Chrysalis Book One: Trial By Fire.

>
>

>Date: 17 Jun 1997 03:11:49 -0400
>From: visions@panix.com (Richard Swordsman)
>NNTP-Posting-Host: panix2.panix.com

>Organization: LAODICEA THE REMNANTS
>Newsgroups: alt.tv.prisoner

>Path: news.pixi.com!news1.best.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!cam-news-hub1.
>bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!panix!news.panix.com!not-for-mail
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>
>Dear friends:
>
>Truth hurts. If you do not like truth, then ignore this message:

>This is the first and last time you are going to see this warning. We will
>probably be "hushed up" because we found the truth of the coming thrust of
>religion to "save America"

>The ecumenical uniting religions are soon going
>to MAKE you worship on the day of Babylonian BAAL Sun-God Mithra Queen of
>Heaven Sun Worship,

(Mike & the bots burst up laughing)

>(SUN day) and will TAKE AWAY free speech, and your
>lifestyles, if it does not match what THEY THINK APPROPRIATE! We found
>this out by inside information

>THE SUNDAY LAW is going to SURPRISE you , and you will think it no big
>deal... AND THAT IS THE PLAN...

> (See www.sundaylaw.com) to see who was
>behind the first attempt at a world order religion... it will surprise
>you)

>The Catholic/Protestant group in the GOP are trying every wich way but
>lose, to pass an AMMENDMENT to the constitution for "other reasons"

> but
>you will see their REAL reason very quickly... They want to put a CHINK in

>the separation of CHURCH and STATE, JUST ENOUGH to pass a day of HEALING
>(sunday the false pagan-pope day of sun worship)

> for the world... and then
>they have you, and your country. No religious zealot will be held back!

>Barriers to religious persecution will fall, Homosexuals will be routed
>and denied human rights, Sabbath (saturday) keepers will be fined, jailed,

>and eventually starved, athiests will be fired and the pope-BAAL day of
>the sun religion will be forced on EVERYONE for the good of Babylon one

>world religion (Motto: Love everyone that keeps SUNday, kill everyone
>else)

>Please, read all about it
>

>Please read the following note: NOTE: if you do not like this just ignore
>it. This will be the last time I will post this warning to you. amen.

>THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU WILL EVER SEE THIS, THIS SITE WILL BE SHUT DOWN
>AS SOON AS THESE MESSAGES START GETTING OUT!!! Amen , goodbye, and God
>bless...
>

>
>

>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.

(All groan)

> "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 incompatible 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 well 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

> 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."

> "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.