William Boone was angry. Very, very angry. But if Boone was angry, Zo'or was outraged, and for once, Boone couldn't blame the Synod Leader.

Someone, a human named Fratelli, had stolen Ma'el's relic; the manuscript that held the key to the Taelon's...and humanity's...very survival. Without the relic, the Taelons would not be able to synthesize core energy, the substance of their lives. They would perish, and humanity with them.

Boone had arrived at the Embassy in response to an urgent summons from Da'an. The look in his mate's eyes, when he entered the audience chamber, made Boone's blood run cold before he'd even heard the news. But shock was soon replaced with anger. Anger at a Volunteer who would steal an item so vital to Taelon survival, anger at the individual who would purchase such an item, and anger at humanity in general for being so damn short-sighted.

Boone had known, through his Volunteers, that there was an active black market ring on the Mothership. Several of his people had infiltrated that group, just in case valuable weapons technology began taking detours to Jaridia; so Boone had them investigate Volunteer Fratelli's activities. They led to a certain art dealer, and a mysterious purchaser, whose modus operandi looked very familiar to the ex-policeman. "Damn", he muttered as he looked at the information on his global. "It's time a few people around here realized we are not playing games."

^^^^^
Liam Kincaid was striding down the corridors of the Mothership, headed for the nearest portal. Zo'or was in a rage over the theft of Ma'el's relic, and was threatening to destroy a major North American city in four hours if it wasn't returned, and Liam didn't have much time. He was not in the mood, therefore, to be stopped on his way into the portal room.

"Major Kincaid?"

"Yes, what is it?" Kincaid said, shortly.

"I'm Volunteer Bailey, sir. I have a message for you from Da'an." Kincaid sighed. Surely this could wait.

"What now?"

"Da'an would like for you to meet him in his quarters, as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Volunteer."

Kincaid switched directions, and headed down the corridor to the executive wing and Da'an's private rooms. He hoped that Da'an had something useful to say, and this was not one of his more philosophical moments. The protector did not have the time or the inclination for that.

Stopping outside Da'an's chambers, he activated the signal, and waited, impatiently rubbing the palm of his hand. The door opened, and Da'an stood inside, looking very serious.

"Come in, Major. Quickly"

Kincaid stepped in, and turned to look at the North American Companion. "What's this all about, Da'an."

"Major Kincaid, it is necessary that I use all available resources to find Ma'el's relic, and return it to the Mothership."

Kincaid sighed. So Da'an had merely called him in to indulge his tendency to state the obvious.

"I am aware of that Da'an. As a matter of fact, I was headed out to do just that when you stopped me."

Da'an fixed the young hybrid with a hard, intent look that reminded the protector who his employer was, and left no doubt that he had crossed the line. He was speaking to the North American Companion, a leader of the Taelon Synod, and it was expected that he would show respect.

"You must rid yourself of the notion, Major Kincaid, that you alone understand these situations. As a matter of point, I repeat that I will use all resources to recover the relic. A fact, you say, you are aware of. Yet you are amazingly unaware of the full nature of the resources available to me."

"I'm sorry, Da'an. What resources do you have?"

"I think he might be referring to me."

Liam Kincaid turned cautiously in the direction of the voice as a tall figure emerged through a doorway. The young protector caught his breath as he recognized the face of the man before him...the face of a man long believed dead.

"Liam, allow me to introduce you to William Boone," Da'an said, with a rather self-satisfied smile.

^^^^^

The two protectors portaled down to Earth from the Mothership in uneasy silence. Da'an had certainly made his wishes known: Liam was going to work with Boone, and Boone would be giving the orders. Kincaid felt as though he had been remanded into the care of a stern babysitter, which, in fact, he had.

"Okay, Commander. What's the plan? Or do I need to remind you, we don't have a whole lot of time."

"You don't need to remind me of anything, Kincaid. But I will remind you that this entire situation exists because your Resistance pals went meddling where they didn't belong. Now, you need to pay a visit to your pretty little art dealer, and see if you can put some pressure on her to reveal what she knows. It's possible she still has the relic."

"And just what will you be doing?" Liam asked, resentfully.

"Paying a visit to an old friend."

^^^^^
The man known as Augur was in the former Resistance headquarters, combing through records from the Mothership, and the previous work done on deciphering Ma'el's manuscript. Street had just left, and he was hoping to find information that would assist them in breaking the codes, information that would allow them to access Ma'el's research. This place wasn't as busy as it used to be, with only Liam and Renee Palmer using it on occasion, so when he heard the sound of the elevator, he didn't bother to look up.

"You should see this," he said. "Here it is, proof that the Taelons are less evolved now than they were 2000 years ago."

"Not less evolved. Less unified. There's a difference."

Augur spun around . There before him stood one he never thought he'd see again. The tall, auburn-haired police officer/Companion Protector/resistance fighter, was casually looking down at Augur, his familiar face unsmiling and serious.

"Boone! Boone, you're alive!"

"Observant as always. You see, Augur, the Taelons exist in a communal consciousness, the Commonality. When the Taelons are strong, with sufficient core energy, the Commonality is strong and unified. But when the core energy is weakened, the common consciousness is weakened as well. Just like when humans experience severe, prolonged physical stress resulting in psychological stress; we become weakened,fractured; we don't function at the height of our abilities. But...we don't evolve differently unless that change occurs over many generations. Two thousand years to a Taelon is not even one generation. They are not less evolved, but they are weakened."

"Hey, you've really become an expert on the Taelons, haven't you? I don't know how you got here; but well, all I can say is, it's great to have you back, fighting the good fight!"

William Boone moved in closer to the computer hacker and looked him in the eye. "I am fighting the good fight, Augur. I'm fighting to save humanity, and in order to save humanity we have to save the Taelons. And I am here to warn you that you are out of your league. It's time to stop playing these stupid games of yours."

The computer hacker was starting to become uneasy under the intensity of his former colleague's stare.

"I don't know what you mean..."

"You play these little games for your own ego, Augur, and you put others in jeopardy. First the virus that nearly killed Lili and Da'an, Da'an's separation from the Commonality, then the virtual glass theft, now this; and three out of four times I wind up cleaning up after you."

"The virtual glass...but that was....that was you?"

"Yeah. And at this moment, I wish I had left you in Zo'or's little chamber of horrors, implants and all. "

"Look, Boone, you've got it all wrong. I just wanted to find out about the synthesis of core energy so humanity could maybe have a little leverage. Then we could get our planet back, you know?"

"And Augur could make a tidy little profit on the side."

"Well, I mean, that's just good business."

"Just what I would expect.....from Jonathan Doors."

"Oh, hey. Now that hurts."

"Augur. This is not a game. This is not a scam. This is not even business. This is the very life and death of two species; theirs, and ours. The games stop here. Understood?"

"Okay, okay. But what makes you think humanity is at risk? The Taelons may need us..."

"...and we need them. Oh, come on Augur. Surely we're not so egotistical as to think that humanity can stand up against an advanced warrior race like the Jaridians without some advanced assistance of our own. Human determination is a wonderful thing, but in this case, it's not enough."

"But if the Taelons hadn't come here in the first place..."

"Oh, well, in that case we would have just postponed the inevitable. The Jaridians knew we were here. They've been watching us and sending nice green probes to research ways to kill us, remember? So..."

"Okay. Okay, maybe you're right...who knows? So what do I do?"

"Stay out of the way. And if that relic turns up, notify me or Liam Kincaid immediately."

Boone entered the elevator, and turned to look at the hacker, standing in his high tech room full of very expensive computers.

"Oh, and for your information, you've not even scratched the surface of the Taelon database. Do you really think a technologically advanced species can be hacked so easily? You're not as good as you sometimes think you are, Augur. Keep that in mind, and stay out of trouble for a change."

With that the elevator doors closed on a very alive, very determined William Boone.

^^^^^
Boone was coordinating information from a private room at the Washington Embassy. Liam Kincaid and Renee Palmer had tracked the relic back to Vera Rizzori, the art dealer, who had lined up a second buyer, quite probably Ronald Sandoval. Boone checked with his people on the Mothership, and Sandoval had not yet returned the relic to Zo'or. Boone was contemplating the nearing deadline, when his global beeped.

"Boone, it's Kincaid, we've located the relic. Sandoval's stashed it away, along with Augur and J. Street. He's using them to try to access it."

"What!"

"Yeah, we think he's trying to improve his powerbase, and give himself a hold over the Taelons."

"Where are Augur and the girl?"

"In an abandoned military base in North Carolina. Sandoval's crew is in charge. We got a message from Augur, and with their help on the inside, I think we can take care of the situation. The problem is getting in."

"Is the facility staffed by Volunteers?"

"Yeah, but they're Sandoval's goons."

"Not all of them. Some are my goons."

"Then you can get us in?"

"Absolutely."

Hiding under a truck manned by one of Boone's Volunteers, Liam and Renee Palmer slipped through security at the base, and portaled out with Augur, Street , the relic, and an entire half an hour to spare.

^^^^^^

William Boone was waiting for the North American Companion to conclude his business day. The night air was cool this evening and the protector pulled his jacket close as he walked in Da'an's garden, examining the plants in the waning light. Hearing footsteps on the path he turned, expecting to see the slight form of his Companion and mate, but instead found himself sharing the moonlit garden with a suddenly uncomfortable Liam Kincaid.

"Commander Boone. What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for Da'an, Major. You're working a little late, aren't you?"

"Well, you know how it is. Anytime anything interesting happens, you have a ton of forms to fill out. Had to step out for a breath of air."

"Yeah. I remember. Not a part of the job I miss alot."

"Too bad. I was just going to ask you if you wanted it back. The paperwork. Not the job."

"Are you sure about that, Kincaid?"

"About what?"

"The job. Are you sure you want this job?"

"Of course I do."

"Why? Because it puts you, the leader of the Resistance on the inside where you can find out how to get rid of the Taelons?"

"Look, if you're concerned about Da'an's safety..."

"No. I'm not. I just want to know what you're trying to accomplish here."

"This job puts me where I need to be to help humanity."

"Hmm. Yeah, but you know, that's not enough anymore, Major. And that's not why Da'an has risked himself all this time to protect you. There's more to it."

"More?"

"Yes. Let's consider relationships, Kincaid. The relationships between species: Kimera, Taelon, Jaridian, Human. Da'an tells me that the Kimera possess all of the memories of their parents. Is that true?"

"Yes, but I try not to indulge that trait very often."

"That would explain how someone of your background can be so narrowly human in approach. But, back to my point, humanity has to learn to live as members of a universal society now. We're not alone, and we never will be again. If we learn this, and find our place among the others, we'll survive. And maybe, with the right friends, grow."

"And you think the Taelons are the right friends?"

"I believe we have a common future, yes."

"And how do you think we get to that common future."

"We all stop what we're doing long enough to listen and understand."

"That goes two ways."

"Yes it does, Major. Yes it does."

A chilling wind caused both protectors to pull the collars up on their jackets as they stood in the uncomfortable silence.

"Well, I guess I should be going home."

"It was good to work with you again, Kincaid."

"Yeah, Augur filled me in on the Lazarus thing. It was good to work with you again, too, Commander."

"Maybe another time soon..."

William Boone held out his hand. With a half-smile, the younger protector clasped it in his own, a look of understanding passing between them. Turning back to the Embassy, Liam Kincaid thoughtfully made his way back down the path, passing Da'an on the way.

^^^^^
William Boone looked into the eyes of his beloved, and saw something new, something he had not seen there in quite a while: a spark of hope.

"Willam, do you and Major Kincaid truly believe that Miss Street may have the capacity to access the relic with a Taelon?"

"Yes, Da'an. But not just any Taelon. We have to keep this from Zo'or. You must be the one to open the relic with Miss Street. It is vital that you control the information on synthesizing core energy, for humanity and the Taelons."

"And how do you propose that we manage this?"

Gently taking the Taelon's hand in his, William Boone pressed Da'an's fingers against his cheek, and turning his face, softly caressed the palm of his mate's hand with his lips.

"We'll find a way, my Companion. We'll find a way."

Da'an tilted his head and slowly blinked his bright blue eyes. He turned his hand to meet his protector's palm, and with a quiet smile shared into his mate's mind a hope he had not felt in a very long time.

^^^^^
"You seem content, my Companion", William Boone chuckled, as he kissed the tips of his mate's fingers.

"I feel as though perhaps we are not doomed. There is potential for a future. Perhaps even the fulfillment of a dream."

"Then let's hope nothing happens to spoil the current mood," Boone smiled as he nuzzled his face in the palm of his Companion's hand.

"And just what is your current mood, William Boone?"

"Oh, I don't know. Let's just call it 'mad cow disease'."

"You have no intention of letting that one go, do you?"

"Not a chance."

*****

"He's been doing what?"

"Do not look at me in that way, William."

"Da'an, I can't believe this... do you mean to tell me that you have actually been giving away your own energy to Zo'or? Zo'or!"

"He is my child. I cannot allow him to suffer."

"He won't suffer, Da'an...he'll be forced to do what others have done and go into stasis."

"But, you do not understand. He is desperate."

Da'an stood on a low ramp in his audience chamber, looking out over the city. The gold of autumn was gradually giving way to the gray of winter, and as Boone agitatedly paced the floor behind his mate, he was beginning to feel as though the chill would penetrate into his very soul.

"The situation is desperate, Da'an, and Zo'or is no more desperate than any other Taelon. He's just plain afraid to do what has to be done."

"He is my child..."

Da'an's slowly lowered himself to sit on the ramp, and his voice held a plaintive edge that Boone had never heard there before. Coming up the ramp, he stopped by his Companion. Sitting down, he passed an arm around the Taelon's waist and pulled him in to lean against him. Together they looked out at the monuments that dotted the skyline.

"I have always found much comfort in the beauty of these structures", Da'an mused.

"They represent freedom."

"Yes. I suppose, to humanity, freedom must now mean the end of the Taelons."

"Not necessarily. But only if they find a Taelon in leadership who will understand. And Zo'or is not that Taelon."

"Boone..."

"No, Da'an. You must listen. An equal partnership between our species is necessary if we are to survive, you know this. You've always been willing to make whatever sacrifice was necessary to see this vision through,with one exception... Zo'or. You've run out of time, Da'an. You have to stop worrying about Zo'or and start thinking of your duty to your species, and mine."

"But.."

"Da'an. Zo'or has to go into stasis. He is the biggest barrier we have right now to a Taelon/Human understanding. With him in stasis, you can begin to repair the damage that's been done, and elicit human help."

"It is most difficult..."

"I know it is, my love. But it is most necessary."

"And where does one find the strength?"

"Keep your eyes on the vision, Da'an, and be the leader you know you have to be. And when the times get rough, lean on me as you are right now. I won't fail you...this I promise."