Travis cautiously entered the dark alleyway. The informer had said that the man Travis was to meet was trustworthy, but since the only person Travis trusted was himself, that description had been meaningless. However, he had been promised information about Blake, and that was something Travis couldn't afford to let pass by.

He stood in a doorway and waited patiently for his contact. He heard someone entering the alley, and shrank back into the darkness. Better to let the other man reveal himself first. However, the man made no move to come any further into the alley. Then Travis heard a slight sound behind him. Whirling silently, he could barely make out three other people creeping towards his position.

He cursed himself. A trap! He had been so anxious to find Blake, that his legendary patience had been forgotten and he'd rushed headlong into this mess. He crept out of his hiding place and made his way toward the single man at the near entrance. Travis could easily handle him, then get out of the narrow passage.

But it wasn't quite that easy. The man raised a gun and fired it directly at Travis's position. Only his quick reflexes enabled Travis to leap aside. He took refuge behind a power generator. Blast! They apparently had on infrared goggles. Another man shot at him, and Travis immediately returned fire, aiming his arm at the light emitting from the laser. A pained grunt followed by the clatter of a body among the refuse told him he'd scored a hit. That, of course, didn't go over too well with his attackers. They began firing at him in earnest now. Travis huddled behind the generator, then stood quickly to fire again. But his action was ill-timed; a shot hit the power generator, causing it to explode.

Travis was knocked into the middle of the alley. He clutched his face as he pushed himself to his knees. It felt as if his face was on fire. Before he could stand, a boot struck him in the back and he tumbled face-down onto the filthy street. A knee was jammed into his back.

"Watch his left arm," someone said. "That's the dangerous one."

"I know that," a voice above Travis replied. He felt his arms being jerked behind his back and tied securely. "If he fires that thing now, the only person he'll hit is himself." The man laughed as he and his partners pulled Travis to his feet. "Let's get him back to camp." They dragged Travis to their dusty land vehicle, threw him into the back seat, and drove off.

About an hour later, they reached their destination. The sun was just starting to climb over the horizon as they unloaded their catch. "We got him!" one of the men sang out. Five other men came out of their tents to look over their latest prize.

"He doesn't look so mean to me," one of them commented.

"Where's Jared?" asked another.

The man who had bound Travis shoved him forward. "You don't think he's dangerous? He killed Jared." That news did not meet with approval.

"Maybe we should teach him it's not nice to kill our friends," the first man said.

"No, the better shape he's in, the more we'll get for him."

"Looks like he already got messed up anyway. Have you seen his face?"

A hand grabbed Travis's head and turned him around. He winced at the touch. "He's just burnt a little," said his captor. "Let's put him in with the others."

They led Travis to a makeshift cage and shoved him inside. He tripped over something and fell headlong to the ground. Someone gasped in pain. "You'd better see to his leg," a woman's voice said. "It's becoming infected." The only answer she got was the door clanging shut in her face. She turned to her companion, who had a nasty looking wound on his left leg. "Let me see," she said.

She pulled back the cloth and looked at the ragged wound. It was bleeding again. She retied the makeshift bandage and sat back, glancing at her patient. He was pale and drenched in sweat. Then she looked at their new cellmate. Her mouth flew open. "You!" she nearly shouted.

Travis had struggled to his knees. The woman's voice sounded familiar...

"What's wrong?" the wounded man asked. Then he, too, recognized the new prisoner. "Travis..." he hissed.

Travis got to his feet and stumbled back into the corner. He crouched slightly as he cocked his head in their direction. He knew that voice. "Blake."

Soolin had risen protectively in front of Blake. She started to approach Travis, then halted, puzzled.

"What's the matter?" Blake asked urgently.

Soolin frowned. Travis was facing her, but not looking at her. She waved a hand in front of his face, but Travis didn't flinch. She turned to Blake. "He's blind!" she told him.

"What?!" Blake exclaimed.

Travis began to get a little nervous. He was trapped, blinded, and trussed up, in a cage with his worst enemy, who was not alone. He knew now that the woman was the lady gunfighter from Avon's crew. He began rubbing the ropes that bound his hands against the bars, searching for a sharp or roughened edge, as he talked. "So my information was correct. It's a shame they got you before I did, Blake," he taunted.

"Not too much of a shame," Blake replied. "If they hadn't captured us, you'd be all alone now."

"Who are they, anyway?" Travis asked, almost conversationally.

Blake was too surprised at hearing civil talk from Travis to answer. Soolin replied, "Bounty hunters, obviously. I think they're working for Servalan."

"Who else would want us both so badly? How is it that they managed to get you and not the others?"

Blake finally found his voice. "We're here looking for a new base. The bounty hunters posed as rebels. They wanted to meet with us, but I'm not so naive that I trusted them. I did underestimate them, however. They shot me and captured Soolin, but the others got away. I was hoping they would have rescued us by now."

"Still the same trusting fool, Blake? Your friend, Avon, is probably long gone by now. He has no real loyalty to you," Travis sneered.

"It would be best for you if he has gone," Soolin informed him. "Avon doesn't think too highly of you. I would hate for him to find you in this condition."

"I'm sure you would," Travis said sarcastically.

Blake shifted his position and half-stifled a groan. "Don't move too much," Soolin admonished. "You'll make the bleeding worse."

Blake sighed heavily and leaned his head back against the bare. "It won't matter after much longer," he said pessimistically.

The day wore on slowly as the scorching sun rose high overhead. The heat was tortuous. Travis had given up on freeing himself and huddled miserably in his corner. His shoulders were sending waves of pain through him, while his right arm had gone numb. Perspiration soaked his clothing, and his hair was matted to his head by sweat. The heat of the sun made the burns on his face hurt worse than before.

Blake and Soolin fared little better. Swarms of insects clustered around the bloody cloth on Blake's leg, but he was too far gone to notice. Soolin futilely tried to swat them away.

The sun had just reached its zenith when Travis raised his head and listened intently. Soolin noticed and asked, "What is it?"

"I'm not sure...it sounds like something heading this way."

Soon Soolin heard it too. She stood and squinted, peering into the distance. "You were right," she told Travis. "It looks like some of those land vehicles, coming right toward us."

By now the bounty hunters had been roused and come running out of their tents. "It's Keiler's gang!" one of them shouted. The men immediately armed themselves and took cover. The three vehicles roared into camp, loaded with men who began firing on the bounty hunters.

One of Keiler's men leapt from his cover and ran to the cage. By now Blake was conscious enough to know what was going on. Travis was again trying to free his arms. The man shot open the door. "All right, you three. Out! You belong to Keiler now."

Soolin bent to help Blake stand. "I can't get him out," she said. "He's been wounded and can't walk."

The man cautiously entered, grabbed Blake with his free hand, and started to drag him out. Blake suddenly sprang into action, landing a blow on the man's head and knocking him to the ground. Soolin grabbed the fallen gun and finished the job.

Blake looked up at her. "Well done," he complimented, then he looked at the battle raging behind them. "But we're not quite out of trouble yet. And I don't think I'll make it too far in this condition."

"I have an idea," Soolin said. She ran back inside the cage to Travis, who was on the ground trying to avoid getting hit by stray shots. She grabbed his arm and put the gun to his cheek. He froze. "We're in a bit of a mess," she said. "Those men are fighting it out over who gets us. Blake can't walk; you can't see. Here's what I propose. You be his legs, we'll be your eyes. We can escape together, but we'll never make it alone. Do you understand?" Travis nodded. Soolin went behind him and untied his hands, then led him to Blake.

"Come on," she said. She pulled Blake to his feet and pushed Travis beside him. "Hang onto him," she told Blake. "And tell him where to go. We're getting out of here." With one last look at the carnage behind her, she took Blake's other arm, and the three of them moved as quickly as they could away from the camp and into the desert.

* * *

The fighting had finally ended. Keiler and his men had defeated the bounty hunters, but not without losses. Seven of their men were dead; all the bounty hunters were, or would be soon; and all the land rovers had been destroyed. But there was no time to celebrate. Their prizes had escaped. They found the man Soolin had killed lying beside the empty cage. Keiler kicked the body savagely, then turned on the survivors. "I want those three found! I didn't come all this way for nothing. Tracker!" One of the men stepped forward and looked expectantly at Keiler. "Find their trail. We're going after them. The rest of you men get food and water. We'll have to go on foot."

While Tracker scouted about, the others got their supplies and gathered around Keiler. "Here!" Tracker suddenly called out. "They're heading east."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Keiler bellowed. "Let's go!" They began heading in the direction Soolin, Blake, and Travis had taken not long before.

* * *

As they trudged through the desert, Travis observed, "We're leaving quite a trail for them. They're most likely already following after us."

"I know," said Soolin.

Travis bit back his initial retort. "I assume you have some sort of plan?"

"The desert ends just ahead," Soolin replied. "We'll be going into a mountainous region. It's pretty hard to follow a trail through rocks."

"And harder still to climb them, especially if you're having to drag someone along with you," Travis said.

"And impossible to climb for a blind man," Soolin returned. "You'd better keep close to Blake; you might lose your footing, and that would be too bad."

Travis just grunted and shifted Blake's position slightly. Feeling had finally returned to his right arm, which was now tingling as the blood resumed its flow.

They reached the foot of the mountains. Blake looked up and snorted, "For some reason, Soolin, I don't think I was cut out for this sort of thing." They stood for a few moments, catching their breath.

Soolin walked around, surveying the base of the rocks. "I've found a place I think we can climb," she said. "I'll go first, and help you," she told Blake. "You can bring up the rear and catch us in case we fall," she said to Travis, who was not amused. They began climbing.

The first twenty feet were hardest, where the going was most steep. After a while, Blake was on the verge of staging a sit-down strike and demanding Soolin go on without him, when the land leveled off somewhat. They all thankfully sat down for a quick rest. The sun was setting, and it was rapidly getting cooler.

"We're going to have to find shelter soon," Blake said tiredly. "No matter what you say, we can't negotiate this terrain in the dark."

"I hadn't noticed it getting dark," Travis said scathingly.

Soolin glared at him. "You're welcome to go on your own."

"Those bounty hunters aren't going to stop," Travis reminded her.

"They'll have to, when they reach the mountains. They're not foolish enough to attempt that climb at night," Blake said. "We'd better get going."

Soolin helped Blake to his feet. He put one arm around Travis's shoulder and the other around Soolin's shoulders. "If Avon could see us now..." he muttered. They once more started walking upwards.

* * *

A lone land rover rolled up to the deserted camp, and the occupants cautiously jumped out and surveyed the destruction. Three of them, two men and a woman, began to walk through the camp, while the other man hovered near the rover's hatch.

Tarrant squatted down and searched for the pulse of the man at his feet. He was dead. "What hit this place?" Tarrant wondered.

Avon didn't answer, and kept walking. A cry from Dayna got their attention. "This one's still alive," she shouted. Tarrant and Avon ran to her. She was kneeling beside one of the bounty hunters, who had been shot in the chest. He wouldn't be alive much longer.

"What happened here?" Avon asked. "Where are the two people you captured?"

The man stared blearily at Avon. "Some water," he gasped.

Dayna stood and called to Vila, "Bring some water, Vila, and be quick!" Vila disappeared inside the rover for a few seconds, then came running towards them with a container of water. Dayna took it and gave some to the man.

"Hey, not so much!" Vila exclaimed, grabbing it back. "That's all we have."

Tarrant grabbed the bounty hunter's shoulders and shook him slightly. "What happened here?" he repeated Avon's question.

"Keiler's gang," the man whispered. "Tried to get our prisoners. But they escaped. Headed east, I heard them say." His eyes closed.

Avon stood and started walking back to their vehicle. "Let's go," he ordered. "We don't have much time. It's getting dark."

"What about him?" Vila motioned to the bounty hunter.

"He's dying. There's nothing we can do for him," Avon replied without stopping. Tarrant and Dayna followed him.

Vila dawdled behind. "But..." he began.

Avon cut him off. "You can stay here and play good neighbor if you wish. We are going to find Blake and Soolin, if it's not too late."

Vila took one last look at the dying man, then ran to join the others. Tarrant started the vehicle and they roared off, heading east.

* * *

Blake, Soolin, and Travis had finally managed, in the last hours of daylight, to take shelter in a small cave. "I'll take the first watch," Soolin said. "Blake, do you think you could handle the second one?"

"Yes," he answered. "My leg's gone numb; it doesn't hurt now."

"Then the infection is spreading," Travis said matter-of-factly. He laid back on the cool rock floor. "I don't suppose you'll want me to take a watch, will you?"

Soolin didn't bother to answer, but went and sat in the entrance. "You'd better rest while you can," she said. "We have to leave at first light."

* * *

Keiler listened as one of his men reported to him. "We can't do it, sir. We'll be lucky to climb that in daylight, but not tonight."

"If those three can climb it, then we can!" Keiler shouted.

"Yes, sir," the man trembled. "But they've had to stop for the night too. We know one of them is wounded."

"Set up camp," Keiler growled. "We leave at daybreak."

* * *

Travis, a light sleeper at best, awoke immediately when he heard Soolin moving into the cave. She woke Blake and helped him to the entrance before she settled down for her short nap. Travis listened as Blake moved into a more comfortable position, grunting with pain as he did so.

"I thought you said it had stopped hurting," Travis said quietly.

Blake jumped, then turned around almost guiltily. "It had," he admitted. "But it's started up again."

"The last stage of the infection," Travis said. "If it's not taken care of very soon, you'll lose your leg, possibly even die."

"How do you know so much about it?" Blake asked irritably.

"Why do you think they had to amputate my arm?"

There was silence for a long moment. "I suppose you could think of this as some sort of revenge," Blake finally said.

"I could," Travis agreed. "But I'm not. At the moment, revenge is the last thing on my mind. You realize we don't have a chance, don't you?"

"Yes," Blake sighed. "But I don't intend to make it easy for them."

"Then make it easy for me," Soolin interrupted. "I'd like to get a little rest before we all go out in a blaze of glory tomorrow."

"Sorry,". Blake apologized. He returned to watching the dark mountainside. Travis settled back down, but didn't go to sleep again.

As soon as it was light enough to see, they were on their way. "I've been thinking," Travis said. "If there's a way we could do it without being seen, we should double back and return to the camp. With any luck, they would roam around these mountains for a while looking for us. That would give us more of a start on them. Besides, we need food and water."

"I don't fancy another trip through that desert," said Soolin.

"Neither do I, but it's better than walking around here waiting for them to find us," Blake said. "I say we should try it."

"Do you realize that you and Travis just agreed on something?" Soolin pointed out.

"Well, I won't mention it again if you won't," Blake grunted. "We should start to circle around now. I only hope we can find another way down."

"I think my sight is returning," Travis said hopefully some time later.

"Oh?" Soolin didn't like the sound of that.

"I can see light, but that's all," Travis explained. "Don't worry, I have no intention of turning on you yet."

"Yet," muttered Blake under his breath. His throat was dry.

"Careful," Soolin suddenly warned. "We're crossing a narrow ledge." They edged out on it, walking sideways so they could still support Blake. They were nearly to the other side when, without warning, part of the ledge fell away from underneath Travis. He felt himself falling and frantically grabbed at the nearest thing he could, which happened to be Blake's shirt. Blake went down, and nearly over the edge too, but Soolin held him back.

Travis felt his legs dangling over nothingness as he scrabbled to latch onto something with his free hand. He managed a precarious hold on a rock.

Blake felt a wave of nausea sweep over him as his leg hit the rocks. Fighting to remain conscious, he braced himself against a large, hopefully solid, stone. "Travis!" he said urgently. "You have to let go of me. You'll pull us all over!"

Travis laughed, slightly hysterically. "I don't intend to die alone, Blake!"

"Listen," Blake nearly shouted. "Just release my shirt, then I can get into a better position to help you. We can't pull you up like this!" Travis still held tightly. Blake cursed as he slipped closer to the edge. "Use your head!" he shouted. Travis suddenly let go of Blake's shirt, and Blake immediately sat up and motioned to Soolin. "Quickly, help me," he told her. She positioned herself behind Blake, who stretched out his hand. "Now, give me your hand!" he ordered Travis.

Travis reached upward. "I can't see it!" he cried. He felt his fingers cramping and losing their grip on the rock.

"To the left, to the left," Blake directed. Travis moved his arm. "A little more...there!" Blake grasped Travis's hand. "Now, Soolin, help me pull." With one gigantic effort, they dragged Travis over the edge onto solid rock. They all lay gasping for a few minutes, then Soolin sat up.

"You realize you owe Blake your life," she told Travis.

"I owe him nothing!" Travis spat.

"He's right," Blake said. "I'd say we're even now." Travis didn't reply.

Soolin wearily got to her feet. "We need to get moving," she said. After a few moments, Travis stood, then they got Blake to his feet and moved on.

* * *

"Quiet!" Tracker ordered. In the sudden silence, stones could be heard clattering down the mountain. "It came from over there." He pointed to his left.

"They're trying to get around us," Keiler said. "Move out!" He and his men started running.

* * *

Blake stumbled and fell, nearly taking Travis and Soolin with him. "Go on," he gasped. "I can't make it."

Soolin quickly knelt beside him. The bandage had been lost on the ledge, and the wound was swollen, covered with dirt, and bleeding slightly. "Don't stop now," she said. "We're nearly to the bottom." Blake didn't seem to hear her. "Help me get him up," she told Travis. He was about to comply when a shot suddenly rang out.

"Too late," he told her.

"Come on," she urged. "We can hide behind those boulders." They dragged Blake to the shelter, and Soolin watched as eight men began converging on them. She drew her gun and fired, killing one of them. The others quickly dove for cover.

"Why don't you give up?" Keiler shouted. "You're worth more to us alive, but we can take you back dead too."

Soolin answered by firing at him. She saw some of the men circling to get behind them.

"What's happening?" Travis asked anxiously.

"We're surrounded, that's what," Soolin told him grimly. "If you have any brilliant plans, now would be a good time to unveil them."

Travis pulled Blake into a sitting position. "Help me!" he said. "I can fire at them, but you'll have to help me aim."

Blake guided Travis's arm into position. "Ready, fire!" he instructed. Travis did, and one more man fell dead to the ground. "Now, steady...steady...fire!" The shot missed, but sent a man diving back for cover.

"I think I can see blurred shapes," Travis said, squinting. "How are we doing?"

"Don't ask," Blake advised. "Fire!" he ordered suddenly. With a scream, a man fell from a cliff above them.

Then something hit the ground in their midst. "Watch out!" Soolin cried. "Explosive!" They scattered out into the open as the bomb exploded, pulverizing the boulder. Keiler and his man had them surrounded in seconds.

Keiler took the gun from Soolin and smiled. "It's a pity you're worth so much," he purred. "I'm tempted to keep you for myself."

"It's a pity I don't have that gun in my hand right now," Soolin countered. "I'm tempted to blow your brains out."

Keiler slapped her, then instructed his men to tie the three up. He moved to stand in front of Travis. "I think we should disarm you, literally. I dislike the thought of having to worry about that built-in weapon during the journey ahead. You," he pointed out two men. "Get that prosthetic arm off him."

They dragged Travis, who was struggling madly, aside and ripped the shirt from around his shoulder. "How do we get it off?" one of them asked, staring at the metal that blended into Travis's flesh.

Keiler shrugged. "Be creative," he said disinterestedly. One of the men pulled out a knife and had just started to cut around the metal when, without a sound, he dropped dead. Keiler looked around wildly as another of his men died before him, a neat hole appearing in his chest. The last two closed in around Keiler as a voice floated to them from the surrounding mountains.

"Unless you have a desire to join them, I would advise you to drop your weapons and step away from those three."

"Avon!" Blake muttered with relief. One of the men sprinted away suddenly and he, too, was killed.

"Only two of you left," Avon shouted. "There are more of us than that."

"How do I know you won't kill us anyway?" Keiler asked.

"You have my word, which is all you'll get," Avon replied. "We only want Blake and Soolin."

"Then I get to keep the Federation renegade?" Keiler asked craftily.

"No!" Blake shouted. "He comes with us."

"Are you out of your mind?" Avon sounded incredulous.

"This is no time for argument, Avon," Blake said.

There was a moment of silence, then Avon finally spoke. "Very well. All three for your life," he offered Keiler. "Leave now, and don't turn back, or we will kill you."

Keiler and the last man backed cautiously away, then ran off. Within moments, Avon, Tarrant, Vila, and Dayna had clambered down the mountain. They unloosed Blake's and Soolin's bonds. Blake smiled weakly. "In the nick of time, as always," he said.

"Let's hope so," Avon muttered as he examined the wound on Blake's leg. "Vila, give me the medical kit." He took it and carefully cleaned the wound. "You need to see a medic," he told Blake. "It's very infected."

"So I've been told." Blake sighed wearily and lay back. "But I can't walk down this mountain."

"We'll get you down," Tarrant said. Avon took Blake's shoulders and Tarrant picked up his feet. Dayna took the water jug, giving some to Blake and Soolin and, reluctantly, to Travis. They started down the mountain.

Travis hadn't moved. "Well, go on," Vila urged in a fit of courage. The sight of Travis bound inspired gallant feelings in him.

"You'll have to guide him," Soolin said. "He can't see."

"Me?" Vila asked, deflated.

"He's your prisoner, Vila," Dayna said. "Let's move."

Vila sighed a martyred sigh and pushed Travis ahead of him. "Don't try anything," he warned.

"I wouldn't think of it," Travis informed him. "Not against you." For some reason, Vila got the feeling he was being laughed at.

By the time they had gotten to the base of the mountain, Blake had lost consciousness. They carefully laid him in the rover, then sped back to town. "Who can we take him to?" Vila worried. "I wouldn't trust anyone around here."

Travis finally spoke up. "There is one medic," he offered. "He used to be Federation, but he went underground some time ago."

"No doubt he will do anything you ask of him," Avon said snidely.

"No doubt," Travis countered. "I helped him escape. He was one of the medics who saved my life. I couldn't let Servalan kill him too."

"What makes you think he'll help Blake?" asked Tarrant.

Travis laughed. "The famed leader of the resistance movement? Jonas would count it an honor. He's turned into quite a rebel since he deserted."

"And you still associate with him?" Avon said disbelievingly. "Doesn't that go against your training as a Federation officer?"

"I'm no longer with the Federation," Travis snapped. "And you would be surprised at how many resistance people I know. I'm fighting Servalan too."

"And Blake," Dayna said. "What do they think about that?"

"A lot of them think Blake was killed on Gauda Prime. Since we share the same goals now, they've slowly taken me in."

"Foolish of them," Avon said. "The rabble are always too willing to trust."

Soolin cut in. "Where is this medic?" Travis gave them directions, and they soon arrived at a small house. Avon and Tarrant led Travis to the door and knocked.

"Who's there?" a voice called.

"It's Travis," Travis answered.

The door flew open. "Travis! It's good to..." The man stopped talking as he noticed Travis's condition and the guns in Avon's and Tarrant's hands. "What's going on?"

"We have a patient for you," Travis said. Vila, Dayna, and Soolin carried Blake forward.

Jonas's jaw dropped. "Is that who I think it is?" he exclaimed.

"Let's get inside," Travis urged. They all filed inside where Blake was laid on a table in the surgery. Jonas moved behind Travis and began to untie him.

Avon brought his gun to bear. "Leave him," he ordered.

Jonas glared at him. "If you want me to help your friend, then you'll show a little respect and compassion for mine." He finished untying the ropes, then took some ointment from a shelf and put it in Travis's hand. "Rub this on your wrist," he instructed. "I'll see to your face and shoulder after I take care of Blake."

Travis could see well enough to find his way into the outer office, locate a chair, and sit in it, ignoring the guns aimed at him. They all waited in silence as the medic fought to save Blake's leg, and his life. When Jonas finally stepped out of his surgery, everyone looked at him expectantly.

"He'll be fine after a few weeks' rest," he told them. "But you won't be able to move him for a few days. He's too weak, and his leg is still in bad shape."

"What are we going to do all that time?" Vila asked.

"I know some people," Jonas said. "They have no love for the Federation and would do anything to undermine it. They would be glad to house you while Blake recovers."

"Can we see Blake?" Soolin asked. Jonas nodded. "Then we need to discuss this with him," she said. They filed into the surgery.

"Not too long," Jonas cautioned.

Avon was the last to enter. He looked at Travis before he closed the door. "If you try to come into this room, you're dead."

"Go ahead and have your meeting," Travis scoffed. "I have no interest in your 'secret' plans."

Jonas came and stood before Travis. "What's happened to you now?" he asked.

"Not much," Travis replied. "Just burned, blinded, and nearly amputated."

Jonas sighed as he examined Travis's face. "You do seem to get into a lot of trouble," he said. He held up three fingers. "How many do you see?" Travis squinted, then took a guess. "Three?"

"Good," Jonas said. "Just temporary blindness caused by whatever burnt your face." He took a cloth, soaked it in medicine, and began carefully cleaning Travis's face. "This could hurt a little." Travis flinched but remained still until Jonas was finished. Then the doctor looked at the wound around the prosthetic arm. "Amputated, you say?

"They were trying," Travis replied.

"I'm going to have to sew this up," Jonas told him. He cut Travis's shirt off and numbed his shoulder before stitching it up and bandaging it. "I think you'll live," he finally pronounced.

"Thank you," Travis said.

Soon Avon and the others came back into the outer room. "We have decided, against my better judgment, to take you up on your offer. But one of us will be here at all times with Blake," Avon said.

"Good," Jonas said. He contacted his friends, and they soon came and took everyone but Avon, who was taking the first shift, with them. "I can move a bed in there, if you want," Jonas told Avon.

"A chair will be fine," Avon replied.

Jonas turned to Travis. "The spare room is yours, of course. I take it you'll want it?"

Travis nodded. "It's been a rough past few days," he said. Exhaustion was finally catching up with him, and the fact that Jonas had given him a relaxant didn't help.

Jonas led him to the room. "There's fresh clothing in the closet," he told Travis. "Can you manage?"

"Yes," Travis replied. "I trust you'll watch my back for me?"

"Don't worry," Jonas assured him. "I'll make sure Avon stays with Blake." He left.

Travis closed and locked the door, then shed his filthy clothes and pulled on some clean ones. He collapsed on the bed. I need a shower, he thought to himself, but before he could think any more about it, he was fast asleep.

When Travis woke the next morning, the sun was already high in the sky. He looked at his chronometer. That late?! He got out of bed quickly, then stood for a moment as he paid for his haste with dizziness. "I'm getting too old for this," he groaned as he went to take a shower.

Since he'd already overslept, he spared himself a few extra minutes under the warm water. Then he dressed, ran his fingers through his hair in lieu of a comb, and went into the kitchen.

Travis found his host sitting at the table, drinking coffee. "Care for some breakfast?" Jonas asked.

"I'll get it," Travis said. As he started to prepare the food, Jonas noticed how he favored his left arm.

"Is your shoulder bothering you?" he inquired.

"A little," Travis hedged.

"Let me get that for you," Jonas said, starting to rise from his seat.

"Jonas!" Travis said loudly. He turned back to preparing his meal.

Jonas smiled and returned to his seat. "Sorry. I'd forgotten what a stubborn fool you could be."

Travis had just sat down to eat when Tarrant wandered in. "Is this a private party, or can anyone join in?" he asked.

"Help yourself," Jonas offered.

"When did you get here?" Travis asked Tarrant.

"I took over a few hours ago. Don't tell me you were still asleep!"

Travis, very faintly, blushed. "Those blasted relaxants..." he muttered darkly.

"What's that?" Jonas asked innocently. Travis glared at him.

Tarrant sat at the table. "Do you really work with rebel groups, or was that just a story to get Avon to believe you?" he wondered, looking at Travis.

"I do know a few," Travis replied.

There was silence as they finished their meals. Tarrant leaned back in his chair, a satisfied look on his face. "Delicious," he said. He peered out of the corners of his eyes at Travis. "You know, I've been thinking. Since you have connections with groups we don't know of, and we obviously know a lot that you could never get in contact with..."

"No," Travis interrupted. He got up and placed his dishes in the cleaning unit, turning his back on Tarrant.

"No, what?" asked Tarrant.

"No to whatever foolish plan you've dreamed up," Travis snapped.

"You wouldn't know what I was thinking if you hadn't been considering it yourself," Tarrant said smugly.

"Shouldn't you be watching after your beloved leader, Blake?" Travis growled.

"Oh, he's fine," Tarrant said. "In fact, he sent me out for a while. Said he was getting tired of being on display all the time."

"Then perhaps I should go look after him," Travis said, softly but menacingly.

"Point taken," Tarrant said. "But you should know one thing," he told Travis as he walked out the kitchen door. "I'm not the only one who thinks this way."

"He's right, Travis," Jonas said after Tarrant had left.

"Not you too?"

"Think of it," Jonas rushed on, excited. "With your knowledge of the Federation, and Blake's various contacts throughout the galaxy...the possibilities are endless!"

Travis sighed and sat back down. "It wouldn't work," he said.

"Why not?" exclaimed Jonas.

"There's too much between us," Travis explained. "Every time I think of Blake, I'm reminded of this," he pointed to the eyepatch, "and this," he extended his left arm.

"I'm sure Blake's memories aren't very pleasant, either," said Jonas.

"Precisely," pointed out Travis. "How can you work with someone you've hated for years and vowed to kill? We'd never be able to turn our backs on each other."

"People can change," Jonas argued. "Just before your 'accident,' you were planning on leaving the service. You only stayed in so you could get revenge on Blake. Who knows? If you'd quit the Federation a few weeks earlier than you'd planned, you might have been fighting on Blake's side now, anyway. The Federation never did anything good for you. Now's your opportunity to fight back and have a real chance!"

Travis rose and left the room without speaking. "At least think about it!" Jonas called after the retreating figure.

The next few days were uneventful. Blake was soon well enough to venture outside his room, a little help. Travis avoided him like the plague. Then, one night as Travis was preparing for bed, someone knocked on his door. "Who is it?" he called.

"Blake," came the unexpected reply. Travis was silent for a long while. "Are you going to let me in?" Blake's voice was strained. "I can't stand for much longer."

Travis slowly opened the door and returned to sit on the chair. Blake limped in carefully and nearly collapsed on the edge of the bed. It took him a few minutes to recover from his efforts. "I didn't think you'd let me in," he admitted.

Travis glanced out the open doorway. "Where's your bodyguard?" he asked.

"I asked Dayna to let me see you alone," Blake replied. "I wanted to talk to you." Travis looked at him expectantly. "I'm not going to apologize to you," Blake began. "And I don't expect any apologies from you. I did what I had to do in that situation, as I'm sure you did too. I can't bring back your eye or arm. You can't bring back all the friends I lost that day. But I'm willing to forget that if you are. The Federation did those things to us. We should be fighting them, not each other. I've talked it over with the others. They've almost unanimously agreed to let you join us on a trial basis."

Travis raised his eyebrow. "Almost unanimously?"

Blake smiled slightly. "Avon had his misgivings."

"I'm sure he did."

"But he was outvoted. Soolin and Tarrant think you'd be a useful ally; Dayna and Vila are at least willing to give you a chance. What do you say?"

What do I say? Travis thought to himself. He began rubbing his artificial arm, then noticed what he was doing and stopped. He looked up. Blake was staring at him, awaiting his answer. "You'll have to let me think it over," he finally said.

"Well, that's a start, at least," Blake smiled. "We'll be leaving the planet in two days. Dayna!" he called. "Could you come and help me?" Dayna appeared instantly; she had obviously been waiting nearby. The two left the room and Travis locked the door. It was a long time before he went to sleep that night.

* * *

"Thank you for all your help." Blake shook Jonas's hand as he prepared to board the pursuit ship. "Be sure to express our gratitude to your friends too."

"My pleasure," Jonas smiled. "Just be sure to take care of your leg, and stay out of trouble."

"Ha!" Avon scoffed. The others ignored him as they started boarding the small ship.

"How do you all fit in there?" Jonas asked.

"We don't," Vila called over his shoulder. Tarrant pushed him inside.

Blake was looking back toward Jonas's house. "Well, uh, it's a little cramped, but we manage." He sighed and slowly turned to walk up the ramp. "Good luck," he said.

"I wonder if you have room for one more," a voice at his shoulder asked. He turned to see Travis standing behind him.

"There's always room for one more," Blake said carefully.

"There should be," Travis said. "After all, it's my ship."

"Our ship," Avon, who was standing in the rampway, emphasized. Blake waved him inside. Avon, after a compulsory glare at Travis and smirk at Blake, entered the ship. Blake limped after him.

"I'd like a few minutes with Jonas," Travis said. Blake nodded and disappeared inside.

"So you're really going to do it?" Jonas asked, smiling.

"I'm going to try it," Travis corrected.

"You won't regret it," Jonas told him.

"Let's hope not." Travis started up the ramp.

"Travis!" Jonas called. Travis turned to look at him. Neither one of them spoke, but they didn't need to. Travis nodded slightly and entered the ship. As the hatch was closing, Jonas faintly heard the voices inside:

"Put your things in this locker," came Blake's voice.

"But that one's mine!" Vila complained.

"You can share it with him," Dayna said impatiently.

"Why don't you share yours with him?" came Vila's rejoinder.

"Vila, shut up!" said Tarrant and Avon simultaneously.

Just as the hatch clicked shut, Travis's dry voice floated from the ship: "Is it too late for me to change my mind?" Jonas laughed as the ship took off. Heaven help the Federation now.

the end

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