Psychro Myntaello glanced over at the instruments of the "Darter." It was a ship specially designed by his twin sister Psikaris, and her aide Lura. Both scientists were also aboard the ship. It was only a five-person crew. The two women, Darius St. Clair, Cameo Mymekon, and himself. The ship was designed to travel rapidly across space using solar power. As it passed a star, it would draw that star's energy into a storage unit which would force the engine to go faster. The idea was to reach Third Earth in as little time as possible, from their home planet of Plundarr and its moons.
 

* * *
 

Tycho Lunar, one of the two men vying for power in the sector, had waved them off formally, bestowing his blessings on each one. "I may not see you for some time. We have no idea in the least how long it might take you. Hopefully there will still be an empire for you to return too," he had said. A few tears had been shed, but they realized that the mission was one of great importance. Luna was the rightful queen. Only she could unite the peoples and cause a minimum of bloodshed.
 

* * *
 

"I don't like the way the second heat sink is acting," Psychro said, tapping it lightly with a pencil. "You're the engineer. Do something about it," Darius said.

"I'd love to, but to do anything about it, I'd have to shut down the entire engine," Psychro said.

"He'd have to take that heat sink off line, which would then filter the heat to the other sinks and could cause them to need repairing too," Psikaris explained.

"How long will that take?" Darius sighed.

"An hour or two at most. I can work quickly," Psychro replied.

"Very well. There's a small planet nearby. Do you think we can reach it?" Darius asked.

"Just tell me where to go and I'll point us in the right direction," Cameo said.
 

* * *
 

Captain Bragg reclined in his chair, sipping at a mug of coffee. The Circus Train hadn't done much business lately, largely on account of some bad publicity saying he couldn't keep his prisoners. It wasn't his fault, really. How was he supposed to know that the Drandorf twins could teleport by making hand to hand contact? Then, of course, they'd freed a few of the other inmates and, well, the inmates had run the asylum . . . er . . . Circus Train.
 

"Stop day dreaming, professor, and take a gander at that!" an obnoxious bird, Crownan, said.

"What's the big idea, Crownan? So it's a ship of Lunatak design. So what if the Lunataks are some of the most dangerous people in the universe . . . Hey! I just had an idea. What if we had some Lunataks on display?" Captain Bragg said.

"Gee, wish I'd thought of that," Crownan drawled.

"Quiet you. I'm trying to think," Captain Bragg said.

"Don't strain yourself, Sherlock," Crownan said, fluttering just out of Bragg's reach.

"Taking on several Lunataks by myself would be stupid. I'm going to need to call in some back up on this one. Aren't we on Mandora's patrol route?" Bragg asked.

"Sure we are, afraid she'll bust you for that broken tail light?" Crownan replied.

"No, you flapping bundle of feathers, think. If Mandora were to help us, we'd get prisoners, free of charge, and without the physical injury. No pain, is my gain," Bragg said, flipping on his radio.
 

* * *
 

Evil chaser first class Mandora, interplanetary control force, sat on the Electrocharger chastising a cab driver. "All right, missy, let's see that license and registration," Mandora said, the driver obeyed. "Miss Laura DeHaan, eh? Well Miss, it says here that you've got fourteen traffic violations against you already. Parking in a handicapped space without a permit, five speeding tickets, using the wrong turn signal, four counts of impaired driving, twice have you failed to pull aside for emergency vehicles, and there's one outstanding count of you or a passenger mooning a space truck," Mandora said.

"It wasn't me, honest," Laura said.

"Tell it to the judge," Mandora said, even as her Electrocharger informed her of an incoming call. "Who is it?"

"Hey there, Mandora. It's me, Captain Bragg. You might know me from my wonderful world of wonderment aboard the one and only Circus Train," Bragg said.

"What is it this time, Bragg?" Mandora groaned.

"Seems there's a downed Lunatak ship in the area. We figured you might like to apprehend these felons," Bragg replied.

"You just want them for your little sideshow. Very well, I suppose locking away some Lunataks is better than charging . . . hey! Where'd she go?" Mandora asked, realizing that she no longer held a licence and that the cab was speeding away into the distance.
 

* * *
 

"Of all the stupid things that could possibly happen!" Psychro bellowed.

"What's the matter Psychro?" Psikaris asked, running over.

"Ten to one odds that it's another delay," Darius muttered.

"The stupid heat sink can't be repaired. It's completely shot. Furthermore it looks like we're going to be here for a while. Somebody moved the spare heat sink out of its designated spot," Psychro said. With that he turned on his heel and stalked out of the small ship.
 

Psikaris watched her brother disappear into the marshy terrain outside and felt a pang of sadness. She knew her brother very well. When he was angry, he was liable to hurt someone, or himself. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to go after him, to console him the way he needed it. Cameo would just insist on coming along. As much as she liked the young pilot, she found him to be a little brash and over eager at times. No, what this needed was a woman's touch.
 

"Lura, do me a favour. Psychro's out there by himself doing who knows what. Follow him. Do what you can to keep him out of harm's way," Psikaris asked the young girl.

"Certainly," Lura replied.
 

* * *
 

Captain Bragg circled the small planet silently, the customary bells and whistles turned off on this occasion. Lunataks were known to be very dangerous, and so announcing his arrival was probably not the best course of action. There was a thin stretch of forest separating two swampy clearings. In one, the Lunatak ship rested. In the other, Bragg landed his Train. "All right then, Crownan. Now we get to apprehend these Lunataks," the captain said, much to Crownan's sarcastic delight.
 

* * *
 

Darius sat in the pilot's chair. It had been a long time since he had flown anything, something about him being too high ranking to fly his own ship. The seat was comfortable and he yearned to get back in control. His keen changeling senses picked up the sound of an engine. Instantly he was on his feet and out a hatch in the roof. Nothing. No sign of any vessels nearby. Still, it didn't hurt to take a look. Darius steeled himself for the transformation. It wasn't usually painful to shape shift, but the form he intended to take would require the compressing of his molecules to a severe degree. That usually hurt. In a matter of seconds his arms had become stubby little wings, and his feet had become talons. His nose and mouth stretched slightly to become a beak, and bushy feathers sprouted across his body. Where once Darius the changeling had stood, was a majestic hawk. With one solid push he was airborne.
 

* * *
 

"Here comes one of them now. That hawk that used to be a Lunatak," Crownan reported, flying swiftly to his master's shoulder.

"Right on schedule, if I do say so myself. He'll see us and come down into our trap," Captain Bragg said.

"Nice plan, but what if it doesn't work, professor?" Crownan asked.

"Well then, you'll get to go after him and bring him in," Captain Bragg replied, cooly.

"Let's hope he falls for it then," Crownan muttered.
 

* * *
 

All seemed normal here. Trees, rocks, a circus train, hills . . . A circus train? What was that doing here? Darius swooped lower and landed on a tree limb. There was a strange man standing outside an open doorway, he seemed to be talking to someone.
 

"I'm telling you Luna, there's no way you'll ever get out of there," Captain Bragg said, loud enough for Darius to hear.

"You let me out of here this instant or you'll be thrashed into a bloody pulp!" Luna's voice, imitated by Crownan, replied.
 

The hawk dropped to the ground, elongating on the way. The feathers were absorbed and replaced by a thick coat of black fur. The talons and wings became powerful claws, and the beak grew into a feral maw. A black panther lunged forward at Captain Bragg, though the ringmaster moved aside. Darius once more transformed, becoming a massive hulking Ice Lunatak. Captain Bragg needed no encouragement, and took off. "My queen, are you all right?" Darius asked, reverting to his natural state. A short green/grey creature.

"Yes. I am now. Who are you?" Luna asked.

"My name is Darius, and I am at your service," Darius replied, stepping through the doorway. He let out a howl of frustration as a power dampening collar was slapped around his neck, and the cell door closed behind him.
 

* * *
 

Cameo sat on a crate, watching as Psikaris attempted to succeed where her brother had failed. "It's not entirely hopeless," she murmured, half to herself, half to Cameo. "I just need to replace this wire here with this spare one from our hand-held radio and I'll steal this conductor from our back up weapon system and it should be in full operational order in no time at all." As she worked Cameo swung his legs lightly, but at the end of her dialogue he stood and headed for the cabin to report the good news to Darius. "Maybe he'll stop being so grouchy," he thought to himself. "That's odd. Darius isn't here and the ceiling hatch is open. Maybe he just stepped outside for some fresh air. Psikaris! I'll be back in a minute," Cameo called. Lost in her own little world of electronics and machinery, Psikaris didn't hear.
 

* * *
 

The marsh was calm. Few creatures moved about in the mid morning light. Cameo's eyes scanned the immediate vicinity for any possible indication as to which direction Darius might have gone, but there was nothing. Strangely, though, there was in the distance a crow. It seemed to be circling the sky. Investigating was better than sitting on the roof, or so Cameo deduced, so he slid down the side and began plodding through the muck.
 

* * *
 

The Circus Train was sporting its cleverly designed camouflage gear, and thus was effectively invisible to Cameo. Captain Bragg had placed himself laying face down in the middle of a relatively dry spot. "Someone's hurt," he heard Cameo say, as he slogged closer. A gloved hand rolled Bragg's unmoving body over. Cameo tossed the glove aside and placed two fingers against Bragg's throat, seeking a pulse. "Hmm, he seems to still be alive. Maybe I can get him back to our ship," Cameo said aloud. Even as he did this, Bragg unleashed a dose of sleeping gas, causing Cameo to fall backwards himself. "Well, two down, three to go," Captain Bragg said.

"You've done good work so far, Bragg, but five Lunataks are a handful," a woman's voice said, from behind.

"Ah, Mandora, so glad you could make it," Captain Bragg said, as Mandora's Electrocharger landed nearby.

"The more perpetrators that are taken out of commission, the better I'll feel," Mandora replied.

"Don't you worry about those other three. There's one alone in their ship, and two more wandering aimlessly through the marsh," Bragg said.

"Good. I'll take the two. You can take the one, if you can handle it," Mandora said, crisply.

"I've managed to get two already, how hard can it be to capture a little girl," Captain Bragg said.
 

* * *
 

Psychro growled low. He was lost, and there was no point in denying it anymore. Add to that the fact that Lura was trailing him, trying to remain secretive, and Psychro was in a foul mood. He readied a fireball in his hands and lobbed it as hard as he could at a nearby tree. The hum of an engine startled him. "Destroying native plant life is a federal offence. Surrender yourself to me and I might ask the courts to go lightly on you," Mandora said.

"Who are you to threaten me?" Psychro sneered.

"Evil chaser first class Mandora, interplanetary control force," Mandora replied, flashing her badge.

"Oh. I thought you were someone I should worry about," Psychro replied, secretly letting an enormous amount of energy flood through his body.

"Jump left," a voice in his head commanded. He obeyed and was rewarded when Mandora's taser blast went past where his head had been.
 

Mandora glared as her target evaded another attack. How on earth was he doing it? It almost seemed like he knew what she was going to do before she did it. "He's part Psi!" she thought. "Some psis do possess the ability to read minds. What if that's what he's doing?" Mandora would have explored this option farther, maybe even come up with some sort of strategy designed to make him think that she was going to do one thing, but do another, when Psychro made his first attack. A powerful jet of flame, akin to the power of a solar flare, burst from the hybrid's hands and turned the Electrocharger into a puddle of molten metal. Mandora toppled the few metres to the ground and cracked her head against a rock. Lura stepped out of the surrounding brush.

"Good thing you attacked when you did. She was on to me," Lura said.

"Anytime. I just wish you'd told me earlier that you could project thoughts. It might have been a little less disconcerting," Psychro replied.
 

* * *
 

Psikaris looked confused at the heat sink. It wasn't working still, and she couldn't think why. "I've checked the power relay system, and the cooling vent, but they're all in good condition, relatively. What could be wrong with . . . of course! The connector hose. It must have something of a tear in the side. That's the only possible thing that could explain why it's still having these problems."
 

"Excuse me, may I come in?" Captain Bragg asked.

"Who are you?" Psikaris demanded, her survival instincts kicking in. She wondered where all her friends were.

"I'm just an old hermit who lives on this planet. I visit all travellers that stop here," Captain Bragg replied.

"People actually come here of their own free will? I doubt it. Care to change your story or would you rather I do something I'd prefer not to do?" Psikaris asked.

"Look, I'm a hermit, I really am. You must believe me," Captain Bragg said.

"I've heard that one before, strangely enough," Psikaris glowered.

"I am just a hermit," Bragg intoned, his eyes swirling, creating a hypnotic effect on Psikaris.

"Just a hermit," Psikaris mumbled.

"Right. Now why don't you follow me to the Circus Train, where I live?" Captain Bragg said, leading her gently out of the ship.
 

* * *
 

Psychro shook his head sadly from just outside the doorway. While Lura had been pilfering Mandora's mind, she had come across the whole Captain Bragg affair. While she had gone to release Cameo and Darius, Psychro had made his way to the Lunatak ship. Bragg had taken too long in devising a plan and a disguise, as it had only served to give the Lunataks time to gather around the exterior hatch.
 

When Bragg stepped outside he was confronted by four angry people and a trussed Mandora. "Uh, sorry about that folks. I hope you don't mind if I just leave," he stammered.

"Unfortunately, for you, we do mind. I think you'll be staying here for quite a while," Darius replied.

"You aren't going to kill me, are you?" Captain Bragg asked.

"The thought had crossed my mind, but you aren't worth the effort it would take to do. All we're going to do is destroy your engine and leave you and Mandora here on this planet," Psychro said.

"Of course, we'll take the parts we need to repair our ship first," Cameo added.

"But, no one comes here. We could be here forever!" Captain Bragg moaned.

"Well then. You'd better start hoping someone does," Darius snickered.
 

* * *
 

Less than an hour later, the Darter slowly lifted off the ground, its heat sink repaired, and took off. Bound once more for Third Earth.