In Angel Grove Ice Rink, Andros struggled to walk on the gray carpet with ice skates on his feet. He grasped the wall of the rink as he pulled himself upon the ice. Andros did not fall; he'd come here for many weeks, taking lessons from Mrs. Lang. This was Ashley's idea, he'd reminded himself, every time he fell or made a mistake. Surprisingly, though he began to really enjoy it.

Mrs. Lang had told him at the last lesson that she would be on vacation for a week. That didn't matter to him. He still wanted to practice. Besides, it's something to do other than scanning for my sister or fight Astronema. He looked at his watch. DECA said she'd contact me if anything came up on the scans . . .

As he sensed a presence of another person, and felt a warmth inside him. Andros stopped thinking and turned around. He saw another skater begin to move across the ice. He stared at her blond hair pulled back into a bun by pins and a white scrunchie. The lights from the ceiling illuminated the ice around her and her white sweater and skirt melded with the ice. Andros stared into her blue eyes.

He saw her invitation in those eyes. So they started to skate.

Words were not needed to tell each other how to skate or what to do; they kept feeling their energy in the air around them.

They twirled and spun on opposite sides of the rink, performing the same moves simultaneously.

They seemingly floated as they slowly glided to the center. They gently touched their hands together and circled as they stared closely into each other's eyes. Her eyes aren't blue, Andros realized. They're violet. They're mostly blue, but with ringlets of violet around the center of her eyes. Then the trance seeped back into him; he felt so peaceful, so free of all the pressures of his life.

Andros felt tears in his light blue eyes. I've never felt more calm in my life. He knew they were tears of joy and his spirit's longing for this emotion to be experienced again.

Slowly they circled away from each other and went to their opposite sides. Then they stopped skating. They left the rink without a word being spoken.

Andros teleported back to the Astro Megaship. He went straight to his quarters and he couldn't stop thinking about the last time he'd felt complete happiness. He'd been with Korone and Shayla, his Kalashe, his soul mate on KO-35. They'd been playing with a toy, telekinetically passing it back and forth. The day before Korone was kidnaped. He wiped his tears away with his hand. And the day after that, my Kalashe was killed from a blast that marked the first attack on the colony.

By custom, Andros should have committed ritual suicide for the loss of his Kalashe. He was excused from this custom because he was just a child. The emptiness hadn't left him; the mental bond he and his Kalashe shared was irrevocably severed. She was dead and he was truly alone.

"Andros, I am picking up a teleportation transmission from earth to the Dark Fortress," DECA, the ship's computer announced.

He jerked himself back to reality and jogged to the bridge. "Do you know what she took?"

"Not what, who."

"Astronema kidnaped someone?" Carlos asked as he, Ashley, TJ, and Cassie entered the bridge.

"Yes," DECA said," I am putting the image on the screen." On the diamond shaped screen in front of the bridge an image appeared. Andros saw twenty Quantrons grab the skater and teleport her to Astronema's ship.

Andros commanded,"DECA, set a course to follow the Dark Fortress."

"Done." The engines blasted a blue fire and the ship pursued the enemy.

That night Andros sat alone in his quarters, holding a holographic photo of his parents, Korone, and Shayla. He set the photo down on the small table and picked up a rectangular pad. He pushed buttons and words appeared on the screen on the table.

End Entry.