Preston was in his father's penthouse, getting ready for the day ahead. The team still didn't know how far Mick, Brody or Redbot had gotten with getting Viera to talk about what had happened to her in the Lion Galaxy, but there were still some practical things they needed to deal with. The most pressing of which was the small matter of a dead Royal Guard. While Principal Hastings knew about the team now and was pretty flexible with their comings and goings and helping to conceal their activities, even they suspected storing corpses to be pushing their luck more than a little.

Death was commonplace in the Lion Galaxy given their violent existence, and as such they had a very pragmatic approach to funerals. They tended not to bury their dead, since that took far too long and used too many resources, and so cremation was very much the norm. Mick was confident the furnaces they used to forge the Ninja Steel, with a little creativity and work, would be up to the task of generating the temperatures they would need, the fact was that as it most directly affected Viera they needed to figure out what she would want to happen with the ashes.

Again, in general the inhabitants of the Lion Galaxy were usually very pragmatic about the disposal of remains. Since many died on battlefields many lightyears from home, unless they were a person of particular prominence and influence taking up space on a transport ship was seen as more hassle than it was worth. If the deceased's own side recovered the corpse at all, they would often dump the ashes on the planet they died on and leave. If they couldn't retrieve the body, they would just leave it for the other side to deal with, which they generally did out of respect. After all, none of them knew if it was going to be them that one day died on a foreign world and relying on the locals to treat their remains with respect.

So far, all the Rangers knew of this man was that his name had been Sel and that he had been a Royal Guard. The fact he helped Viera escape showed his devotion to her, but also the fact that strictly speaking he had betrayed an oath he had taken to the sitting monarch. While Viera was obviously important enough to him to lay down his life for in what had to amount to a suicide mission, exactly what he meant to her was still uncertain to them and would remain so until she finally felt ready to talk to them.

He didn't really know what to do to prepare for their day ahead. He had been to a funeral before, his mother's many years earlier, but then he had been a child at the time. He was only ten when his mom passed away of lung cancer. There wasn't much for a ten-year-old to do in the planning of a funeral. Most adults didn't want him involved in anything other than perhaps asking him about songs his mom liked for the play list or places she liked for ideas of where to lay her to rest. While he had been to a funeral, he didn't really know much about what to do arranging one.

It played on his mind a little seeing what Viera so quiet. Although she was much older than he was when his mother died, he saw her so quiet and he could see himself back then. He was told he didn't speak for days around the time of the funeral, and he could believe it. So many people were constantly asking him how he was, how he felt, offering him platitudes of how his mom was in a better place. None of them though seemed to understand how he was feeling, how he just wanted someone to explain to him why his mom had left him and why she couldn't come back.

He was just getting his wallet when his dad came into the Living Room along with his other investors. Preston had seen them around his dad's office and around the apartment a few times, and while he didn't really know or care much who they were, he did get the impression that they were part of something big in his dad's business.

"Preston, you're here." Marcus stated. "I thought you were going out with your friends."

"Yeah, I'm just heading out." Preston told him. "I just needed to grab my wallet."

"Well, we're likely to be here for quite a while and it would be best if we weren't disturbed. I'm sure you and your friends have much more interesting things to do than listen to a bunch of boring old people talking shop anyway." Marcus told him, getting a couple of hundred dollars out of his wallet. "That should be plenty to keep you all occupied for the day."

"Um…alright well…I guess we could go get a meal or something." Preston concluded. "I'm guessing you don't want to see us before dinner time?"

"That would be for the best. Don't worry about me, we'll likely order in." Marcus told him. "Enjoy yourselves."

"We will dad." Preston answered, forcing himself to smile. He couldn't very well explain that he was going to attend a funeral without explaining a number of details, like for instance who was dead! It was best that his dad just thought he and his friends were going to spend the day goofing around together. As Preston got on the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor, he could only think about his mother.

As he left, Marcus indicated to his investors to make themselves comfortable.

"Well Gentlemen, before we begin, I'll just arrange for some refreshments…"

"You want to sit here sipping coffee and eating sandwiches?" Windsor asked him. "We've just been spanked by a nickel-and-dime business for millions and you want to just sit here and act like nothing has happened?"

"I can merely appreciate when we've been outmanoeuvred by a better opponent." Marcus said, with a hint of admiration in his voice. He had often tried to goad Al back into the investment game, hoping to get the infamous investment whizz working for him, and while he had come to accept that he no longer wanted to be a part of that world, he had watched Al turn some of the wealthiest men in the state into a laughing stock playing them at their own game. He was perfectly certain a younger, and considerably less morally encumbered Al would likely have taken them for considerably more than he already had. Right now, all they had suffered was a slight loss of face and the potential cost of the lawsuits they were already involved in. All things considered, the 'Panorama Chainsaw' had let them off with a warning. "Now, I've invited over some representatives of the unions that are…"

"You invited over the people that are suing us?" Mr Yoshida asked him.

"At this juncture, negotiation seems like the most productive course of action." Marcus interrupted him. "The fact of the matter is that legally these people are in the right and we can't argue that. Like it or not, we must now give them what they are entitled to by contract so I thought it might be worth ensuring we can discuss a fair price for back-pay without the aid of courts."

"You want us to settle?" Mr Popov asked. "You expect us to roll belly-up to a bunch of plumbers and bricklayers and carpenters…"

"MY GRANDFATHER was a carpenter!" Mr Tien snapped in response. "He worked fifteen hours a day fitting shops and homes to see that his children all went to college. It may have taken this for me to be reminded of that."

"Marcus, we all appreciate the people that work on our buildings, but this is going to cost us millions." Mr Windsor tried to reason with him.

"And we will STILL make millions even if we do pay them what they're worth." He answered. "The publicity and delay of a lengthy court case will cost us so much more. Now, I'll arrange those refreshments. We should be expecting our guests shortly."

As Marcus left the room, the others looked around in disgust.

"I can't believe this." Mr Yoshida sneered. "We're being made fools of!"

"What exactly do you propose we do about it?" Mr Popov asked. "Marcus is right, Thompson has played us all for saps!"

"Well, I don't know about you but I want to make sure that the next Al Thompson wannabe who tries to make a name at our expense thinks twice." Mr Russel said as he pulled out his cell phone and dialled.

"What are you going to do? Call your dirt rag and run another hit piece?" Windsor sneered. "That worked so well the last time!"

"Do you really want to know?" Russel asked. "Hello? You don't know me, but believe me, you do NOT want to hang up this phone."

Preston arrived at the Ranger Base, finding the rest of the team had already assembled. As he got in, Sarah came over, hugging him.

"Sorry I'm late." He replied.

"I wouldn't say you're late, there's not really a timetable for this kind of thing." Brody replied. He flicked his eyes in the direction of a paint can.

"Is that…?"

"It's the best I could come up with at short notice." Mick told him. "Redbot and I managed to um…we uh…yeah, that's Sel."

"How is she?" Preston asked in response, indicating to Viera.

"Much the same." Levi answered. "I guess its no surprise given all he did for her."

"Viera?" Hayley asked her. "Viera, we're all here now. We should get this done."

Viera just nodded as she heard this. Calvin picked up the can, at which the team all started to file out of the base.

Days ago, Viera was in the Lion Ship as it continued on its flight from the Lion Galaxy. Sel had engaged the autopilot once they left the reaches of the Lion Galaxy and set a course for Earth. For almost two days straight he had sat at the helm in case of an attack.

She found him in one of the rooms, having removed his armour. He was helping himself to some painkillers from the ship's stocks.

"I apologise Your Highness." He said as he saw her. Viera just looked curiously at him. He gestured to her rags. "I should have thought to bring something more fitting for you to wear, but…well…the opportunity did not present itself often."

"I'm fine Sel." She told him, taking the painkillers from him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Your Highness." He told her.

"Sel, I saw you get shot." She replied. He just smiled.

"It would not be the first time." He assured her. "Are your quarters to your liking?"

"They are considerably more comfortable than my previous accommodations." She stated. She heard a sound from the corner and saw a monitor was on. It was a news network from the Lion Galaxy. She could tell what he was probably looking for.

"Sel, is there any word?" She asked him. He just sighed.

"They're reporting that two were killed in the firefight." He informed her. "The last traitor was executed in the throne room."

"Sel…I'm so sorry." She sighed. Three, three traitors were accounted for. That meant Reynold and his other two sons were all dead. Sel looked to her.

"You have nothing to apologise for." Sel told her. "They all knew what they signed up for, as did I."

"This would never have happened if I had just kept my ideas to myself." She sniffed as she looked to the man who had just revealed his entire family had paid the price for her freedom. "I should never have come back! I should have…"

"My Queen, NOTHING worth having comes easily." He assured her. "Not to mention many others will too once we get you back on the throne where you belong."

"I just wish…I just…I shall miss them." She told him.

"It is quite alright Your Highness. I know I will see them again." He assured her. "Now, is there something I can get you?"

"No." She answered. "But I shall prepare you something to eat. I feel it is the least I can do."

"You can cook?" He teased her.

"I…may have learned of an Earth delicacy from a young man I met there." She told him. "It's something called a sandwich."

"Then I look forward to finding out what a sandwich is." He answered. "I look forward to it."

As Viera went off to the Galley, Sel steadied himself on the work bench. His hand strayed under his shirt, and he removed it, finding it was covered in blood. He looked once more to the door.

"I will see my family again Your Highness." He assured her. "I just hope I get you to Earth first."

In Summer Cove park, Trevor and Spike were taking the time to swing through and keep an eye on the park. Not only was it a nice day and mean that the park was a good place to take their break, they also knew that it was likely that a lot of people would be spending their time there.

It wasn't the worst assignment in the world, far from it. Spike had learned in his short time on the job that Trevor very heavily believed in community policing. That was to say, it was more likely he would buy a lemonade from a kid's stall or play a round of basketball with some of the guys in his old neighbourhood than he was to start ticketing people for illegal parking. Spike liked that about him, Trevor seemed to be a genuinely good guy who really got into the job because he wanted to make a positive change in the world by working with communities instead of seeing them as potential criminals. By getting people used to seeing police officers around and having positive experiences with them, people were a lot more likely to come forward and talk to them whenever something about the area was troubling them.

On only his first day on the job, Spike had spent the morning with Trevor playing basketball in a neighbourhood court with some locals. It didn't take long for Spike to learn that Trevor had at one time or another arrested every single one of them in the past, but that he encouraged them to get into community programs to find positive things to do with their day and liked to swing by every now and then to catch up with them.

After spending a while playing softball with some kids and helping some people get their inflatable raft ready for the lake, they were taking a break themselves. Trevor was relaxing in the shade of a tree, watching as Spike, complete with a bokken, which Spike had somehow slipped into the trunk of their cruiser without Trevor noticing, was working his way through some kata. He watched on, more than a little intrigued. He had read Spike's file and knew he excelled in his classes at the police academy, and he only had to look at the kid to tell that he worked out like a demon, but even this was a surprise.

"What is that?" He asked him.

"It's kind of a blend." Spike informed him, while continuing with his workout, his concentration never slipping from his technique. "Kendo, Iaido, Karate…"

"That definitely doesn't look like Academy training." Trevor commented.

"I was a teenager in Panorama. Everyone was obsessed with the Samurai." Spike told him. "My Uncle Bulk tried to teach me for a while. After a few months and some trips to the Emergency Room, we eventually got pointers from someone who knew what she was doing. Serena was more than just a Kendo teacher, she was…um…kind of like a Samurai herself. I've been keeping it up ever since."

"You ever used any of it?" He asked.

"Once or twice." Spike replied, returning to his starting position and bowing to his imaginary opponent. "It's come in handy once or twice."

"Even against people with guns?" Trevor asked. Spike just sighed.

"I hope not to find out too quickly." Spike answered. "But you've seen my marksmanship scores. I just prefer to keep the gun in my holster. Suspects are easier to question if they're not dead in my experience."

"Good answer rookie." Trevor answered with a smile. "This gun hasn't been out of its holster in six months, and I very much hope to extend that record."

"Say, what do you think's going on over there?" Spike asked, pointing to a spot a little way off. "A nice day like today, but those kids don't look like they're enjoying it much."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask." Trevor answered. They headed over, finding the group gathered around near some trees. As they approached, one of them turned around.

"Oh…uh…hello." Mick said as they approached. "Can I help you officers?"

"We were just going to ask you the same thing." Trevor asked him. Spike noticed Mick carrying a paint can.

"What's in the can?" He asked.

"Uh…well…um…"

"Trevor?" Hayley asked as she came across. Trevor smiled as he saw his step-daughter.

"Hayley, I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there." He said, hugging her tightly. "Skullovitch, this is my stepdaughter Hayley!"

"Oh, hi! Trevor's told me a lot about you!" Spike answered.

"So, what is all this?" Trevor asked her. Hayley just looked to Mick, trying to think of something to say. She cleared her throat.

"Um…well…you see that girl over there?" She asked, pointing to Viera, who Sarah was comforting, while trying to coax her into talking some more. "That's Sarah's cousin."

"Alright?" Trevor replied.

"That can…her…her…uh…dog! Sel is in there." She told them.

"Her dog?" Spike asked. "What is he a teacup poodle?"

"Really?" Trevor asked. Spike took a moment, between seeing the girl looking upset and what Hayley said to put two and two together. Hayley just let him without saying anything, hoping he'd come up with five and believe the story she told him. "Oh…OH! Gosh, I'm sorry!"

"He really liked open spaces." Mick told them. "We were hoping to scatter him here."

Trevor looked around them, seeing the scene before him. He knew how much Hayley loved her own dog, Kody and could only imagine what state she would be in if it was him.

"Strictly speaking you need a permit." Trevor told them. "But…I guess since it's not really polluting, there's no harm done. I suppose we could look the other way."

"Tell your friend we're sorry for her loss." Spike added. With that, they turned and left. Hayley went back to the group.

"What was that about?" Sarah asked her.

"Just my step-dad breaking in a new partner by the looks of things." She answered. "Alright, so…are we doing this?"

Mick took the top off the paint can.

"Viera, would you like to say a few words?" He asked her. Viera shook her head.

"I already said his funeral rites." She answered. Sarah put a hand on her shoulder.

"Then how about say something for him?" She asked. Viera took the can in her hands, with tears in her eyes and kissed it.

"It won't be for nothing." She whispered, before scattering the ashes to the wind. "I promise."