Buzz got an apartment on Richtus and found a job with little trouble, easy. His primary job meant stealing things back for others at the expense of being shot at. And another job that meant picking up litter with his walking stick then shoving it into the trash bag wearing gloves. His old career, romance novels, Space Ranger duties, Star Command Resistance Commander, all were noble things.

With a broken heart, he couldn't find a reason to write romance. He kept his profile very low, just the way that he liked it, out of the way of combat, out of the way of headache, pain, and distress with the prospect of losing at something against the insufferable Evil Emperor. He found that he missed the hood so he bought a new hood, tight, nice fitting, comfortable.

A hand tapped on his shoulder one day then he jumped, and turned, performed several karate chops, then out of sheer habit aimed for his wrist laser aimi-Buzz's right shoulder ached, the pain as sharp as before, then lowered his arm and rubbed it.

"That bad arm is wicked."

"Hitting me in the face every day for ignoring it for a decade!"

"What about in the cold?"

"Beats me up every time stretching out."

"Let me fix that."

"OW!"

"Good as new!"

"It hurts!"

"Stretch your arm out."

"Oh. . ."

"Ta da!"

"No sharp pain." He looked up toward the red head who's hair was in the process of growing back and had a large birth mark. "What did you do to my arm?"

"I straightened it out, Commander Lightyear." The red head saluted him as a young woman awaited behind him scanning the sky.

"Who are you?" Buzz asked, lifting a brow.

"Justice Everest the Third, at your service." Justice saluted the ex-Space Ranger then lowered his hand with a laugh and held his hand out then Buzz took out and shook his hand. "We met seven years ago."

"We have not." Buzz squinted back at the young man who was roughly his height. "A guy like you would be memorable."

"From my perspective, we have, from yours. . ." Justice snickered before adding. "not yet."

"Time travel!" Buzz's head bobbed up.

"Affirmative, sir." Justice nodded.

"How did we meet?" Buzz asked.

"You saved me from being killed on a Monday by Zurg in a blue spacesuit, hell, it was impressive, doing it without giving a hint, at least I think it were you, that's what your husband said, and you saved everyone!" he stretched his arms out then laughed. 'You kept your identity secret until recently along with your partner's identity!"

"A number of them joined the resistance." The woman approached the group.

"This is my friend Eloise." Justice gestured toward the taller woman, easily had to be six feet, muscular, bearing a grin. "Eloise, Buzz Lightyear."

"Happy to meet you, Eloise." He turned toward the young woman from across with a smile then it faded and his brows furrowed together. "Did we meet during the dark days?"

"We did not." Eloise said, shaking her head, her arms folded.

"She used to be a Ranger back in the day before you left." Justice pointed toward Eloise. "She faked her death, since she assumed that's what you did and decided to do what you would do if you hadn't really given up."

"No one outside of the resistance blamed you for leaving." Eloise assured the older ex-Space Ranger.

"I kept telling her that you didn't, the whole thing, the entire story," Justice folded his arms as he walked away then stretched them out. "But nooo!" he looked up toward the calm blue sky and shook his head then turned and glared back at Eloise. "she didn't believe either of us until the newspaper article was published!"

"Why are you here?" Buzz asked, curious, leaning forward for a moment then back. "It's nice to meet you, but, can't be here for a small 'you'll meet us later'."

"To give you this to save my life and to find my good friend." Justice handed a device over to the ex-Space Ranger. "And to save Ballis Prime. . " Justice was grinning, heartbroken, but content. "Can't save my dads, but, the people of Ballis Prime. . . they can be saved." Buzz looked up toward him, apologetic. "Made peace with that."

"Sounds like we chase him off Ballis Prime," Buzz noted.

"Yeah, and you keep complaining about your arm in the future." Eloise twirled her finger at the corrected arm as Buzz's features faltered. "Sounds like chronic pain which makes sense why you barely go out into the field after that."

"Oooh. Hmmm. It's a high cost, a reminder, that not everything is right outside of the body, of what bitter failure tastes like."

"Whatever floats your ship, Commander." Eloise said as she pointed toward him then set her hand on his shoulder. "You went somewhere an hour ago with your husband, said something about going back home thrice," Buzz began to grin. "technically."

"Thank you," Buzz said then looked back and forth as he began to laugh. "Both of you."

"Excuse us, we have some other missions to do," Eloise said as she began to walk away turning her back toward him. "We got a new lead."

"Turned up out of nowhere a few weeks ago." Justice confessed as he walked backwards, continuing to talk, folding his arms. "Honestly, really helpful, sabotaging and messing things up just enough for the resistance to take care of it afterwards. We've dealt with numerous missions featuring some rookies and cadets."

Van Selling, Eloise, and Justice, and Star Command Resistance, together, they could take down the Evil Emperor. Even when he wasn't a Space Ranger; from the sidelines, he was making things right by doing what he should have done. Put together the resistance and let the Space Rangers handle it from there. The duo turned away then flew off. It was going to be okay, avoiding Warp Darkmatter, avoiding Zurg, and wearing the helmet that was carefully hidden back at his apartment in the closet. He set the device into his armor then resumed the task cleaning up the litter with his modified cane.


Zurg was struggling to put the Z back into shape, pushing, shoving, using all his strength to change it from a N to a Z. Grubs were gazing up watching the Evil Emperor attempt the feat while a number of them were busy in the effort to repair the hornet factory. A blue portal appeared above their heads then a small lizard humanoid being flew out as the Evil Emperor struggled then turned toward the source of the unusual weather.

"How would you feel about going to another Planet Z with a intact tower?"

Zurg looked toward the large symbol and back.

"This is taking forever to do, abandoned tower? Zurg somehow gone? Love it!" Zurg dusted his claws o as he leaned against the form. "Zurg to grubs, I am leaving. Clean up. Zurg out." he lowered his arm. "Are we friends?"

"In a way, we are." Freeves said with a laugh.

"Goody, handy dandy ally!" Zurg cackled to himself then turned on his boots and flew on out.

The portal closed behind him once the Evil Emperor went through then looked around.

"Welcome. . ." Freeves began.

"Why is it yellow? It's hideous!" Zurg shielded his optics. "Why are the brain pods in that hideous theme!"

"Oh no." Brain Pod 65 gasped

"Why are the grubs-" Zurg looked up then backed away then turned and saw the exit was gone then back. "Oh, craters, this is a trap."

Freeves stood below the droids with a wide smile.

"To my domain, Evil Emperor Zurg. Your beloved Ranger Buzz Rootbear can't save you from a bad decision, can't he?"

"Disrespectful!" Zurg's optics began to heat up. "His name is BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!"

Freeves snapped his fingers then the Emperor was blown up by the plasma blasts.

"Satisfying!" Freeves rubbed his hands together, gleefully. "Given there's an entire universe where Zurg is never coming back, a Buzz Lightyear on edge fearing the worst, it's fool proof!" he belted out a sinister laugh. "This feels so gooooooood!"

Freeves rubbed his shoulders then walked away as he shook with laughter.

"Damn. . ." Brain Pod 65 said, sorrowfully, shaking his brain. "We have to return the cape."

"And ruin his plan?" A grub asked.

"They never found the body, my dear grub." Brain Pod 65 said, picking up the cape, pitying the Evil Emperor taken out quite suddenly without a fight. "it's destroyed, you saw it, smithereens, save for this cape."

"I guess. . ." The grub looked on. "We do owe the grubs over there."

"I will return it, and you, will deliver the news, Brain Pod 18," Brain Pod 65 said. "they'll have to pretend he's still alive, but insist he's busy, it'll do exactly as what Lord Freeves wanted."

"If Agent Z exists, he's bound to notice!" Brain Pod 18 pointed out.

"Not if they have a video terminating his employment." Brain Pod 65 tapped his claws together with a laugh.

"You didn't, Brain Pod 65!" Brain Pod 18 exclaimed.

"I did! Just for this situation!" Brain Pod 65 exclaimed, pointing toward the gate wheeling forward then moved aside. "Years ago after Zurg made Agent Z!" he looked toward the gate. "The dialogue still fits."

Brain Pod 18 remembered all the trouble that the gate had brought them all, personal pain for the Evil Emperor instead of something well deserved, a one off thing, it was a bad idea in hindsight.

"Power it up." Brain Pod 18 requested with a sigh. "It's just that dumb enough to work."

Brain Pod 65's eyes practically smiled in unison as he turned toward Brain Pod 18.

"Might just redeem yourself doing dumb ideas for the sake of good intentions." Brain Pod 65 patted on Brain Pod 18's chassis.


Buzz gazed on toward the site where the training would be happening, forested, full of vegetation, filled in certain wildlife. He could always replace the imagery with that of the training that he would see undergoing there that pertained with random punching from the trees in large part to devices installed inside of them, knocking the cadets off, the giant Star Command bots popping out of the thicket knocking down cadets, the chaos of it all escalating with each level to make it reasonable of what to expect in certain conditions that were heavily being foreshadowed to be war. Buzz looked down toward his comn, considering, then on ahead. Mere months had passed, and he was bored, it itched at him, nagged him, reminded him, that he was a man designated for the field, it wasn't loud, not like the prior urges were during the bad decade. They were quiet, mere whispers, do something, be the hero, find someone to save, help the Galactic Alliance get back together.

The Galactic Alliance was doing just that on its own from what little intel that he had heard during some events with the locals. Shiv Katall was not needed, Zurg didn't need brain pods, they earned their freedom in the empire. He set his helmet on, then flipped his comn open.

"Shiv Katall to Evil Emperor Zurg."

"Zurg here! Shiv Katall! It's been-what? Eight years! Where are you?"

"Richtus, there's something. . . that must be shared, your evilness."

"It can be shared over the line."

"Negative. Shiv Katall out."

The comn was closed and Shiv Katall had fulfilled his purpose. Buzz stood there, waiting, clasping his cane, waiting. He lifted his gaze up toward the sky watching the dreadnought come into view through the clouds, the familiar purple theme, the yellow Z that stood out brightly. The Evil Emperor was pissed off. Zurg was going to make an example, so, maybe, Buzz did know him after all, just a bit different to how he initially organized his character in his mind. The throne appeared out of thin air followed by hornets and red machines that were large. Buzz took a few steps back then halted in his tracks.

"No-n-n-n-n-n-NO ONE HANGS UP ON ME!" Zurg yelled.

Buzz smirked beneath the helmet.

"Hornets, restrain him! And throw away that cane!"

Buzz was restrained.

"And get the camera crew here!" Zurg snapped his fingers, talking to the comn, repeatedly. "I want the best bounty hunter's demise being displayed!"

"On our way, evil one." a grub said.

"So the employment ends here, we've had our fun, it's time that we cut the last cord between the past and the present, liability and all, capable of turning against a perfect employer."

"You're not perfect."

"Are too!"

"Negative."

"Mr Know It All, who's on the top of the Naughty List?"

"We're here, Evil One."

"Turn it on."

"You are, Evil Emperor Zurg, it's obvious, you are the number one on the naughty list, so evil, foul, wicked, demeanining. . ."

"Why thank you." Zurg turned toward the camera. "Welcome to Zurg's display, today, we're are unmasking Shiv Katall and promptly killing him." he unlinked his hands from his back then tapped them together. "Children are advised not to watch, put on a old cartoon, any cartoon, it's not recommended for this adult event, it's also live, the Zurgy Cartoon Channel is playing with twenty-four-seven Zurg trying to defeat numerous Space Rangers and having difficulty, and vice versa," he clapped his hands together as the anger beneath the helmet rose. "Nothing too on the nose for this."

"Which makes for a excellent cheater." Buzz raised his voice as Zurg turned toward him, sharply, stepping forward, the hornets electrocuted him, sending him down to his knees with a grimace. "You cheated!" he looked up then pointed at him. "You cheated!" His finger more of a accusation. "Moved Tangea into the Alpha Quadrant! Jo-Ad as well! And many worlds!"

"What kind of nut case do you think you are? That sounds like something a Space Ranger would sa-" Zurg withdrew the helmet then tossed it aside. "Commander Lightyear!" his optics widened in shock as he shrieked stepping back in surprise then readied himself, glaring him down, clenching his servos, looming over him. "Commander Lightyear the fool!"

"Was that once, a very, long time ago." Buzz replied as he smirked.

"Back for the dead." Zurg noted then tsked as he lifted the ex-Space Ranger's chin up momentarily with one claw as he shook his helmet and withdrew. "How the mighty fall."

Buzz felt younger, not old, not quite out of date, lifting his gaze up with a smirk.

"Try, and kill me," Buzz dared, his figure shaking with laughter, lifted up to his feet. "and find me, but you will NEVER find me!"

"What an optimistic view point, but unlike such high beliefs, it is only but a feature of a dream." Zurg's condescension scratched at the old nerves, the old anger, the rage, Buzz Lightyear showed rage, primal rage.

"No matter how hard you look, Zurg!" Buzz exclaimed as he leaned forward.

"I am Evil Emperor Zurg and Zurgy finds what is wanted!" Zurg held up a long claw then shook it from side to side.

Buzz threw his head back with a loud and hollow, bitter, defeated laugh that brought the Evil Emperor's anger. Wanted. Buzz wasn't wanted here. The laughter ended as he lowered his head down meeting his gaze with the Evil Emperor.

"The only voices that you will hear will be mine in your head mocking you!" then Buzz laughed, hysterically, clenching his head, looking down as he briefly sobbed, the hollow laughter off the stage. "You made life a slowly happening shipwreck!"

Buzz's voice began to crack as he remembered the decade as his strong and willing and capable facade fell off displaying how upset he was about it as his voice became high pitched.

"Yadah yadah yadah, get the drift, sore loser, can't take a loss with dignity and humility, and learn to live in defeat."

"So it's not true then."

"What's not true?"

"You never looked for me."

"Only to kill you after a hyper hornet reminded me a certain old relic needed to be clipped for the sake of 'destroying nostalgia by other hands that are not Zurg's.' Old faces can't be used as a bargaining chip. Need to be forced to retire out and return to the passage of time where they belong, in memory, where they never degrade, dull, soften, as a trophy."

From all over the galaxy, the audience saw a look, everyone saw that look of disappointment in the Evil Emperor then lower his head and squeeze his eyes shut.

"I have had time to think long and hard . . " Buzz started to say. "about all that struggle," He opened his eyes then lifted his gaze up. "all that pain. . ."

Nos-4-A2 summoned Buzz out of this world, Zurg's actions did lead Buzz Lightyear to be remolded losing all the cracks, Zurg did in a way resurrect him, he did go through clones, Buzz owed him his life, just to bring him back, but that was the other Zurg, who wanted Buzz Lightyear to live as a fond reminder. The Warp Darkmatter of the other universe, wanted him, to live, full of fond memories fighting him instead of dying, he liked him, he would have helped the resistance, chaos, it was his thing in contrast to his Darkmatter who had voiced his lack of interest and the Z-buck being his only reason to help them. Warp, the Warp that he had known all along, living in an alternate universe, would have lied and said 'I am only helping you out because it's in my best interest (that Zurg doesn't win for very long). Got it?'. Acting reluctant with no profit and acting like it irritated him.

"Sleepless nights. . ."

His shoulders slouched as he looked toward the sky that was heavy and dark with thick clouds.

"The things you did with nutrition shipments for the resistance during the dark days. . ."

Buzz grimaced with a tremble. He looked back at the losses that world had suffered, and despite that, he wanted to be there. He wanted to help the people that he could there, letting others take the action, being out of the way, watching disaster happen but having faith that the Space Rangers could do it. The emblem made a noise, the Z gaining additional lines, turning from yellow to blue, the shape of the Space Ranger Corps with the Saturn ring and all. He thought about the way that Warp sounded affectionate and looked affectionate the first time that he looked at him years ago after his rescue.

"And all the mocking. . ."

The kids that he had met by way of events, the young adults that crossed his path by one way or another, flashed before his eyes.

"Toying with me regarding the senators whereabouts. . ."

The people that he knew.

"Toying with the resistance, teasing us, numerous times, displacing worlds . . ."

The social circle that grew around him over the last five years.

"Inflicting me with skin eating bacteria numerous times. . ."

Zurg's laughter stopped as he rubbed beneath his grill.

"You give me credit for far too much, Buzz Lightyear, that was your doing, not mine." Zurg protested.

Buzz shook his head. Grimly. Somberly. He was quiet, remembering the Rangers who had to be given a mercy kill by selected members of the resistance to spare them of the pain, their corpses jetted out into space, waiting to be buried in a far more peaceful time.

"Negative, Evil Emperor Zurg." Buzz was eerily calm. It didn't sound right. It sounded wrong. "It came from the article of civilian clothing that you got a hold of, don't ask me how the bacteria transferred, but it happened, and we got plates, irreversible skin damage, thin enough to act as skin. ."

"Completely forgot, that WAS my doing!" Zurg cackled, his laughter echoing in the air, recalling it fondly, then applauded. "That was a great way to spend a Friday."

All of these people could be varied as strangers, acquaintances, friends, the people who called him 'Hey Buzz look alike!', 'Lightyear, GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THAT BLEAK BOOK and join us with Dracula Daily discussion-no, your last name is not Sundistance, it's Lightyear, shut up.' I choose that world. The Ex-Space Ranger lifted his shoulders up, clenching his hands, his blue eyes glaring back at the yellow optics, before finishing that statement.

"I QUIT!"

Zurg laughed at the Space Ranger.

"Farewell, Buzz Lightyear."

"One . . more. . . thing."

"What now?"

"Let me put on my helmet as a Shiv Kitall; prefer to die that way."

"Hornets, let him go."

Buzz approached the helmet then halted, picked it up, then picked up his cane.

"I'm ready."

"Turn around and die, Shiv Katall."

Buzz turned toward the camera instead.

"I believe in you, Rangers," Buzz shed a smile, to everyone, as the Ipsedan child set alongside their parents while hugging Woody. "Have always, and always will." he delivered the ta'al. "Farewell."

He put on his helmet then there was a brilliant blast, silence, nothingness, only Zurg standing still clenching his fists as he loomed over where the Space Ranger once stood.

"WHERE IS HE?"

The hornets looked around.

"Prisoner escape."

"Prisoner unable locate."

"Prisoner escape."

Zurg stretched his arms out in rage and clenched his servos.

"CURSE YOU, BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!" Zurg roared as lightning raged in the clouds behind him.


Buzz reappeared at the same location, smiling, grinning, facing the direction of the commander. The commander yelped, loudly, lowering his head, lifting a hand up toward his face, and tossed aside the sunglasses. It felt right. The tension in his very being dissipated as he took off his helmet, tossed it over to a boulder, then approached the commander, eager, looking forward, excited for what came after this moment. Buzz tapped on the shoulder of the commander then in a series of unexpected moves was blasted at the elbow then shoved to the ground, landing with a thud. Warp's laser cannon was aimed at him. The commander glared Buzz down until recognizing the ex-Space Ranger who started to laugh.

"You're very fortunate that this specific suit is laser proof." Buzz noted.

"Buzz!" Warp helped him up. "Oh god-"

"It's fine, it'll leave a bruise." Buzz said.

"Just a bruise." Warp squinted, skeptical.

"I tested it." Buzz rubbed his shoulder.

"How." Warp folded his arms as they walked back toward the pod.

"Making a living." then Buzz glared back. "Why in the clouds of Venus did you destroy the machine?"

"Uhh, you said, to my face, you didn't intend to come back." Warp replied.

"I did!" Buzz held his hands up, irritated, then lowered them. "That was supposed to be part of my ride back!" Was Buzz's reply as Warp's jaw fell as he realized the misunderstanding. "Didn't Nebula tell you about the plan?"

"Negative." Warp said as he grimaced.

"Didn't he leave paperwork?" Buzz asked.

"Didn't look at it." Warp said.

"You idiot!" Buzz exclaimed.

It was abrupt, Buzz leaned forward, planting a kiss on to the commander's lips, cupping the side of his face, who leaned back after a moment being startled. It was the kind of kiss that Warp hadn't experienced before, something new, something kind, something aged, sweet. It's breathtaking, it's nice, it's great, it's fantastic, it's warm, and lovely. It's something out of the fountain of true love but aged finely.

Warp's back pressed several buttons and lifted levelers forward as the cadets were running through the exercise that became far more chaotic in the distance with shouting, screaming, and trees catching on fire. The exercise area put out the fire with automatic setting as the cadets jogged back toward the headquarters pod with their armor cracked, sweat dripping down their skin, then paused in their tracks as they saw the source of their misery.

"Hey, that's Buzz Lightyear!" White Goat, the new cadet, pointed out.

"No, that's Max Sundistance," U'cun said as she folded her arms with a smile. "He's a big thing in the romance world."

"That's clearly not possible," White Goat retorted.

"Mr Sundistance hates suits," Ye-Ve pointed out. "He never goes out with a hood!"

"How about we go to the local Cosmic Icecream stand and let these two have their moment?" White Goat offered.

"I like the sound of that!" U'can said.

"All on me!" Ye-Ve said as the crowd left behind the duo behind.

Warp lifted them up with one hand against the console then pressed a button, deactivating the training area, then withdrew from the kiss and winced, gazing on toward the holographic replay of the scene in question

"Craters, the cadets got their training messed up."

Buzz folded his arms with a smirk as he gazed.

"There's a lot more chaos out there than what is expected, Warp." Buzz said as Warp looked toward him then looked down toward the emblem that he had caught which fell off form him. "War is chaotic."

"Experienced it?"

"The aftermath of it."

"What happened to your leg?"

"Bad fall, aftermath stuff, messy, never talk about it." Buzz shook his hands then grinned. "Ever."

"Alright, Buzz, we'll not talk about it until you are ready." Warp laughed as a stray cadet recorded their conversation behind the station. "So if asking you to command some Rangers, is that, bad memories?"

"Doesn't count with everything that happened." Buzz looked aside with a grimace. "I. . . really hadn't done commanding stuff, captain stuff, field work."

"Then count this project as some experience." Warp said then keyed in a command into the console. "There, and there, and there, all of this will be repaired and running tomorrow!"

"How long have I been gone?"

"Hmm. . ." Warp counted with one hand on his hip and rubbed his chin, looking back. "six months!"

"Six months?" Buzz repeated.

"Affirmative!" Warp confirmed.

"Whew. That's less than what I thought!"

The commander turned back toward the ex-Space Ranger.

"Might like a Ranger. He is really promising, buddy." Warp walked on. "Let's get some icecream, I'll tell you all about him."

"Promising, bright, and great at everything." Buzz largely assumed as Warp nodded in agreement while laughing.

"I like the kid, he's willing to do what it takes, sacrifices, even if it comes at a great risk as a Space Ranger acting on the behalf of Star Command."

The duo walked on as the cadet lifted up with a gaping jaw.

"Buzz Lightyear is alive?" Cadet Eisenhouwerunn asked, xe's eyes were big, xeir skin had turned paled, staring where the duo had gone.


A/N it's two old men getting to start something they should have done years ago, being in the same head space, being willing, able, wanting, emotionally, to do the kiss, it's about reaching for infinity and beyond, it's about the euphoria, it's about crossing the distance between each other.

Warp's songs; in progression

first few years after buzz dies - live like we're dying.

a decade after Buzz dies: Daughtry - September

several decades after buzz dies; ever ever after - carrie under wood and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger - kelly clarkson.