A/N: I hate my life. Bad for me, but good for you guys because it makes me want to type my fic.

prin69: glad to know I can at least make SOMEBODY happy! don't jump to conclusions about Terla... but do keep in mind that when I get pissed I have a bad habit of killing random characters... glad you liked Nemay's last line in chap10. no, I don't write good dialogue, really. I think it slows my chapters down WAY too much.

Iara: like the tv show? :blushes: no way I'm that good! Thanx!

Vee017: okay, I guess I'll update since it makes you so happy! what room are you trying to fix?

Fox of the Nova: it's not really like watching episodes! I'm not that good! :blushes: thanx so much!

Chapter 13

"This... has got... to be... your... craziest... idea... yet," Harper panted, attempting to catch his breath as Gaheris paused.

"You haven't even seen any of my crazy ideas. I left them all behind in the other universe."

The two were crawling through the conduits lining the walls. Harper didn't have to remind himself that Magog were only separated from him by an inch of metal on either side. Rhade moved silent as a ghost, but Harper's tools clunked and clanked every time he moved.

"Would you try not to make so much noise?" Gaheris requested, moving on on his hands and knees.

"Sure, easy for you to say, Rhade. You had years of SpecOps training."

"But you grew up on Earth," Gaheris countered. "Lose some of the extranious tools and you'll move quieter."

Harper complied, anxious to cause the least noise possible. "How much farther?"

"We're here," Gaheris answered, and was suddenly lost from Harper's sight as he jumped down.

"Wait for me!" Harper scrambled and nearly fell out the opening.

"Who're you!" came a shout from behind a wall of forcelances.

"Gaheris Rhade and Seamus Harper!" Gaheris yelled back.

The forcelances lowered after a barked command from a woman with green hair. The Inari saluted. "Sorry sir. Winter Sharn, at your service."

"Who are you all?" Harper asked, looking around at the ragged bunch.

"The surviving slipfighter pilots," Winter responded.

"Do you have an operable slipfighter we can use?" Harper asked. "It's really important."

"Nuria's suffered the least damage," Winter said. She led Gaheris and Harper over to a slipfighter.

The pilot, a blonde Nietzschean woman, sat cross-legged on the floor next to it. Her gaze was blank and hollow.

"Nuria, we need your slipfighter," Winter said softly.

Gaheris's eyes widened. Nuria Fatima, out of Sierra by Tallis looked completely different from when he had last seen her before the battle.

Her gaze still blank and hollow, she walked away.

"What happened to her?" Gaheris asked as Harper went under the slipfighter to attach the missile.

Winter shook her head. "I don't know. She hasn't said a word since we landed." She motioned with her head. "You'd better get in the cockpit."

Gaheris climbed in and put the headset on. "Harper, are you there?"

"Yah!" Below, Harper jumped when he heard the voice. "Rhade, are you ready?"

"Is the missile loaded?" Gaheris snapped the harness around him.

"Yeah."

"Open the hanger doors," Gaheris ordered.

"Wait!" Harper cried. "We have to get out of here!" The hanger doors were melted shut, so Harper led a mass exodus into the conduits. "Now I'll open the doors."

The air was sucked out into the vacuum beyond, and Gaheris ignited the engines and zoomed into space.

Preview of Chap14: Jade and Nemay agree to help Gaheris