"We should be at the 2nd year memorial honoring Buzz Lightyear." Milky whined leaning against the dark wall of a spacecraft. "Not here infiltrating a Zurg classed dreadnought."
"Annnnd lose out on foiling the emperor's plan on taking home a prized egg, Milky?" Milky's friend, Raptor, asked, glaring toward the small human.
"It's a Opaaun egg, twice our size, Raptor!" Milky said, stretching his arms out as Raptor made the entrance. "And there's a very good reason Space Rangers don't deal with them."
"Because they were all cowards." Raptor replied, simply, then flew in.
"Buzz Lightyear didn't do this, either." Milky pointed out.
"Again, coward." Raptor said as Milky followed. "He wasn't a coward and if you weren't interested, then why are you here?"
"To make sure that you don't get yourself killed." Milky said.
"And you are going to get yourself killed," Barlos said, aiming a laser blaster at one of the cadet's heads. "Cadets."
"First one to the dragon egg is a Space Ranger!" Raptor announced.
Raptor fired back at the approaching mercenary, giving cover for Milky to fly, then followed suit. Raptor spun in circles with a laugh catching up to his human friend, spinning himself in a wheel form, then flying on as the mercenary fired back. The cadets flew into a room, waiting for the mercenary to pass by, then turned around and spotted the emperor playing with a Woody Pride toy and a Buzz Lightyear toy making sound effects waving them in the air. Woody was in a made for toy space suit, that flew as per coordinates, Zurg's gleeful laughter echoing in the air, disturbing the two cadets, the emperor shook a sauropod in the air decorated in quills above the cowboy then crashed it upon the toy knocking him down and used a toy troll to kick the cowboy aside.
The cadets made a bolt for it from the play room seeking for the room with the dragon egg.
"Milky Weight to Star Command, HELP!" Milky cried. "We're leaving the Dracon Beacon system aboard Zurg's spacecraft!"
"We don't need help!" Raptor hissed in a whisper back.
"Yes, we do," Milky said. "We're over our heads!"
"What are they gonna send?" Raptor shot back. "Ty and his trusty robot?" he glared back at his companion. "Ovus and Garee?"
"A rescue team." Milky replied as they heard laser blast firing from Barlos Methane. "We're gonna need-"
Raptor's wings were struck unexpectedly then proceeded to fall.
"GET THE DRAGON EGG!"
Milky looked on in horror then gulped down the fear, nodded, then flew out.
The memorial ceremony was going on as largely orchestrated a year ago, it was dark out on capital planet, one of Buzz Lightyear's very first interviews after getting the Gas Baron taken taken was playing regarding how he took down the thug, smug, confident, and satisfied, and the entire demeanor that belonged to a Space Ranger, recalling the people who helped him make the defeat. Videos of the Space Ranger working with civilians and cadets and Space Rangers alike to defeat a common enemy played in the background with Warp largely in the background doing his part in making sure that Buzz was able to carry out the mission with ease.
Warp's eyes became teary eyed, smiling, watching one of the last mission that was on recorded, a snippet of it, Buzz catching him by the legs and shouting, "TO INFINITY . . . AND BEYOND!" leaving behind a exploding Zurg vessel. A comment that he once hated with every fiber of his being and despised. It had been two years since he had last heard the comment, two years since the Space Ranger made the report prior to the forty-two leaving the Star Cruiser bay, something that once made him smack his forehead against his helm when afar whenever Buzz uttered those words in his general air. He was a soldier with a very stupid, ridiculous, catch phrase. And yet, it made him love the Space Ranger even more.
He looked toward Mira and her girlfriend, Hyla, both of them were holding hands, their date night decided to be spent this way. Clips of his missions were playing with his personal logs speaking over them talking about the mission and gloating about the struggle.
"At the end of the day. . ."
Buzz landed beside Warp as the Space Ranger acknowledged this was a log that he hadn't heard.
"Fighting side by side. . ."
Warp showed off his muscles as Buzz's arm went over Warp's shoulder.
"I would do it all over again."
Buzz smiled.
"Never mind nearly losing, nearly winning, it's a good battle against the likes of evil. . ."
Warp saw the face of love on his friend directed at him.
"With a beloved partner that I could sacrifice myself for. No matter what's inside of his closet."
"Buzz. . ." Warp started to say, affectionately, yet fondly.
"Star Command to Warp Darkmatter!"
"Hyla, date night tomorrow?" Mira asked.
"Mmhhhm," Hyla stroked the young Tangean's features. "if you can deal it a perfect date set up."
"Whatever you have to surprise me." Mira planted a kiss on her girlfriend's lips, her arms set on the taller being's shoulder, quite lovingly, then parted from it. "See you tomorrow."
The forty-two flew through space at a comfortable lightspeed limit a hour after the event had concluded with Booster rewatching the entire ceremony wearing soundpods in his ears, getting teary eyed, having unable to attend it due to personal reasons that meant breaking prime directive rules of Star Command if telling about it. In fact, Warp didn't ask what he were doing after he had rounded about and picked him up from a area that was nearby the forbidden systems that hadn't achieved the power of space flight for longer than one day or hours. Warp let out a big yawn.
"Why don't you get some sleep in the cargo bay?" Booster asked.
"Not that tired." Warp declined.
"We've known you for two years in the field," Mira said. "I've never seen you yawn during flight."
"I have yawned plenty of times and none of you have reacted in the last year." Warp reminded the group.
"Actually, it is pretty late and it is the middle of the night." XR noted to the captain. "You're well deserved for thirty-five minutes worth of sleep."
"Not that long in terms of flight." Mira said. "The final destination is a couple hours away."
"Thirty-five minutes," Warp said then surveyed the crew. "If I sleep in for more than one hour, wake me up!"
"Yes, sir."
Warp went into the improvised bunk in the back of the ship after being
"It's not like we're going to hit a cadet in flight, so," Booster faced the back entrance, in sympathy, his voice soft. "why have Warp awake anyway?"
"And it is the post anniversary day," Mira added. "I can do this kind of tricking on anniversary days until getting my own command."
"I'm never getting a command!" XR exclaimed with his arms folded.
"Why not?" Booster asked as he looked upon his friend.
"I'm always going to be a rookie, always learning, and I'm happy about that."
There was a loud smack on the window then Booster turned back toward the window quickly.
"Cadet Raptor Chill!" Booster announced.
Mira reached a hand out then ghosted in the cadet dropping him to the floor.
"Sweet Phoenix, thank you." Raptor said.
"Where's Milky Weight?" Mira asked, her arms folded, looking down upon Raptor.
"Aboard Zurg's ship." Raptor looked back at the window then back toward toward the crew, thankful. "I've been flying without aim for hours. Thanks for saving me!"
"Sit over there." Mira gestured toward a chair then directed XR to take her seat and she took the captain's chair. "And now time to make a personal log."
The emperor's ship came to a complete halt nearby a planet. The emperor gazed down toward the large egg resting on the pillow, cracking, waiting to hatch, just as his plan was to, time was on his side. There was a small civilization lurking on the planet below just about to make it into the speed of light field. They were quite according to preliminary scans, drone scans, and in person scans by the brain pods that determined what the civilization appeared. They were a merely one trillion people that had populated the local system, around gas planets, on moons, unable to fully reach the benefits of lightspeed at this very moment or seemed to be for that matter. They were like humans, except they had six fingers, had purple spots along their hairline, down their spine traveling down to their leg, and the back of their arm, as a suntanning member had displayed outside of their apartment out in the open set in the country.
The emperor selected his observance shuttle, capable of transforming into a tower, for the aesthetic, with multiple rooms, collapsible by sheer destruction combined by the determined team. Zurg pressed a button moving his belongings into a lone escape pod as a precaution then laughed.
"Mark my words, you will discover, that, dragons, are very real, puny beings!" Zurg announced above the world.
He looked down toward the large egg.
"As babies, very tiny." Zurg shrugged. "The momma and the papa that I stole will do."
The emperor laughed, evil, then clenched his hands.
"And a cadet will see what a Space Ranger faces against a emperor like me!" He looked toward the security camera provided by a grub displaying the injured cadet in a cell. "Think it's cool to intrude on egg stealing?"
He turned away lowering his hands then folded his arms.
"THIEVING RULES; IMMATURE CADETS DO NOT INTRUDE ON A EMPEROR, IT's THE LAW!"
then he shook his hands and set his hands on his hips.
"Nooo, not a errand run, merely a duty that has to be personally done!" Zurg finished.
The forty-two landed to a planet that was suffering the direct effects of a series of dragons attacking over the course of a few hours killing countless people and leaving a trail of destruction behind. Booster tossed out worms to a couple of lizards and the dragons crashed to the ground with a loud smash then sucked in the worms as the lizards fled on foot. And the attack was over like that as the Space Ranger threw worms at them, much to XR's bewilderment until seeing they had control collars, Mira and Warp were able to make it to the observational chamber where Zurg was held up with Milky Weight. The emperor saw the Space Rangers flying his way with angry looks on their faces so he put on sunglasses as did the grubs that were around him and Milky grew terrified as they came closer. A field of fire erupted but they pressed on through it shattering the glass window as he egg hatched. Mira caught upon the cadet's shoulders then flew away.
"Welcome to my observation chamber, Darkmatter! Like my powerful display of might?" Zurg aimed his blaster at the Space Ranger.
"THOSE creatures are endangered for a good reason, Zurg!" Warp announced.
"Because they're very expensive and worthy to make merchandise off?" Zurg asked.
"No, because of their wings!" Warp proceeded to fire. "You have violated the Galactic Alliance Treaty Packed Of Wildlife!"
Zurg made a get away to the nearest escape as Warp fired at him. The emperor sent back warning shots as the grubs boarded the servant model and flew off into the ship without him as the former double mole fired at him with a look of rage. The emperor boarded the second escape pod then Warp flung himself in crashing against the emperor Warp's fist met the emperor's helm, once, knocking him down. The emperor groaned, his optics glowing red, briefly blue, then the groaning ceased.
With a growl, Warp lifted the emperor's figure up then delivered gut punching shots, knocking him against the wall, another punch to the helm. The emperor's figure fell to the ground in a heap then Warp was hopping up and down on the crushed remains of the emperor, stomping on every part of him possible. Warp used his laser to destroy the android's form once and for all. With all that rage released, the Space Ranger withdrew and all that was left of him was merely the article of clothing that had been worn, and then the door behind him opened, no longer planet side, but aboard the emperor's spacecraft.
"Ah. Finally."
From behind him, another Zurg came in behind him.
"AH HA!" Zurg pointed at him. "Got you!"
Warp turned around facing the emperor.
"Think I didn't come prepared in light of your complete hatred of me, Darkmatter? Think again!" The emperor laughed, sinister, he stretched his arms out. "I used wireless to transfer myself to this shell!" His evil laughter echoed as Warp stepped back firing back at the emperor who walked forward as if it didn't pose any significant danger. "I've been using dozens of these since your therapeutic destructive tendencies started."
Warp fired the laser aiming straight at the helm and the figure collapsed.
"I must admit, making work arounds, very evil, ever entertaining." the emperor's mood raised as Warp grew tense, sweat dripping down the side of his temple, the implications settling upon him on how many were made for this very instance. "you're more fun than Lightyear would ever be!"
Warp roared with revenge charging after Zurg, exchanged laser fire, got nasty burns on his armor, leaving scars on the walls of the dreadnought, the screams of utter rage from the Space Ranger caused Barlos Methane to take the first evacuation pod out with memories how she didn't make it out the last time that she were aboard and unexpectedly got trapped in the middle of a rampage of revenge that lead to the sheer destruction of that ship as well, and destroyed the entire ship but Zurg and the Grubs survived, anyway. Warp flew away back toward the surface of the planet controlling his rate of speed losing some control as he picked up speed and his wings broke apart while he were becoming a fireball. And damn, were he scared. It couldn't be the end. Warp refused to believe that it were.
Out of thin air, he were caught in the middle of his fall and swooped out of his suit that twisted, curled, all into a large ball, he looked up spotting Mira above him.
"Got ya." Mira said.
"You'll make a great captain." Warp said.
"Hmm, maybe." Mira said. "Still got a lot of learning to do."
"Are you saying this is too easy?" Warp looked over his shoulder toward her.
"And fun." Mira had a laugh.
"Oh boy. . . " Warp whistled as he turned his head away. "Wait until you make a parliament and give them all the power instead of the king. That's chaos and difficulty just waiting to happen."
"You're just making it sound even more appealing!"
"It shouldn't be appealing to you, chaos wisher!"
"Says the man who makes chaos for Nebula's birthday!"
And the two laughed as Mira flew back toward the forty-two.
It was nightfall when the cadets returned to their shared quarters, the mood sour between them, Milky looking at Raptor as if something didn't make any sense to him and there was a accusation decorated his features regarding someone that h widely believed to have known. Milky got on to the top bunk, then turned over, and fell asleep, without bothering to ask if he were correct. Including without bothering to change out of their academy uniform. The uniform was tailored for each cadet and built to be comfortable enough to rest in during a Academy Authorized mission just as a Space Ranger would have. Raptor sighed, knowing that day was going to come, and it was going to be soon. The cadet's personal comn came to life with a beep. The emperor's helmet appeared before Raptor's hazel eyes on the small screen as part of the communications system in their academy grade uniform.
"Raptor Chill, your actions were very vital today,"
"Yeah, yeah," Raptor shook his hand then glared at the android. "Am I gonna get my money or what?"
"The funds for your 'retirement' funds are neatly in place." Was the report.
"Okay, the next time you ask me to steal something for you to have fun on your former nemesis death day, make it not feature a dragon egg." Raptor required with a glare.
"Dragons are the epitome of evil, cadet." Zurg said, harshly. "But, thank you." His red optics softened. "It's much appreciated getting to fight somebody on that painful day."
"I'll be sending the merchandise out tonight to your grub."
"Payment will be waiting after that," Zurg said. "Zurg out."