The following morning Alex awoke to a gentle rubbing of his back. He mumbled something and rolled over, opening one eye in the process. A very hot blush crept over his face when he saw a scantily clad Cacao in bed with him. He curled up in the sheets, covering himself for some odd reason, since he was more or less fully dressed as it was, and moved away from her.
     “W....what are you doing?!” he demanded, wrapping the sheets tigther around his body.
     “I was giving you a wake up call,” Cacao said, “What? Did I do something wrong?”
     Alex continued to blush and said, “I’m not used to something like that happening in the morning, especially for a wake up call.”
     “What’s happening?” Star asked as he rolled out from beneath the covers, his form now that of a young man with long black hair, piercing green eyes, and a very well build body. He yawned and stretched in a cat like manner, a sheet barely covering his naked body. Cacao blushed deeply and averted her gaze.
     “The... umm... elder wishes to speak to you,” she said at last, her mind reeling from the images planted there.
     “We’ll be there as soon as we can,” Alex said as he slid out of bed to get to his armor and such. As soon as Cacao left Alex released a long sigh of relief, the blush leaving his face.
     “What shall we do today Alex?" Star asked, wrapping his arms around Alex’s shoulders in an embrace of friendship. Alex tensed up a little, but sighed and relaxed again.
     “First I’m going to get cleaned up and put my armor on. Then we’re going to find you some clothes.”

     About half an hour later the pair emerged from Alex’s room, Alex clad in his amor and such, his cape swishing about behind him, and Star clad in tight blue jeans, calf high black boots, a black t-shirt, and a tight black leather jacket. As they walked through the halls of the shrine they encountered many holy virgins, who blushed and giggled as the pair passed by.
     “What do you suppose they’re giggling about?” Star asked, waving to the girls as he passed.
     “They think you’re cute,” came from behind the two. They froze in their tracks and slowly turned their heads to see Parfait standing behind them, her arms crossed. She waved to them and said, “Hi, remember me?”
     A large sweat drop formed on Alex’s head.

     “So, Cacao was in your bed this morning giving you a back rub?”
     “That’s right Parfait. It surprised me.”
     “And your guardian... is this stud muffin right here?”
     Parfait looked over at Star, who blushed a little and brushed his fingers through his hair. “That’s right,” Star siad, “for some odd reason I transformed into my human form, only naked.”
     “Which surprised Cacao,” Alex said, “and surprised me as well since I didn’t expect to find another man in bed with me... or to find Cacao there either, for that matter.”
     “She must like you, then, since she did that when Ramuness was here so very long ago,” Parfait said. She blushed a moment later before saying, “And since Star here is very pleasing to the eye you can bet a lot of the temple maidens will show up in your room early in the morning.”
     Alex thought about this for a moment and blushed hotly, hoping that his door had a lock that nobody had the key for.
     By now they had reached the elder’s chamber, and Parfait opened the door to allow them in. Star and Alex bowed to her before they slipped inside, the door closing behind them. Before them sat the elder in his glory, his long gray beard well trimmed, his holy robes unwrinkled, his eyes alert and full of intelligence.
     “Welcome, Knight of Saturn,” the elder said, “what brings you to our planet?”
     “I know not, oh great elder,” Alex said, bowing politely, “I am but a traveler on a journey, and yet I wind up in worlds where there is trouble that I might help with.”
     “Ahhh, yes, so is the reason I called you here today. But first, who is the young man with you, and where is this panther I heard you traveled with?”
     Star bowed politely to the elder, some of his dark hair falling into his face. He righted himself, brushing the hair back from his face, the crescent moon on his forehead shining brightly in the light of the room. “I am Star, guardian to this warrior,” he said, “like most guardians I have a human form, but unlike the others I can change my form more or less at will.”
     The elder nodded. “I have heard of the warriors and the guardians. You, like Ramuness, protect the planet and its populous from invaders and those who would try to destroy it.”
     “That’s us” Alex said, “and there are LOTS of us back home.”
     “Which is why we’re happy to have just one of you,” Cacao said from the wings. She stepped forth in her armored outfit a moment later. “Please, oh please, Knight of Saturn, help us to save our home from the evil that comes its way.”
     Alex stood a little puzzled in the center of the room, his head swimming. Every world he had been in he gave his assistance to those there. First in the Digiworld, then Mahnatten on Earth, then Konan in the Universe of the Four Gods, and now.... where ever he was.
     “Surely you have the magical powers to lend us your assistance,” the elder said, “please help us, for we will surely be wiped out.”
     Star nudged Alex, who looked at him. A smile played in Star’s golden green eyes as he said, “So, oh Knight of Saturn, can you help these beautiful damsels in distress or what?”
     Alex smiled and nodded. “Sure, I, the Knight of Saturn, shall lend my assistance to you. Cacao and Parfait, can you lend me your assistance for this mission?”
     “Verily,” Cacao said, “it would be an honor.”
     “You will be his Knights of Saturn,” the elder said, “if there is nothing more...”
     “Nothing more, your greatness,” Alex and the other three said, bowing.
     “Then you are dismissed to prepare for this mission. Good luck, my Knights of Saturn.”

     About an hour later Alex and Star met with Parfait and Cacao before one of the large doors in the temple. Several holy sisters pushed the doors open to reveal a large mech with at least half an inch of dust covering its silvery white body. Alex stared at this in awe, taking in all the curves and such of the mech suit before him.
     “You like?” Cacao asked, “It helped us in one of our earlier missions.”
     “What is it?” Alex asked, his vision still upon the mech.
     “Oh, nothing special,” Parfait said, “just a highly experimental enemy mech that we happened to fall into and be set adrift in space in.”
     Star and Alex turned and blinked at her a few times. Finally Star said, “Is that all?”
     “Yup,” Parfait said, smiling, “that’s all. We used it to save the world and complete our mission.”
     “Though one must be naked to pilot the machine,” Cacao said, “since Parfait mistook the cockpit for a bath until we were involved in battle.”
     “WHAT?!” Alex said, blinking. He looked at how the two sisters were looking at him and said, “No way! Absolutely not! I’ve piloted a mech with liquid in the cockpit and worn my normal clothes before.”
     “Well, you *could* wear a swimsuit if you wanted to,” Parfaid said, holding up a tiny black G-string type thing. Alex and Star both fell over, twitching.
     “There is no bloody way in hell that I’m going to wear something like that!” the two men said, flushing crimson.
     “Then you don’t get to pilot the mech,” Parfait said. Cacao giggled.
     “This is just a ploy to see one or the other of us naked, isn’t it?” Star said, giving Parfait the evil eye.
     “Now what would give you that idea?” Parfait asked innocently. Cacao nearly died laughing at this point.
     “Don’t play innocent with us!” Alex said, also giving Parfait the evil eye, “C’mon, fess up. You want to see us naked, don’t you.”
     As Parfait stammered to come up with an answer, Cacao activated the winch and line for climbing to the hatch of the mech. As soon as it arrived she turned to the other three and said, “Elevator going up. All aboard.”
     “Wait for me,” Parfait said, running to catch hold of the winch line as it ascended to the hatchway.
     “Going up,” Alex said as he levitated from the ground. He wrapped his arms under Star’s armpts and ascended to the hatch. “You’re going on a diet when we get home” he said a moment later through gritted teeth, “You’re heavy!”
     “I don’t weigh that much,” Star protested, “maybe you should take some classes in weight training.”
     “Hurry up, will ya,” Parfait said from over the edge moments before Alex and Star floated over the threshold.
     “No need to shout, sister Parfait,” Star said as Alex set him down, “we were coming as fast as we could.”
     The pair looked into the backup command center of the mech and blinked since it was decorated in the girliest manner they had ever seen, with pink and frilly things everywhere. “Welcome to our little home away from home,” Cacao said, smiling happily.
     “Frightening, isn’t it?” Parfait said, “But it’s comfortable and all.”
     Alex and Star blinked at them, sighing a little.
     “This is worse than Celia’s room,” Alex said, holding his temples in his hands and rubbing them, “What a nightmare.”
     A loud muttering and shouting came from a storage compartment. Parfait turned with a start, blushing embarrassedly as she opened the door to the compartment. From the shadows came a small red blob with big eyes, big lips, and a delux sized attitude.
     “Parfait, how could you leave PQ in there?! Don’t you know I’m dry clean only?! I almost turned into a prune!” the blob said, hopping onto Parfait’s shoulder.
     “Sorry PQ,” Parfait said, “I kinda forgot you were in there with me.”
     PQ looked at Alex and Star and said, “Who are these two weirdos?”
     “Who are you calling weird?” Star said as he picked PQ up and started to squish it.
     “Aaaack, stop that! You’ll spoil my beautifully ovoid shape!” Stoooop!”
     “Not until you apologize,” Alex said, grinning evilly, the symbol of Saturn shining on his forehead a moment later. “What’s going on?”
     PQ’s eyes went into a frozen state, a CD Drive opening out of its mouth, a golden disc appearing and fitting into the drive. The CD Drive closed a moment later, the eyes glowing lightly as it began a recap of past events.
     “The Knight of Saturn began his adventure around his 15th or 16th birthday, when he discovered some of his early powers...” PQ said in a voice unlike what it had been using earlier.
     “Geeze, is this what my power does in this world?” Alex asked, blinking at PQ, “How do I shut it off?”
     “We’re still trying to figure that out,” Parfait said as she picked PQ up and shook it, “Shut up, will ya?!”
     PQ blinked a few times before saying, “What the hell are you doing?! Geeze Parfait, I didn’t know you cared.”
     “Cacao, Parfait, are you and the knight ready to lift off?” a musical female voice said over the radio.
     “Yeah Mello, we’re ready,” Cacao replied, “we’re ready.”
     A giant door opened in the cliff side, blinding sunlight filling the launch bay. A loud whirring and grinding filled the air as the mech launched forward on a platform of sorts. The interior lights of the mech came on as the doors closed, the cabin pressurizing.
     “You are clear for take off on runway alpha,” Mello said in a sweet tone of voice, “good luck and have a safe trip.”
     The engines began to roar and rumble as they warmed up, tactical lights blinking up on a wall panel which Cacao was standing by.
     “Thanks Mello. We’ll see you when we return,” Cacao said as she punched a few buttons. The engines roared to full life and the mech took to the sky. Alex and Star blinked as the force crushed them to the floor. When the shaking and such ceased a tactical screen appeared in the middle of the room, forming a 3-D grid of the space around them.
     “Welcome to outer space,” a computerized voice said, “how may I serve you, sisters Cacao and Parfait?”
     “Well Dexy, what’s our position in space?” Cacao said as a computerized face appeared on the holographic grid, “and say hello to our guests, the Knight of Saturn and his guardian.”
     “Welcome, Knight of Saturn, welcome Star,” Dexy said, the face on the screen smiling, “our current heading will bring us into visual range of the enemy fleet within the next hour. I suggest somebody man the cockpit controls in ease we need to make sudden maneuvers.”
     “I’ll go,” Alex and Star said in unison.
     “I don’t know if both of you would fit in there,” Cacao said as she ran her eyes over the pair. Alex’s armor glowed a moment later, unfurling into ribbons, which retracted back into the amulet on his chest. When the glow died away he was clad in a pair of black swim trunks with golden stars and violet and gold Saturn symbols on them. Star’s outfit glowed as well, and when the glow died away he was wearing only the tight jeans.
     “Well, that takes care of that,” Parfait said, blinking, “I guess you can fit in there after all.”
     The hatchway through which PQ had exited, opened, a light activating to illuminate the interior. Star slipped infirst, followed a moment later by Alex, who wound up sitting in Star’s lap. Parfait stuck her head through the hatchway and said, “Welcome to the control center. The entire room is an imaging system of what is directly around us. You’ll be inside the ship, but at times you may feel like you’re lost in space.”
     “This is nothing like piloting an Eva,” Alex said as he took hold of the controls, “the view system is way more complex and wonderfully rendered, the controls are simpler...”
     “And the missile silo is located in the back of the ship,” PQ said as it hopped into the cockpit with the other two, “just don’t overload the systems like these two did with their holy magic.”
     “Hey!” Parfait said, grabbing PQ and squeezing it, “That wasn’t our fault!”
     “Enemy craft sighted one parsec from our present location,” Dexy said, her image popping up on a small screen, “visual confirmation will occur shortly.”
     “That was fast,” Parfait said, “ok, you two take care of the piloting and we’ll take care of defenses.”
     “Right!” Alex and Star said as Parfait closed the hatch behind them. “Engaging maximum velocity!”
     Alex pressed the accelerator forward, the engineer whirring louder as the mech’s speed increased increased. Within a matter of moments they were flying through the enemy fleet, dodging laser fire like there was no tomorrow.
     “This definitely handles better than my Eva,” Alex said as he took them through complex spins and loops and other maneuvers.
     “Fire the missiles,” Parfait’s voice said, “we’re in the right place to deal some major damage to their fleet.”
     “I got that part covered,” Star said as he clicked some buttons on a keypad near him. In the holographic grid behind them they saw the back of the mech open and missiles spiral off in all directions. Around them came blossoms of flame and explosions within some of the crafts.
     “Victory!” Alex and Star chimed moments before the mothership came into view. They blinked at it in unison, both gasping, “It can’t be.”

     On the bridge of the enemy craft a blonde haired beauty, a dark haired stud muffin, and a raven haired beauty sat in the three command chairs. Their 70’s style orange and green disco outfits were immaculately pressed and clean, and their white gogo boots were impressively free of dirt. Their gold chains clanked with their medallians as the ship rocked from the blasts.
     “What’s going on?” the blonde asked, clinging to the man beside her.
     “I’d say we were under attack,” the man said, looking at the screen and listening to the damage reports that flooded in.
     “Attack?!” the women said in unison, “How is that possible?!”
     “Enemy mech off the bow,” a red haired officer said from the command stations, “They’re preparing for another blast, sir.”
     “I thought I told you never to call me sir!” the man growled.
     “Calm down Stallian,” the blonde siad, stroking his chest, “we can fire a few disco ball bombs at them or blind them with our super strobes.”
     “Yes dearest, we can do all that,” the brunette said, also stroking Stallian’s chest.
     “Aria, Inisha, make it so,” Stallian said as he stood up, “I need to get my groove on.”
     “We’ll come with you so you can work your mojo,” Aria, the blonde, said as she stood up and threw her arms around Stallian’s chest.
     “But first,” Inisha said, turning to the others on the bridge, “lock and load disco ball boms. Target the enemy craft...”
     Another blast rocked the ship as the mech let loose another barrage of missiles. Inisha knit her brows for a moment before she said, “FIRE!”

     The mech rocked as two blasts erupted near it. Two more blasts rocked the craft, one striking the left shoulder, rendering that arm useless for the time being. A golden glow surrounded them a moment later as Cacao set up a barrier with her holy magic.
     “What the hell are they throwing at us?!” Parfait asked as she popped her head into the cockpit.
     “I believe they’re exploding disco balls,” Star said, brushing some of his hair out of his face. Parfait and Alex blinked at him in disbelief.
     “Exploding...”
     “Disco balls?”
     “What the hell is a disco ball?” PQ asked as it hopped into the cockpit. Another disco ball hurtled into view a moment later, glittering in the starlight before it exploded into a blossom of flame. The mech shook with the blast, but not nearly so much with the shield in place.
     “That was a disco ball,” Alex said, “though normally they don’t explode. Dexy, where are the shots coming from?”
     The cheery countanence of the AI unit popped onto the screen and said, “The shots are coming from their flagship. Unfortunatley the left arm is offline due to damage to the shoulder. Repairs are under way, but may take a while.”
     “Thanks Dexy,” Star said as the images of the flagship blinked onto the screens. Alex studied these deeply for a minute before he said, “For some odd reason their craft reminds me of the one belonging to the visitors.”
     “Who?” Parfait and PQ asked.
     “Never mind. Dexy, prepare to fire off another salvo of missiles. Target the flagship, maximum damage.”
     “Yes sir,” Dexy said in a very sexy voice, “preparing to fire.”
     A button blinked next to Star’s left knee, an arrow pointing to it on all sides. A sign that said Press For Big Boom flashed above it. Star glanced at this and sighed before he pressed the button. The mech rocked a little as the rockets fired from the back of the mech, sailing through space on their course for the flagship. A long string of explosions followed, and when the explosions died away the ship was still in tact, debris of smaller crafts littering the area.
     “They... used mechs to stop the missiles?” Alex said in disbelief, “They sacrificed their own people to block the missiles!”
     Alex’s grip on the controls tightened as he said this, a red - violet glow surrounding his person. In the space before the mech a globe of red - violet energy formed, crackling as it increased in size.
     Parfait, PQ, and Star looked on in awe as Alex conjured up a globe of magical power. Alex screamed, “Dragu SLAVE!” and released the magical energy. The beam took on the form of a dragon, which roared as it tore the fabric of time and space apart in its wake. The spell struck the craft, detonating and destroying a section of the front of the flagship.
     “Woah,” Parfait gasped, “I knew he was powerful, but I never dreamed...”
     Several more beams of energy fired from the front of the mech, tearing through space and crashing into the flagship. The flagship returned fire a second later, filling the space around them with colorful fire.
     “We’re going to get blown apart!” PQ shrieked as their craft shook and shuddered.
     “My magic is beginning to weaken,” Cacao said from the background, “the shield’s going to crash.”
     “Parfait, use your magic to help Cacao,” Star said as his body began to glow, “I’ll assist our knight.”
     “Ok,” Parfait said as she left the cockpit. A moment later the glow surrounding the mech increased in brilliance.
     “Now to go on the offensive,” Alex said, propelling the mech forward with engines at full burn. A golden glow surrounded his own body as well, a golden globe of energy forming around the mech’s right fist. The mech spiraled through the sky, the glow about it giving it the illusion of being a shooting star. All ships which got in the way of the mech found themselves on the scrap heap or in need of assistance. The mech crashed through the flagship a moment later, stopping when it found a hallway made for mech suits.
     “Think they know we’re here?” Cacao asked as Alex and Star stepped out of the cockpit, puddles of water forming around their feet.
     “More than likely,” Star said as he snapped his fingers, his whole outfit appearing, the puddle at his feet vanishing, “we should prepare for the welcome wagon.”
     “Right,” Alex said, the amulet around his neck glowing. Ribbons of violet unfurled from the amulet, wrapping around his body, shrinking inward and solidifying to form his clothes and armor. The puddle around his feet also vanished. He unclipped the sword from mis back and said, “Star and I will go and meet the welcoming committe. The two of you prepare to blow this place sky high.”
     “I’m coming with you,” Cacao said, “you might find that my magic will come in handy when you’re under attack.”
     “I’m coming too,” Parfait said, “my own brand of magic might help as well.”
     “Your own brand of magic!?” PQ said, “We’re all doomed because you’ll never get angry enough to use it!”
     Parfait picked PQ up and promptly punted the mystic advisor across the room. “My magic doesn’t need my anger to activate!”
     “I don’t think I’ll press my luck in angering you,” Star said as he leapt from the shoulder of the mech, floating gently to the ground, where PQ awaited them.
     Once they were all on the ground they set the automatic alarm on their mech and followed the hallway before them, Alex with his sword drawn, Star with an energy blade in hand, Cacao and Parfait taking in their surroundings with awe and wonder. Several technicians stared as they passed through the hallway, and they stared back since the clothes they wore were right out of 1970’s earth.
     “Oh man, if I could get some of their outfits I could make a fortune at a vintage clothing store,” Alex said, cash register bells chiming around him.
     “Don’t get any ideas,” Star whispered to him, “we’re here to fulfill our mission and then head for our destination.”
     “Excuse me,” a melodic female voice said from behind them. They turned around to face a woman with curly red hair and bright green eyes. She wore a flaming pink gogo dress with puffy white sleeves and white knee high gogo boots. Alex blinked at her for a moment.
     “Is your name Dion by any chance?” he asked, looking her over from head to toe.
     “Umm.... no, actually my name is Donna,” the woman said, cuting at them. She turned serious a moment later. “Are you here for the guided tour of the Celcius?”
     “The Celcius?” Parfait and Cacao asked in unison.
     “That’s what this ship is called,” Donna said, “So, are you here for the guided tour?”
     The four looked at each other before they turned to Donna and said, “Yes, we’re here for the guided tour.”
     Donna turned around and said, “Follow me please.” while waving them forward. The four shrugged and followed Donna’s hot pink clad figure, looking at the points of interest that she indicated. Crew members in various colors passed by the strangers, glancing at them casually before passing on to do their assigned tasks. The four remained huddled close together, discussing plans of attack and whatnot while vaugly looking at the conduit boxes and switch panels that their tour guide pointed out. They eventually reached the bridge, where Funky Town by Lipps Inc. was playing over the speakers and all of the bridge officers were shaking their groove things to the beat.
     “Welcome to our bridge,” Donna said, remaining professional, “Commander Stallion and Captains Aria and Inisha run this ship from in here, and judging by the lights and such one of them must be in the mood to dance and get their groove on.”
     Parfait, Cacao, Star, and Alex stared in awe as several bridge officers danced by clad in orange and pink outfits. In the center of the bridge stood three people in orange outfits who looked somewhat familiar to Alex.
     “Those three wouldn’t happen to be Stallian, Aria, and Inisha, would they?” he asked, pointing them out to Donna.
     “That they are,” Donna replied, “they always stand under the disco ball. They say it’s their favorite spot on the bridge to dance since they seem to shine and shimmer while they shake their booties.”
     “Then it is them we must see,” Star said as the four stepped past Donna onto the dance floor. The music immediately switched to Safety in Numbers by Joan Osborne, and they stepped in unison, moving in a sexy and seductive manner across the room. Stallian turned his head in their direction for a second and turned back to talk to the others. A moment later he did a double take, watching how they moved. A breeze from a fan blew their hair back in a sexy manner.
     “Who are they?” he asked, his eyes glued to the four.
     The four came to a stop, striking sexy poses with sultry looks upon their face.
     “We are...” Parfait said.
     “Your worst...” Cacao added.
     “Nightmare.” Alex and Star finished.
     “You.... you’re the pilots of that mech,” Inisha said, growling at them.
     “These visions of lovliness?” Stallian asked in disbelief.
     “Ummm... Stallian darling,” Aria said, waving her hand before his eyes, “two of them are men.”
     “And your point is?”
     Aria sighed and wandered off to flirt with a cute, dark haired engineer. Inisha stepped forward, raising her hand to strike the four with one blow. She found herself being lifted by that arm a moment later by Stallian, who turned her around in mid air and kissed her, silencing her angry cursing instantly. A moment later he set her on her feet and sighed as she melted to the floor with a warm blush upon her face.
     “Now that she’s been taken care of,” he said, turning to the group, “Won’t you please be my guests for a meal?”

     <Commercial Break>
Parfait: “I want the shower...”
Cacao: “And I want the bed...”
Star, Alex, and PQ: “And we’ll take the food.”
     Commercial break ends with an image of the five in a relaxed manner of posing with the Knights of Saturn insignia in the upper left corner.
     <end commercial break>

     The four sat at a large table, well set with loads of scrumptios food, candlabras of gold with peace signs in the stands, and the finest china in the universe. At the head of the table sat Stallian, now clad in a white suit with a black shirt and white tie, a white fadora with a black band rested on the table next to him. He smiled pleasantly at his guests, who fidgeted nervously in their chairs.
     “Is something bothering you?” he asked, cutting an end piece from a roast beef before having it handed down to Alex, who tasted a little of it and waited for the others to be served.
     “Nothing really,” Parfait said, “it’s just... well... why are you invading our planet?”
     Stallian looked at them with genuine shock and confustion on his face. He finally managed to say, “What do you mean by that? There’s a planet in our path?”
     “Yes,” Cacao said, “our Magic Twinkle World rests in the direct path of your fleet. We were sent to ask you to turn back and change your path.”
     Stallian made a subtle motion with his hand, and the group was instantly surrounded by armed guards brandishing spears. He grinned at the group and said, “I’m sorry, but we need your planet’s magical resources so that we may find our way home.”
     “Typical evil main,” Parfait said, shrugging, “you fell for our womanish charms and wiles and now you wish to steal our magical powers.”
     Stallian looked a little shocked by this sudden summary of his evil plot, especially from one of his prisoners. The guards backed away and he said, “Now just how do you know this about my plans?”
     “It’s quite simple,” Cacao said, trying hard to hide the blush creeping across her face, “when a villainous man wishes to steal magical power, especially the magic of holy virgins...”
     “He kidnaps them and deflowers them, stealing both their powers and their virginity,” Parfait finished. Stallian visibly blushed, waves of heat rising from the top of his head. In a flash Star and Alex were sitting above him, roasting marshmellows and making s’mores over his head.
     “I.... I never thought that would require such things,” Stallian stumbled, his mind reeling.
     “Well, it does,” Alex whispered in his ear, “and then the powers... they have some interesting side effects. Side effects that could get you into a lot of trouble with your other female friends.”
     “Well... I never...”
     “And much of the planet is composed of holy virgins,” Star whispered in his other ear, “and some are more powerful than others, so you never know what you’re going to get.”
     “Oh my...”
     Cacao and Parfait looked to one another and smiled evilly for a moment before advancing upon Stallian. A moment later they had seated themselves upon his knees, rubbing up against his chest. The marshmellows that Alex and Star were roasting burst into flames a moment later, the flames flaring up from the intensity of the heat.
     “I think we over did it,” Parfait said as fire alarms began to go off. Guards and fire brigade filled the room, catching them in akward and embarrassing situations. From the throng came Aria and Inisha, both dressed to kill in tight black dresses, and both with looks that could kill.
     “So, captain,” Inisha said, hissing the last word with sarcasm, “you’re now fraternizing with the intruders. This will not look good on your record.”

     Ten minutes later they found themselves in the ship’s brig, or what passed for one. In one cell sat Parfait and Cacao, in a second Alex, Star, and PQ. Sitting alone in the third cell was Stallian, now clad only in a pair of black silk boxers. The others were similarily stripped of most of their outfits.
     “This sucks,” Parfait said, punching at the wall of plexiglass that separated her from the outside. A moment later she kicked at th ewall before slumping down to hug her knees.
     “This is mutiny,” Stallian said, punching at the wall as well, “how dare they do this to me! I am their captain.”
     “Will you guys keep it down?” Star asked, indicating that Alex was drawing a magic circle on the wall in a mix of blood and dirt.
     “That’s disgusting,” Cacao said, gasping in shock.
     “But what if it gets us out?” Parfait asked.
     “Then it’s perfectly acceptable,” Cacao replied. A sweatdrop formed on Parfait’s head.
     “....Laguna BREAK!” Alex cried, waving his hand at the magic circle, which glowed before the plexiglass shattered. The spell was more powerful than he originally thought, though, since the walls to both sides suddenly shattered and fell away. The lone guard stared in shock before passing out.
     “Wow, what a wuss,” Parfait said, kicking the guard in the balls several times for the hell of it.
     “Just get dressed,” Star said, tossing her the rest of her outfit.
     Once the five were dressed they raided a nearby weapons locker, retrieved their gear, grabbed a couple more bigass guns, and ran into the corridors that lead to the bridge. As they headed for the bridge several officers joined them, all equipped for some sort of battle.
     “Captain, we’ve upgraded the holy virgins’ mech like you asked,” a dark haired engineer said as he came up long side them.
     “Very good Hawk,” Staillian said, “then as soon as we give the parting gifts to Aria and Inisha we can leave.”
     “Just what kind of modifications did you make to our mech?” Parfait asked, glaring at Stallian.
     “Fixed furniture, seatbelts, the usual nicities, plus I upgraded the handling a little.”
     Laser fire cut over their heads a moment later, alerting them to the fighting ahead of them. The officers with them opened fire on the troops before them, the smell of ozone filling the air. Several bolts came close to hitting them, and surely would have if Cacao hadn’t used her holy magic to erect a barrier. She performed some complex hand motions a moment later, expanding the field to create a shockwave that knocked the enemy soldiers into a wall and into unconsciousness. The door before them opened a moment later, the air filling with more laser fire from the bridge.
     “Ambushed!” Parfait said as she hit the deck and covered her head, “Bloody unbelievable!”
     “We have all the luck,” PQ said as it hid under the shoulder guard of Parfait’s armor, “call me when it’s over.”
     “At least my magic is holding out,” Cacao said, blocking the blasts with her barrier, “the odd thing is that all of a sudden I feel very tired.”
     “That’s good,” Inisha said, stepping forth with a B.F.G. (big f*cking gun) in her hands, “the bolts we’re using depleat your magic at a faster rate than conventional energy bolts...”
     “Meaning you’re going down honey,” Aria added, walking beside Inisha, also with a B.F.G. in her hands, “Your magic is ours, and your planet will go BOOM very soon.”
     “Back off you fashion rejects,” Alex said, stepping between the advancing duo and Cacao, “I’m sworn to protect that planet and its inhabitants. Brought forth by the silent star, Saturn, I am Warrior Saturn.”
     Aria and Inisha stopped, puzzled expressions crossing their faces. They looked to one another, then at Alex before they burst into hysterical laughter. Alex fumed for a couple of seconds before shouting, “MEGA BRANDO!” while waving his right hand at the bridge officers in a sweeping motion. A string of explosions tore through the area, striking Aria and Inisha repeatedly in a demented game of ‘UP-DOWN’. The explosions ceased a moment later, leaving the two bridge officers to crash to the floor, unconscious.
     “Woah,” Parfait gasped in shock, “remind me never to get you angry.”
     “We have now regained the bridge,” Stallian said as several officers bound and gagged Aria and Inisha, “now to change course.”
     “Captain Stallian, the controls are locked,” Hawk shouted from the helm, “we’re going to collide with the planet in under ten minutes.”
     “Give the command to abandon ship,” Stallian shouted, “pull the fleet away from the mother ship!”
     “We’ll take care of the craft,” Cacao shouted as she, Parfait, Star, and Alex headed for the mech bay at a dead run.
     Stallian began to shout something after them, but stopped. In a whisper he said, “Good luck... my friends.”

     “Dexy, power up the engines,” Parfait shouted over a communicator. The mech before them roared to life seconds before Alex and Star took them airborne. Once they were inside the mech and the hatches were secured Alex hopped into the command cockpit while still clad in his armor. As he grasped the control sticks the chaos emeralds in his bracers glowed, a golden aura forming around his body. The floor below the mech opened, dumping it into space. The engines activated and the mech tore through space to an attack position between the mother ship and the planet.
     “Holy Warrior to Stallian, do you copy?”
     “Holy Warrior, this is Stallian. You’re coming through loud and clear. Evacuation procedures are now complete.”
     “Have the fleet draw back to point bearing 000947 and hold position.”
     The sky was aglow as thousands of ships activated their retro thrusters, each one drawing away from the mother ship by several thousand clicks and stopping in space. The lone mech remained before a giant craft that was hurtling at the planet behind them.
     “Ok, we’re in position. now what?”
     The mech was quickly surrounded by a golden glow as it drew its beam sword. A golden glow surrounded the sword as the pilot poured his energy into one super sized spell.
     ‘Goddess of the stars, please lend your strength to us in our hour of need,’ ran through Alex’s mind as he prepared to cast the spell. Once his calculations were completed he chanted, “Light beyond the whitest dawn, brighter than the brigthest sun. Lord of light who shines like silver among a sea of stars...”
     “He knows of Rashkana?!” PQ squeaked, “Cacao, Parfait, you must lend your power to him NOW!”
     “Yes, we must,” Cacao said, holding her hands in a prayer fashion, “Goddess Rashkana, we lend our power to this young warrior to save our home.”
     “Yes Rashkana, let us help Alex.”
     Golden glows surrounded the bodies of the holy virgins, and the overall glow around the craft and sword increased exponentially.
     “...I call upon thee and pledge my allegience to thee. Let the fools who stand before us be punished by the pure light of judgement! Silver goddess of the stars, lend us your strength!”
     The beam sword glowed a brilliant blinding white as more and more holy energy was poured into it. A globe of golden energy formed around the blade of the sword, silver streaks running against the golden body of the globe.
     “This is going to be BIG!” Star said when he realized the magnitude of the spell, and immediately strapped himself into a nearby chair.
     “Goddess... SLASH!”
     The words echoed not only through the cockpit and main compartment of the mech, but also through space itself. As if it went through slow motion the mech swung its blade crosswise before its body, breaking the globe of gold and silver and unleashing the most powerful attack spell in all of white magic in its super magnified form. The resulting energy beam struck the craft head on, erasing it from bow to stern in one majestic motion. The beam continued on past the main fleet and eventually fizzled out. Then there was silence.

     “Mister Alex, please wake up Mister Alex.”
     “You don’t think he’s...”
     “Don’t even think that! I know my charge and he’s a lot stronger than you could ever imagine.”
     Alex muttered a curse in elven before sitting up, his vision slowly coming back to him. He gradually made out Star, Parfait, Cacao, PQ, several holy virgins, Stallian, and the elder.
     “Oh Mister Alex, you did it!” Cacao said, embracing him hard enough to cut off his oxygen supply.
     “I knew he had it in him,” PQ said.
     “If I recall you wondered why he didn’t burn out the circuits of the Holy Warrior,” Parfait said. PQ sighed and bounced off to hide in the elder’s hair.
     “How are you feeling?” Star asked as he helped to remove Cacao’s deathgrip on Alex.
     “Like I’ve been hit by that battle cruiser,” Alex moaned, rubbing his head, “I take it we were successful.”
     “By the glory of Rashkana you turned that ship into dust in record time,” the elder said, “the spell was bright enough to be seen during the day across the planet.”
     “Aria and Inisha have been locked away to await trial and punishment,” Stallian said, smiling at them, especially Alex.
     “So we were totally victorious!” the other holy virgins cheered. Everyone else in the room fell over.
     “Knight of Saturn, we can’t thank you enough,” the elder said, “you have given us access to a powerful holy spell that we may or may not need in the future.”
     “Wonderful,” Alex sighed, sinking back onto the bed, “now will you people please leave me to sleep.... you’re making me feel claustrophobic.”

     The following morning Alex awoke to find Star in bed with him, curled up with an arm around his charge. Not being used to this he muttered a few curses in English and Elven before Dill Branding his guardian out of bed and into a heap on the floor. The explosion brought cacao and Parfait running, but when they heard the story they had to chuckle.
     After a healthy breakfast guardian and warrior stood in the center of the prayer room surrounded by holy virgins and company. Once good-bye’s were said and fare wells were given a golden circle formed around the two, a column of light enveloping them. The column rose up to form a disc, and that vanished into a shower of sparkles.
     “Wow... they’re gone,” Parfait said.
     “But not soon forgotten,” Cacao said, holding up a small notebook with a pair of tigers on it, “he forgot his spell notes.”
     A disembodied voice floated through the air, spewing curses in high elven.

     Aboard a ship flying through space at the speed of light a pair of young women sat at the controls. Loud rock music pounded through the halls of the craft, causing minute vibrational disturbances.
     “Kei, can you turn your music down!?” the perkier of the two shouted to her companion. She had long violet hair and wore an outfit of dark blue with silver and red trim and knee high silver boots.
     “What did you say Yuri?!” Kei replied, running her fingers through her short, punkish styled red and blonde hair. Her outfit was a lot like Yuri’s, except it was silver with red and black with ankle high red boots. “I can’t hear you over the music!”
     Yuri took a deep breath and shouted, “I said TURN YOUR MUSIC...”
     She found herself shouting at the top of her lungs  a moment later since Kei had decided to turn the music off. She blushed an embarrassed shade of crimson before slumping back into her chair. Silence of an akward nature continued for quite some time until Yuri said, “Hey Kei, let’s tear up the space scape!"
     “Now you’re talking!!” Kei said, punching in the afterburners.
     In the open space behind their seats a disc of light formed, a column expanding out of it and touching the floor. The column disintegrated, dropping a young man and a panther to the floor a second later. The two who piloted the craft weren’t aware of their visitors until the young man exclaimed, “Bloody unbelievable!!”

      To Be Continued...
     (coming soon episode 5 of Crossover Wars, titled ‘Loving Thrills’.)