'It's times like this I wish I hadn't been born a princess.' Oyuki mentally sighed, trying her hardest to not look bored as the alien representative did what was clearly a disguised sales pitch to a board of representatives. The one comfort she had was her current location, a chilled chamber that provided a Neptunian micro-climate for her.

At the moment Oyuki was not on Neptune itself. Rather she was inside the Interplanetary Senatorial Station, which was for all intents and purposes the headquarters and powerhouse of the United Federation of Planet's governing bodies. Think of it as sort of an alien United Nations or Congressional Parliament. The Station itself was quite a feat of engineering and architecture. Someone from Earth who saw it would probably immediately think of the Roman Coliseum, but clearly designed to be in space instead of Italy. It was round, flat but thick, and had several docking ports and defensive features all around it, making it rather simplistic from the outside. But inside it was like a major metropolis designed specifically to accommodate various species and their needs while allowing them to still interact with each other. In theory an individual could comfortably live their entire life in such a place.

Sadly it was not intended for residential purposes. It was a comfortable place to work but that's all it was intended for, work. Representatives from various worlds would get together for meetings to discuss things such as treaties, trade routes, scientific breakthroughs, war concerns, and laws. At best this place was like a hotel, you could make yourself comfortable and stay for a while but the stay was never intended to be permanent.

At the moment the senate of the UFP was gathered for a collective discussion, which according to the agenda was primarily regarding potential new laws or changes to businesses that could affect other worlds. Hence why the current speaker was getting away with his thinly veiled sales pitch. What he was selling Oyuki wasn't really that interested in. She was here for another reason, and she wanted to get to it before she risked penalty and brought out her NPhone to pass the time.

'At least I should be thankful that my obligations to my home planet prevent me from becoming a chancellor.' Oyuki thought, looking to the epicenter of the senatorial arena, where nine chairs were arranged in a circle, creating the illusion of equal power. The UFP did not accept a single ruler or domineering species within it's system, thus it instead had nine representatives who served limited terms then were replaced. There were some that disagreed with the system of course, but to avoid war they had to settle for this.

After a short time, the speaker ended his explanation of why other planets would want to extend more business to his own, and the chancellors thanked him then dismissed him. Oyuki listened to see if a vote or verdict was needed, but it wasn't called. The chancellor addressing them said anyone who wished to go into further detail with the salesman could do so on their own time, and now they would return to business.

"Next thing on the agenda, we have the representative of Neptune of the Sol System wishing to speak."

Oyuki smiled and got up, leaving her chamber but using her powers to keep a little of the microclimate around her. A hovering platform took her to the podium where she could speak before the entire senate.

Looking ahead she could see the nine chancellors. They were an assorted set, though with the exception of two or three they were all vaguely humanoid, much like Oyuki herself. All nine of them were standing before her attentively.

The first of them was an Anodite from the planet Anodyne. The Anodite were a humanoid race that generated a form of tangible energy they could use and often treated as parts of their own body to begin with. This Anodite resembled a glowing purple featureless human female with light purple hair, and wore a white robe.

The second of them was a Petrosapien from the planet Petropia. Petrosapiens were a humanoid race made out of some strange kind of green crystalline mineral, one that so far had yet to be found naturally on any other planet known to the UFP. They were the species Ataru had nicknamed Diamondhead when he used his omnitrix.

The third of them was an Ellian from the planet Elle. Physically speaking Ellians were virtually identical to humans, much like the Neptunians were. Oyuki knew little about them so off the top of her head she couldn't recall what made them different than humans aside from their more advanced technology.

The fourth of them was a Revonnahgander from the planet Revonnah. They were humanoid but their physiology was closer to felines than primates. One could say they looked like blue tiger people, and thankfully they were a much calmer bunch than the other tiger-like species known as the Appoplexian.

The fifth of them was a Karasutengu from the planet Murdurr, and this one was perched on the Revonnahgander's shoulders. The Karasutengu looked much like Earth's crows except they had arms as well as wings, and due to theur size usually were not seen unless flying or perched at eye level to others. Oyuki did recall hearing that the species did have a more humanoid faction within itself, but she had never seen one herself.

The sixth of them was a Chimera Sui Generis of the planet Murray. They had humanoid bodies, though clearly not mammalian in nature, but their heads greatly resembled that of an octopus. The race did not have the nicest reputation to them, though they claimed most of that was due to their appearance.

The seventh of them was a Lenopan from the planet Slumelt. Lenopans were like living protoplasmic blobs with thin tendrils. Few felt comfortable with the idea of getting close to one, but Lenopans were good at shapeshifting and thus could put some people around them at lease by at least taking on a more familiar shape. Though changing color and texture was harder for them.

The eighth was an Ekwigrae from the planet Davil. They were humanoid in structure, lacking hair and having hooves for feet. Their most particular trait was their skin, which gave off the appearance of being somewhere between reptile and mammal, like an evolutionary missing link.

The ninth and final member was a Galvan from Galvan Prime. AKA the ones that Ataru nicknamed Gray Matter. Small amphibious entities with brains more advanced then their bodies, and this one currently stood on the should of the Ekwigrae similar to what the Karasutengu was doing.

"Queen Oyuki Triton of Neptune, you have the chair." The Ekwigrae told her, the voice making it clear that this one was a female.

Oyuki gave a polite bow. "Thank you Chancellors. I come here not just on behalf of my own planet, but that of my sister planet Earth."

"Hold it, you cannot speak for two planets." The Karasutengu interjected.

"Earth currently has no representative in the UFP, but it is acknowledged as a civilized planet and has a strong Plumber faction stationed on it. To allow that acknowledgement but deny Earth it's rights to be heard within this community is a legal paradox, and I recommend that for now you allow me to speak on behalf of the planet rather than wait to appoint a representative."

The chancellors looked among each other as if wondering what to do, before the Ekwigrae cleared her throat. "Very well Miss Triton, we will allow it. Which issue will you address first?"

"First I will speak on Earth's issue, since we have already started on that subject." Oyuki started. "For those of you that are unaware, Earth recently has come into contact with representatives from the Urusian Star Tribes. This was a joint effort arranged by the Plumbers to help ease Earth into accepting extraterrestrial life. However, an Urusian representative who has been staying on Earth to help the process has alerted me that a Murrayan attacked her and followed her to Earth, and is still within vicinity of the planet."

There was murmuring in the senate, none of which the Neptunian queen paid attention to.

The Chimera Sui Generis stepped forward. "Pardon me Miss Triton, but the planet is no longer called Murray. It has been renamed Vilgaxia."

"I apologize, I was unaware." She responded, noting that the Petrosapien looked more than a little displeased when this was said.

"And I do not like that you just accused my planet of making an unprovoked attack like that. How do we know the Urusian didn't assault the Vilgaxian ship instead?" The Chimera Sui Generis continued.

"For one, the attack was within the vicinity of Earth. It is on record that Earth within that time did have relations with Uru. So why would a 'Vilgaxian' ship be in the Sol system at the same time? It certainly wasn't having any business with Neptune I can assure you."

"That is a good question." The Galvan chancellor commented, turning to look at the octopus-headed alien. Most eyes in the room did the same.

"You have no proof that it was one of our ships in that system." The Chimera Sui Generis accused.

Oyuki reached into a pocket of her robes and pulled out an alien thumbdrive. "I am not a novice at this Chancellor. And I find it peculiar that you choose to deflect my question rather than answer it."

Oyuki plugged the thumbdrive into an outlet on the podium, and several monitors in the room flickered before displaying the intended images. They were of a damaged ship in orbit around Earth. A ship that looked rather Murrayan or Vilgaxian in design. Repair robots could be seen performing maintenance work on the ship.

"That does look like it's from your planet." The Revonnahgander noted, pointing to the screen in front of him.

The Lenopan nodded. "Yes, I believe it is. The hull has a distinct shape."

"Those pictures could be faked." The Chimera Sui Generis claimed.

"These were provided by the Plumbers of Earth and verified by the local magistrate. Are you calling the Plumbers liars Chancellor?" Oyuki pressed, eyes narrowing a little.

That silenced the whole senate and had them focus all their attention on what the chancellor was about to say. The Plumbers weren't just on Earth, they were an interplanetary law enforcement organization that helped to keep the peace within the UFP, as well as interact with the other governing systems in the rest of the galaxy. They had been created long ago back when the Tachyon had still been in power and were a major factor in uniting various alien species and creating a peaceful unity between so many species. Now the Tachyon were extinct and the United Federation of Planets were working to hold their work together, with the Plumbers being the vital glue that made it all work. So for someone with UFP's government to call the Plumbers dishonest or ineffective, it was essentially undermining the entire federation.

The Chimera Sui Generis looked understandably uncomfortable, then cleared her throat. "No, I have faith that the Plumbers are doing their job well. But I am confused as to why one of my planet's ships would be involved in this. I just want to make it clear we are not declaring hostility to Earth or the Sol System."

"Perhaps this ship is acting independently." Oyuki suggested. "Nonetheless, it poses a risk to innocents on the planet and could panic the Earthlings into taking a hostile approach to the Federation."

"Surely such a low level planet is of no risk to us." The Lenopan protested.

"But this planet is on good terms with the Urusians." Oyuki reminded them.

"That's right. The Urusians might feel obligated to defend Earth should a problem arise, as they were the ones who introduced Earth to extraterrestrial life." The Ekwigrae agreed.

"So we could risk a war with the Urusian Star Tribes should this situation get out of hand." The Anodite summed up.

"Then how do we stop it from getting out of hand?" The Lenopan asked.

"The most clear solution is sending out some scouts to investigate this matter directly and see what the threat level of this rogue ship is." The Ekwigrae stated. "Preparations will be made once we have a clearer understanding of what we'd be dealing with."

"Some act is better than none." Oyuki said. "My other concern is in regards to my planet of Neptune. Recently we were under invasion by a being from the Anur System."

"Objection!" A voice was heard shouting out from the senate, and Oyuki didn't need to look to see where it came from.

The Ekwigrae frowned. "The Chair does not recognize the representative of the Anur System at the moment. Wait your turn before saying your piece senator."

Allowed to continue, Oyuki pushed some buttons and the pictures on the screens changed to the ship she had encountered on Neptune. "These are from Neptune. The data onboard showed that it originated from the Anur System and came to my planet with the intention to dig up something buried. Many of my people were being controlled by some form of parasite we cannot identify."

The picture changed to show images of the parasite that had controlled the Neptunians. Oyuki chose to leave out the little detail of it affecting her too. That would only defame her own case here.

"I've never seen any species like that." The Galvan noted, and the others agreed.

Oyuki then showed the remains of the cyborg. "This was the perpetrator. The one who invaded my home. I do not know his name or what he was after, but he was clearly from the Anur System. And this, I am led to believe, is what species he originated from." She changed the picture to that of Ataru's alien vampire form, taken earlier for the record.

"Objection!" The Anur representative shouted again. "That species is extinct! It is impossible for her claim to be accurate!"

"Care to elaborate senator?" The Anodite asked.

The representative was a Transylian, and if a human saw it they'd swear it was a real life Frankenstein's monster. They looked human, rather bulky and muscular though, with what looked like machinery attached to their bodies. This was not technology though, it was part of their biology. Transylians had extraordinarily high levels of iron in their body, usually depositing in their skin and bones. As they got older some bones actually protruded out of their backs, which were so metallic at that point they looked like electric conductors. Though they certainly acted like such things.

"That alien in particular is called a Vladat, and they were wiped out long ago. I would know, they enslaved my entire race and used us as food. They deserved extinction."

"But can you be certain that none were missed?" Oyuki challenged.

The Transylian literally sparked in anger, prompting the aliens next to him to put some distance between them. "The Vladats are dead! They've been dead for centuries!"

"Then how did she come across this picture?" The Revonnahgander asked.

The Transylian shrugged. "There are no shortage of systems that hate Anur and wish it to be segregated. Anyone in the galaxy could have supplied the ice queen here with this kind of information."

"I still have the evidence back home if another investigation is required." Oyuki offered.

The Ekwigrae nodded, then faced the Transylian. "Any objections to such an action?"

The Transylian shook his head. "Not at all. I'm certain the truth of this fabrication will be revealed soon enough. And... in the event that a Vladat is still alive, I would love to see them brought to true extinction."

'I better make sure Lum doesn't bring Ataru to Neptune during this time.' Oyuki thought.

After several more hours the congressional meeting ended and Oyuki was allowed to do as she pleased. Rather than stick around, she made her way to one of the nearby planets. Said planet had been terraformed and colonized long ago so it had no indigenous lifeforms or native sentient species, and was instead mostly a place for various species to intermingle in an urban setting or take vacations in neutral environments.

At the moment Oyuki was having some lunch and wine in a restaurant, and joining her was her childhood companion Benten.

"Be thankful you don't have to do my kind of work Benten."

"Yeah I think I might have gone crazy if I had to do what you do. But if we're being honest, I'm getting pretty bored of the job I've already got."

Oyuki rolled her eyes. "Show me a job that no one complains about doing and I'll show you someone that doesn't know what a job is."

"So Lum's boytoy basically saved your royal ass and you're repaying the favor by getting the bigwigs here to check out his planet for threats?" Benten asked.

Oyuki narrowed her eyes slightly. "Be grateful I've known you for years Benten, otherwise I'd be showing you why your gaudy outfit is poor insulation."

Benten chuckled and waved her hand over her rather revealing biker outfit. "I wear this to give myself some risk on the job, not to stay safe. Seriously, I've gotten so good at fighting off the highway bandits that giving them more skin to hit is the only way I can feel like I'm not in a one-sided fight anymore. But seriously, I think you're doing a good thing. And I'm surprised Lum's new man meat could do something like that. She's sure traded up since the last guy."

"Who?" Oyuki asked.

"That guy Ran and her competed against? You remember him right?"

Oyuki nodded. "Now I do. But now that you mention it, didn't Lum have another boyfriend before him?"

Benten shrugged. "No idea. But last I heard, Rei is not taking the break up well, and Ran's got it in her head to get involved. So Lum might be dealing with them both soon enough."

"I will provide a heads up, but as things stand I don't see how either one can make it to Earth with that 'Vilgaxian' in orbit."

Benten was about to chomp down on what looked like a blue hamburger, but all of a sudden she stopped. "What did you say?"

"Apparently the planet Murray changed their name to Vilgaxia. They can do whatever they want to their own planet, but personally I think it's a dumb name." The ice queen commented.

Benten put down her food. "Oh crap, I've heard about this."

Oyuki blinked. "Go on."

"The name is because some guy on that planet named Vilgax came into power, and showed exactly how 'humble' he is by renaming the place. From what I've heard the guy was no better than a space pirate when he was younger, going from world to world looking for anything to steal and killing anyone who got in his way. As he got older, he became a warmonger, and rumor has it he's looking to tear down the entire UFP piece by piece, rebuilding it in his image. Seriously, the guy's got the ambition of an Incursean, the one thing holding him back for now is manpower and weaponpower. From what I heard, he's offworld searching for some kind of ultimate weapon."

Oyuki blinked. "Could this 'ultimate weapon' be on Earth?"

Benten laughed and shook her head. "Unlikely. What could Earth possibly have that would interest a guy like Vilgax?"

"Perhaps... the omnitrix?"

Benten blinked. "Wait, are you saying that thing is real? And it's on Earth?"

Oyuki nodded. "And if that wasn't bad enough, Lum's the one guarding it."

Benten closed her eyes and sighed. "Oh crap, she's going to need all the luck in Jin if that's the case."