TITLE: Behind the Curtain
AUTHOR: MikeJoe aka Michael J. Gallagher ( mikejoe@odyssey.net )
SYNOPSIS: In the wake of the events of TATEOTL, Harper has to make some crucial decisions
SPOILERS: TATEOTL
IN REPSONSE TO: AWS Challenge to write a sequel to "Tunnel."
DISCLAIMER: DROM is owned by Tribune; I am making no money off this, so please don't sue me.
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Previously on Gene Roddenberry's ANDROMEDA:
The new Commonwealth has been born, but all does not go well. When Dylan takes the *Andromeda* to an uninhabited star system so the delegates from the 50 charter signatory worlds can ratify the new charter, the mighty starship is crippled by a Nietzschean saboteur. But no sooner do Dylan and the crew corner that threat than another one materializes -- literally: Phase shifting aliens invading through a tunnel from another universe. Beka and Tyr pilot the *Eureka Maru* into the tunnel to destroy it with a bomb designed by Harper. They succeed -- but, apparently, at a terrible price .....
And now, on Gene Roddenberry's ANDROMEDA:
====
"Faith, Hope, and Love are the most powerful forces in the Universe, the most precious, and in the end, the most fragile"
-- *Andromeda Ascendant* AI, transmission to High Guard Academy, CY 10,288
"Andromeda, engage autopilot," Dylan Hunt said, leaning heavily on the pilot station's railing as the slipstream backrest retreated behind him. "Take us in to dock."
"Aye," said the beautiful android with gleaming blue hair at the next station over. On the other side of Dylan, Trance Gemini looked on, not commenting.
"I have clearance from Sinti ATC for docking at the Pharos platform," Rommie went on.
"Very well -- " Dylan started to straighten.
"Incoming transmission from the *Wrath of Achilles,*" Rommie added. Ryan/the *Achilles* had been one of the High Guard ships to respond to the battle with the tunnelers.
"On screen."
A being who looked human male with no eyebrows and slicked-down dark hair appeared on one of the monitors.
"Captain Hunt," Ryan, the *Achilles'* avatar, said.
"Captain Ryan."
"Captain, I extend the compliments of myself and the crew of the *Achilles.* You have our support."
"Uh, thank you."
"I'd like permission to come aboard after docking."
"Of course. See you then. *Andromeda* out."
The screen blanked.
"Where's Harper?" Dylan asked.
"Aboard the *Maru,* doing a preliminary damage assessment," Rommie answered.
"Oh, great."
"Do you want me to contact him?"
"No. I'll go in person." He turned to leave.
"Dylan -- " Trance started.
"I think I can handle it, Trance," Dylan said, heading up the ramp. "You keep watch here."
Trance just nodded; Dylan's retreating footsteps echoed down the corridor.
"Trance?" Rommie asked.
"Things aren't right," Trance said. "I just don't know why they're not right .... "
****
"Harper?" Dylan almost crept into the *Maru's* passageway. The ship still creaked and groaned as it had when it had returned to the *Andromeda* on autopilot, and Dylan had come aboard to find Beka and Tyr ....
... to find no trace of them ....
"Up here, Boss," came the call from the cockpit. Dylan frowned -- Harper sounded too cool, too professional, given the circumstance.
Dylan found Harper poking around the jagged hole in the cockpit's port side. Dylan hadn't known what to expect from his engineer; Harper was as temperamental as he was a mechanical genius. But going about his repairs as if nothing had happened was a shock.
"Jeez," Harper said, almost absently, "could they have made a bigger mess of it?"
Dylan decided to focus on the issues at hand. "What's the status?"
Harper turned around, engrossed in his PADD. "Well, the ol' EM has come back from worse. Despite the hull breach, the basic structure *looks* intact, though I'll want to check for microfractures. AP containment's sound; so's the navigation, computers, and slipstream. The blast damage looks pretty bad, but some nanobots and a lick o' paint'll fix that."
"How soon can she be spaceworthy?"
"'Are we in a rush,' he asked, hoping the answer was 'no' and he could work at leisure."
"The answer is 'yes;' we're going back to look for Beka and Tyr, and I will want all the vehicles at my disposal in top condition for a rescue mission."
"'Rescue'?" Harper looked up from his PADD. "Are you kiddin' me? How much do you expect to find?"
"You surprise me, Mr. Harper. I'd've thought you'd be the first to go looking for Beka."
"You don't think I'd want to!? But there's no chance, Dylan, none! See that hole in the hull? See the burn marks on the deck plating? If Beka and Tyr weren't sucked out into space, they were burned alive! You wanna find Beka and Tyr? Check your shoes after you leave."
"There is another possibility. We were fighting enemies who can phase shift and teleport."
"Yeah, and if you were phase shifting when Rosie went off, then the star system would be you all over."
"Nevertheless, I'm going to try. And as long as you are on my crew, you will try, too. Are we clear?"
"Clear," Harper said quietly.
"Good," Dylan said. "Now, how long will it take to repair the damage."
"Best guess, six hours, give or take, assuming I don't find major problems, but there's also the battle damage to Rommie."
"We'll be docking at Pharos soon; you can coordinate with them to repair Andromeda. That should free you up to concentrate on the *Maru.*"
"Yeah, I'll get on the horn with them."
"Anything else?" Dylan asked, hardnosed.
Harper looked like he was going to say something and thought better of it. "No. Now, if y'don't mind, Boss, I got work to do."
"Carry on." Dylan turned and stormed back down the passageway, equal parts angry and puzzled. A day that had started bad had got worse; Harper's attitude only served to make it frustrating and confusing, too.
****
No sooner than Dylan had lead the sentient ships liberated from Tartarus to Sinti than the High Guard AIs had begun working with the Perseids to construct High Guard Station Pharos, a huge orbital base for the new Commonwealth fleet. The partially completed, dome-shaped orbital dwarfed even the largest HG ships around it, making them look tiny by comparison; and even with only a small portion of it operational, there were enough slips for the ships Dylan lead back from the battle with the tunnelers, with room to spare for construction vessels, courier ships, and a handful of trading ships and freighters. The *Andromeda Ascendant* docked shortly after the *Wrath of Achilles* had tied on to a neighboring docking port.
Dylan, Rommie, and Trance arrived at the docking airlock just as pressurization equalized. When the huge doors opened, the *Andromeda's* captain was pleasantly surprised at the sight of the young woman with short blonde hair who almost bounced in alongside Ryan, the *Achilles'* avatar.
"Molly!?" Dylan yelped as she came over to him and hugged him.
"Dylan." Molly kissed him and settled into a hug.
"I don't ... " Dylan stammered. "You're supposed to be -- "
"Cadet Noguchi was training on Pharos when the alert came in," Ryan explained.
"She piloted you into the battle?" Dylan asked.
"Hey!" Molly said. "When we met, you had me flying a barge against the Ogami and into some active volcanoes (at gunpoint, no less, but that's another matter), so ya think I can't take a High Guard Ship against, gee, whatwuzit, ten thousand ships invading from another universe?"
"She acquitted herself well," Ryan said, "and did well under the pressure considering her relative inexperience, although I must say the same is true for all of my crew. There were some problems with inertial dampers on turns, though .... "
Molly winced. "Malfunction. Hadtobe."
"Yes, well, cadet, I would hope there aren't as many 'malfunctions' in the future; the brass is notorious for not being amused by such things."
"And how," Dylan said, a leetle sheepishly.
"But that is beside the point." Ryan turned to Dylan. "Captain Hunt. I formally extend the sympathies of myself and the crew of the *Wrath of Achilles* for the losses your ship's company has suffered."
"Yes, baby." Molly held Dylan a little tighter. "We're all with you -- "
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Dylan said, smiling, gently pushing Molly away. "I haven't signed any death certificates yet, and I'm not about to anytime soon."
"Sir .... " Ryan said, confused. "We saw the explosion, and had a good sensor lock on the *Maru* as it returned to the *Andromeda.* The ship showed hull damage and zero pressure atmosphere. No lifesigns were recorded. It's highly improbable that -- "
"Captain Valentine and Mr. Anasazi are *missing,* status unknown," Dylan said. "I believe they are alive. After the *Andromeda* is repaired and refitted, I intend to take her back and conduct a search and rescue operation."
Molly turned to Ryan, unfortunately not hiding her feelings; Ryan managed a small shrug. Rommie and Trance shuffled uncomfortably and tried not to look anywhere in particular.
"What?" Dylan said, barely holding a smile.
"Well ... " Ryan started, hesitantly, "what we mean is .... "
"What they mean is you might have finally gone down the slipstream without a pilot," said a voice coming up behind them.
"Mr. Harper," Dylan growled. He turned to face his engineer. "You have something to say to me?"
Harper shifted his weight between his feet for a moment as he zipped up his leather jacket.
"Well?" Dylan pressed.
"Ok," Harper said. "Dylan, you're a great guy. I mean that. And you want to do great things like turn enemies into friends and nuke the enemies who won't be friends and make the Known Universe all peaceful and happy again. Hey, no problem. And I completely understand how, having lost *everything* in an eye blink, you'd want to hang on to what you got with all your might -- "
"Oh, you think so?"
"Hey, am I wrong?"
Dylan didn't answer.
"Thought so," Harper said. "But Dylan, sometimes you gotta let go. You can't dodge bullets forever; sooner or later, one hits ya and you don't come back. Trust me, I been there. I know it hurts, but you gotta say 'goodbye' and move on."
"Are you through?" Dylan asked.
"Yeah," Harper said.
"Good," Dylan replied. "Then let me be clear: I am not 'letting go' of Beka and Tyr. I am not 'moving on.' NO ONE on MY SHIP 'moves on' until *I* say so, and -- "
"'--you can either help me or get the hell out of the way!'" Harper finished. "Who died and made you God?"
Dylan's face turned red, but his voice remained quiet: "I've never forced any of you to stay, Mr. Harper. If my mission is no longer to your liking, you're always welcome to leave."
"Y'know, that's probably the smartest thing you said in the last five minutes."
Dylan started, but Rommie came forward a bit.
"I think we can table these issues for now," she hazarded. "Right now we have more immediate concerns, like repairing my damage and getting me operational again."
Dylan and Harper just glared at each other, apparently paying Rommie no mind.
"Yeah," Harper said. He adjusted his jacket's collar. "I gotta go to the station manager's office and work some stuff out. Can't say when -- or if -- I'll be back. Don't wait up."
Dylan looked like he was going to say something as Harper went through the airlock and into the station, but thought better of it; he turned and headed back down the corridor, not paying attention to anyone.
Molly blew out the breath she'd been holding.
"Indeed," Ryan said.
"So Capt -- " Molly started, but she felt two hands clap on her shoulders from behind and gave a surprised yelp.
"Calm down, it's only me," Rommie said. "Now, Molly, would you like to get on my good side?"
"Gee, I dunno," Molly said, a little nervous. "You've only hated my guts since I came aboard last time."
"You're exaggerating. In any case, I think it would be really, really, great of you if you went after Dylan and did your best to calm him down. Trance and I will handle the other hothead." With that, Rommie and Trance turned to leave.
"Wait a minute!" Molly called. "How come I don't get backup?"
"You have the reasonable one," Rommie called over her shoulder; she and Trance vanished into Pharos.
"I'll be on standby in the officers' lounge," Ryan offered.
"Thanks, Captain." Molly took a deep breath. "Ok, Molly, you wanted excitement. Who knew this would be it?" She headed down the corridor, following Dylan's path.
Ryan sighed and headed down the corridor in the opposite direction. "So, Andromeda, would you happen to have a deck of cards handy ..... ?"
****
Harper had been on the wrong end of pursuits too many times in his life not to know Trance and Rommie were tailing him. So once he was done at the harbor master's office, evading his friends was almost too simple; he found his way to a small bar frequented by spacers and dockyard workers.
"You're Harper, off the 'Dromeda?" the bar tender asked as he poured Harper some whiskey.
"Yeah, but keep it under your hat," Harper said. "And leave the bottle."
The bartender didn't argue. "Heard what happened. Guess them two's gone?"
"Looks that way."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said a voice to Harper's right. Harper turned to face one of the most beautiful females he had every met. Or would have been if she'd been human. The round face, slim frame with nice breasts, black revealing dress, and long black hair drawn into a huge pony-tail that seemed to cascade to her waste made her appealing. She had a nice smile, too. But her bright-red skin and golden irises -- the same shade of gold as the two small horns sticking out of her forehead -- were a little creepy.
But not *too* creepy.
"Thanks," Harper said.
"You're welcome." Her voice was almost musical. She smelled good, too.
"So, who are you, and where have you been all my life?" Harper asked.
"Well, in order, my name is Vision Aquarius, and as to where I've been ..... well, let me put it this way: If you want to know where someone's been, you find out where they're going and work backwards."
"Oh? Well, where are you going?"
"Now that's a very good question. Why don't we get a table and talk about it ..... ?"
****
"I'd just like to say how sorry I am ..... Seamus?" Vision said, after she, Harper, and the whiskey bottle had settled in a booth.
"Just 'Harper,'" Harper said, pouring himself another shot. "Want some?"
"No thank you. I'm just so sorry about what happened. You and Captain Valentine, you were close, weren't you?"
"Well, I knew her for a few years." Harper paused. "I don't know what I'll do without her. I mean Dylan's ok and all, but -- "
"But he's lost half his crew in the past six months."
"That's not fair. I mean, Rev just left. And Beka and Tyr knew the risks."
"I know; I can read the news. Still -- and I'm not slamming Dylan at all -- but if .... Beka? .... Beka had lost half her crew, she wouldn't be able to find new crew members, never mind the FTA board of inquiry. And back in the Commonwealth, Captain Hunt would have been court-martialed."
"You sayin' it's bad that Dylan's not gettin' in trouble for this?"
"I'm saying it's not a good sign when crew members leave or drop like flies. I know Dylan Hunt has this great rep, but even he can't beat the odds forever. Believe me, I know all about odds. And in your shoes, I would be rethinking my options."
"Oh yeah?" Harper smiled and downed his shot. "Would I be wrong in thinking there's a pitch coming on?"
"Not necessarily."
"Yeah, and you wouldn't happen to work for, I dunno, someone with red eyes and a generally negative attitude towards all life?"
"*Him*? No, of course not!"
"But y'know about him."
"So do you. Should I be suspicious of you?"
"I'm not the one with red skin and horns."
"There are planets where you look more 'demonic' than I do, Harper."
"Mmm."
"So."
"So."
"Do you want to hear my pitch or not?"
"Well, ok."
Vision leaned forward a touch, clasping her hands on the table in front of her. "I'm helping a friend of mine put together a crew for a potentially very profitable mission."
"What kind o' mission? How much profit?"
"I can't answer the first question, although the answer to your second question is 'substantial.'"
"Hmmmmm .... I don't like going in blind. I'm picky about who I work for."
"I understand, but he's ape on secrecy and all. You understand."
"Yeah."
"And you're not under any pressure; I'll be here for a few more days. Plenty of time to think it over. But I can assure you that any concerns you might have are groundless."
"And with the fringe benefit of having a babe like you aboard."
"Right." Vision smiled warmly.
"Well, Darlin'," Harper said, smiling back, "while I'm gonna sleep on it, I gotta tell you right now that -- "
"Vision!?" yelped a voice next to the booth. "What are *you* doing here?"
Vision and Harper turned to see Trance and Rommie standing over them, Trance shocked and Rommie puzzled.
Vision smiled at the golden goddess. "Why, Trance, hi! Long time no see. How are you?"
"You two know each other?" Harper asked.
"You could say that," Vision said, not looking away from Trance.
"Vision, we should talk," Trance said.
"Well, Harper and I -- "
"*Now.*"
Vision smiled and shrugged, but as she got up, she pulled a small flexie from the folds of her dress and handed it to Harper. "How to contact me if you want to talk again."
Harper put the flexie into a jacket pocket as Trance and Vision left and Rommie plunked herself in what had been Vision's seat.
"So you have a new friend," Rommie said. "I don't know whether to be happy for you or concerned over her sanity."
"Ah, well, then this will really send you over the edge." Harper downed a shot and poured himself another. "She offered me a job."
"Oh." It took Rommie a moment to gather herself. "I see. Have you ..... made a decision?"
"I'm thinkin' about it. Kinda skimpy on the details but sounds ok."
"But .... you're going to turn her down?"
"I said I'm thinkin' about it."
"Oh." Rommie was almost beside herself. On the one hand, Dylan's policy had always been that Harper and the others could leave whenever they wanted; being civilians, whether they were his crew or not was to be purely voluntary. In principle, Rommie had always agreed with that.
In practice ..... the thought of Harper leaving .....
"Ok," Rommie said. "Uhm ... could you answer one question?"
"Shoot."
"Why are you so willing to give up on Beka and Tyr?"
Harper downed another shot without answering.
"Please, I'd really like to know."
"Y'won't give up until I tell ya, won't ya?"
"Of course not." She smiled. "You don't know that by now?"
Harper sighed heavily as he poured another shot. "You fought the Magog back in the day, Rommie. You know what 'missing' meant."
"I do," Rommie said. The Magog left neither survivors nor table leavings. If you weren't found alive and uninfested with Magog larvae, you were never found -- period. One wag had said 'missing' was just 'dead' without the body. "But if Dylan and I had gone solely by our battle experience, you and Tyr never would have left the Magog World Ship."
"I know, I know," Harper said, picking up his glass and looking at it. "It's just -- "
"Excushe me," bawled a fat, balding dockyard worker swaying next to their booth (his buddies sniggering behind him). "Is she that 'Drommeduuh synth? The one they say is 'fully funk-shunal'? I jusswannaknow one thing: Does she have to show yoo what to do with a girl?" He thought he was extremely funny and laughed; his buddies did likewise.
Harper and Rommie just looked at each other, surprised.
Harper brought his glass down on the table with a solid thump.
****
Trance lead Vision into the nearby hydroponics dome; when they were in a corner with few other visitors, near a small artificial waterfall, Trance paced back and forth, agitated.
"Well?" Vision asked.
Trance finally rounded on the other pixie. "What are you doing here?"
"What I told your friend, I'm recruiting -- "
"And you talked to one of *mine?* You know the rules -- there can only be one of us -- "
"I won't be breaking the rules if Harper joins me of his own free will."
"No." Trance shifted a little uncomfortably. "But it looks like -- "
"At least I didn't cheat."
"What!?" Trance was angry and defensive all at once. "I never cheated!"
"Didn't you? Trance, we all felt it when you transposed. Taking advantage of a tesseract like that." Vision tisked.
"I had to do that! I'd made too many mistakes and ...... Vision, I saw what life was like under the invaders. Their slavery made the Magog look merciful. I had to do what I could -- "
"Yes, but the point, Trance, is that you shouldn't have made those mistakes in the first place."
"That's beside the point," Trance said quietly.
"And the point was?"
"You shouldn't be here."
"Look, Trance, I'll be leaving soon. If Harper leaves with me, fine. If not, also fine. But that's entirely his choice."
"That's right."
Vision looked down at her com gauntlet. "Well, I have to get back to my ship. It's only a courier I'm borrowing, but these High Guard types are ape about locking it down for the night. Was there anything else?"
"No ..... Good night, Vision."
"G'night, Trance." Vision turned and swept out of the garden, her dress swishing behind her.
****
"Yep, that knuckle's fractured," Rommie said, cradling Harper's right hand in both of hers. "We'll take care of it in Medical. If you don't want this to happen again, you have to learn to make a better fist."
"I'll keep it in mind. And are you sure I don't have a concussion?"
"Just a black eye, as if anything could seriously damage something as dense as -- "
"Hi, guys," Trance said, reentering the bar. "How .... are ..... " She trailed off as her gaze swept around the bar, its floor littered with unconscious patrons and broken furniture. Harper, Rommie, and the bar tender were the only ones standing.
"You don't have to worry about this," Rommie said. "I've already agreed that the High Guard will compensate him."
"I see," Trance said. "And how will you explain this to Dylan?"
"Well, uhhh ... " Rommie turned to Harper.
"Yeah, ahhhh .... " Harper said.
"Uhm ... "
"Ahm .... "
"I see," Trance said. She screwed on a smile. "I think we should go."
Trance watched Harper and Rommie file out of the bar, gave a small wave to the bar tender, and followed her friends.
****
"Dylan?" Molly propped her head on one hand and rubbed Dylan's chest under the covers, looking down at him. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"What do you know about Earth?"
Dylan looked up at his cabin's ceiling. "Did Rommie send you after me?"
"What if she did? She'd only be worried about the two most important men in her life butting heads like a pair of macho idiots. And don't give me that look; I was here for three weeks and I saw how tight this crew is. She only wants to help, and so do I."
"Sorry .... all right, I know Earth is hell. It's suffered under Nietzschean occupation."
"And you knew that by the time he was 18, Harper had buried 75% of the kids he'd grown up with?"
"No," Dylan said, surprised, "I didn't know that."
"We had a full briefing on it when we arrived on Pharos ... " Molly said. "The Dragons can't seem to decide if it's a slave planet or a death camp. Add in disease and Magog raids, it's no wonder Harper's not exactly an optimist."
"I know, hard life, hard lessons, but I learned some lessons, too. I learned a hard lesson the day I lost all 4,000 of my original crew. And the lesson I learned is I would never lose a crew member again."
"I see. And how does telling Harper he can buzz off if he wants help you *keep* your crew together?"
"Has all this been another way of saying I shouldn't be a 'macho idiot'?"
"Well .... yeah. And another way of saying this crew needs to stick together more than ever, and this is not the time to break apart."
"You're right. You'll be a heluva captain someday, Cadet Noguchi." Dylan pulled Molly into his arms. "And I'm wondering if this might be the time -- for the time being, at least -- to add to this crew. If the person I have in mind is willing."
"Really?" Molly kissed him. "Now, who would that be ..... ?"
****
Harper sat in his underwear on the edge of the bed in his machine shop/quarters while Rommie cradled Harper's injured hand in hers, her sensors connecting to the black, glove-like cast that would let his hand heal even as it allowed him the use of it.
"Any pain?" she asked.
"No," Harper said. "Tingles a bit."
"That would be the nanobots. But if you get to bed now and DON'T stay up making repairs, we may be able to remove the cast tomorrow and let the nanobots finish the work." She let go of his hand.
"Ok, Rommie, I'll be a good boy." Harper levered himself under the blankets, then cracked a lewd smile at her. "You know, there is room for two here."
"I know."
The smile faded. "I know, I'm sorry."
"Well, under the circumstances, I'll let it slide -- *this time!* -- Frankly, I would be worried if you didn't proposition me." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Good night, Harper."
"'Night, Doll."
Rommie headed for the hatch.
"Rommie?"
She stopped in her tracks. "Yes, Harper?"
"What do you think the odds are of finding Beka and Tyr, really?"
"I can't say; there are so many variables I can't begin to make a calculation. But not so long ago, I was 100% certain Dylan had been killed .... "
"And I told ya he wasn't. Ok. 'Night, Rommie." He rolled over and pulled the blankets over him.
Rommie stood there, watching Harper, only the faintest signs betraying the storm of emotions raging inside her. Then she turned and left the room.
****
Vision Aquarius sat lotus fashion on the deck of her small ship. The air rippled around her, and now again, one could almost see the outline of something that looked like a sword .....
****
"Oh, man," Harper groaned as he sat up. "Did I have *that* much to drink last night?"
Andromeda's hologram appeared next to his bed. "Was that a rhetorical question," she asked dryly, "or shall I display a scan of your liver?"
"Not before breakfast, thanks." Harper got out of bed, shambled over to a counter, popped up onto it, rested his feet on a stool, and started reading a flexie. One of the worker robots came over to him with a glass of orange juice. Harper made a face. "I dunno which is worse, the hangover or the orange juice."
"I have other juices available if this is not to your liking," Holo Rommie said.
"Anything as long as it doesn't have this stuff in it." Harper accepted the glass, took a sip, and winced.
"The pulp?" Rommie said. "Harper, I can bring you pulp-free orange juice."
"You can? I thought there was no such thing."
"Where did you hear that from?"
"Beka."
"I see. There are ... other opinions on the matter."
"Well, learned something different." Harper downed some juice and read the flexie some more. "Ah crap ..... Rommie? We sure these micro-stress-fractures on the *Maru* aren't beyond tolerances?"
"That I couldn't tell you; I'd rather you inspected them yourself. It *should* be ready for flight, but ... "
"Yeah, ok."
"You don't sound like someone about to change jobs."
Harper thought for a moment and lowered the flexie. "I dunno, Rommie. It's not like I don't want to stay .... but .... "
"You're tired," the hologram said.
"I guess," Harper said. "I mean, for a while there, it looked like nothin' could stop us. Even when I got infected with Magog larvae, hey, we got them out, right? But Rev left, and Trance ..... and now Beka and Tyr are gone .... "
"The last few months have been inordinately stressful, even considering that you have all been doing the work for a crew of four thousand." She paused. "Harper .... I don't want you to have the impression I'm trying to bribe you. I'm not. Whether you stay or go is entirely your decision. But my avatar has been interested in going on leave with you again. If you stay, I can speak to Dylan about it, and make arrangements when we have the chance."
"Really? I mean ..... Andromeda, I thought Rommie hated that trip! She didn't talk to me for a week after we got back."
"Your antics on that occasion were, to put it mildly, conduct unbecoming any being with a functioning nervous system, never mind a High Guard officer. However, she didn't mind your company -- we never do, Harper -- and had expressed an interest in another 'field trip' provided you could behave yourself. But you've warmed up to Trance lately, so we began to wonder if you would ask .... her again."
"Wow ..... huh. Still and all, you think leave would be enough? I mean even if we don't get Beka and Tyr back?"
"I don't know, Harper. I do know we have all been stressed, and now is probably not the time for a rash decision. From anyone. But it is up to you."
"Well .... Ok, Andromeda, I guess you still got an engineer."
"Shall I contact Miss Aquarius and tell her your decision?"
"No, I got business on the station anyway, so I'll tell her myself after breakfast."
****
"Let me be the first to congratulate you on your transfer," Ryan said as he, Dylan, and Molly walked down the corridor to the officers' mess. "Of course, *I* am loosing an excellent pilot .... "
"We'll take good care of her," Dylan said.
Just as they got to the mess, Harper and Rommie came around the corner, Harper sipping from a coffee cup as he and Rommie looked over a flexie.
"Mr. Harper," Dylan said. "It's my understanding you'll be staying with us for a while?"
"Yeah, Boss," Harper said (as Rommie quickly pressed the flexie against her chest). "And ..... I'm sorry I blew my stack yesterday."
"Quite all right. I wasn't exactly myself, either. And you are right, the odds of finding Beka and Tyr again are not good. But Andromeda reported there was *no* trace of Beka and Tyr at all on the *Maru,* and an explosion that could have completely atomized them would have done more damage than we found. And Beka and I are in agreement that we never leave crew members behind, *ever.* So, can I count on your support?"
"Yeah." Harper cracked a smile. "And hey, when did slim odds ever stop us before?"
"That's the spirit! How soon can we be ship shape?"
"Gettin' there. I just gotta go over to Pharos and, uh ... "
"I understand. Carry on."
Harper nodded and headed down the corridor; Dylan turned to Rommie and noticed her flexie. "What's that?" he asked.
"Oh .... " Rommie quickly hid the flexie behind her back. "It's, um .... Dylan, I spoke to Harper last night and .... I wouldn't say this influenced his decision to stay, but I did agree to go on leave with him again the next time we have liberty."
"You WHAT!?" Molly yelped. "Andromeda, he's a nice guy, but -- "
"They went on leave before," Dylan said. "Hadn't thought that trip went very well, but this isn't unprecedented." He turned back to Rommie. "Is that where you're thinking of going with him?"
"Uh, yes, it is."
"You mind?"
"Uh ... well .... " Rommie reluctantly handed over the flexie but managed to hold a smile on her face, even as Dylan's smile faded on reading it, his eyes flicking between it and his ship's avatar. Molly craned a look over Dylan's shoulder and her eyes went wide.
"You're ..... " Dylan stammered, "uh, Rommie do you think ... I mean ..... ?"
"It is reasonably priced," Rommie said (still smiling), "and the local attractions sound interesting."
"Oh, yeah, Harper's going *there* for the museums," Molly said.
"Yes, um ...." Rommie said. "It's one of several possibilities we're looking at. Nothing's decided yet and IhavetostandawatchonCommandifyou'llexcuseme." Rommie snatched the flexie from Dylan and headed away.
"Well," Molly said, "look at the bright side: at least with those two, you wouldn't have to worry about the pitter patter of little feet."
"With those two?" Dylan said. "Now that you mention it ..... "
"Our Nietzschean allies would surely have fits," Ryan said.
****
Harper found Vision in the station's hydroponics garden; the red skinned woman with gold horns was wearing a green hooded cloak with gold trim.
"I'm glad you came," Vision said, lowering her hood and smiling. "Have you made up your mind?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful! Then let's -- "
"No, Vision .... Look, everything you said yesterday made sense, but this isn't just another job. They're my friends and they need me. Maybe I'll be ready to move on someday, but not today. I'm sorry."
Vision nodded.
"No hard feelings?" Harper asked.
"No, of course not." Vision stuck her hand out.
Harper shook her hand ... and Vision's other hand flashed against the back of his. He'd barely registered the pain of the small needle when the room started spinning and his arms and legs went limp.
Vision easily caught the swooning engineer. As she pulled his arm over her shoulders, she reached under her cloak and clenched something. Then she pulled her hand out and made a wide, sweeping throw towards the ceiling, releasing a cloud of silver dust that quickly dispersed. Then the lights flickered and alarms sounded.
"Come along," Vision said, and Harper's legs responded just well enough that he wasn't dead weight as she began to haul him away.
****
"As of 0530 hours .... " Ryan winced and had to support himself against the mess chair.
Dylan stopped chewing and quickly swallowed his eggs. "Captain Ryan!?"
****
On the *Andromeda's* command deck, Rommie also winced as the monitors went crazy.
"Rommie?" Trance said.
"Reconfiguring .... " Rommie said. "Something's disrupting the local -- "
Trance suddenly grabbed Rommie's hand and ran from command; the android found herself stumbling, struggling to keep up.
"Trance!?"
"We have to get to Harper NOW!"
****
Vision dragged Harper through the station's maintenance corridors and was almost to her ship's docking bay when two figures stepped out of the intersection in front of them -- Trance and Rommie.
"Vision!" Trance said. "What are you doing with him?"
Vision smiled. "Oh, helping Harper back to my ship. He's accepted my offer, you see, but he had some kind of spell and -- "
"Liar," Rommie snapped. "He agreed to stay with m .... on the *Andromeda,* and I'm detecting some kind of neurotoxin in his system." Rommie drew her force lance and leveled it a Vision. "I don't know what you are or whether this will kill you, but I'm betting it will hurt *a lot.* So put him down *now.*"
"Of course." Vision eased Harper to the floor. Rommie crept towards Harper .....
..... and took her eyes of Vision for a second. That was all she needed. She swung her hand through the air, violently; although she was over a meter out of reach, something invisible picked Rommie up and hurled her against the wall. Sparks flew from her body and she fell to the floor, limp.
"Sorry, Sister." Vision swiped in Trance's direction. Something picked up Trance and sent her against the opposite wall, but she rolled with the impact, drawing her force lance as she tumbled to land on the floor in a crouch. She fired at Vision. Vision raised her hand; the smart bullets slowed, stopped less than a meter from her, then at the red-skinned woman's violent gesture, accelerated back towards Trance, who barely got to cover in time.
No sooner had Trance straightened than Vision charged, a sword materializing in her hands as she came. Trance dodged the first couple of swings, and rolled under the third, drawing her knives from her boots as she rolled. And barely managed to cross them in an X-block as Vision tried to cleave Trance's head in two.
They fought back and forth, and seemed evenly matched: Although Vision had the longer weapon and used it to her advantage, Trance managed to avoid it, occasionally getting close enough to try and slash with her knives, which Vision avoided. But finally, Trance managed to get a kick to the midsection which staggered Vision.
Trance backed away, keeping her guard up.
"It doesn't have to be like this," Trance said. "We don't have to do this."
Vision straightened, raising her blade, keeping the tip aligned with Trance's heart. "No we don't," she said. "There is another way: You can join me."
"Chaos take the rules, Trance! Do you think it matters to *them* that you play by their 'rules'? Do you think *they* care about your intentions, or whether you work towards *they're* precious 'perfect possible future'?" Vision shook her head. "All *they* care about is that you didn't come when they called, and they're going to punish you. They'll take all this away from you -- Harper away from you. You don't owe them anything!"
"And what you have in mind is the better way?"
"Trance .... if you come with me, you can protect your Harper *and* make a perfect possible future for the person who matters most -- yourself. You'll have everything you ever wanted, and your human friend will be safe, too." She smiled. "C'mon, Trance, time to be your own person. Come with me."
Trance hesitated. Vision's words made sense in a way, but ....
"No," Trance said. "I'm sorry, Vision, but this is wrong. I won't go along with it."
"I'm sorry to hear that; we really should be on the same side."
With that, Vision charged one more time. Trance blocked the initial swing, but Vision quickly redirected the blade down, slashing across Trance's stomach and then her thigh. Trance, surprised and in pain, collapsed to the floor. Vision raised her sword to deliver another blow, and the blade began to glow, a fierce white hot. Trance sensed its energy, and knew that when she died this time, she would not come back to life.
"Too bad you threw your life away," Vision said. "Goodbye, Sister."
"HEY!" a voice called. Trance and Vision both turned in the voice's direction to see Dylan, Molly, Ryan, and over a dozen High Guard cadets, all bearing force lances, trained on the red-skinned pixie; Ryan knelt to look at Harper.
"I wouldn't," Dylan went on. "Believe me, you don't want a 'murder' charge added to 'attempted kidnapping.' And while you have some interesting skills, I don't think you can take all of us, so *stand down NOW.*"
The force lances charged; Vision shuffled back, lowering her blade. Trance quickly got up and, clutching her stomach, hobbled over to Ryan and Harper.
"Loose the weapon, *now,*" Dylan growled. "Although under the circumstances, I wouldn't mind if you didn't come quietly."
"No, Captain Hunt," Vision said, smiling, "I'm afraid we don't dance this time." She shifted her gaze to Trance. "Well met, Sister. I'll concede this round to you. 'Til we meet again."
With that the blade flared as bright as a sun; everyone present (except Harper) flinched and covered their eyes.
When they could see again, Vision was gone.
****
"There's no sign of either Miss Aquarius or her ship," Andromeda's voice said as Dylan and Molly went down the corridor to medical. "She must have some incredible stealth capabilities."
"Or she's just really, really sneaky," Molly quipped as she and Dylan entered the medical bay. They found Trance lying in one bed, her wounds still bound, and Harper sitting on the edge of another bed, rubbing his temples.
"At ease," Dylan said, smiling. "Andromeda, how are they?"
Andromeda's hologram appeared in between the beds. "Trance's injuries appear to be healing. Don't ask me anything more than that. I haven't identified the substance Vision gave Harper, but it appears to be wearing off -- "
"Leaving me with one doozy of a hangover," Harper groaned.
"And no other ill effects," Andromeda added.
"Yeah, there is one ill effect," Harper shot back. "I could bear having all these Babes from Beyond Outer Darkness come after me if just *once* I could get past first base with one of 'em."
"'Babes' ... plural?" Molly asked.
"Long story," Harper and Dylan chorused.
"And about the latest 'babe,'" Dylan said.
Trance knew what was coming. "Yes, Vision is .... a relation. Let's leave it at that."
"What are her plans?" Dylan asked.
"I don't know," Trance answered, "but it's very likely we'll see her again."
"Oh, great." Harper dropped to the deck. "Another supervillian to worry about. Why am I missing the days when the Magog World Ship was our only concern?"
"That was a ..... simpler time," Dylan said. "But as to the matter at hand, any ideas?"
"From me!?" Harper yelped. "Geez, Dylan, dealin' with aliens from another universe, that's beyond cutting edge stuff. We'd need an astrophysicist to deal with that."
"My thoughts exactly. Any idea on where to get one? Or whom we should look for?"
Harper smiled. "Yeah."
"Agreed."
"Trance?" Dylan and Harper chorused.
Trance smiled. "I'll get on it when I'm out of here."
Molly looked ..... concerned might be the best word for it. "Ok. Andromeda, should I worry when Dylan and Harper are so agreeable ..... ?"
****
"So we're going to look for a Magog monk who's also a theoretical physicist who might be able to help you come up with a way to rescue Beka and Tyr from another universe," Molly said as she and Dylan came on to Command.
"That is right," Dylan said.
"I was right when we first met: You are a lunatic."
"Maybe, but I am also your commanding officer, so that's 'You are a lunatic,*sir.*"
"Sir, yes, sir, you're a bay-at-the-Moon-loony-tune nutcase, sir. But I still love you." She gave Dylan a quick kiss on his nose and went to the flight control station. Dylan turned as the big doors to the Command Center opened, admitting Rommie, Harper, and Trance.
"Feel better?" Dylan asked Trance.
"Yes," Trance said. "And I think I know where to start looking."
"Feed the coordinates to Andromeda." He turned to Rommie -- and noticed something different right away. "You changed your hair!?"
Rommie ran her fingers through it, now black except for a streak of red. "Well, I was getting tired of the old look, and I wanted something new."
"It looks good on you."
"Thank you."
"Kiss up," Harper snapped.
"Experienced," Dylan replied. "Don't forget, I was almost married."
"MARRIED!?" Molly yelped.
Harper grinned. "You never told her about Sara? Dylan, you dog."
Dylan was not amused. "Man your station, Mr. Harper."
Harper obeyed, but didn't wipe the grin off his face.
"Um, excuse me ..... ?" Molly started.
"I'll explain later," Dylan said.
"You'd better. *Sir.*"
"Course plotted," Trance said.
"Very well," Dylan said. "Cadet Noguchi, at your discretion, clear all moorings and take us out. Let's bring it."
****
Somewhere, a woman with red skin and golden horns laughed ....