Back From the Future: Part 2
Hours later the sky finally began to lighten as a new day broke on the decimated planet. Trance's eyes snapped open and glanced around frantically. After regaining her bearings, she mentally kicked herself for falling asleep. The fire she had built up was down to glowing embers, most of its fuel consumed. A thick damp fog had replaced the previous night's rain and without the fire, she was chilled to the bone. She crawled over to where Harper lay to check on him, worried that he'd not made it through her nap. Thankfully he was still alive. His breathing was labored and she could feel heat baking off him in waves. She resisted an impulse to warm her numb fingers on his burning skin. His fever had risen, she doubted he would become conscious again. She sat down heavily and angrily brushed away a stray tear. She found herself fighting the urge to scream. Scream at the unfairness of it all; scream her anger, her frustration and her grief. She balled her fists and abruptly stood, not knowing where to go or what to do, she began pacing near the wall. Back and forth, kicking bits of debris from her path. She knew she was close to loosing it. She had to get herself under control. She tried to concentrate on her breathing, deep calm breaths. She attempted to empty her mind and relax, she closed her eyes but all she saw were scenes of death and destruction. Snippets of things Harper had told her and other things that she had no idea where they came from. Each more horrible than the next. Her pacing reached a frenzied peak; she brought her fist back to strike the wall in front of her with all her might. She stopped mid-swing when she heard a small groan. She froze for an instant, all the energy from her outburst draining from her body. Her shoulders sagged and she let her arm fall to her side. Here it comes. She thought, it's the end. She made her way back over to Harper, trying to appear calm and in control.
Harper was struggling to wake up, his head tossed and his eyelids fluttered. When he finally managed to pry them open, his eyes were glassy. His gaze wandered and unfocused. "Harper." Trance said softly. Her voice cut though the fog that was enveloping his mind and helped him to concentrate a little. He licked his cracked and swollen lips and tried to speak. Trance gave him a small sip of water and sat in awe at his will to survive. Here he was, still alive after everything the universe had thrown at him. Against the most insurmountable odds he was still here. Maybe he could beat those odds again? Maybe?
"Where was I?" His voice weak but still audible.
Trance looked concerned. "Are you sure you want to do this? Someone may find us, if you use all your energy talking, you might not last."
Harper smiled faintly and continued as if Trance hadn't spoken. "Kyla was the light of my life. I loved her more than anything, she became my reason for living." Harper gave a small chuckle. "When you get onboard Andromeda again, you'll have to watch all the holo-vids I made. I swear I recorded that girl 24 hours a day."
Trance gasped and grabbed Harper's good arm. "Harper, you said Andromeda. Is the Andromeda still functioning? Is she still out there?"
Harper winced at Trance's painfully desperate grasp, a sheepish look crossing his face, "Sorry, darlin'. I keep forgettin' you don't know what the hell's going on. Yes, Andromeda is still alive and to answer your next question, Dylan is still her captain. He's beat his own record as oldest High Guard Captain 323 years running." Harper attempted a grin but it was lost in a shudder as his body began to fail him.
"Then there's hope, we'll be rescued!" Trance exclaimed.
Harper's eyes clouded and he frowned. "No," he whispered, "They don't even know where I am. I left shortly after the shit hit the fan. Rommie's clear on the other side of the known worlds, still fightin' the good fight."
Trance shifted uncomfortably, releasing Harper's arm she gazed into Harper's bright blue eyes, "Harper, please tell me what happened, I have to understand how everything went so wrong."
Harper nodded and continued. "Another year or so after Kyla was born, it was time for the next big event. The World Ship was at the edge of Commonwealth space and we were as ready for it as we could be. By that time, we had 250 worlds signed on to a Mutual Defense Pact and the Academy here on Terazed was turning out raw recruits day and night. The fleet was an amazing array of the new and the old, never havin' been tested in actual battle.
I was scared outa my mind but I knew there wasn't any place else I would rather be than on the Andromeda when my friends needed me. I wanted you gone, however. I wanted you to take the kids and go someplace safe. Sinti, Infinity, your home planet, (I had found out by then that you do have one) it didn't matter. I wanted you off the Andromeda just in case, you know, we all got turned into microwaved Magog munchies. You wouldn't budge. I tried every trick in the book, I whined, I begged, I got angry but you insisted that you had to be there because you still had a part to play. I don't know how but you convinced me. I think it was 'cause you played the trust card. I mean, I did...do...trust you completely so I had to ignore every instinct I had to prove it. I trusted you but I didn't trust the Magog. So I built a hiding place on board to stash you and the kids in just in case. One thing I learned from Dylan, always have a back-up plan.
The whole fleet left to intercept the World Ship. Dylan was awesome, he commanded the armada like he was born to it. Every ship moved in careful concert, following a plan that had been laid months before. Even with Dylan's leadership and the meticulously orchestrated attack, the battle was horrific. We threw everything we had at the World Ship and it kept coming. Point Singularity Bombs took out a third of the fleet; Magog swarm ships took out another third. Every attempt at breaching the World Ship's defenses failed miserably, we were loosing. It was time for plan "B". Every ship still able concentrated their fire on the PSB projectors. They weren't able to do much damage but they did create a diversion, allowing the Andromeda to slip through the outer defenses. We headed straight for the artificial sun. The plan was to launch Rosie, the mega bomb I built, directly into the sun, hopefully destroying the ship, the Magog and their "god".
That plan didn't exactly go the way we wanted it to either. When we entered the inner planets, we found thousands of swarm ships lying in wait. Beka, who was at the helm the entire time, managed miraculously to get us through the first wave but it wasn't enough, there were too many of them. We found our way blocked. There was no way the drone that carried Rosie would make it to the sun without being intercepted. Magog ships attached to the hull and we were boarded. To our surprise, we were not killed, just captured. Apparently ol' Red Eyes wanted to do the honors personally. The only consolation I had was knowing that you, Olma, and the children were safe.
Our captors brought us before the god of the Magog. He must have had some kinda telepathy or somethin' 'cause I could hear him talkin' but his lips never moved once, not that he had lips, I mean. He was all gloating about his victory and describing in horrid detail the fate that awaited us. I was scared stiff but I wasn't gonna give the psycho the satisfaction, ya know? Beka was screamin' at him, defiant to the last, she was yellin' about what she was gonna do to him! Rommie was quietly observing, looking for any weakness, any last chance to do this dude some damage. Dylan was pretty quiet; I was kinda worried, I thought he had given up. Apparently he was implementing plan "C". He freed his hands and activated his sub-vocal implant. 'Trance, NOW' He yelled. Ol' Red Eyes stopped gloating long enough to turn his glowing eyes on Dylan, he musta understood something then because he screamed, man, it was worse than when Beka launched the nova bomb at him. His eyes turned white, and fire shot outa his mouth. 'You have not won, High Guard!' He screamed, 'I shall defeat you and then the universe will be mine!' Then he looked at me, right at me, I mean like into my soul, it was like having a disgusting, evil snake was slithering inside my head. He spoke to me, just to me, and I'll never forget what he said, 'She'll be mine too'. Then he was gone and all hell broke loose. The Magog musta known it was time to vamoose 'cause total chaos ensued. Dylan was yellin' something but I couldn't make it out over all the screeching. Beka pushed me ahead of her and translated 'Trance launched the bomb! We have five minutes to get the hell out!' I heard that! We all ran, it all happened so fast, it's kinda a blur now. We couldn't get to the Andromeda so we grabbed the nearest swarm ship and hauled ass, Andromeda right on our tail. We barely made it to a safe distance before Rosie worked her magic. Boom! No more World Ship.
Rommie later reported an unusual rad signature leaving the World Ship moments before the explosion but we couldn't identify it. Yup, you guessed it, the Living Lava Lamp made a break for it. We didn't know that at the time, I sure wish we had. We were all high on victory, it was time to Par-ty. There were parades on nearly every planet, parties 'till dawn and where ever we went there was someone clappin' us on the back an sayin' what a good job we done.
You never really got into the party scene and whenever I regaled you with embellished tales of our victory, you would get really quiet. You'd grab Kyla and hold her tight, a frantic look in your eyes. I never told my Trance what the Spirit of the Abyss said to me. I figured he was gone for good and there was no reason to upset her more. Deep down I too was reluctant to let her or Kyla out of my sight." Harper stopped as a wave of pain broke through his body that left him gasping for breath. Sweat and tears mingled and slowly wound their way down his flushed cheeks. He clenched his teeth and waited it out. When the pain finally subsided enough for him to continue, his voice was husky and barely audible.
"Fifteen fairly peaceful years passed. Andromeda became not only the flagship for the new Commonwealth but also it's chief instrument of law and order. Two things that were severely lacking in the known worlds at that time, as you well know. So, we were never bored. Dylan was offered numerous positions of power, as was Beka. They turned down every one of 'em. It was suggested that Rommie receive her own command but she said no, she was all too happy serving along side Dylan. They tried to get me to head up the engineering department at the Academy. Cushy 9 to 5 job and all the Sparky I could drink. I'll admit, I was tempted. Flying around the universe with a child didn't seem the sanest thing in the world but Andromeda was our home and we couldn't imagine it any other way. So, Kyla and Tamerlane grew up together on Andromeda and as they grew, so did their connection. They were more than friends, they were like brother and sister.
Kyla was smarter than me and had even more spunk than you, which made raising her...um...challenging. She loved us both dearly but she absolutely idolized Dylan and wanted to be just like Beka. Sure, she loved following us around and learning the things we did, her mind was like a sponge, but she soon became bored and thirsted for more. She started taking lessons with Tamerlane, who was being groomed by Olma to become an Alpha. Kyla would challenge Tamerlane, she'd fight him with anything and everything from hand to hand to knives to force lances. She was about half Tamerlane's size but she was resourceful and stubborn and never gave up. I'll never forget the first time she beat him. He looked up at her from the flat of his back. She shrugged, helped him up and said 'What's next?' She'd accomplished her goal, now it was time to move on to something new.
Beka taught her how to fly. She doesn't think I know but the first time she let Kyla navigate slipstream was when she was six years old. Dylan took it upon himself to teach Kyla strategy. He was tickled pink to have someone so eager to play Go with him. That is, until he couldn't win anymore, then the board mysteriously disappeared from his room, I think I saw it floating outside an airlock. Kyla also spent hours in Rommie's VR matrix and she begged and begged for a 'port. That is one thing we wouldn't give in on. It wouldn't jibe with her physiology, that's what my Trance told me anyway.
It eventually became obvious that Tamerlane would soon have to leave Andromeda if he were to prove himself worthy as an Alpha. Kyla had her heart set on becoming a High Guard Captain and convinced Tamerlane that since most of the Neitzschean prides had joined the Commonwealth, becoming an officer would be a great way to prove his worth. Being very advanced for her age, Kyla was accepted at the Academy a year early. So, at age 16 and 17 my babies left the Andromeda. Every time I thought of Kyla out on her own, I got hives. Literally, I would break out in little red bumps that itched like the dickens!
Maybe we got too comfortable. Maybe we became complacent, lost our edge. In the old days, rumors of an evil spreading through the border worlds would have sent us scrambling. We should have at least investigated but we felt invincible. Our worst enemy had been gone for nearly two decades and we couldn't imagine anything we couldn't defeat. We were dead wrong."
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Harper paused a moment, gathering his thoughts. Trance noticed the hint of a sparkle that had appeared in his eyes when he talked about his daughter was almost extinguished. She knew that what he had to say next was very difficult for him even if she didn't know exactly what was to come. She also knew that he was fading, every breath, every heartbeat brought him closer to leaving her. In her mind fear, anger, pity and grief fought for supremacy. Yet she had her own little spark, she still had hope and as long as she clung to it, all was not lost. She would not give up, not until death itself came and stole him from her arms.
Harper blinked rapidly to clear his vision, his face a mask of anguish. "The rumors, the evil, it was the Spirit of the Abyss. Over the years he had secretly built up a new army composed of any creature he could bend to his destructive will. Kalderans, Magog, outcast Neitzscheans, even some humans were with him. We had no idea this army even existed until they launched their first attack. They had new and improved PSB projectors that could destroy entire planets. They were working their way to the seat of the Commonwealth one planet at a time, slowly, methodically.
The Commonwealth fleet was mobilized and once again we raced to the scene, guns blazing. It was a massacre. After loosing half of the ships in his command, Dylan was forced to order a retreat. I was surprised that we were actually allowed to retreat. They didn't even attempt to finish us off. They seemed perfectly content to let us go, regroup and come back to get our butts kicked again.
Once we were a safe distance away, the casualty reports started pouring in. Not one vessel escaped unharmed, not even the Andromeda. We were hit hard and Beka was hurt. It was bad, very bad. The ship was so damaged that my Trance was forced to put Beka into stasis until we reached a functioning hospital.
I sent a message to Kyla to tell her that we were all still alive, if only barely and that we were headed to Sinti to get help for Beka. I can only guess what she thought when she saw me standing amidst what looked like a completely destroyed ship. Actually, I can guess pretty well because Kyla was so much like me, she did exactly what I would have done," Harper grabbed Trance's arm and brought her closer. Through clenched teeth he rasped, "Trance, she left the academy. She and Tamerlane both. They stole a fighter and disappeared. Apparently they had a plan and thought they could defeat the Spirit of the Abyss on their own. They were determined to spare anymore Commonwealth ships or lives, especially ours." Harper released Trance and let his head fall back. He closed his eyes and softly continued. "When we got word of what Kyla and Tamerlane had done, I didn't even have to ask Dylan to go after them. He made arrangements for Beka to be cared for and laid a course to intercept.
As we neared the Volran system, the last known location of the Evil One's army, we picked up a distress beacon. It was coming from a High Guard escape pod. Rommie's scans were unable to detect any life signs. With my heart in my throat I raced to the hanger deck, Dylan, Rommie and Trance right on my heels. My hands were shaking so much that I couldn't open the pod. Rommie moved me aside so Dylan could force the door of the heavily damaged craft open. I wiggled out of Rommie's grasp and shoved Dylan out of the way so I could see inside the pod. There, in a bloody heap, lay Tamerlane, only Tamerlane. At first glance, I was certain he was dead. Trance brushed past me and began assessing him. He was still alive but barely. We rushed him to med bay, which still hadn't been completely repaired. My Trance certainly was a miracle worker; she brought him back from the brink, like she had done for me so many times before.
Dylan and Rommie continued the search for Kyla from the command deck while I helped Trance as best I could. Tamerlane's injuries were severe and if we hadn't found him when we did, he would have been beyond all hope. Rommie kept us updated, she said that they were beginning to come across signs of a battle and that there had been no contact with Kyla or the enemy. I found this a little disturbing, I mean, we were gettin' really close to the last known location of the super PSB projector and no one had attacked us yet, it was weird.
After a few hours, Tamerlane began to wake up. He looked around surprised. I think he had the same reaction I did when I woke up and the larva were gone, he honestly didn't think he'd ever wake up again. When he recovered from his shock at still being alive, he looked at each of us in turn and then dropped his eyes shamefully. 'Kyla's gone.' He whispered. I kinda lost it for a minute, I launched myself at Tamerlane, fully intending to take my grief and anger out on him. Dylan snagged me at the last second and held me back.
Rommie was comforting Trance, who was a wreck but in a heck of a lot better shape than me. Trance disentangled herself from Rommie and calmly approached the bed. 'Where did she go, Tamerlane?' she asked.
Instead of answering Trance, Tamerlane looked at me. His eyes were pained and he appeared very near tears but his voice was smooth and steady. 'There is no hope. He took her. She's gone.'
I don't remember much of what happened next, just a lot of yelling and crying and, um, throwing stuff around med bay. Rommie finally had to give me a sedative just so I wouldn't hurt myself.
I woke up half expecting to be restrained, thankfully I wasn't. Trance was sleepin' next to me on one of the larger beds, we were still in med bay. The events of the past few hours came rushing back to me and I struggled to keep it together. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my head, trying to deny that my daughter was gone. I finally gave in and cried, Trance musta been given something to help her sleep too because she didn't even stir.
Gentle weeping mixed with my own. Confused, I opened my eyes and saw Tamerlane in the bed next to ours. White-hot fury exploded in me. I lept to my feet and stalked over to him. 'You! It's all your fault! What the hell did you think you were doing?' I reached down and grabbed his collar, I shook him, I ignored the pain that it caused him. I wanted him to hurt, I wanted him to feel as bad as I did. He didn't resist or try and defend himself, he just lay there. His stoic silence reminded me how much like Tyr he actually was and that enraged me further. Tyr was gone and now so was my daughter. I pulled back my fist to smash it into his face when his soft baritone cut like a knife through my frenzied, self-righteous wrath.
'I'm sorry.' he said, tears brimming his soft brown eyes. My vision slowly cleared, I no longer saw my daughter's killer before me but the tender, caring young man I thought of as a son. I looked at my upraised fist, still poised to strike. I dropped it to my side and released my grip on his shirt.
'Oh, god, Tamerlane, I'm sorry...I...don't...I mean,' I reached out and embraced him. We stayed that way for a long time. Finally Tamerlane pulled back and wiped his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was choked with emotion.
'I loved her so much. In all things but blood she was my sister and I failed her. I would have done anything to protect her. Now I'm here and she's gone. I will never forgive myself.'
'Tamerlane, please, help me understand how this happened.' I said
Tamerlane looked down at his hands and spoke so softly I could barely hear him. 'I was obsessed with my future as an Alpha. Everything I accomplished was to aid in establishing my own pride. Delusions of grandeur flourished with every potential mate I encountered both at the academy and while on leave. Kyla was very enthusiastic when it came to my goals. She did everything possible to help me promote my status.
When we first heard about the Evil One's return and his improved weapons, we secretly began construction on a counter-weapon. It was Kyla's design and it was ingenious. We intended to hand it over to the High Guard and allow ourselves to bask in the glory of being the saviors of the Commonwealth. That is, until we got news of the fleet's defeat. We discussed it and decided that there was no time to waste, we needed to give the anti-PSB weapon to the headmaster immediately.
Then Kyla got your message. She was extremely upset about poor Beka. She was furious at what that glowing gutter rat did to you and the Andromeda. Her baser human instincts took over and I had to physically restrain her from walking all the way to the Volron system and, in her words, planting her boot in his ass.
I made the suggestion that we use the anti-PSB weapon ourselves. It would take precious time for the government of the Commonwealth to test and outfit our design. If we were to use it against the Spirit of the Abyss ourselves, we would prevent anymore unnecessary deaths and bring great glory to our names in one fell swoop.
Kyla more than willing to introduce Ol' Red Eyes to Izzy personally.' When Tamerlane noticed my confused look, he elaborated a little sheepishly, 'Izzy is what we named the weapon.
So, we borrowed a fighter and attached the anti-PSB weapon. Kyla made additional modifications to the ship's auxiliary weapons while we were en-route. The enemy armada had made significant progress relative to its last known location. I assumed that they wouldn't consider one small ship to be a threat. I was right. We were able to take them by surprise as they readied their weapon to fire on an unsuspecting planet. We breached their defenses relatively easily and Kyla let Izzy loose with a roar fierce enough to rival any Neitzschean. We scored a direct hit, it worked perfectly the super PSB projector and its ship were destroyed.
Unfortunately, we now had their undivided attention. We fought valiantly, the modifications Kyla made allowed us to destroy many ships. However, one lucky shot from a Neitzschean cruiser was enough to disable our little craft. We were boarded. Kyla and I fought the invaders tooth and nail, side by side. You should be proud, Kyla never gave up, she fought like a wild cat. Together we managed to turn the tide. We were repelling the enemy and forcing them from the ship when from out of nowhere, there He was. The Spirit of the Abyss.
I had studied him at the Academy but nothing could have prepared me for meeting evil face to face. I hesitated for just a moment but it was enough to allow a Kalderan to fire some sort of energy weapon at me. I found myself unable to move of my own volition. I fell to the floor as the putrid form of the Magog's god towered over me. I heard Kyla scream my name as he opened his mouth and a golden blast burst forth, hitting me square in the chest. The pain was excruciating. He turned from me and moved toward Kyla. I began to loose consciousness, the last thing I saw was Kyla being grabbed as she rushed to my side. The Spirit of the Abyss crushed her to himself and placed a glowing hand on her forehead. She immediately slumped against him, unconscious or dead, I cannot say. I heard his evil laughter echo through my mind as he vanished and took Kyla with him. I must have been taken for dead because when I awoke, I was alone in the crippled ship. I don't know how long it took but I managed to drag myself to an escape pod, not knowing if I would live or die. The next thing I knew, I woke up here, in med bay.'
I squeezed Tamerlane's hand as what he said sunk in. My daughter was out there somewhere, at the mercy of that sick son of a bitch. I swore then and there that I wouldn't let anything stop me from finding her and destroying the Spirit of the Abyss once and for all. 'Hang on darlin', Daddy's coming.'
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STILL C.Y. 1108
Harper gasped as a convulsion of pain rocked his rapidly weakening frame. He clenched Trance's hand desperately. His eyes took on a panicked appearance as he fought to catch his breath. Trance looked on helplessly with her heart in her throat. Slowly he was able to gain some semblance of control over his traitorous body. He closed his eyes, concentrating on his breathing and trying to ignore the pain. Finally he opened his tired eyes and continued.
"We searched for six months but we never did find her. She found us. One day, we were all on the bridge, well, all but Beka, she was still recovering from her injuries. All of a sudden there she was. She just appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of command. For a moment nobody moved, no one recognized her. Her blonde hair had turned dark red and her skin was white with golden shadows all over it." Harper paused and looked quizzically at Trance who was nodding her head, a look of recognition on her pretty purple face. Harper mentally shrugged and continued, "Then my Trance said 'Kyla?' and things seemed to snap into motion. I was so happy, I ran to hold her and as quick as lightening, she drew a knife and stabbed me. She STABBED ME! She towered over me and announced, 'Kyla no longer exists, I am Casondra and I am free of you. I am with my "true" father.'
Breaking free of her shock, Trance she rushed to my side. As she knelt to examine my wound, I noticed Casondra heft her blade and aim it at her mother's head. 'Kyla no!' I screamed. Tamerlane realized what was about to happen and before I even got the last syllable out, he threw himself at Casondra. She turned to him, surprised but ready. She plunged the nine-inch blade right into his heart.
A look of pure astonishment crossed Tamerlane's face. 'Why?' he whispered incredulously. He swayed on his feet for a moment before crashing to the floor, dead. Casondra's eyes widened, an undeniable look of pain and regret etched across her face. Just as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone, replaced by indifference and scorn. She bent down to Tamerlane's prone form, apparently admiring her handiwork. She quickly snapped off one of his bone blades and straightened. She held out the souvenir for all to see and said, 'Shall we have a game then?' Dylan fired his forcelance but it was too late, she was already gone." Harper shuddered but not from pain or cold.
Trance interrupted Harper's monologue heartbroken and bewildered, "Oh, my god, Harper, how terrible! Wait...Casondra...Harper, didn't you say that someone named Casondra did this to you? She left you here to die?"
"Yeah, that's Daddy's little girl for ya." Harper said bitterly. "I came here to stop her. I knew I didn't have a snowball's chance in hell but I had to try, ya know? She left me like this on purpose; she didn't finish the job because she knew you would be coming. She wanted to make sure to torture us as much as possible. She didn't count on me lasting long enough to tell you everything."
"Harper, I have to know..."
Harper nodded imperceptibly, "As soon as Casondra disappeared, Andromeda was attacked by cloaked ships that were waiting nearby. Just another one of Ol' Red Eyes' latest toys. We managed to get to slipstream and escape relatively undamaged.
I was confused to put it mildly. I refused to believe the thing that stabbed me and killed Tamerlane was my daughter. Rommie's scans proved beyond all doubt that it was indeed Kyla. Trance explained to me in horrid detail what probably happened while Kyla was prisoner of the god of the Magog. He tortured her body and raped her mind. He impaled her spirit and twisted it to serve is own evil purpose. Once her mind was wiped clean, he planted seeds of hate and groomed them to maturity, literally raising his own terrible spawn.
Trance blamed herself. Kyla had mysterious powers that had remained untapped, awaiting the day when her mother would begin to formally train her in their use. Now, that time had passed and the awesome power of Trance's people was in the hands of the Spirit of the Abyss.
For a while we drifted, uncertain of what to do. Eventually we realized we had no choice. The crew rallied around us and we set out once again to find Kyla, this time with knowledge as our main defense.
We had made no progress whatsoever when we once again found ourselves at war. The Evil One's army began to decimate the worlds of the Commonwealth anew. Dylan had no choice but abandon the search for Kyla and join the fight against the army of destruction. Trance and I were torn. Unable to abandon the search for our daughter, we reluctantly left Andromeda.
We tracked her all over the known worlds and back again. Rumors and speculation our only guide. It appeared that Kyla, I mean, Casondra was looking for something. It wasn't until we actually caught up with her that we found out what she was searching for.
The trail we followed led us to some backwater planet at the very edge of known space. There we surprised her as she scanned the sheer side of a mammoth cliff overlooking a boiling yellow sea. She was getting ready to lower herself down the cliff when Trance and I made our presence known. Casondra flipped to her feet and drew her weapons, practically hissing at us. Trance tried to reason with her, tried to get her to come with us so we could help her. Trance told her how much we missed her and loved her. Trance's words fell on deaf ears. Casondra slowly circled us, sizing us up. She glowered at Trance as she playfully swiped one of the blades at Trance's face. 'I want to thank you, Mother.' She sneered. 'Thank you for failing so miserably, why, if it weren't for you, I would never have become the woman I am today.'
Trance didn't let Casondra's words affect her. She kept a wary eye on the knives and continued talking to Casondra as if she were still Kyla. Casondra ignored her and turned her attention to me. 'Father' she said disdainfully, 'I want to thank you too. Without all your tedious, insipid stories of Andromeda and her crew, I would never have known where to find the fifth piece of the Engine.'
At that Trance stopped and stared at her daughter. 'The Engine? You're searching for the Engine of Creation?'
Casondra laughed, 'Of course, Mother, once I have gathered all five pieces, I will join my true father and we will rule the universe together!'
'Good grief, how corny is that?' I muttered.
Trance waved her hand to shush me. 'Kyla...'
'I told you my name is CASONDRA!' Casondra's scream echoed off the cliffs, reverberating in my bones.
'Casondra,' Trance began again, 'You don't understand, the Spirit of the Abyss is using you, he will never allow you to be his equal, he will never share anything with you. When you have fulfilled your purpose, he will cast you aside without a second thought.'
Casondra seemed affected by this. She lowered her knives, lost in thought. 'You can't be right. He loves me. You can't be right, you're a...a...' She turned her back and began to sob. Trance's heart nearly broke; she approached Casondra and reached out a purple hand to her daughter's shaking shoulder. Suddenly Casondra spun around, her blades flashing in the dying light, 'BECAUSE YOU'RE A LIAR' she screamed as her blades slashed deep into Trance's throat.
I watched Trance fall in slow motion, I felt like I was stuck in mud up to my chin. I raised my gun, shrieked Trance's name, and fired at Casondra but she was already rappelling down the cliff and out of range. I ran to Trance but it was too late. She was gone. I sat with her for what felt like days, waiting for her to come back to me like she did when Gerentex shot her. She didn't, she was really gone.
I wanted to lay down and die right there beside her. I couldn't do it. My throat was filled with bile, ice flowed through my veins and my heart turned black with hate. I had one purpose to fulfill before I was united with my Trance in sweet sleep. I would kill Casondra.
I returned Trance's body to the Andromeda for burial. Dylan and Rommie wanted me to stay and help them with the war. They didn't really need me, Andromeda had been outfitted with a full crew, and besides, I had other business to attend to. I said one last goodbye to Dylan and Rommie. I composed a letter to Beka, explaining to her what had happened. I told them all how much I loved them and then I left for the last time.
I had lost Casondra's trail but I was relentless. I don't know how many galaxies I passed through, sniffing for any clue as to her whereabouts. I don't even know how much time passed before I found her here on Terazed.
I found her digging in the ruins of this city. I should have just shot her in the back and been done with it but part of me still thought of her as my daughter. My gun wavered.
She spoke to me without turning, somehow knowing I was there. 'Your still have the backbone of a jellyfish.' She slowly turned and faced me. 'I have the fourth piece of the engine, no one can stop me now.'
'Yeah, well I'm sure as hell gonna try.' I said as I fired.
She nimbly evaded my rounds and I soon realized that I was not going to be able to inflict any damage that way. Time for plan "B"
'Don't you need all five pieces of the Engine to make it work?' I asked, trying to distract her while I readied that plasma mine I had hidden under my cloak.
She nodded and tucked a stray piece of ruby hair behind her pointy ear. 'You know your legends. The fifth piece has been inaccessible since the time of Tyr and Beka's failed attempt all those many years ago. However,' she drew one blade, 'four pieces are enough to allow me to travel back in time, to before that blonde bitch screwed it up for the rest of us.' She drew her second knife. 'As a matter of fact, if all goes according to plan, you may be lucky enough to get a visit from Mommy Dearest'
I could shoot myself for even paying attention to what she was saying because the last part distracted me. She lunged at me and tore the plasma mine from its holster. She cast it aside and then she went to work on me. She seemed to enjoy every second. I was completely defenseless and at her mercy. I prayed that she would just kill me and get it over with but she kept me alive on purpose, to lay here in agony until you arrived. And here you are." Harper finished. He lay his head back again and closed his eyes, the memories overwhelming him.
Trance thought he had fallen asleep when his eyes suddenly flew open and he once again frantically clawed at her arm. "You have to stop her before she finds the last piece of the Engine! You can do it! Find the four pieces, she hid them here on Terazed, go back and stop her!"
Trance tried to calm him down. "Harper, slow down, you have to rest."
Harper sighed heavily, it came out gargled and left him choking. Trance panicked, "Harper? Harper?" She yelled.
"Find her...stop her..." he gasped, his eyes glazing slightly. He shook his head as if trying to force the words out, "Kill her father..."
"But Harper, you're her father." Trance shook Harper trying to force him to make sense.
He smiled at her, his eyes clearing for a moment. Blood trickled in a thin line from his mouth to his chin as he reached his hand slowly to Trance's face. He lightly traced the line of her jaw with his fingertips and whispered, "I'll always love you my Purple Princess."
Trance grasped his hand as it began to fall, the light fading from his eyes as they closed. "Harper? Harper NO!" Trance cried, as she shook him again, this time in desperation. Tears streaming from her eyes in a torrent. "Harper! You can't leave me! Please!" She begged. She began CPR but she knew it was no use. He was gone. She sat back and stared at his still form. Suffering from a grief so deep it wounded her soul, Trance lay down beside Harper. She placed her head in the hollow of his neck, her lips gently brushing his cheek as she whispered incoherently, one hand absentmindedly stroking his soft blonde hair. Trance was so enveloped in her suffering that she didn't even notice that it had begun to rain.
******************
C.Y. 10088 (yay)
"He died in my arms." Trance whispered. Turning her tear-streaked face to Dylan she held out her hands as if to prove how empty they were. "I had no choice but to bury him there in that ruined wasteland." Trance continued, her voice a dead monotone. "I sat by his grave for a long time, trying to figure out what to do next. His dying words running back and forth through my mind. I decided that the only way to ensure any kind of future was to find the incomplete Engine and use it to follow Casondra, to stop her.
I set out to search for the four pieces but I never even made it past the city limits. I had no food or water and was barely stumbling along when a ship landed. Hope swelled within me, help at last! I couldn't have been more wrong. It was the Kalderans. As near as I can figure, they were acting on prior orders from Casondra because they knew right where to find me. I was too weak to offer any resistance. To be honest, I was beyond caring. They transported me to a prison planet where I sat numb and nearly catatonic. I had given up all hope. That is when I felt the Change begin."
"The Change?" Dylan interrupted, "What exactly is the Change?" He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped in front of him.
Trance sighed, there was no use in holding anything back now, if they couldn't find a way out of this, it wouldn't matter who knew her secrets because the universe would be in ashes. "When a member of my species is faced with a situation beyond their control, when they give up all hope of a perfect possible future, they begin a physical and mental transformation. We become the opposite of our nature, which has always been to help create a better universe. We become agents of destruction, ruthless and practically unstoppable. It's hard to explain, it's not like we all of a sudden become evil, just self-serving. After all, when you've lost all hope, there isn't anyone else to care about but yourself. The physical changes that arise are a means of self-preservation. We become faster, stronger and even more powerful. The Spirit of the Abyss was able to induce these changes in Kyla while she was his prisoner by grinding down her will and erasing all hope from her mind. That is why she looks so different now." Trance looked at her pale purple hands as she continued.
"When I felt these changes taking place in my body, I became even more despondent. I believed there truly was no hope, no perfect possible future. Part of me fought it; struggled to see the one thread of hope that remained. However, an even larger part of me embraced the Change, embraced the hate and despair. I began to loose myself; I became more animal than anything, fighting other prisoners for scraps of food and sips of water. For three months I scrambled for survival, hating everyone and everything until one night, I had this strange dream. I dreamed of Harper. He wasn't hurt, he was young and healthy and, glowing. He didn't speak to me; he just motioned for me to follow him. I did and before I knew it, I was outside the prison walls. Harper led me to a small Kalderan spacecraft. I followed him inside. He still didn't say a word but pointed at different buttons which I pressed. I felt the dream fading, I called out to Harper, begging him to stay. He smiled sadly and disappeared. I woke up inside the ship from my dream, floating at the edge of Commonwealth space. I searched everywhere for any sign of Harper but found nothing. I don't even know if he was there in the first place or just a figment of my fevered mind. Either way, I owe him my life." Trance looked back up at Dylan, her eyes shining, a wistful smile on her face. She shook herself out of the memory and continued.
"I immediately sought out the Andromeda, the one place that had any meaning left for me and my only hope of traveling safely though the war zone back to Terazed, for I finally knew what I had to do. I was met by the new crew with shock and suspicion. Even you and Rommie weren't entirely sure what to make of me. Once on board I was taken directly to the brig," Trance glanced around and smiled wryly, "This exact room as a matter of fact. You were about to begin interrogating me when Beka stormed in. She looked so different, she had a robotic arm and a cybernetic eye patch and I could tell she was trying hard to hide a pronounced limp. She marched right up to the cell I was in and stared at me. I wasn't sure what she was thinking, it kinda looked like she was gonna blow my head off. She lowered the force field and stepped into my cell. I backed up into the corner as she advanced on me. She stopped, looked me over once more, 'Trance?' she said. I nodded and was rewarded with a crushing embrace. I was so relieved, I let everything come pouring out, everything I'd been through. We cried together as I told her what had become of Harper.
Eventually she pulled back and smoothed my hair with her good hand, she kissed my dirty forehead, looked deep into my eyes and said, 'Can you fix this?' She gestured vaguely and I knew exactly what she meant.
My body trembled, and my lip quivered. I wanted so badly to say yes, to take away her pain but I couldn't. I shook my head and whispered, 'I don't know, but I know how to try.'
I then proceeded to explain to that Dylan about the engine and how I if I could find the four pieces on Terazed that I might be able to follow Casondra and stop her before she found the fifth piece.
The future Dylan shook his head and informed me that it would be nearly impossible to reach Terazed. Aside from the fact that it had fallen into enemy hands, the Commonwealth fleet was nearly decimated. The Andromeda and the Wrath of Achilles were the only ships left to defend this sector of space. There was no way anyone would be able to leave. I felt the tiny spark of hope that had ignited in my breast flicker and die.
Having nowhere else to go, I was given a position in the crew. I was assigned my own quarters and a uniform. Everything was so different, even Andromeda herself was much more detached and formal. Things aboard the ship were much more military-like which I guess it had to be, every day in that future was a struggle to survive, a constant battle in space and on land.
I learned fast and soon found myself actually making a difference. I was further trained as a team medic and accompanied Lancer units on extremely dangerous missions. I nearly forgot about Terazed and Casondra until one night, Beka came to my room. She gently shook me awake and said two words; 'It's time.' She must have known something I didn't because before I knew it, I found myself in the Maru, Andromeda becoming nothing but a speck on the rear-view monitor.
'Beka, where are we going? It isn't exactly safe out here, you know.' I said.
'When you came back onboard the Andromeda, you said you might be able to change all this, make it better. Well, now's your chance. The Kalderans have mostly abandoned Terazed space in favor of more juicy targets.' She turned around in the pilot's seat and stared at me, a tear forming in her one good eye. 'I can't do this anymore, Trance. I'm tired, I just want it to be over with. You can do that, I know you can. You don't belong here, none of us do.' I nodded, not trusting my voice to speak, I put my hand on her shoulder as she lay in a course for Terazed.
When we arrived, the planet appeared abandoned. It looked exactly the same as it did when I first arrived after traveling 20 years into the future. I immediately took Beka to Harper's grave, she knelt down and rubbed the fingers of her good hand over the rough letters I had carved into the brick wall. There was no time for tears, we immediately started searching the ruins for the incomplete Engine.
After about a week of combing the remains of the city, we turned our attention to the mountains that ringed it. Supplies began to run low and we found ourselves rationing the last bits of food and water. We continued our search just as diligently, never once relenting. Every once and a while, I'd get the feeling that we weren't alone, that we were being watched. I shrugged it off as paranoia since scans of the area still didn't show anything out of the ordinary. If only I'd paid more attention to my intuition. If only...
We were exploring a maze of caves in the Northwest section of the mountain range when Beka spotted something with her cybernetic eye. 'Trance! Come here! I think I found it.' She got down on her knees and started digging, I joined her and soon we had unearthed the four pieces of the Engine of Creation. We were elated, we laughed and cried and danced all around the cave.
Suddenly a shot rang out. I watched, horrified, as Beka fell to her knees, a flower of blood blossoming from her abdomen. She looked at me, her face a mask of confusion as she fell face first to the floor of the cave. I dove for her as more shots range out, I could now hear the hissing of Kalderans. They had been following us, waiting for us to find the Engine for them.
I grabbed Beka's shoulder and turned her over. She was gasping for breath, a pool of blood spreading beside her.
'Beka! Beka! Stay with me! We've got the Engine now, come on, we've gotta go!' I was out of my mind with panic.
Beka's good eye focused on me as she struggled to speak, 'Go..' she rasped.
'Beka, no! I can't leave you like this, I won't' I cried.
She pushed me away with amazing strength, 'I'm counting on you, Trance! Go NOW and don't look back!' She drew her forcelance, a familiar sparkle dawning in her good eye. She low-crawled toward the front of the cave, firing wildly at our attackers.
I knew what I had to do, I scurried over to the Engine, whispered goodbye to Beka and activated it." Trance slapped her thighs with her hands, "The rest you know."
Dylan sat back in his chair and exhaled loudly. "Wow, Trance, I don't know what to say. I still have so many questions. If Harper lived through the Magog infestation in that future, why would Trance, I mean, Casondra come back here to supposedly save him? There doesn't seem much point, I'm sure she could have come up with another excuse."
Trance stood and started pacing inside her cell, "To put in fairly simple terms, the Engine of Creation was incomplete, and being so, it's powers were limited. The first expedition to find the remaining piece of the Engine failed miserably and ended in the piece being inaccessible to even Casondra in the future. In order to find it, she had to come back to the past and assume my identity, join the expedition herself and recover the piece. To ensure that I would be banished forever, unable to reveal her secrets, she had to activate the tesseract device and create a time/space paradox. If she hadn't, she would have been bounced back to the future, I would have returned and none of us would have remembered a thing. The timeline would have continued to it's inevitable conclusion."
Dylan processed Trance's words, "If I'm to believe what you've said is true, then the next question would be; What do we do now?"
Trance looked thoughtful for a moment, "Killing Harper was supposed to be a last resort, but at least now Casondra knows how far I'm willing to go to stop her." She stopped pacing and approached the force field that separated her from Dylan. "I have a plan. It will probably get us all killed but it's the only way."
Dylan stood and also approached her cell. He looked deep into Trance's troubled eyes and saw fear and sadness. Beneath that, deeper, he discovered strength and great resolve. He reached out a steady hand and disengaged the force field. "Let's bring it."
*********************
Casondra slammed her fist down on Dylan's desk causing Tyr to shift his enormous weapon slightly. His eyes never left her as she began pacing around the room like a caged animal. He remained leaning against the wall not about reveal weakness of any kind to the gold woman.
The more he reflected on their current situation, the more he found his thoughts returning to his first meeting with the purple girl. He had not placed much trust in her from the beginning. He found her annoying, bothersome, and believed her head would never leave the clouds. As time passed and one adventure melded into the next, he was startled to discover the girl worming her way into his affections. Despite his best efforts he found himself becoming protective of her. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, he felt a connection to her, and through her persistent efforts, a begrudging friendship was forged. All that changed the day she essentially abandoned the crew when their need was greatest and was replaced by the gold abomination which now graced his sight. Not once in the months since she had been on board had Tyr been truly convinced that this incarnation's intentions were pure no matter how vehemently she protested to the contrary.
Tyr had to hide his surprise as his train of thought was interrupted when the gold alien stopped her pacing, lifted her head to the ceiling and shrieked, "ANDROMEDA!"
Andromeda's image was immediately displayed on the main view screen. The beautiful AI gazed passively at the agitated woman before her, "Yes?"
"What is Harper's condition?" Casondra spat as she resumed her pacing.
Andromeda closed her eyes briefly. "Harper's condition remains unchanged, he is still unconscious and in critical condition."
"Damn." Casondra hissed, "I should be in there monitoring him!"
Andromeda maintained her detached facade, "Beka and my avatar are perfectly capable of caring for Harper's needs and should a situation arise in which you skills are called for, you will be notified." With that she disappeared, her image replaced by the spinning Commonwealth logo.
Casondra swore her frustration and kicked a nearby chair. She glanced sideways at Tyr and sat down heavily, putting her head in her hands she moaned, "He can't die, not now. He has to be all right." She peeked though her fingers at Tyr and began to cry softly.
Tyr, unaffected by her little display, merely shrugged his massive shoulders, his face a careful mask of indifference. "The little professor has been through much worse and come out stronger. I have very confidence he will again."
Frustrated that her ploy had no affect on Tyr, Casondra let her hands drop to her lap. She chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. The purple bitch had nearly ruined everything. Casondra knew what was transpiring in V-deck at that very moment. She did not need special powers to tell her that her cover was blown. Her only hope of salvaging anything from this mission was to somehow escape the Andromeda and find the remaining piece of the Engine. Only then would she be able to leave this hellhole and return to her master.
It wouldn't be enough to just escape, however. There was still the problem of needing three sentients to actually retrieve the final piece of the Engine. As this occurred to her, Casondra nearly cried for real. He plan had been working so perfectly, in a few short weeks it would have been over and she would have been safely back in the future. She glared furiously at the Nietzschean, he was at the moment, literally, her largest obstacle. Her dark eyes narrowed and an evil smile spread across her lips as she developed a new plan.
***************************
Beka readjusted the sheet on Harper's bed for what felt like the hundredth time. Even unconscious, her engineer was a tightly wound ball of energy. His eyes flitted under his closed lids and his brow continuously furrowed as he struggled to wake from the anesthesia. She attempted to calm him by gently stroking his face while whispering reassurances, occasionally pausing to tuck an errant limb back under the blankets.
During a lull in the young man's thrashing, Beka glanced worriedly at Rommie who was monitoring Harper's vitals. "He should be waking up soon." Rommie stated, relief evident in the android's voice. "He's going to hurt like hell for awhile but he should be Ok."
Beka smiled at that, some of the tension leaving her body. "What's going on with the others?" she asked.
Rommie's eyes darted back and forth as she processed information from her ship-self. "Tyr and the Gold Trance are still in Dylan's quarters, nothing of consequence to report. Dylan remains on V-deck with the Purple Trance." Rommie paused and closed her eyes, delving deeper into her computer core. "Strange," she said, "I am not being allowed access to records pertaining to the brig." She opened her eyes and looked at Beka, "I've been locked out."
Beka stood and glanced around suspiciously, "Something's up Rommie. I think we should get ready."
"For what?" Rommie asked, a bit taken aback by Beka's sudden change in demeanor.
On the bed, Harper let out a pained moan, his eyelids beginning to flutter. Beka turned her attention from Rommie to Harper and whispered, "I'm not sure but whatever it is, it's gonna happen soon."
****************
Casondra fidgeted nervously in her seat in Dylan's quarters. She spent the last quarter of an hour mentally preparing and polishing her plan. She chanced a sideways glance at her captor. Since Tyr was still in the exact same position he had been in since locking her in here, she decided that she could not afford to wait another minute. She stood, hopefully not too quickly. She didn't want to arouse the suspicious nature of the Nietzschean. As calmly as she could she smoothed her leather outfit, readjusting certain areas for maximum impact. She reached behind her and unclipped the 'special' barrette allowing her maroon mane to flow about her shoulders. She slowly shook her head, and ran her hand through the wavy locks. She was aware of Tyr's eyes on her, as they had been since he escorted her from med bay but when she gazed back into those eyes, there was no hint of the emotions she was attempting to engender. Only the same cold, mistrustful indifference.
Undeterred, Casondra approached the Nietzschean. Her movements cat-like and seductive. She stopped only when her body was mere inches from his ridiculously large gun. Tyr made no move to stop her, his face never changing. "Tyr Anasazi," She purred, "I have a proposition for you." She paused to judge his reaction and was not surprised when she found none. Casondra leaned a little closer, tracing one gold finger along the Nietzschean's bulging bicep. When he made no move to quell her advances she continued. "I am from the future, that much is true and by the time that purple bitch is finished brain washing Dylan, I'm afraid all will be lost for me." She frowned slightly, her lower lip extending in what she hoped was an adorably vulnerable pout. "That is, unless a big, strong Nietzschean such as yourself could find it in his heart to help a poor innocent girl like me."
Casondra flinched at the sound of Tyr's weapon powering up. He made no move to aim it at her however and his eyes never left hers. She leaned back in, her body actually touching the gun. "What's in it for you, you say?" Casondra asked innocently, "Well, I would never make a proposition such as this to a Nietzschean such as yourself without having the goods to back it up, now would I?" She batted her eyelashes and ran her finger down from Tyr's bicep to his bone blade sheath. Bringing her other hand up, she slowly opened it to reveal her bone blade hair clasp. Tyr's eyes were still locked with hers but she noticed him studying the artifact with his exquisite peripheral vision. She raised to her tiptoes in order to whisper in the large man's ear. "I know things, Tyr, things about your family. Not the one in the past but the one in the future. I know how it can all go wrong; but then again, I also know the enormous potential. The Kodiak pride can live again. It can be stronger and fiercer than any other. Tyr, with me on your side, you could unite the prides and rule them all."
Casondra slowly leaned back to gauge his reaction. She thought she saw something flicker deep in his eyes and was encouraged. He remained silent however, waiting for her to reveal the inevitable string attached to her offer. "All I ask in return are two small favors, very small, tiny even. As a matter of fact, they will also benefit you. Call it a bonus just for looking so damn fine." Casondra chuckled deeply, her hand absentmindedly stroking Tyr's bone blades. "I need you to help me find something, something hidden very well, so well that we will need two others to help us. I have no leverage over Dylan but I believe if he and his android were out of the way, I would be able to convince Beka to join us, as long as she believed it would be the only way to keep her precious engineer in one piece."
Casondra nodded her head at the understanding dawning in Tyr's dark eyes. "Yes, Tyr, I want you to kill Captain Hunt and his robot. I will take care of the purple pixie myself. When I have what I came for I will tell you all I know about the future. The Andromeda will be yours and I'll even throw in the lovely Captain Valentine for your amusement." Casondra's eyes narrowed and she again came face to face with the unmoving Anasazi. "My other request is a little more unusual but even more crucial." She paused, letting the importance of her words sink in, "I need you to watch over Harper, make sure he is not killed. Maimed, wounded or tortured, sure but he stay alive."
Tyr face contorted in confusion, "Why Harper?" He said softly.
Casondra grinned wickedly, "Because he's cute, like me." She walked her fingers up Tyr's chin and gently tapped his nose. She stepped back and appraised the Nietzschean. "So, we have an agreement?"
Tyr stared coldly at the gold woman, "I never discount any opportunity, no matter how..." he paused, searching for the perfect adjective, "unpleasant."
"Good then, here's what I want you to do..." Casondra began. She was interrupted by Andromeda's frantic voice over the com.
"Emergency, Deck 19. All personnel report to med bay immediately."
Casondra shot the speaker a disgusted look. Her face froze and her eyes widened as she realized what the emergency must be. "Oh, no! Harper!" She whispered.
Tyr aimed his gun in her general direction and motioned for her to go first.
*************************
As the pair neared med bay, they could hear muffled shouts but could not make out the words through the closed doors. "Ship" Tyr commanded, "Grant us access."
"The door is locked and I cannot override the commands." Andromeda's voice echoed through the empty corridors.
Casondra looked helplessly at Tyr, "I have to get in there!" She hissed.
"Perhaps my commands still work." Tyr said as he aimed his gun at the door controls and fired. Wired fizzled and sparks flew. Slowly the doors slid open. Casondra bolted through, waving her hand to clear the smoke from her eyes.
"Don't come any closer." Casondra skidded to a stop at the sound of Trance's voice. Through the dissipating smoke, she could make out Harper's bed and the form of the purple woman standing over it. She had something in her hand. Casondra squinted to make out what it was. When she saw it, here eyes widened and she gasped. Trance was holding one of Casondra's own kattana blades like a dagger mere inches from Harper's chest.
Casondra snapped out of her shock when she once again heard Tyr's weapon charge. "I can take the purple one out right now." He said, his voice dripping with venom.
"No!" Casondra squeaked, jumping in front of Tyr, "She'll kill him before you can even pull the trigger, I told you, I need him alive." Casondra finally noticed the room's other occupants. Dylan and Beka were on the floor tied up with what looked like IV tubing, they were staring slack-mouthed at Tyr's betrayal. Casondra grinned at their reaction; her grin widened as she spied Rommie lying in a heap in the corner, apparently deactivated. She mentally checked that task off her to-do list. To Tyr she said, "Cover them, make sure they don't interfere. I'll handle the purple one." Tyr's only response was to train his gun on Dylan and Beka. Satisfied that he was on her side, Casondra turned her attention to Trance. She began edging her way over to the bed where Harper lay.
"I said don't come any closer." Trance said, glancing from the body before her to the gold woman. "I have to stop you, Casondra, and apparently this is the only way." The blade edged closer to Harper's heart.
Casondra was frantic, this couldn't be happening, not now! She had Tyr, the rest should have been easy. Why did that bitch always have to ruin things? She tried to calm her racing heart and think rationally. She had to find a way to get the knife. She glanced furtively around the med bay for anything she could use. There were plenty of things that would be helpful but nothing within reach. "You know my true name, I was wondering how much that blithering idiot would be able to reveal before he finally met his maker." Trance's grip tightened on the knife, it inched closer to its target. Casondra cursed softly, she had obviously taken the wrong approach, she changed tactics, her hands raised in a non-threatening manner. "Well, if you know who I really am, then he must have told you the truth about my mother."
Trance glanced quickly again at Casondra, her eyes immediately returning to Harper. She licked her dry, cracked lips and whispered. "He told me what you did to her."
Squeezing a few tears from her eyes and pouring as much emotion into her voice as she could, Casondra took a step toward Trance, "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do," she sniffed dramatically and took another step. "I had no choice, the Spirit had control over me, I tried to fight but he was too strong." Another step, "I was powerless to defy his order, even when he commanded that I kill my own mother." Her shoulders shuddered as she wept openly, all the while creeping closer to the bed. Trance wasn't looking at her, she appeared lost in thought. Casondra kept up the distraction. "You don't know how horrible it was, watching my own hand do the deed, my mind screaming for it to stop." She was nearly in range, just a few more feet. "Please Trance...Mother..." Trance flinched at the word, her reaction causing Casondra to smile darkly. "I need you to understand, it wasn't my choice, I would have done anything to prevent it but I couldn't control my own actions."
Casondra slowed her advance as Trance's tired, pain-filled eyes met hers. Tears rolled freely down the purple woman's face, "You're wrong there Casondra, we always have a choice." Casondra started to protest but stopped her mouth half open as she noticed a change taking place on Trance's face. The purple woman's eyes lit with a fiery hatred, her lips pulled back from her teeth in a wicked snarl. When she spoke, her voice had all the power of the elders and all the wrath of the heavens. "This charade ends here, Casondra." Trance spat the name as if it were poison. "You're crocodile tears may have tricked your mother but I, fortunately, am not hindered by such weakness. Thanks entirely to you. You robbed me of all emotion when you stole my friends and my family just as surely as you stole your parents' lives. I hope you rot in hell." Casondra stood frozen to the spot as Trance raised the knife high above her head and plunged it down into Harper's chest with all her might.
****************
Casondra staggered as if the blade had pierced her own breast. She threw herself at the bed, her hands clutching at the sheets. She stumbled to her knees, her breath catching in her throat as the covers crumpled in her lap. She blinked at what she saw. On the bed was not the corpse of her father but a clever fake, a dummy, just real enough to fool her. She sucked air into her lungs in great gulps, her mind finally registering what she saw. She leapt to her feet and whirled on Trance. She froze as the familiar whine of Tyr's weapon echoed throughout the room. Casondra turned her head slowly, her eyes narrowed to slits. "Traitor." She rasped.
Tyr smiled darkly, "Madame how can I be a traitor, I swore no allegiance to you." His finger tensed on the trigger as three more weapons charged. Dylan, Beka, and Rommie took positions next to Tyr, their forcelances trained on the gold woman.
"Ya kinda had me worried for a minute there Tyr." Beka said dryly.
Tyr allowed a slight smirk, "Did I now?"
"Uh, yeah! I thought you were gonna ruin everything." Beka blew a strand of hair out of her eyes and chanced a glance at Tyr. "Did anyone ever tell you you'd make a good actor?"
Dylan ignored the banter going on next to him and took a step toward Casondra. "I know who you are and I know what you came for. I also know what you have done, the people you have killed. I am officially placing you under arrest, you will be held in my custody until a proper tribunal can be convened."
Casondra, having regained her composure sneered at Dylan, her expression as black as midnight, "Go ahead and try, Hunt. My master will never allow it; he'll set me free. I will find the remaining piece of the engine and I will use it to destroy you and your precious ship."
"I highly doubt that." Dylan said. He motioned for Tyr to restrain Casondra. "We defeated your, what did you call him, your master before, we can do it again."
Casondra backed up as Tyr approached, her legs hitting the bed. Out of the corner of her eye she spied her Katanna blade still buried hilt-deep in the dummy. She slumped her shoulders and hung her head in mock defeat. She willingly held out her arms for the restraints Tyr had scooped off a nearby bed. As soon as Tyr was close enough Casondra snapped into action. She grabbed the Nietzschean's free hand, snapping it like a twig while at the same time kicking the gun from his grasp. In one fluid motion she flipped up over the bed. Snatching the knife in mid-flight she landed gracefully behind Trance. Before anyone could react, Casondra had her blade to Trance's throat. "Weapons down or she dies." she panted.
Enraged and cradling his wounded arm, Tyr charged at Casondra who promptly pressed the knife harder to Trance's neck, drawing a thin line of blood. "Tyr stop!" Dylan commanded. The Nietzschean slowed, trembling with barely contained fury. "Drop your weapons people." Three forcelances clattered to the deck.
"Dylan no," Trance squeaked. "Destroy her now while you have the chance!"
"Trance, you are still a member of this crew, I'll not risk your life." Dylan said with all the conviction he could muster. Tyr stopped his slow advance and withdrew but not before throwing his commanding officer a smoldering glare.
"Wonderful sentiment Captain, I always knew you were too weak minded to get the job done." Casondra readjusted her grip on the Katanna. "Now kick those lances over here." Beka and Rommie hesitated but grudgingly complied at Dylan's nod. Casondra kicked two of them under the bed. She slid her foot under the remaining forcelance and deftly bounced it up to her free hand. Trance winced as the blade was removed from her throat. Her respite was short lived as she felt the forcelance press painfully against her temple.
Casondra studied the blade thoughtfully, "I still need two of you alive, but which two. Hmmm...decisions, decisions." She lined the knife up with each crew member, "Eenie meenie miney...MOE!" She yelled as she let the blade fly. It hit Rommie square in the chest, instantly severing her power supply. Sparks flew as the Android fell, her expression frozen in that of surprise.
Trance screamed and lunged for Rommie but was brought up short by the gun at her head. Casondra grabbed the purple woman's throat with her bare hand and whispered in her ear, "Now watch while I take care of your darling Captain." She aimed the forcelance at Dylan, her finger inching toward the trigger.
Dylan closed his eyes as he braced himself for death. He heard the gun go off and waited for the impact, and waited. He cracked his eyes open in time to see the forcelance fall from Casondra's limp hand. Her eyes widened, she opened her mouth, but no words came as she fell to her knees. Her expression changed to puzzlement as she looked down at the blood flowing from her chest. She turned her head, realization dawning across her pale features. Behind her, gauss gun still smoking, stood Harper. Casondra uttered a weak "No." as she pitched forward into darkness.
Everyone stared slack-jawed at the young engineer. "So, does someone wanna tell me why I just shot Trance?" Harper said, grabbing his stomach and sliding down the doorframe to the floor. Suddenly the room snapped into a flurry of activity. Trance ran over to Harper. Tyr grabbed his gun and guarded Casondra while Beka put her in restraints. Casondra had no life signs but they knew not to put too much stock in that fact.
Dylan slowly approached Rommie. Andromeda's hologram appeared before him, he looked at her expectantly. "The damage is repairable. My avatar will survive." The AI said with a trace of relief. Dylan picked Rommie up and gently placed her on a nearby bed. He turned to see Trance helping Harper up onto his own bed.
"Good work Mr. Harper."
"Huh?" Harper said, wincing as he lay back. "Good work for what?" He watched as Beka and Tyr lifted Casondra up onto the next bed. "Oh," He said softly. "Is she gonna be ok? What the hell happened in here?"
Trance sighed and injected Harper with a painkiller. "You just rest, I'll tell you everything when you're better." Harper opened his mouth to protest but his eyelids started drooping. He was forced to just lay back and watch as purple Trance tended the wounded gold woman. He fell asleep wondering who she really was.
Beka Tyr and Dylan crowded around Trance as she checked over Casondra. Beka and Tyr each had a forcelance aimed at the gold woman, ready to fire if she so much as batted an eyelash. "Well?" Dylan said, studying test results over Trance's shoulder.
"She's not dead." Trance said dully.
"I can fix that." Tyr said, aiming his forcelance at Casondra's head.
Dylan placed his hand on the weapon and slowly shook his head. "You know we can't kill her in cold blood, it's not what we're about."
Tyr raised one eyebrow cynically. "Then what do you suggest?"
"I honestly don't know." Dylan sighed, running his hands down his face. "Trance, how long until she, ah...wakes up?"
Trance chewed her lip thoughtfully, "Could be anytime, since she's half human, I'm not sure what to expect."
Beka raised her hand, "Um, excuse me? Half human? Can I get the whole story now please?"
Dylan held up his finger for Beka to wait, to Trance he said, "Can you keep her sedated? I mean, heavily sedated? I don't want to chance a repeat of our latest fiasco."
"Yes, I can make sure that she won't wake up until we want her to." Trance lowered her head, utterly exhausted.
"Good." Beka opened her mouth to demand and explanation but again Dylan cut her off. "It's a very long story and I'm sure Trance would like to tell it only one more time so I suggest we wait a few hours until everyone is ready."
Beka looked over at Rommie and Harper lying on the hospital beds. She nodded her weary head and pulled up a chair.
Tyr nodded his understanding also. He remained standing until Trance had administered the sedatives to Casondra and he sat only long enough for Trance to tend his injured arm.
***********************
Eight hours later Harper was sitting on the edge of his bed painstakingly repairing the mess Casondra's knife had made of Rommie's chest. It was taking longer than it should have because he kept having to stop and rest. His incision burned and his stomach muscles ached but he refused let Rommie lay inoperative while he finished recuperating. He wiped beads of sweat from his brow as he soldered the last two wires together. Rommie's android body gave a shudder and her eyelids fluttered. "Come on darlin'." Harper whispered. Slowly the avatar's eyes opened, her gaze was slightly unfocused. She blinked several times as all her programs came on-line. Rommie sat bolt upright her head snapping left and right as she searched for danger. "Easy Rom-doll, it's over." Harper soothed.
"Harper, where's Dylan, is he ok?" Rommie moved to get off the bed, suddenly frantic.
Harper sighed heavily, "Dylan's fine Rommie, sit back down so I can finish the superficial repairs." Rommie studied him carefully then sat rigidly on the edge of Harper's bed.
She watched Harper work and marveled at how steady his hands were while the rest of his body trembled with exhaustion. "What happened?"
"I think we're about to find out." Harper closed the access panel in Rommie's chest and began mending her torn 'flesh'. "You should be able to connect with the main AI now, I'm sure she'll be able to fill you in rather quickly."
Rommie closed her eyes and reached out for the familiar feeling of her sisters. She immediately located her captain and confirmed that he was indeed all right. "Dylan..." She whispered unconsciously.
Harper set his tools down on the tray by his bed, a little harder than he had intended. He felt like crap, he just finished expending all his energy and then some getting her up and running, from his hospital bed no less, and all she could think about was Captain Terrific. A deep sadness filled Harper's eyes as he watched a smile spread across Rommie's perfect lips. He knew he would never be able to make her smile like that and it tore at his heart. He was startled when Rommie suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him curiously. He quickly pasted on what he hoped was his most winning smile. "Well, you can tell Dylan that we're all finished so he can assemble the troops. I for one can't wait to hear what the hell has been going on." Harper lay back, pushing all thoughts of Rommie from his mind, a task he had yet to entirely master. He yawned sleepily and found himself hoping he would be able to keep his eyes open through Trance's story.
********************
As it turned out, Harper had no trouble at all staying awake. In fact, he had to remind himself to blink as he listened to Trance's fantastic tale. He stopped her several times with a myriad of questions and when she was finally finished the room was silent, everyone lost in his or her own thoughts.
Harper found himself staring at the inert form of his daughter. Well, his future self's daughter, he didn't know for sure what she was to him. It was all a little too much to take. He shook his head in awe of the set of circumstances that had led them to this point. "Kylie." He whispered. It was a Gaelic name, it meant lovely. Well, she certainly wasn't lovely when she was trying to kill his shipmates one by one. Harper's eyes hardened at the thought. No, that isn't Kylie, that thing is Casondra.
"Harper? You ok over there?" Beka said. She was concerned for her friend, he had been through a lot in the past couple of days, and she wasn't sure how well he was handling it.
Harper waved a dismissing hand, "Yeah, boss, I'm good, I was just thinking. The name Casondra means 'not to be believed' in ancient Greek. Huh, fitting." Harper picked at a loose thread on his blanket. "That's who she is now, isn't it?"
Trance nodded her head sadly. She didn't trust her voice to speak. She'd managed not to cry during her recitation of the events of the future but now, looking into Harper's troubled countenance, she was afraid the floodgates would open again. She glanced around the room gauging the others' reactions. She studied Tyr closely. She had purposely kept secret the fact that he had a son. She wasn't sure yet how knowledge of Tamerlane's existence would affect him. She certainly didn't want to blurt out such sensitive information in front of the entire crew. Dylan knew and so did Andromeda but Trance's instincts told her that they would let her handle it. She would know when the time was right and this time she would trust herself to make the right decision.
"What do we do now?" Tyr asked, ready to get down to the practical side of this meeting.
"I've been thinking about that a lot," Dylan said, leaning back in his chair and tenting his fingers thoughtfully. "I'm not sure she is mentally able to stand trial."
"What?" Beka demanded, "What the hell are we going to do with her? We can't keep her here!"
"I know, I'm open to suggestions." Dylan was, for once, without a plan.
"Uh, we could put her in stasis, ya know, till we find a cure?" Harper suggested.
Tyr scoffed, "She doesn't have a disease, her belly isn't filled with Magog eggs, she can't be cured. I say we execute her."
Trance started to object but Dylan beat her too it. "Tyr, for the last time, we are not going to kill her. We can't cure her and we sure as hell can't keep her sedated forever. Rommie, have you come up with anything?"
"No, all simulations so far have met with 100% rate of failure."
"There may be a way." Trance said so softly that had Tyr not been in the room it might have gone unnoticed.
"What way is that?" Tyr said, annoyed at the girl, but also frustrated with the situation.
"Trance, you have an idea?" Rommie prompted.
"Yes, but I need to get Casondra to Sinti for extensive preparation. She then must be taken to my home world where she will have to go many months of, ah...'reprogramming'."
Harper stared at Trance dumfounded, "You mean she can be cured?"
"I...it's possible. There are many obstacles to overcome and she may not survive. The probabilities of success are very low." Trance lowered her head, unable to bear the spark of hope she ignited in Harper's eyes.
"Well," Dylan said, "Any chance is better than none at all. We can stop at Sinti on the way to Shintaido."
"Shintaido? You're kidding right? I mean, isn't that where Tyr...ah, ya know?"
"Yes, Harper but it is also where we will find the last piece of the Engine of Creation. Since Casondra failed, the Spirit of the Abyss is certain to send others in search of it. We must find it first and keep it safe on the Andromeda."
"Ah, hello? Wouldn't that be like painting a neon target on our ass?" Beka said as she rose to her feet and paced behind her chair deep in thought. She stopped suddenly and whirled on Dylan. "What about the Worldship? What about the Commonwealth? I mean, we're just gonna drop everything, find this piece of the Engine and then what, Dylan? Wait for ol' tall dark and glowing to come knocking on our door?"
Dylan sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm not sayin' we abandon our mission, we just need to prioritize, take things one step at a time."
"We're the future's only hope." Trance whispered.
************************
Hours later the plans were set and a course laid for Sinti. Harper and Trance were alone in med bay and were talking softly as if worried they would wake the girl sleeping in the next bed.
"I can't believe it." Harper whispered.
"I know, what a disaster." Trance whispered back.
"No, I can't believe the future me finally got up the courage to ask you out." Harper grinned mischievously.
"Harper." Trance smiled and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. They shared a moment of comfortable silence.
"Do you think it'll work?" Harper asked suddenly.
"You mean do I think Casondra can ever be Kylie again? I'm not sure but I'm going to give it my best shot. She didn't deserve what happened to her and although she has done horrible things they weren't entirely her fault."
"If I ever get my hands on that...that..." Harper snarled as he punched the bed.
"I know, me too." Trance said taking his fist and uncurling it tenderly. "For now lets just concentrate on getting Casondra better."
Harper nodded his head, staring at the purple hand that held his. He cocked his head, noticing something different. His eyes traveled to Trance's face. It was there too. "Trance, you look...purpler."
"Harper, I don't think that's even a word." Trance scolded.
"No, I mean it, there's something different in your eyes and I swear your skin is, I don't know, glowing."
Trance smiled impishly, "You're just seeing things."
"Aw, Trance, come on, don't start that secret crap again, we've come way past that, tell me, please?" A familiar whine entered his voice.
Trance kissed his forehead softly and whispered, "Hope is a powerful thing, I finally found mine and I promise I'll never lose it again."
The End
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