There was nothing more satisfying than the sound of Blip screaming hysterically at four-thirty in the morning as a gigantic, space-born robot spun rapidly out of control throughout the starry heavens.

Okay, so maybe they could have thought this out a tiny bit more.

"Princess! Left! Left! Turn LEFT!" Blip shrieked across the intercom as the robot swung too wide right and smashed full speed into an asteroid, rattling the entire machine and everyone inside. Lunk threw his arms out, catching himself against his dashboard as everything shook, and growled audibly at the two younger pilots as they continued to bicker.

"I said LEFT! I AM ON YOUR RIGHT!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there!" the princess snapped back, already reeling and trying to get her leg back to its proper location, which was not smashing into the scientist. "You try controlling this thing! It's like it has a mind of its own. Hold on, I think it's doing it again and- oops!" She thrust her controls forward, sending her pod careening into Blip's.

The scientist cried out in alarm and Lunk could see him pinwheeling on the monitors as the earthling was thrown roughly forward in his chair. "Oh, come on!" he exclaimed, practically in tears now. "Analexa said we were supposed to pilot this thing together!"

"Ha! Don't you get it? I don't do anything together. Especially not with you, nerd."

Lunk grimaced at their loud voices blaring through his headset as he worked to counteract their actions, spewing the robot's arms around to balance the dangerous momentum built up by the Princess's sudden collision. "Would you two please knock it off!" he groaned. "I'm trying to keep us upright and you two are making it extremely difficult!"

"Well, it wouldn't be so difficult if Mr. Brainy-Two-Shoes would get out of my way!" Princess snapped furiously.

"Me?" Blip protested indignantly as he readjusted his glasses and focused on balancing his pod once more. "But, I was only trying to-"

"All right, that's enough!" Dash interjected sharply. Before Lunk could say anything to argue the matter, he felt his controls being forcibly yanked from his grasp, and by the startled exclamations from the others, it was reasonable to assume the same thing had happened to them as well. He watched, startled, as the levers and switches began to operate on their own. What on Gilliak is happening?

Almost as though Dash had heard his thoughts, he answered, "I'm taking control of the Mecha for now, as it has become quite clear that we are not ready to function as a team. Hold on, I'm taking us back to base. We need to work out our strategies for working together because we will not be saving anyone if we continue on like this."

"You can do that?" Blip yelped.

"WHAT?" Elillia exclaimed loudly, causing all three males to wince again. "Hey! You can't just-"

"Um...I think he just did," Blip added softly, all indignant fire evaporated from his tone. He looked...oddly disappointed, and Lunk couldn't even begin to imagine why.

"Ugh!" Flopping back in her seat, the girl crossed her arms furiously. "I feel like we've just been put in the time-out corner! This is unbelievable! How old do you think we are, four-rotations?"

The way you are acting, four might be considered gracious. But Lunk didn't say anything, neither did Dash, though his disappointment was clear, even if it wasn't audible, and it was only from the crackle of their linked comms that Analexa was able to break the uncomfortable silence that followed.

"It was a good effort...for your first time."

Lunk scoffed. That was just her polite way of saying how absolutely terrible they'd done. He knew. He could sense her irritation-even from several galaxies away. Although he knew her annoyance wasn't directed at him, he couldn't help the disappointed shiver that danced his spine. This girl-this absolute stranger-had given him the chance to feel like he was actually part of something important. She had reignited his passion for adventure, given him an opportunity to hone his skills in a way remaining on Gilliak wouldn't have. For that, he was immensely grateful and the last thing he wanted was to let this girl down. Even if it was the fault of his two blundering teammates.

"Why don't you come back in and then we can talk about what went wrong?"

"Copy that," Dash said cooly. "We're coming back now."

The ship grew quiet once again as he took control and expertly turned the mecha around, maneuvering easily between the asteroids as though he'd been flying the robot his entire life. Lunk watched through the digital window as planets and meteors alike whizzed past. In the far distance, he could just see the faint glow of Gilliak illuminated by nearby galaxies. It seemed so far away, and even though they were currently residing on its surface, it still felt odd to be separated from his friends and his sister.

What would they think if they could see him now? Would they be proud? What would Siara think? How many corny jokes would she have for him once he got back? And along those same lines, what was she thinking right now? As far as she knew, he'd all but vanished off of the face of the planet without so much as a goodbye.

He thought of the others. Was it the same way for them? Did they leave anyone behind when they were, for lack of better words, kidnapped? The princess had seemed particularly angry when she'd arrived, although he couldn't tell if that was just her normal personality or if there was something else beneath that thick shell of hate. She'd made it blatantly obvious on no uncertain terms that she'd wanted nothing to do with them and her anger toward them was something old, something she'd been harboring for a long time. Maybe since childhood. He didn't know what, or why, but it was personal, and he sensed it was stronger whenever she was around Blip. Though what she could possibly have against the human was more than Lunk could fathom. He seemed harmless enough, maybe a little self-righteous when it came to electronics, but nothing dangerous. In fact, he was pretty sure the scientist had never fought a day in his life. He was far too easily intimidated. Lunk could really not see any way he could have offended her so badly to explain her level of disgust.

And then there was Dash, the quiet and slightly strict one who had arrived long before them. How much more about the ISA and the robot did he know that he wasn't sharing with them? He obviously knew how to pilot it solo, so why then were the rest of them needed? If Dash were capable of doing everything himself, wasn't it just a little pointless to gather an entire team to do one man's job? And just who was he anyway? Blip had seemed to recognize him-his name at least. Was he some kind of famous space explorer? A high-ranking official of the Alliance perhaps? He certainly displayed the leadership qualities of one. But somehow, Lunk had the suspicion he was more of a solo fighter, not great with people, and even less fond of the other three tagging along with him.

So why had Analexa brought them all together in the first place? To defend the universe, sure. He understood that. But why them? Why such a rag-tag group of loners who obviously did not know how to function as a unit and clearly had very little interest in learning? Dash didn't want them there, Princess didn't want to be there, it seemed like Lunk and Blip were the only two that actually had a genuine interest in what was happening. Surely Analexa knew that, so what exactly was she hoping to accomplish by this?

Perhaps it was some kind of cruel punishment. Maybe he had done something wrong unknowingly and this was his lesson. If so, point taken. Lesson learned. Really. He got it. He wanted to go home now. Back to his nice, friendly town with his nice, friendly-albeit suspicious-neighbors, where he was surrounded by people he was pretty sure wouldn't stab him in the back as he slept.

But yet, it didn't feel like a punishment. Not really. It felt more like...a test. Yes, a test. A challenge to determine the group's mettle. How well could they hold up underneath the pressure? If this was a test-and what else could it be? Analexa had said the cosmos was in danger, but the universe had been at peace for years!-what were the goals? The outcomes? What was the most effective way to win? Lunk had never been very good at strategizing a way to win without fists and blood. Perhaps this was...as Analexa had said previously...a team effort. Which meant he was going to need a team to help him win.

A team was made up of trust. A team was made up of many persons.

Many persons whom one could trust.

Or sometimes, Lunk mused, as he watched the downcast expressions of the others as Dash maneuvered the robot back into the secret bay hangers deep within the Forbidden Woods. Even one friend might suffice.

Lunk had never really had friends. What, with being the only non-Bonded Gillian in his village and showing no signs of ever finding the creature he was supposed to tame, to most, he was considered an outsider. Not one of them. Not really. And the hodge-podge team didn't seem like very likely candidates either, but then there was still a chance, right? At least Blip hadn't run away screaming when they'd first met. Maybe he could stand to be his friend. Perhaps Lunk could teach him a little about standing up for himself. Heaven knows the earthling could use it. A fair trade, right? A chance to feel like he had an actual friend for some tips on not being a doormat. That's kind of what friendship was like, wasn't it?

"Welcome back," Analexa said carefully as she waited to greet them the moment they docked the mecha and disembarked. "Nice flying out there, pilots. A very strong start, actually. I think the four of you are beginning to understand some of the mecha's greatest secrets." From her shoulder, Squeakums gave an encouraging squeak, beaming up hopefully as the group immediately separated, Princess turning away and crossing her arms with a huff and Blip just sighting and pulling his dark jacket tighter as he adjusted his glasses and shot a quick, desperate glance in the girl's direction, only to look away again as she glared daggers in return.

"And what kinds of secrets are those?" Dash inquired gruffly as he moved to place himself between the two, almost instinctively. With a captain's instincts, Lunk guessed as he moved off to stand near Analexa, earning a cheerful chirp from her alien monkey.

Analexa smiled at his sharp question, unphased. "The kind, Dash Coolstar, that the mecha will reveal to you when the time is right, which will not be told a moment sooner than is destined. Not even from me."

The blue-haired man just grunted as though he hadn't really been expecting a more sufficient answer and stormed off down a side hall without so much as a goodbye. Another awkward silence flooded the room for a long moment before the tension was broken by Blip's anxious kicking-the-dirt-with-his-shoe. "I'm...I'm going to go...see if I can...can figure out how it works," he squeaked, catching the Princess's glare once again before quickly dropping his gaze and hurrying off.

Analexa smiled softly as Elillia rolled her eyes and left as well, though pointedly in the opposite direction. "They are quite an interesting bunch, aren't they?"

Lunk blinked, his mind not immediately registering that she was addressing him. "If that's the word you would use for it."

She smiled, absentmindedly pulling her hair to one side and glancing over, not at him, but at Squeakums who leaned in for a pat on the head. "Four very different personalities uniquely blended to wield the strongest weapon in the universe. Such an unusual turn of events, don't you agree?"

Unusual wasn't exactly the word he would use for it, but he wasn't sure what he would call it at this point. Squeakums glanced briefly in his direction before grinning tiny fangs toward the girl.

"So," she went on. "Would you care to tell me what happened?"

"We don't function as a team," Lunk explained. "We don't trust one another. Which makes sense, considering all that has happened in the past twenty-four hours."

Analexa nodded. "I see. And you suggest that the team needs...time...to come to a mutual understanding?"

Lunk shrugged. He was by no means an expert when it came to relationships, but it seemed pretty obvious, even to him, that each member was fighting their own kind of dark past and until whatever their challenges were could be overcome, they would not work together, not for lack of trying, but for a lack of trust, in each other, but also greatly in themselves.

He nodded.

"And what do you suggest I do to fulfill this necessity?"

"Honestly?" Lunk raised an eyebrow, still not sure he should be the one giving her advice on people he barely even knew. "I think it might be good to let them figure things out on their own."

"Oh." Analexa hesitated. "Um...is that Gillian for something I don't know? Like, force-them-all-to-work-together-in-some-death-defying-situation? I've heard that works in the-the cartoons, I think they're called."

"Uh...no," Lunk said carefully. "I actually meant backing off and letting them sort this out alone."

"Well, that's not nearly as fun."

He stared and she broke into giggles, sharing a high-five with her monkey. "I'm kidding!" she went on hastily. "I'm kidding! Squeakums, tell him I was only joking!"

The creature yipped, wagging its long tail happily.

Lunk only blinked, unsure how to respond, and that only earned another round of laughter from the girl. "All right, I'll take your advice on this one, Lunk. No interfering from me, promise. You should probably get some sleep though, because first thing tomorrow, I'm going to put you all back inside that machine until you can work together." That was a threat, he knew, but her beaming grin only went to counteract the seriousness of her tone.

"All right. Uh...well...Goodbye then, Analexa."

"Goodbye, Lunk."

As he turned and started off across the caves, he could have sworn he heard Analexa let out her breath and twist once more to speak to Squeakums. "You like him," he heard her say faintly. "That's good. I like him too. I think we did the right thing, even if they don't see it yet. The universe is in need of saving once again, and they might just be the only ones who can do it."

"WHERE IS IT?"

The scream erupted from the cloaked figure as a clawed hand crushed the man's throat and threw his corpse back into the sand. No matter, he was already long deceased. Hours...days even...it was hard to determine with the planet's rotation of axis. But that did not change the fact that it was not there.

It was not there.

"WHERE IS IT?" he shrieked at the heavens, throwing back his hood and glaring furiously at the wreckage as though it might somehow reveal just what had happened to literally the most crucial piece of his plan.

Where is it? Where is it? What did that idiotic pilot do with it?

He had been so close! So close to achieving ultimate victory. After years of searching, plotting, lying in wait for the perfect opportunity, he had been only moments away from seizing the last part of the puzzle-the ultimatum of his diabolical masterpiece. He'd even gone so far as to track this pathetic organism to his home planet and shoot his ship from the sky, thus ensuring the key would belong to him.

SO WHERE DID IT GO?

"YOU TOLD ME IT WOULD BE HERE!" he bellowed, whipping around furiously to face the second figure in the sand. "YOU SAID HE WOULD HAVE IT, YOU PATHETIC HUMAN!"

"It was here, Your Royal Excellence," came the cool voice behind the black hood and dark leather. "I deceive you not. This man was the fifth pilot destined to wield the weapon. The key was the evidence of that."

"Then where is it? It is not here!"

"No. It isn't. Because the man you so greatly underestimated was more clever than you could have imagined. He sent a distress call, hoping someone would answer."

"And?" the retort was sharp.

"And, someone did just that. And thanks to him, now I know exactly where to find Analexa and her stupid little team of heroes."

"Very well." The first figure turned away once again, narrowing his eyes, one real and one glowing red. "Assemble the fleet, Commander. It's time we crush these foolish resisters and their pitiful illusions of freedom once and for all."