The Last Stand Against the Night

TITLE: The Last Stand Against the Night
AUTHOR: Natasha Bennett
RATING: PG-13 for graphic violence
SPOILERS: S1 & 2 to be safe
ARCHIVE: Please ask first
SUMMARY: Someone from Beka's past wants revenge.

It was a cold and peaceful night on Dranco 4. Soft lights from the houses twinkled on the concrete streets as the man walked quickly towards his destination. For a moment he could hear the laughter from the tavern traveling on the breeze and he stopped, lifting his Nietzschean hand slightly in longing. Then, snarling in disgust at his own weakness, he traveled even faster down the streets, filled only with homeless people begging for money. The sky was surprisingly devoid of clouds, a fact which made the Nietzschean uncomfortable. He liked to hide beneath them, as though they could provide shelter from any opponents from the sky.

The Nietzschean suddenly heard the sounds of the guard's patrol. Quickly he ran across the dirty street, his heart beating with panic. His brown hair was soaking with sweat by the time the guards had rounded the corner. The Nietzschean, once a Drago-Kazov, hated himself, hated what he had become. His glove trembled every time a voice was near. Underneath the glove his flesh had burned away in places, revealing pearl-white bone. That happened three months ago. Now everything scared him.

A drunken, young woman with red hair stood in his path, taking note of his long brown hair and green eyes. "You're a pretty thing to be hiding yourself away on this night-" she purred, leaning forwards for a kiss.

The Nietzschean whirled around, grabbed her neck and twisted. She fell soundlessly to the ground, already dead. The Nietzschean instantly felt better. A little bit, anyway.

"Now, now, Eric," a voice said in the darkness, amused. "A man who kills instantly, without thought is only considered no better then a brainless bully. To inspire fear, true fears is a life-long art-"

Eric reacted instantly. In the space of two heartbeats he had grabbed a hidden knife from his sleeve, and threw it at the voice with deadly accuracy.

A long pause. "A mere poisoned dagger? One would think you for a Sabra-Jaguar, my friend, one who uses mere assassins tools to achieve their ends. The Drago-Kazov, as I recall, like to plan their steps, leading their pray gradually into destroying themselves, and making every move beautiful to the end." A cloaked figure walked out of the shadows. He did not lift his hood at the Nietzschean, and he walked with a slight limp. "Or perhaps their ways have changed from what I remember," he finished softly. From underneath his hood his light blue eyes stared at the dark for a moment. "It was a long time ago."

Eric lifted his head with pride, then cursed himself. He had given pride up long ago, for both his people and himself. "My brothers and sisters will never change, Terin! One day we will conquer ALL who stand before us-"

"Nietzschean politics mean nothing to me," Terin said curtly. "Perhaps I made a mistake to come here," he added quietly. "Yes, I see it was wrong. I need nothing from a man that is too afraid to come out of the night." The hood dipped slightly. "I bid you farewell."

Eric hesitated. For reasons quite beyond him, he needed to prove himself to this man. He needed to! "Wait!" he called out. The cloaked figure stopped for a moment, but said nothing. Eric couldn't think of anything further to say.

For a moment Eric tried to sort out his shattered, bitter feelings to understand why he wanted this human kludge to stay. Then Eric suddenly understood. This shadowed man, whom he knew little about, carried greatness within him. It was a greatness he bore quietly, without comment, but it was there! It had been a long time since the Nietzschean had ever tasted greatness. It was a sweet taste on the tip of his tongue, and he had no desire to see it leave. Eric hesitated, then spoke a human word no Nietzschean has ever said before in his or her lifetime. "Please."

The cloaked man hesitated, then turned around. "What is it that you're afraid of, Eric? What keeps a mighty Nietzschean here on this backwater world, in the slums of the streets? Do you fear your own people?"

"NO!" Eric snarled instantly at the man. "I FEAR NO ONE!!!"

"Then what is it that you do fear? Spiders? Snakes? Mice? I hear of some Nietzscheans who are afraid of mice..." The voice paused as the eyes underneath glittered at the silent Nietzschean. "Ah, now I see. Who better then the ones who brought you this pain..." He trailed off.

"The Andromeda," the Nietzschean finished, spitting. "All right, damn you, yes I am afraid of them! As should all of my kind-"

"Why?" the voice asked mildly. "They are only a crew of seven, actually six if I recall correctly. A quite harmless ditzy alien who can 'apparently' see into the future. A drunken engineer kludge-"

"You fool, not them! The ship!" Eric snapped angrily. He straightened. "You have no idea what it was like before. I was powerful. On my way to becoming Fleet Marshall! And then...the ship came.....a silver streak in the sky. Without so much as a warning it fired on our capital cities! And do you know why?"

Terin tilted his head slightly.

"Nothing!" Eric answered, and laughed bitterly. "No reason at all!"

Terin folded his arms. "From what I understand in the reports you fired on a peaceful Wayist monastery they were fond of-"

"Unconfirmed reports!" Eric retorted. "And even if those reports were true, those...peace-loving deluded fools had no right to settle on our territory, spreading their filth!"

"Commonwealth charter gives them the right to live anywhere," Terin said.

"The Commonwealth is dead," Eric replied flatly.

There was a long pause as both considered this.

"Perhaps," Terin said after a long moment. "You said that there were...others who felt this way?"

Eric felt his Nietzschean heart tremble in excitement. He kept his face neutral, however. "Of course," he answered coldly. "Hundreds more."

"An army, perhaps?"

Eric began to sweat. "Yes," he said, unable to keep his voice from quivering slightly.

"And it would be fair to say that your...friends are eager for some revenge, yes?"

Eric stared at Terin for a long moment. "And if we are?"

From underneath his hood Terin smiled slightly. "Then perhaps, we can do business." From the folds of his cloak Terin tossed him a datapad. "For I too was once powerful. Now I have my own fears to settle in the night."

Eric caught it and starred at it curiously.

"These are the main targets," said Terin. His own voice was quivering slightly, but in rage, not excitement. "Her friends."

The man skimmed through the portraits of the grinning Seamus Harper, Trance Gemini, Andromeda, and Tyr Anasazi. "What do you want my men to do with them?" he asked coldly.

"Understand, Eric, that this woman has to suffer! She has to die slowly, from within. I am charging you to do anything you can to her little band of deluded followers. Hurt them, torture them, kill them. Whatever you have to!" He coughed wretchedly for a moment, then sighed. "But no one else. Do you hear? I will have no more innocents hurt in this, only those that choose their own destruction."

Eric was curious. "But how do we bring them to us?"

"They are fond of Wayists, aren't they?" Terin snapped in irritation. "You figure it out."

Eric grinned, and slowly closed his large, massive fist around the blinking portrait of Beka Valentine.

***************************

"WOAH!" Beka shouted just as she grabbed the black wire in time. Below her lay a two thousand kilometer drop from the mountains, and the only thing stopping her was the tiny wire wrapped around her wrist after accidentally breaking from her protective vest. Beka grinned, her lips slightly strained. It was just like another day at the office.

From above her Trance Gemini looked down from her spot, her bronze skin reflecting in the dying sunlight. "Having fun?" Trance asked, smiling. She brushed aside a lock of red hair.

Beka's smile grew. "Oh, you know me, Trance. I always love shore leave." Effortlessly she glided down to a stable edge to fix her cable as Trance dropped down to Beka's side, her leather boots skimming against the rock of the Sinti mountain.

From a fair distance away Trance saw a few Perseids glancing at them curiously though small binoculars attached to their black belts. Trance waved her gloved hand, letting them know that they were all right. "So where did you learn how to rock climb?" she asked curiously as Beka finally fixed her safety wire.

"My father. We didn't spend all of our lives in ships," Beka said. She looked around and sighed happily. "This place is so beautiful. It's a shame people spend most of their lives avoiding Perseids or they would really appreciate this place." She held up a hand before Trance could speak. "And don't tell me that this place will be doomed in a few years. I don't want to know." Beka kicked the rocks sharply with her boots, joining Trance back on the trail downwards. Beka knew full well the power of Trance's experience of the future, and that it wasn't ever a good time to be in.

"Actually, I was going to say that some Perseids dedicate their lives to the science of beauty. They're the ones that take care of this place for the annual competition," Trance remarked.

"Yeah, what's up with that anyway?" Beka asked. "We're supposed to find the orb of Hacking-"

"Hecklon," Trance said, and her blue eyes widened with shock. "Beka, you were actually listening at the presentation...weren't you!?"

Beka grinned sheepishly at her friend. "It was a Perseid, Trance! You know how much they like to drone on endlessly about little things like the breeding habits of flowers. The last time I talked with one of them it was a nightmare! Ten hours straight on the natural grounding of coffee beans when all I asked for was a single cup while at their awards show. I mean, so what if they have a gifted insight on physics? We should have just dumped Harper on Sinti and made a run for it while we still had the chance."

Trance smiled. "Dylan insisted. Besides, the Perseids are paying for the badly-needed repairs on the Andromeda after that recent battle with the Drago-Kazov."

"Well, I just hope that Andromeda is really nice to us after this little detour. Though it would be great to have warm showers for a change," she said in retrospect. "So what's the deal with the orb of Hecking-"

"Hecklon," Trance corrected patiently. "It's actually a type of legendary bird's egg. Only one is made every year. Its shell is made out of a material that is crucial to most essential experiments, but is very hard to find. First of all, the egg is not always guaranteed to be intact and it has to be for the materials to work properly, and it has to be found right away before it ages beyond usefulness. Those that find the whole egg intact are allowed to return to civilization."

"And their homes," Beka finished, not really liking that part of the lecture. The Perseids may look like a skinny, frail race, devoted entirely to the pursuit of knowledge, but their athletes seem to be another species entirely. Those considered mentally challenged would shift their focus to the body instead. Silver muscles bulged out of every part of their simple, poor clothes. The athletes would be banished until the day they returned with the egg, and they would become honorary members of society. But until then....Beka looked around the barren wasteland and sighed slightly. "That won't be a problem with us."

"No," Trance replied. "We would just be very wealthy if we found it."

Beka grinned. "Now that part I like." She noticed that Trance had taken out her pair of binoculars and was starring at something. "Any luck?"

"Nope. Only the sun glinting off a Perseid," Trance said, putting it away. "It was meant to be very hard. Some Perseids have been spending their whole lives looking for one, though the longest recorded time is forty-eight years."

Beka choked. "Forty-eight-!?" she stammered. "We only have three days!"

Trance gave her the innocent smile that instantly reminded Beka of the earlier, purple Trance. "Then we better hurry."

Beka grinned. "Well....considering that it is funding for the Commonwealth..." she twisted her body slightly, revealing a hidden scanner attached to her belt.

"Beka!" Trance exclaimed, shocked. "That's against the rules, and you know it!"

For a moment, the fading sunlight reflected Beka's quiet eyes. "I live by my own rules, Trance."

*************************

(Fourteen years ago)

Beka flew headfirst into the trash, swearing. An ugly bruise was forming on her mud-stained cheek, and there were scratches on her forehead.

The bar bouncer, a sniggering man with a massive build, sneered at her. "Go on, girl. Git. We don't serve underaged brats."

Beka's short brown head lifted, her blue eyes blazing with fury. She jumped to her feet, her boots slapping against the concrete. She kicked aside a rat and held up her fists, grinning. "Fine. Then I guess I'll have to find my own form of stupidity."

"I don't hit woman," the man said sternly. "Especially girls! Now why don't you-OOF!" He grunted as Beka kicked him hard in the stomach with her eight-inch heel. He doubled over, then slowly straightened and clapped his hands. "Jerry!"

A short man with one eye missing appeared out of the shadows. He had twin blades in his hands.

Beka pretended to shiver. "Oh, the bar bouncers toady. I'm scared."

Jerry swung his blades. "Play nice and run away. I don't like to hurt little girls."

"Then obviously you haven't met me," Beka said quietly, her lips parting into a dangerous smile. She dodged his spinning blades easily, and punched him in his midsection. He doubled over. Beka poked him in his one good eye and kneed him in the head. He fell to the dirty, trashed ground, stunned.

With a snarl the other bar bouncer charged. Beka flipped backwards onto the metal trash can, kicked him in the head, and watched as he collapsed to the ground with a grunt. Grinning, Beka jumped off the trash can and snatched the gun from his jacket.

"No....," the man moaned weakly. "Please...."

"Please?" Beka echoed mockingly. "That word has no use anywhere in this universe." Her blue eyes were filled with hate. "It had no use for my father!" She shot the bar bouncer and Jerry with the gun until they were mere ash. She tossed the spent gun over her shoulder and sighed. "Honestly, the things I have to do for a drink on this world...."

Unknown to her, a man with blond hair had stepped out of the shadows. He smiled slightly at Beka as she disappeared into the bar.

*****************************

(Now)

Beka blinked as the sudden memory resurfaced. She kicked off from the rock harder then she should have, then smiled forcefully. "So I'm the first officer, and I say we cheat!"

Trance glanced at her, her eyebrow lifted.

Beka lifted the scanner and had just activated it when a large shadow blocked out the sun. She looked upwards, squinting, as the Eureka Maru slowly lowered itself to her position. The window to her personal ship suddenly rolled opened, and Dylan Hunt, her Captain, poked his head out. "Morning!" he said cheerfully. "I would have contacted you on your com implant, but for some reason a certain someone surgically removed it and left it mysteriously on the Andromeda's main deck."

Beka groaned and leaned her blond head back. "So you decided to find a more practical way to ruin my vacation?"

"Well...yeah, that was the general idea. I thought bringing you your own ship might make up for it," Dylan replied, smiling with false hope. "Andromeda needs us right away."

Beka swung slightly on her wire. "But what about the Orb of Hecklon? Dylan, It's a Sinti scientific treasure!"

"Oh, is that what we landed on?" Tyr sneered.

Dylan shrugged. "We thought we landed on a glowing sphere, but we weren't really sure what it was....why, was it important?"

Beka rolled her eyes, sighed, and accepted a graceful hand from Dylan. She pulled herself inside through the Maru's window, slowly unhooking her wires.

********************************

Harper wasn't the least bit pleased to have his vacation time cut short, and appeared grouchy the entire trip back. Beka had made a few futile attempts to stir him into conversation, but he barely made a reply. He seemed distracted by something.

"Dylan?" Andromeda asked, her face flickering on the screen. Her blue eyes were filled with worry. "We have just receive a distress call."

Dylan sighed. "Always the worst news to spoil a vacation. Anyone we know?"

"I'm afraid so," Andromeda replied. "It's from Rev Bem."

*********************************

For once, it was deathly quiet on the Andromeda bridge. The crew was gathered silently. Beka's face was downcast. Tyr was thoughtful. Even's Harper usually chipper tone was gone, his face more paler then usual. The bridge was dark and solemn.

"Play it again," Dylan Hunt ordered, breaking the silence.

Rommie did so. The hologram of Rev Bem appeared, his brown eyes downcast and sad. His orange Wayist outfit was bloodied and torn. "To the crew of the Andromeda Ascendant. For half a year I have been searching for answers to questions that I almost dare not ask. I regret to say that I have found no answers, only more questions that must be answered. And I have also encountered more cruelty then I ever thought possible. Three days ago a ship attacked Riana 6, a previously war-ravaged world. It contains a Wayist monastery that had been tirelessly working to help the victims there. I'm afraid," Rev swallowed hard for a moment. "That the attack was directed at the monastery. Many people have already died. I am striving to help the rest, but more attack ships are coming. How many, I do not know." He blinked. "On this ship I have never asked for anything. Now I ask for you to help these innocent people. I will meet you there, if I can....and if I am still alive." He bowed his head, and the transmission faded.

"That's all of it," Rommie said softly.

"Prompt, as usual," Harper sneered. "Didn't even bother to say hello. 'Hello, Harper!' 'Got those Magog larva out of your system yet, Harper?' 'Still alive on this ship, Harper?'"

"Harper!" Beka snapped at him, astonished. "These people need our help."

"No," Harper corrected, glaring at her. "Everybody always needs our help. All the damn time!" He turned and left the bridge.

"Where are you going?" Beka demanded sharply. Dylan fidgeted in an uncomfortable silence, knowing full well that it was best if Beka handled her own crew in these type of situations.

Harper whirled around, still walking backwards. "Getting engineering ready, of course! Yet another opportunity to blow this crummy ship to mere ashes beckons once more!" Without another word he turned and stormed off.

Rommie's eyes widened in astonishment at being called 'crummy', by Harper of all people!

There was a long pause.

"Beka, set a course for Riana 6," Dylan ordered softly.

Beka stormed off after Harper. "Of all the-"

Dylan sighed. "Rommie, if you would be so kind."

"He called me crummy! He can't do that!" the android version of Andromeda shouted, then left the bridge, shaking her blue head in astonishment.

Dylan sighed even heavier. He glanced up at Tyr.

"No," Tyr said flatly. He leaned forwards. "Unlike some people, I LIKED my vacation, hunting in the Sinti-Terrain jungle alone with my bare hands, just myself and the wilderness! To kill a Sinti bear alone would have proven my genetic worth to all Nietzscheans!" He glared at Dylan. "Until someone was kind enough to ruin it." He turned, slowly and deliberately, and followed after Rommie.

Dylan felt like pulling his blond hair out. "Fine, I guess I'll do it myself, then."

***************************************

Alone in the hydroponics bay Trance slowly tore out the blue weeds out of one of the red roses with her gloved hands. She slowly fingered the synthetic soil stuck on the leather and smiled slightly. It had been so long since she had worked in the garden. It used to remind her all-too often of bitter times. But now, with each new day she was slowly getting back into the habit. Each new day a flower blossomed.

She suddenly heard a faint sound that she couldn't make out. She tilted her red head slightly, looking around intently with her blue eyes. She saw nothing but the peaceful hydroponics bay.

Something knocked her off her feet into the soil. Gasping, she lifted her head as the red rose next to her wilted, died, then burst into flame! Blue weeds grew around the black flowers in an intangible mess. She instantly jumped to her feet, her daggers in her hands. The air was thick and filled with smoke that blurred her vision. Around her the entire hydroponics bay darkened, and the walls began to tear open with an eerie green glow through the cracks. She felt a terrible coldness, and closed her eyes in fear.

When she opened them again, she was sitting down, still touching the red rose. She glanced around in astonishment, and saw that all the flowers were alive and healthy, the walls bright and unbroken. Trance slowly turned her head, the fear in her blue eyes growing.

******************************

Finding Harper was no easy task, especially when he didn't want to be found. Beka first searched through the millions of cubic space of the slipstream drive, eighteen machines shops, until she finally sighed in irritation. "Rommie, WHERE IS HARPER????"

The hologram appeared. "Crummy! That little rat called me crummy!"

"Rom-"

"I mean, I know that I'm a little old and behind the times, but I'm still a powerful warship! There aren't any ships as good as me....right?" she asked her pleadingly.

Beka smiled in false reassurance. "Relax, Rommie. You've given more then a few ships a run for their money. Besides, they say that age makes you experienced. Now, where's Harper?"

Rommie sighed and closed her eyes. "Slipstream core."

"I was just there!" Beka snapped, storming off. "What does he do, have some kind of gadget that tells him when to avoid me!?"

****************************

The gadget next to Harper's elbow blinked to life. Harper lifted himself from the tangled wires and sighed. "She just never gives up, does she?" He jumped onto the ladder of the Slipstream core and quickly began to climb it, fully intending to run for it and duck into his quarters until Beka leaves.

To his credit, he almost made it. But suddenly the Slipstream door opened just as Harper reached it, and he bumped squarely into Beka. "Hello, Seamus," she said, her blue eyes grinning slightly with satisfaction.

"Hey, boss!" Harper said with false cheerfulness. He turned to go.

Beka gripped his shoulder. Painfully. "I've been looking for you. Just what the hell is the matter with you!?"

"Nothing, boss. You know me. La-de-da," Harper said, but something in his tone was different. A tone which really wanted Beka to go away.

But Beka had no intention of leaving. She put her hands on her hips. "Bull. I know you, Harper, better then most-"

"Yeah? Then I'm the one who feels sorry for you," Harper snapped, busily working on some kind of device. "Look, if you came here to give me the daily motivational speech, then forget it, okay? I've got a lot of work to do."

Beka sighed. So Harper wanted to be difficult. She could deal with that. "Listen, I can understand that cutting your shore leave time with the Perseids have probably frayed your nerves, and I know you're long overdue for one, but-"

"That's not it at all," Harper snapped, slamming the gadget on the shelf, making her jump. He turned to face her. "We didn't even get anything done on Sinti! But back there the Perseids...I dunno, they really dug me for some reason. They said that I was smart enough to run the science department. They even offered me a job."

"And you...you turned them down, right?" Beka demanded, her throat tightening.

Harper glanced at her. "Of course. But it got me thinking....what are we doing here, Beka? I think the salvage job is done here, don't you? When are we going back to the Maru and pick up where we left off?"

Beka glanced at him in astonishment, wondering if she just heard what she thought he said. She couldn't have. "Never, that's when! Harper, we've found something better then simple scavenging-"

"Oh yes, the high-and-mighty Commonwealth!" Harper said, rolling his eyes. "I must have forgotten about that. Why? Because it doesn't exist, that's why!" He leaned forwards. "It's been two years, Beka! What have we accomplished in that time? Oh sure, we got a few members to join in our little gang. A few backwaters worlds and the very Nietzscheans who helped betray the Commonwealth three hundred years ago! Thrilling." He stared at her for a long moment. "I'm tired of waiting! I'm tired of having to risk my neck fifty times a week! And you know what I think? This new improved Commonwealth is never going to happen! Not until we're well past dead and rotting in some unmarked graves!"

Beka stared at him in astonishment. Was he being serious!? "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we should start thinking about ourselves for a change, and that's just for starters!" Harper snapped, jumping down the ladder to the next deck below them.

Beka followed, suddenly very angry. "Oh, so we should just leave those Wayists to die? To let Rev die!?"

Harper sighed. "Of course not. It's just....when I signed on for this thing, I expected things to be a lot different. Oh sure, I knew we were going to get our hands dirty every now and then, but I was thinking that we would have the Commonwealth up and going in no time at all, and that we could move on. Or at the very least we would have some help every now and then."

"That's what you were expecting?" Beka said, her voice barely a whisper. "A thrill ride?" She struggled to think for a moment. "Harper...you were the first one to volunteer to sign on. You wanted the crew quarters and the fresh coffee-"

"The coffee's tasting a little old, Beka," Harper said softly, his blue eyes looking at nothing.

"What...what are you saying?" Beka said after a long moment.

"I should think it's obvious," Harper snapped at her. "I want out." He walked down the steps. "I want to figure out a life of my own first of all! I want a world where I can settle down to, I want the option of going wherever I like whenever I like! And I want to be able to play my own music!" He turned his head as Beka trailed after him. "Basically, I want to live a little. Is that so horrible to ask!?"

Beka struggled to think. "Those are perfectly wonderful things, Harper, but think this out for a minute. Think about what you would lose by leaving. You wouldn't be able to help people! You wouldn't have this ship you love! And.....and you would be leaving Trance. And Dylan. And me," Beka finished, starring at him intently. "Is that what you really want!?"

Harper turned to face her. Slowly. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for battle, Beka?" he asked, his voice a degree so cold that Beka was startled.

It was suddenly clear to Beka that he really didn't know the answer to that question, any more then Beka did. Beka paled, then her blue eyes hardened and she left.

Shaking his head, Harper continued working.

***************************

(14 years ago)

The door burst open the next morning, and Beka Valentine walked drunkenly through, swinging a bottle of whiskey. "Call me!" she shouted back at the drunken laughter behind her. "My ship's the Eureka Maru." She closed the door with her foot, and took a long, drink from the bottle. "The Eureka Maru. The ship my daddy made," she said, then slammed the bottle against the ground and burst into tears. "Gods, what am I doing!?"

"You know, I was just wondering the same thing," a sad voice replied, and a man came out of the shadows.

Still leaning against the stained brick wall, Beka grabbed her gun and aimed it at the man. Her blurred vision could see a young man with blond hair and stunning blue eyes, not unattractive in the least. He was in his early twenties. Almost her age, though not many people could tell with her short height. "I may be drunk, but I taught myself how to use this under ANY condition. Don't think I won't kill you."

"I have no doubt," the man said, raising his hands disarmingly. "I saw you last night. I waited for you. I was worried."

Beka snorted. "Oh yeah? So what, you're some kind of stalker that preys on impaired woman? You're the sicko who's got a problem, not me." She suddenly turned her head and was instantly sick. Her face pale and shaking, she straightened.

"You clearly do have some problems," the man said gently. "I don't even know you and I can tell that you're not yourself. Do you have someplace I can take you to? Some relatives?"

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Beka sneered. "For me to introduce you to my family so that you can rob them too. Well, for your information, my daddy just died. Flash." She awkwardly put her gun away. "So leave me alone," she muttered, and turned to go. She suddenly tripped on a rock and fell, scraping her arms. She swore, and burst into tears again.

The man was instantly next to her, helping her to stand. Beka roughly pushed away from him. Caught unprepared by her incredible strength, the man hit the wall. Hard.

Beka glared at him through reddish eyes. "You a Wayist?"

The man laughed slightly. "No. They consider me a little too violent for that. I'm a Captain."

"A mercenary," Beka spat. She had heard of those folk-those that lived on their ships, running jobs for people. It was usually dangerous. "Swell for you."

The man shrugged. "It pays. Not really what I wanted to do. One of my...companions just died as well. An accident with....an alien assault fleet. She didn't die fast." He said no more on the subject and tilted his head. "I was looking for a replacement. A woman who can handle herself."

"So?" Beka demanded, taking a swing of her bottle.

"So after seeing you yesterday, I thought it was a good idea to dispose of those bodies. They were well-respected people. You're capable, but drinking makes you stupid."

Beka squinted her eyes. "Bodies?" she slurred. She couldn't remember much of last night, and certainly nothing about bodies. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember much of last week. She snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure you would like that. My help. And my ship as well, I suppose? And maybe a night of more booze, a slight stumble, and we're suddenly tangled in the sheets? And then I suppose you'll throw me out on my ass when I'm asleep."

The man shook his head. "That's not who I am. I never take advantage of anybody."

"Yeah. Sure." Beka brushed past him. "That's what everybody does."

*****************************

(Now)

Beka sat alone in the observation lounge of the ship as the memory resurfaced. She watched the Andromeda navigate in slipstream through the window. She was leaned back against the wall, sitting on a comfortable couch that Dylan had just put in. A box of tissues were near her hand. Her cheeks and eyes were red.

The doors opened, and Trance Gemini entered. "Hi, Beka," she said softly.

"Trance," Beka said, startled. Sniffing, she quickly hid her tears. "Wha-what are you doing here?" she demanded, a shade too quickly.

Trance smiled gently. "Beka, I may have gone through some...changes in the past few months, but nothing will take away the fact that I care about you, and Harper. I know something's wrong between the two of you."

Beka smiled sadly as Trance sat down next to her, but her mind wasn't really on that problem. Still, she pretended it was. "Just...just some friction, Trance. You know him." She laughed slightly. "He wants to leave the ship. Can you believe the idiot? That he would want to leave after...after everything we've been through. He..um, he said some things and I'm not sure where he is now."

Trance gently took Beka's pale hand. "Beka, you know Harper. He'll come back on his own. He has to. He loves this ship too much to stay away....and you."

"I'm not...I'm not really that sure this time, Trance," Beka replied, her voice quivering. "I've never seen him like this before, ever." Before Trance could reply she coughed and shook her head. "Never mind, Trance. It's my problem, not yours. What's up?"

"Beka....you know I would be the last person to want to add to our troubles," Trance began casually.

Beka glanced at her. "You know something bad that's going to happen?"

"No," Trance replied truthfully. "Events have changed so much...that I'm not really that sure anymore. But I've got a really bad feeling about this."

Beka stared at her friend, puzzled. "You never usually have bad feelings, Trance."

"No," Trance admitted. "The only time I felt like this was on Marcus drift eight-eight, and just before that when I...I had heard that the Commonwealth had fallen."

Beka's eyes widened. "The drift....where all those people died?" She straightened. "Where we almost died? Where Fria died?" She demanded, referring to one of the Maru's previous crew. "Where everything went to hell!?"

Trance looked up. "Uh-huh," she said. She looked down at her gloved hands. "Beka....I'm really worried. When I get this feeling....things get bad. I don't think we should go down to that planet. Not even to find Rev." She sniffed. "Or we might lose other people here."

Beka shook her head. "Trance, we can't-" she suddenly paused and slowly, slowly stood. Trance caught her gaze and her eyes widened with astonishment. They had just exited slipstream. They saw the planet-and the thousands of ships surrounding them. "You don't suppose those ships....are just Wayist relief ships?" she asked hopefully.

Beka's eyes narrowed as she recognized the markings. "Not unless the Drago-Kazov fleet have converted without telling us."

"All hands, report to Command. Code Red. We are under attack. Repeat, we are under attack-"

Beka and Trance instantly dashed to the bridge.

***************************************

Beka and Trance arrived on the bridge after Tyr and Harper, who were looking at the view screen in astonishment. Their was the turquoise planet, and two purple suns beside it. And about a thousand ships.

"Do we know who they are?" Dylan demanded.

"I'm detecting eight hundred Nietzschean battleships. But Dylan...I recognize all of them. EVERY single ship. They're almost every ship we have spared in battle," Rommie said, looking at the ships in astonishment.

"Told you that would bite us on the ass someday," Harper said angrily.

"And Dylan....they're firing on the planet."

As they watched the ships attacked the planet. It burned under their assault.

Dylan's face was firm. "Battle stations."

The ship lit up with a dark blue as the battle stations activated to life. Dylan stood in the first station, Tyr in the second, and Beka and Rommie in the third.

"What!?" Harper echoed, glaring up at Dylan. "You seriously think you can go up against a thousand ships!? By yourself!?"

"So long as that planet is in trouble, Mr. Harper, we have to do everything we can to help it," Dylan replied grimly.

"A thousand ships for just one little planet? Nah, I don't think so. Dylan, think! They were deliberately waiting for us!" Harper snapped. "We're playing right into their hands...as usual."

"It's my command," Dylan said, and leaned forwards. Slowly. "If you don't like it, then get off this bridge."

Harper hesitated, then with a irritated snort joined Tyr at the second station. "Once, just once, I wish you would stop thinking like a god," he snarled, and became quiet.

Rommie glanced at Dylan. "I'm afraid I have to agree on Harper on this one. The fleet is populated mostly by Nietzschean battle cruisers. Admittedly old, but still formidable. It's doubtful that we would make any significant damage against a number of that magnitude."

"So what do you suggest?" Dylan demanded.

"That we exit into slipstream, and think of a strategy plan. Or bring help," Rommie replied.

"And meantime, people down there are being slaughtered. People like Rev. Would you like to transmit our regrets to him or should I?" Dylan said softly.

Uncertain, Rommie looked as though she was about to reply, then decided against it and went back to her station.

Tyr was working busily at his station. "This is suicide," he muttered under his breath, but made sure no one else heard. "Launching sensor drones. Launching slipfighters."

"Aim for the nearest ship and fire. Let's get their attention," Dylan ordered.

"Missiles away!" Tyr snarled, his brown eyes keen with blood lust.

"Direct hit to their starboard thrusters," Rommie said as the missiles attacked the nearest ship. She watched the sensors for a moment. "They're attacking in waves. The first ships are firing."

The ship lurched violently to one side, far more then it should have as the stations exploded around them. "Report!" Dylan shouted.

Tyr consulted his station. "Somehow they're able to evade our drones...and our shields! They're tearing right into our hull!"

"Multiple hull breaches on all levels," Rommie said tonelessly. "We've lost sensors."

"We're going to be slaughtered," Harper said. "Dylan, we can't win this. We have to retreat!"

Dylan didn't answer. "Fire again! All thrusters, head towards the planet. Draw off their fire from that!"

The ship lurched again. Suddenly a small hull punctured through the bridge wall. Air began to instantly leave the bridge.

Dylan pointed. "Seal that breach!"

"Wait!" Harper shouted just as the ceiling exploded above them.

From her station Beka suddenly saw a lot of white.......

*********************************

(14 years ago)

(Two weeks later)

Things were rapidly getting worse for Beka since the day she had met that man. She had traveled to a dozen different worlds, until she had finally met a group of people interested in only hurting things as much as possible, like her. Together they raided shops, people, and killed those that stood in their way. They spent their money on booze and drugs, and sometimes food. Beka took everything except for flash. She would always kick it away if someone offered it to her, spilling the contents uselessly onto the ground. That would easily earn a free trip to the hospital.

She had lost a lot of weight, far more then she should have. Her dyed-red hair was gross and broke off in large clumps. She had mostly been able to hold her own against her 'friends', but twice she had been badly beaten. Once she had lost a tooth. The other time she had barely survived. Even then she crawled back to them from the hospital. They were all she had. Except for her ship.

Today they were raiding a warehouse on the docks. Beka traveled soundlessly with the rest on the ground level. Then, with a smile, she aimed at the first guard and fired.

What happened next astonished them. The entire warehouse exploded! Military personal poured out from the shadows, waiting for them. They fired deadly weapons at the gang. Beka swore and aimed for the nearest one.

When suddenly she was pulled backwards and shoved onto the street. Glaring, she whirled around, about to blow whoever had grabbed her to hell.

The man she had met two weeks ago at the bar smoothly kicked away her weapon. "You know, I'm just about through asking nicely," he said calmly, with a hint of impatience. Next to him was a woman and a small man.

Beka glared at him in disbelief. "You followed me."

"It wasn't hard! All I had to do was follow the 'criminal wanted' signs," he snapped, then glanced up at the burning warehouse, and the screams.

Beka followed his gaze. Suddenly it clicked. "You set them up. You called in the authorities," She stared at him angrily. "You bastard!"

"They weren't your real friends, and they would have destroyed you anyway," the man replied impatiently. He grabbed her and shoved her against the wall. Now it was Beka's turn to be astonished by his strength. "I followed you because, after seeing you in that bar, I thought you might be worth something. I saw strength. But if you continue down this path of self-loathing and slobbing for the nearest drug then I might have well been mistaken. And you accuse me of being scum." He shook her. "Look at yourself, Rebecca Valentine!"

"Let go of me!" Beka shouted..

"Is this what you want?" the man persisted. "To live this life!? Is that what your father wanted!?"

She suddenly punched him in the face, and he shoved her, not ungently, to the ground. "I'm through asking," he said sadly. "And frankly I've run out of time. So what's it going to be, Beka?"

Tears mixed with blood rolling down her face, Beka lifted her head, touching a piece of trash near her. For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The past few weeks seemed so much like a blur that it was easy not to remember.....to sink into nothingness. She glanced at the needle-marks on her arm and touched them. "I didn't ask for this," she murmured. She snapped her head at the blond-haired man. "If I went with you.....it's going to take a lot of work to get everything sorted out. Work I'm not sure I can live through....or want to." She glared at him. "How can I?" she demanded.

The man smiled a little. "It's easy. All you have to do is trust yourself. And me. And the aliens."

Beka followed his gaze to the alien mercenaries. "Trust doesn't come easily for me," she snapped.

The man smiled a little. "I know," he said, helping her stand. "But as long as you want to try, then I think we both have a chance. Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

Beka leaned her head into his shoulder and stared crying brokenly.

***************************

(Now)

Beka blinked as the emergency lights flickered on. She looked up. The ceiling had cracked but was mostly intact. Harper coughed and shook the dust off him as the bridge began to rapidly depressurize.

Furious that she had been distracted, Beka consulted her station. "We can't take much more of this!" she warned.

Harper swung from his station and ran up to the tiny hole in the wall, the rushing air blowing his blond hair everywhere. He took out a scanner from his tool belt and began scanning rapidly. "I'm going to check the residue from the blast!" he explained, shouting against the noise.

"What good would that do?" Rommie demanded.

"Maybe nothing!" he shouted back. "But if I can get the exact frequency of the damage from my scanner, I might be able to tell how exactly they're kicking the crap out of us!"

"We will lose all oxygen in fifty seconds!" the screen version of Andromeda warned.

"They're firing again!" Tyr warned.

"Harper-" Beka began.

"Almost got it!" Harper shouted as his scanner was rapidly beginning to blink. He glanced at the readings. "There!"

"Rommie, now!" Dylan ordered.

Rommie grabbed a piece of scrap metal and slammed it against the tiny hole, and began to weld it down with a welding torch.

The ship suddenly rocked violently as beams fell from the walls and ceiling. This time it was far too powerful. Everyone collapsed to the ground as the emergency lights flickered and went out.

Something hit the back of Beka's head, and all was blackness.......

************************************

(14 years ago)

(A few months later after a few weeks later after a day later...)

With a gasp Beka jerked from her small cot, sweat pouring down her forehead mixed with tears. She was wearing only a black tank top and skimpy black shorts that were slashed in a dozen places. All around her people were snoring, or coughing in the dim light of the tent. Her breath coming out in short little gasps, Beka searched frantically for her weapon and finally found it carelessly concealed in the dirt next to her. She touched it, and breathed a sigh of relief.

The man who rescued her, whose name was Terin, knelt gently down and gave her a bronze bowl of fresh water. "A nightmare again, Rebecca?"

Beka gratefully drank. "What do you expect? I have always had nightmares my entire life. Do you think withdrawal is going to make them any easier!?" She shoved her one blanket aside and stood, rubbing her arm where the healed needle marks were. "Gods, this is so hard." She opened the tent flat for a moment and looked out at the darkness. The gentle breeze blew through her red hair. "Why do I even try? Everyday I feel like I'm drowning, and every night all I feel is hot needles poking me all over my body."

Terin looked up, his blond hair covering his startling blue eyes. "Would you go back?" He asked gently.

Beka thought about it. To live again starving on the streets....having constant memory lapses and...being dependant. On drugs. To have need. That was the worst. She would probably end up with a knife in the gut before long, or...or like her father. Back then, there was no future for her. The prospect scared her a lot more then the nightmares....to go back to that life and....not care. Beka shook her head, rubbing her arm. "No," she said as she sat down next to Terin. "I guess I also haven't felt this good in ages. But...I'm scared, Terin. My hands can't stop shaking. There are so many things that I have to face again, and nothing is going to be pleasant about it."

"I know," Terin said, and gently clasped her hands. "But we'll face it together. I promise."

Beka suddenly noticed the warmth in his strong, muscular hands. She looked up. "You've done so much for me," she said. "You've given me solid food, a place to stay....people who don't stare at me in disgust." She gently stroked his hand. "I want to give something back."

Terin saw the longing in her blue eyes, and laughed slightly and released her hands. "Rebecca, I helped you because you needed help. And you're right-there's a lot you still have to face. Like trusting yourself again...and your body." He stood. "I would never take advantage of that. I'm sorry, but I'm not that kind of person."

Beka suddenly felt her face flush. "Everybody's that kind of person, Terin! Everyone always takes advantage of someone else! It's how this universe works!"

Terin glanced at her just before he left the tent. "Then maybe it's time for a change," he said.

**************************

(Now)

Beka's eyes flew opened as she found herself buried, once more, underneath tons of rubble. Moaning, she lifted her blond head and looked around. Everywhere was pitch black. How long had she been out? She saw a pool of blood by her head, which was probably not good. She slowly dug herself out. Rubble littered the bridge in large piles, and the first station, with slipstream, was cracked and broken.

The hologramatic version of Andromeda appeared, the resolution extremely bad. Looking up at her friend, Beka could only see blurred facial features. "I've lost over three quarters of my robots," Andromeda said, her voice crackling.

"And about half the ship," Harper said, touching the diagnostic station. "Aw, crap-I can't even find engineering anymore."

"Worry about your toys later, Harper," Beka snapped, but her voice was filled with worry. "Rommie, are you all right?"

The screen glanced at Beka. "Please repeat statement," she said tonelessly.

Beka sighed deeply. "I'll take that as a 'no'."

Tyr was already rummaging around for a supply kit. Overall, he was fine, except for a few bruises and scratches along his massive shoulders. "It's a miracle we haven't lost gravity and environmental systems," he snarled, tossing Harper and Beka a flashlight. Beka lit it, and the entire bridge filled with an eerie green from the beam.

"Maybe we have," Beka said, shivering. It was definitely getting a lot colder now. She crawled over to Dylan's side, who was also deeply buried. He had a large gash on his forehead. She gently moved a lock of blond hair from his eyes. "Dylan, are you all right?"

Dylan glanced around. "Did we win?" he asked, dazed.

Harper gave him a look of disgust and kicked away a pile of rubble. He bent down and retrieved his scanner. "I'm guessing no. And I'm also guessing that it'll only be a few minutes before they finish us off!"

Tyr glanced around. "We deserve it," he said softly.

Dylan stood, groaning, with Beka's help. "What do the scans say?" Beka demanded.

"For what they're worth?" Harper asked, then sighed and checked it. "It says what I suspected all along-that somehow they were able to tune into our reactor carrier signal and send it back to us in a huge power wave. It would be undetectable to sensors, and be pretty darn devastating to us."

"Any suggestions, Mr. Harper?" Dylan demanded.

Harper paused to think about it. "We power down everything. ALL power. Whatever's left. Without something to lock their weapons onto they'll be blind and can't do a damn thing."

Tyr leaned forwards. "Without environmental power we'll freeze and suffocate to death. Without navigational power we'll be pulled into the atmosphere of the planet and be ripped apart! What he's suggesting is suicide!"

"So we...we land on the planet. I don't know! I'm the one that gives the assessments. You think of the brilliant plan," Harper retorted, and without waiting for a reply he went back to his station, shaking his blond head angrily.

Dylan's eyes widened with surprise for a moment, then he turned to Beka. "Beka, take the navigation station."

"I thought these ships weren't built to land," Beka protested as she gripped the navigational handles.

"They aren't," Dylan answered frankly.

Slowly, the Andromeda lurched towards the turquoise planet, its silver glinting from the twin suns.

"I've never done this before," Beka muttered nervously to herself. "It's going to take some real fancy flying to make sure that we get down there in one piece."

"Or several," Tyr snarled. "Either of which would be a miracle if we don't burn up in the atmosphere."

Dylan didn't reply. "Diverting all power to hull integrity. Beka, take us down."

Beka gulped, and piloted the ship downwards into the planet. "This is going to be rough," she said as she flew the ship downwards through the atmosphere, the clouds, and finally towards some mountains. "Hang on!" They sped faster, leaving the Nietzschean army behind in space.

*******************

It had been two days since the crash. The Andromeda rested half-buried in the mountains of Riana 6. What was left of the Andromeda. Harper entered the bridge, holding a datapad. "Well, we're miraculously managed to save the day once again," he said sarcastically.

Dylan ignored that. "How soon can we repair the ship?"

"Days, but that isn't the real problem. I've isolated the power signature the ships managed to lock onto. It's definitely the reactor core, which is pretty much responsible for everything on this ship. If we have any chance of surviving round two with that attack fleet, I seriously recommend changing the whole reactor core with some other form of energy, at least temporarily."

Rommie blinked, her mind sluggish from the power drain. They had risked restoring the AI system to minimum power, but it was difficult to keep her on-line. "Reactor cores are nearly impossible to come by, and I can't think of any power source powerful enough to run me for a few seconds, never mind a few hours! What sort of supply did you have in mind?"

Harper shrugged. "Radioactive, thermal, hydro. You figure it out."

"We'll find what we need on the planet. Rommie, Tyr, gear up. Once we have what we'll need, and made repairs, we'll go back into space," Dylan said.

"Excuse me?" Harper said. "You're going after that unstoppable ticked-off army again?

"That's exactly what I intend to do," Dylan said.

"What, ramming the ship into the planet the first time wasn't good enough for you!?" Harper snapped, glaring at Dylan in absolute fury. "Step off your throne for a moment, if you wouldn't mind, before you get us all killed!" He folded his arms. "Let's review what happened the first time we went up against them. We fought, we burned, we crashed. If we go up against them a second time, you'll kill us!"

"That's enough, Harper," Beka said softly.

"No, it isn't!" Harper glared at Dylan until they were almost eye-to-eye. "Just how thick is your skull, Dylan, or did you not clue in when they kicked our asses the first time!? We haven't obliterated enough decks of your precious ship for you to be satisfied? When are you for once going to accept the fact that no matter what we try we....can't...win...this?" he finished slowly.

Slowly, very slowly, Dylan looked down at the young engineer. "I always win," he said so flatly that even Beka shivered at the coldness in his voice. "You're dismissed."

For a moment, Harper looked uncertain, then his blue eyes grew firm. Shaking his head, he left..

Sighing heavily, Beka went to Tyr's station after he beckoned her over. "Something's been disturbing me," Tyr said. "I've calculated the trajectory of our decent again and again, and it seems obvious that the other ships had plenty of time to shoot us down long before we reached the surface."

"What does that mean?" Beka asked.

"It means....that they deliberately wanted us to be here," Tyr said.

Beka sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Great. We have a broken ship, low moral and an enemy who wants to play games with us." She turned to go.

"Where are you going?" Tyr asked.

Beka smiled slightly. "I'm going to my quarters, or rather, what's left of my quarters and try to grab a shower. Then I'm going to think up a few games of my own."

********************************

An hour later, Beka emerged from the shower, drying her hair with a clean white towel. She was dressed in a white robe and sighed in relaxation.

Rommie suddenly appeared in hologramatic form. "Beka, you have a message waiting for you."

"A message?" Beka frowned, leaning closer. "Here? In the middle of this planet?"

"It could be a malfunction," Rommie admitted uncertainly.

Beka's eyes suddenly widened. "Or it could be a message from Rev! Patch it here." She went to her monitor.

The screen blinked to life. Beka glanced at the monitor, then slowly sat down.

On it was a single message. "TONIGHT."

Beka slowly turned off the monitor.

*******************************

The android version of Andromeda walked through the deadish corridors of the Andromeda Ascendant. Over half the ship was smashed, in pieces. Engineering was impossible to get through, as were most of the machine shops and crew quarters. Never in her life had Andromeda felt so weak....so tired. There was no light to lead her way, but she saw just as well with night vision. For a moment, she stopped and looked around at the devastation.

"No," Rommie whispered, her voice sad and lost. "Nothing is going to fix this....fix me."

She sighed for a long, terrible moment and resumed her search for Harper. They had no need for environmental or gravitational controls, for the planet provided that easily enough. They had used that combined power to get both the Andromeda AI and the avatar back on line, but their power lines and wires were fragile at best. She honestly didn't know if Harper could do anything for her. At the moment, Tyr and Dylan were searching for new power sources and repair parts. Until then, she had to be strong. She was a warship, and she will be till her last breath. And right now, she was fighting a war on many fronts.

With her hands she opened the wedged doors into engineering. The room was mostly buried in rubble, and the entire room was dark save only for a few sparking, loose cables. She tilted her head upwards. "Harper?" she whispered.

"Hm?" Came a reply, and Harper suddenly jumped down from the lower levels, a flashlight in his mouth. He had info-red goggles on. "What is it?" he asked, taking his gloves off.

Rommie looked around, trying not to look so terrified. "How does....how does it look?"

"Bad," Harper replied. He sighed. "My main priority is to somehow get into the information universe and see what's worse inside. But....there's a lot of broken wires. It's going to take a lot of time." He shook his head.

"You don't agree with Dylan's decision, do you?" Rommie asked him.

"Does it matter?" Harper asked sharply, and climbed up the half-broken ladder to the upper levels.

"Yes," Rommie said, her voice becoming firm. "He's our Captain. We owe him our loyalty, or at least our respect. You've shown neither ever since returning from Sinti."

Harper clicked the flashlight back onto life. "Look, Rommie, not that I don't appreciate you coming down here, but I think we've got a few more problems then my own right now." He looked around and sighed heavily. "This place is always falling apart. I just never thought it could become this bad."

Something in his voice made her instantly catch on. "You're worried about me," she said softly. "That's what this is all about, isn't it?"

Harper stared at her, his blue eyes suddenly tired. He hadn't had a lot of sleep in the past few days. "I'm worried about all of us, Rommie." He shook his head abruptly. "I don't expect you to understand."

Rommie folded her arms. "Try me," she demanded.

Harper stared at her for a long moment, then finally jumped down again and sat next to her on a broken piece of rubble. "I dunno.....it's kind of hard to explain, but....ever since returning to Sinti I've got a really bad feeling all the time."

Rommie tilted her head. "A bad feeling?"

Harper laughed a little. "Forgive me for sounding like Trance of all people....but, I'm not sure. Just something about this mission. I feel like...." He hesitated. "Like everything we've worked for, everything we've suffered....it will all be decided in the next few days. And I don't think all of us are going to make it through this one. I feel like our lives about to change, separate." He bit his lip. "You might think I'm crazy, and I sort of do-but I had the exact same feeling when Trance get replaced from the future...when I lost my best friend. When I lost Rev."

Rommie struggled to think. "Human insight is often.....accurate. But that still doesn't explain why you wanted to leave."

"Like I said, I'm tired, Rommie. I'm tired of dodging blasts and death and....I'm tired of losing people," he added softly. He sighed and looked away. "Now I might lose you too." Harper glanced at her. "You're dying, Rommie. Your systems are failing, Rommie, and even if by some miracle we can find an adequate power supply, and even if I can install it, I'm not sure if I can repair you in time."

Rommie tilted her head. "You've repaired me thousands of times before. Once I remembered you spent eighteen hours straight fixing me." She thought about it. "I once had an engineering crew of a thousand. I sometimes forget how hard it is. And maybe I'm not the person who shows you enough respect at times." She glanced at him. "Look, when we get through this, I am personally going to take you anywhere you want to go. Free of charge."

Harper glanced at her. "You said 'when'. Not 'if'."

Rommie smiled. "Failure is never a possibility for me, Harper."

His face lit up slightly. "Anywhere? With you?"

"I'm going to regret that, aren't I?" Rommie asked. "Oh, all right. I'll come to."

After a long moment Harper finally smiled and took the torch. "You're right. I suppose I've just been working for too long. It wouldn't hurt to grab a vacation with some surf, woman, and-"

"Okay, stop right there!" Rommie protested, but she was smiling as well in relief. She looked up at the sound of boots echoing against metal. "Oh, here's Beka. You can tell her."

Harper stood as Beka entered. "Beka-"

Beka whirled at his voice. "Look, save your little snide remarks, you little rat, okay? I'm REALLY don't need any of your whining." She advanced on him. "If you want to leave the ship, fine. You know what? I don't even think I care any more! You've been more of a burden then helpful! I should have left you to rot on that trash dump years ago!" She turned and stormed off, but not before hitting the wall with her fist. "GOD DAMMIT!"

Rommie instantly turned to Harper just as she was starting to see the same angry, lost look recover in his eyes. "Harper, she didn't mean that. She didn't mean-"

"Yeah. Whatever, right?" Harper said softly. He left engineering. "Thanks, Romdoll. I'll...I'll see you."

"Where are you going?" Rommie demanded, but it was too late. Harper was gone.

************************

An hour later, Harper walked down the raining street alone, by himself. He had no idea where he was going, or what he was doing. All he could think about was Beka, and how he had to get away from her.

He looked around. In many respects, the town was nearly identical to Earth, though it was a bit younger in development. It had streets, cars, and...bars...Harper looked up at the bright pink neon sign reflecting in the puddle. Without hesitation he entered the bar, his gun snug in his jacket.

It was crowded when he entered. He looked around, and ordered a long, tall glass of beer. It had been ages since he had any alcohol of any sort. He chugged it down instantly, and sighed.

"Another drink, friend?" a hoarse voice asked next to him.

Harper waved his hands irritably. "Hey look, I've got no more change, all right? I've barely got any money for myself."

The man turned around. "I meant, do you want another drink? A man with your eyes certainly deserves one."

Harper tilted his head towards the man slightly, his eyebrow raised.

"You have the eyes of a man who's drowning, and has no idea whether or not to swim to shore or plunge in even deeper in your own suffering. Well, let me tell you something, she's not worth it." The voice belonged to a small man concealed entirely in a dark blue cloak.

Harper instantly knew that the man was crazy, perhaps even dangerously. That did not stop him from taking the drink, however. "Leave me alone," he said quietly, and took the drink to an empty table. He sipped the beer.

After a moment, the man joined him.

Harper lookedup and put his gun casually on the table. "Look, I really don't want to have to use force, okay?"

"So don't," the man replied. "Clearly, I am not your enemy. Just a concerned citizen."

Harper snorted. Of course. "You're a damn Wayist, aren't you? Well, let me tell you something, one of my best friends was a Wayist. He left." The thought drove him deeper into depression as he thought about Rev's departure. The Andromeda had just taken too much out of Rev, and all his gentle friend did was try to comfort people in pain. No ambition whatsoever, and the Andromeda had thanklessly piled in horror after horror until Rev's soul was literally ripped apart. When he jolted back to reality Harper saw that had drunken almost all the beer, his hand trembling. He slammed the beer back on the table, the glass cracking in his hands.

The man had sat back and was smoking a pipe, watching Harper's silent struggle with great interest. "I know exactly how you feel," he said, leaning forwards.

Harper stood, a little shaken. He glared at the man. "No. You have no idea how I feel. So don't even begin to try." He turned, fully about to leave.

The next words from the man came in but a whisper. "Beka."

Harper legs were like stone. His face paled, but he kept his tone carefully neutral. "I have no idea who...who you're talking about."

The man shrugged. "If you'd like." And resumed smoking.

Harper tried to leave. He really, really, tried. But he couldn't. With a sick feeling he went back to the table. "What do you know about her?" he demanded, his hands pressing down on the wood.

"Enough to know that that name only leads to pain," the man said flatly.

***********************************

Beka slammed her guns down on the bed, then went for her closet and grabbed five assault rifles. She then counted the grenades in her pack. Souvenirs from the Maru days. The ones Dylan didn't know about.

Tonight, Beka thought in despair. Tonight! Beka paused, and looked away. "I have to do this alone," Beka whispered.

A sudden noise behind her made her instantly turn, one of her gun instantly in her hands.

Rev Bem stood in front of her, and bowed his head. "I trust I am not disturbing you," he said, his eyes shining brightly in the soft light.

Beka dropped her pack of assault weapons. Forgetting everything that was going on in her life, the bad and the worse, she rushed up to the Wayist Magog and hugged him tightly. "Rev...oh my god....what are you doing here?"

Rev hugged her just as tightly. "Beka. We parted for far too long last time."

Beka released him and stared at him in concern for a moment. His familiar orange Wayist outfit was torn and stained with blood, and he looked a bit thinner then the last time she had seen him. "I honestly thought....I was afraid that you were dead!"

Rev smiled. "The monastery...survived. They had ceased firing as soon as you went down. I have searched for you for two days since the night of burning rain. I feared the worst."

Beka sat down on her bed and sighed. "Then it's what I feared. This was a deliberate attack to bring us here! Rev....I'm afraid that all this suffering was because of m-us," she stuttered.

Rev was silently for a moment. "Many people have died," he said softly. "Others are injured and have fled to the major cities. If what you say is true, then I...I have inadvertently played a large part in you being here."

Beka heard the overwhelming guilt and grief in his voice. She shook her head. "No, Rev. Ter...whoever brought these Nietzschean ships here are responsible for this terrible slaughter. Not you." She was silent for a long moment. "I take it that you're still searching for those answers?"

"Yes," Rev said. "And, after this crises, I will continue on my journey to do so."

Beka's heart sank.

Rev smiled at her. "But for now, I am here, to render what aid I can to my old friends. I have heard your stories for many months on my travels." Rev's eyes briefly looked at the artillery on Beka's bed. "Now I fear we may have come to our hardest peril."

Beka followed his gaze, and her blue eyes widened. With one, sweeping motion she grabbed a blanket and threw it over the weapons.

Rev caught her guilty glance. "Beka?" he inquired gently.

"I just...I just know that you don't like seeing that...." she stammered.

"Beka, I have known you for two long. I see a great strain in your eyes, a terrible darkness." He gently clasped her shoulders. "What is it? What were you planning to do?"

Beka burst into tears. "Rev, I'm in so much trouble!"

********************************

Harper glared at the man. "Who the hell are you!?" he demanded.

"Terin," the man at the table replied.

Harper snorted. "Never heard of you. But any score you have to settle against Beka you settle with me," he said, fingering his gun.

"Noble," the man remarked, pitching his smoke. "I used to like that in a person. There are few like that in the galaxy. Now it pisses me off."

Harper was about to reply, when a sound interrupted him. He turned his head just as a young mother entered with a girl. The child was screaming in agony, having numerous burns on her arms and legs. Her head was bandaged. The mother was tired and looked heartbroken.

"Well, look at them," the man said softly. "Look who caused that."

Harper made a move to help them.

"Stop," the man said flatly.

The sheer command of that voice made Harper freeze in his tracks. Very few people could do that to him. He turned around. "Who are you!?" he demanded again.

The man took a long sip from the beer. "I'm the one who bombed them," he said frankly.

Harper raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh." He turned his head slightly. He suddenly whirled around, the gun instantly from the table into his hands.

When suddenly the BIGGEST Nietzschean suddenly grabbed his arm, pointing it in another direction. It fired harmlessly into the roof. The bar was so busy and shabby that no one even noticed. Harper whirled around, punched the Nietzschean in the nose, and kicked hard in the Neitzschean's bent leg, making it break. Howling, the Nietzschean fell to the floor.

Harper twisted without thinking just as the second Nietzschean appeared in view. Harper had been in dozens of bar fights-and had learned how to win most of them. Harper grabbed a fork and threw it at the Neitzschean's head, then kicked a chair towards him, making him stumble just as a third Nietzschean managed to get his hands on Harper. Harper kicked the Nietzschean hard in the foot, punched him in the lungs, then ducked as the first Nietzschean reached over to grab him. Quickly he threw a spoon which he wrongfully assumed was a knife. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he grabbed a metal pitcher, banged it hard against the second Neitzschean's head, then flipped backwards onto a table with a grunt of effort. He reached for his second gun.

When suddenly another gun was pressed against Harper's temple, making him stop dead in his tracks. "You see?" Terin said sadly. "No one can stop me. Not you. Not Beka. Not even myself." He lifted his cloaked head.

It was then that Harper saw what was underneath his hood. Starring back at him was a face, or at least, looked like what used to be a face. His hair was completely missing, and his face was badly burnt and disfigured in many chunks. One blue eye stared back at him, the other milky white. Harper gagged and was completely unprepared as the three mad Nietzscheans grabbed him.

Terin raised a hand, also badly burnt and missing a few fingers. "Let him go. For I think Mr. Harper and I have suddenly reached an understanding."

Harper slowly straightened and jumped off the table. "Beka did this?" he asked tightly.

Terin slowly nodded.

Harper struggled for words, for explanations, for something. "Then....you probably deserved it."

"Did I?" Terin asked him. "Once, a long time ago, I was no different from you. Were you in my position at the time, I think you might have a few words to say to her."

Harper lowered his head, overwhelmed by the sorrow and bitterness in Terin's voice, then angrily lifted it. "So you want me to be a part of the 'Beka Valentine Killing Club?' No thanks. Frankly, I don't even believe a word you're saying."

He turned around, fully intending to leave. But the man was more quick then he had ever taken him for, and caught up with Harper and laid a strong hand on Harper's shoulder. "I know you're confused. I know you have doubts," the man said softly. "Ask Beka what happened at Starlight Reed. Then all-"

Harper jerked away from the man's grip angrily.

"-will be revealed," the man continued, smiling, then melted back into the shadows.

Harper was suddenly alone, starring in astonishment at the busy customers.

****************************

Rev and Beka sat beside each other in the observation deck. "So you say...that this man, this Terin, was a good man at first?"

Beka sighed, her eyes puffy and red. "Yeah. The 'Dylan Hunt' of our time fourteen years ago. He also wanted to change things and make it right."

Rev was silent.

"I don't expect forgiveness," Beka said sharply. "I don't ask for it."

"Be that as it may, he has returned, to hurt you and those that you love," Rev said. "We have to stop him before he can do any more harm, either to others or to himself."

The hologramatic version of Andromeda suddenly appeared. "Partial sensors restored. Beka, someone has left the ship-"

"I know," Beka said in irritation. "Harper's gone somewhere, and Dylan and Tyr are out looking for a part. Get with the program."

"Not them. Trance is gone, Beka. I can't detect her anywhere," Rommie said, utterly mystified.

*****************************

Beka searched everywhere for Trance. She searched up and down the various streets, but she couldn't find her anywhere. Cursing now, she tried the docks.

It was misty, and a strong wind blew through her. Beka looked around, and suddenly saw Harper at the edge of the dock. Looking at her. Saying nothing.

"Harper," Beka said, startled for a moment. Then she recovered herself. "Have you seen Trance?"

Harper shook his head, looking at her in an odd way. "No."

Beka abruptly shoved past him.

"Ah....Beka, we have to talk," Harper said softly.

"Not now," she said coldly.

"Terin."

That name made her stop. She whirled around, the sea breeze parting her blond hair.

Harper lifted an eyebrow. "Ring any bells?" His voice was only a whisper now. "Stir any fires?"

Beka's face grew instantly cold. "I don't have time for this," she snarled.

"What really happened at Starlight Reed?" Harper demanded just as she left.

Beka's face was as hard as stone. "That's really none of your damned business, now is it, Harper?" she asked mildly, turning around.

Harper stepped forwards. "Funny, boss. We've never kept secrets from each other. We used to have trust! What are you hiding?" His voice was accusing her now. "Rebecca, what did you do!?"

Beka said nothing, the cold wind parting her hair slightly.

"Answer me!" Harper shouted, his voice breaking. "I deserve that much, at least-"

"Deserve?" Beka said, snickering. "That's a laugh coming from you, Harper! After two years of your filth littering the floor of my ships, after all the times when I've had to drag you out on your ass from a bar whenever the world gets you down!? All the bar tabs, all the people looking to pound you because you couldn't control your temper or your drink. And the rare, rare times you don't screw up you spend MY earnings on half-starved prostitutes who would do anything for a credit chip or two, which only goes to show how pathetic you really are with woman!" She paused for breath. "So what makes you think you deserve anything, Harper?"

"At least I stood by you, even though now I can think of a thousand reasons why I shouldn't have," Harper said, his voice barely a whisper now.

"It's a little late to get some self-respect now," Beka said, just as softly. "Because I certainly have none left for you." Beka turned her head away. At that moment, she knew that she had made a horrible mistake. She turned around, remorse breaking her heart in two. "H-"

There was no one there on the docks, only the empty wind.

*****************************

"This is a waste of time!" Tyr snarled. It was early afternoon. He and Dylan had been waiting for at least two hours.

"He'll be here," Dylan replied confidently.

"And then what?" Tyr demanded. "We fix the Andromeda, we go up against those Nietzschean ships, and we die, pardon me for agreeing with that miserable excuse for a man. I at least had the decency to ask you in private."

"Where there are no witnesses," Dylan said with a small smile, knowing Tyr only too well. "Don't worry, I have a plan."

Tyr snorted and rolled his eyes. "Of course. And that makes me feel so much better."

When suddenly a bent, old man wearing a cloak hobbled into view. "Gentleman," came a high-pitched, whiny voice. "How good of you to wait for me."

"Spare me," Tyr snarled. "Do you have the parts?"

"A uranium-ten reactor core. Quite a beauty, that one. It will be hard to part with it," he sighed. "But I suppose every now and then you have to give up what your treasure...for something better, of course."

Dylan sighed. "We can provide an ample fee. Just tell us where and when."

"Tonight. The old warehouse on the corner of Mapes and Tonnar. It will be ready then."

"Good. We'll be there," Dylan said, and beckoned Tyr for them to leave, leaving the old man alone.

Slowly, Terin removed his blue hood and smiled. "Bring a friend," he whispered.

*************************

It was going to happen soon.

Trance Gemini felt the first icy talons of the future grip her heart and she swallowed tightly. She was running out of time. She suddenly heard voices and quickly ducked into an ally, a cloak hiding her leather outfit, boots, daggers, red hair and horns. Not many people had ever seen her species, and now was not the time for questions. She wasn't sure what was going to happen in the next few hours, but unless some miracle was going to happen...she knew that it could only end badly. For all of them. Very badly.

And to add to everything else, Trance noticed, sniffing the air, she was fairly certain it was going to rain.

Her leather boot suddenly slapped against metal grating. Trance looked down, slowly. No sewer. An underground passage. She slowly reached out with her senses, then suddenly slammed her heel against it, breaking through it. She dived down and somersaulted in the air, landing smoothly on her feet.

Five guns were instantly pressed against her pale throat. She glanced around in astonishment, her red hair disheveled around her open hood. Her horns glinted in the soft light. Five people stared coldly back at her. And another man. As Trance stared at the burnt stranger, her blue eyes gave way to astonishment.

"I know you...." she whispered, then her face paled in astonishment.

"And I know who you are, and what you are," Terin said smoothly. "More so now then I ever did."

Trance stared at him, pity and sorrow overwhelming her. "You don't have to do this," she said. "There are other choices, other ways then this. You're only causing pain for everyone."

"I must," Terin said gently. For a moment, a touch of genuine emotion lit his scarred eyes. He lifted his hand to her cheek. "For your sake, please, don't interfere. I don't want to rid the universe of one of the most beautiful things to ever grace it."

Trance smiled a little, faintly but with genuine feeling. She touched his burned hand. "I don't want to lose you again. But you know that I would always choose my friends first. The ones that I have now."

I know," Terin replied. He withdrew his hand. "It will all start in an hour." His smile grew, and he nodded. "Good luck."

Trance smiled back, though tears lit her blue eyes. "And to you, T...Terin." She suddenly jumped upwards and lifted herself out of the small hole, and onto the street.

*************************

Standing outside, Beka briefly checked her arsenal. She wore light armor under her leather jacket, two throwing knives, her familiar gun, a bag of assault rifles and plastic explosives, and another gun specialized by Harper a year ago for emergencies. It was a prototype, with specialized nanobots in them that slowly works to kill the victim from the inside. Very slowly. There was no cure. It had been tested, once, successfully.

Harper.

For a moment, Beka's blue gaze softened, and she touched the gun for a moment. Then, her gaze hardened and she stuffed it securely in her jacket. She turned to Tyr. "Are you ready to go?"

Tyr stared at her and nodded calmly. "Ready."

***********************

Dylan and Rommie calmly entered the warehouse where the man said the new reactor core would be stored. Rommie glanced around in puzzlement. She had on her blue velvet shirt, and black pants. Dylan was wearing his Commonwealth armor. "Dylan....I'm detecting no elevated levels of radiation. The reactor core is not here," Rommie said.

"It never was," Terin said. They could hear his voice but not see him.

Dylan looked for the small man in annoyance. "What is this?" he demanded.

"I am very sorry to have to do this, Captain, for I have the greatest respect for you and your Commonwealth. Perhaps it would have been a mission I would have taken if events hadn't...ah, hadn't changed my views. But I'm very sorry to say that you both have to die." There was a pause. "Now."

They heard the unmistakable sounds of guns beings charged from all around them.

*********************

The wall exploded with fire and Beka and Tyr emerged from the ashes, their weapons raised instantly. Beka looked around slightly, and saw with astonishment that the entire building was completely empty. Abandoned. "Where are they?" Beka demanded. These were the coordinates Terin had given her. Unless.....her heart suddenly froze. Dylan said something....something about meeting a contact..... Beka backed away, horror paralyzing her steps. "I have to...I have to..." she whispered numbly.

"Beka?" Tyr inquired, his eyebrow raised.

Beka turned and bolted back outside. "Tyr!" She managed to snarl as she ran past him. Tyr instantly fell in step behind her, knowing better then to ask questions.

**************************

Rommie slowly stood in front of Dylan protectively as her night vision detected at least fifteen mercenaries, poised on two levels. "Leave, Dylan. I'll handle this."

Dylan glanced up at the fifteen mercenaries. Armed with guns. "Rommie-"

She barely glanced at him. "Go!" she ordered.

With a uncertain nod Dylan ran off to the exit.

In one, smooth motion Rommie ran forwards, jumped onto the crate, and flipped easily onto the upper level as the first bullets tore through her chest. Her beautiful face expressionless, she snapped the man's neck, grabbed his gun, and smashed it into a second woman's skull. She twisted, never stopping, aiming her weapon at the third. Blue liquid was spilling out of her body, and she felt dizzy. She ignored it and fired. The small man went down in a blaze of sparks. She managed to kill another before the gun was spent.

Rommie suddenly noticed a man in the first level chasing after Dylan. She instantly jumped over the railing, landing solidly on the first level, and struck her fist at the man's throat. He fell, but Rommie punched him again in the throat again just to be sure. She smiled thinly. Five down, ten to-

She suddenly heard a small whine. Rommie tucked and rolled as a grenade exploded next to her, half-blinding her vision. She choked and stumbled onto her feet as they fired as one. More bullets pierced through her shoulder, through her spine. One tore away her cheek, revealing a silver exterior. They were causing some damage now, but nothing serious.

She looked up, still half-blind, and leaped forwards to another blur on the first level. She slammed her elbow into the woman's chest and threw her off the first level. With a grunt of effort she jumped again and grabbed the bottom rail of the second level. She lifted herself onto the second level. There was no expression on her face, only a job that needed to be done. Hearing a noise, she suddenly turned her head-

Terin jabbed her lightly with a force lance staff. At maximum setting. Rommie froze as thousands of currents of electricity went through her body, through her entire being. Circuits in her system obliterated inside her in a shower of sparks, one after another. She gasped and fell to her knees, never knowing such pain could exist. She tried to reach her main AI, to call for help, to beg, to say something, but she could not reach her. Her main AI had abandoned her. She reached for her gun but Terin kicked her arm, almost breaking it entirely from her body. He aimed to fire a second time, a blast that would surely kill her.

With a chocked sob Andromeda stumbled off the railing of the second level, smacking to the concrete below. She managed to get up....just barely, and ran out of the building.

***************************

Beka ran past the dark streets, past the homeless people, the wind blowing her tears away and the rain drenching her clothes. She jumped over a trash can without even really looking at it. Her black boots echoed against the pavement as she sprinted so fast that even Tyr seemed to have trouble catching up with her.

*************************

Rommie reached the outside world before her systems gave out. She managed to crawl out onto the dark, raining streets with a broken arm, loose wires sparking in the wet, dirty water. Tears fell down her blinded eyes. She had tried....she had really tried to stop him. Her one good eye went back to the warehouse and she smiled a little, even as her CPU and back-up systems slowly, irretrievably died and her head rested against the pavement for a final time.

Dylan. Her Captain, her love.

Dylan would get away.

*****************************

Dylan ran through the maze of crates before finally reaching an exit door. Quickly he reached for the handle. The door handle twisted but would not give. It was locked! "Now that is just great," he snarled. He began to desperately kick at the metal door, but wasn't having much luck.

When it suddenly unlocked and Beka bumped squarely into him. "Dylan-? What are-" Beka whispered.

Dylan suddenly turned. "Beka, look out!" he shouted, pushing her away in time. There was a sharp, bright flash, and Dylan jerked forwards into Beka's arms. He closed his eyes. "Argh!" he screamed just as he fell. He stared at her eyes with dying life. "Beka...."

Beka looked down at the blood on her hands. Dylan had been shot straight through the chest! She looked up, and saw Terin with the force lance. He looked shocked.

All Beka saw was red in her vision. With a strangled snarl she ran up the metal steps to the second level, Tyr following her close behind. Beka shoved someone out of the way, not really noticing anything else except for Terin. Beside her Tyr aimed his massive gun and began shooting at the rest of the mercenaries.

Beka kicked someone close by off the level, and raced towards Terin until she and he were finally eye-to-eye. With a choked sob she reached for her gun.

Suddenly, something shoved her anyway, making her good gun fall from the metal grating. "Beka, no!" Harper shouted, his gun raised. "You don't want to do this! It's-"

"Get out of my way, Harper!" Beka yelled at him, standing. She was weaponless.

"I will shoot you, Beka!" Harper retorted angrily. "You can't kill him! He told me-"

Terin smiled slightly, and stared to walk off.

"NO!" Beka screamed, and tried to run after him.

Harper moved to stop her, his gun raised as they both collided into each other.

The sound of a gun exploded. Beka's blue eyes widened in shock. Slowly, very slowly, she looked down.

Her own gun was pressed against Harper's stomach. With her hands she had grabbed the prototype weapon and fired it at him. She had shot him.

Harper looked down at the trail of blood running down his shirt. He looked up, pain and shock in his blue eyes. "You bitch," he managed to whisper through bloodied lips.

Beka stared at him in shock, knowing what she had shot into him. A killer virus. She had murdered Harper.

Harper choked. "It was a hell of a wild ride while it lasted, boss. Strange though." Then tears formed at his blue eyes, but not of pain. "I thought you were my friend." Then he fell from the second level onto the concrete.

Beka bent down, tears rolling down her eyes. She jumped off the railing to his side. She shook him, but he didn't move at all, his body growing instantly cold from the nanobots.

She heard a sudden voice behind her. Trance. How did she get there? "Beka. Dylan's been hit," Trance said softly.

Beka stifled a sob. She looked away..

Trance glanced up. "Beka, he's going to die!" She snapped angrily.

Beka slowly looked at the still form of Harper, then she nodded to herself and ran over to Dylan's side. He had been shot point blank in the chest, and his breath came out in short little gasps. Trance was using a scanner on him. "I'm reading life signs.....but not for much longer."

Beka took one last glance at Harper, then her blue eyes became firm. "Let's get him back to the Maru. We need to get him to the Andromeda!" Slowly Beka and Trance lifted Dylan.

"What about Harper?" Trance asked as they stumbled out of the warehouse and into the fresh air.

Beka's face was deathly pale. "He made his choice...and he's beyond our help. Dylan's all that matters now."

*****************************

Beka and Trance stumbled out into the rain, the still body of Dylan between the two of them. Trance tripped over something. She glanced down, and saw that it was Rommie's head. "Rommie!" She sobbed.

"Let's go, Trance!" Beka snapped. She saw the anguished look on her friend's face and she sighed. "There's nothing we can do for her."

"I'll take her," Tyr suddenly said from behind them. Tyr slowly lifted the lifeless robot and collected her in his arms.

"Is the Maru far away?" Beka demanded.

"No," Tyr answered. His brown eyes were very dark. "This way."

His steps leading in a run, Tyr quickly led the way, his hard boots slapping against the puddles.

***********************************

The Maru flew shrieking against the bitter storm. Tyr was piloting at the helm, Dylan in a stretcher as Trance grabbed a medical kit. When suddenly the monitor above them became a flatline, and Dylan suddenly became still.

"No readings," Trance said, working at her station.

Beka scrambled to his side and began pumping his chest, frantically trying to revive his heart. "Come on, Dylan."

"Ship, we have an emergency -" Tyr said.

"Come on, Dylan!" Beka hissed, pumping his chest harder. Warm blood soaked through her trembling, pale hands.

"-repeat, we have an emergency situation-"

"Come on!" Beka shouted, bursting into tears. She pumped harder, faster.

"-we need to dock as soon as possible!"

Beka put her hand to her mouth, tears running down her blue eyes.

Onward to Part 2!
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