Synopsis: Sequel to Tumult. The Series Five Rangers are assigned to a peacekeeping mission on Ryman IV, a planet ravaged by civil war for almost a decade. But the Queen of the Crown has other plans as she sees her plans to capture the Galaxy Rangers and fill her Psychocrypt at the same time come to fruition.
Fractured
Chapter One
0737 – BETA Mountain – Recreation Facility
167 - 2105
Entering through one of the double doors to the gym, Ranger Walter Hartford, affectionately known as Doc, paused in surprise. He was being treated to a sight he had never seen.
There on the main sparring mat stood Ranger Niko, intently assaulting a hanging bag that had apparently offended her immensely judging from the swaying of the apparatus after the sharp report of another hard blow rang out. Not that finding his auburn-haired colleague working out was unexpected. All of the Series 5 Team exercised on a routine basis. He was currently in the gymnasium for the very same thing, albeit fencing not boxing.
What startled the ranger was the way in which Niko was training. She was engaged in a very physical attack rather than her usual martial arts choreographed routine, which centered mostly on deflective, self-defense oriented maneuvers. In addition, instead of her usual flowing locks, Niko's long henna hair was pulled into of all things a ponytail. In all of the years he had known the ranger, he had never seen her do that.
Realizing that he was staring, Doc decided to announce his presence. "Hey, Niko, the heavy bag not like the new do?" The only reply he received was a non-committal grunt as the female ranger continued her offensive without missing a beat.
Okay then, Doc thought to himself briefly. Perhaps, the other ranger's vacation had not gone as well as expected. "How was your leave?" he tried again.
"Fine," Niko answered succinctly as she leveled another kick at the bag.
"And, the Aurus Exhibit in New Dallas?" Doc prompted trying to get some clarity on her unusual mood. He was used to the occasional brush-off from Gooseman but not Niko.
"Don't know," came the unexpected reply as the woman continued to hammer the apparatus with strike after strike. Niko paused her attack when she saw the puzzlement on his face and elaborated, "I didn't go."
"To New Dallas or the exhibit?" Doc asked even more confused.
Niko stepped away from the boxing equipment and sighed. "The exhibit," she clarified and wiped the sweat off her face with a towel.
"But, why? Was is closed?"
"Nope," Niko answered and stepped off the mat and started toward the door. "Just, didn't want to."
"Didn't want to?" Doc's voice rang with incredulity. Going to the exhibit had been all she had talked about on the return trip from Arkansas2. Doc reached out a hand to keep his friend from leaving without more of an explanation. But, quickly removed it when Niko made a sound.
Did she just growl at me?
Niko's eyes flashed an unreadable emotion at Doc's touch and returned quickly to neutral as soon as the other ranger removed his hand from her wrist. "Room's all yours. Well, yours and Goose's," she amended as she stepped around another of the Series 5 Rangers.
"Something you said?" Shane Gooseman asked as he watched the quickly retreating form of the female ranger.
"I don't think so," replied Hartford still perplexed about the whole weird conversation that he had had with Niko. "Have you noticed anything different about Niko lately?"
Gooseman's eyes narrowed at Doc momentarily, "I assume you're not talking about the ponytail."
"Well, no, I mean that is obviously different. I mean different different."
Shane made his way to the bench press and started stretching. "Want to try that again?"
"I don't know. I mean, she hasn't really been herself especially since Arkansas2."
Goose began attaching various weights to the bar in preparation for his workout. "That last mission was hard on her," he agreed finishing the weight distribution and sliding onto the bench. "I was a little surprised to see her this morning, though. Her leave doesn't end until this afternoon."
"You should have seen her when I first got here."
Shane began lifting and pushing the bar. "What do you mean?"
"I told you she wasn't acting like herself. She was going at the punching bag pretty hard."
"That is different," Goose acknowledged finding his rhythm.
"Yeah, and when I tried to talk to her for a moment, well, she acted…hmm, she acted, well…like you."
Goose didn't even flinch at the assessment. He just kept pumping. "Which means," he prompted.
"She was evasive, distracted, irritable, and if I'm not mistaken, angry."
The use of one of the words caused Shane to momentarily pause his pumping tempo while he pondered Doc's characterization of their female companion. "Angry," he repeated once again lifting the weights. "What exactly did you say or do to set her off, Doc?"
"That's just it. I didn't do or say anything. I simply asked her how her vacation had been and what she thought of the Aurus Art and Archeological Exhibit in New Dallas, the one she's been talking about going to ever since our leaves were reinstated."
"And, did she enjoy it?"
"She didn't go, Goose."
That statement made Shane rack the bench press bar and sit up. "She didn't go."
"Said she didn't want to go."
Goose pulled out a towel and dried his face and the seat of the bench. He had been humoring Doc about Niko's supposedly strange behavior, but suddenly, he wasn't so sure.
"That isn't the only thing, Goose," Doc continued worry tingeing his voice. "When I went to stop her to get more information, she…" Hartford stopped trying to come up with words to explain what happened when he had touched the female ranger.
"She what, Doc?"
"She snarled at me. Wait," Doc held up his hand to stop the dismissal he saw forming on Gooseman's lips. "I'm serious, here. When I touched her arm, she went wild for a second. I've never seen that look in her eyes. I'm serious when I use the word 'snarl', Goose. That is not an embellishment. When I backed off, it was like nothing had happened. She just left."
Gooseman looked at the chronometer on his wrist. He had two hours until he was to report for duty. "I'll go talk to her."
Doc looked toward the gymnasium door that opened and nodded to the female technician that entered. "Do you want company?" he asked Gooseman. "I can tell my fencing partner that something came up." He angled his head toward the newcomer.
"No, one of us should at least get a decent workout in and given what you said happened, I'd probably be better off alone."
"All right, my Gooseman, but if you change your mind…"
"I know exactly where to find you," Goose finished and headed out the door.
1407 – BETA Mountain – Series 5 Base Office
167 - 2105
Gooseman tapped the end of his pen impatiently against the file folder sitting open on his desk. After he had had his disturbing conversation with Doc, he had gone to Niko's quarters, but no one had answered his knock. He had searched for her briefly in the commissary, and then on a hunch, he had tried the cafeteria. With no luck at any of those locations, Goose had finally given up and gone to his own quarters to get ready to go on duty.
He had had several hours to himself to ponder over Doc's description and his own concerns about the changing nuances in Niko's personality. He had decided that approaching her in the office, somewhat neutral ground, might be for the best. But now, she was late, only a few minutes, but late nonetheless, and Niko was never late.
"You're late," the super trooper stated flatly keeping himself from looking directly at the door as it opened.
"Yes, I am," Niko agreed sliding into her office chair and turning on her computer to retrieve her messages.
They sat in silence for a few moments, Goose glancing from the file to Niko and back down, and Niko continuing to go through mail and messages. There were no pleasantries exchanged no friendly banter, just an uncomfortable silence. Niko hadn't even inquired where the other two rangers were.
"Are you just going to sit there and stare at me all shift?" Niko finally asked Goose without so much as glancing in his direction.
"Noticed you changed your hair," Shane offered.
Niko unconsciously raised a hand to the braid running down her back. "And, that's why you keep staring at me?"
"No," Goose flashed her a mischievous grin, "I'm appreciating the fact that I can stare at you rather than at Doc's ugly mug."
In spite of herself, Niko smiled back. "I'm not buying it, Goose. You've been talking to Doc; haven't you?"
"Guilty as charged," Shane admitted and leaned across their shared desk to capture her gaze before it fell back to mundane correspondence. "He's worried about you."
Niko pulled back slightly at Shane's closeness. "Speaking of Doc, where is he and the captain?"
Before Goose could answer or call her on changing the subject, the door to the office opened and Ranger Hartford entered looking very rumpled and absolutely miserable. "What happened to you?" Niko asked as he flopped into his office chair and dropped his head into his hands.
"Q-Ball," came the muffled reply.
Niko glanced at Gooseman and mouthed, "Q-Ball?"
"That bad?" Gooseman asked Doc ignoring Niko's question.
"Can you say, programs hopped on the electronic version of speed doing karaoke?"
"Did your CDU get a virus?" Niko speculated.
"Worse. I've just spent most of my shift with the portable recharging unit."
Captain Zachary Foxx chose that moment to enter into the Series 5 office. "I take it that there has been no progress," he stated coming into the conversation late.
"Do I look like I've made progress?" Doc asked him sarcasm dripping in his tone.
"Okay, listen up, people," Zachary said ignoring Doc and moving on to why he was there. "I just came from Commander Walsh, we've got another assignment. We are going to be escorting the presiding dignitaries for the Second Annual Peace Summit on Ryman IV."
"Babysitting again?" Gooseman growled.
"I know it sounds like that, Goose," Zach acknowledged, "but each of the council chairs have received warnings from anonymous sources encouraging them not to attend. These threats have already been acted upon with one of the original six murdered in his home."
"They're sure it's related to the summit?" Niko asked.
Zachary stopped and looked at the female ranger. He was slightly taken back by her changed hairstyle but recovered and replied. "Yes. An additional warning was written on the body to deter the other council members from attending."
"On the body?" Doc wasn't sure that he had heard correctly.
Rather than repeat the gruesome fact, Foxx simply nodded. "Our orders are to accompany the remaining five council members to Ryman IV and see to their safety. The Rymeans are new to the League of Planets but they have made great strides, halting a civil war that prior to League involvement had been burning for over a decade. This summit will be the continuance of those overtures of peaceful relations."
"Now, I remember," Niko said snapping her fingers. "The unrest is between those who possess psychic powers and those who do not."
"That's right."
Niko frowned as she remembered more facts about the causes of the political tensions. "Captain, are you sure that I should be part of this mission? An addition of another psychic might cause more tension."
"Actually, Niko," Zachary responded, "I think, the opposite may be true. The Commander is hoping that showing how we interact as a team with various abilities might be helpful in continuing the peace negotiations."
"You and Gooseman will be ambassadors as well as protection for the assembly members who are psychically gifted. Doc and I will be handling the remaining two members. The whole council assembly has a formal dinner tonight at 1900 hours in the new BETA Hydroponics Conservatory and then leaves for Ryman IV. We are to make introductions during the dinner and leave with the members when their ships are ready to depart. Formal attire is required for the dinner."
Zachary caught the grimace exchange between Goose and Doc upon the mention of formalwear. "Cheer up you two. At least dress uniforms are only required through dinner and not the entire summit."
"Oh, and one more thing," Foxx continued as he made his way out of the office, "the main recharge platform is down for repair. We're going to have to use the portable unit before and if necessary during the mission. So, make sure that you give yourselves enough time to let those bugs that haven't been worked out yet wear off. We certainly don't need to make that kind of an introduction to the Rymeans."
A trio of groans was heard as the office door closed behind the captain.