Rafe, who had been sitting as far away from Rhade as possible and trying very hard not to freak out at the idea of his sister willingly fucking a bonehead, snorted softly. Personally he agreed with Harper's cousin. The only good Nietzschean was a dead Nietzschean.
They were far enough away from the Andromeda that he could unbuckle and move around, and the still emotionally scarred man was the first one to bolt out of the cockpit area, needing to get away from Rhade as fast as he could.
Frowning, Trance stood up to follow him, but Beka stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Let him go, Trance. He needs some time alone. I know he's having trouble with this. What they did to him-"
"I know that, Beka! But he can't let them win. He has to take his life back!" Shrugging free, Trance went after Rafe.
"What..." Beka stared after her, confused by her reactions. She hadn't even known that Trance had a temper.
"She wants him. Isn't it obvious?" Rhade said.
Harper watched the scene unfold and found himself flooded with memories of his own time among the Orca. "She might want him, but I don't think he wants himself at the moment," the young man said quietly. "Dragans might be brutal and oppressive, they might hurt you physically and treat you like kludges, but Orcas... they mess with the mind and soul. Orcas like to break a person's will, their spirit, so that all that's left is a mindless husk.
"It's not easy coming back from something like that; I mean, look how long it took me. Trance has a heart of gold, and she means well, but if she pushes too hard, she might do more harm than good. Then again, if Rafe doesn't start fighting back soon, he'll lose himself. I wish I could help both of them, but each person has to find their own way back. Rafe has the advantage of having people who love him and want to help him. He also wasn't there as long as me; they'd barely started to break him. I mean, if I could come back, anyone can."
"Harper..." Dylan remembered his friend only too well. "The Harper is a human dynamo, and he's one of a kind."
Beka smiled sadly. "Yeah, Rafe would do well to take some lessons from you, Harper, but like you said, everybody has to handle it his own way. I love my brother, but there's nothing I can do to help him right now."
Seeing Beka's pain, Rhade reached out, drawing her into his arms, and he suddenly realized that while he might have started this to get Dylan, he'd come to care for her just as much. "No Valentine would ever give up," he said quietly, trying to comfort her.
"He's right," Dylan replied, walking over to the other side of Beka and adding his support. "Valentine Smart and Valentine Smarter, remember?"
Harper took this as his cue to get out of the area and let the cuddle bunnies cuddle. Besides it was making him miss Tyr even more. Getting up surreptitiously, he snuck out the cockpit and made his way down to the engine room to give them their privacy.
***
They were two slip points from Earth when Trance appeared on the bridge, her hand tightly wrapped around... Loki.
"Look what I found in the cargo hold."
Dylan looked up from where he was taking his turn in the flight seat and groaned. "Has Rhade seen him yet? Or Harper for that matter?"
"No, I was hoping they'd be here," Trance said, ignoring Loki's futile struggles to get free, much to Rhade's interest as he entered behind her.
"Why are you here?" Rhade growled, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the sullen youth.
"To protect Harper," Loki growled, glaring defiantly.
Beka and Harper walked in, made curious by Dylan's cryptic request to get to the bridge to see the latest twist, just in time to hear Loki's boast. Groaning, Harper tried to make a break for it, only to be grabbed by the scruff of the neck and hauled back into the room by Beka.
"You're the protectee and Tyr's mate; he's your responsibility too," Beka murmured as she shoved him into a chair with a glare to stay put before walking over to Loki.
"You know, stowaways tend to be vented out the airlock when they're discovered; it's the law of deep space, and besides, Tyr has other spawn to take over for him," the captain of the Maru informed the young Nietzschean casually.
"You wouldn't!" Loki exclaimed, wide-eyed as he stared at the blonde. He hadn't had occasion to interact much with the other humans, and just then, he felt like he was facing his own pride's matriarch.
"Yes, she would. And she'd be perfectly within her rights, as Tyr would be the first to admit," Rhade replied coolly.
"Let's see, you stow away on my ship, you eat my food, you breathe my air and..." Beka leaned over and sniffed the youth's hair, "you use my shampoo. In a less civilized time that would be considered a hanging offense. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't. And protecting Harper isn't one of them; he's got Rhade and the rest of us for that."
"Because you need all the help you can get," Loki replied, meeting her stare.
Rhade rolled his eyes, but Trance frowned, eyes going unfocused as she seemed to look within. "He'll make a difference," she said abruptly, becoming the focus of a universal stare.
"And the mystic purple one has spoken," Harper sighed from where he sat. "Well, I guess that settles it. If anyone needs me, I was right in the middle of tweaking the AP matrix, and you know how delicate working with anti-protons can be. Next time make sure it's a real emergency, will ya?" the younger man groused as he headed back to Engineering, leaving with a baleful glare at the rest of the crew in general.
"Oh and for the record, I am not the protectee. I can frackin' well take care of myself; just ask Dylan!"
The first officer suddenly found the star field in front of him a great deal more interesting than moments before. He knew that the crew in general, including Tyr, had been aware of him teaching Harper a few things. However, they hadn't been aware that, on top of the few things he'd taught the younger human, he'd been teaching Harper High Guard Argosy class secret ops maneuvers in the Maru's hold where there was no AI monitoring them.
"I'd rather not know anything that I'd have to lie to my captain about," Rhade observed, staring at the ceiling with apparent fascination.
Beka snickered. "Gee, even Nietzscheans can learn."
Shaking her head, Trance looked over at Rafe. "Come on, I could use some help organizing the stuff we brought."
Following silently behind Trance, Rafe left Beka, Dylan and the Nietzschean to deal with the baby Nietzschean, wanting to spend as little time with that race as he had to for this trip.
Dylan began to whistle silently under his breath, wondering all the while if he'd made a mistake teaching Harper what he had. If only the kid had kept his mouth shut.
Beka watched her human lover with a quirked eyebrow and a look that said as soon as they were alone together, she would be asking him what he'd been teaching Harper.
"What are you going to do with me?" Loki asked nervously, watching the remaining trio.
"Well, I suppose spacing you would be a waste," Rhade said reflectively. "What do you think, Beka?"
"I think you're a Nietzschean, so you can take charge of the baby Nietzschean," she replied sweetly, ignoring Loki's growl at the description.
"Maybe Dylan should take him in hand... since he's been able to teach Harper so much."
"Hell no!" Dylan retorted immediately. "Taking care of Harper is a full time job on its own. I happen to agree with Beka, and since she's the captain and I'm the first officer, I'd say you're outranked. Have fun, guys, and try not to break Beka's ship, okay?"
"Very funny," Rhade snorted, then sighed. "Very well, since you're here and there's nothing we can do about it short of returning to the Andromeda and losing several days, I will continue your lessons. We will go to the mess and work out."
"Why not the cargo bay? There's more room there," Loki asked, confused.
"Because Trance and Rafe are there, and Rafe is uncomfortable around Nietzscheans right now. Be more aware of the people around you, Loki." Not giving him a chance to reply, Rhade strode away, expecting him to follow as, of course, he did.
"Well, I have to admit, Bek, I don't envy Rhade at all right now. He's gonna have to explain to Captain Anasazi why the Kodiak Pride's heir managed to sneak on board the Maru and avoid being detected while the Andromeda's first officer was on board. I have a feeling that our Nietz is gonna get more of a reaming than I gave him the other night," Dylan chuckled after Rhade and Loki had left the bridge. Pulling Beka into his lap, the first officer smiled. "So how shall we occupy ourselves while everyone else is busy?"
"By planning how we're going to find Harper's cousin and keep from getting killed for consorting with Nietzscheans," Captain Valentine replied.
***
"Are you all right, Rafe?" Trance asked finally, tired of the silence that had reigned since they left the bridge.
"I'll survive," the elder Valentine replied with a derisive snort. "I seem to be able to do that well, at least." Holding up his hand to the purple woman next to him, Rafe forestalled any comment. "And don't start lecturing me, Trance. I know I need to try and get along. I know I need to be friendlier to our hosts, and I know I can't let them win. Easier said than done. At least I'm not cowering in shadows and avoiding the boneheads at all costs like I used to. That's an improvement at least."
Trance sighed, for a moment tempted to take action herself, but she liked being the harmless mascot to her friends. She'd never had friends before. "Just... don't close yourself off to possibilities."
"You and your endless possibilities and one perfect future," Rafe replied with a small smile. "How is it possible to stay so optimistic in a galaxy that's so dark and dangerous? What is your secret, Trance Gemini?"
"Believing that we can achieve that one perfect future if we make the right choices." Trance shrugged, not about to tell him that lately all the possibilities she saw were getting darker. "You should try it sometime."
"If you'd said that to me a year ago, I would have told you I did it every day. Times change, and people and places get colder and older. It's the nature of the beast." Rafe shrugged. Walking over to the weapons locker, the human began to double-check that their entire ordinance was secure and accounted for. Never hurt to be careful when going to a Nietzschean-controlled world.
"But if you stop looking for better things, then all that's left is the cold. It seems a very... sterile way to live." Trance watched him, wishing there were some way she could get through to him.
"Maybe," Rafe conceded, not sure what to say to the young woman. "Then again maybe to some being left in the cold seems to be the safest place of all. You don't feel anything when you're frozen. When you're frozen, not even memories can hurt you," he continued softly, speaking more to himself than his companion. "I used to love to burn. I used to feel so alive when I did, now... God, I hate feeling like this."
"Give yourself some time, but let the rest of us help you. You don't have to do this alone, Rafe. Your sister is here for you; Harper's here for you; I'm here for you. Don't shut us out."
"I'm trying not to, really. It's just real hard for me to ask for help, you know? Consider it a guy thing."
"Well, consider my refusal to be shut out a Trance thing," she retorted, moving closer and kissing him lightly before he could flinch away.
Backing off a step, Rafe looked down at the diminutive woman. "You're even more stubborn than Beka, you know that?" he managed to get out at last.
She simply smiled and turned back to the locker to continue their checks.
***
Harper snuck onto the bridge after everyone else was sound asleep. Well, after Rafe, Loki and Trance were. What Beka, Rhade and Dylan were doing in the Captain's room he didn't want to know. Sitting in the pilot's seat, the young man punched in the coordinates to call up the communications system.
"Hey, big guy," he began. "We're far enough away that this'll take about a day to reach you since I don't dare communicate directly. I thought I'd be the one to tell you that Loki stowed away. It wasn't Rhade's fault; just don't tell him I said that, okay? We're still not the best of buds, and I don't want him to think I actually like him or anything, even though he is kinda all right. I mean he's not you, but he's pretty okay as far as it goes.
"Anyhow, it's my fault Loki got on board without the alarms going off. I was tinkering the night before, and I forgot to reactivate the security system, and then we had to leave pretty fast, and there was really no time to go over the Maru again, so if you need to burn Rhade, don't burn him too badly, okay?"
"I'll try and keep an eye on your kid. I promise not to let him get too friendly. I'm really hoping that he'll grow out of this crush soon; it was cute at first but now... I just don't want to come between you and your son, you know?
"I miss you, Tyr. I can't sleep without you, not very well anyway. My bed is empty, and I'm always so frackin' cold in deep space. I just... miss you. Well, I'd better try and get some shut eye. Don't marry any more women while I'm gone, okay? Elsbett the Evil is more than enough for at least a year, okay? Anyhow, Harper out."
Signing off, Harper encrypted, coded and sent the message with a sigh. Nights really were colder without his Nietzschean.
***
Receiving the message a day later, Tyr alternated between cursing his son creatively, snarling what he'd do to him when he got his hands on him, and thanking the progenitor that he was all right. When he calmed enough to form a coherent sentence, he sat down to reply.
"Harper... First, thank you for letting me know my son is well. I had feared a spy had kidnapped or killed him. Instead, I will do that when I next see him, and you may tell him that!" Forcing himself to stop growling, Tyr took a deep breath.
"I miss you too, Pet. Miss having you stealing all the covers, miss having you bounce off the walls after too much of that revolting cola you insist on drinking. I just missing being able to talk to you." He smiled painfully. "Hurry up and save your cousin so we can both sleep again." He raised his hand to end the recording and transmit, then whispered, "I love you," before doing so.
***
"Earth: if ever there was an asshole of the universe, this is it," Harper said as he negotiated the Maru into a close orbit around the moon, avoiding Dragan patrols. "Home sweet home!"
None of the others had ever been to Earth before, and they all stared avidly. "It's so beautiful from up here," Trance said quietly. "Just like it used to be... in the old pictures in the archives," she added hastily.
Harper's eyebrow quirked at that, and both Beka and Dylan sent knowing glances to one another. Rafe simply ignored the statement, if he even heard it at all in his distraction at his first sight of Earth.
"Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving, dollface," Harper replied after a moment. "When the Dragans aren't torturing, killing, raping, maiming, enslaving, oppressing, brutalizing, and generally fucking over the humans on Earth, the Magog are coming down and wallowing in a veritable Garden of Eden ripe for the plucking and eating. Earth is definitely not one of your vacation getaways. Dante's Inferno brought to life, maybe, but that's about it. It did used to be beautiful though. Once upon a time before the Commonwealth, before Earth really knew what was out there in the big, bad universe."
"Oh, not before the Commonwealth," Trance argued. "Pollution wasn't very pretty. But during the heyday of the Commonwealth, it was a beautiful place, almost as lovely as Tarn Vedra itself... I've heard."
"But we're not here on vacation," Rhade pointed out. "Where are we likely to find your cousin, Harper?"
Eyeing Trance strangely, Harper took a few minutes to answer. "What used to be Boston in the United States of America. That's where we Harpers are from," he replied at length.
"So that's where we look. After dark," Beka said, eyeing Rhade and Loki with exasperation.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Dylan replied quietly. "I suggest everyone try and get some shut eye in the meantime. We're hidden from Dragan scans, but just to be safe, I'll activate the cloak that the crew of the Andromeda installed. We'll need to do a weapons check and make sure we're all geared up properly before we leave the moon's orbit."
***
"You know, it would make much more sense for you to stay on board and monitor us from here," Beka said in a last ditch effort to reason with Rhade.
The Nietzschean simply crossed his arms and stared at her silently, and after glancing at him, Loki copied his posture.
Throwing her hands up in frustration, Beka stomped off, muttering under her breath about stubborn asses.
"She's very... unpredictable," Loki observed.
Rhade smiled wryly. "It's one of her charms. Now come along; I wouldn't put it past her to find a way to leave without us."
"I heard that!" came the snarled reply from down the corridor. "If you think flattery is gonna make me give you any later on, you've got another thing coming, Rhade!"
"Looks like someone's in the doghouse to me," came Harper's glib remark as he came out of Engineering in time to catch the exchange. "No offense, guys, but you got a lot to learn about human women. I have a lot to learn about human women, and I'm a human male. I don't think anyone has ever, in the history of humanity--any male that is--fully understood a human woman. It can't be done."
Beka reappeared, hand on the butt of her gun. "If you comedians would care to join me at the airlock, perhaps we could get started tonight?" she bit out.
"Yes, boss," Harper replied meekly, following behind the Maru's captain. He knew better than to mess with Beka I'll-fry-your-ass-if-you-say-another-word Valentine when she was in this mood. Patting the side pocket of his leather jacket to make sure his force lance was where he stuck it, Harper hastened his step so as not to irritate the woman more.
"You sleep with her?" Loki whispered, staring at Rhade and Dylan with increased respect.
Dylan leaned over to whisper in the young man's ear. "And you thought your father was scary when he was in a bad mood, didn't you?" he teased the teen.
Wide-eyed, the teen could only stare after the blonde human woman and shudder.
"Now!" Beka's snarl got them all moving, and soon they were standing on Terran soil.
Trance actually growled as she looked around, seeing the signs of Nietzschean predations, and she wished for just a moment alone with the Drago-Katzov elders to show them what she thought of what they'd done to this beautiful planet.
"You know, it feels like I never left," Harper muttered sarcastically as he looked around before handing Loki and Rhade each a pair of what looked like earplugs.
"You might want to use them just in case anyone recognizes you for a Nietz and tries to use a shriller on you. One of my finer inventions, I might add. Shrillers work at a frequency that causes excruciating pain to anyone with Nietzschean hearing, but humans can't hear it. Those were what I was working on last night. They should block the frequency of the shrillers without affecting your hearing much."
Rhade frowned and eyed the earpieces with disfavor, but he put them in, so Loki did as well. "You are the most likely to know where to find your relative, so lead the way, Harper," he suggested.
"Let's just hope that the family stayed close to the area we grew up in," Harper muttered. "There's no guarantees here, you know that, right?"
Beka, who'd been keeping close watch around them, suddenly whispered, "Time to move, people; the natives are restless, so we'd best head for cover."
"If we're hiding," Loki pronounced the word with distaste, "how are we to find Harper's cousin?"
Rhade reached over and grabbed the young Nietzschean by the ear, hauling him over. "Stop questioning and follow orders," he barked, though remembering to keep his voice low."
"Both of you, move," Beka snapped, motioning with her gun for them to follow Harper.
"Why don't you just send up a flare that says 'Nietzscheans are here, come and get us'? Geez! And if you don't shut your trap, Loki, I swear I'm gonna nano-weld your mouth shut, got it?" Harper snarled under his breath. "Dylan and Beka can handle Rhade."
Dylan quirked an eyebrow at that and looked back over his shoulder to his lovers, amused by the smirk on Beka's face and the scowl on Rhade's. "I'm quite sure Beka and I could come up with something to keep Agravaine quiet," he murmured mildly, following Harper into the shadows.
Rhade's eyebrow rose. "And would it be something for public viewing?" he inquired dryly, again speaking so softly that his voice would not carry beyond them, finally letting go of Loki's ear.
"I just asked a question," Loki muttered sullenly.
"Don't," the others chorused, making him cross his arms over his chest and fume as he followed along.
Rafe's lip curled in a smirk. Apparently some things never changed no matter what species they were. Kids were still smart mouthed, and they still got slapped down when necessary. Glancing down at Trance, he saw her watching him, a smile dancing on her lips. "Don't think I'm going soft on the boneheads; it was just amusing to watch is all."
Beka, who'd been listening to the exchange, smiled. That had actually sounded like the old Rafe Valentine. It was the first thing that had in a long, long time.
***
"Brendan, we've got movement in the old tunnels we don't normally use. Four humans, two Nietzscheans and a purple thing with a tail."
"Are they Dragans?"
"Not if the Dragan tracking party that's hunting them is any indication."
"Well then, I think we need to go take a look and see what we can find." Hefting his pulse rifle over his shoulder and tucking a couple of knives into the tops of his boots, Brendan Harper Lahey called a few of his best guerilla fighters and headed off to 'welcome' his guests.
***
"It feels like we're being watched," Trance muttered, moving a little closer to Rafe, her tail curling up and around his waist.
"We probably are," Beka replied from her position slightly ahead of them with Dylan at her side. They'd decided that having humans in the lead would be a good idea; it might save their lives. "If I lived here, I would keep a close eye on any access points. The last thing the humans want is the Dragans sneaking up on them."
"Yeah, and we're not even in the main access tunnels. Not that I really know where they are anymore, just that this one has obviously not been used in forever. The human resistance isn't going to take the chance that the Dragans can find them by making it easy to just waltz on in," Harper replied softly. "I was actually hoping that we would get the attention of human patrols and they'd alert the command and Brendan would..."
"Brendan would what?" came the disembodied voice from the shadows in front of them just before the owner of the voice, Brendan Lahey himself, stepped out of the shadows. "How're you doin, cuz? Long time no see."
The others left it to Harper to greet his cousin, Rhade watching the shadows with narrowed eyes, knowing that hostile gazes were trained on him and on his alpha's heir. "Stay close," he breathed to Loki, not wanting to have to tell Tyr Anasazi that he had allowed his firstborn son to get himself killed.
Loki darted a frustrated look at his companion before turning his attention back to Harper and his cousin. The slightly older human didn't look like Harper, yet in some way he did. It was interesting.
"Brendan, thank God!" Harper's whole body sagged in relief, and Dylan was immediately there to stop him from going down without anyone being the wiser.
"Keep it together, Harper; now's not the time to show weakness. You know that," he whispered urgently, making the younger man stand up straighter.
Brendan, who'd been observing the whole scene, quirked an eyebrow. "Care to explain that statement, boyo? And explain why you're with a couple of stinkin' boneheads while you're at it and that purple.... lady?"
"They're not Dragans, Bren, and they're not stinkin' boneheads. They're... Agravaine is my bodyguard, and Loki is... well, it's a long story and one for your ears only. Thing is, we came across information that said that the Dragan hold on Earth is slipping and that they're pissed enough that they're trying a couple last ditch efforts to get rid of any resistance. Biggest effort being to get rid of you. Apparently you've made quite the name for yourself," Harper replied passionately.
"Can we finish this somewhere less... exposed? We're being tracked by a hunting party."
"What? Dammit, Harper, why didn't you say anything?" Beka's gun was powering up, and she was looking past the humans to try and peer into the darkness beyond.
"Some things you never lose, no matter how long you've been gone, Bek, and surviving on the hell that is Earth is one of them. So, Bren, what do you say?"
"Brendan, you can't bring a couple of boneheads into the compound; that'll compromise us!" someone muttered. "Besides, the people won't stand for it."
"Relax, I'm not going to, but Seamus is right, this can't be discussed in public, and he's my family. I want to hear him out. We'll take 'em to the last base of operations before this one. We're still at least a couple of bases ahead of the sweeper parties. It should be safe."
"I don't like it, Brendan. It could be a trap."
"Objection noted, let's move it."
Observing silently, Rhade nodded approval at the human's commands. Logical. He eyed Harper with more interest. Apparently there was more to this family than met the eye. Interesting. He should have known that Tyr Anasazi would never choose an inferior specimen.
Beka remained close to Harper, glancing back nervously now that she knew they were being tracked. Suddenly she was glad of Agravaine and Loki's presence, knowing that they had strength to match that of their pursuers if it should come to that.
"We need to leave now," Trance said suddenly, frowning and moving closer to Rafe, "or it will be very, very bad."
"If Trance says it's time to move, then it's time to move, Brendan. If you don't believe anything else out of my mouth, believe that she's telling the truth about this. Trance has a way of knowing things, if you catch my drift, kinda like Granna used to know, remember?"
Brendan was taken a bit a back by that. His ma used to say that Granna had the 'sight'. In fact he and Seamus had seen Granna's abilities more than once when they'd been caught out getting into mischief when they were sure no one but no one should have known what they were doing. None of their parents had known what he and Seamus had been up to, but Gran, Gran always had.
Based on that alone, Brendan made a snap decision. "All right, people, let's move. And make sure a couple of surprises are left behind for my cousin's friends. We've improved some on your shriller design, Shame; they explode and send shrapnel as well as cause auditory distress now. Translation, we deafen 'em first, then kill 'em when they're distracted."
Dylan barely managed to hide his disapproval. It seemed a bit... underhanded to kill a person while they were down, but he could almost understand it. Almost.
"You didn't grow up here, Dylan, so don't judge. Brutal is a nice word for the way we grew up. Between Dragans and Magog, survival really was of the fittest, and we needed to fight dirty to make sure that humans held on to what was ours. This was where humanity was started, and by God, we were gonna hold on with teeth and bloody bones if we had to," Harper murmured, walking next to the High Guard officer.
"I'm trying, Harper, it's just..."
"Hard, I know. Just try and keep an open mind, and if you can't do that, keep your mouth shut. You'll stay alive longer."
"Everything all right back there, cuz?" Brendan queried.
"Yeah, just fine, thanks, Bren," Harper replied, giving Dylan a look.
Rafe, who had been silently following the conversation, had to agree with Harper. Survival meant using whatever you could to your advantage. Something he had to start remembering again.
Loki opened his mouth to ask a question, only to be silenced by a glare from Agravaine. The older Nietzschean was well aware of the sentiments of the humans around them toward their race, and he'd prefer not to die because of Loki's curiosity.
Trance moved closer to Rafe after having been separated from him when the Terrans had joined them. "Are you all right?" she murmured, glancing at him worriedly. There were so many possible outcomes to his presence here on Earth, both good and bad, and she wasn't sure what to do to influence their path toward the good ones.
"Fine, better than I have been for a while. These people have the right idea if you ask me," he murmured. "Wipe 'em out before they wipe us out. And don't give me that look; you know damn well the Nietzscheans on this planet have done more harm than good. They get what they deserve."
Beka shot her brother a dirty look but said nothing, preferring to stick close to both her lovers just to ensure they all survived.
Leading them through winding tunnels and half bombed out buildings, Brendan brought them to a semi-safe location far from where they had been, but not far enough away that they didn't hear the explosions and screams caused by the shrillers detonating.
Even with the earplugs in, both Loki and Rhade winced, hands automatically covering their ears in an attempt to block out the sound.
"That is... unpleasant," Agravaine observed, straightening up, actually accepting Dylan and Beka's support momentarily.
"But anything that kills Dragans is good," Loki said fiercely.
Pausing, Trance seemed distant for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "We'll be fine here for a while."
"And the purple one has spoken. I guess the threat's passed for now. So are we there yet, Bren?"
"We're here. All right, boyo, start explaining."
***
An hour later Brendan sat there, stunned at what he'd heard. The details of Seamus' life, corroborated by the other humans, the purple girl and even the Nietzscheans, painted a picture he didn't want to think about but had to.
"An' you stayed with him, despite the fact that you were hardly better than a sex slave t'him?"
"If that's all I was, he wouldn't have come after me when Freya sold me off, Bren. If I was just a kludge to use and discard, he wouldn't have risked life, ship and the extermination of Kodiak Pride, and he did. They may say differently, Tyr, Agravaine and the others, but I know.
"If it hadn't been for me, Tyr wouldn't have attacked Orca Pride. If it hadn't have been for me killing Guderian and Tyr protecting me, the Orcas would never have gone after Kodiak. I mean, my God, Bren, Kodiak is the protector of the remains of Drago Mussevni and one of the strongest prides in the Nietzschean Empire. Stronger than even the Dragans with all their slave labor--and the humans under Kodiak rule have been given their freedom and have chosen to stay with them. Doesn't that tell you something, like maybe not all boneheads--sorry, guys--are bad?
"Tyr let me go, let me and the humans that serve with him come to Earth to get you, Brendan. You can't stay here anymore. It's not safe for you now that the Dragans have targeted you. He let us go, armed us, improved our ship's defense systems and gave us the information we needed to get in and get out. Does that sound like a bad guy to you?"
Brendan had to grudgingly agree to most of what his cousin said, but it still rankled. "It sounds like a good deal, I'll give ye that, but looks, and sounds, can be deceiving. You always were far too trusting, Seamus, despite the way you grew up."
"Brendan, if you stay here, you'll die!" Harper yelled, frustrated beyond measure.
"An' if I go, my people will die. One life for a hundred? Not a fair trade, cuz. Not a fair trade at all."
"If you stay here, you'll be killed and so will others trying to protect you," Loki spoke up suddenly. "Whereas if you leave with us, the Dragans will have no reason to attack the people closest to you, and you will be able to plan... and perhaps convince my father to assist in attacking the Dragans and freeing Earth. Enslaving a planet only proves that they aren't worthy to be called Nietzscheans. Besides," he added with the blunt honesty of the young, "he'd do almost anything that would make Harper happy."
Beka and Trance both had to turn away abruptly to hide their amusement, and Rhade's expression was particularly wooden as he coughed behind his hand, managing to keep a straight face.
"Umm, thanks, Loki, that's a great piece of advice. Now will you let me do the talking?" Harper asked resignedly, knowing that the young Nietzschean was only trying to help, but the kid really needed to learn when to keep his mouth shut.
"The... child... has some good points, even if his manner is a little tactless," Brendan admitted. "Give me twenty-four hours to think on it, okay?"
"I'm not a child!" Loki snapped before he was silenced by the unanimous glares of his companions. Subsiding into a sulky silence, the young Nietzschean scowled at the human who'd insulted him.
"We can't afford much more than that," Beka said bluntly. "The longer we're here, the greater the likelihood that the Dragans will find us, and none of us would exactly be invited home for dinner."
"If we wait longer than that, nothing will matter because we'll all be dead and there won't be any more hope," Trance said abruptly, not looking at anyone though her hand clutched at Rafe's arm and her fingers were cold.
"Trance, do you know something?" Harper asked quietly, watching his purple-skinned friend carefully. When she gave him a look, the kind that said, 'I'm not telling you a thing, so quit asking,' he decided to keep his mouth shut for now.
"So, do you have a place we can bunk for the night? I mean if we're here for the next day, we're gonna need a place to rest, and the least we can do is help with patrols and that, well, the humans anyway. And sorry, Agravaine, but I am not being followed around by a Nietzschean when I'm patrolling a human sector of Earth. That would make me a bigger target than not."
Rhade frowned, but he had to agree with Harper's logic. "So long as Dylan and Beka go with you," he conceded reluctantly. Seeing the small human's protest on his face, he added, "Them or me. I promised the captain that you would be protected."
"Besides, if anything happened to you," Beka put in, looking amused, "none of us could ever go back to the Andromeda."
Harper grumbled under his breath but agreed to the conditions. "I really don't need bodyguards, though. I mean, I grew up on this mudball. I know what I'm doing!"
"Take the bodyguards with you, Seamus," Brendan grinned. "It never hurts to have muscle with you when you're on the streets of Beantown. You and your... friends can stay here. The Nietzscheans are gonna have to stay in this area, and I need to post guards. It's for their protection as much as ours. Stray boneheads meet bad ends in this section of town.
"It would probably be better if your purple lady doesn't stray too far either. Earth has been ravaged by far too many alien races of late, so a purple girl with a tail will probably not be considered a friend, if you catch my drift. The humans can help with patrols, but they go with my people. Jackson will set you up with patrol mates if that's your choice.
"Shame, you can bunk with me if you like; it'd be good to have family around again. And I could use your input on a new device we're working on. If your bodyguards will let you come, that is," Brendan finished.
Trance frowned slightly, darting a concerned glance at Rafe that no one saw, their attention on Harper and Brendan, but she remained silent, apparently deciding to keep whatever it was to herself. Instead she offered, "I brought some medical supplies with me. I'd like to check everyone out and help where I can. If nothing else, you could all use immunizations and vitamin shots."
Rhade wanted to offer help with the security, but he knew that the humans would not accept it from a Nietzschean. Since he could do nothing else, he would keep an eye on Trance, even though he suspected that she could take care of herself much better than anyone believed.
"So where do you want us?" Beka asked, remaining close to Harper though she spared a look for her brother.
"You can bunk down here. I'd rather keep you all together. Someone will escort... Trance, right?... to the infirmary in the morning, and we'll have people drop by after you've had a few hours rest to pick up Rafe for patrol. Harper, you and your bodyguards will have third patrol with me. Fair enough?" Brendan asked.
"Yeah, sounds good, Bren. You'll all be okay here, won't you?" he asked his crewmates.
"Get out of here, kid. Have fun with your cousin, and don't forget Beka and me when it's time for patrol, okay?" Dylan chuckled, sending Harper on his way.
"You heard the man, Harper, go catch up on old times," Beka agreed with a laugh.
***
Harper came tearing into the room to see the remnants of the team that Rafe had gone out with covered in blood and sporting plasma burns. "Rafe! Brendan, where's Rafe?" he bellowed over the tumult of moans and screams of pain.
Harper's jacket was grabbed as he passed. "It was dark. They thought he was Brendan, so they took him. The Dragans took him."
Following on Harper's heels, Beka stopped dead in her tracks, causing Dylan to plow into her, and only Rhade's reflexes prevented the same from happening to him and Trance. "Dear God, Harper, Rafe won't survive being captured by Nietzscheans again. His sanity certainly won't," she moaned, nearly frantic.
"We'll find him," Trance said, only to stop, her eyes widening as she stared over Beka's shoulder at something.
"You know what we have to do," another, familiar voice said, making everyone spin around to stare in shock at... Trance?
"Eek!" Harper let out what was shockingly similar to a girly scream as the second Trance appeared in the room. "What, where, how??"
It was recognizably the same face, but gold with bronzy highlights instead of purple, and the short pale blonde hair had been replaced with a long, copper-bronze mane partially braided back. Most startling of all, however, was the lack of a tail and the very warlike leather outfit and weapons.
"Is it that bad?" purple Trance asked, approaching her double.
"Very bad," gold Trance replied. "Rafe died, and Harper, Beka and Dylan were killed trying to rescue him, and that caused a lot of events that... Well, it wasn't good. But I know where we made mistakes, and I can fix them."
Purple Trance nodded, and she looked back at her friends. "I have to go now, but not really. I'll still be with you," she nodded at the other version of herself, "just a bit different."
"Trance," Beka started, reaching for her friend, one hand catching hold of her wrist.
"It has to be, Beka. If it wasn't necessary, I would never have come back to tell myself." She smiled. "Just remember that it's still me."
She hugged Harper hard, smiling into his confused face and stepped back, turning away to walk past gold Trance and simply vanishing.
The new version of the enigmatic alien stared at the stunned faces surrounding her. "We need to go find Rafe now. It would be easier if you came with me?" she suggested, trying to get them moving.
"Are you really...?"
"Yes, Beka, I'm Trance. The same person who's been your friend for years, just older and wiser now. I made some very bad mistakes the first time 'round, and this time I'm going to fix them. I'm not going to let Rafe be destroyed... or anyone else."
"Cuz, I hate to say this, but you've got some really whacked friends, there," Brendan muttered under his breath. "However, if you're mounting a raid on the Dragans, we're up for a party. So is bronzed warrior babe the one in charge?"
"Uhhh, I guess so," Harper replied, backing up behind Rhade as he stared at the new incarnation of Trance, not at all sure if he liked it at all.
***
"How did a spacer like you get on Earth?" A hand came out of the dark and backhanded him hard. "Answer me, kludge, how did you get to Earth?"
"Fuck you, bonehead," Rafe snarled and then howled as a vibro blade was driven into the fleshy part of his thigh and left there.
"Next time it'll go someplace more vital. So I would suggest you reconsider your answer by the time we come back."
***
Growing impatient, Trance stood up suddenly, startling the many people around the scarred table who were arguing details of the plan to save Rafe. "If you keep worrying about the details, he'll be dead before we ever move," she snapped.
That brought Beka to her feet as well, and she moved to Trance's side, though not without another sidelong glance at her changed friend. "I want my brother back, and if you're not going to help us, we'll do it ourselves." A tiny bit of the tension relaxed in her when Rhade stood and joined them as well. Whether he agreed or not, he was clearly going to help them.
However, it would take some time to get organized, and while they did that, there was another, small matter that could be taken care of: the matter of Brendan coming with them when they left Earth.
Brendan, surprisingly, was the one to broach the subject first. To his cousin, of course. "I don't trust Nietzscheans, Seamus. You of all people should understand that. But if you're sure this Kodiak of yours can and will help me..." Brendan paused. "I'll have some demands of my own. I'll need to be able to communicate with my people and have them communicate with me. And if I need to come back, I'll be allowed to. Sound fair?"
Harper nodded. It did sound fair to him, but he wasn't the one in charge. Oh, he could sway Tyr, of that he had no doubt but... Calling Rhade over from where he was discussing options with Trance and some of Brendan's people, Harper told him what Brendan had suggested. "I can say yes because I'm Tyr's lover, but it would be more official coming from the second in command. Agravaine? Would Tyr really go for it?" Harper asked quietly, watching the Nietzschean intently.
Rhade shrugged. "You yourself told us that he has decided it is time to mount an offensive against the Dragans. I believe he had already decided to assist the human resistance if there was any chance of success, and I think there is." He concentrated on Harper's cousin. "For your own safety, however, while on board the Andromeda, you should have a... liaison. Harper has made his own place, as have the crew of Maru, but... not everyone is as pleased by the presence of humans.
He glanced over at Loki and smiled faintly. "And since Loki has no other duties as of yet, I think he'll be perfect for the job."
Loki gaped at Rhade, then looked at the human who kept referring to him as a child. "Sir, I--"
"Are you refusing an order?" Rhade's eyebrows rose, and Beka had to turn away to hide her amusement.
"No! No, sir!" Loki looked like he'd eaten something that disagreed with him.
"And he's your lover's eldest son?" Brendan's eyebrow quirked up in disbelief. "I thought bonehea-- I mean Nietzscheans matured at a faster rate than us," he whispered to Harper. "So why is he acting like a wet behind the ears sprout?"
"'Cause he is wet behind the ears," Harper whispered back, knowing full well that Rhade and Loki could hear every word. "He stowed away on Bek's ship because he figured I needed protection. Loki has a warped Oedipal complex, if you get my drift."
"You mean he... ewwww," Brendan replied succinctly.
"Um, hello, people? I've still got a brother held by the Dragans. We're gonna go get him, remember?" Beka growled, exasperated and growing impatient. Her trigger finger itched, and she wanted to get to Rafe before he was traumatized further by any more Nietzscheans. While she had come to see the Kodiaks as the exceptions to the rule, the fact still remained that most Nietzs were anything but pleasant.
"I am not wet behind the ears, and you're not my father," Loki snapped. "And I'm not a kid! I'm fourteen!" Which for a Nietzschean meant that he was old enough to be assigned adult duties and be treated as an adult.
Rhade ignored Loki's comments, knowing it would be futile to engage in a debate with a hormone-driven teenager. "Beka's right. We need to find Valentine quickly. Are we ready to go?" he asked Brendan.
"You're the ones who've been yammering on about things that could have been settled later," Brendan replied with a sardonic drawl and a quirk of his eyebrow at the kid's temper tantrum. If this was the way Loki was gonna be on board this ship, maybe Brendan would be better off facing the Dragans here on Earth, but he'd given his word to his cousin, so he'd keep it.
"Sully, distribute the weapons to our friends, including the shrillers. Make sure they've got enough ammo. We need them to cover our backs as much as they need us to help. We hit the boneys hard and fast, and we don't leave survivors. We make for the detention area, no stopping to sightsee. If we get the chance, we free other POWs, but we don't go out of our way. The longer we're in, the more vulnerable we become. While we infiltrate, the second team takes out the ammo dump as a diversion. You know the drill, people. Let's move."
Harper quickly locked and loaded, patting his side to make sure his hidden force lance was readily available. Loading up on shrillers and extra clips, he quickly forgot about the life he'd lived after Earth. He was an Earther, and by God he'd do what it took to keep his people alive and get them out of there in one piece.
Dylan efficiently went over his own weapons and calmly waited next to Beka, confident that they'd succeed in getting Rafe out alive and in one piece.
After a last uneasy glance at Trance, still uncertain about this new incarnation of the already decidedly odd female, Rhade took his place beside Harper. Much as he wanted to be with his own lovers, Harper needed his protection more... and Tyr would flay him alive if anything happened to the engineer.
Aware of Rhade's discomfort, Trance ignored it in favor of concentrating on what she could sense of Rafe, keeping track of the changing possibilities. If anything happened to him...
Loki moved to Brendan's side, not letting his expression deter him, relaxing when he saw Rhade's approval. Apparently his new duties had already started, as he'd suspected.
Rolling his eyes, Brendan stifled a sarcastic remark... barely. "All right then, I can assume we're ready t'go then?" he asked the gathered crowd.
Beka and Harper nodded silently and began to check their weapons with almost frightening efficiency. Both had been involved in a rescue mission of this sort far too often, and both had been up against the Dragans enough times to know what they were in for.
Dylan grinned ferally. "Let's bring it."
"Try not to get yourself killed," Rhade said harshly, one hand curving around Dylan's neck to pull him into a possessive kiss. "Keep him out of trouble," he added to Beka when he'd released Dylan, then sighed as he remembered that it was Beka's brother they were trying to save. "And yourself." He brushed a thumb over her lips, a touch as intimate between them as a kiss.
"You too," Beka replied, wondering when she'd gone from accepting Rhade to loving him. When this day was over, she wanted all her men, brother, lovers and friend, back where she could keep an eye on them.
"It's time to go," Trance said suddenly, a hand resting familiarly on the gun at her hip.
***
Rafe spat out another mouthful of blood. The Dragans seemed to be having a great deal of fun roughing him up without... well, raping him. Apparently the Orca were one of the few prides that went in for sexual domination of humans. Not that Rafael Valentine would have allowed that to happen again. No matter what it took, this time he wasn't going to be anyone's bitch!
"Stupid kludge, he's not going to tell us anything. If we were on the station, I'd say space him, but put him in the cage with the other dissidents. In the morning he'll be executed along with the rest of the rebel garbage in the holding tanks," the one in charge growled as he wiped the blood off his fist before turning to walk out the cell. He had better things to do than to beat a prisoner... like find that bastard Lahey and put an end to the human rebellion once and for all.
***
"Hurry," Trance hissed, growing more agitated as she sensed Rafe's time growing short. She had a duty, one she'd followed for longer than her companions could begin to imagine, but if anything happened to Rafe...
"If we all get ourselves killed through lack of caution, Valentine will be equally dead," Rhade pointed out coolly from where he crouched at an intersection of corridors, peering carefully around the corner to make sure no Dragans were nearby.
"And if Rafe dies because of you dragging your feet, you'll wish you only had the Dragans to face," Trance snarled back, eyes narrowed.
Watching her, Loki's eyes widened, and he moved closer to Brendan, insinuating himself between the golden alien and the human who was his responsibility.
"Leave off, will ya, kid?" Brendan growled, pushing his way past Loki to tower over Trance. "And as for you, Miss Golden Hair, let's get something straight. I don't plan on anyone dying tonight, but this is my planet, my city, and no one knows the Dragans better than my people. We play things by my rules, and everyone gets out alive. You go charging off half cocked, and you'll more than likely get your Valentine and every last one of us killed too.
"Now I appreciate wanting to get someone you care about out of harm's way as much as the next guy, but I don't do it at the expense of other people's lives. Now simmer down and let's do it by the book, okay?"
Harper raised an eyebrow, not sure if there would be bloodshed or worse. Her purple perfectness would've backed down, hell, she'd never have been so Warrior Princess in the first place, but this Trance... well, this one was still a bit of a mystery.
Figuring that the last thing any of them needed was a pissing contest in Dragan-controlled territory, Harper cleared his throat softly. "Hey, guys, tick tock, remember? We got a friend to rescue, so let's get to it."
Giving the Nietzschean a last focused glare, Trance turned her back, ignoring him utterly. Rafe was her only concern now, and this time when she got him back, she was going to make sure he stayed with her. He got into far too much trouble on his own.
"I think I liked the purple one better," Rhade grumbled softly to Harper, making Beka laugh as she overheard him.
Nodding vehemently, Harper fell into line with the other humans, glancing at Beka for her reaction to the woman who'd become her best friend.
Beka, not sure what to think of Trance at the moment, concentrated on the issue at hand. "I want my brother back. Alive. We play this smart and safe because that way we'll be sure to get him," she muttered through clenched teeth. "Now we're burning valuable time, so, Brendan, can we get our asses in gear, please?!"
Before anyone could reply, a pair of Dragans rounded a distant corner and after a few steps noticed the strange group. Hands flashed toward weapons, but they never had a chance as they were cut down by fire from the invaders.
"Now we have to move quickly," Rhade said, straightening up from his defensive crouch. "When they don't report in, the alarm will be raised. We have only a short time left before this whole base is on alert."
He looked at Trance. "Do you have any idea where he might be? Or you?" he added, looking at Brendan on the assumption that he might know where prisoners were usually held.
***
Rafe looked up as the lock blew on the holding cell and grinned tiredly as first Dylan and then Beka, Harper and Brendan poured through the door. Finally a strange golden woman who bore an uncanny resemblance to Trance brought up the rear, leaving the Nietzscheans to guard their backs. "Never thought I'd say this but you're a sight for sore eyes, Hunt. And you, Valentine Smart, you're beautiful as always. Who's the disco queen?"
"Rafe, oh God, we..." Beka took a deep, calming breath. "We gotta get you out of here, now. Can you walk?"
"Lead the way, baby sister."
Trance snorted. "You know perfectly well who I am, Rafe Valentine," she said harshly, trying to hide her reaction to seeing him. She wanted to hurt those who had hurt him, but she knew there was no time. "Just you wait till we get back to the Andromeda. I'm going to make sure you take care of yourself properly from now on."
Eyebrows rising, Rhade remained silent, not believing that either Rafe or Trance would appreciate hearing that she sounded like a Nietzschean matriarch taking her husband to task.
Rafe's one eyebrow attempted to shoot up into his hairline, and only the pain of his beatings stopped it. "What, you go change skin tone on me, and you become sort of warrior goddess on a rampage?" he snorted, looking at the golden woman before accepting the sidearm that Dylan handed him.
For the first time since the Orcas got hold of him, Rafe wasn't a cowering mess, and he'd be damned if he'd go back to that. Her former purpleness would have to deal, and that was that. Rafe Valentine was the captain of his ship once more.
"Um, guys, big ugly Dragans, little bitty Harpers, can we go already?" Harper urged, getting more antsy by the second.
"I'll second that request," Brendan whispered, motioning the other prisoners out of the holding cell and handing them each a weapon as they passed him. "We need to get the fuck out of here before the alert goes off!"
"Finally, someone makes sense," Rhade muttered, waiting till the last of the humans had passed before falling in behind at Harper's side. As he'd expected, the blond engineer had refused to leave till every prisoner was freed, and as first officer of the Andromeda Ascendant, it was Agravaine Rhade's unenviable task to make sure he survived his altruistic impulses.
Trance, on the other hand, had made sure that she and Rafe were the first to leave, with Harper's cousin close on their heels and Beka close enough to be mistaken for her brother's shadow.
"We'll be able to return to the Andromeda soon," she murmured. "Brendan agreed to come."
"First we get the prisoners out and safe, and then we leave these bastards a little surprise," Rafe replied somewhat forcefully. "I owe them, Trance, I owe them and the Orcas big. Since I can't get those animals, these ones will have to do."
"Hey, you think I'm gonna go into a major Drago-Katzov compound and not leave a few parting gifts?" Brendan snorted from behind Rafe. "Harper and I didn't get much sleeping done the other night, but we did tweak a few surprises to really get this party started."
Wit that Brendan touched a remote detonator he'd palmed, and the Dragan prisoner complex started to go up like the Fourth of July. "God, I love Independence Day, don't you, cuz?"
"Oh yeah," Harper chuckled, not bothering to stop and admire his handiwork. "I'm just a boy with his toys!"
"Tyr will be so upset to have missed it," Rhade said blandly, eyeing Harper while Loki choked.
"Men," Trance uttered in tones of total disgust while Beka rolled her eyes in agreement.
"Pity they're so useful in some ways. We'd be much better off without them."
"I think my father was smart to pick Harper after marrying his wives," Loki muttered.
"Let's not talk about the uber bitch, okay Loki?" Harper growled quietly. "Your father knows better than that. I get... cranky when she's mentioned," the human continued without missing a step. "And he doesn't get any either, which makes him cranky!"
"Ewww!" Loki made gagging sounds. "Haaaarper," he whined, "he's my father! And he's old."
"In that case I won't warn you where not to stick your hands the next time you come into the machine shop after... we've polished the tables." Harper grinned wickedly while Brendan chortled quietly in the background.
Loki rolled his eyes. "I still think you'd be better off with me," he retorted, moving closer, eyes fixed on Harper.
"If you're so sure of that, I'd suggest you discuss it with your father. After all, you never know, he might actually give me up... and the Magog will become vegetarians."
Grumbling under his breath, Loki crossed his arms over his chest and growled at Harper as he stalked along at Brendan's side, then growled at the other human when he noticed that he was doubled over with laughter.
"Something wrong, little Nietzschean?" Brendan asked with an innocent mien, trying to suppress his laughter in order to spare the puppy's pride somewhat. Biting his tongue for security as well as to prevent the peals of laughter at Loki's expense, Brendan quickly led his people back into the tunnels and away from the Dragan patrols that had finally begun to look for the kludges who'd dared to attack one of their strongholds.
"Quiet now, all of you. We're passing under Dragan-controlled areas."
"'Little Nietzschean?'" Loki snarled, looking remarkably like his father at that moment, spikes flaring along his arms in reaction to the adrenalin rush. He bit back the comment he wanted to make, not willing to draw the Dragans down on them, but he vowed that he and the brash human would have a long discussion as soon as possible.
"Young Nietzschean?" Brendan offered with a bona fide smirk.
Harper, trying very hard not to laugh out loud in order to spare Loki's feelings, walked just a little slower and fell back enough to get out of the range of hearing before he busted a gut.
Beka and Dylan smirked as they watched the interaction between yet another Nietzschean-human pairing in the works. They couldn't wait for the fireworks to start once they got back to the Maru... provided that the fireworks didn't intrude on the trio's time alone together.
"It would be helpful if you would hold off on the mating displays till we are somewhere more secure," Rhade said dryly, eyeing the two of them.
"Mating disp..." Brendan choked. "Not in this lifetime, buddy! First of all, I prefer the fairer sex more often than not, and secondly, I prefer humans. Thanks all the same. Besides, I'm not ready to make a dowry offer for the lad; he's still got some growing up to do," Brendan continued, deciding to nip that line of thought in the bud.
About to agree fervently that he was totally disinterested in Harper's cousin, Brendan's last comment brought Loki up short, and he turned to glare at the human with narrowed eyes. "I am not a child," he growled, moving closer until Brendan was forced to tilt his head back to meet the tall young Nietzschean's eyes.
"Height does not equal maturity, or haven't they taught you that?" Brendan replied casually. "Harper tells me that you stowed away on the Maru and that Beka was ready to space you. He didn't go into the details, but the intent was rather obvious. Seems to me you're still a walking hormone testing his legs. So, until you prove otherwise, I'm standing by my assessment."
That said, Brendan skirted around the Nietzschean teen and took point to lead his people back into the tunnels so he could give some last minute advice before he was whisked away from Earth and his own personal windmill, the overthrow of the Dragan contingent on his planet.
Loki desperately wanted to argue his case, but he knew it was neither the time nor the place. Gritting his teeth so hard they should have cracked, he followed Brendan, remembering that it was his duty to protect the infuriating human. No matter that he'd much rather tear the man's head off himself.
"Things ought to be very interesting on the ship for the next while," Rhade murmured to Beka, who had ended up at his side as they moved through what had once been Boston's subway system.
"You're telling me," the blonde replied with a grin. "Talk about oil and water."
"They're either going to kill each other before we get back to the Andromeda or melt a couple bed frames. I think Harper's planning on sleeping in Engineering just to avoid the fallout of either possibility," Dylan added as he moved to join the conversation while he watched the young man in question jog ahead to join his cousin.
"As if either Harper or Tyr will be seen outside their quarters for a week after this time apart," Rhade snorted. "It appears that the two families strike sparks off each other. We should be careful to keep the other children away from any other relatives Harper may have," he sighed, "unless we want to live in a constant war zone."
Trance glanced over at that comment, but she remained silent and her focus returned to Rafe almost instantly.
Beka shuddered at the thought. "Two Harpers is more than enough to unleash on an unsuspecting universe. Let's just hope that Brendan isn't too much like his cousin, or the Andromeda might not be big enough for the both of them!"
Rafe managed a low chuckle. "Oh, I don't know, I think they're kind of cute. Too bad that I seem to be off the market or I'd have risked getting to know the older one a little better since getting to know the younger one would get me killed," he continued, glancing sideway at Trance.
"Nice to have you back among the living, Mr. Valentine," was the only comment Dylan had to add as he was more interested in making sure their backs were still protected, just in case.
"'Bout time you admitted it," Trance murmured, reaching for and lacing her fingers through his momentarily before releasing him so they'd both have hands free in case they ran into any Dragans.
Rhade rolled his eyes and hastened his stride, following Brendan and Loki through the tunnels toward the humans' hidden stronghold. After breathing the air of Earth, in which he could taste the desperation and despair, he was eager to finish up here and return to the Andromeda's sanitized cleanliness.
"Like I had any choice. You're one scary lady when you want to be," Rafe replied, moving quickly out of striking distance.
***