"Checkmate."

"Aw, not again!"

"Hey, that's just the way it goes, my friend."

"I don't think you even say checkmate in tic-tac-toe, man." XL folded his arms.

"Are you sure?" XR countered.

"...well, I dunno. Maybe you do. Hmm."

With his brother now pondering that deep question, XR wiped off the chalk on the corridor wall where they'd been playing their game. There was a time when he never would've dared deface the hallowed halls of Star Command so brazenly, but now there was no one to bark at him for doing it, so why not? Okay, sure, Rocket would probably get mad if he found out, but XR found his willingness to care what other people thought had diminished rapidly in the past couple of days. Ever since the battle... since Dad— No. He couldn't think about it. He mustn't.

"I'm pretty sure checkmate is chess," XL finally announced.

"Yeah, that's right, bro." He could've argued the point, tried to confuse XL a little longer for a few laughs, but he realised he didn't want to. There was no fun to be found in taking advantage of his older brother's awkwardness. XL was all he had.

"So... what now?" XL asked.

"Dunno."

They loitered in the hall awhile longer, twiddling their fingers in silence. Rocket had given them both some time off, probably because he felt sorry for them. XR laughed inwardly, wondering what he would do when his leave was up. There was no Team Lightyear for him to go back to. Mira's working for Zurg now, and who knows where Buzz and Booster are. He wished he'd stayed on 42. At least then he'd be with them and actually be doing something.

Then again, maybe I'd just screw everything up for them like I do for everyone else. He thought back to the Raenoks and cringed. Pop was right about me—I'm a walking mechanical failure.

"Hey, is that chalk on the wall?"

XR and XL were both startled by the voice and hastily looked up from where they were sitting. Ty Parsec was staring down at them, arms folded across his chest.

"Uh... no!" said XR. "It's, uh, flea powder, yeah!"

"Flea powder?"

"Yeah, XL thought he saw a flea!"

XL nodded. "Uh-huh!"

Ty raised an eyebrow. "Isn't flea powder supposed to go on dogs, not walls?"

"Well... okay, you got us, it's chalk." XR shrugged. He had at least three other semi-convincing excuses prepared, but what was the point? "I tried to wipe it off."

"Hey, don't worry about it. With everything going on around here, a little graffiti is hardly the biggest problem we're facing." Ty squatted down to XR's height. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, sure." He folded his arms, not even bothering to hide the glumness in his voice. "Everything's just great."

Patting his shoulder, Ty offered him a sympathetic smile. "I know there's nothing I can say that'll help, but I really am sorry. It's hitting me hard too, losing the commander."

"At least he wasn't your dad!" The harshness of XR's tone surprised even himself. "You have no idea what we're feeling!" He tried to ignore the voice in his head telling him that people like Ty and Buzz were closer to the commander than he had ever been.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Ty winced. "My dad's gone too—happened a few years ago. So I actually do have some idea what it's like. And if there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

Nodding, XR suddenly felt embarrassed. He scuffed a foot on the polished floor. "Yeah, well. Thanks."

"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you," the other Ranger continued. "What are your plans for the future?"

XR simply shrugged.

"Yeah, I figured as much. Listen, I'm gonna be assembling my own team. If you want in, I'd be glad to have you."

A new team? XR frowned, examining the idea in his mind. Could he really just throw himself in with three new Rangers and pretend the past few years with Team Lightyear had never happened? Buzz, Mira, and especially Booster had been his three best friends in the whole universe. It just... it couldn't be right, being with anyone else. Would new people understand him? Laugh at his jokes? Respect him as a person rather than a hunk of metal?

"So, what do you say?" Ty asked.

XR shook his head. "Nah, sorry, pal. You'll have to look elsewhere. This robot's got better things to do than go out on boring patrols with you!"

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"Yeah, what?" added XL.

Ah. Now that was the question. "Like... like stuff!"

Ty nodded, clearly not believing a word.

"Well... someone's gotta look out for Mira!" continued XR, thinking quickly. "Teammates stick together!" Ha. Fat chance of Mira wanting me around after I blew it with the Raenoks.

"Okay, have it your way." Shrugging, Ty moved on.

When he was gone, XL turned to XR. "I thought you said you weren't going near Capital Planet again?"

"Uh... change of plans?" XR tried to smile, then sighed. "I dunno, bro. I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

It had been a long day. After the cruiser trip from Jo-Ad to Karn, and then a tedious afternoon spent getting everything in order at their new base, Buzz felt ready to drop. He and his Rangers had been on constant alert for dangerous wildlife while they were setting up, and he'd argued more than he would've liked with Ozma over all the arrangements. She complained about the Rangers tramping all over what looked like a barren patch of dirt to him, muttering things like "soil compaction" and "disruption of the ecosystem". If anyone so much as sneezed, she hissed at them for scaring the animals. And then there'd been boxes to lug back and forth and tools to hunt for as they conducted some much-needed repairs on the cruisers. Without access to proper equipment and resources, they could only do a few basic patch jobs, but it would have to be enough. Buzz longed for a staff of LGMs to work their magic on his poor, battered ship. Good ol '42 had seen him through the battle, but she wasn't looking her best anymore.

At last the moons had risen, casting a pale, delicate light over the jungle, and the crews had all retired to their respective ships. New animal calls replaced the ones they'd heard during the day, and Buzz had the uneasy realisation that these critters sounded even bigger and hungrier than their diurnal neighbours. He wouldn't want to be out in the jungles of Karn after dark.

He was now finishing a light dinner in Ozma's dome, alongside Booster. The arguing had stopped, finally, and the trio said little as they cleaned their plates. Booster had brought a bunzel pie his ma had given him before they left, and Ozma took out a few things from her storeroom. Buzz knew her supplies were limited, so he appreciated the gesture.

"You'd better head back to your ship before it gets any darker," Ozma said at last, pushing her chair back and rising to her feet. "I'll turn on the floodlights, just in case. You never know what's on the prowl at this time of evening."

"Thanks." Buzz rose as well, and Booster followed him.

Ozma opened the hatch and flicked on a switch, bathing the clearing in blinding white light. It reflected back off the five cruisers, and Buzz had to shield his eyes and squint to make out anything.

"I'll see you in the morning," the zoologist said.

Buzz nodded. "Booster, you head out to 42. I'll join you in a moment."

His rookie scampered off, casting a few nervous glances around the jungle. Everything looked quiet. Apparently none of the nocturnal beasts were bold enough to approach the star cruisers.

"Thanks, Ozma." Buzz paused in the doorway. "I know this won't be easy, but I'm really glad you're helping us."

Ozma shrugged. "Well, Space Ranger, I suppose I didn't have a choice—if we don't kick Zurg out, how am I ever going to get any more funding for my research?"

Buzz smiled. "Yeah, ecological studies aren't really a priority for him."

"Or you." Ozma smiled back. "But at least you try to understand."

Why couldn't it be like this all the time? When things were good, he and Ozma were like binary stars in perfect alignment. But that alignment never lasted long. I guess we're both just too stubborn. Maybe he'd work on that. Yeah, when everything was over, he'd put more time into their relationship and figure out how to compromise. There had to be some happy middle ground they could find between their two separate sets of ideals.

"I want you to know..." she said, pausing, seeming to fumble for the right words. "I want you to know that I'm sorry about what happened. And I don't just mean because it might affect my work here. I'm sorry for your sake, and for everyone else who's going to suffer under Zurg's rule. Just because I choose not to be part of the galaxy at large doesn't mean I don't care."

"Ha, see, I always knew you weren't as bad as you keep pretending to be." Buzz flashed her a gentle grin. He reached out tentatively, brushing a hand over her smooth cheek. This sort of mushy emotional stuff didn't come easy to him. "I've missed you, you know, Ozma. It's good to see you again."

"I suppose we ought to be keeping in touch more." She didn't object to the hand that had slid up to her short bob of hair, ruffling through it lightly.

"Yeah. My fault, I get carried away with work sometimes." The moonlight shone through the hair, giving it a reddish glow around the edges. Buzz twirled a strand between his fingers.

She shrugged. "It's not like I've been making an effort either. I should be trying harder. Relationships... aren't really my area of expertise. Well, not unless we're talking animal mating habits or territorial disputes. But I do want this to work."

Buzz wondered if he was supposed to lean in and kiss her at this point. He honestly didn't know, even after all this time. It wasn't like she was his first girlfriend either—he'd had a few, even came close to marriage once (that hadn't turned out well at all)—but romance was still a mystery to him. Give me battles with Zurg any day, he thought. Silence settled between them, and the moment slipped away.

"You'd better get some sleep, Mr. Pride of Star Command," Ozma said, gently pulling away. "You've got a galaxy to save."

He nodded, feeling vaguely disappointed. "I'll see you in the morning. Thanks again, Ozma."

"Don't mention it."

Turning away, he marched through the clearing towards the cruiser, his feet crunching in the dirt. He wondered how she would've reacted if he'd kissed her.

There was no sweeter sight in her life than her plain apartment when she opened the door and switched on the lights. Mira swung the door shut behind her and breathed out. Zurg had offered her a room at the Alliance Plaza Ambassador Hotel—it was closer to the Senate and certainly more luxurious than the simple accommodations her Star Command salary had allowed her—but she'd said no. Staying in the same building as the people who'd caused this whole mess she was having to clean up would've been too much. Besides, it was nice to have a little familiarity in her life, even if it was just the dingy walls of her tiny living room and the battered old sofa she liked to crash on after a hard day's work.

She stumbled through to the kitchen, opening a cupboard and drawing out a thin, curved bottle. It was a present from her father. For special occasions, he'd said. One of the finest vintages in the palace's cellar. Well, this was hardly a special occasion, but that one bottle was all she had and she needed a drink. Opening the molecular seal, she poured the sparkling blue wine into a glass and downed it in one swallow.

The bubbly liquid warmed her tongue, and she sighed contentedly. Just the thing after a long day. A very long day. At least I got a few things done, she thought. Maybe it'll help, I don't know. She'd gotten authorisation from Zurg to send aid to the worlds that were really struggling, so that was something. Though, with supplies scarce as they were on Capital Planet itself, and the Alliance's entire economy in ruins, there wasn't that much they could spare. One of the other orders that she'd gotten approved had been to send some freighters to Jo-Ad to pick up more food. At least that might help things a little. They were still running short on medical supplies, though.

Leaving the bottle where it stood on the counter, Mira pulled her aching body to her room, tossed off her shoes and jacket, and collapsed onto the bed. She wriggled under the covers, burying her head in the soft pillow. Usually she'd take a shower first, but that could wait until morning. All she wanted now was sleep. And maybe some good dreams this time.

It was a hot summer night, the kind that reminded her of the tropical warmth of her own world, and mosquitos were buzzing around somewhere in the room. She could already feel the sweat beading on her forehead, but she didn't care. She wrapped the covers around herself tighter. When she was a little girl, she sometimes used to get scared of the dark and hide herself beneath layers of blankets. The monsters couldn't get her then.

Through her window, she could see the lights of the city twinkling brightly. But not as many lights as there used to be. She supposed she was lucky that her apartment had come through the battle unscathed. It was hard to take pleasure in that luck, though, when so many people had lost their lives.

Buzz, where are you? She gazed up at the stars. We need you. I need you. I don't know how long I can do this on my own.

There was a loud hammering on the door.

"Huh? Wha—?" Mira pulled herself upright.

The door opened. "Hey, Mira."

"XR! What are you doing here?" She stared at the little robot silhouetted within the doorframe. It was a good thing she hadn't bothered to undress properly, she thought, frowning at him.

"Oops." He laughed nervously. "Didn't know you were sleeping—is this a bad time?"

"XR, it's late! How did you even get in here?"

"You left the door unlocked."

"And you thought it would be a good idea to just waltz right in?"

"I wanted to see you."

Sighing through gritted teeth, Mira pulled back the covers and rolled out of bed. Ugh, I am not in the mood for this. She padded on bare feet across the carpet, leading XR out her bedroom and into the main living area. The lights were still on and brighter than she would've liked them to be. She blinked as she adjusted to the glare, her headache growing worse. "Okay, what is it?" she demanded, settling on the sofa.

XR looked a the floor, wringing his round, purple hands. "Well, uh, first of all, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry about what happened with the Raenoks. I didn't mean to screw it up for you..."

She stared at him. "Is THAT all? You burst into my apartment while I'm trying to sleep for that?!" Okay, maybe she was overreacting, and maybe XR was right to feel the need to apologise—while he may not have meant to, he had ruined her one chance of securing outside help. But for Venus's sake, it could wait until morning!

Realising XR was cringing slightly, Mira relaxed her glare and shrugged. "Okay, look, apology accepted. I don't even know if I could've gotten the Raenoks on our side anyway. Probably doesn't matter." She couldn't hold it against him. He was her teammate, and her friend. Maybe the only real friend she had left.

The robot nodded, looking relieved. "I also thought I should let you know that, uh, y'know, I'm here if you need me. I suppose you probably don't, but if you do... I want to help you. I'm gonna be staying on Capital Planet. Star Command's too... too empty now."

"Yeah, okay." She smiled. "Thanks, XR, I appreciate that." Just don't get underfoot, please. I don't need any more hassles.

"I'll—I'll protect you," XR added. "You're looking out for the Alliance, but someone needs to look out for you. That's what teammates do."

"Sure." Leaning forward, she patted his dome and got up. The bottle was on the counter where she left it, and she poured another glass. "Oh, XR," she sighed, taking a sip. "What are we going to do? How do we fix all this?"

Her friend's eyes returned to the floor. "Eh... who knows. We'll find a way though, won't we, Mira?"

"I don't know. I used to believe there was always a way out, but now..." What had happened to the beautiful, glorious days of fighting the bad guys, saving the day, and laughing about it all over milkshakes at Cosmo's? Less than two weeks before, that was the life she was living. It felt like it would never end. But everything ended eventually, and sometimes it happened faster than you could ever imagine.

"There's still Buzz..." said XR.

"Yeah. I guess." Please, Buzz, please help us.

"If... if we can defeat Zurg, what do you think will happen then?" XR asked.

"I dunno. Haven't really thought that far." Her laugh was hollow. "Gotta work on that defeating Zurg part first, y'know?"

"It won't be the same again, will it? I mean, the commander's gone, and... and everything's just a big mess."

Mira finished her drink and put the glass down. No more tonight, got work to do in the morning. "We'll sort it out. Somehow. The most important thing is that we get rid of Zurg."

"Any ideas?"

"Not yet." Guess the Raenoks are out now, so we're on our own. "But one thing we're not going to do is give up. We're Space Rangers." No nightmare of a desk job filled with red tape and panicky senators could ever change that. She was Ranger Mira Nova of Star Command.

"Yeah," XR nodded, looking less convinced. "Space Rangers."

Deep in Sector 18, located between two gas giants and a sizable asteroid belt, was the Humanitez colony. On its surface—amidst sandy cliffs, rocky beaches, and the bluest oceans that side of the quadrant—lay the Niguriz settlement, where colonists from Niguriz Prime lived out their new lives. It was a recent colony, founded when the homeworld decided it was time to expand their horizons as all space-faring societies did eventually. They were still a young people, primitive compared to many of their fellow Alliance members, but with an eagerness and enthusiasm that some of the older civilisations had lost. The colonists weren't refugees of any sort, escaping from some miserable background. They were delighted explorers venturing forth into the unknown, searching for new wonders.

Karoi had been too young to think about any of that when she'd left Niguriz, of course. It had been her family's choice to start a new life in the stars, not hers, but she'd never had any cause to feel bitter about it. She loved this beautiful world, where you were always in walking distance of the shore and could dangle your feet in the water or spear fish for supper.

Her only cause for complaint was that her mother still didn't let her explore the crumbling cliffs on the south shore or stray too far from home, even now that she was almost old enough to be brought before the employment council and assigned her first community tasks. But that one restriction was all that marred the otherwise wonderful life Humanitez offered. She could spend hours in the glades around the town, sinking into mossy hollows with a datapad in hand, reading about far off worlds while a breeze carried the salty smells of the sea to her nostrils. So much better than the boring cities on Niguriz that she only half-remembered.

She was in one of the shaded glades that morning, resting her head on an algal rock and scrolling through the text on her pad. It was a novel about the Space Ranger Corps, following the adventures of a fictional team as they battled evil. She'd never seen a Space Ranger, but she'd heard lots of stories about them. They'd even saved the colony once, when a sickness was sweeping through the townspeople and the medical ship sent to help them had been attacked by Zurg. Team Lightyear—the Team Lightyear—had stopped Zurg and escorted the ship safely to the colony. She wished the Rangers had set foot on the surface so she could've seen them. It would've been the best day of her life.

Maybe they'd come again some time. She'd asked her mother that very morning if the Space Rangers were likely to visit again soon, but her mother had just told her to be quiet. It was strange. Her mother wasn't usually so short-tempered, even when she was busy with work. And her fathers had been acting different too. One of them had been talking earnestly to her mother about something, wearing a frown on a face that was normally all smiles. He'd fallen silent as soon as Karoi had walked by. When she'd asked what they were talking about, they'd just replied that it was nothing important. She was sure she'd heard them mention the name Zurg, though. And then there was her other father, so serious and distant, who'd suddenly taken to hugging her and telling her with tears in his eyes that he'd make sure nothing ever happened to her. She didn't understand it

Had something happened in the last few days? Something they weren't telling her? Whatever it was, it was affecting the other grown-ups too. They all walked about like ghosts, never laughing or waving hello to her as she ran through the town on some misadventure. And she'd noticed that her parents never turned on the news anymore.

I'm sure it won't last, whatever it is, she decided. So there was no point in worrying about it. Instead, she'd just keep reading about Space Rangers and aliens and space pirates and all the other wonderful things that existed in the world of fiction.

Humanitez was a lonely, out of the way planet which didn't get many visitors. Karoi had reluctantly accepted that she was unlikely to see many offworlders until she was old enough to go on trips outside the solar system. Space travel was something she never doubted for a moment she would get to do, of course. In fact, when it was her turn at the employment council, she was going to ask for an apprenticeship with Pilotmaster Jeron. Maybe she'd be flying ships amongst the stars all by herself one day!

So, since it was such an isolated planet, she was totally unprepared for the sight of a dozen—no, more than a dozen—aliens of various species emerging from the thick undergrowth around the glade. The datapad dropped from her hands and she scrambled to her feet.

One man strode forward, possessing the air of a leader. He was a recognisable species—human—and had the hardest eyes she'd ever seen. An odd thought occurred to her—he looked a bit like Captain Buzz Lightyear. More than a bit, actually, if you ignored the beard. His space armour was no Ranger suit, however, and she felt that Buzz Lightyear would have a kinder face. Heroes always had gentle smiles and a twinkle in their eyes, didn't they? This man had neither and oh dear he was suddenly pointing a blaster at her.

"Kid," he said, jabbing her in the shoulder with the gun. "What's your name?"

"K-Karoi. I'm Diso Ur Karoi."

"How many people are in this town?"

She frowned. "I-I don't know, sir—it's a small town. It's, um, not as big as the one over the next hill. I can take you there, sir, if you like—my mother lets me go that far."

"You think I care where your mother lets you go?" He slammed the barrel of the gun against her cheek, and she stumbled down into the mossy dirt, blood dripping from her lips.

"Hey!" one of the other offworlders shouted. It was a girl, a few years older than Karoi, and human just like the man. She wondered for a moment if the girl was his daughter, because they shared the same dark-blue hair. "No one gets hurt, okay! She's just a kid!"

The man turned and looked at the girl the way one looked at an insect they were about to step on. "And so are you, so shut up. We're taking this town, one way or another."

"Doesn't mean we have to hurt anyone! There are other ways, you know!"

"Is that what he taught you?" The man laughed. "Guess you still haven't left behind all your Junior Ranger training yet."

"All I'm saying is—"

The man grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her forward. Karoi remained where she'd fallen, lying on her back and propping herself up with her hands as she stared up at the strangers. Who were they? She realised her heart was beating very fast.

"Kid, I like you. You've got style—you've got potential. I could use you, oh I could really use you in my plans. But you can't wimp out on me now." He thrust the blaster into her hands. "Here. Come on. This brat's not gonna be any use to us, and we can't risk her sounding the alarm. Get rid of her."

"What?!" The girl tried to shove the gun back to him. "No, I can't!"

"Yes," he ground his teeth together, "you can. It's easier than you think." He pushed up her arms, aiming the gun straight at Karoi.

I have to get out of here. I have to go find Mother and warn her! I need to get help! If only there were Space Rangers around, like there always were in stories when trouble arose. Karoi wanted to run, but the whole clearing was surrounded by these menacing strangers.

"I'm not going to do it!" the girl shouted.

The man smiled and leaned over her, lifting his finger to the trigger while she still held the gun. She struggled against him, trying to drop the weapon, but he kept it steady and pressed the trigger down. "Like I said, it's easy."

The recoil of the gun sent the older girl reeling back, but Karoi barely had time to notice this before she was knocked into the ground by the bolt and her chest burned, it burned so much...

Why aren't the Space Rangers here? Her eyes slid closed.

A/N: Another chapter without much action, but things are going to start heating up again soon. Poor XR is really going through a rough time. At least he still has his brother, and Mira (even if she's a bit short-tempered with him).

Evilyear continues to be awful, and in hindsight I feel a little bad about killing off that poor girl, but I did have fun doing a bit of quick world-building in that last scene. The Humanitez colony is mentioned in Super Nova, but we never learn anything about it so I was free to flesh it out as I pleased.

Thanks as always for your kind reviews!