Taz was twenty minutes early for the meeting, but she couldn't return to her room so she decided to see if Galaxy-Foot was in his office already. She had almost forgotten her concern about the other Rangers discussing her personal life, but was promptly reminded when a group of young cadets dropped their voices as they passed her, and then started whispering as soon as she rounded the corner. Normally she would have devised some form of severe revenge for their disrespect, but she found that she was too tired to care about what some snotty kids had to say about her. Besides, it wouldn't be too hard to get their Commander to add one hundred extra pushups and five laps of the Starship to their daily exercise. Commander Miller was known for his frankly cruel treatment of his cadets; he had been her own Commander for a year when she was in the academy herself.

Her communication device beeped in her pocket and she pulled it out to examine the message.

You still owe me that drink ~ H x

She glanced at it and was seized with a reckless desire to do something that would irritate Up.

In the bar after my meeting ~ Lt Taz

She marched down the corridor to Colonel Galaxy-Foot's office and rapped smartly on the door.

"Enter."

She pushed the door release, walked into the office and saluted. He stood and saluted her back, then gestured for her to take a seat.

"You're early; biscuit?" He offered her a tin once she'd sat down, but she politely declined. She was feeling sick, and she was sure that the baby wasn't the only cause. Glancing down at the communication device, she was greeted with no new messages, not from Up, nor Howard, so she stuffed it in her pocket and waited for Galaxy-Foot to speak.

"How are you feeling?" he asked kindly, surveying her through brightly sparkling eyes.

"Yo soy bien Colonel, gracias," she replied stiffly, then went on hurriedly, "I don't plan on keeping el bebé, so please, don't fire me." She looked so desperate that Galaxy-Foot almost put a hand out to comfort her, but restrained himself and gave a reassuring smile.

"Relax, Lieutenant, I didn't bring you here to fire you. Aside from the fact that firing you because you're pregnant would be illegal, you're one of the best rangers I've got and I don't intend on letting you go that easy." She sank back into the chair in relief and he chuckled. "No, I brought you here because I want to talk to you about Up."

She sat up as quickly as she'd slumped down and Galazy-Foot laughed heartily. "I see that caught your attention!"

"What do you want to know? He's gone soft and half of his body is a robot. That is about it," she huffed.

"Do you remember when he brought you here?" He asked curiously, studying her intently. She didn't reply immediately, then nodded.

"Si, I remember. You were there."

"You were covered in blood, clutching a metal table leg."

She frowned briefly. "Do we need to talk about this? I don't see how it's relevant."

"Do you remember what happened that night?" He leaned forward slightly.

"Si, how could I forget?" She grumbled. "He- he saved my life when those robots strung me up like a piñata and tried to kill me at my quinceañera."

"And then what did he do?"

"He picked me up and carried me onto the Starship while I hit him with the table leg to make him take me back."

"And then?" Galaxy-Foot prompted.

"And then what?"

"Well, as I remember it, Space-Claw tried to make him send you back to Earth to face the robots, and Up told him that he'd rather leave Space-Claw on Earth than you."

"So?"

"So? So that man has been looking after you for ten years, and now you're arguing with him and having a child with another man," Galaxy-Foot said intently, leaning further over the desk as though he could make her change her mind the closer he got. "He is in love with you, Lieutenant."

She bristled angrily. "Not that my private life is any of your business, sir, but weren't you the one saying yesterday that it was unacceptable for me and Up to have a relationship?"

"Up and I have been friends for a long time, so I know that without a Taz, there is no Up, and without an Up, there is no Taz." Galaxy-Foot stood and walked around the desk to take her hands. "I know that you are facing a really tough time right now, but he needs you! If you two are fighting I have lost my best team of Rangers and I need you all on top of your game! So you're having Howard's baby, I don't understand why you're angry with Up when, in my opinion, it's him who ought to be angry with you!"

"Could you please just give me my punishment so I can leave?"

"I told you, you aren't being punished," he said. "However, you obviously can't continue to go charging around in your condition. You're on admin duty until you are able to work properly again and you should go and see the medics to ensure you get the correct healthcare for the duration. And I want your gun."

She let out a slight gasp and her hands trembled slightly as she lifted the gun over her head, and placed it on the desk. She stroked it slightly before turning and making to leave the room.

"You shouldn't give Up a hard time, Taz. He's a good man; you should give him a chance."

She paused, then opened the door and left.