VOYAGE TO DISCOVERY – Chapter 1

Author's note: This is a collaborative effort between me and my good friend Summer39. A story that's been in the making for months and only now have either or us had the opportunity to bring it to fruition. We're huge fans of "BoTP" and wanted to create a story centered around Mark and Princess' fledgling romance on a cruise ship. Memories of the past are filled with pain and misunderstanding, but faith has a way of bringing people together despite their differences. This 'voyage' is more than a trip, but a path toward discovery. Can Mark and Princess find their way back to each other? This story takes place several months after my last two stories "Worth the Wait" and "Where Do We Go From Here?" The war with Spectra continues and the characters have been aged by several years from the original television show placing them in their early 20's with the exception of Keyop who's 18 in this story. The usual disclaimer still stands: "BoTP" belongs to Sandy Frank Productions. We hope you will enjoy it.

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Their G-Force mission was to have been a simple one. To get aboard the Spectran mecha and plant the bomb near the ship's central operating core. Princess, being the demolition expert, was to install the device and Jason was to have provided back-up while the rest of the G-Force team remained on board. Should G-2 and G-3 needed help they were to signal using their communicators. Everything seemed to have been going according to plan, but Jason and Princess were discovered by Spectran guards. All hell had broken loose; the sounds of screams and gunfire littering the airwaves as the commotion was heard by Mark, Tiny, and Keyop back on the Phoenix as they manned the stations. Mark yelled into his communicator, "G-2! G-3! What in the hell is going on? Do you copy? What's going on in there?" before the signal abruptly ended. Mark turned towards Keyop and ordered, "Let's go!" before turning on his heel to leave their ship. Suddenly an explosion thundered through the atmosphere, the impact shook the Phoenix violently tossing the Commander and G-4 against the walls of the ship while Tiny, G-5, struggled to regain control. The team looked up and watched in horror on the large screen as the Spectran mecha, now a blazing inferno, plummeted towards the ocean below. "No! No!" Mark screamed as he crawled to the screen. The Commander shouted into his communicator, "G-3! G-2! Come in! Damn it, answer me! G-3! G-2!" Another explosion permeated the atmosphere as the mecha ruptured into pieces striking the ocean's surface with Earth shattering force. "Noooooooo!..."

Mark immediately sat up, his body trembling and awash with perspiration, as he struggled to find his breath in the darkness of his bedroom. Virtually every night held the same nightmare, the same terror that he'd been dealing with since that fateful day; the decision to end his personal relationship with Princess…

She and Jason had survived the explosion, both having made it out before the Spectran mecha had been destroyed. The duo had been discovered clinging to scattered debris floating on the ocean's surface. Once aboard ship, to the astonishment of his team mates, Mark reacted in anger. He never showed his gratefulness that Princess and Jason had made it out alive. Instead Mark chose to chastise their accomplishment; calling G-2 and G-3's handling of the assignment 'sloppy.' Jason rebuked Mark's criticism by responding, "Do you think I give a shit if whether or not we tied that mecha up in a red ribbon before we destroyed it? How about a little praise Skipper? A well-deserved pat on the back huh? The deed is done! Mission accomplished!" Bruised and limping from a minor leg injury, Jason headed for the Phoenix's infirmary, his arm around Keyop's shoulder, to have his wounds tended to. Mark, still fuming after that exchange, had turned to Princess only now noting her soot streaked face underneath her cracked visor, torn pink uniform and several small cuts and bruises on her fair skin. Princess merely stared at him in disbelief, her green eyes filled with uncertainty as to whether she should say anything. Mark's heart had begun to beat a wild and rapid rhythm in his chest at the site of her. He wanted to grab her and kiss every doubt from her mind that he was indeed grateful that she and Jason survived. Mark reached for her without thinking and then pulled back his gloved hand, the blue eyes that had begun to soften slowly began to darken, his voice indifferent. "Are you alright?" was all he could muster as his gaze swept over Princess. Princess nodded and lowered her tear filled eyes, not wanting Mark to see the depth of disappointment his reaction towards her caused. Numerous times upon Mark's return to the Phoenix after what was believed to be his certain demise, Princess had shown her gratitude for his safety by launching herself into his arms. Her feelings for him were never reciprocated before their team mates. Mark had seen the hurt, hating himself for inflicting more pain on the woman he'd grown to love but he couldn't expose his feelings. As G-Force commander he had to maintain a certain distance and Princess was proving to be more of a liability with his emotions. Like it or not she was a distraction; one that could break his focus and interfere with the team's dynamic…

Mark thought that he'd gotten past it; even began to believe that he was succeeding. There had been some nights when his body simply succumbed to the weariness after having endured a long and difficult assignment. But when he awakened, he found himself shifting in bed and reaching out a hand as if subconsciously expecting to find Princess lying next to him. Mark snorted at that. Not that it made that much difference. He had made it a point not to get involved too intimately, believing that sex could only complicate their already delicate situation. Hand holding and stolen kisses however weren't satisfying to either of them. They were both over 21. Even Princess groaned her frustrations when he pulled away from her after a make out session that all but had them clawing at each other's skin; when the need to feel each others touch became more urgent, more carnal. As much as he wanted to be with her, the obligation to commit was something he couldn't promise her when being G-Force commander demanded so much of his attention. Yet no matter how hard Mark tried he discovered he couldn't dampen his body's need for her despite having severed his relationship with her right after that particular mission.

Mark swung his legs over the edge of his bed and turned on the lone lamp situated on his bedside table. He rubbed his hands across his face before leaning his elbows on his knees, his eyes staring at his bare feet on his hardwood floor. Absentmindedly Mark fingered his communicator on his left wrist. He cut a quick glance at his digital clock and blinked twice before his blue eyes focused on 3:00 A.M. flashing in neon green almost as if the tiny device were playing a cruel hoax. Mark muttered under his breath while reaching for his faded blue jeans at the foot of his bed. He slid his legs into his pants, stood up and pulled the worn denim up, adjusting himself before sliding the zipper up just enough to be decent, leaving the snap undone. He then headed for his kitchen. He was suddenly feeling very hungry, although he knew deep down it wasn't for leftover pizza.

Mark opened his refrigerator door, leaning over with one hand splayed on the top freezer, his toes wiggling against the cool tile of his kitchen's floor. He snorted at the few items occupying his fridge to choose from. There was a half carton of milk, one can of beer, a half eaten pizza that was several weeks old if the tiny hairs growing on it were any indication of age, and what was possibly a wedge of cheese encased in tinfoil only Mark had never gathered the courage to open it. He reached for the milk, believing he'd be able to find a box of cereal in his cabinet. Surprisingly he did, a box of cereal Princess had purchased, in her quest to provide more fiber in his diet, Health Oats. Mark smiled as he poured the cereal into a bowl, remembering his resistance when Princess tried to urge him to taste it…

They had been running around his kitchen one Sunday morning; Princess reaching over Mark's shoulder with a small sample between her fingers. She persuasively held a tiny oat square to his lips while he playfully clamped his mouth shut. "Prin honey, I like my cereal to taste like cereal and not the box in came in. There's a reason why 'bran' and 'bland' sound so much alike." Princess wrinkled her nose at him and put the square into her mouth, rewarding him with a very feminine pout after she swallowed it whole. Her large green eyes grew in size and her face contorted slightly underneath his scrutiny but she was determined to prove him wrong about the cereal's taste. Finding her irresistible, Mark leaned forward and nuzzled his nose against hers while gliding his mouth softly across Princess' lips. "I'll bet it taste like cardboard doesn't it?" he whispered against the corner of her mouth. Princess had squeezed her eyes shut, nodded twice, and groaned loudly, "Ewww!" while Mark held onto her, wrapping her in his arms, and burying his head into the side of her neck laughing with her…

Mark continued to smile in spite of himself. That's how it had always been between them. They had a good thing going. Too bad it didn't last, he thought somberly as his mind returned to the present. He took a heaping spoonful of the cereal while leaning against his kitchen's counter. Maybe it tastes better with age. Mark began to chew and within moments his face contorted disapprovingly of what he'd placed in his mouth. "What the…? Aww…damn it!" He leaned over his kitchen sink and began spitting out the remnants of his early morning snack; that distinct taste of bark and sour milk that didn't quite go together. He then reached for the milk carton nearby and discovered it had expired three days ago. "It's official," Mark spoke out loud. "I'm pathetic. Princess used to keep food…"

"What in the hell am I doing?" Mark tossed the bowl into the sink and leaned on the kitchen counter, his brows stitched together in anger. I need to stop thinking about that girl. He turned around and took a good look at his house. Problem was how could he stop thinking about Princess? Mark took a look at the multicolored prints on his once bare walls, the comfortable throw pillows on his couch, the curtains hanging from his windows…She had turned the place into a home for him. Princess had taken care of things he normally wouldn't have made the time to see about. Mark then sighed regretfully. I never took care of her the way she cared for me. He closed his eyes tightly. And the way I treated her after that particular mission…

A familiar sound cut into Mark's thoughts; the buzz of his communicator. The red light flashed indicating Chief Anderson's priority alert signal. Mark lifted his left wrist to chest level. "G-1 here Chief Anderson," he responded brusquely. "Go ahead."

Choosing to ignore Mark's tone and sensing that the young man was probably tired at being notified so early in the morning, the Chief of Galaxy Security continued. "Mark, I'm going to need you and the rest of the team here within the half hour. It's a matter of the utmost importance and we need to get on this as soon as possible."

Mark frowned. "What's Zoltar up to now?" His tone had changed from being merely annoyed to serious; the voice of his alter ego.

"Too much to go into at this moment. I'm having the rest of the team notified immediately. I'll be expecting all of you at the IFPP Building within the half hour." The sign off signal concluded the conversation.

Mark hurriedly made his way back to his bedroom. He put on a pair of socks, athletic shoes, and a black t-shirt before throwing on a worn denim jacket as he headed outside to his red sports car. It can't be a mech attack or we would've been called into Center Neptune. It's got to be a civilian assignment, Mark mused as he started the car using Identity Access, his fingerprint granting the convertible permission to start the engine. The car started smoothly and Mark shifted into first gear. Looking both ways before easing onto the main road near his private air strip, Mark's foot tapped the accelerator once, the engine roared, and the G-Force Commander jettisoned toward the IFPP (Intergalactic Federation of Peaceful Planets) Campus. His focus on Princess had once again been replaced by his duties. As he sped toward the city Mark's thoughts had become stoic. This is what I was trained to do. I don't have time to embark on a relationship. I did the right thing. Breaking it off with Princess was the only thing I could've done. Remembering the vow he took as an 18 year old several years ago, Mark grimaced. "I have a job to do," he spoke quietly to himself as his car raced toward the city; mentally preparing himself for his next assignment.

Thanks for reading! There's more to come!