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			  Galaxy Police Mihoshi's
			  A C A D E M Y  D A Y S

			  "The Mihoshi Syndrome"
				    by
			       Ryan Mathews

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CHAPTER TWO

	Kiyone tried the radio again, more for the hell of it than out of
any real hope.  Nothing happened.  The console was utterly dead.  The
only light inside the cabin was from Kiyone's handlamp, set on the seat
between her and Mihoshi.  Kiyone sighed and sat back.
	"Did you try your wristcorder?" Mihoshi asked.
	"I smacked it on the console when we crashed.  It's busted.  How
about yours?"
	"Oh, mine won't work on this planet's frequencies."
	Kiyone rolled her eyes in disgust.  "Mihoshi, you were supposed to
have gotten that upgrade months ago!"
	Mihoshi grimaced.  "I know!  I'm sorry!  I just didn't get around
to it."
	The two sat in silence for a moment, thinking their situation
through.  It had been a typical "Mihoshi-type" case, thought Kiyone.
Garrett had been on the Galaxy's Most Wanted list for nearly three years.
The Galaxy Police had never given up hope of capturing him, but there had
been no solid leads and it didn't appear there were going to be any for
awhile.  Then Mihoshi had literally stumbled into the lead they needed.
	More specifically, she had stumbled into one Mr. Sym K'vant.  At the
time of their meeting, K'vant had just robbed a bank and was running away
from the local law enforcement when Mihoshi, who had been window shopping,
backed into his way and tripped him.  K'vant had suffered a dislocated knee
and had been taken into custody, where a DNA scan showed him to be the
prime suspect in over fifty such robberies in that sector of space.  Facing
the death penalty on several worlds, K'vant had offered information in
return for being turned over to the planet with the least harsh prison
system.  The information in question had been the whereabouts of Garrett.
	The GP had been so delighted with this turn of events that they had
awarded the honor of capturing Garrett to Mihoshi.  Unfortunately,
Garrett's location had turned out to be the planet Trasima, which didn't
have a contract with the GP.  After weeks of negotiations, Mihoshi and
Kiyone had been allowed to conduct their operations, but without any GP
backup.  GP cruisers had waited outside Trasiman space to arrest Garrett if
he could be flushed off the planet.
	After several days of detective work, everything had been going 
well.  They had discovered a location where Garrett and several members of 
his gang were going to purchase weapons from a local arms dealer.  Mihoshi 
and Kiyone had gotten there first, placed a few low-yield mines in strategic
locations, hidden themselves and waited.
	The plan had been to wait until the deal was going down, when 
Garrett and his buddies would be good and tense.  Then they would set off 
the mines.  As panic ensued, the two policewomen would burst forth, take out 
everyone with non-lethal ordinance and return home heroes.
	Of course, nothing had gone according to plan.  As she thought back,
Kiyone chided herself for having expected anything different.
	As Kiyone had waited, detonator in hand, for the perfect moment to
start the chaos, she had looked over at Mihoshi.  She had been making a
strange face, and it had slowly dawned on Kiyone that Mihoshi was about to
sneeze.  Kiyone had watched helplessly as Mihoshi had contorted her face,
trying desperately to hold it in.  No luck.  Mihoshi cut loose with a noise
like a startled rhinoceros.
	Seconds later, Garrett and his gang were spraying gunfire in their
direction.  It had looked like curtains, but then a stray shot knocked one
of the miniature mines off the wall and into a box of grenades.  Seizing
the opportunity, Kiyone had hit the trigger.  The resulting blast had torn
a hole in the wall and killed everyone except Kiyone and Mihoshi, shielded
behind their crates, and Garrett, who had somehow come through without a
scratch.  The resulting chase had landed them in their current predicament.
	No one had seen them crash.  If someone had, surely there would be
someone down below, checking the situation out.  There would undoubtedly be
a search, but how long would it be before someone thought to look
underneath the bridge?  Hours?  Days?  Weeks?
	"Maybe we could climb down," suggested Mihoshi.
	"Climb down into what?" said Kiyone.  "Freezing cold water?  This
aircar isn't equipped with a raft."
	"Well, maybe we could climb up?"
	Kiyone doubted it.  Bridges such as this one weren't usually
designed for people to crawl around underneath.  Still, it wasn't an
impossibility.  There could be an access ladder somewhere.  It was worth a
look.  Hell, anything was better than just sitting there.
	Kiyone took the handlamp and climbed out through the roof.  She
played the light along the bridge's support beams.  Nothing looked
particularly inviting as far as handholds were concerned.  On the bright
side, she could see from the mild corrosion that the beams were constructed
of ordinary steel, which meant that as a last resort, she could cut
handholds in the beams with her laser.
	Something caught her eye, something protruding from one of the
beams.  She couldn't quite get enough light on it to see exactly what it
was, perhaps a ladder, perhaps nothing.  She pulled herself farther out
of the car to get a better angle, bringing a knee on top of the roof and
leaning forward.
	There was a creaking sound, followed by a loud CHUNK as the car
dropped at least a tenth of a meter.  Kiyone screamed and slammed into
the roof, dropping the handlamp, which slid away from her.
	"Kiyone!" came Mihoshi's voice.  "Kiyone, are you okay?!"
	"I'm f-fine!! D-don't do anything, okay?  Don't m-move!"  Kiyone
lay there motionless for a few seconds, taking deep breaths, trying to
stop herself from shaking.  She reached for the handlamp.  It was just a
few centimeters out of her reach.  She leaned forward, and felt the car
tip.  She held her breath, and stretched.  Her fingertips caught hold of
the lamp.  She slowly crawled backward into the cabin, where she sat and
trembled.
	"I guess climbing up isn't gonna work, huh?" said Mihoshi.
	Kiyone shook her head.
	"Oh, well," said Mihoshi.  "I guess it can't get any worse, can it?"
	"Of course it can," said Kiyone.  "It always does."

	      *                       *                       *

	After the disastrous beginning to her first day back at the academy,
the rest of the morning was blissfully uneventful for Kiyone.  The most
unusual thing that happened was one of the instructors calling in sick.
The cadets were given instructions to use the free hour constructively and
released from the class for the day.  Kiyone decided to visit the firing
range.
	
	Kiyone aimed and fired off three rounds.  She examined the result
with mild dissatisfaction.  Her aim hadn't deteriorated too badly in six
weeks of inaction, but it was clear she needed more practice.  She lifted
her gun and fired again.
	"Hey, Kiyone!"
	Kiyone turned to see Dramm, a classmate.  To call him a friend would
have been an exaggeration, but he was one of her more friendly
acquaintances.  Kiyone adjusted her ear protectors to better allow his
voice through the filter.  "Dramm.  What's up?"
	"I was gonna ask you.  What happened at role call?"
	Kiyone sighed.  "I'd rather not talk about it."  She examined the
target.  Better.  She hit a switch and the target reset, sealing the holes.
	Dramm took aim with his own gun.  "Suit yourself.  It's already the
talk of the campus.  It's not like you to lose control like that."
	Kiyone grimaced.  Dramm wasn't good at taking hints.  "She's my
roommate, okay?  She's a complete ditz.  When P'yun said she was the
Commissioner's granddaughter, I just lost it.  Satisfied?"
	"Sure, I understand."  Dramm fired off a few rounds.  "God, I suck."
	Kiyone snuck a peek a Dramm's target.  "It's not that bad.  Besides,
what are you worried about?  How often do you have to fire a gun in
undercover operations?"
	"Not often," admitted Dramm.  "Still, if I do have to shoot, it
would be nice to hit something other than my own foot.  I'll have to get in 
some more practice."
	"How was this place over the summer, anyway?"  Unlike Kiyone, who 
had spent the time between terms interning with an active-duty officer, 
Dramm's training as an undercover agent had required him to stay at the 
academy.
	"That's hard to say.  I'm wondering if we're about to get a shake-up
in command."
	Kiyone put her gun down.  She hadn't expected to hear anything like
that.  "What exactly do you mean?"
	"Discipline's gotten a lot more strict since you left.  Not that
that's a bad thing, mind you.  Just stay away from the port."
	Kiyone was confused.  "We've never been allowed to go there.  It's
outside the grounds."
	"Yeah, but what was the penalty for being caught playing kissy-face
in a warehouse?  Dock your stipend for a week?" Dramm raised his gun and
fired.  "Shit.  Maybe I need a different gun.  Anyway, now they're throwing
guys in the brig for the first offense.  It's like this zero-tolerance
thing."
	That was different.  "Maybe it's the town.  Maybe they're sick of
cadets wandering into places they don't belong.  Did something happen?"
	"Not that I know of.  It was, like, completely out of the blue."
	A door opened, and cadets filed into the room.  "Aw, shit," said
Dramm.  "Here come the freshmen.  I'm outta here."
	Kiyone watched Dramm leave, and thought about leaving herself.  She
checked her gun.  It still had seven charges remaining.  It would be a 
shame to waste them, she thought.  Besides, if any of those freshmen were
that dangerous with a gun, they wouldn't have been accepted, right?
	The instructor addressed the freshmen.  "The purpose of this test is
to gauge your marksmanship skills, to see which of you will require
remedial training."  She held up a pistol.  "This is the weapon most of
you will use upon graduation, the PZ-706-C.  It fires a charged particle
beam, and is capable of both semi-automatic and fully automatic operation."
She quickly aimed the gun and fired off a round.  "It's that simple.  Cadet
Mihoshi, you're first."
	Kiyone flinched at the sound of her roommate's name.  She turned to
watch as the instructor handed Mihoshi the weapon.
	Mihoshi examined the weapon, then took a breath and grasped it
firmly.  Looking determined, she lifted the gun and pulled the trigger in
one efficient motion.  Nothing happened.
	The other freshman giggled.  "Now, what did Mihoshi forget to 
check?"
	"The safety!" blurted several of the cadets.
	"Exactly.  Now, it wasn't exactly fair of me to--"
	"Oh!" said Mihoshi.  "I've got it!"
	"Wait!" shouted the instructor.  "That's the wrong switch.  You have
to--"
	"Oh, I see.  Thanks, instructor."  Mihoshi took the safety off.
	"Okay, now you have to put the other switch back to-- NO!  DON'T
FIRE!!"
	Mihoshi raised and fired the gun, which was now in full-automatic
mode.  Particle beams sprayed ahead, then everywhere as a screaming Mihoshi
struggled to keep the gun under control.  Kiyone hit the deck as beams
sizzled above her head, ricocheting off the wall.
	"I'm sorry!" yelled Mihoshi.
	"Give me that," said the instructor, shaken, as she relieved Mihoshi
of the weapon.  "You can get up now," she said to the cowering cadets.
"It's over.  That will be several demerits and a lesson for you, Cadet
Mihoshi.  Never assume you know how a gun will react the first time you
fire it.  If you had been more careful, this--" she said, referring to the
targets, then fell silent.
	The instructor and the cadets both gazed at the targets in
astonishment.  Kiyone followed their gaze and immediately understood.
	Each and every target had been drilled through the primary target
areas, the head and chest of the humanoid silhouette.  Even more
impossibly, it appeared that not a single beam had been off-target.
	Kiyone gaped in disbelief, then looked at her own target.  It had
a perfect score as well.  But that couldn't be, thought Kiyone.  She was
all the way at the other end of the firing range.  The angle was
impossible, unless...  Kiyone examined the wall, and found the burn marks
where the beams had ricocheted.  Mihoshi had banked the shots into the
target.
	Kiyone checked her gun.  There were still three charges left.  The
hell with it, Kiyone thought, and left.

	Later, in the cafeteria, Kiyone aimlessly flipped through a training
manual, not really reading it.  The remains of her lunch sat before her,
a testament to her state of mind: normally she would have disposed of her
tray the moment she had finished.
	Try as she might, she couldn't get the image out of her mind.  There
they were, a row of holed targets, each one scored so perfectly as to make
a trainer weep with joy.  And Mihoshi had done it by accident.
	Or had she?  Was this all a prank?  Perhaps Mihoshi was an excellent
marksman, and this was her way of showing off.  No, that made no sense.
She hadn't bragged about her feat in any way, in fact had seemed oblivious
to what had happened until her trainer had pointed it out.
	Maybe it was an accident after all.  It was possible.  The pistol
pulsed at a regular rate, and if Mihoshi had swung her arm in a perfectly
horizontal motion at exactly the right speed, it wasn't inconceivable that
she could hit all the targets.  Then Kiyone reminded herself that the
targets had been drilled in both the head and chest.
	Kiyone shook her head and made two resolutions.  First, she resolved
not to think about it anymore.  Second, she resolved to stay away from
Mihoshi except when they were in the barracks.  Both resolutions lasted
less than a second.
	"Hi, Kiyone!" chirped Mihoshi.  "Mind if we sit here?"
	Kiyone didn't look up.  "I'm studying."
	"You sure?  We arrived late, and the cafeteria's kinda crowded.  But
there's lots of room next to you."
	As if I didn't have enough reasons not to like you, thought Kiyone.
She reminded herself that Mihoshi couldn't possibly know enough about
Kiyone's situation to rub it in.  "Suit yourself."
	"Thanks!"  Mihoshi sat down.  "I'd like to introduce Shi.  He's a
friend from high school."
	"So I've heard."
	"Sorry about role call," said Shi.
	"Thanks, but it wasn't your fault," said Kiyone.  Then it hit her.
While Mihoshi was here, she might as well indulge her curiosity.  "Mihoshi,
about what happened on the firing range--"
	"Oh, yeah!" said Mihoshi.  "Wasn't that weird?"
	"So it was an accident?"
	"Oh, sure!  You don't think I could do something like that on
purpose, do you?"
	"I don't see how you could do it at all."
	Shi starting laughing.
	"Am I missing something here?" asked Kiyone.
	"Stuff like that happens to me all the time," said Mihoshi.
	Shi added, "She was known throughout the school as 'the Walking 
Coincidence'."
	Mihoshi nodded, blushing.  "One time in gym class I threw a ball too
far and accidentally set off a fire alarm.  They had to evacuate the
building, even though it was a false alarm.  Well, it turned out there
really was a fire, and as soon as everyone got out, there was a real big
explosion."
	"Or how about the accident in chemistry class?" reminded Shi.
	Mihoshi remembered.  "Yeah!  I knocked over a bunch of chemicals, 
and they turned into this pasty, gooey stuff.  When we tried to clean it up
with water, it turned into the hardest stuff they'd ever seen!  The school
turned it over to this lab and they tried everything on it, even a nuclear
explosion, but they couldn't even dent it.  They were gonna name it after
me, but they couldn't figure out what it was made of."
	"Being her friend sounds more than a little dangerous," commented
Kiyone.
	"Mihoshi's just being nice by calling me a friend," said Shi.
"Really, we barely knew each other in school.  Still, it was neat to find
someone from my class here."
	Kiyone stood up.  "Well, why don't the two of you get to know each
other better?  I'll take off."
	"You don't have to go," said Mihoshi, standing up as well.
	"I have work to do," said Kiyone.  She reached for her book.
	"Oh, let me get that!"  Mihoshi reached for the book as well.  The
two of them collided, Mihoshi dropping a box of milk she had been holding.
	Instinctively trying to prevent a mess, Kiyone tried to grab for the
box, bobbled it and dropped it.  It hit the floor, where Mihoshi stepped on
it.  A stream of milk squirted upwards, hitting her in the eyes.
	Mihoshi stumbled backwards blindly, bumping into another cadet who 
was standing up to dispose of a tray.  He dropped the tray, which clattered 
to the floor.
	"I'm so sorry," said Mihoshi, wiping milk out of her eyes.  The 
cadet offered her a napkin.  She stepped forward to accept it, stepped on 
the tray, and fell on her butt.  The tray flew through the air like a 
missile, striking one of the food servitors mounted in the wall, denting it 
and spraying it with leftover food and drink.  Mihoshi sat up and groaned,
rubbing her behind where she had fallen.
	"And this kind of thing happens all the time?" asked Kiyone.
	"All the time," said Shi.
	Suddenly, there was a noise.  A deep, rumbling, liquid noise.  The
cadets glanced around nervously, trying to locate the source.  Kiyone 
thought she knew where it was coming from.  It was the food servitor Mihoshi 
had dented.  Her suspicions were confirmed a second later as the servitor
exploded.  The cadets screamed as a flood burst forth from the machine,
showering everyone with soupy food material.
	Moments later, the other servitors began exploding as well, one at a
time, like firecrackers.  The cafeteria cleared as the cadets fled before
the edible onslaught.
	Kiyone barely managed to make it outside when she ran into Sergeant
P'yun, literally.  "Oh, sir!  Forgive me!" she said, straightening her
uniform.  Then she realized it was too stained to bother, and stood at
attention.
	"Just what in hell is going on here?" yelled P'yun.
	"I can explain!  I can explain!" shouted Mihoshi, running up.  "See,
it all started when Kiyone knocked my milk out of my hand.  Then I--"
	"So, it's the two of you again, huh?"
	"Wait," started Mihoshi.  "That's not..."
	"If the two of you made this mess, you can clean it up!"
	"But that will take hours!" said Kiyone.  "My classes--"
	"You'll clean it up after classes.  The other cadets will be granted
leave to eat in town tonight," said P'yun.  A cheer rose from the cadets.
	Kiyone glared at Mihoshi, wishing she could strike her dead with her
thoughts.  Until that day, she had had a perfect record, not a single
demerit.  Now, twice in one day, she had been chewed out by the Head
Sergeant.
	"I almost forgot," said P'yun to Kiyone.  "Clean yourself up.  The
lieutenant wants to see you."
	
	 So once again, Kiyone found herself in the office of Lieutenant 
Tugh.  However, this time she was in full uniform, and stood at attention.
	"Cadet Kiyone reporting as ordered, sir!"
	"At ease, Cadet.  Have a seat."
	"I'd prefer to stand, sir."
	"I'm sure you would.  However, I'd prefer that you sit.  Sit."
	Kiyone sat, a bit nervously.
	"I know what you think.  You think I'm about to scold you for the
incident this morning.  That's not my job."
	"Then what...?"
	"Tell me, Cadet.  What do you think of your new roommate?"
	Kiyone thought for a moment.  "Permission to speak freely?"
	"Granted."
	"She's horribly unqualified.  She's bubble-headed, accident-prone,
and careless.  I don't see how she got into the academy."
	"Really," said Tugh, rubbing his chin.  "That's odd, seeing as how
she graduated near the top of her class and received one of the highest
scores ever on the qualifying exams."
	"Well, sir," said Kiyone, wondering if she should continue, "her
grandfather...  He is the commissioner, after all."
	"I administered the qualifying exams myself.  Are you accusing me of
dishonesty?"
	"Sir!  N-no, sir."
	"Relax.  That was a rhetorical question.  It's the truth, Kiyone. 
She impressed everyone.  Especially in marksmanship, where she received
the highest possible score."
	Kiyone thought back to the incident on the firing range.  When
Mihoshi had swung her gun up, it had been the confident, steady motion of
someone familiar with using a pistol.  If she hadn't had the gun on the
wrong setting, she very well could have achieved a perfect score.
	"I'm afraid I owe you an apology.  You see, I was the one who
arranged for Mihoshi to be your roommate."
	"What?!" Kiyone shouted.  "Why?  Sir, how could you?!"
	"It's not as bad as you might think.  I didn't lie to you.  You lost
your single room to a space shortage.  But when I realized you'd be
assigned a roommate, I made sure it was Mihoshi."
	"But why?  What so important about this girl?"
	Tugh told her.

END CHAPTER TWO
TO BE CONTINUED