The Last Son of Sol Part1

In the late twenty-first century, mankind started establishing settlements on Earth's neighbors. By the mid twenty-second century, every planet in the Sol system had at least three settlements on it. Mankind made contact with an alien race known as the Entons on March 17, 2156, Earth calendar.

In 2189 war that later became known as The Solar Civil War was started, after an unknown ship appeared in orbit around Neptune. For some time Neptune had been trying to get Earth to declare it a free society, so that the citizens of Neptune could govern themselves, instead of having to send everything back to Earth. When the ship of unknown origin appeared in orbit around Neptune, Earth accused it of secretly building advances weapons and ships to start a war against earth. Earth made a preemptive strike on Neptune. Within a week the entire Sol system was involved in the war.

The outer colonies greatest hero was Samuel Ranaz. He led the outer colonies to their freedom. But he died in the last battle that he fought. His ship was blown up as it made one final approach to Earth. The outer colonies celebrated August 17 as their Independence Day until their destruction in 2435.

In May of 2435, Samuel Ranaz's descendent John Ranaz was born on the Titan settlement known as Titan Space Port. He was the last person to be born in the Sol system. Two days after John Ranaz was born, Sol went supernova. All settlements were evacuated. John's family made it on to a transport ship with him and his older sister. Several transport ships made it off of Titan before the wave from the supernova engulfed the planet. All of the transport ships that had successfully made it out of the Sol system were headed towards their nearest neighboring race, the Algerians. Algeria was also the home planet of the InterGalactic Alliance or the IGA. The Algerians gladly opened the world to the survivors of Sol. Unfortunately, the journey was long, and many of the transport ships faced problems along the way. Many didn't make it to Algeria. In fact, only one ship made it to Algeria. On that ship was a seven year old John Ranaz, his mother, Juliet, and his sister, Clair. His father had died as a result of a fire that occurred when the ship passed through an asteroid field. The ship left Titan with three hundred and sixteen passengers and seventy-five members of the crew. It arrived on Algeria with one hundred and thirty-nine passengers and twenty-seven crew members.

It was tough growing up a human on Algeria. There weren’t a lot of them left at that point. It was even more difficult for John Ranaz. He would always get into fights. Some of the Algerians would always tease him about being the reason that Sol was destroyed. That is how John Ranaz got the nick name the Last Son of Sol. A name that would stay with him all of his life. When John was fourteen, his mother and sister died from an epidemic that was rapidly spreading across Algeria. The Algerian doctors found a cure for it but it had already decimated the entire population of Algeria. It affected the Algerians, humans, and other refugees that had settled there.

After his mother's death, John Ranaz went to live with a guy named Isaac Jones. Issac had lost most of his family in the migration to Algeria, and the plague. His only surviving relative was his granddaughter, Terra. Terra was only a year older than John. The two of them had been friends since they had arrived on Algeria. They grew closer to each other after John moved in with Terra and her grandfather, Issac. The two of them did everything together. It was no surprise to anyone when they both joined the IGA academy. They were both going to serve in the IGA's Defense Corps. They had no idea what that would mean for them.

John Ranaz had a lot of problems interacting with his fellow students growing up, and the problem remained when he went to the academy. If it wasn't for Terra, he wouldn't have made it through the academy.

John had always excelled in science and math. However, he shocked his professors when he decided to go into combat training. He did remarkably well in the course and quickly won top honors in all of the combat simulators. Every one knew that he would be the best fighter in the IGA. That too would greatly affect his future.

John Ranaz earned such high honors that he was allowed to choose the ship that he would serve on. He chose to serve on the Alliance Star Cruiser Lone Star, because Terra was serving on that ship. She was serving in the science branch of the corps. John, of course, was serving in the combat squad.

They served together on the Lone Star for two years. Then the ASC Lone Star was fired on by the Mogotians. They claimed that the Lone Star had violated their boarders. The ship went down with most hands on board. One escape pod made it away from the ships and the battle. It had seven people on board it. They were Science Officer Ra Onix, Chief Medical officer Muta Versa, Chief Engineer Tobias Pogatu, crewman Lynixa Hyman, Ambassador Kunta of the Enton Empire, Master of Arms Daskisa Ichyosa, and Combat Officer John Ranaz. The rest of the crew was believed to be lost with the ship.

John did not take the news that the escape pod that he was on was the only one to escape, too well. He was angry that Ra Onix and Tobias Pogatu had knocked him out and carried him on board the escape pod. He was angry that he didn't have a chance to try and save Terra. Most importantly, he was angry that he did not have a chance to say goodbye to her.

After the destruction of the ASC Lone Star, John's life changed. He got sloppy. His work ethic deteriorated. He grew distant from his friends. He ended up spending a lot of time in the brig on the various ships he served on. At one point, he stole a transport ship and head towards Mogotian space. His plan was to die in the same spot that the ASC Lone Star was last seen. The only thing that stopped him was a rouge comet that knocked him off course. He ended up in the Nexus of Lost Stars. A race known only as the outland bandits lived in that Nexus. John was rescued by them. After his wounds were healed, he headed back to Algeria to face his court martial. The InterGalactic Alliance Council realized that his time in the Nexus of Lost Stars had changed him. Instead of kicking him out of the Defense Corps, they decided to sentence him to five years in the stockade.

After John Ranaz was released from the stockade on that occasion, he was assigned to serve on the ASC Rising Star. He quickly became the Chief Tactical Officer. Shortly after he became the Chief Tactical Officer for the ASC Rising Star, his good friend Ra Onix was elected as the representative of the planet Torinuga to the InterGalactic Alliance. One day the captain of the ASC Rising Star gave an order to leave some people behind. John Ranaz didn't agree with that order. He led the rescue attempt to save those crew members. Both officers were court martial-ed. John was court martial-ed for disobeying a direct order. The captain was court martial for abandoning his crew and leaving them to die. Because of the fact that Ra Onix was still serving on the IGA council at that time, the council was lenient on John. He was sentenced to four months in the stockade. The captain got twenty years.

John Ranaz never really thought about being in command. So when Councilmen Ra Onix came to the stockade to tell John that not only was he getting out, but the council had appointed him commander of the ASC Blazing Star, John thought he was joking. Ra wasn't joking. The day after John Ranaz was released from the stockade; he was promoted to Captain and given command of the ASC Blazing Star.

A year after John Ranaz took command of the ASC Blazing Star, the ship was attacked by an unknown enemy. A lot of the crew was killed in that attack. The council replaced all of the crew that was killed. However, they let Captain John Ranaz pick his own senior officers. For his Chief Medical Officer, John Ranaz picked a Veluxian named Mobius Orthua. Veluxians were renowned for their healing abilities and alternative medicine practices. Captain Ranaz picked a Myoxian named Lt. Tylina Dos Eska for his Chief Tactical Officer. Myoxians were known for their mind reading abilities, their quick thinking, and their unique battle strategies. The Myoxian females were more powerful than the men in their mind reading abilities, which is why Captain John Ranaz chose to have a female Myoxian as his Chief Tactical Officer. And for his second in command he chose someone that he known for almost twenty years, the son of his old friend Ra Onix. Ja Onix was proud to serve with the man that he thought of as uncle, mentor, and friend.

Life on the ASC Blazing Star went pretty well from that point on. The crew explored the galaxy, met some new races, and fought some old enemies. However everything on the ASC Blazing Star changed the day that they received an urgent message from the IGA Council. Algeria was under attack by an enemy that were calling themselves the true heirs to the planet Algeria. The IGA Council sent a recording of the ship taken by an unmanned orbital defense platform. After seeing the recording, Captain John Ranaz realized that the ship was identical to the one that had attacked the ASC Blazing Star just six months prior.

Captain Ranaz ordered the ship's helm officer to set in a course for Algeria at top speed. The officer that was currently manning the helm did so. The ASC Blazing Star was still over an hour from Algeria when they received a coded message from Councilmen Ra Onix. The message said, "Do not approach Algeria. The Council has been destroyed. Most of the council members are presumed dead. You would be no help to us now. Be careful. They may be coming for you. Do not..." The message cut off abruptly. A ship matching that of the one that had attacked Algeria came out of subspace. They started firing on the ASC Blazing Star.

The officer at the communication station said, "Captain, we are receiving a message from the other ship. They say that this area of space belongs to them and we are to leave it immediately. What are your orders, Sir?"

Captain John Ranaz thought about his options for a minute. He realized that the Alliance Star Cruiser Blazing Star was no match for the other ship. If the attackers could take out the IGA council, the ASC Blazing Star had no hope of surviving a fight with them. Captain Ranaz said, "Prepare to open an Ion Rift. Set a course away from Algerian space, and open the rift on my mark."

Lt. Tylina Dos Eska said, "Sir, Ion Rifts are unstable. No one can successfully navigate them except the outland bandits. No offense, but I don't think you are a good enough pilot to make it through. And I know that no one else on this ship can do it. I suggest you think this through all the way. If you hit the wall inside the Ion Rift, you will kill us all."

Captain John Ranaz smiled and said, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I will take the helm." Captain Ranaz walked over to the helm and sat down at the console. He pressed a few buttons, and an Ion Rift opened in front of the ship. Captain Ranaz pressed another button and the ASC Blazing Star entered the event horizon of the Ion Rift. The second the ship entered the riff he put the ship on manual steering. A wheel like object came out of the console in front of him. He took it and navigated the Ion Rift with skill not thought to be possessed by humans.

When the ASC Blazing Star came out of the Ion Rift, Lt. Dos Eska said, "How in the name of Spearow did you do that?"

Ja Onix asked, "Just how much did the outland bandits teach you while you were with them?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "They taught me everything I need to know to be considered a member of that tribe. Yes, you all heard me correctly. I am a member of a tribe of the outland bandits. I would tell you what the name of their race really is, but they consider it to be a crime against their people for a non-follower of the book to say that name. Just for the record, they have promised to give me a safe harbor whenever I need one, so we are heading towards the Nexus of Lost Stars. It will give us a chance to repair the ship, and it will give me a chance to receive my custom built bandit scout ship. The tribe of outland bandits that I am a member of has a custom of building the warriors of the tribe their own bandit scout ship when the successfully complete the Right of Kaluta. And I did that when I was on their planet."

When the ASC Blazing Star entered the Nexus of Lost Stars, Captain John Ranaz activated the communications array. He contacted his tribe and told them he was seeking safe harbor. An outland bandit ship appeared out of the Nexus and escorted the ASC Blazing Star to the planet where his tribe was living. The helm officer successfully landed the ship on the planet despite the harsh conditions of the atmosphere. Captain Ranaz, Ja Onix, and Lt. Tylina Dos Eska left the ship. The tribal chief met them at the air lock. He instructed Captain Ranaz and his officers on the customs an off-worlder had to do when they landed on the planet if they were allowed to do so.

Captain Ranaz ordered Lt. Dos Eska to stay at the ship and instruct all crewmembers that had to leave the ship on what they had to do. Captain Ranaz and Ja Onix went to the tribal meeting house. The tribal chief said, "A few of the people of the tribe will use the common tongue when we are working with your people to help repair your ship, however we will not disgrace our sacred meeting house with the common tongue. And if you do so, you will be killed instantly."

Captain Ranaz said, "In other words, Ja, let me do all the talking. I will translate it for you later. Tribal Chief, before we go into the meeting lodge, I must ask if my bandit scout ship is ready, or if it will be done by the time we intend to leave."

The tribal chief said, "As I understand it, it is almost done. The scrugs just need to test it. It should be ready either at the end of the day today or early tomorrow."

Ja Onix said, "Captain, inquiry, what is a scrug?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "The best translation in the common tongue is mechanics. Though they are more than you run of the mill rocket repair man."


Two hours after the ASC Blazing Star landed on the outland bandit planet, Captain John Ranaz, the Tribal Chief, and Ja Onix emerged from the tribal meeting lodge. Captain Ranaz said, "So it wasn't just Algeria. These unknown aliens attacked everything in the InterGalatic Alliance. It still leaves the question of who are they and what do they want?"

The Tribal Chief said, "Only time will tell the answers to these questions."

An outland bandit scrug walked up. He said, "Chief, we have a problem. One of the off-worlders just insulted us. A few of the scrugs want to kill her."

The Tribal Chief said, "What did she do that warrants death?"

The scrug replied, "She let her body fluids touch sacred soil. Maybe some one should have told her not to spit on our ground before she got off the ship." As the scrug said this, he looked at Captain Ranaz. Some of the outland bandits weren't too happy about the fact that he was allowed to take the Right of Kaluta. Captain Ranaz was the only off-worlder to ever be allowed to take the outland bandit right of passage.

The Tribal Chief said, "This person is a member of Captain Ranaz's crew. He shall determine how to punish her for these crimes."

Captain Ranaz said, "Which member of my crew was it?"

The scrug said one word. "Myoxian." Seeing as how there was only one Myoxian on board the ship, it was pretty clear who the scrug was talking about.

Captain Ranaz said, "Ja, return to the ship and tell Lt. Dos Eska that she is to remain on the ship the rest of the time we are on this planet. And I will confine her to her quarters if I have to. And make sure to tell the rest of the crew to make sure their body fluids don't hit the ground. I don't want a repeat of this incident."

The scrugs and repair crews worked through the night. The ship was ready to go the next morning. The only problem was that no one in the crew knew where Captain John Ranaz was. He went to his quarters after night fall, but come day break he wasn't in there. Ja Onix was trying to find him and tell him that the repairs had been completed. The crew searched the entire ship and found no trace of him. Ja Onix decided to ask one of the scrugs that was helping repair the ship.

The scrug just pointed to a mountain. He said, "Your captain is up there. You are not allowed to climb that mountain. It is scarred soil. No off-worlder may set foot on it. If they do, they will be killed. Your captain is allowed because he is a member of this tribe. That mountain is used for only one thing, Vision quest. Vision quests are a private mater. No one is even allowed to ask a member of this tribe what he or she saw on a vision quest. It can only be talked about if the person that had the vision quest brings it up."

Ja Onix replied, "Got it. Don't ask John questions when he gets back. So how long is he going to be anyway?"

The scrug replied, "I do not know. Each vision quest is different from all the other ones. How long one takes depends on what the seeker is truly seeking. It could take as short as an hour or it could take as long as one of our years."

An outland bandit scout ship came up to the docking bay door. One of the scrugs in it got out and said, "Captain Ranaz passed us on his way to the mountain. He asked us if we could go ahead and bring this here when we were done with it. So here it is. Could you open the docking bay so we can store it in there?"

Ja Onix tapped his COM link and said, "Open Docking Bay One's door so that some scrugs can put the captain's bandit scout ship in there." The docking bay door opened. The scrug piloting the bandit scout ship flew it into the docking bay and landed it. He got out and walked out of the docking bay. Ja said, "Okay, you can close the door to the docking bay now." The door closed.

The scrugs all started to walk off. Ja Onix decided to wait there for a while.

Twenty minutes later, Ja turned to go inside the ship. A female scrug said, "Going so soon?" Ja Onix turned to look at her. The scrug continued, "I was just going to ask you if you could give me a tour of your ship?"

Ja nodded and said, "Sure. Come on." Ja Onix and the female scrug walked into the ship. Inside the air lock, the scrug removed her outer garment and hung it on a hook in the air lock chamber.

She said, "I don't want to get any sand inside the ship."

John Ranaz sat on the mountain for three days. During that time, he saw many things. He wasn't sure what he was searching for, he just knew he would find out when he saw it.

The first of many things he saw was when he was ten and he got into a fight with an Enton. The Enton made a comment about him and his girl friend Terra. John would let a lot of things slide because he was with Terra. However, the Enton said that John was apparently the female of their species because Terra was begging him not to fight. It wasn't the fact that Terra was asking him that resulted in the insult, but rather the fact that John Ranaz was walking away when it was said. John turned around and decked the guy right in the lower jaw. Then the Enton started swinging back. John learned a very important life lesson that day. If you are going to pick a fight with a species that has four arms, have some body to help you during the fight. Or at least have some body to take a few punches. John wasn't taking too bad of a beating, until the Enton upper-cut him with his lower right arm. John went three feet up and ten feet back before he hit the ground. John broke most of the bones in his body when he hit the ground. If he hadn't landed right in front of the medical center, he would have been permanently wounded.

The second thing John saw was when he first meet Ra Onix. They weren't serving on the same ship yet. John was still working his way through the academy. That meeting changed both of their lives forever. Ra was given a lecture on sub-light travel trough tachyon fields. When he asked if there were any questions, several people raised their hands. One asked why the ship doesn't simply go around the tachyon fields. Another asked just how difficult was it to spot tachyon fields before you entered them. John Ranaz asked if it was possible to perform combat maneuvers inside a tachyon field. Ra Onix answered all of the questions except for John's. Ra simply didn't know the answer to it. Ra Onix told the cadet to ask some one in the combat squads. John Ranaz did just that.

The thing that John saw the most during his vision quest was the ASC Lone Star going down with most of the crew still aboard. After seeing this vision for the eighth time, Captain John Ranaz opened his eyes and ran down the mountain as fast as he could. He arrived at the ship and instantly instructed Ja Onix to join him in the astrometric lab.

Ja Onix said, "Captain, May I ask what has gotten you so worked up?"

Captain Ranaz said, "She's alive. After all these many a long years, I find out she is still alive. I must now figure out which planet they crashed on."

Ja said, "Inquiry. Who is alive? What planet that who crashed on?"

Captain Ranaz looked up from the console he was looking at and said, "Terra is alive. I have to find which planet the ASC Lone Star crashed on. I must find her."

Ja Onix stood there completely silent for a few minutes. Lt. Tylina Dos Eska walked into the lab and said, "What's got him so worked up?"

Ja Onix replied, "He had a vision quest. It showed him that Terra was still alive."

Lt. Dos Eska said, "What? You're kidding right? I thought she went down with the ASC Lone Star. Didn't every one still aboard die when it blew up?"

Captain John Ranaz said, "She was on the ASC Lone Star when it went down, but it did not blow up. It went into a subspace tear. The subspace tear caused an explosion when it went through a mine. We saw the mine explode, not the ship."

Lt. Dos Eska said, "Let me guess. We are going to go look for her and the rest of the crew of the ASC Lone Star?" Captain Ranaz nodded in response. Lt. Dos Eska continued, "Sir, we have a small problem. A female outland bandit scrug has moved into one of the diplomatic quarters on the ship. I have no idea why she thinks she is going with us, but..."

Captain John Ranaz interrupted her saying, "I asked her to join the crew. I have an outland bandit scout ship, therefore I need some one that can fix an outland bandit scout ship. I will have her move to one of the empty crew quarters after we take off. Have her help sweep all of the sand that is in the air locks and docking bays out of the ship. Then assign her to the engineering crew. Explain to her that she isn't required to learn how all of our systems work. She just needs to know how to perform maintenance on life support and gravity plates." he pressed a few buttons on the panel in front of him. He looked up. "Why are you still here? I just gave you an order."

Lt. Dos Eska said, "Right away, Sir." She turned and left the room.

Ja said, "Captain, she isn't going to be happy about that."

John replied, "Who? The scrug or Lt. Dos Eska?"

Ja said, "You should have consulted me and Lt. Dos Eska before you asked the scrug to join the crew. Or at least told us you were going to do so. I had to find out from her. Though that does explain why she wanted a tour of the ship."

Captain Ranaz said, "I found it." He pressed his com-link. "All hands, this is the captain. Make preparations to leave the planet. As soon as the ship is ready to leave the planet, do so. Don't wait for me to get the bridge. I don't want to get to the bridge and find out we are still sitting on the planet's surface."

Ten minutes later, Captain John Ranaz and Ja Onix entered the bridge just as the ship left the atmosphere. Captain Ranaz walked over to the helm control panel. He said, "I'll take the helm." he opened an Ion Rift and piloted the ship into it. Several minutes later the ASC Blazing Star came out of the Ion Rift. Captain Ranaz turned the ship towards a star system. He stood up, and gave control of the helm back to the helm officer. He said, "I want a full detailed search of every planet in this system. I will be in my quarters. Call me when you find something. Commander Onix, you have the bridge." Captain Ranaz left the bridge.

A few minutes later he walked down the corridor to his quarters. A female voice said, "Is she really that important to you?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "Yes, salika, she is."

The female was a little annoyed about this comment. She said, "Salika? What makes you think you can refer to me as "Little Girl" and get away with it?"

Captain Ranaz turned to look at the outland bandit scrug. He said, "When did you learn to speak Myoxian?"

The female scrug said, "Tylina taught me a few words. She wanted to be able to communicate with me efficiently. Something about how everybody on this ship has a tendency to talk in their native tongue when things go really bad. By the way, who do I talk to about getting one of the uniforms you all wear?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "I'm sorry, Jules, but you can only get one if you have been through the IGA Academy. And I am not even sure if that exits anymore. Some one attacked Algeria and the InterGalactic Alliance."

Captain Ranaz went into his quarters and fell asleep. A few hours later, his com-link went off. He reached for it. A voice from the other end said, "Captain, sorry to wake you Sir, but we have found something."

Captain John Ranaz said, "I'm on my way to the bridge." He stood up and walked out of the room. He was still fastening his shirt as he walked onto the bridge. He said, "Report."

Lt. Tylina Dos Eska said, "Sir, we have found a ship that appears to be the ASC Lone Star. We can't tell for sure, but judging by the size and composition of the ship's hull, it is definitely an Alliance Star Cruiser. The wreckage is on the sixth planet of this system. Though it appears to be almost completely destroyed."

Captain John Ranaz said, "Get search and rescue teams assembled in the hanger bays."

Lt. Tylina Dos Eska said, "Sir, the planet in question is a type 7-J. Its atmosphere is a mix between Methane and Sulfur. Chances of human survival over extended periods, impossible."

Captain Ranaz said, "Well, then hand out Oxygen masks to the search and rescue teams. And prepare my shuttle for launch. I'm going down there myself."

Ja Onix said, "Captain, I want to find the survivors as much as the next guy, but be realistic. The chances of there being survivors is minimal at best. Plus our sensors aren't set up to scan through the atmosphere properly. We can't get an accurate reading on lifeforms, be it animal, plant, or humanoid. There might not be anything down there worth finding."

Captain John Ranaz, a little angry at the response from his crew, replied, "Even if all we find is the ship, that is better than nothing." He left the bridge and returned to his quarters.


Captain Ranaz picked up a photo he had on the table beside his bed. The door sensor went off. He said, "Come in."

Jules walked into the room. She said, "Commander Onix informed me that they found the remains of a ship. Are you sure you want to go down there?" She saw the picture Captain Ranaz was holding. She continued, "Is that her?"

Captain John Ranaz replied, "I owe it to her to at least search for her. I know she would do the same thing if our positions were reversed." John placed the picture down and turned around. "Do you intend to go down to the planet dressed like that?"

Jules replied, "I didn't realize that I was going down to the planet."

Captain Ranaz replied, "It is a Methane/ Sulfur environment. I need people that can withstand that for long periods of time to be in the search parties. Thus they can stay out longer and thus search longer. Let's face it there is only four people on this ship that could withstand that atmosphere long enough to conduct a proper search. And two of them just happen to be in this room at the moment. I need you down there Jules."

Jules replied, "So you didn't just bring me along to fix your ship. Okay. I'll help."

Two minutes later, the search and rescue teams were gathering in the shuttle bay. Commander Onix said, "Chances of you finding survivors is minimal, not nonexistent. If you do find survivors, take them to sick bay immediately. Any questions?"

When no one said anything, the teams loaded the shuttles and prepared to leave the ship to search the planet.

John Ranaz, Commander Onix, and Jules boarded the captain’s outland bandit scout ship. Captain Ranaz said, "Last chance for you two to decide to go with another team. I don't intend to come back until I find something."

Commander Onix said, "Captain, we will stay with you as long as it takes."

Captain Ranaz looked at Jules. She said, "You already know I can last longer than your kind without food or water. Therefore I am able to search for far longer periods than you can. Taking me with you will allow for one of the two of us to stay with this ship at all times. The sensors on this thing will work in this type of environment. We can have one person on the ground at all times, and one person working the ship. We will find them."

Captain Ranaz said, "I like your attitude there Jules."

Ja Onix said, "How can you possibly know that we will find them?"

Jules said, "I had a vision quest a few weeks ago. In it I saw myself climbing a mountain. When I got to the top, I looked down and saw a great ship. As I approached the ship a human female came out to meet me. I did not know this woman at the time."

Ja said, "And now you do."

Jules said, "Earlier, shortly after arriving in this system, I went to the captain’s quarters. He was holding a photo of the woman I saw in my vision quest. So you see, I know we will find them, for I have already seen it."

Ja said, "Okay, then. Well that's settled."

Captain Ranaz activated the controls on the bandit scout ship. He said, "Hey Jules, did you see anything else in this vision quest?"

Jules said, "John, you should know that the contents of a vision quest are private."

Captain Ranaz said, "I was just wondering if you happened to know what mountain it was. Or do we just pick one at random?"

Jules said, "We don't know if there is more than one mountain on this planet, yet. If there is only one, it makes our job easier. If there is more than one, we will just have to search them all."

Captain Ranaz said, "Well, let's just hope there is only one then."

Ja said, "I agree, Captain."

The outland bandit scout ship cleared the clouds of the planet. Jules looked out of the display window and smiled. She said, "Well, we just got lucky. There is only one mountain."

Captain John Ranaz said, "Sensors show a large metallic object on the north side of the mountain. The only area big enough to land the ship is on the south side. We will put down there and make our way on foot."

Captain Ranaz put the scout ship down on the ground. Captain Ranaz, Commander Onix, and Jules got out and made their way up the mountain on foot. Four and a half hours later, the three reached the summit. They looked down on a destroyed ship. Jules said, "Is that it?"

Captain Ranaz said, "That my friends is the Alliance Star Cruiser Lone Star. She is a little beat up, but still relatively intact. Now comes the hard part. Checking on the status of the crew members."

Commander Onix said, "After you, Sir."

Captain Ranaz started down the northern face of the mountain. Jules and Commander Onix followed him. Four and a half hours later, the three got to the base of the mountain. They walked up to the wreaked ship.

A female ran out of the large hole in the side of the ship. She ran up to them. She looked like she was going to attack them at first, then she recognized Captain Ranaz. However, she did mistake Ja Onix for his father, Ra Onix. She said, "John? Is that you?"

Captain John Ranaz said, "Hello, Terra."

Terra ran and jumped into John's arms. She said, "You're late."

Captain Ranaz replied, "Give me a break, Terra. I have only been looking for one day."

Terra said, "One day? We have been on this planet for twenty years!"

Captain Ranaz replied, "I thought you were dead."

Terra said, "I thought you were dead. Well, you, Ra Onix," She turned her head and really looked at Ja Onix and Jules for the first time. She continued, "You're not Ra. Who are you?"

Commander Onix replied, "I am commander Ja Onix of the ASC Blazing Star. I am the son of Ambassador Ra Onix."

Terra said, "Ra Onix? Ambassador? As in representative of the planet Torinuga to the InterGalactic Alliance?" She turned to captain Ranaz and said, "Next you're going to tell me they gave you command of a ship, right?"

Commander Onix replied, "They did give him command of his own ship. May I introduce the captain of the ASC Blazing Star, Captain John Ranaz."

Terra's jaw dropped three inches. She said, "Y......you a c....cap...captain? So you're a captain now. Okay. I can live with that. What about the others?"

John Ranaz replied, "Muta Versa was killed in action four years ago. She was heading down to a planet to treat some people that were injured in a shuttle crash. Her shuttle was hit by a rouge comet. A freak accident ended her life. Lynixa Hyman was last seen on Dorianna two weeks ago. She has a family now, husband and three kids."

Terra said, "What do you mean last seen?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "I haven't talked to her in two weeks. I haven't talked to any of them in two weeks. I've been preoccupied lately. Ambassador Kunta, Tobias Pogatu, Daskisa Ichyosa, and Ra Onix were last seen on Algeria. Algeria was attacked last week. The race that did it, didn't identify themselves. They just attacked without warning or provoking. The last communication we received said that the InterGalactic Alliance was destroyed. As far as we know every body on Algeria is dead. The ASC Blazing Star may very well be the only Alliance Star Cruiser left."

Terra said, "Algeria was attacked? Why?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "We don't know. The people that did it, apparently claimed to be the true heirs to the planet Algeria, whatever that means."

Terra said, "So what is your plan? You do have a plan don't you?"

Captain Ranaz said, "First things first, we need to fix this ship."

Terra said, "We can't fix the ship. The damage is too serve. She won't fly again."

Jules looked up and said, "Yes she will. All we need to do is patch the hole."

Terra said, "Even if we had a big enough plate to patch the hole, all of the systems are too badly damaged to fix."

Jules said, "I can fix it."

Terra said, "What?"

Captain Ranaz said, "How Long?"

Jules said, "Five maybe six hours."


Terra said, "You think she can get this ship up and flying in six hours."

Captain Ranaz said, "If Jules says she can do it, then she can do it. Jules, you said you need six hours, that is how long you have. Get to work."

Terra said, "So you trust her with our lives. Who is she anyway?"

Captain Ranaz said, "She is a friend."

The captain's com link went off. The voice of Lt. Dos Eska came over the com link. She said, "... a message from... Important."

Captain Ranaz said, "Repeat. I didn't catch that."

The com link replied, "We are receiving a message from an Alliance Star Cruiser. They say it is important."

Captain Ranaz looked at Commander Onix. Captain Ranaz said, "Which one?"

Lt. Dos Eska replied over the com link, "The ASC Dwarf Star. The message reads, 'To all Alliance Star Cruisers, rendezvous with fleet at Torinuga by order of... Ambassador Ra Onix.' What are you orders?"

Captain said, "Ra's alive. Wow! Lt. Dos Eska reply with, 'The ASC Blazing Star and the ASC Lone Star will be at the rendezvous in two days.' Then send a repair crew down to my exact location."


Jules said, "Hey Captain, What does t-o-r-p-e-d-o-e-s mean?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "Torpedoes."

Jules looked at him and said, "Are those important?"

Captain Ranaz smiled and said, "They will be when we go into battle. And I am fairly certain we will be doing that very soon. Don't mess with those."

Jules said, "Okay, so I can't reroute power from that. How about s-e-c-o-n-d-a-r-y i-n-t-a-k-e r-e-g-u-l-a-t-o-r?"

Commander Onix said, 'That would be the secondary intake regulator. Crucial system. Don't touch. Without it the ship's engines would explode."

Jules said, "Okay. Can't use that one either. Is there anything that I could use to reroute power to life support?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "Let me take a look." He stuck his head in the panel Jules had opened. He looked around and said, "Use the Holographic teaching program. It is kind of pointless at this time." Jules frowned. Captain Ranaz continued, "The red tube at the top corner."

Jules said, "Okay, that one it is." She pulled a wire out of the red tube object and connected it to the life support. "Okay. Life support in this section works. Of course, the large hole in the wall doesn't really help."

Captain Ranaz said, "That should hopefully be fixed soon."


A small shuttle flew over the wreak and dropped the supplies needed to make repairs to the hull. The shuttle got close enough to the ground for the repair crew to jump out without hurting themselves. They went to work repairing the ship.

Terra said, "What am I thinking? I got to take you to the rest of the crew. They are quarter in the lower decks. Wait till the see you guys."

Jules said, "Will there be wine?"

Terra replied, "Wine? I'm sure we could make some. Why do you ask?"

Jules said, "I have my reasons. Besides, I figure your crew would want to... Captain what is the word for Kiaska in the common tongue?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "Celebration, Celebrate, or party."

Jules said, "Your crew would want to celebrate being rescued. Plus you said it yourself, You though John was dead. I'm sure some of you want to celebrate the fact that he is still alive."

Terra smiled and said, "Your right we do need to celebrate." She stopped. She looked down. "Plus with you here, we can mourn our dead."

Captain Ranaz said, "Dead? How many?"

Terra said, "Captain Hustolina died in the crash. A few more were expose to the atmosphere for too long. Strips disappeared shortly after the crash. A lot were killed in a cave-in while searching for supplies. And Lt. Megora died a few days ago. All told, forty-two dead."

Captain Ranaz said, "Who is command here if the captain is dead?"

Terra replied, "Unofficially, I am. But that is because I am the only one that actually speaks the common tongue naturally. Things really get hectic around here some times, and I am the only one that can be fully understood when things go crazy. It can be problematic at times. Though I don't have the official rank of captain, everyone here treats me as such."

Captain Ranaz replied, "You know I got a friend that can make you captain. I'm sure he will be happy to do it."


Terra lead Captain Ranaz and his rescue team down to the lower decks. As soon as she walked through the make shift air-lock, she said, "I got good news and I got better news. The good news is we are finally being rescued." The crew cheered at this. She continued, "The better news is, look who is rescuing us." John Ranaz walked through the air-lock, and the crew went nuts. They were amazed that the person leading the rescue team was a former member of their crew.

Captain Ranaz said, "Hey guys. How have you been?"

This too caused an uproar from the crew. There were screams of joy from all over the lower decks as news of both their rescue and their rescuer spread throughout the remaining crew.

A celebration quickly developed. The crew was so happy to be rescued that it was almost impossible to prevent the celebration from happening.

Several hours later, John Ranaz said, "Terra, we need to talk."

Terra nodded to signal that she had heard him and lead him away from the party.

Captain Ranaz led Terra to a quite section of the ship. He said, "There is an old Earth tradition that I would like to perform." He got down on one knee and pull a metal ring with a blue stone out of his pocket. "From what I've read, the stone is supposed to be a diamond, but I don't know what a diamond is, so I used the best I could find. Terra, will you marry me?”

Terra said, "Yes, John, I will."

Jules came around the corner. She said, "Captain, there you are. I have been looking at your history files. Trying to learn your customs. Do your people still celebrate some of the holidays they had on Earth?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "Jules, I'm glad you found me. Do your people have any customs for marriage that I should know.?"

Terra said, "Wait, what? Why do you need to know her people's customs for marriage?"

Captain Ranaz said, "I am a member of a tribe of outland bandits."

Jules said, "You have to talk to the chief."


Captain Ranaz said, "How's the ship coming, Jules?"

Jules replied, "She's flight capable. Whether she'll last long in a fight is another story altogether. I've done what I could to the engines and life support. The other repair crews took care of the other systems."

Terra said, "So we are finally getting off this useless planet?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "It looks that way. Captain command your ship."

Terra pressed her com link. She said, "All hands this is Captain Terra Jones. Make preparations for take off. All hands man your post. We are leaving this planet."

There was a lot of action as the crew of the ship moved to their designated stations. Several minutes later, the ASC Lone Star took off from the planet.


Shortly after the ASC Lone Star made a stable orbit around the planet, Captain Ranaz, Jules, and Ja Onix went down to the shuttle bay so that they could return to their ship, the ASC Blazing Star.

As soon as Captain Ranaz boarded his ship, he pressed the com link. "Helm set a course for Torinuga. Best possible speed of the ASC Lone Star. Com, patch me into the ASC Lone Star."

The com officer said, "Line's open, Captain."

Captain Ranaz said, "Terra, I will see you at Torinuga. Try not to get lost along the way."

Terra replied, "If I do get lost, will you promise not to take so long to look for me this time?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "You have a deal."


When both ships arrived at Torinuga, Ra Onix hailed them both. He said, "I don't believe it. The ASC Lone Star. Nice to see you again, Terra."

Terra replied, "Likewise, Ambassador. So what is the current situation?"

Ra Onix replied, "It doesn't look good. We have no idea who this enemy is and we haven't figured a way to slow them down."

Captain Ranaz smiled and said, “Ambassador, could you do me one favor. The ASC Lone Star has no captain at the moment. Could you promote Terra?”

Ambassador Onix replied, "Lieutenant Terra Jones, by the power invested in me, I hereby promote you to the rank of captain. I give you command of the ASC Lone Star. Welcome back to the fleet. I hope you and John are happy together."

Terra asked, "Do you have any captain's bars lying around?"

Ambassador Onix replied, "As a matter of fact, I do. I was going to give them to Tobias Pogatu, but he doesn't want to command an Alliance Star Cruiser at the moment. You might be interested in knowing that Daskisa Ichyosa is now Ambassador to the planet Canderon."

Captain Ranaz replied, "Good for her. Any word from Lynixa Hyman yet?"

Ambassador Onix said, "I'm sorry, but I have not heard from her since the attacks. Dorianna was completely destroyed. I have been searching the fleet for her, but so far, no joy."


Jules walked onto the bridge. She said, "Captain, I have looked at the ship's records. I believe I know who attacked you."

Ambassador Onix, seeing Jules through the transmission, said, "Just who exactly are who? And why are you on one of my ships?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "Ambassador Ra Onix meet Jules of the outland bandits. She is of my tribe, and I asked her to join my crew. Jules, What do you know?"

Jules replied, "I'm not entirely sure, but I think I know who has been attacking everybody. If I'm right, they are a race called Drackonia. My people have had past dealings with them."

Ambassador Onix said, "The Drackonia are a myth, a legend. There is no evidence that they actually exist. Next you are gong to try to tell me that the Lathier exist as well."

Captain Ranaz replied, "If you don't believe these enemies of ours may in fact be Drackonia, what difference does it make if the Lathier exist?"

Ambassador Onix replied, "You actually believe her when she says they might be Drackonia?"

Captain Ranaz replied, "I trust every single member of my crew. If they tell me something, I take their word for it. They wouldn't do me any good other wise."

Ambassador Onix replied, "Surely this young girl is much to young to even know the legends regarding the Drackonia. I myself haven't even heard them in thirty years or more. How can she be sure?"

Jules said, "I never said that I was sure. I just said that they might be Drackonia. And just because your people no longer tell tales of them, doesn't mean my people have stop telling tales of them."

Ambassador Onix said, "Well, how do we find out for sure if they are Drackonia?"

Jules replied, "We ask them. Though figuring out how to stop them will be a little more difficult."

Captain Ranaz replied, "Jules, no one has survived long enough against them to ask them anything. What exactly are you proposing?"

Jules said, "Find one of their ships, and let me do the talking." She turned and winked at Captain Ranaz.

Ambassador Onix screamed, “Are you completely insane? You will get yourself not to mention every on board your ship killed."