Chapter 20

To Keep You Safe

The Diplo was obviously in for many surprises. Xeim had already given them a surprise of their life before bringing an unconscious Cliff to Anastasia in the sick bay. As soon as Mirage was transported back up to the Diplo, she was greeted by her subordinates formally. Maria was given an emotional and warm welcome by the rest of the crew as well.

"I'm glad we could meet again." Marietta said while giving a hug to her former captain. "I've tried to look for you all this time too!"

"Marietta..." said Maria with a slight frown on her face. "You don't know how great it feels to see everyone again. I'm sorry, I really didn't get a chance to visit you in all this time."

"..." Marietta was silent for a moment as she started thinking about her words. "No, I understand. The important thing is that you're here with us now. With you around, there's always going to be a lot more hope among everyone in Quark."

"And it seems like you've shown a lot of change in the past few years, Maria." Steeg replied with a gentle smirk on his face.

"It's been a while Steeg, you on the other hand haven't changed at all," Maria smiled back before she suddenly remembered something very important to her. "Oh, right. Poshus! I haven't checked on him lately." she said as Steeg and Marietta gave a confused look to each other. The others chuckled at their puzzled state.

Mirage stepped forward towards the upper deck of Diplo, "Clark. Have you seen where Xeim is?" she asked one of Quark's top officers of the science team who was taking a sip from the small water fountain in the corner.

Clark turned around to give an answer, "Captain, it's great to see you again! Xeim is currently in the sick bay with Anastasia, he mentioned it being part of your direct orders."

Mirage nodded and thanked him before heading for the sick bay. Once everyone had slowly assembled into the room, Mirage was eagerly waiting on what Anastasia had to say. Anastasia, among the newest members of Quark, joined the military organization of Klaus IV at a very young age after graduating from one of the most prestigious universities in Lazeria. Many described her as 'cheeky' which soon became a nickname with her closest friends because she wasn't built physically at all, her main strength lied in her scientific uses for medical capabilities which surpassed even the medical skills of Mirage.

"He's perfectly normal, there is nothing wrong with him. He has just suffered a mild concussion, no need to worry. We all know how quickly Cliff can recover." she said trying to comfort everyone around Cliff who was lying on a large stretcher in the room which looked more like a hospital bed.

"So it is without a doubt, Cliff..." Mirage said looking a little surprised. "And he's perfectly normal too. Then why...?"

"Let's not worry too much now," Steeg said trying to lighten up the mood. "You guys came back from a really tough job, take some rest and then we'll discuss our next course of action."

Maria agreed with Steeg's concern, "Yeah... I admit this isn't a good time to relax, but we need to take some time to settle down a little."

"Yes, you're right..." Mirage said as she started to head out of the room. She tried her best to brush away the storm of thoughts that filled her mind and was successful at doing so for the time being. "Well then, i'm going to jump in the shower for the meantime. You guys are free to do anything you like. We'll meet at the conference room once you're all ready."

"Roger, captain." Lieber, Steeg, and Marietta abided by their captain's order along with the rest of the comrades.

Each living quarter in the lower deck of the ship consisted of a quadrant for taking showers. It was only one of the few upgrades that made the Diplo not only the classiest, but the most durable ship of Klaus outside of the Klausian government's possession.

'The water feels cold today...' Mirage thought while stepping into her room's small quadrant. A lot of concerns ran through her mind as she leaned against the wall in the shower letting out a sigh of restlessness.

"Cliff... what's going on?" said Mirage to herself as the water trickled down her body slowly. "I just don't know what to do right now... I wonder what they will be doing now."

Suddenly she remembered Steeg and Maria's words earlier about taking time to relax and relieve herself of any stress. Those words were something she would hear everyday at the dojo as a student. It was also known as one of the most popular principles of Qigong. Thinking about all these things left Mirage to drift off into a small flashback of her time in Klaus.

------------------------

"Aaaahh!" young Mirage squealed as she fell to the floor flat on her back while trying keep up with her opponent.

"Aw c'mon, what's the matter, little fox? Running out of breath already! Haha!" the opponent taunted as the other students laughed watching on the duel.

Mirage was only 15, the yougest student to have ever stepped into the Jingu school when she was 11 four years ago. It was not of her own will that she wanted to attend the school, Dan Koas had a lot of insisting and pushing to do before she would finally agree to become a full fledged student at the dojo.

"Grrrr! Shut up!" a belligerent Mirage filled with rage got back onto her feet before running towards her opponent to strike head on. But as she got closer and closer to her opponent, she felt her momentum suddenly fall apart. Her right foot extended too far at one point where she pulled her hamstring and was cut short by the opponent with a backdrop before she could thrust her fist forward. The others laughed more in amusement.

"I guess the fun's over!" her opponent chuckled till no end while raising both his arms in victory mockingly.

At the end of class, once everyone had left the dojo, Dan was taking care of his beloved daughter patching up her bruises. Mirage was settled on the small bench beside Dan's medical box set.

"How's that leg, Mirage? I hope it feels better now." spoke Dan as he looked down at her thigh which was swelling bright pink from pain.

Mirage answered back furiously, "Oh i'm alright. Of course I am, I just got beaten like a ragdoll by a high-class Jujutsu trainee expert seven years older than me. What else could feel better!"

"Mirage, listen. I'm sorry about pushing you into this," Dan replied as slowly as he stopped for a second. "It was Lucia's wish. She desired you to become a strong, independent women so you could defend yourself against any threat which she herself couldn't do. That's the responsibility she left me."

"Mother...?" Mirage said calming down a little.

"Yes, you do remember what happened to your mother don't you?"

"Yeah... but you were always there for us, right father?"

"Of course i'd risk my life for you if it had to come down to that. But a time is going to come when you are going to have to do everything yourself, become a leader between people, and show a tough exterior."

"How will I ever do that?"

"It's quiet easy. All you have to do is remember the key mantra."

"What's that?"

"Don't let yourself be so hot-headed like the girl you are not. Keep yourself calm and relaxed in any situation, you're going to find yourself successful at every step. That's the key mantra. Calm and stay relaxed."

"...Oh! Um, okay. I'll... try."

"Why don't you try getting help from other new students who could use your help as well?"

"Who in this dojo would want to help me anyway? They're all so mean!"

Dan was stumped for a bit at Mirage's question, he had to admit not many were friendly to her. He did, however, remember one particular student. "Why don't you try that new student who just arrived two weeks ago. He's new and he seems to be struggling almost as much as you."

"You mean Cliff? But he's like 9 years older than me! He's going to make fun of me too..." Mirage complained with a sullen expression on her face.

"I'm sure he'll be glad to take help." answered Dan.

Mirage paused for a moment before speaking, "Well I suppose. He is one of the only students who's ever been nice to me... I guess i'll try asking him."

"That's the spirit!"

------------------------

Thinking back to those times always brought a new energy and confidence level into her heart everytime she would feel broken down, "I wonder how father has been handling the students at the dojo?" she asked herself. Mirage at this point was so relaxed into her thoughts while the water still ran down her lissome and gracefully slender figure that she fell into a deep slumber without noticing. The nap, however, didn't last long. Mirage was awoken by an incoming transmission on her communicator. She quickly stepped out of the quadrant to grab her compact communicator.

"Captain! Do you read me?" shouted Marietta.

"Marietta, what's wrong? " Mirage could notice the urgency in her voice

"I've just received a message from the Anastasia. She says Cliff has regained consciousness!" Marietta replied in a hesitant manner.

Mirage abruptly said, "I'll be there right away!"

Not wasting a single moment in her room, Mirage quickly undraped herself off the towel after drying herself and put herself back into her regular clothes. A turquoise-colored Quark leather jacket which went over her dark red sleeveless turtleneck, along with a dark colored tight pair of shorts. She then grabbed her Klausian battle boots along with her gauntlet before heading out of the room.

------------------------

The Diplo's conference room was the same it was four years ago. Almost nothing had changed. Mirage, Maria, Xeim, Lieber, Misty, and Welch were seated in the front seats of the room along with Cliff Fittir who was finally up surprisingly posing no threat this time. There were about four other Quark soldiers at each of the four exits of the room who were also present keeping an eye on Cliff.

"How are you feeling now, Cliff?" Mirage asked in slightly peaceful voice.

"Fine. Although I was expecting a slightly different question than that from you guys." Cliff muttered a little as he hung his head disappointingly.

"I think that's something for you to explain yourself. And I was more worried about your current conditions than the actions you've made in the past few days." Mirage replied slowly.

"Heh, you certainly haven't changed a bit Mirage..." Cliff slowly fell back into his seat planting a sad and forlorn expression on his face. "All right, i'll explain everything I know about what's been going on..."

"We would rest a lot easier if you did..." Maria gave a blunt response.

"What was the Alliance doing to you all this time, Cliff? Whatever were you trying to do?" Steeg asked curiously as he fixed his specs.

Cliff took a deep breath after clearing his throat, "First things first... let's make one thing clear. Commander Shin isn't the only one you're after if you're going to attempt to stop the Alliance. I hope you know that much."

"Because he leads the Outer Alliance team, right?" Welch asked.

"Uh huh, the Alliance is divided into three main branches: The Outer Alliance, The Inner Alliance, and The Direct Alliance. The Outer Alliance proceeds in fulfilling any orders proclaimed by the Inner Alliance commanders who reside in Vendeen." Cliff said in a monotonous voice.

"So... does that makes you part of the Outer Alliance team?" Lieber asked with a puzzled expression.

Cliff paused before giving his response, "I... wasn't really with the Alliance."

"Uh... what?" a surprised Marietta asked.

"What do you mean you were not with them?" Mirage asked bluntly.

Cliff shifted comfortably into his seat before speaking again, "I guess you guys know about the Vendeeni attack on the Eagle, right? Both ships were said to be missing after the assault, but that wasn't the case. We were instead captured by the Vendeeni who were with the Alliance along with the Outer Alliance commander, Shin."

"So that explains the mystery about you and Lancer 'vanishing'." Maria said as she brushed back her navy blue hair.

"So what did Shin want from you?" Steeg asked curiously expecting a quick and honest answer.

"Supposedly the Alliance wanted me to cooperate with them so they can get everything they need from the Pangalactic Federation, I suppose it was because of my popularity and physical capabilities. Not only that, but i've had experience at dealing with them before and they needed someone who can get to the Federation easily. At my obvious refusal, I was interrogated in one of the labs on Vendeen. After thinking that they had a hold of me, I agreed to their demands and went along with their orders. I'm guessing similar methods were used on hundreds of other life forms for other reasons who are now part of the Alliance."

"So is that why you were with them the whole time?" asked Xeim disappointingly.

Cliff shook his head while smiling cunningly, "Nope, that's not it. You guys know how used I am to interrogating, so of course I didn't fall for those chumps' demands... I simply joined them from my own will. See, me and Lancar had constantly heard about the Alliance on the Eagle. About how the Federation failed in their attempts to put a halt to the Alliance's terrorism and just how helpless everyone in the universe would soon become because of their actions. So when I was captured and they gave me the offer, I saw it as the biggest oppurtunity I or anyone from the Federation would ever have to find out more about these crooks. Even the top Federation fleets wouldn't have had a better chance than this."

"Just a second..." Maria shook her head impatiently. "So you were with them the whole time to investigate all you could about them!"

"It's just like I said... even though I was with the Alliance, I really never was." replied Cliff.

"Wait, that doesn't make sense," Mirage interrupted respectfully. "If you were not really cooperating with the Alliance, then why were you constantly trying to stop us?"

"That's simple. I couldn't just stand there and watch you go by, Shin would have layed a suspicious eye on me. I did hear about a Klausian crew trying to meddle in our affairs while in Kaddan, so I knew you guys were on your way." Cliff said looking as he turned his head towards Mirage. "When I first saw you guys during Kaddan I thought to myself that I could turn the tables there, but even if I did and try to secure the OPA instead, I wouldn't have stood a chance against the large pack of Alliance soldiers let alone Shin. The same thing happened in Vanguard, from there I knew I just couldn't stop sneaking around in the Alliance without having to pay for the cause. Besides, something inside me didn't want you guys to get involved in this... and it wanted me to keep you guys safe from the tragedy. I was hoping you would turn back home and leave the rest to me, but I of all people should have known that's not what you guys are like."

"You could have killed us, you oaf!" Welch yelled mindlessly.

"Settle down, kid. I know what I did may not have been the best decision, but I had no other choice. Of course, I did my best to make sure you guys didn't suffer any drastic injuries." Cliff replied calmly.

"I still think it was foolish of you to take such a big step like that without letting any of us know what you were up to all this time." Mirage said a little angrily.

Maria nodded to the captain's comments, "I couldn't agree any more..."

"Guys... i'm sorry..." Cliff whispered as he hung his head slowly.

The tough and hardened, yet charitable leader of Quark was lost in a mix of emotions. She was rather extremely depressed with what Cliff chose to do, but she knew it was a joyous occasion to have Cliff back with them. The others including Maria and Lieber shared the same feeling. Regardless of what happened in the past, the presence of Cliff could possibly turn the whole situation in Quark's favor in the friction between them and the Alliance.

"Cliff... it doesn't matter what has happened up until now..." Mirage said sitting up straight confidently. "I'm just glad you are safe and fine."

"Yes, this is a big surprise. You certainly had one over us Cliff." Steeg chimed in.

"Looks like we're not going to say goodbye to the good ol' days just yet!" said Lieber cheerfully.

"Come on guys... what are you trying to do? Make me blush!" Cliff laughed.

Maria simply sat in her position with another concern running through her head, "Cliff... do you know what happened to Lancar?"

"I tried contacting him once I got the chance, but there was no response. I don't know what they did with him. I could only pray that he's safe."

"Well, we found Cliff right?" the silent Misty finally spoke. "Then there's no reason we won't find this other gentleman either..."

"That's right, i'm sure we'll find him soon as well." said Marietta hopefully.

"So what's our next plan then?" asked Xeim while crossing his arms.

"Our best chance is to somehow make contact with the Inner Alliance on the planet of Vendeen. It's located in the Vendeen system which is heavily guarded at the moment. And about me... Shin and the others must have already laid their suspicions, so I guess there's no more use of pretending now. I don't think I can say the same for the guys in Vendeeni though." Cliff replied.

"Oh! That's right! I nearly forgot. The Federation is working on breaking through the Vendeen's defense shields currently, Commander Paulin had informed us of it while you guys were on Vanguard." Marieta announced aburptly.

"How do they plan on doing that?" Maria asked. "The Federation has already tried numerous times but failed in all their attempts."

"Let's just head for the Federation's space station for now. We'll figure out the details when we get there." said Mirage as she stood up to stretch her arms.

"Yeah, i'm not done explaining everything I've speculated about the Alliance yet either. I'll finish up once we arrive there." Cliff stated.

Mirage felt like she was in there forever. A lot of things were going through her head as she stepped out of the room. Mirage usually found Cliff to be careless and someone who has to be babysitted at times, but still dependable. But now she was now looking at Cliff with a new level of respect, one higher than she already had. It was most likely because of how he was able to survive from the clutch of the Alliance and how he was able to outwit them... for now atleast. Cliff had just stepped out of the room as the others started to head for the bridge.

"Ahhh, it's great to be back home!" Cliff yawned as he stepped out.

Mirage placed her hands on her waist in a strict fashion as she narrowed her eyes towards him, "You really should get your rest. I don't think you've recovered completely. We don't want you to get careless and take a fall again, now would we?"

"Hah, relax! You're talking about me here. You know I don't go down that easy." Cliff lifted his hand to point at himself while grinning the whole time.

"Yeah," Mirage nodded as she slowly planted a smile on her face. "That's just like you alright."

Maria, meanwhile, decided to take a stroll down the aisle on the lower deck near her quarter reliving her memories back when she was the commander of Diplo. She noticed her room was just like it was four years ago. The three seats near the entrance just across her a table where she used to drink coffee every morning after getting up, the large bunk in the corner of the room beside the computer screen, and the small shrub in the other corner of the room sitting on top of the desk. Maria began to lose herself in her thoughts as she looked around in her room.

"Maria!" a voice jolted her from behind who turned out to be the middle-aged suave gentleman with the nerdy glasses, Steeg.

"Steeg? What brings you here? I thought you were on the bridge..." Maria asked graciously.

"We still haven't taken off yet. Besides, Lieber is up there taking care of it all right now." Steeg replied grabbing his specs and wiping the foggy lens with his pale white coat. "It's funny, isn't it? We thought we'd be free from all the tough times we went through and live our lives normally again. Buuut... here we are, and it's only four years. So long, yet so short."

"It does feel odd to be back out here again after I promised myself long time ago that i'd never got involved in these conflicts again. I wanted to live just like a normal girl..." Maria sighed as they slowly walked into her quarter where she took a seat near her desk, "I figured it would probably keep me from moping around often as well." she chuckled.

"Well, it's like I said earlier... you, for one, seem to have changed quite a bit from the Maria I knew," Steeg mentioned as his eyes were drawn towards many intriguing objects in the room. "You seem more like the normal everyday girl I see back at Klaus."

"..." Maria was silent as if she didn't know how to respond to him.

"Anyway, so how's our little fro-... err Poshus doing?" Steeg asked as he cleared his throat.

Maria stood up and walked towards the corner of the room before kneeling down. "I kept him inside this little aquarium that I found in the hangar," she said as she looked towards Poshus who was constantly jumping up and down as if trying to escape. "Vanguard's humid conditions made it very sick earlier, so I fed him recently before dropping it into the aquarium. It seems to be getting better now that he's full of so much energy. I guess he likes the water more."

"Elopians are rather an interesting species, aren't they? I read a booklet on Edifice once, it's quite fascinating... i've always wanted to have one myself!" Steeg said as he looked at Poshus fascinatingly.

"Yeah..." Maria simply nodded as she spaced out while staring at her little pet. An idea suddenly struck her mind, "Hey, after we go back home why don't you take Poshus home with you!"

"What! Are you serious...?" Steeg shot her a look of confusion. "But he's your pet..."

Maria shook her head gently, "It's alright. I doubt i'd have the time to keep up with him once I get back home. And i'm sure you'd take much better care of him than me. To tell the truth, I hardly know much about pets!"

Steeg laughed slowly before answering, "Well then this is quite a surprise! I'll be glad to take your offer!"

------------------------

The bridge was almost empty. Lieber and Marietta were the only ones of the Quark members who were simply relaxed in their respectful positions waiting for their captain's orders to have the Diplo finally take off.

"Where's the capt'n? Aren't we getting a little late?" asked the youthful Quickdraw Lieber as he slowly tilted his head towards Marietta. "It's not like her to let us sit so idly for such a long time."

"I think she's been so busy talking to a certain close friend she's lost track of the time that has passed by, don't you think?" Marietta giggled.

Lieber shrugged in reply, "Can't blame her. You know how close they are and how long they've known each other... after all, she worried the most about Cliff out of all of us."

"You're right, but isn't it great we're back together like a family once again? First it was Cliff, then Maria, you really had us in for a surprise!" Marietta exclaimed vivaciously.

"It would be if only Lancar was here as well..." Lieber sighed as he slouched in his seat.

Marietta's eyes suddenly widened, "Lieber, that's a first! I thought if there was anyone who was glad to be away from Lancar, it would be you." she laughed.

"Well, yeah... those boring talks whenever he'd booze away always bugged me. Not only that, remember the time he got so drunk he started taking me as his young daughter? Man, I always wished he'd take his drinking seriously sometimes." Lieber said shaking his head. "Still, it just doesn't feel the same without him..."

"I know what you mean... let's just push forward and see what happens. We're bound to find him soon!" Marietta said trying to cheer up her friend.

"Yeah, I hope so too. Thanks, I like your optimistic attitude. You sound a lot like the capt'n when you say that, you know?"

Marietta blushed at his comment as she slowly looked away, "You really think i'm turning out to be just like Mirage? I think that's the first time anyone's ever said something like that to me!"

It wasn't long before Mirage, Cliff, Maria, and Steeg returned to the bridge before the Diplo's departure. Once they were ready to take off, they left the Vanguard system and headed for Federation Station #16 within the Alpha Sector pronto.

"Okay then... setting course for Federation Station #16 immediately!"