TITLE: Survival
AUTHOR: Appreciate
STATUS: WIP
RATING: Well, might end up R-for violence and maybe other things, but I'm being conservative and don't really grok this whole ratings thing appropriately, I suspect.
PAIRING: Beka/Tyr, eventually (I just can't resist)
SUMMARY: Geez, that would require that I actually know where this story is GOING from the start, but... Beka, Dylan and Tyr are abducted by a fairly unfriendly group. Dylan eventually makes it back to the Andromeda, but Tyr and Beka....
SPOILERS: mild ones for season 2
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Andromeda nor any of its characters mentioned in this story. Not for profit fan fiction - please don't sue.

Without any further ado...

Part 1

Dylan's vision was blurry, eyes swollen and gritty as he blinked several times to try to clear his sight. For a time, he hung blank-minded, vaguely conscious of the pain in his shoulders, wrists and ankles but not enough aware to wonder about its source.

Soon enough, though, the pain broke through his fog, its talons raking through his consciousness, dragging him to a reluctant awareness. A groan gritted its way out of his hoarse throat as the full mark of his agony made itself known to him.

More urgently, Dylan strained his blurry eyes, trying to make sense of the sensations around him. Gradually, he realized that he was more or less upright, held relentlessly by bindings. Groaning again despite himself, he staggered in place, working to get his feet under him and relieve the tortuous pressure caused by his hanging from bindings at his wrists and ankles. Bumping his head painfully against the wall at his back, Dylan Hunt, High Guard Captain and the last of the Argosy, finally gained his feet to look about him with an incredulous, pain-filled gaze. He was chained against rough walls underground, and he was entirely alone.

# # #
Tyr's return to consciousness was even less pleasant. They had beaten him savagely before chaining him up, and the swimming of his head was so severe that getting his weight on his feet took considerably longer. As one of his legs was broken, success at this effort did not turn out to be an ultimate victory; as soon as he tried to stand his limb collapsed, throwing him against the chains again. He felt the resulting anguish for only a moment; then darkness mercifully took him again.

# # #
But it was Beka's plight that was the most perilous, and the most potentially disastrous. She'd been restrained but basically unharmed, watching horrified as they had beaten Dylan96 and mauled Tyr in proportion to his massive resistance. Screaming at their aggressors, she'd fought as hard as she could to get free and help them as her friends had been systematically leveled. She could still see the trail of blood where they'd dragged them off=85

Unwillingly, her eyes followed that grisly path, then returned to contemplate the horror just before her. What would she do? She'd been through a lot, but how could she possibly survive what seemed to be in store next? Her entire body thrilled with terror as her mind fought for a way to remove her from this trap.

# # #
On board the Andromeda, Harper, Trance and Rommie surveyed the stubbornly blank viewscreen. The Maru was missing, nowhere to be found along the course it had originally taken, and Dylan, Tyr and Beka had vanished along with it. Where could they be? They were now more than two standard days past the rendezvous time, and there had been no message, no sign from them.

Rommie felt a familiar sinking feeling as she looked into the near-frantic eyes of her Commander in residence, Harper. Harper was a great engineer, and she cared a lot for him, but his grasp of command tactics was less than stellar. Rommie had protested privately to Dylan that he should at least leave Tyr behind when he'd left, but Dylan had been adamant that Harper could handle it. For a moment, Rommie lost herself in remembering the last moment that Dylan was standing before her, safe and healthy, until Harper's voice snapped her back to the present.

=93Trance, what should we do now?" Harper's voice had the whiney edge that came along with stress, and Trance looked reassuringly at him before she answered. The old Trance would have smiled at Harper, but new Trance was more sparing of her smiles.

=93You've checked all their likely trajectories from the point at which you lose them on Wormhole?"

=93Yeah, and there's nothin' anywhere. No sign."

=93This is not good, Harper." Trance was silent for a moment, drumming her fingertips on the railing. =93Let's try heading toward the Saskillion Nebula. Maybe we can pick up something there."

Without a word, Harper turned to key in the course. 93Transiting to slipstream in five." With the usual unearthly burst of light the Andromeda disappeared into slipstream.

# # #
Beka watched with horrified fascination as they readied the medical apparatus in front of her. She'd tested her bonds again and again, and the blood oozing from under them testified that she could not break free of them no matter how she tried. Still, she mounted an enormous struggle as they came towards her with injector in hand. The last thing she knew was the sting of the needle in her neck.

More, please!!

John
(who promises to put on those headers he recommended starting with his next fic, *really*! )

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Author, "A Perilous Tipping of Scales"

What he said^


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"I fit in about as much as a punk Elf on Elrond."

-me

Please see disclaimers above.

Part 2

Several hours had passed, and Dylan's various aches had not improved. The addition of hunger and a growing thirst made his situation even less pleasant, so it was with some relief that he heard a rattling in the lock of the chamber's door, a relief that lasted until he met the coldest eyes he had ever seen.

The aliens that had attacked them were unusual. Tall and deceptively slender, the bipedal beings had violet skin and dark, coarse hair growing in roughly humanoid patterns except for the triangle of hair growing down on their foreheads, like an exaggerated widow's peak. Their teeth, however, were needle-sharp and narrow, and their eyes an unusual, glowing amber. From what Dylan had seen of their hands, they had claws rather than fingernails, and though their feet were encased in boots he suspected, from the way they moved and the size of the toes boxes on their footwear, that they had articulated toes with similar claws. They were dressed in sophisticated, skin-tight suits of shiny materials in various rainbow colors, with strategic cut-outs to display patches of skin. Their gender was not obvious from any characteristics he could see.

The first person into Dylan's chilly cell resembled the other aliens he had fought earlier, except for hair color. This individual's hair was a screaming red, somehow suggesting the color of human blood. Dylan's eyes widened a little as he looked at it, and then he met the creature's eyes, eyes devoid of any feeling or spark of life. Dylan had the distinct impression that the alien thought it was looking at a lower-level animal when it regarded him, and a fairly unpleasant animal at that.

With the lead alien came two of the number that had defeated him earlier. These were on either side of a fourth figure, a woman. With a shove, one of the aliens pushed the human toward Dylan, and a sharp burst of incomprehensible speech from the leader accompanied the woman's stagger forward.
Dylan saw the woman brace herself, setting her shoulders and straightening before she turned to look at his body. Not meeting his eyes, the woman walked up to Dylan and, removing a medical scanner from a pouch near her waist, began scanning him for injuries.

=93Hey! Hello?! Who are you and why am I chained up?" Dylan's voice was full of rough demand, but the woman never even looked up. Muttering to herself, she took an injector from her pouch and, easily following his limited move to avoid it, gave him a quick injection in his shoulder. Dylan felt a flood of pain relief as whatever drug was in the injection took effect.

=93What was that?" he asked sharply. Still ignoring him, the woman turned to the alien leader and spoke in the language that Dylan did not understand. Despite the gravity of his situation, an absent corner of Dylan's mind noted the musical sweetness of the woman's voice, slightly husky and strained though it was. In response to her speech, the alien leader barked out another sentence, and its two followers came forward to Dylan.

Dylan tensed at their nearness, fearing another attack, but instead one of them trained a weapon steadily on him while the other bent to fasten yet another fetter to his ankle, this one with a much longer chain. Dylan watched this procedure, puzzled, until they moved next to undo the other bindings on his ankles.

At this point the woman interjected something again, and Dylan didn't have to speak the alien language to understand the leader's exasperated reaction. The woman apparently stood firm, however, because the leader made a rough gesture that Dylan took to be acquiescence to the alien working on his bindings. The alien left off what he was doing and disappeared out of the cell for a moment, returning with a rough pallet that he put near the captain's feet. The alien also brought a carafe of liquid, and despite his anger Dylan eyed it with a hopeful look. Then the purple-skinned being looked at the woman as though waiting for something.

=9o not try anything, or you will be re-bound." The woman spoke with an unusual accent, and she was finally meeting his eyes with a stern look in her own =96 which, Dylan noted with a tiny corner of his mind, were a striking grass green. Dylan nodded and used the opportunity to speak back to her as the alien unfastened the bindings around his wrists.

=93My friends? What have you done with them?" Dylan's voice was sharp with concern.

The alien leader spoke in a harsh voice, and the woman hesitated before answering him. Then, again avoiding his gaze, she said,93I am sorry, but they are dead." Turning quickly, she left the room with the aliens following her, leaving Dylan alone with the beginnings of a tearing sorrow.

=93No!" he said, his pain-filled voice dying away in the empty room as he collapsed onto the pallet at his feet. Only the lock turning in the door opposite him answered his agonized protest.

------------------
Mary Rose
Worshipper of the goddess
Rhiannon(aka Stevie Nicks)
Proud member of various
Andromeda factions

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Mary Rose
Worshipper of the goddess
Rhiannon(aka Stevie Nicks)
Proud member of various
Andromeda factions
Josie Devotee

Please see disclaimer in Part 1

Part 3

In another cell, the tall, dark Nietzschean was still crumpled in place, bound and hanging from his wrists and ankles. A second pallet was brought, and at a gesture from their leader, the aliens unbound the lifeless man and laid him on the pallet. They fastened another cuff around his sound ankle as the woman, brow creased, ran her scan over his powerful body. What she saw apparently concerned her; she shook her head and administered three injections. With a gentleness that betrayed her, she also set his leg, securing it with a careful bracing and adding a fourth injection at the site of the fracture. At a barked inquiry from the alien leader, she shook her head again and spoke gravely, green eyes slightly hazy from unshed tears.

# # #
There had been no foreshadowing of this situation; no sense of impending doom in Beka's invitation. In fact, there'd been the possibility of fun, Dylan ironically recalled. Beka had walked onto the Com deck with a flexi in her hand, eyes dancing at the message on it.

=93Hey, Dylan, get this. They're having a salvager's ball on Wormhole Drift next month. I don't know why I haven't heard anything about it, but anyway, I'm invited. Is it OK if I go?"

=93Can you bring guests?"

=93Umm," the lanky blond looked puzzled for a moment. 93Yeah, I guess."

=93Then I'm in."

=9ylan," Beka protested, laughing a little,93that wasn't an invite!"

=93Yeah, but I'm the captain," he said smugly.

Beka rolled her eyes.93Yeah, yeah, and rank has its privileges. Hmmph."

=93Hmmph all you want but I've wanted to go to a salvagers' ball ever since you told me that story about 96."

=93OK, OK, we don't need to go into it. You can come along96 if I can go."

=93Of course you can go."

Tyr had added himself to the party later. =93I understand," he'd said to Dylan on the Com deck,93that you and Captain Valentine are taking a little outing to Wormhole Drift? Since it seems to be a time for frivolous side trips, I have an errand on that Drift and would like to accompany you."

Dylan had looked at Tyr for a moment, weighing it. 93And the Andromeda?"

Tyr had shrugged.93Harper and Trance can stay behind for a change. With the ship's help they can probably handle it."

Briefly, Dylan considered asking Tyr for details about his errand, but he had to concede that, aside from the disastrous outing to Enga's Redoubt, Tyr had not requested any personal time in more than a year. Not that he'd requested that, exactly. But still, he was due some time, no doubt about that. And this quadrant of space was pretty safe, so Harper and Trance probably could handle it.

With a shrug of his own, Dylan gave in. =93OK, Mr. Anasazi. Join us."

As he lay on the rough pallet, shivering a little from cold and pain, Dylan regretted giving that permission. If he had not been lied to, that invitation had cost the Kodiak his life. Dylan was surprised at the sorrow that washed over him with that realization. And if he thought about Beka=85 So he didn't. With a steely resolve, he didn't think about Beka being dead. Not at all.

# # #
Beka came to gradually. Her vision was fuzzy, and she didn't seem to be able to turn her head at all. Eventually, she figured out that her head was braced in one place, and her whole body was completely immobilized. She also realized that she had an odd collection of very painful spots on her forehead and scalp, but she couldn't lift her hand to figure out what was going on up there. She moaned a little, her fear growing at her complete immobility.

To her surprise, her moan was answered. A face swam into her view, a human woman's face with amazing green eyes. Unwilling compassion seemed to flicker in those eyes, and a gentle hand checked at the sources of Beka's pain. Flipping a switch, the unknown woman managed to elevate the head of the bed to which Beka was secured, making drinking a possibility. Abruptly, Beka realized her mouth was completely dry, and she accepted the straw offered her with relief.

When she had drunk her fill, she let go of the straw and immediately asked,93Where am I, and what have you done with my friends?" Silence answered her, and her inability to turn her head became infuriating. =9amn you, what's going on?" Her ragged voice was fierce, but she received no answer. Soon a flood of sleepiness took her; drugged was her last thought before she lost consciousness again.

# # #
Andromeda transited into normal space in a minor system near the Saskillion Nebula. She scanned the system carefully, searching not only for traces of the Maru but also for potentially hostile parties. Space where they had been waiting for Dylan was relatively safe, but space here was considerably more risky. Pirates, scavengers, rogue Nietzscheans, and other unsavory characters were known to linger around here, and Andromeda did not want to be taken unaware.

But she found nothing, neither a threat nor any sign of the Maru.

=93Trance, the Maru is not here."

=93No, I know it's not."

Harper sounded more than exasperated. =93Well, why did we come here then, Trance?"

=93Because I think Dylan might be. Head toward that second planet, all right? I want you to monitor the broadcasts on its surface."

# # #
The woman with green eyes turned her head to the side to avert her gaze as the aliens struggled with the heavy body bag, an experiment that had gone horribly wrong. She hated to see things end like that, but there was nothing she could do. For the millionth or so time, loathing, sorrow, terror and self-hatred washed over her. The life she was forced to lead was reprehensible. How could they have taken Ian? And how would she ever get him free? Even the fact that they let her live with him did not lessen the terrible tragedy her very existence had become.

For a moment she sat and trembled, overwhelmed by the emotions. Then, a thought gradually found its way through the emotional storm. Even incarcerated on this backwater planet, she had heard of Dylan Hunt, the same man, unless she was much mistaken, who had taken up unwilling residence in the cell block down below. If this Hunt character was such a hero, might he be able to help her free her son and escape the horrid servitude she'd been forced to? For the first time in a long time, Galil felt a very faint stirring of hope. It felt so good she clung to it, fanning the irrational flicker with every ounce of her formidable will.

When she was called to her loathsome duty again, to the horrible perversion of the training she had struggled for, she went willingly despite the vows she had foresworn. If she could convince Hunt to help her, maybe she had a chance to escape the hell her life96 and her son's96 had become.

Edited 'cause I screwed up the spacing. Oops.

[This message has been edited by Appreciate (edited April 01, 2002).]

I am totally hooked!!!!

Can't wait to see where this goes.
I'm glad you can't resist a Beka/Tyr pairing.

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"...survivor's attitude..."

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...survivor's attitude...

something went wrong and this posted twice to whoever can do this...please delete the second post. thanks jm

[This message has been edited by jm (edited April 01, 2002).]

{{{{{{{{{Kathy}}}}}}}}} AWESOME!!!!

Lil

Author's notes: 1. I got tired of the # # # stuff. They may be typesetter standard but they look STUPID online, imho. Sorry for the experiment. And 2. [Lil,, it is NO accident that the end of Galil's name is what it is, btw...]

Please see disclaimer part 1

Part 4

Galil carefully added sedatives to Beka's injection, working to keep her quiescent until the wounds in the blonde's head96 wounds that she had made96 had healed enough so that it was safe to free her hands. She gave Beka the injection and set up a fluids IV. She did not want Beka incapacitated permanently, particularly if she was to win the cooperation of her Captain. Ignoring the hostile scrutiny of the guards, she carefully worked to help Beka heal as quickly and comfortably as possible.

When Galil finished with Beka, she went to check on the other two. The tall Nietzschean was still unconscious, but his color, she was pleased to note, was better and his breathing less labored. Unless he suddenly took a turn for the worse, he was on the road to recovery. For a second, she marveled at the formidable response of his healing system, then she moved on, always with her alien guard shadowing her.

On to Hunt's cell. She was going to have to play her cards carefully here to communicate anything to the handsome captain without arousing the suspicions of her escort. As she entered his cell, she met the captain's keen eyes meaningfully.

=93Time for your exam. Please don't react - I have things I need to tell you. Lie down."

From his sprawled position on the pallet, Hunt met her eyes for a startled moment then turned and lay flat.

=93I am pretending to examine your limbs," she said as she got out her scanner. Your friends are alive, I was lying before." She finished the sentence with an inquiring lilt, as though it was a question, while gesturing to his right leg.93Please say =91yes.'"

=93Yes," he replied after a startled moment.93They will expect me to ask you about them. What do you mean?"

Galil shook her head as though refusing to answer. 93The Niet was badly wounded and=85 and so was your other friend." Again her sentence ended with an inquiring lilt, and this time she gestured to the other leg.

=93No," Hunt responded, playing his part.

=93The Szezhume have captured my son." This time the 91question' was directed toward his arm, which Hunt, she noted with approval, obligingly flexed for her.

=93What do you want me to do?" he asked demandingly, as though pressing her for further information.

=93Help me rescue him, and I will help you escape and free your friends, if possible." The other arm, which Hunt moved again.

=93Yes," he responded with a fervor unrelated to their pretense. At her warning look, he subsided, feigning resentment. He turned his face away from her.

=93Be ready," she cautioned as she rose to leave him.

=93Always," he retorted, very much in character.

But later, when the key turned noisily in Dylan's lock once again, instead of the rescue he was hoping for he was stunned to see the woman, bruised and bleeding, tossed into the cell with him. He braced himself to catch her as she was hurled to the floor.

Tyr awoke, finally, to find himself much improved. Still in a lot of pain, he was relieved to be lying down and also to have had his leg bound and hopefully set. His brow creased as he worried for a moment about the bone healing unset, but then he put that thought aside. Moving around, he was distracted by the clinking of the chain links attached his ankle. He stretched out his leg to survey the cuff on his ankle. He believed he could break it, but as this set up was much preferred to hanging from the wall he decided to forgo that pleasure for a while.

For a time, Tyr was silent, listening. Despite his enhanced metabolism, the room where he was imprisoned felt chilly and dank. Windowless, it was also dark, with walls of rough-hewn stone. The door was the only fixture in the room; massive steel, it looked formidable.

Brow creased, the Nietzschean reflected on the chain of events that had brought them to this pass.

Beka had seemed unusually fussy as she was getting ready to depart for Wormhole. Tyr had watched, amused, as she made no fewer than three trips back to her quarters on the Andromeda, to fetch items she needed for the week away. Harper and Trance had been carefully briefed, and Dylan had swung onto the Maru right on time, his possessions packed in a neat bag by his side.

Beka had eyed the bag with a flick.93Black tie?"

Dylan had nodded, and with a disbelieving quirk to her brow at the paucity of his luggage, Beka had returned to prepping the Maru.

=93You guys ready?" she'd asked, moments later.

=93Yup," responded Dylan, taking up the place behind her in the Maru's command area. Tyr had lounged further back, near the weapons station, as Beka requested that Rommie open the landing bay doors.

=93That's a big 10-4, Eureka Maru," had come Harper's cheerful voice over the comm.

Beka exchanged a mystified look with Dylan. =93Huh?" she queried the exuberant engineer.

=93Ancient Earth for91affirmative,' Beka," Harper had sounded resigned as he explained yet another piece of slang.93Y'all have a great trip now."

=93Harper," Dylan had said, predictably, =93don't break my ship."

=93Aw, g'wan Boss. Nothing's gonna happen here. It'll just be boring." Famous last words, Tyr had thought as the Maru lifted out of her home on the Andromeda and headed into space.

=93Streaming in five," Beka had chirped, and they were off.

Arrival at Wormhole had been remarkable only for its ease96 at first. Wormhole was a busy drift at the slowest time; with the added traffic generated by the ball they had all expected to have to shuttle down to the Drift rather than docking at the spaceport. But when they appeared in normal space and hailed the Portmaster, they'd been pleased to be directed to a regular dock96 albeit one on the farthest side of the Drift.

After Beka had effortlessly lined up the Maru, slipping her ship into place, they'd gathered their belongings and prepared to depart. Dylan had shouldered one of Beka's bags amid some serious teasing about her inefficient packing. Tyr had been in the lead, turning to bid the others farewell, when the unmistakable sound of weapons being drawn had jerked him around, into a ready crouch.

But it had already been too late. Ambush was the only thing Tyr had been able to think before the sizzling fire of a nerve disruptor had engulfed him. Tyr had known nothing more until he had come to and tried to fight for liberty, some hours before.

Where was he, Tyr wondered, and where were Dylan and Beka? Who had been lying in wait for them? What was going on?

Edited due to stupidity caused by posting before coffee...

PS jm, if you want to post multiple messages liking this story, please feel free...

[This message has been edited by Appreciate (edited April 01, 2002).]

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A full Trancer
An honoary Roman
Vote for Lisa, Lexa and Laura at www.fhmus.com/girls/100sexiest/

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'Beware of the women of the warrior class, for all they touch is both decorative and deadly'
Trancer
Roman
Harmini

quote:

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Lil,, it is NO accident that the end of Galil's name is what it is, btw...

---

Awwww.........

{{{{{{{{{{{Kathy}}}}}}}}}}}

And while I'm at it..........

MMMMORRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEE!!!!

Thanks for the nice words ! I am remiss, also, in not publicly thanking HUGELY my good friend Zephyr, who is an awesome Beta reader - truly a joy. Thank you!!!

Part 5

Tyr's musings were suddenly disrupted by the clanking of a key in his cell door. His heavy brows snapped together as Tyr saw the door opened by an alien carrying his slender blonde crewmate carelessly over his shoulder. Tyr braced as the alien dropped Beka's lifeless body carelessly onto the floor. Sparing not a glance in the Nietzschean's direction, the alien withdrew, locking the door behind him.

Dylan quickly crawled over to the green-eyed woman sprawled on the floor. Moaning, the woman opened those extraordinary eyes96 eyes glazed, at the moment, with pain and fear. Blinking in an obvious effort to clear her vision, the woman looked around, then focused on Dylan with a dawning terror. Wordlessly, she met his worried gaze, then closed her eyes with her face twisted. She averted her head as though she could deny the truth of where she was by looking in another direction.

Politely, Dylan cleared his throat. =93Um=85hi," he offered, voice low and quiet.
For a short while the woman ignored him, then, with a palpable effort, she turned back to him. Dylan's eyes traced the path of the tears that had forced their way out of her closed eyes, then returned to meet her gaze.

=93Hi," she answered, hopelessness in her tone.

=93I'm guessing this wasn't part of your plan?" he asked.

She sighed deeply, then answered, her musical voice even hoarser than before.93No."

Dylan waited for more, then spoke again. =93I'm Dylan Hunt."

He met those green eyes again as she said, =93Galil Lundergan. I'd said91nice to meet you,' but in this setup, I'd be lying."

Dylan smiled a little.93Can you sit up?" At her nod, he dragged the pallet over next to the cell wall and helped Galil to sit on it with her back leaning against the wall. He dropped to a seat beside her, then said, 93Can you fill me in? What's going on?"

With a brief nod, Galil began.93I guess they became suspicious when I spoke so much to you, and then when I freed your woman friend=85"

=93Beka's free?" Dylan asked sharply.

She sighed again.93Not any more. And Dylan =96 I don't know what kind of shape she'll be in anyway."

=93What do you mean?" No trace of the affable captain was left in his tone.

Galil darted a look at him, then said, =93Maybe I should start at the beginning."

=93Please do."

By stretching his chain out to its fullest, Tyr was able to just reach Beka's body. Concern bloomed as he took in her pale countenance, and real fear awakened when he found the remains of nearly a dozen incisions into her skull. What had they done to her? Face set in a ferocious scowl, Tyr lifted Beka as gently as possible and laid her on the pallet in his cell. For a while he sat and looked at her, absently smoothing her hair away from the incision on her temple with one large thumb. His rage grew as he counted the needle marks, lacerations at her wrists and ankles, various bruises and the incisions on her scalp.

Then Beka's body began to shake. Almost imperceptible at first, the trembling intensified until it became long, convulsive shudders wracking her whole body. After a long moment of indecision, Tyr lay down beside her, gathering her shaking body next to his to try to warm her. Curving his body protectively around hers, he wrapped her with one strong arm, pillowing her head on his other with his own head on his wrist. His hand splayed over her belly as he pulled her to him, trying to quell her shaking with the warmth and closeness of his body. Face set, Tyr closed his eyes and endured the terrible tremors of the woman in his arms, willing her shaking to quiet.

=93I am a physician by training," Galil began, her melodic voice shaky,93with a specialization in human and alien brain functions. For the past several years, since the=85 death of my husband, my son Ian and I have been living quietly on Saskill, treating the various ills of the local population. But then the Szezhume came, and our lives were96 completely destroyed.

=93The Szezhume are an engineered race that is seeking to perfect several classes of workers. Rather than relying only on genetic engineering, the species relies on a combination of genetics and physical enhancements. They are particularly interested in mapping and duplicating the brain folds of extraordinary individuals in the hopes of duplicating their skills.

=93Unfortunately, the Szezhume had -- heard of my research, mine and my husband's, in the area of brain topography. For several years after my husband's death, I did very little new research, concentrating on my practice and on my son, instead. Last year, however, I published a new paper, and the Szezhume used that to track me down.

=93When they got here=85 let's just say the negotiations for my services were not pleasant, but I was able to resist them until they made me an offer I could not refuse. They took my son, Ian." Here, her voice started to really fall apart, and Dylan moved to put a comforting hand on her shoulder as she buried her face in her hands. Her voice was muffled as she finished. 93And now I'm afraid they're going to kill him." Harsh sobs shook her frame, and Dylan patted her shoulder gently.

Eventually, the tremors died down, and Beka slid into a more relaxed state of unconsciousness. Loosening his hold only a little, Tyr continued lying beside her, encircling her with his warmth and strength.

After letting her cry for a while, Dylan spoke again.93So the Szezhume have been forcing you to work for them? What have you done? And why did they want us?"

Galil gulped as she tried to get her voice under control.93I have been mapping the brains of unusual and highly skilled humans. Carefully, so as not to kill them in the process. And you're here because they're interested in piloting skills."

=93Beka," Dylan said, on a note of enlightenment.

=93Beka," she confirmed flatly.

This time the trembling fit seemed even more violent, and as Tyr held onto her he began to truly fear for her survival. What, he wondered again, could they have done to her to cause this? Holding the slim form whose trembling seemed almost too violent to endure, Tyr frowned fiercely. Deliberately, he positioned his bound leg so that he could quickly snap the chain securing him to the wall. No matter how successful the purple-skinned freaks had been at subduing him before, this time, he vowed, he would fight to keep Beka from them. His jaw was tight with resolve as he held on to her.

[This message has been edited by Appreciate (edited April 01, 2002).]

Anna

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Join me in print! http://www.cairdean.com/zinezone/

I have a suggestion for the dividers that seems to work for me:

Use asterisks?

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

Dang it, at this point I'm just going to say thanks to EVERYONE who reads my work!!

Warning: This section is a little mushy. Sorry, but... as I said, I just can't resist. I promise my next SS Fan Fic will be without the mush factor! But on this one, there will be more mush before we're through.

Please see Part 1 for disclaimer.

Part 6

=93So, you're telling me that the Szezhume captured us so they could get Beka, and you performed some kind of surgery on her brain?" The captain's question to Galil was not a friendly one, and he sounded horrified at the end of it.

=93Yes," Galil confirmed, head drooping. =93Yes, I did, Mr. Hunt. I had no choice. They have Ian. My surgery didn't permanently hurt her, though. The only thing is=85"

=93=85Is?" Dylan prompted.

=93Well, she seemed to be having some kind of reaction to the drugs I was giving her. That's why I freed her in the first place."

=93What kind of reaction?"

=93Some kind of toxicity problem. Has she had some negative experience with drugs?"

=93Yes," said Dylan, flatly.

=93Well, Mr. Hunt, I'm not sure exactly what will happen to her from here. She and your other friend are on their way off planet96 where and why, I don't know. But there was definitely some sort of drug interaction, I'm afraid. I'm very sorry."

There was a silence for a long moment, then Dylan sighed, rubbed his eyes and said,93Captain."

She darted a questioning glance at him out of tear-drenched eyes, and he clarified.93I am Captain Hunt. But you can call me Dylan."
Galil nodded, too lost in misery to respond.

After a while he said,93OK, so, now you're going to help me figure out a way out of here, right, Galil?"

With a child-like sniff, she nodded, then ducked her head again.93OK=85Dylan." Despite his anger, he marveled again at the clear green color of her eyes.

When the grating of the key into the lock came again, Tyr steadied himself and pulled, with a smooth strong jerk, on the chain fastening his leg to the wall. At first even his strength made no difference on the metal; Tyr inhaled deeply and pulled again, focusing his might on the recalcitrant binding. With a ping, the chain separated at the cuff, just as the fire of a nerve disruptor caught him again. His last thought was an incandescent rage at being unable to help Beka, then all was dark again. Neither he nor Beka stirred as their bodies were hefted down the corridors and into a transport.

For a long while, Rommie could hear nothing from the surface of the planet Saskill. Mostly agricultural, the planet, according to Rommie's most recent data, was settled by a mixture of different species. A few ships orbited the planet, ships of an unusual design that matched some ships that had been orbiting Wormhole Drift, but that was the only thing moving about the sleepy little planet. One of the ships suddenly departed in a flame of acceleration, but there was nothing unusual in such routine comings and goings. Even the ships' similarities to those at Wormhole might be coincidence.

=93Trance?" Harper's voice had the edge it got when he was particularly stressed.93What now?"

Trance eyed him for a moment, then sighed a little, rubbing her forehead.93I don't know, Harper. I'm pretty sure Dylan is down there somewhere, but I don't know how we can help unless--."

=93Hold on, here's something happening!" Rommie interrupted. Trance and Harper both rushed to their stations, focused in the planet's surface.

The familiar sensation of entering slipstream aroused Tyr from his place on the rough floor of another cell. For a moment, after he pushed his upper body off the floor, he paused, his locks hanging, while the world did a slow roll around him. Was this the ship's movement or some lingering effect from being shot twice with a nerve disruptor? Tyr wasn't sure; he shook his head slightly to try to clear it, then pushed himself up to a sitting position.

The first thing he saw was Beka, lying prone a few feet from him. With a rush, the past hours came back to him, and Tyr crawled swiftly over to see how she was faring. So far as he could tell, the shaking that had so concerned him had not returned, but she was still very pale and showed no sign of regaining consciousness.

Tyr sat back for a moment as he considered things. They were in slipstream, so obviously he and Beka had been moved from the planet. Why? Had they96 whoever they had been96 accomplished what they needed with the strange surgery on Beka's head? And where was Dylan? Tyr contemplated these questions for a moment, and then, with a brief shake of his head, dismissed them as currently unproductive. Time now to learn as much as possible about their current surroundings.

As he prowled the length and breadth of their cage, Tyr concluded that they were no longer in a space designed by the aliens that had made his former cell. For one thing, the metals and design used were very different. And this cell had primitive sanitation faculties, and a smaller door to pass items between the cell and the hall96 most likely food and other supplies. A longer-term holding pen, Tyr had to believe.

But if that was so, why was it on a starship? And where were they headed? Frustrated at the lack of answers, Tyr returned to Beka's side to lay himself down again. If he could do nothing else, he would rest, so he was ready for whatever opportunity presented itself for escape. Tyr turned toward Beka, checking again on her well-being, and closed his eyes.

Some time later, Beka awoke. At first, before the pain and exhaustion caught up with her, she drifted, not particularly concerned about her surroundings or situation. Gradually, she became aware of a presence beside her. She turned her head to find him sprawled out along side her, his head pillowed on one brawny arm and that glorious mane spilled carelessly around him. Still in that dreamlike state, she reached out one hand toward him. Absently, she noted its unsteadiness as she put two fingers, gently, on the clipped beard that framed his mouth. Luscious mouth, she corrected herself dreamily, smiling.
At the touch of her fingers, his eyes snapped open, and they were frozen for a moment in an intimate tableau. The dreaminess persisted, and Beka felt her smile grow until it reflected, unguarded, the feelings she had been hiding from him. For just a second, a precious moment that lingered as fragile as a soap bubble, she looked at him with the affection and desire she had come to feel for him openly in her gaze. She saw his eyes widen under the impact of that look. An expression leapt into his own gaze in response, a heated and intent look that she had never before seen from him. This, then, was the lion in passion, she thought, still insulated from reality by the lingering effects of the drug on her system.

Her own look heated in return, her eyes turning suddenly slumberous. Slowly, she put her tongue out to moisten suddenly dry lips, and the slight dilation of his pupils in response to her provocation pleased her. Again they froze, motionless except for the pulsing of their feelings. Beka was breathless as she lay, ensnared by the intensity of his gaze. The sudden clash of the door beyond their cell walls opening was an unpleasant and jarring intrusion. The bubble popped, and despite their peril Beka took a moment to mourn it, wondering if it would ever return.

The Ogami who entered alongside the aliens from the planet looked vaguely memorable to Beka, and Tyr's low growl confirmed her sense of familiarity. Beka looked on, still dazed, as Tyr rose lithely to his feet and began conversing through the bars with the strange-looking creatures in what she supposed must be their dialect. As the argument continued, Beka allowed the unfamiliar syllables to wash over her, watching and admiring the flex of muscles in Tyr's strong throat as his voice rose. The louder the voices got, the more distant they seemed to Beka, until a strange buzzing noise drowned them all out, and the next thing she knew was the now-familiar darkness as her consciousness faded.

....but I MUST have more!!!!!!!!

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"...survivor's attitude..."

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...survivor's attitude...

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"The fearless are merely fearless. People who act in spite of their fear are truly brave."
-James A. LaFond-Lewis

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When sorrows come, they come not single spies,
But in battalions.
- Shakespeare

I love this story! Great plot. Very emotional and fast paced. The Beka "dream" section is wonderful! I really liked that sequence. It really develops the relationship between the two.

Great job!
Anna

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Join me in print! http://www.cairdean.com/zinezone/

~Cassandra

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@}-'->--'--
Bekaneer
Magniac
member of the Nietzchean Empire
Argosy Special Ops, [i]Commandant of Anti-Troll Operations Division, aka the 18409th Donut Patrol BattalionHonorary Tyrant

And my apologies to those for whom this isn't their sort of fiction.

Please see Part 1 for disclaimer.

Part 7

=93So, the first thing you should know is, they have two points of vulnerability based on their physiognomy." Dylan eyed his cellmate, brows raised, as he waited for her to continue.93First, their knees are structurally weak, and a good swift kick in the kneecap should disable them. They are careful to guard against that, however. Second, the elongated structure of their spinal column should makes them particularly susceptible to blows just there," she gestured to a point on the back of his neck,93if you can hit them just right."
Dylan nodded.

=93You've seen that they're pretty good at hand to hand, but I think you could defeat more of them if you fight in, close to them. That'll keep you out of range of their longest, most powerful blows."

Dylan looked speculative at her words, then said, 93And you're expecting me to fight them."

=93Well," her voice trailed off, then continued,93I do have one idea about avoiding that, but I wanted you to be prepared. No matter how much I hate these guys, I am not strong enough to beat them physically. You are, and if we get caught you'll probably end up fighting them."

=93So, let's don't get caught."

=93My thoughts exactly, but Dylan, we ARE going to rescue Ian. There is no other alternative." Her voice was fierce as she spoke, and she eyed him challengingly.

Dylan was already nodding, however, by the time she finished.93Yes, if there's any way we can do it, we will rescue your son. Now what's your idea?"

=93Well, behind this block of cells is an access hall. You must have wondered about sanitation and food--"

=93Particularly food, by this point," Dylan interjected.

Galil looked conscious-stricken for a moment. =93Of course. Dylan I'm so sorry--"

He interrupted again.93Never mind. Continue."

She swallowed for a moment, then went on. =93I think we could probably break through the cell wall here and get access to that corridor. This area here," she pointed to a square of blocks,93is the area that opens to allow food to be passed into the cells."

=93You think we can break through solid stone blocks?"

=93Well, that's the thing, Dylan, they aren't solid stone blocks here. They're more like a facade. I think you could get through it."

=93All right, then96 I'll try." With that, Dylan moved as close to the wall where he was tethered as possible, gathered his strength, then broke his ankle shackle with a strong kick amazingly similar to Tyr's move to free himself. Dylan's fetter broke, tearing at his skin as it grudgingly released him. His face spasmed briefly at the pain, then, setting it aside, he ran across the cell and let fly another kick directly at the center of the area that Galil had indicated.

The thud as the blow landed sounded amazingly loud, but also hollow, and the stone fa=E7ade gave perceptibly beneath his blow. With a deep breath, Dylan tried again, aiming his foot directly at the indent he'd already made. The rock crumbled away at the force of his kick, making an opening nearly as large as his shoulder span. One more kick and he was all the way through.

Behind the stone was a primitive locking gate, but this one was far less sturdy than the main cell gate. With a few more hammering kicks, prompting nervous looks from Galil at the clangs that rang through the cell, Dylan broke the lock and the gate flew open. Cocking one eyebrow, he turned to her.93After you," he said with an elegant wave of his hand.

Galil rolled her eyes slightly as she darted though the opening. Without any hesitation, she turned left and began jogging through the hall, trying to make her footfalls as soft as possible. With Dylan by her side, she navigated a tortuous set of cross-tunnels, weaving back and forth until he had some doubt that he could find his way back to their cell unaided.

Finally, as every cell in his body was urging him to haste, she came to a large door. Here she stopped, and, putting her ear to it, began listening intently. When Dylan would have spoken she held up an urgent hand to silence him.

What she heard apparently satisfied her, and with a careful hand she reached up to open the door.

The next time Beka came to consciousness, she was lying clasped in Tyr's arms. Even though her back was to him, she was certain it was he; she'd felt the warmth and hardness of the body pressed against hers in hand-to-hand too often to mistake it. This time, the dreamy separateness was missing from her brain, and her eyes widened as she took in the implications of her position.

Why was Tyr96 Tyr of all people96 holding her as she rested? She vaguely remembered waking up beside him before, but this was different. What was going on?

For a while, she lay absolutely still and wondered about her situation, then she succumbed to the growing ache in her head and lifted her hand to her temple, groaning a little despite her efforts at stoicism.

The body behind her stirred.93Beka?" came the deep voice, grating slightly.

=93I think so, but did you get the registration of the ship that spaced me?" she quipped, trying to keep things light.

Tyr ignored that remark. Moving away from her back96 No, don't leave, a tiny, unbidden part of her pleaded96 he crawled around until he could study her face. Beka felt her color rise a little as she met those concerned dark eyes.

=93How are you feeling?"

=93Umm=85I've felt better," she responded with massive understatement. Actually she really did feel as though she'd been spaced96 or at best, beaten and mauled. Her head hurt, her wrists and ankles hurt, and her whole body was wracked with a punishing sort of weariness. Thinking about that for a moment, Beka gave a puzzled frown.93What did happen to me, anyway?"

Tyr shook his head.93I am not sure. All I know is this: when we all came to on that planet, you were strapped to a table with medical equipment all around you. It seemed obvious that some sort of medical procedure was intended. Dylan and I fought as hard as we could, but we did not succeed in preventing them from=85 doing whatever they did to your head. After whatever that was, you were put in the same cell with me. You had had some kind of surgery, been restrained against your will, and I believe you had been drugged."

Beka felt her eyes widen as Tyr spoke of drugs.93More drugs? Did they seem to96 err96 affect me?"

Tyr's eyes were grave as he met hers. =93Yes," he said simply.

Beka closed her eyes and turned away. =9amn," she said, heartfelt.93I didn't need that."

Tyr was quiet for a moment, then he said, =93Hopefully, the worst is already over. This is the first time you've been96 lucid."

=93You mean I've been conscious before and not lucid?" She looked at him, troubled.93I'm sorry, Tyr."

Tyr's smile was amazingly gentle.93No need." For a moment, their eyes met, and Beka felt as though she was trembling on the brink of some enormous shift, some change so profound that it frightened her at a level nearly primal. With a wrench, she tore her gaze from his, instinctively resisting that fundamental change. When she risked a look back at him she was taken aback to find his cheekbones accentuated by his trademark hidden grin. In his eyes she surprised a very masculine smile, one she had never seen before.

Beka's brows drew together, but she decided to focus on her next question.93Where are we, Tyr? What happened after I ended up in your cell?"

=93The creatures from the planet used a nerve disruptor and we awoke on this ship. Apparently, the Ogami had some interest in meeting up with me, and you seem to be along for the ride."

Beka was horrified.93The Ogami? That can't be good." Tyr simply shrugged, wordless.93And Dylan?"

Again Tyr shrugged.93I haven't seen him since we arrived on that planet."

Beka frowned, troubled.93I don't like this, Tyr. I hope Dylan's OK, and I am in no mood to be somebody's weird medical experiment any more."

Tyr smiled a little, obviously96 if uncharacteristically96 trying to comfort.93I know, Beka. I know."

Edited for spacing errors

[This message has been edited by Appreciate (edited April 02, 2002).]

Just to officially state my opinion here, so everyone knows -- I LOVE this story!! You have an incredible imagination. I love the way you weave the scenes together into such a rich tapestry. Your dialog is right on and your descriptions so multi-dimensional that the reader is transformed into a viewer, watching the scenes play out before them as they read. And, then there's your knack for always leaving us wanting MORE!

{{{{{{{{Appreciate}}}}}}}}

Zephyr

MMMORRRRRRRRE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lil

Ani

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Tyrant, Second wife to XxTyrxX, mother to Valeria, Ian, baby Tyr, 4 others, and still others by default
He must always have that part of him that YOU JUST CAN'T TRUST.''
KHC on Tyr, emphasis mine
Never underestimate the power of words
Social Climbers - They will quite cunningly take whatever Alpha prerogatives you stupidly give them.
Magniac Defender Against Social Climbers
COZA, Keeper of Tyr's Insecurity Clearance
Ani

{{{{{{{{Lilius}}}}}}}} Glad you like this.

Thanks to Ani and jm and others who are reading this!

Please see disclaimer Part 1

Part 8

The knees of the Szezhume were very vulnerable. Dylan had to acknowledge that the information he'd been given was right, even as he deplored his sudden pressing need to use it. They'd gotten undetected through the heavy metal door and into the main elevator to the above-ground level, but that was where their luck had run out.

Five of the Szezhume had been walking through the corridor that Galil had picked. A patrol. Dylan's mind had handed him the analysis before he'd consciously identified them, and then they were upon him.

With a low grunt, Dylan kicked out again at the third alien. Two were down, but three were left to fight, and with a sardonic corner of his mind Dylan noted that he'd been deserted by his erstwhile escort.

Still, he fought with a will, hoping to free himself and discover where Tyr and Beka had been taken.

A vicious blow from behind rattled his teeth, and Dylan swung to face the new threat. The Szezhume had fanned out, surrounding him. He felt himself tiring rapidly, but with a grim effort of will he held on, ready to launch another attack. He was delighted to see the woman Galil back with him, and slightly amused to see her take out one of the combatants with a blow to the back of its neck with what looked to be a cooking pan of some type.

Dylan whirled back to the other two aliens, and disabled one with a kneecap blow. As Galil moved in to finish off the one who had just fallen, Dylan punched the last attacker in the stomach, and then in the back of the neck as it bent forward in pain. Panting slightly, Dylan leaned his hands on his thighs for a brief rest.

=93C'mon!" Galil said, her voice urgent.

Using the back of his hand, Dylan wiped blood from his mouth and lurched to follow her. She swung around and nearby corner, and as quickly darted back out with a young boy in her arms.

=93Ian, I presume?"

=93Yeah, but let's worry about intros later, OK? Let's get moving!"

Dylan followed her at as fast a pace as he could manage.

Beka began to feel marginally better as a little time passed. With Tyr's help, she managed first to sit, and then, despite his objection, to stand, swaying in place. She shook her head a little to try and clear it, then winced at that obvious mistake. Tyr, watching her, was frustrated by her persistence in pushing herself, but felt his familiar96 if unwilling96 admiration of the will and guts she displayed.

When she was steadier on her feet, Beka walked slowly around the cell, unconsciously retracing Tyr's earlier examination. Stopping by the door, she stooped to look carefully at the lock; the head-down position made her so dizzy she had to grab the bars of the door to stay upright. Tyr reached a hand out to steady her, but pulled it back as she turned to glare at him. Obviously, he reflected, she did not welcome his help.

Beka made the circuit of their cell again, this time looking up as she walked around. After the second trip, she focused on the cell corners, looking carefully at them. When she'd finished her thorough if mysterious examination, she sat on the ground, hunched over in a very awkward position. Tyr, puzzled, walked around to face her. He was startled to find her unbuttoning her shirt, and withdrew quickly at her snapped, =93Privacy, please!"

After a few intriguing squirms, Beka made a faint clink that sounded like metal on metal. Even more puzzled, Tyr waited, eyes glued to Beka's back, until she staggered back to her feet and shot him a look of mingled mischief and triumph. In her hands, incredibly, was what looked very much like a lock pick. Tyr's identification was confirmed when Beka crossed to the cell door and, straining to reach, put the pick in the lock of the door.

An agonizing couple of minutes followed, as Beka, with her arm outstretched as far as possible, struggled to manipulate the picks enough to get the cell unlocked. Tyr watched with concern as her complexion grew paler, but her unlocking the door was a matter of survival for both of them. Once, he began to offer to try it himself 96 he, too, had some experience with unlocking recalcitrant doors with unorthodox means96 but he got the same glare he'd gotten the last time he offered assistance, so, with some difficulty, he kept quiet.

Finally, the93ping" of the lock rollers dropping into place sounded loudly in the cell. For a moment, Beka sagged in relief, weariness etched in her countenance. At some level that Tyr didn't even want to acknowledge, pride and a sharp concern for her warred. Then, with another obvious effort of will, Beka straightened. She pushed the cell door open and, with an ironic wave of her hand, ushered him from it. Despite the urgency of the situation, a reluctant smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he made his way out into the alien ship.

A loud klaxon alarm began sounding as Galil led them at a run toward a field filled with spaceships. Aliens poured from nearby buildings, and Dylan's heart sank and he took in the display of personnel. Even though they were closer to the ships than the oncoming combatants, how could they hope to steal one in the time required? The situation was clearly desperate, and Dylan fervently trusted that Galil had something more up her sleeve.

Aboard the Andromeda, Rommie's scanners were able to pierce the atmosphere and get a pretty good fix on the shuttle field. The flurry of internal and ship-to-planet communications that had first alerted Rommie had originated at the airfield, and she honed her monitoring in to focus on the activity there. Harper's heart sank as he recognized, on the viewscreen, the limping figure of Dylan nearly surrounded by a large group of purple-skinned aliens. An absent corner of his mind made a note of the similarity of the skin tone's to the color Trance had sported, but for now, more urgent matters consumed his attention.

=93Rommie, planetary fighters, now!"

Rommie shut her eyes for a moment, then reported, 93Four Phoenix fighters launched. Planetary ETA four minutes."

=93Rommie, that'll take too long! Can you do something to distract them from Dylan?"

Rommie shut her eyes again, and opened them to say, 93Missile away. ETA fifty three seconds."

"You're not going to hit anything are you?" Harper sounded abruptly concerned, but he rolled his eyes a little to acknowledge the seeming stupidity of that question when both Rommie and Trance turned to stare at him incredulously. "I mean, hit anything significant?"

"I've targeted an open field about 2 kilos from them."

"Good." Harper's voice was full of relief as he turned back to the viewscreen.

=93I hope that's fast enough," said Trance, worry clear in her voice as they watched the alien figures move in on Dylan.

Tyr was exceptionally good at skulking for such a big man, Beka thought wryly as she followed him. They'd been free for a couple of minutes and had discovered that the ship was fairly large. They'd ducked into passageways a couple of times to avoid approaching footsteps, but had so far avoided any direct confrontation. To Beka's way of thinking, this meant the ship was probably not too heavily crewed, and their chances of taking her had gone up. When she expressed that view in an undervoice to her companion, however, she was met only by a quirk of the eyebrows.

When they came to the next corridor, Beka indicated that she would take one branch and Tyr should take the other. She met his darkling look with raised eyebrows. Tyr shook his head emphatically; putting his mouth next to her ear he breathed,93We need to stay together!" with unusual emphasis.

Beka felt a flash of impatience. She was no weak female who needed to rely on a crew member, no matter how strong and capable the man in question. With an equally emphatic shake of her head, she motioned him down one corridor, turned on her heel and marched down the other.

Tyr watched her go with the same mixed feelings as before. He admired her fierce independence, but still, her color even now was not good. With a quick shake of his head he went the direction she had indicated.

Edited an historical number of times by Appreciate who just can't quite learn this lesson about not posting before sufficient caffeine consumption....

[This message has been edited by Appreciate (edited April 03, 2002).]

this is not going to do it medear. I want MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Kathy}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Lil

Do I get to bug *you* for more now?

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Author, "A Perilous Tipping of Scales"

OK! I'll get this part out of the way...More...More...More...!!! Great chapter and lots of action, but more please!!! Love the thoughts going through Tyr's head about Beka and how he is letting her take a bit of a lead even if he is worried about her! Hope she notices how gallant he is being and caring of her!!

This is great.

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Tyrant, Honorary Bekaneer
Truth is a moving army of metaphors - Neitzsche

Please see disclaimer Part 1

Part - uh - 9, I think

When Galil stumbled, Dylan knew they were in trouble. The running aliens were seconds from them; if the creatures chose to fire on them Dylan knew it would all be over very quickly. With a strong arm he wrenched Galil back to her feet; he heard her gasping sob as she hoisted her son in her arms again, but then it was all over. They were surrounded on every side by a hoard of the purple-skinned aliens, and Dylan's heart sank as he took in the savage purpose on every face. Putting Galil behind him with a smooth shove, Dylan turned to face the most menacing alien.

The sounds of fighting carried a long way in the ships' corridor, and Beka's heart sank as she heard it. A faint shrilling that sounded like some type of alarm also rang through the passageway. Abandoning caution, she turned back the way she had come, trying to find Tyr as quickly as possible.

But others were also drawn to the sound of the fighting, and Beka had gone only a short distance when she found herself in the middle of a fight of her own. Two of the purple skinned aliens erupted from a passageway just behind her; at the sound of their footsteps she whirled and let fly one of the kicks that Tyr had so painstakingly drilled into her. Aiming for the alien's thigh, she connected squarely with its kneecap, but this turned out to be a good thing as the creature's knee broke with an audible crack and it sank to the floor in front of her.

Beka, eyes widened by her unexpected success, turned to square with the other, and the fight was on. For many minutes she feinted, dodged, and kicked, unwilling to get close enough to the strange being to actually land a punch. For its part, the alien seemed equally wary of her, and even though she was really pushing her body with the effort required to fight, the alien seemed reluctant to mount an all-out challenge. Beka was tiring, though, and things might have turned out different if the ship had not suddenly bucked and turned so quickly that its anti-grav and stabilization units were unable to keep up. Beka and the alien were tossed to the floor, and in the ensuing confusion Beka was able to land a fierce kick on the back of the alien's head. Soundlessly, it crumpled to the ground, joining its colleague who had apparently fainted from the pain of its injuries.

Picking herself up from a heap on the floor, Beka dusted off with unsteady hands and, amid other drastic turns and swoops from the ship, alternately walked and crawled down the corridor toward Tyr.

The explosion drew cheers from the Com deck of the Andromeda, where Harper, Rommie and Trance were locked on the visual monitors of Saskill's surface. For a moment, it had seemed that Dylan96 along with the woman and child who were apparently traveling with him96 was in big trouble, but the loud crashing roar of the missile that Rommie had fired off successfully distracted the entire party. Rommie could focus closely enough on Dylan that they all saw his assessing look, the squinted eyes into the sky, and the dawning hope that the missile had come from his ship.

=9o it again, Rommie!" Harper urged. =93Let's keep those guys off balance until the fighters can get in there."

With a nod, Rommie launched another one. =93ETA 48 seconds, Harper." At Trance's quick look of puzzlement she added,93We're closer."

Trance nodded.93Good, Rommie. Let's keep them guessing down there."

All three trained their eyes on the screen as the second missile flamed through the planet's surface.

Taking advantage of the babble of discussion from the alien hoard surrounding them, Dylan put his lips next to Galil's ear and said,93I think that's my ship. And I bet she's got a shuttle on her way here."

Just as softly, Galil replied,93I have the authorization codes for that bird over there if you can get us there."

Dylan measured the distance to the ship-to-surface shuttle Galil had indicated and decided that he probably could, especially if Rommie had another missile up her sleeve. As if in answer to his thought, the streak of another projectile tore through the sky, scattering the aliens even before it landed. This time the crash was closer, and in the ensuing confusion Dylan pulled Galil and Ian onto the small ship. With a slap of his hand he closed the entry hatch on the cacophony outside.

=93Can you fly her?"

Galil shook her head.93Probably not nearly
as fast as you could."

=93OK, enter the codes and let's get out of here."

Without any further conversation, Galil spoke the codes, and Dylan fired up the ship just as blows on the hull made it obvious that at least some of the Szezhume had figured out where they'd disappeared to. With a roar, Dylan blasted into the atmosphere, bound for the ship he knew in his heart was waiting for him.

By the time Beka made it down the corridor to what turned out to be the bridge of the ship, she'd passed more than ten bodies and the evidence of a great deal of fighting. The ship continued to writhe and buck as she got closer to the bridge, and the sounds of fighting and shrilling alarms got louder.

Kicking herself for not thinking of this sooner, Beka briefly searched the next body she came across for a weapon, but she found nothing. With a quick shrug she dashed off toward the sounds of conflict.

The temperature of the ship was beginning to heat up, and as Beka entered the bridge her experienced eye quickly told her that the ship was in unrestrained entry into the atmosphere of a planet. With a clutch of relief she saw that Tyr, off to her left, was bloodied but still fighting fiercely against the two Ogami. No other aliens were in sight, and Beka, heart racing at the new threat posed by uncontrolled atmosphere entry, quickly moved to the pilot's chair.

Though the controls were unfamiliar, Beka was an experienced pilot; she soon found the brake thrusters and engaged them to slow the ship's entry into the unidentified planet's atmosphere.

The ship's stabilizers and anti-grav units had apparently been damaged by the period of uncontrolled re-entry, so the ship's abrupt swerve as the braking units kicked in toppled all three of the contestants in the corner of the bridge. Beka's eyes swept the pilot's chair urgently for something to use as a weapon; another severe jar and the shrilling of additional alarms convinced her, however, that she needed to keep on top of things in the pilot's realm. Tyr would have to deal with the Ogami alone.

Frantically, Beka's fingers danced over the controls to the ship, trying to straighten her course and get her acceleration under control. Even with brake thrusters firing the ship was still going too fast; Beka's eyes widened as the viewscreen cleared in front of her and she could see the velocity with which the ship was approaching the planet's surface.

Her entire being became focused on pulling the ship up, slowing her angle of descent and her speed. She fired brake thrusters again and her fingers danced over the surface of the navigation computer, entering and refining angles, learning by trial and error. Gradually, the ship slowed, but they were by then so close to the planet's surface that Beka could make out individual trees. Ahead, a copper-colored lake gleamed in the light of the twin suns that Beka could now see.

With a gulp, Beka steered toward that gleaming pool, hoping to skim the ship along the water's surface and avoid an all-out crash.93Brace yourselves!" she shouted, knowing that Tyr was otherwise occupied and probably could do no such thing.

The lake came up beneath them, faster and faster, and Beka labored to pull the nose of the ship up so she wouldn't cartwheel when she first hit the resistance of the water. Whether it was the unfamiliar nav computer, a burst of wind, or a miscalculation was unclear, but as the ship touched the water its nose was pulled underneath. Without any warning, the ship was thrown over and over and over again, spinning along the surface of the water like a skipping stone. It finally came to rest near the far shore of the massive lake. Slowly, it began to sink.

Dylan thought he had never found the sight of the Andromeda a sweeter one. Though their flight had taken only a short time, Ian, the son of Galil, was clearly terrified, and his sobs were wrenching to hear. Galil seemed to be crying along with him, and Dylan spared as many minutes as he could trying to comfort them while flying the unfamiliar shuttle.

After a few tries, Dylan managed to figure out how to operate the communications equipment. His hail to the Andromeda was met with obvious relief.

=9ylan! You made it; thank the Divine!"

=93I didn't know you believed in the Divine, Harper," Dylan said.

=93All those years of Rev must've rubbed off on me."

=93Care to open a hangar door for this bucket of bolts?"

=93You got it, Boss man. Hangar Door Three opening now. And Dylan? Good to have you back."

=93I echo that sentiment," came the measured voice of his ship. Dylan grinned a little at the relief underlying those tones; he, too, was glad to be back in command.

After he landed the little shuttle, he turned to Galil with a warm smile.93So, I got an exciting tour of your home; are you ready for one of mine?"

Galil shuddered a little as she said in a husky voice,93Saskill was never really my home, but I am eager to see yours." Turning to her son, she said, =93Ian, we've been too busy to introduce you two before, but I want you to meet Captain Hunt, who has helped us escape from the Szezhume."

Ian's smile was wavery but bright.93Hiya, Captain!" The beginnings of hero worship already shone in his eyes.

=9ylan," said the captain.93Call me Dylan." With a warm smile, he invited both of them onto the Andromeda.

Don't stop now!!!! Beka....Tyr....LAKE!!!!

Loving every minute!!

------------------
"...survivor's attitude..."

--------------------
...survivor's attitude...

DON'T STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOREEEEEEE

Lil

So, Lillius,

j/k: What's it worth to ya if I continue?

Is it worth your telling me if "to hold harmless" is the same as "to indemnify"?

Case you can't tell, I'm knee deep in contracts right now. Yeesh! But this story provides me with needed antidotes (annecdotes? )

I'll get more out soon, I promise.....

Kathy

the first is a waiver of liability whereas the latter is an agreement to be held responsible for someone else's liability.

Babe maybe you ought to have me look these contracts over......

Lil

[This message has been edited by Dylanite (edited April 04, 2002).]

Actually, all on my own I deleted the hold harmless phrase. And industry standard is a complete author indemnification (yikes). But I've added clauses to name us on their insurance policy and to limit our liability to a percent of the advance.

Not that I'm sure they'll take it, of course...

Not that you can tell from my current behavior, but I do agree with you that knowing a little bit of law is A LOT dangerous....

<I told you the story about that time I totally deceived the attorney from that big software company in Redmond into thinking I was one too, right?? Ah, for the wild and crazy days of my youth....>

Thanks! And I'm writing, I'm writing!
Kathy

PS Edited to add: Lil, where are you? You at home?

[This message has been edited by Appreciate (edited April 04, 2002).]

Lil

Please see disclaimer Part 1

Part 10

Beka opened bleary eyes as soon as the ship stopped moving. Now her head really hurt, and she'd collected an impressive array of additional bruises during the ship's tumbles, as well. Looking at the dimming viewscreen now over her head, she was just able to make out the lapping of waves against the hull of the ship. Uh-oh, she thought. Better get out of here pronto. But where's Tyr?

Urgency shrilling through her, Beka groped her way to hands and knees and began to quickly look for her shipmate. She found him crumpled on the floor at the other end of the room, the body of an Ogami right beside him. With a quick flood of fear at the strange bonelessness of his position, she crawled over to him. Sticky blood was flowing from a gash on his forehead, mixing with his braids, and several other gashes and cuts showed through rips in his clothing. What a time for him to forgo his hated chain mail, she thought ruefully, but the amusement passed quickly. They had to get out of there.

=93Tyr," she said softly, reaching over to shake him. 93Tyr, wake up. The ship is about to sink, and we've got to get out." For a moment longer she tried to move him, then she stopped to think. Abruptly, Beka changed gears and decided that the best thing to do was to try to get a hatch open before water pressure made that impossible, then come back and rouse Tyr.

Using the walls for support, Beka rose unsteadily to her feet and lurched off the bridge. The nearest hatch she could recall seeing during their explorations was just off the main hall; ignoring the bodies still lying in the corridor she made her way as quickly as possible to the exit.

Operating the controls should have been simple, but when she pushed the button for door open instead of the flood of light she was hoping to see the door gave a tortured groan and water began gushing in through the break in the door's seal. Damn, she thought. This one must already be under water. For a moment, she tried to push the door open manually, but it was just as she had feared: the pressure of the water on the hull made it impossible to get the door open.

With a dismayed look at that hatch, Beka ran off to locate another as quickly as possible. As the ship began to sink, one end was rising, and Beka consciously ran uphill to try to find an access hatch that was not already underwater. With an increasing sense of panic Beka noticed the water flowing down the corridor as she dashed uphill; obviously the hatch she'd tried to open was not the only source of the leak.

Beka tried corridor after corridor until she was finally successful at locating another hatch. This one, to her relief, opened immediately, and she took a brief second to stick her head out and look at their surroundings.

What she saw reassured her a little; the shore was fairly close. If she could just rouse Tyr they could probably swim for it, provided there were no strange predators in the coppery waters around them. Beka couldn't prevent a shudder as she thought of the elements she was about to face. Planets, she thought with loathing. I hate planets96 and we're about to be stuck on one that I know nothing about. Yeecch.

Racing back the to bridge took precious minutes, and Beka was momentarily terrified that the water level might already have closed over Tyr's unconscious head. It hadn't, but she saw with terror how close it had come. Completely disregarding the temperature of the water, Beka dropped to her knees beside Tyr and raised his head in her arms, those extravagant locks spilling over her chest and floating on the water surrounding them.

=93Tyr." This time her voice was louder and more urgent.93C'mon, big guy, wake up. Your survival instincts should be kicking in about now!" Still no response, so she clasped his head to her chest with one arm and began lightly slapping his cheeks with the other hand.93Come ON Tyr, you have to wake up! You're too heavy for me to carry!"

Finally, finally she seemed to be getting through. Tyr's eyelashes fluttered, and then he opened dazed eyes. At first he seemed very confused; his lashes fluttered closed again and he turned his face into her chest, nuzzling into her softness. For just a moment, despite herself, Beka's arms tightened around Tyr's head, cradling him to her. Then urgency reasserted itself, and she moved quickly to awaken him.

Shaking him slightly, Beka said,93Tyr, we have to escape, NOW! The ship is going down!" Tyr's eyes blinked open again, and he finally seemed to become aware of their peril. The water level was perceptibly rising now, and waves sloshed over all of his prone body, up to Beka's waist. Tyr pulled away from Beka and sat up, blinking rapidly.

=9id you get a door open?" He hoped his voice did not reveal his immediate panic.

=93Yeah, it's this way." Beka got immediately to her feet, missing Tyr's look of relief and gratitude. Having drowned once, Tyr was hoping never to repeat that experience. He struggled to arise and follow her, his head still swimming from the blow that had knocked him out. A strong, slim hand fastened over his wrist and pulled him to his feet.

=93This way," she repeated, and she sloshed off down the corridor still pulling him by that clasp on the wrist.

=93Can we salvage anything?"

=93I don't think we have time." As if to underline her remark, the ship suddenly lurched, and all the internal lights went out. Beka gasped, and Tyr felt his heart sink, but they soon found that enough light from the hatch she had opened penetrated the corridor so they could still see. With unwavering determination, Beka ploughed on through the ever-deepening waters, pulling the groggy Nietzschean behind her.

Dylan brought Galil and Ian straight to the Com deck. For him, it was another homecoming, another safe return against the prevailing odds. Despite his concerns about Beka and Tyr, Dylan was conscious of a deep sense of contentment. He smiled warmly at Rommie as he took his accustomed place near the pilot's chair; Harper and Trance, also on the Deck, looked relieved to see him and very interested in his guests. He was pleased to find them all there so he could make his introductions all at once.

=93Rommie, Harper, Trance, I'd like you to meet the woman who helped me escape, Galil Lundergan, and her son Ian." Galil smiled a little shyly at the threesome, as Ian, briefly overwhelmed at the attention, buried his face in his mother's body.

=93Hello," said Trance gravely.

=93Heya, pretty lady!" Dylan rolled his eyes as Harper greeted Galil predictably.

=93Welcome," said Rommie.9ylan, shall I show them to some quarters?"

=93Yes, Rommie, please do. Then, Galil, I'm hoping you'll meet me so we can start to figure out how to track down Beka and Tyr. I don't like the thought of them out there alone somewhere."

=93Sure, Dylan, so long as Rommie?" she checked with the AI to ensure that she'd gotten that right, and in response to Rommie's brief nod, repeated, =93Rommie will show me how to find you. This ship is a beauty, but she sure is large!"

=93Why thank you," Rommie replied, drawing a puzzled look from Galil.

=93Rommie is an AI, the avatar for this ship," Dylan clarified.

Galil's eyes widened, and she was clearly fascinated by that proposition.93Wow! What genius made you?"

Dylan rolled his eyes again as he heard this disingenuous question; even Trance smiled a little as they waited for his response.

=93Genius? Genius! Why, thank you! It's nice to finally get the recognition I've always deserved. Seamus Zelazny Harper, certified genius here, at your service =96 and I do mean service." Galil's smile turned indulgent as she heard him make that little speech; it was clear to Dylan she she'd taken Harper's measure very quickly and accurately.

=93Always glad to give credit where credit is due," she responded lightly.93Rommie96 shall we?"

The avatar guided the woman and her small son off the Com deck, leaving Harper open-mouthed on the way to his next sally.

MMORRRRRRRRRRRRRE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not that I'm GREEDY or anything!

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Kathy}}}}}}}}}}}}} You ROCK!

I may be patient but......this is too good to stay patient.

I WANT MORE, MORE I SAY, MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just know that I check out fan-fiction before anything else, hoping for another chapter!

This is a terrific adventure!

MMMMOOORRREEE!!!!! PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE!!!!

--------------------
...survivor's attitude...

Lucky me, I didn't start reading this until now. I didn't have to wait like everyone else...that is until now!! MOOOORRRRRREEEE!!! Please?!!!

[This message has been edited by nightfall (edited April 05, 2002).]

--------------------

"Promise me anything!"
"All that I have and more! Please!"
"I want HeroicFool back, you son of a b####!"

Good news (for those who are enjoying this, of course) is here's some more.

Bad news: I just got the new Laurell K. Hamilton from the library (along with a David Brin - on a friend's recommendation - an Anne Lamott AND the new Laurie R. King - SCORE!!) and I may be incapable of doing ANYTHING else but reading at least A Caress of Twilight for a bit. (Not to mention I'm now a full chapter behind in my actual work...)

Anyway, here goes, and thanks again to everyone for reading and saying such nice things!

Please see part 1 for disclaimer

Part 11

Tyr seemed to revive slightly as they reached the open hatch. With a deepening frown, he looked around, clearly gauging the time left before the ship actually sank. It wasn't much, Beka was certain as she watched the strange, coppery water creep higher over the hull. All the same, she wasn't looking forward to actually swimming in the stuff.

=93Beka, is there nothing we can salvage?" Tyr repeated.

Beka frowned for a moment, thinking.93I guess I haven't looked around enough to know. What'd you have in mind?"

=93Well, I have a blaster, and my knives. Do you have a weapon?" Beka shook her head.93How about any survival gear?" Again, the headshake. Beka watched with concern as Tyr put the back of one hand to his forehead, obviously fighting off dizziness.

=93How about I go salvage real fast, and you wait here to give a yell when I need to be back." Beka thought she saw a flash of relief on that normally impassive countenance.

=93Fine. Look for blankets, food medical supplies and more weapons."

=93Yeah, yeah. I got it!" Beka threw the last words over her shoulder as she moved as quickly as possible back down the passage. She had not had the pleasure of drowning lately, she reflected, but even so it was strange and scary to hear the water pouring into the ship. Particularly in the near-darkness.

Peering quickly into every door she encountered, Beka was able to make out enough in the rooms near the open hatch to scrounge up a couple of blankets and a basic first aid kit. The mess hall eluded her, but she found a stash of nutri-bars and snacks in one room, which she quickly rolled into the blankets.

=93Beka!" Tyr's shout brought her about, and she quickly began to make her way back toward the hatch. 93Hurry!"

=93Keep your shirt on, Tyr, I'm almost there!" Her voice was breathless, she noted with a frown, but it was enough to quiet him down. He came a few steps away from the hatch as he heard her sloshing nearer; grabbing the rough bundle she'd made out of the blankets, he turned back and climbed the last few steps to the opening.

=93Time to go. Can you swim?"

=93Umm, after a fashion," she confessed.

=93I'll keep an eye on you, but don't grab at me if you get into trouble. I can only swim for us both if you don't panic."

Beka met his eyes gravely for a moment, and nodded. She was not looking forward to this at all. Without another word, Tyr turned to the roiling copper waters below them and jumped from the hatch. Heart in her mouth, Beka moved to follow him.

Dylan blew out a breath in frustration. =93So, you have basically no idea where Beka and Tyr might be?"

His tone was not particularly cordial, and Galil stiffened a bit before she answered.93I'm sorry, Dylan, but no. The Szezhume were not overly helpful in sharing any of their plans with me that did not involve direct orders."

Dylan just looked at her.93And there's no other help you can give us?"

It was Galil's turn to sigh, which she did while rubbing at the frown in her forehead.93Well=85 They were being taken just as the Szezhume decided to work on me. If the Andromeda was close enough to Saskill by then, perhaps your resident genius could deduce which ship took them and extrapolate its course?"

=93That's a good idea." Dylan looked thoughtful for a moment, then said,93Andromeda?"

Galil jumped a little as the ship's hologram jumped into being.93Yes, Dylan?"

=93Can you and Harper go over your memory banks to identify any ship that left Saskill about an hour before you rescued us? And if you find one, can you try to track it?"

=93Right away." The hologram flickered out, and Dylan smiled a little at Galil's still-wide eyes. =93Andromeda can appear in several forms."

=93So I see, Dylan."

Dylan was silent for a moment longer, then he said, 93You know, I'm still lookin' for that meal I haven't had. Would you care to join me?"

=93Let me get Ian, and we'd love to," Galil answered warmly. At his nod, Galil rose gracefully and made her way back to her new quarters to fetch her son.

The drop was longer than it looked from the sinking spaceship, and the water itself significantly chillier than it had seemed within the ship. As Beka hit the surface, the breath was driven from her lungs, and it took long enough for her to reach the surface that she began to worry that she would run out of air before she ran out of water to move through. Finally, she broke through to the surface, gasping and shaking the water from her hair. She looked around immediately, and was reassured to see Tyr's dark head nearby, with one hand holding the bundle of supplies unsteadily atop it.

=93OK?" he asked briefly. When she nodded, he turned and struck off for shore, leaving her to marvel anew at the marvelous athleticism of the man. Beka had rather understated her swimming ability; she was pleased to find that her crawl was more than adequate to keep apace his measured movements toward shore.

After about ten minute's swimming, they reached the rocky shore. The lake was smooth and placid, which was a fortunate thing as the rocks that lined its shore were jagged and treacherous. Beka collected another couple of scrapes to add to her general collection as she made her way out of the lake. The taste of the water, which she had unavoidably swallowed a few times, was unpleasantly sharp, and her stomach seemed less than happy to receive it even though she was actually quite thirsty.

Beka frowned at the new worry96 where would they find potable water if the lake was not?96 but then she turned her attention to making it safely onto the shore. This time, when Tyr stretched out a strong hand to help her, she took it gratefully, nearly exhausted from the day's escapades.

Tyr, too, seemed a little worn. Limping a bit, he set down their bundle on a boulder and, with a brief attempt at a smile in her direction, began to scope out their surroundings, blaster drawn and at the ready. Beka sank down on a nearby rock and watched him, content, for the moment, to let him take the lead.

Tyr disappeared a few times into the underbrush that lined the lake's edge, but he soon reappeared and then systematically made his way along the shoreline back to her. Beka supposed, idly, that she needed to get moving; the air was cool enough that she was beginning to get chilly. Exhaustion warred with cold, however, and she just wasn't sure she could muster the energy to arise. Dully, she watched Tyr come nearer.

Tyr's worry coalesced as he saw her blank countenance. Beka had pushed herself hard today, hard enough that she'd have been tired even if she had been whole and healthy. With the residue of the drug and surgery still stalking her, he was amazed that she was still upright. Clearly, he was going to have to find some shelter for them right away.

Tyr cast a keen look up at the sky. This planet appeared to be influenced by two suns; its brightest was just setting but its second, smaller sun, bluer in color, was still going strong. No way to know the cycles of the suns, or the temperature swings that they might invoke, although the greenery looked robust enough that Tyr doubted they would face temperature extremes.

Still, as the primary sun set the air was growing perceptibly colder, and he could see Beka, still in wet clothes, begin to shiver.

His brief exploration had revealed a rocky ledge with a bit of an overhang a few paces into the greenery. Beyond the band of shrubs and grasses lining the lakeshore, tall trees grew, their leaves rustling in the evening breeze. Tyr decided to rely on the overhang for shelter for now, and to try to gather wood to make a fire.

Gently, he said,93Beka?" She looked at him, mute, and he gave her another smile.93C'mon, let's head to our luxurious quarters."

With a perceptible effort, she roused herself.93Hot and cold running water, I trust?"

=93Of course," he answered, offering her a hand to rise. Beka rose to her feet, leaning heavily, for a moment, on his strength. Then, taking a deep breath, she let him go, standing by sheer effort of will, he thought. He had never admired her more.

Leading the way through the greenery, Tyr brought Beka and their bundle of supplies to the slight overhang that he had seen earlier. Tyr briefly fired his blaster, set on low, at the back wall and floor of the small cave to ensure that no other beings were using the same shelter; then, he turned to his shivering shipmate.

=93I am going to find wood for a fire. You should strip off those wet clothes and wrap in a blanket; I think I kept the inner ones pretty dry. Here's the blaster; I'll be back as soon as I can."

=93But, you should take the blaster. What if you run into something nasty out there?" Even as out of it as she was, Beka's voice was sharp with concern.

Tyr smiled briefly at her.93I'll be fine. I've got the knives, and my weapons are built in." He snapped out his bone spurs as a demonstration, then turned and made his way swiftly toward the forest.

In case you had any doubts, I'm LOVING it and I want MORE!!!!!!!

{{{{{{{{{{Kathy}}}}}}}}}

Lil

k

You must listen to the cries of all of your fans and hear us only...WRITE LOTS MORE NOW... READ MUCH LATER!!! We need to read more of this marvelous story and will perish without more inspired words from your pen!!! Write first...read later!!!

~Cassandra

--------------------
@}-'->--'--
Bekaneer
Magniac
member of the Nietzchean Empire
Argosy Special Ops, [i]Commandant of Anti-Troll Operations Division, aka the 18409th Donut Patrol BattalionHonorary Tyrant

(I hope you know I lost a chance to get a mate because you kept me here with this story!!! Now you OWE me more!!! )

------------------
"Who ARE you?"
"NO one of consequence."
"I MUST know!"
"Get used to disappointment."
"alright."

--------------------

"Promise me anything!"
"All that I have and more! Please!"
"I want HeroicFool back, you son of a b####!"

quote:

---

Originally posted by Appreciate:
Have you read it? I hear Keith when Doyle speaks, at least from the first book. Ummmmmm.

k

---

I haven't read book two yet.....

hmmm...it's been a while since I read book one.......I don't remember being reminded of Keith tho....

Now put the book DOWN and keep writing!

*jk*

K, so there's justice in this world. I finished it - 326 pages - and I want MORE! MORE! MORE! I re-read A Kiss of Shadows just recently, and now that I've finished A Caress of Twilight I want the next one now!

* Kathy stamps her feet just like Lil *

<Sigh.> But for anyone else reading this, that is a book only for those who don't mind explicit sex, lots of violence and the two bloodily entwined sometimes. Laurell K. Hamilton is truly an acquired taste.

So, now I can go back to the story... tomorrow.

Kathy

[This message has been edited by Appreciate (edited April 05, 2002).]

Thanks for liking my story; it really means a lot to me !

Please see Part 1 for disclaimer

Part 12

Rommie's brows twitched together as she heard Dylan laugh merrily. What was going on in the kitchen? It was a place she rarely went as she had no need for food, but curiosity drew her through the door.

The sight that met her eyes was not one she had ever before seen. Dylan was on the floor of the combined mess and lounge with the dark-haired boy, Ian. Ian was pretending to shoot at Dylan using his finger and thumb as a blaster, and Dylan was shuddering and he took the make-believe hits. Rolling around in a pretend death agony, Dylan ambushed the little boy, sweeping his knees out from under him and catching him on the way down. Peels of giggles filled the air as Dylan tickled the boy in a ritual as old as mankind.

Galil was leaning off to the side, watching the byplay with amusement, wonder and worry warring in her eyes. Rommie crossed over to join her, carefully avoiding the fight pattern of the two males. For a moment, both were silent as they watched the wrestling match. Eventually, Galil spoke.9ylan's wonderful with children!"

Rommie nodded.93I must confess to being a little surprised. I have never seen him play like this." Indeed, as Dylan's rich laugh filled the room again, it was not clear to either woman who was enjoying the contest of skills more.

Galil turned to smile warmly at Rommie. =9ylan was sure you were waiting for us, you know? He was absolutely convinced you were here."

Rommie smiled faintly.93Well, I always make it a policy to locate him as soon as I can if I've misplaced him."

Galil laughed a little, her eyes on the tall, strong figure playing with her son.93I can see why."

For a moment, Rommie closed her eyes, not reacting, then she turned suddenly to Dylan.9ylan, Harper has some news for you. He would like you to come to the Com deck."

Startled out of play mode, Dylan froze for a moment on the floor mid-growl, then he smiled sheepishly at being so discovered and rose to his feet. =93Sorry, partner," he said to Ian, kneeling down briefly to get back to the boy's level.93I have to go now. Duty calls."

The little boy nodded back at Dylan, very gravely. Dylan reached out and ruffled the boy's dark hair, smiled at Galil, then turned and walked with Rommie to the bridge.

When Tyr got back to the overhang, he was met by the sight of Beka's clothing draped neatly over nearby bushes to dry. Arms loaded with wood and kindling, Tyr maneuvered around the bushes until he got a clear view of the small cave's interior. Beka was sprawled within, lying on one of their blankets while wrapped in another, and she seemed to be asleep. A tiny smile touched his mouth as he noted that her slackened hand still was folded around the blaster.

Moving as quietly as possible, Tyr put down the wood and cleared a place for a fire near where Beka was lying. As he carefully layered dry grasses, small twigs and logs until he had the makings of a good blaze, he took a moment to reflect thankfully on his extensive skills at roughing it. Drawing his blaster, he fired a brief shot at the tinder on low. As he'd hoped, the tinder caught, and he soon had a crackling blaze going.

Tyr was very tired, and also hungry. Beka had unpacked their few belongings neatly, and Tyr fell gratefully upon a couple of the nutribars, opening them carefully to preserve their wrappers. One of the things they were most lacking, Tyr thought, was containers for carrying water or food, and he was loathe to dispose of anything that might prove useful.

Tyr's own clothes had mostly dried on him by now, so after he had eaten, he stoked the fire and, taking the third blanket, rolled himself in it and lay down next to Beka. Gently removing it from Beka's clasp, he set the blaster close at hand and settled himself down for some much-needed rest.

His thoughts, before he allowed sleep to claim him, were not pleasant. He had fought his way onto the bridge of the alien ship and not had a chance to get even a hint about what system they had entered. He knew nothing about the planet they were stranded on, and they had very few resources. Also, if Beka were to become ill from the day's events, he had little with which to treat her. All in all, though they might have been worse off, the situation was unfavorable.

And had Dylan survived? Had he somehow made it back to the Andromeda? If so, how would Dylan ever find them, Tyr wondered. Certainly, if he had made it back to the Andromeda, he would look, particularly for Beka. But space was large, and a single planet hard to distinguish. Maybe Trance's odd skills would help the Andromeda locate them.

Tyr gave a brief sigh, then gave himself over to sleep. There were no easy answers, and he needed the rest.

=93What's up Harper?" Dylan entered the Com deck at a brisk walk.

=93Hiya, Boss. Well, we think we've found the ship that likely had Beka and Tyr on it; this ship," he gestured to the viewscreen,93received a shuttle from the surface and then took off at about the right time. Problem is, we're so late it'll be real tough to track them through slipstream. I can't think of anything else to try though."

Dylan pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers.93OK, Harper, let's go for it. See if you can track them down."

Harper, from the pilot's seat, nodded. =93Streaming in 5, 4, 3=85" The slipstream station moved to embrace him as the Andromeda made the transition into the alternative space.

Trance was surprised to hear the sound of crying emanating from the kitchen. Brows drawn together, she walked swiftly into the room, wondering absently how long they would be stuck in slipstream. She had always hated the feel of this particular mode of transportation, and changing places with her younger self had not lessened her distaste.

Within the room, Ian was huddled on the floor in his mother's arms, crying as though his heart would break. Galil, trying to comfort him, was obviously struggling for self-control herself. Trance walked closer to the pair and kneeled down where the boy could see her if he choked back his sobs enough to look up.

=93Hiya," she said softly. Galil's eyes flicked to her, then returned to her son. Trance waited a moment, then tried again.93You seem sad. What's the matter?"

After a moment, Galil answered in a slightly unsteady voice.93We're not too sure what's going on. The ship lurched and now everything feels very strange. It's kind of scary for someone who's never been in space before."

Trance's eyes widened as she took that in. =93You mean you've never been in space before?"

=93Well, I have, many years ago. But Ian never has. Why did the ship lurch?"

=93We went into the sliptream, that's why."

=93Oh, is that what's going on?" Relief dawned in Galil's eyes.93It's been so long I'd forgotten what it feels like." Galil turned back to her son. =9id you hear Trance, Ian? She said that we're in the slipstream. Everything is going to be all right."

The boy sobbed once more, then gulped, wiping his face on his mother's shirt. Looking up at Trance, he said in a quavery voice,93What's slipstream?"

=93Well, slipstream is a way to travel extra long distances in space very quickly. It's kind of a different dimension in space, you know? And not every ship can travel on the slipstream, but Andromeda is very good at it." Trance's voice was warm and reassuring, and after another sniff, the boy calmed.93How old is he, Galil?"

Always happy to discuss her son, Galil answered, 93He's nearly five."

=93Wow, so old," Trance responded. =93Listen, guys, would you like to visit the Com deck? That's where Harper is piloting the ship. Would you enjoy that?"

Ian, wiping tear-stained eyes, was heard to say that he would, so he left with Trance and his mother.

Tyr awoke some eight hours later, according to his chrono. As was typical for him, he was instantly awake, but he was unsure of what had roused him. Brows drawn together, he extended his senses, straining to see, in the dim light, past the remains of their fire.

It had grown perceptibly colder. Beka, he was slightly amused to note, was cuddled up against him for warmth; after a moment longer of careful listening, he shifted a little, settling her against him more comfortably and turning on his back. His hand brushed her forehead, and he frowned, suddenly concerned at the heat radiating from her. This was not an ordinary nighttime warmth; she was brewing a fever of some magnitude.

Tyr swore under his breath, abruptly concerned. This was exactly what he had been worried about. He had very little means for helping her through this; fervently, he hoped that her immune system was up to fighting off whatever infection was stalking her. The frown on his brow took up extended residence as he tightened his arm around her.

He had almost fallen back to sleep when her violent trembling began again.

Enjoy, be safe, and when you get home.....
......WRITE LOTS MORE, PLEASE!!!!

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"...survivor's attitude..."

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...survivor's attitude...

*withdrawl sets in!* Come on!!! Alone...on a planet....with TYR!!!!!! *sigh!*

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"Who ARE you?"
"NO one of consequence."
"I MUST know!"
"Get used to disappointment."
"alright."

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"Promise me anything!"
"All that I have and more! Please!"
"I want HeroicFool back, you son of a b####!"

BTW, I've got my question worked out as well

Lil

Ani

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Tyrant, Second wife to XxTyrxX, mother to Valeria, Ian, baby Tyr, 4 others, and still others by default
He must always have that part of him that YOU JUST CAN'T TRUST.''
KHC on Tyr, emphasis mine
Never underestimate the power of words
Social Climbers - They will quite cunningly take whatever Alpha prerogatives you stupidly give them.
Magniac Defender Against Social Climbers
COZA, Keeper of Tyr's Insecurity Clearance
Ani

When you do get around to posting more of this most entertaining story, please post it here:

http://www.slipstreambbs.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000846.html

Closing this one for size.

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Author, "A Perilous Tipping of Scales"