Aranarth and Decker found the Sic Semper Tyrannis exactly where the expected to. The relatively tiny Overdog returned to the embrace of its mothership.

Aranarth brought the ion rifle directly to one of the ship's labs for analysis.

"It's not based on any A.R.C. designs," the engineering drone explained, after giving the weapon a full spectrum scan. "Definitely human though. Based on the point of technological divergence and the level of sophistication there's only one known entity that could have produced it."

"Who is that?" Aranarth asked.

"Saturn Starlifting," said the drone.

Aranarth sighed. He was definitely going to need Usagi now.

* * *

The Sic Semper Tyrannis had much more up-to-date data about A.R.C. ship movements, and so Aranarth was able to get in touch with The Ship With The Unnecessarily Long Name That All Kinds Of People Are Going To Be Inconvenienced By this time.

The mess of disorganized, seemingly random symbols that made up the ship's heraldry appeared on the screen of the fatline terminal. Aranarth was pretty sure the ship changed them and moved them around sometimes.

"This is the A.R.C.S. The Ship With The Unnecessarily Long Name That All Kinds Of People Are Going To Be Inconvenienced By," came a playful voice. "Staytcha biz."

"This is Ranger Aranarth. I want to speak with Ranger Helios."

"She's not here," said the ship.

"I know that," replied Aranarth. "Can you patch me through to her on the planet through her ship?"

"I mean I could..."

"Will you?"

"I guess."

There was a beat of silence.

"Go ahead," said the ship.

Wobbley noises sounded as the system began to translate mental communication into spoken words. The voice that same out was a computer approximation of Usagis, just short of perfect.

"This had better be good, Dane," said the voice. "What if I was in a firefight?"

"This is good," insisted Aranarth. "You're going to like this."

"I already hate it."

"I just got back from Xalax-"

"What were you doing on Xalax?"

"I'm explaining that. I've been trying to find evidence of Old One involvement in these attacks."

"Did you?" asked Helios.

"No," admitted Aranarth, "but I found out where I can get that kind of evidence. The gug-gug-gug ion weapons are being produced by Saturn Starlifting. Obviously they're doing this at the instruction of the Old Ones. If we can get access to their internal computer network we can get copies of the records of this deal. That would be proof of Old One involvement."

"Oh is that all?"

"So I figure you and I could infiltrate Synergy Station and, you know, save the day."

"We're kind of busy down here, Dane," said Helios. "There's a war going on."

"So you're saying you don't want to put on a costume and help me kick Saturn Starlifting in the jubes a couple hundred times? That's the position you're taking? Who are you and what have you done with Usagi?"

"I can't just drop what I'm doing."

"If we pull this off we don't have to sneak around anymore. We'll be able to openly attack the gug-gug-gugs. We'll wrap up both wars in less than a standard week. What are you doing down there that is so important you can't blow it off to help end the entire conflict? I thought you jesters were supposed to be the flexible ones."

"I'm... ugh, you're impossible Dane. Meet me at The Ship With The Unnecessarily Long Name That All Kinds Of People Are Going To Be Inconvenienced By. I've got a civvie ship we can use. We're going to have to make this quick I have a war to fight."

"You won't regret this," said Aranarth.

"Don't tempt fate," retorted Helios.

* * *

Aranarth didn't waste any time. Within minutes of making the call he and Decker were back on the Overdog, cutting through hyperspace towards The Ship With The Unnecessarily Long Name That All Kinds Of People Are Going To Be Inconvenienced By.

Luckily for Decker the Tyrannis' sister ship was quite close by as far as the higher dimensions were concerned. He didn't want to be cooped up on the Overdog running back and forth across the Orion Spur for any longer.

The Overdog exited hyperspace and pulled itself the rest of the way to its destination with AG, not even bothering to engage torch drives. Once again it came to rest inside the Star Bay of a much larger starship.

Usagi Helios was waiting for them in the Star Bay. The layout was identical to that of the Sic Semper Tyrannis, although the collection of ships was much more eclectic.

Helios was dressed in what Decker could only describe as a streamlined clown's motley. Physically it wasn't much different from what he and Aranarth were wearing, but the pattern of colors definitely brought to mind a clown. Over it she wore a purple cloak with the hood down.

Decker realized where he remembered the name Usagi from. This was the woman from that stupid party ship, the Madam Butterfly or whatever. His cheeks wanted to blush but he was too fast for them, and nixed the reaction.

"Dane Aranarth," said Helios, with a smile, "you old wet fart. Why don't you go gargle sprell in a spacesuit instead of always making trouble for me?"

"Gargle sprell in a spacesuit? That's a new one," said Decker.

"Did I just out swear a Centauri?" asked Helios, delighted. "That's a high honor. I'm glad to see you passed your trial Squire Decker. You're alright for a stuffy useless Dragon."

"It is you," said Decker. "So I guess that thing at the feast was a test."

I knew it! Decker thought to himself, even though he hadn't.

"Either that or I just like to party and instigate fights. You'll never know for sure."

"How far back were you people testing me?" asked Decker.

"I have no idea," replied Helios. "How long have you been interesting?"

"Where's your squire?" asked Aranarth, looking around.

"Where ever she wants to be. What am I her mother? She wishes. Now, if you boys will follow me over here I'll show you whose mommy I am."

Helios gestured dramatically at an ugly little ship. It looked unsophisticated but very well maintained.

"This is my baby," continued Helios. "This is what I subsuming all of the maternal instincts into. Do you recognize this beautiful absurdity ? It is a Neo-Spartan DS3 Lighthugger. It is 90% engine and still can't go much faster than 99 of c. I love it."

"What do you call it?" asked Decker.

Helios walked a few steps over and pointed to a where the name had been stylistically painted on the side of the ship, along with a cherub asleep against an antimatter bomb

"Angel Baby," she said.

"Of course it is," said Aranarth.

"Don't you dare make fun of Angel Baby, because Angel Baby is what's going to get us access to Synergy Station. Unless you have a better way in your amazing plan. I'm assuming you have an amazing plan for this since you went to all the trouble of pulling me out of a war zone?"

"My plan was to get you to help," said Aranarth. "That's as far as I got."

"I have to admit that's a much better plan than I expected. As usual it's still woefully inadequate. I can probably get you through security and in the physical presence of a computer terminal but I don't know how you think I'm going to get the AI to give us access."

"Identity theft?" offered Aranarth.

"We'd need to kidnap someone of sufficiently high rank, get them back to our ship without being caught, spoof their DNA and brain wave patterns, modify one of us to match their appearance, and pull their personal encryption key out of their brain implant which is all kinds of illegal. That actually sounds like fun."

"So you think it's a viable plan?"

"I said it sounded fun, not viable. The only reason I'm helping you is because I'd never forgive myself if I let you do something this witchy without me."

"We might be able to find a Saturn Starlifting employee on leave. That'd make it a lot easier."

"Well that's why they wipe their encryption keys every time they leave the station. The only way to do this is the kidnap someone right under their noses. If this was reasonably possible don't you think someone would have done it already?"

"So we do it the hard way," said Aranarth.

"I suppose so," said Helios. "Oh! There's my squire! See, she exists."

Decker turned to look where Helios was indicating with her finger. He saw the approaching violet-hooded motley-wearing figure. 

It was Ophelia.