But it wasn't their vessel they sought refuge in from the storm. It was Ozma's Bio-Sphere. No use going out in the rain now.

The storm outside was loud and chaotic, rain lashing and thunder reverberating overhead. But the scene inside was an abnormally serene one after the excitement that passed.

Inside the building and in her workplace, Ozma, who was out of her uniform, handed out cups of coffee to the Rangers, with Booster and XR as the exceptions due to their preferred tastes of hot chocolate and rustola. Because XR was a robot, he could only consume oil for energy. Rustola just happened to be his favorite brand to drink. The comforting and reorienting scents of their drink choices provided a break and sense of relief for everyone after the encounters they just had with those measly eggheads. Pix also indulged in the quiet time by resting on a cot, all curled up into a cute little ball without a care in the world. Everyone else engaged in the pleasure of either silence or small talk, grateful for the peace.

Everyone except Buzz. The macchiato Ozma made for him was a nice breather, but it didn't warm him up as he thought it would. Other things occupied his mind. Standing in front of the metal entryway, he stared intensely into his coffee, contemplating over the circumstances at hand.

There was no way the Chlorms would leave the premises without accomplishing their goal of capturing Pix and attacking the team. The Chlorm must have retreated to a safe haven, probably their ship, to wait out the weather and reform a new plan. They were still out there, still hiding, preparing for the right moment to strike. What was to say that they wouldn't try a new trick again? The temptation of taking the ship out to look for those criminals over the jungly terrain was a strong one, but he had to remind himself of the realities surrounding him. The Chlorm could easily spot 42; the ship's large shape was far from a subtle thing to make out in the wide sky, even if the clouds and rain could have provided cover. And as durable as 42 was when it came to the elements, it wasn't exactly a good idea to go out into a storm where lightning could strike more than twice no matter how easily he could maneuver the ship. Flying with his jet pack was plain suicide.

But that didn't mean he couldn't try other methods for search and arrest. It was just a matter of finding them and how to go about arresting them without having to face their weaponry again. Without also having to deal with the storm up above.

As if in response, thunder rumbled overhead, jolting him out of his thoughts. He glared through the ceiling, wanting to stare into the celestial abyss and its black mood.

Ozma took a break from conversing with Mira to approach Buzz in his edgy state of mind. "What's the matter, Lightyear? Coffee not strong enough for you?"

"I'm just thinking. I know that those Chlorm are lurking out there somewhere. They're crafty and devious." Emphasis on devious.

"Hmph, I think that's a given. But I don't think you should worry about them."

Buzz gave her a look that clearly stated she was dead wrong. "Oh?"

She took a slow sip of her own cup of joe, a delicious cappuccino. "Oh, yes. I've experienced storms like this one, and I can tell you that Karn storms are the best at driving out poachers and other unwelcome visitors from here. I may not know these Chlorm all too well, but judging from how they greeted those lightning attacks, I'm going to assume they don't like it when nature fights back."

"No, they don't. But that doesn't mean they're going to give up that easily. I got a feeling they're going to try something again. Call it Ranger intuition."

"Ranger intuition?" Ozma's crooked smile was ignored by Buzz. "I can't say I've ever heard of it. Tell me, are you sure that's your Ranger intuition acting up or did you have a screw loose from the storm blowing up?" She kept her smile on as he rounded on her, his ego flaring.

"No! My Ranger instincts are never wrong. I'm telling you, they're up to something! And I'm gonna find out what it is!"

"How? By flying through this storm? Good luck. You'd be shot down by lightning in seconds if you were to take off now. You could try trekking through the jungle, but I wouldn't advise it."

"Don't tell me, I know. Because of the animals' feeding time?"

"You remember. Well done, Lightbrain." She took another sip from her coffee mug, all the while ignoring Buzz's scathing pout.

Mira, who had been silently observing the whole conversation between Buzz and Ozma, didn't want to hear another argument. She hastily suggested, "Hey, Buzz. I-I was thinking, we should ch-check on 42 to make sure the ship's alright. We co-could also get in a call to Star Command a-and tell them what's going on. Y'know, procedure a-and everything-"

Ty cut in, "Mira's right. Besides, if those Chlorm are still around, and if they're as smart as you say they are, they might have seen 42, and I wouldn't want them catching us by surprise if they somehow located the ship and stowed away on board if the ship is trapped in some mud or something. It wouldn't hurt to make sure the ship's safe and in working order. And we haven't contacted Star Command for some time. I think they might want an update by now." Ty gave a pointed look to Buzz, indicating he would have no need for another useless squabble. Just because Ty would support Buzz's relationship with Ozma, be it professional or romantic, that didn't mean he'd be subjected to another argument.

Buzz looked over at his two sensible teammates and, after mulling over their options, sighed and gave a nod of consent. "Rangers, you're right. We'd better make sure 42's engines aren't clogged up with mud, and I don't want to skip out on important procedures. And," he said as he felt inspiration take hold of him, "we can even explore around the area and set up lookout points in case they come back here. We can each take turns keeping an eye on the ship from within and on the Bio-Sphere from the outside with our surveillance drones." Downing his now lukewarm coffee, he set it down and rounded up his team. "Mira, Booster and XR, come with me to 42. Ty, you stay here with Dr. Furbanna and Pix."

Ty ran a hand through his hair. It was a habit he'd perform whenever he felt stress or uncertainly grip him. "Buzz, are you sure you don't...well, are you sure you and your team will be alright out there in the storm? It looks pretty dark out there and from what I can see, you wouldn't be able to move that fast, let alone move a whole muscle, with it raining buckets."

"We're Space Rangers, Ty. We'll make do. Besides, I need to have somebody stay here with Ozma and Pix in case those Chlorm come back or if Ozma needs help with anything."

Ty started to object again, but much to his surprise, Ozma came to his aid. "Lightyear, we're tough. We can take care of ourselves. But..." She looked at Ty and gave a small smile. "I don't mind having him stay inside with us. I'd like to know him a bit better. If you'd like, Ty."

The smile was real; she did want to know him better which was a rarity for her. She normally didn't want anything to do with strangers, or just people in general, but Ty was proving himself to be an likable conversationalist and decent person. He also did seem to have quite the common sense in the group as he previously demonstrated, next to Mira when she wasn't with Buzz, and he and Pix did seem to enjoy each other's company, to which Ozma appreciated. Of course it helped to know he had experience with animals in the past and knew how to handle them, at least when it came to dogs, and he managed to look after Pix well, as evidenced when they were flying away from the fire and the Chlorms' weapon.

So why not converse with him and see who he was underneath that Ranger personality?

Ty studied Ozma as he considered her proposal. Since Buzz was going to go out there regardless of what Ty said, and since he was the leader of this mission, there would really be no point in stopping him, would there? Ty did, however, feel a little uncomfortable about staying in the same room with Ozma. He didn't think her to be evil, but after he witnessed Ozma's stubbornness in full play today, he didn't want to tread on thin ice. But she did seem truly interested in talking to him, and she wasn't all bad. She could be polite when she wanted to be, and she was certainly passionate about her work. And it might provide a nice respite from another war of words from developing if he were to stay behind and chat with her, and he did sincerely like Pix.

So why not give her the benefit of the doubt and see what she was like underneath that icy wall?

And so, he smiled his own small smile and nodded. "Sure...I'd like that."

The booming thunder outside agreed.

Shortly after the team left, Ozma brewed Ty two new batches of coffee for him and herself. The two managed to kick back against a few chairs Ozma had gotten out of her metallic blue case she used for storing folding chairs and sleeping bags. The chairs weren't exactly meant for reclining, on account of the space being used more as a workshop than a living room, but they'd have to do.

For a few moments, they didn't say anything to each other. Instead, they watched Pix sleeping on her cot. Once more, thunder clapped, but Pix didn't stir from her slumber.

"Wow. Pix can sleep like a log through this storm, huh?"

Ozma put a hand on her lap, all too proud to talk about Pix. "You'd better believe it. She can sleep through a number of things, but if an emergency rises or if she smells or hears something interesting, she can wake up and be alert in a matter of seconds. Dustchasers usually need to sleep extensively to regain their energy before they're on the move again."

"Oh yeah? How long does it usually take for Pix to regain her energy?"

"It varies here and there. Sometimes an hour, sometimes five, sometimes only five minutes. It depends on how arduous the task was, but I trust her to know her own sleep cycle. Most of the tasks I send her on aren't too bad for her to tackle, if I do say so myself."

"How many tasks do you put her on a daily basis?"

"Hm... about four to five. Sometimes six, but I don't like to push her. I can only give her so much to do before she tires." Ozma sipped her coffee.

"Well, it's definitely good for her to be out and running with all that energy she has. She's the fastest dog I've ever seen, and one of the most personable ones I've ever interacted with."

Ozma smirked. "I'll be sure to pass on your compliments to her."

"Heh, thanks." Ty supped his own coffee, a latte macchiato, before speaking again. "Y'know, I just realized something. Up until today, I've never heard of dustchasers and I know why now. But how did you personally come to hear about them?"

"Thank my friend, The Researcher."

"...Come again?" Who - or what - was The Researcher?

She raised an unsurprised brow. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Hold on, I'll just show you instead." Ozma put down her cup next to her chair and stood up. She walked over to a bookshelf perched behind her work table and pulled out a magazine-sized journal. She showed it to Ty and explained, "This is The Researcher. It's what we animal researchers like to read in what little downtime we have on the job. And it brings us some other nice perks; we get to learn new information about the latest in animal research before anyone else does, even Star Command's space cowboys. No offense."

Ty didn't take too kindly to that Ozma's tone of superiority, but he wasn't about to let that little detail deter him from how pleasantly the conversation was going so far with him and Ozma. Instead of replying with bitter sarcasm, he settled with raising an eyebrow of his own, only in annoyance. "Yes, well... what's so special about this magazine?"

She brought the article back with her and sat back down in her seat. Placing the magazine on her lap, she flipped through its pages to find a certain page number and when she did, she pointed a sharp finger to the article she wanted to show Ty. "What's special about it is that this month's issue covers everything that's been known about dustchasers."

Indeed it did. There were fantastic photographs taken of dogs, all dogs at different stages of their lives, doing what dogs are known to do: play, eat, jump, bark, laze around, search, smell, and so on. Ozma explained, "From what we know, these dogs were bred on Verdentia from ancient times to serve as a dog who could perform any kind of duty you give him or her. It's believed that they are the descendants of dogs who worked with the original protectors of the galaxy back when the planet's capital was on Planet X."

Ty put down his own cup on the floor and pored over the article, his eyes scanning back and forth to absorb all the information on this breed. "I guess that makes sense; they can thrive in deserts where there's plenty of room to run."

"Exactly. Here's a picture of one at its top speed." She flipped the page, revealing a photograph of a dustchaser running. But it wasn't just running, it was a blur.

According to the article, dustchasers got their name from speeds; they could run so fast that the dust left behind chased after them. And there was photographic evidence right there in the copy. The image captured on film revealed a ghost-like blur of a dog, caught in a perfect sense of overflowing movement as it raced from one side of the photograph to the other, earthy dust left behind in its wake. Its fur color was a shimmering snow white. Its twin scleras were bright blue with the pupils a mysterious black. Its body was lean yet muscular, built on top of long legs. A short mane hung from the top of its head and chest, nearly assembling a lion's mane. Nestled within the mane was a dark green collar, its design similar to Pix's collar. Long ears sat on its head, with one of the battered ears having a notch in it for unknown reasons. The dog seemed to blend into the wind, disappearing in a blink of an eye.

It was like a painting had come to life right before Ty's very eyes. "Craters... you weren't kidding when you said they could clock up to six hundred miles per hour. Pix's speed today was something, but the dog's speed here? I gotta give props to to the photographer for how this image turned out."

As if to highlight the photo's mystique and to brighten the dog's white fur, a quick burst of lightning flashed outside. The duo could see the bolt of lightning flashing and then disappearing from sight. Seeing the bolt outside prompted Ty to realize it had been some time since Team Lightyear had made contact with him. He wondered how things were going with Buzz and his team.

He would find out. "Dr. Furbanna, I'm going to need to check in with Buzz and his team. Would you excuse me for a minute?"

"Sure, be my guest." He gave his thanks and went over to a corner to open up his communicator in a compartment built into the suit's sleeves, which was a necessary compartment for every Space Ranger to have for communication purposes. While he tried to talk to Buzz, Ozma stayed in her seat. She picked up her mug and was about to drink from it again when she realized she was down to the last drop. She got up, placed the magazine down on her chair and went back to the coffee maker to make another batch.

While she was occupying herself with the coffee, Ty was occupying himself with the communicator. "Hey Buzz, are you there? I wanted to check in with you." He patiently waited for Buzz to pick up. A few seconds later...

"Buzz here, Ty. Is something wrong?"

"That's what I'd like to find out from you and your team. Things are fine here, but what about your end? I haven't heard from ya in a while."

"Ah, don't worry, buddy, things are sailing smoothly here. The ship's fine and in working order. We checked around the area and there's no sign of those Chlorm anywhere in this miserable darkness."

Although Buzz couldn't see his expression, Ty frowned at his friend's disappointment. Not that he couldn't blame him, but in this weather, the chances of running into those creatures again weren't very high.

A sigh could be heard on the other end as Buzz went on, optimism replacing disappointment. "We've already set up a watch with three of our surveillance drones. We've got four more just in case the first three are carried away by the storm, but the storm is starting to move on, if only slowly, so we might have better luck catching them off guard!"

Ty cast his eyes downward and off to the side. He didn't feel so sure about that. The storm's meteorological orchestra was seemingly drawing to a close, yes, but Ty wasn't feeling Buzz's optimism quite so well. Whether it was due to Ty's cynicism or simply because the storm did a great job of scaring those goons away, he couldn't bring himself to agree with his friend. They had to be wary on their toes about those Chlorm, but there was no way to tell if they'd ever see those guys again.

"Ty? Are you there?"

The man in question cleared his throat and assured, "Er, yeah, I'm here. Just take it easy, alright? We can't be too sure of what will happen once the storm moves someplace else."

"True. You do have a point, buddy. But I have a feeling we'll see them before the day ends. Ranger instincts, you know. By the way, how are things progressing over there?"

"Well like I said, things are fine here. Nothing's happened thus far. If anything does come up, you'll be the first to know."

"Excellent. Well, we're gonna finish up our task and then if nothing happens once the storm passes, we'll call it a day. I'll let you know when we're finished up."

"Roger, Buzz. Over and out."

With the conversation at its end, Ty hung up and closed his communicator and returned to his chair. By the time he got back, Ozma finished making her coffee and met him back in the chairs.

Her magazine forgotten, Ozma asked rather cheekily, "So I can trust nothing's happened yet?"

Ty shook his head, ignoring Ozma's tone. "Not if you count the storm moving on and the drones set in place. Other than that, Buzz and his team haven't seen anything out of the ordinary yet. But I gotta be honest, I don't think they're going to have much luck seeing anything out there. It's like you said; if they were that scared by the lightning attacks, then it's possible they might not want to come back here. Or if they do, they're not gonna want to face off against us again after the fight we gave them." He crossed his arms as he contemplated over the situation. "But I honestly don't know either way. We'll have to figure something out. I don't want to see those guys again or see Pix get into any danger... not if I can help it."

Ozma didn't say anything, but instead studied him the way she would study a stratoshrike during its migration.

Ty realized he was being scrutinized. "What? Was it something I said?"

"Partly."

"...Is that a problem, ma'am?"

"No, actually. It's refreshing."

"Huh? What's refreshing?" What was she getting at?

She folded her arms as she watched Pix on her cot. "Your attitude is refreshing, Ty. You're not like the other Rangers I've met, at least where Lightyear is concerned. In the past, when I've seen Lightyear and his team in action, they often did things in a grandiose way. And they still do, at least in the times I've been with them. Sometimes I almost think, if you don't mind me saying so, that Space Rangers often prove themselves to be just like animals - no...lower than them - whenever I see them attacking animals who haven't done anything wrong all for the sake of saving themselves or people. I'm not much of a people person, and I don't want to see people get hurt, but attacking animals who are merely following their instincts? That is something I still don't agree with.

Although..." A soft smile eased onto her features. "Lightyear and his team have gotten better about it. Not too much, but they are getting better. They could learn a lot from you. You seem like you've got a good head on your shoulders over things like that. I was impressed with the way you watched out for Pix when we were in the air." She turned to Ty to gift him her smile, but she couldn't give him the smile. She could only grant him a bemused frown because he wasn't looking at her.

Instead, he was staring at his quivering hands, allowing them to shake like they had been hit with a cold spell. His eyes harbored no emotion, a pair of frozen voids staring into nothingness. His mind took him back to that horrible incidents, replaying those certain nights and days all over again. He didn't want to let Ozma see him like this, but he couldn't help it. There was something unintentionally hurtful and true about her words that was severely bothering him in more ways than one.

Something involving guilt and shame. It felt so different when the subject involving animals attacking and Rangers proving themselves to be either monsters or heroes was discussed with Buzz and Nebula, considering Buzz was there and directly played a role in the events that transpired back on that planet, before and after the fact. And of course, Nebula was his commanding officer. The commander needed to know these types of problems. But hearing Ozma talk about this ugly topic even when she had no knowledge on what Ty had been through before he came to Karn? It became so entirely unreal and horrible to think about and discuss with an outsider.

Now he wished he was with Buzz out there instead of in here.

Lightning and thunder collided with each other, and it was because of their combined powers that Ozma saw how literally shaken he seemed to be.

"Ty? What's the matter? Are you cold?"

He shook his head. He gripped his hands to get a better hold on them, but still they shook. Feeling unwanted pressure in his body, he shut his eyes tightly and breathed deeply in and out to regain his breath.

And that was what finally stirred Pix from her slumber. Her ears flicked upwards and she lifted her head towards Ty. "Hm?" In a standard confused canine response, she tilted her head at him.

When Ozma noticed Pix had awakened, she beckoned Pix to come over to them. Pix obeyed, got up from her cot and stood before her master, awaiting orders. Ozma patted her dog on the head and bade her to sit down.

She did so, but she didn't do it without throwing a confused glance Ty's way. He didn't look so good. Was he having a hard time breathing?
Without thinking about it, and without any command issued by her owner, Pix plopped her head down on Ty's lap.

The warm weight dropped in his lap released Ty from his fight with himself, causing him to open his eyes and see Pix's head resting on his lap.

"..."

Her large puppy-dog eyes, coupled with her wagging tail and concerned whines, all provided a much-needed distraction from his sudden...moment. The corners of his mouth tugged upwards and he found himself smiling gently and in gratitude towards the dog. He reached out, wanting to pet her in between her long ears but couldn't go forward with it because he remembered that her owner was there.

She nodded her permission. "Of course you may."

And Pix grew a smile of her own. The itching behind her ears would barely go away even if she tried to scratch them herself whenever they annoyed her, but having a human around to scratch her ears was so nice. Now she had two humans to do that for her! But more importantly, whatever Ty was experiencing was going away and he was grinning.

"Good dog, Pix. Thanks."

"Glad I could help!" A happy bark would follow soon after, encouraging Ty and Ozma to chuckle a little.

Now at ease, his breath returned to normal and his mind was clear...for now.

But it wouldn't let him off the hook from Dr. Furbanna's curiosity. "So are you feeling better now, Ty? Was it something I said?"

She wasn't shocked when Ty stayed quiet and focused his energies into stroking Pix in between her ears. She did want to know what caused him to freeze up like that, but she didn't want to put her foot into her mouth by saying anything further about the Rangers. She had a distinct feeling that she might have come across a sore and especially personal spot of Ty's. He didn't react with aggravation like Rangers, or at least Team Lightyear anyway, did whenever she ranted about them and their methods. No, his reaction was deeply rooted in fear and pain.

Ty sighed. Suddenly feeling thirsty, he reached down with his other hand to pick up the mug off the floor and have another sip of coffee. As the mug reached his lips, he met with only a few drops in the cup. He frowned and proceeded to rise out of his chair, but Ozma stopped him with a hand. "No, no, don't. I'll get another cup for you."

He blinked. "Uh... are you sure? I can get an-"

"Don't worry about it, Ty. There's no charge here."

"Well..." He glanced down at Pix, who was staring up at him with those soulful eyes that all dogs were born to have. She didn't want him to get up when she was comfortable where she was. So he respected her wishes. "Alright. If you want to, sure, but only if you're getting some yourself."

She raised a brow, but only shrugged lightly. "Fair enough. Give me your cup."

Once she retrieved his cup, she grabbed her own and went back to the coffee maker. Once the coffee was ready, she poured the coffee into his empty cup. Her own cup was halfway empty, but that would change when she added more to fill it to the top. Both cups now filled to the brim, she returned to her chair and handed Ty his steaming cup. He thanked her and took a sip. A nice and long sip, the liquid warming his heart and head, and giving him the courage needed to explain himself. He did owe her a reason for his change in behavior.

After he drank, he placed the cup back down onto the floor and sighed again. He absent-mindedly stroked Pix's head again before he spoke up. "It was something you mentioned...that bit about animals and... and Space Rangers." He closed his eyes again, resigned to a bitter fate. "I... I was...involved in an incident similar to what you just described. Something involving the Rangers proving themselves to be one thing or the other." He was quick to assure, "I didn't hurt any animals, if that's what you're thinking. But...I did hurt someone. I did attack someone. At the time, I wasn't myself. I was under..." His hands started to shake on their own accord again, but this time, he shook them right back, as if to tell them to stop it. He took a deep breath. "I was under a lot of stress, and I took it out on someone by mistake. Someone who's close to me who almost paid the price."

Just because he had to tell Ozma the truth didn't mean he had to tell all of it.

Pix nudged Ty's hand for some more scratches to her ears and he complied, gently rubbing her head.

Ozma asked carefully, "Well... who? Who was it?"

Now would come a difficult answer to a difficult question. "...Would you believe it was Buzz Lightyear himself I hurt? My own best friend?"

He braced himself for the impact.

A/N: I have a distinct feeling that I might get some flak here for Ozma's behavior and how she unintentionally caused Ty to freeze up, so I feel I should write up an explanation now. I think it's a safe bet to believe that there are readers out there who don't like Ozma's character. It's certainly fine to dislike or like a character, but going overboard with the bashing and hating is not cool. While I'm strictly neutral about her, characterizing her as a monster because of her upfront personality or hating her because she seems to get in the way of a preferred pairing is, bluntly speaking, wrong. It is possible to ignore canon and ship whatever you want to ship.

She is, above all else, human. She has her good points and bad points, and I'd like to give her more than what she was given by the fandom or even what the show gave her. If you're a not a fan of Ozma and Buzz together, or you're a fan of Team Lightyear, and you feel offended in any way, I do apologize. I am not trying to offend people who dislike Ozma.

But keep in mind that she has the right to feel irritated by TL for their actions against animals. I am not saying that they were in the right or wrong to do what they did, but she is an animal researcher and it's clear to see that she loves every animal there is in the galaxy. It's in her job description to protect animals from unwanted dangers. How she goes about it is not always the best route, but that doesn't mean she can't learn to deal with these sorts of problems in other ways. She can grow to be more than how she's seen by people if she was given a chance. And I'm going to give her that chance as I write on.