Authors note: I'm taking a bit of a different take on Icthior character from the episode 'Badge'. If you don't remember, he was the sword fighter that used to trained with Cruger at the academy, year ago before SPD came to earth, he was later kicked out of the academy.

It had been over two weeks since he had left to start his new life, tracking down some of the most violent and hideous of criminals in the deeps of space. He had already hunted down three high risk fugitives and would only stay in one place for hours at a time. Right now he was in a bar on a planet called Zeelatta, a planet far different from Earth. It was filled with other space travelers, some just your average alien star pilot; most of them were bounty hunters and traders, while others were spies. But no matter who any of them were, none of them trusted SPD, in fact it was a known issue that anyone bearing the SPD logo could be killed on the spot the moment they stepped foot inside a place that was not grounds for SPD. Sky made sure to hide his ship and disguised his badges before entering into the Zeelatta bar.

"You're a long way from home," hissed the lizard-like bartender, as he handed Sky a strange drink. "We don't get many Earthlings around here."

Sky eyed him cautiously, one hand around the glass of the drink and the other down below near his belt where his harness held his blaster. "What makes you so sure I'm from Earth and not from Eltar or KO-35?"

That got a laugh out of the lizard as he leaned against the bar, breathing his hot breath into Sky's face. "Because no Karovian or Eltarian would dare venture out of their galaxies, out of the safety net of their precious SPD!" He gave Sky a coy smile. "Only an Earthling would be stupid enough or must have a death wish to have come this far."

Sky took a sip of the strange colored drink, making sure to keep his eyes locked on the lizard. "I'm not like most Earthlings."

The lizard laughed, finding Sky's answer amusing. He definitely was different from any of the other humans he had crossed. "I like you, kid …and I don't normally like humans."

"Can't say I've ever been a fan of lizards."

The lizard native of Zeelatta grinned, it was rare to find a human that didn't scare away from him. Most times, they would come in for a quick drink and leave soon after, but not this guy. "You're a funny one." In a quick motion he put out his hand. "You can call me Dex."

Sky eyed the hand, while his right hand crept around his blaster. He knew he was in unsafe territory and that he really should trust no one, but Dex seemed harmless enough, not anyone he would consider to be a threat. He'd faced off against far worse things than the lizard bartender. "Tate," Sky answered as he brought up his hand to shake Dex's.

"Tate, huh?" Dex's greenish-yellow eyes turned down on Sky, as if he were measuring him up. "One hell of a grip you got there. You aren't with SPD, are you?"

"No." Sky took a sip of his drink, keeping his eyes locked with Dex's.

"Good, otherwise I've would have to kill yah," he smirked, as he went and poured himself a drink. "So what's a kid like you doing out in a place like this; don't you humans have strong bonds with your families?"

"Not everyone." Sky finished his drink and nodded to Dex to fill it up.

"Hmmm." Dex filled up the drink, but kept looking into Sky's eyes in such a way that it was like he was looking right through him. "You know, you can know a lot by looking into a man's eyes," he said as he took a drink from his glass, leaning against the bar. "Take that old bounty hunterover there." He pointed over to an older looking creature that looked half rhino and moose, big and bold, lots of muscle. "He's been coming in here ten years and every time I look into his eyes, I see a hunter, a killer."

"I would say that's very predictable, since he's a bounty."

Dex laughed. "Ha ha, all right you got me there." He leaned against the bar cunningly. "How about you? Your eyes say that you're running away from something." He smirked, taking a drink. "Probably why you left your home." He paused briefly, watching as Sky's fingers gripped tightly around the drink. "Something bad happened, didn't it?"

"Do you always like getting into everyone's business or am I just an exception?" Sky frowned, not liking how personal the lizard creature was getting. It had been over two weeks, he was just finally starting to get far enough away where he could put everything behind him, or at least not have to think about it anymore.

"But I'm right just the same," Dex answered sharply, as he filled up Sky's drink before turning away from him and heading into the back room.

Sky just shook his head and took a sip of his drink, savoring it, knowing once he finished it he would have to head back to his ship and depart back into space, where he would once again be alone. He had cut off all ties with SPD, he was basically MIA, he had turned off his communication and disabled the tracking system so the base would not know where he was. That had been his plan, but somewhere in his time in space, he realized they would never really let him go unless he let them go first. He couldn't go home and he didn't want anyone to come after him, although a part of him would always wonder about what he left behind, even though….

"Those space nomads had no idea what they were getting into," laughed Booker, a fishfaced looking alien, as he and his brother Zonk entered into the bar and sat at a table behind Sky.

"Yes, he sure showed them. They're lucky, he only cut off their hands." Zonk smirked as he took a fistful of buggy looking treats from a bowl on the table. "Icthior is one man you don't want to cross."

Sky couldn't help but overhear their conversation. It had just been something he had picked up on his journey travel through space, stopping from planet to planet, most times nothing ever really registered. He didn't really care, but this time their conversation sparked his interest. "Icthior?" It was impossible; it couldn't be the same Icthior he had known years ago. He was dead. …Or at least that's what he had been told. He had died twenty years ago.

"Yeah. Take those two humans for instance, Icthior's old partners from SPD," laughed Booker.

"Oh yeah, the ones he got killed," he smirked. "I would have paid to see the looks of their faces when they learned he betrayed them."

Sky tightened his hand hard around the glass, causing it to shatter. He couldn't believe it; not only was Icthior alive, but he had played a hand in getting his father killed. Icthior had been an SPD officer, had fought crime side by side with his father for three years, he had even come to his home as a child, now he learned the man who was supposed to be his father's friend had betrayed him, gotten him killed. He could feel the anger and hatred fuming over him. He wanted Icthior, he wanted him to pay.

He jumped off his chair and headed straight to the fish brothers, pressing both of his hands onto of the table. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation about Icthior," announced Sky. "I was hoping you could tell me where I could find him."

Booker remained cool and collected in his chair, not at all frightened by the human standing before him. "Where I come from, human, we cut off the ears of eavesdroppers. Didn't your mother ever teach you it was rude to listen in to other people's conversations?"

"What's a human want with Icthior anyways?" questioned Zonk. "You owe him money or something?" Both he and his brother got a laugh out of that, they always enjoyed getting a good laugh at any of the humans they crossed paths with.

"More like he owes me," answered Sky sharply, looking both of them in the eye, not backing down. He would not leave this bar until he got his answers; one way or another they were going to tell him.

"He owes you, huh?" questioned Booker as he measured Sky up, getting up from his seat. In a quick motion he drew out his large blaster gun and pulled the trigger, but to his disbelief Sky protected himself with his shield, deflecting the shot, causing it to shatter a window in front of him.

"What the-" Zonk jumped from his seat, turning his head around towards the broken window, then turned back looking at Sky.

"Next time I won't be so nice," Sky announced as he pulled out his blaster, pointing it at the two. "Where is Icthior?"

"How'd he do that?" exclaimed Zonk.

"Chill, Zonk," Booker pushed his brother aside as he got face to face with Sky. "He won't do anything stupid, not with a bar full of aliens of all kinds that would just love to get a piece of him." He smirked, looking Sky right in the eyes. "I know what you are." He leaned closer to Sky ear and whispered, "…SPD." He stepped back. "And if you think that fancy shield of yours will be enough to take down Icthior, think again." Booker knew all too well just how powerful the ex-SPD officer was. "You're not strong enough to handle someone like him."

"Then you don't know me that well," Sky smirked, not at all intimidated by Booker's announcement. He kept his eyes locked on the fish brothers. "Who do you think blew the brains out of Mirloc and Wootox?"

Booker had to laugh at that. "You think just because you took out those two that you stand a chance? Then you're more pathetic than I thought." He crossed his arms against his chest. "Half of the aliens in this bar could have handled those worms."

He could feel the fury flowing through him because neither Mirloc nor Wootox were worms in his eyes, they had been monsters, they cared nothing for life. He had lost people he cared about because of them. The two had destroyed everything that ever mattered. "You going to tell me or not?"

"Not!" announced Booker cunningly. "No way I'd ever help no human!"

"Sorry you feel that way." Sky jumped, kicking Booker's blaster out of his hand before he could even react, then grabbing a hold of him and tossing him onto one of the tables, causing it to collapse. He walked over to Booker who was lying flat on his back. He pointed his blaster right at the fishfaced brother. "Last chance."

Booker just smirked. "Foolish human." Unbeknown to Sky, Zonk had crept up behind him and wrapped his strong fisted fins around Sky's arms.

Sky struggled to get free; he couldn't believe he had been so stupid as to forget about the other brother. He watched in anger as Booker jumped to his feet and taunting him. "Did you really think it would be that easy?" he hissed into the red Ranger's face as other aliens in the bar started to surround them, all of them looking like they were ready for a fight. "You're forgetting that you're out of your boundaries, SPD doesn't apply here." His big shining eyes darted right at Sky. "You're fair game as far as I'm concerned." Booker punched Sky hard in the gut, causing him to drop to the ground.

Sky felt winded and dizzy; in his determination to seek out Icthior he had underestimated his opponent. He felt Booker grab a hold of him and toss him around the room like he was a rag doll, breaking tables, chairs and glasses.

"What the hell is going on here!" exclaimed Dex as he came rushing out of the backroom, wondering what all the commotion was about. "Somebody better have a good reason for damaging my bar!"

"Chill out, Dexie, seems we have an unwanted visitor here." He peered his eyes over to Sky who was slowly pushing himself up; he had a small cut on the side of his cheek. "He's SPD…"

Sky met eyes with Dex, the bartender who he had seemed to have befriended only minutes ago. Something told him that friendship wouldn't last long. A coy smile came across Dex's face. "Well in that case, as you were." He locked eyes with Booker. "Just try not to get his human waste all over; otherwise you'll be mopping the floor this time! It took me ten years to get the stench out the last time." Dex departed back into the back room, without a care in the world. "Sorry, kid, but I told you I don't like SPD here in my bar."

"I'm going to enjoy this!" exclaimed Booker, as he and the other fleet of frightening aliens surrounded Sky, pounding their fists and weapons together, getting ready to rearrange his face.

Finally having regained his composure, Sky jumped to his feet, getting into a fighting stance. He knew he was outnumbered big time, but he didn't care. If it was a fight they wanted, it was a fight he would give them. "You picked the wrong guy to mess with!" He got into a fighting stance and fully intended on taking them all on, until it was like a stampede, Booker and his alien companions started flying all over the place as the rhino-moose bounty hunter stormed right into them as if they were nothing but bowling pins.

Sky didn't know what to make of it and he had little time to react as the bounty picked him up over his shoulder and fled out of the bar, as several blaster shots were being shot right at them. Once they were in the clear, the bounty dropped Sky hard onto the ground.

"What the hell! You shouldn't have done that, you bastard! They had information I needed," Sky roared, as he jumped to his feet. He was about to take a swing at the bounty, when the bounty hunter grabbed a hold of his wrist twisting it behind his back, making it impossible for Sky to break through his tight hold on him.

"And how do you suppose you were going to get it, you arrogant fool?" He held on a few moments longer, until he finally released Sky, pushing him back against a tree.

"I had the situation under control!"

"Yes. I could see that." He glared Sky in the eyes, just shaking his head. He knew all too well that the young man before him didn't have a clue to what he had been up against, or if he did he was too stubborn to care. "If I hadn't stepped in you'd be in a thousand pieces by now."

Sky just shook his head in disbelief. "I could have handled things just fine, without you stepping in and screwing things up for me."

"You got your head so far up your ass that you couldn't see you were in a losing fight!" reamed the bounty hunter.

"I don't care. I want to find Icthior."

"Forget about Icthior!" exclaimed the bounty hunter, hoping to get through Sky's thick skull to knock some sense into him. "Go to your ship, turn around and go home. You don't belong outside the boundaries of your SPD. It's not safe out here"

"I'm not going home," exclaimed Sky, crossing his arms against his chest and looking the bounty hard in the eyes with that stubborn attitude of his. "You'll have to kill me first." And he meant it, the only way he would go home now was in a body bag.

The bounty hunter couldn't believe it, never had he met a more arrogant human than the one before him. "You must really want to die." It was clear to him that the young man before him didn't give a care in the world whether he lived or died. He probably should take his life, it would be a far quicker death than Icthior would give the young human. He could stand there all day trying to get through to him, but it would be a waste of his time. "Do what you want," he said, as he started to back away. "But the fish brothers weren't lying about Icthior. He is one skilled fighter who will fight to the death. If you go up against him, you'd better be ready to kill him." He paused for a moment, locking his eyes with Sky once more. "Before he kills you."

"I plan on it!" answered Sky.

Back on Earth

"Radar!" hollered the children in the hospital room, as a young man no more than twenty walked into the room of about six kids, all with some sort of illness. Two of them had hopped out of their beds and ran over to him.

The young man picked the young girl up and patted the little boy on the head as he made his way into the room, locking eyes with the student nurse. He smiled as she winked at him. "So my name's Radar now, huh?" he asked as he set the little girl Maggie on her bed, as the other children crowded around them.

"Yeah, because you're the best at finding everyone when we play hide n'seek," announced the boy. "No one can hide from you, can they?"

He smiled. "Few have tried."

"Radar, do you have time to play with us today?" asked another little boy, as he tugged at the young man's pants.

"Sorry, buddy." He picked the boy up. "I can only stay for a couple of minutes, but I promise that I will make some time later, okay?" He set the boy back down on the ground and patted him on the shoulder.

"Okay." The young boy smiled, as he admired his hero.

"Radar!" Maggie, the little six year old stood up on her bed, placing her hands on 'Radar's' chest.

"Yes, Princess?"

"If Nurse Kris wasn't your girlfriend, would you marry me?" she asked all wide-eyed.

Kris's boyfriend glanced over at her, smiling, as he looked little Maggie back in the eyes and planted a kiss on her forehead. "You bet your heart, my girl, I would and we would live in a big house, with lots of toys and puppies."

"Yeah!" Maggie hugged him tightly, as he kissed the top of her head.

"Okay, kids. I got to get going, but I want you all to promise me that you'll be good for Kris."

"We promise!" they all answered.

"Good." He waved goodbye to all of them as he headed towards the door with Kris following him out. Outside the room in the halls of the hospital, he put his arms around Kris and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"It's a shame you didn't have any younger brothers or sisters, you're pretty good with them."

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing that we'll be having lots of kids."

"Oh, will we now?" she playfully answered, as she looked him in the eyes "Will that be after or before I finish nursing school, not to mention the fact we have to get married first and since you haven't proposed, that might be a while."

"Oh yeah, right." He grinned as he playfully kissed her on the nose. "That's why you're the brains of this relationship."

She had to laugh, she couldn't help it; there was just something about him that always made her laugh. "You're lucky you're so cute with the kids, otherwise I would be looking for someone else." she grinned.

"And I thought you were with me for some other reason," he laughed.

"Griffin!" she yelled, as she playfully punched him in his side.

"Kidding …I'm kidding." He smiled, as ran his hand through her hair, then running it down her arm until he took her hand into his, looking her in the eyes, with all the love he held in his heart. "I'll see you tonight for dinner." He leaned down and gave her a loving kiss.

"Sir, I just got some troubling news," announced Kat as she walked into the Command Center. Her face was white as a ghost, because she knew no good would come from it. "Sky has gone after Icthior…"

"Icthior?" It had been over twenty years since he had heard the name or had even thought of the former SPD officer. He had long hoped that he was dead and the last words of a dying officer had been untrue, but now that hope had been shattered. Icthior had indeed betrayed them. And with Sky knowing the truth, Cruger knew that he would go after the rogue SPD officer, seeking vengeance for the death of his father. "Does he know his whereabouts?"

"My source said no, but it would only be a matter of time." She sighed heavily, knowing the situation was grave. She remembered Icthior and knew he was one hell of a fighter, one of the academy's best. "I've tried contacting Sky, but the communication on the ship is still turned off and he cut the tracking system on the ship, so we have no clue where he's headed."

"Where is he now?"

Kat's face turned grim. "He left Zeelatta just a few hours ago, after that my friend lost track of him."

"That's in the Mecka galaxy." His face became very concerned. "That's a lawless territory." It was rare that he ever became alarmed about anything, but this scared him to death. The old commander could feel his heart pounding against his chest, because he knew no one entered into that part of the galaxy, not unless they didn't want to be found. It was one of the most dangerous areas in the universe. "If he finds Icthior, he won't survive." He knew all too well what kind of fighter Icthior was. Back in the early days of the academy, the two had trained together, long and hard hours, trained in the deadly arts. The combat form had been so dangerous that it was later banned and was not to be taught to anyone else, only a very few were alive today who still had the training for it.

"I know, but without the ship's trackers, we'll never be able to find him," Kat answered. "I've tried everything." Even with all her training and hacker tricks, she had not been able to find any lock on Sky's ship.

"…There's only one person who can find him now," sighed Cruger. His face was grim, like he didn't want to turn to this solution, but deep down knew they didn't have any other choice.

"We both know that she won't like that one bit, and he'll probably feel the same way," answered Kat, knowing all too well who Cruger was referring to. It had even crossed her mind, while she was walking down the halls of the academy, but she knew that it would not be an easy task bringing him here.

"I know," he sighed. Years ago he had made a mistake, one that tore apart a bond that should have never been broken. "But we don't have any other choice." He eyed Kat in the eyes, no smile on his face, as if he was finally coming to terms with his own mistakes. "He's our only hope."