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I dedicate this chapter to Dasher Cheetah. Dasher I could not be the man I am today without you. You not only helped with this chapter but with this entire undertaking, not to mention helping shape me. In my darkest moments you are the candle that guides me. You keep me going when nothing else does. You are the truest friend I have ever had, nobody compares to you.

Through the Horizon: Organization and Personalization

Bane stepped out of the shower, after he and Seamus fell asleep in his office, Dasher had walked in and seen the pair together. He smiled and carefully picked them both up, giving thanks for his earring. It gave him the strength to do this. Using Bane's teleporter, he took them both to Bane's quarters and slipped them into their own bed. Pulling the cover up over the pair, he considered stripping them so they would be comfortable. Dasher also considered that it would give him a chance to see Bane nude again but the tingle he felt was warning enough. If he did that, it might lead to further actions he was already tempted by and he knew Bane would not be pleased if he were molested in his sleep.

The cheetah gave a sigh. Bane and Seamus were a couple now and so were off Dasher's list of available people for him to enjoy. It was not that marriage was sacrosanct or anything like that. It was that if either the wolf or the fox wanted to play with him now, he had to be sure that both were ok with it. Finding a love that one was willing to commit to was something special and in no way was he willing to be a part of destroying that. Love was too special to be part of killing and the cheetah would not have a hand in something like that. Bane had come thru some terribly painful times that had almost destroyed him. Seamus too had suffered his own losses and now they had found happiness with each other. He was happy for them and even if it meant he no longer had them as bed mates, he would bear that loss quietly. Dasher stepped into the transporter and left them to sleep.

In the morning, Bane awoke with his arms around Seamus and looked around. He was in bed and still dressed? He and Seamus had been in his office. Bane took a moment and sniffed, detecting Dasher's scent and that was enough for him to figure out what had happened. That he and Seamus were still dressed also told him that the cheetah had only put them to bed. Bane smiled and his respect for Dasher went up another notch. He knew that his trust was well placed. Dasher had respected them both and taken care of them, tho he probably had wanted to join them in bed.

Bane chuckled to himself and got out of bed. Going to the bathroom, he took a shower. He was drying off his fur and smiled as Seamus walked in with a cheery,"Good morning my husband to be."

Bane smiled, a thrill going thru him at the greeting. Husband had suck a good sound to it. Bane answered,"Good morning to you as well babe." The two briefly kissed and then Seamus stepped into the shower. Both had smelled like sex and it would not be proper for high officials to smell as such. Although it was a lot more fun, it looked bad and there was image to consider now. As his foxy showered, Bane began to think and asked, "Seamus, would you mind if I bounced some ideas off you?"

Thru the sound of the water came,"Not at all babe, what's on your mind?"

Bane said,"Well, I've been thinking about the empire and the government. Its just not running as smoothly as I think it should. I realize that the people need access to the government however the council is not what I had wanted it to be and all its proving to do is side track both Dasher and myself from more important issues. I think it's time for some organization."

Seamus paused for a moment, "Okay what do you have in mind?"

"First," replied Bane, "you will be the new Minister of Medicine. You will be in charge of seeing to it that all empire-controlled planets have the medical technology and personnel that it needs. Second, Ron will be the Minister of Technology. He will head the new government research ministry. They will be responsible for seeing to it we have the newest and best equipment available to face the threats against us. Next, Dasher will be the Minister of State. He will serve as the go between for myself and the rest of the empire. That will allow me to focus my efforts on the governing of the empire as well as the war effort. Finally, Lucian shall be the Minister of Defense. He is a battle hardened commander, he has seen his share of the fight and I think he's ready for the job. His duties will be to deal with smaller conflicts as well as the development of plans to deal with larger conflicts. Now granted these ministers will have considerable power, but I am over all of them. They serve at my pleasure and I can veto any actions they take."

Seamus chuckled, "Sounds like you have thought this out."

Bane nodded, "I have. I am sick of avoiding my own office to avoid these damn representatives."

Seamus laughed and stepped out of the shower as he said, "Well Emperor Accendo, I am happy to serve." He added a flourishing bow and grinned up. Bane smiled, he knew he could count on his foxy. Now it was time to address his new cabinet as well as the empire. It was time to put some teeth to his bark as far as Bane was concerned. He dressed himself and walked to his office.

Bane stepped off the elevator to find Kyo at his desk working steadily. The white wolf looked up with a smile and said,"Good morning sir! I anticipated your arrival. You have fresh coffee and doughnuts on your desk. There are no messages waiting for you."

Bane nodded and said,"Thank you very much Kyo. Oh, I will want to address the empire later today but first will you have Dasher, Ron, Seamus, and Lucian report to my office at noon for a lunch meeting? Have one of the restaurants in the commercial district cater the event, pay them whatever they require."

Kyo nodded,"Consider it done sir." With that Bane walked into his office, he was well pleased with Kyo's performance. Thus far he had well exceeded his expectations and had performed above and beyond the call of duty. Bane took a seat and sipped his coffee. He then opened up the intergalactic report that awaited him each morning. This one was different from the city report. This report was a collection data on the status of the empire, most of it was from the previous day. He scanned though it as he enjoyed the breakfast Kyo had so thoughtfully provided him. As usual nothing of particular import or interest, it was mainly a collection of complaints about various items. Time passed quickly, Bane spent most of the morning reviewing requests by various worlds. Much of it was for medical assistance, something he was very aware of the need for.

He looked up to see that noon had arrived. With it came the food he had ordered earlier in the mornig, as well as his new cabinet. All took a seat at the large conference table located in the rear of the room. His friends and confidants wasted no time digging in to the food. As they were eating, Bane informed them of what he had laid out to Seamus.

"Gentleman in short, I have invited you all here to tell you that you are my new cabinet. Each of you has new and unique duties to deal with and your first responsibility is to hire a staff. Dasher, I want a representative of state on each world. They will feed information to you and give us eyes on the empire. Seamus I want you, with Ron's help, to launch a full medical campaign. I want reliable transportation and modern medical facilities built on every world. Have the construction drones replicate themselves and use them to do it. Free labor and free supplies. Lucian, I want a reliable defense grid in place for the empire. I want our boarders monitored, and ships ready to intercept and track any intruders. Are there any questions about this? You all will have my power backing you to get this done. Gentlemen, you are the ones I have chosen to take care of things I need done. I can't do everything myself and so I am depending on you to help me accomplish my goals."

All replied no and with that the meeting was formally adjourned, however all remained and chatted for a while. Everyone was excited with this new turn of events. It would be welcomed progress. Also, it was exciting to be chosen for such high positions of power. They knew that besides Bane, they were now the four most powerful people in the Empire!

As everybody was exiting the office Dasher remained behind and said,"Bane, I'm honored you see fit to leave me in this position. You know I'll give you my best." Bane nodded and Dasher continued."I would like to appoint a representative of state to deal with the council and be my representative there. Like yourself, I wouldn't mind just having them killed but that is not how we need to handle things now." Bane nodded and gave a grin as he told Dasher,"I figured. Appoint or hire as many as you need." Dasher nodded and with that left the room.

Bane then returned to his desk. Kyo walked into the room and sat up the recorder for the address. He opened a laptop and connected the two together. After some careful adjustments he gave Bane the go ahead to begin speaking. Bane cleared his throat and began,"Greetings citizens. As many of you know I am Emperor Accendo. I speak with you today to give you an update on the status of the empire. I am pleased to announce a renewed expansion of wealth and prosperity within the empire. The plan I will lay before you will eradicate debt and poverty within the year. First, I have organized the government and established a cabinet of ministers. I will make a list of ministers available at each planetary government. However, what you need to know is that each planet will have a government representative upon it. His office will be open to the public and there will be files available upon request concerning various topics. The first stage of improvements will come in the form of modern hospitals and transportation systems. We will concentrate on the modernization of each planets infrastructure and it is our goal to make the entire planet available to its citizens. It is our goal to share the wealth of the capital with the entire empire. Next, we will concentrate on upgrading each city within the empire. We have selected technology that will be installed and utilized to accomplish these goals. I will not go into specifics at this time but they will be available to your individual governments as soon as we can get them laid out. Finally I am starting an initiative to increase the security of this empire. We will be establishing formal boarders for the empire and have measures in place to protect them. Any additional systems that request to join will be added accordingly. If there are any questions I ask that you direct them to representatives of the government that will be establishing offices on your planets. A full and detailed description of the empire's plan will be available at the governmental offices that will be established. As emperor I will become more distant, however the government itself will become more visible. It is our goal to raise the standard of living, while reducing crime. We seek to eliminate the causes of crime and make crimes of need obsolete. No longer will citizens have to steal to eat. No longer will you have to go without what you want, in order to have what you need. We are going to install technology that you only dreamed was possible." With this Bane paused, then continued,"I realize it may seem as though the government is becoming more distant. However it is necessary for the greater good. We are not going to be a total ruler in every aspect of your lives. Neither are we going to hold your hands and baby you. We expect you to stand on your own feet and be a part of this Empire! There are no free rides and all will be expected to take part in this effort. You will not be asked to do more than be citizens. Slavery has no part in the future. We will gain the future thru all our efforts. Direct contact with me will be limited but there will be channels to communicate with the empire. We will emerge strong, vibrant, and successful. We will crush those who oppose us, and lift up those who support us. We will succeed, we will survive and we will defeat all who threaten us! Stand and greet the brighter future. Oppose us and we will not hesitate to exclude you from it."

With that the recording ended. Kyo checked his computer and said,"Wonderful sir! I'll have this processed and released by the PR department as soon as possible. It will be sent out and broadcast to all the Empire within the day."

Bane smiled at the wolf who was very attentive as always. Kyo hurried out of the room and Bane chuckled. So many plans. He wondered if any of it would work.

Ron had walked out of the meeting with Bane with a renewed dedication to his leader and friend. Bane had entrusted him with a serious responsibility and it was one he did not take lightly. He headed over to a building that was the former home of Sikes Industries. The building had been vacant since before the empire had taken the city. Its former owners specialized in technology; therefore he thought it fitting to become his office for the Ministry of Technology. He hurried up to the main office and took a seat at the dusty desk. Nobody had been in the building yet due to so many other things that needed doing and the drones hadn't spent much time in it, due to its vacancy. Ron's paws danced across the ancient computer console and the building sprang to life. There was much that had fallen into neglect and needed cleaning as well as repair. As in Accendo Tower, the controls had been routed to the main office. Yet unlike Hugo, its occupant hadn't lasted thru the fall of the city to its former inhabitants.

As he sat there and looked over what the computer had to show him, a construction drone buzzed into the room and a holographic image of a male wolf appeared before him. Calmly it asked,"Sir, welcome to this tower. Are your intentions to occupy it?"

Ron was startled! No drone had ever done this before. Still, it was a machine and Ron was very comfortable with those so he quickly recovered and said,"Yes, I plan to make it my headquarters for my office administration."

The wolf simulcrum smiled and said,"I am pleased that I will be of service again. The former owner, Rodger Sikes, built me as an advanced version of the drones currently in use by the city. Hugo dismissed me, saying it was unnecessary to have drones created to interface with people in this fashion. So I was reprogrammed to be Mr. Sikes's assistant. When he died, I shut down and the tower fell into disrepair. I shall activate my counterparts and get on with repairs asap, if that is satisfactory sir? After repairs are done and the tower is stable once more I shall consult you for any changes you desire. If you would like, I can also serve as your personal assistant?"

Ron nodded, awe struck. "Yes, I would like that very much." "Wonderful, I shall get to work at once!", the drone responded and buzzed out of the room. Ron could hear many other drones begin to hum to life as they responded to the directives from the first one. He knew their work would great but they could do more than a person could in equal time. It would not be long for them to make quick work of it. Ron set to work cleaning up his area. The drones could do it, but he preferred to do some of the work himself.

As Ron worked in his office, three drones entered. They set to work. Within an hour they had replaced his computer, updated the lighting and repaired structural issues within the room. Ron smiled, impressed. He once again took a seat at his new desk. He had much to do. First he had to hire a staff. He needed the best of the best and he knew where to get them. He intended to contact the wolf empire and recruit their best scientists. They had managed to make use of the data core, so with the proper technology there was no limit to what they could do.

He consulted his data terminal and looked at the blueprints of the labs contained within the building. The top three floors of the tower were intended for office spaces. However the rest of it was labs of various types. The building itself was nearly fifty floors high. It rivaled Accendo Tower with its grandeur and he was almost certain its owner had been a rival of Hugo.

As he worked he continued to think. Black would have no problem with assisting him as most technology would be shared with the wolf empire. In addition, he realized he needed to find a replacement for himself. He did not want his attention divided between his duties and the city. He smiled as he set to work. This would be a bright new start for the fox, of that he was sure.

Dasher sat in his office. His ministry occupied a entire floor of Accendo Tower. Given that he would be Bane's representative to the Empire and the other worlds not a part of it, he needed access to Bane. While the emperor trusted his judgement, Dasher knew that there would be situations coming up that he would have to either refur to Bane, or ask his opinion on what Dasher thought should be done. He was the minister but Banewas the emperor and as such, all power really rested in his paws. He reviewed the resume's of many candidates who had applied for the numerous openings in his staff. He brought up his computer and sent twenty emails to qualified candidates saying they had the job, pending him meeting them for a personal interview. The information he had was one thing. Meeting the applicants in person would let Dasher get a feel for the people and than he could make his final decisions. He sent his regrets to the rest of the list but said he would keep them on file as there would be future positions that would need to be filled. He didn't need interviews to select all those who were right for the position. Intuition had never failed him. By the next day, three young wolves had walked into his office and were waiting for him. "Minister Cheetah,", said the youngest,"we are here in response to your email."

"Wonderful!", said Dasher and continued,"Select a vacant office and make yourself comfortable. You should see an email in your professional inbox detailing your responsibilities. Let me know if there are any questions about it. As soon as youi have done that, I want you all to meet me here for a little orientation and chance to get to know me better." They nodded and set off. He smiled, considering it would be refreshing to have help finally. Still, he wanted to test them and see how they reacted to him. With a grin that was not fully a friendly one, Dasher set in motion his plans.

Within an hour, the three wolves had come back and were waiting on the cheetah to tell them what he wanted of them. Dasher finished a report and stood up, revealing his form for the first time. Without appearing to, he carefully watched them for any bodily reactions that might betray what they were really thinking. Dasher walked around the desk and told them to follow him. As they walked, Dasher explained,"I have not been to the surface for some time and want to feel the sun on my fur, as well as smell the scent of the plants and soil. I also want to show you something, so we will go there now." He led them to the transporter and set the destination. With the push of a button, they were wisked off, to reappear outside the remains of the base on the planet's surface.

Here too, repairs were being made and work was going on. Dasher led them to the edge of the crater where the space cannon had once stood and Scott had given his life. Bane had ordered it remain as both a historical reminder and a memorial to those who had fought and died in the battle over the birth of the Empire. Dasher had not been back here since they had moved to the undersea base where the Empire had moved, so what he saw was as much a surprise to him as it was to the wolves who had accompanied him there.

People had been busy and had erected a memorial to the site. There were four statues placed on a plaza. Larger than life, stood a group of a wolf, a fox and a cheetah, gathered solemnly around the fallen form of a human. Tears fell from Dasher's eyes as he looked on the memorial. Bane, Ron and himself were standing together, heads bowed over the form of Scott and their grief was evident upon their faces. Someone with great talent had created this and it touched Dasher deeply, bringing back the memories of the battle, the loss of his friend Scott. The three wolves looked at it all and compared the statue of Dasher to the real person standing with them.

Dasher watched them thru his tears and nodded. He said quietly,"Yes, I was here. I didn't know this had been erected tho. I think I need to tell Bane and Ron about this." Taking a deep breath, he regained his composure and said more steadily,"This was not the reason I brought you all here tho. Come." He led them to a stand of trees nearby and asked them to close their eyes. Once they had doe so, Dasher pulled out his battle gloves and donned them. Extending the claws, he stood and held them out, down at his sides and told them to look.

The three opened their eyes and Dasher stood before them, with a decidedly evil grin on his face and ready to attack. One of them just looked curiously at him but the other two tucked their tails between their legs, their ears flattened and eyes went wide. The cheetah nodded and said,"Yes, I am that one. I believe I was given the name, Demon Cat?"

The two who had cowered, now shivered and Dasher continued with a threatening purr to his voice,"You have heard of me and what I did here when the battle was fought hand to hand. Those tales are true. I lost count of how many enemies I killed that day but it was enough that blood pooled and body parts littered these grounds." Dasher pointed with his blades at the two wolfs and said,"You and you . . . Have you any doubt that I can turn you into kibble, faster than you can reach an inch towards the weapons you have hidden on your persons?" The wolf Dasher had not pointed to looked both scared and clueless as he stood there, remaining still. The ones he had singled out, trembled and one of them actually pissed himself in fright. They expected to die any minute, knowing that somehow, they had been found out.

Dasher stood up and relaxed, letting an easy smile grace his face as he retracted the claws back into their gloves. In an easy tone, he said,"Now that we understand each other, you will come with me where you will be locked up until I decide what is to be done about you." Dasher looked at the lone innocent wolf and said,"I know you don't understand this but be at ease. I trust you and you will do well. These other two are not what they seem and I suspect they were sent here to sabotage our work, even perhaps to kill myself and the emperor. What is your name again?"

The young black wolf gulped and moved away from the other pair of grey wolves as he answered shakily,"T-Timber sir."

Dasher smiled and said,"Alright Timber. You have passed my test admirably. Come with me while I take care of some business, then we can have lunch." Dasher walked the other tow back to the work site and got security to take possession of them with the instructions to be careful and keep them alive. That taken care of, he took Timber back to the undersea capital and treated the young wolf to a meal at a fine dining establishment. While there, he briefed the wolf on what he expected of him. Suitably impressed, Timber very willingly settled into place with Dasher as his leader. The cheetah had learned much while he was a wolf and knew that Timber had accepted him as an alpha that he would not cross.

Bane looked at the clock in his office and smiled. It was five in the evening and he was done with the day's work. Kyo had been wonderful for Bane and had made it possible for the wolf to finish his work early. He got up and put his coat on. He walked out the door to find Kyo hard at work typing up a report of some sort. Seeing Bane emerge from his office, Kyo said,"Good evening sir. Are you headed home for the day?"

Bane nodded and answered with a smile,"I am Kyo. I have finished my work for the day and am headed home to my fox."

The wolf nodded and said,"Tell him I said hello, please?"

Bane nodded and said happily,"Will do." With that he departed. The walk didn't take all that long. His quarters were not far from his office, which was covienant as the wolf often didn't get out of bed at the desired time.

He turned the lights on in the room and walked into the bedroom. He removed his uniform and replaced it with some jogging shorts and no shirt. In private, he disliked shirts. He felt it matted his fur up. He then walked into the living room and sat down. It was not often he had free time, therefore he really had nothing to do with it. He looked at the clock, seeing Seamus would be home soon. Thinking a bit, he smiled and walked into the kitchen. He would prepare some pasta for them and open a bottle of wine.

Seamus sat at his desk working. He already had the staff to transform his department into the Ministry of Health, so it wasn't that big of a change. He saw it was half past five and decided to pack up for the day. He stretched his tired body and walked out of the office. He walked though the hallways of the city and smiled as some children ran past him. The lead was shouting that he was Bane and they couldn't catch him. He chuckled to himself, very aware of how popular Bane was. He was also aware of what it meant for him to be chosen above all others. He was sure Bane could have had his choice of anybody, yet he chose the fox. Seamus felt both humble and pleased.

He arrived at his home before he realized his trip was over. As he went to unlock the door, Dasher and Ron walked up to the fox and greeted him,"Hey foxy, whats up?" Seamus turned to see them and answered with a grin,"Hey guys, just going home for the night. Care to come in for a visit?" The two nodded and Seamus opened the door. The smell of dinner greeted his nose and he grinned at the pleasant surprise.

As the three friends walked inside, the shirtless Bane smiled at all of them and boomed out,"Welcome friends! Dinner's almost done. I hope you're all hungry?" Seamus was already drooling slightly and Dasher drank in the scent of the meal.

"I didn't know you could cook?", commented Ron.

Bane chuckled and said,"There's a lot you don't know about me. Please get comfortable. Our home is your home." The three newcomers smiled and Seamus led them into the bedroom. Soon all emerged in shorts and shirtless. At this point Bane plated up the meal on four settings and brought out four glasses of wine. He moved the plates to the dining table and placed a chilled bottle of wine in the center.

He was quickly joined by his mate and dearest friends. All dug into the food, and enjoyed the wine. Bane smiled as he said,"This is what I have missed. My friends sitting around a table and enjoying a meal. We must make time for this more often." All nodded in agreement. It was a normal activity but one they had all not had the time to enjoy for a long time. As the meal was cleared off the table, Bane brought out a deck of cards. Holding them up he announced."Now then, I assume all of you have played poker at some point?"

Dasher then spoke up with a gleam in his eye,"No but I've poked him!" He pointed at Ron and continued,"Does that count?" All laughed for a moment, and Ron blushed deeply at the comment. He hadn't been offended as all knew he and Dasher were lovers but still, hearing them tease him gently about it was a bit embaressing for the quiet fox.

Bane chuckled and said,"Yes, I suppose that does count." Bane was the dealer first and he passed out the cards. As he played he looked around at his friends. He realized that all of his efforts to organize the empire didn't matter as much to him personally. The only thing that really mattered was this, having friends with which to share your life with. He had spent so much time working for the empire that he had lost sight of this. Without taking time for himself, how could he be expected to serve the empire he himself had created. He smiled at his friends. The game continued into the late hours of the evening but nobody was keeping up with who was winning. As far as they were concerned, they were all winners because they all had each other.