Skyla whirled around, smashing her foot into the bodice of another test dummy which collapsed to the floor. Taking a step back she surveyed her work with a pleased expression. It was late in the morning on the day of the strike, and Ratchet had offered her a training session on the VR Deck. She'd immediately leapt at the chance, while Maia had opted for watching Secret Agent Clank with the robot himself. They had the whole day to themselves until the Captain and the Rangers arrived for their rendezvous and Skyla had wasted no time in becoming well acquainted with the VR Deck.

"1 minute, 23 seconds," Ratchet announced as he approached, the dummies disappearing into thin air, "that's not bad for a first time assault round."

"Not bad?" Skyla echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Ok, that was pretty good," Ratchet admitted. To be honest, he was quite impressed. When he was Skyla's age he'd already saved the galaxy once, but he'd had help, had been trained and had an imaginative array of weapons at his disposal. Skyla had trained herself using plants and sacks of dirt...and was still able to take down 20 assorted test dummies in record time.

"Right..." Skyla smiled and dusted off her hands, "I'm bored," she proclaimed spontaneously. Ratchet gave her a look,

"You're kidding. You just decimated 20 dummies and you're...bored." Skyla nodded,

"Yep. How about a fight?" Ratchet threw back his head and laughed. Without warning Skyla lunged at him, taking a swipe at his chin. He just managed to duck away, then caught her hand.

"You're serious," he looked at her, eyebrows raised. Skyla grinned,

"Deadly serious." Ratchet regarded her for a moment, the glint in her eyes issuing a challenge he found himself hard pressed to ignore. Removing his wrench he tossed it aside to make it a fair fight and he saw her eyes dance with pleasure.

"Ok then, but I warn you...I don't go easy on girls," he told her as the two of them began circling each other like sharks, easing into the centre of the training room.

"That's fine by me," Skyla responded, and before she had time to say any more, Ratchet leapt towards her. He aimed a blow at the side of her head to test her reflexes, and was surprised when she ducked away with graceful ease. He tried another few strikes, all of which she dodged easily.

"Is that all you got?" she teased, not even out of breath, balancing lightly on the balls of her feet.

"Nope, just warming up," Ratchet retorted.

"Good, then let's get this party started," Skyla grinned and pounced.

For the next few minutes the two Lombaxes engaged each other in a variety of hand to hand combat techniques, ranging from a kind of boxing to a messy form of martial arts. Ratchet quickly realised just how helpless he was without his wrench or a firearm of some sort. He so very rarely had to fight with his hands that he found himself at a distinct disadvantage to Skyla's skills. The grey Lombax had fought with what nature had given her her whole life, so it was she who had the upper hand for the most part.

Both of them were careful never to aim their blows too directly, but all thoughts of taking it easy swiftly left Ratchet's head as Skyla attacked vigorously, forcing him to put up a genuine fight.

Yet despite Ratchet's disadvantage, the fight continued for some time. This was mainly because Skyla had never really been trained in hand to hand combat, and though she was a good fighter, she fought with a 'freestyle' nature void of rules or unified style. On top of this, she had never actually fought someone her size before. Her opponents were usually twice her size and twice as thick, as well as slow. Ratchet was none of those things, being far closer to her in size and strength (though he was clearly stronger), as well as using his intuition and natural speed, though Skyla was just that much faster than him. So the odds were pretty even between them as they fought on, both with their own advantage over the other.

But in every fight, there is a slip up, and unfortunately for Ratchet, it was he who made it this time. He'd feinted left and actually made to swing his leg right, but Skyla had anticipated his move and he found himself connecting with thin air. A well aimed shove from Skyla sent him crashing to the ground and before he could recover she was on him, pinning him to the floor with her knees.

Both Lombaxes were breathing heavily with exertion and for a moment, they just lay panting on the floor.

"Yield?" gasped Skyla. Ratchet shook his head,

"Never." Skyla gave him a breathy smile,

"Fine...then..." she panted, "we'll just...argh!" Something snaked around her waist and pulled her away from him. There was no time for her to retaliate as Ratchet grabbed her hands and flipped her onto her back, turning the tables quite literally.

Skyla struggled briefly under him before realising there was no point to it.

"Yield?" Ratchet asked her, a smile about his lips as his tail flicked playfully in the air. Skyla shook her head,

"You cheated!" she cried.

"It's not my fault you don't have a tail," Ratchet stated with a grin. Skyla scowled at him,

"It's still cheating."

"If you say so," Ratchet laughed.

"Get off me," Skyla growled.

"Not until you yield."

"I'll never yield."

"Fine then," Ratchet leaned over her, "we'll just wait." Skyla regarded him for a moment before struggling again, trying to free a limb to strike him. But he had her legs glued to the floor and held her arms above her head. She wasn't going anywhere. She growled again. Ratchet chuckled, and suddenly she became aware of how close they were. He was literally on top of her and hung over her, his face just inches from her own.

Skyla stopped moving and just looked at him. The fur of his brow was slightly damp with sweat from their fight, and he was breathing a little heavier than usual, but his green eyes were bright and shining, twinkling down at her from above with good humour.

Ratchet, too, noticed their proximity and felt his innards melt as a strange feeling washed through his body. Her hair was splayed out around her head like a silver halo, and her eyes were like sapphires sparkling up at him from the depths of an ocean. Her features had a both strong and delicate look to them, like a statue sculpted perfectly from soft grey marble. In this light she looked...

He swallowed.

Almost instinctively, he moved his head nearer to hers, closing the distance between them by another inch or two.

Skyla lay frozen to the spot as his eyes trailed to her lips. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart seemed to stop beating as time slowed.

Then, like a light switch being thrown, the moment was gone, leaving both Lombaxes somewhat bewildered and confused. By unspoken consent, Ratchet got off Skyla immediately and offered her his hand. She eyed it warily before ignoring it and getting up on her own.

Ratchet felt the cogs in his mind start to malfunction like a faulty robot. What had he been about to do? Part of him knew exactly what would have happened...but he hadn't done it. And now, his mind was in turmoil. She was looking at him with a curious expression, one of confusion, uncertainty and...regret?

He cleared his throat.

"Right, well..." he searched for something to say, "why don't we take a break?" Skyla nodded in hasty agreement, saying nothing.

"Great, let's go find Maia and Clank...they'll probably still be watching Secret Agent Clank," Ratchet stated, "then we can have lunch."

"Sounds good," Skyla smiled hesitantly.

The two Lombaxes left the VR Deck and headed straight for Ratchet's quarters. Neither of them spoke as they walked, both unsure of what to say.

Skyla felt confused like never before. It was like the neurons in her brain had gone mad, running around in wild panic and spontaneously combusting for no apparent reason. And all because of...Ratchet. But...what had he done? She didn't know...or did she? It was all too confusing, like too much information piled into one small computer chip. She couldn't take all of it. Maybe Maia could help.

They found the Cazar and Clank thoroughly enjoying an episode of Secret Agent Clank on the wide hole-screen. Skyla watched in fascination as she saw Clank on the screen, dressed up in a smart tuxedo outfit in a casino with two very feminine robots beside him. The screen cut to another robot opposite Clank who wore a tweed suit and a monocle, with a fat cigar in his hand. There was a short exchange between the two robots, with a distinct falsity to it and added dramatic tones. Skyla didn't trust the other robot for a minute, and sure enough, he pressed a button and several ninjas appeared to attack Clank. Her eyebrows rose significantly as Clank took out the ninjas in surprising style. He chucked a circular tray at a chandelier above the tweed robot which fell onto him, electrocuting him. The small robot then tilted his head quizzically,

"Hm, shocking." Maia burst out laughing at this and the real Clank looked at her in delight. Skyla was about to ask something when the scene changed and Clank was coming out of the casino in the company of the two robot ladies, but there was something else.

"Bring the car around Jeeves, and mind the ejector seat this time," the robot said, tossing keys to someone on his left. Skyla's jaw dropped. It was Ratchet. But Ratchet...dressed as a chauffeur. There was a light groan from beside her and she turned to see the real Ratchet shaking his head, a hand to his forehead.

"Oh my gosh!" Maia exclaimed, and then the screen displayed a picture of Clank with a "stay tuned" message. The Cazar turned to Ratchet,

"I didn't know you were in it!"

"I'm not, that's not me!" Ratchet denied, though they all knew it was a wasted effort. It couldn't be anyone but him.

"Of course it is you, Ratchet," Clank told him and Ratchet glanced at Skyla. She ducked her head so he wouldn't see her smiling, though her shoulders shook slightly with mirth. She hadn't seen that coming, not by a long shot. Ratchet as a chauffeur? It was...interesting.

"That was so cool, Clank," Maia beamed at the robot, "you're a great actor." Clank smiled,

"Thank you, Maia."

"Let's go have some lunch," Ratchet announced loudly.

"But the man said to stay tuned," Clank began to protest. Ratchet gave him a look.

"You hungry, Maia?" he addressed the Cazar. Maia glanced at Clank,

"Yes...don't worry, Clank, we can finish it after lunch." The robot brightened at this and willingly complied to go with them to the mess hall.

Lunch was a pleasant affair, the group detailing what they had done that morning. The Lombaxes vaguely explained what they'd done in the VR Deck leaving out a few minor details, though Skyla could tell Maia sensed something was up from the look in her eyes. But by a silent agreement, neither Lombax mentioned what had happened, and pushed the event from their minds, focusing on the rest of the day, and what it would bring.

"So...what's a HALO jump again?" Skyla asked from Aphelion's passenger seat. They were in the company of two other small vessels, just beginning a stealthy descent to a night covered Florana.

After lunch, Ratchet had shown Skyla and Maia how to use a basic selection of weaponry so that they would have something for the strike. However, Maia had refused point blank to carry a weapon, and would not relent no matter how much Skyla pleaded her to. Ratchet hadn't been happy either, but he trusted Rojerz to look after the Cazar and knew he would have eyes on her all the time. The link up with the other Rangers had gone smoothly and in no time at all they'd left the Phoenix, heading for Florana where Team Alpha would be first to make a move.

Ratchet steered Aphelion lower. He was wearing his Hyperflux armour and Skyla was wearing a common issue military uniform made of a tough, flexible material that covered the majority of her body. He'd issued her with his Constructo Pistol which was tucked into a belt she wore while he had brought his Constructo Shotgun for himself. Anything else would be a risk to the others.

"High Altitude Low Opening," Ratchet explained, "we jump out a few miles up and free fall down to the facility roof."

"Right...and how are we going to survive?" Skyla asked casually. The sandy Lombax smiled,

"Don't worry, I've got that part covered."

"Alright...how?"

"Team Alpha we are approaching the jump area. Engage autopilot and prepare to eject," Ratchet called, flicking a few switches.

"Roger that," replied several voices. Skyla did a double take,

"Wait, what?" she exclaimed. Ratchet grinned at her and pressed a button.

Skyla didn't even have time to scream as both Lombaxes were shot into the air. Aphelion quickly disappeared as Skyla began to plummet through the clouds towards the planet surface. Almost immediately as she'd started to fall, strong hands grabbed her waist and something was passed around her middle.

"Hold out your arms," Ratchet called into her ear and in her shock, Skyla obeyed instantly. Her mind had gone totally blank as they kept on falling, heading straight for the ground that was coming closer with each passing second.

Ratchet dropped something and her eyes followed it as it fell towards the tree canopy. It vanished, but a moment later something flickered right below them and Skyla saw a section of the forest disappear, revealing a wide flat roof. Ratchet angled them towards it and Skyla realised they were heading straight for a Lombax pancake. But she couldn't even breathe, let alone scream a warning as death by smashing into pieces loomed ever nearer.

They were just metres away when Ratchet tilted up and something on his back opened. He was jerked upright, Skyla with him as his feet splayed out and she felt something flare from them.

Their descent was rapidly slowed and they touched down on the roof lightly. When Ratchet released the strap from around Skyla she nearly collapsed as her knees gave way. He caught her just in time, holding her as she recovered.

Skyla felt like she was about to throw up and groaned. The descent had taken a matter of seconds but her whole body felt like it had been shaken up by some great machine, and her limbs had taken on qualities akin to lead jelly. As she struggled to regain her footing she was faintly aware of Ratchet rubbing her back.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice half concerned, half amused. Skyla moaned,

"I hate you." Ratchet laughed and Skyla shook her head to get her vision to stop swimming.

"Wasn't that fun?" Ratchet exclaimed happily. With a growl, Skyla turned on him furiously,

"If you ever do that to m-me again," she poked him hard in the chest, her voice a little slurred, "I swear I will r-rip your tail off and sh-shove it where the sun don't sh-shine." Ratchet grinned, holding up his hands in surrender,

"Ok, ok, I promise."

"Sir, we're ready when you are," announced a voice and Skyla looked up to see that the rest of the team had landed and were waiting expectantly. Skyla shoved Ratchet away from her,

"Go on then, do your job you bumbling oaf." Ratchet smiled, then glanced around the group. There were 6 of them in total, double the original number since 2 of them were here for Skyla's protection. There were 3 robots and a Kerwanian who'd introduced himself as Corporal Wynterz. Ratchet drew himself upright, his face taking on an air of authority and command.

"Right everyone, communicators on silent. Remember, we need to open the main door without being detected so stick close. We stay together and let L-26 and M-29 do the computer hacking. Is that understood?" There were nods and quiet "yeses" from all around. Ratchet nodded and gestured the turbo lift that stuck up and out of the roof,

"Let's go." The group fell into position as two of the robots set about peeling the panel from the wall of the turbo lift. Once they'd bared the circuits, it was another moment until the turbo lift doors opened.

The group slipped into the lift quickly and it was just about big enough big enough for them all. Skyla found herself squashed against a robot so she turned. She immediately found herself practically nose to nose with Ratchet, but she didn't have time to say anything as the other two robots slid in and she was pressed against the sandy Lombax.

"We've programmed it for the ground floor, sarge, and we managed to disable the cameras nearest the lift...we'll need to see to others before we can get to the door unseen," one of the robots whispered as the doors slid shut.

"Good job," Ratchet murmured a little hoarsely, his heart suddenly beating very fast...and not from the mission. The lift hummed into life and began to move, shooting smoothly down the shaft. The journey was short, but for the two Lombaxes it felt a whole lot longer as both were acutely aware how close they were to each other...again. It was like déjà vu only, the other way around and...vertical. But there was no "moment" to this situation, only a little embarrassing fault of practicality.

Ratchet was glad for his visor that covered part of his face, and while his eyes never left Skyla's face, she refused to look at him.

Skyla felt sure her cheeks were bright red and quietly cursed fate for putting her into such a situation twice in one day. And she hadn't had time to talk to Maia either...it was all very inconvenient.

The lift came to a halt and a few seconds later the doors opened. The whole group held their breath as the Wynterz carefully looked out, his head turning left and right. Then he stepped out and beckoned to them, holding a small pistol at the ready. They all left the lift in single file, Wynterz keeping sure the coast remained clear. Ratchet signalled for the two robots to move ahead and see to the next terminal while the others covered them. Once that was done, Skyla fell into place as they slunk through the corridors.

They moved silently through the facility with all the presence of ghosts. Fortunately, the turbo lift was not far from the main door and they all made it there without being detected by guard or camera.

Wynterz and another robot kept on guard as the other two robots began hacking into the grid beside the door, the same one which Marco had cracked but a week ago.

"Alpha lead to all team leads. Stand by for entry," Ratchet muttered into his com-link.

"Copy that, Alpha lead. Standing by," came the Captains voice.

Without warning, a harsh screeching noise filled the air and the sound of running footsteps could be heard heading in their direction.

"Any time now, fellas," Ratchet murmured to the robots, pulling out his shotgun. Skyla drew her pistol and held it at the ready. Wynterz stepped out into the corridor and fired several shots which were followed by loud thumps and howls of pain. Skyla silently mused how Baen must have upped the security in some way, if professionals had failed where amateurs succeeded.

At that moment, the main doors slid open and Ratchet pulled Skyla to the side. The doors hadn't even finished opening as figures began to pour in. Skyla recognised the Captain heading his team and he quickly began shouting orders as the first wave of guards rounded the corner, looking more than a little surprised to find themselves under attack by the Rangers. Skyla's heart leapt for joy as the guards were swiftly felled like trees and the Rangers spread out into the corridors.

"Beta, drive them back and out. We must keep the main doors open," called the Captain as fighting broke out in earnest.

"Gamma, split up and head for your designated area. You have 15 minutes to work then back here immediately," yelled the Lieutenant, cradling a mean looking gun.

"Delta, on me!" shouted Rojerz and Skyla saw a group or around 20 Rangers move out. Skyla caught sight of Maia sandwiched in between them and gave her friend the thumbs up. Rojerz had been true to his word and there were at least 8 Rangers surrounding the Cazar, forming her own protective shield. Team Beta had already successfully pushed back the guards away from the main doors and into the major corridors that led away from it.

Ratchet gripped his wrench and grinned at Skyla,

"You ready for some action?" Skyla gave him a devilish smile and flicked the safety off her pistol,

"Bring it on."

The next half hour or so passed in a blur as Skyla knew only the battle. The fighting had spread out from the doors and through the corridors and beyond. Skyla and Ratchet had, almost naturally, started battling alongside each other, working together to create the perfect fighting duo. Most of those who confronted Skyla froze momentarily in recognition, giving either her or Ratchet more than enough time to knock them out. At her request, Ratchet had set Skyla's pistol to stun. There was only one person she wanted to actually kill.

The fighting continued as everything was going according to plan. Guards had, at the start, come to them in a trickle which had steadily turned into a flood, but they were clearly unprepared for such an assault and were steadily being overwhelmed by the Rangers. Skyla had just knocked out another guard that Ratchet had held out for her (as a gentleman should) when a shout rose from her right.

"Make way, let us through!" shouted a voice and Skyla looked around to see Rojerz jogging towards her, bringing down guards as he did. The Ranger forces obediently moved aside, dragging their opponents with them as Team Delta began to move past them. But they weren't alone.

Skyla's heart leapt as she saw the other workers, her friends, surrounded by the team and moving along with them. They all looked shocked and more than a little scared but there was a determination about them as they followed Rojerz out of the facility.

Skyla stood against the wall, her heart singing for joy as they filed out through the main door where she knew carrier ships were waiting for them.

Some of them caught sight of her and did a double take, looking at her as if she were a ghost. Some of them called her name and Skyla could hardly keep herself from beaming with pure delight. One by one they swept past her and out to freedom.

Then Skyla saw something that made her think, for one awful moment, that she was dreaming. There were two Kerwanians she recognised running alongside each other. But they were holding someone up between them and Skyla's breath froze in her throat as she registered who it was.

It was Jaymz.

As if sensing her gaze the Rilgarian looked up and saw her,

"Skyla!" he cried, his voice cracking with emotion. Before Skyla knew what she was doing she'd dropped her gun and sprinted towards him.

"Jaymz!" she yelled as she practically threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace, burying her head into his chest. Jaymz was alive! Real flesh and blood alive! The Rilgarian nearly overbalanced as she collided with him and laughed weakly,

"Skyla," he croaked. It was then that Skyla realised that something was wrong. Very wrong. She was hugging Jaymz but he wasn't hugging her back, his arms still hooked around the shoulders of his friends. His body felt cold and clammy, and when Skyla pulled back she saw sweat coating his brow and dark rings under his eyes that were filled with pain. Skyla looked down and instantly wished she hadn't.

For where Jaymz' legs should have been were only two stumps, and empty air.

Jaymz had no legs.

"Skyla, we've got to let them keep moving," Ratchet appeared by her side. The grey Lombax glanced at him and realised he was right. She was holding up the others who were forced to move around them as they blocked the corridor. She swallowed hard and looked back at Jaymz, suppressing her shock,

"It's good to see you," she told him her voice wavering as she fought not to break down there and then. Jaymz just managed a feeble smile before his friends hauled him onwards.

Ratchet had to pull Skyla to the side to avoid getting trampled as she watched Jaymz go, paralysed in shock.

"I'm sorry," Ratchet muttered in her ear, shooting an approaching guard down. His voice shook Skyla awake and she nodded curtly,

"I thought he was dead," was all she said.

She focused on the remaining slaves who were passing, and was relieved to see that nearly all of them had been evacuated. Sure enough, she spotted the end of the line with 3 Rangers bringing up the rear.

A thought struck her as the last few trickled by. She hadn't seen Maia pass. Reaching out she grabbed one of the last Rangers.

"Where's Maia?" she demanded, praying with all her might that Maia had been ahead of them. There had been quite a few slaves to get out, and it was most probable Maia had been among them, but she had to check. The Ranger looked behind him.

"She was..." he trailed off as he looked into empty space.

Something dropped in Skyla's stomach like a block of ice in her gut as she replayed his words in her head, and her heart plummeted to what felt like the planet's core. She released the Ranger and her legs were already in motion.

"Skyla!" cried Ratchet but she ignored him, adrenalin flooding her veins as panic rose in her. Her feet pounded into the floor as she leapt over the bodies that lay strewn all over the place, ducking and weaving those who were still fighting. Only one thought filled her mind right now, she had only one directive – find Maia.

Reaching a junction, she ignored Ratchet as he called out to her again, her head whipping back and forth. To her right lay the slave quarters, but something was pulling her the other way. She moved forwards several more steps and her eyes were drawn left to where two robot Rangers lay broken on the ground by an open door. Her stomach did several somersaults and she ran towards it, yanking it open and leaping through without a second thought.

All at once she was surrounded by green and the strong scent of plant life. No fighting had reached the hydroponics chamber and as the door slammed shut behind her she was plunged into a disturbing quiet.

"Maia?" Skyla cried desperately. Her instincts urging her own as she moved forward into the green. Her whole body was tingling and she felt sure that Maia was nearby...but where?

"Maia?" she cried again. But there was no reply, only the sound of the artificial breeze drifting through the chamber, rustling leaves as it went, offering her no comfort. She tried to quieten her breathing as she was panting heavily with exertion, her heart beating so hard it felt like it was about to wrench itself from her chest. Holding her breath, she strained her ears to find something, anything that would give her an indication of where her friend was.

Then she heard it, noises from ahead...noises that sounded like...

"MAIA!" Skyla screamed, lurching into motion. Plants were trampled under her feet, plants that would never grow again in the universe. But she didn't care, beating back the vegetation with a wild ferocity as she strived to reach her friend. But there was too much green and she paused in an effort to hear the sounds again.

The air was still as the breeze dropped, and all around became silent. The plants were motionless, as if watching in anticipation of her next move. Skyla turned her head this way and that, feeling tears of desperation beginning to well in her eyes.

"Maia?" she mewed quietly into the green, "Maia...please."

There was only quiet. Then...

"Skyla..." murmured a soft voice from not far away. Skyla's heart leapt at the sound, but then she heard a quiet, strained gasp and her stomach dropped. Dread crashed over her like a tidal wave as she lunged towards the source of the noise, her heart crying out in fear of what lay ahead.

Rounding a bush, she was just in time to see Baen sink a knife deep into Maia's chest.