He had been on Earth for a little over a month now. Most of his days were spent with training sessions with Sky, training B Squad; it wouldn't be long until they would select a team of cadets to become the new B Squad Rangers. The rest of the time was going out on calls of disturbances with the team. Nothing too big had happened, all had seemed pretty quiet. He considered it a blessing, but he knew it wouldn't last for long. Just because Gruumm was out of the picture, did not mean someone else would not step up to the plate. All he hoped was that he would be ready when the time would come when he would have to do it all again.

Chase had been the one selected for night duty at the base; all of them had alternate nights. It wasn't exactly a job but somehow he enjoyed it, the time alone, the silence, just being alone with his thoughts. It was almost peaceful or at least that was what he hoped for. He sighed heavily as he pulled out his wallet, taking out a picture of him and four others. Callie, his fiancée, Dougy Bains, Link Marx, and Val Locke all wearing SPD uniforms. The more he stared at the photo, their faces, the more he found himself being lost in a trance, starting to drift away.

BOOM! Explosions were going off everywhere, left and right, there was no escape. Dark smoke filled the room. He couldn't see anything, only could hear faint cries for help and then quicker than light something jumped in front of him. Before he could even react, he felt a sharp pain going into his cheek. "Ahhhh…." There was another explosion, an even louder one than before.

BOOM! Thunder from outside pounded loudly against the Academy's thick walls. "Ahhh…" Chase jerked awake; his heart was racing, pounding against his chest. His breathing was deep and hard as he gulped in, hoping to calm himself down. It had happened again, his nightmare, only this time he was having them while he was awake.

"You all right?" No answer. "Chase!" Sky waved his hand in front of Chase's face. "You okay?"

Chase snapped out of it and finally met Sky's eyes, he started slightly to find his leader standing in front of him, knowing he had not been there moments before. He could see that Sky was waiting for an answer, staring at him questioningly. "I'm fine. Just dozed off for a few seconds."

"Don't let Cruger catch you dozing off on night duty." Sky walked around and then noticed the photo that Chase was holding in his hand. "Who are they?"

Chase had completely forgotten that he had the photo out. "Oh um, just some old friends, from back home," he answered as he put the photo away. "Nothing special."

"Whatever," Sky answered. He too had heard the rumor that Chase was in line to become a commander back on Mirinoi, but then he had shown up here and taken on a lower rank, and no one seemed to know why. It wouldn't be the ideal thing for him to do, who ever since he had joined SPD had been working himself to the top.

"Didn't you have a date with Syd tonight?" asked Chase.

"Had to cancel, something came up."

"And she was okay with that?" Knowing very well that Syd probably wasn't the type of person that liked to have her plans cancelled.

Sky just shrugged it off; Syd had been pretty upset with him. This had been the third time this month he had blown off one of their dates. "I told her I'd make it up to her."

"Oh." Chase nodded his head; he was beginning to see a little of what Z and he had talked about the other day, that there was just something off about Sky and Syd's relationship. "So what came up?"

"I was training in the simulator and doing some studying."

"For?"

"I'm looking to reach the rank of commander." Ever since he had been given the rank of lieutenant, he knew it was just one step closer to reaching the rank of commander.

"Like your dad?" Sky nodded his head. "If you don't mind me asking, how did it happen?" He too had just been a boy when Wes Collins had been killed. All he really knew was that it had been Mirloc, other than that it was bits and pieces. Back then and even still today on some level, it took time for news to travel from each SPD base planet.

Sky sighed heavily, the last time he had told this story he had nearly lost it and as a result Mirloc had escaped. "We were in the park having a great time, but then he got the call. They told me he saved dozen of lives and fought to the bitter end." Even Sky wasn't too clear on what had happened during the battle, no one really ever told him much. Not even Eric who had fought by his fathers side that day. But the one thing he really did remember was the hospital. "My step-mom Lisa and I went to the hospital, all we had been told was he had been hurt, but soon after we arrived the then A Squad Rangers came up to us, told us what had happened. My grandfather showed up a few minutes later."

"Megan never mentioned you had a step-mother." And come to think of it, Sky never mentioned her either, but that would be expected. In the months of getting to know Sky, he had learned that Sky was a pretty reserved guy and rarely ever talked about himself, unless it involved his father.

"She wouldn't remember her." Sky sighed heavily. He hadn't really thought about Lisa in a long time, it had just been his way of getting over it and moving on with his life. "After my dad died, it was just too hard for her to stay." It hadn't really occurred to him until then how angry and hurt he really had been with her. How could she have just left him? Though deep down, he couldn't really blame her for leaving.

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right. It was a long time ago. She's moved on and so have I," Sky answered all too quickly. "Well, I should be going, see you bright and early tomorrow."

"Sure thing." Chase watched as Sky started to head out. "Hey Sky…"

"Yeah?" Sky turned around.

"Don't work yourself too hard; being a commander may not be all it's cracked up to be."

Sky didn't know what to make of that comment, but decided not to think much of it. "Okay…"

Mirinoi

"Sir!" announced a young seventeen year old man, as he marched into the office and stopped directly in front of the desk. He saluted to the man sitting at the desk, as his eyes met with Commander Corbett.

Mike Corbett locked eyes with the young man before him; his face was stern and tired, as if he hadn't slept in months. He pushed his work aside, waving his hand. "At ease, Cadet."

The young cadet did as his superior ordered and went into a more relaxed form, but still kept his eyes focused. "Yes sir."

"Is there something I can do for you, Cadet?" Mike folded his hand together and rested his chin upon them.

"Yes sir." The young cadet pulled out a folded sheet from his uniform jacket and presented it to him. "I wish to be permitted into the Ranger program," he firmly announced. "I understand you're still looking for applications."

Mike looked at the young man as he took the sheet; there was a sort of displeasure about it but he took it anyway, going over it or at least pretending to do so. He ran his hand over his darkened black and slight grayish hair. "I…I don't know." He looked up at the cadet. "I may have to review it some more."

"My scores are at the top of the charts, sir, surely I am more than qualified to meet the requirements." The cadet folded his hands behind his back; he wasn't about to back down, not when he knew he was ready to take on the challenges that came with being permitted into the program and becoming a Ranger. This was all he had wanted since he was a boy, to be part of the best of the best. "Please sir, look over the form again."

With a sigh Mike looked over the papers again. The scores were high, some of the highest he had seen in the last couple of months since he had been permitting other cadets into the program. But the scores didn't seem to matter to him, he didn't care about the scores or how good a candidate the cadet before him might be. He pushed the form to the side. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to be admitted into the program."

The cadet clenched his fists tightly together behind his back, but he had learned to control his anger and not lash out. He took a deep breath and calmly replied, "Permission to speak freely, sir."

Knowing he might regret the decision later, Mike nodded his head, allowing the cadet to speak freely. "Go ahead."

"I just wonder who it is who is not permitting me into the Ranger program, my commander," he bit his lips and looked Mike hard in the eyes, an almost chilling effect, "…or my father?" He searched his father's eyes, waiting, but no response came. And with that said Michael Corbett Jr., left his father's office, not even needing to hear a response, already knowing what the answer would be. It wasn't that he was expecting anything less, considering…... but he had hoped that his father would prove him wrong.

"Hey, Mikey….." Leo passed by his nephew in the hall, but Mikey never answered back and just kept on his way. Leo walked into his brother's office. "What was that all about?" he asked as he closed the door behind him.

"He came to me wanting my permission for him to be admitted into the Ranger program." Mike took the sheet his son had given him and tossed it into the trash. "And I declined him. He's not ready."

"Are you kidding me?" Leo couldn't believe it; he almost laughed. He shook his head, with that silly grin of his. "Now why'd you go and do a thing like that? Mikey is more qualified than half of the A Squad cadets together." He took a seat in the chair in front of his brother's desk. Though Leo knew the reason behind his big brother's decision, he knew that eventually his brother would not be able to use that as an excuse. "Mike, you're..."

"We're not going to talk about this, Leo," Mike answered very firmly cutting him off, knowing very well that his baby brother would try to convince him otherwise.

"The hell we aren't! We need to talk about this, Mike, especially you!" He had been waiting for months for an opportunity to talk to Mike about what had happened, and now seemed as good as time as any. "You've been burying yourself in work, hardly ever going home to sleep or eat for months. Haley's been a wreck, worried sick about you, and now you are on the road to destroying your relationship with your son." And Leo wasn't finished, his brother's wife wasn't the only one worried, they all were. "No one ever sees you anymore outside your office! Everyone's starting to call you Count Dracula."

"Look, I'm sorry if I haven't been around much!" He didn't have time to go over this with Leo, not with the crisis they had all been faced with. The whole planet was in disorder and it was his job to get things back on track, that's why he had barely gotten any sleep in the last several months, why he hasn't stopped to eat or socialize with anyone. There was no time. "But there is a lot of work that needs to be taken care of!"

"You never even wanted this job, you said so yourself back when you were promoted to commander."

He had been promoted to Leading Commander in 2019, but just a few months after that had been up-ranked to High Commander, in control of all SPD on Mirinoi. "Well, that didn't happen, now did it!" Mike shot back.

It was true he had never wanted this job. He didn't even want to be promoted to a commander. He was just happy where he had been. He was forty-five years old; after defending the world for a little over twenty years he was tired of it and wanted to move on, spend more time with his family.

"No one expected you to take over after Stanton died." It had been close to a year now since the man who had led Terra Venture throughout the galaxy to find a new world had passed on. It had been an unexpected death; no one had seen it coming. He was only sixty-three.

"Yes they did, Leo!" snapped Mike. "Ever since we left on Terra Venture, I was his right-hand man. Everyone expected me to, even him."

"That didn't mean you had to take the job."

"Yes, I did! I was the only one who could do it! There was no one else…" Mike already could feel himself losing his composure, his focus; for months he had held it all in and now was finding everything he had been holding back coming out all at once.

"Maybe that's true, but after….." Leo gulped in heavily and let out a heavy sigh. "Everyone would have understood if you stepped down, let someone else take over."

"I am not stepping down!" Mike slammed his fist onto his desk. "Damnit, Leo! In case you have forgotten we're in the middle of a major crisis right now." He firmly shot up his hand, holding out two fingers. "I have to fill two Ranger squads that have been empty for almost six months. I am in no position to step down!" He was angry, more than he had ever been in his life, more than he ever thought he possibly could be. "So I'm sorry if I have been such a pissed off person lately…."

"I loved her too!" Leo felt as tears leaked from his eyes and rolled down his face. "I loved her too…." He hated this, seeing his brother so broken up, able to snap at any moment. It was so unlike the Mike he had grown up with; the Mike he had known had always been calm, and always knew what to do at every moment.

Mike sighed heavily, taking a deep breath as he tried to tone down some of his anger. "Then you know why I can't let Michael into the program."

Leo just shook his head, sadly. "You could lose him either way, he'll be eighteen in a manner of months. With his scores, he'll be able to go to any academies ranger program he wants." Leo stood up from his seat. "At least if he joined here, he would be under your watch." He started towards the door, knowing he had done all he could to get through to his brother.

"And when the day comes when Dean and Dylan are old enough to join, what about then, Leo? Would you be so willing to send your sons off to battle, knowing the risks they will face? Knowing that they may never come home again?" It would be a while until either boy would be old enough to join in combat, yet alone the Ranger program. Dean was only thirteen and Dylan was eleven years old and already both boys seemed quite determined to become Rangers like their father and mother.

Leo turned slightly, eyeing his brother. "I would support my boys with whatever decisions they make. If joining the academy, becoming a Ranger, if that is what they want I will back them up all the way." Leo sighed heavily. "Because those are the same risks we faced everyday when it was us fighting those battles." He looked his brother in the eyes. "The same risk she knew she was taking, every time she stepped out on the battlefield…"

A few hours later, Mike came home to find his wife Haley sitting in the living room, wearing her robe. They had been married for twenty-one years. She had been the girl he had helped all those years ago, along with her grandfather who had died years ago, helped them and many other people escape out of slavery to Captain Mutiny. She had stuck by him while he had recovered from his injuries; they fell in love and shortly after they married, and not long after that….. Mike set his gun and harness on the counter, not making eye contact with her. He couldn't look at her anymore; it brought back too many memories. "What are you still doing up?"

"Waiting for you."

Mike briefly glanced over at the clock; it was three in the morning. "You should go to bed, it's late."

"What about you?" She walked up to him, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her cheek against his. "You need your sleep too."

Mike seemed unaffected by her affections, as he pulled out a packet of folders he had brought back from his office. "Can't. I still have a lot of paperwork I need to go over."

"It can wait until tomorrow." She took the packet from him and set it on the counter, moving herself around him so they were face to face. "We hardly ever talk anymore."

Mike didn't answer; he didn't know what to say or what to do. He turned his head away, not wanting to look into her face, afraid to see her face. Haley gently caressed his cheek and across his ear. "Please Mike, talk to me. Don't leave me in the dark…" she cried. Ever since that day had happened, he had been pushing her further and further away. It was like they had become complete strangers.

"I….I don't know what you want me to say." He faced her, looking into her eyes, seeing her eyes… "I don't know what I'm supposed to do…"

"You have to let her go, Mike." She looked him deep in the eyes, tears shining in both. "And you have to let him go, you have to let Mikey do this." She ran her hands through his hair. "He's not a little boy anymore."

"I know, I know he's ready for this." He bit his lips, trying so hard to hold back his tears. "But I'm not ready to let her go, I can't do that…Because if I do that, it will mean that it happened and I….." He felt as his wife drew him into her arms, wrapping her arms tightly around him. And then what needed to happen for months, happened, he sobbed. "…..My baby's gone….my baby's gone…"

"I know…" sobbed Haley. "I know."

An hour later, the two were cradled in each other's arms in their bed. It seemed so long since they had been this close. But both of them knew it would be a little longer until things would be okay again. They still had a lot to deal with, over the loss of their daughter. Mike gently rubbed his wife's back, letting out a heavy sigh, as he turned to his night stand and stared at a photo of Chase and himself. The two of them looked almost like an image of father and son… "Chase isn't going to be coming back, is he?"

Haley sighed heavily; it had been hard on all of them when Chase had told them he was transferring to Earth. Especially on Mike, who had treated Chase like a son after Chase's parents had died. The two had gotten close. "He had to let go of Callie, the others, of everything that happened, in his own way." She gently kissed him on the cheek. "There was nothing left for him here. He needed to start over." She reached for his hand. "Just like we will."

Mike looked into her eyes and for the first time in a long time, felt some comfort, a feeling of ease. He wasn't sure what the future had in store, but one thing was for sure, he didn't want to have to find out alone. They would find out together and that would have to be enough. He gently stroked her cheek, as he leaned his face closer to her. "I love you, Haley."

"I love you too…" she answered, as he kissed her.

Back on Earth

Isinia greeted her husband as he came into their bedroom. It had been a long road for the two; they had to get to know each other all over again. So many years had been lost between them, which is why they wanted to make each day count for something.

"Sorry I'm a little late heading in. I wanted to check in with Chase."

"How is he?" asked Isinia, though she didn't know the exact details, only what her husband would tell her.

"Still adjusting. Not ready to talk about what happened."

"Reminds me of someone else." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled his nose. "He'll come around in time." She looked him deeply in the eyes. "You did."

"Yes. I did." But something more was on his mind than Chase's past - a call that he had gotten earlier today, that he wasn't quite expecting. "Anders contacted me today…"

"What did he have to say?" A trace of concern came over her. "Is Mora okay?"

"She's fine…." he assured her, but his eyes widened, almost unsure of how he felt about the situation. He eyed his wife closely. "She doesn't remember."

"Doesn't remember?" she asked, not sure what her husband meant. "What do you mean she doesn't remember? Remember what?"

"Gruumm…."

Isinia's eyes widened. How could that be? Gruumm wasn't something that you could just forget, not after everything that had happened. Mora had been a wreck for months after finally being taken out of his grasp and had been having a very difficult time adjusting to her new life with his grandparents, knowing the truth. "But how?"

"They don't know," he answered. "All Mora could remember was seeing a young man, someone she didn't recognize. She believed he was the Phantom…"

"Cliff…"

Cruger nodded his head; that was the only one who it could be as far as he was concerned. "The question is why. Why would he erase her memories?"

Isinia sighed heavily; though she understood her husband's concerns, she understood Cliff too, maybe far better than anyone else could. She had watched as the children grew, watched the things that Gruumm had done to them to turn them. "Maybe he didn't want her to remember; maybe he wanted her to be able to live a life without her demons hanging over her shoulder."

"You really believe that he is going around trying to make right on all the damage Gruumm has done?"

"Don't you?" She eyed her husband. "If it weren't for him, we might not even be here."

"I'd like to believe that, but….." Cruger bowed his head down. "There are some things he will not be able to undo. Erasing a few memories will not make up for everything that the A Squad did." As much as Cruger hated to admit it, they had done many things, and it wasn't until after their deaths that he had learned the extent of what those things were.

"And he knows that." Isinia sighed heavily, knowing that her husband too carried a burden, a burden she too carried with her, feeling somewhat responsible for what had happened. "That is why he chooses to walk this life alone."