Remote federation planet of Oden.
Thrown smack into the thick of civilization again, he was still in hand-made leather pants, bare chest and a long ponytail.
The smooth surface was strange under bare feet, and the sounds of the growling wildcats replaced with sharp voices and mechanical noises of ships and transports.
Standing in the docks, Joe was used to Federation ships passes. No one asked for a permit when he landed a shuttle there previously, the dodgy port cared more about the black- market and smuggling, anything illegal in the federation was welcomed there.
Roughened crews of even rougher ships graced the dock. Some hurried around the port going about their business, wanting to get out the town as soon as they could. A few cast nervous glances at the Spectran transport ship. There was time when it wasn't unusual to see a few Spectran traders in the crowds.
Arguing with the docking co-ordinator, the man was telling him he couldn't park his stolen Spectran ship on his space port without paying fee's.
"Find me a buyer, and I'll pay you what I owe." He told him, clenching his jaw, impatience growing. He wanted to keep moving, they planned to spend enough time there to get some Federations dollars, and another ship, one that could take them to Earth.
Screwing up his nose, the skinny man with greying hair and a permanent snarl threw up his hands.
"You really don't want to do that." Asha, on edge, cut in on the conversation. Sighting a group of hard looking men strolling over towards them. She placed a hand over her weapon.
Casting her curious look, she was talking to the man, not him.
"Why?" The co-Ordinator arrogantly sniffed. "Dogs aren't allowed in most places, it poops on my dock, its dead doggy."
"Touch my dog, and it's the last thing you do without a wheelchair." He threatened. Jin growled, a touch on his head from his master, and the animal settled.
"Off my docks if you can't pay up, take your ship and go back to where it came from." He snarled, flicking a finger at his men. "Get rid of him…. Keep the girl, she'll fetch a nice price on the trade market."
The slave market, taking note, Joe voiced his disgusted.
He figured there was a human underground trade going on, one he was investigating at the time he was a starship commander.
Insulted she replied. "I'm not for sale."
Relaxing into a loose stance, he didn't wait for them to form up around them. Asha pulled out her weapon, standing with him ready.
One launched and it was all he needed, taking them all in a few seconds. The second lot of fighters didn't fare any better, she even managed to take one down in a few moves he'd taught her recently.
"I'm getting rusty." Standing over the last one, the man moaning under his foot. Balls fists, he slowly turned on the co-ordinator snarling like a wildcat ready to pounce.
Shuddering, the man backed away trembling wide eyed like a scared mouse. "You have one day to pay."
Reaching the exit, they walked into the ratbag town, with no money. Joe observed the make shift town of huts, trading tents.
The un named shanty town was more a nomadic hovel. The place flooded once a year hence the docking bay was permanently elevated. When the rains came, the red dirt turned bright lush green for a period of time, and over the following months became a desert once more littered with tents and a few buildings, like the one he was observing now.
"You could do a few of those moves Conan the barbarian, I can hold out a hat." She offered. His turn to glare.
She fell into step with him. "We need clothes, I'm feeling like Jane of the jungle."
"I almost lost my mini skirt, how did the Swan wear a tiny dress and fight during last wars?" Frowning she looked down on her makeshift leather outfit.
Chuckling he remembered Jun's first glimpse of her birdstyle asking the same questions.
"She wore white underwear." Grinning from the memories- he could have died from the fiery darts in her amber eyes. She was walking closer to him, as a man grabbed under her skirt. Joe turned on him with a balled fist, and the creep ran for his life.
A few admiring glances, and men turning as she walked past, wasn't lost on him.
"Hey pretty, wanna dance with me?" An older man with a few cronies approached her. "I can pay you whatever your pimp asks."
Placing a protective arm around her shoulders, and snarling at the man making the suggestion, he fled without any more offers.
"Hahahhaaa…" A deep voice chortled. "Commander Joe Asakura? Is that you?"
"Shit it is." Clipper pushed through the crowds." I thought you were long gone back to Earth."
"I was." Joe clasped his hand in a tight grip. Taking in the sight of them.
"Lord of the mighty jungle." Scratching his head, scrunching his forehead running his eyes up and down them.
"Yeah, the dog?" His old crew mate studied the animal. "If it is a dog…"
Jin whined, turning its dark eyes upwards.
"This dump? Kidding me right mate?" Clipper shook his head, chuckling. "What brings ya here to this dump?"
"Trying to buy a bigger ship, you got one?" He asked. "I have a Spectran transport-"
Shaking his head profusely. "You know, those things attract attention of the Red Rangers, no one will buy it."
"Rangers?" He asked." Who are they?"
He'd been out of touch for long. One of the other dock hands mentioned 'Red Rangers,' with a shudder.
"Asha." Clipper halted, nodding in her direction. "Good to see you."
Pensive she waited, taking in what was happening around her. She was scouting the area.
"I see you managed to escape." She darkened.
"I'm sorry." Clipper's tone dropped. "It was a few years ago, I didn't know what happened to you."
Joe tightened his hand on her shoulder, feeling the tension. She had somethings underneath about her time as a Spectran slave. She didn't come out of it completely unscathed.
"Red Rangers." Clipper filled him in. "Some guy named Colonel Cronus, and a few pilots. They're not ISO security- Independent contractors. They look after fringe planets."
"We at war with Spectra?" He questioned.
"Not a good place to talk, and it looks like you both need clothes." Clipper indicated to shop nearby, following him inside, the man pulled out federation currency.
"My shout Commander." Clipper said as they looked through clothing on sale. Asha picked out a simple neutral coloured riding tights blouse, vest, dark brown leather boots. Brushing her long straight hair in the mirror until it gleamed.
Joe found himself jeans, shirt and a pair of second hand looking riding boots. They fit his large feet and that's all he cared about in the line of fashion.
"No, but…tensions are said to be there." Clipper stole a look around. "Let's go find a drink or two and catch up."
Asha didn't need to speak, he could feel tension radiating off her as she emerged in her new clothing, something was bugging her.
"Women's needs?" She softly asked the lady in the shop, a sharp nod the woman and she escorted her to a back room picking up a small package, and handing it Asha. The things he forgot when it came to women, and needs he didn't have to think about.
She emerged a few minutes later, ready to leave after Clipper paid the bill.
They pushed their way through trader under the hot sun, and dusty streets eventually finding a 'watering hole.' Clippers reference to a bar.
"Who's left in town?" He questioned him. Jin curled up under the table, sleeping at his feet. The dog was handling crowds well.
"Not many, Rangers have driven out a lot of the black market." He grimaced. "That Cronus, he's one straight lined bastard, shut down a few gangs across the planet."
"Sounds like he's doing his job." Joe sounded interested. "What's he look like?"
"No one really knows, he gets around in disguises." He said." He turns up in his red uniform at times, no one has seen his face."
Swigging from his cup, Asha asked a few of her own questions. Returning to civilization was harder than he thought it would be. People phobia was setting in, he needed space, and air, and no people around him. Standing up, a flick of his fingers Jin uncurled himself from under the table following him.
"Where are you going?" Asha finally caught up with him down the street.
"I'm over people already." He answered her truthfully. He had ideas of going home, and now he was having second thoughts. Processing the last few hours of Clipper's intel.
Kids dressed in birdlike costumes, getting around in a red and blue warship. A cold surge ran through his veins, had Anderson put together another team? Some person called Cronus, and the building of strange mechanical beasts that Spectran claims is mining equipment.
"While you're not sure, we need money." She indicated to a trader close by selling guns. Clenching her jaw tight, she was growing impatient.
"You're a little over emotional right now Asha, I get it your hormonal." He drawled. "Let me do the bargaining-"
"What? "She huffed, dark eyes flaring, sarcasm lacing her words." Like your Mr Cool-calm-always-in-control."
Only on Oden would they have federation and Spectra weapons on a market stand bargaining.
"The first sight of a ranger." Making a hand signal. " Gun-traders disappear like a big-cock-up a-"
"I-don't-want-to-know." Asha spelt it out to him marching over to the stall. "Anyone in for a trade?"
The man ran his eyes over, warming at the sight of a pretty woman with dark locks and determined eyes standing in front of him.
"Don't see many like you 'round here." He snickered. "Quality weapons on display."
Ignoring his duel meaning, and slamming the Spectran gun on the counter she indicated what she was trading- The bargaining began in earnest.
A hormonal female. He thought watching her agitation. Women in service often had an injection to stop the monthly flow. He had the idea Asha was due for one. Spectrans had injected her, it was inconvenient to have female cycles in the slave trade.
"We have one more thing to trade." Joe joined her catching her eye- he understood her desperation, and their lacking of things to trade, but parting with guns was painful- Even Spectran.
The shrewd trader eyeballed him, the man wasn't easily intimidated, he was used to rough nuts and muscle mountains.
"Show me your goods." A voice further down the tent piped up. An older woman, rougher than any he'd seen walking through place, smoking a pipe with stone hard eyes came into the light. She was the kind that lived in shanty town permanently.
"Where did ya get it?" She slurred, dull eyes boring into him.
"Who wants to know?" He asked. "You want to buy it or talk about it?"
He had no time for bargaining and Jin was getting hungry, the dog barked, drawing attention his attention skywards.
A red fighter jet with sleek markings flew over the town, doubling around and doing another pass.
"Forget it." The woman waved to her people, and in a flash the guns and over illegal trade items hit the deck.
"Red Rangers." Clipper informed him. "Fast bastards, he's just playing around."
The fighter jet disappeared into the horizon. The trader was still packing up her merchandise.
"Not a good tactic to announce your presence." Joe observed.
"Its not the ranger she's talking about." One her men pointed skywards again.
"Run." Joe pushed Asha ahead of him, both of them breaking into a sprint as a three Spectran star fighters swooped down on the town, firing upon the place sending people running in all directions. The air strike didn't last long.
They didn't have time to talk, rounding tented streets as they lined up again to be engaged by the lone red fighter pilot.
Shooting down one outside of the town it more fell from the sky, he was quick to engage the next one.
Finding temporary shelter, he scouted the pale skies above, both Spectran fighters and the red jet had left the area in a sonic boom.
Racing back to their transport, he wasn't hanging around.
"We leave, find another buyer in another town." He ordered, nodding they both understood, he wasn't losing his only way out of there.
Reaching their transport, he turned to Clipper.
"You coming with us?" He asked.
"No mate…. It's a dump, but its home kinda…. Good luck." Clipper shook his hand respectfully. "Best damn commander I ever served under, gutsy. Anytime you need help, don't even need ta ask."
"Goodbye Clipper." Asha was more solemn, catching her former crew mates eye. "Its good to see you survived hell after all."
Leaping into the co-pilots seat, she hit buttons as the ship lifted off the ground. The red fighter had been gone long enough to be out of the atmosphere and after its prey.
"Where now?" She side glanced him as they lifted off the ground.
"Helm, it's bigger, and more likely to have a ship, from what I saw there, nothing worth trading for." He said.
"Joe." She indicated to radar. "We have company."
"Damn it." Cursing, he watched the bleep.
"I'll get weapons ready."
"You'd shoot down a Federation contractor?"
"No, but I'll give something to be scared off, throw him off my tail."
She didn't question him further, taking over the flight controls and keeping them steady, he jumped into the narrow gunner's seat. Cocking the weapon as the jet moved in on them. Being away from the Federation for so long, he wasn't trusting some rouge pilot in a red plane and no proper markings.
"What the hell was that?" The ship was hit some kind of magnetic force radiating from the red jet.
"I don't know but its shutting things down, I being forced to land.
Frantic, Asha was hitting buttons, trying to get life back into the ship, as it dipped towards the surface.
"Hang on Jin." Grabbing the dog as she roughly came in for landing, skidding along the dry dusty red soil, eventually coming to halt.
"Asha." He quickly worked, she was slumped in her seat. Checking her vitals, she was breathing, rendered unconscious and a few superficial cuts. Other than that he couldn't feel any breaks.
"We have to get out of here." Gently picking her up, he moved towards the open door, as flames curled from the electricals. A short whistle, and Jin followed them outside.
Gently he laid Asha on the ground, trying to rouse her.
"Stay here." He whispered. "Look after her Jin." Seeing the red jet landing. Pulling out his gun, and aiming.
"Stop right there." He called out as the pilot aimed a weapon at him.
"Hands where I can see them." The voice responded. "You're in Federation territory."
"No shit." He shouted. "Cause I'm Federation."
"Why are you in a Spectran ship?"
"It what I had available at the time."
The man lowered his gun, staring at him, removing his helmet.
"Joe." He said in disbelief.
Seeing the figure before him, older, but still had the same stance.
The heat bearing down on him, from the strength of the sun, and long years of wondering. His old friend stood before him.
"I can't believe it." Ken jogged over to him flushed from the heat. "We've been looking for you."
Clasping his hand tight, drawing him into a brotherly embrace, he was expecting a punch, or some kind of usual greeting he would expect from Ken, a lecture. Instead he was looking drawn more stoic, his eyes reflecting deeper burdens.
"Ken." Joe pushed him back to arms- length studying him, he appeared almost robotic- the whole moment was surreal.
"You're Cronus?"
"I patrol these parts under the name- mainly watching Spectra's movements." He explained. "The weapon I used to bring you down was Jun's idea, she invented it. We're not at war, had to find ways not to provoke it… but-"
"I'm hearing rumours, I was in shanty town when the attack happened." Joe was thinking of the mention of a team of five kids seen training on the more remote planets. Wearing birdstyles. In his long conversation at the bar with Clipper he talked about them. No one knows anything about them other than being a special unit with supposed super powers.
"Something going on at home?" He waited for a reply, Ken's eyes darkened, jaw tensed. "I was going to leave for home, but I got a call about a suspicious Spectran ship, then a few of Zoltars patrols turned up…"
"They attacked, that's an indication of war." Joe pointed out.
"Zoltars planning something, but the Federation is keeping it tight, peace at all costs."
He didn't say anything else about home. He was steering away from it. A burning need to know news of the last ten years lit inside of him.
"Someone with you." Ken indicated to Asha, moving slightly as she regain conscious. "What's that strange animal?"
"Asha is with me." He said pointing. "Jin's my dog."
"You named it after Jinpei?" Ken smirked. "He'll be flattered."
"He can be a pain in the neck, they have a lot in common." He chuckled. The moment didn't last, Ken's smile evaporated as the strolled over to them.
Joe assisted Asha into a sitting position, they chatted for a minute. She was dizzy, other-wise okay. Watching Ken apprehensively, from the corner of her eye.
Picking up a small communications device, Cronus called in transport. They didn't have to wait long as a red painted small ship landed.
Walking them over, he mentioned they'd be flying to his base on Riga.
"What happened to the restaurant business in Utoland?" He had so many questions about home.
"We'll talk soon." Ken's melancholy demeanour was troubling. It wasn't the greeting he expected after being missing for approximately ten years. During the war, he was gone for two years and his greeting held more warmth in those days.
His old friend, jogged back to his fighter jet, he'd be following them.
"Welcome back to the Federation." He said turning to his lover. "Somethings really wrong."
"Can we trust him?" Asha stole a concerned glance in his direction.
"I've known him all my life, we can trust him." Joe indicated they move as the red fighter jet lifted off the ground. It did an arc across the skies, and then fired on the dying Spectran ship, exploding into a million pieces as he left for outer-space.
Following Jin onto the shuttle, sitting in a seat not far from the pilot. Jin settling down between them. Silence followed the trip back to Red Rangers base on Riga.