Sorry if the spaceship terminology doesn't make any sense. They're just various ship and spaceship terms I've heard over the years so I pieced them together in a way that hopefully makes sense. Also, just a heads-up, I've thickened Taz's accent a bit.

Stakid owns this all, I am just a vessel for their genius to be taken further in.

One day, after training, while both Taz and Up nursed there injuries, Taz voiced the concern she had been thinking over since she came aboard the Starship.

"Up, what's is going to happen to me?" He paused from dabbing a chemical paste onto a particularly nasty bruise. Taz had been improving every day over the past month.

"You'll be sent to a refugee camp." There was no point in trying to hide the truth from her.

"I want to be a Starship Ranger. Like jou." She added the last part so quietly Up wasn't sure he heard correctly.

"I know. I'm planning to ask Commander Spreckels today after our meeting, but the G.L.E.E. isn't big on exceptions. And you still can be a Ranger if they say no, you can join in three years!"

"I wish I was as big as jou, Up. I could pass for twelve better den eighteen. Not that it would matter, I already told jou my age."

"Yeah, if it weren't for that, I would say to fake your age. You are already more ready then most the first year recruits."

"How old are jou Up?"

"Twenty two," he said, not really paying attention.

"But, how can dat be? Jou graduated two years ago and jou are already Lieutenant-Commander?" He winced.

"As you said before, I am pretty big." Realization dawned on her face.

"Jou lied abut how old jou were to get in?"

"Yeah, I enrolled when I was your age, but I had already gone through puberty, and they were so desperate for recruits they never double-checked." They sat in silence, Taz thinking about Up's past and Up thinking about Taz's future.

Up had sat through the depressing meeting, being told very little new intel about the robots and heaps of bad news about their own forces. He had tried to concentrate, but his mind kept wandering back to what would happen to his friend. After the meeting, he hung back, trying to get the Commander's attention, but she knew what was coming and tried to dodge him.

"Commander Spreckels, can I talk with you." He didn't say it like a question so much as a demand. She sighed and turned around to face him, walking stiffly back behind the desk.

"Yes Lieutenant-Commander?" She was all business. They were actually friends, but she didn't want things to get personal.

"It's about Taz. I think she should be a Starship Ranger."

"Out of the question. She is too young and too small."

"She may be small but she's the best fighter I've ever taught." She raised an eyebrow. "How many people do you know that have left bruises on me, Commander?" Her eyes widened as he pulled up his shirt to reveal three dark bruises and a fourth that was mostly faded away.

'"Nonetheless, Up..."

"She's ready, Commander. I've never met anyone so determined." They started at each other.

"It's not up to me..."

"But you could pull some strings and make it a helluva lot more likely."

"In order to do that, she would have to do something outstanding. I'm sorry Up, but for the time being, there's nothing I can do." She was afraid he'd argue, but he just nodded his head.

"I understand, Commander. Maybe when she's older," he said, then left. She rubbed her forehead. She didn't want to turn the girl away, and she had no doubt she was good if Up said so, and she would have to be goddam incredible if she left bruises on him, but it wasn't up to her and protocol was required to keep things stable. She supposed the girl would have to wait until she was eighteen to join, and then she could be the best fighter Up had ever seen without being so young.

Taz nearly tackled him when he came through the door.

"Well?" He shook his head and her heart fell so far she was she it must have fallen on a planet bellow them.

"I'm sorry. The Commander can't do much about it with a dammed good reason."

"Mierda!" Taz swore.

"In four years..." He came to a stop as the Starship smashed into something, the impact slamming him into the wall. He got up, brushing himself off, his eyes darting around, looking for Taz. She had stumbled back and fallen into one of the empty bunks, so she was relatively unharmed. She briefly clutched her elbow, which had hit the bed frame, but was on her feet before the lights turned red and the speakers blared.

"Red Alert! Red Alert!" The robotic voice's repetition reminded her of the robot's chanting as they shot down her entire family.

"Qué diablos? Why do dey keep repeating that? Even an idiota could see that it's a Red Alert with these lights." It was because of those lights she didn't see Up blush. Not very many people knew it, but Up was red-green colorblind, and actually needed conformation about how bad of a situation they had gotten themselves into.

"Stay here," he told and turned to leave.

"Are jou loco ese? Dis is my chance to prove I can be a Starship Ranger!" He huffed.

"Fine, but stay behind me," he said as he handed her his zapper. She looked at it in awe for a few seconds before tucking the small gun into her belt and retrieving her knife, which she had concealed in the combat boots she had been wearing on the Quinceañera. They headed out into the hallway together, back to back, each checking their own side.

"Clear," called Taz. She heard a single pew and then a crash, followed by Up declaring his side was clear as well. They walked towards the side that sounded louder, walking past the robot Up had shot. Taz couldn't help but be impressed by the clean shot straight through the direct center of its head. They went down a few more hallways before running into a small group of Rangers. Two of them raised their eyebrows at Taz, but didn't comment on her presence.

"What are we dealing with here, Ensign?" Up asked in an authoritative voice.

"Robots, sir. They breached to hull." The Ensign was looking at him in awe. Taz knew Up was legendary to the other rangers, but she had never fully grasped the fact until now.

"Dode hizo la?" she asked him. He stared back blankly. "Where did dey do it?"

"Oh, oh, over there! By the reactor-core!" Up, Taz and the Ensigns ran towards the reactor core. Robots streamed through the halls, causing a trail destruction to lag behind them. They ran down to a conjunction between to halls, three robots coming from one end, one coming from the other, with the Commander in the middle. She shot down the three in front of her, but didn't hear the one behind her. Taz took aim, shooting it five times until she was sure it was dead. The Commander looked at the robot, then at Taz.

"Is dat good enough for jou?"