Author’s note: The character of Scorpian refers to Robert, not Mac.

Tomassif drew a deep breath before entering the tavern. He had been trying to locate Scorpian for the better part of the day after leaving the meeting of the Wizards, but with no success. He had inquired at several other taverns with limited results. Scorpian had been at one of the taverns the night before, but hadn’t been seen since.

When he stepped inside, Tomassif mentally berated himself for not having checked this tavern first. The clientele was disreputable, the lighting almost non-existent, and the noise level close to unbearable. If Scorpian was anywhere on Tron, it would be here.

As his eyes adjusted to the dim haze, Tomassif scanned the room in search of his errant Knight. The sooner he could bring Scorpian around to seeing the wisdom of his quest, the sooner it would begin and the sooner Jax Sharay would return to his rightful place on Meer’an. As Tomassif squinted at the tables in the very rear of the tavern, his heart soared. There, occupying a table all alone, sat his hopes for finding Zir Jax.

Tomassif put up the hood of his cloak and tried to move as quietly as possible between the small tables in the tavern. He shielded his face, since it would probably not be good for the image of the High Council if one of their own was to be recognized in an establishment such as this. When he drew near to Scorpian’s table, he could see a half-empty tank of paga in front of the lightly dozing Knight.

As Tomassif slid into the seat opposite Scorpian, the Knight roused. "I wish to be alone," he growled.

"That is impossible for a Knight of the Thren, my friend," Tomassif said softly. When Scorpian lifted vein-shot eyes to meet the Wizards’s, Tomassif smiled. "A Knight of the Thren takes a vow that binds him to help others in their hour of need."

Scorpian looked him up and down, an angry frown gracing his handsome features. "You do not appear to be in need. Leave me," he replied, and went to rest his head on his folded arms on the table again.

Tomassif reached over and grasped Scorpian by the hair that hung in his eyes. "Your services are in demand, Scorpian," he muttered, pulling his head up so that their eyes locked.

Scorpian’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of the wizard. "Tomassif!" He looked around and lowered his voice at Tomassif’s warning gesture. "You can save yourself some time and effort. Whatever it is you want me to do for you, the answer is NO."

"You haven’t even heard the quest, KNIGHT Scorpian," Tomassif scolded.

"I don’t *need* to, Wizard Tomassif," Scorpian returned angrily. "And I don’t care if the entire High Council requested my services, my answer would still be NO."

"Good!" Tomassif replied, rubbing his hands together in glee, because they haven’t *requested* your services -- they’ve COMMANDED them as a Knight of the Thren." He leaned forward seriously. "You cannot refuse an order and remain a Knight, Scorpian."

Scorpian shut his eyes wearily and then opened just one of them to give Tomassif a skeptical look. "What kind of quest is it?"

Tomassif sat back and folded his hands delicately on the table. "It is a rescue," the wizard said cryptically.

Scorpian’s one open eye narrowed. "A rescue? Who needs rescuing?" His other eye opened with excitement. "A beautiful princess of the Empire?"

Tomassif took a deep breath and stared down at his folded hands. "Zir Jax Sharay," he said quietly.

"ZIR....." Scorpian rose to his feet in anger, but then sat down again and lowered his voice at Tomassif’s warning look. "Zir Jax Sharay? You are sending me on a quest for another Sharay? This soon after that miserable quest to find his brother?"

"I realize that the quest for Jerrar was less than pleasant for you, Scorpian," Tomassif said, granting some ground.

"Less than pleasant?" Scorpian hissed. "LESS THAN PLEASANT??!! Do you realize that I had to go to that godforsaken planet in the Milky Way galaxy to bring him back? To that horrible place where his new mate lived -- what was it called?"

"Cal-i-vor-nee-uh," Tomassif replied in a small voice.

Scorpian leaned back in his chair, swinging his hand up at Tomassif in derision. "YES! That was it!" He leaned forward to whisper his confidence to the wizard. "Do you know that when humans engage in physical joining in Cal-i-vor-nee-uh, they can get a life-threatening disease?" Tomassif’s blush was apparent even though his face was partially hidden by the hood of his cloak. "And did you know that in the place where Barbeen lived -- what was it called?"

"I believe her home city was called.....the Land of Diz-nee."

"Yes! In this Land of Diz-nee city where Barbeen lived, the only way they avoided this serious illness was by having the male wear some kind of unnatural covering when they join! Did you know *that*, too?"

"Yes," Tomassif said in a hushed voice, "I recall Jerrar telling that story once he brought Barbeen back to Tron.

Scorpian leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in anger. "So, tell me, what anal orifice of the empire does the Council see fit to send me to this time?"

Finally Tomassif realized that Scorpian had ranted enough to calm himself and accept his fate. "Zir Jax had gone to a planet on the rim of the universe called Charporta to investigate the disappearance of another Familiar, Lukathan. Neither Jax nor Lukathan have been heard from since."

"Do you know that he reached Charporta safely?" Tomassif took heart as Scorpian began gathering the information necessary for the quest.

"Yes, I sensed his life force until he had been on Charporta for one day. Then.....nothing."

Scorpian took a deep breath and rose from the table. "I need to return to my home for some supplies. I will travel to Charporta by nightfall."

Tomassif rose also and put out his arm towards Scorpian. "The Council thanks you, Scorpian. You prove more every day that I was right to place my confidence in you when I nominated you for Knighthood."

Scorpian made a wry face as he grasped Tomassif’s arm in return. "Let the Council save their thanks until I return with Zir Jax safely." He whirled from the table and was out of the tavern in the blink of an eye.

Tomassif watched him as he left. Someday, Scorpian would have to admit that he was not as hard-hearted as he wanted the world to believe. Perhaps Jax was just the one to help him come to the realization.

Somewhere on the planet beyond the First Tunnel Point

Jax stood on the ground beneath the sotnat tree, his arms extended. "Come to me, Brenda. Jump and I’ll catch you!"

"Haven’t we done this before?" Her coy voice caused a ripple of pleasure to shimmer down Jax’s spine. He couldn’t believe that even the sound of her laugh or her smile caused him to want her all over again. He had so much yet to show her -- so many Familiar talents she had yet to experience. For a moment, a cloud of worry spread over Jax when he considered the possibility she might insist on leaving him once they reached the next Tunnel Point.

"Jax? Are you sure you’ll catch me?" Brenda asked once again. She sat on the lowest branch of the tree with her legs dangling down.

Jax sighed. "Zira, have you ever known me to break a promise?" Jax put his hands on his hips. "I need you to come down now, Brenda. We have a long journey ahead of us on a planet that offers little in the way of water or food."

Brenda took a deep breath. "All right, I’ll jump. Are you ready?" Jax nodded eagerly, and Brenda slid slowly from the branch to drop into Jax’s outstretched arms.

After catching her at Corinthon’s palace, this seemed like child’s play. Jax barely took a labored breath as he caught Brenda by the waist and held her above his head for a few moments. Her hands came down to rest on his shoulders and she laughed out loud. "Jax! Put me down!"

"Now?" Her feet moved restlessly in the air as he teased her.

"Yes, now!!!" Brenda laughed her delight, but when Jax began to slide her body slowly down his, bringing her lips even with his, she realized that the teasing and laughter had ended for the morning. He rubbed his lips against hers lightly, and then trailed his lips across her cheek to rub against her ear and the side of her neck. As her body relaxed, Brenda wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

"I told you I would catch you," he purred into her ear. "I will always catch you, my angel." He held her tightly in his embrace, but then surprised her when he set her down abruptly on her feet. Her eyes widened, but he gestured with his hand towards the broad expanse of desert. "Shall we?"

Brenda nodded quickly, and Jax took her by the hand as they set off walking. They had walked for about an hour when Jax sensed Brenda’s weariness and led her to a rock to sit. "We can rest for a few minutes before we continue." He took a hydrale flower from his pack and held it to her lips, squeezing the precious moisture into her parched throat.

As Brenda caught the fluid that had dribbled down onto her chin with her hand, Jax straightened up and pulled out a pod to drink some himself. She almost gasped aloud when she realized she had been having the most delicious thoughts about Jax licking the remaining water from her chin, and then her breasts....

As Brenda glanced up, she was grateful Jax had his back turned to her. What had come over her after a night in this Familiar’s arms? Even now, in this arid desert, with the sun beating down on them mercilessly, just the sight of his broad shoulders and bare back glistening with perspiration was enough to send her mind spinning with desire. As Brenda began to flush with heat that had nothing to do with the desert, she remembered the pleasure he had introduced her to. And then he had done that other thing.....enhancing.

It was such a paradox. The ultimate in the pleasure they had shared had turned her into a whimpering, needful slave to his touch. She vaguely remembered craving his embrace and grasping him to her as she cried his name again and again. But Jax had just held her, guiding her through the tumultuous feelings and emotions that swamped her at that moment when she experienced a flood of ecstasy.

And even now, as she looked at him again, Brenda remembered the way her body felt as it throbbed around him. When Jax turned back to face her, his eyes caught hers and held them as though with chains.

He knew. Jax, with those keen Familiar senses, could tell what she was thinking. And wanting.

He could see her breasts rising more quickly than normal, and he knew that she desired him again. The hint of a smile graced his beautiful face, and as Jax slowly began walking towards her, Brenda dropped her gaze, blushing at her forwardness.

She felt the tips of her breasts hardening and a dampness between her legs that she knew was not the result of the desert heat. But when Jax finally stood before her, he tipped her chin up to his and he just smiled at her. He looked at her, not with arrogance or superiority, but with tenderness and wanting. Brenda could barely speak. "Do Familiars read minds, too?"

Jax gently cupped her face in his hands. "It is not your mind that speaks to me, zira, it’s your body." Then he leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "But no -- Familiars cannot read minds, nor can we receive telepathic messages. Unless it is from another Familiar, of course."

Brenda fanned herself again with her hands. "This heat is becoming intense," she said, trying to push her cloak back off her face and shoulders.

Jax stopped her, pulling the cloak up over her head. "No, Brenda. You need to remain covered so that the sun’s strong rays do not poison you and burn your fair skin." He turned to look off into the distance. "I believe that the next Tunnel point is inside those mountains."

Brenda followed his gesture and gasped. "But Jax -- those mountains must be miles from here! Are you sure we can make it in one day? In this heat?"

"We *must* make it, Brenda. This planet is as I first thought -- just a stepping stone between two more developed, life-supporting planets. There is no water supply here, nor food source. We cannot survive here." He held out his hand to her. "We need to get moving."

Brenda rose. "Then at least take my cloak for a while, Jax. You have no shirt. Your skin is even more fair than mine, and you’ll burn in this sun."

"No, angel. You keep it. I’m stronger than you. I can withstand the sun, and should it burn my skin, I’ll just morph into my other form. When I morph back, the skin will be healed."

This seeming like a reasonable explanation, Brenda placed her hand in Jax’s, and the two fugitives set off across the desert again. Several hours later, Jax pulled a panting Brenda to a rock to rest again. As she pushed the hood of her cloak back only slightly, she gasped aloud when she saw how red and angry his back already looked. "Jax, you’re burned already! You need to take my cloak, right now!"

Jax only shook his head again, offering her a hydrale pod of water. "I cannot take it, Brenda. You need its protection more than I do."

Brenda’s eyes sparkled with a sudden inspiration. "I know! Morph into your cat self now! Your fur will protect your skin and you won’t absorb any more of the burning rays."

Jax stroked her cheek lovingly, and tears came to Brenda’s eyes when she saw him shiver with a chill from the sun’s burn on his upper body. "I wish I could, angel, but I need to stay in my human form to protect you."

"Protect me? From what?" Brenda looked around. "Surely you don’t mean the rays of the sun."

"There are life forms on this planet that pose a danger to our lives, Brenda." Jax inclined his head towards some scrubs. "Do you see those bushes just beyond that hill?" Brenda nodded. "My senses tell me there is a particularly venomous variety of creature that resides in those bushes. I have spotted numerous colonies of them as we’ve traveled across the desert today. They have quills that are tipped with a deadly poison. They have raised their quills at us several times, but I have sent them a telepathic warning that unless we need to defend ourselves, we mean no harm to them or their planet." He took her hands in his. "If I morph to my cat self, I won’t be able to continue sending these warning messages and they’ll attack us."

Brenda looked off at the bushes and shivered, although she suffered no sunburn as did Jax. He was protecting her again. And she hadn’t even been aware of it. She rose from the rock. "We should be going then, Jax." As he wavered slightly, she put her shoulder under his armpit. "Let me help you walk, my brave Familiar. It’s the least I can do."

So, the two travelers made their way further through the desert, stopping only briefly to rest or take some water. As they finally came to the base of the mountain, Brenda felt Jax resting more and more of his weight on her shoulders. "There’s a cave up ahead, Jax," she said, shifting his arm to rest on her other shoulder. "If we can make it that far, you should be out of the sun’s rays."

Jax nodded, pulling Brenda’s hood down even lower. She heard his voice, but she suspected he was trying to hide her eyes from how seriously burned he was becoming. "My senses tell me that the Tunnel entrance is inside the mountain. We will be able to reach it by following a path that leads from the cave into a place deeper in the mountain."

*~*~*~*

Somehow, Brenda managed to get herself and Jax inside the cave. She breathed in the cool, damp air gratefully. "Jax! We’ve done it! And there’s water up ahead -- a large pool!"

As she finally pushed her hood back off her head and gazed up into Jax’s handsome face, she cried aloud. "Jax! Oh, my poor Jax!"

His face was burned badly, his eyes almost swollen shut. As Brenda finally pulled him to a rock where he could sit to rest, she had to swallow hard to stop the bile from rising in her throat. His upper body, arms, and back were blistered and raw from exposure to the heat and rays of the sun. He shivered occasionally, and his skin almost burned her hand when she touched it.

She crouched in front of him. "Jax, we’re safe now. We’re inside the cave and there aren’t any of those bush creatures in here. Go ahead and transform into your cat self so your skin can heal."

Jax was breathing hard as he turned in the direction of her voice. "Can’t……not enough energy to morph…..need to rest and cool off."

Brenda put her hand to her mouth in fear, but then a determination gripped her soul. Jax had taken such good care of her thus far, and now it was her turn to return the favor. She glanced around and her voice caught as she saw the pool again. "Jax, there’s a natural grotto ahead. If we get you into the pool, it might cool your body enough that you can morph."

Jax nodded weakly, and Brenda winced as she slipped her arm under his shoulders to lift him. She heard his sharp intake of breath and knew he was holding back any indication that he was in pain. When they finally reached the edge of the pool, she lowered him to the ground and knelt beside him. "Jax, we’re here. Let me help you into the pool."

"My breeches… take them off…..cool the body faster," Jax mumbled.

Brenda raised one eyebrow. Usually, she would think that her Familiar was trying to seduce her or tease her with such words, but she knew that he was so weak and ill that he truly needed her help. Her hands went to the lacing of the breeches and hesitated only a moment before she undid them. She had a difficult time pulling the skin-tight breeches over his hips and down his legs, and as she knelt before him, she almost knew a moment’s regret when she saw parts of him stirring that weren’t sunburned. When she looked up into his face, she almost shed tears of relief to see a smirk gracing his burned face. "If I only had the energy, zira…."

"If you had the energy, Jax," Brenda scolded, "I wouldn’t need to be doing this for you." She slipped her arm under his, trying not to touch his back and cause him more pain, and assisted him as he waded into the cooling waters of the pool. Her own gown grew wet, but she didn’t care. When she finally lowered him to sit in the pool, she heaved a sigh of relief.

Chills racked his body, but Jax still sighed blissfully as the coolness of the water lowered his body temperature. As Brenda waded back out of the pool, she gave a little cry of delight when she caught sight of something on the other side of the grotto. "What is it? Are you alright?" Jax asked, his eyesight still hindered by swelling around his eyes.

Brenda scampered over to the other side and returned with a large bag. "Jax! There must have been travelers to this planet before us!" She opened the bag. "They left a bag of supplies inside the cave. There’s water, and some decorative stones, and ……oh, bless the gods…..some panoch!"

"Can you break off some of the panoch and feed it to me?" Brenda’s hands were shaking with happiness as she complied with Jax’s request. Panoch was a thin, dried bread that left much to be desired in taste but was nutritious and satisfying. As Jax slowly chewed the panoch that Brenda fed him, she was gratified to see some of the redness fading from his face. She held a container of water to his parched lips so that he could drink before drinking some herself.

"Jax, if you want I can rub some of the pulp of the hydrale flower into your back. You said before that it had mystical powers….maybe it would help heal the burn until you can morph."

Jax turned to the sound of her voice and reached out to take her hands. "No, angel. I’m feeling stronger now, and I want to try to morph before this strength leaves me." Brenda started to say something, but Jax put a finger to her mouth. "It’s still possible that I don’t have the energy to complete the morph, Brenda. I must face that possibility, and so must you."

Tears had already started to course down Brenda’s cheeks, and Jax felt one of them drip onto his hand. He lifted a burned finger to wipe at her face and cup it lovingly. "But you needn’t be concerned, zira. If I fail to achieve my cat morph, my body will morph into pure energy. I’ll still be with you, even if you can’t see a physical presence." He rubbed his hand along the side of her face. "Do you understand? I will *never* leave you."

Brenda trembled with the force of the sobs that she held back. Although he had repeatedly told her that Familiars never lied, she sensed that he was telling her this story about the "pure energy" to comfort her and give her courage. She seriously doubted that the energy state existed, but she nodded anyway. "I understand, Jax. I know you’ll never leave me."

Jax nodded slowly. "I’ll remain with you and guide you through the remaining Tunnel points to Tron. Tron is the main Imperial planet. Once you arrive there, you’ll be safe. My brother, Jerrar, and the rest of my family will see to that. But you must also seek out a wizard by the name of Tomassif."

"A wizard? Is he part of your family?"

"He is not of the Sharay bloodline, but he’s like a part of our family. You must tell him….." Jax halted as another chill rattled through him. Brenda felt his forehead. His fever still raged. If he didn’t transform soon, the fever would reach delirium and he would never be able to make the change.

"About the drug Corinthon has? The one he used on you?" Brenda gently prompted.

"…That, and also you must tell him," Jax continued in a whisper, "that the other one must be closed." Brenda frowned, and Jax sensed her confusion. "Tell him those *exact* words. He’ll know what I mean. Tell him I told you to tell him that."

"But Jax," Brenda said, "what if he doesn’t believe me? How will he know that I really bring this message from you? Will he sense your….spirit?"

Jax smiled. "No, angel." He was confident that Tomassif would immediately recognize the mark Jax had placed at her throat when they made love. Tomassif would know that Jax had taken her as his zira and would respect her as such. "Don’t be concerned. Tomassif is a very wise man. He’ll know."

Brenda nodded quickly, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "I’ll do it, Jax. I promise you, and a Torengi never breaks her promise, remember?" Brenda covered her sob when Jax broke into the smile that she had come to find so comforting, even after just these short days.

"Now help me out of the pool, Brenda." She immediately moved to support Jax as he pulled his burned and broken body from the pool. As soon as he was able to bear his own weight, he took his first finger and began tracing a delicate pattern on her forehead. He felt her tears as his finger moved down across her eyes. "Remember me, my sweet angel. Remember your Jax." Brenda’s shoulders shook as she felt that same peace and serenity wash over her that she had felt in Corinthon’s palace right before Jax had morphed. He continued to trace on her face, but when she felt the absence of his touch, she immediately opened her eyes.

Jax was surrounded by gold and silver sparks, much the same as the other time. As they grew brighter and more fiery, Brenda finally had to close her eyes. But when she opened them again, she was alone in the cave.

"NO! JAX!" Brenda screamed and sank to her knees, finally letting the sobs erupt that she had been keeping inside. She bent forward, burying her face in her hands, weeping for the man whose arousing touch and gentle ways had opened her heart to so many things.

Brenda continued to cry until she felt something against her feet. She stopped crying and froze, but then she felt it again. Something soft had rubbed against her ankles.

She slowly turned, but shrieked aloud in happiness when she found a large, tawny jungle cat laying behind her on his side. His eyes drooped with weariness, but his tail repeatedly lashed at her legs and ankles.

"Jax!" Brenda’s tears flowed fresh as she cast her eyes skyward. "Thank you," she whispered, and then she shifted her position to lay down beside the cat. Before she had even stopped moving, the cat’s eyes drifted shut and his body rose and fell with the even rhythm of sleep.

"Sleep, my brave Familiar," Brenda crooned. She petted him gently on the head, and was rewarded with a faint rumbling purr of contentment. She turned to put her feet near the cat’s tail and lay her head next to his on the hard ground of the cave. But she didn’t care. As she rested her own head on the floor, the cat shifted position and curled up to her, covering her lower body with his.

Brenda sighed with relief, and then fell into a deep sleep herself. The cat opened one eye, saw Brenda’s even breathing, and then purred once more before joining her in slumber.

To be continued…..