"Where is the contract, Mr Tamyth?" Dragos asked, once they entered the bridge.

"Read it very carefully," Smith said. "Take all the time," he looked down toward Dragos's hand. "Because it is right in your hand."

"No, it isn't," Dragos said, then paused as he looked down toward his hand. "It is."

"I handed it to you before we left my shuttle," Smith replied. "And I must be given the padd after you sign it. It is for very important matters."

"Record keeping," Dragos said, then laughed. "I understand that too well."

Loki lowered the panels.

The creatures began to take apart the consoles that reminded Loki of the same technology used in various spaceships. Long lasting in space as they were buttons, dials, light fixtures, and so on. But the design of the technology seemed sleeker, rounded, and more forward thinking rather than backwards thinking that felt simple and minimal at best. The old consoles were thrown into a pile then Loki guided the objects in the direction of the front window. He can see the planet Priplanus resting below reminding him of a yellow marble that had a dash of dark blue sweeping on the side and a splash of green on the top so it wasn't completely yellow. The guards began to work on plugging the consoles in with the cables sticking out of them while they were slid to the side away from the wall.

"Loki," Smith tapped on his shoulder.

Loki turned his attention toward the older man.

"Your work here is done," Smith said. "Return to the shuttle craft, immediately."

"Are you coming?" Loki asked, as Smith's eyes shifted toward Dragos then back toward the crowd.

"Not on your ride," Smith replied.

"You're supposed to come with me," Loki said, confused.

"Leaving would arouse suspicion," Smith replied.

"Isn't that a little too dangerous what you're doing now?" Loki asked.

"Dangerous, yes," Smith replied. "Good in the long run, yes."

Loki shook his head.

"We don't leave people behind," Loki said. "We are supposed to go back together. Not apart."

Not everything works out the way 24th century people want it in the 20th century and he had just told him why. The child didn't understand the severity of the situation. A child. A very young child who hadn't quite exactly been through almost a year of alien encounters and alien captivity. Smith had become very certain from his time among them that 24th century outer space wasn't that dangerous. A bunch of people holding hands despite their differences. Getting along, compromising, and people being helped to a point that eliminated having to abduct humanoids. It was a peaceful image. A very good utopia that worked too well.

"I have a back up escape plan," His blue eyes turned toward the hole in the wall decorated in neon lights and had a rounded glowing pad. "for my escape plan should they find out before hand which makes things go lop sided and be aware that something isn't right. This is a just in case precaution."

"I see now," Loki said.

Smith turned his attention down toward the boy with a stern glare.

"Go," Smith said. "Now."

"Oraco," Loki said, then went toward the door.

Loki came to a stop then turned halfway to face Smith who sent a familiar glare screaming his parental figure in every way. The young boy nodded giving a smile and a wave. Loki snapped his fingers vanishing before his eyes in a red decorative flash of light. Smith turned his attention off the door with visible relief and the tension in his muscles relaxed. Dragos was scrolling through the touch screen padd with his finger very slowly.

"What is that?" Jason asked, while they were approaching the space craft.

"Our means of escape from Dragos's castle," Samantha said.

"It is the undercover starfire," Prentiss said. "According to Commander Stone."

"Stone made it," Jason said. "I thought he got killed."

"I thought so too until he popped up unexpectedly searching for Blue Team 1," Samantha added.

"That is what the engineers call it,"Prentiss said.

They approached the golden themed starship with blue visible streaks. There were faint impressions of 'SA' decorated on it in a darker shade of gold. There was a single wide yet large window. The window was dark blue that it blocked a visual inside. All except for the open doors that left a good view inside of the primary silver theme with a blue secondary color and a silver floor that was bright while sparkling. Easily could have been mistaken for glitter. The group placed Jason in to one of the seats. Paul closed the doors then went to the back of the space craft where he flipped a red switch. The space craft visibly sliced in half with a click letting go of the much heavier, elongated sleeker section.

Prentiss put in a code into the console leaning forward.

The lieutenant turned toward the back end observing Paul standing by the door.

Jason was resting in the chair after being given a generated glass of milk.

Paul came over to Prentiss's side then placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to be alone," Paul said. "I can stay behind with you."

"I lost a entire team to Dragos, and this time," Prentiss said. "This time. . ." he shook his head. "I am not letting another team lose their friend. I appreciate your offer, Paul, but the blue team needs you more than I do."

"I have plenty of tricks up these sleeves that would be helpful for you," Paul said, then rolled his sleeves.

Paul pried off three sets of bone structures off his forearms.

"I can't accept this," Prentiss said, shaking his hands while shoving them back toward Paul.

"You can," Paul said, pushing the small bone blades forward. "I can regrow my bone blades."

Prentiss reluctantly took the bone blades.

"If it makes you feel better leaving me behind," Prentiss said, giving a small smile return.

"By a lot," Paul said.

"See you at the graduation," Prentiss said, then walked over into the other half of the vessel.

"You too, Matt," Paul said.

Paul sat down into the pilots seat and Samantha sat down into the navigator seat while Prentiss flicked a switch that turned on the additional systems. The black interior became replaced by the familiar black primary highlighted by the red secondary color on the seats, counter, and other parts of the escape Seeker.

The other half backed off the landing bay.

"Good luck, Matt," Sam said, as the front tip closed before Prentiss's eyes.

"Why is Matt staying?" Jason asked, confused. "I am the only who Dragos took."

"This man went in willingly into Dragos's starship," Paul said.

"Willingly?" Jason said, alarmed.

The undercover vessel dropped out of view and the doors closed behind them.

"Willingly," Paul said. "We had to promise him riches in exchange."

"All the gold in the universe cannot replace life," Jason said.

"He is a spy," Paul said. "Spies normally don't stay caught for long."

The golden paint peeled away revealing the iconic white and blue of the adapted seeker heading down.

"If he does caught, he has Matt to get him out," Samantha added.

"Only if they don't get Matt too," Jason said, warily. "And hold them captive."

"In a destroyed cell block?" Samantha asked, looking toward Jason while leaned on the edge. "It is hard to see that happening."

"He won't kill them," Jason said. "But that was the old Dragos," Jason took a sip from the glass then lowered it down into the cup holder with a 'ah' sound. "Dragos could force Gampu and Matt to watch his army destroy Space Academy and regain his reign in the galaxy then kill them."

Paul looked over from the view screen toward Jason.

"The commander isn't the volunteer," Paul said.

Jason looked toward the front with a confident smile holding his glass up for a toast.

"Gampu told me about his involvement," Jason said. "But not what lead into it," he had a bitter laugh then reached his hand back with a shake of his head. "I laughed it off and told him that would never happen on my watch."

"He failed to mention the number of starships," Paul said.

Jason took a sip from the glass.

"We were never meant to stop the army," Jason said, placing his hand on to the arm rest. "No matter how hard we tried and how we worked together. . ." Jason slowly spun the cup in one hand moving it with his hand. "We never were."

From behind Paul, the familiar noise of the Lyrotron filled the air. It was a noise that had no true melody with some notes that easily could be recognized as a alien flute being played. Paul turned away from the view screen toward the inside of the space craft to notice Loki sitting across from Jason holding on to the device.

"Loki!" Paul said. "I thought you didn't make it!"

"How long have you been there?" Samantha asked.

"I just got here myself," Loki said, lowering the oddly themed flute device into his lap. "It was a struggle just transporting myself in to here." Then Loki added. "I almost didn't make it."

"So Dragos is falling for it. . ." Jason said. "hard." Jason laughed. "That is a good first."

The docking bay door closed before Prentiss's eyes.

Someone had to stay behind to pilot the spacecraft out of Dragos's starship.

The old man was largely unfamiliar to the modern variation of console control so Prentiss had to stay behind. It was a decision that was made when Smith entered the room. The man had stared at the front console almost gaping at the tech laid before his eyes and awe had been residing inside those eyes. Eyes that gazed from side to side in a way searching for something that wasn't there. The idea of the man attempting to pilot his way to Earth after posing as a distraction just long enough for the academy to streak on by. Paperwork, Chris had told him, by chattering at random. In short, tell the most lies that he could when asked by Dragos and give directions on how to operate the machines then run off after being dismissed.

It was a good plan.

So good that Prentiss had confidence in it.

Being inside of a starship that belonged to Dragos was terrifying enough.

That terror gave him strength.

If Dragos was going to find Prentiss then put him back into the speed dimension: he was not going to be alone this time around. There was more hope that they could get out of it, together, alive than before. The idea of not one person surviving Dragos's captivity but two was compelling and strong enough to keep his head up above the sea of doubt, fear, and hopelessness. Two heads was always better than one when the other head had another perspective to the situation. With time against them, it could prove to provide excellent results getting to safety from thinking on their feet.

In truth, Prentiss was praying to every space god that he knew not to be thrown back into the speed dimension if caught. There was a good chance of dying against surviving it a second time. And the small bone blades may not help him avoid it. His body was trembling at the prospect. But someone had to stay behind and pilot Smith back down to Priplanus. Even if they, themselves, risked the chance of being captured. A risk that Prentiss had accepted. It was a matter of time between running to the docking bay and the distraction working that no one was sent after Smith.

The real question was: how long could the plan work?

Distraction plans could only work for so long.

And this was merely borrowed time being spent getting Jason to safety to the Space Academy.