Repatriation by TransmuteJun
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry I took so long to post this. I hope it is worth the wait! And if not, well, that's my own fault, isn't it?

Chapter 1

"I'm… alive?"

"Of course you are."

"But… I died…" My eyes remained closed, stubbornly refusing to accept the truth. "I died… and Mark was there…" Maybe I was hallucinating…

"You weren't hallucinating."

"Norei?"

My eyes finally popped open, looking up to see my friend and sometime cellmate sitting next to me. I was lying on some kind of hospital bed, in the most advanced medical center I had seen in the better part of a year. Wait a minute.

"The Phoenix?" I sputtered. "We're on the Phoenix?"

"Where did you think we were?" Norei smiled.

"I didn't know." I admitted. "The last thing I remember, I was being overrun by soldiers…"

"You could have died." Norei acknowledged, bowing her head. "I should have been there with you. But instead…"

"You were dealing with your own issues, last I saw." I recalled. "Did everyone get to the transport?"

"We were ready to leave, yet I insisted we wait for you." Norei revealed "But… you didn't come."

"I'm glad you would all have escaped, even without me."

"It no longer matters. We are all here. Your Team arrived at the end of the battle." Norei informed me. "Just like men… arriving too late to do any real work." She grimaced with a sour expression.

"Mark... Mark is here…" My hazy mind was slowly grasping the reality of my situation.

"He was here, earlier." Norei revealed. "Also, the other one with the blue… Jason." Her mouth twisted distastefully.

"They were here?"

"Jason provided rudimentary medical care." Norei explained. "He asked questions. He is somewhat… irritating."

"Really?" I couldn't help the grin that came to my face. "That's interesting. Usually the Spectran women can't help but fall for his charms."

"I can't imagine why."

"I'll bet you can't." I laughed, but then my expression turned serious. "Where is Mark?"

"He came to see you, while you were unconscious, but then he had to return to his station."

"His station… the Bridge?"

"Yes."

"Oh…" A surge of disappointment passed through me.

"But he left something for you." She presented a small grey box, fairly industrial and utilitarian. Carefully I reached out, opening the box with a slow curiosity.

Inside the box was a brand new G-Force communicator.

"Oh!" I cried, a tear slipping from my eye. I took out the bracelet, holding it reverently, as if it were made out of the most delicate and expensive precious metals. Eagerly I placed it around my wrist, smiling as the band bonded together and shrunk to fit my slim arm. My implant hummed happily, connecting with the new device and issuing protocols.

This meant the world to me. It meant that Mark had no doubts; that Chief Anderson had no doubts. No matter how long I had been a prisoner of Spectra, they wanted me back on their team.

"G3 calling Commander." I whispered into the golden faceplate.

"Princess!" Mark sounded surprised, but pleased to hear from me. "You're awake!"

"And I'm wearing your wonderful present." I sniffed happily.

"I'll be right there."

I looked up at Norei, my heart overflowing with joy.

"He's coming…" I whispered.

"He was here before." Norei sniffed, but I could tell that she was happy for me. I heard the sound of footsteps, and looked up to see my Commander standing in the doorway.

"Mark!" I beamed.

"Princess." he smiled, moving over toward my sickbed. Norei considerately moved away from my other side, settling herself down on the adjacent bed.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to see you…" I told him in a trembling voice.

"I know exactly how long it's been." he corrected me. "Eight months, four days, sixteen hours and thirty-seven minutes… more or less." I stared at him in surprise, my cheeks glowing pink with pleasure.

"I… I've been waiting too." Mark admitted, glancing nervously over at Norei. She had her back turned to us, but it was clear that she couldn't help overhearing every word. Of course, she had only ever spoken Spectran to me, but Mark didn't know that.

"Ever since you were captured, I've been berating myself. How could I have let this happen?"

"I'm glad I was captured." I assured him. "It meant that you weren't. I would do it again, endure it all again, to keep you safe, Mark."

"It looks like you endured quite a lot." he noted, eyeing my wrist critically. Its round softness was gone, the bones sticking through the skin in a skeletal fashion. The communicator's snug fit made this disparity even more evident.

"I'm home now." I told him. "That's all that matters."

"Well, not quite yet." Mark admitted. "We're approaching Earth, but before we go to Center Neptune, we'll have to stop at Galaxy Security Headquarters."

"Why?" I asked, frowning.

"The prisoners... uh… Spectran refugees…" Mark stumbled over his words somewhat. "The Chief wants them at Headquarters."

"No!" I pushed myself up a bit, to better look the Commander in the eye. "We can't do that to them, Mark! I promised them they would escape. I didn't promise them another incarceration! They're not prisoners, Mark. Not to us."

"I agree." Mark appeared torn. "But the Chief…"

"Tell the Chief that I will personally vouch for everyone."

"I'm not sure…"

"I thought you trusted me, Mark." I said reproachfully. "Doesn't this mean that you're willing to take my word?" I held up my left arm, displaying my new communicator.

"I do trust you, Princess." Mark rushed to assure me. "But Chief Anderson doesn't want these women coming to Center Neptune, and frankly, I understand his concerns."

"What about Camp Parker?" I asked on impulse. "There's plenty of room there. The place is set up for fifty dignitaries to have conferences. And the security is unbelievable! My friends wouldn't have to be locked up anywhere, and could move about freely."

"I like that idea." Mark agreed. "I'll run it by the Chief."

"Whatever happens, Mark… I'm staying with them."

"What?" Mark's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"I'm the only non-Spectran they know: the only offworlder. I won't let them down. I can't abandon them."

"I… I understand." Mark nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Thank you, Mark." I smiled at him, pleased to see his cheeks flushing for a moment.

"You… you look much better when you smile." he said softly.

"I feel much better, now that you're here." I admitted.

"Commander to the Bridge!" Mark's communicator beeped. I recognized Tiny's voice coming from it. I smiled again. I really was home.

"I have to go, Princess… but I'll be back as soon as I can." Mark assured me.

"I'm counting on you, Mark." I told him, letting him know that I was speaking about more than simply seeing him again. He nodded before leaving the room.

"That didn't take as long as I thought it would." Norei remarked. I jumped, having forgotten that she was present at all. It was strange, having the world of my imprisonment collide with my role on G-Force.

"What didn't take as long...?"

"Either your Commander is completely besotted with you, or he actually has a modicum of sense." Norei murmured. "Amazing."

"You heard?" I was astonished. "Wait a minute… we were speaking in Federan!"

"I understand some Federan. It was part of my training."

"You never told me!"

"You never asked."

I sighed in frustration, but I couldn't help smiling.

"You're right, I didn't. Now, what did you mean when you said that Mark had a 'modicum of sense'?"

"I didn't think he would agree so quickly to your request." Norei explained. "I was expecting to be incarcerated the moment we reached the Federation."

"Mark understands." I assured her. "He has a heart; he is compassionate. And he understands that not all Spectrans are the enemy."

"Still… does he know of my past? Of any of our pasts?"

"No, of course not. He hasn't had a chance to find out. But I vouched for you. He trusts me."

"That much is clear." Norei agreed.

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