As she concentrated all her thoughts on the noise outside, the images washed over her like a wave. Death, destruction, and torment. She hoped her daughters could not sense it fully, that their thoughts were not yet evolved that far. Her sons she hadn't seen for days, nor her husband. They had been taken to separate camps when it all started, she wasn't sure why. They were told this was all for their protection, but she couldn't quite believe it. How could families be torn apart, so many people be crammed into one small space, in the name of protection?

Some part of her believed that they'd have been better off outside of the bunkers. Her highly trained senses could feel everything that went on out there, and it shook her to the core knowing that eventually, at some point, it would come inside. Haunt every single person that was sitting in the small space, so huddled together they could hardly breathe. Even if it never came, she wondered if they would all be consumed by fear and die eventually.

"Mother?" The small, thin voice of her youngest daughter came from next to her, rising above the thoughts that were swirling through her head.

"Yes?"

"I'm afraid..." The little girl stared at her with wide eyes, as if praying her mother would make it all go away, the visions that were doubtlessly fighting their way into her mind, the heat and sweat inside the bunker, and the noise coming from the outside, working its way in. It broke her heart that she couldn't. Instead she pulled her daughter closer to her and shut her eyes, praying that this would be over sooner or later.

They were coming...

Beka Valentine was walking swiftly through the corridors to reach the office of the Captain of the Andromeda Ascendant. He had called his XO in a few minutes earlier, waking her up from her sleep, claiming an emergency. Her hair tousled from sleep and in yesterday's clothes, she entered the office to see a very serious Dylan Hunt on the other side of the desk.

Despite being Andromeda's XO, Beka was not quite officer material and did not, as her Captain, wear a uniform, but rather tops with slits and holes in all the right places, which often served to distract both Dylan and the other renegades she had brought aboard – the male ones anyway. Today, however, Captain Hunt did not look in a mood to be distracted. He passed her a flexi and motioned for her to sit down.

"There is an urgent distress signal from the planet Astara. His first officer frowned, giving him a confused look.

"Astara? Never heard of it..."

"Apparently they're very reclusive. Paranoid some may say. Until now obviously..." He leaned back onto his chair, resting his chin in his hand as she read the flexi, her face growing more tired as she did.

"Civil war."

"Very bad, apparently. The government is asking for assistance." Beka dropped the flexi on the table and gave her Captain a scrutinising glance.

"So what's the problem?" He looked up, his eyes tired and searching.

"What makes you think there's a problem? She gave him a crooked smile, shaking her head slightly and straightening up where she sat.

"I know you, Dylan..." She paused, watching his tightly closed lips emerge into a tiny smile. "I know something's wrong. Otherwise, we'd be on our way there already." He nodded his head slightly and stood up, wringing his hands together as her gaze followed him across the room.

"They're...telepaths. Everyone on Astara is a telepath." His first officer frowned.

"And you have a problem with that? I'm sure Trance..." He shook his head impatiently.

"No, I don't have a problem with telepaths. Generally. The thing is..." He paused again, putting his hands on his hips, looking straight at Beka. "Before the fall...I had some interaction with Astara, you could say. They use their abilities in strange ways, no doubt this is what caused the war, and they are very, very selfish."

"And because they were selfish in the past, we will abandon them now?" the blonde countered. "That was 300 years ago, no point punishing them for whatever it is their forefathers have done..." He shook his head again.

"No! It's not a punishment, I'm just being...cautious. You see, in the old days, it wouldn't have been unlike Astara to fake a distress call in this way, only to have an attack ready when you come. They may have changed, but if that's how they behaved when the universe made sense, imagine how they will have evolved after the fall. I'm just...worried that this will turn out to be some scam." Beka leaned back, her body relaxing.

"We usually get out of it."

"Yes, but with these telepaths...they'd know our every move before we make it! I just have this feeling that if we respond to this call, something bad." Dylan sat back down and looked at the flexi his XO had left on the desk. "But on the other hand..." Beka raised an eyebrow. "People like the Astarans could be valuable for a renewed Commonwealth. Maybe I'd be a fool to pass up the opportunity because of fear." He sighed and put it back down again. "Maybe they really are having a civil war. Only..."

"What?"

"The message is rather old, we just came across it by chance. It's not terribly old, but...well, it's possible we could be too late." Beka pursed her lips and stood up.

"Yes, but Dylan..."

"I know, I know. I'm Mr Save-Everyone, right?" He smiled, then laughed a little as she swatted him on the shoulder. "Well, sorry to keep you up, but..."

"That's all right. So, to Astara." The commanding officers of the Andromeda quickly made their way to Command to go off on yet another rescue mission.