"It won't be an acceptable loss to Tanaka." Ryoko pointed out. 
	Trakal blinked. Ryoko was right, he had to admit. But he had to 
make 
 Kain pay. He couldn't just dismiss it.
	"If you team up with us, we can take him out."
	"And what do you propose we do? Stick him in the elevator with 
Mihoshi?"
	Ryoko laughed and soon Trakal had joined in. "Hardly." Ryoko 
finally
 said. "Come on. I'm supposed to meet the others back at the hotel. You 
may
 want to put your mask back on. I think you're cute without it, but..."
	Trakal slumped in despair. Ryoko was right, Tanaka wouldn't love 
his 
 true face. He was handsome enough as far as his species was concerned, 
but
 Tanaka would think him hideous, a disgusting freak. He'd have to spend 
his
 entire life hidden behind a mask.
	"Hey, cheer up!" Ryoko told him. "It can't be all that bad."
	"Can't it?" Trakal asked. "My family's dead. My friends are 
dead. The
 girl I love only loves me because she thinks I'm someone else..."
	"Okay, so it is that bad. But look at it this way. That means it 
can
 only get better, right?"
	Trakal shrugged, still gazing out at the ocean in despair.
	"We need you, Lieutenant." Ryoko told him. "Please?"
	Trakal thought about it. Kain was violent, and very dangerous. 
But was
 the risk great enough to justify teaming up with a criminal such as 
Ryoko?
 Did Trakal want to risk his reputation? Then Trakal realized that his
 reputation wasn't really that great anyhow. He followed Ryoko back to 
the 
 hotel room.

	Ayeka yelped in fright when she saw Trakal's undisguised form 
for the
 first time and nearly fainted. Ryoko chortled, gleefully, at her 
rival's
 distress, but Trakal stretched out a hand, casually, and placed it over
 Ryoko's mouth. Now it was Ayeka who, having overcome her initial fear, 
was
 laughing. Trakal moved his hand away from Ryoko's mouth, revealing a 
piece
 of duct tape now stretched over it. Ryoko looked mighty cross as she 
stood
 there and made a lot of muffled noises which Ayeka was sure were 
probably
 words she didn't want little Sasami to be hearing anyhow.
	Tenchi walked into the room, took one look at Trakal, and 
fainted.
	"You really have a way with people, don't you?" Washu asked him.
	Trakal blinked at her. "You don't seem too unnerved."
	"Why should I be unnervered?" She smiled. "I am Washu! The most 
 brilliant mind in the universe!"
	"So, how come I found Kain before you?"
	"Hmph," Washu snorted, "even Mihoshi could find someone if they 
were   
 right in front of her."
	"Just what are you implying?"
	"Oh nothing. Just that its hard not to know who you're dealing 
with
 when you already know they're here. Kain brought you here, that's the
 only reason you know he's the culprit."
	"Miss Washu," Ayeka asked, "if Kain brought him here, how do we 
know
 he's not one of Kain's servants?"
	"Kain doesn't have any servants." Trakal replied. "He's too much 
of a
 loner."
	"How do you know?" Ryoko asked, eyeing him with deepening 
suspicion.
	"I studied Kain's profile just after I got here." Trakal 
explained.
	"From where?" Kiyone asked. "I had to get Washu to link to the 
Yagami
 and that's in our home time-period. So where did you get your 
information?"
	"I was downloading a copy of the Kain file from the Galaxy 
Police main
 terminal into my internal computer when I was abducted." Trakal 
explained.

	"What do you mean 'abducted'. I thought Kain grabbed you 
 accidentally?" Ryoko eyed him even more suspiciously, if such a thing
 were possible. 	
	The others waited for his reply.
	"Never mind that. Whether Kain brought me here deliberately or
 by accident is not the issue."
	"It is if you're working for him." Ryoko pointed out.
	It was a valid point, and they really didn't know all that much
 about Trakal. Special Section was barely more than a rumor to the rest 
 of the Galaxy Police, including Kiyone and Mihoshi, so they had no way
 of knowing he was truly who he claimed. Still, the accusation that he
 would *ever* do anything to harm the Galaxy Police stung him deeply. 
 Blushing in anger under his fur, he turned on Ryoko. "HOW DARE YOU
 ACCUSE ME OF BETRAYING THE GALAXY POLICE!?" he bellowed in a torrent
 of rage. A weeks worth of rage flooded out from him as he openned fire 
 on Ryoko.	
	Ryoko laughed and dodged this way and that with the greatest of
 ease while Tenchi watched whatever had been behind her get destroyed by
 the blasts fired by the ticked off Trakal. Tenchi groaned as he added 
 the damaged items to the hotel bill.
	Eventually, Ryoko got Trakal close enough to Ayeka for the 
 Princess to encase the Operative in a forcefield.
	Washu went over to him and deactivated the weapons system of 
 his cyberarm. Trakal started to protest, but Washu waved and a moment
 later his muzzle was held shut with duct tape.
 
	"It won't be an acceptable loss to Tanaka." Ryoko pointed out. 
	Trakal blinked. Ryoko was right, he had to admit. But he had to 
make 
 Kain pay. He couldn't just dismiss it.
	"If you team up with us, we can take him out."
	"And what do you propose we do? Stick him in the elevator with 
Mihoshi?"
	Ryoko laughed and soon Trakal had joined in. "Hardly." Ryoko 
finally
 said. "Come on. I'm supposed to meet the others back at the hotel. You 
may
 want to put your mask back on. I think you're cute without it, but..."
	Trakal slumped in despair. Ryoko was right, Tanaka wouldn't love 
his 
 true face. He was handsome enough as far as his species was concerned, 
but
 Tanaka would think him hideous, a disgusting freak. He'd have to spend 
his
 entire life hidden behind a mask.
	"Hey, cheer up!" Ryoko told him. "It can't be all that bad."
	"Can't it?" Trakal asked. "My family's dead. My friends are 
dead. The
 girl I love only loves me because she thinks I'm someone else..."
	"Okay, so it is that bad. But look at it this way. That means it 
can
 only get better, right?"
	Trakal shrugged, still gazing out at the ocean in despair.
	"We need you, Lieutenant." Ryoko told him. "Please?"
	Trakal thought about it. Kain was violent, and very dangerous. 
But was
 the risk great enough to justify teaming up with a criminal such as 
Ryoko?
 Did Trakal want to risk his reputation? Then Trakal realized that his
 reputation wasn't really that great anyhow. He followed Ryoko back to 
the 
 hotel room.
	Ayeka yelped in fright when she saw Trakal's undisguised form 
for the
 first time and nearly fainted. Ryoko chortled, gleefully, at her 
rival's
 distress, but Trakal stretched out a hand, casually, and placed it over
 Ryoko's mouth. Now it was Ayeka who, having overcome her initial fear, 
was
 laughing. Trakal moved his hand away from Ryoko's mouth, revealing a 
piece
 of duct tape now stretched over it. Ryoko looked mighty cross as she 
stood
 there and made a lot of muffled noises which Ayeka was sure were 
probably
 words she didn't want little Sasami to be hearing anyhow.
	Tenchi walked into the room, took one look at Trakal, and 
fainted.
	"You really have a way with people, don't you?" Washu asked him.
	Trakal blinked at her. "You don't seem too unnerved."
	"Why should I be unnervered?" She smiled. "I am Washu! The most 
 brilliant mind in the universe!"
	"So, how come I found Kain before you?"
	"Hmph," Washu snorted, "even Mihoshi could find someone if they 
were   
 right in front of her."
	"Just what are you implying?"
	"Oh nothing. Just that its hard not to know who you're dealing 
with
 when you already know they're here. Kain brought you here, that's the
 only reason you know he's the culprit."
	"Miss Washu," Ayeka asked, "if Kain brought him here, how do we 
know
 he's not one of Kain's servants?"
	"Kain doesn't have any servants." Trakal replied. "He's too much 
of a
 loner."
	"How do you know?" Ryoko asked, eyeing him with deepening 
suspicion.
	"I studied Kain's profile just after I got here." Trakal 
explained.
	"From where?" Kiyone asked. "I had to get Washu to link to the 
Yagami
 and that's in our home time-period. So where did you get your 
information?"
	"I was downloading a copy of the Kain file from the Galaxy 
Police main
 terminal into my internal computer when I was abducted." Trakal 
explained.

	"What do you mean 'abducted'. I thought Kain grabbed you 
 accidentally?" Ryoko eyed him even more suspiciously, if such a thing
 were possible. 	
	The others waited for his reply.
	"Never mind that. Whether Kain brought me here deliberately or
 by accident is not the issue."
	"It is if you're working for him." Ryoko pointed out.
	It was a valid point, and they really didn't know all that much
 about Trakal. Special Section was barely more than a rumor to the rest 
 of the Galaxy Police, including Kiyone and Mihoshi, so they had no way
 of knowing he was truly who he claimed. Still, the accusation that he
 would *ever* do anything to harm the Galaxy Police stung him deeply. 
 Blushing in anger under his fur, he turned on Ryoko. "HOW DARE YOU
 ACCUSE ME OF BETRAYING THE GALAXY POLICE!?" he bellowed in a torrent
 of rage. A weeks worth of rage flooded out from him as he openned fire 
 on Ryoko.	
	Ryoko laughed and dodged this way and that with the greatest of
 ease while Tenchi watched whatever had been behind her get destroyed by
 the blasts fired by the ticked off Trakal. Tenchi groaned as he added 
 the damaged items to the hotel bill.
	Eventually, Ryoko got Trakal close enough to Ayeka for the 
 Princess to encase the Operative in a forcefield.
	Washu went over to him and deactivated the weapons system of 
 his cyberarm. Trakal started to protest, but Washu waved and a moment
 later his muzzle was held shut with duct tape.
	"Well *I* love Tenchi." Ryoko pointed out, glomping onto Tenchi 
and 
 nuzzling him. "And he loves me, isn't that right, Tenchi?"
	"What do you think you're doing?!" Ayeka demanded. "You take 
your
 hands off my Tenchi!"
	"What do you mean *YOUR* Tenchi?" Ryoko began to charge up her 
 powers and little blocks of wood appeared circling her, curtesy of 
Ayeka.
	Trakal raised his cyberhand and took a defensive stance, 
snarling.
	"You stay out of this!" Both girls yelled at him.
	"If you both don't stop it, I'll arrest the two of you."
	"My statute of limitations is up, mister."  Ryoko pointed out.
	"And I am crown princess of planet jurai." Ayeka added.
	"Ryoko, your statute of limitations isn't up for another twenty-
 six years and my dear princess, this is *not* Jurai." Trakal pointed 
out
 giving both of them a look that would freeze lava.
	"TRAKAL! JUST SHUT UP AND PUT THE GUN AWAY NOW... please?!" came 
a 
 frustrated and frightened scream from Detective Mihoshi.
	To the surprise of everyone except Washu and Kiyone, Trakal put 
his
 cyberarm down and relaxed.
	"Trakal?" Ryoko asked.
	Trakal sighed, wordlessly.
	Ryoko blinked at Mihoshi. "How did you?"
	"Um, well..." Mihoshi offered, unhelpfully.
	"Detective Mihoshi has a higher rank than Lt. Trakal." Washu
 explained.
	Trakal fidgetted uncomfortably.
	"You mean Mihoshi is his *superior*?" Ryoko laughed.
	Trakal growled.
		Kiyone groaned and wondered how if she could get away 
with
 killing both Trakal and Mihoshi.