Robotech Freedom Fighters
							by Naia Zifu

    		        Chapter Seven: Yusenya

	"You _what?_" I cried, knowing exactly what that meant. . .
	The woman smiled devilishly.  "Surprised?
	"Well, you don't really look like one," Nyankomago observed.
	"Oh, like _you_ do?"
	She had a point there, of course.  I'd just never imagined a
T'sentrati would--
	"Now who are you and what are you doing in my town?" she
repeated.
	"My name is Agyei Afrifa," I introduced myself, "and this is my
wife Nyankomago.  We arrived here this morning with that group of
humans--"
	"Wait a minute-- you arrived _this morning_?  You can go out in
the daytime?" the woman interrupted.
	"Of course," I replied, having forgotten with time that that
wasn't "normal" for our kind.
	"How?"
	Nyankomago looked at me, hesitating, not sure whether to trust
her or not.  Finally she unclasped the talisman from around her neck
and held it out for the woman to see.
	"This," she explained, "is how we are able to venture out in
the daytime."
	The woman stared at the simple golden disc, engraved with
symbols I'd never understood the meaning of, as if it were the greatest
thing in the world.  Spellbound, she reached to touch the talisman, but
Nyankomago withdrew it, refastening the hefty chain around her neck and
tucking it into her shirt again.
	"Now you know who we are," I said, "but who are you?"
	"Yusenya Kuwai," she answered absently.  "Where did you get
those?"
	"I made them," Nyankomago admitted.
	"And I don't suppose you'd consider making another?"
	"Not for a stranger."
	Yusenya sighed.  "No, of course not."
	Without another word, she abruptly stood up from the table and
got back to work.
	"What do you make of her?" I whispered to my wife once Yusenya
was gone.
	"I don't know yet.  I _want_ to trust her, because she's one of
us, but. . ."
	I knew what she meant.  There was something strange about this
Yusenya Kuwai, I just couldn't seem to put my finger on it.  Perhaps it
was only because she was Tsentrati?  I didn't even know there were any
T'sentrati like us!
	Nyankomago suggested, "we should at least give her a chance,
Agyei.  She deserves at least that much."
	"Oh, all right," I consented, though still not sure it was such
a good idea.
	"Your blood flows in, warm and saline, tasting like fright,"
the band sang.  "I know every thought, I can sense your pain, as I
drain away your life."
	I felt a stirring inside me.  Was Yusenya _trying_ to arouse
our feral desires?
	I took my wife by the arm and half-dragged her out of the club.
Her eyes had changed already.
	"Are you two okay?" Henry asked, startling us back into our-
selves.  "I know it got a little weird in there."
	Nyankomago managed a laugh, albeit not such a reassuring one.
	"We're fine now, thank you," she said.  "Maybe we're just a
little. . .too old for this music."
	"Hey, don't feel bad; it got a little scary for Larry and me in
there, too, when they did that effect where the woman's eyes were
glowing and she had those vampire fangs."  Henry laughed nervously.  "I
don't know how they did it, but that was just a little too weird for
me, you know?"
	"Yes, I. . .um, I think I do. . ."
	I asked, "Where are the others?"
	"Tracey and Raymond are still in there," Larry told me.  "You
know them; 'too weird' is never weird enough!  The grease monkeys,
well, you know they wouldn't be seen in a place like that!  They took
off a couple of hours ago to put the kid to bed and get some shuteye
themselves before they gotta get on those repairs.  You know how they
are, always thinking too much about work and all.  Henry and I are
about to go look for a burger place or something.  You interested?"
	"No thank you," I replied.  "We were rather hoping for some
time to ourselves right now."
	"Geez, don't you guys _ever_ eat?" Larry wondered.
	Henry punched him hard in the arm.
	"Sorry about that, sir.  Um, Lar didn't mean anything by that.
Guess we'll be seeing you around, then.  Have a nice time."
	"You know, I could do with a little something myself right
now," Nyankomago hinted, eyes aglow, once they'd left.
	I agreed, "So could I, thanks to Yusenya."
	Blue River might have been a small city, but it had a sordid
night life.  There was bound to be crimes being committed _somewhere_
in the city.
	"Will you wear your cape again?" I asked playfully.
	She smiled wickedly, bearing her fangs.
	"For you, my love, anything."

	Was it my imagination, or were the criminals of Blue River more
interesting than those I'd fed on before?  Most criminals seemed to
have had bad childhoods and family tragedies, but these were a
different type; people who stole because they had families to support,
teen-agers who had watched their parents die horribly in the invasion
and were only trying to survive by any means necessary, old soldiers
made demented by the horrors of war. . .  It almost seemed a shame they
had to die.  _Almost._
	"I can see why Yusenya is so fond of this place," Nyankomago
said.  "The criminals here are all so. . .palatable."
	"Have you gotten your fill?" I asked.
	"I don't think I could hold another drop," she replied
contentedly.
	She promptly returned to herself, and, as herself, began to
seem uncomfortable in the showy leather costume.
	"Just as well.  It's nearly morning," I noticed.
	Though our talismans allowed us to go out in the daytime with-
out evaporating, to feed in broad daylight would still attract a great
deal of attention.
	"Maybe we should go back to the motel."
	Coyly, she suggested, "Uh, maybe we should fly there.  I'd
really rather not be seen walking the streets like this."



©1997/2001 Naia Zifu, all rights reserved.  Originally published in the
Backstabber Preservation Society publication "Sten Yar" Volume 2, Issue
9, Dec 1997/Jan 1998.  Slightly altered for electronic use.  Robotech
and all borrowed elements thereof are trademarks of Harmony Gold, used
without permission.  I'm not trying to infringe on anyone's copyrights
or trademarks, or profit from anyone else's ideas.