Part One
By: Tato


Radu watched quietly from his post as Harlan carefully steered the 
ship to safety.  Harlan landed she ship with ease and grinned.  
"There you go Commander," Harlan said with a laugh, "safe and sound."
	"Nice work Mr. Band," the commander commented.  
	"I'm going to go out and check out the atmosphere," Suzee 
called out so Goddard could hear her.  
	"All right Suzee.  But report right back in," Goddard said 
distractedly.  He was talking to Thelma about their problem of fuel 
shortage.  
	Suzee walked out of the airlock and opened her breathing 
passages of her gills.  She breathed the air around her and analized 
it.  "Well," Suzee said talking to herself, "it should be safe for 
everyone to breath.  Small amounts of carbon dioxide, a bit of sulfur,
oxegen......"  She re-entered the airlock to report to the others.  
"It's safe," Suzee replied walking up to Goddard.  
	"Good," the commander said with a nod.  "We're going to have 
to split up and look for something to fuel the Christa.  Harlan and 
Suzee?  You team up together.  Radu and Rosie?  You'll go along 
together as well.  Bova?  You'll...."
	Bova rolled his eyes.  "I stay on the ship helping Ms. 
Davenport?"  Bova stared at Commander Goddard with the despicable 
answer he expected.  Normally, when there was an outing of some kind, 
he was left behind to 'help' Ms Davenport.  It only bored Bova, and he
got sick of being left behind.  Goddard felt guilty for what he was 
doing.  He sighed heavily and thought of another job for the young 
Uranusian.  
	"Well....why don't you go with Suzee and Harlan." Goddard 
suggested pointing over to the two preparing for a search.  Suzee and 
Harlan looked over to Bova.  
	"Yea Bova.  Come along with us.  The more, the merrier." 
Harlan said handing him a pack to strap on his back.  Bova, Harlan, 
and Suzee; after preparing; came out of the airlock and started on 
their journey for fuel.  
	Meanwhile, Radu and Rosie adjusted their packs.  "Well, ready
to go?" Radu asked his young friend, trying to take interest in what 
he was about to do.  Rosie looked bright and chipper, as usual.  
	"Sure am!" Rosie said happily.  The two headed out to the 
opposite direction that Suzee, Harlan, and Bova had left for.  
	Goddard looked out at the teams leaving.  Ms. Davenport walked
up to Commander Goddard.  "So I guess it's just you and me?" Ms 
Davenport whispered in his ear.  The commander took a deep breath.  
Then, he faced the red-headed woman.  
	"Unfortunately Ms Davenport, I have to go check any damages 
to the ship.  THELMA!"  Goddard called out for assistance from the 
android.  
	"Yes Commander?" Thelma asked coming from behind him, and 
making the STARDOG jump several feet in the air.  
	"There you are THELMA.  Let's go repair the ship."  The two of
them walked off to find any repairs.  

* * * * * *

	"Come this way," Harlan said, not sure of where he was going. 
Oh, how he wished that he had Radu's sense of direction.  Suzee 
followed the lost earther, also unsure of where they were heading or 
where they were.  Meanwhile, Bova followed behind complaining about 
the WONDERFUL weather they had.  The weather was pleasant, but Bova 
would find anything to complain about.  

* * * * * *

* * * * * *

	Rosie pulled the cable along with her.  She was eager to see 
what Radu had found. He sounded baffled at what he had seen.  She 
finally reached the end of the cord and noticed Radu lying on the 
ground motionless.  "Radu!" Rosie shouted, dropping the cable as she 
ran to his side.  She shook him several times before reaching for her 
communicator.  "This is Rosie calling the Christa.  Commander?  Ms 
Davenport?  Are you there?"  
	Goddard slammed his head as he heard the communications device
going off.  He held his head in pain as he crawled out of where he was
working.  "I'm right here Rosie." he said, still clutching his head.  
	"Radu.  He's--" Rosie looked down at him as he began to moan. 
"Oh nevermind Commander.  He's okay."
	"Rosie, if anything's happened, you should report back just in
case."  
	"Right Commander.  Rosie out."  Rosie shook Radu.  "Radu?  Are
you okay?  What happened?"  Radu quickly leaped to his feet.  His green
eye's watched the little mercurian girl worrying over him.  //Green?  
Weren't his eye's blue?//  Rosie tried to think of a reasonable 
explanation for this sudden change.  //That doesn't matter now,// 
Rosie thought to herself.  //The only thing that matters is that Radu 
is okay.  Is he okay?//  "Radu?  Are you feeling all right?"  Radu 
quickly nodded and started to walk away quickly, dragging Rosie along 
behind him.  

* * * * * *

Back at the command post....
	"We found some Krypton, but Suzee says that it wont help us if
we need a lot of fuel," Harlan stated. 
	"We need to find some Zionite," Suzee said looking at all the 
others.  "But at least we got to see the scenery.  We can go out 
tomorrow and search for more."  
	"Oh yea.  It was WONDERFUL," Bova replied sarcastically.  They
expected it coming.  He had been building up complaints from the first
time he stepped outside.  This was it.  "First, the air around here is
hardly breathable.  It's too stuffy.  Second, my clothes got soaked by
these stupid marshes.  The caves we found weren't much more pleasant
either. I could barely walk in those mud piles.  It was terrible.  I 
just hope we get out of here as soon as possible."  Everyone shook 
their heads laughing.  
	"Sure Bova." Harlan said patting him on the back.  
	"What did you and Rosie come up with, Radu?" the commander 
said turning to Radu.  Radu looked at him strangely.  "Radu?  Are you 
okay?"  Rosie looked at Radu curiously.  She didn't want to say 
anything about his eye's then, so she decided to fill in for Radu.  
She immediately piped up.  
	"Oh we didn't find anything, Commander.  Just some empty 
caves."  
	"But you sounded distressed about something earlier.  What was
 it?  Something about Radu?"  
	"Oh, it was nothing commander.  I just THOUGHT I saw 
something."  Rosie looked up at the commander innocently, as if she 
had nothing to hide.  
	"Very well.  Well team," Goddard said directing his attention 
to everyone, "we need to find something to fuel this up.  We'll search
again tomorrow.  Until then, get a rest."  

	* * * * * *

	Suzee walked toward Harlan.  "Hi Harlan," she said walking up 
to him.  
	"Hi," Harlan said cheerfully as he saw Suzee walking up.  
	"What's up?"  
	"Nothing much.  Just looking around.  This planet looks so 
much like earth.  Earth when it wasn't just buildings and pollution.  
The sky is a different color.  And the animals are different as well.
But it just seems at home."  
	"Earth sounds intersting," Suzee replied.  
	"Yea, I guess so."  Harlan looked over to Suzee and noticed 
that something was bothering her.  "Hey, what's up?"  
	Suzee hesitated before speaking.  "Well....it's Radu."  
Harlans face fell.  Radu?  What was wrong?  
	"What about him?"  Harlan feared the answer that might come to
him.  
	"I'm worried about him."  Harlan sighed a bit of relief and 
got back to the subject.  
	"Why?  What's wrong?"
	"Well...I tried to talk to him, but he just turned away.  
There was something different about him.  I'm not sure what it is, but
it's worrying me.  And after I talked to Rosie--" Suzee stopped.  
Suzee now looked more afraid as he examined the expression written her
face. 
	"Suzee, what did Rosie tell you?"  Suzee looked up biting her 
lip.  
	"She said that something happened to him.  When they were in 
the caves, she found him unconsious.  And when she woke him, he 
wouldn't talk to her.  But the wierd thing is that the way she 
described his eyes."
	"They're blue." Harlan said obviously.  Suzee shook her head.
	"Not anymore.  She said that when she woke Radu, his eye's 
were a piercing green.  I don't think its normal for eye color to 
change.  Oh, Harlan!  What if something happened to him?  He wouldn't 
admit it to us."
	"Naw, that's nuts.  Radu would be cool about it.  I know him 
too well."  But then, a picture went through Harlan's mind.  When Radu
had caught the disease from the bear out in space.  How closed in he 
was.  And how much it effected his mind.  "Or would he..."
	"What is it Harlan?" Suzee asked examining his face.  He 
looked as if an old memory was flashing before his eyes.  
	"Well, when..." Harlan paused as if trying to remember 
something.  //What was her name?  Oh yes.  Catalina.  Wait, how can I 
forget Catalina?//  Harlan continued a bit confused on how he could 
forget his first love.  "When Catalina was here, Radu had caught a 
virus.  From a bear that he clutched from outer space.  Rosie managed 
to cure him though.  But he never let anyone know.  So he may be 
hiding something--"
	"Well what are we going to do?  He won't even talk to Rosie."
	"I don't know.  But we better let Commander Goddard know."
	"Agreed.  Let's go."  The two walked away to find Commander 
Goddard to tell them of the troubles they had.  They didn't count on 
Andromedan hearing to listen in on their conversation....

* * * * * *

	Radu winced as he listened to the treachery of the two.  Going
against him.   Plotting against him.  They were going to turn him in 
and  give away his secret.  But what could he do?  He couldn't harm 
them.  That would raise too many questions.  And too many suspicions. 
There was only one thing to do.  And he knew exactly how to do it.  

* * * * * *

	"Commander, there seems to be an escape pod of some kind 
coming towards the plane,." Rosie stated, looking at the scanners.  
	"Can you identify it Rosie?"  
	"I think so," Rosie said unsure of herself.  There.  It looks 
like....oh no!  Commander, this is a vehicle from a killcuiser."  
Rosie looked up at the Commander with a panicked look on her face.  
	"All right Rosie.  I'll go...'greet' our new comer."  The 
Commander started heading out when he ran into Ms. Davenport.  
	"Good heaven's, Commander!  Is it true what I heard?   That 
spung might be invading this planet?" Ms Davenport said with a worried
expression on her face.  
	Goddard thought for a moment.  "How did you find out so 
quickly?"
	"I have my ways.  Is it true??"
	"It's all right, T.J.  I'm going out now."  
	"Be careful!" Ms Davenport called out to the commander as he 
headed out of the airlock.  She looked extremely distressed.  

* * * * * *

	Commander Goddard hid beneath the bushes near the shuttle.  He
was in an attacking position expecting the worse to come out.  He just
hoped it wasn't Warlord Shank.  The shuttle door opened, and he felt a
sigh of relief coming before him when he saw Elmira walking out of the
craft observing her surroundings.  "Elmira," Goddard said aloud.  She 
quickly swirved around and relaxed, grateful to see the Commander.  
	"Commander," she said trying to catch her breath from the 
scare, "you frightened me."  
	"Sorry.  What are you doing here?"
	"I.....well....I ran away from my father again.  He was making
me tell his fortunes, and I couldn't bear him.  So....I ran away.  But
my shuttle is damaged and I need to repair it....again."  
	The Commander shook his head.  "You can come with me.  We'll 
help you out. Better yet, you can be a guest on the Christa."  
	"Oh, thank you Commander!" she exclaimed excitedly.  She 
looked around.  "Is...Radu around?"
	Goddard smiled.  "Yes, he is.  You'll have a bit of trouble 
finding him though.  He's been hiding out, as you would say.  He 
hasn't spoken to anyone for a while."  
	"Commander!  We need to talk to you about R--Elmira!  Hi!" 
Suzee said suddenly.  
	Elmira waved.  "Hi."
	"What do you need to talk to me about? Harlan?  Suzee?" the 
Commander said turning to them.  
	Suzee looked at Elmira.  She couldn't say in front of her.  
"I.....uh.....Harlan?  What did we need to talk to the commander 
about?"
	"Well....we....uh.....about the rrrrrhombi!  Yea, uh....we 
thought we spotted one."  
	"Oh.  Is that all?" the commander said rather disappointed.  
	"Yep.  We just wanted to tell you.  Bye!" Suzee said suddenly.
They rushed away.  Elmira looked at the commander.  They both shrugged
their shoulders.  Elmira went off hunting for Radu.  One of the 
biggest mistakes she could have ever made.  

* * * * * *

	Elmira searched the woods without a trace of Radu.  Wait a 
minute.  She didn't have to go through all this.  She closed her eyes 
and concentrated on the young Andromedan.  He was sitting on a rock 
and he looked deep in thought.  This was perfect.  She could surprise 
him!  Elmira quickly made her way to where Radu was sitting and came 
up from behind him.  She ran up to him and hugged him from behind.  
"Surprise!" she shouted. But she quickly drew back.  Something was 
wrong.  He was so cold.  He turned around and looked at her.  His 
eye's pierced into her soul.  She slowly moved back until she turned 
around and started to run.  She ran as fast as she could all the way 
to the Christa.  She quickly entered and hugged Rosie. 
	"Whoa, Elmira!  How'd you get here?  What's wrong?" Rosie said
trying to calm the young spung girl down.  Her heart was pounding.  
She tried to catch her breath.  In a few moments, she spoke.  
	"Radu....he's..." she tried to keep from crying.  She held it 
back.  "What's happened to him, Rosie?"  Elmira looked troubled.  She 
was trembling with fear.  
	"Why?  What did you see?" Rosie said sitting Elmira down and 
grabbing a chair for her to sit in.  
	"He was so....so distant.  I couldn't feel his soul within 
him.  He was cold.  And his eyes.  They....they were....they were 
sharp.  He looked as if he didn't know me.  Or didn't wish to."  
	"Oh, that's not Radu.  I wonder what's gotten into him?  It 
might be that--"
	"What?" Elmira said curiously looking up.  
	"Well, me and Radu were part of a landing party.  We split up.
It was his idea," Rosie said afraid that she might be blamed.
	"Go on," Elmira said nervously.  
	"Well, he said he found something.  When I came to see it, it 
was incredible.  It was like a lightning bolt. It was huge!  But I saw
Radu unconsious.  When I got him up, his eye's were green.  But in all
of my medical reports I've done on each crew member, his eye's are 
blue.  It's something about the tone of green.  It was.....very....
mesmerizing.  It was amazing.  After that, he wouldn't talk to anyone.
He wouldn't even look at me."  
	"Well, I don't know what's going on, but we better warn the 
others.  We don't know if Radu's caught anything and if it's 
contagious."  
	"Agreed.  Let's go tell the commander."  

* * * * * *

	As Elmira and Rosie told their stories, Suzee and Harlan also 
met up with Goddard.  They each shared what they had learned.  But 
what to do.  That was the problem.  Each of them gathered Ms Davenport
in the study hall, and Bova in the kitchen.  There, they formulated a 
plan.  Later that day.....

* * * * * *

	Radu glanced around.  No one was in sight.  He listened but 
found only faint voices.  Now it was becoming stranger and stranger.  
Something was up.  Something that he was obviously kept out of.  He 
had to find out what it was.  "Hi Radu," Rosie said cheerfully from 
behind him.  He looked at her with surprise.  Why hadn't he heard her
coming?  No matter.  She was there, that was the point.  Why was she 
there?  "What are you doing?  It's time to eat now.  Hurry up."  Rosie
rushed off back to the Christa.  He started to walk slowly back when 
he saw Suzee running up to him.  
	"Are you coming or not?" Suzee said impatiently.  "We're all 
waiting for you."  Suzee grabbed his hand.  Something strange about 
it.  She quickly let go.  "Come on.  The commander said that he found 
something to fuel the Christa.  We're heading out of here now.  Once 
we get it airborn, we can eat.  Now, come on."  The two entered the 
Christa.  Within the hour, they had the Christa going.  Harlan set it 
on auto-pilot, and they all headed for the food wheel.  All except 
Radu.  Each crew member looked at his eating spot.  Where the quiet 
navigator would normally sit and converse with the others.  But this 
time it was empty.  "I'll go find him," Suzee said after a short 
conversation on where he might be.  She left the table to search for 
him.  

 * * * * * *

	Radu sat in his bunkroom.  He sat quietly thinking about 
nothing in particular when in entered Suzee.  "Hey Radu.  What's up?  
You've been acting wierd lately.  Now tell me what's wrong."  She sat
down next to him.  She looked up at his gaze.  It was almost hypnotic.
"Radu...." Suzee said only slightly afraid.  "Radu, please.  Now, you
can tell me what's wrong.  Trust me."  His gaze didn't change from 
her.  She decided to mindleap.  Something was going on with him.  And 
she needed to find out what it was.  She leaped into his mind only to 
find a hideous suprise.  She looked into a dense fog to see Radu 
trapped in what looked like....a cage.  He looked down helpless.  
//Radu?  What's happened to you?//  Suzee said telepathically.  Radu 
looked up from the small cage.  
	//Suzee!  You have to get out of here.  Quickly.  Something 
entered my mind. It-it was this object I found in the caves.  It had 
something in it.  It's taken over my mind.  I can't think straight 
anymore.  Warn the others quickly.//  Radu looked up with pleading
eyes.  
	//But Radu....I can't do that to you.  I can't just leave you 
here.  What can I--// Suzee suddenly stopped.  She looked up to find a
hideous creature behind Radu.  It had no body.  It was a loose spirit.
There was no solidness to it.  It was a bright green tint; the same 
color as Radu's eyes.  It was almost twice the size of Suzee. She 
looked upon it, but it only grinned.  She could hear it's voice 
inside her head.  
	//Oh good.  Another victim,// a low devilish voice echoed.
	//Suzee!  Run away!  Quickly!  Get away before it--.//  The 
cage vanished along with Radu in it.  Suzee started to exit her mind 
leap, but the creature was too fast.   She drifted away as fast as she
could.  But as she was leaving Radu's body, it caught up to her.  She 
felt a tingling sensation.  She felt it all over her body.  She was 
numb.  Suddenly very cold.  She felt as if she was being lifted from 
her mind and being trapped to only watch the horrors.  As the 
monstrosity entered the mind of Suzee, Radu's body collapsed onto the
floor.  Suzee also collapsed; her mind taken from her.  

* * * * * *

	Radu awoke in Medlab.  He groaned.  His head was pounding.  
The last thing he remembered was....what was it?  He remembered being 
in a tunnel and finding an object.  But his memory beyond then had 
vanished.  He carefully sat up.  He suddenly got very dizzy and sat 
back down.  "Take it easy, Radu." a familiar voice sounded out.  Who 
was it?  Oh, Rosie.  
	"Rosie..." he murmured.  "What happened?  I remember the cave 
and--"  
	"What?  You don't remember anything else?"  Rosie looked 
closely at Radu's eyes.  "They're blue!" she exclaimed as if she never
knew before.  
	"Yea...." Radu said slowly, "last time I checked anyway."  
Rosie smiled at him.  
	"Radu!" an angry person cried out.  He cleared his vision and 
found Harlan standing at the door.  
	"Hi Harlan," Radu said a bit confused on how he had gotten 
there and how a day could pass without him knowing it.  
	"What did you do to Suzee?" Harlan asked accusingly.  
	"What?!?" Radu said shocked at what Harlan had said.  "I 
didn't do anything to Suzee.  Why?  What's happened to her?"  
	"You should know," Harlan sneered.  
	"Harlan," Rosie said slightly irritated, yet trying to hide 
it, "I need to speak with you outside," Rosie tilted her head towards 
the door."  Harlan nodded.  Rosie and Harlan both exited the medlab. 
"Harlan, he doesn't remember anything past when he contacted me!"  
	"What?  What if he's lying?"  
	"I know he's not.  I can just feel it.  I can tell when Radu's
lying.  He seems out of place.  He was here....but he wasn't."  Harlan
looked at the little mercurian curiously.  He was even more confused 
than when she started explaining.  "Look, what do you know about 
Suzee?"  Harlan thought for a moment.  
	"Well....she just recovered from fainting a few minutes ago.  
And she wanted to be left alone." Harlan said with ease.  
But something clicked.  "You mean, whatever Radu caught.....it might 
leap to others?"  
	Rosie nodded her head.  
	"Well what are we gunna do?"  
	"First we should tell Elmira that her Radu's back to normal.  
Before she starts running away from him in fright."  
	"Yea, I'll go try and find her."  
	"I'll let Radu out of medlab and I'll talk to the commander.  
We'll see if we can work out a plan."  Harlan nodded and drifted away.
Rosie walked in and smiled at Radu.  She gave him a quick shot.  
"Okay, you should be okay now, Radu."  	"Thanks," Radu said standing 
up.,  "Uh....Rosie?  What happened?  I don't want to get Harlan mad.  
And I don't want to hurt Suzee.  I mean, what did I DO?"  Radu looked
worried.  Rosie smiled.  
	"You didn't do anything wrong Radu.  Don't worry about 
anything.  Oh, guess who's on the ship?  Elmira!"  Radu's worried 
expression turned into happiness.  He tried to hide being 
enthusiastic about it, but he wasn't doing a good job of it.  
	"Where?!?" Radu said with a wide grin on his face.  
	"I'm not sure.  Go find her."  
	Radu rushed out of the room but stopped at the doorway.  
"Rosie?  Thanks."  He turned and raced away to find Elmira.  

* * * * * *

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