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It was their final day in the slipstream, much to everyone's relief and once they re-entered realspace, they would be a mere two day's travel to the borders of the Sterwil Federation. Another two days and they would be at Outreach, the Galactic Council's palace, a massive, elaborate palatial construct that orbited a tidally locked planet. The Ranger would be docked at Outreach for a minimum of a week, the maximum unknown as High Command had finally replied to his field reports. To say they were angry with him was an understatement. They couldn't figure out how he had screwed up such a simple recon mission in such spectacular fashion until he had replied with the details of the Daglia's mass, power curve and known armament and sensors capabilities - including that of the crew. Trillian had then sent them his letter of resignation which Admiral Gensu and his lackeys had accepted with gratitude and told him that he would retire effective-immediately the moment the Empress had her toe in the galactic door. Or the moment her case was denied and she was confined to her empire to expand to the stars beyond without the aid the Federation could offer. And from that moment on, Trillian would need to find his own way back, leaving Lieutenant Commander Owen Hartman as Acting Captain of the Ranger. In that, Trillian decided, was some good news. Owen was a capable officer and was long overdue getting a shot at being captain. It was a shame that it had to happen this way. He had told the ferret about Command's reaction to the situation and he had listened with horrified fascination as Trillian read out the message he had received. Then he had numbly excused himself from Trillian's office and disappeared to his quarters. Hopefully, Trillian thought, to re-absorb a stack of military guides and officer's manuals in preparation for his looming challenge.

A challenge made all the more daunting since Angelica had not announced any plans to be leaving the Ranger any time soon. Maybe she was expecting a ride back, he thought sourly. There was, after all, an awful lot she had conveniently forgotten to mention. And she had not elaborated much on her one-way ticket to Outreach, even after she had been asked repeatedly. Even after he told her that if she sprung any more surprises on him like she had done with her little gift to the Oshanu, he was out and he was taking his ship and crew with him. She had scoffed and had a hearty laugh about the very idea of him attempting to get her off his ship, giving him a small display of her power by psychically shearing the wardroom's chairs from their anchoring rails and lifting them high into the air. In response, he had simply got up and left the room in silence, leaving her to her entertainment. He was at his wits' end and he wanted nothing more than for this to be another bad dream. Those he had plenty of without her help.

He wondered how Owen would fair against her once Trillian was gone. The ferret had done everything in his power to avoid her, as had the rest of his bridge crew, taking their meals to their quarters or the mess with the rest of the crew as opposed to dining with their captain as was customary. He felt a sudden wave of loneliness and guilt wash through him. His recent decisions had left them all feeling betrayed and as a result, his authority over his crew since leaving Angelica's flagship had been weakening considerably over the course of the month and any friendships that he had forged during his 3 year service aboard the Ranger was damaged. And no matter what he did to repair those things, it was all thrown back in his face. His reputation was disintegrating, too and he had a feeling that there was someone else aboard who would succeed in their mutinous plans. And he genuinely wished them luck if they attempted it before he returned to the bridge for First Watch, where he would announce his impending retirement to the crew with as much dignity he could muster. He would do anything in his power to make sure the crew stuck together, even if that meant announcing the plans for his immediate future to them all.

He sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair, nursing his mug of caf as he stared blankly at his office wall. Sleep had been elusive recently and the caffeine kick he was hoping for hadn't arrived. He was too stressed, his implants aching, his head pounding, and old, terrible memories had started surfacing to haunt what fitful sleep he could get during his sedated moments. Jashen was concerned for him, as was Sonja and Owen. The rest... they no longer seemed to care. He could break right now and be done with it, but that would be taking the easy way out. No, he would hang on to his mind for a bit longer and continue to resist the temptation of a quick, un-assisted space walk.

His thoughts turned briefly to Angelica once again. How things had changed since leaving her ship; an agreement to leave a bad situation behind, to switch roles to emissary and captain to help her people expand and experience new, wonderful things after starting afresh after explaining, in full and total honesty, what their contract entailed; find out where Xanimus had gone, leave and report back to Kollari with the data - end of contract. Nothing insidious, nothing hostile... Just scouting for a trail. Things had been fine the first couple of days. And then the boredom had set in for her. The Ranger was a through-and-through warship. There was no grand hydroponics garden, no lushly furnished lounges, no fresh air; just 250 people of different races, abilities and psychic and magical strengths crammed into an old dedicated deep space destroyer, sucking down recycled air. Her mood had started slipping. She had spent time in the gym, tested various crewmembers' physical strength, looked down upon those who refused her challenges and had unabashedly seeped into people's minds. She didn't like to be told that she had to obey the rules and Trillian felt that things were going to come to a head sooner rather than later in that regard. Even worse, morale was steadily falling with no sign of recovering. The longer she was aboard, the worse it got. 3 years of hard contracts with no leave only to be thrown into this situation, tiptoeing around your own personal space lest you get obliterated for some reason. The cohesion of the crew was groaning under the weight of the stress, the finely honed war machine they formed rusting at the joints and ready to break.

Trillian tapped a nail against his mug in thought. He hadn't seen or heard much from Angelica since they left Kollari Station, a tenuous idea for a trade deal tucked under her arm. In the end, their former Oshanu client had brooked no argument about how they wanted things to play out: before any more could be discussed about future trading, Angelica had to prove to the Galactic Council as a whole that she was not a threat to them or their people and that Thymion was more than capable of behaving themselves, and acting like respectable citizens and soldiers of the grand empire that she claimed Thymion to be. That had pissed her off to no end, but then Trillian had come out of his brooding and had murmured softly to her ''These people have lived in fear of you for centuries or more. They watched those stars go out and listened as all those signals died and wondered when they were going to be next. Remember: these and several others live on the borders of the no-man's land that separates them from the Thymion Void. You'd want to cover your ass too, if you were in their position.''

Angel had paused, thinking about it for a fraction of a second. She had never thought about how her actions over the last centuries might affect those who were looking in from the outside. She didn't care, but she nodded in understanding nonetheless, got her anger back under control and pressed on with her proposition, stoically keeping up her facade. How all of this would play out in the Grand Court, Trillian had no idea - assuming they made it that far. He even wondered if he still cared about the outcome. Too much stress had been piled on him and those around him in the past month for him to care. Not just the stress of being in an uncertain situation, but the stress of having a volatile 'guest' aboard whose psychic powers seeped into every thought of every moment all across the ship, settling across everything like a crushing weight and robbing people of the only privacy they got. Some days, it had been the mental equivalent of trying to wade through waist-deep mud. Granted, Angelica had managed to bring herself to heel to some degree, but it still wasn't enough. There were other psychics aboard the ship and her mind railed against theirs regularly, seeking to dominate them and bend them to her will out of pure reflex. She had spent far too long sitting at the top of the pile as an undisputed power and she was finding that not everyone was in awe of her, which had inevitably made things worse. Trillian was trying to persuade her to break the habit, but old habits die hard and some don't die at all.

He placed his mug of caf down and swore as the cold liquid sloshed over the rim and pooled in a sticky ring around its base. The Ranger lurched again, its superstructure groaning in protest. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he felt the slow build up of a static charge run the length of his spine, from the base of his skull right down to the tip of his tail. Blue sparks flashed from the fingertips of his right hand as he reached for his desktop comms unit to answer its insistent bleeping.

''Captain here. What's happened?'' He said as he braced his hands flat against his desk top. The Ranger moaned, a low metallic sound vibrating disconcertingly through the hull.

''Sir, we've been snared in a tractor beam. Again.'' Owen's voice was flat and annoyance underscored his words.

''I'm on my way. Suit up and do what you can to break us free.'' Trillian replied. He pushed himself out of his chair, downed his cold caf and opened the armoured 'fresher unit in the corner of his cabin.

Inside was his battle armour, its black and green plate gleaming and clean, the systems read-outs declaring that the armour was ready for use. He pulled his tunic, boots and trousers off, discarding them in a pile at the foot of his bed and then pulled his armour on, feeling the soft, electric tingle as each piece connected with the nanotech in his smartweave suit. The whole process took him less than two minutes, moving with daily practised, efficient movements. He tucked his helm under his arm and messaged Sonja on his way to the bridge, telling her to keep Angelica in her quarters and her mind to herself unless asked to do otherwise. Whatever was happening, he intended to put a stop to it as fast as possible.

~~~~~~~~~~

He stepped through the hexagonal portal and into the tightly concentrated organized chaos that made up the heart of the ship. The bridge crew were bent to their tasks, murmuring to each other as they worked feverishly to break the Ranger free. The only one not on bridge was Ensign Reana. He moved to his chair, glancing around for her.

''Where's-''

''Sorry, Sir! My rack needed some persuasion to release my helm.'' The pachycephalosaurus said sheepishly as she hurried over to her post.

''You're not too late for the excitement. Now, what's happened exactly?'' Trillian asked, doing his best to project an air of calm that he wasn't feeling.

''We were pulled out of the slipstream one hour before schedule by a Bressis heavy cruiser, Captain. And it looks like she's got some friends with her, too.'' Owen said with some trepidation. ''Looks to be a small hunting party or a scouting crew.''

Trillian had redirected his attention to his main tactical and sensors monitors to get a better feel for the situation. What he saw was better than a gallon of caf. Owen was right. A Bressis heavy cruiser had snagged them, and worst of all, its accompanying destroyer had, too. The two ships had flanked them and were in the process of slowly pulling them apart. The Ranger shuddered again and a warning light flashed up on his Damage Control screen. One of their PDC covers had been pulled free and was now floating away from the ship, trapped in the gentle but inexorable pull of the heavy cruiser's tractor beam. Trillian ground his teeth together in anger as he watched the hull integrity start to steadily drop as the Ranger was being steadily, teasingly pulled apart at the seams by the two ships. Then the whispering of hundreds of voices filtered into the corners of his mind and he felt the sensation of someone unknown questing for entrance into the deeper layers of his psyche. It wasn't Angelica, hers was more brute force, a feeling of having the right to be there, to know what was going on. These ones bore the hallmarks of Bressis recon soldiers; gentle as a feather, insidious as poison. They wanted in on what the Ranger and its crew were about, he could gather that much by how gentle they were being. He looked around at his bridge crew. The Bressis was inflicting the same thing upon them, each one looking sickly or on the verge of panic.

And if they had found Angelica and were subjecting the same thing to her... they would feast until she was stripped of her mind, and what a feast she presented them.

''No. Not again.'' He growled angrily, ''No compromise this time! Tactical, get a firing solution on their tractor generators. Weapons, have missile batteries one and two prep some antimatter warheads. Prep the PDCs for a cover fire sequence on those missiles. I am done with being bullied by egomaniacs! We will not be cowed and by the gods, they will suffer for their existence.''

The whispering became more insistent as the orders left his mouth and the Bressis started tugging gently. More power was fed into their tractor beams and a strip of heatsink armour peeled away. Coolant vented in a glittering arc from the ship's flank, illuminated by fountains of bright sparks.

''The Empress, Sir? Maybe she could finally pull her weight?'' Lussan asked curiously, her eyes wide with mounting terror.

Trillian recoiled at the idea of asking for her help. No doubt she would hold that over them with a smug grin if she could best the Bressis at their own game. The mood on the bridge turned cold even as the question left her mouth. He wasn't the only one that felt that way. Good. That meant he still had some support.

''Firing solutions laid in.''

''Missiles free!'' He snapped.

''Missiles not responding, Sir! The batteries have been capped. Battery Chief Astran if refusing to take orders. He er, he's saying you're no longer fit to command a warship. Um. He's saying a lot of other things about you, too...'' Lieutenant Commander Freehan said as he watched his weapons read-outs.

Trillian's heart froze in his chest. The whispering became more insistent, more probing as the Bressis realised what was happening. His bridge crew cast worried looks at him. So this was how the third attempt was going to go down. He cleared his throat, brought up his command screen and started feeding the computer a specific set of codes. Then he opened the in-ship comm so that all could hear his words. Owen looked down at his own command screen and shifted uncomfortably, his eyes going wide.

''This is your captain speaking. I will make this short due to our current circumstances: I am stepping down as captain and handing control of this ship over to Lieutenant Commander Owen Hartman, since many of you have lost your faith in my ability to command since Thymion. I do not blame you.'' He said, his words stern and carrying a harshness that invited no arguments, ''As of now, I am Acting Executive Officer of this ship and if you don't like it, you can take it up with the captain. Spears out.'' He looked to Owen, whose mouth was hanging open. Trillian signed out as captain, Owen signed out as XO and their roles were reversed without ceremony.

Owen's mouth snapped shut and he grit his teeth, anger welling up in his chest as he opened the in-ship comm again and snarled ''This is Captain Owen Hartman speaking. Battery Chief Astran, if you don't release those missiles, I will come down there and beat you so hard that your ancient ancestors will feel it!'' The comm crackled as it shut off. The ship moaned again, the shuddering growing into a steady vibration that set everyone's teeth on edge as the Bressis heavy cruiser and destroyer applied more power. Trillian felt Angel's mind on the edges of his, navigating neatly through the crowd of Bressis minds as they parted before her in curiosity, positively salivating at the buffet that was now in their midst. They were lurking around her like a pack of hungry Bright Fangs, sizing up their next meal.

This time her presence was softer, the gentle caress of a concerned friend as she tried to shut out the invading minds from his. He shut her out again along with most of the others and focussed on the situation at hand. The missiles had been launched, their paths highlighted as a trio of yellow lines tracking out in a curve from either side of the Ranger, caged in by protective point-defence fire. There was a whoop of delight and a chorus of cheers as the antimatter warheads smashed through the Bressis's shields and consumed the two ships in a series of roiling fireballs. The Ranger and the minds aboard found themselves free of the alien's grip and the shield's warning systems howled in terror as the destroyer was caught up in the devastating explosions. They had been too close for weapons so powerful to be used, but the Ranger plowed through the debris, regaining full sublight in less than a minute and tucking a pair of kills firmly under its belt.

''Damage report.'' Owen demanded.

The requested information flooded Trillian's Damage Control screen in an instant, the data matching the call-outs his bridge crew made. No. Not his crew. Not anymore. They were Owen's to command now. Trillian sighed in resignation as he went over the reports. 3 years wasted in a matter of weeks. He was back at square one with a damaged reputation, frayed nerves, a permanent headache and a relapse of PTSD waiting in the wings for him.

''The damage could have been much worse.'' Trillian said. ''We'll need time in a dry dock though. We're missing strips of armour, there are several small hull breaches, attitude control is down twenty-two percent and we're venting coolant from our rimward heatsink array.'' He said a little sourly. ''No casualties reported.''

The two Bressis ships had managed to peel away several of the smaller plates of armour the Ranger had. One of the aft grav plates was floating free somewhere behind them, mingling with the wreckage of the two Bressis ships and one of their rad-plates. That debris itself, having been caused at such close range, had sliced tears and punched holes all along the Ranger's body. Those were already being seen to by the damage control teams who were moving swiftly with patching things up. Thankfully, there were no casualties. Except for Battery Chief Astran and those who were involved in his plan, all of whom had suddenly found themselves at the mercy of Snowstorm Squad. All remaining missile crews had apologised profusely for not knowing what their chief had been plotting, but they assured him and Owen that there would be no further trouble from the weapons teams, especially now that Legionnaire Lieutenant Parker was watching their every move.

''They better behave, or there'll be more bodies for the drumhead.'' Owen muttered, rubbing his temples to soothe his headache away. When the Bressis had fallen away from their minds, they had left a greasy, unwashed feeling behind. It was an odd headache to have, but it would clear up in time. He looked up from his screens now that repairs were underway and looked out across the bridge, a frown creasing his brow. ''How did they know where we were exactly? It usually takes them a brute force psychic attack to be able to locate and haul someone from FTL- ah. Still no PsyNet to help hide us in the slipstream. I knew our luck wouldn't hold up for much longer.''

Owen looked back to his screens. He ordered a full scan, including a tachyon burst to canvas the entire area. Everything came back as expected: Three more warships were lying in wait for them. Two corvettes were at the edges of their near-scan and another destroyer that was lurking so far behind them now that it had vanished from their scanners when they went to get a better read on it. The corvettes vanished in short order, too, leaving a wash of exotic particles in their wakes. Owen sighed. Their sensors arrays had taken a beating and would need recalibrating and rebooting. That would take a while to do whilst they were underway. And they may not have been able to tag the destroyer properly, but what they had got from the corvettes told them enough. They were part of a Bressis Capture Squadron, a branch of the Bressis Black Navy's recon division. Trillian had a sinking feeling that he knew what they were after and the almost resigned look on Owen's face told him that the ferret was thinking exactly the same thing.

''Helm, make best speed for Outreach. Comms, tell Outreach's High Command about what's just happened. We're on the cusp of Sterwil Federation space, so hopefully the Bressis won't try for another bold move like that.'' Owen said. If they did, they'd all be dead. Sterwil's navy didn't look kindly upon intruders and woe to anyone who got caught up in the crossfire as they meted out their justice. He looked to Trillian, a small, sad smile tugging at his lips, ''You look like hell, Ex. Why don't you go get some sleep?''

''I can't sleep, so I may as well stay up here and be of some use to you.'' He replied.

~~~~~~~~~~

Angelica paced back and forth in her quarters, her hands at her back, wings quivering in agitation and worry. She was tired, her unborn child's incessant fidgeting keeping her awake for most of the night. When it had finally settled, she had started to doze off at long last. And had promptly woken up to the pained shuddering of the Ranger, a low groan echoing unnervingly through its hull. Sonja had then appeared at her door, gave her orders and left, slamming the door shut behind her. Things had become strained then, the thrum of the drives increasing to a low, consistent drone as more power was fed into them. And then there had been a terrible rending sound, as of armour being slowly peeled away from somewhere above her head. The lights in her quarters had dimmed and then shut off as the sublights and shields started to draw ever more power. She had reached out with her mind, felt the spike in tension amongst the crew, heard the soft murmurings of encouragement down in engineering as the destroyer struggled under the snare it had found itself in. She had then carefully delved deeper into the minds that were too busy to be aware of her presence and discovered what was going on: the Ranger had been pulled from the slipstream and was being slowly pulled apart by two tractor beams. And then she had recoiled at the greasy, gently probing presence of hundreds of other minds.

They had seen her, moved in to investigate and a sudden horror struck her as they surrounded her, gently prying at her mind. They felt awful, sickening even. They were curious and very, very hungry. She had pulled her mind back, clamping down on it like those around her had done so so many times before. The other minds were silenced, except for one, which had tagged along quite innocently, cruising along in the wake of her psyche. When she had reached out to seize it for interrogation and destruction, it had simply slid from her grasp. She gasped, astonished. It had moved so easily. It had been like trying to grasp crude oil in a fist and it had vanished like a puff of smoke in the psychic breeze that had enveloped the ship and its crew.

She had sat down heavily on her bed, bewildered and a little shaken. Nothing had ever resisted her so easily, evaded her mind as if it was nothing... and that thing was on the ship. It had come back a few moments later. She made to reach out for it again but the sudden sound of Captain Spears's voice boomed from the speaker that was bolted to the bulkhead wall above her door, distracting her. He had just handed over the ship to Lieutenant Commander Hartman, who's first message to the crew was a fully loaded threat. Angelica reached out, past the loitering mind, gently querying Trillian's. He had shut her out immediately and the loitering presence had then thrown up one of the most perfectly formed mental barriers she had experienced. The Ranger had shaken with such a violence that she fell back on her bed with a shocked gasp. The presence vanished, leaving silence and a greasy aftertaste in her mind, and the impression of hundreds of agonized screams. She had reached out after it, after Trillian and got nothing but silence. Whatever had happened was over and it had been bad enough that the hierarchy aboard the ship had shifted dramatically.

She stopped her pacing as the door opened again. With a snarl on her face, she turned, hands raised, energy crackling about her spread fingers.

''You and me are going to have a nice little chat, because after what's just happened and what I've just figured out, you are beyond fucked if you don't sit up and pay attention.'' The armoured figure said firmly.

Angelica snarled at it, but her words seized in her throat. Sonja was stood at her door, her expression a picture of calm compared to the expression on her corporal's face. The red dragoness's eyes were a swirl of fire, betraying her mood. The green dragon beside her looked as if he was about to explode at the drop of a hat. All he needed was the go-ahead from Major Shira and hell would break lose. And what they had let in to Angelica's quarters...

''If it'll make you feel better, then go for it. I have hadn't had a decent meal since Mage Sergeant Ushan had to be put on another ship.'' The slim figure said, nodding to her raised hands.

With a mocking snarl she summoned a surge of power and the Legionnaire was engulfed with a swirl of crackling energy. The thin layer of black and green paint peeled and blistered from his heavy armour, and the armour itself started to run molten as its systems were overcome. Sonja and her Corporal stepped back. The deck plates beneath his feet warped with heat and with another snarl she let up on him, taking a step back, eyeing him cautiously. He remained standing, brushed himself off as if he had discovered a piece of lint stuck to himself and pulled his helmet off his head. He let his mind slip free to butt gently and unobtrusively against Angelica's and she snarled a tirade of angry curses, her hands coming up again, her mind coiling for assault when she realised who he was.

''Now, now. You've had your fun.'' He said. He waved her off, ''Do anymore damage and I'll be joining the Battery Chief and his friends in the brig. If I'm lucky.''

''How did you get on this ship?'' Angelica demanded. She hadn't felt anyone board. And yet here was the one who had gotten too close to her mind, standing before her, unscathed after she had just tried to incinerate him. He looked as if he was made of crude oil, moulded into the shape of a faceless humanoid. His head cocked slightly, a greasy rainbow of colours shifting across his black skin. The feelings of amusement and bewilderment warred briefly in his mind before he replied.

''I enlisted like everyone else.'' He said as if she had just asked him the stupidest question of the year.

''He's part of Snowstorm Squad. They're on security detail whilst Firestorm are watching over you.'' Sonja sighed. She turned to the other dragon who was still bristling and moved him back to his post outside the door.

The door sealed up again. The Snowstorm Legionnaire remained in place until the lights came back on. He then moved over to the small desk in the corner of the room and sat on it, cradling his helmet between his knees. He waited for Angelica to say something, waiting on her to figure it out.

''You're one of those that just attacked us.'' She stated firmly. She was less than pleased and her mind tried wrapping around his to constrict it, to squeeze every last bit of information he had from him.

She sneered at him as he slid free, oozing through the minute cracks in her mental cage. He gave her the impression that he was grinning.

''I am a Bressis, yes. But I have no love for my kind. They are all-consuming monsters, destroying what they can't recycle for their own uses or what they can't eat. We feed on the energies of others and the more psychic energy, the better. And you, you are the equivalent to a six course feast.''

''I can deal with leeches, no matter how strong they are or how hungry.'' She scoffed.

''Here's the thing: the more power you exude, the more they feast. We are like solar harvesters. We put ourselves into position and soak up the rays, so to speak. The more power, the merrier.'' He paused a moment, sobering, ''We got lucky that they were only scouts. Scouts aren't that powerful, which is why they work collectively. They felt us in the slipstream and decided to take a caf break. And while they were munching on your minds, they just decided to start stripping the ship for spares. Kinda like a kid's meal at a fast food joint. You get something to eat and also something to keep you amused for ten minutes, too. Thankfully, we got them before they got us this time.'' He said, directly ribbing her. ''No more room for compromises now. You screw up, you pay the price in full.''

She snarled again, drawing her shoulders back and looking down her nose at him, ''You were trespassing in my territory-''

''Under orders and under contract. Not a job anyone wanted to take on, but we tend to honour contracts. It's bad form if we don't. Plus, you'll be surprised to hear, some of us have families to support and that contract was juicy, if somewhat poisonous.''

She paused, swallowing her next angry words. These people having families to support, families that cared about them and vice-versa, it had never actually occurred to her. They were nothing but mercs, turncoats to their people, vagabonds and runaways. Her hand slid across her swollen stomach and she felt the probing pressure of a tiny foot kicking out.

''Captain Spears never mentioned a word of that.''

''Because he's a private man and it's none of your business whether he or any of us have families or not. Our lives are our business, not yours. However, that destroyer of yours that's tailing us is our business. You didn't declare everything when Spears and Major Shira asked you to at Kollari, which almost caused an incident like you would not believe. And now you've been caught in a lie that could - and will - see the end of your people if that ship cruises into tightly controlled political space under stealth. It will be called an act of aggression and you'd have ruined Lieutenant Commander Spears's career just to start a war that you could have started from the comfort of your own home.''

Her head snapped up, her gaze zeroing in on him. She tried to pin him down with her mind but he casually hopped from the desk and walked towards the door.

''How did you find out about that?'' She demanded.

''Spears asked me to help keep a look out the moment our PsyNet went down. I'm a trained Bressis Hunter. No psychic can escape my notice, no matter how well concealed they are. Back home I was being fast-tracked to an Inquisitor, but then... I retired. If the PsyNet was online and doing its job, it would have spotted the blank spot in the slipstream behind us the moment it appeared. FTL turbulence manifests in many ways, but never as absences of things. I got curious and the Bressis showing up just satisfied my curiosity. So, are you going to dig your hole deeper, or are you going to be upfront for once?'' His amusement returned at the bitter look on her face. ''The captain of the Daglia said something about you guys being the big fish and us being the little fish? Well, these waters are beyond your empirical pond. You want in on trade routes? You want your people to survive? You want the Oshanus's trade and to get off the Black List?

''Then I suggest you get your shit together and bring your ego under control or you will lose everything. This is not your territory. This is not your ship. We are not your people. We are, at the core of it, political hostages. And we will rebel. We would rather die than spend much more time with your mind and ego and sense of self-righteousness smothering everything. We trespassed, yes. We were under contract to do so; you have had everything explained to you yet you seem to want to ignore that. You actually have a fair hearing waiting for you. You might not know it, but you have seized control of this ship in a way. And I know for a fact that you have less than nine hours, Standard before something is done about that. Less, if you don't come clean about that destroyer of yours. And the sensors team is very, very close to finding out.'' He paused his mounting anger and she felt his mind spread towards the bridge, curious. He brought it back, his mood darkening. ''You now have one hour. Trat and her backroom are making excellent progress with deciphering the FTL shocks now things have rebooted. If you want to salvage some kind of future for your people, you better let ship's command know about that destroyer and face the consequences of your actions with dignity and some measure of understanding.''

''If I refuse?'' Angelica said, doing her best to bring herself back under control. She tried staring him down, but it was an impossible task since he had no facial features barring the continuous swirl of oil slick.

''Trat will find out. The ship will be logged as hostile, since it's a Thymion warship that's tailing another warship. A message will be sent ahead, we will come to a full stop and we will no doubt end up in a great deal of trouble from the local authorities. And with more potential mutineers aboard, things can and no doubt will, go south very, very fast for everyone.''

''I hold no fear of these people.'' She scoffed.

''You will. You've lived in isolation for so long, that you don't truly understand just what else is living in the galaxy with you. You have no power out here. You're at the mercy of the rest of the galaxy. Including those that watched your self-made void expand. Do you think you will be tolerated if you spring that warship on people? So soon after one of the most horrendous wars they've ever faced has just started to cool off?''

''They wouldn't do anything without jeopardising this ship and its crew.'' She retorted. Would they? A pang of uncertainty hit her and she schooled herself with an iron will. She would not be bullied by... this thing.

The Legionnaire picked up on her turn of mood. She looked sourly at him.

''Your funeral.'' He opened the door and stepped into the hallway beyond. He nodded to Sonja and walked away. The dragoness peered into the room, her expression unreadable.

''We're going to the wardroom. No arguments.'' She stated. Apparently this little visit had been discussed.

Angelica bristled but complied, trailing behind the armoured dragoness, the corporal bringing up the rear. The Bressis man was nowhere to be seen, but she could still just about sense him at the very periphery of her mind.

''Is he a Legionnaire? Or did he use his powers to slink aboard?'' Angelica asked. She glared at Sonja's back, trying to spear her gaze through the dragoness's torso at the point between her powerful wings.

Sonja's long, sinuous tail swept about in barely contained agitation, ''He is one of my finest and has been for a long time.'' She grunted. ''He is honourable and trustworthy, mark my words.''

Angelica asked a few more questions about the lone Bressis, but only a brooding silence reigned between the three of them. Angelica felt a spark of strength, magical in nature, rise up in Sonja's core. Her aura shifted, as if something was fighting to break free. It was fighting hard and she noticed that by the time they had come to the door of the wardroom, that the other dragon had fallen back a few paces, wary of not Angelica, but Sonja, watching her carefully as she moved. He looked ready to run. Angelica snorted, rolling her eyes. He was one of the Legionnaires that had refused to test his strength against her, instead preferring the book he was reading at the time. Physically, he was the weakest. Mentally, though, she couldn't be certain as he had refused to be involved in any kind of challenge against her.

~~~~~~~~~~

All non-essential officers were gathered in the wardroom; Lieutenant Commanders Spears and Darkwater, Ensign Druven Trat and Captain Owen Hartman had gathered about the table, with Owen sitting at the head and Trillian to his right. The others were still on the bridge, keeping watch for anymore hostiles. Each face she looked at was carved with varying degrees of annoyance and fatigue. Even Trat was in a bad mood, and the leopard was considered to be in permanently good spirits no matter what the situation. The Bressis man appeared at Angelica's shoulder. She felt his smile as he slipped past her to stand in the far corner of the room. Sonja sat down to Trillian's left, her expression stoney.

''Sit.'' Owen said, gesturing at a chair beside Trat. The leopard shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the wolfess sat down, her cool gaze flickering from face to face as she rested a paw on the table. She stretched her claws out, the material around her tough nails dissolving on contact. While unsettling, it was expected of her to flex for the crew any time she was seen by a group of them. ''Corporal Marsh's findings have been interesting. It's gone a long way to identifying that destroyer, Ensign Trat says.''

''Has it really?'' Angelica said blandly, feigning ignorance.

She let her mind drift outwards, picking up the thoughts and current moods of everyone present. Cold, hostile, exhausted, fed up... it was all there, mixing together in a toxic soup. And what she felt from Sonja made her want to grin. The dragoness was seriously considering lashing out at her? A hilarious thought.

Is it now? The Bressis man's voice, Corporal Marsh, purred in her ear. She hadn't felt him move, either physically or psychically. He was good. Very good.

A dragon taking on me? Psh. Of course its amusing. You've all seen the results of what happens when I get pushed too far. She wouldn't stand a chance.

You don't want to see what she does when she gets pushed too far. His reply was devoid of emotion and it left her curious.

''I believe you have some serious explaining to do.'' Owen said.

She looked at the ferret, holding his gaze. He didn't flinch away, just returned it cooly, anger sparkling in the chocolate depths of his eyes. She looked at Trillian her head cocked curiously. His amber eyes were backlit, glowing a soft gold. His hands were clasped on the table top before him, his thumb tips pressed together so tight that they almost seemed to be seamlessly connected. He noticed her studying him and he looked away, to Owen, his hands sliding beneath the table. He leaned back in his chair, silently encouraging and supporting Owen as he found himself wading through a tense situation that had been dropped into his lap.

''I have no explaining to do.'' She replied.

''Two Bressis corvettes: both gunships and one destroyer, Thymion registry. The mass perfectly matches the blind spot in the slipstream and the FTL shock is that of a heavily modified Rift generator, not the Class-Four hyperdrives the Bressis favour.'' Trat said as if she was reciting it all from memory.

The room went cold, deadly silent. Angelica looked around again, sighed in exasperation and produced a holopad from the folds of her wings. She willed it to life and the interface glowed softly. A picture of a Thymion built ship appeared on the screen and she pushed the holopad out before her for the others to see.

''That's the ship that's tailing us?'' Owen asked.

''Yes, it is. It followed the Ranger into the slipstream once you were free of the Thymion Void and has been with us ever since, deep in hiding. The Oshanus didn't detect it simply because their technology is too primitive.'' She purred in reply.

Trillian's expression glazed over and a few moments later the Ranger came to a full stop, its drives powered down to an idle. Angelica looked at him, surprised. His expression cleared and he looked extremely angry.

''We're one day from crossing the borders of one of the most politically volatile places in this galaxy and you choose now to tell us about this?'' Trillian exploded. His anger washed across her like a tidal wave and she weathered the storm of his anger as she sat there, staring at him in mild amusement.

''Ensign, get back to the bridge. Corporal Marsh, go with her. You're our PsyNet for now, I want you to pinpoint that ship and send an alert to the nearest outpost.'' Owen ordered. He looked to Angelica, his expression thunderous as the two left the wardroom in a hurry with their orders. ''What are you playing at?''

''You think I would really play by anyone else's rules but my own? You don't know me well at all. Yes, she is here, yes she is armed, and yes she is cloaked. She is Hope's Blade. A stealth destroyer. She is crewed by minimal staff, and each has as much battle experience as I do. Now then, shall we continue to play this game or would you rather talk civilly?''

''Civilly? We were civil when you invited yourself onto our ship. We remained civil in allowing you to meet our Oshanu client, something we're going to be strung up for! We have been as civil as possible throughout three mutiny attempts and ever decreasing morale!'' Owen snapped angrily, baring his teeth at her. ''As for rules, you do not play by your own rules out here. When you are on other people's turf, you show respect, obey their laws and play nice or face the consequences, just as we have done! And you do not throw that back in their faces! That is what it is to be apart of the galaxy as a whole. If you want in on this ever expanding mess, then you have to learn a whole new set of rules, and realise that each kingdom, each empire and each system have their own laws and religions and beliefs. If you think you can go out there and swagger about like you own the place, belittling other people and playing by your own rules,'' He said sarcastically, ''then you deserve everything that you get and you will get no sympathy for it. And if you believe that Oshanus is on your side already, then you're in deeper denial about things than I first imagined. They will only enter serious trade talks with you if the Galactic Council gives you a chance and you can prove yourself to be a trustworthy enough member of the galaxy.

''They will set the rules and you will have to obey them or be shut out forever, or worse. But since you obviously don't have the capacity to function beyond your reign of terror in Thymion, then I can save you a lot of time and effort right now by saying that you are fucked. None of these civilisations would touch you with a neutronium hookbar. Thymion's reputation is in the dirt, so-to-speak, something not helped by your miserable attitude and your bloated ego.'' Angelica shot up from her chair, furious with the ferret. Owen simply held up a hand dismissively, unperturbed by the power she was gathering about her and continued, ''Pregnancy is a poor excuse for a poor personality. At one point, my family was drowning in pregnant women, so your excuses will not wash with me, nor anyone in this room. You will sit back down and tell us about this destroyer of yours so we can forewarn the authorities and deal with this mess that you've created. You will tell us, what is it's armament? It's drives, stealth capabilities, crew complement, everything, including why it's here. I will not be at the core of an inter-galactic incident started out of petty stubbornness and stupidity. You have ruined the career of two good men already simply by being here and I will not allow you to ruin the company, too.''

''You dare speak to me this way?'' She grated hoarsely through clenched teeth. Owen openly glared at her, his distaste for her plain for all to see.

''You dare invite yourself aboard my ship, pushing my crew to the edges of their sanity and tolerance for the sake of your ego?'' He growled acidly, ''What're you going to do to us? Kill us? Hardly a threat to a bunch of mercs on a battered old tin can who get into brawls for a living. Play a record we haven't heard a million times before already.''

Stunned, Angelica slowly lowered herself back into her seat. She couldn't think of anyone who had ever dared to speak to her like that. At least, not anyone who was still alive. She sucked down a steadying breath, stilling her nerves, letting her build-up of power wane to a minimum.

''Fine. The Hope's Blade is a destroyer dedicated to stealth. She has a solid diamond shell to deflect and defuse energy weapons. Under that is a solid Neo-Titanium hull with a Carbon Ceramic coating. Her armament is light, consisting of four tactical nuclear missiles, eight cobalt tipped anti-ship missiles, two forward and one aft spatial torpedo tubes, one plasma cannon, one gauss cannon, and six phased pulse cannons. Her sensor suite includes FLIR, Ultraviolet, Phased Array Radar, and Exhaust Particulate Detection. The sublight drives and the Rift generator are low emission and the heatsinks allow the ship to be stealthed for far longer than this ship before they need venting. Hope's Blade has the capability of locating another stealthed ship without giving it away. She can pinpoint that ship's location and reduce it to scrap in short order. That's why even the best stealthed ships have never returned from our space''

''So, basically, what the Ranger has, except for the torpedoes and advanced stealth detection suite.'' Trillian said flatly, unimpressed. ''And your people being what they are, the built-in PsyNet is an optional extra."

Angelica looked equally unimpressed, giving the tiger a withering look. ''If you had bothered to read half the briefing package before coming into our area, you would know that our entire species is its own Psynet, and each wolf is a linked component. Every Hybrid and mortal under Thymion rule is given access through boosted psionics or training. There is nothing we don't notice as long as two or more of us are together within a few feet of each other.''

Trillian rolled his eyes. He really coudn't be bothered anymore. Everything he had ever said to her had simply gone in one ear and out the other.

''What about all of those people? Those who were simply curious and those who just wanted to know if you needed aid, wanted to reach out to you and yours. You killed them all?'' Owen said slowly, his tone ice. When she didn't reply immediately, he added, ''Colour me surprised.''

''We did no such thing. Every single one of them is completely fine. Still alive and kicking. We only wiped their memories and set them up with peaceful lives on one of our worlds. As far as they knew, they had crashed and were saved, albeit with a serious case of amnesia. The only ones that died were the ones that attacked the Daglia's crew. Captain Meko delt a swift and harsh judgement on them then and there. The rest fell in line. Maybe it's cruel to wipe their memories like that, but would you rather we execute everyone that comes in? We have our ways and they protect us. And given that our tech outclasses anything you have on you at this time, how would you feel if I had my fleet show up and ruin your planet? Until twenty years ago, we had no tech. We had no idea that the crystals we used for everything were able to do these things. Now though, we will not be pushed to that brink again. We can tolerate being a No-Go Zone. That wouldn't bother us. In fact it would be much easier, because the neighboring systems depend on trade with us for survival. They would gladly fall under our flag, and that's a span of over 300 light years. That's a lot of space your empires and kingdoms can no longer fly through as trade routes. And as for offers of Aid, we searched their computers. Only one ship was sent to bring aid and it was sent to the very people that orchestrated our destruction. As far as we are concerned there was no aid coming to us. Nothing ever reached us, and every package that made its way to our surface was laced with poison and bacterium.

''Think long and hard Captain Hartman... think long and hard about what bridges you burn. By all rights you invaded our territory. We captured you, held you hostage and when we deemed you to be nothing more threatening than a flea, we let you go. You, your ship, and your crew live because the peoples of the Thymion Empire deemed you to be sufficiently harmless. As powerful a fighting force as your Shadow Stalkers are, your entire militia would fall before twenty of my best.''

''This old song and dance again!'' Sonja snarled, her voice taking on a sarcastic tone, '' 'Oh, we're so much better than you because you're smaller than us!' Stow the crap, we're sick of it! You've had your explanation as to why we were in your territory! An explanation which you accepted! You and Trillian had come to an agreement to drop the whole thing, to start afresh and yet you insist on rubbing it in our faces at every opportunity you get! You have destroyed the morale on this ship and you have destroyed a good man's career even after everything he has done for you since you invited yourself here!'' Her broad wings flared and sparks flickered into the air with each word she spat. In her anger, she had risen from her seat, hands splayed across the gleaming black surface of the table. ''On top of that, you have been stripping thousands of people of their entire lives and leading many more to believe that their loved ones and friends were dead! Is that anyway to treat those who were sent to help you? Was being selective and purging their knowledge and memories of you and sending them on their way after they'd done their job too much like hard work?''

Angelica rose to meet the dragoness, glaring daggers at her from across the table, her mind swirling with incoherent rage. ''Don't you dare start! You have no idea what I have been through or the suffering my people have endured! Everything I did was to protect them!''

''Even sinking to your enemy's level and commiting genocide? Harming those that had set out to help you in your plight?'' Owen said blandly.

Angelica turned her scorn on him, ''Yes, even genocide!'' She snapped her mouth shut, the realisation of what she had admitted to doing being made real in the voicing of it. She had said it with such conviction, without remorse that she felt a little shaken by it. She looked back to Sonja, who had not shifted one inch. Her ruby scales shimmered with heat, almost looking molten. The air around her shimmered, warmth pouring off her body, smoke clouding from her flared nostrils with each exhale, her aura crackling with violence. ''You do not intimidate me. I do not regret what I did to those bastards. After what they did to my people? Starved them, poisoned them, enslaved them, tortured them... You have no idea about the pain...''

''Oh, I do. As do many others.'' Trillian's voice was soft, distant with memory and fatigue. The tiger had remained mostly quiet, tired of trying to explain, his patience worn out, leaving Owen to do his job. But now he swallowed his pride once more, stepped in, duty-bound to see to it that his ship and crew survived. He selected a single memory, let it slip free and true to form, Angelica snatched it from the surface of his psyche. It was instant regret for her. What she saw was sickening. It was an old memory, muzzy with age and repression. She saw an image of fire raging through finely crafted homes, consuming everything in its path. There was so, so much fire and the air sizzled in anticipation of the next shot. A giant ship sat at a low anchorage high overhead in the evening sky, sleek and silvery, a series of rings like a bullseye carved in its ventral plates glowing a hot white. There was the high keening of a tiny voice as the unbearable heat erupted from the ship, drowning out the calls of a trapped, frightened man as he reached through a gap in the shattered brickwork of his home.

The atmosphere erupted, a deafening roar of ignition drowning everything out on a tsunami of searing hot air that was being driven forward from the pressure of the killing shot. The fire scorched the world, leaving it barren, uninhabitable, its population decimated. The child's screams faded. The man's voice stuttered, fell silent. Darkness consumed him and then there was a harsh, white light and something talking to him in a sing-song binary of an evolved machine language, as he lay in a tank, bathed in silver fluid. There the memory ended. She was no longer trapped inside a shattered, burning house, flames eating her flesh away, watching the people in the street burn, watching as her child was seared away before her eyes. She was back in the wardroom, staring down an angry red dragon, wreathed in power. Her gaze slid to Trillian, sitting in his chair, exhausted, sick of it all.

Angelica felt sick to her stomach as she started to realise the tiger's lie, the root of his fears, the reason for his trust issues. She looked at him, pitying, wretched for his loss.

''I don't need your pity.'' He grunted.

''You lied...'' She whispered. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

''I'm a private man, Angelica. My business has nothing to do with you and my trust is not easy to attain. And once it's gone, it's gone.'' Trillian said. He was completely unsympathetic towards her now as she reeled from what she had seen, her hands sliding protectively across her swollen belly. His throat felt tight with emotion and he went silent again, simply nodding to Sonja.

Angelica felt a barely perceptible shift in the wardroom's mood. It was almost as if Trillian had just unchained something terrible, but what, she couldn't figure out.

''Enough with the pissing contest. I'm as sick of it as everyone else. Why did you order one of your warships to tail us?'' Owen said.

Angelica looked to him, dashing away a stray tear. She shook her head, remaining stubborn.

''You'll see in due time.'' She replied, regaining her composure.

Owen leaned forward, clasping his hands before him on the table top, his expression dark, ''Then I'm to assume that you're launching an attack on the Galactic Council. You haven't killed us yet simply because we're a convenient scape goat, or a shield, even. You want to bet that those people out there won't fire upon a friendly ship to neutralize a threat to the Core Governments of the Allied Galaxy. Well, I have news for you. The Galactic Council's Black Navy has destroyed all kinds of ships over the years to protect their values and the stability of their alliances. Couriers, Scavs, freighters, warships, visiting delegates, pirates, mercs... You name it, they've killed it. So you better tell us why that ship is here and why it has been following us.''

''I've told you enough already.'' She replied in a dull growl. She stood up and made to leave.

''We're not done here.'' Owen snapped.

''Sit back down. Now.'' Sonja growled, jabbing a finger at the vacated chair.

Angelica whirled on the dragoness and seized her hand, squeezing hard. The bones in Sonja's hand ground together as electric crawled across Angelica's hand, burning away at Sonja's smartweave glove. Sonja grinned toothily, a curious light filling her eyes as Angelica upped her power, the tang of burning hide filtering into the air.

''So you still want to test me, hm?'' Sonja snarled, leaning in until her nose was almost pressed against Angelica's. ''So be it.''

Angelica heard Owen mutter an exasperated curse, saw Trillian shrug carelessly out of the corner of her eye and Sonja... there was something wrong, something off about the dragoness. Her scales gleamed brighter, glowing from within and the smartweave beneath her battle armour ignited, smoke pouring from the seams of her armour in acrid, black streamers. Her armour warped, melting away, sluicing from her muscular body as she changed, sparks dancing about her shifting form. Angelica gasped. Sonja had grabbed her by the collar, her fist tight as she grinned down at the winged wolf who mustered everything she had to break free. The wardroom fell away in a burst of ash and smoke, and Angelica looked on with amazement as Sonja unravelled in a swirl of sparks and ashes. Her collar burned away and she lost her footing, tumbling backward into a deep canyon of volcanic rock. She flicked her wings out, catching herself before she could hit the ground, her psychic ability pouring into sending her aloft, far above the canyon walls.

Plumes of heat caught her and she found herself soaring on thermals, gliding high above a volcanic landscape that was interspersed with rolling copper meadows. Scorched trees and bushes, twisted and blackened by the heat dotted the landscape in clumps and withered forests lined the feet of the jagged mountain ranges. Rivers of sluggish lava cut up the landscape and vents of seething heat pocked and puckered the land. It was a perpetual twilight here, the scene overshadowed by the biggest volcano she had ever seen. It was immense, stretching up and away in both directions, spewing a constant plume of molten rock and ash. At its boiling peak, sitting like a writhing pearl, was a sun. It was a red giant and it was slowly, visibly expanding, dying before her very eyes.

''Beautiful, isn't she? This one won't become a blackhole. Another year and it will start shedding its outer layers, turning into a planetary nebula before it enters its final stages as a white dwarf. After that, it will become a black dwarf star, having burned the last of its fuel. And then it disintegrates, heating up to start its life cycle anew, elsewhere, giving the potential for life to an otherwise barren part of the galaxy'' The voice was deep, like the rumbling of a volcano about to erupt. Angelica canted her wings, pivoting in the air to face Sonja, ready to berate her and challenge her. She stopped dead, hovering on the thermal currents, her voice dropping away.

''Major Shira?'' She gasped as she looked upon the giant red dragoness laying before her, sprawled comfortably across the wastes. She was massive, bigger than Angelica could have ever imagined. Bigger than any creature she had ever seen.

Sonja grinned, baring teeth that Angelica instinctively knew could bite through her flagship with ease. Her crown of horns spiralled elegantly high above her head, a mane of fire running from scalp to the base of her long, thick neck. A forest of ruby spikes lined her spine and neck, her tail tip barbed with black needles. Her crimson scales shimmered with heat, and more protrusions of gleaming rubies glowing from within with raw power clustered at her shoulders and hips. Angelica quested around the edges of that power and recoiled in horror. She remembered stories of these creatures told to her when she was small, tales of their destructive power and how they held the universe in balance. They were not the Old Ones. They were something else completely. And until now, she had dismissed them as fairy tales. The gods ruled supreme, demons were hateful monsters, angels were guardians of the innocent and the elements were there to be controlled by all those who wielded the power to do so. As Angelica looked on, she started to doubt all that. Sonja was wreathed in the element of fire, wearing it like a fine cloak and wielding it like a sword and shield. The power radiating from the red dragoness was immense and her burning eyes held the overwhelming truth of her age, yet Angelica had the inkling that what she could detect was just the tip of the iceberg.

''Are you starting to understand why I am not intimidated by you, Little Demigoddess?'' Sonja chuckled. She stood up and stretched languorously, her talons carving new valleys that slowly started to fill with the glow of lava as she worked the kinks and knots from her muscles and tendons. She flexed her wings, blotting out the sky, the membrane dripping with fire.

''What are you? Where is this place and why have you brought me here?'' She demanded.

''Ah, I thought the all-powerful Empress of Thymion would already know the answer to that? After all, you've pried through the minds of everyone aboard the Ranger, including mine when I haven't been paying attention.'' She purred. ''I was under the impression that you knew everything.''

The bass in Sonja's voice pounded against Angelica's chest and she shifted further back, flicking her wings and raising a psychic shield about herself as the heat started to get to her. She scowled at the dragoness, but it was half-hearted. She was starting to wonder if she had dug herself in too deep with her games. Sonja spread her wings and leapt into the air, the wash from her take off driving Angelica down with a shocked yelp. She recovered easily enough and spun around to watch the dragon fly towards the red giant. She settled atop it as if it was her throne, bathing in its fitful, roaring corona, running her talons lovingly through the boiling plasma.

''You will answer me!'' Angelica thundered angrily.

''Will I?'' Sonja purred again, her voice sounding no louder than if she stood next to Angelica her in her bipedal form. ''Why should I answer?''

''As Empress of Thymion, I order you to answer!''

A fit of hysterical laughter answered. ''Oh dear girl, you can end stars, but so can I. The difference is, that I escort them to their deaths once their time is up and nurture them during their rebirth, whereas you simply snuff them out, ending their lives before they've even had a chance to live.''

''You speak as if stars are sentient creatures.'' Angelica scoffed, ''They are nothing more than naturally occuring nuclear infernos born of nebulae that have reached a certain temperature.''

''And yet without stars, life would not exist, including you and I.''

They stared at each other in hostile silence across the vast, smouldering plains.

''Return me to the Ranger.''

''No.''

''Why not?''

''A list of reason longer than you are tall and all of them in fine print, but mostly because Lieutenant Commander Spears wanted you off the ship. You pushed your luck one-too-many times. You kept your gift to the Oshanu representative quiet, which, in the grand scheme of things, is nothing compared to having a warship tail us into the seat of a currently un-stable galactic power that could fall into the throes of another war at any given moment. We will be lucky if the Ranger is still there and not in so many thousands of pieces. Your lie has made us a hostile entity to some, a political hostage to others.'' Sonja cocked her head, her eyes ablaze with a mixture of emotions. ''Trillian has spent many hours educating you on how things work out here and shown you kindness, and yet you throw it back in his face. You may play by your own rules at home, but out here, there are consequences to your actions, as you have been told repeatedly. So, it strikes me that you are one of those people who must learn the hard way.''

''How do you mean?'' She asked cautiously. She found that she didn't need to raise her voice, that Sonja could hear her just fine, even without a psychic connection in place.

''Pain is an excellent educational tool.'' Sonja grinned devilishly. ''What say you? Up for that challenge you were so desperately seeking from me?''

''What's at stake?''

''You.'' Sonja replied simply. ''If I beat you, you have to behave. Reel your ego in, take up meditation to train your mind to not go snooping. Be educated in how things work. Hell, I'll even maybe bribe Mister Marsh into helping you with that. He's very good at coexisting with others beyond his own species. And stop belittling those around you. You're not in Thymion anymore and if you don't change your behaviour for the better, then you will get killed. I might do it myself. I might snuff out what's left of your stars, cut their life cycles abruptly short and leave you to freeze in the shadow of your ego. And, if the Ranger and my friends are still alive, you will obey the captain's orders to the letter, no arguments. You must also tell the Galactic Council everything. No lies. Assuming your hubris has let us get that far.''

Angelica gaped at her. That was a ludicrous proposition. She would not bow to anyone. She squared her shoulders and glared at Sonja, ''And if I win?''

''I send you home and you can make your own way to Sterwil Federation space to plead your case how you see fit without our interfering.'' Sonja replied. Angelica sputtered in rage. Some prize that was. ''You could always decline the invitation to a test of might. I won't hold it against you.'' She purred.

''I have never turned down a challenge before and I won't start now just because an overgrown furnace with an attitude problem thinks it can beat me!'' Angelica raged.

Sonja laughed. Rocks tumbled down the flank of her volcano, crashing into the charred forest below. ''So you accept?''

''I accept!'' Angelica shouted, willing her power up into a tidal wave of energy. She threw her hands out before her, sending the energy forward in a rush towards Sonja.

The dragon leapt from her perch, the red giant absorbing the energy with a swirl of fire. Sonja circled high over head, her sleek, muscular body shimmering in the glow from the dying star. Angelica reached up with her mind, trying to snare the circling dragoness, but Sonja vanished from sight. Angelica flexed her wings and soared up to where Sonja had been, searching with all her senses, but coming up with nothing. She glided around the immediate area, searching, looking every which way. She roared in anger, feeling spurned and robbed of a glorious victory. She spun around as an answering roar thundered across the realm, shaking the bones of the universe.

The volcano erupted, the ground splitting open, the vents spewing molten rock and fire in response. Trees caught fire and the dry, copper grass blazed as Sonja swept low across the land, raining fire upon everything. Angelica grinned wickedly, lashed out with her mind and found herself spinning downwards, her ears ringing, her head throbbing. Sonja circled around, her chest heaving like a giant bellows and white fire poured out of her mouth, engulfing Angelica. The wolf wrapped her psychic energy tightly about herself. She could handle heat, had swam in active volcanoes like they were some grand jacuzzi, but this... this heat was appalling and even after the flames had died down, the heat would not let up. She spread her wings, but too late. She hit the ground hard, the blistering heat scorching away at her clothes and fur. She wrapped herself up again in her psychic shield and leapt back into the sky, away from the blistering heat of the ground.

Sonja had vanished again. Angelica put on a burst of speed and flitted around the monstrous volcano, the forest below her crackling with flames and the red giant above her writhing in its death throes. A chunk of rock exploded from the mouth of the volcano, screaming past her to crater the ground far below with a shuddering thud. Ash coated her wings and she started to rely more and more on her powers to stay aloft as it melted in the heat, sticking to her feathers and gumming them up. The stench of sulfur made her eyes water, so she picked up her pace, reaching out with her mind to find Sonja. She rounded the volcano to where she had started and came face to face with the dragon. She tilted upwards, careening over Sonja, twisting to avoid collision. Up this close, Sonja was massive, far bigger than Angelica realised. She dredged through her memories, trying to come up with a name for what she was. Her train of thought was derailed when the dragon's tail tip whipped up. Angelica banked, instinctively lashing out with her claws, slicing at her tail.

She shouted in rage and frustration. Even psychically enhanced, her formidable claws simply slid across the scales. Sonja circled upwards, around the volcano and settled back atop the sun at its pinnacle. Angelica came around again, her mind slashing out like a hail of arrows. Sonja took the hits with an amused grimace.

''As entertaining as this has been, I still have a job to do.'' She rumbled. ''But I am curious... just how much heat can you tolerate?''

Angelica groaned as the air seared her throat, burning her lungs. She circled, working through the pain as she tried to figure Sonja out. Now she could see the dragon's true form, get a feel for the depth of her power, she could effectively work out a strategy to defeat her. But she couldn't. The temperature was rising faster than she could cope with and she was coming up short on what Sonja actually was. Her mind waned, exhausted from the heat. Her fur was slick with sweat and she started to sink slowly to the ground. She came to rest in a patch of tall grass that scratched at her body. Her breathing was laboured, mouth parched, her throat sore and she had just discovered what her tolerance was for heat. It was something far beyond that of a sun, something only an Elemental Aspect could generate. She groaned, felt the surrounding flames creeping closer to her on all sides, crisping the edges of her fur as her sweat evaporated, the sky overhead erupting as the atmosphere was set alight.

Sonja landed nearby, her shadow falling across the land. She looked down at Angelica, lying prone beneath her, every ounce of her psychic energy now turned towards staving off as much heat as possible. Angelica looked up through dry, bleary eyes. She wanted to talk, but she couldn't. The heat was fantastic, beyond anything she'd ever felt before. And the look on Sonja's face as she looked down at Angelica. There was no pity there, no malice, nothing to give away any ill feelings she harboured. There wasn't even triumph. Angelica reached up, her mind falling incoherent with heat exhaustion. Darkness consumed her and the heat faded away to a blissful cool that enveloped her like a soothing balm.