By: Elizabeth
Author's note: If the formatting on either part looks weird, I couldn't get my text editor to work right.
STAR CRUISER 42:
Buzz looked out into the vastness of space, angry and frustrated that they had found no trace of the missing Mira. The atmosphere on 42's flight deck was tense. Booster was doing all he could to find any trace of Shuttle 10's flight path and even XR was unusually silent.
They had been searching for hours, but their efforts had been fruitless. Buzz looked at the time indicator on his console and frowned. It was almost time to report back to the Commander and Buzz had hoped there would be some good news to tell him. Pressing the button that activated the comm channel to Star Command, he sat back in his chair and waited for the Commander to answer.
Nebula's face appeared and he did not look happy.
"Any trace of her?" He asked.
Buzz shook his head. "No, sir. We've tried everything we can think of. Booster has been trying to see if he can increase the power to the energy detectors to track faded energy signatures, but so far he hasn't been able to."
"Yeah, well we have another problem." The Commander announced.
"Oh wonderful. How could this get any worse?" XR muttered.
"King Nova left the station about two hours ago and is now out looking for Mira too. He…uh…doesn't believe that we will be able to find his daughter." Nebula said.
"Of course. We're not Tangean and therefore we're lower life forms." The little robot said sarcastically.
The Commander frowned. "Buzz, he wanted me to order you back to the station. But I am not going to do that. I would feel better knowing that Cruiser 42 is out there, in case there is trouble. I'll expect you to contact me again in an hour."
"Roger, Commander. Lightyear out." Buzz pressed the comm button and the Commander's face disappeared from the screen.
"How does His Royal Uppityness think he's going to find Mira? I mean we've had no luck so far." XR said.
"XR, don't you remember that time Zurg transported Tangea into another dimension and we thought it was destroyed?" Booster said.
"Yeah, what about it."
"Remember Mira kept saying that felt her father's presence and you kept saying she was nuts…"
"Booster, would you hurry up and make a point. I'm beginning to rust here." The robot folded his metallic arms and glared at the Jo-adian.
"Well maybe he can do the same thing. Maybe he can find Mira that way, like she did him."
Buzz nodded in agreement. "I'm sure that's what he's thinking. And I'm willing to let him try."
ZURG VESSEL:
Grub ran through the main hallway of the large ship to Zurg's throne room. He found the evil emperor sitting in his throne, writing furiously, and laughing to himself.
"Um…sir…"
Zurg looked up and frowned. "What is it? Can't you see I am busy trying to think of fiendishly evil ways to dispose of Team Lightyear?"
"Yes s-sir. So sorry to interrupt, but we have detected a ship in our vicinity. It looks like a Tangean royal cruiser."
"Well go after it, you idiot! It'll be even more of a reason to lure Buzz Lightyear to me!" Zurg shouted.
The little Grub started to back away and nearly tripped over his own feet. "Yes s-sir. Right away, Emperor Zurg."
Zurg went back to his writing, chuckling to himself. "My horoscope said it was going to be a good day."
Mira sat on the plank that served as a cot and looked around the cell she had been thrown into. It was dimly lit and there were energy beams across the doorway, which served as bars. The Hornets had not removed the shackles and they limited her movement quite a bit. Her ankle was throbbing, her head was pounding, and she lay back on the plank.
"At least it's dark and quiet. Maybe I can get over this headache."
She heard movement outside of the brig, sat up, and watched as the doorway opened. She prepared for another verbal fencing match with Zurg, but her jaw dropped when she saw who was being led in.
"Father!" She cried. "What are you doing here?!"
King Nova glared at the two Hornets that yanked him to his daughter's cell. They disarmed the energy bars, pushed the Tangean in, and reactivated the beams.
"Are you all right, Father?" The young woman asked, noticing her father's wrists and ankles had been shackled like hers.
"Yes, yes. I'm fine." He answered. "But the question should be: Why are you here, young lady? You should be back at the station preparing to return to Tangea."
"Not this again!" Mira growled, her brows drawn together in frustration. "I don't want to go back to Tangea. I want to stay in Star Command. When are you going to stop treating me like a child?!"
Tangea's ruler frowned. "When you stop acting like one. Don't you think that running away was rather childish?"
"I wasn't running away. I was…uh…expressing my anger."
"Mira, I know you're upset about this, but once you get back on Tangea, you'll see that I'm right."
"Yeah right. That will never happen." The princess muttered. She turned away and laid down one the plank. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. My head is killing me."
STAR CRUISER 42:
"Yes, Commander. Lightyear out."
Buzz sighed heavily and turned in his seat. "No one has heard from King Nova's cruiser in hours."
"Do you think that he's run into some trouble?" Booster asked.
"Nah, I bet he's found Mira and both of them are livin' it up in that palace of his." XR said with a grin.
Lightyear frowned. "I don't know, Booster. But I have a bad feeling about this."
Suddenly the comm screen flashed on and the face of Evil Emperor Zurg appeared. A large "cat who just ate the canary" smile was plastered on his face.
"Ah, the source of Buzz's bad feeling." XR said.
"Lightyear, so what brings you out into the galaxy today? Cat stuck up in a tree?" Zurg laughed.
"Can it, Zurg. What do you want?" Buzz glared at the view screen.
"Oh not much. Just wanted to let you know that I am holding two members of the Tangean royal family prisoner. Have a nice day, Lightyear." The screen went blank.
The flight deck of 42 was silent except for the occasional beeping of the instruments. Buzz sat at his control panel, fists clenched, his face rigid with anger.
"Zurg has them." He growled.
"Buzz, are you sure this isn't some sort of con job?" XR asked, finally breaking the silence. "How do we know that Zurg has Mira and her father?"
"Because I know Zurg and if there is one thing he enjoys, it's gloating. He has them all right and we're going after them."
"It could be a trap. Zurg could be just trying to lure us to him." Booster argued.
"We'll just have to take that risk. Right now the only thing that matters is saving Mira and King Nova."
ZURG VESSEL:
"Mira! My dear, wake up!" Nova hissed urgently, shaking her gently.
"Wha…what? How long have I been out?" She sat up, a little disoriented.
"Not long. Someone is coming."
They heard the door to the brig open and several Hornets appeared. One of the metallic soldiers deactivated the energy bars and moved into the cell, followed by the others.
The princess struggled as two of the robots grabbed her arms and dragged her from the cell. She saw two others grab her father and the pair was forced out of the brig towards Zurg's throne room.
The enemy of the Alliance was standing near the doorway of the throne room, as if to greet them. "So nice to see you again, Princess. And welcome to you as well, King Nova. I am so glad you two could be part of the fun today."
"Zurg! This is an outrage! I demand you release us at once!" Nova cried.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but that just isn't possible." Zurg grinned wickedly. "You see, both of you are a vital part of my plan." He motioned for the Hornets to drag the Tangeans to a large platform. One of the nearby Grubs pressed a button on a control panel and metallic tubes snaked down from the ceiling. Standing on a hovering platform, a Grub connected the tubes to the prisoners' wrist shackles. Then he attached a tube with a sort of suction cup to the back their heads. The Grub at the control panel pressed another button and the panel came to life, lights flashing. Zurg stepped forward, rubbing his hands together.
"I'm sure you're wondering what this device is." He said, grinning devilishly. "I could explain it to you, but it would take it too long and keep me from what I enjoy doing the most. So I'll give you the short explanation. Basically, all I have to do is press this button and…"
Two red buttons were flashing on the control panel and Zurg pressed one of them. Mira's body went stiff and she screamed as if someone had set her on fire.
"…I get to torment one very bothersome Tangean ranger." The villain finished.
"Mira!" Nova cried out. "Zurg! Stop this! Leave her alone!"
The emperor released the button and the princess went limp, eyes closed, and trying to catch her breath.
"Wha-what was that?" The young woman managed to choke out.
"I just drained a portion of your energy. I am well aware that Tangeans have a special energy that allows them to "ghost" and sustains them. This wonderful device will drain that energy and use it to power the most devastating weapon in the galaxy."
"What weapon? What are you talking about, Zurg?"
"This weapon…" Zurg pressed another button on the control panel and a ray gun about the size of a shuttle appeared from a hatch in the floor. "It's impressive, isn't it. Only someone as evil as I am could come up with a weapon that will blow up entire planets."
He patted the side of the weapon with obvious pride not only in himself, but his creation. "And after I have destroyed a few planets, I am sure the Galactic Alliance will come begging on its knees and then I will rule the universe!"
Zurg turned to face his captives, grinning at them evilly. "Of course it will take all of your energy to power this thing up and that, I am afraid, will end your lives."
Suddenly an alarm beeped and one of the screens on a nearby console lit up. One of the little Grub helpers looked at it and turned to Zurg.
"Sir, there is a ship approaching. Looks like Star Cruiser 42."
"Ahhhh. I see Buzz Lightyear took the bait!" He laughed out loud. "What a good day I'm having! I get to take over the universe, kill the annoying Tangeans, and destroy Team Lightyear!"
King Nova looked over at his daughter, who was still trying to recover from the effects of Zurg's machine.
"Mira, what do we do?" He whispered.
"I-I don't know." Mira whispered back. "Buzz will figure out something. I know he will."
"But if they board the ship, they will be taken prisoner."
"Give them a little credit, Father. Everything will be okay."
"That was easy, Buzz." Booster said, gesturing at the pile of damaged Hornets.
"A little too easy, if you ask me. This is giving me a bad feeling." XR looked around warily.
"Keep your eyes peeled, team. Zurg is up to something." Lightyear said, his finger positioned on the control for his wrist laser. "C'mon."
The three rangers moved down the main hallway of Zurg's ship, encountering the occasional group of Hornets that were quickly dispatched. They quickly found Zurg's throne room.
"Be prepared to fire, team." Buzz whispered, pressing the button to open the doors.
The heavy metal doors moved apart and Team Lightyear jumped into the open doorway, hands positioned on their lasers. They looked around in shock, not seeing anyone or anything coming at them.
"Well that was a big letdown." XR muttered. "All that buildup and nothing. I was at least expecting cowering Grubs."
Buzz moved into the throne room cautiously, follow by Booster and XR. He looked around the dimly lit room, looking for any sign of Mira and her father. Suddenly the doors closed behind them and several Hornets appeared. A few Grubs crawled from their hiding places.
"Lightyear! What a pleasant surprise!" A voice said from above them.
The rangers looked up to see Zurg hovering above them on a small floating platform. He was grinning maniacally.
"Cut the pleasantries, Zurg. Where are Mira and her father?" Buzz glared at his enemy.
"Oh, they're here. I'm sure they would like to see you." Zurg gestured to one of the Grubs and the little bug-like alien pulled a lever. The platform that the two Tangeans were anchored to moved out of the shadows. The little platform Zurg was standing on floated to the floor and the emperor stepped off.
"Do you like it?" He asked. "It came out of the science department. It's amazing how those brain pods can turn one of my brilliant ideas into reality on an hour's notice."
"What is it? What are you up to, Zurg?" Buzz glared at his enemy, hand still positioned on his wrist laser.
"This, my dear Lightyear, is what is going to help me take over the galaxy. It's delightfully simple really. I drain the Tangeans of their energy, use it to power up my newest weapon, and then start blowing up planets from one side of the galaxy to the other using this…" He gestured towards the large ray gun that had emerged from its hatch.
"The alliance will surrender to keep any other planets for getting blown to smithereens and I will rule the galaxy!" He laughed boisterously. "Brilliant, huh?"
Zurg moved over the machine's control panel, his hand positioned above the two red flashing buttons.
"And now to rid myself of Buzz Lightyear!" He gestured to the Hornets, which had taken position around Team Lightyear. "Destroy them!"
Green laser beams from the Hornets whizzed past the rangers. Buzz slammed his hand down on his wrist laser and returned fire, taking out several Hornets. New robots took their positions, firing rapidly. Booster, using his strength, managed to turn several of the robotic soldiers into nothing more than scrap and XR, using his arsenal of weapons, fired at the soldiers.
"Buzz! Look out!" Mira screamed, as more of the Hornets advanced on Lightyear from behind. The ranger whirled around and fired, hitting several of the Hornets. Zurg shot the princess an angry look and took advantage of Lightyear being occupied. He slammed his hand down on the two buttons and the machine came to life. The Tangeans screamed in agony as the device did its work.
"Booster! Get them out of there!" Buzz yelled to the large red alien. The Jo-adian plowed his way through a group of Hornets, trying to reach the machine's platform. Several Grubs scurried out of the large alien's way as he reached Mira and her father.
"Get my father out of here!" The princess managed to cry out.
"Mira! No!" King Nova struggled against Booster, who ripped the tubes from the Tangean and pulled him from the machine. "Mira!"
Several of Zurg's metallic soldiers rushed the large alien and using his laser, Booster dispatched them quickly.
Having successfully fought off most of the Hornets that had kept him from helping to free the Tangeans, Buzz took aim at the machine's control panel and fired. The panel exploded, sending sparks everywhere, and the device shut down.
"Noooo!" Zurg bellowed.
Mira's body slumped forward, her eyes closed. Booster yanked her from the tubing and lifted her unconscious form into his arms. Continuing to fire, Buzz destroyed several more consoles in the throne room, sparks flying as the panels shorted out. Zurg managed to avoid the laser fire and the sparks, hopping onto his floating platform.
"Destroy them!" He boomed, but it was a fruitless command.
"Booster, you and XR get Mira and King Nova out of here! Start up 42! Go!" Lightyear ordered.
Holding Mira in one arm, Booster lifted the stunned king off his feet and carried the injured Tangeans out the doorway, XR following close behind. Buzz looked at the remains of Zurg's diabolical plan and robotic soldiers.
"Guess it's back to the drawing board, huh?" He said, smiling up at his enemy. He turned and ran, leaving Zurg seething with anger.
"Curse you, Buzz Lightyear!"
Cruiser 42 sped away from Zurg's vessel, the crew eager to put as much distance between it and them as possible.
Buzz walked back to the crew quarters, anxious to see how Mira and her father were doing. King Nova was sitting next to his daughter's unconscious form, holding her hand.
"Are you okay?" Lightyear asked.
"Yes, I'm fine." Nova said softly. He squeezed Mira's hand. "She hasn't woken up yet. Will she be all right?"
"We'll get her checked out in Med Lab, but I'm sure she'll be fine." Buzz tried to reassure worried man, but even he was uncertain as to whether Mira would recover. She had been attached to the machine longer than her father. "I…um…have to contact Star Command now. I'll make sure they have a medical team waiting to meet us when we arrive."
The king nodded and looked up at Lightyear. "Thank you."
He then turned his attention back to his daughter and Buzz left the two alone.
STAR COMMAND SPACE STATION:
Mira's eyes fluttered open and she looked around, slightly disoriented. Her whole body ached and she tried to move, but her body wouldn't cooperate.
"Father? Buzz?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Nova was at her side immediately, taking her hand in his. "I'm here, Mira."
"Am I back on the station?"
"Yes, dearest. You've been unconscious for a couple of days. Gave us all quite a scare." The king patted his daughter's hand. "But you'll be all right. The doctor said there will be no long term effects from the machine."
"Where's Buzz, Booster, and XR? Are they okay?" The young woman asked, looking for her friends.
"They're fine. They'll be in to see you in a little while."
Mira smiled a little. "I told you they would save us. I knew they would…"
The princess's voice trailed off, her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.
King Nova sat in the alone in the lounge, staring out the window at the stars and the planet below. He had been ordered politely by the doctor to take a break from his vigil at his daughter's beside and eat something. But he had been unable to eat and a plate of untouched cafeteria food sat nearby on the table.
Buzz walked into the lounge, saw Nova sitting alone, and walked up to him.
"Mind if I join you?" He asked.
"Huh…oh yes, yes." The Tangean looked at Lightyear briefly before turning his attention back to the stars. The two sat in silence for a few moments before Nova finally spoke. "Mira has always been fascinated by the stars. I used to always catch her out of her room after she had been put to bed, out on the balcony in the middle of the night, looking at them."
He sighed heavily. "My daughter is so much like her mother. I wish Mira could have known her, but she died not long after Mira was born. She had such a big heart. She loved to help people, loved seeing new places and things."
Buzz noticed the tears shining in Nova's eyes and he did not say a word. He just listened as the man continue to talk.
"She would've totally approved of Mira being in Star Command." He continued. "I'd bet anything that she would've joined if she could have. But she knew that her responsibilities lay in getting married and having children. I know there was so much she wanted to do and see. I guess in a way, Mira is doing that for her."
King Nova looked directly at Lightyear. "It is a highly known fact that I do not want Mira in Star Command. I don't like her putting herself in danger. I don't want to risk losing my daughter." He wiped his eyes with a handkerchief. "I lost my wife, I don't want to lose Mira too."
Things were silent for a moment and then Buzz spoke up. "Sir, I mean no disrespect, but I think you have a greater risk of losing your daughter if you force her to leave Star Command."
"I know. I'm beginning to see that now." He sighed and turned his attention back to the stars. The two men sat silent for a moment and then Tangea's ruler stood up. "I should go back to Med Lab. Mira could wake up at any time."
To Buzz's surprise, Nova stretched his hand out. Buzz grasped the man's hand and shook it.
"Thank you, Buzz. For everything."
Lightyear smiled. "Your welcome, sir."
The princess woke the second time to find her father sitting next to her bedside. He looked exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days. She shifted on the gurney, relieved to find that she could now move and the aching in her body had dulled quite a bit. Nova smiled at his daughter, grasping her hand and squeezing it.
"How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Better." She whispered. "I'm not as achy as I was earlier. Have you been here the whole time I was out?"
Nova nodded. "Most of it. I didn't want you to wake up and find yourself alone."
Mira smiled for a moment and then sadness suddenly swept across her face. She looked up at her father with tears shining in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Daddy. I'm sorry I worried all of you and put everyone in danger. I should've figured out some other way to handle my problem. I…"
"Hush now, dearest. I'm just as much to blame for all of this mess as anyone. I should have listened to you, daughter. We should have been able to work this out without anger and doing foolish things."
King Nova leaned over and cupped Mira's face in both of his hands. "I don't want to ever lose you. You mean more to me than anything, my daughter, even Tangea."
The princess smiled through her tears, unable to say anything.
"I realize now that this Star Command thing is important to you, but it's interfering…" He continued.
"Yes, it is important. I'm happy here. I make a difference here." Mira sighed, interrupting her father. "And you're wrong about it interfering with my duties as a princess and heir to the throne. I think it will help me be a better ruler when the time comes. Star Command has taught me how to defend what's important and helps me learn about the other worlds and cultures. I think these are good lessons for any ruler to know."
Nova nodded and then smiled
"I guess I was just looking at this all wrong." He brushed a few stray strands of Mira's fiery red hair from her forehead. "You're so much like your mother. Just as beautiful as she was and just as quick to point out when I'm wrong. She would have been proud of you."
"Really?"
He nodded. "Yes, just as proud of you as I am."
Mira grinned. "Does that mean I can stay in Star Command?"
"Yes, yes…" Nova smiled back. "Just as long as you come home every now and then for a visit."
"It's a deal!" The Princess threw her arms around her father. "Thank you, Daddy!"
King Nova wrapped his arms around Mira, hugging his daughter close. Buzz stood at the glass partition, watching the father and daughter hug.
"Welcome back, Ranger Nova." He said with a smile. "Welcome back."
END