"The queen is dead by the hands of treachery." sobbed Count Greel. "Brutally murdered after being defiled in her chamber."
     There was a hush on the battlements to the news, as the men each felt the sickening churning of the impact of realization.
     "Who did this foul thing?" asked Baron Redal.
     "Traitors and a contingent of Lord Brule's men. The traitors opened the escape route to them."
     "And what is their fate?"
     "We believe that we have put the traitors all to the sword, but it is too late." The Count broke into uncontrolled grieving. "Damn Brule. He sits out there with his forces of darkness like a jackal, laughing at us, in no hurry to take us. Why doesn't he just attack in force?"
     "He wishes to soften our resolve, bit by bit. It seems that he does a magnificent job. How stands the princess?"
     "She is unharmed, but in shock. She's in no shape to assume the throne. She's given General Haun full power of discretion."
     "I hope the General doesn't attempt an attack on Lord Brule. That is what the foul demon wishes for us to do. Our beloved queen kept him from a foray, which was wise. He outnumbers us too greatly for a tactic like that to work. It would only thin our numbers in defense. He must be advised not to carry out such a plan. I must go speak to him. Count, would you stand in while I gather a council?"
     The Count nodded, and the Baron left the escarpment.

     The meeting included the General, his staff, and most of the court. The princess could not be persuaded to attend. The proceedings had turned to hot tempers.
     "General, don't you see that Brule wishes us to attack him? Such a move would allow for his forces to reduce ours to less than is needed to defend the castle. What good would we achieve, other than to relieve the tensions of those that go out to face him before they die?"
     "The attack would be directed at killing Brule himself."
     "Do you know where he would be during attack? He has been seen moving about so much."
     "Feldsgur would locate him."
     "The wizard has proved ineffective when Brule is of a mind to oppose him with his foul wizards. At the first sign of attack, his first move would be to block Feldsgur's powers and move elsewhere. He'd make us believe that he were elsewhere, and send our men right into an ambush. Such an attempt would be utter folly."
     "Baron, do you propose to sit here and let that monster drain our spirit to resist?"
     "Better than lose our will with most of our troops dying."
     "How would you propose to defeat him? Wait for him to tire of waiting and move on?"
     "General, we will need every man available to defend the walls when he attacks."
     "I asked you if you had a plan."
     "I have a plan." came a voice from the rear of the room. The meeting hushed at the interruption. All eyes turned to the direction of the voice as swords were partially drawn.
     "And whom might you be?" asked the General.
     "Uh, I am called Ben Woodson."
     "What be your rank and affiliation?"
     "Well, a bit hard to explain, actually. I am not from these parts."
     "Be you of Lord Brule's contingent?"
     "No. I came here to prevent him from waging his campaign any further than here."
     "Are you his sworn enemy?"
     "Not in the way you infer, General Haun. But I have come a long way to see him dispatched and his troops scattered."
     "You can do this by yourself?"
     "If given safe ground from which to act, such as here in the castle."
     "Then you are a wizard."
     "Not exactly. But I do have command of tools beyond your limited comprehension. I would guess that they would seem to be magic to you."
     "Where do you hail from?"
     "I don't think that you would understand."
     "Speak."
     "I come from a different continuum. A different plane of existence."
     "You are a demon?" The assembly shied back away from him.
     "No. I am no demon. I am a man, nothing more. But I am a man of knowledge that this world does not possess."
     "How would you defeat Lord Brule?"
     "With advanced weapons."
     A page ran into the room. "Excuse me, my General, but I bring a message from the walls. Lord Brule has his troops stirring. It could mean that they intend a mass assault."
     "Let us go look. Stranger, stay here. Guards, watch him."
     "Please, General, may I go along? I would like to see his forces first hand. I promise no trouble."
     "As well be where you can be seen. Guard, bring him along."

     Upon the battlements, the group looked over the actions on the plain below. Lord Brule's forces were preparing for action. The mass was being gathered in groups.
     Ben was last to arrive, and when he reached the top of the walls for his first look at the forces outside, there occurred a change in the behavior below. Action stopped, and all eyes turned to the castle.
     Ben paid little attention, not having seen the action before his appearance. He pulled out a set of binoculars and began to scan the forces below. The court members and the military leaders turned to see Ben taking account.
     "What is that?" asked the General.
     "An optical devise. Magnifies the image."
     "You make Lord Brule even greater?"
     Ben chuckled before he was grabbed. "No. I am merely looking at his forces. All this does is help me see better than I can with just my eyes. It makes what I see seem closer."
     "Hand them to me. Are they dangerous?"
     "Not at all." Ben reluctantly offered the binoculars to the general. "I'd like them back so that I may finish my assessment of his forces."
     The guard took them from him and handed them to the general. The general looked at them, puzzled at what he needed to do.
     "Just look through the two small ends. One for each eye. If the image is blurred, then there are ways to correct it."
     The general placed the eyepieces to his eyes. "It hurts my eyes." The guards got a rougher grip on Ben.
     "Allow me to assist."
     "Do you do this to bewitch me?"
     "No. It is a machine, and every person has slightly different vision. It just needs to be set properly for you."
     "These will not lie to me, will they?"
     "No. It only shows what is there, just larger."
     "Release him."
     The guards let loose of Ben, and Ben took the glasses. He set the focus on a red tent in the distance. He then had the general hold still while he set the angle to measure the gap between the general's eyes.
     "Now here is a ring. See how it moves. Look at the red tent and turn it slowly until the image is clear. I have it set for the red tent, there."
     The general took the binoculars and made the adjustment. "Amazing. Like it was very close." He removed them to assure himself that the tent was still in the distance. He continued looking until he saw Lord Brule standing on the plain below. He started cursing the leader.
     "You've spotted Brule? Please allow me to look at him."
     The general returned the binoculars to Ben. He readjusted them for himself and looked where the general pointed.
     "What is he wearing?"
     "He is dressed in black, like the evil he is."
     Ben spotted Lord Brule. "Yes, that is him."
     The battlement exploded twenty yards to the left. Those in the party scrambled down the ramp. Guards took Ben by the arms and led him off the wall.
     "You know Lord Brule?"
     "I had met him before on several occasions. But that was before he became Lord Brule. I encountered him under a different name. What was that blast?"
     "His wizards."
     "Do they do that often?"
     "It is the first time that they had attacked the castle with their powers. Thus far, they had held off."
     "I see. Would you excuse me for a while? I shall return with the needed weapons." Ben touched a button on a pendant he wore. Half a minute later, avoiding answering the questions that came his way, he vanished.

     "No, sir. Consider the ID positive. It was Bruder. He goes under the name of Brule. Lord Brule to those that fear him, which is virtually everyone in the land that has heard of him."
     "What of the items that disappeared with him?"
     "He has weapons. And he has detection. I was attacked when I went up on the wall. The defenders stated that they had never done that. In fact, it seems that they were playing a waiting game with the castle, until I showed up. I wouldn't be surprised if the castle were under heavy attack in my absence. He knows that I was there. He knew the moment that I arrived. His troops had already begun preparing for an assault by the time I could view the area."
     "What is your suggestion?"
     "Sniper rifle, high velocity anti-personnel armor piercing rounds. Add to that a field disrupter to nullify the weapons he smuggled there."
     "How would you get back? That would nullify your tracer."
     "Send another after me with a visual beacon. Put it in a tamper-proof container."
     "You feel that he will still be there when you return?"
     "Yes. My feelings would be that he would think me dead. Auto-return on vital signs cessation. Returned dead from wounds on a primitive world. That's the way I would have read it. My ears are still ringing."
     "All right. Get with it. You have full priority."
     "Thank you, sir."

     Ben arrived back at the castle, but it was not in the same condition as when he left. The room to which he returned was half there, and debris was scattered all about. The only occupants were dead. He set down the case he held. He opened the lid and flipped a switch. The sound of fighting that he had heard continued, but he knew that if enough of the castle's original occupants still lived, there would be a change. He slipped on the helmet and went out in the hall, leaving the case to self destruct.
     The first person he met laughed at him and extended his arm in Ben's direction. Nothing happened, and the man ceased laughing, puzzled that Ben still existed. Ben pulled out a pistol and fired. The man's puzzlement ended, along with the rest of his mind. Ben started to wonder if he would be able to find Lord Brule.
     From around the corner came four men, followed by a group of women. The sound of fighting followed them. The four men challenged him with their swords.
     "I have no qualm with you. I seek Lord Brule to end his cruel reign."
     "How do we know that?"
     "I am obviously not one of you, and I do not dress like Lord Brule's men. Isn't that clue enough. Add to it that you'd be dead by now if I wanted you dead. Do you know where he is?"
     "Behind us. He wishes to capture the princess."
     The group trailing the men were pushed back toward him. "Then pass. I just came from that room, and it was empty. I'd advise getting the princess to safety there. I will deal with her pursuers."
     "How can ye stand against Brule's wizards that proceed him?"
     "His wizards have been stripped of their powers. Oh, reminds me. In that room is a devise that will start burning. Do not fear its burning, but keep your distance. A man's height, at least. Go, get her to safety. You delay."
     The men guided the women by Ben. The princess eyed him the entire time she was hurried past. One of the men stayed behind. Men began to retreat around the corner, ineffectively backing their comrades engaging the enemy before them. The man that stayed behind waved them past Ben. Ben clicked off the safety on the pistol and waited, the muzzle pointing in the air, held ready to drop and fire. The sounds of swords clashing grew louder. Ben glanced around behind him during a pause in the emerging of men to see the princess. She was remaining at the door, shooing off those that would pull her to a safer location.
     "Get the princess away from the door." he said. A couple of the men at his rear broke off and went to her to get her out of sight. "I hope none of you think about running me through. You'd cheat yourselves at seeing Lord Brule vanquished."
     A man fell around the corner, a gaping wound across his belly. He turned in agony, then stopped moving. The first of Brule's men turned the corner, smiling from bloodlust. Ben pulled the trigger. Another took his place, a sense of wonder showing, interrupting the smile he wore. He followed the first one to the floor, dead before he hit. Three dashed around the corner at one. Three shots brought them to the same fate. "Halt!" echoed deeply from around the corner.
     Ben holstered the heavy automatic pistol. He released the scope on the rifle. It came away in his hand. He slipped it into a matching pouch, then unslung the rifle. His elbow pressured the strap as his forearm wrapped around it. The butt came up to his shoulder. Ben flicked the dual safeties. Footsteps came from around the corner. "Who is the idiot that thinks that he can use my weapons against me?" Bruder came into view.
     "The name Ben Woodson ring a bell?"
     "Ben? So that was you on the wall earlier. I was wondering where you've been."
     "Been away, Bruder. Go ahead. Activate it. Nothing will happen. I set off a field disrupter. But don't run. You'd be dead before you got first footfall down. You've grown very sloppy. Call your men back. Have them cease hostilities and evacuate the castle. Now, but don't move. Just your head."
     "So you are stuck here."
     "Call them off, Ben."
     "What is it off your back, Woodson?"
     "I just don't care for unneeded violence. Call them off."
     Bruder turned his head and called for his men to retreat beyond the castle walls. He claimed to be taking care of the rest by himself. He promised punishment for any that disobeyed. A flash of light came from the room with the field disrupter, and there was a chorus of shrieks.
     "One of you men tell them that there is nothing to worry about. Their screaming might draw some of Brule's men who haven't yet been given the order to evacuate."
     "Cautious man."
     "Don't forget it, Bruder. I want an answer. Do you wish to return to face your peers, or do you wish to die here?"
     "My peers? Surely you joke."
     "Cut the semantic wriggling. It makes me squeeze the trigger tighter."
     "All right, all right."
     "Like I said, this world has made you sloppy. No competition makes a man grow inaccurate in all phases. I hope you realize that I have the edge on you in all aspects."
     The man sent to quieten the room returned with a flashing plastic cube. "Sire, is this yours?"
     From the rhythmic pulse of light on Bruder's face, Ben identified the beacon. "Bring it here before Lord Brule. Do not walk between us. Off to the side will do fine." The cube was placed on the floor, and the man retreated. "Pick it up and activate it. If you don't, you die."
     "Send me home for trial?"
     "Name of the game."
     "Kangaroo court."
     "Only because you were very sloppy with evidence. Make up your mind in five seconds."
     Bruder made a challenging gesture to Ben, but in four seconds, he was moving toward the cube. When he opened it, the flashing stopped. He eyed the devise.
     "Just remember that the receiving chamber has a palmprint lock on the door. They have your pattern. Good-bye, Bruder."
     Bruder hit the button and sighed. "You think you won, huh?"
     "I did my job. Nothing more."
     "I had you pegged differently, Woodson."
     "You're a sloppy amateur. That's why you never fit in. That's why you flunked out. You just couldn't stand not making the grade. That's all that counts with you, making the grade. That's why you never made it. You lack dedication. Your only commitments are to yourself, and you go where it's easy to fulfill them. I don't pity you."
     Bruder vanished. A cheer went up behind him, and he nearly fired the rifle, his nerves still highly strung. He breathed a deep sigh. He switched on the safties and slung the rifle. He turned around.
     "You'd best to gather the survivors and make an area secure for the princess. There is still Bruder's army, and all may have not received the order. Go."
     The men scattered, some going to the room containing the princess to relay what had occurred in the hall. Ben pulled out his pistol and stood guard.

     Ben returned to the battlement to survey the army below. They stood idle, waiting, distracting themselves with games, conversation, arguments, and occasionally violence.
     "What do you think they will do?"
     He turned around to see Baron Redal. "Hard to predict. They were ordered to retreat and wait. They are waiting. It is hard to tell when they will get tired of waiting. It depends much on which contingent gets restless first."
     "What will their wizards do?"
     "Their wizards are no longer more powerful than an ordinary man. Their power came from Brule. His power was not magic. His power was science and technology. The construction of devices using science as a basis. Our culture is advanced beyond your imagination, Baron. That is why you perceive it as magic. I used the same laws of science and nullified his devices. His weapons had a weakness in their design. It was in the source of power from which the machines operated. I ruined those sources with a device designed to do exactly that."
     "Sounds like magic to me."
     "No, Baron. It is not magic. It is the result of war. In war, the result is determined by advantage. Weapons are designed with advantage in mind. One side improves its weapons. For the opponent to survive, it must discover a better weapon or find a way to neutralize the weapon. This continues throughout the ages, and you get weapons such as Brule gave his so-called wizards. They were far above what you could find to equalize the situation. I simply brought a devise that neutralized the weapons. Their wizards are no longer a threat."
     "You brought this to save us?"
     "I brought it to insure my advantage over Brule. I brought weapons that were not as powerful as his, but lacking the same weakness as his. Thus when his were ruined, mine remained effective. Thus I gained the advantage. But I did it primarily to capture Brule so that he might face justice on my world. I did not do it with your interest as a priority, be it may that you benefited from my actions."
     "Is your honesty typical of your world?"
     "Or are we more like Brule? Our world is a place where it is hard to call anything typical. Our culture is immensely more varied than yours. Our people are freed of the labor your people face. We have more time to follow our own interest. Thus we share less in common. Brule was certainly not of the honesty that you grant me."
     "It would seem a difficult place."
     "Depends on the need of the person. Some people are easily satisfied and some are not."
     "You are saying that trouble is related to desire?"
     "In my world. We have set rules that people are to follow. These rules are kept reasonable by the system that gives the people the chance to challenge the rules. This process is slow. Rules change to conditions as they change. If a person follows these rules, then the odds are good that that person will not face trouble. No guarantee, but the odds are in the person's favor. For the most part, the rules remain constant. Here, they are subject to the attitude of the ruler. Excuse me. I see a group getting impatient. And they don't appear to the ones desiring to leave."
     Ben raised his rifle and shot the man he concluded to be the leader. Those gathered around him stood confused.
     "Better get a group ready to meet them, Baron. I'm not sure that did the trick."
     "If you will excuse me." he replied.
     Ben moved and sat atop the battlement and watched. When the group restructured itself and started to move again, Ben shot again the man that did the motivating. A third one took his place, and Ben shot him as well. The group disbanded after that, no one willing to spur them further. He watched for another ten minutes, looking for signs of unrest. He stopped when he felt a presence behind him. He turned around. "Your Majesty, we meet again." He bowed his head to the princess.
     "Are you of royal blood?"
     "No. There is no royalty where I call home. All people are equal under law."
     "Who then rules in your home?"
     "Consensus."
     "Sounds a strange place."
     "It is not like this world."
     "What can be done about the army?"
     "Who could be sure what would work until it is tried?"
     "Do you have any ideas?"
     "Limited at the moment. I do not have the weapons to be totally convincing at this time. Were I able to retrieve such weapons, then I would be able to turn them away easily. But until I receive a return tracer, I am unable to return."
     "What does this thing look like?"
     "A flashing light in a small box."
     The princess addressed a maiden below. She replied by making herself present, bearing an ornate metal box. She halted and opened it to reveal the beacon at the princess's gesture.
     "This is what you need to return home?"
     "Yes."
     "You would use it to return here with weapons to scatter the army?"
     "If granted permission. Under our rules, our people are not allowed to intervene in other continuums. Here, the intervention has already occurred. It would be a matter for decision. It is possible that I could get weapons. It is also possible that I might not be able to get them."
     "Would you have a better chance of stopping them by staying here?"
     "I do not know."
     "Can you make yourself heard to the army below?"
     "To the closer ones, perhaps."
     "Tell them that Lord Brule is dead."
     "You accept responsibility?"
     "Did I not give the order?"
     "Very well. May I do this in the way of my choosing?"
     "Yes."
     Ben turned to face out over the army. He looked below his position and heard troops arguing. He sighted his rifle and fired into the crowd, hitting no one purposefully.
     "Hey, blubber brain, what are you doing hanging around?"
     A man among the group replied. "We await your death, tongue-wagger."
     "That will be a long wait."
     "Not when Lord Brule finishes with the others and finds his way to you, dimwit."
     "Your precious Lord Brule is no longer of this world, oh ignorant one. You wait for nothing."
     "Your jokes do not amuse me. Your death will."
     "I jest not."
     "I supposed you witnessed this."
     "I not only witnessed it, I did it."
     "You, defeating Lord Brule?" The man laughed. Ben shot him. The laughter stopped in shock.
     "Anybody else in the mood to crack jokes? Good. Now get this army away from here before I decide to destroy it to the last man."
     "Are you a wizard?"
     "Wizard? Ha! You take me to be so weak? I am the one who defeated your Lord Brule, the teacher of your wizards. I am the one that drained your wizards of their power."
     "You lie."
     "No. I do not lie. If you do not believe me, call upon your wizards to kill me, if you can find one that hasn't already fled. I will sit and wait their attempts. Then I will kill them for their impudence. Then I will start killing the rest of you, like that idiot at your feet."
     There was a discussion and several men departed. They searched about for a wizard. In ten minutes time, they found none. Ben scanned the army during the wait, seeing if any trouble spots were to occur. He shot two men. When the searchers returned minus wizards, a discussion ensued. It ended with the group retreating from the wall. Ben watched their progress. The men spoke to others. Ben watched the word spread. Word reached the officers, and several approached the wall. One spoke up to Ben.
     "I have heard that you claimed to have killed Lord Brule."
     "No. I did not kill him. I banished him to a world where he will be punished for his actions. He chose that over the death I would have given him, had he refused. He opted to live and face trial."
     "You call him a coward?"
     "I call him a misguided opportunist. I merely state that he preferred surrender to death. How you interpret that is your choice."
     "You claim to be more powerful than Lord Brule?"
     "I stripped him of his powers, along with his wizards. It was quite simple to do. Too easy."
     "How did you do this?"
     "You wouldn't understand. Such concepts are not within the knowledge you possess. I destroyed his source of power."
     "Then you destroyed your own source of power."
     "Not at all." Ben raised the rifle to his shoulder and shot the man next to the speaker.
     "He was only one man. Lord Brule could kill many."
     "I choose to kill as few as need be to protect the castle. I will kill all those that try to enter it. I will kill all those that do not retreat from this kingdom. But I give time for the retreat. I am not Lord Brule, who finds festivity in killing. I kill to defend the innocent. I do not kill for sport. That is why he was sent to face trial. And unless you wish to face my judgment, you'd best get this army far away from this kingdom."
     "And if we refuse?"
     Ben shot him. "Any further questions?"
     The remaining officers dispersed. They conferred with other officers in the army below. Within half an hour, the forces began to disperse. Ben had to shoot another twenty men that didn't agree with the withdrawal and led forces toward the castle. As the number of the forces dwindled on the plain below, so did the number that felt they had an obligation to avenge the loss of Lord Brule. Within an hour, all the troops had cleared the fields below the castle.
     Ben refused to join in with the rejoicing until the last man in Bruder's legion vanished beyond the horizon. The princess had remained on the battlements until the troops began retreating in mass. She was then escorted away to attend to the victory celebration. The tracer, which Ben had not been given, had vanished with her.
     Baron Redal arrived on the battlement in the last few minutes of his watch. He remained silent until Ben recognized his presence.
     "To you, our champion." The baron handed him a mug of the local brew.
     "I had best pass. I am not accustomed to your foods. I fear it might cause me distress. I do not wish to give offense."
     "You? Offend?" The baron laughed. "That would be hard to do in light of your accomplishments today. I have been sent to fetch you to the coronation of the new queen."
     "I take it that she has plans for me?"
     "That you will have to ask her."
     "Hard to do in the middle of a ceremony.
     "Precisely."
     "I hope she does not put me into such a position. I would hate to disappoint her."
     "I'm quite sure that you would do what is right."
     "But Baron, I would disappoint her."
     "Perhaps we should allow you a moment with the princess."
     "Now you are thinking intelligently."
     They hurried and beat the start of the ceremony. "Your Majesty, the stranger, Ben Woodson." He bowed, eyes shut, then backed out.
     "Is there a problem so grave you interrupt my preparation?"
     "I do not wish you to embarrass yourself during your first moments as queen. I do not want you to make plans for me that I can not uphold."
     "What makes you think that I have plans for you?"
     "The manner in which the Baron spoke."
     "Is there some reason that I may not rule over you while you are in my domain?"
     "Yes. It is the very same reason that Brule was dispatched from this world. I am under a non-intervention edict. It is possible that I will be punished for my role in scattering Brule's army. I may have a defense and therefore escape punishment, but without council's permission, what I did was in violation of our code. To further violate it would destroy any defense I may have for such an act."
     "I am not allowed to honor you?"
     "You may, but you must not command me to accept a position which holds power. I can only accept honor. I can not accept office."
     "There is talk that you should become our king. The people will be hard to dissuade. What would happen if you were enthroned?"
     "Then a man would come for me as I came for Brule. I would be as guilty as he in our people's eyes."
     "You come from a strange place. Honor is the only reward you are allowed? Beside your insolence?"
     "Have I offended you?"
     "We have a saying on our world that only a cat may look upon a queen. You do not divert your eyes. You stare boldly."
     Ben diverted his gaze.
     "But then you are something of a cat. If that is the true reward you may accept, then look to your pleasure."
     "I mean no offense."
     "Neither does the cat. It comes naturally, since the cat knows no royalty beyond itself. Very well. My first act will be to bestow free knighthood upon you. It is an honor, though it falls well short of what I feel you deserve. It carries no true authority without my command, though the prestige will mollify my people. Is that acceptable?"
     "I believe I could accept the honor without grave trouble."
     "You wish to have your cube back?"
     "It would be convenient, though another would be sent were that one denied to me. Then another. Then an investigator to uncover the reason that I have not returned."
     "Very well." She turned to a closet and removed the tracer from the metal box. She handed it to him. He opened the beacon, causing it to cease flashing, and placed the contained locket around his neck.
     "With your permission, I take my leave to prepare for your coronation. Your Majesty."
     "From you, that title seems insignificant."
     "No insult intended."
     "I understand. I was just inferring that you are the cat, who is above recognizing royalty with its proper measure of respect. Would you do me a favor to restore the faith you have taken from my title?"
     "Be it in my power."
     "Come kneel before me."
     Ben approached her with eyes down. He knelt. She sent her servants away, then raised his head with pressure to his chin and kissed him.

     "You have requested in your written report that you be allowed to return to your assignment to help negate the intervention that Bruder created in his stay there. That assignment is usually held for special teams. What reason do you deem advantageous in your being set there, rather than going through our standard channels?"
     "The world is one of aristocratic rule. I am known and favored by such royalty, as the one that defeated Bruder. I was bestowed knighthood, as the least honor they would consider allowing me."
     "And what was the preferred honor?"
     "They wanted to make me king. I could not accept, naturally."
     "Seems they do favor you." The panel chuckled. "Okay, Ben. If the queen was that impressed, and let you get away as only a knight, it shows that you have the feel of the people there. What equipment will you need?"
     "Bruder's army was scattered, but they will not be happy until they get revenge for the dishonor. I will need the full covert package. Transportation, hypnotic inducers, special effects. Bruder got them to fully believing in wizards. Best I become one. After all, I defeated the only master wizard they have known. It is only expected that I be of greater powers, with the proven restraint I displayed while there."
     "You are sticking your neck out for infractions."
     "Understood. I shall walk the fine line."
     "Very well. What name will you be using, so that we may contact you when needed?"
     Ben took no time in considering. "Sire Ben, the Cat."