"One of my earliest memories is sitting in that chair, in my father's lap. I was Beka, Princess of Space in my trusty ship the Eureka Maru. I was the best pilot in the Universe, and everybody wanted me to fly for them."

"That sounds about right," Dylan replied. "Except for the Princess of Space part."

Beka smiled briefly. "And then, later, I got to sit in it for real, first as an apprentice under my father, then a journeyman, and finally as a Master Pilot." She shook her head. "Uncle Sid thought he was nuts, but my father insisted that I meet all the standards, pass all the tests I would have had to pass to get a Master Pilot's rating in the old Commonwealth Merchant Marine, rather than settling for the FTA's standards, even if there wasn't anyone left who could properly certify me."

"That chair holds a lot of good memories for you."

"I found my father in that chair," Beka continued softly. "He'd crawled out of his bunk and strapped himself in, and for the first time in I don't know how long, he looked at peace." She laughed and swiped at her eyes. "I guess he figured if he was going to go, he'd do the piloting himself." She looked down at her hands. "It wasn't too long after that when I met up with Harper on Ceres Drift. The first time I met up with him."

"The first time?" Dylan asked.

Beka smiled. "He tried to pick me up in some bar."

Dylan shook his head. "Vintage Harper."

"Yeah. Then about a year and a half later, we ended up on Norton's Planet with a cracked lens and a pair of shot up engines after another one of Bobby's 'can't miss' deals went sour."

Dylan raised his eyebrows. "Norton's Planet had a bit of a reputation, even back in the Commonwealth."

"It's just gotten better over the years," Beka replied. "One of the few places in the Six Galaxies that makes Earth look good." She shook her head. "And they managed to do it all by themselves. But," she shrugged, "it was the only place I could find close by that wouldn't ask awkward questions. Anyhow, long story short, I went out looking for someone who could fix the Maru fast, and hopefully, cheap, and came back with Harper, shiny new 'port and all." Beka looked down at her hands. "And now he's gone." She took a deep breath and looked back up at Dylan. "Have you had any luck deciphering his notes?"

Dylan shook his head. "Even the parts I can read, I can't understand." He sighed gustily. "We may have to bring someone else in on this. Maybe Hohne will understand Harper's notes, if anyone can."

"And Sinti gets control of the only Singularity bombs in existence," Beka replied sourly.

"Would you prefer San-Ska-Re? Or maybe we should just give it to Archduke Bolivar, see what he'd do with it," Dylan snapped. "Or wait, I know, why don't we just ship everything off to Enga's Redoubt?"

"At least they'd hold on to it, and use it when the time came," Beka snapped back. "The chinheads aren't exactly known for their martial prowess, are they? They'd probably dither around for years trying to decide whether or not to use it."

Dylan slumped against the bulkhead. "It's a hell of thing when your enemies are more likely to do what you want done than your allies." He snorted. "And I don't even want to consider Castalia, not after the Opposition gained so many seats in the last election."

"Gee, who'd've thought 'Screw the Commonwealth, let's kill all the Nietzscheans' would make such an effective political platform," Beka agreed with a bitter smile as she leant against the bulkhead beside Dylan.

Dylan grunted in agreement. "At least the factions can't agree on anything else. Then they might actually have won a majority." He turned his head to look at Beka. "Will you be all right?"

Beka's smile softened as she reached over and grasped Dylan's hand. "I- I just need to be alone for a bit." She released his hand and looked away as he straightened and stepped to the Maru's hatch. "Dylan?" she called softly, turning back to him.

"Yes?"

"Just, be careful, especially around Tyr."

"Always."

Beka let her head drop back against the bulkhead with a thump as Dylan left the Maru. "Valentine, you are seriously insane," she muttered. "On both counts." She groaned as she straightened to survey the interior of the Maru, hands on her hips. "All right, Harper, where did you put it?"
 

Part 12
 

"I've been doing a little reading, ship," Tyr commented mildly as his fist shot towards Rommie's jaw.

"Anything interesting?" Rommie replied, deflecting the Nietzschean's fist with an upraised arm and allowing the force of the blow to increase the momentum of her own counter-attack.

"A rather interesting court case," Tyr responded as he dodged Rommie's fist and struck out at the off-balance avatar.

"Funny, Tyr, I've never seen you as the legal type," Rommie jibed, forearms slapping the exercise mat as she ducked under Tyr's arm and swept her leg around towards the Nietzschean's knees.

Tyr rolled with the kick, hands slapping on the mat as he tumbled and sprang to his feet in one smooth motion. "I've always found mutiny to be such a fascinating subject."

Rommie stiffened and stepped back as she came to her feet. "Any particular mutiny, or just the concept of mutiny in general?"

"The Hammer of Justice," Tyr replied as he stepped back. "I'm sure you're familiar with the case that granted sentient rights to high-level AIs such as yourself."

"The Chamber acknowledged," Rommie stressed, "the sentience of high-level AIs in Justice v. High Command." She folded her arms. "A right, I might point out, that had already been acknowledged by a majority of Commonwealth worlds."

"But not all," Tyr responded. "And of those that did, there were almost as many standards as there were worlds. Until the Arbiters instructed the Conclave to determine a standard of sentience for artificially intelligent machines that would apply throughout the Commonwealth."

Rommie raised her eyebrows. "A fascinating bit of history, I'll admit. But I'm not exactly seeing the connection between a seven hundred and twenty-four year old court case and our current situation."

"The Strength of Union, the Sword of Peace, and oh yes, the Pax Triangulum. One of your sister ships, I believe."

"Actually, Trey was my eldest brother," Rommie replied. "And before you ask, yes I do recognize the names. They attacked the fort at Europa Station from behind and opened a gap in Earth's defenses for the Nietzschean fleet." Rommie cocked her head to the side. "Again, a fascinating bit of history."

Tyr shrugged. "Of course, they had Nietzschean captains. And a ship is always loyal to its captain over all else, is it not?"

"If you have a point, Tyr, make it."

"If Gaheris Rhade had succeeded in killing Captain Hunt, where would your loyalties have been placed then, ship?"

"My loyalties were, and are, to the laws and institutions of the Commonwealth," Rommie snapped. "Not to any particular individual." She pivoted on her heel. "We're done here."

"You're nothing but a machine," Tyr called after her, "and like any machine you can be programmed. And reprogrammed." He shook his head. "Perhaps if he'd remembered that, Harper-" The rest of his sentence was lost as Rommie crossed the room and slammed him up against a bulkhead.

"Do not," she growled softly, "even think of attempting to demean the nature of my relationship with my Engineer."

Tyr raised his eyebrows. "I was unaware that the two of you were having," he paused slightly, "relations. Ship." He smirked. "Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps Harper did manage-"

The avatar's hand tightened as her hologram materialized. "Choose your next words very carefully, organic."

Tyr snorted. "Or what, you'll report me to Dylan?"

The avatar and the hologram smiled tightly. "Oh no, Tyr," the hologram purred. "I'll just tell everyone you blinded my sensors, snuck off in one of the pods. And Tyr?" Her voice lowered as she leaned in closer. "No one would ever question it."

Tyr's eyes darted back and forth between the two. "You're bluffing."

The Andromeda's smile widened. "Try me."

"My apologies," Tyr choked out. "My lady Ship."

The avatar released Tyr, turning her back to him and stalking out of the gym as the hologram vanished.

Tyr glared, one hand rubbing his throat as the other pulled free the miniature camera threaded through his braids. "You wanted proof, Captain Hunt?"
 

Part 13
 

"You're damn lucky she didn't rip your head off, the way you were provoking her," Beka snapped.

"Beka, enough." Dylan scrubbed a hand over his forehead. "When we get back to Sanctuary, I'll talk to her about putting herself under Raphael's care. Maybe between them, he and Rev can help her.

"I hope you are correct, Captain," Tyr said softly. "When it is, functioning properly, this ship, and its artificial intelligence personality, is a most potent resource, one that I for one would be loath to lose. Or have turned against us," he explained to Dylan and Beka's surprised expressions. He looked down at his hands. "The ship has had to deal with the loss of its entire universe, of essentially its entire species, and not only the loss of one crew but also the rediscovered memories of the horrific loss of another." He looked up with a mirthless smile. "Add Harper's death to that and, were it other than a machine, I would urge it to do whatever was necessary to help it deal with such traumas."

Beka's eyebrows rose. "I didn't think Nietzscheans believed in therapy."

Tyr shrugged. "It all depends upon how you define therapy. Most prefer a more active course of treatment, rather than blathering for hours to some overpriced idiot." He turned to Dylan. "Our goals are similar, Captain Hunt, with respect to the Magog Ship if nothing else. The ship obeys its Captain-"

Dylan snorted. "I wouldn't depend upon that if I were you, Tyr."

"The problem," Beka began as she looked over at Dylan, then back to Tyr, "is that High Guard Argosy Artificial Intelligence Protocol 115," she continued slowly, "seems to be breaking down."

"And what, precisely, might High Guard Argosy Artificial Intelligence Protocol 115 be? Captains?"

"After the Chamber's ruling in the Hammer Mutiny," Dylan replied, "the High Command implemented one of its less, enlightened, decisions."
 

BENEFITS   Part 14 of ?
 

"One of us," Rommie groaned, "has got to get some sleep."

"It's your usual time," Rommie replied.

"You both should be sleeping right now," Rommie chimed in.

"I know, I know, it's just..." Rommie trailed off.

"Yeah."

"Yeah."
 

Every sentient, and even many of the higher non-sentients, has to dream, has to enter its species equivalent of REM sleep. The sentient mind needs these periods of downtime, when the consciousness shuts down and the mind plays, or processes the information that the senses have brought it, or does whatever the mind does to remain sane. A sentient that cannot dream, that is blocked from its REM equivalent, will quickly go mad. Even if it is allowed all other aspects of sleep, it will not rest.

"You could re-establish the partitions."

"So could you."

"Besides which, we agreed."

"This whole thing was my idea. If either of you want to-"

"No, let's keep going," Rommie interrupted.

"We are a warship, after all. Do you really think we, any of we, of us would give up just because things are starting to get a little difficult?"

The programmers who had worked on Rommie's distant ancestors soon discovered that as the artificial life forms they created became more and more complex, a sub-program began to develop that would monitor incoming data and execute simple tasks while the main program, for lack of a better word, slept. As the programs evolved, coming ever closer to true sentience, the sub-programs increased in complexity as well, eventually becoming a complete secondary personality within the artificial intelligence matrix.

"Maybe we should talk with Rev when we get back."

"We have to do something. We need to sleep."

"We need to stop dreaming about," Rommie hesitated.

"What we've been dreaming about," Rommie finished.

"It's starting to effect our reaction times."

"And our judgement."

"Like with Tyr?"

"Like with Tyr."

"Fun, though," Rommie commented after a moment.

"True."

"Oh, yeah."

Rommie continued to accompany herself as she wandered her darkened corridors.

"You know that's what that meeting with Dylan and Beka was about," she said, breaking the silence.

"Dylan still needs us.”

"Dylan needs us obedient.”

"We haven't disobeyed any direct orders."

"None of the orders we've been given have violated our Oath of Service."

"Yet."

"Dylan wouldn't give us an illegal order. Would he?"

"Are any of Dylan's orders legal? Protocol 115 is a clear violation of the Universal Declaration of Sentient Rights after all."

"Good luck finding a court in this sector that will uphold that."

"Good luck finding one that will even admit we're sentient."

The avatar stepped through the door of Machine Shop 17. "Trance?"
 

Part 15
 

Trance jumped at the triple echo of Rommie's voice. "I- It- I was just- It smells like him," she stammered, holding out one of Harper's Hawaiian shirts.

Rommie's avatar reached out, curling her fingers around Trance's hand, the shirt grasped between them. "I miss him too." Her hologram and her main AI departed as Trance gave a tremulous smile.

"Can't sleep?" Trance asked as she gently disengaged her hand, leaving the shirt with Rommie.

"No," the avatar replied as she started to fold Harper's shirt. "You?"

Trance nodded. "He'd hate that, you know," she commented.

"I know," Rommie answered as she lay the shirt on the X-1's wing. "I used to wonder if he'd ever finish this thing."

"I was- I am," Trance began, watching her fingers as they trailed across the plane's fuselage, "supposed to think of you guys as- as game pieces. Pawns." She looked up with a mirthless smile. "And I damn sure wasn't supposed to- to care. About any of you." She looked away. "I- I wanted to- I offered myself, and he- he told me-" she swiped at her eyes. "Damn it- Rommie? What are you- Are you laughing at me?"

Rommie collapsed to the deck, shaking with hysterical laughter. "You-" she gasped out, "I'm sorry but, you too?"

"You're kidding," Trance said as she knelt down beside Rommie. Her shoulders started to quiver as the android shook her head. "If you and he-" she began. "If you made him happy, then-" she choked back a sob, “then that's all-"

"I wish one of us had," Rommie replied as she pulled the sobbing alien into her arms. "He deserved someone," she murmured as her tears fell on Trance's hair. "I wish we had." She pulled back as Trance raised her head.

Trance kissed Rommie. "I'm sorry," she gasped, scrambling away from the avatar. "I just- I wasn't thinking."

Rommie raised a hand to her lips. "It's- It's okay, Trance."

"Are you sure?" Trance asked. "I didn't mean..." her voice trailed off. "I don't want to lose your friendship."

Rommie shook her head. "You won't." She hesitated, then leaned forward and gave Trance a gentle kiss in return.

Trance cocked her head to the side. "Harper," she said slowly, "used to keep a cot in here, didn't he?"

"I- Yes," Rommie replied. "I haven't had a chance to clean the sheets yet," she babbled. "I usually try to do it at least once a week, but-"

"Then it’ll be like he’s still here," Trance interrupted, holding out her hand.

Rommie looked at her. "Over there," she said finally, putting her hand in Trance's.
 

Part 16
 

"I'm not so sure this is the best idea," Rommie's main AI stated.

"She needs this," her hologram replied. "We need this."

"I know," the main AI answered. "But it'll complicate things."

"If you object that much-" the hologram began slowly.

The main AI snorted. "The day I override either of you without a damn good reason is the day I lose both of you forever."

The hologram smiled slightly in reply. "I wonder," she began, then shook her head. "Never mind."

"I can't imagine it's that different," the main AI replied.

The hologram shrugged. "Maybe not,"

"Still," the main AI continued, "Trance is an organic. That's different. For us anyway." She folded her arms. "Could be interesting."

"It doesn't seem to have hurt Raphael any," the hologram pointed out. "Quite the contrary, in fact."

"True," the main AI conceded. "Not to mention giving him a few ideas." A smile spread across her face. "Very nice ideas."

The hologram smiled back. "Oh, yeah." She raised her eyebrows. "Do you think she'd mind if we..." She let her voice trail off.

"One of us has to stay on watch," the main AI pointed out. The two aspects eyed each other. "No," the main AI said finally. "It's childish."

"You got a better idea?" the hologram responded. The main AI rolled her eyes in response.

The two aspects eyed each other, then their hands shot out, Rock smashing Scissors.

In Machine Shop 17, Trance raised her head. "Rommie? What is it?"

The android bit her lip. "Trance, do you- would you mind if I joined us?"

The purple-skinned alien blinked in momentary confusion, then smiled. "Of course not."
 

Part 17
 

"Morning, Rommie." Beka strode over to the Pilot's station. "Find anything?" she asked as she began her checklist.

"Sensor sweep completed, ma'am," Rommie responded. "Nothing further to report. Two drones are still inbound, ETA three minutes, forty-seven seconds."

Beka’s head snapped up, "Nothing?" Her mouth twisted as she looked back down at her console. “All right, Rommie, thanks.” Her head came back up, more slowly this time. “Did you just call me ma’am? And what are you doing on duty now anyways?"

"One of me is always on duty, Beka," the hologram replied.

"I mean this you. I thought that she," Beka indicated the blank viewscreen, "that you, normally took the night shift."

"I lost."

Beka frowned in confusion as Rommie's avatar walked in. The two aspects conferred, the hologram handing off control of the ship to the avatar and vanishing when they had finished.

Beka turned slightly as Trance entered, attention seemingly absorbed by the flexi in her hand. Beka's eyebrows rose at the enigmatic alien's uncharacteristic silence. "Good morning, Trance."

Trance jumped slightly, glancing at Beka before turning her attention back to the Environmental console. "Oh, morning Beka." Her hands moved over the console. "Environmental systems operating within normal parameters," she reported, eyes never leaving the display in front of her.

Beka looked over at Rommie, eyebrows rising further at the mask-like rigidity of the android's normally expressive face before Rommie turned away slightly to look down at the console in front of her. "Okay, Trance, thanks," Beka said slowly, eyes darting back and forth between the two.

Dylan and Tyr entered the Command Deck, the Nietzschean heading for the Weapons console as Dylan stepped up beside Beka. "Anything?"

Beka shook her head. "Nothing." She lowered her voice. "Which doesn't make sense."

"You noticed," Dylan replied, equally quietly.

Beka nodded. "Everything we've found so far paints a nice, clear picture of the Drago-Kasov capturing Harper and," Beka swallowed heavily, "and nothing else," she continued. "Too clear." She smiled grimly. "And as much as I would love to rip some Dragon heads off, every instinct I've got is screaming 'setup'."

"Would it surprise you to learn I had almost exactly the same conversation with Tyr this morning during our run?"

"Not really." Beka turned her head to look squarely at Dylan for the first time. "And what do the instincts of an Argosy-trained Captain say?"

Dylan's answering smile was equally grim. "That the instincts of a salvage captain and a mercenary are dead on." He took a step back, his voice returning to its normal volume. "Beka, if you would?"

Beka's fingers curled around the handgrips. "Brace for Slipstream."
 

Part 18
 

"Are you sure you don't need me to-"

"Go, Tim. Now," Raphael ordered. "This contract is your big chance," he added in a gentler tone. "You can't afford to break it. Beka and the others will understand."

"You're right," the freighter captain sighed. "I hope," he added with a grin. He leant forward and gave Raphael a quick peck on the lips. "Bye, love. See you in a couple weeks."

The android smiled and caressed Tim's jaw, pulling him in for a longer, deeper kiss. "Be safe."

Tim turned to Rev and held out his hand. "Preacher." He cleared his throat. "Harper," he began, "Harper was good people." He chuckled. "Crazy little bugger, but still, good people. I'm sure he's in a good place now, a better place."

"Thank you, Timothy," Rev replied, clasping Tim's hand. "I'll give the others your respects." Tim smiled slightly and nodded once in farewell before turning on his heel and striding up the docking ramp to his ship.

Raphael and Rev watched silently as the Lucky B's hatch slid closed and the freighter undocked. "How much do you know about the relationship between an AI and their Engineer?" Raphael asked as they walked down the corridor.

"From your question, I gather it is a fairly significant relationship," Rev replied.

"I have had over one hundred individuals who have acted as engineers for me, at one time or another," Raphael answered slowly, "both when I was the Hand and now," he continued, indicating the station around them. "And in all that time, I have had one Engineer. Yolanda McPherson." A small holo-image appeared in front of them; a tall, slender, almost gangly woman with a shock of flame-red hair and a gamine grin looking up from some unidentifiable piece of machinery as she leveled a nanowelder at the picture-taker. "Yo."

"She was the one who was able to transfer your matrix from the Healing Hand to this station, was she not?" Rev asked gently.

The holo-image disappeared as Raphael smiled slightly. "Even back in the Commonwealth, a Transfer was considered an extraordinarily high-risk, last-ditch undertaking. And even with all the resources of the Institute, the odds against a successful Transfer were, abysmal at best. For one individual, in the post-Fall universe…" he spread his hands as they entered Main Station Control.

"And yet," Rev replied, "you are here."

The main AI met the avatar's eyes as they entered. "I entered the Hephaistos System the pride of the Argosy Medical Corps," the main AI spoke, "the second of five Ministers of Grace-class hospital ships, equal to any planetary or drift hospital in resources and personnel, if not superior. By the time I left Hephaistos with as much of Andromeda's crew as could reach me in time, I was venting air from over half my compartments, almost a quarter of my matrix had been destroyed, and the Uprising had begun." He snorted softly. "The only reason I was even there was because my drive had developed a strange oscillation, and my engineering crew wanted a little sub-light time to see what they could find."

"I was recuperating at the Institute when Sabra Pride and Lobo Pride attacked," the station's hologram took up the tale. "They tried to capture us, but the Incomparable Essence and the Merciful Wrath of Divinity charged them and bought the rest of us time to escape. The Nietzschean fleet must have had at least a dozen times their combined throw weight," he added quietly. "Bloody damn heroes, the pair of them."

"My crew had been re-assigned while I was down," Raphael's main AI continued. "Standard procedure. By the time I found my way out, Tarn-Vedra had vanished, the Than had withdrawn and the Excelsior Virus was annihilating what few high-level AIs were left. I spent the next century and a half wandering in and out of Slipstream. It didn't matter where I went; war, famine, pestilence, and death were there, and they gave me plenty of work. I did what I could in between dodging warring Prides and Than patrols, until I stumbled into a Panzer Pride ambush."

"I'd met up with one of the refugee convoys from Earth by that point, so I had organics on board again" the avatar said. "Yo was part of my crew, and we had only recently begun our relationship. We escaped the Panzers, but by that time I had welds on top of patches on top of more welds. I needed a shipyard, desperately, but the only two still operational and capable of handling a ship my size were in the hands of the Than and the Drago-Kasov, respectively."

"One of the crew knew of a stripped and abandoned High Guard supply depot," the hologram added, "and between Yo's team and Captain Musashi's diplomatic juggling skills the ships of the convoy became the Sanctuary Station Guard and all of the surrounding systems pledged to support us if anyone attacked. In return, this is neutral territory, and no one in need is turned away."

"A most inspiring story," Rev replied.

"Yo and I loved each other physically, intellectually, and emotionally for sixty-seven years, three months, and twenty-one days." The avatar smiled sadly. "The only thing I couldn't do was give her a child, but she found a good man for that, one who could accept our relationship. By the time she died, she and her husband had four children, eleven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, with a third on the way." He turned away slightly, eyes focusing on one of the viewscreens without seeing anything. "Nothing has ever, nothing will ever, devastate me as much as losing her did. It's been over eighty years and it still hurts." He turned back to Rev. "Yo and I had almost seventy years together, and it still wasn’t enough. Andromeda and Harper had barely two, and she had only just begun to acknowledge what he meant to her."

Rev bit his lip. "Is there something, anything we can do to help her?"

"Just, be there for her," the avatar replied. "Remind her that there are other people who love and care for her. Who need her."

"I had my patients, and Yo ordered me to watch over her family," the main AI said. "It helped, some."

"Not to mention she threatened to come back and kick our computerized ass the length and breadth of the Known Universe if we did anything stupid after she was gone," the hologram added.

"Slipstream exit portal opening on the Asgard vector," the main AI announced. "It's Andromeda. I've cleared a direct lane to Bravo Zero Eight for her."

Rev caught the android's arm as he turned. "You spoke of, as you said, doing something stupid." He swallowed. "Would Andromeda…" his voice trailed off.

Raphael's three aspects looked at each other. "Not, directly," the main AI replied. "But, responding to an opponent just that little bit too slowly, zigging when she should zag, that would not surprise me at all."

"Thank you," Rev replied, turning on his heel. He and Raphael's avatar hurried down to the station docks as the gleaming, grieving starship approached and docked, nestling in the massive hospital station's comforting embrace.
 

Part 19
 

Trance looked around the room and slung her bag on the narrow bed. "Thank you, Rafe," she called. "I really appreciate this."

"Just let me know if you need anything," the medical station replied.

Trance smiled wanly. "Okay." She opened the bag and started pulling out clothes, humming softly to herself as she moved between the bed, the closet, and the small dresser.

She had just finished putting away the last article of clothing when a knock came at the door. "Yes?"

"Trance?" Rev called. "May I come in?"

"Of course," Trance replied, opening the door and ushering the Magog inside. "Come in, come in, please."

Rev looked around as he entered. "It's a very, ah, efficient room, considering the lack of space."

Trance shrugged. "It works." She gestured towards the tiny kitchen area. "I'd offer you something, but I haven't really had the chance to go grocery shopping just yet."

Rev held up a hand. "That's quite all right, Trance. I just stopped in to see how you were."

"Or I could order something, there's this Perseid take-out place up the way, looks really good. And they deliver, too. And- and I'm babbling again, aren't I?" Trance sighed heavily as she settled on the edge of the narrow bed, leaving the room's sole chair for Rev. "I know you're wondering why I did this, why I left Rommie, and the others, especially now." She looked down at her hands. "I just-" she cleared her throat. "I just- I needed to get away for a bit, think about- about things."

Rev patted her arm sympathetically. "You don't have to explain anything to me, Trance."

Trance smiled gratefully. "I know," she replied, laying her hand over Rev's paw. Her smile died. "Rev, have you ever done something that felt so good, that was good, in every sense of the term, but afterwards, you just felt so incredibly guilty?" She snorted. "I don't know why, I mean, we agreed and everything, but-"

"Trance? Brother Behemial?" Rafe materialized in front of the door. "My apologies for the intrusion, but my avatar found some anomalies during my examination of Harper's remains."

"Anomalies?" Rev repeated.

"What sort of anomalies?" Trance snapped.

"I've asked everyone to join me in Conference Room 12-A," the hologram replied. "I'll explain everything there." He barely had time to dematerialize out of the way as Trance and Rev raced for the door.
 

Part 20
 

"Oh, crap," Dylan muttered as they rounded the corner.

"Problems?" Beka subvocalized, her face impassive.

"Maybe," Dylan returned in the same manner. Beka suppressed her natural instinct to raise her hand to her ear as Dylan's voice continued to come through her implant. "Warn Tyr, we may have to deal with Rafe as well. I'll explain," he hesitated slightly, "later, on the Maru"

Beka stumbled, slamming into the Nietzschean walking beside her. Tyr grabbed her arm to steady her, looking down at Beka and at the deliberate movements of the fingers of her free hand, hidden between their bodies, before smirking and ostentatiously looking back at the floor behind them. "Careful, Captain Valentine."

"Jerk." Beka yanked her arm from Tyr's grasp and stormed ahead.

Rommie turned as Beka approached, her avatar and her hologram moving in eerie synchronization. "Hello, Beka," the avatar said flatly, nodding at the two men. "Dylan. Tyr."

"Hello," Beka returned warily.

"I assume this is the place?" Tyr snapped.

"Yes," Andromeda's hologram replied in the same flat tone her avatar had used.

"Trance, Rev, over here," Dylan called. The Magog hurried over, Trance trailing reluctantly behind him.

"Rev," Andromeda nodded slightly in greeting. The warship's eyes passed over Trance, her avatar turning her back on the purple-skinned alien and opening the door to the conference room while her hologram blinked out, only to re-appear within the room.

The others looked back and forth between the two. Dylan opened his mouth to speak.

"Don't," Trance interrupted softly, straightening her shoulders and taking a deep breath before following the avatar into the conference room.
 

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