TJ never knew what to expect when Zhane came to visit.

Karone was happily settled on Miranoi. Andros was travelling the galaxy in the Megaship Mark 2, occasionally on missions for people but mostly, TJ thought, because he didn't want to stop travelling. Sometimes one or another of the team joined him for a while. Zhane was even less settled, since he didn't use the Megaship as a base; sometimes he used the Mega Winger, but more often he hitched or bargained or wheedled his way onto ships, travelling wherever they were going with a grin. Nearly fifteen years after their team disbanded he was still wandering; team consensus was he'd never stop, not if he could help it.

He didn't come to Earth often, every couple of years usually, and so far no two visits had been alike. Sometimes he was loud and energetic; those visits tended to be short and end in a lot of paperwork and public apologies for whichever teammate he'd foisted himself on. Sometimes he was quiet, and thoughtful; those visits tended to be longer, and usually ended in a team get-together at some point. Occasionally he was nursing injuries he refused to discuss, and those visits usally ended with Karone or Andros coming to fetch him.

On this particular visit he charmed his way past TJ's secretary before she could do anything about it, throwing himself dramatically onto the couch in TJ's office.

"Hi," TJ said mildly, not looking up from his work.

"Hi." Zhane bounced off the couch again and came to lean over his shoulder, studying the paperwork. "Looks boring. Want to come with me?"

"Where would we be going?" TJ started working faster. He knew Zhane. That offer wasn't an offer so much as an ultimatum.

"I have a job to do, and I thought you might like to come along." He swiped TJ's half full cup of coffee, taking a swig.

TJ waited patiently, grinning when Zhane gave up and made a face at the taste. "What kind of job? Something dangerous?"

"No, I ask Andros along on the dangerous ones."

"Thanks, Zhane, you know how to make a guy feel wanted. What kind of job?"

"Escort. Kid on Triforia needs to get to Eltare. I borrowed the Megaship. Come on, it won't be hard. It won't even take long. You'll be back here tomorrow morning, I promise."

"Does Andros know you've borrowed the ship?"

" 'Course. He's visiting someone on Inquiris."

"And you didn't go?"

"I hate Inquiris."

"Why?"

Zhane glared at him. TJ sighed, looking at the pile of paperwork. "Give me five minutes."

"I'm in a good mood. Have seven." Zhane grinned, threw himself onto the couch again and promptly fell asleep.

TJ finished his work in six and called Carlos to get the phone tree going. If he didn't come back, at least someone would know what was happening.

He was just finishing giving his PA instructions when Zhane stirred, sitting up. "Ready?"

"I don't have a communicator," TJ pointed out.

Zhane fished an old one from a pocket, tossing it over to him. "DECA's already tuned in. Let's go."

It was good to be back on the Megaship. Zhane let TJ take them out, watching from Ashley's old station as TJ got them underway. He took a few minutes to enjoy being back in space before turning to Zhane.

"So what's the real story?"

"Told you. Kid on Triforia -"

"Needs to get to Eltare, I know. You brought a warship and a Ranger, Zhane. What's going on?"

Zhane made a face at him. "I don't know the whole story," he warned him. "She's a Ranger in Training, and she's hiding from whoever she's supposed to be fighting. She ended up in Rocky's care somehow, something about her mentor getting sick -"

"She's human?" TJ said in surprise, immediately correcting himself to "From Earth?"

"Yeah. Rocky's something to do with kids in trouble, right?"

"Social worker," TJ agreed absently.

"Right, so he figured out who she is, that she's going to be a Ranger, and he got in touch with Tommy Oliver, to see what they could do, and Tommy got Andros to get hold of Dimitria, and she arranged fostering on different planets, so Lauren can learn as much as possible before she goes back. Tommy's keeping an eye out for her villains, so we'll know if anything happens there. But he insists that Rangers are always on hand whenever she's moving, so she can't just jump a charter or anything. Hence, Megaship, and you."

"I'm not active," TJ pointed out.

"You could be," Zhane said easily. "The morpher's still yours if you want it. You know that."

"Yeah," TJ murmured. "Who's on Eltare?"

"I don't know the Eltaren team names, but they're expecting us. Full team, active but no villain. She's leaving Triforia's Gold Ranger, and she was on Aquitar before that."

"How long's she been hiding?" TJ asked.

Zhane glanced at his board as something beeped. "Since we defeated Dark Spectre, give or take. We're ready to come out of hyperspace."

Pyramidus broadcast a welcome - the Gold Ranger was female now, TJ noted absently - and the Megaship landed. Zhane politely refused the offered feast, tour of the city, and overnight stay, and TJ went down to the hatch to let Lauren in.

He held onto his indignation until she was settling into her cabin and he was back on the bridge. "She's a kid!" he hissed.

Zhane glanced up. "Sorry?"

"She's a kid! I thought you meant she was an adult!"

"Oh. No. I think she was about seven or eight when we defeated Dark Spectre, and she came to Rocky's attention a couple of years after that."

"She's been gone from Earth that long?"

"Yep." Zhane looked back at the console. "You want to take us out?"

"No I don't want to take us out! I want..."

Zhane smiled faintly when he trailed off. "Yeah. I know. I had her halfway back to Earth the first time we met."

TJ considered him for a moment before sinking into Cassie's seat. "What changed your mind?"

"She doesn't want to go back. Not until she's learned what she needs, or her villain returns. Her power's hereditary, she can't hand it off."

"Does she want to?"

"No. She's a pretty committed kid."

"Plus I get to travel around in space ships," Lauren said from behind them.

TJ turned. "Sorry, I shouldn't be talking behind your back."

"It's all right." She circled the consoles, grinning at Zhane as she passed him, and halted in front of the screen. "I miss home, sometimes. But it won't be much longer. I'm almost ready."

"It's a long time to be gone," TJ said softly.

"Yes." She didn't turn, still watching the screen. "But it's been good, too." She came back to lean against the console beside Zhane. "Who else gets to see space this close up? I'll miss it, I think, when I go home."

"Feel free to call me when you're bored," Zhane said cheerfully. "I'll steal Andros' ship for you any time you like. Bring your team, celebrate your win."

"I'll remember. Thank you. How long until we reach Eltare?"

"A while yet. Time to get some rest, if you like. You remember how to work the Synthatron?"

"Yes. Thank you." She smiled at TJ, slipping back out.

"They start Rangers young nowadays," TJ noted, tapping idly at the console for something to do.

"Yeah, what's it like not being a Ranger until you're seventeen? I was already retired by then."

"Retired? Gimme a break. As if you're ever going to retire. You'll be going around in uniform when you're eighty, mate."

"Not if you crash the Megaship I won't. Where'd you learn to steer?"