with a plate of food specially prepared especially for the consumer, Fiona smiled. "Welcome, friends, to the Uli Rouge. It's not as big as the Veranda, mind, but I think it'll do. Let's hope we don't deal with any of my, um, unsavory family members this time, okay? Good! Alright, introductions, introductions... well, we have deSicev, my little sphere thingy who talks, plays chess, and is super-intelligent, or something like that... we have Mr. Richard Walters, my butler. He hails from Bretonia, but I assure you, he's trustworthy. Oh, who else, who else... um, Julius, who's your friend?"

The man looked at his employer, and spoke in a strangely detached voice. "Call me the Doctor, please. I do believe that should suffice, no?"

Underneath his hood and mask, Julius cursed. He had met the entity called 'the Doctor' before, when he (or was it a she? The Doctor claimed to have no gender) had inhabited the body of Jaina Relion. They had ended their conversation with an offer still drifting about. The offer had loosely been that in exchange for Julius's knowledge of the C'Tan, the Doctor would give Julius whatever knowledge he craved. Fiona, of course, didn't know this and smiled at the eccentric guard.

"Of course, Doctor, of course. Tell me, does everyone like their food? Oh my! I forgot. Mr. Walters, could you be a darling and get the food I had imported for Fnordie? It took a lot out of him to get past those defenses of deSicev's!"

"Of course, madam, if you wish. Shall I get the bovine or the marine fillet?"

"Both! Spoil the little pup, if just for this night. Well! Now, we're all settled in. Everyone's good now? Good! Let's eat!"

And so, the dinner party began.

---

[Malaclypse 666]

Reggie toyed with the food on his plate. His mind was parsecs away..

He occassionaly glanced at Rick, and next to him, at Fnordie, whose small head barely protruded above the dining table. They too were rather absently picking at the sumptuous feast prepared by the culinary staff of the Uli Rouge.

Their host had apparently noticed his faraway look. "Reggie, doesn't our repast appeal to your tastes?" she queried.

"My apologies, Madam. The food is excellent! As is our fine company. It is a delight to see all of your guests again under less.. "trying" circumstances.

"Jay, my friend, I hope you haven't consumed all that brandy you carry of a habit. It will go well with coffee after dinner!

"And Julius! Always the reserved but cordial gentleman. I hope to get better acquainted with your companion, Doctor.. pardon, I didn't catch your name, er, sir? Perhaps you'd care to share with us your field of specialization?" Reggie had a strange feeling about this person who accompanied Lord Darkstar, yet seemed a rather odd match for the gregarious Phantom leader.

A thought came his way from Fnordie. *Pops! Not too curious.. remember our roles here..*

"Ah, well, Fiona. My thanks for your gracious invitation and this wonderful dinner. I look forward to a personal tour of your villa at some point this evening," he said to the Ambassador.

"And I look forward to a restful night in that wonderful guest room your Mr. Walters showed me earlier."

Reggie made an effort to follow the conversation as it passed around the table, but his thoughts again drifted off.. this time to that large tapestry in the guest room, which seemed to move gently as if wafted by a breeze from behind its heavy length...

---

[Craines]

Richard Walters smiled haphazardly, and said in his gentle voice, "Mr. Waverly, I'm afraid that guest bedroom is not fit for someone of your stature! Please, I do believe the grand master bedroom is more to your liking; we've got all sorts of neat things up there to occupy your time. To degrade you by placing you in that bedroom would be unethical, to say the least! Now that that's all taken care of, I do believe we'll need to deign on some of this lovely food."

The Phantom who had identified himself as the Doctor pretended to eat, but was merely acting. He had far to much on his mind to be worried with trivial matters, such as sustaining the host body. He sensed an inquiring mind attempting to probe his own, and smiled to himself. He began to speak to the intruder, much in the same way he spoke to those he wished to drive mad.

You want to know who I am, do you? Want to see what this brain of mine holds? I'd let you, oh yes, I'd let you probe on, but I don't think you'd find what you're looking for. You could access the memories of the Phantom, I'm sure. You're a powerful telekineticist, no question about it. However, I don't think you know what you're dealing with when you are dealing with me.

The being responded. You're just some brainwashed human who has a relatively advanced pineal. Well, no, you're a brainwashed human with a somewhat advanced pineal and who I think is very suspicious. Don't try to stop me from delving into you, because you'll just get hurt.

Ha! To have lived ten thousand eons, to have seen the rise and fall of the universe... and I find myself being backtalked to by a mere BEING such as yourself! Fine, enter at your own caution. But I warn you, my memories are well guarded, and not even that fool Eris could entice them to come out.

Fnordie pressed on, disregarding the Phantom's talk. No matter what the human had said, the 'defenses' were easy to sidestep. Fnordie continued in, until...

ARF! Fnordie let out a loud whimper, and curled up in a ball next to Rick's leg. Rick looked down at the little dog, and scratched behind his ear absentmindedly, still engaged in the conversation about Zoner Vodka and Kalisti Gold. Rick tried to reach out to Fnordie telepathically, but nothing worked. The dog was either ignoring him, or unable to speak.

The Doctor smiled broadly, and began to speak aloud. "Mr. Waverly, I'm simply the Doctor. I know a vast sum about science, but having never been trained properly, I daresay that I can't claim to be an actual doctor. Still, my memory is fine, and my knowledge is unrivaled in the entire Empire. Oh my, what a lovely dog. What's his name?"

"Fnordie," Rick said, still scratching the pup's ear. "He's a one-of-a-kind dog. Can do all sorts of stuff with his mind."

"Oh?" the Doctor asked. "Do tell..."

The conversation continued on, the dinner party was going well, and Fiona hadn't been shot. In her mind, this had been a pretty successful housewarming event, and she hoped it would continue on in that fashion.

DeSicev looked at the Doctor, and began to run a series of tests. A voice contacted the spherical robot. I'd stop that if I were you, Alexiander. Curiosity killed the cat, his friends, his family, and the planet he was on... poor cat.

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