Processing what had just happened took about ten minutes. Ursa looked at Naefario’s image on her ship with horror, the shock apparent on her face. Her yellow eyes glazed over Takashi laying on the floor and Jean in Naefarios grip. She looked at the crew around her and Taylor who lay broken on the hologram in front of her. It was all too much..too wrong. So she shut her eyes. It took ten minutes to process the situation. It took less then five for her to figure out how to break it down to dust. Plus a millisecond put aside for song choice of course.

Ursa brought her hazel yellow eyes up to look at Naefario after Juniper had pushed her towards the hologram, her voice was weak, her expression hurt and angry as she tried to spit out a plea for mercy, “Alright.. you win. You have my ship and my crew just let them go and I will not put up a fight. I promise...Just don't hurt them. I..”

Suddenly she jumped up and slammed her elbow into Juniper’s gut, signifying her to react with violence.

Juniper watched the scene before them with a completely neutral expression. Inwardly she was hating every second of the others being hurt and manipulated. A sudden blow to her stomach took her breath away though, and brought her focus back to the situation at hand. Out of human instinct, she shot a glare down at Ursa who had hit her, and she knew this was her cue. She brought both hands forward, Ursa’s arm still in one, and ripped Mac’s arm out of her hands. She tossed it to the side and then grabbed at Ursa’s shoulders, quite literally lifting her off the ground and shoving her with decent force toward the right of the room.

Ursa tried to brace herself as she hit the panel with a hard thump. She hit the ground seconds later, her breath escaping her as she lifted her palm slyly to the left inserting a ghost chip in the panel as she lifted her body up off the ground. She spit out some blood, putting up her fists, “That the best you got Dick..faces!!!!”

Suddenly she slumped to her knees hacking up some more blood before she felt hands on her arm lifting her up to a sitting position on a chair to the left of her. She wiped her mouth, trying to calm down when Juniper came to grab her arm again and bring her towards the hologram. Ursa fought her weakly before she looked up at the screen, “You know Naefario...at times like this I always think to the beginning. When I was a young scrub who made her first million stealing some Kroton Units from Alagrath.”

Her yellow eyes turned to the screen with slight indignation, “I used my money for two things Naefario. The first was to put any advancement I could find to put onto that ship...ULTRA SIX FIVE FIVE TWO!”

Suddenly behind Naefario thick metal sheets covered the rangers doors and control panels, throughout the Ranger. Suddenly Dill shot up through the coms, “Ship controls under lock Cap. I can’t even open the doors without your voice recognition.”

Ursa suddenly felt a whole hell of a lot of guns turn her way. She remained calm her eyes still locked on Naefario and Jean, “Whatever was left of my money I spent on the greatest sound system you have ever heard….AND PIZZA!!!!!”

Suddenly Dill spoke softly, “Ready Cap.”

She turned to look up at Juniper then back to Naefario, “TRACK 7990 MOTHERFUCKER!”

Suddenly Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Know’ bursted furiously into both ships speakers as Mac slammed into the room with a big rucksack that Ursa brought with her earlier on the ship. Ursa stood up pulling out one of her hidden knives and threw it straight into the hacker’s head just as he was running to the control panel before she turned lunging at Juniper slamming her to the ground as Mac pulled out a large overpowered looking gun letting forth a range of small green canisters that bursted into clouds of green smoke. While at the same time Dill wreaked havoc on the Gorefill, overriding the guns, control room and various robotic style machines that littered the ship.

After Juniper lifted Ursa up onto the chair, things moved rather quickly. She brought Ursa closer to the hologram as commanded and remained silent most of the time. She listened to Ursa speak to Naefario, who Juniper felt was the most vulgar being she had come in contact with so far. She listened to her speak about the things she used all her money for, and felt very confused at the pizza comment. Ursa did seem to love pizza, but this was all besides the point. This bastard needed to die. And in a few moments, she knew Mac would be coming into the room. She almost wanted to hold her breath, but figured that wouldn’t be helpful.

Ursa then announced a song title and at that moment a song burst through the speakers. Juniper almost wanted to laugh at the lyrics, but kept quiet. Though in that moment, Ursa slammed her to the ground and suddenly the room filled with green smoke. She squinted and looked at Ursa carefully. She whispered as close as she could to her, “You okay?”

Ursa lay on the ground as the room turned into mayhem, the world fading into black as she heard some words to the left of her. She turned to look at Juniper, “I don’t think so…”

She lifted up her hand to her new friend? showing her, the last adrenaline needle, “God I hope this shit doesn’t kill me…Now get to the door. I will cover you!”

She flipped off the cap and slammed it into her neck, her pupils dilating as she jumped up and screamed at the top of her lungs grabbing up a chair and slamming it into a pirate next to her. She ran forward, hoping Juniper was following her as she picked up a maul and flipped it over to slam it into the head of another pirate before she hightailed it to Mac who threw her a gun, “WHERE IS MY ARM!?!?!”

She stopped, turning around to look through the smoke before her eyes rested on the arm underneath the ass of a bird like alien who was hitting anything that came near him. She turned to Juniper, “Go to Mac! I will be there in a second.”

She turned towards the arm and ran forward jumping up onto a panel, where she slipped falling face forward into a pirate who was crushed by the weight of Ursa’s perky bossoms. She sat up, looking down at the pirate who just gave her a genuine look of pervy wonder. She gave an awkward smile then stood up, slamming her boot straight into his tent, just as she let out three shots into the heads of some pirates heading her way. She pulled out one her knives as she kept running, throwing her body forward sliding through the blood and grease that coated the dirty floor through a pirates legs right up to the pirate who was sitting on Mac’s arm. She slammed her knife into his neck, leaving the weapon as she pushed him over so that she could grab the arm. Once the arm was in her possession she felt hands grab at her shoulders. She turned around, gripping Mac’s wrist to slam the arm into her attackers head, before she shot out two more bullets into the pirate and another attacking her to her left. Suddenly she felt a kick to the back and she propelled forward into the ground. She rolled out of the way just as a knife came down to slam into the place she once was. She twisted her body around to kick her attacker in the face before she was on her feet again. She saw Mac in the distance and lobbed the arm forward, just as a pirate suckerpunched her in the face.

She hit the ground hard, wondering where all the stars came from before suddenly she felt hands at her ankles. She kicked forward knocking the pirate away from her when suddenly she realized it was Juniper. She gave the girl a weary smile.

Just as Juniper was told, she quickly made her way over to Mac who was waiting by the door. She tried to look back to see if Ursa would get his arm, but everything was still fairly smokey, so she could only go off of the noise around her. From what it sounded like though, Ursa was doing fine. Within a few moments, she was headed back toward them and Juniper could make her out, but before she reached them a pirate punched her square in the face. Ursa went down and then Juniper called out, “Shoot!!!” She lurched forward and grabbed Ursa’s ankles, and before she could look again, herself and Mac made their way back out of the room and headed straight for the cargo bay.

She felt Ursa try to kick at her, but she must have realized it wasn’t an enemy, and gave a smile instead. “It’ll be okay! We will be there soon…” Juniper said. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to drag Ursa in her human form, so remained in the form of the pirate.

Ursa let out shot after shot of the lone pirates who came hauling after them as they skittered through the hallway. She let her other leg drag below her as she let out a large boisterous laugh, “Oh a smuggler’s life for me!!!!” She spoke into the coms with her usual smarmy voice, “You better be ready fish boy because when I get to you, I am going to make you into a BUG FACED TUNA MELT!!!!”

“Even tuna would taste better if I’m honest…” Juniper said. She began to laugh and looked back for a second at Ursa who was laughing as well. They turned a corner then and went down a few more hallways, finally making it to the cargo hold. It was still frozen, if not more so than it was when they left. Immediately Juniper began to hold back some trembling, and she let go of Ursa’s ankle, reaching down to take her by the hand instead and help her up. Once she had her upright, she steadied her weight for her and turned her attention to the others. She saw Kira, Damian and Emmett standing there with sacks.

Juniper’s eyes came to rest on Emmett, and she spoke up again. “Alright, now the real question is. How do we get out?”

“Alright, now the real question is. How do we get out?” Juniper said to Emmett and the rest of the crew standing there. "Well it's simple we just have to go back the way we came" Emmett chuckles a bit. "How you fairing Ursa?" Emmett said looking at her wounds. after listening to her answer "You were pretty brave back there, were you scared?" Emmett said turning to Juniper. "the good news is it's no longer a game of cat and mouse we can leave at anytime and he wont be able to follow.. do we have enough fuel to hit hyper speed? because if we do then we can for sure get away."Emmett said to the group. Emmett thought for a moment, "this seems too easy though. I thought they would have given us more of a fight then what we have seen so far.. what are you up to space pirate?" "Well Ursa do you have a plan to get off his ship? were back to where we started and im not sure how much time we have left..".

Assuming Ursa didn't have a plan. Emmett thought for a moment. " maybe we should look to see if this ship has escape pods or something like that?" Emmett started by walking down the hallway that seemed to be empty as well as one that no one has been down before. After about 5 minutes of walking they found 4 escape pods which meant two pods had to have at least two people or one with three as long as Juniper was in her small form. Emmett looked inside to see how standardized the navigation would be, and to their luck it was the most basic set that anyone can use them."Okay guys here's our escape get in and head for the ship" Emmett points in the direction he thinks the ship is... "or is it that way" He said again pointing in another direction. "I'm sure we will figure it out" Emmett said as they started to hear foot steps coming down the halls from both sides. "Everyone get in now and get out, Juniper go into your small form and hide with Ursa and you two are coming with me, the rest take your pod and get out" Emmett barked out as he picked up Ursa while she was holding Juniper. The Crew get in and shut the pods and within seconds the pods start detaching from the ship. Emmett gets in the pod with Ursa and Juniper and they shut the pod and shoot out. Emmett stares at the navigation for a moment and looks at Ursa "wheres the ship?" Emmett said all confused

The one-eighty turn of events left even the sharp witted Naefario reeling in surprise. His fist pounded against the steel overlays covering the control panels in frustration, denting the protective durasteel but doing little else. Not only had the Ranger locked down in opposition to his incursion, his own crew was failing miserably at quelling the turmoil on the Gorefill’s battle torn bridge. The weaselly lackey he’d left in charge before was now dead, safe from Naefario’s sure retribution along with a dozen or so pirates who lay in grotesque forms upon the deck. Those who’d survived the ambush-counterattack scattered like cockroaches fleeing the light, scurrying into the dark corners of the Gorefill to hide from the avenging smugglers. A soft growl rumbled in Naefario’s throat and he cast about for some solution to this unexpected situation. Everything was suddenly turning against him on a dime, and surely the ruthless bitch he wished to make his wife would be along shortly to end him once and for all. Despite his worsening situation Naefario still had one advantage, with which he could negotiate his way out. Leaving Jean groaning on the command pad Naefario stalked over to Takashi’s unconscious form, grasping him by his tail and dragging him over to where the best cover available, Ursa’s command chair, sat. Depositing Takashi upon the chair like sack of potatoes Naefario turned just in time to see Jean crumple upon the floor, reaching for the forgotten pistol.

Quick as a cat Naefario leapt upon the discarded weapon, tossing it across the room and out of reach. Leering down at Jean, he scooped the hapless man up and placed him down next to Takashi, creating a human and chair shield with which to protect himself should anyone storm the Ranger’s bridge. “Nay, not today. Now listen here fish, yer gonna ‘elp me get out o’ this mess alive, an’ ye’ll do it by being silent n’ still. Nary a word out o’ ye, or I’ll blow yer head off, an’ th’ head o’ this’un too. Understand?"

Jean grimaced, wiping a dribble of blood from his nose. “I think you’ll find Miz Cooper don’t give a damn ‘bout me, nor th’ lizard an’ will happily blow us both apart just to get at you. Best bugger off fore’ her n’ th’ crew come to make your day even worse.” The bluff was good, and for a moment Jean thought he saw a glimmer of fear in Naefario’s eyes but it was soon gone, replaced by an ugly hiss.

“Be it as it may, I have no other choice. Not another word if ye value yer life fish.” Jean’s sullen silence was the only answer Naefario needed and the pirate captain clenched his metallic fist, his teeth grinding as different weapons clanked and clacked, cycling through his more devious cybernetic contraptions. “Sides’” Naefario said, more for his own consultation then to provide a witty reply to Jean’s warning. “Even if she’s my kinda gal, n’ kills ye outright, jus’ to get at me as ye say. I still bested ye n’ th’ lizard, an’ I c’n kill a hundred foes meself, single handed if need be.” His cybernetic hand whirled to a stop on a particularly nasty gun, the carbon disintegrator; specifically designed to slowly melt away carbon based life forms. The weapon was illegal in all sectors, and had a reputation for being one of the most painful killing mechanisms ever invented, after chloric acid to the face naturally. “This’ll do th’ trick.”

“REPLACE ITS HEAD HAHAHAHAHA!” From behind Naefario, in the suddenness of a lightning strike a single sparking pink robot rose from the ground rushing towards Naefario’s turned back in a whirlwind of burned florescent paint and lobotomy saws. Only his speed and well-honed reactions saved the pirate from a nasty incisor cut on the back of his thigh. Kicking the robot away Naefario raised his fist firing six bolts from the Carbon Disintegrator straight into Taylor’s robotic face. The funny thing about robots however, is that they are made of very little carbon, and Naefario only realized his mistake after Taylor lurched forward stabbing a scalpel into his gut. The pirate’s eyes bulged and he reached back to smash the bot into smithereens with his enhanced strength when a knife buried itself into his plate armor, scaring the brown flesh beneath. Naefario whirled, registering that Jean was standing, his arm outstretched as if he’d just thrown something, only for a second scalpel to find itself a new home under Naefario’s knee cap. His legs buckling under him Naefario fired a continuous beam towards Jean from the Carbon Disintegrator forcing the cowboy to take cover.

Jean ducked and rolled narrowly avoiding a grisly death as the purple beam burned the air where his head had been moments before. The knife, hidden for so long in his boot had been practically useless against the giant dreadlocked bug. He needed a firearm of some kind, and the closest one was across the room, with a clear line of vision for Naefario. And Jean didn’t think the pink bot was going to last too long alone against the pirate menace. Knowing there was nothing left for it Jean swiped off his hat, hurling the leather based headwear across the room. Naefario’s automatic targeting computer locked onto the spinning target disintegrating it in a second, which left Jean enough time to scramble away while also giving Taylor enough time to jab a third scalpel into Naefario’s body. The pirate, now resembling an ugly pincushion roared in pain, but resisted the urge to rip the bot into scrap metal, instead focusing onto the much more prevalent threat.

Leaping over the chair Naefario grunted and winced, limping across the bridge, firing again and again as Jean ducked and dodged the deadly Carbon Disintegrator. “I’M GONNA TURN YE TO ASH FISH!” The pirate screamed, spittle and green blood spattering everywhere. Behind him Taylor’s insane laughing continued and the pink bot pursed the fleeing Naefario a dozen scalpels raised in the air.

Takashi opened one eye lazily, his foggy brain taking in the scene of utter chaos before closing his eye once more, preferring to remain unconscious rather than engage in the madness occurring all around him.

Jean reached his revolver even as Naefario skidded to a halt a mere five feet away, his arm raised, ready to kill. Over the stereo the music changed to Sabaton’s Back In Control, and a feral grin grew on Jean’s face.

In a flurry of movement the two combatants engaged in the dance of death, the evil snarl on Naefario’s face matching Jean’s own. Deadly bolts were exchanged back and forth within the space of a heartbeat and the stale cabin air grew hot with the fury of their combat. Jean’s skill showed itself to the tenth degree and he scored half a dozen hits in the first half second, avoiding Naefario’s two shots altogether. However the pirate’s tough chest armor proved itself worthwhile, taking the plasma rounds and holding its integrity. Deciding to take the fight where he felt more comfortable Naefario closed the distance with an impressive jump just as the music took a more intense turn, his hand raised to strike. “S’DEATH ON THE WIND BILDGESCUM!”

Then, like a MLB player sliding for home plate Jean launched himself under the airborne pirate taking several shots at Naefario’s nether regions as he went by. “FUCK YOOOOOOOOOOU!”

Naefario landed hard, dropping to his knees and looking as if he’d rip the heart out of the devil himself if he was close enough to grab. He raised his head to scream obscenities at Jean when Taylor shoved a scalpel into his eye. Cybernetics sparking and shorting out Naefario struggled to his feet, a plasma bolt ricocheting off his shoulder as he beat a hasty retreat off the bridge, scrabbling at his face all the while.

Jean picked himself up, dusting off his jeans and vest, and wiping blood from his lip. Beside him Taylor’s insane laughter subsided into crazed chuckles, both looked worse for wear but were somehow still alive. Raising his pistol to his lips Jean blew away the smoke shifting his gaze to eye the durable pink bot sitting next to him.
“Taylor... Holy fuck I officially name you my deputy.”

When the small group reached Emmett, Ursa moved slightly to an upright position, keeping her gun raised towards the open spots behind her. Blood ran down her nose, and sweat was dripping down her neck. She looked absolutely horrible, her once clean clothes covered in blood both hers and her enemies, and her body was worse for wear. She was awake due to the needle but after her last fight she felt exhausted, pain seared through her whole body and a small tightness was growing in her chest. This is bad...and we still need to get through Naefario... Suddenly her thoughts were pushed aside by Emmett's voice asking her if she was scared. She gave him a sore smile behind her two black eyes, "I've seen scarier..." She paused, "by you."

She then turned back to the hallway, shifting slightly to find a comfort that was not there to find. When Emmett proceeded to ask if she had a plan she shook her head, "I figured the Ranger would be available to us for transport but that is..uuh...not the case."

Ursa blinked, grabbing her chest for a second before she felt Mac beside her, "Coop..what's wrong?"

Ursa was about to talk but she just slumped over gasping for a minute, "It's fine..I uh shifted the wrong way."

Mac sharpened his eyes, "You're lying."

Ursa grit her teeth, "I'm fine. Help me onto my feet."

Mac grumbled but grabbed her arm and helped her up, as they followed Emmett to a few pods. When Emmett suggested she go with him, she nodded turning to Mac, "Make sure Kira and Damian get to the Ranger. I will be fine until we make it onto the ship..then...I'm going to need Taylor..urgently. Now go."

Mac grit his teeth wanting to argue but instead let Ursa sink back to the ground before he stood back up he spoke to her evenly, "You die on me kid, and I will burn every book you've ever bought."

Ursa looked at him in abject horror before she scoffed, "We both know I am too stubborn to die. Now let's get back to our ship. So don't touch my books!"

Mac scruffed her hair before moving over to Kira and Damian hefting one of the bags they carried over his shoulder with ease. Ursa watched them hop into the pod before she turned to Juniper, "Alright sweetpea. Hop on!"

When Juniper was settled in her pocket, Ursa felt Emmett hoist her up and place her in a seat inside the pod. She whimpered at the pain that soared up her leg, a few tears slipped down her cheeks but she remained quiet, keeping her hand on her guns in case the crew made one last bout of trouble. Luckily it didn't come to that, and after a few minutes, they launched. Suddenly they were out in space and she let out a breath only to feel the tightening in her chest worsen. She gasped again, gripping the front panel roughly to keep her head up as a wave of nausea poured through her. Emmett asked her in confusion about the ship, and she turned forward, setting some adjustments slowly before she read the small screen, "Three metaquadrants away from the starboard side of the Gorefill. Take the controls and move around to the right-hand side of Bug boy's ship and you should see it."

She popped the side of her com, "Ranger. Set up a finding beacon and allow only two Delta 3ZZ2 Range Hover Crafts taken from the Mandoz sector. Any other ship that approaches, fire at will. Dill...I...UHH.."

She gasped again, her chest tightening for an agonizing moment before she sunk back into her seat. She snarled slamming her fist into the side of the panel in annoyance before she tried again, "Shit...Dill...Progress report. Is everyone still alive?"

Dill spoke quietly, sounding like he was hiding somewhere, "Naefario's been wounded. Takashi is out cold still, but Jean and Taylor wounded Naefario pretty well. He ran out looking worse for wear. I can't see anything on the cams so I am remaining on lockdown. I assume he's near the cargo hold or engineer room but I am not sure. Are you okay captain?"

Ursa was tired of answering that question so she just finished with a tight, "Thanks, Dill."

She pressed the com again after a second, "Ranger open com link to control room." After a few seconds, her voice filled the control room of the ranger, allowing Takashi, Taylor, and Jean to hear her. Her voice was softer than usual and had a hint of pain behind it,"Jean...Taylor...you two alright? We should be landing in a few. If you could...AHH" She suddenly felt an even sharper pain in her chest as she let out a gaspy sob, her vision going blurry for a slight moment as she gripped her chest and leaned over. After a few seconds, she whimpered into the com, "Ranger open panels for..flight controls to Jean Wylder...I need you to..get my crew away...alright. We will be there..soon."

She turned to Emmett, sweat pouring down her face, "I'm...having a heart attack. Juniper...get off me and get onto Emmett. If I fall on you I will crush you...Naefario will nis..miss a chance to escape. He is going to be near or by the cargo hold, so Emmett be ready. I am going to be useless in a few minutes here..if I die. Which I ain't planning on...keep my crew safe from that cop. They will pay you. Tell them I told you that."

She slumped back in exhaustion, her head lolling to the side as she rubbed her chest, gritting her teeth as she tried to control her nausea. The only thing keeping her from fully passing out was the adrenaline still pumping through her. She prayed it would get her through until she reached Taylor.

"Three metaquadrants away from the starboard side of the Gorefill. Take the controls and move around to the right-hand side of Bug boy's ship and you should see it." Using Ursa's coordinates Emmett Moved the pod towards the ship to load every one back on. Emmett was listening to the conversation go on from Ursa and the ship.Ursa turned to Emmett "I'm...having a heart attack. Juniper...get off me and get onto Emmett. If I fall on you I will crush you...Naefario will mis..miss a chance to escape. He is going to be near or by the cargo hold, so Emmett be ready. I am going to be useless in a few minutes here..if I die. Which I ain't planning on...keep my crew safe from that cop. They will pay you. Tell them I told you that." "Ursa I thought we had a friendship, of course I'll help even without pay." Emmett took out the rope that he occasionally carried for when he had to get out of danger and tied it to Ursa and put her on his back " and another thing. I will never leave you behind no matter what. Lets kill this fucking bug" Emmett rarely swore, but did so when it was time to get very serious.

The moment the pod entered the ship Emmett ran fast enough to get to Taylor but to also make sure Ursa felt as little pain as possible. After a couple of minutes Emmett reached Taylor "Here she's not in the best condition, do what you can" and with that Emmett was gone again not skipping a beat. "Juniper here is where it's gonna get messy if I were you I'd bail out and get to safety." Emmett started to feel weird around Juniper, not his normal suave self. He was truly worried about her well being and would do what he could to make sure she was safe even at the cost of his own life. "If anything happened to you.... I dont know what i'd do." Emmett started to close in on the cargo bay readying himself for what comes next.

The Ranger’s sealed panels withdrew with a hydraulic hiss as Ursa gave the order for Jean to take over. Grunting Jean picked himself off the floor, taking ahold of the multicolored joysticks at the flight board. Ursa sounded in a bad way, even over the comms Jean could tell something had gone terribly wrong. They would need to board, and bring the wounded captain over to the healer bot. ean glanced over at said healer in trepidation. The pink robot was standing over Takashi, making a long incision down the back of the lizard-man’s hip, his scalpel coming away, stained red with blood.
“Hey!” Jean shouted, rushing over and snatching the murderous robot away from Takashi’s limp form. “What in the hell are you doing?”


“NEEEEEEED, to RE-plACE, Paintanceeeas 66666oooo KID-ney!” The bot squealed, sparks spouting from the plasma hole burned into its chest.

“No, no you don’t. His kidney is fine, he is fine, just unconscious. I need you to reboot Taylor. Do you understand?” Jean shook the bot, the discouraging sound of parts shifting and clattering inside the metal encasing emanating from him. “You need to reboot so you can patch Ursa up. Taylor, command reboot.”

For a moment the bot remained unresponsive, then the lights behind its viewing ports dimmed and a distinct ‘windows powering down’ tone sounded. Sighing with relief Jean patted the off-line robot’s head affectionately before returning to his position at the helm. Pressing a few buttons Jean opened the main airlock, giving the returning crew members space to board the Ranger. The shuttle shuddered as the pod thudded down in the cramped space, scraping against the durasteel walls and bumping the roof, but it sufficed. Slamming his fist down on the ‘shut-door’ button, conveniently marked, the doors slipped closed, concealing the pod in darkness. Jean watched the entire thing on the CCTV display, squinting as something shifted in the darkness. “Airlock is secure y’all,” he said over the comms. “Get Ursa up to the bridge immediately…”

The lights sprang back on and standing in front of the unsuspecting escape pod was none other than Naefario, captain of the Gorefill, his cybernetic arm outstretched, some unnamed, malicious killing device pointing at the door. He looked disheveled, and angry, the scalpels having been removed, and trails of green blood dribbling down his limbs and face, spider webbing liquid trails across his muscular form. Thinking fast Jean practically punched the loudspeaker switch, yelling so that the entire ship could hear.
“DON’T OPEN THE DAMN POD DOOR!”

He was too late. The door slid open, and Naefario fired.

At Emmett's comment, Juniper's little beady eyes squinted. For some reason he seemed to care about whether she got hurt or not. She instinctively wanted to laugh. Emmett didn't know her from the stars. Maybe it was the fact she was so young and innocent. Either way, only mere seconds passed between his comment, and the door opening up from the pod. She could hear Jean's voice through the loudspeaker, shouting not to open the door but it was too late, it was already opened. Emmett took Ursa on his back the best he could, just barely quick enough to escape the barrage of fiery blasts aimed at them. Juniper however was almost not as lucky, some of the flames singeing her grey fur as she jumped out into the darkness of the room.

She skittered into a corner where she thought she would be safe for a moment, watching with wide eyes as the pod went up in flames, holes from the blasts included. At this point she was completely hidden by darkness, and decided to use it to her advantage. She was unsure at this moment if Naefario had seen her, but she could feel he was angry nonetheless. Juniper watched as he turned, aiming his weapon around willy nilly, searching for her. She held her breath, only to release it again when the weapon was no longer aimed in her direction. "Come out, come out lil' mouse... I saw you run away from me..." Naefario's voice rang through the room and it made Juniper feel sick and also angry.

Before she could shift into something more useful though, Naefario began to close the distance from where he stood, and herself. He must have watched her run over there, despite the fact that it was mostly dark in the area. Maybe her eyes gave it away. She watched as Naefario stormed closer to her and without hesitation, she began to shift. Her body began to become more slender and elongated, the fur disappearing only to be replaced by tiny black scales. Her face changed completely with the exception of the beady black eyes. From her mouth whisped a long forked tongue, and before her legs disappeared, she sprinted out mid shift to try and get behind Naefario. Though as big as he was, he was quick. His arm came down and snatched her up by the tail, her paws and legs virtually disappearing at this point into her body. She resembled a good sized Black Mamba.

As Naefario lifted her up to eye level adamant curiosity in his gaze, a wry smile on his bloodied lips. “Yer one o’ em shapeshifters. Mayhap this wann’t a complete disaster n’ waste after all..” Juniper’s body curled up and she shot upward, aiming for his wrist. Her venom laced fangs sunk into the flesh that was available, and she ensured to bite down hard. Before a moment had passed, Juniper pulled back and struck him again in nearly the same spot. He reacted quickly though, and roared, pulling her away and tossing her to the floor against the wall with a loud thud. She winced and hissed out, narrowing her beady black eyes.

“Likkle turd,” the death blaster on Naefario’s arm retracted clicking and whirring until it took the form of a cybernetic hand, blue nerve endings flickering in the pod’s low light. He squeezed his afflicted arm sucking on the bite marks, and spitting out droplets of venom and green blood. “Why is eveyone ‘board this shuttle a goddamn rabid animal, in some cases literally.” The pirate captain chuckled, his guffaws turning into a wheezing cough. “I’ve ne’er met a crew o’ smugglers who fought this hard ‘afore. An’ imagine me, Cap’n Naefario, terror o’ th’ space lanes, dread commander o’ th’ Gorefill beaten by a damn medical robot an’ killed by a lass n’ snakeskin.” A sound behind Naefario caused him to spin about, his hand reforming into the carbon disintegrator, a purple light growing in its interior. It was Emmett and Ursa, the former trapped under the unconscious form of the latter, a mere two meters away. Keeping the deadly weapon centered on the fallen smugglers Naefario turned his gaze back to Juniper, fixing her with his single glaring eye. “I could kill ‘em in a heartbeat ye know. Faster n’ yer venom could bring me down, and once I slay them an’ catch you the hard way, well there’ll be anti venom aboard me ship. So let’s make a deal, make this easy why don’t we.”

“How about you and I bargain? You know what that is little Theonian, to bargain? My girl there isn’t look in a good way, she’ll need help soon before she dies, an’ I don’t want her to die. How about you come back with me aboard this pod, an’ I let them live. No funny business, no tricks. A fair trade.”

Juniper’s snake tongue whisked out again slowly, in thought. Over the course of the next couple moments, she shifted back into her human form. She couldn’t quite respond to him in the form of a snake. She gave herself enough space so that she could shift and then keep some distance from Naefario. Her eyes were bright amber, reflecting her emotion in some ways through the colour. She was scared, but she also knew that she had to fight. This Captain wasn’t going to let up, unfortunately for her. She knew he wouldn’t be the last space cadet she’d ever meet who would fight to the death anyhow, now that she was somewhat wrapped up with Ursa and the other two.

Finally she caught a glimpse of the others behind the Captain and her stomach lurched. Ursa looked terrible. She could die at any moment. But there was also no way in Purgatory she was going with this creep. But, he didn’t have to know that. She chewed on her lower lip softy for a second, then looked up at him.

“You drive a good bargain… I come back with you in the pod… which you nearly destroyed just a few minutes ago… and you let those two live?” She repeated what he said, with some slight attitude, though her voice was strangely foreign. It echoed in a weird way through the room.

The pirate inclined his head looking pleased. “Aye, that’s th’ jist of it. And I swear on me oath as a Cap’n, and me desire to make a lot of kredits that ye will come to no harm under my care. Ships like this bucket O’ bolts are going for a lot these days, but little Theonians, well, yer going for premium prices. My business partner will pay through the nose to have you, unharmed. So we c’n either do this th’ hard way, where yer friends die a rather gruesome death, or th’ easy way, where ye shift back into the harmless mouse, climb onto me hand and fly back to me ship. Easy as ye please. No one’ll die. It’d be th’ noble thing ter do.” Naefario twisted his barbaric face, an odd unnatural light in his eyes.

“Better make yer decision quick.” He warned. “Yer other friend is coming fast, an he’s not gonna bargain, that I c’n guarantee. I’ll be forced to put yer friends here to th’ knife ‘afore I kill him, for insurance sake. So, what will it be little Theonian?” Naefario lowered his hand of flesh to the ground, offering Juniper a large platform on which to ride once she was a shrew once more, his other glowed with a violet light, most likely charging up to kill Ursa and Emmett in a single blast.

“I don’t trust you one bit… But I don’t want them to die because of me.” Juniper watched his eyes and felt sick to her stomach. Her own gaze then shifted from his, to Ursa and Emmett and she breathed out slowly. She shifted back into her shrew form, and climbed up onto Naefario’s extended hand. She feared he would simply curl his fingers up and crush her, but if it really was money he was after, he wouldn’t. She was much more valuable than he could imagine anyhow. She sighed and wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn’t look away from her new friends.

Nodding approvingly Naefario closed his fist around Juniper, trapping her beneath a cage of firm, but gentle fingers. With a cold efficiency he cleared the pod making sure none of the smugglers remained on board before igniting the engines, never once loosening his grip on his valuable prisoner. Juniper could see through the gaps in his fingers as he lifted the pod off the landing deck. Beneath them someone shouted, two plasma bolts ricocheting off the pod’s thick hull. Naefario ignored them, jettisoning the pod through the airlock and out into the oxygenless expanse of space. The two ships drifted nearby, the Ranger and the Gorefill looking like deformed, lifeless planets against the endless black backdrop. Instead of angling towards the smoldering Gorefill Naefario aimed in the opposite direction, activating the hyperdrive engines, and opening up the navigation screens, typing in a long list of encrypted coordinates. As if to answer her unspoken query the pirate pointed at a distant star as space and time folded around them.


“When I take ye there lass, I could buy a fleet O’ those wrecks. Better not ter share me fortunes wit’ them cowards, haharr!”

With these words space closed around them and in less then a heartbeat they were gone.

Everything hurt. Ursa let out a muffled groan as she was pulled onto Emmett, her vision turning slightly blurry for a few moments. She listened to the assassin, as he stated he wouldn’t leave her and she smiled, not sure if she deserved such claims of friendship. She gave a soft, “Thanks, man.”

Suddenly Jean’s voice echoed through the coms, just as the door opened and a barrage of shots came their way. Ursa moaned wearily as Emmett whipped to the right, just barely clearing out of the way. Ursa used the momentum to kick off the ship, in order to propel Emmett out of the way but she kicked too hard and they fell. Emmett hit the ground hard, his form knocked out on top of her. Ursa let out a gasp of breath, her body struggling beneath the weight. She tried to shove him off, undoing the rope, but she was to weak. She listened wearily to the conversation between Naefario and Juniper, crying out when he offered her a deal, “DON’T DO IT JUNIPER! YOU DON’T….ahh...OWE US ANYTHING.”

Suddenly she keeled over, coughing as blood ran down her cheek. When Juniper made her decision, Ursa grit her teeth, watching Naefario with cold eyes, before her eyes rested on her stowaway. Just before they got on she spoke evenly, “Stay strong kid. Because I will find you.”

With that they were gone and Ursa let out a scream of rage, hearing footsteps and gunshots come forward. She turned her head to see Jean, about to speak when her body spasmed, her vision going blurry as she clutched at her chest.

Ursa called out weakly, tears running down her cheeks,“J..Je..Jean!!”

Her demeanor was in very bad condition, the deep gash in her leg was bleeding heavily, her eyes were turning black and blue, the bridge of her nose was cut, and her heart was dying. She tried to get her words out, “He...took..took...Jun..I couldn’t..stop...ahhhh..him.”

Stumbling to a stop beside her Jean dropped to his knees making a conscious effort to keep his hands from shaking. Ursa looked bad, the last two fights had done a number on her, beyond what a normal person should be able to handle. Well beyond. Stowing his pistol in its holster the sheriff took Ursa’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He looked scared, terrified that she might pass away in his arms.

“I saw, I saw and I tried to get here before he got away.” Jean ground his teeth in frustration. He’d made a promise to the Theonian royalty, that he’d keep her safe. They’d all sworn that oath, whether literally or figuratively, and they all failed. Whatever her fate now, it was outside of their immediate control. There was nothing more they could do for her, she would have to take matters into her own hands. “She’s a tough young gel,” Jean forced a reassuring smile, betraying his inner despair at any hope for Juniper’s wellbeing. “Reminds me of you, right. She’ll be fine, I know she will, but you... We gotta get you to the bridge and Taylor. You won’t do Juniper any good dead…”

Ursa nodded at him, trying to put up a fake smile of reassurance herself, “I..I’m..too stubborn to die. I think...”

Jean cast about the damaged airlock, searching for any sign of assistance. Everyone who’d been with them lay still as death, unconscious maybe, dead possibly. But no one fit to do anything more than groan. Jean himself wasn't in the best condition. His ribs were bruised black and blue, and drops of blood continued to trickle down his face from his broken nose and busted lip.

“Alone then,” he muttered, setting himself on one knee and taking Ursa’s arm by wrapping it around his neck. “This might hurt Miz. Cooper.” Jean warned, tensing his knees and back. With a grunt he lifted Ursa up, hoisting her across his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. Securing her arm and leg Jean staggered towards the bridge, a spasm of pain shocking his chest and ribs with every step. Gritting his teeth he ignored it marching steadily towards the bridge, Ursa draped over his back like some oversized shawl.

As Ursa was hoisted up she let out an agonized cry before she settled on Jean's back. She began to wheeze with each breath, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she struggled through the pain. As they walked she spoke quietly, “Is Takashi...ugh alive? And Anna?”

She leaned into Jean, trying to stay conscious as the blackness took her for a few minutes. It scared her. She shivered, terrified that she would close her eyes and never open them again. She whispered quietly, "I’m such a fucking idiot. I should have just...fuck.
given myself up and escaped...later. Then Juniper would have...shit.”

She sobbed quietly, the strength to repress her emotions gone for now.

“No,” Jean said, quieter then before. His breaths were coming in pained wheezes and he focused on putting one foot in front of the other faster and faster until he was almost running. Turning a corner he gave a small sigh of relief, the door to the bridge just ahead.

“You did what ya could, that’s what we all did. If Naefario had been allowed to take th’ entire damn ship and you he would have discovered Juniper anyway, killed me, and done who knows what to you. It's better that we’re all alive and free, capable of saving her, rather then everyone being dead or captured. You just gotta promise me to live, ya hear?”

Striding through the open hatch Jean slid Ursa as gently as he could off his back, reclining her against a nearby panel. Leaving her he rushed over to Taylor, pounding on the robot’s unresponsive metal head. “C’mon,” he muttered, pressing every button he could find on the small pink bot. “Turn on damn you.” He cast a worried glance over his shoulder at Ursa, worried she might pass out and fall.

Ursa let out another agonized cry, the pain too much as Jean lowered her against the panel. She slumped against it, her face very pale, as she looked up at him, her voice wheezy but her eyes determined, “I..promise.”

She watched him walk over to Taylor who seemed out of juice. As Jean began smacking the small pink bot, Ursa sunk lightly down, her eyes drooping. Suddenly Taylors cybernetic eyes came on, and he looked at Jean then over at Ursa. He spoke loudly, “TAYLOR ROBOT REBOOTED! SCANNING FOR INJURIES! PATIENT 3217, URSA COOPER IN CRITICAL CONDITION! BLOOD LEVELS LOW, BLOOD CLOT IN PULMONARY ARTERY, INFECTION IN LEG, MULTIPLE BRUISING AND CUTS!”

Ursa breathed out heavily, “Shit…”

Taylor twisted up horizontally, his arm whirling up and down, a glitch making his one arm roll in a 360 degree angle, “URSA IS DYING! SHE NEEDS SURGERY. SCANNING FOR SURVIVAL TO BASEMENT. 64% CHANCE! WE GO!”

Suddenly Taylor rolled over to Ursa, grabbing her good leg and then lifting her form into his small yet firm hands, before turning to Jean, “HUMAN MALE 200765, LOAD PROGRAM 765802 FOR CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY ON Z-238 PLANET DISC.”

Suddenly Dill jumped in through the coms, “GOT IT! Meet you down there in a few, Mr Wylder.”

Suddenly Taylor was out the door and heading towards the basement. Ursa was barely awake now, her eyes turning to Jean, as he followed behind. As they reached the basement Taylor rolled over to a large white table with multiple mechanical arms, and a glass case, which was opening up, a light coming on to show that the machine was turning on. Taylor thrust Ursa on the table, and turned to Jean, “PATIENT 3217 SURVIVED TRANSPORT! TAYLOR ROBOT MUST LOAD INTO XEON PRO SURGERY MACHINE! PLUGGING IN!”

Suddenly a flap opened on the side of Taylor and a long cord jetted out to fit into a plug on the side of the machine. Once inserted Taylor spoke, “HUMAN MALE 200765, PREPARE 9PATIENT 3217 FOR SURGERY. CLOTHING REMOVAL SCANNING…? DISC INSERTED SCANNING…?”

Suddenly the room went silent and Ursa turned, gripping the side of the machine as she pulled lightly at her jacket, then her shirt, barely understanding why she was still able to move. She eyed Jean wearily, “Help me...If you say...ughhhh…” ,she coughed up some blood, “B..boob joke...I will hurt you..”

“You’re not in th’ condition to hurt anyone but yerself Miz Cooper.” Jean observed, stepping forward to provide his assistance. With practiced hands well versed in this field of expertise he undid the few buttons and zippers not burned away or broken, and eased Ursa’s arms from the sleeves, careful not to injure her further. He managed to remove the jacket without destroying it entirely, but Ursa’s bloodstained undershirt was another matter altogether. Drawing his knife he wiped the green blood from it on his jeans, removing the residue from his bout with Naefario, before making a series of cuts along her hem and sleeves, before tearing away the undergarment.

Jean averted his gaze, more out of habit then not else. He was used to hearing about the ‘police scandals’ where attempting to rescue someone’s life landed a Deputy or Officer a permanent mark on their record, or even a termination of service over misconduct charges. Granted his own badge was well on its way to permanent removal, alongside a lifetime in prison, so looking down at a wounded, derobed smuggler in concern for her wellbeing wasn’t the highest on his list of concerns for a dishonorable discharge. Jean’s not-so-well averted gaze landed on Taylor, the pink bot, and more specifically the sparking hole in his chest.

“You’ve got a great crew around ya Miz Cooper, some of th’ most loyal gang of smugglers I’ve ever met.. Not th’ least of which is that medical bot, with a questionable doctorate license program. He surprised me today, and more importantly he survived an’ surprised Naefario earlier. I dunno if y’all saw, he’s quite th’ brawler. Still…” Jean stared very pointedly at Ursa’s face. “I did see him try’n give Takashi a kidney transplant not ten minutes prior. He rebooted, but he’s not in his best condition sparking an’ smoking like that.” Jean grimaced as a stray spark landed on an alcohol swab that Taylor was holding catching it on fire. The bot seemed confused for a moment and then doused it by beating the flames out on the wall. As it stood the robot was Ursa’s only chance of survival, which didn’t satisfy Jean’s concerns in the slightest.

Ursa leaned against Jean as he went to work on her shirt, her body feeling heavier as the clothing was removed. She smirked at his response to her death threat and groaned, “You are...probably right.”

When she was laid back down, she covered her chest, too tired to be embarrassed of her small pizza tattoo or the bullet wound scar by her left hip bone. She eyed Jean quietly, listening to him talk about her crew as she struggled to stay awake, “Taylor?..Everyone..told me...he was...scrap...He...earned...his spot. Just like me, I...earned the loyalty....every member...is...my….family. A family….I made..”

She turned her head lightly to look at Taylor and the cotton swab and a small look of fear went over her. She turned to the door then up at Jean, yellow eyes staring out of the black, “Not...much...of...a...choice. Unless...you have….a degree...in...medicine?” She paused looking at his face before shutting her eyes in pain, “Didn’t think...so."

She kept her eyes shut for a few minutes shivering as a tear fell down her cheek, “Holy...shit..I…might die. I might….fucking...hahahahahahaah.”

Laughter filled the room before it died down to a cold silence. Ursa turned to Jean, the energy she had basically wiped, “You know...when I...saw….you...in...my...office, I heard….music. That’s...got...to...mean...something...right?.”

Suddenly the world turned black and Ursa fell back, her arms falling away from her as Dill burst into the room holding a copy of the Beastie Boys, ‘License to Ill’ album, “I GOT IT!!!!!”

He rushed over to Taylor, pushing a few buttons, inserting the disc in an open spot. Taylor blinked a few times his head whurring around before he spoke, “CLOTHING REMOVAL SCANNING: CLOTHES REMOVED. DISC INSERTED AND SCANNING: CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY VOLUME 1 COMPLETED! PREPING FOR SURG...SURG...SURGERY! PATIENT 3217 IN EXTREMELY CRITICAL CONDITION. HEART RATE AT CRITICAL LEVEL!”

Dill, stood up taking a few steps back as Mac suddenly burst into the room, looking at Jean and his crewmate with wide eyes, “Both of you get out of here. I’ll stay with her. Jean go see Anna she can help you with some of your wounds and Dill, we need you to start tracking that pod before that bastard destroys the tracker. NOW GO!”

Dill looked like he was about to tear up, taking one more look at the captain before walking out, punching the wall before he left. Mac turned to look at Jean, “Thanks..for getting her here.”


“I’ll live, they ain’t but scratches.” Jean pulled a face, wincing as a stab of pain sliced through his battered ribs. He wasn’t in the best of shape, but Ursa was in a far worse condition, and someone had to keep an eye on Taylor, the bot being in an unpredictable state at best. Jean clutched the medical bed’s rim with white knuckled hands willing the pain away, and succeeding moderately. Despite being a little unsteady, and the constant stinging from his face and the dull ache around his ribs he was at least fairly sure he’d escaped permanent or lasting harm. A remarkable thing really, considering Naefario’s strength and skill, they were lucky no one had perished in the conflict, though the possibility of a casualty was still very apparent as the heart monitor connected to Ursa flickered smaller and smaller.

“We got lucky,” he said acknowledging Mac’s thanks with a nod, but not moving from his spot. “There’s no saying we’ll get lucky again. That pirate might not have a big ship anymore, or a crew full’a cutthroats, but he’s got himself valuable hostage, and half of us are beaten black and blue in no condition to fight. I’ve seen a few hostage crisis in my career, an’ they don’t always end happy. What ya reckon we’re gonna offer him, or do to trick him when we catch him?”

Mac let out a sigh, rubbing his hands through his metal dreads, as the metal arms on the mechanical table began to move, a scan moving over Ursa before one arm with a laser point moved down to Ursa’s chest. Mac spoke quietly, “Suit yourself, you look like shit though! As for that see dog we know where he is going. Magana Xeron is the lead place for a slave trade. The highest buyers will be there and...we...well Ursa has a high clearance to get us into a dealers room. He’s not our only problem though. All these attacks are planned and if we have a chance of getting anywhere, or surviving in general we need more supplies. Anesthesia for one...and a hell of a lot more fuel. I’m taking us to our outpost first. It’s not great for time, but we won’t make it otherwise.”

As the metal arm was working away on Ursa’s chest with a gamma-ray, another was cutting off part of her pants to cut and stitch the knife wound to her leg. Mac looked over at Jean, watching him watch Ursa about to say something when the doors opened and Damian brought in an unconscious Emmett placing him on a chair, “Found him in the brig. He should be fine but brought him here just in case. Also look what Kira found! Gortj Juice. A full vat of the shit!”

He pulled out a few cans, of one of the best pain relievers in the galaxy from his pocket and handed one to Jean and Mac, “How is the Captain? Oh...Jeez..look at those..”

Mac smacked him upside the head, “OUT NOW! Stupid Idiot! Go help Kira with repairs!”

Damian rubbed his head, “Alright…They are nice though” He looked at Ursa one more time and nodded before heading out the door. Mac just shook his head and turned back to Ursa, “You better wake up to teach him some manners Bone-head, or I will break every one of those crappy earth tracks you love.”

Ursa remained silent as a response, the heart monitor shooting small blips in an unsteady rhythm.

With a scream of anger Emmett punched the wall in his room. "How could I have let this happen, she doesn't deserve this. Juniper I will find you and bring you back" Emmett began thinking about his next move would be to find her, and a thought comes to mind. There is one person he is familiar with but not someone he likes seeing let alone asking for a favor from. Looks like we will have to see Kline... oldest of my brothers.

Kline was the worst of his brothers and sister. Emmett was the youngest of the children and was the smallest. When it was beating time Kline was usually who Emmett feared most, even more then his parents. Kline not only physically beat him but mentally also. Out of all his family Valentine was the nicest, she even tried to stick up for Emmett and hated when the other kids beat Emmett. However Emmett has not heard from nor seen any of his siblings besides Kline, however Juniper is more important then anything hes been through. From the stories Emmett has herd about Naefario, Juniper is in for some serious trouble.

Knowing that Ursa was in way worse condition then he was he went to go make sure everything was okay, and to also tell her his plan about how they were going to get on board about saving Juniper..He knew he wouln'd have to convince anyone so that part is easy, where they were going on the other hand not so much.

"Hey Ursa, how you holding up?" Emmett spoke to Ursa after she got some rest and recovery. "listen about Juniper.. I know how we can find her. I have a reliable source but they are located on the planet Deianira in the Eidera System.. I know it sounds bad but its our only hope. I am not gonna force any one to go, so if you choose not to it would be a big help to leave me as close as you can. But if everyone is going.. I dont want anyone else involved in the conversation, no offense to anyone, its just.. they can be how do you say.. they can be a real asshole way more then you and you know I say that with love." Emmett says with concern in his voice as he stares off in to space ( or so to speak). Emmett knew no one would get along with Kline, so it's best if he goes alone so no one else can get hurt.

[color=fff200][/color]Ursa laid in the medical bed with her current novel open in her hands. She reached up to itch at her chest when Mac let out a grunt, “Do it...and I will strap you to the bed.”

Ursa moved the hand away sighing, as she tried to ignore the itching sensation left by the surgery, moving the book up to hide her face as she peeked over to Jean who was sitting off to the side. He had stayed with her during the surgery and after it, and she knew she owed him deeply for getting her to Taylor. She took another peek only to see him staring back so she quickly pulled up the book knocking herself in the forehead. She dropped it rubbing her head, when suddenly out of the grace of god Emmett burst into the room. She sat up slowly, her body still sore from the stitches and bruises, her eyes were no longer swollen but still covered by dark bruises, and the bridge of her nose had a band-aid strapped across it. She gave Emmett a soft smile and responded to his question, “I’m...fine. Still sore...but..alive. Thank the seven Ruka’s.”

She remained quiet for a few moments listening to Emmett speak, smirking at his asshole comment. When he finished she took a few moments of silence before looking at Mac, “Well...we were already planning to head to Magna Xeron to check the slave trades but if you think Deianira is a better option we can take our chances there. In fact, I know just the place to drop port. Mac do we have any orders there?”

Mac shut his eyes for a few minutes, “Marnies..could use some X and they are willing to pay out the ass for Romanic Schnaps. Which we have at the outpost.”

She nodded, “And how far are we from the outpost?”

He shrugged, “About 15 minutes. We can re-fuel there as well.”

Ursa’s expression turned tense for a few minutes as she turned away from Mac to Emmett, “Sounds like a plan Draykon, also you don’t have to worry about me talking to your associate. Not to lay waste to your profession, but I try to stay clear of assassins when possible. You guys deal in very messy work, and I like to keep my hands clean of it when I can. This last couple of days has been more violence then I’ve had in months.”

Ursa moved away from the covers on the bed and moved her legs over the side slowly. One leg was well wrapped due to the stab wound, and as she moved said leg she grimaced. After a few seconds, she was on her feet, moving away from her bed slowly so that she could test her weight. She took a few steps forward pain running up her one leg. She grit her teeth and took a few more steps, before she reached the wall resting her forehead against it, taking in a small breath as she closed her eyes. Moments later Takashi’s voice appeared over the com, “We should be landing in a few minutes Coop. Aquaria has unlocked the force-fields and has prepped the ships for transport.”

Mac cocked his head to the left looking at Ursa with dark silver eyes, “Ships?”

Ursa turned around, looking up at the ceiling, “Not here. We will have a meeting at the outpost.”

Mac stood up, “No we are going to hav…”

Ursa turned her eyes downward to face Mac with a harsh demanding tone, “Mac. Not. Here.”

Mac threw his paper down then left the room, “Fine.”

Ursa sighed when he was gone, muttering mostly to herself as she leaned against the wall, “That’s going to be fun. Anyways boys when we get to the outpost, you are free to grab some fresh clothes and some weapons. I have a…” She turned to Jean slowly, biting her lip for a few minutes, “I don’t know if I can trust you. You saved my life, but you are also a cop. I usually have something to blackmail cops, so this is me really off my game. It’s hard not to believe that I am going to end up in handcuffs and my shit is being raided.”

Sudenly the ship jarred, as it landed. She crossed her arms, “Well I guess I have no choice. I have a solid enough cache of weapons that are being smuggled into Bromox by tomorrow. Take what you need, and if anything happens to that shipment cowboy. I will shoot you into space faster than you can say, ‘Omg….no...don’t shoot me into space…’”

She felt a twinge of guilt threatening the man who basically saved her life, but Jerry would tan her hide if that shipment was missed. Suddenly Anna came through the door, “Hey Captain, Aquaria’s waiting at the bay for you.”

Ursa nodded, “Alright! Thanks Anna. Can you inform the crew we are going to have a meeting in five.”

------------------------------------

The outpost was located on a small moon off of the Mona Galaxy. The moon was almost fully covered with water apart from a few sparce islands made of red sand and great large purple fronds. As the ship descended under the water, an array of purple, orange and platinum black corals littered the sea bed. Orange coloured fish that resembled Earth’s goldfish, but had the face of a spider with multiple eyes located on it’s head swam by the ship, tripling the size of the Ranger easily. More fish of various sizes and species swam by undisturbed as the ship descended deep into an underwater cave, moving through the channels until they came up to a large air pocket deep under one of the rare pockets of land. When the ship settled down and unloaded, the crew went to work unloading the salvageable loot, whilst Kira began to prepare of a list for parts needed for repairs of the ship. Ursa walked out of the bay slowly raising her arms in greeting, at the woman who stood at the edge of the sandy beach, “Aquaria. My savior from the depths! Long time no talk, Tentacles!

Aquaria had pale turquoise skin with soft yellow and orange patches that went up her cheeks and arms. Her hair squirmed and curled down around her shoulders like thick tentacles. She was wearing overalls but her hands and feet were bare showing sharp claws and webbed fingers and toes. The creature nodded at Ursa, her voice light and musical, but was also tinted with a Jersey accent, “Savior from the depths. Jesus...no shit. You look like hell baby-doll. Oh damn...Hey cowboy! Mmm..you got cheekbones for days...Sparky.”

Ursa turned to see Jean behind her and tried to not seem annoyed when suddenly Emmett popped out and Aquaria placed her hands on her hips, “Well I’ll be. Mr. Emmett Draykon. You were supposed to call me, after the last time you dropped by. Asshole.”

Ursa turned to Emmett, her mouth opening in a circle, “OOOOO shit! You and Aquaria!”

She turned back to Aquaria, wrapping her arm around the girls neck, “You can’t even be mad girl. You knew exactly what would happen with that one!”

She looked over Ursa’s shoulder, her coral eyes zeroing on Emmett, “Yes I guess that’s fair. Of course there is new horizo..Aghhh..”

Ursa clenched Aquaria’s neck as she turned to look at Jean, before whispering quietly to her friend, “Well make sure those horizon’s stay far away from my future husband! Got it!”

Aquaria barked out a choked, “Got it! Leave the cowboy. Lucky bitch. Anyway...let’s get you some food, clothes and something for that leg . You ain’t getting any husband looking like that. JIM take the boys to get some clothes...and then start up the ships."

After a few moments, a large tan coloured gelatinous looking creatures rolled out of the large mechanical doors, set into the cave wall and waved to the boys, “You dudes, can follow me! I’m Jim!”

Ursa and Aquaria headed inside the doors which opened to a large warehouse sized room containing multiple black and orange crates, containing both food, contraband, and various ships, boats, and machines scattered in different zones. Ursa let go of Aquaria and sauntered along slowly, “No music? Jeez...I…”

Mac followed behind the girls finally cutting into interject, “Play Track 907!”

Suddenly Basement Jaxx’s song, “WHERE’S YOUR HEAD AT?!?!” slammed through the speakers. Ursa turned around and smirked despite the obvious insult, and lip synced the catchy line, shaking her head as Mac followed her and lip synced himself. She giggled then turned to the boys, “I’m just going to have a talk with the crew. I will find you in a few. Emmett. Keep that one out of trouble will ya!”

With that she headed into a side room, mouthing the lyrics of the song, the line perfect for the situation, “You have now found yourself trapped in the incomprehensible maze!”

Throughout Emmett’s short speech, and Ursa Cooper’s own shortly after and the proceeding conversation Jean kept a mask of practiced impassivity. His years hustling skilled players at the card table granted him the ability to mask his thoughts and feelings, not just in his expressions but his words and body language. A good thing he did too. Jean hated it every time she brought up her chosen profession, and the conflict that existed between them. The respect he felt for this woman, her amusing attitude, and fiery personality was growing into something more, but a impassable barrier was set between them, one that Jean couldn’t ignore forever. They were allies of convenience, pursuing a common goal, or at least they possessed similar enemies and a mutual friend. His life choices pulled him in one direction, and hers another. Her trust in him to uphold an honor amongst unlikely allies dug the proverbial knife ever deeper, and twisted the jagged blade in his heart. Despite all his skill, Jean found he could not look her in the eye, and could only nod, staring remorsefully at the floor. It seemed loyalty was a fickle thing after all.

“You’d fallen off the grid for a few rotations, I was starting to worry about you, we didn’t need to lose another good ranger so soon.”

Jean leaned against the Ranger’s hull, checking periodically up and down hall to ensure he was alone. They were only a few minutes off from touching down on the moon and Jean had already inserted the coordinates into the small communicator. On the other end, halfway across the universe Director Jane sighed, the exhale of breath scratchy through the long distance encoded communication.

“I haven’t been in a position to chat with ya lately. Been pressed tight, and kept a close eye on. The situation is, complicated.” Jean murmured, it was true enough to not be a total lie. Between fighting space battles, and the cramped quarters of the Ranger, subversive and secret communication was difficult to say the least. Though if Jean had been entirely honest he would have admitted to holding off making the call until the last minute.

“You’re under cover?”

“Not exactly.”

Director Jane’s silence was a question in of itself. Jean decided against explaining the intricacies of his situation over the radio static, instead pressing the Director for limited action, and informing her of the threats, which he could only assume would be upheld. The director wouldn’t hear of it though, her voice almost scolding through the comms device.

“No, Ursa Cooper is wanted for millions of kredits throughout the known galaxies and beyond. I cannot in good conscious abandon a score like that because she helped you once. I’ll hold off raiding her facilities until you are out of danger for retaliation. I won’t say it again, no bargains, no deals, that’s final.”

Jean pressed his forehead against the steel wall, his hat, a large burn hole through the middle pushing up and falling off, held from descending to the ground by a leather strap fastened around his neck. The leather’s bite at his throat felt fitting, the hat’s weight pulling down on the leather even left a thin crimson line, a reminder of the betrayal. But was it truly betrayal? Was he not upholding his oath of office? The question permeated his thoughts even as Director Jane continued.

“I’m assigning a squad of rangers to shadow your movements sheriff. If you ever need assistance they’ll be close enough to pull you out, but far enough back so your hosts aren’t alerted. Keep up the good work sheriff, I expect a report within a week, if I don’t get it I’ll assume you died in the lion of duty.”

The line went dead and Jean hid the communicator in his pocket, pacing up and down the hall, silent and brooding.

~*~*~

Leeroy’s triple toes curled, digging into the red sand that dominated the beach and coastline. Jean had been overjoyed to find that the smugglers had also kidnapped his spughoss Leeroy, storing the loyal beast in a cramped cargo hold. Jean led him out with them, lettining the equine stretch his muscled legs and shake his white mane, the oxygen sacks on his nose flaring happily in the rich air.

His three toed feet left large prints in his wake as he snorted and stomped, his large watery eyes rolling as he reared to run. Jean laughed, a very different man than he’d been only minutes before, his confusion and internal debate hidden behind a guise of good natured humor. “Hang on ya big dolt, let me get ya loose.” Jean uncliped the harness, swatting Leeroy’s flank and sending the great spughoss stampeding away from them, prancing across the sands as delicate as a cat and splashing into the water like a foal at play.

Turning back to the conversation he’d been mostly ignoring he saw a flushed Ursa, and a semi strangled Aquaria standing together looking at him. “Uh, howdy marm.” He grinned, touching the brim of his hat. “Thankee kindly for your hospitality, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance I’m sure.”

Stepping around the girls he followed the pleasant seeming Jim into the warehouse. Even Jean, who'd seen some large underground organizations in his time was impressed by the grand scale of the operation. There was something to say about the classier criminals, they knew how to organize and operate better than some multi-galactic corporations. All under the radar as well. Stepping up to a crate he slid it open, eyeing the line of highly illegal carbon evaporators stored within. Jean shrugged, tossing one to Emmett. “Better gear out in the best they’ve got if they’re offering it free. Those sell at top dollar on the black-hole markert, I should know. I’ve raided a few sell zones myself. Smugglers tend to think that a deadly weapon is all it takes to end a bust, so they like to keep them handy...” Jean padded over to the next orange crate, flipping it open to find a more humble collection of clean clothes, and another to find poached items. He pulled out a pair of jeans, and a moonmoth silk button up, (also highly illegal due to the endangered state of the moonmoths, and the process required for extracting the necessary silk,) the fabric was unbelievably soft and supple, and sturdier than steel wool and well sought after by big name buyers. Jean had a special hatred in his heart for poachers, but the smuggled good had already been made, there was nothing he could do about it now. Tearing off his grimy and ragged shirt he pulled the navy blue moonmoth silk over his back, buttoning it up and pulling ivory lined crimson vest on over it. The jeans fitted well enough as well, and he buckled on a deep sea offilaos ray leather gun belt over them, tightening the strap before slipping a revolving carbon disintegrator, pistol configuration into the holster. He kept his hat, despite the plasma burn straight through the center of it, shoving the wide brimmed rancher down low over his eyes, tufts of his brown hair protruding through either side where the plasma had gone straight through.

“I suppose,” he said, justifying his new getup and weapon more for himself, than for Emmett who stood beside him. “That if I’m riding shotgun for smugglers an’ assassins like y’all, I might as well dress like one.”

[color=00746b][/color]“WE ARE SEPARATING!?!?!?!” Takashi yelled quite angrily.

Ursa flinched slightly as she kept her eyes on the sleek pad computer in her hands, reading quietly some information Dill had collected on both Juniper’s planet and some background info on Mr. Handsome. She spoke quietly, “Yes...Like I just said. I am the one who chose Bob as a client and I am the one who brought Juniper on this ship. Half of your bounty warrants barely changed apart from mine. He wants me...hence why I am going alone.”

Anna spoke up next, “We have your back Captain! We are your crew! You need us!”

Ursa sighed lowering the computer down as she rubbed her sore eyes, “Look guys. I get it. Honestly I want you to come with me. I know we work better as a group. I am not doing this because I find it’s my responsibility to protect you. We are criminals, and at the end of the day we take care of ourselves first. My first priority is not your lives. It’s the business. It’s your wallets. We joined together for money and I am going to be damned losing it because some asshole thinks he can get rid of me so easily. We already missed two shipments and if we lose anymore Donny and his boys are going to steal our routes.”

She stood up, leaning forward slowly, “I want you to do what I pay you to do. Smuggle. I want us to make sure our shipments are on time and undamaged, and to make sure our competitors don’t use this slip up to push us off the table. Jerry and I have dedicated too much to just shrink away now.”

Takashi shook his head turning to Mac, “I can’t believe this shit. Will you talk some sense into her?”

Mac had remained silent for a while his steel eyes staring at her across the table, before he spoke, “She’s right.”

Ursa let out a breath and stood up straight as Takashi screamed, “WHAT THE HELL MAC!!!”

Mac looked at the group, “She’s right about the business. We need to separate and keep up orders. Jerry is depending on us and we can’t let him down either. We can also find out more through the systems and make contact as soon as possible. I don’t like separating either but it’s smart...also it helps with the other problem.”

Ursa’s eyes dropped to the table, as Damian perked up, “Which is?”

Mac kept his eyes on Ursa, “The cop.”

Ursa blinked, her heart beating fast, “He’s not a problem.”

Mac shook his head, “He is. You don’t think he’s gonna send a raid the moment you leave this outpost...or better yet arrests you as soon as he gets a free moment. I read those files, the moment Dill uploaded them. Squeaky clean. He’s moral..He’s..”

Ursa lifted her head, anger filling her words, “My problem...and he saved my life mind you. You forgot that. He saved Takashi’s life as well!”

Mac nodded, “He did. Hence why I didn’t say anything when we brought him here, but he is going to turn the tables on you one day. It’s inevitable toots. You get too close to him and he will betray you. He doesn’t see the gray. He’s black and white and you know it.”

Ursa grabbed the pad, her expression guarded. She knew that Mac was right. Jean was on the wrong side of her world, but she was both enamored and smitten with his courage and charm. There was a chemistry there that excited and scared her. She didn’t feel any connection with anyone, over the course of her travels, but he was different. The attraction was electric and she knew that inevitably it would burn her. She couldn’t help herself though. She wanted him, and the fact that the world told her she couldn’t, made her want him even more. She hid all this though and just nodded, “I know. I’ll lose him, or I’ll find something to blackmail him with…”

Mac didn’t relent, “And if you can’t?”

Ursa grew angrier, knowing he pushed her into a corner she couldn’t escape from, so she gave him the answer he wanted, even though it tasted like poison on her lips, “I’ll kill him. Crew first. Always.”

The thought made her feel such a horrid disgust leaving her feeling sick and confused. She didn’t understand her feelings and felt as if the words were a betrayal. How could it be though? She barely even knew this guy..so why did it matter. She slumped back into her seat knowing the answer was what her second mate wanted. Mac nodded then stood up turning to Aquaria, “Gorgeous, you know the procedure for a raid. I suggest you prepare for it.”

Ursa shook her head, “You are so damn paranoid. We have an understanding. He won’t...I think.”

Mac shook his head, “Just be ready.”

Aquaria smiled, “No problem sugar bear. If things go south, we know what to do. Jim and I are always prepared. Now Ursa you come with me. We found a caseload of Aurara collections on Agrathea and I think there are a few pieces you would like.”

Ursa smiled at her, “Sounds good Aquaria. So everyone is clear about the plan. We will be staying in touch but it has to be off the grid. When you find information about Bob. I want to know. Also, I need you to relay Jerry when you are safely out of our reach. I don’t want him near any of this. Everyone got it?”

The crew grumbled a few, 'Yes’ and Got it’s!’ before they were sent off to prepare the ships and perform a few other tasks. Ursa gave Mac a look before he walked off then turned to Aquaria who gave her a warm smirk, “You are way too easy to read Ursa.”

She turned heading into the hallway as Ursa let out a sigh then started following her, “Well it’s not like I need to lie for my job or anything...oh wait.”

Aquaria laughed before heading back into the larger warehouse to where a load of large purple crates was shoved against a wall, "You can lie extremely well, Ursa..you just can’t do it to people you care about. Don’t worry though. No judgment. Now let’s get you fixed up. I thought you would like these.”

Aquaria stepped inside a crate and pulled out a few carts, while Ursa began to look through the packaged outfits. She pulled out a few items from the lower priced choices and began to get changed. A few moments later she was suited up in some black knee-high boots, a pair of tight black leather shorts, a black and purple “Strutz Rule” crop top and a light blue denim jacket over top. She turned to Aquaria, “Ta-da!”

Aquaria laughed, “Seriously! You have choices like these and you go with the clearance? You know no one’s going to want to sleep with you in that get-up!"

Ursa pursed her lips, “I’m not trying to get laid, Aquaria. I’m trying to save a friend. Who the hell fights in a 3000 dollar dress. Plus I think I look good, for having my face purple with bruises and a few stab wounds in my leg.”

Aquaria rolled her eyes, “Whatever you say, miss fashion forward. Anyway I have to go check to see if Jim loaded your ship. Holler if you need me.”

Ursa nodded before she headed to her office, running her fingers through her hair. When she reached it, she put on her gun holster, happy that Mac had retrieved it from Nefario’s ship. She then moved over to a large metal cupboard opening it up to show an array of guns and other nifty objects. She pulled out her earbuds and replaced them with a different pair, she also pulled on some interesting metal bracelets and pulled on a garter with one nasty knife just barely visible from her boot. She also grabbed a backpack and threw a few more things inside before she moved to her desk and pulled out a first aid kit. She opened it to look at the mirror and winced, before pulling out a green band-aid which she placed just beneath her slightly black eyes across the bridge of her nose, “Alright...better than nothing I guess.”

Moments later, with Aquaria's words stuck in her head she was heading to meet the boys. She grabbed a ‘Tony Treo’s ball cap’ to pop on her head, turning it back as she caught Jean mentioning his change of dress to being more relative to the company. She walked in and gave an awkward smile, looking him up and down, “Not too shabby for wearing the fruits of my evil deeds. You could always come to the dark side, we have all the fun toys."

She turned to Emmett and gave him a smirk, “You aren't too bad either, handsome."

She moved over to a crate and awkwardly jumped up to sit on it, rubbing her chest lightly before she spoke again, "Hopefully, you found everything you will need. Can’t be over prepared when travelling to Deianira. Jim and Aquaria are just loading up, the ‘Sea Dog’ for us to use for transport. It’s smaller than the Ranger but it’s faster and has a better cloaking device. The rest of the crew will not be joining us, and my ship is too familiar so this should be a better option for us in case we get held up again.”