"We got a tip to check out something near the edge of the Alpha Quadrant." Nebula directed at a holographic set of images with Warp beside him.
"Something tells me that Zurg left a little present for us." Warp commented.
"Star Command can't assume," Nebula shifted toward the younger man then pointed the red laser pointer. "we're sending you to investigate it."
"And the team." Warp said.
"Solo mission." Nebula replied. "Your team is on shore leave, scheduled them that way, for today, because it's time."
"Solo mission?" Warp's brows rose then looked aside, looking back, rubbing his chin. "I haven't been on one of those apart from the Shiv Katall missions. . ."
"I think you're ready for this one," Nebula drew the younger man's attention. "it's relatively simple, harmless, whenever I send a ranger, they come back with random junk and we reverse engineer it."
"And?" Warp asked.
"We get the same result as he did," Nebula sheepishly shrugged. "testing out strange objects, seeing their purpose, their use, and defects."
"Basically, a errand." Warp clarified.
"It's a small errand." Nebula replied with a smile.
"Picking up trash, right." Warp said. "Time consuming finding all that trash, that'll take me days!"
"Remember, kid," The commander set his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "it's better than traffic."
"Yeah, yeah, it is." Warp agreed with some reluctance. "Just promise me this doesn't require a lot of paperwork."
"Just one, name, location, short description," Nebula listed then grew a broad grin. "don't have to write a essay about it or a entire book."
"Yes, sir." Warp said.
"And one more thing." He walked around the desk then returned. "Kid, Buzz wanted me to give you this."
"Is that. . ."
Warp took the box out of the commander's open hand.
"Since it's been long enough . . ." Nebula said as the box was opened. "thought now is the time." Warp looked up toward the older man. "He gave me it for safe keeping before the last mission."
"It's a key." Warp said, relaxing, losing all the terror, the tension, then back up in confusion.
"To a locker." Nebula said. "Yeah, locker first. Then errand. You have twenty-four hours, use them well."
"Have you looked-"
"Just a feeling is all I got." Nebula said.
Warp stared, skeptically, at the commander, then walked out of the room departing.
"Oh, and, Mr Animus wants to you to authorize Booster seeing him and carting him off to the planet of relaxation!"
"JUST ASK BOOSTER TO TAKE TIME OFF."
The door closed behind the young captain. Nebula rolled his eyes then typed into the comn, sent a prepared message for the captain about it, then closed the comn. He turned away then observed the paperwork for Cadet Raptor Chill and Milky Weight regarding their test scores. The commander smiled, fondly, rubbing his chin, nostalgic of times past of prior cadets who had that dynamic.
He looked toward the doorway of his office then back toward the school picture of them fighting in the same frame for the seat, tiny, the only usable one, the very last one, for the very last photograph, their hair distorted and unkempt. A padd beside the commander dinged then he picked it up and stared at it and smiled.
CAPTAIN WARP DARKMATTER'S AUTHORIZATION FOR DR ANIMUS: GRANTED.
It was nineteen hours after getting the mission that Warp arrived near to the edge of the alpha quadrant. Right where the trash was lingering, further apart, all in different directions. The unappealing trash lingering in space made it apparent that some of the trip would take the Star Cruiser forty-two just by the sheer distance between the furthest trash. He stared, exasperated, then parked the forty-two near a asteroid. He looked toward the large box that was set on the table, ready to be opened, ready to be investigated.
He reached out, then opened the wooden box, the lid made of gold, lined in green, his inner strength being summoned. He relaxed in his seat, it was a collection of holographic photographs that had movement, pieces of old times, pieces of the happiest days of his life. His hand trembled, pocking up a padd that read in times new roman, Buzz's preferred style of writing: the best partner I ever had. The last photograph of him and Buzz taken at Thanksgiving, Buzz roaring with laughter, Warp covered in mash potatoes and gravy after a criminal had intruded in the Lightyear forced Thanksgiving. In fact that was what who was in the photograph between them.
Warp tucked the box into a panel in his fairly large Space Ranger suit, specifically in the chassis. He flew out of the ship approaching the direction of the trash until spotting a strange abnormality across from him. His brows arose at once observing the unusual sight.
"Warp Darkmatter to Star Command, I have discovered a hole in the very fabric of space. Going in to investigate."
Warp flew toward the portal then paused in front of it, shocked, seeing himself, who bore the same expression with his comn panel open.
"Warp Darkmatter to Star Command," Warp continued the report then turned his attention toward his counterpart, who was speaking to his own comn. "there is a version of myself behind the portal with a mechanical arm."
Warp stared, his features turned to rage, glaring, back at his counterpart.
"And he's not a Space Ranger."
Warp reached out then tapped on his counterpart's chassis sending him flying with a smirk. And then there were hornets flying after him. He screamed out of fright, surprised. He moved with remarkable speed fleeing from the scene making it to the nearest asteroid. He fled into one of the holes and fired at the hornets that past by him falling down into the abyss of space. The Space Ranger was tense as he looked around, deactivating his wings, hiding within a hole.
"Warp Darkmatter to Star Command, I have been chased by hornets into the Jupiter 2 asteroid. Back up is requested. Warp Darkmatter out."
He peered out the hole then heard a tapping sound behind him and shifted toward the source who was smirking.
"Hi Ranger, I am Warp Darkmatter, your kidnapper this fine and very early morning." And behind him were several hornets waiting to fire at him.
Then Darkmatter applied a strange machine on to Warp's chassis that knocked him out cold.