Once again Zach blasted apart the disclaimer that I don't own any Galaxy Rangers characters. This is some fun stuff that takes place after 'The Letter'. It also references the wonderful fic 'Goosebabies' by Coldfusion 180.
Family Bonding Ranger Style
"Hey Zach, Doc how's it going?" Q-Ball sat down at the table in the cafeteria with the two Rangers.
"Not bad my man, so what's new?" Doc grinned.
"Nothing much," Q-Ball said. "Say I haven't seen Goose or Niko around lately. Are they on a mission?"
"Goose and Niko are on Andor helping the doctors there with the Supertrooper Kids," Zach explained. "They'll be back in a few days."
"Oh right," Q-Ball nodded. "That whole top secret thing. I can't believe Walsh just wants to pretend those kids never existed."
"Mandate from the Board of Leaders," Doc explained. "They don't want the public to panic. Most of the people on most of the human populated worlds don't even know that there are Supertroopers on the loose."
"What? How is that possible?" Q-Ball asked.
"Not long after the Renegade Supertroopers escaped the Board of Leaders sent out some fake footage saying that they captured most of them and froze them which is technically true," Zach explained. "There's only seven of them that escaped and are still loose and a few of them can pass for aliens. So…"
"So they just sent out a fake news story to cover their tracks and every time Kilbane and some of the others show up they just pretend that they're aliens?" Q-Ball blinked. "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard!"
"You'd be surprised how much it's worked," Doc said. "They may have sent out wanted posters on them to all the human populated planets but they didn't exactly go into detail on their origins if you get my drift."
"So as far as those kids are concerned they're staying on Andor for the next few years and out of sight," Q-Ball shook his head. "And the whole thing will be swept under the rug and forgotten."
"At least they're being protected by the League and won't get sent to the Cryocrypt," Doc said. "They'll be rehabilitated and with a little luck grow up into model citizens. Of course they'd probably have to live on other planets and hide their identities for the rest of their lives but at least they'd be alive."
"The whole thing just made me think that's all," Zach sighed. "I feel that I'm not much better than those bastards that abandoned those kids."
"Okay how the hell can you feel like that?" Doc did a double take. "Zachery you're the most loving father I know."
"Yeah but I'm always running off to outer space and leaving them," Zach said. "And because of me their mother's…"
"That was not your fault," Doc told him sternly. "And being a Galaxy Ranger is your job. Your kids understand that. You're a good father. Trust me on this."
"My children are practically all grown up as it is," Zach sighed. "Little Zach isn't so little anymore. He's practically a man. And Jessica is already a teenage girl. They're not my little babies. I miss that. And I'm missing their childhood."
"No you are not," Doc told him. "Zachery you are doing the best you can considering the circumstances."
"Yeah circumstances," Zach grunted. "Some circumstances!"
"Captain Foxx I wanted to ask you about those reports you were supposed to file," Commander Walsh walked by. He looked at the Ranger's face. "What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing," Zach sighed. "I'm a complete failure as a father and I've destroyed my children's lives. That's all."
"Zachery please it's bad enough that Rangers Gooseman and Niko are off…On a mission," Walsh groaned. "I don't need you having a breakdown now!"
"I'm sorry Commander I know you want to pretend the whole thing never happened but it did hit me a little too close to home!" Zach snapped.
Both Doc and Q-Ball gave Commander Walsh a look. "Oh for crying out…" Walsh grumbled as he sat down. "Zachery, I can understand how your last major mission might have…become personal for you. But you can not take this personally. Understand? Besides the whole situation is out of our hands. Unlike your children they are better off living off Earth and under the protection of the League of Planets. And your children are happy reasonably well adjusted teenagers who have handled your personal trauma remarkably well. You should take pride in that."
"I know you never had any children of your own but…" Zach said. "Didn't you well…Miss it when the Supertroopers weren't little anymore?"
"Are you insane?" Walsh gave him a look. "I was raising super soldiers, not cuddly little romper room characters. I was never more relieved when we shut down that nursery in my life. I believe I did a cartwheel that day."
"But they were still small innocent children…" Zach said.
"They were savage little maniacs!" Walsh snapped.
"What about Goose?" Zach asked.
"ESPECIALLY GOOSE!" Walsh yelled. "Captain don't you remember the Goosebaby incident a month ago? That's pretty much what it was like every day when the Supertroopers were very young! Only back then we had more guards, cattle prods and electric shock devices to keep them in line!"
"I still can't help the way I feel," Zach said. "I don't know what to do."
"Well if you feel that way maybe you should take a day off yourself and spend it with the kids?" Doc suggested. "Take a vacation day or two."
"I can't do that," Zach sighed. "I'm saving those days for when my kids are on school vacation. Well Jessica anyway…"
"Hanger Bay Nine is still undergoing repairs!" Walsh kept talking. "And seven men have run off to Kirwin to become marshmallow tree farmers!"
"You can always take a couple of my vacation days," Q-Ball offered. "Thanks to the new rules they're transferable."
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to remove cranberry jam stains from a ceiling?" Walsh went on. "It's not easy let me tell you!"
"Thanks Q-Ball but I can't do that," Zach shook his head.
"Go on," Q-Ball said. "Take them. I've got about 738 of 'em racked up. I won't miss one or two."
"Seven hundred and thirty eight?" Doc did a double take. "That's over two years? How did you get two years worth of vacation time?"
"Oh all BETA technicians and scientists are on that rollover plan where you can store up vacation days over the years so you don't have to use them right away," Q-Ball explained. "I'd have about 800 days but there was that little incident about a year ago with the copy machine and the electronic mongoose so…"
"I still have nightmares about the razor," Walsh kept muttering to himself.
"Commander we're off you and now we're onto Zachery's problems," Doc told him. "Of course if Zach doesn't want those vacation days I'll take them!"
"If you do anything to them like you did to my positron screwdriver no way!" Q-Ball said.
"That was not my fault! You just had the setting on too high!" Doc snapped.
"Did not!" Q-Ball snapped.
"Did too!" Doc said.
"And do you know what I had to go through just to get another armored rover?" Walsh went on. "How did they get so much gum in there in the first place?"
"You know what? I'm going to do it," Zach said. "I'm going to take a few days and spend them with my family! I'll go put in the requisition papers now!" He got up and left.
"There was gum everywhere! Even in the steering wheel!" Walsh shouted. "How did that happen? And don't get me started on the mess those other weird cartoon characters from another dimension showed up!"
"Did not!" Doc threw a roll at Q-Ball.
"Did too!" Q-Ball threw his roll at Doc.
"How do all these insane things happen to me?" Walsh asked "Why do all these insane things happen on my base?"
Then he looked over and saw Doc and Q-Ball throwing food at each other. "Oh right…" He remembered.
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"This is gonna be fun kids," Zach beamed as he walked the hallways with his children. "Think of it, it's gonna be like 'Take Your Kid To Work' Day but it's…An unofficial 'Take Your Kid to Work' Day. It'll be fun! I'll show you my office…"
"We've seen your office," Zach Jr. said.
"And I can show you the hanger bay…" Zach went on.
"We've seen the hanger bay," Jessica said.
"Not Hanger Bay Nine, they've got all new repairs," Zach said cheerfully. "Then maybe we can check what new inventions Q-Ball has cooked up!"
"Dad, not that I don't appreciate you picking me up from school, but I have a test today in Biology," Jessica told her father.
"So? You can miss one little test and make it up later," Zach said. "A couple days missing school won't kill you. In fact it will be good for you!"
"Let me get this straight, you're actually encouraging me to skip school?" Jessica blinked. "Who are you and what have you done with our real father?"
"Dad what's wrong?" Zach Jr. gave him a look. "You've been acting weird ever since you got back from that mission a week ago."
"Weird? What do you mean weird?" Zach asked.
"Well for starters you have been hugging me a lot," Zach Jr. gave him a look.
"What? A father can't hug his own son?"
"Not in the middle of the mall," Zach Jr. gave him a look. "Or pulling over to the side of a freeway to hug me…Or…"
"Or singing 'Sunrise Sunset' in the middle of breakfast," Jessica looked at him. "Seriously Dad, we're starting to get worried about you."
"There's nothing to be worried about," Zach said. "Nothing at all! Nothing, come here!" He gave his son a bear hug.
"Dad…" Zach Jr. coughed. "You're crushing me…"
"Uh Zach," Doc walked up to them. "Commander Walsh wanted to see you. Something about cranberry stains in Hangar Bay Nine."
"What?" Zach asked as he let his son go.
"Air…Air…" Zach Jr. gasped.
"I think he was distracted but he definitely wants to see you about something," Doc said. "I'll watch the kids if you want."
"Thanks Doc! I'll be right back," Zach said. "Kids, I'll be right back. Right back. Really, I'll be right back." He left.
"He really didn't need to see your father," Doc grinned. "I just figured you needed a break."
"Okay Doc level with us," Zach Jr. gave him a look. "What the heck's wrong with our Dad?"
"Do want the whole list or just the top ten?" Doc snickered.
"Doc," Jessica folded her arms.
"All right but keep in mind this information is top secret," Doc sighed, he brought them into another room. "Your father was ordered not to reveal this information."
"Were you ordered not to reveal this same information?" Jessica asked.
"Yes," Doc said.
"And you're going to tell us?" Zach Jr. blinked.
"Of course," Doc grinned.
"But if you and Dad were ordered not to tell anyone…" Jessica asked. "Why are you gonna tell us?"
"Because unlike your father I like telling secrets," Doc grinned. "Now listen, what I'm about to tell you stays between us. Okay?"
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"We really have to do something about the Commander's drinking…" Zach grumbled as he entered the recreation room where he knew his kids had returned. "Or limit the amount of times he comes in contact with Bubblehead."
"Hey," Jessica greeted him. "Dad we really need to talk."
"Sure Sweetie," Zach said. "About what?"
"Dad, Doc told us…" Zach Jr. said. "About your last mission and those Supertrooper kids…"
"Oh…" Zach sat down.
"He also said that Goose wasn't the only one haunted by the experience," Zach Jr. said. "That it kind of hit a cord with you and hit your basic fears and insecurities. He said a whole bunch of other psychological stuff but we got the basics."
"Dad you know it's not your fault about what happened to Mom, right?" Jessica asked. "And you've been a great parent to us."
"We think maybe you'd feel less insecure about yourself if you had more reassurance about your abilities as a ranger and less guilt over circumstances that are beyond your control," Zach Jr. said.
"Great my children are psychoanalyzing me," Zach groaned. "Isn't this a fun family project?"
"Dad…" Jessica said.
"Honey I hear what you're saying but…" Zach sighed. "I failed to save your mother so many times…"
"Don't say that," Zach Jr. said. "How many other lives have you saved? Millions! Mom is coming back, I know you'll bring her back."
"We believe in you Dad," Jessica held her father's hand. "You just have to believe in yourself."
"You two are great kids, you know that?" Zach gave his children a fierce hug.
"Akk…" Jessica gasped. "Too tight! Too tight!"
"Okay Dad we have seriously got to have a talk about the hugging thing…" Zach Jr. croaked. "Especially with your bionics."
"Sorry," Zach sighed. "I keep forgetting my own strength."
"BLOOP! BLOOP! BLOOP!"
"What is that sound?" Zach Jr. blinked. They went outside and saw dozens of short, gray wrinkly creatures with huge noses and long arms waddling around the corridors of BETA.
"PLAGO POWER!" The gray creatures chanted.
"What in the world…?" Jessica blinked.
"Plagos," Zach blinked. "Either Slade is launching a desperate attempt to try and take BETA Mountain or there's a tour guide that's not doing his job."
"HELP ME!" Lazarus Slade was being dragged along by a giant Plago. "THE PLAGOS HAVE GONE MAD AND THEY'VE GOT ME PRISONER!"
"Okay I'm going to take a wild guess here," Zach rubbed his nose. "You tried another dumb takeover of BETA using Plagos but they overpowered you?"
"YES! NOW THEY WANT TO TAKE OVER BETA THEMSELVES!" Slade screamed. "OW! SOMEBODY SAVE ME! MY ARMS REALLY HURT!"
"How did you get them in here in the first place?" Zach shouted.
"We pretended we were a cleaning and repair crew…" Slade moaned as he was dragged away. "Then things went wrong. Here's a tip, never criticize a Plago's cleaning skills."
"BLOOP! BLOOP! BLOOP!" The creatures chanted.
"At least one good thing came from this!" Slade snapped. "I have now brought BETA Mountain to it's knees! My Plago's are invincible! Only a super powered army can stop them!"
"You are bad Plagos!" Buzzwang chased a few Plago's with a broom. "Bad Plagos! Bad! Bad! Bad Plagos!"
"A super powered army and one highly sophisticated robot with a broom…" Slade blinked.
"Bad Plagos! Bad!" The Kiwi Kids chased off more Plagos. Swee had a broom and her brothers had rubber spiders.
"DIE! DIE! HA HA HA HA HA!" Bubblehead cackled as he dive bombed the heads of Plagos.
"RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!" The Plagos screamed as they tried to get away from the enraged memory bird.
"Something tells me we're not gonna have much of a problem," Zach Jr. remarked. "Except maybe with that guy."
"This is so humiliating…" Slade moaned as he was repeatedly tossed in the air by the Super Plago. "Oh I knew it was a bad idea to eat five tacos and three burritos for lunch!"
"Okay I'll deal with the Super Plago," Zach readied his bionic arm. "You kids help Buzzwang, Bubblehead and the Babies take down the Plagos."
"Yeah this is a typical family outing for the Foxx Family," Zach Jr. rolled his eyes before going off to deal with the pesky Plagos. "And Dad wonders why we don't spend more quality time together?"