Location: Prexus Space Station – In Orbit around Prexus Prime

Time: 2000 Hours

Date: February 7, 2234

"This is USCM Battlecruiser Tartoga requesting permission to dock," asked Xandros over his headset. Xandros the artificial life form, or android, checked over his instruments and set the cryo-tubes housing the 16 remaining marines to post-operation conditions, effectively prepping the tubes to wake the marines.

"Battlecrusier Tartoga, this is Prexus docking command. Please proceed to heading 254 mark 3 and commence your docking procedures. Welcome back to Prexus Command," a voice came over Xandros's headset.

Sgt. Winters was first out of his tube. He sat up and looked down the row at his fellow marines, resting peacefully. He let a sign escape his lips, climbed out of the tube and let a yell escape his lips. "Time to rise and shine boys and girls!"

The marines slowly regained conciousness and looked at the Sgt. clad in his USCM underwear and t-shirt. "Good morning, glad to see everyone had a good rest. Before leaving Earth orbit, Lt. Green informed me that we are going to have a two week pass. I suggest you take this time and have a little fun; because as soon as that pass is over we are going to be re-assigned. That is all," Winters said.

The marines hobbled out of their tubes and to their lockers, where they donned civilian attire and headed towards the airlock. The ship had been docked for only 30 minutes when the marines headed onto the station and towards the entertainment decks.

Lt. Green stayed onboard the ship and waited patiently for the station commander and his team of scientists to take the cargo off of his hands. Few knew what the cargo contained, but Green knew. It was the body of one Major "Dutch" Schaeffer. Within 20 minutes, the station commander showed up.

"Commander Green, glad to see you in one piece. I see that you have retrived the cargo. I am very pleased, and so are the higher ups. I want to congratulate you on a job well done. While you were gone, orders from division were sent reassigning your ship and men to my command," stated the commander all at once.

"Yes sir. Very good," the Lt. said as he saluted.

The commander motioned towards the scientists to begin carting the container away. The commander stared at the Lt. for a moment and then turned and began heading for the airlock. As he walked he began to wonder if this major would be of any use. He had already used manpower that couldn't be expended in his 'rescue'.

Location: Prexus Space Station – Medical Laboratory 2

Time: 0130 Hours

Date: February 10. 2234

Dutch opened his eyes. The lights were off in the room so it was easy to adjust. He felt himself hooked up to multiple machines and an IV in his arm. It was a success. The experiment worked, he would be free man. He was elated until he saw an unfamiliar device start up.

The body scanner started to descend from the ceiling to begin its routine scan of the subject's body. The doctors had set up periodic tests throughout the day to track the progress of the subject's body regeneration. After a couple hundred years of cyro sleep the Majors body had began to deteriorate the muscles.

The Major, startled, yanked the wires out of his arms, spraying blood as he did so, and jumped out of his bed. As soon as he landed on the floor, an alarm klaxon went off. The Major sprinted for what he thought was the door, however he couldn't operate it. He looked around the room panicked, looking for somewhere to hide.

The sentry on duty heard the klaxon go off and quickly dispatched three colonial marines to med lab 2. The first marine approached the door, and on the keypad adjacent keyed in the code to shut off the klaxon. The soldier cued the intercom to the room:

"Intruder. This is a secure laboratory. We have orders to shoot anyone found in this area. Come out with your hands up."

Dutch, meanwhile, listened to the soldier as he took up position on the wall next to the door. 'Easier said than done' he thought. The door opened and the marine started to slowly enter the room, scaning it for signs of the intruder. The marine started into the room, gun first when the gun was retched out of his hands and thrown across the room. Dutch leaped out from behind the wall and quickly got behind the marine, effectively using him as a body shield.

Dutch took a quick double take, looking at the strange men in uniform. "Where am I?" he demanded, but when he received no answer, he threw the man towards his comrades, distracting them and then running at them. He bowled over the first of the trio, kicked the second in the groin and finally sent the third (the one he threw) into the wall with a thud. 'What the fuck is going on?' he thought. Without thinking twice, he picked up one of the pulse rifles, which sent a shock throughout his body, while yelling 'Colonial identification not recognized'. The floor got closer to his face as he passed out from the shock.