==Chapter VII==

Breathless Daze

Wanna feel the warm breeze

Sleep under a palm tree

Feel the rush of the ocean

—"Breakaway," Kelly Clarkson

Cosmo's; (Saturday) 4/14/09

The next day saw Team Lightyear and Erin eating lunch at Cosmo's once more. Midway into the meal, Buzz announced, "Monday's my day to check up on Dr. Furbanna on Karn," he announced. "I was thinking that maybe you guys could take 42 out on patrol, and I'll take Erin with me."

Erin's head snapped up, brown eyes sparkling. "Buzz, do you mean it?" Of course, she knew what Karn was like, but she'd also never been to another planet before, and she wasn't going to be picky.

"Sure," he smiled. "As long as you stick close to me, you should be all right."

"Buzz, if I can interject here, yeah," said XR, "something bad always happens when we go to Karn."

"I'm sure things will be fine this time," Buzz said confidently. "Mira, you think you can handle Booster and XR for a day?"

"Sure thing," Mira shrugged.

"Whaddaya mean, handle?" XR demanded indignantly.

Booster nervously shoved XR's helmet down into his body. "We'll be good for Mira, Buzz."

Erin bit back a laugh. If she hadn't seen the movie, she might have commented that how Booster and XR ever got to be Space Rangers was beyond her.

Karn System; (Monday) 4/16/09

They used a generic SC shuttle for their trip to Karn, but it wasn't the ship itself that captivated Erin—it was the swirling blue-white streaks of hyperspace. "Reversion to realspace… now," Buzz announced, pushing a lever forward.

The streaks collapsed to starlines, which collapsed to stars. Before them hung a dark green planet, dark because they were facing its nightside—but the nightside alone, briefly eclipsing the system's sun from their point of view, was spectacular. "That's beautiful," Erin breathed. "I've never been to a different planet before, don't forget."

"That's right," Buzz mused, rubbing his chin. "Well, welcome to Karn. Does it feature in that… series?"

"A couple of times," Erin replied, privately amused at the almost-embarrassed emphasis he put on the word series. "I haven't watched the episodes in a while, but I remember well enough. I don't think I'll watch the series again, though, until I'm sure all the events there have happened here. I mean, I don't want to be tempted to tell you something that could mess up the whole time-space continuum."

Buzz glanced sidelong at her. "Not that I'm sure I understand all that time-space stuff, but it sounds good to me."

Erin laughed.

"So," he continued, "you know who Dr. Furbanna is?"

"Mm-hmm," she nodded. "Karn's only sentient inhabitant and only permanent researcher." She kept the rest of her knowledge and personal opinions to herself.

"That's right. Ever since the time we lost radio contact with her, Star Command has scheduled a quarterly check-up on her."

Erin nodded and settled back into her seat, studying the planet as Buzz prepared to enter into orbit. Karn was very green—almost insanely green, really—so much greener than Earth (no, Capital Planet—she had to remember that) that she could see very little blue, though she supposed that oceans had to exist to support so much vegetation.

She couldn't help but wonder what Ozma Furbanna was really like. Back in her own time, there were fans who liked her and fans who despised her. Erin had always tended toward the latter group, not out of any spite but simply because the character had driven her up the wall. She didn't like Ozma's fanatical environmentalism, apparent selfishness, and cold treatment of Buzz. Still, Erin wanted to be fair, so she tried to purge her mind of previous impressions.

It didn't help her fairness any that the first thing she heard coming out of Ozma's mouth was a rebuke to Buzz for landing the shuttle too close to a bird's nest. Would you rather we land it on your roof? Erin thought before she could stop herself.

"Sorry," Buzz grinned sheepishly. "Dr. Furbanna, I'd like you to meet my newly adopted sister, Erin Frame. Erin, this is Dr. Ozma Furbanna."

"Nice to meet you," Erin greeted. Making an effort to be friendly, she smiled and offered her hand.

After a moment's hesitation, the older woman took the hand and shook it. "Same here."

Okay, so their relationship didn't get off to a good start.

It didn't get much better.

Being Buzz's adopted sister, Erin felt oddly protective and even possessive of him. Her clannish, "big sister" reflexes were kicking in, focusing on one of only two people she could claim as family anymore, Mira being the other. And from where Erin was standing, it looked like Ozma bossed Buzz around a lot and maybe even enjoyed it. So… oh no, Heaven forbid that anyone should boss around Big Brother but Little Sister!

Ozma, on the other hand, was justifiably annoyed at the idea of a teenager on Karn, for however brief a visit. Karn just wasn't for teenagers—especially this one, who acted like a real hygiene nut. Plus, Ozma sensed the veiled, mild hostility in the younger woman, which irritated her even more. What had her boyfriend been thinking when he'd brought her here, anyway?

As he inspected the work site, Buzz remained blissfully oblivious to the bad vibes channeling between the two women, feeling only the awkward atmosphere and having no idea of its cause.

All in all, not the best day ever.

But things brightened a bit when late afternoon rolled around, with one killer of a vegetable pot pie. Erin had to admit grudgingly to herself that anyone who could cook like that couldn't be all bad, so she sincerely complimented her hostess on the meal. That thawed Ozma just a touch, and Erin counted it a victory.

When the siblings finally left, the women were at least able to exchange a civil goodbye. The moment was ruined for Erin, though, as she witnessed Buzz and Ozma kiss. She surreptitiously raised her hand to her mouth as she tasted bile, and climbed into the shuttle a few seconds later. Yep, she had always hated the Buzz/Ozma pairing—always had, always would. How could that work, anyway—

"Strapped in?" came Buzz's voice.

Erin pulled her belt down to buckle. "Am now."

Buzz ran the preflight check sequence and settled into his chair. "So'j'you have fun?"

"Fun?" Erin gasped in mock-astonishment. "I thought you couldn't have fun doing your job."

"When did I ever say that?" Buzz protested.

"You didn't," Erin grinned, settling into her seat. "Just ribbin' ya."

Buzz rolled his eyes and muttered, "Juvenile."

"You bet." As they lifted off, she admitted, "It was okay. Different." She smiled to herself. "Awesomesauce to be on a new planet."

"Awesomesauce?" Buzz echoed.

"'Net-speak."

"Ah."

Erin let out a quiet laugh, and Buzz shook his head, smiling.

In just a couple of weeks, Erin would begin training with Buzz. Already, aside from teaching her how to drive, he taught her how to play basketball better, and he'd promised to help her out with other sports.

And Captain Lightyear was not the only person teaching Erin things. Eleven days from the visit to Karn, some kind of dinner party for the Galactic Senate was to be held on Capital Moon Orbital Station. (They could have actually given the Moon a real name, Erin thought, but oh nooo, they had to call it the same stupid thing they called Earth.)

Team Lightyear and four other teams were scheduled for guard duty that night, so Buzz ensured that "Little Sis" could attend. Consequently, Mira found herself in a new position: that of a dance instructor. Early in their preparations, they'd gone out to buy a deep green dress that would perfectly complement Erin's dark eyes and hair. Erin had never been to any events outside of family gatherings, bridal parties, and weddings—and she was nearly bouncing off the walls with excitement.

She needed that energy when Team Lightyear was engaged in an evening of volleyball with the other Rangers. It was something of a tradition at Star Command—game night every Thursday. Mira had suggested that they bring Erin along this Thursday, and fifteen minutes into the game, the team was glad that they had. Erin was no sports girl—nowhere remotely close—but she'd played volleyball often with her church youth group back home. And while she couldn't yet make a basket any further than ten feet or so away from the hoop, she served a mean volleyball.

Her serves had already scored two points for her team, and she was winding up for another serve when she heard someone bellow, "HEY, ERIN!"

"Rocket!" she heard Mira shout angrily.

Rather than lose her focus, though, Erin merely rolled her eyes and served, very familiar with the yell-when-the-enemy's-about-to-serve tactic. A minute later, she screamed excitedly when the enemy team dropped the ball, scoring her team another point.

"Hey, Lightyear, your little sis there shouldn't be legal!" she heard Rocket Crocket shout. "She's too doggone good!"

"Nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya!" Erin chanted tauntingly back at him.

"Ooo, she's nasty, too!" Rocket added.

"Ahh, hush up and play!" Erin retorted.

Buzz's irritated gaze flicked from Rocket to Erin to Rocket to Erin. "Excuse me! Are we going to get on with this game, or are you two gonna keep jabbering?"

Erin turned to face the enemy team and held up the ball. "Answer: 10-4!" The ball sailed over the net, and Rocket managed to punch it back over. Booster and XR, positioned close to each other, both went for the ball and ended up crashing, the ball plopping both Rangers on the head before touching the floor. "Ahh, come on, you guys!" Erin complained. "We were having such a good streak!"

"Nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya!" a familiar voice chanted.

"Curse you, Rocket Crockeeeeeet!" she retorted in her best Zurg imitation, before realizing that it might not have been the best thing to say.

Everyone stopped and stared at her.

She winced and shrank back. "What?" she asked innocently.

Hi, Hayden!

How are things over on your end? Where I am, it's pretty busy. I call it "breathless daze."

It's hot all of a sudden, and in late April, that's definitely not a welcome change. We had temperatures in the 90s just the other day. Yuck.

I'm starting to get the hang of basketball, so that's pretty cool. I've also started playing 0-G dodge-ball, which excites and scares me at the same time. Dodging those balls in a gravity-less room ain't fun.

I'm also learning to dance, which is really cool.

…Oh craters, this email looks so awful. It's your own fault for wondering what I've been up to. I'm gonna go make dinner now.

God bless!

~Mara Jade, Emperor's Hand-turned-Jedi-Knight =)

Hi, Mara Jade, Emperor's Hand-turned-Jedi-Knight.

Nice to hear from you. Yeah, things are kinda busy on my end, too. ("Breathless daze"... angel and romantic?)

Ick, hot in late April is never fun. Oh, and 0-G dodge-ball is always fun—you just gotta get used to it. And I'm glad you're learning to dance: that's something girls should know, right?

Hey, your email didn't look awful, honest! And whaddaya mean, it's my own fault? Go make dinner, then, and see if I care!

;D

See ya,

Hayden

Mira's apartment; (Friday) 4/20/09

"Step to the right! No, your right! Okay, now twirl… Curtsy… Done."

Erin let out a relieved sigh. "Mira, do you really think they'll be doing the Teradonian Waltz at the party?"

"Probably," Mira replied, stopping the CD as the next music track was beginning. "It's a pretty popular dance."

"Shoot," Erin muttered. "Why does it have to be so doggone hard?"

Mira brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "It's just hard because you're not used to dancing. When you're more used to it, it'll be easy, trust me," Mira assured her.

"Hey, you're the teacher."

"Yep! Sooo, let me think… what do we do now…"

"Any romantic dances you could teach me?" Erin asked abruptly.

"Got a partner in mind?" Mira teased.

"Don't be cruel," Erin shot back. "Never hurts to be prepared."

Mira shrugged. "I guess we can do that." She flipped through a synth leather case of CDs. "I'm sure I've got something in here—ah-hah! Here it is!" Triumphant, she held up the tiny disc before inserting it into the player. "All right, I'll be the man. So I'm going to hold you… like this… and you hold me… like… this… Good! Now for this dance, it's much easier—you basically just follow your partner's lead, okay?"

"'Kay." Mira activated the music and resumed her position with Erin, who started when she recognized the tune. "That's 'Edelweiss' from The Sound of Music!"

"Mm-hmm," Mira grinned. "Sure is."

Mira was right: this dance was much easier. It felt fluid and natural, and Erin was unconsciously performing better with music she knew and loved. When the tune faded away, she sighed disappointedly. "That was so pretty. Are there more tracks like that, 'cause I mean… well, I think if I can do well with the more romantic dances, I'll do better with the others."

Mira smirked thoughtfully. "Sure. Let's just rest a minute, though—I'm tired." To prove her point, she flopped down onto the couch.

Erin grinned and flopped down beside her. "Me, too."

They sat in companionable silence for a minute before Mira, staring at the TV, mused, "Wonder if anything's on tonight."

"Prob'ly not," Erin drawled. Mira glanced at her, and she grinned sheepishly. "Quote—you probably wouldn't know it."

Mira arched an eyebrow but otherwise didn't pursue the issue. Finally, she said, "Maybe we should just call it a night and watch a movie. I don't know about you, but I've been working all day and I'm pooped."

"Fine by me," Erin shrugged. "You still have six more days to teach me, anyway."

"Oh joy," Mira groaned, eliciting a laugh from the younger girl. "Sooo, whaddaya wanna see?"

"Well, lessee." Erin propped her elbow on the couch arm and her chin in her palm. "We were going through the Narnia movies, and the last one we saw was The Magician's Nephew. We still need to do The Last Battle."

"Mm, yeah, that's right. Okay, I can go with that."

As Mira bent down to insert the DVD, Erin said, "Wait a sec. Just how depressing is this movie?"

Mira laughed. "Don't worry—the end more than makes up for it."

"Gonna hold you to that!" Erin warned her, less than half-serious.

"Be my guest," Mira retorted confidently. "You wanna make popcorn?"

"Sure!" Erin jumped up and bounded into the kitchen. "Oughta be… five minutes."

"Gonna hold you to that!" Mira called after her.

"Ha-ha," came the sarcastic response. Erin grinned, though. Living with Mira was like having a big sister—a totally new experience for a firstborn.

As she fixed the popcorn, her mind inadvertently drifted to the dinner coming up. She could never have foreseen the impact it would have on her life.

Author's Note:

Oh, at last! Another chapter finally rewritten! As you'll notice, I left this chapter mostly alone in the way of rewriting—but it still needed a lot of polishing. It was mostly that reason that held me back from doing it while I flung myself into Star Wars fanfics.

If you want to review, that'd be terrific—if you don't, I understand. This wasn't the greatest chapter ever. Maybe I can get the next one done before my birthday. That'd be cool. Yes, it'll be the dinner party, but it'll be the dinner party as you've never seen it before. *grins*

You know, as I go through this… well, the redone chapters started out more mature in tone, and somewhere along the way, they've gotten lighter… And I'm not sure I like it. Hopefully, the next chapter will more than make up for it. After that, maybe I can combine some chapters and get to the Academy sooner. Yeah, we're going to see it (sort of) this time around—what we'll really be seeing are some great new characters! I can't wait!