See this chapter? This one right here? It's from Up's point of view. Now enjoy!


It was a few weeks later, each day nearing the close of the semester, and Taz was quickly becoming more of my friend and less of my student. When professors were around, of course, we played the part of teacher and pupil, but our friendship was made clear in stolen glances, talks in between drills, and late night training sessions. More than once, though, we skipped the workout and just sat in my office watching movies on my computer. Because she was different from my other friends at the Academy. She'd known me for much longer than any of the other captains or professors, and, despite her being so young, she was much more mature. We were able to go from palling around one moment, to having a serious discussion the next. (Besides, we both loved killing robots.)

One time, when were watching a movie, she asked me about my first experience with a robot. So I paused the film, and sat back to face her, to relay the tale. I'd grown up in Mobile, Alabama, the largest, most powerful city in the Southern American States. On one day when I was walking home from school, I'd heard sirens, and saw police cars heading down the road. I realized they were headed in the direction of my neighborhood, so I ran home to see. When I got there, my whole street was under attack, but, due to the expert police and rangers on the site, everyone was led to a safe zone to wait it out.

"As soon as I approached the battlefield," I told her, "a Ranger stopped me, and told me to crouch behind a police car, near a sort of barricade they'd made in order to stop the attack from progressing. I followed his instruction, and sat next to it, but I was more interested than scared by the sounds of gunshots and zapperfire. The Ranger had told me that I would be safe from harm there, and ran off to help in another area. However, the instant the Ranger was gone, I turned around—and right there, in the supposed 'safe spot' was a robot. Now, I wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation, so I did the only thing I could think to do: I let out the fiercest battle cry my twelve-year-old self could muster, and tackled the android to the ground, smashing it to bits on contact."

"Jour first kill!" she exclaimed, as we both began to laugh a bit.

"I destroyed it completely," I said, not bothering to hide my pride.

Taz grinned. "And den jou got hooked?"

I nodded contently, and leaned back in my seat. "I knew it was what I wanted to do."

"So you became Captain Up, Professional Robot Smasher," she said, smiling at the title.

"Professional Robot Smasher," I agreed.

"And I still don' get a first name, Captain Up?" she taunted.

I shook my head, and was about to reply, when a bing began to sound on my communicator. I pressed the receive call and signaled for Taz to be quiet.

"Up, it's Tyler," said the communicator. Tyler was a worker in the offices. He worked the late night shift, just in case any emergency cases were brought into the Academy. "A Starship Commander is here. Says he wants to see you."

Immediately, I sat up in my chair, even though nobody was around to critique my posture. "Is it Commander Grenner?"

I was disappointed. "No, sorry, Bro. Grenner's not working for the G.L.E.E. anymore. Nah, this is Commander Marx. He's taken over for old Gren."

I could tell that the look on my face changed to somber in hearing that. Marx was Commander Grenner's Lieutenant while I was working on the Starship. He and I had never seen eye-to-eye. He had even taken the side of those accusing me in my trial, and neither of us had forgotten that. But what really shook me was that Grenner was gone. He'd not been that old when I worked under his command, and he'd been the one who convinced the sentence to be labor on Earth, as opposed to termination of life. Marx was not somebody I wanted to see in the middle of the night.

I shook my head and said, "Well, send him in."

"Who's Commander Marx?" Taz asked. I'd almost forgotten she was there.

I didn't answer, but said, "Quick, hide inside that cabinet. It's late, and I'm not exactly supposed to have students in my office after hours." She only objected a little, but was safely out of sight the moment Marx strode through the door.

"Captain Up!" he said, grinning broadly as he sat down in the chair across my desk. He leaned back and propped his hands up. "Haven't seen you in years!"

I did my best to behave as I replied, "Likewise, Marx."

"Been good then?" he asked, smiling as though he ruled the world. "I'm visiting the Academy for a couple of days, just got in, figured I'd take care of some business first chance I'd get!"

"Why are you here, Commander?" I would not put up with any of his crap this time. He was in my office, not his. "Just get out with it."

That wiped the smile off his face for sure. He sat up straight, and produced a paper, which he then read from. "Ahem! The members of the Personnel Management Board, as directed by the Public Relations department of the Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration, after an observation period of six months, have accepted the appeal concerning the redemption of Captain Up at the Starship Academy." He looked back up at me expectantly.

But his words took a moment to click in my brain. "You don't mean…"

Marx nodded. "The judge has decided that the allegations that led to your dismissal were lacking evidence."

A slow grin began to spread across my face. "Well that meant that I can…"

"I've been recruiting for a new mission, Captain Up. And it would be an honor for you to join my squadron." That, I knew, was Commander Marx's way of letting me know that he was sorry. Even though he didn't say it out loud, I know he regretted testifying against me all those years ago.

I accepted his offer, and, after thanking me profusely, I saw him to the door, a stupid smile permanently pinned to my face. He'd just told me that my trial was officially over. My name was cleared, and I could work in space again. I could live out my dream once more.

"Oh, and Up," he said on his way out. "You better get that girl out of your cabinet before morning." After seeing the shocked look on my face, he laughed. "You thought I wouldn't notice? I'm a Commander, Up. I notice everything. But don't worry," he said, winking, "I won't tell anyone."

As soon as he was gone, Taz emerged, and tackled me into a hug. In that moment, we were both high of the ecstasy of it all. Me, for my success and the good news, her for the excitement of hiding in a closet and listening to a secret conversation. We were both smiling like goons, but neither of us cared.

"I'm going back to space, Taz!" I said, unashamed of how excited I sounded, "I'm going to be a Starship Ranger again."

"Jou did it, Up!" She looked up at me with those big, bright eyes, and hugged me again. The euphoria in the room was reaching its maximum, when Taz did the best and worst thing she could have possibly done: She kissed me.

Or, rather we kissed each other, because I was leaning down to her the same time she was reaching up for me. For a moment, however, we both just… kissed. Her fingers twined in my hair, my arms wrapped around her body, our hearts racing, emotions on high—it was a fantastic moment, and a rather good kiss. I'll admit that I liked it more than I should have. After a moment, however, we both remembered who we were. And that it was completely inappropriate for her to be in my office, much less kissing me, when I was her training captain and her, my pupil. It was practically illegal, after all! I could have screamed at myself for allowing things to get that far. But we handled things well. We broke apart and she stepped back, our smiles faltering slightly, but no less genuine.

"Felicidades, Captain Up." She saluted me playfully, and I saluted her back. I dismissed her from my office a moment later, telling her, perhaps a bit too sternly, but she didn't seem to notice, to get back to her room. I didn't have to tell her not to say anything about that last moment, because I knew she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. And I knew that she was well aware of the fact that our relationship had to remain platonic. That shouldn't have been a surprise to either of us. But, in the excitement of the moment, the kiss seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

Heart still racing from all the excitement, I plopped myself back into my desk and let the realization sink in. I was going back. Back into space. I was going to be what I've always wanted to be, a real live Starship Ranger. And Taz was going to continue excelling there at the school. It was then that I realized that I would miss her. Kiss or no kiss, she was still Taz Lopez, Miss Tasia, that scrawny fifteen year old who grew into the toughest trainee at the entire Academy. And it was then that I realized that I didn't want to leave her behind at all.