(Rating: PG-13) 
 
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Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Orion 
A relatively original fanfic by LeVar Bouyer 
Episode 418: The Toughest of Fights 
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*** [title sequence] *** 
 
	In orbit above Hinansho, the lead ship of what had once been a great
civilization sat poised and waiting.  Its shuttle bays were crammed with
troop carriers, waiting for the word to begin landing in Nagano-2, which
would be hopefully a city free of senshi.  Hopes had been dashed, though. 
On the bridge was a fading hologram of Sailor Orion as she pulled her sword
from the first of four champions that had been sent to kill her.
 
	While a smile of pure confidence shone on the captive Sailor
America's face, fury and just a touch of fear contorted that of the alien
commander, Baustch.  "That . . . insufferable . . . *bitch*!"
 
	"Y'know, old Baustchy," drawled Sailor America in the thickest
Pennsylvania accent her Japanese would allow, "for someone so bent on
revenge you don't seem to remember your history too well.  Senshi
*never* lose." 
 
	That earned her a backhanded slap, but the welts she could feel
rising were worth it, she decided.  It was getting easier to get under his
skin, and that meant that his command over the situation was slipping. 
Thus, more ridicule.  "Too bad you can't do anything about her as easily as
you can me."
 
	"Shut up!" 
 
	"Or what?  You'll shoot me?  Get serious, it would kill you to get
rid of me before your revenge was complete."
 
	"Don't put me to the test," he warned. 
 
	"Um, maybe you should look back there," she said helpfully,
inclining her head to the screen.  He was just in time to see the second of
his last four champions vanish with a ripple and a splash.
 
	"NO!" 
 
*** 
 
	For the first time in hours, Sailor Orion smiled.  Two more
opponents had come barreling in just moments ago.  The first had been easily
dispatched with her Disruption attack: a quick snap shot with Gertie
assistance had seen to that.
 
	Now the second was definitely showing more caution.  It kept moving,
kept shifting; Orion knew a surprise shot wouldn't work again.  So, what to
do now?
 
	"Hey, you!"  The champion, which closely resembled a bipedal
cockroach, cocked its slightly rectangular head.  She doubted that it
understood Japanese, but it could tell something was amiss.  "Yeah, you, the
big ugly roach!" Despite the cold, sweat ran down her face from a
combination of exertion, stress, and nervousness.  "Come on, show me what
you've got!"
 
	It was now clear to the champion that a challenge was being made. 
It began to stalk closer, a smile contorting its insectoid face.  Smoothly,
she reached for her communicator.  "Girls, when I give the word I want you
to hit access thirty-three."
 
	"Aye, sir," replied Kim, immediately seeing Sailor Orion's risky
plan.
 
	The senshi continued to back away slowly, trying not to pay any
attention to the part of the street covered with yellow and black caution
stripes, as well as warning signs printed in English and Japanese.  She kept
walking, finally finding herself against a storefront.  "Well, what are you
waiting for?" she asked.  "Don't have the guts to finish me off?" She made a
beckoning motion with her arms, fearful that she might have miscalculated. 
If it chose to leap at her . . . the champion took one, then two steps
forward onto the caution area.  "Now, Kim!" The young lieutenant commander
acted quickly.
 
	Valhalla had been built in the early days of the colony, part of the
prevailing movement for large, underground control centers.  A number of
shafts were built through which equipment and material for construction had
been sent.  If the true intent of Valhalla was to create an impregnable
fortress, the empty shafts would have been filled in.  That had never been
the plan, though; a long-term goal was for it to be converted into
additional space for the city above, and that meant they would need
sunlight.  Besides, who knew if there might be a situation requiring a quick
exit from Valhalla?
 
	Or in this case, a rapid entrance.  There were two ways access
tunnel thirty-three could be opened.  The doors could slide open, or they
could be blown open.  This latter was intended only for emergencies, but Kim
figured this definitely qualified as one.
 
	The heavy doors suddenly shook as the locks and bolts holding them
in place were explosively dislodged.  They lingered in place for just a
moment before quickly falling inwards and down, taking the champion down
with them.
 
	Sailor Orion smiled, knowing that while the thing could do plenty of
damage down there, the empty command center would ensure that no lives would
be lost.  Best of all, all the exits were doubtless being sealed.  There was
no way out.  Two down, two to go . . . but it wouldn't be that easy.
 
*** 
 
	In the skies, orders were being given.  "Our Master is making plans
to go down to the planet.  Prepare the carrier."
 
	'Baustch seemed in a hurry,' thought America bemusedly.  'Then
again, losing half your strike force will do that, I guess.' In her time on
the ship she had learned a bit about the displays on the bridge.  There was
one that showed the status of all the ships the aliens had.  One, hers, was
moving into a position to launch the invasion force.  A second was
supporting the first, and a third-- Holbrow's--was off to itself.  She had
had her suspicions of what the third planned, and she was by now only
waiting for Holbrow to make her move.
 
	"Bautsch," said Holbrow, surprising most on the bridge of the alien
spaceship.  'Nice timing,' thought Sailor America idly.  The alien looked
up, but said nothing.  "I signal my intent to assume control of the fleet. 
I intend to order a full retreat; you're welcome to join me."
 
	So, now it was out.  "Holbrow, you foolish, foolish woman.  At the
brink of victory you turn tail and run.  I *am* surprised at this.  Don't
worry, though; I will make sure you don't live long to regret this." He
turned to a gunnery officer.  "Make ready to-"
 
	"Anomalous reading, my Lord, one moment." 
 
	"What *is* it?" asked Bautsch impatiently. 
 
	"A ship is dropping into the system." 
 
	In that moment, Sailor America's heart leaped. 
 
*** 
 
	Headquarters knew nothing of the events hundreds of kilometers over
their heads.  The specter of two champions and one sailor senshi to beat it
was frightening enough.
 
	"Doesn't look good," said Antares quietly.  The normally flamboyant
AI had remained mostly silent, having his own roles to play.  "She's both
injured and outnumbered, and the nearest access tunnel is two kilometers
away."
 
	"Recommendations?" asked Vanessa, more out of duty than any
expectation of help.
 
	"At this stage," replied Antares, "the best solution I can offer is
prayer."
 
	No-one had a chance to respond before a cry came from a
communications officer.  "Incoming transmission from off-planet, but this
can't be . . . ." He trailed off, at a loss for words.
 
	"Put it on," commanded Sammy.  Enemy reinforcements?  If so, it was
truly over for the brave defenders of Nagano-2.  One of the screens
flickered, then resolved.  Only a few officers recognized the woman for who
she was, but she wasted no time introducing herself.
 
	"Repeat, this is Sailor Cassiopeia commanding H.M.S. Kaze."  The 
senshi grinned.  "How may we be of assistance?" 
 
	A stunned moment of silence: then the room erupted with celebration. 
There were hugs, cheers, shouts, and applause.  Kim, however, kept her head
and brought everyone back to business.
 
	"QUIET!"  The command center finally calmed down, and Kim spared a
smile.  "Welcome to Hinansho, sir.  We've been waiting for you.  Now, there
are three ships in orbit.  The lead ship contains several humans including
Sailor America.  By Sailor Orion's orders, the other two are to be
destroyed."
 
*** 
 
	"Understood," said Sailor Cassiopeia,  Around her a hushed bridge
crew looked on at the scene.  Kaze was by no means a new ship, and the rapid
refitting of her drive and replacement commanders had been difficult to
adapt to.  The miracle had been pulled off, though; at great fuel
expenditure and several physical side effects that had made their return to
normal space quite unpleasant, they were ready to perform their duty.  She
swiveled her chair around to face the two other senshi behind her.  Sailors
Phoenix and Adhara looked back eagerly.
 
	"Allrighty, then," said Sailor Phoenix.  "Let's go down and rassle
them around some."
 
	Sailor Cassiopeia giggled at Sailor Phoenix's outrageously faked
accent and nodded.  "Engineering, prepare gertie for attack."
 
	The dance began.  "Helm, come to zero-six-zero mark zero-four-five,
then all ahead full," said the first officer.  He would be commanding the
ship while the three senshi provided the firepower.
 
	"Aye aye, sir," replied the helm.  H.M.S. Kaze swooped in for the
kill.
 
*** 
 
	"Enemy ship!" shouted the spotter.  Baustch's orderly bridge was
rapidly collapsing into chaos.  Half the crew had threatened outright mutiny
on the spot.  It would have been an embarrassing blow for the alien, if it
weren't for more pressing matters.
 
	Holbrow was gone, he knew without looking.  She was probably pulling
away and broadcasting surrender messages on all bands, desperate to escape
the wrath of Serenity's warriors.  Fine then, let the cowards go.  There
would be time enough to deal with them if--when victory was won.  For now,
though . . . "Order our trailer to come about and destroy the enemy.  We'll
deploy our landing vessels.  Inform them that the safety of our Leader is at
stake."
 
	"You won't win," said Sailor America confidently.  "That's only the
first ship; space will be swarming with them soon enough.  Face it, it's
over."
 
	Bautsch opened his mouth to deliver a defiant reply, then realized
the reality of that simple statement.  Serenity had reinforced in time: the
one thing that would guarantee defeat for the aliens.  He had lost. 
Unfortunately, Sailor America had yet to learn an important lesson: that
there are few things more dangerous than a commander who knows defeat is
inevitable.
 
	"Change of plans," he softly said with a malicious grin.  He had
lost, yes, but he would not go gentle into that good night.  "We're going to
have a bit of fun first."
 
*** 
 
	On the surface, Sailor Orion wasn't believing what Sammy was telling
her.  "Could you repeat that?" asked the senshi incredulously.
 
	"They're here!" said the blonde joyously.  "Sailors Cassiopeia,
Phoenix, and Adhara, on H.M.S. Kaze!"
 
	Sailor Orion had a million questions she wanted to ask, but the most
pressing would have to be attended to first.  "Tell Sailor Cassiopeia that I
need help down here," she panted.  "I really don't know how much longer I
can hold out!"
 
	There was a pause while the plea was relayed, a pause during which
Sailor Orion could hear the two remaining champions drawing closer.  "Sir,
they can't.  Kaze is fighting heavy resistance, they can't risk sending a
launch down."
 
	The senshi could have wept with frustration.  "Very well, then.  I
wish her luck . . . tell her that Sailor America's safety is paramount.  She
can worry about me later."
 
	"Y-yes, sir!" 
 
*** 
 
	Sailor Cassiopeia nodded upon receipt of the request.  The love
Sailors America and Orion shared was often the subject of discussion among
senshi.  Not because romances between senshi were rare: about a third of the
sailors had admitted to being bisexual or lesbian after the 3035 war, and
relationships between them were not unheard of.
 
	No, their relationship was notable for its longevity.  Most love
affairs only lasted a few months, perhaps two or three years in exceptional
cases.  The strains then began to show, and it was all over.  Sailors
America and Orion had been together for thirteen years, a length of time
second only to Uranus and Neptune.  They had stayed together for as long as
Serenity and Endymion.
 
	Yes, the union between the redhead and the brunette was well known 
among the senshi.  Was it any surprise Cassiopeia and the others were 
willing to fight in order to preserve it?  "ETA?" she asked. 
 
	"Thirty seconds to best range," answered the talker.  Not too bad at
all.  Kaze was a bit of a big sister to Pleiades; longer, slightly less
maneuverable, much more heavily armed.  She was clearly a warship, and it
was time to wage war.
 
*** 
 
	The third ship, known to the humans only as Gamma, never had a
chance.  Kaze rushed towards it, showering the ship with torpedoes and
lasers.  The captain tried to maneuver, but even he had to admit that he and
his crew were out of practice.  Two hits to the midsection doomed the
vessel; it cracked in half and exploded silently.
 
	The three senshi commanders of H.M.S. Kaze grinned; one down, and 
they hadn't even had to use their abilities.  Now for the second. 
 
	"Sir, this is very odd . . . incoming transmission from Beta." 
 
	Sailor Cassiopeia leaned forward.  "What, they're going to surrender
or something?"
 
	The comm officer blinked.  "Um, that's exactly what they're doing,
sir.  I can put it on for you."
 
	"-request asylum.  We repeat, this is Holbrow.  I and my crew
unconditionally surrender and request asylum.  Please, *please* respond!"
 
	Sailor Cassiopeia glanced over to Sailor Adhara.  "Do we buy this?" 
 
	"Firing solution for Beta set, ready to fire on your command," 
said the talker. 
 
	"Hmm," mused the head senshi.  Suddenly being in command after 
years as a press relations expert wasn't as much fun anymore.  "Do we 
take this as genuine, or what?" 
 
	"Disable their engines," suggested Adhara.  "If they're sincere
they'll understand, and if not it'll keep them from causing trouble."
 
	Sailor Cassiopeia nodded.  "Sailor Phoenix?" 
 
	"I agree," replied the shortest sailor senshi.  "We should inform
them first, but definitely keep them from shooting us in the back."
 
	"Okay then, we're agreed.  Weapons, target their engines and shoot
to cripple.  Comm, tell them our intentions and send another order for Alpha
to stand down."
 
*** 
 
	Sailor America half stumbled, half fell through the passageway.  Two
guards flanked her sides, constantly giving her pokes and shoves to keep her
going.  Behind her stood a subdued Bautsch.  The senshi tried to think
through the pain and exertion.  The last scene she had seen on the bridge
was a picture of the ship recently arrived in system, after which she had
been hustled out.  The brunette suspected that the alien commander was
making sure of his own retreat and leaving the rest of his crew to fend for
themselves.  She didn't particularly mind this, as long as he took her with
him.  She suspected that it wouldn't be good enough for him to let her die
on the ship.  No, his misguided mind needed something more.
 
	The ship rocked.  "Your so-called friends seem to be firing on us,"
said Bautsch mockingly.  "Imagine that . . . they don't even know one of
their own is aboard."
 
	"They know," said Sailor America uncertainly.  "Otherwise this ship
would be in pieces right now."
 
	"Lies," came the reply.  They reached the same holding bay through
which she had entered the ship.  It was full of smaller craft now, and she
could see the aliens loading them with what could only be weapons.  "Our
invasion force," said Bautsch with a flourish, sweeping an arm forward to
encompass the agglomeration.  "We had hoped to use it before Serenity could
send you help, but we'll have to make do." He stopped, and the guards
brought Sailor America to a halt as well.  "Put her inside," he said coldly.
 
	"Making me go so soon?"
 
	Bautsch turned to make his own preparations.  "Oh, and shut her up
too."
 
	One of the guards raised his club.  "Yes, my Lord."  Then all for
Sailor America turned black.
 
*** 
 
	Sailor Orion sighed and leaned against a cold marble wall.  She was
getting tired of running; in the last few minutes she had run clear across
the city.
 
	Above her the battle raged.  The last report she heard said the most
dangerous alien ship, the one holding her lover, had fled to the other side
of the planet.  A second had been destroyed, and Sailor Cassiopeia was
directing Sailor Phoenix and others to board the third, which left her to
hold off the last two champions.  She was out of ideas.  They wouldn't stay
still long enough for her to destroy them without gertie support, and
wouldn't leave her alone long enough to ready and use that support.
 
	Idly she looked out at the gray waters of Nagano Bay.  The light
snowflakes which had begun to fall were intensifying, and this time it would
probably stick.  Nagano-2 should have a nice blanket of snow this time
tomorrow.  Whether she would be around to see it was questionable.  The bay
wasn't frozen; in all the years humans had lived on Hinansho it never had. 
Its waters continued to lap at the harbor area, at the beaches, at the
inlets and covers further to the east and west.
 
	Lapping . . . splashing . . . . 
 
	"That's it!"  She gulped; it was chancy but it had to work. 
"Vanessa, where's the nearest access to Valhalla?"
 
*** 
 
	In headquarters, the brunette checked a map.  "Gate sixty-three is
about a block south, but there's no explosive-"
 
	"No no no, I don't want to repeat our last trick."  She took a deep
breath.  "I'm going to go there myself and lure them in.  Once I'm inside,
I'll need you to flood it."
 
	"Sir!" 
 
	"No time for questions, Vanessa!  There should be a way to open the
water accesses to Valhalla, right?"
 
	Vanessa checked the blueprints.  "Three, sir, right at water level. 
Sir, it'll take hours to completely fill the chamber." She tried not to
think of their former headquarters filling with near-freezing water.  "And
if you're inside-"
 
*** 
 
	"-I won't get out.  Right."  That was the one flaw in the plan. 
"Just make sure it's open when I get there, and that *no- one* gets out of
there once I've led them deep enough.  Once it fills, we'll drown the lot of
them."
 
	"Y-yes, sir." 
 
	"Good girl."  She heard a growl; they had found her.  "Get going!"
She sprinted down the street, just in time for an energy beam from one of
the champions to strike her former position.  Bits of marble whizzed by, two
grazing her legs and drawing blood.  Looking ahead, she saw a police car,
burned out and smoldering in the middle of the road.  With a single leap she
jumped and cleared it, landing without a pause and continuing her run.
 
	She tried not to scream when the pursuing champions kicked the car
out of their way, sending it flying past her to crash into the glass front
of a department store.
 
*** 
 
	Vanessa turned to her computer and began tapping out commands.  She
paused a moment and checked for the eighth time.  Once again, she saw that
Valhalla was deserted.  There were no humans down there, just the one
champion from earlier in the conflict, who was now stumbling blindly through
a storeroom.
 
	Her hand shook as she reached for the final controls.  The three
doors to Valhalla were another leftover from a plan to use the underground
base to house submarines.  That plan had been resurrected in the last few
weeks, and in fact a motion had been made to include it in the budget around
3050.  For now, though, they had water on one side and empty space on
another.  That is, until things changed.
 
	With five keystrokes from Vanessa, they slid open.  Seawater began
to pour into the chambers, first splashing into bare storerooms.  Then the
water pressure began to press harder on the internal walls, which quickly
succumbed.  Soon the entire complex was flooding.  She looked up at a red
countdown clock.  It began at 1:20:33.  In an hour, twenty minutes, and
thirty-three seconds, Valhalla would be flooded to sea level.
 
	Hopefully her commander would be out of there by then. 
 
*** 
 
	Sailor America opened her eyes slowly, wincing each time her
surroundings shook.  "What the hell?"
 
	No-one seemed to be in a mood to explain anything to her.  She
looked around.  A small room, probably a shuttle of some sort, and from the
shaking it was apparently doing a lot of maneuvering.  'Screw it,' she
thought, closing her eyes again and conserving her strength.  They were
clearly in space, and if they were hit out here there was nothing she would
be able to do about it.
 
	Behind her, Bautsch and his Leader conferred. 
 
*** 
 
	"Maintain fire," Sailor Cassiopeia said.  H.M.S. Kaze was pummeling
the alien ship with fire, but so far Alpha seemed to be taking no damage. 
In one way it was a relief; her goal was to capture it intact, after all. 
Then again, how could they capture it when they couldn't disable its weapons
or engines?
 
	"We've got to use our attacks," Sailor Adhura said.  Sailor Phoenix
had been left with Beta while they chased Alpha around the planet, and now
they were back to their original location above Nagano-2.
 
	"Sailor America's still on there.  If we risk killing her-"
 
	"We won't."  Sailor Adhura grinned.  "Who won the targeting
competition two years back?"
 
	Sailor Cassiopeia blinked, then smiled as well.  "Go on, I'll cover
you."
 
	"Ok . . . wait!"  On the screen, threat estimates reformed.  The
large ship was spawning dozens of smaller ones.
 
	"Landing vessels," announced the talker.  "They're fanning out,
probable landing site Nagano-2."
 
	"We mustn't allow them to reach the surface!  Helm, hard about, fire
control recalculate for the smaller-"
 
	"Already done, ready to fire on your command!" 
 
	"Shoot!" 
 
*** 
 
	Sailor America looked up again.  The shaking hadn't abated; in fact
it had gotten much worse.  She was getting the distinct impression that they
were being fired on.
 
	"When will they stop firing at us?" asked Bautsch with irritation. 
 
	Okay, one question answered.  Now she could only hope the ship she
had just left would survive unscathed.  After all, there were still a few
humans left on board.
 
	Another shudder.  It was getting warmer and warmer, and suddenly
Sailor America had to fight down the fear her captors hadn't thought through
the consequences of re-entry.  Being burnt to a cinder in Hinansho's
atmosphere wasn't her idea of a fun time.
 
	Further forward in the cabin, Bautsch was directing traffic.  Now in
the protective blanket of the atmosphere, there was less need to worry about
defense.  Now was the time to attack.  "Right there," said Bautsch, pointing
out the window.  He recognized the city from reconnaissance pictures. 
Nagano-2, the only diamond in the rough-hewn planet.  Perhaps Kaze would be
reluctant to bring her weapons to bear on a city full of civilians.  Had
Bautsch known that Nagano-2 was virtually empty, he might have chosen to
strike out for the outlying areas, where even now the city's population
continued to flee ground zero.  Instead, they went for the city itself. 
Unfortunate, considering the stray missile from the battle above that struck
the right wing of the craft.
 
	Sailor America heard a boom, then a bang, and then she was airborne. 
The cabin made a sickening 360 degree roll, sending her and her captors
flying.  She took the worst of it: with her hands and feet still bound, she
couldn't make any motions to protect herself.  She couldn't help cursing as
she slammed into the walls.  One blow almost cracked her head open, but the
brunt of it was taken by her tiara.  Even so, blood began to well up from a
cut on her forehead.
 
	The big picture wasn't much better.  Wounded, the alien vessel tried
desperately to right itself.  Bautsch himself took the controls, steering
his ship towards the harbor.  A water landing seemed to be their best
chance.  Sailor America rose to her knees just in time to see the slate gray
waters of Nagano Bay filling the forward window.  That was all she needed to
see; in an instant she was back down, tucking into a ball and not caring if
her guards saw her exposed bottom or not.
 
	Seconds later she ship crashed into the water.  Skipping twice like
a stone, it then continued the impression by sinking like one.  Dazed,
Sailor America could only sigh after the impact.  All this, just to be
drowned in the waters of her home.  She was more surprised when she felt a
strong hand pull her out of the ship and into the cold water.  Then surprise
took a back seat to survival.  She held on tightly to the hand and arm,
struggling against a current that seemed always to pull them *down*.  Tiny
bubbles escaped from her mouth as her legs kicked her forward--'hadn't
they been tied?' she thought--and drove her forward and *out*.
 
	Then Sailor America lay panting on a metal floor, the rushing of
water audible in the background.  She blinked and began to shiver.  Being
doused in near-freezing seawater hadn't been pleasant.  Her gaze fell on a
sign hanging from the gray ceiling which she read aloud.  "B-level 12-15. 
Elevators 20-22." There were a number of arrows on the sign as well, which
looked rather familiar . . . and then she knew.  "Valhalla!"
 
	"Correct," said a stern voice that she had heard once before.  She
shivered, and it wasn't because of the cold.  Sailor America was definitely
in bad shape, but she wasn't so far gone that she couldn't joke.
 
	"Y'know, calling you 'master' or 'leader' is so formal.  Don't you 
have a regular name?  Bob or Ted . . . hell, I'd settle for Akira!" 
 
	The cloaked figure--how he had kept his robes through the spin cycle
they had just been through was beyond her--looked down.  "Sailor senshi,
when you have lived as long as I, then you may call me Afibo.  Not before."
 
	"You're too touchy."  She began to stand cautiously, moving more
confidently once she saw that he wasn't about to kill her.  "So, why'd you
save me?"
 
	"I had a need for you." 
 
	"Uh-huh.  Where's Bautsch?" 
 
	"Dead, the stupid fool." 
 
	She had no response for that.  She looked around some more, and
decided that she didn't like standing in five centimeters of water.
 
	Make that six.  Then seven.  "Maybe we should get out of here?" 
 
	"Lead the way."  They made their way to a stairwell and began
climbing.
 
*** 
 
	Ignorant of all these details, Sailor Orion was running for her
life.  As it turned out, getting the two champions to follow her into
Valhalla was simple.  They were now lumbering down a service hallway in an
upper level of the complex.  Her plan would work better the further down
they were trapped, though.  Thus, she couldn't take the more efficient
stairs; they wouldn't fit.  Instead, she was forced to use the freight
elevator shafts.  It was a harrowing trip, using emergency overrides to open
doors out into the empty shaft, jumping down two or three levels, and barely
managing to catch another door.  She was making decided progress, though. 
It was too bad that the champions who pursued her were so often on their
targets.  She hadn't been able to get either of them to just fall down a
shaft and die already.
 
	"Kim, are you still there?" she asked into her communicator. 
 
	"Still waiting, sir.  You have twenty-two minutes, thirty-seven
seconds.  All accesses will close in four minutes sir, you need to get out
of there!"
 
	"Just a moment," she said breathlessly.  She looked ahead: a long
straight passage with no side doors or exits, just the one at its end.  She
knew it was a T-junction; if she could get there in sufficient time, then
she could break around a corner and lose them.  She broke into a full run,
her boots clicking on the floors.  She could feel them beginning to thrum
with the rush of water, water which had to be very close to her level now. 
No time to waste.  In a flash she was to the double doors, which she flung
wide open to admit her guests.
 
	They rushed through, eager to get at her.  After a moment, she
peeped around the side of the door and breathed a sigh of relief.  She knew
that just a few meters away they would find an elevator, and logically
conclude that she had fled further down.  Now was her chance to close some
of the security doors and run for higher ground.  "Sammy, I'm on my way up,
start closing up the complex . . . and remember-"
 
	"-to leave a route open for you."  Sailor Orion could almost hear
her subordinate's smile.  "One step ahead of you, sir."
 
	"Good work.  Oh, have . . . ."  She trailed off.  She thought she
had heard something, ever so faintly.  A shout?  She crept closer towards
the source, an elevator shaft, and placed her ear against the door.
 
	"Have I what, sir?" prompted Sammy.  Sailor Orion ignored the
communicator, straining to hear anything else.  There it was again: a shout,
definitely female, definitely . . . .
 
	"EILEEN!" 
 
	"Sir?  Sir, what is it!" 
 
	Sailor Orion drew her sword and wasted no time, prying the doors of
the elevator open.  She peeped down the dark shaft, through which the sounds
of rushing water could be heard, and what was decidedly her lover's voice. 
She didn't hesitate a moment.  "Sammy, reopen all sector doors, and make
sure the main ones remain sealed as per orders."
 
	"Sir, I-" 
 
	"Goodbye, Commander Porter."  She closed the connection and took a
deep breath.  Then, she leapt down the shaft and into the icy waters below.