A/N: Ok, another chapter. Makes me nervous, since I am only halfway through Chapter 10, and I like to give myself some leeway between updates. Maybe it'll encourage me to write faster :) Hope you all like it!


Chapter 9

"It just doesn't make any sense! How can there be so many trails and then nothing at all?" Mira gave her scanner a small shake, as if that would reveal the missing data. She and Jessie stood looking at the river running through the canyon. They had visited every location Nebula had given Mira, but all of the scans remained unchanged.

"Are the rocks interfering?" Jessie peered at the small screen.

The Ranger shook her head, "I've been compensating for that. Usually the rocks amplify signals, and they bounce all over the place, making it nearly impossible to discern one trail from another. I am running that parameter as high as it can go."

Jessie nodded; her ignorance of the technology made her feel incapable of being any use. She took a look skyward, "We should probably get back to the ship. The sun'll be setting soon, and it gets dark quick."

"It sure does! Booster said it reminds him of home," Mira quipped, not looking up from her scanner.

A fond smile crossed Jessie's face, "When he was a kid, Woody asked Dad one time why the night came so soon out here. He thought it was because the stars were in a hurry to be seen, but Dad said the rocks got so cold that they soaked in the remaining light to stay warm." Jessie paused, her foot raised to the stirrup. "Mira?" Mira was staring into the distance, a far-away look in her eyes. Jessie's hand flew to her pistol as she turned to follow the Ranger's gaze, but saw nothing. She turned back, "Mira? What is it?"

"Of course! I've been configuring the scans to compensate for reverberation, but what if," her fingers flew across the scanner's touch screen, "instead the rocks were absorbing the signals?" She waiting, tapping her foot, while the scanner worked to compute the new data. Suddenly the screen was lit with all of the missing trails. "Clever," she murmured, showing Jessie the screen. "They must have altered their engine's emissions to throw any scans off. Come on, let's get back. I should be able to find a landing point now!"

They arrived at the ship just as the sun dipped below the rocks. Jessie looked around wide-eyed as Mira led her through the ship. They found Buzz and Nebula looking over the maps with Booster in the ship's small conference room. "Sir, I've found the trails!" Mira exclaimed, her voice bright with excitement and satisfaction. She showed them the scanner and explained how she got the new results. Mira turned to Booster, "We should try that with your scan, Boost, the comm signals may have been similarly altered."

"Impressive work, Ranger," Nebula smiled.

"Actually, sir, it was Jessie who gave me the idea."

Jessie's attention was arrested away from the pictures of a far-off galaxy that adorned the wall of the room. She cast a surprise look at the Space Rangers, "Me?"

Mira nodded, "When you told me the story about your Dad and the rocks soaking up the light."

Buzz smiled at Jessie, who still looked surprised, resting a hand affectionately on her shoulder.

Nebula smoothed the map laying in front of him. "Booster, I know we were going to break for dinner, but I think I would like to go over the data Nova picked up and compare them to what we know from these maps."

Booster nodded, "Understood. Jessie, will you be staying?"

She looked over to Nebula who offered a friendly smile, "You're certainly welcome to join us, unless we're keeping you from anything."

She shrugged and returned the smile, "I'm in no hurry."

"Great!" Booster exclaimed. "Sir, why don't I give Jessie a tour of the ship while you are reviewing the data? When we're through with that, I can start dinner."

Nebula nodded, "All right. Lightyear, Nova, let's see what we can get done."

Jessie looked over as Buzz gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Don't let Booster get started on stories about me," he warned in a low voice. "He will talk you to death if you let him."

"Ready, Jessie?" Booster smiled. When she walked over to him he asked, "Did you ever hear about the time that Buzz had to save the Little Green Men?"

She looked over her shoulder at Buzz's pained expression and chuckled, "Actually, yes. But," she added as Booster's face fell, "I don't know how you got to be in Star Command."

"Me?" He looked genuinely surprised, "You want to hear about me? But Buzz-"

"Buzz tells me his stories all the time. I'd like to hear yours."

"Well," Booster started as he and Jessie started down the corridor, "I used to be a janitor…"

Buzz heard Mira's chuckle as he let out a sigh of relief. He arched an eyebrow, "Okay, Princess, let's see what you found."

Booster led Jessie from the conference room along the lower level of the ship. "We're in the stern, which is the back section of the ship. Here we have a small medical bay. Back that way are the engines and a shuttle bay where we keep the sleds."

"Sleds?" Jessie blinked at the unfamiliar term.

"Yeah, they're… well they're like small shuttles. Smaller than the one that Buzz uses to travel here. We use them to cross minor distances on land, especially when we have supplies or something to transport. Come on, these stairs lead to the upper level." The narrow spiral staircase deposited them in another corridor similar to the one they had just left. There were four doors, two on either side of the hallway. "These two rooms," Booster gestured to the doors on his right and left, "are smaller quarters; Mira and I are in those. The two rooms here, are larger quarters; Buzz and the Commander are in those. And this," he entered a passcode into a small lit panel to the right of a set of double doors. With the correct code entered, the doors whooshed open and Jessie's eyes went wide. "This is the cockpit."

The wall opposite the doors was almost entirely glass and Jessie tried to imagine looking out of the windshield at the galaxies she saw pictured below. Booster showed her the various controls of the navigation panel and where each member of the crew sat. He led her out of the cockpit and down another spiral staircase, "And now we're in the kitchen, although we call it a galley. So, that's the ship. She's not very big," he added in an apologetic tone.

Jessie laughed, "Maybe not to you! She seems plenty big t'me."

"You should see the ones that get used for really lengthy missions; they're easily ten times the size of this little thing. But then, you have to have those when the crew is larger and the mission longer, since we're gone from base for so long." He started pulling out the provisions from one of the drawers.

Jessie leaned against the nearest counter, "So you're the cook, too?"

"Well, we all help out where we can. I'm a lot better in the kitchen than Mira. But," he added hastily, "You should see her when it comes to anything with computers; she's a real whiz! I don't think anyone in Star Command is faster," his voice was bursting with pride.

"I believe it! I couldn't keep track of her fingers when she was working earlier today. Most of the stories Buzz tells Woody 'n me are about you all, not just him. You guys make a really good team."

Booster laughed and blushed slightly at the praise, "There's another member of the team, X-R. He's a robot, which is why he isn't with us now. He's a terrible flirt, but you won't find anyone more loyal to his fellow rangers. Buzz, you know, he's very… " he tilted his head, searching for the right word, "orderly; everything by the book, according the protocol. We don't always get along; it's a lot like family, siblings and such."

"What about you?" She took the bowl from him and looked for a spoon to stir its contents.

Booster handed Jessie the missing utensil with a sheepish grin, "Me? Well, if you saw my quarters, you'd understand. I'm not always the neatest."

"I'm not, either," Jessie grinned. "Guess it's a good think we're not room mates."

"What's this?" Commander Nebula interrupted as he, Buzz, and Mira entered the galley. "Do I hear Deputy Pride talking about joining Star Command?"

She laughed, shaking her head, "'Fraid not, Commander. I like my feet firmly on the ground."

The rest of the evening passed quickly, or so it seemed to Jessie. As overwhelmed as she felt when she first entered the ship, all of the Rangers quickly made her feel at home. They told her more about life at Star Command and she, in turn, regaled them with stories of her father and Woody, and their own adventures in law enforcement. Jessie laughed when Mira expressed an appreciation for their jet packs after riding a horse.

"They're not that bad," Jessie insisted, "You jus' need to get used to them. B'sides, I'd rather have a horse. They're smarter than us riders, sometimes. Bullseye has helped Woody catch outlaws a few times because he went his own way instead of following Woody's direction. Bet your sleds can't do that," she winked and grinned broadly. "Speakin' of, I better get them home. They'll be ready to get out of those saddles and into a nice bag of oats."

Nebula stood, his eyebrows rising in incredulity, "It must be darker than a black hole out there! You sure you can make it?"

Jessie nodded, adjusting her hat as she stood, "Of course. The horses know their way home, even if I can't see it."

Mira smiled broadly, "Thanks for your help today, Jessie. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. I'm glad I was of some use to ya. Thanks for the hospitality, it's a real treat gettin' to actually meet you all, since Buzz has told me so much about you!" Jessie made her goodbyes and followed Buzz as he walked her to the entrance.

"You sure you'll be okay getting home?" he asked as they walked down the small ramp and over to the horses.

"Yes, Buzz, don't be such a worrywart," she smiled at him in the dim lights given off by the ship. "Come on Buttercup, Dolly; time to go home." She gave a tug on Dolly's reins, but the horse refused to move. "Dolly!" Jessie scolded as she tugged again, "What in the samhill is wrong with you? Come on." Several more tugs on the reins proved just as futile, and she groaned. "Oh, you've gotta be kiddin' me."

"What's the matter?"

Jessie blew air out through pursed lips, resting one hand on her hip and the other across her forehead. "Dolly's spooked by somethin' and is not gonna move, even though everything is fine," she emphasized the last part of the statement, but Dolly shook her head stubbornly. "And I can't just take Buttercup home and leave her here. C'mon Dolly, we don't have time for this." Jessie made a grab for the reins, but Dolly side stepped out of reach. "I don't suppose you have carrots anywhere in that ship of yours."

Buzz patted her shoulder, "I doubt it. Hang on, let me see what I can do." He disappeared back inside the ship with a chuckle as Jessie muttered about Mira having it right. Several minutes later Buzz reappeared, "All settled. C'mon, Cowgirl," he tossed his arm around her shoulders, leading her to the gangplank. "Everyone's heading to bed, but I explained the situation to Nebula and he said that you were more than welcome to stay out here."

Jessie turned surprised eyes to him, "Here? That's awf'ly kind, Buzz, but.."

"But what? Dolly's not going to cooperate. And didn't you just say sometimes horses are smarter than their riders?" Amusement filled his voice and eyes.

"This is not one of those times. Buzz, I'm serious," she gave him a wicked poke in the ribs. "I don't wanna take anyone from their beds."

Buzz's grin widened as he gave Jessie a gentle push up the stairs to the quarters, "As I'm sure Booster told you, I have extra space in my quarters. I told Nebula I could sleep on the couch, so you could have my bed."

She laughed, "Is this why you're Star Command's finest?"

"Possibly. Your accommodations, ma'am." He unlocked the doors and held out his hand as they opened with a whoosh.

Jessie's hands rested on her hips and she let out a low whistle. Buzz's quarters were made of two rooms that she could see. The immediate room had a small couch and a worktable. There was some sort of panel on the wall and another door through which Jessie could see the end of a bed. "So this is how a Space Ranger roughs it, huh?"

Buzz gave her a light shove into the room with a chuckle, "Hey, we have tents, you know."

"Oh, tents, well that's different in'it? Tents…" she scoffed, her green eyes twinkling with mischief.

Buzz was about to retort when there was a knock on the door. Mira was standing there when the doors opened. "Excuse me, Captain. I thought Jessie might need these," she held out a pair of long, dark blue pants and a white sleeveless top that bore that Star Command logo.

"Thanks, Mira!" Jessie took the pajamas from the ranger. She changed into them in the small bathroom Buzz showed her and then sat down on the bed, pulling a knee up to her chest. "I hope Dolly'll be okay."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Buzz sat on the bed next to her. He leaned over, placing his lips on one side of her neck, and his hand on the other.

"And jus' what do you think you're doin'?"

Undeterred, he scooted closer to her, "Going to bed."

She tilted her head back, "Thought you said you were sleeping on the couch."

Buzz pulled back and grinned, "I said I could sleep there. I had no intention of following through."

Jessie feigned a look of disapproval, "Deceiving your commanding officer? Isn't that against protocol?"

"Not when the situation warrants it," he renewed his attentions.

"What sort of situation is this?"

"Mmmm," he nuzzled his nose against her ear, "the honor of a Space Ranger is at risk. Could mean certain peril."

Jessie met his lips with hers, snaking an arm around her neck. "How could I forget? I s'pose we can't let that Space Ranger down."

Buzz's eyes were bright as he pulled back to his lips were a fraction of an inch away from hers, "I was hoping you'd see it my way."

Jessie laughed as he kissed her again, falling with him down onto the bed.