The Angel Baby had made it through the gate, and was still cruising through hyperspace, when they realized they had accidentally kidnapped the two Saturn Starlifting employees that they had... deliberately kidnapped. It was maybe 50/50 an intentional kidnapping. At least the part about taking them off the station.

"Oops," said Helios. She spun around in her chair to get a good look at them the moment she remembered they existed.

"We should probably wake them up," said Aranarth.

"Do you think that's safe?" asked Helios.

"No," replied Aranarth. "I think it's humane."

Helios sighed.

"I suppose you're right," she said. "Squires, you two remove the 'trodes from the... well they're not prisoners. Whoever they are. Our guests."

"You do your twin I've got whazzerface," said Ophelia.

It didn't matter to Decker so he went along with the plan. Both squires removed the 'trodes from their respective targets. Both began to stir immediately, struggling awake after being in an artificial dreamless sleep for so long.

Vega opened his eyes. He was staring straight up at Decker and into his own face. He screamed.

"It's fine, everything's fine," Decker reassured him. "It's just a disguise. I'm the guy from dinner. Remember my voice?"

Decker had already taken off the mental elements of his disguise, so his voice was back to normal, but his face was still a dead ringer for Vega's.

"I don't,"said Vega, his face twisted in fright.

"What did you do to us? What's going on?" asked Wu, sitting up quickly, her voice cracking

"Don't try anything funny," said Helios. "We're inside a wormhole in a lighthugger with analog controls. I'm the only one here who can fly it and all four of us can manifest guns out of hyperspace if we want to. You are in the least advantageous position possible to try and want to overpower us and commandeer the ship."

"You're the space rangers!" announced Vega, also sitting up but more slowly.

"A.R.C. Rangers," Aranarth corrected him.

"Don't let Professor Dictionary over here lead you astray," said Helios, "we're exactly who you think we are."

"What are you going to do with us?" asked Wu.

"We didn't mean to kidnap you. Well, that is to say, we didn't mean to kidnap you this much. We never meant to take you off station with us. We're going to be on the net for a few jumps but then we're meeting up with a hyperspace capable ship at the Ross system. That's close to Alpha Centauri, as a 6d hyperdrive reckons things at least, so we can drop you off there. You'll be able to catch a ride back to Synergy Station from Centauri Ring," said Helios.

"You're taking us to Centauri? Not to a prison or back to the station? By the bleeding wounds of Tellus... we're free?" asked Wu.

"Thank you so much!" said Vega.

"I thought I'd never leave that station. Never see a sky again."

"You were there against your will?" asked Aranarth.

"Not initially, but that's just to lure you in," explained Wu. "It's all a trick. They deliberately cultivate dependence on them until you have no resources of your own and before you know it you lack the means to leave or change your circumstances. You just stagnate there forever. They won't drag you back if you try to escape, but that doesn't help much when you're on a space station in the middle of an uninhabited star system with nothing to trade for passage. It's not like in the Cooperative, nobody there does anything for anyone without something in it for them."

"Why would you join a corporation in a society without money in the first place?" asked Decker.

"That's a simplistic question. Why would you join an army in a society without violence?"

"That's not entirely accurate..."

"Well, neither is your characterization of my choices," said Wu. "I thought it was something it wasn't. An opportunity. A chance to do something with immortality other than pursue empty hedonism until the end of time."

"I think I get it," said Decker.

"A lot of us were born to the life," added Vega. "Some even on the station. Most, probably, at this point. Although they're always recruiting."

"I'm glad we could help," said Helios. "We'll drop you off at Centauri and then you can do whatever you want from there."

"Thank you again," said Wu.

"I could never thank you enough if I lived until the heat death of the universe," added Vega.

"At least some good came out of all this," said Helios, spinning her chair back around to watch the controls again.

"You don't think they'll come looking for you?" asked Aranarth.

"Definitely not," replied Wu. "Wouldn't makes sense in a cost/benefit analysis."

"We're not that valuable," added Vega.

* * *

Once the trip was well under way and everyone was settled Aranarth signaled Decker directly.

<I don't want to embarrass you in front of the others so I'll tell you this mentally. Do you have any idea how many people you could have killed blowing an exterior window on a space station? The answer would be measured in megadeaths. The only thing that saved you from mass murder was the fail-safes on a Saturn Starlifting construction. Think about that. I want you to remember this the next time you want to complain about how I don't trust you to arm yourself at will. It's because you cannot yet be trusted. You don't understand the responsibility. You don't know your own strength.>

<I'm sorry,> said Decker.

<Sorry isn't good enough. Sorry doesn't raise the dead. Don't be sorry, be better.>

<I will,> said Decker.

<That remains to be seen,> replied Aranarth. <I don't think you recognize yet what's being asked of you. Not just good. Good isn't good enough. Do you know what the ratio of rangers to human civilians is? It's about one in one billion. Why do you think we're spending all these resources and all this time on you? Some very capable people see something in you, squire. People who have been wrong before but people who have insight into this kind of thing. You're going to need to start living up to your potential. We need the best possible version of you and we will settle for nothing less.>

<What am I doing wrong?>

<You're too reckless. Smarten up. Think before you act. Every action has consequences and you need to know how yours will affect other people. If you can't do that you can't be trusted to be a ranger.>

<I understand,> signaled Decker.

<No you don't,> replied Aranarth. <Think about it for a while.>

Decker leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Immediately his Suit piped up.

<Hey Squire Decker...>

<Oh Tellus, you didn't hear all that did you?>

<Hear all what?>

<Okay good. Nevermind.>

<You said before it wasn't the time to talk and I concede that point. However now there is ample time for us to talk.>

<This is going to be about feelings isn't it?>

<You hurt my feelings when you said I wasn't a person.>

Decker sighed.

<I said I was sorry before and I wasn't just placating you. I was upset with you and in the heat of the moment it seemed like the most hurtful way to express my point.>

<It was very hurtful.>

<Well it was supposed to be. But I was just angry. I don't actually think you're a tool. There are lots of people who are petty officious sprellheads.>

<I don't appreciate being called a petty officious sprellhead either, directly or by implication.>

<That's too bad because you are one. I won't take that back it's true. I do take back when I said you weren't a person. That was too far. I apologize.>

<I accept your qualified apology.>

<Do you have anything you want to apologize about?>

<Such as?>

<Such as your unyielding adherence to the rules contributing to a good person being killed? Back on Xalax? When I wanted weapons?>

<I won't apologize for something I'm not sorry about. I was given a direct order.>

<See?> thought Decker, <You're a petty officious sprellhead. Who is, nonetheless, still a person.>

One seat up from Decker, in the pilot and co-pilots chair, Helios and Aranarth sat back watching the strange angles of hyperspace through the window-screens. The Angel Baby would remain on autopilot until they arrived at the other end of the wormhole.

"I warned you from the start it was 75% chance of failure," said Helios. "At least we tried."

"I'm not giving up that easily," replied Aranarth. "We'll try something else."

"Aranarth, enough. This is ego talking."

"This isn't ego this is the solution to the entire conflict. I'm so close."

"Your plan presupposes the Old Ones just roll over once we expose their scheme. What if they fight back? We're talking open war between two equivtech powers on those poor aliens' homeworlds. That's not what's best for these people."

"They would never risk war with humanity over something so small."

"You can't know that. And even if you did your time could be better spent elsewhere. Just come back with me to Home/Click-*-Click-*-Click-Click. We're advising the native life forms, giving them an edge in every way we can without directly involving ourselves in the conflict. We're helping them defend themselves. It's better for their cultural development. Do we really need another Xalax following us around like a little lost puppy?"

"I thought you believed in my plan."

"Oh honey, of course I didn't. I just knew that if there was going to be a firefight in the middle of Syngery Station I needed to be a part of it."

"That's just more of your big talk. I don't believe you mean that."

"Do you think we'll ever get aboard that station again any time this decade? It's over, Dane. Believe that. It's time to get back to the war."