Chrysalis

Book One: "Trial By Fire"

Chapter One

"Three things see no end - a flower blighted 'ere it bloomed, a message that miscarries, and journey that is doomed."

-Mercedes Lackey, "Threes"

Zachary was busy readying himself for another duty shift. In the kitchen, he could hear the clanking of dishes and the hiss of running water.

*Is it Zach or Jessi's turn to make breakfast?* he wondered, worrying with a couple of buttons that didn't want to match up with the buttonholes.

Finally getting the offending buttons fastened, Zachary straightened and checked his appearance one more time in the mirror. Okay.

*I hate inspection day,* he thought. *Even if I'm the one doing the inspecting.*

He walked over to the nightstand to get his gloves, and accidentally knocked over a picture. He didn't pay attention to it as he was busy trying to get evrything regulation-perfect on the uniform. It wasn't setting a very good example to the cadets if the person running the inspection didn't have everything on right himself.

"GV," he asked the home AI, "What's the date today? Earth Calendar?"

"June eighth, 2104."

Zachary shot up, paralyzed for a moment.

"June eighth?"

"Yes, sir."

His stomach took a lurch not unlike the feeling of an elevator decending too fast. He didn't know what had really caused it - the date itself, or the fact that he was getting ready for just another day at the office and forgot.

He looked back, at the fallen picture.

Zachary picked it up off the floor. Frozen in time was a young Ranger Lieutenant, newly graduated, and trying to look dignified in his new dress uniform (only partially succeeding). Standing next to him was a pretty young woman wearing a simple, lace-trimmed white dress, and a long veil of white gauze.

The date read at the bottom, "June 8, 2084."

Zachary sighed and put the picture back on the nightstand. . *I'm sorry, Eliza. I'm really sorry we aren't celebrating right now. I hope you understand...wherever you are.*

Walking out to the kitchen, he saw that Jessi was munching her toast and fruit. She gestured to an empty seat. "Good morning, Dad."

He mussed her hair. "Morning, kiddo."

Jessi straightened her hair out a little bit. "Zach's got some fruit cut up in the kitchen, and some toast. I'm cleaning the dishes after he's done, since I know you want to get to work early."

"Thanks," Zachary said. "How's the science project coming along?"

Jessi grinned. "Well, Donna's got the graphs and stuff. I'm recording the data. You wouldn't believe how just varying one element can totally change the way a plant grows."

"Oh, I will," Zachary replied. "I missed your last science fair. I'm not missing this one."

At this point, Zachary Jr. emerged from the kitchen, carrying his own plate of breakfast. "Oh. hi, Dad."

Zach Jr. pushed his way past his father, and sat at the table, proceeding to wolf down his breakfast.

*Teenagers,* Zachary thought with a smile before walking into the kitchen himself. Life went on, and so would he.

Out the corner of his eye, Zachary saw that Jessi had taken down one of the home security cameras, and had it in her lap. Zachary stood up and watched with alarm.

"What are you doing, young lady?"

Jessi looked up. "Relax, Dad. It's all right. GV even showed me how to do this."

Zachary frowned and walked next to his daughter. "Well, what are you doing to the camera, exactly?"

"Modifying the signal so instead of sending it to GV's internal sensors, it sends the output to Donna's house. I send her my science project data that way.

"How does it work?"

Jessi grinned, and gestured to the chips on the couch. "Well, that over there are recording chips. The red one is a recording of the plants, and graphs of the sample data. I just take out the record chips..."

Jessi explained the set up. Most of it involved switching a few directional chips and avoiding GV's internal alarm systems. As she cheerfully talked him through it, Zachary shook his head. Seeing Doc pull something like this was one thing. Seeing his kid pull it off was quite another. He made a mental note to ask GV if there were other tricks built in that he should know about.

Jessi replaced the camera's cover. "Just press in her transmission code, and we're all set. See, Dad, it's simple."

Zachary picked up the camera and looked it over. "Thanks for showing me. Maybe I'll try it myself sometime."

Jessi put down the camera. "Dad, are you okay?"

Zachary looked up, startled.

"Well," she said. "Zach didn't want to bring it up, because he knows you get upset...I mean, this being the day you and Mom got married and with her being gone and all..."

Zachary patted her shoulder. "I think I'll be okay. I've got a lot of work today. Tonight, I might take you and Zach to see a movie or something."

"Dad, you don't have to -"

"It won't do any good to stay here, Jessi. Remember what she used to say to you two when I was out on assignment?"

Jessi smiled. "She started in on this imitation of Commander Walsh. I wish you could have seen it."

Zachary laughed a little at the mental picture. "She did, huh?"

Jessi nodded, still laughing. She squared her shoulders and dropped her voice. "'Captain Foxx, I want you to scout from here to the other end of the galaxy in the next twenty-four hours or else...'" Jessi coughed with the effort of keeping her voice twisted.

His ribs shook with silent laughter, but he strained to keep a straight face. "I don't think the commander would appreciate that, even though it *is* funny."

"She had a whole speech prepared," Jessi said with a shrug. "Wish I could remember it." She looked up at the wall chronometer and picked up her coat. "Well, the shuttle going to school's leaving soon. See you later."

She kissed her father's cheek before dashing out the door.

Zachary looked at the chronometer on the wall. He still had a half hour before he had to report in. Picking up a few chips and the security camera, he tried to repeat what she had done.

* * * *

It was too early when Niko's alarm clock had gone off, or at least it seemed that way.

But she was already up, and in the shower. Shane turned over and tried to ignore the obnoxious beeping.

"Damn it, babe," he muttered, still half-awake. "Does that thing *have* to be so obnoxious?"

No answer. He reached over to Niko's side of the bed. It was empty, but still warm. He groped around until he found the alarm clock on the nightstand.

His dexterity hadn't woken up yet. He missed the snooze button, and slapped the whole clock onto the floor, where it still beeped loudly. With a groan, Shane realized that he had to get up if he wanted the thing to quit blaring.

He grumbled and turned over on his stomach, covering his head with one of the pillows. That muffled the noise, but he realized that he was now too awake to go back to a sound sleep.

The shower quit running. A few minutes later, Niko walked out in uniform, casually picked up the alarm clock, and reset it. She shook Shane. "Come on, Shane. No sleeping in."

"Five more minutes."

"No way," she said with a small smile. "If *I* have to be up, then so do you."

"I just *had* to start sleeping with a morning person." A muffled sigh, and Shane turned over. "At least I get to wake up to a pretty face."

Niko blushed. She didn't think she'd ever get used to hearing him pay her compliments like that.

A quick kiss, then Niko pointed to the bathroom. "All yours, love."

"Thanks."

With much reluctance, he got up from the bed, and headed towards the bathroom.

Niko padded out to the kitchen, and started to brew a *strong* pot of coffee for both herself and Shane.

Relaxing back in her chair, she stretched her muscles, and looked out the window. The sunrise was actually very pretty, painting all the clouds in shades of pink and orange.

*Wonder if she's making coffee...*

The intrusive thought-whisper startled Niko from her musing. Damn it all, weren't her shields working?

She sighed, and consciously blocked off her mind. She wasn't "hearing" Shane's thoughts, at least for now. With a mix of annoyance and fear, Niko realized that she had been having more and more difficulty with her "Gifts" lately. It was minor, but the fact that she wasn't able to fully shield herself was cause for concern. Shielding used to be instinct, something as natural as breathing. It used to be that she had to consciously let down the shields so that she could use her natural psychic gifts.

It had started, she guessed, when she was fitted with the Series Five implant. Using it allowed her to pull on more power than she'd been trained to use. At first, it just allowed her to increase her abilities. Like a muscle that had grown strong with use, after two years in the field, using her special gifts had required less implant power. Now, she was using the implant more to shield herself, and activating it to let *down* the shields. Same amount of charge needed, just refocusing it.

That was something she could manage. What she couldn't manage was this new ability that had manifested itself. When she had left Xanadau, she had only the barest ability to sense the thoughts of others. She had been told that since it hadn't manifested itself during adolecence, it probably wouldn't manifest itself at all.

They were wrong.

Shane had a latent Thought-sensing ability. It wasn't powerful enough for him to use unaided, but there was one assignment where he had no other option but to try to "send" he a message. He would have died if they found him any later, either by the *Laredo's* guns, or by his own changeling ability.

The contact had triggered something in both of them. It was barely noticeable in Shane's case.

With Niko's still-growing psychic Gifts, the Thought-Sensing ability surged in growth to catch up with her FarSight and telekenetic abilities, growing wildly out of control. At first, the only one she could sense clearly had been Shane, then she started to "hear" the occasional stray thought from Zachary and/or Doc. Now it seemed that she had to be constantly shielding against that, and, it wasn't only the guys she was having to shield against, but just about anyone she came into contact with.

It had gotten a lot worse over the past few months, no doubt a result of Shane and her moving their relationship to a more "intimate" level. They both felt a need to keep their affair a secret, though. At this point, the only one Niko really trusted with the good news was her mentor, Ariel. Ariel had *encouraged* her to pursue the relationship, after all. Despite the secrecy, though, they were both glad they took the plunge.

She was still sitting at the kitchen table with a far-away look on her face when Shane emerged from the shower a few minutes later.

He was toweling off his hair, wearing the black shirt and jeans he'd come over last night with. "Hey, Niko..."

He caught himself in mid-sentence and walked over to her. "What's the matter? Shield going bad?"

She looked up at him with a troubled expression, "Oh, Shane, I..."

He sat down with her. "It's okay. You should talk to Q-Ball about it so he can do something with the implant. You don't have to tell him about us."

"I'm not sure about modifying the implant. After all, it's still experimental. I really don't want to risk a modification to it if I can help it."

"Niko, I don't understand. I know how powerful that new ability is."

"Which is why I don't really want to use it, Shane," she said, a little sharper than she would have liked. "I already depend on my implant a little too much. To depend on it more...I'm not sure I like the idea."

"What about Xanadau?"

Niko thought about it. "I already filed for a leave of absence, but I don't know when it would clear."

He sat in the chair next to her. "I just know how hard it is on you, babe. I hate to see you running yourself ragged when you don't have to."

"I think I'll be all right," she said. "But thanks for caring."

"That's what friends are for," he said, a lopsided smile lighting up his face.

"Friends and lovers."

He laughed. "Well, we're living proof that it's a pretty fine line between the two sometimes."

He leaned over and kissed her again. When he finally broke it off, he gestured to the chronometer on the wall. "I've got to go back home and get in uniform, Niko. We don't exactly want Zachary asking questions, do we?"

"Or worse," Niko chimed in, "Buzzwang. That thing's got to be the snoopiest creation Q-Ball's ever come up with."

Shane laughed. "Anyway, babe, I'll see you at base."

He walked out the door, letting it slide shut behind him.

* * * *

After the inspection was over, Zachary walked back to the recreation lounge to get himself another cup of coffee. He walked in to find Doc at a far table, engrossed in his own cup of coffee, and the latest technical journal.

When the door hissed open, Doc looked up and put down his datapad. "Hey, Zachary. How was inspection?"

"Either I'm getting old, or they keep recruiting them young," Zachary said, walking over to the coffeepot and pouring a fresh mug for himself. "A few of the new cadets aren't much older than my son."

Doc grinned. "Just tell yourself you're twenty-nine and holding."

"Yeah right, Doc," Zachary said before sitting down with the coffee, and pulling out a datapad of his own.

"Thought you usually did your paperwork at home or in your office, Zachary," asked Doc. "Something wrong?"

Zachary looked up. "Am I being obvious?"

"I've never known you not to be," Doc answered.

The door in the front of the room opened. Doc and Zachary turned to see who had come in. Shane and Niko were talking quietly as they entered, his arm around her shoulder in a way that might have been friendly if one wasn't looking at the rest of their body language. The two younger Rangers sat on a couch near the holoviewer and continued their conversation, seemingly oblivious to their colleagues.

"Young love," Doc chuckled. "Strange stuff."

"Well, what about you?" Zachary teased. "Don't tell me you haven't been hit."

"Been hit, got burned," Doc said. "It was great while it lasted, though. I suppose I could be called 'sadder but wiser.'"

"What was she like?" asked Zachary.

Doc thought for a moment. "Crazy...but great while it lasted. "

Zachary decided to change the subject. "I heard something from Powell today."

"Oh?" asked Doc, perking up a bit. Powell was a cadet that had been mentoring under Doc for a few months now. Mentoring was the primary form of education that the Kiwi used, passing skills from master to apprentice. When put in practice at BETA, field officers mentored cadets, giving them the necessary "hands on" skills to work when they were put out on their own.

"He tells me that you just passed up another shot at promotion."

Doc sat back, somewhat deflated. "Oh, that."

"Come on, Doc. There are folks who think you should have been a field captian three years ago. They want to kick you up the ranks."

"But I'm refusing to let them, I know," said Doc. "Command's just not my thing."

"Still, rank has its privleges."

"And its drawbacks. I don't want to be promoted out of the field. I love what I'm doing a little too much. Besides, I'm not the command type."

"Still, there's nothing quite like having a team of your own," said Zachary. "I know how nervous I was to take the reins."

Doc shrugged. "Seriously, I really don't want to become a desk pilot before my time. Spent a few too many years behind one trying to get my Ph.D."

Zachary nodded. "I know how that works, especially for Specialists."

"Yeah. Give them a chance, and your illustrious career gets buried under 6 feet of paperwork. Besides, I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with."

A lengthy pause followed. Doc broke it by changing the subject.

"So," said Doc. "Back to my earlier question. What's up with you?"

Zachary smiled a little. Typical Dr. Hartford diversionary tactic. Duck the question, smile, then change the subject with such an invisible charm and grace you didn't notice it until it was too late to return to the original subject without sounding like a fool. Sometimes, it was a trait that got on Zachary's nerves, but he had come to accept it and actually enjoy playing along. It was pretty obvious by now that the computer hacker had said all he was going to say concerning his status in the ranks, anyway.

Zachary looked sadly at the wedding band on his finger. "Today is...or was supposed to have been, my twentieth wedding anniversary."

"Geez," muttered Doc. "You got hitched young."

Zachary tried to laugh, but it hurt too much at the moment. "I don't know. Twenty-two didn't seem so 'young' at the time."

"Twenty-two," Doc thought. "Nope. You never do think you're young at that age. Eighteen, Nineteen, you know it. Hit twenty, though, and suddenly, you feel like you're up on everything." Doc then laughed. "True wisdom doesn't catch up until you're at least thirty-five. Which means, I've only a couple years left to act like a complete fool."

Zachary laughed. "What about forty?"

"Plan retirement and start panicking because your kid wants to use the land cruiser."

Now Zachary was really laughing. Zach Jr. was taking driving school, and asking to borrow the land cruiser almost daily.

"I don't know about retirement, Doc," Zachary answered. "I've put some away for the kids in case something happens to me, but I'm not thinking too much about retirement."

An announcement over the intercom interrupted the conversation. "Series Five Team, report to Commander Walsh's office."

Zachary looked over the room, "Duty calls, everyone. Come on."

Commander Joesph Walsh was reading the security brief that his aide had given him when the door slid open, admitting the four Rangers.

Walsh made no secret of being proud of the Series Five Team. They were the best agents BETA had to offer, and any objections to their conduct or unorthodox methods were balanced out by the end results of their missions.

He took a head count. Dr. Walter Hartford, the top computer scientist in the Ranger corps, possibly the whole League. There always seemed to be an air of "stage magician" to Doc's bearing, as if he was going to reach inside his belt pouch and pull out a rabbit rather than his CDU. Despite (or perhaps because of) his easy-going disposition, could be a very skilled diplomat if the situation warranted.

Trailing right behind Doc was Specialist Lieutenant Niko, the mysterious young woman whose psychic abilities were only matched by her skill at martial arts. She had no surname, no records prior to entering the Ranger Academy, and sometimes Walsh had to wonder if the girl was even full human.

She stood next to Ranger Lieutenant Shane Gooseman, possibly the most controversial addition to the team. There were still Senators and high-ranking officials who wanted to put the former Supertrooper in a cryogenic coffin. Walsh had his own reasons for sparing Shane, a few of them personal.

And the motley trio was led by Captain Zachary Foxx, whose orderly manner and by-the-book approach seemed to make him an odd choice for the job. Then again, Walsh remembered, Zachary also had demonstrated the potential to go rogue on occasion. Whether it was because of the loss of his wife, or due to the influence of his team, Walsh really couldn't say.

Walsh nodded tersely. "Good. You're all here."

"What's on the table today, Commander?" Doc said, flashing his trademark grin.

"We need you to go to Tortuna and pick up an informant."

"What is he doing on Tortuna?" asked Zachary.

"He's on the run from the Queen. He knows the current status of the Crown fleet," Walsh said. "She's been up to some rather suspicious activity lately, and we need to find out what she's planning."

"What kind of information do we have, Commander?" asked Niko, crossing her arms.

"That's the problem. Virtually nothing. Our usual informants have stopped reporting. Crown Communications are virtually nil, and this has been going on for the past eight weeks."

"Maybe the Queen's taking a vacation," Shane commented dryly.

Walsh ignored Shane's comment. "The Crown lost most of her fleet when she tried to attack BETA last time. She was down to about thirty percent of her previous strength at last report."

"The only drawback to that," Zachary observed. "Is that we also took a pounding in that battle."

"That's why she's resorted to attrition tactics," grumbled Walsh. "Lots of hit and run attacks along the Border. Even though her ships aren't really designed for those kind of tactics, they still have caused a lot of damage."

"I know," said Zachary. "We've lost a few ships. A lot of good men, too."

"However," said Walsh. "The border's been quiet these past few weeks. That could be a good sign, but there's been no information coming our way. We can't even listen in on her communications. It appears that the Crown is going for silent running for some reason we have yet to discover."

The screen behind Walsh's head flickered, and the picture of a Dathian man flashed up on the screen. Dathians were humanoid, with blue-tinged skin and dark hair. This Dathian was short and wiry, typical of his species. Dathians were one of the few species who were willing members of the Crown Empire. Their physiology made them incompatable with the Psychocrypt, but they served in the Queen's army, and their homeworld was a primary technological and ship-building center for the Empire.

"This man is Kerr Orthallan, a Crown military officer who deserted from the Crown Royal Guard. He has been sending to Crown military secrets to BETA for six months. In exchange, BETA has granted his request to defect to the League, as well as granting him political amnesty."

Shane was unimpressed. "What has he done?"

"Several raids on Gherka, commanded the fleet that destroyed the *Defiance* and the *Admiral Rekel* ten months ago...even commanded a Destroyer during the Kirwin raid two years ago. He almost gave the Queen eighty human Slaverlords."

Zachary winced. There had been eighty-one human captives at the Crown palace. Rescuing them had been his team's first mission.

"So why are we rescuing this creep?" Shane said.

"According to previous information, there's been a concentration of the Crown's forces in a few sectors near the border. The concentration and patterns of the skirmishes seem to confirm this, as wel as the fact that they've stopped. He claims that he has reports that quite possibly singal an imminent Crown invasion."

"An invasion?" asked Niko.

"Her forces have been stuck down so far that she'll use it as a last-ditch strike at BETA," Walsh said, "We know that she's coming, and we've arranged our own defenses on the border, but there is the question of when and where the Queen will try to strike," Walsh answered. "Right now, we're spread very thin due to the skirmishes. I don't have to tell you that the Crown's got more fire power at her disposal than we do, even though she's been knocked down a few pegs. "

"And this Orthallan has information about that?" asked Doc.

Walsh nodded. "Or so he claims. Without this information, BETA won't be prepared when she does invade. She raises an armada and attacks one or two sectors, BETA won't be able to stop her before she takes a border planet." Walsh nervously smacked the palm of his hand with his command wand. "When she does, she'll no doubt increase her forces by Psychocrypting the human population. If that happens, then the League would probably crumble within days."

"With all due respect, sir," said Zachary. "Should we trust someone like Kerr Orthallan, or even grant him amnesty?"

"That's not your jurisdiction, Foxx," Walsh said gruffly. "We need this information. Just go to Tortuna and pick him up. Geezy's got access to the safe house. You have twenty-four hours to make the pick-up and return."

They left the briefing room, on their way to the ship. On the way, Zachary stopped at a communications relay. "Go on ahead. This will only take a minute."

The others nodded and continued while Zachary punched in the code for GV. "GV?" Zachary asked.

The blue and green eye flashed up on the screen. "Yes, sir?"

"GV, are the kids home?"

The eyeball bobbed up an down in an imitation of a nod. "Yes, sir. Both of them."

"Good. I've got a message for them."

"One moment, sir."

A second later, GV's icon was replaced with the faces of Zach Jr. and Jessi. "Hi, Dad," Jessi said.

"Hello, you two," Zachary answered. "Look, I'm not going to be home tonight."

"Another mission?" asked Zach Jr.

Zachary nodded. "Yes. With any luck, I'll be back by tomorrow." He smiled. "Just keep the house clean and get dinner for yourselves."

"Can you tell us about it when you get back?" asked Jessi.

"I'm afraid it's one of 'those' kind of missions, Jessi," Zachary answered. "But don't worry too much about me. I'll be back."

"Good luck, Dad." Zach said.

"Bye, said Zachary. "Love you both."

"Bye, Dad," both of them answered before cutting the transmission.

With that, Zachary walked down the hallway quickly in order to catch up with his team. He caught up with them at the lift, and all four of them were on their way to the Recharge Chamber and the shuttlebay.

* * * *

Zachary silently piloted Ranger One, sending the other three to the back to prepare. Once they had donned the flashy robes and scarves marking them as Zanguil peddlers, the other three Rangers spent the remaining time with a deck of cards.

Doc was grinning under the blue scarf. He stared down Shane from across the table. "See your raise and up you five." The hacker put a few more chips in the pile.

Shane stared down his opponent for a long time, looking for any sign of weakness. Finally, he got annoyed and lay down his cards. "Fold."

Doc lay down his hand. Three useless cards and a pair of fours stared back. "Gooseman, I really need to teach you how to play poker."

"If I wasn't playing with a smart-ass..." Shane began, picking up the cards and re-shuffling the deck.

"Well, you didn't exactly work your way through school by dealing cards in a tavern," said Doc.

"I didn't know you used to work as a card shark, Doc," Niko said.

Doc leaned back. "I didn't. Friend of mine did."

Niko shook her head and counted her chips. So far, the men were bleeding her dry. "There's just something about this assignment that doesn't seem right."

"No kidding, but it's what we've been trained to do. BETA says, 'Oh gee, the Queen is getting under our skin,'" commented Doc. "'But we don't want to send in the troops. Let's send in our special suicide squad!'"

"Hey," Shane said. "There are worse jobs out there."

Doc shrugged. "True, but you ever get the feeling that we're just overglorified kamakasie pilots?"

Shane started to deal out another hand. "You get used to it."

Niko wasn't paying much attention to Shane and Doc's banter. A outside thought-voice echoed in her head.

*I have to stop thinking about how much I miss her. I have a mission to do...*

The thought-voice was Zachary's. Niko shook her head. Damn it...why did she let her shield drop? She shielded in a split second, so that she stopped "eavesdropping."

*Gods,* she thought. *I really must watch that.*

She looked up at the cockpit. Zachary was flying silently, already dressed in his peddler's garb. He seemed to be staring off into nothing, as he often did.

She asked Shane and Doc, "Guys, is something wrong with Zachary?"

Shane looked at her warily, but Doc quietly answered the question.

"Yeah. It's his twentieth wedding anniversary, and you guys know how he is about anything relating to his wife."

Niko scowled. "I'll bet going to Tortuna to pick up Captain Orthallan isn't helping much."

Shane said, "I think he needs some time alone. Piloting the ship gives him something to concentrate on."

"It's actually a tough call," said Doc. "Maybe staying clear would make it worse. I think if he gets through today, though, he'll be fine." Doc cleared his throat. "Anyway, talking behind someone's back like this is definitely NOT proper. Deal the cards, Goose."

Niko got up. "You two play. I'm out of chips."

Niko walked up to the co-pilot's seat, and sat down. She took a moment to slip into a trance and work on her shields. She couldn't afford to have them fall on her when they arrived on Tortuna. Today was really a bad day, and having an off day on Tortuna could be fatal. There was one thing she could do for "insurance," though. She felt for her waist, and pressed the gold star underneath her parka.

It didn't take much power, just a quick burst. She concentrated. Ground and center....then shield. She formed the mental image of herself surrounded by a gold, glowing light and concentrated on it until she was certain it was complete. No one would notice.

She brought herself out of the trance. The shield was temporary, a "quick fix," but it would last long enough for them to make the pick-up and leave. She didn't like having to draw off the implant's energy to keep the shielding up, but it was better draining the implant than endangering herself and her colleagues with a gift gone rogue.

Niko looked over to the pilot's seat. Zachary was still working on the ship's controls silently.

"Zachary," asked Niko. "Are you all right?"

The words seem to unfreeze him. He relaxed a bit in his chair.

"Doc told me about today," she added.

Zachary took in a deep breath. "Yeah. I told him this morning." He turned to her and afforded her a smile. "I'll be okay, Niko, but thank you for coming up here."

Niko smiled gently.

"The three of you help me more than you know," he said quietly. "It doesn't hurt as badly when I have you guys to take care of."

"Really?" asked Niko.

"The three of you are like another family," he said, touching her shoulder. "I may have lost Eliza, but in some ways it feels like I adopted three more children."

Niko was a little surprised that Zachary said it aloud. He was something of a stoic, especially when he considered himself "on duty."

"Really?" she asked.

"I hope you don't take offence to it," Zachary said.

Niko shook her head. "Of course not. I don't mind the thought of being 'adopted,'" she said wryly.

He turned to her, his movements much more fluid. "The scary part about it is that Ambassador Skye thought you *were* my daughter."

Niko was surprised. Skye was an ambassador from Jouret Five, a human colony recently signed into the League as a planet of its own. He was a sweet old man who went out of his way for guests and gladly topped off the treaty signing with a large gala. It was actually more of a vacation than an assignment.

"Really?"

Zachary smiled. "I really didn't know what to say for a few seconds. I told him that you weren't related to me. All he said was that you were somebody's daughter."

"Somebody's, but your guess is as good as mine. I don't remember anything before waking up on Xanadau. Ariel said that she 'found' me, but when or where, she still hasn't said."

"Does it bother you? Not knowing where you came from?"

Niko sighed. "Not really. Goose is the one who wants to know everything he can about his background, and who can blame him?"

Zachary nodded silently.

Both Shane and Niko were orphans. Niko just simply never knew how she'd been found by the Circle, and by Ariel, the odd-looking woman who mentored her. Zachary recalled Ariel as being quite charming, albiet eccentric. He also had seen Niko's adoptive homeworld of Xanadau. It was an incredibly lovely place, full of fields and trees. He'd been told later that he was the first "outsider" to see the planet in a long time.

By contrast, Shane's "parents" were nothing more than anonymous genetic donors, donating their DNA to help create ultimate soldiers. If he let himself think about it, the idea made Zachary physically ill. Creating children and designing them to kill was a chilling prospect. It was a joyless life those Supertroopers had led - small wonder they'd all gone outlaw, except for Shane. Even he was a bitter, angry young man at first, trusting nothing and no one. Shane wasn't as harsh or as wary as he was two years ago, and Zachary knew Niko had a lot to do with it.

He knew why Shane and Niko were trying to keep the true nature of their relationship a secret. To the brass, personal feelings were a liability in battle. Human emotions didn't lead to tactically sound decisions. Soldiers were expendable - lovers and friends weren't.

On a personal note, though, Zachary wished them the best. They had both seen so much strife and isolation in their young lives. If they'd found comfort in each other, then to hell with what the brass thought.

An alarm sounded, and Zachary punched in the order to drop from hyperspace. The red and brown planet of Tortuna gleamed below them.

Zachary stood up, and turned around. Once the mission began, he was a different creature entirely. He addressed the team.

"All right, everyone. Geezy should be waiting for us once we touch down. We'll most likely be using the underground tunnels to get into the city. More than likely, we'll get Orthallan out by the same route. Keep your blasters set on max. If this is a trap, I don't want to take chances."

Ranger One touched down behind a ridge, a few kilometers from the Great Dome. The platform descended, and the Rangers walked out, onto the dry, hot desert surface.

Doc looked up and down the valley. "I don't see Geezy anywhere."

"Funny," said Zachary. "I've never known him to be late."

There was the sound of metal grinding against rock behind them. The Rangers spun around, blasters ready.

A door was opening in the rock. A very-well hidden door. If one hadn't been scanning for it, one wouldn't know it was there. A four-fingered hand poked out from the small crack and opened it further. A yellow, elephant-like trunk soon followed.

Geezy cursed, and pushed the door a little more before he was able to pry it open enough to get through.

He waddled up to the Rangers, and said, "Oh, you again."

"You were expecting someone else?" asked Shane

The joke was lost to the Pegelount. "This way, Ranger Hummings," grumbled Geezy, motioning the four into the hidden door, and making sure to seal the passageway behind them.

"Tell me what you know about the Crown forces, Geezy," Zachary asked the Pegelount.

Geezy brushed a spider's web away. "Not much, Hummings. Queen is keeping secret lately. My usual informants can't even bribe her guards. All I know is that she seems to have a lot fewer Slaverlords about."

"I wonder why," Zachary wondered aloud.

"Beats me," Geezy answered, punctuated by a sigh trumpeted through his trunk. "All I know is that three years ago, there used to be hundreds of Slaverlords in Tortuna. The number's dropped to only a few dozen. The spydroids have taken over the job, though."

"That does sound odd," Niko said.

"It's just my observation, Hummings," the Pegelount warned. "I know she's desparate for Slaverlord materials as the League has cut off her supply. Perhaps she doesn't want to put the Slaverlords in a vulnerable spot."

"What can you tell us about Kerr Orthallan?" asked Shane

Geezy frowned. "Not much. He came to me six months ago. His information is good, and he *was* a Crown Guard Captain. He maintained the Tortunan Palace when the Queen was somewhere else. He's a brutal one to prisoners. A real nose-wringer."

Geezy reflectively rubbed his short trunk. Zachary wondered for a moment if Geezy had crossed paths with Orthallan before.

They walked up a metal flight of stairs up to another metal door recessed in the wall. "We're at the street. I'll take you as far as the building."

Geezy opened the door, and the Rangers stepped out into the city of the Great Dome.

Tortuna was a place where paranoia was a way of life.

Zachary pulled the heavy cloak around him tighter. The Zanguil garb always seemed too thin a shield between his team and the Psychocrypt. He'd been there once, and wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially anyone under his command.

Geezy warily eyed the spydroids. The Pegelount was familiar with the streets, the pattern of the pink, all-seeing robots.

*Geezy's right. There's more of them.* Zachary noticed. The number had definitely increased since their first arrival on Tortuna two years ago. One could hardly cross the street and not have their actions recorded by a pink sphere.

*..."It was a bright, cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen...Big Brother Is Watching You."*

If it wasn't the spydroids, though, it was Slaverlords, and the fewer of either Zachary had to deal with on any trip to Tortuna, the better.

They came upon the city outskirts, to a particularly ramshackle hovel that used to be an apartment or boarding-house.

"This is the place," Geezy said.

"You going in?" asked Doc.

The Pegelount shook his head. "No way, Ranger Hummings. I stay safely out of the way. Big ears, big tears. Remember - you never saw me."

Niko checked her blaster. Out the corner of her eye, she saw that everyone was doing the same. Cautiously, they entered the shabby building, and walked up to the stairs. She was getting a very uneasy feeling about this.

"So far, so good," Shane said, still keeping his hand near his blasters, and not taking any chances.

Orthallan's hide out was in a typical Tortunan apartment building. The windows that weren't gaping with holes were boarded up, and the doors locked three different ways, at least one of the locks broken by forced entry or lockpicking. Evidence of vermin was everywhere, and trash stacked up in reeking piles. What wasn't typical of the building was the noise, or lack of it. You could hear the whizzing of the spy droids outside. Suddenly, a rat ran across the floor and across Niko's boot. She jumped and stifled a startled gasp, then reflectively jerked up her boot, and kicked the offending rodent clear across the hallway.

"Great accommodations," Shane commented sarcastically. "Dozen and a half roach motels each floor."

Doc laughed uneasily. "I've lived in worse. Besides, the sign outside *did* advertise free meals."

Zachary looked back over his shoulder. "Quiet it down, you two."

They arrived at the door. It was on the top floor, at the end of the hall. Great place for a trap.

Niko spoke up, "Zach, I don't know about this.... I'm getting a real bad feeling..."

"I know, Niko," Zachary answered. "I don't like this either, but the information is vital." He turned to Shane. "Goose, watch our backs. This could very well be a set-up."

Shane nodded. Zachary took a deep breath and knocked on the door, using the code Geezy had specified.

It seemed to take forever for the door to open. When it finally creaked open, and a tall, thin humanoid with pale blue skin peered out. Zachary recognized him from the holos as being Kerr Orthallan. He had something of a world-weary air to him, fatigue showing on his long face.

"Zanguils?" The man frowned.

Zachary gave the alias he had been told to use. "I'm Jorel, you have what my associates and I ask for?"

The Dathian nodded. "Very well. You know my payment?"

Zachary nodded.

"Then come in," Orthallan invited.

Shane eyed the man warily, but he also kept a keen eye on the hallway behind them.

The Rangers slowly walked into the room. Zachary and Niko went first, Doc came in after Niko, and Shane brought up the rear. After Shane was inside, Orthallan closed the door

They looked around the room. Niko was very uneasy. Something was definitely not right....she tried to pass it off as just nerves. She always had a bad feeling about Tortuna, but it was even worse than usual.

She was tempted to lower the shields and try to sense Orthallan's intentions, but she didn't dare. First, she might not get anything out of the Dathian at all. She could sense some sort of shields. Dathians, she remembered, hated telepaths. Second, with the gaggle of minds in the city, trying to use that gift would be like grabbing a Poe Mutant Sensation Doll with both hands. It would wind up backfiring and crippling her, putting everyone in danger.

The room didn't help. All the windows were boarded up, a door at the other end of the room was likewise boarded up. The only thing in the room was a filthy mattress and a battered nightstand. It was very dark, except for thin rays of light coming in through the cracks in the boards. It would take too long to blast out the boarded up windows, and then, there was no fire-escape to climb down. It was just too good a place to not be a trap.

"Nice place you got here," Doc commented, looking at possible escape routes, and growing tense at finding none.

"A fugitive has no luxuries," the man said. "I am Captain Kerr Orthallan, Royal Guard." He looked steadily at Zachary. "And you must be the esteemed Captain Foxx I have heard so much about..."

Under the scarf, Zachary frowned. He didn't want to make a positive id. "Possibly."

Orthallan nodded coolly. "Wise. Very wise. The Queen has chosen her enemies well."

"We're here to hear whatever you have to say," Zachary said, "And then take you back to BETA."

Orthallan rose from the mattress and inspected the Rangers carefully. "What I have to say is simple, Captain. Dead men tell no tales."

There was the sound of splintering wood, the whine of blasters, and the cracking of plastic as the walls fell away, revealing that they were hollow and fake - filled with Crown Troops.

"An ambush!" yelled Zachary. Everybody, fight an escape route!"

The rangers already had weapons in hands and were quick to obey their captain. They stood with their backs to each other.

Shane growled and began fighting the robots with his bare hands. Zachary was already starting to shoot, but there were way too many guards. Doc was shooting into packs of soldiers, hoping to scatter them. Niko was doing the same, felling a few in the process.

"Get them!" yelled Orthallan, hiding behind a pack of soldiers. "Look out for the badges!"

Shane was plowing his way through the tangle when he turned and realized that he was surrounded. There was a huge crack and Shane winced and stumbled back. He slapped his badge, and the pain deadened, but more shots were coming, and it was starting to drain him. Pretty soon, he wouldn't be able to hold out.

Niko saw Shane trapped in the corner. He had taken a lot of hits, and was a too busy struggling to see a robot guard raise its blaster and aim it right at him. Niko rushed the guard and smashed its helmet with the butt of her shotgun. She fired almost blindly, picking off guards, but more flooded in.

After smashing another robot, she whirled around to see three guards raising their blasters. Before she even had a chance to activate an energy shield, the blasts hit her, and she was unconscious before she hit the floor.

"Doc! What about your tweakers?! Can they do anything to help us out here?" Zachary called out over his shoulder.

Doc would have to stop shooting to get them out. Could he take the chance?

"I don't know which of 'em are robots," he said. He decided to take the chance. It seemed to be their best option under the circumstances. "Cover me, Zach!"

"Right!" Zach answered, and tapped his badge, activating his Thunderbolt.

He sent the Thunderbolt towards the door, the yellow energy burst shattering the door. the wooden door burst into flames. The dry, old, and ill-maintained wood started to blaze like kindling.

This forced other legions of Crown Guards back, but it also trapped the Rangers in an inferno. With no way out, all four of them would die of the smoke and the blaze.

Zachary was burning with a dark rage. He didn't care. Death was better than the Psychocrypt.

A loud crack, and a startled human cry. Zachary whipped around to see the five holograms flickering and dimming, and their wielder lying unconscious on the floor. Doc had been hit, falling just inches from Zachary's heels.

"Zach! We've got to get out of here!" Shane called to his captain.

Zachary grew even more harshly determined. "The building's on fire. No chance."

Shane punched another Guard. "Been an honor serving with you, sir."

Orthallan called out from his secure spot, "Surrender, Galaxy Rangers, and maybe the Queen will have pity on you."

*I've had enough of the Queen's pity, Orthallan,* thought Zachary. He activated his badge again. The Thunderbolt shattered the wooden floor, taking Shane, Zachary, and half the guards crashing to the basement.

There were more guards waiting on the first floor. All fresh, and all armed - too many of them. Some of them worked on putting out the fire, and surrounding them.

Shane was staggering. The Crown guards were overwhelming him, and Zachary couldn't see him, only hear the sounds of struggle in his general direction get fainter and fainter.

Guards armed with gas guns and blasters came in...two or three new to every one he was able to take down. They had him up against the wall. No escape. More shots. It didn't knock him out, but sent him reeling off-balance. Zachary managed to activate his wrist communicator, and pant in a last command. "Foxx to GV - Condition Black Arrow! Repeat Black Arrow!"

He turned to face another group of opponents, but only met with the business end of a blaster pistol, and the purple-blue beam coming right for him.

A huge crack, and every nerve in his body sang with hellish pain for a spilt second eternity before he finally blacked out and collapsed to the floor.

Orthallan straightened. "Everyone take them," he said. "And get a medical team. We want healthy Slaverlords, after all."

Chapter Two

Pyre

"Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage...

I have freedom in my love, and in my soul am free..."

-Lovelace

Niko moaned as she bleared awake. Where was she?

She was sprawled in a dimly lit room. The floor beneath her was smooth and hard.

Between the dim light, and her throbbing headache, it took some time for her eyes to adjust. She heard someone else breathing in the room.

She could now see two sprawled forms in the room. The darker one, who lay close to the door, groaned and sat up.

"Someone get the registration of that frieighter..."

Niko jerked up. "Doc?"

"Niko?" Doc's voice was weak, but steady. "That you?"

"Yes, it's me. Are you okay?"

"I've had hangovers more pleasant than this, but I'm okay."

They slid close together, and turned over the third figure.

"It's Shane," Niko said.

Doc scanned the room. "I don't see Zachary."

"The Queen probably put him in the Psychocrypt already," Niko said darkly.

Doc was looking over the still-unconscious Shane. "Strange. They must have stunned him good. He's the one who normally recovers first." Feeling down Shane's arm, Doc felt a lump near Shane's elbow. "Hold on...This feels like a needle mark."

"A needle?" Niko asked.

"They must have drugged him," Doc said.

A short time later, Shane stirred a bit and groaned.

"Shane," Niko said, taking his hand, "It's Niko. Are you all right?"

Shane shook his head. "Weak...thirsty. I woke up...bit earlier. Guards held me down. Someone stuck me with a needle." He tried to get up, but bit back a groan, and slumped back to the floor.

"Could you guys...help me up?"

Doc and Niko pulled Shane to a sitting position between them. He mumbled something, then rubbed his sore arm. "I think I'll be all right. Biodefenses take a while to kick in without the implant. I was...designed to shake off most kind of poisons..."

Doc looked his cellmates over. The Zanguil outfits were gone, replaced by short-sleeved black fatigues. "Great, and they snagged everything," he said, adding sarcastically, "Best of luck with my CDU - that thing's under so much encryption that I'm the only one who can use it."

"The Queen's probably dissecting our badges as we speak," Shane said, starting to sound a little stronger.

"Did you see Zachary when you were awake?" asked Niko.

"No. I'm not sure if he made it through the raid. Last I saw of him, he'd collapsed quite a bit of the building..." He stopped himself. "Maybe there's a way to find out, though. Niko, can you sense anything?"

Niko's stomach took a lurch. Already, she could sense something very omnious, and without access to her implant's power, her shields would deteriorate...

She forced herself to calm down and try something simple - sensing her cell-mates.

But a dark shield surrounded her, making her unable to sense anything except her own mind. She concentrated, but couldn't even get a light trance.

*What's happened to my Gifts? I know I'm not THAT dependant on my badge.*

She battered against it, but it was like a wild bird flapping fruitlessly against the iron bars of a cage. She kept pounding at it, but was unable to go anywhere but outside her own mind.

And the same force could read *in* her mind.

She pulled back when she felt hands on her shoulders. "Niko?"

"I can't..." she gulped. "I can't use my powers. There's something...or someone blocking my abilities."

At that moment, the cell door opened, admitting Kerr Orthallan and several well-armed Crown Guards. The Rangers hurriedly got to their feet, and readied themselves. This might be a chance to escape.

The Dathian had changed his shabby clothing for a crisp black and purple officer's uniform, and he glared at the captured Rangers with a menacing smile.

"I see you are awake," he said. "Good. The Queen will be pleased."

"Well, she always did want a matched set," Doc quipped.

A guard suddenly lashed out with his foot, catching Doc in the ribs. The Ranger fell back with a heavy "oof."

"I know about you, Ranger Hartford, and I don't appreciate your sense of humor," Orthallan said.

Niko and Shane helped Doc up. He shrugged off their hands, but still clutched his side. "I'm okay, guys."

"You say that now," said Orthallan, "But she will destroy you one by one." "Where's our captain?" Shane said, close to a growl.

Orthallan thought for a few seconds. "Oh, your captain?" he asked. "Well, the Queen would have considered him a prized Slaverlord, but I'm afraid that he did not survive the journey here."

The Rangers didn't want to believe him, but what other explanation could there be for the three of them to be thrown in a cell?

Orthallan backed out of the cell, and shut the door behind him. "I pity you, Rangers. Your troubles are only begining."

* * * *

Geezy returned to the scene of the bombed-out building. Already, hordes of scavengers, thieves, and opportunists were combing the wreckage, making off with anything and everything of value.

They concentrated on the fallen guards, taking metal, robot parts, and slashing the throat of the rare Dathian guard just to make certain they were dead.

The Ranger Hummings were long gone. Off to some sort of prison. Which one, Geezy didn't know.

Pulling aside a plank, Geezy found the torn and singed remnants of what had been Orthallan's cloak. Under all the rubble, it had been spared the inferno. Next to it was a small bag. Geezy opened it. The sack contained three small silicon chips.

*Must have dropped during the fight,* Geezy thought, pocketing them quickly. He knew what they were, all right. He'd have to go out to the Queen's main palace in the asteroid belt to deliver them.

"Hummings." he said with a trumpet of contempt. "Nothing but trouble. But more trouble if I leave them."

He waddled out, past the other scavengers, keeping the chips clutched tightly. He had a flight plan to make. He was off to visit the Graveyard.

* * * *

Zachary bleared awake, disoriented and unsure of anything. His whole body ached, but he was alive. How? What happened?

Something wasn't right. He was lying on a soft bed with a thick comforter. A comfortable feather pillow rested beneath his head.

"Where am I?" he wondered aloud.

He slowly started to pull himself into a sitting position, his head throbbing in protest. It was then he realized that he was covered by the comforter. "What the--?"

He blinked in surprise, and pulled the comforter off him. His eyes were beginning to adjust to the dim light in the room. Once the comforter was pulled away, Zachary took notice of his clothes. His Ranger uniform was gone, replaced by the uniform of a Crown military officer. The bars and pips on the uniform, though, corresponded to the same rank of Captain.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself. This was going to hurt.

Zachary tried to sit up, and was jolted by an awful wave of pain and nausea that threatened to make him either vomit or pass out. He sat still for a moment, wavering on the edge of nausea, and waited impatiently for it to pass.

Cradling his head in his hands to stop the pounding headache, Zachary tried to replay the last thing he remembered over and over, looking for some sort of idea of where he was.

Tortuna. They were supposed to pick up an informant, but it hadn't gone down well. It was a trap.

Kerr Orthallan was still a Crown agent. The room was packed to the gills with troopers. A fight followed. They'd been overwhelmed. Doc was hit in the back with a stun blast. Niko was reaching for her badge when another blast hit her. Even Shane couldn't run.

The last thing Zachary remembered was telling GV to blast off and return to BETA, condition "Black Arrow" - Situation hopeless, do not rescue.

*But, why the uniform?* he wondered, *I still have my own mind. We were captured by Crown forces. I should be a Slaverlord by now...* Then, it hit him. *My team? Where are they?*

"Doc?" No answer.

"Niko?" Again, no answer.

"Goose?" Still, no answer.

He was starting to get worried. *Oh, God,* he thought *Don't let them be Slaverlords...*

He forced himself to quiet his racing mind. *Quiet. I can't afford to panic. Not now - not ever!*

He sat up and looked around his "cell." He was lying on a soft bed with a thick comforter. Several ornate, dim lamps gave off soft light, glinting off a bottle of congac and a couple glasses set on an ebony desk.

He struggled to his feet, and almost passed out again. First things first, see if he could get out of the room. Staggering over to the door frame, he felt it for any sort of control panel, handle, knob, or any way he could open it. He found none. Zachary inspected the bedding - the sheets were too thick to tie in any kind of knot.

*So, it's still a cage* he thought. He could really use one of Doc's snide observations right about now...

He put his ear to the door, but heard nothing.

Why was he kept alone? Why wasn't he thrown in the Psychocrypt right away? After all, the last time he'd been alone in this place, he'd been tossed in the Psychocrypt within a few minutes of waking up from the guards' stun beams.

He bit his tongue, trying *not* to think of that experience. If the nightmares about Eliza weren't bad enough...

After hearing nothing on the other side of the door, Zachary inspected his "cell." It looked almost like an expensive hotel room, if not for the lack of a window or the sealed door. The glasses were breakable - that might come in handy later. The lamps were useless, being recessed into the wall. The congac might be good to start a fire, but would it do any good? That door was probably fireproof, and there was nothing he could use to ignite it.

"Just where am I?" he wondered out loud.

Zachary picked up the chair. It was ornately carved, but the wood was too light to do anything much with.

Maybe pounding on the door might get some action. He walked over to the door, and knocked on it. No answer.

Zachary pushed himself up behind the door frame. Maybe someone would come in. He could use the element of surprise to jump them and get out.

He waited and waited, but no one came...

*What?* he wondered, *Were they just going to leave me here?* He exhaled. Being alone here was starting to make him paranoid.

And why in this room, instead of a regular cell?

And where in HELL were his team?

He sat back on the bed and tried to think of something, anything that would make sense of the situation.

In a central chamber, the Queen monitored Zachary's movements around the room. She smiled evilly, and decided to let him stew on his worries and doubts for a while...

"You've served me well, Orthallan," she said.

The Dathian bowed and answered stiffly. "I endeavor to serve your highness in any capacity."

"Bringing me all four of the Series Five team is a great accomplishment," she said. "I shall see that you are properly rewarded."

"When do you plan to throw this one in the Psychocrypt?" Orthallan asked.

"I have...other plans for this one," she said.

"Your highness?" Orthallan asked.

The Queen stared at Orthallan angrily, "Are you challenging me, Captain Orthallan?"

"No, your Majesty."

"What of his team?" she said. "Have you prepared them?"

Orthallen nodded and said, "Yes, your majesty. I have told them that their captain is dead, as you ordered," he said. "I have not begun the tortures as of yet."

The Queen nodded. "Take one of the men first. Do not start on the female, Niko, until I am present. I want to be there to oversee her torture myself." The Queen smiled in a way that chilled Orthallan to the bone. "I have something 'special' planned for her as well."

Orthallan reflectively staggered back. He was relieved when she stopped smiling and nodded to him cooly. "Anything else?"

Orthallan said, "I shall inform your highness when the first Ranger is ready for his session."

"Very well. That is all. You are dismissed, Captain."

Orthallen bowed deply from the waist before quickly leaving.

It was relatively quiet at BETA Space Station. By now, everyone had heard the rumor that the Series Five team was late in reporting in. Whispered speculations and harsh admonitions from senior officers became the usual chatter around the station.

In the traffic control area, Eorl'Li, a Kiwi technician, sat next to his human friend, Colin Ross.

"I don't know," said Ross. "Wier told me that they'd been captured."

"We haven't heard anything concrete," said the Kiwi. "So until then, I plan to think positively."

"Typical Kiwi answer," Ross said, switiching back to his controls.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Eorl'Li asked, his long ears perking up with curiosity.

"It's just that I've never known a Kiwi pessimist, that's all."

Eorl'Li smiled. "There are a few of us, but while humans struggle, we cherish the end of struggle."

"Yeah, well, the end of struggle means you might lose your job," Ross quipped.

"Good," said the Kiwi. "Then, I could go off and farm."

"Geez, Polyanna," Ross teased.

The Kiwi was puzzled, the points of his ears drooping. "Pollyanna?"

"Old Earth story. Gotta tell you sometime."

A bright light flashed through the viewports of the control room. Ross's eyes went straight to the controls.

"Ship coming out of hyperspace. Run an ID."

The Kiwi punched up the data in the computer banks. "It's Ranger One."

"Beta Space Station to BETA Mountain. Station to Mountain. Do you copy, over?"

"This is BETA Mountain. We copy. What is your message?"

"We're detecting Ranger One on our short-range sensors. She's just come out of hyperspace."

"Good. We were getting worried. What's their request?"

Eorl'Li looked down at his monitor, read it again, and frowned. "BETA Mountain, we're getting something unusual. Ranger One's coming in under automation."

"Automation?" The voice on the other end was disbelieving. Ships rarely flew solely under automation unless...

"Hail them, Station."

"No response, Mountain," said Ross, "There's an emergency beacon going. It's requesting permission to land at the mountain."

"Granting special clearance to Ranger One," the Mountain technician answered. "Radio it and tell it's clear to land at Platform Three."

"Will do," said Ross, typing in the necessary code, and sending it to the ship.

Ranger One sailed past, and went into a landing configuration. Eorl'Li looked over at Ross. "I guess you were right."

"Yeah," said Ross, "But I wish I wasn't."

Walsh ran from his office when he heard that Ranger One had come in under automation. His mind was cooking up all sorts of scenerios, none appetizing or pleasant.

By the time he got to the shuttlebay, all sorts of technicians, a team of Series Two Rangers, a few military officers, and a full battery of scanning equipment were surrounding the ship, examining every nut and bolt. The hatch to the cockpit was open. Walsh tore through the crowd and stormed aboard.

The captain of the Series Two team, Ranger Scott Raleigh, saluted the commander briefly as he came aboard.

"There's no one aboard, sir," Raleigh reported. "The Zanguil costumes are missing, as are five blasters."

Walsh nodded. "I know that Gooseman preferred carrying two blasters. Any signs of forced entry?"

"None sir, and nothing vandalized or stolen."

"GV," Walsh barked to the computer. "Status. What happened?"

The blue and green eyeball bobbed on the screen. "At 14:18 Local time, I recieved the following message from Captain Foxx."

The last transmission played in the background.

The obvious sounds of a struggle could be heard in the background, but overriding it was Zachary's strained voice. "GV, blast off! Condition Black Arrow!" The rest of the transmission was cut off by several loud crashes, some chillingly human-sounding yells, and the sound of blaster fire.

"I followed his orders to return. Based on this, and the lift-off of a Crown Transport shortly before I entered hyperspace, I hypothesize that he and his team were captured by Crown forces."

Walsh stepped back, and stood rigidly.

A younger technician gasped and backed up reflectively. "Oh, my God..."

Walsh felt the same horror, but he couldn't afford to show it. That was the LAST thing he wanted to be faced with.

Raleigh gestured to his team. Much to his credit, he immediately started to bark orders. "Coller, run a voice check. I want to be certain that it's Captain Foxx. Aakel, supervise the technical crew. We want this ship ready to fly again as soon as possible."

"Report to me in my office at 19:00, Raliegh," said Walsh. "Bring me everything. From there, I'll be formulating what to do next."

*Preparing for the worst,* Walsh mentally added.

He activated a com channel. "Commander Nagata, I need to speak with you immediately."

The synthesyzed voice echoed through Walsh's wrist communicator. "This is Nagata. What is it, Joseph?"

"We have a problem, Owen. Four Black Arrows."

"Black Arrows?! Oh, no...the Series Fives?!"

"Come to my office in fifteen minutes, Owen. We have a backup plan to make."

* * * *

Geezy had managed to convince his friend, Prodush, to take him to the Queen's Asteroid Palace. The other Pegelount was carrying a food shipment to the Palace.

"So why did you ask for passage, Geezy?"

"Best if I don't tell you."

"Humming-related?"

Geezy only stared silently out into space.

Prodush trumpeted cynically. "By the Great Paldildo, nothing gets by you, Geezy."

"Product of one too many interrogation droids. Information smuggling is profitable, but it isn't without hazards."

"I'd rather stick to legitimate trade," Prodush said. "Less profit, but fewer enemies."

The communications light came on, and a metallic voice barked over the system. "This is a Classified Crown Base. State you business or be blasted."

Prodush hit the communications panel. "Crown Base, this is Captain Prodush aboard the *Whispering Batfly,* I'm bringing aboard a shipment of food for the base."

"*Batfly,* we have scanned and confirmed your cargo. Prepare to come aboard."

A tractor beam hit the Pegelount ship, and they were pulled into the launch bay. Prodush turned to Geezy.

"Remember. Twenty minutes. Any longer, and I can't make excuses for you."

Geezy trumpted an affrimative. "I won't be late."

* * * *

"What is it, Slave?" asked the Guard.

Geezy sniffed cautiously. He sighed in relief. A robot. Those were almost too easy to fool. He was familiar with this prison, especially the cell blocks.

Why the hell was he doing this for those Ranger Hummings, anyway?

Because Hummings, like Gherkins - were as good as dead as soon as the Queen got a hold of them. These Hummings were not only protecting themselves, but the remaining Gherkins as well. They also helped him rescue the Psychocrystal of his cousin Neb. Geezy owed this to the Hummings, if only from one smuggler to another. Besides, when this was over, Geezy could hop on Prodush's ship and go home to Tortuna. He knew how to get in and out - provided one had a few extra Crowns and some stealth.

Geezy held up the tray. "Food ration for Hummings. Queen doesn't want prized Slaverlords starving to death."

The robot scanned Geezy. It only looked for weapons. Geezy's key chips would hardly count as a weapon.

"You may pass."

Geezy trumped a little sneaking past the guard, and into the cellblock.

There were many cells, all occupied by creatures of various races, all imprisoned for "special" reasons. Near a guard's station at a corridor junction, however, was the cell he was looking for.

He showed the meal to the guard. "Meal ration. For the Hummings."

These guards were real this time. Geezy tried to size them up. It had been a long duty shift for them, and probably a very dull one.

"Lemme see," said the larger one.
The smaller of the two guards walked over to the tray, and looked on it. Three ration bars.

"It's nothing suspicious," he answered. "Just ration bars."

"You suppose the Queen wants the humans fed before she tosses them in the Psychocrypt?" the larger asked.

"I dunno, but she'd sure be angry if we let 'em starve. Besides, it's ration bars. Hardly enough to feet a rat."

The larger one laughed. "Send the Pegelount along." He glowered at Geezy. "You have five minutes in the cell block. Cell eighteen. No funny business."
He disabled the forcefield, and Geezy waddled down the corridor.

The small hatch at the bottom of the cell door slid open. A tray slid in first, followed by a pale yellow elephant-like trunk.

Doc got up first and waled over to the door. He knelt by it.

"Geezy?"

"Oh, good. It's the Ranger hummings."

"Yeah, Geezy. What's going on?"

"I put a couple of stolen chips in the ration bars. They have codes to disable the forcefield and access the shuttlebay," said the Pegelount. "Best I can do, Hummings. Would take an army to bust you out, and an army is what I don't have."

"Wow. Thank you, Geezy."

"It's all I can do, now I have to go."

There was the sound of footsteps as Geezy left the cellblock.

Doc pulled in the tray. "Guess what, guys. We just got ourselves a break."

"Well," said Shane. "At least it's food."

"Better than food, my Gooseman. Our waiter was Geezy."

Shane and Niko perked up. Doc took one of the ration bars and broke it open. Baked inside was a small silicon chip.

"Like a hacksaw inside a birthday cake," Doc said with a wink. "Now to plan an escape."

Doc wiped the sticky rations off the coating on the first chip. "I think this one is a map of the cellblock..."

Orthallan walked up to the Guard station, three guards in tow. "I've come for the humans. The Queen has authorized me to take one of them."

"Special treatment?" asked the smaller one.

Orthallan paused before answering. "That isn't any concern of yours. Now, disable the forcefield"

The guards diabled the forcefield, admitting Orthallan and his entourage.

Doc had managed to get the three chips out of the ration bars, and the rations were spilt equally among the three Rangers. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

"I'll need to find an access panel in the cell," said Doc. "From there, it's a matter of rewiring. How are you two holding up?"

"Pretty good," said Shane. "I can walk. I could run if I really pushed myself."

"Prepare to push yourself, friend," Doc said, clasping a hand on Shane's arm.

Their planning was interrupted by the bright light of the door sliding open. Doc kicked the chips into the corner.

It was Orthallan again, along with guards.

He looked over the three prisoners, then turned back to the guards. "The Queen has plans for the girl. Take him," he said, pointing to Shane.

Doc and Niko ran in front of the guards attempted to shield him, but the guards shoved them away, and cornered them against the back of the cell with their rifles.

In his weakened state, the other guards subdued Shane rather easily. One was armed with a hypodermic filled with a red liquid. Managing to immobilize Shane's arm, the Guard injected it, and he went limp.

"Works like a charm," the officer chuckled. "A little something the Queen had saved for Killbane."

As Niko and Doc stood helpless in the cell, the guards dragged Shane down the long corridor, to an uncertain fate.

* * * *

Zachary started to get mad, and looked up to the ceiling, at the hidden camera no doubt concealed in the ceiling. "I know you've got to be listening, Your Majesty," he sneered, "Just what the HELL do you want from me? and WHERE are my team?"

A swish, and bright, almost blinding light filled the room.

*All in good time, my darling Zachary...*

The voice...*it was in his mind!* He bolted to his feet.

It was his nightmare come to life. The Queen walked in, flanked by two slaverlords. The one on her left shimmered and rippled. Zachary reflectively stepped back, and fell onto the bed. A ghost-like Eliza replaced the left Slaverlord.

"A happy anniversary, Captain," the Queen said with an evil smile. "How good of you to come here to celebrate it."

Zachary growled, and fought to keep his temper. This woman *really* tried his patience. "Where are they?" Zachary said, trying to ignore Eliza's Slaverlord.

He was NOT going to give her the pleasure of letting her know what kind of emotions she stirred up by parading in Eliza's Slaverlord. On reflex, though, his eyes met the ghostly ones on "Eliza." The look on her face was heart-breaking.

He hadn't the will to tear his eyes away from the ghostly Eliza. He missed her...Oh, how he missed her.

"Your team," the Queen purred. "Are all in my custody. They are not Slaverlords...yet."

"I can't trust you," he said. "Why am I here? And WHY am I in this uniform?"

"All in due time, Captain. All in due time. In the meantime," she purred. "Consider yourself an honored guest."

"An honored guest," Zachary spat. "Is that what you call my wife, too?"

The Queen smiled, but didn't reply.

"Don't be tiresome, Captain. Your resistance has already exacted a toll. Come with me. I have something to show you."

The Guards' rifles at his back and front didn't leave Zachary much of a choice. Another guard snapped a pair of restraining cuffs on him, and he was pulled out of the room, and down a long corridor.

"Where are you taking me?" Zachary demanded

"You'll see, captain. You'll see."

Zachary could only walk and wait.

The corridor led to a closed door, patroled by two guards. The door opened as the Queen approached.

The Queen ordered her Slaverlords, "Take him to the viewing platform. I have...other matters to attend to." She spun on her heels and left.

*Viewing Platform?* What did the Queen want him to see?

The Guards prodded him through the door, which seemed to lead out onto some sort of catwalk. With every step, Zachary felt the mood in the air grow more and more omnious. He didn't want to reach their destination, wherever that was...

He had heard two guards talking amongst themselves, and the words "torture chamber" mentioned. Zachary was already trying to steel himself. It wasn't the first time he had been at the recieving end of the Queen's "tender loving care."

Midway through a catwalk, the guards, and the Slaverlords stopped, and Zachary looked down.

Beneath him, enclosed by polished crystal windows, was the Queen's Torture Chamber. Zachary looked down, and shivered when he realized what was happening.

"This," said the Slaverlord, speaking with the Queen's voice. "Is what happens when you disobey me. You will not pay, Captain. But your subordinates will. I'm bringing them out one by one..."

Zachary looked down, and saw that the torture chamber itself was split into sections, with a glass wall between them, made of the same substance as the ceiling. Zachary guessed them to be two way mirrors.

The smaller of the two chambers was semicircular, and painted a sterile white. The second was more rectangular, with a pair of manacles hanging from a track on the ceiling, manacles designed to confine the most powerful Sentients in the galaxy .

Both chambers boasted a wide-variety of pain inducing devices, ranging from the ancient and exotic, to a collection of knives, whips, and cudgels.

There was also an astonishing and terrifying array of electrical shock devices, air constrictors, neural stimulators...all the latest equipment.

The first victim was wheeled in. He'd been stripped down to the underclothing, and was chained to the wall.

Zachary's heart lept into his throat as he recognized the limp form.

"Goose," he whispered. "Oh, no."

The technicians and the officer in the room hovered over him, then started to adjust the controls on some equipment that Zachary recognized as an electronic pain inducer, capable of measuring pain right down to the nerve voltage, and capable of delivering fatal voltages with alarming frequency.

Zachary tried to close his eyes, but a kick from one of the guards startled him. "Watch and learn, Ranger."

All Zachary could do was watch...and feel his heart sink to the floor. *I failed them. They're being tortured becaise I failed them.*

It was the white room again. It looked like a morgue. Orthallan and a technician in a purple coverall bustled around the variety of medical equipment, monitors, cameras, and bottles of noxious chemicals. Shane was chained on one wall. Across from him was what appeared to be a full-wall mirror that encompassed the ceiling as well.

The room was semicircular, and the walls not covered by the mirror, or left blank to chain up prisoners were loaded from floor to ceiling with huge cabinets, computer consoles, and what Shane could only guess to be some sort of monitoring equipment.

"What the hell is this?" Shane asked, a low growl in his voice. He didn't have any strength. "Luxury accomodations?"

Orthallen turned on his heels and stormed over to Shane, backhanding him hard across the jaw. "No talking, prisoner!"

Orthallan went back to the tray of instruments. Shane saw that he had an empty hypodermic.

"More of the red stuff?" he asked.

"No," said the man in the uniform. "Sorry, Galaxy Ranger. Not today. Something a little better." He filled up the hypodermic with a pale green substance.

"Argasil," Orthallan said, almost casually. "You do realize how it kills?"

"No," Shane admitted honestly.

"It's a neural stimulant. It kills by making a person hyper-sensitive to stimuli. A noise can tear eardrums and burst blood vessels. A small fright can cause the heart to stop, and the body to go into physical shock...psychic energy also increases, causing backlash and burn out...but you needn't be concerned with that. When we inject a little of this into your girlfriend, however..."

Shane's eyes widened. Niko...oh, no...if they put that stuff in her...especially with her shields being on the blink...if she were lucky, she'd die instantly.

"However," Orthallan said quietly. "If you wanted, I'm sure we could make an arrangement. You agree to go to the Psychocrypt, and I *could* arrange for your friends to be spared."

"Not likely. You'll hurt them, too."

Orthallan nodded. "All right, then."

"Setting twelve," Orthallan told the technician. "Increase the bursts by intensity and duration at regular intervals."

Suddenly, the chains surged with electrical energy. At first, short, intense, and painful bursts, then the bursts started getting larger.

Shane pulled against the straps holding him to the wall, and cried out as the electrical shocks increased in frequency and in pain level.

The Dathian hovered over him, his expression neutral and unchanged. "You can't win against the Crown you know. My offer still stands."

Shane coughed once, then spit in the Dathian's face.

"I see," said the Dathian, wiping the spittle off with his sleeve, and feeling Shane's arm, hypodermic ready. "Well, in that case..."

Without ceremony, Orthallan plunged the needle into Shane's arm and discharged the full amount of the drug. Immediately, it started to work, as Shane's tense muscles started to cramp.

Orthallan walked back over to the technician. "Let's go to the maximum setting, and see how he handles it."

From almost out of nowhere, the Queen walked in. She was flanked, as usual, by two slaverlords. "That's enough, Captain!"

"Your highness," he said. "I was just doing what you ordered."

She cast a harsh eye on her subordinate, "I noticed, but I have other plans for this human...or should I say, Supertrooper."

Orthallan's eyebrows perked up. "Supertrooper? Small wonder he was able to survive the last dosage." He stepped back, eyes raking the blonde man over. "So this is what BETA's prized animals look like. Not bad."

Shane growled, "Just wait until I get my hands free, THEN we'll see just what I can do."

Orthallan refilled the needle with another measure of Argasil. "Shall I ready him?"

"Just one moment," she said, snapping her fingers at the two Slaverlords, who drifted over to a tall cabinet, and pulled out a large, helmet-like device. The Slaverlords silently drifted over to the Queen and placed it on her head as if handing her her official crown of office.

Shane felt a shiver go up his spine. He saw the MindNet device, a perfect replica, complete with the smaller module.

"Oh," the Queen said. "You recognize this device? Handy, isn't it? Especially when one knows its potentials."

Shane didn't answer. The last time he had faced anything like a psychic onslaught, his biodefenses had protected him, but that was a long time ago and at full charge. The drug in his system wasn't helping much, either. His biodefenses were working on the cocktail of poisons in his blood, so they'd be useless against this.

He had to try and fight the Mindnet. Shane tried to remember some of the things Niko had told him about shielding his mind. It seemed so long ago that they'd sat on his apartment floor, and she was trying to teach him a few of the basics. Something about grounding and centering...

He closed his eyes and tried to remember. *Try to find a spot in your mind where you're completely safe...*

The Queen nodded to Orthallen to give Shane the injection. There was a jab at his arm as the needle went in. Something that felt like molten lead flooded his body...

At first, his biodefenses countered it, but then, Orthallen gave him a second injection. Then, almost immediately, the poison began affecting him. This one burned from the moment it entered his veins.

He truly began to struggle against the bonds holding him. "I'm not finished yet, your majesty," Shane hissed.

His rage only sped up the poison as it coursed through his veins. His breathing was starting to become labored, and every twinge of pain was enhanced by the poison.

A muscle spasm brought on by the poison knotted his gut. He doubled up, biting back a groan.

The Queen smiled and said, "Oh, you won't die, Galaxy Ranger, but, you'll wish you had by the time I'm finished with you."

He had to watch himself. If he could stay alive, there might be a chance to save Niko.

The Queen smiled. "Still thinking of sparing of your ladyfriend, I see. A pity. Love is quite a detriment when dealing with me..." She walked up to him, and touched his face in an almost maternal fashion. "Don't worry. I know how much she cares for you, and you for her. I have plans for her..."

She activated the MindNet. The jolt of red-purple light surged from it, hitting Shane full on. Despite his best effort not to scream, a cry tore from his throat, as something inside him ripped open.

He found himself fighting the Queen on what could only be called the psychic plane. The outside world faded, replaced by an intense spiral of his own mind. The Queen surrounded him, chaining him in bonds tighter than the ones inprisoning his physical self.

In this arena, he was seriously outmatched. Supertroopers were never designed for combat inside their own minds.

The Queen was pulling out every memory of his that he shared with Niko. Shane tried to resist, but the more he fought to keep that part of him safe, the more the Queen invaded.

*NO!*

Meeting her the first time...the sound of her voice...talking to her for long hours in the interceptor...Scarecrow...standing a vigil by her bedside after she'd been attacked...fighing side-by-side with her...the "welcome back" hug she gave him after he came back from the Texton computer...the budding telepathic link that developed between them...kissing her for the first time...running his fingers through her hair as they made love...

The Queen smiled maliciously, *Oh, yes, Ranger Gooseman*

Shane was more terrified than he'd ever dreamed of being before..Every thought, every memory, was being pulled from him as the side-effect of the poisons opened his mind up completely to the Queen.

At the other end of the link, he could sense Niko's presence. She was trying to get to him, calling out as the link pulled her in, too....was he dreaming this?

Could he still help her?

He tried to retreat, tried to find that place where he could ground and center himself. But, the Queen kept coming at him. Oh, why hadn't he payed more attention to what Niko had been trying to teach him at the time?

He was unable to stop the groan that escaped him, he felt like his chest was on fire. Between the drugs, the telepathic invasion, and the memory purge, Shane was fighting for every breath. This was worse than any physical torture. This was striking at the very core of him, and making matters worse, a part of him *knew* that he wasn't suffering alone

*Give up, Galaxy Ranger,* the Queen projected into his mind, *You can't win. I can rip your mind to shreads, and leave you fit only for the Psychocrypt.*

He wished there was a way to fight back, to put the Queen on the defensive. The only one that could help him was Niko, but calling out to her would put her in danger as well. He would rather die than do that to her.

*Niko, I'm sorry.* he thought mournfully.

The Queen smiled, and said, "You wish to have her join you? Then, by all means, let's allow her to join us."

At the Queen's nod, Orthallen had left the room, with another hypodermic in his hand.

Shane suddenly realized his mistake. He shouldn't have thought about Niko... "Wasn't this what you always feared, Supertrooper?" purred the Queen. "She'll suffer because of you. Everything you touch dies and suffers. You never wanted to accept that you are a killing device."

He was helpless, drugged, and weak. A wave of humiliation and despair washed over him. He couldn't stop the Queen. He could only struggle pathetically against the iron grip on his mind, only know that the Queen was gaining all the weapons she needed from him.

She was right. Everything he touched would suffer and die - even the woman he loved.

When the Queen's next attack began, Shane cried out more from mental anguish than the fire overwhelming every nerve in his body.

Doc had a fistful of wires he'd pried from the panel on the wall. There were cuts on his hands from prying the panel from the wall. If there was any chance of disabling the alarm system so that they could escape quietly, this was it.

He disconnected the main circuit. Now, to rewire it so that the computers didn't realize it. If he had his tweakers, he could do this within seconds, provided he could disable the Slaver programs the Queen's systems used. Manually, it was slow going.

Doc squinted. The dim light was making this even worse. He chewed off the insulation around one wire, and spit out the rubber-like synthetic. Now, he was ready to twist two wires together to make the first bypass.

Suddenly, Doc heard a short moan. Niko slumped in a corner, and put her hands over her face.

He turned around. "Niko? Niko, care you okay?"

Her eyes opened, and they had the same glassy appearance as Shane's when they first woke him up in the cell. "I'm...not okay, Doc. My shields..."

"I thought you couldn't sense anything."

"She's...I'm sensing what she *wants* me to sense...through the link..."

Oh, hell. Doc didn't have a clue about this psychic stuff. If it had program code, he had an idea on what to do. These kind of mental talents put him at a total loss. He didn't even *understand* Niko's abilities, much less help her now.

"Niko, what's going on? What's this about a link?"

"Let me...try to shield out something first." She sat still for a few moments, then seemed to recover a little. "I...don't like it, Doc. I've been developing Thought-Sensing abilities...with all the use, my Gifts are a lot stronger than they were two years ago. They're getting...too strong for the implant to control fully."

Doc wasn't expecting THIS.

"I could shield and keep them under control," she said. "But they weren't perfect. There were still gaps." Niko moaned a little, her face strained. "Oh, Gods...No...Need to shield..."

"The Queen's using those gaps to let you feel what Goose is feeling?"

Niko nodded, her words coming with a lot of effort. "He's...in agony, Doc. I can sense it...I'm not sure how much more we can take."

"I'm here, Niko. For both of you," Doc said. A vague, taunting voice in the back of his mind told him that his support wouldn't do much good.

And his "shields" were also being stripped away. Everyone was so used to seeing "Doc," his public personae of cheerful jester who could crack jokes at the drop of a hat, and break into any computer with the greatest of ease. Having to drop the appearance was somewhat unnerving as it stood.

His biggest fear was the situation going on right now. He wasn't much of a leader, and he knew it. Still, with Zachary dead, he was apparantly next in line. He was completely at a loss as to what to do, watching his friends slowly deteriorate while he stayed healthy.

And he'd be alone, left to die slowly. That's what scared him the most.

*It's as if the Queen knows what makes us scared and is using it against us,* he thought. It was an awfully good hypothesis.

"Niko," he said. "I think I know what's going on."

"What's that?"

Doc got up, and started toying with the wires again. They had to escape soon, or there would be no chance to try. "I think the Queen is torturing us. She's just being sophisticated about it."

"What do you mean?" Niko asked tiredly.

"Think about it. What are you scared about? Be honest."

"Doc?"

"Come on, Niko."

Niko pulled herself to a sitting position. "I guess...losing control of my Gifts...losing control over myself...I'm certainly scared right now."

Doc nodded. "And think about Goose. He was designed to take hits that would kill us "normal" humans. How do you think he's taking the idea of being doped up and weak as a kitten?"

"He's never really been that way...I know he's scared, too."

Doc concentrated on putting the wires together. "And there's me. I'll admit it, Niko. The idea of being 'in charge' spooks me. Some guys, like Zachary, are naturals. I'm not."

"You're doing great under the circumstances," she said.

Doc turned around. "Thanks."

He resumed his work, and the outline of his hypothesis. "And I...haven't told a lot of people this, but I'm afraid of dying alone."

"A lot of people are, Doc," said Niko.

"No, I mean...I've been in a position like that." He stopped himself. "I really shouldn't talk about it when you're like this."

Niko stifled a yelp of pain. "K...Keep talking to me, Doc. Keep m...m...my thoughts on something else..."

Doc nodded. "I'll tell you the full story, okay."

"Okay."

Doc put the two wires together, and started hunting for the next wire. "Anyway," he said. "I was a Cadet. We were out on a decommissioned freighter to practice starship piloting and getting aquainted with space travel and everything."

Doc examined the tangled mess for the next connection to make. It would have been a lot easier if he had Tripwire to help, but...

"Anyway," he continued. "We got ourselves a few sectors away from the trade lanes so that a few of us could pilot. One of the cadets was at the helm, and I was in the engine room when all hell broke loose."

His hands reached into the panel, and pulled a wire from its connection. "We got hit by pirates. They thought we were carrying cargo. The freighter wasn't armed or anything. We just got pounded. The instructors and three cadets were dead by the time they boarded. I...just crawled into an escape pod and hid."

"Were you the only one who survived?"

Doc nodded sadly. "The pirates left the ship. When I felt it safe, I staggered out. The life support had been sabotaged. The breathable air was running out fast, but the worst part of it was that there were two cadets still alive. They were mortally wounded, but there they were, asking me to help them, and I just couldn't."

"You watched them die," Niko realized.

"I watched them die," Doc answered. "They wanted someone to lead them, to help them, and I couldn't do a damn thing. The worst part was that I was *sure* that I'd die alone. I managed to rig up a little something that kept the life support going for a while longer, but I was told that if the cruiser reached me ten minutes later, I would have been dead with them."

"I'm sorry, Doc," Niko said.

"If I'm right, Niko," he countered, "Then you and Goose had better worry for yourselves. I'll be the last to die."

Suddenly, the door was flung open, admitting Orthallan and two robot guards. The Dathian officer had a hypodermic needle in his hand."Time for the little wench to take her medicine..."

Doc bounded in front of Niko.

Orthallan shoved Doc aside, and had two of the androids hold him back while he had grabbed Niko by the arm and before she had a chance to react, injected her with the full contents of the hypodermic. The guards pulled away as swiftly as they'd struck, leaving Niko almost ready to collapse.

"No!" yelled Doc, but it was either catch Niko, or attack the guards. He chose his friend. Orthallan laughed and left the cell.

Whatever the stuff was, it was nasty. Her skin was turnring ashen, and beads of sweat started form on her forehead.

"Niko! What did he shoot you up with?" He asked, lowering her onto the bunk.

Niko immediately curled up into a fetal position as the drug took immediate effect on her. Suddenly, every muscle in her tensed up, and she let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Oh, Gods... I don't know..." she gasped, in agony. "I hurt, Doc...."

"Hang in there, Niko. Hang in there." Doc said, almost panicking himself.

Doc didn't know a thing about the poison, nor did he have anything on hand that might tell him what it was doing. There was nothing in the cell in the way of first aid material, either.

*What can I do, what can I do? THINK!*

His thoughts were racing, and he shook his head. *First of all, Hartford, you can quit panicking. It's not going to do her a bit of good.*

Niko shuddered, and groaned in agony. She wished for the nothingness of unconsciousness. Her shielding couldn't block anything out. It was almost as if it were a blanket full of holes. The outside world had fallen to pieces in front of her, leaving the wrenching agony *inside* her head.

Through the link, she could sense Shane. He was in trouble. Big trouble....The part of her mind linking them felt like a deep, open wound.

And...oh, Sorceress and Scholar - he was dying!

Heedless of her own safety, Niko locked her hands on either side of her head and tried to concentrate. She had to block out the pain of her physical body...The touch of her hands on her temples felt as bad as a vise. Death would be welcome right now.

It was like being carried downstram in a river of fast-moving lava, forcing her into deep rapport. Her mind was locked with Shane's, memories and emotions twisted and turned into pain, despair, guilt...

In the morgue-like room, Shane groaned in despair, "Oh, no, Niko...Don't..."

Then, the evil laughter...The Queen!

The Queen's evil presence surged through the link. "Come, little Niko. Come see your love in agony, and watch him suffer." Her laughter sent an icy jolt through Niko. "Soon you will see who is superior."

"Niko.... don't... let... her... get.. to.. you! PROTECT YOURSELF!! FORGET ABOUT ME!!!"

"It's too late, Gooseman," The Queen said. "Too late for both of you. I have you now!"

Both Niko and Shane screamed in agony as fire now coursed through the forced-link.

It was impossible to tell where one mind ended and the other began. Memories and coherant thought were washed over in something that tasted like blood, that flashed crimson, and sounded like a scream.

Many times, they had touched each other's minds. From Shane's desparate first contact, to the almost unconscious rapport they indulged in during loveplay. This forced joining, however, was related to those earlier mind-touches as love was to rape. Sickening, soul-destroying fear and rage, hoplessness...crimson and black...the evil laughter dominiating. Blood and fire and pain.

It washed over everything in waves, crashing, breaking, rebuilding and crashing again.

The wash of pain seemed to dim and fade as Shane regained awareness of himself. He was only on his feet now because of the restraints on his arms and ankles.

When Orthallan removed them, he fell face-first to the cold tile floor. Several guards placed him on a gurney, and he looked up into the Queen's icy red eyes. The poison continued to do its work, making every last bit of his body feel like it was being torn violently apart.

"You are mine now, Galaxy Ranger," she said with an evil smile. She ran a icy finger down Shane's neck.

She turned to her guards. "Take him to the Psychocrypt."

Shane blacked out for a while, and didn't remember the series of corridors and doors that they pulled him through.

They finally reached the colossal chamber that contained the Queen's Psychocrypt.

The guards undid the straps on the gurney. If Shane hadn't been so weak, he could have fought them off and escaped. As it stood right now, he didn't even have the strength to stand.

They opened the door to the bright red column, and tossed him inside. Shane lay on his back, looking up at the far-away ceiling of the chamber.

He was afraid. This was the end of the line, the end of having his own mind. In a few moments, everything would end, and he'd become nothing more than the Queen's puppet.

*Niko,* he thought dimly.

They always said that your life flashed before your eyes just as you were about to die. As the doors enclosed him in the cylinder, Shane watched as his mind decided to show him his own personal photo album. The Supertroopers...the academy...his life with the Rangers...

Pathetic was the only word that came to him.

*So many fights...so many conspiracies,* he thought. *Just one battle after another.* He glaced at his hands, hands made for killing, for fighting. For a moment, though, he could remember what it felt like to slide his fingers through Niko's hair. *I even hid from those who would have let me love them.*

The link was still there...Oh, no...She'd suffer with him. The thought brought a different sort of ache to his chest, one not brought on by drug or by torture.

*Did I ever tell you I love you?*

There was a large hum and crackle, and the red light hit him. It was the last thing Shane saw before he was ripped apart.

In the cell, Niko arched up off the bunk, clutching her arms tight around her body. She stiffened for a moment, then started to cry out with anguish. Wave upon wave of unbelieveable pain. Every nerve was alternately freezing and burning, and she shook uncontrollably with a seizure.

She was dimly aware of Doc by her side, trying to get her to talk. All that came out of her mouth, however, were pathetic whimpers.

The world seemed to be blinking out of existance. All she could see was bright red light. Her heart pounded in her chelt like it was trying to burst, every muscle tightened and stiffened like ropes straining under too much weight.

It felt like part of her mind, the part of her that could thought-sense was exploding, and destroying her mind and her Gifts piece by piece. Everything dimmed but the suffering. Every fiber of her being was shredded, rebuilt, and torn again.

There was one final surge. Niko threw her head back and screamed, then the pain spiralled more and more into a darkness where she could blissfully sense nothing.

Doc shivered. She didn't even seem to know where she was. She was staring right at him, but was seeing something inside herself, something too horrifying for her to even articulate. Doc caught her. "Niko? Can you hear me?"

She didn't respond. Doc jumped involuntarily when Niko's eyes glazed over. She began to shake and convulse. Her eyes rolled back.

He put her down on the bunk, holding her so that she didn't fall.

*Think...Have to keep calm...* Doc's breathing was ragged as he tried to think of something to do.

She stopped shaking, and lay absolutely still. Doc looked her over. She didn't even seem to be breathing. He tilted her head back and waited. After a few seconds, she took a lungful of air.

He got her up on the bunk, and started to loosen her fatigues. "Come on, Niko, hang in there..." he pleaded.

She was still unconscious, but she was breathing.

He sat back on his heels and watched her closely. He didn't know what else to do.

"Niko? Come on.... wake up. You've got to wake up," he said, close to a panic attack again. She groaned a little, and moved her head.

"The Galaxy Ranger Training Manual never prepared me for this," grumbled Doc as he searched frantically around the cell. A-ha! There was a water faucet in the corner. He turned the handle, and water dripped pathetically from it.

He tore a scrap from his fatigues, and got it damp under the meager water flow.

Turning off the faucet, he walked over to Niko's bunk. Feeling her forehead, his hand lept away. She had a very high fever.

He wiped down her face and neck with the wet rag, and placed the cloth on her forehead, hoping that it would help keep her fever down.

After what seemed an eternity later, Niko's eyes slowly opened. "Doc..."

He exhaled, not realizing that he'd held his breath for so long.

"Come on, Niko. Hang in there. You scared the hell out of me."

She groaned. "Sorry, Doc."

"Nothing to be sorry for. You were...feeling what Goose was feeling, right?"

She managed a weak nod, then looked up at him. The look on her face was almost too painful to bear.

"Doc, Goose is...gone. I was sensing..."

Doc looked at her in distress. "No..."

Niko nodded, a single tear flowing down her cheek. "He's gone. I hope he's dead, and not...I couldn't tell which. The injection..."

"They killed him with that?"

"That was only the beginning...He was in pain...suffering...and so close..." her voice choked.

Doc didn't know what else to do, and said silently, *Sorry if I step over the line here, Goose.* before he gathered her up into his arms.

His best friend...dead...or worse. Holding another friend against his shoulder as she cried.

Doc could feel her fever burning through the cloth at his shoulder. If they didn't escape soon, that fever would probably become fatal.

"Niko, I have to get us out of here. Do you think you could make it to the shuttlebays?"

Niko nodded against his shoulder. "I think I can."

"Okay," he answered. "I'll continuing hot-wiring the circuit. In just a few minutes, I'll have the alarm disabled, and an interface constructed. At least one of us has to make it to BETA."

If she could, she could work with him on the door. That would help them both.

Doc looked back down to find that she had lapsed once more into unconsciousness. He shook her. "Niko...Niko, stay awake...that's...that's an order."

His first command.

She came around with a faint smile. She was still so weak. "Aye-aye, sir."

"That's better," he said shakily.

Doc was almost ready to make the final connections when Niko spoke up. "Someone's coming!"

Doc managed to replace the cover in just enough time. He sat next to Niko on the far wall of the cell.

Orthallan entered with several guards. "Ah, good to see my favorite prisoners."

"Good to see our favorite torturer," Doc countered acidly.

"You can mock me for now, Ranger, but you'll learn soon enough," said Orthallan. "Your fleet will come for you, and we will be waiting."

"Yeah," asked Doc. "Then what?"

"The League will find out soon enough," said Orthallan. "Without any idea of where or when the Crown will invade, BETA will have no choice but to try and prevent it by invading us, and *we* are ready for that. They'll walk right into a trap. You will witness a turning point in your species' history when you stand by the Queen of the Crown as her willing servants." Orthallan smiled.

"Go on, continue your lecture," said Doc, hoping he could irritate this jerk enough to spare Niko. He could take more abuse than she could at this point. "I hate to interrupt a meglomaniac when he's on a roll."

Orthallan gestured to a guard who entered the cell, and smashed Doc in the back with the butt end of his rifle. Doc fell to the ground. When he looked up, he saw Niko struggling against the arms of two guards. Orthallen brushed Doc off to the side like he was nothing more than an annoying pest and had two android guards hold him back again as he hauled Niko out of the cell.

"If you are that eager for the torture chamber, you will see it shortly. In the meantime, I'm under orders to see to your lady-friend here."

Niko was too weak to resist. She was half-carried, half-dragged out of the cell.

They turned around and left Doc alone in the cell.

As soon as he was able to pull himself up, he went back to work. The Queen wanted him to be afraid, and to stew in despair. Well, he had news for her.

* * * *

Nervously, Niko tried questioning the guards, "Where are you taking me?"

"Routine torture, Ranger," snarled the bigger one.

Niko couldn't quite surpress the gasp that escaped, "Torture?"

"The Queen's been wanting to get her hands on you for some time," answered the smaller. She could almost see him sneering under the helmet.

She realized then, that these were not robots, but actual live people. She was shocked. She hadn't been able to sense that. She shuddered. That dark shield was locked over her mind again.

They reached the Queen's torture chamber. All sorts of pain-inducing devices, ranging from the primitive and effective to state-of-the-art devices that could measure the degrees of pain down to the nerve voltage.

What stood out most of all to Niko was a set of manacles attached to a large, mobile circle. The manacles moved on a track attached to the celing, able to move from the center of the room to the back wall. The wall behind it had fine needles and small spikes jutting out from it. The guards wasted no time in stripping her to the waist, then chaining her to the circle, the needles at her back. The needles were uncomfortable, but very hot. At just the right angle, she could see herself looking up into what appeared to be a giant mirror. A holocamera recorded the atrocities in the room with an unblinking eye.

The Queen herself appeared, flanked by two Slaverlords. "Ah, my *dear* Ranger Niko, how nice of you to pay me a visit."

"Is this how you treat your guests?" Niko spat sarcastically, drawing on the pain and loss still rawly part of her.

"Why, my dear Niko," the Queen drawled. "That is no way to speak to your new mentor."

"Mentor?"

"I want you to serve me, Niko. At my side," the Queen answered.

"Isn't that what the Psychocrypt is for? Go ahead and turn me into a Slaverlord and get it over with!" Niko challenged defiantely. "Or why don't you just murder me like you did Shane!"

"No, my dear Galaxy Ranger, that would be too easy," the Queen answered. "I want you to realize your mistakes...I know all about you. I know how powerful you are...that's why I'd like to 'convince' you to go to my side. It would be a waste to use such a...talented young girl like yourself as a mere Slaverlord. You will come to serve me, as my student..."

"Fat chance," Niko hissed.

"You will find, my little Niko," said the Queen "That you are mistaken about a great many things in this universe."

One of the Slaverlords stepped aside, allowing Niko to see the monitors lining the wall, and all of them were tuned on one awful sight.

The Psychocrypt Chamber. They were taking someone out of it...Oh, no...

Two Slaverlords put Shane's limp body into a red crystal coffin, and put it on a repulsorlift unit to take it to another part of the palace. At the same time, a knot of energy near the chamber attained cohesion into another wraith-like Slaverlord.

"Of course, my little Niko, we must take care of certain things first, including your dear Gooseman. I can see already that he'll make an ideal Slaverlord..."

Niko froze. "Oh, no," she whispered. "Oh, Shane..."

The Queen gave a mock sigh of patience and chastened, "Niko, Niko, Niko, you could make this so much easier for yourself if you would just agree to serve at my side."

"I'm a Galaxy Ranger," Niko said. "My friends and I knew the risks. I'm NOT about to turn traitor and serve you."

The Queen carressed Niko's cheek gently. "I know. That IS why you're here. Your friends are a liability I intend to rid you of."

She turned to the torturer and said, "You may begin. Whatever you do, DON'T kill her. I want her alive."

The torturer nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty," the man replied, pressing a small button on a large rod he held.

The circle moved out from the wall, bringing her to almost the center of the room.

The torturer smiled as he approched her. Niko gasped as icy hands caressed her ribs. She could feel his hot breath at her ear. "Human woman...yes. I remember what it was like to torture a human woman...very stimulating."

His hands left her ribs, and the hum of electricity filled the air. Niko realized what he was actually holding - a laser whip. It cut deep into the skin, leaving severe lash marks.

From what seemed a century earlier, she recalled an instructor at the Ranger academy informing senior-year recruits about some of the more unpleasant things they were likely to encounter during their careers.

There was a loud *crack* and the smell of scorched flesh. Niko could barely stop from crying out in shock and pain as the lash hit her back. She tried to focus...tried to enter a trance state, but the shield that prevented her from reaching out prevented her from going under as well.

The Queen smiled. "A shield, Lady Niko. To keep you from causing any trouble, or using your gifts to minimize your pain. I want to hear you scream...I want you to fully experience all of my 'hospitality'. That small fissure in your shields gave me all the opportunity that I needed."

She felt that alien force pulling her back to awareness, activating every nerve just before the crack. It gave her a mental shove, preventing her from concentrating enough to reach even a light trance. Her vision blurred with fever and the abuse. She had to stay conscious to fight the attack on her mind, but her body desparately needed to lose consciousness...

One lash.... two lashes...scorched flesh and raw pain. The tears streamed down Niko's cheeks. Eight...Nine...

A small pause, as the guard activated the circle again, forcing her scorched, bleeding back to the wall. Niko now realized the purpose of the small, heated pins against the wall. She couldn't stop the sob of pain that escaped her as her back came in contact with them. The fire raced across every nerve in her body.

In a moment of clarity, she glared at her captor and sent a crude thought-burst.

*GET OUT OF MY MIND!*

Was it her imagination? The Queen seemed to stagger back for a moment, then touch the crystal on one of the Slaverlords. Niko felt the shields drop a little.

And just as rapidly, reseal themselves.

"Oh, no, I want you to savor every little nuance. Save your strength, my *dear* Niko," the Queen stated. "This won't be the last session, I promise you." Then she laughed, and it wasn't a pleseant laugh.

The torturer picked up a small rod, "And now, lady Niko...Did you realize just how pretty you are?" He thumped the rod into his hand in a steady, meanacing rhythm.

Niko, her back arched to avoid the needles against her raw and bleeding skin, turned her head away, refusing to answer.

The torturer slapped her hard, forcing her head around with a swift jerk. "I'm talking to you, love," he said. "Do you realize how pretty you are?"

Niko shivered. "Go to hell." Her voice was starting to sound feeble.

"The power to stop this lies in YOUR hands, my *dear* Niko. All you have to do is say you will serve me." the Queen said.

Niko refused to give in, staying stoically silent.

The Queen smiled. "I'd be disappointed if you gave in the first time, my little Niko."

The dark shield dropped, and the raw flood of emotion and thought flooded in. There was nothing left of Niko's natural shields left to stop the sudden onslaught. She almost vomited when the wave of perverse, intensely erotic pleasure came from the torturer, mixed with iciness and sadistic cruelty of the Queen.

This *sensing* of the two of them...this was the Queen's work. It was the Queen's way of gaining more energy from her pain, of adding to the torture. Niko tried to block out her mind to no avail.

The Queen nodded to the torturer to continue.

"I like pretty girls," said the torturer. "I'm usually the last to see 'em pretty."

The rod smashed into the side of her face. The force knocked her back against the needles again, then forward for another blow, and another. He was working his way down her arms and her ribs, blugeon striking a few places already lanced by the whip.

The Queen seemed to grow stronger with every blow.

Niko couldn't stop the tears. She bit her lip until it was bloody to keep from crying out.

The guard hit her stomach, and Niko cried out at the pain the blow caused. She was close to passing out, despite the Queen's keeping her conscious.

Blow on blow, the needles growing hotter, and digging into more flesh.

During the whole time, she felt like her mind was being torn apart as well as her body. For a long time, all she could do was scream, and after a while, she wasn't even capable of that. Between the abuse on her body, and the mind-shredding, there was nothing left of her to continue torturing.

When it was over, the Queen nodded to the Dathian man. Disconnecting the manacles, Niko fell into a heap on the floor.

The Queen turned to the torturer. "Put her shirt back on. Then bring in the next prisoner. Ranger Walter Hartford. I'd like you to perform your 'standard' routine on him. Soften him up for the Psychocrypt, nothing more."

* * * *

Zachary watched the torture sesson, paralyzed by his own helplessness.

He had to get out of there, and try to save his team. There was no way he would allow the Queen to do to them what she'd done to him...what she'd done to Eliza.

The guards left after the Queen was done with Shane. His only guards now were the Slaverlords, but he had no doubt that there would be more guards waiting if he got out.

He looked below one more time. That Dathian bastard the Queen called her head torturer was smacking Niko over and over again with a simple metal rod.

He couldn't stand here. this could be his only shot to escape and to save what was left of his team.

Letting the rage swell in him, and tensing for a moment, Zachary sprung into action.

He brought his chained wrists up, smashing it into the side of the Slaverlord, who fell off the catwalk to lay helpless meters below. Whipping around, he kicked the other Slaverlord, then gave it a good uppercut to the crystal, which cracked and broke. The Slaverlord howled, and collapsed into a heap of empty robes.

Zachary dashed down the corridor, and into a junction. The alarm klaxons were starting to sound.

*Which way?*

Zachary picked a direction, and dashed down it, hoping it led to a shuttlebay, or to his team.

Alone in his cell, Doc finished the wiring. Now, the alarm wouldn't sound in the cell once it was opened.

*Geezy, remind me to nominate you for the BETA Medal of Honor!* Doc thought, as he examined the third chip, and its crude map from the detention area to the shuttlebay.

He walked up to the door, trying to keep his excitement under control. After all, those guards had just dragged Shane and Niko out of here for places unknown.

*Scratch that,* the hacker thought. *I *KNOW* where they went. And if the guards are to be believed, it's lucky that Zach's dead...If he knew...* Doc shuddered. *I've got to get out of here and try to warn BETA.*

There were footsteps coming down the hallway, along with a scuffing noise. The celldoor opened, and Doc stuffed the chips up his sleeve.

It was if they had thrown a life-sized rag doll into the cell with him, and that doll had Niko's hair. He said out loud in surprise, "No way," and rushed to her side, catching her before she hit the floor.

Beneath the thin shirt, he could feel the scorch marks on her shoulder. Laser whips. Brutal, but minimal blood loss as the wounds were cauterized at the moment of strike. There was some breathing against his hand, so he at least knew she was still alive.

But for how much longer? She was burning up even worse than before.

"You're next, Hartford," the Crown Guard said. "Fifteen minutes."

"Oh, I'll pass, thank you," Doc drawled sarcastically. "Torture and I just don't get along."

The guard just sealed the door behind him. Doc tried to find a place on Niko's body that wasn't bruised or scorched.

"Niko?" he asked. "Can you hear me?"

She bleared awake, staring at him blankly.

"Niko, it's me," he said. "It's Doc...can you hear me?"

"I hurt..." she whispered brokenly.

"Come on, Niko, hang in there. We're getting out of here," he said determinedly. Now was as good a time as any to try those chips Geezy had smuggled in to him. "Can you walk?" he asked.

"I... don't know..." Her face was blank. "I think...I think I can stand...he didn't get my legs...all that much."

It was the dead quality in her voice that chilled Doc, but he pushed his fears aside. He had to if he was going to get them out of here. He helped Niko to her feet. She winced when he hit a cut on her back.

"We have to try. Come on. We might have a shot at getting out of here."

He walked over to the door. Just his luck. Those idiot guards were distracted, talking among themselves and playing cards. He pulled the first chip from his sleeve. This one should key the door...

The door slid open silently, just enough for him to get through with Niko. She leaned heavily on him, obviously in so much pain she was keeping conscious by sheer willpower.

Doc snuck out, careful to mot make too much noise. The guards were two meters away, and that blaster was just asking to be snatched. Doc muttered a curse. He was WAY out of practice when it came to picking pockets.

*Let's just hope that I'm not THAT rusty...*

He snuck across the floor while both guards were engrossed in the card game. The guard barely even felt the tug in his holster.

Sensing something was amiss, the guard turned around to see the Ranger behind him, and the wrong end of the blaster pointed his direction.

Using the element of surprise, Doc was able to stun both guards before either had time to react or sound the alarm. He pulled the blaster from the other guard and handed it to Niko.

"Come on, Niko," Doc said with a gesture. "If Geezy's plans are correct, the way to the shuttlebay is this way."

Niko nodded. Doc felt a shiver run through him as he saw the blank, almost robot-like look on her face. It was Niko's body, but there appeared to be no one home behind her eyes.

Still, they had more pressing concerns at the moment.

He stole down the corridor, Niko limping behind him.

Her strength was rapidly giving way. Doc didn't know how much longer she could stand. She was probably hurt worse than she was letting him see.

They passed a corridor. A compliment of Crown guards was passing by. Doc pulled Niko against the wall, and flattened himself against it, blaster ready.

*Big trouble* he thought...

They robot guards passed by, without noticing them.

Then, Doc caught a glimpse of the Slaverlord trailing some distance behind the guards. His eyes went right to the face on the Crystal...

*Gooseman!*

Doc stopped breathing for a moment. *Make that REALLY BIG trouble!*

Doc snuck behind the Slaverlord when the guards had rounded a corner. Leaping out from the corridor, behind the white-robed figure, he tapped it on the shoulder. "Excuse me..."

The Slaverlord turned around. Doc realized too late that whatever the Slaverlord saw, the Queen also saw.

*Bad move, Hartford.*

But a single shot rang out from behind the Slaverlord, immobilizing it. Niko had the blaster held in both hands, and her feet braced wide apart. It was obviously taking all her strength to hold and fire the blaster. Her face was still washed over in that creepy, blank expression.

The alarm klaxons were starting to go off.

Zachary dashed down the corridor. This now looked like the cellblock level. Good. He hadn't been mistaken after all.

He clutched the blaster. He'd taken out a guard on the upper level, and used the blaster to vaporise the cuffs.

A shot whizzed past his ear, another soon followed. Zachary was hit in the shoulder, but barely felt it over the racing of fear and rage. He whipped around to see a detail of Crown guards (but no Slaverlords) behind him.

Zachary let off a couple shots on the blaster, and dodged the incoming fire. He ducked inside a door, and tried to pick them off, but they kept coming.

He looked ahead of him. More guards, but they weren't firing at him, they were firing at the shuttlebay.

And he could see two human figures. A dark-skinned man and a red-haired woman.

*Doc and Niko!*

Zachary turned and shot a few more agents, then started the long run towards the shuttlebay.

The Slaverlord turned around, and transformed into a ghostly form of Shane. In a wicked parody of his voice, the Slaverlord came closer to Niko. "Look at you, *babe.* You're sick. You can't handle that blaster, much less escape."

Niko shot again, and the robe collapsed. Niko tried to stride forward, and fell to the ground, the crystal centimeters from her fingertips. Doc was shooting up the small army of Crown guards sent after them. They were less than a meter from the Shuttlebay door.

"Niko!" Doc yelled.

"Have to...take crystal...save..." She grabbed the crystal, hands twining around it in a deathgrip.

Doc pulled her to her feet, and helped her keep her balance as she swayed unsteadily.

"Come on!" yelled Doc. "There's not much left in the blaster."

Using the final chip, Doc opened the shuttlebay doors, and pulled her in.

Zachary was almost there. He saw the door closing behind Doc and Niko. He was so close - only a few more steps.

More shots blazed past him. Some scorched his uniform, others scored the walls.

A loud *CRACK* and Zachary fell to the ground. His leg had been hit. Gritting his teeth, Zachary got up again, and dragged himself to the door.

It was closing. Just enough room to make it...

Before he could call out to his teammates, another shot hit him in the head. He went down, and was too dazed to get back up.

*No...dammit! NO!*

But when he looked up, his vision was fading. A Slaverlord stood over him, and he was surrounded by Crown guards.

"I'm impressed, Captain Foxx," said the Queen, her voice droning through the Saverlord. "You made it further than I had hoped. You will make an excellent servant once I have broken you to my will."
Zachary groaned, and tried to say something in answer, but he blacked out.

Crown shuttles, most of them small, filled the enormous shuttlebay. A huge forcefield prevented the oyxgen and heat from venting into deep space.

There were no guards in the shuttlebay...at least not right now. Doc pressed a code into the door controls. "I've jammed it."

The door was starting to buckle as the guards rammed and shot it.

Doc ran over to the shuttle on the launchpad and all but shoved Niko into a seat, activating the autopilot and preflight sequence.

He dashed out of the shuttle, and over to the control bay. The sound of pounding and blasters echoed in the large expance. Doc hunkered over the launch controls and activated the launch countdown.

The door was starting to give way.

Doc put all he had into a mad dash across the shuttlebay. He was about halfway to the shuttle, and the computer was starting the launch countdown...

"Launch in thirty seconds and counting..."

The door gave away, and the guards stormed it. A flury of shots broke out. Doc was running...running...Just when it seemed he'd make it, he cried out and glowed red for a moment. He fell hard, unable to break his fall.

"DOC!!!" yelled Niko, momentarily shocked out of her catatonia.

"Fifteen...Fourteen..."

She tried to get up from the pilot's chair and her legs just collapsed from under her. Pulling herself back into the seat, she activated the last round of flight controls, almost unconsciuos of what she was doing...

"Eight...Seven..."

The engines fired up. In the monitor, Niko could only watch helplessly as the guards hauled Doc's limp body out of the shuttlebay.

"Four..."

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

"Launch."

The shuttle blasted off with a lurch, and Niko was thrown back into the pilot's seat. She managed to blast out of the asteroid, and program the navigational computer to warp somewhere. She pressed in a set of coordinates.

"Those set of coordinates," the AI droned, "Match up to no known planet, asteroid, or base within mapped sensor range ..."

"Proceed on course, computer," Niko croaked before she passed out, hands clamping onto Shane's crystal.

The navigation computer obeyed, and she was on her way.