A/N. I do not own any of the characters. Not even the basic storyline! But I hope jou'll judge me on what I have come up with! Names that have been used may have been seen before, please read and review for me and I hope jou enjoy! Kate xo

Although it seemingly began as an ordinary day for Terceira, she soon saw the telling signs of something different to come.

A light breeze filled the small marquee that had been relentlessly attached to the dry ground, in the attempt to keep it rigid against any weather that was probable to arrive. Two older boys weaved between guests, that had started to file in, chasing to find their baby sister.

"Terceira! Terceira where could jou possibly be? Terceira?"

As the chase continued, a young girl peeked from behind the curtains, attempting to gain a view at the arrivals that were coming in fast.

"Papa, what if something goes wrong? I don't want to disappoint jou and Mother."

Her father knelt down towards her level and looked into her eyes.

"Terceira, listen to me. I don't ever want jou to worry about something like that. Jou go out there and be jou. That's all I ever ask of jou and I promise, to God, that I will never feel anything but pride towards jou. I love jou mi niña pequeña!"

"Papa!" She blushed. "I am no longer jour niña pequeña! I am a woman now! This is the day I become a woman."

"And I have never been prouder."

The sound of zappers flew through the air, and Jason had lost track of which direction they had been coming from.

"Lieutenant! Come in Lieutenant Krovska! Back up required! Were outnumbered rather immensely."

The only answer received was the crackle of silence rippling through broken screams.

"Jason, I'm sorry."

So far, the party had been in full swing and no disaster had come upon the family. Terceira had been waltzing with her father, relishing in this moment that strengthened the bond the had always shared.

"Terceira, it's time."

"But Mother…"

"Terceira don't start. Please. Do as I say for the first time."

"Mother, please don't argue with me today. Not today. I already wore the dress jou chose, and put up the decorations that jou wanted. Don't make me do this too. Mother please, I beg."

Terceira had always quibbled with her Mother about trivial matters. It happened as they were the only females in the Lopez clan. However, her mother disapproved of the feeling Terceira had that she never quite fit in with the other girls. Terceira loved dirt and climbing, instead of the gowns and baking her Mother attempted to get her to participate in.

"Jou are so hard to please sometimes Terceira! Fine, have it jour way. But right now, I want jou to go somewhere else as I'm very upset with jou."

"Commander Up. There's been a report of a disturbance on planet Earth. Please attend your post and we shall complete the details when jou arrive."

"Papa, is Mother really angry with me? I didn't mean it. I just feel like she's meddled enough in my day, jou know? I love her Papa I do, but how do I tolerate her?"

"Tu madre te quiere más que nada."

"Papa, why do jou only speak in español when jou talk about Mother?"

"Because princesa, español is the language in which I fell in love with jour Mother. And speaking it reminds me everyday of the reasons why I married her."

"Okay Sir. Can you tell me where about I'm going to be stationed?"

The static roared as Jason Up awaited his answer.

"Mexico."

"Zachaios, Matteo where are jou both?" Terceira shouted for her brothers. "I want to dance with jou. I want to make Mother happy."

A sudden crash interrupted Terceira's search. Lights streamed through the marquee that swayed in the increasing wind.

"Zachaios? Matteo!" Terceira screeched.

It took many hours of attempting to protect her family, until Terceira admitted defeat. She had been strung up loosely but her feet to a nearby tree and she swayed in the wind, much like the marquee which now lay in smouldering tatters once did.

"Papa, I only wanted to make jou proud of me." Terceira whimpered as the blackness eventually overtook her body and she slumped down, her meringue dress flowing over her tear stained and now expressionless face. This was the first moment of space that showed on Terceira's face since the fight had began.

"9 SECONDS UNTIL LANDING." The speakers blared out into the drop pod.

Jason grasped his zapper close to the side of his sweat drenched torso. He had been a Ranger for 4 years, and had quickly climbed the ranks. Yet somehow, the Commander still felt the nerves in the pit of his stomach.

"4 SECONDS UNTIL LANDING."

Jason undid his belt, prepping himself for another fight. As the doors slid open, the Commander was the first out of the pod, racing towards the telltale signs of a fight. The smoke billowed from the back of a small town, and the smell of burning flesh hit Jason's nostril like a punch in the face. Covering his nose with a dirty rag, and suppressing the urge to gag, Jason sprinted towards the wreckage. Whilst scanning for survivors, he beamed down any robots that got in his way. The war had taken its toll on everybody and the grey hairs peeking through Jason's collar showed just the strain that it had taken on him.

"You bastards." He muttered as he retreated away from the piles of bodies he had approached. Confusion covered his face for a moment as he saw the formal attire of most of the bodies.

Turning away, ready to admit defeat, Jason lowered his head in frustration and dropped to his knees in the dust. Could he help nobody? Looking ahead he noticed the body of a petite girl, limp and lifeless hanging upside down from a gnarled branc of an old tree.

Suddenly, a small whimper knocked him out of his trance.

"Papa, I only wanted to make jou proud of me."

Leaping from his position on the ground, Jason sprinted towards the small figure. Pulling her dress up toher ankles, revealing the exhausted young girls face.

Producing a knife from his belt, Jason cut the rope from above her, preparing himself to catch her body in his strong arms.

"You're safe. I promise." He whispered as he cradled her broken form to his chest.

"You're safe."

Awakening with a start, Terceira jumped to her feet, only to fall towards the ground. A pair of large muscular arms reached out from beside her and caught her before she hit the ground.

"No jou bastards! Don't take anything else from me, please."

Terceira broke down as her body wracked with sobs. The strong arms gathered her up into and firm chest and cradled her.

"I've got you." A southern voice drawled in her ear. "Let it go. I'm not one of them. You're safe now."

"Who are jou?" Terceira hiccuped after a few minutes of silence in the room after her break down.

"My name is Commander Jason Up. I'm a.."

"Starship Ranger. I know jou people. My brothers are Rangers. Were Rangers." Another small sob escaped from her raw throat, causing a coughing fit to erupt from within her.

"Here darling." Jason comforted, as he passed her a hankerchief he had received from his pocket. "Sorry about the dirt."

"What happened?"

"Well, we thought the robot war had started to come to an end when we eradicated them off of the planet Eranudas, but apparently the had chosen another planet to attack. It wasn't just your country either. We had 89 troops deployed all over your planet after outbreaks of attacks started. Unfortunately our troop was deployed last. I'm sorry I couldn't save anybody. Was it your family?"

She looked into his eyes, exhaustion finally hitting her again, the adrenaline finally out of her system.

"It was my Quinciñera. I turned fifteen today. That tent was filled with everybody I knew. Jou say jou couldn't save anybody?" Terceira's voice cracked at the end, as though she had swallowed a lump that had gotten stuck.

Jason pulled her closer.

"I'm truly sorry darling."

Slowly, Terceira's body slumped into Jason's chest, her breathing levelling out and her face so pure and innocent.

"The last thing I said to my Mother was that she was overbearing, and she told me to go away. I can never overcome that Up. She must have hated me in those last moments. Perhaps she wanted me to be killed by one of the robots." Terceira pondered.

Jason grabbed her petite shoulders and smoothly turned her body towards his. Looking her straight in the eye and pleading with her.

"Don't ever say that to me again little lady!" He had to stop himself from shouting. "I know your Mother felt nothing but love for you in her last moments. She would be so happy to know you survived and how hard you fought for your family. Please, never think like that again. Please." He begged.

"Lo siento, Up. Por favor perdoname."

"I don't speak Spanish."

"I've decided that whenever I refer to mi familia, I shall only speak in español. To remind me of the language that made me love them everyday."

"That's beautiful."

"It's been six days and I still don't know your name. Why won't you tell me?"

"Because it's embarrassing Up!"

"Call me Jason, please."

"Well it's too embarrassing to tell jou Jason."

"Why's that sweetheart?"

"Because I'm pretty sure mi madre didn't think through what she was going to call me."

"It can't be that awful, surely."

"It means 'third born'."

"Seriously?" He chuckled.

"This is why I wasn't going to tell jou. Jou're laughing at me!"

"No I'm not!" He stifled another laugh.

"I'm just going to come up with a new name."

"You can tell me anything. You know that right?"

"I know that."

"So what can I call jou?"

"Jou can call me… Taz. Like the devil. Mi Papa used to call me it when I had been naughty. It's also my initials so I think it perfect. What do jou think?"

"You know, I think it fits jou perfectly darling."