~o0o~

It took fancy maneuvers and a scraped tail fin to safely reach the base. The squat blue building hid in the shadow of an old forest. They arrived at dusk. The crew was so few that each Ranger got assigned a separate room. Everyone went their separate ways to recover.

Isa was rifling through several folders, when Up interrupted her. He talked to her for several seconds before he realized- "Are y' even listenin'?"

She turned, looking surprised, "What?" Up stood behind her, holding two beers and grinning, "Yer workin' too hard. I asked if you were thirsty," held out a beer to her, Isa waved him away. "No thanks, I have to… finish this." Up sat in one of the rickety computer chairs, "It's late…"

"I know," she squinted at some file and pulled up three more on her computer. "You can't stay mad at me, forever," Up stared at her with solemn eyes. But Isa curled her lip, her eyes cold, "Yes I can." Up leaned back in the chair, it groaned under his weight. "Well, could ya' at least go an' talk to her? She's a mess righ' now and I think, she could do with uhm, someone to talk to."

"Why don't you?" Isa scraped her hair away from her face, "Since you're her friend." Up ground his teeth together and shrugged, " Because I'd do a shitty job of it. I'm only good for fighting, nothin' else."

"Well, at least we agree on that point."

Up took a deep swig from his beer.

Without looking back at him she said, "I'm busy right now. You go talk to her if it means so much."

Up winced, " I'll jus' leave you to…your work then."

"Thank you," said Isa with ice in her voice.

He leaned in the doorway, she hadn't noticed him standing there. Why should she? Taz was furiously pacing her room, treading a line into the tiles, mumbling to herself in what sounded like Spanish, or indistinguishable English. He watched the sixteen year old swing her head back and forth, trying to dislodge something from her mind. Up cleared his throat and Taz stopped in her tracks. "Jus'…checkin' to see how you were…" Up pushed the door open and took a hesitant step inside. Taz snorted, "I'm fine."

"Uh-huh…." Up took another step inside, skepticism lining his face, "Somethin' botherin' you?"

Taz glared at him.

"Alright, that… that was a stupid question," Up took a seat on the spacee-boy chair in the corner of Taz's room. "Go away," she snapped before resuming her pacing, "I need to sleep."

"Don't look like your tryin' t' get much sleep," observed Up. Taz sat on the lumpy bed and snarled, "Yes I am, see? All ready for sleep. Go away." The worry was evident in Up's faded blue eyes and in the way he tugged on his stupid mustache, but Taz did not want to talk to anyone, not even Up.

"No one wants t' be around me," Up pretended to be hurt at Taz's callous words. Taz stared at him in disbelief before jumping off the bed and slinging one of the musty pillows at him, "Shut up." Up caught the pillow and stifled a smirk, "Alright, alright. I'll be quiet. But I think I'll sleep on this couch. 'S really comfy, better than my bed." Taz muttered where he could shove the couch and continued her relentless pacing. Up couched his head on the sofa, 'S long as she doesn't do anything stupid, let her pace all night. Eventually, Up fell asleep, lulled by the steady drumming of Taz's heels and the quiet hum of her swearing. But when he woke up, he found Taz sitting on the edge of the bed, head in her hands. He checked the time, "You sleep at all?" Taz took in a shuddering breath, "No."

Up rubbed his eyes, they felt dry and sore, "It never gets easier, y'know. Losing people…friends."

"So why do it? Why have friends?" Taz's eyes looked large and were bone dry.

Up shrugged, "Don' know. I guess it makes life nicer?"

"Does it?" Her eyes were narrowed now. Up shrugged again, "Not really, yer all a pain in my ass, actually." Taz smiled, immediately it crumbled, the corners of her mouth turned down and she was in tears before the smile left her face. Up sat down next to her, not knowing what to say to a crying sixteen year old who had a friend and mentor die in her arms. So he didn't say anything at all, he just sat next to her while she cried and slung an arm around her shoulders. At length he finally said, " 'S alright. I'm here….I'm here." Taz spoke through a knot in her throat, "Si? And how long exactly will jou be here? Two weeks? Two days?"

"I don' know," said Up truthfully, "But…It's nice while I am, right?" Taz nodded, and shook off his arm, she sniffled and said, "She was afraid of dying." Up frowned, he was hard-pressed to believe Vasili would turn yellow, but why would Taz lie? "Are you afraid?" he asked quietly. Taz took a deep breath and wiped a few errant tears from her face, "I- I guess I am. But- It's more, I don't want to die, than afraid to die." They were silent for a few minutes. "Think you'll be able t' sleep now?"

Taz gave a mirthless laugh, "No."

Up sighed, "I didn't think so. Take firs' watch then." Taz didn't roll her eyes, didn't smile. But Up was too tired to worry, too tired to figure anything out. So he sprawled over the squashy couch and warned, "Ya' even think of hurting yourself and I'll have you court-martialed." That made Taz smile, "Yessir." She went back to pacing the room, murmuring silently in Spanish.

A quiet knock at the door made Taz realize that it was morning. Up was rubbing his eyes, unfolding himself from the couch, "Who'zatth'door?" He was yawning fit to crack his jaw. Taz shrugged, she'd only slept for about half an hour the entire night. She cracked the door open, saw Isa, and stepped outside, closing the door behind her..

"Mornin' Taz," Isa smiled gently. "Buenos días," Taz smiled hesitantly. For a moment, Isa looked at her awkwardly, as if she wanted to say something comforting. "Uh, mira. I'm still tired so-," Taz tried opening the door, Isa shot out a hand and grabbed her arm, "Oh! But I came to whisk you away! I got us breakfast and everything! I thought you might want to talk about…Vasili." Taz had absolutely no desire to talk about anything, she just wanted to sleep the exhaustion and the whole week away. Maybe working out would be a better idea. "Eh, no gracias," muttered Taz, hoping civility would drive Isa away. She edged the door open. "Oh, no you don't!" Isa pulled Taz back outside, "I want to be here for you Taz. I want to help."

"Will jou stop bugging me if I go have breakfast with jou?" Taz was clutching onto the door knob.

Isa let go of her hand, a smile edging its way back onto her face. "Yes, definitely. So…go get ready. Because it's almost nine."

Resigned, Taz sighed, "Bueno, Just give me a few minutes." She opened the door to go back inside. Isa shoved past her, "Great! I'll wait for you, it's not like you'll take long anyway." Taz sighed loudly, not wanting to be double teamed by Up and Isa. It was bad enough Up was trying to help last night.

Isa went and curled on the empty squashy chair. The sound of the shower curled into the room; Isa turned to squint at the bathroom door, a frown rumpling her face. Confused, she turned back to ask Taz to ask who was using her shower.

Taz started to explain, "Well…last night I wasn't doing so good, so-"

With a yelp of laughter, Isa interrupted, "Ohoho!" her eyes turned a hawkish yellow, "Had a nighttime visitor to console you, did yaaaa'?" Taz, exhausted, blushed a dark shade of red, "No! It's not like dat!" Isa slapped her hands on her thighs, "When do we get to meet this lucky bastard?"

Taz tried interrupting her, "No, you see Up-"

Isa was unstoppable, "Up! I'm sure Up'll have a few choice words to share with him!"

"No, it's not-," Taz dug her heels into the carpet, failing miserably not to look even more embarrassed. What's happening to me? Que me pasa?! The shower cut off and Isa grinned broadly, "Maybe I should just stick around and meet him, or her, right now!" Taz lunged for her neck, but Isa continued leapt out of the sofa, enjoying Taz's embarrassment. With a smug look on her face she asked, "I suppose this was your first time? So you want me to skedaddle? So you can cuddle with your-"

"Just get out!" screeched Taz, she made a lunge for her but Isa skipped out of reach again.

"Alright! Cool your little jets," Isa slowly edged out of the room, grinning like a maniac, "I can see I'm not wanted here... Just keep it down you two, be considerate of the rest of us. I'll see you at breakfast." She wagged a finger at Taz; the knife zinged a few centimeters above Isa's head, burying itself hilt-deep into the doorframe. Isa slammed the door closed, cackling gleefully. Up emerged a few minutes later, tucking in his rumpled shirt, "I heard yelling…What happened?"

Taz savagely kicked the edge of the bed, "Isa- She….Estupida! Ni me dejo explicar, ni sabia lo que pasaba! Nomas para hacerme enojar! She just wanted to make me angry!" Taz wrenched her knife from the doorway, and Up laughed, " So she succeeded? What'd she even say?" Taz was still embarrassed over Isa's misunderstanding and refused to explain to Up what happened.

They landed back on the main base by next morning, their starship only a little scratched from enemy shelling. When they landed, Taz dawdled on the bridge, she didn't want to see Vasili's body wheeled out. She wasted half an hour playing with her knife before leaving the starship and found Up waiting for her near the hangar doors, "Movie night?" Taz shrugged but then nodded. "Great. We'll go check our mail and then watch the movie." Taz shrugged again but followed him to the post office anyway.

It was an airy building painted a searing orange. Taz spotted Pathos across the building and waved Up ahead. She leaned on the little table that Pathos was using to write on and he glanced at her once, smiled and went on writing. Taz turned her head away, not wanting to pry. He dropped a message chip into the plastic envelope, stuffed it with a sheaf of papers and sealed it. He turned to look at her fully, "You look terrible." Taken aback, Taz scowled and turned her face away. When he didn't move away she clenched her jaw and said, " Vasili died….horribly" She was speaking so quietly she wasn't sure that Pathos could hear her. "I offer this advice," Pathos moved away from the desk and Taz followed at his elbow, "You should choose to believe in something while you live. So when you have to face death, you can see past It. The future, after all, continues with or without us." Taz chewed on the inside of her cheek, "Like religion?"

"It can be anything you want. But faith in a God tends to be the most common." Pathos handed his mail over and received several packages and one long cylindrical tube. Pathos popped the cap off the cylinder and pulled out a poster of cloth-like material with a beautiful island scene painted on it. "Ah!" Taz reached over and ran her hand along the painted sand, expecting to have gritty dirt clinging to her fingertips. Up approached them and handed Taz her usual packet of paper and disc mail. "Wow," Up admired the scene. "Es hermoso! Beautiful," Taz ran her fingers along the edge of the cloth. Pathos looked at her closely, "You really like it that much? Keep it."

Up glanced at Pathos, this painting looked homemade, someone important made this for him. "No way, this was a present for jou." A small smile flitted across Pathos' face, "I have about twenty of these posters. It's always the same beach. Same trees. Same sand." Up could've sworn he looked wistful, almost. Taz considered it, "Orale!" She smiled broadly," Where is this?" Pathos rocked back on his heels, "Samsa. It's a haven for anyone who needs it. We mostly get refugees from the war, but there's also an intensive care for veterans there. If you you'll excuse me; Taz, Lieutenant." Pathos nodded at Taz and slid out the door, not even making the small door bells jingle as he left. They both stood in the small office gazing at the poster. Up ran a hand along the edge, "Looks like it's hand made."

"I think so too. It looks so real. Jou could just splash right in," Taz was careful to roll it loosely, and hugged it all the way back to Up's room.

Taz spread the poster on Up's bed so it wouldn't wrinkle. Up squinted at it, "Look, there's writing on the corner." Taz collapsed onto the couch and flicked the TV on, "I saw it, Samsa," the vidscreen played the opening credits. Up handed her the bowl of popcorn and settled in next to her, he glanced at the poster, "I'd like t' visit some place like that someday." Taz elbowed him so he'd shush but said, "Jou should've seen my home before de war. De beach was beautiful. More beautiful!" Up laughed, "I think y' migh' be biased."