<We're en route back home, we can drop you off on Tellus on our way.>

<Hey!> signaled Ophelia and the Dolphin at once.

<Watch your language,> added Ophelia.

<Since when do you care?> demanded Decker.

<I'm usually willing to tolerate your foul Centauri mouth with gentle good humor but that's really over the line. You can say the word if you want to personify the planet and make dumb oaths on its wounds, it's not my place to judge your backwards barbarian customs, but don't you dare use that word as a proper noun.>

<You tell him!> added the dolphin.

<Fine,> replied Decker, putting up his hands in surrender, <we'll drop you off on Earth on our way.>

<Why would I ever want to go to Earth?> asked the dolphin.

<Aren't dolphins from Earth?> asked Decker.

<Aren't humans?> retorted the dolphin.

<I didn't know there were uplifted dolphins living off-world,> signaled Ophelia.

<Why would I ever want to live on Earth? With all the whales?>

<What's wrong with whales?> asked Ophelia.

<What's wrong with- those haughty sprellheads? Why do humans always love whales so much? You know they hate you right?>

<Oh I notice he's allowed to swear,> signaled Decker, snorting.

<Bodily functions are different from disrespecting the homeworld of three different intelligent species!> insisted the dolphin.

<It's not that difficult,> added Ophelia.

Decker was feeling ganged up on.

<Whales might sound romantic because their language has the word 'song' in it but try living on a planet ruled by them for a while with a fixed lifespan and then tell me how great whales are. Humans are way better than whales. You guys are second only to dolphins, don't sell yourselves short.>

<Where do you want us to take you then?> Decker asked.

<That's a difficult question,> admitted the dolphin. <I don't really have a fixed address and I lost my ship. I guess anywhere in human space with a space port. Just don't take me to Earth! Took me long enough to get off that useless mudball full of fusspots.>

<So Centauri Ring?> offered Decker.

<Why would we take him there?> asked Ophelia. <We'll take him to Tau. That way- oh just a moment the ship wants me.>

There was a beat of silence.

<We're picking up a bouquet of long range distress signals. Non-Cooperative human. They're really lucky we were in the area; it'll be months before the signal reaches any other FTL capable ships.>

<Change of plans kov,> said Decker. <A situation has developed. We're going to need to go check out a distress signal before we take you home.>

Decker looked over. Right beside him Ophelia was experiencing a full-blown case of the giggles.

"He finally said kov!" she was barely able to squeak out.

<Sounds good,> replied the dolphin. <I'd rather hang out with you two for the time being anyway. Can I fly?>

<Ophelia?> asked Decker.

Ophelia wiped away a tear.

<I don't see why not,> she signaled.

<What's your name by the way? We were never introduced. I'm Ranger Decker. My partner here is->

<Ranger Annesdaughter,> Ophelia interjected.

<I'm Bob,> said the dolphin.

<Bob?> asked Decker.

<Bob,> confirmed Bob. <Robert, but Bob for short.>

<I see,> replied Decker.

<You were expecting one of those dumb dolphin names right?>

<I don't think they're dumb...> started Decker.

<Sorry to disappoint you. I have a witchy human name. Bob.>

<Sure.>

Ophelia mentally passed control of the ship back to Bob, and he set a course for the distress signal.

* * *

The Suit rebooted and came back online.

It checked on the life signs of its occupant: Ranger Weier Gagnon. He was still unconscious. Internal clock was disrupted; it was impossible to know how long he had been out. The Suit attempted to revive him with a shot of adrenaline. There was no effect.

This was not good.

The Suit was still floating among a chaotic mess of billions of other flying objects large and small. It didn't detect any nearby hostiles.

It risked unfolding its sensors further out to encompass the entire colony. It could feel the orbit degrading. It was already too late. The colony was going to crash into the planet below. It had to get Ranger Weier Gagnon out of here.

Personal structural integrity was at about 58%. It was holding together but another good hit from an equivtech weapon and it would be all over. It warped in some material to patch a few of the worst spots but it would need to retreat entirely into hyperspace to repair itself properly. That would mean abandoning Ranger Weier Gagnon and was therefore not a valid option.

One shield generator was burnt out. The Suit pulled the dead one back into hyperspace to begin repairs. It would have to hobble by with the other two for the time being. It brought what shielding it could online.

Ranger Weier Gagnon was unconscious so it was willing to risk autonomous movement. If the human provided even a little resistance there was a decent chance doing this would cause all the bones in limbs to break. It maneuvered him around to a convenient flying position, head in front arms at the sides.

So far so good.

The Suit began to blast forward heedless of what it hit, relying on the weakened shield to protect it from whatever it came into contact with. It flew straight at what would have once been the ground.

The Suit considered whether it would be ethical to shoot its way out of the colony, even though that would let out the atmosphere. There were times when the best course of action was to allow oneself to die rather than cause harm to others.

This was not one of those times. These humans are already as good as dead. The greater good was served by saving whoever the Suit could. In this situation that was limited to Ranger Weier Gagnon.

Warping in several missiles in front of it the Suit blasted a gigantic hole through the ground directly beneath it. It continued to warp in more and more missiles, blasting through layer after layer of administrative offices and causing their contents to spill up into the air. Next came the unpressurized sections which had to be punched through. Finally it blasted all the way to the outside.

The air, and the things floating in the air, began to be sucked out into space.

The Suit flew straight out through the hole it made, trying to put as much distance between itself and the falling colony as it could. If it fell too far into the planet's gravity well it wouldn't be able to pull itself out on its own.

The side of the twin-islanded colony facing the planet was already red hot as it fell. Atmosphere was spilling out the hole. Small pieces were breaking off. It was doomed.

The Suit could already detect hundreds of distress signals. It added one additional voice to the cacophony.

* * *

As soon as the A.R.C.S. Don't Tempt Me arrived in the system they knew something was wrong. Once they brought an image of the colony up on the main screen they realized what that was.

That's why there were so many distress signals; they were the last screams of a dying culture.

"Wounds of Tellus!" exclaimed Decker.

Ophelia decided to give him that one.