Chapter Text
The morning dragged on. Noon neared - much to his relief.
He reached the cafeteria line. Unusually quieter than usual, but not too abnormal. Most of the Space Rangers already departed for missions or patrols. He considered it a stroke of luck - it gave him a chance to think and eat in peace after his latest meeting with Commander Nebula.
'Craters, what does the commander want to see me for? What am I, in trouble? Again?' The man thought in the window as he overlooked large streams of stars, celestial neighbors and looming planets. One such large planet? The ocean blue and forest green jewel named Capital Planet, floating in near sync with the space station Star Command. The sun, center of all that was, shone brightly from a distance..
But none of this drew any interest to Space Ranger Ty Parsec.
Far more concerned with his appearance, he checked himself in mind, body and spirit to go into his superior's office. Brown pompadour combed back? Got it. His white and bright green Star Command spacesuit - also known as the Pulsar-400 Enviro-Suit - uniform polished? Check. Five senses - plus a sixth sense for potential dread - open for whatever the commander had to tell him? With the exception of leftover bags trapped underneath his dark brown eyes, his senses stood on high alert and he looked presentable. All systems go.
He faced the private office room and knocked on the door thrice with a knuckle.
One notable and bombastic turn in fate snatched him from his thoughts and returned him to reality.
"Hey, Ty!"
The owner's name - Buzz Lightyear. "Over here!" With eager blue eyes and a wide smile, he waved at Ty from a lunch table, and he was not alone. Three other Rangers surrounded him.
Mira Nova, the only female of the team as well as the team's level-headed second-in-command, sat by Buzz's side. Known for her royal status as Princess of her homeplanet Tangea, although she would dismiss it due to her open mind, she was also known for her abilities of reading minds and 'ghosting' - or phasing - through walls and other solid objects. Two other companions sat besides the aqua-skinned and fiery long red-headed Ranger.
One of them, by his height alone, indicated he stood as the largest member of the group. A friendly and overeager Jo-Adian named Booster Munchapper, he was known for his incredible strength and naturally red complexion. Initially a janitor working within Star Command's walls, the red berry-shaped gentle giant worked his way up to serving alongside Buzz, his heroic idol.
His little friend, a yellow-optic and bronze head floating in a dome above a white chassis and long limbs, sat next to him. Created by Star Command's science officers known as the Little Green Men to serve the Space Ranger Corps, he was called XR, or as his initials stood for, 'eXperimental Ranger'. A salty wisecracker, he often tried to bring in jokes however he saw fit and often reminded others of his skewed self-importance in the organization. But he also provided tools and backup support in technological matters.
And all of them welcomed Ty to their table, to which he appreciated. He picked up his lunch tray and greeted them at their table with a light 'hey'.
As Buzz and Mira scooted over to make room for their guest, the former greeted back, "Commander Nebula tell you about our mission?"
"Yeah, he told me the story." 'Among other things,' he thought to himself. "Thanks for adding me onto your team for this assignment."
Buzz flashed his million watt smile in response to Ty's own genuine if weary one. "Sure thing, buddy. We could use all the help we can get." This made Ty's smile brighten up a little more. Then the Pride of Star Command slightly hardened, getting down to business. "So you ready for Karn?"
"As ready as I'll ever be when it comes to that rock. Although I'm curious what it is this Dr. Furbanna wants to show us that'll help catch Rentwhistle Swack and his poacher team. You sure you haven't an idea on what her big surprise could be?"
"Nope. It's something that my girlfri - er...Dr. Furbanna wants to keep under wraps until we get there." He bit his lip in embarrassment and tried to remain serious when the rest of his team grinned knowingly.
Unfortunately for Buzz, Ty caught onto it. "Hold on a second. A girlfriend? You?" He turned to Buzz's team for confirmation. "Is this true?"
The traitors all nodded, still donning their teasing grins.
A sly smirk snuck up Ty's face. "Well! You finally found someone special, eh, Lightyear?"
Buzz snapped, "Yes Ranger, she is a very special person whom I happen to like on a professional level! And I've had plenty successful dates before!"
"Sure you have. Remember the first day at the Academy, when we met and we went to explore Capital Planet?" Ty held back a laugh at seeing Buzz blush at the awkward memory.
"That was a long time ago, Ranger. I don't remember anything about it." Buzz crossed his arms and looked away, trying to deny it.
Ty rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't." He was about to dig into his food when Booster, hungry for more Buzz lore, asked for details on that day.
In desperation, Buzz looked to Ty for help.
"Sorry, I have to eat before we head out. You tell the story."
Buzz looked like he bit into a Tangean lemon. "Ah, craters."
"And there you have it, team."
Mira smirked, "Heh, wow, Buzz, even then you were quite a charmer with the ladies."
Feeling the corners of his mouth tugging, Ty bit his lower lip. The embarrassed blush filling Buzz's cheeks threatened to send the man into a laughing fit. Although he did not truly desire to make Buzz feel more embarrassed than he already was, looking back at that particular memory - one of the better times from the Space Ranger Academy - was too rich in humor to pass up on telling.
Having finished their meals, the team took off towards their Star Cruiser numbered 42. They passed time in their walk with stories, particularly from youthful days when Buzz and Ty started out in their Ranger careers.
"Anyway!" Buzz cheerfully and too rapidly changed the subject. "About our mission on Karn, Ty, I should let you know ahead of time that Dr. Furbanna isn't exactly the most, uh... sensitive of people."
Ty frowned quizzically. "How do you mean?"
"She's so invested in her work that she might have different priorities about what comes first; the animals over people."
"Not to mention she's protective of the locals - those gnarly flora and fauna are like her offspring and she loves them so much it matches Buzz's passion for Star Command."
"XR, if this is about mentioning her as my girlfriend -"
As if taking offense to his captain's warning, he slapped his purple hands onto his metalwork and feigned innocence. "Oh, no no noooo, this is just me observing the similarities between you and Dr. Furbanna. It has nothing to do with the fact that you two are practically a couple."
"Ranger, could we move on from that? We've got work to do!"
XR shrugged. "Sure, whatever you say, skipper." He wheeled on ahead of the team.
Buzz readdressed Ty, "So just be prepared for that. She's standoffish, so that's just how she greets people. But she has a good heart; she does care about others' safety if they're caught in Karn's clutches."
"Does she have a staff to help her with her duties?"
"No, she performs solo in her operations, and she's proud of it too. Not that she really needs it, but I think having a partner - as long as it's someone I can trust to not get close to her - would be good."
"Ranger Lightyear! Oh Ranger Lightyear!"
The duo halted in their tracks as a younger Ranger - a Vanorian from the planet Bathyos - jogged towards them. The young girl with a clipboard in hand hurried to Buzz and through a series of pants, "Sorry to hold you up, sir, but I needed to check in with you about an important detail concerning the planet Pax."
"What about it, Ranger?"
The Vanorian, tucking in a slice of her characteristic fin-like hair behind her ear, reported, "Well, some of my teammates and I were talking and we were wondering if, due to the huge sandstorms scheduled to happen today, we should ask the LGMs to hold off on their archeological sweep within the ancient planet's capital. I know they were scheduled to investigate what promised to be new discoveries, but seeing as how the sandstorms might divert that plan off course, and with the low supply of power converters we have onboard Star Cruiser 77, it might have to come to that. What do you think, sir?"
Buzz mulled it over and asked, "How many power converters do you have on hand?"
"About..." She checked her clipboard. "Three or so. Why?"
"Sandstorms are unpredictable and fast forces of nature, but if you can transmit all of the power converters into one unit, that unit alone should hold you all and the Star Cruiser for about a few hours before the worst of them hit you. You can then help the LGMs with whatever they need to get their research done as much as you can before the hour's up."
The Vanorian scribbled the advice down and thanked Buzz profusely and was about to leave before she noticed Ranger Parsec. Her eyes widened before she greeted him by name... and something else.
"Hello Ranger Wire - Parsec. Sorry to interrupt you!"
She took off running, leaving Ty's nerves stricken at how she almost called him by that other name. The burdensome wedge created by his other name drove down into his heart.
"Ty... are you alright? You're looking rather, uh, cross."
Ty snapped out of his thoughts and realized Buzz was right. He and the rest of his team regarded Ty with concern. His eyes turned into daggers and his fists clenched so tightly like vices. The frustration sizzled out through a clearing of his throat. "I'll be fine, Buzz. I'm just... a little tense about Karn. It's not exactly one of my favorite planets to go to, y'know? I've heard a lot of horror stories about that planet and I want to be ready for whatever we come across there."
Fortunately for him, Buzz and his team just went with the story. "I understand. I know that planet like the back of my hand and I'm still not entirely sure I understand what Dr. Furbanna sees in those ferocious animals even if I've met a few of them or in that planet."
"I kind of find it hard to believe she actually wants to see us," Mira remarked. "Makes me wonder if she was replaced by an android replica."
Booster was lost in translation at Mira's sarcasm. "Golly, do you think that's what happened to her, Buzz?"
"I doubt it, Booster, but we'll find out as soon as we get there. Let's move, Rangers!"
By the time they reached their ship, they were ready for whatever was waiting for them on the harsh greens of Karn.
Especially Ty.
Now he actually wanted to travel to Karn for this assignment, and away from Star Command.
At least the beasts there would be easier to look out for than the ones within.