Tirion returned to his room and sat down before the comm unit, trying to remember exactly what frequencies and numbers and other extraneous doodads he was going to have to enter to actually successfully contact his home. Luckily, this world was not as distant from Ursan as some — if he had been on a planet like Arus, such a thing would have been nearly impossible considering Ursan's current level of technology.

Assuming the unit worked at all, of course. Every room had one, but, considering the rest of his accommodations, the prince wouldn't have been surprised to open it up and find it powered by gerbils. Still, there was no sense in wondering when he could easily just press a button and find out.

Apprehensively, he pushed the button that would turn the comm unit on and waited. When there was no squeaking of gerbil wheels and the screen lit up quite normally, he relaxed and set about placing a mother of a collect call.

The face that finally appeared was a familiar one, despite the static-blurred and otherwise poor reception. Enam was one of the original settlers on Ursan, one of the small group who had remained faithful to the crown Lotor now wore. On Doom, he had been in charge of the huge and extensive collection of files and records that were kept on other planets, people, and technology. He had since retained that position, but with only what files they had successfully retrieved from the otherwise destroyed database as his charge.

The old Drule looked at first surprised and then distressed to see the prince, obviously thinking something was going wrong. Tirion quickly reassured him that all was well, choosing not to go into an explanation of the current circumstances. Really, he was quite happy that Enam had been the one to answer, for he was just the man the prince wanted to talk to.

It seemed obvious to Tirion that to find the culprit in this case, one had only to look at the people in attendance of the Assembly. Common thieves did not steal papers. They were of no use to them. Unless they had someone to sell them to. In which case, it still wasn't the thief who was the problem...it was the person he was working for. And who would he be working for? In a palace full of diplomats and ambassadors from planets that were always on the verge of destroying one another?

Anyone.

"Could you do me a favor?" he asked after a greeting.

"Always, your highness."

Tirion shuffled through his papers until he found the one that had the names of all the attending dignitaries and laid it out on the consol. "Good. Then, see what information you can find on these men." He read out the names. "Anything you find will serve, though I'd like to have as much as I can on them."

Enam nodded, tapping the names into the small computer he had salvaged some years ago. "I'll begin looking right away." His fingers pausing above the keypad, he glanced up at the prince's image and squinted an eye thoughtfully. "With all due respect, highness, may I ask why you need these?"

"Of course you may." Tirion answered in a brisk tone, but a slight smile crossed his lips. "I'm just doing a little research. That's all."

Later that evening as Tirion was reading over the first of the records he had received, there was an obviously businesslike knock at the door. With a sigh, he turned off the computer screen and went to see who it could possibly be. Outside in the hallway stood a very serious looking officer and two guards who didn't appear to have come for a social call.

"Prince Tirion, please come with us." the officer said stiffly.

Tirion frowned. "Why?"

"It is in concern to the incidents of the past few days. Please. Follow me."

This had better not be what I think it is, the prince thought to himself as he followed the officer and the guards off down the hall.

To his chagrin, the prince's suspicions about why he had been summoned were proven quite true.

Currently, he sat across from three men who were doing their best impersonations of Good Cop, Bad Cop, and Unnoticeable Wall Fixture. The first, Minitan, was smiling in a friendly manner, his hands folded in his lap and his legs casually crossed as if involved in some fireside chat and not an investigation. Next to him sat the glowering Andros who was eyeing Tirion like a rangy vulture, obviously hungry to catch the prince for something...anything. Which left Seres Esk as the somewhat superfluous member, standing in the corner and remaining silent, only watching the proceedings.

'What a curious investigative team,' Tirion thought to himself. It was obvious why Esk was there - he rather had to be. But the other two...there didn't appear to be much sense in it. Perhaps Minitan counted as an elder and so had some right in being present? And why Andros? That the man would want to be involved was no surprise, but that didn't mean it gave him a good reason. His position as a Galaxy Garrison officer then - maybe he volunteered his services.

The prince snorted inwardly. His services indeed. The man's beady little eyes were gleaming with an unhealthy avarice and excitement. His very body language - smug and self-satisfied - seemed to suggest that he knew something he was quite happy to have learned. Tirion didn't know what that was, but he was fairly sure that it was not in his best interests. He was also fairly sure he would discover what it was soon enough.

He did not have long to wait.

After an uncomfortable moment when everyone was waiting for everyone else to say something, Minitan finally leaned forward and spoke. "I'm so sorry to have to address such an...unpleasant subject, especially with a young man such as yourself. However, I'm afraid there are times when we must do things we don't like. Now, it seems that..."

"We know it was you." Andros interrupted, leaning forward in his chair and smiling with malignant glee. "And we have proof."

Tirion raised his eyebrows questioningly. Oh, really...

With a sigh, Minitan continued, "Something was found in one of the rooms from which papers have disappeared." He shot a brief glance over at Andros. "Though not exactly damning evidence...for lack of a better word...it does, however, raise some questions. Which is why we asked you here."

"I'll do whatever needs to be done," the prince said quietly. His voice changed, turning almost wry in its tone, though his expression was less than humored. "As for this 'evidence'...please...let me guess. It was a single strand of hair. White, straight, and too long to belong to anyone but me."

All three men blinked, obviously surprised. Tirion blinked himself. He was right? He'd thought he was just being sarcastic.

Andros recovered first, scowling darkly since his thunder had (rather unwittingly) been stolen. "Bet you're regretting that girlie hairdo now, aren't you? Maybe you'd better take it into account the next time you decide to steal something."

Minitan looked askance again with obvious disapproval. He returned his gaze to Tirion, his eyes sympathetic. "No rush conclusions are going to be made here. As I said before, a bit of hair is hardly a bloody knife now, is it? This sort of thing gets around...it could have caught on clothing, been carried by a draft, or any number of completely innocent explanations. So, perhaps we should establish your whereabouts the night those particular papers were stolen. Then maybe we can rule out some of the more...nefarious theories."

Andros snorted but remained silent.

Tirion considered. A truthful answer would do nothing for his case but there was little else to say. "That night, as with the others, I was most likely in my room alone for most of the evening."

"Oh, how convenient," Andros drawled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Leaning forward earnestly, Minitan asked, "You didn't talk to anyone? No one could verify that you were there? No one at all?"

The prince shook his head. "No. No one. For some strange reason, people seem to be..." his eyes met Andros' briefly, "...unwilling to socialize with me."

Minitan fingered his graying mustache. "This makes things...difficult. I have no doubt that you speak the truth, but I'm afraid others will not be so willing to believe it. This matter will need more looking into. Perhaps more evidence will come to light and this whole messy business can be put behind us." He gave a small smile. "Or perhaps all of the missing papers will appear and everything will just turn out right as rain, eh?"

Tirion smiled politely, deciding to refrain from comment.

Andros, however, was below such restraint. "Give me a break! We have all the evidence we need! No one can prove the little prince here was in his room for this and probably all of the thefts. Not only that but we have proof of his presence at one of the crime scenes. What more do you want, Minitan? A autographed photograph of him and the stolen property?"

"That would certainly help, yes." Minitan answered dryly. "But, baring that or any other blatant evidence, I am still unwilling to accuse anyone...especially with such flimsy 'proof'." Sitting back, he continued, "I think enough has been said tonight. I don't think there's any reason to prolong this unfortunate meeting any longer than we have to."

"Then I'll just be taking 'his highness' into custody..." Andros began, rising from his seat.

Minitan shook his head, cutting the officer off. "No, you will not. There is no reason for such drastic action. I'm sure Prince Tirion can be counted on to conduct himself honestly." He raised a hand to forestall any protest. "Until you bring real evidence, Lieutenant, no one is getting arrested. Wouldn't you agree, Seres?"

For the first time, Esk spoke up, however briefly. "I would agree, yes. We would certainly not wish to be hasty in matters of judgment."

Andros scowled, currently unable to act against the major domo's authority. Angrily, he turned on his heel and stalked from the room, shutting the door none too quietly behind him.

Tirion shook his head and murmured softly, "He does like to make an exit."

Chuckling, Minitan refolded his hands in his lap and nodded. "Indeed he does. He's always been a bit of an...abrupt person." His smile turned contrite as he motioned towards the door. "Let me apologize again for putting you through all of this. Please, feel free to return to your room. I'm sure you have a lot of reading to do."

The prince inclined his head in a silent good-bye, repeating the formal gesture to Seres Esk. He exited the room, rather glad to have that business over with for a moment. As he began the rather lengthy walk to his room, he considered what had just passed. In an odd way, he couldn't help but find the situation slightly amusing. Yes, there was apparently someone out there trying to frame him but...really...a strand of hair? Was that all they could dig up to plant?

...But was it a "they" at all? Tirion's thoughts grew more serious. Was this actually a conspiracy thought up and perpetrated by multiple people? Or was it the work of an individual? Whichever it is, he thought to himself, I'm going to have to step up efforts to find out who's behind it all before this gets out of hand.

The corridor stretched before him into darkness. Every other lamp on the wall was lit for the evening, the already dim light muted even more by the dark carpeting and wallpaper. Not surprisingly, the prince's night vision was even worse than his day vision so he kept his gaze level with the alternating lights, unwilling to wander off and lose his way down the wrong hall.

I'd probably end up accidentally wandering into a crime scene, just in time for Andros to jump up and slap on the cuffs, he thought wryly. That would just make his entire life time.

Andros - the man was amazing in his utter lack of restraint, as his actions earlier had clearly shown. Initially, Tirion had dismissed the Lieutenant as no real threat. It was hard to take someone seriously when he was so obviously and vehemently determined to make trouble. Now, however, he had to wonder if maybe it wasn't such a good idea to treat the man so casually. His temper and impulsive nature could pose real danger and, perhaps, they already had. Evidence or no, Andros was more than ready to catch the prince in any way possible. And, like Minitan had said, he was a rather abrupt person…which meant "unpredictable". He would, perhaps, require more watching.

Tirion's thoughts moved on to Minitan. The old gentleman was certainly a world apart from the Lieutenant, but his motives were much more difficult to understand. Though he didn't like it, Tirion knew why most of the people here disliked him to one degree or another. It was easy to see the reasons for hate and animosity, no matter how baseless they were, and he was prepared for them. But someone being nice to him? Taking his side? That the prince could not comprehend. People being kind for the sake of being kind was not a completely foreign concept - he just had trouble believing that it could exist here and now. It was a mystery…and one Tirion almost hoped he wouldn't have to solve. It was such a pleasant change to have someone offer a little support, especially in the face of such adversity.

And the man was so polite - always apologizing for putting people out and trying to be civilized even in the worst of circumstances. Numerous times during the Assembly meetings, he'd reigned in speakers who were getting a bit to incensed for their own good - most of those times having, in some way, involved Tirion. It always came as such a surprise when Minitan came to his aid and it made the prince feel so…so…suspicious.

He didn't like that fact. It was like looking a gift horse in the mouth, like he couldn't appreciate the simple fact that not everyone hated him. As if the man had given him any reason to distrust him. He'd been nothing by kind and respectful from the beginning. Even his last words of the evening had been considerate and…Wait a moment…

The prince's pace slowed as Minitan's words drifted back through his head - 'I'm sure you have a lot of reading to do.'

…How did he know that?

Frowning, Tirion absently realized he had reached his room. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, locking it. Glancing over at the comm screen, his frown deepened. Perhaps his suspicions concerning the good Ambassador Minitan were not as groundless as he had thought.

He waited in the garden the next afternoon, aware that a number of the diplomats enjoyed taking short strolls to stretch their legs after the hours of sitting. The prince knew how they felt, but that was not his reason for being outside. He had decided against sitting in on the assembly today, knowing that he would serve as nothing but a distraction. Perhaps it made him look guilty to avoid the others, but there was nothing useful he could say to them if he was there, nothing to make them think any differently. Better to use his time constructively - to consider his situation and, more importantly, how to improve it.

The whole business of stolen confidential papers and erroneous accusations made for an unfortunately effective distraction from the real business at hand. The hours Tirion had spent the night before reading over the bio files Enam had sent were hours he felt were wasted. Certainly it was important to prevent himself from being framed for something he didn't do, but it wasn't why he was here. He had come to do his best to loosen the choke hold the Alliance had on his home not play some wretched game of payback.

The sound of voices caught his attention and he glanced over ornate flower beds to the side doors of the palace from which a group of men emerged. As they began to amble about the garden, Tirion looked them over, searching for one graying head in particular. He had resolved himself to the fact that more time would be wasted on this matter before it was over but he figured he could at least waste it purposefully. Minitan's "innocent" comment from the night before had not slipped the prince's mind and he fully intended to investigate.

Eventually, Minitan spotted Tirion from across the garden and, as the prince had hoped, started over in his direction. Upon his arrival, the elder diplomat gave a polite nod of greeting and asked the prince if he would care to go for a short walk. "Best to keep the old bones moving," as he put it. Since it seemed as easy to talk while walking as sitting, Tirion agreed and the two set off at a slow pace down one of the garden paths.

"I noticed that you were absent from the day's business thus far," Minitan began. "Though, I can't say that you missed much. Just a lot of argument and the usual inability to make any headway whatsoever." He smiled slightly.

"I thought, perhaps, that making myself absent for a bit might be a more tasteful move." Tirion said, looking over at the other man and trying to surreptitiously read his expression. "After all, I can just as easily be suspected out here in the open air as in that stuffy room. Besides, it is quite beautiful out here and a pleasant place to think."

Minitan nodded, his face neutral as he looked at the scenery. "Indeed. I would much rather be out here myself. But, alas, I still have business that I must see to. A break between arguments is all I can hope to get to make my way outside. Although, I must admit that I don't exactly envy the circumstances that have brought you out here, either."

"Frankly, sir, neither do I," the prince replied solemnly. He had thought to tiptoe around the subject and see if his companion allowed any suspicious statements to slip but decided that was probably far too dependent on luck. The man was, after all, a diplomat - a person for whom words were both tools and weapons. A man who had too little control over such powerful things would never come very far in the profession. And, from what Tirion had read about him the night before, Minitan had come quite far - and with no assistance from any bureaucratic loopholes or help from anyone else. To expect him to make a mistake would be like expecting at any minute the first flying pig.

So, instead of avoiding the topic, he decided to do a very Lotor-ly thing and bluntly address it face first. "What is your opinion of the entire matter, sir, if I might ask?" he asked casually. "I must admit myself at a loose-end as to what precisely is going on."

If Minitan was surprised, he did not show it - anymore than he revealed any brief hints of anything suspicious like satisfaction or guilt. He paused a moment before speaking, however, as if to put his thoughts into a proper order before saying them aloud. "Truthfully," he said slowly, "and unfortunately, I was rather suspecting something like it would happen. Not this particular circumstance - not specifically - but it seemed obvious that something would happen. Trouble, and please excuse me for saying this, has never been far behind your family and, amongst so many old enemies, I'm not sure there was any way it could have been avoided. This was certainly not the most auspicious place for you to make any friends, lad."

Tirion's lips quirked into a faint and humorless smile. "I never expected to. But I thought that if I could talk just long enough to make my point then I wouldn't need to. I was expecting to argue policy and economics and instead..."

"...Instead you suddenly find yourself in the middle of a crash course in advanced sabotage." Minitan finished. "As much as I hate to say this about my profession...this is not exactly the first time I've seen this happen. Again...not these specific events, but close enough. When some people set their mind against things, there is little that will stand between them and so many levels of dishonesty and double-dealing. And for most of the people here, they're just following orders so whose mind it is that is actually the problem can be quite complicated to uncover."

"What bothers me is the simplicity of the ploy," Tirion said, once again watching the diplomat's expression just as his father had taught him. The eyes - watch the eyes - for blinking, flickering, looking away, even focusing steadfastly on the distance for too long could all be signs of unconscious reaction. "It's quite childish, really. The assumption that I would be so stupid as to steal private documents at a function where I would be the first to come under suspicion - and a single piece of hair as the only evidence against me...where is the cleverness in that?"

"And yet...it has worked." Minitan said levelly - and if he took any offense to the obvious insults, Tirion could not spot it. "Simple it may be, but business is inside and you are out here. Perhaps it was simplicity that was used because that was all that was required. As you said, this is a place where you would be the first suspected of any wrongdoing. So, speaking hypothetically, why bother with some complex, grandiose plan when all you had to do was give the 'rabble' what they want?"

"Which is?"

"An excuse to blame you for something."

"To discredit me?"

Minitan gestured noncommittally. "That's certainly possible. Anyone opposed to altering the treaty in your - or your father's - favor would most certainly benefit from making you look untrustworthy. Of course, the reason for wanting your negotiations to fail are, perhaps, worth considering. Possibly it is as simple as opposition to new trade routes. Or, perhaps it is something a bit more complex like..."

"...like some sort of vendetta against my father." Tirion said, sighing inwardly. It was clear enough that there was little pro-Drule sentiment among those assembled...and most certainly no pro-Doom sentiment. If someone was not working specifically against Lotor, then it could well be against the exiled Drules in general. Either possibility was likely. More than likely, really. And perhaps it was not merely a matter of one or the other. It could very likely be both. Which made everything so much more pleasant.

And what of the extent of the damage intended? Would the person be content with simply ruining Tirion's chances for negotiations here at this meeting - or might there be some effort at doing more permanent damage? Really, if someone wanted some sort of revenge on Lotor, why stop with only one conference? If Tirion's reputation was established here as an untrustworthy thief who followed in his father's footsteps, then any chance for negotiations in the future would be that much less - maybe even non-existent.

Truly, he had not yet considered the full ramifications of what was going on here and it became all the more clear now that he would have to find some way to resolve the matter in his favor. It was not so much a matter of honor as of necessity. He could not afford to fail - and certainly could not afford to ruin any future chances of helping his struggling home. Something had to be done.

The culprit had to be found.

"Have you given any thought to whom it might be behind all of this?" Tirion asked. "Because you certainly seem to have discounted me as a suspect."

Abruptly, Minitan stopped walking and turned to look at the prince. The expression on his lined face was thoughtful - almost pensive - and Tirion was unsure what to make of it - just as he was unsure of what to make of the man himself. "I don't suspect you because I know you didn't do it," he said finally. "I don't know who did...but, from the first, I knew it wasn't you."

"But, my father..."

The diplomat raised a hand as if to halt the comment in mid-air. "Unlike most others here, I fail to believe that the nature of a father is inevitably imprinted on the son. It is certainly true that Lotor was just if not more feared than his father, Zarkon, but that is a matter of upbringing - of time and circumstance - possibly even of individual temperament. In another time, another place...perhaps your father would not have so closely followed his own father's ways. Or, perhaps his personality is such that he would have no matter what. Either way, I have yet to see much of either of them in you."

As though he had sensed Tirion's curiosity at this, he motioned for them to start walking again and continued. "Though I traveled here to speak on behalf of a small series of united planets, one of them is my own homeworld, Vieras. When Zarkon was at the height of his power, he conquered the planets around us and soon our own, as well. Of course, I was only a small child then, but I remember things well enough. Terror has a way of sticking in one's mind, even at a young age. And Zarkon was terrifying. That was how he kept his power - by frightening and threatening the populace into submission.

"As he grew older and could no longer control all of his power himself, Vieras and two of the other worlds in the system staged a rebellion that briefly won freedom back for our people. I say briefly because it was almost at that same time that Zarkon had summoned his son back from his own conquests to re-establish control. Used to the ways of the father, we were not prepared for the ways of the son. Lotor did not rule by threats of violence. He was violence. Where his father used words, he used actions and he easily retook the planets. And, whereas Zarkon prioritized the importance of his planets and thus paid little attention to those that mattered less, Lotor was always ready to squash any sign of rebellion on any planet under his control just as he would crush a bug with his boot heel.

"It was only when both father and son were distracted with their efforts at conquering Arus that we were once again given an opportunity to try for our liberty. When the Alliance was forming and offered to help free our planet and system in return for our support, we were only too ready to agree. After the war was over and Zarkon disappeared, I suppose you could say that we felt it our right and duty to keep an eye on Lotor and what was left of his followers."

He glanced over at Tirion. "And that includes you, lad. You must know by now that as far away from civilization as your planet is, you've lived quite a public life. There are many people who are most interested in what you are doing and how you will turn out. And I am one of them. After all, after having lived through both your father and grandfather, I've been quite curious as to where you will go. It is from much previous observation and from watching you here that I have come to believe that you are not guilty of this matter. From what I have seen, you are neither Zarkon nor Lotor, no matter how many people misidentify you as such, and I do not think you capable of such a, as you say, simple and childish ploy.

"Perhaps I am merely old and easily fooled, but I hope not." He stopped once again and Tirion realized that they had arrived back at the palace. Somber gray eyes met pale cornsilk as Minitan caught the prince's gaze. "I truly hope not. I have as much reason as anyone to hate your bloodline - but my own father was a cruel and drunken monster and I know that I have no more in common with him than my last name. If that is true for me, then I must accept that it can be true for others. Here, take this..."

He held out a small slip of paper which Tirion accepted. "I know that you've been gathering information about those here to see if you can find out who is trying to frame you. But, the records available to you from Ursan's databases may not be enough. You can use this code to access the database from my home system. You'll find nothing there that is not public information - but perhaps it will have something that was lost from your own records."

"Thank you." Tirion said, folding the paper up neatly and tucking it safely into a pocket. "And...thank you for speaking with me. You've certainly given me a few things to consider."

Minitan nodded and briefly touched the prince's shoulder. "Good luck, lad. There's not much I can do to make your task any easier. The opposition is great. But...one thing I'll say for your family - lack of determination has never been a problem." A smile, just as brief as his touch, crossed his face then he turned to watch as a crowd of diplomats and ambassadors walked past and into the building to head back to work.

"I suppose it's time to get back to it, then." Minitan said. He moved to follow the others, then paused for a moment half-way through the door. "If I might suggest...perhaps this might be a good time for you to have a bit of a look around the place. Maybe you'll find something."

And, with that, he was gone.