Operation: Marraketh
"Those Who Walk With Evil"

"The evil that men do lives after them
 The good is oft buried with their bones."
			--Marc Antony, _Julius Caesar_

	The silence was intimidating. Katze hoped the Lyran would 
speak soon, it was really nervewracking having a Lyran size you 
up. Finally, a voice came from across the table. "So, Katze 
Brenner, we meet at last, for the first time, for the last time." 
Katze cringed a little harder, her mind recalling all the horror 
stories about Lyrans, and her mind trying to think of a way out 
of this situation. So she almost missed the whisper than came 
from across the table. "Yeah, that's right."
	Something didn't add up. Katze opened her eyes, and stuck 
her father's journal on the table. She looked at the Lyran across 
the table. "Huh?"
	"Your captors are brave and resourceful servants of their 
Master. However--" Katze winced as the Lyran reached up and 
removed it's mask.  "--they are a bit gullible."
	Katze blinked, obviously startled by the person across 
the table. Finally, she managed to eek out a syllable. "Mal?"
	"Well, you were expecting Bugs Bunny maybe?"
	Katze grinned, and as the improbability of the situation 
dawned on her, she started to chuckle. A few nervous chuckles 
escaped. "Heh. Well, it is good to see you, I was beginning to 
wonder if you'd ever show up."
	Mal gave an evil grin and said, "Well, the crosstown 
traffic is murder this time of day."
	Katze snickered at that line. Who'd have guessed her 
first encounter with a Lyran would have been Mal in disguise. 
After letting the giggles out, Katze turned serious. "Where's 
everybody else?"
	"Ari has a rescue party in the timeline, I don't know... 
exactly... where they are, but they're on their way, should be 
here in a few days."
	"Well, that's good, seeing that you and me couldn't take 
Sid on our own. Especially considering you'd have to do all the 
fighting."
	Mal nodded. "There is that, isn't there?" He thought for 
a second, and then asked, "You wouldn't have happened to find any 
secret ways out of here, have you?"
	"Not yet. 'Course I've only been to the throne room and 
my cell and here." Katze pointed at the book on the table. "I did 
find that book, though."
	"Hmm, that's not going to be too much help."
	Katze shrugged. "Ya never know. Guess you get to deal 
with Sid for a while."
	"That little whipped-puppy? I can keep him happy for a 
while. Or he'll try to have me killed. Either way, he's taken 
care of."
	Katze grinned. Then she thought of something. "Can you 
get word to Ari that you're here...hell, that I'm here?"
	"Nope. Tried already, and my 'Linker doesn't have the 
range without a satellite network. I wouldn't worry, though. 
Ari's pretty bright, I'm sure she knows which direction to head."
	"I hope so. It'd be fun to try to do a two man fight our 
way out of here MacGuyver style sorta thing, but it'd also be 
suicide. So...you think you could get me more comfortable 
arrangements than a cell in the dungeon?"
	Mal shook his head. "Not without tipping my hand. If I 
start treating a prisoner with respect, Sid will get suspicious, 
and if he gets suspicious... bad things might happen."
	Katze nodded. "Darn. It was worth a shot. Anyway, what's 
the plan when Ari and company get here? And what if Sid decides 
he wants me on his side before they get here?"
	"The plan? The plan is to hang tight until you hear the 
theme music. Then get the hell out any way you can."
	Katze grimaced. "Oh boy, this is harder than I imagined. 
Considering..." She thought about the things she'd seen in 
Marraketh already, and her heart saddened at one memory. "Oh, you 
wouldn't want to know."
	"Try me. If it's going to keep you from acting in the 
clinch, I *need* to know *now*"
	Katze looked down at the table. "Well, I've already been 
drug in front of Siddy boy, told him I would not help him out... 
but... but realized just how easily they got my father... he was 
there in the corner." Katze put her head in her hands as she 
spoke, remembering the scene.
	Mal looked at Katze. "Just...hang in there. Don't let 
those half-wits get to you." He pulled a little black box out 
from somewhere and handed it to Katze. "Here, you'll need one of 
these."
	Katze examined the box closely. "What's this do?"
	Mal smiled. "Molecular Music Module. Plays a couple of 
hundred hours of good music without repeat. Really useful in POW 
situations."
	Katze looked at it a little more, then placed the box 
neatly on top of the book. "This could be useful. Well, how long 
can our conference go before Siddy boy starts to get suspicious?"
	"Oh, just about as long as need be. I told 'em that I 
need to do a 'lengthy interrogation' of the prisoner."
	Katze snickered. Then her thoughts turned towards more 
serious thoughts. "I wonder why now? Why did they choose this 
moment in time to yank me off here? And what does Sid plan to 
do?"
	"I have no idea, and honestly I don't really care right 
now. Right now, we need to worry about getting the hell out of 
here."
	"Alright, alright. Oy, I hope Ari and company shows up 
soon."
	"They'll get here soon enough."
	Katze shook her head. "Easy enough for you to say, you're 
not the one sleeping on the stones."
	"Yeah, but you don't have to dance around the entire 
damned Marraketh Army all day long."
	Katze grinned at that and then looked at Mal's costume 
again. "Heh, I could say something about you being the perfect 
Lyran... but I'm trying to keep you on my side."
	Mal smiled. "The costume *is* striking, isn't it? It 
works pretty well, aside from being gray."
	"You had me going for a while if you didn't notice. 
Anyway, anything else we need to cover?"
	"Don't think so... oh, if you don't mind terribly, would 
you act like your soul has been crushed when you leave? Have to 
keep up appearances, dontchaknow."
	"Alrighty-o, not a problem.  Have fun with Siddy boy, see 
if you can break him for me."
	"Would you like small or large fragments?" There was a 
sparkle in Mal's eyes. "In any case, here we go." He put the mask 
back on, and Katze had to remind herself that this was Mal. He 
walked to the door and knocked on it.
	The guard opened the door, "Yes, sir?"
	"Remove the prisoner, and arrange a meeting with 
Harldcast instantly!"
 	Katze looked down at the table, and grabbed her book and 
the box. The guard nodded, scared of the Lyran. The guard 
hesitated.
	Mal looked up. "What are you waiting for? I said 
instantly!"
	The guard gulped and nodded. "Come along."
	Katze got up and followed him through the door. She was 
led down the twisty passageways back to the dungeon. As they 
entered the dungeon, the old man at the door looked at them. 
Katze took a glance at the old man and saw something that made 
her think. But she couldn't comment on it, not in front of the 
other guard.
	She was locked back in her cell, after having the book 
and the box confiscated by the guard. She listened as the younger 
guard talked to the older guard about the Lyran. Finally, the 
younger guard left, probably to tell Sid that the Lyran requested 
to see him. There was a few moments of silence and then the guard 
at the door came over to the cell.
	He handed Katze back her book and the box. "My name is is 
Remmick Merkin, I was a friend of your father. I somehow managed 
to convince the Master (the beast that he is) that I was on his 
side...and he gave me a position in his army. But I'm also one of 
the members of the Marrakethian underground. I knew your friend 
would show up eventually, just his choice of disguises was 
interesting...and good.
	"Anyway, I've got the door, and I'll let you know if 
another guard is coming so that you can hide those things, but 
otherwise, don't worry.  Oh yeah, and I put word through the 
underground that the sea is down."
	"The sea is down?"
	"Sorry, Marrakethian saying. Means the time is ready to 
act."
	"Ahh."
	"Anyway, when Mikje gets the word in a couple days, 
he'll call together the members of the Marrakethian Liberation 
Front and make the attack. You're the sign we've been waiting 
for."
	"Why?"
	"I cannot say, let us just say you will see."
	Katze shook her head. Too many mysteries.

	It was a rainy night in Marraketh as Ryan Harldcast stood 
on the top of the castle and looked out over the city of Rhye. He 
was getting drenched, and he was thinking.
	It had been two days since Katze had been forced to 
return to Marraketh. However she refused to cooperate with Sid, 
and was spending those days in the dungeon. But was Katze the 
stupid one, or was it him? That was part of the reason he was 
standing here in the rain, watching the city. He was on guard 
duty, waiting for the invaders that he knew must come. Didn't 
they realize how important Katze was? Didn't they realize? No, of 
course not. Sid refused to believe him, laughed at him.
	Ryan scowled into the rain. Sid tended to be very 
unafraid, almost cocky. Ryan had spoken up against the Lyran, 
fearing the worst, but Sid laughed at him. Couldn't Sid see the 
truth? The Jihaddi were familiar with Lyrans, they always willing 
to fight with the Master in the Earth dimension. But Lyrans 
didn't concern themselves with this dimension. But when he 
pointed that out to Sid...
	Ryan shook his head and thought about Katze. He had gone 
down to her cell after the Lyran had talked to her. She had only 
said one thing to him, "Josh, do you remember the poppies?"
	And Ryan had to admit that he had. Katze had asked him, 
"Did you mean it?" Then she wandered back to the corner of her 
cell and waved for him to go away. But it kept Ryan thinking. 
*Did you mean it?* echoed through his head, and he remembered his 
goof. You weren't supposed to pick poppies. He hadn't know this, 
and had made a beautiful bouquet out of poppy flowers. He came to 
Katze and said, "This is to remind you we'll be best friends 
forever!"
	This was before he had known the truth. But even when he 
had known the truth, he had been blessed with Katze's kindness. 
Katze had willingly helped him with his linguistics homework, 
done his laundry... and had even played chess with him, even 
though she really couldn't play the game very well. And how had 
he repayed her? He had tried to kill her. Katze had only been his 
best friend, and he had tried to kill her. Ryan knew. With 
friends like these, who needed enemies?
	Ryan began to daydream about going back to Earth, and 
just being Josh Schneider again. Finish up his studies at 
Berkeley, play more chess with his friends at Wall Berlin, and 
pray Katze would forgive him so that they could be friends again. 
That is, after he got a bit of business taken care of.
	Another man came out on the bulwark, and Ryan recognized 
him. "Hey, Remmick."
	Remmick looked up. "'Lo, Ryan."
	"How did you escape the Master?"
	"What do you mean? I serve in his army, don't I?"
	"Yes, but you're not one of those annoying brain-dead 
peons. How did you manage to escape?"
	Remmick deflated. "So you noticed. A little bit of 
cunning and a whole lot of luck. Now are you going to report me? 
I'm sure Sid would love to know."
	Ryan shrugged. "No. I owe it to Katze not to report you. 
I've treated my best friend like crap, and it's time I started to 
show her that I can be a real friend."
	"The lady Katze and I have had many discussions about 
you. It took me a while to realize it was you she was referring 
to. You were dammed lucky, and now I think you need to disobey 
Sid. Tyrene gave in too easy to the Master, but he knew it would 
happen. You must make sure that the lady Katze doesn't give in 
too easily."
	"This means that I should help the invaders."
	"I think so. Both the Jihaddi and the former Guard 
members. If you want to make it up to Katze, this is the only 
way."
	"You're right, Remmick. I do owe it to Katze." Ryan shook 
his head. "I'm not going to work my plan right now, but when the 
Jihaddi get into the city... Sid is going to be surprised. And 
that Lyran too."
	Remmick tried to keep from snickering, but failed. Ryan 
looked at him. Remmick finally gained enough composure. "Ryan, 
you guessed I'm not one of them brain-dead peons. I'm also a 
member of the Marraketh Underground... and I can tell you that 
Sid and you have both been hoodwinked."
	Ryan raised his eyebrow. "You mean, the Jihaddis are 
here?"
	"Not all of them, the rest will be here soon."
	"Okay, I will wait. Keep me informed, Remmick. And don't 
let anybody know what I'm planning. Not even Katze."
	Remmick nodded. "I won't, but I want a promise out of 
you in return. Don't tell anybody I'm in the underground."
	Josh grinned. "Why would I do that? I wanna see ol' Sid 
go down as bad as you do."

	Katze, meanwhile, was having a blast being the less than 
ideal prisoner. She sang at the top of her lungs, starting out 
with old camp songs, and soon gradually screaming Green Day at 
the top of her lungs. "Let's NUKE the bridge we've TORCHED two 
THOUSAND times before, this time we'll BLAST it all to HELL!"
	It was a lot of fun, annoying the spongie guard that had 
taken over for Remmick at the door. She knew Remmick couldn't 
stay on duty all the time, but it was a bit annoying having to 
deal with the spongie. So, she solved the problem in true Katze 
fashion, annoy the annoyance. The spongie couldn't understand 
English, but the next song she had planned was one hundred 
bottles of beer on the wall, and that would be annoying no 
matter what language it was sung in.
	And it was, the spongie went running and screaming about 
the point when Katze reached 61 bottles of beer on the wall. 
Katze snickered and then realized that there was nobody guarding 
her. She eyed the table where her green duffel bag was still 
sitting.  But when she tried to hop out of the cell, she found 
something holding her back.
	"Darn," she muttered, discovering the way Marrakethians 
were able to keep their lawbreakers in prison. She looked at the 
lock in mourning for a while, before hearing footsteps on the 
stairs. She looked to see Remmick entering the dungeon, sopping 
wet. "Where'd you go?"
	"Out. Ran into Ryan as well."
	"Oh..."
	"You don't sound too thrilled about that."
	"I think Josh forgot the meaning of the word friendship."
	Remmick shook his head. "I think he hasn't completely. 
But I can't tell any more, Katze. Now where did the other guard 
go?"
	"I scared him away. One hundred bottles of beer will do 
that."
	"Explain?"
	"Most annoying song I've ever ran into in two universes."
	Remmick laughed. "I thought I heard them all."
	Katze shrugged. Remmick continued. "Anyway, I'm resuming 
my post at the door. Go ahead and read a while, I know you find 
that book interesting."
	"Interesting isn't the word for it."
	Remmick grinned. "That's the best thing I did for your 
father, was to give him that book. And it turns out it's the best 
thing I did for you too."
	Katze took the book out and curled into the far corner. 
"At least it's something to do."
	She then opened the book up to where she last let off.

	"The call came in on a mid-Sunday afternoon. Rioters were 
storming the main library at the Rhye University. We had reports 
that they were led by that strange purple beast.
	"Although I was at the castle, Thalin Shalinkurk called 
me.  He said that everybody was needed to defend and save some of 
the priceless manuscripts. Most of the regular Marrakethian Army 
was out on the frontiers of the nation, defending against an army 
that we later discovered was a hoax cooked up by Sid and the 
Master to gain control of Marraketh quicker, but that is not the 
matter that we find ourselves discussing.
	"I left the castle and ran to Rhye University. What I saw 
there sickened me. There were men and women, but it was primarily 
children that were tearing pages out of books and sticking them 
on the bonfire. It was the children whom the Master corrupted 
first. As I ran through the crowds, I thought of my little one, 
so recently born.
	"I soon found Thalin and Remmick. Thalin was noticibly[ 
panicking as he shouted out pleas for help over the thought 
spectrum. Remmick was much calmer, and he told me why Thalin 
was panicking. Mikje was nowhere to be found.
	"I noted that somebody should give orders if we were 
going to salvage any of the priceless books. Remmick nodded, and 
motioned to Thalin, who was the second in charge. Thalin scowled 
at Remmick, and shook his head. That meant we must wait for 
Mikje, although nobody could find him.
	"Just then Grahm Varkurk came running up to the command 
post. 'They've broken past the security lines," he panted, 
notably out of breath. "The Master just said to ignore the 
Guards, and just started singing this little ditty about working 
with others... they knocked down and trampled a couple of the 
Guards before I could order a retreat.'
	"I looked at Remmick. He nodded in his sage way as he 
realized Thalin refused to give orders. He then said quietly to 
Grahm. 'Mobilize the rest of the Guard and tell them to haul as 
many books as they can without endangering their safety. We'll 
store them in the guardhouse until we can get them to Chi-Lin. 
They'll be safe there.'
	I asked Remmick about our relations with the Chi-Lin 
people, after all we hadn't been very friendly. His response: 
'Mikje's got friends there, and they hate the Master even worse 
than we do. Now let us get in there and salvage some books from 
the rioters.'
	"Thalin didn't even notice that we had disappeared, he 
was too busy trying to calm the rioters.  We reappeared in the 
main vault that held most of Marrakethian history and census 
reports. Remmick started grabbing boxes of papers and handing 
them off to other Guards.
	"We had gotten most of the main vault, the priceless 
stuff cleared, when Mikje showed up, followed by a thoroughly 
chastised Thalin. I noticed that Thalin was no longer wearing his 
second in command pins, and I soon found out why.
	Mikje stopped Remmick, talked to him in low tones, and 
pinned the second in command pins to his collar.  
	"The Guard managed to save all of the Main Vault, the 
priceless records of Marraketh that could not be replaced. But 
the other books will be hard to come by if Marraketh ever has a 
chance to rebuild. This is what the Master does, destroys 
libraries for the explicit purpose of keeping his subjects in the 
dark.
	"Mikje made arrangements with his contacts in Chi-Lin, 
and the Marrakethian documents are now stored in a room in 
Chi-Lin's main library. I hope that someday they will come back 
to Marraketh. However, during my captivity, in the few chances I 
got to talk to Remmick, I found out that Thalin would have stayed 
behind if he had stayed second in command. But because of 
Remmick's quick actions, he was the one forced to stay behind. 
Thalin the coward won again."
	Katze closed the book. That was something she had not 
expected. The destruction of a library was horrible. Books 
provided a connection to the past, and when they were 
destroyed... "Whoever controls the present controls the past, and 
whoever controls the past controls the future."
	She put her father's journal back in its hiding place 
and lay back down upon the stones of the dungeon. Suddenly, she 
heard keys in the lock. She looked up to see Remmick Merkin, the 
hero of the day in the defense of the library, carrying a cot. 
"Here, it's a bit more comfortable than the stones. I told Sid 
it would be easier to convert you if you slept comfortably. 
Although we know the truth." He winked as Katze got up off the 
floor. "I still have to serve you carrots for dinner though."
	Katze shrugged. "I can deal with that..."
	Remmick nodded. "Back to guard duty." He left the cell, 
and locked the door behind him. Katze shook her head. If it 
wasn't for Remmick, and the hope she'd gained by seeing Mal, who 
knows what kind of state she'd be in? She shrugged off all her 
worries, as she went to sleep--for the first time in days, 
comfortably.

To be continued in "Remembrance"