"This isn't your fault." said Davy. "It's these geeks holding us."
"Jahv, the way this happened, this can't be legal." said Niklas.
"Oh, I'm quite sure it's not, but that doesn't change what's going to happen to us." said Jahv grimly. "Varek is obviously working outside the law, and Pol has certainly broken the law, but if the two of them put enough of a spin on this, they come out the heroes, and we're locked up for our crimes."
"Does this ship have shuttles, a transmat, SOMEthing we could maybe use to get out of this mess?" said Keith, who was pacing in every conceivable direction.
"Nothing we could make use of in time." said Jahv. "I just don't see a way out of this."
"That's right boys!" came a new voice. It was the smirking visage of Pol. He'd come down in person to the holding cell. "I really should thank you. You've been a big help to my family."
"Hey, Pol, why don't you take your family and — " started Keith, but he never finished his sentence. There was a sudden series of rapid BANGs, growing louder as closer. The source of these noises became evident when Arion darted into the room outside the holding cell and spotted Pol. "I oughtta make you choke on this!" he yelled, throwing the last stun grenade squarely at the startled Botaran. It went off in his face and slammed him against the far wall. He fell to the ground, unconscious.
"ARION!" cheered most of the kids. Jahv spoke next. "Where in the world did you get stun grenades?"
"From my new friend." replied Arion. Just now entering the room, after slamming a barely-conscious Botaran guard to the floor with a martial-arts throw, was Toben. "THAT'S for trying to shoot the blaster out of my hand, you creep! It belonged to my father!"
"Dang, you find the most interesting people on this station." quipped Davy. Spirits were high at the prospect of a rescue. Arion was at the control console. "Curse it, the locking system is encoded. How're we supposed to get them out?"
"I got a key right here!" said Toben, pulling his blaster out and giving Arion just enough time to dive out of the way before firing, shattering the console into splinters.
"Novel approach." commented Jahv.
"Where the heck did HE come from?" asked Keyro of no one in particular.
"Jeez, greenie, I didn't think you people were that — gung-ho…" remarked Keith.
"We're not — normally." replied Jahv. "I'm going to love to get the explanation for this one."
"Later for that!" said Niklas. "Let's just get out of here! Arion, I could —!"
"First one of you that hugs me joins the Botarans on the floor!" snapped Arion. Then he paused, and offered a very slight smile. "At least wait until you barbarians have some clothes on, all right?"
"Arion, I never should've doubted that you would return." said Jahv.
Arion raised an eyebrow. "You mean you did?" Jahv opened his mouth to respond, but Arion raised a hand. When he spoke again, his tone was surprisingly gentle. "Don't. I doubted it myself."
"What changed your mind, feathers?" asked Keith, trying to sound bolder than he felt.
"When you grow up as high royalty, friendship is not something that is part of your life." said Arion. "And it wasn't part of mine. At least until I met you primitives and galactic strays. It — has been a new experience for me."
"Look, this is all very cool, but can we please get out of here?" urged Morik.
"No need to run, friends." said Toben, pulling a huge mat with an electronic grid imprinted on it out of the backpack and spreading it on the floor. "Little something I picked up on Nitfenso 7."
"What is it?" asked Martin.
"It's a transmat mat." replied Toben.
"Ouch." winced Davy. "The one time the translator fields have to be working perfectly, and we get a pun like that."
"I hope this thing works better than what we usually deal with!" stated Keith.
Suddenly the sound of more guards could be heard in the corridor. "You want to explore other options?" asked Jahv.
"Under the circumstances," said Keith quickly, heading for the mat, "Let's get the hell out of here!"
By the time the guards arrived, all they found was an empty cell, a destroyed console, an unconscious guard, and Pol, who needed to be taken to the infirmary for mild burns to his face and a concussion.
The group appeared on Toben's ship. "Where the heck are we now?"
"My ship." replied Toben. "Welcome aboard. Arion tells me you're staying on a planet called Earth. If you can give me the coordinates, I'll get you right back there as quickly as possible."
"Wait a moment." said Jahv. "Who ARE you? How did you come to be here? Your ship?"
Toben gave a brief explanation, basically the same one that he gave Arion, with a little more detail. His mother had died when he was little more than an infant. His father had cared for and raised him on board this ship. They hadn't been to the homeworld in years. When his father passed away, Toben was abundantly trained enough to take over the vessel, and, admittedly defying Botaran custom, did so, and had done a capable job as a merchant and trader ever since.
"But we're just a little pressed for time, so if you'll all follow me and strap in we'll get underway." said Toben, heading for the cockpit. "I don't normally carry passengers, but there's plenty of seats on the bridge, part of the original design for taking tourists around."
"Is there any way we can get some clothes?" asked Niklas, once they'd reached the cockpit.
"Clothes!?" exclaimed Toben. "Oh, right. Space travel, of course. I'll see what I can do for you before we get to Earth. Right now, we need to get out of here."
"No argument there. Those clowns might still come after us." remarked Keith.
"Oh, they're going to have enough problems of their own." said Toben. "I just don't want to get caught in the middle of it."
"What are you talking about?" asked Davy.
A grin formed on Toben's face. "Heh. I'm talking about that!"
As Toben's ship started to pull away from the station, the boys could see three huge Botaran Magistrate ships arrive. Varek's docked ship was surrounded within moments. "So much for him!" said Toben. "I'm picking up local comm traffic. We knocked out so many guards there wasn't anybody left to put up a fight. Varek's been taken into custody. Everybody on the ship has, really."
"Couldn't happen to a nicer scumbag." said Keith.
"Next stop, EARTH!" declared Martin. Just then the ship lurched suddenly, with what sounded like an explosion against the hull.
"What was THAT?!" yelled Keith.
"Apparently somebody's idea of a greeting." remarked Toben. "We're being commed. On screen."
The faces of two Soluans appeared. "Botaran vessel! We know you have the fugitive Prince Arion on board your vessel! Surrender him or be destroyed!"
The second Soluan suddenly looked both astonished and angry. Apparently they had a pretty good view of the entire cockpit. "It is him!" the Soluan snarled, his voice a raspy whisper. "The yellow-topped mammal who destroyed my throat!" He was looking squarely at Keith. Keith remembered spraying some disinfectant spray down into the Soluan's mouth the last time he was on board the station and the others needed a diversion. "I want that mammal as well! He cost me two months of agony in the infirmary!"
"What the hell did you DO to him?" asked Arion, but Keith knew that if he opened his mouth right now, he'd burst out laughing, and they had enough trouble for the moment.
Toben was calling the Soluans' bluff. "Get off it, Shurrg. We both know you don't have much more than docking thrusters in that ship! Nice talking with you!"