Neon green and pink flashed as the tennis ball flew past an open doorway, streaking down the hallway to bounce off the exterior wall and vanish around the curve of the corridor. Scrabbling toenails and a blur of yellow announced the tennis ball's would-be captor, and Jetson skidded across the metal decking and took off down the hallway in furious pursuit.

Cassie laughed, giving exuberant chase until her brain caught up with her about five steps past the Glider holding bay. She heard an excited bark from somewhere up ahead, but instead of following she stopped and retraced her steps, peering curiously into the holding bay to see if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

They weren't. She shook her head in disbelief. "What in the name of everything good are you doing up so early? And on a Saturday, no less!"

Her adopted brother shrugged eloquently. "I could ask you the same thing. Why are you and that dog making such a godawful racket at seven in the morning?"

She grinned, unable to contain herself. "Saryn's on his way in! He's going to be here in a few minutes; Jetson and I were going to meet him. What are you doing up?"

"Studying," Jeff admitted, tapping his pencil eraser on the tabletop. "DECA's trying to help me get ready for my chem final."

She made a face, but before she could answer Jetson came bounding back into the room. He slid across the deck toward her, ejecting the tennis ball at her feet and staring up at her expectantly. She laughed as he panted up at her, and she reached down to scratch his ears affectionately. "Good boy, Jetson. Here," she said, picking up the neon tennis ball again and tossing it out into the hallway. "Go get it!"

He needed no encouragement, for he was off after the garish object without a second's hesitation. The ball had rebounded off the far wall and bounced away down the corridor, and Jetson had to scramble to change his momentum in time to make it around the corner. He didn't skid at all, though--he was perfectly used to the metal deck, and the times he did slide she would swear he was doing it on purpose, for the sheer fun of it.

"His feet do okay on the deck?" Jeff asked, as though he was reading her mind.

"They seem to." She turned back to him, glancing down at the papers strewn across the table. "Are you sure you have enough stuff there? Maybe I could get you a couple more books or something."

"Yeah, thanks," he said wryly. He put his hands over his head and stretched, grimacing as he leaned back in the manner of someone who had been hunched in one place for too long. "It's a generous offer, but I'll have to pass. If I had one more thing to study, I think my head would explode."

"How long have you been here?" It was only seven, but he didn't look like he had just sat down.

Instead of looking at his watch, Jeff glanced up at DECA's camera.

"One hour and twenty-three minutes," the computer replied promptly.

"Thanks," Jeff said, and Cassie just stared at him.

"You got up at five-thirty to study chemistry?"

He shook his head. "I got up at five. It took me half an hour to get going." He caught her eye and added, "Believe me, you don't know the meaning of 'exam' until you've lived through finals week."

The unmistakable clatter of toenails on metal prevented her from reminding him that she didn't *want* to know, thank you very much. Jetson flung himself down at her feet, staring up at her with a very pointed look and not letting go of the tennis ball. When she reached for the ball anyway he scrambled backward, just out of reach, and resumed watching her with a slight wag of his tail.

"All right," she said with a laugh, "I'm coming. Good luck studying, Jeff."

He sighed, tapping his pencil on the table again. "Thanks. Have a good day."

"You too!" she called over her shoulder. Jetson let go of the tennis ball with an excited bark, leaping toward the doorway, and she paused just long enough to grab the ball before following him.

Jetson beat her to the hangar bay, as she had known he would. He was pawing at the door when she finally caught up. He whined once when he saw her, and she pointed at the red light above the door. "There's no air in there, Jetson. We have to wait until DECA repressurizes it."

The light flashed green, and Jetson let out a single bark. She laughed and reached out to key the door open, watching him bolt through the doorway the moment the opening was wide enough for him to fit. She stepped through after him, smiling as Jetson parked himself next to the base of the little starfighter and proceeded to bark continuously at the now-motionless ship.

The cockpit seals popped a moment later, and the canopy lifted away from the hull. A figure in red stood up and she waved, laughing as he glared down at Jetson. Leaving his helmet behind, Saryn swung over the side of the fighter and landed easily on the deck, striding past the vocal lab without a second glance.

"You'd think that dog had never seen me before," Saryn muttered, blue eyes catching hers from under bangs that weren't quite long enough to stay back in his ponytail. "Does he forget so quickly?"

"Hello to you too," she said, grinning up at him. "You're in a terrible mood."

His expression lightened noticeably, and the hint of a smile touched his eyes. "Less so, now that I'm with you," he countered. "You should have seen me earlier."

She giggled. "Did you leave, or did they throw you out?"

This time he did smile. "A little of both, I suspect." He reached out to brush her cheek with his fingers, adding, "I missed you."

She reached up and caught his hand, leaning into his touch for a moment. "Me too," she murmured, trying to gauge the look in his eyes. His empathic shields were firmly in place, a leftover precaution that he must not have noticed yet.

Then his flight suit swished quietly as he slid his arms around her, pulling her in close for a tender kiss that she never missed until he was gone. Unfortunately, she'd had ample opportunity to miss it lately, and that made the moment all the sweeter.

She noted distantly that Jetson had finally stopped barking. He had probably settled down on the deck, resigned to their displays of affection by now. She supposed that, to a dog, life was just a long series of hugs and kisses, so why should one be any more special than another?

"You," Saryn whispered in her ear, "are thinking about your dog." She couldn't quite contain a giggle when he added softly, "It's not very flattering."

"You're not supposed to be able to do that," she informed him, kissing him again.

"Nonetheless," he murmured, lifting one hand to her shoulder and scooping her loose hair back. She caught her breath as his mouth brushed against her neck, trailing gentle kisses across her bare skin. She closed her eyes, barely aware of her own fingers clutching his flight suit.

"That's better," he whispered a moment later, and she smiled to herself. Then he pressed his lips to hers, and she could feel him relaxing as she leaned into his embrace. His shields dissolved at last, and she could clearly hear him think, *I love you.*

She didn't know how he projected his thoughts like that anymore than she knew how he could pick up on hers. But she knew he would hear when she answered, *I love you too,* and that was all that really mattered.

Jetson whined softly.

She pulled away reluctantly, leaving her arm around Saryn as she regarded the yellow lab. His head rested on his paws, and he was giving them an extraordinarily pitiful look. She shook her head in fond resignation. "I suppose you think it's your turn," she told him.

He lifted his head eagerly and thumped his tail once, and she had to laugh. "I've been promising him some time in the park since I got up," she said, glancing up at Saryn. "Do you mind?"

He shook his head wordlessly, and she let go of him to wave at Jetson. "Come on, boy! Let's go!"

Jetson sprang forward, nudging his nose under her hand even as she reached down to pat him. Saryn shucked his flight suit with the ease born of long practice and stowed it in his starfighter before turning back to her. Her hand still resting on Jetson's head, she reached out to press her palm to his and a veil of crimson shimmered across her vision.

It was gone in seconds, and Jetson bounded forward across the sunlit grass of the park's east side. Teleportation had never seemed to faze him, which was a lucky thing considering that he had been subjected to it almost daily for the last three months of his life.

Glancing over at Saryn again, she remarked, "You came prepared." He wore a pair of Carlos' old jeans and a t-shirt that had once been TJ's--she had suggested several times that he get some California-style clothes of his own, but so far he hadn't been convinced.

"I changed before I left," he answered, sliding his fingers through hers as they trailed after the inexhaustible dog at a more sedate pace. "If blue jeans become popular on Elisia, I will have you to thank for it."

"You're the one spreading the madness," she teased. "You could have waited until you got here."

"I know you too well to believe you're that patient," he told her, and her eyes widened indignantly. "And they are easier to fit under a flight suit."

She shook her head, momentarily diverted. "I don't understand why you don't just morph. Wouldn't that be easier?"

"Yes," he agreed soberly. "But my flight suit has the Elisian Ranger logo on it."

"Oh," she murmured. "Your Ranger uniform doesn't."

It wasn't a question, but he shook his head anyway. "Elisia is struggling just to get basic food and medical supplies," he said quietly. "It is no different anywhere along the Border. If making the remaining Border Rangers highly visible raises awareness of the situation, it is the least we can do while we are offplanet."

She wasn't sure she liked his newfound tendency to refer to any place that wasn't Elisia as "offplanet", but she didn't comment on it. Instead she just squeezed his hand and stared after Jetson, who was rolling happily in the grass beside the pond. "How are they?"

"Proud," he said succinctly. "Determined. Mirine says hello, by the way. Linnse and Tobin send their regards as well."

"You're changing the subject," she said, stopping to turn and look at him. She didn't let go of his hand, and he was forced to halt as well. She stared at him, trying to see past the echo in his eyes to the true feeling underneath. "What's it like on Elisia?"

He gazed back at her for a long moment. His expression didn't change, but he must have seen something in hers, for at last he answered, "It's a planet of survivors, Cassie. We survived Dark Spectre once, and we'll do it again. We will rebuild our home. But it isn't going to be easy."

"That bad?" she asked gently.

His expression flickered, and a rueful smile flitted across his face. "Yes," he admitted, his eyes acknowledging her desire for honesty. "The terraformed ecosystems were always fragile, and I'm afraid 'marginally habitable' is now a generous term for much of what remains. Power is scarce and food is scarcer, yet people continue to return."

And they probably overburdened what few resources the recently liberated planet did have, she guessed. She could feel the worry emanating from him, and that was confirmation enough for her. She took a step closer, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. There was little else she could do, but she would offer what comfort she had.

"What scares me," he whispered, hugging her back, "is that the people who lived through the occupation can't even provide for themselves. With all these other people flooding in... they'll either revitalize the planet, or destroy what's left."

"Dark Spectre couldn't do it," she murmured. "A few thousand well-meaning colonists aren't going to succeed where he failed."

She felt him sigh, but he didn't let go of her. "I hope not," he replied softly. "I truly hope not."

***

He heard the comm channel chime, requesting his personal attention. He continued to gaze up at the bottom of the bunk above him, wondering idly what kind of adhesive sticker manufacturers used. It had to be something awfully strong to have held the glow-in-the-dark stars there for... what, six years now? Almost seven, really. They should consider selling the stuff as hull sealant.

The comm chimed again, and this time he saw DECA's camera light flick on across the room. "Andros," she said curiously. "There's an incoming transmission for you."

"I know," he answered, reaching up to tap one of the stars experimentally. It didn't budge. "I'm weighing the odds of it being Zhane against the probability that it's anyone else."

"It's Zhane," DECA told him.

He sat up, the stickers forgotten. "Then why didn't you say so?" he demanded, giving her camera a mock-frown.

The red light just blinked at him, and he grinned at her unvoiced exasperation. She had no way of knowing that he wasn't accepting anyone's signal but Zhane's. And the Silver Ranger hadn't bothered to send his own mental prompt along with the signal, making the decision to get up or not even more debatable.

He ran a hand through his hair and blinked a few times to get the residual sleep out of his eyes. The comm chimed a third time as he dropped into the chair in front of his computer terminal, and this time he accepted the link.

"Morning," Zhane greeted him, with the irritatingly alert air of someone unaffected by the time difference. Of course, he wouldn't be; he'd been on Eltare for almost a month now. "Did I wake you up?"

"Yes," Andros told him, even though he hadn't.

"Good." Zhane grinned. "You missed all the excitement last night. Two of the backup generators went down and half the city lost power. You got out about half an hour before surface-to-ship teleportation was grounded."

Startled, he tried distractedly to repress a yawn. "When did you get it back?"

"We haven't. The primaries never came back on after the siege, so until the backups are fixed we're in the dark. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get a vid comm message out, even with Ranger priority."

Andros shook his head, wondering that Eltare could get anything done lately. "Any word on that agri shipment?"

"Last I knew, it still hadn't left." Zhane frowned a little, his cheerful expression dimming. "If it goes much longer, I say we take the Megaship and deliver it ourselves."

"Favoritism," Andros answered automatically. "We shouldn't interfere."

"That's ridiculous and you know it," Zhane retorted. "We're their Rangers. If we don't act on their behalf, who will? That's how things get done in the League."

He sighed. "Zordon's having a hard enough time keeping the Inner Alliance in place without a unified military threat. Anything that we do specifically for KO-35 undermines that."

"We're not part of the Alliance," Zhane argued. "The Kerova system would have been part of the Defense, if we'd ever coexisted, and the Border Rangers are louder advocates for their planets than ever before."

Andros didn't answer. KO-35 might be a part of the Border, but the Sol system was part of the Alliance. Sometimes it was hard to know whom he was speaking for anymore.

"Andros?" Zhane must have understood some of what he was thinking, for he offered, "The others have the Mega Vs; it's not like we'd be leaving them in the lurch. I'm not saying we need the whole team--just you and I. We're Kerovan Rangers, and if our people need us..."

"You're saying we should split up." He did his best to keep his voice even, betraying nothing of what he was feeling inside. "The Earth Rangers go their way, and we go ours."

"No," Zhane insisted. "I'm not trying to divide the team! I'm just saying that Earth has been one of the most peaceful places in the League lately--you wouldn't be spending so much time on Eltare if it wasn't. But KO-35 has been razed, occupied, and abandoned more times than I can count. If there's a planet that needs it's Rangers more right now, I don't know where it is."

Andros looked away from the screen. His friend didn't need to tell him how bad it was on KO-35; he'd been there, and he'd seen it. They'd been back and forth between Eltare and the Border, speaking for KO-35 wherever they could and helping the Defense to reestablish vital supply lines. Yet he kept coming back to Earth...

"Let me talk to the others first," he said abruptly. "I'll be back on Eltare tomorrow. And I'll bring the Megaship with me."

Zhane's relieved smile made him feel guilty for hesitating. "I'll let Kinwon know," his friend promised. "Thanks, Andros."

"Hey, Zhane..." He paused just long enough to get the other's full attention. "Don't work too hard."

Zhane gave him a rakish grin. "Don't worry," he assured Andros. "Kayatachi and I are heading down to the tavern in a few minutes. She tells me they're serving sparklers in honor of the power outage. I just thought I'd let you know what was going on first."

Andros had to laugh. "Thanks. And try not to do anything I wouldn't do."

Zhane's grin widened. "So that rules out what? Nothing?"

"It rules out--" He had to think about it for a moment. "Well, never mind," he admitted at last, trying to ignore Zhane's smirk. "Just have a good time."

"I will," Zhane said smugly. "Hey--"

It was his turn to hesitate, and Andros gave him a questioning look.

Zhane's expression had sobered a little. "Have you heard from Kerone?" he asked finally. His tone was deliberately casual, but his eyes betrayed his concern.

Andros shook his head slowly. "Not since last weekend," he said. "She won't tell me where she is, and you know she can't link over distances, so I don't have any way to get in touch with her."

"Can't, or won't," Zhane muttered. "She's a telepath. She shouldn't have any problem with distance."

They had had this conversation before, and Andros refrained from pointing out, yet again, the apparent differences between his sister's telepathy and their own. He also didn't mention his suspicion that Kerone refused to tell him where she was, not because she didn't want him to know, but because she didn't want Zhane to know.

"I hope she's all right," Zhane said, when he said nothing else. "Thanks anyway. I'll see you tomorrow."

Andros nodded once, returning his friend's absent smile. "Stay safe, Zhane."

"You too."

The screen went dark. Andros regarded it thoughtfully for a moment, wondering whether his sister would change her mind if she could see how troubled Zhane was. Probably not--but where *was* she, anyway? All her transmissions to the Megaship went through several relay stations before they reached DECA, and there was always at least one untraceable link in the chain. He didn't know if she really was that far out of the mainstream, or if she was doing it on purpose to keep them from finding her.

"Andros." DECA's voice interrupted his musings, and he looked up. "Do you plan to resettle on KO-35?"

He blinked, surprised. "Why do you ask that?"

"Zhane implied that your loyalty should be to KO-35," DECA replied matter-of-factly. "You agreed with him."

"That's not what he said," Andros answered, frowning. "He said that KO-35 needs us more than Earth does right now."

"What if it did not?" DECA countered. "Would you make the same choice?"

His frown deepened. "DECA... we're Kerovan. Why *shouldn't* our loyalty be to KO-35?"

"Then you do plan to rejoin the colonists?"

He studied her camera curiously, a little troubled by her persistence. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"And you say it as though it's a certainty," DECA replied. "I only wonder if the other Astro Rangers have expectations that might not coincide with yours."

He was quiet for a moment, considering that. In truth, the team hadn't discussed their future in any great detail. There was evil in the universe, and they were Power Rangers--that was all any of them had needed since they had banded together last spring. It was true they had protected Earth when it was necessary, but so had they protected myriad other worlds. KO-35, now free once more and in dire need of assistance, was certainly no less important.

He was still thinking about it when he made his way down to the Glider holding bay a little while later. He was somewhat surprised to find Carlos there, as everyone had been planetside when he went to sleep the night before. Jeff's presence wasn't unusual, though; Ashley's brother had been spending more and more time on the Megaship as finals approached. He claimed it was quieter than his dorm on campus, and there was certainly no better tutor than DECA.

"Sorry, man," Carlos was saying as Andros walked in. "Never heard of troponin. Never really want to, either, if it comes to that."

"It's a calmodulin," Andros offered absently, pausing beside the table to look over Jeff's books. "A binding protein for calcium that allows muscle movement."

It took a moment for him to become aware of Carlos' incredulous stare, but Jeff's reaction was immediate and dramatic. He threw up his hands and leaned back in his chair, tilting his head back to appeal to the ceiling. "Why can't he take this exam for me? Why is it important for me to know this when there are other people in the world who are perfectly aware? It's not like the knowledge is in danger of being lost!"

"Perhaps it is not the knowledge itself on which you are being tested," DECA suggested, "but rather, your ability to acquire that knowledge."

Jeff sighed, putting his elbows back on the table and resting his chin in his hands. "That's a depressingly logical thought."

"DECA's good at that," Andros muttered, glancing up at her camera as her earlier questions pushed their way to the forefront of his brain again. "Carlos... can I ask you something?"

"As long as you don't expect me to know the answer," the Black Ranger answered with a grin. "Sure."

Andros regarded him quizzically. "Who are the Astro Rangers?"

Carlos looked at him as though he might have been replaced by an evil clone. "We are, of course. You and me and Cassie and the others. Why?"

"The six of us, then?" Andros pressed. "We're the Astro team?"

Carlos shrugged. "You could make a case for Kerone too, I suppose. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious," he said. "So if we're the Astro Rangers... what's our mission?"

"To defend Earth," Carlos answered.

A frown tugged at his expression, and he tried to repress it.

Carlos saw it anyway. "Andros, what's going on?" he demanded. "You're acting strange, even for you."

Andros smiled a little at that. "Nothing," he said, turning away. "Just something someone said to me."

***

She turned her face upward, feeling the warm water stream across her skin as she rubbed shampoo into her scalp. As the lather started to sneak forward over her forehead, she turned around and let the water wash it away, taking the sweat of the afternoon with it as the shower sluiced her hair clean.

She was running fingers slick with conditioner through the tangles when she heard a familiar chime. "You've got to be kidding me," Ashley muttered, pausing to listen more carefully.

Sure enough, her communicator chimed again, and she rolled her eyes. "I'm not answering that, Andros," she said aloud, stepping back under the stream of water. "I'm not."

But she knew she would. Earth hadn't come under serious attack in months, but the old instincts were too ingrained. She wasn't sure she would ever reach a point where she would actually feel comfortable ignoring her communicator--it was just that some days she wasn't convinced that was a good thing.

She rinsed her hair quickly before she turned the water off and pushed the curtain aside. Stepping out onto the bathmat, she grabbed first for her towel and then her communicator, both perched somewhat precariously on the edge of the sink. "This is Ashley," she said, setting the device down again as soon as it had been activated. "What's up?"

"Hey, Ash," Andros' voice greeted her. "NASADA just contacted us. They have something they'd like us to check out."

She made a face at her reflection in the mirror as she started to towel off. "I thought we had a deal with NASADA. We save the world every now and then, and they don't ask questions."

"Normally," Andros agreed. "I don't want NASADA to get in the habit of using the Megaship as an extension of the space program. But they insist this is unusual, and Tessa thought we should take a look."

She shrugged, wrapping her towel around her and reaching for her hairbrush. "I'll come along for the ride. But only if I get dinner out of it."

She heard Andros chuckle. "You're on," he agreed. "See you in a few minutes?"

She nodded, though she knew he couldn't see it. "I'll be there as soon as I get changed. Love you," she added, smiling over at her communicator.

"Love you too," Andros' voice answered.

The link was broken from his side, and the light on her communicator went out as it turned off automatically. She brushed the tangles out of her hair and wrapped it, gathering up her cheerleader uniform, communicator, and necklace and heading back into her bedroom. She dropped her uniform into the basket at the end of her bed and went over to the closet.

The dress she'd bought for the prom stared back at her as soon as she opened the door, and she smiled. Pushing it aside, she pulled out a skirt and knit top, her thoughts wandering a little as she dressed. What could NASADA possibly want that both Tessa and Andros would approve of?

Tessa would go for any scientific curiosity, that was without question. Anything in space that moved was worth her observation time. But Andros wouldn't budge for anything less than a military threat, and anything that NASADA could pick up in that department would be detected long before by DECA.

She fastened the necklace Andros had given her around her neck, fiddling with the chain to make sure it hung perfectly straight. Sliding her communicator onto her wrist, she headed back into the bathroom to dry her hair. It took longer than it used to, but she hadn't had long hair since junior high and she found that she missed it.

Finally satisfied with her reflection, she unplugged the hair dryer and hung her towel over the back of the door to dry. She stuck her head into her parents' room before she left, and her dad looked up from the computer as she waved. "I'm going to go up to the Megaship for a while," she told him. "NASADA wants us to check something out for them."

"Be careful," he answered automatically.

She rolled her eyes. "Dad, there hasn't been trouble in forever." She caught his eye, and added quickly, "I will, I will; don't worry. See you later."

She moved out of the doorway and touched her communicator. The hallway lit up like a sunburst, brightening until it was indistinguishable, and there was a rushing in her ears that quickly faded into the quiet hum of the Megaship's life support systems. She could hear the murmur of conversation drifting down the hall from the Bridge, and she headed in that direction.

There was a graphic she didn't recognize on the main screen, and the others were gathered around the forward row of consoles. Andros glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her as she paused in the doorway. Beside him, Jeff looked up and winked, holding up two fingers behind Andros' head for the briefest moment.

She stepped forward, trying not to roll her eyes. "What's going on?"

"One of NASADA's probes stopped transmitting," TJ answered, leaning back in her chair at the scanner station. The grin on his face told her that he'd seen Jeff's bunny ears too. "Tess thinks that's weird."

"No offense," Andros said, moving over to make room for her as she joined them, "but those probes are archaic. What's really weird is that they work at all."

"Gee, Andros," Carlos remarked, clearly amused. He was standing behind TJ, leaning back against the nav console as he regarded the Red Ranger. "Tell us what you really think."

"I did," Andros informed him, not seeming to notice the sarcasm. Carlos only shook his head.

Tessa was staring down at the console in front of her, apparently oblivious to the exchange. "Pioneer 10 shouldn't have just stopped sending data," she told them absently. "It was almost out of power, but it still had three working units. The odds of all three failing simultaneously are pretty low."

"Maybe something hit it," Jeff suggested.

Tessa shook her head, glancing up at the screen. Now that Ashley knew what she was looking for she could recognize their solar system, overlaid with an escape trajectory that must represent the NASADA probe.

"It's pretty well out of the ecliptic by now," Tessa was saying. "There's not much out there to hit but micrometeoroids and dust, and anything that small would have to be pretty lucky to take out all three instruments with one shot."

"Well, let's find out," TJ suggested. "DECA, can you take us to the coordinates that NASADA gave us?"

"Calling the information we received 'coordinates' would be overstating the matter," DECA replied, somewhat primly. "Nonetheless, I believe I have been able to decipher the correct location."

"Good work," Andros told her. "I'm sure it was difficult."

"Oh, shut up!" Ashley exclaimed, elbowing him.

He just grinned at her and added, "DECA, hyperrush one. Let's go see what could have made one of these Earth probes even less useful than usual."

Her eyes widened indignantly as the Megaship went to hyperrush, but before she could respond Carlos asked, "Cassie isn't coming?"

"She's singing tonight," TJ said, glancing back at him. "She had to be at the Surf Spot early."

Ashley nudged Andros again, not about to let his comment slide. When he glanced over at her, she murmured, "I'd like to see KO-35 build a probe like NASADA's from scratch."

Just as quietly, he replied, "Why would we bother?"

"Ouch," Jeff remarked with a chuckle, obviously overhearing.

She wrinkled her nose at her brother. "Isn't there something you should be studying?"

He didn't look at all repentant as he informed her, "Study break. There's only so much anatomical chemistry you can take before it just doesn't make an impression anymore."

"Maybe you should have Andros help you," Carlos told him.

Ashley laughed. "Yeah, Andros is good with that stuff. He doesn't recognize superior technology when he sees it, but he can tell you how endorphins work."

"I've already been impressed by Andros' knowledge of physiology," Jeff replied wryly. "But I'm not going to ask how *you* know that he knows about endorphins."

She tried not to blush, and Andros rescued her by saying, "I don't think there's any scale you could use by which NASADA probes would be considered superior to the Megaship, Ash."

"The scale where Power doesn't count," she responded promptly. "That was easy."

"Coming out of hyperrush," DECA interrupted. The image on the main screen vanished, replaced by that of the starfield.

"It's pretty small, isn't it," Andros observed, deadpan.

"I have run a thorough scan of the immediate vicinity," DECA said. "I can find no trace of the NASADA probe. I am, however, detecting the vapor trail of a mid-sized courier ship."

Ashley saw TJ frown. "What would a courier want with that probe?"

"Although I am not detecting the probe," DECA amended, "I am picking up the residual radiation indicative of weapons' fire."

"They destroyed it?" Tessa sounded outraged. "Do you know how many millions of dollars probably went into that probe?"

"No, that doesn't make any sense." Andros was looking down at the scanner console as TJ called up the information DECA had been able to gather. "Couriers don't have weapons. Besides, any ship that passed through the Sol system should have sent a recognition signal to NASADA."

"Should they?" Carlos asked dryly.

"They're supposed to," Andros insisted. "Earth is a League world. There's no Ranger base anymore, but it's still due the same respect as any other member planet."

"Tell that to the person who destroyed our probe," TJ put in.

"Why would someone who was just passing through blow up a scientific probe?" Jeff wanted to know. "Did they do it just for the hell of it? Is probe removal some kind of sport out here?"

"DECA," Ashley said slowly. "Can you trace the ship's vapor trail and extrapolate a course? Find out if they *were* just passing through?"

"Certainly, Ashley." There was an almost imperceptible hesitation, and then DECA continued, "If the courier's vector remained unchanged, it would have eventually intersected Earth's orbit."

"How eventually?" Andros demanded. "Can you tell how fast the ship was moving?"

"Given the apparent disruption of their flight path, I can't estimate with any degree of accuracy," DECA replied. "However, NASADA did lose contact with their probe several hours ago."

The Bridge was quiet for a moment as the implication sank in.

"So, basically," TJ said at last, "we have an armed courier running under radio silence, heading for Earth after having destroyed one of our probes."

"They probably had to work pretty hard to destroy it, too," Tessa added. "NASADA doesn't have many of these; it's not like you just stumble over them at random. They would have had to be looking really carefully for something to hit."

"Great," Carlos said. "So it's an armed courier heading for Earth after deliberately hunting down and destroying one of our probes. Maybe it's just me, but that doesn't sound like a very friendly message they're sending."

"DECA, take us back to Earth and see if you can pick up the vapor trail there." Andros was staring at the main screen, as though the answers that eluded the Megaship's scanners were written there for his eyes only. "I want to find out where this ship went."

"If this happened hours ago," Ashley pointed out, "they probably made it to Earth before we left."

"Probably," Andros agreed. "Which means that if it was there, it was keeping a low profile."

"But if you're trying to hide, there are more subtle ways to do it than blowing up a space probe..." TJ trailed off, and Ashley saw the realization in his eyes even as Carlos finished the sentence for him.

"Unless you're using the probe as a diversion to get rid of the planet's Rangers."

"Contact Cassie as soon as we come out of hyperrush," Andros ordered.

"I don't get it," Ashley murmured, half talking to herself. "We were so close--what could anyone hope to do in just a few minutes?"

The starfield reappeared as the Megaship dropped out of hyperrush once more, and DECA automatically routed a view of Earth to the main screen. The planet looked as peaceful as it had when they left, indeed, as peaceful as it had for months on end.

TJ reached for his morpher, and Andros glanced over his shoulder to give her a grim look. "Let's hope we don't find out."