Disclaimer: I don't own Starship, Starkid productions does. The only thing I own happens to be the soundtrack to Starship I bought today. :D

Took me long enough to update, eh? Unfortunately from here on out ( until the end of February) I'm going to be crazy busy with travel, school, mock trial, and being involved in my schools' production of Annie Get your Gun, and and my Doctor Who Clubs' original- Doctor Who: The Musical. Yea, my calendar's pretty booked. But I'll still be plotting and writing for you guys!

And I swear on the poster of Headmaster Zeffron that this story will get happier in tone from here on out. Enjoy!

Chapter 6. The World and What Remains.

It had taken only half an hour for Taz to realize how terribly screwed up the world was. She had limped down through the main street of what was left of her village; averting her eyes every time she saw someone she knew. She just happened to know everyone in the village. And everyone was dead.

The closer she got to the the town center, the worse the destruction became. Everything seemed to be charred black from the fire that had erupted as the robots transfer pods had crashed. Taz's footsteps slowed, she realized her home was coming up soon. She could see its remains standing proudly in the shrapnel and dust. A remnant of what was.

Almost silently behind her, Lieutenant Up had been following her footsteps. Taz only looked behind herself once, and what she saw almost brought her to tears. Up had been crouching down, closing the eyes of all the fallen rangers and towns-people. The men and women looked like they could've been sleeping instead of being shot to death.

They deserved to have some peace.

Slowly the duo crept through rubble until they reached the Lopez's house. Not even bothering with the front door, Taz entered her childhood home through a giant blast leading into the kitchen. There was the sink filled with party dishes. A bowl of knocked over chips on the table, some discarded party streamers over in the corner. Up finally spoke up for what felt like the first time in ages. "Is... is this your house, Taz?"

She wiped her running nose with her arm and sniffled. "Si, this is-was my home."

"I'm sorry about all this."

"I know. I'm sorry too." She walked down the empty hallway, her boots dully thudding against wood. Her fingers traced family portraits, knocked crookedly from there place of hanging on the wall. "If my papa were here, or even my brother Carlos,maybe this wouldn't have happened." It was crazy to think, but what else did she have to hold on to? She stopped at a photo taken years ago, where she was a bouncy, happy 3 year old, Pedro was 4, Carlos was turning into a handsome teen, and Antonella her older sister was wearing an engagement ring. Papa and Mama were smiling in the background. Careful not to damage the frame it was in, she slid the photo out, and tucked it into her boot.

Up wandered over to her, gazing at more of the photos. "You seemed like a happy bunch."

"Yea, we were pretty functional familia until they were drafted into the rangers."

Up nodded, he'd been drafted, years ago at the ripe age of 16. Taz left him then, and disappeared into what was her bedroom. She stepped over the 2 decommissioned robots, a bit of a difficulty because of her ankle, and grinned sadly at her shoes sticking out of their foreheads. Heels really were deadly.

The Lieutenant chuckled at the sight, doing his best to make light of their depressing situation. " Did you really impale these guys with stilettos?"

"Yep." Came Taz's curt reply, a bit to busy to poke her head out of her bedroom door. She was scrummaging around her room looking for a duffel bag. There was no chance of her living here again. She'd have to travel to one of the larger cities and find somewhere to live. She tossed T-shirts, jeans, a toothbrush, anything that she could possibly need into her duffel. Pausing, she sat down on her bed and took a deep breath. All the physical effort was getting to her. Taz felt her forehead, she was burning up.

"Good thinking, I don't think there'd be any clothes at the academy that could fit you." She froze and looked slowly upwards to the man who was leaning against her door-frame. She had forgotten he was there.

" Que? The Academy?" Did she hear him right? Up frowned (which looked slightly funny with his mustache Taz had to admit).

"You don't think we are just going to leave you here, do you? You're injured and there's no one else for miles around."

It took a minute for the news to sink in, but when Taz realized what he was implying she started to pack with renewed vigor. She could train at the academy and learn how to take down any robot that came her way. Taz could learn the skills to gain revenge for her community. " Gracias Up."

She crossed over to a small desk by the head of her bed and swiped her knife. She then slid this into her boot too. "Is there anything else you think I should bring to the academy?"

Up thought for a moment. "Do you have a birth certificate?"

"I...I think so. It's probably in Mama's room."

Leaving the duffel in her room with Up, she crossed the hall to her parents room. In the closet would be a box with all the important legal stuff, and hopefully her birth certificate. Taz dug though dresses and finally found it. She lifted its lid off and scrounged around until she found what she was looking for. She lifted it out and slowly put the lid back on. Turning, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. "Santo diablos! I look terrible!"

Her face was harshly bruised, and there was a cut over her eye. She slowly brought a finger up to it and winced. She had to clean herself up or her the wound would become infectado. She ran a palm down her ruined dress, fingering the frayed edges. The robots seemed to have ripped off the fabric so that it hung just above her knees. She looked pretty tough in her combat boots and battlescars... What would Mama think if she saw this?

She remembered the piece of paper in the hand "I got it!" She called out to the man in the other room.

"Alright, do you think you have everything?" He yelled back.

"Almost. Un momento, por favor." Taz had to wash her cuts... and maybe find a bottle of aspirin. Besides the pain through out her body, her brain was hurting too. Those robots estupido must've given her a concussion.

Up waited in Taz's bedroom, eyes roving around. There were lots of books scattered about, and lots of clothes too; probably dumped out of her closet. A knocked over lamp, a discarded blanket, a pile of dresses half hidden by her bed. It was quite organized, if you looked at it from a tornado's' standpoint. Her window seemed to have been broken. He felt odd, intruding on this young girls life so intimately. He was probably the first guy to ever see inside her room, and most likely the last one to. Had that thought also crossed Taz's mind?That was such an awkward train of thought, even for him. He shook his head and proceeded to think of something entirely different. Hmmm, bananas, puppies, butterflies, redvines...

"Ok Up, I'm back. Let's go." She crossed in front of him, startling his thoughts and scooped up the duffel bag;zipping it as she went. He noticed she had cleaned up her wounds a bit, though she didn't have any bandages. Hopefully they had some sort of medical bay on the pod that should be arriving soon.

They exited her home in a single file, Up first with his zapper, Taz bringing up the rear. She swept her eyes around the houses while Up checked the roads to make sure they were clear. The walk here may have been lacking of any danger, but you couldn't be so-

"Up, duck!"

"Wha?" Taz shoved him to the ground as a robot came into view around her neighbors house and narrowly missed Up's chest with a laser. Up fired two quick blasts from his zapper at the same time Taz flung her knife at the metal monstrosity.

The robot staggered back and fell to it's knees before landing motionless to the ground. The duo crept over to it's body and checked to make sure it was truly decommissioned. Taz kicked it with her good foot. Up prodded it with the butt of his zapper, and shot it once more for good measure. Then he noticed something familiar looking protruding from its forehead. Reaching down for it, his hand was slapped away by Taz who yanked her knife out of the metal.

"That would be mine. I-" her eyes widened and her body went rigid with shock. "DIOS MIO!" In a blur Taz had ran ten feet down the road and collapsed next to the body of a woman. "Mama.." She whimpered softly, brushing a stand of hair off the woman's forehead. Up sprinted over to her and Mrs. Lopez, and after a moment he crouched down and checked for a pulse. Nothing. He let out a puff of held breath and brought a hand to his forehead, massaging his brow. Not another death. Not now.

Taz was crying, not bothering to hide her tears. She knew her mother couldn't have survived but it hadn't really sunk in until now. This was like a harsh slap of reality dead set on waking Taz up to the horror of the world. Up put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him trying to gain some sort of comfort from the ranger. "I'm sorry Taz. I really am."

It seemed like he had apologized for more things today than her ever had before in his life. She just sobbed harder, her hair falling and becoming a curtain between her and the world. He pulled her into his lap and started to rock slightly back and forth to calm her down. He had been in this position before without anyone to comfort him. That had been horrible. But, now it was the least he could do... Try and set her world straight somehow.

Translations:

-Que?: What?
-Gracias: Thanks
-Santo diablos!: Holy Hell!
-infectado: infected
-Un momento, por favor.: one moment please.
-"DIOS MIO!":"My God!"

Author's note: Ok, I'm glad I finally got around to posting this. I hope you liked it, and are willing to review and critique. Have you read my little drabble 'Nachos' yet? It's cute, and centers around Taz, Krayonder, and Up. Goodnight fellow rangers, I'm off to bed. Byeeeee!

~Emma