With a sigh, Calin settled back into the office couch. "So what do we do now?" she asked.

Justus shook his head. "I don't know," he said. It had never occurred to him that the Assembly wouldn't accept her. I should have known, he berated himself. I had a hard enough time with them, and I was Myra's hand-picked successor, and a full-blooded Kyrias. Twinslost Xenophobes! They'll never believe that a "genegineered mongrel" could be Empress, much less a good one. But Calin was Myra's true daughter, and he knew that she would prove herself, given the opportunity. Now if only I could convince them! He echoed Calin's sigh. So what do we do now? Automatically, he looked towards Calin.

Calin nodded, eyes narrowing as if she had an idea.. "Is there a copy of this treaty somewhere?" she asked. "I'd like to have a look at it."

"Of course," Justus said. He sat down at the desk and started working the computer terminal. "I'll pull it up. Have you thought of something?"

She frowned. "I might have," she said. "Let me think about it a while. I don't know if it'll work yet."

"Here you go." The file appeared on the screen, and Justus stood. "I think I'll leave you alone with it. It's pretty long, and I want a chance to go speak to a couple of people alone. We may still be able to make this work." It's a tricky jump, but we may make it.

"Mmm." Calin responded, noncomittally. She slid into the seat he had vacated. "Maybe that would be best," she said, peering at the screen. She probably just noticed how long the treaty is. She'll be at this all day.

"You know how to use the capitol network, in case you need to find anything else?" Calin nodded, then looked away from the computer and smiled at him. "I'll be fine," she said.

He returned the smile. "Ok, then, I'll leave you to it. I'll be back in a few hours."

She nodded again and returned to her reading.

Justus exited the room quickly, and turned towards the Assembly Leader's offices. Why in the Greater Galaxy had the old man not warned him about this? He had seemed to like Calin, until they got into the Assembly hall. I want answers. What went wrong in there, and can we fix it? And he knew where to find them.

The Leader's office was just around the corner from his own and he paused before the door for just a moment. He was very angry, and he needed to compose himself before he felt ready to deal with this reasonably. He felt Calin's rejection more keenly than she seemed to herself, but he knew it must have smarted her as well.

Justus was just about to tap the door chime, when the office door swung open by itself. Assembly Leader XXX almost bumped into him, and gasped and stumbled back.

"Sorry to startle you, XXX," Justus said, coolly. "I was just coming to speak to you."

"Y-yes," XXX stuttered. "Please, come in." He took a shaky step back from the door.

Justus stepped inside. "Were you on your way to anything important?" he asked. "It may take a while."

XXX shook his head, "No, just going out- for a walk." He wouldn't meet Justus's eyes, and he sat down at his seat a little too quickly.

There's something going one here, Justus thought. XXX was hiding something. He only wondered what it was.

He took the seat across from the desk and sprawled slightly, sculpting his body language to suggest ease and comfort, and thus a superior position. The Assembly Leader responded automatically, closing his own posture and folding in on himself. Justus smiled a little. This was getting off to a good start.

"I was wondering what happened today," he asked easily. "I thought it was all going well?" He shot XXX a look and twitched an ear at him.

XXX looked at him blankly. "What?" he asked.

Justus allowed his smile to broaden, showing a hint of pointed teeth. "Calin Elizabeth Callyer's presentation. I was wondering what went wrong. You had given me the impression that the Assembly was ready to hear what I had to say, and that they would accept her candidacy for the Imperial Mirror. And yet you lead the outcry against her, slandering her species, her ancestry and her genetic organization. So I was thinking that you might have an explaination for me?"

Justus's manner was still easy, but his eyes were boring holes into XXX's skull, and his deliberate emphasis on the Leader's part in all this had XXX squirming in his seat. The skills that had made Justus one of the most renowned public speakers in the empire came in handy in one-on-one interviewing as well.

"So," he asked, softly. "Do you have an explaination?"

XXX drew in a deep breath and seemed to square himself. He met Justus's eyes, and the Emperor felt a surge of triumph. I've got him. He'll tell me the truth now.

"My Clan," he said. "Don't you see? If Myra's line is re-established, the Callyer dynasty continues. It'll be centuries before there's enough turmoil to catalyze a change in leadership. And when that does happen, it'll be like this all over again. If all that's keeping the Andarkin back is that treaty, there's nothing to stop them from attacking as soon as another family assumes leadership."

Now it was his turn to give Justus a piercing glare. "It' s high time we solved the Andark problem once and for all. And it's past time that we passed the mirror away from impotent Callyer apologists. That's what got us into this mess in the first place.

Justus shook his head emphatically. "You have no idea," he said, his voice deadly quiet. "You- you silly politicians. 'Solve the Andark problem once and for all'?" He leaned in, towards the desk. "Well, let me tell you, the Andarkin are much closer to solving the Kyrias problem once and for all." He watched XXX flinch as that set in. "We are loosing the war, XXX. Our first priority has to be escaping this conflict with our empire intact. All of your petty political motives have to take back seat to that."

XXX was pale, and he stammered, "I- I didn't know it was as bad as that." He shook his head. "I understand what you're saying. But I don't think you'll have any luck convincing the Assembly that a half-Kyrias geneproject is the savior of the Empire, even if she is the right-born daughter of Myra Callyer."

Justus sat back, relaxing slightly. "Thank you for giving your honest opinion," he said. "That’s all I ever asked for. If you'd given it to me in the first place, there is a chance, however small, that this disaster wouldn't have happened." He glared at XXX with more of a tired anger than his earlier fury. "In the future, I highly suggest that you check out the complete situation before attempting to draw conclusions about matters that affect the saftey of the Empire as a whole." He stood up and turned to leave. "Thank you for your time, Leader," he said, ever conscious of the protocols.

"It was no trouble, Excellence," XXX returned automatically, sounding much chastened. "I'll do what I can to repair the damage in the Assembly."

"I'd appreciate that," Justus said as he stepped out of the door, following with, "Until the next meeting, then," as it closed.

Once outside, he turned down the nearest hall. There were a couple of other people he wanted to speak to before returning to check on Calin. The first was General Gortu, commander of the Combined Armed Forces of the Greater Galaxy. He had to know exactly where they stood before he made any decisions.

The General's offices were, of course, on the other side of the Imperial complex. It wouldn't do to have the military too close to people who made the laws they supported. The complex was large enough that there were actually transport vehicles avaliable for long commutes, but Justus decided to walk. It might help him to think, and he needed the relaxation time. So instead of turning to the elevated transportation corridor, he followed on of the long corridors and stepped out into the light of Vestius's twin suns.

It was a pleasant enough day, and the buildings of the imperial complex were surrounded by sculpted landscapes. It had been quite a while since Justus had had the time or opportunity to enjoy them. In the midst of the most beautiful setting in the Greater Galaxy, he was to busy to even get outside. Well, I suppose that's why it is so beautiful. We hard-working public officials need to make the most of our all-too rare down time. If only more of us worked hard enough to require it. \

He had always found people like XXX frustrating. The didn't bother to concern themselves with anything beyond their own little world, and yet they were self-righteously sure of their own place in the universe. The way the system was set up, Justus was the only one who had complete access to all the parts of the government, he was the only one who could, by definition, see the big picture. But he had always demonstrated a willingness to share what information he had with anyone who might need it. He had instituted policies, as well, that encouraged the various departments to share information, and that reserved 'classified' status for matters that were truly of importance to Imperial Security.

But old habits die hard, and the military was still unwilling to share their information with anyone. It never occurs to them that the Assembly might need to know the status of the War Effort, in order to make necessary decisions. Yet another reason he needed to speak to General Gortu.

With the suns shining bright overhead and the wind singing softly through the trees that ringed the Imperial Compound, Justus found it hard to keep his mind on politics. He found himself comparing Vestius to Earth, Calin's homeworld. He wondered what she thought of it here. The Imperial compound was virtually the only stretch of land on the planet that was not cultivated or mechanized. The seas had been converted into vast hydroponic gardens, supplying the planet with much-needed food. Water, air, solar and geothermic energy was captured to power the planetary grid. The seas, atmosphere and even most of the seemingly "natural" land was reconstructed, the original surface of the planet having been nearly destroyed by the pollution of the Industrial, Electric and Stellar revolutions, almost ten thousand years previous.

How different it was from Calin's homeworld! Earth, it's people still struggling to put objects in orbit around the planet, having not yet visited their nearest planetary neighbor, much less crossed the interstellar void, was already desperately trying to clean its air and water, preserve its natural resources and prevent the ecological disasters that had consumed so many of the planet of the known universe. Justus found it remarkable to see a planet that, while so primitive compared to his own, was in many ways so advanced, and which still retained some of its own, natural beauty. He understood why Myra had loved it so.

He was coming up on the Military compound by then, a huge forboding structure deliberately reminiscent of the ground fortifications of old. The dome-shaped roof of the central building could withstand a blast that would reduce the rest of the imperial compound to so much rubble, or leave nothing but a smoking crater where Vestius City had been. The compound's central building extended deep into the bedrock, and was actually as large as many cities on Calin's homeworld. The entire imperial government could retreat to it, if necessary. It was powered by a geothermic plant in the lowest levels and short of complete destruction of the planet, it would likely be secure. It was also one of the ugliest buildings Justus had ever seen.

He had to pass a checkpoint to enter the compound, naturally enough. The guards recognised him, of course, but appearances were easy enough to fake. He pressed his hand to the ident pad and felt the prick of a genescan. Everything checked out, and he was shown through.

"May I ask where you're going, sir?" one of the young guards asked him. With most people, the question was only a formailty- they were required to answer. Justus was one of the few in the Empire who had the option of refusing.

Not like it matters, since my movements are monitored wherever I go. I wonder which of the Guard is sitting at the station now? Whenever he was on Imperial territory, his internal and external environments were constantly monitored. There was a small station in the Guard offices that displayed his position, his vital statistics and the signal from every visual monitoring device that he was in the field of. Two more of the guard were always a short distance away, ready to respond in an emergency, while the others were on call in their quarters above the offices. Justus well remembered the days when he himself had followed Myra around as the captain of her Imperial Guard.

So he responded to the guardsman as he always did. "I'd like to speak to General Gortu. I don't suppose you know if he's in his office?" The other advantage of announcing where he was going was that he would be able to find out if it was worth his while to go there.

"Just a moment sir," the guard responded. This young man was not a member of the Imperial Guard, whose job was to guard his person, but rather of the Complex Guard, who guarded the Imperial Complex, and were a division of the Civillian Military, who took care of domestic problems. The guard turned to his computer terminal and pulled up the day's schedule. "It looks like the General is in a meeting this morning, sir, but he should be out in a few minutes. If you head on in to his office, you shouldn't have to wait more than a couple of minutes," he said, turning back to the Emperor.

Justus nodded, "Thanks," and continued on in. General Gortu's office was at the center of the ground floor of the main building. That was the floor that housed the offices of the Officers who worked in the Imperial complex. The floors above that were living space for those who chose to live in the Compound, including the large planet and space-based units that called the Imperial Complex home. The levels below were emergency quarters for the entire Imperial government.

There was another checkpoint at the door to the building, and again Justus was scanned and told that Gortu would be back to his office soon. Justus stepped into the building and turned down the hall that lead into the interior.

It was a terribly ugly building. All the walls in military grey plasteel- a terrifically hard and durable substance, but not terribly attractive. The offices were the same, utilitarian, general-issue furniture, the display of personal items was discouraged. And all kept in military-precise order. Justus himself had spent much of his life as part of that military machine; he had an enormous amount of respect for its methods and regulations, he'd see what they could do. But he still found his own offices and quarters more comfortable, and he encouraged the Guard, who were under his direct command, to make themselves at home in their offices as well.

General Melson Gortu had a different philosophy. He believed that soft surroundings made soldiers soft, and that soft soldiers lost wars. One out of two is certainly true. And I won't comment on the other Justus did not exactly like Gortu as a man, but he could not help but respect him as a commander. It was largely due to Gortu's strategy that the Greater Galaxy was still in one piece. More or less.

There was nothing to make Gortu's office stand out from the ones one either side, no extra large door, no guards in front. In fact, the spacing between the doors indicated that the general's office was exactly the same size as those of the lower offices on either side. One thing that can definitey be said for the man, he does not suffer from an excess of pride. Justus paused before the door, and then touched the door chime.

"Come in!" the general's voice barked from the other side of the door. Justus slid the door open and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "Ahh, Excellence!" the general said, standing up and saluting. "They called from the gate to say you were coming up."

"I'm glad," the Emperor said, returning the salute. "You heard what happened?" He had learned that a straightforeward approach was best with the General. Gortu would either tell him what he wanted to know or not; he wouldn't lie and he couldn't be pressured. So Justus got down to business.

"Yes." Gortu sat back down. "Twinslost shame. Stupid politicians." Gortu had none of the unreasoning predjudice against other species that most Kyrias shared, and he was a true military man; he wanted to see this war over as much as Justus.

Something occured to Justus. "Calin Elizabeth- do you know her?" he asked.

Gortu nodded. "Yes, I've dealt with her in the past." He smiled ironically. "I thought I knew her. This though-" he shook his head and made a sound of amazement. "I'd never have thought it."

"What's your opinion of her?" Justus asked. "Do you think she'd have made a decent Empress?"

General Gortu nodded emphatically. "Yes, I do," he said. "She's a fine commander, with a genuine love for her people. She's one of the firmest patriots I know, and she has a way of inspiring loyalty in the people under her command. I think she would have made a wonderful Empress."

Justus nodded. I'm not the only one. So why doesn't the Assembly see it? "Now, what I came to speak to you about," he said. The General leaned back in his seat, waiting. "I spoke to XXX, the Assembly Leader, about what happened. He told me that one of the reasons they were so eager to reject Calin is that they very much feel that we have an opportunity here to defeat the Andarkin once and for all, they don't want the war to end." He met General Gortu's eyes and let the meaning sink in. "They think we're going to win, General, and so they rejected the only chance we had not to loose everything."

Melson Gortu was not easily stared down. "I'm not quite sure what you're getting at, Excellence," Gortu said coldly. "You know that the state of the war effort is a matter of Imperial Security. We can't go broadcasting it to the six corners of the galaxy."

Justus was not going to yield on this either. "Surely the Assembly must be privy to some secure information, if they're to be able to govern in an educated fashion. If they are to make decisions of Imperial Importance, they have to know whether or not we're winning the war!"

Gortu shook his head, stubbornly. "If we leak information to the Assembly, the Andarkin will know it as well. There are over ten thousand Clan Representatives in the assembly, and what they know so do their friends and families. Besides, they do not need to know about military matters. That is my job. Just as I do not interfere in the making of laws, so they should not interfere with my duties."

Justus sighed in exasperation. "But the choosing of an Emperor is a military as well as a legal decision!" he said. "The interests of both must be served!"

"Which is why the Military has a say in electing a new Emperor. As does the priesthood." He shook his head with absolute finality. "The Military will support its own interests. If the Assembly finds Calin ineligible for legal reasons, that is their business."

Justus sighed. "I do understand your point, General," he said. "But I don't see how it suits anyone's business to loose our Galaxy to the Andarkin. He stood to go.

The general said, as he left, "We've had this discussion before, Excellece, and I'm sure we will have it again. And I doubt we will ever see eye to eye."

Justus turned back. "Me too General."

The general continued, "But do not think that because we disagree on this, I will not support you. I want this war ended, and I believe that Calin will make a fine Empress. If you can get the Assembly to agree, you have the support of the Military."

Justus nodded. "Thank you for that," he said. "But I'm not sure it will matter. She's an alien, and you know how most of the Assembly feels about that."

Gortu grimaced, "Yes, I know. Fools."

Justus turned again to leave. "But in any case, thank you very much. I will see you soon, General."

As he stepped out of the door, the Gortu said, "Yes, Excellence, soon."

Justus closed the door behind himself. Well, that's taken care of. For all the good it did. The Military would support Calin as Empress, but in order to take the Mirror she had to have the support of all three branches of the government. The Priesthood would support any candidate that the other branches were in favor of, they had effectively abstained from the vote for the past 1000 years. But the Assembly would not support Calin; they were too xenophobic and too narrow minded. So there was an impasse.

Justus had one more stop to make before he returned to check on Calin. He needed to see Manak; his best friend's good since had gotten him through harder scrapes than this. He worked his way back out of the Military Compound as quickly as he could and hopped on a transport to get back. At this time of day, the transport car was empty except for him, and he settled himself down undisturbed at the car's computer terminal. He pulled up the day's schedule and saw that Manak was still hard at work in the control room. Justus smiled, knowing his friend could see it. He said out loud, "I'm coming to see you in a fragment."

The words flashed on the computer screen: incoming voice message, and Manak's voice emerged from the speakers. "I know. I'm about to get off; I'll be in my quarters." Justus grinned even wider. Sneaky cat is at it again. "I'll be there," he said.

While he was at the terminal, Justus also pulled up the usage files and found that Calin was still hard at work at her terminal. She'd been pulling files out of the archives, apparently researching some idea. He could have checked what they were, but he knew she'd tell him, and besides the transport slid to a stop just then.

Justus exited the transport and made his way to Manak's quarters. The Imperial Palace was organized in a manner similar to that of the Military Compound. The offices were on the ground floor, the living quarters on the floors above, and the support departments below ground. Usually, the resident's apartments were located as close as possible to their offices. Justus stepped out of the transport onto a patio in the front Gardens. Manak's office was towards the back of the building, behind Justus's own and his rooms directly above. Justus's office, where he'd left Calin, was actually on his way, and he was tempted to stop in and speak to her. But no- She's hard at work. I can talk to her later, once she's got her ideas lined up. So he headed on back to the Guard's rooms.

The second floor was nothing like the first. The Imperial offices were imposing, huge rooms meant to feel cold and unwelcoming. The lights were always turned up just a little too high. They were intended to intimidate visitors, and impress them with the power wielded by the man behind the desk. The second floor apartments, however, were cozy and homelike. The floor and walls were warmly upholstered in cream-colored micro-fabric, the lights were pleasantly dim. The individual apartments were decorated to suit their owner's taste: one of the advantages of being invited to live in the Imperial palace was a virtually unlimited decorating budget. The people who lived here, and worked in the rooms below, were the backbone of the empire. They had the highest pressure, highest responsibility jobs in the Galaxy, and they deserved to be compensated for it.

Justus stopped just outside of his friends door and smiled. He was fairly certain that Manak was standing just inside the door, perfectly aware that he had arrived, but politely waiting for the chime to sound. Justus waited several moments before touching the chime, just to frustrate his friend. As he had expected, the door opened immediately.

"Justus!" Manak said. "Good to see you. Come in, of course." He stood back and let his friend enter. "What brings you to my door this time in the evening?"

"I think you know," Justus said. He shook his head. "I had it all planned out," he said, ruefully. "And this morning the whole beautiful structure fell down on my head."

Manak grinned. "I know what that feels like," he said. "So have a seat, have an ear, have some dinner, and tell me what I can do for you." He seated himself on a comfortable chair in the living area.

Justus accepted the chair and the ear, but declined the dinner. He was hoping maybe to catch dinner with Calin later on. Manak's apartment was decorated in shades of brown, cream and gold that, perhaps unsurprisingly, matched his fur. The furniture was rather exotic by Kyrias standards, being more pilowy and less structured, with few hard surfaces at all. The walls were hung with artwork of various styles, most having been done by other members of Manak's race. The décor had been known to make some Kyrias bigots nervous, but Justus was used to it, and actually found it quite comfortable.

"So what do I do now, Manak?" he asked, repeating the question that had dominated his day.

"Lost if I know," Manak said, cheerfully. "Start over from scratch, maybe, who knows? It's not the first plan you'v e had collapse on you."

"Yeah, but it may be the last," he said. He shook his head. "I don't know, Manak. We're loosing this war, and the longer it goes on, the less point I see in fighting on to the bitter end. The more we drag it out, the more people will die. I hate reading the obituaries every morning." He sank further down into the soft brown sofa.

"I know," Manak said. "But don't ever give up. We've been loosing this war by inches for almost twenty years, and then along comes Calin. That may not work out, but who knows? If you let it go another twenty years, another solution may present itself."

"Or maybe not, and we may just have lost all these lives for nothing," Justus responded. "I'm so tired of war."

"Who isn't? But that's no reason to give up. You know," Manak suddenly sat up straight. "I've watched you for the past twenty years become increasingly disillusioned and pessimistic, and yet look what you've accomplised! You have managed to hold off the advance of a vastly superior force for two decades. You've united the Kyrias people, kept the economy stable while in the depths of war, and kept the entire society from falling into a helpless lust for Andark blood. I'd say you're doing pretty well, but you don’t see it that way. And now, a solution presents itself, which not so incidentally, enables you to abdicate the throne, and you jump all over it. Now I'm not saying it was a bad idea," he said,before Justus could stop him. "I'm just saying it may not be the best thing for the Greater Galaxy. Think about it. What happens if you abdicate in Calin's favor, and the Andarkin don't stop fighting? That is a possibility. These are the people who killed Myra, and her entire family, just to start this war. Do you think they're going to let you bring in Calin and end it? Calin Elizabeth may be brilliant, and I don't doubt she is, but I doubt she'll make as good an Emperor as you have. And then where are we?" He leaned back, his tail curling around his feet. "Maybe it's best that it didn't work out."

Justus stared at his old friend in fascination. He's never said anything like this before. It's possible, but-- no. I don't believe it, and I won't believe it. He shook his head. "I don't undertand. How could it be best that-"

The door chime rang. Manak stood up. "Ah, that must be Yylynda, with dinner," he said.

"You didn't mention that you had company coming," Justus said, as Manak went to open the door.

"Sorry," Manak said. "It slipped my mind. She's been coming over most evening since we got back. I forgot that you didn't know, you've been so busy." He opened the door. As he had said, it was Calin's second in command.

Justus was briefly guilty. I've been too busy to keep track of what was going on in my best friend's life. His mind protested, But I've been doing important things! But he knew that was no excuse. He would have to make more of an effort in the future, not to fall out of touch.

Yylynda greeted Manak with a warm hug and a nuzzle. Their tails twined together. Justus watched the expression on Manak's face; it was clear he was in love. He turned back to Justus, saying, "Yylyn, this is his Excellence, Justus Ettrondu. Justus, I think you and Yylyn have met?"

Justus nodded. "Briefly." He stood and saluted briefly. "Lt. Yylynda. I’m pleased to see you again. You're looking well."

She gave him a feline smile and returned the salute. "I'm honored. You look better than the last time I saw you, too."

Justus grimaced. "I'd imagine." Jessin took a seat on the couch next to Manak, and Justus decided that it was time to go. "I'm going to try and catch Calin for dinner," he said. "So I'll leave you two now." He started towards the door, then stopped. "Could I use your computer? I want to check on something."

"Of course," Manak said, and Justus turned on the terminal.

"Why not just invite her to come up here?" Yylynda asked. "We haven't really had the chance to talk since she got back. You've both been so busy. But now," she shrugged. "It's over, right?"

Justus pulled up the usage logs and saw that the terminal in his office had been dormant for almost a segment. A personell check confirmed that she was still there, though. I hope she's not too bored.

He turned back to Yylynda. "It looks that way. I hope you're wrong, though. Calin and I have spent all day looking at the options. I was going downstairs to see if she'd found anything."

Yylynda nodded. "Well, go check. And if you can, come back up here for dinner. We've more than enough."

"I'll pass on the offer," Justus said. "And I'd expect we'll be back. But don't wait for us; we're all good enough friends that we don't need to stand on formality." He made his way to the door.

"Don't worry," Manak said, as Justus made his exit. "We won't."

Closing the door, Justus grinned at his friend's usual humor. It is good to be back. I just wish I had more time to enjoy it. He turned and made his way back to the office where Calin was situated.

And so with heavy steps, Justus returned to the room where he had left Calin. She might well be finished by now, he thought, rather wistfully. Maybe we could have dinner, and try and figure out what to do. One thing he was sure of- they were not finished. Logically, there was no reason why tomorrow, Calin would not return to her crew, and he would return to his duties and all would go back to how it had been before. If Calin was ineligible to serve the Empire in a political capacity, there was no reason why she should not continue to serve in a military one. But somehow, he was sure that this would not happen. There was more to do here, there was still hope, if he could only see what it was.

He'd left Calin in the outer room of his own office, which was almost directly below Manak's quarters. He took the ramp down and around and emerged into the hall right next to his office. He turned and touched the door chime before he entered- into darkness.

The room was so dark that not even his sharp, Kyrias eyes could pick anything out. "Calin?" he called out, struck by a sudden fear.

But her answer was immediate. "I'm here. Lights up." The lights came on slowly so as not to shock sensitive eyes. She was sitting exactly where he'd left her, but her posture had changed considerably. Before, she had been focusing actively on the monitor before her, intent on tracking down whatever idea had posessed her. Now, she was leaning on one elbow, her chin in her hand, her eyes staring off into space. She seemed the picture of relaxation, but there was tense stillness about her form that hinted at deep thought.

"Did you find anything?" Justus asked, quietly.

She nodded absently, then seemed to shake the mood off, and focused on him. "Yes, I did," she said, and smiled, almost sadly.

Justus waited for her to continue and she did. "I think I know how we can do it. How we can have it both ways; end this war and still give the Kyrias people what they seem to want." The smile faded from her face, and Justus found himself all but unable to meet her eyes. "Justus," she said, that uncanny stare boring into him. "Will you marry me?"

Justus's mouth fell open, and his automatic answer flashed through his mind, yes! But before his mouth could repeat it, she rushed on. "A marriage in name only, I wouldn't ask more than that. But you see? It's the only way."

She stood up and began pacing. "The assembly won't accept me because I'm the genetically engineered product of an interspecies union; I'm not Kyrias. But if the war is to end and the Empire to survive, then I must wear the mirror; it's our only hope. Both requirements- a Kyrias ruler and a Callyer wearing the mirror- cannot be satisfied by the same person, so what I propose is an imperial partnership. We wear the mirror jointly, all documents must be signed by the both of us, all decrees and orders we must come to some agreement on. It would be difficult, but I think we know each other well enough to know we'd make good partners. . ." here she trailed off into thought for a moment.

After a pause, she resumed. "And you've already proved yourself to the Galaxy and Assembly. To them we could pass it off as a necessary arrangement to end the war, with me as a figurehead and you as the actual power behind the mirror. To the Andarkin, we do the opposite, stressing the Kyrias obsession with species purity and putting for you as the necessaru front man for Myra's heir. It should work. And anyway," she added. "It's our best chance."

To his surprise, Justus found himself nodding along with her. It was unheard of, totally without precedent, but it might work. She's brilliant! Like her mother, Calin had drawn from her unusual background to produce uniquely workable solutions to problems that would have seemed impossible to the typical Kyrias. He nodded again and asked, "What's the legal standing? Can we pull it off? Will it survive a legal challenge here, and what about in the Andark Empire?"

She tapped a few keys on the computer and turned the screen to face him. "I pulled up some info on that already," she said. "It's not entirely without precedent. There's a long history both in the Greater Galaxy and in the Andark Empire of treating a married couple as a single individual. Depending on the marriage contract, everything from homes to major corporations can be owned jointly. That was what gave me the idea- my home planet has some of the same traditions."

Justus scanned the list of articles and case histories that supported it. There were more than he would have thought. What especially caught his eye was a grouping of cases where companies had been owned by two married individuals, who had to co-sign everything relating to matters of company policy.

When he finished reading the summaries on those, Calin scrolled down until she arrived at the listings from the Andark Empire. "What I found remarkable," she said, "Is that there are actually several cases in the Andark Empire where couples have held public office jointly. See?" She indicated the cases by highlighting the entries on the screen. "It's not common, but it's not unheard of either. So we shouldn’t' have any trouble on that front."

Justus nodded. "Hmm. It's a very interesting idea. You've researched it pretty thouroughly." He looked up. "I say we go talk to my legal expert, and ask him if it'll fly. If he says yes," he smiled at her. "I say we go for it."

She smiled briefly and nodded. "Let's go talk to this legal expert of yours then," she said, standing up and starting for the door.

Justus shook his head. "Tomorrow," he said. "Check the time. He's asleep now. We couldn’t really get anything done until tomorrow, anyway. And one day, more or less, isn't going to make that much of a difference."

Reluctantly, Calin agreed. "Well, we can sleep on it, then," she said. "And see if it still agrees with us as well in the morning."

Just what I had in mind, Justus thought. He said, "All right, then. I'll see you for breakfast tomorrow."

She nodded. "Breakfast then," she said, and turned and left the office.

Justus almost called her back, asked her to stay, to come with him to his rooms and stay until breakfast. Almost asked her to make it a marriage in more than name only. But he didn't. If we're going to pull this off, it has to be cool-headed, politically and legally sound. We can't get our emotions mixed up in it. But why did he have the feeling that they already had?